i know this sounds so silly but i really love how tim lets jenn talk and fully finish what she’s saying before he jumps in. also he gives her his full attention. i feel like a lot of other youtubers i watch, one is constantly talking over the other one and it drives me nuts! i just love tim and jenn’s dynamic! 💞
I agree with you!! One of the things I love the most about Tim and Jenn is their modeling of a truly respectful and healthy relationship. They never belittle one another or one-up each other... it just does my heart good to see them interact.
Some useful info - It’s always recommended to have a valid passport when you go on any cruise - even if it’s not essential for the cruise that you are going on. No one wants to think that it can happen to them, but medical emergencies can and DO happen on cruises. If you don’t have a valid passport and you of a family member get medical evacuated off the ship, they will take you to the nearest hospital and then you need to find your own way back home. Likewise if you book a port adventure through another non-Disney company (DCL will always wait for passengers booked on a Disney sanctioned excursion if there is a delay, but not if you booked the excursion with someone else) and there is a hold up getting back to the ship - it will leave without you and you have to find your own way to the ships next port of call (or home). Moral of the story - ALWAYS best to have a passport! Hope this helps :)
Next time y’all go on a cruise or any type of vacation (that you guys pay for and are not being invited for media preview) and there is something you’d like to do that you wouldn’t be able to show us, please do it. Just take a break from filming and do the thing you want to do. We understand that you’re enjoying a vacation thing! Hope this makes sense!
I get very bad motion/sea sickness, and for cruises I will take dramamine at least an hour before getting on the ship and then I will always take 2 every morning when I wake up. If I start feeling sick later in the evening, I'll take 1 more. It works well for me and prevents me from being affected by the seas, even in rough waters. Without it, I'd be nearly dead lol.
My advice is -fly in the day before your cruise (Never fly in the day of your cruise) and get a pre cruise hotel room - Book your cruise through a travel agent like AAA to ensure your getting the best package deal -Have Medicine with you that will help with sea sickness.. You can also purchase motion sickness bands to wear while on the ship. - If you plan to do shore excursions while on the cruise Book through the cruise line never book with an outside company that not affiliated with the cruise line. (reason is if you book through the cruise line if a shore excursion is late returning or broke down the cruise will wait for you. - The sooner you can board the ship the better so Lets say you have a 4pm departure out of Orlando you can board as early as 1pm or so or lets say you have a 8pm Departure time you can board as early as 1pm the sooner you can get on the ship the better.
The last, & only,, Disney cruise I went on was when Disney was affiliated with The Big Red Boat (that's all I can remember of the company name). The second, & I do mean the second...no exaggeration, the boat cast off I was seasick. I forget what medicine they gave me but it made me so tired I missed out on a lot. I'm assuming seasick meds have gotten better since then.
I have worked on ships for over 6 years, take seasickness meds 1hr/30mins before you leave shore, buy some seasickness bands, they are acupressure and work perfectly. If you feel ill in the evening sook on some ginger candy :)
I've only ever been on Disney Cruises without children. And they are SO relaxing!!! My family and I stay in the 18+ area, we got the spa package, we went to the adults only area of Castaway Cay, and got to see Avengers: End Game when it premiered! We love the shows, the food, aquadunk/duck, the adult bar/clubs, mixology, Palo, all the in room movies, and meeting characters! It can definitely be an adult cruise! I find it super peaceful and enjoyable. Especially as a Disney lover because it still has the magic, while still being able to feel mature!
Loved the cruise vlogs, I'm never going on one so it was fun to watch. The idea of being stuck on a ship with a bunch of strangers just freaks me out. I like having more control of what happens in my day :)
Yes I totally remember the babysitting services at Disney world in the 90s. You could have them come to your room or take them to the kids clubs. I used to take my oldest daughter to the Peter Pan club at the Polynesian and the kids club at the Contemporary. She loved it! You paid by the hour and they would give you a pager in case they needed to contact you, no cell phones😆 she's now 30 and still talks about how much fun it was.
