Trip Report Come Along and Sail the Shimmering Seas!

joshsprincess921 · May 31, 2023

Wicked Sisters said:
Loving your photos, never done a Disney Cruise but you make it sound so wonderful I wish we had.

Thank you! It was a wonderful trip. Can't wait to share more.

joshsprincess921 · Jun 1, 2023

Day 2: Sea Day
We headed to Cabanas fairly early for breakfast, then claimed our spot on the pool deck. Cam did not mind swimming in the "pool soup" (as I called it) at all. This wasn't even that bad. There were times when there was NO open spaces in either pool. The Aqua Duck just opened and Cam chickened out, so Josh went by himself and said it was fun. Then when he got back Cam wanted to go, but by then the line to ride was long, so Josh was like nope.

We also played in the Aqua Lab for a bit which was a really fun area and definitely not as crowded as the pools.

I thought this little detail was funny. The Senses Spa Water Supply.

joshsprincess921 · Jun 1, 2023

We had a great time and decided to order room service for lunch. It was quick and delicious. Josh and I had our anniversary at the end of April and our gift to each other was a spa treatment while on the cruise. We signed up to do the Couple's Choice and today was the day. We got ready and brought Cam to kid's club. We still had a little time so we walked around the Adult Area of the pool deck. This was really the extent of what we'd get do out there. We never really had a chance over the week since the times we wanted to enjoy the deck Cam was with us.

We could see Cuba in the distance.

No pictures of the spa time, but I'll give you a recap. So the Couple's Choice is a 2 hour experience. When we first arrived they gave us robes and showed us to the changing rooms. We had to wear swimsuits first. Then after filling out some forms were were brought into our own private room with it's own verandah. On the verandah are two loungers and a foot soak area and a hot tub. We discussed our massage preferences and were brought out to verandah. They poured some sort of liquid concoction in the warm bowl of water where we soaked our feet for a few minutes then we had hot tub soak time while overlooking the ocean. We were also delivered a drink from the bartender to enjoy while we soaked (additional charge). Once that time was up, the two ladies came out and handed us our robes and helped gather our things. They gave us our privacy while we got out of our wet swimsuits and on to the massage tables. Our massages were 70 minutes. I opted for the hot stone massage and Josh had a deep tissue where she also used this warm bamboo rod to roll on him (sounds painful, but he likes to hurt during his massages, no thanks!). After the massages are over, you get back in your robe and out to the loungers for hot tea which is 15 minutes.

My thoughts....I've never had that long of a massage before. The longest I've had was an hour. I'll be honest, the table was kind of hard, so towards the end I started cramping in my shoulders a little bit and was just ready for it to be over. Josh said the same thing happened to him. I guess we are getting old, haha! But the place we go to back home the bed is really soft and warm and I never had that issue. This massage bed just wasn't very comfortable. Also you start out on your stomach and the place you rest your face had a covering on it that was so scratchy and just irritated my face. It was a disposable scratchy thick paper like material. Despite that, I did still enjoy the massage and it was relaxing and they did a great job. This was very expensive and a huge splurge. With the cost of the treatment, plus the drinks, plus the tips for both, this ended up being close to $600. In the end did we feel it was worth it, no. We don't regret it, and it was a fun experience, but we wouldn't do it again. I'd say maybe I would just go and get an hour massage, but I really wasn't a fan of the bed and def wouldn't do 70 minutes, but the Couple's Choice was a special one time splurge.

Once we left there, we had to go pick up Cam and head back to the room to get ready for Formal Night. We had early dining, so we had to get ready quickly and after the massage, we both needed to take showers, so it was chaotic, but I think we cleaned up nicely!

I mean...so cute!

Tonight's dinner was in Royal Court and our table was by a beautiful window.

Our server made another paper animal.

joshsprincess921 · Jun 1, 2023

I didn't take any pictures of dinner. I guess I was just enjoying my time. But I did try the escargots which I've never had before and I actually really enjoyed it. I had steak again and for dessert the crème brulee. I remember enjoying the steak this night more than the prime rib the night before.

