lmhall2000
May the road rise to meet you....May God hold you
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2002
Hi Dis'ers!! I am hoping to get more detailed in the trip report..but hoped our experience may help others here on the main page! 
LAX Hotels: We stayed at the Crowne Plaza...pricelined for around $65 a night...I was very, very pleased! Our flight was delayed about 4 hours (but they did upgrade 7 out of 8 of us to business/first class...that was amazing!) so we did not arrive in LA until late...the hotel was accomodating, gave us no problem with having 2 double beds..hotel did not seem very busy. Front desk gentleman was an angel and sooo friendly and helpful...what a great start! Just up the road about 4 blocks you can find EVERYTHING...I hit a Rite Aid to get razors/hairspray and other things we could not fly with. Also got us all breakfast at McDonalds. A very nice father was looking for donuts for his kids so we walked together...while there were a few homeless people walking around, I would have felt safe walking on my own..but having him there on the way up so early in the morning was a nice help!! Thanks Texas father!!
Tip on hot water, keep it going...it's not running out just needs a head start, our third person to take a shower had hot water the whole time!
Okay getting wordy here, so I better just stick to the facts!
Port: Really nice, the port folks were very friendly and helpful...no problems here, ship was full..not options for upgrades at all...we had a 5 for boarding..I heard some boarding in the 40's!! It seemed they were boarding for 4-5 hours!!
Ship: Beautiful, in great condition...looked beautiful!
Cruise Director: Clayton...loved him...very peppy and gotta love his Carlton dance....he was upbeat and professional...
Rooms: We had 2 sideways inside state rooms: to me they were very roomy...we had no problems with the size and they were pretty clean. Our bathroom vent never would shut off...stayed on the whole time..just too busy to call maintenance for it.
Room stewards: We did not realize we had two different stewards until the last day! One steward was so friendly and conversational that we just assumed he had both rooms...I felt badly that we did not speak as much to our own steward! He was always cleaning the room across the hall so we assumed he was that side. He was also nice, just not as outgoing as the other one. The only drawback was that we never had our toiletries replaced..with 4 teens with hair down their back, they go through a tube of shampoo every 2 days...I had to ask each time. Sometimes they would put extra in sometimes none at all. I just learned to ask for some and take them myself to the room. I was disappointed the gift shops had NO body butter for sale, I LOVE that lotion...again I asked for a tube of lotion, and did not receive any...just ended up asking for one in the hall again. But traveling with 6 teenagers, these guys had their work cut out so I was very appreciative for all help!
Dining: Rough...my trip report is about melodrama...from missing our connection due to delayed plane that had a 'pilot issue'...I knew we were in for some bumps! It was just not 'seamless'...the first night, our server took our orders but we still did not have drinks...we asked him for drinks..but he said he could not do it (we had already been sitting for 10-15 minutes and were always there at 8:15) and did not even introduce his partner just said someone else would get drinks...a bit awkward..he finally came..felt badly for him because his tray hit a column in the restaurant and the remaining drinks fell...it was just rough for/from him most the week...the girls thought he was cute but the poor guy just was inconsistent...my dh calls it sucking on cubes the whole night....he would take our glasses and sometimes not return with a drink..we just let it go and drank the water during those times.
One night our main course was served at 9:45pm...that is just unacceptable..then the second night it was served past 9:30...this time he apologized...but dh was a bit miffed and that set me on edge...so I had to tell him two nights in a row was unacceptable...looking around the dining room we could see 75% had already been served dessert and most were GONE and we're still sitting waiting for food. I think I could handle the late dining..another Diser had the same experience and would check on our table to see if we had received our food yet, we beat them each time, always the last table to eat....with 6 teenagers..who need to be places by 10:00..that just was not fluid. But, the bigger issue is I just hate to be put in a position where I have to complain and have to deal with the dining manager/cook/server....I'm not on vacation to have to fix their problems...I want to relax....it can be disconcerting to have to wait and wait for food, hard to be nice and say, hurry it up!! After those 2 nights and voicing our complaints, things were much better...just wish we did not have to go there.