When my husband and I went on our first Disney cruise we did what they called, land and sea vacation. 4 days at the parks and 3 days at sea including Bahamas and castaway cay. That was back in Sept of 1998
Also complimentary on Castaway Cay is life jackets of all sizes. The kids area on Castaway Cay (Skuttle’s Cove I think it’s called) has open house hours when anyone can go in & it’s really cute. And anyone can have the pastries in the Cove coffee shop, you don’t have to buy anything. And for tips, you can change your automatic gratuities with guest services (more, less, none) and you can also prepay gratuities before you sail.
"Almost like Stomp, but had a different name" . ..... My husband and I at the same time "Buckets and Boards"!! We've seen them a couple of times on Disney Cruises and they are amazing!!
You can go and get the little desserts in the Cove Cafe without purchasing a coffee. I think this is still an overlooked secret. They are delicious small desserts!
My husband and I got married on a cruise (not Disney). We had a total of 24 of us who sailed and we had a blast! We still talk about funny stories from our trip. Plus it was cheaper to do for a wedding. I would love to go on a Disney cruise 🚢
Our experience at Victoria and Alberts was amazing. We had two waiters and they were super. They made us feel very comfortable snd we laughed and had a very enjoyable time. The food was amazing.
I’m 💯 a park vacation over cruise! We drive from CT and stay on property. I just wish they had the Covid testing and vaccination proof at the parks for more safety precautions… but I’d definitely pick a park vacation for sure! 😊 But I sure love watching you guys cruise 🚢 with your little buddy ☺️
@@chacemontano But, with our current governor, it will not be a requirement. Disney does their own thing, but I don't see them requiring testing any time soon for parks.
A note on ages of kids: my kids are adult and teens and they've been on both Royal Caribbean and Disney and they would always choose Disney. My son was 20 on our last Disney cruise and so he appreciated that they had those 18-20 events. Also, my kids don't like going into the kids' clubs at all; they just want to stay together as a family and my absolute favorite thing about DCL is all the activities that they have that families can do TOGETHER. No other cruise line offers as much.
Hubby definitely prefers to cruise. He loves that once paid everything is covered (excluding excursions or specialty restaurants). Nothing less than a seven day. We’ve cruised other cruise lines, twice with Disney. He prefers Disney due to the service. He’s not a fan of rides, I love the parks and cruising. Two completely different vacas and I love both. We have an adult child so we vaca alone.
When I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise and it was rocking, the staff recommended eating green apples while we waited for the dramamine to work. There were bowls of green apples all around the ship that first day.
My sons first Disney Cruise he was old enough for The Oceaneer Club. He was a tiny bit nervous the first day but when he went the other times he ran down the hallway to go he was so excited he really loved all the stuff they did in that club.
We went on a Disney Cruise in 2018 and my son was 17 at the time. He loved the Vibe area! He spent a lot of time there and meet lots of people. They had activities throughout the day and at night.
Having done both multiple times, and being from Wisconsin, I can tell you that the cruise is a better value for us. I agree with everything you both said in comparing them. I would rather do the cruise, but in during the pandemic, we're opting for the parks because the issue of testing is too problematic for us having to fly in. If we were to test positive at the port, we would be required to quarantine in a local hotel and you have to pay those costs upfront (travel insurance only reimburses you later), and I wouldn't be able to afford that. We don't usually get seasick on rough seas either, but I got seasick on an Irish Sea ferry crossing once, my oldest did get a little queasy on his first Disney cruise way back in 2001 and my dad got quite seasick on our Disney cruise in 2004. My tips for seasickness are: go up on deck and look at the horizon/get fresh air; eat green apples or ginger (ginger ale, ginger candies, or ginger lollipops), and the ship health center has a free bowl of OTC motion sickness meds. Many ship crew swear by the patches that you wear behind your ear. I always recommend that everyone who goes on a cruise has a passport because if for any reason, you had to disembark the ship at any non-U.S. port, you would need your passport to get back home.
It's so cool that they have a movie theater on the ships! We've been on the Dream twice and both Finding Dori and Frozen 2 have a special place in our hearts because we saw them on our cruise. Looking forward to watching a movie on the Wish in October 2022! 💞
I've been watching your Disney Fantasy cruise at the same time my son joined the ship as an entertainment tech! It's been so nice to see the ship and where he will be for the next 5 months (although his room isn't as nice!) We love your vlogs and this just made it even more special. If you book another one on the Fantasy before April say hello to him! He's Adam from the UK.
