My husband, 15 month old son, and I were on the 2/22 Magic. We had a great time and great weather. Here are my thoughts and tips:
It is true, they do not let diaper kids in the pool. How did we solve this problem? Easily. On the pool decks you have a railing that separated the pool area from the deck area. On the deck area along the railing are tables and chairs(this is all in the shade as well). By Goofy's Pool we took the table, 4 chairs, and a lounge chair and created a horseshoe using the railing as a barrier. We then purchased the bucket and shovel stuff from the shop, put my son in the horseshoe with toys and bucket full of water and he played there each day for about 2 hours. My husband and I took turns going in the pool and laying on the other side of the railing which was in the sun. This worked out great and my son had no desire to go in the pool.
Flounders - We didn't go to Flouders until 3:00pm(they were only having their open house for 15 more minutes, it started earlier)I signed my son up for two time slots each day. They said they would only guarentee 3 but we were confirmed for all times. Towards the end of the cruise, we didn't even drop my son off because he was having fun by the pool. So, my advice, go to Flounders and sign up for more times then you think you want. You have the option to cancel as long as it is four hours in advance(they confirm your time each night the day before). My son enjoyed Flounders at first, but there were two kids who were there ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT who cried, which bothered my son. That was when we chose to cancel some of our time slots. It is amazing to see families go on FAMILY vacations, yet they never spend time with their child! Over all the people who work in Flounders are great.
Basketball court - Once the sun went down my husband and I would take my son up to deck 10. That is where the basketball court is. The entire court is boarded with nets and has a sponge type floor. It is then divided to seperate the BBall from the soccer. In the soccer area we would let him run around and go crazy. He loved it. It gave him an opportunity to run around without having to worry about bumping into people or coming across steps. It also wore him out.
Don't forget to drop off a tshirt at guest services to have ALL the characters sign it. Ours came out soooo cute. What a great thing to have and we didn't even have to stand in any lines!!!
Shows were great, especially Dreams. I loved the Dueling Pianos. Games were fun, my team won the Couch potatoe and Adult Magic Quest.
Castaway Cay - Beautiful!! Went parasailing, super time. Don't waste your money on the banana boat, it doesn't go fast, you can swim faster than they pull the banana. Don't worry about rushing out on the island to get a seat. There are plenty. And practically each grouping of seats has a palm tree which will give you the option of shade. The water was beautiful and my son loved swimming in the ocean.
Camera - Make sure you have your camera at all times. The characters will just pop out of no where. They are good about stopping and taking photos.
Food - Plutos we found enjoyable. In the dining room the food was good but nothing to brag about. I wish they had more of a selection on the menues. Top Siders was nice for breakfast and lunch, but each day is a different theme(Mexican, oriental, American, etc.) But they always have a kids line with typical kid food which was great. Our server Leo was great and wonderful with my son.
Disembarking - WOW, how easy. We were off the boat by 8:15 with such ease. Kudos to Disney!!! We were able to catch an earlier flight to eliminate sitting in the airport. They say not to book a flight before 12:30, but we caught an 11:05 flight and still had an hour to kill at the airport.
Cabins - We were on deck 8. Had a great room servicer. Took care of all our diapers and didn't even complain
Room was kept nice and he always had it clean before my son's nap.
Norwalk - We were traveling with 13 other people and we all managed to stay healthy. I guess a few guest did get sick, but I didn't know about it until I got home and read it on the boards. We were all very careful. By doing the following simple things we had a healthy time. We only used the bathrooms in our rooms, washed our hands constantly, and we didn't hold onto the railings on the stairs. When my son was in the nursery or my nephews were in the camp, we would wipe them down when they left. But the camp and nursery were very careful and made sure each child washed hands before entering. I guess it is just luck of the draw.
Anyway, had a great time. Would definitly do it again. If you have any questions, just ask.
CJ
It is true, they do not let diaper kids in the pool. How did we solve this problem? Easily. On the pool decks you have a railing that separated the pool area from the deck area. On the deck area along the railing are tables and chairs(this is all in the shade as well). By Goofy's Pool we took the table, 4 chairs, and a lounge chair and created a horseshoe using the railing as a barrier. We then purchased the bucket and shovel stuff from the shop, put my son in the horseshoe with toys and bucket full of water and he played there each day for about 2 hours. My husband and I took turns going in the pool and laying on the other side of the railing which was in the sun. This worked out great and my son had no desire to go in the pool.
Flounders - We didn't go to Flouders until 3:00pm(they were only having their open house for 15 more minutes, it started earlier)I signed my son up for two time slots each day. They said they would only guarentee 3 but we were confirmed for all times. Towards the end of the cruise, we didn't even drop my son off because he was having fun by the pool. So, my advice, go to Flounders and sign up for more times then you think you want. You have the option to cancel as long as it is four hours in advance(they confirm your time each night the day before). My son enjoyed Flounders at first, but there were two kids who were there ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT who cried, which bothered my son. That was when we chose to cancel some of our time slots. It is amazing to see families go on FAMILY vacations, yet they never spend time with their child! Over all the people who work in Flounders are great.
Basketball court - Once the sun went down my husband and I would take my son up to deck 10. That is where the basketball court is. The entire court is boarded with nets and has a sponge type floor. It is then divided to seperate the BBall from the soccer. In the soccer area we would let him run around and go crazy. He loved it. It gave him an opportunity to run around without having to worry about bumping into people or coming across steps. It also wore him out.
Don't forget to drop off a tshirt at guest services to have ALL the characters sign it. Ours came out soooo cute. What a great thing to have and we didn't even have to stand in any lines!!!
Shows were great, especially Dreams. I loved the Dueling Pianos. Games were fun, my team won the Couch potatoe and Adult Magic Quest.
Castaway Cay - Beautiful!! Went parasailing, super time. Don't waste your money on the banana boat, it doesn't go fast, you can swim faster than they pull the banana. Don't worry about rushing out on the island to get a seat. There are plenty. And practically each grouping of seats has a palm tree which will give you the option of shade. The water was beautiful and my son loved swimming in the ocean.
Camera - Make sure you have your camera at all times. The characters will just pop out of no where. They are good about stopping and taking photos.
Food - Plutos we found enjoyable. In the dining room the food was good but nothing to brag about. I wish they had more of a selection on the menues. Top Siders was nice for breakfast and lunch, but each day is a different theme(Mexican, oriental, American, etc.) But they always have a kids line with typical kid food which was great. Our server Leo was great and wonderful with my son.
Disembarking - WOW, how easy. We were off the boat by 8:15 with such ease. Kudos to Disney!!! We were able to catch an earlier flight to eliminate sitting in the airport. They say not to book a flight before 12:30, but we caught an 11:05 flight and still had an hour to kill at the airport.
Cabins - We were on deck 8. Had a great room servicer. Took care of all our diapers and didn't even complain
Room was kept nice and he always had it clean before my son's nap.Norwalk - We were traveling with 13 other people and we all managed to stay healthy. I guess a few guest did get sick, but I didn't know about it until I got home and read it on the boards. We were all very careful. By doing the following simple things we had a healthy time. We only used the bathrooms in our rooms, washed our hands constantly, and we didn't hold onto the railings on the stairs. When my son was in the nursery or my nephews were in the camp, we would wipe them down when they left. But the camp and nursery were very careful and made sure each child washed hands before entering. I guess it is just luck of the draw.
Anyway, had a great time. Would definitly do it again. If you have any questions, just ask.
CJ
