16 Random Questions. (Excursions, Infants, and Men in Tights)

[shmoogrrrl]

Okay, so they are really silly questions, but since I can't search, I figured I would just ask them all at once. 8--) Enjoy!

1. If you had to choose between the Tulum Ruins and Beach Tour or the Xcaret Eco Archeological Park excursions, which one would you choose? (This will be for two adult men, if that makes a difference. The wives and babies will be off doing other things)

2. Any input on the Rum Point Beach Adventure? Are there shaded areas to keep the wee babies from frying?

3. One of our travel companions thought there was one of those Jimmy Buffet "Margaritaville" places in Key West. Has anyone been there if it exists? Is it worth a stop?

4. I plan to send post cards back home to our daughter so that I can add them to her baby scrapbook. Are there places to mail postcards near each of the ports?

5. Parasailing on Castaway Cay. I would LOVE to do this, having done it once before as a teenager in a lake, but I am terrified of ending up in the water. A lake is one thing, but sharks are something completely different. I know they reel you back in to the boat, but is there a likely chance that you will end up in the water?

6. Sadly, I know that I can't get Fox News on the ship (How I am going to live without my Brit Hume fix is beyond me, but I'll struggle through), but will I at least be able to keep CNN? I remember on the Eastern that we eventually lost normal CNN in favor of CNN International.

7. Ummmm........Errrrr........Any chance that the ESPN bar will show Wrestlemania? 8--) The Rock and Hulk Hogan are gonna have a re-match, and there is a chance we might see Steve Austin and Goldberg! *laugh*

8. What would be better on the ship? A larger stroller that has a seat that reclines for napping, or the light and compact umbrella stroller?

9. Water for powdered formula......We usually boil it at home. Should we plan to bring a few gallons of bottled water or is the water on the ship good enough?

10. Does the bathroom sink in the room have a stopper so that we can wash nipples and spoons, or should we plan to bring a little Tupperware thing to wash them in?

11. We have a request for a pack-n-play on our reservation, but should we plan to bring sheets from home? I thought at one point I heard that the sheets for the pack-n-plays are not fitted, or something like that. We will, of course, bring her favorite blankie and Stuffed animal.

12. We have a little portable seat that has a tray and latches into a regular seat. We use this when we eat out at dinner to avoid the "not always sparkling clean" high chairs. Is it worth bringing?

13. I believe that this has been asked and answered before, but I can't search for it, so I?ll ask it again! During the "family time" in the Oceaneer's Club, can we bring our wee babies to play? They'd probably enjoy the open room and things to crawl on.

14. Is Flounders Reef open during any of the Brunch and High Tea times?

15. Do you just bring a diaper bag with all the essentials to Flounders Reef? Will they give bottles, or should we plan her stays there around her feedings?

16. If you were a Heffalump, would you prefer to eat Winnie the Pooh, Owl, or Kanga? What sort of sauce would you want to accompany your choice?

 

[prymsu]

cant answer all, but hope this will help you out...

3. Yes there is a Jimmy Buffet Maragritaville in Key West. I don't believe it is on Duval Street, but it is within walking distance.

5. parasailing at CC - you get reeled back to the boat and not in the water, so no need to worry about sharks getting you!

8. if it were me, i would go with the light umbrella stroller. You will have steps and things and getting off and on ship i believe will be much easier for you.

9. I personally think ship water is good enough for formula, but you may get other opinions on this.

 

[jel0511]

O.k. I'll answer what I can....

8. It really is personal preference on that one. I have a Peg Perego Pliko and I loved it, since it's an umbrella stroller and fully reclines. If you plan on trying to be about the ship when your daughter is going to be napping, then I'd bring the big one. If you also plan on doing a lot of excursions, then the umbrella might come in handy, since they are MUCH lighter. Also, keep in mind the storage of the large stroller in your cabin. My stroller just fit in a little corner of the room, out of the way all the time.

9. Personally, I think your daugher is at least 6 months and I wasn't boiling water for forumla for my kids after 1 month, per my doctor. The water on the ship is processed sea water, in which it's treated to make it drinkable. The water was actually very good, and I wouldn't have a problem using it for my kids if they were still on formula. If you're still concerned, and aren't taking Disney Transportation, stop off somewhere and buy some bottled water instead of lugging things from home.

