We have decided to book a three day Disney cruise for early May 2010 (this will follow a 7-10 stay at WDW). We are hoping that after taking your advice we will get a good rate for booking early!!!!:) We thought that this would give us a taste of the Disney cruise experience and when they finally make their way to the West Coast (2011?), we might consider another cruise with them.

So....we have been told that we can request a specific cabin and I am wondering if you have any advice about what we should request. We are going to book a family suite, cat. 4 which will have a verandah. I can get a little motion sick so I am thinking mid ship would be safest. Correct? Also, does one side have more scenic views, eg. land, than the other. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. It is so exciting to get to the booking stage but I don't know how I am going to wait an entire year!

If you can get a midship, most people prefer it ... the next option would be aft (back of the ship). I read a trick on a cruise site -- book on the same side of the ship as the restaurant. That's where you'll find the most stability. :D

Ive done Veranda staterooms on both sides of the ship. (Both on deck 6) I think I liked it when we were on the starboard (right) side of the ship better as we were able to take some great pics of Nassau as we were coming in, as well as doing the "spin" before we docked.

All category 4 (deluxe family stateroom with verandah) staterooms are on deck 8. Midship is nice, and I'm sure that there's a very good reason that the category 1 (royal suite with verandah) staterooms are located midship. ;)

We were in cabin 8052. Loved it! The only down side was when we were at Castaway Cay we were on the wrong side of the ship to get the view of the beach. When we rebooked on board for our next cruise I asked the Disney rep to book us on the starboard side this time because I wanted that view. I was told that it really depends if the captain backs in or pulls into the dock forward as to which side of the ship gets the good view. I have no idea if she was being straight with me but thats what I was told.

We also followed the advice of the Passporter Disney Cruise Line book (great book by the way for a rookie DLC cruise planner) and avoided cabins 8036-9044 and cabins 8536-8544 because they are under the Goofy Pool. Apparently they can be a bit noise.

Mily

I was told that it really depends if the captain backs in or pulls into the dock forward as to which side of the ship gets the good view. I have no idea if she was being straight with me but thats what I was told.

The rep is correct. 90%+ of the time, they back into the dock. But they do occasionally pull straight in. So, if you want a beach view, go for the starboard side, but don't be surprised if they dock in the other direction.

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions! Mily, I ordered the Passporters DCL book today and should have my hands on it in a week or so. Having never cruised before I am sure it will be very valuable! It sounds like starboard is the way to go...still trying to decide between cat. 4 or cat. 10...I just love the idea of the verandah:)

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions! Mily, I ordered the Passporters DCL book today and should have my hands on it in a week or so. Having never cruised before I am sure it will be very valuable! It sounds like starboard is the way to go...still trying to decide between cat. 4 or cat. 10...I just love the idea of the verandah:)

Getting the Passporter is a smart idea! The new version has just been released, so you'll have the latest and greatest info available from them.

Having the verandah is very nice, absolutely! You will have to weigh your options for a family of five. The category 4 deluxe family stateroom with verandah is the least expensive single stateroom that will accommodate your family. Or you can book two connecting staterooms.

You have options in category 5 and 6 for connecting staterooms with verandahs, which will give you more overall space but probably at a higher price than one category 4 stateroom. Looking at my ship chart, I see very few category 7 connecting staterooms with the navigator's verandah. There are options for connecting staterooms in categories 8 and 9, deluxe oceanview staterooms; this is where you trade off the verandah for a window instead. Still you will have more space in two of these staterooms than in the category 4. The next option is category 10, the deluxe inside stateroom.

Some of your decision process might be affected by what staterooms are available on your selected itinerary.

Hope this helps!