Disey Cruise Line: The Few Low - Lights

As promised and to be fair, even though I ADORED our experience on the cruise and rambled on and on about how fabulous it was in the "Highlights" there were of course a few things that weren't perfect, or things I wished I had known prior to cruising. So here they are!

The Motion of the Ocean
The 1st 2 days of our trip, we hit very high and rough seas. So bad, that I couldn't wear heels out of fear of spraining my ankle, so I went and bought flip flops. I had to often hold the railing in the hallways for stability. Our closet doors and curtains would continually open and close themselves with the swaying. Very luckily, no one in our family was sick (which was shocking really) as many other families and children were sick and needing to take medication. I had purchased before leaving every shape and size of nausea medication, just in case, but all packages remained unopened! The Disney Wonder in not considered a large ship, in fact Disney's 2 newest ships - Disney Dream & Disney Fantasy - taking their maiden voyages this month, are 50% bigger than the Wonder & Magic. When in port we could visually see the dramatic different of our wee boat compared to other ships, but the strangest part was, being "newbies" to cruising, we thought our ship was HUGE! There were sections and places we never even got to see in a weeks time! We were glad we had our 1st experience on the Wonder, because now we have something to step up to with the newer Disney ships.

The Excursions
Hind sight, 2020 we would not have booked either of the excursion on St. Maarten or St. Thomas to the beach. All the excursions are very pricy x 3, and we could have done the exact same outing on our own, by grabbing a cab to the beach, and saving hundreds of dollars. We wouldn't have had the included lunch in St. Maarten, but I'm pretty sure we could have had some incredible local delicacies for a whole lot cheaper, if you do the math. It also forced us to be on the beach a very limited amount of time in order to get the bus back to the ship, and we didn't get to see much of the island as we hoped, because the bus drops us right back at the ship, and the walk into town in St. Thomas was too far and we were too tired by then. Next time we will get off the ship, take a taxi, go to a cool little local place for lunch, lazy and lounge and sight see, then head back to the bus and save hundreds.

The Pool Side
The spacing by the Mickey pool was very limited, so if Olivia was in the pool (which is very shallow) you can't get a seat close by so have to stand/sit on the deck to watch her. Since the water slide is where it is, it only leaves 1 side of the pool available for seating, which people "claim" very early by leaving towels on chairs (which makes me nutty)so we never could get a spot when it was decent weather. It was also really busy on deck as the spacing at the Mickey pool didn't work for the number of families. The 1st 3 days the pools were warm, but then they did a fresh refill and it was too cold for our spoiled monkey to go in for very long.

The "Key to the World" access cards/No cash on board accepted
When checking in, each family member gets one of these cards. It is your room key, credit card and ID to get on and off the ship. They have these cards down to a science on the ship, and cash is not accepted by anyone, including the gift shops. You get your big bill at the end of the week for all the charges on the cards and it ain't pretty. We would much prefer to be able to use cash and keep better track of our spending, as it was far too easy to use these cards (which is precisely why they chose this system) as it feels like you aren't using "real" money when of course, you are. I also lost my card once, as did Sam. The coding machine was down when I lost mine so I was without a card for a good part of the day and because mine was lost they blocked access to our room. I had to get staff to let us in and out throughout the day. I think this isn't a common issue (the coding machine) but it really did stink. Sam lost his right before we were to disembark and fly home, PANIC! We can't get off the ship without it!!! Thank goodness all was fine with coding and he got one just in the nick of time. The cards are stressful and play mind tricks! I'm not a fan of the cards, but I understand their purpose.

Pricing
Pricing for everything was astronomical, but I guess that's the norm for any ship. Alcohol not being included on any cruise, Sam didn't even want to tell me our "bar bill" at the end of the week. SECRET ALERT: On both days off the ship we had NO trouble getting bottles of rum back on the ship even though it's not allowed. We thought that was strange since they scanned the bags? I guess they turned a blind eye - YAY for us & Captain Morgan! It's worth a try, the worst outcome is that they take the bottle and return it to you at the end of your trip.
NOTE: They add the 15% gratuity ALREADY before getting you to sign a bill after a purchase, so no extra tipping is really needed unless they had gone way out of their way to serve us. The cost of excursions was way too high, as were the photos taken by professionals on board.

So that's about it for the few minor disappointments, but we will use the knowledge gained on this trip for our next Disney Cruise in 2012!

The burning question - Why all the travel?

