The Huston family takes on the Eastern Caribbean, May 2014

[aokeefe]

I'm enjoying your TR- looking forward to reading the rest. Our Fantasy cruise is in April- can't wait!

 

[rosaciri]

Luved reading your eastern carribean report. We got back in May (we are from Australia) from doing the western carribean cruise on the fantasy and we luved it. We are now waiting to book in early 2016 the eastern carribean cruise as soon as dates are released.

Great report, great pics and great tips. We are looking forward to going back on the fantasy for our second DCL cruise. I just need to hunt around for our pirate costumes (we didn't bring any on this years cruise as we didn't realize there was a pirate theme night) in due course. Rosa

 

[Driving2DIS]

Thank you for your TR! Awesome pictures!! Makes me so excited for ours.
We are going in December 2014. This will be our 2nd Disney cruise (first one was a 5 day Bahamian in March/April 2013) and I'm trying to figure out a few things for our upcoming cruise.

First, the excursions. The Dis ones are so expensive! But I'm willing to shell out if it's worth it. Our itinerary looks a bit different than yours, though (we have San Juan, PR instead of St. Maarten). Are you glad you did the St. Thomas excursion? I love the idea of a low key beach day. We are thinking of a Champagne boat excursion (have 6 & 8 year old, too) only because it includes a beach day.

Secondly, on our 1st cruise we only made it to one show so we are determined to watch them all this time. Apart from pirate night (when there is a stage show and fireworks) was there a show every night? If not, which night wasn't there one?

The dining is confusing me on the 7 night cruise compared to our 1st. We didn't have a "formal" night on the 5 day. For your formal night was there anything "special" that happened (apart from the attire) that didn't happen on other rotational dining nights? Trying to figure out if Remy or Palo would make sense that night or if we would be missing out on something special. Also, for our 1st cruise it was rotation dining of course, but the only cruise-wide, mass-produced (ie same food every restaurant) menu was on pirate night. On the 7 night it seems that there are 3 or 4 of those. Is this something you remember specifically? If so, which nights?

Lastly - the fireworks night. I remember having to fight for space on our 1st cruise and all 4 of us squeezed into a tight spot. We will have a verandah like you did (ours is cabin 8684). You mentioned watching fireworks there. Was the view ok? I love the idea of having our own space for them (and why is it a no-no?)! Also the buffet (specifically with the turkey legs - my DH fave!!) when exactly is that served?

Sorry to bombard you with questions!! Just trying to plan this all out for a magical trip!

 

[Ndsmorrison]

Hey!! I've enjoyed your TR!!! We went on Fantasy last November and we LOVED it!!! We are going on the Magic this November!! I'm hoping Magic is just as fantastic as the Fantasy!! My DD did BBB and I am thinking about having her do it again this year and also doing the BBB Pirate for her this time. Only catch she has NO idea we are going this year so I can't ask her if she wants to do BBB again, but I'm pretty sure she will want to!! I love all the pics!! Love the tips too!! Something I didn't think of! Like the floaties!!
Here is my DD at BBB!!!

Here is the final results....btw they are so wonderful there!!

 

[dryvithome]

Thanks for the TR! Just caught up on it and am excited about an upcoming Eastern Caribbean trip! Helps us to try to figure out what we'd like to do. Looks like you all have had an enjoyable time so far!

 

[brady22]

Thank you for your TR! Awesome pictures!! Makes me so excited for ours.
We are going in December 2014. This will be our 2nd Disney cruise (first one was a 5 day Bahamian in March/April 2013) and I'm trying to figure out a few things for our upcoming cruise.

First, the excursions. The Dis ones are so expensive! But I'm willing to shell out if it's worth it. Our itinerary looks a bit different than yours, though (we have San Juan, PR instead of St. Maarten). Are you glad you did the St. Thomas excursion? I love the idea of a low key beach day. We are thinking of a Champagne boat excursion (have 6 & 8 year old, too) only because it includes a beach day.

Secondly, on our 1st cruise we only made it to one show so we are determined to watch them all this time. Apart from pirate night (when there is a stage show and fireworks) was there a show every night? If not, which night wasn't there one?

