Who: DW (me), DH (Joe), DD(12) - Bes, DD(9) Cas
Pre-trip We booked this trip in June as a last minute change to our vacation plans for the last week of August. We had planned on going to Disney World, but when the Florida rates came out for the cruise, we decided to do that instead. This was our 8th Disney cruise. We only told our younger daughter about the cruise, because we knew that she was looking forward to spending a week in the parks. We checked with her prior to booking the cruise to make sure that she would prefer the cruise. But, we knew that our other daughter, Bess absolute favorite vacation is a Disney cruise, so decided to try to surprise her.
We stayed at my parents' house the night prior to the cruise. We arrived late and had to rearrange some bags after Bes fell asleep. We had been at my parents house a couple of weeks before and had left snorkel equipment, rolling cooler and other items there. We didnt get to sleep until after 3am. I felt like I was coming down with a cold. On the plane, I had to ask the flight attendant for 3 glasses of water and was wondering why I was so thirsty.
We woke up around 7:30am Saturday and I had a terrible sore throat and stuffed up nose, but was too excited to let it get to me. We were going to try to get to the port by 10:30, but didnt get out of my parents house until 8:30. It was a little less than a 3 hour drive. We watched the news about tropical storm Ernesto, but didnt have time to check online to see if there was any announcement about a change of itinerary. We figured wed just be happy to be on the ship and maybe wed get to go somewhere different. (We are cruising the Western Itinerary on RCLs Freedom of the Seas this November.)
We drove up Floridas Turnpike to I-95. We werent sure if Bes had noticed us changing roads, but she was tired from being up late the night before and was watching a movie in the back seat. About ½ hour before we got to the Port Canaveral exit, I turned around and she was fast asleep. We stopped at an ATM right off of Rt. 528, but she didnt awaken. When we came over the bridge and caught our first glimpse of the Magic, the three of us quietly communicated our excitement.
We pulled up to the Magic to check our luggage and Bes was still fast asleep. Joe had to yell Who wants to go on the Magic? to wake her up. Bes opened her eyes and we told her we had a change in plans. She said she didnt believe us and thought we had just driven there to see the ship. It wasnt until Security asked for our IDs and found our names on the passenger list, that she actually believed us. Of course she asked me if I packed dresses and shoes for formal nights, which I had done. I had expected her to scream, but I think since she had just woken up, I think she was in shock. Walking into the terminal, she just kept thanking me.
Check In We arrived at around 11:30 and dropped the luggage with a porter who informed us of the change to the Eastern itinerary. When we entered the terminal, we received boarding number 10. I checked in while Joe parked the car in the lot. We booked a category 11 inside stateroom, since this was supposed to be a lower budget cruise than those in the past (and we are sailing again on RCL in 2 months). We have had a verandah stateroom on all of our previous cruises. When Joe came in, he checked to see if there was a verandah upgrade available, but the person in front of him supposedly got the last one. I think they said the cost would be around $700 to upgrade. We were put on a waiting list. By the way, since he was in the supervisor line, he said he heard a lot of people complaining to them about the change in itinerary. He thought the people who complained were being offered free upgrades, but wasnt sure of it. Anyway, the girls and I then stood in line to check in for the kids clubs. This took a while, and while we were in line, boarding began. But since we were number 10, we continued to stand in line and were through prior to our number being called.
Day 1 onboard
We headed straight for Rockin Bar D to make Palo reservations. Since we booked the cruise within the 90 day window, there were no reservations available online. We got a 9pm seating on Thursday. Next, we headed to Deck 9 for lunch. The line at the Shore excursions desk was all the way back into Beat Street due to the change in itinerary. We had a snorkel excursion booked in Grand Cayman, but figured wed take our chances and see what was still available later on in the week.
We just grabbed some pizza and sandwiches from Goofys Galley. I think Bes also had her first of many chicken fingers from Plutos. At this point, my cold was definitely getting to me. I was tired and not feeling well at all. Joe purchased his 22 ounce beer mug and enjoyed his first beer of the trip. After lunch, we decided to go check out our stateroom and decided we would be happy there if there was no opportunity for an upgrade. The only things we missed in comparison to the verandah room, were the coffee table, the locker for clothes storage and the double bathroom (and the verandah, but honestly with our girls now being older, we really were not in the room other than to sleep and didnt miss it much at all).
Since our luggage hadnt arrived yet, we decided to take walk around the ship. We checked out deck 7 aft, the movie schedule for the Buena Vista Theater for the week and Ocean Quest, which had been added since our last cruise. I think this was a great addition for pre/early teens. It was explained to us that there would be family time and 10-14 free times scheduled throughout the cruise, as well as times when the clubs would have activities there. The Navigator didnt always list all of the free times, so the girls would check each day to see when they were. During the 10-14 year old free time, there was always a counselor there who would page mom and dad if requested.
