Is Mickey a Captain or a Jedi? Both! - May '15 Land & Sea ~ Updated 6/14: Trip Report Started!

[Imagineer5]

I’m hoping that I’m able to catch a shuttle back pretty quickly from Enterprise. I’ve heard it can get crowded sometimes , but it should help that I won’t have any bags to deal with. Anyone know if it’s walkable? I wouldn’t mind doing that if it were safe and I could avoid crowds if the shuttle is busy.

I don't, since we left from Miami, but I do remember that Andrew parked the car while Aria and I went inside, so we were able to split up. However, at the entrance it was a little nerve wracking because they were checking in families at once and she was a little annoyed my DH wasn't there. I told her he would come to the line in about 10 minutes or so and she said she would send him in then. I actually waited for him at the picture spot instead of going through security by myself and then checking in.

We will probably have an early boarding number and get on soon after boarding starts, though. In the meantime, we’ll check out the terminal and see if we can get in any character meets for Izzy. I’ve read that parents who have kids going to the kids’ club can get the bracelets and do registration at the terminal, but Izzy will be in the nursery, since she’s not 3 yet – is there anything we’ll need to do? I’m unclear if they do the bracelet thing too.

Not sure about port Canaveral but we had Mickey then Minnie, so only 1 character meet spot. We did check in Aria for the kids club, for the nursery I'd imagine Izzy needs a MB too but not really sure on that, sorry.

Oh, by the way, our plans for carry-on are Izzy’s stroller with carseat attached to the back of it and probably one rolling carry-on sized bag. We’ll have to stow the carseat in the room

There was a ton of space under the bed to store all our bags and the stroller which was so nice!

2.) Timed tickets will be available for Disney Junior, Princess Gathering, and Anna & Elsa character meets. They are available at the Port Adventures Desk on Deck 5 from Noon-2:30pm. Unless we can get Palo right away, we’ll probably go here first, as I’d like to obtain tickets for all three. Does anyone know how the times work – do you pick or just get something?

They only had certain times for these meets, and if you are unavailable during one of them they won't give you tickets. For the Disney Junior meet we ran into that because it was scheduled for the 2nd at-sea day during our Palo brunch, so we couldn't get tickets.

3.) I don’t think this is urgent, but we will need to book some more nursery time for Izzy. We have our 10 advance hours booked, but will need to add some time during our Mixology class (sea day) and during Palo Brunch, if we get one. We also want to do the open houses at the nursery and kids clubs this afternoon, so maybe we can just take care of that at the same time?

Maybe you could check out the kids club around 3-3:30, if Izzy wakes up early? either that or between the sail away party and dinner - we had about 45 minutes between these things.

4.) This is not urgent, but we need to make sure to sign up for the free allotment of wifi – it’s only available to sign up for on this day.

My free allotment got used up superrrr fast

Other than taking care of those errands, our first priorities are to eat lunch and to swim and/or try the Aquaduck (if we can catch it with short lines).

Hopefully you can catch it with short lines!! I bet you'll have more luck the next day during Nassau

For lunch, I think there are a couple of options? Any recommendations? I want to say I’ve read you can do the buffet or a sit-down that is lesser known?

I am not sure if the sit-down on your ship will be open the first day for lunch - we did the buffet (NOT the one by the pool but the one we had on deck 3) and it was quick and easy.

If anyone has tips for either WDW or the cruise with a newly-trained toddler, let me know. Should I bring some sort of potty seat? I know there are some folding travel ones, but haven’t looked into it.

I am thinking back to our May 2014 Disneyland trip. We did the 3-day potty training at the end of February 2014, so she had been potty trained for a little over 2 months during our Disneyland trip, but was still in diapers at nap and nighttime (though we dropped those after returning from this trip). I had a little portable potty seat that folded up (about $10 on amazon) and I did use it quite a bit since she was just so little then. Other than that, just frequent potty breaks. She had 1 pee accident and 1 poo accident (remember that awesome dinner where I had to walk a mile to the bathroom multiple times). I also had to bribe her to poop with ice cream because she was refusing to go. Other than that, it was easier than I overall thought it'd be.

Otherwise, I’m just thinking I should bring spare shorts and underwear in our park bag and a couple diapers/wipes as back-up and for naptime.

Spare clothing is always a good idea and diapers for naps and bedtime should work fine.

Oh, and I’ve read a tip to bring post-it notes to put over the autoflush sensor so it doesn’t scare the kid by randomly going off. I have no idea how she feels about autoflush, as we haven’t encountered it yet, but we do have post-its, so I may throw them in.

We went through a short phase of being scared of the autoflush but I never remembered post-its,, just put my hand over the sensor and that worked fine.

we are thinking of having her sleep on the pull-out couch with bedrails during the cruise to save space in our room. I have a crib request anyway, in case she doesn’t like the couch, but I don’t see any way to request bedrails in advance. Do I just need to ask the room attendant once we are settled?

I think the couch is a good idea, and you can use pillows on either side of the bed if you can't get bedrails - their bedrails (at least the 1 we got)are HUGE and our stateroom person never installed it correctly it drove me crazy.

I’m hoping we are in our room fairly early, because Izzy will need to nap. And, because we have the crib request in, I’m hoping there will be a Pack ‘n’ Play in the room for that, since we probably won’t have the bed/rails all set up yet.

I would suggest putting her to sleep in the stroller after the pool time around 1 so that she may wake up by 3 or so so you'll have a little time before your drill, and also so you can walk around the room / unpack a bit easier. Just what I would do (actually that is what we did lol).

