TheWho
DIS Veteran'
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2000
- Messages
- 439
First off, there's 4 of us, me, DW, 2 daughters (11 & 7).
We are DVC members and have visited the parks for many, many years but have never done the cruise. We decided this would be the year (although we followed this cruise w/ a 6 night stay at BWV
).
Here are my thoughts or things we did that might help other rookies:
Service:
The service was absolutely A++++. From the guy handing out "wipes" before each meal to the cruise director, I really felt like this was their only cruise of the year. And speaking of wipes, the ship really seemed in good shape and appeared spotless.
Our Stateroom #6560:
A great room. Right by the elevators/stairs at midship. The verandah was a smart choice. Not that we spent a lot of time out there, but it was nice to have the curtains drawn and see the view. The bed was very big (my 7 yr old actually slept w/ us on the last night).
Food:
We sat at our own table, no table mates. The food was a B+/A. We did not eat at Palo's. The meals were very good and I don't mean to give the impression they were not. The desserts were pretty good, not great. However, we never went hungry and coupled with our outstanding wait staff, we always walked away from each meal very satisfied.
Nassau:
For the Nassau day, none of the excursions really seemed to thrill me for the price. Instead, my plan was to visit Nassau and go back and spend time on the ship (considering this was our first cruise). First off, Nassau was everything I read, a lot of people hawking products which is great if youre looking to buy something. Not really our thing. However, thanks to this board, I read about the British Colonial Hilton which you can walk to. I figured wed check it out. We walked through the lobby, back to the pool and a nice man asked us if we wanted to use the pool & the beach. It was $15 for adults and $5 for kids. I paid the $40 and we changed into our suits in the restrooms. Considering the small size of the pools on ship, it was fun to swim in the pool and the ocean.. The water isnt as pristine as CC, but the temp was right and it had that blue hue. We used the kayak and the place was clean and pretty empty (not many hotel guests or cruisers that day). We did not eat there since the Wonder had much better food (and not to mention free). The Hilton guy said we could come back after lunch if we wanted (we never did).
CC:
Castaway Key is in a word awesome!!. Disney really does it right. I recommend the snorkeling. Even my 7 year old who is a novice swimmer was able to really enjoy this. I guess if youre an experienced diver you might be disappointed, but for us beginners, it was great.
The Shows.
We saw 3 of the 4 shows (We missed the Dreams show on the last night, too tired). Rich Pupura (?) was the best, Golden Mickeys 2nd, and Hercules 3rd. We had the 5:45 seating and saw the 8:30 show. The theater is great (the seats were actually too comfy, as I slept through most of Herc). The shows are all B'Way like. They also showed Ratatolllie (sp?) here which was a great surprise!! I watched the 3rd Pirates movie one night which started at 11pm.
Misc:
My kids did not do the kids clubs; they just hung with us which was fine. The Pirate party was fun along with the Sailing off party. The CMs really try hard to get everyone involved. I didnt buy one picture from Shutters. I guess Im either too cheap or lazy.
Check in and check out is so organized its crazy. When you leave, I would recommend using the guy to help find your luggage and bring to your car (its worth the tip). I have no idea if any of us are prone to sea sickness but except for the last night, the seas looked like a lake.
We were all fine and had a great time. I can see why people cruise w/ Disney multiple times, they really run a fantastic trip.
We are DVC members and have visited the parks for many, many years but have never done the cruise. We decided this would be the year (although we followed this cruise w/ a 6 night stay at BWV
). Here are my thoughts or things we did that might help other rookies:
Service:
The service was absolutely A++++. From the guy handing out "wipes" before each meal to the cruise director, I really felt like this was their only cruise of the year. And speaking of wipes, the ship really seemed in good shape and appeared spotless.
Our Stateroom #6560:
A great room. Right by the elevators/stairs at midship. The verandah was a smart choice. Not that we spent a lot of time out there, but it was nice to have the curtains drawn and see the view. The bed was very big (my 7 yr old actually slept w/ us on the last night).
Food:
We sat at our own table, no table mates. The food was a B+/A. We did not eat at Palo's. The meals were very good and I don't mean to give the impression they were not. The desserts were pretty good, not great. However, we never went hungry and coupled with our outstanding wait staff, we always walked away from each meal very satisfied.
Nassau:
For the Nassau day, none of the excursions really seemed to thrill me for the price. Instead, my plan was to visit Nassau and go back and spend time on the ship (considering this was our first cruise). First off, Nassau was everything I read, a lot of people hawking products which is great if youre looking to buy something. Not really our thing. However, thanks to this board, I read about the British Colonial Hilton which you can walk to. I figured wed check it out. We walked through the lobby, back to the pool and a nice man asked us if we wanted to use the pool & the beach. It was $15 for adults and $5 for kids. I paid the $40 and we changed into our suits in the restrooms. Considering the small size of the pools on ship, it was fun to swim in the pool and the ocean.. The water isnt as pristine as CC, but the temp was right and it had that blue hue. We used the kayak and the place was clean and pretty empty (not many hotel guests or cruisers that day). We did not eat there since the Wonder had much better food (and not to mention free). The Hilton guy said we could come back after lunch if we wanted (we never did).
CC:
Castaway Key is in a word awesome!!. Disney really does it right. I recommend the snorkeling. Even my 7 year old who is a novice swimmer was able to really enjoy this. I guess if youre an experienced diver you might be disappointed, but for us beginners, it was great.
The Shows.
We saw 3 of the 4 shows (We missed the Dreams show on the last night, too tired). Rich Pupura (?) was the best, Golden Mickeys 2nd, and Hercules 3rd. We had the 5:45 seating and saw the 8:30 show. The theater is great (the seats were actually too comfy, as I slept through most of Herc). The shows are all B'Way like. They also showed Ratatolllie (sp?) here which was a great surprise!! I watched the 3rd Pirates movie one night which started at 11pm.
Misc:
My kids did not do the kids clubs; they just hung with us which was fine. The Pirate party was fun along with the Sailing off party. The CMs really try hard to get everyone involved. I didnt buy one picture from Shutters. I guess Im either too cheap or lazy.
Check in and check out is so organized its crazy. When you leave, I would recommend using the guy to help find your luggage and bring to your car (its worth the tip). I have no idea if any of us are prone to sea sickness but except for the last night, the seas looked like a lake.
We were all fine and had a great time. I can see why people cruise w/ Disney multiple times, they really run a fantastic trip.
