"I'm NOT a Princess, I'm Izzy!" - May '15 Land/Sea ~ Updated 6/4: Link to Disneyland TR!!!

[alohamom]

Dugette-thanks for all the details about getting to the ship, early boarding times etc. If and when we ever splurge for a Disney cruise I will have this info stored away for reference. The photos really help too, thank you!

 

[andera42]

thanks for all the cruising details. i always think about the sailing away part, but i don't think of all the steps before that. Also, the Boardwalk resort looks beautiful , peaceful and clean. Would you recommend a stay there?

 

[chunkymonkey]

That's a good idea to take your screenshots from your PTR! LOL. I am getting lazier every year and I used to print out all this stuff and hand them to everyone in my party but now I'm just like, I emailed it to you, look it up on your phone! #lovetechnology

That's a bummer about the time you spent getting from the car rental place to the ship! I would be so impatient too! Especially with the drawbridge...and the traffic. It's like the ship is so close yet so far away! Would you rent a car again knowing this or would you consider taking a limo or Disney bus next time? Been toying with renting a car too but not if it adds extra time!

 

[hokieinpa]

I'm finally all caught up!

Grumpy toddlers are no fun so it's good that Dug stayed back with Izzy while you got to enjoy your solo night! Glad you got to meet up with Tracy and enjoy some "solo" time together! Seeing Wishes from Fantasyland is on my list for the fall. Glad everything worked out ok with the missing straws and wallet!

It seems like everything went pretty smoothly (if slowly) on departure day. Time just seems to move so much slower when you're trying to get somewhere on a deadline! Excited to read more about boarding the ship!

 

[Dugette]

Love hearing about Disney cruises! In fact, I'm up waiting to see if they actually open the Character Breakfast/Character meets online tonight at 11 pm (midnight EST) or if I'll have to wait until tomorrow! Your to-do list was perfect timing!

Did they open them for you? When do you leave - soon, right?

DH used to have an Integra.

Small world! They are good little cars.

We learned a lot about that Enterprise shuttle on our first DCL cruise too. Since we will get a car at the airport next time, we will use Hertz, which is much closer to the port. I like the idea of the early drop-off though. We sat out in the sun and then in a van with no AC for a while at Enterprise Everything is smooth sailing after this though, because you will be on a DCL cruise

Good idea to be close to port. When I booked, I was under the impression that they were all really close-by, but some were definitely closer than others. Yes, the stress mostly melted away on the cruise.

That's pretty smart to use your pre-trip report as a check list for the morning

I actually do that a lot. Those detailed day-by-day updates I do - I try to pull those out on the trips each morning to review the plan. I don't always get through reading everything with Izzy hanging off of me (how I missed my solo night on her first trip), but it does help. I don't trust my memory.

That is a bit weird to have "panel" written above your door like that. Unless noting there was an electric panel somewhere hidden or something

I'm guessing that's what it was, but seemed like Disney would have some more magical way to do that...maybe throw a magic band up there or something?

Love the old VW buses ... I read recently they are planning to have an all-electric version of that coming out which I think would be pretty cool to have

Oh, interesting, I didn't know that.

Seems like a reasonable decision to pay the $3 fee for the sun pass since you only had the car for the one day. I hate how if you want it you have to pay it for every day you have the car whether you need it each day or not - so when you rent a car for a week it really doesn't make sense (so we wound up just buying a sunpass figuring we would make enough trips to Florida to make it worthwhile)

For what Enterprise had (details here: http://www.htallc.com/BrandedPages/Policy.aspx?enterprise), they only charged you each day you went through a toll area. In our case, it wouldn't have mattered either way, though, since we had the one-way rentals. I have to say, I was worried we'd get hit with some big unexpected charge, but it was great and a pretty good deal! No problems, though it did freak me out a bit to just drive through the tolls.

ack, I'd be freaking out when they asked for luggage tags and then I didn't have them - glad it wasn't a huge deal (I am sure you weren't the first person to have forgotten them) - good to know for the future thought

I felt like the porter was very disappointed with me. I honestly just didn't realize/remember we had ever gotten them. Oopsie.

oh no! So sorry about all those delays. At least you had planned for an early boarding rather than a late one and then you'd be worried about the boat leaving without you!!!!

Very true, that would have been much worse!

I miss them too!! I had a Plymouth Laser as my first car, and loved it lol. Stick shift and all (my current car is actually stick shift too). I had a MINI Cooper when Aria was born, and it was so much fun to drive too.

