We're home and going through some serious DCL withdrawal. This was our first cruise and the kids have already started putting money in the giant piggy bank to save to go back, only this time we all agree the 7 night will be the way to go.
Thurs: We left CBR at WDW and were halfway to Port Canaveral and I realized we had left the digital camera battery charging at the hotel so we turned around and had to go back and get it! Even with the turnaround we made it to Port Canaveral at 10:30 and were in group 3. Then my DH started talking to a Disney guy by the ship model and they really bonded I guess because the guy gave him a group #1 card!
It was great being one of the first ones on the ship and the first views were so awesome. We went to Topsiders and had lunch - very good, and Bahama Mamas - also very good, then headed to the Mickey pool. I guess others had known to put towels and stuff on the chairs before eating because when we got to the Mickey pool there were a few chairs with people in them but most just had stuff on them and there were none open. The kids were a little bummed but we went to the goofy pool and there were plenty of chairs there so we planted ourselves and relaxed! My DS11 and DD7 tried the Mickey slide but both thought it was too slow and boring so we were happier on the Goofy side for the rest of the cruise anyway and we could always find chairs over there. We got to our room about 2pm - we had 2 connecting cat. 8's. They were beautiful, and the bed was about twice the size of the one we'd been in at CBR the previous 6 days so that was great!!! Our rotation was APT and the first show that night was Hercules. We loved it! It was so funny and we've all decided it was our favorite. Yes, it's a little corny, but still funny!! Judy and Christian were our servers - both awesome and very nice and fun. We loved Animator's Palate. The dinner was great, being waited on was great, the atmosphere was great. The rocking of the boat took a little getting used to in that restaurant but none of us were sick, just silly! 
Fri: We had tickets for the Catamaran excursion. Not impressed at all! Of the 4 hours that it says you have the excursion, only 1 hour, if that, is actually spent snorkeling. Plus the water was very choppy that day due to winds and many people felt that it should have been cancelled. The crew on the sailboat didn't have enough equipment with either (masks and fins) so we had to make a stop at their office to get more. I don't know how they screwed that up because several of us (at least 15) had our own equipment so they should have had plenty extra. There were quite a few fish, and a starfish but really, save your money and go at Castaway Cay. My DD7 will probably never try it again and wouldn't do it at Castaway Cay either because the 3 minutes she was in the water with the excursion she was tossed around by the waves and scared to death! Her, DS11 and DFIL all ended up on the sailboat for most of the time. It didn't ruin our day - we're the kind of people that just laugh - my FIL is having fun telling people back home that "they took us out in the middle of the ocean and threw us in to the torrential waves, trying to kill us!"
Anyway, I wouldn't recommend the excursion to anyone, but we still had a fun day. After that we went to the straw market and DD15 got the Coach purse she'd been wanting for months for a fraction of what it would cost here! So she was happy! I'm glad we got off the ship to check out Nassau but next time we'll probably stay on the ship. Been there, done that philosophy! Golden Mickeys was the show this night - it was just ok. Parrot Cay was very caribbean and fun. It was a great restaurant for Pirate night and my DS11 and DFIL had fun dressing up and talking like pirates! We could really feel the boat while in this restaurant. I felt like I'd had a few drinks. Didn't make any of us sick at all - I just felt a little "tipsy!" 
My DH and I hung out in the piano bar for a while that night. I forgot to mention that DD15 thought the teen place was "lame". She'll be 16 in a couple weeks and she said most of the kids there were 13. She loved the cruise but would have had more fun if she'd had a friend with. Hard age to be. She's very outgoing at home and is often referred to as a "social butterfly" but that's when she's in her own surrroundings and feels comfortable. She still had fun though, met some boy named Austin from Tennessee and they hung out a little after dinner and laughed at each other's accents, trying to get each other to say different words! Pirates of the Caribbean show was really neat. The fireworks were great.
