MAY 20TH WESTERN - 1ST CRUISE/ROY SUITE REPORT Updated with Pictures!

[crazypom]

hello, I am back Life is just so busy so bear with my extended posting time. Thanks Carla for those good ideas, I was wanting to print this for my scrapbook so that will help.

Day 5, Cozumel

Up again to a beautiful day and coffee on the balcony. Enjoyed our room service again. We were anxious to get an early start and head for Paradise Beach. Had been unsure of what to do but after reading such great reviews had finally decided on that. Had been told by concierge to call when we were ready and met Crunch on deck 1 to board directly rather than wait in the theatre. It was a nice perk of concierge service, esp today as it was very wavy and the tender boats seemed to take a long time to load. They seemed to be having alot of trouble keeping the walkway stable. Ended up at the bottom of the tender boat which kinda freaked me a bit but ended up with not too bad a ride. Off the boat just before 10. We had been told to head for the red striped taxis which were easy to find and prices posted. I think it was $26 for a van out to PB which was about a 10 min drive. I think the driver thought we were nuts as I made sure everyone had a seatbelt and he had to fish several of them out of the seats - not sure they had ever been used before!!!
Turns out we made a great choice in Paradise Beach. Got a great bunch of seats in front of the iceberg and an excellent server for the day, Fredy. It was $8 for a bracelet to use all the water toys (free if you didn't) and they just ask that you buy food and drinks (ya, like that was a problem )
Kids had a ball playing in the sand and swimming out to the water tramp and iceberg. DH very proud that he made it to the top of the iceberg (note the smaller childrens heads I think he used as stepping stones!_)

We had figured to be out there until 1 or so but ended up staying until 3pm as we were having so much fun. The food was excellent, "the best chicken fingers ever" according to my kids. The fresh salsa and guac was awesome, as were the burritos. Prices were also reasonable we thought. The only thing I didn't like was the disappearing beer - I could have sworn we didn't drink 2 buckets and yet it was all gone!!!!! DD11 got her whole head braided and DD5 got 5 braids. Both said it didn't hurt and they lasted a good 12 days. (prob could have left a bit longer but getting fuzzy on top)

No problem getting a taxi back, there were tons of them just waiting there. The fellow we rode with said right now he only gets about 3 fares per day so they do alot of waiting. Again, different van, same seatbelt issue! (this guy not so keen to dig them out as he would "drive carefully" - no thanks, find me the seatbelts!!!)

Tender back easier as not as rough. Got ready for dinner and into our pirate costumes. I had gotten costumes at halloween so we were all set except we somehow forgot DD11's really great costume So... she gets my cool Pirates of the Carribean shirt and mom just gets a black tee Oh well, we all still looked pretty good! I had bought a bunch of dollar store pirate stuff and decorated the table before dinner - "wow, Mickey sure likes us" though the kids! We had lots to share with some other kids around us and they really enjoyed it.

ok, remember DH, the one that never wants to go on a cruise, thinks I'm disney obsessed, isn't going to have any fun????? When I showed him his pirate stuff before we left I got "there's no way I'm wearing that". Here is a pic of the DH who now thinks this is the best vacation ever and can't wait to go again!!!!!!! Thank goodness for that Mickey magic

aah, it is so difficult to know whats best all the time

Loved the pirate dinner, again we continue to be amazed by the food. Kids out by 7:30 to head off to their activities and we enjoy a peaceful dessert (not that dinner with 4 kids isn't "peaceful" but you know what I mean!) DH has discovered a few nights ago that he quite enjoys port with his dessert (more on that later when we discuss the final bill!)
DMIL crashes by 9pm, it is hard work lying in the sun and sipping margaritas!!
Little kids too pooped for pirate party and also crash. Big kids off doing their club stuff and DH crashes at 9:30. Guess where I am.....on the deck enjoying my glass of wine (surprise surprise). I am embarassed to say none of us made it to the pirate party Big kids showed up just in time to watch the fireworks from our balcony. We had a pretty good view and I was impressed to have fireworks at sea. Now that I knew I was coming back I wasn't stressing about fitting everything in - hopefully we will catch that next time! We did have alot of fun dressing up and with our pirate tattoos and got lots of great compliments.

