So I’ve moved. \u00c2\u00a0I now live about 20 minutes north of Walt Disney World. \u00c2\u00a0More on that in a future post. \u00c2\u00a0For now, I want to concentrate on the 5-night cruise I just took with my sister Amanda.<\/p>\n
It was, in a word, fantastic. \u00c2\u00a0Amanda and I both enjoyed it immensely. \u00c2\u00a0It was her first cruise, my third. \u00c2\u00a0If you can afford the money, and you are a Disney fan, and you don’t want to gamble on your cruise vacation, I cannot recommend Disney Cruise Line enough.<\/p>\n
We arrived at the cruise terminal at Port Canaveral about 10 minutes before 11am. \u00c2\u00a0We were turned around, with the guard saying they’re not letting anyone in until 11am. \u00c2\u00a0Okay. \u00c2\u00a0So we drove around for 10 minutes, then came back. \u00c2\u00a0Apparently a bunch of people found somewhere else to hide out for those ten minutes, because when we got back at 11am on the dot, there was a massive line of cars waiting to get into the garage. \u00c2\u00a0It took us probably 20 minutes just to get to the point where porters take our bags. \u00c2\u00a0From there, upstairs to the cruise terminal, and about a 20-25 minute wait in line to check in. \u00c2\u00a0By the time we got through that process, our boarding group had long ago been called, so we were allowed to board the ship right away.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Amanda’s jaw dropped pretty much the moment we stepped on board. \u00c2\u00a0“Disney Cruise Line welcomes PAUL and AMANDA!!!!”. \u00c2\u00a0Awesome way to start a vacation. \u00c2\u00a0Our first stop, of course, was the buffet up on Deck 11, Cabanas. \u00c2\u00a0One thing is for certain – we were never hungry during this vacation. \u00c2\u00a0I can’t remember the chronological sequence of events and activities over the course of the five nights, so let’s look at different categories instead:<\/p>\n
Ohmygod so much food. \u00c2\u00a0Morning, Noon, and Night. \u00c2\u00a0Everything we had ranged from good to fantastic (with the exception of the tomato soup, that tasted like thin tomato sauce). \u00c2\u00a0Steak, ribs, salads, sushi, burgers, pasta,\u00c2\u00a0escargot, pork loin, corn-on-the-cob, waffles, hash browns, corned beef hash, poached eggs, … the list goes on forever. \u00c2\u00a0We even ordered room service a few times, for a burger for Amanda and buffalo wings (that were actually bbq wings) for myself, and also a cheese & cracker tray and an order of GIANT cookies & milk. \u00c2\u00a0If I had to choose a ‘worst’ meal, it would be Castaway Cay. \u00c2\u00a0The burgers & dogs they serve on the island are nothing at all special, and your own backyard bbq will actually taste better. \u00c2\u00a0Beyond that, everything was wonderful. \u00c2\u00a0The steak and beef short ribs in particular were outstanding.<\/p>\n
I do have to say that I don’t think our service team was quite up to par, unfortunately. \u00c2\u00a0Every meal involved pretty frequent mistakes. \u00c2\u00a0Everything from wrong dishes served, to taking VERY long for drinks to be refilled or brought initially, to entire courses just completely skipped. \u00c2\u00a0I also really dislike the idea that “Head Server” is a tipped position. \u00c2\u00a0This is a guy who spoke to our table for about 20 seconds total the entire cruise. \u00c2\u00a0In those 20 seconds, we pointed out that our servers completely skipped the soup\/salad course, and he didn’t even respond let alone do anything to correct it. \u00c2\u00a0And we’re expected to tip him at the end? \u00c2\u00a0Annoying at best.<\/p>\n
As for the restaurants themselves, they can’t be beat. \u00c2\u00a0The theming and decor are outstanding. \u00c2\u00a0The show that they put on in Animator’s Palate is wonderful. \u00c2\u00a0Crush interacts with the guests, Nemo, Marlin & Dory and the moonfish play guessing games, it’s just fantastic. \u00c2\u00a0It was slightly disappointing that the show wasn’t done on our 2nd evening in that restaurant, but that’s okay.<\/p>\n
