Dancind
Tinkerbell's Mom
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2001
- Messages
- 7,730
I cant believe its over. All the anticipation and planning, and now were done. Looking over the Navigators from our 7 day cruise, it seems that we missed a LOT of activities, even though it seemed like we were busy most of the time. Guess well have to go back and catch the stuff we missed!
WARNING: Once I get started on a trip report, I cant stop myself. This will be long and detailed. The better to remember our trip by!
Our gang is myself (Diana), DH Kevin, and DD 11, Alicia. We purchased an add-on at BCV in September, and got the full years points. Since we also had points we were planning to bank at OKW, the idea of a cruise evolved and came to fruition. And not just any cruise, mind you, we decided that a 7 day would be the only way to go. Alicia has a fall break of two days, so we picked that week, and our first cruise would be the Eastern itinerary. While I went crazy on the DIS boards and shopping, Kevin went crazy in another direction, and decided to get re-certified in scuba for the trip. We bought snorkel equipment, too, and signed Alicia up for Scuba Rangers.
With free tickets on Southwest, and a plan to spend a couple of extra nights at AKL after, we set out on Oct. 4. We decided that late afternoon travel is the way to go, this being the first time we have flown Southwest and not stood in line for 45 minutes at check-in. There was no line! And when we arrived at MCO, our luggage was at the carousel, another first. We got an Avis car, a nice upgrade to full size that our luggage actually fit in. Being first time cruisers, we of course overpacked. We had a room at the Radisson at the Port for the night, a nice hotel with lovely décor, comfy beds, and clean rooms for $59. The next morning, we had breakfast at the tea room, picked up some wine and beer at Piggly Wiggly, stopped and looked at Cocoa Beach, and did a little more pre-cruise shopping at Ron Jons (or Bon Jovis, as I called it, much to my familys amusement). We arrived at the port at about 11, about the same time as the DCL bus. Kevin dropped us off and went to return the car. I waited for maybe 5 minutes to check in, and got in line with Alicia, Kevin arrived shortly thereafter. After perhaps 30 minutes, the line started moving, and in no time, we were being announced!
The first time on the ship is a bit overwhelming. I knew that my first priority was Palo reservations, so I told my family that I would go do this while they went to Parrot Cay and got a table. Of course, this is not what Kevin heard. I quickly got reservations in Rockin Bar D, and ran into them looking for me in the atrium, where they informed me that Parrot Cay wasnt taking reservations! At least there was no wait at Parrot Cay when we got back. The buffet was yummy, I especially recommend the chilled fruit soup. We dropped our carry-ons in our cabin, and headed out for our own walking tour of the ship. What a beauty! We peeked in the restaurants, night clubs, kids clubs (got the pager at the Lab), from bottom to top. Back to the cabin for the safety drill, no luggage yet. We were in 5624, a super location by the way, and our station was Animators Palate. Then up to deck 9 for the Sailaway party, and to deck 7 aft to watch the ship pull away from port. The party was great fun (but watch out for those $7.76 drinks!), and the port departure was so cool. We worked our way to the front of the ship to catch all the different views, and wound up with everyone else forward on Deck 9, trying to see the dolphins WAY down in the water. After the first of many stops at Scoops, we went back to the cabin, and luggage had started to arrive. It took us a while to figure out where to put everything, and our big case was too big for under the bed. But after an hour or so, we made it all fit. I believe that this is what we were doing while the Welcome Aboard Variety show was going on, but we did enjoy our veranda view while we were at it.
After freshening up for dinner, we headed to check out the shops and then pin trading. Alicia and I love doing the pin trading thing together, and pin trading was great on the ship. She got in the habit of wearing her lanyard whenever we might go to the shops or guest services, the CMs seemed to refresh their lanyards pretty often. We laugh about the day she walked into the Treasure Ketch and scared a CM. The poor dear had on a lanyard with FOUR lanyard pins we didnt have, my Alicia gasped so loud I could hear it from the hallway. Although there werent many other pin traders on the cruise, there were enough, and the first trading night with officers was a lot of fun. Plus, a new DCL artist choice pin was released this week. Hallelujah!
We did not have the best first dinner night. Parrot Cay was our first rotation, and the food was fine. However, Alicia was a little tired, hungry, and very grumpy, and our servers and tablemates did nothing to relieve her mood. That, and the fact that I refused to let her order macaroni and cheese for dinner, after having two plates of it for lunch. Our server was a formal and difficult to understand man from Croatia, and the assistant server was very shy and barely spoke at all. I will say that the recommendations were good, and we were able to get a double portion of the potsticker appetizer for Alicias dinner, which finally made her happy. Our tablemates were a very young couple with a very active young son who was FIVE and very excited about it, a very odd pairing. I feel bad about this because the young couple was so nice, but I went the next morning and asked for a table change. Actually, I asked for a rotation change, I thought it would be less obvious to our servers and tablemates. I was referred to a Head Server working lunch at AP, and he was accommodating, but it seemed that a rotation change was too difficult, so we changed tables and were to sit with a couple with an 11 yo boy, and have friendlier servers, I was assured. Better, I thought. I was followed by a lady also looking for a table change, they had the same servers!