There might be a small window between the muster drill and dinner? Maybe one of us will need to just go and book the nursery time we need during her nap and then do the open house another day?

After the muster drill is the Sail Away party. I think I read that it is good to watch from Deck 12 instead of 11 because you can get up to the rail and see over everyone? I’d like Izzy to be able to see her beloved character friends. (Dug just reminded me that Deck 12 is also helpful so that Izzy doesn't rush the stage and get restrained by CMs - we may have had some incidents at Aulani with her undying love for Minnie. ) Can’t wait to hear that horn play a Disney tune!

Deck 12 will give a nice vantage point. We went right up front on deck 11 at the stage and that was fun to dance "with" the characters a bit but either way it'll be fun.

I was just saying to Dug today that a lot of people fret about their toddler making it through a lengthy dinner, but I think Izzy will have no problem

Sounds like Izzy will be fine. Thankfully Aria was too, but our dinners were NEVER ENDING! Our table mates always arrived 20 minutes late and they timed our food to their food and it was so annoying.

The show this night should be the Golden Mickeys

Golden Mickeys were great, and we never had a problem keeping Aria up. The shows are a perfect 50 minute length. I brought candy treats to bring to the shows and that was a hit with her too

Maybe take turns checking out the nightlife on the ship?

As you can imagine, we were exhausted and all went to bed at the same time each night lol.

 

[afwdwfan]

I can't wait to get to those parts of the Aulani TR! We have a VERY dedicated Minnie fan.

I need to read through that one sometime. I'm trying to get there, I always have a hard time getting caught up on TR's when I'm not there from the start.

I guess my thoughts for the morning are to meet some characters on the island, spend some time at one or both family beaches, and just have some unstructured time.

Great idea!

Then eat lunch at the Cookie’s BBQ place on the island before bringing Izzy back onboard for a nap in the nursery, which we have reserved for a few hours this afternoon. That should allow us to head back out and take the tram to the adult beach, Serenity Bay, to relax there for a bit.

Even better idea!

Tonight, this arrived:

Oh wow... so not only do you have to keep track of which FP+ is on which Magic Band, but you all got green Magic Bands???

She told us that we both need boxes of new shirts too.

Well, the way things are going, just give it time.

 

[Imagineer5]

19th - don't have too many comments bc a lot of what you mentioned is different on your ship, but it sounds like a great day! And the date night for the villains show will be perfect (we didn't have that show)

20th - we did get off the ship as soon as we could and get some beach chairs just to have a spot to put our stuff. We took turns snorkeling which was fun, I am not a beachy person either. There is a splash pad area which Izzy will enjoy, and one of our favorite activities ended up being renting bikes to see the island and Aria loved that too. Nap time sounds perfect with a visit to the adult beach!

The evening will be fun, you could also just get dinner for Izzy by the pool if you wanted to skip the sit down meal before palo.

 

[StephanieE]

She told us that we both need boxes of new shirts too.

I LOVE this!! I was thinking the same thing when I saw all of your shirt pictures! She's hilarious!

All of your cruise plans sound great so far! I'll be interested to see how the cruise works out. I've never really considered one yet because I'm not sure how my DH would do with it. Crowds aren't his favorite thing and it seems like less of an escape when you go back to the room vs back to your resort. Plus we aren't super into beaches. I love to walk on the beach at sunrise or sunset but not when it is crowded. I burn really easily so laying out is NOT my thing.

But it is a Disney cruise!!!! So I think I'll at least have to consider is someday. The cruise in Alaska seems like it would be beautiful!

 

[MEK]

Castaway Cay is beautiful, but let me just tell you that the regular family beach is WAY nicer than the adults only area. We discovered that late in the day.

So my advice is when you take Izzy in and go back by yourselves, just go back to the family beach. Denny and I went back when there was only about an hour left of beach time and everyone had already boarded the ship. It was AWESOME because we had that whole place to ourselves. Plus its an extra tram to the adults only beach, so it takes more time. I am sure we will do the same thing when we are there in December. I may not go to the adult beach at all. It was OK, but the other was just better.

And there are SOOOOOOOOOOOOO many loungers. I'm sure you will find a spot both early and late.

Super cute T shirt and flip flops.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Ok, so again, commenting on multiple updates so will try to keep it brief ... but you know I am not very good at that

Although, I don't really have much experience with cruising in general and none with a Disney cruise so probably not a ton of advice I can give. I feel like for a number of your questions I have seen some thoughts in other reports but am not 100% sure about things so rather not confuse you any more.

One thing I do remember clearly is the tip to wear your swimsuits for boarding as the changing rooms/bathrooms get crowded so you got that under control. Also, might be a good reason to have Izzy try to go a few times before you board in case line to get to bathrooms once you board.

As far as potty training goes - I definitely support the post-it notes for the auto-flushers. My kids definitely would get spooked if they would go off while they were on there and the last thing you want is them being scared of the potty.

