Quickie Comments on the 5/25 Western

[atigeg]

Hubby and I just got back from the 2nd Western sailing (Disney cruise #22), and overall it was excellent! I like the new itinerary much better than the Eastern. It was so nice that if we had been able to get a secret porthole room in January 2003, we would have already booked another one on board. I'm working on my trip report, and we have a full set of navs., menus, etc., but meanwhile here are a few quick comments:
-We did DCL excursions at all of the ports, but for Key West and Grand Cayman you can easily book most things on your own once you go ashore (we did the jeep tour in Cozumel, and I didn't see that one offered independently). We loved all the excursions, but our two favorites were the jeep tour, which includes a beach visit and lunch, and the snorkeling with stingrays. I had to change my plans in Key West because Disney no longer offers the beach break, so I did the konk train and glass bottom boat on my own (Tony went sailing/snorkeling).
-There is way too much to do! We did most of our spa appointments late on port days in order to keep our sea days open to see all the navigator series classes, behind the scenes, etc. They were all very enjoyable. We went to bed early every night, so we missed the new 80s party, but our tablemate raved about it. She and some friends were the Go-Gos in the "Battle of the Bands" against Bon Jovi. It sounde like a riot!!
-Our sailing had the largest number of returning cruisers yet. We got to meet up with a lot of DISers, and a bunch of us got together for a photo with Captain Henry at the Castaway Club party. Hubby will be posting it soon.
-Food was good, particularly the Captain's Gala lobster tails. We also did the Palo brunch and high tea. High tea was the best!!! I know some people have said they don't like the tea serve that way (loose tea leaves in a strainer), but that's the way my grandma used to make me chamomile tea, and it was the best. The scones were to die for!! I sure wish they offered high tea on the Wonder.
-There was a full house and lots of kids on board, but they never seemed too badly underfoot, even on the sea days. Of course, we were in my favorite stateroom, 5650, which is in a very quiet area in the back of the ship, so we never heard any hallway noise. The kids were not in the adult pool or at the adult beach, but there were many at the navigator series, despite an "18 and over" notice in the navigator, and that was not enforced at all. But overall, the 7-day is just as great of an adult experience as the 3-day cruises.
-Plan wisely, as you won't have time to do everything, and it is so hard to choose what to do and what to miss. Our only repret is that we didn't manage to cram more into our schedule. This itinerary is definitely one we'll be doing again in early 2003.
Trip report and website updates coming soon!!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[bkline]

Glad to hear you had another great cruise. I'm interested in what made the Western itinerary better. I did a Western cruise one time, but have to admit I love the eastern and soutern ones better. The stingrays sound like fun.

 

[Niagara2]

Glad you had a great trip.....welcome back.

 

[Mjasp]

Hi Barb...Glad you both had a great trip... I too would like to know why you think the Western is better than the Eastern.

We were on the Inaugural Western (1st cruise) and rebooked with the Eastern for next year. Would like to hear your opinion on the difference.
Thx
Joanna

 

[Bbethparsons]

My family and I too cruised on 5/25. Loved it. Would have loved to have skipped Key West and just had another sea day, but oh, well. We got to know twiceasnice's family soo much better. This was our third cruise with them. Also Pambwv and family are super people. My husband and I relaxed so much more on this cruise than the previous two Disney 7 nighters. I think it is because we have been there and done that and don't feel so pressured to see everything. I could really do without the shows, just need my room, chairs, dinner,sun, and someone to clean up after me. I enjoyed the Rainforest at the Spa. It was really good. My kids had more fun this time. My daughter didn't understand why she couldn't sign herself in or out, (she turned 8 on april 27th, too young in my opinion) and my son is 10 and he didn't understand why I wouldn't let him just roam all over the ship like other kids were doing. I just am not ready for that and probably won't be for another year or two. I saw kids running up and down halls/stairs, not being supervised. Overall, I think the kids are well behaved on the ship. My son enjoyed the sports deck more this cruise and my daughter didn't mind the crowded pools. Absolutely loved the beach at Cozumel. We went there with twiceasnice's family and even saw our new friends Pambwv's family their too. What darling children they both have. We were in room 7610 a regular verandah and wouldn't trade it for any other kind. We loved the openness or it and being able to sit and still see all around. This was our first time with a verandah, it was a surprise for hubby and he really was surprised. Well I just wanted to add a few comments, didn't want to post a report. Maybe I will post more tomorrow. Too tired tonight.

 

[inkkognito]

The main reason I preferred the Western was the ports of call. We enjoyed St. Martin and St. Thomas when we did the Eastern, but there didn't seem to be as much that we were interested in doing on a repeat. We did things like the seaplane, tramway, and horseback riding in those ports and had a great time, and we wouldn't mind seeing the beach on St. John, but it wasn't a priority.
On the other hand, when we were in Cozumel once before, we went to Xcaret and vowed that we would be back someday...it is awesome! The irony is that we didn't even make it there because we ended up doing the heep tour, which was fabulous (and that was a hard choice over the horseback tour of the ruins). Grand Cayman and Key West were firsts for us. We had spa appointments and Palo on Key West evening, but we definitely want to spend more time there...I feel like I only just scratched the surface, And I would definitely snorkel with the stingrays again on Grand Cayman, not to mention doing some traditional snorkeling (we did the glass bottom boat, which was spectacular). The activities in the Western ports have a lot of appeal for us, and also they seemed somewhat less "touristy" than Nassau, or even the Eastern. There are lots of vendors etc. but they didn't seem quite as pushy, and the ports themselves were very nice. It's not as relaxing as having the extra sea day, but the extra port is worth it.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[cruisinpenguin]

Welcome Back Barb & Tony!! Glad you 2 had a great cruise!! Can't wait to see all your added new things on your web site!! Thanks for all you do!!
Laurie

 

[snelsonbrown]

Welcome back luv ---so glad you and Tony had the chance to have such a great time - you both were in my thoughts and with prayers that this would be a great time for you both - Will chat with you soon -Hugssssssss to you both.
Always
Shirley

 

[Hygiene99]

Barb Did u get upgraded by disney, or what kind of room did u have ????????

Being the most cruised person should have its privledges ???
Peter

 

[twinscandc]

We were also on the 5/25 Western Cruise!! I enjoyed every minute of it!! My children - twins, age 5 loved the kids club and also enjoyed getting to know our room steward and wait staff. They were all wonderful.

Barb and Tony.....I wanted to meet you guys, but never ran into you. The funniest thing though....I was picked to be a Panelist for the "Who wants to be a Mouseketeer" and when I got up on stage, who was sitting up there with me? - CallahanJulie!! She had her lime green ribbon on!! It was neat to meet her that way!!

Anyway....loved the cruise and hated to come back to work today!!