20 Tips and Secrets to Make the Most of Your Castaway Cay Day

Disney Cruise Line- What's Included?

Do you ever wonder what's included on your Disney Cruise Line vacation? I've included some valuable information on what the value of your cruise includes and ways to make your vacation as magical as possible.

Contact me for a free, no-obligation quote.

s.inch@magicalvacationplanner.com

704-299-4862

Disney Cruise Line Destinations

Can't decide where to cruise to? Check out this blog on Disney Cruise Line Destinations.  It is chocked full of valuable information to help you plan a magical voyage.

Contact me for a free, no-obligation quote.

s.inch@magicalvacationplanner.com

704-299-4862

Top 10 Tips for Planning Your Disney Cruise Line Vacation

This is the first of many in a series I'm posting that will include at least 100 Tips and Tricks for Planning and Enjoying your Disney Cruise Line Vacations. Subscribe so you don't miss a single tip or trick (and some hidden secrets).

Other titles coming up include: 

1. Top Must-Do's for your Arrival at Disney's terminal at Port Canaveral
2. Top Tips and Tricks for Enjoying your Disney Cruise Line Cruise
3. Top Tips and Tricks for Castaway Cay
4. Top Tips and Tricks for Pirate Night
5. Top Tips and Tricks for Disembarkation Day
6. Top Tips for Packing for your Disney Cruise (including a detailed packing list)
7. Best FREE Disney Cruise Line Souvenirs

1. Use a Travel Agent! They take the work out of planning your cruise, send you reminders, and keep up with current promotions, which they would apply to your cruise (if it is applicable). Not to mention, their services are FREE!

2. Buy photo package from www.mycruisephotos.com. If you pre-pay you will save money! We normally get the “All Photos Package”. It comes with little USB’s in a cute case, plus we get all the hard prints! Photos could cost $20 each if you purchase them individually. We normally leave with around 300 photos (depending on the length of cruise). If you see you are missing photos, check with the photo lab. Sometimes the Aquaduck pictures don’t get printed unless you ask. Also, your pictures could be mixed up in someone else’s folder.
   
   
3. We buy gift cards at discounted prices and apply them to our payments or put them on account to use on the ship. We buy our gift cards at BJ’s Wholesale Club and save 7%, but in order to save that, we have to buy the $50 cards for $46.99. I know there are other ways to save on gift cards; this is just the one we use.
   
4. Buy Vacation Protection! We found out the hard way that we need vacation protection on every cruise! The small amount you pay is worth it in case there is an emergency. We are still paying medical bills from 3 years ago because we didn’t have travel insurance and my husband ended up hospitalized in St. Thomas after racking up a hefty bill in the ship’s hospital.
   
5. Join your Fish Extender (FE) Group and Cruise Page on Facebook. This is a great way to meet fellow cruisers prior to your sail date. My favorite thing to do on those pages is to provide tips like these to new cruisers and see where everyone is traveling from. You never know, there could be someone you know traveling on your sailing! Just search the name of the ship and the date of embarkation. For example, one of my groups is Disney Dream December 29, 2017. Names of the groups might not be formatted exactly the same but for the most part, they are pretty close! Most FE/Cruise Groups on Facebook plan a structured get-together for your sailing. This is a scavenger hunt that was scheduled so the kids could get to know each other. We met just before the Muster Drill.
   
   
6. What is Fish Extender? Outside each stateroom there is a marine animal of some sort. This is essentially your “mailbox” for your cruise. Sometimes you will receive special certificates, letters of importance, and other communications from administration on the ship. Also, people like to hang special FE Organizers from them and participate in the Fish Extender exchange. It’s like a Secret Santa. You sign up with your cruise group on Facebook. Then you are assigned a FE group (you will get information on number of staterooms you will give to and ages of people in the stateroom). Each night of the cruise each person in your stateroom will receive a gift and you will give yours. I’ve never participated in it, but from what I heard, it’s extremely fun and exciting to come back to your room and have gifts waiting for you.
   
