I posted the same review on the DCL forums on Cruise Critic, but I thought I'd post it over here, too.
Hi all-
Thought I'd pop around to give a review of my solo cruise on Disney.
About me: I'm a 27 y-o school teacher, I work in a K-8 school as a specialist. I love kids and being around them. Am very much a "kid" myself at heart. I think I'm more of a kid now as an adult than I was as a kid. Very mature as a kid, have almost regressed now as an adult. I grew up going to WDW once every year or two, when my family would visit the grandparents down in Florida.
I booked the 4 Day Wonder an escape to the New England winter/snow during the February break.
I was on the 2/24/08 sailing. I was in a cat 12, room 2519. This was a terrific cabin, I had sort of been wishing for an upgrade, but I ended up loving this cabin! For a solo traveler, if you don't mind being inside, def.go for the cat 12s! They're the perfect size and in a great location! Plus they have the single bathroom! I think I would have gone nuts with the split bathroom! 2519 was v. close to the forward elevators, which made it very easy to roam around. On deck 2 there was very little movement, in fact there was very little movement in general on the ship. Except for the last day when the seas were up to 14 feet, and it was gray and cloudy. Lying in bed that night I could feel the bed jump up and down from the swells. The crew work area was right next door, so if the stewards were working on the room there could be some noise coming from there, but it was minimal and unless you're one for napping a lot during the day, it wouldn't affect you much. I was not that impressed with my cabin steward for a couple of reasons. I was in the middle of a pretty bad cold, and yes it was pretty obvious, and still blowing my nose a lot. I went through the box of tissues underneath the sink and the second box that was left. The box that goes in the tissue holder was never replaced. The second box I moved to beside the bed. I had to go hunting down the steward to let them know that I needed more tissues and to leave another box. Also...the bathroom, I swear all she did was quickly wipe stuff off. A blob of something dropped in the tub and I could tell that all she had done was wipe it off with a towel, no water or anything. I'm really not that nit-picky, and don't demand much of my room steward, however these two things just bothered me.
I was at port by 10:45 and was in group number 3. On the ship and eating in Parrot Cay by 12:15. I've previously sailed CCL, and I thought that the PC buffet was better tasting than some of the CCL buffets that I've had. I also loved the introduction to the ship that they give you. I'm going to try not to compare ships too much as it would be comparing apples to oranges, however, I'm sure there will be a few times that it will slip in. I was simply amazed by the Decor and even by the last sea day, I have *still* having fun finding and exploring all the small nooks and crannies of the ship. Simply amazing.
I explored the spa, and signed up for the Atlantis Aquaventure the first day. Got a pedicure, which still looks awesome 2 weeks later. I checked out the singles meet up that night, but when I popped in it was pretty empty looking, so I didn't bother.
In Nassau, I did the Aquaventure. I ended hanging for much of the day with a father and daughter, who I ran into many times during the cruise. Very sweet little girl. I'm not sure that I'd do the Aquaventure again, but it was nice to try out and say that I've been to Atlantis. Later on, I took a walking tour of Nassau and went to the Pirate Museum.
At Castaway Cay I went parasailing, and then snorkeling and then biking and then to the Serenity Bay area. I ended up eating with a group I met on the tram to the area. I lay in a hammock/lounger for a while in the shade until I got back on the ship at around 2:45. I LOVED Castaway Cay and would cruise Disney again JUST to go to this island. I could care less for Nassau. We ended up being in CC for 2 extra hours as we had our first med-evac of the cruise (yes, there were 2, the second one was later that night). We ended up returning to Nassau at around midnight to drop off another pax. Loved the pirate party and fireworks. I was a bit disappointed by the limited time that the characters were out for the party, but I can understand that it must not be that pleasant to be out in the hot sun dancing in a costume.
The day at sea was rainy, windy and cold (comparatively, it was a warm day compared to New England weather). I LOVED the Navigators and the sheer amount of stuff that they had going on. I ended up having to chose between a whole bunch of stuff. On the other cruise line I've sailed, I really felt that the activities were lacking in nature for sea days, so I appreciated the change. I tried out the Rainforest Room. I'm not sure I'd pay for that again, but it was good to try. I went to a martini tasting, and left feeling quite good. Saw part of Nat'l Treasure 2, had brunch at Palo's (yummy x10). All in all, I could have done for another sea day! The seas were pretty rough so everybody was inside and sea sick for much of the day.