We did dine at Palo, first time for us. Not impressed very much. Food was fine, nothing stellar..but the service was AMAZING..loved our server..such a sweet gal...it was worth it to get timely service for a night after two nights in a row of late late dining
The Edge & Vibe: The kids liked the Edge..one daughter said she liked Ocean Quest better from the last cruise (Med last year) and the other said she missed some kind of ship driving game they had...this ship was FULL...and FULL of kids..we were a bit spoiled by our last cruise b/c it was more intimate and our kids got to meet and make a bunch of friends b/c they would see each other more often. This cruise, there were some 'undesirables?' in the clubs..kids were actually removed from the Edge for behavior issues! My kids had never experienced that on the last cruise and it just put a damper on their experience..they just weren't as excited to go back to it. I am sure it was isolated..but the stories told were kind of eye rolling, jaw dropping reports...kids being rude to the CM's..being cruel, rude to others playing, throwing controllers..just not very fun and festive environments. I feel for the CM's, they had their hands full! Our kids loved each and every one of them and they do remember Becca...the one missing...she helped my daughters group with a scavenger hunt...we are praying deeply for her and her family!
Excursions: We did 'Wildlife Connections Tour' out of Puerto Vallarta...really nice!! We saw an amazing shot of a whale breeching..I'll post the picture at the end. Our girls and nieces tried to swim with the dolphins, it was a hoot! They kept swimming under them or around them! (the dolphins that is!) No excursions in Cabo..we took the water taxi to Medano beach...lots of peddlers, but it was nice to just sit and look at the boat, we also got to see Bill Gates' yacht equipped with helicopter! Nice spread, Bill!
Money: we had exchanged for pesos..you might be better off with dollars, it was probably a wash...the problem is you might not have so many 'honest' exchangers?? Most quoted me prices in dollars from everything to boat rides to items at the market...it would vary greatly...examples:
1. They would quote one dollar pp to ride to Medano, then when I said I only had pesos, it changed to 2 US dollars or 20 pesos each..some were quoting 3 dollars pp but we had 8 in our party so we negotiated down...
2. So some would say 10 pesos per dollar and others would say if an item cost 10 US dollars, they wanted 280 pesos...I would have to then tell them at the most 11-12 pesos per dollar but they would try and convince me otherwise..just not sure it's worth the hassle!
3. Taxis in Puerta Vallarta were nice...for 7 of us to go to our connection it was $3 pp and he just charged 240 pesos (for 8 of us) so again that was 10 pesos per dollar...there's just a lot of inconsistency.
Shows: Really liked all the shows..I skipped the Dreams one b/c we had seen it last year and I needed to pack..so many talented performers on the ship! Also loved Tisa..the lady in charge of a lot of the events..she was a gem and sweet! She did a great job on the kids talent night...we had a blast seeing all the acts! We loved the act Seymour and Alfred..comedy duo...such a great pair of guys..we loved each show!! My nieces saw the chairs fall on the kid the last night..not a memory they want to repeat...praying he is all right!
Overall...we had a great trip...managing 6 teens was really fun and kept us all excited to meet up at dinner to share stories..my favorite part of the cruise were the deck four chairs...I had about 4 times where I could head out there with a blanket and take a nap and soak up the solitude/sounds of waves...I'd pay just to be able to have those memories!!
The ship was rocking the last two nights...I never get seasick and was hit hard...it was going left/right pitching forward backward and bending to pick up our items to pack just sent me into a whirl of nausea...didn't end until we landed....sleep helped..but it was not fun..still didn't affect our overall trip, though! Everyone else did okay, one of my nieces got sick, too..but we recovered okay!
I'd be glad to answer any questions...just a long wait until our next cruise!! The rates did go up, I didn't think they did, because when I rebooked the price was lower than when I booked over the phone before the cruise, but I didn't account for the 10% so it was about $400 more by the time we booked on the ship. Hoping for specials next year...
Thanks Disney!!
