April 29, 2012 ~ Aloha! ~ Wonder to Hawaii- who is with me?

[Robin"D"]

what are the chances that they will have an excurision to Aulani for a Luau?

Robin & Angel "D"

 

[PhotoLisa]

Im not sure butthought I saw that someone else was celebrating 20 years and thinking about a vow renewal.
Our 20th is in jan but since were sailing we had though about this because we actually met in april but wondering where and how to go about this?
Having friends and family would make extra special too
any ideas?

I still have about 50 more pages to read to catch up so this question has probably been answered already.

Our TA took care of our onboard vow renewal a few years ago. We absolutely loved it and was the greatest "icing on the cake" to a back to back cruise. We still wear our DCL Fairytale Wedding robes! You can call the Fairytail Wedding number at Disney if you don't have a TA.

 

[PhotoLisa]

I was going to ask when on ship in 2 weeks. I " wonder" if theyd give us some kind of group rate? What is it we need to pay for?
Could we do it on the sly on secret deck?

The secret deck on 7 is where our vow renewal was done. The onboard choices at the time were in one of the lounges (don't remember which one) or deck 7. I think we only paid $1000 for ours. I would have to look back at old emails to see for sure.

There was also a limit to how many ceremonies thet do on each cruise and at that time, booking didn't open until a year prior to the sail date.

 

[aan1701]

Hi all! Can anyone tell me what kind of weather we are in for?
For those who don't know, I live in Australia, It's always pretty warm here so I'm not used to the cold at all.
We have been to LA during April / May before and it has been nice during the day and out right freezing at night. Is this the norm?
Will it warm up as we get closer to Hawaii?
Does anyone have any experience with the seas at this time of year? Will we likely have rough seas?
Sorry for all the questions, need to start planning the wardrobe, ya know? LOL!

As a life long Angelino I can yell you it will be the start of the weather period we call May Gray. It will be overcast the morning we set sail. When we return it will most certainly be a overcast day as well. As for the seas that the Pacific Ocean is a very active ocean, probably due to being the largest in the world. I really would think we may get some rough seas. As for the Hawaiian weather, friends of mine have told me it should be perfect and be ready for a little rain that may pop up.

 

[mishoe01]

I'm probably going to spend the night on the Queen Mary, but not 100% sure yet.

I need to get done with the Alaska cruise (May 3rd), then I can focus more on this one (I have a B2B on the Dream in November, but that won't need much planning for at all).

to those that have joined us recently!!

 

[TheGooFTroop]

Category 10C 2A 2C $8,335 available right now on the web site if anyone was looking

 

[jessrose18]

asked dreams unlimited about transfering my ressie to them....instead of $300 they offered me $150 (due to new commision rules) anybody else get this or transfer this ressie with them? or did anybody find a ta to transfer to with more obc?

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

Well, it looks as if I'll be monitoring this thread for awhile....not because I'm going though.

My Mom, Mother-in-law and Grandmother-in-law will be cruising with you!

First thing my Mom wanted to know about was FEs. She cruised with us in 2008 in the Magic's 10th Aniversary Cruise and had a great time with the FEs.

More later....

 

[CruznLexi]

When we cruised in 07 the crossing can be rough. But we like it that way. We had great weather the entire time. It will be cool in Hilo and windy. Unless Disney adds hours somewhere I don't see a Luau as most start at Sunset and get over around 9pm.

 

[Meerkat504]

Hello Mr and Mrs. Meerkat!!!

I am so excited that y'all will be on this cruise!!! I haven't seen my old friend Mr. Meerkat in a few years and look forward to meeting the little Meerkat!!

I hope y'all end up loving DCL as much as Ed and I and all of our children and grandkids do!!!

The best advice is to be prepared to book a few more trips while you are onboard your Alaskan cruise to take advantage of the 10% rebooking discount and onboard stateroom credit!

Welcome aboard!!!!

