First Time Disney Cruiser - need advice

[RatherBeGolfing]

My DW and I have been on 2 cruises (Carnival & Costa) back in the 80's. We want to take our DD, age 10 on either a 3 or 4 day cruise next February, as part of the 7 day land/sea package. Here are my questions:

1. Is it too late to plan this trip? Or, too early?

2. Are there recommended TA's that specialize in Disney cruises?

3. Any strong opinions about what cat room to get - I'd like a Verandah, so am leaning towards a cat 7 room

4. With the 4 day cruise, you're on land for Fri, Sat, then at sea for Mon, Tues, Wed - which puts you in the park on some of the busiest days - so I'm thinking the 4 day land / 3 day cruise makes more sense from a crowds perspective - any opinions?

5. We're in the process of joing DVC, should I consider using my 2004 points for the cruise, or do you end up paying more that way than going with discounts thru a TA?

6. If I go with an all cash deal (no DVC points), any cost ballparks so I know how much to set aside / start saving for this kind of trip? I'm just talking about the land/sea trip itself - I know how much to budget for airfare to/from Orlando and for food on my land days in the parks, etc.

7. Does the land/sea package include transportation from Orlando to Port Canaveral and back from Canaveral to Orlando? Or, do I need to worry about getting back to the airport on my return day by myself?

8. Are the temps warm in the Bahamas in February? Trying to time it so my DD doesn't miss any school - she gets a week off around Valentine's day next year.

Thanks in advance for any help!!!!
Larry

 

[AnnMorin]

1. It is not too early to plan a trip for next Feb. not too late either but time is running down. We usually book at the 11 month window as we pay part in points but booked our first cash ressie 18months out.

2. If you are not going to use DVC I would recommend Dreams (who sponcers this board) they appear to be the experts in DCL.

3. We always get a veranda,
I have never had a cat. 7 only sixes and once a five. I personally think a veranda is well worth the money and spend a lot of time on it.

4. If you are doing the land/sea package I would personally pick the four days at the parks and then the three at sea as to relax from the parks. In a perfect world I would do four days at the parks and then do the seven day though.. A three day cruise is TOO short!

5. You can book just the sea part or just the land part of your cruise with DVC or you can pay part cash part points, there are many ways to be creative with your points. We specifially bought DVC to cruise so for us it is a good use of points, others would argue it is not.

6. Not knowing the age of your child (which will effect the cost of her fare) or your desired catagory it is hard to give you a figure. I can tell you that in a Cat.6 in low season it is about 1500.00 per adult and 700.00 for a child under 12 for either the seven night or the land/sea package.(oops I just read she is ten.. so she would run about 700.00)

7. Transfers can be purchased seperately for approx. 50.00 per person

8. The bahamas in Feb. won't be as warm as the caribbean but certainly warm enough for shorts. If you go to Daves site
(www.dcltribute.com) you can click on the historical weather to get a good idea. I just checked Nassau quickly for this past Feb.14, 2003 The low temp was 66 and the high was 77 if that gives you an idea.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

Just a quick note--if you buy DVC now, you will also have your 2003 points to use.
Robin M.

 

[eeyorekjs7]

Hi. I can't answer all of your questions, but I can answer some. We did the 3 night land/ 4 night sea with a stop at Freeport in January. It's really not that bad crowd-wise if you go in February because it's before most spring breaks. You would have tickets to the park for Thursday through Saturday. Saturday would be your only busy day. We had a category 6 room with verandah. It's the lowest category with a verandah that is open. The cat 7 is partially enclosed. It was just the two of us and it was a little over $3000. The transfers from the airport to the hotel, hotel to port, port to airport and insurance were included in the price. We chose to stay at the Beach Club and loved it. If your DD likes to swim, she will love the pool. The weather should be pleasant, not too hot. You could have some cool evenings. Go to www.disneycruise.com and get a quote. It's instant and you can modify things and see what the difference would be. Then you can shop around other places and you'll know if it's a good deal or not.
If you have any other questions, let me know. I'll be glad to help if I can.