My family of 5 (me, DH, DS - 15, DD-12, and niece 11) stayed in a category 4 cabin (Room 8020) with Eric, our room steward. He was wonderful - and the girls left their stuff all over. [I had 2 over the door shoe racks, but I'm the only one who used it!!]
Here are some thoughts.
Ship - It is a Disney masterpiece. Look at the details in the walls, the art work throughout the ship. The cabin was spacious, and I loved the verandah. With the 5th bed pulled down, it was difficult to sit outside. You have to climb over the bed or the person sleeping in it, but that didn't stop me.
Food - Our servers Timmy from Croatia and Geidre from Lithuania made each meal an event. We generally followed Timmy's suggestions and were not disappointed. The salmon dishes were delicious! At the Captain's Gala, DS ordered 2 lobster dinners without a problem. For breakfast we ate at Topsiders and were very pleased. The burgers at Pluto's were very good, as was the pizza.
Game Shows - Studio Sea had several family game shows that DH and DD really got into. They selected the loudest from the audience (DH selected twice!) to participate and they had a blast. DS was totally embarrassed. At the Who Wants to Be a Mousekateer?, DH was chosen to be on the panel of Disney "experts".
Shows - Disney Dreams was as good as any production I've seen on Broadway. Don't miss it. We also liked C'est Magique. Hercules was too silly for our taste. The welcome aboard variety show was good - it gives you the opportunity to sample the on-board entertainment. The farewell show was excellent.
Radisson Hotel - For convenience and comfort, this is the place to stay. The pool is beautiful, but the mosquitos after dark are rapacious. With the AVIS office right there, you can't go wrong. Both AVIS and the Radisson run shuttles continuously on the days ships sail.
Clubs - My kids did not do any of the activities with the clubs, and I believe they missed out a good time because of it. They are not into organized activities, but they would have met other kids and could have enjoyed the parties. At night there were groups of teens playing basketball or sitting around talking rather than sitting in the room watching Cinderella for the 10th time.
Pools and chairs - I spent my time at the Quiet Cove Pool, never had a problem getting a chair poolside. I loved the apron surrounding the pool to keep wet and cool. The Goofy pool was crowded, which was why my kids spent little time there.
Castaway Cay - Beautiful paradise. I was within the first rush off the ship, missed the tram, however. I started walking with the crowd, and I was able to get chairs and an umbrella without any problem. (and believe me, I do not walk fast!) Maybe the people on our cruise were especially courteous, I don't know.
Coral World and Coki Beach - DS and niece enjoyed the snorkeling at Coki Beach. They took tons of pictures of fish. Coral World was small, compared the aquariums in the states. Younger children, however, would have really enjoyed it. The sand at Coki Beach was soft, not rocky as I expected.
Great Bay Beach - Very pretty, clean, and convenient to the ship! This was just fine for us. We went to the beach in the morning via ferry, ate lunch on the ship, and returned to do some shopping.
Adult Programming - DH and I went to hear Don Hahn, Disney producer. We found his talks very interesting. DH enjoys animation and drawing characters.
Characters - they were everywhere. While most of the time they were headed to photo opportunities, I saw lots of people taking their own pictures of their children with Mickey, etc.
Disembarkation - A breeze! We walked off about 8:00, found a porter who knew exactly where our luggage was based on our room number. He took the luggage to USAir and graciously accepted our tip. It was worth it!
Final thoughts - If you have children, especially 5-9, this is the trip! The children sitting behind me were wowed by the silliest tricks during C'est Magique and seeing the characters. The counselors seemed to do a good job keeping them under control. We went to see Spy Kids, and there were about 80+ 5-9's in the theater. They were silent during the movie. For teens, it's all attitude. For adults without kids, there was more to do than time allowed. DH and I enjoyed the Dueling Pianos - Tamara and Kim and went to several of their shows. DH is not into dancing, so we didn't go to the parties. Next time I'll go because they sounded like so much fun!
