4 day Land 4 day Sea 8 days of bliss! Lots of Pics, Humor & Tips

[mindy327]

Well first let me introduce my family...
Im Mindy(28), my DH Brandon(32) and my two children Cecily(6) and Kaden (3). We are from Arizona where the weather is hot but a dry heat! We are all Disney lovers. I had gone many times to Disneyland as a kid but never to Florida's Disney. It was always a wish. DH not so much a Disney fan till he met me. Now I will look over at him and catch teary eyes when it comes to catching the Disney magic. My daughter could already pass as a Disneyland tour guide. She knows where a lot of hidden mickeys are and that is one of her favorite things to do, is find them. Kaden, well he cant stay focused! His little thoughts are on overload when it comes to Disneyland. Especially WDW & DCL. He had a blast. We travel to Disneyland a lot and after the DCL came out we were bound to go. It was a dream vacation to us, but DH at 25yrs old got very sick. Dr. said he would need to have a major surgery (remove entire colon) or he may not survive. Between all of that and the unkown, we booked our first cruise in 2003. DH and I just went, but after that I bacame a DCL addict. To the extremes of getting the logo right on my ankle. Sentimental value to add. He survived his surgery and hey its cool! (pics to follow)

After that we knew we would go and make it a way of life for us. Well 5 years later, (we wanted to wait for Kaden to be 3 so he could go to the clubs) the anticipation and loooong waiting arrived. We had even talked my family in joining us on this trip. My Mom and Dad, Sister and her husband and Maddie their little girl. As well as my other sister and her boyfriend and Aunt and uncles family. For a total of 15 of us!

We booked the package together being Disney has it extreme superior customer service and the simplicity of booking the package was and could not be passed up. We did however add an additional day onto our package to give us more time in the parks. We decided to again stay at POR and that was not a bad choice. Infact we love that resort. The meandering walkways and the landscaping is enough to take your breath away. The majestic manors and bayou themed resort is what I picture to be wonderful.

Anyhooo,
on with the vacation.... OUR 4 DAY LAND AND 4 DAY SEA TRIP BEGINS
We had a scheduled flight on Continental at 5 am from Phoenix so we woke up at 3 and got the kids up and ready. I could not sleep. The excitment was enough to keep anyone awake all night. I couldnt help but say "We're finally going on our disney cruise!" Cecily doesnt do so well in the mornings. She is the night owl So waking her up was tough but the rest of us were up in a matter of seconds. Loaded up our bags and we were out the door we went at 3:30am. We got checked in at the airport when Cecily began to say her tummy hurt. (early morning bug I guess. Remember, she is our night owl) Stopping for drinks, Kaden and I were full of energy despite it being before sunrise. He knew he was going on an airplane ride (or as he called it BIG JET) Just as we sat down at the terminal to wait with our drinks & banana in hand,
Cecily threw up all over the place. And it began. The thoughts of oh no were going to be quarintined quickly entered into my thoughts. But we did have 4 days to get better. No fever, no signs of sickness, just the flutter bug I guess. She got sick again on the plane and during our layover but after leaving Houston she was fine! She had gotten a little motion sick.
Well 2pm and we made it. We headed down to the transportation floor at MCO and the simplicity of the transfers were flawless. We were down there and in a matter of minutes directed to our line to load the bus to POR. We went out side were our transportation met us. "This is it", I thought, as the cute DCL bus (you know the one, with the round port holes for windows) rolled up my eyes started to get teary eyed while trying very hard to swallow the lump in my very excited throat. We had made it to Florida! And no sickies. Cec was better by then, and excited as ever. As we stood in line she was the highlight of attention as we harrassed her about her "SNAGGLE" tooth in the front that was sooo loose. ( It was so loose, it had started to go sideways) "com'on cec, lets get it out! But no one could touch it. She was waiting for the Blue Fairy on the cruise to come if it fell out on the ship. The tooth fairy was on vacation I guess.:cutie:
Our bags were going to meet us in the room so all we had with us was a stroller and two carryons full of entertainment for the kids. I had even packed a small travel sized pillow, which came in handy many many times during this trip. If you have small kids, I highly recomend one! And we began to walk up the steps of the red portside painted bus that would take us there. We settled into our seats an waited as our journey awaits....


