cashe
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2014
Ok, I always write trip reports so I will go ahead and do a pre-trip report.
A little background...
Me: 35, stay at home mom, LOVE to travel and have always had some sort of love affair with the turquoise waters of the caribbean.
DH: 46, loves to travel, covered in tattoos (roughly 65% of his body), has multiple college degrees and if you just judged the book by it's cover then I told you what he does, you would never believe me.
DD: 6. whiter than olaf. refuses to learn how to swim but LOVES snorkeling lol.
We aren't exactly "Disney fans," but we do love to travel and we do love to try new explorations. DH and I went to Turks and Caicos in 2007 for our honeymoon and it was a DISASTER. We went in May which is the driest month of what happened to be the driest year and it rained EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I think DH priced it out to 1k dollars an hour for every time we saw the sun. LOL.
He got eaten alive by mosquitos the first night of a 7 day vacation. Over 200 bites on each leg, so he spent the week in meat tenderizer and calamine lotion.
A few days into the vacation, a fire destroyed the only transformer on the island so we had no power, which meant no way to cook food (or so the 5 star resort said). Then when the power finally returned about 3am, it set off the fire alarms and we all had to evacuate the resort.
Let's just say by the end of the trip, all of the stuff that went wrong became a joke. DH lost his "fake wedding ring" (a sterling silver one i had purchased just for the trip) while snorkeling. Ironically the sun came out right when he lost it, so we laughed a few days later when we were on a snorkel excursion and I decided to just throw my fake wedding ring overboard and the sun came out. I think God was trying to tell us to just get divorced. HA! Needless to say, DH NEVER wants to go back to the caribbean.
As you know, the water in the caribbean is only as gorgeous as the sun which it reflects so I never got to see the turquoise waters of the caribbean which make my heart happy.
A few years later we had a child, didn't travel very far because we have no family to care for her and so we were just jaunting to Vegas here and there for getaways. Still, when we vacation, there is nothing too expensive so we travel very well. People always ask me "how in the world can you afford these extravagant vacations, clothes, cars, etc" and I always say, "everyone budgets differently." My sister in law and brother NEVER travel but they have nice cars, a huge house and all the latest and greatest gadgets. It's just what you prefer. I was raised by my parents to "always travel and experience things, even if you don't like it you can at least say you've done it."
My husband has been to hawaii multiple times before we were married. My mom bought her and I and my brother first class tickets for 2 weeks to all of the islands when I graduated college, but I am deathly afraid of flying and I freaked out and could not get on the plane. HUGE REGRET!
Fast forward to 2010. We finally decide to let my dad watch our daughter for a week. He drove 12 hours cross country to watch her. I love my dad. We flew coach direct to Maui and I FELL IN LOVE. Maui has my heart. I never expected the waters of the pacific to even compare to the waters of the caribbean and oh my gosh, they exceeded any and all expectations!
Let me tell you a little about myself, I HATE spending a small fortune and NOT being able to see the sun on vacation. It's why I always go to Vegas (even alone) every year because I know the weather will not disappoint me. Maui is JUST LIKE THAT. Oh my gosh. We have been going to Maui for the last 4 years and I've NEVER not had beautiful weather there. It really is heaven on earth.
Ok, I've gotten sidetracked.
May 2014: A girl I graduated high school with and I'm friends with on Facebook, posts pictures of her adventure on the Disney Dream with her husband and 6 year old son. She booked the trip a month before sailing and having done NO research or EVER cruised before. She came back ranting and raving how AMAZING this trip was and that she will NEVER sail anyone other than Disney again. She has traveled extensively (italy, vegas, Costa rica, etc) and I trust her as she usually travels the same way I do and is just as picky as I am when it comes to accommodations and food.