Please tell us if you're not going to post for a while. Because you usually post every day, i worry that something's happened to one or all of you when I don't see a video for quite a while.
With the new real ID requirements coming I would still recommend getting a passport. It makes everything easier especially if you need to contact the US embassy when in a foreign country
Bring a passport for any cruise that leaves the US! If for any reason there is an issue with the ship, your health or at the destination you will be able to get home/into the US without issue.
Tbh, the Covid test beforehand for Jackson is a great example of why having a travel agent for something like Disney cruises right now is so important and helpful. Things are changing so often with things like Covid tears and vaccine requirements right now that could greatly affect your ability to even just get on the ship, that having someone in constant communication with Disney could be a literal lifesaver. And they’ll make any and all of your reservations for you for stuff like the nursery and Remy.
Thank you so much for a shout out for a travel agent. As a travel agent, we have to keep up with all the updates all the time, so yes, it is best to go with a TA. Also, TA's are paid by the companies, so it is a win-win.
I will be doing both Nov 2022.... 3 days/4 nights at Coronado with park hopper is cheaper than the 6 day/5 night Christmas cruise. To note, we added ground transportation and travel insurance to the cruise as well.
As someone who worked on cruise ships for 6 years, I will say that meclizine works almost right away for sea sickness. That was what was provided onboard every ship on which I worked rather than dramamine.
Dramamine is a brand name, and it comes in two versions, one of which *is* meclizine. The other is dimenhydrinate. The meclizine is, I believe, labeled as "non-drowsy" since the other is related to diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and can make you sleepy.
The WDW babysitter is known as “Kids Nite Out” and no it’s not back (yet). Also, WDW and DCL both have “bounceback” offers that you can book your next trip for discount, you just need to do while still checked into the resort.
If you have or get a Costco membership I would encourage you to check out their packages! Going through them save us over $1200 when we went a few years ago with our kids! :)
We took a cruise 2 years ago and got off at Nassau with just our birth certificates. No passport needed to get off and on at that time. 😊Loved the cruise videos and the info in this video! A Disney cruise is a bucket list item for us and hoping to plan one soon!
One thing, the Dream and Fantasy have Remi, and the Ice Cream Bar. which are not on the Magic or Wonder. Those ships are smaller in size and have a little fewer offerings in those areas. All the ships have Palo. Thanks Tim and Jen
So I was lucky enough to be on the same very merrytime sailing with Tim, Jenn, and Jackson. We had a week at Disney after. I felt so much safer on the ship than I did at Disney World . Everything felt clean and the cast was so good about making sure everyone felt comfortable. Honestly it was amazing. This was our first cruise and with the limited capacity I honestly feel totally spoiled and I know I’m going to be overwhelmed when we sail again.
**You can dispute the tip. If you want more or less you go to guest services. Some people op to not be charged at all and then do cash for each person so they get more directly.
I used to be a Mousekeeper at the Grand Floridian and you’d be shocked how many people don’t tip. There were many weeks when I didn’t get a tip at all that week. Then there were times where the guest would ask me if I got the tip from yesterday’s clean and I hadn’t. It’s best to come with envelopes and leave tip daily for that person because it might be a different person.
Tips are not dependent on the price of you room Jen. It's $13.50 per person per day. Infants included. Then that is divided between the employees you mentioned.
hey tim jen and jackson, unfortunely i was suppose to fly out to florida on the 30th but my family can’t afford the new testing rules so we had to cancel and i’m absoloutely devestated. Your videos have helped me through my times at psychriatric wards and many 1:1 with nurses and i can’t thank you enough for keeping some light in my life.
About tips, just wanted to slightly correct what Tim said: You CAN adjust or even remove your automtic tips. They are added to your bill automatically, but the day before the end of your cruise, if you want to adjust the gratuity up or down, or even remove it altogether and just give cash tips, you can do that at guest services. I usually do just what you did, though. Left the automatic ones and gave additional tips to those we actually interacted with and were especially great. The automatic ones are divided among ALL the ship's employees, not just the ones you see face to face.
