11/13 3nt Wonder Concierge Cat 3 report

[2disneycruzrs]

Booking & Pre-Cruise – I booked six Category 3 suites in mid-March, all direct through DCL. Didn’t use their air nor travel insurance but did book the TI through my friend’s cruise agency that reps TravelGuard. The shore-side Concierge Team of Jamira and Sharon were very helpful, but there were some things they couldn’t do that had to be saved until boarding the ship. Rarely can you get through to them but they always follow up with the voice mails and emails so you just have to have patience. I understand the reason I usually got the voice mail was due to them either speaking with other guests and/or the ship. I pre-paid a stateroom credit and gratuities. One word of note…you can not pay more gratuities than the recommended amount in advance. I tried to pay extra for the stateroom hosts since they have larger rooms to clean but that was not allowed. You can always give more once on board but not in advance.

WDW Arrival & Stay– I used the Magical Express service to the Beach Club. Total time from check-in at Transportation to arrival at resort was 1 hour. About 2 hours later, my luggage arrived. For my group members, I used sedans from Happy Limo and Mears I’ve never had issues with Happy Limo and always used them due to the mentions on the boards but for the $8 difference, I think the quality is much better and more professional with Mears both in reservations and drivers. Henceforth, I’ll use Mears. We had dinner at the Yachtsman Steakhouse – everything was wonderful as usual! They had lighting issues but we were very happy with our meal experience.

WDW Departure – We opted for the DCL transportation. We all were “sea only” particpants and they wanted to attach a sticker on our KTTW card to identify our DCL transfers. They never looked at it as we boarded the bus, yet we were told we needed the stickers because people wanting to go to one of the parks errantly boarded a DCL bus. My trip two months ago from the Beach Club and all times from the Swan or Dolphin previously were very easy but this time the transportation staff at the resort made it more difficult. It was a large crew departing the Beach Club so we were in the second bus; we picked up people at Port Orleans but there were a couple rows that went unused and a few with only one person so it was nice.

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[2disneycruzrs]

DCL Terminal Arrival - Our bus arrived at the same time as a lot of others but security moved fast. They opened up a third lane that I had not seen before. It was nice to come up the escalator and see the terminal decorated for the holidays. Essentially, DCL’s holiday décor schedule coincides with the Very Merry Christmas at WDW. Since we were sailing Concierge, we proceeded to that area and were quickly processed. We were escorted to boarding and skipped the long photography “welcome aboard” photo lines and were immediately photographed – that was a small bonus.

Afternoon – Since I had a group, I had an agenda of items to get done. I first proceeded to the spa and was able to get all the new spa requests or changes that my folks wanted. I highly recommend taking a quick tour of the spa while you can during boarding hours. It was the first time I took a look at the villas, and they seem like a wonderful experience…if you can afford it. I proceeded to the Cadillac Lounge for the Concierge Reception. It’s always good to meet the Concierge Team although not necessary unless you want some bookings made on your behalf. The team on this cruise is Patty (Mexico) and Angeline (didn’t catch… maybe Caribbean?). They’ve been very nice and helpful for me. Before I realized, it was 3 PM and not much time left for the buffet. Word of warning – if you board earlier in the afternoon, go first to one of the buffets. The line at this time was long. As soon as I got my tray, I just skipped ahead to the pasta and stir fry rice station to get a quick bite since I was going to have dinner at Palo in a little while. But one strong recommendation is get the chilled strawberry mint soup. It doesn’t sound appealing but it is one of the best soups I’ve had! I suggested to my Concierge Team to provide the recipe if they wanted to give a “magical moment” to one of my group members and they did.

Muster Drill – My two recommendations…make sure you have the appropriate life vest (last time, I had a child’s) and bring sunglasses unless your station is inside. My station was outside and the sun was right in our eyes. Thankfully, cruise activity staffer Matt blocked the sun for our benefit.