Very cool! My Integras were all sticks too. The two cars I've had since (both Acura TLs) have been automatic because Dug doesn't feel comfortable driving stick and wanted to be able to drive my car if need be (though he seldom does). I guess I do have paddle shifters on the wheel of this one, but I usually forget about them...driving the sticks was a lot of fun!

Eeek!!

Glad they were fine without them, I'm sure a good portion of people arrive for every cruise without them.

I guess so, but I really felt like the porter was disappointed with me. I suppose they get irritated after enough guests like me show up.

Ohhh my patience would be ZERO by now

Yeah, I was not pleased we were going to Royal, since I didn't even know that was a possibility.

Eeek I would be so mad lol. What time would you have arrived at the port had you taken the DCL transfer bus from WDW? Was having the rental car worth it?

Good question. I think the DCL transfers from WDW arrive around noon. So, it probably would have ended up about the same. However, the car was nice because we could stop for wine on the way there and groceries on the way back. And I got a great deal - like $30 or so each way, so cheaper than the DCL transfer would have been. I'd do it again, but just show up even earlier.

UGH!! Well I hope you get on smoothly and manage to get everything accomplished from your to-do list.

Coming right up!

 

[Dugette]

Dugette-thanks for all the details about getting to the ship, early boarding times etc. If and when we ever splurge for a Disney cruise I will have this info stored away for reference. The photos really help too, thank you!

You are very welcome! If you ever do take a Disney Cruise, I found the TR board over in the cruise section was really helpful too (I am cross-posting this over there to give back). There were some that were filled with great tips!

thanks for all the cruising details. i always think about the sailing away part, but i don't think of all the steps before that. Also, the Boardwalk resort looks beautiful , peaceful and clean. Would you recommend a stay there?

Yeah, all the steps before sailing away are not terribly glamorous, but I like to share the full journey. And, yes, I'd absolutely recommend the Boardwalk. We honestly didn't know that we'd like it, but we booked it because the location was great for our plans and we were able to rent DVC points from a member we'd previously rented from, so it was a good deal. But I'd happily stay there again - it was great!

That's a good idea to take your screenshots from your PTR! LOL. I am getting lazier every year and I used to print out all this stuff and hand them to everyone in my party but now I'm just like, I emailed it to you, look it up on your phone! #lovetechnology

Ha, our printer broke and I don't think we're going to replace it. Everything is electronic these days! (If I do need to print something, I do it at work). I did the screen shots, since I was worried about losing wifi on the ship - I actually have screen shots of ALL of our cruise plans from the PTR. Was nice to reference them each day, since I never remember what I wanted to do when.

That's a bummer about the time you spent getting from the car rental place to the ship! I would be so impatient too! Especially with the drawbridge...and the traffic. It's like the ship is so close yet so far away! Would you rent a car again knowing this or would you consider taking a limo or Disney bus next time? Been toying with renting a car too but not if it adds extra time!

I almost wanted to jump out of the shuttle and just make a run for the ship (once we crossed the bridge). We got a great deal on our car rental - it was $30-some each way. So, saved us money and allowed us to make a wine stop on the way there and a grocery stop on the way back. So long as I got a good rate, I'd do it again. I'd just show up even earlier than we did, hoping to avoid the delays.

I'm finally all caught up!

Grumpy toddlers are no fun so it's good that Dug stayed back with Izzy while you got to enjoy your solo night! Glad you got to meet up with Tracy and enjoy some "solo" time together! Seeing Wishes from Fantasyland is on my list for the fall. Glad everything worked out ok with the missing straws and wallet!

It was so sad that Izzy was in such a mood that night, but I'm glad that Dug stayed with her and told me to go enjoy the MK. It was a really fun night. Time with Tracy and time solo was a blast. Fireworks view was fun. So glad that they had my wallet!

It seems like everything went pretty smoothly (if slowly) on departure day. Time just seems to move so much slower when you're trying to get somewhere on a deadline! Excited to read more about boarding the ship!

It was SO slow! That wait for the drawbridge was the worst! But at least we got on the ship and moved past it.

 

[Dugette]

All Aboard!

I had just arrived inside the terminal. Dug and Izzy were in line to meet Izzy’s hero, Minnie. I believe a CM was expecting me when I entered and showed me right to the line I needed to be in and let me know what had to be done before boarding. This is the line I waited in:



It wasn’t too bad and there were a lot of CMs at the desk to move things along.