U.S. maritime law does not require a passport for closed loop cruises (those that start and end in the same US port). Birth certificate and ID (or birth certificate only for children) is sufficient, even to get off the ship. Passports are still generally recommended, but not required.
The question around passports - currently ( 12/13 ) - as long as the ship departs from and returns to the same port no passport is needed for US residents. ( example - leaves Port Canaveral and returns to Port Canaveral ). For that example a valid driver's license is accepted ( no expired ID's ). If your cruise leaves from Baltimore and ends in Miami, in those cases a US Passport is needed. I've always recommended just getting a passport or passport card for the ease and convenience.
Love the cruises. We got a 5 night cruise next year for less than we paid on a 5 night vacation to Walt Disney world after food and souvenirs and such. And we stayed at pop century. I think the cruise is actually one of the less expensive things Disney does nowadays with all the increase in costs at parks. And for adults, it’s so nice and chill.
Been on a cruise and I think the cruise is a relaxing and escape vacation. I thought for you guys as parents of a youngster it was more of a vacation for you two. That’s my view from watching you on the cruise.
The Cove Cafe also has a coffee card so if you buy 5 coffee drinks you get one free which is nice. I loved going to the parks when I was younger now that I am retired and in my late 60’s I am only going to do Disney cruises. I live far from Florida and I checked the cost of adding the park with a Disney hotel and the cruise was cheaper so I ended up doing B2B Disney cruises and I am so glad I did!
Michiganders here. We've had a trip booked for a Disney cruise. It was more expensive for a three day cruise trip than a six day WDW trip staying on property. Love those discounts!
The parks vs. cruise is apples and oranges... my question: Aulani vs. Cruise.... having experienced both, which one would you choose (not considering price, but considering value, comfort, entertainment, etc)
I don't drink coffee, but the sweets in the cove are free and we went in and sat in the great quiet atmosphere to try the snacks every day at no extra charge. Not counting the cost of transportation bc that would be the same for WDW or cruising out of Port Canaveral, 4 nights at the All Stars is less than 4 nights on the cruise in an inside stateroom. 4 nights at Allstars, plus park admission and quick service for breakfast and lunch and sit down for dinner is a little more than 4 nights of an inside stateroom if you book as early as you can. There are a lot of factors when it comes to cost comparison. In terms of the quality they are apples to oranges. On a cruise you are home for 4 nights. It is slower paced. There is an agenda with lots activities for all ages and areas designed for everyone as well as some for only adults and only kids but you do as much or as little as you want. WDW is an action packed vacation where you are on the go and trying to jam as much magic in those days as possible. In terms of Characters, you will definatly see lots more characters on the ship, you can not hug them in the park or on the ship because of covid restrictions, but in the parks most photo opportunities are outside so they are mask off and on the ship they are mostly inside so they are mask on. Both are great, but they are verry different.
At about minute 16, you discuss doing the math comparison from Michigan to Disney World vs Disney cruise. Hello, I’m a Michigander willing to help with that answer! I just took a trip in September to Disney World and I’m now looking into the cost of cruising! I’m happy to help answer any cost related questions!
Same thing when you book a Disney World package, and use your magic bands for purchases. Disney will hold money every time you reach a certain threshold, for me last month everytime our purchases reached $100 Disney held the total. So by the end of the trip we had like 7 holds are our account then we you check out Disney releases the holds and charges the full amount at once.
Yes Tim, please compare the cost of a family who is traveling from Michigan choosing to either do a Disney Cruise or staying on site for a Disney World trip. I'm from Michigan and I would love to see the cost difference to weigh my options. We typically visit Universal parks and stay on site (we're passholders) and we all know Universal is considerably cheaper than Disney.
