First Time Disney Cruisers

[Bouncy]

Hello,

We just booked our first Disney cruise for September and we have a few questions that we can't find answers to on the website. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

First, we're booking a room with a verandah in Category 5, and according to the website you can get either two twin beds or one queen bed in this category room. We will be on a romantic getaway, and want to make sure that we get the queen bed, however, when we made the reservation, we could not specify that. Does anyone know how we go about making this request?

Second, I've seen several posts here that say that if you refer to the navigator, you will get information on all of the activities on the ship, is there any way to get that information before we arrive at the ship?

Third, I didn't quite understand the process for boarding. It sounds like you must arrive at the ship, and then get a number before you can board? Is that correct? How long between when they start passing out the numbers and start letting people get on board the ship?

Fourth, I've been reading about the Pirate's "event"/evening... Do most people dress up for it? Or is it about 1/2 and 1/2? Is it possible to get costumes onboard the ship (rentals?) There will be only two adults in our party - is this evening something that many adults enjoy or is it really for the kids? We're both big kids at heart, but I know that SOME (very few) Disney things are really just for the little ones.

Thanks sooooooo much for your help!

[TammiMcMan]

First, we're booking a room with a verandah in Category 5, and according to the website you can get either two twin beds or one queen bed in this category room.

The bed is actually a queen bed, but the stateroom host/hostess can separate it and make two twin beds. No need to make a special request, everyone gets the queen to start.

Second, I've seen several posts here that say that if you refer to the navigator, you will get information on all of the activities on the ship, is there any way to get that information before we arrive at the ship?

The Navigators will give you a general idea of what's going on, but there could be a few changes. I'm not sure if Ellen scanned in any of her old Navigators. You can do a google search for Disney Cruise Navigators and take a look at the ones that apply to your cruise.

Third, I didn't quite understand the process for boarding. It sounds like you must arrive at the ship, and then get a number before you can board? Is that correct? How long between when they start passing out the numbers and start letting people get on board the ship?

You can start entering the terminal as early as 10 or 10:30am. Check-in takes very little time and you'll get a boarding pass with a number. General boarding begins anytime after 12pm, so you could have a bit of a wait. Arrival time is definitely a personal preference though. I love getting there early and standing out on the balcony watching them load up the ship. Others prefer to wait and check-in closer to 1:30pm, when you can pretty much just walk on board.

Fourth, I've been reading about the Pirate's "event"/evening... Do most people dress up for it? Or is it about 1/2 and 1/2? Is it possible to get costumes onboard the ship (rentals?)

There are no pirate costume rentals on board, so if you want to dress up, you'll need to bring your own. I'm not sure who has more fun with this theme night, the kids or the adults. It's hard to say what the percentage is who dress up though. I've seen it 50/50 and I've seen it with very few dressed up in the theme. Just go with what you're comfortable with.

[GreenBeetle]

Hey Bouncy, we're going on our first cruise in September too! We're doing the 4-night Disney Wonder on September 2 - how about you??

[Bouncy]

Thanks so much for the quick replies! I KNEW this was the place to be!

As for our trip - we'll be leaving port on Saturday, Sept 8 on the Disney Magic for the 7 day Western cruise... coming back on Saturday, Sept 15.....

[ElenitaB]

You might want to check out some of the trip reports (DisneyDudet's is fairly recent and for a 7 night Eastern cruise... the ports may be differfent but the day-at-sea activities should pretty much be the same).

You won't be able to access the Navigators prior to your sailing, but you can find out what movies will be playing on board by calling 888-325-2500 about a week prior to your cruise (choose the reservation option from the phone menu).

[angedeaile]

As for those pirate costumes, I just saw a thread under Nightlife Shops and Waterparks!

http://www.intercot.com/discussion/s...d.php?t=108334

They have some decent suggestions on where to get some costumes and props.

I also did a google search and found alot of options. Looks like this is the season to buy them, since alot of halloween items are on sale or clearanced.

So I say, you should consider dressing up. There are two adults in our party, but even if it is just us wearing a bandana, eyepatch and carrying a blow up sword...the effort is all that counts.

I think participating, even in the smallest sense, will help add onto that Disney Magic I hear so much about. BUT as a previous poster mentioned, it is all up to you!

[Bouncy]

Thanks again for the great ideas!

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

The Pirate Party is NOT just for kids. I had a ball. We went up on the very top deck and got a table right next to the railing and looked down on the pool deck. A lot of the show took place on the very upper deck so we had great seats.
And we didn't dress up, but my 2 1/2 y.o. nephew had on the Micky pirate ears.