Meanwhile, Izzy apparently got a bit tired while waiting for Minnie :



I think she had her pillow as we planned for her to nap in the stroller, if needed (had we boarded sooner) and she wanted the pillow for naptime.

Just as they were nearing the front of the line, the dreaded character change occurred. Mickey replaced Minnie for the meet and greet. Izzy was devastated. This was as I finished my check-in, so I hurried over there to help calm her. However, when her turn came, she refused to go up and meet Mickey. So, rather than have their wait be for nothing, I went up to greet Captain Mickey and explain Izzy’s heartbreak to him (we did not get very good pictures):





At least I had Minnie on my shirt!

Our next stop was that little door with ears you can see in the background. Finally time to board the ship! It was 12:12pm by the time we crossed the gangway – despite getting into boarding group 4, we were entering with the latecomers. But at least we were finally entering:





As we boarded, they announced our family name and welcomed us. It was a nice moment, but I was so focused on the to-do list that the we’re-on-board high didn’t last long. Things to do!

First priority was getting the timed character meet tickets, as the distribution period had already begun. We were hoping to get all three: Frozen, Disney Junior, and Princesses. For those that don’t know, these character meets became so popular that Disney started scheduling meet times instead of taking walk-ups. But you had to get a time slot upon boarding and they do run out, which is why this was urgent. Izzy loves meeting characters and I wanted to make sure she didn’t miss out.

I went up to get in line while Dug and Izzy roamed the lobby or something. The line was already VERY long and slow:



Do you see how it goes the entire way around this level? Also, I spy Donald doing a meet and greet one deck below. I tried to pass the time taking a few photos. I caught Dug and Izzy in this one (about to go into the elevator area, I think):



Nice chandelier:



Mickey decorations on the elevator shaft:



Not a very good picture (zoomed in on an iPhone), but character borders:



I see Dug and Izzy on the level below me here:



Above them is where the character meet tickets are being distributed.

I was really trying to pass the time and hold onto hope that the line would get moving, but it really wasn’t. It felt like I was waiting for an eternity and, after all that rigamarole getting to the ship, I didn’t want to waste any precious time just standing in line for something that I may well not get anyway (I was so far back that there was a good chance they’d run out and a CM told us as much). After about 20 minutes and only moving a couple feet, I decided to cut my losses and go find Dug and Izzy. I knew our late arrival was going to cause my plans to go awry and I didn’t want to spend all afternoon watching that happen from this line without my family.

So, once I found Dug and Izzy, our first stop was – naturally – the restrooms. Izzy “had to go” – meaning, she hadn’t yet seen a Mickey’s Boat restroom and she had to add it to her collection of WDW restroom visits. So, off we went. I actually have pictures of this one, as it’s kinda nice (and super clean, since it probably hadn’t been used yet since they just turned the ship over):





I know, gross, but probably just cleaned. And I made her wash up really good. At any rate, I doubt she actually went potty, but maybe. Good times with potty training.

Somewhere around here, we managed to get a couple cute porthole pictures:





Admiring what I think was the Norwegian Jewel?

Also, at some point during all of this, we signed up for the free allotment of wifi that you can get on the first day. However, we didn’t even get to use it, as it immediately got eaten up by something…we think automatic photo syncing. So, if you are going to do this, make sure everything not needed on your phone is disabled. I was a bit bummed, as I wouldn’t be able to check email and see what was going on with work during our cruise (reminder: my company had been sold a few days earlier). That stressed me out a bit. However, at least Dug and I were able to text through the Disney Cruise app, so that was good.

Our next stop was Royal Palace, one of the dining rooms on board. This is where we had to go to make a Palo reservation. We already had a pre-booked dinner at Palo, but we also wanted a brunch and weren’t able to snag one in advance. I had heard they hold some back for embarkation day bookings like this, so we wanted to get one set up:



We were first in line there. Dug volunteered to stay and take care of this while Izzy and I headed off to Enchanted Garden to get started on lunch. We decided to do the sit-down lunch option as it was already 12:50pm, so we figured Cabanas (the buffet most people go to) would be packed. Enchanted Garden was still a buffet, but with some table service elements like bringing drinks, etc. Izzy and I were seated:





Dug was happy to report he got us the Palo brunch when we wanted it! Yay!

I got Izzy some random items off the buffet. Mmmm, chocolate mousse for lunch:



My plate:



Dug’s plate:



We each got a dessert too. Dug had a little piece of carrot cake:



And I couldn’t decide between a brownie or ice cream, so what’s a girl to do?



