January 21, 2010 - Wonder

[Fivepin]

Well we had a great cruise. We were spoiled with the verandah. We usually get 2 adjoining staterooms but with KFO it worked out cheaper with the deluxe family stateroom.

The boys enjoyed all the FE gifts. We just wish we had a chance to meet more of the group.

The cruise was just too short. The water was too cold for us as well. We thought we were being smart by staying on the ship while in Nassau-hoping the kids with have the slide with no wait, but others had the same idea. I was surprised how many stayed on.

Castaway was great as usual. Alot of going back for photos with characters. It still amazes me how my youngest (5) wants to take pictures with all the characters over and over again even though he has cruised several times. I wish they wouldn't outgrow it. I didn't mind going back and forth from the beach to get pictures that he wanted. I had a taste for steak sandwiches that day, so I checked the kids in to Scuttles Cove for about an hour and headed over to Serenity Bay. The only way my oldest would go was if I brought him back a steak sandwich and promised to make it back before they had to have lunch with the club. So, I did. Boy the looks he got when people saw him eating steak.

Didn't make it into the hottub or cove cafe, but was able to make it to the spa for a facial.

Did notice we left Nassau later. I saw the gentleman being put into the elevator-just happened to be going to the lab to pick up my son for the show.

Tiffany-wish I had a chance to meet you-the maker of my various FE's. I do have to doctor the one I brought for this trip. One of the mickey ears on the dowel rods cracked about half way thru.

Wanted to get everyone's input on the music list of the CD I made. I was thinking of that as my only FE gift for the Baltic cruise (due to weight constraints for the luggage and the large list of people). So, anything I should add or remove?

Thanks

 

[Chloe's mom]

Sounds like everyone had a great time like we did! This was THE MOST MAGICAL vacation we've ever had!!! EVER. I just hate it had to end so quickly.

My DH was dragged on stage to dance for the Sail Away party, which was so funny to me because he is such an introvert. He just wants to blend in with the background and hopes nobody notices him.... a very shy type. Add to the mix that I had to drag him on this cruise because he absolutely DID NOT want to go, and we now have a fun story to tell. Of all the people for Pikey to drag on stage... it had to be my little Eddie. Well, not so little. He's 6'4". Did any of you catch that??

Thanks to all the DISers for all the tips on here. I brought a pillow case for autographs and it looks absolutely fantastic! Brought the over-the-door shoe rack and it was the best thing ever. Also bought a can of Lysol at Walgreens before we boarded and sprayed down everything in our stateroom upon entering for the first time. Yay -- No sickness. And, yes we were on the 6th floor.

Did the Dolphin Encounter at Blue Lagoon, then enjoyed the beach for a couple of hours afterwards. Did the Stingray Adventure on CC. Enjoyed both of them, but the dolphins was by far the best. DD6 loved the beach and bike ride the best on CC.

Loved all three shows, but the last night was by far the best. I was teary-eyed for the last 15 minutes of it. I'm such a dork, I know. But I love this stuff. And yes, I'm in my early 40s but a kid at heart.

And..... last but not least. We were chosen at random to be a "Magical Family" and got invited to a cocktail party with free drinks, got some free snorkeling gear, bike rides, and float rental on Castaway Cay, and got all kinds of special foods delivered Fri and Sat (choc covered strawberries, etc.), an autographed picture of all the characters delivered, a stuffed Daisy, and some more little things. I was skeptical at first when I got the letter saying we had been chosen at random out of 2500 guests, but it really was true and cool experience too! AND it had nothing to do with the Sail Away party. Of all things..... Wouldn't you love to have that job??? Being a "Magical Family Host" on DCL??? I never knew such a thing existed.

It was really nice to meet some of you on Secret Deck 7 at 2:00 Thursday before we sailed. And thanks SO much to Noahade for making that FE gift for my daughter even though we didn't participate in the FE exchange. She appreciates it SO much!

Again, THE BEST, MOST MAGICAL VACATION EVER!!! My DH even said that he loved it and wants to go back again sometime. Score for me and DD6!!!

