Eastern Caribbean Jan 28-Feb 5

[heymoonkid]

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[papertraveller]

Great trip report. Thanks!

 

[jerelle]

Ohhhhhhhhhh Scar! I like him!

Yes, he was popular with the ladies.

 

[jerelle]

Jerelle

We are thoroughly enjoying your trip report. It really makes me wonder how we could have missed so much. Maybe its because it was our Adults only cruise .
Disney sure made our special Anniversary cruise "Magical" with all their little extras and "daily" surprises as did all the friends and people that we met that week.

It was great to meet you and your family and I hope you are having a easier time keeping track of DH.
Couple "A" J and J

Awwww. Thanks J! Our sentiments exactly! I'm glad your anniversary cruise was so special. Maybe Sean and I will have to try it in 2014.
after we've done the DD sweet 16 cruise in 2013 and the...

 

[jerelle]

I said the same thing Joanne, we had great fun together but damn did we miss alot...well we will just have to use my kids next year as pawn in our little disney game.....

So, I was seriously considering driving down to the World in August. We could get the Coronado Springs Hotel for $112/night or Pop for $61 and we could get Magic your Way passes, 3nights for the price of 7. How did you get your free dining? Did you book before cruise or after? DS's GF would really like to go. It would be so sweet to have her come along(even if DS doesn't..)

 

[5boyz]

Awwww. Thanks J! Our sentiments exactly! I'm glad your anniversary cruise was so special. Maybe Sean and I will have to try it in 2014.
after we've done the DD sweet 16 cruise in 2013 and the...

Well I am already past my 25th so I could do my 30th in 2012 with my kids.... My ds21 wants to do a disney reunion in July 2012 with our friends that we first went with. He will be graduating university and my friends daughter will be graduating high school. So lots to celebrate.

 

[jerelle]

Well I am already past my 25th so I could do my 30th in 2012 with my kids.... My ds21 wants to do a disney reunion in July 2012 with our friends that we first went with. He will be graduating university and my friends daughter will be graduating high school. So lots to celebrate.

You're celebrating your 30th next year? Are you kidding me? I thought I got married early! You both look fantastic.

 

[5boyz]

You're celebrating your 30th next year? Are you kidding me? I thought I got married early! You both look fantastic.

Thanks Joelle!!!! You look great too, what are you talking about!!!!!

 

[jerelle]

There was Indian food to be had?? I'm a vegetarian too and I had some seriously yucky stuff from the Pirate Night menu, but I sure didn't know I could've gotten Indian food.

Also, that's funny about Despicable Me- we also watched the same part about 7 times.

Hey there Heymoonkid: there's a name I haven't seen in awhile! Our head server mentioned it to us on the night when DD was picking at something vegetarian(that looked really gross I must say). He came right over asked why she wasn't eating and then said, "Oh, I wouldn't eat that either!" Apparently, the chef cooks all types of food for the crew, so since there were alot of Indian vegetarians, he offered her some of that. WIN! I was thinking, gee I want some of that too!!!

It's too funny that someone else missed out night after night(after night) as well. I planned on watching it as soon as we got home, but still haven't seen it.

Hope you and your family had a great cruise!

 

[5boyz]

Hey there Heymoonkid: there's a name I haven't seen in awhile! Our head server mentioned it to us on the night when DD was picking at something vegetarian(that looked really gross I must say). He came right over asked why she wasn't eating and then said, "Oh, I wouldn't eat that either!" Apparently, the chef cooks all types of food for the crew, so since there were alot of Indian vegetarians, he offered her some of that. WIN! I was thinking, gee I want some of that too!!!

It's too funny that someone else missed out night after night(after night) as well. I planned on watching it as soon as we got home, but still haven't seen it.

Hope you and your family had a great cruise!

What was that movie about? We watched Karate Kid, Shrek 4 and the where Catherine Hegeil(?sp) and Josh Duhammel take care of their friends little baby, but never seen the whole thing of any of them, seen end , beginning, middle but not all at the same time. Seen the same parts over over too.......

