All the way from Japan to enjoy the WONDER of Disney--The Cruise

[tokyodisneydad]

Hi everyone. If you are joining in for this part of the report and don't know it, this is actually the second part of the report. The first part was over on the Disney TR section. I'll try to link them soon, but I'm not computer savvy.pirate:

First let me introduce my family if you haven't read the first part of this report.

Me--the BIG guy--tokyodisneydad--Wally. I'm a Disney Fanatic:banana: I have been all my life. I'm from Georgia just up the road from WDW, but I've been in Japan for 10 years. Favorite character: Goofy. I spent 10 months planning this trip to perfection. The cruise was exactly that P E R F E C T!!!

DDM--tokyodisneymom--beautiful--my heart--Kiyomi. Likes Disney, but not even close to the same level as me. Fell in love with Castaway Cay as did I. Favorite character: Mickey (same birthday) also a big fan of Stitch.:love:

DDA-- boy crazy 15--stepdaughter--Akane. Drove me crazy about THE BOY (see first half of TR). Favorite Character Minnie. Step daughter but I love her like my own.princess:

DDJ--watch out cows here she comes--Junna 13(now14). I have a 100 pictures of her eye on this trip. Drove me crazy playing with the camera.:eek:

Ok thats my family. Like I said the girls are stepdaughters, but I love them. This trip was all about building a father daughter bond. Did it work? Well I guess you will have join on in and see.popcorn::

Along the way I will share lots of pictures and stories. I'm no cruise expert, this was our first. But I'm happy to answer questions along the way. Join us now for the most MAGICal and WONDERfull experience of my life--a Disney Cruise.:wizard:

[tokyodisneydad]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=21198946#post21198946

If you missed the first half and want to go back and read here is a link:rolleyes1

[Tink rules]

Count me in!!!

[pjstevens]

Can't wait to read more... I loved the land portion and feel like I know your family.

[disneyholic family]

yippee!!!!! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

i've been waiting for the second half of your report..:yay:

i'll just pull up a chair, and wait for the magic to begin...popcorn::

[bowlingchicaroo]

loved the 1st part of your TR....i even got my dh to read it!! can't wait to read more about your cruise...

[LivingtheWDWdream]

I just read your WDW Report all at once and wow you had some magical moments but sorry you had some not so great moments.

Can't wait to hear about your cruise

[manntra]

Hi there! Count me in again too...I showed your picture (from your other TR) to my niece and she recognized you from the ship also. :laughing: Can't wait to see what you have to say about the cruise :woohoo: I am in the planning, very early planning, stages of next August taking my three nephews 16, 16, and 14) to stay at AKL (will be my first time as a DVC member.) :scared1: :scared1:

[Bethipooh4]

oh my goodness, I just sat here and read your TR from WDW in one sitting...lol

We spent 4 years in Okinawa, and never made it to Tokyo Disney. I did see it from the road one time on our way from the airport. LOL

I am truly enjoying your reports, and am looking forward to the cruise portion as well.

[tokyodisneydad]

Count me in!!!

Welcome Aboard!!:)

Can't wait to read more... I loved the land portion and feel like I know your family.

Glad you are back on for the cruise

yippee!!!!! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

i've been waiting for the second half of your report..:yay:

i'll just pull up a chair, and wait for the magic to begin...popcorn::

Refresh your popcorn:: because here we go

loved the 1st part of your TR....i even got my dh to read it!! can't wait to read more about your cruise...

Glad you enjoyed the first half:)

I just read your WDW Report all at once and wow you had some magical moments but sorry you had some not so great moments.

Can't wait to hear about your cruise

Glad you are here:)

Hi there! Count me in again too...I showed your picture (from your other TR) to my niece and she recognized you from the ship also. :laughing: Can't wait to see what you have to say about the cruise :woohoo: I am in the planning, very early planning, stages of next August taking my three nephews 16, 16, and 14) to stay at AKL (will be my first time as a DVC member.) :scared1: :scared1:

Our family was hard to miss. Especially the night the girls wore their Yukatas (summer kimonos)

oh my goodness, I just sat here and read your TR from WDW in one sitting...lol

We spent 4 years in Okinawa, and never made it to Tokyo Disney. I did see it from the road one time on our way from the airport. LOL

I am truly enjoying your reports, and am looking forward to the cruise portion as well.

Tokyo Disney SEA is a must see. I've never been to Okinawa. Is it really as beautiful as they say? I think it would be hard to beat Castaway Cay:love:

[mkluvsmickey]

I'm in too! Loved the first part of your TR and am looking forward to hearing all about the cruise! :cool1:

[tokyodisneydad]

Are you ready for a cruise? I wasn't:eek: This was my first ever cruise and first time ever on anything bigger than a fishing boat. I was nervous about everything. Checking in, getting sea sick, the sheer size of the ship, being afraid of heights, onboard credits....you name it I was worried about it. I'll explain more as we sail along together, but I will say that DCL made all my worries for nothing. :) All the pixie dust that has seemed to have left the parks can be found on the ship.:wizard:

Our trip started by going over to the Dolphin hotel to catch the bus to travel to Port Canaveral. I was worried that I had forgot something or wouldn't be able to check in. The DCL staff were VERY friendly and helpful.

The Dolphin was beautiful, but I don't think I would ever like to stay there. Just to ritzy for my taste. Mt family was the first to arrive and way too early. DDJ and DDA turned one section of the lobby into their living room. Junna went to sleep on the sofa and Akane started putting on makeup. Setting up her mirror and makeup on one of the tables. Kiyomi wanted to go to the bathroom and I wanted to go shopping and pin trading. The Dolphin is NOT the place for pin trading. i didn't see one CM with a lanyard besides the DCL staff. At one of the shops I bough Kiyomi a gift. I won't tell you what it was just yet. I had bought it to give her on the ship. If I remember or if you remind me I'll tell you all about it later on our journey together.;)

Anyway we still had lots of time to kill so DDM and I went for a walk between the Dolphin and Swan. I was also on a mission to find batteries for DDAs translating dictionary. Well I found batteries and took a few pictures outside. When we come back DDJ is still sleeping. (She would do alot of this on the cruise) DDA is nowhere to be seen. I'm not worried, but decide to go find her and give her the batteries. Well any guesses as to where I found her? If you read the first half you probably know-- the pay phones--talking to THE BOY. I go back to the lobby and wait for her.
When she comes back I take her to the side so DDM can't hear and tell her that it was OK that she called THE BOY, but NO MORE.:mad: She says she wants to call him from the ship, but I tell her it would cost a fortune per minute and she kind of goes:sad1: but understands.

Well finally the time arrived. Its' time to get on the bus and go:woohoo:


http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0581.jpg

[LivingtheWDWdream]

ohhhhh so close to leaving and you stoppp the suspsense is tooo much! LOL

More please

[mkluvsmickey]

Great start! Can't wait for more! How sweet to buy a surprise gift for your wife. :love:

[travelmel]

That's a very triumphant looking picture! I know you had a GREAT voyage. Look forward to hearing every detail.
Melissa

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hey, no fair moving the TR over here while I was away for the weekend! Now I am all behind on the action.:mad: J/K

Too funny that DD was on the phone again with The Boy.:rolleyes:

Can't wait for more!

[teruterubouzu]

It sounds like this part of your trip report will be even more fun than your days in WDW. Thanks for going to the hard work of posting it.


Our family was hard to miss. Especially the night the girls wore their Yukatas (summer kimonos)


I can't wait to see photos of this! I've always wanted to wear a yukata, but never have. I'll have to try next time I'm in Japan during a festival.

[disneyholic family]

GREAT start TDD!! :thumbsup2

can't wait for the continuation..

(you continue to sound just like me, including all the pre-cruise worries:rolleyes1 )

[winkers]

I can't wait to hear about the cruise!!

[disneydance]

Great job loving i want to see the part you get to the ship!!!

[tokyodisneydad]

Ok everyone I know you are waiting for this report to continue and I promise it will soon. PLEASE be patient:groom: The TEENAGE STORM has hit the fan here this week.:scared: Sorry for the delay.:guilty: THE BOY has been a real headache:scared: and I'm sitting in the corner watching KIYOMI and bothgirls going round and roundpopcorn::

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

:laughing: Hope everything works out at home. As our good buddy Sebastian once said "Teenagers, you give them an inch and they swim all over you" :cutie:

[anewmac]

cant wait to read more! good luck with the girls.. I remember how I was at that age... I think ill go call my mom and say sorry LOL

[tokyodisneydad]

:laughing: Hope everything works out at home. As our good buddy Sebastian once said "Teenagers, you give them an inch and they swim all over you" :cutie:

:lmao: :rotfl: You had me rolling after I read this. Thanks for a much needed laugh

cant wait to read more! good luck with the girls.. I remember how I was at that age... I think ill go call my mom and say sorry LOL

:flower3: I actually sent my mom flowers after watching my girls in action recently


Thanks for anyone new that has joined and anyone old for hanging on. We should be able to board the ship later tonight, if all goes wellpirate:

[travelgirl06]

I just happened upon this TR, and I'm hooked! I can't wait to go back and read the first half:goodvibes . I lived in Japan for a summer (on a study abroad program/homestay) and I absolutely love the cuture there... I can't wait to get back.

Looking forward to more:rotfl2: :thumbsup2

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

:lmao: :rotfl: You had me rolling after I read this. Thanks for a much needed laugh:thumbsup2

[scottishwee35]

cant wait to read more! good luck with the girls.. I remember how I was at that age... I think ill go call my mom and say sorry LOL


Hi

Your mickey logo is beautiful design:thumbsup2

Scottishwee35

[disneyholic family]

well eventually teenagers do grow up....the question is can you survive until then??? :eek:

[tokyodisneydad]

Finally the bus arrived to take us to the ship. And what a bus it was. Portholes like the ship and comfortable seats inside. I don't have a picture--sorry. We took a digital camera, a 35mm camera, an underwater camera and a video camera. Unfortunately I have no clue how to scan the photos from my 35mm or the underwater camera. Maybe by the end I can figure it out, but to do that I have to use DDM computer and it's too fancy and in Japanese Kanji so really troublesome.
Back to the bus--On the way to the port they show a video to get you all excited. After watching the video you are ready to jump off the bus and run over anyone in front of you.:rolleyes1 I also reviewed how to checkin and made sure I had all the paperwork ready. On the boards here I read all about getting to the ship as early as possible and getting a loading number as low as possible, so sitting on the bus not in control was difficult. I was worried about arriving so late. In the end though it didn't matter. I don't think we missed that much by loading later.:confused3

Now do you know how before you see or do something for the first time you get a picture in your head about what you think it will be like? That's how I was about the ship. I had basically pictured a floating city. When we first got a glance of the ship I was surprised that it looked smaller than I had thought.:flower3: :rolleyes: Don't get me wrong it was still HUGE, but I think the other two ships nearby were bigger, so I was surprised.

Arriving at the port it was time to get off the bus, go through security and get on. All of this was easy, easy, easy. As we checked in I saw GOOFY standing for pictures. I didn't hear half of what the staff said. I wanted my picture with GOOFY. I had been waiting all vacation for a picture with my favorite character. When I turned around after getting our cards he was gone.:sad1: So we took a picture with the model ship and went through the Ears towards the ship.

Next Welcome Aboard

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0585.jpg

[disneyholic family]

what a FANTASTIC picture of the 3 of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i thought the ship was soooooooooooooooooo beautiful...
we drove to the port and as we got our first view of the ship my heart literally soared...
they designed the magic/wonder to look like the classic ships of days gone by...
the last time i'd been on a ship, was on the Queen Mary - the original Queen Mary - on a transatlantic voyage when i was 7 years old (way back in 1963)...
what a magnificent ship she was...and the wonder, though it's smaller than the original QM, is very much in her style....and so i immediately fell in love with her....(though i didn't have the ship butler i had when i was 7...but alas, nothing is like it was in the "good" old days)...

the other thing that was so wonderful was how perfectly everything worked right from the moment we drove up to the gate of the terminal...everything was so efficient....perfect....and it continued to be perfect to the moment we drove out when the cruise was over...
they really run everything amazingly well.....

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

:woohoo: You have arrived!

Too bad that you didn't get your picture with Goofy right away, I am sure you saw him a lot while on the ship though.:)

[Mrsjvb]

hey dad, Could you help out a fellow addict? Somebody has some questions about TD in an ECV. It's been years since I was there, hopefully you have more recent information! Now I am off to read about the cruise!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1606816

Thanks!