We returned to the room and found our luggage had been delivered to the room. I was still not feeling well and wanted to get unpacking done, so I could relax. Due to this, we did skip the Dis Meet, so we didnt get to meet any one. We ended up hanging most our clothes in the closet, and putting all the empty suit cases under the bed. We also used the night stands, desk drawers and cabinet above the refrigerator for storing clothes. Unpacking was finally done, and it was now time for the lifeboat drill where we saw dark clouds and lightening approaching. The announcement was made that the sailaway party would be indoors, which really upset Cas. She really loves doing all the dances and seeing the characters do their show. It just wasnt the same in the atrium. It was hard to see and there was no room to dance.
We had late dinner seating, so we got changed for the 6:15 Welcome Aboard Show. Next, it was off to Mickey Mania in Studio Sea. (Bes and Cas love the nightly game shows/events in Studio Sea. We went to most of them during the week. Their favorites were the Quest scavenger hunt and Who wants to be a Mouseketeer. The girls also enjoyed the family dance parties. Once night they had one in Rockin Bar D and the girls danced with Natalie from the cruise staff. She was teaching them some dance moves and gave them some small prizes when they were done.) Our dining rotation was PLA, so we had Parrot Cay tonight at 8:15. We were seated at a table for 4, which was fine. We hadnt requested our own table, but it worked out nicely for us. We met our servers (both women), and had our first dinner with them. I thought the servers were pretty good overall throughout the cruise. Most nights, our drinks and food came quickly and the servers were friendly. Only one night, the assistant server forgot to bring a second beer for Joe, but it wasnt a big deal. Bes and Cas really like the servers and said there were some of the best weve had. Again, I thought they were effective, but we are pretty easy going. The only complaint that I would have is that I think they took it personally when we didnt finish all the food on our plates. With my cold, one night, I could not taste a thing, so it was not enjoyable to eat. I tried my best, but really didnt eat too much. I told my server that I was not feeling too well, but I dont think she believed me. Also, with late seating, I have to admit that I did have a late afternoon snack each day.
Day 1 was a very long day, so it was early to bed. We headed to the shops after dinner, where I purchased some Benedryl for my cold, so that I could hopefully get some sleep.
Sea Days
We asked for a wake up call each morning since it was so dark in the inside stateroom. By the way, on the second day of the cruise, we did receive a call that our request for an upgrade couldnt be fulfilled. We kind of figured that, and after unpacking, I dont think we would have taken it anyway. I would go for a jog each morning around Deck 4. (Joe also worked out at the fitness center each morning when I returned.) Earlier in the week, with my cold and not being able to sleep too well, it was hard to get myself up and out, but it made me feel better (especially after eating so much food each day). I would wake everyone up when I got back. (I started feeling almost 100% again by Tuesday, so I did get over my cold quickly.)
The girls were not in to spending time out on deck by the pools. A couple of times, they headed to Ocean Quest to play some video games. They only tried the club a couple of times, but didnt meet a lot of friends. I had encouraged them to go early in the week so they could meet people, but it didnt work out that way. Luckily, I was able to move Cas up to the 10-12 group, so she could go to Ocean Quest with the 10-14s. Both girls can be somewhat shy, and get along pretty well with each other most of the time, so it worked out okay. We had a lot of family time, which we enjoyed. Joe and I did get some time at the adult pool on Thursday, because the girls wanted to be in the Celebrate the Journey show and get their t-shirts and Mickey Mouse graduation hats. I guess the Western itinerary would have been better for us as a family since we would have had one less sea day, but personally I enjoy the sea days.
Castaway Club reception We attended this on Thursday at 11am and were told that we were the first to experience the new format. We were given an invitation and entry for a free prize giveaway and told to come to Beat Street at 11am. We each received pens and a quiz to fill out. We were asked to mingle with the cruise staff and other passengers to get help in filling it out. There were also video clips shown to help answer the questions. The kids had cookies and Mickey rice krispie treats. They also served sodas and waters. The captain spoke briefly and then names were drawn for prize winners. The prizes were Castaway club clocks.
Our character breakfast was also on Thursday morning. Goofy, Mickey, Minnie and Pluto circle the restaurant and visit each table, while Chip and Dale dance about halfway through breakfast. They seem to have changed the format of this over the years, but it seems to work out well now. Characters dont stay long at each table, but they need to get to everyone.