(my favorite towel animal!) Another great day in paradise, fun had by all I would highly recommend Paradise beach when in cozumel.
Hopefully day 6 won't take quite as long to get to. I do still have more roy suite pics but may make you wait "til the summary!!!!

 

[Babs417]

Did you try the $1.00 MIN. messuage Im sorry I cant spell. but it was great. Loved the beach.

 

[BethA]

your pictures are great--thanks for the report

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Your trip report continues to be awesome! Enjoying it- pictures and all. Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

 

[churchlady]

Hi Crazypom,
My kids want to go back, too! I just don't know how to make this happen! Keep up the good work on the report! I wish I was still there! Leigh (aka Churchlady)

 

[Kim&Chris]

HI Cari,
I am SO enjoying reading your TR! Great job! Ahhhh, memories!

I HATED getting off the Magic on the 27th (In fact, I got a little weepy as we drove away...shh don't tell anyone! ).

That cruise was the BEST vacation I ever had, and I am counting the days 'til our next one in May '07 (we're doing the Wonder this time). We'll do a few days in Disneyworld beforehand, then follow with a 4-day Wonder cruise. I'm definitely hooked

Looking forward to your next entry!

PS...We just got our DVD from the Stingray City excursion. You guys are like the STARS of the video!!

 

[crazypom]

Hi Kim , I agree, it was the best vacation ever, my kids even liked it better than DW and DL!!!!! We did get our video from the Nativeways excursion - it is great! Really makes you feel like you are there, and makes you want to go back!! We have watched it 3 times and the big kids are going to take it to school so well worth the money.

ok, day 6, Thurday at sea

Nice to take it easy this am, nothing to rush for! Enjoyed a leisurely breakfast from room service and DH went to Lumiere's. Little kids off to their club by 9:30 and hardly saw them all day! I had gotten over the fact that they were quite happy to spend time in the club rather than with me However, to drown my sorrows DMIL and I did discover happy hour drinks from 10am-12 up on deck!! What the heck, its noon somewhere Big kids had a variety of things mapped out for the day including flubber, magic workshop, towel folding. They really enjoyed having their freedom and it worked out very well for us. They could page if needed (but didn't) and we had walkie talkies (which were more of an amusement than anything). We set certain ground rules and spending limits and had no problems whatsoever. I think it was a good experience to have some freedom as I am usually overprotective. The only page I got from the 3-4 club was to bring DD5's heffalump!!!!

The grownups enjoyed touring the ship, sunning, reading, drinking, and just generally relaxing! We had scheduled a get together in our suite for some of the people we had met - Kim&Chris, Churchlady and family, Shannon, and our deck mates Kitty, Johnathan & kids from next door. Concierge kindly provided some nice fruit and cheese platters. It was alot of fun and I'm glad we were able to get together as it was tough to schedule everyones activities (mostly Churchlady's who was very busy with wine tasting and other drinking activies ha ha) I am hoping someone that was there took pictures as I forgot!

Time to get everyone ready for celebrate the journey - a cute show with all the kids that have participated in the clubs. They got to keep a t-shirt and graduation Mickey ears which were very nice.

Dinner was awesome again, tonight was supposed to be our Palo night but we cancelled in favor of our regular table. If I remember right this was the lobster night and it was amazing! DD5 crashed around 7pm at dinner and slept until 7:30 am!!!

Tonight was Disney dreams which we really enjoyed, I thought the guy that plays Peter was excellent.

up to wander on deck and take some night pictures and saw all the evacuation excitement going on. It was a bit freaky when the jet had buzzed by the ship. The helicopter had to circle many times before picking up the ill person and it really is an amazing feat to hover over the front of the boat. Never did hear how they made out so hopefully all went ok.

Didn't even try to fool myself into thinking we would do any late night activities this time!!! Enjoyed a book and beverage on the balcony as usual and slept like a baby! Keeping this one shorter so I can actually get this report done!!!!!!

 

[crazypom]

the report that never ends is finally almost over!!!

Day 7, Friday, Castaway Cay

We have really been looking forward to this day as I have read so much about how this is often peoples favorite day (come on, its just a beach right???) Well, woke up and enjoyed my coffee as we pulled into Castaway Cay - wow, can you say paradise??? We were lucky enough to have a great view as we pulled in. It looked a little suspect and there was a slight chance of rain but ended up with great weather.

