Yo Ho, A Disney Life for Me - Summer 2020 pre trip

[Goldia]

Originally Posted by Elsa42

If you can afford it a 4 night would be great! The 3 nights are a great taster. The first one I did was a 3 night to make sure we actually liked cruising. I've done the 7 night Disney Caribbean one too and it was amazing however I keep going back to the 3 night cruises as this year will be my 4th!

I mean maybe you should talk to the others but if they aren't keen I recommend you over ruling them! The rooms are bigger than you expect. I've had a family veranda room for 3 adults and it was fine so I'm sure for 2 adults and 2 children you will be fine. Theres so much to do you wont be in your room long anyway. I hear the kids clubs are amazing on board as well. No personal experience but I always hear a lot of people say their children are in them pretty much all day

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thanks Chloe. I'm always grateful for dibbers giving me sensible, rational and balanced feedback for my holiday plans

I'm feeling you're saying "Do a cruise, any cruise, any length, do it" I'm sorely tempted

Perhaps I'll opt for the shorter one for our *first* cruise. I'm sensing this is going to be like the once in a lifetime resolution we all made ...

We're hardly ever in our room at WDW either, but I still feel like the idea of having a veranda as opposed to just an indoor cabin has got to be great. I'm picturing sitting watching the waves and the sunset and drinking champagne, I'm sure it's cheap as chips on board thats not unrealistic right?

[Goldia]

Originally Posted by Cutiepie

Sorry, I’m rubbish at quotes. We have cruised on the Dream from Port Canaveral although a few years ago now. The staterooms are spacious, however have a look at the ones with 2 port holes instead of a balcony as they are actually bigger. I think they are Cat 8A from memory.. we stayed in one on deck 6, I think the room number was 6110. If you have a look at DisneyCruiseline blog they have stateroom reviews.
If going for a balcony or ocean view, book one on the starboard side for the best views of Castaway Cay. the double dips you are referring to are usually 5 nights as they go to castaway twice.
My only concern is the height of Max and sleeping on what is effectively a converted sofa bed., while they are comfortable his feet will probably be dangling over the end so look into this before you book altHough he may be happy enough for a few nights! I think he’s around the height of my son so I’ll ask him what he thinks and let you know.
Hope this helps.

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Ok, this is really helpful. I'm now wondering if my visions of me on a veranda with the sunset and the champers outweigh Max needing a bed that fits of course I'm only joking do you book port or starboard at the start? Or is that something you do at check in?

Max is a giant now. Taller than Dave and is about to go over 6ft. He keeps getting me to measure him as he is desperate to be over 6ft. Dave is 5ft 11. So, Max being a typical boy is very keen to surpass his father even by 1 inch.

In all seriousness I'm not sure I want to pay nigh on £2000 for the kids to have to sleep in a sofa bed. Perhaps the other rooms will be a better option and I'll have to give up on my fantasies. Let's face it the champagne was never going to happen unless I smuggle it on board and I gather that's a massive no no.

[Cutiepie]

Originally Posted by Goldia

Ok, this is really helpful. I'm now wondering if my visions of me on a veranda with the sunset and the champers outweigh Max needing a bed that fits of course I'm only joking do you book port or starboard at the start? Or is that something you do at check in?

Max is a giant now. Taller than Dave and is about to go over 6ft. He keeps getting me to measure him as he is desperate to be over 6ft. Dave is 5ft 11. So, Max being a typical boy is very keen to surpass his father even by 1 inch.

In all seriousness I'm not sure I want to pay nigh on £2000 for the kids to have to sleep in a sofa bed. Perhaps the other rooms will be a better option and I'll have to give up on my fantasies. Let's face it the champagne was never going to happen unless I smuggle it on board and I gather that's a massive no no.

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All the staterooms have the same bed set up.. so it’s a double bed & then a sofa which converts to a bed & then a pull down bed.
Although the champagne may not be a fantasy as you are allowed to bring a bottle of wine on board so I can’t see why it couldn’t be champagne hopefully the rules haven’t changed!

[Cutiepie]

Have a google for staterooms and there are plenty of pictures on google images so you can see what the bunk bed looks like. Nathan is 6ft 1 now so similar to Max, the last time we cruised while not Disney we booked 2 staterooms so that he could have a proper size bed. Although to be fair we were cruising for 14 nights, not 3 or 4!

[Elsa42]

Originally Posted by Goldia

thanks Chloe. I'm always grateful for dibbers giving me sensible, rational and balanced feedback for my holiday plans

I'm feeling you're saying "Do a cruise, any cruise, any length, do it" I'm sorely tempted

Perhaps I'll opt for the shorter one for our *first* cruise. I'm sensing this is going to be like the once in a lifetime resolution we all made ...

