Day 1
Cast: me , DW, DD(15), DD(11). Our second Disney Cruise, having been on the Magic in March 2009, qualifying us as Silver Castaway Club members! With my mom living in Florida much of the year, we get to WDW once or twice a year, and we joined DVC two years ago while on the Magic. So, were loyal the Disney brand.
Certainly the information on these boards has been very helpful, and I very much appreciate much of the advice and information posted. Most information on these boards is constructive and helpful. But, after cruising the Magic two years ago, I realized that there are some posts on these boards that are a bit over the top, as we did not experience much of the angst and drama that some folks post.
But, a dose of perspective is in order: as Im boarding the cruise ship, I realize that folks in Japan are living in shelters, happy just to have water to drink, hoping for nothing worse to happen to them. Unemployment is near 10%. I consider ourselves fortunate to even be on a cruise something that a large portion of the population will never experience, even in better economic times. And, its vacation, time to relax. Sure, we all spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars on a cruise like this, so we should have expectations to get good value for our money. Yet, occasionally, Ill see a post here where apparently someones cruise was ruined because the cookies were too hot/cold, or too soft/hard, or perhaps it took a few extra minutes for a server to fill your drink at dinner (Im exaggerating here, but I think we all get the idea). We spend more for a Disney Cruise than other cruise lines, and if Disney doesnt deliver, the market will self-correct; people will not be willing to pay the extra money theyll go to the less expensive cruise lines. But, theres good reason that Disney does not offer deep discounts to fill the ships, like other cruise lines do they dont need to.
OK. Time to get off my soapbox, and get this TR started. Hopefully my TR is helpful to future cruisers, and a way of paying back for the information Ive gained on these boards. Ill attempt to be more constructive, than critical, but certainly there are always opportunities to make a great product even better.
We drove a rental car from my moms house in northern Sarasota, leaving around 9:30 am, and arrived at the port around noon. On our last cruise on the Magic I dropped the car off at the rental car company in Port Canaveral, and rode their shuttle to the port. This time, the cost of the one-way rental car drop fee plus reducing rental period less than a week, made it about the same cost as paying $15 day parking fee. Plus, it was a lot less hassle than taking the shuttle back and forth, etc.
There were plenty of CMs there to direct us where to drop of luggage, park the car, enter the port, etc. We unloaded the car, and DW parked the car in the garage while the rest of us went through security and into the terminal (I had all the paperwork). I filled out the health survey in just a few minutes, and took it to with us to the Castaway Club line (what happens if you check yes on any of those items?). DW met us in line just about the time we stepped up to the counter. Id say we waited in line about 10 minutes; we were given boarding group #9, and I could hear that they were already announcing groups 1-6 as we were checking in. Once checked in, we still had a couple boarding groups in front of us, so we waited about 15 minutes to get a group picture with Minnie. Our boarding group was announced as we were getting our picture with Minnie, so we walked through the crowd to board. I wish people would stand away from the boarding area so people could get through. We got the optional boarding picture taken as we walked on board, probably a 5 min wait, and were on the ship, and on our way to lunch, sitting in Cabanas by 1:00pm. So, about one hour to drop luggage, park car, go through security, check-in, pictures, etc. none of the horror stories occasionally posted on these boards. I guess if you get to the terminal too early, the line is going to queue up, since theres no movement through the various stages.
Cabanas was fine, but a bit congested and we didnt understand that the CMs seat you at a table. We picked out our own and sat down, but then realized that CMs were seating people. Oops. And, I dont know what it is, but the flow in Cabanas is a bit chaotic, and seating is very tight. Not a big deal this is vacation. Well go with the flow. In some respect, I think I would be just as happy getting a couple slices of pizza or a burger on deck eleven, rather than the more formal food offered in Cabanas at lunch. Food was great, but perhaps just more than what I need for lunch.
