General DCL question out of Port Canaveral?

[Monorail_Man_NJ]

1) Looking at the 3 day Halloween Bahama cruise on Disney Dream. Any good?

2) Is their transportation after cruise to WDW? I see the busses that say DCL on them is it like Magical Express etc?

3) Any issues with booking September / Oct cruises due to Hurricane season?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

1) Looking at the 3 day Halloween Bahama cruise on Disney Dream. Any good?

2) Is their transportation after cruise to WDW? I see the busses that say DCL on them is it like Magical Express etc?

3) Any issues with booking September / Oct cruises due to Hurricane season?

1) IMO, 3 nights is too short. But, if that's all the time you have, go for it. Castaway Cay = great, Nassau = not so much.

2)If you're staying at at WDW resort, yes there is DCL transportation from port to resort ($35 per person).

3)There could be a hurricane during that time. Or not. We've cruised the Caribbean 5 times in Sep/Oct with no issues. But that doesn't mean there couldn't have been.

 

[xQuizx]

1) I agree with PrincessShmoo that it's too short. Our first cruise was a 3 night and we knew it was a mistake the first night. Our next cruise was a 4 night and knew by the 2nd night it was too short. We just went on a 7 night and for us it was the right amount of time, although I could have gone longer. But in my opinion any cruise is better then no cruise.

2) Same response as PrincessShmoo. Depending on your party size it might be cheaper going with private transport. But going with Disney would be easier.

3) We've booked twice in September (Labor Day). 1 year everything was okay, this year our cruise was cancelled. But you never know until closer to your cruise date.

 

[Monorail_Man_NJ]

Is the 4 day one that much better? Just seems like an extra day at sea with same ports. (Nassau and Castaway Cay).

Also since I've never done a cruise what is NOT COVERED with the cost of the cruise?

 

[xQuizx]

Is the 4 day one that much better? Just seems like an extra day at sea with same ports. (Nassau and Castaway Cay).

Also since I've never done a cruise what is NOT COVERED with the cost of the cruise?

There is a difference with the extra day. In reality a 3 night cruise is really 2 and a half, because the first day is embarkation. The extra day gives you more time to explore the ship since most people will get off at Castaway Cay.

As for what's not covered here is a link:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/what-is-not-included-in-the-price-of-the-cruise.3463679/

Cheers!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Is the 4 day one that much better? Just seems like an extra day at sea with same ports. (Nassau and Castaway Cay).

Also since I've never done a cruise what is NOT COVERED with the cost of the cruise?

4 is "better" than 3 (IMO). 7 is better than 4 (again, IMO). My comfort zone is 10-14 nights.

It is an extra sea day. Sea days are great - lots going on around the ship.

Here's a pretty decent list as to what you could pay additionally for (but don't have to):

https://www.disboards.com/threads/so-whats-not-included-on-the-cruise.3637467/page-2#post-58263718

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Is the 4 day one that much better? Just seems like an extra day at sea with same ports. (Nassau and Castaway Cay).

Also since I've never done a cruise what is NOT COVERED with the cost of the cruise?

Sea days are the best! We would actually book a cruise that has nothing but sea days if it was possible. If you can swing it, I'd definitely do the 4 day over the 3, it really does make a big difference. I love to lay on one of the cushioned lounge chairs on deck 5, looking out over the ocean and take a nice nap in the afternoon on sea days, it's an amazing experience, so relaxing. You get to hear the ship cutting through the ocean and every once in a while feel a little cool splash of water on your face and body. Good stuff, good stuff.

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

Is the 4 day one that much better? Just seems like an extra day at sea with same ports. (Nassau and Castaway Cay).

Also since I've never done a cruise what is NOT COVERED with the cost of the cruise?

Just piling with what others have said, the sea day is great. Three nights will go by very fast; especially if you plan on spending most of each day off the ship exploring both Nassau and Castaway Cay. There is plenty of activities going on during the sea day, usually more than you can fit into the day. Or there's plenty of time to very little if this is what you choose. And you have more time to explore the ship, Disney ships are beautiful vessels.

Not covered: Alcoholic beverages, upscale dining (depending on the ship Palo and/or Remy), drink classes, soda and treats at the theaters (FREE beverage station on each ship however), excursions, souvenirs in shops, tips, spa. All I can think of at this time.

 

[kiford]

Our first cruise was the 4-day Bahamian (on the Wonder). I agree with PrincessShmoo that if you can't do more than 3 days, it's still a nice cruise. But the extra sea day with a 4-day gives you the opportunity to see more of the ship rather than a port and to experience what activities are available on a sea day (usually more than on port days). That enables you to decide if you want to cruise more, how many days, how many ports versus sea days, etc. you might want in the future. Some cruises, such as transatlantics are very heavy on sea days, whereas Med cruises are very port intensive. Some Caribbean cruises are more port days and some are more sea days. You might want to know which is your preference before doing another one and doing a short cruise that has both will help you with that determination.

We did the 4 day because neither DH nor I were sure if we would be bored (definitely were not) or if we'd be seasick (we were not) and if we wanted to do longer cruises. We've now done 10 cruises with DCL, the longest of which was 12 days. After the first 4-day one, we knew what we liked as well as what were the pros and cons of sea days versus port days.

 

[bumbershoot]

It is an extra sea day. Sea days are great - lots going on around the ship.

Yep. Or just the opportunity to laze and relax. Or explore and get to know the ship.

Our first Disney Cruise was a 3 nighter and we just felt behind and lost the whole time. It was still fine, but the next one was a 4 night cruise.

 

[tigerchic89]

Another vote for trying to do a 7 day, even for your 1st. Also, I was pleasantly surprised at how possible it was to not spend additional money on DCL. Except for tips, everything else is optional. I do book excursions, eat at Palo and buy an occasional souviner. I was shocked that you can carry on some wine beer and bottled water, and buying drinks onboard can be reasonalbe.