[tokyodisneydad]

what a FANTASTIC picture of the 3 of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i thought the ship was soooooooooooooooooo beautiful...
we drove to the port and as we got our first view of the ship my heart literally soared...
they designed the magic/wonder to look like the classic ships of days gone by...
the last time i'd been on a ship, was on the Queen Mary - the original Queen Mary - on a transatlantic voyage when i was 7 years old (way back in 1963)...
what a magnificent ship she was...and the wonder, though it's smaller than the original QM, is very much in her style....and so i immediately fell in love with her....(though i didn't have the ship butler i had when i was 7...but alas, nothing is like it was in the "good" old days)...

the other thing that was so wonderful was how perfectly everything worked right from the moment we drove up to the gate of the terminal...everything was so efficient....perfect....and it continued to be perfect to the moment we drove out when the cruise was over...
they really run everything amazingly well.....

I also thought the ship was beautiful in fact I would make the comment to DDM throughout the trip that I was so glad that I was on the WONDER instead of those other shoe box style ships. When I boarded I even had a different reaction about the size. I :love: :love: :love: the WONDER.

[tokyodisneydad]

:woohoo: You have arrived!

Too bad that you didn't get your picture with Goofy right away, I am sure you saw him a lot while on the ship though.:)

Stay tuned I kept seeing GOOFy and kept missing him but....;)

[dwonder6522]

I was on this cruise too. In room 6522. HI again everyone, Especially you Tracy Keep in touch! Even know we are on the phone with eachother.

[disneydance]

Wow so exciting and all I can tell you that i'm sorry to hear about the boy and amazingly me and boy friend broke up last week so i not dating anymore and i am bad and never told my dad lol (I hope hes not reading this) I think that would be so exciting to arrive at the port for the very first time i'd be ready to flip :)

[tokyodisneydad]

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0589.jpg

Well here we go, under the ears and towards the gangway. The first thing you see is a place to take boarding photos. Well back in the Animal Kingdom I had been told by the staff that we could add our ship photos on the photopass card. Because of that I didn't buy the CD. I regret that now, but I'm not angry at the CMs. They were very friendly and helpful and mistakes happen. Any way as of my cruise date August 26th 2007 you could not put your ship photos on your park photopass card. So heres some advice: If you have a park trip then a cruise make sure you get your CD before you leave the parks.
Back to the boarding process. We stand in line and get our pictures taken. Since we couldn't use the photopass I wasn't sure if we would buy any photos or not because on the boards I had read about the prices of photos. If you remember coming from Japan I had already paid an arm and leg and replacement hip to get here from Japan. Even though I wasn't sure I wanted to have the picture taken just in case.
As we cross the gangplank a really nice lady asked our name. We would run into this CM many times on the trip, doing many jobs. The staff on the ship are VERY hardworking. They announce our name and everyone claps. Here come the tears:) . This was a moment I had been waiting for and it was finally here.
Kiyomi has the video camera taping and she records me. I say: "All I can say at this moment is .....WOW!!"
We are directed to Beach Blanket Buffet for lunch while we wait for our room to be ready.

Next: Beach Blanket Buffet, a souvenir tip, and our roompirate:

[Donald is #1]

Can you order your CD on-line? We did that last year. We waited until we got home and then ordered the CD.

[disneyholic family]

mmmm....what's in the drink in the picture???
looks yummy...

coming on board was so much fun....and so exciting after all the weeks of planning and waiting........

i can't wait to hear more....

it's so great that you took so many pictures....we didn't.....not on either cruise.....so our memories are mostly in our head....
hopefully there'll be a next time.....but DD and DS are 'grown up' now, so i doubt there'll be a next time on the magic or wonder :sad1: .....maybe in the future with grandkids? never say never.....

[CapnJackGroupie]

popcorn:: popcorn:: popcorn::

[mkluvsmickey]

Great picture of you with the drink - you look so happy and relaxed!

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

That drink looks yummy, was it a Bahama Mama? I have read on the cruise boards that those are the drink of the day on the first day.

[tokyodisneydad]

Yes that drink is a Bahama Mama and yes it was the drink of the day. :cool1: That particular drink I'm holding is actually Kiyomis not mine. I would have one later. I would also have the drink of the day everyday. Most were nice, but one of them was way too strong. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. I had boiled shrimp for lunch. I wish I would have eaten more, but at that moment the excitement of being on board outweighed the need for food.:yay: Junna had every kind of meat there was on the buffet. She not only scared the cows, but also the pigs and chickens.
After lunch we were off to see our room. When we got there none of us were surprised at the size. I had warned everyone beforehand that it would be small. My only complaint was there was no place to put our big suitcases. The room was clean and mine DDM's was nice and big and comfortable.
We had a race to see who would open the door. I made a wrong turn thinking it was a short cut, so DDJ got to open the door again. The girls were laying claim to the BIG bed when I arrived, but I quickly put a stop to that--no problem.;) I also liked the privacy curtain for DDM and I.
If you plan on spending any time in your room get one with a verandah or atleast a window. As it was we were on a budget and didn't plan to stay in the room. So I was quite satisfied with the Cat.12 we had. Next year when Kiyomi and I go back alone it will be perfect or who knows a balcony would be nice.
Well before we explore anything I wanted to put the signs that I had made for our door on.

Here are pictures
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0633.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0634.jpg

[Tanzanite]

Hi Tokyo disney dad i am loving your trip report we are going on a cruise the Magic Dec 1st looking forward to it i cant wait for when you catch up with Goofy . i love Tokyo lived in Akasaka for almost 4 months spent weekends enjoying Roppongi nightlife.Iwant to go again my eldest son wants to go to Nintendo World waiting next post Wendy

[Tanzanite]

Hi Tokyo disney dad i am loving your trip report we are going on a cruise the Magic Dec 1st looking forward to it i cant wait for when you catch up with Goofy . i love Tokyo lived in Akasaka for almost 4 months spent weekends enjoying Roppongi nightlife.Iwant to go again my eldest son wants to go to Nintendo World waiting next post Wendy

[CraftyMouse]

Love the trip report!

Did you know you were actually in a Category 11? There are no Category 12's that sleep 4 so you get an automatic upgrade to at least a Category 11. Cabin 6502 is listed as an 11 on the deck plans so here's a post-trip Congrats!

[tokyodisneydad]

Once I had the magnet signs in place it was off to explore the ship. First we went to Deck 10 and went all the way around the ship. It was a little after 3 at this time so we we went towards the Goofy pool area. We were supposed to meet some of the DIS group and introduce ourselves. We found the Goofy pool with not much of problem, but somehow missed the stairs to go down to deck 9. I see the group and sign and start trying to get the groups attention, but the music is blaring and nobody hears me. Sorry Guys:guilty: I had really hoped to meet everyone, but then DDJ and DDA spotted the Loft and wanted to check it out.

FLASHBACK::goodvibes Before the trip I had been talking and building up about the teen room. I had really wanted the girls to try, but they were scared to try because their English skills are not that good. I really thought it would be a great chance for them. More on this later.

Anyway when they wanted to go I didn't want to miss the chance. Plus the first day was the only day parents were allowed in the teen room and frankly I wanted to see it.;) So off we go.
It was really cool inside:cool1: and I wished I was a teen again. We briefly talked to one of the CMS and expressed our concerns. He reassured me and I was not worried anymore. The girls however were not quite convinced yet. :confused3

By the time we left the teen room it was time to run back to our room and get our lifejackets for the safety drill. We got our life jackets and found our station. THis was also something I was a bit frantic about. We of course arrived first. Don't panic the drill is very simple. In our rush DDJ had layed the camera down in our room so we have no pics in our life vests. Frankly I'm relieved about that.:)

Next up time to party, say Bon voyage and finally you get that souvenir tip

[tokyodisneydad]

Love the trip report!

Did you know you were actually in a Category 11? There are no Category 12's that sleep 4 so you get an automatic upgrade to at least a Category 11. Cabin 6502 is listed as an 11 on the deck plans so here's a post-trip Congrats!

No I didn't. WOW I got an upgrade and I didn't even know it. See I told you the cruise was perfect:love:
Our room was great for us.

[tokyodisneydad]

Hi Tokyo disney dad i am loving your trip report we are going on a cruise the Magic Dec 1st looking forward to it i cant wait for when you catch up with Goofy . i love Tokyo lived in Akasaka for almost 4 months spent weekends enjoying Roppongi nightlife.Iwant to go again my eldest son wants to go to Nintendo World waiting next post Wendy

Welcome aboard Wendy--What did you do in Japan?pirate:

[LITTLEKID58]

Awesome report TFS(txs for sharing)

[winkers]

This is really making me want to take a cruise!

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Awww man, no safety drill photos. I always enjoy those.:rotfl:

[CrazyZeus1]

Enjoying your post....can't wait for more!

[tokyodisneydad]

This is really making me want to take a cruise!

Awesome report TFS(txs for sharing)

Awww man, no safety drill photos. I always enjoy those.:rotfl:

Enjoying your post....can't wait for more!

I'm glad everyone is enjoying the trip. When I originally planned on writing this I didn't expect it would be in short installments.:confused3

[tokyodisneydad]

Well it was time to say goodbye to Port Canaveral. :yay: Back at the GOOFY pool the party was getting started. Everyone was dancing:banana: and having FUN Fun FUN!!!:banana: At first we were standing on Deck 10 but we finally found the stairs and moved down to Deck 9:banana: The characters were coming out on stage and we saw the same lady that had announced our arrival. I really wish I could remember her name. She was great and besides our server at dinner she was the girl's favorite crew member.
The party was going on, music playing and I now had a Bahama Mama in my hand:thumbsup2 I was dancing and so was Kiyomi. I was having the time of my life. The girls were smiling, but being Japanese they were a bit too shy to shake their teenage booty.:banana: Then some HighSchool Musical music came on and I snuck a peek at DDJ and DDA they were singing the words and I may have have even seen a little booty shaking:cool1: :)

Here are some pictures:

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0592.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0593.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0595.jpg

[tokyodisneydad]

Ok everyone here is a tip for a free gift to give to your friends back home. This early in the cruise many people don't realize that once you buy that drink in the Hurricaine glass that the glass is yours to keep. Take it home!! Well any way after the party people started leaving their empty glasses on the tables and on the towel cabinets. One person even left their BIG beer glass. Now I wited to make sure that they actually were leaving it. The glasses were being left in groups, so we picked up about 6-8 of them and took them back to the room to rinse out. After the trip between the ones we collected and bought we had one of each color. Some we kept for display with pictures and some we put candy in and gave to friends.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0587.jpg

Sorry this is in short installments, but I'm trying to remember every detail.:love:

[mkluvsmickey]

Great updates! We missed the sailaway party on our February cruise but I wish we wouldn't have - it looks like tons of fun! :banana:

Great tip on the free glasses!

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Cool idea about the glasses! I will have to remember that.:goodvibes

[disneyholic family]

i LOVE your door signs - what a great idea!!!!

our safety drill on our second cruise was a blast...our CM was the lead performer in the disney show, Hercules (the one who tells all the jokes in the show) - he was HYSTERICAL.....he kept cracking jokes non-stop and yelling at the other cruise ship across from us.....we couldn't breathe we were laughing so hard...

that's a great idea about the glasses...we only ordered the drink of the day once.....actually the kids did - without alcohol of course....you can always order the drink of the day with or without alcohol, which i thought was great...

we had a verandah and i would definitely recommend it if you can fit it into your budget next time....i spent a lot of time out on that verandah..

i love that big screen on deck...they didn't have that when we cruised...
by the way, our sailaway party was indoors due to the afternoon thunder and lightening show....it wasn't very much fun because there just was no room for anyone (held in the lobby)...
but they had another sailaway party in nassau and that more than made up for it...

as for the teen club - if i were to name the one greatest thing on both of our cruises, it was the teen club....it completely changed our son...
he was 15 and 17 on our two cruises...
up until the first cruise, he had been a very quiet, sort of introverted person...not with us, but with everyone else..
he stayed at home in front of his computer....
then came the first cruise....he and DH went to the teen club as soon as you could after boarding the ship....from the 411 meeting on, DS spent the rest of the cruise with the teen club (except for meals, which were with us)...
he LOVED the club, he LOVED the CMs....
and when we happened to see him together with the other teens, we realized he had somehow turned into this amazing social butterfly...
and this new persona stayed with him when he left the cruise..
when he got back to school that year, he suddenly turned into one of the school leaders - president of the class, head of the major activites, head of the local youth group and on and on...
i don't know what happened on that ship in the teen club, but it was miraculous...a completely new person was born..

and then on our second cruise, he again was so happy in that club...
he still quotes the CMs 3 years later....
when the cruise was over, when we were leaving the ship, other teens kept coming up to him to shake his hand or hug him goodbye....it was the sweetest thing i've ever seen....
and that new outgoing personality that came out on that first cruise continues to this day - he's 20 now....and a leader in what he's now involved in....

i've mentioned this to him....that i thought he changed on the cruises, and he says, yes, absolutely.....that they were the best thing that happened to him...