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more to follow........

[tparbs]

Loving it so far, but probably no time to catch the rest before we'll be experiencing our own 4 Land/4 Day! To be fair, it'll be 3 Land, 4 Sea, then 1 1/2 Land! ;)

So glad to hear your husband faired well with the surgery! How scary!!!

Hmm...okay, where'd you get the tat? That's tempting to me and this is my 1st cruise, period! But I know I'll become a DCL junkie!!

Thanks for posting! I'll be posting my own TR when we return!

[tparbs]

Oops...forgot to tell you...your kids are adorable!! And it was cool to see the inside of a ME. I hadn't seen one posted before!!

[alwayslisad]

:yay: :yay: :yay: I'm hooked..... :yay: :yay: :yay:


:cheer2:

[BDDisney]

Great intro:cool1: Can't wait for more!

[Dreamfinder2]

This one's gonna be good. I feel it in my bones.

[mindy327]

After pulling out of the airport, what seemed to be the most exciting yet long bus ride, as we passed the ever so flat lands of Florida. Kaden, didnt seem to care except he could look out the round shaped porthole windows on the bus. The back of his head became a frequent sight with him. He was always looking at something.
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For those of you with small kids I would brace myself for the words that seemed to be rather frequent this trip. "C'mmon, Lets go, This way, Keep walking, Dont stop".

After our seemilingly flawless and speedy check in we were off to our room. We stayed in the Mangolian Bend for those of you familar with this resort. Great room, Not so great location. It was close to the East Bus stop, so that was convienent. But FAR of a walk to the restaurants. Again, it didnt really bother me, the walk was very beautiful. Passing over bridges, Bending around walkways, and that Scent in the Florida air just seemed to add that magic touch.

After freshening up in our room we would call home for the next few days, we ate dinner and took an over due nap. We were now on Florida time which is a 3 hour difference from home.
So we awoke at 8pm (5pm AZ time) and headed to Downtown Disney by the ferryboat transportation from the marina at the hotel.
We had gotten the ever so popular PS for Cinderella's Royal Table Breakfast inside Cinderella's Castle in the morning, and Cecily HAD to have a Princess dress fo complete onsamble. We didnt stay long. Enough time to get to the princess store and check out the Legos

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And back to the hotel for an early rise to the Magic Kingdom Park for a breakfast fit for a King and Queen.
Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom in the next post

[mindy327]

Two Parks in one day!!? I know, I dont recommend it. But we go to Disneyland a lot and it is very similar to Magic Kingdom.

Well off to the park with Cec donned in her Princess gear. We had a PS reservation at 9:30 so we took advantage of the Extra Magic hour in the MK park before it opened to get in all of the Fantasyland rides before breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. There was nobody there. See!
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It worked well and we got to do most of the attractions there.
We headed to the castle as planned to check in with the rest of our family. We really only met up for Food. Its hard to keep 15 people together, everyone wants to see something different. We planned it that way. Anyhow, Breakfast there is amazing. I highly recommend attempting to get reservations there if you have small girls. Kaden on the other hand HID under the booth from the ever so frightening Princesses of terror.
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He really did not like the people characters, but LOVED Mickey. Go figure.
After breakfast we hopped on some of our favorite Disneyland attractions and headed off to Animal Kingdom at 1ish. It closed at 6 and we wanted to be sure to ride the new Expedition Everest ride!!!
We took the ferryboat (always a relaxing and enjoyable ride) to the busses and transfered to AK.
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I personally am not a huge fan of AK, but we had to do the headliners. Brandon and Cecily rode Expedition Everest first, did the baby swap and suprisingly Cec wanted to go again with me. I thought for sure Brandon scared her for life with that one. Nope. She a thrill junkie too. By 6 we were done and wet from riding Kali River Rapids 3Xs in a row!!! And ready for some R&R back at the hotel.
With a bite to eat and a dip in the crystal blue pool, was a sure way to start the first day of our trip off right. The kids loved the pool. Just be prepared for them to ask to swim like EVERYDAY!!! We could have stayed home to do that! But time with the kids is really what we loved.

