hezzie
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2002
- Messages
- 269
This was our first cruise, so hopefully it will be helpful to other first timers. I certainly appreciate all the information I was able to get from the DIS before our trip. Cast is myself, DH, DD(7) and DS(5). We spent four days at the Boardwalk and took a towncar over to Port Canaveral. Our driver picked us up at 9:00, which I thought was early, but it was perfect. We were one of the first ones there and checked in with no wait. We then relaxed and the kids watched the cartoons on the TVs in the terminal. The drive over was much quicker than I was expecting. There is not much to see along the way, but once you hit that point where you can see the ship in the distance, it was so exciting. It just kept getting bigger and bigger as we got closer. Just before noon, we got in line to board the ship and that seemed to move quickly. One thing I was not prepared for were all the pictures they take, so when they were taking pictures before you board, it surprised me. When we entered the atrium it was amazing. They call your name and someone comes to greet you and tell you how to get to the buffet for lunch. I have to say, we were all a little overwhelmed! You just start walking and there are tables set up selling wine, glasses and other items. We made our way to Beach Blanket Buffet for a nice lunch. We were expecting burgers and such, but it was an Italian buffet with a turkey carving station. There I am holding my tray and watching my DD carry her tray and trying to push a rather heavy door open to get to the back deck tables to eat. A nice CM came over and showed me the nice little button that opens the doors (I ended up sharing this helpful hint with many others those first few hours!) Note to all...most doors have buttons that open the automatically! After lunch we hit the pools and the kids jumped in immediately. We had dressed with our bathing suits under our clothes, so they just stripped down and were ready to go. While the kids swam, I made my way to the Vista Spa to check things out. They had some CMs set up to give sample treatments and one CM gave me a tour of the Rainforest Room. I loved the smell of the spa. I ended up booking a Swedish massage for 10am the next morning. I then went down to Wavebands to try and change our dinner seating which I thought was 2nd, but actually ended up being first. I then made my way to our room 5513, to see if it was ready (which is was). As I was walking around (feeling very lost half the time), I decided to go the bathroom before making my way back to my DH and kids in the pool. Well once I got back, I realized I had left my sunglasses (yes the pair I bought specifically for the cruise!) somewhere. I was hoping they were in the room, b/c I had no idea what deck I was on, let alone where on the deck I had used the bathroom. They all look alike and are all in the same location on each deck. My DH checked lost and found the following day, but no luck. I had packed my old pair just in case, so I just used them for the rest of the trip. After the kids were done swimming, we went to the Club, where registration was very quick. The kids were not given their wrist bands until they went to the club for the first time the following day. We then went back to our room to get ready for the life boat drill, unpack a little. When we entered the room, our TV was on with the safety drill instructions playing on a loop. We had the kids watch so that they would be prepared and then we made our way down to Deck 4 for the drill. The drill was very well organized and everyone points you in the right direction. Back to the room, life vests go back in the closet and we head to Deck 9 for the sail away party. As we walk out on Deck 9, we find servers walking around with trays full of drinks (alcholic and non-alcohlic), great music playing and kids dancing on what used to be the family pool. Our kids jumped right up and started dancing. It was so much fun, learning new dances and doing the old dances (electric slide!). I spent some time with the kids dancing and the other time with my DH who was taping the good times. The next thing I know, someone points over to the side and I look. We are moving and I had no idea. We make our way up to Deck 10 to look over the side and I realize we must have been moving for some time b/c we were almost at the end of the port. There was another ship in front of us and it was just amazing. I could not believe we were actually on a cruise ship. Once we hit the open water, we headed down to get ready for dinner.
Now I have to admit, we are not ones to get dressed up very often, so I was a little frustrated having to pack all these extra clothes, so that we had a different outfit every night. Well, it was actually really fun to step out of the cabin having us all looking great. We also ended up with some really great pictures out on the deck with the sun setting in the background. It was actually kind of fun to get all dressed up!! Dinner at Parrot Cay was very good. Our server Roland was very good, he cut the kids food and even cut my meat b/c he said I was on vacation and didn't need to do anything. He was great the whole trip. I can't remember the Asst. Servers name, but he was very quiet and didn't go out of his way for anything. After dinner we walked through the shops and then into the theatre for Hercules, which was excellent. After the show, we were all so tired, we decided to go to bed. My DH and I both had taken Bonine, just in case we had any problems. Although we could feel the boat move side to side, we did not get sick at any time. I'm not sure if the Bonine made us tired, but we did not make it up past 9:30 any of the nights (so much for checking out all the clubs!). We had a Cat 11, so it very quiet and dark, great for sleeping. The only time it bothered us not having a window was when my husband wanted to see the ship pull into Nassau. By the time we got up, we turned on the TV to see the view from the bridge and realized he missed his opportunity. Had we had the window, he would have been able to look at and see if land was visible. Other than getting dressed and going to sleep, we didn't spend any time in the room. So we go up and got dressed and headed for breakfast. Along the way, we found that the Princesses would be doing a signing in the Atrium, so my DD and I stood in line while my DH and DS went to get some coffee and enjoy the view. After the Princess signing (which took about 45 minutes)we hit the Beach Blanket Buffet so we could sit out on the back deck. The food was OK, but the view of Nassua, the water and sun was amazing. It was hard to believe we were actually there! We are from the Northeast, so the color of the water was just amazing. After breakfast, we dropped the kids off at the Club, which they loved, and I made my way to my Swedish massage. After a very relaxing hour, my DH was waiting for me just outside the spa and we found a spot at the adult pool (another one of those "wow" we are actually here moments) No kids to watch in the pool! Just the two of us soaking up the sun, drinking the drinks and