First-time cruisers on Disney Dream -- any tips?

[Aurora]

Just booked my parents and sister on a 3-night cruise on the Disney Dream. They have never been on a cruise before and don't know what to expect AT ALL. And neither have I, so I don't have any advice for them.

They are booked in a deluxe family oceanview stateroom midship, leaving on Aug. 15.

FYI, my mom is a little prone to motion sickness. The CM who booked the trip said she also had that problem but that she recently cruised on the Dream and didn't have an issue at all. Mom would like to be prepared, in any case.

I know this is a very general question, but does anyone have any tips for them, being first-time cruisers?

Thanks in advance!

[Quadstriker]

Don't miss the shows.

[catasaid]

We did the Disney Dream cruise in May and it was wonderful! I also have trouble with motion sickness but had no problems on that cruise...I hardly even felt the ship moving. I always take a Bonine pill for motion sickness every day when on my Disney vacation. I start before I even get on the plane, so that's what I did for that trip too - one pill a day - worked great for me. I found the buses to/from port had more motion than the cruise ship!

[Yungbuck73]

Don't miss the shows.

The Shows are great!! Def dont miss them
Been on Dream 2 times already and motion never bothers me. Also the seas on the 3 nighter arent that rough. My wife gets the motion sickness patch. Just put it on behind ear a couple hrs before sailing and she has never had a problem.
When they do the online check in, try to get to port early so you can get on ship and start vacation ASAP. The rooms arent ready until about 130 or so.
Instead of going to Cabanas(the buffet on upper deck), go to Enchanted Garden for lunch. Its a buffet but they sit you at a table instead of trying to find a table for yourself. Enchanted Garden opens at about 2pm or so.
If the weather isnt so great, and they want to see a movie, get there early for a good seat. I was very suprised how crowded movie theater got.
Best tip-ENJOY THE CRUISE!!!!!

[Love2Cruise]

You are in for a treat! I don't know if you're asking about Disney cruises specifically, or just cruise advice in general. If you mean in general, then I have some tips for both the ship and for the shore.

On ship: In your cabin, you may only have one electrical outlet, bring a power strip so you can charge more than 1 phone. I would also recommend bringing some suction hooks for extra hanging capacity in the bathroom. Between the wet bathing suits and the towels, the little washline they have will be filled up quickly! You may also want to bring a laundry bag in the cabin.

On-shore: I generally bring wet wipes for the restrooms on shore, hand sanitizer, and hand/surface wipes to use on tables before eating, just in case. Since Disney stops at their own island, you probably won't have to worry about sanitary conditions like you would on a standard shore excursion.

I have an external site/blog I maintain with all kinds of first-time cruise stuff, are we allowed to post external links here?

[NJDad]

Be prepared for motion sickness, even if everyone says you *usually* don't feel the motion.

Know that if you drink alcoholic beverages a service fee/tip is added to your bill, so only tip more if you felt the service was worth the extra.