Very Merrytime Cruise from Galveston -food allergy princess's Wonderful holidays
- Thread starter MomoMama
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MomoMama
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You are very welcome and thank you for reading! yes, Disney is great with allergy, and if peanut is the only thing you have to avoid, you will have more food options!
MomoMama
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Our hotel room was ready, so we went back to check-in.
One of the reasons we chose the San Luis was that all rooms have ocean view with balconies. Our room was on the 5th floor. The view was not as nice as from the higher floor, but we could still see the ocean…if it was not for that dense fog…
The hotel lobby was beautifully decorated with trees, reindeer, and playful elves. It was very nicely done, and put us in a cheerful holiday mood.
We took a little break, and then checked our dinner options. We decided to eat at Grotto’s in the hotel, since it was convenient and they had GF pasta. We were disappointed to find this location is small and did not have the appetizer bar. But we still enjoyed our dinner.
One of the reasons we chose the San Luis was that all rooms have ocean view with balconies. Our room was on the 5th floor. The view was not as nice as from the higher floor, but we could still see the ocean…if it was not for that dense fog…
The hotel lobby was beautifully decorated with trees, reindeer, and playful elves. It was very nicely done, and put us in a cheerful holiday mood.
We took a little break, and then checked our dinner options. We decided to eat at Grotto’s in the hotel, since it was convenient and they had GF pasta. We were disappointed to find this location is small and did not have the appetizer bar. But we still enjoyed our dinner.
MomoMama
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We drove to the Moody Gardens. We have seen their holiday lights several times, and we could see they had the exact same lights display as the year before.
The holiday lights exhibit includes ice skating. It was the highlight on our previous visit there, but we decided not to go in this time, because we did not want to see the exact same light displays all over again. They had the ice slide too, but it was so small that we did not feel like paying for it. We just walked around the area a little, and drove back to the Strand, hoping to see some holiday lights there. We were disappointed they did not have any… the downtown area was deserted at night. We were hoping to see those charming Victorian homes around downtown in holiday decorations too, but did not see many. Disappointed, we decided to just go back to the hotel and relax. On the way we stopped by Walgreens to pick up a wine opener. Since most stores were closed, they were very busy and we had to wait for a while. This is not the first time we forgot to bring a wine opener for a trip…from now on, I am keeping one in the luggage permanently.
The holiday lights exhibit includes ice skating. It was the highlight on our previous visit there, but we decided not to go in this time, because we did not want to see the exact same light displays all over again. They had the ice slide too, but it was so small that we did not feel like paying for it. We just walked around the area a little, and drove back to the Strand, hoping to see some holiday lights there. We were disappointed they did not have any… the downtown area was deserted at night. We were hoping to see those charming Victorian homes around downtown in holiday decorations too, but did not see many. Disappointed, we decided to just go back to the hotel and relax. On the way we stopped by Walgreens to pick up a wine opener. Since most stores were closed, they were very busy and we had to wait for a while. This is not the first time we forgot to bring a wine opener for a trip…from now on, I am keeping one in the luggage permanently.
MomoMama
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Day 8
No longer on the cruise, but it was still “day 8” for our vacation. It was Christmas morning! DD woke up and found Santa visited her at the hotel! She opened her gift, and saw the book she had been asking for. She was so happy and it was great to see joy in her eyes.
The San Luis resort has Christmas brunch buffet. The day before we checked and asked if the buffet would have anything for DD to eat. We were told they would make anything from the buffet specially prepared for DD. Wow, that sounded wonderful! We tried to make a reservation, but were told they were full. But after checking out the room, we checked again and the manager could give us a table right now! We left our luggage again at the bell service, and hurried to the buffet!
So this was held in the banquet room. They had ice scriptures and fresh flowers, and the food was displayed beautifully. The manager showed me around to tell me what we could pick from buffet for DD. Most meat and vegetable options were safe for her. They also had variety of cheeses, and cheese-loving DD tried several. I asked the manager if it was possible to make gluten-free & egg-free pancake or waffles. He said he would check. After a while, he came back and said their GF mix had eggs in it. He said he was still trying to check with IHOP next door if they could do something, but they were not responding the calls. Well that was disappointing, since we were told they would make anything for her…
But I appreciated the manager for trying.
DD still enjoyed the brunch. She thought the brunch was “fancy” and loved the experience. And while there was no pastry or dessert for her, she could eat as many strawberries as she wanted.
For us, the food was good, not the best brunch we ever had, but pretty good. The dessert was a bit disappointing…they looked better then tasted; too sweet for my liking. I did like the chocolate croissant!
No longer on the cruise, but it was still “day 8” for our vacation. It was Christmas morning! DD woke up and found Santa visited her at the hotel! She opened her gift, and saw the book she had been asking for. She was so happy and it was great to see joy in her eyes.
