Just back from our first time!!

[Deniseibase]

And first off just want to say a great big THANK YOU to everyone who posts on these boards as the information I learned here made the difference between a great trip and a SPECTACULAR one!! We did the 7 day land and sea, 3 days at the Polynesian starting 9/26 and 4 day Wonder starting 9/29. We got back home at 10:45 last night & I'm ready to go again!!

I saved every bit of paper that I could and so will be happy to answer any questions I can for anyone.

Also I kept a travel journal so expect a LONG trip report from me as soon as I get this laundry done

Denise

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Welcome home! Glad to hear you had such a wonderful time! I hope to learn as much as possible before our trip in May and I've already learned a lot. Just curious, would you book land & sea again or would you do the 7 day cruise?

 

[Deniseibase]

Well, my next cruise will probably be a 3 or 4 day without DH and with my mom instead as she would love it and is in deteriorating health, so I'd really like to treat her to it while I can. But our next cruise as a family will be the 7 day as we really wanted more time on the ship. The land & sea was fine for this time because we were trying to compromise - DH wanted to go to the parks, I wanted to cruise, but actually on day 3 of the cruise he said he liked the cruise better than the parks - NOT that we didn't love the parks! I can't believe he said that since he was even seasick!!

BTW - they did the Captain's Corner & someone asked about Alaska cruises - the Captain said they hadn't committed to anything but were investigating that and some other possiblities & that there have been a LOT of people asking for Alaska. At this point, Rick the cruise director said if we wanted Alaska to be sure to let Disney know - guess Rick wants Alaska at least We'd sure do it!!

Denise

 

[jillnan]

Welcome Back! We will be staying at the Poly for 3 days and then taking the 11/7 Wonder Cruise.

What did you think of the Poly? Any comments you'd like to share about the hotel? Did you purchase Disney Transfers? My DH and I will be with our DD's ages 6 and 10.

 

[thebecka]

Welcome back! Looking forward to hearing about another happy cruiser. The 7 day is the only way to go!!

 

[Deniseibase]

The Poly is beautiful, yes of course you can tell it's not brand new, but it's not shabby, just little things like the fonts they use for signs looks like the early seventies, but really it's not important. The plants, the water, the Polynesian music - that's what will be your main impression of the Poly. And Ohana for dinner is a MUST, I can honestly say it was the best meal of our entire trip. It is also SO convenient to MK & Epcot. And everyone is as always at Disney, SO nice!!

The transfers I will be glad to answer any questions you have about them, but overall I'd say it was worth it for us. The DCL people were there for you EVERY step of the way & made everything incredibly easy & quick - this was especially important to us since we had never really flown or cruised before, so the fact that they have everything explained so well & guide you through it so well really kept me from worrying about it - and I'm a big worry wart If you are experienced travelers it might not be such a big deal, but it still makes it easier than on your own I think.

Denise

 

[MMP]

What excursions did you do if any? Did you enjoy them?

 

[Deniseibase]

We didn't do any excursions as I didn't want to get time & money committed to anything that might be suddenly interrupted by our two year old throwing a fit Turns out that was a good plan, the only entertainment she managed to get through was Family Dueling Pianos and High Society - I even had to miss all but 10 minutes of Disney Dreams!!

We walked around Nassau for a couple hours and bought rum cakes and tshirts. Castaway Cay we stood in the water and watched the fish come up to our ankles, then she decided to start stealing floats from other people and destroying other kid's sandcastles and trying to drink my Konk Kooler, so we we actually the first people to get back ON the ship But that's ok, believe it or not we still had fun & we just figure that gives us an excuse to do it again

 

[tksbaskets]

Hi, I was wondering if you went to Animal Kingdom the day your cruise left?

Thanks,

 

[Deniseibase]

We did not - we spent eleven hours at Epcot the day before so our feet were too shot We swam in the volcano pool at the Poly and had a nap instead.

Denise

 

[dmfuru]

Are there baby changing stations in the public restrooms on the boat and at castaway cay?

 

[Deniseibase]

Ummm, I think so? We weren't on Castaway Cay long enough to use a restroom, and my daughter is sorta potty-trained & was in pull-ups for the trip, so mostly we were using the 'big potty'. Honestly, it won't matter much if there aren't, you can get from place to place in the ship very fast, I don't think we were ever more than 5 minutes from our room when onboard & if you were in the mall it would take you that long just to find a restroom The elevators are VERY quick!

