slowly

Great Pictures and Thanks for sharing! Was you room the Balcony or Superior Balcony? Is there a difference? Looks like the weather was pretty nice. Loved the Chop's dinner photo.

Buy him a beer as long as he's not driving the ship! Enjoy the time spent with family that's the important thing. I am sure you wish some of the the people were crossing the Equator as Wogs! Shellback 1987!

Yes, it's all about your budget. Hilton is a great hotel but pricey. Right in front of the beach, pools are great but a nice walk to the heart of Waikiki-15 min walk. Double Tree-Cheaper but off the beat and path-25 min walk to Waikiki Ala Moana Hotel- Far from Waikiki but right in front of the largest Mall in Oahu and across the street from the beach/park Outrigger hotel(s)- Cheap with no frills. Just a few hotels in the area. If you have a military ID you can get Kamaina(local) rates which are substantially lower.

Sorry we only took a taxi to town and looked around and had some awesome food at El Pasdor(sp). They have those little tacos with the shaved marinated meat and fresh veggies...soooo good! On other threads people were mentioning Aroma Mazatlan Massage where you can get a 2 1/2 hr massage for like $30! I went on their website and sure enough the prices were listed as such. On the ship it's like 3 times the cost. A crew member had mentioned it to them. Shame on us for not knowing last year but we'll be there in March! In Puerto Vallarta we did the Zip Line but honestly it wasn't a big deal if you are looking for a "thrill". It's good if you have smaller kids. We saw a 12 yr old did pretty well.

Awesome Pics!

I am just curious on who you got your first price so low!

Awesome job with the pictures and post. We booked today for the 3/14/10 sailing. It will be our first on RCL, 7th overall. Looking forward to it even more after your report!

Once on the ship ask your waiter when lobster night is and prepare to go that night. I usually tell the waiter to hold two for me on the first night. The Bottom line is: If it's good then awesome! If it's bad order something else, you won't be charged extra! No harm no foul! It's silly to compare food let alone Lobster from food off the ship or a certain regions. What relevance does it really have? Just enjoy or not enjoy the food on the ship. If you don't like it go on another line where food is more of a focal point. Crystal or Cunard. IMHO. I just love the novelty of having lobster on a cruise ship and I think that's what the person who started the blog was getting at. I've had both excellent and terrible lobster on cruises and no matter what that's the first question I ask when I get on board. BTW the best "cruise line" lobster I had was on Celebrity. Disney a close second. Worst was on NCL, it was like eating rubber. I still ate two though!

Thanks lyssa13 for the post. We are in the process of thinking abt cruising RC in March.

I totally agree with inlovewithnolan's statement. You need to understand that this Swine Flu is very serious right now. People are canceling trips and Disney ahs to do it's best to calm the cruisers the best they can. Again if you saw a sick person on the ship I think you might think otherwise. On the flipside, I agree that you should be upset. Afterall you probably planned this for awhile. I would talk to upper management rather than asking people for their opinion. Make sure you have all your ducks in a row before you even speak with them. Ask yourself this, if you sue them are you not going to any Disney related vacations again? Think about your child(ren).

I think I am more surprised that you are going to cruise alone. I give you alot of credit. i guess you can't get any safer than Disney. Good for you! My family and I are going to be on the Wonder in May. This will be our third consecutive year, more for our kids but we enjoy it as well. I can't imagine going alone. Hope you have a blast! In regards to your question. If you are a Castaway Member I would ask for some extra stuff for your nephew and niece. I think once you book your cruise on board they will give you extras because they are hurting in terms of occupancy hence the specials.

It shouldn't be a problem without the jacket but again DCL "suggests" it but they will not enforce it. I hate to say it but I even saw some people wearing t-shirts at Palo! Not good.

Becareful if your kids tend to roll around in bed at home. The fall from the top is far. My daughter fell one night but miraculously she was fine with no bruises or anything. Thank God! PS move the coffee table away from the beds as much as possible. The floor is a better cushion than the table in case of falls.

I was laughing when I saw your question because we have never spent less than $1,000 on any cruise let alone DCL on board. This will be our 3rd consecutive yr on DCL in May. Last cruise in June we spent over $1,000 and we had over $800 in OBC! The Disney shop is like Kyptonite for the family. They have everything at reasonable (vacation) prices. My wife and I enjoy the Spa treatments. The excursions add up as well. Oh, and our favorite restaurant, Palo, is incredible and we ate there three times on the last cruise including Brunch. I can't wait for Bingo! To answer your question, a lot is "free" but a lot is not! :)

Tim, There are other options out there for transportation. I think on the allears website they suggest one. The DCL transportation is all about convenience over money. If you have the money DCL will supply the convenience and they do a superb job. Register your wife on-line so she can get her Birthday surprises including a day ticket or Fast Pass(s) if you already have a multi-day hopper. The Disney World website has an icon to register Birthdays.