After dinner the first night, Alicia headed to the Lab, to make sure she got acquainted with some new friends. I think we checked out the clubs but werent impressed, and wound up enjoying our veranda and the last of our wine from our first Classic Wine Package bottle. I know we saw the Wonder in the distance at about 11:30 pm, and I went to retrieve Alicia so she could see it too. I found her playing alone, not a good sign. We had the first towel animal that night from our wonderful steward, Marilyn, I believe it was a dog. A couple of the creatures she made looked like they came out of Star Wars.
Day 2: At Sea
We ordered room service for breakfast at 8 am, and quickly learned that if you just check the blocks, you get ONE muffin, ONE bagel, etc. However, they brought a pot of coffee and TWO each chocolate and white milk cartons. I started writing numbers in the blocks after that, it worked better. I went up to try and catch the Walk a Mile group, just missed them. So I walked by myself and it was very pleasant. At least I started the week right, but this was the only day I walked! Alicia headed to the Lab, excited by a chance to check out Common Grounds. She did make some friends on this day, unfortunately they were friends who seemed to have the run of the ship with no supervision. More on this later. Kevin and I attended the DVC meeting, a fun event with free drinks at 10:30 am, but good prizes! We were the only BCV owners there, and the only ones from NM for sure! We retrieved Alicia for lunch at Animators Palate with the DIS crew. We were the first to arrive, and secured a table for 10. Well, it was the three of us and CaliforniaAmy! Abitjaded and Twhipples parties stopped by to say hi, both had just come from Palo brunch. Anyway, the four of us had a nice chat. Turns out Amy was a new pin collector and she and her DH were on the St. Martin scuba excursion with my husband, so we had plenty to talk about. Amy and family were also our next door neighbors on the cruise, so it was a happy acquaintance. Next, we went to the 1:30 showing of Sweet Home Alabama. Cute movie, we are Reese Witherspoon fans since Pleasantville. After the movie, I headed to Bingo (Kevin helped and tried the special drink), Alicia to the Lab. After retrieving her later, we barely had time to get dressed for dinner and make it to the 6:30 show of Morty. This was formal night, so dressing myself and Alicia was quite an undertaking. Kevin dressed himself. We decided we needed a Right of Way signal for the end of the bed passageway, all 18 of it. The show was OK, but I left early to get in line to buy the Artist Choice pins being released that day at Pin Trading. No line, but I dont think I missed much anyway. We got our pictures made in several locations, the best turned out to be with M&M, and headed to Lumieres for dinner and our new table. This turned out to be two tables away from our old table. Can you say uncomfortable? I went over and told our former tablemates about the change, and assured them it had nothing to do with them (it really didnt), and avoided eye contact with our former servers. Our new tablemates never showed up, (I think they may have changed to early seating) but it was still so much more pleasant at our new table. Sachin from India and Dragan from Macedonia were our servers, and they charmed us and especially charmed Alicia immediately. They spent the week spoiling us, entertaining us, and making us feel very special. Alicia was so sad to leave them at the end of the week, she hugged them and exchanged e-mail addresses with Sachin. Big change from the first night, we even got magic tricks! Besides overfeeding us with extra food, Sachin brought a huge tray (with extras) to our room on Tuesday night when Alicia was feeling sick. Then on Wednesday, he brought Crème Brulee to our room, since he knew Kevin loves Crème Brulee and we were eating at Palo that night. We had it for breakfast the next day!
I guess we were feeling more chipper this night, because we actually made it to the adult clubs. Alicia headed to the Lab every night after dinner, staying out most nights later than we did. Kevin and I caught Rich Purpuras Magic act at Rockin D (funny, but not outrageously so), and then got picked to be the middle married couple in Match Your Mate! This was hilarious, and we actually won! I told Kevin that a lot of the people on the cruise knew some intimate details of our lives (though not as intimate as they learned about the other two couples), and we didnt know who they were! Our prize was two medallions and some cheap champagne, which we left on the ship. Ah, but the memories!
Day 3 At Sea:
We arranged for a later room service breakfast this a.m., Alicia still slept well after it came. We managed to get her up and out to make it to our 10:45 brunch at Palo. This was a lovely treat. Gabriela was our server, she was charming and gave us excellent service. I tried not to overload my plate at the buffet, since I was planning on ordering the Tilapia with Risotto, but did get a healthy serving of what I thought were strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries with fresh whipped cream. The strawberries were actually very large raspberries! They were so good I had more with dessert. The special Palo pastry was delicious as Gabriela promised, and the Tilapia was one of the best fish dishes I have eaten. Palo makes great Risotto too! And the dessert bar, oh my. Not too long after brunch, it was time for the Wine Tasting. We were late, and got the last table against the wall next to the engine room. We couldnt hear much, but we enjoyed the wines and did learn some things. Ive never liked sweet wines, but I did like the Muscat, I even knew what it was before being told! After Palos champagne and the wine tasting, I do believe we napped. Again retrieved Alicia before the Lab went to dinner, and we did some more shopping and pin hunting before going to Hercules. This was a fun show, Pain and Panic were a riot. You have to listen carefully for those one liners! More pin trading, dinner at AP with the show. Sachin met us at the door and escorted Alicia to our table. She loved that! We got acquainted with our next table neighbors, a nice couple from CT with two younger daughters. After dinner, we caught Michael Harrisons ventriloquism show. I have heard other comments that his show has not changed in a while, but we had never seen it and thought he was hilarious. I love the way the comedians get their volunteers from the audience! Retrieved Alicia for bed at 11:30. I believe this was the night that she told me her friends had wanted her to check out and play hide-and-seek around the ship, but she declined. Good Girl!
