Just Back, May 3-10 Western

[LJC1861]

So, we literally walked in the door from our totally "Magical" Western Cruise. I will start a detailed trip report tomorrow. My partner and I traveled with 4 of our best friends who sneered at us last year when we mentioned that we were taking a Disney Cruise. When we showed them our pictures and heard our stories they all agreed that maybe this "Disney" stuff wasn't too bad after all.

We were in 3 Category 5 staterooms on the starboard side.....7568-7572. I was acting as official "Cruise Director" for our little group and took my job seriously. I planned all the excursions, with their input of course, and basically took the lead in rounding up the group so we would be on time for things. Sometimes it was met with more enthusiasm than others....more on that later.

Embarkation Day:

We stayed at the Residence Inn in a 2 bedroom suite. As both couples are a bit older than us, and with some back troubles...we took the pull out sofa. I do NOT recommend using it, and next time we will book more than one room despite the cost. Lisa and I did not sleep well, but we were too excited to sleep anyway. Breakfast was good and we were off to catch the shuttle. As we had rented our car from Hertz which is located right at the Residence Inn, we were able to utilize their free shuttle to the port. The shuttle driver looked at us incredulously as we proceeded to pile all 15 bags onto the shuttle. We got to the port early, and just decided to wait. As 10:00 approached and more and more people began arriving I began to get a bit anxious ( more on anxiety later....LOL) and decided to walk over to the crosswalk to see if they were letting people in yet. Lo and behold they were and I walked all alone into the security area. A nice woman directed me to the machine and up the escalator I went.....into a TOTALLY EMPTY TERMINAL!!! I was literally the first person there. The rest of our party was still down with the luggage, but I really wanted the coveted number 2 as I had some Palo reservations to change. Not only did I get #2, I had the pleasure of being the only person in the terminal for about 10 minutes. Everyone else arrived shortly thereafter and we settled down to wait. We were all wearing the "Cruisin' with my Peeps" shirts and were greeted by several DIS'ers while waiting in the terminal. It was so much fun!

After boarding....we headed to lunch in Parrot Cay and ate ourselves silly. I had to caution the other about not eating too much as there was so much food coming. We had a wonderful fruity drink at Signals and headed to our staterooms.


More on embarkation day tomorrow....I am exhausted!

Linda

[LJC1861]

After lunch we headed up to Deck 9, after booking a martini tasting at Guest Services and had a fruity drink. I, of course, got my first Konk Kooler. Shortly thereafter we headed down to our staterooms to get settled. The safety drill was next and we all got ready, including my guest on the trip, "Flat Kevin (Stanley). I had made him his own life jacket and he was quite the star at the drill.

Following the drill we headed up to the Sail Away party. As we were a bit late we did not get the best spot and after hearing the horn we went back down to signals. I know I am a mush and got all teary when the horn sounded, but I was surprised to see several of our friends...who are not really Disney folk, get teary eyed as well. We got our drinks and went back up to Deck 10 to watch the ship leave port. I think it was then that Karen realized that being on a cruise meant that the ship actually moved! She was a bit hesitant as we went back down to get changed for dinner.

Dinner was in Lumieres and and was what I think was a new menu....the "Welcome aboard" menu. ** I need to backtrack a bit here. I noticed that the dining rotation was different as soon as I got my KTTW. The rotation this week was LAPLLAP, with pirate night on Tuesday!! I had specifically booked Palo for Wednesday which was supposed to be Pirate night. I had to change it and was able to with no problem.** We had Table 8, a LOVELY table near the window or the edge of every restaurant each night. While this might not appeal to everyone, for us it was perfect. We were able to enjoy the ambience of the restaurant without to much hustle and bustle. Our servers Don and Csaba were a bit shy and reserved that first night....but quickly warmed up to our antics.

We opted not to see the Welcome Aboard variety show and instead had a very early night.

Tomorrow--Key West and the LONG HOT walk to the Southernmost Point.

Linda

[VacationKicks]

Wow! I can't believe you started your trip report the day you came home. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your TR! :thumbsup2

[Dreamer04]

More, More, More!!

[LJC1861]

As is typical of me I woke up ridiculously early on Sunday. I decided to get some exercise and walked a mile on Deck 4. I stopped a bit to take pictures of the sunrise and kept going. By the time I finished and got some tea for Lisa and I the rest of the gang were ready for breakfast. We all met in the hallway, our usual meeting spot and headed down to Lumiere's for breakfast. Over breakfast we mapped out our day as I yakked excitedly about all there were to explore in Key West. We decided on Kino's for sandals, some t-shirt shopping and then a visit to the Southernmost Point. Everyone decided that I was by far the perkiest person they had ever met, and that theme would carry on throughout the week.

