First Trip!!! HELP?

[mitcam]

I have so many questions, I am not sure where to begin. First of all, we are huge WDW fans and have 2x's booked the cruise and cancelled because we had a fear of the unknown, or our youngest wasn't quite old enough (our opinion)! Well here goes and I apologize about the length of this post in advance. We have been 4 times in the last 2 years staying at All Star Sport and the Dolphin (nurses discount) want to do a huge vacation this year so we are taking the plunge

1.) Late November/December 7 day eastern or western? why would you choose one of the other?

2.) shore excursions for a 5 & 7 year old are there any? What is this Dolphin swim?

3.) If you could only do one thing onboard (adult only) what would it be and why? (it is our 10th anniversary, and although it is a "family" vacation it is also a special time for us!)

4.) Pool games for kids only? are there any?

5.) Do the pagers work well if we were to let the kids stay in the lab for long periods? (I am sure they would prefer kid play over lounging on the deck)

6.) As a family of 4 do we get assigned seating for dinner with others or do we sit alone? How big are the tables? It might be nice to meet other families?

7.) How early do you have to get to shows to get a good seat? Nothing worse than getting a seat behind the lady with the boofont (sp?) hair do!

8.) We may stay at the Contemporary for 3 days before we cruise would you recommend taking Dis. trans to the Port or rent a car? We traditionally rent however the Contemporary is on the Monorail and don't really have a need but transfers seem pricy? What rental place is at the Port?

9.) I have heard there are category 10 & 11 rooms with windows but because they are obstructed they cannot be cat. 9? Is this true and what rooms are they?

10.) Do we get a room assignment when we make our deposit? Can we choose our own room?

Well, for now that is all I can think of! Thanks everyone!

 

[MelissaE1]

Hi there,

I can answer a few of your questions from my own opinions and experience, and I am sure you will get more... there are a lot of very knowlegeable people on this board!

As far as Eastern or Western, the Western has more "stops" so it's a little more active that way. The Eastern has an additional sea day. My personal choice was Eastern first as we appreciate the extra day at sea and like to do more on the ship. If you prefer taking the kids off the ship then try Western.

Check www.DisneyCruise.com for Disney sponsored shore excursions with pricing and ages. 5 is the youngest for many of them, so you're OK there.

One adult only activity? Palo, the adult-only restaurant, hands down. You will hear many people echo this one. If you can, do brunch and dinner... tell the club that you are at Palo and they will try not to bother you unless they have to.

I know they had some pool games, but I don't know if they were kids-only. The club won't take them near water at that age for obvious reasons. The big yellow waterslide curving down next to the pool shaped like Mickey's head is very appealing and fun!

The pagers are awesome, you get one pager that is connected to all kids and they are text messages letting you know what is needed. One day my 4 yo ran up a flight of steps when I was looking the other way and a crew member intercepted her, looked at her wrist band and paged us immediately. The system is wonderful.

Seating is whatever they give you, although I believe you can request a large or small table and they will put a note in your "file." No guarantees, though. We were put at a table for just the four of us, some aquaintances got a table for 10 with another family of 6. We were both happy.

For info on the "secret porthole rooms" you can check out Barb & Tony's site at www.castawayclub.com.

Cabin assignments depends on who you book through and when you book. Earlier is better choice-wise. Some places will give you a cabin assignment, some just a guarantee.

Hope this helps... you are going to have a great time!