I think this is the picture link to our trip pics. I don't know how else to post it.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLa...post_signin=Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Ux=0
We just returned from the 10/29 four-night sailing of the Wonder. Just wanted to share my thoughts and tips on the trip.
Theres me 37, DH39, DS6, and DD3.
We were traveling with my mother, Linda, and her sister, Rosie.
Also with us were my New York relatives.
My Brother, his wife, and his DS10 and DD8.
This was DH and my second cruise. Our first was a 5 night Carnival cruise which we didnt enjoy too much. Were not big partiers and didnt fit in. Also, the carnival cruise was our first time leaving the kids, and we missed them something awful. Were such saps. I cant stand to leave the kids for more than a night or two. Luckily, DH feels the same way.
DH, the kids, and I traveled from the panhandle of Florida. Its about as far away in Fl as you can get from the WDW area. We stayed at the Doubletree at Cocoa Beach. It was neat, clean, and had a nice spot on the beach. The pool was heated but small and not very clean. They really needed a skimmer. I wouldnt get in, but the kids liked it. It also had a fridge and a microwave. I think we paid $96 through priceline. We bought dinner from the local Publix, sub sandwiches and ckn fingers, as well as cereal and milk for dessert.
There were two double beds. Both my husband and I are people of size (tall and husky, shall we say?). We cant sleep together in a double. Heck, I cant find enough room in our big old king bed at home.
We each took a kid and suffered sleepless through the night. How does a 36-pound female child take up so much of the bed? I woke up in the middle of the night. She was asleep on MY pillow and had scooched me out to the edge. I moved her and went back to sleep. I woke up maybe half an hour later. My legs were hanging off the bed and there was a little warm bundle of bones sticking in my back. Sho nuff. Greedy baby had stolen the bed. I looked over and saw DH half off the opposite bed with a large six-year-old foot hanging over his knee. Bed-sucking parasites, they were!
I dont know how bed-sharing families do it. I really dont. You have to have the patience of a saint just to get the little suckers to quit giggling at bedtime. Ill never stay at another hotel with two doubles. It just doesnt work for us!
We arrived early at the port. Around 9:45. We were allowed to park but were told that we couldnt drop off luggage and stuff until 10:00. A porter dropped by our car and told us to pull up in 5 minutes and he would take our stuff, which we did.
In search of the perfect boarding pass, I rushed online and waited for them to get us boarding passes. After the security check, no passes. Up the stairs, no passes. Check-in line, no passes. Finally, I started asking where to get them. After all, why in the world did I get there so early if everyone gets to get on at the same time? Finally, someone went to fetch the elderly gentleman that was supposed to be handing them out. Mind you, there were probably close to 40 people in the terminal by then. I simply chased him around the terminal until he gave me the coveted number 2 boarding pass. Stalking the boarding pass man just to have brunch at Palo. DH kept giving me the Whatintheworldareyoudoing/getoverhereandhelpmewiththeselittledevils look. But I got my pass. Fat lot of good it did me in the end.
Waiting around the terminal was no fun at all. It got crowded quickly. The kids were antsy. It was hard to find a place where everyone could sit down. I dont think I would get there that early again. Maybe around 12:15 so I could come in and just walk on the ship. Id just try for the waiting list for Palo.
Once we got on the ship we were told that reservations for Palo would not be open until 1:00, so we might as well go and eat. I, of course, knew better and dragged DB down there to get reservations. Wavebands was closed. HEY!! The disboards said to run, not walk down there. What happened? Oh well. I went to eat and popped back down there about 12:30. They were open with a BIG line. Oh, poop. It was okay. We got the last two tables for brunch. Hurrah!
Our room was 1070 on deck 1. It was a category 9 with two portholes. I liked the set-up of the room, but it didnt have a steamer trunk. That made storage a bit of an issue and I had to get creative to unpack.
The kids swam in the mickey pool and we enjoyed bahama mamas. Actually, I thought they tasted terrible, but everyone else liked them. I gave mine to DH. Later I ordered a pina colada but realized that I had lost my camera. My new camera. The really expensive digital camera we couldnt afford but I had to have for my Disney trip of a lifetime camera. DH drank my pina colada while I chased my camera down. DM had recognized it on the chair and picked it up. Thank God! DH tried really hard not to yell at me. Drinking my two drinks probably helped.
I hate the drill. I cant help it. We stood in the sun for 20 minutes with two restless, angry, hot, overdressed children who wanted to swim some more in the pool. Not fun.
Dinner was nice. DB and family were half an hour late. Everyone was tired and cranky but we waited. And waited. Our servers, Bonieface and Vanessa, were very patient but I knew they had a second seating to worry about. As we were about to order, they showed up.
