Disney and a wonderful DREAM - Our Family Vacation 8/17 - 8/27

[momof3cruisers]

First, loving the review. We are going on the dream for Halloween, with 2 kids, around the age of your DD.

 

Singley5 - my DD has major problems with motion sickness, she doesn't really have any problems on her previous cruise. I asked her doctor before we went if there was a prescription medicine like the patch for her (she's 8 now, and was then), and he said to use Benydryl. It is the exact same medicine as Dramamine, just in different packaging, so it's much easier to find the dosing for kids. I gave both of my kids a dose right before we left port, since departure night always seems to be the worst, and they were fine. With all the excitement on the ship, they never got sleepy or grumpy either! HTH :) (I know Target has their Up & Up brand of liquid Benydryl for usually around $2/bottle, so very cheap).

This, and the also sell Sea Bands for kids. My son uses those for long car rides or if for some reason he has to ride in the back seat of the van. They work great! For our cruise, we will just have him wear them all the time we are at sea.

[Catrin]

Wonderful review I am so glad you took the time to write this. We are a family of 5 also DD 15, DS 11, DD 10. Glad to know the kids had a great time:D. This is my childrens first cruise so I am a little nervous. My DH and I always wear the sea sick patches behind the ear and I am a little worried that my oldest DD will get sea sick. She does not do well in cars. If you don't mind me asking is this a problem you have had with any of your kidos. We are on the Dream in March of 2012 and have the oceanview room also. Again your doing a great job and can not wait to read more.

 

Hi there...

My kids do not get seasick at all... I DO!! I start with a regular "cocktail" of Bonine and Ginger pills the day we leave home and I take them each morning, regardless of the waves. Ever since I started doing this, the chances of me actually getting sick has decreased dramatically. There are times when I still cannot go to the forward part of the ship... and our cabin can never be in that area either.

Glad you are enjoying!

Catrin

[Catrin]

Wednesday 8/24 - Belize

Our Plan....

I booked a Cave Tubing Excursion with CaveTubing.BZ via the internet several weeks before our trip. I booked with them for several reasons... 1) The very positive reviews I read here and on Trip Advisor 2) The Cost.. at $50pp vs $90 on the cruise ship, it was a significant savings and 3) they told me that kids are allowed and they had tubes small enough for DD.

I asked many times on Cruise Critic about my daughter going, and while some people thought she would be too young many replied that their younger kids loved it.

Wednesday morning was an early one. We were told by CaveTubing.BZ to try to get an early tender out. Since we are Platinum, one of the benefits is Priority Tender tickets. How it works - we went to Guest Services in the Priority line and told them we would like to take the first tender out. They had us wait in the Atrium, and then someone escorted us and another Platinum family to the tender. We did not need a ticket, and it was simple as can be.

The Dream Atrium.... and the kids waiting for our tender....

 

The tender was a double decker boat and it filled up pretty quickly with those that had excursions booked through Carnival. The ride was about 20 minutes. On the way, we saw the Carnival Legend.... we sailed on her in 2005. Here is the Dream from the Tender Boat. You can see a couple more Tender Boats were lined up ready to accept more passengers.

 

When we arrived at the port, we walked through the shopping area to the outside, following directions sent to us by the Cave Tubing company. We found signs immediately and we were escorted to an area with several vans and guides.

We were paired with a family of three who were on the Legend - so there were 8 of us total. The eight of us would stay together for the entire excursion. We climbed in an airconditioned van for 8 and met our guide. I cannot believe I do not remember his name, but he was fantastic! We rode the hour ride from the Port to the Cave Tubing sight. During the ride, we had a complete tour of Belize.. history, government, schools, economy, challenges, etc. Belize is NOT somewhere that I would feel comfortable walking around, so I am glad we had a tour. Along the way, we had to stop and check in with armed guards - nothing like two women with mechanical weapons to greet us!

We finally arrived at the Cave Tubing site.. and we were one of the first groups there. Getting on the first tender would certainly pay off!

 

We were able to use the very clean restrooms and changing rooms. We wore bathing suits, shirts and very important - water shoes. I bought the water shoes before we left, and we are glad we did! Although I purchased the cheaper ones found at Target or Walmart, if I was to go again, I would invest in a sturdier pair from LLBean or Lands End.... will explain why in a minute!

