The Frickles Family Sweet Dream Cruise, 7.24.15
- Thread starter Frickles
- Start date
toottifruitti
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2012
- Messages
- 9
I'm really enjoying reading this. Thank you so much. We are thinking of making our first cruise in 2016. Our children will be 13 and 19 but intellectually challenged. We will be travelling from Australia to Orlando which we have done in the past 2 years to enjoy the Magic. Actually we started our Disney experience a few years back when we went to Disneyland Hong Kong and my youngest asked if we could do a Disney every year in different places so the following year we went to Disneyland California then the next 2 years WDW in Orlando. So now we are looking at the cruise.
DMDaisy31
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2013
- Messages
- 52
Looking into going on a Disney cruise, possibly next summer. Am enjoying reading your reviews! Can't wait to hear about more of your experience.
Frickles
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2005
- Messages
- 981
Jamal, fabulous breakfast pictures to come!
Toottifuritti - how absolutely fun! I was thisclose to Disneyland Paris and did not make it.... I am kicking myself! I love your vacation plan and you would fall in love with the DCL.
DMDaisy31 I say DO IT! You will not regret it! Thanks for reading!
Toottifuritti - how absolutely fun! I was thisclose to Disneyland Paris and did not make it.... I am kicking myself! I love your vacation plan and you would fall in love with the DCL.
DMDaisy31 I say DO IT! You will not regret it! Thanks for reading!
ekruze
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2015
- Messages
- 13
Thank you for the fun TR! I am new to the DISboards and we are going on our first DCL cruise feb 2016. Your TR was one of the first that I have read and it has made me super excited for our cruise
. Thanks again for taking the time to post your experiences because it really does help us newbies 
BTW...your family looked like they had a fantastic time together. I love family time.
. Thanks again for taking the time to post your experiences because it really does help us newbies BTW...your family looked like they had a fantastic time together. I love family time.Enjoying reading your TR and you have a beautiful family! I have signed up with a local travel company, booked for my first client last summer, my sister, when we did a Dream cruise with our families! It's slow going, but I'm hoping I can help others with their vacations too!
When my DS, now 17, first started visiting Vibe I was worried when he didn't come back to the room until 2am, but he was with a friend so after a few times we were used to it, lol!
Looking forward to reading more and seeing more pics!
When my DS, now 17, first started visiting Vibe I was worried when he didn't come back to the room until 2am, but he was with a friend so after a few times we were used to it, lol!
Looking forward to reading more and seeing more pics!
Frickles
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2005
- Messages
- 981
Let me dust the cobwebs off of this place! Yikes! I've been busy with Fall Break season and my own trip to WDW with my friends! Here's what happened while I was away...
I took a little nappy poo with Aurora.
We managed to pull off a picture in front of the castle before melting.
I got to visit Trader Sam's two times and discovered I really like the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum.
When you take a break from working day and night, you sometimes need a nap on Buzz Lightyear
I hung out with the coolest *no pun intended* ladies ever!
I got to announce the bus stops at 1:30am... Please gather your belongings and take small children by the hand!
We did Food & Wine and Wine & Food and Food & Wine and Wine & Food......
Our fun crew stayed at the Beach Club, Club Level and felt like rockstars. Did you know they have their own chef? He became our friend and he makes the best cheese grits ever!!
We experienced our first ever Disney Magical Moment. It had been raining all night and a group backed out of their Illuminations Fireworks cruise - apparently the captain was told to find another group that would be fun to take out and we won the prize! So very fun!
We dined at Cinderella's Castle. Oh my, so cute!
Let's get back to this cruise, shall we!
Day 3 Nassau, Bahamas and the Atlantis Excursion
This was a day that Tanner and I were very excited about as we had plans to enjoy the Atlantis through Disney's Atlantis Aquaventure excursion. Our family has always toyed with the idea of going, we just haven't done so. This was going to be a great way to see if this was a good future vacation destination for us, plus I can book travel arrangements for my clients to this gorgeous destination.
We went to the Royal Palace for breakfast this morning and it became my favorite breakfast spot. They had Spencer's breakfast waiting on him and we ordered from an impressive menu. Brad and Spencer were going to research Disney's Catamaran Snorkeling excursion for me today. We parted ways after breakfast and began our adventures.
I booked a non Disney excursion when I was with the girls on our travel agent training cruise back in April. We went with another excursion company while in port at Grand Cayman and I must admit, it was a little sketchy in the beginning. We were in a port full of people looking for their tour group. We had a hard time finding ours and once we did, we sat in the port waiting for a long time for our excursion to start. They asked us to be prompt, but yet they were late. The trip turned out to be fabulous once we got going, but I wanted to see how Disney's excursions compared.