The San Luis resort has Christmas brunch buffet. The day before we checked and asked if the buffet would have anything for DD to eat. We were told they would make anything from the buffet specially prepared for DD. Wow, that sounded wonderful! We tried to make a reservation, but were told they were full. But after checking out the room, we checked again and the manager could give us a table right now! We left our luggage again at the bell service, and hurried to the buffet!
So this was held in the banquet room. They had ice scriptures and fresh flowers, and the food was displayed beautifully. The manager showed me around to tell me what we could pick from buffet for DD. Most meat and vegetable options were safe for her. They also had variety of cheeses, and cheese-loving DD tried several. I asked the manager if it was possible to make gluten-free & egg-free pancake or waffles. He said he would check. After a while, he came back and said their GF mix had eggs in it. He said he was still trying to check with IHOP next door if they could do something, but they were not responding the calls. Well that was disappointing, since we were told they would make anything for her…
But I appreciated the manager for trying.DD still enjoyed the brunch. She thought the brunch was “fancy” and loved the experience. And while there was no pastry or dessert for her, she could eat as many strawberries as she wanted.
For us, the food was good, not the best brunch we ever had, but pretty good. The dessert was a bit disappointing…they looked better then tasted; too sweet for my liking. I did like the chocolate croissant!
MomoMama
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After the brunch with our stomach full, we walked around the resort property a little. This was our first time staying there, and wanted to see what they offered.
We checked the pool, and thought it would be fun to come back here since they had a small slide (large slides scares DD). But not sure how crowded it will be during warm month… There was a wedding gazebo next to the lobby entrance, where DD practiced father-daughter dance with DH. That was cute.
We sat on the lounge chairs a while to relax, and then left. It was time to go back home…
When we got home, DD found more gifts from Santa.
She was so surprised and so happy.
It was time for me to start the loads of laundry. It was not really Christmas-y thing to do, but I did not want to wait.
I asked DD, “Who’s on vacation!?” (Like CD Clayton would say). Her answer: “NOT US!!” Well so true, our vacation was over.
We had the great Christmas holidays. We wish we could go on Wonder again next Christmas when it comes back to Galveston, but that is not very likely due to our work. We did put $250 place holder on board, but do not have any future cruise planed right now…or any Disney trips, that makes me so sad. So I am just keep looking at the photos to re-live our vacation now.
We checked the pool, and thought it would be fun to come back here since they had a small slide (large slides scares DD). But not sure how crowded it will be during warm month… There was a wedding gazebo next to the lobby entrance, where DD practiced father-daughter dance with DH. That was cute.
We sat on the lounge chairs a while to relax, and then left. It was time to go back home…
When we got home, DD found more gifts from Santa.
She was so surprised and so happy. It was time for me to start the loads of laundry. It was not really Christmas-y thing to do, but I did not want to wait.
I asked DD, “Who’s on vacation!?” (Like CD Clayton would say). Her answer: “NOT US!!” Well so true, our vacation was over.
We had the great Christmas holidays. We wish we could go on Wonder again next Christmas when it comes back to Galveston, but that is not very likely due to our work. We did put $250 place holder on board, but do not have any future cruise planed right now…or any Disney trips, that makes me so sad. So I am just keep looking at the photos to re-live our vacation now.
Hundredacre
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Great trip report. Thanks
MomoMama
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Thank you!!
MomoMama
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Few weeks after returning from the cruise, we received a check from Costco since we booked through them. And few weeks after that, we received a card from DCL.
It is a beautiful copy of a watercolor art. Looking at it just makes me want to go back on the ship right away!
Here are some random notes from our experience…
Crafts—they were not Holiday themed like DCL says. I would not have minded if everything was Disney or Holiday themed. They were good to kill time between events, but not must-do’s.
Characters –As you can see from my TRs, we (DD and I) love meeting the characters. DH does not, and I do hope to reduce the time we spent on meeting the characters in the future trips. On DCL sometimes we got lucky and see the characters walking around, and we also got to see them at the dance parties. By going to those parties, you can still meet the main characters without long lines. But if you must have the autographs and good character interactions, then you should go to scheduled M&G. The lines were shorter towards the end of the cruise.
Shutters photos –Even with all those characters M&G, we had less than 70 photos in our CD, and many of them are similar shots. We did not see a photographer walking around on the CC beach this time. We saw photographer once or twice at dinner, but we declined to have photos taken with half-or almost-eaten food. To us, buying the whole CD was not worth it. I opted for 15 photos option.