Thanks for the note, Lisa. We look forward to sailing to Hawaii with you and Ed!

 

[valbob89]

The secret deck on 7 is where our vow renewal was done. The onboard choices at the time were in one of the lounges (don't remember which one) or deck 7. I think we only paid $1000 for ours. I would have to look back at old emails to see for sure.

There was also a limit to how many ceremonies thet do on each cruise and at that time, booking didn't open until a year prior to the sail date.

I have been looking into the possibility of doing a group vow renewal, talking with different groups. If we had a traditional vow renewal it has to be done by Fairy Tale Weddings. Frankly, it was clear they were not very interested in doing anything like this for us. They would not work with us at all. Each couple would pay $2,500 (yes, two zeros) and could invite 8 guests. Each couple would each get:
bouquet & boutonnaire
2 tier cake, topper and server
1 bottle of champagne
Dinner for two at Palo
8 x 10 photo
$100 OBC
A piano player
the room
officiant
coordinator
Obviously, this is wonderful for a private, individual vow renewal, but not for a group.

I have been talking with a DCL special events coordinator who is very helpful and exploring much more feasible possibilities.

If you want to help Sandy, Heather and me with exploring the possibilities and presenting it to the group, PM me.

Valerie

 

[gdaneowner]

I’m also struggling with remembering where I read to last – so I’m probably missing pages. So, I’m apologizing upfront to anyone I may not have replied to, I probably missed that page! Not to mention all the planning and activities already going on.

Aloha and welcome to everyone newly joining the cruise.

[/QUOTE]

I keep up by saving the past page I read to my favorites on my browser. Then I just go back to it when I have time, read what I can, then save the next page!.. Helps keep me organized!

 

[dcannon101]

I’m also struggling with remembering where I read to last – so I’m probably missing pages. So, I’m apologizing upfront to anyone I may not have replied to, I probably missed that page! Not to mention all the planning and activities already going on.

Aloha and welcome to everyone newly joining the cruise.

I keep up by saving the past page I read to my favorites on my browser. Then I just go back to it when I have time, read what I can, then save the next page!.. Helps keep me organized![/QUOTE]

Have you tried clicking on "View First Unread" on the left side of the first page of posts. You can also click on the blue check mark in front the thread name in the forum.

 

[mickeymom923]

Ok, I stayed at Candy Cane Inn in December, but have booked myself into the Anabella Hotel around the corner/down the street. Not as close to the restaurants - about an extra 2 blocks, but the price is so much better. I have stayed here for a nursing conference (in 2003) and again with my sister/nieces in 2006.

I booked 3 different rooms, not knowing if I'd find a roommate for the hotel. Used AAA/CAA 10% rate (the 20% rate ended up higher). Nighly room rate, Without tax, for 2 people: A queen room $98.10, a queen + queen $107.10 and a king + double $125.10. Also, for 2A, 3K you can get the family suite of king + bunks (in a separate sleeping area).

These rates stay the same from the April 22-29 (that's as far back as I checked).

I cannot think of anything about the Candy Cane Inn that would make it worth double the cost over the Anabella.

I just called Annabella and was quoted $159 for a standard 2 queen beds. It's $143.30 with a AAA discount. You have to order off of a breakfast menu since it's not free. It is free if you are staying in conceirge. I also called Candy Cane Inn and their price is $139 and at this time they are not offereing any discounts. They do offer a free continental breakfast and free shuttle service to and from DL. I'm waiting for both of them to call me back to see if I can get a group rate. I am still holding rooms at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach and at the DoubleTree at San Pedro.

Bev

Bev

 

[auntlynne]

I just called Annabella and was quoted $159 for a standard 2 queen beds. It's $143.30 with a AAA discount. You have to order off of a breakfast menu since it's not free. It is free if you are staying in conceirge. I also called Candy Cane Inn and their price is $139 and at this time they are not offereing any discounts. They do offer a free continental breakfast and free shuttle service to and from DL. I'm waiting for both of them to call me back to see if I can get a group rate. I am still holding rooms at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach and at the DoubleTree at San Pedro.