Dug also got a picture of the décor:



We left there around 1:50pm. We had ditched our plans to swim, due to our late boarding. Now that we’d eaten, it was time to get into our stateroom:



We had stateroom 8100, a mid-ship family verandah room. Great location and we loved it!

Looking in:



Nice bed:



The shower:



The little bathtub below the shower:



Sink in that bathroom:



We had the split bathrooms, so the other one was just a toilet and sink:



They were fairly small, but I thought this separation was a nice feature.

Chair and ottoman:



Couch that folds out into a bed:



Vanity/outlets/tv/etc.:



You can also see the curtain that can be pulled to separate the bed from the living area.

Up next: Checking out the verandah, some more errands, and sailing away!

 

[Imagineer5]

So, rather than have their wait be for nothing, I went up to greet Captain Mickey and explain Izzy’s heartbreak to him (we did not get very good pictures):

Poor Izzy! That is really too bad

The line was already VERY long and slow:

WOW that is ridiculous. On the Wonder we had timed tickets but then the characters also came out separately and we could wait for them if wanted. We had to for Disney Jr characters bc the timed ticket was during our Palo ressie. I read somewhere they are doing online ticket disbursement for this now before cruising.

However, we didn’t even get to use it, as it immediately got eaten up by something…we think automatic photo syncing

Double ugh! It isn't much anyway lol

We were first in line there.

Glad you got the time you wanted!

I like the round tub! On the Wonder it was more of a regular tub/shower (slightly smaller but still a good size).

Oh I meant to quote the part about being able to text thru the app - that is a nice feature that I believe the Wonder has now, but didn't on the cruise we took.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

poor Izzy missing out on meeting Minnie ... I get they have to do the trade outs at some point but that really sucks for the people that wanted to meet the initial character

Glad you got on the ship no issue though kind of a bummer you didn't get to soak in that moment a bit more

And double bummer about the huge line for the character meet slots. I think I read something that you can now pre-book those before the cruise ... something more to do beforehand but at least it would be taken care of

Seems like you made the right call to catch up with the family rather than just stay in line. Glad to see you did get the Paolo brunch though!!

Interesting about your wifi getting used up - good to know to turn the phones to airplane mode or something if you aren't using them

at least you got some food and got settled in the room which looks pretty nice and decent size!

So looking back, do you think you should have just left even earlier to allow for more time to return the rental car or just done a shuttle instead or ... guess, is there anything you would have done differently to better guarantee you were on board early/on time?

 

[BlvInMagic]

We've always wanted to do a Disney Cruise within a Disney World vaca but haven't booked one....yet Great reporting and great tips! Your first day onboard sounded super stressful and you are so organized! Yikes! The Ship is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and I love the Disney décor that is subtly placed throughout. Izzy was such a trooper with the whole on-boarding process -- such a good girl. You and Dug have a good strategy, divide and conquer

 

[hokieinpa]

Boo for the switch! Poor Izzy was waiting all that time for Minnie!

I know it was hard boarding late and in a hurried way, but that's great that you got the Palo brunch! I'm excited to read your reviews. I'm so ready to take a Disney cruise but the cost is just so crazy that I just don't know. Love the pictures of your room!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Hi Dugette! I'm all caught up. I think it's great you were able to do a solo night in MK! That looked like a lot of fun.

I'm loving all the pictures so far from the cruise. The Dream looks like such a beautiful boat. I am looking forward to hearing more about your experiences on the cruise!

 

[annie170]

I've fallen horribly behind, but am all caught up now!

Your Star Wars breakfast looked fun. Dug's meal looked really good.

It's too bad that Izzy woke up fussy, but that's awesome that you were able to spend an evening at MK solo. I'm glad everything worked out okay with your wallet. I love when people are honest!

I'm really enjoying the tips for the cruise, as this is something I've always wanted to do. If you don't mind my asking, how did you select which ship you wanted to sail? Is the Dream the only ship that does the land and sea?

That stinks that returning the rental took so long. Oh those best laid plans! Do you think you would just use the resort shuttle if doing it again?

Looking forward to reading more about the cruise!

 

[cindianne320]

Your first few hours on the ship seemed so chaotic. I'm sorry that there were so many lines to wait in. Thanks for the tip about the wireless, though I'm not quite sure how to turn off auto syncing on my iPhone, and we leave tomorrow! We were able to get the Character Breakfast and Frozen meet online that next morning, not at 11, but so worth it after reading your experience!