When we docked I noticed that folks were disembarking earlier than expected, so I excitedly got everyone on the phone and said somewhat over-enthusiastically.....let's go! That was met with a mixed response as some were not quite ready......tone it down Miss Perky or it is going to be a LONG week, I cautioned myself. We disembarked and headed right for Kino's. After trying on lots of pairs of sandals, only Lisa purchased some. We did some t-shirt shopping while talking to the shop owner about the best way to get to the Southernmost Point. I was all for the Trolley, or a taxi, or even an electric car, but the rest of the gang decided it would be more economical to walk. The shop owner said it was approximately 14 short blocks....but looking at the map it looked a LOT farther. We decided to walk down Whitehead Street to avoid much of the hustle and bustle of Duvall. On the way we stopped to take pictures of the beginning of Route 1, chickens, banyan trees, and lots of other things. As we walked and walked and walked several members in the group began to ask that age old question...."are we there YET?" Somehow it became my fault that we walked (as the official cruise director I am sure) even though it was I who originally suggested a cab. We finally made it, and took bunches of pictures including several of Flat Kevin. We turned down Duvall and practically jumped a cab as he was letting another party out. We all sank gratefully into the cool air conditioning as we asked him where he would recommend for a snack. He recommended Red Fish, Blue Fish and we all had a snack and a drink. Of course we finished with Key Lime Pie. As we were dining, it began to rain and then to pour. We were so glad that we were inside and not out in it.

After we ate we split up to do some more shopping. Lisa and I hit CVS and then the Blond Giraffe. I purchased some Key Lime Juice so I can make pies at home. After that we hit the Croc store and each purchased a new pair. (This will be important later in the story) and headed back to the ship. We took a quick nap and got ready for dinner in Animator's Palette.

Dinner was fun. Our friends were totally enthralled with the entire experience and our table by the wall gave us a great view of the entire room. Flat Kevin came to dinner and sat at the end of the table propped up by a water glass. Don, our server, was a bit confused even after the explanation but did his best to play along. He asked what Kevin would be having for dinner and did not flinch when I ordered him an entree. Don recommended the chocolate peanut butter pie which was a huge hit with everyone. When he realized how much we were enjoying it he brought us more. Csaba amazingly had our cokes ready....each with the appropriate lemon or lime. He also had a bottle of Pellegino chilling for Nina and Barbara. They had ordered it the first night and he had it ready the second. They were all very impressed. After dinner we headed out to the deck to watch the sunset. It was so amazingly beautiful, and came complete with clouds shaped like Goofy in profile and Mickey. Only on a Disney Cruise would the clouds totally cooperate. Once again we had an early night, which for me included a glass of wine on the verandah.

Tomorrow.....our first day at sea.

Linda

[Googelibear]

I am really enjoying this report. Are you planning on posting some pictures for us to see :cool2:

[laura001]

I too am enjoying your trip and am happy to see a complete adult side to a DCL cruise....keep it coming!!!

[Googelibear]

I too am enjoying your trip and am happy to see a complete adult side to a DCL cruise....keep it coming!!!

Exactly. We're leaving the boys at home this coming January. Haven't done Disney as adults only since the mid 80's. ;)

[frdeb1999]

Great TR...looking forward to hearing more!!

[lvstitch]

popcorn:: Pictures please :teeth:

[PocaJaz]

Hi Linda, we were on this cruise too, and we might have been sitting pretty close to you. We were in Lumiere's the first night, early seating. I can't tell if you meant early or late?! We were at table 6, and we had a group of ladies at the next table. Was that you? We were 2 families of 4, two little girls and two little boys. Can't wait to read the rest of your report! :thumbsup2

[philatiger]

Thanks for the great updates on your trip. My DP and I are booked on the western next year and await to hear all the good things we can expect.

Cheers,

Chuck

[LJC1861]

Poca Jaz--

Yup, that was us! We were at table 8. I hope we weren't TOO rowdy. I thought we did pretty well until the last night when we just got really silly. We had a little Conga Line going out of Parrot Cay into the Promenade Lounge and were just laughing ourselves silly.

Linda

[LJC1861]

Monday dawned bright and beautiful. As usual I started my day with a brisk walk on Deck 4. When I got back Lisa had ordered a little snack for breakfast as she is diabetic and needs to eat something when she takes her insulin. WE were going to do breakfast with the gang later on at Lumieres.

The appointed hour for breakfast arrived and we made our way down to Lumiere's. Robin asked the hostess at the door if we could have a table a bit away from small children. She loves kids, but the day before we had a screamer at the next table. Marina, the hostess looked at her incredulously and replied " You know you are on a DISNEY cruise, right??" We all laughed. We did get a great table in the far corner which was perfectly quiet and wonderful for the ladies who had not had much coffee yet. Before we sat down Nina asked if we should go up and reserve loungers by the pool. Lisa and I both said " NO!" I explained that it was strictly not allowed. We had a lovely breakfast (the Beast's Secret Tower was fantastic ) and headed up to the pool. I was a little miffed to see almost the entire front row of loungers already reserved with nobody in sight. We made the best of it and grabbed loungers on the end of the row. We spent several lovely hours by the pool. I decided to to to the Castaway Club reception and was able to get a picture of Flat Kevin with Captain Thord. That was cool.

The afternoon brought the first of several several art auctions. It was really fun, especially when the auctioneer asked for an estimate price from the audience on one piece and I was within $1000. There were free martinis offered and I had 1 and I have to admit I was a bit swimmy headed afterward.

After the art auction Karen, Robin and I had a martini tasting booked. The regular one was not to my liking, but the other 3 flavors most definitely were! They were not full sized, but big enough to make us all rather giggly by the time it was done. After the tasting we dressed for formal night. I must admit I did have one of the fruity drinks offered at the Captains reception and was even more swimmy headed....but it was fun. We got our picture taken and it came out great! It was off to Parrot Cay for dinner where once again Don and Csaba were full of charm. Dinner was wonderful with more Chocolate Peanut Butter pie from Animator's Palette. Of course we all had other desserts, but Don made the pie happen and it was really appreciated. After dinner we went to the Golden Mickey's and it was so much fun to see this show through our friends eyes. Karen wasn't feeling particularly well, and left early to head back to her stateroom.