June 2014: I start researching fares. I start putting the bug in DH's ear. As you recall, he has NO DESIRE to EVER go back to the caribbean LOL (Mind you he's been to St. Croix, St. John, St. Maarten, Playa del Carmen, etc but he just has never had a great vacation anywhere like he does in Hawaii. He actually wants to be cremated and his remains thrown out over Captain Cook's off of the Big Island lol)
DH is afraid of large cruise ships. Mostly, I think, because he has social anxiety disorder to an extent. He has had tattoos since he was 16 and when he started getting sleeves, tattoos were a social "no-no" and people would assume you are riffraff and NOT engage with you, which is why he started doing it. So knowing this, I find that concierge rooms are not that much difference price wise than the regular deluxe family room and they give you the ability to not have to mess with the large groups and long lines. When DH realizes this is most likely happening as our next trip, he then says he needs the biggest room we could get (without breaking the bank) so I start looking at the 1 bedroom suites.
I eventually end up booking it via American Airlines Cruises because we would get advantage miles for purchasing through them and we use those for upgrading to first class when we go to hawaii. I personally wouldn't recommend booking through them as it was a bit of a pain to make any changes to the room and I sat on hold a lot.
Either way, we end up booking May 14-18 on the Dream because it's a weekend and my mindset was "well, DD won't have to miss that much school since it's over a weekend." Yeah, that quickly fell by the wayside as we ended up booking air out a few days before the cruise to spend time with family so I should have just done the May 22-26 cruise and we could have had 10 days for vacation! Oh well, lesson learned: Read the school calendar before booking!
(Break my leg in 4 places in July. Surgery. Rehab.)
December 2015
Start researching!
I'm a research nerd. My degree is in PR and I love knowing EVERYTHING I can about anyone and anything. I will argue with you till I'm blue in the face, BUT ONLY IF I know I'm right. If I don't have the facts, I will gladly back down until I know I'm right LOL.
DH loves to research and plan vacations too, but since he's met me, he just leaves it up to me now. I have saved us $$$ and time with some of the things I've learned on travel forums. I just love it. I also enjoy helping others with what I've learned or experienced.
So, we were originally booked in a 1 bedroom on the 11th deck until I learn that the verandahs are enclosed, so I quickly start watching for a 12th deck room. I ended up with 12514. Not too bad. I later learned starboard side for views of CC, fireworks, across the hall from the concierge. Ok. I'm liking this. DD can run across and get her fruit, drinks etc.
Lurk disboards and others for awhile......
Oh, look. Wait. I don't have an extended balcony? Ugh. How do I get that? What is this 12000 room??
Research. Read. Google.
Oh, hmmm... So, they hold back 12000 till the Royals are booked? Hmmmm. Wonder if I can get wait listed for it if I contact DCL? Nope. No such luck.
Ok, let's start planning our excursions. What is this cabana thing? My gf who sailed last year said I didn't need one, but maybe i want one? Hmmmm...
What is this dolphin encounter at Atlantis?? My girlfriends pictures from last year and that excursion look AMAZING!! Do I want to do it? Mind you, DH had been to Atlantis with his first wife and I've stayed at Atlantis circa 2001 with an old boyfriend and his family so we've done the Nassau/Atlantis thing. We know it's an over priced tourist trap, but my daughter loves aquariums so we were torn on whether or not to bother. We ultimately chose not to bother with it.
The dolphin encounter at Atlantis was upwards of $800 for 3 of us and I can take her to do a full day at Sea World Orlando for a third of that cost. Plus, we all swam with a huge pod of dolphins in open waters of the pacific in 2013 off the coast of the Big Island. I understand that the premise of that "swim" is basically intruding on the pod once they've come back from hunting all night and they are essentially trying to sleep. But it kind of bothered me to pay to interact with the dolphins at Atlantis, especially after reading that they may or may not be treated that well.
DH has been to the blue lagoon and said we probably wouldn't enjoy it either. Plus we paid $$$$ for the boat and it's only 4 days, we might as well enjoy the boat and our room.
Ok, so that means I don't need to bother with Nassau. Time to look at CC.
I think I want a cabana, but which one?? I spent probably 2 weeks straight just researching location, pictures and videos of cabanas on CC. lol I finally decided we would like a higher numbered cabana because it's away from the hustle and bustle and people of the family beach (remember we are recluses lol)
I also decide that even though DD has fed manta rays in hawaii that the stingray excursion might be fun for her because she's never seen that many in one place.
So now, I've got an idea of what I want to book for CC.
January 9, 12:00am - Email to Concierge (125 Days)
Good morning!
