DisneyNett
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2002
- Messages
- 39
Eastern Magic...8/23 to 8/30
Family of five, Myself 32, DH 35, DS 11, DS 5, DD 3
First of all we came from the West Coast (Los Angeles to be exact), so we decided to fly out 1 day early just to be safe and not have to rush around with 3 kids (I highly recommend staying 1 day early if possible). That was the best decision I made, because I felt so relaxed and calm not having to run through the airport trying not to miss my flight or worrying about canceled or delayed flights due to unexpected weather). We stayed at the Radission at the Port on Friday 8/22 (beautiful grounds and pools), we rented a car from Budget at the Orlando airport which was a terrific idea also, because it gave us the freedom to come and go from the hotel. (TIP: if you are traveling with a child who needs a car seat, and you rent a mini van, ask for one with the built in car seat (chevy venture), it will save you $5.00 per car seat needed.)
PORT DAY:
We made the mistake of riding all together to return the car in the next morning, because it took FOREVER to get 5 people with suitcases on a shuttle, with other people waiting as well. (TIP: let one person in your party drop everyone including luggage off at the port first, then just that 1 person turns the car in and will get back to the port very quickly. (remember whoever drops off the car, keep your ID and docs with you to get into the port to meet back up with your family).
The lines were VERY long we got there about 11:30am, but they went really fast! The deck party was really fun, it was inside because of the short rain period in FL. The ship is beautiful!
RESTAURANTS:
We had the 8:30pm seating which was great, because we never felt rushed to eat and get out for the next seating, and also coming from the West coast , we were eating about 5:30 pm, so we still were on the same eating schedule. I Cant say enough good things about the food, I ate SO much of it, and it was just SOOOOO delicious and presented very well. Our dinner plates looked like art ,and I thought it was too pretty to eat....after that thought , I devoured it!!
PALOS:
We ate their for brunch on Sunday, which was very nice and delicious I might add. I didnt realize that is costs $10 per person to eat there which was fine, but now you won't be surprised when the bill comes. The tip for the waiter is also included which my husband wasn't aware of and tipped him extra. Was that him I just saw doing a back flip in the back of the restaurant???
STATEROOM:
We were on the highest floor for the rooms on deck 8. I liked being in our location because we were close to the pools and restaurants, my two favorite places! We had the family stateroom with a veranda, split bath,queen bed, and 3 twin beds ,2 which pulled out of the ceiling and wall. Room service is 24 hours, so take advantage of it! My hubby and I had a huge feast one night, and couldnt believe all of the food we ordered, and they bring it as soon as you hang up the phone it seems! Fast service and hot food!
SHOWS:
Great!! I really enjoyed disney dreams, a must see bring the kids, and also Hercules the Muse-ical, great, heck see them all if you can!
MOVIES:
They were showing- Freaky Friday, Chicago, Bringing Down tha House, Finding Nemo, Pirates of the Carribean, Spy kids 3-D, Holes, Open Range (R rated). And another whole list of movies playing in the stateroom tvs as well.
OCEANEER LAB:
(Open from 9am-1am) My kids REALLY enjoyed the kids clubs, I initially would not allow my 11 yr old son to sign himself out, because the thought of him roaming the ship, at his immature age worried me. But that did not last for long , by the second day I lifted sign out sentence, and he was free to come and go as he pleased. He met up with kids his age, and he wanted to be free like them, which is easy to understand. Ages for this lab is
8-9 and 10-12 and they are all in this room together at the same time.
OCEANEER CLUB:
(Open from 9am-1am) My 3 yr old daughter and 5 yr old son were in this room together the majority of the time which I was pleased. The age groups in Oceaneer club is 3-4 and 5-7 year olds, and they are all in this same big play room together. But when they take them to the restaurants to eat, they can only go with their age group.
ST. MAARTEN/ST.MARTIN:
We left the kids on the ship for this day, to have time to ourselves, so we packed our pager from the kids club and went on our way! Not too much to say except stay on the tourist sides of the islands, we took a cab which cost $15 for 2 people (TIP: get atleast 6 people to ride a cab with you and they will only charge you $6 dollars for 2 people, also use the water taxi from the ship to the islands, its a nice ride only 5 mins, and only costs $5 per person to ride back and forth the whole day!) Some of the natives there are really loud and aggressive people, they talk really fast, so you will find yourself saying "huh, what did you say?" Some are hustlers too so watch out for getting swindled. I noticed that some of the women that walk around selling saronges, get insulted or upset when I said I did not want to buy anything from them. Oh well ya cant please everyone! We went to Marigot which was closing by the time we got there, so I was only able to get a couple of things.
