I will list all who are going on this post. So, I will try to update it daily.
I put the ages that folks will be the day the cruise begins because that is the way that Disney does it. Make sure that I have all the ages right. But it looks like we will be celebrating quite a few birthdays on the cruise. That will make it even more special.
Sunshine1259 - DW Brenda 50 and DH Eric 50, Cabin 6630, Early Dining, FE 3rd Anniversary.
jprsrethi - DH Jake, DW Patti, DS Ryan, DS Seth, Cabin 6070.
Hattiedog - DW Keri, DH Bill, DD Kailey 8, DD Alyssa 5, Cabin 2028.
Mrsdn5 - DW Laura 34, DH Shad 30, DD Emmalynn 4, DD Molly 3, Cabin 7044. FE
lewiskids004 - DW Sherry, DH Galen, DD Makenzie 16, DD Allie 7, DBF Melody, FE.
Cindi0511 - Cindi plus 35, FE.
mouseears1 - DW Alisia 46, DH Alan 43, DS Richard 19, Cabin 8530, Early Dining.10th Anniversary.
coastiewifern - DW Christie, DH John, DS Connor 11, DD Ainslie 8 FE.
MrsMunchie - DW Shirley, DH Justin, DS Joey 12, DD Audrey 10, DM Susan FE.
DisneyMama27 - DW Shari 39, DH Tom 42, DS Jake 12, DD Katie 11, DD Marcie 9, Category 6, FE.
MadGracieFlint - DW Tams, plus 4. (With Cindi0511), FE.
mom2alix - DW Rebecca 36, DH Kenneth 38, DD Alix 8, DS Colin 6. Colin B/D.
Orlanr - DH Rus 52, DW Michelle 46, Cabin 7508, late seating, FE. Rus B/D 10/27.
MattShannon&Brandon - DW Shannon 34, DH Matt 41, DS Brandon 2. Matt B-day 10/23, Cabin 2106, FE.
jackieh95 - DW Jackie, DS Stephen, DD Taylor, DN Aleece, FE.
jenandkam - Jen 36, DM Joanne 61, DS Kamren 7, DD Maya 2.
Grandma4ever - Lois, DP Janet.
byejou - DW 34, DH 34, DS 9, DS 6.
d'Isigny - DH Kevin47, DW Nancy 48.
Mr. Disney 652 - DH Adam, DW Kelli, DS Alex, DD Grace, DM Carolyn, DF David, Cabin 7598.
lovedisneysincewas10 - DW Tanya, DH Trey, DD Noel 6. Noel BD 10/27.FE
angelabielanin - DW Angela, DH Jeff, DD Julia 12, DS Jared 10, DB Cliff, DSIL Stephanie, Cabins 6053 and 6055, DM Eva, DF Cliff. FE
Mozart - DH, DW.
Sand - DW Sandy, DH Peter, DD Bianca 4, DD Sophia 3, FE.
CADZNYCHC - DM Brenda, DD Jennifer, DSiS Deb, DNc Joeli, Cat 4., Room 8524FE
LC30 - DW Linda, DH Jonathan, DS Jackson 4.
kimpossible - DW Kim, DH Jeff, DS Jonathon 10, DS Harrison 5, Cabin 7596.
CastleCreations - DM Lisa, DD Ireland 9, DD Alexis 7.
Anjelica - DH Shannon 37, DW Anjelica 33, DD Sydney 7, DS Sean 3, Cabin 7092, FE.
Towncrier - DW Sue, DH John.
shortbusmom - DW Carole, DH Don.
disney4dana - DW Dana, DH Geoff, DS Kyle 15, DD Christina 11.5.
cheesehead3 - DH Charles, DW Tammy, Cabin 6319, FE.
184 and counting Folks!!!
Luckymommyx2, DW, DH, DD 12, DS 11, Category 6.
fasttrakphil, DH Phil, DW Michelle.
Kasidak, DW Karyn, DH Omar, DS Hayden 6.
Evad, DH Dave, DW Sue.
JjetMcg, DW Jenni, DH Jim, DD Erin 9, DD Trinity 8, FE.
leelip1982, DFI, DFI.
JohnO, DH John, DW Cheryl, DD 12, Cabin 6641.
Paul2003, DB Paul, DS, DM, DF.
debbiechels, DM Debbie, DD Chelsea 13, DS Tamara, DN Andy.
Crazy4DisneyWI, DW Tina, DH Kevin, DD 11, DS 9, DS 6. Late seating. DD, BD 10/29.
thegrays, DH Chaz 43, DW Teresa 41, DD Heather 15, DD Emily 10.
JanDave, DMILs Jan and Carla, Cabin 6521.
beansf, DW, DH.
GirlieGirl, DW Susie, DH, DD, DD, DMIL, DFIL, FE.
minniesota, DSIS Mary, DSIS Anne, DN Nick, DNIL Briana, Deck 7. 1st Anniversary-Nick and Briana..
jestracker, DW Joanie, DH David, Cat. 5, 20th anniversary.
bpate, DW Brandy, DH Brice, DD Bryanna 6, DS Bronson 2.5, Cabin 7058, FE.
flexo96, DH Rick, DW Christine, DD 6, DS 14, DMIL, DFIL.
