QueenTrident
<font color=darkorange>Is afraid of coming out lik
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2003
- Messages
- 600
Let me just say, we loved, loved, loved the verandah. I don't think it would have been the same trip for us if we didn't have it. I'm so thankful that my parents gave us the generous gift that allowed for us to upgrade to the verandah. Thanks Mom and Dad!
Our room was in great condition when we first got there. I had bought the Bon Voyage decorations, the chocolate covered strawberries/champagne for DH and a basket from Perfect Gift for DD. It was all there waiting for us and really made the cabin a little homier. Also, special thanks to pjpoohbear for putting decorations on all our doors. I had forgotten to take care of that and again, it made the ship seem a little more like home. Thanks, Penny!
DH was starving and dug into the strawberries and DD had Shirley's basket ripped open before I could get any pictures. Both were beautiful and more than worth it.
Our stateroom host was Clinton. He started off good, but the service deteriorated as the week went on. More about that later. As DH and DD took pictures and video from the verandah, I unpacked and put our things in the safe. Around 3:30, we left to register DD in the clubs. The registration part was easy. We just sat at one of the kids tables, filled out the paperwork and got DD a badge. We were supposed to get an ID bracelet on the way out, but the counselor said we could get one when we first dropped her off. We went to the deck 10 to watch the deck party and sailaway. That was a blast! DD was dancing and even DH seemed to enjoy himself. I called my parents to thank them (again!) just before the countdown to the horn and got misty when I heard the horn finally blow. We were off! It was a little chilly, but still 50 degrees warmer than home. No complaints from me!
Honestly, I can't remember what we did from the sailaway party to dropping DD off at the club, but I think we had pizza from Pinnochios and burgers from Plutos. At some point, I purchased the soda package and probably just broke even on it by the end of the week. But, the convenience of it was worth it.
At one point, we went back to our room to put our money and documents in our safe, but it wasn't working. Guest services sent someone up quickly, but the battery was dead. Since we hadn't put anything in the safe yet, we were able to bring our valuables to guest services and put them in the main safe for the time being. I also brought my pillow case for the character autographs. I figured they couldn't refuse me when I was being inconvenienced by the broken safe.
We didn't make it to the variety show - we just weren't ready by 6:30 to do anything but hang out on our verandah. Anyway, around 7:30 we went to drop DD off at the club. We had late seating and since she had already eaten pizza (and was still telling every one I smelled), we figured the club would be a good place for her to go. The line to the club was astronomical! Evidently, the ID bracelet printing machine was broken and this was causing all sorts of confusion. It took nearly 40 minutes to get her dropped off. But, once we were through the door, I was impressed with the staff. Before DD could even get in the door, they had soap on her hands and showed her the bathroom to wash. Being a daycare kid, she had no problems adapting to the new environment and seemed happy to be rid of us.
On our way to Animators Palate, I stopped by shutters to see the embarkation photos. Not the best shot of me (I would have looked so much better in my capris and Disney Tee ), but DH and DD looked cute, so I picked one of the photos and bought the 10 photo package.
At Animators Palate, we met our servers Emmanuel and Zita. They were great and with the help of our head server, Nadege, made our dining experience very enjoyable. DH has gluten intolerance and they went above and beyond to find food for him that was suitable.
Also, DH and I were the only ones at a table set for 8. It was nice, but a little odd. It was that way for the whole week! Not sure if someone cancelled at the last minute, or maybe DD is right and I really do smell.
The food was good, but I wasn't so impressed with the AP "show¨. I'm not sure if it was just that we had a poor vantage point - we were all the way to the side, behind one of the serving stations - but I couldn't readily see the layers of color appearing. Neither could DH. The parade at the end was cool, but a just little less glitz than I was expecting.
After dinner, we picked up DD and went back to our cabin. I was somewhat bummed that we had no towel animal or chocolates in the room. But, I was too tired to really care. We all just collapsed. It was the end of a very enjoyable Day 1.
Our room was in great condition when we first got there. I had bought the Bon Voyage decorations, the chocolate covered strawberries/champagne for DH and a basket from Perfect Gift for DD. It was all there waiting for us and really made the cabin a little homier. Also, special thanks to pjpoohbear for putting decorations on all our doors. I had forgotten to take care of that and again, it made the ship seem a little more like home. Thanks, Penny!
DH was starving and dug into the strawberries and DD had Shirley's basket ripped open before I could get any pictures. Both were beautiful and more than worth it.
Our stateroom host was Clinton. He started off good, but the service deteriorated as the week went on. More about that later. As DH and DD took pictures and video from the verandah, I unpacked and put our things in the safe. Around 3:30, we left to register DD in the clubs. The registration part was easy. We just sat at one of the kids tables, filled out the paperwork and got DD a badge. We were supposed to get an ID bracelet on the way out, but the counselor said we could get one when we first dropped her off. We went to the deck 10 to watch the deck party and sailaway. That was a blast! DD was dancing and even DH seemed to enjoy himself. I called my parents to thank them (again!) just before the countdown to the horn and got misty when I heard the horn finally blow. We were off! It was a little chilly, but still 50 degrees warmer than home. No complaints from me!
Honestly, I can't remember what we did from the sailaway party to dropping DD off at the club, but I think we had pizza from Pinnochios and burgers from Plutos. At some point, I purchased the soda package and probably just broke even on it by the end of the week. But, the convenience of it was worth it.
At one point, we went back to our room to put our money and documents in our safe, but it wasn't working. Guest services sent someone up quickly, but the battery was dead. Since we hadn't put anything in the safe yet, we were able to bring our valuables to guest services and put them in the main safe for the time being. I also brought my pillow case for the character autographs. I figured they couldn't refuse me when I was being inconvenienced by the broken safe.
We didn't make it to the variety show - we just weren't ready by 6:30 to do anything but hang out on our verandah. Anyway, around 7:30 we went to drop DD off at the club. We had late seating and since she had already eaten pizza (and was still telling every one I smelled), we figured the club would be a good place for her to go. The line to the club was astronomical! Evidently, the ID bracelet printing machine was broken and this was causing all sorts of confusion. It took nearly 40 minutes to get her dropped off. But, once we were through the door, I was impressed with the staff. Before DD could even get in the door, they had soap on her hands and showed her the bathroom to wash. Being a daycare kid, she had no problems adapting to the new environment and seemed happy to be rid of us.
On our way to Animators Palate, I stopped by shutters to see the embarkation photos. Not the best shot of me (I would have looked so much better in my capris and Disney Tee
), but DH and DD looked cute, so I picked one of the photos and bought the 10 photo package. At Animators Palate, we met our servers Emmanuel and Zita. They were great and with the help of our head server, Nadege, made our dining experience very enjoyable. DH has gluten intolerance and they went above and beyond to find food for him that was suitable.
Also, DH and I were the only ones at a table set for 8. It was nice, but a little odd. It was that way for the whole week! Not sure if someone cancelled at the last minute, or maybe DD is right and I really do smell.
The food was good, but I wasn't so impressed with the AP "show¨. I'm not sure if it was just that we had a poor vantage point - we were all the way to the side, behind one of the serving stations - but I couldn't readily see the layers of color appearing. Neither could DH. The parade at the end was cool, but a just little less glitz than I was expecting.
After dinner, we picked up DD and went back to our cabin. I was somewhat bummed that we had no towel animal or chocolates in the room. But, I was too tired to really care. We all just collapsed. It was the end of a very enjoyable Day 1.
