Less than 2 weeks from now, the Disney Fan family will be on our way North to Alaska! We’ve got our pre-cruise hotel plans settled, our giftcards purchased and while our suitcases aren’t quite all packed, I do have my packing list complete. The only things I have left to do are finalize a couple fun things that we do to add a little extra magic.

Did you know the stateroom doors are magnetic?
Yep, they are! And if you’ve ever been on a Disney cruise before, you know that a magnetic door provides a blank canvas for showing off your creative side with any number of door magnets! Some people spend months planning their doors, searching for just the right images and while it IS fun to look at all the possibilities from the designers over on the DISboards (there’s a whole area for ‘em), I usually take a dozen or so magnets, specific to our cruise, and call it good.

The best part about a decorated door? It’s easily findable among all the other similar doors if you’re on one of the long hallways Just look for your magnets and you’ll never get lost!

Want to get started on your own magnets for your next cruise? It’s pretty easy as long as you have a printer and either magnetic paper (what I use) or heavy duty paper and magnet strips. If you’re creative, you can go wild and come up with designs on your own, but if not, never fear – there are several design threads over on DISboards.com filled with designers who are happy to create a design for you. Just make sure to give them lots of lead time and follow their specific instructions on how to request something.

A Fish What?!?!
Ok, in that picture above, you may have noticed a metal fish hanging on the wall next to our door. Every room has one, even on the new ships. Their original purpose was to provide a place for the cruise staff to leave messages or paperwork for you.

But, once again, an innovative Disney cruiser (again, someone from the DISboards, I believe) thought it would be great to make something that provided even MORE room to leave little gifts for fellow cruisers you met along the way, and thus, the fish extender was born.

Originally, the fish extender/gift-giving concept was a way to connect with a few people here and there, but now, several years later, it’s spawned a whole cottage industry of it’s own. DISboards members now set up “fish extender (FE) gift exchange” groups for EVERY Disney cruise. And, if you aren’t crafty or don’t have time to put together a fish extender yourself, there are several Etsy stores that sell pre-made and custom ones.

You can visit the Disney Cruise Meet section of the Disboards to find the group for your specific cruise.

We’ve participated in the FE exchange on our last 2 cruises and will be participating again this time. It is so much fun for the kids to find gifts waiting at our door whenever we come back and we’ve gotten some really neat stuff along the way. Some people go all out, making personalized bags, personalized jewelry, or the like while others provide things like candy, first aid kits, etc. No matter how much time and money are put into the gifts, every one is put together with pixie dust and is always appreciated! I haven’t quite finished the things I am making this time around and I usually don’t post pictures of the final product until after the cruise anyway (don’t want to ruin any surprises!), but here’s a little teaser of a few of the supplies I used this time. I’ll make sure to post the final pictures once we get back!

Of course, none of this “extra magic” is nearly as special without the people who participate along with us. Both the door decorations and participating in the FE exchange have connected us with people that we might not have met during our cruises and we have met some really great people. Seeing familiar faces around the ship and even out on excursions makes the experience that much better but being able to connect even after the cruise is over is one of those things that I truly love about the Disney community!

In last week’s trip tip, I gave a few of my favorite tips for saving money on Disney cruise fares so this week I thought I’d focus on the things that are not included in your fare. The cruise fare is most likely going to be your biggest expense since it covers your room and all your food, but beware of the things that aren’t included – they can sneak up on you

Bingo - Disney cruise ships don’t have a casino like many other ships do, but you still have an opportunity to try your luck (and spend your money) by playing bingo. The bingo games are typically held each day and include cash prizes and other giveaways (spa gift certificates, Disney pins, etc.). The easiest way to save money here is to just not play at all, but it is fun and if your kids are like mine, they’ll probably drag you to at least one game. Don’t get taken in by the pre-game sales pitch – just buy a few cards and have fun. Also, make sure to check the personal navigator each day because they occasionally give away free bingo cards at the shops when you make a small purchase.