The dining is confusing me on the 7 night cruise compared to our 1st. We didn't have a "formal" night on the 5 day. For your formal night was there anything "special" that happened (apart from the attire) that didn't happen on other rotational dining nights? Trying to figure out if Remy or Palo would make sense that night or if we would be missing out on something special. Also, for our 1st cruise it was rotation dining of course, but the only cruise-wide, mass-produced (ie same food every restaurant) menu was on pirate night. On the 7 night it seems that there are 3 or 4 of those. Is this something you remember specifically? If so, which nights?

Lastly - the fireworks night. I remember having to fight for space on our 1st cruise and all 4 of us squeezed into a tight spot. We will have a verandah like you did (ours is cabin 8684). You mentioned watching fireworks there. Was the view ok? I love the idea of having our own space for them (and why is it a no-no?)! Also the buffet (specifically with the turkey legs - my DH fave!!) when exactly is that served?

Sorry to bombard you with questions!! Just trying to plan this all out for a magical trip!

Sorry about the delay, my twins started kindergarten so it has been crazy at home! I sent you a PM with some answers! Let me know if you have any other questions!!

 

[brady22]

So very sorry about the delay in finishing the report! Busy end of summer, and the kiddos started kindergarten so things have been hectic to say the least!

The last full day at sea we slept in a bit and went for breakfast at Enchanted Garden. DD wanted to wear her Anna dress, as she didn’t get to enjoy it much the night before. There weren’t many activities planned for that day, and we wanted to limit the sun due to DS’s burnt face, DH’s shoulders, and my entire body, so it was tough to find something to do.





We decided to meet Tinkerbell, then DD and I waited in line for princess Minnie, while the others hung out on the deck for a bit. DH left as we were getting close to the front of the line and went for the Disney Vacation Club presentation.






I met DH there, while DGM took the kids back to the room. The three of them ended up going up to the pool. We met up after the presentation, had some lunch and ice cream with sprinkles. Then we swam and rode the Aqua Duck. Kids were a bit whiny so we went back to the room to rest. The kids fell asleep while I packed up. DH and DGM decided to try out bingo!


Dinner was at Royal Court again that night, so we enjoyed our porthole view. DD tried “surf and turf” for dinner, and liked it!!




Our stateroom host had fun with the kids' toys. Our kids obviously don't travel light when it comes to their toys!!


DD on the upper pull down perth.

We went up for another night of “night swimming.” The girls convinced grandma to try the AquaDuck, while the boys were in the Arr-cade. After the boys were done, they joined the girls for swimming, including getting grandma on the AquaDuck again!




Look at the empty line... love night swimming! We rode the AquaDuck over and over again!!





So, the camera on the AquaDuck does work! Facial recognition detected DH's photos, but not mine for some reason. You are able to search through tiny thumbnail photos to find yours and have them added to your account if you so wish... we did! LOL!




Muppets Most Wanted was playing in the theater, so we went back to the room, changed into our PJs and headed to the theater. DH bought some popcorn and we snacked on the treats we had brought from home. It was LATE showing of the movie, so DD and I ended up leaving early and heading back to the room. We had an early day tomorrow at Castaway Cay!






The ship is so cool at night. Everyone is sleeping and it is kind of deserted. If you have the energy to stay up, I highly recommend wandering around at night at least once! You can go in your PJs if you want.

 

[gfly]

excellent job

 

[brady22]

I love Castaway Cay and really hate that it is the last day of the cruise. We like to make the most of this day, so we start early. DH and I headed up in the morning to grab breakfast for everyone to eat in our room. We watched from the verandah while we pulled in to dock. We choose a starboard side room, as it has a great view of the island.


View from our verandah.



It usually is fairly chaotic getting off the ship, as I think everyone wants to make the most of the day. We headed off the ship and ran into Olaf at the post office. There was a line for the photo-op, but it was worth it.



Then it was Captain Jack Sparrow! We hadn't met him on the ship this time, so we waited in the line on the island. He is an amazing character greet, not to be missed! DH and the kids posed for pictures with him.



We had strollers for the kids, so we didn’t have to wait for the shuttle. I highly recommend strollers, especially in the hot sun, when kids get easily exhausted! We found a spot on the beach and set up our stuff. Then it was time to swim!!