After we got ready, we were then outfitted with Tubes, Headgear and Life Vests. BUT>>>> one of the worst moments of the week >>> they said that DD would not have her own tube and would have to sit on DH's lap. When she found out she couldn't have her own tube... well... lets just say it wasn't one of our best moments of the week. I was quite upset, because I had been told it would be no problem... but they told me she could go, but sitting on our laps was the safest. I trusted their opinion and we went with it... but try telling that to a six year old! We had been to Six Flags earlier this summer and water tubing was the favorite part of her day.. and she thought it was going to be the same thing!

So.. while DH did his best to console a disappointed six year old, the boys put on thier gear....

[Catrin]

 

We set off on our 45 minute walk .. carrying our tubes .. and a cranky 6 year old. I will tell you, it was quite miserable. My DS1 was a trooper and carried two tubes most of the way, while DH carried DD on his shoulders. The walk itself was a lot more challenging than I anticipated. Was it difficult at all? No. But it was rockier, walking through water, climbing in some areas, and all the while carrying the tube in the HOT weather. Remember I mentioned about the LLBEAN shoes? Well, those rocks KILLED my feet after a while in my cheapy water shoes. At one point I stepped really hard on a rock and to this day, my foot still hurts. I was able to take some pictures along the way, but many times, I had to put the camera away in a water proof bag.

I did take some pics in the caves with a waterproof disposable camera.. I will add those in at the end of the review.

The easy part of the hike...

It was pretty stressful here because you really had to concentrate where you were walking.. and yet my DD was still whining and not wanting to walk. I felt bad for the other family who was with us, but they were very nice about everything.

Thinking about everything now... she was definately fine fo the tubing itself, but this walk would have been too hard if she had her own tube.

[Catrin]

The hike itself went by quick.. because we heard about all the history, mythology... about the nature and vegetation... the trees.. the termites... etc. It was not only informative, but beautiful.

I wish I could have enjoyed it more, because DD was.. for lack of better terms.. being a pill. I felt bad for the other family who was with us, but they were very gracious. Looking at it again.. was she ready for the adventure? The tubing, absolutely.. but the hike? Not so much. I could never had imagine her being able to carry her own tube, that is for sure.

Remember I mentioned about the watershoes? Well, the walk was extremely rocky. So much so, that at one point I stepped wrong on a rock.. and caused so much pain I saw stars. To THIS DAY.. it still hurts! If I was to go again, I would invest in the better shoes - just for the walk.

Once we hit the water.. things changed. We had guides get us into our tubes and link all 7 of us and my DD on my DH's lap. One she was in the tube with my DH, my DD was a different person. My silly, happy little girl was back!

The caves were amazing. So much more so than I anticipated. We went into four caves... water from one foot deep (Butts UP!!) to 40 Feet Deep. Our guide was amazing.. to the physical nature of pulling 8 people, to his stories and amazing tales of ancient times and the way the caves are a part of mythology in the Belize culture. It was very relaxing, and quiet... I was in awe.

( I do have some pictures of inside the caves, but they were taken on another camera. I have to scan the prints.. and will do so.. but they will appear later in the review).

After the last cave, there was a tiny bit of rapids.. but nothing quick. We ended up towards the beginning of our walk.....

At that time, the boys had the opportunity to jump off a cliff into the water.. of course they would!!

[Catrin]

 

We walked back to the starting point, where we returned our gear. We had time to go to the changing rooms and get out of our bathing suits and into our shorts and tshirts. Our items were kept safely in the van, and I felt very comfortable with everything locked in there.

A couple notes about the tubing itself... we were told to bring bug spray.. but our time of year, the bugs were non existent and we were asked to minimize our bug spray usage to protect the environment. We were also not allowed to bring bottled water on the walk, and I can see why.. protecting the natural beauty was very important to everyone.... but I can see not having anything to hydrate with for some people could be a potential problem.

We gathered back into the van and drove for about ten minutes to our lunch place. There, the owner of CaveTubing.BZ and his family made the guests lunch. This was included in our fare. Lunch was chicken, and rice with beans and hot sauce. We had a choice of rum punch or soda. Lunch was delicious! DS2 loved the rice. They also had some items to purchase, wooden boxes, tshirts, etc. We paid for our trip at that time. When we booked, they did not require any kind of deposit.

We then left our lunch place and we took a quiet ride back to the pier.

I highly recommend CaveTubing.BZ. Yes, I was disappointed on the miscommunication about taking DD. But it was absolutely the right decision. If we knew, we would have prepared her, and it would have been a lot easier. We loved being in a group of only 8. We got to do four caves, whereas if you book with the ship, they only do two. We loved the lunch and the welcome we received.

When we got back to the peir, there was no line for the tender, and they were about to leave. Although I wanted to browse the shops a bit, my desire to go back to the ship right away won! It had been a long day, and I just wanted to go take a nap!!