We're hardly ever in our room at WDW either, but I still feel like the idea of having a veranda as opposed to just an indoor cabin has got to be great. I'm picturing sitting watching the waves and the sunset and drinking champagne, I'm sure it's cheap as chips on board thats not unrealistic right?

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That no problem

hahaha I'm definitely suggesting you do a cruise. It wont be a once in a lifetime thing though as you know (anything Disney usually isn't) As I'm sure you know from Adams cruise vlogs you become part of the castaway club. Once you've taken your first cruise you become a silver member, then after 5 cruises you become a gold member then I believe its 10 cruise for platinum so once you've done one you may as well do 10 because surely the lifetime goal is to be a platinum castaway member on the Disney cruise line.

In regards to the cabin and sleeping arranges i think depending on which room you go for its either a Murphy bed, bunk beds or the sofa bed for the children. I've tried the sofa beds and they are surprisingly comfy! Your room host turns down your room each night and makes the sofa into a bed so you dont have to worry about doing it yourself.

The main bed is an absolute dream! I've never slept on a comfier bed! Your other option that i've heard a lot is to get two connecting inside staterooms so the kids have their own room however this would completely ruin the dream of drinking champagne on the balcony which I've tried and tested and can confirm is amazing

[jothp]

Originally Posted by Goldia

yep, I've already changed an ADR for HS to be lunchtime instead of evening. I'm hoping if we go for rope drop on day 2 we will get a boarding pass and therefore be done by mid afternoon so that we can go to TL in the evening. This will be a first for us as we usually only do mornings in water parks. But I think I'd be too worried about missing the boarding group so I feel like I'd want to stay in the park. So I've moved the sci fi diner ADR to a lunch slot. Originally I thought we could go to HS get a pass then go to TL for the 10am opening and then back to HS when the boarding pass opens. But that feels like too much running around.

For the dates. I've totally confused myself this week with dates. Remember me saying I'm obsessed with the idea of a cruise? Well, the tickets for MNSSHP go live on the wdw site next week and the cruises for 2021 also go up next week and now I can't remember which is which one of them is 25th February and the other is 28th February of course it's also possible that both those dates are wrong as the 25th is my brothers birthday so perhaps that's why that has stuck in mind! I'm all of dither. I should probably just focus on this trip and not be thinking about next year's trip until this one is sorted.

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We've got a day when I've got Typhoon Lagoon in the morning and Hollywood studios for the rest of the day with the option to go to Hollywood studios before Typhoon Lagoon to try to pick up a boarding group. I'm a bit worried about all the rushing about how the timing of the boarding group will work with changing etc and getting back to HS. It's the day we are planning to see fantasmic though so if we did HS in the morning we might just end up with rushing around in a different way!

Originally Posted by Goldia

ESTA Approved

Ok so this is the lamest of lame and pointless updates but it does feel like a success.

Dave had to renew his passport so we took the photo at home and he did it all online. He was not happy with my camera skills well he didn't like the photo I took of him for the passport, but I told him there was no amount of magic photo tech that would make him like the photo and refused to take another one so he's stuck with it now for 10 years

Of course this means his ESTA is now invalid. But his and mine were going to go out of date in April anyway. So, he sent the passport application off and we got the new passport this week. And this afternoon I did the applications for his and my ESTA. The kids still have 16months on theirs, somehow we got out of sync with them having just 5 years for their passports. Anyway, I'm pretending that I don't mind that we don't have the one group ID as it's just an application process. Well, the authorization came through approved within 20 minutes which is handy as I'd only been checking every 5 minutes to see if it had updated so I only had to login 4 times

Also, this afternoon I did 4 ETA applications for Canada...This is a different system than the ESTA and is in many ways simpler with less questions and lasts longer, 5 years, but only lasts longer for those with a passport that expires in over 5 years time. So Dave is set until 2025, mine will run out in 2023 and the kids will run out in 2022. It is also a bit cheaper than the ESTA at just 7 Canadian dollars. Hmm, I'm actually not too sure on the exchange rate for Canadian dollars to pounds, so maybe it's actually more than the ESTA

Why did I do ETA? Well, I'm glad you asked

I've booked for us to go to Toronto in October half term I'd sort of planned this would be our next city break after Washington DC. Hurrah! We're going to see Niagara Falls and eat poutine and maple syrup and hopefully have a marvellous time.

Now that is sorted I can focus on 2021 and it seems top of the list is a Disney cruise

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I always feel a big sense of relief once the ESTAs are done and approved.

Yay another holiday booking is always something worth celebrating.

Originally Posted by Goldia

Right, so not 3 nights, but 4. I've heard about the 'Double dip' at Castaway Cay. Is that what you'd recommend? My parents have done loads of cruises, so in the back of my mind is to invite them along too as I'd love for them to come to Florida again. But by next summer they will both be 72 and while I don't think of them as old they perhaps won't want to go commando in the parks so maybe they would be tempted by the cruise.