I think I am prepared to answer the burning question, "why do you guys travel so much?" Some friends and family think it is strange or weird that we are always jetting off to here and there. Others support our passion and are happy for us to be able to get out and see the world! Some reasons are more personal than others, but I will try to sum up some reasons why we have caught this travel bug!

Some travel is definitely business related for Sam, and I have a "gift" for making a business trip to Bangkok a family holiday in Paris! Since Paris is half way to Bangkok, why not drop Olivia and I off half-way? Then come and join us and see the sites when you are finished your work in Asia! Often the North American trips are business and Olivia and I just tag along, such as NYC. Sam's business being online can travel with him wherever he goes, so some holidays are iPhone friendly while others are not. I was amazed when he picked up signal on his iPhone while on safari in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, Africa! We also have family that live abroad(Panama) or friends(UK) that we visit, which we always look forward to.

Another reason I truly believe that drives us to want to see the world, is that I have a serious back disease/condition that is unpredictable. I worry that as the different conditions/diseases in my spine evolve, I may not always be able to travel due to pain, or I may not be able to walk independently. We have been able to manage the past 7 years with many pain medications and treatments. If I am unable to travel in 10 years, I will feel satisfied that I saw my fair share of the world and really experienced many different places and cultures with my family. If this does happen, I will encourage Sam to take Olivia to all kinds of wonderful places. As a child we didn't travel very far, and I want Olivia to learn all about this beautiful world we live in.

We are blessed for our good fortune, and that Sam can work while we are away, so scheduling works well since I am a stay at home mom. Soon Olivia will be in school full-time and we won't be able to take her out of class all the time, so we are doing it while we can! We will still take her to amazing places when she is in school full-time, as we both feel strongly that the very best learning happens from experience.

So there you have it - this is the story behind the 3 travelbugs!

Choosing the right flight for kids :)

Okay, SO you have finally decided where you are going to travel to, you are so completely psyched about going on vacation with your family, but there is this dark and scary thought in the back of your mind - the FLIGHT! ALL parents get anxious and worried about their little ones in the air. Babies are so small and helpless, little kids so wiggly and noisy, how EVER are we going to do this without getting kicked off the aircraft before take-off? What about that horribly cranky old lady sitting in front of Olivia while she slams her tray table open and closed every 2 minutes? Here's some ideas on how to we get through this stress that might just help. We'll start with choosing the right flight! In another posting I'll talk about the ear-popping, toy distractions, and airport experiences :)

Keep in mind, human beings were never intended to be 30,000 feet in the air! Thanks to the Wright brothers, this is now possible (and thank GOD for those guys!) I try and be reasonable about my expectations before leaving. You have to expect there to be stressful moments, and potentially some bad behaviour or tears, but we were all babies/children at one time and that's all part of the package! If we book a flight well over 10 hours, we try to get a red-eye if it's possible. This way she can sleep for a good portion of the trip. Her sleep is sometimes interrupted by announcements, turbulence, pinging and binging. We find the red-eye intimidating but by far the easiest for long-haul flights. Olivia slept the WHOLE way to Paris, she literally fell asleep on take-off and woke when we needed to de-plane! SO terrific.

For sunny destinations, we choose the earlier flight, the one that actually gets us out of bed at 3 am. That way, she is likely to be exhausted by 7 am take-off (from a not so good night's rest) and catches up on some Zzzz's in the air. Sometimes you have to decide what's more important and each child is different. When she was a tiny baby, the sleep schedule was more important so when we flew, we tried to cater to her schedule but now that's she's older, it's easier to get her back on track. It's funny how even the worst sleepers fall asleep in airplanes, it's something to do with the pressure changes and the hum/vibration of the engines.

When checking in at the desk, ask the agent if a seat close to the front of the plane is available, and obviously a window seat is exciting for little ones. Getting seats near the front allow you to be one of the 1st off the airplane, as well as the advantage of being close to the bathroom and flight attendants if you need them, as well you are one of the 1st to get meals, drinks and snacks too! The one disadvantage is that the flight crew sometimes use the overhead compartments at the front of the plane to store their items and bags which leaves limited room to put your bags, but if you take advantage of the early boarding for small children and anyone needing assistance, it shouldn't be a problem. We always do the early boarding call for small children, it's a great way to avoid yet another line-up and you won't have to stumble around other passengers while carrying your child down the aisle.