Once again it was an early night as we needed to be ready to catch the earliest tender boat so we would be on time for our excursion on Grand Cayman. Although they were not too happy about having to be ready at 7:00 everyone agreed to meet early.

Tomorrow Grand Cayman, or "What do you MEAN you don't feel well???"

Linda

[philatiger]

I have to admit, the Chocolate Peanut Butter pie was awesome....tired to behave myself with the desserts....that was a losing battle...lol

looking forward to hearing about your time at Grand Cayman.

[always on vacation]

Sounds great so far!

[LJC1861]

Tuesday arrived and with it our big excursion on Grand Cayman. The night before Karen excused herself from the "Golden Mickeys" with an upset stomach. We didn't think too much of it at the time as she had several martinis and a rich dinner and dessert. On Tuesday morning as we all met in the hallway Robin came out of their cabin looking very tired and still in her jammies. She explained that Karen had been up all night vomiting and worse. She made a middle of the night excursion to the medical center and that was to be her only excursion for the day, unfortunately. She had a shot of Phenergren for the nausea and was told that she needed to see the Dr. at 9:30 that morning. Needless to say neither one of them was up for the excursion. It was with a heavy heart that Nina, Lisa and I headed out for the tender line.

We got in line and were seated in the theater promptly at 7:30. At 7:35 we were lead down to the tender. By 8:00 we stepped ashore on Grand Cayman and made our way 5 minutes down the street to the Blue Iguana. There we met our host for the day, Capt. John Michal Stafford. We had booked the 5+ hour "Outrage Eco-Tour" through Island Marketing. Our meeting time was set for 8:30 and John-Michael was was there before we were. We piled into his van and off we went. On the ride he asked if the beverages he had chosen were to our liking (they were) and if we wanted to stop for picnic items or have lunch at Rum Point (Rum Point). Shortly after arriving at his boat we were on the way for our adventure. He took us to Stingray City first and we were the second boat there. The other boat was a small tour boat as well and there must have been only 10 of us in the water at that time. As we were getting our stingray interaction lesson John Michael told us to look towards the other boat. The stingrays left that boat and began heading over to ours to see what was going on. We were taking a bit too long to get into the water, so back they went. John Michael laughed and told us it was quite common, they go where food is. We finally got into the water and within minutes were surrounded by fascinatingly beautiful stingrays. We spent 45 wonderful minutes feeding, holding, petting and being petted by these friendly docile creatures. When the bait was gone so were the rays, but by that time other boats had arrived loaded down with people.

Next John Michael took us on a bouncy ride into some deeper water to see flying fish. We saw several and it was very exciting. From there he took us sightseeing for a little while showing us some of the lesser known areas on the island. From there it was off to his favorite reef for some snorkeling. Nina was the only one of us who had snorkeled and John Michael patiently showed us how. With some hesitation it was in the water for all of us. After a bit of panic, I adjusted my breathing and began to relax. It was SO beautiful. John got into the water with us and pointed out stingrays, and dove to the bottom to show us live conch. We snorkeled for about 1/2 hour and we all began to tire. Rather than make us swim back to the boat, he brought the boat to us. Talk about service! We climbed back aboard and headed on our way. As it was almost lunch time he took us to Starfish Beach, which is just down from Rum Point. He pulled up alongside a shallow sandbar and dropped anchor. There is a small rental property right there and a family who must have just checked in. The mother calls out, "Don't anchor the sandbar is shallow!" John Michael laughed and replied " no worries, I come here every day!" We stepped off the back of the boat into ankle deep water. John Michael quickly found one starfish off the opposite of the boat. He said that he would find others if we wanted to walk down the beach for lunch. We invited him along, but he declined. The walk to Rum Point was beautiful and so was the beach itself. We had a fantastic (and fantastically expensive) lunch at the outside lunch spot on the beach. When we were stuffed we headed back down the beach. There we found John Michael with 4 huge starfish. We got to hold them and he explained all about the way they eat and see. After we spent several minutes with the starfish John asked if anyone wanted to do some tubing as we headed for the Mangroves. Of course I did and he got the tube and me all set up. Getting from the boat to the tube was hysterical. "Jump like you are jumping on your bed" John said.....well it has been at least 35 years since I have jumped on my bed, but I gave it a try. I hit the tube and promptly ended up, upside down in the water laughing all the way. With John's help I got back up and he gave me instructions on how to hold on and let him know if I was okay. He pulled the boat away and off we went. Then he went faster....and faster. I was holding on as tightly as I could and we were flying!!! It was SO much fun. I have no idea how long I was on the tube, but it felt like a very long time. I finally got loaded back onboard and we rode the few minutes to the mangrove preserve. This is a huge part of the island and the mangroves create canals as they grow. He headed up one of the canals as he explained how vital these plants re to the eco system. Soon he came upon a very calm place on the water. He told us to look down there there on the bottom were jellyfish that looked like snowflakes. They were breathtaking. John Michael simply let us be...for about 15 minutes. Nobody said a word. Nobody had to. It was altogether too beautiful. Finally we headed back to the dock. We were tired and a bit sunburned, but totally relaxed.

