bcakes

Hi everyone, I am looking for feedback on the best way to tour around Panama City on our own. For those who have done it, are taxis a good way to travel? Were there any issues with finding a taxi to take you back after you were done exploring? I am also curious about whether people felt safe visiting the ruins of Panama Viejo on their own. My guidebook indicates this is a potentially sketchy area. 

Thank you!

We took my son on his first Disney cruise when he was almost 2. We did not use the nursery at all. My husband and I each got some alone time by switching off who watched our son and the rest of the time we did stuff as a family. The nice thing about DCL is that they do have activities for younger kids. There was a wake up with Disney Junior daily and they have open house hours in the kids club where younger children can visit as long as an adult stays with them. He enjoyed playing with the toys in the kids club at that time.

You will be "confined" in the sense that you cannot all use the adult areas together because someone always needs to watch your grandson. But I certainly didn't feel confined. Between the extra help we got from our dining staff to make sure my son was happy during meal times and all the new things for him to see and do, my son was well entertained and I felt like I had a chance to relax at times.

You're right. I forgot about the recent 10 day southern Caribbean itinerary. I guess it's more accurate to say that the Fantasy always sails the Caribbean (at least until DCL releases its new ships). And that the vast majority of Fantasy's cruises are the standard 7 night eastern and western caribbean itineraries.

I don't know what deals are offered to Canadian residents as I am not one. For Americans, the booking strategy is to book as early as possible because prices go up as the ship fills. There are sometimes discounts close to booking, but the final price is usual still higher than what one would have paid if they had booked when the itinerary was first announced.

In the 6 to 7 night range, your choices will likely be the Fantasy 7 night eastern and western itineraries or southern and/or eastern Caribbean itineraries on the Magic. The Fantasy always sails the same itineraries. The Magic is more varied, so you will need to wait for the announcement on those.

You will have no problem finding cabins that accommodate 3 or 4. The 3rd and 4th person will be on a pull out couch and/or bunk bed that pulls down from the ceiling. I don't think a balcony is necessary and we don't book them because it makes me nervous since I have a 6 year old. The balcony door locks are at a height where you need to be a grown adult to reach them, so there's no actual safety issue. It's just that I would be stressed out imagining my son somehow getting outside, so it is not worth it to me. We book cabins with the big porthole windows. (There is a choice of 2 small porthole or 1 big one. The big ones are basically the whole back wall. I think it's almost as nice as having a balcony).

For what it's worth, we had good luck getting our dining time moved to early seating when we booked close to the sail date. We booked about 50 days before departure.

I called a few times to check our status on the waitlist (late dining was not an attractive option since my son was under 2 at the time) and they eventually had good news for me. We did share with another family with a child the same age as ours. Even as someone who is fairly awkward with new people, I found the shared table worked out okay. 

I am glad you had a good cruise, but sorry you missed Castaway Cay. Fear of the weather not being warm enough is one of the main reasons I have been reluctant to try a Merry Time cruise. Did you find enough to do on the ship given the weather?

On 12/27/2018 at 9:23 PM, cantgetin said:

Interesting?  Yes.  Possible?  yes.  True?   That's for the courts to decide.  One interesting point--in the past, CMs who were on medication for mental health issues could not cruise; same for many physical issues.  That wasn't a discrimination issue; the cruise line was very up front about it as a safety issue.  Regardless of what a shoreside doc might say, DCL would contend that they could not deal with the possible issues that could arise during a cruise.  Of course, I have no doubt that they would look at the individual, the position, and the exact medical issue before deciding......

As a lawyer,  I can tell you that it's pretty rare for any litigation to get to a stage where someone decides what's true. Most litigation settles. There's a real risk to defending this type of suit because juries often believe that a long term employee is "owed" their job, even if they develop performance issues. Disney is unique in that they are aggressive in defending litigation where other companies might settle. I will be interested to see what happens here. 

I think moki's mommy really hit the nail on the head when it comes to the considerations. Car seats are not required on airplanes or buses, so the question is whether you are comfortable doing without. We did multiple cross-country flights with my son before he was 3 and did not bring his car seat. He was much happier in the airplane seat then he would have been in a car seat because of the additional room. I am sure that varies from child-to-child because I would imagine that some children enjoy being in their car seat. My son always has (and still does) hate his.

