The Goodys 1st Cruise! -TRIP REPORT Updated 2/17/12 Page 6

[amyforrest1]

Oh my gosh! You are making me so nervous for my first cruise! I've always heard cruises were supposed to be more relaxing. This doesn't sound like fun yet! AT ALL! UGH!

 

[my2disneyboys]

STOP STOP STOP! You are the second TR I am responding to today that as I'm responding you are posting another update.

The ship's lobby is beautiful -- stunning actually. I'm sorry about the mob scene and you getting stressed out. If I had little ones, I would be stressed out too. Actually, even without little ones, that sight might have stressed me out.

The kids club looks cool and I can see why your son wanted to spend all his time there.

LOl!! Ok, Ok, done posting!!! It was stunning and stressful!

I think most cruise first days and last days are kind of crazy. with so many kids on board it must have been worse! (I've done 3 days cruises on Carnival). Sounds stressful though!

Yeah, it was pretty bad. On the day we left it was calm as could be... it really was just tough that first day!

Oh my gosh! You are making me so nervous for my first cruise! I've always heard cruises were supposed to be more relaxing. This doesn't sound like fun yet! AT ALL! UGH!

Sorry- I don't want to scare anyone!! I was pretty scared. I will say, I later read that they had released a HUGE florida discount and booked the cruise to capacity. There were over 1500 kids on board. My friends went the day I got off the boat and had a totally different experience. Most do- I was just very UNLUCKY!

 

[amyforrest1]

Don't stop now! The suspense is killing me! LOL!

 

[my2disneyboys]

Don't stop now! The suspense is killing me! LOL!

ok- my kids are having some dinner, so maybe i can sneak in the rest of day1!

 

[my2disneyboys]

After the sail away party we went back to our cabin. We got ready for dinner and had a drink out on the verandah.... we were really relaxed now! We happend to notice it was 5:45 - time for our first dinner at Royal Palace!!

We tried to grab the elevator... I think you know the rest of the trip this happend, I wont even bother saying it anymore... just know we had to take the stairs the rest of the trip! Off to the Royal Palace we went.

In the lobby we noticed some characters and the boys wanted to meet them, so the boys all stayed behind and Laura and I went to grab our table. We arrived at 6:00 (a few minutes late) and there was no line, and we went right up and gave our table number. There was a very cute boy that said, "oh it is a shame that isnt my table" A few minutes later that same boy was at our table asking us for our drink order. (He must have switched ha-ha!)

Isn't he so cute!?

We had Andre and Katarina and Pascal was our head waiter (I have no clue what the heck he does other than come by and say hello, so I am not sure what we tipped him for, but we did pay the tips ahead of time so he got a nice tip from us)

Dinner was AMAZING!!!! Katarina was really great!!! Andre was a little slow and got our drink orders wrong, but he was so cute so we forgave him!

When we got to the table the kids all had their drinks with their names on their cups.... they felt so special. They gave them books to color which kept them entertained.... they also said they would put in their food fast because the kids were telling Katarina that they NEEDED to get to the kids club ASAP!

Kids plate (Notice the Mickey)

All 4 kids were just so excited for the kids club that they all decided to SKIP dessert! So Wayne and Matt took the boys to the kids club and we had a nice and quiet meal.

Here are some pics of what we ate....

We all loved it!!!

After dinner we were at a loss.... no kids.... what ever should we do!!? i was a little nervous about the kids but figured I would get a call if they needed me. So I checked my Wave phone every 5 minutes... I did this the entire cruise... it never rang!

We decided to head to The Meridian - Cigar Bar. The boys had a scotch and a cigar and Laura and I both enjoyed a glass of wine. It was so pretty there.... It is at the very back of the ship on the top deck.

We were all so amazed at how EMPTY the adult areas were on this ship. It was wonderful having some time with our friends, but I have to say my biggest complaint about this trip was that we just didnt have enough family time. We went by the kids club around 9:00 and DRAGGED the kids out of there... actually we bribed them and said we would go back to the room and order cookies and milk from room service!

When we got to our room, this was waiting for us!

OMG I want to take this whole set up home with me!!

Myles loved sleeping up here- he felt like such a big boy on this trip!

Owen loved his "pooh bear" blanket and asked if we could take it home. Where can I find one like this!!?

As promised, room service arrived and the 4 boys enjoyed cookies and milk at 10:00p.m.

I got the boys tucked into bed and I took a shower. OMG the products on this ship are sooooooooooo awesome! I have some now in my shower and I just don't want to use them all. (My husband said he wouldn't use it so it would last longer for me!) and then I joined the adults on the verandah for a nightcap and then we all turned in.

So there it is, our first day on a cruise! I would say it started out pretty awful but ended pretty awesome!

Up Next: Day 2 - Nassau

 

[jngwright]

First of all, I have to say that I can TOTALLY see you checking that phone every 5 seconds.. The kids are oblivious and having the time of their lives and you are glued to the phone

Sounds like a real mixed bag-some great things and then the crowd issues. Ick

And, OMGosh..the limo thing cracked me up. I am picturing the driver with a porn star mustache and Zubaz..??

