10 Things I’m Glad I Did on Our First Cruise

1.  Palo Brunch

After 8 Disney cruises, Palo Brunch is still one of my very, very favorite things to do.  I am so glad that I discovered it on our first cruise.  I have always booked it for our first sea day because I am just that anxious to experience it every time.  I love everything about it – the service, the atmosphere, the view, the lack of children……and especially the food.  I have also dined at Palo for dinner (which was lovely!), but I personally prefer brunch.  Brunch is offered on most sea days, and sometime in Nassau on the Disney Dream.  You can read my post about Palo brunch here.

2.  Bring a Lanyard for My Key to the World Card

If you have already been on a Disney cruise, you will receive a Castaway Club lanyard when you check in for your cruise.  But, first time cruisers don’t get them.  For our first cruise, I bought one similar to this one.  I also bought a pouch like this one to attach to the end.  I pretty much have this around my neck with my room key in it the entire time I am on the ship.  This way, it is always handy for the photographer to swipe at photo ops, to unlock my room door, to make purchases, to swipe at the Shutters kiosk, etc.  I have yet to lose a card with this method and for me it is the easiest way for me to keep up with it.  I know some people (like my husband) prefer to just use their pockets, but I am a lanyard girl.

3.  Decide where to eat lunch on the first day before we boarded the ship

I vividly remember the feelings I had right after we boarded the ship on our first cruise: excitement, happiness, amazement….and confusion.  Which way should we walk?  Should we eat lunch?  Explore the ship?  Take pictures of everything in sight?  It can be overwhelming and hard to decide if you haven’t thought ahead about your plan of attack.  It is always lunch time once boarding starts, so there are usually cast members in the lobby telling you what your options are for food.  It seems like most people head straight for lunch since you can’t get into your room until 1:30.  Every time we have cruised, there have been 3 options for lunch: Cabanas (buffet restaurant on the pool deck), one of the main dining rooms (MDR) which is table service, and the food counters around the pool area (pizza, burgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, etc).  Most likely, the cast members will try to direct you to Cabanas.  They limit the number of people that can be in the MDR, but not Cabanas, so it seems like they try and send most people there.  Also, Cabanas on boarding day can be absolutely packed with people, depending on the time.  Consider yourself warned.  I had done some research ahead of time and decided that it would be best for us to eat in the MDR with table service, even though the menu is obviously more limited than the buffet.  This is important to me because we have 3 young kids, and for my husband and I to try to get food and drinks for 5 and find a table in a crowded restaurant while carrying the food, drinks, and our carry-on luggage, and keep our kids from either getting lost or running into someone else carrying food and drinks for their family, well…….I think you get the idea.  Not my idea of a great start to a vacation.  This is my personal preference, but I know that a lot of people prefer to go to Cabanas because there is more food variety on the buffet and if the weather is nice, you can sit outside and enjoy the view.  Also, some people prefer the food counters around the pool so that their kids can start swimming immediately before the pools get crowded.  Just think about it ahead of time so that you make the best choice for your family and start your vacation off on a good note.  (Note: Almost every time we have gone to the MDR for lunch, we were stopped at the door & told they were full & that we should go to Cabanas.  I politely told them that I didn’t mind waiting, and we were seated within minutes.)

4.  Bring princess dresses for my girls

Obviously this only applies to those with young daughters, but I remember debating on whether or not to bring princess dresses on our first cruise.  For me this means a minimum of 3 poofy, glittery dresses, and I was trying my hardest to not bring an obnoxious amount of luggage.  I was failing at that goal anyway:

So, I decided to go ahead and pack them and I’m glad I did.  It seems like every little girl brings them on cruises and wears them constantly, and my girls loved putting them on and getting all fancy.  They wore them on formal night:

I also got some great pictures of them from the Shutters photographers, like these:

Even when we do the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, I bring our own dresses and then buy the cheaper package that doesn’t include a dress.  It is a good way to save money, and we have so many dresses at home that we really don’t need to keep adding to the collection!  You can read my post about my preferred method for packing princess dresses here.