I have a few requests for reservations for our 120 day mark that I hope aren't too much to ask.
1. We would love reservations at Remy for two on night 2 of our cruise (May 15). Preferably around 630pm. If possible, could we request a table next to a window? We will be celebrating our 8th anniversary. Also, my husband has a mild allergy. It's only if consumed so it's not a life threatening allergy, but I typically note it for fine dining menus as sometimes the amuse bouche or some items on the tasting menus can contain ingredients that he cannot eat. He cannot eat corn in any instance, whole or cooked into dishes. He cannot eat UNCOOKED egg. If egg is an ingredient in a recipe, e.g added to a cake, he can eat it. He just cannot eat a dish with egg, such as an item topped with quail egg or scrambled egg with caviar.
2. We would like a cabana at Castaway Cay (May 17). I am unfamiliar with the cabanas but from what I've read I think we would prefer a high # cabana. I know there are new cabanas, but since we will have our 6-year-old, I preferred a cabana that faced the water so I may keep an eye on her, but I wanted a cabana far away from the hustle and bustle. I'm not sure if the newly added cabanas have as much direct beach/water access as 17?
3. We would like to book the stingray excursion for all 3 of us on castaway (May 17). Are there certain times for this activity? We would prefer the earliest time.
4.Do I request a bike with training wheels now or when I arrive for our time on castaway?
5. Do you have a menu for the Pillow Talk?
6. Can we request items for the mini fridge in our stateroom? I'm unfamiliar with what items are standard in the cabin so I wasn't sure.
7. May we request a booth for Enchanted Garden?
8. Would it be too difficult to book a spa treatment for my husband and I once on board? I didn't know if those book up fast or if we could just do it upon boarding.
9. Will there be a child robe in the room for my daughter? If not, I can pack one. She just loves a robe after her baths.
Thank you!
January 14 - Day 125
I stayed awake to "check in" as I just wanted the experience of what non-concierge guests would experience if we ever decide to sail again and we don't do concierge. I found it daunting and I don't know how anyone could get a cabana if you aren't concierge. All of the other activities were still plentiful and available to book.
By the next morning, I had an email that concierge was able to fulfill all of my requests except that the cabana 17 was normally reserved for weddings, so they put me in #15.
Ok, back to researching and stalking DCL for a room....
Login to DCL, mock booking. No new bumpout rooms available. Ugh.
Wait, but all the Royals are gone!!! *crosses fingers* Please don't let them need the connecting one bedroom!!!!
3 days later.....
January 31 MY BIRTHDAY!
Daily login to DCL to check for rooms. WHAT?!!!!! OMG!!! THERE'S 12000!!! Frantically call American Airlines Cruises! Agent calls DCL.... wait.... wait.... WE ARE SWITCHED!! SCORE!!! Persistence wins again!!!
Airfare
We always fly AA and so I start watching airfare rates and around February it starts to look as if they are going up and not down so I book. But instead of booking a flight into MCO, we chose to fly to TPA a few days early and stay in my brother's hotel and visit them. My niece is 3 months younger than my daughter and they are both only children. We are going to do the Pirate Ship at John's Pass and just beach days leading up to embarkation.
Car Rental
I found codes on some other disney-esque forums and began running them through Alamo.com. At one point, I think I had 3 reservations. LOL. One day, I login and I thought it was a glitch! It showed me a F250 Truck for a week for $80 WITH TAX!! I snatched it up and also booked a full sized car at the same time for $125 for the week in case the weather looks like it's going to rain and we would just rather have the car. The money I save on the truck will pay for half of the terminal parking though!
So now, everything is pretty much booked and I have nothing much to do but workout and get back in shape from this broken leg before the cruise!!
This trip, however, is not a cheap trip. In fact for a 4 day cruise on DCL, we could have the first 3 days of our FS hotel in Maui and 3 first class tickets to Maui paid for, so Im guessing this may be our one and only DCL cruise. I'm planning 2 weeks in Hawaii again for next year. I miss it.
Either way, I can't wait to experience this cruise and report back to all of you who have been SO helpful!!
(I Edited the title of the thread b/c I find it helpful when I'm perusing threads to read if the title is definitive. When researching, I look for like threads to my own vacation experience)
A little background...