CarrianneB, DW Carrieanne 39+, DH Robert 42, DS 10, DS 9. Cabin 6062FE
detiveaux, DW Leslie, DH Chad, DS Eric 25, DS Connor6, Cabin 10730. (Traveling with warren525). DS 6 B/D 10/29. FE
Cat75, DW Catrina 35, DH Randy 33, DD Calista 11, DD Sarah 3.
JoyceR, DW Joyce, DH Jay, DD Megan.
Nathalief, BTB Nathalie (29), GTB Simon (30), DD Alice (4), DS Adam (1), DM Francine, DF Jean-Pierre, FILS Johnanne and Jean-Marie, Category 8, Deck 6. Wedding 10/28)
oldshovelhead, DW Donna (50), DH Tim (50), Cabin 7524.
MOMMYMOUSEOF2, DW Heather, DH Jason (40) DS Kyle (9) DD Kailey (6), DS Brett (2). (B-day Jason, 10/27)
DisneyNut64, Cabin 2 BFF Cindy, BFF Tracey, BFF Beth, Cabin 1, BFF Cathy. BFF Danielle, BFF Pam BFF Shelia. Late dining (Hoping to change to Main Dining. FE
TorontoGirl, DW Tarin, DH Donny, (Anniversary 10/24). Cabin 6083. FE
Reedi, DW Heather, DH Robert, DS Tre' (10), DD Ari (5), Cabin 2502, FE
ljhayes, DW Laura (28), DH Andy (29), DS Alex (2 months).
NVCloss, DW Natalie, DH, DS6, DS2, Cabin 2116.
LydiaAch - DW Lydia (33), DH (33), DD (5), DS (4).
beansf - DW, DH
allthgsdis
warren525, DW, DH, DD 8. FE(Traveling with detiveaux).
dennisbryce, DH Bob 35, DW Cystal 32, DS Dennis13, DS Bryce 12, Cabin 5008, FE.
psugrad99 , DW, DH, DS 14, DS 3, DMIL, DFIL.
smeecanada, DW, DH, 20th Anniversary, Cabin 5622. FE
sirena, DW, DH, DD 8, DS 5, FE.
Simbalic, DH Dan, DW, DD Ellen 12, DD Claire 9.
vinnie73, DH Mark 37, DW Amy 35, DD Eryn 16, DD Meygan 6, Cabin , FE.
dvtchk, DW Chanin, DH Tim, DS Hunter 13, DD Katelyn 10, Cabin 6048, FE.
PKK/MJK, DW Mary Jo 64, DH Phil 67, DD Katie 31, DBF Mark 26, FE.
mikmin, DW, DH, DM 80, DF 81.
TKH
kimpace1, DW Kim 43, DH Jody 41, DD Maddie 4, FE.
HAPPY-AT-DISNEY, Joanie.
princess crazy, DW, DH, DD 13.
auntmkk - DF Maria 50 (B-day on cruise), DF Jan 57, DF Jeanine 46, Deck 5.
Disney Cajun Man - DW Joanne, DH Will, Cabin 5001.
PirateLife4Me
- DW, DH, DCs, Cabin 1037.
DisWitt - DH Troy, DW, DS 3, DS 1, DSIS 32, DSIL.
bandera69, DW, DH, 1st Anniversary.
MommyTo5, DM Angie, DS Zachary 12, DD Cassidy 12, DS Cody 12, DS Nicholas 10, DD Olivia 5, DBF J.D., DBF Chris 10.
Tigger's Sidekick, Janet.
Robin"D", Robin, Angel, Cabin 6147, late seating.
vacationers, DM Laura, DS.
timmel, DW Melody. DH Tim, DS Hayden 7, DD Isabella 5, DSIS Kim, DBIL Brian, DNC Brianna 4, DMILS Jan and Lelia.
kdzgon, DW Laurie, DH Chuck, DGS Dylan 7, DGS Charles 5.
Switt
Lawhamel, DH Bob, DW Eileen, DC 8, DC8
Below is a list of tips for planning that I copied last year from the tips thread. Evidently, it has been deleted, so I posted it again on the cruise forum. Mind you, this is not a list created by me. It was a compilation of ideas from alot of other folks, put together by someone else. I hope this helps in some of your planning.
Here is an updated listing of tips that have been compiled from existing threads. The list has been edited with spell check and to remove outdated tips [in reference to Scoops, TS dinner buffet, liquid policy for
DCL, laundry taking quarters, etc.] and tips that are no longer within DCL policies [such as hanging items on verandahs, taking food off ship and liquids in checked luggage]. I have also narrowed the size down a bit by eliminating duplicate tips to try and make it more printer friendly
and there are still A LOT of them!
ACTIVITIES ONBOARD
Go to at least one program/activity a day. The cruise staff is great, and you get to meet people other then the ones you see at meals.
Play or at least attend Jackpot bingo the last night. It's a blast. WARNING BINGO IS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE, but FUN FUN FUN!!
