DisneyDan24
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2009
Before I begin this report a big SHOUT OUT to all my fellow DisBoarders:
Brockster
EJS
smatterchu (best name by the way!)
tinkmom2 (great report so far!)
AuntieMinnie12
imanazd
luv2travel
fijidoc.
Thanks for all the goodies in our FE. Hope you all had smooth travels home and a great time on the Wonder. Do you still feel the boat rocking???
These reports were so helpful as my DW and I prepared for our trip that I thought I would return the favor and put down a couple highlights from our first Disney Cruise. Hope you enjoy it.
To set the stage, this Family Spring Break trip included myself and my DW (both just hit the big 30), Grandmom (EJS, "Best Grandmother OnBoard"); and my Aunt and Uncle and my 8 year old cousin (Brockster).
Trip planning began around January 2009. DW and I booked Cruise through COSTCO (great deal), airfare through Southwest and rental car through Budget.
We began our vacation a day early with a trip to Clearwater to see the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies play the Twins. Clearwater is a great town and the beaches are breathtaking. Caught a great sunset and a fantastic Spanish Dinner at Columbia Restaurant.
Disney Cruise Day One: Port Canaveral
Finally, March 22nd arrived and my DW and I made the trek from Clearwater to Port Canaveral that Sunday morning. (Google had drive time about 3 hours, we left at 8:15AM and arrived at Budget Cape Canaveral about 10:45AM) Gassed up the Chevy (gas station right next to Budget) and dropped off the rental car and took their shuttle right to the port. Very convenient. Keith was a great shuttle driver.
Arrived at port by 11ish gave bags to porter and then flew through security and the check-in process. Got boarding group 8. No worries, we boarded and were eating at Parrot Cay by 12:30. Room (2015) was ready by 1:30pm and bags were outside our door. Great room, very clean and plenty of space for two. Unpacked and toured the ship with DW and cousin.
Some Highlights and Tips from Day One:
-Seeing the looks of the port security guard as I placed my COSTCO wheely cooler full of adult beverages on the X-ray belt. He laughed when I said it had water in it!
-Got the water package for $35, included 24 bottles that we split with Brockster
-Mini-corn dogs and peel and eat shrimp on Parrot Cay lunch buffet awesome
-Sail Away party more fun with matching family T-shirts and leis! Thanks Brockster!
-Hearing the ship's horn blast "When you Wish Upon a Star"
-BahamaMama's excellent sail away party drink.
-TIP: Make friends with the bartenders! Told Alejandro (India) at the Outlook bar that it was our first cruise and he hooked us up with free DCL plastic hurricane glasses. (These turned into great wine glasses for dinner!)
-Our dinner servers were great Kenny (Jamaica) and Ean (India).
-Golden Mickey's Show alot of fun, DW and Aunt loved Tarzan for some reason, I was taking a nap during that part of the show
-Great time dropping of FE gifts, strongly recommend it!!!!
-Really rocky seas made walking the hallways tons of fun.
-Thankful for first dinner seating, we were hungry again by 11pm!
-Trying to find all the late night snack options, Pinocchio's Pizzeria great Hawaiian Pizza
-Midnight snack on Route 66 (Deck 3) near Cadillac Lounge, best chicken wings and little sandwiches
-TIP: Might sound funny, but bring one of those plug in air fresheners, it really made our stateroom a pleasant place to come back to in the evenings. Thanks for that one Brockster!
Disney Cruise Day Two: Nassau, Bahamas
-Mickey Waffles at Beach Blanket awesome!
-Watching the ship BACK-IN to the port at Nassau!!! Yes that's right, we backed into port. The captain had mad skills. I bet he could have paralleled parked our boat if given the chance.
-Bumping into Mickey on Deck 10
-GREAT FIND: if you are searching for limes for any of your adult beverages they have a whole tray of them up in the Fitness Center. Nothing like running three miles then quenching your thirst with a Corona and Lime!