Me: 35, stay at home mom, LOVE to travel and have always had some sort of love affair with the turquoise waters of the caribbean.
DH: 46, loves to travel, covered in tattoos (roughly 65% of his body), has multiple college degrees and if you just judged the book by it's cover then I told you what he does, you would never believe me.
DD: 6. whiter than olaf. refuses to learn how to swim but LOVES snorkeling lol.
We aren't exactly "Disney fans," but we do love to travel and we do love to try new explorations. DH and I went to Turks and Caicos in 2007 for our honeymoon and it was a DISASTER. We went in May which is the driest month of what happened to be the driest year and it rained EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I think DH priced it out to 1k dollars an hour for every time we saw the sun. LOL.
He got eaten alive by mosquitos the first night of a 7 day vacation. Over 200 bites on each leg, so he spent the week in meat tenderizer and calamine lotion.
A few days into the vacation, a fire destroyed the only transformer on the island so we had no power, which meant no way to cook food (or so the 5 star resort said). Then when the power finally returned about 3am, it set off the fire alarms and we all had to evacuate the resort.
Let's just say by the end of the trip, all of the stuff that went wrong became a joke. DH lost his "fake wedding ring" (a sterling silver one i had purchased just for the trip) while snorkeling. Ironically the sun came out right when he lost it, so we laughed a few days later when we were on a snorkel excursion and I decided to just throw my fake wedding ring overboard and the sun came out. I think God was trying to tell us to just get divorced. HA! Needless to say, DH NEVER wants to go back to the caribbean.
As you know, the water in the caribbean is only as gorgeous as the sun which it reflects so I never got to see the turquoise waters of the caribbean which make my heart happy.
A few years later we had a child, didn't travel very far because we have no family to care for her and so we were just jaunting to Vegas here and there for getaways. Still, when we vacation, there is nothing too expensive so we travel very well. People always ask me "how in the world can you afford these extravagant vacations, clothes, cars, etc" and I always say, "everyone budgets differently." My sister in law and brother NEVER travel but they have nice cars, a huge house and all the latest and greatest gadgets. It's just what you prefer. I was raised by my parents to "always travel and experience things, even if you don't like it you can at least say you've done it."
My husband has been to hawaii multiple times before we were married. My mom bought her and I and my brother first class tickets for 2 weeks to all of the islands when I graduated college, but I am deathly afraid of flying and I freaked out and could not get on the plane. HUGE REGRET!
Fast forward to 2010. We finally decide to let my dad watch our daughter for a week. He drove 12 hours cross country to watch her. I love my dad. We flew coach direct to Maui and I FELL IN LOVE. Maui has my heart. I never expected the waters of the pacific to even compare to the waters of the caribbean and oh my gosh, they exceeded any and all expectations!
Let me tell you a little about myself, I HATE spending a small fortune and NOT being able to see the sun on vacation. It's why I always go to Vegas (even alone) every year because I know the weather will not disappoint me. Maui is JUST LIKE THAT. Oh my gosh. We have been going to Maui for the last 4 years and I've NEVER not had beautiful weather there. It really is heaven on earth.
Ok, I've gotten sidetracked.
May 2014: A girl I graduated high school with and I'm friends with on Facebook, posts pictures of her adventure on the Disney Dream with her husband and 6 year old son. She booked the trip a month before sailing and having done NO research or EVER cruised before. She came back ranting and raving how AMAZING this trip was and that she will NEVER sail anyone other than Disney again. She has traveled extensively (italy, vegas, Costa rica, etc) and I trust her as she usually travels the same way I do and is just as picky as I am when it comes to accommodations and food.
June 2014: I start researching fares. I start putting the bug in DH's ear. As you recall, he has NO DESIRE to EVER go back to the caribbean LOL (Mind you he's been to St. Croix, St. John, St. Maarten, Playa del Carmen, etc but he just has never had a great vacation anywhere like he does in Hawaii. He actually wants to be cremated and his remains thrown out over Captain Cook's off of the Big Island lol)
DH is afraid of large cruise ships. Mostly, I think, because he has social anxiety disorder to an extent. He has had tattoos since he was 16 and when he started getting sleeves, tattoos were a social "no-no" and people would assume you are riffraff and NOT engage with you, which is why he started doing it. So knowing this, I find that concierge rooms are not that much difference price wise than the regular deluxe family room and they give you the ability to not have to mess with the large groups and long lines. When DH realizes this is most likely happening as our next trip, he then says he needs the biggest room we could get (without breaking the bank) so I start looking at the 1 bedroom suites.
