Calantha
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2018
A few thoughts from our trip this past week.
Cocoa Beach Info Tip: We tried a new restaurant for dinner – Sassy Spoon. It wasn’t much to look at, but the food was amazing! We had Indian and Chinese and I can’t recommend it enough. I’d probably get the food to go next time though and eat back at the hotel.
Embarkation: As I noted in the main forum, we showed up early on the recommendation of the shuttle company and ended up standing around with a lot of other people for a loooong time. Unclear why the staff even bothered setting up the 11:15-12:00 times because no one had them and EVERYONE it seemed had 12:15 or later. On the flip side, we walked right onto the boat after we got through security.
Halloween Dinner Rotation Note: We had AEERAER – with Pirate Night during our second night in Enchanted Garden, and then Halloween on Royal Court night. Servers seemed slightly confused a few times as it isn’t the standard 7-night Eastern Rotation.
Bingo: Never did it before. We went to 2 different sessions. Was a lot of fun, but probably wouldn’t do it again. For $80, we got 2 electronic tablets (8 boards per game) and 2 manual tablets (3 boards per game), which we split among 4 people. The entertainment team was very engaging.
Mojito Tasting: Not my favorite unfortunately. I sat with a very nice lady my age and her dad, so the conversation was great and I didn’t feel out of place. The drinks were too similar though and we were done in about 30 minutes. On the plus side, I will be ordering mango mojitos from now on! I'll stick to Mixology and/or Chocolate/Liquor in the future.
Halloween Activities: The trick or treating was a zoo of a parade around Deck 11, where CMs tossed large handfuls of candy into the candy bags (provided if you didn’t bring one). We did enjoy seeing all the characters in costume, the Halloween tree story, and the Mouse-querade. Special appearances by Jack & Sally were also fun. Tons of people in costume on Halloween and off-and-on the whole cruise (including us).
Palo Brunch: Ran into my waiter from 2019 when he was serving the table next to us – he claimed to remember me too. Tasty as always, and I’m starting to get over the lack of buffet. They are always very accommodating when we want to modify the appetizer selections (e.g., only bringing shrimp and cheese).
Tortola: We did the Norman Island Itinerary with Aristocat Daysails (https://aristocatdaysails.com). The 5-10 minute walk to the pick-up point was definitely 10 minutes in the heat/with a child. The tour had 3 different stops, including an extended one at Pirates Bight beach. The Indians had a very nice selection of fish for snorkeling from the boat. At Pirates Bight, we had lunch and enjoyed the beach chairs/snorkeling from the beach. Great for all ages.
St. Thomas: We did the half-day jeep tour with Ocean Surfari (https://oceansurfari.com/jeep-surfari/). The tour guide (Todd) was very kind to my son and very knowledgeable about the island. This was definitely off-road (no-kidding rocks and mud and being side-ways going down the mountain) and we enjoyed visiting a very deserted Hendrik Bay. The weather from earlier in the week made snorkeling bad at the next stop, so Todd took us over to the Limetree Beach Resort to enjoy much clearer water. A tasty lunch at the Lanai Restaurant on-site was a great capstone to a fantastic day! Dramamine recommended if you are someone who might get car sick!
Castaway Cay: Worst weather I have ever experienced there. Cool and windy all day after a rough overnight to get there. We tried to snorkel with poor results. Next time we’ll go out in regular life jackets.
Overall: A very memorable week and can’t wait to sail in January. It was my first extended trip with my dad in more than 20 years, so pretty special for that reason as well.
Happy to answer any questions, just let me know!
Cocoa Beach Info Tip: We tried a new restaurant for dinner – Sassy Spoon. It wasn’t much to look at, but the food was amazing! We had Indian and Chinese and I can’t recommend it enough. I’d probably get the food to go next time though and eat back at the hotel.
Embarkation: As I noted in the main forum, we showed up early on the recommendation of the shuttle company and ended up standing around with a lot of other people for a loooong time. Unclear why the staff even bothered setting up the 11:15-12:00 times because no one had them and EVERYONE it seemed had 12:15 or later. On the flip side, we walked right onto the boat after we got through security.
Halloween Dinner Rotation Note: We had AEERAER – with Pirate Night during our second night in Enchanted Garden, and then Halloween on Royal Court night. Servers seemed slightly confused a few times as it isn’t the standard 7-night Eastern Rotation.
Bingo: Never did it before. We went to 2 different sessions. Was a lot of fun, but probably wouldn’t do it again. For $80, we got 2 electronic tablets (8 boards per game) and 2 manual tablets (3 boards per game), which we split among 4 people. The entertainment team was very engaging.
Mojito Tasting: Not my favorite unfortunately. I sat with a very nice lady my age and her dad, so the conversation was great and I didn’t feel out of place. The drinks were too similar though and we were done in about 30 minutes. On the plus side, I will be ordering mango mojitos from now on! I'll stick to Mixology and/or Chocolate/Liquor in the future.
Halloween Activities: The trick or treating was a zoo of a parade around Deck 11, where CMs tossed large handfuls of candy into the candy bags (provided if you didn’t bring one). We did enjoy seeing all the characters in costume, the Halloween tree story, and the Mouse-querade. Special appearances by Jack & Sally were also fun. Tons of people in costume on Halloween and off-and-on the whole cruise (including us).
Palo Brunch: Ran into my waiter from 2019 when he was serving the table next to us – he claimed to remember me too. Tasty as always, and I’m starting to get over the lack of buffet. They are always very accommodating when we want to modify the appetizer selections (e.g., only bringing shrimp and cheese).
Tortola: We did the Norman Island Itinerary with Aristocat Daysails (https://aristocatdaysails.com). The 5-10 minute walk to the pick-up point was definitely 10 minutes in the heat/with a child. The tour had 3 different stops, including an extended one at Pirates Bight beach. The Indians had a very nice selection of fish for snorkeling from the boat. At Pirates Bight, we had lunch and enjoyed the beach chairs/snorkeling from the beach. Great for all ages.
St. Thomas: We did the half-day jeep tour with Ocean Surfari (https://oceansurfari.com/jeep-surfari/). The tour guide (Todd) was very kind to my son and very knowledgeable about the island. This was definitely off-road (no-kidding rocks and mud and being side-ways going down the mountain) and we enjoyed visiting a very deserted Hendrik Bay. The weather from earlier in the week made snorkeling bad at the next stop, so Todd took us over to the Limetree Beach Resort to enjoy much clearer water. A tasty lunch at the Lanai Restaurant on-site was a great capstone to a fantastic day! Dramamine recommended if you are someone who might get car sick!
Castaway Cay: Worst weather I have ever experienced there. Cool and windy all day after a rough overnight to get there. We tried to snorkel with poor results. Next time we’ll go out in regular life jackets.
Overall: A very memorable week and can’t wait to sail in January. It was my first extended trip with my dad in more than 20 years, so pretty special for that reason as well.
Happy to answer any questions, just let me know!
