Jan 27, 2008 - 4 night Wonder...shall I start?

[jennifaerie]

Can't have been that bad, or I've forgotten it all, 'cause we're about to book November 2009, 7 night Western on the Magic. I think I've got The Bug, DCL style.

The November 14th double Castaway Cay Western?

Us too!!

After our first night, we weren't sure we'd ever cruise again.

 

[dorothyl]

Hi everyone

My DH and 9 yr od son and I were also on this cruise. I followed this thread right up to our sail date but for some reason could never log on. My administrator said there was something wrong with my "cookies". I get back and can log on properly. Go figure.

I already posted my review on trip report. It was my son's first cruise, our third. First with Disney. We all loved it. My son got sick a little the first night. After that he was fine. This was the first time my DH didn't get sick. This was also the shortest cruise we have done.

The Oceaneers Lab was "awesome", so my son is still telling us. As for all of you who would move on to CC ........well be prepared to share. I have decided to retire there and work for Disney. There were tons of Canadians on board so I know they hire them.

In a brief summary, I loved everything but the late seating time. We only ate in our dining room once( Parroy Cay) and that was the night my son got sick through dinner. I was able to eat my ribs though and they were great. We ate at Palo Tuesday night. Juan was our waiter and both he and the food were outstanding. The other two nights we ate elswhere. I really liked all the food but the buffet the afternoon we boarded.

The shows were very good and I thought the seas were the smoothest we have sailed on. But then again our first cruise landed us in the middle of Hurricane Jean and nothing will top that for us. Fortunately I have never even gotten a little seasick.

Back to CC. It was heavenly, wasn't it. As I sit here in the frigid artic air mass in Niagara Falls Canada I am very envious of the group boarding as I type. Someone will be on my hammock in a couple days and it won't be me.

My son loved Atlantis. We booked a room at CS and had a great day and couldn't have asked for better weather. At Oceaneers lab the manager was from the town I grew up in(St. Catharines) next door to Niagara and said I was the first Canadian who she had met who said they were from there. We had fun talking about different hometown stories. It really is a small world.

All in all I will book again. I willl make sure it is one with a 2 day stop at CC. I can't wait.

 

[jennifaerie]

Hi everyone

I already posted my review on trip report. It was my son's first cruise, our third. First with Disney. We all loved it. My son got sick a little the first night. After that he was fine. This was the first time my DH didn't get sick. This was also the shortest cruise we have done.

In a brief summary, I loved everything but the late seating time. We only ate in our dining room once( Parroy Cay) and that was the night my son got sick through dinner. I was able to eat my ribs though and they were great. We ate at Palo Tuesday night. Juan was our waiter and both he and the food were outstanding. The other two nights we ate elswhere. I really liked all the food but the buffet the afternoon we boarded.

Just out of curiosity, what was your table number that first night?

 

[dorothyl]

Table 44. As I make dinner right now I am wishing I was there.

 

[jennifaerie]

Table 44. As I make dinner right now I am wishing I was there.

I knew it was you! It's Jennifer, the birthday girl!

I know it's a smaller ship, but what are the odds that I'd find two people I actually encountered on the cruise, one of which I ate dinner with?!

You know, since we got back, I've been asking Rob over and over, How in the world did she get that low a rate at Atlantis? I had looked and looked and couldn't find anything. And I kept kicking myself, because I never got a chance to ask you. Now I know... Gotta do the Comfort Suites. Thanks for posting that! We want to go to Aquaventure now that we did the "dolphin thing".

We missed you all those nights. We never did end up doing the buffet dinners because we had so much fun with Allie and Cole. We ended up hanging out with them a bit outside of dinner too... got to see what a verandah room was like and ended up booking for the same cruise next year.