10. Yes the bathroom sink does have a stopper, but it's VERY small, I couldn't fit more than one sippy cup in at a time to wash them out!!!

11. I'd bring a pack 'n play sheet. I didn't use the pack 'n play since DS slept on the bottom bunk with bed rails. But it's just so small, that it will give you peace of mind it you don't like the sheet provided.

12. I don't think it's worth bringing the portable highchair. First off, it's going to take up a TON of room, and the chairs aren't the best for trying to attach something like that anyway. They have the padded seats, and some have a vinyl type covering, which would make for a lot of sliding. If your child is big enough to sit in the regular highchairs, then I'd just do that. I never saw a dirty one on the whole ship.

13. I don't know about the Club, but there is family time in Flounders as well. I'd prefer to bring such a little one there since with the Club, you'll get MUCH bigger children in there and they might "run" over your little one. Also, Flounders would have more age appropriate toys for your little one.

15. Yes, just bring a diaper bag with all essentials and instructions if you want them to give your child a bottle. I didn't have to, since I was able to feed my son before dropping him off, but I did give them a sippy cup if he did get thirsty. I saw MANY counselors feeding little ones!!

Have a GREAT trip!!

 

[natdencro]

You plan on having spare time to watch TV? Haha. Guess you've not been on a Disney cruise before! We didnt have time to watch tv, movies or attend many of the activities on board, as the itinery is so extensive. And we didnt even have children with us!Have fun. Nat

 

[pal2pluto]

5. Parasailing........if you ever thought you might want to try it, CC is the best place! You will stand on the platform of the boat and they will reel you into the air from there, and reel you back onto the platform effortlessly. They will, if you request, dip your feet in the water on the way down, but this is not a normal part of the "ride".

16. Owl, with a side of cranberry/rum sauce. Winnie is too cuddly, and I think might be fatty. Kanga reminds me too much of Mom, and I've got issues . Owl just rubs me the wrong way and I wouldn't mind doing without him! (love your sense of humor!)

Have a great trip!!!

 

[mmouse37]

My teens went on the rum beach excursion in August (with another family) and did not like it. I will try to find out more but I remember them not liking it as much as the beach clubs we went to on the Eastern Itinerary.

MJ

 

[dcbrown]

I can only answer one of your questions as my kids have been long out of the diaper scene!! If you are a Parrot Head then "The Margaritavill Cafe" is a must!!! Great cheeseburgers and Margaritas (what else?) and losts of JB stuff. We even had a sighting in the local book store! The Cafe is on the main drag...I believe somewhere across the way from "Sloppy Joe's?"

 

[gdulaney]

For your postcards...don't forget to mail one from Castaway Cay (although Katie may be in school by the time it arrives...our postcards have taken anywhere from 3mos to 6mos to arrive in GA).

The Jimmy Buffet restaurant "Margaritaville" has food, 'ritas, and stuff to buy...you can check out all the offerings at their website http://www.margaritaville.com Don't forget to check out their Key West exclusive stuff, such as the Conch Republic baseball cap.

For Cozumel, we didn't know which excursion to take...but ended up doing the kayaking. Aside from the bugs, we had a blast! If you can imagine standing in crystal clear waist-deep water, while having a cold drink, fruit, etc and being able to see across a dune to the ocean...it was really cool. We heard from alot of folks who did the two excursions that you mentioned and both sound like fun.

I know I couldn't eat Pooh (he's too cute..plus who'd help me eat my hunny?)...couldn't eat Kanga (Roo would miss her too much)...so I guess I'd have to say Owl...maybe with a sauce made with Cruzan Rum (from the eastern route).

Have a great trip!!

Ginny

 

[dis4me]

8. We took our regular stroller and our son would nap in it wherever we were It took up a lot of room in the cabin but it would fit in the closet if you wanted to put it away.
9.We took bottled water and powder and it worked wonderfully.The ship water may be ok but our dr told us not to try anything new while on vacation. Also when we went to the beah it was convenient to have the bottled water for him. My ds drinks his bottles at room temp so we would have had to heat up the ship water.It was much easier with the bottled.
10. Yes you can wash bottles in the sink.We brought a long a bottle brush and detergent and were fine.
11.Pack n play has a cute Mickey sheet and it is fitted.We brought our own because we didn't know but there was one in our cabin when we got there.
12. High chairs were very clean so we used them. On suggestions of this board we bought a high chair helper(a husband type cushion) which was nice for the baby to relax on during long dinners.
15. Flounders will feed them. I brought a diaper bag with all essentials and formula measured out.I put the water in the bottle so all they had to do was pour in the premeasured formula.Zip lock snack bags are great for this.
16.We didn't see Pooh on board and I don't eat red meat so If I were a heffalump I would eat chicken.LOL
Have a great trip.