Get yourselves organized and ready BEFORE it is your turn at security. Take off jewelry, belts, and other metals and stash in your purse, fold the stroller and do all those annoying but essential tasks of getting through the scanners. Let your child know that his or her favourite stuff toy or much loved blankie will pop out on the other side of the machine, as Olivia has had a fit and cried in the past, out of fear that they were taking her toy/blankie away. They do expect your walking child to go through the scanner alone, so prepare your little one for this, and let them go ahead of you so there is a staff person there to watch your child while you go through.

There are such things as infant cots/bassinets for babies on with some airlines for long haul flights (wee beds for babies in specific areas of the plane) which we would recommend, but they are becoming more and more scarce. We were never lucky enough to use the cot/bassinet, but I've seen them and they look cozy. I have flown alone with Olivia as a baby, and holding her for so long can be exhausting. If both parents are on board, it is quite a lot easier. There is always the option of booking your baby (under 2) a seat of their own, but then you pay for the extra seat and have to deal with the car seat too as that is regulation. All babies under 2 years have to be in an regulation age-appropriate car seat while on board the aircraft. We never bought her a separate seat, but again, the longest flight we flew with her as a baby was 5-6 hours to Vancouver.

We ALWAYS take an umbrella stroller, if not to hold Olivia then to hold the carry on bags! I don't know WHAT we are going to do when she gets too big for it in a year or so!! Often airlines do cater to small children, allowing you to take the umbrella stroller and check it plane side. They only allow this for umbrella strollers, not bigger strollers. Sometimes the stroller is given to you upon your arrival - plane side (this can sometimes take an annoyingly long time putting you at the back of the customs line-up) other times it has gone to large items check in, depending on the luggage situation when you land. This can be a huge pain in the tush since then you don't have the stroller for the long walk to customs/baggage claim. Ah well, we have survived that walk to tell the tale :)

Some airlines even have goodie bags for small kids, with little toys and games and colouring stuff inside. We love these little extras. The movies played on the "communal TV's" may or may not be child appropriate, so we always bring our portable DVD player. On long haul bigger aircrafts there is often a personal TV with all kinds of kid movie choices and TV stations too, but Olivia loves her own little TV and vast movie collection. we also pack a variety of novel toys and books, as well as some paper to draw on.

Allowances of liquids and foods are different for each airline, so check with your specific carrier to see what is allowed for your baby/child. All airlines do allow a certain amount of fluid/food for babies, but after age 2 - that is entirely cut off. We buy Olivia a squirtie bottle of water and snacks once through security. This saves us from having to wait for the flight attendants to bring her a drink and a snack, which of course she always seems to want immediately after take off. It's a good idea to pack an empty sippie if she does want drinks from the flight attendant, since kids struggle on a regular day to keep their cups from spilling, never mind in a moving airplane with bumps along the way. Also the snacks served are not necessarily kid friendly, or you have to pay additional $ for them, so we fly prepared.

BE PREPARED is the motto for any travels with little ones. Bring everything you think you may need, you will be surprised when that little ziploc bag of lego will come in handy! Soon I will add to this post about the fun toys, tricks, games, and some fun ideas that we use to help make our travels with Little Olivia that much easier :) Happy flying everyone, and remember during those horrifying moments like when your little traveler throws a temper tantrum in the plane, that this too shall pass and the one person who is most likely upset by this display, is you! Don't let flying with small kids deter you from traveling, it never turns out as awful as you 1st imagined!

Disney Cruise Line - The Highlights

Once you have experienced Disney Cruise Lines (DCL) you will have some HUGE shoes to fill when trying another cruise line. After speaking to several seasoned cruisers, they all agreed, Disney is head & shoulders above the rest for families. Here's our list of "The best of the best of DCL"

#1 CUSTOMER SERVICE - the staff on board the ship would literally do ANYTHING to please you. From the bus transfer to check-in desk, kids club, entertainers, servers, housekeeping...they ALL treat you like royalty and pay special attention to Olivia. In the dining room our servers would do magic tricks for her, make origami our of her paper menu, customize her meal, and even pour her ketchup in the shape of Mickey Mouse! INSANE!!

