2/24/07 Western TR As Seen Through the Eyes of a Young Family WITH PICTURES!!!

[sejejoemmiev]

Cast of Characters
Me(29)
DW (29)
DS1 (8)
DD1 (7)
DS2 (4)
DD2 (1)
DM (Fifty-something)
DSis (23)

Well, here I sit at my computer, one week after departing the Magic. I am sipping my first duty-free white-russian and DD1 has finally agreed to remove the braids from her hair. The reality of the end of the obsessive planning and preparation is finally setting in-and it is rather depressing. But that is why the DIS Boards were invented. I see that there must have been a writers convention on my particular sailing of the Magic, as this is about the tenth report-but if everyone else planning their trip now is as crazy as I was before, then I know you all won't mind. Just can't get enough of anything DCL!

Chapter 1:Arrival and MGM
Our adventure actually started on Feb. 19th. It was a cold Monday morning in the northeast. We were flying JetBlue out of Boston. For those who remember, this was at the height of the JetBlue chaos. A major winter storm the week before had thrown the whole airline into a tail-spin (poor choice of words) and we spent the weekend hoping that we would be flying, but grateful to have planned on traveling well before our sail date. We spent much of the prior two weeks packing our ten suitcases, and even shipped off several boxes to our WDW resort (Port Orleans/Riverside) ahead of time. So when 4 am. arrived, we simply hopped into the mini-van and headed to the airport. We arrived at around 5:30 for our 7 am. flight. We pulled right up to the sky cap and boy did he look happy at the sight of our luggage first thing on a Monday morning. He gathered our things and began printing our boarding passes. Now that I was free of the bags, I truly felt as though I was on vacation. That lasted for about thirty-seconds. That was the point when the sky cap informed me that my name was on the federal governments watch list and that we would have to go to the counter for further inspection. :sad2: HERE WE GO! Not even off the ground and my stress level is heading north. (Turns out people with common names like mine often have this problem, (DS1 had the same problem on the way home) Things went nice and smooth after that little hiccup.
We arrived in Orlando late morning and took Disney's Magic Express service to our resort. I would strongly recommend this program. We have visited WDW three times in the last five years, and have never stayed on-site. We always felt we could save a lot of money doing it on our own and staying outside of Disney property. This time around, we priced out a Disney Vacation plan that included lodging, tickets, and meals; and we were pleasantly surprised at the total. I will never again do it on my own! Doing it this way, your vacation really does begin at your home airport as you don't see your bags again until you arrive in your hotel room later that day-and leave the driving to the cast members!:wizard: The magic never ceases to amaze me.
I know this is the cruise line forum, so I won't get into too much WDW detail, but it was part of the vacation and I can't just leave it out. After we got dropped at the resort and check-in, we hopped on a Disney bus over to MGM Studios. The weather was beautiful! Several people told us that it had been in the 40's a few days before and that we had lucked-out. (It was 5 degrees at the airport with a wind chill of -20, the 40's still would have been short-sleeve weather for us!) Immediately upon entrance at the park, I realized it was school vacation week for many areas of the country, and that EVERYONE had decided to take a Disney World vacation this year. You literally could not walk down the street, never mind trying to get on any of the popular rides. "Lets try fast passing" my DW said. That sounded like a good idea so I headed over to the Rock'N'Rollarcoaster to get some of those coveted passes. As I approached the entrance to the ride, I saw an enormous line that reached almost over to the Tower of Terror. I thought to myself, those people are crazy-get a fast pass and come back later. Yeah, good thing I am the only person smart enough to have thought of that. As I neared the fast pass machine I saw the CM letting everone know that passes were gone for the day. Say what? It's only noon. I must have thought this aloud as she looked at me and said they were all dispersed about an hour ago. I thought to myself, is it too late to skip the parks and take a back-to-back cruise. The rest of the day went well and it felt great, after all the planning and dreaming, to be back here at Disney with a week of the parks and then our first seven day cruise to look forward to.
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[RoyalVizier]

Thanks for sharing!! Can't wait to read more... :thumbsup2

[sejejoemmiev]

We started off our first full day in Disney by heading back over to MGM to actually ride some of the rides we had planned on for the first day. We got to the park around 8:30 a.m. and ran right over to the Rock'N'Rollercoaster to fast pass it. We rode Tower of Terror while waiting for out return time for the coaster. We also took in the Lights, Camera, Action car stunt show, the Backlot Tour, and had lunch at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. The highlight of my DS2 day was getting up and personal with Lighting McQueen from the movie Cars.
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Then it was off to the Magic Kingdom. I thought MGM was crowded, the MK was even worse. We had time for one ride before our dinner reservation. Wait times for rides throughout the week ranged from 50-90 minutes. Luckily, we had a full day planned for MK so we didn't really feel as though we had to do anything. Dinner that night was a ferry ride away at the Fort Wilderness Lodge. We ate at their Whispering Canyon Cafe. This is a very fun place to eat-especially with children. The waitstaff really know how to have fun along with providing great service. I knew nothing about the experience we were in for when I arrived, but it didn't take long to figure it out. When our waiter delivered the drinks for the six of us, he threw (literally) about thirty straws and fifty napkins across the table. I won't ruin the surprise for anyone who may visit here, but be sure to ask for ketchup! After another full day in the parks, we headed back to Port Orleans. We stopped off at our room, and changed into our swimsuits for a quick jump in the pool. The warmth of the day had definately been replaced by a crisp chill, but the kids had no complaint. DW and myself on the other hand couldn't wait to call it a day and get into a warm bed.

[sejejoemmiev]

Wednesday was another early day for us. We had breakfast reservations at Donald's Breakfastosaurus for a character breakfast at 8 a.m. The restaurant was about half way through the park, and the main gates didn't open until 9 a.m. This means that after rushing through breakfast, we were able to bolt over to the new Expedition Everest ride and get our fast passes before the crowds stormed in. It was a very hot, crowded day at AK, but we were able to fit in all the rides and attractions that we had planned on, unlike our past visits to WDW. For those heading down anytime soon, be sure to ride Expedition Everest, it is worth the wait!
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We finished off this day with dinner at Rainforest Cafe. We met up with some friends of ours who moved to the Orlando area several years back. We had a long relaxing dinner with our friends and caught up on life. This happened to be Extra Magic Hour Evenings for guests staying at a Disney resort. So by the time we left the restaurant, the park had really quieted down and we squeezed in one more ride on Everest. I already recommended going on this ride, try and do it at night, and sit in the very first car-you can see all of Disney's property and a good portion of Orlando! It is also much more intense at night:scared1:.

[Disney owl]

Thanks for sharing

[pierresgirl]

Great report so far! We were there last March when it was totally packed and crazy so I can relate!

[sejejoemmiev]

Thursday morning came fast, and after three full days in WDW, we slept in a little. We got to the MK around 9:30 and headed right to the Main St. Bakery for breakfast. This was our first time on the Disney Dining Plan, and this is one place that you really get your money's worth at. In order to use a counter service credit, we were 'forced' to get a breakfast sandwich (or Uncrustables PB&J for the kids), a bakery item, and a drink for each of us. The drinks for the kids ended up being smoothies. That was a lot of food, especially for little kids!

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We headed over to Splash mountain to get fast passes and then waited in line at Thunder Mountain which had a 70 min. wait. We did child swap, and after I rode with the oldest two, my wife and older two kids convinced DS (age 4) to go along with the promise of Doritos. We felt the need to bribe him because he refused to go on almost every ride the entire trip. He only agreed to go when it was a family ride, meaning everyone, even the baby was old enough to ride. When DS came off Thunder Mountain he stated, "That was so fun, but I had to close my mouth so I wouldn't throw up!" :rotfl2:

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Before our trip we went to Babies R Us and bought a light single stroller for the baby so we wouldn't have to bring our heavy, bulky double stroller on this trip. We planned on the older 3 walking and resting when they needed a break. DS2 had other plans. He did okay on Day #1, whined day #2, and on day #3 at Animal Kingdom he sat on the ground early in the day and refused to get up, stating "I am not walking anymore", and he meant it. We ended up renting a stroller for him the rest of the trip and it made life a whole lot easier, with less whining and less wandering. We were so excited for this WDW trip for our 4 year old because he was too young to remember our last trip and believed in Disney magic.:tink: Lets just say the only thing he wanted to do while at WDW was to sit in the rented stroller and play gameboy. The rest of our bribes towards him to get him to enjoy the rides and attractions came from removal and eventual return of the gameboy.
One of the best parts of a WDW/DCL vacation, is the fact that you don't feel the need to wait in the ridiculous lines for character meet and greets when in the theme parks. On the cruise, you will have many oppurtunities to meet and have photos taken with many Disney characters. After riding the Alladin ride, our DD1 saw a line forming. We asked a CM what it was for, and were told that Princess Jasmine, Genie, and Alladin would be out in 5 minutes. DD1 begged us to get in line, and after seeing that there were only about 10 people ahead of us, we agreed. An hour later, after we had our turn, we agreed to not have any more more pictures with characters until we reached the DCL terminal!
The rest of the day went well. Here is a few quick reviews of things to try. Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern was a character meal that is done very well. Be sure to make reservations for this one, or you likely will not get in. The meal is served family style, and is kid friendly. Looking for a refreshing snack? Do not miss the Dole Whip (pineapple soft serve and pineapple juice)-it is amazing! It's a Small World has been re-done and is now cleaner and brighter, and the water no longer smells!:yay:
Right after dinner, DS1 and myself ran back over to Space Mountain to sqeeze in a run before the parade, while DW and the other kids got front row seats right outside Liberty Tree. Before walking into Space Mountain, I asked the CM for a child swap pass so DW could ride after the parade. He was a younger CM, and his response to me was, "I only have a few left".:confused3 After staring at him for a few seconds, he just gave me one and we got on the ride. The SpectroMagic parade and the fireworks were the highlight of DS2 and DD2 trip to WDW. The look on their faces was priceless!

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I have seen a lot of fireworks in my life, but there is just something about the way the MK choreographs it with music and lights that makes it untouchable. pixiedust: I wouldn't try and fight for a spot on Main St. however. There are plenty of other places throughout the MK where you can get a great view, and have room to breathe. Just ask a CM before the show, they'll tell you their favorite place to watch.

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After the fireworks, we boarded the Disney bus for our hotel, and called it a day. This was my favorite day in the parks, even with the intense crowds.

[mom_of_2_princesses]

Sounds like a great start and your kids are very cute.

[curlybop]

When DS came off Thunder Mountain he stated, "That was so fun, but I had to close my mouth so I wouldn't throw up!" :rotfl2:

:lmao: :rotfl2: :rotfl:
That is hilarious! As a parent of a 4 year old, I totally understand the bribing - and whining - and refusal to do anything. Glad it all worked out OK though.

Keep on going with your report! :thumbsup2

[amy2girls]

can't wait to read more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:goodvibes

[sejejoemmiev]

Thanks for the positive feedback, it makes it a lot more fun to write these TR's. Hope I can keep it enjoyable for everyone-almost time for the cruise!:cool1:

[sejejoemmiev]

I wasn't really looking forward to Epcot day, but knew we really should give it a chance as we had skipped it in each of our last three visits to WDW. It is a great place for adults and families with older children, but there just isn't a full days worth of activities to keep young kids entertained. We arrived early again, and prepared for another crowded day at the parks-and it was just as we expected. We picked up the rented stroller at the gate and made our way right over to the newer attractions that we knew would be swarmed all day. Luckily the new Nemo ride and Soarin were right next to each other. I went to get fast passes to Soarin while the rest of the crew got in line for Nemo. Both rides were very good. Next we headed over to Mission Space and Test Track. Surprisingly, Mission Space wasn't too busy, and we got on quickly. A little background information for you here. I suffer from motion sickness. If I am not driving a vehicle, than I need dramamine. Oddly, I am not affected in planes or cruise ships, thank god! Anyway, my children ALL inherited this wonderful gene and I knew Mission Space might be an adventure beyond what Disney advertises. Upon going through the gates to the ride, a CM asked us which experience we were interested in, the intense or less intense. I was unsure at first, but then he let us know that if we ever got motion sick, the less intense was the way to go. Needless to say I signed us up for the less intense ride. We waited in line and finally got to the 'briefing area' where the monitors instruct us of our mission. Like any Disney attraction, these short videos are well made and a little too convincing for DD1. She didn't want to tell me how scared she was, but it wasn't hard to tell from her trembling. I had never seen her this scared, and I thought for sure the CM's would ask her if she wanted to leave-they didn't. So after some reassuring fatherly advice and lies-she agreed to go into the 'rocket'. It was pretty tight in there which didn't help matters with a paranoid 7 year-old, then once we were buckled in, the capsule closes even more. Oh yeah, and there were barf-bags hanging in front of each passenger-forget DD1, was I going to make it? The ride started and it was as intense as I could take. I don't think DD1 saw too much as her eyes were closed most of the time, but DS1 loved it.
After getting most of the rides done in the morning, we got some lunch and made our way into the world showcase. From this point on, there is basically nothing to keep young children entertained. But surprisingly, adult beverages become as common as Mickey ears in the MK. We slowly made our way around from Canada over to Mexico. When we reached Germany, I got a call from my sister. She and my mother had just arrived at the main gate and were meeting up with us for dinner reservations at Le Cellier Steakhouse. Not only were they joining us for dinner, but they had flown down for the cruise as somewhat of a reunion.
:offtopic: My sister, 23, had gone to college in NYC, fell in love with the city, and never came home. After our first cruise several years back, she said that she would come along on the next one to spend time with her nieces and nephews. She had also convinced our mother to come along with us and overcome her fear of sea sickness. :offtopic:
After bringing them on Soarin', we headed back over to Canada for dinner. Le Cellier was a nice experience. It is a beautiful building and the food was very good. The restaurant really doesn't hold many people and our 7:30 resy turned into an 8:00 seating. This meant we had to rush through the meal to be able to catch the Illuminations Fireworks right outside the restaurant. As dessert was being served, we heard the show begin. I stayed to take care of the bill while everyone else went out to catch the show. I came out in time to see the last firework fade away, but the family said it was another great show.

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Then it was time to head back to Port Orleans and pack our bags, because as far as I was concerned, the real vacation was to start in about 10 hours!:woohoo:

[chepic]

Keep it coming!!!!! I am going on the Magic in January with a 6..going on 7 son and any info is good info.

Thanks

che

[Luckymomoftwo]

Just subscribing...love the TR so far!

[michelle9343]

Great trip report.. Can't wait to read the rest.

