April 26 - May 3, 2008 Caribbean Crazy Cruisers Part 2!

[LCtonra]

Thanks Randy for the AWESOME Breakdown!!!
I am going to do my own....

THE GOOD
-Coming over the Bridge to see the ship...it came up faster then we thought and it was a nice surprise when we weren't expecting it.

-getting a #2 boarding pass...so worth it getting there early.

-Making my daughter go down the Mickey slide...she went up crying and came down laughing!!!

-Katie LOVED the clubs she was in there from morning till night and only paged us when she wanted us to come and check out something she was doing.

-The Nursery Staff...they got major Kudos from us...we pulled Joseph out of daycare because he cried so much, we can't get a baby sitter that will stay with us cuz he cries so much, but he would wake up everyday and ask to go to the "fishy room"

-Palo Dinner "LOVED IT" We did brunch also, which i thought we would like more, but dinner won hands down! I believe our server was Sambucci, he was amazing..the food was spectacular...and even though we didn't order the Panna Cotta (sp) he brought it to us. It was the best thing I ate all week. I told chris that I didn't know how I could live with out it till we cruised again.

-Exotic Rasul-enough said!

-Peaking into the club to see Katie dancing with another girl and the happiness on her face!

-The bed was so comfy, Chris commented last night that we need to get a new bed because now he feels like he is sleeping on bricks.

-Castaway Cay...we loved sitting on the waters edge in chairs while the kids played.

-Deck 4...we napped up there twice with Joseph asleep in the stroller and katie in the clubs...we would just slide his stroller in between two deck chairs so we knew he was safe and we would take a nap!

THE NOT SO GREAT

-Missing the Dismeet because I was so obsessed with unpacking and geteting the room set up for the week

-Not being with any other families in the dining room, I was looking forward to meeting people but it worked out because Joseph wasn't always the best at dinner.

-Our Room Steward was pretty good but a little slow (Randy had the same guy as us) We liked to nap joseph around 1 and there were a couple of days when we got to the room it wasn't even done yet so it didn't get cleaned till turndown.

-Rough Seas the first few days (at least for us) We never got sick, but the Bonine made us tired we were all very cranky and didn't want to do much

-Joseph's eating habits--in all I think he ate one hotdog, 3 french fries, and a half of grill cheese sandwich ALL week..looking back he was probably a little sea sick because he couldn't take anything and is usually a HUGE eater

-Our nursery bill was bigger then our picture and bar bill combined. It was worth every penny, but still hurt!

-The food on Deck 9--I was sick of it by day 2, though Chris ate pizza and ice cream about every hour

-The closed up the food on Castaway Cay way to soon, we ate but would have loved a snack later in the day

-The Characters--all the videos show Characters roaming the decks with kids running up and hugging them, I know they had open interaction in the kids clubs, but on the ship it was all long lines and the whole 10 seconds with them. We dropped off a matted frame to be signed and have seen them so many times in the park we didn't even bother.

-Photos--my goal was for a great family photo, joseph refused to sit for one picture after day 3 and someone eyes were always closed...we now have a beautiful family picture of us with Joseph playing with a toy nemo car and Chris' eyes closed (Katie and I look fabulous)

THE BAD

-Our waiter...ok he really ruined the dining room for us....it was almost like he was bothered that he had to wait on us. He was annoyed at the Asst. Server (I think she was new), but his annoyance showed in how he treated us. What made it worse is that we were surrounded by table with great servers, cutting up kids food, recommending things from the menu, bringing out more then one portion, so it really hurt us. Chris hated one of his appetizers once and asked for something else and he wouldn't bring it to us...told us he was moving on to the main course!!! We loved the Asst. Server though. She was in the swing of things by the end of the week and was awesome. We did have to ask for crayons every single night though and some nights never got them. We know that we could have asked to be changed, but I know that the dining rooms are full and we just figured we would tough the week out...better luck next time.

