13-17th May Cruise review, Day one.

[Skyw]

It is finally my turn to write a review!!! I may not be as entertaining as other reviews but I know from my own experience, that anything new to read is great!!

Cast of Players…..Me (40), My Mom (63) and my Son (3.5). There were several things we loved and very few things that didn’t make our expectations!!! Overall it was a wonderful cruise and we can’t wait to do it again. I will do a quick review of some of the main things and then do a daily account.

The children’s club. It was a lot of structured events and very little free play. It is a big open area that has space to play and do their events. There is a slide that is open only during scheduled times. There is also a room with a small amount of toys. I mean small….like 6 toys. Certain toys are added for certain events. For example Buzz Light-year space ranger school. From what I saw, it was just a bunch of toy story toys. For those of you who have a 3 year old you know that they will enjoy about 15 minutes of structure and then it is off to something else. They didn’t really have that option. My son said he liked it a little bit. He liked the visits from the characters, and some of the story times. Overall, he didn’t want to go back. And this is unusual for my son. He loves going to nursery school. It is possible that we went at bad times too. I have read that others loved the clubs.

Dining room- We only went once because it was just too long for my son to sit. It was 2 hours long on the one night that we went. The food was average-good. Not excellent but not bad either. The service was excellent. Our tablemates were wonderful as well. As you read the next few days of reviews you will note that we didn’t stave by missing meals in the dining room.

Other dining- We found everything to be from good-excellent!! Even the room service.

Overall services were excellent.

Our cabin was 7132. It was an upgrade. The balcony was a solid wall. We really didn’t miss the plexiglas wall. It was pretty safe for my son. We could have used a little more storage. Our room didn’t come with a steamer trunk. Our large luggage bags did not fit under the bed. I will use smaller luggage next time. The beds were very comfortable! The shampoos and conditioners were great. No need to bring your own. They were salon quality.

Next Day One.

 

[rejobako]

SkyW: I just posted a day 1 report from the same cruise -- it will be interesting contrasting your experience with ours. At first glance, we agree with you entirely about the dining room food being inferior to the rest of the ship's offerings, although at our table we were finished within 75 to 90 minutes including dessert on the 3 nights we ate in the main dining rooms.

I also see what you mean about the kids clubs -- it's more about structured play than choices. My girls (3 and 7) loved it, except on Castaway Cay, where the "treasure hunt" was apparently not a big hit.

 

[Skyw]

Glad your table service was faster. I think ours took longer because one of our table mates were late. By the time we ended the meal, we were all on the same course.

I think my son would have loved the kids clubs if they had about 10 trucks and something to put them in!!!! Then I would have never gotten him out!!

 

[Skyw]

Day One- We flew uneventfully out of Indianapolis to Orlando the day before the cruise. Happy Limo was on time to pick us up at the luggage area. Our driver helped us with our luggage and we were off to Cocoa Beach. At a little after 1pm we were dropped off at the Comfort Inn and Suites. It was very easy and stress free. Our rooms weren’t available until 2:30, so we ate a burger by the pool and relaxed.
CI &S’s were clean, and updated. However, I don’t think we will stay there again. Our room was very small and we only went to the beach for ½ hour. I choose this hotel because it was near the beach. Next time, we would stay near the port. Those Hotels looked newer and had a nice view of the ships. For those your staying at CI &S, there is plenty or restaurants and stores within walking distance. No real need for a car. We ate at the 4 Points Sheraton. I forgot the name of the restaurant. The food was very good and the portions were large. My DS also enjoyed the huge salt-water fish tank. We sat right in front of it.
After we ate dinner we went to the beach. It had great waves but I really had to hold on tight to my son. It was a fun way to end the day. By 9pm we were in bed dreaming of the cruise.

Next pictures and day two!!! (hope I can figure the pictures out)
Eating Dinner

Comfort Inn and Suites

 

[Skyw]

Luke at the beach.

