Just back from first Mexican Riviera trip - Any questions?

[JennyW]

We just got back today and had a wonderful time! Our first cruise. We've got two kids, and all four us had a ball.

[chuotnho]

I hope you have had a good time. Few questions:

1- Could you share the navigators with us?

2- Did you try the zipline tour in PV or BOB in Cabo? If so, please give feedback.

Thank you!

[aseal]

Did you do excursions?? I would like to know how you would rate your experience. Thanks

[dleyel]

Welcome home! Glad to hear you had a wonderful time and thanks for offering to answer questions. We're leaving on August 3rd. It will be our first Disney cruise. How old are your kids? I've got DD6, DS9 and DS12. We're also cruising with my in-laws, or I should say courtesy of my in-laws! :) Did you do DCL excursions? We've reserved the dolphin swim in PV and the Santa Maria sail and snorkel in Cabo. After hearing a negative review of the Mazatlan City Highlights tour, I just changed it to the Mazatlan Highlights, Folkloric Show and Mexican Buffet. Any advice on excursions would be greatly appreciated!

[laurenbcl]

I would love to hear your thoughts! Here are my questions from a separate thread:

I would love to hear about your trip! Specifically, how hectic was check-in at the port in LA (how long did you wait)? Also, any input on excursions -- most interested in hearing about Nikki Beach trip in Cabo, city highlights and Mexican Mardi Gras Fiesta in Mazatlan (got horrible comments from another cruiser), canopy adventure in PV and dolphin swim in PV? When were character breakfasts? How was the evening entertainment? Which movies were playing? DH and I will be cruising with our DD (10), DS (6) and DS (20 months) - so any great pointers for things not to miss with kids those ages would be appreciated! Finally, how was the weather? Many thanks!

[JennyW]

To answer everyone who has asked so far:

I read someone else is going to try to scan or photograph their navigators. Mine are still packed, but I'll try to do it if someone else doesn't get to it first.

Didn't do zipline tour (wanted to, but it was my daughter's birthday that day and she was too young to go, and we didn't want to ditch her), nor the one you mention in Cabo.

We did do the 4 hour private driver tour in Puerto Vallarta. Highly recommended. We had Bernardo. Very sweet guy. He appreciated that we were interested in what life was really like there, enjoying the differences and not being upset that it wasn't "just like the U.S."

My DD is 7 and my DS is 4. They enjoyed the Oceaneer Club quite a bit, though they still spent most of their time with us. We also sailed courtesy of my mom and stepdad. There's no way we could afford this cruise otherwise!! We went with them, plus my sister and her family. It was great to know other people on the boat.

We waited an hour or so (didn't measure) in the terminal. But they had a movie on for the kids, and a good but too loud band playing.

Our character breakfast was on Friday. Overrated, I thought. It was just regular breakfast food with lots of characters dancing around and keeping the kids (and some adults) from eating their food.

Evening shows - most were just so so. Disney Dreams was nice, and I really enjoyed Twice Charmed. Those were the only two that seemed like cohesive shows to me.

Someone else listed movie times in another thread, and we didn't see any, so please refer to the other threads.

Storytime with Belle was great, in the kids area. Though it may have been for the group that you don't have a kid for! Parachute time is always good. Fragile Forts was a great one. We enjoyed the Pirate night party a lot more than the Sail Away party. For much of the Sail Away party, we were at the front of the boat watching ourselves leave port. It was great! Mostly, we just enjoyed spending a lot of time with our children. Oh, and the napkin folding activity was great with my 7 year old.

[theporterhouse]

Was there a tea with Wendy? or Alice?

[laurenbcl]

Thanks JennyW! We're mostly looking to spending time with our children too. We are sailing with another family with children similar ages as our children. It sounds like there are lots of things to do (like the story time) that don't require much planning. Thanks for the pointers. Looking forward to seeing the Navigators so I'll have a better idea of what our options will be.

[chuotnho]

Thank You!:)

[LOLA2]

Was there a Mexican night deck party besides the pirate deck party?

[DMMarla07860]

did they have any special Mexican Riviera shirts, mugs, postcards,pins or anything?

[Sailingpartyof10]

There is definitely special Mexican Riviera merchandise. They brought it out at the end of the repo cruise. I remember red and lime t-shirts and I think mugs, but there were some other things, too.

[Sorcerer Mom]

Any feedback on the parking at port? Was it well organized, were any staff directing you where to go and how was the availability of spaces? Also, was there any specific time you could actually get into the parking lot or could you enter at any time? (we plan to get there pretty early). Thanks!

Glad you had a great time and welcome back!

[JennyW]

Was there a tea with Wendy? or Alice?

This was one of the things I forgot to look for!!

[JennyW]

Was there a Mexican night deck party besides the pirate deck party?

Not that I saw. Only deck parties were Sail Away and Pirate Night.

[JennyW]

did they have any special Mexican Riviera shirts, mugs, postcards,pins or anything?