We also spent most of the day at Orient Bay Beach, BEEEEAAUTIFUL beach ,beautiful clear blue water! You can see the little fishies swim right by your feet close to the shore! (TIP BEWARE of the nudists! If you have a problem with seeing it or do not want your children to witness it, you may want to have something to temporarily block your eyesight, hahaha. The teenage boys could not keep their eyes off of all the T' & A's that they were seeing! It was funny seeing their mouths drop open into the sand. My husband and I saw a couple walking along the beach the woman was completly nude, and so was the man! I was really surprised at how much a man swings back and forth while walking if ya know what I mean!, hahahaha
TROPICAL NIGHT:
It was a blast! we did the cha cha slide, the electric slide, limbo, you name it, it was fun! They brought out the dessert table about 11:00 pm, and it was filled with every rich, fattening, weight gaining, mouth watering dessert you could think of, and I had ALL of it!!!
ST. Thomas:
BEAUTIFUL!! Much more beautiful looking than St.Martin islands im my opinion. We found a family to ride to Megans Bay Beach with to make the cab ride cheaper, admission to the beach is $3.00 per adult, and kids are free I believe, but they dont tell you that, so dont get fooled into paying for your kids!. We had all the kids with us today. Megans Bay is absolutely BREATH taking!! It looks like something you see on a post card, it is so picture perfect! The mountains surrounding it are covered with beautiful green trees ,shrubbs or whatever it was, it was beautiful. No nudity here, just mostly familys or couples. We Kayaked with the kids, the boys with dad, and my daughter with me. We also snorkled here, although I hear that Trunk Bay is better for snorkeling (thats in St. John), I also was told that Sapphire beach is beautiful, which we will go to next time.
Castaway Cay (Key):
BEAUTIFUL!!! Very well kept island, not surprised since its owned by Disney. It was very surprising to learn that disney crew people actually live on that island in the middle of nowhere! No grocery stores, no starbucks, no shopping malls to go too!! WHAT!? They have to wait until Fridays when the ships come in to get supplies, so they only see other people once a week. We did snorkeling here as well, and saw all the little Disney treasures that they planted under the sea. They had beautiful fishes, one guy saw a stingray, which I didnt see, thank God, because I would have walked on water trying to hightail it out of there!! We did the banana boat ride which was really fun, and kinda scary thinking that if we all fall off in the middle of this big ocean we might get our legs bit off by Jaws.....oh yea that was a movie! hahahaha. Cookies BBQ shack was sooooo good! , they had ribs, chunky potato salad, fruit, chicken, burgers,etc, and these HUGE chocolate chip chunk cookies, that were to DIE for!! Get more than just one if your a cookie lover, you will wish you did later!
TIME TO GO:
I must say by this time I was a bit ready to go even though I had a WONDERFUL time, I was ready to get back to my home and to stop feeling like I am rocking back and forth even when I was standing still on land. There are only so many places to go when you've explored the whole ship. But wait a minute....whos gonna have my room cleaned up and beds made every moring and turned down everynight? Who will leave me chocolates and my schedule of things to do the next day? Who will prepare all of my non stop meals and bring me Shirley Temple drinks?...ok MAYBE I haven't thought this "leaving" thing through well enough.
MISC TIPS:
ZIP LOCKS:Bring zip lock baggies of different sizes ,to pack sandwiches in from room service to take off the ship to the beaches, if you want to stay there all day and not buy any food.
Also if you want to store your earrings or watches while you swim, so they dont get sand in them. You may also want to collect shells for yourself or with your kids and some sand to bring back without spilling in your suitcases.
HOOKS:Also pack little suction hooks to hang your swim things to dry instantly outside on the verdandah wall, if you have one, if not you can hang the stuff over the built in clothes line they have in the shower.
BACKPACK:Bring a back it is MUCh easier carrying your things around and allows your hands to be free, whereas a tote bag can dig into your shoulder if its too heavy, or keep slipping off. With backpacks, the weight of your items are evenly carried on both shoulders with the padded straps.
WATER SHOES/SNORKELS: Must haves! Some beaches have LOTS of shells and it feels like you are walking on broken glass, so this way you can come in and out of the water non stop. Your own snorkels are also something you may want to have, the thought of putting my mouth on something that has had hundreds of mouths, saliva and teeth marks repelled me.
UNDERWATER CAMERA/WALLET: Dont forget these you'll be sorry if you do, especially if you snorkel. You also feel at ease knowing all your money and id's are with you while you swim, with the underwater wallet.
Excursions: We had a few booked through Disney which I cancelled before we left on the cruise. I was told that it is cheaper to do the excursions outside of the ship, which im sure they probably are, but if this will be your first time on the islands like myself, finding them wont be so easy unless you research them out before your cruise. So I recommend booking through the ship, so there are no worrys, or rushing to make it back to the ship.