-INCREDIBLE EXCURSION: Graycliff Cigar and Rum Experience Can't say enough great things about this trip. My wife and I were the only participants, we were told they only take a max of 6 people on this tour. Met by our private guide and shuttled to the Graycliff. Toured cigar "factory" (which was really a small room with about half a dozen rollers smoking and rolling, smoking and rolling about 100 a day). Got to hand roll our own cigar then try the hotels signature cocktail (a great drink with Brazilian rum). Then onto the best part, sampling 8 types of amazing rums with homemade chocolates (guava, coffee, banana, mango) Josh, our guide for the excursion was awesome, he even hooked us up with some amazing ham sandwiches. After the tasting, we toured the grounds of Graycliff and the 250,000+ wine cellar with some of the oldest bottles of wine in any private collection.
DW not a big cigar fan but she really enjoyed the old world charm and history of Graycliff. We both enjoyed the stories of all the stars and royalty who had visited Graycliff (Nick Cage has a private bottle of whiskey in the large display cabinets in the lounge. There is also a bottle of scotch that was a favor at Prince Charles and Diana's Wedding). In addition the wine cellar is really a treat for any wine aficionado. Totally would recommend this trip, worth every penny.
-Relaxation by the Quiet Cove Adult pool felt great after a busy morning rum tasting.
-Kids Dance party at Promenade Lounge and Family Karaoke at Studio Sea was a ton of fun. Loved cutting a rug with my little cousin
-Midnight snacks that night were almond crusted chicken fingers and chimichangas. We grabbed some bites and went into the Cadillac Lounge to listen to Kenne's last set on the piano. He was a great performer.
Disney Cruise Day Three: Castaway Cay/ Pirate Night
-Packed up cooler with some ice and some Coronas and a few waters and hit the beach.
-Great pics with Captain Jack Sparrow on Beach with Flying Dutchman and Wonder in background. The line for pics starts to form around 9am.
-Water temp was bit chilly 72 degrees, I got out to about my waist. Aunt and Uncle braved water to go snorkeling, DW and cousin built sandcastles and Mickey's on the beach.
-BBQ lunch at Cookies was AMAZING! Ribs were out of this world and DW loved the couscous.
-Tram ride to Serenity Bay was fun. About a 5 minute drive or 20 minute walk.
-Drove on "abandoned" runway, gotta love Disney and the way they can craft stories and legends.
-Crystal clear shallow water at Serenity Bay was breathtaking. Could see forever.
-Enjoyed long walk on the beach with DW, saw huge starfish and some beautiful conch shells
-They almost had to physically remove us from our hammock at 4:30pm
-Back on ship around 5ish, ran to Cove Pool for Margaritaville HOUR which started at 4:45pm. But we found out DJ Dan had played all of his Buffett already.
-The great mini ham and turkey sandwiches my DW scored made up for the lack of Jimmy Buffett.
-No rushing to get ready for dinner today, Aunt and Uncle and DW and I had Palo reservations at 9pm.
-Grabbed some chicken fingers from Pluto's (out of this world!) and ordered up a cheese tray from room service for our in room happy hour.
-Loved watching folks in Pirate Gear, DW and I opted out because of Palo reservation, but could totally see dressing up next time
-Lovely dinner at Palo. Kim (Belgium) was an excellent server.
-Sommelier from France explodes part of our bottle of Tattinger Champagne all over rug, he apologizes profusely. At the end of meal, just when we couldn't force another bite, he brings over complimentary glasses of Inniskillian Ice Wine, perfect complement to a perfect meal.
-SMALL PEEVE: We had asked our server to inform us when the fireworks would begin so we could sneak outside to view them, however, somewhere between the shrimp salads and the lobster raviolis she forgot to tell us and we missed the show. Bit of of bummer, but the chocolate soufflé almost made up for it!
-Had a great time at the Adult Karaoke in Wavebands, didn't sing but enjoyed the acts. Especially the duet dance routine of Baby Got Back. My DW and I swore that they worked for Disney and were plants in the audience. They were really funny.
-Passed on the midnight snack tonight, too full from Palo
Disney Cruise Day Four: Day at Sea
-Morning coffee on Deck 10 while watching Monsters Inc.
-Palo Brunch absolutely AMAZING! (Brunch a bit better than dinner my DW and I thought)
-Brunch Menu: Seafood station (stone crab claws, crab legs, shrimp shooters, salmon, tuna) beautiful antipasto bar; cheese and bread table, pastries and other desserts. PLUS you got to order hot entrees: eggs, pancakes, frittata, pizzas, veal, chicken, or tilapia
-Great weather, watched High School Musical by the Family Pool
-Last dinner at Triton's...LOBSTER MACARONI AND CHEESE (possibly the best entree of the trip)
-Tried to catch sunset on Deck 10 but a bit too cloudy
-Caught the Disney Dreams show, I liked this one a little more than Golden Mickey's. Sorry ladies Tarzan does not make an appearance.