 

[jerelle]

Looking back on our week in Paradise I would like to sum up a few things:

The Cast Members: never once did we encounter a disappointing exchange with a staff member upon this ship. I know some people did, so I'm not looking for flaming here-Disney is not perfect-but I would like to give the staff 2 thumbs up.
Guest services were always helpful if we needed anything or had any questions. I was looking for a fellow FE family who had accidentally listed the wrong cabin number on our listing so I called to Guest Services. While I was pleased to know they wouldn't tell me what it was, they were happy to connect me with their room.
Every time we passed a Cast Member, they would always have a smile and a Hello for us. I always felt that they went above and beyond the call of duty. I also felt very comfortable letting our teen DD wander the ship alone, knowing that she would likely have the help and support of Disney staff. On other cruise lines, I've not felt that level of security nor felt that they were sincerely happy to serve us.

The Ship: We LOVED this ship! Some things that are honorable mentions here are the cleanliness, the old style ship feel, the absence of a casino, the G rated party feel(even though there were the after 10 social gatherings and shows in the bars-I never thought our DD was getting an education in something she wasn't ready for on Deck 9 or 10!)
AND the absence of smoke!!! This is a big one: DH and I are ex-smokers, so you know we're the worst kind! It has actually ruined our experience on Carnival ships, to have smoking in almost every venue aboard. We REALLY appreciated the rules posted and how Disney actually worked to enforce them(what a concept!).
The adult areas were also (almost always) respected. There were a few times I saw kids in the adult jacuzzi/Cove Cafe, but mostly when it was dead in there anyway. I didn't complain, because they were well behaved.
The pools are warm-which is lovely compared with what we were used to on other ships, and it's nice to be able to take an evening dip or to have the option to swim in colder weather.
We LOVED FUNNEL VISION(especially DH, who spent alot of time while DD and I explored and did our thing) and really appreciated the fact that, unlike our other experience, they actually ran the movies that they said they would. Our city has no drive-in, so this was a delight!


The Food: I really felt it deserved a very good rating. I never ordered anything I couldn't eat(although poor DD had a couple of veggie options that I didn't force)
I found the breakfast buffet in Topsiders to be extremely good and a good variety.
A few honorable mentions in the dining rooms were: Oysters Rockefeller, Escargots, the Venison medallions, the Halibut, Tomato Basil soup and most desserts but the Creme Brule was extraordinary(this was my MIL's favourite and her specialty and I hadn't yet experienced anything that came close).
As far as the snack bars went: I loved the little wraps at Goofy s Galley, the morning smoothies, the fresh fruit and I found the Pizza at Pinocchio's to be really good as well. Nothing WOWed me at the Grill, but the Cajun chicken was good.
What else can I say about Palo? Nike says it best: Just do it!

The Character experience: We found them to be plentiful and usually where they were supposed to be. I have heard some reports from people on our cruise, who were frustrated with the Princess greetings, for various reasons(which we never went to). I can understand that this is frustrating, but it was not our experience. I also loved that you would see them wandering around the ship and in the clubs.

Our Room Steward: Loyd, I wish I could have brought you home with me!!! I might add here I was a bit disheartened when I walked by rooms in the morning and saw the messes that some of the room stewards had to put up with(garbage etc). I tried to keep our room so that Loyd only had to make our beds and clean our bath. That's just me I guess. I don't think it's not allowed, but it surprised me is all.

Some DISHonorable mentions: - the one morning DH saw a Cast Member being bawled out by his manager in front of guests(not cool!) BAD manager!
-the "seat savers" in the theater and on Deck 9(shame shame shame) Again, we tried not to make a big deal about it, cause really it's not, but do others really want to look at your empty lounger most of the day from their leftover spots on Deck 10? Think about it-you know who you are!
-the line cutters: again(shame shame shame) you know who you are and is it really fair to jump in front of the family who had staked out their good spot 20 minutes before the show, had a 2 and 4 year old who can't now see over your (BIG, SELFISH)heads and who had to miss out on whatever it was that you were doing up until the last minute, as well as this event? I didn't think so!
-the couple who sat in Cove Cafe and who I heard complaining incessantly all week-the SAME couple-about the noise level on the ship(Really? Did you not consider what Cruise Line you were sailing with ?) "How not to be a downer" should be required reading before your next cruise on a family liner-we all heard the noise-but some chose to see it as joyful. God Bless ya!
-the slippery Deck 10 boardwalk. At first, it didn't bug me too much, but since I mostly sat up on Deck 10(read point 2 )I was privy to at least 3-4 pretty bad spills/day after the rain or early morning after its swabbing. Disney should rethink this and maybe come up with a better solution.

