Mickey.MAC
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2017
First Time Poster to the Dis Board. Thanks to all previous posters who are very generous with their time. Figuring out the art of posting...pictures to follow
Who: Me and my Disney wife
Gavin 5
Logan 4
Why: The kids and I love Disney,and I need a vacation, and I found a VGT rate!
What: 7 night Western Carribean
Since the kids were born we have been going to Disney World or Disney Cruise 1-2 times per year. Yes, when the kids were babies, I was warned that they would not enjoy or remember the Disney Experience. Now, as small toddlers, they are beginning to appreciate(a little bit) the Disney Magic. I realize that I am also reliving my childhood by bringing them every year. As usual I waited for a VGT rate to pop up, and I found one on a Western Carribean cruise for a Verandah room. Pictures to follow...
My Disney wife was in charge of packing, and I was charge of planning the vacation and logistics. After scoring a VGT rate(I don't do rack rates for anything Disney), I reported the news to the wifey. She has grown tired of Disney so I offered to take the toddlers by myself--trying to be Mr. Mom. She opted to come along, and she had a great time. It is really hard to travel with children, unless you are the Princess Kate Middleton who has a nanny for each child.
My son's passport expired on the day the trip ended(is that fate?) and I promised the kids that instead of a birthday party this year, their birthday gift would be a disney cruise(aka Mickey Boat)
Disney Cruise Itinerary Nov 25-Dec2,2017
Day 1: Boarding
Day 2: At Sea
Day 3: Cozumel
Day 4: Grand Cayman
Day 5: Jamaica and Pirate Night
Day 6: At Sea
Day 7: Castaway Cay
Travel Day:
We took a late flight out on United Airlines using Points. We stayed at the MCO Hyatt the night before the cruise. I did not buy travel insurance, but instead we got to Orlando the night before the cruise and stayed in the airport. The airport is super convenient because you check right into your room when you arrive and get into the sanctuary of a hotel room right away. I entertained the idea of going to Disney World before and after the trip, but after talking to the Disney Wife(DW), we agreed to just do the cruise. However I am already planning a Disney World trip in the near future...
Hyatt MCO has a service which enlists the Bellman to pick up the bags from baggage claim and deliver them to your room. This service allowed me to hold my son's hands and make sure they don't destroy the airport.
We had not booked Disney bus transfers or port excursions in advance. I like to have the flexibility to change the schedule based on the kids state of mind and the weather. After a nice relaxing stay in the MCO Hyatt, we used the Disney Cruise service to head over to the Port. The bus is expensive, at 35 per person, but it is super convenient for families. Otherwise I would do the Happy Limo option. I did not carry my suitcases during any of the transfers!
Day 1 Boarding
We arrived at the port and checked in. We received Verandah state room 8138 which is a category 4B state room. The room is 299 square feet with balcony and 3 extra beds--sofa bed, bunk bed, and Murphy bed. The bed has blackout shades on 2 sections so that you can block the sun out, but also divide the room into a dark portion for people to nap. I utilized the shades in the morning when I woke up first. The bed is on the port side near the aft elevator. The aft elevator and stairs is the fastest way to travel in a vertical direction. Forget about the midship elevator/stairs unless you are up in the middle of the night. We received the boarding number of 23 and had to wait at least an hour for that number to be called. We sat at the observation deck to enjoy the view of the Fantasy. The Port was full of activity with the ship being prepared for sailing and watching the crew load and unload the cargo. Since we had to wait to board, we put the kids in their swimsuits so we could head straight to the pool deck the minute we boarded. My sons can only do the Mickey slide based on their height. At the port, the ladies room is under renovation so there were long lines. The Port employee told my wife that they renovated the men's room last month. Since I did online check in I received the Oceaneer bands at check in and did not wait in line at the Children's Registration booth.