Tara
LAX Hotels: We stayed at the Crowne Plaza...pricelined for around $65 a night...I was very, very pleased! Our flight was delayed about 4 hours (but they did upgrade 7 out of 8 of us to business/first class...that was amazing!) so we did not arrive in LA until late...the hotel was accomodating, gave us no problem with having 2 double beds..hotel did not seem very busy. Front desk gentleman was an angel and sooo friendly and helpful...what a great start! Just up the road about 4 blocks you can find EVERYTHING...I hit a Rite Aid to get razors/hairspray and other things we could not fly with. Also got us all breakfast at McDonalds. A very nice father was looking for donuts for his kids so we walked together...while there were a few homeless people walking around, I would have felt safe walking on my own..but having him there on the way up so early in the morning was a nice help!! Thanks Texas father!!
Tip on hot water, keep it going...it's not running out just needs a head start, our third person to take a shower had hot water the whole time!
Okay getting wordy here, so I better just stick to the facts!
Port: Really nice, the port folks were very friendly and helpful...no problems here, ship was full..not options for upgrades at all...we had a 5 for boarding..I heard some boarding in the 40's!! It seemed they were boarding for 4-5 hours!!
Ship: Beautiful, in great condition...looked beautiful!
Cruise Director: Clayton...loved him...very peppy and gotta love his Carlton dance....he was upbeat and professional...
Rooms: We had 2 sideways inside state rooms: to me they were very roomy...we had no problems with the size and they were pretty clean. Our bathroom vent never would shut off...stayed on the whole time..just too busy to call maintenance for it.
Room stewards: We did not realize we had two different stewards until the last day! One steward was so friendly and conversational that we just assumed he had both rooms...I felt badly that we did not speak as much to our own steward! He was always cleaning the room across the hall so we assumed he was that side. He was also nice, just not as outgoing as the other one. The only drawback was that we never had our toiletries replaced..with 4 teens with hair down their back, they go through a tube of shampoo every 2 days...I had to ask each time. Sometimes they would put extra in sometimes none at all. I just learned to ask for some and take them myself to the room. I was disappointed the gift shops had NO body butter for sale, I LOVE that lotion...again I asked for a tube of lotion, and did not receive any...just ended up asking for one in the hall again. But traveling with 6 teenagers, these guys had their work cut out so I was very appreciative for all help!
Dining: Rough...my trip report is about melodrama...from missing our connection due to delayed plane that had a 'pilot issue'...I knew we were in for some bumps!
It was just not 'seamless'...the first night, our server took our orders but we still did not have drinks...we asked him for drinks..but he said he could not do it (we had already been sitting for 10-15 minutes and were always there at 8:15) and did not even introduce his partner just said someone else would get drinks...a bit awkward..he finally came..felt badly for him because his tray hit a column in the restaurant and the remaining drinks fell...it was just rough for/from him most the week...the girls thought he was cute but the poor guy just was inconsistent...my dh calls it sucking on cubes the whole night....he would take our glasses and sometimes not return with a drink..we just let it go and drank the water during those times.One night our main course was served at 9:45pm...that is just unacceptable..then the second night it was served past 9:30...this time he apologized...but dh was a bit miffed and that set me on edge...so I had to tell him two nights in a row was unacceptable...looking around the dining room we could see 75% had already been served dessert and most were GONE and we're still sitting waiting for food. I think I could handle the late dining..another Diser had the same experience and would check on our table to see if we had received our food yet, we beat them each time, always the last table to eat....with 6 teenagers..who need to be places by 10:00..that just was not fluid. But, the bigger issue is I just hate to be put in a position where I have to complain and have to deal with the dining manager/cook/server....I'm not on vacation to have to fix their problems...I want to relax....it can be disconcerting to have to wait and wait for food, hard to be nice and say, hurry it up!! After those 2 nights and voicing our complaints, things were much better...just wish we did not have to go there.