-I had a cold all week so I wasn't feeling my best.

-Losing Jackpot BINGO, I was very happy for the two people that won, but wished it could have been me.

-Not rebooking onboard--Chris and I are buying a franchise this week and we had to be really tight with what we spent because we are waiting for our business loans to go through. (I so didn't care a would have rebooked anyway, but he had the iron fist and kept me in check)

Summary
Over all we can't wait to do it all again. We had a blast despite the rough seas and crummy server. Chris and I spent a lot of quality time together, which was very needed with our hectic schedules. We came home with some amazing family memories and very relaxed. We are hoping to cruise May of next year, but we will see what the next few months bring. Maybe we will see you on a future cruise!!!

 

[zerog]

We are hoping to cruise May of next year, but we will see what the next few months bring. Maybe we will see you on a future cruise!!!

Hi Laura

Nice write-up. I love reading the reviews.

Our stateroom host was Benny from India (yours too?). He was nice, but he always seemed so sad for some reason. It DID get a little annoying to return to the room after 1pm and still find things in disarray. But these things are minor and do not ruin a wonderful vacation. They're like mosquito bites in the grand scheme of things.

I could sense you had your hands full and I tried to stay out of your way. However, I would have loved to chatted more with you and Chris. You seem like a very nice family. I know I post a lot on the boards, but I really didn't want to get in anybody's way on the ship.

Nonetheless, we booked the Western on May 2, 2009. Plus / minus a few weeks, that date held the cheapest rates. Perhaps we'll see you then.

 

[LCtonra]

I could sense you had your hands full and I tried to stay out of your way. However, I would have loved to chatted more with you and Chris.

Yes we did have our hands full. My kids both cried alot and they are not cry babies. Next year no week long trip to Disney before the cruise. It was just too much for all of us. We got in a groove by the end of the week though. It was a shame we didn't run into you without the kids, we were very relaxed then. You shouldn't have stayed out of our way, we would have loved to chat, we don't bite!

Yes Benny was our room attendant. He did a good job, when he finally got around to it. He did need to smile more. I thought it was just me that thought he was very sad. We are probably going to book within the next month once our loan is processed. I can't wait to start planning again. I might as well leave the vacation tote out.

 

[WDWLVR]

Laura - sorry to hear you had a bad server. Sounds like our server on our first Disney Cruise. He was terrible but the asst. server made up for it. We switched tips for them.

I will say that the team we had this time was one of the best we ever had. We've been blessed with some really wonderful serving teams over the years and that really makes it special. Ivo and Paola went above and beyond and in addition they also really "got" our group and had fun with us.

 

[BirdLover]

Cruises are a lot different from the 70's and as far as class goes I think Royal Caribbean rivals DCL and is rated as the best "family" cruise. If I were to cruise without a child, I would prefer RCCL only because it is family oriented but you are not relegated to "adult only areas" to be without kids as there are a bit fewer children COMPARED to DCL. But don't get me wrong, I was just curious and to me, whatever makes you happy is the best way to go. I will be going back on Disney at some point because I found the customer service SUPERB!

Our room was a bit to warm for us so all I did was mention it to our wonderful room steward and within minutes a mechanic came up and made our room to the exact temperature we wanted. Our room steward was the best. My son and I cried when we said good by to him. Every night he made not only the towel animals but also made 2 extra special ones for my son to take home. An angel and a bird. We tipped him VERY well. Our waiters were also fabulous, having Shirley Temples with lots and lots of cherries waiting for my son every night after he ordered it on the first night. I was impressed with the employees and how friendly and nice everyone was. Always a look in the eye and a good morning or good afternoon. I was also inpressed with the other children on board who seemed so well behaved, almost like seasoned travelers. We were seated with a wonderful couple and a 13 year old boy at our table and anyone looking at us would have thought we came on this cruise together. We made fast friends and will be having a visit from them next month! I guess my only negative is that I wish they would have Maine Lobster instead of Rock lobster but that is the same for all ships. Also with regard to shutters...I got all my pictures for free, just waited until the last day and they let me have them

 

[BirdLover]

And I warned you about St.Maarten. Now the question is will your eyes ever be the same? .