[Catrin]

When we returned.. we had an hour or two to rest before it was time for something I NEEDED to do.... Music Trivia! You see, I am a trivia nut.. especially anything to do with Music. And .. as silly as it is, winning a 24Kt Gold Plastic Ship on a Stick has been a quest on every cruise. Yes, I am silly... as I have them all displayed on my Dresser Mirror at home. And.. I needed one for the Dream, and had missed 80's music trivia a few days before.

So, I went to trivia, with DH and DD coming along. The theme?? Movie Music! They played a song clip.. and we had to identify what movie it came from. Right up my alley! Some were hard and some answers came from deep within my brain.... but being a trivia nut that I am, some were quite easy....

In the end... I WON!! WhooHoo!

What a Goofball...

 

Before we knew it, it was time for dinner.. where I had the Filet Mignon / Short Rib meal and my favorite Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cake for dessert. This was the one meal I was disappointed in. The meat itself was just OK.. not as good as I had hoped. DS2 was up to ordering TWO orders of Nachos by now.. and his Sprite was always waiting for him. We bought our boys Soda Cards... and our bar service in the dining room was excellent.

After dinner, I am not sure where we started, but we ended up in the Piano Bar again... and watched the crazy people on the Red White and Blue teams doing the Ultimate Lounge Hop. They were having a blast.. just not our kind of thing this cruise. We were happy just going to the Casino/Sports bar watching the Sox lose again, going to the Piano Bar or just sitting on deck relaxing.

On occasion, we would check with the boys... DS2 watched a movie on deck this night, if I recall...

Before we knew it, it was time to pick up DD at Camp Carnival .. and say goodnight to another adventure filled day.

Tomorrow...Costa Maya

[B and C Blake]

Your review is awesome. We are sailing cruise #2 next August on board Legend 3 of the same ports.

I do have a question about the walk to starting point on cave tubing. How are the inclines if any?

I have read through the site for the company you used. It said they are very accommodating for limited special needs.

Do they take breaks if needed or should I say do you feel they would?

Thank You for sharing your cruise with us.:)

[Catrin]

Your review is awesome. We are sailing cruise #2 next August on board Legend 3 of the same ports.

I do have a question about the walk to starting point on cave tubing. How are the inclines if any?

I have read through the site for the company you used. It said they are very accommodating for limited special needs.

Do they take breaks if needed or should I say do you feel they would?

Thank You for sharing your cruise with us.:)

 

The inclines are not bad at all. Most of it is flat .. but there is a gradual up hill climb the last half.

 

I did read another review that said they were able to book a private tour for just thier family for $5 more a person. You may ask about that, so that your guide can only concentrate on the pace of your family. They gave us a few breaks on the walk, our guide was quite patient.

 

Glad you are enjoying!

Catrin

[tassycatt]

we also did the same cave tubing excursion as you did. I remember that hike....ugh!

 

I did have some decent water shoes....

 

http://www.zekoshoes.com/home.php

 

these are terrific. We were at the fair when DD was getting blisters so I found a diplay that was selling these. So when the time came and I needed some, I ordered a pair. Watch and maybe add them on facebook because they have a lot of sales!

 

As for the cave tubing...I did it, I can say I did it...but once was enough. Im just not an outdoorsy hike kind of gal. Im more of a sit on the beach under a thatch umbrella kind of gal! :p

[KrystalWaters]

Hi! I use a Canon Powershot SX120 IS ..... 10.0 Mega Pixels and 10x Zoom. It takes wonderful outdoor shots.. .but I have issues with the indoor shots. I am not sure if it is the camera, or the fact I really do not know how to use the right settings! I love the zoom, which is why I picked this one. It is hard to find a 10x zoom on a small camera, but it makes tons of difference!

 

I do not think they make this model anymore... here is a link for the 130IS, which looks like the one they replaced it with.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-SX130IS-Stabilized-3-0-Inch/dp/B003ZSHNG8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317470625&sr=8-1

 

I bought the camera last Black Friday at Target for only $129.00... a great bargain.... maybe you can find one this year!

Catrin

 

Thanks for the tip! I've pretty much narrowed it down to a Cannon or Nikon. But i didn't even think about Black Friday.:rolleyes: duh!:D

[rdevine10]

Loving your review! We have 2 girls who will be 9 & 6 on our april legend cruise. We have been contimplating cave tubing.Bz. Good to know your experience. Did they say she had to ride on your dh's lap due to size or age? I think my 6 year old would be ok with that, just still wondering if it would be worth it for them yet. Desicions, decisions. We do hike sometimes at home, but never in watershoes! Without sounding crazy, would crocs work for the kids for this? Thanks!