Day Two-Woke up at 6am!! Thanks to my overly excited son. We had a very cheap and plain breakfast at the hotel. My son liked it because he got the same waffles that he gets at home, the toaster kind. Starbucks is next door, so I was able to get a good cup of joe !! We luckily had a Walgreen’s across the street and had time to get some last minute things that we forgot.

Finally at 9:45 we checked out of the hotel. The front desk employee insisted that we were leaving for port too early. “They wont let you in until 11am “ he said. Of course, that is why their shuttle takes everyone at 11am. I said thank you politely, and went out front to wait for my taxicab. He didn’t know that I am now an expert after reading at least 100 reviews of the Wonder on this very board. I knew we could get in sooner. After we got outside, I had to explain to my mom that he was wrong. So at 10:15, Yellow Taxi Cab Service pulled up to the curb, with the requested Child seat. We were dropped off at port by 10:30 and were in the Disney Terminal by 10:35. Cost of the cab was $16.

By 11:00, I was done with registration and child registration. So we waited and enjoyed the terminal. I even got #3 for the boarding pass. In all honesty, we didn’t try to get there crazy early. It just worked its self out that way. Plus it was more exciting to sit at the terminal then at the hotel.
At 11:40 I heard “ladies and gentleman, boys and girls”……..And we were on the ship in 5 minutes.

More to come….

 

[Skyw]

I was so nervous and excited when I went on the ship. I have been taking several medicines that make me a bit nauseous and I was afraid that I would get nauseous at the wrong time and we would be sent to my cabin for 4 days. It all went too fast. First the pictures and then you are on the ship. Just like that. I wanted to savor the moment but a CM quickly escorted us to the end of the atrium and showed us the direction of the buffet. It was all very surreal. I had been waiting soooo long for this experience and it was finally happen. No tears yet but they were coming.

We ate at Beach Blanket Buffet and it was great. The shrimp was big, fresh and tasty. They had a wonderful selection of food. I was not disappointed. The food was prepared in a way that wasn’t dripping in fat or over cooked. Streamed veggies were crisp. I have been on RCL and Carnival and I would say that the buffet was as good as RCL’s. Something’s were better and something’s weren’t.

We had are bathing suits packed and by 12:15 we were in the Mickey Pool. My son went down the slide but got a face full of water. That was the last time he went. Oh well, maybe next time. But he loved the Mickey Pool. He had the biggest smile. We stayed there until the rooms opened up at 1:30. By then it was getting crowded.

Our room was aft on level 7 with the solid wall veranda. It was very nice and our room steward was also very nice and efficient. It was standard Veranda rooms so I wont go into to great details. We chilled out there until the sail away party. We only stayed for a song because my son started to get this glassy eyes look to him and wanted me to hold him. I took him away from the loud music and the heat of the son and he was fine. We had a great snack at Goofy’s Gallery. The fruit and sandwiches there are great!!!! We ate there often. We skipped dinner because it was too early 5:30. We ate more food at the gallery and enjoyed the sail out to sea.

Luke went to the Kids club for about an hour. He didn’t really like it. In his words…”it was boring”. We were in bed by 9pm. WE all were tired from the excitement of the day.

Eating Fruit from Goofy's

[

 

[SCRAPBOOKQUEEN]

Hi,

I subscribed to your post. Now that I know how to do it. I'm from Jeffersonville, Indiana. Currently in New Mexico. Great Report. My cruise is 9/1/2008!!!! I can hardly wait. Looking forward to reading all of your report. I used to know someone in Columbus. They owned a jewerly store. Isgrigg Diamond. Heard of them?

Thanks.

Kellie
ScrapbookQueen

 

[BRETTSNANNY]

HI, WE ARE GOING ON 9/1/2008 - SEEMS LIKE SO FAR AWAY. ARE YOU STOPPING 2 NIGHTS AT CASTAWAY CAY? I ALSO LOVE TO SCRAPBOOK. I ALMOST DIDN'T EVEN COME ON THESE BOARS BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO TEASE MYSELF. BUT NOW I'M HOOKED. i'M LOVING THIS REPORT ALREADY

 

[JDBlair]

Great start!!