BEFORE YOUR CRUISE
Arrange to have your mail held and stop your newspaper delivery.
I think the best cruise tip for NEW and experienced cruisers is TO DO YOUR CRUISE DOCS ONLINE AND PRINT THEM OUT!!!! So many people DO the online registration, but they forget to print them out and bring them with them. If you don't print them out, you have to do it all over again at the port...take this tip from someone who has forgotten to bring her Docs that were printed out!
Make sure you sign onto your cruise date meet on the board. You can get your kids to email other kids and get to know each other before they even board.
If you don't already have it, order the cruise DVD from reservations - then plays it for you kids often! They will be more comfortable with what to expect and it "extends" your vacation by thinking about the fun before you even get there!
If you're dong Disney excursions sign up online before your cruise (avoid the ressie rush).
BOARDING DAY
Either wear your swimsuits under your clothes when boarding, or bring them in a day bag. There are bathrooms right outside Topsiders.
BOOKING STATEROOMS
If you have to have an inside stateroom, book on deck 7 aft, so you'll have the "secret verandah" to go out and enjoy.
"Secret" cat 7 rooms on deck 7 (used to be cat 5), so I booked our first verandah.
CAMERAS
Take lots of pictures! I had our camera and didn't take more than about a dozen shots. I was sooooo sad when we came home. There's no way to go back in time and take pictures of that particular cruise so take lots of pictures!!!
Take all the memory cards you own. Once you've finished one, put it in a separate place from your camera so if you lose one, you don't lose both.
Give your kids their own disposable camera, and another disposable waterproof camera. We had some great candids from our DDs ages 7 & 11 last spring!
We give each kid (got 4) a 24 exposure disposable camera before the trip. Let them take a picture of whatever they want. But once they use it up they are done. They get better with each trip plus they have their own memories.
Underwater camera is fun too! We took it with us to Castaway Cay and to Stingray City (on the Western Cruise).
Take pictures of everything, if you don't you will regret it once you get them developed and wish you had a photo of it.
The best time to find characters is during the sail-away celebration, on deck 10.
CARRY ON CONTENTS
Bring swimwear in your day bag. One of the best times for an uncrowded swim is in the period of time between embarkation and the safety drill.
Bring a luggage carrier or something w/wheels for the soft pack cooler
Carry on beer and wine.
I have also brought some of my own beverages and mixers and cups w/ lids to mix the drinks.
Bring an extra carryon filled with bottles of water. You can buy less expensive bottled water at home and, as you drink the water, you are emptying the suitcase for souvenirs to bring home.
Don't bring on so many carry-ons when boarding. We took a bag EACH because we were thinking "what if". They were very much in the way and not-so-fun to carry around until our rooms opened up at 1:15 PM. Turns out we should have checked EVERYTHING and just ate, toured the ship, then went to our room.
CASTAWAY CAY
Buy your Castaway Cay Postcards at Mickeys Mates, and fill them out prior to leaving the ship for Castaway Cay, drop them off at post office first thing you'll save time. Also, the post office sometimes runs out of post cards. You'll need some cash for postage, so don't forget small change.
At Cookies BBQ, the line right in front is sometimes long (facing beach) go around the right side, and you'll find another serving station that is usually empty.
On Castaway Cay, we came back from the adult beach to eat at Cookies. All around us people had tropical fruit on their plates. I went back to the buffet and looked and looked, but never found any! Figured they had run out. It turned out there was a fruit stand on the other side of Cookies, closer to the ship. By the time I found it after leaving lunch, I was already stuffed. Don't let it happen to you!
I learned that you can have your purchases sent to your stateroom from the shop on CC. I was hoping I didn't have to bring my stuff with me on the beach!
Beach bag or something to lug stuff out to Castaway Cay and use on other excursions.
Snorkel early at CC - the bottom gets stirred up bad and visibility becomes very limited
All 10 of the Disney's snorkel vests we tried leaked badly through the valve - you may want to consider bringing your own if you need to rely on these for buoyancy. (Note you must wear one in the CC snorkeling area.)
No floats in the snorkel area at CC.
Bring your own sand toys for Castaway Cay!
DINNER
Arrive 5-10 minutes after your scheduled seating time. There are no points for being the first 50 into the dining room. Avoid the lines and the cattle waiting to be seated.
Tell your waiter that you want the kids served first and they will get them out very quickly, then one parent can drop them off at the club or the lab and be back before the main course is served. Most of the waiters watch and know not to bring your food when you are delivering you kids to the club. This allows you to enjoy time with the kids and still have a leisurely dinner to yourselves.
If you are full at dinner, ask for your waiter to pack up dessert to go.
Order anything you want off the menus. Your servers will be happy to mix and match menu items, even combining veggies from one entree with main course from others. You can also get multiples (more than one appetizer, main course, dessert, etc. so you can sample more things). Bring an appetite!
If you do not want to get dressed up for your normal dinner seating you can go to Topsider's or Beach Blanket for a more relaxed meal. This is offered each night except the first and last of the cruise.