We said goodbye to John Michael with a promise to be take his tour again, with our friends who couldn't make it and headed off to do some shopping. Of course we ended up with the obligatory t-shirts and Rum cakes and caught a tender back to the ship.

We checked in on Robin and Karen. Karen was QUARANTINED!!!!! She was also very down in the dumps. The Dr. explained that this was a CDC requirement, not a DCL requirement and that there was nothing they could do. Karen was SO upset as we had Palo reservations that night. We were all upset at that point. Robin did explain that if she was feeling better Karen could go with us to Cozumel, but that we would have to go back into quarantine when she returned. (This was something I just couldn't wrap my head around but oh well). We gave her a hug and then it was off to rest a bit before Palo.

Palo was AMAZING!! Tomas, our server was great as was the meal. We each had an entree and he brought 2 others for us to try. Dessert was another food fest with a chocolate souffle for each of us and several other desserts. Robin took some yummy Palo mashed potatoes to Karen with good wishes from Tomas and PJ the maitre d' who said that he would try to get us all back into Palo on Friday night so Karen could enjoy a meal there.

Now, I know this next statement is going to be a bit sacreligious...but we skipped pirate night and even the fireworks. Yup. We were just too tired, full and sunburned....and a little depressed about Karen. Karen and Robin watched it from there verandah however. We all parted ways for the night hoping and praying that Karen would be better and able to go on our excursion on Cozumel....the Royal Dolphin Swim.

Tomorrow--Cozumel, or "But I might hurt them!"

Linda

[lakeeter]

Hi -

I'm Lisa, Linda's partner, and I'm going to include some of the photos to go along with Linda's trip report. I've quoted some of the parts of her report to go with the pics, so I hope it's not too confusing!

Just Back, May 3-10 Western

Embarkation Day:

We stayed at the Residence Inn in a 2 bedroom suite. As we had rented our car from Hertz which is located right at the Residence Inn, we were able to utilize their free shuttle to the port. The shuttle driver looked at us incredulously as we proceeded to pile all 15 bags onto the shuttle.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/Embarkationpic.jpg

After boarding....we headed to lunch in Parrot Cay and ate ourselves silly. I had to caution the other about not eating too much as there was so much food coming. We had a wonderful fruity drink at Signals and headed to our staterooms.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0613.jpg

Embarkation Day, part 2

After lunch we headed up to Deck 9, after booking a martini tasting at Guest Services and had a fruity drink. I, of course, got my first Konk Kooler. Shortly thereafter we headed down to our staterooms to get settled. The safety drill was next and we all got ready..

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0615.jpg


Day 2--Key West or "Are we there yet???"

We decided to walk down Whitehead Street to avoid much of the hustle and bustle of Duvall. On the way we stopped to take pictures of the beginning of Route 1, chickens, banyan trees, and lots of other things. As we walked and walked and walked several members in the group began to ask that age old question...."are we there YET?" Somehow it became my fault that we walked (as the official cruise director I am sure) even though it was I who originally suggested a cab. We finally made it, and took bunches of pictures including several of Flat Kevin. We turned down Duvall and practically jumped a cab as he was letting another party out. We all sank gratefully into the cool air conditioning as we asked him where he would recommend for a snack. He recommended Red Fish, Blue Fish and we all had a snack and a drink. Of course we finished with Key Lime Pie. As we were dining, it began to rain and then to pour. We were so glad that we were inside and not out in it.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0682.jpg


Don recommended the chocolate peanut butter pie which was a huge hit with everyone.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0787.jpg
After dinner we headed out to the deck to watch the sunset. It was so amazingly beautiful, and came complete with clouds shaped like Goofy in profile and Mickey. Only on a Disney Cruise would the clouds totally cooperate.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0740.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0741.jpg

Day 3, Monday, Day at Sea or " We HAVE to get to the pool!!
Monday dawned bright and beautiful. As usual I started my day with a brisk walk on Deck 4.
We spent several lovely hours by the pool.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0778.jpg

Day 4--Grand Cayman, or "What do you MEAN you don't feel well???!!!

Tuesday arrived and with it our big excursion on Grand Cayman. The night before Karen excused herself from the "Golden Mickeys" with an upset stomach. We didn't think too much of it at the time as she had several martinis and a rich dinner and dessert. On Tuesday morning as we all met in the hallway Robin came out of their cabin looking very tired and still in her jammies. She explained that Karen had been up all night vomiting and worse. She made a middle of the night excursion to the medical center and that was to be her only excursion for the day, unfortunately. She had a shot of Phenergren for the nausea and was told that she needed to see the Dr. at 9:30 that morning. Needless to say neither one of them was up for the excursion. It was with a heavy heart that Nina, Lisa and I headed out for the tender line.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0690.jpg
Our quarantined friend, Karen :sick:

We finally got into the water and within minutes were surrounded by fascinatingly beautiful stingrays. We spent 45 wonderful minutes feeding, holding, petting and being petted by these friendly docile creatures.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/387341-R1-028-12A_014.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/387341-R1-002-00A_001.jpg

From there it was off to his favorite reef for some snorkeling. Nina was the only one of us who had snorkeled and John Michael patiently showed us how. With some hesitation it was in the water for all of us. After a bit of panic, I adjusted my breathing and began to relax. It was SO beautiful. John got into the water with us and pointed out stingrays, and dove to the bottom to show us live conch. We snorkeled for about 1/2 hour and we all began to tire. Rather than make us swim back to the boat, he brought the boat to us.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/387340-R1-028-12A_014.jpg