I hated St Maartin, well not the part where the ship docks and the shopping and beaches but we took a bus tour to the french side and all the driver pointed out to us was the 2 brothels and the small abandoned police station and the goverment housing. Wish I had stayed in the ship's district.

As far as the fireworks, after seeing what they do at WDW with both Wishes and Illuminations, just about everything else is lame. Seriously, there's probably limits of what they can have/use on board that they can't do the heavy hitters of the kind they use back on land. Fire risk is something I deal with every day at work. To me just the fact they are firing off any is impressive. Even on a ship constructed as fire resistant as these are, there are still risks in just carrying anything explosive on board.

I was thrilled at Pirate night standing on the top deck picturing this lone ship sailing through the deserted ocean with music blasting from it and fireworks overhead. It might not be 4th of July but it certainly was special

 

[zerog]

we took a bus tour to the french side and all the driver pointed out to us was the 2 brothels and the small abandoned police station and the goverment housing.

We pulled along side a small bus overlooking Orient Bay on the French side. The people on the bus were from the Magic. It was probably your bus. Everybody sing: It's a small world.. Ok, nevermind.

 

[BirdLover]

We pulled along side a small bus overlooking Orient Bay on the French side. The people on the bus were from the Magic. It was probably your bus. Everybody sing: It's a small world.. Ok, nevermind.

Ha, it IS a small world but I guarantee you that no one on our bus was singing...there were 2 very heavy women and the isle between the seats was not large enough for them to fit through to get to the seats in the back of the bus so they had to literally squeeze through which was painful and ended up not getting off on the French side for fear of having to do it all again. Once on the french side the people were incredibly rude. it was dirty and the line for the public bathrooms was long.

I did do the Atlantis submarine with my son in St. Thomas and that excursion was first rate

 

[ohiominnie]

waiting for the family to get off of dinosaur. Thought I'd check in so you didn't think I was deserting you.
We had a great time! Ibo and paola were awesome and I agree with Mary--they "got" us and our crazy sense of humor. They also made my kids happy. And when you make my kids happy, you make me happy.
Our room steward was ok. Did his job and in a fairly timely manner esp when we remembered to put out the sign) he noticed my son with the towel origami book and gave my son a private lesson showing him how to make about 10 towel animals. He hinted that he's always wanted that book so we added that to his tip.
We are one of those families that can take a decent or bad experience and find something good in it (or at least something to laugh about) so something has to be horrible for us to be truly dissapointed. I figure while the food may not be the best in be cruise industry at least it's better than I cook at home and heck, I don't have to cook or clean up! The entertainment, while maybe not broadway caliber, beats watching another rerun of the suite life of zach and Cody.
We like our room clean (no visible crud or nasties from the prior family) but we realize that ship wear (worn surfaces, carpet stains, etc) is to be expected of a ship so long out of dry dock.
All in all, we had a FABULOUS time. Cruising with dear friends and sharing so many moments with them made this one of our best cruises yet.

Sorry if the grammar or spelling is wrong on this. It ain't easy to do this on an iPhone.

 

[zerog]

no one on our bus was singing...

No one was singing in our rental car either. DW wanted to get back before we got blocked by the parade. Yet, we kept getting lost and ending up who knows where. Our map was useless. We didn't understand the street signs. I was driving too fast. I was driving too slow. I was following too close. I was not watching where I was going. And I had to hear "This was a bad idea!" about 100 times. Are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet, would have been easier...

That's why this excursion qualifies as an "ugly."

Next time, I think we'll just go with an excursion.