I planned all my DCL cruises by myself. No TA involvement except for my plane ticket when I went to Europe with them ). It was part of the fun. I created a travel book with everything I needed. I always get Disney insurance. Excursions - I researched everything, put together a list of 1st, 2nd & 3rd choices for booking. Bought photo package BEFORE cruise, and had an absolutely fabulous time, every time. Palo Brunch vs Dinner - Brunch hands down ( dinner just fancy Italian). But Brunch phenomenal. And a wonderful way to start off the day. Victoria & Albert’s very stuffy & snooty. God forbid you even speak. Remy’s & Palo make you feel welcome.
Thanks, Tim, (and Jen & Jackson)! We are Platinum. The DCL and the Parks are different vacations (just like you said). We vary between the two based on what's new at the Parks. Couple of comments: Vibe kids get a smoothie bar (at least they used to). Golden Mickeys is an Academy-Awards-kind-of show. We always add add'l tip (in cash) as well. The cabanas on Castaway Cay goes super fast.
To answer your question about WDW or a Cruise: I would say a cruise would be better. We live in Florida and visit WDW a lot so I would say it would be a nice change of scenery for us by taking a cruise. (Which after watching your cruise vlogs we booked our first Disney cruise for January) 😁
My family (kids ages 7, 12, 15) prefers spending a vacation on “the boat” over a trip to WDW. They played in the pool and on the slide all day. We thought they would want to hang out at the kids clubs but actually wanted to be with us the whole day. They loved eating ice cream and cheeseburgers all day! During a pandemic, I would highly recommend having a passport and traveling with that. Heaven forbid something happens to you or someone in your party and you need medical help/transport.
We have our first Disney Cruise coming up in May. We took our kids to WDW last year and they were very overwhelmed. They had fun overall but the heat and walking was a lot on them. I am hoping the cruise will be a better option for them until they are older.
It's such a shame you had a bad experience at Victoria and Alberts. We loved it (it is pricey so special occasions only, we were on our honeymoon), the servers were wonderful and friendly, and we were able to ask them questions. It's a quieter atmosphere, but my husband and I were also able to talk to each other over dinner...in case anyone else was thinking about going, don't be put off!
If I ever go on a Disney cruise again (have only done 1 1 1-night, about 12 years ago) I would DEFINITELY like to try Palo brunch, it looks superb! Back when I went, I still smoked, and there was a smoking area outside of Cove Cafe, so I spent a LOT of time out there - very relaxing! Ohhhh - "that Matt": - LOL - love that he and Jackson love and trust each other, and gave you and Tim some "adult time". And he and his partner made some amazing meals, and their home is awesome, when you went there. Love him, sight unseen! :) On my 2 cruises - I started taking Dramamine 2 days before I left (for my body to get used to it/build up) and 2 days after I came back, and took it at bedtime, in case it made me feel drowsy, even though I took non-drowsy. I also found the first and last days were bumpy on both cruises (I think until you get into "open waters"), and was fine, both times. I will do that same plan again next Sept., IF my 3-years-in-coming cruise goes off! :) That "feeling intimidated" is why I will NEVER go to any place like V&A's - I am NOT going to pay money - and especially not that MUCH money - to feel that way - I want to ENJOY my dining experience! I actually always feel that way just being IN the Grand Floridian (and the Yacht Club too, but not the Beach Club). This was very nicely done, guys, thanx!! Socially distanced hugs from New Jersey to you and Rob, the whole family, and all the gorgeous fur babies! Stay strong, stay positive, stay healthy
Loved this! I’ve been trying to convince my husband to do a land and sea trip, then you said you want to figure out the cost difference from Michigan! ( we live in MI) so I told him it was definitely a sign! Thanks Tim & Jen!!
Good info. I keep thinking I want to take a cruise then I look up the cost for a solo cruise and I can go to WDW and stay for 6 nights for less than I can do a cruise for 4 nights. To be honest though, I've done a number of dive trips all around the Caribbean so that doesn't appeal to me much. If we are doing a live aboard, (which is sort of a dive cruise on a smaller boat think a little bigger than a yacht) I take a Bonine the night before, one the morning of getting on the boat and usually don't need another after that. I find Bonine doesn't make me sleepy and Dramamine does. We loved V&A's but I think it depends, like you said, on your level of comfort for that type of experience. We have no problems asking questions and at V&A's my son (adult) and I actually had our wait staff laughing a couple of times.
