Hats off to those that provide the very detailed trip reports. This is not one of them. 
I like to call this my trip report for the attention-deficit folks out there. Enjoy! (We sure did!)
About us: Me, 42; DH 44; DS 14-turning-15; and DS12. This is our 3rd Disney cruise but our first 7-day cruise.
Saturday, 8/1- Sail away party on deck (sailed at 5pm). Dinner at Lumiere’s. DS12 had lobster mac & cheese, I had duck, DS14 had steak, DH had fish. All very good. Funniest moment: Our serving team got confused and snuck up behind DS14 with a birthday cake. I quickly waved them away whispering “Monday, Monday!” They ran off, laughing. Tonight’s show was a juggler (Ron Pearson, very impressive, especially on a moving ship) and an illusionist (Jason Bishop).
Sunday, 8/2 – At Sea all day. DH and I walked around the track, had breakfast, went for a workout in the gym and went to a detox/fat reducing seminar. The boys woke up a little later and we all went to brunch at Lumiere’s. The guys went to see “Up” in the theater while I went to the port & shopping show. I won the raffle for the “big” prize: a sapphire & diamond necklace!
Dinner was formal night and we did family pictures before we ate. After dinner (lamb, beef wellington, etc.) we walked around on deck for a while, ordered some room service snacks, then went to see “The Proposal” in the theater at 10:30. Funniest moment: We’re racing (for fun) back to the stateroom from the movie. I was winning until DS12 went around me but in doing so accidentally kicked a room service tray that had been left in the hall. There was a large CLANG! I’m sure no one appreciated it because it was well after midnight. I couldn’t stop laughing.
Pretty rough seas tonight (8-13’ swells). Luckily we’re not bothered by it.
Monday, 8/3 – At Sea all day and DS14’s birthday. We all got up and went to a character breakfast at 8:15. Basically, all of the Disney characters come through and stop by your table so you can take pics with them. Then we went to a gathering for “Castaway Club” members (repeat Disney cruisers), went to a diamond & gemstone shopping presentation, played bingo, and saw Jason Bishop (illusionist) again during a matinee show.
Dinner was at Parrot Cay (tropical theme). Servers got it right this time and brought DS(now 15) a birthday cake after dinner. The after dinner show was a play called “Twice Charmed.” It was pretty good, didn’t think it was great. Funniest moment #1: Trying to shave my legs in the small spa shower while balancing on one leg while the ship is rocking (did I mention we had rough seas?). Glad I was by myself, as I’m sure I looked like a fool. Funniest moment #2: The head server smashing birthday cake on DS15’s nose under the guise of “giving him his first taste of cake” … hilarious!
Rough seas again tonight. It is pretty normal for the Eastern Caribbean route this time of year.
Tuesday, 8/4 – St. Maarten. We are rudely awakened at 7am by the loud and vibrating thrusters as we pull into port. Note for next time – do not get a stateroom in the back of the ship! DH and I have breakfast and then hop off ship to do some shopping while the boys slept late. I had a bunch of freebie coupons for various jewelry stores. At Effy he bought me a beautiful amethyst & topaz necklace. At Venetian Jewelers we found a gorgeous diamond ring but even at St. Maarten prices it was still a lot so we decided to hold off.
Went back to ship to get the boys, and had lunch at Lumiere’s. Then we all trooped back to St. Maarten’s downtown area. We went to Del Sol and bought a bunch of color-changing stuff, then saw that Venetian was right across the street. Long, long story short, I ended up with the diamond ring we’d seen in the morning. It’s gorgeous! The manager at Venetian and DH got to talking cologne, and he ended up taking us a few stores down so DH could buy the new Paco Rabanne 1 Million. We finished up our time at St. Maarten by going to Nick Maley’s studio. He is known as “That Yoda Guy” because he did a lot of animation & special effects for many movies, including creating the yoda character in The Empire Strikes Back. He lives on St. Maarten w/his wife and has an art studio with a bunch of movie memorabilia. Very cool!
