This is long, but I put a final thoughts at the very bottom if you want to skip most of the post.
DH, myself, DD8, and DS3 started off our vacation with 3 days at WDW and stayed at the PORFQ. I chose not to do the 7 day Land/Sea package, but instead we booked separately it turned out to be about $100 cheaper and we got the free dining plan. Not sure how the dining plan works out with a 7 day Land/Sea package. I know that for the Land/Sea package you get 7 day park hopper tix, but with DD and DH already missing school for 6 days we could not afford to keep them out any longer. The 7 day park hopper tix you get with the Land/Sea pkg expire 14 days after the initial use. Sunday, Aug 27 we got up and I finished packing while DH went off to get the rental car. We decided to rent a car from WDW to the port and again from the port the Airport on our return, we spent a total of about $80 on the car rentals and it was easy as the rental car companies provide shuttles to and from the port and their location. I used coupons for free double upgraded on the car rentals, so we booked a compact, but got a family size. Boarding the ship was easy and the big welcome was great. It was very memorable; get your dvd camcorder ready! On advice from this board, we headed straight for the Mickey and Goofy pools. This was the only time we actually used those pools. We ate poolside at Plutos, and allowed the kids more time in the pool while DH and I relaxed and talked poolside. Our dinner rotation was PTTA and I was happy with that. Dinner at Parrot Cay was great, we were seated with another family and they were super nice. The server was exceptional and made sure we enjoyed our dinner, he kept us entertained. We skipped the show that evening, some comedian, and instead used the time to explore the ship and go up on deck 10 to see the stars. The kids thought this was the coolest.
Day 2
We had the breakfast buffet at Parrot Cay, I dont normally do buffets (germ and bacteria concerns) and stay away from them and was especially put off by the idea of a buffet on a ship, but DH thought we should try and so we did. The food was good, sausage, bacon, eggs, pancakes, various cereals, yogurt, danishes and other sweet items, bagels, made-to-order omelets, toast, smoked salmon, ham, etc. and I didnt get sick. I like my bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. We had not planned an excursion for Nassau Bay, but we got off the ship and grabbed a taxi for the beach. I didnt like all of the haggling from the locals. Ill take you here and there for this much, much less than Disney One guy even said that for $20/person he would take us on a tour of the island plus a tour of the greater part of Atlantis and at first we assumed it was the aquarium, but thought it was too good to be true so I asked him directly if that included entrance fee. Turns out the greater part means the outside. Whatever. I was annoyed. We enjoyed the beach and have great pics and memories, it was beautiful, the water was a rich blue-green. We enjoyed the ship the rest of the day and had lunch on deck 9 again. DD and I did some of the family activities while DS and DH took a nap. Dinner at Tritons was great, I had a chilled mango soup and the langoustine (sp?) and pasta entrée. Again, our server went out of his way for us. Hercules the Muse-ical was hilarious. After the show we took the kids to the OC and OL, but they only stayed about 90 minutes.
Day 3
Ah, CC!! This was by far the highlight, we loved it here! We had breakfast at Tritons, if you love eggs benedict; this is the place to have them. DH and DD parasailed tandem and they both went snorkeling, DS and I enjoyed the beach. I think we enjoyed the beach so much because of the barrier, it doesnt allow waves to come into the beach and so it is really nice and calm and you dont worry so much about the little ones. The bar-b-que at Cookies included great barbequed ribs and the mahi-mahi burgers were very delicious. No need to bring food off the ship, there was plenty, including ice cream, a drink station, fresh fruit station, and other snacks. We also took the kids to Scuttles Cove while DH and I shopped. Then the outer-bands of Ernesto hit us while we were heading back to the ship. I saw a few of ship crews butts because they are wearing all white and the rain soaked us all! Not actually a good sight. Yes the rain pelted us as we ran back to the ship, but that only lasted a short time and by this time it was already 3:30. Back on the ship we did a few family activites and then off to dinner. Dinner at Tritons was absolutely fabulous we all put on our bandanas for Pirate Night and they did a Pirate Line/Dance around the restaurant, my DD loved it. Golden Mickeys was a great show, we got great seats. The Pirate party was also great, but I do have to complain about something here. Really, the pirate party is music with some CMs on stage leading the dancing, there is more food and dessert offerings on the deck, Will Turner was out there dancing and so were other characters, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip, and Dale (Im probably forgetting someone). Mickey flew down to the stage, that was cool, and the fireworks were fabulous to watch in that pitch black night sky. So here is my complaint, there were way to many of the dance-a-long songs, it went on during the entire party, shuffle to the left, now wave those arms and circle to the right it gets old. I think maybe several dance-a-longs are okay, but not the whole Pirate Party. And the music is so 80s and 70s. My recommendation would be to have a DJ play some good more recent music that the kids recognize (my DD8 didnt know most of the songs) and just let the kids/adults dance/mingle as they please. Or maybe they can do a short skit, I dont know JMTCW.