Crayons, books and plain paper for kids during the down time in the room --- have them make a "picture" scrapbook for when they get back home!
DISEMBARKING
On a 7 night cruise no not wait until Friday to pack. I use a collaspible hamper stored under the desk for laundry during the cruise. On Tuesday I empty the by then full hamper into a large laundry bag and put that into one of the pieces of luggage that are stored under the bed. On Thursday night/Friday morning before going to CC I do this again. I also pack all of the remaining clothes EXCEPT an outfit to wear off the ship Saturday morning [which we change into after the final show Friday night before spending the last night with our friends and at the TWMA at 10:30 in the atrium], one outfit for each of us with shoes to wear to dinner Friday night, PJs and a swim suit to use at CC. After coming back from CC I rinse the suits and pack them in a couple of 2 gallon ziploc bags and put them in the front pocket of one of the big suitcases. Before going to dinner I can then put three of our large suitcases and the garment bag out in the hallway along with any carryons that are full with luggage tags on them. I leave the last bag on the end of the bed. After the show we come back to the room and change into the outfits we will wear off the ship and I pack up our dinner clothes and shoes in that last bag and put it out in the hall too. In the morning all we have left to do is pack a carryon with the last of the stuff in the bathroom in the over the door holder and roll that up in there too and we have a few carryons to take to breakfast with us. This has helped me be able to enjoy the last day of the cruise more and not feel so stressed. HTH someone!
We had early dining and didn't like the early assigned breakfast time on disembark day, so DH went to the buffet, brought some pastries and fresh fruit to the room for our breakfast, then we leisurely walked off the boat.
Don't worry if you don't make it to the disembarkation talk. Although everyone is told to attend, they rebroadcast it continually on the stateroom televisions for the rest of the day. Do something else while everyone is packed in the theater, and then watch it later, at your convenience.
The last night of your cruise you pack everything up except what you will need in the morning (clothes and grooming supplies). Your luggage needs to be outside of your door by 11 pm with the character tags on it that they will give you on that last day (BTW, big tip....take address labels with your name/address on them and then all you'll have to do is fill in stateroom number and your number of bags--i.e. 1 out of 3, 2 out of 3).
Make sure you leave a set of clothes out for debarking. People have been known to pack EVERYTHING the night before and leave the ship in their jammies!!!
In the morning pack up all the rest in a carry on and take it to breakfast. As you disembark the ship you'll be directed to the luggage holding room where it will all be categorized based on who was on your character tag (Donald, Mickey, Daisy, etc).
Include "return address labels" to your packing list. That way you don't spend 15 minutes filling out your luggage tags on the last day of the cruise! Stick on a sticker and your stateroom number and you're done!
Do not disembark early - that is for people who are rushing to catch a plane or other transportation. If you have nothing to rush to, be the last ones off the ship! Do not go to breakfast in the restaurant - go to the buffet, pick up a tray and fill it for everyone in your cabin. Back at the cabin, take your time, have a nice shower, breakfast on the verandah in port - relax - the cruise is not over yet! When you are ready, you can walk off the boat; no crowds easily find your luggage and cruise through customs.
EXTRAS TO PACK TO USE IN YOUR ROOM
When traveling w/ little ones (toddlers) take along a bath mat for the shower/tub ($7-$10 at Target) and baby bath bubbles. Mat rolls up easy and/or just lays flat in luggage. It's great to get the sunscreen off and it helps relax them (a lot of stimuli on ship!). Don't forget a little rubby ducky and/or little bath toy (alphabets work great). They're also little enough for the baby pool (non-obtrusive). They also sell ducky pirates on ship.
Over the door shoe holders. Take two for the split bath, one for toiletries and the other for shoes. Buy the cheap ones and leave them there. We brought 2 shoe bags - one for shoes and the other for toiletries.
Take a dry eraser board - great for communicating with the rest of the family.
Bring air freshener (for the bathroom) and dryer sheets (for the clothing storage areas) to keep everything smelling fresh. Rather than just air freshener for the bathroom, pack a small can of Lysol, does double duty as an air freshener and surface sanitizer.
The Glade Flameless candle was a great addition to our stateroom.
A good old fashioned can of Lysol.
We have found some little spray cans of pillow and room scent. They are by The Healing Garden and can be found at Target/ Wal-Mart. Highly concentrated with a high dollar scent at discount price. ($4- $6) They are part of a line of bath products. Best choices Ginger lily therapy or ZZZZ therapy IMHO.
Extension cord - Used ours constantly, iPod, hair dryer, cameras, travel clock, etc. Easy to plug things in overnight and take them for the next day.
Having a highlighter to mark our navigators.
Post it and pens for the room. Great to leave notes for family who "Cross like ships in the night" or even your cabin steward.
Bring a well lit digital clock if you like to see what time it is in middle of night, attach to extension cord. For most standard staterooms a good place to keep the clock is on top of the storage trunk.
Bring Purel or other hand sanitizer. Frequent hand washing is the best defense against getting sick on a cruise or period. Also bring Lysol wipes and wipe down the telephone as well as TV remote.
