Hey, I'm back to finish this up and unfortunately I do not have anymore "Cathy does room service" stories to tell in this report. So, it is with a little of my dignity still intact that I finish my comments about this fabulous trip and thank all of you who are posting on these boards. Because of all the info. you have shared, we had the time of our life! Since you may just want to scan thru this for topics you are interested in hearing about, this will be the order: 1) Palo's 2)Shows 3)Spa 4) St. Martin and the best day 5) St Thomas 6) CCay 7)Disembarkation 8)When can we do it again!
1) Palo's--atmosphere was great, service was above average, food was excellent, have to agree with others about the choc. soufle--it was OK good just not exceptional. Be open to trying different dishes here. Things I thought I would not have liked surprised me and I loved them. Definitely do brunch! There's just something wonderful about sipping champagne in the middle of the day.We chose Monday for brunch because we wanted to be sure we had our sea legs as it can be rough according to many the 1st few days and Wednesday for the dinner as the ship left St. Thomas.
2) Shows--what we saw we loved! We only went to Hercules, Who wants to be a rich mouse?, and Disney Dreams. I know I can't believe we didn't get to more but it was rare that we had the kids at 8:30 and it just didn't seem as appealing without them and well those deck 4 lounge chairs were really comfortable with a cool one in hand. I was surprised how easy some of the rich mouse questions were but maybe I've been watching way too many Disney movies. Kids of all ages will love this one. Disney Dreams is a don't miss especially for the kids.My mother & father in law went to the magic show one night and didn't enjoy it. We had decided not to go because of what folks from this board had said about it. (Saved by the Dis Boards!)
3)Spa--I spent $400.00 here so I should know. By the way, I loved every minute of it. DH and I had decided way back that we would reserve an inexpensive cabin on ship so we could spend more freely so I have little guilt about this. I had the Elemis face & body trt, a pedicure, and the CCay couple's massages. I was a little dissappointed in the face & body trt because the brochure said the trt lasts 105 minutes but they don't tell you that near the end of the trt they leave you in the room alone for 20-25 minutes to relax. The trt consists of a back,shoulder,leg, & foot massage followed by a facial. I enjoyed it all and hated when she left the room for my relaxation time. Just give me more rubbing baby! Everyone should do the CCay massages if they have the chance. They are $100 a piece but it was pure heaven. Make sure you take pictures here to make all your friends from home jealous!
4)St. Martin--I'm in a real delimia here as to whether or not to tell everyone my secret island hopping hideaway. Just don't want to ruin it you know. Tell you what, if you are totally not interested in spending the day in St. Martin during your 15 hour stay there and you are the adventurous type, email me and I will give you all the details to find paradise for the day. This was the most incredible day of our vacation. The sand was like white sugar and the water devine.
5)St. Thomas--it poured rain off and on so thank God for the glorious beach day on Tuesday. I went shopping and DH took the inlaws and kids to Coki Beach. Coki is a pretty beach and it is a great place to see fish. We had done Coral World before so the kids just snorkeled and beached. Do your shopping in St. Martin if you want to get a better deal. I shopped here because we spent all most all our time in St. Martin at our happy little isl. hideaway.
6)CCay-- This is a beautiful gem of an island. I would have liked more time to walk around and enjoy it more. I was dissappointed with how murky the water became when 2000 people jumped in.The snorkeling is really poor we thought compared to other places we've been but it could have something to do with all those people. The kids enjoyed the club activities here and the lunch was good. The worst part is that you feel a bit close to one another on the family beach and the lines are very long for the floats, snorkel vests which are required. DS 8 yo did the banana boat ride with grand ma and really loved it. DH and I thought the best part was the adult side of the island where it appeared deserted and the water was alot clearer.
7)Disembarkation--Nothing to it! We were off that boat in 10 minutes. Way too fast if you ask us but we just didn't want it to be over.
