The Frickles Family Sweet Dream Cruise, 7.24.15

AshClan, it's great to know I passed the grammar test! The boys totally had to fold and drawer all their stuff! Brad and I had our own closets which was fabulous. I am so glad my kids got the chance to enjoy the Vibe and I must cruise more before Tanner turns 18!! There was a lot of cool stuff planned for the 18-21 crowd though, so that's nice to look forward to. I say why fix your own plate when someone else will do it for you!? My favorite part of breakfast in the MDR is the pastry tray. I could marry it! Also, if you ask for syrup or ketchup, they pour it for you. You don't lift a finger. You just happily stuff yourself with great food and drink coffee from a fancy cup.

Mel, Belle and Alex - thank you for reading along and joining my TR! Everyone needs to follow 1000thHappyHaunt's trip report on the WDW boards. We've been Dis friends for almost ten years and although you sometimes need a translator to figure out what she is saying, you will laugh at her humor. Or humour as she would say since she is from Canada. You will laugh so hard that you will get a six pack. :-)
 
I'm Following along! I'm thinking about taking a short Disney cruise on the Dream during our next vacation, so its fun to see all the photos. That is the one concern of mine though is crowds! I've done other cruise brands and didn't like how packed the pools & entertainment areas were :(
 
Hi Hawkeyegirls! Thanks for reading along and I say BOOK IT! My clients who were on our cruise gave me some great feedback. They had been on 25 cruises with other cruise lines and this was their first Disney cruise. They were blown away with DCL and said it was the best BY FAR. That was wonderful to know! I was able to see a RC cruise pool area on our stop at Nassau and I know what you speak of. That pool deck was smashed with people! We had no problems finding space at the adult pool area and I can't give great feedback about the main family pools because we never parked it there. There are obviously more people there watching their children swim and slide. We were always able to find a table around the food and ice cream section without a problem. That first day at Cabanas will fool you though... everybody is ready to eat at the same time! That happened to us on the Magic and the Dream, but it was so pleasant the rest of the time! I had lunch and breakfast a few times at Cabanas on the Magic and it was very peaceful! Also, we never had a problem finding a seat at the shows and our cruise was at maximum capacity! We did have to wait at the elevators a few times when going to/returning from excursions. We discovered it was best to not use the mid ship elevators during those times. Never had to wait on the Magic!
 
I'm loving this, Partner! My Evan (15) can't wait for our family Dream cruise and you have set him up right. I'm so glad we booked our Next Cruises when we were on the Magic in May!

Your pictures of The Vibe are great and I'm so glad Tanner and Spencer were happy there.

I agree about that pastry tray, too. It's the perfect way to start a Disney Cruise day!
 


Now I'm really excited for our family cruise in a little over a year with my then 16 year old son. It looks like he will have a blast in Vibe. I'm assuming the Dream and Fantasy have pretty much the same setup for Vibe? Sure hoping so as we are going on the Fantasy.
 
I came here looking specifically for cruise trip reports with teen boys, and yours fits the bill perfectly! I can't wait to read more!
 


I wish I had seen this report before we sailed! I had a hard time finding reports with teens. DD18 is easy, she just hangs with us, but DS14 was sure he would not be in the club or meet anyone he could have fun with. The good news is, we checked out Vibe right after lunch and he went back after dinner, hardly to be seen again . Glad you had a good trip.
 
Frick - I just found you. I guess I'm not schooled in the DIS so much anymore.

Great read so far! I'm hoping I can cruise someday. I'm just a little concerned about the motion of the ocean so to speak. Heehee. Did you notice it?
 
Hi everyone who is so kindly reading along! I'm so sorry I have not been by to update lately!!

Cheermom2four: Yes! Looks the same and I have every intention of checking that out in person as soon as I can!
http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/fantasy/youth-clubs/vibe/

DisneyDiana! Hi and thank you for coming along... sorry I've been dragging my feet. Work has kept me super busy!!!