A couple of other things that I like to take are Liquid Hand Soap, it eliminates the bar soap MESS by the sink, and is much easier to use!!!! (What ever is left over I just leave for either our stateroom host to take or I just toss) and also "Little Paper Bathroom Cups" for brushing you teeth!!!!!
Bring dish soap. We washed lots of items in the sink and hung to dry (especially for food stains). We also used it to wash snorkel gear in the bathtub.
Clothes pins for hanging up wet suits in the shower and to close curtains to keep that morning sun out of your room!
Bring 2 bungee cords if you have connecting rooms to keep the doors open. They are heavy doors and will not stay open by themselves. If closed you cannot open them from the other stateroom. The cords worked great! You need one for each door.
Little flash lights and pass them out to your family. Also keep 1 in the bath room.
Flashlights that only work while you are holding down the button (Wal-Mart has them in cool colors). This solves the problem of the little angels falling asleep with the security flashlight on and going through a set of batteries every other night!
Nightlight for bathroom.
We kept the light on in the bathroom and shut the door, light came from underneath and worked fine.
Your own hairdryer. The ones in the cabins are weak.
3M command hooks are great for hanging hats & jackets/sweaters.
I am using those little suction cups with hook holders for the porthole lights. We are taking window clings too. My tree is just going to have garland and some cheap ornaments that we bought and intend on tossing when we're done.
I prefer mesh laundry bags (from Wal-Mart) I have one that is red (for colored clothes) and one that is white (for white) this way, my family knows where the laundry goes.
Bring wire hangers to hang your clothes. The wooden ones take up a lot of room if you have a lot of hanging clothes and 4 persons in your cabin OR leave the hangers at home and ask your stateroom attendant for more.
Don't forget the duct tape.
Gift basket from the perfect gift - one that includes snacks, juice boxes, sand toys, sunscreen, champagne, beer, etc. so you don't have to pack all of that in your suitcase!
Use label maker to tag everything that might leave the room. We got a disposable camera back this way. Make and bring extra labels incase you forget something.
FOOD & DRINK RELATED
You can make ice cream sodas and/or milkshakes on your own at the beverage station and Goofy's.
Pack ice cream cones for Goofy's Galley.
Taking big gulp sized mugs for the beverage station to cut out the amount of refills we need to run up for. Use the cups provided by DCL to refill your large cup to prevent contamination.
If you buy the refillable beer mug bring it back to the next cruise and save yourself the cost of the mug again. Just pack it in your suitcase.
You can request a cork screw and wine glasses from your stateroom host/hostess.
The Cove Cafe Fanatic "frequent user" cards are buy 5 coffee drinks, get one free. You can use them on multiple cruises to save up the "stamps" (the CM just marks it with a pen) until you get to 5. It's just a small business card sized card, which I slipped into my lanyard pouch behind my KTTW card so it was always with me. You can probably also combine them, like a couple could just use one card to get coffee drinks and pass it back and forth. It's a nice little perk!
There is a drink station located aft on deck nine that includes milk, tea, coffee, water, juice and or lemonade.
You can get soda for free at every sit-down meal and the beverage station on deck 9. You only need to pay for soda at bars and at poolside really
if you order it from a CM.
Bring back some fruit from the breakfast buffet and boxes of cereal to snack on.
Fruit is available at Goofy's Galley throughout the day.
Skip the lunch buffet at least once, and eat at Tritons/Lumiere's.
KIDS CLUBS
The counselors in the children's programming are not tipped positions, but appreciate a small gift (candy is a popular gift).
If you put your children in the Oceaneer's lab, it is highly probable that may not be the place you pick them up. The kids are continually moved from place to place, or are in transition - in which case you have to wait for the entire bunch to be moved before you can begin the checkout process. This is also the case at Castaway Cay. When you go to get your kids, they may be in the middle of a treasure hunt, for example. The lesson here is, you can't expect to pickup your kids at the last moment if you are hoping to be somewhere at an exact time.
Get your kids involved in the kids program right away - the sooner they meet kids the easier it is to make friends. Once the friends "pair up" it is more difficult to break in.
DON'T WAIT IN THE KIDS CLUB REGISTRATION LINE AT THE PORT!!!! When you get on the ship just go to the kids club. We went to the Oceaneer's club on Deck 5 and registered in about 5 minutes (and got our pager). We did register them on-line in advance, which made the process very smooth. We just showed our room key, confirmed our PW and got our bracelets/pager.
Allow your kids to participate in the kids program at the end of the cruise. They get free t-shirts.
LAUNDRY ONBOARD
Take a cheap collapsible hamper with handles (can be used for toy chest as well as laundry, fits in the closet, and folds up in your suitcase.
I sent all of our clothes out to be pressed on our first night and for $40 had my clothes ready for the week.
Men, rather than packing freshly pressed shirts for the cruise that often arrived creased like you've slept in them, send them out for pressing first night of cruise. At $1.75 for "press only" this is one of the great bargains onboard.
I pack a can of spray starch; prior to leaving our stateroom in the morning I would spray down out dinner clothes, give them a little tug and hang them back up. Just before I went to sleep I would spray down my daytime clothes for the following day.
