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John and Donna Gross "The Full Mickey - At a Discount!" The Wall Street Journal
Carrrie writes: "Your site is EXCELLENT so glad I subscribed. Can I ask you a question re a disney land and sea idea? I am planning a family trip in May 2003: 4 days at disney and 4 days at sea, is that an economical time to go? if not any recommendations? How can I get a good discount on the cruise? I did call disney and they are offering an early booking discount, is this a good idea or should I wait closer to the time a hope for a better price?" The value season is the cheapest time to go: 1/1 - 2/13, 8/25 - 10/2, and 11/3 - 12/19. May is in the regular season. For the best cruise discounts, keep checking our Addendum. You can have Beth, our travel agent, book your cruise now to take advantage of the early booking discount. Should a better deal come along, Beth will switch you over to the new deal at no extra charge. |
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Disney has purchased special wheelchairs for the Disney Cruise Lines that guests with disabilities can use on the beach at Castaway Cay.
Julie, a single parent, writes: "Hi John - I have a question. I am taking my daughter on the Disney Cruise. I am a single parent. What do I need to take with me to prove I am my daughters mother? I heard that they give you a hard time if you are a parent traveling alone with your child. Please tell me this isn't true!!!! We both have passports and she has my last name. I've never been married to her father and have never had to do this before when traveling. Can you please help answer these questions. AAA said I need to have a notarized letter from her father stating that he gives me permission to take my daughter out of the country!!!???" Yes, it is wise to have a notarized letter from your child's father giving you permission to take her. Julie sent us some feedback: "I noticed my "SINGLE PARENT" question in this update! I feel like a celebrity!! All kidding aside, I must tell you, we didn't have any problems. I used my drivers license and our birth certificates at Caribbean Beach Resort and never had to show them again. I didn't care for the Caribbean Beach Resort itself. After waiting for 2 HOURS to check in, then the long walk to our room I wasn't very impressed. When we wanted to do anything, it took about 40 min between each bus to the different parks we wanted to visit. I have always stayed close to Magic Kingdom and have been spoiled by the monorail system as a form of travel to each park. I won't be staying there again. I would have expected them to go above and beyond since they claim business is down. While on the cruise, I didn't find much to do being single and a non drinker. That was really a set back for me since my 8 year old daughter went to the Oceaneers Lab a few times and said the employees were a little short with her and she didn't want to spend much time there. This left me sitting either in our room or wondering around the ship looking for other single parents to talk to. I only found one other mom who said the same thing! If you didn't have a husband, you were out of luck. Everything is family (2 parents and children) oriented. I also didn't care for the 2 mile WALK from the port to Atlantis. It was over 105 degrees and the walk was uphill, no shade! It was as if Disney was punishing us for wanting to do a "non-Disney" excursion. Overall, I had expected more for my $. I am undecided if I will do the cruise again. I think we will give Disney a rest for a few years until they get their act together." Amy writes: "Regarding the single mother and the Disney Cruise. My daughter and I just returned from the august 22nd sailing and at no time was I asked for proof other then her birth certificate, which of course had my name on it. I have travel extensively, to Mexico, cruising and the Caribbean with my 7 year old daughter and so far only Mexico (every time) requires the notarized letter." Susan writes: "I read with curiosity Julie's opinion on the Disney cruise from a single parent's perspective. I am also a single parent and have taken two Disney cruises. I just wanted to add my opinion regarding the cruise, which is that I didn't feel left out at all! My daughter is 13 and spent a great deal of time in Common Grounds so I had a lot of time to myself. I studied my Navigator every night and even highlighted the things that were of interest to me. I attended a singles lunch and went to several adult only shows in the evenings. I have to agree with Julie in that Disney is very "typical" family oriented, but even so I did find things to keep me entertained (without having to drink). I can't say it's the most fun going around alone, but I managed and still had fun. I do think Disney is "missing the boat," so to speak, by not offering more for single parents (after all there are millions of us out here!). But with a little planning, a good time can still be had by us single moms. Again, I just wanted to share my perspective. Hopefully other single parents will still consider a Disney cruise. Like anything else, it's all in what you make of it." Julie writes: "Please tell Susan I said thanks. I will keep her suggestions in mind if I plan to do the cruise again! Too bad I wasn't on the same cruise as she and her daughter. We would have been able to hang out with our girls!!!!"
