So back to the real world... no more wonderful CM smiles. No more Konk Koolers by the pool. But for all you that are soon to depart on your Disney Cruise adventure, let me tell you how wonderful it was for me and my family!
DH (37), DD (6), DS (4) and myself (34) left for the Disney Wonder on January 28th for our four day cruise. We couldn't wait. We purchased the Land / Sea package and had sprinted thru four parks in 4 days. (Two of which were only 1/2 days!). Needless to say, we were very much looking forward to the relaxing part of the vacation. We opted to be shuttled from the Animal Kingdom which left at 12:45pm. It is an hour and 15 minute ride so we finally arrived at the port at 2pm. I was so jealous to see other people walking around on the boat as we pulled in. I wished that we could have gotten there earlier. The boat was grand. So big and beautiful. So amazing - just beckoning you to come in and begin your magical adventure. I could barely contain myself getting thru Security. We took advantage of the Magical Express feature so all we had were our carry on bags (which I packed with our swim suits and sunscreen as I was unsure when our bags would arrive at the room). We had registered (shown our passports and Disney docs) at the hotel, so we didn't have to stand in the incredibly long lines inside the Terminal. I had registered the kids online, so the check-in for childcare was really fast. They just asked for the password I created online and gave the kids waterproof plastic wristbands and gave me our pager. Then it was on towards the huge Mickey ears and into the ship. They ask your last name and annouce you as you enter while other CM applaud. It really makes you feel like a princess. I was teary the whole time. I had done so much digging on this website and read so many books, I couldn't believe I was finally there.
Since we arrived pretty late, our rooms were already ready for us, so we decided to check them out first. We stayed in a Cat 11 inside stateroom. It wasn't huge, but it worked for us. We were never in the room that much and when I needed to move around, I just had the kids roost on the couch for a bit. The bathroom is definitely a one person room - kind of like a motorcoach size - but very clean and nicely appointed. I had ordered a bucket of treats for the kids and it was waiting for us on the bed. (I had also ordered a six pack of Yuengling which DH loved). (I ordered from Shirley at http://www.theperfectgift.cc/).
We headed out for lunch at Beach Blanket Buffet. They had a huge selectino of food and every CM you encounter asks if you need help, if you need a drink, can I get you anything... on and on. I miss that now. You can leave your trays on the table and they will bus it for you.
We walked by the Mickey pool on our way to the buffet and now its all the kids can think about. So, we let them dip in a bit before dinner. It's a bit chilly out with the wind, but they don't seem to mind. The water was only about a foot deep, so I didn't need the swimmies I brought.
We ate at Triton's the first evening. We had great tablemates from Charlotte, NC- they had a 4yo daughter as well - who was a hoot, I must say! They food was yummy. I would have liked a little more of a crunch on the creme brulee, but other than that, It was really good. Our servers, Inoyman and Carlos were outstanding. Never letting your drink go dry, always folding your napkin for you, making sure you are absolutely happy with your meal. We had the late dinner at 8pm, so DS fell asleep in his chair - it was a long and exciting day. I did find I ate more as I was used to eating at 5:30 / 6pm, so I would grab a little bite around that time then eat a big dinner at 8pm. Oh well.. I'm on a cruise, right?
Back at the cabin, our stateroom host had pulled down the bed from the ceiling and had converted the couch so we had a little twin sized bunk bed for the kids. Our bed was comfy (loved the pillows - dreamy soft) and spacious enough for us. It seemed bigger than a Queen, but smaller than a King.
When unpacking, I found the hanging toiletries bag very useful. I have a four compartment bag from Mary Kay that has a little hanger on the top that I hung over the towel rack in the bathroom. There's not enough room on the shelf for all of my makeup, cleansers, deodorants, medicines (just in case), so it was really helpful. Plus, the compartments are clear, so I could just look and grab what I needed out of it.
More tomorrow... hope you enjoy!
DH (37), DD (6), DS (4) and myself (34) left for the Disney Wonder on January 28th for our four day cruise. We couldn't wait. We purchased the Land / Sea package and had sprinted thru four parks in 4 days. (Two of which were only 1/2 days!). Needless to say, we were very much looking forward to the relaxing part of the vacation. We opted to be shuttled from the Animal Kingdom which left at 12:45pm. It is an hour and 15 minute ride so we finally arrived at the port at 2pm. I was so jealous to see other people walking around on the boat as we pulled in. I wished that we could have gotten there earlier. The boat was grand. So big and beautiful. So amazing - just beckoning you to come in and begin your magical adventure. I could barely contain myself getting thru Security. We took advantage of the Magical Express feature so all we had were our carry on bags (which I packed with our swim suits and sunscreen as I was unsure when our bags would arrive at the room). We had registered (shown our passports and Disney docs) at the hotel, so we didn't have to stand in the incredibly long lines inside the Terminal. I had registered the kids online, so the check-in for childcare was really fast. They just asked for the password I created online and gave the kids waterproof plastic wristbands and gave me our pager. Then it was on towards the huge Mickey ears and into the ship. They ask your last name and annouce you as you enter while other CM applaud. It really makes you feel like a princess. I was teary the whole time. I had done so much digging on this website and read so many books, I couldn't believe I was finally there.