I had a really rough first day... I had never been on a cruise before and was terrified. I cried for two hours... up until the drill started. I wanted so badly to go home. This coming from a thirty year old. I hated the prospect of being trapped on a ship and not being able to go home at any time. Once we left port, and I realized I couldn't just walk off the ship anymore (knowing we were sitting at port drove me nuts), I started to feel better. But our first dinner with people we didn't know... we were really apprehensive, and I'm sure it showed.

When I had called DCL to find out some things about the cruise, they said we'd be partnered with like-size parties... so we thought we'd be with other couples. When we sat down and saw families, we didn't know what to do. You all had seemed so chummy; we weren't sure at first if you had all come together. And of course, I was still very tentative. I wasn't crazy about the sensation of the boat either.

But by the end of dinner, you all had made it better for us. Your son was a sweetheart. It was so thoughtful of him to wish me a happy birthday days later (how he remembered, I'll never know).

Thank you for all the tips; you made things a lot easier for us. Now that we are more "experienced", we are definitely going to get our turkey dinner.

You also entertained us quite a bit on the beach! You got that guy next to you talking and he even took your picture! He didn't seem like the type, so you must bring everyone out of his own shell!

Now that I'm thirty-one (and oh so wiser!), I've come to the conclusion that while being on a boat isn't my favorite thing in the world, we'd rather do that and get to experience everything else the cruise has to offer than stay home. You helped with that, so thank you again! And it's nice to talk with you again!

 

[melissaknits]

I am a control freak and DH lives for consistency and routine and the first couple of hours totally made my head turn inside out, and I wanted to cry too. I had a mojito and went up on deck and waved my arms and sang and MADE MYSELF HAVE FUN. Then the barfing part started and I was so close to bawling it wasn't even funny. I RAN off that ship in Canaveral, insisting we'd been there, done it, bought the t-shirt and I was not ever doing it again. Then I came home and I started missing it...and now we're planning for 09. We're skipping the WDW part for this trip, and will just cruise. And I shall be all sorts of healthy, and visit my dr to make sure my ears are clear, and take all sorts of drugs, and life will be good. I want more DCL. For this, I would buy DVC.

And yes, November 14, 7 night 2 CC visit Western!!

 

[dorothyl]

jennifer

It really is a small world isn't it. I am an elected politician so talking to people is what I do. As you can tell I am hardly shy. Neither is my son. On my first cruise I didn't get sick but my husband did. I was terrified beyond belief. Then we ended up in the middle of a hurricane with 27 foot waves and my husband got so sick he was eating the dramamine like candy and went fast asleep. I on the other hand was wide awake and terrified and sat on the windowsill of across from the guest services desk because both the girls there were from Canada just outside Toronto not far from us. They talked to me all night to calm me down. I am shocked we did another cruise but we did and our next one was a ten day that was so calm and relaxing.
we would have liked to eat at the dining room everynight but Tanner never liked anything on the menu. I am a pretty simple eater also and didn't really care where we ate. He absolutely loved the kids club. He spent more time there than anywhere which gave us some time to ourselves. That was nice.
I wondered why you asked what table we were at. I thought that there was no way whoever asked would know who we were because we had only met you and your husband and Jordan and his kids at a dinner.
Tanner threw up all those marashino cherries in those Shirley Temples. I think tht is what made him sick.
We have 4 children actually, the others are 23,21 and 17 and they chose not to come with us.I am trying to talk them into coming on the next one. My husband and I will cruise again before we cruise with the kids again but Iwe will definately do Disney again.

 

[jennifaerie]

I am a control freak and DH lives for consistency and routine and the first couple of hours totally made my head turn inside out, and I wanted to cry too. I had a mojito and went up on deck and waved my arms and sang and MADE MYSELF HAVE FUN. Then the barfing part started and I was so close to bawling it wasn't even funny. I RAN off that ship in Canaveral, insisting we'd been there, done it, bought the t-shirt and I was not ever doing it again. Then I came home and I started missing it...and now we're planning for 09. We're skipping the WDW part for this trip, and will just cruise. And I shall be all sorts of healthy, and visit my dr to make sure my ears are clear, and take all sorts of drugs, and life will be good. I want more DCL. For this, I would buy DVC.