I was assigned 8:30 dining, which I hated but I didn't bother changing it. I'm a teacher so dinner's usually at 5 PM for me. I had the PTTA rotation, which was an awesome rotation, as I LOVED the decor and seating at Tritons. I ended up being seated at a table for 10. I was very lucky as the 9 other people at the table were a large family group traveling together. This easily could have ended up being a nightmare had they not shown up one night. They were very warm and welcoming and we had the best servers, Cesar from Brazil and Bruno from India. By the end of the cruise we were fighting over who got to bring home Cesar and Bruno to do all the cooking and serving! . I have a minor food allergy (coconut) and Cesar went out of his way to make sure that nothing I ate contained coconut. He even went out of his way to get a thing of spray whipped cream as the stuff they use to garnish a lot of desserts has coconut oil in it. The bar staff were wonderful and didn't blink an eye when I'd ask them to substitute coconut rum for another type of rum. I wouldn't trade the people I got seated with for the world, however, I really felt as if I was just seated there because I filled the table as opposed to seating me with other people my age/profession etc. (Constructive criticism, please don't flame me)
I loved the shows. I didn't go to the first night variety show, but I loved the Disney productions. I especially loved the fact that the show for the late seating was prior to dinner! I could go to them without falling asleep 1/2 way through from exhaustion. `
Disembarkation was such a breeze! Loved it! How come other cruise lines can't do something similar? Granted Disney is a smaller ship, but still!
Overall solo experience:
I was not bothered by the number of kids. I work with kids all day. I love them, they amuse me. However, if you're not one for having a lot of kids around I'd say avoid school vaca times. Despite reading that you could avoid kids if you ate late dinners and hang out in the adult areas, I found that you'll still run into a lot of children! I got kind of annoyed with having to navigate around the characters and the associated lines, but I loved that they were there.
I loved how Disney handled the adults only areas. On other lines, these seem to be adults only (optional) and you end up with a whole bunch of kids in the area. A little disappointed though that the slide was only in children's pool and not in the family pool area. I would have been going down that slide in a second!! I spent many an hour hanging out in adults only areas and enjoying a book and a drink. I also found the Promenade deck (deck 4) to be wonderful, and I could be found every evening out on one of the lounge chairs.
I was surprised by the sheer number of adult only groups that I ran into! Yes, there were a lot of families, but I also ran into a lot of adults traveling w/out kids. They all seemed to love the whole experience and DCL.
Being that it was vacation week for a lot of cold-weather locales, a lot of chatter could be had about how much snow we were all coming from and how sick of winter we were!
I easily could have sailed another line for much less and a longer itinerary but I decided to splurge on Disney. I'm not sure I'd do Disney again anytime soon, unless they replace Nassau with another port. Also, just because of the sheer expense of sailing on Disney. Maybe with another person, but for the time being as a solo it's a bit out of my price range. That being said, I'd love to get my parents on a 4 day Wonder as my father is convinced he'll hate cruising and I think that the 4-day would be a perfect introduction. Plenty to keep him busy!
Hi all-
Thought I'd pop around to give a review of my solo cruise on Disney.
About me: I'm a 27 y-o school teacher, I work in a K-8 school as a specialist. I love kids and being around them. Am very much a "kid" myself at heart. I think I'm more of a kid now as an adult than I was as a kid. Very mature as a kid, have almost regressed now as an adult. I grew up going to WDW once every year or two, when my family would visit the grandparents down in Florida.
I booked the 4 Day Wonder an escape to the New England winter/snow during the February break.
I was on the 2/24/08 sailing. I was in a cat 12, room 2519. This was a terrific cabin, I had sort of been wishing for an upgrade, but I ended up loving this cabin! For a solo traveler, if you don't mind being inside, def.go for the cat 12s! They're the perfect size and in a great location! Plus they have the single bathroom! I think I would have gone nuts with the split bathroom! 2519 was v. close to the forward elevators, which made it very easy to roam around. On deck 2 there was very little movement, in fact there was very little movement in general on the ship. Except for the last day when the seas were up to 14 feet, and it was gray and cloudy. Lying in bed that night I could feel the bed jump up and down from the swells. The crew work area was right next door, so if the stewards were working on the room there could be some noise coming from there, but it was minimal and unless you're one for napping a lot during the day, it wouldn't affect you much. I was not that impressed with my cabin steward for a couple of reasons. I was in the middle of a pretty bad cold, and yes it was pretty obvious, and still blowing my nose a lot. I went through the box of tissues underneath the sink and the second box that was left. The box that goes in the tissue holder was never replaced. The second box I moved to beside the bed. I had to go hunting down the steward to let them know that I needed more tissues and to leave another box. Also...the bathroom, I swear all she did was quickly wipe stuff off. A blob of something dropped in the tub and I could tell that all she had done was wipe it off with a towel, no water or anything. I'm really not that nit-picky, and don't demand much of my room steward, however these two things just bothered me.
I was at port by 10:45 and was in group number 3. On the ship and eating in Parrot Cay by 12:15. I've previously sailed CCL, and I thought that the PC buffet was better tasting than some of the CCL buffets that I've had. I also loved the introduction to the ship that they give you. I'm going to try not to compare ships too much as it would be comparing apples to oranges, however, I'm sure there will be a few times that it will slip in. I was simply amazed by the Decor and even by the last sea day, I have *still* having fun finding and exploring all the small nooks and crannies of the ship. Simply amazing.