7. Schedule a Character Call! You do this from your reservation page when you do your online check-in.
   
   
8. Schedule your Port Arrival Time (PAT) when you do your online check-in. The sooner you do your online check-in the earlier you can get your PAT. The earliest PAT is 10:30 with the last person being able to board the ship at 3:00. Please don’t show up early to the terminal! You will not be able to get on any sooner than your PAT and this keeps the terminal from overcrowding.
9. Download the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App! You can get a neat countdown to your sailing date. Once you are in the terminal, you can switch your phone to airplane mode and begin using the app. The app is great for keeping up with all the ships activities, character meet and greets, and you can now even view your dinner menu.
   
   
   
   
10. Have you seen posts about printing magnets and decorating your stateroom door? Find a Disney graphics group on Facebook to get them for free, order custom-made ones on Etsy, or design your own (get ideas from Pinterest). Here are some designs we used on our doors.
    

Don't forget to subscribe to my blog for the rest of the tips in this series!

Prohibited Items and Packing Tips

This is straight off the Disney Cruise Line Website:  https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/prohibited-items/list/

Items prohibited on board ship and on Castaway Cay. 

• Firearms, ammunition, knives (including dive knives), swords, daggers and any other types of weapons
• Toy guns or other replicas of firearms and weapons
• Highly flammable liquids and combustible substances
• Liquid oxygen
• Non-prescribed controlled substances, illegal drugs, medically prescribed and synthetic marijuana
• Hookah pipes
• Power tools and toolboxes (except those utilized by vendors providing services)
• Potentially dangerous sporting equipment, including baseball and cricket bats, hockey and lacrosse sticks, pool cues, ski poles, fishing gear and archery equipment. (Golf clubs are permitted as long as they are stored inside your stateroom.)
• Scuba equipment such as tanks, spears, spear guns, slings, dive knives, pry bars, and underwater scooters. (Masks and snorkels are allowed)
• Remote-controlled helicopters, airplanes, drones or similar devices
• Kites, balloons, surfboards, wave boards, inflatable floats, pool noodles, inflatable pools and wagons
• Bicycles, scooters, skateboards, hoverboards, inline & roller skates, any footwear with wheels (i.e. Heely’s type shoes) and Segways, or other wheeled mobility devices with less than 3 wheels and devices that cannot maintain stability and balance when stopped, unpowered or unoccupied. Training wheels or similar modifications are not permitted.
• Wheeled transport devices other than those required by Guests with disabilities
• Electrical appliances such as rice cookers, hot plates, coffee makers, blenders, electric irons, electric blankets, heating pads, bottle sterilizers and warmers
  • Please note: A limited number of approved bottle warmers and bottle sterilizers are available upon request through Guest Services
  • All ships offer self-service laundry facilities with irons and ironing boards. Portable fans are permitted in your stateroom. However, you must contact Guest Services to have the Chief Electrician approve your fan.
• Candles and incense
• DVD, VCR, and Blu-ray players
• Gaming systems such as Playstation®, Xbox and Nintendo Wii (due to compatibility issues with the stateroom TVs)
• Musical instruments
• Ice chests and coolers, except for those permitted for storing medications, baby food and items related to dietary restrictions
• Homemade, precooked or perishable foods or open food containers. Also, please refer to our guidelines on restricted food and beverages
• Over-the-door hanging organizers
• Metal detectors
• Fireworks or pyrotechnics
• Seasonal and/or celebratory light bulb strings
• Extension cords or surge protectors
• Ham radios

What about alcohol?

What about alcohol? How much, if any can I bring onboard? What types are allowed? Please see the information below directly taken from DCL's website on their alcohol policy. https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/prohibited-items/carrying-alcohol-onboard/

Q.

Are Guests allowed to bring alcoholic beverages on board the ship?

A.

Disney Cruise Line Guests 21 years and older may bring a maximum of 2 bottles of unopened wine or champagne (no larger than 750 ml) or 6 beers (no larger than 12 ounces) on board at the beginning of the voyage and at each port of call. These beverages must be packed in carry-on (not checked) bags or luggage.

Guests wishing to consume wine or champagne that they have brought on board in one of the dining rooms will be charged a corking fee of $25.00 per bottle.

Please note:

• Any alcohol packed in checked luggage will be removed and stored until the end of the cruise.
• All alcohol brought onboard must be in an original unopened container. Partially used bottles and those in which the seal has been broken will be destroyed and no compensation will be offered.
• Any wine or champagne in excess of 2 bottles or beer in excess of 6 beers will be stored until the end of the cruise.
• Bringing liquors and spirits (including powdered alcohol) on board is prohibited. These items will be stored until the end of the cruise.
• Guest MUST retrieve any stored alcohol at the end of the cruise. Items not retrieved will be destroyed and no compensation will be offered.
• Alcohol brought on board may not be consumed in any lounge or public area.

