Disney Cruise Tips

Since I know that I have a lot of friends considering a Disney cruise, here are some things that I learned, in no particular order:

• Use a Disney travel agent to book your cruise. It makes life so much easier.
• Don't bother registering your kids for the kids club while in the port terminal. Just do it once you're on the boat. The line is much shorter. 
• Get tickets to the Princess Gathering and to see Elsa as soon as you get on board because those tickets get taken fast.
• If you're looking for something to do in a port, I highly recommend Resort for a Day. We only used them once but had a great experience.
• Don't do a dolphin encounter, especially in Grand Cayman.
• I was afraid it might be overkill, but I had several types of bags with me, and they all got used. 
• Backpack for carrying on the plane
• Baggalini crossbody bag (sort of like this) for carrying a few diapers around the ship along with my Navigator, wave phones, Key to the World card, and a few other odds and ends.
• Beach bag (sort of like this) for carrying sunscreen, sand toys, puddle jumpers, and other items for the beach.
• Bring water bottles with you to fill with soda or water to carry around the ship.
• Pack your bathing suit in your day bag for your first day on the ship when you embark, so you can swim before your luggage is delivered.
• Arrive the day before your cruise and stay at the Hyatt in the airport. It takes the stress out of traveling.
• Definitely get door magnets for your stateroom door. Laura, our travel agent, sent me a Mickey pirate, and we loved it. Tons of people had them and we would have been so sad if we didn't have something. If you search "Disney cruise door magnet" on Etsy, you'll find tons of options.
• Try to get the dinner arrangements that maximize the number of times you go to Animator's Palate. We got to go three times, and it was awesome.
• Get your passports early. It was a huge pain in the rear to get passports for the kids--I started attempting to get them in February, and we ended up having to rush them in April.
• Take advantage of the kids club and nursery while on board. The peace and quiet is so worth the $9/hour charge for the nursery (kids club is free).
• You'll read a lot of blogs about needing to bring stuff like a shoe organizer to hang on the door, power strip to charge your phones, clothespins to hang your wet stuff. We didn't need any of that. The room has tons of storage and plenty of places to hang went stuff.
• What did come in handy was a laundry bag. We did laundry halfway through the trip, which was nice. Of course, I had packed enough clothes for the kids and me to stay for a month, but it was still nice to have less laundry to do when we got home.
• Don't feel obligated to bring a suit or fancy dress for formal night. I wore a cotton skirt and Eric wore khakis, and it was totally fine. People were way less dressed up for dinner on this than previous ships that I had been on, and no one noticed.
• Just go ahead and spend the $89 for 1,000mb of internet. It was well worth it to be able to keep up with things at home after the kids were all in bed by 9:30pm every night. Disney does give you 50mb for free but that went fast.
• Get your house cleaned right before you leave. We had ours cleaned on Thursday, before we left on Friday, and it was so nice to come home to a clean house.
• Eat as many Mickey bars as you can. They are so, so good and only available in Disney parks and on the cruise. Fletch loved the Mickey bars.

• Bring pirate costumes for Pirate Night. I almost didn't, but everyone had costumes. I'm so glad we did. Here's a picture of a picture from that night. This was taken by the Disney photographer, which is why I don't have a digital version.

That's all that I can think of, but if I come up with anything else, I'll keep posting. 

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Disney Cruise--Part 4

Thursday:

After our great, but tiring day in Jamaica, we all needed some down time so the day at sea on Thursday was perfect. Like usual, we had an early wake-up call from the kids.

(These pics show the kids' sleeping arrangements. Deacon was in a pack-n-play by the balcony door, while P&F alternated with who was on the top and bottom of the bunk beds.)

We started the day like our previous day at sea--Cabanas for breakfast and then hit the pool, splash pad, and water slides right when they opened. We had everything to ourselves. Eric took P&F on the Aquaduck several times in a row with no wait, Deke and I hung out in the splash pad (kids in swim diapers aren't allowed in the pools), and then we all hung out and watched Toy Story 2 on the large screen in front of the pools.