Do your laundry at the crack of dawn cause their always filled.
Bring our own soap from home pre-measured in Ziploc bags and dryer sheets in another. There are no dryer sheets available on the ship. There is no stain remover on the ship, so pack some. People are CUT THROAT with the washers and dryers and I had to go the two different decks to find availability. It's better if you wash on a Port day, because sea days are killer in the laundry. Guaranteed that the dryer will take 2 cycles.
Large thick trash bags. Put the dirty clothes in them when you get ready to go home. Gather up the top and hold tight. Have partner roll or smoosh from the other end to get the air out. The dirties take up much less room and no worry that they will infect your left over clean clothes or new t-shirts. I have not been able to find one of those airless travel bags that are large enough to handle all our laundry. Also makes room for more stuff!!
LUGGAGE / PACKING
Suggested Packing List
Take a roll of bubble wrap for anything you buy that's breakable.
Your family's printed address labels for the "return home" luggage tags. Rather than writing your name and address etc 6-7 times just peel a label off and paste.
Pack an empty duffle bag exclusively for souvenirs or dirty laundry. Invariably, you wind up going home with way more stuff than you came with.
Pack half the clothes and twice the cash.
You put socks/undies in one Ziploc bag, t-shirts in another and then roll it to get the air out or compress it somehow. That seems so much more sanitary if your luggage has to be searched too. Somehow the thought of and airline employee pawing through my undies is not too appealing. (Yes I do understand that searching baggage is very important and have not issues with them searching mine - just wondering where his/her hands have been.) That's what we did on our cruise in August, my DW is glad she did this as well b/c our suitcases were opened and searched at the airports. All our undies were in plastic bags, as were our socks. I think my DW use the large zip lock bags as well. They also came in handy for wet clothes on our trip home.
Instead of packing the normal sized toothpaste, shaving cream, deodorants and stuff, buy the sample sized ones and leave them behind when you come home. They are almost used up anyway.
Save the plastic bags that your dry-cleaning comes home in. I have a HUGE garment bag (holds 3 suits and about 20 dresses) and I packed everything in these bags (I doubled and tripled some items in the bags) and I unpacked virtually "wrinkle free" clothes!!!!
Pack your clothes that you don't want to iron on hangers and in dry cleaning bags for your suit bag - you won't have nearly as many wrinkles (your drycleaner will give you extra bags if you ask for them).
Pack one suitcase full of stuff, and then put that suitcase inside another one. Then when you get where you're going, you've got an extra, empty suitcase for all the stuff you know you're going to buy!
In case of lost luggage making sure that we each have some full outfits in each suitcase.
To cut down on clothing, bring a nice pair of black slacks. They go with just about everything, and just change tops each night. Plus you only need one pair of nice black dress sandals to go with them.
You can find VERY inexpensive tuxedos on ebay (less than the cost of renting).
If and ONLY IF the weather is not too hot and not too humid the nights you wear a polo to dinner, the next day you can wear the same shirt (if you didn't get it to pitted/stinky partying the night before). You should be able to pack 3 or 4 less shirts (therefore less stuff in the suitcase).
Pack your small item clothes (underwear, socks, kids clothes, etc.) in Ziploc bags, much easier to stay organized especially with a full stateroom.
Save your old socks, underwear, swimsuits, etc and have them make a one way trip with you. By tossing out old clothes you'll have LOTS of room for souvenirs et al when you pack to come home.
MEDICAL SUPPLIES TO PACK
"Keep cool" or "migraine ice" adhesive strips-slap one on the back of your neck and lower your body temp immediately.
Ask your pharmacist for the smallest bottles available with your prescription labels on them (can pack just enough for the trip and don't have to schlep around the larger bottles/worry about having prescription meds without the prescription verification).
Pack vinegar to be applied after jelly fish bites. Vinegar is available from room service!! I had gotten a bad sunburn - soaked wash cloth in it and applied to the burn - took the sting right out!!!
Bring Sea-Bands from CVS.
Ginger Root is great for motion sickness. You can go to herbsforkids on the net to get it in liquid form for the kiddies.
If the ship's stores are closed and you need a toiletry item of some kind for the ladies, like tampons, you can ask at guest services and they will get some out of the back room and give them to you discretely in an envelope. They also have aspirin and seasick meds. No charge.
Papaya Enzyme chewable tablets, helps digest food in case you eat something that doesn't agree with you. THIS IS A MUST.
Correctol, gentle laxative, for men or women. Nothing worse than have that bloated feeling while on a cruise.
MONEY
The other best tip was knowing I needed to bring plenty of change for The Bahamas (1.00 bills etc). Not even Atlantis wanted to give you back your one dollar bills!!!
Bring enough cash for taxis when in port. Think about those places where the debit/credit card/check can't be used.
Bring $1 bills for barter in port. Doesn't do you much good to offer $4 for a hat, and then bring out $20 bill to pay. Decide that you'll pay $4, and then put the money in a separate pocket. When you pull it out - looks like that's all you got. Works every time!
NIGHT FUN
Bring Pirate supplies from Party City.