I'm definitely getting the vibe that booking straight away as soon as it's announced is best. Have you cruised from Port Canaveral recently? Is it going to be hideous having all 4 of us in one state room? I'm hoping not. From the looks of Adam Hatton vlogs it's very similar to the hotel rooms at Disney and if we go for a balcony then there is actually more space than in the moderates. Will the kids be happy? I feel like they would be as they love the pool and they love a buffet so presumably they would enjoy a cruise

I knew if I asked on here I'd get a good balance of views and advice



If we did the cruise it would be tagged onto, or in the middle of a WDW holiday. Given that this summer we will have been to Orlando 6 times since 2014 then i guess missing an extra day and booking the 4 day cruise wouldn't matter too much.

I *think* this is probably something I should talk to the others about though before I book it. Although, I'm not averse to the idea of making a unilateral decision and then talking them into it.

Last year when we were planning the trip with mum and dad Dave wanted to get a big cinema screen and movie projector for the lounge and I said he could provided we could go back to WDW the following year. It was a done deal and we do now have a screen and projector.

Here is a photo for those who weren't here last year in the pre trip, yes it's a monstrosity ...thankfully it's a non permanent fixture but I still think I got the better end of that deal.

I'm wondering what he will want to bargain for this year?

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I can't wait to hear what Dave is going to want to in return for next years trip.

All this talk of cruises is making me want to try one.

[magickate]

Originally Posted by Goldia

at least one of the dates I quoted was accurate! I usually do all my Orlando holiday bookings myself, but I'm wondering if I should use a travel agent for a cruise as I really don't know anything. Have you crushed before? Do you have a preference for DIY or using an agent? I'm only thinking of the 3 day Nassau, Castaway Day cruise from Port Canaveral, so it's hardly a lot to organise DIY



Well, happy birthday for Tuesday! What a coincidence. I'm now sort of sold on the idea of the first night for the party. Unless they announce the Saturday as a party too...then I'm not sure what I'll do

Looks like I'll want to make a decision by 28th Feb then. The 3 day cruise I'm interested in goes virtually every weekend for our dates in August, we are tied to school hols. But from my very extensive research this week I've found that that the earlier you book the cheaper it is and so while it's possible to book for this summer and they still have availabilty that would be stupid as it is going to be way more expensive than it could have been. I looked for this summer and for a balcony (you've got to have a balcony right ) it was about £2200 for the 4 of us, which I sort of thought wasn't too bad for 3 nights. Ha ha I'm totally delusional. Right, pulling myself together, so you think a cruise is a good idea and you think it's a good idea to book early. That's about the gist of it isn't it? Did you use an agent? Or just go through the UK DCL website phone number?

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They normally release itineraries a few days before but I haven't seen them yet. Saying that I haven't been looking so maybe they have! I've seen the 24th mentioned alot which would make general public sales available from 27th so make sure you double check.

We did the 4 night one & loved it. Booked it ourselves direct with disney online. Very easy to do, be sure to find & join your Facebook cruise group. You'll love doing a fish extender I reckon!
I've booked our next one direct too. You can use an agent but as they're US based you'd pay in dollars. I like being in full control of planning our holidays and am happy to do it all myself. The cruise is so little effort to sort.

It's generally cheapest to book as soon as it's released so don't hang around. Decide what type of room you want now, have a good look at deck plans so you know your preference beforehand & whether you want an aft, mid or forwards stateroom. We're happy with aft which is a little cheaper than mid, apparently forward is worse for sea sickness but I've no experience of that personally.

I paid £2500 for the 4night october half term with an extended balcony stateroom, it was fantastic.

[Goldia]

Originally Posted by Cutiepie

All the staterooms have the same bed set up.. so it’s a double bed & then a sofa which converts to a bed & then a pull down bed.
Although the champagne may not be a fantasy as you are allowed to bring a bottle of wine on board so I can’t see why it couldn’t be champagne hopefully the rules haven’t changed!

See more...

Is it a bottle each or one per room

Originally Posted by Cutiepie

Have a google for staterooms and there are plenty of pictures on google images so you can see what the bunk bed looks like. Nathan is 6ft 1 now so similar to Max, the last time we cruised while not Disney we booked 2 staterooms so that he could have a proper size bed. Although to be fair we were cruising for 14 nights, not 3 or 4!

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Thanks for all the information. I kind of thought there were only 4 room categories inside, porthole, verandah and the one that's way too expensive for us but it seems there are all sorts of possibilities so I really do need to check out the options a bit more to be fully prepared.