Dinner tonight is Pirate Night. They do a whole pirate theme, plus there is a pirate party on deck later complete with fireworks and a 10pm buffet. By 8pm, we had some down time until the pirate party so we decided to see “The Proposal” again. Then went straight to pirate party for music, dancing, a fun reenactment of Mickey taking the ship back from Captain Hook, fireworks (Disney claims to be the only cruise line that shoots fireworks at sea), buffet, and “Pirates of the Caribbean” on the big screen.
Wednesday, 8/5 – St. Thomas. We all got up & had breakfast buffet, then met our excursion group at 9:15. We had arranged a tour of the island that went to Mountain Top (home of the famous banana daiquiri) and ended at the butterfly farm. This was the 2nd excursion we booked through the cruise line (first was in ’01) and the 2nd excursion that completely sucked. Lesson learned – book stuff on your own.
After the “tour” (which did not go to Mountain Top as promised … found out later that Mt. Top had burned down in May. Yes, May!), we went back to the ship to have lunch in the a/c, then went to the dock for our 2pm parasailing reservation. This was SO MUCH FUN. DS15 and I parasailed while DS12 and DH rode in the boat. We all had a great time. Mishelly and Capt. Tony of Caribbean Water Sports were the best. (Yes, I booked this one on my own!)
Dinner was at Animator’s Palate. This restaurant begins with black & white “sketches” on the walls that color up throughout dinner. It’s a very cool show.
The after dinner show was two comedians, “Alfred and Seymour.” Freakin’ hilarious. Look them up on youtube under “Blackstreet Boyz” to watch some of their stuff.
Thursday, 8/6 – At sea all day. We all slept in a little, then had breakfast buffet and went for a walk around the deck track. We did a little packing and went to a towel-folding class at 2pm. I now know how to make a monkey out of towels! Then we played bingo (didn’t win, darn it) and got ready for semi-formal night at dinner. Since we were all fancied up again, we did another set of family portraits after dinner. The play tonight was “Disney Dreams” which has won several awards. It’s good but we’d seen it twice before on our other Disney cruises, so this was #3.
Later, DH and I went to an adult-only showing of Alfred & Seymour (the comedians) while the boys hung in the stateroom (Don’t feel bad for them. They ordered room service and settled in w/movies & had a great time without us). After the show, we stopped by the 11pm dessert buffet and got a few chocolate things to take back to the room. Chocolate at midnight right before bed = not a great idea. DS12 & I both had a bit of a tummy ache after that.
Friday, 8/7 - Castaway Cay day! We got up early, had breakfast buffet, and then went to the front to watch us pull into port. So beautiful! Once off ship, DS12 and I ran in the Castaway Cay 5k while DH & DS15 stopped to take pics w/Captain Jack Sparrow and then got us a good beach spot. We hung out on the beach and swam, breaking once to go have lunch.
At 1pm we had a waverunner tour of the island. It wasn’t so much of a tour as just a really cool waverunner outing to the ocean. We were pretty far out away from land! DS15 rode with me and DS12 rode with DH. This was one of the most awesome things we did! DS15 is normally so quiet but the faster I went and the more I bounced him around, the louder he laughed and yelled. After waverunners, we hung out on the beach until about 4, then back to the ship to get ready for dinner.
Dinner was at Lumiere’s again and was excellent as always. After dinner, we skipped the show, hung out on deck, then went back to the room to pack. Luggage had to be out by 11pm to clear customs by morning. We ordered room service cheese trays and had a mellow rest of the night.
Saturday, 8/8 – Back to Port Canaveral. At 5:30 am we are once again awakened by that awful vibrating & noise of the thrusters as we pull into port. We had a 7am breakfast seating and went to that to see our servers (Jelena, Denis, and Ivo) one last time. They were so awesome. We hung out a little on ship, then hopped the Disney bus to Orlando airport to begin our journey home.
Final thoughts: We have always enjoyed Disney cruises and this one was the best ever. Their service is amazing. There is truly something for everyone to enjoy. We will be back.
