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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
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Moving on with the current of the years.
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It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
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If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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We have looked at a Disney Cruise for some time but just are unsure. Our only vacations have been to sea world, universal and disney. So just thinking what would we do on a ship.
Also i read that you all dine at a certain time and that there are activites that happen on deck where everyone gets involved?
Or can you just do whatever you want and just do your own thing? we are very unsocailable people. My job is work from home and my wife is a stay at home mom so we dont get out allot other then the things we do with our daughters school.
So we are just thinking ok is this for us or maybe dare i say it another cruise line?
We dont gamble or drink we usually watch lots of movies and tv and i am on the computer allot. It sounds fascinating to take a cruise but at the same time just allot of what if and what to dos.
For those who have been on cruise disney or otherwise or both please let us know your thoughts and such. Oh yes i have 2 very picky eaters myself and my daughter. My wife on the other hand eats most things and that worries me as well.
One last question what are the beds like? I assume they are nothing fancy no really comfy pillowtop or memory foam but was just curious.
I think a Disney cruise would be perfect for you. Nothing on board is obligatory - you can do what you want. you may well be seated with others for dining, but that can turn out to be great fun. I'm actually quite a shy person (I know, not my persona on the boards ) and meeting new people is daunting for me, but it's worked out great on all our cruises so far.
As for the deck parties, you can take part, or you can do something else. On our most recent cruise to Alaska, we didn't go to the sailaway party, we watched the departure from our room and that was a great thing to do. As for what to do on the ship - it's more a case of fitting everything in, there's so much to do - and again, you can do as much or as little as you like.
If you don't gamble and like to watch movies, then Disney is a must for you over other cruise lines. They're the only ones without gambling - it's going to be interesting for us, as we'll be cruising with P&O next year and we've never been on a ship with a casino before. They show movies at the Buena Vista Theatre and, of course with it being Disney, many of those are great Disney family friendly films.
I say go for it - I don't think you'll be disappointed.
DCL is a great option for you! You can do everything or nothing at all. Even with my best intentions of participation I seem to always find myself with a good book at the very cozy chairs at the adult pool!
You will get a Personal Navigator under your door each night, it's basically the TV guide of the cruise ship. It tells you what is happening where and when and even breaks down things by age groups, so you can easily see what's happening (for example) in the tween clubs at a certain time on a certain date.
The kids programs are the best on the seas and they keep the kids busy from morning to night!
The night time shows are amazing and there are always movies playing in the theaters and usually a "Prem-Ear" (a 12:01pm showing of whatever movie is coming out during your cruise). There are adult shows at night, but they are still "appropriate", you won't find any raunchy entertainment aboard the Disney ships!
The dining is set on a rotational dining with 2 times to choose from: a main seating and a late seating. They are so accommodating in the dining rooms. You can order more than one entree, or mix and match your entree with a side dish from another entree, etc. They are great about dietary restrictions as well.
My DH was very hesitant about taking a cruise as well. And we are picky with our food too.
That said, we loved it. We could mix with the crowds when we wanted or stay and chill in our room. The food was great and it wasn't too fancy or strange that we couldn't enjoy it.
I think Disney is the best line to start off with. It's really homey and low low stress.
We have looked at a Disney Cruise for some time but just are unsure. Our only vacations have been to sea world, universal and disney. So just thinking what would we do on a ship.
Also i read that you all dine at a certain time and that there are activites that happen on deck where everyone gets involved?
Or can you just do whatever you want and just do your own thing? we are very unsocailable people. My job is work from home and my wife is a stay at home mom so we dont get out allot other then the things we do with our daughters school.
So we are just thinking ok is this for us or maybe dare i say it another cruise line?
We dont gamble or drink we usually watch lots of movies and tv and i am on the computer allot. It sounds fascinating to take a cruise but at the same time just allot of what if and what to dos.
For those who have been on cruise disney or otherwise or both please let us know your thoughts and such. Oh yes i have 2 very picky eaters myself and my daughter. My wife on the other hand eats most things and that worries me as well.
One last question what are the beds like? I assume they are nothing fancy no really comfy pillowtop or memory foam but was just curious.
Thanks again
I also work at home and my DW is stay at home also. We LOVED, LOVED, LOVED our cruise so much in November 2009 that we rebooked Alaska on board for 2012.
You don't have to socialize with others if you don't want to. You can also try to get a table for yourselves in the dining room if possible. My wife and I went to dining 2 out of 3 nights (3rd was at Palo) and our tablemates never arrived with us.
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You absolutely can just do your own thing on the cruise. You can be as busy or as lazy as you want, you can be a loner or a social butterfly. Either way you'll have a great time. And, yes-- there are places to pick up a snack, dessert or light meal in between meals. And there's room service as well-- all of this (except some beverages) is at no extra charge. It's fun the first time you walk up to the counter, order a burger and fries, then walk away without paying!
What do they have for food? Is there places to pick up snacks or stuff if you get hungry between meals and such?
Food is available around the clock, whenever you're hungry. There are quick-service places up on the pool deck serving pizza, hot dogs, burgers, hot and cold sandwiches, ice cream, fresh fruit, salads... Soft drinks are free at the beverage station on the pool deck around the clock. Room service food is free (beverages cost extra), and is available 24 hours. You have your choice of full-service and buffet restaurants at breakfast and lunch, offering a huge range of choices. At dinner, the main dining restaurants have a different menu each night. Every night offers something for every taste - simple, fancy, beef, chicken, pork, seafood, vegetarian... There are no extra-cost food items. Dinners are four courses - appetizer, soup/salad, main, and dessert. If you want something extra (second appetizer or main course) or decide you don't like your choice, the server will be happy to bring something else. The casual buffet on the pool deck is open for longer hours than the main dining rooms, should you want a more casual, earlier or later regular meal. There are snacks in the adult entertainment district later in the evening. There's a late night desserts-plus buffet at least one night of the cruise. There are several cafes that have light sandwiches, dessert items, etc. throughout the day and evening.... All meals include soft drinks, tea, coffee, and milk. And I'm definitely missing something. And everything I've listed here so far is included in your cruise fare.