Oh, I am pretty sure that in most countries it is legally required that if you have a veranda you need wine to enjoy while on said veranda

Good luck getting the Palo brunch and also getting the tickets for the reserved characters at good times - that will definitely make things easier to not have to worry about getting some of those in

Glad to hear you got the early seating - the later one seems really late for those with little kids. Having a quiet night that first night sounds nice. Definitely just spend some time relaxing but if you can fit in a little time for at least one of you to go off an get a feel for the layout of the ship and where certain things are I think it will help the next days

Since it isn't like you are on the boat for a month I think it makes sense to stay on the boat vs a port you aren't excited about and try to do things that are more crowded at other times (e.g. the AquaDuck)

I definitely would be tempted to book another cruise knowing the discount you get but also - while less, it is still real money you have to put up now. Hope whatever decision you come to you fell 100% confident about it ... and not to sway you one way or the other but I saw today they are going to be putting in a Star Wars themed area to the Dream this fall

Some of those activities seem pretty fun based on the name but hopefully you find out more details. I did do a google search for Puzzle Playtime with Mickey and Friends and some youtube videos came up - seems like it is a lot of playing games like simon says and the hockey pokey and stuff

I think it is great you will be getting a date night and the villains show seems like a good opportunity - plus after a full day of playing, etc Izzy might be into an earlier bed time (especially if up later the night before)

I've heard nothing but good things about Castaway Cay (also have not heard why it is pronounced "key" but whatever). Not sure how it works with a toddler but I have heard very good things from people who rent the bikes and bike around the island a bit - maybe they have bikes with infant seats attached?

That's cool that you can bring Izzy to the nusery on the boat and then go back to the beach. I bet just some relaxing (with an adult beverage or two) in, basically, paradise for even an hour or two will be nice.

Sounds like a nice evening too - probably will have to explain to your servers why you aren't getting much to eat at 1st dinner. The idea of watching the fireworks as a couple on the deck outside Palo sounds really nice. Again, whatever you decide to do I hope you are 100% confident with it ... and, I mean, either way you are still on a Disney Cruise Line so the downside risk to any choice really isn't that bad

 

[Tracy161]

She told us that we both need boxes of new shirts too.

How cute is she?!?!? And so thoughtful, too!!!

I actually had a dream last night that I went out and bought a bunch of new Disney apparel - I think between you and @Gracefulskinny I've had Disney shopping on my brain! Imagine my disappointment when I woke up and realized I didn't find three Disney dresses for the price of one.

I love your plans for this day! And there's nothin' wrong with having a pre-dinner dinner... in fact, I think it can only be a good thing!!!

 

[ashw100]

Yay for Magicbands! Sound alike a nice relaxing day. Palo sounds nice, chocolate soufflé? Yummy.

 

[Dugette]

I think you asked a question about where to eat for lunch on the day of boarding. Cabanas, Enchanted Garden, and the quick-service place by the pool should all be open when you board (or shortly after you board). We've been on the Dream three times -- we've done Enchanted Garden twice and the quick-service place once. CMs will be near elevators encouraging you to go to Cabanas or Enchanted Garden (they'll name one - whichever is less busy at the time, I'm assuming), but with this knowledge you can decide yourself where you want to go! We were none the wiser on our first trip and were encouraged to go to EG.... Which turned out to be a great choice. I imagine Cabanas can get pretty busy on boarding day, and we didn't want to have to search for a table.

Thanks so much for the information! That helps a lot! I'm thinking we are getting on the ship early, so the crowds at Cabanas may not have built up yet - we'll have to play it by ear and see what makes the most sense that day, though. I like knowing what our options are.

They will seat you at a table in Enchanted Garden, and you will have a dedicated server. There is a lovely buffet set up for lunch on this day, but the server can get you chicken fingers from the back if you want! (Perfect for Izzy!). Of course, the quick-service is outside (by the pool), so you are able to enjoy the sunshine if you go there!

Well, I do like sunshine. Our choice might end up being made by the weather at the time, I guess. I have a weirdo child that actively dislikes some of the popular toddlers foods - like chicken fingers and pizza. Won't eat them. However, she does approve of the other staples, namely macaroni and cheese and hotdogs.

Of note, it's a similar set-up for breakfast at EG. They seat you, and there is a buffet. They can also order a customized omelet for you at breakfast (there is no omelet station, but they do make it in the back).

Oh, that's good to know. I wasn't clear what our breakfast options were like. Is there an omelet station at Cabanas? I do like omelets.

How thoughtful!

Always thinking of others.

 

[SevenWonkas]

I honestly can't remember if Cabanas has an omelet station at breakfast! We tended to go to EG or Royal Palace (table service). We may have eaten at Cabanas one time for breakfast on our three trips.... We really enjoy how relaxing EG is and that they just seat you at a table!

Oh, and FYI. The ship doesn't have Cheerios! At least none out for grabbing. Cabanas has small containers of cereal (that you can pour milk into), and there are several to choose from. Our son lives for Cheerios, but we had to settle for Fruit Loops. Although we rarely are at Cabanas for breakfast, we did walk through and grab cereal once or twice, just so we had it on hand.

 

[Dugette]

I don't, since we left from Miami, but I do remember that Andrew parked the car while Aria and I went inside, so we were able to split up. However, at the entrance it was a little nerve wracking because they were checking in families at once and she was a little annoyed my DH wasn't there. I told her he would come to the line in about 10 minutes or so and she said she would send him in then. I actually waited for him at the picture spot instead of going through security by myself and then checking in.

Well, that sounds annoying. I'll keep that in mind and hope things go smoothly for us.

Not sure about port Canaveral but we had Mickey then Minnie, so only 1 character meet spot. We did check in Aria for the kids club, for the nursery I'd imagine Izzy needs a MB too but not really sure on that, sorry.

Yeah, I don't think there are a lot of character meets, but at least Captain Mickey and Minnie would be cool.

There was a ton of space under the bed to store all our bags and the stroller which was so nice!

That's great to know! Do you think a carseat would fit under there?

They only had certain times for these meets, and if you are unavailable during one of them they won't give you tickets. For the Disney Junior meet we ran into that because it was scheduled for the 2nd at-sea day during our Palo brunch, so we couldn't get tickets.

