What an AMAZING trip! Myself, DH, DD-11, DD7 all had a wonderful time. Short report:
Boarding was really easy, but registering the kids for kids clubs was very long and annoying. Three people handling lots of parents and their kids. Took at least 20 minutes in line waiting. Ugh.
Inside room (no space for upgrades, they said) was perfectly nice. Sure, I would have liked a view, but it had space, was clean, and the layout was good.
Restaurants and food: Waitstaff was very nice, food was really good, service was slow except for the one day we came back early from the parks and the dining room was mostly empty. Food flew out that day.
Topsiders is a good buffet. Fresh omelettes were yummy. With a few exceptions, everything we got at any point during the day was good for the whole family.
Parrot Cay, Lumiere's and Animators were all good. Animators was pretty cool with the changing colors. Food was interchangeable, but always good. I did request sushi, and one night the head waitress actually gave me at least 8-10 pieces of fresh ahi tuna and salmon on rice with wasabi. They also made my DD a bunch of california roll that was good as well.
PALO: friends on board convinced DH and I to try the brunch and WOW! So many amazing choices. Highlights were the pancakes, frittata, strawberry soup (mainly a yummy smoothie), the fresh squeezed oj, tiramisu, DH LOVED his fresh sausage pizza, chicken parm, and eggs benedict. Trust me, it is WELL worth the $20 charge pp. I could have eaten there every day.
Ship: pools were crowded most times. We ended up going after breakfast and leaving by lunch. Although frowned upon, I had to save a couple loungers in the a.m. on my way to the gym while my family was still sleeping. Those chairs go fast.
Kids clubs: my DD's spent most of their time (with friends made on the cruise) at the Lab. DD11's friend did not want to do Edge. They had a great time with the activities. Always came and left happy.
Ports: Bahamas was nice for the Dolphin Encounter at Blue Lagoon. Kids had a great time, even though they were not swimming with the dolphins. Though, the beach was privately rented for other guests, so that kinda bummed us out. I went to Port Adventures on board and got 20% back for each of our charges. The island itself was eh. My DD's got two dresses for cheap. I sat in the market with an IPad and used the free wifi!
Castaway Cay: what a beautiful island! Gorgeous water, lots to do. Problem: HUGE storm went through all morning, when we were there. No snorkling (more refunds for us), short time on the play structures for DD"s. We headed back in a couple hours. Then, of course, it got sunny. So we went back for the BBQ. It was ok. Same food as at Topsiders. I was expecting fresh bbq on grills. Not so. All in all, didn't get our fill of the island but it was still fun.
Entertainment: shows were great, bingo was fun, pirate night and fireworks were fun. Always something to do, and they put lots of effort into the production, no matter what it is.
We thought eight nights would be too long, but the opposite is true. We could have done it all over again. I am hooked. We all are! Can't wait to do it again.
Hoping for more NY cruises to pop up in 2014. I put a small deposit down to hold the 10% discount for a future cruise. Now I will keep my eyes open for 2014 and see what happens.
I miss the Magic!
Boarding was really easy, but registering the kids for kids clubs was very long and annoying. Three people handling lots of parents and their kids. Took at least 20 minutes in line waiting. Ugh.
Inside room (no space for upgrades, they said) was perfectly nice. Sure, I would have liked a view, but it had space, was clean, and the layout was good.
Restaurants and food: Waitstaff was very nice, food was really good, service was slow except for the one day we came back early from the parks and the dining room was mostly empty. Food flew out that day.
Topsiders is a good buffet. Fresh omelettes were yummy. With a few exceptions, everything we got at any point during the day was good for the whole family.
Parrot Cay, Lumiere's and Animators were all good. Animators was pretty cool with the changing colors. Food was interchangeable, but always good. I did request sushi, and one night the head waitress actually gave me at least 8-10 pieces of fresh ahi tuna and salmon on rice with wasabi. They also made my DD a bunch of california roll that was good as well.
PALO: friends on board convinced DH and I to try the brunch and WOW! So many amazing choices. Highlights were the pancakes, frittata, strawberry soup (mainly a yummy smoothie), the fresh squeezed oj, tiramisu, DH LOVED his fresh sausage pizza, chicken parm, and eggs benedict. Trust me, it is WELL worth the $20 charge pp. I could have eaten there every day.
Ship: pools were crowded most times. We ended up going after breakfast and leaving by lunch. Although frowned upon, I had to save a couple loungers in the a.m. on my way to the gym while my family was still sleeping. Those chairs go fast.
Kids clubs: my DD's spent most of their time (with friends made on the cruise) at the Lab. DD11's friend did not want to do Edge. They had a great time with the activities. Always came and left happy.
Ports: Bahamas was nice for the Dolphin Encounter at Blue Lagoon. Kids had a great time, even though they were not swimming with the dolphins. Though, the beach was privately rented for other guests, so that kinda bummed us out. I went to Port Adventures on board and got 20% back for each of our charges. The island itself was eh. My DD's got two dresses for cheap. I sat in the market with an IPad and used the free wifi!
Castaway Cay: what a beautiful island! Gorgeous water, lots to do. Problem: HUGE storm went through all morning, when we were there. No snorkling (more refunds for us), short time on the play structures for DD"s. We headed back in a couple hours. Then, of course, it got sunny. So we went back for the BBQ. It was ok. Same food as at Topsiders. I was expecting fresh bbq on grills. Not so. All in all, didn't get our fill of the island but it was still fun.
Entertainment: shows were great, bingo was fun, pirate night and fireworks were fun. Always something to do, and they put lots of effort into the production, no matter what it is.
We thought eight nights would be too long, but the opposite is true. We could have done it all over again. I am hooked. We all are! Can't wait to do it again.
Hoping for more NY cruises to pop up in 2014. I put a small deposit down to hold the 10% discount for a future cruise. Now I will keep my eyes open for 2014 and see what happens.
I miss the Magic!
I had to post right away to make the pain lessen! Not being on that boat was killing me. 
