nov 28, 2010 - 4 night cruise on wonder

[ssbeari]

sorry, being new I dont know what im doing on here with stuff. so im sorry if i type something in the wrong place.

 

[ssbeari]

this is from the getyouhome website
"Closed Loop" Cruises: U.S. citizens who board a cruise ship at a port within the United States, travel only within the Western Hemisphere, and return to the same U.S. port on the same ship may present a government issued photo identification, along with proof of citizenship (an original or copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate of Naturalization). Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the foreign countries your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documents.

 

[RadioFanatic]

Thanks, this one looks really good for a relaxing beach day, with a good food voucher for adults and kids. I like that it is close by and a known brand.

While I want to see Nassau, am I the only one that doesnt want to try to strap my 5 year old into some van, bus or cab with no carseat??? Maybe a Disney bus ( I know $$) but not some cabbie!! The ferry that takes you to the other side of the island seems safer to me, not sure why? And a fun ride, if you don't have a boat ride planned. But I worry about getting back on time, worry about getting lost on the other side of the island, missing the ferry back, etc. If it was up to DH, we would take some jugaboo jeep ride through the slums and backroads of the island, sweating and holding on for dear life to get to eat at some authentic restaurant where we get some intestinal bug with our local "flavor".

We looked at all the ones Disney sponsors on the cruise website, and for the glass bottom boat one, the little kids couldnt see@!! In every picture, the parents are holding kids up to see the glass bottom part. Wow that sounds like a sucky multi hour boat ride, taking turns holding up a 40 lb kid to see down into a hole on the boat. The one that goes semi-under water seemed at least better for seeing but it looked so big on top, small on the bottom, is your time "under" limited. Maybe an animal encounter, turtles, sea lions? Mine is too young for stingrays or dolphins and wow, the $.

What is everyone else doing? Those who have been there before, what do you recommend? Many said lots of walking, significant walking etc, which wouldnt be the best way to start the day, with kids. Also, is Nassau right around the port crawling in people selling things and begging and hassling you to take their tour, etc like some places (Cancun comes to mind).

I totally agree. That's why I'm leaning towards the hilton thing. We were just in orlando and had to take a taxi and I made dh wait for one that had a car seat. He kept saying nothing ever happens but I said it only takes once!

 

[mavenmom]

mavenmom- sorry i dont know what im doing on here so i hope you get this. We live in glen allen. Ive never heard of cartwheels and coffee but sounds good and Id love to meet. Just let me know. if you facebook, my face book is sheri hyman allen, and we could catch up that way.

radiofanatic- sorry i dont want to give any wrong info on passport stuff. you can read all the guidlines at passport.gov if your not comfy with any of it. I just figured i would rather be safe than sorry. my kids at 10 and 4 so we went ahead and ordered passports. it was an addl expense but i dont want to have any problems on our trip.

still counting down the days. cant wait.

Hi Sheri, we are in Mechanicsville

Cartwheels and Coffee is a coffee house with play area for the kids, next to Byrd Theatre downtown. We sometimes go there on weekends. For the under 5 crowd to play, but tons in the area to occupy an older child if they can be patient and have a snack for a bit, first. Including a super cool toy store across the street.

w w w . cartwheels and coffee .com without the spaces (this silly site won't let me put a link, yet)

I will check you out on facebook, try to friend you or whatever. I am new to that and not very good, as I have proven by not being able to join the thread for this group on there.

As for the passport, we are going the safe route, were planning on getting one anways, because we are planning a trip to see family in Germany next spring so our son will need it then. Also, isn't the Bahamas a foreign country? I mean, the websites says that if you go on a cruise that starts and ends in US but does that mean you can get on and off in Bahamas w/o one? I don't worry about getting OFF as much as back on!

Also, what if we hit bad weather or rough seas and pulled into some other island, etc. I know, highly unlikely, I am just thinking of my bad luck, usually. My last big trip I was headed through Paris to Berlin and somehow got redirected to Stockholm, where I was put on a tiny smoking-allowed flight to Berlin. And, I had to pull my bags off and recheck them, and go through customs twice, because of going through Sweden unexpectedly. All in an airport I didnt speak the language.

DH was keen on the idea of staying on the boat in Bahamas, maybe getting off briefly to go to something nearby, like the Hilton someone suggested, for lunch or just some solid ground time, in case we are seasick at all.

 

[RadioFanatic]

Just wanted to bump bc I just paid it off Tomorrow is the 75 day mark which means signing up for "stuff". Anyone signing up for things? what? I really don't know yet and need to do research tonight.

 

[tigger30066]

Just wanted to bump bc I just paid it off Tomorrow is the 75 day mark which means signing up for "stuff". Anyone signing up for things? what? I really don't know yet and need to do research tonight.

So excited for you. I was so happy when I paid mine off. We are doing the sea lion in Nassau and the rain forest room in the spa. Is it time to go yet?

 

[CrazyBoutDisney]

Whoo-hoo Kimberly! Congrats on being PIF!!! Can't wait to hear what you decide on for excursions. That Hilton Resort pass sounded like a great deal with the food/drink voucher.