Another option to consider besides the bus is a rental car. You can rent a car seat along with your rental car. Finally, many car services will provide car seats if you request them. (I do have friends who don't trust the safety of a rented car seat, so -- again -- a personal decision). I have used all of these options at one time or another to avoid lugging along a car seat.

There isn't. Neither sloths, nor monkeys live in Cozumel. I hope that you will reconsider your plan to hold a sloth. I assume that you are an animal-lover since you asked the question. We did a recent trip to Costa Rica where we visited an animal rescue and one of the things we learned is that having new people touch them is very stressful for sloths.

Since you already have answers to most of your questions, I will just answer number 4. At 2, my son enjoyed open house in the kids club, character meets, wakeup with Disney junior and the live bands. For me, the (regular included) dining and shows are must dos. The attention to detail in designing the spaces and in service is amazing on DCL.

I would suggest noting this on your booking before you embark. I have heard of DCL accommodating vegans with special desserts and things if they know ahead of time. (That's not necessary for those who are just vegetarian because there are veg options marked on the regular menu). As far as meals, there is a main dish that is or can be made vegan at every meal. You should also know that non-dairy milk is available by request, even if you don't see it out. Sometimes they also have non-dairy ice cream.

One of the reasons we first cruised with DCL is that they offer open houses at the kids club where kids who are not old enough to check in to the club can play there with a parent. It won't help you if your hope was to drop your daughter off so that you can enjoy some downtime. But my son enjoyed having the option to play in the kids clubs during the open houses. There was at least some open house time every day.

My general view on traveling with kids is that any destination is kid friendly if you pick activities that the kids you are traveling with will enjoy. We took my son on DCL to Alaska just before he turned 2 and it was one of our favorite family vacations. My son liked the Disney aspects on the ship and also enjoyed seeing wildlife.

What does your granddaughter enjoy doing? Alaska would be a great choice for a kid who loves animals. Lots of chances to see bears, eagles, go dog sledding, etc. Kids who are into active adventure things will also find things to do. When I went as a kid, my family did river rafting and canoeing, for example.

We're vegetarian and my son is picky on top of that. Our servers did bring him items from the quick service locations on deck for some of the dinners. They would check in with us the night before to see if he wanted a special meal the next evening. (We didn't even think to ask for this. The servers just noticed we had trouble finding food he would eat at the embarkation lunch and were proactive about asking us what he did and did not like). I see no reason why your experience would be any different -- especially if you talk to DCL about the issue in advance.

We did DCL to Alaska when my son was 20 months. It was a great trip. They have open house in the kids club, so he was able to play there with our supervision. He also loved the live music and characters. We did not use the nursery, but my son was still napping so that was our adult time. We popped him in his stroller (asleep) and took him along to whatever we wanted to do.

In some ways, travelling with a toddler is easier than travelling with older kids because he was interested in everything. Now as a 5 year old, he complains if we aren't doing what he wants to do.

I'm a little late in responding, but I wanted to jump in in case you had any lingering doubts. I took my son on a DCL cruise when he was about the same age as your daughter and he had a wonderful time.

In addition to all of the activities already mentioned, he enjoyed wandering around the ship, the live music, meeting characters and the shows. (We sat by the aisle so that we could leave if he got bored. He enjoyed 2 shows and the other 2 not so much). Also shuffleboard, though it was a little nerve wracking to arm him with a long stick.

The crew was so good with him. They went out of their way to make sure he had food he liked and was enjoying himself at dinner. It's usually a trial to get my son to sit still for a full restaurant meal, so the extra help was appreciated.

We did not leave him in the nursery at all. If my husband or I wanted some adult time, we traded off kid-watching duties. Because there was so much stimulation and fun, my son wound up sleeping more than usual, which gave us some time to read and relax together. (Pack an umbrella stroller so that you aren't stuck in the room during naps. We just threw a blanket over the sleeping boy and pushed him around the ship or around port).

One thing I will always remember is seeing Mickey on our last night of the trip. My son waved and said, "Goodnight Mickey. See you tomorrow." I almost cried when I had to tell him that our trip was ending and he would not see Mickey tomorrow.

I can't compare to Carnival since I've never cruised with them. Prior to trying DCL, I sailed with NCL a few times and that is my primary point of comparison.