Once we hit the pool deck, the boys grabbed their ice cream from the unlimited soft serve station and started watching funnel vision. I had an appointment with Dining Management at Royal Court to change dining from second seating 815pm to the first seating at 545pm. The last time I went to Dining Management on a previous cruise I was gunning for Remy reservations. But my focus on this cruise was to eat dinner with the boys. We stayed on the pool deck soaking up the sun until 4 pm, even though the staterooms were open at 130pmerrr make that 145 pm. Lots of people were crowding the stairwells hoping to check into their stateroom, and bickering broke out when people had to wait an extra 15 minutes. I felt bad for families who carried a lot of suitcases and carry ons to the ship; it is really hard to enjoy the pool deck when you have tons of cr*p. Our dining rotation for the first night was Enchanted Garden with the following rotation ERARREA.
After the muster drill, we headed to the kids clubs. We skipped the sail away party so we could orient the kids to the clubs. My older son, Gavin, was hesitant to use the clubs. Last Disney cruise he rejected the clubs but he is cruising with his younger brother so they could play together in the clubs. Most nights there is an open house in one section of the clubs and secure programming on the other side. Secure programming means you can drop your kids off and they cannot leave until you pick them up. The club contacts you through the wave phones if your child requests to be picked up.
We went from the Kids Oceaneer club/lab to funnel vision before dinner. There is so much time to kill when you are on the second dining rotation at 815 pm!When we arrived at Dinner, as expected, the kids were tired. By the time their entrees arrived, they were cranky and moody(aka tired). The food is okay in the MDR, but the service and theming are great. If you really need good food you need to pre book Palo and Remy for the dinner and brunches!
After Dinner, we went back to funnel vision to watch some Disney movies before heading off to bed. We used the Murphy bed the first night, but it blocks the verandah door so we abandoned it and just used the bunk bed and sofa bed.
Day 2
I woke up early because my body is trained to be up for work. I walked around the ship taking in all of the theming, art, and decorations. The Merrytime theme had an extra emphasis of Christmas, so there were lots of wreaths, and Xmas trees.
I wanted to wake up the family but knew they would have me walk the plank
I went to Cabanas at opening, 730, to eat my breakfast and wait for the family to wake up. I also don't carry the wave phone because there is a warning that any broken or lost wave phones cost you 250.
I enjoyed my nova scotia salmon and my steak. I then worked backwards to fill up on carbs like bagels and doughnuts and threw in the obligatory fruits: on this trip it was pineapple. There is a whole fruit station so I also asked for them to prep me a mango. I was on Disney Fantasy 2 years ago, and this trip I noticed a handwashing station in CABANAS. What a great addition. Handwashing is superior to handwipes, but when both are available you get a safer environment. I saw a lot of guests and staff coughing and I think my family caught other people's colds. A side note: One reason why I pick Disney is because they have a great track record with cleaning and low norovirus outbreaks.
As soon as the family work up, 830 am, I brought them to Cabanas. Ironically, this trip, I did not use room service at all! We had a nice breakfast near the bay windows overlooking the Caribbean Ocean. My sons were so excited by the view, that they forgot to eat--no worries, they have plenty of ice cream, i mean food on deck!
We headed to the pool deck and got some chairs close to the shallow kids pool and mickey slide. I thought my toddler could go on the aqua duck but to no avail! He was an inch too short; my wife tried to flash some leg to convince the crew member to let him on but he did not give in. Dis Boarder, Chunky Monkey, recommended a spa pass for the Rainforest spa, but my wife tasked me with water safety so when the kids were on the pool deck i was their lifeguard. On our first sea day, Senses salon and spa was holding a raffle. You have to be there in person to claim your prize. My wife and I signed up for the raffle and I was one of the winners. What was odd was that I have won this raffle before so maybe the Gods Spa Days have blessed me. I immediately gave the prize, a 100 dollar credit for spa treaments, to my wife. My wife did not initally want to be on a Disney vacation so I had to pamper her. I was planning to send her for multiple treatments but the first treament would be a pedicure. After the pedicure, she was not too happy with service. Also, they said the raffle prize only applies to signature treatments, and can not be used to sea days. No problem! But she felt service was mediocre so she did not want to go for any more treatments. In terms of the actual pedicure, it lasted in the ocean water... and I kept pointing out that her toes looked great the whole trip. She was not amused...
We sat by the pool all day long. My younger son was a wee bit short for the Mickey slide, which looks like Mickey's right hand holding up a slide that swirls around. Since some crew members were more lenient, I put him on the slide with crew members were not too strict with height requirements.
