I followed @gingerSnaps543222ās advice, or tried to, and listened to what the server was saying and not saying. I ended up eating a lot of beef. I asked for medium well and it was way too overdone. Then asked for medium and it was way too rare. But overall it was fine. The desserts were a disappointment. We tried the apple tartin at Tritonās. I had heard good things on a podcast and from @gingerSnaps543222, but the caramel was burnt! In general, the desserts just seemed to be lacking flavor. As far as experiences go, Animatorās Palate was the best! Do not miss out by not drawing a weird little person on your sheet! The animation show at the end was super fun, and not just because our āpeopleā were by far the best.
Tritonās was just underwhelming. Tianaās Place was nice because of the live music and the big party parade at the end. The biggest issue with that was that Tiana never made it over to our table. Luckily we had already met her at the Royal Gathering.
Iām underwhelmed by a lot of this report! I could see where you arenāt 100% about another trip. You are blessed with a a good attitude in general though! I love where you are seeing the silver linings. .
TMI, but I had a really rough spot in my life when we were struggling with infertility. I was so negative about everything and I started to not like myself very much. Since then I really try hard to stay positive. Itās not always easy, though! As DD20 reminded me ā¦ weāre on cruise. We donāt have anything to complain about.
Best part of the trip was probably the shows. Frozen is outstanding! Disney Dreams and Golden Mickeys were good, but donāt measure up to Frozen.
Question about the Golden Mickeys. Anyone familiar with this show? I donāt recall reading anything about this (or hearing) prior to our trip. And then was surprised that it contained a cameo (filmed) of a much younger Bob Iger. HAve they been showing this throughout Chapekās reign? Did they have a Chapek cameo and replaced it with the older Iger cameo? So many questions.
And the characters were fantastic also. They were out and about all the time and we managed to get them all except for Daisy. Also, I saw Stitch in passing (possibly returning from an appearance at the Kids Club?) but he was never out for regular guests.
Shopping: The shop is only open at certain times and the first night the place was mobbed! What I learned is that the most common sizes will sell out fast. If you go the last night, youāll see a lot of 3X and S and not much in between! Carly did get her Captain Mickey sweatshirt, but itās a M and she would normally buy a S. I finally did get a long-sleeved t-shirt on the last night. At the last minute I couldnāt go home empty-handed!
The parties were so much fun! Pirate Night that almost got rained out, but didnāt. (Mickey couldnāt swoop in on his zipline, however.) Sail a Wave. Character Dance Party. Til We Meet Again. You have to do them all. Itās so much fun.
Ensenada. As @Jeff_AZ mentioned, itās not much of a port of call. I would have chosen to stay on the ship, but DD20 really wanted to get off. There is a cute Ensenada sign just off the ship. Worth hopping off to get a photo and then getting back on. Thereās also a park with a fountain āshowā not far away.
Donāt get ripped off! They are offering you a $4 round trip ride into the City. Youāre better off just walking off the ship. We ended up looking for the birthplace of the margarita (found it!) and walking around a bit. We ended up closer to the ship than we were to the drop off place. The bus is really just trying to get you to upgrade to a tour to La Bufadora, et al. The Hotel De Rivera in Ensenada is (supposedly) the birthplace of the margarita. Itās part of what was an old Spanish mission. The main part of the building is a history museum that appeared to be closed. We enjoyed walking around the grounds and seeing the hotel. The bar was not open that early, however. DD20ās main goal was fresh fruit with lime juice and tajin, which we were successful in obtaining.
I think that covers everything! Weāre still on the fence about cruising again. I realized that I am a destination focused traveler. So a cruise with ports of call that appeal to me might be more my speed. That and something warmer!
Iād definitely recommend the Caribbean because our cruise was downright warm in port and perfect at sea. I spent a lot of time on the deck. Or as you said someplace with good ports of call. My DF commented you donāt really get to see the places you visit and so if you donāt go warm and for whatās on the boat with some beach time in between, id choose something like Alaska where really the only way to see some of those places is by boat.
Iām sorry it wasnāt the best of times you were hoping for. And our debarkation process was perfect. As we were wrapping up breakfast they called our group. So we walked right off with a very short line. So I think that was something special/weird. Iāve never experienced what you mentioned in my handful of cruises.
My creme brulee was not burned enough but still tasted good. We didnāt even really try for Palo on this cruise. The brunch sold out so fast and with only 3 nights, we decided to just try all the regular dining rooms. Maybe next time!
I think I could do an Alaska cruise. LIke @QwertySC, I really hate being cold, but maybe with a different mind set I could enjoy a cold cruise. I was also thinking about the Norwegian Fjords since I have a friend in Norway who is possibly getting married in the next year or so.
Debarkation was definitely a customs issue, not Disney. I hope it isnāt like that for all of the San Diego cruises!
Yeah you have to be concierge or platinum to get the brunch. I couldnāt get it either with my silver status. Maybe if Iād hounded it once on board and someone cancelled but wasnāt worth the stress.
Iād give it another try for either a great destination or the newer ships and I think you might change your mind. Our first Disney cruise was 4 days on Dream and we all from kid in kid club age to grandparents loved it except DS who said he didnāt like feeling confined to the ship, like a claustrophobic feeling which I imagine is kinda like island fever. I donāt get that so I donāt get the boat thing but we each have our things and his is NOT cruising.
Just remembered this is another side benefit to me doing the San Diego cruise next year ā Iāll have status for my Caribbean cruise, albeit the lowest tier. Should help a tad.
Silver Castaway Club status is actually a big boost. We had no trouble booking the port excursions we wanted and were easily able to book spa services. Didnāt try for the adult only dining this cruise but got Remy at exactly the date and time we wanted on our last cruise.
I asked for medium well and it was way too overdone. Then asked for medium and it was way too rare. But overall it was fine. The desserts were a disappointment. We tried the apple tartin at Tritonās. I had heard good things on a podcast and from @gingerSnaps543222, but the caramel was burnt! In general, the desserts just seemed to be lacking flavor. As far as experiences go, Animatorās Palate was the best! Do not miss out by not drawing a weird little person on your sheet! The animation show at the end was super fun, and not just because our āpeopleā were by far the best.
Luckily we had already met her at the Royal Gathering.
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