[mindy327]

I know I know, get to the cruise info already!!! So I will in short go over the last two days at the parks with our package! We hit Epcot which was HOT and way over crowded. Extra Magic Hours was that evening. Unaware of this, I would recommend staying away from the evening ones. Morning was great at MK. You just never know with Disney. Then MGM studios. This is one of the smaller parks. We got there when it opened, and we saw EVERYTHING in the park by 3pm. The Stunt show is a not to be missed show. The Boys loved it, and us girls were thrilled by it. We headed back to the Hotel and Yes, Went swimming! Again, The kids thought swimming was funner than the past two days at the parks. Both dont have a lot of rids and the kids were tired by now.

OKAY ITS SHIP DAY....
We slept in on the day to the Port. The bus was to pick us up at 12pm sharp and we were asked to be in the lobby bar by 11:30am. I had time to spare after getting the kids out of bed to stop at the Fulltons store located right inside the lobby as well, to purchase the souvies I had eyed all week in there. We were already checked into DCL via the desk especially for DCL guests at the resorts that cater to the package of Land and Sea, and we knew check in at the port would be easy. So we had some time waiting inside the bar, as the DCL castmemebers came around to verify our family. We sat for about 20 minutes and I looked up to notice EVERYONE (about 20 families) were gone including the Castmembers of DCL!:scared1: I cant tell you how fast we scrambled the kids together and zipped out the door to find the bus being loaded!!! I felt like I was in a Mickey cartoon. Dust following and all. How did they miss us? I dunno, who cares We were loading the ever so familiar red and black Disney Cruise Bus, remincing the ship, with the cute porthole window again! My frustrations quickly left from almost being left behind, and I was grinning ear to ear! With our Castaway Club lanyards on, and key to the world cards inside, we were ready to go!!!

The bus ride was not long at all. We did stop at one other hotel to pick up some other fellow Cruisers and in a flash we were off. The highway to the port seemed to have a bit of construction, but all was well. We came upon the overpass bridge and as we reached the top, apearing like a breath of air to the left, was the Wonder, shimmering in the Port. The surrial moment took my breath away as the bus started to cheer and clap, for the ship was in sight. I felt the tears well up in my eyes once again, as the sappy Disney struck me I felt the goose bumps rise and the hair on the back of my neck stand to attention. It was more beautiful than I had remembered, and pictures dont do it Justice. She is a beauty, and one of my favorite places on earth. Really. We were in pulling in. It was time to board.
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Security check in was simple and quick. Once we were though the security we headed up the escalators, and you are welcomed by the grand sea blue lobby of the DCL.
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We went to board when we were directed into a LONG line to get the kids checked in for the club. Here? I thought. Hmm. Okay.
So knowing we would be there a while, I decided to take some pictures of the lobby. It took a good half hour (I had Brandon stand in line. What!? I had pictures to take!:)) to get through the line, where we were greeted by the Club staff donned in there yellow shirts. Very friendly, the kids were given wristbands, verifying passwords and our pager.

We were finally ready to walk through the yellow mickey shaped entrance to board the Palatial Ship. We showed our Key to the world cards and on we went.
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When you enter the ship you are to walk across, as to what reminds me of a coverd plank. If you glance down while on it heres what you see.
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We reached the doorway to the ship that leads into the atrium, where the Staff greets you by asking your name and where you are from! Next you hear over the speaker system, "Ladies and Gentlmen welcome from Arizona the Muir family. Welcome aboard." Always a favorite.
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We then stopped for a family photo infront of the Arial statue and we went straight to Parrot Cay for the buffet awaiting.

Next post... Lunch Buffet, Muster Drill and our evening a blur.

[CSwan1]

Hi Mindy! I am loving your trip report! You inspiredme; I started writing my own today! I haven't posted anything yet but soon I hope! You should put on our cruise meet that you are writing a report so the others can see it! Oh and tell Cecily Kailee says HI!

[tksbaskets]

Enjoying coming along for the trip :goodvibes

[mindy327]

(I really hope this is somewhat entertaining to some.)


