Any Canadian Cruisers?

[Jo-Anne]

I'm thinking of doing a cruise with DS 4 and DD 7 in Nov. Will probably do it without husband as he does not have any extra vacation time. We'll also be going with my best friend and her family. ANyone ever cruised before? I've just begun to research the costs...not cheap!! Any tips on cutting corners? DS will probably not be swimming on his own at that time, so I'm wondering if that will be a real drag since a cruise is really centered around water! Also the on shore excursions seem very high priced...are there any must-see excursions? My mind is spinning as I've never been on a cruise and there seems to be so much to research on this...I know WDW like back of hand, but this cruise stuff is a whole other dimension! HELP! Thanks, Jo

 

[Scratch42]

First, is it a 3 day, 4 day, or 7 day cruise?

Then you have to decide, which category?

Then there are the SPR and the Obstructed Verandahs.

Best place to start is with Barb and Tony's Site, www.castawayclub.com. They are the true Royalty of DCL! Also frequent the Cruise Thread. The information there is invaluable!

Are you a Disnely club Member? If so there is a credit available, or if first time cruiser, there is a credit there also. One onboard credit per stateroom. With our dollar doing better, I would get a quote from Dreams Unlimited. They also offer incentives.

Also check out mousesavers, to check out which cruises qualify for EBS!

Have I made your head spin yet?LOL

Which excursions are you looking at? They may be offered without Disney at a cheaper price.

Ok, I'll leave you with these for now. Good luck and have fun planning!

Scratch

 

[Jo-Anne]

We're thinking of a 7 day Eastern cruise on NOv 15 in a category 11. I have received a quote from Dreams for Cruise only...will probably seek to get a better airfare either on seat sale out of Toronto, or go to Buffalo. I was also thinking that maybe booking the shore excursions outside of Disney might be better costs....I'm frequenting the cruise forum to get all the info I can right now, but it truly is making my head spin!

 

[Scratch42]

Well, this is what I am also researching. I was chicken and went to CAA (because of the mugs) to book the cruise portion. Booked air thru Air Miles, one free flight and one paid for. Have not booked transfers but since there is only two of us travelling, myself and DD, Disney works out the cheapest.

I also highly recommend arriving the night before the cruise, with what is going on with airlines these days! Just too risky to chance it!

I have not really researched any excusions except for www.caribbeanducktours.com which looks interesting.

Was also reading an unofficial guide and they recommend snorkelling in the St. Thomas/Johns (can't remember which). But from what I remember, St. Thomas is the place for shoppping!

I guess I'll be looking out for your trip report for all the great information. Thanks!

Scratch

 

[diz karen]

We went on the Disney cruise a couple of years ago. We decided not to do any of ship excursions as they are way over priced. We just went on our own. There was lots of taxis waiting in port to take passengers wherever they wanted to go. It was much cheaper. We ended up going to a couple of great beaches. Had a great time playing in the sand.
We also shopped which was easy to do on our own.

 

[tmli]

I've been researching for our upcoming cruise as well. In comparing prices, I actually got a better deal with my TA, then I could get direct or with DU. Pricing was CDN $ with world of vacations. I believe for Canadians the best cruise rates are with a TA, also don't book the air add on they offer--you almost always can do better on your own. Best rates I've found for air a swa out of buffalo.

You should also be aware with just you and your 2 children, 1 child will be charged as an adult, the other will pay child rate.

 

[Tash_From_Cnd]

The water part I don't think would be a big deal. My cousin was around the same age as your son when we went and didn't find swimming in the pool that great (had more fun in the kids club).

If your looking at saving money what some people do is bring unopened pop on board since, pop costs extra. About doing excursions we really didn't any through disney except the Banana Boat ride (which was a lot of fun). The other thing is to make sure you bring enough film, medicine (like advil) because on the boat it's extremly expensive. One tip is to go to a store like Party Center and buy a package of mini bubbles (the type you use for weddings) to use when you pull off from the ship (the kids had a lot of fun with this).

 

[Sandiebean]

I have to say.. we went on the Wonder last year, and we are on the Magic this December.. and both times, Dreams Unlimited beat out any and all travel agents here in Canada. And even with the exchange (which is improving by the hour)... they ended up shaving a LOT of money off of the final total for us.

Now that being said.. it's not cheap for a Disney cruise. But it's worth it. It's the most amazing of times. We absolutely LOVED it. Can't wait until we are back on.

Sandie