#2 ENTERTAINMENT - You simply cannot imagine the schedule that is made up daily for entertainment until you see it. Hundreds of staff are working at every minute to keep you and your children entertained. On the schedule there is a section for each age group, families and adults. This literally covers every waking minute of the day, even if we are in port. Olivia was given a GPS tracking device bracelet that also scanned her into kid's club which ran all day until midnight. Brilliant! Too bad she wouldn't stay without crying :( It looked SO fun! The live performances in the huge & glorious Walt Disney Theatre are easily Broadway quality (and those who know me know how I love my theatre!) with incredible talent, costuming and special effects. Drinks & food are allowed in the theatre too which makes the grown ups happy! The stage shows are at 8:30 PM so Olivia was up to see most of them. New Years Eve on the ship was voted our best New Year's Eve ever, thanks to the entertainment on our cruise. They did it ALL in style with a live concert & dance floor, they even had fireworks off the ship at 12 am!! INCREDIBLE!!

#3 DISNEY CHARACTERS - These guys are everywhere at all times, and there is a spot on the schedule where it tells you which location who will be at (i.e. Belle in the Atrium at 2 pm). Then there are big events like the "Meet the Princesses" when all 5 of the Disney Princesses are together for meet & greet, professional photos and a wee chat with their fans. The line up was HUGE so go 30 minutes early! The professional pics are terrific but costly. They allow you to take your own too at all times. Then there is a Character Breakfast with the Mickey and gang characters, each one comes to your table for a personal photo op. They are on the dock in port, on the beach and in the live stage shows & special events.

#4 THE FOOD - The quality and variety was insane for a floating resort. Surf & Turf flows like water & for kids, there are tons of choices and perfect kid "fun" foods. Even waffles in the shape of Mickey! This is the 1st trip Olivia actually ATE on! YAY!! She ate like a crazy person, we were so so happy. The servers at dinner would literally get meals from other restaurants or room service to please us, or make-up something special just the way we like it. I ate soup at every meal! SO SO good! Only the highest quality of meats and cooked to your liking. You choose your dinner time (6pm or 8 pm) and have 3 restaurants you rotate through, dining at each one at least twice. They are gorgeous restaurants with linens and beautiful Disney art, very entertaining too! I can't say enough about the food after eating at countless far inferior resorts.

#5 THE SHIP - Although the Disney Wonder is considered a small ship, it was stunning with SO many nooks & crannies for dining and entertainment. The 9th deck has the pools and restaurants, plus other food stands and self-serve ice cream! The only difficulty was getting a spot by the pool, mostly because other guests would put their things down and then never actually use the chair. If we couldn't get a spot pool side, there was always somewhere on 9 or 10 we could bask in the sun and hear the fun. Our stateroom 7072 was adorable! We did pay a bit more for the 7th deck for the higher deck & slightly bigger room. It was a Classic Sailor Mickey themed with original animee art on the walls. Of course the rooms are teeny tiny (ours was 268 sq/ft) you are on a boat! But with our 3 huge suitcases full, there was easily a spot for everything. A curtain divided Olivia and us (She had a bed made from the couch that was comfy) for privacy and the bathroom was split with a door so Sam had his own sink and I had mine. YAY!! Toilet and sink in 1 half, and tub and sink in other half. It was so so clean, honestly the housekeeping was the very best I've ever seen in regards to timing and attention. Turn down service nightly with awesome towel art and Sleepy dwarf chocolates on your pillow! Our bed was a queen and incredibly comfortable, the TV played many Disney movies at any given time, our verandah was beautiful with clear plexiglass and incredible views & sunsets. Each room comes with "Wave phones" which are 2 cordless phones for the parents to stay in touch while on the ship! GENIUS!


PHEW! That's one long review! I will do another with the very few things we had difficulty with, just to point out certain things for others that may be planning of cruising with Disney, which obviously I HIGHLY recommend! We are talking about a 10 day Mediterranean Disney Cruise for 2012!

Back to life, back to reality.

So it's the infamous "day after the trip" where things get tricky. Olivia had to go back to school for the 1st time since before Christmas holidays, and for our spirited little sweetie, this was no simple feat. We had to start a countdown 2 nights BEFORE we left the ship, to prepare her for our return home, as she really struggles with big transitions. She needs to know what to anticipate before it happens, so we told her she would be returning to school the day after we arrive home, which was very hard for her. She had many tears about going back to school. We made a "deal" (which we have been doing often these days) that if she doesn't kick up too much of a fuss, I will pick her up after lunch instead of her usual 4 pm pick-up time. This allows her to slowly get back into the routine without being overwhelmed. She is also new to JK, so that means new friends, new teachers, new routines and new expectations. This "deal" worked out very well so far today.

