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It's our first Disney cruise and we are really looking for it. We have lots of questions though.
First, is it possible to be TOO dressed up for Palo?
Also, we'll be on the 3 night cruise and we are wandering if it's worth it to skip one of the planned restaurants to go to Palo. I should probably mention that we'll be at Disney World for 4 days before the cruise and 3 days after, so we thought it would be nice to have some time alone from the kids. But still, should we miss one of the restaurants?
Also we didn't reserve any excursions because we want to have some time on the ship and we think it'll just be nice to have time on the beach at Castaway Cay. Do you think we should reserve excursions anyway? Will we be able to reserve any if we change our minds?
We receive our stateroom number this week and it's 7340. What do you think about it? We thought that for a 3 night cruise a category 11 room is O.K.
Also, should we bring juice boxes because our kids don't drink soft drinks, only juice or milk?
Lastly, we are wine lovers and we want to know if we should opt for the premium package instead of the basic one.
Thanks again,
The Bougies Only three weeks away!!!
Palo is nice- but I wouldn't wear an evening gown! Nice dress or pant suit for ladies, guys should have a jacket. I think necktie is optional. If I had to skip a restaurant- it would be "Parrot Cay". We never like the food there. Don't miss "Animator's Palete"- the kids will love the "show" they put on! Also- since it's your first Disney Crusise- don't miss "Pirates Night"! There's a great show out on the deck (9 I think?) and fireworks afterward! As for the excursions in Nassau, you won't miss much. You can still book them on ship if there's availablity.When we sail there we just go straight to the Atlantis Hotel to relax at the beach for a fun day. Otherwise the town doesn't offer much to do. Castaway Cay is beautiful! You'll love it. As for food and drinks- you are not allowed to bring them onto the ship. There is PLENTY of food, juice, snacks etc. on the ship for you to enjoy so why lug other stuff when you've already paid for your meals, etc. on the ship? There's a ton of food 24/7 and free room service, so don't bother with the other stuff. (milk and formula is allowed on board for infants though- I thik you have to tell them ahead of time) Your room sounds great. As for the wine packages, they can be very pricy! As soon as you board the ship you can select a wine package. They will be on display for you to see and purchase then, so you may want to wait until you board to purchase or customize a package. We have taken the 3 day cruise once, the 4 day cruise 2 times and we'll taking the 7/day Eastern cruise soon. We love the Disney Ships and so will you! Have fun!
First I want to tell you how much your going to love the cruise. On the 3 night cruise they don't have a formal night like the 7 night cruise. I agree with travling1 about what to wear.
Our first cruise was a 3 night cruise also, because I wasn't to sure about being on a boat i.e. the Titanic, lol. We have also sailed several times with Disney (one 3 night, one 4 night, two 7 nights) and have loved it every time. Actually our boys say they like the cruise better than the parks. We just book another 7 night cruise for the New Years Eve Western Caribbean.
The thing that surprised me on our first cruise was how accurate the commercials were about all the things the kids have to do. There is so much for the children to do that we had to actually force the boys to take time and eat with us, lol. You love it
You can always get off the ship and walk around, they even have a Starbucks Cofee just across the street from where you doc in the Bahama's. I would howevr reserve some floaries for Castaway Cay and I really enjoyed the bike ride around the island.
We always order the little Chocolate tray with sparkling cider. The boys just love that.
I would consider the 'Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter' at Nassau, if the kids are old enough.
People seem to differ in their opinions as which restaurant to miss in favor of Palo.
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Palo was not too dressy. I wouldn’t dress for a formal night. Men definitely wear jackets or a shirt and tie. I wore a nice dress w/ black sweater.
If you are on a 3 day cruise you will only stop in the restaurants once for dinner. I would definitely skip Parrot Cay and use that night to visit Palo.
We ended up booking one excursion on castaway Cay and it was awesome. We booked the Stingray excursion which also came w/ a free bike rental, snorkeling gear and floatie (large doughnut shaped floatie). We never used the bike option but it was nice to know that we could do whatever we wanted and not have to worry about reserving any of the extras. (I have some pictures of the stingray encounter in my profile page).
Thank you so much for your advice!
So I'll leave my dress at home I think it'll be too formal. Our kids are 6 and 9 so I really like the idea of going to Atlantis in Nassau and we'll try to book the stingray excursion in Castaway Cay. About the chocolate and sparkling cider, do we order from room service?
As for food and drinks- you are not allowed to bring them onto the ship. There is PLENTY of food, juice, snacks etc. on the ship for you to enjoy so why lug other stuff when you've already paid for your meals, etc. on the ship? There's a ton of food 24/7 and free room service, so don't bother with the other stuff. (milk and formula is allowed on board for infants though- I thik you have to tell them ahead of time)
I don't know if it's only for certain things, but I know that people bring water and wine on board all the time. So not all food and drinks are disallowed. You may want to ask in the Travel Agent section (or maybe people here have done it) about whether something like juice boxes can be brought on board. Or double check if juice is offered at the beverage station on deck 9 (?). I know that juices are offered at dinner.
Also we didn't reserve any excursions because we want to have some time on the ship and we think it'll just be nice to have time on the beach at Castaway Cay. Do you think we should reserve excursions anyway? Will we be able to reserve any if we change our minds?
You may be able to book excursions onboard the ship, but if you know you do want to do something, you might as well try to book in advance. We've never even gotten off the ship in Nassau, because on both of our 3-night cruises we had a child under 5, so I don't know what's worth doing there. I do know that my husband and son have done the Castaway Cay stingray excursion twice and raved about it both times. It only lasts about an hour, so you'd still have plenty of beach time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bougie
Also, should we bring juice boxes because our kids don't drink soft drinks, only juice or milk?
I am not sure whether juice and milk are available at all times at the beverage station, but I am sure they are available at all restaurants, including the buffet on the pool deck. I'm pretty sure juice and maybe milk are also available by the buffet at Castaway Cay. Even if you are allowed to bring juice boxes onboard, I don't think it's necessary.
My family really enjoyed the stingrays at nassau. It's the Blackbeard Cay excursion. I think it is better than the one at Castaway Cay. More relaxed no time limit. Our favorite thing to do at Castaway is the bike ride.
My boys also enjoy the cruises better than the park.
For Palo, I have always just worn a nice, dressy dresss -- something I would wear to a wedding. My Dh has worn dress pants, a long-sleeved dress shirt, and a tie. Everyone has their fave restaurant in the rotation, but I don't really care much for Animator's Palette. It is my least favorite D cruise restaurant. However, those with kiddos might enjoy it more. So, I would skip Animator's.
If I remember correctly there was some sort of juice or lemonade available at the beverage station.
At CC, we like to rent the bike/float package. We really enjoy riding the bikes to see more of the island. And the floats/tubes are a great way to just relax in the water.
In Nassau, we have done the Ardastra Gardens Tour -- it was interesting. And on the other 2 cruises (we have done three 4 nite cruises on the Wonder), we have just walked around the area on our own. We like to visit the rum cake factory. YUM!
We had a category 11 on all 3 of our cruises, and it worked well for us. We spent very little time in our room. For us, it was for sleeping & getting ready in the AM/before dinner. There is quite a lot to do on-board, so you will likely be out and about day/evening.
Deck 9 beverage station does have milk and Hi-C type of juice and, I believe, lemonade.
We just returned from our first cruise, and we enjoyed all the meals, but liked Tritons the best, and Animator's Palate the least (although the "show" there was good). We enjoyed Pirate night a lot.
You will enjoy it no matter what. The cruise staff is excellent and really go out of their way to make everything enjoyable. We are even planning our next cruise!
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