Hi Carrie,
The first cruise is always a worry, but after that it's a piece of cake, so don't worry, ask all the questions you like and everything after that will be "smooth sailing"...Lol. All of the different cruise lines do things a little bit differently, but you can definitely expect your Disney Cruise to be very special. Once you have paid in full, what you have paid for will include your cruise, travel insurance (if you have purchased/added this separately) and once onboard, pretty much everything is paid for except for your alcoholic beverages (if you want these they need to be paid separately once onboard the ship), your soda drinks are complimentary (you can get them at the beverage station located on deck 9 on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder or there's 2 beverage stations located on deck 11 on the all-new Disney Dream. Here, your coffee, tea, iced-tea, lemonade, fruit punch, hot chocolate, milk and ice water is also complimentary but if you ask for a soda at the bar, through a server or from room service then you will be charged for it), and your
gratuities will be extra as well. At the end of your cruise on the last day, you will find envelopes in your stateroom, and a suggested guideline for whom you should typically tip and how much is appropriate and you will be able to hand deliver your envelope with the gratuity and thank these special cast members personally on your last evening for the magical experience/service they have provided for you at sea!
Just get on board your ship, eat as much as you would like (remember that room service is also included in this and is completely complimentary) and enjoy the free entertainment. Happy sailing!
Best wishes,
Brigitta