Oooh, that's also good to know. We might want to get tickets before we try for the Palo brunch, just in case it's an issue. I hope the timing works out.

Maybe you could check out the kids club around 3-3:30, if Izzy wakes up early? either that or between the sail away party and dinner - we had about 45 minutes between these things.

Oh, great - I wasn't sure if there would be enough time between the sail away and dinner.

My free allotment got used up superrrr fast

Well, that's a bummer. I'm sure ours will too, as I guess it's only one allotment per cabin? Between Dug checking Twitter and me checking the DIS it will be gone quick, I bet.

Hopefully you can catch it with short lines!! I bet you'll have more luck the next day during Nassau

Yeah, I'm leaning towards maybe just going for the pool time and Aquaduck on Nassau day and not worrying about it on arrival day now.

I am not sure if the sit-down on your ship will be open the first day for lunch - we did the buffet (NOT the one by the pool but the one we had on deck 3) and it was quick and easy.

I'm thinking that if it's not crowded yet and the sun is out, the buffet might be nice. We'll see.

I am thinking back to our May 2014 Disneyland trip. We did the 3-day potty training at the end of February 2014, so she had been potty trained for a little over 2 months during our Disneyland trip, but was still in diapers at nap and nighttime (though we dropped those after returning from this trip). I had a little portable potty seat that folded up (about $10 on amazon) and I did use it quite a bit since she was just so little then. Other than that, just frequent potty breaks. She had 1 pee accident and 1 poo accident (remember that awesome dinner where I had to walk a mile to the bathroom multiple times). I also had to bribe her to poop with ice cream because she was refusing to go. Other than that, it was easier than I overall thought it'd be.

I do remember the poop incident in that report! I will look into the folding seats, I think. With as many out-and-about bathroom breaks as we'll have, it will probably get some decent use. Izzy has apparently decided that she only poops at night in her diaper. No other times. I'm not sure how this will go on the trip.

Spare clothing is always a good idea and diapers for naps and bedtime should work fine.

Boy, I hope she has enough pairs of cute Disney underwear to get through this trip. I might need to buy more...

We went through a short phase of being scared of the autoflush but I never remembered post-its,, just put my hand over the sensor and that worked fine.

I guess we'll have to see how she does. If she was ever near my work, I could bring her in there - those auto flushes are CRAZY. Always going off at random.

I think the couch is a good idea, and you can use pillows on either side of the bed if you can't get bedrails - their bedrails (at least the 1 we got)are HUGE and our stateroom person never installed it correctly it drove me crazy.

Ugh, that would drive me crazy too. I hope we get an attendant who knows what they're doing, since I don't. She has never slept on a non-enclosed bed, so this should be interesting...

I would suggest putting her to sleep in the stroller after the pool time around 1 so that she may wake up by 3 or so so you'll have a little time before your drill, and also so you can walk around the room / unpack a bit easier. Just what I would do (actually that is what we did lol).

Thank you! That is a really good idea! I don't know why it didn't occur to me to have her stroller nap - heck, she is for the whole WDW part of the trip - she'll be very used to it.

Deck 12 will give a nice vantage point. We went right up front on deck 11 at the stage and that was fun to dance "with" the characters a bit but either way it'll be fun.

Well, I learned at Aulani that if Izzy gets close enough to make a break for it (ON to the stage), she will. And the CMs apparently don't care how cute it is and she can't understand why they would do this to her (keep her from hugging Minnie).

Sounds like Izzy will be fine. Thankfully Aria was too, but our dinners were NEVER ENDING! Our table mates always arrived 20 minutes late and they timed our food to their food and it was so annoying.

Annoying late table mates! I hope we get good ones (assuming we get some).

Golden Mickeys were great, and we never had a problem keeping Aria up. The shows are a perfect 50 minute length. I brought candy treats to bring to the shows and that was a hit with her too

Oh, good idea. She would love some candy!

As you can imagine, we were exhausted and all went to bed at the same time each night lol.

Haha, you silly morning people!

Thanks for all the feedback - that all helps a bunch!

 

[Dugette]

I need to read through that one sometime. I'm trying to get there, I always have a hard time getting caught up on TR's when I'm not there from the start.

No worries! The nice thing is that because I'm doing this PTR, a WDW TR, and that Aulani TR simultaneously, that one is going at this pace: And I'm hoping to wrap up the other WDW report before I take this trip, but there's no way that Aulani is getting done soon, so it will likely still be co-existing with a new WDW/cruise TR. And maybe a Disneyland PTR too.

Great idea!

Even better idea!

Sounds like a nice enough day to me!

Oh wow... so not only do you have to keep track of which FP+ is on which Magic Band, but you all got green Magic Bands???

Well, just that set is green. I though it might be handy if we are sharing bands at any point - they'll look like our own? Or maybe Izzy will insist we match, so we've got that covered too. (Toddlers and their fashion demands! ) But we have two more sets coming, thanks to a triple split-stay. Not to mention existing bands. This was the DIS-friendly-name set.

Well, the way things are going, just give it time.

True. I did get my Frozen shirt in the mail today.

19th - don't have too many comments bc a lot of what you mentioned is different on your ship, but it sounds like a great day! And the date night for the villains show will be perfect (we didn't have that show)

Thanks, I'm excited to have a date night! We don't do enough of that.

20th - we did get off the ship as soon as we could and get some beach chairs just to have a spot to put our stuff. We took turns snorkeling which was fun, I am not a beachy person either. There is a splash pad area which Izzy will enjoy, and one of our favorite activities ended up being renting bikes to see the island and Aria loved that too. Nap time sounds perfect with a visit to the adult beach!