Since we arrived pretty late, our rooms were already ready for us, so we decided to check them out first. We stayed in a Cat 11 inside stateroom. It wasn't huge, but it worked for us. We were never in the room that much and when I needed to move around, I just had the kids roost on the couch for a bit. The bathroom is definitely a one person room - kind of like a motorcoach size - but very clean and nicely appointed. I had ordered a bucket of treats for the kids and it was waiting for us on the bed. (I had also ordered a six pack of Yuengling which DH loved). (I ordered from Shirley at http://www.theperfectgift.cc/).
We headed out for lunch at Beach Blanket Buffet. They had a huge selectino of food and every CM you encounter asks if you need help, if you need a drink, can I get you anything... on and on. I miss that now. You can leave your trays on the table and they will bus it for you.
We walked by the Mickey pool on our way to the buffet and now its all the kids can think about. So, we let them dip in a bit before dinner. It's a bit chilly out with the wind, but they don't seem to mind. The water was only about a foot deep, so I didn't need the swimmies I brought.
We ate at Triton's the first evening. We had great tablemates from Charlotte, NC- they had a 4yo daughter as well - who was a hoot, I must say! They food was yummy. I would have liked a little more of a crunch on the creme brulee, but other than that, It was really good. Our servers, Inoyman and Carlos were outstanding. Never letting your drink go dry, always folding your napkin for you, making sure you are absolutely happy with your meal. We had the late dinner at 8pm, so DS fell asleep in his chair - it was a long and exciting day. I did find I ate more as I was used to eating at 5:30 / 6pm, so I would grab a little bite around that time then eat a big dinner at 8pm. Oh well.. I'm on a cruise, right?
Back at the cabin, our stateroom host had pulled down the bed from the ceiling and had converted the couch so we had a little twin sized bunk bed for the kids. Our bed was comfy (loved the pillows - dreamy soft) and spacious enough for us. It seemed bigger than a Queen, but smaller than a King.
When unpacking, I found the hanging toiletries bag very useful. I have a four compartment bag from Mary Kay that has a little hanger on the top that I hung over the towel rack in the bathroom. There's not enough room on the shelf for all of my makeup, cleansers, deodorants, medicines (just in case), so it was really helpful. Plus, the compartments are clear, so I could just look and grab what I needed out of it.
More tomorrow... hope you enjoy!
). From there we jumped into the family pool which I believe was only a few feet deep - the kids didn't need their swimmies there either. And we were in the water with them anyway. It was pretty crowded - I suppose the other stay-on-board families had the same idea we did. The wind still made it pretty chilly, so we didn't stay in for long. We headed back to the room for a quick change and nap. Headed to see Hercules the Muse-ical before dinner. Don't miss that either. It's a top notch - Broadway level show. What a performance. I was laughing so hard from Hades' imps - they were just hilarious!!! They kept singing these popular songs to correspond to whatever was happening - reminded me of a SNL skit. Too funny! The kids couldn't take their eyes off the stage. From there we headed to dinner at Animators Palate. What a performance that was also! The walls change color throughout the evening and the servers change their attire as well. The food was delicious - the wine was superb - desert was scrumptious - no complaints here. At the end of the dinner they show clips from tons of different Disney movies - showing the princess , villians, heros... it was moving. 
). The view of the island was breathtaking - the water was crystal clear, the beach was so inviting... We pulled pretty close to the Flying Dutchman from POTC movie, too! 
). The water was pretty shallow for a good 10' out, so the kids really didn't need their swimmies. We sat right in front of a water volleyball set, so I just told them they couldn't walk out past the net. The servers walk around on the beach serving drinks, so DH and I enjoyed several of their Konk Koolers (you must try one... it was really yummy - especially if you like coconut / pineapple drinks). DH even loved it - and he's a beer guy. 
). Anyway.. the sun seemed to go behind some clouds so it really got a bit chilly. There were only about 25 other adults on the beach and it was so spread out it seemed pretty barren. Very quiet. We headed back and got the kids out for some more beach time. We met our tablemates at the beach as their DD 4yo really got along well with my DS 4yo. The kids had contests on who shivered the most. But they truly had a blast... the kids think that was one of the best parts of the trip. There were lots of excursions or activities you could do. Our tablemates snorkeled and saw huge fish and underwater Mickey. Lots of people rented bikes (they had all sizes - even some with training wheels). But, my kids would rather just chill out on the beach all day. They were really bummed to have to leave. They wanted to come back the next day.. me too. 
, DH and DS both had a skeletons. The CM come out and teach dances, the characters come out and do their own dances. Mickey shuttled across the two stacks via a wire. Fireworks from the boat were really a sight - they are right above your heads! Afterwards they have a full buffet dinner and desert. We weren't hungry for dinner, but it looked really yummy. The desert buffet included lots of really amazing looking cakes and pies and cookies. I grabbed some icecream with baked pineapple topping. Yummy! We all sat down to watch POTC on deck on the big screen, but not to long after it started to rain. It was late and we were all tired, anyway. So we headed back to the room for some shut-eye around midnight.