Well thats about all folks, hope some of these tips can be helpful!!
Family of five, Myself 32, DH 35, DS 11, DS 5, DD 3
First of all we came from the West Coast (Los Angeles to be exact), so we decided to fly out 1 day early just to be safe and not have to rush around with 3 kids (I highly recommend staying 1 day early if possible). That was the best decision I made, because I felt so relaxed and calm not having to run through the airport trying not to miss my flight or worrying about canceled or delayed flights due to unexpected weather). We stayed at the Radission at the Port on Friday 8/22 (beautiful grounds and pools), we rented a car from Budget at the Orlando airport which was a terrific idea also, because it gave us the freedom to come and go from the hotel. (TIP: if you are traveling with a child who needs a car seat, and you rent a mini van, ask for one with the built in car seat (chevy venture), it will save you $5.00 per car seat needed.)
PORT DAY:
We made the mistake of riding all together to return the car in the next morning, because it took FOREVER to get 5 people with suitcases on a shuttle, with other people waiting as well. (TIP: let one person in your party drop everyone including luggage off at the port first, then just that 1 person turns the car in and will get back to the port very quickly. (remember whoever drops off the car, keep your ID and docs with you to get into the port to meet back up with your family).
The lines were VERY long we got there about 11:30am, but they went really fast! The deck party was really fun, it was inside because of the short rain period in FL. The ship is beautiful!
RESTAURANTS:
We had the 8:30pm seating which was great, because we never felt rushed to eat and get out for the next seating, and also coming from the West coast , we were eating about 5:30 pm, so we still were on the same eating schedule. I Cant say enough good things about the food, I ate SO much of it, and it was just SOOOOO delicious and presented very well. Our dinner plates looked like art ,and I thought it was too pretty to eat....after that thought , I devoured it!!
PALOS:
We ate their for brunch on Sunday, which was very nice and delicious I might add. I didnt realize that is costs $10 per person to eat there which was fine, but now you won't be surprised when the bill comes. The tip for the waiter is also included which my husband wasn't aware of and tipped him extra. Was that him I just saw doing a back flip in the back of the restaurant???
STATEROOM:
We were on the highest floor for the rooms on deck 8. I liked being in our location because we were close to the pools and restaurants, my two favorite places! We had the family stateroom with a veranda, split bath,queen bed, and 3 twin beds ,2 which pulled out of the ceiling and wall. Room service is 24 hours, so take advantage of it! My hubby and I had a huge feast one night, and couldnt believe all of the food we ordered, and they bring it as soon as you hang up the phone it seems! Fast service and hot food!
SHOWS:
Great!! I really enjoyed disney dreams, a must see bring the kids, and also Hercules the Muse-ical, great, heck see them all if you can!
MOVIES:
They were showing- Freaky Friday, Chicago, Bringing Down tha House, Finding Nemo, Pirates of the Carribean, Spy kids 3-D, Holes, Open Range (R rated). And another whole list of movies playing in the stateroom tvs as well.
OCEANEER LAB:
(Open from 9am-1am) My kids REALLY enjoyed the kids clubs, I initially would not allow my 11 yr old son to sign himself out, because the thought of him roaming the ship, at his immature age worried me. But that did not last for long , by the second day I lifted sign out sentence, and he was free to come and go as he pleased. He met up with kids his age, and he wanted to be free like them, which is easy to understand. Ages for this lab is
8-9 and 10-12 and they are all in this room together at the same time.
OCEANEER CLUB:
(Open from 9am-1am) My 3 yr old daughter and 5 yr old son were in this room together the majority of the time which I was pleased. The age groups in Oceaneer club is 3-4 and 5-7 year olds, and they are all in this same big play room together. But when they take them to the restaurants to eat, they can only go with their age group.
ST. MAARTEN/ST.MARTIN:
We left the kids on the ship for this day, to have time to ourselves, so we packed our pager from the kids club and went on our way! Not too much to say except stay on the tourist sides of the islands, we took a cab which cost $15 for 2 people (TIP: get atleast 6 people to ride a cab with you and they will only charge you $6 dollars for 2 people, also use the water taxi from the ship to the islands, its a nice ride only 5 mins, and only costs $5 per person to ride back and forth the whole day!) Some of the natives there are really loud and aggressive people, they talk really fast, so you will find yourself saying "huh, what did you say?" Some are hustlers too so watch out for getting swindled. I noticed that some of the women that walk around selling saronges, get insulted or upset when I said I did not want to buy anything from them. Oh well ya cant please everyone! We went to Marigot which was closing by the time we got there, so I was only able to get a couple of things.