As we walked through the hall towards Parrot Cay once again, Kaden.
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Cec, continued to find those hidden mickeys I had mentioned she loves.
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We were placed at table 3 with my sister, her husband and my niece for the buffet, (Which I really was not that impressed with. Not much to eat for children. They did have a small table for kids food, but the choices were very limited. (Corndogs, spaghetti, mac and cheese.) We ate pretty quickly and all decided to go to our rooms for a peek. We stayed in room 6053 and was greeted to see lots of gifts.
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An inside cabin, that I actually dont mind at all. I mean, how often were we really going to be in our small but wonderful room anyhow? But next time we plan on a 7 day, and I think well go for the verandah!

We took a family photo and imediatley decorated our door, Fish Extender and all.
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The Fish Extender experience was a blast. I think I looked more foward to finding gifts than the kids did. Brandon thought it was silly at first, but then he soon realized when we got the loot it took a turn towards a thumbs up!:thumbsup2
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We unpacked and went swimming. We heard all day, Mickey pool. Mickey pool! The kids really wanted to try out the slide.
Back to the room for some rest around 5:30pm and the kids were alseep within minutes. We decided to let them sleep and get a snooze in ourselves, so we ixnayed the Welcome show. We had Early show/Late dinner So we had to be up by 7. Well, we slept in. 8pm we woke up, kids still asleep. So we QUICKLY got dressed and in the Tritons Dinning room within 10 min. All of us 15 were sitting together. This was really the only time we talked. Durring dinner. Our wonderful waiters were the BEST. Oliver, quickly became a favorite of our. He found out Kadens favorite food is marshmallows. Each night he got them.
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We, after dinner, decided an Adult fun night would be great. Hmm, Navigator says Match your Mate! Sounds like fun. We had seen this before, and wanted to participate.
We dropped off the kids in the club and we were both a little aprehensive. Kaden is but isnt fully pottytrained. He goes pee, but terrified to go #2 IN the potty. So we left the pullups on (I know, dont flame me) during the trip. We didnt want him to be kicked out of the club. The boards say they'll give you a chance if they have an accident. Well he had 3 and they would just page us and say ITS OKAY! JUST CHANGE HIM AND BRING HIM BACK. They even knew he had pullups on. Go figure.
So we headed to the Game show. (kinda like a newlyweds game) And yes, I did the jigg to get picked. By the way both my parents and sisters and brother in laws joined us to the show!
The host took us and seperated us to ask us each questions.
I was mortified after I came back and got the question....
Okay so your husband is on a ship. He has enough life vest for all but one of your imidiate family. Who does he leave behind? "Ladies and gentlmen, Let me introduce you to my imidiate family!" I jumped on the bandwagon and said what the other ladies said. My mom! He actually really does love her but I got it right! We won 2 castaway packages.! cool!
After that we went and got the kids and went to bed! 11:30pm.

Tomorrow, Nassau and the surprisingly adventurous buggy tour and a visit to the Pirate Museum.

[tksbaskets]

I'm entertained!! :thumbsup2 Keep it coming!

[MAJ RN]

Awesome report!! Can't wait to read more. We are going on a 4 day cruise in October so I can't wait to see how your trip goes!!


Melissaprincess:

[mindy327]

Nassau day, we ate breakfast at the Beach Blanket Buffet, were Kaden discovered they had marshmallows. He ended up mixing them with Cocoa Crisps for his daily breakfast. I know. Sugar overload. With the many choices for breakfast, we ended up really liking going here for breakfast each day.

We the proceeded down to the lower deck to disembark for our self made excursion be foot, to the Pirate Museum. We were not too sure on the location, so when we were approached by the buggy driver we took the offer for a "taxi" ride the the museum. $30 seemed a little steep, but it beat walking in warm muggy weather, and not getting lost on the way.

We were pleasantly surprised by the tour that was given to us on the carriage ride. It took us around the culturalistic town of quaint homes.
Previously, in Nassau we had a somewhat disappointing visit. We had done the Historic City Tour. Not impressed! Our tour guide didnt tell us much. Anyhooo, I was thrilled to see the town this way by carriage, and it was quite extensive as for what we paid.
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I really did enjoy this, to see the beautiful and old homes full of culture and history.
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Besides, he dropped us off at the museums door step! After gaining our bearings on our location, we geared up with our wristbands and went inside the museum.

