First off, thanks to all of you for posting your experiences and recommendations on the DIS Boards. It made planning SOOOO much easier and provides a little sense of comfort when you have at least some clue how things work on the ship, etc. Flew out from L.A. with DW and 2 teenage step-daughters for Land/Sea package (4 days at POR) plus 1 extra day so I could go to Marlins game in Miami. We all had great time and I felt I should share the high and low lights in hopes it might help one of you who is on the fence about DCL or just nervous about what to expect. Since I don't want to bore you with details such as how many martinis I had (many) or how many hours we spent at the pool (baked until golden brown, allowed to cool, served with ice cream), I tried to break things into categories. OK, deep breath, and here we go....
SHIP APPEARANCE -- Do you believe in love at first sight? As you head off Bee Line and catch your first glimpse of the port, you know a truly magical experience awaits. The colorful and whimsical yet regal Wonder clearly outclasses its portmates. A terminal so clean that Tom Hanks would be happy to live there is all that stands between you and paradise. After a quick stop for the Disney papparazzi and few lighter than air steps, you enter the atrium, a room so beautiful that you almost expect Belle and the Beast to be waltzing across the floor. As if that wasn't enough, your family is announced and the crew applauds. Hmm, so that's what it's like to be royalty (Unless you are the group that was a little behind us, the Adams family. Needless to say their introduction elicited a few chuckles as everyone turned to see if Lurch had also tagged along.)
The beauty is more than skin deep, however. The staterooms, decks, pools, restaurants and heck even the Mickey pool and bathrooms look freshly painted and exhibit Disney's trademark cleanliness. The Walt Disney Theater is as fine as any playhouse in the country. The breathtaking view and elegance of Palo is worth far more than the meager ressie fee. Of course, as a baseball nut and Angels/Dodger fan, my favorite was the ESPN zone. Stadium seats facing a big screen TV is a great redecorating idea. Why can't I get my wife to agree?
FOOD-- After spending $100 on almost nothing at Puck's Downtown Disney, the prospect of all-inclusive food brought a smile to my face (and wallet). The few samples we enjoyed at welcome buffet in Parrot's Cay were delicious. We resolved not to overindulge too much... and I am proud to say that this resolution at least lasted one meal. We had a Triton's-AP-PC late rotation. We liked the fact that the dressiest (and best photo ops) came first. DIS members seems to like Triton's best but it ended up as our least favorite. Despite the efforts of our friendly servers, the meal was painfully slow and the food rather bland. Our teens took 2 bites and determined the pizza and hot dogs near the pool looked much better. Dinner at AP was great, though. Perhaps the rythym of the show helped. The Maple Salmon was a real hit. DW and I dined alone , though, as the girls went on the Junkanoo Jam.
DW and I had a tremendous meal at Palo's on night 3. I have to admit that I was a initially a little turned off by what I had read here about a ressies rush and then the prospect of having to pay the $10. Thanks to Barb's trip reports I decided to take the chance. Her recommendation was perfect! I got to Wave bands at 12:50, was second in line and got a ressie before 1pm because they opened early. Palo's food was outstanding. We only encountered one little problem: how to decide on only one item. I explained my dilemna to our server Serena and her solution was brilliant...bring a little of each. Try that at Outback Steakhouse!!!
Here's an idea for you Palo folk. DW and I missed dinner at PC but we let the girls use our tickets and invite 2 friends. They all really enjoyed that (If the servers did is another story)
Finally, we found that the buffets and snack bars were better than they needed to be. Cookie's BBQ on CC and the lobster burgers were too good. A bursting stomach in 93 degree heat was not my smartest move. Darned lack of self-control!!!
