Cruising - Light Key

Cruise ships use a lot of fuel.  They not only have to power the ship to get from point A to point B, they also have to power everything else.  There is a lot going on on the ships from the huge galleys to keeping the lights on in the kids club and the pools heated.  One way the Disney Cruise line likes to help conserve energy is by utilizing a Light Switch Key.  

The way it works is you come in the room and you put your Key to the World Card in the little slot right inside the door.  With a card in the slot all the lights and TV will work.  If you take the card out while all the lights and TV are on it will turn them off a few seconds after the card is removed from the slot.  This prevents you from needlessly running all the lights and TV when not in the room thus saving energy and making the planet a better place.  

The drawback is when you walk out your stateroom door and forget your Key to the World card in the slot.  If that happens to you, your in a pickle.  It stinks to be locked out of your room and your card is also how you pay for everything on the ship.  

To prevent this problem there is a simple and fun solution.  Make your own key cards.

It is simple, get an old Disney gift card.  Place a magnet on the back at one end and your done.  The walls are all metal on the ship so any thing magnetic will stick.  You can keep your card just above the slot so it is always near by.  We allow each kid to pick out a card and they take turns putting theirs in and out as we come and go.  

I am not encouraging you to leave a card in the slot the whole trip.  We want to conserve energy too!  The goal here is to not forget your Key to the World card as you walk right past and out the door!

If your in the bathroom and your 7 year old runs over and pulls the card out then your in the dark. The use of fancier cards does not protect you from the dark.

Want to check out more about the Disney Cruise Line have a look at my Cruising page.

Cruising - Door Decorations

You're finally setting sail on the Disney Cruise Line after a year or so of planning.  The excitement has been building and you have looked at shore excursions options for countless hours.  You have memorized old Navigators you found online.   You know exactly what you want to order from Animators Palate.  After all that planning did you remember to make your Door Decoration?  

Door decorating is something that is truly Disney when it comes to cruising.  Why decorate your door?  It is fun and helpful.  The fun part is obvious but how is it helpful you might wonder.  It makes it easy to find your room.  Cruise ships have long hallways where all the doors look the same except one little number.  Decorating is way to make your room stand out and you get to express yourself!

door decorations on the Disney Fantasy

This is our room on the start of a 7 night voyage.

Here we are on Pirate Night.

And after Pirate night.   You can see some things moved around a changed a little.  Occasionally they fall off.  We let the kids pick out their decoration with their name on it.  Letting the kids help plan decorations can help include them in the planning process.

You can see how decorating can help find your room.  It beats trying to open the wrong door.  

Our very first cruise we had just one simple decoration.  

Decorations Doug made for his sisters room for a whole family cruise.  

When he is making it all and packing it I always think he has gone overboard, but you will see we keep it simple.

Here you can see a "fish extender"  the bags hanging from the sea horse by the door.  You can join an online group(Facebook or other Disney message boards) and do gift exchanges using the fish extenders.  It is a fun way to meet people and spread a little magic.  

Another example of decorations.

There is no right or wrong way to decorate.  I highly recommend it because it is fun and functional.  It is a great way to let people know where you are from or what you are celebrating.  It is a good conversation starter with your neighbors as well.  

For the Ears/hats that fit around the room number you can find them for free here.

Everything that you put on the door must be magnetic.  DO NOT USE TAPE!!!  You will get a nice sized fee added to your on board account.  

Doug often makes some for my clients as gifts.  He prints on card stock then laminates it.   You can find magnets at craft stores to stick on the back.  Some people will print directly on magnet paper but it is more expensive.  

Want to check out more post about cruising with Disney?  You can find all my posts HERE!

5 Tips To Enjoy Your Disney Cruise!

1. Arrive early to the port!      

Family Picture in the Terminal.

Key To The World Card

       Getting to the port early translates into more time on the ship! This process starts months before your cruise, when you do on-line check in. You want to check in as soon as you can. One step in the check in process is to select your port arrival time. You want to pick as early as you can which is often 11am or noon. If you wait until 2pm, you have already missed out on lunch on the ship. By being at the port sooner you can avoid long lines and get the chance to meet Mickey or Minnie while you wait for your boarding group. Most of the Disney buses from the resorts leave later in the morning so if you are staying on Disney property the night before your cruise, you may want to explore other transportation options (I can help with this). The first few hours on board is a great time to explore the ship and familiarize your self with the layout of the ship or better yet - take a tour! We also like to hit the pools right away before the crowds roll in.

2.  Keep your Navigator with you!

The daily Navigator is your guide to everything. When I say everything I mean EVERYTHING!  Do you need to know what time Tinker Bell meets? When is the trivia contest in the Pub?  What time does the buffet open?  All that can all be answered in your navigator.  It tells you the what and when of everything you need to know. You'll get the next days' navigator when the turn down service is completed in the evening. Read it over before you head to bed and plan the next day.  You can also use the new app on your smart phone. Just make sure to download it before you leave for your cruise! The app is handy, but the paper navigators are just easy to see everything at once. 

Here is a whole post just about the Navigator.