For Sammy it's back to work at the office and for me, back to all the chores that need to be done! Laundry up to the ceiling, unpacking, groceries, cleaning and tidy up, etc. We have a "detox" period when we get home from trips which includes no more junk food (healthy home cooked meals), our usual sleep schedule, sticking close to home & getting us back "on track".

I'm excited about making a scrapbook of this trip! I collected all the "memories" from our holiday and have a shiny new scrapbook to start on, once all the clean up is done. Plus a new Disney cartridge for my Cricut machine - so exciting!

Alrighty, off I go to get'er done! Wish me luck, I have to keep my body from creeping back into bed to relieve my Facebook adiction & catch up on the PVR! Sad how much we miss technology!

The only word to describe our trip - magical.

So we are safe & sound, home from another incredible adventure. Sorry for the lack of posts on our trip, the internet was clearly not incuded while sailing the high Caribbean seas, to the tune of $1.00 a minute!

This cruising experience on the Disney Wonder was totally and completely - MAGICAL. From the moment we stepped off the airplane and were in the hands of the brilliant Disney customer service staff, everything really was "a dream come true." The 1st time we laid eyes on our ship, there were hoots and hollers of excitement from all on board the Disney Magic transfer bus from the airport. She was such a beautiful boat!! We never even had to see our luggage from the time we boarded in Toronto, until we arrived in stateroom 7072 on the Wonder, along with welcome gifts and notes from the captain. We were greeted and cared for every step of the way for the past amazing 7 nights & 8 days.

So much to blog about from the trip, which I will for sure accomplish over the next bit, there are lots of things we did learn, this being our 1st cruise and all. To sum up the emotions quickly, Olivia truly felt that she had died and gone straight to Disney heaven once we arrived at port in Cape Canaveral and there was Minnie Mouse in her sailor dress, greeting her with open arms. Sam & I too, were completely stunned and amazed with this entire experience. It was one of the 1st times we really felt quite upset leaving it all behind!

Well, I will post a pic or 2, and I'm off to bed. Exhausted! I didn't realize about the time-zone changes we would experience while cruising, but it makes sense since we traveled into and out of other time zones! Lots of things we have learned along the way...can't wait to share!

Lisa

All good to go!

So everything worked out fine with flights, I guess the email went to junk folder so they resent - simple! PHEW!! Olivia is nestled, all snug in her bed while visions of Disney princesses dance in her head! It could also be the Disney movie before bed, the Disney PJ's and blanket, and her Disney MP3 playing as she fell asleep. I gotta hand it to Disney, they sure got it right when it came to marketing!

We are all prepared for the 4 am wake-up call. That will allow us 1 hour get ready/travel time & 2.5 hours of in-airport time before the flight at 7:30 am. We always make sure we have at least that much time, you just never know what kind of crowds and line ups you may run in to, especially with such heavy security into the US. All the clothes to wear are laid out, the car seat, stroller and the suitcases are standing at the front door.

The following documents I have printed and kept in my carry-on:

Passports
Disney Cruise package information
Travel Insurance documents
Flight info. and tickets
Contact info of travel agency

We went with http://www.smallworldvacations.com/ as our travel agent for this trip. They typically have very similar pricing to any agency for a Disney cruise (not much flexibility on price during high season/holidays) BUT you get on-board cash vouchers for booking through them!! So when we board we already have a $300 voucher for any on-board purchases! We insured the trip through www.insuremytrip.com (best pricing) as well we have coverage a million different ways with our jobs, banks etc. so we are COVERED! That is one corner you never cut, we have used our travel insurance for claims many times!

Now every outlet in the room is full - powering up cell phones, cameras, DVD player, iPad etc. for the trip! That's Sam's big responsilibity - the electronics, I take care of the rest - funny how that works?

I made the necessary trip to the pharmacy and purchased every possible nausea/seasick medication and trick, including the pressure wrist bands and behind the ear tablets. Since it's our 1st cruise we gotta take all precautions just in case! I'm sure we will be fine on such a huge ship, but I was a Girl Guide so I learned to BE PREPARED! Hehe.

Well, we're off to sleep now, keep you posted throughout the trip with any fun, interesting or exciting updates! Does anyone know if there is cell phone service/internet on the ship? Hmmm...something to google I suppose ;) I'm pretty sure they've thought of everything on this boat.