DCL also offers some extra-cost meal options, but there are far fewer of them than on many of the other cruise lines. On the other lines, the trend is to offer "alternative dining" restaurants that all charge extra. On DCL, there is one (or two, on their newest ships) adults-only, extra-cost restaurant. You won't even know they're there unless you're interested. If you are interested, reservations are essential, and hard to get.
What you do pay extra for is alcoholic beverages, specialty coffees at the cafes, smoothies and similar specialty non-alcoholic beverages.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
There are currently three (four as of March 2012) ships, two each of each size - the "smaller" ships have maximum passenger capacity of 2,400, the larger ships have a maximum of 4,000 (877 and 1,250 staterooms respectively).
Amenities are, for the most part, quite comparable. The new ships, due to their size, have some new features, such as a "water coaster" up on the pool deck. and there's some cool entertainment technology on the new ships (such as "Enchanted Artwork" hanging on the walls that comes alive when a guest is nearby). Overall, though, the cruise experience is consistent between the ships, following the same basic design criteria. Stateroom size and comforts, quality and style of decor, overall layout of the ships, maintenance/freshness... if you go down a checklist, there's very little that doesn't show up in both columns.
Size-wise, the "smaller ships" still fit into the Large Ship/MegaShip category - they were briefly the largest cruise ships afloat when they were launched, but when you compare the older ships (Magic and Wonder) to the new ships (Dream and Fantasy) the Magic and Wonder seem nearly intimate in comparison. In terms of square footage per passenger, the new ships actually provide more space, but when you assemble a large group of passengers together (around the pool deck, sailaway party, in the lobby before dinner)... there are 50% more faces to look at, meaning there will be fewer familiar faces in the crowd, and that makes the ship seem more crowded.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
After our spring break cruise, my husband asked "why did we wait so long?" . Cruising is fantastic and as others have said, you can do a lot or you can do alot of nothing!!
Spring break we were busy constantly going. My October adults only cruise? I. Did. Nothing!! It was fantastic!
Amenities are, for the most part, quite comparable. The new ships, due to their size, have some new features, such as a "water coaster" up on the pool deck. and there's some cool entertainment technology on the new ships (such as "Enchanted Artwork" hanging on the walls that comes alive when a guest is nearby). Overall, though, the cruise experience is consistent between the ships, following the same basic design criteria. Stateroom size and comforts, quality and style of decor, overall layout of the ships, maintenance/freshness... if you go down a checklist, there's very little that doesn't show up in both columns.
Oh yea I wanted to try the water coaster out. That looked so cool. Will have to check into the ships that have that.
I agree the the other posters that a cruise is wonderful. Very flexible in what you choose to do or not do. Food is a plenty. i have a picky eater, and she states very happy. Her typical dinner is either steak or chicken (plain - no sauces) and a side of french fries. They have no issue bringing those to her. My other child has celiac disease, so she can't have gluten (wheat, rye or barley). DCL has provided the best and most options for her meals of anywhere we have gone. She LOVES the food choices they give her.
I think you also asked about beds. Very comfortable. Some of the best sleeping beds I have experienced away from home and nice comfortable linens too.
As someone else said, if you don't gamble and love movies, Disney is the best choice. Movies in the separate theater, movies up on the big screen by the pool and movies on demand in your room. Kids clubs and activities are wonderful.
We frequent the theme parks too. My husband tells everyone that the cruise is a definite step up from the parks. While the service is good at the parks, much better on the cruise. they really want to make you happy and have a good time.
I think you would enjoy it!
Sounds like lots of fun. I really am excited.
I do have another question. Forgive me if its silly but what about cell and internet while on board? Since i have a business i do not like to leave things unattended plus i usually can still keep things going while access via email so i can make money while on vacation.
Sounds like lots of fun. I really am excited.
I do have another question. Forgive me if its silly but what about cell and internet while on board? Since i have a business i do not like to leave things unattended plus i usually can still keep things going while access via email so i can make money while on vacation.
Thanks
1. Internet
Most cruiselines have internet cafes and wifi available. It is usually about .75 a minute and notoriously slow . Most block skype as it takes up too much bandwith on the satellite signal. I use an internet cafe in foreign ports, much cheaper ($5-10 per hour).
2. Phone : You will need to contact your provider and see if a) you need an international roaming plan and b) how much they will charge you for calls using "cellular at sea". It is, unless DCL has changed, not on your DCL bill, but appears on your cell bill at home. I turn my phone off as I leave the US ports and do not turn it on till I return.
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Nothing on board is obligatory - you can do what you want. 
you may well be seated with others for dining, but that can turn out to be great fun. I'm actually quite a shy person (I know, not my persona on the boards 
) and meeting new people is daunting for me, but it's worked out great on all our cruises so far. 
They show movies at the Buena Vista Theatre and, of course with it being Disney, many of those are great Disney family friendly films. 
for Disney?
. Cruising is fantastic and as others have said, you can do a lot or you can do alot of nothing!!
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