Jacqueline writes: "It's getting close to the time for me to make reservations for my upcoming florida business trip. I plan to take my 9 and 19 year old sons along with me, however, we will probably only be able to spend 1 full day at one of the parks and maybe a couple evenings after 8:00 pm. I am anticipating being quite tired after the business portion of this trip is completed so i thought that a 3 day cruise would be a good idea. I have been checking your website and disney's for disney cruise specials for july ... however, disney does not seem to be offering any special deals at this time on their site. When comparing their prices with other cruise lines during this time period, theirs seem to cost $250 - $450 more per person. We are looking forward to experiencing the magic and ambiance of disney world. But since we have never been to disney world before and our time at the parks will be limited, do you think it is worth the extra money to be on the disney cruise? In addition, we have never taken a cruise either. How does the disney cruise compare to carnival or royal Caribbean?" Since this is your first visit to WDW, I recommend that you concentrate on the Disney parks and leave the cruise to another time when it is cheaper. Of course, it really depends on how much energy you have and the amount of money you have to spend. Other cruises are cheaper and more oriented toward adults. Disney's forte is that it is child friendly and it surrounds you with the Disney magic.
Noreen writes: "I just had to write to thank you! We were planning on taking a Disney Cruise next fall (Dec.). I read in your book about a special DCL was offering for any travelers of this Jan - they would receive vouchers for $99 for the 3 day cruise in the fall. The way I see it is we are getting two cruises for practically the price of one! This worked out great for us, a family of five. I always know to check my "Affordable" book before I book anything. Thanks." You're right, Noreen. That was an excellent deal on the Disney Cruise Line. Glad you were able to take advantage of it.
Betty writes: Regarding an economical place to stay near Port Canaveral the night prior to embarking on the cruise: "The Radisson charges $150 per night. We booked a Motel 6 in Cocoa Beach, which is only 3.8 miles south of Cape Canaveral, for only $56. I can let you know when we return if the accommodations were satisfactory. Some of your other readers might be interested in less expensive accommodations also." Thanks, Betty, for the tip. To find an affordable hotel near Disney's Port Canaveral, click here. Type in "cocoa beach, fl" in the destination box.
Lori writes: "Just got back from our Disney trip which was 12/13-12/20. We did the 3 day Disney World 4 day Disney Cruise. We had a Blast!! We (myself, my husband, and our two children ages 6 and 12) stayed at the Dolphin hotel. Beautiful place. We took your advice about mailing a package of snacks etc to ourselves via our hotel. Saved us money, time and lots of whining. One thing that I would recommend to anyone doing this and sending via us mail is for $.40 more us [you] can get tracking on your package when you mail it out. This way you can either call or log on to the US mail web site before you go and see if your package is there. We didn't do this before we left, but we brought our tracking number with us. It's a good thing we did because shipping and receiving could not locate our package initially but because we had our number they were able to track it down for us. Also security is heightened throughout the park. You are diverted at every park entrance to have your bags closely inspected. We didn't mind at all seeing how we are from New York and are all too close to the 9/11 tragedy. We lost neighbors and don't mind taking any extra time for security measures such as these. Also anyone flying out of Newark Int: we had an 8:15 AM flight and between parking, check in and security it took us all of 1hr 30 min to do, so don't cut your time short. Lines at the parks were very short as you well know. All in all Disney employees spirits still seem good and hopeful that business will pick back up again. Early park closing times did prevent us from seeing all that we had wanted to but it gives us an excuse to go back again. The Disney Cruise was absolutely marvelous. I have never been so catered to in my life. We sailed at almost full capacity - 2100 guests. Everyone was so nice and helpful. The food was excellent. The programs they have for the children aboard ship were terrific. My 12 year old daughter stayed out later than us! The onboard ship entertainment is not to be missed. We