Purchase glow necklaces for pirate night.
PALO
Order the lemon meringue pie at Palo brunch.
To not miss Palo. I probably wouldn't have bothered, if I hadn't read here how great it is!
There is a bar at Palo. Go early and have a drink prior to your reservation. Plan your reservation to enjoy sunset. Ask for a window seat.
I highly recommend the high tea on 4 day cruises or longer this is great and really cheap, $5.
PORT SPECIFIC
If anyone requires urgent dental treatment while on the Western Cruise, then get a taxi to the Medical Center when you dock at Cozumel. They were wonderfully efficient and helpful to me when I had dental prob. New clean building and helpful staff there - specializing in medical and dental probs. (Crew members also attend there if necessary). I was treated within the hour, and was sufficiently happy to partake.
GRAND CAYMAN: Rackham's a little way down on the left from the dock, Oceanside. The deck overlooks the ocean, the food looks and smells wonderful and for the beer lovers in your group the stingray city light and dark beers are both wonderful. They also have a great souvenir shop. In fact that is where we got all our souvenirs for everyone. Better prices than most the other shops in Grand Cayman.
Grand Cayman Shopping: Blue Iguana Souvenir Outlet Blue Iguana Souvenir Outlet is the best place by far.
REBOOKING ONBOARD
Has to be the "Re-book on board" tip. My second tip costs $1,000 less than the first one.
Before we went on our last cruise, we decided which cruise we were going to book while on board. I then went to several on-line travel sites and got quotes for that cruise. When we went to book the cruise on board, we took the quotes. The gal was able to match the cost plus give us the $200 credit.
ROOM SERVICE
Order the cheese tray from room service (as well as the Mickey bars, which aren't listed on the menu but ARE available!)
Room service cake of the day! That was a real treat!
Order a cheese plate from room service. He didn't believe me! We found it on the menu and he couldn't believe how quickly it came and he couldn't believe there wasn't an extra charge (he loved that part too!).
Order some cookies from room service and bring them to the shows.
My favorite tip was to order room service coffee the night before. It stayed hot in the carafe and I had my coffee ready when I woke up each morning. Yes, it is the little things that make me happy.
Took an envelope full of $1 bills for room service - worked out so well - just reached in the drawer by the door and was ready for room service.
Lemonade is no longer FREE with room service.
SHOWS
Don't leave "Disney Dreams" early. This is a "must-see" show, but at the end, don't join the people who leave before the final bows. There is still one more surprise to see.
Don't show up just-in-time for movies - the Buena Vista Theatre is small and if your party is large, you may not be able to sit together. Same goes for the Walt Disney Theatre - find your seats early (at least 5 minutes before the show) so you will be more successful finding good seating and as a courtesy to others.
Bring your own movie / show candy (we love Skittles) and brought a gallon bag full of individual serving bags. We had lots of inquiries about where to get those Skittles from our theatre neighbors!
SHUTTERS / PICTURES
Lifestyle portraits! (Wouldn't have known about these if not for DIS.) If you are planning to have one done, the only background choice is white, so plan clothing choices appropriately.
I bring at least one color coordinated/matching outfit for the entire family. We take at least one family photo that we send out for Christmas cards. In general it's hard to get a photo together unless we are on vacation!
When you see the Shutter's staff, drag (ask them) nicely over to photograph your kids, you, etc. rather that wait from them to ask - you will have a lot more pictures to choose from later.
SPA
They still offer the couples mud bath steam room, Rasul - a must do for couples who need some time alone.
If you want a Beach Cabana Massage on Castaway Cay go directly to the Vista Spa once you have boarded. The reservations go VERY fast.
The spa offers a Rainforest pass for the length of the cruise.
There are specials posted in the elevators each day for different spa treatments.
SPECIAL PLACES ONBOARD
The best chairs aboard are on deck 4, and it's usually quiet there.
Seek out and enjoy the secret deck 7 aft verandah.
SPECIAL SOUVENIRS & SCRAP BOOKING
You can take a pillowcase, t-shirt or picture frame a Disney princess t-shirt or whatever to guest services at the beginning of the cruise and leave it with Sharpies and request just princesses, Fab 5 or all the characters sign it. I put both pillowcases in a Ziploc bag with four different colored Sharpies. I also slipped in a piece of paper with my kids' names, their ages and our stateroom number on it. I didn't make any specific requests. I walked it down to Guest Services the first night. I was told I would get it back by the end of the cruise.
If you are a scrap booker, the evening before disembarking, pick up extra luggage tags of all the characters - great for your scrapbook pages!
A journal for everyone - whether it be to collect ph #'s of new friends (since cells may be left at home or in vehicles) or actually jot down memories of your trip for scrap booking, trip reporting or even to make notes of all names of people you've taken pics of (servers, staff members, counselors, ship stewards, etc). If you took a pic of them you don't want to forget their name by the time you get home.
Take (or get) a Disney autograph book for your kids to get character autographs. The books are available everywhere. Bring a thick pen or marker to help the costumed characters. Another tip, only get the characters to sign the left side, leaving the right side for the picture that you are taking of the signing. When you get home, put the picture in. My kids' Disney Autograph books show them growing up better than any other album I own!