Day 4: St. Martin
Kevin left early for the scuba excursion. Alicia and I had booked two different snorkeling excursions for the a.m., both were canceled. So we headed up to deck 9 with the laptop and got her Math homework for the week done. One of the better locations she has done homework in. We had lunch in Lumieres. Dont order the mahi mahi there for lunch. We decided not to wait for Dad to go shopping in St. Martin, but while we were getting ready to leave, he arrived. He was a little disappointed in the scuba diving at St. Martin. He said the currents were strong, the water not very clear, and the dive shop DCL used not very helpful. He grabbed pizza at Pinocchios, which Alicia highly recommended, and we headed for Front Street. Starting at the second taxi stop, we worked our way down the street heading left. The jewelry shops seem to get cheaper the further away we got from the taxi dock. At the next to last jewelry shop, I purchased a beautiful Australian fire opal ring and bracelet in gold, both for $335. I checked a closer in shop for earrings that would match, but they wanted $226! Alicia bought some gold earrings and a ring with dark blue pearls at the very last shop, and Kevin bought nothing. Well, he did get to eat some of the Belgian chocolates we bought. We caught the taxi back to the dock, and got to see a grown woman have a tantrum because she couldnt get on the taxi (too full), when there was another taxi waiting right behind us. I think she was from the RCCL ship docked next to us, the Explorer of the Seas. HUGE ship, I heard later that it has a 5000 person capacity. This would be like taking a cruise in a major city, you would never see the same people twice! I liked our ship much better. It was prettier, and had Goofy in the back!
We got back, cleaned up, and went to the special showing of Spirited Away. Chip and Dale were wondering around offering everyone samples of popcorn before the movie started. Good movie, but very long, and the film broke 10 minutes before the end! A day of going in and out of air conditioned shops into sweltering heat had given Alicia a migraine, and we could not rouse her from her bed to go to dinner. Sachin to the rescue! A nap and dinner revived Alicia enough to head to the Lab dance party in OBC, while Kevin and I headed to Deck 9 for Dancing Under the Stars. We wore tennies for deck dancing. The deck was wet from an earlier rain, so it was a challenge. The music at the Deck party was better for the type of swing dancing we like to do, but there was no room to dance there. Ben & Dana were nice and cranked out some danceable tunes for us, and we got a few good ones in before heading to bed.
Day 5 St. Thomas:
Through the DIS boards, we had arranged to join a private snorkeling excursion on St. Thomas. This was a nearly perfect day. Abitjaded had chartered a boat through Shoretrips for up to 18 people, and we had 15. We met our boat at the end of the dock, and the kids got to do the driving to Buck Island. We were the first group at the shipwreck cove there, and had it to ourselves for at least an hour. When it got crowded, we headed to the Turtle Cove, but it was so crowded there were no buoys left. The next cove was empty, and we spent another pleasant hour there. It was a more shallow cove, so we were able to see the coral and marine life much better. That day, we saw barracudas, squid, jellyfish, and a large variety of fish. This was primo snorkeling! The company was good, too. Only problem with this day is that Kevin managed to tweak his back carrying the snorkeling bag. It was heavy, since he only brought one bag. He was in quite a bit of pain that evening.
After cleaning up, we went to Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer, where the people next to us got picked. I dont think anyone won more than $80. I took Alicia to pin trading, and let her stay while I went to meet Kevin at Palo at 8. She checked herself into the Lab after trading, and we didnt get any pages, so all was well. We saw Amy and DH in the Palo waiting area, and they invited us to join them for dinner. They had a bottle of Chardonnay, and we upgraded for a better Cabernet, so we shared our wines. We all ordered nearly the same thing, as it turned out. Marco was our server, and he was excellent and charming. We had calamari, filet mignon (with a side of risotto), chocolate soufflé, and good conversation. All of the food was outstanding, this was the best filet I can remember having. Next time well try to eat at Palo twice!
With Kevins back, there would be no dancing tonight, so we went to see Signs. We had seen it at home, but it was good a second time. Hey, its got Mel Gibson in it! I went to retrieve Alicia after the movie, but she was already in the room since the Lab closed at 12.
Day 6 At Sea:
We slept in to recover from an exciting two days, but made it to our character breakfast at 9:45, barely. This was the worst food of the cruise, and the character interaction was very rushed. If you have older kids, skip this. Alicia headed back to Lab, Kevin to get a massage for his back, and I went to Bingo in the theatre. Robin, the Bingo guy, kept getting funnier as the cruise went on and the audience got bigger, so I decided that we should all go to Bingo later that day. We got some pizza and hot dogs, and went to the 1 pm show of Lilo & Stitch. Another repeat for us, but we love this movie. Stitch reminds us of our cat.
Robin did not disappoint at Bingo that afternoon. Alicia is still showing people the Bingo dance. We won nothing, but had a great time and laughed ourselves silly. The $4000 winner was one lone lady, I guess she gets to go on anther cruise!