-Popped a great bottle of Champagne with our gang and went to watch the 'Til We Meet Again show from the balcony on Deck 4. Good spot to view all the action.
-Watched a bit more Family Karaoke then headed to Wavebands for the Rock Show. Hysterical! Loved the Prince and Michael Jackson impersonators.
-Smoked DW hand rolled cigar out on the deck 9 and she took a nap underneath a dozen towels.
-Rocky seas returned!!
-Midnight snack was Mozzarella sticks, Jalapeno Poppers and SUSHI!!! Finally sushi; was craving the entire trip. Spicy Tuna rolls were good, other pieces, not so much.
Disney Cruise Day Five: Disembarkation Day
-Lucked out with Breakfast time, 7:00AM at Tritons, not too bad. Wanted to try the omelette with BBQ chicken but just opted for plain old eggs over easy.
-Took last few pictures of lobby, bid farewell to Grandmom, Aunt and Uncle and Cousin and headed off the ship.
-Customs was a breeze and we were able to find our bags without too much trouble amidst the sea of baggage in the terminal.
-Disney does have a good system with the luggage. They give you a luggage tag with a color and a character and organize your bags in the terminal accordingly. They try to put it in stateroom order but don't think it worked out like that for us. Just be patient as you search through the bags.
Final Thoughts
Go in with open mind
-Good to do your research on this board and other websites but don't let other's negative feedback here or elsewhere influence your time. If something doesn't go exactly right or your meal is not to your liking, just remember you are on vacation, no work, no dishes just FUN!
-Besides, I think you will have trouble finding anything negative to say about your Disney Cruise. The "Disney Difference" is not just a catchy phrase, it truly exists!
Get to know the staff and the trip can be even more fun
-Every cast member we encountered really bent over backwards at any request. Our stateroom attendant, Longorio was great. We had left him a note that we would like an additional bucket of ice one morning and left a small tip for him. When we returned that afternoon, we had a HUGE bucket of ice, plus the tip we left for him was still there, he never took it! We made sure to take care of him at the end of the trip.
-Melanie from the US was great with the kids. My cousin loved her during the Promenade Lounge Kid's Dance Party. We later found out she was from the same part of Maryland that Aunt and Uncle, Cousin and Grandmom where visiting from. Later that night they found pirate bandannas in their stateroom and a note from Melanie.
-Our Grandmom received the "Best Grandmother OnBoard Award" from one of the Merchandise staff members, Daniel from Spain I think.
-Mentioned already that chatting it up with bartenders can earn you some nice extras.
Get or make a Fish Extender (FE)
-Special thanks to the "Best Grandmom OnBoard" for making our awesome FE
-This was really a fun activity at any age. My DW would race down the hall to check our FE each time we got back to the room. Thanks again for all the gifts!
No troubles with BYOB
-This is a really funny topic on these discussion boards. I will tell you from our experiences we had no trouble at all walking through security at the terminal with our cooler (just no ice!). Saw a guy walk in with four bottles of wine sticking out from a beach bag. Another guy had a case of Miller Lite on his shoulder covered in a white trash bag.
-If bringing beer, go for cans, they fit better in your stateroom beverage cooler. You can also take them all around ship including pool with no troubles. Although I did see some glass bottles around adult pool. Don't forget a beverage cozy!
-Never paid $18 corking fee, just brought glass of wine to dinner each night.
-Don't worry about getting glasses, call room service. We asked for wine and champagne glasses and they were there within 5 minutes. They even offered us a corkscrew!
-Only got questioned one time at dinner from assistant server about why we brought wine to dinner instead of buying bottle. My DW told him we have our wine preferences and that was the end of that.
-If you don't/can't bring your own, not to worry, the drinks are not that outrageously priced. They do tack on a 15% gratuity each time you order.
Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed reliving our magical experience aboard our first Disney Cruise. Feel free to ask any questions. Glad to help. We are thinking about the TransAtlantic Cruise for our next adventure! Have a Magical Day!
