How do we know if we're "cruise people?"

I can't imagine loving days at sea either! And it sort of boggles my mind that people don't even care where they go, as long as they're on a cruise, or that they might not get off the ship at port! Going to the different ports is the ONLY thing that makes me interested in a cruise! Our vacations are usually fairly active too.

Sea days are wonderful, IMO. You read the cruise activities (on Disney that’s the navigator. On royal it’s the compass). You plan out what you want to do. You do those things.

The feeling of the ship moving, even if it’s just in a big broad circle, is like nothing else to me. The sea is beautiful. You can pretend you’re a pirate in your mind. You can imagine what it was like a long time ago and wonder at how brave sailors were. There’s trivia, you can work out. There are things to fill your day with.

When I travel elsewhere I settle in and pretend I’m a local on a day off. I wander. I grocery shop. I see things. On cruises I settle into the ship and see what there is to be seen.


Royal Caribbean ended the partnership with Dreamworks and they are pretty much gone already. The official end is April 1st so there might be something left out there.

And sea days have become our favorite.

Aw, sad. Thanks for letting me know.

Do you find port excursions really add up though? Or do you typically arrange your own? I'm more concerned about that than spending any money onboard the ship.

I rarely do those. But the best one we did was in Antigua, through an outside company called Adventure Antigua. Amazing amazing day. And I even had a panic attack while snorkeling, which was NOT fun (but major kudos to the guide in the back of the snorkeling pack who noticed and helped me), so you can guess how amazing the rest of the day was to have it still come out as an amazing day.

On Nassau we did the graycliff chocolate tour through Disney. I think there was maybe one other excursion we’ve done on the non-Alaska cruises... Just not big excursion people. (Remembered the other excursion. Hugely popular one on Sint Maarten, and my son and I were probably the only two in their history to not enjoy it)

But I don’t do “tours” for land vacations, either. I’m allergic to the “tourist being shunted around” thing. (And then I watched a Trevor Noah thing about him going on a tour, and felt stronger about it lol)

We started out on a 3 day cruise. We weren’t sure we would enjoy it and were terrified of getting seasick.

Of course, the 3 and 4 day cruises out of Florida start by crossing the Florida straits, which is incredibly bumpy and can make even the strongest-stomached person feel a bit green. When I’ve felt it, it lasts through bedtime. I’m better once the morning comes, and then I’ve got under two days of enjoyment before re-crossing them. So those cruises can actually be the worst in terms of seasickness.


the kids didn't want to stay in the clubs much and then complained

Definitely no fun when that happens. My cousins dealt with that on the cruise they brought their kids on (and that was my son’s first cruise, so when his second cousins didn’t want to stay, he didn’t want to, either, but it impacted us less because we had no expectations).

But we dealt with it once my son hit “teen club” age on royal. He’s tall so kids think he’s older, and that club just wasn’t fun for him. Had to re-do the plans for that cruise once we realized he wasn’t going to be apart from us the whole cruise as we thought.

Contingency plans are important. :) (and that was his...7th? 8th? cruise)

but I was more interested in the smaller ships for the main reason that there's less people!

Fewer people but less space as well. I’ve only been on dream with dcl, so I cannot speak with authority on how the smaller two feel, but the crowd levels on dream have been fine.

We’ve been on smaller ones in Royal and it doesn’t feel any more or less crowded in general than on the freedom class (which is similar in size to Dream class).

Again, of course there will be hot spot moments. The stores will be crowded when they are open, just like stores can be crowded at the parks. Dining can feel crowded until you’re seated.

And just how amazing is Castaway Cay? Should we absolutely make sure to go there?

Cc let me find out that I am, actually, a beach person. I grew up in northern CA, so the Santa Cruz beach was a part of my life, but that’s not overly hot most of the year. We did an Alaska cruise for our honeymoon because I didn’t think I’d like sweltering on a beach. But castaway let me know that lazing on a warm beach is actually quite nice.

On dcl I get up, do the not-quite-a-5k, go back to the ship to shower sunscreen & dress, go back to the beach and lounge. We’ve snorkeled there (snorkel-lite lol). Ok that’s it. I pretend like I live there and have a day off, and just settle in to relaxing island life for 6 hours or so. :)

(I liked royal’s island better because it was more primitive and felt more remote, but I haven’t been there since they modernized it...sigh)


Fwiw I’m not sure that the beaches in San Juan are that easy to find? They aren’t right there AT the port, that’s for sure.