The Spa – There’s lots of great treatments you can book at the spa, but they can get spendy. One great option we’ve used is to buy the pass to the Rainforest Room, which will give you access to the heated loungers, steam room and showers for only $15 for a one-day pass. If you definitely want to do a treatment, but don’t have anything specific in mind, make sure to check your personal navigator – they include spa specials each day.

Pictures – The great thing about the cruise is that there are tons of photo opps and there’s a team of photographers that will take your picture for you. The bad news is that all the pictures they take cost money if you decide to purchase them (you don’t have to buy any if you don’t want to). You can buy individual pictures or purchase a package, but I’ve never really seen any deals, so I usually just include this in my budget. One thing to keep in mind is that most of the photographers are happy to take a picture with your own camera, so you can save money that way. The other thing that we do is group all our pictures together in one place and wait until the 2nd to last day to decide what pictures to buy. That way, we can go through everything from the cruise and only pick our absolute favorites.

Port Excursions - Every stop along the way has excursions available for you to book so you can see a little bit of the city you’re visiting. We’ve had some great excursions on our trips, but they can get expensive. I’ve covered a lot of the tips for saving money on these in a previous post, so I’ll just say here that it’s very important to do your homework. Look at all your options and make sure you’re getting the best possible experience for your money.

Alcohol – Adult beverages as well as some non-alcoholic specialty drinks like smoothies and lattes are not included in the cost of your cruise. Neither is bottled water or soda in cans that’s delivered via room service. For non-alcoholic drinks, make sure to bring your own cup so you can get refills at the drink stations on deck 9. For alcohol, Disney is one of the few cruise lines that allows you to bring on your own, as long as it fits into your carry-on bag. So, we bring on our own wine and save a ton of money. You’ll be charged a corkage fee if you bring the bottle into the dining rooms, but you won’t be charged anything if you just bring a full glass into dinner with you.

Palo/Remy Upcharge – No savings tips here. The $20 for Palo or the $75 for Remy is absolutely worth the experience, so just plan for it and put it into your budget.

Tips – Tips for your room attendant, assistant server, server and head server are all required. There is a recommended amount for each person that Disney will automatically add to your bill for your convenience but you can modify that amount, up or down, as you see fit. We have never not given the recommended amount to any of crewmembers we’ve had – they’ve all been great, so really, this is just another item to make sure to budget for. But, one thing I like to mention is that if you’d like to give any of your team something “extra” it doesn’t have to be money. They’re all on the ship for several months at a time, so think about things like pre-paid calling cards for calling home, iTunes cards or even candy (Hershey’s miniatures seem to be quite popular!)

So, those are some of the things you might encounter while you’re onboard. I haven’t included souvenirs on this list, but don’t forget about those!

To finish up, I wanted to share my favorite way for saving for these “extras”. Our secret weapon is Disney gift cards! Yep, they’re accepted in the shops and to pay for your onboard account, so we stock up on Disney gift cards during the months before our cruise whenever we have a little bit of extra cash. I put together a high-level budget for the things I think we’ll buy, based on what we did on our previous cruises, and try to grab a gift card whenever I can. And since you’re not saving cash or setting it aside in a savings account somewhere, you’re probably not going to need to dip into it before your cruise, so it really adds up quickly!

Today marks 7 weeks until we set sail to Alaska on the Disney Wonder and the whole family is SO excited about our trip. This will be the 4th trip for my husband and me and the 2nd for our kids, so I thought I would take the next several weeks to share some tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way.

Tomorrow, I’ll start with some things I’ve learned to save money on cruise fares as well as how to save money for some of the expenses you’ll have onboard.

But, before I kick things off, I’m interested in hearing from you – what questions do you have about cruising with Disney? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll make sure to answer them in the coming weeks.