 

[KSandbergFL]

Sounds like everyone had a great time like we did! This was THE MOST MAGICAL vacation we've ever had!!! EVER. I just hate it had to end so quickly.

My DH was dragged on stage to dance for the Sail Away party, which was so funny to me because he is such an introvert. He just wants to blend in with the background and hopes nobody notices him.... a very shy type. Add to the mix that I had to drag him on this cruise because he absolutely DID NOT want to go, and we now have a fun story to tell. Of all the people for Pikey to drag on stage... it had to be my little Eddie. Well, not so little. He's 6'4". Did any of you catch that??

Yes, we saw that big lug get dragged up on stage! He did great, he was really a good sport. I will look thru my video clips, I was shooting video during some of the Sail Away party and I *might* have been recording, when your DH was on stage. We were on the opposite side of the stage from you guys, kinda tucked under the stairs.

I had never even heard of "Magical Family" thing on the cruise (I know they do in at the theme parks)... gee, that really sounds awesome!

 

[hawky7]

Yay for being family of the day!!! I think I might have seen your guys name up on something, because I remember seeing Family of the day is.... and thinking hmmm I wonder what they get for that. Thats pretty awesome. So glad you guys had fun! Chloe is cute, she really looked so proud of her dad during the sail away party. That was funny!!!

We had a great cruise too. Although I started to feel pretty sick the last night, ( I had been sick a week prior) and just thought it was because the boat was moving so much, oh and the fact that us and our couple friend from dinner ate at Palo that night and we MAYBE ordered EVERY dessert on the menu, and then some. Thought I'd feel better, but I don't. Keep feeling nauseated everytime I eat. Happened at Magic Kingdom the next day, and at Chef Mickeys yesterday... ughhh... I'm sticking to toast and crackers until this thing is gone!!

I loved all the FE gifts, thank you to those who participated!!! It was so much fun!!! Fivepin- LOVE the cd!!! I was reading all the songs and each one I read I immedietely thought of which part of the cruise it came from. Your gift was awesome!!! Everyones was!!!

I'm sooooo glad we got to dock at Castaway Cay this year, since we didn't last year I was worried about it this year! So beautiful, we sat at almost the very end of Serenity Bay, and just stared at the ocean all day. Went to the family beach for snorkeling for all of 20 mins before I missed the quiet of Serenity Bay.

3 days really isn't enough...Now how am I going to fit in a longer cruise???
It was great to meet the few of you that we did. And Melynny- glad you could figure out that door to deck 7!!! LOL, I sure felt like an idiot after you opened it!!!

 

[Chloe's mom]

Yes, we saw that big lug get dragged up on stage! He did great, he was really a good sport. I will look thru my video clips, I was shooting video during some of the Sail Away party and I *might* have been recording, when your DH was on stage. We were on the opposite side of the stage from you guys, kinda tucked under the stairs.

I had never even heard of "Magical Family" thing on the cruise (I know they do in at the theme parks)... gee, that really sounds awesome!

It would be so cool if you had a video of the Sail Away party that you could share!

 

[Chloe's mom]

Hawky7,
Hope you are feeling better. What a bummer to get sick on your trip.... It was fun meeting you guys, and we're glad Melynny kicked the door to Deck 7 open too! Too funny

I'm still kinda sloshing around inside...... I mean, have you ever felt like a lava lamp after you disembarked? It's kinda funny... like all my liquid in my body slooowwwlllyyyyyyyy moves from side to side. And it's been three full days we've been off the ship. Hopefully it will go away soon. Not making me sick or anything, just feel like I'm.... well..... sloshing around on the inside for lack of better words. Too wierd!

 

[Fivepin]

Yay for being family of the day!!! I think I might have seen your guys name up on something, because I remember seeing Family of the day is.... and thinking hmmm I wonder what they get for that. Thats pretty awesome. So glad you guys had fun! Chloe is cute, she really looked so proud of her dad during the sail away party. That was funny!!!

