As far as snorkeling goes, on our first cruise we didn't rent the gear because I didn't think our kids would use it. Then when we got out on the beach they wanted to, so some of the others we traveled w/let them use theirs but they didn't like the mouth piece or mask. They enjoyed the floats alot better.
For this cruise, I did buy some snorkling gear at walmart but I doubt they'll use these either, maybe the fins if they go swimming. They might use them more in the pool than ocean.
Mickey mouse at CC is
way out in the snorkeling only area and it is a pretty good distance from shore. You definitely want to have fins if you're going out that far. I took some pics w/the underwater camera and some pics of the ship and the shore from out here too as best as I could considering you're treading water.
Dcanoli: I think that it would be a good idea to let your kids practice using the snorkeling gear in the bathtub or pool. We rented bikes at the shore excursion desk on board, but we didn't do this til the second day. They have lots of bikes on the island and I only saw a few people using them at one time. The bike trail to ride is paved for part of it and then you turn right at the adult beach and go down more of a dirt road for quite some distance before reaching the end (the ocean). They have 2 water stations along this road w/cups and cold water to get a drink. They also have bike helmets for everyone and we used those thank goodness. My youngest took a fall on the dirt road, nothing bad just a few scrapes that we rinsed off w/clean water at the water stop.
I read in the passporter or somewhere that the dining rotation goes by the age of your children with the youngest starting at AP, then the next ages at PC, then the teenagers and older Triton's. I like that Disney rotates your meals so that you get to eat in each one once.
We got about 2 inches of snow yesterday and it created havoc on the roads. The kids are not in school today due to the inauguration. We are suppose to get more snow this weekend and then it's to remain cold so it seems like even if FLA is cold it'll be warm to us. Today is around 34 and it already feels warm compared to the teens and twenties we had the past week.
I got some of the light up things for nights on the cruise to put in my kids' goodie bags.
Also in case someone hasn't read about it they have a cart like they do at the parks that has lots of toys and things for sale that they bring out during the deck parties and I think it was also out most of the day at sea. Of course it's positioned so it's hard to miss and every child wants something from it.
So far I only have one bag that I threw things into that I wanted to make we brought. I need to get more things packed soon so I won't be stressed at the last minute.
that next week's schedule, starting Tues, is very tight - he can't wait until the last minute (i.e., after work on Friday night!) to lay out his clothes, fuel up, check oil & tires, get travel cash, etc. We're gone for 8 days, so cruise packing is only half the task!
Kathy