[LITTLEKID58]

Great Tr txs for sharing

Liz

[sejejoemmiev]

There weren't too many days over the past year in which the thought of this day hadn't passed through my mind. In fact, when times were tough, this day is what I turned to to get me through it all. Gee--my expectations weren't too high, were they?
Now being the DISers that we are, this day-and the next seven had been completely planned for the past several months. We wanted to maximize our DCL vacation, which meant arriving at the Disney terminal way too early and trying to be one of the first ones on the Magic. As there were eight of us in our party, we decided to have a car service pick us up from Port Orleans and bring us down to Port Canaveral. When I called to book the van, I told them to pick us up at 8 a.m. They instructed me that we should wait until at least 9 a.m. as we would not be allowed into the terminal until 10 a.m. at the earliest. Our driver was out front of the resort at exactly 9 a.m., and he even had a sign with our name on it-nice touch!:woohoo: We piled in and he somehow crammed our 20 suitcases and bags in, and we were off. We had arranged ahead of time for a 'grocery stop'. The driver asked us what we needed to buy, and after we informed him that we needed bottled water and beer, he pulled into a local CVS. Buying bottled water was a very good idea. After reading the DIS Boards for all these months I felt the need to buy a case of beer as well-this was a waste as you will read later on in this TR.

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Now, this being a two-week vacation, the kids did miss one week of school(the other week was winter vacation). And being the great parents that DW and I are :rolleyes1 ,we naturally asked the teachers for some extra assignments. DS1 teacher is my type of guy, and told us that vacations are for relaxing, and not to worry :banana: . DD1 teacher on the other hand gave us about a months worth of work to do. The first time we even thought of opening it was during this 60 minute drive to Port Canaveral. The primary task she had assigned was for DD1 to fill out a journal with what we did each day. This seemed like the perfect way to keep her busy while we were driving. We didn't however take into account how exhausted and emotional DD1 was from a week at Disney and a week of late nights and early mornings. About two sentences into the journal, DD1 began to crack under the pressure.:sad: She couldn't remember what we had done each day, and she wouldn't believe anything that we told her. It wasn't too much longer until she was in a full emotional breakdown. This went on for several minutes, and each of the four adults in our party had tried everything we could think of to calm her down. Right as we were on the verge of throwing her to the crocs on the side of the interstate, the driver came up with a few ideas. He recommended we try I-Spy, recording in her journal things we saw on the highway that we don't see at home, and then he tried describing some calming breathing excercises. It was the breathing excercises that really made me wonder, who is this guy? I must have given him a look, because he then informed me that for his full-time job, he was a teacher. I suddenly felt a lot more relaxed and new that he was used to whiny little children, and that he was obviously more prepared to handle this situation with my DD1 than was DW or myself.
We arrived at the terminal around 10:15 and unloaded the van on the curb. We thanked the driver for all his help and patience, and dealt with the luggage. In reading the boards, I have heard many different instructions for bringing alcohol on board the boat. We took a more untraditional approach, and it worked just fine. I had two DCL luggage tags left over, and we had 2 cases of beer and 2 cases of water. So we ripped the tags in half and stuck them right on the cases. The porter didn't seem to have a problem with this, and after tipping him nicely, he promised everything would make it to our rooms just fine. After going through security, we were issued our boarding pass cards. I was a little surprised to see that it was about 10:30 and they were already handing out card #6. Up the elevator and into the main terminal area, it felt good to be back!
We had done all our paperwork online, so check-in went quickly. As I checked-in and got our Key to the World Cards, DW and the kids went over to check the kids in at the Kid's Club counter. My line went much faster, and I walked over to find them. DW immediately asked me where our Castaway Club lanyards where. I didn't know what she was talking about, but I sensed that I was about to find out. I asked the lady in front of us where she got hers, and she said she had bought them at the counter next to the Kid's Club counter. DW instructed me that we are supposed to get them for free when we checked-in, so it was back in line I went. We got everything staightened out within about an hour, and we found a place to rest until our number was called. Around 12:15 they announced that boarding card #6 could proceed to the Mickey ears.
On our last cruise, we headed up to the Topsiders lunch buffet right when we got on board. It was enjoyable, but when we left the pools were far too crowded to use. So this time we decided to skip the buffet and grab some chairs right at the pool. Good idea. There was plenty of room to put out our chairs. The kids jumped right in the pool, and DW and I grabbed a couple of the colorful fruity drinks they were serving. After about an hour of the kids swimming they started to work up an appetite. I brought DS1 through the buffet (who loves all food and not a picky eater) and brought lunch back to the pool for my wife and I. DD1 age 7 wanted to go up and get her own food and she confidently went up and ordered herself Chicken and french Fries. DS2 (age 4) saw what she was up to and joined her. He ordered himself the same as well as a Hot Dog. They loved the independence of ordering by themself and were always in our view while doing it. After more swimming they worked up to trying some pizza and icecream too! DS1 wanted to go back to the buffet for dessert and we brought back Chocolate Chip Cookies for everyone. My mother and sister chose to go sit at Topsiders Buffet upon boarding the ship because this was their first time onboard. They met us at the pool when they were done and we enjoyed the beautiful weather and the Drink of the Day. I also purchased a refillable Beer Mug. What a Deal !
__________________


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The weather was perfect and we stayed right there until around 3 p.m. when we headed down to check out our staterooms. Now that we had DD2, we qualified for 2 staterooms (lucky us!) So we booked 2 connecting category 8 staterooms on deck 7. Rooms 7504 and 7506. The rooms seemed to be about the same size as our category 4 from a few years ago, but without the verandah. However, having the connecting rooms was really nice, and made the rooms feel more like a suite. (TIP:The rooms are connected by two very heavy doors that do not stay open and are always locked. If you stay in connecting rooms, call housekeeping the minute you get in your room and request that they bring up some doorstops ASAP) We had just enough time to get comfortable when our cruise director, Christian came over the PA and announced that it was time for the safety drill.

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We dawned our vests and suited DD2 up in her special infant suit, and headed to deck 4 for the drill. Again, it was a very nice day-unless you are standing in the direct sun wearing life jackets. After about ten minutes of standing there, DD2 had had enough and began to let everyone know she wanted out of that suit. A few more minutes of sweating and agony, and it was all over. We brought the vests back to the rooms, then headed up to deck 10 for the sail away party.

Next Chapter: Sail away party

[solgent]

I'm enjoying your report! Wow, it sounds like the crowds were intense. We have rarely been to DL or WDW under those conditions and I hope that we never experience it again.

So did you just not eat lunch that day when you went to the pool instead of Topsiders? Can one person go and bring food for the others poolside or is that not allowed?

[sejejoemmiev]

I'm enjoying your report! Wow, it sounds like the crowds were intense. We have rarely been to DL or WDW under those conditions and I hope that we never experience it again.

So did you just not eat lunch that day when you went to the pool instead of Topsiders? Can one person go and bring food for the others poolside or is that not allowed?

Sorry. I left out that part, so I went back and added it. Here it is:
After about an hour of the kids swimming they started to work up an appetite. I brought DS1 through the buffet (who loves all food and not a picky eater) and brought lunch back to the pool for my wife and I. DD1 age 7 wanted to go up and get her own food and she confidently went up and ordered herself Chicken and french Fries. DS2 (age 4) saw what she was up to and joined her. He ordered himself the same as well as a Hot Dog. They loved the independence of ordering by themself and were always in our view while doing it. After more swimming they worked up to trying some pizza and icecream too! DS1 wanted to go back to the buffet for dessert and we brought back Chocolate Chip Cookies for everyone. My mother and sister chose to go sit at Topsiders Buffet upon boarding the ship because this was their first time onboard. They met us at the pool when they were done and we enjoyed the beautiful weather and the Drink of the Day. I also purchased a refillable Beer Mug. What a Deal !

[sejejoemmiev]

After putting away the life jackets, we headed up to Deck 10. We got there about 10 minutes before it started and got a really good spot overlooking the stage on Deck 9 and the terminal through the glass rail. On our first cruise, we had missed the sail away party, so I didn't really know what to expect. The deck party started with just a few cast members on the stage dancing and getting the crowd worked up. After a few minutes, the passengers seemed to be outnumbered by the crew, and a high-energy dance party had begun. DS2 joined right in and was taken in by the crew. They spent a good amount of time dancing with him and trying to show him the moves.

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Just as DS2 was tiring out, we heard the familiar horn blow and off we sailed. We brought the kids over to the glass rail and showed them the CM's back at the terminal waving goodbye with the big Mickey hands. We were following the Carnival cruise ship out of port and were escorted by port security and a whole bunch of private boats. I was looking closely, but couldn't find any dolphins there to see us off. Once we exited the port and cleared the jetty, the wind really picked up on Deck 10 and it was time to head back down to our staterooms to get ready for the evenings events.
We had late seating for dinners, so that meant it was off to our first show of the cruise at the Walt Disney Theatre. This night's performance was All Aboard! Let the Magic Begin. This show is an introduction to some of the performers and acts that would be entertaining us over the next week. This particular cruise had two comedians, Lynn Trefzger and Gary DeLena. Both were very funny, and both offered two different shows in the days to come, one for families and another for adults only.
Our dining rotation was APLAPLA, which meant dinner tonight was at Animator's Palate. By this point in the day, we were all exhausted. But there was no way we could miss our first chance to meet our dining room servers, or the show that Animator's Palate puts on for its guests. Our waiters for the trip were Octavian and I-Ketut. They were great and had just the right mix of professionalism and friendliness to make for very enjoyable dining experiences. Going into the dining room, I gave my sister a brief explanation of what would happen to the room as the meal progressed. She didn't believe me, but was very much impressed as the meal unfolded.
For several weeks leading up to the cruise, we had been telling the children that they WERE going to try different food items each night, and if they didn't like it, they could order the old-standby items. After a long, tiring day, everyone but DS1 ordered chicken and fries-and we were just too exhausted to put up a fight. DS1 on the other hand was very much excited to try all sorts of new and exciting meals (DW and myself aren't exactly chefs on the home front). Each night, on the way to the dining rooms, he would ask if it was lobster night yet? This night wasn't, but he was able to get himself a very nice steak. DS2 ordered his favorites, including a bowl of strawberries (not on the menu, but served every day for him with a smile), but couldn't stay awake long enough to see them served.

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We finished the meal, said good night to our waitstaff, and walked over to Shutters to check on our embarkation photos. They had come out nice, but the line was crazy at that time, so we decided to come back tomorrow. It was around this time when DW, who never gets motion sick, started feeling a little off. The boat was really moving now, and we could all feel it. Before going back to the staterooms, we stopped in at the store and picked up some Dramamine to make sure we all got through the night without issue.

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Our towel animal for the night: A Swan!

Next up: Key West

[THUNDERMOUNTAINMOMMA]

I have really appreciated your TR so far! It's been so positive and it looks like you all had so much fun! Thanks!

[sejejoemmiev]

We all woke up the next morning feeling better. We got dressed and headed up to deck 9 to meet up with the rest of the family. Weather was beautiful and the seas were calm. DW and I had booked the rasul spa treatment for that morning. It was also the character breakfast for the kids (poor planning).

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So we planned to have my mother and sister take them all to the breakfast while we went off to experience the infamous E.R. DW has been to a spa on several occasions, including our last DCL cruise. Those treatments were nothing like this one would be, but at least she had some knowledge of the workings of a spa. I on the other hand had never even seen inside one, so I had no idea what to expect or how to act. We walked into the Vista Spa, and there were about a half dozen people sitting in the lobby waiting for their particular appointment. As we walked up to the desk, I could feel all their eyes burning holes in my back. The CM welcomed us and I told her that we had a nine-o'clock reservation. She then asked if it was for the Rasul.:eek: Yeah, she just said that loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Oh well, at least with her accent, it didn't sound quite as perverse as when I said it. We had a seat, filled-out the forms, and waited for our attendant to show us the way. After a short wait, we headed down the hall towards the changing rooms. We were each given a key to a locker and instructed to change and meet back in the hall. The locker contained a pair of slippers and a robe. First complaint of the cruise: As a man who is 6'3'' and 250lbs., those one size fits all robes and slippers didn't even come close. My heels dragged on the floor behind the slipper, and the robe fit more like a shirt-a tight one! Well, that made an easy decision- I would be keeping the bathing suit on for the walk through the spa to the rasul room. Our 'instructor' met us again and gave us an in-depth tour of the room. It was very spacious. You first walk in to a sort of sitting area that has a bench and all of the muds and lotions that will be needed for the next hour. There is a shower to the left of this room, and a glass door to the right. Inside the glass door is the steam room. This room has three(?) built-in seats that are just big enough for two, and the center of the room has a structure with several sinks and hoses. I have two tips for anyone planning on trying the E.R. First, all the hoses in the steam room have COLD water in them-use them CAREFULLY! Second, the sinks in the middle of the room don't have handles-they are motion sensors. I discovered this when I placed the bowl of body mud carefully on the sink, only to have the sink turn on and ruin the mud. Luckily, we had already used half the mud, and this just forced us to find a creative way to share it :rolleyes1 The time went by very quickly, and before we knew it, we heard the courtesy knock. This gave us enough time to shower and go back to the locker rooms to get changed. For a spa rookie, I must say I had a great time, and found this to be an excellent way to get relaxed after a not-so relaxing week at WDW. Sorry, no pictures included with this part of the TR(you can all thank me later:laughing: )
We then went back on deck to find the kids playing table tennis with my sister. We picked up the kids to get ready for Key West. Just as we gathered everyone, the ship came into viewing distance of the islands. As we got closer, and the water became more shallow- it changed color to the most beautiful blue I have ever seen.

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We ran down to the staterooms to get the stroller packed and everyone changed, then it was off to deck 1 to meet up with DSis and DM, and go ashore. We didn't have any excursions booked in Key West. We just planned on walking around and taking it all in. We were originally going to do the trolley for transportation around the island but after factoring in the cost for a family of six, we decided against it. We decided that the weather in Feb. (not too Hot) might be perfect weather to leisurely stroll Key West. We wanted to see the Southernmost point, the aquarium, and try the frozen key lime on a stick. We had walked about a 1/4 mile and the heat was starting to get to the kids. That is just about the time that we found the Blonde Giraffe. DW and I had been waiting a long time to try the frozen key lime pie on a stick, and they were well worth the wait. To my surprise, even the kids enjoyed them!

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After our Key Lime Pie on a stick, we decided to head for the Southernmost Point. After walking about 1/2 mile in the wrong direction, then back again we decided to head to the local CVS. TIP Before the cruise, DW had been looking for some childrens snorkel sets to use for the trip. She had found some in some catalogs for anywhere from $25-40/set:scared1: I insisted we not waste the money, and said that we could probably find some when we were in port some where. Well, CVS in Key West had a large selection of snorkel sets for both children and adults for $8-can't beat that. We bought those and about 5 tubes of chap-stick as our lips were burning up in the strong sun of the Caribbean. We also picked up sand toys while we were there because we had a couple beach days coming up!:thumbsup2 DM and Dsis decided to go their own way for the rest of the afternoon. DW and I took the kids to the Key West Aquarium to see what that was all about. It was rather small, but had some great stuff, and the kids loved it. The first tank had small critters like starfish and horseshoe crabs that the kids could reach-in and touch.

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The next few pools had stingrays and sharks. The smaller tanks on the walls were filled with tropical fish, lobsters, and even sea horses. Well worth the admission price.

