We had an 11 a.m. PAT and, the night before, asked about the shuttle to the port. We were told it would pick us up shortly after 11 a.m. So, that morning we went to the hotels cafe for breakfast. Its the type of place where you order at a counter and they bring you the food. There were two parties in front of us to order but it still took over 15 minutes to place our order - our PAT was getting closer. The wait for the food took forever and we noticed that people who ordered after us were getting their food first. Not good. A manager asked us how we were doing and we explained our frustration. After about 10 minutes more our orders arrived. We didnt want to miss the shuttle so we quickly ate and headed to the front desk. We were there just before 11 a.m., plenty of time! Now its 11:15...no shuttle. Were told its on the way from the Hotel Galvez. 11:30...no shuttle. Were told they dont know where it is. Weve missed the early PAT, which isnt that big a deal, but we dont want to arrive at the port and stand in long lines...which were now afraid of. Finally, the shuttle pulls up and my DW bolts out the door, runs up to the driver and says were getting on this bus! I had to laugh. Apparently, the shuttle was full of passengers from the Galvez so they dropped them off first and came back for us. We were the only ones on the shuttle from the Tremont to the port.
After the quick drive in the rain to the port, we arrive. Theres the Wonder and she looks great. We forget about the morning madness at the Tremont House. A porter takes our bags and we head inside. This was, by far, the best cruise check in experience Ive ever had. We wait a few quick minutes to get through security...hassle free. Our DS has Down syndrome so we booked through the TA Autism on the Seas (AOS). Since this was new to us, we thought the details they handle might be worth it.
AOS told us wed have priority check in and to proceed to the accessible/handicapped check in line if there was one. There wasnt, but we were directed to a line with a red carpet where no one else was waiting. We stood there for about two seconds when we were called up to check in. We were told we were in boarding group five and that group had just been called to board. So, we stopped in the quick family boarding picture line, went up the escalator, and before we new it, the cast members were calling our name (awesome by the way) and welcoming us aboard. Wow. I would estimate from the time the porter took our bags to the time we walked on the ship, it was less than 15 minutes. Impressive! In retrospect, our shuttle delay from the Tremont House was a blessing.
I thought the Beach Blanket Buffet might be crowded so we headed to Parrot Cay - which was nearly empty...nice! We ordered our first drinks of the day (margarita), grabbed some lunch and were so happy to be on board and starting our vacation. Life is good!
As we were finishing lunch, I had some errands to run. I had booked Palo for night four, but I knew, just knew, that wed have the Animators Palate show that night. And we did.
Our dining rotation was PTTAPT. I headed to WaveBands (which was empty) and changed Palo night to the last night. I also booked two tastings while in WaveBands: Tequila Tasting and Martini Tasking. I wanted to do Mixology but the times just didnt work for us. Next time!
Next we headed to the Oceaneer Lab to check in our DS. He was at the age where he could either choose the Lab or Edge, but because of his disability, we thought the Lab would be a better fit. We also didnt want him to have self check in/out ability. We wandered around the Lab and the Club and they looked great. DS loved the Lab and we were feeling comfortable.
In fact, let me address the the Lab now. DS had a great time every time he was there. The staff in the Lab couldnt have been better. They were awesome with our DS and he seemed to enjoy the other kids as well. We were told he did great the entire trip. I guess we were a little worried at first, but really, there was no need to be worried. We also dropped off some current magazines to the Lab staff the first night and a bag of candy the last night. They seemed genuinely appreciative. They are rock stars!!
By now the staterooms were ready so we went to check out 6124, port side/aft. We loved this stateroom. It was roomy enough for three with plenty of storage and closet space for all of us. The split bathrooms were handy and we spent a lot of time on the veranda. I liked the fact the the sofa bed, when converted, didnt take up any move space then when it was a sofa. DS loved all the different Disney programming on the TV. The location seemed quiet and very close to the aft stairs and elevators. Our stateroom host was friendly and efficient (but I cant remember his name).
We had a 2:30 p.m. meet-and-great with our Facebook/FE group and it was great to meet all the people we had been communicating with for the months leading up to the cruise. Really a wonderful and friendly bunch of folks! The FE gifts were a big hit with all of use throughout the cruise and we had an some unbelievably creative and generous people in our group. Participating in the FE exchange was a great experience that we would do again.
It was time for the muster drill and we were assigned to Animators Palate. It was quick and painless. The Adventures Away sail-away party was moved to the atrium because of weather (although it had stopped raining and party cloudy at this point). We decided to skip the crowds, unpack and enjoy watching the ship leave port from the veranda.
Dinner time! We had early seating and a table by ourselves. We were at Parrot Cay the first night and met our servers. Richard was the Head Server, Santana the Server and Tita the Assistant Server. All were excellent the entire cruise. Really, really attentive and friendly. We learned an important lesson the first night: dont order fish...ever (more later in this report). DW ordered the grouper and it was so fishy, she couldnt eat it. We do enjoy good food and dining out at home, and shes not a picky eater. However, she earned that reputation the first night. After she couldnt eat the fish she just wanted a chicken breast. She really didnt eat it either, so, the staff insisted on bringing another dish. It was a vegetarian mushroom dish that she said was very good.
A general note on the food for the entire trip. It was good, but unremarkable. We all found something we could enjoy every night, and with the exception of the fish (more later), nothing was really bad. So, I wont go into detail on the food and I really didnt take an food photos because dining wasnt a real highlight of the trip. Dont get me wrong, we enjoyed the dining experience, the decor and the excellent service - and did look forward to dinner every night. The food was just unremarkable.
Next it was off to our first show: All Aboard, Let the Magic Begin. The Walt Disney Theatre was beautiful and we looked forward to going to a show every night. This show was fun and Michael Harrison (comedian/ventriloquist) was good. DS decided he needed a giant bucket of popcorn every night so DW bought some giant plastic tub that we could refill at a discount. Was it worth it? No clue.
After the show we checked DS into the Lab and went to the Cadillac Lounge. We had a few cocktails and listened to the Starlight Duo, then went to WaveBands for Michael Harrisons adult show and more cocktails, then back to the Cadillac Lounge for Late Night Piano and...more cocktails. We pick up DS at the Lab and decided we were hungry, so we headed up to Pinocchios Pizzeria. I swear I ate eight pieces. Why!?! Well, it was pretty good. We learned an important lesson: dont overdo it the first night!!