 

[khertz]

Apparently in my short absence from the DIS, I missed a LOT! Just spent the morning catching up, so of course I can't comment on every single thing, but...

Love the pics of Izzy running through the bubbles! Sometimes at Disney it is the simplest things that make the kids the happiest. Not the money spent on souvenirs, BBB, character meals, etc...the free bubbles blowing around.

That meltdown sounds like not a lot of fun, but I'm glad you were still able to go out and get your solo time. What a great evening in MK! I really want to finally see the Kiss Goodnight, so maybe since DH and I will be there just the two of us next month, we can stay long enough to see it. Going by what you did after park closing, it was maybe 45 minutes after the park closing time, you'd say?

Yikes, what a headache returning the car and getting back to the ship! I hate that panicky feeling of not getting somewhere when you wanted to. Even though it doesn't sound like you were in danger of missing it or anything, it sucks that your window of early time was eaten up with car rental issues.

Excited to hear about the cruise! DS keeps begging to go on one, but I just don't know if I'm ready to give up a WDW trip for the year in favor of a Disney cruise instead.

 

[Dugette]

Poor Izzy! That is really too bad

She was so heartbroken after waiting in line for Minnie that whole time.

WOW that is ridiculous. On the Wonder we had timed tickets but then the characters also came out separately and we could wait for them if wanted. We had to for Disney Jr characters bc the timed ticket was during our Palo ressie. I read somewhere they are doing online ticket disbursement for this now before cruising.

Wow, online ticket disbursement would be great - much less stress when boarding! I really didn't love having a big to-do list immediately upon boarding, but I didn't want to miss out on the things we had to book/arrange right away. Much rather do it in advance.

Double ugh! It isn't much anyway lol

Apparently not. I couldn't believe how fast it was used up. Like within minutes!

Glad you got the time you wanted!

Me too - worked out well!

I like the round tub! On the Wonder it was more of a regular tub/shower (slightly smaller but still a good size).

I thought the round tub was super cute. And I liked the little ledge next to it too - to sit on or put your stuff on. Very nice.

Oh I meant to quote the part about being able to text thru the app - that is a nice feature that I believe the Wonder has now, but didn't on the cruise we took.

I think it was a relatively new feature when we went? It did come in handy, though. Better than carrying around those room phones.

poor Izzy missing out on meeting Minnie ... I get they have to do the trade outs at some point but that really sucks for the people that wanted to meet the initial character

It really does - some warning would have been nice! Especially taking her out with a 2-year-old girl near the front of the line. Poor Mickey - she wanted nothing to do with him.

Glad you got on the ship no issue though kind of a bummer you didn't get to soak in that moment a bit more

Yeah, it felt really hectic even though I really tried to focus on slowing down and savoring the moment.

And double bummer about the huge line for the character meet slots. I think I read something that you can now pre-book those before the cruise ... something more to do beforehand but at least it would be taken care of

I would so much rather do it beforehand! I'd love to just board the ship and enjoy it...not wait in crazy lines.

Seems like you made the right call to catch up with the family rather than just stay in line. Glad to see you did get the Paolo brunch though!!

Yes, it was the right call. And you'll see in the next update that we didn't entirely miss out, either.

Interesting about your wifi getting used up - good to know to turn the phones to airplane mode or something if you aren't using them

Definitely. I think I did change some settings and try to disable things, but there are so many things our phones are doing that it doesn't take much, I guess.

at least you got some food and got settled in the room which looks pretty nice and decent size!

Loved the room! Very nice and comfortable!

So looking back, do you think you should have just left even earlier to allow for more time to return the rental car or just done a shuttle instead or ... guess, is there anything you would have done differently to better guarantee you were on board early/on time?

I think I would have just left even earlier. I didn't want to show up much before our Port Arrival Time, as I thought that might be an issue (they are still turning over the ship from the cruisers that just got off). But, ultimately, we pulled in just before our 10:45 PAT, but I didn't get back until much later than that....so I guess I'd aim to get me back close to the PAT, even though that would mean the others showing up very early and waiting around. (Or everyone going to the car place and schlepping bags on the shuttle, which I'd rather avoid). I actually wonder if you can take an Uber/Lyft back to port from the car rental places? I'd do that. Because I got a great deal on the car rentals, it won over doing the shuttles just on price alone. If I couldn't get a great car deal (it was about $35 each way this time), I'd consider the Disney transfers. Especially if they move to pre-booking more things, meaning I don't need to be on as early.