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It was getting to be mid-afternoon, and the only thing we hadn't done yet was to go to the southernmost point. We dug out a map of the island, figured out the right direction, and started walking. According to the map, it was about a mile and a half away. That doesn't sound like too far, until you start walking it with a broken stroller and a 4-year old who was still recovering from the WDW vacation. About half way there, he threw himself on the ground and refused to go any further. We were forced to carry him on our shoulders the rest of the way. It is also about half way there that I saw a side of Key West that I wasn't expecting. I have heard great things about this island for years, both from friends and from reading the DIS Boards. But in all that time, I never heard anyone mention the neighborhood just before the point. To put it nicely, it was a little shady. We came across the southernmost biker bar and the southernmost street-craps game. I know you will find a neighborhood like this in a city across the country, I just wasn't expecting it here in 'paradise'. Maybe we had just been too sheltered after being on Disney property for a week. We finally reached the southernmost point and DW waited in line for our obligatory picture, while the kids and I sat on the seawall and rested. While we waited behind the 'rock', a couple next to us was jokingly arguing about waiting in line to have their picture taken with it. The guy said, why wait when there was no line to take a picture from the backside of the painted marker. His wife pointed out the fact that there were no words written on the backside, and his response was, "that's what photoshop is for".:rotfl2:

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We took the long walk back to the ship and got there around 4 p.m. We brought the kids back to the room to change into their bathing suits and we headed to the Mickey Pool for swimming and a late lunch/early dinner for kiddos.

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It was at this time that DD1 noticed the hairbrading and asked to get it done. We asked for a appointment at the desk and they said they could squeeze DD1 in @ 5:30PM. We swam for thirty more minutes than my DW brought DD1 to get her hair braided. This was something she had wanted to do since our last cruise. ($2.00/braid-$20.00 for what she had done)



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While DW and her were up there, I had DD2 and the boys back in the staterooms getting ready for the night. We had Palo reservations for this night, and the kids were just going to get some food from Pluto's Dog House then head to the kid's clubs. We dropped them all off around at their respective locations (all four had to be at a different place) and got to Palo right at 7p.m. We had planned on getting there 10 minutes early as sunset in Key West that day was 6:50. DM and DSis were waiting for us when we arrived, and we were sat right away. We had a great waiter from India, but I do forget his name. The food was excellent, as I had remembered from our last visit. We started with the calamari and the pizza. DSis and I both ordered tuna while DW had a filet, and DM tried the lamb. Our server also brought out an additional item or two which he insisted that we try. No one had room for dessert, but we all knew that we couldn't possibly leave without ordering the chocolate souffle. After induldging for about two hours, we rolled out and down to deck 5 to check on the kids. We picked up DD2 from the nursery, where she had just fallen asleep. The other kids all wanted to stay where they were. While leaving my DW saw Belle doing pictures and new our DD1 would hate to miss it. We went back to the Club to see if she wanted to sign out for a few minutes to get a picture with Belle. Of course she said yes! After her picture she decided to stay with us and not to go back to the Club. We then brought DD2 back to the room to put her down for the night, change clothes, and then I went back to retreive the rest of the kids.

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The kid's loved finding our towel animal of the night-a dog (I think).

[bkfor]

we were on this trip with you (and on the dis board prior). reading this makes me want to be back on board even more!

[pppiglet]

great report and pics!

[pierresgirl]

Great report and I love the pics, your kids are adorable! How long is the Rasul? I def. want to surprise dh with it!

[joiev98]

Great Reviews!! You have a beautiful family! Can't wait to read the rest!

[sejejoemmiev]

Great report and I love the pics, your kids are adorable! How long is the Rasul? I def. want to surprise dh with it!

Thanks for reading! The Rasul is great, and I believe it is about 50 minutes. It is by far the best value in the spa, but that is because they are just providing the real estate, the rest of the experience is totally up to you and your partner (or partners-up to three people????)

[kate2961]

I'm really enjoying your TR. Thanks for writing it....:surfweb:

_______________________________
GoofTroop3 = Me + DH + DS(6)

"We're the Goof Troop and we'll always stick together..."

[imlazar]

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We met this crew member on both of our cruises, he was wonderful to our children. On our first cruise he gave us a tour of the facilities and explained how it would work to our kids. I believe he's from Brazil, just a great guy!

[sejejoemmiev]

During all of the obsessive planning, DW and I decided to keep the sea days wide open with nothing scheduled so that we could relax and unwind for at least a few moments on this vacation. We slept in until around 9 A.M. this day, and probably could have slept much later. The kids must have been really exhausted as it took many attempts to get their backsides out of bed. DW and I had brunch reservations for Palo at 11, so we had a few hours to get the kids dressed, fed, and off to their respective Kid's Club locations before our ressies. Once I was able to drag the oldest three out of bed and into some swimsuits and t-shirts, I brought them up to Topsiders for breakfast. DW and DD2 stayed behind to get ready for brunch and the nursery. Eating out with three little ones is always an adventure, and why would it be any different here? As we worked our way through the buffet line, DS2 made it all of ten feet before dropping his tray and having to start over. Then, at the end of the line, DD1 walked right in front of another passenger and caused them to nearly drop their tray(but she has done this enough to know to apologize right away-always look for the positives). After all three of them, made it out to the deck, we found a great table overlooking the water. It was a little gusty, and things like butter packets and napkins began to blow. It was starting to get late, and I was anxious for them to finish up and bring them down to their groups. It was right about then that DD1 somehow elbowed her large glass of chocolate milk, and covered not only her tray, but DS2's as well. "Good thing we are on vacation", DS1 reminded me, "because you can't get mad on vacation", he said. I thought to myself, good thing he reminded me, because I must have missed that rule. DD1 and DS2 grabbed a couple of new doughnuts and we headed to the clubs.
After dropping DD2 off at Flounder's Nursery, DW and I headed up to Palo. Before I describe the brunch, let me just say that as wonderful as Palo is, I would not recommend back-to-back meals there. On a three-day cruise, you may not have an option-and in that case, go for it. But otherwise, you are better off showing up at Palo with a large appetite, and after eating dinner there the night before, I did not have one of those. That said, brunch at Palo is AMAZING. Service began with a complimentary Champagne cocktail and a tour of the buffet spread. They have a bread table with breads from around the world, and cheeses and spreads to go with all. They have a seafood table with eveything from shrimp to Alaskan King Crab legs. Then they have the infamous dessert table. If none of that is appealing, your waiter will take your order for anything from the kitchen including the made to order pizzas. As we were about to order some items from the kitchen, the pager began to vibrate in my pocket. I carefully took it out, so that DW wouldn't notice, and read the message. It said that DD1 was ready to be picked up from the Oceaneers Lab. I processed my options for a moment, and decided I better tell DW. She instructed me to put the pager away, and forget that I saw the message. Wow, how very un-DW of DW! I guess when you have been anticipating something like Palo brunch for as long as we had, it would take a real emergency(or at least three pages), to mess it up. DW isn't known for being an experimental eater, but she got crazy and actually tried something new. At my sisters recommendation, she ordered Eggs Benedict and loved them. The brunch doesn't last quite as long as dinner, but we were still there for over an hour, and on the way out I decided I wasn't eating again this whole trip(or until dinner, which ever came first).
We ran around the boat tracking down and retrieving all the kids, then went back to the room to get changed for the pool. As we were getting ready, I began to feel pretty bad. It was probably a combination of a lack of sleep, and an over abundance of excellent food, but I told DW that she should bring the older kids up to the pool, and I would stay behind and take a nap with DD2 who was getting cranky. That is about the last thing I remember until around 4 p.m. when they all came back, so the following paragraph is a recollection of events from DW.

DW, DS1&2, and DD1 all headed up to the Mickey Pool and then over to the Goofy Pool for a few hours. Entertainment on deck included music, a hoola-hoop contest put on by some crew members, and Cinderella III on the big screen above the Goofy Pool. The kids again enjoyed ordering their own lunch at Pinnochio's Pizzaria and Pluto's Dog House, and DW enjoyed ordering a Pina Colada from the waiters that come right up to you! After the movie ended, they went back to the Mickey Pool for a few more rides down the slide, but as soon as they got there, it was closed. Apparently, a child had an accident in the pool, and it had to be drained, cleaned, and refilled. Bad timing, as it was a sea day, but better than not knowing and having everyone get sick. So they all packed up, got some ice cream and came back down to the staterooms.
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I couldn't believe how much time had passed when they came back. DW was in a big hurry as her Martini tasting was about to begin. This tasting was held in Sessions down on deck 3. DW met up with DSis, and they had a good time. For anyone that hasn't been to one, try it out. It is put on by a cast member/bartender who knows the history of the drink, and more importantly, how to mix up some very good samples for everyone to try. Apparently, they even MAKE you finish your drinks.

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This night was our formal night. I had rented a tux from Cruise Line Formalwear, and it was waiting in the stateroom when we boarded(I would recommend doing this-makes life much easier). DW had found some tuxs for the boys on E-Bay from some crazy price like $20 each-can't beat that! We all got dressed up, and headed to the theatre for Twice Charmed. It was nice to see the kid's all dressed up, and they seemed to enjoy it as well. I think getting all dressed up made them feel special, after all it doesn't happen at home!

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I was excited to see Twice Charmed as this show wasn't on our last cruise. It was very entertaining, up until the point when DD2 got fussy and wanted to walk around. I brought her outside the theatre so she could blow off some steam, then stood in the doors to try and watch the show without letting her bother anyone. As we were standing there, Cinderella showed up next to us and began making faces and talking to DD2, while the show was still going on (obviously without her at this particular moment) Talk about great character interaction. We got a meet and greet with the star of the show while the show was still going on-only on a Disney cruise! The show finished up and we went to the atrium for formal night photos with Captain Tom and several other backdrops. The Captain's Cocktail Reception was going on and we had a few free drinks. Dinner that night was at Lumiere's, right there in the atrium. I was feeling much better by this time, and dinner was excellent. To finish off the night, DSis offered to watch the kids in our room, so that DW and I could catch the adult-version of Gary DeLena's comedy show. He was performing in Rockin Bar D, but it was so full we wound up watching the simulcast across the hall in Diversions. This was a very funny show, and a great way to cap off a full day! Our towel animal that night was a rabbit. Our kids couldn't wait to get back to our rooms each night to see what towel animal would be waiting for them.

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[mommykds]

What a beautiful family!!!!!!!!

[sejejoemmiev]

During our planning stages, we had booked the Seven Mile Beach Break through DCL. About a week before the cruise, we decided to cancel the reservation, and do this on our own to save some money, and to have the freedom to come and go on our own schedule.
We woke up thanks to the very strange noise of what I later determined must have been the anchor dropping. I had actually requested the Mickey wake up call, but I just hung up on him both times that he called, and continued to sleep. If it wasn't for the sound of the massive chain slowly lowering the anchor down, we would have missed breakfast. We opened the curtains to the porthole, and saw that we(and four other cruise ships parked right next to us) had arrived at Grand Cayman. This port doesn't have any docks, and the harbor was full of the tender boats that transport all of us passengers to the island. We got dressed, packed our bags, and headed up to Topsiders for breakfast. This is the first time DW and I had actually eaten at the breakfast buffet. I had read somewhere that there was an omelet station, but we were in a bit of a hurry, and today would not be the day we would look around to find it. After an uneventful breakfast, we all headed down to the Buena Vista Theatre to get in line and receive our tender tickets(which no one ever collected or checked). After being strategically seated in the theatre to keep everyone in a first-come, first-serve basis, we headed down to Deck 1 to board the tender. The seas were very calm and the 10 minute trip over to the island was smooth.
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Once on shore, and through the security gates, we quickly found a cab driver with a van to bring us all to Seven Mile Beach. If you want to try and do this on your own, don't worry about finding a cab, they are EVERYWHERE! Before agreeing to the ride, we asked for a rate and were quoted $5/person (including the baby). Two other couples also shared the van with us. Seven Mile Beach is just that, the main beach on the island that is made up of many different private and public beaches. The van first pulled into a private beach owned by a small hotel. The driver told us all about the amentities here, and one couple decided to get off. We had our hearts set on Sea Grapes Beach due to suggestions we read on the DIS boards. We told the other couple what we had read, and they also decided to go there. It was another 5 minutes down the road, and the island seemed to get nicer the further from the port we drove. We arrived at Sea Grapes around 10:30 A.M. The beach was about 1/2 full at this time, and we quickly rented some chairs and an umbrella ($21) and claimed our small area of the beach. The weather was exactly what you picture when you think of a tropical beach, hot and not a cloud in the sky. The beach had a changing room with outdoor showers, and a bar/restaurant right there in the sand. The water was amazingly clear and warm. We pulled out the snorkel gear we had bought at CVS in Key West, and started looking for coral and fish. DS2 and DD1 spent the entire day playing in the waters edge with their sand toys collecting coral and swimming.
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The sun was so hot, we repeatedly applied sunscreen to all the kids, but as we found out later, that didn't seem to prevent DD1 from a good case of sun poisoning on her face. DD2 didn't like the feel of the sand, so she spent her day either napping in her stroller, or in the water with DW and myself. There was also a tent with some float rentals, and we rented a floating lounge raft for $5. This was a great way to just relax in the sun and water, and the kids had a blast playing on it. We ordered some frozen drinks from the bar, but the wait was too long for food. The kids also had no interest in coming out of the water to eat. Around 2 o'clock, we were all getting tired of the sun, and a little hungry. We decided to catch a cab back to the port, do some shopping, and go back to the boat for lunch. As you walk off Sea Grapes Beach, the cabs are all lined up on the side of the road, waiting their turn for passengers. The cab at the head of the line happened to be a 20 passenger mini-bus. The female driver was outside and quoted us $7/person. We were getting tired and weren't going to argue over a few dollars, so she took the money up front (which she insisted upon) and we climbed in. We were her first six passengers, so I assumed she would wait for another couple of people to make her ride worth it. After about ten minutes, two other women boarded, and the driver noticed that I had the umbrella stroller on the seat next to me. She proceeded to ask me if I was going to buy a seat for the stroller as well. I was a little surprised by this, and told her absolutely not. She told me to bring the stroller back out front and she would put it in when we left. The stroller was partially closed, but the storage basket underneath held our wet towels, and wouldn't close all the way. She then asked me if I was going to remove the towels and close it properly. At this point, I was getting pretty irritated, and I told her no. She gave me a look, and insisted that I did. I grabbed the towels and made my way back to my seat. After another 25-30 minutes had passed, the bus had filled-up to what we all believed was its full capacity. But the driver was still walking around looking for more passengers. She was sticking us in the passenger seat, little fake seats in the isle, and I think four people were on the roof. :confused3 It was at this point that the rowdy Carnival Cruise passengers began yelling to the people in the passenger seat to start blaring her horn. They happily obliged and a total state of anarchy ensued. After all 20 of us insisted on a full refund, she finally decided to get in and drive away. With the way everyone was acting, she had some serious guts to step foot in that thing (she must have done this before). Anyway, we pulled away (45 minutes after boarding-no joke!) and she began to give us a historical overview of the island. People were shocked that she was even bothering to talk to us as we were all so upset. The ten-minute ride back to the boats was filled with the passengers debating whose cruise ship was better. We were the only ones from the Disney ship, but I sure wish I had been on the Carnival ship-they have a belly-flop contest :rolleyes1 . She dropped us all off at the shopping area just before the port. We had planned on finding the Tortuga Rum Cake factory, but after the bus experience and the heat, we just decided to get back on the boat. While on the tender, the kids decided they wanted to order room service and just relax in the staterooms. We got back and ordered one of everything on the menu, as well as a dozen cookies and all the cake of the day. We all showered in anticipation of Pirate Night while waiting for the food. I don't know if it was because we were all starving, but that still stands out as the best meal of the whole cruise. We sat around and filled our faces, and talked and laughed about the days events. After lounging about for a few hours, we started getting dressed in our pirate night outfits. The show for the night was the Golden Mickeys. On the way into the theatre, the kids were interviewed and broadcast in the theatre. DS1 refused to be interviewed while DD1 and DS2 couldn't wait to go live. When the camera came on, DD1 got a bit of stage fright and clammed up. DS2 felt right at home in the spotlight.
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The show was just as good as I remembered from our last cruise. It is really fun to walk down the red carpet with the 'paparazzi' flashing cameras at us. After the show, we had pictures with Jiminy Cricket, and had Pirate Night portraits taken in the Atrium.