Originally Posted by Elsa42

That no problem

hahaha I'm definitely suggesting you do a cruise. It wont be a once in a lifetime thing though as you know (anything Disney usually isn't) As I'm sure you know from Adams cruise vlogs you become part of the castaway club. Once you've taken your first cruise you become a silver member, then after 5 cruises you become a gold member then I believe its 10 cruise for platinum so once you've done one you may as well do 10 because surely the lifetime goal is to be a platinum castaway member on the Disney cruise line.

In regards to the cabin and sleeping arranges i think depending on which room you go for its either a Murphy bed, bunk beds or the sofa bed for the children. I've tried the sofa beds and they are surprisingly comfy! Your room host turns down your room each night and makes the sofa into a bed so you dont have to worry about doing it yourself.

The main bed is an absolute dream! I've never slept on a comfier bed! Your other option that i've heard a lot is to get two connecting inside staterooms so the kids have their own room however this would completely ruin the dream of drinking champagne on the balcony which I've tried and tested and can confirm is amazing

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I haven't even done 1 cruise and I definitely want platinum status. I guess for just 3 nights it's not so much of a problem being in a sofa bed. I always think of them as being really uncomfortable, but perhaps they are better quality now than the ones I've slept in years ago. It's also nice that we wouldn't have to sort it all out for ourselves and the host would set it all up for us.

I'm glad you've tested out the champagne on the balcony

Originally Posted by jothp

We've got a day when I've got Typhoon Lagoon in the morning and Hollywood studios for the rest of the day with the option to go to Hollywood studios before Typhoon Lagoon to try to pick up a boarding group. I'm a bit worried about all the rushing about how the timing of the boarding group will work with changing etc and getting back to HS. It's the day we are planning to see fantasmic though so if we did HS in the morning we might just end up with rushing around in a different way!



I always feel a big sense of relief once the ESTAs are done and approved.

Yay another holiday booking is always something worth celebrating.



I can't wait to hear what Dave is going to want to in return for next years trip.

All this talk of cruises is making me want to try one.

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I originally planned for TL in the morning and HS in the evening. Then I figured we could do rope drop at HS, get a boarding pass and then head straight to TL, but I'm now thinking I'd struggle to relax at TL feeling like I'd need to constantly check the app for updates. So, I think for us swapping the day might be best. Fortunately we will have other opportunities to see HS at night.

I'm going to have to convince the others that a cruise is a good idea as i really fancy it now. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Originally Posted by magickate

They normally release itineraries a few days before but I haven't seen them yet. Saying that I haven't been looking so maybe they have! I've seen the 24th mentioned alot which would make general public sales available from 27th so make sure you double check.

We did the 4 night one & loved it. Booked it ourselves direct with disney online. Very easy to do, be sure to find & join your Facebook cruise group. You'll love doing a fish extender I reckon!
I've booked our next one direct too. You can use an agent but as they're US based you'd pay in dollars. I like being in full control of planning our holidays and am happy to do it all myself. The cruise is so little effort to sort.

It's generally cheapest to book as soon as it's released so don't hang around. Decide what type of room you want now, have a good look at deck plans so you know your preference beforehand & whether you want an aft, mid or forwards stateroom. We're happy with aft which is a little cheaper than mid, apparently forward is worse for sea sickness but I've no experience of that personally.

I paid £2500 for the 4night october half term with an extended balcony stateroom, it was fantastic.

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Thanks that's really helpful. I'll keep an eye out for the itineraries. I really do need to look at the deck plans more to get a better understanding of it all. I've done a week on a sailing yacht that was 50 foot long, it was a school trip and I was 14, so I think I'll be alright with the sea sickness. Not sure about the others though, we've done a canal boat, but there weren't too many waves

What a lovely photo, that's a huge balcony! I bet you had a brilliant time. I'm actually not on Facebook. I don't really do any social media, apart from the dibb! I've read about fish extenders and it does seem like a lovely idea.

[caitlinsmummy]

Oh Abby, Canada will be amazing, I have a friend who is from Toronto and she always says about how much she misses home and how amazing it is. When she goes back (usually once every couple of years) the pictures are amazing.

So glad you've decided on a Disney Cruise too! I've managed to twist Mr Grumps arm for 2022 for a cruise like you I don't know whether to do 3 or 4 days, we need to do more research. Hope you've had a good week off school this week x

[Goldia]

Originally Posted by caitlinsmummy

Oh Abby, Canada will be amazing, I have a friend who is from Toronto and she always says about how much she misses home and how amazing it is. When she goes back (usually once every couple of years) the pictures are amazing.

So glad you've decided on a Disney Cruise too! I've managed to twist Mr Grumps arm for 2022 for a cruise like you I don't know whether to do 3 or 4 days, we need to do more research. Hope you've had a good week off school this week x

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Yes I think it will. We have the flights booked but nothing else yet. We are there for 6 nights and at the moment I think I'll book at least 1 night at a hotel at Niagara on the Lake. So we will do a split stay and this will allow us 2 days at the Falls.