Day 4
The highlight of today was the Award Winning Disney Dreams show. We skipped breakfast today and headed out to do some activities, then went for an early lunch at Parrot Cay, it was an Italian buffet and the food was good, the desserts were even better. Can you tell I ate too much? After more activities we went to the Buena Vista Theater to watch Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Mans Chest. Then we did more family activities, we actually came in 2nd place in the vegetable race car event. Dinner at Animators Palate was delicious, but I got sea sick. The other family we were seated with had a berries and sauvignon dessert brought down from Palos for everyone and that was the best dessert I had all cruise. Then off to Disney Dreams, award winning and well deserved, hands down the best show.
Final Morning
We were scheduled for 6:30 breakfast, my son was snoring when the wake up call came through and I just didnt have the heart to wake him so we skipped breakfast. We finally got up and out of our cabin around 8am, then headed up to deck 10 for a final goodbye clip. Off the boat we went and headed on the shuttle to get our rental car. Our flight wasnt scheduled until 3pm so we asked the car rental employee for a recommendation for breakfast/lunch on Cocoa beach, He recommended a Diner where the food was better than run-of-the-mill Dennys.
Final Thoughts
Other people would get more done than we did, but we were on vacation and we dont have to get up early so we didnt. The holes in my trip report where you might be thinking we didnt do anything, we were probably standing in line taking pics with whatever character/s, talking to the DVC rep, booking our future cruise, etc. We didnt try to do everything, this was important. Also, the next time we go, we will avoid the food on deck 9 and we will stick to the food served in Tritons, Parrot Cay, and Animators Palate. The food on deck 9 is so average, dont waste your calories here, there is nothing to write home about, but if you must, try it for yourself. Next time, I will stay on the ship at Nassau, just like I read on this board. Oh yeah, the room service sandwiches were also great. I will say that DH got sick both times we ate on deck 9 (like run to the restroom sick). I think the bacteria are more controlled in the sit-down restaurants than on deck 9 where you are poolside. I had read somewhere that a hot tub is like a cauldron of bacteria. We did bring our own Wet Ones, lots of them, I bought the family pack at Costco, but they also have sanitizing wipes as you enter any food area, including deck 9. I know there is talk about the cost of DCL versus other cruise lines, but when you add in CC, I found the cost is no issue. At CC, you get off the ship and you are only a short walking distance from the beach or you can ride the tram. No need to pay for a taxi. At the beach, there are beach loungers, beach chairs, and beach umbrellas already set up for you. No need to pay for rental of these beach items. No one is bothering you to buy something from them, no locals to deal with. Lunch is served. No need to buy lunch. This alone was enough to justify the extra cost of DCL, IMO. Dont take any beach towels with you, unless you have the extra luggage room and are willing to use the laundry room to dry them because there is not enough room in the stateroom to hang the towels to dry. You can take the towels from your room off of the ship, they even have CMs passing them out as you exit the ship at the ports. Our kids are attached to us, probably more than I thought. Actually I expected that from DS, but not DD. She is a very social child, but she consistently said I want us to do something together rather than going to the OL or going to the pools. So we spent our time doing activities like Family Kite Making and playing foosball. I guess what Im saying is dont be surprised if your kids decide they want to spend more or less time with you than you expected. No, I did not experience the CM arrested for exposure and I did not see anything unusual. Have a great cruise!
