Thinking of a land/cruise vacation; help? About This Page:

[joe.hurley]

Hi all; haven't posted here in a while, as I haven't had the time or money to think about a Disney vacation.

Well, a number of things have happened recently -- next May I will hit five years' longevity in my job with the state; once that happens, my vacation accrual will increase from 1 day per month (three weeks per year when adding the three personal days I get every year) to 1.25 day per month (18 days per year including the personal days). Since starting, I've been taking the opportunity to go on vacations to Europe with my mom and dad, and having some wonderful times seeing new places.

In 2018, however, my parents are planning to travel to Israel. Now, I have a number of physical limitations arising out of a childhood brain tumor. Two of these are (a) I have no peripheral vision and (b) I am quite susceptible to illnesses in new places. On our most recent trip to Italy, I found myself having a very difficult time walking on the uneven cobblestoned streets. (Part of my vision impairment is that it is difficult for me to notice such unevenness unless there is a color change.) My mom told me that, given that, I would be advised not to travel with them to Israel next year because it's even worse there in that regard.

In addition to this, I don't want to take a full two week vacation because we may be planning a trip in early 2019 that I would want to have vacation time available for.

So that got me thinking that this might give me the chance to do something i haven't done in ages -- visit Disney World! In addition, early this year we went to an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica for a long weekend, and I really enjoyed it.

So I was thinking I would like to put together a trip that would have like a four-day Disney World trip followed by a three-night cruise out of Port Canaveral to, somewhere? But I have no idea where to start, how to go about planning it, etc. I also have lots of questions about how the whole experience works.

Can anybody give me some suggestions on how to plan this, where to start, etc?

Thanks in advance -- I know there are lots of experts here and am sure I'll get lots of great suggestions.

Joe

[manticorjenn]

If you haven't already, I would get access to the PP Live Guides. The cruise guide gives advice about doing a land and sea trip. I like that you are thinking about doing the cruise last. It will give you the opportunity to relax after the hectic pace of the parks. However, I would highly suggest doing a four day cruise if you can swing it. That extra day gives you a better chance to relax. Good luck in your planning and enjoy your trip.

[rphstearns]

I second the idea of getting the passporter e-books

But pick your cruise first. You can then set your WDW vacation for the days you want/need. Cruises only depart on certain days and only go certain places. So that is what needs to be picked first (in my opinion).


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[joe.hurley]

OK; thanks all for the advice! So here is what I'm looking at: Flying down to Orlando on Thursday, November 8, then spending 4 nights at Disney World with a 5-day park hopper pass. Then taking a 4 night cruise on the Disney Dream starting November 12, which would visit Nassau and Castaway Cay, and return to Port Canaveral on November 16. Then flying home that afternoon from Orlando.

So, now I have to figure out how to arrange it. That is where I am not sure how to proceed. My first inclination is to visit the local AAA travel agency (we are AAA members) and have them arrange it -- last January (2017) my mom and dad and I went to an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica and had a great time, and they arranged the whole thing.

I would normally tend to do it myself, but I am not sure how to go about it. If I was just doing either of them (the WDW trip or the Disney Cruise) by itself, I think I could handle it. But the logistics of (a) using Magical Express to get to my hotel from the airport, (b) getting the Disney Cruise Line bus from my hotel to Port Canaveral, and (c) getting back to the airport from Port Canaveral with me and my luggage is what I don't know how to arrange. I also would like to arrange the whole thing as one reservation, since I've read that if you do that, you can have your room key or magic band that you use at WDW also work on the boat as your stateroom key.

So my questions are (a) does the itinerary I've plotted out make sense, and (b) what is the best mechanism to do this -- AAA travel agency here in CT, doing it myself, or contacting some Disney specializing travel agency? I would like to make it as seamless as possible -- I'm into having a vacation, not planning a military operation!

Oh, and one other question. Where do the Swan and Dolphin fit into the whole hotel system these days? That is can I do a package that will include magical express, park tickets and dining? I ask because I am a Starwood Preferred Guest gold member and have over 100k points, so if a cash and points reservation is available at either hotel I could save a boatload of money on that part of the trip. (Pardon the pun please.) But if the transportation and other features aren't available then it isn't worth the perks if I have to pay for transportation or rent a car.

Thanks again for everyone's help, and hoping to get some more.

Once I've firmed up my plans, I'll post them so that if anyone else will be where I'm going to be, maybe we can meet up!

thanks again in advance!

[rphstearns]

Your plan sounds awesome. But you can do it yourself. And it is best to do it as separate rather than a package. They really are two separate entities and you can take advantage of any discounts or specials if they are booked separately. Magic express to the resort and luggage doesn’t change. When you book your cruise you can tell them you want port transfer. The night before your cruise you will receive a letter in your room telling you where and when to meet the bus. Belle services will collect your luggage to get it to the ship, so you just need your carry on with you. If your airline participate the ship will get your luggage to the airport. If not they will help you load everything, no worries.