I eventually end up booking it via American Airlines Cruises because we would get advantage miles for purchasing through them and we use those for upgrading to first class when we go to hawaii. I personally wouldn't recommend booking through them as it was a bit of a pain to make any changes to the room and I sat on hold a lot.
Either way, we end up booking May 14-18 on the Dream because it's a weekend and my mindset was "well, DD won't have to miss that much school since it's over a weekend." Yeah, that quickly fell by the wayside as we ended up booking air out a few days before the cruise to spend time with family so I should have just done the May 22-26 cruise and we could have had 10 days for vacation! Oh well, lesson learned: Read the school calendar before booking!
(Break my leg in 4 places in July. Surgery. Rehab.)
December 2015
Start researching!
I'm a research nerd. My degree is in PR and I love knowing EVERYTHING I can about anyone and anything. I will argue with you till I'm blue in the face, BUT ONLY IF I know I'm right. If I don't have the facts, I will gladly back down until I know I'm right LOL.
DH loves to research and plan vacations too, but since he's met me, he just leaves it up to me now. I have saved us $$$ and time with some of the things I've learned on travel forums. I just love it. I also enjoy helping others with what I've learned or experienced.
So, we were originally booked in a 1 bedroom on the 11th deck until I learn that the verandahs are enclosed, so I quickly start watching for a 12th deck room. I ended up with 12514. Not too bad. I later learned starboard side for views of CC, fireworks, across the hall from the concierge. Ok. I'm liking this. DD can run across and get her fruit, drinks etc.
Lurk disboards and others for awhile......
Oh, look. Wait. I don't have an extended balcony? Ugh. How do I get that? What is this 12000 room??
Research. Read. Google.
Oh, hmmm... So, they hold back 12000 till the Royals are booked? Hmmmm. Wonder if I can get wait listed for it if I contact DCL? Nope. No such luck.
Ok, let's start planning our excursions. What is this cabana thing? My gf who sailed last year said I didn't need one, but maybe i want one? Hmmmm...
What is this dolphin encounter at Atlantis?? My girlfriends pictures from last year and that excursion look AMAZING!! Do I want to do it? Mind you, DH had been to Atlantis with his first wife and I've stayed at Atlantis circa 2001 with an old boyfriend and his family so we've done the Nassau/Atlantis thing. We know it's an over priced tourist trap, but my daughter loves aquariums so we were torn on whether or not to bother. We ultimately chose not to bother with it.
The dolphin encounter at Atlantis was upwards of $800 for 3 of us and I can take her to do a full day at Sea World Orlando for a third of that cost. Plus, we all swam with a huge pod of dolphins in open waters of the pacific in 2013 off the coast of the Big Island. I understand that the premise of that "swim" is basically intruding on the pod once they've come back from hunting all night and they are essentially trying to sleep. But it kind of bothered me to pay to interact with the dolphins at Atlantis, especially after reading that they may or may not be treated that well.
DH has been to the blue lagoon and said we probably wouldn't enjoy it either. Plus we paid $$$$ for the boat and it's only 4 days, we might as well enjoy the boat and our room.
Ok, so that means I don't need to bother with Nassau. Time to look at CC.
I think I want a cabana, but which one?? I spent probably 2 weeks straight just researching location, pictures and videos of cabanas on CC. lol I finally decided we would like a higher numbered cabana because it's away from the hustle and bustle and people of the family beach (remember we are recluses lol)
I also decide that even though DD has fed manta rays in hawaii that the stingray excursion might be fun for her because she's never seen that many in one place.
So now, I've got an idea of what I want to book for CC.
January 9, 12:00am - Email to Concierge (125 Days)
Good morning!
I have a few requests for reservations for our 120 day mark that I hope aren't too much to ask.
