At sea day activities???

[KGmomoftwins]

Looking at cruising on the fantasy on a 7 night and of August 2019. (I know it's early but if I'm going to book I want to as soon as prices are released) cruising it will be my husband, myself, and twin girls who depending on dates could be turning 7 on the cruise. What would they have for them to do on 3 at sea days? Also being a first time disney cruiser what are the chance i could get a Palo or Remy reservation, princess tea, or a character breakfast for an at sea day? Do they offer shows on at sea days? How crowded are the pools? Also I see they have mixology classes do these cost extra? Thanks so much!!!

 

[Shanti]

Looking at cruising on the fantasy on a 7 night and of August 2019. (I know it's early but if I'm going to book I want to as soon as prices are released) cruising it will be my husband, myself, and twin girls who depending on dates could be turning 7 on the cruise. What would they have for them to do on 3 at sea days? Also being a first time disney cruiser what are the chance i could get a Palo or Remy reservation, princess tea, or a character breakfast for an at sea day? Do they offer shows on at sea days? How crowded are the pools? Also I see they have mixology classes do these cost extra? Thanks so much!!!

Pools and Aqua Duck are very crowded on sea days. The best times for those are immediately upon boarding at Port Canaveral, and the morning of Castaway Cay day.

You have a very good chance of getting Palo & Remy and character breakfast ressies on a 7-night cruise. Princess availability is more variable, so try to book that asap.

There are shows every night, and many activities during the day, every day, but even more activities are offered on sea days. Go to Disney Cruise Line Blog and look up their Personal Navigators to get an idea of what is offered.

In addition to managed activities, there is a sports deck, the Midship Detective Agency virtual scavenger hunt game, movies playing on deck and in the theater, and Disney programming on demand in your stateroom.

You won't be bored.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Mixology classes are 15 to 20 each...well worth it. Lots of kid activities in the clubs for sea days. We have been to Caribbean many times so we rarely get off. Do the aqua duck multiple times, watch movies. If you can’t get reservations ahead of time, just schedule while you are on ship. We are platinum so we get first dibs but you can generally schedule stuff onboard especially Palo or remy reservations. Pools are always crowded but my husband and I generslly get chairs at the adult pools first thing and hang out all day.

 

[starvenger]

If they're like most kids they'll go to Oceaneers and will resurface (maybe) at meal times.

 

[Shanti]

If they're like most kids they'll go to Oceaneers and will resurface (maybe) at meal times.

Some kids are like that, but I wouldn't say most. I've read a lot of posts by disappointed parents who had wrongly expected their kids to want to stay in the clubs for hours each day. My son never liked being there for more than an hour at a time, and that's not unusual.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Some kids are like that, but I wouldn't say most. I've read a lot of posts by disappointed parents who had wrongly expected their kids to want to stay in the clubs for hours each day. My son never liked being there for more than an hour at a time, and that's not unusual.

Thanks for the info! I hope they like it so we can at least get in an adult only dinner once. Do the club's offer classes and structured activities or is it just a free for all playtime?

 

[Shanti]

Thanks for the info! I hope they like it so we can at least get in an adult only dinner once. Do the club's offer classes and structured activities or is it just a free for all playtime?

Both, but the structured activities are completely optional- they won't try to talk uninterested kids into joining. So if your child is shy or just not a natural joiner, he or she likely won't participate. There are some simple art supplies and several computer game stations for independent use.

 

[mcd2745]

It's probably one of the areas where they could use a little improvement. On sea days, they really need to do everything possible with scheduling more activities throughout the ship in order to spread people out and get them to want to be somewhere else besides the pool deck.

 

[GPaLarry]

I second the motion to check your daily Navigator for the next days activities. TA and PC cruises have more "at sea" days, but then DCL offers a bigger variety of activities, such as back stage and galley tours, tough scavenger hunts, more atrium activities, etc. It is your vacation, so you can also do nothing and relax...bring a good pirate book with you. You might also review/edit your last port photos and plan for/prepare for the next. On our Med. Cruise the stop at Monte Carlo was scrubbed (too rough to tender) so that day was at sea with the next being an unexpected stop at Marseilles...always an adventure. Happy Sailing!!