Some photos by the photographer:

After dinner, I was dying to change. It was fun dressing up, but we mostly like to be comfortable, so we headed to the room for that. Our room host figured out quickly that we like to come back to the room after dinner for a bit, so he already had the room turned down for us. He was just the best.

Cam wanted to go do the BB-8 thing they had going on in the kid's club, so we dropped him off for that. The 25th anniversary fireworks was tonight so we told him we'd pick him up in time for that. I also forgot to mention before dinner in the atrium they had a reception to celebrate the 25th anniversary and all the characters were there dancing and they were passing out free cocktails and wine so that was nice.

Josh and I saw the Aladdin show which was SO GOOD. When it was time to pick up Cam, lots of other parents were doing the same thing so there was a bit of wait.

But eventually we got our boy and head up to the deck.

joshsprincess921 · Jun 1, 2023

The celebration started with a short stage show. The characters all look so cute in their anniversary outfits.

The cruise director had a little chat and then the fireworks went off. The whole thing with the show and fireworks lasted about 15 minutes so it was short and sweet, but fun.

I snapped two pics of the fireworks just to document that, hey, you watched fireworks, haha.

After that, we headed back to the room to get ready for bed.

A fun sea day was had!

Next up: Cozumel

joshsprincess921 · Jun 2, 2023

Day 3: Cozumel

When I woke up, we weren't quite to Cozumel yet. I snuck out on to the verandah and sat for awhile until the guys woke up. We did not have to meet for our excursion until 9:30 so we got everything ready for the day and went to the dining room for breakfast which was in Royal Court.

I love the murals in this dining room and especially loved this one which was across from me.

Can I just say the coffee on the ship was terrible. I've heard the coffee at The Cove in the adult area is good, but I never got a chance to try it, but the coffee in Cabanas and the dining room was just not good. I still drank it though because...well...caffeine. It was very watered down in my opinion. Our server was surprised when I said I did not want a second cup. He said most people drink 6 or 7. Honestly, it's so weak I'm not surprised, hah!

Josh got french toast, Cam got the pancakes and I got basic breakfast platter. It wasn't bad. I also had a bagel w/cream cheese and smoked salmon they had as a starter and had half of that. That is one of my favorite breakfast foods of all time! I just love it.

I was kind of wishing I had got this french toast. It looked good.

We walked around a little bit after.

We had docked while at breakfast so we went up the top deck to have a look.

Hello Cozumel! It was such a beautiful day!

We stopped back at our stateroom to pick up our things before it was time to head to the D-Lounge to meet up for our ~~excursion~~ port adventure.

Cam looking to see which deck we needed to go to. We let him navigate us around the ship most of the time and get us back to our room. By the end of the cruise, he knew the ship better than me. This made me happy because he typically always has his head in the clouds. So I'm trying to work with him on realizing his surroundings, etc. We still have a lot of work to do, but we will get there.

joshsprincess921 · Jun 2, 2023

I have a big gap in my pictures starting here. So this will be a bit wordy (sorry!), but I have to share. We made our way to the D-Lounge and checked in. We were given a sticker with a Disney character that would represent our group and some towels. We were the Pumba group. We were waiting awhile and Josh decided he needed to go to the restroom. Of course, a couple of minutes later they called our group and he was no where to be seen. Thankfully, he shows up as we are walking out of the door. We were escorted down to Deck 1 and off the ship where the guides from our port adventure were waiting. They escorted us all the way down the pier, then we stopped where they gave us all bracelets. There were probably at least 5 different groups. This took awhile to get everyone situated, then we had to walk all the way through the port and finally made it to the vans that took us to Dolphinaris where we would be swimming with the dolphins.

Once we got there, we were greeted by our host. He showed us to where we could get a locker. We had 10 minutes to get a locker and get ready to head down to the area where we were given a lifejacket. We were separated into smaller groups and guides escorted us to the area of the pool we would be in. The time from when we got off the ship to getting in the pool seemed to have taken forever, but it was all very organized and done very smoothly. They really had a good system going to keep that many people in order. The place is right on the ocean and it's absolutely gorgeous.