[Tanzanite]

Hi i worked for a shipping company one of the largest worldwide i got hired in London they had offices everywhere i was supposed to go to Canada after but went to London to work .I loved it in Japan got to see a ship launch lots of sites espiially loved Kamakura buddah the Shinkansen trains are awesome forgive me if i spelled places wrong .Inow have 3 darling children who i want to bring to Japan one day thank you for the tip on glasses my husband loves to collect freebies so i will put him to work look forward next post thanks so much Wendy

[jns]

great report
thanks for sharing

looking forward to hearing more
most check out the 1st part of your trip report

did you keep your photopass card from WDW if so you can order them on line
if not send in a request they just might be able to find it for you
give lots of details and dates
good luck Photopass link (http://www.disneyphotopass.com/default.aspx)

[disneyholic family]

popping by to say hi and see if there's a new installment..
alas, not yet....
can't wait to hear about the rest of the cruise..

[tokyodisneydad]

i LOVE your door signs - what a great idea!!!!

our safety drill on our second cruise was a blast...our CM was the lead performer in the disney show, Hercules (the one who tells all the jokes in the show) - he was HYSTERICAL.....he kept cracking jokes non-stop and yelling at the other cruise ship across from us.....we couldn't breathe we were laughing so hard...

that's a great idea about the glasses...we only ordered the drink of the day once.....actually the kids did - without alcohol of course....you can always order the drink of the day with or without alcohol, which i thought was great...

we had a verandah and i would definitely recommend it if you can fit it into your budget next time....i spent a lot of time out on that verandah..

i love that big screen on deck...they didn't have that when we cruised...
by the way, our sailaway party was indoors due to the afternoon thunder and lightening show....it wasn't very much fun because there just was no room for anyone (held in the lobby)...
but they had another sailaway party in nassau and that more than made up for it...

as for the teen club - if i were to name the one greatest thing on both of our cruises, it was the teen club....it completely changed our son...
he was 15 and 17 on our two cruises...
up until the first cruise, he had been a very quiet, sort of introverted person...not with us, but with everyone else..
he stayed at home in front of his computer....
then came the first cruise....he and DH went to the teen club as soon as you could after boarding the ship....from the 411 meeting on, DS spent the rest of the cruise with the teen club (except for meals, which were with us)...
he LOVED the club, he LOVED the CMs....
and when we happened to see him together with the other teens, we realized he had somehow turned into this amazing social butterfly...
and this new persona stayed with him when he left the cruise..
when he got back to school that year, he suddenly turned into one of the school leaders - president of the class, head of the major activites, head of the local youth group and on and on...
i don't know what happened on that ship in the teen club, but it was miraculous...a completely new person was born..

and then on our second cruise, he again was so happy in that club...
he still quotes the CMs 3 years later....
when the cruise was over, when we were leaving the ship, other teens kept coming up to him to shake his hand or hug him goodbye....it was the sweetest thing i've ever seen....
and that new outgoing personality that came out on that first cruise continues to this day - he's 20 now....and a leader in what he's now involved in....

i've mentioned this to him....that i thought he changed on the cruises, and he says, yes, absolutely.....that they were the best thing that happened to him...

This is the kind of experience that I had hoped for Junna and Akane, but I can understand their feelings of nervousness also. Their English is improving, but it's still not good enough that they could have understood without support. This will be the only chance they have for that experience also. If they want to go on a cruise again it will be when they grow up. DDM and I will go next year, but NO teenage daughters. More on this later.


OK everyone who has replied thank you so much, I'm sorry for the slow and limited reples:guilty: A lot is going on at work now and I'm going through a lot with that and my health.

Now back on the shippirate:

[tokyodisneydad]

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0597.jpg

Well as the ship got underway I noticed that the other two cruise ships were underway also. I looked at the Wonder and even though it was just slightly smaller I was glad I was on it rather than those other crackerjack boxes.:yay:
Leaving port we saw staff wearing Mickey gloves waving. No words can possibly describe the feelings as I felt the ship move for the first time.:cloud9: :love: Th tears of being overwhelmed were flowing freely. I got a hug and thank you from DDM:hug: (THe girls have yet to say thank you and thats why they want be going on another cruise unless their husband's take them)
any way back to my cloud:cloud9: . First we stood by the port side rail them we ran across to the other side. Finally we got as close to the front as possible. Looking out we saw people on shore waving and we were waving back. If you were on shore that day you probably saw me. I was jumping higher than anyone else and waving with every limb I have.:yay:
We heard the other ships horn sound. Kind of a Mooooooo sound. Junna turned looking for another steak.:lmao: Then it was the Wonders turn. WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR. A little out of tune, but hey it was music to my ears. If you in front of the horns cover your ears. If you don't your waiter sounds funny at dinner later.;)
We stayed there looking and pointing at everything. When we passed the beach just before open ocean, my girls were in heaven. they really are tropical kind of people. especially my heart and soul:love: Kiyomi.

Next a brief setback and dinner

[disneyholic family]

This is the kind of experience that I had hoped for Junna and Akane, but I can understand their feelings of nervousness also. Their English is improving, but it's still not good enough that they could have understood without support. This will be the only chance they have for that experience also. If they want to go on a cruise again it will be when they grow up. DDM and I will go next year, but NO teenage daughters. More on this later.




i understand about their english...
my daughter had an age problem....she was already 18 on our first cruise (and almost 21 on the second), so she was too old for the teen club...

lucky for your girls, they had each other....my daughter was stuck hanging out with me and DH....not exactly the disney cruise she'd dreamed of...
and she was the one who had originally most wanted to go on the cruise...
but she did have a great time, just not the time she thought she would have with others her age...

[disneyholic family]

Leaving port we saw staff wearing Mickey gloves waving. No words can possibly describe the feelings as I felt the ship move for the first time.:cloud9: :love: Th tears of being overwhelmed were flowing freely. I got a hug and thank you from DDM:hug: (THe girls have yet to say thank you and thats why they want be going on another cruise unless their husband's take them)
any way back to my cloud:cloud9: . First we stood by the port side rail them we ran across to the other side. Finally we got as close to the front as possible. Looking out we saw people on shore waving and we were waving back. If you were on shore that day you probably saw me. I was jumping higher than anyone else and waving with every limb I have.:yay:
We heard the other ships horn sound. Kind of a Mooooooo sound. Junna turned looking for another steak.:lmao: Then it was the Wonders turn. WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR. A little out of tune, but hey it was music to my ears. If you in front of the horns cover your ears. If you don't your waiter sounds funny at dinner later.;)
We stayed there looking and pointing at everything. When we passed the beach just before open ocean, my girls were in heaven. they really are tropical kind of people. especially my heart and soul:love: Kiyomi.

Next a brief setback and dinner

great photo and great description!!!

i loved seeing the disney people on the dock with the mickey hands...
and as we sailed off it was amazing!!

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I can't wait to hear that horn blow!:cloud9:

[°O°Joe]

subscribing... can't wait to hear more. :)

[tokyodisneydad]

I'm back but this is not a new cruise post, just an update on why I'm so slow.:eek: There is a lot going at work. My company is holding on to a thin thread of hope that they don't go bankrupt. Bad management. Nobody thought it would actually happen. My school is the largest English teaching school in Japan, but it's inevitable. So I have been looking for another job, but the market is flooded with other teachers doing the same as me.:guilty: I'm not panicking yet. Ok that's the bad news are you ready for some good???

For those that read the first half of my report and remember the bad experiences I have good news. I followed up with guest services about what happened. I just had a reply from one of the staff--We will call her Tinker Bell:wizard: They are sending me a 25$ gift certificate for the glasses and 4 complimentary park hopper passes. My belief in the magic of Disney has been restored:banana:

Coming next a Cruise update.

[tokyodisneydad]

Well after the ship actually got into open water our family decided to split up and tour the ship a bit more. The girls went exploring and DDM and I went on our own. First we walked around Deck 10 hand in hand.:love: Did I tell you how much I love this ship? I'm a helpless romantic at heart, just ask my wife. The Wonder brought that out even more than usual. The girls were gone so now was a lucky chance to be alone with my wife. It wasn't sunset yet, but there was a bright red hue in the sky and it was perfect. :cloud9:
Now for those who remember from my land report I had bought Kiyomi a gift to give her on the ship. I took her to the front of the ship, got down on one knee and asked her to stay with me forever and told her how much I loved her. I then gave her a sapphire ring that I had bought at the Jewelry shop in the Dolphin. Tears flowed, kisses and hugs followed:hug: :love: :love: :love:

After that we decided to go to guest services. I wanted to check on our onboard credit. When we got there they had no record of it and the staff was really short with her answers, but this was because she was from Japan. When I spoke Japanese she was friendly and helpful. She suggested we go to the internet area and email our travel agent so I did. More on this later.

Next back to the room to get ready for dinner and Towel animal Junna:rolleyes:

[disneydance]

Great job this TR is the best i am Loving it :thumbsup1:

[tokyodisneydad]

Great job this TR is the best i am Loving it :thumbsup1:
Thanks Katie! Your TR is going well also. Yes I'm still reading, just haven't had alot of time to reply.popcorn::

[CruisinEars]

i'm still here too. I read the land portion and have been waiting patiently for more of the cruise. We are doing a 1 week cruise and 1 week at the parks too. Sorry about the job sitch. Not good. Hope things turn out well for you.:grouphug:

[travelmel]

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! that's so sweet! Lucky DW. Keep up the good work!

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

You are such a sweetheart. Kiyomi is lucky to have such a great guy in her life!

I hope that everything gets sorted out with your onboard credits.

[disneyholic family]

sorry about the job situation...
but i'm sure you have a competitive advantage over at least some of the other wannabes (experience, knowledge of japanese, understanding japanese culture) ..
i'll keep my fingers and toes crossed...

you REALLY are a romantic - that was such a wonderful thing to do....

[pjstevens]

WOW!!!! What a wonderful hubby you are. Only wish someone had caught that on camera, would be priceless.

Hope all turns out well and will be looking forward to the next installment.

[Ron from Michigan]

Hello Tokyodisneydad. I just caught up on your report and i have to say great job. I'm sorry to read about your problems while in the parks. I'm glad to hear that you heard from Disney about you problem. It's great that they do listen to there guests. We also had problems a few years ago and they were great with us once we got home and I let them know about our problems. Hope your job search is going well. Hope you are doing well, I know you mentioned something about health problems. My Wife and I are annual passholders to WDW and hope to someday make it to TD. Maybe we could hire you to be our tour guide. ;) waiting for the rest of the story.............

[tokyodisneydad]

i'm still here too. I read the land portion and have been waiting patiently for more of the cruise. We are doing a 1 week cruise and 1 week at the parks too. Sorry about the job sitch. Not good. Hope things turn out well for you.:grouphug:
Thanks for the good wishes about my job and thanks for continuing to read along

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! that's so sweet! Lucky DW. Keep up the good work!
My wife is kind of spoiled that way. In 2003 I covered the inside of the house with 2003 paper hearts that I cut myself and wrote a different message in both English and Japanese on each one. :love: She cried;)

You are such a sweetheart. Kiyomi is lucky to have such a great guy in her life!
Kiyomi says I'm one of a kind:)

I hope that everything gets sorted out with your onboard credits.
Stay tuned we will see;)

sorry about the job situation...
but i'm sure you have a competitive advantage over at least some of the other wannabes (experience, knowledge of japanese, understanding japanese culture) ..
i'll keep my fingers and toes crossed...

you REALLY are a romantic - that was such a wonderful thing to do....
I think I have a leg up on most other teachers with my experience and language skills

WOW!!!! What a wonderful hubby you are. Only wish someone had caught that on camera, would be priceless.

Hope all turns out well and will be looking forward to the next installment.
If someone could have gotten a secret photo it would have been great. I noticed later that the ship has a video camera in that area that you can watch from your room. I wonder if anyone was watching our special moment?

Hello Tokyodisneydad. I just caught up on your report and i have to say great job. I'm sorry to read about your problems while in the parks. I'm glad to hear that you heard from Disney about you problem. It's great that they do listen to there guests. We also had problems a few years ago and they were great with us once we got home and I let them know about our problems. Hope your job search is going well. Hope you are doing well, I know you mentioned something about health problems. My Wife and I are annual passholders to WDW and hope to someday make it to TD. Maybe we could hire you to be our tour guide. ;) waiting for the rest of the story.............
If you ever make it to TDR Tokyo Disney SEA is the best park in the world and I do tours for people all the time just give me a call:banana:

[tokyodisneydad]

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0605.jpg

After our brief setback with the onboard credits DDM and I looked at each other and decided that it didn't really matter. Yes it was $135 credit, but absolutely nothing was going to take away from the best vacation we had both ever been on.:) That ship has a way of getting in your blood and it makes itself a part of you for the rest of your life.:love:
We looked at the scheduled show for the night and it was a comedian. I probably would have enjoyed the show, DDM English ability is not quite at the level to understand humor, so we decided to skip it.
We had told DDJ and DDA to meet us back at the room. They were just going in when we arrived. I was happy because I got to see their reaction to the change to the room. The beds were ready and Junna claimed the fold out of the roof bed. Then they saw the Towel Animal--A rabbit--Of course DDJ and DDA wanted to pose with it.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0606.jpg

[TCB in FLA]

Hey -- pictures of the girls without the peace sign!!! :hippie: I'm late in joining your trip reports, but I've really enjoyed them! I feel as if I know your family by now. Good luck with the job situations and keep up the good work!