We had booked the Seahorse catamaran and snorkel for DH, big kids, and myself while DMIL took the little kids to get a spot on the family beach. There were very few people on the tour and it was alot of fun. It was a little rough in the water but we saw many different kinds of fish. It was freaky to swim next to the edge of the reef with open sea (think sharks) around. The ride didn't take too long and was enjoyable. I was amazed how shallow it is in the area around Castaway Cay.

We really enjoyed it and the big kids were very keen to snorkel after Grand Cayman but in hindsight I would not book it on my 1st trip to Castaway Cay. We didn't get to the family beach until almost noon and really would have loved more time there. Little kids had gone to their clubs so we settled in for a beverage (I had to try the famous Konk cooler at least once ) and some sun!

We had a great lunch at Cookies BBQ (more konk coolers!) and big kids off to the water fight. Did a little shopping and found some cute souveneirs (had to get them since you can't get them anywhere else!!!) DH went to get the little kids for lunch and in my infinite wisdom I suggested bringing theirs along "just in case". Of course they did not want to leave scuttles cove so chomped a hot dog and cookies at the entrance and ran back to play!!! At least we fed them

DH and big kids had banana boat at 3pm and loved it. That was a good thing to do as it was reasonably priced and didn't take too much time.

collected the little kids just before closing for some time on the beach. The beach really seemed to clear out around 3-3:30 however we hung on until 4:30 or so when they were cleaning and stacking chairs!

we really, really didn't want this day to end!! It was a beautiful spot with so much to do. I can really see the appeal of a double dip as I felt we didn't see even a 1/4 of the island - just too much to see and too little time. It also could have had something to do with the need to sample the various tropical drinks but I don't think so!!!
stopped along the way back for the pics, trying to drag it out as long as possible. The group photo is the my favorite of the whole trip and I now stare longingly at it on my desktop!

I am feeling sad as I write this as I remember how sad we all were to head for our final dinner!! We loved the 'til we meet again show, I may even have had a small tear in the corner of my eye! Our servers, as I mentioned, were excellent. I have heard reports of never seeing your head server but we saw and talked with ours every night. It was a standing joke to try to get DH to eat his vegetables. The first night we asked about getting raw veggies and dip for the kids and every night had a beautiful platter awaiting us on our table.

Kids off to their clubs again and grownups off for last minute shopping, shutters, and packing. DD5 sobbed her heart out at leaving the club. She really bonded with Clare and we have since mailed a letter and some pictures. I can't say enough about the counsellors our kids had (3-4 and 10-12). They really excelled at a job that must be very difficult at times!

Just got our stuff in the hall as the clock struck 11pm, boy was that a chore!!! Tried really hard not to overpack but still did. The good news was that I had enough clothes for everyone so didn't have to do laundry!

time for the last glass of wine on the balcony. Didn't want to go to bed but knew the 6am immigration call would be coming soon!! Had really hoped to make pub night but didn't finish packing on time (note to self - next time do some Thurs!!) So far 7 nights and no adult shows/activites at night!!! (but that balcony sure is peaceful at night ) Oh well, there's always next time. It was an amazing day, tied with Grand Cayman as our favorite of the holiday, but also sad as its the last one

day 8, the day they force you off the ship, coming next. More Roy suite pics and the summary of thoughts, tips, and ramblings from a first-time (now expert of course) cruiser

 

[kimsue68]

Hi Cari, I am totally loving your trip report!! It sure does bring back memories!! In 2 of your pictures there was my son in one and my niece in another!! My ds in in the kids club graduation, he is the one wearing his black and white pirate costume pants, he would not take them off and wanted to wear the whole costume!! My niece is in the corner of one of your beach pics, she is in a pale blue bathingsuit also in that one I think that my dh is far in the background too!! I love seeing the pictures that everyone posts from our cruise and always look for us in them!! Is that wierd!!

 

[soothy]

My kids insisted on doing the exact same thing last time. Needless to say, we had no counter space in the stateroom by Thursday night since we were in a category 4.

I did the same thing on my curise ( we just got back last week). Room stewrd even tried to stump me by leaving me a bed size crock....He fit well on the back of the couch...the worse part is that it was me and my DH without the kids...