8)Final Thoughts--Disney has started a good thing here and I hope all of you thinking of trying that 1st cruise will give it a whirl. Thanks for all the help we were given in preparing for this 1st cruise. I know we could not have lived without the over the door shoe rack. If I can answer any questions please just shout them out. And my last small piece of advice is to never answer the door nacade unless you're absolutely sure it's the hubby on the other side. Keep on cruizin, Cathy
1) Palo's--atmosphere was great, service was above average, food was excellent, have to agree with others about the choc. soufle--it was OK good just not exceptional. Be open to trying different dishes here. Things I thought I would not have liked surprised me and I loved them. Definitely do brunch! There's just something wonderful about sipping champagne in the middle of the day.We chose Monday for brunch because we wanted to be sure we had our sea legs as it can be rough according to many the 1st few days and Wednesday for the dinner as the ship left St. Thomas.
2) Shows--what we saw we loved! We only went to Hercules, Who wants to be a rich mouse?, and Disney Dreams. I know I can't believe we didn't get to more but it was rare that we had the kids at 8:30 and it just didn't seem as appealing without them and well those deck 4 lounge chairs were really comfortable with a cool one in hand. I was surprised how easy some of the rich mouse questions were but maybe I've been watching way too many Disney movies. Kids of all ages will love this one. Disney Dreams is a don't miss especially for the kids.My mother & father in law went to the magic show one night and didn't enjoy it. We had decided not to go because of what folks from this board had said about it. (Saved by the Dis Boards!)
3)Spa--I spent $400.00 here so I should know. By the way, I loved every minute of it. DH and I had decided way back that we would reserve an inexpensive cabin on ship so we could spend more freely so I have little guilt about this. I had the Elemis face & body trt, a pedicure, and the CCay couple's massages. I was a little dissappointed in the face & body trt because the brochure said the trt lasts 105 minutes but they don't tell you that near the end of the trt they leave you in the room alone for 20-25 minutes to relax. The trt consists of a back,shoulder,leg, & foot massage followed by a facial. I enjoyed it all and hated when she left the room for my relaxation time. Just give me more rubbing baby! Everyone should do the CCay massages if they have the chance. They are $100 a piece but it was pure heaven. Make sure you take pictures here to make all your friends from home jealous!
4)St. Martin--I'm in a real delimia here as to whether or not to tell everyone my secret island hopping hideaway. Just don't want to ruin it you know. Tell you what, if you are totally not interested in spending the day in St. Martin during your 15 hour stay there and you are the adventurous type, email me and I will give you all the details to find paradise for the day. This was the most incredible day of our vacation. The sand was like white sugar and the water devine.
5)St. Thomas--it poured rain off and on so thank God for the glorious beach day on Tuesday. I went shopping and DH took the inlaws and kids to Coki Beach. Coki is a pretty beach and it is a great place to see fish. We had done Coral World before so the kids just snorkeled and beached. Do your shopping in St. Martin if you want to get a better deal. I shopped here because we spent all most all our time in St. Martin at our happy little isl. hideaway.
6)CCay-- This is a beautiful gem of an island. I would have liked more time to walk around and enjoy it more. I was dissappointed with how murky the water became when 2000 people jumped in.The snorkeling is really poor we thought compared to other places we've been but it could have something to do with all those people. The kids enjoyed the club activities here and the lunch was good. The worst part is that you feel a bit close to one another on the family beach and the lines are very long for the floats, snorkel vests which are required. DS 8 yo did the banana boat ride with grand ma and really loved it. DH and I thought the best part was the adult side of the island where it appeared deserted and the water was alot clearer.
7)Disembarkation--Nothing to it! We were off that boat in 10 minutes. Way too fast if you ask us but we just didn't want it to be over.
8)Final Thoughts--Disney has started a good thing here and I hope all of you thinking of trying that 1st cruise will give it a whirl. Thanks for all the help we were given in preparing for this 1st cruise. I know we could not have lived without the over the door shoe rack. If I can answer any questions please just shout them out. And my last small piece of advice is to never answer the door nacade unless you're absolutely sure it's the hubby on the other side. Keep on cruizin, Cathy
