During a recent cruise i created a timelapse that started before we left the dock and ran continuously until we returned a week later. Here is how I did this without any interruptions in the video.
Equipment
For this project I purchased a GoPro Hero 9 Black. I chose this camera for the quality of the images and the durability. I went with a 256GB memory card.
In order to keep the GoPro running for multiple days, you will need to replace the door that seals off the battery with one that will let a power cord through.
You will need a USB-C Cable and a battery that you can plug into for a few days. The battery that I linked to is amazing, it has an LED display that shows the percentage remaining so you can tell when you need to recharge it.
The last piece to the puzzle is how to mount it to the railing. I purchased this GoPro wrist mount and it fit nicely on the railing. I was concerned with it being secure, so I bought additional velcro wraps.
I was in room 8600, here are photos of the setup from the outside.
I set it up to take 1 picture every 10 seconds. I ran the USB cable from the GoPro to the battery, which I put in a plastic bag on a chair to protect it from the elements in Alaska. The key to this is never touching the GoPro after it starts. I created a few timelapses of my backyard before my cruise to ensure that I had the settings right and the battery working properly, I would highly recommend that you do the same.
If you have never cruised with Disney before, this may seem like a complicated topic, but we have broken down for you! For the most part, all of the tipping happens at the end of the cruise.
Typically you get a sheet of paper on the last night, with slips that have the standard gratuities listed (for each of the cast members listed below), with envelopes. You can pay the standard amount, add more (on paper or cash), or less. This will get charged to your room. If you want to increase your tips on paper, go to guest services (or the Concierge Host if you are sailing concierge) and they will take care of it. At the end I will include what we usually do. If you have pre-paid your gratuities, then you will be given a printed sheet with the prepaid amounts, and then you can make adjustments or add cash to the envelopes.
Standard Tips
Tips are calculated per guest in your room:
– Dining Room Server – $4.75 per person/per night
– Assistant Dining Room Server – $3.75 per person/per night
– Dining Room Head Server – $1.25 per person/per night
– Stateroom Host – $4.75 per person/per night
If you are concierge then there is one additional person
– Assistant Stateroom Host – $1.00 per person/per night
Non-Standard Tips
Bag Porters, Drinks/Bars, Room Service, Spa, Excursions, etc
The last time we sailed out of San Diego, they did not have bag porters, when we arrived, we just placed our bags in a certain location. When we have sailed out of other ports, we typically tip the bag Porter who takes our bags, a few $$. In Vancouver we stayed at the Pan Pacific Hotel which is at the port, the hotel bellman came to our room and took our bags directly to the ship so we tipped him two dollars per bag. In Port Canaveral they take them out of your car and we typically just get them a flat five dollars.
Anything you buy at a bar will have the gratuity already included and you just sign for it. You can add more if you wish, but it already has 18% gratuity added. Room service (the food is included, drinks may cost more), you will still have to sign for it and you can add the tip for the delivery when you sign.
You won’t need cash for any of this, but you can tip in cash if you would like to, many guests bring cash for this purpose.
You don’t tip after meals, with the exception being Palo/Remy/Enchante which are the additional $$ adult only restaurants.
You can also tip after your spa treatments, cash or on paper, but be sure to pay attention, an 18% gratuity may be included.
If you take an excursion, I would tip with cash.
Concierge
Concierge tipping has been a grey area until recently when Disney clarified this a bit. They recommend $8 per guest per night for the concierge hosts and servers. That money is divided among the staff by preset percentages, they don’t get equal percentages. For example, the lead concierge host gets a little more than the other concierge hosts, the servers and bartenders get less.
How we tip
I am not making recommendations, just sharing what we have done.
Our last cruise was in December on the Wonder, we stayed in a Concierge Royal Suite. We brought my parents, so there were 5 of us.
We doubled the standard tips for the Servers and Stateroom Host. We have not always done this, we took a 2 night cruise (a huge waste of time/money) and our servers were not very good, we just paid the standard. On this cruise, they were incredibly attentive so we tipped accordingly. On most of our previous cruises we have increased the tips by 50-100%.
We tipped $100/night ($20 for each of the five of us) for the concierge team, they were also incredibly helpful. To tip the concierge team just go to the host on duty and ask them to print out the tip sheet for you, then tell them how much you want to tip and they will take care of the rest. You just have to sign off on it.
I hope this is helpful, let me know if you have questions!
Embarkation of your Disney Cruise really begins 30 days before your cruise begins, because that is when you have to check in online or via the Disney Cruise app. This recently changed and is based on your Castaway club status Pearl (and concierge) 40-days, Platinum 38-days, Gold 35-days, Silver 33-days prior to the sail date. First time cruisers may begin check-in 30-days out. If you would like to board the ship early in the day, then you will need to check in online at midnight ET 30 days before your cruise sails. During the check in process you will be assigned your Port Arrival Time.