Brockster
EJS
smatterchu (best name by the way!)
tinkmom2 (great report so far!)
AuntieMinnie12
imanazd
luv2travel
fijidoc.
Thanks for all the goodies in our FE. Hope you all had smooth travels home and a great time on the Wonder. Do you still feel the boat rocking???
These reports were so helpful as my DW and I prepared for our trip that I thought I would return the favor and put down a couple highlights from our first Disney Cruise. Hope you enjoy it.
To set the stage, this Family Spring Break trip included myself and my DW (both just hit the big 30), Grandmom (EJS, "Best Grandmother OnBoard"); and my Aunt and Uncle and my 8 year old cousin (Brockster).
Trip planning began around January 2009. DW and I booked Cruise through COSTCO (great deal), airfare through Southwest and rental car through Budget.
We began our vacation a day early with a trip to Clearwater to see the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies play the Twins. Clearwater is a great town and the beaches are breathtaking. Caught a great sunset and a fantastic Spanish Dinner at Columbia Restaurant.
Disney Cruise Day One: Port Canaveral
Finally, March 22nd arrived and my DW and I made the trek from Clearwater to Port Canaveral that Sunday morning. (Google had drive time about 3 hours, we left at 8:15AM and arrived at Budget Cape Canaveral about 10:45AM) Gassed up the Chevy (gas station right next to Budget) and dropped off the rental car and took their shuttle right to the port. Very convenient. Keith was a great shuttle driver.
Arrived at port by 11ish gave bags to porter and then flew through security and the check-in process. Got boarding group 8. No worries, we boarded and were eating at Parrot Cay by 12:30. Room (2015) was ready by 1:30pm and bags were outside our door. Great room, very clean and plenty of space for two. Unpacked and toured the ship with DW and cousin.
Some Highlights and Tips from Day One:
-Seeing the looks of the port security guard as I placed my COSTCO wheely cooler full of adult beverages on the X-ray belt. He laughed when I said it had water in it!
-Got the water package for $35, included 24 bottles that we split with Brockster
-Mini-corn dogs and peel and eat shrimp on Parrot Cay lunch buffet awesome
-Sail Away party more fun with matching family T-shirts and leis! Thanks Brockster!
-Hearing the ship's horn blast "When you Wish Upon a Star"
-BahamaMama's excellent sail away party drink.
-TIP: Make friends with the bartenders! Told Alejandro (India) at the Outlook bar that it was our first cruise and he hooked us up with free DCL plastic hurricane glasses. (These turned into great wine glasses for dinner!)
-Our dinner servers were great Kenny (Jamaica) and Ean (India).
-Golden Mickey's Show alot of fun, DW and Aunt loved Tarzan for some reason, I was taking a nap during that part of the show
-Great time dropping of FE gifts, strongly recommend it!!!!
-Really rocky seas made walking the hallways tons of fun.
-Thankful for first dinner seating, we were hungry again by 11pm!
-Trying to find all the late night snack options, Pinocchio's Pizzeria great Hawaiian Pizza
-Midnight snack on Route 66 (Deck 3) near Cadillac Lounge, best chicken wings and little sandwiches
-TIP: Might sound funny, but bring one of those plug in air fresheners, it really made our stateroom a pleasant place to come back to in the evenings. Thanks for that one Brockster!
Disney Cruise Day Two: Nassau, Bahamas
-Mickey Waffles at Beach Blanket awesome!
-Watching the ship BACK-IN to the port at Nassau!!! Yes that's right, we backed into port. The captain had mad skills. I bet he could have paralleled parked our boat if given the chance.
-Bumping into Mickey on Deck 10
-GREAT FIND: if you are searching for limes for any of your adult beverages they have a whole tray of them up in the Fitness Center. Nothing like running three miles then quenching your thirst with a Corona and Lime!
-INCREDIBLE EXCURSION: Graycliff Cigar and Rum Experience Can't say enough great things about this trip. My wife and I were the only participants, we were told they only take a max of 6 people on this tour. Met by our private guide and shuttled to the Graycliff. Toured cigar "factory" (which was really a small room with about half a dozen rollers smoking and rolling, smoking and rolling about 100 a day). Got to hand roll our own cigar then try the hotels signature cocktail (a great drink with Brazilian rum). Then onto the best part, sampling 8 types of amazing rums with homemade chocolates (guava, coffee, banana, mango) Josh, our guide for the excursion was awesome, he even hooked us up with some amazing ham sandwiches. After the tasting, we toured the grounds of Graycliff and the 250,000+ wine cellar with some of the oldest bottles of wine in any private collection.
