Ahoy there, Laurie! It's great to have you and your crew alongside here at planDisney!
Wow! it's not every day we get a question from a group of 22! Now that's enough deckhands to crew the Dauntless if you ask me! I thought a few years back when 11 of my family all sailed on the Disney Fantasy that we were a "large" crew, but that doesn't even hold a candle to your crew! I'm so excited for everyone to get prepared for the most incredible time...but in order to do that, we'll need to plan, plan, plan...no time to waste!
First thing's first - take a deep breath! You may have heard that planning for a Disney Cruise Line vacation can be stressful, but I'm here to say it definitely doesn't have to be! A little bit of attention to your crew's "Must Dos" and some specific things to know about staterooms to help you ensure all 22 of them have a place to sleep, and you'll be on your way to major "Family-Member-of-the-Year" votes for making this vacation one to remember!
I see you're looking at July of 2023 - that's a fantastic time of year to be sailing! From typically great weather, fair winds, following seas, and enough bright sun to make Maui shapeshift into...well, something that really likes sun...that's a planDrew-approved time date to have circled on the calendar. The only thing standing in your way is the fact that Summer 2023 itineraries have not yet been released! But keep a weather eye on the Disney Cruise Line website, as these itineraries have historically been released around this time of year!
While you wait, you can still start forming an idea of where your crew would like to go - which will narrow down which ship you'll be embarking on as well! With a soon-to-be fifth ship - the Disney Wish - joining the fleet, options abound! In July, The Disney Magic and Disney Wonder are typically in Europe and Alaska, respectively, while the Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wish will likely be sailing the Caribbean and Bahamian waters! With 22 votes on where to sail, I say you either draw from a hat, or you claim votes as the planner-in-chief to break a potential tie!
From there, it's time to consider staterooms! The entire fleet is filled with staterooms that sleep at least four Guests, with some Concierge-level staterooms sleeping up to seven! How you divide up your staterooms will likely be along family unit lines, but there are a few things to remember:
- It's possible to book up to four staterooms at a time online but since you'll need more than four, I'd suggest calling a crew member to book for your party, unless you'd like to have several family members book their own!
- Once booked, you can link reservations to make the request that you have the same dining rotation and are able to sit as near one another as 22 people can in the main dining rooms!
- At least one adult must be assigned to each stateroom.
Well, Laurie, that about covers the basics of what to keep an eye on until itineraries are released! It may seem a bit overwhelming, but at the end of the day, you're well on your way! Thank you so much for your question, and as you think of additional questions about the details please sail my way again and drop me a line!
Until then, happy planning!
Andrew