SERVICE-- Excellent. Superb. Fantastic. Fill in adjective here.....except for the spa. Out stateroom steward, Marcus, seemed to anticipate our needs. Extra towels without asking. Ice for our booze bought cheaply in Nassau. A valiant effort trying to locate our luggage. We got a last minute upgrade from Cat 11 to Cat 8 (YEA!!!) but no one told our luggage (BOO!!) He wasn't able to find all of it but logged a lot of hallway miles trying. Also, Milly in the Cadillac Bar was so nice we made a point to visit every night and asked for her specifically (which kind of upset the other waiter because it was slow and he was reassigned because he didn't have any customers)
OK, brace yourselves, criticism alert. Please turn your heads if you can't bear to look. I warned DW ahead of time about the hard sell of the products in the spa and we followed the DIS suggestions but the push to buy was overwhelming. It seriously cut into DW's massage time and our Raksul hour by almost 15 minutes. An expensive attempt at relaxation was negated by this full court press. Well, I guess it could have been worse. At least there was no timeshare presentation in the steambath
ENTERTAINMENT -- If you have kids or teens, you have hit the jackpot. Our teens tried to play it cool , but it was obvious from the moment we walked into Common Grounds that we would probably not see much of them. They had activities from the moment they rolled out of bed until 2 am. I have to admit that I was jealous. The Castway Cay activities seemed to be a lot of fun. Hey, I watch Survivor, I want to build a raft. I tried to convince the counselor that a lot of teens are balding these days but he wasn't buying any of it and it was off to Serenity Bay for me.
We only saw the Golden Mickey show but based on that performance and the Hercules/Dreams ones we saw on TV, all appear to be top-notch presentations. Having first run movies in the Buena Vista and more on TV was a nice bonus. However, DW and I were a little disappointed in the nightclubs. The little skit shows were fun. We enjoy dancing but Wavebands never seemed to attract more than a dozen people. I saw lots of people satick their heads in and rapidly walk away. Maybe it's me but 15 year old Whitney Houston songs don't exactly inspire many poeple to shake their rump. Or is everybody just worn out from theri excursions by that time? Please reply and let me know.
One embarassing side note.. I knew about the Gloria Gaynor lip sync/John Travolta dance off by reading various trip reorts. On 70's might I was on the lookout and I absolutely did not want to get stuck doing that because I am not the most graceful person in the world ( I make Goofy look like Barishnikov). So I'm innocently slowdnacing with my wife when all of a sudden I am grabbed by a guy dressed like a pimp and flung onstage. I've seen Saturday Night Fever at least a dozen times but when thrust into a spotlight with a badly fitting white suit jacket my mind automatically erases. Needless to say I was AWFUL. Sure they say I'll never see those people again but my wifes's digital photos will be blackmail material FOREVER
With that I will call it a night. I'm sure there are other topics for discussion but those will have to wait for another day. Thanks for taking the time to muddle through this. I hope some of it helps. I look forward to reading all of your comments in the future.
SHIP APPEARANCE -- Do you believe in love at first sight? As you head off Bee Line and catch your first glimpse of the port, you know a truly magical experience awaits. The colorful and whimsical yet regal Wonder clearly outclasses its portmates. A terminal so clean that Tom Hanks would be happy to live there is all that stands between you and paradise. After a quick stop for the Disney papparazzi and few lighter than air steps, you enter the atrium, a room so beautiful that you almost expect Belle and the Beast to be waltzing across the floor. As if that wasn't enough, your family is announced and the crew applauds. Hmm, so that's what it's like to be royalty (Unless you are the group that was a little behind us, the Adams family. Needless to say their introduction elicited a few chuckles as everyone turned to see if Lurch had also tagged along.)
The beauty is more than skin deep, however. The staterooms, decks, pools, restaurants and heck even the Mickey pool and bathrooms look freshly painted and exhibit Disney's trademark cleanliness. The Walt Disney Theater is as fine as any playhouse in the country. The breathtaking view and elegance of Palo is worth far more than the meager ressie fee. Of course, as a baseball nut and Angels/Dodger fan, my favorite was the ESPN zone. Stadium seats facing a big screen TV is a great redecorating idea. Why can't I get my wife to agree?
FOOD-- After spending $100 on almost nothing at Puck's Downtown Disney, the prospect of all-inclusive food brought a smile to my face (and wallet). The few samples we enjoyed at welcome buffet in Parrot's Cay were delicious. We resolved not to overindulge too much... and I am proud to say that this resolution at least lasted one meal. We had a Triton's-AP-PC late rotation. We liked the fact that the dressiest (and best photo ops) came first. DIS members seems to like Triton's best but it ended up as our least favorite. Despite the efforts of our friendly servers, the meal was painfully slow and the food rather bland. Our teens took 2 bites and determined the pizza and hot dogs near the pool looked much better. Dinner at AP was great, though. Perhaps the rythym of the show helped. The Maple Salmon was a real hit. DW and I dined alone , though, as the girls went on the Junkanoo Jam.