I would describe it to be a Pirates ride meets a wax museum walk through. Warning: If you have little ones brace for them to be a bit frightend by the dark and earie hallways. One exhibit even displays how pirates doctored themselves without clean and steril work stations. Yes, its rather graffic.
But well worth the money it was to go.
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We headed for a stop by the strawmarket, and food store. The ship doesnt have Monster energy drink, and Brandon thought he had to STOCK up!
We wanted to be back by 1 for Cec to go to the Nestle cookies kids activity, she had been wanting to do this since she found out it was an option. We took some photos,
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dropped Kaden off for Do Si Do with Snow White
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and had some adult time at the pool. Heres my tatoo! I know Im nuts!
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We were really burning time for our visit to the Rasual Bath we had reserved for 3:30. With a check up on the kids, Kaden, again needed to be changed. He had an accident. We took him out of the club for a few, met the captain

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(folks meet Kaden!:) See what I mean)
and checked him back in. We were then shocked to see Cecily's "snaggle tooth" missing! It fell out while she ate her cookie. They gave it to us in a baggy and said the fairy would visit her if she put it under her pillow!!!! OKAY?!!!!
Guess I had to stop and get a "disney dollar and gift for that one now!":)

We left for our spa treatment and I will keep this as "G rated as possible"!
For all you couples out there, this is wonderful. Lets just call it a romantic shower with mud!!! And leave it at that. For a better version visit Inkognito's website. We didnt take up the whole 50 minutes, It was REALLY hot in there. I wouldnt let Brandon open the door to the steam room. Too hot. So we were done with squeeky clean skin and refreshed for our Show and Dinner.

Got dressed in our formals, (its dress up night Nassua day) and got our pictures done with the backdrop.
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We had time to spare to grab the kids some dinner (we had 8pm dinner) they were hungry by then and brought the hotdogs and hamburgers with us to the Toy Story Musical show.

I must say, this is one of my favorite movies and I was soooo impressed by this show I made Brandon tape most of it.!!! The effects are astronomical and wow Sid becomes the anti hero in this one. "he" got more cheers at the end than Woody and Buzz. A definate must see IMO!

By the end of the show Kaden was ready to fall asleep. So we changed Kaden into pjs and took him to dinner with his "pillow and blankie". He ended up alseep, so I layed him under my chair in Animators Palate. Cec, skipped dinner, she had alreay ate and wanted to play in the club. After dinner it was about 9:30 so we took Kaden to the club and layed him down still asleep on one of the covered mats. Brandon and quickly changed our clothes and headed to the Kareoke club for a few got tired and grabbed the kids, and went to bed!
All in all a fun filled exhausting day. I love the boat!!!

Castaway Cay and Pirate Night in the next post! ARRRR!

[jollytammy]

Great TR! Keep up the good work:thumbsup2 Your pictures are great and I love the tips.

[mindy327]

Great TR! Keep up the good work:thumbsup2 Your pictures are great and I love the tips.

Thanks for being so supportive. I dunno if anyone else is really entertained, but it sure is fun to write about. Its the best journal you can have!!! Its sad to be home, and this is a great way to remember and share the memories on the ship. We really did have an amazing time. I am counting the days till we get to go back!!!:cool1:

[frdeb1999]

Great TR so far! Love the pix and you have a beautiful family! :)

[mousiemom]

i'm a dcl newbie. where did you get the adorable mickey ears for your door?? too cute! i love your tattoo. i want to get my dd's name on my outside ankle with a hidden mickey somewhere. didn't you love POR? i've booked our 1st cruise today so i'm picking up some tips!
keep um coming!!
mousiemom

[kath1210]

I'm in! We're doing 1 day land (Girls only), 4 days sea (Girls only) and 4 days land (Free Dining, and we're letting the boys come along for this one) at the end of August.

Can't wait to read more!:goodvibes

[mindy327]

i'm a dcl newbie. where did you get the adorable mickey ears for your door?? too cute! i love your tattoo. i want to get my dd's name on my outside ankle with a hidden mickey somewhere. didn't you love POR? i've booked our 1st cruise today so i'm picking up some tips!
keep um coming!!
mousiemom


I made the ears for our door. I used Basic Scrabook paper, to shape it. Thanks for the support from everyone. Glad it helps.

