Mama Twinkles
<a href="http://www.wdwinfo.com/dis-sponsor/" targ
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2003
- Messages
- 451
Just back from a 3-day (just child and me). Am too tired to write a trip report today, but wanted to share a few observations in hopes they can be helpful to first-timers:
1. Three days WAS long enough. Most here will disagree, but we found the length to be perfect. Did not leave the ship in Nassau, so that probably helped. Had the full experience: all the shows, all the restaurants, some parties and bingo and Castaway Cay, swimming, arcade, adult time, movie, etc. Would not have wanted to stay another day, as I would have felt confined and maybe bored. Did not do spa or Palo. Am not that into liquor, so didn't do tastings.
2. Dress was casual throughout the cruise, including in the dining rooms. Do not stress at all about what you wear, even on the theoretical dress-up night. I would say pack one shorts outfit and one dinner outfit per day at whatever level of dressiness you will be comfortable in.
3. The navigator's veranda (category 7) is wonderfully private. Feels like an extension of the room. Highly recommended. Do get room service and enjoy coffee and cake out there. The cheese platter was nice. I think the people who are disappointed in it might be comparing it with the big, bountiful one you can purchase as an in-room gift.
4. C.M.'s are great: warm, helpful, attentive, fun. Only encountered one randomly unpleasant C.M. (in Oceaneer's Lab). Maybe she was depressed or homesick or trying to get fired, or maybe she just dislikes passengers/her job.
5. The experience was nearly perfect. The ship is just the right mixture of casual and elegant so that you feel comfortable being yourself while also feeling indulged. Only the most minor wear and tear was evident. Where Disney gets it wrong is in requiring such early breakfast attendance the last day and in not giving you just a few inches' more width in the cabins. Even 6 inches more would make the distance between end of bed and wall passable without tension. A lot of arcade games were broken, too, and not fixed during cruise. The split baths are nice, but also marginally too small for comfort. A few inches more in either direction would vastly improve the feng shui.
6. The first day's lunch buffet in Parrot Cay was fantastic. Would choose it (due to atmosphere; menus are the same) over Beach Blanket in a heartbeat. Otherwise the food was just okay. It was visually pleasing but overall not that delicious, though I really enjoyed the desserts. Maybe the issue was just with what I ordered. Breakfast buffet at Beach Blanket was good. Nothing fancy, but bountiful and tasty. Danishes from room service were also yummy. Liked the big, festive dining rooms a lot.
7. Fellow passengers were nice. No one I met seemed to have heard of the Disboards. People were from all walks of life, though mostly white and married with children (no surprises there). I did not feel comfortable coming out of the closet on the cruise, though would have been okay doing so with many of the crew. Didn't see any identifiably gay passengers.
8. Had absolutely no motion sickness. Took no medication. The last night was arrhythmically rocky, which made for rough sleep, but sickness was not an issue, and I do not have an iron stomach.
9. The shows were great, especially the Golden Mickeys. The scripts are very self-referential (i.e., they are all about Disney stuff). The cruise contains a ton of self-marketing. They keep you in the spirit by rousing you with questions like, "Did everyone have a great time at the Pirate Party?" said to a packed auditorium, and of course everyone "woo-hoos" in response. But they are also selling you on your experience in the process. But you can find peace and quiet various places on the ship as desired without having to cheer or affirm the "excellence" of everything. Usually the ship does not feel crowded. It wasn't hard to find tables or pool chairs at any time.
10. Disney should consider finding a way to help unacquainted table companions negotiate the level of interaction they prefer. I met one family who were literally ignored by their tablemates and treated beyond rudely. Maybe people who prefer private dinners and who lack the class either to suck it up and reach out nonetheless or to kindly ask for their own conversational time could be helped to politely get what they want without hurting others.
11. Only encountered cigarette smoke once, and that was on deck 4, port side. The cruise seemed smoke-free for all intents and purposes. There were no cigar smokers outside the Cove Cafe whenever I passed by.
12. Took the stairs the whole time. Did not set foot in the elevators. The stairways are wide and carpeted. Helped me not to worry too much about the daily bingeing.