So I got home and checked the CD to pick my 15 photos. Then I noticed the photo with Stitch had a wrong date printed on the frame! I went to their website (BTW, the address printed on the CD was the old address) and opened an issue ticket, asking to correct the date or remove the frame. I also did not like how they chopped our bodies by adding those frames in some of the photos, so opened another issue ticket asking to have either have the frame removed or give me un-cropped photos. After 1 week of no reply, I replied issue#1 ticket asking for the status. After few days later, I got the reply back asking me to send them the problem photo. So I unlocked the photo and emailed it. Few more days later they emailed me the photo with the date removed.
2 more weeks or so later I asked for the status of the issue ticket #2. I got the reply that the issue was resolved. I reminded them that I was replying to the ticket #2, not the ticket #1. The next reply said that the ticket #1 and #2 were merged! I never heard the 2 separate issues and separate ticket numbers were merged… after few more emails I finally got another photo with the frame removed. Those email exchanges were not pleasant… I hope I never have to deal with My Cruise Photos again.
Navigator App –I did not utilize it much, but it was good for checking the events and M&G schedule. It was great that app can tell me the events days in advance. I did notice one or two events in app and the printed Navigator did not match. We were not going to those events, so I did not bother to check.
Kids band – Since DD’s wrist is small, CM used a cable tie to secure the band on her. We were not going to keep it as a souvenir, so I removed it the last night of the cruise. That is when I realized the cable tie was cutting into her arm. DD did not complain till I removed the band, and it was hidden and I did not notice. But I wish I paid more attention!
Sea sickness –DH and I know dramamine works for us, so we brought some. When we feel the sea is rough, we take it before we would get sick. I was completely caught off-guard when DD got sea sick. I had the sea bands for her, but not sure if they worked. I did not bring ginger candies, as DD does not like anything spicy and I knew she would not eat them anyway. I did not ask for ginger ale as she does not like soda. I read before that Benadryl could be used for motion sickness, and we had it because of her allergies, but forgot about it. DH went to the gift shop and bought dramamine for kids. We gave her ½ dose.
I am certain DD got sea sick on the second day, but I think she was fine after that. She would remember getting sea sick every time she sat down at the table, but she was fine when she was playing. I am not sure how well dramamine worked for her, or even if it was necessary.
Cabin –on DCL we don’t spend a lot of time in our cabin, but we do go in and out often. We know we made it hard for our room host. Later in the cruise we asked him to come to our cabin at night when we go to the show, and cleaning during the day was not necessary. During the day we did not know ourselves if we would be gone for hours or would be back in 30 min.
It is a beautiful copy of a watercolor art. Looking at it just makes me want to go back on the ship right away!
Here are some random notes from our experience…
Crafts—they were not Holiday themed like DCL says. I would not have minded if everything was Disney or Holiday themed. They were good to kill time between events, but not must-do’s.
Characters –As you can see from my TRs, we (DD and I) love meeting the characters. DH does not, and I do hope to reduce the time we spent on meeting the characters in the future trips. On DCL sometimes we got lucky and see the characters walking around, and we also got to see them at the dance parties. By going to those parties, you can still meet the main characters without long lines. But if you must have the autographs and good character interactions, then you should go to scheduled M&G. The lines were shorter towards the end of the cruise.
Shutters photos –Even with all those characters M&G, we had less than 70 photos in our CD, and many of them are similar shots. We did not see a photographer walking around on the CC beach this time. We saw photographer once or twice at dinner, but we declined to have photos taken with half-or almost-eaten food. To us, buying the whole CD was not worth it. I opted for 15 photos option.
So I got home and checked the CD to pick my 15 photos. Then I noticed the photo with Stitch had a wrong date printed on the frame! I went to their website (BTW, the address printed on the CD was the old address) and opened an issue ticket, asking to correct the date or remove the frame. I also did not like how they chopped our bodies by adding those frames in some of the photos, so opened another issue ticket asking to have either have the frame removed or give me un-cropped photos. After 1 week of no reply, I replied issue#1 ticket asking for the status. After few days later, I got the reply back asking me to send them the problem photo. So I unlocked the photo and emailed it. Few more days later they emailed me the photo with the date removed.
2 more weeks or so later I asked for the status of the issue ticket #2. I got the reply that the issue was resolved. I reminded them that I was replying to the ticket #2, not the ticket #1. The next reply said that the ticket #1 and #2 were merged! I never heard the 2 separate issues and separate ticket numbers were merged… after few more emails I finally got another photo with the frame removed. Those email exchanges were not pleasant… I hope I never have to deal with My Cruise Photos again.
Navigator App –I did not utilize it much, but it was good for checking the events and M&G schedule. It was great that app can tell me the events days in advance. I did notice one or two events in app and the printed Navigator did not match. We were not going to those events, so I did not bother to check.