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Dinner this night was in Animator's Palate. When we got to our table, each place setting had a pirate bandana, and the special pirate menu. We were looking forward to this night, as it was started just after our last cruise and this would be our first experience. Maybe we were still full from the room service, but the pirate menu didn't seem that appealing to DW or myself. Dinner was just okay, but the servers did a great job keeping us all entertained with magic tricks, and taking all of the kids away for the pirate parade around the restaurant. After this performance, we headed up to deck 9 to find a place to watch the deck party.
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The Pirates in the Caribbean Party is another high-energy, dance party similar to the sail-away party. The CM's and characters danced for a good 45 minutes, and it was quite hot even though it was night. After the day we had, the kids were too tired to dance. Even DS2, our little attention grabber, was content sitting on my shoulders watching everything. After the dancing, the fireworks were lit off. We were all impressed watching a firework display in the middle of the ocean.
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As if we hadn't eaten enough in the past few hours, we had to check out the Pirate Night buffet. They had foods like giant turkey legs and a fajita bar. They also had a dessert buffet with cakes, cookies, and melting ice cream.

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We brought our food over to DW, DD2 and DS2 who had found us some seats under the big screen where Pirates in the Caribbean/Curse of the Black Pearl was just beginning. DW and the younger two kids headed back to the stateroom to call it a night. DS1, DD1, and myself ate our food and watched about 30 minutes of the movie, then they both begged me to go back to the room and go to bed. Luckily, this night we had to change the clocks back one hour, so we all got an extra hour sleep!:thumbsup2
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Our towel animal for the night, An Elephant!

[LovableGluttons]

What a wonderful trip report!

Your family is just beautiful!!!

Just reading about the taxi bus driver made my blood boil.

[catecrew]

Fun Report

[cmash95]

this is so much fun to read and the kids are adorable. I love the elizabeth dress your daughter has and the little one is so photogenic. can't wait to read the rest.

[sejejoemmiev]

The day started with the perky voice of Mickey Mouse over the phone telling me that I'd better get out of bed because there is so much to do today. Well, it worked today, and I did get out of bed. One of the great parts of being on a cruise is finding out where you are when you wake up. Every morning, my first move was to go to the curtains, and see what was to see outside the window. This morning I was graced with a beautiful view of a Mexican military boat and its very large gun-always a comforting sight! If you have never been to Cozumel, just be prepared for a stronger military presence than any of the other ports of call in the Western Itineray. Keep in mind, they are all there for your protection. We could see land off in the distance, but knew we had a little while until port. I got everyone up and we all showered and dressed. The plan was to head back up to Topsiders for breakfast, and then off to Chakanaab National Park for our Dolphin Discovery adventure.

We sat on the other side of Topsiders this day so that we could see Cozumel and the other cruise ship docked about twenty feet away. Because we sat on this side, I had to do some exploring to find everything we needed, and in doing so, I stumbled upon the omelet station. It is located at the back of the restaurant in between the two buffet lines. They have a good set-up, where you place your order with a CM, and he issues you a number on a little metal sign, and when your eggs are done, they deliver them to you. After eating, we took the elevator down to disembark the ship. Stepping out of the boat and onto that dock in Cozumel is impressive as you are surrounded on three sides by enormous cruise ships.
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We walked to the end of the dock, passed the Mexican military with their machine guns, and down the street a little ways to the row of waiting cabs. After our last cab experience, I wasn't too anxious to hop back in one. I found a van that was just big enough for our familiy, and asked the driver how much a ride to Chakanaab would be. He quoted us a flat rate of $15. This was much cheaper than Grand Cayman, and once we loaded up, he drove right away. DSis and DMom had scheduled the DCL Tulum Ruins excursion and headed on their way before we even left the ship. That was something I would have loved to have done, but not with kids as young as ours. The drive to Chakanaab was about 15 minutes and was filled with interesting sights along the way. There is still quite a bit of damage left over from the hurricane a few years back. Much like the Caymans, lots of construction is going on. We also passed an interesting little shop whose sign stated "Bagels and Real Estate". I wonder what they do better?:rotfl2:

We arrived at Chakanaab around the same time as several excursion groups. Our driver helped us unload, and a park employee brought us right through the crowds to an available teller. In order to get to the Dophin Discovery, you must first pay admission to Chakanaab. I was prepared for this having read about it on the DISBoards, and I had even printed up a coupon from their website which saved us some money. We paid our admission, put on our bracelets and headed into the park.

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We had about an hour before DW and DS1 had their reservation for the Royal Swim, so we walked around and checked out the park. It is a very nice place that is kept up beautifully. Lots of new construction here as well as I am sure being right on the water, they took quite a beating from the hurricane. The restrooms were amazing. This is a strange thing to comment on, I know, but they really were. They were spotless and the sinks were like nothing I have ever seen- I can't even explain them (wish I took a picture). About thirty minutes before our 12 o'clock reservation, we walked over to where we were told to meet the group. In hindsight, there is no reason to get to this spot more than five minutes before your reservation. There is a nice pool right next to the meeting place which is a much better way to spend your time. The plan was for DW and DS1 to take part in their swim, and myself and the other kids would go out on the deck and videotape the whole thing. We had read in other posts about how they don't allow cameras or camcorders out there because they want to sell their own copies. We had no problem at all taping and taking pictures. Watching the swim was just as cool for the little ones, as it was for DW and DS1 to actually be doing it. As an observer, I was amazed by how the dolphins knew precisely when to drop their passengers before they would be thrown into the fence. DW and DS1 were both very nervous about the dolphins lifting them up and propelling them across the surface of the water toward the dock. It ended up being an exhilarating experience that was the highlight of the trip for both of them. The Royal Swim was about 1 1/2 hours from the orientation to the end. They spent a good amount of time actually in the water with the Dolphins. It started with the obligatory Dolphin kiss, and hold and ended with the Dorsal tow and foot-push. In the Dorsal tow you get pulled through the water by holding on to the dorsal fins of two dolphins. In the foot-push, dolphins push you across the water from the bottom of your feet. They both really enjoyed the whole experience start to finish.

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After their Dolphin experience was over they collect your life vests and take you to a viewing room to view a Dvd of the Group Swim set to music. It was really nicely done and priced at $50.00. We chose not to purchase it because I had taped them myself, but my wife now regrets it because their video came out really nice. After the viewing, you exit to the gift shop where you can view the photos taken. My wife brought an underwater camera in with her and thought she got some good shots of our DS1, but their photos were unbelievable. They stated that the photos were $13.00-$15.00 based on size. My wife picked three that she liked best and the employee then said she would make a deal $60.00 for the whole package. Do not accept the first photo price, they are willing to make a deal. My wife purchased the photos and met us in front of the pool. I had found us a table at the poolside and ordered us a couple sodas. They didn't serve alcohol at the pool but there is a bar on the beach. DS1 joined DD1 and DS2, already in the pool swimming, and DW and myself decided on what to order for lunch.

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(DD1 received a sunburn on her face on Grand Cayman. We put sunblock on her every 30 minutes or so in Cozumel but a second day of sun was taking a toll on her face as well as her. We told her she looked like she got sun poisoning because it was starting to blister. That freaked her out. She was a little afraid of the sun after that.)

I traveled hundreds of miles to try some authentic Mexican cuisine, and I ordered a quesedilla and some nachos for all of us-how boring. The kids ordered, what else? Chicken fingers, hot dogs and french fries. What a surprise. The wait for the food was very long. Our waiter commented that they were short handed this day, and he had come from Cancun to work just because the Disney ship was in port. We ate lunch, the kids got some icecream and we still had about an hour to kill before the Dophin Encounter with DD1, DS2, and myself. We explored the rest of the Chakanaab property, and were impressed with what we found. As I mentioned before, I was upset that I had come all the way to Mexico, and wouldn't be visiting the ancient ruins as there was no way the kids would survive the bus ride there. But while walking around Chakanaab, we found that they had some ruins of their own. They didn't have anything as extravagant as a pyramid, but there were some temples and lots of stone carvings and structures. And no one else was walking around exploring all these things-we had them all to ourselves! In fact, we were enjoying ourselves so much (the kids too), that we lost track of time, and had to run back to the beach for our reservation.

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The encounter was a good time. As we were meeting the group and trying on our life jackets, DS2 had a panic attack and refused to take part, he thought the dolphins "were going to kill him" and that they "were not nice." I wasn't going to fight with him in front of all these people, and ruin my experience, so DD1 and I went in the water without him. Once DW had given up threatening him, she gave his vest to DS1 who gladly took his place for his second experience of the day. The encounter involved getting in the water and petting, kissing, and dancing with the dophins. Again, we had no problem taking our own pictures and taping it, but theirs came out much nicer.

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After, we watched the video they produced, we went into the gift shop for a few more photos, t-shirts, and souveniers. TIP- Obviously, being in Mexico, I realized that everything would be in pesos, but I didn't know the the symbol for pesos was the same as the U.S. dollar. So when it came time to check out at the gift shop, I paid with a credit card, and the receipt showed $1240.00. I did a double take, and had to process this before signing off. I never bothered to check the exchange rate, but it seemed to be about a 10:1 ratio.

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The park was getting ready to close as we left the gift shop, so we headed back toward the main gate. By this time, the place was empty. An employee saw us coming out the gate and flagged down a cab for us. The price back to the boats was $20 US, a little more than the trip there, but still a far better deal than Grand Cayman. We found the people here much more friendly than in Grand Cayman as well. The cab brought us back to the mall across the street from the dock. The ship wasn't leaving until after midnight, so we decided to spend a little time exploring the Punta Lagosta mall. We hit a few stores including the Hard Rock, and bought some t-shirts. We also went into Carlos&Charlies for some appetizers and very large frozen drinks (in yard glasses). Both the food and drinks were very good. It is definetaly a bar, but during the daylight hours, there was no problem bringing little kids in there-we weren't the only ones.

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After eating, we went across the street and back on the boat. By this time, it was dark, and seeing the cruise ships all lit up was very cool.

We went back to the staterooms, showered, and got dressed up in our matching outfits that DW had bought months ahead of time to torture us with. They were tropical Mickey Mouse themed, and I saw them on about 4 other families during the cruise. Dinner that night was at Parrot Cay, but before dinner, we had pictures taken with Jack Sparrow. He was a very good Jack Sparrow with very similar facial expressions and mannerisms.

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DSis and DMom never showed up for dinner with us. We found out later that night that DSis had dragged DMom back off the boat and over to Senor Frogs for dinner and a few drinks. (DMom is not a drinker, so I really wish I had seen her drinking a yard-long margarita) During dinner, our head server was talking with us, and mentioned the two new ships that DCL was going to be building. He told us that they had just contracted a German shipyard to build them, and that they would be ready in 2012. I couldn't believe what he was telling us, and I knew I had to get to a computer to break the news to the DIS community.

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(DS2 fell asleep at dinner, AGAIN!)

After dinner, we walked through Shutters and found more of our pictures. DW decided that she had to have them, and I upgraded our picture package. We went back to the room and DW, DS1, and DD1 changed into their swimsuits and went up to the Goofy pool and hot tubs. I stayed behind with the younger two and got them in bed for the night. After about an hour, they came back and begged me to bring them to the arcade. I had no interest, but remembered promising them that I would bring them there weeks ago. So we went up, and I loaded the kids cards up with credits so they could have a blast. I told them I was going next door to the Cove Cafe to get a frozen cappachino, and that I would be back in ten minutes. When in the cafe, I noticed the internet access, and I had to sign on to break the news of the new ships. First thing I did was to check my e-mail, and I found my latest PassPorters newsletter with the headlines DCL to expand fleet. Well, I guess I was the last person to hear about the big news that I had been awaiting for a long time. I finished reading my e-mail, and walked back outside to find DS1 and DD1 in tears with a CM (the pizza lady from Pinochio's). Turns out they panicked about thirty seconds after I left, and couldn't remember where I went. They walked over to Pinochio's (a place they had become very familiar with over the past few days), and told the CM that they had lost their dad. They were smart enough to remember their room #, and she called down to DW. She told DW that she had two of our children, and they don't know where their father went, and would she mind coming up to get them. DW asked to speak to DS1, and he was crying. DW told him that I had gone to check my e-mail at the Cove Cafe, and to go look for me there, and to call her if I wasn't there. As they were walking over, I came out and found them. The CM was very friendly and helpful. With that, we called it a night and went back down to the rooms and went to bed.

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Towel animal of the night-a stingray.

[pppiglet]

Your pictures came out great! Loved your report on Cozumel and Grand Caymen as we'll be there in May!

[becca_n_wa]

I am enjoying the TR and pics! I have said after our move, I will start on my TR if I remember everything :confused:

We also went to the dolphin encounter at Cozumel. We had a blast. Like you, I was so suprised they had no problem with my DM recording and my DH taking pics. I had read the same reports you had about not letting you do this. Maybe it has something to do with who the workers are that day and how they feel?

Cant wait to read more!

[plutospup]

Your TR is GREAT! I really enjoyed tagging along with you on "our" day in Cozumel! The dolphin swim looks like a lot of fun. DD9 would like to know how warm was the water. (Our pool heater has us spoiled)

[sejejoemmiev]

Your TR is GREAT! I really enjoyed tagging along with you on "our" day in Cozumel! The dolphin swim looks like a lot of fun. DD9 would like to know how warm was the water. (Our pool heater has us spoiled)

The water was very warm in Cozumel and Grand Cayman but still refreshing. The water at Castaway Cay was freezing and took a long time to get used to. It didn't stop us though!