We had a little more time to change into semi-formal dress before Disney Dreams. We really did enjoy this show, the majority of the performers were Broadway quality, though we did not care for the girl singing Ann-Maries part. I think she was new. More pictures, I bought a priceless shot of Donald Duck proposing to Alicia. Dinner was at Animators, lobster night! We upgraded the wine again, and Sachin brought us filet to go with, and our usual multiple desserts. We rolled out of there, we were so full. Alicia had her usual Caesar salad, and I think she got some pasta Alfredo without the shrimp (seafood allergy). Kevin had done well all day, but his back was hurting, so Alicia went to the Lab pool party, and I went to see Sweet Home Alabama again by myself. When I went to retrieve Alicia, she wasnt there! She had checked herself out of the Lab over an hour earlier, and hadnt paged us. The Counselor thought she might be at the Goofy pool. So I headed up to deck 9, no kid. I checked the arcade, closed. But at the doors to the arcade, I could hear some giggling kids on the deck below. I walked down the stairs, and my daughter ran by. Her friends cabin was Deck 8 forward, and about 4 or 5 kids had the door open and were running in and out. No parents to be seen. I didnt lose it, but was very relieved to have found her, as my next move was to call security. OK, so she broke every rule I had given her for checking herself out of the Lab. At least it was the end of the week.
Day 7 Castaway Cay:
Alicia was not stirring this a.m., so Kevin headed out to get us a spot on the family beach. He was on the first tram, and got us the last hammock on the beach, under a palm tree with an umbrella, perfect. We got there about 1 ½ hours later (after threatening to leave my daughter on the ship by herself), but that end of the beach was still pretty empty. We went in the water and were amazed, the water was so clear, it looked like a Disney Resort swimming pool! We headed over to snorkel before it got too crowded, swam all the way out and found Mickey. I let Alicia use my swim skin, so I got the sunburned back instead of her. Bought some CC pins, had lunch at Cookies, then did some hammock time while Alicia played. Tried the Castaway Freeze and Conch Cooler, both very yummy. On the way back, Alicia did two banana boat rides. We had reserved for her and Dad, but he didnt go because of his back. Castaway Cay is really gorgeous. It reminds me of Discovery Cove in Orlando, only bigger. Just as nicely kept and perfect, what a great port! I can see why people want to go there twice. Next time we will get over to the adult beach and try the snorkeling there. Alicia will be a teenager when we go again, so Im sure she will be busy.
We didnt get back early enough for Alicia to cleanup and do the Discover the Magic show. So, no T-shirt, but she did get a cute bucket hat for going to the Lab every day. She wore it all weekend at WDW. We went to the Farewell Variety show, and thought Dan Riley was much funnier than when we had seen him earlier in the week. One last night of pin trading, one last dinner where we celebrated Alicias half birthday, and Kevin and I headed to the cabin for speed packing. We made the 11 pm deadline with seconds to spare, and then just enjoyed our veranda one last evening. None of Alicias friends were in the Lab, so Kevin helped her comb the ship for them and get e-mail addresses. They were successful, so she was happy. She saw them again at breakfast the next morning.
Disembarking was easy, as has been said many times. Our luggage was easy to find, standing alone. A porter took it out to the tent, and we all caught a van to Avis. After getting the car, we went to the store for lettuce and then to see Shirleys manatees. Or at least, we saw some Manatee noses and backs. Alicia was thrilled anyway. Off to WDW and AKL. We were so sad to be off the ship. When we went to dinner at Kona Café that night, I said oh no, we have to put our own napkins on our lap! We had a magical cruise, and we cant wait to go again.
Kudos and Dings:
DCL is all about service and making you feel spoiled. I think this must be what its like to be a millionaire! The ship is beautiful, the crew is the best, and the food is excellent. Alicia thought the counselors in the Lab were great, and Ive already told you about our servers and room steward.
October is not a bad time to cruise. The ship was about 2/3 at capacity, so we didnt wait for anything. The weather could not have been better. Those two hurricanes haunting the area the week before were nice enough to get out of Dodge before we sailed (BIG sigh of relief!). The weather on Castaway Cay day was SO GORGEOUS. We figured about 80 degrees, no wind, just perfect.
The upkeep on the ship is not quite as careful as the nicer Disney resorts. Though our cabin was immaculate, Im sure thanks to Marilyn, some of the common areas were not quite as spotless (bathrooms). I saw some peeling paint in places too. I guess the ship is well used and well loved.
Our cabin was in a wonderful location, the second cabin back from the aft elevators on the starboard side. It was so convenient having the stairs and elevators right there, and the lab a short walk away. And it was VERY quiet. We never heard a peep from the Buena Vista theater. The only noise was some boy about my daughters age who walked down our hallway several times calling a friends name, I guess he didnt know which cabin he was in. OK, Amys three year old made a little noise a couple of times, but it was cute. Our only complaint was the rattles in the ceiling, very annoying when youre trying to get to sleep. Kevin stuck some paper in one spot, that seemed to help. We did note it on the comment card, maybe theyve worked on it.
Late seating for dinner was not that bad. Alicia was old enough to make it, as long as she visited Pinocchios and Scoops in the afternoon. It gave us more time to enjoy the ports of call. Amy said her 3 yo fell asleep on the table the first two nights, so they switched to early seating. I guess a lot of people did this, late seating was pretty empty. More food for us!
We would have enjoyed the nightlife much more if there were a good non-smoking venue to dance in. I admit, we didnt venture into Studio Sea, but we did check out the Promenade lounge with the grooves in the postage size dance floor. I dont know where they would put it, but I wish they would figure it out. They could have a larger and better dance floor in the Promenade, it was never crowded when we went by.