I forgot about the splash pad on the island - Izzy will probably love that! I thought about the bikes, but Dug has a hard time riding very far, so I'm thinking we'll probably skip that (though maybe I would go myself if he's occupied with something). (I know, it's not THAT kind of bike...)

The evening will be fun, you could also just get dinner for Izzy by the pool if you wanted to skip the sit down meal before palo.

I'll keep that in mind, depending on how we're all doing. I was thinking it might be nice to get a peek at Pirate Night in the dining room.

She told us that we both need boxes of new shirts too.

I LOVE this!! I was thinking the same thing when I saw all of your shirt pictures! She's hilarious!

I say all the time that having a toddler is like having a tiny comedian in your home. She cracks us up all the time. She also knows this and frequently says, "I'm funny!"

All of your cruise plans sound great so far! I'll be interested to see how the cruise works out. I've never really considered one yet because I'm not sure how my DH would do with it. Crowds aren't his favorite thing and it seems like less of an escape when you go back to the room vs back to your resort. Plus we aren't super into beaches. I love to walk on the beach at sunrise or sunset but not when it is crowded. I burn really easily so laying out is NOT my thing.

I have really no interest in laying on a beach. I mean, I'd sit out long enough to have a drink or something, but that's about it. In fact, at Aulani, I'd say I spent a total of 5-10 minutes in a beach/pool chair all week. I personally have never felt that cruises feel particularly crowded (granted, I've only been on 2 and both very large ships). Less crowded than WDW at times, I'm sure. I love that the room travels with you on a cruise, though...never far to go and you can stop "home" easily.

But it is a Disney cruise!!!! So I think I'll at least have to consider is someday. The cruise in Alaska seems like it would be beautiful!

I agree - I'd love to cruise to Alaska someday!

Castaway Cay is beautiful, but let me just tell you that the regular family beach is WAY nicer than the adults only area. We discovered that late in the day.

Really? What didn't you like about the adults only area? Most TRs I've seen have enjoyed it, I thought.

So my advice is when you take Izzy in and go back by yourselves, just go back to the family beach. Denny and I went back when there was only about an hour left of beach time and everyone had already boarded the ship. It was AWESOME because we had that whole place to ourselves. Plus its an extra tram to the adults only beach, so it takes more time. I am sure we will do the same thing when we are there in December. I may not go to the adult beach at all. It was OK, but the other was just better.

Hmmm, we'll have to see how the crowds are when we come back. That makes sense that it would be great if it had emptied out.

And there are SOOOOOOOOOOOOO many loungers. I'm sure you will find a spot both early and late.

This is great to hear! I won't worry too much about it then.

Super cute T shirt and flip flops.

Thanks! I'm glad to see that long-sleeve Toy Story is actually a t-shirt vs. a sweatshirt - I bet she can wear it on this trip now!

 

[Dugette]

Ok, so again, commenting on multiple updates so will try to keep it brief ... but you know I am not very good at that

Haha, I don't mind. I like the feedback (even if it will push me into not posting the new update until after midnight).

Although, I don't really have much experience with cruising in general and none with a Disney cruise so probably not a ton of advice I can give. I feel like for a number of your questions I have seen some thoughts in other reports but am not 100% sure about things so rather not confuse you any more.

I know I've seen some of the things, but my memory isn't the best. I did just go through and find emails I sent myself with notes and links from some of them, so that helped.

One thing I do remember clearly is the tip to wear your swimsuits for boarding as the changing rooms/bathrooms get crowded so you got that under control. Also, might be a good reason to have Izzy try to go a few times before you board in case line to get to bathrooms once you board.

Oh, I didn't even think about her needing to potty and having to wait in line.

As far as potty training goes - I definitely support the post-it notes for the auto-flushers. My kids definitely would get spooked if they would go off while they were on there and the last thing you want is them being scared of the potty.

Agreed. Don't want any potty-phobias.

Oh, I am pretty sure that in most countries it is legally required that if you have a veranda you need wine to enjoy while on said veranda

Okay, if you say so.

Good luck getting the Palo brunch and also getting the tickets for the reserved characters at good times - that will definitely make things easier to not have to worry about getting some of those in

Hope it all goes smoothly for us.

Glad to hear you got the early seating - the later one seems really late for those with little kids. Having a quiet night that first night sounds nice. Definitely just spend some time relaxing but if you can fit in a little time for at least one of you to go off an get a feel for the layout of the ship and where certain things are I think it will help the next days

I agree - the late one is after she normally goes to bed. For older kids, though, they have a program where they'll take them to the kids club after they eat so the parents can linger over dessert and drinks.

Since it isn't like you are on the boat for a month I think it makes sense to stay on the boat vs a port you aren't excited about and try to do things that are more crowded at other times (e.g. the AquaDuck)

That's my logic.

I definitely would be tempted to book another cruise knowing the discount you get but also - while less, it is still real money you have to put up now. Hope whatever decision you come to you fell 100% confident about it ... and not to sway you one way or the other but I saw today they are going to be putting in a Star Wars themed area to the Dream this fall

I saw that this morning! Dug is going to want to sign up for the kids club too.

Some of those activities seem pretty fun based on the name but hopefully you find out more details. I did do a google search for Puzzle Playtime with Mickey and Friends and some youtube videos came up - seems like it is a lot of playing games like simon says and the hockey pokey and stuff

I'll have to check out the video. I was hoping for actual puzzles.