Buzzrelly: I poured over these trip reports looking for more information about the teen scene and what to expect. I was sad to say I couldn't find a whole lot so that is why I am sharing about our trip!!! I can say my boys would drop everything and go again in a heartbeat. Be prepared for them to stay out late!

Daneenm: Sounds like you had a sweet trip! Just noticed you did the Eastern Carribean...Lucky!!!!

Welcome Yak! I noticed the motion on the Magic like crazy when we sailed the W. Caribbean in April. I never once felt movement on the Dream. It was so different. We had one day on the Magic where the water in the adult pool looked like a wave pool - it would slosh from side to side. It was a BLAST!
 
Day 2: Castaway Cay and the dreadful Troll Fishing Excursion

We woke up to find ourselves perfectly docked at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. This is what I had been waiting for because I adore this place! We were all set for a three hour troll fishing excursion to start our day. We went to the Enchanted Garden for a small breakfast buffet. We had ordered Spencer's breakfast the night before and had requested to eat in the Enchanted Garden. This was a fabulous place to eat breakfast! It was not crowded, the buffet had all of my carb loving favorites and the atmosphere was just lovely. I'm a big fan of eating breakfast in the MDR's.

I offered up some Bonine to my guys and every single one of them declined. Bonine is my friend on the cruise. I get car sick going through the car wash, so when I went on my first cruise I was super nervous about feeling green and trapped. We had an ocean view stateroom and no balcony to rush to for fresh air. That caused me a little panic. HOWEVER, I had no reason to worry. I started a regimen of 2 Bonine pills two days before the cruise and my kind doctor called in some Zofran for me to take along just in case. I took Bonine while pregnant and it helped with the nausea. Crazy! It doesn't knock me out like Dramamine does. We felt a lot of movement on the Magic and I never felt sea sick, thank goodness. On the Magic, we were getting it - I mean the ship was moving at a much higher speed than the Dream ever did. Every time I stepped outside on the Magic, my hair looked like this...



And you had to figure out how to turn your head just right to not have Medusa hair




I've worn the nausea patch before and I will never do that again. We sailed on a catamaran in the Virgin Islands for a week and I wore the patch to be sure I didn't get sick. Spencer took Bonine on that trip and I wore the patch. It got it in my eyes somehow and they become so dilated that I couldn't see didly. And that was no fun.
One other tidbit, when I've taken Bonine for a couple days, I can't read fine print. I had to buy a cute pair of Minnie 'readers' to be able to see the menus at night. I had to use them again on this trip. #gettinold I did find that I couldn't get my land legs after my 7 night trip on the Magic. I swayed and rocked for a good four days. Turns out you are supposed to keep on taking the Bonine for a few days after you get back to shore. Noted.

We went ashore to wait for our excursion. It was a beautiful day and three of us were excited about going Troll Fishing. If you recall, I thought I had removed myself from this excursion but apparently I didn't hit the button to confirm my removal.









The guides greeted us and took us to our boat, which was much smaller than expected. We had gone on a deep sea fishing trip in Florida that rivaled the cost of this trip. The boat was gorgeous, we had an air-conditioned lounge, a nice bathroom, cushioned chairs to fish from. That is what we were expecting. We were a little deflated when we saw the boat. We had 3 other cruise guests with us.





Guests who were lounging on their Starboard side balconies waved farewell to us as we passed by. I was a bit jealous of them, but I started gearing up to enjoy this adventure. Spencer had asked for two things, to go fishing in the Bahamas and to go snorkeling, and I was making his dream come true.





The water was very choppy, so pair that with a small boat and you have a bouncy ride. It was actually kind of fun. We were happy and ready to reel in some big fish.
At that time, we didn't know that a couple of us would feed the fish a Disney breakfast. I wish I had crammed Bonine down everyone's throat like my instincts told me to. The guides set the lines and got two of them crossed and super duper tangled. The next thirty minutes were spent watching them untangle the lines while we bounced further out to sea. Brad had to hold the rod for them while they untangled it.