By 11am, we were pretty tired and it was getting hot. We checked Deke into the nursery so he could have lunch and nap, and P&F went to the kids club for lunch and play time. That gave Eric and I some time to relax, so we spent several hours on the adult deck, just reading, talking, etc. So nice.

Around 2pm, I got P&F from the kids club and took them for another swim. We then picked up Deacon from the nursery, and got ready for dinner. It was another night at Animator's Palate, but this time, they let you draw pictures, and then they animate them for you on the screen. It was one of the coolest things that I've ever seen, and we had a great time.

Piper loved seeing her picture up there. Unfortunately, it was tough wrangling three kids, food, drinks, etc., so we don't have any photos from the rest of the day or night.

That was it for Thursday. It was a fantastic, relaxing day.

Friday:
Our last day on the cruise--we were all pretty sad about it, but determined to make the best of it because it was our stop at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. To say this island is impressive is an understatement. It's everything you'd imagine from an island made by Disney--perfect logistics, no clouds in the sky, the most beautiful water that I've ever seen, just the right number of umbrellas, stuff for grown-ups and kids, yummy food, etc. We LOVED it.

We started by taking the tram to the family beach, near the snorkeling lagoon. P&F said they wanted to try snorkeling first, so we suited up in the life jackets that they make you wear.

Eric took P&F out pretty far, until Fletch freaked out because, ever the extrovert, he wanted to play with other kids, and decided to come back to shore. Fletch, Deacon, and I played in the surf for a long time, while Piper and Eric enjoyed some time together, where Piper was a superstar snorkeler---going our farther and longer than I probably even would have.

When Eric and Piper were done, he took them on the huge water slides that splash down in the ocean. Deacon and I played in the water, which was clear, calm, and warm like a bathtub. Deacon loved finding the shells on the bottom and throwing them back in the This isn't my picture below, but it gives you an idea of what the water looked like. It was just like this.

Not my picture, stolen from another blog.

After the slides, we tried out the kids' splash pad, which everyone loved. Deacon made the best faces as he ran through the various sprinklers. Piper and Fletch immediately made some friends with a family from London. It was a blast. By that time, we were getting hungry, so we made our way to Cookies Too BBQ. The food was so yummy--hot dogs, ribs, burgers, chicken, potato salad, cookies, fruit. All of it was delicious.

All that eating wore Deacon out, so he napped while Piper, Fletch, and I swam some more after lunch. 

And then all that swimming wore out Fletch and me, so we took a little rest while Piper played in the sand.

By that point, we had spent several hours in the sun, so we started the walk back to the boat to cool off. The tram was available, but we wanted to get some ice cream and check out the shops, so we walked back. It is such a beautiful island, and the walk back was the perfect way to end our day there.

Back on the ship, everyone got baths and showers to wash away the sand and salt. We still had a few hours until dinner, so the kids went to their club/nursery, which gave me a chance to pack up our room. We had to leave our luggage out in the hall by 10:30pm, so it could be taken down to the debarkation area. So sad packing up. 

After that, we had our last dinner in the Enchanted Garden, and P&F had their last post-dinner trip to the kids club. We let them stay extra late, and on the way out, Piper hugged some of the youth counselors that she got to know. It was really sweet. When we got back to our room, we also had this waiting for us from the nursery. 

Like I think I said before, I can't say enough good things about the kids club and nursery. They go out of their way to get to know the kids, do great activities, deal with separation anxiety, and just make it a wonderful experience. Characters even visit the kids club, so P&F got to see Peter Pan, Stitch, Pluto (at Pluto's Pajama Party), Crush, Goofy, and a few others. It's so much more than just a play space to drop your kids.

We went to sleep that night, dreading waking up the next day to depart the ship.

Saturday:

Our debarkation day--the saddest day of the trip. Of course, the kids took the opportunity to sleep in that day--the one day that we had to be up and out of the room by 6:45am. We actually had to wake them, and we were late to breakfast because they took so long to get going. I guess we now know it takes 7 days at sea on a Disney cruise to get them to sleep. Duly noted, my children.

Debarkation was relatively painless thanks to the porter who helped us get our luggage out. We were at the airport by 10:30am for our 12pm flight, and had a quick snack break before boarding the plane.