5.  Dress up for Pirate Night

We have dressed up for Pirate Night on every Disney cruise we have done, and along with Palo Brunch, this is one of my very, very favorite things on the cruise.  I have written a post specifically about what we have worn on Pirate Night, as well as my favorite pirate items, so I won’t go into detail here, but I highly recommend it!  (Note:  The Alaska and some European sailings do not have a Pirate Night.)  Here we are on some of our previous cruises:

 

6.  Go to the Pirate Party

I know this seems like a no-brainer, but for those of you with young children, this can actually be quite difficult.  The main Pirate Party usually starts pretty late (like around 9:45) and the fireworks aren’t until 10:30-10:45.  It is really hard for a lot of kids to stay up this late, especially after a long day of other activities.  Our youngest has fallen asleep for 2 out of 3 Pirate Parties, and my other 2 struggled to make it through the first 2 and we actually all skipped our 3rd one altogether and went to bed.  But, I am SO glad we pushed through and saw it the first time.  Especially the fireworks.  It is really just a magical experience with the music and fireworks and everything else.  If at all possible, try to see it!  (Note: I have read that they have recently been experimenting with moving the fireworks earlier on some ships and some sailings, like around 7:45.  I hope this becomes a permanent thing, although they would not be able to do it in the summer months when it gets dark much later than that.  We’ll just have to wait and see!)

7.  See all of the Main Stage Shows

We have actually never missed a main stage show on any of our cruises, that is how much we love them!  (I’m only talking about the big stage productions, not the smaller acts like magicians or ventriloquists.)  I remember being tempted on our first cruise to skip at least one of them.  There was always something else going on that I knew our girls would love to do: characters to meet, pools to swim in, dance parties, karaoke, etc.  Plus, the shows are in the evenings when the kids might start getting tired and cranky.  But we ended up seeing all of them, and I am so glad we did!  They really are outstanding productions.  You don’t have to get there super early to get a good seat (15-20 minutes is more than enough) and they aren’t super long (about 45 minutes).  The shows are one of the things that my husband, girls and I most look forward to on a Disney cruise.  There are 2 shows each night, one during the early dinner seating and one during the late.  You go to the show opposite of your dining time.  For those who don’t know, here is the current list of main stage shows by ship:

Disney Magic 

Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic

Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story

Tangled: The Musical

Disney Wonder

Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic

The Golden Mickeys

Frozen

Disney Dream

Disney’s Believe

The Golden Mickeys

Beauty and the Beast

Disney Fantasy

Disney’s Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular

Disney’s Believe

Disney Wishes

FYI, if for some reason it is just not feasible to go see a show, it will be shown on a TV channel (pre-recorded) in your room at the same time as the live show.

 8.  Bring a waterproof camera

Before our first cruise, I debated about which type of camera to bring and whether or not to buy a waterproof one (I didn’t have one at the time).  I ended up buying this one and I am so glad I did!  (You can read my review of my underwater camera here.)  I have taken some amazing underwater pictures and video with this camera on all of our cruises and I they are memories that I will cherish.  Here are just a few of them:

I was even able to catch this amazing footage of my daughter swimming with a sea turtle:

(Note: If you do plan to take a waterproof camera with you, don’t forgot to get a float strap for it like this one.)

9.  Label my camera

Thankfully I have never lost my camera on a cruise, but I know it happens, and the thought of losing all of my vacation pictures makes me sick.  Before each cruise I take a piece of masking tape and fold it around the strap of my camera like this:

On the tape, I use a Sharpie to write my last name, room number and cell phone number.  The tape and ink even stay put if you use your camera in the water.  That way, if I accidentally leave my camera somewhere, hopefully the person that finds it can easily return it to me.  A camera can be replaced, but not the pictures on it!

10.  Book another cruise onboard

They have recently changed the way you book a future cruise onboard to add another option (you can read all of the details about the benefits of onboard booking here).  Now you can visit the Future Cruise Sales Desk and put down a $250 (per stateroom) deposit.  This secures you a place holder without you having to decide on a specific sailing or room category.  You can book a specific sailing if you already know what you want to do, but if not, you can go home and think about it.  If you change your mind, the $250 is refundable.  Also, you have to complete your cruise within 24 months of the day you reserve the placeholder.  If you take advantage of this offer, you will receive:

10% off the cruise fare (except concierge rooms)

On board credit of either $100 (3-6 night cruises) or $200 (7+ night cruises)

Reduced deposit (10% instead of 20%) for 7+ night cruises

In my opinion, this deal is too good to pass up!  It is worth noting that every time we have done this, we were required to pay with a credit card or gift card.  They would not charge it to our room (thus not allowing us to use any on board credit).

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