Looking forward to Day 2, partner!

 

[rmcildw2m]

Pretty good so far , more please ???

 

[HawkeyeMickey77]

Really, really enjoying your TR. I too have 2 little Disney boys ( ages 7 & 4) & a 'big' Disney boy . We leave fr our 1st Disney cruise a month from today...yep, spring break trip so am trying to manage my expectations, especially considering the crowds as I'm sure our sailing will be at capacity. Would appreciate knowing what you might do differently if you had known the crowds would be what they were...short of booking @ a slower time of year, of course. Keep the details coming, please!

 

[DisneyTiger]

Ok, first... I am really TICKED to hear that your limo - which was the SAME 80's limo that we had - had no air either. Why? Because our crack head driver acted like she was shocked that the air was out. She kept saying "this never happens!" Seriously?!? Oh well, at least you made it there on time!

I am so glad y'all ended up having a good evening. What a stressful day

I have to tell you that our experience checking in was TOTALLY different. Since we were so late (we arrived at around 2:30 thanks to crackhead) which now I am kind of grateful for. There was no one in the cruise terminal and we actually registered the kids for kids club in the terminal before we even got on the boat We didn't even get a boarding number. They just told us to head right on and that our room was ready. So, if you ever do a Disney cruise again get there later. But really, I was SO stressed about getting there later than we were supposed to. Thank you for texting me and making me feel better.

I'm ready to hear more!!!

 

[Linda67]

On our first cruise we also went from WL to The Dream and spent the first couple of hours saying 'what have we done?!'

We went on to have a wonderful trip though so I hope you did to

 

[cnj]

Thanks for your updates. You seem like such a fun family! Can't wait for more!

 

[Mdtwingles]

Hello: Im new to the dis boards but love everything Disney. I loved reading about your trip. Your boys are adorable. We are going on our first cruise this Sept and are pretty nervous. My DH hates crowds so this should be interesting. My DD turns 16 on the cruise and my twin boys will be 13. We are also celebrating our 20th anniversary. I love to plan ahead and research everything too. Did you mention you could get coupons for ground transportation? Im torn about how to get to PC from MCO. Thanks for your post.

 

[my2disneyboys]

First of all, I have to say that I can TOTALLY see you checking that phone every 5 seconds.. The kids are oblivious and having the time of their lives and you are glued to the phone

Sounds like a real mixed bag-some great things and then the crowd issues. Ick

And, OMGosh..the limo thing cracked me up. I am picturing the driver with a porn star mustache and Zubaz..??

Looking forward to Day 2, partner!

Yes- the limo driver was a SCENE! Wait until you hear about the crack pot who picked us up!!!!

Pretty good so far , more please ???

Coming right up!!!!

Really, really enjoying your TR. I too have 2 little Disney boys ( ages 7 & 4) & a 'big' Disney boy . We leave fr our 1st Disney cruise a month from today...yep, spring break trip so am trying to manage my expectations, especially considering the crowds as I'm sure our sailing will be at capacity. Would appreciate knowing what you might do differently if you had known the crowds would be what they were...short of booking @ a slower time of year, of course. Keep the details coming, please!

How long is your cruise? I cant wait to hear your experience!! I have to say for us the problem was it was a three day cruise. I would have had lunch on our own, and then arrived at the port around 1:00. That way, we could have gone right to our room. It would have made a WORLD of difference!!!!!!!

Ok, first... I am really TICKED to hear that your limo - which was the SAME 80's limo that we had - had no air either. Why? Because our crack head driver acted like she was shocked that the air was out. She kept saying "this never happens!" Seriously?!? Oh well, at least you made it there on time!

I am so glad y'all ended up having a good evening. What a stressful day

I can't even believe all of the RAVE reviews I read on the DIS about these guys! They were THE WORST!!!!! Totally unprofessional. The limo was from the 70's and it was trashy and nasty! UGH BLAH GROSS!!!
I have to tell you that our experience checking in was TOTALLY different. Since we were so late (we arrived at around 2:30 thanks to crackhead) which now I am kind of grateful for. There was no one in the cruise terminal and we actually registered the kids for kids club in the terminal before we even got on the boat We didn't even get a boarding number. They just told us to head right on and that our room was ready. So, if you ever do a Disney cruise again get there later. But really, I was SO stressed about getting there later than we were supposed to. Thank you for texting me and making me feel better.

I'm ready to hear more!!!

Yeah the lesson for me would have been to ARRIVE WHEN THE ROOM IS READY!!!!!

On our first cruise we also went from WL to The Dream and spent the first couple of hours saying 'what have we done?!'

We went on to have a wonderful trip though so I hope you did to

That is funny!! I think if I had stayed at POP or someplace a little crazier, I wouldnt have been in such shock when we saw that scene on deck 11!
The WL was sooooooo realxing for us. I think I expected the cruise part of the trip to be more relaxing than Disney World and was so surprised it was the other way around!!

Thanks for your updates. You seem like such a fun family! Can't wait for more!

Thank you!! That is sweet. More coming up!!!