Ok, OP here. I'm looking at a 6 night cruise from Galveston to San Juan that would be about $4400 for a verandah room our family of 4. I'm also looking at a 7 night Southern Caribbean from San Juan that would be $5131 for an oceanview room or $7100 for a verandah room for our family of 4. Neither one stops at Castaway Cay. :( The Galveston-San Juan cruise is clearly a much better value here but the ports aren't quite as interesting to me. Is a verandah room really worth $2000 more on the 7 night Southern Caribbean? I think we'd enjoy a verandah room much more and if it's one-and-done for us I'd like to make sure we really enjoy it....but that's a lot of extra money!

IMO no a verandah isn’t worth 2k. I’ve done four oceanviews (3 on royal with two being panoramic rooms, and 1 large porthole room on Disney) and and one inside cabin (Disney), and I’ve enjoyed them to the same extent as I’ve enjoyed the cruises with a balcony to step out on. The sleep I got in the inside cabin was like no sleep I’ve ever gotten. I have lifelong sleep issues, so that was a major thing for me.
 
Wow, that's a big jump! :)

We had originally booked the Fantasy but found the TA for less and went for it. Didn't know if my DS, 4 at the time, would get seasick so brought every over the counter med I could find. The sailing was so calm we never needed any of it.
 
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Thanks for some great responses everyone! My brain is definitely on overdrive thinking this all through! :) How is cruising weather in the Caribbean in January? On the Galveston - San Juan cruise for instance (ports: Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica). We've had some bad luck going to "warmer" weather destinations in the off season, so that makes me a bit nervous. I think we would be pretty disappointed if we didn't have very warm weather!
 


I didn't think I'd be a cruise person because I have motion sickness and I like to go, go, go on vacation. My daughter really wanted to go on a DCL cruise, so I surprised her with a 4 day on the Dream. We have now been on 6 DCL cruises (4 last year) and have another one booked. I am totally a cruise person! I haven't gotten seasick once, I love that I've actually found a vacation that I can relax on, and we mostly do excursions on our own because we want to see and do what we want when we want. We have done some DCL excursions that have been fabulous too. Other than some of the special events on the ship (trick or treating, Christmas tree lighting) the ship never really seems crowded. It's amazing to walk through or by the atrium at times and not see a single other person.
 
OP here. So I made DH sit down last night and discuss with me and he agreed to give a cruise a try!!! Eeek! So now I just need to narrow it down and pick a cruise! We both agreed that this was most likely a one-and-done for us so we'd like to pick an itinerary that is interesting to us. I'm really interested in visiting Puerto Rico, so I think we're going to choose between the 6 night Galveston-San Juan in a verandah or one of the 7 night Southern Caribbean cruises, probably in an ocean view room because that's a bit more budget friendly, although I really have my heart set on a verandah.... Then we will add on a few nights in San Juan either before or after the cruise. Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!
 
We did the Southern Caribbean cruise from San Juan in January of 2018. It is probably my favorite cruise I've done. The Wonder is also my favorite ship. San Juan was amazing and I wish we had been able to spend more time there. We were trying to miss as little school as possible so we only had a day there.
Good luck with the one and done! I thought that too. Number 7 is booked!
 


I'd choose the Southern--they do so few of those itineraries and the islands sound so great to visit! I'd go with the oceanview--there are plenty of places to sit outside when you want--loungers on decks 4 and 9, comfy seats in the adult area of deck 9, etc.
 
I'd choose the Southern--they do so few of those itineraries and the islands sound so great to visit! I'd go with the oceanview--there are plenty of places to sit outside when you want--loungers on decks 4 and 9, comfy seats in the adult area of deck 9, etc.
So right now there's very limited availability for anything! The only oceanview rooms available are on Deck 1 in category 9D, with 2 small portholes....those don't seem that great to me?? There's also a guaranteed oceanview in category 9C for a bit more. Those look like they have a larger window and are on deck 2? I've seen a verandah pop up a few times but when I go to click on it it says unavailable! I'm not sure what to do because those oceanview ones dont' seem the best.
 
And do you guys usually use a travel agent in order to get the OBC? I'm actually a former travel agent myself (But we had a separate cruise department so I never booked cruises!) so I feel a little silly using an agent instead of doing it myself, but it would be nice to get the credit!
 