We went to our excursion meeting spot on the ship, listened to the plan for the day and off we went. It was seamless, it was timely and I had no worries about our day. I was really impressed! We took a short shuttle ride to the Atlantis and our driver was a great tour guide. He told us the bridge between the Royal Towers was actually a suite that could be booked for 4 million a night, with a 4 night maximum. If you are interested in booking a stay at this suite, contact me immediately!
The Atlantis is simply stunning. It was everything I thought it would be plus more. It was huge and grand.
That 4 million dollar a night suite can be yours! Call me!
Tanner's main goal was to enjoy the water slides. We had our phones, but didn't have internet and I had not done my research on what charges could incur if we took our phones off airplane mode. I was scared to part ways with him because if we couldn't find each other, we were going to be toast because we had no way to communicate. I'm not a fan of the slides that tear your bikini bottoms off so I would go with him to the entrance of the slide, then wait for him at the exit. We had read the lines could be up to one hour long and this is the reason why Spencer didn't want to join us. eek. Thankfully on this day, which was a Sunday, he didn't wait over twenty minutes for any of the slides.
Tanner was ready to try the lazy river so we found a chair by the river and I babysat our things while he floated. Apparently my eyes closed and I caught a quick nap. When he returned, I grabbed a Starbucks treat to wake myself up - yes they have Starbucks - while Tanner tackled another slide, the one that goes through the big aquarium. I asked if it was cool when he shot through the aquarium and he said he didn't know because so much water was rushing into his face that he kept his eyes closed. We saw a raft ride that traveled through the aquarium so I decided to try that slide with him. It was stunning to go through an aquarium full of sharks and gorgeous fish. The great thing about that ride is during the portion in the aquarium, your raft slows down so you get to soak in the scenery as you float through. Also, my bikini bottoms stayed on. Win/Win
We were given vouchers for our lunch and there were plenty of places to choose from. You will not go hungry here. We ate and decided to enjoy the Lazy River, Tanner said it was the best one he had ever been on and he wanted to go again. One half of the Lazy River had waves that would push you along and lift you up. It was so fun and so unique! The other half of the river was full of rapids that would shoot you along. The lazy river was worth the price of admission and we gave it four thumbs up!
It was time to check out the beach! We were close to the Cove and wow, what a gorgeous place the Cove is. The entrance to their pool area was guarded by a staff member and only those staying at the Cove had access. This area, Cain at The Cove, is an adults-only, ultra-pool and beach club. I tried to pull the 'I'm a travel agent and I'm doing research' card, but no cool pool for me. I was highly impressed with this luxurious area!!
We went for a swim at the Cove beach and it was my favorite. Guests were snorkeling and apparently seeing cool things, and cute fish would swim up to us. This would be the perfect place for little bitties because there are no waves, just peaceful and crystal clear water. You could place your lounge chair in the water and it came with a shade option if you wished to use it. They really put some thought into designing those chairs!
I'm seriously impressed with these beach chairs!
We took a peek at the Atlantis beach and this is where we could see guests enjoying water sports. We toured Paradise Lagoon which was a hot spot for little ones. There is an obstacle course in the water and a great shallow beach area. Tanner tested out one of the water activities which I have no name for. We will just call it the Hamster Ball. He had a blast and was worn out when he finished. While he was running on water, I asked a family nearby if they were staying at the Atlantis. They were and I asked how they liked it. I got the same answer that I get from everyone, "It is great, but it is expensive".
I had time to chat with a staff member who gave me some great feedback on the best time to visit. Apparently late August through early November is the least crowded time to visit. Noted.
The Coral Towers were next on our list and we enjoyed seeing the Predator Lagoon as we made our way over.
The Casino was last on our tour and this girl was ready to research the casino. I wasn't sure if Tanner could stay with me, but it was no problem. Maybe it's because he is over 6' and looked like he belonged. The Casino was gorgeous and huge. I played a few slot machines and had a little luck. We played Roulette and I let Tanner pick the numbers. It was a fun experience and it only cost me $30.
We made our way back to the shuttle which was sitting there with the A/C on, ready to go. It was an easy ride back to the ship and I noticed how many blisters I had from all the walking we did. I didn't follow the excursion advice of wearing your most comfortable shoes. oops. I will listen next time.#comfortoverbeauty
I would give this excursion a very high rating because we really enjoyed it! If this is a port on your future cruise, you can take a taxi over to the resort and enjoy touring the grounds, dining at one of their great restaurants and playing in the Casino without booking an excursion. The excursions give you access to the beach, pools and water parks.
As we made our way back onto the ship I asked Tanner if he would enjoy a family vacation at the Atlantis and he said, "Yes, but only for a few days." There you have it. Partial Atlantis research completed. We only saw a tiny portion of this massive resort. They offer Kids and Teen clubs, Dolphin encounters, spa services, golf, water sports, 50,000 marine animals to watch, shopping, fine dining.... the list goes on and on. I did see how this place could appeal to all ages.
