Here is my opinion on a few of your questions:
I dont know of any Cat 7's that sleep 4. I'm pretty sure 6 and 8 sleep 4 people but I dont think 7's do (I could very well be wrong there).
Some people swear that being midship helps them not be seasick. So far in our experience as long as we arent the 1st 2 or 3 cabins in the front or the back last 2 or 3 cabins we havent had problems being sick. Of course we are proactive on this and take Meclizine every morning.
I have no idea about the side and docking. We havent given it much thought so I cant help there.
Usually
Castaway Cay is missed due to wind or sea variations that make it impossible to dock. You pull right up to a regular dock there so if the waves or wind are too high it would be dangerous to dock.
Trips are usually cheaper in the fall for a couple of reasons according to my
travel agent...#1 the high travel season is summer when kids have school and it is a peak travel time. The other reason Fall is usually cheaper is it is hurricane season until the end of October or middle of November so it is possible to have to go to different ports than you planned depending on how active the hurricanes are that year. Also sometimes (not often) but the weather can be pretty overcast or cool. We went one year to the W. Carrib the end of September and it rained every single day of the cruise. (we were on our honeymoon ;-) so we didnt care) but it does happen. I dont know what the chances are of that. High times for cruises occur when the weather turns cold and yucky December til Feb usually and then again at peak holiday's like Christmas, New Years, Spring Break and on Disney summer seems to be pretty pricey. We are going in May and it isnt too bad but the week after it went through the roof.
The
Castaway club website that BuzzBoy gave you has copies of the navigators that give you ideas of times and activities for childrens age groups. Yes they are included in your price. You are given a pager on the first night that you keep with you and if your kids need you or there is a problem they page you on the ship. They only take a certain number of kids per sailing to make sure that all the kids can participate in the clubs if they so desire. Flounders is a reservation only child care situation for those children who are too little (under 3 I believe) to participate in the regular kids clubs.
Our kids when we went last on the 4 day cruise were fine staying with us and the grandparents but they would really like to go back and try them again...they just dont know they get to go in a few months!
Hope that helps some!
Heidi