I think it is great you will be getting a date night and the villains show seems like a good opportunity - plus after a full day of playing, etc Izzy might be into an earlier bed time (especially if up later the night before)

I think she may just be wiped out by this point in the trip.

I've heard nothing but good things about Castaway Cay (also have not heard why it is pronounced "key" but whatever). Not sure how it works with a toddler but I have heard very good things from people who rent the bikes and bike around the island a bit - maybe they have bikes with infant seats attached?

I think they do. See my comment above to Lauren for more...

That's cool that you can bring Izzy to the nusery on the boat and then go back to the beach. I bet just some relaxing (with an adult beverage or two) in, basically, paradise for even an hour or two will be nice.

I got that tip from a TR!

Sounds like a nice evening too - probably will have to explain to your servers why you aren't getting much to eat at 1st dinner. The idea of watching the fireworks as a couple on the deck outside Palo sounds really nice. Again, whatever you decide to do I hope you are 100% confident with it ... and, I mean, either way you are still on a Disney Cruise Line so the downside risk to any choice really isn't that bad

Can't go wrong. I'm guessing they get that a lot - people going to Palo for dinner, but bringing their kids to the dining room.

How cute is she?!?!? And so thoughtful, too!!!

Pretty cute and very thoughtful.

I actually had a dream last night that I went out and bought a bunch of new Disney apparel - I think between you and @Gracefulskinny I've had Disney shopping on my brain! Imagine my disappointment when I woke up and realized I didn't find three Disney dresses for the price of one.

That's awesome - we are brainwashing you!

I love your plans for this day! And there's nothin' wrong with having a pre-dinner dinner... in fact, I think it can only be a good thing!!!

We've gotta warm up for Palo somehow, right?

Yay for Magicbands! Sound alike a nice relaxing day. Palo sounds nice, chocolate soufflé? Yummy.

I keep hearing that the chocolate soufflé is a must-have, so that is motivating me to keep this dinner.

I honestly can't remember if Cabanas has an omelet station at breakfast! We tended to go to EG or Royal Palace (table service). We may have eaten at Cabanas one time for breakfast on our three trips.... We really enjoy how relaxing EG is and that they just seat you at a table!

Sounds like a good recommendation!

Oh, and FYI. The ship doesn't have Cheerios! At least none out for grabbing. Cabanas has small containers of cereal (that you can pour milk into), and there are several to choose from. Our son lives for Cheerios, but we had to settle for Fruit Loops. Although we rarely are at Cabanas for breakfast, we did walk through and grab cereal once or twice, just so we had it on hand.

Oh, that's good to know. Izzy hadn't cared about Cheerios for awhile, but just found an old box the other night and shoveled down a whole bowl.

 

[Dugette]

One Month from Today – Thursday, May 21st

First off, an assortment of Disney news!

I saw this today on WDW’s site:



SOOOOO happy we’ll be able to ride Pirates after all!

Secondly, as Phil posted about, the Dream is going to have a Star Wars themed kids club room starting next fall! Man, they really are pulling out all the stops to get us to re-book while on board. I mean, they’re even adding a gelato shop for me! Sounds pretty cool.

Third, I had a Brown Derby style lunch, since there was Cobb Salad today in the cafeteria:



(Okay, that was only mildly Disney-related, but it adds a picture to this update! )

Fourth, a bunch more clothes got delivered today (nothing new, just what I posted about before). Izzy likes her Ariel dress. Here’s hoping she’ll actually wear it. In fact, just to add another picture, here’s what happened at Easter when we forced her to try on a dress MIL got her:



She put up quite the fight. And she did win and wore her Tinkerbell shirt to church on Easter.

By the way, we also got a couple Disney Gift Cards in the mail today too (I’d ordered from Target, not an actual gift ). Yesterday, we got Magical Express info and a postcard my step-mom sent from her visit to Epcot recently. Yay for Mickey mail!

Final thing on my mind is the Jedi Mickey dinner at Hollywood & Vine. This morning, I was able to give one of my (gasp! ) 7 ADRs to someone who needed one. She was very happy! Glad to help. Then, finally, tonight I was able to get an ADR at one of my desired times (thanks to another DISer/TR person - OhioStateBuckeye)! It’s my second-choice day, but it’s within the time frame that we’re okay with, so I’m going with it. Don’t worry, I’ll still be stalking my first choice, just in case. But, for now, we have one we can attend – though I did have to let Beaches & Cream go for it. (I am now divesting myself of the other 5 H&V ADRs - one is already transferred to another DISer in need! )

But let’s talk about what we’ll be doing a month from now, because today we had snow showers here!

Thursday, May 21st

This is our day at sea to enjoy the ship some more. This is also the day we are hoping to get a Palo brunch. I don’t think we’re too picky on time – we’ll take what we can get at boarding. And, if not, we’ll live. Assuming we do get brunch, we’ll have to book nursery time for Izzy during that.

A random thing I’ll just throw in now: I’ve read that you can drop an item off with guest services to have all the characters sign it. I feel like I should take advantage of that, but don’t know what to do. Any ideas?

This day’s plans are pretty open and very similar to our Nassau day. Meet characters. Have ice cream. Midship Detective. Maybe mini golf. Maybe Toddler Time or an Open House in the kids’ club. Possibly pool time, but I’m guessing it will be crowded, so maybe just the splash pad. Oooh, I just saw a Wake Up with Disney Junior at 8:30am – that might be an option, if we’re up. So, yeah, this day is very flexible.