Up next: Snorkeling in the Bahamas, new friends and dinner at Animator's Palate
I took a little nappy poo with Aurora.
We managed to pull off a picture in front of the castle before melting.
I got to visit Trader Sam's two times and discovered I really like the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum.
When you take a break from working day and night, you sometimes need a nap on Buzz Lightyear
I hung out with the coolest *no pun intended* ladies ever!
I got to announce the bus stops at 1:30am... Please gather your belongings and take small children by the hand!
We did Food & Wine and Wine & Food and Food & Wine and Wine & Food......
Our fun crew stayed at the Beach Club, Club Level and felt like rockstars. Did you know they have their own chef? He became our friend and he makes the best cheese grits ever!!
We experienced our first ever Disney Magical Moment. It had been raining all night and a group backed out of their Illuminations Fireworks cruise - apparently the captain was told to find another group that would be fun to take out and we won the prize! So very fun!
We dined at Cinderella's Castle. Oh my, so cute!
Let's get back to this cruise, shall we!
Day 3 Nassau, Bahamas and the Atlantis Excursion
This was a day that Tanner and I were very excited about as we had plans to enjoy the Atlantis through Disney's Atlantis Aquaventure excursion. Our family has always toyed with the idea of going, we just haven't done so. This was going to be a great way to see if this was a good future vacation destination for us, plus I can book travel arrangements for my clients to this gorgeous destination.
We went to the Royal Palace for breakfast this morning and it became my favorite breakfast spot. They had Spencer's breakfast waiting on him and we ordered from an impressive menu. Brad and Spencer were going to research Disney's Catamaran Snorkeling excursion for me today. We parted ways after breakfast and began our adventures.
I booked a non Disney excursion when I was with the girls on our travel agent training cruise back in April. We went with another excursion company while in port at Grand Cayman and I must admit, it was a little sketchy in the beginning. We were in a port full of people looking for their tour group. We had a hard time finding ours and once we did, we sat in the port waiting for a long time for our excursion to start. They asked us to be prompt, but yet they were late. The trip turned out to be fabulous once we got going, but I wanted to see how Disney's excursions compared.
We went to our excursion meeting spot on the ship, listened to the plan for the day and off we went. It was seamless, it was timely and I had no worries about our day. I was really impressed! We took a short shuttle ride to the Atlantis and our driver was a great tour guide. He told us the bridge between the Royal Towers was actually a suite that could be booked for 4 million a night, with a 4 night maximum. If you are interested in booking a stay at this suite, contact me immediately!
The Atlantis is simply stunning. It was everything I thought it would be plus more. It was huge and grand.
That 4 million dollar a night suite can be yours! Call me!
Tanner's main goal was to enjoy the water slides. We had our phones, but didn't have internet and I had not done my research on what charges could incur if we took our phones off airplane mode. I was scared to part ways with him because if we couldn't find each other, we were going to be toast because we had no way to communicate. I'm not a fan of the slides that tear your bikini bottoms off so I would go with him to the entrance of the slide, then wait for him at the exit. We had read the lines could be up to one hour long and this is the reason why Spencer didn't want to join us. eek. Thankfully on this day, which was a Sunday, he didn't wait over twenty minutes for any of the slides.
Tanner was ready to try the lazy river so we found a chair by the river and I babysat our things while he floated. Apparently my eyes closed and I caught a quick nap. When he returned, I grabbed a Starbucks treat to wake myself up - yes they have Starbucks - while Tanner tackled another slide, the one that goes through the big aquarium. I asked if it was cool when he shot through the aquarium and he said he didn't know because so much water was rushing into his face that he kept his eyes closed. We saw a raft ride that traveled through the aquarium so I decided to try that slide with him. It was stunning to go through an aquarium full of sharks and gorgeous fish. The great thing about that ride is during the portion in the aquarium, your raft slows down so you get to soak in the scenery as you float through. Also, my bikini bottoms stayed on. Win/Win
We were given vouchers for our lunch and there were plenty of places to choose from. You will not go hungry here. We ate and decided to enjoy the Lazy River, Tanner said it was the best one he had ever been on and he wanted to go again. One half of the Lazy River had waves that would push you along and lift you up. It was so fun and so unique! The other half of the river was full of rapids that would shoot you along. The lazy river was worth the price of admission and we gave it four thumbs up!
It was time to check out the beach! We were close to the Cove and wow, what a gorgeous place the Cove is. The entrance to their pool area was guarded by a staff member and only those staying at the Cove had access. This area, Cain at The Cove, is an adults-only, ultra-pool and beach club. I tried to pull the 'I'm a travel agent and I'm doing research' card, but no cool pool for me. I was highly impressed with this luxurious area!!