[MICKEY621]

FANTASTIC REPORT!!! Please keep it commin.
Anyone else absolutely enjoying this one? I give you a thumbs up for the detail! Fun to read. :goodvibes Cute family by the way.

[MICKEY621]

anymore? im hooked!

[Googelibear]

We were already checked into DCL via the desk especially for DCL guests at the resorts that cater to the package of Land and Sea, and we knew check in at the port would be easy...

...Security check in was simple and quick. Once we were though the security we headed up the escalators, and you are welcomed by the grand sea blue lobby of the DCL.

Great report :)
but wait, wait, wait... so, you can check in at the hotel lobby and get your KTTW there and then you don't have to stand inline and have your passports checked or anything at the port? You just go through security and stand in line to get on board?
Then that would mean I won't have to check in online, won't have to go through all of that at the terminal? :confused3
I feel stupid, can you please verify that for me. Thank you.

[mindy327]

Great report :)
but wait, wait, wait... so, you can check in at the hotel lobby and get your KTTW there and then you don't have to stand inline and have your passports checked or anything at the port? You just go through security and stand in line to get on board?
Then that would mean I won't have to check in online, won't have to go through all of that at the terminal? :confused3
I feel stupid, can you please verify that for me. Thank you.

Yep. You check in at the hotel you will be staying at. The designated DCL hotels have a special desk just for land and sea'ers. They called us to remind us to "check in". And once at the port you just need to go through the security and straight onto the ship. Very easy.

[Chelley00]

Following along. We also have a DD6 and a DS3 so it's fun to read about your trip with kids the same age as ours!

[mindy327]

Hello everyone!!!

Sorry its been a few since my last update. I broke my finger and I have been on meds! Great meds! LOL.

Okay so typing will be slow but it'll get the job done.
Castaway Cay was an adventure!
Brandon, woke up extra early to go watch the sunrise. I can only imagine the breathtaking moments he had on deck 10 all to himself. I saw the photos and video. Wow. I wish I could have gone, but with the give and take of an inside cabin catagory 11, there wasnt much we could have done. I mean, I wasnt about to leave my sleeping children in the cabin alone. So I decided to clean, and tidy up our room a bit to let the kids sleep in for a few. We had been running them full steam since we had gotten on the ship.
Brandon, headed down to the gangway at 8:30 sharp to ENSURE our favorite spot on the island.
Hint: Go all the way to the end of the family beach to the rocks. Pristine water and NOBODY there! Its not crowded. We really enjoy having a hammock as well as the serenity that I know it was ment to have. Besides, the bar has music playing and you can hear it from there. We enjoyed the Bob Marley atmosphere.
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Well after Brandon had left, I got the kids up for breakfast. We met my parents in the hallway and went to the buffet. Kaden, yes you guessed it. Marshmallows and Coco Puffs! Cec wasnt hungry. (I was starting to get worried. She really did not eat much this entire trip. So the second she would ask for Ice cream, etc. I would let her eat it. I wanted calories in the already small framed and underweight girl)
We headed down the gangway and proceeded to the Tram. Its a long walk if you decide to hoof it!
I found the WAGONS and loaded up the children. They are there for the taking so, first come first serve.
OH LOOK MICKEY! We stopped and had a photo with the Mouse Himself, before going to our favorite spot.
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The kids once there, started digging imediatley. Be sure to bring or buy buckets the kids will want to dig!
We had talked all year about burrying Dad!
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It was really hot and Bright on the Beach, and last time we did not put sunblock on.!! FRIED! We decided to opt out on the red lobster look this time around so we "swam" in sunblock! Everytime the kids got out of the water, kids lets spray!!! I am sure they were sick of it, Kaden at one point started to run from me to avoid the glopping hand full I smeared upon his little body. But I know its worth it. Whats worse than a sunburned kids not able to play in the clubs?
At about 12pm we checked the kids into the Club on the island and us Adults went snorkling. It is a not to be missed fun time. By the way, I am DEATHLY afraid of seawater. Dunno why. Just always have been. So snorkeling is a big deal to me. We ventured out into the far end of the lagoon, when Brandon, says look under the water over there! I look and to my shock is a Baracudda staring me down!! AHHHHH! Just at that moment my sister Tammy screams!
I was by now freaking out. She had gotten stung by what is known as Fire Coral. Very painful.
We waved down the nearby lifeguard, and she was rushed to the shore. Me on the other hand broke down into tears. I wanted out of the water and fast.
I had to swim back a long way, tired and exhausted I was done. I met her at the first aid staition, grabbed the kids and back to the boat we went.
The kids were so exhausted we went to our room and took a LONG nap before the show that evening, Golden Mickeys.
After nap time, we dressed in our Pirate gear!!! Everyone loved by the way.
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My entire family had packed our costumes, seemed no one else really dressed up but us. Keys to being a Diser I guess. Actually, one woman mistook me as a Crew Member and asked me where to sit.
We wanted to meet for a family photo with all 15 of us and Jack Sparrow on deck 5, and we managed to squeeze us all into the photo, and we had our little family photo done too.
Dinner was at Animators Palate again. Completely different menu of course. Can we say delicious!!! By far the best selection IMO this night.
After dinner we went to the Pirate Party. I can say it was alright. I admit it to be not one of the best shows. Hero, was a poor choice of songs, I know Disney can do better. The Fireworks show was cool to watch! Short but sweet. Really this day was rather a shorter one. Not too much to write about. After Castaway Cay, the sun drains every bit of energy you can have out of you so we just went to bed.