Day 3 Cozumel
I was excited for this port. I have been to Cancun and Playa del Carmen. I dreamed of going on the tours which circumnavigate the island. But I had to keep reminding myself that i have toddlers. I did not want to put them in the Club while I left the ship(I did consider it though ). So I booked a private taxi, on my own, and went to Playa Mia. Playa Mia is close to the ship and was a Disney Port excursion. By going on my own, I felt I could return to the ship if the family did not like it. A few quick thumbs up for Playa Mia because it had a nice kids water park, and a nice spot on the beach. There was also plenty of shade if you are not a sun worshipper. Thumbs Down! Playa Mia did not clean their beachfront so there was tons of seaweed. The water was also murky but I can't blame management for that. In other trips to the Caribbean, i see staff cleaning seaweed in the morning and daytime. At Playa Mia, seaweed lined the shoreline.
We ate at the Playa Mia buffet which was good for the kids because they had basic cruise food like hot dogs, rice, salad, hamburgers, ships and salsa. My wife was looking for authentic Mexican food(specifically tacos) but she would not find it. We were glad to dip our feet in the Cozumel ocean, but were equally happy to head back to port. As other people have noted, the Cozumel port is designed to funnel you through their shops. I bought my wife a nice sunhat for 15 USD, and she kinda looked like Jackie Onasis.
On our taxi ride back, which is 18 USD day for one way trip, the AC was broken in the taxi. My wife told me she was going to pass out and admonished me for picking a taxi with no ventilation. As we walked by the port my son went up to a person dressed like the skeleton in "Coco". As he passed by the skeleton started talking to him and he ran to me telling me that the monster was chasing him.Back in the safety of our ship, we headed to the room to relax. Everyone went for nap time. It was so beautiful that I sat on our verandah. All Aboard was 445 pm. I thought that no one would be silly to test the limits, but no, i saw a Dad push his double stroller to the boat at....445 pm! After Disney closed its ship doors, we stayed tied to the docks for another 20 minutes, but I would not want to risk missing the ship! We were so lucky to have gorgeous weather the whole trip.
Who: Me and my Disney wife
Gavin 5
Logan 4
Why: The kids and I love Disney,and I need a vacation, and I found a VGT rate!
What: 7 night Western Carribean
Since the kids were born we have been going to Disney World or Disney Cruise 1-2 times per year. Yes, when the kids were babies, I was warned that they would not enjoy or remember the Disney Experience. Now, as small toddlers, they are beginning to appreciate(a little bit) the Disney Magic. I realize that I am also reliving my childhood by bringing them every year. As usual I waited for a VGT rate to pop up, and I found one on a Western Carribean cruise for a Verandah room. Pictures to follow...
My Disney wife was in charge of packing, and I was charge of planning the vacation and logistics. After scoring a VGT rate(I don't do rack rates for anything Disney), I reported the news to the wifey. She has grown tired of Disney so I offered to take the toddlers by myself--trying to be Mr. Mom. She opted to come along, and she had a great time. It is really hard to travel with children, unless you are the Princess Kate Middleton who has a nanny for each child.
My son's passport expired on the day the trip ended(is that fate?) and I promised the kids that instead of a birthday party this year, their birthday gift would be a disney cruise(aka Mickey Boat)
Disney Cruise Itinerary Nov 25-Dec2,2017
Day 1: Boarding
Day 2: At Sea
Day 3: Cozumel
Day 4: Grand Cayman
Day 5: Jamaica and Pirate Night
Day 6: At Sea
Day 7: Castaway Cay
Travel Day:
We took a late flight out on United Airlines using Points. We stayed at the MCO Hyatt the night before the cruise. I did not buy travel insurance, but instead we got to Orlando the night before the cruise and stayed in the airport. The airport is super convenient because you check right into your room when you arrive and get into the sanctuary of a hotel room right away. I entertained the idea of going to Disney World before and after the trip, but after talking to the Disney Wife(DW), we agreed to just do the cruise. However I am already planning a Disney World trip in the near future...