 

[soothy]

I am loving the report. Can you tell me a few of the perks for the suites. We are staying in one next year and just wonder what will be diffrent

 

[mrstbalt]

Great report and pictures! Where did you sit for the deck party when leaving port canaveral?? Looks like you had a good spot!

 

[crazypom]

Hi Kimsue, no I don't think its weird to look for your group in the other pics - look what you found in just mine!

For the deck party we stood on deck 10 starboard side (at the recommendation of BeanoC!) and it was great. Had a good view of the party, dumbotron, and simply moved over to the rail to watch us sail away to open sea! There were even some deck chairs if you wanted to sit.

Let me see...suite perks....It is almost hard to know what we "got" over non suite guests as we have nothing to compare to. I will do my best to think of some things but feel free to ask specific questions if you think of them. Separate waiting area by the ears at the port with tables, chairs and coloring for the kids, 1st boarding, concierge meet with snacks/drinks to arrange any reservations etc you may need, a place to leave our carry-ons at the meet (very handy!), treats every day for grown-ups and kids, at least twice daily contact to see if we needed anything, could have done 2 character breakfasts but didn't, offered more than one dinner at Palo but we didn't even do any, late booking for excursions/tours, fruit/cheese plates for our get together (could have had much more but didn't really need it, as it was there was tons left over),ease of tendering - they would meet at deck one rather than wait in the theatre. They were a really nice group and it was nice to have someone available to call with (stupid) questions, esp for a first time cruiser.

Some things, such as the large birthday cake (saw some groups with much smaller ones) I'm not sure if that was because we were in the Roy suite or not. We were able to move DS9 to the 10-12 group and he was just 9 in Feb - not sure if this is norm or again a "perk". We always had weather reports and list of character times and places in our room each morning - norm or "perk"? We did ask for a bridge tour/play the horn. Richard did check and it was not allowed for security reasons. Hope that helps, it was a great experience and we were definately spoiled!

May as well add the other roy suite pics - had to keep 2 of them out as DD5 has a naked thing going on alot (thanks lbgraves for the heads up to screen my pics ) I am hopeful she outgrows this before kindergarten in Sept!!!!

The final day, aka the day they throw you kicking and screaming from the ship

Up WAY too early for the 6am immigration thing. Not fun with 4 kids but what can you do? At least they had coffee, juice, and pastries to keep everyone happy. Took the kids in their jammies and the entire process took less than 1/2 hour. Decided to go for breakfast today at 7 since we were up and a last goodbye to our servers. Another perk of cat 1 was that we could have had a continental breakfast in our room this am. Back to the room to pack the carry-ons and get ready to go The kids were trying to come up with all sorts of ways we could hide on the ship - in the closets, elevators, lifeboats......DS9 and I ran up on deck for "one last shot"

I must say, unless you have somewhere to go, don't rush off the ship!! There were very long lineups waiting to debark early but when we left at 8:45 there was no one! Took a few last photos, had a tear in my eye (unlike DD5 who sobbed like crazy) and off we went.

Off to collect our luggage, thank goodness for the porters!! It takes a certain talent to balance 11 pieces of assorted luggage on one trolley Very organized process, again no one around so I'm sure that made it easier.
Waited a few minutes for our limo to take us to the Hyatt MCO and all had sad faces

Unfortunately we couldn't bet a flight out until 8am sunday so spent the day at the airport hotel. It was kinda funny - it is a lovely hotel and normally we would have thought WOW, but after getting off the cruise and the roy suite it was just ho-hum! They had a nice pool on the 6th floor roof which the kids enjoyed. After swimming for a while, DD5 says "where's the ice cream"? "They don't have any here" i say. "Well why not" says DD5 - the world should now run as it does on the ship!!!!! All in all not a bad place to spend the day, nice pool, lots of places to eat and shop, and fun to watch the planes. Everyone had an afternoon nap and we were early to bed for our early flight. Home in Vernon, BC, Canada by 4:00pm (our time). It took a few days for all of us not to be up at 4am!!!