were told that Disney spent $85 million on our ship which was the Wonder. It is so beautiful. They even entertain you in your dining rooms. Our waiters were so good to us. We were like family with them. Disney's private Island Castaway Cay is a load of fun. They really think of everything. The only slight complaints I had were the Character greetings on the Ship. They were always in the Atrium which is the busiest part of the ship. When you have so much to do and you are trying to get from one thing to another. They only have the characters out for 20 min. Believe me the lines get long for this. You have kids getting autographs, professional photographers taking their pictures and Mom and Dad taking their pictures too so they really need either more time or more venues like in the park. Also for anyone doing the cruise and it is your first cruise like with us. When you stay at the park first you check in with the cruise representatives and they review all you necessary documents and issue your park passes. Also you are asked for a credit card for the ship. We told them that we had planned on paying cash and they said that was okay we could do that aboard ship. We have a credit card for emergency purposes and car rental. What they didn't tell us that aboard the ship is what they call a cashless system. They give you a card for aboard the ship which you use for purchases amongst other things. Money never changes hands except for at guest services. We had planned on paying cash for everything. What they also didn't tell us was that anytime your shipboard balance reaches $200 they automatically put it on your charge card. Now we only had a $500 spending limit on our charge card. Like I said we don't deal in credit so we purposely keep a low limit. One day on the cruise between shore excursions and purchases we had about $300.00 worth of charges to our account. Now add that to the 300.00 rental car and guess what we were over our limit. How embarrassed was I. Not only did they have to call us down to the front desk but they also froze our shipboard account for purchases. Now I know that not everyone feels the same way about credit cards as we do but there was a small percentage of people that dealt with their accounts by cash like us so representatives need to be a little more forthcoming with this information to avoid situations like ours. They also need to ask if you are a first time cruiser. There are things you need to know about. Also be aware that there is a very formal Restaurant called Triton's aboard ship. People wear evening dresses and Tuxedos. We were under dressed. There were other people who weren't dressy either but we did feel a little out of place. Make sure you bring your camcorder to Animator's Palate when you eat there. they put on a nice show. Also the last night we ate in Parrot Cay and they put a show on there too. When you leave every one has to be off the ship by 9 AM and if you are the early dining seating you have to eat at 6:45 AM so don't stay up too late the last night. We definitely had a good time in spite of mishaps and are thinking about the 7 day cruise to Virgin Islands. We also saved money and time with all of your advice. thanks for all the heads up info." Thanks for the trip report, Lori. That tip about the credit cards will save some of our readers some uncomfortable moments aboard ship. Glad you had a good time and that we were able to help.
Ramona writes: I was really excited about my Disney Cruise. But due to the current events I had to cancel the cruise and Disney is giving the Military a hard time. They want items we can't give them for security purposes in order to cancel it and we just want a refund until our loved ones come back (that is IF they come back). It isn't that we are taking a different vacation or that someone has a cold. our situation is that someone in our family is going to WAR!!! I don't know how they can be so unfeeling or not understanding of what it is our loved ones volunteered to do. They vowed to fight to maintain our freedom here in the U.S., the same freedom that Disney employees enjoy. Now, because of the treatment my family has received, I'm not sure we will be taking that cruise or anything DISNEY even when my husband returns." The best advice I can give you is not to give up. Our customers have gotten refunds and deals from Disney because they hung up and called again or kept after them. Please use the following address to contact Disney's principal executive offices:
The Walt Disney Company Their telephone number is 818/560-1000. Please tell your husband that we appreciate his service and pray for his safe return.