[disneyholic family]

look how beautiful that cabin is....
i love the wood trimmings...
and the best thing of all - the double sheeting on the blanket...
i didn't realize they did that in all the cabin levels...that's fantastic!!!!

DS was in a few cat 11/12s (with friends from the teen club) and he said that they're really nice....and now i see he's right...
i just love the wood trim they use in the cabins...and everywhere else on the ship....it gives it all such a warm feeling....

[The Disney Fanatic]

Hey Everybody,

My first Disney Cruise will be on 12/20/07:santa: . How is tipping handled? Do you use cash for tips? Just WONDERing:confused3 .

[disneyholic family]

Hey Everybody,

My first Disney Cruise will be on 12/20/07:santa: . How is tipping handled? Do you use cash for tips? Just WONDERing:confused3 .

Hi Disney Fanatic,

You should post this question on the main cruise board (this is the cruise trip report board).
from what i remember, you can tip with cash or put it on your credit card at the cashier and then put the special credit slip they give you - it's a special tip slip thing, - you put that in an envelope provided for the purpose.
they put envelopes for tips in your room if i'm remembering correctly.

we tipped in cash, because i thought it would be nicer for the people to get it in cash (i put the cash in the tip envelope and gave it to them on the last night).

[tokyodisneydad]

Hey Everybody,

My first Disney Cruise will be on 12/20/07:santa: . How is tipping handled? Do you use cash for tips? Just WONDERing:confused3 .

They give you tip envelopes (we took special ones from Japan) They also give you a how much recommended list. You can tip in cash or go to guest services and pay. they will give you a reciept to put in the envelope. I wish I could take a Christmas cruise.:santa:

[birkner]

Hey Everybody,

My first Disney Cruise will be on 12/20/07:santa: . How is tipping handled? Do you use cash for tips? Just WONDERing:confused3 .

I have seen posts on the main board saying the crew prefer the charge slips as cash can be easily stolen. When you charge to your stateroom account, they it just goes into their own accounts.

[disneyholic family]

I have seen posts on the main board saying the crew prefer the charge slips as cash can be easily stolen. When you charge to your stateroom account, they it just goes into their own accounts.

i don't like big brother knowing how much i'm tipping the CMs (since i give very large tips)...If i were a CM, i wouldn't necessarily want my boss to know when i receive a large tip.

[Navywife508]

Just finishing reading the first part to your trip and then this one. I love it!. I feel like I am there with your family. My DH and I are thinking of going on a cruise this time next year,without any kids,as we have never had a honeymoon. You make it just seem wonderful. Can't wait to hear the rest!:cool1:

[DMMarla07860]

loving the report, I just love reading about other people who are japanesse(spelling?). My grandma is and my mom is 50% and I'm 25% japanesse so I find it kind of cool. I know japanesse people are like everyone else I just like to meet others.

[silmarg]

I was on the same cruise (Aug 26th) and it was THE BEST (first time for me as well)!

Went to the parks after the cruise (so I did get the free dining plan).

Am enjoying your write up.

Hope the job market holds up for you... afterall you have to do the Poly next year!

[tokyodisneydad]

Have you missed me? I haven't forgotten about my trip report and within the next hour I will finish up day one of the cruise. I still have to tell you about Animator's Palate and peanut butter pie.

Give me an hour to update my resume and I'll be back with you. Th job situation is just getting worse and worse. Salary is now 10 days late.:sad2:

[tokyodisneydad]

Well after everyone laying claim to whichever bed they were going to sleep in it was time for dinner. Our seating time was 8:15 in Animator's Palate. When we arrived we were seated at a table for 4. Not to be snobbish, but I was happy that we didn't have table mates. It was a family trip after all. About the time we sat down DDJ mentioned that she was feeling a little sick:sick: Uh Oh!!:eek: Sea sickness was finally hitting one of us.:eek:
Well we sat down and met our servers. Aiko from Japan and Brenton. Brenton was a great guy and made our cruise VERY magical. Each night he remembered the girl's names and practiced writing Japanese just to show the girls.:) Aiko was nice to, but a bit too Japanese for me. She began to loosen up by the end of the cruise though.
Animator's palate is amazing:banana: If you listen to the music you know which picture will change next. I can't wait to get back to the ship to experience this restaurant again.
Well I only remember what Junna ordered (STEAK) and I remember the dessert I ordered--Peanut Butter Pie. ABSOLUTE HEAVEN and I would have it several times. More to come:cloud9:
About halfway through the meal DDJ had to go to the bathroom, but after she came back was feeling a bit better. Atleast better enough to finish her steak. When we mentioned the vegetables she started feeling sick again.:rolleyes1
When you go to Animator's Palate make sure to relax, enjoy, take pictures and video. Also Order the PEANUT BUTTER PIE.:love:

After dinner the girls went back to the room. They were tired and it had been a long day with an early start. DDM and I walked around the ship. It really is beautiful at night. When we got back to the room DDJ was asleep and drooling into her pillow. She sleeps with her eyes open and it's scary. DDA was faking sleep. DDM and I got ready for bed and fell asleep in each others arms with the privacy curtain drawn and the ship rolling gently with the ocean waves.:love:

Tomorrow we arrive in Nassau

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I have heard many good things about the Peanut Butter Pie and I will definitely be trying it out on my cruise!:thumbsup2

[disneyholic family]

Have you missed me? I haven't forgotten about my trip report and within the next hour I will finish up day one of the cruise. I still have to tell you about Animator's Palate and peanut butter pie.

Give me an hour to update my resume and I'll be back with you. Th job situation is just getting worse and worse. Salary is now 10 days late.:sad2:

late salary???:eek: :eek: :eek:
i hope the resume turns up some great offers!!

thanks for the latest trip report (despite your job problems)
i also loved animators palate....it was so much fun guessing which was coming next...
we also had a table for 4 and we loved being just the family....

peanut butter pie??.......sounds dreamy.....i somehow missed it.....the truth is, we were so totally stuffed from dinner each day, none of us ordered desert........we just couldn't manage another bite....:sad2: :sad2:

[tokyodisneydad]

I was the only one in our group that had room to order dessert. I tried a few but Peanut Butter Pie was the best;)

[disneyholic family]

I was the only one in our group that had room to order dessert. I tried a few but Peanut Butter Pie was the best;)

i bet i'd love that...
for me, anything with chocolate works...mmmmm...
in addition to disnyholic, i am a CHOCOHOLIC!!!

i forgot to say, YES, we missed you .....

can't get enough of your trip reports..

when you get to the end, i'm going to go into withdrawal for sure

[mkluvsmickey]

Thanks for the update - you make me feel like I'm on the ship with you! I really want to go on another cruise and SOON! :)

I hope all goes well with your job search and that you get paid real soon. :wizard:

[Tanzanite]

Hi i am sorry to hear about your job i am enjoying your trip report .We go on our cruise Dec 1st i cant wait you are making me so excited cant wait to see more photos thank you for sharing waiting until next post

[winkers]

MMMM.......peanut butter pie! Sounds delicious!

[disneyholic family]

exciting news - DD and I are going to be at WDW for 7 days - in less than 2 weeks from now!!!!:woohoo: :woohoo:

[DWisher]

I am a newbie to the Dis, but have been actively reading and must say your report is by far the best I've read. Tonight I read from the begining of your park trip to now, and could not stop..:surfweb: Glad I didn't have to wait all those times like the others:rolleyes1 Thank you so much for taking me on the trip...makes me wish I'd booked the cruise...great excuse for another trip;)

I'm a steppie also, so completely relate to a lot of your fustrations, and joys. Became a step mommie at 25 yrs to DSS-11, DSD-8, and DSD-5, now they are 21,18,15 respectivley, time does go by fast and for that all I can say is:banana:
I love them all but sometimes I have felt like:rotfl2:

Anywho...can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip. Have one question...how was the food on the ship?

DH and I are on our way VERY VERY SOON....:cheer2:

[The Disney Fanatic]

I am a newbie to the Dis, but have been actively reading and must say your report is by far the best I've read.

I have to agree. This TR and the one by Winkers have been very entertainingpopcorn:: . I just want to say thanks to all the DISers out there for letting me know that I am not the only one Fanatical about Disney. My wife does not believe that anybody over the age of 5 could love Disney as much as I do and you guys have proved her wrong:mickeyjum .

[tokyodisneydad]

Thanks for waiting everyone. I'm so sorry for the delays. I hit an all time low yesterday. How low--let's just say very low and frankly thoughts of my beautiful family and the fact that my oldest daughter is really worried about me is the only reason I'm writing here tonight. Lots of tears, including now as I type this.
The company I work/ worked? for has declared protective bankruptcy. Basically making it next to impossible to get the last two months salary that they owe me. Over $6000. The family is OK. I mean we have food and shelter, but there is one big problem. I have Chronic Maleogenic Leukemia and medical expenses of over$1200 a month so this setback has made it almost next to impossible to get my medicine next month. Without my Glivec I'm very afraid of whats to come. I'm on a job hunt but this was a company with over 4000 teachers and now the market is flooded. I can't believe I'm almost 40 and have to start over again. I also can't believe how much a big guy like me can cry.

Anyway enough of what I can't change. Thanks for the compliments everyone. Your joy of my story has been a spot of sunshine in the middle of this storm. Sorry I have been so behind on replys, but know that I cherish everyone.

Disney Fanatic --I just wanted to tell you something funny that I laugh about and right now laughs are healing among all these tears. All this time I actually thought it was your wife writing. I'm :) to see I'm not the only grown man that is crazy about Disney. Also you have a beautiful family in the picture. To everyone else please keep me in your prayers and I'll try to get better at replying.

Next{We wake up in the Nassau, Did I hear something about THE BOY and good news

[disneyholic family]

i am so very very sorry to hear this.
i will keep you in my prayers and keep fingers and toes crossed and everything else...

[tokyodisneydad]

Waking up on the ship was like waking up and finding yourself in the middle of one of your dreams.:cloud9: Of course I woke up before everyone and yes I can thank Mickey for that. He called and said "GET UP!!" When I woke up I realized that Kiyomi and I had switched sides of the bed. I'm surprised I could even sleep on the wrong side. I can't at home.:confused3 I woke up and turned on the TV to the channel that shows outside and saw beautiful Nassau.
I shook the girls awake and kissed Kiyomi awake :love: Then it was off to the Beach Blanket Buffet for breakfast. Oh I forgot we changed out of PJs first:rolleyes1 and put up our Shopping in Nassau sign on the door.
At the Beach Blanket Buffet I was happy. To answer a question posted earlier. Yes the food on the ship is WONDERful. Breakfast was even better than the lunch when we boarded. FRUIT FRUIT FRUIT --Glorious fruit!! Fruit in Japan is too expensive and hard to find good fruit. So I had fruit. Then I saw biscuits and gravy.:cool1: :cool1: :cool1: I'm from the South and LOVE LOVE LOVE biscuits and gravy, but in Japan:guilty: NO Biscuits and Gravy
We ate outside and enjoyed the view. We saw Atlantis and Kiyomi got excited because she had watched that 007 movie with Atlantis just before the trip.
We however would not be making it to that side of the island this time around. Money just wouldn't allow it.
As we were leaving BBB I noticed how made to order Omelettes were being delivered to tables. NOW HOW DID I MISS THAT?:confused3 I wanted to sit back down, but got out voted. the ladies in my life had been looking forward to Duty Free shopping in Nassau.
Well we headed for the disembarking area and as we did we passed the internet area. I told everyone just a minute I wanted to check and see if I had a reply about my CREDITs. I did --Our Wonderful Travel Agent Marsha had straightened it out. I verified it later and sure enough we were set for Castaway Cay excursions.:cool1: As we were leaving the internet area. Akane says--"Can I email THE BOY?" I shook my head:scared: and changed the subject back to shopping really fast:thumbsup2
Time to get off the ship.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0641.jpg

[tokyodisneydad]

i am so very very sorry to hear this.
i will keep you in my prayers and keep fingers and toes crossed and everything else...