It truly was a magical vacation and everything I had hoped for. I often wondered after reading these boards if it would live up to my (very) high expectations and I am pleased to say it surpassed them!!! Will be back with my final ramblings, thoughts and summary

 

[engineergirl2001]

how did you get those buckets with the beach toys? did you order them?

thanx.
lisa

 

[crazypom]

we ordered "gift baskets" from Shirley at the perfect gift. You will find lots of info about her on the boards. The kids, naturally, assumed they are from Mickey as he always has special treasures for them when we take a disney holiday. DS9 even commented during the first week of our holiday (at Marriott Grande vista) that he was surprised Mickey hadn't left anything special!!! I think he was a little hurt that Mickey forgot him!!
We got 2 of the large buckets filled with sand toys, snacks, drinks, toys, coloring, underwater cameras (a huge hit with the big kids), and a balloon. They were absolutely stuffed with things! The sand toys/buckets were of good quality, not the dollar store stuff and we brought it all home (I knew that empty cooler would be good for something!) Shirley will personalize whatever you want in the basket.
I thought they were worth the money and the kids loved them. Used our sand stuff in Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and CC. Would definately do it again!
hope that helps

 

[joshua121301]

Did you have Shirley deliver the flowers in the suite or were they provided by the ship?

Brian

 

[crazypom]

the flowers were beautiful!!!! We had a gorgeous arrangement with orchids that just "came with the suite" and the roses were from our travel agent (who also gave a $200 shipboard credit that we didn't know about so that was a nice surprise). I imagine they order the DCL roses - they lasted all week and made our table look so nice!

 

[crazypom]

hooray, I am finally finished this rather long-winded report Actually, it was fun to write/read and I enjoyed other peoples reports before I went so much that I figured I should do my part.

BTW, I have been thinking about this while toiling away.....shouldn't a very long report be the equivalent to 1000 posts (at least) in the tag fairy's eyes???????? Just thought I would throw that out there

The long and short of it (mostly long) is that it was our most amazing family vacation ever!! We usually do several each year and have done some great things but this took the cake. I think it is the combination of relaxation, activity for everyone, and 1st class service. Remember DH, the guy that never wants to go on a cruise, well he absolutely loved every minute of it and would love to go back - says 2008 but I may keep my eye open for a cancellation in 2007!!!

My summary and (not so humble) opinions: (all over the ice but I will just say what comes to mind!)

The Roy suite - what can I say, the pictures don't do it justice! It was absolutely amazing and we are forever spoiled. Our princess (DD11) does figue she could survive cat 2 - how nice of her There was so much room that even with 7 people it did not seem crowded. On that note, it would be worth rounding up a few family members to share the suite with you! When DH finally had the nerve to ask what it cost (I do all the finances thank goodness) he actually said "that's not too bad, I thought it was more". Obviously, he was won over and would like that suite again

The Western Ports - would skip Key West with young kids. We felt the trolley would be too long and there just wasn't enough to see walking around (or at least not suitable stuff!) They did enjoy the aquarium which was close to the ship. It is too bad it is the first day as I was not yet comfortable to leave them in the clubs - by the next day when I knew how much they loved it I could have done that. Loved Grand Cayman and would highly recommend the Nativeways Reef, Rays, and Rum point tour. We had no problems whatsoever booking our own excursion. Cozumel was fun at Paradise Beach, had a great day. Both these days were great for our rather wide range of ages. And lastly CC, I am only sorry we didn't have more time! Get your butt out of bed and to the beach early as there is just so much to do and see! As mentioned, would book such a long excursion for the first time on CC - although now that I know I'm going back it doesn't matter

The food - we all thought the food was absolutely delicious (brought home 4 extra pounds to prove it!) DH is fussy BTW. It was also very nice that they brought us veggies and dip - sometimes the platters were enough for 20 which kinda made me feel wasteful! We enjoyed the Palo brunch but skipped it for dinner. Only ate ate topsiders once for the seafood buffet lunch, otherwise lunch was at Goofy's. Big kids loved going to get their own food, drinks and ice cream whenever they liked. The little kids liked the lunch in the club. Room service was great and we had it for breakfast each morning except the character and the last. This was partly due to our expanded menu in the suite - I'm sure if it was only the continental we would have eaten out more. Didn't ever try the "all hand on deck platter - just no time! Pehaps with a late seating but we found we were still a bit rushed for the 6pm dinner. Had cookies and milk delivered but no mickey bars (they had those for dessert every night). We really enjoy the various platters left by concierge each day.
We did have the premium (I think thats what it was called) wine package. I (laughingly) said on the first night "do you really think we will drink all that wine"??? Had to order an extra bottle on Thursday and Friday It was worth it as we did save some money.