Oh, on Pirate’s Night, after the fireworks, they even set up a dessert buffet in cabanas, complete with make-your-own crepes. \u00c2\u00a0Ohmygod YUM.<\/p>\n
Another almost total win. \u00c2\u00a0On our first night, we were treated to a variety act by a pair of juggling comedians. \u00c2\u00a0That show was much better than expected. \u00c2\u00a0Later in the cruise, they did another show, for adults only, in The District. \u00c2\u00a0Both shows were very enjoyable.<\/p>\n
The next night was Villains Tonight<\/em>, which is the least good of all the shows on the ship. \u00c2\u00a0I’d heard they made improvements since the last time I saw it, but if they did, I didn’t notice any. \u00c2\u00a0It’s not that the performers are bad at what they do – it’s just not a good storyline or concept. \u00c2\u00a0Hades suffers depression after his defeat by Hercules, and thus isn’t as Evil as he should be, so he tries to call in help from other famous Disney villains, but they’re equally as emotionally deficient as he is. \u00c2\u00a0I swear to god, there’s even a love song between Jafar and Iago. \u00c2\u00a0It’s just plain BAD.<\/p>\n The next night, however, was The Golden Mickeys<\/em>. \u00c2\u00a0This show, in contrast, is a complete home run. \u00c2\u00a0Great setup by the “preshow” in the lobby, fantastic songs and performances throughout, great celebrity cameos (via video), and a fairly emotional storyline to boot. \u00c2\u00a0Just all around wonderful.<\/p>\n On the fourth night, we were treated to a 3D performance of Cars 2<\/em>. \u00c2\u00a0Eh. \u00c2\u00a0Not Pixar’s best, but hey it’s a first run movie, on a ship. \u00c2\u00a0That alone is cool.<\/p>\n And then the finale. \u00c2\u00a0Disney’s Believe<\/em>. \u00c2\u00a0Oh my god. \u00c2\u00a0What an incredible show. It’s the story of a workaholic father and his young teenage daughter, as she tries to get him to believe in Magic, and he’s aided by famous Disney magic makers (everyone from Aladdin<\/em>‘s Genie to Lion King<\/em>‘s Rafiki, Mary Poppins, and Cinderella<\/em>‘s Fairy Godmother, and more in between). \u00c2\u00a0Near the end, the dad gets a slow dance with an aged version of his daughter, while a montage of Disney parent-and-children plays on the video screens. \u00c2\u00a0I don’t think there was a single parent who had a dry eye in the house. \u00c2\u00a0The actors, the songs (original and classic), the special effects, and the storyline combine to make one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, on land or sea.<\/p>\n And then of course, there’s Pirate Night. \u00c2\u00a0After having a Pirate and Caribbean-themed dinner, we went to the top deck and were treated to a 5 minute firework show, Buccaneer Blast<\/em>. It’d be cool if they could make it a little longer, but even so, it’s the only cruise line that does fireworks at sea, and it’s just an awesome thing to see.<\/p>\n A few times, Amanda and I separated and she went to Vibe, the teens-only area, while I went to the adults-only areas of the ship. \u00c2\u00a0We both came back enjoying the heck out of what we did. \u00c2\u00a0I relaxed in the adult pool – it started raining, and everyone cleared out (why??). \u00c2\u00a0She had fun making smoothies and making flubber and making new friends. \u00c2\u00a0On the first day, we also toured the kids and pre-teen areas. \u00c2\u00a0We both agreed that if we were of that age, we’d never want to leave those areas. \u00c2\u00a0Very cool.<\/p>\n I played Bingo, probably more often than I should have. \u00c2\u00a0I actually won once – first game of the last session, I got a Bingo. \u00c2\u00a0Unfortunately, so did 16 other people. \u00c2\u00a0We each ended up getting $20 for that, which didn’t come anywhere close to how much I spent playing. \u00c2\u00a0Oh well, it was good fun.