Thank you so much!!!:hug:

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I am so sorry to hear about your job troubles. I hope that you are able to find something soon.

[tokyodisneydad]

I am so sorry to hear about your job troubles. I hope that you are able to find something soon.

Believe me I am trying. the hardest part is sitting around not knowing whats going to happen. If the company had declared Bankruptcy straight out atleast then I could have gotten 80% of what is owed me and also some back from what I paid into Unemployment insurance. This way I have to keep waiting. Even if by a miracle they stay afloat I'm done with them as soon as I get my money.

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Believe me I am trying. the hardest part is sitting around not knowing whats going to happen. If the company had declared Bankruptcy straight out atleast then I could have gotten 80% of what is owed me and also some back from what I paid into Unemployment insurance. This way I have to keep waiting. Even if by a miracle they stay afloat I'm done with them as soon as I get my money.

I don't blame you. It all sounds very frustrating.

[disney_fan_fam]

I really enjoy your TRs :D Looking forward to hearing more.


Prayers headed your way.


Aloha

[silmarg]

Hoping for the best with your employment situation

[disneyholic family]

i hope that writing the trip report is cheering you up ....at least just a bit...

i'm certainly enjoying reading it and i thank you for taking the time during your troubles to continue the installments..:hug:

[JDBlair]

I love reading TR's from a male perspective!! :goodvibes

[Peg In The Pound]

Whenever I had a chance yesterday,
I would steal back to my computer to read your TRs.
I'm finally caught up with LAND and SEA and wanted to say thanks.
I hope all works out for you and your family.

[°O°Joe]

Sorry to hear about your troubles, keep your chin up bro. You have a beautiful family -- be good and goodness will come around...

I hope you rebound and get back on your feet soon! ...you're definitely in my thoughts.

-Joe

[snubie]

I have just spent the last two hours reading your entire WDW trip report and cruise report. Great story.

Sorry to hear about you job troubles. Prayers to you and your family during this time of uncertainty. Having this stress cannot be good for your health issues, please take care of yourself.

[Eeyore's Tailfinder]

Like a lot of other posters, I've just read your whole WDW and DCL TRs in one go, and I've really loved them! It's really cool getting a short insight into another culture! Me and My Boy (!) are planning a trip to Tokyo in the next few years as I really, really want to see TDL and TDS! I read CriminyCraft's Tokyo TR and I just fell in love with TDS, it really does look beautiful!

You mentioned that the only Disney you hadn't been to is Disneyland Resort Paris - but I don't think it would be a patch on Tokyo, and it certainly isn't a patch on WDW, but I do still love it because hey, it's Disney! It is getting slowly bigger though.

You were actually in WDW the same time as us! We were in WDW itself from August 17th-27th! We went to the Pirate & Princess Party the night the weather was REALLY bad because clever me had booked it for the last date for our stay so we couldn't change to another night. Boo!

I'm also loving your DCL Report as we are just ready to book our first cruise this week! I can't wait!

Lastly, I'm really sorry to hear about your job and troubles. I really hope you can get it sorted soon.

[silmarg]

Today's Wall Street Journal Headline:

"Japanese Lesson: How Do You Say 'Taken for a Ride?"
"Language Schools Fold, Leaving Teachers Students Out of Luck in Tokyo"

TOKYO - Fresh out of college, Sam Gordon bought a one-way ticket to Tokyo for a chance to explore Japan's exotic culture while teaching English at the nation's largest language school. All it took to get the job was one simple interview.

The adventure, which began five years ago, has abruptly come to an end. His employer, Nova Corp., hasn't paid him since September. The company closed its operations last week and filed for court protection, following a government crackdown on its business strategy. With $20 left in his bank account, the 28-year-old Mr. Gordon says he is living on his credit card.

"At least I have a big fridge and still have some food in it," says Mr. Gordon. He doesn't want to go home to Milford, Del., just yet, he says, because he'd have to borrow money for the plane ticket.

Mr. Gordon is one of more than 4,000 foreign-language teachers working for Nova to be slammed by the biggest scandal in Japan's foreign community in years. The company, renowned in Japan for the hip-shaking pink bunny in its commercials, had been on a hiring binge, setting up recruitment offices in the U.S. and the United Kingdom and prowling college campuses offering jobs.

Nozomu Sahashi, the company's quirky founder, was fired last week as president and has dropped from sight. Now, worrisome details are trickling out: The 56-year-old executive had quietly moved profits from publicly traded Nova to his private company, a court-appointed administrator alleged at a news conference. The administrators, who are scrambling to find a sponsor to help turn around Nova, showed reporters his lavish office, which has a Jacuzzi, a tea room and a secret bedroom.

Now, the Nova teachers are jobless and those who have lived from paycheck to paycheck are stuck in Japan. Some have been threatened with eviction from their apartments because Nova, which had provided housing and deducted the rent from teachers' salaries, stopped paying rent months ago. In the past week, 300 Nova teachers have swarmed the usually orderly employment agency office in western Tokyo, called Hello Work, seeking jobs.

One labor union is planning to arrange for teachers in distress to give lessons in exchange for a Japanese bento-box meal. Alarmed that so many of its citizens are affected, the Australian government has struck a deal with Qantas Airways Ltd. to provide discounted one-way air tickets to Sydney.

"I'm not really looking for a new job because the market is just flooded with teachers," says Matya Sheppard, a 23-year-old Canadian Nova teacher who is dipping into her savings to pay for food and other expenses.

"I have no one to talk to. I'm in limbo," says Kristen Moon, a 23-year-old teacher from Philadelphia who fears she will lose her Tokyo apartment. Ms. Moon, who came to Japan in May for a "new experience" after graduating from college in New Zealand, is getting along by giving private lessons to several Nova students.

English-conversation schools are a big business in Japan. Millions of Japanese dream of speaking English. But the six years of language classes given in middle and high schools focus on grammar, not conversation, so few children learn to speak English well. The $3.5-billion-a-year foreign-language-education industry teems with more than 1,100 companies catering to about two million students, according to the Japan Association for the Promotion of Foreign Language Education.

The Osaka-born Mr. Sahashi, who founded Nova in 1981, used a particularly inviting pitch. He promised his clients native English teachers at half the price or less charged by rival schools. He touted lessons as cheap as a movie ticket, so students could drop by as casually as if they were going to a bar. There was one catch: To get the cheapest price -- about $13.50 for a 40-minute class -- students had to pay in advance for 600 lessons.

Armed with a wildly popular marketing campaign featuring a cheeky pink bunny mascot, Nova rapidly opened 900 schools, took on 400,000 students ranging from toddlers to businesspeople and dominated the language-school industry. The bunny, which shook its hips and, in TV commercials, came to the rescue of people who wanted to improve their foreign-language skills, became a nationwide phenomenon. It soon even appeared as a character in videogames. The school's convenient locations and policy of letting students come in whenever they wanted to were also a hit. Sales reached $500 million in the year ended March 31.

To gather enough teachers, Nova set up nine recruiting centers in cities from Chicago to Sydney, according to the company's recruiting Web site, now shut down, and posted ads on Internet job sites. Salaries offered were modest -- between $2,000 and $2,600 a month -- but the hiring process was simple, consisting mainly of a grammar test and short interview, teachers say. "We interview 100,000 foreigners every year," wrote Mr. Sahashi in a Japanese magazine article this year.

Once they landed in Japan, teachers say they got straight to work. "It was trial by fire," says Jerry Johnston, a 24-year-old Floridian who started teaching for Nova in July. Mr. Johnston, who was recruited at a career fair at Florida State University, said an experienced instructor watched him teach for a couple of days and corrected him when he spent too much time on any one part of the lesson plan. Then he was on his own.

Students, meanwhile, found it hard to book lessons because there weren't enough teachers. And when students quit before attending all their prepaid classes, the school recalculated the lessons at a higher rate, thus reducing their refunds.

Thousands of Nova students complained to consumer-protection agencies. In June, the government effectively banned the sale of Nova's key product: hugely discounted prepaid tickets. Nova quickly ran out of funds, and checks began to bounce in July. On Friday, the company filed for reorganization proceedings, the equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

That has left students like Mari Matsunami with a bunch of prepaid tickets. "I hope a sponsor will come up and continue the operation so I can use up all the tickets," says the 39-year-old accountant. Ms. Matsunami, who has taken English lessons at Nova for 10 years, says she believes her unused tickets are worth about $1,300.

Many Nova teachers, hoping to remain in Japan, are looking for other jobs. It hasn't been easy, since most don't speak Japanese. But a more-promising option may be emerging in a nearby country with its own major hankering for English skills.

EF English First, a European language school operating 100 schools in China, posted an open letter on the Internet to Nova teachers last week offering to hire as many as 1,000 people, complete with free air fare to China and a hotel room during a two-week orientation.

"We're opening a school a week -- and there's more demand than supply of teachers," says Molly Fitzpatrick, the schools' director of teaching recruitment and development.

[mkluvsmickey]

Thanks for posting the article silmarg - very interesting. I looked into going to Japan to teach English when I graduated college back in 1995. I'm so sorry that TokyoDisneyDad has to go through this.

Hope you are doing well TokyoDisneyDad - my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. :hug:

[tokyodisneydad]

Thanks for all the prayers and words of encouragement. As you can see from the article I have a lot on my plate at the moment. The good news is I'm starting to get call backs for interviews. Again I'm sorry I don't get to reply to everyone individually.:guilty:
Coming later this afternoon---We get back to Nassau:cool1:

[tokyodisneydad]

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0648.jpg

After a great breakfast (even though I missed the made to order omelettes) it was time to get off the ship. The ladies of my life had been looking forward to going into port in Nassau. They wanted to go shopping and I had promised they could shop as much as they wanted. I did ok for the most part, but by the middle of the day I was tired and a little grumpy. (SORRY :guilty: )

Well I can say there was good and bad about Nassau and I'm looking forward to going again, although I plan on exploring the Atlantis side of the island next time.

When we first got off the ship we stopped and took a few pictures of our ship. Then we headed through the welcome center area. As we were walking through there was a man wearing a funny costume and a band playing. Both wanted dollars for pictures. But they weren't pushy if you said no. I noticed all the color and the girls were happy:) . After exiting the Welcome Center there were alot of ladies offering hairbraiding. The girls wanted it done so I said ok and started bargaining. Sorry I was on a budget:rolleyes1 . The starting price was 2$ a braid, but in the end I paid about $1.25 per braid.
It took about an hour to do and one of the ladies was really nice. The other was not bad, but I think she was upset that I was a cheapskate. In the end DDJ had 43 braids and DDA had 44 braids with beads. I paid $50 for each.
Kiyomi kept saying that in Japan it would have cost about $7 a braid, but I don't know. Never had my hair braided. ;)
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0647.jpg

[silmarg]

I plan on exploring the Atlantis side of the island next time.

we did Atlantis (we did not do the DCL excursion, rather we booked a day room at Comfort Suites which gave us rights to the facilities Atlantis).

it was totally great and i highly recommend it (if you are into pool / water park type activities).

for those interested in cost of this:
room:$199
taxi (for 4): $20 each way includes tip
lunch: $50 for some burgers and chicken fingers! (now that was a rip off)

but $300 for 4 of us was not bad vs shopping or even the DCL sponsored excursion (which does not include the use of Atlantis' pool/water park.

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I am glad that you are starting to get interviews. I hope everything gets all worked out for you soon.:goodvibes

[starrzone]

:cool1: You seem like a really cool person who takes things head-on, with a calm approach. I think you'd be a great English teacher, and I hope things work out like you want them to. So many things are uncertain these days...at least you have your beautiful family (even if 2 of them ARE moody teen girls...I'm 25 and I shudder to think of what I put my parents through...!)

Starrzone

[winkers]

The girls look so cute with their braids! :cutie:

[disneyholic family]

yes the girls look adorable with braids....but $50 a pop....wow!!!
apparently i'm an even bigger cheapskate than you....

as for atlantis..
we did the comfort suites atlantis thing and we didn't think it was worth it...

if you really want to see atlantis, just take a taxi over there and walk around....and then go into the casino, if you're into casinos...

on our first cruise we did the pools at atlantis, but on the second cruise we stayed on the ship....more fun...

[tokyodisneydad]

yes the girls look adorable with braids....but $50 a pop....wow!!

The next day at Castaway Cay and on the ship braiding was $2 a braid non-negotiable....so I guess it wasn't so bad....but I agree:eek: :scared1: I pay $10 to get my haircut:lmao:

[Tink rules]

The next day at Castaway Cay and on the ship braiding was $2 a braid non-negotiable....so I guess it wasn't so bad....but I agree:eek: :scared1: I pay $10 to get my haircut:lmao:

Yeah... that's guys for ya!!!

(But I'm not getting my hair braided...)