 

[gfolchick]

If you are going the bottled water route you may want to just bring a few onboard Saturday and then in Key West pick up some more when you're not carrying so much other stuff. Someone mentioned a Walgreens in town and I believe there is a small supermarket too.

I would bring the umbrella stroller mainly for it's compactness. My son will be almost 4 and I'm bringing a Maclaren umbrella type for him (we're also doing Disney after). At least we'll be walking at our pace and not his.

 

[dizneykids]

dcl has strollers on board you can borrow. last we used one (2 cruises ago) they were the jogger type. save yourself some angst and just get yourself to guest services the minute you board and ask for one. you get to keep it the whole cruise (at least you used to).

the water thing is personal preference. if an older infant, unless she has a sensitive stomach, the ship's water should be fine.

re: flounders....don't plan on being able to get her in whenever you want. when you register at flounders (do as soon as possible after they open on embarkation day), you list when (in rank order) you want to use their services. then they let you know, one day at a time, if they can accomodate you. it's not a large place (though larger than when they first opened), and if there are a lot of 3-and-unders, you make only get a couple of the times you want.

do bring your own dishwashing detergent. the sinks are fine for washing. i always (even now) bring a couple handiwipes for washing whatever (refillable mugs, souvenir drink glasses, sippy cups, infant silverware, etc.)

don't bother with the booster seat. they keep their highchairs really clean. if you find one unacceptable, they'll remedy the problem before you know it. just let them know.

ask for a diaper pail. we didn't know they had these until our 3rd cruise with our little stinkerpoot! they have the genie-type pails, and the cabin stewards are great about emptying them. also, if you are in a suite, or anticipate having to feed your dd in your room, you can ask for a highchair in your cabin.

i agree with the consensus on owl. while i personally like owl, if i were a heffalump and starving, i couldn't begin to think of eating pooh or kanga. as for a sauce? hmmm....a bernaise might be nice. thanks for the laugh!

 

[bpitzer20]

4. I walked to the Post Office in Key West to mail some bills (very exciting, I know). It is located on the Key West shopping guide map that you can get on board, it is past the Harry Truman Little White House. A good walk, maybe 20 minutes, but it is really beautiful around there with all the trees and everything. Not sure about any other Post Offices (except at the above-mentioned CC).

 

[CamColt]

Just an idea on #9. We brought the ready to drink glass nursette bottles like you get in the hospital. It was more costly than the powder, but so worth it. All we had to do was stick on a nipple and it was ready. No mixing, measuring, boiling, heating, keeping refrigerated, washing bottles, etc...

 

[plutospup]

"stuffed w/fluff Winnie the Pooh" drizzeled w/ chocolate sauce

We borrowed DCL's Grayco stroller for two days. It was larger than an umberella stroller, and stored it in our closet overnight. (Our suitcases fit underneath the beds). Our thought-bigger stroller could carry more of our stuff, along with DD4!

Although we take bottled water onboard, the H2O onboard is fine. It's probably cleaner/purer than what we get at home.

If your DD has a "favorite blankie", I would also suggest bringing her own sheet/cover. She's probably comfortable with the texture, and smell, as opposed to what DCL might offer.

Have a great time parasailing! I'm really going to do it this year!!!!

 

[shmoogrrrl]

Thanks for all the answers! If anyone else has opinions or answers, please feel free to jump in! Especially about that last question.

To be fair.... I would choose Owl with BBQ sauce. I figure he is most likely to taste like Chicken out of the group.

My husband would choose Kanga with BBQ sauce.

Katie? Well.....She just wants Cheerios.

Kathy

 

[wdwnut76]

9. I wouldn't take the chance on using the ship's water. I'm sure it's fine, and wouldn't get her sick. But she's not used to it. So why risk her getting a tummyache and ruining your vacation? It's a small investment to safeguard your trip!


And I think I'd go for Winnie with BBQ sauce. A nice bearsteak dinner!


wdwnut76

Wonder 10/99
Wonder 5/11-15/03