Well, we just passed the 3 month mark until our next cruise, which is a 14 night Westbound Panama Canal on the Wonder on April 23. I hadn’t thought about it much up until now because of the craziness of the holidays, but I am finally starting to change gears and firm up all of our plans.
The cruise will be leaving from Port Canaveral on Sunday, April 23 and this is our itinerary:
Day 1 Port Canaveral
Day 2 At Sea
Day 3 Cozumel, Mexico 9:00 am – 4:45 pm
Day 4 At Sea
Day 5 At Sea
Day 6 Cartagena, Colombia 6:30 am – 2:45 pm
Day 7 Panama Canal
Day 8 At Sea
Day 9 At Sea
Day 10 At Sea
Day 11 At Sea
Day 12 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 8:00 am – 3:45 pm
Day 13 Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 8:00 am – 3:30 pm
Day 14 At Sea
Day 15 San Diego
We will be staying in 2 connecting 9A Deluxe Oceanview staterooms, rooms 6516 and 6518. We have early dining, which is the only way we have done it when we sail with our kids (you can read my post about early vs. late dining here). When my husband and I sail without them, we prefer late dining, but I know our kids would have a hard time eating that late so even though early dining can sometimes cut daytime activities short, we just make it work. However, on this cruise we won’t be doing a lot of port excursions (more on that later), so having to be ready for dinner at 5:45 should not be any problem at all.
Because we are gold status, our online check in was on January 6. At this time I chose the earliest port arrival time available, which was 11:00 am. I also booked Palo brunch for 10:30 am on the first sea day because this has become a tradition of ours.
I didn’t book Palo dinner, although I think we will consider adding it once we are onboard. We have done dinner there once, on our very first cruise, and while it was very good, for some reason we just much prefer brunch. I also really enjoy the main dining rooms and don’t like having to miss one for a night in Palo. But, since we will be on the ship for 14 nights, missing a main dining room is not really a big deal, so I think we might add it onboard. We’ll see what we feel like when the time comes. I also reserved the princess gathering and Frozen meet and greet for day 4, at 9:45 and 10:15 am (you can read my post about ticketed events here). On day 5 I reserved the VIP character breakfast for 9:30 am. I assume since it is called a VIP breakfast and not a Disney Jr. breakfast that we will see a combination of Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald, Chip or Dale. We haven’t done a character breakfast since 2013, so it should be fun.
Now onto port adventures (you can read my 2 posts about choosing port adventures here and here). Let me preface this by saying that we are not taking this cruise for the ports, we are taking it for 1) the large number of sea days and 2) to see the Panama Canal. Our family loves sea days, and I am also looking forward to less crowded pools, I’m not going to lie. On other cruises we usually avoid the pools except for occasionally during off-peak times because they are SO crowded! I have read that there are usually only a couple of hundred kids on the Panama Canal cruises (instead of the usual 1000+), so I am hoping that we can spend quite a bit of time relaxing at the uncrowded pools. We’ll see of this actually happens or not.
Anyway, the only port adventure I have planned right now is to visit the Nachi Cocum Beach club in Cozumel. We have never been, but I have read really great reviews online and it looks pretty:
This can’t be booked through DCL, you must book online through the Nacho Cocum website. It is all-inclusive and they only admit 100 people per day, which is why you must reserve in advance online, which I have done. The plan is to take a taxi to and from the resort. Since we have been to Cozumel before (read about what we did here) and used a taxi, we feel comfortable doing this on our own (you can read about the booster seats we use here).
I have no desire to do anything in Cartegena, Colombia. It seems like the only stuff to do here is sightseeing, and that is my kids’ idea of torture. I have also read that it is very hot and humid there, and since I hate sweating (a characteristic that my girls have unfortunately inherited) I can’t think of anything here that we would enjoy doing. If anyone knows of something that we may enjoy here, please let me know! Otherwise, I think we will just step off the ship, take a picture of us in Colombia, and then get right back on.
Next up is our day in the Panama Canal which I am SUPER pumped about! My husband makes fun of how excited I am about this, and I can’t explain it except to say that I think it will be a neat thing to experience. It is my understanding that we will be the first Disney ship through the new locks, which just opened last summer, and for me that provides even another layer of excitement. On my to do list is to read a book about the canal and also show a video to my girls, so they can hopefully appreciate the experience at least a little bit. Here is what I plan to purchase (you can click on the link for details):
A Man, a Plan, a Canal – Panama (DVD)
The Panama Canal: The Story of how a jungle was conquered and the world made smaller (book)
The final 2 ports are Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. We don’t currently have anything planned for Cabo, but we are signed up for the Las Caletas excursion through DCL for Puerto Vallarta. I have heard amazing things about this excursion and I think my kids will love it.
Now, onto our plans for getting to Port Canaveral and then back home again. We had originally planned to rent a car and drive to Port Canaveral, but then about 6 weeks out I found some really cheap one way flight for $78 per person. Yes please! We will fly to Orlando on April 22 (the day before we set sail) and stay at the Hyatt MCO and then take Disney transfers to Port Canaveral the next morning. We have done this before and while not the cheapest method, it is SO easy and convenient! You can read my post with all of the details of that process here.