We had a great cruise too. Although I started to feel pretty sick the last night, ( I had been sick a week prior) and just thought it was because the boat was moving so much, oh and the fact that us and our couple friend from dinner ate at Palo that night and we MAYBE ordered EVERY dessert on the menu, and then some. Thought I'd feel better, but I don't. Keep feeling nauseated everytime I eat. Happened at Magic Kingdom the next day, and at Chef Mickeys yesterday... ughhh... I'm sticking to toast and crackers until this thing is gone!!

I loved all the FE gifts, thank you to those who participated!!! It was so much fun!!! Fivepin- LOVE the cd!!! I was reading all the songs and each one I read I immedietely thought of which part of the cruise it came from. Your gift was awesome!!! Everyones was!!!

I'm sooooo glad we got to dock at Castaway Cay this year, since we didn't last year I was worried about it this year! So beautiful, we sat at almost the very end of Serenity Bay, and just stared at the ocean all day. Went to the family beach for snorkeling for all of 20 mins before I missed the quiet of Serenity Bay.

3 days really isn't enough...Now how am I going to fit in a longer cruise???
It was great to meet the few of you that we did. And Melynny- glad you could figure out that door to deck 7!!! LOL, I sure felt like an idiot after you opened it!!!

I'm sorry you got sick. My youngest now has been coughing since Monday.
You're right-3 days is too short. I'm glad you liked the CD. My kids listened to it all the way to the port and again on the way home.

Sounds like everyone had a great time like we did! This was THE MOST MAGICAL vacation we've ever had!!! EVER. I just hate it had to end so quickly.

My DH was dragged on stage to dance for the Sail Away party, which was so funny to me because he is such an introvert. He just wants to blend in with the background and hopes nobody notices him.... a very shy type. Add to the mix that I had to drag him on this cruise because he absolutely DID NOT want to go, and we now have a fun story to tell. Of all the people for Pikey to drag on stage... it had to be my little Eddie. Well, not so little. He's 6'4". Did any of you catch that??

And..... last but not least. We were chosen at random to be a "Magical Family" and got invited to a cocktail party with free drinks, got some free snorkeling gear, bike rides, and float rental on Castaway Cay, and got all kinds of special foods delivered Fri and Sat (choc covered strawberries, etc.), an autographed picture of all the characters delivered, a stuffed Daisy, and some more little things. I was skeptical at first when I got the letter saying we had been chosen at random out of 2500 guests, but it really was true and cool experience too! AND it had nothing to do with the Sail Away party. Of all things..... Wouldn't you love to have that job??? Being a "Magical Family Host" on DCL??? I never knew such a thing existed.

It was really nice to meet some of you on Secret Deck 7 at 2:00 Thursday before we sailed. And thanks SO much to Noahade for making that FE gift for my daughter even though we didn't participate in the FE exchange. She appreciates it SO much!

Again, THE BEST, MOST MAGICAL VACATION EVER!!! My DH even said that he loved it and wants to go back again sometime. Score for me and DD6!!!

I did see your hubby on stage. We were right in the center front row behind the ropes. Congrats on being the Magical Family. I heard the announcement and always wondered how one was picked. I will be looking out for one of those letters in the future. I always thought the family was picked at the port while checking in.
So glad you had a great experience. We don't cruise any other cruise line now because we have always gotten great customer service and my kids still enjoy it. I think I'm the bigger kid because I wanted to take pictures with the characters and am always excited when we go a Disney cruise.

 

[KSandbergFL]

It would be so cool if you had a video of the Sail Away party that you could share!

checked my vids, nothing of the big lug who got called on stage for the Sail Away party.... sorry!

 

[KSandbergFL]

However WE did have a great time! It was so, so much better than our 1st Disney Cruise. I am so glad that we gave it a second chance! We ended up walking to the Hilton and doing their Day Pass. It worked out great for us. No schedule to keep and it was nice, we got to see 2 of the other ships dock and really the water there was very clean, the pool was great.

How much did the Hilton pass cost? Was their pool heated? That sounds like a great option, for sailing in January, if the sea water is too cold....

 

[Purplejewel]

Finally got a break from work and home life to type up a post trip report. My DH and I really enjoyed this cruise. The weather was perfect, no rain . My favorite part was the Sea Lion Excursion my DH and I did on Blue Lagoon Island. My kids got a kick out of the picture of me letting the sea lion (Murrey) kiss me right on the mouth - much softer and warmer than I imagined it would be.