I explored the spa, and signed up for the Atlantis Aquaventure the first day. Got a pedicure, which still looks awesome 2 weeks later. I checked out the singles meet up that night, but when I popped in it was pretty empty looking, so I didn't bother.
In Nassau, I did the Aquaventure. I ended hanging for much of the day with a father and daughter, who I ran into many times during the cruise. Very sweet little girl. I'm not sure that I'd do the Aquaventure again, but it was nice to try out and say that I've been to Atlantis. Later on, I took a walking tour of Nassau and went to the Pirate Museum.
At Castaway Cay I went parasailing, and then snorkeling and then biking and then to the Serenity Bay area. I ended up eating with a group I met on the tram to the area. I lay in a hammock/lounger for a while in the shade until I got back on the ship at around 2:45. I LOVED Castaway Cay and would cruise Disney again JUST to go to this island. I could care less for Nassau. We ended up being in CC for 2 extra hours as we had our first med-evac of the cruise (yes, there were 2, the second one was later that night). We ended up returning to Nassau at around midnight to drop off another pax. Loved the pirate party and fireworks. I was a bit disappointed by the limited time that the characters were out for the party, but I can understand that it must not be that pleasant to be out in the hot sun dancing in a costume.
The day at sea was rainy, windy and cold (comparatively, it was a warm day compared to New England weather). I LOVED the Navigators and the sheer amount of stuff that they had going on. I ended up having to chose between a whole bunch of stuff. On the other cruise line I've sailed, I really felt that the activities were lacking in nature for sea days, so I appreciated the change. I tried out the Rainforest Room. I'm not sure I'd pay for that again, but it was good to try. I went to a martini tasting, and left feeling quite good. Saw part of Nat'l Treasure 2, had brunch at Palo's (yummy x10). All in all, I could have done for another sea day! The seas were pretty rough so everybody was inside and sea sick for much of the day.
I was assigned 8:30 dining, which I hated but I didn't bother changing it. I'm a teacher so dinner's usually at 5 PM for me. I had the PTTA rotation, which was an awesome rotation, as I LOVED the decor and seating at Tritons. I ended up being seated at a table for 10. I was very lucky as the 9 other people at the table were a large family group traveling together. This easily could have ended up being a nightmare had they not shown up one night. They were very warm and welcoming and we had the best servers, Cesar from Brazil and Bruno from India. By the end of the cruise we were fighting over who got to bring home Cesar and Bruno to do all the cooking and serving! . I have a minor food allergy (coconut) and Cesar went out of his way to make sure that nothing I ate contained coconut. He even went out of his way to get a thing of spray whipped cream as the stuff they use to garnish a lot of desserts has coconut oil in it. The bar staff were wonderful and didn't blink an eye when I'd ask them to substitute coconut rum for another type of rum. I wouldn't trade the people I got seated with for the world, however, I really felt as if I was just seated there because I filled the table as opposed to seating me with other people my age/profession etc. (Constructive criticism, please don't flame me)
I loved the shows. I didn't go to the first night variety show, but I loved the Disney productions. I especially loved the fact that the show for the late seating was prior to dinner! I could go to them without falling asleep 1/2 way through from exhaustion. `
Disembarkation was such a breeze! Loved it! How come other cruise lines can't do something similar? Granted Disney is a smaller ship, but still!
Overall solo experience:
I was not bothered by the number of kids. I work with kids all day. I love them, they amuse me. However, if you're not one for having a lot of kids around I'd say avoid school vaca times. Despite reading that you could avoid kids if you ate late dinners and hang out in the adult areas, I found that you'll still run into a lot of children! I got kind of annoyed with having to navigate around the characters and the associated lines, but I loved that they were there.
I loved how Disney handled the adults only areas. On other lines, these seem to be adults only (optional) and you end up with a whole bunch of kids in the area. A little disappointed though that the slide was only in children's pool and not in the family pool area. I would have been going down that slide in a second!! I spent many an hour hanging out in adults only areas and enjoying a book and a drink. I also found the Promenade deck (deck 4) to be wonderful, and I could be found every evening out on one of the lounge chairs.
I was surprised by the sheer number of adult only groups that I ran into! Yes, there were a lot of families, but I also ran into a lot of adults traveling w/out kids. They all seemed to love the whole experience and DCL.
Being that it was vacation week for a lot of cold-weather locales, a lot of chatter could be had about how much snow we were all coming from and how sick of winter we were!
I easily could have sailed another line for much less and a longer itinerary but I decided to splurge on Disney. I'm not sure I'd do Disney again anytime soon, unless they replace Nassau with another port. Also, just because of the sheer expense of sailing on Disney. Maybe with another person, but for the time being as a solo it's a bit out of my price range. That being said, I'd love to get my parents on a 4 day Wonder as my father is convinced he'll hate cruising and I think that the 4-day would be a perfect introduction. Plenty to keep him busy!