Sat. Castaway Cay! What a day! This place is like something out of a dream. Absolutely unbelievable. The weather was awesome, the water was a little cool but we got used to it, snorkeling was fun and DS11 loved it along with DD15. Like I said before, DD7 will probably never go again! We did the Stingray excursion. The kids got a real kick out of that. Even DD7 fed the stingrays and loved it. Cookies BBQ was delicious and it amazes me how they can feed that many people and everything looks fresh, plentiful, and no lines! It was one of the best days ever! We sadly walked back to the ship at 4 and felt a little down at the fact that it would be our last night. Packing and having to have our bags out by 11 was a pain in the butt - simply because I had forgotten until right before dinner so I felt rushed! My fault! And, because it felt like the cruise had been way too short. Solution - Next time do a 7 night!!!
Triton's was again very good - we were very happy with all of the food - yes the pizza by the pool is a little bland and some of the other foods aren't as spicy, but you're on a "family friendly" cruise so my kids were in heaven - DS11 said it was the best food ever - til I gave him a look and then he said "after yours mom!" Yeah, right!!! 
We saw Disney Dreams the last night and it was a very cute show and it actually almost brought tears to my eyes when Tink "comes to the ship". Yes, I'm one of those sappy types!!!
All in all on a scale of 1-10 the cruise was a 15!
We rebooked onboard for next year but we'll change that to spring '08 probably when those dates come out - need more time to fill the piggy bank!!
Lessons learned -
brought the over the door thingy, great idea but maybe since our cruise was so short, or since I don't have that much hairstuff, makeup etc. when on vacation, we never used it.
I was unbelievably impressed with how much storage space there was in our room - drawers, closet, etc.
Packed way too much stuff - having never cruised I bought every piece of advice people recommended - bonine, dramamine, correctol, beano, you name it!!!!
We didn't need any of it!
Did bring a little light up travel clock and used that a lot. The room clocks are cute - the propellors but you can't see them in the dark.
Next time we'll do less excursions and enjoy the ship more. There's so much to do!!
Feel free to ask any questions - these boards helped me tons!!! I'd love to return the favor!
Thurs: We left CBR at WDW and were halfway to Port Canaveral and I realized we had left the digital camera battery charging at the hotel so we turned around and had to go back and get it! Even with the turnaround we made it to Port Canaveral at 10:30 and were in group 3. Then my DH started talking to a Disney guy by the ship model and they really bonded I guess because the guy gave him a group #1 card!
It was great being one of the first ones on the ship and the first views were so awesome. We went to Topsiders and had lunch - very good, and Bahama Mamas - also very good, then headed to the Mickey pool. I guess others had known to put towels and stuff on the chairs before eating because when we got to the Mickey pool there were a few chairs with people in them but most just had stuff on them and there were none open. The kids were a little bummed but we went to the goofy pool and there were plenty of chairs there so we planted ourselves and relaxed! My DS11 and DD7 tried the Mickey slide but both thought it was too slow and boring so we were happier on the Goofy side for the rest of the cruise anyway and we could always find chairs over there. We got to our room about 2pm - we had 2 connecting cat. 8's. They were beautiful, and the bed was about twice the size of the one we'd been in at CBR the previous 6 days so that was great!!! Our rotation was APT and the first show that night was Hercules. We loved it! It was so funny and we've all decided it was our favorite. Yes, it's a little corny, but still funny!! Judy and Christian were our servers - both awesome and very nice and fun. We loved Animator's Palate. The dinner was great, being waited on was great, the atmosphere was great. The rocking of the boat took a little getting used to in that restaurant but none of us were sick, just silly! Fri: We had tickets for the Catamaran excursion. Not impressed at all! Of the 4 hours that it says you have the excursion, only 1 hour, if that, is actually spent snorkeling. Plus the water was very choppy that day due to winds and many people felt that it should have been cancelled. The crew on the sailboat didn't have enough equipment with either (masks and fins) so we had to make a stop at their office to get more. I don't know how they screwed that up because several of us (at least 15) had our own equipment so they should have had plenty extra. There were quite a few fish, and a starfish but really, save your money and go at Castaway Cay. My DD7 will probably never try it again and wouldn't do it at Castaway Cay either because the 3 minutes she was in the water with the excursion she was tossed around by the waves and scared to death! Her, DS11 and DFIL all ended up on the sailboat for most of the time. It didn't ruin our day - we're the kind of people that just laugh - my FIL is having fun telling people back home that "they took us out in the middle of the ocean and threw us in to the torrential waves, trying to kill us!"