My DH and I did the wine tasting seminar and I really enjoyed it. I learned alot about wine and it was a relaxing event. My DH does not drink wine at all but came along to keep me company - what a sport! On our next cruise we may do the martini tasting - my DH may actually enjoy that one.

Casaway Cay was great - walked around a bit, ate a great lunch and took some pictures then went back to the room for a much needed nap. I heard the water was a wee bit chilly so I'm glad I didn't go in.

Our servers were great on this cruise aside from the fact that we seemed to be one of the last tables to be done each evening. I think that had more to do with one of the ladies at my table having an allergy and the Head Waiter had to speak to her personally about safe selections before each course. I really enjoyed everyone at my table except for two older gentlemen that were on the cruise together (both married but wives were not along on this trip). They came to dinner each evening completely drunk and continued to drink during each meal. They were not rude but I don't enjoy trying to talk to a person to doesn't remember from one minute to the next what we have been speaking about. They said that they were Disney employees who were on the cruise to upgrade the phone system and that they worked all day and then got their evenings off. I find it strange that a Disney employee who is working on the cruise would be allowed to eat in the Dining Rooms in the evenings - none of the other cruise staff get to do that. Given that they were Disney employees, I was more offended with their drunkeness than if they had just been cruisers since Disney holds their employees to such a high standard. My DH and I complained to the Disney Cruise Line after we left the ship about their inappropriateness. Don't know if it will do anything but I hope they at least got a stern talking too about being drunk in public.

I also heard about the gentleman that died on this cruise - so very sad for the family that was with him.

As soon as my DH and I got to the airport we called the Disney Cruise Line and booked a 7-day Mexican Riviera Cruise (2/13-20/11) for our Anniversay next year - can't wait . We also booked a 3-day cruise to the Bahamas (11/17-20/11) to take our four daughters on. This will be their first cruise. We purchased four Disney Cruise Line luggage tags while on the ship and presented them to the girls when we got home and asked them to guess what the surprise associated with the items was. It didn't take them long to realize that we were planning on taking them on their first cruise. I've never seen such excitement from them.

Well, hope everyone enjoyed the cruise as much as I did. Maybe I will see you on another future cruise.

 

[Melynny]

The Hilton pass costs 40.00 with a 30.00 food credit. I don't really remember if the pool water was heated, it did not seem cold, but not overly warm either.

We are still fighting the cold that we caught the 1st day on the cruise.. I think it was somthing we really got at Aquatica, but dang this thing is hanging on!

Hawky, sorry you got an upset tummy! There's nothing worse than sick at WDW!

 

[thefyshes]

WOW has it really been a week since our trip? Honestly after 10 day of Disney and 1800 pictures DH, the kids and I are hooked. I think DH and I a little more. Our 7 days at the POFQ was 100% perfect! How I've decribed it to others is it was exactly what Disney sells - everything went tickity-boo, each moment of the day. Not one single complaint (other than we had to leave). Our cruise unfortunately was complete overkill. We were totally exhausted. It was wonderful and a great way to end our trip but not long enough to get rest and then have time to enjoy to it's fullest - there is so much to be done. We enjoyed the first two nights in the dining room and had a table for just the 4 of us (our server was amazing). The final night we ordered in our room (our son fell asleep at the table in the dining room on Pirate night before his app came out). We can't wait to do it all again some day, hopefully a little more rested.

Sorry we didn't make it to the meet, we didn't get on the ship until 2pm. The FE gifts were a highlight and such a treat. Thank you to everyone for all your generousity and time spent. The kids loved it! And thanks for Ksand...for your organizing everything

Thank you to everyone who answered all my questions and enlightened us about all WONDER.

Until next time....