Yes yes yes yes. Lots of tshirts/sweatshirts, a pin, some post cards, I think some mugs and shot glasses and the like. The items specific to the Mexican Riviera cruise were all in Treasure Ketch, NOT in Mickey's Mates.

[JennyW]

Any feedback on the parking at port? Was it well organized, were any staff directing you where to go and how was the availability of spaces? Also, was there any specific time you could actually get into the parking lot or could you enter at any time? (we plan to get there pretty early). Thanks!

Glad you had a great time and welcome back!

We parked at the Doubletree and had a shuttle. Though when we got off the ship, I wished we'd parked at the port! It would have been nice to just go to our car.

[Michelle2]

Do you know what time the terminal opened? I know someone said they arrived at 10:30, but is that when the terminal opened, or did it open at 10:00 am?

I am confused about holding the boarding group 2....sounds unfair. I know they hold aside boarding group #1, but I wish I knew what the 2s were for, and if they are doing that for every cruise.

[koalagurl]

I am confused about holding the boarding group 2....sounds unfair. I know they hold aside boarding group #1, but I wish I knew what the 2s were for, and if they are doing that for every cruise.

What are boarding groups? :)

[DMMarla07860]

Yes yes yes yes. Lots of tshirts/sweatshirts, a pin, some post cards, I think some mugs and shot glasses and the like. The items specific to the Mexican Riviera cruise were all in Treasure Ketch, NOT in Mickey's Mates.

thanks for the info

[MrSanderz]

Was there a tea with Wendy? or Alice?

Yes, they offered Tea with Alice two times during the cruise but Our family did not go.

[MrSanderz]

Do you know what time the terminal opened? I know someone said they arrived at 10:30, but is that when the terminal opened, or did it open at 10:00 am?

I am confused about holding the boarding group 2....sounds unfair. I know they hold aside boarding group #1, but I wish I knew what the 2s were for, and if they are doing that for every cruise.


We got to the terminal at 9:35, dropped the luggage off curbside and a porter took it right away. DH went to park and was back in just a few minutes. They let us into the terminal but the check in counters were not opened until 10:00 so I waited in line. We were the third group in line for the Castaway Club check in. After we checked in and got our KTTW cards, then we went to another part of the terminal and that is when we recieved boarding card #3. We did not go through security until right before we boarded the ship. We were on the ship before noon. Very easy process. We did have to wait in a long line for kids' club check-in but were able to get our pagers before we got on the ship.

As far as boarding groups went, someone told me that the suites got groups 1 and 2. After boarding some of the suite guests, the announcement was made to board groups 1-3.

[Caropooh]

I'm interested in knowing what time the DCL shuttles started running from LAX! Our flight arrives at 8:40AM, will we be able to get right on a shuttle?

[JoiseyMom]

To answer everyone who has asked so far:

I read someone else is going to try to scan or photograph their navigators. Mine are still packed, but I'll try to do it if someone else doesn't get to it first.

Didn't do zipline tour (wanted to, but it was my daughter's birthday that day and she was too young to go, and we didn't want to ditch her), nor the one you mention in Cabo.

We did do the 4 hour private driver tour in Puerto Vallarta. Highly recommended. We had Bernardo. Very sweet guy. He appreciated that we were interested in what life was really like there, enjoying the differences and not being upset that it wasn't "just like the U.S."

My DD is 7 and my DS is 4. They enjoyed the Oceaneer Club quite a bit, though they still spent most of their time with us. We also sailed courtesy of my mom and stepdad. There's no way we could afford this cruise otherwise!! We went with them, plus my sister and her family. It was great to know other people on the boat.

We waited an hour or so (didn't measure) in the terminal. But they had a movie on for the kids, and a good but too loud band playing.

Our character breakfast was on Friday. Overrated, I thought. It was just regular breakfast food with lots of characters dancing around and keeping the kids (and some adults) from eating their food.

Evening shows - most were just so so. Disney Dreams was nice, and I really enjoyed Twice Charmed. Those were the only two that seemed like cohesive shows to me.

Someone else listed movie times in another thread, and we didn't see any, so please refer to the other threads.

Storytime with Belle was great, in the kids area. Though it may have been for the group that you don't have a kid for! Parachute time is always good. Fragile Forts was a great one. We enjoyed the Pirate night party a lot more than the Sail Away party. For much of the Sail Away party, we were at the front of the boat watching ourselves leave port. It was great! Mostly, we just enjoyed spending a lot of time with our children. Oh, and the napkin folding activity was great with my 7 year old.


How much was the PV 4 hour tour?? Was it through DCL??

Thanks.

[GoofyontheHiSeas]

We got to the terminal at 9:35, dropped the luggage off curbside and a porter took it right away. DH went to park and was back in just a few minutes. They let us into the terminal but the check in counters were not opened until 10:00 so I waited in line. We were the third group in line for the Castaway Club check in. After we checked in and got our KTTW cards, then we went to another part of the terminal and that is when we recieved boarding card #3. We did not go through security until right before we boarded the ship. We were on the ship before noon. Very easy process. We did have to wait in a long line for kids' club check-in but were able to get our pagers before we got on the ship.

