Thank you everyone for all your kinds words. This was definitely more work than I thought it would be, but I'm so glad I stuck with it and figured out photobucket, which was the hardest part for sure.
I wanted to share some thoughts and tips I came across while researching, and some I came up for myself.
First and foremost, if you're considering doing a
Disney Cruise, DO IT! It was absolutely amazing. I know a lot of people have a thoroughly enjoyable time on other cruise lines, but I don't think I'm going to chance it since
DCL was so fabulous. If it comes to a point where I would like to visit someplace that DCL doesn't go, I'll rethink the situation, but for now it's DCL all the way for me.
We never felt overwhelmed or annoyed by children, not once. Disney does an absolutely fabulous job of separating areas for everyone. We have nothing against children by any means, it was just nice to have some peace and quiet sometimes.
Take some refillable water bottles to be able to store some soda/juice in your stateroom. The cups provided are not very big and are paper. I don't like to store in paper cups because they tend to disintegrate after a while.
Make sure you go over the Daily Navigator so you don't miss a potential fun activity.
I really enjoyed all events on Pirate Night. The first one that is advertised for the younger folks was so much fun and the later ones also fabulous.
If it's your first cruise or first time on one of the ships I recommend doing the ship tour offered on the first day. You get to know the layout of the ship, and meet some of the CMs in a way you wouldn't unless they're on your team for the trip.
If you're in the mood for a larger serving of icecream you can always get a cup from the beverage station which is bigger than the icecream cups.
I'll be taking a pump soap dispenser in the future, because I do not like bar soap for hand washing.
One of the most excellent tips I discovered was to take one of those triangle like air fresheners for the bathroom. The kind that you open that has that gel like stuff inside. That will be an absolute must on every trip, very nice to have.
At least get a one day Rainforest Room pass to see how wonderful the place is. We'll definitely be getting a full length pass for the next trip so we will be able to pop in whenever we want.
I bought some used army duffle bags on EBay for only $12.50 each including shipping that I'll be packing inside my luggage in case I come back home with more than I went with. I'm going to throw all the dirty clothes in the duffle bag and have my suitcase for whatever extras I might have, purchases, FE gifts, that sort of thing. This has never been a problem on any of my other trips so have never had to have more luggage...
Take some blank notecards to write a nice thank you note to include with your tip envelopes. I thought this was a really nice thought and glad I came across that advice.
There's no need to line up early for your dinners, you have a pre-assigned table. It's almost better to go 5-10 minutes late so you miss the line completely.
Do not be afraid to ask for any special requests at dinner, your serving team wants you to be happy. If you don't like something please don't suffer with it, request something else.
Order as many items off the menu you want, this is the place to try new things. The servers do not even bat an eye if you request more than one dish.
If you don't feel like going to your assigned dinner you can always go to Cabanas, they transform into a sit down for dinner and you can walk in with no notice.
Do a sit down breakfast, it was a very nice way to start the day. We thoroughly enjoyed eating outside at Cabanas, but we'll be factoring in more sit down breakfasts for the next cruise.
If you can, don't leave Shutters until the last evening. Go the second to last night if you can, it was an absolute mad house on the last evening.
Definitely go to Serenity Bay. If you're traveling with kids you can leave them at either Scuttles Cove or Monstro's Point for a while and enjoy some tranquility.
Try a Konk Kooler on
Castaway Cay.
But above and beyond everything, go with the flow and enjoy your vacation. If you don't get to an activity, there's always the next cruise
Soooo, will there be a PTR link here soon?? 
You do such a great job at writing and taking pics. 
I couldn't have asked for anything more, and watched that beautiful hog until it was gone from view. I couldn't bear to leave until I couldn't see it any longer.