Hyatt MCO has a service which enlists the Bellman to pick up the bags from baggage claim and deliver them to your room. This service allowed me to hold my son's hands and make sure they don't destroy the airport.
We had not booked Disney bus transfers or port excursions in advance. I like to have the flexibility to change the schedule based on the kids state of mind and the weather. After a nice relaxing stay in the MCO Hyatt, we used the Disney Cruise service to head over to the Port. The bus is expensive, at 35 per person, but it is super convenient for families. Otherwise I would do the Happy Limo option. I did not carry my suitcases during any of the transfers!
Day 1 Boarding
We arrived at the port and checked in. We received Verandah state room 8138 which is a category 4B state room. The room is 299 square feet with balcony and 3 extra beds--sofa bed, bunk bed, and Murphy bed. The bed has blackout shades on 2 sections so that you can block the sun out, but also divide the room into a dark portion for people to nap. I utilized the shades in the morning when I woke up first. The bed is on the port side near the aft elevator. The aft elevator and stairs is the fastest way to travel in a vertical direction. Forget about the midship elevator/stairs unless you are up in the middle of the night. We received the boarding number of 23 and had to wait at least an hour for that number to be called. We sat at the observation deck to enjoy the view of the Fantasy. The Port was full of activity with the ship being prepared for sailing and watching the crew load and unload the cargo. Since we had to wait to board, we put the kids in their swimsuits so we could head straight to the pool deck the minute we boarded. My sons can only do the Mickey slide based on their height. At the port, the ladies room is under renovation so there were long lines. The Port employee told my wife that they renovated the men's room last month. Since I did online check in I received the Oceaneer bands at check in and did not wait in line at the Children's Registration booth.
Once we hit the pool deck, the boys grabbed their ice cream from the unlimited soft serve station and started watching funnel vision. I had an appointment with Dining Management at Royal Court to change dining from second seating 815pm to the first seating at 545pm. The last time I went to Dining Management on a previous cruise I was gunning for Remy reservations. But my focus on this cruise was to eat dinner with the boys. We stayed on the pool deck soaking up the sun until 4 pm, even though the staterooms were open at 130pmerrr make that 145 pm. Lots of people were crowding the stairwells hoping to check into their stateroom, and bickering broke out when people had to wait an extra 15 minutes. I felt bad for families who carried a lot of suitcases and carry ons to the ship; it is really hard to enjoy the pool deck when you have tons of cr*p. Our dining rotation for the first night was Enchanted Garden with the following rotation ERARREA.
After the muster drill, we headed to the kids clubs. We skipped the sail away party so we could orient the kids to the clubs. My older son, Gavin, was hesitant to use the clubs. Last Disney cruise he rejected the clubs but he is cruising with his younger brother so they could play together in the clubs. Most nights there is an open house in one section of the clubs and secure programming on the other side. Secure programming means you can drop your kids off and they cannot leave until you pick them up. The club contacts you through the wave phones if your child requests to be picked up.
We went from the Kids Oceaneer club/lab to funnel vision before dinner. There is so much time to kill when you are on the second dining rotation at 815 pm!When we arrived at Dinner, as expected, the kids were tired. By the time their entrees arrived, they were cranky and moody(aka tired). The food is okay in the MDR, but the service and theming are great. If you really need good food you need to pre book Palo and Remy for the dinner and brunches!
After Dinner, we went back to funnel vision to watch some Disney movies before heading off to bed. We used the Murphy bed the first night, but it blocks the verandah door so we abandoned it and just used the bunk bed and sofa bed.
Day 2
I woke up early because my body is trained to be up for work. I walked around the ship taking in all of the theming, art, and decorations. The Merrytime theme had an extra emphasis of Christmas, so there were lots of wreaths, and Xmas trees.
I wanted to wake up the family but knew they would have me walk the plank
I went to Cabanas at opening, 730, to eat my breakfast and wait for the family to wake up. I also don't carry the wave phone because there is a warning that any broken or lost wave phones cost you 250.
