"Family Fun" onboard?

[Familyof6]

Does anyone know what special activities there will be on the 4-day cruises that will have the editors of "Family Fun" Magazine onboard? I don't know where to look to find out about the activities. The FF website just says there will be activities...but what, it doesn't say. Just curious, as we are schedule to sail during one of these cruises. (strictly coincidental--but I love the magazine!) Oh, and I have 4 kids, ages 11, 9, 6 and 2.

Thanks,
Lisa

 

[daltonsdodisney]

Hi! We might be on that same cruise! It's the May 26 and I have 2 daughters, 8 and 6. Anyway, I've been trying to get some info about that too and remember seeing a list of activities somewhere. Try the Disney.com site, go to the cruise section, and somewhere under current events, specials, etc.. you'll see family fun. I think some info might be listed there.

 

[Familyof6]

Daltons,
Sorry but we are on the 19-23 May sailing of the Wonder. It would be so perfect if we were sailing together. My (soon to be) 9yr and my 6 yr old are girls! They would have had "friends" before they even got onboard. Too bad.
Thanks for the info. I haven't checked it out yet. If you find anything, will you let me know? You can either pm me or email me at LLLisaT@aol.com.
Thanks,
Lisa

 

[Michelle]

The only information I've seen is there will be workshops and activities led by FamilyFun editors. Programs will include "Weird Science" where you can learn to make electric cereal, "Creating
the Perfect Beach Party" and "Make Mom Queen for a Day" where kids can make homemade spa treatments just for mom.

Workshops are open to all guests aboard the May 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2002 sailings on the Disney Wonder.

Hope you all have fun!

 

[ErinC]

We will be on the Wonder with you. Me , DH, and DD that will turn 6 on the 24th, and DD 2. I don't know how much time she will spend in the club since my 2 year old can't go with her. But maybe we will run into each other. We (or at least me) are getting so excited about this trip. I love FF magazine so I am excited about the extra activities. Erin

 

[Familyof6]

Erin,
Nice to find someone else on our cruise. I'm not sure how my little Erin will do in the clubs...or the older kids for that matter. They are all pretty shy. I hope the FF activities work out to be really "Family Fun"! That's what this whole trip is all about!

Lisa

 

[ErinC]

Lisa,
When I was little there were no other Erin's. (At least it seemed) Now it seems to be a little more common. I suspect our kids will be with us most of our trip. I think that the almost 6 year old DD would go to the clubs if her sister could go with her, but since that isn't possible I don't know how much time they will even go, which is fine with me. We are not planning on doing Palo's and if we do the spa, we can alternate times for me and DH to go so that someone will be with the kids. Maybe we will run into you on the ship. I have given lots of thought to what we will do at each port, but have decided on nothing. Have you found any family friendly, with small children activities that interest you? I have read tons of posts about stuff in Nassau, but I just don't know what to choose. Erin

 

[Familyof6]

Erin,
We are not planning on booking Palo's either. I just don't think it would work out...at least one out of the 4 kids would end up messing up our ressies, I'm sure.
As for excursions, I plan on staying on the ship in Nassau except for maybe a short walk out to look at the straw market area. (and probably not even that) I have booked us all for the Dolphin Close Encounter in Freeport...on my own. It's cheaper and they will allow my 2 yr old to go in the water with us if she wants. (under 6 is free) I called UNEXSO directly and booked the 1:30 encounter. Other than that, we don't plan on participating in excursions.
I do plan on getting at least one appt for the spa for both of us, plus the suriel (sp) bath. As you said, one can be with the kids while the other gets to relax.
Maybe if we can get our 6 yr olds together, they can enjoy the club together. Each of my kids will end up in a different group, without a sibling. We should plan something when the trip gets closer.


Lisa

 

[ErinC]

Where did you get the info on the Dolphin Encounter? I hadn't given it much thought because I didn't think a two year old could go. It sounds like something we might want to do. I'm still thinking about whether or not to go to Atlantis on our own in Nassau. I think the kids would enjoy the aquariums. Erin

 

[Familyof6]

Erin,
I got my Dolphin Encounter info from Girl Scout Troop 37. Here is an excerpt from their trip report.

"Day 4 – June 6th – Freeport

Awoke rather late (9:00 a.m.) and went to Beach Blanket Buffet for breakfast with all the girls. Today we had planned the dolphin encounter in Freeport. We did not book this excursion through the ship but rather booked privately on our own before we left to save $$$. The ship excursion is $75.00 and we paid $45.00 plus $8.00 for cab fare, or a total of $53.00. Weather was absolutely gorgeous and we were excited for this event. Went into Freeport immediately after breakfast and did some shopping. The environment in Freeport is much different than Nassau. It is more picturesque and cleaner than Nassau. I believe the main difference is that Nassau is where the people live and Freeport was built specifically for the tourist industry. More tropical than Nassau and probably what most people picture in their minds. However, I did enjoy Nassau more as it was more real. I am into real culture but for those who like cleanliness, Freeport is definitely much nicer.

Anyway, our dolphin excursion was from 1:00-3:00. We all boarded a boat and we had the most beautiful ride to Sanctuary Bay. The boat ride over and back was just as nice as the dolphin encounter itself and was well worth our $45.00 fee. 20 of us did this excursion and everyone in our party loved it. We spoke with people who did the actual swim which is 4 times the price and other than the fact that they were in the water with the dolphins a little longer than us and held onto their fins, I think we had the exact same experience. This encounter comes highly recommended to everyone and if you can do it, don’t miss it. We took our own waterproof cameras and never felt like we were in a photo shoot. They have one photographer there but he never once asked us to pose for a picture which we loved. It was a top quality day and the ride back to Freeport was delightful. They had a motor boat and were taking the dolphins for a walk and it was fabulous to see them in the wild swimming and jumping. A great educational time was had by all."

You can read the entire report where Pam (the leader) answers many of my questions about booking this excursion on my own. Just do a search for Girl Scout troop 37 (partial name search) and search the cruise boards. It should be the first result you get...their trip report. It's a wonderful report...very touching.

Let me know if you need any more info. If you'd prefer, you can email me at: LLLisaT@aol.com

Lisa