<\/p>\n Amanda also did the Midship Detective Agency game, in which you walk ALL over the ship looking for “clues” to solve a mystery, inside the enchanted artwork located throughout the ship. \u00c2\u00a0A lot more fun than you might think.<\/p>\n We rode the Aquaduck a few times as well. \u00c2\u00a0As long as you don’t wait in line more than 10-15 minutes, it’s a very fun experience. \u00c2\u00a0It’s one half water-coaster, one half lazy-river. Very cool.<\/p>\n We attended a session of Anyone Can Cook<\/em>, in which one of the ship’s pastry chefs demonstrated how to make an apple cobbler. \u00c2\u00a0It was great both watching him and listening to him talk about everything that goes into food preparation on the ship.<\/p>\n We never did get a chance to play the mini-golf on Goofy’s Sports Deck. \u00c2\u00a0Oh well, we’ll have to do that next time. \ud83d\ude1b<\/p>\n I’m sure there’s stuff I’m forgetting. \u00c2\u00a0There’s stuff happening all throughout the day, every day. \u00c2\u00a0Never bored, that’s \u00c2\u00a0for sure.<\/p>\n Our cruise had two stops at Castaway Cay (Disney’s private island) and one stop at Nassau. \u00c2\u00a0Let’s talk about Nassau first. \u00c2\u00a0I had booked a partial-submarine tour of some Nassau sea life. \u00c2\u00a0It started with a boat tour of “Paradise Island”, with our guide pointing out houses he claimed are owned by various celebrities and assorted mega-rich people. \u00c2\u00a0How are we to know if they actually are? \u00c2\u00a0<shrug>. \u00c2\u00a0In any event, we finally boarded the sub, and went down to take seats. \u00c2\u00a0It was a good ten minutes before we went anywhere with fish. \u00c2\u00a0Once we were there, we saw some fish. \u00c2\u00a0Really not that many. \u00c2\u00a0Then we went back up to wait for our boat to pick us up again. It took maybe 30 minutes for the boat to arrive. \u00c2\u00a0No apologies or explanations offered. \u00c2\u00a0Overall, I consider the entire experience a great big “Meh.”. \u00c2\u00a0Next time, I’m staying on the ship in Nassau, like I did in February.<\/p>\n Castaway Cay (pronounced “key”, by the way, not “kay”), on the other hand, was phenomenal. \u00c2\u00a0Like I said, we were there for two days. \u00c2\u00a0The first day, we did a Stingray adventure. \u00c2\u00a0We got a 5-10 minute lecture hearing all about the rays (the smallest is about the size of a pancake, the largest has a wingspan of 22 feet). \u00c2\u00a0Then we went into the water, and got a chance to feed them. \u00c2\u00a0They are trained to recognize a big Mickey Mouse shape as meaning “Dinner time!!”. \u00c2\u00a0They have a little contraption that the rays swim up onto, and we hold a piece of shrimp or\u00c2\u00a0calamari\u00c2\u00a0between our fingers, and they swim over us and suck it out. \u00c2\u00a0It feels kinda like a vacuum cleaner. \u00c2\u00a0After the feeding, we get to go swim and snorkel with them for about 20-30 minutes. \u00c2\u00a0A really great experience for both of us.<\/p>\n We also went snorkeling out in the lagoon (Disney has sunken statues and ships and other things throughout, in addition to all the fish that are out there), and saw more fish than we would later at Nassau. \u00c2\u00a0We then did the new Pelican Plunge water slide. \u00c2\u00a0Holy crud that was awesome. \u00c2\u00a0First of all, it’s in the ocean. \u00c2\u00a0As in, you have to swim about 10-15 yards from shore to get to it. \u00c2\u00a0Then once you get up, there are two different slides, one covered one open. \u00c2\u00a0We both went on the covered on. \u00c2\u00a0When you get to the bottom, it LAUNCHES you out, into about 10ft deep water. \u00c2\u00a0Just awesome. \u00c2\u00a0Later in the day, we rented bikes and road around the island, which is more fun than it should be.