Gimme the low down (first cruise)

[k3chantal]

Thank you all so much! It helps to know what food is included and what’s not. It’s also great that milk is included at certain stations as my daughter is always asking for it. Wow...the tea is expensive! I really want to do it with my daughter and it’d be ok if it were just me and her but her dad wants to be there...pretty sure her brother could care less...maybe he could hang out at the tween club during it???

So...I know WDW and Disneyland pin trading is a big deal...do the cast members have pins for trading like in the shops or is pin trading not a thing on board? If it is cool if it’s not no big deal just want to be prepared.

It is a lot of money! Usually, when at anything Disney, I never feel over charged, but this I did. Despite the many gifts they give the girls, I feel that more attention should be given to the 'tea' part of the experience. The tea was lukewarm and the sandwich bread was slightly stale. And, after all the wonderful edible opportunities you will have on the ship; you will notice.

I would definitely let your son stay in the clubs. First, he won't want to leave the clubs and there is no point in spending that much money on someone who isn't going to gush in happiness with it.

Why pay it? Your child will love it. But if it was between going to the salon and getting the full dress and up do for your girl or this, I would chose the salon. The fairy godmothers really do lavish attention on your little one.

 

[lookame]

That’s disappointing to hear the tea is a meh expirience. It’s my daughters first Disney expirience and I wanted to do something special with her. (Something like a character dining expirience or eating at Cinderella’s royal table). I bought her one of those limited edition dresses (belles dress from when the live action movie was released) and wanted her to be able to wear it and meet some princesses and get spoiled. How are the character interactions during the tea? Which prince/princesses did you get to meet?

We put a deposit down on a oceanview stateroom with a travel agent last night. I wish we could afford to do a veranda, I think the kids would go nuts at being able to sit out on a deck but at least they can relax and look out the porthole. Anyway I booked with Dreams unlimited as they gave us more on board credit. Everytime I try to hop on Disney cruiseline website to look at excursions or possible spa days ect it asks me to link my cruise but the reservation number my travel agent gave me can’t be found. Does this mean I have to ask my travel agent to book everything?

Also...I’ve never needed or done travel insurance but I’m considering it this time as the cruise is in jan and the weather here can be very unpredictable/flights can be delayed or cancelled due to snowstorms and such. Anyway what should I consider when selecting travel insurance?

 

[cadien]

From everything I've read, the tea is a wonderful experience for the girls. And there is a lot of character interaction. It's the food that's mediocre, which makes the high charge for the adult unreasonable.

 

[Numtini]

But if it was between going to the salon and getting the full dress and up do for your girl or this, I would chose the salon. The fairy godmothers really do lavish attention on your little one.

I agree. We choked on the adult cost for the tea, particularly as we're a two mom family and both of us would have wanted to go. We did Bibbidi with everything, even the light up shoes, and we weren't at all sorry we did. In addition to all the time the fairy godmother spends with them, afterwards they get the rest of the day as a mini-celebrity with the outfit and hair. Since the OP already has the dress, you could do the makeover to match it and save a little bit of $.

There are plenty of opportunities to meet the Princesses outside of the tea. There's a ticketed "Princess Gathering" where you get photo ops with four of them, but not much time. We found that just hanging around the atrium, particularly the 4th floor balcony (there are couches and a coffee bar), characters would wander by and since there weren't that many people there most of the time, our daughter got significant time with the characters, either alone or with a small group of kids. The problem is there's no guarantee of who you'll meet or if anyone will wander by at all at a particular time.

We've never done travel insurance before, but got it for the cruise because we didn't want to take the chance on air connections causing us to miss the ship. We also flew down the day before and spent the night at a cheap motel for the same fear.

 

[lookame]

You guys are so amazing answering my questions!
So...I should have asked earlier but my husband is allergic to shellfish. He can have regular fish but if his food comes in contact with lobster, crab, shrimp or other shellfish he at least breaks out in hives, if he ingests it he throws up and gets hives in his throat. I would like to alert Disney before we go, is that something we need to call about? Online it just says "no fat, low fat, vegan or vegitarian" or is that something we tell our server?

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

We put a deposit down on a oceanview stateroom with a travel agent last night. I wish we could afford to do a veranda, I think the kids would go nuts at being able to sit out on a deck but at least they can relax and look out the porthole. Anyway I booked with Dreams unlimited as they gave us more on board credit. Everytime I try to hop on Disney cruiseline website to look at excursions or possible spa days ect it asks me to link my cruise but the reservation number my travel agent gave me can’t be found. Does this mean I have to ask my travel agent to book everything?

Also...I’ve never needed or done travel insurance but I’m considering it this time as the cruise is in jan and the weather here can be very unpredictable/flights can be delayed or cancelled due to snowstorms and such. Anyway what should I consider when selecting travel insurance?

So...I should have asked earlier but my husband is allergic to shellfish. He can have regular fish but if his food comes in contact with lobster, crab, shrimp or other shellfish he at least breaks out in hives, if he ingests it he throws up and gets hives in his throat. I would like to alert Disney before we go, is that something we need to call about? Online it just says "no fat, low fat, vegan or vegitarian" or is that something we tell our server?