Bev

Bev

I booked mine online yesterday at the lower rates.

 

[MousseauMob]

Bev, I just wanted to thank you for reminding me about my forgotten knitting project. I popped in a Midsommer Murder last night and actually worked on my sad and long neglected project. Thanks!

Hi all! Can anyone tell me what kind of weather we are in for?
For those who don't know, I live in Australia, It's always pretty warm here so I'm not used to the cold at all.
We have been to LA during April / May before and it has been nice during the day and out right freezing at night. Is this the norm?
Will it warm up as we get closer to Hawaii?
Does anyone have any experience with the seas at this time of year? Will we likely have rough seas?
Sorry for all the questions, need to start planning the wardrobe, ya know? LOL!

We sailed this in 2007 at almost the same time (1 week before) and it was chilly and overcast to begin with, Hawaii was beautiful weather, not too hot. You may want a jacket at times (especially VNP and Thurston Lava Tube), but overall it was beautiful with some slight rain at times. Coming back we did hit some really rough seas, the last night the dining room was empty, although the kids and I where enjoying ourselves, a number of people struggled and the poor captain had to keep coming on the PA with new warnings and cautions. Everytime, we wondered what poor person had hurt themselves to cause the warning. It started out with "stay away from the upper outside decks", then "stay indoors", then "don't leave your hands in the door jams", then "don't walk down stairs without holding the stairrails"... etc.

I keep up by saving the past page I read to my favorites on my browser. Then I just go back to it when I have time, read what I can, then save the next page!.. Helps keep me organized!

I'm not sure this will work for me because I tend to access the pages from mutliple different computers at different times, but thanks for the idea as it may help for my main laptop.

Have you tried clicking on "View First Unread" on the left side of the first page of posts. You can also click on the blue check mark in front the thread name in the forum.

Thanks, I learn something new every day! I can use the forum blue check before the thread name but I can't seem to find the "View First Unread". - D'oh, I found it, I couldn't see it on the thread because I had already read to the end. This will help on other computers. My phone is still problematic, I can't seem to log in on my phone's browser, when I do it say's it's logging in, but the refreshes with me not logged in.

 

[LindaBabe]

I just called Annabella and was quoted $159 for a standard 2 queen beds. It's $143.30 with a AAA discount. You have to order off of a breakfast menu since it's not free. It is free if you are staying in conceirge. I also called Candy Cane Inn and their price is $139 and at this time they are not offereing any discounts. They do offer a free continental breakfast and free shuttle service to and from DL. I'm waiting for both of them to call me back to see if I can get a group rate. I am still holding rooms at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach and at the DoubleTree at San Pedro.

Bev

Bev

I booked at rack rate, then triple A, and kept checking. The month before my trip, a new internet rate came out that was substantially lower. Same strategy, really, that I use with renting cars.

 

[LittleDisneyLovers]

As a life long Angelino I can yell you it will be the start of the weather period we call May Gray. It will be overcast the morning we set sail. When we return it will most certainly be a overcast day as well. As for the seas that the Pacific Ocean is a very active ocean, probably due to being the largest in the world. I really would think we may get some rough seas. As for tge Hawaiian weather, friends of mine have told me it should be perfect and be ready for a little rain that may pop up.

We sailed this in 2007 at almost the same time (1 week before) and it was chilly and overcast to begin with, Hawaii was beautiful weather, not too hot. You may want a jacket at times (especially VNP and Thurston Lava Tube), but overall it was beautiful with some slight rain at times. Coming back we did hit some really rough seas, the last night the dining room was empty, although the kids and I where enjoying ourselves, a number of people struggled and the poor captain had to keep coming on the PA with new warnings and cautions. Everytime, we wondered what poor person had hurt themselves to cause the warning. It started out with "stay away from the upper outside decks", then "stay indoors", then "don't leave your hands in the door jams", then "don't walk down stairs without holding the stair rails.