[CriminyCrafft]

Hey there, I'm so sorry to hear about your job and health woes. I'm familiar with CML - I was diagnosed with another form of leukemia about a decade ago. Hang in there! If it makes you feel better, I was laid off from my job a month before I was schedule to have surgery. It was an extremely stressful time, but everything turned out okay. It sounds like things are getting better since you have interviews! Things will turn 'round!

[tokyodisneydad]

Hey there, I'm so sorry to hear about your job and health woes. I'm familiar with CML - I was diagnosed with another form of leukemia about a decade ago. Hang in there! If it makes you feel better, I was laid off from my job a month before I was schedule to have surgery. It was an extremely stressful time, but everything turned out okay. It sounds like things are getting better since you have interviews! Things will turn 'round!

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I know it will all work out in the end. It's just getting there that is so difficult.

[FSUDisneyGirl]

i am loving your trip report (including the part at wdw!) hope those interviews go well! thanks for sharing! :thumbsup2

[spacerangerqueen]

The trip report is fabulous! I love how excited you are about every little detail!
Your wife is a very lucky woman by the way.
I know everything will work out for your family :grouphug:
Looking forward to reading more ::MickeyMo

[KimAshton]

Just read your DCL TR. Loving it so far.

You are in my thoughts and prayers. Be positive.

[Ellielovesdisney]

I'm loving your trip report...can't wait for more. Good luck with the job and health situation. I lived in Tokyo for several years in the 80's and am enjoying reminiscing.

[MAGICFOR2]

Subbing! I thought I had before, but I guess it didn't go through. You and your family are in my prayers - I know you will get a job soon! Thanks for sharing your trip with us! Your family is beautiful, and you are so sweet to your DW!

[tokyodisneydad]

Hi everyone. Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers. Sorry I haven't written lately. I will soon--I promise.
As the BAHA men say we will GO BACK TO THE ISLAND:banana:

[tokyodisneydad]

Welcome back to the island!:cool1:

After DDA and DDJ finished having their hair braided it was off to do some sightseeing and shopping. We passed a line of horse drawn carriages that were offering tours of the island, but my girls were making a beeline for the nearest shop.
On the way we passed a pink city hall. It really gave that island feel. Then it was off to the shops. Now for me each shop looked the same and had the same items, but for Junna, Akane and Kiyomi each shop held a new treasure yet to be discovered.
There was a shirt and matching skirt in island patterns and colors that I wanted to buy for Me and my angel:flower3: but I never found one shop with a shirt in my size that had a skirt that matched. I could have bought the shirt in one shop and the skirt in another, but couldn't be bothered. I kind of regret not picking them up now. But it gives me a reason to go back. And next time we go it's just the two of us, so the girl's wont be embarassed if we wear matching outfits.
As we went down the street we would stop in a shop and I would end up having a new bag to carry. We went into a jewelry store and I thought the prices were crazy. Luckily so did Kiyomi. We then went into a perfume shop. Kiyomi bought a bottle of her favorite. Akane bought a bottle of POWDER PUFF girl perfume because she thought the bottle was cute. She also bought a bottle of INCREDIBLE HULK cologne for THE BOY:eek: I just hope it didn't smell like the HULK:scared:
IN and OUT. SHOP after SHOP. They all looked the same to me. We were on our way to the STRAW MARKET.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0650.jpg

[disneyholic family]

HI there TDD!

i'm just back from the states.....i didn't have computer access while i was there (for a whole month!)..

i hope that you and your family are well and the job situation has worked out.

[Disney owl]

thanks for sharing

[tokyodisneydad]

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0656.jpg

Sorry it has been so long since I've continued my report. Things are just beginning to settle back down kind of.

Well when we left off we were going from shop to shop, basically seeing the same thing in each one. The girls and the wife were on :cloud9: I had heard about the Straw Market here on the boards and most of it was negative. :idea: So for that reason I had concerns about going there. We decided to check it out because we didn't know how long it would be before we got back to Nassau.

Here is what I think---AVOID THE STRAW MARKET AT ALL COST---the people were pushy, pushy, pushy!!! Buy my tshirts, buy my bags, etc. We only went down one row and I panicked a bit when DDA got seperated from us. I left DDM alone to find DDA. When I came back this old lady was pushing her T-shirts onto my wife. We purchased 3 shirts and got out of there.

The things you can find in the Straw Market can be found at the main stores and the prices are not so different. You will feel alot more relaxed and safe in the main stores.

Well after the Straw market we looked at the ocean. It was beautiful and the boats were very colorful. DDJ was getting hungry and I was getting tired. It was about 3 in the afternoon. DDM and DDA wanted to stay a bit longer, but I convinced them to go back to the ship to get ready for formal night and play a little BINGO.
To be honest they were a bit disappointed that we didn't spend a little more time shopping, but I told them they could stay if they wanted. A short :mad: followed, but it was short.
On the way back to the ship I had quite a few extra bags.

Next up--Formal night

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I'm glad to see that you are back on the Dis and that things seem to be settling down at home.

I have heard the same things about the Straw Market. If I am even in Nassau I will be steering clear.

Can't wait to hear about Formal Night! :goodvibes

[manntra]

Welcome back Wally! Hope all is well! :) :)

[MAGICFOR2]

I'm glad you're back! Sounds like your life is getting back in order - I'm looking forward to your report!

[mkluvsmickey]

Glad you are back! I totally agree with the straw market - never again! :eek:
Looking forward to formal night. :)

[winkers]

yay, an update!
I love the picture with all the bags!

[The Disney Fanatic]

TokyoDisneyDad it's good to hear from you again! I had a different experience in the straw market. My wife and I went there when they were about to close so I guess we didn't experience the full effect of walking through it. It wasn't crowded but I could see how the venders could be pushy.

[pjstevens]

Great update (once again). Can't wait to read the rest. As usual, your girls look so cute in their pics. We leave Monday for the World, so hopefully when I get back you'll have some more posted.

[starrzone]

Here is what I think---AVOID THE STRAW MARKET AT ALL COST---the people were pushy, pushy, pushy!!! Buy my tshirts, buy my bags, etc.

This happened to me on Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private destination in Haiti. I went by myself to the "local" market they had set up within the compound (and you do not want to venture outside, nor do I think it's allowed...way too dangerous:eek: ). Anyhow, these were some of the pushiest people I have ever met!!! They literally accosted you when you walked near them, and I hear a lot of people talking about how they were virtually afraid to go to the market because of them. In Haiti, they speak Creole, which is a blend of French and some African languages. I speak French, so I was sort of able to barter with the vendors, which made it a lot easier (they couldn't pretend they didn't understand me when I said "No, thanks, I don't want it).

:banana: I'm enjoying reading your TR! I can't wait to hear how the rest of your vacation went.

[disneyholic family]

helllllllllooooooooooooooo tokyo disney dad!!!!

i'm so happy to see you back on the dis!!! :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2

i hope this means that the job situation has finally sorted itself out and that you're doing better (health etc)..

regarding nassau, we went on two disney cruises (3 day, then 4 day)..
the first cruise we got off the ship and went to atlantis (to swim on the slides etc)...
we got back to the ship by 2 pm....ate a speedy room service lunch, so that we would get to the big theatre for a special screening of lilo and stitch on the big screen...

on our second cruise, we didn't even get off the ship in nassau...
just hung out on the ship....much much much better than getting off in nassau (for us anyway)....

i'm looking forward to the rest of your report!!

[tokyodisneydad]

I was ready to get back on the ship about 3 in the afternoon. Overall the people of Nassau were friendly. The exception being the Straw Market, but I was tired of shopping. Will I get off the boat next visit? Probably. There is still alot to explore there, but I'd rather have an extra day at Castaway Cay if truth be known.
After our day shopping we went back to the ship. We had Chicken fingers from Plutos. I have to say I loved those Chicken Fingers.:rotfl: After some nourishment we decided to play BINGO. We didn't win, but it was fun getting close. Also a one time thing for us. It could be an expensive addiction.
After BINGO, we went back to our room to get dressed for the show and dinner. I was told to leave the room while the ladies got dressed. This was for two reasons. 1)not alot of space and 2)they had bought new dresses for the occasion and wanted to surprise me. I had not seen the dresses yet.
I grabbed my shirt and went to iron it.
When I got back to the room I told DDJ and DDA how nice they looked. Then Kiyomi came out of the bathroom in her new dress and my jaw dropped.:eek: :rolleyes1
We left to see Hercules the Musical.

Next a Great show, Great Dinner and Romance;)

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0670.jpg

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Awww, your wife looks so beautiful in that picture.

[mkluvsmickey]

Great picture of your wife! Looking forward to reading all about the rest of the evening. :)

[disneyholic family]

your wife is always gorgeous!!!!
she'd probably look gorgeous in a burlap bag....not probably...for sure!!

i'd also love 2 days on CC...how perfect that would be...

[tokyodisneydad]

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the Welcome backs and well wishes. Job situation is a little better, but still not the best. If I can hang in there until April I will start the job that I want then. Plus I have to wait for all the back pay the old company owes me. The government is going to cover 80%. Better than nothing I guess.:confused3

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I am happy to hear that things are improving on the job front and that the government is going to step up and make sure that you get most of the money owed to you.

[disneyholic family]

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the Welcome backs and well wishes. Job situation is a little better, but still not the best. If I can hang in there until April I will start the job that I want then. Plus I have to wait for all the back pay the old company owes me. The government is going to cover 80%. Better than nothing I guess.:confused3


i saw an article about the company you worked for in the wall street journal, back when they went belly up.
What @*#%&@#%&@%.

Glad to hear the government is stepping in. I wouldn't have predicted that.

[winkers]

Your wife is so beautiful! I'm glad things are going a little better on the job front!

[tokyodisneydad]

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0669.jpg

Well, after having my jaw drop it was off to the Walt Disney Theater. Everyone was looking forward to the shows. The first one was Hercules the musical. I loved it. Laughed and Laughed and Laughed!!:lmao: The rest of the family enjoyed it, but got lost in the humor. Jokes don't translate well. Plus they had not seen the movie. Still a great show.:banana:
After the show it was time to go to dinner. The second night was in Parrot Cay. Great food!!Great staff!! (except the Room Head waiter) and of course I had my Peanut Butter Pie!!!!:banana:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0673.jpg
After dinner the girls went up to the Jumbo TV and watched Highschool Musical 2. Finally private time:cool1: Kiyomi and I spent a romantic evening together. We went to route 66 for drinks and then walked around the decks hand in hand. Then back to the room;) .
Here is some advice for parents who want private time, but are worried about the kids walking in. The doors do lock from the inside making it impossible to open with your room cards. We tested the doors to check 2 or 3 times before we finally relaxed. ;)
It didn't matter though because the girls didn't come in until about 2am. Which was fine by me. I felt they were safe on the ship. After the movie they walked the decks and even stopped by the TEEN room briefly.

Next up Castaway Cay:cloud9:
I

[disneyholic family]

we also loved hercules and laughed and laughed and laughed..

the guy who played hades was our safety drill captain (or whatever that's called)...the person in charge of your group for that safety drill on the first day....
he was HYSTERICAL....he kept cracking jokes non-stop during the drill.....and yelling at the other cruise ship across from us....we could barely breathe we were laughing so hard....

we didn't have a formal night on our cruises....so we stayed cruise casual (same as business casual) for all of our dinners.....
there's no way my husband is going to put on a jacket when he's on vacation...polo shirts and kakhi trousers.....that's his vacation uniform...

[disneyholic family]

I meant to come in a few days ago to wish you a Merry Christmas Tokyo Disney Dad..

I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday. :santa:

And have a very happy new year!!! :cloud9:

[mkluvsmickey]

You and Kiyomi look great! Glad you had a nice evening together - good to know about the cabin doors. ;)

[LITTLEKID58]

Pics are awesome.. TFS:goodvibes

[tokyodisneydad]

As I sit here at the beginning of a new year 2008, I find myself sitting here and reminiscing about Castaway Cay. I consider myself blessed to have been able to visit there once in my lifetime.

That morning Kiyomi and I woke up early to watch the sunrise together.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0693.jpg

To stand on the deck of a beautiful ship with the most beautiful woman in the world and watch a breathtaking sunset is almost overwhelming. Words alone can never describe the feeling of that moment.
After taking in the beauty we spotted Castaway Cay for the first time.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0686.jpg

pirate: There sat the Flying Dutchman. At first all we could see was the back and I couldn't wait to get off the ship to see the front.
DDM and I went back to the room to wake up DDJ and DDA. This was the day everyone had been looking forward to the most.
Everyone jumped into swimsuits and put on beach wear. We then went to the Beach Blanket Buffet to get breakfast. I don't think anyone remembers what they ate, we were so excited.:dance3:
We then went down to get off the ship. I put on lots os sunscreen throughout the day, but as you will see later it wasn't enough.
ADVICE-Load up on the sunscreen throughout the day!!:headache:

Next up off the ship, meeting a pirate,pirate:

[MAGICFOR2]

I have to tease you - THAT "beautiful woman" in your picture is not your wife :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2 Thanks for sharing your beauitiful pics! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[winkers]

Uh oh, is there a sunburn in the future?:scared: I am the queen of sunburns!