Congrats! I'm so happy for you and your family!

You probably just need to wait a day or two for the system to recognize your reservation number. However, you won't be able to actually look at the exact excursions and spa days on your cruise until 75 days before it sails. In the mean time, you can look at the excursions that are listed for your port, and the spa treatments in general, but you won't know for sure which ones are offered until then.

As for travel insurance, I would definitely suggest you check out 3rd party sites (instead of DCL insurance). There are a number of threads here where people share the companies and websites they have used. It is worth it for the piece of mind. It can also be worth it for the medical coverage depending on your normal insurance company's policy for international travel.

As for the allergy, since it is so significant, I would call them on the phone. They will add it to your file and your servers will know for dinners at least. For breakfast and lunch, you may have to tell them again. The servers will bend over backwards to make sure your husband gets what he wants and doesn't have anything that would risk a reaction. They will make him feel special in a good way.

Enjoy these boards, they are a great resource. Planning can be a lot of fun and a great way to make the trip last longer!

 

[Dug720]

Congrats! I'm so happy for you and your family!

You probably just need to wait a day or two for the system to recognize your reservation number. However, you won't be able to actually look at the exact excursions and spa days on your cruise until 75 days before it sails. In the mean time, you can look at the excursions that are listed for your port, and the spa treatments in general, but you won't know for sure which ones are offered until then.

As for travel insurance, I would definitely suggest you check out 3rd party sites (instead of DCL insurance). There are a number of threads here where people share the companies and websites they have used. It is worth it for the piece of mind. It can also be worth it for the medical coverage depending on your normal insurance company's policy for international travel.

As for the allergy, since it is so significant, I would call them on the phone. They will add it to your file and your servers will know for dinners at least. For breakfast and lunch, you may have to tell them again. The servers will bend over backwards to make sure your husband gets what he wants and doesn't have anything that would risk a reaction. They will make him feel special in a good way.

Enjoy these boards, they are a great resource. Planning can be a lot of fun and a great way to make the trip last longer!

Yes. For an allergy that is not on their pre-populated list, call and have it added.

 

[k3chantal]

That’s disappointing to hear the tea is a meh expirience. It’s my daughters first Disney expirience and I wanted to do something special with her. (Something like a character dining expirience or eating at Cinderella’s royal table). I bought her one of those limited edition dresses (belles dress from when the live action movie was released) and wanted her to be able to wear it and meet some princesses and get spoiled. How are the character interactions during the tea? Which prince/princesses did you get to meet?

We put a deposit down on a oceanview stateroom with a travel agent last night. I wish we could afford to do a veranda, I think the kids would go nuts at being able to sit out on a deck but at least they can relax and look out the porthole. Anyway I booked with Dreams unlimited as they gave us more on board credit. Everytime I try to hop on Disney cruiseline website to look at excursions or possible spa days ect it asks me to link my cruise but the reservation number my travel agent gave me can’t be found. Does this mean I have to ask my travel agent to book everything?

Also...I’ve never needed or done travel insurance but I’m considering it this time as the cruise is in jan and the weather here can be very unpredictable/flights can be delayed or cancelled due to snowstorms and such. Anyway what should I consider when selecting travel insurance?

Your daughter will love it. It will just be you, as an adult, that will say to yourself, "This cost what?"

 

[rescuetink]

Hi good morning!

We did the Royal Court Tea last year in November with my 5 year old daughter.

Your daughter will get a crown and be announced at the beginning. There will be singing and snacks during the tea. My daughter received a Cinderella doll, a crown, a nice autograph book, a jewelry box, a necklace and bracelet, and she received a 8x10 photo with the princesses.

I feel it's worth it 1 time and that's pretty much it.

I don't think bringing a second adult is worth it for $69 more, but that's me.

Here are some videos from it:

I'm making personalized autograph books for my DD and I am planning on making a reservation for her and my DW for the Royal Court Royal Tea. Can you tell me what Princesses show up so I know which to include?

Thanks!!

 

[Shanti]

Thanks! Especially for the quote on how much the tea costs! I appreciate your help. One addition question is the ID requirements for my son. He'll be 12 when we go but his father and I divorced awhile ago. His father has agreed to let him go but do I need any sort of document stating his father is allowing him to go?

Yes, you should get a notarized letter (which needs to only be 1 or 2 sentences) in which the father gives permission for you to travel with him out of the country. I have a similar situation, and DCL did ask to see the notarized letter once during check-in. They haven't asked the other times, but I always carry it just in case.

 

[Shanti]

Ok so last question I have. Is it best to book with Disney online or should I book with a travel agent and if I should book with a travel agent, are there any good TA you can recommend or is there a reason why I should book with them? If I book with a TA does everything I want have to be booked through them such as princess meets and the tea and excursions or can I book those myself? Is there an additional fee to book with a TA?

If you book via Costco, or transfer an existing booking to Costco within 30 days, then Costco will give you a cash card after the cruise for 8% of the cruise cost. You can go to Costco customer service and have them give you cash in exchange for the card- you don't have to spend it there. That 8% is on top of any other discount you might get, such as the 10% off most cruises that you get via booking a cruise (or placeholder) while onboard the ship. So if you get in the habit of booking your next cruise onboard, and transferring that booking to Costco, that's a whopping 18% off the cost of each cruise. That really adds up.