We also spent most of the day at Orient Bay Beach, BEEEEAAUTIFUL beach ,beautiful clear blue water! You can see the little fishies swim right by your feet close to the shore! (TIP BEWARE of the nudists! If you have a problem with seeing it or do not want your children to witness it, you may want to have something to temporarily block your eyesight, hahaha. The teenage boys could not keep their eyes off of all the T' & A's that they were seeing! It was funny seeing their mouths drop open into the sand. My husband and I saw a couple walking along the beach the woman was completly nude, and so was the man! I was really surprised at how much a man swings back and forth while walking if ya know what I mean!, hahahaha
TROPICAL NIGHT:
It was a blast! we did the cha cha slide, the electric slide, limbo, you name it, it was fun! They brought out the dessert table about 11:00 pm, and it was filled with every rich, fattening, weight gaining, mouth watering dessert you could think of, and I had ALL of it!!!
ST. Thomas:
BEAUTIFUL!! Much more beautiful looking than St.Martin islands im my opinion. We found a family to ride to Megans Bay Beach with to make the cab ride cheaper, admission to the beach is $3.00 per adult, and kids are free I believe, but they dont tell you that, so dont get fooled into paying for your kids!. We had all the kids with us today. Megans Bay is absolutely BREATH taking!! It looks like something you see on a post card, it is so picture perfect! The mountains surrounding it are covered with beautiful green trees ,shrubbs or whatever it was, it was beautiful. No nudity here, just mostly familys or couples. We Kayaked with the kids, the boys with dad, and my daughter with me. We also snorkled here, although I hear that Trunk Bay is better for snorkeling (thats in St. John), I also was told that Sapphire beach is beautiful, which we will go to next time.
Castaway Cay (Key):
BEAUTIFUL!!! Very well kept island, not surprised since its owned by Disney. It was very surprising to learn that disney crew people actually live on that island in the middle of nowhere! No grocery stores, no starbucks, no shopping malls to go too!! WHAT!? They have to wait until Fridays when the ships come in to get supplies, so they only see other people once a week. We did snorkeling here as well, and saw all the little Disney treasures that they planted under the sea. They had beautiful fishes, one guy saw a stingray, which I didnt see, thank God, because I would have walked on water trying to hightail it out of there!! We did the banana boat ride which was really fun, and kinda scary thinking that if we all fall off in the middle of this big ocean we might get our legs bit off by Jaws.....oh yea that was a movie! hahahaha. Cookies BBQ shack was sooooo good! , they had ribs, chunky potato salad, fruit, chicken, burgers,etc, and these HUGE chocolate chip chunk cookies, that were to DIE for!! Get more than just one if your a cookie lover, you will wish you did later!
TIME TO GO:
I must say by this time I was a bit ready to go even though I had a WONDERFUL time, I was ready to get back to my home and to stop feeling like I am rocking back and forth even when I was standing still on land. There are only so many places to go when you've explored the whole ship. But wait a minute....whos gonna have my room cleaned up and beds made every moring and turned down everynight? Who will leave me chocolates and my schedule of things to do the next day? Who will prepare all of my non stop meals and bring me Shirley Temple drinks?...ok MAYBE I haven't thought this "leaving" thing through well enough.
MISC TIPS:
ZIP LOCKS:Bring zip lock baggies of different sizes ,to pack sandwiches in from room service to take off the ship to the beaches, if you want to stay there all day and not buy any food.
Also if you want to store your earrings or watches while you swim, so they dont get sand in them. You may also want to collect shells for yourself or with your kids and some sand to bring back without spilling in your suitcases.
HOOKS:Also pack little suction hooks to hang your swim things to dry instantly outside on the verdandah wall, if you have one, if not you can hang the stuff over the built in clothes line they have in the shower.
BACKPACK:Bring a back it is MUCh easier carrying your things around and allows your hands to be free, whereas a tote bag can dig into your shoulder if its too heavy, or keep slipping off. With backpacks, the weight of your items are evenly carried on both shoulders with the padded straps.
WATER SHOES/SNORKELS: Must haves! Some beaches have LOTS of shells and it feels like you are walking on broken glass, so this way you can come in and out of the water non stop. Your own snorkels are also something you may want to have, the thought of putting my mouth on something that has had hundreds of mouths, saliva and teeth marks repelled me.
UNDERWATER CAMERA/WALLET: Dont forget these you'll be sorry if you do, especially if you snorkel. You also feel at ease knowing all your money and id's are with you while you swim, with the underwater wallet.
Excursions: We had a few booked through Disney which I cancelled before we left on the cruise. I was told that it is cheaper to do the excursions outside of the ship, which im sure they probably are, but if this will be your first time on the islands like myself, finding them wont be so easy unless you research them out before your cruise. So I recommend booking through the ship, so there are no worrys, or rushing to make it back to the ship.
Well thats about all folks, hope some of these tips can be helpful!!
