oliverweagle
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2005
- Messages
- 75
The family (my mother, father, wife (Doris), son (Noah) and I) flew from Houston to Orlando the day before the cruise departed. At the airport in Orlando were met by FL Tours who were on time and provided a very pleasant limo service to the Doubletree Hotel in Cocoa Beach - we would certainly use this limo service again. We were starved having spent an extra hour and a half on the tarmac in Houston due to thunderstorms, so the five of us immediately headed to the Doubletree's restaurant (the Three Wishes) for something to eat. I don't know what the "Three Wishes" refers to, but my first wish would be that it was a whole lot better - even mediocrity would be a vast improvement "Water?" the server asked. "Its tap water and has chlorine in it. Now, I'm from Jersey, so that doesn't mean a whole lot to me" ... and so it went. Ages later our food arrived. Mother had ordered quesadillas she is a fan of guacamole - however there was none on the plate. "Let me see if we have any - there may have been a delivery" said the waitress. "Well, I was right" said the server when she returned "we did have a delivery, but it is frozen solid - it may be OK tomorrow though!" The quesadillas sadly took second place to the pizza I had ordered from the "wood burning oven" - it arrived but someone had forgotten to cook it! Well, not entirely mind you, the cheese was barely melted but the crust consisted of raw dough atop a thick bed of white flour. I sent it back and asked that it be removed from the bill. "Someone's getting a butt chewing" whispered the waitress confidentially as we departed. We had looked at other hotels and decided that immediacy to the beach would be worth the extra money. Unfortunately it was exceedingly windy so we only managed a brief walk on the beach - however the view was nice from the room. We would not stay at this hotel again even if it was free! That night we headed off to Grills having read so much about the establishment on the DIS forum. We called beforehand as I wanted to be sure the place would be with a 4 year old in tow. We called a cab and when we arrived at Grills, we were told there was a hour and a half wait! That was not in the cards for us, so, upon the recommendation of David the driver, we ate at Florida Seafood. Truly a wonderful experience with excellent food, a "family atmosphere" and a balloon tier extraordinaire! Noah left with a "motorcycle" a "plane" and I with a bright red parrot on my shoulder.
We had set up cab service to the port the night before, and were picked up at 10 AM. We arrived at the port at 10:15 and were in boarding group 2 much to my delight. Disney has their procedures down pat - a very impressive operation indeed ... and the Wonder - what a splendid vessel. We were all enthralled with not only the Disney terminal but with everything associated with it. We boarded and, according to plan, headed straight for the Mickey Pool. The pool was open but the slide would not open for another forty five minutes. Mind you, we did enjoy the pool while it was almost empty. We grabbed some chicken fingers and fries to nibble on (excellent!) and later I ambled downstairs and grazed at the lunch buffet - bringing a well heaped plate back to the rest of the family. At 1:30 we headed to our stateroom which was on deck 7 with a verandah. I had not expected such a lavishly appointed room, and the verandah was initially a delight. It was marred, however, by next door neighbors who who smoked incessantly. The smoke was prevalent on the balcony for much of the trip. I wonder if perhaps Disney could allocate either the port or the starboard side of the ship to smokers? In any event, it did not ruin the trip by any means, however it would certainly be nice to have the "smoke free" option. We relaxed, unpacked at a leisurely pace, and headed off at 3PM to meet ....... our DIS companions. What a treat it was to put faces to names and to meet these folks in person! I must say that the advice shared on the forum as well as the generous suggestions shared by our DIS friends added to the trip immensely. Numerous "nuggets of information" at our fingertips were put to good use consistently. At 4:00 we headed off for the lifeboat drill, and once completed dashed up to deck 9 to secure a table for the sail away party. Something that Disney does not skimp on is ... volume! It was LOUD! Too loud for Noah, do we moved up to deck 10 to get a view of the event. Once again, the generosity of our DIS brethren was evidenced as they politely offered me a prime seat at their table so I could video the party. Behind us the crowd must have been three deep! Still loud on deck 10, so Doris and Noah went back to the cabin and I stayed to enjoy the company of the DISers.