I found a 'folder' to be helpful to keep papers in that you want to take home with you.
Bring an address book, and meet new people! Exchange emails addresses with people (especially tablemates) and you can stay in touch, swap pictures and stories!
Save everything, and make a scrapbook.
Bring a large manila envelope to keep your Navigators in and organized.
Small scrapbook for autographs. I use a small scrapbook instead of an autograph book so that I can have the picture on one side and the autograph on the other. I can also add as many pages as I want.
STATEROOM
Suitcases don't slide under the bed BUT if you lift up the bed frame they fit under perfectly!!!
Store all life vests under bed to give more shelf space.
The coffee table raises up to make it easier to sit on couch and eat from room service.
Feather Pillow - ask your stateroom attendant if you want one.
Ask cabin steward for mattress liners in case of middle of the night accidents from over-tired, over-excited little cruisers.
SUN SAFETY & SUN BURN ADVICE
Sun block spray for your head if your get your hair braided (sunburned scalp is a vacation bummer).
Wear a t-shirt when snorkeling so the back doesn't burn.
Treat your clothing with wash-in sunscreen. It's cheap (under $3 a wash load) and doesn't effect color or feel of the cloth. Works in water (swimming) too. The product is called Sun Guard from Rit.
TIPS & GUEST SERVICES
Get your bill from guest services midweek, just to see how much you've spent, and also in case they do make a mistake or two.
Save the tip money aside before your trip and had them all labeled and in separate envelopes. It made it so nice at the end of the cruise to just take the $ out of the in-room safe and put them into the little tip envelopes. No standing in line at guest services.
You can go to guest services at anytime during your cruise to take care of the tips. The lines at guest services get longer towards the end of the cruise, so make sure you get any business (paying tips, etc) done as early as possible. The same applies for shopping.
Bring thank you cards for the staff. Coming from a cast member, it's the little things that keep the pixie dust in your heart alive.
WAKE UP CALLS
Get a wake up call! Mickey will personally call you to wake you up!
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MISCELLANEOUS TIPS that just didn't fit in anywhere else
To bring assorted sizes of Ziploc baggies! They are life savers!
Take a "go with the flow" attitude.
How about the blue anchors on the floor lead you forward and the red lead you aft. And red and aft both have 3 letters to help you remember!
My DH & DD's enjoyed using the Wal-Mart 97 cent lanyards for our KTTWs.
I passed out cheap watches so the kids never missed a meet time.
If you leave sunglasses in your room they might be placed on a towel animal!
Relax - as a mother, it is truly the only vacation I have ever had!
Extra batteries for any battery operated items, i.e. cameras, flashlight, walkman and such. IPods are so greatly used now I know many hadn't thought of batteries but the small items that may be used on batteries - definitely have them with you.
Two-way radios.
Soft sided cooler to bring off the ship for excursions and beaches.
If you're undecided about that beach towel, or t-shirt, or other souvenir buy it. You'll be mad at yourself later if you don't!
If you smoke, buy cigarettes in St. Maarten, about $12.00 per carton.
Relax, enjoy and don't stress......remember this is a vacation.
Button hole extenders. On our first cruise DH didn't try on his shirt before we left and he hadn't worn it in quite awhile.
Pre-Written address computer labels for post cards.
Bring your sense of humor.
Watches/pagers - anything to tell time for when everyone has to meet up. Extremely useful in parks, but we also found it useful on ship if you could set alarm.
We always bring (especially if you have a verandah) is a small pair of binoculars. It's great for looking a passing islands, dolphins, etc. Be sure that the kids keep the cord around their necks when they're using them so they don't drop them overboard.
If you are a repeat cruiser on DCL, and are invited to the captain's cocktail party, then be sure to show up early. We showed up on time and did not have a comfortable place to sit down.
Windex wipes to clean your glass on your veranda - the salt spray accumulates and obstructs the view (the 1/4" glass is clear).
Bring several large-mouth plastic bottles (that will fit into your collapsible cooler) for excursions, or for keeping drinks & water in your stateroom beverage cooler. We kept them full of ice/water from the drink station and made our own ice tea, lemonade, Tang and Crystal Lite (all sugar free). You can also fill these easily with Ice, water, etc. from the drink station on Deck 9.
Buy a couple of "dry boxes" from eBay or a dive shop. We spent $1.25 each on ours, and kept our KTTW cards, credit cards, cash (change too) and receipts safe and dry even on snorkeling and diving excursions. You could keep your smokes dry if you are a smoker. Disney sells these for about $7, but you can also get them from Ron Jon's in Cocoa Beach before your cruise or from other sources.
The stateroom porthole is 4' diameter - put Christmas lights around the inside of the window.
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while on the cruise, and we'll both be 52 
. We booked this cruise while we were on board and hope we have better weather next trip. This was our second DCL cruise and loved both. We'll be keeping our eyes on this thread to see who's going and what's happening.
. We also had times of rain, and the low pressure to the North made for some rough days at sea
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