St. Martin Joe and I had done the Regatta race in 2001 in St. Martin, and he wanted to do this with the girls. The Disney age limit is 12 years old (although we didnt ask if there were any exceptions.) So, we disembarked and walked to the office where this excursion is run. They said that Cas could go if we sign a waiver and they would need to call back to the ship and book it though the shore excursion manager, which we said was fine. But, then for some reason, it ended up that we paid them directly. We went out on the excursion after the Disney one with a group from the Explorer of the Seas. It turns out we had better winds at that time as there was a storm you could see in the distance. We were on the Stars and Stripes and ended up winning the race. We heard that the Canada II had won on the earlier trip. (Im not convinced that the races arent fixed to even things out, but it was a lot of fun.) After the excursion, we headed to the beach right at the port for some swimming and relaxation. We got a couple of chairs and the girls played on the water trampoline. Tonight was Pirate night and Cas wanted some pictures with Jack Sparrow and other characters, so we headed back to the ship to get ready early. Cas had been buying some pirate-styled clothes (skull earrings, leggings, etc.) and we had bought Bes a red shirt and skull scarf to wear (since she was surprised by the cruise, she said she kept wondering why all of a sudden her sister was into the skulls). Many of the nights, we got ready early and lined up about 5 minutes early for pictures prior to the early seating (around 5-5:30pm). This worked out well as we never really waited in any long lines and wed head to our 6:15 show after pictures. The downside was that we ended up with the $200 photo package since there were so many good shots.
The pirate party was a lot of fun. There was dancing, characters and fireworks. There was also a buffet serving fajitas and turkey legs along with dessert and other foods (which we skipped.) We headed to bed right after the fireworks, because we knew it would be an early morning the next day.
St. Thomas - We had wanted to do an excursion to St. John, but didnt get around to booking something until Monday afternoon. I had checked Monday morning and there were only 2 excursions that were full. We finally decided on a couple choices by early afternoon, and when Joe went to book them they were full. We put our name on the waiting list for one of them, but received a call that evening that they found additional spots on the Doubloon snorkel trip. We went ahead and booked it.
We got up at 6am and were down at the Walt Disney theater by 6:25 for immigration. There were already quite a few rows filled with people. The girls grabbed a couple of muffins and we all took seats. It wasnt until a little after 7am that the immigration officers came in to check documentation, but then, the people cleared out rather quickly. I think we were back to the room by 7:20. Joe went to deck 4 to check voicemail and email on his blackberry (which is exactly why I like taking him on cruise vacations). He will not usually go as far as checking email online onboard a ship, but will use his blackberry whenever he gets coverage. The girls went back to sleep for a while, while I packed up our snorkel equipment for our excursion. We met in Diversions around 8:30 and were soon off to our excursion. We walked down toward the front of the ship where we were split into 2 groups. This is when we found out there were actually 2 boats the Doubloon and Bones. We were on Bones, which was fine. It actually looked bigger and seemed like there were fewer people. We boarded the boats right there and headed off to Buck Island. Snorkeling was pretty good. There were sea turtles swimming around and a reef with lots of different fish. If you wanted, you could follow the guide, who pointed out different fish and coral. We snorkeled for almost the entire time, but headed back to the boat a couple minutes early. The bartender was making rum punch and serving beer/sodas. They never let anyones cup of rum punch run low on the trip back to the ship. Overall, I thought it was a great excursion.
We headed back to the ship afterwards for some lunch. Joe and Bes then headed to the shops right at the port, while Cas and I hung out on board. She went down the Mickey slide a couple of times, and then we went over to the Goofy pool. I went in swimming since it was extremely hot in the sun and no breeze, but the pool water was not refreshing at all. It was very warm. After some ping pong, we headed down to deck 4, to the comfy lounge chairs. We waited to play shuffleboard and then sat back down in the chairs. Cas fell asleep, while I laid and relaxed. About ½ hour later Joe and Bes came back on board and came up to show me their purchases. We hung out on Deck 4 until all aboard time (4:30). We did see one women run up to a crew member at 4:30 and take him with her to the port security entrance. She was obviously waiting for someone else and didnt want them left behind. A couple minutes later her husband (we assumed) came through the port security, where she was standing. She made a gesture as to ask where hed been and he sprinted right past her for the ship. She ran behind him, and as they got close to the ship, the Disney crew member motioned to them to slow down. I joked with my husband that that would be something I could see him doing (he is always late). But, I knew it was safe sending him shopping with Bes, because she is more of a worrier than me. Joe told me she was constantly asking him what time it was.
We went to see Invincible this evening, which most of us enjoyed. We skipped dinner and grabbed something at Plutos. I just didnt feel like getting dressed up and eating a lot tonight. We did get questioned by our servers the next morning at our character breakfast though as to what happened to us. We hung out at a table at the Goofy pool and watched Cheetah Girls 2 on the big screen. There were Disney channel shows and movies playing mostly every night up here, but this was really the only night we sat and enjoyed it. We really like the new big screen.