 

[Skyw]

Crab Claws

Towel Animal

A Day not spent in Nassau….

We never got off of the boat. After reading these boards, we decided to just stay on the ship and enjoy the pools without as many people. I am glad we did too.

We went to the buffet for breakfast right at 730. It was good. There was a fine selection of foods. The biscuits and gravy were awful!!!! But what can you expect. I didn’t see one person from Bob Evans there!!! But everything else was good to great. We found a spot outside and enjoyed the view and our meal. My son, who is a picky eater, actually had a full plate of food. He couldn’t even eat it all. Next Luke wanted to go to the Kids Club. My mom and I went to the adult’s pool around 9am and got great chairs. It was never really crowded anyhow. The chairs are teak with nice padded cushions. After 10 am, I figure since Luke was in the club, I was going to have a Bloody Mary. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go down, so I asked for a light alcohol one. It went down well. It was very good and spicy. Yummy. After a couple hours at the pool, Mom and I went to lunch. I don’t remember what else was there because we were chowing down on the Stone Crab Claws!!! Very fresh and tasty. So far I was impressed with the food.

This evening we went to AP. We arrived promptly at 530 and our tablemates trickled in after us. They were a great family of 5 and we enjoyed their company. I was disappointed with AP. I guess after reading everything on it, I expected it to be more….whats the word…more disneyish. Not really magical in my book. Wait staff was great and they have to deal with a lot of kids. I ordered the Filet and it was OK. It was like really good roast beef. I expected the food to be average- to good and it was. After all, you have to serve how many people at the same time. It is hard to have excellent food with 400 people eating at the same time. I totally understand that.

After dinner, we went back to the room and chilled out. My son was pretty tired. We spent a lot of time reading books and relaxing while he slept.

Next CC.

 

[LITTLEKID58]

Tfs

 

[Skyw]

Castaway Cay
We arrived to partly cloudy skies. I didn’t really mind. We watched the ship dock around 7-730am. We headed off to breakfast and got off the ship at approximately 9;15. We weren’t trying to be one of the first ones off, but we were. We choose to walk down to the beach instead of taking the tram. It was a nice walk. We found an umbrella and some chairs easily. The sand at the beach is a bit rough. I would were shoes. Both my mom and I cut our feet on the shells. Not big cuts but they hurt when we were in the salt water. The water was a bit chilly. We rented rafts and enjoyed the morning. I have an active son so we were very quickly walking around the rest of the beach checking things out. We founthe stingray beach and you can actually go up the edge of where they are and watch them. My son thought that was cool.
After a couple of hours on the beach, my son was getting hot and tired. We hit the BBQ right at 1130. It was very good. My son enjoyed the shade and the ice cream cookie dough dessert. Soon after, we found my mom and went back tot the boat. As soon as my son hit the air conditioning, he perked back to life.
We had planned to go to the Mickey Pool after his nap but the weather turned cold and rainy. People were coming back to the ship early. It got really windy too. So we had a snack and went to the 6:15 Golden Mickey Show. My son loved it. He didn’t move through the whole show. It was fast paced and he knew many of the characters. Mom and I also enjoyed the show. I wouldn’t miss it.
Since we missed out 5:30 dinner, we went to the Beach Blanket Buffet for dinner. It was a seated dinner from 630-830. And you could wear shorts!!! My son had his pirate outfit on and we also received the bandana’s there. The service was fine. We weren’t looking for fine dining, just a nice meal. I got the seafood pasta and it was wonderful and hot. Since only a few people were there, I assume that the food was prepared to order. My son found a friend and they played pirates together. It was a great place to eat. I would recommend it to those who don’t want to dress up or sit for a long dinner.
We tried to stay up for pirate night…. but we didn’t. Maybe next time. Even though, my son still had a blast wearing his costume. He didn’t miss the rest of the party.

Next our day at sea.

Beach at CC.

Pirate night, Balcony.

Dinner at BB

CC around 9:30 am.

 

[JDBlair]

Very cute!!

 

[disneydance]

How many days was this cruise 3day or 4day

 

[Skyw]

4 day cruise....wish it was longer...