What do you need when you check in your travel party?
A photo of every passengers travel documents
Passports are always suggested, but in some cases you may use other documents https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/passport-travel-documentation/#the-bahamas-caribbean-pacific-coast-bermuda-or-canada-round-trip-cruises
A photo from the shoulders up of each guest in your party
This needs to be an individual photo where the guest is looking at the camera. This is going to be used to identify you as you embark and disembark the ship.
Flight and pre-cruise hotel information (if applicable)
Credit Card for onboard charges
During this check in process, you will also be able to book certain onboard activities like the royal gathering, which is a free event where you can meet the princesses. If you are on a Pixar/Marvel/Star Wars Day at Sea cruise, they will have ticketed events for meet and greet with characters. All of these ticketed events are available when you check in 30 days before you sail.
Preparation
Be sure to take pictures of each guest prior to check-in day and have those ready on your phone or computer. Also take pictures of everyone’s travel documents to ensure that you are ready. Passport photos can be tricky because you off and get a glare, so verify that they are good before you are ready to check in.
You will also want to have your travel details ready, as well as your credit card.
When do you check in?
Check in occurs at midnight EST (or EDT depending on the time of year/daylight savings time). If your cruise leaves on November 1, 2023 then your check in date will be at 12:00 AM ET on October 2, 2023 (or 9:00 PM PT on October1, 2023)
On the day of your cruise you will arrive at the port at your designated time, or later. Parking is different at each port. If you are traveling out of Port Canaveral, there is parking available on site. But if you’re traveling out of San Diego, you will need to arrange parking in advance because there is no on-site parking.
In most ports you will give your bags to a porter (our guide to gratuities) and go through security (like an airport). You will bring your travel docs to the check in window and check in.
When your boarding group number is called you will board.
If you are concierge, ignore most of this, you are boarding group 1 no matter when you do your online check in.
If you are taking Disney transportation from the airport or a Disney resort, I believe you are boarding group 2, you just show up when the bus drops you off.
Disney offers a number of perks to concierge customers, here are some of the benefits that come with the yellow ‘Key to the World’ card?
Concierge guests are given an email address and can email their booking requests 130 days before sailing. The shore side concierge team will book onboard fun and port adventures in the order that they receive them at midnight 120 days prior to the sailing. If you have any questions about anything, I like booking a holiday decor package, which I had to be done over the phone on my latest cruise, you can call them directly and not wait in the typical call queue. You can also request certain servers, make requests about which beverages will be in your stateroom refrigerator, and any other requests you may have.
Concierge rooms on the Wonder range from deluxe family verandah rooms to royal suites.
The deluxe family verandah rooms are the same size as the non-concierge deluxe family verandah rooms, but the concierge rooms have upgraded amenities.
The 1 bedroom suites have two full bathrooms, a separate living room and a table for 4.
The 2 bedroom suites have two full bathrooms, 1 half bath, a separate living room and a table for 6.
Guests staying in a 1 or 2 BR suite (or royal suite) can order breakfast or dinner from the main dining room; talk to the concierge hosts and they can help.
The Royal Suites (the Roy O. Disney and Walter E. Disney suites) have 2 bedrooms, a living room, dining room, den and 2.5 bathrooms. In addition to eating MDR meals in the suite, you can order Palo dinner in the Royal Suites.
All guests get 50mb of free internet, concierge guests get 100 mb. Guests in the Royal Suites can enjoy unlimited internet.
All rooms have a fridge, but concierge rooms will be stocked for free. Your concierge hosts can have it stocked with non-alcoholic beverages of your choice.
Concierge guests get the prime tables in the restaurants, and they are going to have the top servers.
Concierge Lounge access- if you take the mid-ship elevators to the 10th deck, you will find the concierge lounge. Inside the lounge, you will find a beverage cooler stocked with all kinds of non-alcoholic beverages (take what you want), there is a coffee machine that will make lattes and other premium coffees as well as hot chocolate. There are snacks and finger foods throughout the day, and on some of the ships you can order food. Between 5 PM and 10 PM there is a free happy hour at the bar.
Concierge Hosts – the concierge hosts are our guest services on steroids. Whatever you need or want, talk to them. If you need a reservation to Palo or the spa, they are your best shot and getting it. They may be able to help with a last minute excursion or spa appointment. If there is something wrong with your room, let them know, and it’ll get taken care of. I know this last one from experience, we had a rattle in our room, and I mentioned it to them. The next thing I know I’ve got the Hotel Director in our room making sure it was taken care of. My wife wanted chocolate, everything in the store had nuts, she just wanted chocolate. That night (and every night thereafter) our bed had 12+ chocolates on it.