Castaway Cay I woke up at 7:30 to go for my jog on Deck 4, but a section of it was roped off, so I went up to the fitness center to get on a treadmill. They had a lot more equipment from what I had remembered. All of the treadmills were being used, but one opened up shortly after I got there. On my way back, I stopped off at Goofys galley to get some fruit and muffins to bring back to the room. I got everyone up and we got ready for Castaway Cay. We hung out on Deck 4 until and then made our way to Deck 3 forward to wait for the ship to clear. Joe ran ahead and got some chairs/umbrella in the row closest to the water near the snorkel area. The girls and I skipped the tram and walked to the family beach, stopping for some pictures along the way. We found Joe and brought him back to where Minnie and Mickey were, because I wanted a family picture. After that, we snorkeled for about an hour. The water was churned up from the storm the previous day, so it was not very good snorkeling. We did see a few fish. We headed to Cookies at around 11:30 for some lunch. It was cloudy all morning with some drizzle, so we were not sure if our parasailing excursion was still on. We walked over to the parasailing boat at 12:15 for the 12:30 departure and it was still on. I was not that thrilled with this excursion. The water was rough and the weather didnt make for a great time. I dont think we were up the 5-7 minutes as promised either. The girls really enjoyed it though. Although, when we were done, Joe and Cas claimed they saw 5 sharks in the water below. We spend the next hour or so at the beach, but then saw some dark clouds and lightening in the distance. When decided to leave to make it back to the ship before the rain. On our way, we saw the servers from the island sprinting back to the ship, so thought that we made a good decision. I believe it did pour rain, but since we had an inside stateroom, we couldnt tell. We spent over an hour showering and packing up, so that wed have it all done and could enjoy the rest of the evening. Then, we hung out on Deck 4 as we sailed away from Castaway Cay. I did run into the Atrium and saw that there was no line at the rebooking desk. I rebooked for next year the first cruise after the ship returns from the Mediterranean. But, we think well probably transfer to 2008 once those dates are offered. We booked an inside stateroom again, since as I said we really didnt miss the verandah.
Stateroom Attendant I didnt mention him, but he did his job well. We had towel animals each night and he filled our cooler with ice when we asked him. Our room always seemed clean.
Palo We went to the dining room on Thursday with the girls and stayed with them while they ate. We left with them around 8:45 and one of the Dining Managers stopped us as we were leaving to ask us what was wrong. After we explained we were going to Palo, he seemed relieved. The girls checked themselves into the kids club and we headed to Palo. Our dinner and our server were excellent, although I was so full after the chocolate soufflé that I could barely move. The girls actually made friends with one of the counselors and stayed in the club the entire time we were at Palo. We picked them up at their pool party at the Mickey Pool. We changed our clothes and went to the 80s party for about ½ hour, while the girls rested in bed in the room. We had attended a couple of other Beat Street events during the week Match your Mate was hilarious as were some of the variety acts, and the Pub Night cruise staff performance.
Shows We attended all the shows with the exception of Rich Purpura. Twice Charmed was new since wed been last time, and we really enjoyed it. We agree that the Golden Mickeys is just okay and thought that Disney Dreams had a better cast the last time we had seen it. I did cry the last night at the farewell show.
Other
The girls got ½ their heads braided on Sunday. Signups were Saturday night. The ladies do a good job and it looked nice for the whole week. By mid week, a couple of Bess rubber bands had popped, so one evening when the braiders werent busy, she asked if they could fix the broken ones. The lady ended up replacing all the beads on her head along with the rubber bands, because I had gotten sunscreen on them and they looked dirty.
One afternoon, Joe and I had a drink at the adult pool bar. We were talking to the bartender for a while and he gave me a sample of a BBC frozen drink (Baileys banana colada I think). I had vaguely remembered reading about it on the boards, but had never ordered one. It was delicious and the next evening, we had to go back there to get one
We thought the ship was in great condition. We saw people constantly cleaning and painting. Our room, especially the bathroom, showed a little wear, but I think it is to be expected. Everything was working properly. I almost forgot to mention that our stateroom 6603 was right about the movie theater. Most nights, there were movies playing until midnight or after. You could hear the music and the room would actually vibrate when loud music was playing. So, I definitely would not recommend this stateroom.
Debarkation was easy as usual. We left the room by 8am and ate breakfast at Topsiders. We left the ship at 8:30, picked up our luggage and were leaving the port by 8:45.
Looking back, I think we all had a great time. It will be interesting to see how it compares to Freedom of the Seas.
