princess_devin
we love disney!
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2005
- Messages
- 5
First of all I'd like to thank all the past contributors. I've been "lurking" for a few months, and the posts have been very helpful. I thought I'd return the favor for future newbie cruisers.
There were 14 people travelling in my party. My parents treated us all for my father's 70th birthday. My party consisted of myself, DH, DD8 and DD 22. The rest were my siblings and their children, and my parents. We arrived at Disney on 4/24 and spent 4 nights at the GF, and went on the Port Canaveral from there. Getting out of the hotel was very organized, and the ride was much shorter than the hour and 1/2 they had projected.
Embarkation was VERY smooth - since we were staying at GF beforehand, we were already checked in by the DCL desk at the hotel, so we basically walked right onto the boat. DD (22) had not pre-checked in, but had no problems with lines/wait.
Our staterooms were scheduled to be ready at 11am so we only had about 1/2 hour to kill so we had lunch at the Beach Blanket Bingo Buffet. We were in staterooms: Cat 3 8078, Cat 4 8052, 8054, 8056, Cat 10 1079 (my DD who's 22 wanted her own cabin). My parents Cat 3 was out-of-control. The beautiful lacquer woodwork alone was making me drool. Too fabulous for words. Out Cat 4's were just fine - all had the pull down murphy bed and verandahs. DD loved her Cat 10 - really not a huge difference size-wise between her room and our Cat 4's - but no window. She did say there was quite a bit of engine noise, but a 22 year old sleeps though anything!!! Our Cabin "Host" was Steven. He was very kind and helpful.
I also have to say this was the first cruise for all 14 of us and we were a little nervous. The weather, however could NOT have been more perfect for all 3 days.
We had the early dinner seating (6pm). Our servers were Ganesh and Dimitri. Ganesh was very good, but stressed. Evidently, the people at the seating after us had specifically requested him, and since we were a party of 14, we were slow leaving each night and that made his slow to set up for the next table, and he was definitely stressing about it. Dimitri was nice enough, but knew very little about wine (he was the beverage person) and was slow and forgetful. You often had to ask twice for a soda.
Our rotation was AP, PC and Tritons.
There is no doubt about it, Animator's Palate was the COLDEST place any of us had ever been and we're New Yorkers! We were FREEZING even with sweaters! Kind of put a damper on things, but it was ok.
My SIL had a terrible time with the motion of the boat. Again, the weather could not have been more perfect, but I was sensitive to it too - I wasn't sick, but I was very aware of every back-and-forth motion the boat made. DD (22) said she couldn't watch the railing because when she saw it dip and move back up on the horizon it freaked her out.
My dd (8) and her cousin, also 8, left dinner and spent until midnight at the Oceaneer's Club. These two could not get enough of this place. Loved it - loved the independence - just thought it was the coolest. They spent ALOT of time there.
We went to the Cadillac Lounge. The piano player was very good. I think his name was Devin. There was an 80's thing going on at Wavebands next door.
There are no words to describe the "cheese" factor. Guys in bad wigs trying to look like Bon Jovi and Motley Crue. Yikes.
The next morning we were in Nassau. Big excitement - the Norwegian Dawn was docked right next to us! Wow that's some big ship. Tried to picture how big a wave would have to be to break windows and made her take on water. Wow.
Went ashore in the afternoon to shop - kids were at the Oceaneer's Club. Shopped - blah blah. I don't like Nassau. My SIL was kissing the ground when we disembarked in Nassau. Sea Bands and non-drowsy Dramamine did help her, but she was struggling.
That night was the Pirate Party. Dinner at Parrot Cay - not bad - a little loud, but I don't know why people would expect anything else. It's a DISNEY cruise for pete's sake!!
After dinner went to The Golden Mickey's. Great show - everyone enjoyed it.
We thought the Pirate Party was just fine. DD (8) insisted on being right down on the floor near the band for the whole thing. We stayed until 11:10.
The next morning - Castaway Cay!! If I had known how fabulous it was, I would have pushed us all along faster in the morning and got on the Island has early as possible. We had a wonderful day. DD (8) wanted to snorkel. We rented enough equipment for about 6 of us. She is a good swimmer - however - they should really NOT bill snorkling as a "children's" event! You need to be a VERY strong swimmer to get to the lagoon, plus navigate your floatie vest around your neck, and your goggles and mouth gear. Even once you get to the lagoon, you are in deep water and can never touch bottom. Then you have to get BACK!! DD freaked 1/2 way out and we took her back.
DD (22), myself, husband, brother in law all snorkeled and enjoyed it, but the kids felt let down. I've been to Paradise Island and snorkled right off the shore, so I guess I just assumed this would be similar. Live and learn!
My oldest daughter tried to take my youngest jet-skiing. They came back because it was some astronomical amount of money - like $180 for 45 min or something like that.
Lunch at Cooky's was great - I mean, a burger's a burger, but it was VERY organized. Our dinner server had told us to eat before 1:30 because it gets packed. We never waited on a line with more that 2 people ahead of us and got a table. And getting seating for 14 was no mean feat!