And yes, November 14, 7 night 2 CC visit Western!!

Oh, if only we both knew we were on that ship! We could have taken care of each other. I read your stories, and I thought, I really didn't have it all that bad. I didn't get sick at all, which struck me as odd, but I was in a constant state of fear that first day (and part of the second day, as I found that Nassau was like everyone said it was and feared for my life during one of our cab rides).

Now, we will take care of each other on November 14th. I really wanted to see Grand Cayman, and when I saw it had two stops at Castaway Cay, I couldn't resist. And neither of us will freak out (okay, maybe a little).

 

[jennifaerie]

I was terrified beyond belief. Then we ended up in the middle of a hurricane with 27 foot waves and my husband got so sick he was eating the dramamine like candy and went fast asleep. I on the other hand was wide awake and terrified and sat on the windowsill of across from the guest services desk because both the girls there were from Canada just outside Toronto not far from us. They talked to me all night to calm me down. I am shocked we did another cruise but we did and our next one was a ten day that was so calm and relaxing.
we would have liked to eat at the dining room everynight but Tanner never liked anything on the menu. I am a pretty simple eater also and didn't really care where we ate. He absolutely loved the kids club. He spent more time there than anywhere which gave us some time to ourselves. That was nice.
I wondered why you asked what table we were at. I thought that there was no way whoever asked would know who we were because we had only met you and your husband and Jordan and his kids at a dinner.
Tanner threw up all those marashino cherries in those Shirley Temples. I think tht is what made him sick.

Wow! No wonder this was "smooth sailing" to you. You had already been through the worst before!

Poor guy! We had piles of cherries every night. It was funny how you could see once our table got our Shirley Temples, the rest of the dining room would pan out red. Allie really did start a trend.

I was pretty sure it was you, but I wanted to make sure before I made a fool out of myself.

I'm a horribly picky eater, and I'd look at the kids' menu every night and think, Boy, I wish I was eating what they were. But I forced myself to try something new (I learned trying new food at WDW was not the end of the world, so why not on a Disney cruise?), and I was pleasantly surprised at my birthday dinner at Triton's. I had the Coquilles St. Jacques (I think that's how you spell it), and it was very, very good. See, if you mention mashed potatoes, I'm happy. It wasn't on the menu, but when Rocque described it, I got it. It had shallots and mushrooms, which I don't like, but I just ate around them, and it ended up being my favorite meal on the ship. So I'm glad I ventured forth, and I hope they have it again next year (I never thought I'd ever say "next year").

Is it just me, or did Jordan really, really resemble Jon Stewart?

 

[melissaknits]

I am totally prepared to not freak out this time. There will be no freaking. All will be well. I want to see Cozomel and Grand Cayman. My SIL says I will love it.

How many days is it till 2009?!?!

Dorothyl - 27 feet??? AKKKK! Just before we left DH downloaded a You Tube video of some ship in a hurricane. It was un..un..real. I could have cheerfully strangled him. Some things I do NOT want to see.

 

[jennifaerie]

I am totally prepared to not freak out this time. There will be no freaking. All will be well. I want to see Cozomel and Grand Cayman. My SIL says I will love it.

How many days is it till 2009?!?!

Dorothyl - 27 feet??? AKKKK! Just before we left DH downloaded a You Tube video of some ship in a hurricane. It was un..un..real. I could have cheerfully strangled him. Some things I do NOT want to see.

I will have another Bahamas cruise under my belt by the time November 2009 comes, so I will hopefully feel like a pro. Though I will admit the prospect of seven nights does make me a wee bit nervous.

I have a honeymoon at Disney in September to look forward to (why do we not own DVC?), so I have some things to look forward to in the interim!