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[joe.hurley]

rphstearns thanks for all your advice/info.

So I think I'll do it myself on the respective websites. (I didn't see any way on the cruise reservation page to combine it with a land stay.)

Is there anyone I can contact with questions re special needs issues? I have a couple. (1) I travel with a CPAP machine that has a built-in humidifier, and have no idea as to whether or where to obtain the distilled water it requires to run (this applies to both WDW and the cruise); (2) I don't know how to ensure that my stateroom will have an electrical outlet near enough to my bed to plug the thing in or whether I need to bring an extension cord or power strip with me; (3) I travel also with medication that has to be refrigerated -- I know that the Disney hotels all seem to have refrigerators now, but what about the boat?; (4) I have a vision impairment that is rather unusual -- I have no peripheral visioon; one manifestation of this is that if I am needing to walk down a flight of stairs, if there is no contrasting color at the edge of the steps it is very difficult as my eyes cannot then see where each step ends - the thing looks like a ramp, making descending safely very difficult. (This problem is not as serious going up -- if you miss the step in that instance all you do is bang your foot into the stair!)

Thank you SOOOOO much for all your help! This is why I love this board -- knowledgeable people who can provide answers!

[manticorjenn]

As far as your special needs questions for the cruise, you can contact specialservices@disneycruise.com. They are great about answering your questions and providing you with the options that are available for your cruise and situation. I know that they have made some changes recently about the electrical appliances and accessories you can bring on board. So, definitely bring that up in your conversation with them. Hope your planning goes well and that you enjoy your trip.

[rphstearns]

When you do your online paperwork to check in for the cruise there is a medical form. On there you can mention the need for distilled water and a gallon will be provided In your stateroom. Also there are outlets near the bed ( my husband also uses a CPAP) but if an extension chord is needed then the ship will provide one for you that is compatible with both the ship and your CPAP machine.

There is a refrigerator in each stateroom. Just like a resort room.

As far as the visual impairment I don’t know how to help you. I know I’ve taken the stairs but can’t remember if there is contrast. There are elevators that access every deck. I do remember a yellow line at the end of the disembarkation ramp on castaway cay. I would still call or email about the visual disability for the muster drill. They turn off the elevators just like a real emergency. There is staff to assist those who need it during the drill as well as during a true emergency.


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[joe.hurley]

Thank you again for the help. I followed manticorjenn's suggestion that I send an email to DCL special services and, despite the holiday, received a very prompt response from Chris there, who told me that all I need to do is to e-mail them once I've reserved my trip with all the pertinent dates, confirmation numbers, etc. They will provide me with a bottle of distilled water at no cost; all they request is that I not take it with me when I leave the ship upon return to Florida, as they sanitize and reuse the bottles for future guests (perfectly sensible). He also said he is pretty sure that whatever resort I choose to stay at in WDW would do the same. He also told me that he would suggest I use the elevators exclusively given my vision impairment as most of the stairs are all a single color -- they have a special procedure for guests with disabilities for the safety drill that would not require me to use them even for that. (I've got a similar procedure at my office where I go to a certain area in the building in the event of a fire alarm, and another employee assists me to exit.)

I don't know why I was concerned -- I guess it's been so long since I've done a Disney trip I forgot how truly accommodating they are to their guests who have one form of disability or other.

So I thin my next step will be a visit to my local AAA travel agent; my mom reminded me of how easy they made it last January when we took our trip to an all inclusive resort in Jamaica, having never done such a trip -- she just went to see them and they worked out everything, providing us with a nice little travel portfolio with everything we needed for our trip : airline confirmations, hotel reservations, airport van transfer reservations, even a cute little blue zippered pouch with a tiny airplane as the zipper handle to put all our travel documents in!

Thanks again for all your help! Once my dates are set I'll post that and maybe I can meet with some other passporters on the trip! And I'll see about getting an online version of the WDW and DCL passporter guides so I can print out relevant stuff and stuff it in a binder to bring with.

Best regards,

Joe

[zettarooski]

Your trip sounds great (I'm doing a similar one in March)! One other thing you might want to consider for the cruise is booking through Costco if you have a membership. It works pretty much the same as booking through DCL's site, but you get a certain percentage of what you spent back as Costco cash when you return.

You book on Costco's site, then you can put your reservation # in the DCL site so you can book activities and everything there. If you make any changes (like booking the Disney bus transfers, which I would recommend) you do need to call the Costco line versus the DCL line to arrange them, but it hasn't been a hassle at all.

[joe.hurley]

Well, everyone, it's looking like I'm going to do this. Having a holiday today I visited my local AAA travel agency and chatted with a travel planner there about the logistics of my plan. He actually called someone at Disney to work out the numbers with them.