If you're a Costco executive member, you get an additional 2% back at the end of the year on top of the regular 8%.

 

[serenitynow]

You guys are so amazing answering my questions!
So...I should have asked earlier but my husband is allergic to shellfish. He can have regular fish but if his food comes in contact with lobster, crab, shrimp or other shellfish he at least breaks out in hives, if he ingests it he throws up and gets hives in his throat. I would like to alert Disney before we go, is that something we need to call about? Online it just says "no fat, low fat, vegan or vegitarian" or is that something we tell our server?

I too have a shellfish allergy. To be on the safe side, I avoid all seafood. Let your travel agent know and call DIsney to have it added to his profile. They are excellent in their handling of such things. I informed Disney of my shellfish allergy before my first cruise and now every time a server first comes to our table, that’s one of the first things they say “shellfish allergy”. They explain how special allergies are handled in the kitchen to avoid cross contamination and ask if I’d like to speak to a chef.

 

[xQuizx]

I'm making personalized autograph books for my DD and I am planning on making a reservation for her and my DW for the Royal Court Royal Tea. Can you tell me what Princesses show up so I know which to include?

Thanks!!

On our cruise there was Cinderella, Belle and Tiana. Cinderella will always be a constant but I'm not sure about the other princesses. I suggest inquiring a few weeks before your cruise on the boards to see which princesses showed up at the princess meet and greet.

Cheers!

 

[Lilsia]

Yes, you should get a notarized letter (which needs to only be 1 or 2 sentences) in which the father gives permission for you to travel with him out of the country. I have a similar situation, and DCL did ask to see the notarized letter once during check-in. They haven't asked the other times, but I always carry it just in case.

That is weird. I have gone on the Disney cruise with my girls 6 times and have never been asked for the other parents permission. Daddy stays home because he does not like to cruise. Maybe it is because it is a closed circuit cruise and comes back to the US.

 

[Shanti]

That is weird. I have gone on the Disney cruise with my girls 6 times and have never been asked for the other parents permission. Daddy stays home because he does not like to cruise. Maybe it is because it is a closed circuit cruise and comes back to the US.

I have cruised DCL 4 times and was asked for the letter once (and ironically, that was for a 3-night cruise whose only port was Castaway Cay). I'm glad I had the letter when they asked.

 

[Lilsia]

I have cruised DCL 4 times and was asked for the letter once (and ironically, that was for a 3-night cruise whose only port was Castaway Cay). I'm glad I had the letter when they asked.

I wonder about the inconsistency. Maybe I don't look like someone who is kidnapping their kid. LOL

 

[TestingH2O]

That is weird. I have gone on the Disney cruise with my girls 6 times and have never been asked for the other parents permission. Daddy stays home because he does not like to cruise. Maybe it is because it is a closed circuit cruise and comes back to the US.

We are in the same situation most of the time.

I have cruised DCL 4 times and was asked for the letter once (and ironically, that was for a 3-night cruise whose only port was Castaway Cay). I'm glad I had the letter when they asked.

We haven’t been asked often either. Crossing the border into Canada and getting on the plane to fly to Europe. Never by DCL. I always get one just the same. Better safe than sorry!

 

[rescuetink]

On our cruise there was Cinderella, Belle and Tiana. Cinderella will always be a constant but I'm not sure about the other princesses. I suggest inquiring a few weeks before your cruise on the boards to see which princesses showed up at the princess meet and greet.

Cheers!

Thanks for the info, I'll make sure to check, but it doesn't seem there's enough Princesses to make a separate autograph book just for that!!

 

[TCups4Me]

Don't forget the gratuities - $12/person/night. Those are the minimum cover for your stateroom attendant, your head server, main server, and assistant server. You can call DCL (or have your TA if you used one call) and prepay them if you prefer. You can, of course, add more either in cash or to your onboard account if you choose.

In addition to the food that @PrincessShmoo mentioned, the food on Castaway Cay is included also.

Soda from the self-serve stations or in the MDR is included. (Soda from a bar is not.) Also milk, water, and coffee or tea from the self-serve stations or MDR are included. Soft-serve ice cream on the pool deck is included.

NOT included is the ice cream from Vanellopes or Sweet on You if you're on the Dream or Fantasy; popcorn; snacks at the theaters; or food ordered off a menu at the pub. Also NOT included are specialty drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) in the MDRs or smoothies.

They are pretty up-front about if something has a charge - there will be a menu, either hand-held or on the wall with the prices. (Exception being the soda from the bars I think.)

What about tipping at bars and room service? If we don't carry cash on the cruise, will we be given a receipt to add a tip, which will be added to our room charges?

 

[Lilsia]

What about tipping at bars and room service? If we don't carry cash on the cruise, will we be given a receipt to add a tip, which will be added to our room charges?

Everything gets charged to your room. If you order drinks at the bar then the tip is automatically included but you can add more. For room service you can give them cash or write in an amount to charge to your room on the receipt you sign.