Thanks!
For those of you who don't know, I just got off the ship. It was a very quick 2 day "shake down" cruise and I am happy to say we raised $750,000 for the Boys and Girls club of Central Florida. I spent a day and a half doing nothing but exploring the ship, so if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask....
A few notes....if you have been on one of the "Disney Classic Ships" (That's what they are calling the Magic and Dream now) Be prepared to be overwhelmed! This thing is HUGE compared to them. The attention to detail is even more amazing than the other two, and I would say even more elegant!
The buffet is "assigned seating" and that caused some confusion the first day. There are four entrances to the buffet, two via Deck 11 where the soda and coffee stations are, and midway through the dining room two via the elevators. Just go to the desk and tell them how many in your party, and if you would like to sit inside or outside, they will take you to your table. Then make sure to explore all of the food options, as there are many. It is no longer one long buffet, but now is stations of hot or cold food. There are also drink stations with soda, coffee, and juice throughout the buffet seating area.
The nighttime entertainment district is a step above the old ships. It is basically one big circle. When you enter the "District" you will be in the "District Lounge". This is a quiet piano bar. Turn right and you are in Pink, a very lush "Champagne bar" but they also have a full bar available. Next is the "Skyline Bar" where the scenery and menu change every night. The night I went it was New York night, and they were playing Broadway show tunes. If you were to turn left from the District lounge you would first get to the 678 lounge, which is a very upscale sports bar. Then you will come to the buffet area where they serve light snacks in the evening. The night we went it was hot dogs and nachos.....not all that great. Next are the restrooms, which are very ummm lets just say "modern", be sure to check them out! And in the very back of the district is Evolution, the Disco. On this cruise every lounge was packed! Between Skyline and Pink is a very nice area that leads out to the Deck 4 promenade deck, where smoking is permitted if anyone in your party partakes.
Also on Deck 12, between Palo and Remy, is Meridian, which has two outdoor areas where smoking of cigars is permitted. The easiest way to access this is the Aft elevators.
There will be three show times per evening, I was only able to view Believe and The Golden Mickey's. Believe is a whole new show, basically an updated version of Disney Dream, very well done, and will probably win a few awards. The Golden Mickey's has been re-written, and is updated from the last time I saw this show.
The adult pool area is in the back of the ship and is HUGE! On deck 11 you will find the adult pool, two hot tubs, and a coffee bar. Deck 12 has a bar and a ton of seating, and a smoking section. Deck 13 is wide open with at least 200 lounge chairs and chase lounges!
The Aqua Duck is a blast, and from the bottom of the stairs you can count on a 30 minute wait. It's best done with two people...you go a lot faster.
Rotational dining is the same as the other ships. The food was great, but the service was pretty slow, as many of the staff are new to the ship. As of this weekend the show at Animators and the Pirate deck show were not ready yet. They did shoot off the fireworks though, and they are much improved over the other ships!
One thing that is very fun to do, and it gives you a great chance to explore the ship a day at sea, is the scavenger hunt with the virtual art! Go to a self guided desk on deck 5 to get signed up, there is a short video explaining the whole thing, and off you go! Your goal is to solve a mystery. You basically tour the whole ship doing this, and its a great way to get around.
I'm sure I have missed a ton of things, so if you have any questions please ask!
Here is a short video I made while waking around exploring....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHWjqWidoi0&feature=feedu
You must be one of them BAD Gods... A really OLD/bad God.