...We are doing the sea lion in Nassau and the rain forest room in the spa. Is it time to go yet?

Ooooo, Becky, you will LOVE the Rainforest Room!!! I was so relaxed after my time in that wonderful chair. Felt kinda like that wicked witch, "I'm Melting!!!" Yep, I was melted, alright!

Think I'm going to stick with my snorkeling at Castaway. DH is considering renting a bike and tootling around the island. We plan to enjoy the peace and quiet on the ship while in Nassau.

 

[RadioFanatic]

I'm now looking at the dolphin encounter on blue lagoon. I'm annoyed though bc if I book through disney, it's $125 pp for dh and I and I would have to pay $45 for Isaac not to do anything bc through disney, he is not allowed to do the encounter - but it won't let me book that way - and $295. But if I go through the site directly, it is only $98 pp for dh and I; and not only would Isaac be allowed to do it, he would be free - so for almost $100 less, all of us could do it and not just the adults.

 

[mavenmom]

Anyone signing up for things? what? I really don't know yet and need to do research tonight.

We signed up for the semi-sub ride in Nassau, might do that with teh Hilton beach day. We also signed up for a night of dinner at Palo but I have a question.

We don't want to miss any of the ship restaurants. And since there are three of them I think we will get to eat in all three, then repeat one night? We want to go to Palo on THAT night, the repeat night? But how do I figure that out, or even can I figure that out? Right now, we have it as the last night, figuring we wouldnt repeat til the end? Day at sea dinner that night? Is that right? That would be our repeat night no matter what, right?

Also, how do I get my son fed that night? like we can eat at a quickie restaurant or order him cabin service, before sending him to play and going to dinner? And what is the dress, realistically for Palo dinner?

We didnt sign up for anything at Castaway Cay, as all we really want is to maybe float in innertubes, etc. should I really reserve intertubes? Floats? 2 months in advance, or do they have enough and we can wing it?

Lastly, what rainforest chair/room? I dont see that on the spa list? The spa list sounds expensive, so far.

Sorry to be such a pest with questions.

 

[CrazyBoutDisney]

Sorry to be such a pest with questions.

No apologies needed!! We have all been first timers and full of questions at least once in our lives! I probably had twice as many questions before we took our first cruise.

First of all, you will receive your dining rotation when you check in at the port on Sunday. It will be printed on your KTTW card and may look like this: TAAP Which means Triton's the first nite, Animator's Palette the 2nd & 3rd nites and Parrot Cay the last nite. DH tells me the 2nd & 3rd nites are always the repeats on a 4-nighter. This is because one of those nights, the restaurant will be serving the special Pirate Night menu, while the other night will be the regular menu. I believe Pirate Night is the same day we do Castaway Cay.

There is a good chance you can change your Palo ressie, if you wish. Check the Navigator you receive at check in. It will tell you where and when you can make/change Palo ressies. Last I heard, it was at Wavebands between 1 and 3:30pm. While there may be no availability online, they always hold back some reservations for boarding day. Recommend you get there as close to 1:00 as possible, because they go fast!

Another thought is to do brunch instead of dinner, so you can still experience all 4 dinner menus in the regular restaurants. Palo's will serve both breakfast-type food and many of the entrees from the dinner menu. Brunch is on sea day and Palo's dress code is slightly more casual for that. While jeans, shorts, or tank tops are never allowed, brunch dress is pretty much cruise casual. DH wore khakis and a nice polo shirt (tucked in) and I wore white slacks with a sort of fancy short-sleeved sweater. Dinner dress is jacket, button-down shirt (tie optional) & dress slacks for men, dresses or nice pantsuits for women. Formal wear is welcome, they say. Recently, I've heard they've relaxed a bit and the jacket for men is not enforced for dinner as long as he's wearing a dress shirt, with or without a tie.

There are several options for feeding the little guy if you are going to do a Palo dinner. You can order room service, you can take him up to Beach Blanket Buffet or to any of the counter service places. Depending on what time your Palo ressie is for, you may even be able to go to your regular rotational dining restaurant and just enjoy your tablemates and let him eat there. Even easier is to leave him at the kid's club and let them feed him! Talk to the counselors ahead of time and they will explain how it is handled.

Castaway Cay has PLENTY of inner tubes and floats--you don't HAVE to reserve in advance. But don't wait till afternoon, either.

Ahhhh, the chairs in the rainforest room!!!! Check it out: http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/wonder/fitness-spa/vista-spa-salon/ Click on the black button that says slide show and choose the 4th picture from the left on the top row. The chairs are on the left in the picture. That is the Rainforest Room! The lighting is actually a little dimmer than shown and it's like a little corner of heaven!! The chairs are heated and soooo relaxing. During the boarding process (like noon to 3:30ish) you can visit the spa and they will offer you a complete tour. There will be plenty of slots available for the Rainforest Room, manicures, pedicures, even hair appointments. So you don't absolutely have to make an advance reservation.

 

[mannpeg729]

Booked palo brunch today and read over everything on the website! Will need another reading before we can decide what else we want to prearrange!! Can we just relax the whole time????

 

[thor205]

Hi All!
YES!! I am most definitely here and interested in the FE!
My gosh I keep forgetting to check in here so now I posted a note on my computer to remind me. Crazy life anyway!

