In a word - Outstanding! We have 3 kids (6 9 16) and this was by far the best family vacation ever--because there was something for everyone.
The boarding process was painless, we waited maybe 30 minutes. And from the minute we got on board, the crew members and servers were doting on my kids. The mini-meltdowns were gone within seconds when a waiter would begin folding a napkin into mickey ears or doing a magic trick.
We rarely saw my 16-year-old son, but he assured me he was having a great time. I believe there are some new friends on his face book page. Strangely, he was out to 1am every night but said he spent little time in the teen room at night. Where do they go?
We were traveling with my in-laws and my wife's aunt. They had a great time with their grandkids, however they are avid cruisers and prefer the smaller vessels with activities for seniors. I think one Disney cruise was enough for them.
Some specifics:
THE CREW
On the first night my 9-year-old daughter was having a mini-meltdown over sleeping in the lower bunk. A crew member named Pierre came over and cheered her up, then left and returned with a Stich toy. Which sent my other daughter (6) into tears, but Pierre was right back with a Minnie toy for her. This made the cruise for me. My happiness and enjoyment is contingent on my kids having a good time, and for Pierre to go out of his way to cheer my girls up before dinner... It meant everything!! From that point on, DCL could do no wrong in my eyes.
THE SHOWS were first-rate productions--high quality with shorter running times 45min-1hr. Perfect for the family cruise.
SIDE NOTE:
**If you were one of the people on my cruise who insisted on snapping flash photos during the shows--What's wrong with you?
**Also, if you were the father or mother who kept getting up during the show to get more beer and drinks--you got a problem. And when you've been drinking all afternoon, do you realize how loud you talk? Get to an AA meeting and stop doing that to your kids.
THE FOOD was great. I like Tritons the best. We used Dine&Play two nights. My daughters floated between the two clubs. In the future, I would make suggestions to my kids about specific activities and ask the staff to keep them off the computer games. My daughters can spend an hour on a computer at home and I didn't want them doing that at the clubs.
SUGGESTION:
Very minor, but...The Clubs should have a different door for entering and exiting (like a kitchen). There was always some confusion at the one door as to who was coming and who was going. Check-in/out could have been a little more efficient.
CELL PHONES -- Verizon, my carrier, gave me a heads up text message about additional costs. I laid down the rules with my son and he complied. Thank you Verizon.
NASSUA:
I'm glad we did the Dolphin encounter and not the Swim, as my 6-year-old would not have been ready for that. She loved the encounter. Next time we will do the swim.
NASSAU is not the nicest port. After the Dolphins, we hooked up with my son and did some fast shopping. If you're in the market for a nice watch or jewelry, do your homework about shopping in Nassau and bring some money. DCL was very good about telling you via videos in your cabin where to shop, etc.
**We did get to see the Oasis of the Seas in Nassau. The biggest cruise ship in the world, I think. The line to re-board went all the way down the dock.
CHARACTERS:
Next time I would try to coordinate more visits during the day. The lines were pretty long around dinner time.
The Characters we did meet took the time to play with my girls and the photographer would always let me snap off a few photos.
Like I said, Outstanding!
CASTAWAY CAY:
This is the main reason I can't wait to sail again. I loved it. BTW--you don't need to get to the family beach by 8:30am to get a good spot. There were open spots all day long.
My son did the teen beach day ($30) and my daughters caught him walking to snorkeling hand-in-hand with a young lady. He had a great cruise and has already asked me when we're going to go again. Getting him to go Disneyland with us, however, is like pulling teeth.
On the island, they need more dining areas and places to eat, as it was very crowded around lunch time.
I did some snorkeling with my older daughter. She loved it, but that was right around the time it started to sprinkle.
The rain was truly liquid sunshine. I never felt cold... just a little wet. By mid-afternoon the sun was back out and my younger daughter and I floated around for and hour while my wife took the other for a bike ride.
I only got to see one side of the island. Looks like they are adding some new buildings. The new waterslides were open. My daughters went once on the slow slide.
My son did the parasailing and he said he could have skipped it. I bet tweens would really love it. If you want to videotape, you have to pay to go on the parasailing boat. I tried to videotape him from the cruise ship, deck 10, but they are way out there.
Castaway Cay was the last day of our vacation, and even though I forgot to put sun block on the tops of my feet (ouch), it was a great day!! Can't wait to go back.
OVERALL:
Outstanding. A great family vacation with something for everyone in my family. We will absolutely be looking for a 7-day cruise sometime in 2011.
DCL only makes money by selling you stuff on board, alcohol, smoothies, gifts, clothes, photo packages, excursions etc. They were always offering us something, but I never felt like they were pushy. We spent some money on board, around $300 not including the Dolphins. All the extras seemed very reasonable IMO. My in-laws were wine drinkers and they were very pleased with the selection. The photos were expensive, and I recommend getting the CD if your with a big group.
Our travel agent/booker saved us $800.00 by rebooking when the kids sail free special came out. I don't know if I'm allowed to mention her here, but she is always excellent. PM me if you want her info.