The walk to Rum Point was beautiful and so was the beach itself. We had a fantastic (and fantastically expensive) lunch at the outside lunch spot on the beach. When we were stuffed we headed back down the beach.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0889.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0897.jpg

There we found John Michael with 4 huge starfish.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0900.jpg
After we spent several minutes with the starfish John asked if anyone wanted to do some tubing as we headed for the Mangroves. Of course I did and he got the tube and me all set up. Getting from the boat to the tube was hysterical. "Jump like you are jumping on your bed" John said.....well it has been at least 35 years since I have jumped on my bed, but I gave it a try. I hit the tube and promptly ended up, upside down in the water laughing all the way. With John's help I got back up and he gave me instructions on how to hold on and let him know if I was okay. He pulled the boat away and off we went. Then he went faster....and faster. I was holding on as tightly as I could and we were flying!!! It was SO much fun.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0921.jpg

I have no idea how long I was on the tube, but it felt like a very long time. I finally got loaded back onboard and we rode the few minutes to the mangrove preserve. This is a huge part of the island and the mangroves create canals as they grow. He headed up one of the canals as he explained how vital these plants re to the eco system. Soon he came upon a very calm place on the water. He told us to look down there there on the bottom were jellyfish that looked like snowflakes. They were breathtaking. John Michael simply let us be...for about 15 minutes. Nobody said a word. Nobody had to. It was altogether too beautiful. Finally we headed back to the dock. We were tired and a bit sunburned, but totally relaxed.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0946.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_0953.jpg

:surfweb:

[rcchello]

Linda and Lisa - I enjoy following your adventures. Thanks for the pictures:thumbsup2 Sorry our friend got sick (must add Imodium to my packin list)!

Will be watching for updates

[LJC1861]

Bob,

She did have tons of immodium packed! It was actually the vomiting that got her in trouble. At one point it was so severe she felt that her only option was to go to the medical center. Karen knew what would most likely happen as we had been talking about what happens if....but when you are that sick there comes a point where you simply have to do something about it. The shot of Phenergren that she received did help, as did the pills that they gave her as well.

Disney did an excellent job of taking care of Karen. They comped any and all canned beverages that she could drink. They brought her whatever food she could handle, which believe me wasn't much. They brought up a DVD player and several movies for her to watch....and the DID check numerous times to make sure she was in her room. They were nice about it, but it was evident that they wanted to make sure she was abiding by the rules of the quarantine.

Linda

[philatiger]

Sorry to hear Karen was sick...glad to hear Disney took care of her in her room.
My partner and I are enjoying your TR...We just got back a few weeks ago from the 7day eastern...so reading your posts makes me wish were were going on the western much sooner. A year and a half is a long way off...but for now we will live it through your eyes.
thanks for sharing and look forward to reading about your adventures in Cozumel

Chuck

[bsusanmb]

Loving your TR...can't wait for more!

[bobbi565]

Hooray, Lisa! I've been enjoying Linda's narrative so far, and now I'll have the pictures to go along with it. Keep it up ladies! Looking forward to what comes next...

[LJC1861]

As usual I began Wednesday with my brisk walk on Deck 4. Once again we did room service for breakfast embellished with some bacon and waffles from Topsiders. Cruising works for us because I can be as busy and active as I want while Lisa relaxes as much as she needs to. Karen was feeling a bit better and was given permission by the medical clinic to leave the ship for the excursion. Funny thing though, as soon as she got back to the ship she would need to be quarantined again (What's up with that??)

We got ourselves ready and headed out to Cozumel as soon as we were able to. We did a bit of shopping in the mall right off the pier and I immediately headed for Los Cinco Soles and a very large bottle of Vanilla. I wanted to get it early as I knew that after our excursion I would most likely want to head right back to the Shop for a nap.

After shopping we caught a cab to Chankanaab for our Dolphin Swim. We arrived with plenty of time to get ourselves oriented to the park and our things put away in lockers. Then the fun began. We enthusiastically sat through the orientation video and demonstration of the body positions needed for the behaviors. Then we got suited up in our life jackets and out on the dock we went. Our Dolphins were Romulo and Chaac....which we all heard pronounced as Chuck ( we all thought that was funny...a Mexican Dolphin named Chuck) and met our trainers Claudia and Alex. We immediately began working with the Dolphins. Lisa and I were the first in our group to do the dorsal pull. We swam out and waited. I could feel a slight rushing in the water behind me as Claudia shouted " one....two...three...go!" I felt the dolphins swim right up beside me and grabbed on to both dorsal fins. We sped through the water towards the dock and they deposited me gently back to where I started. It was fantastic!! While we were swimming out other members of our party were back on the dock feeding and dancing with the dolphins. We also did a kiss where we first kissed and then were kissed by the dolphins. Next up was the foot push, the behavior that I was nervous about. I swam out, farther than before and assumed the required 'superman' position. Then I waited somewhat nervously I might admit. Once again I heard the countdown from Claudia and then felt two hard noses pushing on my feet. I locked my knees and raised my arms and lo and behold I was flying!!! They pushed me higher and higher out of the water until suddenly it stopped and again I was deposited gently back at the dock. It was such a wonderful experience, one that I will never forget.