The best part of this cruise was meeting so many wonderful people from all over the world and having our DD finally come out of her shell(although as usual, Disney OVER did that one!!!)
As well, making memories with each other that we see as PRICELESS.
My biggest regret is that I chose "material" over "people"(and I hate when I do that) and attended the Spa Draw instead of our FE Meet and Greet and therefore missed out on the opportunity to meet those who I'd chatted with on the boards. I don't know if I thought that I'd catch up with them later or what I was thinking (except that I really wanted a free massage!) Lesson learned and I won't repeat that one. ​

 

[5boyz]

Looking back on our week in Paradise I would like to sum up a few things:

The Cast Members: never once did we encounter a disappointing moment with a staff member upon this ship. I know some people did, so I'm not looking for flaming here-Disney is not perfect-but I would like to give the staff 2 thumbs up. Guest services were always helpful if we needed anything or had any questions. I was looking for a fellow FE family who had accidentally listed the wrong cabin number on our listing so I called to Guest Services. While I was pleased to know they wouldn't tell me what it was, they were happy to connect me with their room. Every time we passed a Cast Member, they would always have a smile and a Hello for us. I always felt that they went above and beyond the call of duty. I also felt very comfortable letting our teen DD wander the ship alone, knowing that she would likely have the help and support of Disney staff. On other cruise lines, I've not felt that level of security nor felt that they were sincerely happy to serve us.

The Ship: We LOVED this ship! Some things that are honorable mentions here are the cleanliness, the old style ship feel, the absence of a casino, the G rated party feel(even though there were the after 10 social gatherings and shows in the bars-I never thought our DD was getting an education in something she wasn't ready for on Deck 9 or 10!) AND the absence of smoke!!! This is a big one: DH and I are ex-smokers, so you know we're the worst kind! It has actually ruined our experience on Carnival ships, to have smoking in almost every venue aboard. We REALLY appreciated the rules posted and how Disney actually worked to enforce them(what a concept!). The adult areas were also (almost always) respected. There were a few times I saw kids in the adult jacuzzi/Cove Cafe, but mostly when it was dead in there anyway. I didn't complain, because they were well behaved. The pools are warm-which is lovely compared with what we were used to on other ships, and it's nice to be able to take an evening dip or to have the option to swim in colder weather. We LOVED FUNNEL VISION(especially DH, who spent alot of time while DD and I explored and did our thing) and really appreciated the fact that, unlike our other experience, they actually ran the movies that they said they would. Our city has no drive-in, so this was a delight!

The Food: I really felt it deserved a very good rating. I never ordered anything I couldn't eat(although poor DD had a veggie options that I didn't force) I even found the breakfast buffet in Topsiders to be extremely good. A few honorable mentions in the dining rooms were: Oysters Rockefeller, Escargots, the Venison medallions, the Halibut, Tomato Basil soup and most desserts but the Creme Brule was extraordinary(this was my MIL's favourite and I hadn't yet experienced anything that came close). As far as the snack bars went: I loved the little wraps at Goofy s Galley, the morning smoothies, the fresh fruit and I found the Pizza at Pinocchio's to be really good as well. Nothing WOWed me at the Grill, but the Cajun chicken was good. What else can I say about Palo? Nike says it best: Just do it!

The Character experience: We found them to be plentiful and usually where they were supposed to be. I have heard some reports from people on our cruise, who were frustrated with the Princess greetings, for various reasons(which we never went to). I can understand that this is frustrating, but it was not our experience. I also loved that you would see them wandering around the ship and in the clubs.

Our Room Steward: Loyd, I wish I could have brought you home with me!!! I might add here I was a bit disheartened when I walked by rooms in the morning and saw the messes that some of the room stewards had to put up with(garbage etc). I tried to keep our room so that Loyd only had to make our beds and clean our bath. That's just me I guess. I don't think it's not allowed, but it surprised me is all.