I like to call this my trip report for the attention-deficit folks out there. Enjoy! (We sure did!)About us: Me, 42; DH 44; DS 14-turning-15; and DS12. This is our 3rd Disney cruise but our first 7-day cruise.
Saturday, 8/1- Sail away party on deck (sailed at 5pm). Dinner at Lumiere’s. DS12 had lobster mac & cheese, I had duck, DS14 had steak, DH had fish. All very good. Funniest moment: Our serving team got confused and snuck up behind DS14 with a birthday cake. I quickly waved them away whispering “Monday, Monday!” They ran off, laughing. Tonight’s show was a juggler (Ron Pearson, very impressive, especially on a moving ship) and an illusionist (Jason Bishop).
Sunday, 8/2 – At Sea all day. DH and I walked around the track, had breakfast, went for a workout in the gym and went to a detox/fat reducing seminar. The boys woke up a little later and we all went to brunch at Lumiere’s. The guys went to see “Up” in the theater while I went to the port & shopping show. I won the raffle for the “big” prize: a sapphire & diamond necklace!
Dinner was formal night and we did family pictures before we ate. After dinner (lamb, beef wellington, etc.) we walked around on deck for a while, ordered some room service snacks, then went to see “The Proposal” in the theater at 10:30. Funniest moment: We’re racing (for fun) back to the stateroom from the movie. I was winning until DS12 went around me but in doing so accidentally kicked a room service tray that had been left in the hall. There was a large CLANG! I’m sure no one appreciated it because it was well after midnight. I couldn’t stop laughing.
Pretty rough seas tonight (8-13’ swells). Luckily we’re not bothered by it.
Monday, 8/3 – At Sea all day and DS14’s birthday. We all got up and went to a character breakfast at 8:15. Basically, all of the Disney characters come through and stop by your table so you can take pics with them. Then we went to a gathering for “Castaway Club” members (repeat Disney cruisers), went to a diamond & gemstone shopping presentation, played bingo, and saw Jason Bishop (illusionist) again during a matinee show.
Dinner was at Parrot Cay (tropical theme). Servers got it right this time and brought DS(now 15) a birthday cake after dinner. The after dinner show was a play called “Twice Charmed.” It was pretty good, didn’t think it was great. Funniest moment #1: Trying to shave my legs in the small spa shower while balancing on one leg while the ship is rocking (did I mention we had rough seas?). Glad I was by myself, as I’m sure I looked like a fool. Funniest moment #2: The head server smashing birthday cake on DS15’s nose under the guise of “giving him his first taste of cake” … hilarious!
Rough seas again tonight. It is pretty normal for the Eastern Caribbean route this time of year.
Tuesday, 8/4 – St. Maarten. We are rudely awakened at 7am by the loud and vibrating thrusters as we pull into port. Note for next time – do not get a stateroom in the back of the ship! DH and I have breakfast and then hop off ship to do some shopping while the boys slept late. I had a bunch of freebie coupons for various jewelry stores. At Effy he bought me a beautiful amethyst & topaz necklace. At Venetian Jewelers we found a gorgeous diamond ring but even at St. Maarten prices it was still a lot so we decided to hold off.
Went back to ship to get the boys, and had lunch at Lumiere’s. Then we all trooped back to St. Maarten’s downtown area. We went to Del Sol and bought a bunch of color-changing stuff, then saw that Venetian was right across the street. Long, long story short, I ended up with the diamond ring we’d seen in the morning. It’s gorgeous! The manager at Venetian and DH got to talking cologne, and he ended up taking us a few stores down so DH could buy the new Paco Rabanne 1 Million. We finished up our time at St. Maarten by going to Nick Maley’s studio. He is known as “That Yoda Guy” because he did a lot of animation & special effects for many movies, including creating the yoda character in The Empire Strikes Back. He lives on St. Maarten w/his wife and has an art studio with a bunch of movie memorabilia. Very cool!