Karen and Robin were up next and did their foot push. When it was time for their dorsal pull Robin balked....."I'm going to hurt them" she said. We all looked at her like she was nuts. She just got pushed through the water by them and she is now worried that by holding their dorsal fins she was going to hurt them??!!?? She was finally convinced that it was going to be fine and went and did it. She and the dolphins were both fine. All too quickly it seemed we were saying goodbye to our dolphin friends and it was back on the dock. We were shuttled through the obligatory video and picture viewing and bargaining session and decided on one video to share and 3 pictures each. I think the vendors were a bit put out that we opted not to buy all the pics, but that is the way it goes.

After we were done and cleaned up we had a delicious lunch at the park. The hamburgers and fries were simply delicious and disappeared quickly. Chankanaab is a beautiful park and very very clean. I did not hesitate ordering food for one minute, although I did opt to remove the lettuce, tomato and onion that were on top of the burger.

We caught a cab back to the pier and stopped for ice cream before heading back to the Magic. We had time for a nap before dinner.

Dinner tonite was Lumieres again and once again Csaba had all our drinks ready for us and Don brought us more Chocolate Peanut Butter pie in addition to all the other desserts we ordered. Tonite for dinner it was only Robin, Lisa and I as Karen was still quarantined and Nina and Barb were worn out and just wanted to stay in for dinner. Don was a bit disappointed that several of our party were not present for dinner. He kept asking if we wanted him to bring dinners to all of them. We insisted that it was not necessary, but he seemed to really want to. For dessert he had 3 creme brulees and 2 chocolate peanut butter pies and some potatoes (for Karen) plated up for us. Once again he asked about delivering it and finally sent us off with his best wishes for our friends. Csaba, who didn't speak much English was also concerned. He had Nina and Barb's Pellegrino chilling and when they were not at dinner he asked "Friends okay??" with a very concerned look. They were both just SO sweet to be so concerned.

As we brought up the desserts we visited for a bit in Karen's room and then parted ways for the evening. I was feeling like I needed a walk...especially after all the food I had been eating. Once again I headed to deck 4. As I was walking I noticed that one of the windows looked into the Galley for Animator's Palette. I stood there for several minutes just watching plates being prepared. At one point the 4 chefs turned around, looked at me and waved. It was so funny.

When I got back I sat on my verandah with a glass of wine and a book. Not a bad way to end a wonderful day.

Tomorrow--our second day at Sea or " Do we HAVE to go home?"

Linda

[whayes]

Thanks for the great trip report! I have to wait until next year for my cruise. I plan to cruise vicariously through everyone's trip reports.

Did you have fun with Flat Kevin? I had a Flat Stanley that I took on a trip to Japan. It was great seeing the faces of the people wondering what I was doing with a laminated, hand drawn character.

Thanks for adding the photos Lisa!! It is always nice to see people enjoying themselves!

[poffles]

Awesome report ... I am reading every word and the pictures are great. Can't wait to be able to post a report myself.

[bobbi565]

Thanks for showing me much of Chankanaab that I didn't get to see! We were pretty much confined to the kid's beach all day. :)

[philatiger]

thanks for the continued updates on your trip. We were not real impressed with Cozumel on our last cruise there, so maybe we will look into the dolphin encounter. We were very disappointed with the snorkling.

Did you hear from any of the other cruisers about any other excursions?

thanks

[LJC1861]

Guess what I did to wake up this morning??? Yup, a mile on deck 4. After the walk I went back to the cabin to get an underwater camera that I had purchased in the gift shop that we didn't need and took it to the Treasure Ketch to return it. While there I saw a woman limp up to the counter and begin talking to the CM behind the counter. She stubbed her toe on an umbrella pole and thought it might be broken. She did not go to the medical clinic because as she said, "what are they going to do for a toe??" She knew there were only 2 more days and she could tough it out. I felt sorry for her because she could barely walk. I finished my transaction and lo and behold we met up in the elevator. I looked down at her foot and immediately asked what size shoe she wore. It was the same as mine and I took off my Croc and handed it to her. "Try it on" I said. I explained that they were soft, with a wide toe and incredibly easy to slip on and off. It fit perfectly and there was immediate relief on her face. "This is incredible!" she exclaimed. We had arrived on her floor and I handed her the other one. "Here you go" I said. She was stunned! I explained that I had purchased a replacement pair in Key West, and that these were destined for the recycle bin. They were a bit worn on the sole, but would get her through the next few days. She tried to protest, but I insisted. She thanked me with a hug and we parted ways. Of course Lisa looked at me with a strange expression when I came in with no shoes, but totally understood when I explained what I did.

From there it was time to get dressed for brunch. We all met in the hallway and headed up to Palo. We were greeted by PJ, and we introduced him to Karen, our friend who had been sick on Tuesday when we dined there. He mentioned again that he would do his best to find us a table for Friday. Sylvester showed us to our table, after stopping to get us our Bellini's. When we got to the table we placed our Bellini's in a circle with the flowers in the center and got a really cool picture. Then we did a little toast to wonderful friends and future vacations. After Tomas our server gave us a tour of the buffet we began to eat....and eat.....and eat.......