That night we took Noah to the Oceaneer's Club and he was so excited he barely waved goodbye. We then headed up to our first dinner at Palo. We were truly spoiled, for Serena was our wonderful server from Italy. Intelligent, articulate with a sense of humor and excellent listening skills, Serena added to the fare created by the very able kitchen. Palo is well worth a visit and we were glad that we could look forward to enjoying brunch there also.
Day 1 was spent in Nassau, and while Mom and Dad toured the city, Doris Noah and I were off to the Dolphin excursion. Following recommendations from this forum, we brought along a good supply of food handily stowed in Ziploc baggies. This was a fairly long trip - we left the Wonder at 9:30 and returned sometime after 2:00PM. The "water taxi" provided an excellent tour to the dolphin facility - we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to view the exterior of several mansions as the taxi made its way to our destination. We had to dock at the other end of the island due to high waves - however this enabled us to partake in a 20 minute walk and otherwise we would have not seen much of this beautiful island. The scenery was spectacular and the weather perfect. Once we arrived at the Dolphin Encounter, the mass of people were divided into groups of twenty and each began "the Dolphin Experience!" First we attended a safety orientation, and then headed down to the dolphin pens where we had a picture taken with the dolphin giving a "kiss" to one member each family group. Each group of twenty was then divided into two groups of ten, and one group got into the water and stood on a submerged platform while the other group looked on. The trainer had the dolphin swim parallel to the group so all members could touch the dolphin's back. Then the dolphin swam on his back so we could stroke his tummy (Noah's favorite part!) stood on his tail and danced! A fun and entertaining trip and worth the expense (over $250 for the three of us).
That night we went to the Walt Disney theatre and saw "Hercules the Muse-ical." Did I mention earlier that Disney likes VOLUME? I guess the folks in the back could hear! For me, the show was just OK - I had expected a little more. At the show's end, Noah was pleading to go to the Oceaneer's Club which worked out well as we dropped him off and then headed to Tritons for dinner. Sadly our "server team" left much to be desired. Part of the difficulty was that we could barely understand our servers! I don't think we had one verbal exchange that we understood on first pass. To make it more bothersome, the servers relentlessly inquired how we were enjoying the food. When we replied "fine" or "good" they, in turn, would lean in and say "JUST GOOD?" It was as if were were being pressured to say "GREAT!
Day 2 - Castaway Cay. OK - now I know, Castaway Cay lived up to and exceeded everything I had read. The beauty of the island, the azure waters, the tranquility of Serenity Beach and Scuttles Cove for the kids made the island beyond compare. Doris had a Cabana Massage and stated that her massage was the best she had ever had - a special thanks to Natalie who also works at the Vista Spa. We hope she is there for our next cruise. In retrospect, we would easily forgo the "day at sea" for one more day at Castaway Cay.
That night we went to see "The Golden Mickeys" which I thought was a better production than the night before. Once again it was loud! Something that I did not care for was at the beginning of the show, a cast member announced that there was a "rumor" that the ship's Captain was going to host the show. This of course excited the kids who wanted to see the captain, but it turned out just to be a silly ploy whereby, when the Captain could not show, a cast member had to step in and "fill his shoes." Following the show Noah kept his regularly scheduled appointment with "his" club and we headed off to Tritons where nothing had improved. It was just luck of the draw I suppose, for there were tables close by where the guests, and their servers, were having a great time. Tonight was pirate night of course, and we were dressed for the occasion! Doris, being a seamstress, had put her skills to work and has made stunning costumes for all of us. We headed up to the Pirate Party but left to watch the fireworks from our starbord aft cabin. While the display was nice it was exceedingly short - we all had expected a lot more. What was beyond expectation was the towel display that night - two swans around which were strewn red rose petals. I had I had ordered the "Romance Package" (and would do so again) for Doris and I, so now we could look forward to "Breakfast in Bed" in the morning!