 

[melissaknits]

Busy/lucky girl!!

We married in Orlando in 1997, took our kids along for the trip, sort of snuck the wedding in. We went back the next year by ourselves for a "real" honeymoon, and this trip was a 10th anniversary but late trip. Our actual anniv is December, but I launched my first book on our anniversary weekend and kinda needed to be here. At least my publicist said I did... ; )

 

[jennifaerie]

Our actual anniv is December, but I launched my first book on our anniversary weekend and kinda needed to be here. At least my publicist said I did... ; )

Well, if the book helps pay for Disney trips, I suppose you should listen to the publicist!

 

[dorothyl]

Hurricane Jean was a doozy. We were on the 11th deck of the Norwegian Dawn. When it was all over I went out to our balcony and on the balcony beside us a woman was scraping the sea salt off the balcony railing into a sytrophome(sp?)cup, and when she saw me watching her she said" I am showing this to my freinds and family or they will never believe me". My DH said " we will never cruise again". Since I really try not to fly this is how I see different places. I am looking to book our 4th.

 

[melissaknits]

I hate flying. I've had to start doing more of it lately and I do not enjoy it at all. I viewed cruising as the same sort of thing - see the world without being airborne, although we'll fly to Florida and take the cruise from there, at least it's only a 3 hour flight followed by 7 days of not being ten miles in the air.

jennifaerie - in my dreams. it's selling very well, but the lion's share goes to the publisher. For me the book is a means to an end, but I don't expect economic reward for about five or six years. At which time i shall take many more vacations...I hope!!!

 

[jennifaerie]

I'm not a big fan of flying. I thought the sensation of cruising was very similar to flying, which wasn't good. I'd rather be on a plane for six hours and feel it just then, than to feel it for days on end.

But at the same time, when you're on a boat, you can move around.

It's very difficult to find cheaper flights to anywhere in the Caribbean out of Boston (forget Manchester), so this is, by far, the cheapest. I can get non-stop flights out of Manchester to Orlando without emptying the bank account too much.

I hate getting off the plane, getting on another plane, worrying whether or not the luggage is coming with me...

And I have to agree with something I read in an article yesterday-- you unpack once, you have the same bed the whole time. I like routine, so taking a cruise is definitely the best way.

Did anyone play Bingo at all while on the cruise?

 

[melissaknits]

I wanted to do bingo a tiny bit, but know my husband would never ever sit for that long so didn't even mention it to him.

I wonder if that was my problem, the sensations being similar. I was in LA last month and MN this Friday, then LA again in the spring and who knows what between times, things change daily. I do not like having to change planes. Friday is a flight from CT to O'Hare, then another flight to Minnesota. I always loved that Delta flew direct to Orlando out of Bradley. Less than 3 hours and we're there. Then we had a bad flight, I swore I'd never fly again so we've driven since. DH pointed out that if I could fly for my publisher, I could fly for him. (prob a good point) so we'll fly in 09.

I also think I like that I can get more bang for my buck cruising - airfare is, like you said, not cheap. My daughter and father wanted to come to MN with me. $800 r/t per person at Expedia for the same flights my publicist has me on.

 

[Cruisin]

I love to fly and I love to cruise

Flying usually means that I am off on a vacation, which is always great.

Sounds like you all have many more vacation plans in the works.

Have a great time planning.

 

[melissaknits]

I love take off and landing. I don't like actual flying. But I don't get sick at all, so have NO clue where the whole seasick thing came from. And usually I adore ships/boats/water craft of all kinds. This is why i am determined to go in Nov 09 and HAVE FUN and BE NOT SICK!!

 

[jennifaerie]

Maybe it was just the water when we went. I kept checking the television to see the status of the waves, and it always said "smooth" except for when we were docking in Nassau. So I don't know. It's hard for me to say since it was my first time. But when I came home and told other people who had been on cruises before, they all told me I never should have felt anything while moving around in the boat.