The food on Disney was good. Not great, but good. The dining room food didnt come close to Carnivals. The lunch buffet was good the first day, but I found the theme buffets to be pretty limited in their alternate selections. On seafood day, I ate off the kids side of the buffet. Mac n cheese, fries, grilled cheese, and pizza. Oh and sushi. I know, I have weird tastes.
The prime rib was pretty good. The Grand Marnier soufflé was great. I wasnt impressed with too much else. Good, not memorable.
The show that night was a rock and roll comedian. The kids were in the club and we enjoyed the show.
We got rained out in Nassau, which was okay because we hadnt planned on leaving the ship. However, the wind and rain made the pool deck unmanageable. Note to future cruisers: Dont go to Beach Blanket/Topsiders in bad weather. There isnt enough inside seating. They make you go outside and wipe the table down for you. This really doesnt help when you sit in a big puddle.
The kids wanted to do different things so we ended up splitting up. It was a pretty relaxing morning with some nice nap time in the afternoon.
It was pirate night so we all got bandanas at dinner in Parrot Cay. There was limbo, which, being the fool I am, I joined. I took DS6 with me. Hes much too dignified and needs some loosening up.
The show was Golden Mickeys. Ive heard a lot of negative things about this show on the boards, but it was by far our favorite. My daughter stomped her feet on the way out and demanded that she get to see it again. We all loved it.
The pirate deck party is way too late. Whose kids can start partying at 9:45? Mine were tired but still wanted to go, so we went. There was a little dancing and a lot of swaying from exhaustion.
Castaway Cay day was amazing. The weather was perfect all morning. It sprinkled for a while in the afternoon, but nothing major. We enjoyed swimming and playing with all of the family members we never get to see. After lunch (love that soft serve cookie dough ice cream!), we put the kids in the club to have a little snorkel time. At $25 per person, we decided against it. We tried to have fun but missed the kids so we went back to get them for one last swim.
It was Halloween and DCL had arranged for trick or treating on the ship. It was quite a hassle with lots of lines and very little to show for it. My kids were content as they only like to trick or treat to a few houses and then go home. My niece and nephew were sorely disappointed as they usually come home with a pillow case full of candy from Halloween activities.
Also, my nephew had to take his scary mask off because DD had hysterics and wouldnt come near him.
Hercules is still on the ship. It was fun but had a lot of boring spots. I loved the muses and the bit about hiring the new ones. The two playing pain and panic were hysterical. It has potential but needs a little revamping.
On sea day, we took the kids to deck 9 for breakfast before our brunch. I was so excited! However, DD didnt seem herself. She barely ate and spit up her yogurt at breakfast. Not puke, just coughed up a little bit.
Hmmmm. I decided not to try and put her in the club because it was obvious she wasnt feeling well. I went off in search of the seniors to see if Grandma could watch her for a while. They usually could be found on deck 4 reading on the comfy chairs. DD wanted to sit on the bench and started making the face. I asked her, Do you need to puke?. She replied, I dont want to puke. This is Tabby-speak for Im going to puke any second but am not really happy about it.
I grabbed her hand and led her through the door, looking for the bathroom. There it was! Just my luck, only 5 feet from the deck! Woohoo!
Oops, too late. All over the carpet on deck 4. Special apologies to the lady walking by who got splashed on the leg. So sorry. She was even nice enough to call for housekeeping. Did I mention how sorry I was. Eeeeuuuwwww.
So this was how DH found me, covered in vomit with a small child wiping her face on my shirt and in much distress over possibly missing my much-coveted brunch appointment in half an hour. Pooper scooper!
Grandma found us and insisted we go to Palo. She would watch the little fountain for us. Unfortunately, Tabby started vomiting again and I didnt want to expose a 70 year old woman to what might be Norwalk, so we just cancelled our ressies (can you see the single tear rolling down my cheek?).
We, being the well-informed responsible cruisers that we are, decided to alert the medical center to our dilemma. Especially as she was up to her fourth exorcist impersonation. We knew Tabby would be quarantined and thought it quite likely that we would be, too. But the little voice said it was the right thing to do.
They asked that we bring her down for a once-over, which we did. The doctor came in and asked when her last episode was. Tabby, being a brilliant girl, answered the question admirably by letting loose with another fountain of spew. Just lovely.
The doctor recommended a suppository. Eeeuuuwww. Luckily, they said they would do the dirty deed for us. This was good as it wouldnt have happened, otherwise. During the procedure she loudly instructed the nurse, DONT POKE MY BUTT!!!!