Love that clear, blue water!


Fun on the shore. Thank goodness we received a visor in the FE, as it was perfect to shade DS's sunburned cheeks!


Waterproof cameras are also a must!

DH and I decided to snorkel while grandma and the kids hung out on the beach. It was amazing! We brought along our own snorkel gear, so only had to grab a lifejacket that is required to snorkel on the beach. We even found the Hidden Mickey! There was also a barracuda near shore that we all got to see.







We had some lunch then, and went back into the water.







Soon, though, it was time to head out for our Stingray Adventure. To be continued...

 

[brady22]

So after lunch, we did some window shopping, and of course the kids found something that they wanted.
We had decided to do the Stingray Adventure, a first for all of us. We chose a later time, at the end of our beach day. We had a great time at the Stingray Adventure. We fed the stingrays and learned how to walk the “stingray shuffle.” We were able to snorkel (DH and I) and hang out with the stingrays in the lagoon for a bit.














Feeding the stingrays!






There is an area to snorkel with the stingrays after you feed them. You are able to stay as long as you want, until the next group comes in.


Great place for a photo-op as well!



DH then took the kids back into the water while I and DGM did some shopping. We met them for a bit more on the beach before it was time to head back to the ship.





Goodbye Castaway Cay!





Dinner that night was back at our favorite, Animator’s Palate. It was the animation show, where we were all able to draw a person and watch as it came to life on the screen! It is so much fun.



It was sad to say goodbye to our wonderful servers. We had really liked them!





We had to go back to the room to set out our luggage for it to be delivered to the airport the following day. We love using the DCL transportation, because the next time you see your luggage, it is when you claim it at your home airport. It is a pain, though, because everything has to be packed away and you don't see it again until you get home! I thought I had what we needed all set out, but DH ended up packing away the kids’ underwear! Luckily, we realized it before the luggage had been taken away completely and we were able to rescue the underwear!


One last towel animal.


One last sunset from our verandah.


One last room service Mickey Bars. I'll take 5 please!



It was off to bed because we had an early morning ahead of us.

 

[brady22]

Poo. I always hate this day. I was up early to get everything organized for everyone. It is always so stressful, as you are soooo tired and soooo not wanting to get off the ship! We were up around 5:30, showered and packed up by 7:00. We lugged our carry-ons up to Cabana's for breakfast and were on our way out the door by 7:30. It was a bit congested getting off the ship, as you have to have your card scanned one last time. It seems that there is always a problem during this time. We were using the DCL transportation, so we didn't have to claim our luggage. This is a HUGE help, but when we have claimed our luggage in the past, it is fairly well organized. There are porters ready to help you as well, and a lost and found area to claim anything that you had lost during the trip. Once off the ship, it actually went very quickly and we were on the DCL bus to the airport. We had 12:30 flights back to Detroit.


I LOVE this photo, as it looks like DH is getting laughed at because he is going home! LOL!


Cute seat details.


Bus pic.

The airport was a pain, as always, and our flight had a LOT of turbulance but we made it home safe and sound. Until next time!


Photo of Cedar Point, Sandusky Ohio as we flew over going to Detroit. We actually live very close to Cedar Point and have season passes so it was neat seeing this view of the park!

 

[NoodlesMom]

I love love love your report! I miss when my kids were that age. Thanks for sharing!

 

[brady22]

I love love love your report! I miss when my kids were that age. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the kind words! I love the age my kiddos are now. I love reading other's trips reports so I had to try my own this time.

 

[nittanyliongirl02]

Thanks for this trip report! DH and I are taking this same cruise in just a few short weeks. It is our first Disney cruise, and I think we are both looking forward to getting away.

 

[jedijill]

Great report! Your kiddos are cuties.

Jill in CO

 

[brady22]

Thanks for this trip report! DH and I are taking this same cruise in just a few short weeks. It is our first Disney cruise, and I think we are both looking forward to getting away.

You are welcome! You are going to have FUN!!!!!

 

[brady22]

Great report! Your kiddos are cuties. Jill in CO

Thank you!!!!! We love them.