Please note that the Disney Cruise Line alcohol policy is subject to change without notice.

Packing Tips

Required or very important items:Passport (see required cruise documents section of the blog)
Cruise documents 
Credit card

Special occasions to pack for on Caribbean itineraries: 

Formal Night (you can rent gowns and tuxedos on the ship: If you prefer more formal attire during the optional dress-up evenings, you're invited to pre-order tailored formalwear rentals and have them delivered directly to your stateroom upon arrival. To learn more, visit Cruiseline Formalwear.) https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/dining-food-beverages/dining-dress-codes/

• Women: SHOES!!! (Both of them), Dress or gown, accessories, sweater for dining rooms, make-up (if you wear it), curling iron/straightener or whatever you need to make your hair dazzling!
• Men: Tuxedo or suit. If bringing a Tux, don't forget your buttons, bowtie, and cufflinks. We found this out the hard way that Disney Cruise Line does not sell them on the ship!
• Don't forget your kiddos! Sunday best would be just fine on Formal Night.

Semi-formal Night: Same as formal night, just not as formal! Ladies, a nice dress/skirt will do. Men, nice slacks/polo or a button down shirt or a suit will do. 

Pirate Night: Make-up, costume, accessories. You can dress up as much as possible or not at all. DCL will give you bandanas to wear on Pirate Night. You can also purchase pirate gear in the shops on the ship. 

Tip: Many people think Nassau has pirate costumes since there is a history of pirate activity. Actually, Nassau does not sell much in the way of pirate gear. They have a few T-shirts and accessories in the Pirate Museum, but don't plan on buying a pirate costume there.

Items people are thankful they packed:

Medications

Clothespins (personally, I've never needed them, but people like to use them to hang wet suits on the clothesline in the bathroom)

Laundry soap

Autograph book (if you have kids)

Pins to trade

Mickey Ears

Ziploc bags for wet clothes

Sea Lice Ointment for Castaway Cay. When sea lice is bad, they will sometimes provide it. I have also seen it for sale in the shops on the ship and on the island.

Merrytime Cruise on Disney Dream

Merrytime Cruise on Disney Dream: December 2015 B2B

Christmas Tree in the atrium. 

 The following pictures were from the atrium on Christmas Day. The chefs on DCL made amazing goodies for everyone for Christmas morning. They even served cool hot cocoa and hot cocoa, gave away cookies for free that you would pay an arm and a leg for in the parks, and had special music playing and snow falling in the atrium.

 
 

 

The characters were all decked out in the Christmas best!

Santa Goofy on Christmas Day. The real Santa was still delivering gifts across the world.

Mrs. Claus reading Christmas stories on Christmas Day

Minnie Mouse in her Christmas best on Christmas Day.

We sailed past Fantasy on Christmas Day near Castaway Cay at sunset.

Instead of the chocolate Mickey's, we got a cute gingerbread man on our sundae.

Gift in Stateroom on Christmas Eve

Gift in our Stateroom on Christmas Eve

We made gingerbread houses on Christmas Eve

Deck the Deck Tropical Holiday Party with favorite Disney Characters

One of the photo studios is in front of the Christmas Tree

Santa on Christmas Eve (borders on photos in photo package are changed to holiday theme)

Mickey on Christmas Eve

Mickey on Formal Night (Christmas Night)

Christmas Tree at Castaway Cay

Castaway Cay is Decked Out

Characters Wear Christmas Attire

Decorations at the Terminal

Click Here for a Quick Merrytime Cruise Video

Character Meet and Greet Surprise after Mrs. Claus' Read Aloud

Charles Dickens' Christmas Carolers...they were Amazing!

Magical Moments with DCL

Enjoy some of our favorite moments on Disney Cruise Line. Each cruise has special moments, which keep us coming back.