Dinner tonight is Pirate Night. They do a whole pirate theme, plus there is a pirate party on deck later complete with fireworks and a 10pm buffet. By 8pm, we had some down time until the pirate party so we decided to see “The Proposal” again. Then went straight to pirate party for music, dancing, a fun reenactment of Mickey taking the ship back from Captain Hook, fireworks (Disney claims to be the only cruise line that shoots fireworks at sea), buffet, and “Pirates of the Caribbean” on the big screen.
Wednesday, 8/5 – St. Thomas. We all got up & had breakfast buffet, then met our excursion group at 9:15. We had arranged a tour of the island that went to Mountain Top (home of the famous banana daiquiri) and ended at the butterfly farm. This was the 2nd excursion we booked through the cruise line (first was in ’01) and the 2nd excursion that completely sucked. Lesson learned – book stuff on your own.
After the “tour” (which did not go to Mountain Top as promised … found out later that Mt. Top had burned down in May. Yes, May!), we went back to the ship to have lunch in the a/c, then went to the dock for our 2pm parasailing reservation. This was SO MUCH FUN. DS15 and I parasailed while DS12 and DH rode in the boat. We all had a great time. Mishelly and Capt. Tony of Caribbean Water Sports were the best. (Yes, I booked this one on my own!)
Dinner was at Animator’s Palate. This restaurant begins with black & white “sketches” on the walls that color up throughout dinner. It’s a very cool show.
The after dinner show was two comedians, “Alfred and Seymour.” Freakin’ hilarious. Look them up on youtube under “Blackstreet Boyz” to watch some of their stuff.
Thursday, 8/6 – At sea all day. We all slept in a little, then had breakfast buffet and went for a walk around the deck track. We did a little packing and went to a towel-folding class at 2pm. I now know how to make a monkey out of towels! Then we played bingo (didn’t win, darn it) and got ready for semi-formal night at dinner. Since we were all fancied up again, we did another set of family portraits after dinner. The play tonight was “Disney Dreams” which has won several awards. It’s good but we’d seen it twice before on our other Disney cruises, so this was #3.
Later, DH and I went to an adult-only showing of Alfred & Seymour (the comedians) while the boys hung in the stateroom (Don’t feel bad for them. They ordered room service and settled in w/movies & had a great time without us). After the show, we stopped by the 11pm dessert buffet and got a few chocolate things to take back to the room. Chocolate at midnight right before bed = not a great idea. DS12 & I both had a bit of a tummy ache after that.
Friday, 8/7 - Castaway Cay day! We got up early, had breakfast buffet, and then went to the front to watch us pull into port. So beautiful! Once off ship, DS12 and I ran in the Castaway Cay 5k while DH & DS15 stopped to take pics w/Captain Jack Sparrow and then got us a good beach spot. We hung out on the beach and swam, breaking once to go have lunch.
At 1pm we had a waverunner tour of the island. It wasn’t so much of a tour as just a really cool waverunner outing to the ocean. We were pretty far out away from land! DS15 rode with me and DS12 rode with DH. This was one of the most awesome things we did! DS15 is normally so quiet but the faster I went and the more I bounced him around, the louder he laughed and yelled. After waverunners, we hung out on the beach until about 4, then back to the ship to get ready for dinner.
Dinner was at Lumiere’s again and was excellent as always. After dinner, we skipped the show, hung out on deck, then went back to the room to pack. Luggage had to be out by 11pm to clear customs by morning. We ordered room service cheese trays and had a mellow rest of the night.
Saturday, 8/8 – Back to Port Canaveral. At 5:30 am we are once again awakened by that awful vibrating & noise of the thrusters as we pull into port. We had a 7am breakfast seating and went to that to see our servers (Jelena, Denis, and Ivo) one last time. They were so awesome. We hung out a little on ship, then hopped the Disney bus to Orlando airport to begin our journey home.
Final thoughts: We have always enjoyed Disney cruises and this one was the best ever. Their service is amazing. There is truly something for everyone to enjoy. We will be back.