It was hot in the sun and I made my way to the front of the boat to catch some shade. Spencer followed me and let me know he wasn't feeling well. At that time, of course the rod he had been sitting by hooked a fish and Brad grabbed it to reel it in. I got a Zofran in him and not two minutes later, he hung his head over the side and hurled. I was so sad for him. Sick as a dog on the excursion he had been waiting on the most while his dad reeled in the fish that should have been his.

Brad came up to the front to check on Spencer and to tell me he wasn't feeling right. He had forgotten to take his steroid pill the night before so he DOUBLED up that morning. I got a Zofran down his throat, got wet towels and Cokes for him and Spencer and sat up front with them while they tried to recover. We had two more hours of this fun to go. The medication overload paired with the motion of the ocean caused Brad to toss his Disney breakfast as well. This was becoming an expensive day from h e double.

Tanner was just fine and sat in the back and focused on catching a fish.





Barracuda was the fish of the day... that's pretty much all we caught. It felt like we caught the same one over and over. Spencer was able to rally and catch a fish at the end, thank the sweet Lord.






Our guides fixed Rum Punch for those who were ready for an adult beverage. Disney had fixed the punch for us, but they were kind enough to make it stronger with their own stash of Rum. It was greatly appreciated and just what I needed.

On our way back to the island, we passed the snorkeling excursion group. They were out on a sandbar playing volleyball, looking like they were having the time of their lives! I was super jealous!



My fishing research at CC is now completed and I can tell you, save your money and park your booty in a chair by the shore all day instead. Or go on the snorkeling adventure for much less $$. God knew what he was doing when my cancellation didn't go through. Brad wouldn't have been able to take care of Spencer and at one point Spencer said, "mom, I am so glad you were with me when I was so sick". Me too, bud.

When we returned to land, we boarded the tram to get to the spot I adored from my last trip. We got off at the second stop and found a great place to park it on the peninsula between the family beach and Pelican Plunge. When we arrived, a waiter asked if we would like a Disney Cooler bag full of ice and bottled Evian waters. Yes, please! It was a great deal, I think $27?? Six Evian waters and a great keepsake cooler. We knew we would use it on our second CC day so it was a no brainer.

After we all cooled off and rehydrated, I went with the boys to get their snorkeling gear and they took off. You have a lot of ground to cover when you snorkel at Castaway Cay. You get to see sunken ships, some hidden Disney treasures and some gorgeous fish. I told them we may eat before they got back and if so, to go to Cookie's if they didn't see us when they returned. Brad and I went for a swim near the Pelican Plunge, then made our way to Cookie's Too for our BBQ lunch. The ribs were fabulous and it was a super meal. Did you know they bring all the waste back onto the ship to grind up and send back out into the ocean? Pretty cool.

When we reconnected with the boys, we went to Cookies where Spencer had his pre-ordered meal waiting on him. That was so nice. The soft serve ice cream machines were calling our names after we ate. We all had our fair share of ice cream. Spencer had more than his fair share. It was nice to know that all my people felt good again.

A nasty thunderstorm came through after lunch so we decided to pack it up and go back on the ship. This is where things got craaaazeeee. Everyone was trying to leave at once. No one was assisting the crowds at the tram stop. When a tram pulled up, it was a pushing and shoving mess to try to get on. The skies were dark, it was staring to blow in and people were showing their pushy side. Brad and Spencer made it on to the third tram but Tanner and I got shoved out of the way and didn't get a seat. We told them to go on and we would make it on the next one. They took off and about 2 minutes later, the bottom fell out. Tanner and I went to a nearby gift shop and enjoyed our time in there while it poured. When we finally made it back to the ship, we were surprised to see Spencer and Brad about to board. Turns out their tram had to stop during the storm. That's right, they had to sit there and enjoy the rain coming in on them. They were soaked. Tanner and I had the better end of that deal.

A soggy day at Castaway is better than a sunny day at home.