By the time we were done with lunch, our stateroom was available. We were in 7060, a Deluxe Family Stateroom, near midship, with a Verandah. The room was very similar to what we had on the Magic, other than the Verandah. DVC automatically (automagically?) found our room, as there was as DVC magnet on our door. Our cabin stewards, Keri, met us as we walked in the cabin, and showed us how to open the verandah door. We should have had him show us how to set the alarm clock we couldnt figure that out on our own. We left the room to explore the ship a bit, sat around the pool and the kids rode the Aquaduck (about 20 min wait). It was a beautiful day, with temperatures in the high 70s, sunny, a slight breeze. As the afternoon progressed the pools got very crowded.
DW and I went to the DVC members meeting. We didnt win anything but got one of the DVC bags, which doubled as a trick-or-treat bag during each night to stop by the DVC desk to get a small item. They gave out DVC lanyards and hats at the meeting. If someone is interested in the deals offered, I can probably find the paper and list the deals in another post. The kids each checked out their clubs for a few minutes. DD11 was in the edge, ages 11-13. DD15 was in the Vibe, ages 14-17. One of the counselors in teh edge was a counselor on the Magic two years ago. Ill post some thoughts on the clubs later, but again, some folks on these boards get way to uptight about the clubs, whether they can move their kids up or down to another, etc.
The Sailaway party was later in the afternoon; we stayed on deck 12, and shortly after the party the shipped pulled away. Its fun to see all the people at the restaurants waving as the ship goes by about as close to what you might remember from the old Loveboat series as youre going to get (probably just lost those of you under 35). Then it was about time to get ready for 5:45 main seating dinner, unpacking luggage a bit before dinner. We were originally scheduled for late seating, but our wonderful travel agent (Merrie at Dreams Unlimited) put us on a wait list for early, which came through just a couple weeks before the cruise. It was great not to have to make this change on this ship.
Our dinner rotation was EG, RP, AP, AP. We got to dinner closer to 6:00, than 5:45. Constantin, from Romania, was our server, and he was assisted by a substitute for the evening (whose name I cant remember). Very nice guys, and very helpful. Our regular assistant server was off, ill that day; our substitute was actually a server in Palo. Service was a little slow tonight, but not a huge problem. Were on vacation, relaxed, we have time; we dont need to be anywhere until the 8:30 show. We had a table for four, back in the corner so couldnt see much of the rest of the restaurant. But, I cant complain we have our early seating request! I think we wrapped up dinner around 7:40, maybe a little earlier than that.
The seas got a little rough during dinner, but not horrible. I didnt see a report on the seas, but my guess is we had 4-6 foot waves; moderate, but not bad. I didnt see anyone getting sick. The captain mentioned that the seas would smooth out later in the evening once we got through the gulfstream. The ship had much sea to cover from Port Canaveral to Nassau, so the ship was moving the fastest of the entire cruise that night, perhaps adding a bit to the motion. Again, not a big deal for any of us.
We stopped by the shops before entering the WD Theater around 8:00 to get a seat for the Golden Mickeys. We sat on the lower level, towards the back where the seating tiers more, making it easier to see over the people in front of us. After about 8:15 seating is going to be limited to the sides, near the back, and it could get difficult to keep a large party together. Curtains were swaying side-to-side pretty good due to the seas. The show was great; we had seen this show on the Magic two years ago. Its full of Disney characters, singing, dancing, a light storyline, etc. a great way to start the entertainment on a Disney Cruise. The show was over about 9:30, and cruise director Ray dismissed us from the theater, telling us about our upcoming day in Nassau, and expectation of calmer seas later in the evening.
We went back to the room to finish unpacking, with plenty of room to store suitcases under the bed.
DW and I went to D-lounge to see Match-your-Mate, and the kids went to their clubs (Edge and Vibe). Match-your-Mate was fun, but most of the questions were the same as what we had seen on the Magic. There are a few risqué questions, but still within Disney standards probably PG, at worse (even though all adult audience). We all met back at the cabin around 11:30-12:00 to call it a day. Were starting to make the transition to vacation mode, and shedding some stress. Tomorrow is Nassau.
End of day 1.