 

[Skyw]

Next our day at sea.

As usual, we were woken by my son around 6am. I was hoping he would sleep in later. No luck. I did bring some powdered donuts in my luggage and had milk in the frig. So we really didn't need to adventure out until later. Mom and I canceled out brunch reservation today. We had just eaten so much already. Even though it is supposed to be wonderful, we could bare the thought of stuffing ourselves again. I didn’t really miss it. We already had excellent meals.

By 9am, my son wanted to go to the kid club. Peter Pan was going to be there. I reminded him that he could page me whenever he wanted to and I would come and get him. We went to the adult pool and enjoyed another nice morning with the sun with a good book. At 11:30 I picked up my son and he was crying. He was so relieved to see me. I don’t think he understood that he could have paged me whenever. So we went to get him a quick lunch. My mom had a burger and he had fruit from the gallery. After that, a much needed nap for him.

I ran up to the buffet for my lunch after he went tot sleep. It was seafood day. It was great. Shrimp, crab claws, sushi and many other dishes that have some sort of seafood in it. As usual, it was great. I then went to Shutters and gave them my money for 4 photos. My son only cooperated a few times for photos and they were Disney ones. Not the ones taken with my camera. I don’t like to pay $86.00 for 4 photo’s.

Still stuffed from lunch, we once again skipped dinner and went to Disney Dreams. My son did not like it as much as the other show. Mainly because it had some talking and some slow songs. It was another great show in my view and not to be missed. Both shows had tons of children in them and they all were well behaved and they were really entertained by the show.
We decided to go with my son to the Space Ranger event at the kids club. My son was dressed in his Buzz Lightyear outfit. I was disappointed with the program. Basically it was a bunch of Toy Story toys and that was it. My son wouldn’t share and when I tried to help him out and he threw the biggest fit of his life. I was so mortified. I then decided that he would behave much better if I were gone. So we left. I begged the counselor to beep me if he did anything out of line. We went back to the room and packed our bags. An hour later, I had a burger up on deck and picked Luke back up. Apparently, he was well behaved. Aren’t they always that way, good for everyone else but the parents. (But overtired). He was hungry so we had a hot dog and fries on the deck. It was chilly but he was having fun eating outside at night. We went to bed and the cruise was almost over……..

Next my son throws another fit at the airport…..
More pictures tomorrow..

 

[Skyw]

Last morning.

Buzz

Pool last day

Sorry it took so long to post the last page. Life gets in the way.

We got up around 6am and was ready for breakfast at AP. The breakfast was ok. Not that great. Maybe it was because we were sad that we were getting off of the ship. After breakfast we just walked off the boat. Just like that. And I cried. It was over.....just like that. We got our stuff and went through customs. We walked out of the building, went around the corner and checked in our bags. Finally, we hopped on the bus and was enroute to the airport by 8:15.

I will skip the drama at the airport....Let us just say that an over tired child can do the craziest things. Something I don't want to relive again!!!!

This completes my review!!!

 

[JDBlair]

I loved your report. My DD would love that Buzz Lightyear outfit! So cute!!! Thank you for sharing your vacation with us!!

 

[jenseib]

just letting you know I found it, I think, so I'll read it now! Thanks

 

[jenseib]

Thanks. I worry about the meltdowns too. DD had one at the airport last year when we left WDW. She was so tired, and had actually gotten sick the day before. I was almost afraid they wouldn't let us fly. We live in OH,(fly out of Detroit though) so I am thinking of flying down the night before to be sure there is no delays (since we've been getting snow), but also debating on weather or not to get a room and just relax a whole day before getting back on a plane. I know she will be overstimulated. Maybe if we go to pop or something and swim and nap off and on for a day we will have better luck and just fly out early the next day. I love that idea, but I know my DH wil lbe jumpy to get back home as fast as he can. Though I might just do it anyways for peace of mind. So far I am having a hard time finding flights that aren;t in the evening for the day we would be coming home anyways, so why not just sleep and rest and go early the next day? right? LOL!