The service - maybe we lucked out but thought all the cast members we encountered were great - very friendly and helpful. This cannot be an easy job and they certainly seemed to work hard to make the guests happy. Our dining team of Alexsandra, Don, and Beethoven were alot of fun and great with the kids. Room steward was Geronimo and he was a sweetheart. There was ALOT of stuff in our room and it was always so neat and tidy - at least for the first few minutes after he was there. Our cooler was always filled with ice.

The entertainment - okay, we are lame and didn't make any evening entertainment other than the 3 disney shows which were great. We really did have great intentions but it just didn't work out! However, that said, we felt plenty busy and entertained.

The clubs - our kids loved them!!! I think it really helped to keep the kids together. Even thought they didn't always hang out or play together, it is just nice to know your sibling is there. It was a good move to put DD5 with the 3-4, she just turned 5 and the activities really suited her. DS9 did great with the 10-12s and I think would have been bored in the younger group. His card also allowed him in Ocean quest because of being in the 10-12 group and he enjoyed that. DD11 made a couple of penpals before we left and that also worked out great. She couldn't wait to meet them and spent alot of time with Churchlady's daughter. I spent alot of time before we went showing the little kids pictures of the club online and looking at old navigators to tell them some things they might do. This really helped them feel comfortable the first little while.

The ship - again, what can I say...it is beautiful. By far the "prettiest" (can you call a ship pretty?) we saw the entire time. It is so clean and CM are forever wiping and polishing. Hand wipes are everywhere! DH only complaint was that there was no hockey in the sports bar (I think they only had ESPN) and it would be nice to have bigger pools. That said, our kids only went in 2 or 3 times. Took me awhile to get my bearings but everything was well marked. The kids found their way much faster than the adults! We were amazed, with the exception of the mickey pool, that you didn't feel like you were on top of people all the time. That was DH and my biggest "fear" and we were pleasantly surprised.

the final bill (gulp) we had not idea what to expect with this. We did tip above the recommended as we felt the service warranted it, alcohol, souveniers, CC snorkel and banana boat came to $1900. For 7 of us I didn't think it was too bad as we didn't deny ourselves along the way. I hope that is helpful to someone in their planning.

Must do's: bring a soft sided cooler - I got one at Costco on wheels that holds 60 cans. Even if you don't drink alcohol it would be great for water, juice boxes etc and made a handy extra bag coming home!

-best tip - wear your swim suits under so kids have a quiet mickey pool. Had several people ask how we got our luggage so fast

- try to find a pen-pal for your kids or keep siblings together. I really think that helped our kids have a magical vacation

-don't be afraid to book your own excursions. Cruisecritic was an excellent source of info and both recommendations I got from there were excellent.

-wear pirate stuff and get some fun pirate things from the dollar store. We had alot of fun that night

- get to the port early if you can - we got up the escalator around 11 and didn't have enough time to enjoy the terminal as we boarded by 11:45

-if you have a big group, price out a limo for your transport

-remember you don't have to do everything!!! This was hard for me as that is not in my nature but really did make for a relaxing holiday.

-do DW first, I can't imagine rushing off to the parks so was glad we did the hectic part first.

-don't stress about yours or anyone elses wardrobe. I can honestly say I didn't notice what anyone else was wearing and it certainly had no bearing on my enjoyment of anything- ok, except the one lady on formal night who was almost falling out of her dress!

Maybe it was first timers luck, good weather, nice people, the Roy suite, or who knows but we just didn't have any negative experiences to add to the report. It was truly magical and I thank everyone for their great tips. My obsessive overplanning in no way ruined the magic, in fact it only helped.

I think thats it (I know, you are shocked I have finally stopped ) We will be back in 2008, most likely for an eastern this time, although big kids want an 11 day southern! Will be keeping an eye open for any cancellations though, hey, you never know

 

[marcij]

A wonderful trip report! I felt like I was actually on the ship with you. Thanks for taking the time to do it.

 

[joshua121301]

That was great!! Thank you very much for taking time and allowing us to live through your experiences.