We went for a swim at the Cove beach and it was my favorite. Guests were snorkeling and apparently seeing cool things, and cute fish would swim up to us. This would be the perfect place for little bitties because there are no waves, just peaceful and crystal clear water. You could place your lounge chair in the water and it came with a shade option if you wished to use it. They really put some thought into designing those chairs!
I'm seriously impressed with these beach chairs!
We took a peek at the Atlantis beach and this is where we could see guests enjoying water sports. We toured Paradise Lagoon which was a hot spot for little ones. There is an obstacle course in the water and a great shallow beach area. Tanner tested out one of the water activities which I have no name for. We will just call it the Hamster Ball. He had a blast and was worn out when he finished. While he was running on water, I asked a family nearby if they were staying at the Atlantis. They were and I asked how they liked it. I got the same answer that I get from everyone, "It is great, but it is expensive".
I had time to chat with a staff member who gave me some great feedback on the best time to visit. Apparently late August through early November is the least crowded time to visit. Noted.
The Coral Towers were next on our list and we enjoyed seeing the Predator Lagoon as we made our way over.
The Casino was last on our tour and this girl was ready to research the casino. I wasn't sure if Tanner could stay with me, but it was no problem. Maybe it's because he is over 6' and looked like he belonged. The Casino was gorgeous and huge. I played a few slot machines and had a little luck. We played Roulette and I let Tanner pick the numbers. It was a fun experience and it only cost me $30.
We made our way back to the shuttle which was sitting there with the A/C on, ready to go. It was an easy ride back to the ship and I noticed how many blisters I had from all the walking we did. I didn't follow the excursion advice of wearing your most comfortable shoes. oops. I will listen next time.#comfortoverbeauty
I would give this excursion a very high rating because we really enjoyed it! If this is a port on your future cruise, you can take a taxi over to the resort and enjoy touring the grounds, dining at one of their great restaurants and playing in the Casino without booking an excursion. The excursions give you access to the beach, pools and water parks.
As we made our way back onto the ship I asked Tanner if he would enjoy a family vacation at the Atlantis and he said, "Yes, but only for a few days." There you have it. Partial Atlantis research completed. We only saw a tiny portion of this massive resort. They offer Kids and Teen clubs, Dolphin encounters, spa services, golf, water sports, 50,000 marine animals to watch, shopping, fine dining.... the list goes on and on. I did see how this place could appeal to all ages.
Up next: Snorkeling in the Bahamas, new friends and dinner at Animator's Palate
lillygator
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2003
- Messages
- 32,741
enjoying so far
1000thhappyhaunt
Maelstromer
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2005
- Messages
- 1,797
Hola! Still following!
Had to get caught up. I was away at Disney and you know how that gets. LOL!
More to the point "OLO".
I especially liked the pics that were "What you were doing when not writing this trippie".
They were AWESOME!!!
No wonder you took a break heh ehh heh.
What I'm saying here is this:
You have a cute butt.
I've never said that before online.
Cheers, Mel
Edit: It was in the picture with Elsa olo. Hi Jami!
Had to get caught up. I was away at Disney and you know how that gets. LOL!
More to the point "OLO".
I especially liked the pics that were "What you were doing when not writing this trippie".
They were AWESOME!!!
No wonder you took a break heh ehh heh.
What I'm saying here is this:
You have a cute butt.
I've never said that before online.
Cheers, Mel
Edit: It was in the picture with Elsa olo. Hi Jami!
Frickles
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2005
- Messages
- 981
Jami, you would love the lazy river. It's just a tad better than the Beach Club's! 
Lilygator, thank you for reading along!
Mel, thank goodness you are a girl or I would have to report you for online flirting. Thank you but please note, that was just a decent angle. Thanks for hopping on your moped and coming over! I must get to your place asap!!
Lilygator, thank you for reading along!
Mel, thank goodness you are a girl or I would have to report you for online flirting. Thank you but please note, that was just a decent angle. Thanks for hopping on your moped and coming over! I must get to your place asap!!
-
Vintage Disney Shopping: Chloe's Treasure Thursday
-
New Disney x Loungefly Design Gives Runaway Railway Vibes
-
Why Steakhouse 71 Is a Must-Try at Disney's Contemporary Resort
-
'Fallout' Haunted House Announced for Halloween Horror Nights 2025
-
Save 10% on Mobility Device Rentals for Your Walt Disney World Trip!
-
New Disney Villains Merchandise Arrives at Hollywood Studios
-
Four Disney Locations to Try New Proud Paloma PRIDE Cocktail
- Walt Disney World News
- Walt Disney World Articles
- Disney Cruise Line News
- Disneyland News
- General Disney News
- Universal Orlando News
GET UP TO A $1000 SHIPBOARD CREDIT AND AN EXCLUSIVE GIFT!
If you make your Disney Cruise Line reservation with Dreams Unlimited Travel you’ll receive these incredible shipboard credits to spend on your cruise!
Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!
Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
CLICK HERE