[Catrin]

Loving your review! We have 2 girls who will be 9 & 6 on our april legend cruise. We have been contimplating cave tubing.Bz. Good to know your experience. Did they say she had to ride on your dh's lap due to size or age? I think my 6 year old would be ok with that, just still wondering if it would be worth it for them yet. Desicions, decisions. We do hike sometimes at home, but never in watershoes! Without sounding crazy, would crocs work for the kids for this? Thanks!

 

It was because of her size. She is pretty normal for a 6 year old if that helps. They did have smaller tubes, but even those would have been too big for her. I had her on my lap on the last part of the tubing ... it wasnt the easiest thing to do!

As far as Crocs.. we considered it .... and I think they are better on the walk.. but there is potential for losing them in the water.

 

Good Luck on your decision!

Catrin

[KruznKel]

Fantastic review..:D been to all these ports brings back memories...except Costa Maya.. really looking forward to that;)

[spideyfam]

 

I see your husband smiling with his Red Sox shirt on. Does he still smile when he wears it? I have not worn my baseball cap all week.:mad:

 

 

Also, great review. This is doubley good because I love Disney AND cruising.

[Catrin]

I see your husband smiling with his Red Sox shirt on. Does he still smile when he wears it? I have not worn my baseball cap all week.:mad:

 

 

Also, great review. This is doubley good because I love Disney AND cruising.

 

I don't think he could talk for at least a day. What another let down for the Red Sox. But.. just yesterday, another Red Sox shirt appeared. Die Hard Boston fan, good and bad!!

 

I think he is already in front of the TV this morning waiting patiently for the Patriots game! :D

[Niquein99]

Wonderful review! I am really enjoying it. I'm taking my son (11 y.o.) on the Dream for Spring Break and we're doing this exact same itinerary. We can't wait!!

 

Did you happen to keep any of the Camp Carnival capers? I'm looking for the 9 - 11 year old group. Thanks! :D

[magic&buddy]

Just started reading this today. Love it! You have a beautiful family. Thanks for sharing with us :).

[kabux]

Love the review! We are doing a similar trip around Feb vacation - Universal one day, Disney 2 days, drive rental car to Miami and cruise on the Glory over Feb vacation week to western carrib, same ports as you except Grand Cayman instead of costa maya. Our boys are 9 and 12yrs so it'll be fun!! Looking forward to the rest of your review... great preview to our vacation!!!

Kristin

[mitchpam]

Thanks for the great review... and pictures! terrific!

[Catrin]

Thursday 8/25 Costa Maya

At this point, we had been on vacation for a week.... and ... although we loved being on vacation, we were starting to hit a breaking point with each other. Those of you who have families, and have stayed in the same cabin for a week... I hope you know what I mean!

This was our first cruise with four Ports of Call. The others had three plus three "At Sea Days". We are the type of family that needs both. We love spending time on the ship either participating in activities or doing absolutely nothing.

Our original plan was to take a taxi into Majuhal and go to the Tropicante, hang out there at the beach.. browse the shops, etc. But waking up that morning, not one of us was motivated for that adventure. I think all of us would have been happy just to stay on the ship! But we had never been to Costa Maya and I at least wanted to check out the Port area. I had once again put the card on the door knob ordering breakfast for the room. Although we knew we were missing omelets, french toast, pancakes etc, nobody seemed to miss it.

DH and I then decided that we would just take our time getting off the ship and venture to the port area where we heard there was a huge pool to hang out in, shops etc. DS1's big goal of the week was to visit the Hard Rock Cafe right outside the port area, and I had planned to walk there with him.

So.. the new plan. We would all go to the Pool area.. DH, DS2 and DD would hang out there while DS1 and I went to find the Hard Rock. The walk from the ship to the port area was SO LONG... and they offered shuttle busses, that we climbed on board. The Carnival Destiny was in port too. Once we got to the shopping area, we saw the huge pool at Senor Frogs and knew it would be perfect.

DS1 and I made our way outside the gates to try to find the Hard Rock. Costa Maya was hit with a terrible hurricane a few years back and they did re-build the port area so the cruise ships could come back.. but everything outside the port area was desserted. You could really see the damaged it caused and the slow re-build. Right outside the gates, at the end of a deserted street, was the Hard Rock. Although it was about a five minute walk, and others were walking, I felt a little uneasy. I think it was more the fact that everything else was deserted.