Denise

 

[joyebean]

We stayed at the Poly for 4 days before getting on the 9/29 Wonder! Too bad we couldn't meet up...though you wouldn't've been able to meet our 5 yo DD, as she refused to come out of the Oceaneer's Club except to swim.

=joyebean

 

[Deniseibase]

Oh how funny - I KNEW I should have had a lime green ribbon Looks like you rebooked already, did you rebook onboard? We thought long & hard about it but then I realized that financial prudence dictated I pay off the credit card a bit before slapping on another big charge for a vacation Are you doing the 7 day Eastern or Western, and why'd you pick that itinerary?

Denise

 

[joyebean]

Hee hee! Yes, we rebooked on the ship; we chose the Eastern 7-day because of the deep discounting for it (it helped us choose our date too: December 13, 2003!). Since it's fully refundable, we figured we could change our minds and cancel if it became a problem.

We were happy about the Eastern itinerary since we're not big excursion-types...in Nassau we were only off the ship about an hour. Of course, we were still recovering from 4 hard days in the parks, so we didn't feel like walking much--we even cancelled our Dolphin Encounter excusion I'd booked weeks ago. We figure three stops and three sea days is enough for us, and we've never been to St. Thomas or St. Maarten. Of course, we'd take an extra day at Castaway Cay (even though I got a terrible sunburn there--my husband didn't apply my sunblock well enough--all the places I could reach were fine!).

We're planning on going a day or two early and staying at the Wilderness Lodge; I had a hard time deciding between it and the Poly, and when we visited this time we decided it's where we'd stay the next time. It'll be early December, so we'll even get to see the decorations! I'm so excited!! And so long to wait!! Agh!

 

[JonHM]

What did you think of your stateroom? I think we may be in the same one for late January? Also, did you wind up posting a full trip report? (I found this thread through searching)

Thanks!!!

 

[PiperG]

Originally posted by tksbaskets
Hi, I was wondering if you went to Animal Kingdom the day your cruise left?

Thanks,

Hi,

We did the AK the day we departed for the port. We loved the Poly soooo much, that we hated to leave. Looking back on everything, we probably should have tried to leave earlier, because our time at the AK was pretty short. If memory serves, you need to leave the park for the DCL bus around 12:30 or 1:00.

However, we did walk right onto the ship. Since we were not doing any ressies (just planning to relax after all that walking at the MK etc. . . ) so the plan worked out fine.

WDW and DCL really does make everything simple

 

[Deniseibase]

Jon - we LOVED our stateroom, very comfortable, incredible view and I kept telling my DH that I wished my house was half as well set up and efficient as the staterooms are! It is obviously not as spacious as home, but it never felt crowded or cramped.

As for the trip report, I DO intend to post one, but unfortunately my DH got laid off from his job of 20 years the week after we got back (they are closing their doors) and I have had to work 16 hour days since then to try to make up. I simply haven't had time to transcribe my travel journal, but things SHOULD settle down soon & then I'll be back on these boards daily!

 

[tksbaskets]

PiperG
So glad you posted! Where did you find out that this is an option?

I haven't seen anything in my cruise documents about being able to get the bus from the AK. I had only heard that on these boards. My family is planning on joining Donald for breakfast at the AK and then seeing a few of our favorite AK attractions. If we go on Safari, see It's tough to be a Bug, and ride Dinasour we've seen about all of the AK we need to.

We are used to 6 or 7 days at WDW so 4 days is more than a little rushed. Small price to pay for going on a cruise too

 

[PiperG]

Wow! I am glad this is helpful.

When we checked in at the Poly, one of our "to dos" was to register our method of getting to the ship. I don't remember all the options, but one was to take a bus from the Poly (they run frequently) to the AK, and then take the DCL bus to the port.

When we arrived at the AK, we entered the park and then immediately checked in with the DCL folks. They held our carry-on stuff and gave clear instructions on when we should return to catch the bus. They also gave us a tip. . .don't eat because the welcome aboard buffet is great! We did end up having a light meal at the park all the same.

As I mentioned, we could have seen more of the park, at a more relaxing pace, if we had left the Poly earlier. We just loved the Poly. It didn't look old at all to me. I truly felt like I had left the U.S. and was in a tropical paradise.

Have fun and feel free to PM me with more questions.