We are less than 90 days away from our cruise to Alaska, and as I mentioned in a previous post, we have booked all our excursions for each of the days we’re in port. We have some fun things planned, including a ride on the train in Skagway (for Colorado Boy) and a whale watching excursion in Juneau. But, the question I often get is what about things to do on the ship when you’re out at sea? The good news, is there is PLENTY to choose from and you can always find the most up-to-date information in the personal navigator delivered to your stateroom every evening. Here are a few of my family’s favorite activities along with info about which things you need to make sure to schedule ahead of time:

Dining at Palo/Remy: On all four of the Disney ships, you can find Palo, an upscale, adults-only dining room where you can enjoy a fantastic meal while the kids hang out in the kid’s club. In addition to Palo, the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy have Remy, a super-duper exclusive adults-only restaurant that I can’t wait to try sometime soon. While both Palo and Remy are open for dinner, I also recommend trying Palo for either brunch or high tea. Only available on sea days, both brunch and high tea provide you with an opportunity to enjoy Palo while still being able to go to your normal dining rotation in the evening. We haven’t done high tea, but brunch was the highlight of our cruise last time and we’ve got it booked again for June. Reservations go fast, so make sure to either book online when your booking window opens or check for availability as soon as you board on departure day.

The Spa: Another adults-only location on the ship, Vista Spa (on the Magic and the Wonder) and Senses Spa (on the Dream and Fantasy) provide full spa services and lots of pampering. It’s an additional cost, and can be a little pricey, but both Colorado Dad and I thoroughly enjoyed our spa time during our last cruise. This time around, we’ve booked a couple’s massage on the last day of our cruise to ensure that we are fully relaxed before going back to the real world! Another cost-effective option is to get a pass just for the Rainforest room, which includes heated tile loungers as well as a sauna room, all for $15/day. Again, spa appointments fill up fast, so it’s not a bad idea to book something online beforehand if you know what you want to do. There are daily spa specials that come in your personal navigator, so watch out for those as they can be pretty good deals.

Game Shows: The cruise staff are a busy group as they usually have several activities going during the day, especially on sea days. Some of our favorites are the game shows like “So You Want to Be a Mouseketeer” and “Mickey Mania” which are typically trivia-based “gameshows” with lots of audience participation. The whole family has a great time at these, but if you can, I also suggest trying to get down to the adult-only area in the evening when they run adult-only versions of some of the games. Colorado Dad and I did these on our last cruise and I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a long time. Not sure if we’ll be able to swing the adult versions on our June cruise, but will definitely take in some of the family versions.

Bingo: Disney doesn’t have a casino onboard, but don’t worry, you can get your gambling fix by playing bingo! Colorado Boy and I were sucked in to this on one Caribbean cruise and it’s what he seems to be the most excited about for June. (“Alaska will be neat, but I can’t wait to play BINGO!” is what he told me the other day ) There are a couple bingo sessions each day and there are both cash prizes as well as giveaways like pins, spa certificates, etc. In addition, there’s a grand prize jackpot that accumulates throughout the cruise and is given away on the last day. The cruise staff who run the games are hilarious and it’s something the whole family can participate in, if you’re ok with the kids being involved in this type of activity. You don’t have to sign up for it ahead of time, just show up a few minutes before the session starts so you can buy your cards.

Tastings (Beer, Wine, Mojitos, etc.): These 30-minute sessions provide you with an opportunity to learn about a particular type of alcoholic beverage while tasting some things that you might not be familiar with. On our last cruise, Colorado Dad and I did the mojito/caipirinha tasting and we learned a lot of new information and I tried a caipirinha for the first time. Obviously these are adults-only sessions, but if the kids are busy in the clubs and you have 30 minutes or so to spare before dinner or your evening show, I recommend doing at least one of these. There is a bit of a fee – I think it was $15 each, but it’s a pretty good deal for the experience. And, it never hurts to become more acquainted with the bartendars around the ship!