Left for the boat at 3:30 because the kids had to be at the Oceaneer's Club "graduation ceremony" at 5. This was all very rushed. I wanted to stay on CC, but the kids didn't want to miss their ceremony and then we had to be at Triton's at 6. A little too frantic for me, but we made it.
The graduation ceremony was held in the Walt Disney Theatre. What a beautiful show!! And unbelievable to see how many kids actually signed up for the club. They got graduation caps with mouse ears and switched the tassles and all. Really fabulous, but I'm a mush about that sort of thing.
Rushed to dinner at 6. Triton's was very lovely. Wished I could have eaten there all three nights. Ordered a special birthday cake for my dad. Couldnt stay and eat it because 1) had to be at bingo by 7:45 and 2) Ganesh was having a heart attack because we were "running late again". Ate the cake in my parents suite later.
Raced from bingo the see the "Dreams" show. 8 or 9 of us went. Very wonderful. What talented people they have performing. Just beautiful voices.
Back to the room and packed to have luggage outside.
Had breakfast the next morning at Beach Blanket Bingo, disembarked and was on a bus by 8:30. So organized. We thought it would be a zoo, but no. We were at MCO by 9:30. Our flight wasn't until 2:15 so DH was yelling at me because I booked such a late flight home, but we were told NOT to book anything before noon! It turned out to be fine because MCO on Sunday looked like the day before Thanksgiving. The lines were UNBELIEVABLE everywhere - airline check in (we were on Southwest) and security.
So there it is - now here are my post-trip impressions.
As great as the cruise was, I'm a theme-park girl at heart. I can't go a day in Disney without walking into MK and Main Street and catching my first glimpse at the Castle. Just makes me smile no matter what else I may be feeling. Also, I like being able to take a break and hang out at the hotel. On the ship,
I really didnt' "hang out" in the stateroom and I felt like the pace was always so rushed and frantic. No escape from the madness, as it were.
Also, as perfect as the weather was, I just was not crazy about feeling the motion of the ship. We left Castaway Cay during the "Dreams" performance, and my DD (22) had to leave the theatre because the feeling frightened her so. Don't get me wrong, we LOVED the cruise - but the consensus among us (except my mother) was that we preferred the Theme Parks. I was trying to imagine how the motion of the ship might have been had the weather been "questionable".
My last observation - MORE CASTAWAY CAY!! Disney must have some kind of arrangement with the Bahamas where they're required to bring shoppers to the Island. Other than that, I cannot imagine anyone who would not forgo the stop in Nassau for 2 days at CC.
I thank everyone for their help in the past, and hope this is helpful to anyone in the future.
There were 14 people travelling in my party. My parents treated us all for my father's 70th birthday. My party consisted of myself, DH, DD8 and DD 22. The rest were my siblings and their children, and my parents. We arrived at Disney on 4/24 and spent 4 nights at the GF, and went on the Port Canaveral from there. Getting out of the hotel was very organized, and the ride was much shorter than the hour and 1/2 they had projected.
Embarkation was VERY smooth - since we were staying at GF beforehand, we were already checked in by the DCL desk at the hotel, so we basically walked right onto the boat. DD (22) had not pre-checked in, but had no problems with lines/wait.
Our staterooms were scheduled to be ready at 11am so we only had about 1/2 hour to kill so we had lunch at the Beach Blanket Bingo Buffet. We were in staterooms: Cat 3 8078, Cat 4 8052, 8054, 8056, Cat 10 1079 (my DD who's 22 wanted her own cabin). My parents Cat 3 was out-of-control. The beautiful lacquer woodwork alone was making me drool. Too fabulous for words. Out Cat 4's were just fine - all had the pull down murphy bed and verandahs. DD loved her Cat 10 - really not a huge difference size-wise between her room and our Cat 4's - but no window. She did say there was quite a bit of engine noise, but a 22 year old sleeps though anything!!! Our Cabin "Host" was Steven. He was very kind and helpful.
I also have to say this was the first cruise for all 14 of us and we were a little nervous. The weather, however could NOT have been more perfect for all 3 days.
We had the early dinner seating (6pm). Our servers were Ganesh and Dimitri. Ganesh was very good, but stressed. Evidently, the people at the seating after us had specifically requested him, and since we were a party of 14, we were slow leaving each night and that made his slow to set up for the next table, and he was definitely stressing about it. Dimitri was nice enough, but knew very little about wine (he was the beverage person) and was slow and forgetful. You often had to ask twice for a soda.
Our rotation was AP, PC and Tritons.
There is no doubt about it, Animator's Palate was the COLDEST place any of us had ever been and we're New Yorkers! We were FREEZING even with sweaters! Kind of put a damper on things, but it was ok.
My SIL had a terrible time with the motion of the boat. Again, the weather could not have been more perfect, but I was sensitive to it too - I wasn't sick, but I was very aware of every back-and-forth motion the boat made. DD (22) said she couldn't watch the railing because when she saw it dip and move back up on the horizon it freaked her out.
My dd (8) and her cousin, also 8, left dinner and spent until midnight at the Oceaneer's Club. These two could not get enough of this place. Loved it - loved the independence - just thought it was the coolest. They spent ALOT of time there.