I think we’ll plan on Izzy naptime in the room and we can enjoy our verandah while at sea (with some wine). That sounds nice!

Of course, we shouldn’t have too much wine because we have a DIS-group private Mixology class at 4pm this day. That should be really fun and I’m looking forward to meeting some people from the DIS. And the yummy drinks, of course. We need to reserve some nursery time for Izzy during this too.

We’ll have our last dining room dinner this night and probably be sad to part with our amazing servers (according to pretty much every cruise TR I’ve read ). I see something that says “Family Dance Party” that is sort-of between dinners – maybe something to check out, as Izzy loves to dance (and, yes, we did all do a “hot dog dance” before bed tonight ).

The show this night is Believe and I think that Izzy will probably enjoy it. I’m looking forward to seeing the shows, so hoping that we’ll have a cooperative toddler that late at night (well, like 8:30pm).

After the show, I think we’ll probably put Izzy to bed, but I am a bit conflicted. There is a “See Ya Real Soon” farewell thing with the characters this night, but it’s at 10:15pm. So, something Izzy would love, but really late. And we’re getting off the ship early the next morning and going to the MK 24 hour day. I’m thinking Izzy might have to skip the farewell. At least she can see characters again at WDW after the cruise, I guess. I don’t know why they have this event so late at night?

Other things of interest this night are that the comedy show is going to be performed again – in case either of us wants to see it and didn’t. Also, we think that the movie Tomorrowland might be showing at midnight in the movie theater. Dug might go see that, if so, but he will be pretty tired come morning.

This is also the night that we need to pack and put our luggage in the hall between 8:30-10:30pm, unless we choose to take it off ourselves.

I haven’t decided what we’ll do for breakfast the next morning. One possibility is having room service deliver something this evening to save for morning. Another option is Cabanas buffet. It sounds like the sit-down option tends to be rushed, so I’m thinking we should avoid that.

Oh, a couple things I forgot to mention regarding room service:

1.) I have read that having a carafe of coffee delivered the night before is great for having hot coffee ready in the morning. I am not a coffee drinker, but Dug might like that.

2.) I also read a report where they got a cheese plate delivered every night. Sounds like a great idea for a snack and will go well with wine. Must do!

Gosh, I can’t believe our cruise is already almost over! Have I forgotten anything?

Oh, I just wanted to add – if I’m following your report, I’m sorry if I’m behind in comments. This daily posting thing is knocking me out, but I am reading on my phone while on the bus and such – I’ll catch up on comments when I get a chance.

 

[Imagineer5]

That's great to know! Do you think a carseat would fit under there?

I am thinking not, but you may get lucky. If not I'm sure you can put it in a corner out of the way.

Boy, I hope she has enough pairs of cute Disney underwear to get through this trip. I might need to buy more...

I usually pack 2 undies per day for Aria. Even now with water features and such it's nice to have a back up, though lately I've really only needed 1 and have clean ones left over (which isn't a bad thing!).

Annoying late table mates! I hope we get good ones (assuming we get some).

I will say that it was really nice having table mates with a 3 year old little girl - I feel like Aria would have had more fun on the cruise having a friend there to go to the kids club with and all that, so it was nice when she saw the other little girl out and it was like she "knew" someone (something to think about for a future cruise maybe, Aria and Izzy would have a ball!).

the Dream is going to have a Star Wars themed kids club room starting next fall! Man, they really are pulling out all the stops to get us to re-book while on board. I mean, they’re even adding a gelato shop for me!

The gelato shop is what gets me! hahaha! I saw that. We didn't to an onboard booking (hoping to get a military rate for cheaper), but not opposed to cruising again maybe later in the year 2016...

In fact, just to add another picture, here’s what happened at Easter when we forced her to try on a dress MIL got her:

LOL I don't think I've seen Izzy in many dresses. I now know why!

This is also the day we are hoping to get a Palo brunch

If you can fit it in, definitely go for it - it was a highlight of our cruise (though we didn't do dinner)

I’ve read that you can drop an item off with guest services to have all the characters sign it.

We brought a photo mat and picked it up the last night. So glad we did it!

Wake Up with Disney Junior at 8:30am

I laughed at your "if we're up" comment! We did the wake up with Disney junior - it was fun, but by then we had already been up 2 hours so it seemed a bit silly to see some kids in PJ's.

Other things of interest this night are that the comedy show is going to be performed again

We saw a juggler-comedy act that was fun for the family on our cruise, SO much fun!

2.) I also read a report where they got a cheese plate delivered every night. Sounds like a great idea for a snack and will go well with wine. Must do!

Cheese AND fruit plate!! We only did it once, wish we had ordered them daily!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

SOOOOO happy we’ll be able to ride Pirates after all!

We're pretty happy about the push back of the renovations. Makes things so much easier for us. We don't have to have that push to ride it on Mother's day evening. Thanks again for the heads up about it!

Yesterday, we got Magical Express info and a postcard my step-mom sent from her visit to Epcot recently. Yay for Mickey mail!

Yay for Mickey Mail! ALways fun!

(I am now divesting myself of the other 5 H&V ADRs - one is already transferred to another DISer in need! )

Time to spread the Pixie Dust

because today we had snow showers here!

Yuck! So glad I live in the south. Snow in almost May is just such a foreign and strange concept to me! Stay warm!

so hoping that we’ll have a cooperative toddler that late at night (well, like 8:30pm).

I have such a night owl! at 8:30 Little Miss is still going strong most days!

 

[afwdwfan]

SOOOOO happy we’ll be able to ride Pirates after all!

That's great!!!