Hello: Im new to the dis boards but love everything Disney. I loved reading about your trip. Your boys are adorable. We are going on our first cruise this Sept and are pretty nervous. My DH hates crowds so this should be interesting. My DD turns 16 on the cruise and my twin boys will be 13. We are also celebrating our 20th anniversary. I love to plan ahead and research everything too. Did you mention you could get coupons for ground transportation? Im torn about how to get to PC from MCO. Thanks for your post.

WELCOME!!!! Thank you so much. Well, I think you really should arrive at 1:00 and then go right to your room and un pack and get settled. It will make a more relaxing introduction that heading into the masses of people on the top deck!! So I did a limo from PC to MCO but as you can tell in my trip report it was kind of scary! And I havent even told you all about our pick up yet!! So, after that experience, I think I would do the Disney transfers next time. It seems really convenient. You dont have to think about anything and I think they take your bags for airline check in. But the crowds might be an issue there. So a private car transfer might be your best bet. Just DON'T go with Mike at VIP limo!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[my2disneyboys]

That was what I woke up to on Nassau Day!

I actually had a really tough time sleeping. I had woken up at 4AM with some pretty heavy movement of the boat. I decided to take a bonine... I was scared because I had drank so much wine.... but it helped.... and I ended up taking two every night and never got sick. I put the TV on the channel where you can see where the boat was, and we were actually right near Castaway Cay. It felt like we were going really fast. I went out on the verandah and it was CRAZY windy! I had left our bathing suits out there to dry out, and they almost went overboard!! So I ended up falling back to sleep but it was a rough night and I got up way early- before everyone else!

Stepped out on my verandah and watched the most amazing sunset

I had to wake up the boys because our room service had just arrived and they were really happy and slept so well!

Room service was the way to go! It was really nice to sit out on the verandah with Wayne and have our coffee while the kiddos were watching THE TOTALLY AWESOME station on the TV that played EVERY Disney movie known to man!!!

Such a relaxing way to start our day!!! Makes me miss the cruise looking at these pictures.

Arrriving in Nassau...

We checked out the navigator and the kids decided they wanted to go to the kids club ASAP!! But first we would meet Peter Pan!!

I wanted to go swimming with the boys and thought we could take advantage of less people on the boat but they insisted on going to the kids club. So we told them we would pick them up at lunch and we headed to the QUIET pool!!!! It was a good choice because as it turns out, I do not think ANYONE got of the boat in Nassau!!! Deck 11 was PACKED. Well, all areas except the adult area!

I LOVED how quiet the adult areas were!!

So the time was about 9:45 a.m. and my husband comes over with these.

I was like, "wait it isnt even 12:00!!!" and he was like- "WE ARE ON VACATION!!!"

Cheers!!!

It was a gorgeous day!! (Yeah those are more beers and French Fries and it was about 11:00AM at this point!!)

We hung out in the pool bar a little and read our books and yes I checked my wave phone a trillion times and nope- they never called!

While we were laying out, we noticed this HUGE Monster pull up right along side of us and steal away our view of Nassau.

We decided to go get the kids around 11:45 and went to Cabanas for lunch. We sat outside, and while it was REALLY windy, it was warm and beautiful. Here was our view:

We had a great lunch and all made our plans for the rest of the afternoon. We decided to split up because the boys all wanted to do different things.... Myles wanted to do the Detective Game and Owen wanted to sit in the Jacuzzi. That's my boy!!! So, of course I went with Owen.

We had a blast! We played Peter Pan in the hot tub (he does this all the time) I was Tink and he was Peter.... we also went in the Mickey Pool. It was a CRAZY scene as usual. I sat on the edge and just got soaked sitting there because of all the splashing going on. It was really fun for Owen though. Owen made some friends and they swam and played and practiced their kicking (splashing)

Myles and Wayne had a blast too! They both loved the detective game.

We met back at the room after to get changed and rest for a bit. Which Nicole had cleaned so well!

Up next... some Goofy Golf, dinner at the Enchanted Garden and Pirate Night!

 

[marhs]

Love Love Love your report! Your boys are so sweet!
I completely understand that first part of getting onboard and no one can go to their rooms and people are EVERYWHERE and you want to scream! Yep. That happened to us to on the Dream. But once the rooms were ready, the crowds thinned and and the rest of our trip was wonderful as well. Yours too, it seems! Can't wait to read more!!!

 

[HawkeyeMickey77]

How long is your cruise? I cant wait to hear your experience!! I have to say for us the problem was it was a three day cruise. I would have had lunch on our own, and then arrived at the port around 1:00. That way, we could have gone right to our room. It would have made a WORLD of difference!!!!!!!



Our cruise is a 5 night one with a double dip @ Castaway Cay. Almost in the teens for our countdown!

 

[MissDaisyofTexas]

Your boys are so cute! Love all the pictures in Nassau. Very pretty.

 

[Linda67]

If there is one thing I must do on our next cruise, it's get a room service breakfast to enjoy on the veranda
Such a perfect way to start the day
Your pictures are getting me really excited !!

 

[jngwright]

Great update Nickie!

 

[Queenofallthings]

Sounds like a great time so far! Great sunset pic....