As far as boarding groups went, someone told me that the suites got groups 1 and 2. After boarding some of the suite guests, the announcement was made to board groups 1-3.

:worship: :worship: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Now I can book my transportation plans.

[theporterhouse]

Thanks for the info!;)

[traceye]

Yes, they offered Tea with Alice two times during the cruise but Our family did not go.

They offered tea with Alice and the Mad Hatter, on Monday and Friday....However you must go to guest services immediately when you get on the ship to sign up for it. I did not realize I needed to sign up for it ( I thought it would just show up on the navigator) and when I went to guest services on Tuesday I was told the Friday tea was full with 70 people on the wait list and they wouldn't even put me on the wait list. About 10 minutes later I ran into Brent the cruise director and shared my disappointment with him. He took my cabin number and told me he would look into it. 2 days later I had a message in my cabin that a 3rd tea had been added for Saturday and to just show up. I was VERY impressed that they accomodated so many people for this. Another tip, of the teas are full, show up and ask the cast members at the door if you can wait to see if there are any empty seats. I heard they let some people in at the door. However you do risk diappointing your kids if you can't get in. The tea was very cute, and one of my daughter's favorite things she did on the trip.

I never saw that there was story time with Belle. It was probably for the younger kids and I didn't really look at the things that weren't in my kids age groups. My daughter would have been in heaven to go to that.

As for the boarding process, we arrived at the terminal at about 12pm and we were boarding number 17, it only took about 20 minutes to be called, maybe not even that long. I think we were on the ship at 1pm, after checking in and waiting to get our number called.

We went to the kids club to check in on the ship and had no wait at all. This was after standing in line in the terminal for about 10 minutes but my boarding number was going to be called. I just walked right in at the club.

Tracey

[traceye]

To answer everyone who has asked so far:


Evening shows - most were just so so. Disney Dreams was nice, and I really enjoyed Twice Charmed. Those were the only two that seemed like cohesive shows to me.



We enjoyed the evening shows VERY much. Each and every one. I was blown away by the entertainment. The Dreams show is NOT TO BE MISSED....fabulous!!! It was a highlight of my trip.

We did not see any movies on board.

We loved both the sail away party and the deck party. My dd and I were at the party, ds and dh were at the front of the ship watching us sail away. I LOVED the deck parties.

Tracey

[Deb T.]

They offered tea with Alice and the Mad Hatter, on Monday and Friday....However you must go to guest services immediately when you get on the ship to sign up for it. I did not realize I needed to sign up for it ( I thought it would just show up on the navigator) and when I went to guest services on Tuesday I was told the Friday tea was full with 70 people on the wait list and they wouldn't even put me on the wait list. About 10 minutes later I ran into Brent the cruise director and shared my disappointment with him. He took my cabin number and told me he would look into it. 2 days later I had a message in my cabin that a 3rd tea had been added for Saturday and to just show up. I was VERY impressed that they accomodated so many people for this. Another tip, of the teas are full, show up and ask the cast members at the door if you can wait to see if there are any empty seats. I heard they let some people in at the door. However you do risk diappointing your kids if you can't get in. The tea was very cute, and one of my daughter's favorite things she did on the trip.

Is there an extra charge for the Tea with Alice?

TIA

[traceye]

Is there an extra charge for the Tea with Alice?

TIA

No extra charge.. Here's a descrption for those who want to know.

They have the tables set with little place settings and 4 big chocolate chip cookies on a plate. Each table has a little tea pot on it filled with apple juice. Alice and the Mad Hatter come out and do the little unbirthday scene and Alice teaches everyone how to have a proper tea. They whole thing is like a little skit and lasts 30 minutes. They then allow each child (or anyone I guess) to take a picture with Alice and the Mad Hatter. I thought it was cute, and my daughter loved it. But I wouldn't say it was Fabulous, just very cute.

Tracey

[Michelle2]

:worship: :worship: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Now I can book my transportation plans.

Me too! Thank you Mr Sanderz!

[Weedy]

We sail this Sunday June 7. This is our 5th cruise.
Who was the special entertainment on your cruise?
Did they do special dinning every night (in addition to Pirate Night)?
How was the food. I have been reading it has not been as good?
How was it getting off the ship? We have the later dinner seating, so we disembark later and we have an 11 am flight?
Hope you had a great cruise. We are counting the days.

Thanks

[4campers]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1844532

All navigators are posted now;)

[theporterhouse]

:goodvibes My DSIL would like to know if they sell the Princess costumes on the ship? If so is the cost comparable to the one's at DL ($60.00)? Thanks:goodvibes

[3Down1Up]

:goodvibes My DSIL would like to know if they sell the Princess costumes on the ship? If so is the cost comparable to the one's at DL ($60.00)? Thanks:goodvibes

Oh yeah they do! Disney wouldn't miss that opportunity! The pricing sounds right. They sell dresses, accessories, wigs . . . I distinctly remember Ariel, Jasmine, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty . . . I am sure Belle was included in that group as well, but I can't remember it off the top of my head.