Next, Fun filled day at sea!! Spa treatment review and our day of fun!

[mindy327]

Okay so its our last day on the ship. Brandon, once again woke up really early, and went for a walk out on deck to watch the sunrise. I myself, slept in. I mean, after alll, I had a spa treatment at 9am. I was getting a facial (which by the way is my favorite spa anythings) at about 8 he came in and brought me breakfast in bed. He thought I wouldnt have much time before I had to be there. Such a sweetie!
The kids were still asleep. No surprise I am sure. Brandon would be watching them for a while as I went to the spa.
I headed down to the spa after i ate. Didnt want to be late. The fragrance as I opened the door to the spa service desk, was like a morning fresh start. The airoma filled the air, of chamomile.
I was taken to my spa room, by claire who would be assisting me today.
Very nice young lady. I had a micorderm abrassion done! This was my first of this kind. I loved the spa treatment. It was great, very relaxing. I guess when youre relaxed and not thinking clearly is when they get you with their products. She explained what she had used on my face and I said, "sure, Ill take them all!" My throught swelled as I signed the reciept of 253.00!!!! Yikes. Oh well, completely worth it.
Brandon and I had budgeted well over what we had spent so far. In fact, our whole trip we spent under $800!!!! So the spa splurdge wasnt so bad.

I met up with Brandon after I was done. The kids were checked into the club. CEC had been wanting to make flubber since we boarded the ship so we made sure she was their with plenty of time.
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and Yep. Kaden had another accident! So we picked him up, changed him and notice the Mickey 200! Veggie car racing. hmm. sounds fun. We actually constructed our car of veggies and named it the Freedom Racer!
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See, the adults are loading the cars!!!
We made it all the way to the finals! Turbo Tink beat us by a hair. The Adults were actually more into this than the kids. After all, kids with sharp knives dont mix!!lol.
We wanted to have some alone grown up time with eachother so we went back to our room for a while, and ordered some room service.
After that, we went to attend the Castaway Club meeting. It was great to meet others who share the same passion and all of the ship officers. To hear their stories was worth it. We were given info on the new ships and they talked about some of the ideas on where to sail. HAWAII! They had great treats for us too. Mickey crispies dunked in chocolate. Yeah, we took some for the kiddos.