Cast: me , DW, DD(15), DD(11). Our second Disney Cruise, having been on the Magic in March 2009, qualifying us as Silver Castaway Club members! With my mom living in Florida much of the year, we get to WDW once or twice a year, and we joined DVC two years ago while on the Magic. So, were loyal the Disney brand.
Certainly the information on these boards has been very helpful, and I very much appreciate much of the advice and information posted. Most information on these boards is constructive and helpful. But, after cruising the Magic two years ago, I realized that there are some posts on these boards that are a bit over the top, as we did not experience much of the angst and drama that some folks post.
But, a dose of perspective is in order: as Im boarding the cruise ship, I realize that folks in Japan are living in shelters, happy just to have water to drink, hoping for nothing worse to happen to them. Unemployment is near 10%. I consider ourselves fortunate to even be on a cruise something that a large portion of the population will never experience, even in better economic times. And, its vacation, time to relax. Sure, we all spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars on a cruise like this, so we should have expectations to get good value for our money. Yet, occasionally, Ill see a post here where apparently someones cruise was ruined because the cookies were too hot/cold, or too soft/hard, or perhaps it took a few extra minutes for a server to fill your drink at dinner (Im exaggerating here, but I think we all get the idea). We spend more for a Disney Cruise than other cruise lines, and if Disney doesnt deliver, the market will self-correct; people will not be willing to pay the extra money theyll go to the less expensive cruise lines. But, theres good reason that Disney does not offer deep discounts to fill the ships, like other cruise lines do they dont need to.
OK. Time to get off my soapbox, and get this TR started. Hopefully my TR is helpful to future cruisers, and a way of paying back for the information Ive gained on these boards. Ill attempt to be more constructive, than critical, but certainly there are always opportunities to make a great product even better.
We drove a rental car from my moms house in northern Sarasota, leaving around 9:30 am, and arrived at the port around noon. On our last cruise on the Magic I dropped the car off at the rental car company in Port Canaveral, and rode their shuttle to the port. This time, the cost of the one-way rental car drop fee plus reducing rental period less than a week, made it about the same cost as paying $15 day parking fee. Plus, it was a lot less hassle than taking the shuttle back and forth, etc.
There were plenty of CMs there to direct us where to drop of luggage, park the car, enter the port, etc. We unloaded the car, and DW parked the car in the garage while the rest of us went through security and into the terminal (I had all the paperwork). I filled out the health survey in just a few minutes, and took it to with us to the Castaway Club line (what happens if you check yes on any of those items?). DW met us in line just about the time we stepped up to the counter. Id say we waited in line about 10 minutes; we were given boarding group #9, and I could hear that they were already announcing groups 1-6 as we were checking in. Once checked in, we still had a couple boarding groups in front of us, so we waited about 15 minutes to get a group picture with Minnie. Our boarding group was announced as we were getting our picture with Minnie, so we walked through the crowd to board. I wish people would stand away from the boarding area so people could get through. We got the optional boarding picture taken as we walked on board, probably a 5 min wait, and were on the ship, and on our way to lunch, sitting in Cabanas by 1:00pm. So, about one hour to drop luggage, park car, go through security, check-in, pictures, etc. none of the horror stories occasionally posted on these boards. I guess if you get to the terminal too early, the line is going to queue up, since theres no movement through the various stages.
Cabanas was fine, but a bit congested and we didnt understand that the CMs seat you at a table. We picked out our own and sat down, but then realized that CMs were seating people. Oops. And, I dont know what it is, but the flow in Cabanas is a bit chaotic, and seating is very tight. Not a big deal this is vacation. Well go with the flow. In some respect, I think I would be just as happy getting a couple slices of pizza or a burger on deck eleven, rather than the more formal food offered in Cabanas at lunch. Food was great, but perhaps just more than what I need for lunch.
