We had a ton of fun. And what great FE gifts! It was the first time my kids experienced that, I've done it before but it was new to them and they were absolutely delighted every time they had something in their pouches!
The cruise was really fun. I noticed some things that I don't really care for, and I think it partially has to do with staff changes because of the Dream.
We were given a tour of the family cabanas, that was awesome, I will post pictures later. I previously thought that I would not spend that kind of money...however...after asking no less than 4 separate groups of people not to pull full loungers directly in front of me (ours were in the front row in the shade, they just strolled in after noon and decided to steal my view
) I could really see the value in having your own space in a cabana. I just wish Disney would make it 8 people, not 6, because some people travel with two couples and two kids each...they would not want two cabanas!
I also was lucky to experience some concierge perks because grlzmom upgraded to a suite and we were traveling with them. That was cool, makes me want a suite...I might try for one in March when we do the MR.
I greatly enjoyed meeting some of you at Palo, great food and great company!
Sophia had an ear infection, it developed in a matter of a couple of hours so I had my first visit to the medical facility onboard. She felt better after 20 minutes of medication so she was able to continue happily.
It was a great cruise! Funny, though. When I was at the airport waiting to board the plane, I got an email from my Royal Caribbean rep inviting me on the Allure of the Seas on the 29th...yes, that is right, next week! Of course I'm going
I also got a cabin assignment on the Christening cruise of the Dream, Cat 8 on deck 6, I'm excited to see the built in seating by the porthole, and the configuration for 5 in an oceanview! I'm so excited. And the 28th is when I can book for my Mexican Riviera excursions for March, and Palo and Spa
. Lots of excitement!
One thing that I absolutely will never do again, nor will I advocate a client to do it, is take Disney transfers from the airport to port. Checking in was terrible and lengthy, and there is no separate line for repeat cruisers. It took over an hour and then they waited for the bus to fill up. We landed at 11 and didn't get to port until 2:30...I was extremely aggravated. The mears workers at the desk also do not know many things about
Disney Cruise Line...they were giving out incorrect information. I was very dissapointed.
I was also dismayed over my stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge for the
MVMCP. We stayed Club level and it was a waste...the only hot item for appetizers was a teeny lamb and fig tart. The cast members were not good, mousekeeping was low staffed, animals have been severely cut back (we saw ONE giraffe on Arusha savannah one time) and they deliberately marked on a map a slower, much more inconvenient way to get to our room from the lounge just to keep traffic away from the hallways viewable to the lobby. I am not picky..I'm usually pretty tolerant, but it was one thing after another. Oh, and they lost grlzmom's luggage for quite a while and didn't care at all. I used to love staying at AKL...