One of our favorite things to do at night is to sit up on the top deck and watch movies (or sports) and listen to the waves. My daughter loved the soft-serve ice cream and would make cookie sandwiches or floats with them. Then we would head down to the quiet atrium and she would dance or flip in the atrium, speak to guest services, or sit in the comfy chairs and read. Guest services got to know my daughter and fell in love with her. We would receive gifts in our rooms from the chefs, guest services, and entertainment staff. My daughter became known as "Dancing Cruise Girl" and her videos of dancing with the characters and officers have been posted on YouTube (check them out if you get time). She even received a special envelope from Kevin Irish in the mail a few months after our cruise with a "Magical Moments" certificate, personalized letter, and a Pluto bobble head pin. So, to say the cruise staff goes above and beyond is an understatement. We keep in touch with many of the photographers, and a few of the entertainment staff. It is great to see familiar faces when we cruise. The main star in Disney's Believe is now on Broadway in Rent and we went to see her perform. She was able to introduce us to the cast and gave my daughter a special gift.

Daughter Selected as Honorary Officer for Pin Trading Night

Honorary Officer for Pin Trading Video Montage

Disney Cruise Line Horn at Sail Away Party

Fairy Godmother Sprinkles Emily with Pixie Dust in BBB

Mr. Smee and Captain Hook Dance with Emily on Castaway Cay

Magical Surprise in our Cabin

Magical Moment on Disney Dream

Surprising One of Our Favorite Disney Cruise Staff Members

Our Magical Family Surprise: All the Characters at Once!

Disney Cruise Line Horn Battle on Castaway Cay Christmas Day

Disney Dream Sails Past Disney Fantasy on Christmas Day

My Favorite Video: Disney Fantasy 2015

The Best and Worst of Disney Cruising

Best and Worst Parts of the Cruise Plus Pros and Cons of Other Parts of the Cruise

People ask me what my favorite part of the cruise is. It is really hard to answer. I think the interactions with the amazing cast members is the best! In a future blog, I will tell you all the swag we got from the management because my daughter is so outgoing and they fall in love with her each and every cruise. Another part of the cruise that is my favorite is walking around the ship at night when it is quiet, sitting on the decks upstairs and watching movies by the pools, and all the dancing and singing in the atrium at night. What is the worst part of the cruise...disembarking. It really is sad. I have managed to shed many tears with my daughter every single time we disembark. So many memories were made on your home at sea and the staff makes it very difficult to leave.

The Best

The Worst

Ports of Call

Enjoy our thoughts, photos, and videos of some of the ports of call we have visited. We will also talk about the pros and cons of each stop. 

Castaway Cay

Nassau

 

Grand Cayman Island

 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 

 

Costa Maya

We did the Jungle Beach Costa Maya Beach Break excursion. I really enjoyed the beauty of Jungle Beach Club, however, it was scary getting there. We rode on the charter bus through the "sticks" of Mexico and were told if we stop people might get on our bus and to keep our belongings close to us. 

Once we were there we snorkeled. It took a long time to get everyone set up and everything that we saw under the water was fixed. The water was so cold! I was surprised because we were so far south. While we were snorkeling we had to stay with our group and could not snorkel on our own, which was frustrating. I was cold and ready to get out once we finished and warmed up on the white sandy beach. We were offered free drinks, but was also warned about taking them, so we didn't. 

 

 

Cozumel

We did the ruins and beach tour. The ruins were extremely hot. The only reprieve from the sun was under trees. We did see some great things and took some pretty cool pictures. When we left the ruins, we went to Playa Mia Beach Club. Let's just say, the beach there looked nothing like the beaches we passed on the way there. The water was murky, the sand was clumpy, there were no waves, and we just did not enjoy the beach portion. To top it off, I got stung by a bee on my elbow getting back onto the bus, which then led to a severe reaction all over my chest, neck, and face for the rest of my trip. 

St. Thomas/ St. Marten

San Juan, Puerto Rico

We've only been to Puerto Rico once. We decided to do the Bacardi Factory Tour as our excursion. My advice...don't waste your money! We were given a cool coin to trade in for drinks, so we decided to keep the coin, which was way cooler than any drinks we would have gotten. The Bacardi store was better than the museum. The museum in my opinion was lame. It was mainly posters on the wall with step-by-step instructions on how the rum is made and someone reads the information off the boards. It was literally two rooms you walk through. The bus ride over there was neat. We got to see a lot of the island. From other people I talked to who have done that excursion...they said to go yourself, not through the cruise line and that it is much cheaper. I agree.