DIScruisers4
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2003
We just returned from the 2/18 Eastern, which was our 5th Disney cruise. We had a spectacular time. The weather was gorgeous, upper 70's to low 80's with plenty of sunshine everyday. We stayed at the Hyatt the night before, and used Sunray Transportation for transport to/from the port. They were excellent. We also used the Hyatt to transfer our bags to the ship, and everything went smoothly. Embarkation was a breeze. We arrived at 12:00, checked in, and walked right on the ship to start our vacation. On sea days, we spent plenty of time at the pools with our children, participated in a variety of activities, and enjoyed all of the shows in the evening. This time, we liked Disney Dreams the best. We also did Palo brunch and dinner. We had 8 adults so we had the private room. Gemma was our waitress, and she was fantastic. Our regular dining room servers were Trefonio and Gerry. This was our 3rd cruise with Trefonio and second with Gerry. We requested them as they are fantastic, especially with all of the children in our party (10!)
In St. Maarten, we went horseback riding at Bayside stable (it was just our family which made it even more special). The ride along the beach, and in the water, was just fantastic. We then walked to Le Galion beach and met our friends. This was a very nice and family friendly beach. We then did some shopping in Phillipsburg, and then walked back to the ship. In St. Thomas, we took the Red Hook ferry to St. John and spent a few hours at Cinnamon Bay. It was a schlep to get there, and expensive (about $50.00 roundtrip for taxis and ferries), but we're very glad we did it. The natural, unspoiled beauty of St. John is breathtaking. On Castaway Cay, we did the stingray encounter. This was perfect for families with children, as it was far more educational and far less intimidating than Stingray city in Grand Cayman, though the snorkeling part of the excursion was not very interesting. Disembarkation on the last day was smoother than we ever experienced. I do believe that the staggered breakfast times on the last morning contributed to the ease of the disembarkation process, and fortunately we had the latest early breakfast time (7:00).
We also noticed that the ship seemed a bit less crowded than our other cruises, and this was confirmed by a few waiters and CM's who said that the ship was about 200 people short of capacity. This made getting preferable seats at Topsiders, scheduling hair braiding, Palo reservations, etc. a little easier than normal.
We will very likely sail Disney again for #6 because the experience is just so "magical." However, we're going to wait for a new itinerary, which will hopefully happen sooner rather than later.
Please feel free to ask any questions. Most of all, read this board as it is chock full of very helpful information.
Take care.
In St. Maarten, we went horseback riding at Bayside stable (it was just our family which made it even more special). The ride along the beach, and in the water, was just fantastic. We then walked to Le Galion beach and met our friends. This was a very nice and family friendly beach. We then did some shopping in Phillipsburg, and then walked back to the ship. In St. Thomas, we took the Red Hook ferry to St. John and spent a few hours at Cinnamon Bay. It was a schlep to get there, and expensive (about $50.00 roundtrip for taxis and ferries), but we're very glad we did it. The natural, unspoiled beauty of St. John is breathtaking. On Castaway Cay, we did the stingray encounter. This was perfect for families with children, as it was far more educational and far less intimidating than Stingray city in Grand Cayman, though the snorkeling part of the excursion was not very interesting. Disembarkation on the last day was smoother than we ever experienced. I do believe that the staggered breakfast times on the last morning contributed to the ease of the disembarkation process, and fortunately we had the latest early breakfast time (7:00).
We also noticed that the ship seemed a bit less crowded than our other cruises, and this was confirmed by a few waiters and CM's who said that the ship was about 200 people short of capacity. This made getting preferable seats at Topsiders, scheduling hair braiding, Palo reservations, etc. a little easier than normal.
We will very likely sail Disney again for #6 because the experience is just so "magical." However, we're going to wait for a new itinerary, which will hopefully happen sooner rather than later.
Please feel free to ask any questions. Most of all, read this board as it is chock full of very helpful information.
Take care.