Before asking about chocolateAfter asking about chocolate
There used to be a pillow menu in the concierge rooms, I don’t believe they put it in the room anymore but you can still ask for different types of pillows and they will bring them to your room. When you want to order breakfast to your suite, just talk to the concierge hosts, and they will take care of it. During our Alaskan cruise, they also set up a special viewing of the glacier from the captains balcony (see attached image), which is located in a portion of the ship that guests do not typically have access to. Not only were we able to go to that part of the ship, they had hot chocolate, coffee, cookies, blankets, etc. along with a free photo opportunity with Mickey and Minnie! There were 20 or 30 of us out there in a space that could easily accommodate 100.
Captain’s BalconyPicture with Mickey and Minnie on the Captain’s Balcony
If you are going to attend a show in the Walt Disney theater, one of the hosts will meet you in the pub 30 minutes before the show to give you water and popcorn, as well as early access to the theater so you can get the best seats before the rest of the crowd enters.
As a concierge guest, you do not have a port arrival time, you can arrive anytime from 11 AM to 3:15 PM, you’ll have your own check in line and will be able to board the ship first. Once on board the ship, there is a Concierge lunch in Tritons. The menu is the same as the typical lunch, but I believe drinks are included. It is also a good opportunity to meet the concierge hosts, and if you need anything they can help.
On debarkation day, you can go directly to the concierge lounge, and a host will take you down an express elevator and walk you off the ship so you don’t have to wait in line. They can also help you off the ship on port days. It took us 35 minutes from the time the concierge host brought us down the express elevator to the atrium until we left the port. During that time we got off the ship, cleared customs, and got our bags.
One thing I have been asked is “is concierge worth it?” Worth is subjective, so each person is going to have a different answer. Disney cruises are expensive, concierge on a Disney cruise is very expensive. For us it is worth the extra $, but your mileage may vary.
Our personalized photos give the appearance of being double matted and can be printed to sizes 16″x20″ or bigger! We have options that include 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6 of your photos in 6 different styles!
Love it or hate it, it looks like Genie+ is here to stay.
What is Genie+?
Disney’s replacement for their fast pass system is called Genie+. Unlike the old system, there is a cost associated with Genie+, and it has a number of limitations.
For Disneyland guests, Genie+ is going to cost $20/day. For Walt Disney World guests, Genie+ is going to cost $15/day.
You can use Genie+ at multiple parks if you have a park hopper ticket.
Disneyland / California Adventure
“You’ll be able to select the next available arrival windows to enjoy a Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane attraction via the Disneyland app upon entering a theme park.
Once you’ve redeemed your initial selection (or the arrival window has passed), you can use the Disney Genie service Tip Board or My Day itinerary to see when you’re eligible to make another selection. You can make selections, one at a time, all day up to regular park closing, subject to availability and limited to one Lightning Lane selection per attraction per day.”
MyDisneyPro Tip: If you are not a rope drop family, go into the parks before breakfast just so you can make your first Lightning Lane selection! We will enter the park and immediately leave to go have breakfast and will make our LL selection while eating.
Disneyland
Autopia
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Haunted Mansion
Indiana Jones Adventure
it’s a small world
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
California Adventure
Goofy’s Sky School
Grizzly River Run
Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
Incredicoaster
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
Soarin’ Around the World
Toy Story Midway Mania!
WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure (Added 10/11/22)
MyDisneyPro Tip: This is my favorite ‘hack’, if a ride is down, get a lightning Lane pass for it! If it doesn’t come up by the time your arrival window begins, you will get a pass for any ride automatically.
Paid Lightning Lane Rides
In addition to the rides listed above there are currently three rides that you can pay additional money for to get a Lightning Lane pass. The prices vary from $7 to $20 per pass, but I have never seen Rise of the Resistance below $20. You do not need to purchase Genie+ to purchase the individual Lightning Lane passes for the three rides listed below.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Disneyland)
Radiator Springs Racers (California Adventure)
WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure (California Adventure)
MyDisneyPro Tip: If you don’t mind breaking up your party, the individual rider line at Radiator Springs Racers is a great way to cut the line from over an hour to 15 minutes. If you have never been on Rise of the Resistance and you don’t want to wait in line, this one is worth the $20!
Walt Disney World
Things work a little differently in Florida compared to California, the cost of Genie+ is $5 less at $15. In the rules below notice the ability to stack passes by waiting two hours, you can’t do this in California. There are a lot more people in Florida at the parks so the availability of passes will vary.
What Are the Rules?
Make sure you have valid admission and a theme park reservation to the same park on the same day.