When we got back, the boys took off for the Vibe and Brad and I spent the rest of the day at the adult pool and on the top adult deck, soaking in the gorgeous views. We were on the top sun deck as we sailed away, which is a great spot to be in.









This was our dress up night for dinner. Dressing up is optional for this occasion, so don't feel like you have to bring a suit or a gown on your cruise. I decided to go to the show that evening and the guys chose to skip it. The show was The Golden Mickeys and it was absolutely wonderful! I kept texting the guys to come see it with me but apparently they had all crashed.

Our meal was at the Royal Palace, and this restaurant has a french theme and gorgeous decor. I discovered my favorite drink of the trip, the Double Crown. It's a total princess drink. It's red, it's delicious and the rim is lined with raspberry flavored sugar. It's Crown Royal, Cointreau, Chambord, Cranberry juice and lime. I highly recommend it!

Tanner was very excited to try Escargot as his appetizer, and he really liked it! This was a great opportunity to expand the palate and try new things. He took full advantage of that and really stepped out of the norm when ordering! If you don't like something you order, it's no problem! If you can't decide between the appetizers, main courses or desserts, no problem... they will bring you two! I took full advantage of that when it came to ordering dessert! ‪#‎sorrynotsorry‬




I can't tell you how happy Spencer was to find out that he could eat one of the gorgeous desserts. Typically, we are told no, no, no because of his nut allergy. It was nice to be told yes and even nicer to trust the source.

After dinner, Spencer ordered his meals for the next day and then the boys went to you know where, the Vibe. Brad and I went on a date. Yes, a date! The adult lounge was featuring a hypnotist for the evening entertainment. Back in my ZTA days we would have a hypnotist entertain us on bid night and it was always a blast. This show proved to be one of the best I've ever seen! I laughed until I had a worked off at least one dessert!

After the show, we connected with my client who was also my friend growing up. We were in school together from 2nd - 12th grade, so it was great to have time to reconnect. It was also fun to sail with a client. They said this was their 25th cruise and first Disney cruise, which is why they called me to help them plan this one. They said this Disney cruise was by far the best of any they had ever been on. Given that we had only been on the ship a little over 24 hours, I was happy to hear they had come to that conclusion so quickly and that they were having a good time. We went to the SkyView lounge and it was so lovely.

We spent some time on our balcony when we returned to our stateroom and then called it a night. It was very weird to go to sleep without the boys in the room. We've never had a vacation like this and it was such a different and nice experience for all of us. The boys rolled in at 2:00am again and it was all good. Spencer loved spending time on the balcony at night before he climbed up in his bed. We all had a fun day (minus the fishing) and we were excited about waking up in Nassau the next morning!
 
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I'm loving this report! We've been toying with the idea of doing a cruise next year and your report is really starting to seal the deal!
 
Cando86, I'm so glad! I think I am going to be at WDW the same time as you! Heading to Food and Wine to do some damage to my hips and liver. :)
 
Excellent trip report so far! We have the Dream booked for Fall of 2016.
 
Oh no! That stinks about the fishing! I was actually considering doing a fishing thing with DS while there but I definitely won't now! I went on a whale watch years ago and was so sick the whole time! I don't ever need to repeat that! I won't even mention it to DS! Glad the rest of the day was better! I can't imagine DS staying out until 2am! Sounds like they have a lot of fun in the club!
 
buzzrelly, I'm so sorry to report that it was disappointing. I had high hopes for this excursion, and our experience was just that we felt it wasn't worth the money we dropped on it.

I couldn't imagine going to bed while my kids stayed out so late, but I did and they were ok and I felt good about it once onboard. :-)
 
Great update!! So glad that Spencer caught a fish at the end! Love his shirt....Go Duke!!!! My husband is a HUGE Blue Devils basketball fan!
 
Hi disney2mom!! I was so glad he got a fish too!! My Father in Law had a lung transplant at Duke so we spent an enormous amount of time there and the campus is just incredible. It is a very special place to us because they gave us two more years with him. :)
 
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