Just off the fantasy

[FamilyG]

Thanks - was yours on the same side of the ship and if so what ports etc did you get a decent view of.

[over50visits]

Originally Posted by melaniejh1016

Wow! What a beautiful ship! Clean sooo clean! Great service! Fun fun fun! Kids club was amazing, my 4 1/2 year old had the best time! Lemme know if you have any questions!!

We got off one week ago today, and the were pulling the tables off of all the stateroom balconies. They told us they were going to put new ones out there.

Did you see them? What are they like? Didn't see a thing wrong with the old ones, wonder what they thought would be better.

[melaniejh1016]

What were the old ones? These were silver metal tables I think. I didn't pay much attention as we didnt eat out there but only once for a snack.

[over50visits]

Originally Posted by melaniejh1016

What were the old ones? These were silver metal tables I think. I didn't pay much attention as we didnt eat out there but only once for a snack.

Yes, they were dull silver, low, square with plain legs and a rounded edge. Very functional, not decorative at all. We liked ours just fine for holding food and drinks, and they all looked new. I wonder why there were changed.

[melaniejh1016]

That's exactly what we had. I guess they didnt change them all!

[over50visits]

Originally Posted by melaniejh1016

That's exactly what we had. I guess they didnt change them all!

All of them were out in the hallways (and not the chairs). One of the room stewards to me they were being changed for new ones. Guess he was wrong. Thanks for the info.

[stacecakes]

I made her appt for 11:30 so she can swim early then hit BBB before lunch and have two meals' worth of "show off time". I figure we'll do detective agency and some oceaneers time in the afternoon so she won't miss the pool . Next day is castaway so I'm curious to see what salt and sand do to the 'do.

[jessrose18]

just off the fantasy as well...ship was beautiful...very clean! ....loved our room forward deck 9...very quiet...full ship lots more kids than i was expecting on a december cruise... ow well pretty well behaved...spent most time in public adult areas anyways...loved the detective game...food was just ehhh...im picky anyways but i wasnt blown away from any dining room foods except banana bread pudding.... thought breakfast food adn fast food restaurants and room service was all great...weather was gorgeous for december high 70's and was able to swim in every port! did stingray city with outside company loved it! went to tropicante in costa maya, should have just stayed on ship ow well....did nachi cocom in cozumel, pretty nice nice swimming spots....and of course castaway cay was awesome! loved how their were shallow and deep spots to swim in the bay. just some random thoughts! did fe, that was fun broke up the delivery into 2 nights. ship didnt feel too big like i expected, elevators on deck 11 forward did open up to adult pool area where parents walked kids through to get to mid/aft of deck strange design as mentioned by others. glad i brought diet coke for in room fridge even though drink stations were open 24 hours, saved some trips. brought on a case of beer that we didnt even get 1/2 way through left with a note the night before the last for room attentant to take with the tip envelope and she did. I am glad i wasnt sure if they were allowed to accept beer as a extra tip .... got 2 christmas ornaments signed through guest services they came out great!...gift shops had nice stuff, but were closed while in port plan accordingly (costa maya till 1am so no shops open, meant no cough syrup had to go to guest services) didnt see any shows, watched Lincoln in theater, very good. Got double charged for popcorn from snack bar I noticed on way home (should have checked bill on ship) also long line to get off ship, moved fast but still stretched all the way back to animators at 8:30 am... parked at park and cruise very easy for 5.99 day ..shuttle got their about 10 min after we got off of ship everything went well with them! returned rental car to alamo got gas 2 exits away from airport on narcoossee exit... mco security lines long as always........ wow this is a rambling thought segment! while im mentioning stuff we had a 9d corner room and loved it! so much room especially for 2 ppl i will post pics later and give a full report, would book again in a heartbeat!

[aladdinsgirl]

DH and I started researching the Disney cruise today. We have DS who is 4, will be 5 by the time we sail. I was just wondering if your daughter did the kids clubs, how long did she stay in there, and did she like them? DS has done the Neverland Club at WDW and loves it. Are the kids clubs similar on the cruise line? Also, what if any excursions did you do with a preschooler. I haven't even look at excursions, so I don't know if any are more family friendly than others. DH and I have been to WDW over 30 times, (heck my DS has been 10 times!), so I know what to do and expect there, we're 100% clueless when it comes to the Disney cruise line.

Oh, also, what is the weather like this time of year? Still warm? We're thinking January 2014 for our cruise. We've been to WDW many times in January and the weather is usually cool or cold (I ran the Disney marathon in 2010 and it snowed during the race ). Are the Bahamas far enough south that it's still warm? Sorry, like I said, we are clueless!!

TIA!

[Silverfox97]

Originally Posted by jessrose18

went to tropicante in costa maya, should have just stayed on ship ow well....

Thinking of Tropicante next Oct - should I skip it?