[3Down1Up]

We sail this Sunday June 7. This is our 5th cruise.
Who was the special entertainment on your cruise?
Did they do special dinning every night (in addition to Pirate Night)?
How was the food. I have been reading it has not been as good?
How was it getting off the ship? We have the later dinner seating, so we disembark later and we have an 11 am flight?
Hope you had a great cruise. We are counting the days. Thanks

They had a comedian and a ventriloquist and we didn't see either, so I can't comment on them.

They had a menu for Formal Night, Captain's Gala, "Til We Meet Again" . . . every night we were in Parrot Cay, we had a special menu, so we never had a chance to try the "real" Parrot Cay menu! :) So it's not every night, but maybe half of the nights have special menus. I have to say, I went in with low expectations about the food, after reading a lot of postings on it, and I was pleasantly surprised. I would say that for the adult food, especially dinners, the food exceeded my expectations but the kids food was pretty bland (I guess that is how to get kids to eat it, right?). But specifically, I thought the chicken tenders were not crispy, the pizza kinda soggy, the hamburgers kinda grey-looking . . . kinda like cafeteria food.

I think for your later seating, your official seating for breakfast would be somewhere around 8:15, but you can get breakfast at Topsider's starting at 6:30am. The key to getting off early is to get in an early group for disembarking (they let people off by group, and those groups are assigned to you at your breakfast seating), and I would think the key to that would be going to Guest Services the day beforehand and explaining your situation. They started letting people off the ship by 8am.

[4campers]

We parked at the Doubletree and had a shuttle. Though when we got off the ship, I wished we'd parked at the port! It would have been nice to just go to our car.

We did park at the port and it was very easy getting in and out. We paid $11 each day and we were right up front. Got there around 11:30. We didn't arrive early, so we got boarding #11, but we were just fine with that! She wouldn't leave without us:cool1:

Love our diser friends:love:

[3Down1Up]

No extra charge.. Here's a descrption for those who want to know.

They have the tables set with little place settings and 4 big chocolate chip cookies on a plate. Each table has a little tea pot on it filled with apple juice. Alice and the Mad Hatter come out and do the little unbirthday scene and Alice teaches everyone how to have a proper tea. They whole thing is like a little skit and lasts 30 minutes. They then allow each child (or anyone I guess) to take a picture with Alice and the Mad Hatter. I thought it was cute, and my daughter loved it. But I wouldn't say it was Fabulous, just very cute.

Tracey

We went to the Monday tea with Alice, and it wasn't full, so I second what an earlier poster said, and if you are told that it is sold out, so to speak, go anyway and see if the CM will let you in. Also, they didn't collect tickets from us at all, so I don't know if they were assuming that everyone there already had a ticket or what.

My DD5 loved the tea, mainly because of the Mad Hatter character - he was quite entertaining, I thought. She thought he was very silly. :) I recommend it - two thumbs up!

[traceye]

We went to the Monday tea with Alice, and it wasn't full, so I second what an earlier poster said, and if you are told that it is sold out, so to speak, go anyway and see if the CM will let you in. Also, they didn't collect tickets from us at all, so I don't know if they were assuming that everyone there already had a ticket or what.

My DD5 loved the tea, mainly because of the Mad Hatter character - he was quite entertaining, I thought. She thought he was very silly. :) I recommend it - two thumbs up!

At the added Saturday tea they were checking the tickets.

Tracey

[traceye]

I was also pleasantly surprised by the food. I was expecting the awful food of all the other cruise lines that I've taken and I thought the DCL was very good. It was a nice surprise.

Tracey

[DisneyCruiser2008]

We went to the Monday tea with Alice, and it wasn't full, so I second what an earlier poster said, and if you are told that it is sold out, so to speak, go anyway and see if the CM will let you in. Also, they didn't collect tickets from us at all, so I don't know if they were assuming that everyone there already had a ticket or what.

My DD5 loved the tea, mainly because of the Mad Hatter character - he was quite entertaining, I thought. She thought he was very silly. :) I recommend it - two thumbs up!


Just wondering around what time on Monday the Tea w/ Alice was?? Planning around DD's naptime. :-)

[Mickeys#1Fan4ever]

We parked at the Doubletree and had a shuttle. Though when we got off the ship, I wished we'd parked at the port! It would have been nice to just go to our car.


How was the Doubletree and how did their shuttle work? We are staying at the Doubletree the night before our cruise and we are planning on leaving our car parked at the hotel for the week. Does the shuttle run constantly. And oh yeah...is the Doubletress close enough to the port to walk? Thanks for the info!

[3Down1Up]

Just wondering around what time on Monday the Tea w/ Alice was?? Planning around DD's naptime. :-)

4pm on Monday.