OP here. So I made DH sit down last night and discuss with me and he agreed to give a cruise a try!!! Eeek! So now I just need to narrow it down and pick a cruise! We both agreed that this was most likely a one-and-done for us so we'd like to pick an itinerary that is interesting to us. I'm really interested in visiting Puerto Rico, so I think we're going to choose between the 6 night Galveston-San Juan in a verandah or one of the 7 night Southern Caribbean cruises, probably in an ocean view room because that's a bit more budget friendly, although I really have my heart set on a verandah.... Then we will add on a few nights in San Juan either before or after the cruise. Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!

We did Southern out of San Juan with DCL a few years ago and LOVED it. We did every port but one on our own and had a great time. Make sure to fly in at least the night before if you pick the Southern.
 
Correct, category 9C are on deck 2 and have the large porthole. I'd pay a little more to get the 1 big porthole on deck 2 vs. 2 small portholes on deck 1. With the guarantee rate--you're guaranteed to get a 9C room OR higher, so if they are out of 9C rooms, they might assign you to a 9A oceanview room on deck 5/6. It is doubtful they'd give you a 9B room as most of them sleep 3. But...make sure you'd be happy with a room on deck 2. We personally love being in deck 2 oceanview--easy walk up to decks 3/4 for restaurants/clubs/promenade and the elevators are empty when you get on to go up to deck 9!

Yes, we use Dreams Unlimited to get the OBC.

Category 9C, Deck 2 porthole (2116) on the Wonder from our Alaska trip in 2016DawesGlacierDSCN5492.JPG :
 
We did Southern out of San Juan with DCL a few years ago and LOVED it. We did every port but one on our own and had a great time. Make sure to fly in at least the night before if you pick the Southern.
Oooh, which ports did you do? I might have to get your help because I'd love to do all the ports on our own if possible!
 
Correct, category 9C are on deck 2 and have the large porthole. I'd pay a little more to get the 1 big porthole on deck 2 vs. 2 small portholes on deck 1. With the guarantee rate--you're guaranteed to get a 9C room OR higher, so if they are out of 9C rooms, they might assign you to a 9A oceanview room on deck 5/6. It is doubtful they'd give you a 9B room as most of them sleep 3. But...make sure you'd be happy with a room on deck 2. We personally love being in deck 2 oceanview--easy walk up to decks 3/4 for restaurants/clubs/promenade and the elevators are empty when you get on to go up to deck 9!

Yes, we use Dreams Unlimited to get the OBC.

Category 9C, Deck 2 porthole (2116) on the Wonder from our Alaska trip in 2016View attachment 388187 :
Thank you! That helps a lot! So all the category 9C's have the large porthole like in your picture? And did they have the little ledge you can sit on under the window? I really would love a verandah but they're not available right now and when they are available (I saw one a few days ago), it's $2000 more, so I'm not sure if it's really worth it....but I just feel like it would make the cruise that much better!

Edited to ask: it looks like the 9C rooms are underneath Fathoms and Tiana's....did you notice any noise?
 
Thank you! That helps a lot! So all the category 9C's have the large porthole like in your picture? And did they have the little ledge you can sit on under the window? I really would love a verandah but they're not available right now and when they are available (I saw one a few days ago), it's $2000 more, so I'm not sure if it's really worth it....but I just feel like it would make the cruise that much better!

Edited to ask: it looks like the 9C rooms are underneath Fathoms and Tiana's....did you notice any noise?
Yes, all 9C rooms have portholes that big and the 9B and 9A rooms have slightly bigger portholes. The ledge isn't really big enough to sit on comfortably, just long enough to take pics on, although smaller kids could probably sit on it! We've been under the Promenade Lounge/hallway area for both our cruises (2116 and 2108) and had no noise issues. We were right at the Aft elevators in 2116--no noise at all from the elevators. Some people have complained of noise under the kitchen area between Tritons and Tiana's--so starboard, midship-aft elevator area, as well as noise from staff vacuuming the lounges late at night (the complaint I read said they kept bumping into the booths and that was the thumping noise they heard--complaining to guest services stopped the noise.) There shouldn't be too much noise from the restaurants themselves. I don't think there are 'too' many complaints of noise on deck 2 due to how many of us on the boards love staying there, lol. There can also be some vibrations from the engines in the far aft area.

I looked earlier and the 1/26 sailing also has a deluxe inside room on deck 5 forward that is a 'secret porthole room'. Room 5522. It is an obstructed oceanview, which is why it was changed to an inside category. Sometimes there are workers outside that porthole as well, just as a warning. Some people love it as it's cheaper than other deck 5 oceanview rooms and it gets them on a higher deck...it's also more expensive than the deck 2 oceanview room you're looking at. You can look up 'secret porthole rooms' online and see what the views look like.

