Tammy Whiting, our Disney Cruise Line expert, shares with us 10 mistakes to avoid when going on a Disney Cruise.
Mistakes? I’ve made a few. I’ve also seen some made by others! Hopefully, I can help you avoid these 10 mistakes on your cruise.
1) Don’t Come in the Day Of – Don’t do it. Come the day before. I realize you’ve spent a lot, and coming one day sooner increases your total cost and time, but it’s not worth risking your entire vacation. If you miss that ship, you miss your vacation. I came very close to missing an Alaskan cruise when my flight was delayed because of wind, and we couldn’t get into Vancouver until the next day. If we had been flying in the day of, we would have missed our cruise!
2) Don’t Forget Your Passport/Proof of Citizenship – I confess, I’ve done this one. At the time, I’d been on many cruises and was very relaxed about the whole thing. Too relaxed. I didn’t double-check my packing list and forgot the most important thing. Pretty much everything else can be purchased or done without, but you cannot cruise without your proof of citizenship! Pro Tip: After that heart-stopping experience, we uploaded copies of our birth certificates to the cloud. Thankfully, I was on a closed-loop cruise and could sail without my passport and with a copy of my birth certificate (and government-issued photo ID). Now, we keep copies in the cloud to access just in case!
3) Don’t Skip Insurance – Cruising without travel insurance is a risk. Accidents and illnesses can happen anywhere, and most health insurance companies do not cover you when traveling abroad. A burst appendix could cost you thousands of dollars. Please don’t risk it! Check your health insurance policy and credit card to see if they cover anything. If the answer is no, purchase travel insurance.
4) Don’t Book a Room You Won’t Like – Some great upgrades can sometimes be had when checking in at the port. I always recommend going right to the Supervisor’s desk after checking in and seeing what, if anything, is available. But there are many, many times where there is nothing available. So don’t count on that upgrade! Book a room you will be happy in. If an upgrade comes, it’s a bonus!
5) Don’t Pack Essentials in Your Checked Bags – Your larger suitcases will be delivered to your stateroom sometime on the first afternoon. Your children will probably want to jump in the pool the second they see it, so make sure their swimsuits are in your carry-ons. If you have anything special you want to wear to dinner the first night, make sure you also have that in your carry-on, just in case! Bags are usually there in plenty of time, but there could be a delay. Likewise, if you need any prescriptions or medications, keep those with you.
6) Don’t Try to Do Too Much – There is so much to do onboard. Once you arrive, you can sign in to the app and scroll through all of the activities for your sailing, and there’s a ton! You can’t do it all. Don’t try. Prioritize the things you want to do the most. If karaoke is happening, but you haven’t had a spare second to play shuffleboard and relax on deck 4, choose the activity that will make you the happiest. There’s time for karaoke on another cruise.
7) Don’t Enforce Bedtimes – We quickly learned that our kids loved the kids’ clubs. They were so sad if we decided that some of the scheduled activities were happening too late at night. It’s vacation! It’s not always the time for everyday routines.
8) Don’t Skip Room Service – It’s hard to fit in time for more food onboard. But room service is a great treat! Get a pre-dinner cheese plate, and order the All Hands on Deck! Get some milk and cookies to end the day. Order a Mickey bar for a sweet treat in the afternoon. There are lots of great options!
9) Don’t Put Things Off Until the Last Night – I’m guilty of putting things off, like checking the photographers’ pictures, buying that one last souvenir, or taking photos of the ship. That’s a mistake! The last night gets busy, and the stores get packed. Don’t put things off!
10) Don’t Disembark Without Booking a Placeholder – If there is ANY chance you will sail in the next two years, book that placeholder for $250. It’s easy to do in the app and will save you money if you sail again. If you don’t? You get the money back! It’s a no-lose situation.
About the author of the blog: Tammy Whiting is the coauthor of The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line. Blogger, Space Force wife, and mother of two, Tammy has been involved in the travel industry for more than 15 years. Though she certainly enjoys vacations of all kinds, her favorite adventures around the globe have been on cruise ships. Tammy spent five years of her childhood in Europe as a military brat and has been a military spouse for over 30 years, living in almost every corner of the US. When she isn’t traveling, you can find her enjoying her family, buying camera equipment, and planning her next trip!
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