Sorry to be so long posting this, but Arlene (mrs. marc) was asking today in a PM how my Disney trip was, and well, since it was part cruise, I thought I should post, as we have many grandparents here on this board who may be interested, and it was a BK arranged cruise! I've edited a bit, added some, and taken out some. But I know it is way too long! At least I will not give you any "history" of our itinerary. lol, it was 4 days to the Bahamas!
My Disney trip was May 1-9! We started out by spending 3 nights at the parks at WDW. I got a great 3BR villa at the time-share right (internet booking) next to the Contemporary Resort for so much less than I could get it for through Disney, as it is still a Disney Resort. (Bay Lake Towers) and has a covered walkway to the Contemporary, on the same floor as the monorail. Basically, you buy "points", and each resort and accomodations are priced according to points. Learned so much on Mousesavers.com and the DisBoards for everything (thanks Pam), including private transfers to the ship, park tickets discounts, etc. Unit was over 2,000 square feet. two stories,full kitchen, living room 3 bedrooms and a loft, (sleeps up to 14) and plenty of room for the 9 of us, both my boys families, and daughter Jes joined in for that little part.
I had a car, and went grocery shopping for breakfast foods and some easy stuff. Eating was always on the run in the park, who knows what for dinner, but never a "nice" place, there was plenty of sustenance at the unit. Rained on and off every day in the parks, except for one hot morning with sun, rain didn't bother us at all, just got ponchos. We used that system where you get a ticket and don't stand in line, just show up at assigned time for rides.
After 3 nights, 4 days at the parks, we took a private van & driver I arranged online to Port Canaveral, the night before the cruise after a full day at the parks and stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn (and my son got the points and got us a good deal).
Next day, onto the ship, (BK arranged all, Susan
) seamless from time of reservation with her, pre-cruise communications, getting there (SW airlines from BWI), free transfer to hotel because it was a Disney resort. Once on the ship, private service from arrival after security, to taking us to our cabin, quick, quick, and lovely escorts all along the way.
Followed Doug Burns advice (a long time ago, trip for his wife and sister) and got a concierge one bedroom for myself (as a gathering place for all of them). I did not want to "step down" from the normal cabin on say, Mariner, and my kids cabins were identical in size to that (lined up right next to mine in same area), and I liked the furnishings SO much better if you compare to Mariner. Fold out sofas for the grands, and they have another that pulls down from the ceiling, the 5 yr olds opted for that in both cabins, so no bed sharing. Those sofas were so much more comfy and "cushy" than those on the Mariner. After all, the Dream is a newer ship. My cabin was over 600 sq. feet, connected with my sons one after another. It was far more beautifully appointed than a Penthouse on the Mariner, as much as I hate to admit. Huge whirlpool tub in a big big bathroom. Bedroom could be shut off the rest of the space with hard sliding doors (not that I needed that as I was only one sleeping there) LOVED having visits from all adults after grands were in bed every night, or I spent time with my one grandson (late) playing games and let him use my iPad. haha, I showed him Angry Birds. Balcony was like a "double wide". We loved it!
Our ship the Dream (huge), is a newer one, and all the Concierge cabins are in the same part of the ship, forward and on the top two decks, somewhat shielded from the others. Private lounge in the middle of the two halls with free cocktails before dinner, continental breakfast each morning and little snacks and sandwiches and soft drinks all day, private booking for everything, private sun lounge where they had ultra plush cushions on the chairs (didn't use it all all, no pool), and had those "chair beds" with shade covers that fit 2 people, and a little party one day where a character makes a visit (it was MICKEY! himself) just NICE from start to finish.
Yes, pricing was similar per diem to Regent because I was there
off season, and they charged little for the grands, as one in each family was under 3 and no charge at all, and without request, had a crib in one cabin for the youngest one. Small charges for the 5 year olds. Leaving that somewhat sequestered "concierge" area, same for everyone on the ship, just like Regent. Except that we never had to visit the "destinations desk" (duh, we only had 2 ports or maybe one?, one day was a private island and one sea day. We did no excursions.
Servers in the dining room "knew" we were concierge ( I only knew because she mentioned to me), and seemed extremely forgiving that we never showed up for dinner, all 9 of us at the same time. I would think this is the normal service. No dine when you wish on this ship for anyone in main DR. 5:45 and 8:15 are the seatings, no choice here, and neither are great. My son who was living in Mexico.....well 5:45 is about 3 hours too early for dinner in Mexico, but he knew we had to be out and the table reset for the 8:15 seating and we were always out in plenty of time. Our poor server had a challenge, but she never let on that it bothered her. They fed the kids first, and children were off to the the kids club while we enjoyed our main courses with plenty of time. Children loved kids club, so professional and well run.. The 5 years olds were in one place, and they allowed one 2 yr old there, as she was fully potty trained, 2 months short of being 3, fully conversational, and with a sibling. The youngest a bit younger, but 2, went to the nursery area, for which there is an hourly charge of about $6 an hour, as I remember.
Service in restaurant great, food I'd rank better than Regent because they have a tried and true "system" with most everyone coming at same time, and our waitress would NOT serve food that was not hot. These are short cruises, they only have to "perfect" a few choices, and every night you rotate to a different venue with the same serving staff. They have to deliver two seatings every night, in spite of what the passengers preferences are, so they have a deadline to meet every single night, twice. We loved our "Jamaican Momma" server as she called herself, and tipped her well "extra", in spite of my paying all suggested tips in advance. The service was just that good, and she was so appreciative without even knowing the tip placed into her hand.. In each of our 3 cabins each night, there were always at least 2 examples of "towel art" sometimes using articles left out, like sunglasses, etc.. Our cabin stewards could not have been finer, or more interactive with us. I chat a bit with Regent attendants, but normally do not want to take too much of their time, as they are finely tuned to get a lot more done in less time. Sometimes these guys, night or day, seem to enjoy just standing there "chatting".
Honestly, it was the best ever for a 3 generation trip I could ever imagine! But I would never do it as an adult only trip, even with my own adult children (all 4 love Regent). The main pool is wall to wall kids, and I mean wall to wall on the whole deck. There are definitely areas for adults only, a small pool and deck, and another sun deck and outside bar just upstairs from that, several inside bars and smaller entertainment inside them in the evenings, and they strictly enforce the no-under 18 allowed rule. I watched several times as some tweens and teens were marshalled out of those areas. Mostly, they had just wandered out of their areas and weren't paying attention. But the main live entertainment in the theater is definitely Disney all the way, not always the best shows for little ones like mine who are 5 and below, but family oriented and kids all over the place. Only Disney or Pixar films in the movie theater.
I will definitely consider this again for another family cruise if that is what my adult children would like. Otherwise, we rent a big house somewhere and cook in, and everyone pitches in with clean-up and some work. Doesn't matter to me, but I think the parents actually enjoyed "going out" and being waited on with the kids, and releasing them for more fun at another place while they enjoyed some adult time together. They knew they had "grandma" along as a baby sitter if they wanted to go out after the little ones in bed, but I never heard even a suggestion that they were interested. have to mention, you can bring any alcohol or wine you want on Disney, they don't care. And so we did that, along with lots of snacks and cheeses.
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