3. Enjoy Meal Time

Everyone thinks of food when they think of cruising, but I'm not saying to enjoy just the food.  Enjoy the atmosphere of the main dining rooms. Disney has put such detail into where you eat and what you eat, don't just grab a slice of pizza from the quick service restaurants on the ship.  We have used diner time as a chance to sit together and talk and tell stories of the day. This was a true highlight on our extended family cruise.  We were often headed in different directions during the day, so the evening meal was great for meeting up. We often found ourselves one of the last groups to leave. We also were glad we had the kids dine with us rather then in the kids club. How often will you have the chance to order escargot for a 6 year old and not worry if they like it or not?  When we traveled on our adults only Disney cruise, we were nervous about sitting with strangers but by the end of the trip they were no longer strangers, but new friends!    Oh, and of course the food is amazing - but I'm sure you already knew that!

4.  Plan your port days

adult only beach on Castaway Cay

View of the Dream in Nassau

This is something that you want to look at well in advance of your trip. Actually the best time to research it is in advance of online check in. The reason for this is once you check in you can start booking shore excursions. You can look at the excursions on Disney's web site to start your planning. However this does not mean you have to book an excursion. You should just know what you plan on doing so you don't get off the ship and find yourself saying "I wish" or "I would have"   We have used a day in Nassau like a day at sea so that we could enjoy the ship. Many people get off the ship and that works to your advantage if you've already seen the places where the ship visits. That is when we booked spa treatments and the kids rode the aquaduck over and over and over. We didn't plan a lengthy excursion so we could get back on the ship and enjoy the ship.   Here is a post to sum up a possibility of a way to spend a day in Nassau.

5. You can't do everything

Pirate Party!!!

Snorkeling at Castaway Cay

There is so much to see and do on a Disney cruise that it is impossible to do it all on one cruise. Read over your navigator and highlight what you want to do for sure and let the gaps fill themselves in. You won't find relaxing acutally listed on the schedule, so you may want to pencil that in somewhere.  Some highlights I would not want to miss are the Broadway style shows, princess gathering, or some of the family fun in the D lounge.  Sometimes the kids are more concerned about the scheduled activity in the kids club or the movie that is showing. Remember: it's your cruise you can do as much or as little as you want.  Don't forget to order room service - it's included in your cruise fare! (Just don't forget to bring a couple dollar bills onboard with you to tip your room service server.) There's nothing quite like enjoying a Mickey Bar at midnight in your stateroom!

Here are a few random Pictures, and while my last tip was that you can't do it all during one cruise, I want to tell you that you can still do a lot!!

Mickey Bars from room service.

Mt. Rustmore on Castaway Cay.

Enjoying my last little bit of phone service before the ship leaves port.

Boarding through some giant Mickey Ears.

Come early and avoid this line to check in at the port.

Finish every meal with ice cream.  Cabannas has hand scooped ice cream. 

Door decorations make it much easier to find your door in the long hallways and it's just FUN!

Mini Golf on Goofy's Sports Deck.

The view from the Mini-Golf is tough to beat in Nassau.

Princess gatherings happen only a few times per sailing - get a ticket in advance at the Port Adventures desk on the first day of you cruise.  It is great because you meet 4 or 5 princess in a row! (Check your 1st Navigator for the exact location of the ticket distribution for your cruise.)

Pirate night brings out lots of fun costumes.

Meal Time Monday - Royal Palace/Court

Welcome to our last stop on Disney Cruise Lines Rotational dining on the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream.   Today we will check out The Royal Palace(Dream) or Royal Court(Fantasy).  Royal Court/Palace serves a French Cuisine menu for dinner.  As usual your service team will join you hear just as they have in the other dining halls.  

The Menu cover from the Dream.

The Menu cover from the Fantasy.  The only noticeable difference is the name of the place.

Located right off the man atrium on the 3rd deck.  You can see the doors behind Minnie. 

There is a large chandelier in the center of the dining room. 

All around are pictures and mosaics depicting various Disney Royalty.  Here we find Sleeping Beauty.

Bell and Beast having a dance.

Here is our place setting for dinner.

A look at the menu.  Remember to click them to enlarge.

The main course side of the menu.  Lots of great French inspired food on the menu!

Front of the kids menu!

The bread arrives in a carriage.

Our Princess waiting for her meal to arrive.

Doug and Alden had the escargot for their appetizer.

I tried out the Duck Confit.  

Onion Soup

I had the Chaeaubriand-Roasted Filet Steak.

Doug had Crispy Roasted Duck Breast.

The kids make up their own menu and ordered both Mac and Cheese and a Corn dog.  The ketchup is made in the shape of goofy tonight.  

Time for Dessert!

On one of our voyages Samantha celebrated her 8th Birthday in the Royal Palace! She got a special cake and they sang.

We finish the meal off with a Strawberry Shortcake Sundae!

Royal Palace/Court also has a back door.  So if you are on a longer voyage you can learn which door is closer to your seat!

We really enjoy the more formal atmosphere of this restaurant as a change of pace.   The wait staff is also dressed in their finest to go along!

The menu is always subject to change, but no worries there is always wonder options.