And hopefully you won’t!
We had a fabulous time on our Alaska Disney Cruise. But since it was our first one we definitely made some mistakes. Certainly not anything that negatively effected our trip but things to learn from for next time. So read on and hopefully you can learn from the mistakes we made on our Disney Cruise.
1) Boarding time is not arrival time
I planned to be at the port before our boarding time but I didn’t realize how long the process would take. We arrived at the port in Vancouver about an 1 1/2 hours before our boarding time. This was not nearly enough time to actually board at our time. There are so many steps in the process–baggage drop off, initial check-in, security checks, and a couple custom checks.
Lesson learned: Get to the port more than 2 hours before boarding time. There is an area to sit and wait to board after you are all checked in.
2) Waiting to Purchase Key Card Holder
I didn’t really think about this at all before leaving. In past cruises our kids were older and didn’t want anything hanging around their necks. But, I quickly realized after boarding that it would be very important for my young daughter to have a lanyard to hold her Key to the World Card. I certainly didn’t want to be digging for hers all the time. I knew that if she was responsible for putting it in her pocket it would be lost before dinner.
So, the hunt for a card holder began. Unfortunately, we had to wait until after we left port for the onboard stores to open up. Finally, after waiting and waiting (this was very difficult for my daughter who frequently asked if they would open soon) the doors opened. In we went, excited to see all the possibilities.
Sadly, our choices were very limited. I think there was three styles to choose from. Now, there were lots of pin trading lanyards but since the pocket was detachable I knew that with my daughter that would be a recipe for disaster. After much agonizing, one was settled on. Even though it was expensive (in my opinion $13 was quite a bit for a pocket) it was worth every penny. My daughter kept track of her very important Key to the World Card the whole trip. Bonus: we have it for the next cruise.
I will say there was one benefit for purchasing the lanyard on the ship. The plastic pouch ripped so it was unusable. We brought it back to the shop and they replaced it with a smile.
Lesson Learned: Purchase a Key to the World holder before leaving on the trip. They are invaluable for young children who want to hold their cards themselves.
3) Overpacking
On our last cruise (non-Disney) we dressed up for dinner almost every night. Not always fancy but at least changing out of shorts/swimsuit and into a skirt or nice pants. But not this time!
Our cruise was very casual. VERY! We had the late seating so I was able to see all the people going into dinner for the early seating. I was so surprised the first night to see so many t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jeans.
I had packed a change of clothes for almost every dinner. Most of them languished in the closet never worn. Why change if I don’t have to?!
Now, we were on an Alaska Cruise in September so shorts never graced my body. It might be different if I was on a Caribbean cruise and had to change out of my shorts to go to dinner.
Lesson Learned: Pack extra clothing for Formal and Semi-formal night but don’t worry so much about the rest.
4) Under Utilizing the Disney Navigator App
I downloaded the app before our trip which was a good first step. I really like paper and seeing all the activities at once and in comparison to each other. For this reason I didn’t really use the app much.
It wasn’t until the 5th day of our 7 day cruise that I was lamenting the fact I had missed some of the characters and wished I could have known ahead all the meeting times for characters. Another passenger informed me that ON THE APP you can look up each character and see all the meet and greet times throughout the week. Boy, this would have been helpful on day 1 or 2.
I wished I had know this for planning out the movies too. I sure loved watching movies on the ship. I know, I know. I’m quite silly but I really don’t get much chance at home.
Lesson learned: Look through the Navigator App right away. Pick favorites and enjoy the trip!
5) Letting the weather stop me
This mistake we made on our Disney Cruise is probably the only one I actually regret. As I said before, I thought it was kind of cold on our cruise. I did come prepared with insulated water boots, down coat, hat, and gloves. I donned them all for the important times such as the Frozen Deck Party and traveling up Endicott Arm to Dawes Glacier.
Other than those two times I spent very little time outdoors. At the time I just didn’t want to be cold. But now, I look back and think, “Man! Why didn’t I even walk around the deck and sit for a bit and watch the beauty floating by?”
Lesson learned: Bundle up and spend at least a little time walking around the decks and watch the scenery.
6) Feeling Guilty About Skipping the Dining Room
We loved our dining room servers, the dining room atmosphere, and the dining room entertainment. We didn’t love the food and found ourselves wanting a change. I know it is silly, but we felt like we were letting down our servers if we ate elsewhere.
Finally, after looking at the next day’s activities we decided that we needed to skip dinner in order to do all we wanted to do. We hesitantly informed our servers and the next night ate at Cabanas for dinner.
When we walked in we expected to eat at the buffet. Boy, were we wrong! At night Cabanas is sit-down service. At first we were disappointed as we were in a bit of a hurry to eat. The initial look at the menu also was disheartening as it seemed very basic. But we ordered and it was actually our favorite meal. Go figure!
Lesson Learned: It’s your vacation. Do what you want!
7) Trying to Leave Ship with Hot Drink
As you know, we were on an Alaska cruise in September. Well, it was kind of cold and rainy. Having a hot drink while exploring Juneau sounded so fantastic! I went up to the drink station and poured myself a lovely cup of tea. Down I went to the exit the ship. But, unfortunately not with my tea! The security personnel informed me that drinks were not allowed to leave with me. Ah man!
Lesson learned: Find the first coffee cart on a cold day and get a hot drink. (or iced drink on a hot day)
Thank you for reading through all the mistakes we made on our Disney Cruise. Hopefully you find this a little helpful in planning your own vacation.
What mistakes have you made on your Disney Cruise that you don’t want to make again?
Happy travels to you…until we meet again!
Some other links you might like:
- 7 Things I loved About our Disney Cruise
- Reasons to Take a Cruise Vacation
- Celebrate the Holidays at Disney World
- A Disneyland Resort Holiday Guide
- Check out Disney Cruises here–Contact me to book your next adventure!
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