We all loved the pizza with proscuitto that we had at dinner on Tuesday. When we asked if it could be prepared for us, the answer was "of course!" There was pizza all around along with several other wonderful entrees. We dove enthusiastically into the dessert buffet and several hours later rolled ourselves out. We were still at our table at noon when the "When you Wish Upon a Star" signal came over the intercom system. We all IMMEDIATELY put our fingers into our ears and waited. Tomas looked at us like we were nuts! We did this because on Monday at noon we missed the announcement that the horn was going to sound and almost lost our eardrums as we were blasted while sitting on Deck 9. This time we were prepared. Tomas said to us "ladies, it is an announcement. You HAVE to listen." We laughed ourselves silly. If anyone reading this was sitting anywhere nearby that day, I hope we did not disturb you. We giggled all the way back to our staterooms. Lisa decided to go to the DVC presentation and I opted to something I had not done yet on the trip....take a nap! 2 hours later Lisa woke me up and she took a nap while I headed up to Deck 10 for a fruity drink with Robin. It was such a relaxing day. While we were up on deck 10, Robin looked at me and stated emphatically......" I don't WANT to go home!!!!" I told her that I could totally realte and definitely felt the same.

Dinner that night was semi-formal and was the "Master Chef" menu. It had lobster on it and the lobster tail was huge!!! I had it paired with prime rib and was in heaven!!! Once again we rolled out of dinner and off to Disney Dreams. I was SO looking forward to seeing this show through the eyes of our friends. Nina loves Peter Pan and I knew she would love the show. We were all in tears when it was over and it was the perfect way to end a wonderful day. We all collapsed into bed ready to take on Castaway Cay in the morning.

Tomorrow, Castaway or "Hey Bruno......where's my drink"???

Linda

[lakeeter]

Hi -

Here are some of the pics from the Dolphin Encounter -- it was WAY fun!!!

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/lindadolphinhold.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/Lisafinpull.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/lindadolphinkiss.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/lisadolphdance.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/lindafootpush.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/lisadolphdance.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/lisadolphinkiss.jpg

[Buckeye Gal]

Very cool pictures with the dolphins! You can tell you all had a great time! Did all of you do the "Encounter", or are some of those activites from other options like the Swim Adventure? I specifically loved the pic of one of you holding onto two dolphins who are pulling her in the water. THAT'S what I want to do!! :goodvibes

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us!

[philatiger]

Way Cool!!!!! I am convinced....we will be doing the dolphin encounter....

[LJC1861]

Lisa typed in "encounter" but what we did was actually the Royal Swim. It was the most amazing experience, especially the foot push. If you are even remotely thinking about it.....I say go ahead and do it.

Linda

[bobbi565]

Great dolphin pictures! I'm really enjoying your TR, Linda and Lisa!:thumbsup2

[Buckeye Gal]

Lisa typed in "encounter" but what we did was actually the Royal Swim. It was the most amazing experience, especially the foot push. If you are even remotely thinking about it.....I say go ahead and do it.

Linda

Thanks for the clarification, Linda! I had a feeling it wasn't the Encounter. It looks like just an amazing experience!

[LJC1861]

Friday morning dawned bright and beautiful. I didn't walk on the deck this morning as I was just too excited about Castaway Cay. I opened the door to the verandah expecting to see the pirate ship and what did I see....the dock!! I have to admit I was a bit disappointed as I really wanted our friends to see the beautiful expanse of beach. Oh well....there was no time to waste....we had hammocks to get!!! Lisa mentioned somewhat casually that she had another appointment with the DVC representative and would meet us on the island.

I rounded up the rest of the gang and it was off to the island. It took a bit longer than I expected to get everyone together and moving from point A to point B. No worries....we still got a great spot on the beach at Serenity Bay with 2 umbrellas, 6 loungers and a hammock next to us. It was in use by the time we got there, but the man who was in it mentioned that he would be leaving to head back to the ship as his wife was sick....so the hammock became ours!!!

By 10:00 many of us were already craving something cool and fruity. Luckily along came Bruno.....our best friend for the day. He was delightful and chatty and had visited our region of North Carolina and kept bringing drinks at regular intervals. I rented a floaty mat and hit the water. After a little while it was back to the chairs to dry off. Soon after Lisa arrived with big news and a bright red DVC hat for each of us. She stated proudly that we were now the proud owners of 160 DVC points at Saratoga Springs Resort. Just about that time Bruno came by again and we ordered more fruity drinks. Bruno had convinced me to try my Konk Kooler with Captain Morgan and it made this already wonderful drink even more wonderful. We all had one to celebrate Lisa's big announcement. We spent a lovely morning swimming, relaxing, talking, and just enjoying the beautiful beach. Soon it was time for lunch and we made our way to the BBQ area at Serenity Bay. Lunch was delicious but we quickly made our way back to our little camp for more relaxin'. By this time Bruno knew our order and all we had to do when he passed by was yell " Hey Bruno!!" and drinks would appear! At one point Robin and I were out in the water on our floaties and we waved at Bruno for more. He brought us some and even came out into the water up to his mid thigh level to bring them to us. Then he put his tray and receipt machine down , hiked up his shorts and scrunched down and posed for a picture. It was so much fun!!