Pre-trip We booked this trip in June as a last minute change to our vacation plans for the last week of August. We had planned on going to Disney World, but when the Florida rates came out for the cruise, we decided to do that instead. This was our 8th Disney cruise. We only told our younger daughter about the cruise, because we knew that she was looking forward to spending a week in the parks. We checked with her prior to booking the cruise to make sure that she would prefer the cruise. But, we knew that our other daughter, Bess absolute favorite vacation is a Disney cruise, so decided to try to surprise her.
We stayed at my parents' house the night prior to the cruise. We arrived late and had to rearrange some bags after Bes fell asleep. We had been at my parents house a couple of weeks before and had left snorkel equipment, rolling cooler and other items there. We didnt get to sleep until after 3am. I felt like I was coming down with a cold. On the plane, I had to ask the flight attendant for 3 glasses of water and was wondering why I was so thirsty.
We woke up around 7:30am Saturday and I had a terrible sore throat and stuffed up nose, but was too excited to let it get to me. We were going to try to get to the port by 10:30, but didnt get out of my parents house until 8:30. It was a little less than a 3 hour drive. We watched the news about tropical storm Ernesto, but didnt have time to check online to see if there was any announcement about a change of itinerary. We figured wed just be happy to be on the ship and maybe wed get to go somewhere different. (We are cruising the Western Itinerary on RCLs Freedom of the Seas this November.)
We drove up Floridas Turnpike to I-95. We werent sure if Bes had noticed us changing roads, but she was tired from being up late the night before and was watching a movie in the back seat. About ½ hour before we got to the Port Canaveral exit, I turned around and she was fast asleep. We stopped at an ATM right off of Rt. 528, but she didnt awaken. When we came over the bridge and caught our first glimpse of the Magic, the three of us quietly communicated our excitement.
We pulled up to the Magic to check our luggage and Bes was still fast asleep. Joe had to yell Who wants to go on the Magic? to wake her up. Bes opened her eyes and we told her we had a change in plans. She said she didnt believe us and thought we had just driven there to see the ship. It wasnt until Security asked for our IDs and found our names on the passenger list, that she actually believed us. Of course she asked me if I packed dresses and shoes for formal nights, which I had done. I had expected her to scream, but I think since she had just woken up, I think she was in shock. Walking into the terminal, she just kept thanking me.
Check In We arrived at around 11:30 and dropped the luggage with a porter who informed us of the change to the Eastern itinerary. When we entered the terminal, we received boarding number 10. I checked in while Joe parked the car in the lot. We booked a category 11 inside stateroom, since this was supposed to be a lower budget cruise than those in the past (and we are sailing again on RCL in 2 months). We have had a verandah stateroom on all of our previous cruises. When Joe came in, he checked to see if there was a verandah upgrade available, but the person in front of him supposedly got the last one. I think they said the cost would be around $700 to upgrade. We were put on a waiting list. By the way, since he was in the supervisor line, he said he heard a lot of people complaining to them about the change in itinerary. He thought the people who complained were being offered free upgrades, but wasnt sure of it. Anyway, the girls and I then stood in line to check in for the kids clubs. This took a while, and while we were in line, boarding began. But since we were number 10, we continued to stand in line and were through prior to our number being called.
Day 1 onboard
We headed straight for Rockin Bar D to make Palo reservations. Since we booked the cruise within the 90 day window, there were no reservations available online. We got a 9pm seating on Thursday. Next, we headed to Deck 9 for lunch. The line at the Shore excursions desk was all the way back into Beat Street due to the change in itinerary. We had a snorkel excursion booked in Grand Cayman, but figured wed take our chances and see what was still available later on in the week.
We just grabbed some pizza and sandwiches from Goofys Galley. I think Bes also had her first of many chicken fingers from Plutos. At this point, my cold was definitely getting to me. I was tired and not feeling well at all. Joe purchased his 22 ounce beer mug and enjoyed his first beer of the trip. After lunch, we decided to go check out our stateroom and decided we would be happy there if there was no opportunity for an upgrade. The only things we missed in comparison to the verandah room, were the coffee table, the locker for clothes storage and the double bathroom (and the verandah, but honestly with our girls now being older, we really were not in the room other than to sleep and didnt miss it much at all).
Since our luggage hadnt arrived yet, we decided to take walk around the ship. We checked out deck 7 aft, the movie schedule for the Buena Vista Theater for the week and Ocean Quest, which had been added since our last cruise. I think this was a great addition for pre/early teens. It was explained to us that there would be family time and 10-14 free times scheduled throughout the cruise, as well as times when the clubs would have activities there. The Navigator didnt always list all of the free times, so the girls would check each day to see when they were. During the 10-14 year old free time, there was always a counselor there who would page mom and dad if requested.