[JennyW]

How much was the PV 4 hour tour?? Was it through DCL??

It was listed as an option through Disney, but you had to actually call them to arrange it. Not something you could do on the website. It was $340 for four hours for a 12 person van, including excellent driver. Well worth it for us, since we were a group of 10. And he took us wherever we wanted to go!

[JennyW]

How was the Doubletree and how did their shuttle work? We are staying at the Doubletree the night before our cruise and we are planning on leaving our car parked at the hotel for the week. Does the shuttle run constantly. And oh yeah...is the Doubletress close enough to the port to walk? Thanks for the info!

Good questions. I wish I had known all this before we went. Turns out you have to sign up for a certain timed shuttle for the next morning. Sign up when you check in! We got on the first shuttle and we checked in late. No problems leaving the car. The parking spaces in the Doubletree lot are TINY, but I did see a real police car patrolling the lot. Then when you get back into port, just call the hotel (they give you a card) and they'll send someone for you. Took us about 10 minutes or so to wait. It's not close enough to walk.

[traceye]

Just wondering around what time on Monday the Tea w/ Alice was?? Planning around DD's naptime. :-)

Christy, both teas that were scheduled were at 4pm, but the added one on Saturday was at 1pm

[DisneyCruiser2008]

Christy, both teas that were scheduled were at 4pm, but the added one on Saturday was at 1pm

Thank you, and the others, for all of the great information. Now I can hardly wait for our trip in July!

I saw on the Navigators that some of the main shows (Golden Mickeys, Dreams, Twice Charmed) are also offered as matinees... I'm thinking this might be good for us because we have young kids -- did anyone go to the matinees? Were they less crowded?

[Mickeys#1Fan4ever]

Good questions. I wish I had known all this before we went. Turns out you have to sign up for a certain timed shuttle for the next morning. Sign up when you check in! We got on the first shuttle and we checked in late. No problems leaving the car. The parking spaces in the Doubletree lot are TINY, but I did see a real police car patrolling the lot. Then when you get back into port, just call the hotel (they give you a card) and they'll send someone for you. Took us about 10 minutes or so to wait. It's not close enough to walk.

Thanks for the heads up. We'll be getting there probably mid morning on the Saturday before and we will definitely sign up for the shuttle. One more question....how large are the shuttles? We will have a group of 15 with us.

[sejejoemmiev]

Did anyone do the Resort Pool Getaway in Cabo or Yelapa and Majahuitas in Puerto Vallarta???????????? We have these excursions booked through DCL and we would like some reviews to make sure they are good choices!!
Do you have to tender in these ports?

[kpros]

Thanks for all the info!

I have a question about the time changes. It appears that you had to move your clocks ahead twice on the trip. I noticed on the Navigators that you moved them back on Thursday and Friday nights (1 hour each night), but it didn't say on which days you moved them forward.

Any info about the time changes is appreciated.

Ken

[LisaG520]

Did anyone do the Resort Pool Getaway in Cabo or Yelapa and Majahuitas in Puerto Vallarta???????????? We have these excursions booked through DCL and we would like some reviews to make sure they are good choices!!
Do you have to tender in these ports?

You tender in Cabo.

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

Thanks for all the info!

I have a question about the time changes. It appears that you had to move your clocks ahead twice on the trip. I noticed on the Navigators that you moved them back on Thursday and Friday nights (1 hour each night), but it didn't say on which days you moved them forward.

Any info about the time changes is appreciated.

Ken

Ken,

The move forwards are on a different spot in the Navigator.

Move forward Sunday & Wednesday.
Move Back Thursday & Friday.

[3Down1Up]

Thanks for all the info!

I have a question about the time changes. It appears that you had to move your clocks ahead twice on the trip. I noticed on the Navigators that you moved them back on Thursday and Friday nights (1 hour each night), but it didn't say on which days you moved them forward.

Any info about the time changes is appreciated.

Ken

The first time change of moving one hour forward was Sunday night, and I remember that distinctly because our character breakfast was Monday morning, and with the time change and all, we missed it. From all I have read, it sounds like we didn't miss much!

The second one was Wednesday night, I believe.

[traceye]

We lost moved the clocks back 1 hr on Sunday night, and 1 hour on and Wednesday night (before arriving in Puerto Vallarta) then back one hour Thursday night and back the last hour on Friday night.

[3Down1Up]

I saw on the Navigators that some of the main shows (Golden Mickeys, Dreams, Twice Charmed) are also offered as matinees... I'm thinking this might be good for us because we have young kids -- did anyone go to the matinees? Were they less crowded?

We did a matinee for Disney Dreams and the 8:30 for Twice Charmed, and the matinee was definitely less crowded, but not by much. If you want good seats (like center 5 rows back or something), I would imagine you would have to show up 30 minutes ahead? Maybe other posters would have more input - for each we got there about 15 minutes ahead. And I peaked in to the 8:30 showing of Til We Meet Again and it was standing room only.