Finally it was time for us to get in the pool. We had a group of 12, half being adults and the other half kids. Our guide (trainer?) gave us some safety instructions and introduced the dolphins we would be working with. The he had us swim out a bit and the dolphins swam in front of us and we could reach out and pet them. After a few rounds of that, he told us to swim back to the side.

This is when things took a turn. There was another group on the other side of the pool. Someone in that group did something they were not supposed to do and it spooked the dolphins they were working with and the dolphins darted off. As we were swimming to the side of our pool, apparently those dolphins darted by us. One hit Cam in the arm and another boy in the leg and hit another lady as well. Out of no where, Cam and the other little boy started wailing. We had no idea what had happened and couldn't figure out why the boys would be crying/screaming at that point! That was when the lady that got hit told us what happened. We were told to get out of the pool while they assessed everything.

Cam's arm was very red. I thought he'd be done and not want to get back in the pool, honestly. We were able to calm him down and they had us sign a waiver saying we refused medical treatment, etc. The trainer went over and talked with the other trainer. They switched out the dolphins and then we were able to get in the pool again. Cam surprisingly was fine with it. He danced with the dolphin, kissed the dolphin and did all things, but then when it came to doing the swim he was adamant he didn't want to do it. I told him it was ok if he didn't want to, but that I really thought he should because I didn't want him to regret it. He let everyone else go and then when he saw the smaller boy that got hit in the leg swim, he started thinking maybe he would do it. Finally it was his last chance to decide and he said ok and immediately swam out!!!

I think it's safe to say he loved it! I was so proud of him for being so brave!

After our swim, we went over to the snorkel lagoon and did a little snorkel there. That was fun and Cam really enjoyed that. Lunch was included, so we got changed and turned in the locker key before going up the eating area. While waiting for our food, a lady came over with an ipad to show us all of the pictures that were taking during our swim. There were some really great ones, but they wanted over $200 for the pictures. I think it was close to $250 and I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The pictures will just have to live on in my memory. We decided to just buy the above print of Cam which was $40, so at least we have that one.

Josh and I got a margarita which was good and we all got nachos. Cam had some kind of frozen fruit punch drink.

These nachos had very little flavor. Not the best.

After lunch, we picked up our picture and got a van back to port.

We shopped around a bit. We ended up buying this from a guy painting them at a booth. I thought it was unique souvenir. He hand painted our family name on it also.

Then we headed back to the ship.

We rested in the room awhile and watched the Goofy Movie. This was Cam's first time watching it and he liked it. Then got ready for dinner, but first we were going to be doing a fun Meet N Greet!

joshsprincess921 · Jun 2, 2023

We were meeting Goofy AND Max!! We told them we just watched the movie and Max busted out the dance moves. It was so funny.

This is one the CM took with my phone.

We had such an great interaction with them that I was disappointed when I saw this was the ONLY photopass picture they took.

Oh well. Josh is not big on meeting the characters, but he thought this was cool meeting Max.

Dinner was in the most anticipated Animator's Palate. Cam and I were so excited to dine here. The first night was Nemo themed. This was so fun. Both Cam and the other little boy at our table, N, thought it was so cool.

For dinner, I HAD to try the truffle pasta, of course! And it was very good.

For some reason, Josh decided to get this ham and cheese plate and he didn't like it. I thought it was good though. He also got the baked potato soup and he enjoyed that.

Dinner was one of my favorite meals of the whole cruise.

Ginger-Teriyaki dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin served on Wasabi Mashed Potatoes with Bok Choy and a Tamarind Barbecue Reduction

The flavors were sooo good! I want this again!

Herb crusted pork chop Josh.

If you look back to the first night's dinner, that is what Cam's looked like most nights. On the nights when pizza was on the menu he would get that. N was even pickier than Cam and only wanted hot dogs. Even though they weren't on the menu our server made sure he always had his hot dog. Both boys always got vanilla ice cream with sprinkles for dessert every night.

For dessert, I got the Lemon Icebox pie. I loved this.