1. We would love reservations at Remy for two on night 2 of our cruise (May 15). Preferably around 630pm. If possible, could we request a table next to a window? We will be celebrating our 8th anniversary. Also, my husband has a mild allergy. It's only if consumed so it's not a life threatening allergy, but I typically note it for fine dining menus as sometimes the amuse bouche or some items on the tasting menus can contain ingredients that he cannot eat. He cannot eat corn in any instance, whole or cooked into dishes. He cannot eat UNCOOKED egg. If egg is an ingredient in a recipe, e.g added to a cake, he can eat it. He just cannot eat a dish with egg, such as an item topped with quail egg or scrambled egg with caviar.
2. We would like a cabana at Castaway Cay (May 17). I am unfamiliar with the cabanas but from what I've read I think we would prefer a high # cabana. I know there are new cabanas, but since we will have our 6-year-old, I preferred a cabana that faced the water so I may keep an eye on her, but I wanted a cabana far away from the hustle and bustle. I'm not sure if the newly added cabanas have as much direct beach/water access as 17?
3. We would like to book the stingray excursion for all 3 of us on castaway (May 17). Are there certain times for this activity? We would prefer the earliest time.
4.Do I request a bike with training wheels now or when I arrive for our time on castaway?
5. Do you have a menu for the Pillow Talk?
6. Can we request items for the mini fridge in our stateroom? I'm unfamiliar with what items are standard in the cabin so I wasn't sure.
7. May we request a booth for Enchanted Garden?
8. Would it be too difficult to book a spa treatment for my husband and I once on board? I didn't know if those book up fast or if we could just do it upon boarding.
9. Will there be a child robe in the room for my daughter? If not, I can pack one. She just loves a robe after her baths.
Thank you!
January 14 - Day 125
I stayed awake to "check in" as I just wanted the experience of what non-concierge guests would experience if we ever decide to sail again and we don't do concierge. I found it daunting and I don't know how anyone could get a cabana if you aren't concierge. All of the other activities were still plentiful and available to book.
By the next morning, I had an email that concierge was able to fulfill all of my requests except that the cabana 17 was normally reserved for weddings, so they put me in #15.
Ok, back to researching and stalking DCL for a room....
Login to DCL, mock booking. No new bumpout rooms available. Ugh.
Wait, but all the Royals are gone!!! *crosses fingers* Please don't let them need the connecting one bedroom!!!!
3 days later.....
January 31 MY BIRTHDAY!
Daily login to DCL to check for rooms. WHAT?!!!!! OMG!!! THERE'S 12000!!! Frantically call American Airlines Cruises! Agent calls DCL.... wait.... wait.... WE ARE SWITCHED!! SCORE!!! Persistence wins again!!!
Airfare
We always fly AA and so I start watching airfare rates and around February it starts to look as if they are going up and not down so I book. But instead of booking a flight into MCO, we chose to fly to TPA a few days early and stay in my brother's hotel and visit them. My niece is 3 months younger than my daughter and they are both only children. We are going to do the Pirate Ship at John's Pass and just beach days leading up to embarkation.
Car Rental
I found codes on some other disney-esque forums and began running them through Alamo.com. At one point, I think I had 3 reservations. LOL. One day, I login and I thought it was a glitch! It showed me a F250 Truck for a week for $80 WITH TAX!! I snatched it up and also booked a full sized car at the same time for $125 for the week in case the weather looks like it's going to rain and we would just rather have the car. The money I save on the truck will pay for half of the terminal parking though!
So now, everything is pretty much booked and I have nothing much to do but workout and get back in shape from this broken leg before the cruise!!
This trip, however, is not a cheap trip. In fact for a 4 day cruise on DCL, we could have the first 3 days of our FS hotel in Maui and 3 first class tickets to Maui paid for, so Im guessing this may be our one and only DCL cruise. I'm planning 2 weeks in Hawaii again for next year. I miss it.
Either way, I can't wait to experience this cruise and report back to all of you who have been SO helpful!!
(I Edited the title of the thread b/c I find it helpful when I'm perusing threads to read if the title is definitive. When researching, I look for like threads to my own vacation experience)
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