They said it would work quickly, within an hour or so. She continued to throw up intil 3:00 that afternoon, so I guess she has stubborn guts. Figures. They did make quite an effort to track down some jello for her that evening as it is the only thing she will eat after a stomach bug. Also, guest services sent down some coloring sheets and crayons as well as a menu from Tritons for DH to order dinner from.
Also, our stateroom host, Aristo, braved the green fogged room to empty the vomit trash. He supplied us with lots of towels (3 yr olds dont aim well and dont really care where they vomit, anyway). He left the towel cart outside our room in case we needed more, which we did. Often. We spread towels over the couch and floor and lay her down on them, just in case. Dont worry if youre staying in 1070. We kept it vomit-free.
I was going to go to dinner and DH was going to go to the show, Disney Dreams, but he watched it on TV and had no desire to go, so I got to take DS to that, too. It was okay. Not as good as the golden mickeys. Better than Hercules. The production of it, however, was really good. Lots of special effects.
The ship had a black out that night. I was falling asleep when I heard the engines cut off suddenly and the night light in our bathroom went out. Everything was pitch black. No reflection of lights off the water. Very eerie. I was flipping out. I knew we had lost power and was contemplating a very rocky night. The ship came to a stop and began to rock a bit. After a few minutes of trying to start the engines, they started and the lights came on. Very scary, indeed.
Disembarkation was very easy. We just walked off the ship, got a porter to get our luggage, and got to our van in 10 minutes. Then we went to WDW, but thats for a different forum!
I meant to do the dis-meet and the trick or treat we had arranged, but it was so busy with my immediate family (who I havent seen in over a year), that I never made it to either. Oh well. Maybe next time.
Tips: I packed waaaay too much. I ended up doing laundry twice, anyway. Once voluntarily, the other time due to our last horrible day. Next time I will bring half as much and plan on laundry. It wasnt that hard to manage.
You cant plug in hair dryers in the bathroom. The outlets are for shavers only. There is a plug on the desk. I had to turn the dryer plug upside down to make it work. It kept coming out of the wall but was much better than their dryer, which was horrible! Hmmm maybe thats why the lights went out?
I didnt need the over the door shoe holder. The night light was great. I went to guest services to arrange tips on castaway cay day. Sea day was incredibly crowded at the desk. I spent around $100 on pictures from shutters.
I cant think of anything else but will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Cheerio,
Jennifer
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLa...post_signin=Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Ux=0
We just returned from the 10/29 four-night sailing of the Wonder. Just wanted to share my thoughts and tips on the trip.
Theres me 37, DH39, DS6, and DD3.
We were traveling with my mother, Linda, and her sister, Rosie.
Also with us were my New York relatives.
My Brother, his wife, and his DS10 and DD8.
This was DH and my second cruise. Our first was a 5 night Carnival cruise which we didnt enjoy too much. Were not big partiers and didnt fit in. Also, the carnival cruise was our first time leaving the kids, and we missed them something awful. Were such saps. I cant stand to leave the kids for more than a night or two. Luckily, DH feels the same way.
DH, the kids, and I traveled from the panhandle of Florida. Its about as far away in Fl as you can get from the WDW area. We stayed at the Doubletree at Cocoa Beach. It was neat, clean, and had a nice spot on the beach. The pool was heated but small and not very clean. They really needed a skimmer. I wouldnt get in, but the kids liked it. It also had a fridge and a microwave. I think we paid $96 through priceline. We bought dinner from the local Publix, sub sandwiches and ckn fingers, as well as cereal and milk for dessert.
There were two double beds. Both my husband and I are people of size (tall and husky, shall we say?). We cant sleep together in a double. Heck, I cant find enough room in our big old king bed at home.
We each took a kid and suffered sleepless through the night. How does a 36-pound female child take up so much of the bed? I woke up in the middle of the night. She was asleep on MY pillow and had scooched me out to the edge. I moved her and went back to sleep. I woke up maybe half an hour later. My legs were hanging off the bed and there was a little warm bundle of bones sticking in my back. Sho nuff. Greedy baby had stolen the bed. I looked over and saw DH half off the opposite bed with a large six-year-old foot hanging over his knee. Bed-sucking parasites, they were!
I dont know how bed-sharing families do it. I really dont. You have to have the patience of a saint just to get the little suckers to quit giggling at bedtime. Ill never stay at another hotel with two doubles. It just doesnt work for us!
We arrived early at the port. Around 9:45. We were allowed to park but were told that we couldnt drop off luggage and stuff until 10:00. A porter dropped by our car and told us to pull up in 5 minutes and he would take our stuff, which we did.