I wanted to run this by all the experts here to make sure that the numbers sound right:

4-nights at Pop Century with a park hopper pass for 4 days (11/8-12) $1,056.75
(including Disney Magical Express MCO-WDW)
4-night Very Merrytime Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral on the Disney Dream
stopping at Nassau and Castaway Cay in an oceanview stateroom $2,101.19
Transfers from WDW to Port Canaveral, and from port to MCO $150.00
Travel insurance to protect against need to cancel the trip up to day
of departure $270.00
Total before airfare $3,577.94

The only thing that this doesn't seem to include is Dining Plan at WDW.

What do you all think about this plan and the pricing -- I have no idea what the general rate for this is, so am throwing it out to the experts here. If this looks reasonable, I'll be going back there in the next week or two to reserve it.

Thank you to all here who have been giving me good advice. Once I do this, i'll buy my a Passporter e-book so I can print out pages and stick them in my travel folder to bring with me.

Look forward to hearing your ideas....

[lanejudy]

Sounds fun, can I go too?

My only suggestion is to look for outside travel insurance. You don't say whether that policy you quoted is purchased from WDW or DCL. The DCL coverage will ONLY cover what you purchase from DCL. If the WDW portion is a separate reservation, not covered; if you purchase airline separately, not covered; anything you book on your own or not through DCL is not covered. A third party insurance coverage will likely cost less and have higher coverage. Just a suggestion if you are up for the online research.

Enjoy your vacation!

[Starwind]

Originally Posted by joe.hurley

Transfers from WDW to Port Canaveral, and from port to MCO $150.00

What do you all think about this plan and the pricing -- I have no idea what the general rate for this is, so am throwing it out to the experts here. If this looks reasonable, I'll be going back there in the next week or two to reserve it.

You can check the hotel and cruise prices yourself on the Disney WDW and DCL website to make sure they are reasonable.

THe transfer WDW to Port to MCO is too high. It looks like they are booking you with a private transfer service, which is fine if that is what you want.

However, DCL offers tranfers to and from the port and WDW resorts and MCO airport: $35 per person each way.

Regaridng your earlier post re: distilled water. DCL provides a gallon bottle free, as you discovered, if you request it from them in advance. At the WDW resorts, I don't think they provide it free, but they do SELL gallon bottles of distilled water at each resort -- the specific location varies, but asking in the gift shop is a good place to start as that is often where it is [often kept in the back, so you really do have to speak with a CM to buy it]. It is reasonably priced, though more expensive than a normal store charges for it. IIRC it was about $2 when we bought it at Wilderness Lodge, while a grocery or drug store it would be about $1.

DCL does not allow guests to bring extension cords. However, since you need one for medical reasons, you can also request in advance to borrow one from DCL. Ask for it when you ask for the distilled water and other needs. Once you are on board the ship, you will go to the Guest Services desk on deck 3 to ask for the extension cord (explain you pre-arranged for one for medical reasons). They will make you sign a form for it. If you do not return it they will charge $50 to your stateroom. Note that they ask you to return it the last night before something like 10 pm. That was no good for us since I would need it that night as well. I asked at the desk if I could return it first thing in the morning and they said yes. I returned it at about 4 am on departure day [yes, I was up ...]. They had already charged the $50 to my room so I asked them to please reverse that charge and they did right away. If you find you dont actually need it you can always return it early.

Power strips and surge protectors are also banned by DCL, btw. If you have one or an extension cord because of the land portion of your trip, DCL will confiscate it and hold it until the end of the cruise (make sure you pick it up !!).

The fridges on the Dream are ok, but not the same as a fridge at home. They have lets call it challenges keeping a consistent temperature. I have had things freeze one day and then be fine the next. So, depending on how sensitive your meds are to changes in temp and possibly going out of range, you may also wish to talk with DCL special services about a fridge. I know they have an option for people who need medication kept cold, I just don't know what the options are. See https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/g...health-center/ "If you need to store medicines that require proper refrigeration, please contact Guest Services. Personal medication should be kept in your stateroom refrigerator or at Guest Services if additional space is needed." But I would talk with special services well in advance of your cruise so you understand the options available and what will work for you.

This is sthe "request special services" form for DCL: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/s...ormation-form/ It will give you an idea of some of the services available.

DCL's page for guests with disabilities: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/g...-disabilities/

COntact info for DCL special services:

For questions or more information, contact Disney Cruise Line Special Services at:

Phone: (407) 566-3602
Fax: (407) 566-3760
TTY: (407) 566-7455

Email: SpecialServices@disneycruise.com

Disney Cruise Line Special Services
P.O. Box 10210
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0210


They also have a PDF guidebook for guests with disabilities or medical conditions: https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/med...compressed.pdf

[joe.hurley]

Just wanted to thank everyone for their help and advice. I have this date placed a hold on a reservation for this trip with Small World Vacations agency.

So I will be starting a new thread on this and the WDW planning board to start putting the details together for the two parts of the vacation. Also I'm going to buy the e-book guides for both.

Again many thanks to all who offered advice and I will still be looking for suggestions as I flesh out the details on the skeleton that I have right now.