We returned to the room and found our luggage had been delivered to the room. I was still not feeling well and wanted to get unpacking done, so I could relax. Due to this, we did skip the Dis Meet, so we didnt get to meet any one. We ended up hanging most our clothes in the closet, and putting all the empty suit cases under the bed. We also used the night stands, desk drawers and cabinet above the refrigerator for storing clothes. Unpacking was finally done, and it was now time for the lifeboat drill where we saw dark clouds and lightening approaching. The announcement was made that the sailaway party would be indoors, which really upset Cas. She really loves doing all the dances and seeing the characters do their show. It just wasnt the same in the atrium. It was hard to see and there was no room to dance.
We had late dinner seating, so we got changed for the 6:15 Welcome Aboard Show. Next, it was off to Mickey Mania in Studio Sea. (Bes and Cas love the nightly game shows/events in Studio Sea. We went to most of them during the week. Their favorites were the Quest scavenger hunt and Who wants to be a Mouseketeer. The girls also enjoyed the family dance parties. Once night they had one in Rockin Bar D and the girls danced with Natalie from the cruise staff. She was teaching them some dance moves and gave them some small prizes when they were done.) Our dining rotation was PLA, so we had Parrot Cay tonight at 8:15. We were seated at a table for 4, which was fine. We hadnt requested our own table, but it worked out nicely for us. We met our servers (both women), and had our first dinner with them. I thought the servers were pretty good overall throughout the cruise. Most nights, our drinks and food came quickly and the servers were friendly. Only one night, the assistant server forgot to bring a second beer for Joe, but it wasnt a big deal. Bes and Cas really like the servers and said there were some of the best weve had. Again, I thought they were effective, but we are pretty easy going. The only complaint that I would have is that I think they took it personally when we didnt finish all the food on our plates. With my cold, one night, I could not taste a thing, so it was not enjoyable to eat. I tried my best, but really didnt eat too much. I told my server that I was not feeling too well, but I dont think she believed me. Also, with late seating, I have to admit that I did have a late afternoon snack each day.
Day 1 was a very long day, so it was early to bed. We headed to the shops after dinner, where I purchased some Benedryl for my cold, so that I could hopefully get some sleep.
Sea Days
We asked for a wake up call each morning since it was so dark in the inside stateroom. By the way, on the second day of the cruise, we did receive a call that our request for an upgrade couldnt be fulfilled. We kind of figured that, and after unpacking, I dont think we would have taken it anyway. I would go for a jog each morning around Deck 4. (Joe also worked out at the fitness center each morning when I returned.) Earlier in the week, with my cold and not being able to sleep too well, it was hard to get myself up and out, but it made me feel better (especially after eating so much food each day). I would wake everyone up when I got back. (I started feeling almost 100% again by Tuesday, so I did get over my cold quickly.)
The girls were not in to spending time out on deck by the pools. A couple of times, they headed to Ocean Quest to play some video games. They only tried the club a couple of times, but didnt meet a lot of friends. I had encouraged them to go early in the week so they could meet people, but it didnt work out that way. Luckily, I was able to move Cas up to the 10-12 group, so she could go to Ocean Quest with the 10-14s. Both girls can be somewhat shy, and get along pretty well with each other most of the time, so it worked out okay. We had a lot of family time, which we enjoyed. Joe and I did get some time at the adult pool on Thursday, because the girls wanted to be in the Celebrate the Journey show and get their t-shirts and Mickey Mouse graduation hats. I guess the Western itinerary would have been better for us as a family since we would have had one less sea day, but personally I enjoy the sea days.
Castaway Club reception We attended this on Thursday at 11am and were told that we were the first to experience the new format. We were given an invitation and entry for a free prize giveaway and told to come to Beat Street at 11am. We each received pens and a quiz to fill out. We were asked to mingle with the cruise staff and other passengers to get help in filling it out. There were also video clips shown to help answer the questions. The kids had cookies and Mickey rice krispie treats. They also served sodas and waters. The captain spoke briefly and then names were drawn for prize winners. The prizes were Castaway club clocks.
Our character breakfast was also on Thursday morning. Goofy, Mickey, Minnie and Pluto circle the restaurant and visit each table, while Chip and Dale dance about halfway through breakfast. They seem to have changed the format of this over the years, but it seems to work out well now. Characters dont stay long at each table, but they need to get to everyone.