AND another sundae for Josh because he's not very adventurous when it comes to food. Cookies n cream but with chocolate chip cookies.

joshsprincess921 · Jun 2, 2023

After dinner, we headed back to our room to change. We had decided we would do some night swimming. Cam really wanted to ride the Aqua Duck.

The pool deck was empty. It's really a good time to go if you want to enjoy with minimal people. This was during the late dining times so most people were doing that or watching the late show. We watched Zootopia!

Cam rode the Aqua Duck 6 times in a row with zero wait. I rode twice with him. It was really fun, but man is it hard getting out of the tube at the end. I about face planted it trying to get out. That wasn't embarrassing at all. :bored:

Cam and Josh are in these pictures. You'll just have to trust me.

The rest of the night was spent with Josh and I in the chairs watching a movie, eating ice cream cones and Cam floating in the pool until it closed. It was one of our favorite nights of the trip.

Up Next: Grand Cayman

joshsprincess921 · Jun 5, 2023

Day 4: Grand Cayman
My streak of not being able to sleep well on vacation continued. I was up by 5 am. I laid there for about 30 minutes before sneaking onto the verandah. The sun was already rising. The water was SO calm.

I stayed out there for about an hour soaking it all in. We wouldn't be arriving to Grand Cayman until closer to 10am, so we had a nice slow morning getting ready. Cam and I had also ordered some pastries from room service as a pre-breakfast appetizer and enjoyed those out on the verandah as well. We got our stuff together and went to Cabanas for breakfast, then we watched The Lion King until it was time to meet up for our Port Adventure.

Today we were meeting in the Buena Vista Theater and we were group Minnie. Cam enjoyed the Mickey shorts while we waited.

In Grand Cayman, we had to take a tender boat to the port.

The Celebrity ship was in port with us. I can't remember which one it was.

joshsprincess921 · Jun 5, 2023

Our Port Adventure was literally a 2 minute ride from port. We would be doing a submarine ride. It wasn't full submerged, just the bottom and the captain was on top of the boat while we had a guide in the bottom with us.

We saw some ship wreckage.

A nurse shark.

joshsprincess921 · Jun 5, 2023

The captain shut off the boat and dived in the water. He was feeding the fish as he swam around the boat.

I'd say this Port Adventure was ok. It wasn't the best, but kind of neat. We really didn't see much to be honest. We saw a few tarpon which was cool, but I was really hoping to see some sea turtles. One time we went through a HUGE school of fish. That was probably the coolest thing we saw. Cam was videoing so I have a really neat video of that. The feeding thing was just unnatural, but I guess they want to make sure you see something. Cam really liked it so I guess that's what counts.

The ride was maybe about 45 minutes. We decided since we were so close to port that we'd walk back and try to find something to eat. We stopped at a place called Cayman Cabana and had a great view of the ship.

There was a guy right next to the restaurant that was pulling fish out of the water and cleaning the fish right there which they serve in the restaurant so I knew I wanted to try the fish. The fish of the day was snapper. I went with the fish sandwich and Josh got a pasta with lobster. Hand's down, this was the best meal of the entire trip. It was so delicious and flavorful. If you are ever in Grand Cayman, I highly suggest checking it out. I wish I had that sandwich right now for lunch!

We walked around the port and popped into a couple shops. The port was very small, so we didn't spend too much time there before heading back to the tender boats.

joshsprincess921 · Jun 5, 2023

We went back to the room and rested a bit and I did some laundry. Cam and Josh had an appointment booked for Goofy's sports simulator. I popped in while waiting on the laundry. Cam wanted to do the golf, but this was harder than it looks. You had to really hit the screen hard for it to pick up and he's just not there, so the ball would move about 2 inches. After a bit, they moved to soccer which was a lot easier.

They spent an hour doing this and then Cam went to kid's club. It was pirate night so he wanted to go to activity they had with Captain Hook.

I don't think I mentioned earlier in the TR, but for anyone interested in cruising with Disney and wondering how the kid's club works, when you do your online check in, you can register your child then. You can also do it once on the cruise, but I liked having it already done. When we arrived at port they gave him a magic band for the kid's club and when we went for the open house on Day 1 they put a lock on it so it wouldn't come off and every time we brought him to check in they would check to see if the lock was on there. He would scan in and they had to open the gate for him and he'd have to wash his hands before going in.