If youve stuck with this report, you know were going again! Probably in two years, fall break time again. I hope they change the schedule around so we can try the Western cruise next time. Kevin wants to try the scuba diving in Grand Cayman and Cozumel, and Alicia might be certified by then. Me? Ill stick with snorkeling.
WARNING: Once I get started on a trip report, I cant stop myself. This will be long and detailed. The better to remember our trip by!
Our gang is myself (Diana), DH Kevin, and DD 11, Alicia. We purchased an add-on at BCV in September, and got the full years points. Since we also had points we were planning to bank at OKW, the idea of a cruise evolved and came to fruition. And not just any cruise, mind you, we decided that a 7 day would be the only way to go. Alicia has a fall break of two days, so we picked that week, and our first cruise would be the Eastern itinerary. While I went crazy on the DIS boards and shopping, Kevin went crazy in another direction, and decided to get re-certified in scuba for the trip. We bought snorkel equipment, too, and signed Alicia up for Scuba Rangers.
With free tickets on Southwest, and a plan to spend a couple of extra nights at AKL after, we set out on Oct. 4. We decided that late afternoon travel is the way to go, this being the first time we have flown Southwest and not stood in line for 45 minutes at check-in. There was no line! And when we arrived at MCO, our luggage was at the carousel, another first. We got an Avis car, a nice upgrade to full size that our luggage actually fit in. Being first time cruisers, we of course overpacked. We had a room at the Radisson at the Port for the night, a nice hotel with lovely décor, comfy beds, and clean rooms for $59. The next morning, we had breakfast at the tea room, picked up some wine and beer at Piggly Wiggly, stopped and looked at Cocoa Beach, and did a little more pre-cruise shopping at Ron Jons (or Bon Jovis, as I called it, much to my familys amusement). We arrived at the port at about 11, about the same time as the DCL bus. Kevin dropped us off and went to return the car. I waited for maybe 5 minutes to check in, and got in line with Alicia, Kevin arrived shortly thereafter. After perhaps 30 minutes, the line started moving, and in no time, we were being announced!
The first time on the ship is a bit overwhelming. I knew that my first priority was Palo reservations, so I told my family that I would go do this while they went to Parrot Cay and got a table. Of course, this is not what Kevin heard. I quickly got reservations in Rockin Bar D, and ran into them looking for me in the atrium, where they informed me that Parrot Cay wasnt taking reservations! At least there was no wait at Parrot Cay when we got back. The buffet was yummy, I especially recommend the chilled fruit soup. We dropped our carry-ons in our cabin, and headed out for our own walking tour of the ship. What a beauty! We peeked in the restaurants, night clubs, kids clubs (got the pager at the Lab), from bottom to top. Back to the cabin for the safety drill, no luggage yet. We were in 5624, a super location by the way, and our station was Animators Palate. Then up to deck 9 for the Sailaway party, and to deck 7 aft to watch the ship pull away from port. The party was great fun (but watch out for those $7.76 drinks!), and the port departure was so cool. We worked our way to the front of the ship to catch all the different views, and wound up with everyone else forward on Deck 9, trying to see the dolphins WAY down in the water. After the first of many stops at Scoops, we went back to the cabin, and luggage had started to arrive. It took us a while to figure out where to put everything, and our big case was too big for under the bed. But after an hour or so, we made it all fit. I believe that this is what we were doing while the Welcome Aboard Variety show was going on, but we did enjoy our veranda view while we were at it.
After freshening up for dinner, we headed to check out the shops and then pin trading. Alicia and I love doing the pin trading thing together, and pin trading was great on the ship. She got in the habit of wearing her lanyard whenever we might go to the shops or guest services, the CMs seemed to refresh their lanyards pretty often. We laugh about the day she walked into the Treasure Ketch and scared a CM. The poor dear had on a lanyard with FOUR lanyard pins we didnt have, my Alicia gasped so loud I could hear it from the hallway. Although there werent many other pin traders on the cruise, there were enough, and the first trading night with officers was a lot of fun. Plus, a new DCL artist choice pin was released this week. Hallelujah!
We did not have the best first dinner night. Parrot Cay was our first rotation, and the food was fine. However, Alicia was a little tired, hungry, and very grumpy, and our servers and tablemates did nothing to relieve her mood. That, and the fact that I refused to let her order macaroni and cheese for dinner, after having two plates of it for lunch. Our server was a formal and difficult to understand man from Croatia, and the assistant server was very shy and barely spoke at all. I will say that the recommendations were good, and we were able to get a double portion of the potsticker appetizer for Alicias dinner, which finally made her happy. Our tablemates were a very young couple with a very active young son who was FIVE and very excited about it, a very odd pairing. I feel bad about this because the young couple was so nice, but I went the next morning and asked for a table change. Actually, I asked for a rotation change, I thought it would be less obvious to our servers and tablemates. I was referred to a Head Server working lunch at AP, and he was accommodating, but it seemed that a rotation change was too difficult, so we changed tables and were to sit with a couple with an 11 yo boy, and have friendlier servers, I was assured. Better, I thought. I was followed by a lady also looking for a table change, they had the same servers!
After dinner the first night, Alicia headed to the Lab, to make sure she got acquainted with some new friends. I think we checked out the clubs but werent impressed, and wound up enjoying our veranda and the last of our wine from our first Classic Wine Package bottle. I know we saw the Wonder in the distance at about 11:30 pm, and I went to retrieve Alicia so she could see it too. I found her playing alone, not a good sign. We had the first towel animal that night from our wonderful steward, Marilyn, I believe it was a dog. A couple of the creatures she made looked like they came out of Star Wars.