Go, and have fun! I would do it again, maybe in a year or two.
1. Three days WAS long enough. Most here will disagree, but we found the length to be perfect. Did not leave the ship in Nassau, so that probably helped. Had the full experience: all the shows, all the restaurants, some parties and bingo and Castaway Cay, swimming, arcade, adult time, movie, etc. Would not have wanted to stay another day, as I would have felt confined and maybe bored. Did not do spa or Palo. Am not that into liquor, so didn't do tastings.
2. Dress was casual throughout the cruise, including in the dining rooms. Do not stress at all about what you wear, even on the theoretical dress-up night. I would say pack one shorts outfit and one dinner outfit per day at whatever level of dressiness you will be comfortable in.
3. The navigator's veranda (category 7) is wonderfully private. Feels like an extension of the room. Highly recommended. Do get room service and enjoy coffee and cake out there. The cheese platter was nice. I think the people who are disappointed in it might be comparing it with the big, bountiful one you can purchase as an in-room gift.
4. C.M.'s are great: warm, helpful, attentive, fun. Only encountered one randomly unpleasant C.M. (in Oceaneer's Lab). Maybe she was depressed or homesick or trying to get fired, or maybe she just dislikes passengers/her job.
5. The experience was nearly perfect. The ship is just the right mixture of casual and elegant so that you feel comfortable being yourself while also feeling indulged. Only the most minor wear and tear was evident. Where Disney gets it wrong is in requiring such early breakfast attendance the last day and in not giving you just a few inches' more width in the cabins. Even 6 inches more would make the distance between end of bed and wall passable without tension. A lot of arcade games were broken, too, and not fixed during cruise. The split baths are nice, but also marginally too small for comfort. A few inches more in either direction would vastly improve the feng shui.
6. The first day's lunch buffet in Parrot Cay was fantastic. Would choose it (due to atmosphere; menus are the same) over Beach Blanket in a heartbeat. Otherwise the food was just okay. It was visually pleasing but overall not that delicious, though I really enjoyed the desserts. Maybe the issue was just with what I ordered. Breakfast buffet at Beach Blanket was good. Nothing fancy, but bountiful and tasty. Danishes from room service were also yummy. Liked the big, festive dining rooms a lot.
7. Fellow passengers were nice. No one I met seemed to have heard of the Disboards. People were from all walks of life, though mostly white and married with children (no surprises there). I did not feel comfortable coming out of the closet on the cruise, though would have been okay doing so with many of the crew. Didn't see any identifiably gay passengers.
8. Had absolutely no motion sickness. Took no medication. The last night was arrhythmically rocky, which made for rough sleep, but sickness was not an issue, and I do not have an iron stomach.
9. The shows were great, especially the Golden Mickeys. The scripts are very self-referential (i.e., they are all about Disney stuff). The cruise contains a ton of self-marketing. They keep you in the spirit by rousing you with questions like, "Did everyone have a great time at the Pirate Party?" said to a packed auditorium, and of course everyone "woo-hoos" in response. But they are also selling you on your experience in the process. But you can find peace and quiet various places on the ship as desired without having to cheer or affirm the "excellence" of everything. Usually the ship does not feel crowded. It wasn't hard to find tables or pool chairs at any time.
10. Disney should consider finding a way to help unacquainted table companions negotiate the level of interaction they prefer. I met one family who were literally ignored by their tablemates and treated beyond rudely. Maybe people who prefer private dinners and who lack the class either to suck it up and reach out nonetheless or to kindly ask for their own conversational time could be helped to politely get what they want without hurting others.
11. Only encountered cigarette smoke once, and that was on deck 4, port side. The cruise seemed smoke-free for all intents and purposes. There were no cigar smokers outside the Cove Cafe whenever I passed by.
12. Took the stairs the whole time. Did not set foot in the elevators. The stairways are wide and carpeted. Helped me not to worry too much about the daily bingeing.
Go, and have fun! I would do it again, maybe in a year or two.
I enjoyed your trip report, and you remind me so much of my neighbors. They are straight forward, opinionated and judgmental in a George Carlin sort of way...
