How to combine Disney World and a Disney cruise - PREP131

Today we'll discuss adding a Disney cruise onto a Disney World trip with Melanie from DCLPrepSchool.com.

She'll help us understand what's included with the price of a Disney cruise, the logistics of getting there, and explain what Fish Extender gifts are.

I also have a quick tip to help you save on merchandise at Disney World.

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These are notes from this episode. There's much more info included in the audio so be sure to listen to the episode for a better explanation.

In this article

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Adding a Disney cruise to a Disney World trip

Some tips:

Melanie recommends doing the land part of your trip first, followed by the cruise
Book the two trips separately because there's no financial benefit to booking it all as one trip through Disney
Disney can provide transportation even if you book the items separately. DCL shuttles to get from Disney World to the port and from the port to WDW/airport are $35 each way per person
You might also consider Mears shuttles, Uber, and rental cars to get to/from the port
Keep information organized (stateroom number, reservation numbers, passport numbers, emergency contacts, onboard activities, flight info). A lot of this info will be handy when doing online check-in as well.
Packing for a cruise is similar to Disney World, including comfortable shoes, comfortable clothes, swimsuits, external battery chargers, and something to pull hair back. Laundry rooms are available on the ship.
Pirate and formal nights onboard will require special things to be packed that you wouldn't normally need at Disney World.
Important to keep in mind that the price of a Disney Cruise Line trip includes great dining, non-alcoholic drinks (including sodas), high quality entertainment, kids clubs with long operating hours (for ages 3-17), twice-a-day housekeeping, Disney character meets/parties, and 24-hour complimentary room service
To make a trip more affordable, consider booking an interior room and/or taking advantage of onboard bounceback offers (usually 10% off)
Families with older kids should consider booking an interior and exterior room to give everybody enough space
Many people will participate in Fish Extender gift exchanges on Disney cruises. Groups can be found on message boards and in Facebook Groups. Get gift ideas at pinterest.com/dclprep.

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Quick tip of the day

Check your receipt during your Disney World trip to see if a coupon has been included. For instance, there's a current discount of 10% off of Disney Springs merchandise that's included on receipts at most Magic Kingdom Quick Service restaurants.

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