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[Silverfox97]

Originally Posted by aladdinsgirl

DH and I started researching the Disney cruise today. We have DS who is 4, will be 5 by the time we sail. I was just wondering if your daughter did the kids clubs, how long did she stay in there, and did she like them? DS has done the Neverland Club at WDW and loves it. Are the kids clubs similar on the cruise line? Also, what if any excursions did you do with a preschooler. I haven't even look at excursions, so I don't know if any are more family friendly than others. DH and I have been to WDW over 30 times, (heck my DS has been 10 times!), so I know what to do and expect there, we're 100% clueless when it comes to the Disney cruise line.

Oh, also, what is the weather like this time of year? Still warm? We're thinking January 2014 for our cruise. We've been to WDW many times in January and the weather is usually cool or cold (I ran the Disney marathon in 2010 and it snowed during the race ). Are the Bahamas far enough south that it's still warm? Sorry, like I said, we are clueless!!

TIA!

Kids clubs are awesome. DD has been going since she was 3 1/2 & is now 5 1/2. Except for meals, she'd stay all day if we let her (and we don't). She loves making crafts!

The Caribbean is warmer than the Bahamas. Weather is relative. We swam on the ship but wouldn't dream about entering the water. I did get DD a wetsuit so she could splash around at Castaway Cay (and she did).

Excursions depend on where you are going. I've done excursions with DD on the eastern & western - happy to give you details.

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[melaniejh1016]

Originally Posted by aladdinsgirl

DH and I started researching the Disney cruise today. We have DS who is 4, will be 5 by the time we sail. I was just wondering if your daughter did the kids clubs, how long did she stay in there, and did she like them? DS has done the Neverland Club at WDW and loves it. Are the kids clubs similar on the cruise line? Also, what if any excursions did you do with a preschooler. I haven't even look at excursions, so I don't know if any are more family friendly than others. DH and I have been to WDW over 30 times, (heck my DS has been 10 times!), so I know what to do and expect there, we're 100% clueless when it comes to the Disney cruise line.

Oh, also, what is the weather like this time of year? Still warm? We're thinking January 2014 for our cruise. We've been to WDW many times in January and the weather is usually cool or cold (I ran the Disney marathon in 2010 and it snowed during the race ). Are the Bahamas far enough south that it's still warm? Sorry, like I said, we are clueless!!

TIA!

My 4 1/2 year old loved the kids club. She went every day for about 1-3 hours here and there during the day and then every night from 9:30 (after dinner) til 11pm she ate lunch there once. They do have open house once a day for an hour or 2 so you can go see what goes on in there! also at castaway the kids club relocates to the beach and you can check them in for the day and go to the adult only beach! She stayed for 5 hours that day and would have stayed longer!
The weather was good for swimming in the heated pools on the ship but the ocean at castaway was too cold. We didnt get off the boat at any other port. Those were great days to enjoy much less crowded pools!

[jessrose18]

Originally Posted by Silverfox97

Thinking of Tropicante next Oct - should I skip it?

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I know you guys cruise a lot so i would probably go and give it a shot. i dont know if we will ever get a chance to do a 7 night again so boat time would have been nice as well. There was nothing wrong with it, taxi past some pretty shabby places to get there. We had a chair reserved for us the water was clear and warm, we got a bucket of 6 beers for $15 and some chips and salsa. The servers were good, there was people walking up and down the beach selling things all day. Pretty funny the same guy walked by us 4-5 times each time with something different in his hands. It did start to rain on us and then we taxied back to ship and enjoyed the adult pool and hot tub. I would go if you want to explore and get off the ship in Costa Maya. ps, thanks for the great fe gift I wanted to meet you guys and thank you for organizing but never crossed paths so thanks

[Silverfox97]

Originally Posted by jessrose18

I know you guys cruise a lot so i would probably go and give it a shot. i dont know if we will ever get a chance to do a 7 night again so boat time would have been nice as well. There was nothing wrong with it, taxi past some pretty shabby places to get there. We had a chair reserved for us the water was clear and warm, we got a bucket of 6 beers for $15 and some chips and salsa. The servers were good, there was people walking up and down the beach selling things all day. Pretty funny the same guy walked by us 4-5 times each time with something different in his hands. It did start to rain on us and then we taxied back to ship and enjoyed the adult pool and hot tub. I would go if you want to explore and get off the ship in Costa Maya. ps, thanks for the great fe gift I wanted to meet you guys and thank you for organizing but never crossed paths so thanks

Thanks The FE gifts were hard work and we were surprised to see some others similar to ours!

My interest in Tropicante is to go for DD to swim/play at the beach, while DH & I enjoy a cocktail & a massage, as I have heard people rave about the quality & value. That's really it.

I agree about boat time! This cruise was great - relaxing. I only got off the ship with DD for 3 hrs in Grand Cayman to go to her Del Sol store & to swim at Margaritaville, and of course, CC!! DH got off in the other ports to use the Internet. I loved being on the ship, relaxing, going with the flow, & not being tied down to any excursions.

Overall, I really enjoyed the decorations. I've never seen the ship look so beautiful!!!

[aladdinsgirl]

Thanks, Silverfox97 & Melaniejh1016! We're going to start researching over the next few weeks. I glanced at the ports last night and after seeing a couple of reviews of Nassau, I already told DH I will not be getting off the boat for that port!! . You'll probably be seeing me around year for the next year and will see many questions from me!!