By the time we were done with lunch, our stateroom was available. We were in 7060, a Deluxe Family Stateroom, near midship, with a Verandah. The room was very similar to what we had on the Magic, other than the Verandah. DVC automatically (automagically?) found our room, as there was as DVC magnet on our door. Our cabin stewards, Keri, met us as we walked in the cabin, and showed us how to open the verandah door. We should have had him show us how to set the alarm clock we couldnt figure that out on our own. We left the room to explore the ship a bit, sat around the pool and the kids rode the Aquaduck (about 20 min wait). It was a beautiful day, with temperatures in the high 70s, sunny, a slight breeze. As the afternoon progressed the pools got very crowded.
DW and I went to the DVC members meeting. We didnt win anything but got one of the DVC bags, which doubled as a trick-or-treat bag during each night to stop by the DVC desk to get a small item. They gave out DVC lanyards and hats at the meeting. If someone is interested in the deals offered, I can probably find the paper and list the deals in another post. The kids each checked out their clubs for a few minutes. DD11 was in the edge, ages 11-13. DD15 was in the Vibe, ages 14-17. One of the counselors in teh edge was a counselor on the Magic two years ago. Ill post some thoughts on the clubs later, but again, some folks on these boards get way to uptight about the clubs, whether they can move their kids up or down to another, etc.
The Sailaway party was later in the afternoon; we stayed on deck 12, and shortly after the party the shipped pulled away. Its fun to see all the people at the restaurants waving as the ship goes by about as close to what you might remember from the old Loveboat series as youre going to get (probably just lost those of you under 35). Then it was about time to get ready for 5:45 main seating dinner, unpacking luggage a bit before dinner. We were originally scheduled for late seating, but our wonderful travel agent (Merrie at Dreams Unlimited) put us on a wait list for early, which came through just a couple weeks before the cruise. It was great not to have to make this change on this ship.
Our dinner rotation was EG, RP, AP, AP. We got to dinner closer to 6:00, than 5:45. Constantin, from Romania, was our server, and he was assisted by a substitute for the evening (whose name I cant remember). Very nice guys, and very helpful. Our regular assistant server was off, ill that day; our substitute was actually a server in Palo. Service was a little slow tonight, but not a huge problem. Were on vacation, relaxed, we have time; we dont need to be anywhere until the 8:30 show. We had a table for four, back in the corner so couldnt see much of the rest of the restaurant. But, I cant complain we have our early seating request! I think we wrapped up dinner around 7:40, maybe a little earlier than that.
The seas got a little rough during dinner, but not horrible. I didnt see a report on the seas, but my guess is we had 4-6 foot waves; moderate, but not bad. I didnt see anyone getting sick. The captain mentioned that the seas would smooth out later in the evening once we got through the gulfstream. The ship had much sea to cover from Port Canaveral to Nassau, so the ship was moving the fastest of the entire cruise that night, perhaps adding a bit to the motion. Again, not a big deal for any of us.
We stopped by the shops before entering the WD Theater around 8:00 to get a seat for the Golden Mickeys. We sat on the lower level, towards the back where the seating tiers more, making it easier to see over the people in front of us. After about 8:15 seating is going to be limited to the sides, near the back, and it could get difficult to keep a large party together. Curtains were swaying side-to-side pretty good due to the seas. The show was great; we had seen this show on the Magic two years ago. Its full of Disney characters, singing, dancing, a light storyline, etc. a great way to start the entertainment on a Disney Cruise. The show was over about 9:30, and cruise director Ray dismissed us from the theater, telling us about our upcoming day in Nassau, and expectation of calmer seas later in the evening.
We went back to the room to finish unpacking, with plenty of room to store suitcases under the bed.
DW and I went to D-lounge to see Match-your-Mate, and the kids went to their clubs (Edge and Vibe). Match-your-Mate was fun, but most of the questions were the same as what we had seen on the Magic. There are a few risqué questions, but still within Disney standards probably PG, at worse (even though all adult audience). We all met back at the cabin around 11:30-12:00 to call it a day. Were starting to make the transition to vacation mode, and shedding some stress. Tomorrow is Nassau.
End of day 1.
I have an 11 year old DD who is looking forward to reading your DD's report on Edge. Thanks a bunch!