So, these are some of our favorites, but I’d love to hear from you. Do you have a favorite cruise activity?

If you’ve cruised before, but have been on less than 5 cruises, you’re considered a Silver Castaway Club member and can book excursions and onboard activities starting 90 days before the cruise. For us, that’s a week from today, so I’ve been doing a lot of research and I think I’ve narrowed everything down. But, after 4 cruises, I still worry about how things are going to work out, so I thought I’d share some tips I’ve learned about booking port excursions for those of you who are new to cruising.  These are based 100% on our experience and may or may not work in your family’s particular situation

You don’t have to book excursions at all
If you look at the Disney marketing material and website a lot, you might get the sense that you HAVE to book a port adventure to have ANY fun on your cruise. Sure, the excursions are fun and we’ve always had a great time, but you can also have just as much fun exploring a port all on your own, or, even staying onboard the ship during a port day. We did Cabo on our own and had a great time, exploring the city and then taking a boat over to one of the beaches for WAY cheaper than any of the excursions we looked at. It was quite relaxing and we didn’t feel like we were missing out at all. If we ever do another cruise to the Bahamas, I already plan on just relaxing on the ship the day we’re in Nassau because I was just not a big fan. Fewer people onboard during a port day means more lounger space by the pool!

You don’t HAVE to book port excursions through Disney
A lot of new cruisers may not realize that you don’t HAVE to book one of the Disney port adventures if you don’t want to. Almost everything that Disney provides as an excursion is available to book privately, sometimes at a cheaper cost or with different options. If you see a Disney excursion that looks interesting but isn’t quite what you want, look around to see if you can find it elsewhere. Conversely, if you find a private tour that’s similar to the Disney one, but much cheaper, just verify exactly what you get. The Disney excursions typically include transportation to and from the port and may include “extras” like snacks or lunch that may not be provided in the private tour price. Do your research to find out what option is going to be best for you and your family.

If you go with an external vendor, have a plan and keep track of time
There are always unexpected things that can happen when you’re in port – traffic on the island can be horrible, like it was for us when we went to St. Thomas, or a sudden rainstorm can hit you when you least expect it. If you’re on a Disney-led excursion, the ship is much more likely to wait for you if something delays your return. If you’re on a private excursion, there’s no guarantee they’ll wait, and although it is VERY rare, the ship has had to leave without all it’s passengers a few times. If you only have a short time in a port, you might just go with a Disney excursion to be safe, but no matter what, at least have a plan for emergencies and leave yourself PLENTY of time to get back to the ship before the all aboard call.

Try something different
If there’s ever a time to try something a little out of your comfort zone, I feel like a Disney cruise is the time to do it, especially if you’re looking at doing a Disney-led excursion. Last year on our Mexican Riviera cruise, we did a ziplining tour and an ATV tour – both of which I’d never imagine I would do and I had a GREAT time. Disney takes safety very seriously and if anything goes wrong on the excursions they offer, they are quick to follow up and make sure everything is ok. I know from personal experience after I, um, sort of, flipped my ATV and got a little banged up. Sure I was shaken up and a little sore after the experience, but even now, I’d do it all over again if I had the opportunity, although I’ll be a little more tame on our Alaska cruise since the kiddos will be with us when we head into port!

Book early 
If you’re booking a Disney-led excursion and it’s a popular one, book it as soon as your booking window opens because there are limited spots available and they can fill up quickly. They do say you might be able to add or change an excursion once you’re onboard, but there’s no guarantee, so if you want to do it, book it. All of the Disney port excursions are listed on the Disney Cruise website and there are tons of resources, like the DisBoards, where people share their reviews and experiences on the various excursions. Do your homework ahead of your booking window so you know what things you’re interested in doing.

Those are just a few of the things we’ve learned and I’ll continue to provide additional tips in the next couple weeks about planning your onboard activities, so stay tuned for those! And, if you have any questions I can answer, leave me a comment, I’m happy to help!