Wednesday was the day at sea, and we relaxed excessively! The day began with breakfast delivered by Room Service. We opted for "Breakfast on the Balcony" (the smokers were not out) and spent a leisurely hour while Noah gave us a present of sleeping in also. We thoroughly enjoyed the eggs benedict and champagne, but had to pace ourselves as we had a brunch reservation at Palo to attend at 10:30. Noah, once again, was dispatched to his club, and we met my parents at Palo. Once again, Palo continued to impress. Serena was our server once again and the food was excellent. As others have done before, we requested some drawn butter to accompany the crab It arrived in a little gravy cup - I'm puzzled why the butter warmers powered by votive candles were not used - we will bring our own next time! So full that we could barely move, we waddled downstairs to take a power nap before the it was time for Exotic Rasul. Nuff said - try it!
Later that day we received a call from the manager of Palo who inquired whether we would like to dine there that evening. That was a no brainer for us, and although we missed Animator's Palate, we could not pass up an opportunity to dine there again! A splendid "last supper" was enjoyed by all.
The next morning we departed the Wonder at about 9:30, and the limo was there to take us back to the airport.
And ... next year we will do it again! We booked again whilst onboard to "save" some $
The best tips put to good use: Over the door shoe hanger, extension cord with multiple outlets, duct tape did come in handy (much to my glee) in securing a loose closet door.
We used $2 bills to tip room service which worked well.
We had set up cab service to the port the night before, and were picked up at 10 AM. We arrived at the port at 10:15 and were in boarding group 2 much to my delight. Disney has their procedures down pat - a very impressive operation indeed ... and the Wonder - what a splendid vessel. We were all enthralled with not only the Disney terminal but with everything associated with it. We boarded and, according to plan, headed straight for the Mickey Pool. The pool was open but the slide would not open for another forty five minutes. Mind you, we did enjoy the pool while it was almost empty. We grabbed some chicken fingers and fries to nibble on (excellent!) and later I ambled downstairs and grazed at the lunch buffet - bringing a well heaped plate back to the rest of the family. At 1:30 we headed to our stateroom which was on deck 7 with a verandah. I had not expected such a lavishly appointed room, and the verandah was initially a delight. It was marred, however, by next door neighbors who who smoked incessantly. The smoke was prevalent on the balcony for much of the trip. I wonder if perhaps Disney could allocate either the port or the starboard side of the ship to smokers? In any event, it did not ruin the trip by any means, however it would certainly be nice to have the "smoke free" option. We relaxed, unpacked at a leisurely pace, and headed off at 3PM to meet ....... our DIS companions. What a treat it was to put faces to names and to meet these folks in person! I must say that the advice shared on the forum as well as the generous suggestions shared by our DIS friends added to the trip immensely. Numerous "nuggets of information" at our fingertips were put to good use consistently. At 4:00 we headed off for the lifeboat drill, and once completed dashed up to deck 9 to secure a table for the sail away party. Something that Disney does not skimp on is ... volume! It was LOUD! Too loud for Noah, do we moved up to deck 10 to get a view of the event. Once again, the generosity of our DIS brethren was evidenced as they politely offered me a prime seat at their table so I could video the party. Behind us the crowd must have been three deep! Still loud on deck 10, so Doris and Noah went back to the cabin and I stayed to enjoy the company of the DISers.
That night we took Noah to the Oceaneer's Club and he was so excited he barely waved goodbye. We then headed up to our first dinner at Palo. We were truly spoiled, for Serena was our wonderful server from Italy. Intelligent, articulate with a sense of humor and excellent listening skills, Serena added to the fare created by the very able kitchen. Palo is well worth a visit and we were glad that we could look forward to enjoying brunch there also.
Day 1 was spent in Nassau, and while Mom and Dad toured the city, Doris Noah and I were off to the Dolphin excursion. Following recommendations from this forum, we brought along a good supply of food handily stowed in Ziploc baggies. This was a fairly long trip - we left the Wonder at 9:30 and returned sometime after 2:00PM. The "water taxi" provided an excellent tour to the dolphin facility - we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to view the exterior of several mansions as the taxi made its way to our destination. We had to dock at the other end of the island due to high waves - however this enabled us to partake in a 20 minute walk and otherwise we would have not seen much of this beautiful island. The scenery was spectacular and the weather perfect. Once we arrived at the Dolphin Encounter, the mass of people were divided into groups of twenty and each began "the Dolphin Experience!" First we attended a safety orientation, and then headed down to the dolphin pens where we had a picture taken with the dolphin giving a "kiss" to one member each family group. Each group of twenty was then divided into two groups of ten, and one group got into the water and stood on a submerged platform while the other group looked on. The trainer had the dolphin swim parallel to the group so all members could touch the dolphin's back. Then the dolphin swam on his back so we could stroke his tummy (Noah's favorite part!) stood on his tail and danced! A fun and entertaining trip and worth the expense (over $250 for the three of us).