St. Martin Joe and I had done the Regatta race in 2001 in St. Martin, and he wanted to do this with the girls. The Disney age limit is 12 years old (although we didnt ask if there were any exceptions.) So, we disembarked and walked to the office where this excursion is run. They said that Cas could go if we sign a waiver and they would need to call back to the ship and book it though the shore excursion manager, which we said was fine. But, then for some reason, it ended up that we paid them directly. We went out on the excursion after the Disney one with a group from the Explorer of the Seas. It turns out we had better winds at that time as there was a storm you could see in the distance. We were on the Stars and Stripes and ended up winning the race. We heard that the Canada II had won on the earlier trip. (Im not convinced that the races arent fixed to even things out, but it was a lot of fun.) After the excursion, we headed to the beach right at the port for some swimming and relaxation. We got a couple of chairs and the girls played on the water trampoline. Tonight was Pirate night and Cas wanted some pictures with Jack Sparrow and other characters, so we headed back to the ship to get ready early. Cas had been buying some pirate-styled clothes (skull earrings, leggings, etc.) and we had bought Bes a red shirt and skull scarf to wear (since she was surprised by the cruise, she said she kept wondering why all of a sudden her sister was into the skulls). Many of the nights, we got ready early and lined up about 5 minutes early for pictures prior to the early seating (around 5-5:30pm). This worked out well as we never really waited in any long lines and wed head to our 6:15 show after pictures. The downside was that we ended up with the $200 photo package since there were so many good shots.
The pirate party was a lot of fun. There was dancing, characters and fireworks. There was also a buffet serving fajitas and turkey legs along with dessert and other foods (which we skipped.) We headed to bed right after the fireworks, because we knew it would be an early morning the next day.
St. Thomas - We had wanted to do an excursion to St. John, but didnt get around to booking something until Monday afternoon. I had checked Monday morning and there were only 2 excursions that were full. We finally decided on a couple choices by early afternoon, and when Joe went to book them they were full. We put our name on the waiting list for one of them, but received a call that evening that they found additional spots on the Doubloon snorkel trip. We went ahead and booked it.
We got up at 6am and were down at the Walt Disney theater by 6:25 for immigration. There were already quite a few rows filled with people. The girls grabbed a couple of muffins and we all took seats. It wasnt until a little after 7am that the immigration officers came in to check documentation, but then, the people cleared out rather quickly. I think we were back to the room by 7:20. Joe went to deck 4 to check voicemail and email on his blackberry (which is exactly why I like taking him on cruise vacations). He will not usually go as far as checking email online onboard a ship, but will use his blackberry whenever he gets coverage. The girls went back to sleep for a while, while I packed up our snorkel equipment for our excursion. We met in Diversions around 8:30 and were soon off to our excursion. We walked down toward the front of the ship where we were split into 2 groups. This is when we found out there were actually 2 boats the Doubloon and Bones. We were on Bones, which was fine. It actually looked bigger and seemed like there were fewer people. We boarded the boats right there and headed off to Buck Island. Snorkeling was pretty good. There were sea turtles swimming around and a reef with lots of different fish. If you wanted, you could follow the guide, who pointed out different fish and coral. We snorkeled for almost the entire time, but headed back to the boat a couple minutes early. The bartender was making rum punch and serving beer/sodas. They never let anyones cup of rum punch run low on the trip back to the ship. Overall, I thought it was a great excursion.
We headed back to the ship afterwards for some lunch. Joe and Bes then headed to the shops right at the port, while Cas and I hung out on board. She went down the Mickey slide a couple of times, and then we went over to the Goofy pool. I went in swimming since it was extremely hot in the sun and no breeze, but the pool water was not refreshing at all. It was very warm. After some ping pong, we headed down to deck 4, to the comfy lounge chairs. We waited to play shuffleboard and then sat back down in the chairs. Cas fell asleep, while I laid and relaxed. About ½ hour later Joe and Bes came back on board and came up to show me their purchases. We hung out on Deck 4 until all aboard time (4:30). We did see one women run up to a crew member at 4:30 and take him with her to the port security entrance. She was obviously waiting for someone else and didnt want them left behind. A couple minutes later her husband (we assumed) came through the port security, where she was standing. She made a gesture as to ask where hed been and he sprinted right past her for the ship. She ran behind him, and as they got close to the ship, the Disney crew member motioned to them to slow down. I joked with my husband that that would be something I could see him doing (he is always late). But, I knew it was safe sending him shopping with Bes, because she is more of a worrier than me. Joe told me she was constantly asking him what time it was.
We went to see Invincible this evening, which most of us enjoyed. We skipped dinner and grabbed something at Plutos. I just didnt feel like getting dressed up and eating a lot tonight. We did get questioned by our servers the next morning at our character breakfast though as to what happened to us. We hung out at a table at the Goofy pool and watched Cheetah Girls 2 on the big screen. There were Disney channel shows and movies playing mostly every night up here, but this was really the only night we sat and enjoyed it. We really like the new big screen.