[sejejoemmiev]

Our day began at 4:00 am with DD2 vomiting in her port-a-crib. The room was really rocking and the seas were rough. I was on the side of the bed closest to her crib so I stumbled over to her. It was difficult to walk and the room was visibly moving side to side. Background info: DD2 was born with a heart defect that is due to be repaired this Spring. We brought her home after 2 1/2 weeks in the NICU on oxygen and struggled with feeding her. It was a struggle that ended with a feeding tube at two months old because she was unable to gain any weight. The feeding tube was a blessing because, as you can see from her pictures, she is a healthy looking 21 pounds now. It has also caused huge oral aversions which eventually led to the complete avoidance of taking anything by mouth. So, as I stumbled over to DD2 and turned off her feeding pump, my wife and I started the debate on whether the vomiting was due to the rough seas, reflux, or worse yet illness?:scared: DW and I came to the conclusion that she must be sea sick. We brought her into bed with us and got her back to sleep. Once asleep, we quietly moved her back to the porta-crib. We decided to leave her unhooked from the feeding pump, even though she gets most of her feedings overnight. DW and myself went back to sleep and had another early wake-up call, not by Mickey Mouse, but DD2 vomiting once again around 8 a.m. The seas were still slightly rough, and the room was rocking but not at all like it was at 4 a.m. We began the debate again. Is it her reflux? Oh crap, we haven't given her Prevacid in 2 days. Background: She has reflux and vomits at home several times a week, usually due to her feedings being too fast or too much. She has a very sensitive stomach and you have to get it just right. The debate continued.....No, I don't think its reflux, we turned off her feeding last night. It has to be motion sickness. (Runs in myself and all my kids BIG time, DW was spared) She can't be sick, can she? She doesn't even eat. Due to her heart, etc. she gets respiratory illnessess and ear infections quite frequently, but she had never had a G.I. bug. DW and myself agreed it must be motion sickness and decided to just give her some water to keep her hydrated and her Prevacid. Because of her age we couldnt give her anything for motion sickness. After we decided what must be wrong with DD2 the next debate started. We had 10:45 am reservations for The Couples Choice in the Vista Spa Villa for couples. We also had Flounders Reef Reservations for the baby. We decided not to chance bringing her to the nursery and called to cancel, explaining she had a rough night with the boat rocking. I called my mother to see if she had any plans for the morning, and if not, could she take DD2 so we could make our spa appointment. We were in luck, and Dmom agreed to take DD2 so we could go. Dmom and Dsis were headed up to Topsiders for breakfast, and we made plans to meet them up there after we got the kids ready to go to breakfast. We showered, dressed and got ready to head up to Topsiders for breakfast. Before we left we debated does DD2 feel a little warm? We decided to give her some Tylenol just in case a fever was starting, so she would be okay for my mom. I drew up the Tylenol and put it down her G-tube and then we left for brakfast. Got to go now but I will be back later to finish Chapter12. STAY TUNED>>>>>>>

[mom_of_2_princesses]

I am loving your report. That was cruel though, right in the middle of a story.:rotfl:

[mbw12]

Loving your trip report....we are going on the May 5th Western cruise!!!!! Cannot wait....and enjoy seeing it through your eyes!!!! (we also have young kids, so some of your experiences we can relate to!!!!!)

[kate2961]

The feeding tube was a blessing because, as you can see from her pictures, she is a healthy looking 21 pounds now.

I never would have guessed she used a feeding tube. She looks very healthy. And soooo cute in her Tinkerbell outfit.

The trip report is excellent! I'm going on the Western on 11/4 and I have gotten many great tips from your TR...in addition to just enjoying your story.

I know it takes time and effort. Thank you.

I'll be waiting for the next installment...popcorn::

_____________
Kate

[LITTLEKID58]

I love it awesome job so far.. txs so much for sharing.

[sejejoemmiev]

After the obstacles of the morning, we finally headed to Topsiders for breakfast. We had an uneventful breakfast with an omelet for DW,DS1, and myself. DD1 and DS2 filled their plates as usual, only to end up eating a few bites. This was the theme for those two at breakfast all week. We never ended up seeing Dmom or Dsis at breakfast, so we left Topsiders to look at the pools. We found them within seconds of leaving breakfast. We handed over DD2, said a quick good-bye and left to drop the other three kids at their respective places. We dropped DS1 off first at Diversions for Captains Corner, where the kids get to meet the Captain and ask him questions. We then dropped DD1 off at the Lab and DS2 at the club. We finally headed up to Deck 9 to the Vista Spa for our Villa alone time. We checked in at the front desk and took our seats. After waiting only a few minutes, a CM came to retrieve us. She brought us into the couples villa and gave us a tour. She then introduced herself and the other CM who would be giving us our treatments. They asked if we had our bathing suits on. I did, but my DW did not. They strongly advised wearing a bathing suit, but gave the option of going without. They stated that if you decided to go without, you were taking your chances in the Hot Tub. This is because Deck 10 could see in to the Villa Veranda if they wanted too. DW then decided she wanted her bathingsuit, so I quickly ran up to our room to retrieve it for her. They left us alone to change and put on the provided robes. Again, not really fitting me! :headache: DW sat on the chaise and I sat in the chair for our foot treatments. Our spa CM's returned and gave us a wonderful foot scrub and massage. They poured us water with lemon, and left us to enjoy the hot tub. DW climbed in and peered over the side up at deck 10. She noted that it would of been pretty impossible for someone to see in. Later that day the CM commented that this particular villa was not as bad as others in that department, but better to be safe than sorry. After DW settled into the hot tub, I climbed in as well. At that point the hot tub really started to over-flow! It started off filled to maximum capacity, and it was not going to hold anymore.:rolleyes1 We watched as the water and suds poured over the side of our veranda onto the veranda below us. It was really Hot and sunny out. DW had settled onto the side of the hot tub facing out of the veranda in the sun. She enjoyed lying in the sun at first, but quickly became over heated and had to come over with me in the shade. I enjoyed relaxing in one of the only moments of silence the entire trip. After about 30 minutes, DW climbed out due to overheating and put on her robe to relax on the chaise lounge. A few minutes later, I decided to join her. We could see the Spa CM in the room getting the massage tables ready and within minutes they came out to retrieve us. They asked us to remove our bathing suits and put on our robe. DW was told to lie face up on the table over long sheets of foil and remove her robe. The CM then covered the front of her with a towel. My spa CM asked me to lie face down on the table after removing my robe. She then covered my back side with a towel. I decided on the Hot Stone massage. This was my first massage ever and it was WONDERFUL!!!!!!:cloud9: It was very relaxing and I came very close to falling asleep. DW decided on the Elemis Musclease Aroma Spa Ocean Wrap. She was very undecided between that and the Hot Stone massage, but her spa CM talked her into the ocean wrap. This was a decision that would eventually be regretted.
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[cnj]

Love reading your trip report! Thank you for the entertainment!:)

Jen

[sejejoemmiev]

I left off with the start of our Couples Choice treatments in the Vista Spa Villa. I began my 75 minutes of bliss with the Hot Stones massage, while DW was being covered neck to toes in a ocean wrap. They began her treatment applying a green paste to her entire body. She was then wrapped in the Body size foil from shoulders to toes. Her CM explained that she would get warm from the paste and to relax. She then covered her eyes with a mask. Her spa CM then exited to the veranda where she started to clean the Hot Tub and deck. My wife loves to be warm. She keeps a bed warmer on (her side of the bed only) almost 365 days of the year. She turns the heat on 90 October-June. She is always Cold. The thought of being wrapped up all warm and snug to relax, and then end with a wonderful massage was heaven in her mind. She started to relax, but worried that she wasn't feeling the paste warm up. She kept silent, and eventually warmed up. The wonderful warm and snug feeling quickly escalated to a very HOT and CONFINED feeling. She explained after, that she felt like she was screaming in her mind to get her out. It was all she could think about. She listened, annoyed with her spa CM, to her cleaning the veranda. She was getting more upset by the minute because she never came to check on her. She waited, mind screaming, for what felt like more than 30 minutes. She explained that it was even worse, listening to me, right next to her, getting the most wonderful massage. She started wiggling her body in the foil, making lots of noise. She was ignored. Finally, my DW yelled out, get me out of this thing! My spa CM, exited to the Veranda, and spoke with my wife's attendant. They both returned to our villa and my wifes attendant helped remove the foil. My wonderful massage continued.:cloud9: My wife explained that she couldn't take it another minute. She was extremely overheated and felt very claustrophobic not being able to move. My wife is not a person who gets Claustrophobic either. DW's attendant brought her to the shower to remove the Ocean Wrap and returned to clean up her table. My wife took her first cold shower, EVER. That is how hot she felt. After her shower, she returned to the massage table and lay face down. This is where her BIG dissapointment began. After listening to me have this wonderful, LONG, massage, she anticipated her own. She then received about a 10 minute massage, which my wife described as terrible. She said she massaged her dry, without any oils, and it was too quick to even enjoy. Our Spa CM's finished at the same time, and left us to put on our robes and enjoy the chaise. My wife sat down first with an obvious frown. She asked me how my massage was, and I mistakenly told her I felt better than I ever had. BIG MISTAKE!! She took the wording as a direct insult to her. My wonderful experience also made her feel worse for her less than experience. She had a bit of jealousy that went with her bad mood. She sat their silent and our spa CM's returned with tea and fruit. Now, we had originally wanted the champagne and strawberries to make this a romantic experience. We were never asked if we wanted this service and after my wife's bad experience, I thought it best to not even bring it up. My wife refused to have any tea. (It was horrible anyways) and she couldn't touch the fruit because it was mixed with Cantaloupe. (She has a severe allergy to it.) We decided to forget lounging around, due to the experience being ruined, and decided to just get dressed so we could get out of there. Our spa CM's returned, with the bill being separate checks, so you can tip separately. My wife wanted to tip her CM less than mine because she was so unhappy. I refused, and thought they should be equal, to not hurt anyone's feelings. Because my massage was wonderful, they both received excellent tips. My wife was mad at me for this. She felt I ignored her feelings, and the oppourtunity to let her attendant know she was not satisfied. She was afraid to verbally say anything, as we are both shy people, who usually hold things in. We both returned to our staterooms. We delayed picking up the kids as my wife was not speaking to me at the moment. She later explained that she was dissapointed that the experience did not live up to her expectations. Sometimes, we build things up too much in our minds. It is better to expect nothing and be pleasently surprised. This was an EXPENSIVE splurge to us though and it was hard to keep low expectations. Next time, we will probably just have a couples massage and avoid the Villa. We didn't feel it was worth the added expense.
We are thinking of trying the Open Air Cabana massages on Castaway Cay next time. As my wife was not yet speaking to me, I left to gather all the kids. While I was gone she ordered room service for lunch because she was starving.

[sejejoemmiev]

I returned to the room with the kids. We all relaxed, lounging around the room. The kids asked to go to the pool, but we decided they needed some down time, out of the sun, after the last two beach days. DD2 did well with Dmom. The tylenol had prevented a fever from coming on, and she never did throw up while we were gone. We were glad we had decided to be safe than sorry though. As DD2 had not held down any pediasure yet today we decided to not push it. We gave her another feeding of water only, as we had tickets to have Tea with Wendy at 4:00 pm. at Studio Sea. Tea with Wendy was cute and DD1 and DS2 really enjoyed it. You are seated at a table with cold tea and cookies. Wendy Darling then explains the proper way to serve tea and then proceeds to tell a very condensed version of Peter Pan while you have your tea and cookies. DW, DS1, and myself were less than impressed. The cookies were hard and burnt. The story of Peter Pan was about 2 minutes long (NO KIDDING) and the rest of the time was spent standing in line for a picture of Wendy with your kids. (NO AUTOGRAPHS ALLOWED). It was cute enough for the middle two kids but could be impoved upon immensely. If the cookies were at least edible, it would of been worth my time!:laughing: If the story was lenghtened it would of been more of a treat for the kids. It felt like more of a meet and greet. We already had pictures/autographs with Wendy earlier in the trip so it was not that important to us. Of course DD1 wanted to take part though!! Next time we will skip this event, but it's worth doing once if you have young kids.

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After Tea with Wendy, we dropped DD1 at Rockin' Bar D, DS1 at the Lab, and DS2 at the Club for Celebrate the Journey Rehersal. We then headed to our stateroom to pick up our video camera then headed to the Walt Disney Theatre to get good seats. DD1 and DS2 really wanted to do this. DS1 was a good sport and pretended to want to do it for the younger kids sake. We watched the kids march in with their respective age groups. They look cute in their Mickey Ear Graduation Hats and T-shirts. You watch a video of snapshots taken of the kids while in the clubs. This is our second cruise and there has never been any pictures of our kids. You must have to live in the clubs to be in the video. While on stage, Mickey Mouse joins the kids in a graduation Celebration and then it is over. I saw DS1 remove his Mickey Ears as soon as they started forming lines off the stage. We didn't get to videotape as we planned, because our battery was dead, but we got a couple pictures of the stage.

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DD2 was mesmerized by Mickey Mouse!

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After Celebrate the Journey, we headed back to our staterooms to quickly shower and dress for Semi-Formal Night. We decided we did not want to dress up as much as we originally planned. (Rushed and really not in the mood) We still dressed nicely but not as nice and (uncomfortable) as originally planned. After getting ready, we headed to The Walt Disney Theatre to watch Disney Dreams. This is not my favorite show, but DW and DD1 loved it. After the show, we headed to Studio Sea to catch Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer? This show was very nicely done and enjoyed by all of us. I wish we had caught this earlier in our trip, so we could of gone twice. It would have increased our chances of our number being called. We did not get picked to go on stage, but it was still a great family activity that we will anticipate doing again on our next cruise. After Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer?, we headed over to Lumiere's for dinner. The show let out a little late and Dsis and Dmom already ordered. DW liked the menu least in this restauraunt because she is a picky eater. She does not eat seafood at all either. It was the Captain's Gala Dinner menu. DS1 finally got to try Lobster and he loved it. DD1 and DD2 both fell aslleep during dinner. At least one child fell asleep at dinner each night. After Dinner, we headed back to our staterooms. We planned on attempting to feed, DD2 pediasure, because she hadn't thrown up since that morning. If all went well, we told the kids we would head to the pools.