 

[ohiominnie]

btw. I must add. We prefer DCL because with all the families around we know that things will be clean and appropriate for our Kids. We are not at all interested in drinking (heavily), dancing, gambling, crude shows, etc

I also must add, KT did not register for the stack. Her experience previously is that the activities offered in the stack are not up her alley. She went down to lab level but she and nick spent very little time there. This is coming from kids who used to LIVE at the lab on previous cruises. Both kids complained that the kids in the lab were pretty obnoxious--pushy and rude. So they hung with us. But that's alright. We love having the kids around and we found plenty to do.

Ok. Kids coming off primEVIL hurl. I mean whirl.

 

[BirdLover]

No one was singing in our rental car either. DW wanted to get back before we got blocked by the parade. Yet, we kept getting lost and ending up who knows where. Our map was useless. We didn't understand the street signs. I was driving too fast. I was driving too slow. I was following too close. I was not watching where I was going. And I had to hear "This was a bad idea!" about 100 times. Are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet, would have been easier...

That's why this excursion qualifies as an "ugly."

Next time, I think we'll just go with an excursion.

I could not agree more with you. I had always vowed against excursions but for my son I thought it would be fun. Next time we will just shop and tan

 

[BirdLover]

btw. I must add. We prefer DCL because with all the families around we know that things will be clean and appropriate for our Kids. We are not at all interested in drinking (heavily), dancing, gambling, crude shows, etc

I would never classify Royal Caribbean or Princess as "party" ships, in fact Carnival has even toned down their ships to be more family oriented. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised at how family oriented they are, no crude shows at all, just not as many kids is the only difference

 

[WDWLVR]

waiting for the family to get off of dinosaur. Thought I'd check in so you didn't think I was deserting you.
We had a great time! Ibo and paola were awesome and I agree with Mary--they "got" us and our crazy sense of humor. They also made my kids happy. And when you make my kids happy, you make me happy.
Our room steward was ok. Did his job and in a fairly timely manner esp when we remembered to put out the sign) he noticed my son with the towel origami book and gave my son a private lesson showing him how to make about 10 towel animals. He hinted that he's always wanted that book so we added that to his tip.
We are one of those families that can take a decent or bad experience and find something good in it (or at least something to laugh about) so something has to be horrible for us to be truly dissapointed. I figure while the food may not be the best in be cruise industry at least it's better than I cook at home and heck, I don't have to cook or clean up! The entertainment, while maybe not broadway caliber, beats watching another rerun of the suite life of zach and Cody.
We like our room clean (no visible crud or nasties from the prior family) but we realize that ship wear (worn surfaces, carpet stains, etc) is to be expected of a ship so long out of dry dock.
All in all, we had a FABULOUS time. Cruising with dear friends and sharing so many moments with them made this one of our best cruises yet.

Sorry if the grammar or spelling is wrong on this. It ain't easy to do this on an iPhone.

Must be why we get along so well - we are the same way. Another who enjoyed our sense of humor was Bruno in the Promenade Lounge. We kept him entertained a couple of nights with our laughter during LRC. Amy he's the drink server I came and took a picture of over by you. He was with who we called Grandpa and who had a thing for Danielle of Danielle and Chuey.

Lots of smile and lots of laughs. Our table motto was "we may not be the best dressed table but we'll be the table having the most fun". We adopted this motto back on the May '06 cruise when we linked with Karen and Mike and it has worked well for us for both cruises with them. We definately have fun together and it was especially fun to get together at dinner time and share our experiences of the day. Who we ran into, what we did, etc.

Sounds like they are all still having fun at WDW. Only 4 more months till we go back and cruise again!

 

[BirdLover]

So Mary did you meet Karen and Mark on a cruise and became friends or were you guys already friends and decided to cruise together?

Your next cruise, is it a Disney as well?

 

[WDWLVR]

So Mary did you meet Karen and Mark on a cruise and became friends or were you guys already friends and decided to cruise together?

Your next cruise, is it a Disney as well?