Castaway Cay I woke up at 7:30 to go for my jog on Deck 4, but a section of it was roped off, so I went up to the fitness center to get on a treadmill. They had a lot more equipment from what I had remembered. All of the treadmills were being used, but one opened up shortly after I got there. On my way back, I stopped off at Goofys galley to get some fruit and muffins to bring back to the room. I got everyone up and we got ready for Castaway Cay. We hung out on Deck 4 until and then made our way to Deck 3 forward to wait for the ship to clear. Joe ran ahead and got some chairs/umbrella in the row closest to the water near the snorkel area. The girls and I skipped the tram and walked to the family beach, stopping for some pictures along the way. We found Joe and brought him back to where Minnie and Mickey were, because I wanted a family picture. After that, we snorkeled for about an hour. The water was churned up from the storm the previous day, so it was not very good snorkeling. We did see a few fish. We headed to Cookies at around 11:30 for some lunch. It was cloudy all morning with some drizzle, so we were not sure if our parasailing excursion was still on. We walked over to the parasailing boat at 12:15 for the 12:30 departure and it was still on. I was not that thrilled with this excursion. The water was rough and the weather didnt make for a great time. I dont think we were up the 5-7 minutes as promised either. The girls really enjoyed it though. Although, when we were done, Joe and Cas claimed they saw 5 sharks in the water below. We spend the next hour or so at the beach, but then saw some dark clouds and lightening in the distance. When decided to leave to make it back to the ship before the rain. On our way, we saw the servers from the island sprinting back to the ship, so thought that we made a good decision. I believe it did pour rain, but since we had an inside stateroom, we couldnt tell. We spent over an hour showering and packing up, so that wed have it all done and could enjoy the rest of the evening. Then, we hung out on Deck 4 as we sailed away from Castaway Cay. I did run into the Atrium and saw that there was no line at the rebooking desk. I rebooked for next year the first cruise after the ship returns from the Mediterranean. But, we think well probably transfer to 2008 once those dates are offered. We booked an inside stateroom again, since as I said we really didnt miss the verandah.
Stateroom Attendant I didnt mention him, but he did his job well. We had towel animals each night and he filled our cooler with ice when we asked him. Our room always seemed clean.
Palo We went to the dining room on Thursday with the girls and stayed with them while they ate. We left with them around 8:45 and one of the Dining Managers stopped us as we were leaving to ask us what was wrong. After we explained we were going to Palo, he seemed relieved. The girls checked themselves into the kids club and we headed to Palo. Our dinner and our server were excellent, although I was so full after the chocolate soufflé that I could barely move. The girls actually made friends with one of the counselors and stayed in the club the entire time we were at Palo. We picked them up at their pool party at the Mickey Pool. We changed our clothes and went to the 80s party for about ½ hour, while the girls rested in bed in the room. We had attended a couple of other Beat Street events during the week Match your Mate was hilarious as were some of the variety acts, and the Pub Night cruise staff performance.
Shows We attended all the shows with the exception of Rich Purpura. Twice Charmed was new since wed been last time, and we really enjoyed it. We agree that the Golden Mickeys is just okay and thought that Disney Dreams had a better cast the last time we had seen it. I did cry the last night at the farewell show.
Other
The girls got ½ their heads braided on Sunday. Signups were Saturday night. The ladies do a good job and it looked nice for the whole week. By mid week, a couple of Bess rubber bands had popped, so one evening when the braiders werent busy, she asked if they could fix the broken ones. The lady ended up replacing all the beads on her head along with the rubber bands, because I had gotten sunscreen on them and they looked dirty.
One afternoon, Joe and I had a drink at the adult pool bar. We were talking to the bartender for a while and he gave me a sample of a BBC frozen drink (Baileys banana colada I think). I had vaguely remembered reading about it on the boards, but had never ordered one. It was delicious and the next evening, we had to go back there to get one
We thought the ship was in great condition. We saw people constantly cleaning and painting. Our room, especially the bathroom, showed a little wear, but I think it is to be expected. Everything was working properly. I almost forgot to mention that our stateroom 6603 was right about the movie theater. Most nights, there were movies playing until midnight or after. You could hear the music and the room would actually vibrate when loud music was playing. So, I definitely would not recommend this stateroom.
Debarkation was easy as usual. We left the room by 8am and ate breakfast at Topsiders. We left the ship at 8:30, picked up our luggage and were leaving the port by 8:45.
Looking back, I think we all had a great time. It will be interesting to see how it compares to Freedom of the Seas.
Thanks again for the report!