 

[Quellman]

We always dropped our kid off at the club when there was a structured activity planned that sounded interesting, we would then pick up sometime after it ended. This way they got some free time too.
The aqua duck can also easily be ridden during the first dinner seating. Everyone is either eating or doing the shows or getting ready for second dinner. We find this is a wonderful time to enjoy an empty pool deck.

There are lots of classes and game show type activities on sea days. Some people like crafts and trivia, others like BINGO. Also there is the pool deck, a movie theater, and mid ship detective agency.

Remy is much more upscale and takes longer than Palo. It seems like it would be a fantastic experience, but it isn't for us, especially since we have an under 5 still. But you should be able to book a Palo reservation without too much trouble. They usually have slots the first night and the last night for sure. But if you can't get a slot online stop by the restaurant once you board.

The character breakfast is Disney Jr. Characters. Sofia the First, Jake the Neverland Pirate, Mickey. So know if your kids will find it worth while. We have a kid in the Disney Jr. age and it worked fine for us. Breakfast wasn't terrible either, though perhaps it seemed a bit rushed. But they have to get everyone seated and served!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Sometimes the Princess Tea is offered on a port day. So it may not be that you can book it on a sea day, based on offering.

For instance, the Princess Tea won't be offered at the same time as a Princess Gathering, for reasons that may be immediately evident. Stuff like that comes into play.

Getting the character breakfast was quite easy for our spring break cruise. Princess Gatherings were not hard at 75 days. Princess Tea was sold out on the sea day, but had availability on a port day.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

We always dropped our kid off at the club when there was a structured activity planned that sounded interesting, we would then pick up sometime after it ended. This way they got some free time too.
The aqua duck can also easily be ridden during the first dinner seating. Everyone is either eating or doing the shows or getting ready for second dinner. We find this is a wonderful time to enjoy an empty pool deck.

There are lots of classes and game show type activities on sea days. Some people like crafts and trivia, others like BINGO. Also there is the pool deck, a movie theater, and mid ship detective agency.

Remy is much more upscale and takes longer than Palo. It seems like it would be a fantastic experience, but it isn't for us, especially since we have an under 5 still. But you should be able to book a Palo reservation without too much trouble. They usually have slots the first night and the last night for sure. But if you can't get a slot online stop by the restaurant once you board.

The character breakfast is Disney Jr. Characters. Sofia the First, Jake the Neverland Pirate, Mickey. So know if your kids will find it worth while. We have a kid in the Disney Jr. age and it worked fine for us. Breakfast wasn't terrible either, though perhaps it seemed a bit rushed. But they have to get everyone seated and served![/

We always dropped our kid off at the club when there was a structured activity planned that sounded interesting, we would then pick up sometime after it ended. This way they got some free time too.
The aqua duck can also easily be ridden during the first dinner seating. Everyone is either eating or doing the shows or getting ready for second dinner. We find this is a wonderful time to enjoy an empty pool deck.

There are lots of classes and game show type activities on sea days. Some people like crafts and trivia, others like BINGO. Also there is the pool deck, a movie theater, and mid ship detective agency.

Remy is much more upscale and takes longer than Palo. It seems like it would be a fantastic experience, but it isn't for us, especially since we have an under 5 still. But you should be able to book a Palo reservation without too much trouble. They usually have slots the first night and the last night for sure. But if you can't get a slot online stop by the restaurant once you board.

The character breakfast is Disney Jr. Characters. Sofia the First, Jake the Neverland Pirate, Mickey. So know if your kids will find it worth while. We have a kid in the Disney Jr. age and it worked fine for us. Breakfast wasn't terrible either, though perhaps it seemed a bit rushed. But they have to get everyone seated and served!

great Info and tips! We Went To The World Kadt Sum

We always dropped our kid off at the club when there was a structured activity planned that sounded interesting, we would then pick up sometime after it ended. This way they got some free time too.
The aqua duck can also easily be ridden during the first dinner seating. Everyone is either eating or doing the shows or getting ready for second dinner. We find this is a wonderful time to enjoy an empty pool deck.

There are lots of classes and game show type activities on sea days. Some people like crafts and trivia, others like BINGO. Also there is the pool deck, a movie theater, and mid ship detective agency.

Remy is much more upscale and takes longer than Palo. It seems like it would be a fantastic experience, but it isn't for us, especially since we have an under 5 still. But you should be able to book a Palo reservation without too much trouble. They usually have slots the first night and the last night for sure. But if you can't get a slot online stop by the restaurant once you board.