DH, myself, DD8, and DS3 started off our vacation with 3 days at WDW and stayed at the PORFQ. I chose not to do the 7 day Land/Sea package, but instead we booked separately it turned out to be about $100 cheaper and we got the free dining plan. Not sure how the dining plan works out with a 7 day Land/Sea package. I know that for the Land/Sea package you get 7 day park hopper tix, but with DD and DH already missing school for 6 days we could not afford to keep them out any longer. The 7 day park hopper tix you get with the Land/Sea pkg expire 14 days after the initial use. Sunday, Aug 27 we got up and I finished packing while DH went off to get the rental car. We decided to rent a car from WDW to the port and again from the port the Airport on our return, we spent a total of about $80 on the car rentals and it was easy as the rental car companies provide shuttles to and from the port and their location. I used coupons for free double upgraded on the car rentals, so we booked a compact, but got a family size. Boarding the ship was easy and the big welcome was great. It was very memorable; get your dvd camcorder ready! On advice from this board, we headed straight for the Mickey and Goofy pools. This was the only time we actually used those pools. We ate poolside at Plutos, and allowed the kids more time in the pool while DH and I relaxed and talked poolside. Our dinner rotation was PTTA and I was happy with that. Dinner at Parrot Cay was great, we were seated with another family and they were super nice. The server was exceptional and made sure we enjoyed our dinner, he kept us entertained. We skipped the show that evening, some comedian, and instead used the time to explore the ship and go up on deck 10 to see the stars. The kids thought this was the coolest.
Day 2
We had the breakfast buffet at Parrot Cay, I dont normally do buffets (germ and bacteria concerns) and stay away from them and was especially put off by the idea of a buffet on a ship, but DH thought we should try and so we did. The food was good, sausage, bacon, eggs, pancakes, various cereals, yogurt, danishes and other sweet items, bagels, made-to-order omelets, toast, smoked salmon, ham, etc. and I didnt get sick. I like my bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. We had not planned an excursion for Nassau Bay, but we got off the ship and grabbed a taxi for the beach. I didnt like all of the haggling from the locals. Ill take you here and there for this much, much less than Disney One guy even said that for $20/person he would take us on a tour of the island plus a tour of the greater part of Atlantis and at first we assumed it was the aquarium, but thought it was too good to be true so I asked him directly if that included entrance fee. Turns out the greater part means the outside. Whatever. I was annoyed. We enjoyed the beach and have great pics and memories, it was beautiful, the water was a rich blue-green. We enjoyed the ship the rest of the day and had lunch on deck 9 again. DD and I did some of the family activities while DS and DH took a nap. Dinner at Tritons was great, I had a chilled mango soup and the langoustine (sp?) and pasta entrée. Again, our server went out of his way for us. Hercules the Muse-ical was hilarious. After the show we took the kids to the OC and OL, but they only stayed about 90 minutes.
Day 3
Ah, CC!! This was by far the highlight, we loved it here! We had breakfast at Tritons, if you love eggs benedict; this is the place to have them. DH and DD parasailed tandem and they both went snorkeling, DS and I enjoyed the beach. I think we enjoyed the beach so much because of the barrier, it doesnt allow waves to come into the beach and so it is really nice and calm and you dont worry so much about the little ones. The bar-b-que at Cookies included great barbequed ribs and the mahi-mahi burgers were very delicious. No need to bring food off the ship, there was plenty, including ice cream, a drink station, fresh fruit station, and other snacks. We also took the kids to Scuttles Cove while DH and I shopped. Then the outer-bands of Ernesto hit us while we were heading back to the ship. I saw a few of ship crews butts because they are wearing all white and the rain soaked us all! Not actually a good sight. Yes the rain pelted us as we ran back to the ship, but that only lasted a short time and by this time it was already 3:30. Back on the ship we did a few family activites and then off to dinner. Dinner at Tritons was absolutely fabulous we all put on our bandanas for Pirate Night and they did a Pirate Line/Dance around the restaurant, my DD loved it. Golden Mickeys was a great show, we got great seats. The Pirate party was also great, but I do have to complain about something here. Really, the pirate party is music with some CMs on stage leading the dancing, there is more food and dessert offerings on the deck, Will Turner was out there dancing and so were other characters, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip, and Dale (Im probably forgetting someone). Mickey flew down to the stage, that was cool, and the fireworks were fabulous to watch in that pitch black night sky. So here is my complaint, there were way to many of the dance-a-long songs, it went on during the entire party, shuffle to the left, now wave those arms and circle to the right it gets old. I think maybe several dance-a-longs are okay, but not the whole Pirate Party. And the music is so 80s and 70s. My recommendation would be to have a DJ play some good more recent music that the kids recognize (my DD8 didnt know most of the songs) and just let the kids/adults dance/mingle as they please. Or maybe they can do a short skit, I dont know JMTCW.