We've always wanted to do a Disney Cruise within a Disney World vaca but haven't booked one....yet Great reporting and great tips! Your first day onboard sounded super stressful and you are so organized! Yikes! The Ship is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and I love the Disney décor that is subtly placed throughout. Izzy was such a trooper with the whole on-boarding process -- such a good girl. You and Dug have a good strategy, divide and conquer

We'd always wanted to do one too - I'd see people here write about their "land and sea" trips and think how wonderful it sounded. In the future, though, I'd be tempted to just do a cruise without the WDW time. Which means I'd probably need to sail out of somewhere other than Port Canaveral, so as not to be too close to WDW. But I think it would have been a lot less stressful without all the park plans around it. Plus, I'd love to stay on the ship longer than 4 nights and if you tack WDW on to that, you're looking at a pretty long vacation!

Yep, we tend to do the divide and conquer thing a lot! I guess we are good at team work!

 

[Dugette]

Boo for the switch! Poor Izzy was waiting all that time for Minnie!

I know! Poor thing - and so hard to explain to a 2-year-old!

I know it was hard boarding late and in a hurried way, but that's great that you got the Palo brunch! I'm excited to read your reviews. I'm so ready to take a Disney cruise but the cost is just so crazy that I just don't know. Love the pictures of your room!

I'm so glad we got the Palo brunch too. And we were able to reserve a Palo dinner in advance, so you'll see both in here!

Yeah, Disney Cruises are not cheap, especially with a family your size vs. ours. Booking really early helps, as rates just go up from there. But, I just can't stomach the prices for the 7-night cruises, which is why we took the 4-night at half the cost. Someone else we spoke to was taking the 3 and 4 night cruises back to back, since it was cheaper than a 7-night!

Hi Dugette! I'm all caught up. I think it's great you were able to do a solo night in MK! That looked like a lot of fun.

It was a great night! I really needed that non-parenting time to just enjoy things. And Tracy was so fun to hang out with.

I'm loving all the pictures so far from the cruise. The Dream looks like such a beautiful boat. I am looking forward to hearing more about your experiences on the cruise!

It is a beautiful ship and we really loved the cruise!

I've fallen horribly behind, but am all caught up now!

No worries, glad you're here!

Your Star Wars breakfast looked fun. Dug's meal looked really good.

It was a fun breakfast and he enjoyed that meal.

It's too bad that Izzy woke up fussy, but that's awesome that you were able to spend an evening at MK solo. I'm glad everything worked out okay with your wallet. I love when people are honest!

Me too - I was SO worried when I realized I'd left it. And SO relieved when I saw all the gift cards still in there!

I'm really enjoying the tips for the cruise, as this is something I've always wanted to do. If you don't mind my asking, how did you select which ship you wanted to sail? Is the Dream the only ship that does the land and sea?

So, we didn't do an official "land and sea", though I think Disney offers something? We just booked a cruise and booked WDW time, as you normally would. Port Canaveral is the closest port to WDW, so that was part of our criteria. And just the Dream and Fantasy sailed out of there. The Fantasy only does 7-nights and those were too expensive. So, that left 3 and 4 night Dreams. We chose 4 to have the extra time. I also wanted to be on one of the bigger/newer ships (Dream and Fantasy), so this worked out well.

That stinks that returning the rental took so long. Oh those best laid plans! Do you think you would just use the resort shuttle if doing it again?

I think we'd do a rental again if we got another good deal (we had around $35 each way). Nice to have the ability to make stops and set your own timing. However, I would plan to arrive even earlier.

Looking forward to reading more about the cruise!

Can't wait to share more! Another update coming!

Your first few hours on the ship seemed so chaotic. I'm sorry that there were so many lines to wait in. Thanks for the tip about the wireless, though I'm not quite sure how to turn off auto syncing on my iPhone, and we leave tomorrow! We were able to get the Character Breakfast and Frozen meet online that next morning, not at 11, but so worth it after reading your experience!

You are on your cruise right now! Hope you have a wonderful time. I like the suggestion of putting the phone on airline mode, but I think there may be more things to turn off and I'm not sure what. So glad you were able to pre-book things online! Hope you've had a wonderful sail away day!

Apparently in my short absence from the DIS, I missed a LOT! Just spent the morning catching up, so of course I can't comment on every single thing, but...