Ed writes: Just got back: Had the time of my life,( the 4 day cruise) My 1st experience with both the cruise and the VACATION CLUB. both phenomenal. Now, that does not mean everything was perfect, but I would do it again in a heartbeat, and will probably be buying some more points VERY soon in order to help save for the 7 day Caribbean trip. My greatest upset came early, when after booking Boardwalk back in December, I knew that there was a Cruise pickup there so that all I need do is get my luggage to the concierge to be on my merry cruise way. However, I learned from this group, and elsewhere that recently DISNEY stopped picking up at BW, had to go to either SWAN, DOLPHIN or YACHT AND BEACH. Even that was not a problem, I thought, I am on vacation, when I get there, one of the Cruise people will be at a kiosk to help...I got in SATURDAY at 4pm, the cruise desk closed earlier in the day, no big deal I will just call the cruise rep to assist with a suggestion, my cruise phone call said schlep my 6 bags to the Swan early in AM on Sunday so that the bags can go with me. Again , I thought, well maybe I can PAY someone to help me with my bags over to the SWAN, no...the bellboy said I have to get the bags there myself. "May I at least use a cart?"...Sorry they cannot leave DISNEY BOARDWALK property.. To say the least I was stressed. I got the luggage there, I got to the cruise, my luggage got to the Cruise, and I re-iterate, the cruise was marvelous, But my goodness, that was a lousy start to the weekend."
To order Disney Cruise Line Vacation Planning Information, click here.
Melissa writes: "I look forward to your updates; still reading them even though our vacation is over...and will continue!" (Our goal is to keep the Disney spirit alive in the newsletter. We want your vacation to last forever!) "Went on the Disney Land and Sea cruise package on the Disney Wonder June 3 thru June 10th! WONDERFUL!! ... the cruise was absolutely wonderful...the entertainment was excellent each evening, except for the 2nd of 3 shows about a pirate ship and a fair maiden; pretty lame and I love most any Disney production! My suggestion to families with young children...specify the late dinner seating (8:30 pm). It seems late, but there is food available on the ship most of the time (pizza, hotdogs, fruit, etc.); plenty to fill little tummies prior to the 6:00 pm evening show (the show and dinner seatings flip-flop). Many children fall asleep during the evening meal, but that allows for a gloriously peaceful dinner (it is customary to see 2 chairs together with a sleeping toddler in all restaurants or strollers with the same; the wait staff is completely great with this and encourage you to order room service, if needed, later...we never had to; they were wiped out). The children gain much more entertainment value out of the show than dinner...and so did we! We were nervous about this, as some literature recommended the opposite, but we found it to be a life-saver (as did many, many other families). Also, my family's opinion (to include my husband, 2 children ages 2 and 6, and their grandparents) all agreed that more fun would have been had by all to skip Nassau and spend 2 days at Castaway Cay! Obviously can't do much about the itinerary, but would highly suggest planning a daytrip in Nassau (e.g. Atlantis, snorkeling, etc.) that can be arranged on embarkation day...wish we had or at least planned to spend more time onboard that day (the amenities - water slide, pools, basketball court...are countless). The street markets are not that fun, shopping is truly not a "bargain" and the water taxis are extremely slow.
Lastly, our 2 year old went to the nursery for ONLY
$6.00/hour for 3 hours while in Nassau! Well worth it (wish they offered
more selection of times, though...pretty limited). Our 6 year old LOVED the
Oceaneer Club. She's a little shy, but they (the club leaders) made her feel
so welcome, that she stayed almost an entire day making Flubber, learning
to draw Mickey, etc. I think she truly enjoyed the ethnic variance of the
club leaders...from all around the world (same for the wait staff). Great
fun all- around and would do the entire vacation over in a Mickey minute! This means that you have actually gained an extra 5 hours to tour this park (plenty of time for a family with 2 children, ages 2 and 6, and their grandparents). Previously, we were told we couldn't even attend a character breakfast, since the pick-up time was at 11:45 a.m. in front of the resort; basically, we were to sit and wait or walk around the grounds; really couldn't swim, unless you didn't mind being wet on the bus--yuk!). So, what we actually had was a schedule like this: 1. Sunday (arrival on first flight from Dallas to Orlando); checked-in at hotel; checked our carry-on luggage with concierge and able to be at MGM Studios by noon for lunch and into early evening; back to our resort