Though not a full trip report, I had sent this feedback to our travel agent upon our return and thought I would share the highlights of our "wonder"ful trip on the Disney Cruise Line. We were first time cruisers and our expectations were exceeded at every turn.
We have two daughters, age 9 and 7 and we are both in our early 40s. So, here you go...
--The Residence Inn at Port Canaveral is a great pre-cruise lodging option. The place is spotless and the rooms are very nice. We like staying in suites as having a separate bedroom from the girls just works better for us. They have a fantastic breakfast each morning and Mondays-Wednesdays they have receptions in the lobby with complimentary appetizers, soda, beer, and wine. On Wednesdays, they have a great barbecue where the manager of the hotel grills cheeseburgers for all the guests. We didn't even have to go out for dinner on the two nites we stayed there. The pool is heated and is a very nice size for keeping track of the kids. Very quiet at nite as well.
--We got to the port at 10:30 AM on Thursday right when it opened and got checked in without waiting in much of a line. We were the second group to board. We had the girls change into their suits just before boarding and headed to the pools! The girls were the first ones in the Mickey and Goofy pools! We have some great pictures of them there...the ship looks empty! It was a lot of fun. We had lunch by the pool...it was a great start to the trip. We headed to the room around 3 PM and all our bags were already there. It was nice to get unpacked so early in the trip.
--Early dining. Originally we were assigned late dining and we were concerned about it as our girls are usually fast asleep by 8:30. I had read in the Navigator while waiting to board that we could request changes to the dining times by going to WaveBands at 1 PM. I was the first one there and spoke to the manager who said nothing was open, but he would call around 4:30 that day and let us know. Sure enough, there were able to change us from late dining. It worked out great for us to eat first and go to the later show. I think we would have had a very different experience had we kept the late dining time.
--The shows. We were all so impressed by the shows. The Golden Mickeys were alot of fun. I had heard mixed reviews about Toy Story, but all of us loved that show. We were in the front row and I was laughing so hard at the Sid character. She cracked me up. It's funny because we talked to some other couples the next day who said they really liked the show...especially the guy in the front who was laughing so loudly. And, Disney Dreams...wow! When it snowed in the theater, I thought the girls were going to lose it. Then when Tinkerbell sprinkled pixie dust on the boat and the ceiling sparkled and to top it off, fireworks on the stage! It was such a great experience.
--Castaway Cay. It's really impossible to describe how nice the place is. It's just how you picture a tropical paradise. We had fantastic weather...in the mid 80s with no clouds. My wife was so "Jacked" to hear that Captain Jack was going to be there! The guy was spot-on. His mannerisms, his look, his voice, etc. He creeped the girls out, but my wife was thrilled to meet him. He didn't seem to like guys, so I made a point of crowding him during the picture...he even ran away from me at one point. It was funny. The girls made a couple of friends on the beach and spent the entire day in the water. They youngest managed a nap in he hammock right before lunch. It was so peaceful. And, I finally parasailed. Something I have wanted to do for a few years. It was very cool!
--The staff. All of the staff that attended to us were great. Our servers were so personable. It was really neat to have the same ones each nite. They got to know us and we got to learn about them. It made the dinners that much more pleasant. Our room host always had a smile on his face and made sure that our room was always in order. Each morning it looked like a hurricane went through and when we returned to get ready for dinner it looked like we just checked in. Wow!
--The food. There sure is a lot of food! And, so good. Every night was different and the girls really liked being in a "fancy restaurant". It was really fun to get dressed up and go out so to speak. Most of the time the girls ordered from the adult menu and enjoyed being able to try so many new things. Turns out that the oldest daughter is a big fan of escargot. Who knew? It was so fun to see the looks on their faces when the meals appeared. I can only imagine they felt like royalty! Most of the time we ate lunch by the pool and had breakfast at the buffet. It worked out very well for us.
--The verandah room. We loved the extra space. Each morning we ordered some pastries, coffee, and juice from room service to be delivered around 7:30 AM. Then we sat on the verandah and looked at the ports and enjoyed the peacefulness of it all. I can't imagine having a room without one. Guess we're spoiled now! It was so cool to sit out there at night and listen to the ocean. Our girls couldn't make it up for the Pirate Party, but luck was with us on this trip as the fireworks were shot off on our side of the boat. We had a breathtaking view of them from our verandah. My wife and I enjoyed them while the girls slept. It was very cool.
I really can't imagine a better trip. The weather was picture perfect every day and the entire experience left us wanting more. There is only so much time in a day and there were many things we would have liked to do, but just didn't have the time.