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[sejejoemmiev]

After we went back to our staterooms, we started to feed DD2 pediasure. We told the kids to get changed for the pool. Within minutes, DD2 started vomiting. She was vomiting Bile this time around, because she had nothing in her stomach. She also felt like a fever was coming on. DW asked me to draw up Tylenol in a syringe for her. I did as asked and handed it to her. DW started yelling at me. I did not understand why she was so upset. She started freaking out about the Tylenol I just handed her. Questions came flying at me a mile a minute. What are you thinking? You idiot!
In preparation for this trip, we stockpiled DD2's supplies in boxes to ship to our hotel in Florida. We filled the boxes with the obvious things such as cases of Pediasure, Feeding Bags, syringes, diapers and wipes. We also came up with a million scenarios of something going wrong, and tried to prepare. In preparation we packed every infant medicine known to man. In hindsight, we should of packed pedia-lyte! My wife decided that we should write the doses on each box of medicine with a sharpie from the handout we have from her pediatrician's office. I, of course, wrote the dose for Children's Tylenol on the INFANT tylenol box. Not thinking, I handed my DW 3/4 tsp of Infant tylenol! An overdose indeed. What made this even worse? This was the exact dose I gave my sweet baby daughter that morning!:eek: :scared1: DW was still upset at me from that morning, Let's just say, I wasn't her favorite person at this point. DW is a nurse. She knows what happens with a tylenol OD. She started freaking out that our DD2 was going to have liver failure. We needed to call her pediatrician at 10:30 at night from the middle of the ocean! I talked her down slightly, and DW called health services. Of course, they were closed. She procedded to do the next logical thing and call the ships 911. A woman answered who happened to be a nurse as well. Is this an emergency, Maam ? My DW proceeded to explain it was not an emergency but we needed urgent medical advice and health services was closed. The woman stated to hang up and she would call us back on another line. She immediately called back. My wife explained that our DD2 had a OD of Tylenol, and could someone please figure out if it was more than the daily recomended dose, because we were worried about her Liver. The nurse asked questions about how much was given and of what kind of Tylenol. She then asked what time was it given? When we told her about twelve hours ago, she probably thought we were a little bit crazy. She stated it was 12 hours ago maam, the damage has already been done. There is not much we can do. My wife explained that our DD2 has a bad heart and has been sick and is now throwing up bile. She explained that we needed to know if her liver was okay. The nurse did calculations and figured out that although she did receive a very large dose (2-3x's) she was under the daily limit and if not showing symptoms of being very ill, was probably okay. She stated to avoid giving her anymore Tylenol for now, and to give her Motrin instead. Luckily we packed Motrin too. We asked if their was a way to get Pedia-lyte for her. She stated they had Pedialyte-Popsicles only, at Guest Services. We could melt them down and give it down her feeding tube. We thanked her and hung up. We brought out the Motrin and DW checked the dose 800 x's before giving it to her. The kids asked about the pool and we snapped at them, (from all the stress of the last hour), that we would not be going anywhere. We told them to take off their bathingsuits, put on their PJ's and GO TO BED!
DS2 came out of their room in his PJ's and asked is DD2 Dead? He looked scared and very concerned. It was then that we realized, all the commotion had the kids nervous and they did not understand what was going on. We reassured the kids that DD2 was okay, but sick, so we were all just going to bed for the night. We tucked them in and said goodnight. DW changed DD2 into PJ's while I went to Guest Services for Pedia-Lyte Pops. When I came back to the stateroom DD2 was asleep in her porta-crib. We melted pedialyte into her feeding bags and hooked her up at a low rate for the night. We prayed that she would hold something down. We did not want her to get dehydrated, especially while at Sea! DW and I tried to get to sleep as well. DW struggled as she was worried about DD2. She was afraid to take her on this trip, but her doctors gave us the go ahead, so she agreed.

Our towel animal for the night:?

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[FutureSailor]

Oh my gosh. Having a child get sick while traveling is no fun. I still feel bad about the time at WDW one of mine was complaining about having to walk too far, having to wait in line, etc. I thought she was just being difficult but when we got back to the room I finally took a good look at her, realized that she did indeed not look well, took her temp., and it was 103! Boy did I feel bad for not taking her seriously sooner . . .

[solgent]

Wow, you had some difficult moments. One of my DDs had an allergic reaction to Motrin/ibuprofen when she was about 3 (and DH was out of town, I had to get the neighbor to watch our other DD while I took her to the ER). A couple of years ago my DH gave this same DD children's Motrin instead of children's Tylenol. She didn't have any reaction, but I was SO FURIOUS with him! :furious:

[sejejoemmiev]

DW and I planned to hit Lumiere's for breakfat because she was craving Eggs Benedict, her new found food addiction that she discovered at Palo. Once again, we overslept and didn't have time for a real breakfast. Today, we didn't even leave enough time to visit Topsiders. We decided to call room service to see how long the wait would be. The wait would only be fifteen minutes so we placed an order. While waiting for room service, we quickly got ready for the day and changed into our bathing suits. We packed a day bag full of underwater cameras, sandtoys, snorkeling gear, sunblock and baby supplies. While the kids ate room service, I ran over to Lumieres to see if I could get DW eggs benedict to go. They agreed and I brought them back to DW who now had to forgive me for the Tylenol incident right? DW devoured them and said they were just as good as Palo's. We were dissapointed that we never made time to visit any of the restauraunts for breakfast or lunch. There is something about your last full day that makes you realize how little time is left. We were rushed to get off the ship because DW, DS1 and DD1 had a 10am reservation for the Stingray Adventure. This is located near the teen beach, and it is quite a hike if you have the first reservation of the day. We disembarked the ship and walked as quickly as possible to Castaway Ray's. We were cutting it close and the two younger kids were slowing us down. I told DW to run ahead with the older kids and I would find us a spot on the family beach before all the good spots were gone. I found a good spot on the end of the family beach in front of the water playground. I secured 4 lounge chairs and an umbrella for the baby. I parked the stroller and left our bags on the chairs. I found an underwater camera for DW and got the video camera. I headed over to Castaway Ray's with DS2 and DD2 to videotape the Stingray Adventure. We found DW, DS1 and DD1 placing on their life vests. I arrived just in time, as DW was starting to freak because she couldnt figure out how to inflate the vests. They were the last of the group to be ready. We sat on the benches with the group and listened to the CM educate us on the different species of Sting Rays. It was pretty intresting.

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We then headed out to the beach where they divided the group into 4 small groups. DW, DS1, and DD1 headed to the waters edge. The weather on Castaway Cay was noticeably cooler than the last 6 days and quite windy. I was confident it would warm up as it was still quite early in the day. It was sunny but there were clouds that would intermittently get in the way. DW and DS1 headed into the water and DW let out a squeal. The water was freezing!!!! This was not the wonderful water temperatures that we experienced in Grand Cayman or Cozumel. DW and DS1 slowly headed to the white plastic ramp in the water with a CM in the middle. The closer to the ramp you get the more evident all the Sting Ray's in the water become. They instructed to head into the water shuffling your feet so the Sting Rays know you are coming. DW was a liitle freaked out at first but quickly relaxed. DS1 was apprehensive and nervous. DD1 was still standing on the beach with me. I tried coaxing her into the water but DD1 was FREAKED! DW called to her but she refused. DW and DS1 stood at the ramp and pet the Stingrays. DW then walked over to DD1 to talk to her. She agreed to go out if DW carried her over. She was afraid the stingrays swimming in the water would touch her. DW carried her over to the ramp and proceeded to put her down. DD1 squealed!:sad2: She did stay put though because she was afraid to move in the Sting Ray swarmed waters. Their CM then instructed the group how to feed the stingrays. You place a piece of squid between your middle two fingers over a Mickey Head placed in the water on the ramp. The Stingray is then trained to swim over your hand and suck the food out from between your fingers. It feels like a vaccum. DW agreed to volunteer and then DS1 agreed to try it. DD1 refused. By the end of the session DD1 did agree to pet the stingray and she enjoyed it!:cheer2: She drew the line at feeding them though. DW then walked over to DS2 on the beach to see if he wanted to be carried over to get a closer look at the stingrays. You can guess what his answer was. If he thought the dolphins were going to kill him than the Stingrays would let him have it for sure. He started to scream and ran away from DW as fast as he could. She returned to DD1 and DS1 to get one last experience to pet the stingrays.

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DW then carried DD1 back to the beach so DS1 and DW could try snorkeling with the sting rays. DW began snorkeling and DS1 just stood there. He lost his nerve and couldn't forget about all the Stingrays swimming around him. DS1 came back to the beach and the 3 kids played in the sand building a sand castle. DW tried for a few minutes but the water was so shallow that you had to go out a ways to snorkel. The stingrays were still in the shallow water hanging out by the ramps hoping for more food. DW didn't see much due to the water being so stirred up. She quickly grew tired of the freezing choppy water and headed back to the beach. We headed over to the snorkel return desk and returned our equipment. DW inquired about holding onto the safety vests because we brought our own snorkeling equipment. They allowed us to bring them along with us to the family beach.

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We headed over to the family beach and set up camp. DW and myself started the day off right and ordered some frozen drinks to lay back and relax. The sun was starting to get stronger and we warmed up. It did remain windy throughout the day though. DS1 and I were a little bummed because our 12:30 parasailing reservation was cancelled due to DCL losing their parasailing vendor. DS2 and DD2 started playing in the sand. DS1 and I went to take some pictures of the Magic and Flying Dutchman. DW and DD2 relaxed and DD2 fell asleep in her stroller.

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On the way back we ran into Dmom and Dsis and invited them to come sit with us. We relaxed in the sun for awhile and then we decided to go and get some lunch at Cookie's BBQ. Everyone was starving. We went up in shifts because DD2 was sleeping in her stroller. Dmom, Dsis, myself and the older three kids went up first to grab some lunch. We filled our trays and headed back to the beach to eat. DW then went up for a turn and headed back to the beach as well. We sat and enjoyed our fabulous lunch of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, chips, corn on the cob and of course chocolate chip cookies! After lunch the kids played in the sand and shore. DD1 was really dissapointed because the water playground was closed due to low tide. It never did open up before we headed back to the ship. DW then took DS1 snorkeling. We debated if we should rent him snorkeling equiptment because his set did not come with flippers. He stated he didn't need them so they went off on a mission:TO FIND THE MICKEY STATUE!!!! Last DCL cruise in 2004 we went snorkeling on Castaway Cay and never did find that statue. We had one goal for the day, to find that statue! They made their way out into the snorkeling lagoon. It remains shallow for a really long time and then gets deep enough to swim. The seas were very choppy. DS1 kept swallowing sea water due to the waves getting over his head. DS1 is a pretty good swimmer, much better than DW in fact. DW didnt know why he was struggling more than her. She concluded that it must of been his size, because the waves were going over his face and not hers. DW did struggle with the roughness of the seas and verbalized her fears to DS1. She repeatedly asked if he wanted to head back but he wanted to find that statue! He reassured her he was okay, but in the back of her mind DW worried that if DS1 got into trouble, was she strong enough a swimmer to even help him? They headed on. DW asked the lifeguard they passed where the Mickey statue was? He pointed to a large group of people a ways ahead and to the right of him. They headed out and the waves did a job on DS1. He quickly tired. They made it to the group of people and looked down. There it was! They made it.

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DW took pictures and then they headed back to the beach. DS1 and DW struggled against the current and waves. DW started to worry DS1 wouldn't be able to make it back to the beach. Their goal was to make it back to the lifeguard and ask for help. DS1 said he could make it to the lifeguard but he didn't look very confident saying this. It took much longer getting back because they were swimming against the current. It was exhausting. Finally, they made it to the lifeguard. DW expressed concern that her son wouldnt be able to make it back to the beach. The lifeguard looked at my wife and politely explained that she could probably stand there.:rolleyes1 My wife did not realize(due to the dark water and seaweed bottom) that they were in shallower waters. My wife could stand but DS1 still could not. This did make it easier for my wife to help DS1 along and he was quickly able to stand too. They finally made it back to camp and gave us all the details of their exhausting journey. We had some news to tell as well. While DW and DS1 were snorkeling, DD2 woke up. We decided to head up to Cookie's BBQ and get some soft serve cookie dough icecream cones. DS2 sat on a lounge chair and started eating his. DD2 sat staring at him and then grabbed his icecream cone from him!! She started to devour it!

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If you don't remember from previous posts, DD2 does not eat. We got some Disney Magic of our own that day! :wizard: This was HUGE!!!!! I don't know if it was because she was in the sun, dehydrated from being sick and starving, from not having any pediasure in 24 hours. Whatever it was, it was magic. She devoured that icecream cone until it was down to the cone and we had to take it away because of the choking risk. When Dsis took it away, she started screaming and having a tantrum!!! Imagine that, screaming because we were taking food away. It is usually screaming because we are trying to get her to eat! DW could not believe what she was hearing. She wanted to see for herself. She brought DS1 up to get icecream cones for herself, DS1, DS2 and of course DD2. DD2 made DW the happiest person on earth and gave a repeat performance. It must of been the magic of that day because it has not happened again. When we got home, one of the first stops was to the grocery store for icecream and icecream cones. I guess we were missing pixie dust! Oh well, it will hopefully happen again with time. While everyone devoured their icecream cones and DW snapped 100 pictures of DD2 eating her icecream cone, I made up my mind to head out so I could experience the Mickey Statue first hand. DD1 begged me to take her along but DW warned me not to, because DD1 is not as strong a swimmer as DS1. DW pointed out where they found the Mickey Statue and I headed out alone, underwater camera in hand.

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[sejejoemmiev]

After snorkeling and finding the underwater Mickey statue:cool1: , I went back up the beach and rested for a bit. By this time, the winds were dying down somewhat, and it had warmed up enough to lay out in the sun. DS1, Dsis and myself were all scheduled for the jet-ski (ecotour) for 3:30. As that time grew near, the beach crowds had begun to lighten, and we packed up the gear and moved everything closer to the boat and the jet-skis. DW and the younger kids played on the beach while the three of us headed over to the eco-tour. There was only one other couple scheduled for the tour with us. The guides told us the seas where very choppy today (4-6 foot swells), and that we could back out without being charged if we wished. None of us did, but we also didn't really anticipate what we were in for. When I booked this excursion, I pictured a slow ride around the island and surrounding reefs. I figured this was the only way to see the 'private' parts of Castaway Cay. This isn't exactly how it works.
It was still low tide, and there was a sand flat right in front of the Flying Dutchman. So our tour guide pulled right up on the flat and instructed us to follow him. We got off the jetskis and were allowed to go up and check it out! :banana: I wasn't expecting that. We spent several minutes touching it and seeing the amazing detail of it up close. The guide even took our picture with it. (Underwater camera-not the greatest quality)

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Then we got back on the jet-skis and headed out into the open ocean going right past the Magic. As we got past the hull of the Magic, the waves really got intense, and the jet-ski was no longer skimming over the surface of the ocean, we were riding up and down each wave! The further from shore we got, the calmer the seas became. But where exactly were we going?:confused3 We went further and further from the island. We traveled for about ten minutes, when I saw the guide (way up ahead) pull his jetski up onto a sand bar in the middle of the ocean. We all followed him and pulled up onto this little spit of sand. We got off the jetskis, turned around, and saw how far from the boat we really were. You almost couldn't see the Magic!

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The guide introduced himself at this point, and gave us the history of the Bahamas and told us all about the days of the pirates and why they had chosen the Bahamas as their stomping grounds. It was interesting and actually quite educational. Again, I had expected to see plant and wildlife, but this was just as good, plus we got to really try out the jetskis on the way out to this sand bar. On the way back in, the guides let you do your own thing (within reason-no stunts) and we even snapped a few pictures of the Magic as we passed within about 40 feet of it.

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All-in-all, it wasn't what I was expecting, but we all really enjoyed it. And we got some great pictures with the Flying Dutchman. I do plan on doing this again next time we sail- I just have to talk DW into coming along.

[mom2my3kids]

Looks like you had a great time...

[FrenchSnowWhite]

Wow! You have an extra beautifull family! Your kids are sooooooooo cute, specially the pictures when they are spleeping are the diner table!!!:lmao:

Really I wish to all of you all the best:wizard:

[sejejoemmiev]

Wow! You have an extra beautifull family! Your kids are sooooooooo cute, specially the pictures when they are spleeping are the diner table!!!:lmao:

Really I wish to all of you all the best:wizard:

Thank you, and everbody else for your kind words and postitive reviews. These TR's are a great way to keep the vacation memories fresh. I plan on finishing up the report this week-if life allows.