We went to the Cadillac Lounge. The piano player was very good. I think his name was Devin. There was an 80's thing going on at Wavebands next door.
There are no words to describe the "cheese" factor. Guys in bad wigs trying to look like Bon Jovi and Motley Crue. Yikes.
The next morning we were in Nassau. Big excitement - the Norwegian Dawn was docked right next to us! Wow that's some big ship. Tried to picture how big a wave would have to be to break windows and made her take on water. Wow.
Went ashore in the afternoon to shop - kids were at the Oceaneer's Club. Shopped - blah blah. I don't like Nassau. My SIL was kissing the ground when we disembarked in Nassau. Sea Bands and non-drowsy Dramamine did help her, but she was struggling.
That night was the Pirate Party. Dinner at Parrot Cay - not bad - a little loud, but I don't know why people would expect anything else. It's a DISNEY cruise for pete's sake!!
After dinner went to The Golden Mickey's. Great show - everyone enjoyed it.
We thought the Pirate Party was just fine. DD (8) insisted on being right down on the floor near the band for the whole thing. We stayed until 11:10.
The next morning - Castaway Cay!! If I had known how fabulous it was, I would have pushed us all along faster in the morning and got on the Island has early as possible. We had a wonderful day. DD (8) wanted to snorkel. We rented enough equipment for about 6 of us. She is a good swimmer - however - they should really NOT bill snorkling as a "children's" event! You need to be a VERY strong swimmer to get to the lagoon, plus navigate your floatie vest around your neck, and your goggles and mouth gear. Even once you get to the lagoon, you are in deep water and can never touch bottom. Then you have to get BACK!! DD freaked 1/2 way out and we took her back.
DD (22), myself, husband, brother in law all snorkeled and enjoyed it, but the kids felt let down. I've been to Paradise Island and snorkled right off the shore, so I guess I just assumed this would be similar. Live and learn!
My oldest daughter tried to take my youngest jet-skiing. They came back because it was some astronomical amount of money - like $180 for 45 min or something like that.
Lunch at Cooky's was great - I mean, a burger's a burger, but it was VERY organized. Our dinner server had told us to eat before 1:30 because it gets packed. We never waited on a line with more that 2 people ahead of us and got a table. And getting seating for 14 was no mean feat!
Left for the boat at 3:30 because the kids had to be at the Oceaneer's Club "graduation ceremony" at 5. This was all very rushed. I wanted to stay on CC, but the kids didn't want to miss their ceremony and then we had to be at Triton's at 6. A little too frantic for me, but we made it.
The graduation ceremony was held in the Walt Disney Theatre. What a beautiful show!! And unbelievable to see how many kids actually signed up for the club. They got graduation caps with mouse ears and switched the tassles and all. Really fabulous, but I'm a mush about that sort of thing.
Rushed to dinner at 6. Triton's was very lovely. Wished I could have eaten there all three nights. Ordered a special birthday cake for my dad. Couldnt stay and eat it because 1) had to be at bingo by 7:45 and 2) Ganesh was having a heart attack because we were "running late again". Ate the cake in my parents suite later.
Raced from bingo the see the "Dreams" show. 8 or 9 of us went. Very wonderful. What talented people they have performing. Just beautiful voices.
Back to the room and packed to have luggage outside.
Had breakfast the next morning at Beach Blanket Bingo, disembarked and was on a bus by 8:30. So organized. We thought it would be a zoo, but no. We were at MCO by 9:30. Our flight wasn't until 2:15 so DH was yelling at me because I booked such a late flight home, but we were told NOT to book anything before noon! It turned out to be fine because MCO on Sunday looked like the day before Thanksgiving. The lines were UNBELIEVABLE everywhere - airline check in (we were on Southwest) and security.
So there it is - now here are my post-trip impressions.
As great as the cruise was, I'm a theme-park girl at heart. I can't go a day in Disney without walking into MK and Main Street and catching my first glimpse at the Castle. Just makes me smile no matter what else I may be feeling. Also, I like being able to take a break and hang out at the hotel. On the ship,
I really didnt' "hang out" in the stateroom and I felt like the pace was always so rushed and frantic. No escape from the madness, as it were.
Also, as perfect as the weather was, I just was not crazy about feeling the motion of the ship. We left Castaway Cay during the "Dreams" performance, and my DD (22) had to leave the theatre because the feeling frightened her so. Don't get me wrong, we LOVED the cruise - but the consensus among us (except my mother) was that we preferred the Theme Parks. I was trying to imagine how the motion of the ship might have been had the weather been "questionable".
My last observation - MORE CASTAWAY CAY!! Disney must have some kind of arrangement with the Bahamas where they're required to bring shoppers to the Island. Other than that, I cannot imagine anyone who would not forgo the stop in Nassau for 2 days at CC.
I thank everyone for their help in the past, and hope this is helpful to anyone in the future.
This was our first cruise as well and we were literally bowled over by the whole experience. Disney really goes over the top in customer service on 
Great trip report. What an awesome way to spend your dad's 70th birthday. We will be taking our first 