We were back at home in Alexandria by 3pm. Since then, we've spent the past few days recounting our adventures and reassuring the kids that there are lots more to come, including another Disney cruise someday when Deacon is older. I can't wait!

Disney Cruise--Part 3

Tuesday:
Tuesday was a day of ups and downs. It started on a down note when the kids were really crazy at breakfast, and Deacon tipped over in his stroller. Not a great way to start the day. It began looking up when we went to the princess gathering after breakfast.

Rather than making you wait for hours in line to see the princesses, Disney has timed tickets to see all of them at once. It makes life so much easier. I highly recommend getting tickets as soon as you get on board.

Once we were done with the princesses, we had docked in Grand Cayman. We had tickets to do a dolphin encounter. This is when things started to go down hill again. First, we had to wait for quite a while in the ship's lounge to get boarded onto a tender boat to shore.

Once we got on shore, we had to wait out in the hot sun in line for buses to the excursion. The wait was about 40 (hot, sweaty) minutes with kids who were tired and not behaving. Poor Fletch even spent some time in timeout.

After finally boarding the bus, we were taken to the dolphin encounter place, overall, it was awful. I already had moral objections to seeing dolphins in captivity (please watch these movies about keeping large marine mammals in captivity--Blackfish and The Cove) but decided to do it b/c I thought the kids would love it.

As soon as we arrived, I felt bad for the dolphins and for us. We were basically like cattle being herded into the hot sun to eventually get in the water with the dolphins. Once in the water, the ledge wasn't tall enough for the kids to stand on so they were bobbnig around, and the instructor kept getting upset with us for not keeping the kids under control. I won't go into all of the details, but it ended up with us complaining, Eric getting stung by a jellyfish (thank goodness it was him and not the kids), and us getting most of our money back. I feel so bad that we did this excursion that I may need to make a donation to some type of ocean-based charity to repent for our sins.

Anyway, after the dolphins, we went across the street to the turtle conservation farm. That was much nicer and actually really cool.

I wish we had more time to spend there, but alas, we had to get back on the bus to head to the ship. Back on board, we all took baths/showers, relaxed for a bit, and then the kids went to the kids club and nursery for a few hours. As it turned out, the other family at our dinner table was eating in the fancy adult-only restaurant, so Eric and I had dinner alone. It was so nice to eat a meal without corralling three kids. After dinner, we picked up the kids, and headed to bed. A nice end to a long day.

Wednesday:
The only new country on our cruise itinerary was Jamaica, which we visited on Wednesday. The Disney excursions for Jamaica didn't seem that great, especially with kids, so I bought us day passes to the Jewel Runaway Bay Resort through Resort for a Day. I was nervous about doing a non-Disney excursion, especially in a place like Jamaica, but it worked out great. I can't say enough good things about Resort for a Day.

Before we docked in Jamaica, we checked Deacon into the nursery. We decided he wouldn't appreciate the day at the beach or the 40-60 minute bus ride. It was a great decision because it gave us lots of time with the big kids. So, we dropped him off and got off the boat. Falmouth is a relatively new port, built just a few years ago, and is very clean and nice, although maybe a bit sterile. I was pleasantly surprised. Lots of little shops as well as a Margaritville restaurant.

Piper and Fletch checking out the pool at Margaritaville.

We easily found our meeting spot for the excursion, and were taken to a nice, clean, cool bus. It was an easy 40-minute ride to the beach. A much better experience than in Grand Cayman.

Once we got there, the resort was really nice. A beautiful beach and several big (empty) swimming pools.

After swimming and playing for a few hours, we had lunch (all food and drinks, including alcoholic drinks, are included as part of the day pass). The waitstaff loved bringing P&F their own virgin pina coladas.

The resort also has a water park, which I was really excited to try, but on the day we were there, it was packed with local school kids, so we skipped it and stuck with the pools instead. Around 2pm, it was starting to get cloudy, and the bus was scheduled to depart at 2:30pm to go back to the boat, so we changed into our clothes and then caught our ride back. The sun knocked us all out in about 2 seconds.