I know what that's like...blink and I miss 40 updates!

Love the pics of Izzy running through the bubbles! Sometimes at Disney it is the simplest things that make the kids the happiest. Not the money spent on souvenirs, BBB, character meals, etc...the free bubbles blowing around.

And this will not be the last time you see Izzy running through bubbles in this report!

That meltdown sounds like not a lot of fun, but I'm glad you were still able to go out and get your solo time. What a great evening in MK! I really want to finally see the Kiss Goodnight, so maybe since DH and I will be there just the two of us next month, we can stay long enough to see it. Going by what you did after park closing, it was maybe 45 minutes after the park closing time, you'd say?

I'd say that sounds about right for the Kiss Goodnight. Doing Philharmagic right as the park closed helped to pass some time. And then eating at Casey's and there it was! Hope you catch it! If nothing else, I'm sure your DH can get some AMAZING shots of the empty park at night!

Yikes, what a headache returning the car and getting back to the ship! I hate that panicky feeling of not getting somewhere when you wanted to. Even though it doesn't sound like you were in danger of missing it or anything, it sucks that your window of early time was eaten up with car rental issues.

Yeah, it was really tough sitting there on the shuttle when I just wanted to run over to the ship (but could not). Waiting for that drawbridge was probably the worst, since we were making no progress at all and it took a lot longer than you would expect. But, very good point that I wasn't going to miss the boat...that would be even worse!

Excited to hear about the cruise! DS keeps begging to go on one, but I just don't know if I'm ready to give up a WDW trip for the year in favor of a Disney cruise instead.

I know what that's like...which is why we did both. We definitely want to do another Disney Cruise, but we'll probably be putting that on hold for a while in favor of the other choice.

 

[Dugette]

Time to Sail Away!

After checking out the inside of the room, it was imperative that we explore the verandah:









Gotta love that private outdoor space with an ocean view!

We also put out our “fish extender.” For those that don’t know, this is a way to exchange small gifts with DIS-ers in other cabins throughout the cruise. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get involved, since I knew it meant extra work in picking things out and preparing gift bags, but Dug thought it sounded fun, so we signed up on our cruise thread on the DIS. The fish extender is typically a hanging pocket type thing that you hang from your fish with your room # by the cabin door. Some make their own, but I am not the crafty type, so I got one customized from someone on Etsy:





While I was out there, I noticed luggage was starting to arrive:



We got one of our bags fairly soon and the other showed up a bit later.

Our plan was for Izzy to squeeze in a nap before the muster drill, so Dug got her in the provided Pack ‘n’ Play. She was not ready to lay down yet, though. So, she was just standing in there, but Dug was wiped out and laid down on the couch. I took this opportunity to head down to Guest Services with a couple things I wanted to get signed by the characters (a service they no longer offer on Disney Cruises, from what I hear ). It was about 2:40pm by now. Waiting in line:



While I was in line, I overheard a CM saying that there were timed character meet tickets available there. They only had Anna & Elsa ones left, but I was able to get them! So, we didn’t totally miss out by ditching that awful line after boarding. I also dropped off my signature items (a pillowcase for Izzy and a onesie for Lauren’s (@Imagineer5) daughter Maya – she wasn’t yet born and I thought it would be a cute baby gift – plus you’re allowed up to 2 items and I was already giving them fabric markers to use, so it made sense).

I also let the CM know that I would be paying my stateroom charges with Disney Gift Cards, as I’d heard I needed to inform them in advance. I had used a Disney Vacation Account to pay for much of the trip and they have an option to send you a gift card of your remaining funds – which was $990. So, I had this crazy $990 gift card with me. They took the card info and said they’d only charge what was needed. I joked about how it better not be THAT much and the CM said, “You haven’t seen our shops yet!” (Thankfully, I am not much of a shopper, so we had plenty left to use in WDW after the cruise ). For what it’s worth, if anyone else is using a DVA, I believe there is a way to pre-purchase onboard credit through your DVA and that will likely count towards the $20 free gift card per $1000 spent – my $990 cash-out did not count as spending.

I headed back to the room after that and this is what I found:



Yep, she’s still standing there awake. I think Dug was sleeping on the couch, though. Lauren texted to wish us a good cruise and I remember sending her that picture of how things were starting off. (Don’t worry, we DID have a good cruise). It was 2:55pm now, so not looking great for a solid nap before the 4pm muster drill.