[tokyodisneydad]

We got off the ship and started towards the family beach. As we crossed the first little bridge we saw the Flying Dutchman to our left and stopped for a picture.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0695.jpg
It really was really cool to see it this close. We are big Pirates of the Caribbean fans.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0696.jpg
We would get a closer look when we rode the banana boat a little later in the day.
As we were walking we saw a short line to see Jack Sparrow. So we lined up and waited for about 5 minutes. This guy was spot on to the character. His was voice sounded just like Johnny Depp. It was hot out, but each family he posed with was made to feel special.pirate:

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0703.jpg

Next up::banana: pain, snorkeling, more romance, lunch and more:cloud9:

[mkluvsmickey]

Great pictures of Castaway Cay! I want to go back!!!! Can't wait to hear more! :)

[DAggiesRWe]

I thought things were dragging too long with my trip report, but here Wally is just a day or so ahead of me :rotfl: :rotfl2: :rotfl:

I haven't had nearly the trauma you have, and just have my procrastination problem to blame for not getting the report finished. I hope your job search is/was successful.

Now I don't feel so bad. I am working on my Nassau day report now. Besides, the longer we drag out our trip report, the longer we get to relive this vacation of a lifetime. :cool1: :thumbsup2

You have developed quite a following while I think I may have turned off some folks by combining the land report with the sea report (I am only up to post #60 while you're on #168). Oh well, it isn't a competition is it? :lmao:

[tokyodisneydad]

Ok it's time to go to the beach. I will limit the pictures I share here. Sorry but my wife in a pink bikini just makes me drool and I don't want to short out the computer.;) Also seeing me in a swimsuit will scare away most readers.:scared1:
First we stopped by to rent a float. I was going to rent two, one for each daughter, but they said only one was fine. The staff told them just get two and only charged me for one. We then found our Family area under one of the umbrellas on the family beach. ADVICE: Try to find an area that will be easy to find throughout the day.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0712.jpg

The girls ran off to swim, while Kiyomi went to use some of that onboard credit I had worked so hard to earn before the trip and my TA had made sure I had. We went to get 4 sets of snorkeling gear for later in the day. Finding our meeting area I sat down to reapply sunscreen. I'm very fair skinned and knew I would be in trouble if I didn't.
Then into the ocean we went. I was amazed at how clear the water was. We saw fish swimming around our feet. I had a waterproof camera and have some wonderful pictures, but I'm not good enough with the PC to download those.:surfweb:
We had Banana Boat reservations:banana: at 11:30 so we arrived in that area about 15 minutes early. We met another DIS family and shared a :banana: with them. Sorry I forgot the names, but they were really friendly and we soon discovered we had been messaging back and forth on the computer.
This :banana: adventure was my families choice, not really mine. I was a bit nervous. i would like to say it was because I was worried about everyone else, but to tell the truth I was worried about falling off and not being able to get back on. Also if I fell off I would look like Prime Rib to a shark. I didn't fall off and the view of the ocean, beach, ship and Flying Dutchman were almost worth the pain I felt as I bounced up and down more than a few times landing wrong. Let's just say :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :headache:
Still I was :) because my family had been able to do what they wanted.

Next up: Romance:love: and lunch.......and Do we have to back on the ship"?????:worship:

[MAGICFOR2]

Looks like a great day at CC! So fun that Captain Jack was so in character for you and your gals. Looks like you got a little sun after all - hard not to. Your family is so beautiful. :cutie: You didn't say - how did your girls like the food on the ship? I'll bet it's quite different from what they are used to.

[disneyholic family]

sorry for the very delayed response TokyoDisneyDad....
i had surgery on new years day - what a fun thing to do - not!
but i'm back now - better than new..

i love your pictures!!
CC was our favorite part of both cruises....

[tokyodisneydad]

Well I'm back and I hope everyone had a wonderful start to a new year. Sorry to hear about your surgery disneyholic. I hope all is better.

Well after the :banana: :headache: DDM and I decided to leave the girls at the family beach and go to the Adult beach area. All I can say is :cloud9: --The most beautiful place I have ever been. We forgot the snorkles we had rented, but just walking on the beach hand in hand with Kiyomi was worth it. There were a total of 4 people on the beach and in the ocean. We walked out into the ocean and just enjoyed being with each other without two teenage girls. I found two sand dollars and showed them to DDM. She had never seen sanddollars. I took a wonderful picture of her holding them. She was a little nervous and finally dropped them. I would share the picture here, but it's a bikini picture and those are for my eyes only:love: :rolleyes1 I didn't want to leave, but eventually we decided it was time to go have some lunch with our girls.
Back in reality we went over for lunch. The food was good, but not out of this world or anything. After lunch we reapplied suncream (didn't help much) and went snorkeling. It was my first time to give this a try. It was alot easier than I thought and we enjoyed it as a family. WE saw tons of tropical fish and even a large stingray. I eventually got my wish and found the Mickey statue.
After our swim Kiyomi found our beach chair and took a rest while the girls went to the shop. About 4 everyone was headed back to the ship. We took our floats, snorkels and towels to the proper places and went to the shop ourselves.
Here is one thing that bothered me about my fellow passengers. Most of them left towels. floats, and trash in random places. If you go on the island give the crew a hand and help clean up a little. It doesn't take that much of an extra effort.
We stopped and took pics in front of Mt. Rustmore. Here is mine.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0714.jpg

Next up: Pain, pain pain and I feel the boat moving.:scared:

[mkluvsmickey]

Nice update! So cool that you found the sanddollars on the beach!

Sounds like you had a nice time at Castaway Cay - both couple time and family time.

Looking forward to more! :)

[goofygal1975]

Wow, I am really enjoying your TR. I've just spent all evening (being lazy today...everyone needs to do that every now and again) reading your WDW trip report and now your criuse report.

I'm so sorry to hear about your health and your job. I hope both are doing OK and hope you were able to get your meds (i know how being out of work and not having ins/money can effect not getting your meds!!)

Can't wait to read more of your report...and gotta love your dd:hippie: peace signs in alot of the pics. They looked so happy in the pictures, and you and your wife looked so happy :love:

[disneyholic family]

great update tokyodisneydad..

we LOVED the adult beach..

on our first cruise, we didn't really get to the adult beach...we rode bikes over that way and DD got a massage there, but we didn't eat there...
most of our time was on the family beach (snorkeling, eating, etc.)...

on the second cruise, we didn't spend any time at all on the family beach....we went straight to the adult beach (with DD, who was 20,.....DS was 17 and stayed with the teens the entire time, so we didn't see him at all on CC on the second cruise)...
we had such a nice time at the adult beach, including eating lunch there...
just like your experience, there was almost no one there, so it was sooooooooooo peaceful and quiet.....really paradise.......

as for my health - thanks for the good wishes....i am now better than new....this is surgery that i should have had 4 years ago, but was so afraid of the surgery i put it off.....i feel GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tokyodisneydad]

I'm glad to see I still have a few people on board for the ride. Retelling the stories means reliving the memories. :hug:

[winkers]

Uh-oh! Is the up coming pain related to the sun?:eek:

I know all about sunburns. I have two colors white & red!

[klj27]

I'm glad to see I still have a few people on board for the ride. Retelling the stories means reliving the memories. :hug:


Of course we are still reading!!!

[disneyholic family]

Of course we are still reading!!!

yes, of course we're still reading..
TDD, you've got us all addicted to your trip report....so whadya have to say about that, hmmmmmm?

[mormadsmom]

Yeah, me too. I've been lurking around on this thread too. I've really enjoyed it.

But it's funny to see the peace signs from the girls. On our trip to Okinawa many years ago (my mother is Japanese) to visit my mother's family, there were alot of peace signs in the photos. Not by me, I didn't know what that was all about, but from cousins, and aunts.:hippie:

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I'm still reading along. I have to know how the trip ended after all. :upsidedow

[tokyodisneydad]

An update will come later this afternoon, after I get home from my monthly hospital visit.:scared1:

The upcoming pain is all about the sun. Somebody needs to make an SPF 1000 for me, especially because I do love being out in the sun.

See you soon:lovestruc

[winkers]

An update will come later this afternoon, after I get home from my monthly hospital visit.:scared1:

The upcoming pain is all about the sun. Somebody needs to make an SPF 1000 for me, especially because I do love being out in the sun.

See you soon:lovestruc

I hope everything is ok! Monthyl hospital visit doesn't sound too good!

I feel your pain on the sunscreen. No amount keeps me from getting burned.

[disneyholic family]

can't wait for the next installment..

my son can match your skin color...in fact, i think you're dark-skinned in comparison to him..

he can only burn...no tan in his bag of tricks...
poor thing...for years, he would come back from a school outing with a really bad burn saying, "this time i'm sure it will turn to a tan"...
wrong....red or white, his only two skin colors...

[tokyodisneydad]

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0743.jpg
Well it was time to get back on the ship and get ready for Pirate Night. Walking in to the room we found a Monkey--the one on the left not the right. As you see DDJ got quite a bit of sun also.
After a painful shower and getting dressed for dinner it was off to watch The Golden Mickeys. Not sure how this show was and here is why, but first some advice. ADVICE:Do not order the drink of the day after being in the sun all day.
We sat down for the show and I think the boat was getting underway. Atleast it felt like it too me. The combination of the sun, the drink and the movement I was up and out of there. To those people I jumped over, I'm sorry. It was better than the alternative though. By the time I was able to leave the bathroom the show was over.

I had an empty stomach so it was off to Pirate Dinner. Here we are with our menus.pirate:



http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0729.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0730.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0727.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0728.jpg

I made it through dinner, although I didn't have as much as usual I still had my peanut butter pie.:) Not even a bad sunburn was stopping me from having that.;)
After dinner DDJ was feeling tired from all the swimming so she went back to the room. DDA went to the teen room while DDM and I went to shutters to stack our pictures. ADVICE: Stack all your shutters pics in one place throughout the cruise. It makes it alot easier.:yay:
Then we met DDA on deck 10 for the Pirate party.
This was something I had been looking forward to VERY much.
I saw about 15 minutes of the show and then got sick again:scared1: I missed the fireworks, but Kiyomi said they were cool:thumbsup2
I wasn't too upset though. I mean it gives me a reason to go back.:love:

To be honest Kiyomi didn't realize how sick I was until after we got back to Japan. Now she knows I wasn't faking the pain and nausea, but then she was a bit angry at me. Her and DDA just tan-no burn.

We called it an early night and went back to the room for an ALOE rub down. It helped a lot.

Next up--Our last full day:scared:

[disneyholic family]

what a bummer to get sick like that...
so sorry you missed out on some of the fun...
but as you said, a reason to go back....why not sign up for the podcast cruise on May 10 2009 - i just put in my depost - should be TONS of fun with all the disers and pod squad on board!!

you could go just with kiyomi - i'm going just with hubbie on this one...

[mkluvsmickey]

Great update - sorry you got so sick though! We missed the pirate party last time but watched the fireworks from our veranda - so cool!

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

So sorry that you got sick, that is never any fun.

[winkers]

Sounds like you got a touch of heatstroke! That stinks that you missed out on something you were so excited for!

I don't think you can understand the pain of a sunburn unless you've had a really bad one before.

[tokyodisneydad]

:eek: Well the last full day came alot faster than the first. I feel I haven't done the cruise half of my TR justice. Disney Cruise line really is amazing. Special moments like when Captain Hook came stomping towards us on Deck 4 when there was no one else around. (We caught that on video) Just seeing him in perfect character was great. Or the times on Castaway Cay seeing hundreds of beautiful fish and stingrays. Or my personal favorite, when I finally met Goofy. The smile on my face says it all. :)
Anyway here we go:
We woke up early and rubbed aloe on the back of my legs. Nothing was going to stop me from enjoying this day. The sunrise was extra stunning, I felt it was order made by Disney just for me and DDM to watch as the girls slept in.:cloud9: :love:
After waking DDJ and DDA upm it was off to breakfast. I finally had my order made omelette. Lots of cheese:cool1:
We decided to walk around the ship and shop. I bought a ton of pins from the shops and DDM bought a ton of other things to give to friends back in Japan.
Walking out of the shops we saw Lilo and Stitch. DDA and DDJ got in line. I think they took a picture withe Every Stitch in Florida.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0747.jpg

After shopping the girls went on their own. (We found them later on the 4th deck in their favorite chairs.) DDM and I went to shutters to pile up the pictures and possibly buy a few. We sat in the floor for an hour debating back and forth. There were so many pictures. Finally we had our choices to fill the cheapest packages. We went to the counter and met a lady named Debbie. We asked what happened to the pictures that we didn't choose. She explained that they were recycled. I thought Kiyomi was going to cry, or even worse sit back in the floor and keep choosing. Finally we handed Debbie or card and the pictures we chose. She said just a minute and took the discarded pictures in the back. We thought in order to destroy them. She came back and put our purchase in a bag from the back. She thanked us and sent us on our way. We saw the girls and wanted to share the pics with them. As we sat down in the chairs outside Shutters we saw that ALL our pictures were in the bag. We looked back through the window and saw a big smile on Debbie's face. She saw an even bigger smile on Kiyomi's.:) :) :)
Another magical moment. I really wish I knew how to scan those pics in. I'll work on it and see if I can.