by boat (we stayed at the Beach Club). MGM Studios - done. 2. Monday - early entry at Magic Kingdom... [get] there early - HIGHLY recommended; did all of Fantasyland by 10:00 a.m. (back to resort to swim in the Beach Club's spectacular water park in afternoon); Epcot that evening and dinner in Italy. Magic Kingdom - half done; Epcot - half done. 3. Tuesday - Character breakfast at Grand Floridian (1900 Park Fare) Wonderful! Back to Magic Kingdom and Epcot later. Both really done. 4. Wednesday - This is when we should have left for the cruise, since we could have done Animal Kingdom today and been picked up there... But had an extra day to do our favorites - again, swim, or whatever (would have definitely preferred an extra day at sea to this). We went to BoardWalk that evening and rented a 4-person surrey. Very enjoyable, but still... 5. Thursday - Animal Kingdom (early entry at 7:30 a.m.); plenty of time to see the major sights and most of the smaller ones (we split our group to achieve the latter). Boarded bus at 12:30 p.m. and off to Port Canaveral. (I realize that the pick-up day for the "4 days at sea" may be different; thus, there may be a different park that provides the pick-up location (one with early entry); you might check on this. It's valuable information! Either way, definitely count that day as productive! LESSON: PICK THE 4 DAYS AT SEA...YOU WON'T REGRET A SECOND! (Just wish we had known sooner...) Also, had to make a trip to the ship's doctor while at sea. Can't say enough wonderful things about the staff! Wow! Even had the antibiotics onboard; no searching in Nassau for a pharmacy! As is customary, gratuities are dispersed usually on the last night of the cruise to the wait staff/servers in the restaurants (and among other staff members). We became quite friendly with our waiters and found out (after we had given our gratuity) that these poor souls work 7 days a week for 6 months at a time (only time off is due to sickness); you would never know with the professionalism, cheerfulness, and sincere desire to know each member of your dinner party that they work non-stop! Our waiter was going home the following week to see his family in India and was quite excited. AND, AND, AND they are not paid a salary. Their pay is based only on gratuities given. Maybe this is common practice, but our party was not aware of this and would have gladly "boosted" the amount had we known. They should mention this tactfully somewhere in the mounds of literature. As far as luggage was concerned for the pick-up at Animal Kingdom: We were instructed to make prior arrangements with the Disney cruise staff 24 hours in advance to let them know that we would be selecting the Animal Kingdom pick-up location (they left a voice mail on our room's phone) versus the regular resort (Beach Club) pick-up. We were to call a specific phone number (probably the Cruise line information desk in the lobby) to arrange everything for the following day (you feel very safe knowing that the Disney Cruise staff knows exactly where you are...always accounted for). We were then instructed to have all of our bags packed and tagged with the cruise-line ID tags in our room that morning, before we left for AK; they picked them up later that morning (from our room) and had them waiting at our stateroom door within an hour of our arrival on the ship. They also instructed you take a "day bag" to AK, filled with any items immediately needed on the ship (e.g. swimsuits, sunscreen, make- up...) and it could be checked-in at an easily identified location just inside the AK entrance. SIMPLE! No trouble at all. Also another little secret... they will tell you that the bus will leave at 12:45 p.m. and to re-claim bags by 12:30 p.m. Well, one cruise staff member literally told us under his breath that we could actually catch the first bus at noon (that was good news to us, since we were pretty worn out). We were there 10 minutes until noon to pick-up our bag and found out that the first bus had already departed! We simply boarded the next bus and left within 15 minutes. In other words, if you're tired and just want to do the main things (Safari, Tough to be a Bug, etc.), transportation is available from about 11:45 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. Also very important to experiencing AK on a shorter schedule is use of the Fast Pass! A miracle throughout our Disney World vacation! We (and apparently mounds of other people walking hastily in the same direction as we entered) walked straight to the Animal Safari and received a Fast Pass for about 45 min. later. Perfect time to enjoy and marvel at the Tree of Life and view "It's Tough to be a Bug", as well as do a little souvenir shopping en route back to board the Safari bus immediately. Great timing! Again, AK can be done in a matter of hours with a little planning."
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