DW not a big cigar fan but she really enjoyed the old world charm and history of Graycliff. We both enjoyed the stories of all the stars and royalty who had visited Graycliff (Nick Cage has a private bottle of whiskey in the large display cabinets in the lounge. There is also a bottle of scotch that was a favor at Prince Charles and Diana's Wedding). In addition the wine cellar is really a treat for any wine aficionado. Totally would recommend this trip, worth every penny.
-Relaxation by the Quiet Cove Adult pool felt great after a busy morning rum tasting.
-Kids Dance party at Promenade Lounge and Family Karaoke at Studio Sea was a ton of fun. Loved cutting a rug with my little cousin
-Midnight snacks that night were almond crusted chicken fingers and chimichangas. We grabbed some bites and went into the Cadillac Lounge to listen to Kenne's last set on the piano. He was a great performer.
Disney Cruise Day Three: Castaway Cay/ Pirate Night
-Packed up cooler with some ice and some Coronas and a few waters and hit the beach.
-Great pics with Captain Jack Sparrow on Beach with Flying Dutchman and Wonder in background. The line for pics starts to form around 9am.
-Water temp was bit chilly 72 degrees, I got out to about my waist. Aunt and Uncle braved water to go snorkeling, DW and cousin built sandcastles and Mickey's on the beach.
-BBQ lunch at Cookies was AMAZING! Ribs were out of this world and DW loved the couscous.
-Tram ride to Serenity Bay was fun. About a 5 minute drive or 20 minute walk.
-Drove on "abandoned" runway, gotta love Disney and the way they can craft stories and legends.
-Crystal clear shallow water at Serenity Bay was breathtaking. Could see forever.
-Enjoyed long walk on the beach with DW, saw huge starfish and some beautiful conch shells
-They almost had to physically remove us from our hammock at 4:30pm
-Back on ship around 5ish, ran to Cove Pool for Margaritaville HOUR which started at 4:45pm. But we found out DJ Dan had played all of his Buffett already.
-The great mini ham and turkey sandwiches my DW scored made up for the lack of Jimmy Buffett.
-No rushing to get ready for dinner today, Aunt and Uncle and DW and I had Palo reservations at 9pm.
-Grabbed some chicken fingers from Pluto's (out of this world!) and ordered up a cheese tray from room service for our in room happy hour.
-Loved watching folks in Pirate Gear, DW and I opted out because of Palo reservation, but could totally see dressing up next time
-Lovely dinner at Palo. Kim (Belgium) was an excellent server.
-Sommelier from France explodes part of our bottle of Tattinger Champagne all over rug, he apologizes profusely. At the end of meal, just when we couldn't force another bite, he brings over complimentary glasses of Inniskillian Ice Wine, perfect complement to a perfect meal.
-SMALL PEEVE: We had asked our server to inform us when the fireworks would begin so we could sneak outside to view them, however, somewhere between the shrimp salads and the lobster raviolis she forgot to tell us and we missed the show. Bit of of bummer, but the chocolate soufflé almost made up for it!
-Had a great time at the Adult Karaoke in Wavebands, didn't sing but enjoyed the acts. Especially the duet dance routine of Baby Got Back. My DW and I swore that they worked for Disney and were plants in the audience. They were really funny.
-Passed on the midnight snack tonight, too full from Palo
Disney Cruise Day Four: Day at Sea
-Morning coffee on Deck 10 while watching Monsters Inc.
-Palo Brunch absolutely AMAZING! (Brunch a bit better than dinner my DW and I thought)
-Brunch Menu: Seafood station (stone crab claws, crab legs, shrimp shooters, salmon, tuna) beautiful antipasto bar; cheese and bread table, pastries and other desserts. PLUS you got to order hot entrees: eggs, pancakes, frittata, pizzas, veal, chicken, or tilapia
-Great weather, watched High School Musical by the Family Pool
-Last dinner at Triton's...LOBSTER MACARONI AND CHEESE (possibly the best entree of the trip)
-Tried to catch sunset on Deck 10 but a bit too cloudy
-Caught the Disney Dreams show, I liked this one a little more than Golden Mickey's. Sorry ladies Tarzan does not make an appearance.
