So we only told the girls we were taking a
Disney cruise when we arrived at the airport. They only figured out we were going to the airport last night as they eavesdropped on my conversation with GM. Hey, we kept it a secret for a long time and it was really tough not to tell them. So they were excited but didn't really know what to expect.
We flew into LAX from PHX. It is an hour flight and we took the earliest flight in case there was a problem. We happened to sit next to Vicki who was in our FE group. We waited for about an hour for the
DCL bus and then watched the cruise video on the bus to the pier. I had a lot of great information from the boards so I knew to sort-of hang out in front of the kids club line and look for the characters. We were first in line to get the kids club bands and hit all the lines right. We were concierge so we had a Boarding Card #1. We first saw Goofy in the port lobby. We went to sit in the Concierge lobby which was pretty empty. It may have been more fun to sit with everyone else who was excited for the trip. We saw the family of the day getting ready to board and then GM went to see what character was out for pictures. It was Pluto so we got in line. They were already on board group 2 by the time we took the picture and went to board. So look for the characters to change if you arrive at the port early.
The girls brought their light up suitcases that Santa had given them for Christmas. They loved them and we received a lot of complements on them. They were very proud to have their own suitcases to roll around everywhere.
We boarded and they asked our family name. I knew this was coming so I had them say our girls names. Guest servcies didn't have a line so we stopped there to get tickets to the Disney Friends Tea Party. We then went to Parrot Cay (pronounced Key) for lunch. It was a nice buffet with shrimp, cheese, salad bar and carved beef. The girls had eaten the sandwiches GM brought in the port terminal so they weren't very hungry. There was a kids buffet line but they were happy to have ice cream. I most enjoyed the shrimp and salad. The beef from the carving station was good too.
After lunch we found the Cadillac Lounge for the Concierge reception. We met Mike who sat down to chat with us about the cruise. I had typed a list of my goals which I gave him a copy to review. This was extremely helpful because I was so excited I know I would have forgotten a lot of the things I wanted to tell him. He confirmed that they were able to book all of us on a whale watching tour and gave us tickets to our excursions.
We then took the kids to the Oceaneers Club for Open House so they could check it out. They loved it!! DD3 loved the tree house with the slide. DD5 quickly found the dress up chest, put on a Cinderella dress and started watching TV. I had their swimsuits in my carry on but it seemed a little cool outside to swim. We were pretty busy and didn't have much time to explore the ship beyond the kids club. That was fine as the girls were having a blast in the club.
We went to our room a little after 2pm. WOW!!! It was gorgeous and huge!!! It was a handicap accessible 1-bedroom suite, 8600. It had a long hallway, 2 full baths, a sitting room with pullout couch, separate bedroom with a walk-in closet and bathroom. Since HA , no tub but it did have the removable shower head which was fabulous to wash the little girls hair. I liked it so much I think I will be replacing my shower head at home. In the sitting room was built in shelves with books, a turtle sculpture, a fish sculpture, antique cameras and other decorations. There was a tv and dvd player with a 4 page list of movies we could borrow. We picked Tangled since it is DD3s favorite and our copy at home doesn't play anymore.
Our balcony was huge and had two hidden balconies which are under the bubble out from the 9th deck next to Beach Blanket Buffet. They were covered so we could stand out on them if it happened to rain. It was very nice to have a balcony with covered and uncovered areas. We were able to put 2 sun chairs on them in addition to the 2 chairs and small table that were there. The only downside of the balcony, which was curved to around the back of the ship was that the bottom was steel and you could not see out when sitting down. Perfect for standing or laying out in the sun but sitting was really only good for reading. The room had a better view when sitting. Speaking of sitting there was a table where the girls could color and we could eat. It was next to the wet bar with a dark green marble top. There was tons of space. Mom had a cot put in the room and there was still space. There are so many cabinets and drawers that we didn't bring enough stuff to fill them all even though we completely unpacked. There was plenty of space for the 4 of us. GM commented that she thought it was bigger than their first apartment after my parents got married. Honestly, we didn't need that much space but it was really nice.
We relaxed in the room a little while and then went to our FE meet up. It was nice to put a face with a name. It was super crowded and we didn't get to meet everyone. We did order the drink of the day, ta Bahama Mama which they described as tastes like a Mai Tai but has more alcohol. The girls were a bit overwhelmed and hungry since they didn't eat much lunch so we went back to the room. A fruit bowl had been delivered from the Concierge and they loved it. My girls love fruit. The girls colored, played with their Leappads from Santa and started a journal with GM.
We went to the muster drill and found Cari from our FE. She is blind and brought her guide dog, Denver, and best friend Julie. We sat with them and when they left a few minutes early we followed. This extra few minutes let us easily get on an elevator and we were front and center for the Sail Away party. It was LOUD being in the very front but super fun. GM stayed closer to the back as she sat down on the bench when we arrived. She could see really well standing on the bench without blocking anyone. They handed out mini pom poms to the kids which my girls loved. The show was high energy and a lot of fun. DD5 got a little tired of the show so I told her she could sit on the edge of the stage. DD3 wanted to run out onto the stage and I had to keep holding her back.
Once the show part was over they continued the music and dancing. We immediately left to go downstairs to see Mickey. He took a little time but we were 2nd in line. It was all very exciting and wonderful fun.
Dinner was at Parrot Cay and since our bags hadn't all been delivered we went straight to the restaurant. We sat down and met our servers, Maria and Teody. They were super nice and cut the girls food. The girls started with watermelon and DD3 feel asleep on my lap before our food arrived. Maria cut her food and tried to feed her but she only took one bite. She slept on my lap so Maria cut up my dinner
DD5 ordered the pizza and it was awful so we reordered the chicken strips which were much better. I ordered the mixed grill which was fabulous. The tuna appetizer was very spicy but tasted ok and the crab dip was ok. Dessert, crème brulee cheesecake wasn't worth the calories so I only took a few small bites.
The little sister was still asleep and big sister was tired so we went back to the room. My mom goes to bed around 8pm also so we were done for the night. This would be a recurring theme...early to bed, early to rise.
I still need to learn to use my camera.