We did dine at Palo, first time for us. Not impressed very much. Food was fine, nothing stellar..but the service was AMAZING..loved our server..such a sweet gal...it was worth it to get timely service for a night after two nights in a row of late late dining
The Edge & Vibe: The kids liked the Edge..one daughter said she liked Ocean Quest better from the last cruise (Med last year) and the other said she missed some kind of ship driving game they had...this ship was FULL...and FULL of kids..we were a bit spoiled by our last cruise b/c it was more intimate and our kids got to meet and make a bunch of friends b/c they would see each other more often. This cruise, there were some 'undesirables?' in the clubs..kids were actually removed from the Edge for behavior issues! My kids had never experienced that on the last cruise and it just put a damper on their experience..they just weren't as excited to go back to it. I am sure it was isolated..but the stories told were kind of eye rolling, jaw dropping reports...kids being rude to the CM's..being cruel, rude to others playing, throwing controllers..just not very fun and festive environments. I feel for the CM's, they had their hands full! Our kids loved each and every one of them and they do remember Becca...the one missing...she helped my daughters group with a scavenger hunt...we are praying deeply for her and her family!
Excursions: We did 'Wildlife Connections Tour' out of Puerto Vallarta...really nice!! We saw an amazing shot of a whale breeching..I'll post the picture at the end. Our girls and nieces tried to swim with the dolphins, it was a hoot! They kept swimming under them or around them!
(the dolphins that is!) No excursions in Cabo..we took the water taxi to Medano beach...lots of peddlers, but it was nice to just sit and look at the boat, we also got to see Bill Gates' yacht equipped with helicopter! Nice spread, Bill! Money: we had exchanged for pesos..you might be better off with dollars, it was probably a wash...the problem is you might not have so many 'honest' exchangers?? Most quoted me prices in dollars from everything to boat rides to items at the market...it would vary greatly...examples:
1. They would quote one dollar pp to ride to Medano, then when I said I only had pesos, it changed to 2 US dollars or 20 pesos each..some were quoting 3 dollars pp but we had 8 in our party so we negotiated down...
2. So some would say 10 pesos per dollar and others would say if an item cost 10 US dollars, they wanted 280 pesos...I would have to then tell them at the most 11-12 pesos per dollar but they would try and convince me otherwise..just not sure it's worth the hassle!
3. Taxis in Puerta Vallarta were nice...for 7 of us to go to our connection it was $3 pp and he just charged 240 pesos (for 8 of us) so again that was 10 pesos per dollar...there's just a lot of inconsistency.
Shows: Really liked all the shows..I skipped the Dreams one b/c we had seen it last year and I needed to pack..so many talented performers on the ship! Also loved Tisa..the lady in charge of a lot of the events..she was a gem and sweet! She did a great job on the kids talent night...we had a blast seeing all the acts! We loved the act Seymour and Alfred..comedy duo...such a great pair of guys..we loved each show!! My nieces saw the chairs fall on the kid the last night..not a memory they want to repeat...praying he is all right!
Overall...we had a great trip...managing 6 teens was really fun and kept us all excited to meet up at dinner to share stories..my favorite part of the cruise were the deck four chairs...I had about 4 times where I could head out there with a blanket and take a nap and soak up the solitude/sounds of waves...I'd pay just to be able to have those memories!!
The ship was rocking the last two nights...I never get seasick and was hit hard...it was going left/right pitching forward backward and bending to pick up our items to pack just sent me into a whirl of nausea...didn't end until we landed....sleep helped..but it was not fun..still didn't affect our overall trip, though! Everyone else did okay, one of my nieces got sick, too..but we recovered okay!
I'd be glad to answer any questions...just a long wait until our next cruise!! The rates did go up, I didn't think they did, because when I rebooked the price was lower than when I booked over the phone before the cruise, but I didn't account for the 10% so it was about $400 more by the time we booked on the ship. Hoping for specials next year...
Thanks Disney!!
Tara
In terms of the conditions and seasickness, the first night was VERY bad. There were really bad weather conditions in LA (Cold front)
. It was rainy and very cold. Dramamine was a definite must for our family
, my kids are ages 8 and 11. Also, I bought an "oil" at Wal-Mart that worked great when we were feeling seasick. I don't remember the name of it and cannot find it in the luggage. It is a combination of oils and it is 100% natural. You just apply it on the soft spot behind your ear lobe. It worked wonders at 3:00am. As we left LA everything was great and the weather conditions improved. However, it felt cold most of the time. The last day & night were rough as well as we were coming back to LA
. I highly recommend getting Dramamine and that oil (which is by the dramamine at Wal Mart).