discussing how great cruising is! While sitting there we heard the horn from a ship, but didn't think too much about it. After about 10 minutes, I stand up to change positions and realize the ship that was next to us (by the way...it was the Norwegian Dawn! As others have said, it's hard to imagine a wave the would do that amount of damage to a ship that size!) has left port and we have a great view of Nassau. As I have my DH stand up to see the view, we realize a much larger ship is going to pull into it's spot. As we make our way to the top deck, we realize the enourmous size of that ship. It was amazing to watch it just spin around and back in! As we walked the railing, we stopped to talk to the Security Officer and his wife. They were both very nice and shared some interesting information about working on a cruise ship and Nassau. After, we made our way back down to our chairs and continued to relax. Even though we had eaten breakfast only a few hours prior, it was now 1 and we decided to get a little bite to eat before getting the kids to go swimming. We decided to just grab some wraps from Scoops and a chicken sandwich from Pluto's Dog house. After the kids had their time in the pool, we decided to head back to the room and start getting ready for dinner. It's amazing how quickly 6pm comes. Made me 2nd guess having 1st seating. Dinner was at Tritons, so we put on our "dressier" outfits and made our way out for our pictures on the deck and then stood in line for the photographer who was taking pictures with a nice background. (By this time, I had finally found out that all these pictures that were being taken of us and the kids, could be found at Shutters. They actually print the pictures and then put them on the wall and you have to walk around looking for your pictures. At no time did anyone ever give us a card or number, so I wondered how the heck we got our pictures. I think it would be great if they moved to the photopass system so we could order them from home!) Anyway, dinner at Tritons was excellent. I tried some items I would have never ordered in a restaurant and loved them all. We received our complimentary pirate bandana in preparation for the pirate party that night. After dinner, it was The Golden Mickey show and then the pirate party....(see Part II)
Now I have to admit, we are not ones to get dressed up very often, so I was a little frustrated having to pack all these extra clothes, so that we had a different outfit every night. Well, it was actually really fun to step out of the cabin having us all looking great. We also ended up with some really great pictures out on the deck with the sun setting in the background. It was actually kind of fun to get all dressed up!! Dinner at Parrot Cay was very good. Our server Roland was very good, he cut the kids food and even cut my meat b/c he said I was on vacation and didn't need to do anything. He was great the whole trip. I can't remember the Asst. Servers name, but he was very quiet and didn't go out of his way for anything. After dinner we walked through the shops and then into the theatre for Hercules, which was excellent. After the show, we were all so tired, we decided to go to bed. My DH and I both had taken Bonine, just in case we had any problems. Although we could feel the boat move side to side, we did not get sick at any time. I'm not sure if the Bonine made us tired, but we did not make it up past 9:30 any of the nights (so much for checking out all the clubs!). We had a Cat 11, so it very quiet and dark, great for sleeping. The only time it bothered us not having a window was when my husband wanted to see the ship pull into Nassau. By the time we got up, we turned on the TV to see the view from the bridge and realized he missed his opportunity. Had we had the window, he would have been able to look at and see if land was visible. Other than getting dressed and going to sleep, we didn't spend any time in the room. So we go up and got dressed and headed for breakfast. Along the way, we found that the Princesses would be doing a signing in the Atrium, so my DD and I stood in line while my DH and DS went to get some coffee and enjoy the view. After the Princess signing (which took about 45 minutes)we hit the Beach Blanket Buffet so we could sit out on the back deck. The food was OK, but the view of Nassua, the water and sun was amazing. It was hard to believe we were actually there! We are from the Northeast, so the color of the water was just amazing. After breakfast, we dropped the kids off at the Club, which they loved, and I made my way to my Swedish massage. After a very relaxing hour, my DH was waiting for me just outside the spa and we found a spot at the adult pool (another one of those "wow" we are actually here moments) No kids to watch in the pool! Just the two of us soaking up the sun, drinking the drinks and discussing how great cruising is! While sitting there we heard the horn from a ship, but didn't think too much about it. After about 10 minutes, I stand up to change positions and realize the ship that was next to us (by the way...it was the Norwegian Dawn! As others have said, it's hard to imagine a wave the would do that amount of damage to a ship that size!) has left port and we have a great view of Nassau. As I have my DH stand up to see the view, we realize a much larger ship is going to pull into it's spot. As we make our way to the top deck, we realize the enourmous size of that ship. It was amazing to watch it just spin around and back in! As we walked the railing, we stopped to talk to the Security Officer and his wife. They were both very nice and shared some interesting information about working on a cruise ship and Nassau. After, we made our way back down to our chairs and continued to relax. Even though we had eaten breakfast only a few hours prior, it was now 1 and we decided to get a little bite to eat before getting the kids to go swimming. We decided to just grab some wraps from Scoops and a chicken sandwich from Pluto's Dog house. After the kids had their time in the pool, we decided to head back to the room and start getting ready for dinner. It's amazing how quickly 6pm comes. Made me 2nd guess having 1st seating. Dinner was at Tritons, so we put on our "dressier" outfits and made our way out for our pictures on the deck and then stood in line for the photographer who was taking pictures with a nice background. (By this time, I had finally found out that all these pictures that were being taken of us and the kids, could be found at Shutters. They actually print the pictures and then put them on the wall and you have to walk around looking for your pictures. At no time did anyone ever give us a card or number, so I wondered how the heck we got our pictures. I think it would be great if they moved to the photopass system so we could order them from home!) Anyway, dinner at Tritons was excellent. I tried some items I would have never ordered in a restaurant and loved them all. We received our complimentary pirate bandana in preparation for the pirate party that night. After dinner, it was The Golden Mickey show and then the pirate party....(see Part II)