Disney Genie+ service Lightning Lane selections can only be made one at a time. You must redeem an existing Disney Genie+ service Lightning Lane selection or wait 2 hours—whichever comes first—before making another Lightning Lane entrance selection through Disney Genie+ service. Please note: the 2-hour wait to make another selection begins when the park opens, even if you made your first booking at 7:00 AM.
All attractions and experiences are subject to availability.
Guests may be able to purchase Disney Genie+ service on the day of their park visit and make their first Disney Genie+ selection for Lightning Lane entry starting at 7:00AM.
Magic Kingdom
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Haunted Mansion
“it’s a small world”
Jungle Cruise
Mad Tea Party
Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
Meet Mickey and Minnie at Town Square Theater
Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
Peter Pan’s Flight
Pirates of the Caribbean
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
The Barnstormer
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Tomorrowland Speedway
Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
EPCOT
Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
Frozen Ever After
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Living with the Land
Mission: SPACE – Green
Mission: SPACE – Orange
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Soarin’ Around the World
Spaceship Earth
Test Track
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Turtle Talk with Crush
Hollywood Studios
Alien Swirling Saucers
Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
Disney Junior Play & Dance!
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Muppet*Vision 3D
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Slinky Dog Dash
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
Toy Story Mania!
Animal Kingdom
Festival of the Lion King
DINOSAUR
Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
Feathered Friends in Flight!
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond!
It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
Kali River Rapids
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
Naʻvi River Journey
The Animation Experience at Conservation Station
Paid Lightning Lane Rides
The individual Lightning Lane passes in Walt Disney World do not have an assigned price range as they do in Disneyland. Similar to Disneyland, you do not need to purchase genie plus to be able to purchase paid Lightning Lane passes.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Magic Kingdom)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (EPCOT)
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Hollywood Studios)
Is this your first Disney Cruise? Whether this is your first or if you have been on many Disney Cruises, this is a great place to start!
As of the time of this post there are five Disney Cruise ships currently sailing, with one additional cruise ship that is scheduled to set sail in 2024. The two original ships are known as the Magic Class ships and they include the Magic and the Wonder. The magic class ships are the smallest in Disney’s fleet. The next two ships the Dream and the Fantasy, are Dream Class ships and are larger than the Magic Class but not as big as the Triton Class ships, which include the Wish, the upcoming Treasure, and one yet to be named future ship. There are small differences within each class, but the ships within each class are fairly similar.
It doesn’t matter what ship you’re booked on, you’re gonna have a great time!
My Cruise is booked, now what? Cruises booked and now what do you do to prepare? Here are a list of things to do ahead of time –
Make sure you have a passport and it is not gonna expire while you’re on your trip! If you are a US citizen leaving from the United States you may not need a passport, but they are always recommended. If an emergency happens and you need to be transported, getting back to the United States can be difficult if you do not have your passport.
Dining Time: everyone is assigned a dining time for the main dining rooms, typically 5:45 PM or 8:00 PM. The early dining time books up the fastest, because of the number of young children on Disney Cruises. Whether you have the early or late dining, the menus are the same and you won’t miss any of the shows. Each show runs twice, if you have late dining you’ll go to the early show and if you have early dining you’ll go to the late show. There are three main dining rooms on each ship and you’ll rotate through each of the dining rooms during your cruise. Your navigator app will tell you which dining room your dining in that night. Your waitstaff will also follow you to each dining room for dinner.
In addition to the main dining rooms, there are other dining options available on Disney cruises. They do vary a little by ship. Check out this post about your various dining options.
Book Air Travel and Hotels: Disney currently cruises out of Port Canaveral, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans, New York, Galveston, Honolulu, and San Diego in the United States. I like to book my hotel as soon as I know that I’m going to travel, but I hold off on airfare until a few months before my trip. Historically, airfare within the United States is the cheapest on a Tuesday afternoon about 56 days before your flight. If you are flying international, first class, or from an airport with very few options, you may want to book a little sooner. If you book airfare too far in advance we may not get the best price.
Excursions and Activities: excursions and onboard activities can be booked within a few months of your cruise.
Concierge guests can email shoreside 130 days before your cruise. Platinum guests can book online 120 days before your cruise. Gold guests can book online 105 days before your cruise. Silver guests can book online 90 days before your cruise. First time cruisers can book 75 days before your cruise.
MyDisneyPro Tip: the booking window opens at midnight Eastern time, so if you are on the West Coast, don’t wait until midnight start booking at 9 PM the day before!
Online Check In: 30 days prior to your departure date you can check in online and get your port arrival time. This window opens at midnight Eastern time, if you want to arrive early to the port you should make sure you are online when the window opens.