Day 2: At Sea
We ordered room service for breakfast at 8 am, and quickly learned that if you just check the blocks, you get ONE muffin, ONE bagel, etc. However, they brought a pot of coffee and TWO each chocolate and white milk cartons. I started writing numbers in the blocks after that, it worked better. I went up to try and catch the Walk a Mile group, just missed them. So I walked by myself and it was very pleasant. At least I started the week right, but this was the only day I walked! Alicia headed to the Lab, excited by a chance to check out Common Grounds. She did make some friends on this day, unfortunately they were friends who seemed to have the run of the ship with no supervision. More on this later. Kevin and I attended the DVC meeting, a fun event with free drinks at 10:30 am, but good prizes! We were the only BCV owners there, and the only ones from NM for sure! We retrieved Alicia for lunch at Animators Palate with the DIS crew. We were the first to arrive, and secured a table for 10. Well, it was the three of us and CaliforniaAmy! Abitjaded and Twhipples parties stopped by to say hi, both had just come from Palo brunch. Anyway, the four of us had a nice chat. Turns out Amy was a new pin collector and she and her DH were on the St. Martin scuba excursion with my husband, so we had plenty to talk about. Amy and family were also our next door neighbors on the cruise, so it was a happy acquaintance. Next, we went to the 1:30 showing of Sweet Home Alabama. Cute movie, we are Reese Witherspoon fans since Pleasantville. After the movie, I headed to Bingo (Kevin helped and tried the special drink), Alicia to the Lab. After retrieving her later, we barely had time to get dressed for dinner and make it to the 6:30 show of Morty. This was formal night, so dressing myself and Alicia was quite an undertaking. Kevin dressed himself. We decided we needed a Right of Way signal for the end of the bed passageway, all 18 of it. The show was OK, but I left early to get in line to buy the Artist Choice pins being released that day at Pin Trading. No line, but I dont think I missed much anyway. We got our pictures made in several locations, the best turned out to be with M&M, and headed to Lumieres for dinner and our new table. This turned out to be two tables away from our old table. Can you say uncomfortable? I went over and told our former tablemates about the change, and assured them it had nothing to do with them (it really didnt), and avoided eye contact with our former servers. Our new tablemates never showed up, (I think they may have changed to early seating) but it was still so much more pleasant at our new table. Sachin from India and Dragan from Macedonia were our servers, and they charmed us and especially charmed Alicia immediately. They spent the week spoiling us, entertaining us, and making us feel very special. Alicia was so sad to leave them at the end of the week, she hugged them and exchanged e-mail addresses with Sachin. Big change from the first night, we even got magic tricks! Besides overfeeding us with extra food, Sachin brought a huge tray (with extras) to our room on Tuesday night when Alicia was feeling sick. Then on Wednesday, he brought Crème Brulee to our room, since he knew Kevin loves Crème Brulee and we were eating at Palo that night. We had it for breakfast the next day!
I guess we were feeling more chipper this night, because we actually made it to the adult clubs. Alicia headed to the Lab every night after dinner, staying out most nights later than we did. Kevin and I caught Rich Purpuras Magic act at Rockin D (funny, but not outrageously so), and then got picked to be the middle married couple in Match Your Mate! This was hilarious, and we actually won! I told Kevin that a lot of the people on the cruise knew some intimate details of our lives (though not as intimate as they learned about the other two couples), and we didnt know who they were! Our prize was two medallions and some cheap champagne, which we left on the ship. Ah, but the memories!
Day 3 At Sea:
We arranged for a later room service breakfast this a.m., Alicia still slept well after it came. We managed to get her up and out to make it to our 10:45 brunch at Palo. This was a lovely treat. Gabriela was our server, she was charming and gave us excellent service. I tried not to overload my plate at the buffet, since I was planning on ordering the Tilapia with Risotto, but did get a healthy serving of what I thought were strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries with fresh whipped cream. The strawberries were actually very large raspberries! They were so good I had more with dessert. The special Palo pastry was delicious as Gabriela promised, and the Tilapia was one of the best fish dishes I have eaten. Palo makes great Risotto too! And the dessert bar, oh my. Not too long after brunch, it was time for the Wine Tasting. We were late, and got the last table against the wall next to the engine room. We couldnt hear much, but we enjoyed the wines and did learn some things. Ive never liked sweet wines, but I did like the Muscat, I even knew what it was before being told! After Palos champagne and the wine tasting, I do believe we napped. Again retrieved Alicia before the Lab went to dinner, and we did some more shopping and pin hunting before going to Hercules. This was a fun show, Pain and Panic were a riot. You have to listen carefully for those one liners! More pin trading, dinner at AP with the show. Sachin met us at the door and escorted Alicia to our table. She loved that! We got acquainted with our next table neighbors, a nice couple from CT with two younger daughters. After dinner, we caught Michael Harrisons ventriloquism show. I have heard other comments that his show has not changed in a while, but we had never seen it and thought he was hilarious. I love the way the comedians get their volunteers from the audience! Retrieved Alicia for bed at 11:30. I believe this was the night that she told me her friends had wanted her to check out and play hide-and-seek around the ship, but she declined. Good Girl!
