Mini-trip report:
PROS:
Fantastic service
Excellent Disney-produced live shows
Palo
CONS:
Crowds and lines
Dining options
Cost
Embarkation:
Arrived at 11am, quick and easy check-in, boarding pass number 10, on board by 12 noon. Cruise 4 years ago had number 3 and it didn't make much difference. Lots of seats and character interaction while waiting. Long line to check in kiddies for kids club, which we found out later could have been done on board at any of the kids clubs.
On board:
Told Parrot Cay closed for private media event so everyone sent topside to the buffet. Nice weather so lunch outside was just fine. Superbowl Sunday so no sail away or muster drill until next morning. Excellent table, stateroom and guest service.
At sea:
Crowded pools. Swam early or after dark to avoid the huge crowds but, as usual, this seems to bother the adults more than the kids. They are happy to be in the water at any time. Similar crowds in kids clubs, but when we asked the kids later, they had a good time. Stateroom was nice, although a little worn around the edges compared to our last Disney cruise 4 years ago. Rust on the verandah, light fixture missing some screws. All little things that I maybe only noticed because I was planning on writing a review.
Entertainment and Food:
Palo was superb and worth the small additional cost. I agree with an earlier post that the characters moved at light speed through the character breakfast. On formal night, our 3 year old was cranky so we wanted to go to a buffet but there was none open so it was room service or a hot dog. This is ok but on Royal Caribbean or Princess we appreciated there always being a buffet open if we wanted an alternate dining option.
Live shows were fantastic and there were many seats available at the early show and less so at the later show. The non-Disney ventriloquist was ho-hum and one night they showed Tron instead of a live show.
Ports and excursions:
Since we had a three year old with us, we just got cabs and went to local hotels to use the pools/beaches for the day. Would spend $100/day for the passes, food and water toy rentals. Tendering at Cabo was organized and easy.
Disembarkation:
Could go to buffet or dining room for breakfast. Leaving ship, customs, luggage retrieval and transportation all fine.
Afterthought:
Now that all credit card statements are back the total cost for our family of 4 was $5200. This includes the flights from Seattle, pre-night hotel, transfers, port excursions and on board account. Since we didn't do any "real"excursions (dolphins, zip lines, etc) the cost would probably be higher if our kids were older. Is it worth it? Hard to say. $400-500 for tips (on board, porters, transportation) is always a surprise after you add up the costs at the end.
PROS:
Fantastic service
Excellent Disney-produced live shows
Palo
CONS:
Crowds and lines
Dining options
Cost
Embarkation:
Arrived at 11am, quick and easy check-in, boarding pass number 10, on board by 12 noon. Cruise 4 years ago had number 3 and it didn't make much difference. Lots of seats and character interaction while waiting. Long line to check in kiddies for kids club, which we found out later could have been done on board at any of the kids clubs.
On board:
Told Parrot Cay closed for private media event so everyone sent topside to the buffet. Nice weather so lunch outside was just fine. Superbowl Sunday so no sail away or muster drill until next morning. Excellent table, stateroom and guest service.
At sea:
Crowded pools. Swam early or after dark to avoid the huge crowds but, as usual, this seems to bother the adults more than the kids. They are happy to be in the water at any time. Similar crowds in kids clubs, but when we asked the kids later, they had a good time. Stateroom was nice, although a little worn around the edges compared to our last Disney cruise 4 years ago. Rust on the verandah, light fixture missing some screws. All little things that I maybe only noticed because I was planning on writing a review.
Entertainment and Food:
Palo was superb and worth the small additional cost. I agree with an earlier post that the characters moved at light speed through the character breakfast. On formal night, our 3 year old was cranky so we wanted to go to a buffet but there was none open so it was room service or a hot dog. This is ok but on Royal Caribbean or Princess we appreciated there always being a buffet open if we wanted an alternate dining option.
Live shows were fantastic and there were many seats available at the early show and less so at the later show. The non-Disney ventriloquist was ho-hum and one night they showed Tron instead of a live show.
Ports and excursions:
Since we had a three year old with us, we just got cabs and went to local hotels to use the pools/beaches for the day. Would spend $100/day for the passes, food and water toy rentals. Tendering at Cabo was organized and easy.
Disembarkation:
Could go to buffet or dining room for breakfast. Leaving ship, customs, luggage retrieval and transportation all fine.
Afterthought:
Now that all credit card statements are back the total cost for our family of 4 was $5200. This includes the flights from Seattle, pre-night hotel, transfers, port excursions and on board account. Since we didn't do any "real"excursions (dolphins, zip lines, etc) the cost would probably be higher if our kids were older. Is it worth it? Hard to say. $400-500 for tips (on board, porters, transportation) is always a surprise after you add up the costs at the end.