-Popped a great bottle of Champagne with our gang and went to watch the 'Til We Meet Again show from the balcony on Deck 4. Good spot to view all the action.
-Watched a bit more Family Karaoke then headed to Wavebands for the Rock Show. Hysterical! Loved the Prince and Michael Jackson impersonators.
-Smoked DW hand rolled cigar out on the deck 9 and she took a nap underneath a dozen towels.
-Rocky seas returned!!
-Midnight snack was Mozzarella sticks, Jalapeno Poppers and SUSHI!!! Finally sushi; was craving the entire trip. Spicy Tuna rolls were good, other pieces, not so much.
Disney Cruise Day Five: Disembarkation Day
-Lucked out with Breakfast time, 7:00AM at Tritons, not too bad. Wanted to try the omelette with BBQ chicken but just opted for plain old eggs over easy.
-Took last few pictures of lobby, bid farewell to Grandmom, Aunt and Uncle and Cousin and headed off the ship.
-Customs was a breeze and we were able to find our bags without too much trouble amidst the sea of baggage in the terminal.
-Disney does have a good system with the luggage. They give you a luggage tag with a color and a character and organize your bags in the terminal accordingly. They try to put it in stateroom order but don't think it worked out like that for us. Just be patient as you search through the bags.
Final Thoughts
Go in with open mind
-Good to do your research on this board and other websites but don't let other's negative feedback here or elsewhere influence your time. If something doesn't go exactly right or your meal is not to your liking, just remember you are on vacation, no work, no dishes just FUN!
-Besides, I think you will have trouble finding anything negative to say about your Disney Cruise. The "Disney Difference" is not just a catchy phrase, it truly exists!
Get to know the staff and the trip can be even more fun
-Every cast member we encountered really bent over backwards at any request. Our stateroom attendant, Longorio was great. We had left him a note that we would like an additional bucket of ice one morning and left a small tip for him. When we returned that afternoon, we had a HUGE bucket of ice, plus the tip we left for him was still there, he never took it! We made sure to take care of him at the end of the trip.
-Melanie from the US was great with the kids. My cousin loved her during the Promenade Lounge Kid's Dance Party. We later found out she was from the same part of Maryland that Aunt and Uncle, Cousin and Grandmom where visiting from. Later that night they found pirate bandannas in their stateroom and a note from Melanie.
-Our Grandmom received the "Best Grandmother OnBoard Award" from one of the Merchandise staff members, Daniel from Spain I think.
-Mentioned already that chatting it up with bartenders can earn you some nice extras.
Get or make a Fish Extender (FE)
-Special thanks to the "Best Grandmom OnBoard" for making our awesome FE
-This was really a fun activity at any age. My DW would race down the hall to check our FE each time we got back to the room. Thanks again for all the gifts!
No troubles with BYOB
-This is a really funny topic on these discussion boards. I will tell you from our experiences we had no trouble at all walking through security at the terminal with our cooler (just no ice!). Saw a guy walk in with four bottles of wine sticking out from a beach bag. Another guy had a case of Miller Lite on his shoulder covered in a white trash bag.
-If bringing beer, go for cans, they fit better in your stateroom beverage cooler. You can also take them all around ship including pool with no troubles. Although I did see some glass bottles around adult pool. Don't forget a beverage cozy!
-Never paid $18 corking fee, just brought glass of wine to dinner each night.
-Don't worry about getting glasses, call room service. We asked for wine and champagne glasses and they were there within 5 minutes. They even offered us a corkscrew!
-Only got questioned one time at dinner from assistant server about why we brought wine to dinner instead of buying bottle. My DW told him we have our wine preferences and that was the end of that.
-If you don't/can't bring your own, not to worry, the drinks are not that outrageously priced. They do tack on a 15% gratuity each time you order.
Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed reliving our magical experience aboard our first Disney Cruise. Feel free to ask any questions. Glad to help. We are thinking about the TransAtlantic Cruise for our next adventure! Have a Magical Day!