Day 4: St. Martin
Kevin left early for the scuba excursion. Alicia and I had booked two different snorkeling excursions for the a.m., both were canceled. So we headed up to deck 9 with the laptop and got her Math homework for the week done. One of the better locations she has done homework in. We had lunch in Lumieres. Dont order the mahi mahi there for lunch. We decided not to wait for Dad to go shopping in St. Martin, but while we were getting ready to leave, he arrived. He was a little disappointed in the scuba diving at St. Martin. He said the currents were strong, the water not very clear, and the dive shop DCL used not very helpful. He grabbed pizza at Pinocchios, which Alicia highly recommended, and we headed for Front Street. Starting at the second taxi stop, we worked our way down the street heading left. The jewelry shops seem to get cheaper the further away we got from the taxi dock. At the next to last jewelry shop, I purchased a beautiful Australian fire opal ring and bracelet in gold, both for $335. I checked a closer in shop for earrings that would match, but they wanted $226! Alicia bought some gold earrings and a ring with dark blue pearls at the very last shop, and Kevin bought nothing. Well, he did get to eat some of the Belgian chocolates we bought. We caught the taxi back to the dock, and got to see a grown woman have a tantrum because she couldnt get on the taxi (too full), when there was another taxi waiting right behind us. I think she was from the RCCL ship docked next to us, the Explorer of the Seas. HUGE ship, I heard later that it has a 5000 person capacity. This would be like taking a cruise in a major city, you would never see the same people twice! I liked our ship much better. It was prettier, and had Goofy in the back!
We got back, cleaned up, and went to the special showing of Spirited Away. Chip and Dale were wondering around offering everyone samples of popcorn before the movie started. Good movie, but very long, and the film broke 10 minutes before the end! A day of going in and out of air conditioned shops into sweltering heat had given Alicia a migraine, and we could not rouse her from her bed to go to dinner. Sachin to the rescue! A nap and dinner revived Alicia enough to head to the Lab dance party in OBC, while Kevin and I headed to Deck 9 for Dancing Under the Stars. We wore tennies for deck dancing. The deck was wet from an earlier rain, so it was a challenge. The music at the Deck party was better for the type of swing dancing we like to do, but there was no room to dance there. Ben & Dana were nice and cranked out some danceable tunes for us, and we got a few good ones in before heading to bed.
Day 5 St. Thomas:
Through the DIS boards, we had arranged to join a private snorkeling excursion on St. Thomas. This was a nearly perfect day. Abitjaded had chartered a boat through Shoretrips for up to 18 people, and we had 15. We met our boat at the end of the dock, and the kids got to do the driving to Buck Island. We were the first group at the shipwreck cove there, and had it to ourselves for at least an hour. When it got crowded, we headed to the Turtle Cove, but it was so crowded there were no buoys left. The next cove was empty, and we spent another pleasant hour there. It was a more shallow cove, so we were able to see the coral and marine life much better. That day, we saw barracudas, squid, jellyfish, and a large variety of fish. This was primo snorkeling! The company was good, too. Only problem with this day is that Kevin managed to tweak his back carrying the snorkeling bag. It was heavy, since he only brought one bag. He was in quite a bit of pain that evening.
After cleaning up, we went to Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer, where the people next to us got picked. I dont think anyone won more than $80. I took Alicia to pin trading, and let her stay while I went to meet Kevin at Palo at 8. She checked herself into the Lab after trading, and we didnt get any pages, so all was well. We saw Amy and DH in the Palo waiting area, and they invited us to join them for dinner. They had a bottle of Chardonnay, and we upgraded for a better Cabernet, so we shared our wines. We all ordered nearly the same thing, as it turned out. Marco was our server, and he was excellent and charming. We had calamari, filet mignon (with a side of risotto), chocolate soufflé, and good conversation. All of the food was outstanding, this was the best filet I can remember having. Next time well try to eat at Palo twice!
With Kevins back, there would be no dancing tonight, so we went to see Signs. We had seen it at home, but it was good a second time. Hey, its got Mel Gibson in it! I went to retrieve Alicia after the movie, but she was already in the room since the Lab closed at 12.
Day 6 At Sea:
We slept in to recover from an exciting two days, but made it to our character breakfast at 9:45, barely. This was the worst food of the cruise, and the character interaction was very rushed. If you have older kids, skip this. Alicia headed back to Lab, Kevin to get a massage for his back, and I went to Bingo in the theatre. Robin, the Bingo guy, kept getting funnier as the cruise went on and the audience got bigger, so I decided that we should all go to Bingo later that day. We got some pizza and hot dogs, and went to the 1 pm show of Lilo & Stitch. Another repeat for us, but we love this movie. Stitch reminds us of our cat.
Robin did not disappoint at Bingo that afternoon. Alicia is still showing people the Bingo dance. We won nothing, but had a great time and laughed ourselves silly. The $4000 winner was one lone lady, I guess she gets to go on anther cruise!