That night we went to the Walt Disney theatre and saw "Hercules the Muse-ical." Did I mention earlier that Disney likes VOLUME? I guess the folks in the back could hear! For me, the show was just OK - I had expected a little more. At the show's end, Noah was pleading to go to the Oceaneer's Club which worked out well as we dropped him off and then headed to Tritons for dinner. Sadly our "server team" left much to be desired. Part of the difficulty was that we could barely understand our servers! I don't think we had one verbal exchange that we understood on first pass. To make it more bothersome, the servers relentlessly inquired how we were enjoying the food. When we replied "fine" or "good" they, in turn, would lean in and say "JUST GOOD?" It was as if were were being pressured to say "GREAT!
Day 2 - Castaway Cay. OK - now I know, Castaway Cay lived up to and exceeded everything I had read. The beauty of the island, the azure waters, the tranquility of Serenity Beach and Scuttles Cove for the kids made the island beyond compare. Doris had a Cabana Massage and stated that her massage was the best she had ever had - a special thanks to Natalie who also works at the Vista Spa. We hope she is there for our next cruise. In retrospect, we would easily forgo the "day at sea" for one more day at Castaway Cay.
That night we went to see "The Golden Mickeys" which I thought was a better production than the night before. Once again it was loud! Something that I did not care for was at the beginning of the show, a cast member announced that there was a "rumor" that the ship's Captain was going to host the show. This of course excited the kids who wanted to see the captain, but it turned out just to be a silly ploy whereby, when the Captain could not show, a cast member had to step in and "fill his shoes." Following the show Noah kept his regularly scheduled appointment with "his" club and we headed off to Tritons where nothing had improved. It was just luck of the draw I suppose, for there were tables close by where the guests, and their servers, were having a great time. Tonight was pirate night of course, and we were dressed for the occasion! Doris, being a seamstress, had put her skills to work and has made stunning costumes for all of us. We headed up to the Pirate Party but left to watch the fireworks from our starbord aft cabin. While the display was nice it was exceedingly short - we all had expected a lot more. What was beyond expectation was the towel display that night - two swans around which were strewn red rose petals. I had I had ordered the "Romance Package" (and would do so again) for Doris and I, so now we could look forward to "Breakfast in Bed" in the morning!
Wednesday was the day at sea, and we relaxed excessively! The day began with breakfast delivered by Room Service. We opted for "Breakfast on the Balcony" (the smokers were not out) and spent a leisurely hour while Noah gave us a present of sleeping in also. We thoroughly enjoyed the eggs benedict and champagne, but had to pace ourselves as we had a brunch reservation at Palo to attend at 10:30. Noah, once again, was dispatched to his club, and we met my parents at Palo. Once again, Palo continued to impress. Serena was our server once again and the food was excellent. As others have done before, we requested some drawn butter to accompany the crab It arrived in a little gravy cup - I'm puzzled why the butter warmers powered by votive candles were not used - we will bring our own next time! So full that we could barely move, we waddled downstairs to take a power nap before the it was time for Exotic Rasul. Nuff said - try it!
Later that day we received a call from the manager of Palo who inquired whether we would like to dine there that evening. That was a no brainer for us, and although we missed Animator's Palate, we could not pass up an opportunity to dine there again! A splendid "last supper" was enjoyed by all.
The next morning we departed the Wonder at about 9:30, and the limo was there to take us back to the airport.
And ... next year we will do it again! We booked again whilst onboard to "save" some $
The best tips put to good use: Over the door shoe hanger, extension cord with multiple outlets, duct tape did come in handy (much to my glee) in securing a loose closet door.
We used $2 bills to tip room service which worked well.