::

Thanks for the info! Not as nice weather as I was hoping for at that time of the year. Ok, so bring a cardigan! The dining rooms are always freezing anyway, so the cardigan is a must!
Let's all keep our fingers crossed for smooth seas, I don't mind a little chop, but it would be nice to be able to walk straight and keep our food down!

 

[dolphingirl47]

Count us in...

Georgiana's first cruise was the EBPC in 2008 with Melody.
This will be Melody's seventh Disney cruise.

I am from Delaware and Melody is from Florida.

Any other cruisers from the EBPC in 2008?

Welcome on board.

Well, guess what?!?
,NOPE WE ARE IN!!!
Got a 9C gty 2A w/ insurance/transport
Glad to be on board!!!
please add us to "Roll Call"

Robin & Angel "D"

Welcome on board.

I apologize if this is clear to everyone but me but BibbidyBobbidyBoo, are you taking responsibility for updating the first page of the thread and working with the DISboards when we are ready to close this thread and start a new one?
Maybe one thing we could have on the first page is a list of DISboard activities we would like to share on this cruise and note if an organizer has volunteered yet, and a backup. I apologize if I missed anything or have any of them wrong or incomplete, but here is what I remember reading about:

Group Lanyards tig82174 eeyorelvr10

Roll call BibbidyBobbidyBoo Brooklyn

Champagne Girls EllaEnchanted UKANGEL

Facebook link Brooklyn KrissannB

Scavenger Hunt dolphingirl47

Secret Mickey MJGirl dolphingirl47

Graphics Brooklyn

FE threebritts

vow renewal valbob89 goofprincess threebritts

book exchange valbob89

Private Tours birkner

Pre-cruise stay mickeymom923

Group Palo Brunch newbydisney dee47

Link Late Night Res dee47

Private Shuttle Bus to Port from DL dee47 tig82174 eeyorelvr10

DISboard Navigator dee47


Update White Board KrissannB

bracelet KrissannB

On other cruises there have been the following activities. If anyone would like to organize any of them, please let us know. Also, if you have other events you would like see added to the list.

Cruise Website

T-Shirts
group logo
mickey mouse club

Lanyard Pins

Jewelry Making Workshop

Pre-Cruise Meeting

Private Tastings

Candy Swap

PJ Breakfast

Postcard Exchange

Room Tour

Private Navigator for DISboard Members

Group Photo Share Account

Ladies Afternoon Tea


Scrapbook Exchange

Recipe Exchange



Welcome Aboard Meet & Greet

If there is interest here, I would be more than happy to offer the jewellery making workshops again. I will need to think up some new projects.

I modified the Palo Brunch Spreadsheet -- added a column for number of people in the party. Please, if you signed up, go ahead and add that information. If we are looking to book the private room, they only allow 14 at a time, so we may have to book several brunches (we do have 9 days at sea!). I guess we should decide if we want the private room or just a huge section of the restaurant.

Thanks!

I have amended my details.

Okay, we have booked two rooms, Category 5B....At this time we are only booked as Guaranteed so, please cross your fingers we will get joining/shared rooms as requested.

Please count both families, Davis (5) and Bewley (2) in on the lanyards!!!!

Hello Mr and Mrs. Meerkat!!!

I am so excited that y'all will be on this cruise!!! I haven't seen my old friend Mr. Meerkat in a few years and look forward to meeting the little Meerkat!!

I hope y'all end up loving DCL as much as Ed and I and all of our children and grandkids do!!!

The best advice is to be prepared to book a few more trips while you are onboard your Alaskan cruise to take advantage of the 10% rebooking discount and onboard stateroom credit!

Welcome aboard!!!!

Welcome on board.