Back in Falmouth, we got on board the ship, took showers and baths, got Deacon from the nursery, and put on our pirate costumes. It was time for the pirate night. First up, some pics with Pirate Mickey and in the ship portholes.

Then it was onto a Peter Pan/Captain Hook-themed dinner in Animator's Palate, followed by the pirate party on the pool deck.

The kids loved the show. When it was over, they went to kids club again while we put Deacon down. By 9:30pm, we were all pooped, so rather than stay up for the fireworks (which I heard were awesome), we all hit the hay. I know we were all exhausted because none of us even heard the fireworks.

Disney Cruise--Part 2

Sunday:
The first full day on the boat was a day at sea. Deke woke us all up bright and early, so we started the day with breakfast at Cabanas and then a quick stop at the Wake Up with Disney, Jr. Dance Party.

By the time that was over, the pools were open. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the pools were really empty first thing in the morning. We were able to spend a few hours at Nemo's Reef (splash pad), going down the slides, and getting on the AquaDuck with very little wait time.

You can see in the picture above how empty the Mickey Pool was in the morning. Fletch had the whole place to himself. After wearing everyone down with water play, Deke spent a few hours in the nursery to nap while Piper and Fletch went to the kids club to get out of the sun. That meant Eric and I had some free time in the adult only area.

I took advantage of the time to get in a nap. It was glorious. Once naps and relaxing were over, we got the kids and took a stroll around the ship, where Deacon continued to nap.

And then it was time for dinner. We don't have any pictures of it, but dinner on Sunday was at Animator's Palate, which is the coolest of the restaurants on the ship. The theme for the dinner that night was Dinner with Crush (the turtle from Finding Nemo). 

As some might recall, we saw Crush in Disney World but he failed to interact with Fletch, which caused many tears and heartache. This dinner experience more than made up for that, as Fletch got to interact with him several times. It was really cool, and we all had a great time. This video from YouTube (not from our cruise) gives you a good idea of what it was all about. 

After dinner, we did our usual dance party (and magic show, which mesmerized Deacon) and kids club/Deacon bedtime routine. By 9:30pm, we were all snug in our beds and asleep.

Monday:

Monday was our first stop on the cruise--Cozumel. I swear that we had been there before, but Eric says we hadn't. Either way, we began the day by checking the kids into the kids club and nursery. Yeah, we're awesome parents. Anyway, Eric went diving in Cozumel while I took the opportunity to workout in the gym (really nice, with a great spa-like locker room) and relax with a book and some iced coffee on the adult deck for a few hours. Heavenly.

Around noon, Eric got back from diving, so we got the kids and got off the boat. I always knew that Piper had a low tolerance for heat, but she was immediately complaining about how hot she was as soon as she stepped off board. I knew we weren't long for the world in Cozumel. But, we persevered, stopping for a few photos here and there.

P&F had zero appreciation for being in a new country and Deacon ,was napping, so we decided that what happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico, and we did what every good parent would do: took the family to Senior Frog's. For those not familiar with Senior Frogs, it's a total party scene bar, popular with spring breakers. And, home of delicious drinks.

And preschoolers gone wild, dancing on stage.

And tuckered out toddlers, too tired to party.

After cooling off with (virgin) daiquiris for the kids, a margarita for me, and half yard of Diet Coke for Eric, we headed back to the ship, with a quick stop for an awesome family photo.

Despite complaining how tired they were, the kids were more than willing to go to the kids club/nursery as soon as we got on board, and we didn't discourage them. They spent an hour or so there, and then we picked them up and stopped for a quick photo opp with Minnie. Deacon LOVED Minnie.

We skipped the fancy dinner on Monday night and instead went to Flo's Cafe (based on the characters from Cars, which Fletch loved) for hot dogs and hamburgers, and then went to see the show "Wishes." It was cheesy, but cute, with lots of characters and fun songs. However, I think that I'm still a bit traumatized by the Pinocchio scenes. Are there any kids (or people in general) that don't think Pinocchio is creepy?!? After the show, the kids were fading fast, so everyone went down for an early bedtime. Another great day in the books.

Up next, princesses, dolphins, and turtles.