[sejejoemmiev]

After The Personal WaterCraft Eco Tour, we headed back to the beach and told the tale of our adventure to Dmom, DW, DD1, DS2, and DD2. We hung out for a little while and watched the kids play on the beach. It was sad knowing our final day was coming to an end. We all decided to pack up our belongings, and head back to the ship. Of course, we had to make a final stop at the shops and do the "must do" photo stops on the walk back to the ship. We missed all the photo opportunities on the way off the ship because we had to rush to the Stingray Adventure.

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After waiting in the very long line to get back on the ship, we headed back on the Magic for the last time. It was depressing knowing we would exit the ship tomorrow and not be returning for 18 months! We immediately headed to an elevator to take us to the Mickey Pool for the last time.:sad1: We promised the kids a final swim and slide run before having to go back to the rooms to get ready for Dinner and the show. We arrived at the Mickey Pool around 4:30 and spent a good hour watching the kids slide, swim and of course, we all had to get our final tastes of pizza, chicken, fries, icecream and anything else we desired!!!!:banana: While the kids swam, I sneaked off to deck 10 to watch the Magic leave Castaway Cay. It was nice seeing the whole island from Deck 10. Before heading back to our rooms Dmom watched the kids in the pool so DW, Dsis and I could go relax in the Hot Tub. We spent about 15 minutes relaxing and then sadly retrieved everyone so we could get ready for our last dinner.

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[MAGICFOR2]

Subscribing!:thumbsup2

[jblrn2b]

Thanks for your trip report. I read every word of your Magic trip. Thanks a lot. We just booked The Magic for next April Vacation. Lucky you guys you had two weeks of Disney. We did the 7day land/sea last November and it was perfect to have the cruise after WDW so we could relax.

I hope your daughter's surgery goes well. My thoughts are with you.

[tink,too]

Loved reading your trip report. Thanks for sharing your stories and beautiful photos.:)

[ChrisLei]

I absolutely loved reading your trip report. Sorry to hear that DD2 got sick. I know how stressful it is when a little one is sick. I loved the pic of her devouring the ice cream cone!

[Dopey'sMAMA]

Great TR! I too love that ice-cream, and have never seen it anywhere other than Castaway. Hope the surgery goes well and she has a speedy recovery!

[disney_fan_fam]

Love your trip report! You have a gorgeous family!

[Jillpie]

I think I just spent a good 2 hours reading this report and honestly, I don't want it to end. We are also from Ma., and I see you are from the Cape, I spent all my Summers in W. Yarmouth! Right across from the police station on Berry Ave. My sister now lives down there with her family in a new home. Anyway, I'm so jealous you're doing the EB cruise and you have no idea how much I want to ask you how much THAT costs for your family!! We are a family of five, so I can appreciate everything you spent for this cruise. I LOVED every word, you are a great writer. :)

[Jillpie]

Are you all done? I hope not!! I need more :goodvibes please.

[ILUVEVERYTHINGDISNEY]

I love the report. Your kids are beautiful. The baby is soo cute. How old is she? Other than getting sick did she have any fun? I have a 21 month old and I'm sailing on the Wonder in August. I am bit apprehensive since she is so young and I am not sure how she would do with diferrent soundings/so many people. Was she able to go into the pools? I am a bit surprised to read that someone else has a big family. I too have 4 kids and I get alot people questioning why so many. Please finish the report. I am all ears.:surfweb:

[jblb1020]

I LOVE the Pictures!!

[sejejoemmiev]

Thanks again for all the comments. I am not done yet-and I actually have a weekend off this weekend; maybe I'll be able to do some more writing.

JillPie,
As far as the EB Repo goes, we were lucky enoug to get through shortly after it went on sale. We locked in 2- Cat. 10's for just under $10,000 for all of us. Come on tax return, I'm counting on ya!

ILUVEVERYTHINGDISNEY,
The baby seemed like she enjoyed herself (hard to tell at that age). She was 18 months old on the cruise. One ear of the Mickey pool is for non potty trained babies who wear swim diapers. If the child can stand or sit, they can enjoy the water also.

[sejejoemmiev]

:scared1: After finishing up with the final Mickey Pool experience of our trip, we headed down to our staterooms to shower and dress for dinner. After everyone finished dressing, I decided that DW should take the older three kids to the last show, while I started packing and let DD2 rest for a little while in our room. DW and the kids really enjoyed Remember the Magic, but the show made it really hit home that the trip was now ending and everyone was sad going into dinner. I made plans to meet DW outside the Walt Disney Theatre after the show. Before meeting them I headed to guest services to get our tips ready for our last dinner.:sad1: When the show ended we brought the kids to the Lobby Atrium to get pictures with Donald and Daisy Duck and to do some final pin trading before dinner. We had a few minutes before dinner still, so we headed to the shops to make a few last purchases. We then headed to Animator's Palate for our final 'Til We Meet Again Dinner.

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We were all pretty depressed at our final dinner. The kids could only talk about living on the Disney Boat Forever. We said our good-bye's to our wait staff and gave them their hard earned tip envelopes. We liked our servers well enough but when we got the final speech about only marking excellent on the comment cards , it got a little uncomfortable. That speech needs to be left out. It ruined our final dinner experience.

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After dinner, we headed to our staterooms to pack. DW took on the job of leaving out PJ's and clothes for everyone for the next day, while I packed up all the rest of our belongings. While I finished up packing, DW brought the older three kids to the Lobby Atrium at 10:15 PM for the 'Til We Meet Again farewell of many of the characters. The kids were able to get many of their missed autographs and photos that they really wanted. DD1 was dissapointed though because she missed Sleeping Beauty and she was NOT at this performance. The princess meet and greet was during our Villa Spa time on our second Sea day. DD1 was very dissapointed to have missed it, and never had a oppourtunity to see Sleeping Beauty again. If she is you daughters favorite, make sure not to miss her early on, she doesn't come out much. After the character autograph signing they all gather on the stairway to say good-bye. Pixie Dust (Mickey Shaped silver confetti) is then showered on everyone at the end. Our children loved this and spent the next few minutes gathering as much Pixie Dust as they could find to bring home with them. This was a great farewell show that is not to be missed. Our Children loved it.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p151/sejejoemmi/100_1054.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p151/sejejoemmi/100_1072.jpg

After the show, DW and the kids returned to the room of Mayhem. We had just a few minutes until 11 PM and there was still packing to be done. :scared1: Everyone ran around gathering the rest of our belongings and shoving it where ever they could cram it. We finished just in time, and had our suitcases in the hall outside our door in the final minute. After the chaos, Dsis called to see if the kids wanted to experience the arcade for one last time. They jumped at the chance and Dsis came to pick them up. While waiting for her to come DS2 fell asleep and missed his chance at going to the arcade for the second time.:sad2: We knew he would be upset to have missed it again, but we were not going to wake him. That would be dangerous!:scared1: After the kids left with Dsis, we were left to peace and quiet. We decided to try some pediasure for DD2 tonight at a low a rate. She had been living on only pedialyte and water for the last two days and we were worried about her not getting any calories. It was too soon for the pediasure and she vomited. She was also developing diarrhea tonight :sick: and we were glad to be going home tomorrow. We would be visiting her pediatrician first thing on Monday morning for sure! After DD2 was asleep, DW and I got ready for bed. This is when DW realized her shoes, which she had left out for the morning, were gone. In the final craze of packing, I packed the shoes she had left out!:headache: DW was now mad at me again!:rolleyes1 She readied everyone's clothes and shoes for the morning, and now she would be going to breakfast BAREFOOT! :laughing: Dsis returned the kids around midnight and then we all went to bed. Our final night on the Magic.:scared:
Our towel animal of the night: A snake!
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p151/sejejoemmi/100_1078.jpg

[Jillpie]

Thanks for this latest report!! Sorry that wife got mad at you again, its just the stress, I know that all too well when ya gotta think of the whole families needs. And you had a sick daughter to contend with to top it off, I hope you let it roll off of you. So, you're not done, right? Breakfast tomorrow, yes?:goodvibes

[sejejoemmiev]

Thanks for this latest report!! Sorry that wife got mad at you again, its just the stress, I know that all too well when ya gotta think of the whole families needs. And you had a sick daughter to contend with to top it off, I hope you let it roll off of you. So, you're not done, right? Breakfast tomorrow, yes?:goodvibes

I got at least one more installment in me. Our vacation didn't totally end upon arrival in Port Canaveral, I'll get the end of the story up this weekend!

[sejejoemmiev]

I awoke one last time to that familiar wake-up call. Although this time, I didn't bother listening to Mickey's message. Now that I think about it, I wonder if DCL has a different wake-up message for debarkation day? We got up around 7 a.m., took showers, and got dressed. The nice part of having to send off all your luggage the night before, is that there really isn't much to do that last morning. We made one final walk through of the two rooms, then headed down to A.P. for our final breakfast. Thanks to me, DW made the journey downstairs barefoot. I'm sure at least a few people got a chuckle! I offered my socks to her, but she took one look at the holes in the heals and turned me down. Unlike our last cruise, our same waiters were there for us for the last breakfast. DMom and DSis were already at the table and had just ordered. In a strange twist of fate, DSis happened to have an extra pair of socks in her purse.:confused3 I have no idea why, but it worked out great. We ate a light meal, said our goodbyes to the waitstaff and walked back towards the lobby. This is when it really set in-the vacation was over. DSis and DMom went back to use the restroom, and we told them we would meet down in customs. We left the boat, went down into the luggage hold (Customs area) and found a porter to help with all our suitcases. It happened to be the same guy who took our bags a week ago. What a character this guy is. I know they don't work for DCL, but this guy definetaly could! While we were loading the bags, DS2 disappeared. DW and I had about 30 seconds of THAT FEELING you get when you can't find a child. It seems to last more like an hour, and your heart just stops. Then I spotted him with a cast member over at the lost and found table. Where else would a lost child be? The porter knew exactly which customs agent to go to, and he simply waved us right through. I had reserved a rental van through Budget, so we dropped the bags at the curb, DW and the kids sat in the lobby entrance, and I went out to the street to the clearly marked Budget shuttle waiting area.

It didn't take me too long to realize that we were no longer in the Carribean-it was freezing out! We were all still dressed in shorts and short-sleeves. Anyway, it took about 25 minutes for the Budget van to arrive. I was the only DCL passenger to get in. But we then went over to the Carnival terminal, and LOADED up the van. It was a ten minute trip over to their office, five minutes worth of paperwork (TIP: sign up for RapidRez), and back to the terminal to pick up the family.

Now our flight didn't leave MCO until 8 p.m., so we had planned on going to SeaWorld for the day. As we left the Port Canaveral area, the cold, cloudy day turned into a cold, rainy day. We really wanted to see SeaWorld, as we had never been there, but this didn't seem like the type of day to see it. I also wasn't too anxious to drop another $300 in admission tickets after I saw the final stateroom charge statement that morning.:scared1: When we booked the WDW portion of our trip, Disney automatically upgraded our Park Hopper passes to include an extra day. So we called WDW and asked if that extra day was still valid. They pulled up our reservation and told us that today was the last day they could be used-perfect! Back to the Magic Kingdom it was. Half way back, DD1 got car sick all over herself and the rental. She had just spent an entire week at sea and was totally fine, but twenty minutes in a car, and up came breakfast.:confused3 I just don't get it! When we got to the MK parking lot, we spent twenty minutes going through suitcases, and had everyone change into some warmer clothes. I also cleaned out the van the best I could-didn't need any surcharges on the rental fee.:rolleyes1

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p151/sejejoemmi/100_1081.jpg

I was quite surprised at how busy the park was considering the weather. Then again, when you come to WDW for vacation, you can't let the weather stop you. The first stop was to the ice cream shop on Main St. It was completely empty. They must have known we were from New England. Only people from cold climates would think about eating ice cream on a cold, rainy day. And why is it that this was the first food item that the kids actually finished for the first time in two weeks. Now that we are not on a meal plan, or on a cruise with unlimited food, they decide to get their appetites back-typical! We then walked around and rode a few of our favorite rides one last time. We were able to get on Space Mountain, Dumbo, and Winnie the Pooh. We were walking by It's a Small World when the sky opened up. We ran in there for cover, and ended up riding that again.:headache:

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p151/sejejoemmi/100_1087.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p151/sejejoemmi/100_1088.jpg

It was kind of surreal walking around MK this day. I was trying to take in as much as I could, because who knows when/if I will ever be here again. I made this point to the kids also-not that they listen to stuff like that. Even with the crummy weather, it was a nice way to ease back to the reality of going home. We left the park around 4 p.m., and drove back to the airport.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. Dropped the luggage and the family off at the Southwest terminal. Brought the car back to Budget (right downstairs), and walked back over to meet them. We got through security quickly, and took the tram out to the terminal. We got some dinner at McD's and Sbarro, then went to our gate awaiting the flight. About half the passengers were young families, and the other half were adults without kids (making comments about how unfair it was that families get to board first). :rolleyes: One guy was obviously saying it so that we could all hear him, so I offered him one of my kids, if he wanted to deal with them for the whole flight. The kids were actually very good, considering Southwest doesn't have individual T.V.'s like JetBlue. DD2 didn't have her own seat, but she fell asleep on my lap the minute we sat down, and didn't wake up until we landed. Boy did I luck out there!:cool1: We arrived back in Providence around 11 p.m., and the weather was pretty much the same as it was in Orlando.

That is it. All-in-all, it was the longest and best vacation that DW or I had ever taken. Months and months of obsessive planning makes it last longer than it really does. Unfortunetaly, when it is over-it's over. That is why these trip reports are so great. Writing them keeps the memories fresh in your head, and helps you escape from everyday life for the first few weeks after getting home. I know I plan on printing up this TR and putting it in the photo album with all the pictures from the vacation. Then we will have both a pictoral and literary review of all our experiences.

As I get ready to post this, I see that the countdown for my next DCL cruise is at about 15 1/2 months. That is just about the time when we began obsessing for this past vacation. Perfect, the TR bridged the gap! L.A., here we come!

[Dopey'sMAMA]

Great TR...we will be seeing you in 15 1/2 months!:cool1: :yay:

[jrose529]

Great TR! :thumbsup2 Thanks for sharing.

I wouldn't be happy if my DH packed my shoes! I hope she wasn't too angry with you.:rotfl2:

[Jillpie]

Wow, fantastic. Like a really great book coming to an end, bummer. I loved every word, honestly. Thank you so much for taking all that time and effort to share your trip and family with us. I so appreciate it, I loved it!!

p.s. In eight years of trips to DW, we've never ventured to try and rent a car. Guess we never really needed one. But just wondering (especially if we have to go to the port again, a huge expense in transport for five), do you ever stress out not knowing the roads? I love just getting in their buses and letting them do the driving, my DH does too. But it is so darn expensive to go all the way to the ship, does that stress you out and are you constantly staring at a map?