Some DisHonorable mentions: - the one morning DH saw a Cast Member being bawled out by his manager in front of guests(not cool!) BAD manager!
-the "seat savers" in the theater and on Deck 9(shame shame shame) Again, we tried not to make a big deal about it, cause really it's not, but do others really want to look at your empty lounger most of the day from their leftover spots on Deck 10? Think about it-you know who you are!
-the line cutters: again(shame shame shame) you know who you are and is it really fair to jump in front of the family who had staked out their good spot, was standing there 20 minutes before the show, has a 2 and 4 year old who can't now see over your head s and who missed out on whatever it was that you were doing up until the last minute? I didn't think so!
-the couple who sat in Cove Cafe and who I heard complaining incessantly all week-the SAME couple-about the noise level on the ship(really? Did you not consider what Cruise Line you were sailing with ?) "How not to be a downer" should be required reading before your next cruise on a family liner-we all heard the noise-but some chose to see it as joyful. God Bless ya!
-the slippery Deck 10 boardwalk. At first, it didn't bug me too much, but since I mostly sat up on Deck 10(read point 2 )I was privy to at least 3-4 pretty bad spills/day after the rain or early morning after its swabbing. Disney should rethink this and maybe come up with a better solution. I smell a lawsuit.

The best part of this cruise was meeting so many wonderful people from all over the world and having our DD finally come out of her shell(although as usual, Disney OVER did that one!!!) As well, making memories with each other that we see as PRICELESS. My biggest regret is that I chose "material" over "people"(and I hate when I do that) and attended the Spa Draw instead of our Meet and Greet and therefore missed out on the opportunity to meet those who had attended. I don't know if I thought that I'd catch up with them later or what I was thinking (except that I really wanted a free massage!) Lesson learned and I won't repeat that one.

BRAVO!!!! clapping....standing ovation!!!!!

 

[TifffanyD]

Thanks for letting us all re-live the cruise through your eyes!!

 

[peachygreen]

I really enjoyed reading your trip report. I'm very excited for our cruise leaving 3 days now! Thanks for sharing your experiences and especially for completing your report.

Thanks.

 

[DisneySilver]

Looking back on our week in Paradise I would like to sum up a few things:

The Cast Members: never once did we encounter a disappointing moment with a staff member upon this ship. I know some people did, so I'm not looking for flaming here-Disney is not perfect-but I would like to give the staff 2 thumbs up. Guest services were always helpful if we needed anything or had any questions. I was looking for a fellow FE family who had accidentally listed the wrong cabin number on our listing so I called to Guest Services. While I was pleased to know they wouldn't tell me what it was, they were happy to connect me with their room. Every time we passed a Cast Member, they would always have a smile and a Hello for us. I always felt that they went above and beyond the call of duty. I also felt very comfortable letting our teen DD wander the ship alone, knowing that she would likely have the help and support of Disney staff. On other cruise lines, I've not felt that level of security nor felt that they were sincerely happy to serve us.

The Ship: We LOVED this ship! Some things that are honorable mentions here are the cleanliness, the old style ship feel, the absence of a casino, the G rated party feel(even though there were the after 10 social gatherings and shows in the bars-I never thought our DD was getting an education in something she wasn't ready for on Deck 9 or 10!) AND the absence of smoke!!! This is a big one: DH and I are ex-smokers, so you know we're the worst kind! It has actually ruined our experience on Carnival ships, to have smoking in almost every venue aboard. We REALLY appreciated the rules posted and how Disney actually worked to enforce them(what a concept!). The adult areas were also (almost always) respected. There were a few times I saw kids in the adult jacuzzi/Cove Cafe, but mostly when it was dead in there anyway. I didn't complain, because they were well behaved. The pools are warm-which is lovely compared with what we were used to on other ships, and it's nice to be able to take an evening dip or to have the option to swim in colder weather. We LOVED FUNNEL VISION(especially DH, who spent alot of time while DD and I explored and did our thing) and really appreciated the fact that, unlike our other experience, they actually ran the movies that they said they would. Our city has no drive-in, so this was a delight!

The Food: I really felt it deserved a very good rating. I never ordered anything I couldn't eat(although poor DD had a veggie options that I didn't force) I even found the breakfast buffet in Topsiders to be extremely good. A few honorable mentions in the dining rooms were: Oysters Rockefeller, Escargots, the Venison medallions, the Halibut, Tomato Basil soup and most desserts but the Creme Brule was extraordinary(this was my MIL's favourite and I hadn't yet experienced anything that came close). As far as the snack bars went: I loved the little wraps at Goofy s Galley, the morning smoothies, the fresh fruit and I found the Pizza at Pinocchio's to be really good as well. Nothing WOWed me at the Grill, but the Cajun chicken was good. What else can I say about Palo? Nike says it best: Just do it!