As compared to NCL, I thought DCL had more personal service. The example I always give is that on NCL, we had a suite for one cruise, which comes with butler service. On the first day, the butler brought us meat canapes and I explained we were vegetarian and asked that we not get any more canapes. Well the meat kept coming. Because NCL butlers are trained to bring afternoon canapes daily, so, by God, we were going to get them.

On DCL, our servers and cabin steward pretty quickly figured out what was important to us personally and adjusted. For example, DCL usually has drinks waiting at dinner when you arrive based upon what everyone in the party ordered the first night. Our server figured out pretty quickly that our son might want milk, or juice or water depending on his whim that night and started waiting for him to arrive and place his order.

DCL cabins are also bigger compared to NCL. Though it's personal preference, I also thought DCL had the edge for MDR food.

The only area where I thought that NCL won was the spa. DCL's spa waiting area is basically the gym locker room -- not the least bit relaxing -- and DCL did a very hard sell on products after our service.

One other point that will only be of interest to those who have kids in diapers. DCL has open houses in their kids clubs where parents can attend with kids. It's a nice option if you have a child who is too young to enjoy the clubs on their own.

I agree that DCL has pretty much ruined me for other cruise lines. I'd rather pay the extra cost for the higher level of service.

The initial post says that the OP was overall very happy with the cruise, so I don't think it's fair to suggest that she let this issue spoil her cruise.

I can see why the experience was frustrating given the misinformation received from a crew member re the reason for the beers not making it to mom's room. Hopefully this thread will help others who are trying to carry alcohol aboard in compliance with the policy.

I went with an almost 2 year old and we had a great time. Because he was so small, we mostly explored on our own in port (though we did do the Liarville excursion in Skagway, which he loved). My son's favorite thing was the visitor center at Mendenhall Glacier. He loved looking at and touching the animal skins and bones that were on display. He also liked seeing wildlife including salmon, eagles and seals.

On the ship, having the Disney elements to keep my son happy was great. It allowed my husband and I an opportunity to relax and enjoy nature.

I agree that Alaska is for all ages.

Hi everyone,

I'm getting to the point in planning where I am thinking about actually booking our excursions. In Martinique, visiting the ruins in St. Pierre is my top choice. I would prefer to avoid a big group bus tour if possible.

I've read a few reviews here and it seems like people have had good luck hiring a taxi for a private tour once they arrive in port. Is that a good option for something as far away as St. Pierre? Or would I be better off hiring a private guide? For what it's worth, I do speak French (though no one else in my group does), so it would not be the end of the world if we wound up with a driver that spoke little or no English.

Thank you.

Thank you. The Isla Verde, Condado comparison is actually very helpful. (I'm still undecided though. It seems like there are pros and cons to both).

I tentatively booked the Marriott Stellaris for our upcoming 2 night pre-cruise stay because it is highly recommended here. The room was pricier than I would like -- so much so that I can get a room at the Ritz for $25 more per night.

In my position, would you keep the Stellaris reservation or "upgrade" to the Ritz. I admit that being able to say I am staying at the Ritz is a big motivator here because the price premium is normally such that I wouldn't even consider spending the extra money for the Ritz. But I am also weighing Isla Verde vs. Condado. I have read that Condado has a bit more going on restaurant-wise, but that Isla Verde is a calmer swimming beach. (I have a 4 year old who will probably want to play on the beach, but who won't be doing more than wading).

Per the internet, the Ritz pool is getting renovated this fall, so that may be another thing to take into account. I would have a city view room in either hotel.

Thanks in advance everyone.

Thank you both for your thoughts. It will be several years before my son is old enough for a trip like this (which is just as well because we'll need to do some saving to afford it) -- but in the meantime he was delighted by the wildlife photos in the trip report. Especially the baby seals, which had us both literally squealing with delight.

Thank you so much for taking the time to do such a wonderful trip report. I read and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.

Antarctica is definitely on my list of much visit places. I checked out some itineraries for Poseidon and other lines and it seems like Antarctica and the Falklands requires a trip of at least 3 weeks. For those of us with limited vacation time, do you think a shorter itinerary that just goes to Antarctica from Ushuaia is worth it? I'm also curious about whether there were any kids (teens and tweens really, since I would imagine young kids would be bored) on-board.

Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your review. Your "formal" dinner photos were a hoot. Thanks for sharing your adventures with everyone here.