[Dopey'sMAMA]

Wow, fantastic. Like a really great book coming to an end, bummer. I loved every word, honestly. Thank you so much for taking all that time and effort to share your trip and family with us. I so appreciate it, I loved it!!

p.s. In eight years of trips to DW, we've never ventured to try and rent a car. Guess we never really needed one. But just wondering (especially if we have to go to the port again, a huge expense in transport for five), do you ever stress out not knowing the roads? I love just getting in their buses and letting them do the driving, my DH does too. But it is so darn expensive to go all the way to the ship, does that stress you out and are you constantly staring at a map?

We have rented a car several times either to or from the port, we think it is an easy drive we take the B-Line right into Disney or the Port, it's a toll road, but it's worth it...$5.00 in total maybe?

[sejejoemmiev]

Wow, fantastic. Like a really great book coming to an end, bummer. I loved every word, honestly. Thank you so much for taking all that time and effort to share your trip and family with us. I so appreciate it, I loved it!!

p.s. In eight years of trips to DW, we've never ventured to try and rent a car. Guess we never really needed one. But just wondering (especially if we have to go to the port again, a huge expense in transport for five), do you ever stress out not knowing the roads? I love just getting in their buses and letting them do the driving, my DH does too. But it is so darn expensive to go all the way to the ship, does that stress you out and are you constantly staring at a map?

One word: MAPQUEST

I printed up directions on the ship a few days before debarkation. It is actually a really easy drive from Orlando and all the parks to Port Canaveral, there is only like 2 roads that you travel on the whole way.

Thanks again for all the kind words. Who knows when I would have finished it without everyone showing interest in reading it.

[pppiglet]

It was great! Hope your next trip is just as good for you!

[FrenchSnowWhite]

BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO!!!

What a nice vacation you had!!!

My heart went out to you with your DD that was sick alot, we've got twins and everytime we went to WDW they became sick and vomited.....:eek:

That became like a running gag for us.....

Can't wait to see how the girls will be in a cruise:lmao: but then again, I might not laugh at all when I will clean them up.....:rolleyes1

Thanks again for such a nice report!!;)

[cruiseletters]

Loved your trip report, and the pictures that went along with it are priceless. So it sounds like you'll be sailing next with DCL out of LA. Will that also include are trip to Disneyland and California Adventure?:cheer2:

[sejejoemmiev]

Loved your trip report, and the pictures that went along with it are priceless. So it sounds like you'll be sailing next with DCL out of LA. Will that also include are trip to Disneyland and California Adventure?:cheer2:

Yes. It will be our first trip to the west coast (except for DW who grew up out there), and we will have to check out Disneyland for a day or two.

[CRSNDSNY]

WOW! What a wonderfully fun TR to read. Thank you so much for taking the time to get all of the details and pics in. I thoroughly enjoyed it :goodvibes .

And I must admit to getting a tear in my eye seeing your daughter eating ice cream. I have a NICU graduate, too (3 weeks NICU, born @2 months premature). It's those little things that overwhelm you at times!

I look forward to your PC TR next year.

[ILUVEVERYTHINGDISNEY]

I awoke one last time to that familiar wake-up call. Although this time, I didn't bother listening to Mickey's message. Now that I think about it, I wonder if DCL has a different wake-up message for debarkation day? We got up around 7 a.m., took showers, and got dressed. The nice part of having to send off all your luggage the night before, is that there really isn't much to do that last morning. We made one final walk through of the two rooms, then headed down to A.P. for our final breakfast. Thanks to me, DW made the journey downstairs barefoot. I'm sure at least a few people got a chuckle! I offered my socks to her, but she took one look at the holes in the heals and turned me down. Unlike our last cruise, our same waiters were there for us for the last breakfast. DMom and DSis were already at the table and had just ordered. In a strange twist of fate, DSis happened to have an extra pair of socks in her purse.:confused3 I have no idea why, but it worked out great. We ate a light meal, said our goodbyes to the waitstaff and walked back towards the lobby. This is when it really set in-the vacation was over. DSis and DMom went back to use the restroom, and we told them we would meet down in customs. We left the boat, went down into the luggage hold (Customs area) and found a porter to help with all our suitcases. It happened to be the same guy who took our bags a week ago. What a character this guy is. I know they don't work for DCL, but this guy definetaly could! While we were loading the bags, DS2 disappeared. DW and I had about 30 seconds of THAT FEELING you get when you can't find a child. It seems to last more like an hour, and your heart just stops. Then I spotted him with a cast member over at the lost and found table. Where else would a lost child be? The porter knew exactly which customs agent to go to, and he simply waved us right through. I had reserved a rental van through Budget, so we dropped the bags at the curb, DW and the kids sat in the lobby entrance, and I went out to the street to the clearly marked Budget shuttle waiting area.

It didn't take me too long to realize that we were no longer in the Carribean-it was freezing out! We were all still dressed in shorts and short-sleeves. Anyway, it took about 25 minutes for the Budget van to arrive. I was the only DCL passenger to get in. But we then went over to the Carnival terminal, and LOADED up the van. It was a ten minute trip over to their office, five minutes worth of paperwork (TIP: sign up for RapidRez), and back to the terminal to pick up the family.

Now our flight didn't leave MCO until 8 p.m., so we had planned on going to SeaWorld for the day. As we left the Port Canaveral area, the cold, cloudy day turned into a cold, rainy day. We really wanted to see SeaWorld, as we had never been there, but this didn't seem like the type of day to see it. I also wasn't too anxious to drop another $300 in admission tickets after I saw the final stateroom charge statement that morning.:scared1: When we booked the WDW portion of our trip, Disney automatically upgraded our Park Hopper passes to include an extra day. So we called WDW and asked if that extra day was still valid. They pulled up our reservation and told us that today was the last day they could be used-perfect! Back to the Magic Kingdom it was. Half way back, DD1 got car sick all over herself and the rental. She had just spent an entire week at sea and was totally fine, but twenty minutes in a car, and up came breakfast.:confused3 I just don't get it! When we got to the MK parking lot, we spent twenty minutes going through suitcases, and had everyone change into some warmer clothes. I also cleaned out the van the best I could-didn't need any surcharges on the rental fee.:rolleyes1

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p151/sejejoemmi/100_1081.jpg

I was quite surprised at how busy the park was considering the weather. Then again, when you come to WDW for vacation, you can't let the weather stop you. The first stop was to the ice cream shop on Main St. It was completely empty. They must have known we were from New England. Only people from cold climates would think about eating ice cream on a cold, rainy day. And why is it that this was the first food item that the kids actually finished for the first time in two weeks. Now that we are not on a meal plan, or on a cruise with unlimited food, they decide to get their appetites back-typical! We then walked around and rode a few of our favorite rides one last time. We were able to get on Space Mountain, Dumbo, and Winnie the Pooh. We were walking by It's a Small World when the sky opened up. We ran in there for cover, and ended up riding that again.:headache:

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p151/sejejoemmi/100_1087.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p151/sejejoemmi/100_1088.jpg

It was kind of surreal walking around MK this day. I was trying to take in as much as I could, because who knows when/if I will ever be here again. I made this point to the kids also-not that they listen to stuff like that. Even with the crummy weather, it was a nice way to ease back to the reality of going home. We left the park around 4 p.m., and drove back to the airport.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. Dropped the luggage and the family off at the Southwest terminal. Brought the car back to Budget (right downstairs), and walked back over to meet them. We got through security quickly, and took the tram out to the terminal. We got some dinner at McD's and Sbarro, then went to our gate awaiting the flight. About half the passengers were young families, and the other half were adults without kids (making comments about how unfair it was that families get to board first). :rolleyes: One guy was obviously saying it so that we could all hear him, so I offered him one of my kids, if he wanted to deal with them for the whole flight. The kids were actually very good, considering Southwest doesn't have individual T.V.'s like JetBlue. DD2 didn't have her own seat, but she fell asleep on my lap the minute we sat down, and didn't wake up until we landed. Boy did I luck out there!:cool1: We arrived back in Providence around 11 p.m., and the weather was pretty much the same as it was in Orlando.

That is it. All-in-all, it was the longest and best vacation that DW or I had ever taken. Months and months of obsessive planning makes it last longer than it really does. Unfortunetaly, when it is over-it's over. That is why these trip reports are so great. Writing them keeps the memories fresh in your head, and helps you escape from everyday life for the first few weeks after getting home. I know I plan on printing up this TR and putting it in the photo album with all the pictures from the vacation. Then we will have both a pictoral and literary review of all our experiences.

As I get ready to post this, I see that the countdown for my next DCL cruise is at about 15 1/2 months. That is just about the time when we began obsessing for this past vacation. Perfect, the TR bridged the gap! L.A., here we come!


Great Report. You have beautiful children especially, your daughter (baby). She is soo cute. When she ate that Ice cream, I cried. Since the trip has she eaten anything? Can't wait for the next trip report! See you in 15 1/2 months or until mine in August of 2007!pirate:

[CBJHockeyNut]

Great trip report! I enjoyed it very much!

See you in Aug. 08

[sejejoemmiev]

Great Report. You have beautiful children especially, your daughter (baby). She is soo cute. When she ate that Ice cream, I cried. Since the trip has she eaten anything? Can't wait for the next trip report! See you in 15 1/2 months or until mine in August of 2007!pirate:

Funny you ask. She quickly regressed back to her normal, non-eating self when we got home. But just in the last few weeks, she has taken more of an interest in food and drink. Hopefully she'll continue to catch on quickly, and she can enjoy the food on the EB Repo!

[Kim in TN]

Awesome trip report, the pictures were wonderful and your children are beautiful.

[amyamya]

This is one of the first TRs I have read start to finish! Your family is adorable and your attention to detail is so helpful! Kudos to your wife for nailing cruise casual attire for children. You guys looked great! I now know to watch for my kids snoozing in their salads....

[sejejoemmiev]

Great TR! I too love that ice-cream, and have never seen it anywhere other than Castaway. Hope the surgery goes well and she has a speedy recovery!

She just had open heart surgery and is at home recovering well !!! She has more energy than ever now......we can't keep up with her ! Next on our agenda is getting her to eat in time for our next cruise......Less than 13 months away now!

[THUNDERMOUNTAINMOMMA]

She just had open heart surgery and is at home recovering well !!! She has more energy than ever now......we can't keep up with her ! Next on our agenda is getting her to eat in time for our next cruise......Less than 13 months away now!

So glad to hear that everything turned out great! Thank you for sharing with us!

[CruisinEars]

Thanks for sharing your experience and your family with us. We are going for the first time on that same itinerary and some of your tips are very helpful. I am taking notes so that we can have a great time. We, too, are doing the 7 day cruise and then 7 days in the parks for a very long vacation. I am soooo excited!

I agree with the pp, your kids looked great and I loved the outfits. I think my favorite part of planning is the shopping. Our trip is 9 months away and I am already planning and purchasing the outfits for the kids. :rolleyes1

[Dopey'sMAMA]

She just had open heart surgery and is at home recovering well !!! She has more energy than ever now......we can't keep up with her ! Next on our agenda is getting her to eat in time for our next cruise......Less than 13 months away now!

Glad to hear all is well!! We will also being seeing you on the repo. Take Care and hope to have a cone with her then:thumbsup2

[scoutsmom99]

Great trip report:goodvibes

[Laurabearz]

I have really enjoyed your trip report! Thanks so much!

[LITTLEKID58]

Tfs

[daisy112878]

I'm late reading your TR but it was a great one!! Your kids are just so cute. And I'm glad to hear your DD2's surgery went well. Hopefully her eating habits are getting better.

[ILUVEVERYTHINGDISNEY]

She just had open heart surgery and is at home recovering well !!! She has more energy than ever now......we can't keep up with her ! Next on our agenda is getting her to eat in time for our next cruise......Less than 13 months away now!

I am so glad her surgery went well. I hope she is doing well. My 9 year old had heart sugrery. It surprises me how well and quick they heal.
He was up and moving the next day. I do hope she is eating soon. Thanks for the update.

[minnieandmickey]

Great trip report, makes me look even more forward to our trip in 8 weeks.
So happy that the little one is doing so well, those pics of her were awesome. You have a beautiful family. Looking forward to seeing you in less than a year now!:cool1:

[TIGGER/POOH4]

Can not wait to hear more, we are taking the 7 day Western DCin May 2008. We can not wait.

:tigger: pooh:

[sejejoemmiev]

Sadly Our Trip Report is Long Over but you can hear more in about 11 months when we make a second attempt at writing one!!! Thanks for Reading!!

[frdeb1999]

Great trip report!! Love hearing and seeing all the pics. You have a beautiful family!! And great to hear that your daughter is doing well! :)

[Karen Mouse]

Great report - thanks for sharing your holiday.

We're off in 3 weeks - cant wait!:yay:

[jsheridan]

Loved your report. I will be sailing in January with DS4 :cool1: and this is really building our anticipation.

My son still takes a 1.5 hour nap around 2pm each day and then goes to bed around 8pm (wakes around 6am). How did you handle your son's sleep schedule to keep him from being tired & cranky? :confused3

Thanks!

[sejejoemmiev]

Loved your report. I will be sailing in January with DS4 :cool1: and this is really building our anticipation.

My son still takes a 1.5 hour nap around 2pm each day and then goes to bed around 8pm (wakes around 6am). How did you handle your son's sleep schedule to keep him from being tired & cranky? :confused3

Thanks!

He never really got cranky because we were always having so much fun!! He did fall asleep whenever there was any down time though. This usually happened at the long sit down dinners and shows. We never put him down for a nap during the day but he had mostly outgrown naps already at home. We all stayed up really late as a family and slept in a little in the mornings. We saved sleep for when we got home....and all of us had some catching up to do! You can do your cruise any pace you want, thats whats so great about them. You have the freedom and the flexibility to do as much or as little as you choose and your room is never too far away if you want to rest for a little while. I think cruising is the PERFECT vacation for families with small children. Have a GREAT time!!!

[jsheridan]

Thanks! :goodvibes

[ecomerford]

Thanks for the TR.

As another guy, it's great to see a TR from a man's perspective, and one written with such humor. The "southernmost street-craps" comment had me howling! I've been to KW and know what you mean.

Thanks again.

[CastawayCayley]

I just discovered this site today and reading your TR was so much fun. We are from Boston and also were on this very same cruise! My DH had some sea sickness on Thursday but he chalked it up to too much food and drink. That night I stayed up to see the Premier of Wild Hogs and there were a lot of people feeling sick that night, judging from the extra cleaning crews around the ship, if you get my meaning. And I also had a lot of trouble with the currents and waves while snorkeling at Castaway Cay that Friday.

I, too, really enjoyed your wonderful sense of humor and great storytelling ability! And I'm glad your DD2 is feeling better! Have a great time on your next trip!

[naner]

What a great trip report!!! Your kids are beautiful!

[sejejoemmiev]

What a Surprise to Find Our Trip Report on Page One Again!! I Can't Believe It's Been Almost a Year Since Boarding Our Favorite Ship.......I Sure Wish I Was Getting Ready to Pack Up Our Luggage to Go Again!! Time to Read Another Trip Report.......