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[2disneycruzrs]

Adventures Away – I got upstairs right away and got my usual spot at a table on Deck 10 (sorry – I’m not a dancer) for the event. Surprisingly, the Goofy Pool area wasn’t full of people. I stayed until the start of the Cha Cha Slide. The songs I was there for were: Vacation, Celebration, Pump It, 50s Mix, Hey Baby, Everybody, the Adventures Away song, Cha Cha Slide; and I know they do YMCA later.

Stateroom – My cabin is 8532. I’ll put full detail on the stateroom reports but essentially, it’s a U-shaped cabin with an entry hall, large living area, bedroom that wraps around to another full bath and walk-in closet. I actually prefer the HCP-accessible Cat 3 I had last time (8602), especially for the oversize and deep verandah. My stateroom host is Dewa from Indonesia…many of you probably know of him since this is his sixth year. He was a very nice guy but a little stingy with the bathroom amenities.

Weather – We had near-perfect weather the entire cruise. The first night was a little rocky; I would estimate 8-foot swells and windy across the deck. Nassau day was beautiful until the Carnival shipped pulled into port; just as it did, periodic sprinkles came and continued throughout the day. The night was perfect conditions so Pirate Night went off without a hitch. Castaway Cay day was probably the best I’ve ever had: gorgeous skies, the slightest of wind, and no liquid sunshine…perfect for parasailing! The seas were calm the second and third nights.

Palo – Thanks to the maitre d’ (Pietro), we were able to dine in the private room. We had the best meal I’ve ever had in there and excellent service from Coralia (sp) from Romania. We all stuffed ourselves, and even though I preferred to have the dinner on the Nassau night, it worked out great that we did it the first night. I had the Minestrone Soup, we split a couple pizzas, Lobster Ravioli, and of course the Chocolate Souffle. All were very happy with their meals and service.

Dining Rooms – We had the second seating PTA rotation, so we missed Parrot Cay the first night (intentionally). I was surprised our rotation was 80% adults and hardly any children – usually there is a lot more even during the off season. In Triton’s, I had the Seafood Medley, Mixed Green Salad, Coques St. Jacques, and Cherries Jubilee. (One person had the Duck Fricassee and didn’t enjoy. My rec would be to order it to try and a back-up at the same time so not to delay the meal.) At AP, I had the Seafood & Avocado Wrapper, Mushroom Risotto (I’m not a fan of shrooms but it was very good), and the Grilled Filet with Scallops (served as a hidden Mickey). For dessert, I pigged-out and had the Strawberry Shortcake and Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. Yum! Our service team was Stacey from Jamaica and Nicole from Australia. They were good but I wouldn’t go overly crazy as the best team we’ve had to this day is still Dwight from Jamaica and Areli from Chile on the Magic. The food this trip was the best I’ve had – even after sailing two months ago, it seemed even better though they were the same menus.

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[2disneycruzrs]

Pirate Night – There were only a handful of people dressed in my dining room for the festivities. We did have one guy in our group who dressed up after dinner. We finished with dinner at 10 PM and headed up to the already happening party. This is the one thing I like about early seating or having an early dinner at Palo on this night – so you can get up there and get a spot. I found a great spot to be starboard (as recommended by our Palo server) and back by the second smokestack. I was able to get a great video of Mickey ziplining over the Goofy Pool and the fireworks (I’ll post it on You Tube). They still had the buffet with the famed turkey legs and many desserts but I didn’t partake having just come from dinner.

Parasailing – TipThe weather was picture-perfect for parasailing. My three main tips: (1) book your session early in the day; if the weather goes awry causing a cancellation, you can possibly get in a later session; (2) take a camera up with you to shoot video and photos and leave one back on the boat with your fellow parasailers to take photos of you; and (3) tip the boat guys – usually two – before they harness you and you may get a longer airflight or better view like I did. [I tipped $15.] (I’ll post video on You Tube.)

Castaway Cay – This was the first time I had lunch at the adult beach. It was better than at Cookies – I think because it’s cooked in limited quantities at a time and also serves rib eye at the buffet. The adult beach was peaceful as usual and I rented a float for the afternoon and just laid on it in the water. One note – you may want to wear insect repellent. For the first time, I came back from the cruise with bites all over my legs and part of my arms and the only time I was in sand was walking on the adult beach and laying in the shallow water at the beach. Be sure to check out at least one Crab Race – quite fun to watch!