[kpros]

Thanks for all the "time" answers. :thumbsup2

Ken

[mom4mad]

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Las Caletas tour in PV, the Los arcos kayaking in Cabo, or the MAzatlan beach getaway? We are signed up for these, but I am wondering if I overbooked us?

[JennyW]

Thanks for the heads up. We'll be getting there probably mid morning on the Saturday before and we will definitely sign up for the shuttle. One more question....how large are the shuttles? We will have a group of 15 with us.

It wouldn't seat 15. You'd need two shuttles for that. I think 10 can fit in one, though.

[GrumpyMom1]

Thank you for all the info!!!

What is the Castaway Club gift? Is is something special for Mexico or the same bag and mugs that they have been doing? I am actually hoping for the bag.

[4campers]

Thank you for all the info!!!

What is the Castaway Club gift? Is is something special for Mexico or the same bag and mugs that they have been doing? I am actually hoping for the bag.

It's the bag and I love it! We used it alot on the trip!

[GrumpyMom1]

It's the bag and I love it! We used it alot on the trip!

Thanks! Did you get the mesh bag also? I'm trying to decide if I should pack a mesh bag for the beach.

[4campers]

Thanks! Did you get the mesh bag also? I'm trying to decide if I should pack a mesh bag for the beach.

oh gosh yes, and it was really nice to have. I had wished I had brought our other bigger one too. They come in really handy. I did pretty well with packing this trip, guess we do get better with age:rotfl2:

[bcnb103]

thanks for the updates.:cool1: :thumbsup2 I have been waiting..........:rotfl2: it seems like forever.

Becky

[marlinmike]

Did anyone do the Resort Pool Getaway in Cabo????????????

We have stayed at the Finisterra many times while staying in Cabo. They have nice pools - one with a swimup bar. There is also a nice view of the Pacific Ocean, however, because of the steep shoreline and undertows you'll want to stick with the pools. We have booked this excursion in Cabo - probably our least active excursion of the three ports. And, if it's too hot or not to our liking, it's not a very far walk DOWNHILL to the tender terminal. The cruise terminal, if it's where it used to be, is where the charter boats come in and you can see their sailfish, wahoo, marlin, etc.

Marlin

[Cheese Please]

JennyW and all the other Mexican Riviera Cruisers thanks for all the great information. Did any of you bring alcohol on board in Los Angels? I know it is not a problem in Port Canaveral and was not in 2005 in LA, but I also know Port of LA is run differently than the Port in Florida, so I was interested in hearing anyones experience with bring alcohol on board.

Thanks,
Dave

[traceye]

We brought beer on with no problem. I know others brought wine and hard alchohol. I'm not sure if theirs was packed in the luggage or if they carried it on. We brought a rolling cooler on ourselves.

Tracey

[4campers]

JennyW and all the other Mexican Riviera Cruisers thanks for all the great information. Did any of you bring alcohol on board in Los Angels? I know it is not a problem in Port Canaveral and was not in 2005 in LA, but I also know Port of LA is run differently than the Port in Florida, so I was interested in hearing anyones experience with bring alcohol on board.

Thanks,
Dave

I suppose I better answer this one:lmao: :lmao:

Well, yes, I did bring alcohol on board! We carried on 4 bottles of wine in a roller soft cooler (no ice). We also, checked a case of water and a case of beer;) No questions asked! Our room attd. was wonderful and kept the cooler full of ice each day!

cheers:drinking1

[4campers]

We brought beer on with no problem. I know others brought wine and hard alchohol. I'm not sure if theirs was packed in the luggage or if they carried it on. We brought a rolling cooler on ourselves.

Tracey

Hey, we drank the wine together:rotfl2:

Go figure, it's you and I answering this one:lmao:

[traceye]

Hey, we drank the wine together:rotfl2:

Go figure, it's you and I answering this one:lmao:

That's funny. Although I was there with you and the wine...for some reason I never drank any that day. I was always SO FULL from eating that I couldn't think about drinking! I could use that wine right about now though!

Tracey

[sejejoemmiev]

We have stayed at the Finisterra many times while staying in Cabo. They have nice pools - one with a swimup bar. There is also a nice view of the Pacific Ocean, however, because of the steep shoreline and undertows you'll want to stick with the pools. We have booked this excursion in Cabo - probably our least active excursion of the three ports. And, if it's too hot or not to our liking, it's not a very far walk DOWNHILL to the tender terminal. The cruise terminal, if it's where it used to be, is where the charter boats come in and you can see their sailfish, wahoo, marlin, etc.

Marlin

Thank You. It is great to hear a good review. We are looking forward to our day in Cabo!

[gullyEARS]

How crowded was the boat this time? I'd imagine it will only get worse once school is out. We're going July 6.

Also...I saw Prince Caspian was running in the theater...what else was playing?

Thanks for all the reports!!

[JennyW]

How crowded was the boat this time? I'd imagine it will only get worse once school is out. We're going July 6.

I've read that every boat sails full, so it shouldn't matter if it is summer or not.