We met Karen and Mike right here on the DIS while planning our December 2004 10 day cruise. They were part of a large group of DISers doing this cruise. They were on the same seating as us and we had someone link all the dining so they had the table right next to us (Karen had her parents along for that cruise). About 10 families from that cruise also booked the May '06 special Western together. We linked dining and had Karen's family as our table mates. In between in September 2005 we sailed together on the 2005 DVC Member Cruise. Mike's Mom, Step-dad and Brother were with them on that cruise so they again were at the table right next to us.

We've had so much fun with them that in the Summer of '06 we drove to Ohio to visit them for a weekend and last Summer they drove to IL to spend the weekend with us.

We met many great DISers over the years that we have cruised with but we really click with Karen and Mike. A lot of our values and views on things are the same and Karen and I both possess a wicked sense of sarcasm.

As for our next cruise yes it is again on Disney. It is the DVC Member Cruise in September. This is a special 4 day charter on the Wonder. It will be our 5th Member Cruise. These are very special cruises with amazing guests. It is 2 days at Castaway Cay with a sea day in between. We've again linked dining with friends we've cruise with before and can't wait to cruise with again. For this cruise it will be adults only at our table but I know once again we'll have a great time and lots of laughs.

As for Mark - well I met him many many years ago at a Sci-Fi convention. We'll be married 18 years this October.

 

[BirdLover]

That's awesome! How nice to have met friends for life on a cruise. I didn't mean to say Mark I meant Mike so don't think I was asking such a personal question but interesting that you met at a sci-fi thing. Now the DVC cruises I assume you have to pay regular price but get alot of "extras"? I could be a member of the RCCL or Carnival member cruise but have never done so.

 

[WDWLVR]

DVC is something totally different. That is Disney Vacation Club which is Disney's version of a timeshare. That's why it is a charter through DCL. The DVC Member Cruise really has nothing to do with if you cruised DCL before. In fact many DVC members have cruised for the very first time on the Member Cruise. It is a slightly more expensive cruise than a regular DCL cruise but they have special gifts, special itineraries and wonderful guests.

DCL's repeat cruiser club is called The Castaway Club and you are automatically a member once you have cruised with them once. For that you get to do an earlier booking of palo, excursions, etc. It is 75 days out for new cruisers and 90 days out for Castaway Club Members. You also get an in room gift. Here is the gift we got this cruise:

There is also a special party on one of the sea days but honestly they have gotten so crowded (because of so many repeat cruisers) we don't go any more.

 

[BirdLover]

DVC is something totally different. That is Disney Vacation Club which is Disney's version of a timeshare. That's why it is a charter through DCL. The DVC Member Cruise really has nothing to do with if you cruised DCL before. In fact many DVC members have cruised for the very first time on the Member Cruise. It is a slightly more expensive cruise than a regular DCL cruise but they have special gifts, special itineraries and wonderful guests.

DCL's repeat cruiser club is called The Castaway Club and you are automatically a member once you have cruised with them once. For that you get to do an earlier booking of palo, excursions, etc. It is 75 days out for new cruisers and 90 days out for Castaway Club Members. You also get an in room gift. Here is the gift we got this cruise:

There is also a special party on one of the sea days but honestly they have gotten so crowded (because of so many repeat cruisers) we don't go any more.

I see, all the acronyms get confusing So you can take a 4 day cruise as your timeshare? I like that idea

 

[BirdLover]

we're still at WDW. We had a great cruise too. It was great seeing so many of you around the ship. I missed meeting several of you though... Seems like our paths never crossed. Where were you hiding?
like Lctonra? Totally couldn't find you! And birdlover. I think I know who you are--remember me? I was the one who let you and your mom know where cove cafe was

But anyway. Great cruise. We're booked again for January 31st of 2009 with my parents (eastern w/ a stop at st croix.

Ok. Back to the fun at WDW.

YES! That was us, too bad you didn't introduce yourself as I didn't know it was you