The Character experience: We found them to be plentiful and usually where they were supposed to be. I have heard some reports from people on our cruise, who were frustrated with the Princess greetings, for various reasons(which we never went to). I can understand that this is frustrating, but it was not our experience. I also loved that you would see them wandering around the ship and in the clubs.

Our Room Steward: Loyd, I wish I could have brought you home with me!!! I might add here I was a bit disheartened when I walked by rooms in the morning and saw the messes that some of the room stewards had to put up with(garbage etc). I tried to keep our room so that Loyd only had to make our beds and clean our bath. That's just me I guess. I don't think it's not allowed, but it surprised me is all.

Some DisHonorable mentions: - the one morning DH saw a Cast Member being bawled out by his manager in front of guests(not cool!) BAD manager!
-the "seat savers" in the theater and on Deck 9(shame shame shame) Again, we tried not to make a big deal about it, cause really it's not, but do others really want to look at your empty lounger most of the day from their leftover spots on Deck 10? Think about it-you know who you are!
-the line cutters: again(shame shame shame) you know who you are and is it really fair to jump in front of the family who had staked out their good spot, was standing there 20 minutes before the show, has a 2 and 4 year old who can't now see over your head s and who missed out on whatever it was that you were doing up until the last minute? I didn't think so!
-the couple who sat in Cove Cafe and who I heard complaining incessantly all week-the SAME couple-about the noise level on the ship(really? Did you not consider what Cruise Line you were sailing with ?) "How not to be a downer" should be required reading before your next cruise on a family liner-we all heard the noise-but some chose to see it as joyful. God Bless ya!
-the slippery Deck 10 boardwalk. At first, it didn't bug me too much, but since I mostly sat up on Deck 10(read point 2 )I was privy to at least 3-4 pretty bad spills/day after the rain or early morning after its swabbing. Disney should rethink this and maybe come up with a better solution. I smell a lawsuit.

The best part of this cruise was meeting so many wonderful people from all over the world and having our DD finally come out of her shell(although as usual, Disney OVER did that one!!!) As well, making memories with each other that we see as PRICELESS. My biggest regret is that I chose "material" over "people"(and I hate when I do that) and attended the Spa Draw instead of our Meet and Greet and therefore missed out on the opportunity to meet those who had attended. I don't know if I thought that I'd catch up with them later or what I was thinking (except that I really wanted a free massage!) Lesson learned and I won't repeat that one.

Joelle
You summed everything "Magically" and it all brought tears to my eyes. (AGAIN) I think that when we said our goodbyes Saturday morning on the ship I had tears as well. What can I say, I am a puddle

I vote free cruise for you for such and great review and for sharing your trip with us all!!!!

Thanks again for the memories

 

[5boyz]

Joelle
You summed everything "Magically" and it all brought tears to my eyes. (AGAIN) I think that when we said our goodbyes Saturday morning on the ship I had tears as well. What can I say, I am a puddle

I vote free cruise for you for such and great review and for sharing your trip with us all!!!!

Thanks again for the memories

Joanne, why do you think I made a beeline for the door so fast......

 

[jerelle]

Thanks for all the positive comments and encouragement.

It's good to know I am not the only mushball around!

PeachyGreen have a nice trip!

Joelle

 

[NAB]

You were not the only one that didn't make the meet that day so don't sweat it.

Probably passed you and didn't even know it though. Maybe next time we will meet.

Loved your trip report and the great pictures. Never get tried of that lovely blue/green water and the beach.

 

[sylvieandpinot]

merci jerelle for the great report. We are on the March 12th sailing and its our first cruise (ever)!

We are currently having a snow storm here on the island, so looking forward to the warm caribbean!

 

[SGcruiser]

I loved your report. We are taking the Eastern Cruise in November and it was nice to hear about the beaches. We have never used room service for breakfast, but after reading your report I think we need to give it a try. Also, Goofy's Galley sounds great too. We have been on several cruises but I'm always finding new things that we missed. I don't think you can ever get tired of a Disney Cruise. I'm sorry you missed Serenity Bay, it is one of the best parts of Castaway Cay. The couple from the Cove would love the quiet and tranquility. Thanks for sharing.