Got back from the cruise and am now back at work...such is life...
Instead of a traditional trip report, I have offered some observations and memories of the trip. By far the best recreational activity on the ship is people-watching, so my comments and memories are triggered my by the people that I experienced while on-board.
Arrived in Orlando early in the morning on Friday, had breakfast at the airport and headed off to the WDW. Parked at Epcot and monorailed over to The Magic Kingdom to see if Stitch's Great Escape was previewing. As luck would have it, we were able to get in to see Stitch. Absolutely great. It was so much friendlier than Alien Encounter and really captured the essence of the movie and the character of Stitch. I did notice an Imagineer or two monitoring the audience reaction. Kudos...great attraction.
After The Magic Kingdom, we monorailed back over to Epcot for a little Food and Wine festivities. I noticed a stark difference in the type of guest that visits Epcot and The Magic Kingdom. MK - Mullets Galore.....Epcot - 30-somethings after dark. We ate dinner in China and then headed back to the airport.
The pre-boarding process at the hotel on Saturday was great. The older cast members dealt with the guests very well. Bob, I think his name was, gave the best advice to a family that was freaking out about every thing they were doing (asking questions twice, not paying attention, etc). Bob said, "You're on vacation, let us worry for you." Bus to the port and then we boarded the ship earlier than expected and made Palo and spa reservations without a hassle. Days and times we wanted were available. For the adult travellers, definitely visit Quiet Cove bar while waiting for your stateroom. Very few guests find this secluded bar. While we downed our first fruity drinks of the cruise, other couples wandered in and out. It was a nice chance to briefly visit with some of the people on board and get to know the bar staff (which can be crucial!).
The first days of travelling were rough seas...even the crew were feeling the impact of the ocean. No sickness, just some minor woozies.
A few days into the cruise was formal night which is a spectacle to behold. Almost everyone is in tuxes, suits and/or their finest gowns with little girls in Princess dresses which are just way too precious. The highlight of the evening was watching parents freak out about their children ruining their dresses or suits. There is something about watching an over-weight woman in an evening gown yelling at her children about how much she paid to have her hair done on board the ship and exclaiming something like, "You need to act like a lady when you are wearing a dress!" that is hysterically funny...The irony is amazing. I did notice a few too many parents not having fun on the cruise...which was sad. On the first evening, as I was dressing for dinner, I could hear father next door screaming about how much he had paid for the cruise and how much his children didn't appreciate it. He finally excalimed that his vacation was ruined because of something his children had done and that they had no idea how much he had to sacrifice to get them on board. He left the room after that...we heard very little from our neighbords after that night.
People-watching...Rene of the Cruise Activities cast was amazing. This girl has way too much energy all the time and the best smile. I don't know where she gets it from. Whether she was dancing on Pirate Night or during 70s and 80s night she was at the top of her game. Good for her!
People-watching...The little kids in the Promenade Lounge dancing to High Society's funky music was one of the cruise highlights. These kids danced like there was no-one watching and they had no cares in the world. When do we start to become so self-aware that we stop dancing?
More to come...
Instead of a traditional trip report, I have offered some observations and memories of the trip. By far the best recreational activity on the ship is people-watching, so my comments and memories are triggered my by the people that I experienced while on-board.
Arrived in Orlando early in the morning on Friday, had breakfast at the airport and headed off to the WDW. Parked at Epcot and monorailed over to The Magic Kingdom to see if Stitch's Great Escape was previewing. As luck would have it, we were able to get in to see Stitch. Absolutely great. It was so much friendlier than Alien Encounter and really captured the essence of the movie and the character of Stitch. I did notice an Imagineer or two monitoring the audience reaction. Kudos...great attraction.
After The Magic Kingdom, we monorailed back over to Epcot for a little Food and Wine festivities. I noticed a stark difference in the type of guest that visits Epcot and The Magic Kingdom. MK - Mullets Galore.....Epcot - 30-somethings after dark. We ate dinner in China and then headed back to the airport.
The pre-boarding process at the hotel on Saturday was great. The older cast members dealt with the guests very well. Bob, I think his name was, gave the best advice to a family that was freaking out about every thing they were doing (asking questions twice, not paying attention, etc). Bob said, "You're on vacation, let us worry for you." Bus to the port and then we boarded the ship earlier than expected and made Palo and spa reservations without a hassle. Days and times we wanted were available. For the adult travellers, definitely visit Quiet Cove bar while waiting for your stateroom. Very few guests find this secluded bar. While we downed our first fruity drinks of the cruise, other couples wandered in and out. It was a nice chance to briefly visit with some of the people on board and get to know the bar staff (which can be crucial!).
The first days of travelling were rough seas...even the crew were feeling the impact of the ocean. No sickness, just some minor woozies.
A few days into the cruise was formal night which is a spectacle to behold. Almost everyone is in tuxes, suits and/or their finest gowns with little girls in Princess dresses which are just way too precious. The highlight of the evening was watching parents freak out about their children ruining their dresses or suits. There is something about watching an over-weight woman in an evening gown yelling at her children about how much she paid to have her hair done on board the ship and exclaiming something like, "You need to act like a lady when you are wearing a dress!" that is hysterically funny...The irony is amazing. I did notice a few too many parents not having fun on the cruise...which was sad. On the first evening, as I was dressing for dinner, I could hear father next door screaming about how much he had paid for the cruise and how much his children didn't appreciate it. He finally excalimed that his vacation was ruined because of something his children had done and that they had no idea how much he had to sacrifice to get them on board. He left the room after that...we heard very little from our neighbords after that night.
People-watching...Rene of the Cruise Activities cast was amazing. This girl has way too much energy all the time and the best smile. I don't know where she gets it from. Whether she was dancing on Pirate Night or during 70s and 80s night she was at the top of her game. Good for her!
People-watching...The little kids in the Promenade Lounge dancing to High Society's funky music was one of the cruise highlights. These kids danced like there was no-one watching and they had no cares in the world. When do we start to become so self-aware that we stop dancing?
More to come...
} My family truly had a wonderful vacation/cruise. But we did come across some stressful moments, and I'm still trying to figure out why certain "little things" seemed to come to a head on vacation!