DW and I had a tremendous meal at Palo's on night 3. I have to admit that I was a initially a little turned off by what I had read here about a ressies rush and then the prospect of having to pay the $10. Thanks to Barb's trip reports I decided to take the chance. Her recommendation was perfect! I got to Wave bands at 12:50, was second in line and got a ressie before 1pm because they opened early. Palo's food was outstanding. We only encountered one little problem: how to decide on only one item. I explained my dilemna to our server Serena and her solution was brilliant...bring a little of each. Try that at Outback Steakhouse!!!
Here's an idea for you Palo folk. DW and I missed dinner at PC but we let the girls use our tickets and invite 2 friends. They all really enjoyed that (If the servers did is another story)
Finally, we found that the buffets and snack bars were better than they needed to be. Cookie's BBQ on CC and the lobster burgers were too good. A bursting stomach in 93 degree heat was not my smartest move. Darned lack of self-control!!!
SERVICE-- Excellent. Superb. Fantastic. Fill in adjective here.....except for the spa. Out stateroom steward, Marcus, seemed to anticipate our needs. Extra towels without asking. Ice for our booze bought cheaply in Nassau. A valiant effort trying to locate our luggage. We got a last minute upgrade from Cat 11 to Cat 8 (YEA!!!) but no one told our luggage (BOO!!) He wasn't able to find all of it but logged a lot of hallway miles trying. Also, Milly in the Cadillac Bar was so nice we made a point to visit every night and asked for her specifically (which kind of upset the other waiter because it was slow and he was reassigned because he didn't have any customers)
OK, brace yourselves, criticism alert. Please turn your heads if you can't bear to look. I warned DW ahead of time about the hard sell of the products in the spa and we followed the DIS suggestions but the push to buy was overwhelming. It seriously cut into DW's massage time and our Raksul hour by almost 15 minutes. An expensive attempt at relaxation was negated by this full court press. Well, I guess it could have been worse. At least there was no timeshare presentation in the steambath
ENTERTAINMENT -- If you have kids or teens, you have hit the jackpot. Our teens tried to play it cool , but it was obvious from the moment we walked into Common Grounds that we would probably not see much of them. They had activities from the moment they rolled out of bed until 2 am. I have to admit that I was jealous. The Castway Cay activities seemed to be a lot of fun. Hey, I watch Survivor, I want to build a raft. I tried to convince the counselor that a lot of teens are balding these days but he wasn't buying any of it and it was off to Serenity Bay for me.
We only saw the Golden Mickey show but based on that performance and the Hercules/Dreams ones we saw on TV, all appear to be top-notch presentations. Having first run movies in the Buena Vista and more on TV was a nice bonus. However, DW and I were a little disappointed in the nightclubs. The little skit shows were fun. We enjoy dancing but Wavebands never seemed to attract more than a dozen people. I saw lots of people satick their heads in and rapidly walk away. Maybe it's me but 15 year old Whitney Houston songs don't exactly inspire many poeple to shake their rump. Or is everybody just worn out from theri excursions by that time? Please reply and let me know.
One embarassing side note.. I knew about the Gloria Gaynor lip sync/John Travolta dance off by reading various trip reorts. On 70's might I was on the lookout and I absolutely did not want to get stuck doing that because I am not the most graceful person in the world ( I make Goofy look like Barishnikov). So I'm innocently slowdnacing with my wife when all of a sudden I am grabbed by a guy dressed like a pimp and flung onstage. I've seen Saturday Night Fever at least a dozen times but when thrust into a spotlight with a badly fitting white suit jacket my mind automatically erases. Needless to say I was AWFUL. Sure they say I'll never see those people again but my wifes's digital photos will be blackmail material FOREVER
With that I will call it a night. I'm sure there are other topics for discussion but those will have to wait for another day. Thanks for taking the time to muddle through this. I hope some of it helps. I look forward to reading all of your comments in the future.