Not that they won't change the schedule again... but at least it looks good!

Secondly, as Phil posted about, the Dream is going to have a Star Wars themed kids club room starting next fall! Man, they really are pulling out all the stops to get us to re-book while on board. I mean, they’re even adding a gelato shop for me! Sounds pretty cool.

Ok, it is official. DCL is run by pirates. They do their best to pillage and plunder each and every person on board.

Here’s hoping she’ll actually wear it. In fact, just to add another picture, here’s what happened at Easter when we forced her to try on a dress MIL got her:

Yeah, looks about right. Good luck.

Final thing on my mind is the Jedi Mickey dinner at Hollywood & Vine. This morning, I was able to give one of my (gasp! ) 7 ADRs to someone who needed one. She was very happy! Glad to help. Then, finally, tonight I was able to get an ADR at one of my desired times (thanks to another DISer/TR person - OhioStateBuckeye)! It’s my second-choice day, but it’s within the time frame that we’re okay with, so I’m going with it. Don’t worry, I’ll still be stalking my first choice, just in case. But, for now, we have one we can attend – though I did have to let Beaches & Cream go for it.

That's great! I'm glad that you managed to get one for a more acceptable time and were able to help spread a little bit of pixie dust. But no Beaches and Cream????

I feel like I should take advantage of that, but don’t know what to do. Any ideas?

Sorry, I'm no good at these things. I'd think a picture or a poster or something that could be framed and hung in Izzy's room or something like that would be nice though.

Oooh, I just saw a Wake Up with Disney Junior at 8:30am – that might be an option, if we’re up. So, yeah, this day is very flexible.

I'm sure that would be a fun show for Izzy if you can get yourselves moving in time for it! But just having a down day to go with the flow and do what feels right is probably best for the last day on the ship.

I think we’ll plan on Izzy naptime in the room and we can enjoy our verandah while at sea (with some wine). That sounds nice!

Of course, we shouldn’t have too much wine because we have a DIS-group private Mixology class at 4pm this day. That should be really fun and I’m looking forward to meeting some people from the DIS.

That really sounds like it will be a lot of fun!!!

Also, we think that the movie Tomorrowland might be showing at midnight in the movie theater. Dug might go see that, if so, but he will be pretty tired come morning.

Well, you're going to be out late the following night. Makes sense to me since he's going to be in the room sleeping.

 

[StephanieE]

SOOOOO happy we’ll be able to ride Pirates after all!

I was sooooo happy to read this!! We missed Pirates on our March trip because we just didn't have enough Magic Kingdom time to make it happen. My husband (who loves Disney but is really not into the planning it part) asked if we could FP it for this trip! And I had to tell him that it would be down for renovations. I'm so glad that they've pushed it back and we'll be able to ride! Now I just need to watch for FP to open up.

Secondly, as Phil posted about, the Dream is going to have a Star Wars themed kids club room starting next fall! Man, they really are pulling out all the stops to get us to re-book while on board. I mean, they’re even adding a gelato shop for me! Sounds pretty cool.

Those sound like great additions! I see a cruise in my future!

Yesterday, we got Magical Express info and a postcard my step-mom sent from her visit to Epcot recently. Yay for Mickey mail!

We just received our Magical Express stuff too and the packet was completely different from what we received in March.

We also received our 3rd set of Magic Bands! We will have every color soon! You probably already do and if not yet then soon!

Final thing on my mind is the Jedi Mickey dinner at Hollywood & Vine.

We were finally able to book one of the breakfasts! I'm still working on a new time for our H&V dinner because everything I've seen open is when we have other plans. I do have one booked that we will use if need be but I'm going to keep trying!

That's great that you were able to share them with someone on here! Do you know if there is a similar way to get rid of FP? I was able to snag an Anna & Elsa meet but now I am looking at changing our travel time so I don't think we'll get to use it.

A random thing I’ll just throw in now: I’ve read that you can drop an item off with guest services to have all the characters sign it. I feel like I should take advantage of that, but don’t know what to do. Any ideas?

Can you find something ship related? Like a small replica life preserver or ship? If not, I always like the idea of doing a photo mat and then adding a picture from the cruise!

I think we’ll plan on Izzy naptime in the room and we can enjoy our verandah while at sea (with some wine). That sounds nice!

Of course, we shouldn’t have too much wine because we have a DIS-group private Mixology class at 4pm this day. That should be really fun and I’m looking forward to meeting some people from the DIS. And the yummy drinks, of course. We need to reserve some nursery time for Izzy during this too.

This part of your trip just sounds amazing! It will be so much fun and relaxing on the verandah sounds amazing!

Gosh, I can’t believe our cruise is already almost over! Have I forgotten anything?

It seems like it will fly by but every day looks like it will be packed full of fun times!

 

[ashw100]

I am glad you will get to ride Pirates, I wonder why they pushed it back ? I hope you get your Palo brunch. That would be a good way to start the day. The cruise is going to fly by but it sounds like you have a good plan and will take advantage of the things it has to offer. Room service is awesome on cruises, you should definitely take advantage of that .

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Sounds like a nice relaxing day at sea and I would think having some flexibility will be good as, despite all the amazing planning you are doing, there are probably things on the ship you aren't aware of and might want to check out/do again

I would be all over room service - and having some cheese and or chocolate or something to go with the wine while you are out on the veranda ... I mean, not terrible, right?

I really want to see Tomorrowland so I would definitely be there for the midnight showing - but yeah, would probably be tired the next day

And my goodness you are a mean mommy making Izzy wait for nearly a full day to see characters