~Tinkerella
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2010
- Messages
- 249
After spending two very relaxing days at Port Orleans Riverside, DH and I embarked on a Disney Cruise ~ our second; the first was on the Wonder with our daughters many years ago.
Bell services took care of the luggage and we boarded the Disney Cruise Line Motor Coach at 11:30 a.m. for the drive to Port Canaveral. What a site to see the Fantasy at dock!!!
EMBARKATION ~ We entered the terminal, went through security screening, and up to check-in. We were able to use the Castaway Club check-in line and were immediately called to one of the cast members. It took a total of less than 10 minutes from walking into the terminal, going through security, getting our Key to the World Cards, and walking through those great big Mickey ears and being introduced to the rest of the guests. We were able to go immediately to our cabin and drop of our carry-on item and then headed up to Cabanas for a bit of lunch.
CABIN ~ We were in cabin 8028, a forward verandah cabin, port side. There was plenty of room for the two of us. Love that you can store luggage under the bed and we had no problem with storing our clothes. Our cabin steward was Richard. He kept the cabin spotless and always stocked with toiletries. Each evening we found a different towel (sometimes used our blanket) animal; he was very creative. Not sure what type of bedding they use but the pillows were to-die for and I'm going to check to see if I can order them for home. The bed was very comfortable. It was also nice to have On-demand television for those times when we needed a little break and spent time in our cabin relaxing. It was also wonderful to sit out on the verandah with a cup of coffee and a book. Side note ~ minor criticism we have is that the Disney coffee is absolutely horrible!!!!
DINING ~ Our rotation had us in Animator's Palette 3 nights which was great; we had three different shows ~ one of the nights was Pirate Night. All of the restaurants are absolutely fantastic with the themes; Disney really does it right. As far as the food ~ it was good but nothing to write home about ~ the desserts were good, especially the chocolate lava cake. We did not dine at Palo or Remy.
Cabanas had a nice selection each morning and afternoon, along with the grill area. There is enough of a selection that everyone should be satisfied. What is great is that Disney includes soft drinks for those who like to partake, which is something none of the other cruise lines offer. Frozone offered different ice cream flavors which was a nice change from the standard chocolate and vanilla. Tip ~ get a cup of root beer from the drink station and add vanilla ice cream ~ YUM!!!
Cove Cafe is a wonderful place to cool off and relax with a drink and petite pastry. Very friendly staff. Andre called me Princess the entire trip
.
ACTIVITIES ~ DH and I love to play trivia and participated several time each day. Poolside movies were fun and we played Goofy Golf several times during our cruise. Pirate Night was absolutely wonderful; they have improved on the show and fireworks since our last cruise. The detective games were fun too!
SHOWS ~ What can I say ~ Disney does it right. LOVED< LOVED< LOVED Aladdin; the Genie was hysterical. Wishes and Believe were entertaining as well. We saw Cinderella in the Buena Vista Theatre and the new Avengers movie in the Walt Disney Theatre in Dolby Surround Sound and 3D ~ WOW, felt like we were in the action.
SHIP ~ The ship is absolutely beautiful in all areas. Spotless!!!! The sweeping three story atrium was the hub of activity each evening before dinner with character meet-and-greets and family dance parties. Lots of fun. The adult areas are very nice and for those of us who love our children (grown) but want the peace and quiet of sitting in a chair with a tropical drink and breezes, and just watching the ocean it was perfect.
SHOPS ~ We are not shoppers but we did peruse the shops. We were celebrating our 15 year Wedding Anniversary and DH bought me the Disney Parks Exclusive Pandora bracelet (can only be purchased at the Disney parks or on the Disney ships) ~ it has Cinderella Castle on the clasp. Perfect for a Disnerd like me!!!!! We also purchased the Disney Cruise Ship charm which is exclusive to the four Disney ships ~ what a wonderful way to remember our cruise!!!!!
CAST MEMBERS ~ Everyone was friendly and many engaged us in conversation. Officers were very visible throughout the cruise. Our dining team, Martin and Rex were absolutely phenomenal!!!!! Service was top notch and they were very friendly and entertaining ~ had lots of thinking games for us each night. Brought out additional items for us to sample and always had great recommendations from the menu.
PORTS OF CALL ~ We don't usually do excursions; we prefer to explore on our own. Not beach people either; very sun-sensitive.
We weren't too impressed with St. Thomas just off the ship. There were many recognizable stores but the area itself was a bit run down. We could have taken a taxi into "town" but I'm told it's mostly shopping there; not big shoppers either.
Puerto Rico was great! We walked to the forts and did self tours. The views were breathtaking. Loved walking among the shops of Old San Juan. Very colorful, vibrant place.
Castaway Cay ~ again, what can you say? Disney does it right, this place is beautiful. We spent hours at Serenity Bay and the water was perfect. Didn't have any problems finding lounge chairs. Minor criticism here is that the burgers were very overcooked at Cookies Two, but hey, there are other options.
DEBARKATAION ~ We had a 12:30 flight so rather than eating in the dining room we just grabbed a quick bit at Cabanas and then went to the terminal to collect our luggage. Again, flawless process ~ luggage was easy find and they have plenty of porters if you need help. Customs was a quick process and we were out the door to the Disney Cruise Line bus back to the Orlando Airport. We were only on the bus for about 15 minutes until the luggage area was full and then we were on our way.