On-Board Check-in – This worked very well but the one word of warning is make sure you have enough room in your carry-on luggage to contain your last night/morning items since you won’t have access to adjusting your gear. It is beneficial and avoids paying for baggage fees (if applicable to you). The one downfall is that you can not change your flight or hop on an earlier one once you elect for on-board check-in. I highly recommend it – especially for families with lots of luggage and no status with the airline.

Other – The gift shops have some new merchandise including a full new design line (added within the last five weeks). They now also sell “Castaway Club” logoed apparel. Some of the new items will be posted on my website. The Concierge Staff does not expect tips but it is appreciated at your discretion. Because of all that I had them do for deliveries for my group, I gave them each $40. Previously, I gave each of them $20 when it was just my husband and me. I left three pillowcases for autographs and one was supposed to be Princesses but came back with All Stars…better than nothing. Captain John was at the helm and our CD was Clayton. For the most part, the staff is great with special needs folks. There was a group of mentally-challenged adults – who were great fun on board – and a couple of the staff members were not very receptive to them. Be sure to check out what’s showing on the Ariel TV. They showed the Thursday and Saturday night football games in addition to showing them in Diversions. They also aired the Space Shuttle launch coverage. Be sure to plan and book your future cruise reservation early in the cruise. The agent gets very busy later in the trip, so submit it early. I was able to get the discount and OBC also for rooms for my sister-/brother-in-law and mother-in-law/nieces. Virtual bridge and engine control room tours are shown throughout the cruise at the Ariel TV. Since I'm sailing with my nieces next time, I asked kids about the same ages as my nieces if they were enjoying the cruise and kids areas and all I met said they were. They no longer are giving out "Mickey Gold Medals" for winning - they now give out gifts for chip-it golf and "champion" buttons for crab race winners. It was kind of a bummer!

Once again, it was another great Disney Cruise! I am one of those where financially, I will probably be sailing another cruise line for the more exotic trips i.e. Mediterranean just because the cost savings are so much greater on other lines but when it comes to Caribbean and Port Canaveral-based sailings, I will keep with Disney and that "Disney Difference." Feel free to post questions or PM me with questions.

 

[2disneycruzrs]

All videos, three-night navigators and additional info are posted on our website linked below. Videos include two from parasailing, pirate night fireworks, and sail away countdown.

 

[TCB in FLA]

Thanks for sharing your tips and esp. the Navigators!

 

[nzdisneymom]

Thanks for the report - it sounds like you all had a good time. I had to LOL about Nassau being good til Carnival showed up

 

[2disneycruzrs]

One additional note:

Hyatt Day Room: I arranged for one of the VIP Suites for our group. The hotel was supposed to check us in the night before and failed to do so but we got it worked out and had our suite. We didn't opt for a connecting bedroom - just the living room with full bath. It was pricey ($425 before tax) but well worth it for the guests' comfort since there were two full comfy sofas, a dining table, two side chairs, full bath, and a kitchen including refrigerator. It was nice to be able to relax and leave our items while we could shop or go eat as a group. There were lots of people who were camped in chairs all over the airport, and I was glad we were not since we had 9 hours before our flights. I HIGHLY recommend a standard room day rate for families who have a long wait before flights. It's well worth it.

 

[2disneycruzrs]

I know folks are always looking for cruise items in advance as gifts before sailing. I did suggest on my cruise survey they should sell DCL items shoreside so folks can get them as gifts for family as a trip reveal i.e. lanyards, autograph books, etc. Speaking of which...

I have two blue autograph books - they are the generic ones you buy at WDW NOT the DCL autograph books. If anyone would like, I'm just selling them for the $6.95 price and book rate shipping, whatever that will be. Not looking to make a dollar and thought someone here may want as pre-cruise or pre-WDW trip gift since I errantly bought these. If so, just PM me; first come, first serve.