[dizneygirlz3]

We just got off the ship on 6/8. We did the Mazatlan beach escape. We had fun but I don't think I would book it again. We rode a bus to the hotel. It had a nice beach area and a nice pool. We could not go into the water because of the jellyfish so we stayed by the pool. After a good lunch we went back to the beach and the jellyfish were gone. A few in our group parasailed right off the beach, they charged $35.00. We also got towed on a banana boat around the bay, it was fun. Then they had a pinata. I thought we were going to take a bus back but we took taxi's, some were open.
On the ship that day they had another deck party. It was Wednesday at 4:00 or 4:30. It was called Minnie's fiesta. My DD11 went but I was too exhausted. Another note we had the character breakfast Monday at 8:15, but because of the time change it was in our minds 7:15. It didn't go to good, we were all so tired we felt like zombies. I don't recommend going if you have Monday early if your kids are young. Have Fun, I cannot believe it is over for us already....

[TrojanJulez]

Hello! I have enjoyed reading your trip report. Thank you for being so forthcoming and generous with the information! And I loved your photos!

I was wondering if you can give me any details or prices about the photo packages?

Also, the possibility of booking a Palo brunch while onboard? (They are completely booked online...)

Thank you! :)

[traceye]

Hello! I have enjoyed reading your trip report. Thank you for being so forthcoming and generous with the information! And I loved your photos!

I was wondering if you can give me any details or prices about the photo packages?

Also, the possibility of booking a Palo brunch while onboard? (They are completely booked online...)

Thank you! :)
We were on the 5/25 cruise and we had no problem getting palo for brunch and tea while on board. I did get there early and went straight to the Rockin D bar to get Palo, they were booked for both brunch and tea, I was put on the wait list and was called that evening with a day and time. I was on board at about 12:45.

As for the photo packages, I may be a little bit off, but this is what I remember.
179.95 ish, 10 8x10's 10 6x8's
84.95 5 8x10's
84.95 10 6x8's

I can't remember the rest......I will say if you haven't read here already, DCL allows you to take every picture they take with your own camera. The Cast memeber will even take it for you if you are in the picture. I did not need to buy anything, I did spend $100 on pictures because we did the lifestyle portraits and I had to have one professional picture with Mickey. Even with the lifestyle portraits they let you take your own pictures so depending on your camera, you might be able to get a good shot yourself. For my point and shoot it didn't look good with the lighting. But all my character pics came out great.

I was a little hesitant about the asking the Cm's to take the pictures, but most of the time they just took my camera from me anyway. They really don't mind, that's what they are there for.

Have a great trip! Can't believe ours is over!

Tracey

[jfletcher]

We have stayed at the Finisterra many times while staying in Cabo. They have nice pools - one with a swimup bar. There is also a nice view of the Pacific Ocean, however, because of the steep shoreline and undertows you'll want to stick with the pools. We have booked this excursion in Cabo - probably our least active excursion of the three ports. And, if it's too hot or not to our liking, it's not a very far walk DOWNHILL to the tender terminal. The cruise terminal, if it's where it used to be, is where the charter boats come in and you can see their sailfish, wahoo, marlin, etc.

Marlin

I'm curious about this one. We wanted to go there, but I've read on here that it's a waste of money to pay for the excursion when you can just get off the boat and go there yourself. Is this true? Are the pools open to the general public? Is it convenient to get there from the ship without the Disney transportation?

[TrojanJulez]

Thanks, Traceye! That is all great info for me! I'm glad to hear that the cast members are willing to take a picture with your camera. I know that they do that at Disneyland with no problem, so it's nice that it carries over. The Disney "touch" is so great!

Thanks again - I really appreciate all of the details! :)

[gundo870]

Good questions. I wish I had known all this before we went. Turns out you have to sign up for a certain timed shuttle for the next morning. Sign up when you check in! We got on the first shuttle and we checked in late. No problems leaving the car. The parking spaces in the Doubletree lot are TINY, but I did see a real police car patrolling the lot. Then when you get back into port, just call the hotel (they give you a card) and they'll send someone for you. Took us about 10 minutes or so to wait. It's not close enough to walk.

Late Post but...

I'm sure the police car you seen was LAPD Harbor Division patrolling the DoubleTree Hotel. It is probably pretty safe for you car, but parking at the port would be safer.

It is a secure lot with security and Port Police patrolling the area. That is a much higher priority for Port PD (Homeland Security concerns) than LAPD patrolling the DT Hotel.

Also, it isn't the safest area to be walking around anyways.

[traceye]

Thanks, Traceye! That is all great info for me! I'm glad to hear that the cast members are willing to take a picture with your camera. I know that they do that at Disneyland with no problem, so it's nice that it carries over. The Disney "touch" is so great!

Thanks again - I really appreciate all of the details! :)

And I never knew that about Disneyland....I always dodge those cast members because I know I'm not buying the pictures. I guess I should let them take it and then ask for one on my camera as well. Good to know, we go there all of the time.

