Congrats on your booking! I was on Treasure to the Western Caribbean in October. Happy to answer questions.
We had late dining and had no issues seeing the fireworks. Go to the deck above the pool deck and the starboard side for the best views (Pool deck may be a better view of the pirate show but fireworks may be obstructed by Aquamouse.)
Formal night was a mixed bag. Some cocktail dresses and ties, but a lot of people wore the same casual clothes they wore on other nights. No need to make your kid dress in anything they are uncomfortable in. (Cast members who took photos did a good job but photos are more expensive than in the parks.)
I’ve never bothered with most of the “cruise must haves.” Especially on newer ships. Treasure had plenty of places for us to charge our devices and magic bands. I’ve never used magnetic hooks or towel bands, but I could see how they could be helpful for the right person. I agree that having a water bottle is helpful.
I know a lot of people with older kids (or no kids) prefer later dining. I will say that the one big advantage of earlier dining for us was getting to see the shows after dinner. I wouldn’t have liked to have to see the shows before eating.
I’ll add our water bottles to our packing list.
We will be on a 7 day cruise. We will have 2 days at sea and plan to do cultural excursions on our other days.
We went on our first DCL cruise this July (5 nights Bahamian on the Magic) and from my limited experience, here some responses to your questions:
Later dining worked well for us (we were travelling with four kids between ages 8-11), we saw the shows before dinner and other events like Pirate Night/Fireworks after. I’d read that the earlier dinner has larger number of families with small kids, and wanted to avoid that (now that mine are finally able to sit and enjoy meal times )
We could see no real difference between formal and informal nights. Like others have said, dress up if that sounds fun to you - and don’t if it doesn’t! I managed to get BBB appointments for our girls for that night, so they were excited to have their princess dresses and full hair/make up, but the rest of us didn’t dress any different to the other nights.
Despite the many recommendations for cruise-specific purchases you’ll find on YouTube, I don’t think there are any real “must haves” that differ from those for a regular beach or Disney vacation. We didn’t get hooks, organizers, bands, plugs, lanyards, or anything else like that, and we didn’t miss them. That said, for us Liners who get a lot of joy out of the planning and anticipation, you can certainly have fun getting extras like door magnets or themed accessories. For example, for pirate night, I made sure everyone had a white tshirt and black/navy shorts, and then we accesorized with the (free) Disney pirate bandannas that your cabin attendant will put out for you, and with a red sash/eye patch. Temporary/XXL pirate tattoos were also a huge hit (and great value) for our group. I also had fun getting a few new ears on Etsy themed around our dinner experiences that I could then reuse at the parks. My sister got everyone matching t-shirts for embarkation day, but we were too excited to even get decent photos and it was totally unnecessary (though I really happened to love the one she chose and have since reworn it to the parks).
If you’re looking for more suggestions for vlogs and such, I love the Mammoth Club ones, and I know they did several for the Treasure when it was launched.
The Treasure looks amazing! Enjoy the planning. Also, my trip report in case you’re interested.
I strongly prefer late dining. If you have had a messy excursion it leaves time for showers, etc. If you can get ready quickly, you have time for the show. You won’t miss fireworks.
I wouldn’t cruise without hooks, especially with teens. I have used them on 9 of our 10 cruises; only the first one did I not have them! I also like a shoe organizer hung by magnets to have a spot for people to put items. I don’t use towel bands and I don’t drink water unless I have to, but my kids do bring a refillable water bottle. I do bring a tumbler because I want more coffee or pop than their little cups will hold.
People do dress down for dining, but we chose to dress up. We wear old prom dresses, etc. We also go in for pirate night, and we like to Disney-bound on DCL. I also try to coordinate our colors to make photos looks nice.
Thank you! After discussing these responses with DH we have bumped back to 8:15 for dining. I think I’m more excited for this cruise than I am for our trip to UO/WDW this summer! lol
Now, I just need to work past my anxiety for driving to port and doing all the check-in stuff to actually get on the ship! Ugh, I know security is the reason all that can’t be filmed, I’m just a person that needs to know the step by step.
Nope, I have never flown and never been on a cruise! True land-locked mid-westerner trying to make new experiences and get past my fears of new.
Yes, Port Canaveral. I’ve looked and the website is not clear. One page says parking is $17 a day, another says $20 a day. So, I’ve added that to the budget.
I won’t say it’s “nothing,” but it will be okay.
They yell a little. It’s chaotic and loud. You will not be the only person who doesn’t know what’s going on. It’s frantic and can be confusing and then you are on board and confused in new ways. But by supper it starts to make sense.
Just know you won’t be the only people they are yelling at and pointing at and it won’t last forever.
I am seeing this listed on the site, so I would set this expectation. Parking is pretty much like parking at any other large parking garage. If you are driving MAKE SURE you are arriving in the Orlando area the day before your cruise leaves.
After you park, you drop your “checked” luggage out front and then go through a pretty easy ID check and then very basic security screening. There’s no removal of shoes/laptops or anything like that. Here they are checking for cruise contraband only which is pretty much guns/alcohol/prohibited electronics. Then you just walk on the ship!
Maybe what I call yelling other people just see as normal. They were yelling at both airports I just did TSA through.
My point is that it’s not like checking into Ritz Carlton. It’s loud and frantic, but you just follow the crowd and do the next thing and soon it’s over.
We dropped luggage first then parked at Port Canaveral, it was nice not to have to walk it across the street.
There is a difference between yelling instructions for all and being yelled at. I find it helpful to have them repeating what I need to have out and ready for the next step.
To someone who isn’t used to TSA barking, etc., I thought OP might like to know the general atmosphere of embarkation. It’s not like Snow White and Alice sweetly escort you aboard. It can be obnoxious and confusing, but she won’t be the only one who doesn’t know the drill.
I can say in 10 cruises I haven’t had 10 identical experiences. So even being well prepped could require pivoting.
Only one Princess cruise I did in 2014 could be described as quick and painless. And we were some of the last aboard.
We plan to drive to the Orlando area for the night and leave early the next morning for the port. Just to be prepared for traffic and unknowns, like if we take the wrong turn or such.
I was really hoping there would be a change in offering land to sea packages and we could have stayed at a resort before and after. Which, yes, we still can and plan to do after, but it would be so easy to just park and have Disney transpo. But, we will figure it out and enjoy the vacation after the chaos of check-in!
I agree, hearing repeats of what I need to do or have ready will help me. Distractions, others asking questions, I will need the repeats.
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but my kids do bring a refillable water bottle. I do bring a tumbler because I want more coffee or pop than their little cups will hold.
I like this description!