In search of the perfect boarding pass, I rushed online and waited for them to get us boarding passes. After the security check, no passes. Up the stairs, no passes. Check-in line, no passes. Finally, I started asking where to get them. After all, why in the world did I get there so early if everyone gets to get on at the same time? Finally, someone went to fetch the elderly gentleman that was supposed to be handing them out. Mind you, there were probably close to 40 people in the terminal by then. I simply chased him around the terminal until he gave me the coveted number 2 boarding pass. Stalking the boarding pass man just to have brunch at Palo. DH kept giving me the Whatintheworldareyoudoing/getoverhereandhelpmewiththeselittledevils look. But I got my pass. Fat lot of good it did me in the end.
Waiting around the terminal was no fun at all. It got crowded quickly. The kids were antsy. It was hard to find a place where everyone could sit down. I dont think I would get there that early again. Maybe around 12:15 so I could come in and just walk on the ship. Id just try for the waiting list for Palo.
Once we got on the ship we were told that reservations for Palo would not be open until 1:00, so we might as well go and eat. I, of course, knew better and dragged DB down there to get reservations. Wavebands was closed. HEY!! The disboards said to run, not walk down there. What happened? Oh well. I went to eat and popped back down there about 12:30. They were open with a BIG line. Oh, poop. It was okay. We got the last two tables for brunch. Hurrah!
Our room was 1070 on deck 1. It was a category 9 with two portholes. I liked the set-up of the room, but it didnt have a steamer trunk. That made storage a bit of an issue and I had to get creative to unpack.
The kids swam in the mickey pool and we enjoyed bahama mamas. Actually, I thought they tasted terrible, but everyone else liked them. I gave mine to DH. Later I ordered a pina colada but realized that I had lost my camera. My new camera. The really expensive digital camera we couldnt afford but I had to have for my Disney trip of a lifetime camera. DH drank my pina colada while I chased my camera down. DM had recognized it on the chair and picked it up. Thank God! DH tried really hard not to yell at me. Drinking my two drinks probably helped.
I hate the drill. I cant help it. We stood in the sun for 20 minutes with two restless, angry, hot, overdressed children who wanted to swim some more in the pool. Not fun.
Dinner was nice. DB and family were half an hour late. Everyone was tired and cranky but we waited. And waited. Our servers, Bonieface and Vanessa, were very patient but I knew they had a second seating to worry about. As we were about to order, they showed up.
The food on Disney was good. Not great, but good. The dining room food didnt come close to Carnivals. The lunch buffet was good the first day, but I found the theme buffets to be pretty limited in their alternate selections. On seafood day, I ate off the kids side of the buffet. Mac n cheese, fries, grilled cheese, and pizza. Oh and sushi. I know, I have weird tastes.
The prime rib was pretty good. The Grand Marnier soufflé was great. I wasnt impressed with too much else. Good, not memorable.
The show that night was a rock and roll comedian. The kids were in the club and we enjoyed the show.
We got rained out in Nassau, which was okay because we hadnt planned on leaving the ship. However, the wind and rain made the pool deck unmanageable. Note to future cruisers: Dont go to Beach Blanket/Topsiders in bad weather. There isnt enough inside seating. They make you go outside and wipe the table down for you. This really doesnt help when you sit in a big puddle.
The kids wanted to do different things so we ended up splitting up. It was a pretty relaxing morning with some nice nap time in the afternoon.
It was pirate night so we all got bandanas at dinner in Parrot Cay. There was limbo, which, being the fool I am, I joined. I took DS6 with me. Hes much too dignified and needs some loosening up.
The show was Golden Mickeys. Ive heard a lot of negative things about this show on the boards, but it was by far our favorite. My daughter stomped her feet on the way out and demanded that she get to see it again. We all loved it.
The pirate deck party is way too late. Whose kids can start partying at 9:45? Mine were tired but still wanted to go, so we went. There was a little dancing and a lot of swaying from exhaustion.
Castaway Cay day was amazing. The weather was perfect all morning. It sprinkled for a while in the afternoon, but nothing major. We enjoyed swimming and playing with all of the family members we never get to see. After lunch (love that soft serve cookie dough ice cream!), we put the kids in the club to have a little snorkel time. At $25 per person, we decided against it. We tried to have fun but missed the kids so we went back to get them for one last swim.
It was Halloween and DCL had arranged for trick or treating on the ship. It was quite a hassle with lots of lines and very little to show for it. My kids were content as they only like to trick or treat to a few houses and then go home. My niece and nephew were sorely disappointed as they usually come home with a pillow case full of candy from Halloween activities.
Also, my nephew had to take his scary mask off because DD had hysterics and wouldnt come near him.