During online check in, you list who can check him in and out. When we would return to pick him up they'd scan our ship card and compare us to our picture. He had to wash his hands again, scan his band out and we'd have to give them the secret word we set up online before they'd open the gate and let him out. With the system they have in place, I felt very safe leaving him there. I believe starting at age 9, you can set it up to where they can check themselves in and out, but I wasn't ready for that yet. Also, if there is ever a problem or the child wants to leave, the Cast members can message you through the app and let you know.

Anyway, back to the TR. I picked him up at the Captain Hook thing and he was ready to be a pirate!

We went down the meet the man himself! This was such a great meet and greet. He motioned to his eye patch and hook. Captain Hook was meeting upstairs and Mickey pointed up there.

Darstarr · Jun 5, 2023

Did you do any of the theatre shows? I remember going to them every night and really loving them. Although the swim night looked awesome!!

joshsprincess921 · Jun 5, 2023

Mickey did not like Josh and I's shirts, but I assured him they were just a disguise and that we were still on his team!

We also took some pictures with the backgrounds.

Then it was time for dinner back in Enchanted Garden.

This was another night where I did not take pictures of our food. I know I had the crab cake and chilled mango soup. I really liked the soup. It tasted like a smoothie bowl. For dinner I had the grouper which was ok. Dessert was Bananas in Paradise which I didn't care for.

joshsprincess921 · Jun 5, 2023

Darstarr said:
Did you do any of the theatre shows? I remember going to them every night and really loving them. Although the swim night looked awesome!!

Josh and I saw Aladdin one night and the 3 of us saw a magic show another night. I wanted to see the Frozen show, but never made it. Cam did not want to see it (he's anti-Princess at the moment, ha) so we'd end up doing something else or he would be tired.

We absolutely LOVED Aladdin though. It was so good! I couldn't remember what Josh and I did the Night 2 while Cam was in the kid's club but now that you asked, this is what we did.

Instead of going to see Believe we went to the premiere of the Little Mermaid.

joshsprincess921 · Jun 5, 2023

Anna the Disney Violinist was playing in the Atrium. She was incredible. I started following her on Instagram just so that I can hear her stuff.

A quick stop in the room so Cam could change into some shorts before he headed back to the kid's club.

Josh and I stopped at one of the bars for an after dinner drink. I told the bartender to make me whatever he wanted. He made me an espresso martini. This was the best coffee I had on board all week. :hilarious:

Josh is a bourbon guy. He has quite a collection and he inquired about a bottle of Pappy's they had. Supposedly, it's super rare and cost thousands for one bottle. The bartender said for one shot it was $400! :greedy:

Wowza! The bartender also said that one bottle has been sitting on the shelf for years. No, Josh did not get the Pappy's, but went with a MUCH cheaper bourbon on the rocks.

We enjoyed our drinks then went to the pool deck and got a spot for Pirate night and watched Muppet Treasure Island they had playing on Funnel Vision. Later, I went and got Cam from kid's club and we had an ice cream cone while waiting for the show!

Such a great show and despite my terrible fireworks picture, the fireworks were great! So cool watching fireworks at sea!! Once the fireworks started, Club Pirate began. I thought this would be right up Cam's alley b/c he likes to dance, but he was beat. He had been a trooper this week staying up late. The pirate show started late as it was, so he was ready for bed once the fireworks were over.

Pirate night was so much fun!

Another great cruise day/night was had!

Up next: Jamaica

cgersic · Jun 6, 2023

So many great pictures!!! I love that you all are having such a great time - it truly shows on your faces!

mpaulam · Jun 6, 2023

Just found this and got all caught up. What a great time you're having! Can't wait to read more

donaldtoo · Jun 6, 2023

joshsprincess921 said:
It is called My Southern Christmas Family.

Ahhh, yes…!

Trip Report Come Along and Sail the Shimmering Seas!

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