I have been looking into the possibility of doing a group vow renewal, talking with different groups. If we had a traditional vow renewal it has to be done by Fairy Tale Weddings. Frankly, it was clear they were not very interested in doing anything like this for us. They would not work with us at all. Each couple would pay $2,500 (yes, two zeros) and could invite 8 guests. Each couple would each get:
bouquet & boutonnaire
2 tier cake, topper and server
1 bottle of champagne
Dinner for two at Palo
8 x 10 photo
$100 OBC
A piano player
the room
officiant
coordinator
Obviously, this is wonderful for a private, individual vow renewal, but not for a group.

I have been talking with a DCL special events coordinator who is very helpful and exploring much more feasible possibilities.

If you want to help Sandy, Heather and me with exploring the possibilities and presenting it to the group, PM me.

Valerie

I am not surprised. DFTW have been an absolutely nightmare to deal with. I first reached out to them in late summer last year and finally got the vow renewal booked sometime in February after multiple emails and phone calls and many promises that were made and not kept. It is ironic that the only thing that seemed to be easy is to cancel this. We are now doing the vow renewal on the campus of Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. Their wedding coordinator has been a charm to deal with. She really worked with me and today I got an email from the person who will do the actual ceremony. This is like a difference between night and day. In a way I am glad that the whole idea of a vow renewal on the Wonder came apart.

I worked on my email to DCL yesterday. I have not sent it yet. What do you guys think?

To Whom It May Concern:

I was on the Panama Canal cruise on the Wonder from January 6th to 21st this year. I know I should have written to you long before now, but I had come to the conclusion that there was little point to write in as there was nothing that could be done about the issues we faced after the event. However, we have since booked another special cruise on the Wonder, the first cruise to Hawaii, and I decided in the hope of avoiding the same issues recurring on this cruise, I would share my experiences with you.

· This was our 6th cruise on Disney Cruise Line and we have mainly cruised on the Disney Magic with only one previous cruise on the Disney Wonder. We like going to lunch in Parrot Cay on embarkation day. On every cruise that I have been on, people have been encouraged to go up to Topsiders/ beach Blanket Buffet, but with having our carry ons with us, I prefer sitting down first and put our belongings down and then take turns going to the buffet. So we always opt for Parrot Cay. We have never had a problem with this and at best, we had a minimal wait to be seated. This time around, they had a waitlist in operation and took our stateroom numbers. We were in boarding group 6 so where on the ship relatively early and headed straight to Parrot Cay. We ended up waiting over 90 minutes to be seated and when we finally got to the restaurant, it was virtually empty. On all previous cruises, we were always asked on the first day if we would mind to share a table. We like doing this as it is nice to share the excitement with other people. I understand that some people do not wish to share and that is fine, too, but I cannot imagine that all the couples and families that were sitting by themselves on tables for larger groups declined to share. I know that we were never asked if we would be willing to share.

· We were delayed leaving Port Canaveral, which in itself is no problem. I appreciate that a lot of extra things need to be loaded onto the ship for a long cruise like this, especially as the cruise was repositioning to a new home port. The sail away party took place at the same time as usual, which was quite a considerable time before we actually set sail. Shortly before we left the port, the Captain made an announcement that they had a special surprise in store for us and that they would like for as many people as possible to be out on the open deck. By now the sun was setting and I think everybody was expecting a proper send off for the Wonder. After all, it was a special day with the Wonder leaving her old home port and moving on to new adventures. A lot of people have followed how the Disney Dream was welcomed into Port Canaveral and I think a lot of people including myself were hoping and expecting something similar for the farewell for the Wonder, especially after the Captain’s announcement. At the very least, people expected some fireworks. Instead our surprise consisted of us sailing past the Dream and a bit of a horn battle. Yes, it was nice to get a good look at the Dream, but this was more about showcasing the Dream then giving the Wonder the send off that she deserved. This just proved to be a sign of things to come.

