Day One (Embarkation):
We reached the terminal around 11:30 and had a very smooth check in process. We didnt touch our bags from the time the cab pulled up a porter grabbed them from the parking lot. You should be aware that there is probably a 75 yard walk from where a taxi or towncar drops off (or picks up) to the terminal across a street (that isnt too busy) out four and five year old handled the walk just fine. There was already a line a hundred or so deep to board, but we elected to sit and wait. The kids got their pictures taken with Snow White and Mickey Mouse and watched Pluto cartoons. The restrooms at the terminal arent busy (the same cant be said for most restrooms on board) and have land toilets take advantage while you still can. The doors opened, but by now the line wrapped around the terminal. We waited, and boarded from a shorter and faster moving line probably around 12:15.
Note that staterooms arent ready until 1:30. So anything in your day bag is going to have to be lugged around from the time you get to the terminal until 1:30. Pack your daybag light. Swimsuits for the kids were a must, but we didnt need ours, we didnt need the change of clothes, I didnt need my books (nor my husband need his and between the two of us we were carrying half a library).
We had no wish for Spa or Palo ressies, so we went to Parrot Cay for lunch. Cant remember what everyone ate (I remember the kids had corn dogs), but the food was good and the buffet servers attentive. We discovered we really preferred Parrot Cay over Beach Blanket Buffet for meals.
We then headed up to the kids clubs (bags still being lugged) to wait in a rather long and tedious line to get the kids signed up and pagers. By the time we were out of there, it was time to head off to the stateroom and dump our stuff.
Our stateroom was 6618, Category 6 (Veranda) Starboard side right off the aft elevators. When we first booked the room, I wanted to be further from the elevators, but wed book it again. Being next to the stairs and three flights from pretty much everything was SO convenient. We walked in those little halls once (to find our room initially) and then were never in them again. Starboard this trip gave us the bad side of the ship in Port Canaveral and Nassau, the good (see Castaway Cay) side at Castaway Cay.
Stuff dumped, we changed into swimsuits, and rum drinks in hand, watched the kids play in the Mickey pool. My son immediately discovered the Mickey Slide. My daughter went halfway up, got scared and didnt want to go back up. No amount of talking her into it did anything.
After a while, the bags had arrived in the room (wed done some running back and forth to check.) Our bags were in our room by 3:00, but Disney said they may be still delivering until 5:30 or 6:00 (which is why, if you have first seating, you might want a change of clothes in you day bag Id recommend ladies just wear a sundress or capris or a skirt onto the boat and guys wear a shirt with a collar and shorts and just carry a pair of lightweight pants. I left DH to watch the kids in the pool and unpack. Each kid got a shelf in the steamer trunk, we took the shelves in the closet for our stuff. The top shelf in the trunk was for laundry. Drawers next to the closet fit the rest of the stuff (underwear and swimwear). Plenty of storage space for a four day cruise. Even my big suitcase (and I have a huge suitcase bought so I could pack me and the kids in one bag for a week at Disney), fit under the bed once I lifted it. We didnt bring an over the door shoe holder, and had plenty of room in the bathrooms under the sink for our travel bags (his, ours, mine).
It was then time for the sail away party. We headed over to the now covered Goofy Pool. The kids were pretty tired from all the swimming and the early morning, but my daughter and I did a little dancing. (Its the Macarena, the Electric Slide, all those sorts of dances). I had a wonderful time. A nice woman gave my daughter a seat right in front of her next to the stage for watching the show when the characters came out. She was delighted. My son and husband watched from several feet back my son in arriving late parade position perched on top on my husbands shoulders.
I hadnt told my DH about the horn, and of course, he caught it and was charmed. We watched the ship head down the channel for a little bit, then went back to the room to dress for dinner.
(Parents of young kids who were worried like I was the pool decks are enclosed with Plexiglas (very clear, no problem seeing through it) up over a tall adults reach. Nearly all the railings are also covered with Plexiglas on the INSIDE making it nearly impossible for your little monkey to scale the rails. The veranda doors are hard to open and locked from a place about six feet off the ground. We did need to give our kids a firm lecture about standing on deck furniture (they didnt, but they have in the past) but with the open railing, they werent tempted. I dont know if Id tempt them with the solid railing.)
Our dining rotation started in Animators Palate (as we expected having a four and five year old). Our servers were Cecelia and Joost and they did an excellent job (I always found people a little nuts here who bonded with and raved over their servers requesting the same ones back .now I understand. We spent about ten hours of our lives with these people and they were great.) We were at a table for eight with another couple and their two boys. The other couple was really nice and it made for very nice dinner conversation. I wouldnt worry about getting seated with strangers you can change later if your dinner partners insist on discussing politics not yours, witnessing on behalf of Jesus Christ or L Ron Hubbard, or showing up sloshed after a day next to the pool bar. Ours were pleasant normal people, and our conversations centered around our kids, what we did that day, and everyones past trips to Disney.
I had the lobster wrappers, the squash soup, the maple glazed salmon and the strawberry shortcake. I wouldnt do the strawberry shortcake again, but everything else was delicious.
We dropped the kids off in the kids clubs and went to see Hercules. It turned out to be our favorite show very good. We picked up our son after the show our daughter had started watching movies and didnt want to leave. Tara, our stateroom hostess had turned down the beds (and left us a towel puppy) while we were at dinner. Me and DS went to bed (our kids took turns in the coveted top bunk being the oldest he got it the first night), my husband found a spot to read in while the movie wound down and eventually he picked up our sleeping daughter and put her to bed.