Looking forward to the next Disney Cruise and going to more places we've only dreamed of!
We have two daughters, age 9 and 7 and we are both in our early 40s. So, here you go...
--The Residence Inn at Port Canaveral is a great pre-cruise lodging option. The place is spotless and the rooms are very nice. We like staying in suites as having a separate bedroom from the girls just works better for us. They have a fantastic breakfast each morning and Mondays-Wednesdays they have receptions in the lobby with complimentary appetizers, soda, beer, and wine. On Wednesdays, they have a great barbecue where the manager of the hotel grills cheeseburgers for all the guests. We didn't even have to go out for dinner on the two nites we stayed there. The pool is heated and is a very nice size for keeping track of the kids. Very quiet at nite as well.
--We got to the port at 10:30 AM on Thursday right when it opened and got checked in without waiting in much of a line. We were the second group to board. We had the girls change into their suits just before boarding and headed to the pools! The girls were the first ones in the Mickey and Goofy pools! We have some great pictures of them there...the ship looks empty! It was a lot of fun. We had lunch by the pool...it was a great start to the trip. We headed to the room around 3 PM and all our bags were already there. It was nice to get unpacked so early in the trip.
--Early dining. Originally we were assigned late dining and we were concerned about it as our girls are usually fast asleep by 8:30. I had read in the Navigator while waiting to board that we could request changes to the dining times by going to WaveBands at 1 PM. I was the first one there and spoke to the manager who said nothing was open, but he would call around 4:30 that day and let us know. Sure enough, there were able to change us from late dining. It worked out great for us to eat first and go to the later show. I think we would have had a very different experience had we kept the late dining time.
--The shows. We were all so impressed by the shows. The Golden Mickeys were alot of fun. I had heard mixed reviews about Toy Story, but all of us loved that show. We were in the front row and I was laughing so hard at the Sid character. She cracked me up. It's funny because we talked to some other couples the next day who said they really liked the show...especially the guy in the front who was laughing so loudly. And, Disney Dreams...wow! When it snowed in the theater, I thought the girls were going to lose it. Then when Tinkerbell sprinkled pixie dust on the boat and the ceiling sparkled and to top it off, fireworks on the stage! It was such a great experience.
--Castaway Cay. It's really impossible to describe how nice the place is. It's just how you picture a tropical paradise. We had fantastic weather...in the mid 80s with no clouds. My wife was so "Jacked" to hear that Captain Jack was going to be there! The guy was spot-on. His mannerisms, his look, his voice, etc. He creeped the girls out, but my wife was thrilled to meet him. He didn't seem to like guys, so I made a point of crowding him during the picture...he even ran away from me at one point. It was funny. The girls made a couple of friends on the beach and spent the entire day in the water. They youngest managed a nap in he hammock right before lunch. It was so peaceful. And, I finally parasailed. Something I have wanted to do for a few years. It was very cool!
--The staff. All of the staff that attended to us were great. Our servers were so personable. It was really neat to have the same ones each nite. They got to know us and we got to learn about them. It made the dinners that much more pleasant. Our room host always had a smile on his face and made sure that our room was always in order. Each morning it looked like a hurricane went through and when we returned to get ready for dinner it looked like we just checked in. Wow!
--The food. There sure is a lot of food! And, so good. Every night was different and the girls really liked being in a "fancy restaurant". It was really fun to get dressed up and go out so to speak. Most of the time the girls ordered from the adult menu and enjoyed being able to try so many new things. Turns out that the oldest daughter is a big fan of escargot. Who knew? It was so fun to see the looks on their faces when the meals appeared. I can only imagine they felt like royalty! Most of the time we ate lunch by the pool and had breakfast at the buffet. It worked out very well for us.
--The verandah room. We loved the extra space. Each morning we ordered some pastries, coffee, and juice from room service to be delivered around 7:30 AM. Then we sat on the verandah and looked at the ports and enjoyed the peacefulness of it all. I can't imagine having a room without one. Guess we're spoiled now! It was so cool to sit out there at night and listen to the ocean. Our girls couldn't make it up for the Pirate Party, but luck was with us on this trip as the fireworks were shot off on our side of the boat. We had a breathtaking view of them from our verandah. My wife and I enjoyed them while the girls slept. It was very cool.
I really can't imagine a better trip. The weather was picture perfect every day and the entire experience left us wanting more. There is only so much time in a day and there were many things we would have liked to do, but just didn't have the time.
Looking forward to the next Disney Cruise and going to more places we've only dreamed of!