· Unfortunately we were not able to dock at Castaway Cay due to weather conditions. I have no issue with this at all. We watched the approach to Castaway Cay and there was no way that it would have been safe to dock. The crew acted very quickly to get an alternative programme organized and new Navigators distributed. However, the problems occurred two days later when we arrived in Aruba on the Sunday afternoon rather than the planned Monday morning. There was very little available by way of information and the place was basically closed down. With it being a Sunday afternoon, it was to be expected that most shops would be closed, but a lot of the bars and restaurants were closed as well. It turned out that the previous day was Carnival in Aruba and that was the reason why so much was closed. I would have much preferred to stay at sea and enjoy some activities on the ship.

· The single biggest source of irritation was the way the purchase of the limited edition pins was handled. On the day that should have been our Castaway Cay day, I went to Treasure Ketch to buy a Dooney and Bourke purse only to find a huge line. I had no idea what this was in aid off and was advised that this was for the first of the limited edition pins. I had no idea at this point that there were going to be limited edition pins. I had completely missed the two lines about this at the back of the Navigator in amongst of all kinds of offers. The pin release schedule was not delivered to our cabin until turn down that night. On the Manzanillo day, we were not scheduled to get into port until midday. It was not made clear when the pin release would be on that day. I fortunately had the goos sense to ask if the pin release would be in the morning or in the evening and was told that it would be in the morning. So I got my pin without any problems. However, I know of a number of other people that had gone in the afternoon only to be told that the pins were released in the morning and had sold out. At Cabo San Lucas, the stores opened and the pins were released before we had departed from Cabo. I thought that it was strictly against the rules to open the stores while in port. To make things worse, the pins had sold out by the time the last disney sponsored excursions return to the ship. However, all of this was nothing compared to the last sea day, when the Los Angeles pin was released. The first people stood in line from 7:00 PM the previous evening. When I got there in the morning, the line and gone all the way from the Preludes entrance to Treasure Ketch, to the other side of Preludes, down the hallway and all the way round the atrium. The end of the line was actually on the little balcony by the midship elevators and there were far more people crowded there than could possibly safe. I attach a link for a video that was taken of the pin line that day. There was no crowd control at all and whole groups pushed into the line and were let in by their friends or family members. Surely there must be another and better way to handle this and other special merchandise releases. I know that on the 2008 Panama Canal cruises, people had the chance to preorder the limited edition pins and then were given a time when they could pick them up. That way everybody was happy and nobody had to waste their vacation standing in line. After all, this cruise was not exactly cheap.

· Crowd control in general left much to be desired on this cruise. The only kind of crowd control that I saw was for the Ducky Williams signings. There was a huge line for the DVC member celebration that snaked from the entrance of Wavebands all the way through the atrium and past Triton’s. When I got to the end of the line, some very rude individual grabbed my arm very hard and pushed me out of the way to join the line ahead of me. I am in no way holding Disney responsible for the actions of this rude individual, however, it would have been nice to have some kind of staff presence whenever long lines were forming. This would hopefully have stopped the pushing in from whole family groups that I have not only experienced during the pin releases, but also for the Ridley Pearson book signing and for the Captain’s signing.

· The Captain’s signing is another sore point. With special cruises like this, demand for the Captain’s signature is likely to be higher. On the Westbound Transatlantic last year this was recognized and there were Captain’s signings on two sea days, which spread the load a little. Maybe you should consider splitting the Captain’s signings by deck for the special cruises in the same way that this is done for the Ducky Williams signings. Another option would be that people could hand in up to two items per cabin to Guest Services and they would then be handed to the Captain to sign and then returned to the cabin in the same way that this is done for the character signatures.