We reached the terminal around 11:30 and had a very smooth check in process. We didnt touch our bags from the time the cab pulled up a porter grabbed them from the parking lot. You should be aware that there is probably a 75 yard walk from where a taxi or towncar drops off (or picks up) to the terminal across a street (that isnt too busy) out four and five year old handled the walk just fine. There was already a line a hundred or so deep to board, but we elected to sit and wait. The kids got their pictures taken with Snow White and Mickey Mouse and watched Pluto cartoons. The restrooms at the terminal arent busy (the same cant be said for most restrooms on board) and have land toilets take advantage while you still can. The doors opened, but by now the line wrapped around the terminal. We waited, and boarded from a shorter and faster moving line probably around 12:15.
Note that staterooms arent ready until 1:30. So anything in your day bag is going to have to be lugged around from the time you get to the terminal until 1:30. Pack your daybag light. Swimsuits for the kids were a must, but we didnt need ours, we didnt need the change of clothes, I didnt need my books (nor my husband need his and between the two of us we were carrying half a library).
We had no wish for Spa or Palo ressies, so we went to Parrot Cay for lunch. Cant remember what everyone ate (I remember the kids had corn dogs), but the food was good and the buffet servers attentive. We discovered we really preferred Parrot Cay over Beach Blanket Buffet for meals.
We then headed up to the kids clubs (bags still being lugged) to wait in a rather long and tedious line to get the kids signed up and pagers. By the time we were out of there, it was time to head off to the stateroom and dump our stuff.
Our stateroom was 6618, Category 6 (Veranda) Starboard side right off the aft elevators. When we first booked the room, I wanted to be further from the elevators, but wed book it again. Being next to the stairs and three flights from pretty much everything was SO convenient. We walked in those little halls once (to find our room initially) and then were never in them again. Starboard this trip gave us the bad side of the ship in Port Canaveral and Nassau, the good (see Castaway Cay) side at Castaway Cay.
Stuff dumped, we changed into swimsuits, and rum drinks in hand, watched the kids play in the Mickey pool. My son immediately discovered the Mickey Slide. My daughter went halfway up, got scared and didnt want to go back up. No amount of talking her into it did anything.
After a while, the bags had arrived in the room (wed done some running back and forth to check.) Our bags were in our room by 3:00, but Disney said they may be still delivering until 5:30 or 6:00 (which is why, if you have first seating, you might want a change of clothes in you day bag Id recommend ladies just wear a sundress or capris or a skirt onto the boat and guys wear a shirt with a collar and shorts and just carry a pair of lightweight pants. I left DH to watch the kids in the pool and unpack. Each kid got a shelf in the steamer trunk, we took the shelves in the closet for our stuff. The top shelf in the trunk was for laundry. Drawers next to the closet fit the rest of the stuff (underwear and swimwear). Plenty of storage space for a four day cruise. Even my big suitcase (and I have a huge suitcase bought so I could pack me and the kids in one bag for a week at Disney), fit under the bed once I lifted it. We didnt bring an over the door shoe holder, and had plenty of room in the bathrooms under the sink for our travel bags (his, ours, mine).
It was then time for the sail away party. We headed over to the now covered Goofy Pool. The kids were pretty tired from all the swimming and the early morning, but my daughter and I did a little dancing. (Its the Macarena, the Electric Slide, all those sorts of dances). I had a wonderful time. A nice woman gave my daughter a seat right in front of her next to the stage for watching the show when the characters came out. She was delighted. My son and husband watched from several feet back my son in arriving late parade position perched on top on my husbands shoulders.
I hadnt told my DH about the horn, and of course, he caught it and was charmed. We watched the ship head down the channel for a little bit, then went back to the room to dress for dinner.
(Parents of young kids who were worried like I was the pool decks are enclosed with Plexiglas (very clear, no problem seeing through it) up over a tall adults reach. Nearly all the railings are also covered with Plexiglas on the INSIDE making it nearly impossible for your little monkey to scale the rails. The veranda doors are hard to open and locked from a place about six feet off the ground. We did need to give our kids a firm lecture about standing on deck furniture (they didnt, but they have in the past) but with the open railing, they werent tempted. I dont know if Id tempt them with the solid railing.)
Our dining rotation started in Animators Palate (as we expected having a four and five year old). Our servers were Cecelia and Joost and they did an excellent job (I always found people a little nuts here who bonded with and raved over their servers requesting the same ones back .now I understand. We spent about ten hours of our lives with these people and they were great.) We were at a table for eight with another couple and their two boys. The other couple was really nice and it made for very nice dinner conversation. I wouldnt worry about getting seated with strangers you can change later if your dinner partners insist on discussing politics not yours, witnessing on behalf of Jesus Christ or L Ron Hubbard, or showing up sloshed after a day next to the pool bar. Ours were pleasant normal people, and our conversations centered around our kids, what we did that day, and everyones past trips to Disney.
I had the lobster wrappers, the squash soup, the maple glazed salmon and the strawberry shortcake. I wouldnt do the strawberry shortcake again, but everything else was delicious.
We dropped the kids off in the kids clubs and went to see Hercules. It turned out to be our favorite show very good. We picked up our son after the show our daughter had started watching movies and didnt want to leave. Tara, our stateroom hostess had turned down the beds (and left us a towel puppy) while we were at dinner. Me and DS went to bed (our kids took turns in the coveted top bunk being the oldest he got it the first night), my husband found a spot to read in while the movie wound down and eventually he picked up our sleeping daughter and put her to bed.