Well I have to go to work, but later tonight I'll put the final touches on this TR.

[mkluvsmickey]

Love the story about your pictures - great Disney magic! :)

[winkers]

That is so sweet that Debbie gave you all the pictures!:lovestruc

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

How wonderful that Debbie gave you the rest of your photos, that was very sweet of her.

[solgent]

TDD,

I have enjoyed reading about your cruise very much. Our first cruise is in August. On January 2, my DD aged 9 said, "This is the year of our Disney cruise!" Your TR makes it sound so wonderful and memorable. I will be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen and reapply often!

Please scan some of your photos and post them for us! I know you can figure it out!

[tokyodisneydad]

I actually got things out of order a bit. We went to shutters later in the day. I remember that now because we have pictures of the girls in Yukatas. Still Debbie was wonderful.
Getting back on track I forgot that in the morning I attended the meeting to learn about how to get off the ship. ADVICE: If this is your first cruise this meting will be helpful. If you have been before use the time for a more enjoyable time.:confused3
The family decided to take in a matinee version of Disney Dreams. It was a wonderful show and great ending. This was the girl's favorite show. Yes there were tears in my eyes as I watched. Knowing how much overtime and hard work it took to get my family there but knowing it was VERY much worth it. :wizard:
After the show it was lunch by the Goofy Pool and watching pool games. WE had a variety of food including chicken fingers:love: and Kiyomi refilled her beer mug again. She got her money's worth and it made a wonderful souvenier . About 5 we decided to go back to the room and change for pictures with characters. The girls had brought Japanese yukatas to wear this last night. I had a shirt that matched, Here are some pics taken with our camera.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0779.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0782.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0786.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0784.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0780.jpg
This was my happiest moment. DDM had to force me to let go of Goofy's hand

Well after pictures we went back to the room briefly to get my pin lanyard to do a few trades at the pin trading in the lobby.

DDA and DDJ found this

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0792.jpg

Then it was off to dinner at Triton's. The food was great and of course I had my peanut butter pie.:love: But this was my least favorite restaurant.

After dinner the girl's we went to the farewell in the lobby. we stood right behind Hook and Hades--What a pair!!popcorn:: As the characters and staff said goodbye the tears flowed. We picked up a ton of pixie dust from the floor to take it back.
Then it was off to shutters and after meeting the girls they played ping pong on the front of the ship. DDM and I took one last romantic and slow walk:hug: in the moonlight and the beauty of the deck.

Next Goodbye Wonder, preparing tips and back on land

[disneyholic family]

i know what you mean about not being able to do the cruise justice..
there's just no way for me to put into words how wonderful our cruise was....
nothing i can say, can get the feeling across....

[manntra]

Wow Wally I love this last group of pictures! V. cute!! And your picture with Goofy is priceless! You look sooooooo happy! :cloud9:

[mkluvsmickey]

Love the pictures of the girls in their yukatas and the characters.

And your picture with Goofy is fantastic! :)

[winkers]

The girls look so beautifull in their dresses!:lovestruc
I love the pic of you with Goofy! It's great!

[teruterubouzu]

I've really enjoyed your trip report. The girls look so great in their yukata!

[Dragonfly*Tink]

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading both your reports! I hope everything is working out for you. You have a beautiful family!

[disneyholic family]

i miss your trip report!!

[tokyodisneydad]

well we woke up the last morning feeling very sad and not wanting to leave. We actually showed up to breakfast at the wrong time, but it all worked out well. To my surprise our head server Brenton had a piece of Peanut Butter Pie for me.:goodvibes The last breakfast has passed out of my memory now.

Here is a picture of the girls with our servers. I wish I knew how to get in touch with Brenton. The girls thought he was the greatest.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0777.jpg

We gave them some Japanese gifts with some really fancy envelopes that are used for special events like weddings in Japan.

We also gave Aiko(?) our assistant server a few snacks from home. As we left the dining room I handed a small tip to the dining room waiter guy but I didn't feel like he deserved it as we had seen him a total of once and that time he was angry at Brenton for spending to much time at our table. I slipped a note in his envelope with the money telling him how I felt.

We took a picture with our room attendant also. He was great also but I forgot his name. (sorry)
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0756.jpg

After getting off the ship we rode the bus back to the airport and checked in for the night. One of my Dizpin friends came and took my family to Walmart where we spent 2 hours shopping. Thank you so much Debbie for waiting while my girls shopped and shopped.

Back at the airport we had one more adventure as the phone card machine at 20$ of Akane's money. I ended up giving her money to call bread boy. junna killed one final cow by having a burger. I enjoyed Chick fila.

Well that's about all. Thanks to everyone that has been here for the ride. This really was the best vacation of my life and I'll be back with another report the next cruise. in the meantime if I can help by answering Qs just let me know.

[disneyholic family]

thank you sooooooooo much for taking the time to share your trip with us, both at WDW and on the cruise!!

i enjoyed reading both your reports and seeing the pictures of your beautiful family!!!
Thanks for sharing with us!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[winkers]

I've really enjoyed reading about your family's trip! I'm hoping to be able to take my kids on a disney cruise in the next few years!

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Thank You so much for writing this report and sharing your trip with us, I have really enjoyed reading about it.

[CPer'sMom]

I just found both your trip reports the other day and read them straight through! I enjoyed them very much and it was great to see your update today. Your family is beautiful ~ thanks for sharing all your (mostly!) great times with us :) It sounds like you truly did have a fantastic time together and made many, many wonderful memories.

I hope things are going well for you now ~ If you have a chance and care to share, please do.

Take care and God Bless!

[mkluvsmickey]

I've really enjoyed reading your reports! You have a lovely family. Thank you for sharing your fabulous vacation with us! :)

[pjstevens]

Wow, I have so enjoyed your trip with you (the entire thing). I so want to do a Disney cruise (with just hubby), but not sure it will work out any time soon. You have such a lovely family.

[The Disney Fanatic]

well we woke up the last morning feeling very sad and not wanting to leave. We actually showed up to breakfast at the wrong time, but it all worked out well. To my surprise our head server Brenton had a piece of Peanut Butter Pie for me.:goodvibes The last breakfast has passed out of my memory now.

Here is a picture of the girls with our servers. I wish I knew how to get in touch with Brenton. The girls thought he was the greatest.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0777.jpg

We gave them some Japanese gifts with some really fancy envelopes that are used for special events like weddings in Japan.

We also gave Aiko(?) our assistant server a few snacks from home. As we left the dining room I handed a small tip to the dining room waiter guy but I didn't feel like he deserved it as we had seen him a total of once and that time he was angry at Brenton for spending to much time at our table. I slipped a note in his envelope with the money telling him how I felt.

We took a picture with our room attendant also. He was great also but I forgot his name. (sorry)
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0756.jpg

After getting off the ship we rode the bus back to the airport and checked in for the night. One of my Dizpin friends came and took my family to Walmart where we spent 2 hours shopping. Thank you so much Debbie for waiting while my girls shopped and shopped.

Back at the airport we had one more adventure as the phone card machine at 20$ of Akane's money. I ended up giving her money to call bread boy. junna killed one final cow by having a burger. I enjoyed Chick fila.

Well that's about all. Thanks to everyone that has been here for the ride. This really was the best vacation of my life and I'll be back with another report the next cruise. in the meantime if I can help by answering Qs just let me know.


Bravo...Bravo! You can't see me now but I'm giving you a standing ovation! :cool1: Excellent Trip Report. It was so good with such great pics that I'm actually kind of afraid to give mine now.

[tokyodisneydad]

Bravo...Bravo! You can't see me now but I'm giving you a standing ovation! :cool1: Excellent Trip Report. It was so good with such great pics that I'm actually kind of afraid to give mine now.

Don't be afraid to give your report. I'm actually looking forward to reading it. So hook me up and send me a link.


Thanks to everyone for the kind words. Life is much better these days. I have a job and am changing to a better position in April.

Stay tuned and I'll be giving a Valentine's day TR from Tokyo DisneySEA and I even might go back and write one about our Halloween visit to TokyoDisneyland:rolleyes:

[disneyholic family]

you are such a much better person than me TokyoDisneyDad..
i always mean to write a report, but just never get around to it..
but in any case, mine wouldn't hold a candle to your reports...
mine would put everyone to sleep before the first post was over..

by the way, i saw my daughter's pictures from TDR.....wow wow wow wow...
especially from disneysea.....she said it's the most beautiful of all the disney parks and based on her pictures, i have to agree...

i hope that i can go there too one day....

the only problem she had at TDR was getting vegetarian food...she said it was really difficult (she thought she was going to starve to death on their first day there, she actually broke down crying because she was so hungry - she was there for 5 days)...but other than that she LOVED it....obviously, since she was supposed to stay there for 4 days, but extended it to 5 and spent her very last day in japan there as well...

[tokyodisneydad]

Next time your daughter is in Japan I'll give you my phone number. I can cook up vegetarian meals quite well.
DisneySEA has vegetable Gyouza. Did she get to give it a try?

[disneyholic family]

Next time your daughter is in Japan I'll give you my phone number. I can cook up vegetarian meals quite well.
DisneySEA has vegetable Gyouza. Did she get to give it a try?

she finally found a place or two where she could get a little bit of food...
she said the problem there was the japanese wouldn't think outside of the box...even though they were making the food right in front of her, (behind the counter) they refused to not include the non-vegetarian food in whatever it was they were making...

what is vegetable gyouza? I'll ask her if she had it...

see i wouldn't have had her problem...if there's no food, i'll just eat cake/cookies/ice cream/etc.
But she's not like me...she needs "real" food or she keels over (she's skinny, unlike me)...
she was the same way as a 2 year old...she would say she's hungry, i'd offer her a cookie and she'd say "no mommy, real food"....kinda strange, but she hasn't changed....

as for the phone number, i'll keep you to that promise :)

[CapnJackGroupie]

"Here is a picture of the girls with our servers. I wish I knew how to get in touch with Brenton. The girls thought he was the greatest.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n189/tokyodisneydad/DSCN0777.jpg

We gave them some Japanese gifts with some really fancy envelopes that are used for special events like weddings in Japan.
We also gave Aiko(?) our assistant server a few snacks from home."

--------------------------------------------------------------

We had Akari as our Asst. Server too!! She was so sweet to my kids and had my son get up and dance w/ her during the "limbo". We also LOVED :love: Brenton - he was serving at a nearby table and was so nice and always smiling and singing!!

Have loved reading along w/ your TR - thanks for sharing! You have a beautiful family!

[CPer'sMom]

Thanks to everyone for the kind words. Life is much better these days. I have a job and am changing to a better position in April.

Stay tuned and I'll be giving a Valentine's day TR from Tokyo DisneySEA and I even might go back and write one about our Halloween visit to TokyoDisneyland:rolleyes:

Great to hear that all's going well for you and your family! :)

Looking forward to reading more from you ~

[tokyodisneydad]

what is vegetable gyouza? I'll ask her if she had it.


I can't figure out how to describe it:confused3 It's a a veggie mix in a pastry shell then fried or steamed

It was available near 20,000 leagues under the sea in Disney Sea

[The Disney Fanatic]

Don't be afraid to give your report. I'm actually looking forward to reading it. So hook me up and send me a link.


Thanks to everyone for the kind words. Life is much better these days. I have a job and am changing to a better position in April.

Stay tuned and I'll be giving a Valentine's day TR from Tokyo DisneySEA and I even might go back and write one about our Halloween visit to TokyoDisneyland:rolleyes:

The DisneySEA Trip Report will be a highly anticipated TR. I really want to go there one day soon so I can't wait to read your TR.:thumbsup2

[disneyholic family]

The DisneySEA Trip Report will be a highly anticipated TR. I really want to go there one day soon so I can't wait to read your TR.:thumbsup2

yes, that's true...there are many many many disers who are very interested in hearing about disneysea (including moi)....