I usually just read the trip reports, but had to share my experiences travelling alone with my 2 DDs (12 and 17).
First of all, if you are a Mom contemplating on cruising alone with you kids and are worried... don't be!! We had a blast without DH along and never felt unsafe on the ship or in port. We originally booked Cat 12 GTY and were upgraded to 11. When we went to our cabin, there was a problem with our bathtub. We were moved to another cabin which ended up being an oceanview cat 9!!! What a wonderful surprise for us... the girls loved the porthole and the split bath was a lifesaver at dinnertime! Our last cruise was with a balcony on RCI Mariner (DH requested) but I didn't think it was necessary on 3-night with just us girls!
Both of my girls love Disney! The cruise is set up for those who want to emerge themselves completely in Disney, with character interaction, or not. Since we were going to DW after the cruise, we chose not! Other than the wonderful shows each night, we really didn't feel overwhelmed by "Disney". Other than the exceptional service and occasional appearance by one of the characters in the common areas of the ship, you really don't feel like it is a Disney cruise! (by the way... the shows are the best I have ever seen on a cruise ship!)
Now the food, in my opinion, is a different story. Not that it was bad... just not as good as RCI. My DD's kept comparing it to RCI Mariner's menu. There was alot more choices on RCI' menu for them. I managed to find something each night that I enjoyed though. The service in the dining rooms was terrific though. I enjoyed changing dining rooms each night too.
In Nassau we spent the day at Atlantis. I booked a room at the Comfort Suites using my DH's choice points. We took a cab at the port for $4 each person and arrived at Comfort Suites in about 10 minutes! Check-in was easy... took our confirmation card to Atlantis and got our bracelets. Total time from exiting ship to swimming in the beautiful pools at Altlantis was about 45 minutes! We were there from 10 am until 5:30 pm enjoying the water park and the beautiful beach. Ate at one of the counter service locations and the food was actually good! Beware of the alcoholic drinks though... they are STRONG!!! I had to ask the bartender to put some more mango in my drink to delute it alittle LOL! All in all the resort is beautiful and a must-see! We never wanted to leave.
My DD12 spent a couple of hours the first night and last night in the "Lab". She seemed to have a good time. My DD17 didn't go to the teen area since it was mostly younger teens (she starts college next week!) and felt it was too young for her. We were so exhausted from our days in port to really worry about late night activities though. We had late dining (8:30) so we saw all the shows early (6:15). We went to them dressed casual and went back to the cabin afterwards to get ready for dinner. This worked out great for us.
Castaway Cay was the highlight of our cruise. I really didn't think anything would compare to Atlantis... but the girls LOVED it there! We spent a relaxing day floating on mats, snorkeling, and even rented a paddleboat. The food on the island was really good! The fresh fruit stands were wonderful! My DD12 entered the crab races and won!!! That was exciting for all of us.
Never went to Serenity Bay, was having a good time at the family beach with the girls! The weather was perfect except for a shower at the end of the day (as we were going back to the ship) but we were already wet so it hardly mattered! I will cruise Disney again just to go back to Castaway Cay someday!
Leaving the ship the next morning was the easiest in all the cruises I have ever taken! We had a nice sit down breakfast and wheeled our carry-on luggage down to get our other luggage. We were off the ship and in our car in 30 minutes!
"Wonder"ful experience was had by all... I highly recommend this cruise to other moms who are travelling alone with kids.
First of all, if you are a Mom contemplating on cruising alone with you kids and are worried... don't be!! We had a blast without DH along and never felt unsafe on the ship or in port. We originally booked Cat 12 GTY and were upgraded to 11. When we went to our cabin, there was a problem with our bathtub. We were moved to another cabin which ended up being an oceanview cat 9!!! What a wonderful surprise for us... the girls loved the porthole and the split bath was a lifesaver at dinnertime! Our last cruise was with a balcony on RCI Mariner (DH requested) but I didn't think it was necessary on 3-night with just us girls!
Both of my girls love Disney! The cruise is set up for those who want to emerge themselves completely in Disney, with character interaction, or not. Since we were going to DW after the cruise, we chose not! Other than the wonderful shows each night, we really didn't feel overwhelmed by "Disney". Other than the exceptional service and occasional appearance by one of the characters in the common areas of the ship, you really don't feel like it is a Disney cruise! (by the way... the shows are the best I have ever seen on a cruise ship!)
Now the food, in my opinion, is a different story. Not that it was bad... just not as good as RCI. My DD's kept comparing it to RCI Mariner's menu. There was alot more choices on RCI' menu for them. I managed to find something each night that I enjoyed though. The service in the dining rooms was terrific though. I enjoyed changing dining rooms each night too.
In Nassau we spent the day at Atlantis. I booked a room at the Comfort Suites using my DH's choice points. We took a cab at the port for $4 each person and arrived at Comfort Suites in about 10 minutes! Check-in was easy... took our confirmation card to Atlantis and got our bracelets. Total time from exiting ship to swimming in the beautiful pools at Altlantis was about 45 minutes! We were there from 10 am until 5:30 pm enjoying the water park and the beautiful beach. Ate at one of the counter service locations and the food was actually good! Beware of the alcoholic drinks though... they are STRONG!!! I had to ask the bartender to put some more mango in my drink to delute it alittle LOL! All in all the resort is beautiful and a must-see! We never wanted to leave.
My DD12 spent a couple of hours the first night and last night in the "Lab". She seemed to have a good time. My DD17 didn't go to the teen area since it was mostly younger teens (she starts college next week!) and felt it was too young for her. We were so exhausted from our days in port to really worry about late night activities though. We had late dining (8:30) so we saw all the shows early (6:15). We went to them dressed casual and went back to the cabin afterwards to get ready for dinner. This worked out great for us.
Castaway Cay was the highlight of our cruise. I really didn't think anything would compare to Atlantis... but the girls LOVED it there! We spent a relaxing day floating on mats, snorkeling, and even rented a paddleboat. The food on the island was really good! The fresh fruit stands were wonderful! My DD12 entered the crab races and won!!! That was exciting for all of us.
Never went to Serenity Bay, was having a good time at the family beach with the girls! The weather was perfect except for a shower at the end of the day (as we were going back to the ship) but we were already wet so it hardly mattered! I will cruise Disney again just to go back to Castaway Cay someday!
Leaving the ship the next morning was the easiest in all the cruises I have ever taken! We had a nice sit down breakfast and wheeled our carry-on luggage down to get our other luggage. We were off the ship and in our car in 30 minutes!
"Wonder"ful experience was had by all... I highly recommend this cruise to other moms who are travelling alone with kids.