After the cruise, we have booked a flight at 11:39 am. This is 5 minutes earlier than DCL recommends from that airport, and I am a tad bit nervous about it. But, it was the only flight that even remotely worked for us, so we didn’t really have a choice. In order to get to the airport as fast as possible, we will do express walk off (meaning we carry all of our luggage off the ship) so that we get off the ship ASAP. I have read that taking a taxi would be faster than the DCL bus, so that’s what we’ll do. I WISH that we could pack light enough so that we could carry everything on and not have to take extra time to check luggage, but this is what it looks like when we cruise sooooo……………
I don’t think that’s gonna happen, although I will keep brainstorming for a way to make it possible.
That’s pretty everything that I have planned up until now. Soon I will make a list of items that I need to buy (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, etc) and then after that I will start my packing list. I am NOT the type of person that can pack at the last minute. It stresses me out and causes me to not enjoy the first part of the vacation, so I usually start packing about 1-2 weeks prior. I also like for things to be very organized (you can read my post about that here) and that takes some time.
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I love the update! Our next cruise is a 7 night western Caribbean in September and I have been obsessing daily over all the details and planning. In fact, I already have all of our port adventures booked and I am almost just as excited for our online check in date as I am for embarkation day. I will be looking forward to the next update!
Thank you! It sounds like we are both obsessive planners. I think the planning is half the fun!
Since you are a worrisome person(as am I). Have you thought about trip insurance in case of a flight or luggage issue? I have used travelinsured for over 15 years and service is fantastic ( I had to file a claim once) and rates are the best I have been able to find. It helps me be at ease.
Hi Jackie! That is so funny that you mention it, because I actually bought a policy through travelinsured for the first time for this trip! We have previously bought the DCL insurance, but as you probably know it is more expensive and doesn’t cover as much. Since I now have a pre-existing condition, I had to go elsewhere. I have been very pleased with their service so far. However, I just looked at the policy yesterday to see if it would cover missing a flight, and it looks like it would as long as we could provide some sort of documentation that it was not our fault. I assume this would have to be something from DCL, which I imagine we could only get if they were late getting us into port for some reason. I am just speculating, I should probably call and ask them for clarification. If you have any insight, I would welcome it!
I do know to receive coverage for any preexisting conditions you have to purchase the insurance policy within 30 days on the initial deposit of your trip.
I will be very interested to read your trip reports, as our family is going the WBTA this fall (with a 4 and 2 year old). How to handle packing/laundry/etc. for a long cruise will be very interesting to read! Have a great time!
Looking forward to doing the Panama Canal cruise eventually as it’s one of many on our to do list. Haha. Can’t wait to see how you like it.
Hi. We are also on the April 23rd Panama Canal cruise. You mention that you have already booked the character breakfast and I was wondering how? None of these sorts of activities seem to be available to be booked online for me. ….just shore excursions. Am I missing something?
Hi Jo! Character breakfasts, as well at ticketed meet & greets (which are the princess gathering & Frozen one), and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique are shown under the “onboard fun” tab that appears when you click on one of the days on the calendar page of the check in process. If nothing appears that day, that means they are not offered that day. Take a look at this post where I provide screen shots of what it looks like: http://www.disneycruisemomblog.com/online-check-in-for-your-disney-cruise/ Hope this helps!
Hi!!
We are also on the Panama Canal cruise with our 2 girls who are 3 and 6. I don’t want to get my hopes up for the less crowded pools, but it was good to hear you expect it will be less crowded.
Can’t wait to see your packing list.
Hi Kim! I have heard from many, many people who have done PC sailings before that say that there will only be 300-400 kids instead of the usual 1000+. I am really hoping for less crowded pools and will be super bummed if they are not! I have also heard that the adult pool area is always completely packed, which is not surprising. Some even say that they go to the family pool because it is quieter and less crowded over there. Crazy! Anyway, I hope to get my packing list up sometime this week.
Hi!
I found your blog really helpful, just wondering how do you manage to pay for the cruises? any tip? i have been wanting to take my kids on a DCL for two years and can’t come to a decision to pay almost $6,000 for a 4 night cruise. My kids are 14, 6, 4 and 2 and I am getting crazy choosing between the 4 ships. Another question, Is this price for us residents different to the one for the other people around the world?
Thanks!
Hi Estefania! There are several things you can do to reduce the price of your cruise. First, sailing off season (meaning not during the summer months of May-August) and avoiding holidays will give you cheaper prices. Second, prices on the Magic and Wonder are usually cheaper than the Dream and Fantasy. Also, booking the cruise early, right after it is released, will give you the cheapest prices because prices tend to rise over time. I see that you have 4 kids, so you would have to get 2 rooms. Choosing 2 standard interior rooms would be the cheapest option. As far as I know, the prices are the same for all countries. I hope this helps!
You said that your flight is 5 minutes earlier than DCL recommends. I was wondering what time specifically do they recommend from getting off the ship and to the airport? Thank you!
It depends on the city. If you’re talking about Port Canaveral, they don’t recommend a flight before 11:30 am.
Your blog is so detailed and amazing! A valuable resource!!
Do you know offhand how many mornings the character breakfast is offered on sailings this long? Is it only one morning?
Thanks so much!!
Hi Cass! Thank you for the kind words about the blog! I know it is offered more than one morning, but I don’t know the total number. You will only be able to reserve it once online though. You will be able to see the available mornings once your online booking window opens.