Day 4
The highlight of today was the Award Winning Disney Dreams show. We skipped breakfast today and headed out to do some activities, then went for an early lunch at Parrot Cay, it was an Italian buffet and the food was good, the desserts were even better. Can you tell I ate too much? After more activities we went to the Buena Vista Theater to watch Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Mans Chest. Then we did more family activities, we actually came in 2nd place in the vegetable race car event. Dinner at Animators Palate was delicious, but I got sea sick. The other family we were seated with had a berries and sauvignon dessert brought down from Palos for everyone and that was the best dessert I had all cruise. Then off to Disney Dreams, award winning and well deserved, hands down the best show.
Final Morning
We were scheduled for 6:30 breakfast, my son was snoring when the wake up call came through and I just didnt have the heart to wake him so we skipped breakfast. We finally got up and out of our cabin around 8am, then headed up to deck 10 for a final goodbye clip. Off the boat we went and headed on the shuttle to get our rental car. Our flight wasnt scheduled until 3pm so we asked the car rental employee for a recommendation for breakfast/lunch on Cocoa beach, He recommended a Diner where the food was better than run-of-the-mill Dennys.
Final Thoughts
Other people would get more done than we did, but we were on vacation and we dont have to get up early so we didnt. The holes in my trip report where you might be thinking we didnt do anything, we were probably standing in line taking pics with whatever character/s, talking to the DVC rep, booking our future cruise, etc. We didnt try to do everything, this was important. Also, the next time we go, we will avoid the food on deck 9 and we will stick to the food served in Tritons, Parrot Cay, and Animators Palate. The food on deck 9 is so average, dont waste your calories here, there is nothing to write home about, but if you must, try it for yourself. Next time, I will stay on the ship at Nassau, just like I read on this board. Oh yeah, the room service sandwiches were also great. I will say that DH got sick both times we ate on deck 9 (like run to the restroom sick). I think the bacteria are more controlled in the sit-down restaurants than on deck 9 where you are poolside. I had read somewhere that a hot tub is like a cauldron of bacteria. We did bring our own Wet Ones, lots of them, I bought the family pack at Costco, but they also have sanitizing wipes as you enter any food area, including deck 9. I know there is talk about the cost of DCL versus other cruise lines, but when you add in CC, I found the cost is no issue. At CC, you get off the ship and you are only a short walking distance from the beach or you can ride the tram. No need to pay for a taxi. At the beach, there are beach loungers, beach chairs, and beach umbrellas already set up for you. No need to pay for rental of these beach items. No one is bothering you to buy something from them, no locals to deal with. Lunch is served. No need to buy lunch. This alone was enough to justify the extra cost of DCL, IMO. Dont take any beach towels with you, unless you have the extra luggage room and are willing to use the laundry room to dry them because there is not enough room in the stateroom to hang the towels to dry. You can take the towels from your room off of the ship, they even have CMs passing them out as you exit the ship at the ports. Our kids are attached to us, probably more than I thought. Actually I expected that from DS, but not DD. She is a very social child, but she consistently said I want us to do something together rather than going to the OL or going to the pools. So we spent our time doing activities like Family Kite Making and playing foosball. I guess what Im saying is dont be surprised if your kids decide they want to spend more or less time with you than you expected. No, I did not experience the CM arrested for exposure and I did not see anything unusual. Have a great cruise!