Anyway, I wouldn't recommend the excursion to anyone, but we still had a fun day. After that we went to the straw market and DD15 got the Coach purse she'd been wanting for months for a fraction of what it would cost here! So she was happy! I'm glad we got off the ship to check out Nassau but next time we'll probably stay on the ship. Been there, done that philosophy! Golden Mickeys was the show this night - it was just ok. Parrot Cay was very caribbean and fun. It was a great restaurant for Pirate night and my DS11 and DFIL had fun dressing up and talking like pirates! We could really feel the boat while in this restaurant. I felt like I'd had a few drinks. Didn't make any of us sick at all - I just felt a little "tipsy!" My DH and I hung out in the piano bar for a while that night. I forgot to mention that DD15 thought the teen place was "lame". She'll be 16 in a couple weeks and she said most of the kids there were 13. She loved the cruise but would have had more fun if she'd had a friend with. Hard age to be. She's very outgoing at home and is often referred to as a "social butterfly" but that's when she's in her own surrroundings and feels comfortable. She still had fun though, met some boy named Austin from Tennessee and they hung out a little after dinner and laughed at each other's accents, trying to get each other to say different words! Pirates of the Caribbean show was really neat. The fireworks were great. Sat. Castaway Cay! What a day! This place is like something out of a dream. Absolutely unbelievable. The weather was awesome, the water was a little cool but we got used to it, snorkeling was fun and DS11 loved it along with DD15. Like I said before, DD7 will probably never go again! We did the Stingray excursion. The kids got a real kick out of that. Even DD7 fed the stingrays and loved it. Cookies BBQ was delicious and it amazes me how they can feed that many people and everything looks fresh, plentiful, and no lines! It was one of the best days ever! We sadly walked back to the ship at 4 and felt a little down at the fact that it would be our last night. Packing and having to have our bags out by 11 was a pain in the butt - simply because I had forgotten until right before dinner so I felt rushed! My fault! And, because it felt like the cruise had been way too short. Solution - Next time do a 7 night!!!
Triton's was again very good - we were very happy with all of the food - yes the pizza by the pool is a little bland and some of the other foods aren't as spicy, but you're on a "family friendly" cruise so my kids were in heaven - DS11 said it was the best food ever - til I gave him a look and then he said "after yours mom!" Yeah, right!!! We saw Disney Dreams the last night and it was a very cute show and it actually almost brought tears to my eyes when Tink "comes to the ship". Yes, I'm one of those sappy types!!!All in all on a scale of 1-10 the cruise was a 15!
We rebooked onboard for next year but we'll change that to spring '08 probably when those dates come out - need more time to fill the piggy bank!!Lessons learned -
brought the over the door thingy, great idea but maybe since our cruise was so short, or since I don't have that much hairstuff, makeup etc. when on vacation, we never used it.
I was unbelievably impressed with how much storage space there was in our room - drawers, closet, etc.
Packed way too much stuff - having never cruised I bought every piece of advice people recommended - bonine, dramamine, correctol, beano, you name it!!!!
We didn't need any of it! Did bring a little light up travel clock and used that a lot. The room clocks are cute - the propellors but you can't see them in the dark.
Next time we'll do less excursions and enjoy the ship more. There's so much to do!!
Feel free to ask any questions - these boards helped me tons!!! I'd love to return the favor!
. 