I enjoyed my nova scotia salmon and my steak. I then worked backwards to fill up on carbs like bagels and doughnuts and threw in the obligatory fruits: on this trip it was pineapple. There is a whole fruit station so I also asked for them to prep me a mango. I was on Disney Fantasy 2 years ago, and this trip I noticed a handwashing station in CABANAS. What a great addition. Handwashing is superior to handwipes, but when both are available you get a safer environment. I saw a lot of guests and staff coughing and I think my family caught other people's colds. A side note: One reason why I pick Disney is because they have a great track record with cleaning and low norovirus outbreaks.
As soon as the family work up, 830 am, I brought them to Cabanas. Ironically, this trip, I did not use room service at all! We had a nice breakfast near the bay windows overlooking the Caribbean Ocean. My sons were so excited by the view, that they forgot to eat--no worries, they have plenty of ice cream, i mean food on deck!
We headed to the pool deck and got some chairs close to the shallow kids pool and mickey slide. I thought my toddler could go on the aqua duck but to no avail! He was an inch too short; my wife tried to flash some leg to convince the crew member to let him on but he did not give in. Dis Boarder, Chunky Monkey, recommended a spa pass for the Rainforest spa, but my wife tasked me with water safety so when the kids were on the pool deck i was their lifeguard. On our first sea day, Senses salon and spa was holding a raffle. You have to be there in person to claim your prize. My wife and I signed up for the raffle and I was one of the winners. What was odd was that I have won this raffle before so maybe the Gods Spa Days have blessed me. I immediately gave the prize, a 100 dollar credit for spa treaments, to my wife. My wife did not initally want to be on a Disney vacation so I had to pamper her. I was planning to send her for multiple treatments but the first treament would be a pedicure. After the pedicure, she was not too happy with service. Also, they said the raffle prize only applies to signature treatments, and can not be used to sea days. No problem! But she felt service was mediocre so she did not want to go for any more treatments. In terms of the actual pedicure, it lasted in the ocean water... and I kept pointing out that her toes looked great the whole trip. She was not amused...
We sat by the pool all day long. My younger son was a wee bit short for the Mickey slide, which looks like Mickey's right hand holding up a slide that swirls around. Since some crew members were more lenient, I put him on the slide with crew members were not too strict with height requirements.
Day 3 Cozumel
I was excited for this port. I have been to Cancun and Playa del Carmen. I dreamed of going on the tours which circumnavigate the island. But I had to keep reminding myself that i have toddlers. I did not want to put them in the Club while I left the ship(I did consider it though ). So I booked a private taxi, on my own, and went to Playa Mia. Playa Mia is close to the ship and was a Disney Port excursion. By going on my own, I felt I could return to the ship if the family did not like it. A few quick thumbs up for Playa Mia because it had a nice kids water park, and a nice spot on the beach. There was also plenty of shade if you are not a sun worshipper. Thumbs Down! Playa Mia did not clean their beachfront so there was tons of seaweed. The water was also murky but I can't blame management for that. In other trips to the Caribbean, i see staff cleaning seaweed in the morning and daytime. At Playa Mia, seaweed lined the shoreline.
We ate at the Playa Mia buffet which was good for the kids because they had basic cruise food like hot dogs, rice, salad, hamburgers, ships and salsa. My wife was looking for authentic Mexican food(specifically tacos) but she would not find it. We were glad to dip our feet in the Cozumel ocean, but were equally happy to head back to port. As other people have noted, the Cozumel port is designed to funnel you through their shops. I bought my wife a nice sunhat for 15 USD, and she kinda looked like Jackie Onasis.
On our taxi ride back, which is 18 USD day for one way trip, the AC was broken in the taxi. My wife told me she was going to pass out and admonished me for picking a taxi with no ventilation. As we walked by the port my son went up to a person dressed like the skeleton in "Coco". As he passed by the skeleton started talking to him and he ran to me telling me that the monster was chasing him.Back in the safety of our ship, we headed to the room to relax. Everyone went for nap time. It was so beautiful that I sat on our verandah. All Aboard was 445 pm. I thought that no one would be silly to test the limits, but no, i saw a Dad push his double stroller to the boat at....445 pm! After Disney closed its ship doors, we stayed tied to the docks for another 20 minutes, but I would not want to risk missing the ship! We were so lucky to have gorgeous weather the whole trip.
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