We got to the Hard Rock, with a goal of buying DS a Tshirt and checking out the memorabila... and nobody was there. It was about to open in five minutes, so we waited. Once the doors opened, we ventured inside and told them we just wanted to go to the gift shop and look around. We had been to Hard Rocks in NYC, Grand Cayman, Boston, and DS to Philidelphia... and this one was.. well.... LAME!! It was TINY and only a few guitars and posters. Thats it. Not exciting at all, and an overall disappointment. I felt bad for DS, because he was really looking forward to this. We went to the gift shop and he did not see one shirt that interested him, so he purchased a cool baseball hat.

We made our way back to the port area, where.. as expected, DS1 begged to go back to the ship to "hang out" with his friends. We did not see much of him this week....but with the kind of stressful day we were having, I had no problem with him returning.

I made it to the pool to find DH, DS2 and DD having fun in the huge pool.

[Catrin]

There really isnt much more to say about that area. Fun Pool with a swim up bar. Fun party atmopshere and great music. Shops all around the pool, from Tshirts to Jewelry to Handcrafts.. typical Mexico stuff. I will say, that I always loved the shops in Cozumel and find the people to be very friendly.. I did not feel this way in Costa Maya. I found the workers to be pushy, and even rude at sometimes. For this, I was a bit disappointed. The port area was very crowded as well. I think the area, while perfect for cruise ships, really was too small to handle both the Dream and the Destiny. Perhaps two ships the size of the Destiny would have been fine.

 

After the pool, we decided to head back to the ship and have lunch there. We noticed that they had a dolphin swim right at the pier.. we watched for a while and it looked like a lot of fun. If we are to return here, especially with DD, I would consider doing the dolphin excursion.

(if you look closely, you can see the nose of a dolphin... so much for good picture taking!) Here is the Dream with the Destiny and the walk back to the ship!

Although we did not see the real Costa Maya, just hanging out was what we needed. We went back to the ship and had lunch. I know I had an awesome turkey sandwhich at the Deli one day, this very well might have been the day! Funny how it is so easy to forget, I always mean to write details like this down, but never do.

At 3:30, it was time for the Past Guest Party. We always attend, it is fun to celebrate, have free drinks and watch the movie at the end where they show all the ships. Being Platinum, we have been recognized before by the Cruise Director at the party. We were not this time, no big deal. Past guest parties have either been hit or miss for us before, as far as drinks are concerned. You either get a row where they visit a lot, or not at all! This cruise we hit the jackpot. I am not a drinker at all, but DH had a smorgasboard (how do you spell that?) of many kind of drinks.. whatever they had on the tray, he tried! DS was able to get a few Sprites and I had the delicious fruit punch. The appetizers, though... STAY AWAY! They are frightening. :p They gave away dinner for two at the Steakhouse, we did not win. (One year, on DD's second cruise, SHE won the past guest prize! It was a bottle of Champagne, and pictures of her with the Captain. It was so funny seeing a 3 year old win that prize!)

After the Past Guest Party... we went back to the cabin, time to get ready for the second elegant night!

[jmwg49]

Great review! We are doing this itinerary on the Dream in February 2013....I guess I will have to read others adventure stories to tie me over! Looks like you had a excellent vacation! We never took our kids to Disney, and now they are teens and wonder if it would be worthwhile. Now that they are old enough, they can pay for themselves!!!!!!!!

[Kryssa]

Just a suggestion for those doing cave tubing or any other hiking/boating excursion... I highly recommend Teva sandals. They velcro on to your feet and dry quickly after getting wet. I have been white water rafting, tubing, canoeing, even just wading into water with my Tevas for over 10 years on a single pair! Highly recommended!!!

 

These are similar to the ones I have http://www.basspro.com/Teva&-x00ae;-Torin-Sandals-for-Men--Black/Multi/product/10212899/50517?hvarAID=shopping_googlebase&om_mmc=shopping_googlebase

 

For under $30, you really can't beat them!

[Catrin]

Wonderful review! I am really enjoying it. I'm taking my son (11 y.o.) on the Dream for Spring Break and we're doing this exact same itinerary. We can't wait!!

 

Did you happen to keep any of the Camp Carnival capers? I'm looking for the 9 - 11 year old group. Thanks! :D

 

 

I am sorry, I do not! Our kids were in the 6-8 Group, 12-14 Group and 15-17 Group!

I remember my boys in that age group.. scavenger hunts, video game contests, games, trivia, and swim parties! I hope he has a fun time!

Catrin