Kids band – Since DD’s wrist is small, CM used a cable tie to secure the band on her. We were not going to keep it as a souvenir, so I removed it the last night of the cruise. That is when I realized the cable tie was cutting into her arm. DD did not complain till I removed the band, and it was hidden and I did not notice. But I wish I paid more attention!
Sea sickness –DH and I know dramamine works for us, so we brought some. When we feel the sea is rough, we take it before we would get sick. I was completely caught off-guard when DD got sea sick. I had the sea bands for her, but not sure if they worked. I did not bring ginger candies, as DD does not like anything spicy and I knew she would not eat them anyway. I did not ask for ginger ale as she does not like soda. I read before that Benadryl could be used for motion sickness, and we had it because of her allergies, but forgot about it. DH went to the gift shop and bought dramamine for kids. We gave her ½ dose.
I am certain DD got sea sick on the second day, but I think she was fine after that. She would remember getting sea sick every time she sat down at the table, but she was fine when she was playing. I am not sure how well dramamine worked for her, or even if it was necessary.
Cabin –on DCL we don’t spend a lot of time in our cabin, but we do go in and out often. We know we made it hard for our room host. Later in the cruise we asked him to come to our cabin at night when we go to the show, and cleaning during the day was not necessary. During the day we did not know ourselves if we would be gone for hours or would be back in 30 min.
Last edited:
texasgirl29
Mouseketeer
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- Apr 13, 2012
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Wonderful review, I loved the photos. Your Dd's Disney wardrobe is amazing! We will be on the Wonder in December 2016 out of Galveston, so I was very interested in your experience. My daughters are older and have been on their share of Disney cruises since they were about 5, now they are 16 and 19 but they still love it. I hope Mulan is in the princess lineup when we go. You're never too old to be a princess.
MomoMama
DIS Veteran
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- Mar 28, 2013
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- 556
Thank you!
Planning DD's outfits is one thing I love to do for the Disney trips. Dressing up for Disney adds an extra magic to our experiences.
I wish we are on the Holiday cruise out of Galveston this year again too! We can't match up our vacation time and DD's school holidays together. Otherwise, we would be back on that ship! I hope you will have a great, magical time on Wonder. And hope you will get to see Mulan. She was lovely, and when I think of her, I remember her beautiful smile.
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undertheradar
DIS Veteran
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- Sep 12, 2002
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- 4,958
Hi OP,
Just wanted to tell you how well behaved your daughter was. We were on the shuttle with you heading from The San Luis to the port.
Just wanted to tell you how well behaved your daughter was. We were on the shuttle with you heading from The San Luis to the port.
MomoMama
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Oh, hello!
Thanks!I wonder if you were the nice person who helped our luggage? Or maybe the family with the matching T-shirts? I love seeing a family getting into the Disney mood by wearing the matching outfits.
Did you have a problem getting the shuttle bus ride after the cruise? I liked the San Luis resort, but the long wait for the shuttle bus was one thing the hotel did wrong for us.
undertheradar
DIS Veteran
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No, I was not the person who assisted you.
After the incredibly long line of express walk offs, appeared to be 50% of the ship, a line that stretched all the way aft and continued on stairwells, it was interesting to find a line of about 100 waiting for the luggage area to be opened. We sped through Customs and were on the first shuttle returning to the resort.
After the incredibly long line of express walk offs, appeared to be 50% of the ship, a line that stretched all the way aft and continued on stairwells, it was interesting to find a line of about 100 waiting for the luggage area to be opened. We sped through Customs and were on the first shuttle returning to the resort.
MomoMama
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"Express" walk off never seems to be so express...
Well at least you did not have to wait for the shuttle for 1 hour! Getting off the ship and going through the custom was easy for us, but once we were out, we had to wait...looks like we all had to wait somewhere.
Well at least you did not have to wait for the shuttle for 1 hour! Getting off the ship and going through the custom was easy for us, but once we were out, we had to wait...looks like we all had to wait somewhere.
Shanti
Momketeer
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- Nov 29, 2015
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Thank you for this wonderful trip report. We are considering sailing on the Wonder in the future, and you've given me a lot of good info and ideas. I especially liked your detailed descriptions of your daughter's food, as my son is gluten-free, too. Disney really has a hold on us for vacations, partly because they do an excellent job of accomodating special diets. No worries of "Will he be able to eat here?" while we're on vacation."Express" walk off never seems to be so express...
Well at least you did not have to wait for the shuttle for 1 hour! Getting off the ship and going through the custom was easy for us, but once we were out, we had to wait...looks like we all had to wait somewhere.
MomoMama
DIS Veteran
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- Mar 28, 2013
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I'm glad if you got any useful info out of my TR!
Knowing our kids have plenty of food to eat takes care of half of our trip planning, doesn't it?
That is also reason for me to choose vacation at Disney too!I am sure you will have a great time on Wonder!
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