Tracey

[TrojanJulez]

And I never knew that about Disneyland....I always dodge those cast members because I know I'm not buying the pictures. I guess I should let them take it and then ask for one on my camera as well. Good to know, we go there all of the time.

Tracey

DH and I went to Disneyland last Christmas for my 30th birthday, and they have a new photo concept that's really neat! They have official park photographers stationed at various "photo spot" points around the park - such as in front of It's a Small World and the Castle. They probably had 15 or so between DL and CA. After the first one takes your picture, s/he scans a little card and gives it to you to keep. Then, you just hand your card to each subsequent photographer, and s/he scans the card and take your picture. The card has a barcode on it, and once you get home, you can see all of your photos online, and you can buy them if you'd like. It's a great idea! They also took a picture with our camera - no problem - but of course, their camera was already set up on the camera and perfectly focused, so some with our camera didn't turn out as good. Definitely look for them the next time you go! :)

[TrojanJulez]

I'm curious about this one. We wanted to go there, but I've read on here that it's a waste of money to pay for the excursion when you can just get off the boat and go there yourself. Is this true? Are the pools open to the general public? Is it convenient to get there from the ship without the Disney transportation?

I'm curious about the Cabo excursion to the Finisterra, too... I had the same question as jfletcher. Also, is it possible to walk to Los Arcos (I think that's what it's called) from there? Thanks! :)

[TrojanJulez]

OK, another question - Do the Disney tenders take you to the North or South tender drop-off location in Cabo? This info will help me plan our day there. Thanks!

[jrbelle]

I could be incorrect :hippie: but I believe we went to the South tender location. If you are familiar with the area and know where the abandoned-looking house (which is not for sale) is up on the hill, we went right by it!:cool2: We were only 2-3 minutes from the arches.

[TrojanJulez]

I could be incorrect :hippie: but I believe we went to the South tender location. If you are familiar with the area and know where the abandoned-looking house (which is not for sale) is up on the hill, we went right by it!:cool2: We were only 2-3 minutes from the arches.
Thanks - this helps a lot! My only knowledge of the area is from looking at a map, but I think I know where you were (i think it's the south location). When you say you were 2-3 minutes from the arches, was that by taxi, boat, or walking? Thanks! :)

[AttilaTheHun]

Hi we are on the 20 July 08 Riviera Cruise. We will fly in on the 19th and stay overnight at the Holiday Inn/San Pedro. Is it far from the ship? How early can we get there? We are Cat 11 and would like to try for at least one Palo meal, All booked on line. What do DH, DD, DS abriviantions mean?? I see them posted in all the boards but have not found the side for the meaning of these? How do you get bottled water on board and why? Is the ship water not drinkable? We cannot just fill empty water bottles with the ships water? Just wondering.

[4campers]

Hi we are on the 20 July 08 Riviera Cruise. We will fly in on the 19th and stay overnight at the Holiday Inn/San Pedro. Is it far from the ship? How early can we get there? We are Cat 11 and would like to try for at least one Palo meal, All booked on line. What do DH, DD, DS abriviantions mean?? I see them posted in all the boards but have not found the side for the meaning of these? How do you get bottled water on board and why? Is the ship water not drinkable? We cannot just fill empty water bottles with the ships water? Just wondering.


Not sure on distant of hotel..sorry.
DH=Darling Husband
DD=Darling Daughter
DS=Darling Son
Water? Well, we checked a case of our own water, just because we like it. I've read where people say the ships water is very good, and I agree. It's not bad. I just like having the choice. And, being able to take a bottle with me in a bag.

Have a great trip!!!

[TrojanJulez]

Hi we are on the 20 July 08 Riviera Cruise. We will fly in on the 19th and stay overnight at the Holiday Inn/San Pedro. Is it far from the ship? How early can we get there? We are Cat 11 and would like to try for at least one Palo meal, All booked on line. What do DH, DD, DS abriviantions mean?? I see them posted in all the boards but have not found the side for the meaning of these? How do you get bottled water on board and why? Is the ship water not drinkable? We cannot just fill empty water bottles with the ships water? Just wondering.

Hi Attila! I see that we are both fans of these 2 boards! :)

On our first cruise (Disney), DH and I were on our honeymoon, and we had no idea what to expect, and we loved every minute. That was back when the internet was still slow and semi-new. When we planned our Princess cruise last year, we did a ton of research - even getting into nitty-gritty details. Dh is more "go-with-the-flow" than I am, but I like lots of planning to make sure that we don't miss anything. You can find a ton of great info on this board and our other board as well. Don't be afraid to ask questions - there is nothing "dumb" or unimportant! You can use the "search" function under the "Thread Tools" at the upper right corner to see if someone has already asked a similar question and gotten answered...

In my opinion, the ship water is fine, but we always bring a few bottles (and refill them from the tap - they have an excellent water filtration system) just so that they are portable, especially on excursions.

I hope this helps! :)