They changed the itinerary for 12/29 cruise...

[tksbaskets]

I just received notice from the DCL that the 4-day Wonder cruise we are booked on has a changed itinerary. Instead of the day at sea, they are stopping in Freeport. The letter said that every other week the 4-day Wonder will now stop there.

As I stood holding the letter I experienced several emotions:
1. Waaaaahhhh this is not what I had planned on
2. I'm stuck because I already have reservations for WDW and plane tickets.
3. Perhaps it will be OK...
4. Waaaahhhhhh this is not what I had planned...

My DH was so nice - "It will still be fun right?" I just had heard what fun the day at sea was and was looking forward to hanging out on deck 7 with the DH while the DSs were at the lab.

Can anyone help me feel better (as I should about a 5K Disney trip)? Is Freeport a nice place to visit with 11 year-olds? Any excursions that are fun?

I appreciate the moral support.
TK

 

[prymsu]

You could just plan on staying on ship, and taking advantage of it being a lot less crowded in the pools areas, and just pretend you are at sea. Hope that will work for you.

I myself do not care for Freeport. I thought it was overated and very dirty. Just my thoughts...

 

[Mjasp]

Sue, my thoughts exactly. Stay on the ship and enjoy the facilities with less of a crowd.

 

[Lisa F]

I agree with the above posters. You might find it even NICER to be on the ship since probably more than half the people on it will be on land. As far as I know, the kids stuff still happens, even on port days. By hanging out on deck 7 did you really mean deck 9? By the pool etc? By the adult pool? That's still open and as others said, much less crowded than on a sea day! You will have a GREAT time!

Lisa

 

[mmouse37]

Have to chim in here too....I also agree with all the above. Pretend you are at sea and never stopped at Freeport. The pools will definitely be much, much less crowded and you can enjoy that "at sea" feeling without worrying about getting a pool chair!!!

No fret and enjoy!!! It will be fine!!!

MJ

 

[motherhen17404]

This happened to us also. We were going to do the Oct. 20th 4 day cruise, but found out the itinerary was changed to the Freeport stop. I have been to Freeport, don't care to go back! We also thought we would just stay on the ship, but after a lot of thinking, we changed our dates. It cost us about $200.00 in airline change fees, but as it turns out it will work better for us. We changed to the Sept. 15th cruise. This works better for my DS, as we were are taking him out of school for the trip.

 

[Bonnie Voyager]

...We too have found out our itinerary has changed and now includes Freeport. I know I should look at it as an added bonus, but I love sea days and have never sailed without one. I am torn between rebooking the following week, or just going with the flow and having a great day at Freeport. I hear the Port Lucaya area is very nice. We might just spend a few hours there and then go back to the ship and pretend it's a sea day. It's hard to pretend you are at sea though, when you are sitting in an industrial port. Oh dear what to do, what to do?

 

[wovenwonder]

Lisa F - Deck#7 is where the 'secret deck' is. A great place to relax during a day at sea. Wonderful breeze and sunshine and most of all PEACE!

 

[castawayfan]

Our cruise last October stopped in Freeport. I was really not happy about it and wished we had stayed on the ship. We did an excursion and had a really, really bad experience and then it rained!! I much preferred the day at sea itinerary.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would stay on the ship in Nassua and do the Lucayan beach day excursion in Freeport. Freeport was less dirty than Nassua was and I just didn't care for Nassua AT ALL.

 

[tksbaskets]

I appreciate all the comments. I guess what I'm hearing is Nassau and Freeport are not prime, beautiful islands... It really helps to hear about the excursions and experiences everyone has had both spots...

No changing for us, making lemonaid from Disney Lemons

 

[rae519]

We were also notified that our December 4 day cruise would now include Freeport. We didn't care for Nassau last year and will try to make the best out of this change in Disney plans this time.

Again, that "secret deck spot" is HEAVEN! And the lack of other guests on board ship will almost always guarantee you a place in the hot tub or pool!

Also, remember that they will take ALL the towels out of the pool area when they get to Castaway Cay ....so grab a few the night before or you'll be out of luck the way we were last time around!

Rae

 

[disny4ever]

Just because the ship is stopping in Freeport doesn't mean you have to get off. You and DH can still spend the day next to the pool and just relax. Something to think about !! Have a great trip.

 

[lpizzu]

We were on the 4-day Wonder cruise this past New Year's Eve. Our day in Freeport was New Year's Day. Everyone was moving alittle bit slower this day. We had breakfast, went to the pool and planned to go into Freeport after lunch. At lunch we sat with some people that had been to Freeport that morning and they said alot of things were closed since it was New Year's day. There is a small Straw Market right off the ship. We went there and got some t-shirts, post cards, key chains and a straw bag. We spent the rest of the day on the ship. I do not know what your itinerary is but you will probably be in Castaway Cay on New Year's day so you do not have to worry about things being closed. Maybe just the post office on the island (we sent post cards home from there).

 

[dahess]

I did not love the Bahamas either. On our next cruise if we go to either Freeport or the Bahamas we wil stay on the beautiful boat!

 

[din]

Originally posted by rae519
Also, remember that they will take ALL the towels out of the pool area when they get to Castaway Cay ....so grab a few the night before or you'll be out of luck the way we were last time around!

Rae

They hand out towels as you leave the ship at Castaway Cay and you can ask for extra. We did, and it came in useful. Drop off the towel as you get back on the ship....