Hercules is still on the ship. It was fun but had a lot of boring spots. I loved the muses and the bit about hiring the new ones. The two playing pain and panic were hysterical. It has potential but needs a little revamping.
On sea day, we took the kids to deck 9 for breakfast before our brunch. I was so excited! However, DD didnt seem herself. She barely ate and spit up her yogurt at breakfast. Not puke, just coughed up a little bit.
Hmmmm. I decided not to try and put her in the club because it was obvious she wasnt feeling well. I went off in search of the seniors to see if Grandma could watch her for a while. They usually could be found on deck 4 reading on the comfy chairs. DD wanted to sit on the bench and started making the face. I asked her, Do you need to puke?. She replied, I dont want to puke. This is Tabby-speak for Im going to puke any second but am not really happy about it.
I grabbed her hand and led her through the door, looking for the bathroom. There it was! Just my luck, only 5 feet from the deck! Woohoo!
Oops, too late. All over the carpet on deck 4. Special apologies to the lady walking by who got splashed on the leg. So sorry. She was even nice enough to call for housekeeping. Did I mention how sorry I was. Eeeeuuuwwww.
So this was how DH found me, covered in vomit with a small child wiping her face on my shirt and in much distress over possibly missing my much-coveted brunch appointment in half an hour. Pooper scooper!
Grandma found us and insisted we go to Palo. She would watch the little fountain for us. Unfortunately, Tabby started vomiting again and I didnt want to expose a 70 year old woman to what might be Norwalk, so we just cancelled our ressies (can you see the single tear rolling down my cheek?).
We, being the well-informed responsible cruisers that we are, decided to alert the medical center to our dilemma. Especially as she was up to her fourth exorcist impersonation. We knew Tabby would be quarantined and thought it quite likely that we would be, too. But the little voice said it was the right thing to do.
They asked that we bring her down for a once-over, which we did. The doctor came in and asked when her last episode was. Tabby, being a brilliant girl, answered the question admirably by letting loose with another fountain of spew. Just lovely.
The doctor recommended a suppository. Eeeuuuwww. Luckily, they said they would do the dirty deed for us. This was good as it wouldnt have happened, otherwise. During the procedure she loudly instructed the nurse, DONT POKE MY BUTT!!!!
They said it would work quickly, within an hour or so. She continued to throw up intil 3:00 that afternoon, so I guess she has stubborn guts. Figures. They did make quite an effort to track down some jello for her that evening as it is the only thing she will eat after a stomach bug. Also, guest services sent down some coloring sheets and crayons as well as a menu from Tritons for DH to order dinner from.
Also, our stateroom host, Aristo, braved the green fogged room to empty the vomit trash. He supplied us with lots of towels (3 yr olds dont aim well and dont really care where they vomit, anyway). He left the towel cart outside our room in case we needed more, which we did. Often. We spread towels over the couch and floor and lay her down on them, just in case. Dont worry if youre staying in 1070. We kept it vomit-free.
I was going to go to dinner and DH was going to go to the show, Disney Dreams, but he watched it on TV and had no desire to go, so I got to take DS to that, too. It was okay. Not as good as the golden mickeys. Better than Hercules. The production of it, however, was really good. Lots of special effects.
The ship had a black out that night. I was falling asleep when I heard the engines cut off suddenly and the night light in our bathroom went out. Everything was pitch black. No reflection of lights off the water. Very eerie. I was flipping out. I knew we had lost power and was contemplating a very rocky night. The ship came to a stop and began to rock a bit. After a few minutes of trying to start the engines, they started and the lights came on. Very scary, indeed.
Disembarkation was very easy. We just walked off the ship, got a porter to get our luggage, and got to our van in 10 minutes. Then we went to WDW, but thats for a different forum!
I meant to do the dis-meet and the trick or treat we had arranged, but it was so busy with my immediate family (who I havent seen in over a year), that I never made it to either. Oh well. Maybe next time.
Tips: I packed waaaay too much. I ended up doing laundry twice, anyway. Once voluntarily, the other time due to our last horrible day. Next time I will bring half as much and plan on laundry. It wasnt that hard to manage.
You cant plug in hair dryers in the bathroom. The outlets are for shavers only. There is a plug on the desk. I had to turn the dryer plug upside down to make it work. It kept coming out of the wall but was much better than their dryer, which was horrible! Hmmm maybe thats why the lights went out?
I didnt need the over the door shoe holder. The night light was great. I went to guest services to arrange tips on castaway cay day. Sea day was incredibly crowded at the desk. I spent around $100 on pictures from shutters.
I cant think of anything else but will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Cheerio,
Jennifer
for being responsible when your kid got sick, not much of that around anymore. Thank you.