As we were pulling away from Port Canaveral, I couldn't speak because of the lump in my throat. This was truly a magical vacation.
Here are some thoughts.
Ship - It is a Disney masterpiece. Look at the details in the walls, the art work throughout the ship. The cabin was spacious, and I loved the verandah. With the 5th bed pulled down, it was difficult to sit outside. You have to climb over the bed or the person sleeping in it, but that didn't stop me.
Food - Our servers Timmy from Croatia and Geidre from Lithuania made each meal an event. We generally followed Timmy's suggestions and were not disappointed. The salmon dishes were delicious! At the Captain's Gala, DS ordered 2 lobster dinners without a problem. For breakfast we ate at Topsiders and were very pleased. The burgers at Pluto's were very good, as was the pizza.
Game Shows - Studio Sea had several family game shows that DH and DD really got into. They selected the loudest from the audience (DH selected twice!) to participate and they had a blast. DS was totally embarrassed. At the Who Wants to Be a Mousekateer?, DH was chosen to be on the panel of Disney "experts".
Shows - Disney Dreams was as good as any production I've seen on Broadway. Don't miss it. We also liked C'est Magique. Hercules was too silly for our taste. The welcome aboard variety show was good - it gives you the opportunity to sample the on-board entertainment. The farewell show was excellent.
Radisson Hotel - For convenience and comfort, this is the place to stay. The pool is beautiful, but the mosquitos after dark are rapacious. With the AVIS office right there, you can't go wrong. Both AVIS and the Radisson run shuttles continuously on the days ships sail.
Clubs - My kids did not do any of the activities with the clubs, and I believe they missed out a good time because of it. They are not into organized activities, but they would have met other kids and could have enjoyed the parties. At night there were groups of teens playing basketball or sitting around talking rather than sitting in the room watching Cinderella for the 10th time.
Pools and chairs - I spent my time at the Quiet Cove Pool, never had a problem getting a chair poolside. I loved the apron surrounding the pool to keep wet and cool. The Goofy pool was crowded, which was why my kids spent little time there.
Castaway Cay - Beautiful paradise. I was within the first rush off the ship, missed the tram, however. I started walking with the crowd, and I was able to get chairs and an umbrella without any problem. (and believe me, I do not walk fast!) Maybe the people on our cruise were especially courteous, I don't know.
Coral World and Coki Beach - DS and niece enjoyed the snorkeling at Coki Beach. They took tons of pictures of fish. Coral World was small, compared the aquariums in the states. Younger children, however, would have really enjoyed it. The sand at Coki Beach was soft, not rocky as I expected.
Great Bay Beach - Very pretty, clean, and convenient to the ship! This was just fine for us. We went to the beach in the morning via ferry, ate lunch on the ship, and returned to do some shopping.
Adult Programming - DH and I went to hear Don Hahn, Disney producer. We found his talks very interesting. DH enjoys animation and drawing characters.
Characters - they were everywhere. While most of the time they were headed to photo opportunities, I saw lots of people taking their own pictures of their children with Mickey, etc.
Disembarkation - A breeze! We walked off about 8:00, found a porter who knew exactly where our luggage was based on our room number. He took the luggage to USAir and graciously accepted our tip. It was worth it!
Final thoughts - If you have children, especially 5-9, this is the trip! The children sitting behind me were wowed by the silliest tricks during C'est Magique and seeing the characters. The counselors seemed to do a good job keeping them under control. We went to see Spy Kids, and there were about 80+ 5-9's in the theater. They were silent during the movie. For teens, it's all attitude. For adults without kids, there was more to do than time allowed. DH and I enjoyed the Dueling Pianos - Tamara and Kim and went to several of their shows. DH is not into dancing, so we didn't go to the parties. Next time I'll go because they sounded like so much fun!
As we were pulling away from Port Canaveral, I couldn't speak because of the lump in my throat. This was truly a magical vacation.
