Family of 2, 1st Disney Cruise Excursions or Not??

[TAHfamilyfun]

Hi Everyone, my daughter and I are planning our first Disney Cruise in September 2013 on the Disney Dream should we book excursions or enjoy the boat as it’s our first time?
Thanks Excited Mom

 

[theemily]

Hi! Congrats on planning your first cruise! I won't be that helpful considering I have yet to go on my first cruise (two weeks away) but it might help more experienced DIS-ers answer your question if you let them know how many nights you're planning on and what itinerary you're looking at.

 

[ahain]

We took our first cruise last October - 4 night Bahamas on the Dream. I'm a planner and I felt like I needed to account for every minute at each port. We did the dolphin encounter at Atlantis - although it was expensive, we didn't know if we would have the chance ever again.....on Castaway Cay, we booked the package where you get bike rental, snorkel equipment & tube for a day and also booked the glass bottom boat. Turned out that the glass bottom boat excursion was cancelled due to wind/rough water. Looking back, it actually worked out for the best that it was cancelled because it gave us more time to enjoy the beach and a little more time on the ship. I'm glad we did the excursions we did, since we took the cruise to enjoy the destinations as well as the ship, but we did feel like we missed alot of stuff on the ship.

Our second cruise is next Spring - we opted for a 7 night Eastern Carribbean that has 3 sea days so that we can have more time on the ship, but still do an excursion in each port of call.

In retrospect, on our first cruise I probably would still do it pretty much the same - book one excursion per port (or plan do-it-yourself walk-abouts at each port) to take up about half the day then return to the ship. As I said, we took the cruise to enjoy the destinations as well as the ship and you never know what twists life is going to throw at you - you may never pass this way again!

 

[Halleann]

Being this is your first time, you don't want to go off on your own and trust the guys in the ports with the pictures of places they will take you in their cab! I would look at the excursions offered by Disney and book those. We did the Nassau zoo and the city tour booked through the Cruise and it was great! Have fun!

 

[Otimon]

Being this is your first time, you don't want to go off on your own and trust the guys in the ports with the pictures of places they will take you in their cab! I would look at the excursions offered by Disney and book those. We did the Nassau zoo and the city tour booked through the Cruise and it was great! Have fun!

Don't worry at all about the gentlemen at the end of the dock in Nassau who will offer to take you to Atlantis, the beach, or wherever they are advertising.

We have done this several times over the years with no problems whatsoever! This is the way they make their living and we've found every one of them to be most courteous, informative, and willing to answer all your questions regarding their city.

Usually in vans or limos, you'll be riding with other cruise families to your destination as well. Fare to Atlantis, for example, is $4pp each way and they will leave you off at the Atlantis Casino door and others will be waiting whenever you want to return to the ship.

 

[PrincessForLife]

Definitely do an excursion in Nassau and do it through DCL if you've never been to the island. Taking your own taxi could be a little overwhelming in a place that's not the least bit familiar. That way, on your next cruise to Nassau, you can be a little more adventurous since you already had the lay of the land on a previous visit.

DCL offers excursions that last only a couple hours long such as water park day at Atlantis. They do a short tour of the aquarium and then you have the rest of the day to yourself in the water park. There are shuttles back to the ship every 20-30mins so you can choose how long to stay. It's a great way to explore the island AND spend time on the ship while everyone is out.