We had a little more time to change into semi-formal dress before Disney Dreams. We really did enjoy this show, the majority of the performers were Broadway quality, though we did not care for the girl singing Ann-Maries part. I think she was new. More pictures, I bought a priceless shot of Donald Duck proposing to Alicia. Dinner was at Animators, lobster night! We upgraded the wine again, and Sachin brought us filet to go with, and our usual multiple desserts. We rolled out of there, we were so full. Alicia had her usual Caesar salad, and I think she got some pasta Alfredo without the shrimp (seafood allergy). Kevin had done well all day, but his back was hurting, so Alicia went to the Lab pool party, and I went to see Sweet Home Alabama again by myself. When I went to retrieve Alicia, she wasnt there! She had checked herself out of the Lab over an hour earlier, and hadnt paged us. The Counselor thought she might be at the Goofy pool. So I headed up to deck 9, no kid. I checked the arcade, closed. But at the doors to the arcade, I could hear some giggling kids on the deck below. I walked down the stairs, and my daughter ran by. Her friends cabin was Deck 8 forward, and about 4 or 5 kids had the door open and were running in and out. No parents to be seen. I didnt lose it, but was very relieved to have found her, as my next move was to call security. OK, so she broke every rule I had given her for checking herself out of the Lab. At least it was the end of the week.
Day 7 Castaway Cay:
Alicia was not stirring this a.m., so Kevin headed out to get us a spot on the family beach. He was on the first tram, and got us the last hammock on the beach, under a palm tree with an umbrella, perfect. We got there about 1 ½ hours later (after threatening to leave my daughter on the ship by herself), but that end of the beach was still pretty empty. We went in the water and were amazed, the water was so clear, it looked like a Disney Resort swimming pool! We headed over to snorkel before it got too crowded, swam all the way out and found Mickey. I let Alicia use my swim skin, so I got the sunburned back instead of her. Bought some CC pins, had lunch at Cookies, then did some hammock time while Alicia played. Tried the Castaway Freeze and Conch Cooler, both very yummy. On the way back, Alicia did two banana boat rides. We had reserved for her and Dad, but he didnt go because of his back. Castaway Cay is really gorgeous. It reminds me of Discovery Cove in Orlando, only bigger. Just as nicely kept and perfect, what a great port! I can see why people want to go there twice. Next time we will get over to the adult beach and try the snorkeling there. Alicia will be a teenager when we go again, so Im sure she will be busy.
We didnt get back early enough for Alicia to cleanup and do the Discover the Magic show. So, no T-shirt, but she did get a cute bucket hat for going to the Lab every day. She wore it all weekend at WDW. We went to the Farewell Variety show, and thought Dan Riley was much funnier than when we had seen him earlier in the week. One last night of pin trading, one last dinner where we celebrated Alicias half birthday, and Kevin and I headed to the cabin for speed packing. We made the 11 pm deadline with seconds to spare, and then just enjoyed our veranda one last evening. None of Alicias friends were in the Lab, so Kevin helped her comb the ship for them and get e-mail addresses. They were successful, so she was happy. She saw them again at breakfast the next morning.
Disembarking was easy, as has been said many times. Our luggage was easy to find, standing alone. A porter took it out to the tent, and we all caught a van to Avis. After getting the car, we went to the store for lettuce and then to see Shirleys manatees. Or at least, we saw some Manatee noses and backs. Alicia was thrilled anyway. Off to WDW and AKL. We were so sad to be off the ship. When we went to dinner at Kona Café that night, I said oh no, we have to put our own napkins on our lap! We had a magical cruise, and we cant wait to go again.
Kudos and Dings:
DCL is all about service and making you feel spoiled. I think this must be what its like to be a millionaire! The ship is beautiful, the crew is the best, and the food is excellent. Alicia thought the counselors in the Lab were great, and Ive already told you about our servers and room steward.
October is not a bad time to cruise. The ship was about 2/3 at capacity, so we didnt wait for anything. The weather could not have been better. Those two hurricanes haunting the area the week before were nice enough to get out of Dodge before we sailed (BIG sigh of relief!). The weather on Castaway Cay day was SO GORGEOUS. We figured about 80 degrees, no wind, just perfect.
The upkeep on the ship is not quite as careful as the nicer Disney resorts. Though our cabin was immaculate, Im sure thanks to Marilyn, some of the common areas were not quite as spotless (bathrooms). I saw some peeling paint in places too. I guess the ship is well used and well loved.
Our cabin was in a wonderful location, the second cabin back from the aft elevators on the starboard side. It was so convenient having the stairs and elevators right there, and the lab a short walk away. And it was VERY quiet. We never heard a peep from the Buena Vista theater. The only noise was some boy about my daughters age who walked down our hallway several times calling a friends name, I guess he didnt know which cabin he was in. OK, Amys three year old made a little noise a couple of times, but it was cute. Our only complaint was the rattles in the ceiling, very annoying when youre trying to get to sleep. Kevin stuck some paper in one spot, that seemed to help. We did note it on the comment card, maybe theyve worked on it.
Late seating for dinner was not that bad. Alicia was old enough to make it, as long as she visited Pinocchios and Scoops in the afternoon. It gave us more time to enjoy the ports of call. Amy said her 3 yo fell asleep on the table the first two nights, so they switched to early seating. I guess a lot of people did this, late seating was pretty empty. More food for us!
We would have enjoyed the nightlife much more if there were a good non-smoking venue to dance in. I admit, we didnt venture into Studio Sea, but we did check out the Promenade lounge with the grooves in the postage size dance floor. I dont know where they would put it, but I wish they would figure it out. They could have a larger and better dance floor in the Promenade, it was never crowded when we went by.
If youve stuck with this report, you know were going again! Probably in two years, fall break time again. I hope they change the schedule around so we can try the Western cruise next time. Kevin wants to try the scuba diving in Grand Cayman and Cozumel, and Alicia might be certified by then. Me? Ill stick with snorkeling.