The character breakfast is Disney Jr. Characters. Sofia the First, Jake the Neverland Pirate, Mickey. So know if your kids will find it worth while. We have a kid in the Disney Jr. age and it worked fine for us. Breakfast wasn't terrible either, though perhaps it seemed a bit rushed. But they have to get everyone seated and served!

Great tips! We did the world this last summer and loved character breakfasts! However, I think the girls are outgrowing Disney jr. but might be worth it for Mickey

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Sometimes the Princess Tea is offered on a port day. So it may not be that you can book it on a sea day, based on offering.

For instance, the Princess Tea won't be offered at the same time as a Princess Gathering, for reasons that may be immediately evident. Stuff like that comes into play.

Getting the character breakfast was quite easy for our spring break cruise. Princess Gatherings were not hard at 75 days. Princess Tea was sold out on the sea day, but had availability on a port day.

What are the princess gatherings like? I'm hoping because of the sailings we are looking at being an off time it will be easier to get the tea on an at sea day.

 

[lklgoodman]

They have the princesses, usually about 5 of them, in the atrium and you get your pics/autographs done with them. You can have a cm take your pic with your own camera if you don't want to buy the one Disney takes. You will make a reservation to do this when your booking window opens, 75 days before your cruise for first timers. You don't get a whole lot of time with each one, because they have to keep the line moving. On our first cruise on the Wonder, we ran into Rapunzel and then into Tiana in the hallways. They both sat down and talked to my dd for about 10 mins. My dd went on her first cruise at 6 yrs old and did another at 8 yrs old. A few things that she loved at the kid's club was when they had different princesses come in and read/dance with the kids. She also loves the Pluto pajama party. They had the pj party on 2 different nights when we were on the Fantasy last year, my dd went both times. The kids dress in their pjs, play games{they got to throw marshmellows at the cm's, my dd loved it} and were given a Pluto pillowcase that they were able to color and keep. There was another time they got to decorate cookies in the club. They also have a light up table that she really liked to do, they have pics that the kids can trace and color. She also was able to make jewelry with plastic beads, my dd really enjoyed all the different art activities that she was able to do. My dd is now 9 yrs old, we're going on another cruise in March and she's already made a list of the activities she wants to do at the kid's club. They also have a kid's club at castaway cay that you can take your twins to if you want some time at the adult beach. It's right by the first tram stop, can't remember the name of it right now. It has a splash area, games to play, sand area, etc. You check them in just like on the ship. It was too cool to go in the water when we first got to CC on our last cruise, so my dd played there for a bit.
Also, if your girls still like Mickey, use the wake up service in the morning, it's a recording of Mickey wishing you a good day. And order the room service cookies, they are huge and really good.

 

[olafLover]

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[_auroraborealis_]

You know the price of the tea? (just making sure), the gathering is free, the tea isn't

$210 child, $69 adult. Child cannot be dropped off.

 

[olafLover]

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[Trera]

I wasn't asking, I was making sure the OP knows there is a hefty fee

It was pricey that is for sure but with all the goodies our DD recieved, the one on one time with the princesses and the smile on her face made it all worth it.

They offer a similar service at the Grand Floridian I believe and it is just Aurora and costs $333.00ish for one child and one adult. The cruise version gets you more princesses for less.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The way I'm approaching it is that my daughter isn't going to be snorkeling at SXM, and my son is also doing stingrays and the CC5k on Castaway Cay, and she would dislike the first and cannot do the second.

So she gets princesses.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

It was pricey that is for sure but with all the goodies our DD recieved, the one on one time with the princesses and the smile on her face made it all worth it.

They offer a similar service at the Grand Floridian I believe and it is just Aurora and costs $333.00ish for one child and one adult. The cruise version gets you more princesses for less.

Thanks so much! We did the wonderland tea party last summer and our girls loved it!!! It was so reasonable for $110.00 they decorated a tea cup and pot, had cupcakes and tea(apple juice), and met the mad hatter and Alice who they are really not crazy about. I think the princesses they would be crazy for! 2 quick questions do they get a good amount of time with each princess and which princesses were at yours? From what I can find looks like always Belle and Cinderella plus another one. Thanks again!