We just got back on Thursday from our trip and are already planning another one (if anyone can recommend a good agent, etc please let us know).
The family:
Mom, oldest sis and her husband, 17 year old niece in one stateroom (5013)
Myself and hubby in another stateroom (celebrating honeymoon as well) 5009
(Mom, myself, and hubby) Flew into Orlando and met up with the rest of the family. All the transfers, etc went VERY smoothly.
The video over to Port made the time fly!
Returning wasn't quite as smooth. Having to lug off all bags to airline check-in at the Port was a pain...they also lost one of mom's bags for about 30 min...until Delta handlers finally let us check the truck only to find one of her bags was tagged wrong as a missing bag that was found. The video on the way back is great for kids...but we adults weren't thrilled about the cartoons.
Once checked in, I and hubby headed for Palo reservations. We got 8:30 reservation for Palo (the night we would have Parrot's Cay) and the brunch for Wed. Both were well worth it! Celcilia our server for dinner was excellent and let us "try" dishes by giving us half orders.
Overall, the food was excellent! Palo is outstanding in food and service. I highly recommend Creme Brulee at Tritons. We do not recommend the pizza on deck 9 nor the lobster bisque (tasted and looked like a gravy). Hubby became addicted to Scoops. Desserts overall were first rate.
The all hands on deck cheese tray and hot tea selection from room service is also highly recommended.
The group headed for beach blanket buffet upon arrival. Good food tho more salad dressing options would be nice. The shrimp was out of this world as were the chocolate chip cookies.
The caesar salads on ship were also good!
The butternut squash soup in animator's palate was excellent as well as the ambiance.
Palo's chocolate souffle is phenomenal! The filet is great as is the seafood risotto and the spicy penne with shrimp.
At triton's the escargot was a touch salty.
The BBQ buffet at Castaway was ok...everyone in the party enjoyed it but myself...the food was a bit heavy for the heat in my opinion..but tasted quite good.
Not a fan of Parrot Cay tho the mango and papaya soup was great. The show part of it was fun!
The stateroom was good sized and our bags were there when we checked in (2ish). Also, I worried about the lack of hangers, but called guest services and was provided with several more.
Our stateroom host was Dalton who did a great job! I particularly appreciated the towel animals...esp the puppy who looks like my puppy at home whose pic was on the fridge.
Our rotation was TAPT, first seating...I HIGHLY recommend it! We had no others seated with us.
The tropical deck party was great and well worth the wait!
Castaway Cay was great tho next time I will bring my own snorkel equipment. WE enjoyed the snorkeling and never did make it to Serenity Bay. Instead, we found a set of palms behind the jet ski rentals that maade a nice camp spot for us all that enabled us to also avoid a ton of kids.
I know everyone recommends tons of additional items to bring such as illuminated clocks, ziplocks, etc but we found none were necessary.
Safety drill took a toll on mom (the heat was getting to her) and sail away celebration was fun afterwards. Don't be late as you have to wait for EVERYONE in your assigned area..and they call our missing staterooms until they arrive. People were often cheered for late arrivals in our H group...all in good fun of course.
The group had concensus that Hercules was for kids..not adults and chose not to attend any other shows given that experience.
Hubby and I never had normal breakfast but rather the room service so we could sleep in. First morning it was not delivered but after he called regarding that, every delivery was smooth.
We loved the adult pool and never found a time when it was crowded unlike the kids pools. I also recommend the $15 all day pass to the spa.
The photo package was well worth the money for us..and formals though pricey were always good.
Adult karaoke was fun as well as the 70s party. The newlywed game show was a riot as well. The DJ in wavebeats was ok..but nothing to write home about.
Enjoyed the loose gemstones though I wish the selection would have been larger..I now have the stones for a complete amethyst set
Overall..would go again in a heart beat.
The family:
Mom, oldest sis and her husband, 17 year old niece in one stateroom (5013)
Myself and hubby in another stateroom (celebrating honeymoon as well) 5009
(Mom, myself, and hubby) Flew into Orlando and met up with the rest of the family. All the transfers, etc went VERY smoothly.
The video over to Port made the time fly!
Returning wasn't quite as smooth. Having to lug off all bags to airline check-in at the Port was a pain...they also lost one of mom's bags for about 30 min...until Delta handlers finally let us check the truck only to find one of her bags was tagged wrong as a missing bag that was found. The video on the way back is great for kids...but we adults weren't thrilled about the cartoons.
Once checked in, I and hubby headed for Palo reservations. We got 8:30 reservation for Palo (the night we would have Parrot's Cay) and the brunch for Wed. Both were well worth it! Celcilia our server for dinner was excellent and let us "try" dishes by giving us half orders.
Overall, the food was excellent! Palo is outstanding in food and service. I highly recommend Creme Brulee at Tritons. We do not recommend the pizza on deck 9 nor the lobster bisque (tasted and looked like a gravy). Hubby became addicted to Scoops. Desserts overall were first rate.
The all hands on deck cheese tray and hot tea selection from room service is also highly recommended.
The group headed for beach blanket buffet upon arrival. Good food tho more salad dressing options would be nice. The shrimp was out of this world as were the chocolate chip cookies.
The caesar salads on ship were also good!
The butternut squash soup in animator's palate was excellent as well as the ambiance.
Palo's chocolate souffle is phenomenal! The filet is great as is the seafood risotto and the spicy penne with shrimp.
At triton's the escargot was a touch salty.
The BBQ buffet at Castaway was ok...everyone in the party enjoyed it but myself...the food was a bit heavy for the heat in my opinion..but tasted quite good.
Not a fan of Parrot Cay tho the mango and papaya soup was great. The show part of it was fun!
The stateroom was good sized and our bags were there when we checked in (2ish). Also, I worried about the lack of hangers, but called guest services and was provided with several more.
Our stateroom host was Dalton who did a great job! I particularly appreciated the towel animals...esp the puppy who looks like my puppy at home whose pic was on the fridge.
Our rotation was TAPT, first seating...I HIGHLY recommend it! We had no others seated with us.
The tropical deck party was great and well worth the wait!
Castaway Cay was great tho next time I will bring my own snorkel equipment. WE enjoyed the snorkeling and never did make it to Serenity Bay. Instead, we found a set of palms behind the jet ski rentals that maade a nice camp spot for us all that enabled us to also avoid a ton of kids.
I know everyone recommends tons of additional items to bring such as illuminated clocks, ziplocks, etc but we found none were necessary.
Safety drill took a toll on mom (the heat was getting to her) and sail away celebration was fun afterwards. Don't be late as you have to wait for EVERYONE in your assigned area..and they call our missing staterooms until they arrive. People were often cheered for late arrivals in our H group...all in good fun of course.
The group had concensus that Hercules was for kids..not adults and chose not to attend any other shows given that experience.
Hubby and I never had normal breakfast but rather the room service so we could sleep in. First morning it was not delivered but after he called regarding that, every delivery was smooth.
We loved the adult pool and never found a time when it was crowded unlike the kids pools. I also recommend the $15 all day pass to the spa.
The photo package was well worth the money for us..and formals though pricey were always good.
Adult karaoke was fun as well as the 70s party. The newlywed game show was a riot as well. The DJ in wavebeats was ok..but nothing to write home about.
Enjoyed the loose gemstones though I wish the selection would have been larger..I now have the stones for a complete amethyst set
Overall..would go again in a heart beat.