So our group will be me - Ro, DH - Brian, Son - Sean 12, son Nick - 3 1/2 and my parents. This is our 1st Dis Cruise - DH and I honeymooned on Carnival but honestly it was nice but the ship was very old (I think it was retired the next year!) and I probably wouldn't want to do it again. I'm glad to hear Disney will be a better trip!

I'm thinking right now that we will stay on board at Nassau for lots of reasons! But we'll do castaway Cay - Sean and DH want to do jet skis and maybe I'll take Nick to the beach. Nothing is set in stone I'm wingin' it right now! Not interested in Palo this time around but I'm sure I'll be back in a year or 2 - already planning!

I'm planning to go right to the pool when we board and eat there - deck 9. THen check out the kids clubs before we have to do the muster drill. Anyone know what time the drill usually happens and what time they start the bon voyage party and set sail?

Going to start getting some of our magnets and FE stuff ready - can you repost the list of FE people again? I'll go back and reread it but I want to get an email notification so I can easily locate this thread next time.
Woohoo - 72 days now? I lost count lol

 

[CrazyBoutDisney]

Yeah!!! So good to hear from you again, Rosemary! Was beginning to think maybe you had to cancel, so I'm very, very happy to hear you will still be with us on the cruise! I think this is a perfect time to re-post the FE list!!

Peg (mannpeg729)
DH-Brian
DS (6) Harlem
DS (4) Houston
#6560

Kim (smartkim)
DH-Lee
DS-Kyle (17)
DS-Josh (13)
#6055 (subj. to verification LOL!)

Becky (tigger30066)
Julie (friend-adult)
#7119

Me-Beth (CrazyBoutDisney)
DH-Dave
#6099

You-Kimberly (RadioFanatic)
DH-Mark
DS-Isaac (almost 3 on the cruise)
#5520

Ro (thor205)
DH-Brian
DS-Sean (12)
DS-Nick (3 1/2)
DGFfor
DGM
#5022

Your stateroom number hasn't changed, has it, Ro? I've been trying to keep track as folks have joined the thread and provided their numbers.

We head straight up to the buffet for lunch, too, as soon as we board the ship. Maybe we should plan a meet there on deck 9! Most everything shuts down about 3:30 so everybody can prepare for the muster drill which takes place around 3:45 or so. That's followed by the Adventures Away party that starts about 4:15.

We are driving ourselves to the port, so we'll be there early and could snag a table or 2 out on the back deck behind the buffet for a meet, if ya'll want. For those of you who haven't been on the ship before, it's all the way through the restaurant, at the very back end (stern) and it's partially covered, so we could have shade. Alternatively, we could meet in the Promenade Lounge on Deck 3 in the air conditioning. That's a left turn at the far end of the Atrium, where you are welcomed aboard.

Should we have a vote or could I get some input from ya'll about when and where to hold our little meet and greet?

 

[thor205]

Beth yep we're still in the same cabin!

Meeting on Deck 9 sounds good to me! We're just winging it since we don't really know what to expect... so I'm thinking we'll grab lunch and swim a bit then head down to the kids club to meet and greet before the drill.

 

[tigger30066]

We are working on our FE and were wondering what the grandparents names are, and what the kids call them?

 

[thor205]

Hi
Grandparents are Emily (Grammy) and Larry (Papa)

I've got to get crackin on some FE ideas!

 

[CrazyBoutDisney]

Becky, thanx for asking that question!! I think this calls for an FE update

Peg (mannpeg729)
DH-Brian
DS (6) Harlem
DS (4) Houston
#6560

Kim (smartkim)
DH-Lee
DS-Kyle (17)
DS-Josh (13)
#6055 (subj. to verification LOL!)

Becky (tigger30066)
Julie (friend-adult)
#7119

Me-Beth (CrazyBoutDisney)
DH-Dave
#6099

You-Kimberly (RadioFanatic)
DH-Mark
DS-Isaac (almost 3 on the cruise)
#5520

Ro (thor205)
DH-Brian
DS-Sean (12)
DS-Nick (3 1/2)
DGF-Larry (Papa)
DGM-Emily (Grammy)
#5022

You guys gotta be sure and post something about the FEs on Oct 4t or so. I had to pack everything up and stow it away because we are expecting houseguests on Oct 3rd. Not sure if it's early senility or what, but with the luck I've had lately, I'll forget to get the stuff back out and finish them!

 

[RadioFanatic]

I would love to meet but am taking the Magical express from BLT to the port so I'm afraid I'll be too late.

Also, what are the teens into these days? (geez I sound old saying that!) I don't want to get them something "lame" (do they still say that?)

Also, who is doing the early dinner? Should we try to get a DIS table together?

 

[RadioFanatic]

BTW, I've booked Palo brunch and then dolphin encounter. I may not do the brunch bc we really want to stay together as a family since dh and I both work, but we'll see. When is the last minute I can drop it without a penalty? And if I decide to, can I switch it to one of you if you want it? It's for 11 am.

 

[tigger30066]

We are doing early dining. I posted a thread about teens and FE on the cruise boards.