We had a wonderful, magical cruise and can't wait to go again!!!
Bell services took care of the luggage and we boarded the Disney Cruise Line Motor Coach at 11:30 a.m. for the drive to Port Canaveral. What a site to see the Fantasy at dock!!!
EMBARKATION ~ We entered the terminal, went through security screening, and up to check-in. We were able to use the Castaway Club check-in line and were immediately called to one of the cast members. It took a total of less than 10 minutes from walking into the terminal, going through security, getting our Key to the World Cards, and walking through those great big Mickey ears and being introduced to the rest of the guests. We were able to go immediately to our cabin and drop of our carry-on item and then headed up to Cabanas for a bit of lunch.
CABIN ~ We were in cabin 8028, a forward verandah cabin, port side. There was plenty of room for the two of us. Love that you can store luggage under the bed and we had no problem with storing our clothes. Our cabin steward was Richard. He kept the cabin spotless and always stocked with toiletries. Each evening we found a different towel (sometimes used our blanket) animal; he was very creative. Not sure what type of bedding they use but the pillows were to-die for and I'm going to check to see if I can order them for home. The bed was very comfortable. It was also nice to have On-demand television for those times when we needed a little break and spent time in our cabin relaxing. It was also wonderful to sit out on the verandah with a cup of coffee and a book. Side note ~ minor criticism we have is that the Disney coffee is absolutely horrible!!!!
DINING ~ Our rotation had us in Animator's Palette 3 nights which was great; we had three different shows ~ one of the nights was Pirate Night. All of the restaurants are absolutely fantastic with the themes; Disney really does it right. As far as the food ~ it was good but nothing to write home about ~ the desserts were good, especially the chocolate lava cake. We did not dine at Palo or Remy.
Cabanas had a nice selection each morning and afternoon, along with the grill area. There is enough of a selection that everyone should be satisfied. What is great is that Disney includes soft drinks for those who like to partake, which is something none of the other cruise lines offer. Frozone offered different ice cream flavors which was a nice change from the standard chocolate and vanilla. Tip ~ get a cup of root beer from the drink station and add vanilla ice cream ~ YUM!!!
Cove Cafe is a wonderful place to cool off and relax with a drink and petite pastry. Very friendly staff. Andre called me Princess the entire trip
.ACTIVITIES ~ DH and I love to play trivia and participated several time each day. Poolside movies were fun and we played Goofy Golf several times during our cruise. Pirate Night was absolutely wonderful; they have improved on the show and fireworks since our last cruise. The detective games were fun too!
SHOWS ~ What can I say ~ Disney does it right. LOVED< LOVED< LOVED Aladdin; the Genie was hysterical. Wishes and Believe were entertaining as well. We saw Cinderella in the Buena Vista Theatre and the new Avengers movie in the Walt Disney Theatre in Dolby Surround Sound and 3D ~ WOW, felt like we were in the action.
SHIP ~ The ship is absolutely beautiful in all areas. Spotless!!!! The sweeping three story atrium was the hub of activity each evening before dinner with character meet-and-greets and family dance parties. Lots of fun. The adult areas are very nice and for those of us who love our children (grown) but want the peace and quiet of sitting in a chair with a tropical drink and breezes, and just watching the ocean it was perfect.
SHOPS ~ We are not shoppers but we did peruse the shops. We were celebrating our 15 year Wedding Anniversary and DH bought me the Disney Parks Exclusive Pandora bracelet (can only be purchased at the Disney parks or on the Disney ships) ~ it has Cinderella Castle on the clasp. Perfect for a Disnerd like me!!!!! We also purchased the Disney Cruise Ship charm which is exclusive to the four Disney ships ~ what a wonderful way to remember our cruise!!!!!
CAST MEMBERS ~ Everyone was friendly and many engaged us in conversation. Officers were very visible throughout the cruise. Our dining team, Martin and Rex were absolutely phenomenal!!!!! Service was top notch and they were very friendly and entertaining ~ had lots of thinking games for us each night. Brought out additional items for us to sample and always had great recommendations from the menu.
PORTS OF CALL ~ We don't usually do excursions; we prefer to explore on our own. Not beach people either; very sun-sensitive.
We weren't too impressed with St. Thomas just off the ship. There were many recognizable stores but the area itself was a bit run down. We could have taken a taxi into "town" but I'm told it's mostly shopping there; not big shoppers either.
Puerto Rico was great! We walked to the forts and did self tours. The views were breathtaking. Loved walking among the shops of Old San Juan. Very colorful, vibrant place.
Castaway Cay ~ again, what can you say? Disney does it right, this place is beautiful. We spent hours at Serenity Bay and the water was perfect. Didn't have any problems finding lounge chairs. Minor criticism here is that the burgers were very overcooked at Cookies Two, but hey, there are other options.
DEBARKATAION ~ We had a 12:30 flight so rather than eating in the dining room we just grabbed a quick bit at Cabanas and then went to the terminal to collect our luggage. Again, flawless process ~ luggage was easy find and they have plenty of porters if you need help. Customs was a quick process and we were out the door to the Disney Cruise Line bus back to the Orlando Airport. We were only on the bus for about 15 minutes until the luggage area was full and then we were on our way.
We had a wonderful, magical cruise and can't wait to go again!!!