· Speaking of characters, I was very disappointed with the photo opportunities with the characters. I supposed I was spoiled on the Transatlantic cruise last year, where we had the classic Disney characters in just about every costume imaginable as well as relatively rare characters like the beast, Jimminy Cricket and Woody and Jessie. On this cruise, it seemed the same characters in the same costumes over and over again. My favourite character Stitch was only out once with a photographer and that was in the middle of the second dinner seating. Stitch was out a few times in the Gazebo on Deck 9, but there was never a photographer with him. It was also a missed chance that the characters in their Mexican costumes were not out for photos on the night that the Mexicali menu was served. On a positive note, I really enjoyed that characters turned up in the strangest places. I really enjoyed meeting Pluto in the gym and in the Rainforest room. The characters being out on the open decks during the Panama Canal crossing was a nice touch and I loved the photo opportunity with the Fab 5 together.

· Scheduling was a bit of an issue. On the last sea day, the judging for Max and Goofy’s Boat Building Bash took place at the same time as Friendship Rocks. As both of those were aimed at families with kids and both brought to a conclusion something that had been going on for the majority of the cruise, it was a real shame that they clashed.

· There seemed to be a bit of lack of preparation for this cruise. I mentioned to a member of cruise staff that I had really enjoyed Desperate Shipmates on our Transatlantic Cruise and was disappointed that this was not offered on this cruise. I was told that this had been planned, but that the costumes had not arrived in time. Now, this itinerary was announced in September 2009 and I am sure that Disney Cruise Line was aware of the schedule for 2011 long before that. So therefore the argument that something could not be done as something did not arrive in time really does not wash.

· Last but not least, I got the distinct feeling throughout the cruise that the Wonder is the runt of the litter. Everything seemed to be about the Disney Dream. When something did not quite work out how it should have, we were told this was because people were getting ready for the Disney Dream. The Castaway Club Reception for Gold and Platinum members was essentially a big promotional event for the Disney Dream. It was Dream this and Dream the other throughout the cruise. I got so sick of hearing about the Dream throughout the cruise that I now doubt that I will ever take a cruise on this ship. It is just a good job that people in the various ports cared more about the Wonder than Disney Cruise Line seems to do. The welcome that we received in Costa Rica and Manzanillo from the local population was absolutely amazing. At the visitor centre at Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal, there was a huge crowd cheering that the ship. As I mentioned at the beginning of the email, I will be on the Wonder again for the cruise to Hawaii. With this falling so close to the launch of the Disney Fantasy, I am worried about a repeat of events on this cruise. I sometimes felt that we were second class passengers because we chose to sail on one of the older ships rather than on the shiny new ship.



I know that a lot of this feedback is very negative. However, despite all this, we had a fantastic cruise. The food was outstanding and of the highest standard that we have experienced. Our dining room team and our stateroom host were fantastic and have definitely helped to make our cruise more magical. The excursion that we did in Puerto Vallarta was wonderful and very well organized. We met many crew members that had a real passion for their job and managed to pass this on to other people. Having Ducky Williams on the ship was a real pleasure and I was so excited to find out that Ridley Pearson was on board as I am a huge fan of the Kingdom Keeper books. We also enjoyed the lectures on the Panama Canal. They were both educational and entertaining. The staff in the Vista Spa and the gym were fantastic. We really loved the Aqua Aerobics classes that were offered on this cruise. This was something completely new to us, but hugely enjoyable. The photographers were also fantastic and I loved the different backdrops and portrait opportunities. I made so many memories during this cruise, good and bad, and they will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Regards,

Corinna Ball

Corinna

 

[aan1701]

Thanks for the info! Not as nice weather as I was hoping for at that time of the year. Ok, so bring a cardigan! The dining rooms are always freezing anyway, so the cardigan is a must!
Let's all keep our fingers crossed for smooth seas, I don't mind a little chop, but it would be nice to be able to walk straight and keep our food down!

Sorry about the weather news. Take today for example. It is overcast here by LAX and the sun is struggling to push through. By the time May rolls around it is everyday until July. It is just the way it is here. The good part it that it really doesn't get to hot during the day and the overcast skies make it not to cold at night. It really is my favorite time of year weather wise.