Melanie

 

[KSandbergFL]

WOW has it really been a week since our trip? Honestly after 10 day of Disney and 1800 pictures DH, the kids and I are hooked. I think DH and I a little more. Our 7 days at the POFQ was 100% perfect! How I've decribed it to others is it was exactly what Disney sells - everything went tickity-boo, each moment of the day. Not one single complaint (other than we had to leave). Our cruise unfortunately was complete overkill. We were totally exhausted. It was wonderful and a great way to end our trip but not long enough to get rest and then have time to enjoy to it's fullest - there is so much to be done. We enjoyed the first two nights in the dining room and had a table for just the 4 of us (our server was amazing). The final night we ordered in our room (our son fell asleep at the table in the dining room on Pirate night before his app came out). We can't wait to do it all again some day, hopefully a little more rested.

Hi there.. were you guys at Table 27 on the early (APT) rotation? We were at table 29, and on Pirate Night (we were in Parrot Cay) at Table 27 there was a cute little boy in a pirate outfit, who fell asleep at the table before his dinner came out. We were on the end of table 29, my wife had the Pirate Micket hat on, and I was wearing a black Mickey bandana around my head. My son was the mop-top at the end of the table. My wife thought she saw you carrying one of the FE gifts with you at dinner one night....

You might remember my previous post -- POFQ is my favorite Disney resport... didn't you just love the French-style architecture, fountains, and "parks"? That is such a beautiful grounds.

 

[hawky7]

POFQ is our favorite too!!! I love it there, so quiet!!! And lets not forget about the Beignets at the food court!!! Thats like the #1 reason to stay there!!!! Melanie- I hope you guys got to try those!!! They are DELISH!

 

[thefyshes]

Hi there.. were you guys at Table 27 on the early (APT) rotation? We were at table 29, and on Pirate Night (we were in Parrot Cay) at Table 27 there was a cute little boy in a pirate outfit, who fell asleep at the table before his dinner came out. We were on the end of table 29, my wife had the Pirate Micket hat on, and I was wearing a black Mickey bandana around my head. My son was the mop-top at the end of the table. My wife thought she saw you carrying one of the FE gifts with you at dinner one night....

You might remember my previous post -- POFQ is my favorite Disney resport... didn't you just love the French-style architecture, fountains, and "parks"? That is such a beautiful grounds.

That was us! Are you blonde? If so, I remember you Too bad we didn't know at the time...it would have been nice to meet someone. I think you sat beside us the first night then and we saw you again at Castaway.

Our DS was so tired but funny, as soon as we went back to the room he popped up and wanted to go to the Kids Club. Next time we hope to enjoy all the amazing things Disney offers on the cruise.

The POFQ would be an absolutely revist next trip. We were in the 2nd building, 2nd floor facing the court yard. Amazing location should anyone stay there. Really close to everything but you feel far away. The grounds are wonderful. We spent our first afternoon exploring all the gardens.

We have spent the last three years traveling with the kids to Belize and it was a big decision to do the Disney trip this year...very different type of trip but we have to admit...we are HOOKED and totally didn't miss our annual like we thought!

Thanks for the support and all the treats once again - the time spent on the FE's by everyone was appreciated!

 

[thefyshes]

POFQ is our favorite too!!! I love it there, so quiet!!! And lets not forget about the Beignets at the food court!!! Thats like the #1 reason to stay there!!!! Melanie- I hope you guys got to try those!!! They are DELISH!

Shame on us! We didn't...here is our silly reason *heheh* My DH became a Disney Youtube fanatic before we left and we saw a cute video of these ladies eating them and joking about how messy they were. And they were - it was all over the table, chairs, their laps and the floor. With a 3 and 6 yo we decided to pass. Next time I promise, we're going to do it and not look back

 

[KSandbergFL]

I'm curious what everyone else did on Nassua day? Did anyone else visit Cabbage Beach?

 

[thefyshes]

I'm curious what everyone else did on Nassua day? Did anyone else visit Cabbage Beach?

We walked up Bay Street (to the right) and window shopped for the most part. We picked up a couple of neat things a Del Sol (the proucts change colour in the sun). Our travel agent mentioned it. Then headed back to the ship to swim. This was our first time in Nassau and knew we'd be at the beach the next day. If we go back, we will venture a little farther next time

Looks like more Jan 21 Wonder"ers" have gone back to reality...