The boarding process was painless, we waited maybe 30 minutes. And from the minute we got on board, the crew members and servers were doting on my kids. The mini-meltdowns were gone within seconds when a waiter would begin folding a napkin into mickey ears or doing a magic trick.
We rarely saw my 16-year-old son, but he assured me he was having a great time. I believe there are some new friends on his face book page. Strangely, he was out to 1am every night but said he spent little time in the teen room at night. Where do they go?
We were traveling with my in-laws and my wife's aunt. They had a great time with their grandkids, however they are avid cruisers and prefer the smaller vessels with activities for seniors. I think one Disney cruise was enough for them.
Some specifics:
THE CREW
On the first night my 9-year-old daughter was having a mini-meltdown over sleeping in the lower bunk. A crew member named Pierre came over and cheered her up, then left and returned with a Stich toy. Which sent my other daughter (6) into tears, but Pierre was right back with a Minnie toy for her. This made the cruise for me. My happiness and enjoyment is contingent on my kids having a good time, and for Pierre to go out of his way to cheer my girls up before dinner... It meant everything!! From that point on, DCL could do no wrong in my eyes.
THE SHOWS were first-rate productions--high quality with shorter running times 45min-1hr. Perfect for the family cruise.
SIDE NOTE:
**If you were one of the people on my cruise who insisted on snapping flash photos during the shows--What's wrong with you?
**Also, if you were the father or mother who kept getting up during the show to get more beer and drinks--you got a problem. And when you've been drinking all afternoon, do you realize how loud you talk? Get to an AA meeting and stop doing that to your kids.
THE FOOD was great. I like Tritons the best. We used Dine&Play two nights. My daughters floated between the two clubs. In the future, I would make suggestions to my kids about specific activities and ask the staff to keep them off the computer games. My daughters can spend an hour on a computer at home and I didn't want them doing that at the clubs.
SUGGESTION:
Very minor, but...The Clubs should have a different door for entering and exiting (like a kitchen). There was always some confusion at the one door as to who was coming and who was going. Check-in/out could have been a little more efficient.
CELL PHONES -- Verizon, my carrier, gave me a heads up text message about additional costs. I laid down the rules with my son and he complied. Thank you Verizon.
NASSUA:
I'm glad we did the Dolphin encounter and not the Swim, as my 6-year-old would not have been ready for that. She loved the encounter. Next time we will do the swim.
NASSAU is not the nicest port. After the Dolphins, we hooked up with my son and did some fast shopping. If you're in the market for a nice watch or jewelry, do your homework about shopping in Nassau and bring some money. DCL was very good about telling you via videos in your cabin where to shop, etc.
**We did get to see the Oasis of the Seas in Nassau. The biggest cruise ship in the world, I think. The line to re-board went all the way down the dock.
CHARACTERS:
Next time I would try to coordinate more visits during the day. The lines were pretty long around dinner time.
The Characters we did meet took the time to play with my girls and the photographer would always let me snap off a few photos.
Like I said, Outstanding!
CASTAWAY CAY:
This is the main reason I can't wait to sail again. I loved it. BTW--you don't need to get to the family beach by 8:30am to get a good spot. There were open spots all day long.
My son did the teen beach day ($30) and my daughters caught him walking to snorkeling hand-in-hand with a young lady. He had a great cruise and has already asked me when we're going to go again. Getting him to go Disneyland with us, however, is like pulling teeth.
On the island, they need more dining areas and places to eat, as it was very crowded around lunch time.
I did some snorkeling with my older daughter. She loved it, but that was right around the time it started to sprinkle.
The rain was truly liquid sunshine. I never felt cold... just a little wet. By mid-afternoon the sun was back out and my younger daughter and I floated around for and hour while my wife took the other for a bike ride.
I only got to see one side of the island. Looks like they are adding some new buildings. The new waterslides were open. My daughters went once on the slow slide.
My son did the parasailing and he said he could have skipped it. I bet tweens would really love it. If you want to videotape, you have to pay to go on the parasailing boat. I tried to videotape him from the cruise ship, deck 10, but they are way out there.
Castaway Cay was the last day of our vacation, and even though I forgot to put sun block on the tops of my feet (ouch), it was a great day!! Can't wait to go back.
OVERALL:
Outstanding. A great family vacation with something for everyone in my family. We will absolutely be looking for a 7-day cruise sometime in 2011.
DCL only makes money by selling you stuff on board, alcohol, smoothies, gifts, clothes, photo packages, excursions etc. They were always offering us something, but I never felt like they were pushy. We spent some money on board, around $300 not including the Dolphins. All the extras seemed very reasonable IMO. My in-laws were wine drinkers and they were very pleased with the selection. The photos were expensive, and I recommend getting the CD if your with a big group.
Our travel agent/booker saved us $800.00 by rebooking when the kids sail free special came out. I don't know if I'm allowed to mention her here, but she is always excellent. PM me if you want her info.