I closed the curtain in the middle of the room, so as not to disturb the nappers while I worked on unpacking/organizing/stowing our things. The suitcases fit well under the bed. The stroller also fit nicely underneath the bed (and stayed there the whole time, as Izzy was rather anti-stroller on much of this trip). The car seat was more of an issue. I tried several places and eventually stashed it between the bed and wall (I think I have a picture later on). Not great, but it was fine.

Around 3:30pm I headed to the nursery to get Izzy registered. The theme is It’s a Small World:





They gave me a cute little Magic Band for her:



Since we were getting close to muster drill time, they asked me to come back later to reserve the extra time slots we needed (you can only reserve 10 hours in advance).

I was back in the room at 3:45pm and Izzy was still babbling away to herself. You can kind-of hear it in this video clip:

(click to watch)

So, once again, no nap for Izzy (something of a theme this trip).

Now we had to head out on deck to our muster drill location. They had us stand in straight lines with the shortest person first. And we apparently took a couple pictures before we were in appropriate formation:





Note that Izzy is now sporting TWO Magic Bands – WDW and DCL ones.

And a couple more pictures while we stood there:





I guess we did okay, since they let us go.

We wandered through the art gallery after that:



Pretty cool stuff, though it’s a bit nerve-wracking with a two-year-old that wants to touch everything.

Then we just explored the ship a bit:



I am trying to puzzle out this picture a year later :



I THINK we took this to remind us that I had some clever idea. Which, of course, I no longer remember. Maybe something about the elevators? I see we’re at the Aft elevators, so maybe the mid-ship ones were busy and we were getting around that (to get up to the Sail Away party)? Beats me. The picture could also be me scratching my head, saying “shoot me”, or imitating the pointing Mickey finger above the elevator. Who knows?

We took the elevator up to Cabanas:





Looks like we passed the toddler splash pad (we’ll get there later in the trip):



Then we went out to the railing on Deck 12 and found a spot (pretty far back, but adequate) to watch the Sail Away Party taking place below on Deck 11. This was a tip I got from the DIS – to watch it from above where you can see a bit better:



I was getting really tired of holding Izzy, but I wanted to make sure she’d be able to see her Disney “friends” make their appearances on stage:





You can see some riders on a raft in the Aquaduck waterslide here:



There might also be characters on stage, but I sure can’t tell from that picture.

We all enjoyed the show, though:



Then it was finally time to sail away! It was just a bit before 5pm and we headed over to the rail to watch the shoreline slip away:







It was apparently fairly windy and this series of pictures cracks me up:









It was a really nice few minutes, just standing there and watching us make our way out into the ocean. One of the most calm moments of the whole trip, probably.

But that can’t last long, since we still have a small list of things to do!

Up next: Kids Club Open Houses

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I must say, reading this TR is making me realize how little I know about the details of a Disney cruise ... definitely have a lot of homework to do assuming we book one!

That moment you are on the veranda and pull away from shore must be a really cool feeling though!

Gotta love that private outdoor space with an ocean view!

The "wall" behind Izzy looks like it could move - can they do that if you are a family with rooms next to each other?

Ah, I had never seen the "fish" hooks before - so that makes the name "Fish extender" make a lot more sense!!! Are you glad you did this in the end?

They gave me a cute little Magic Band for her:

Did everyone get a magic band for the cruise or just the little ones? That one is pretty darn cute!


I love all the stories you came up with for what that picture of you pointing to your forehead means. Hopefully it wasn't "yes, I already have a headache"

Looks like a good tip to watch the sail away party from one level up - especially when you have a little one as in that crowd could be a bit hectic

 

[annie170]

Wow! You really have to do your homework before a Disney cruise. Good thing you knew all about the character meets, nursery, etc.

Your fish extender is really cute! Do you put the gifts in the extender or does the trading family knock on the door and then trade with you?

I know you have to do the muster drills on a cruise. Could Dug have skipped it and continued with his nap or do they take attendance? I hope you don't mind me asking so many questions.

If you can't remember one picture taken from a year ago, you're doing really good. I come back from two weeks off for Christmas Break and can't remember half my students' names!

That aquaduck looks awesome! A family friend took her kids and grandkids on a Disney cruise (I think Fantasy) and couldn't get the grandkids off the aquaduck to go in to the ports of call. She said she could have saved a lot of money if she had just taken them to Great Wilderness Lodge!

Because it can't be said enough, Izzy is just a doll!