As the afternoon wound down we made our way back to the other side of the island to do some shopping before Lisa, Karen, Nina and I were supposed to be at Marge's Barges for our parasailing appointment. We got there a bit early and just waited. We chatted with Randy from Wisconsin and he mentioned that he would have his camera and would be glad to take pictures for all of us. The excursion got started a bit late and by the time we got on the boat we were more than ready. All except Karen that is. She was still a bit nervous about being on a small boat. She did great!! She was the first one to fly when we finally got underway. Our parasailing adventure was over much to quickly and we made our way back to the ship. We had just enough time to shower and change before our last dinner with our servers.

We were eating in Parrot Cay and had a great dinner. True to form Csaba had our beverages all ready for us and he seemed surprised when we all ordered yet another fruity drink. When it came time for dessert we simply couldn't decided. Finally Don decided for us. He brought us two of every dessert....one for each end of the table. It was such a fun way to finish dinner. We were one of the last tables out of the dining room and we were all a bit silly as we left. When we got to the promenade lounge we couldn't help but get in the spirit of the music, and created a conga line through the lounge, laughing all the way. It was the perfect way to end the perfect day.

We all, sadly, made our way back to our cabins to finish packing. Lisa and I were done quickly as we had an appointment to meet Ramsay from DVC to sign all the paperwork. It was late as we made our way back to our cabin for our last night onboard.

Tomorrow--Port Canaveral or "Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company....."

Linda

[rcchello]

:woohoo: Congrats and welcome to the Club :woohoo:
Here is to many years of Happy DVC vacations!!!

[philatiger]

Thanks again for sharing your journey with us. We really enjoyed it. Makes we wish we had kept a journal of our trip. But I did take way too many pictures....lol

welcome to the club!!!! We have only been members for a year, and love all the planning to get the most of our points. Did you buy into SSR or AKL? Hope to see you on one of the DVC member cruises.

Chuck n Mark

[LJC1861]

Philatiger,

DVC member cruises???!!!??? Do tell.............


Linda

[philatiger]

We just found out about them on our last cruise. Every September they offer a 4 day member only cruise. The other DVC memberbers we met on the crusie said they really treat you well. They actually have to pack an extra suitcase they have so many giveaways. We are on the wait list now for this September.. Apparently it sells out very fast. Keep a look out for the announcements from DVC. Somehow we missed it for this year. You can contact DVC to get more information. Although I am sure there are plenty of other disers who can fill in the gaps on what I know. :banana:

[lakeeter]

Hi -

Here are the photos for the Castaway Cay day -

Lisa

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_1071.jpg
Nina and Barb -- the water's cold!

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_1072.jpg
Linda in the hammock

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_1077.jpg
Hammock Row

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_1086.jpg
Bruno and Linda and Robin

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_1090.jpg
Cheers!

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_1093.jpg
Flat Kevin and Beach Ball

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_1096.jpg
Superb view!

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_1105.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_1107.jpg
Our bestest buddies

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_1118.jpg
Our servers, Don and Csaba

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_1120.jpg
Desserts galore!

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll188/lakeeter/IMG_1125.jpg
Linda and Lisa

[CruisinEars]

Nice report Lisa and Linda. Congrats on your DVC purchase. We have been wanting to purchase for years and just haven't been able to come up with the cash. (doesn't help having 2 kids in private school).

Too funny seeing the picture of you with Bruno since my dh and I were standing nearby and watched the whole thing. :laughing:

We had such a good time we can't wait to cruise again.

[bobbi565]

More great photos! I'm sad it's almost over...:sad1:

[LJC1861]

Thanks Jennifer,

Bruno was SO funny!!! He had us laughing all day.....of course that could have been the result of SO many fruity drinks...... When we ordered the drink while we were in the water he made it clear that he would only come out so far to deliver it. When we decided that we wanted a picture he was so sweet about taking off his receipt thing and hiking up his shorts and just jumping right in. It made our day!

The DVC purchase was a total surprise. We have talked about it many times and always put it off for one reason or another. Lisa took the bull by the horns and just did it. Of course it helped that her stimulus package check came right before we sailed! She said, and I believe that this purchase guarantees us a vacation every year. We work SO hard all year and this way we can be assured that a Disney vacation is possible for us at least once a year. We may have to do without other things, but in my mind it is totally worth it.

By the way, the picture I took of Elisabeth and Flat Kevin came out great! If you PM me your address I will gladly send it to her.

Linda

[CruisinEars]

Thanks Linda! Elisabeth was just asking about that picture. You can email it to thelisterlady at gmail dot com.

[patsal]

Love, Love, LOVED the report and pics. We are booked for a Western in July 2009 and it was great to see and read of your adventure. You all look like you were having so very much fun! Thanks for sharing.

[jollytammy]

Love your report:hippie: It's great. It looks like you had a wonderful time. And your pictures were wonderful. Thanks for sharing!

[philatiger]

loved the pics....especially the " water is cold"...looks like you had a great time on CC.

[okwminnie]

Welcome Home to DVC! We have been members since 1992 and love it!
Thank you for posting your trip reports and pics! We were on the 4 night April 27 cruise, and are booked on the 4/18/09 Western. Your pictures of the Dolphin swim made us want to choose that excursion - they are great.

[poffles]

Great report. Thanks for sharing it with "the family" :-)

[LITTLEKID58]

Awesome TR... TFS

[whayes]

Thanks for the GREAT TR and pictures. It was fun to read!! And Welcome Home! You will love DVC!

[laura001]

Could you tell me a bit more about your excursion on Grand Cayman, who you used etc?