<\/p>\n On the second Castaway Cay day, rented tubes for a while, and then we again went\u00c2\u00a0snorkeling\u00c2\u00a0in the lagoon. \u00c2\u00a0This time, the fish were just EVERYWHERE. \u00c2\u00a0We got to the area that has the sunken ship, and I stopped short. \u00c2\u00a0In front of me were close to a hundred fish. \u00c2\u00a0Just hovering there in the water, almost stationary, in one gigantic clump. \u00c2\u00a0And I mean big fish too – probably about half the size of my forearm each. \u00c2\u00a0We swam over them VERY slowly and gently. \u00c2\u00a0Really didn’t want to be churning the water at that point. \u00c2\u00a0 But even before we got to that big school, there was this one little\u00c2\u00a0Sargent\u00c2\u00a0Major fish<\/a>, who kept following me. \u00c2\u00a0He had absolutely no fear of humans. \u00c2\u00a0Once I got past the giant clump of fish, I noticed that this little guy was still with me. \u00c2\u00a0And CLOSE too – like right up to me, and wouldn’t go away when I waved my hands or fins toward him. \u00c2\u00a0But then I looked again – he had called in reinforcements. \u00c2\u00a0There were now four of them, circling me. \u00c2\u00a0So Amanda and I took off to the next sunken item (a sub from the old WDW 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction). \u00c2\u00a0And the darn\u00c2\u00a0Sargent\u00c2\u00a0Major fish kept following me!! I swear to god, at one point, he even rammed into my back. \u00c2\u00a0Something about my presence in his ocean was really insulting to him. \u00c2\u00a0It was one of the most bizarre experiences I’ve ever had.<\/p>\n It was a fantastic vacation. \u00c2\u00a0Amanda enjoyed herself immensely. \u00c2\u00a0I enjoyed myself immensely. \u00c2\u00a0The very few problems we encountered couldn’t come close to putting a damper on the overall thing. \u00c2\u00a0It was 5 days of non-stop fun and enjoyment. \u00c2\u00a0I cannot recommend Disney Cruise Line highly enough. \u00c2\u00a0I currently have another cruise booked for November 2012 (as part of the WDW Radio Show’s 2nd cruise). \u00c2\u00a0If it didn’t cost so much money, I’d seriously consider booking another one before then. \u00c2\u00a0That’s how good it is.<\/p>\nShipboard Activities<\/span><\/h3>\n
Ports<\/h3>\n
Summary<\/h3>\n
![Sargent\u00c2\u00a0Major fish<\/a>, who kept following me. \u00c2\u00a0He had absolutely no fear of humans. \u00c2\u00a0Once I got past the giant clump of fish, I noticed that this little guy was still with me. \u00c2\u00a0And CLOSE too – like right up to me, and wouldn’t go away when I waved my hands or fins toward him. \u00c2\u00a0But then I looked again – he had called in reinforcements. \u00c2\u00a0There were now four of them, circling me. \u00c2\u00a0So Amanda and I took off to the next sunken item (a sub from the old WDW 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction). \u00c2\u00a0And the darn\u00c2\u00a0Sargent\u00c2\u00a0Major fish kept following me!! I swear to god, at one point, he even rammed into my back. \u00c2\u00a0Something about my presence in his ocean was really insulting to him. \u00c2\u00a0It was one of the most bizarre experiences I’ve ever had.<\/p>\nSummary<\/h3>\nIt was a fantastic vacation. \u00c2\u00a0Amanda enjoyed herself immensely. \u00c2\u00a0I enjoyed myself immensely. \u00c2\u00a0The very few problems we encountered couldn’t come close to putting a damper on the overall thing. \u00c2\u00a0It was 5 days of non-stop fun and enjoyment. \u00c2\u00a0I cannot recommend Disney Cruise Line highly enough. \u00c2\u00a0I currently have another cruise booked for November 2012 (as part of the WDW Radio Show’s 2nd cruise). \u00c2\u00a0If it didn’t cost so much money, I’d seriously consider booking another one before then. \u00c2\u00a0That’s how good it is.<\/p>\n](\"http:\/\/www.caicostours.com\/images\/SgtMajor-opt1.gif\"){kind=link}