Better view of a 9C room, shows the ledge:
8-8DSCN0241.JPG

And a pic of the bunkbeds after the sofa has been converted and the bunk comes down from the ceiling--stateroom hosts converts them back and forth each day for you (unless you ask them to leave it as beds.) All staterooms that sleep 4 on the Wonder/magic have these type of bunks.
8-8DSCN0296.JPG
 
Yes, all 9C rooms have portholes that big and the 9B and 9A rooms have slightly bigger portholes. The ledge isn't really big enough to sit on comfortably, just long enough to take pics on, although smaller kids could probably sit on it! We've been under the Promenade Lounge/hallway area for both our cruises (2116 and 2108) and had no noise issues. We were right at the Aft elevators in 2116--no noise at all from the elevators. Some people have complained of noise under the kitchen area between Tritons and Tiana's--so starboard, midship-aft elevator area, as well as noise from staff vacuuming the lounges late at night (the complaint I read said they kept bumping into the booths and that was the thumping noise they heard--complaining to guest services stopped the noise.) There shouldn't be too much noise from the restaurants themselves. I don't think there are 'too' many complaints of noise on deck 2 due to how many of us on the boards love staying there, lol. There can also be some vibrations from the engines in the far aft area.

I looked earlier and the 1/26 sailing also has a deluxe inside room on deck 5 forward that is a 'secret porthole room'. Room 5522. It is an obstructed oceanview, which is why it was changed to an inside category. Sometimes there are workers outside that porthole as well, just as a warning. Some people love it as it's cheaper than other deck 5 oceanview rooms and it gets them on a higher deck...it's also more expensive than the deck 2 oceanview room you're looking at. You can look up 'secret porthole rooms' online and see what the views look like.

Better view of a 9C room, shows the ledge:
View attachment 388219

And a pic of the bunkbeds after the sofa has been converted and the bunk comes down from the ceiling--stateroom hosts converts them back and forth each day for you (unless you ask them to leave it as beds.) All staterooms that sleep 4 on the Wonder/magic have these type of bunks.
View attachment 388220
Thank you for your helpful reply!!! Looking up "secret porthole rooms" now!!
 
Oooh, which ports did you do? I might have to get your help because I'd love to do all the ports on our own if possible!

Trip Advisor is my go to planning tool for trips. We found our own way to beaches we wanted to go to (multigenerational so everyone was happy). Our cruise stopped in Barbados where we found a private snorkel trip to see the turtles for the morning and walked to the beach afterwards. In Martinique I booked the Belfort Banana Plantation tour which actually ended up being a great morning. My DS liked it and adults got to sip on some wine at the end:)
 
We had one of the large single porthole cabins on deck 2 on our first cruise. The ledge is definitely not wide enough to sit on. That's just for the portholes out in the hallways. We don't spend much time in the room, so we were very happy with skipping the veranda. And our first (non-DCL) cruise had a veranda so we knew what we were missing.

The OBC from a travel agent is based in part on the number of days, and we've never taken a long enough cruise that it was worth it to me. But the itineraries you're looking are longer.
 
DH and I are typically "fresh air" people - we love having the windows open, being outside, eating outside, sitting outside in the evenings, and we very rarely run the AC at home (usually only if we get several days in a row of 90+ degree weather) so the thought of being able to sit outside on a verandah or leave the door open all night and get a warm breeze in and listen to the waves sounds amazing! But the 2 cruises I'm most interested in they're just not available and if/when they are, they're $2000 more!

So for roughly around $5000 (give or take a few hundred dollars) - we could do a verandah room on a 6 night from Galveston to San Juan or a 7 night Southern Caribbean (either itinerary) in an oceanview room 9C. DH and I both agreed that around $5000 is an amount we feel comfortable with. What would you guys do??

It looks like the OBC would be $200-250 for booking with DU. That seems worth it probably? Even if I'm totally comfortable booking myself? Can you use that towards drinks onboard?

Edited to add: sorry, I warned you I was super indecisive! :rotfl:
 
My thoughts are that a DCL 3 nighter is a great way to find out. I figure, you can put up with most anything for 3 nights, even if you find out that you aren't really cruise people. Plus, as others mentioned, at least you have the Disney portion of it to hopefully appreciate even if the actual cruise ship part isn't your thing.

I also think it's not that different than booking a vacation for an area that you've never visited before. there's always a chance you won't like it, and if that unfortunately happens you can at least look back and know you tried and eliminate the possible regret of never having tried. :)
 

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