We booked!

[tundramom]

I just booked the 4 night Bahamas cruise for Oct. I actually talked my wonderful DH into a One Bedroom Suite (I'm sorta claustrophobic). Tammi if you're out there I'd love any and all advice! I'm particularly interested in the prebooking window and what it entails. Thanks loads!

[GreenBeetle]

Congratulations!! Let the cruise countdown begin!!

[TammiMcMan]

Excellent, which stateroom did you pick? The mid-ship designs actually feel much bigger than the others, but they tend to go really quickly. We've sailed in 2 of the styles, but prefer the mid-ship layout. They are truly luxurious though and you'll feel like a celebrity.

Not much happens before you board, except that with a paid cruise, at 105 days, you can start booking spa, Palo and excursions. It kind of gives you a little advantage and your choice of the best times.

When you arrive at the port, if they haven't started boarding yet, you are in the first group. Twice we were the first ones on board and that was really cool. They have a concierge meet & greet in one of the lounges. They serve some refreshments and cold drinks and your team will be introduced and meet with you personally. Here you can ask for anything. When DH and I did a trip by ourselves, they were able to book us into Palo every night of the cruise. That was amazing. If you want to meet the captain, see the bridge, have some photos taken in your stateroom, ask away.

Once you arrive in your stateroom, they'll have pre-stocked you with some waters, soda and fruit. Each day they stop by with some goodies for you. They also have personalized stationery in your stateroom, there's an entertainment unit with dvd and cd player. The concierge team has a library of music and movies that you can pick from. One afternoon, they'll invite you to a concierge cocktail party and trust me, they feel really badly if you don't ask them for something. We were thrilled with the Palo reservations, but they kept asking us what else we wanted and were we sure we were having a good time. I have no idea what more we needed though.

It's very personalized and because there are so few suites on board, it does really feel like they are there to take care of only you. It's easy to be spoiled .

[tundramom]

Thanks for the replies. We got 8032, actually Debbie @ MJ got us 8032. Magical Journeys is the best I was wondering if it would be noisy since it is right next to the elevators and stairway? I am a light sleeper and would hate to hear kids running up and down the halls all night. I'm not sure if Palo's is for us, I looked at the menu and didn't see much I could eat, plus our Disney trips are all about being together as a family and I'd have to have my DD excluded (13 by then). As far as excursions, does the Stingray encounter at Castaway cay count? On our Nassau day we really want to go directly to Atlantis and spend as much time as possible there. I'm still trying to find a day rate so we can have a place to change and access to the water areas. Is it a walkable distance or do you recommend a cab? Also, what time do we have to be back at the ship? I'm going to pick up a Passporter tomorrow night, so hopefully I won't have so many stupid questions. we've never cruised before so this is all new territory. I'm so

[TammiMcMan]

Those girls at MJ are the best. You are going to love 8032. We had that same stateroom, just on the Magic. I barely noticed any noise from the elevator, maybe just a humming every once in a while. You are going to love the verandah, it's one of the few triple length balconies. It's so big, there's a lounge chair on it.

Well, you can play Palo by ear then or just book the brunch if she's going to be doing anything with the teen group. The good thing about concierge, if you decide at the last minute, they'll help you get a table. It may end up that your DD might want to eat dinner with friends instead one of the nights. On our first cruise, our social calendar was dictated by our youngest daughter. I can attest to the fact that the pizza is incredible, as was the filet mignon and the mushroom risotto. The meal is not complete without the chocolate souffle . I don't remember what else I ate there, but it was all delicious. Trust me, if you want to try anything, they're happy to accomodate you and bring something else if you'd prefer.

You should be able to book the stingray excursion at 105 days. To go to the Atlantis, you need to take a cab or water taxi. There's no way you could walk that distance. The water taxi drop off is still about a 10 minute walk to the Atlantis, while the taxi is right to the door. The all aboard for Nassau is 7pm.