Just back - thanks for the advice and tips

[c todd]

My 3 year old son and I just returned from a 7 night Eastern Fantasy and appreciate all the information we received on the boards and answers to some of my silly questions preparing for the trip. This was our first time on DCL. We stayed in a Cat V cabin and had a great time. A few notes for those that are newbies like me who are looking for any bit of info.

1. I was not traveling with a car seat but was concerned with the ground transport from MCO to the port (I would never let him travel unrestrained in a vehicle at home so having to do so elsewhere makes me nervous.) The DCL motor coaches have seat belts like automobiles so it made me feel much better when we boarded. The video onboard also kept him entertained the entire hour ride which was also a plus. We stayed overnight at the Hyatt so the luggage transfer was great not having to deal with the bags.

2. At home, my son uses both a regular toilet and a little potty on the floor. I bought a little potty on Amazon for $8 and shipped it ahead to the port. With the split bathrooms, it really gave us two baths because I put his potty in the other. Worked out really well for us. For an extra $1.15 a night it felt like I got an extra bathroom. I also shipped a puddle jumper ahead. He doesn't use one at home but at the beach I wanted him to wear one. He loved it and it made me feel more comfortable and not have to a hand on him every moment. All of the beaches that we went to had very shallow, clear water but it allowed him to swim around with confidence. Also shipped sand toys ahead. Bags were too full as it was.

3. The tipping thing sucks. I don't mind tipping, but figuring out what to tip for all the people is a pain. Almost everyone I encountered did a great job but I was still unsure what an appropriate tip would be. I forgot to check the boards ahead of time to have an idea of what a typical tip in Palo is and had no clue when it came time to sign the check. I even tried to go online at the table but the wifi was too weak.

4. There were posts before I left about a lot of sick people on the Fantasy but I never saw anyone get sick or heard anyone mentioning anyone getting sick on board. I was impressed how clean they keep things on the ship.

Anyway, those were a few things that came to mind. If anyone has any particular questions, I'm happy to give back.

 

[TestingH2O]

Sounds like you had a great trip! I'm so happy for you. I was so impressed by how well Disney does at satisfying all ages.

I'm sorry you felt like the tipping was stressful. I know the concierge thing is tricky, but, if Disney doesn't give a guide, I honestly do think whatever you do is fine.

 

[swimfin]

My 3 year old son and I just returned from a 7 night Eastern Fantasy and appreciate all the information we received on the boards and answers to some of my silly questions preparing for the trip. This was our first time on DCL. We stayed in a Cat V cabin and had a great time. A few notes for those that are newbies like me who are looking for any bit of info.

1. I was not traveling with a car seat but was concerned with the ground transport from MCO to the port (I would never let him travel unrestrained in a vehicle at home so having to do so elsewhere makes me nervous.) The DCL motor coaches have seat belts like automobiles so it made me feel much better when we boarded. The video onboard also kept him entertained the entire hour ride which was also a plus. We stayed overnight at the Hyatt so the luggage transfer was great not having to deal with the bags.

2. At home, my son uses both a regular toilet and a little potty on the floor. I bought a little potty on Amazon for $8 and shipped it ahead to the port. With the split bathrooms, it really gave us two baths because I put his potty in the other. Worked out really well for us. For an extra $1.15 a night it felt like I got an extra bathroom. I also shipped a puddle jumper ahead. He doesn't use one at home but at the beach I wanted him to wear one. He loved it and it made me feel more comfortable and not have to a hand on him every moment. All of the beaches that we went to had very shallow, clear water but it allowed him to swim around with confidence. Also shipped sand toys ahead. Bags were too full as it was.

3. The tipping thing sucks. I don't mind tipping, but figuring out what to tip for all the people is a pain. Almost everyone I encountered did a great job but I was still unsure what an appropriate tip would be. I forgot to check the boards ahead of time to have an idea of what a typical tip in Palo is and had no clue when it came time to sign the check. I even tried to go online at the table but the wifi was too weak.

4. There were posts before I left about a lot of sick people on the Fantasy but I never saw anyone get sick or heard anyone mentioning anyone getting sick on board. I was impressed how clean they keep things on the ship.

Anyway, those were a few things that came to mind. If anyone has any particular questions, I'm happy to give back.

Hi!!! THANK YOU for your information! We are cruising the Fantasy in June, Eastern itinerary as well So THRILLED to see you had a wonderful time!!! A few questions if you don't mind .... Did you meet anyone who did the sail, snorkel and beach tour over to Norman Island when in Tortola? Also, did you or anyone you meet take the Ferry from Red Hook (far side of St. Thomas) to Cruz Bay (St. John). Did you notice an abundance of Mosquitos at any of the ports? Did you bring your own water on board, get it from the soda machines or just do tap water? TYIA for your help!! Cheers!

 

[Kimberly9701]

This makes me so happy! My 5 year old son and I are doing a 7 night very Merrytime western on the fantasy. Did you meet any other single parents or women traveling with children alone? Also, did you eat at palo by yourself? I really want to do a brunch there.

 

[c todd]

swimfin - I did speak to someone who had done the sail, snorkel... and they thought it was great. However, they didn't see a lot of fish. I heard that from pretty much everyone that snorkeled no matter where they were snorkeling. That seemed to be the feeling at all 3 ports. I'm not sure of the reason. It may be because they are "well snorkeled" areas and the fish are scared away by the volume of people. But the people I spoke to that did Norman Island did think it was beautiful and enjoyed the excursion. I didn't speak to anyone that had done the ferry themselves to St. John. I spoke to someone that went to St. John and they loved it but I believe they did an excursion by boat.

I never saw any mosquitoes - and I'm allergic so I would notice. It was breezy on all our stops so that may be the reason. I did ask one of our guides and she said that in the summer when the air is still the bugs are pretty bad. I would be prepared in June with some bug spray. We stayed in concierge so I didn't need to bring water on board but I would have brought some if I knew that wasn't the case. I know a lot of people just refill their bottles but I'm a little addicted to one brand, that's my vice. At lunch, we'd drink the water from the soda machines and it was fine. I drink a lot of water when I'm in the cabin so I would have shipped water to the hotel ahead of time if needed but that's just me.

Kimberly9701 - You guys are going to have a great time. Hopefully your son will like the kids club and give you a little time to yourself. I didn't meet any other single parents but I know there some. We spent a lot of time in the concierge lounge and that's where I met people on the ship. My son met a boy his age and they were instant friends so I was in there with his parents a lot. My mom traveled with us (she was in another cabin which is why I didn't mention her) so I had dinner at Palo with her. You should definitely do the Palo brunch. Palo is so nice and the staff is so welcoming I don't think you will be uncomfortable. And it has such a different feel than the rest of the ship, you should do it.

And, I also heard, for those with older children, that in the near future Palo was going to add one night on the cruise where kids 12+ can have dinner as well.