We watched the clock for the kids were graduating from D Sea U! (Disney Sea University) and meandered around the boat deck for a while to take up some time. Hint: If you have kids in the club, make sure to get here and watch this! We headed to the Walt Disney Theater, and the kids began to fill in the stage as the club staff helped the older once first. The kids had been given D Sea U t-shirts and Mickey Mouse ear Graduation caps for their special day! (One of the perks to make sure you get your kids there)
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One of the staff spoke for a few and they played this sweet video to "Im on my way" by phil Collins. I couldnt help but watch my children up on stage and see their faces. Kaden sat in the very front, as he ate his tastle. Cec was a little scared I could tell, as she sat on a castmembers lap. Not like her, but I kept thinking wow. This is the life. Some kids never get to experience this magic! Ever. I could feel the tears start streaming down my face, for I was really proud at that moment. I guess it was the song, (disney does something to me) and the kids. Just a mixture of a weeping teary moment to smile about. Im getting choked up just thinking about it! Then Mickey and Minnie came out to "graduate" them. This graduation was short, but one of the most memorable moments I could have ever experienced. A must with kids.

The last day we were scheduled for Parrot Cay. We went and watched Disney Dreams (Kaden fell asleep so I put him on the floor under my feet with yes the small travel pillow) I remembered it being more moving as show last time, but it is still great. The end again, tears of joy as tinkerbell, well I dont wanna spoil it for anybody. Youll just have to watch.
Dinner was fabulous!! I dunno what I ordered as an appetizer but I ended up ordering 3 plates of it. 3 Little round chicken balls fried in a crisp shell. Holy cow they were good. I didnt have room for the steak I ordered after that.
Well dinner was done and we scrambled back to our room to get ready for our luggage to be picked up by 11pm. We had some work to do but we made it in time. I was sad the day had ended so quickly. I had to go home.
I really was crying, and yes cuz I had to go. I knew next time ixnay the parks and go for the 7 day cruise. I am a DCL addict and wow was it showing.

Disembarkation was easy. We packed up our carry ons and headed down to the bus. DCL even prints out your boarding passed with your flight plans! How easy. Cec, SOBBED she didnt want to go. "say good bye to the ship Kaded" No! he said. He still is asking to this day to go on the Mickey boat. I know that I am creating monsters, but nothing is more wonderful than memories. We all are Disney fans and love that mouse. I really do hope this was fun for some, and yes we will be back Fish Extender and all!

[CSwan1]

If I PM you my email, will you send me the pictures of the girls and I will send you some as well. I have some great ones from the last night of them swimming and having icecream. I love the 'science lab' picture!!

[mindy327]

If I PM you my email, will you send me the pictures of the girls and I will send you some as well. I have some great ones from the last night of them swimming and having icecream. I love the 'science lab' picture!!

Absolutely!!!! Thanks again for all your help. I know this trip would not have been the same without the Swans! I took some more of the girls at the club making flubber. ill send em to ya. Min.
p.s.Have you decided on when you are going back? We would love to go too!

[MODisneyfan]

What a great tr... Sounds like you had a great time

[MODisneyfan]

oops

[Googelibear]

Yep. You check in at the hotel you will be staying at. The designated DCL hotels have a special desk just for land and sea'ers. They called us to remind us to "check in". And once at the port you just need to go through the security and straight onto the ship. Very easy.

I love that. Yahooooooo :worship:
But wait again. Do you get your boarding number then or how does one obtain that thing?

thanks for taking the time to clear this up for me

[mindy327]

I love that. Yahooooooo :worship:
But wait again. Do you get your boarding number then or how does one obtain that thing?

thanks for taking the time to clear this up for me

Yes, everything is given to you at the desk at the hotel. Your key to the world card you get when you first check into the hotel has your room key, to the hotel and ship, your tickets to the parks, your charge card, boarding pass and safe key all programed inside that thing. I dunno how, but it is great. So yes, your kttwc is your boarding pass. This is what you show them when you board the ship. Hope this helps. And yes, we had a lot of fun. Thanks ya'll for reading along!!! Ill be happy to answer any more questions as they come.

[MagicMe]

Loved your trip report... I'm with you. I enjoyed my two 4-day trips so much I'm now booked for a 7-Day:cool1: And it's a double dip so I'm very excited!!!

Mindy327 - When you do the land and sea you don't actually need a "boarding number". You normally get picked up at your resort around noonish and it's 1-1:30 by the time you get to the ship. By that time, you don't really need a boarding number as the early birds have all boarded (Disney is efficient on getting everyone on board). You can just usually walk right through the terminal over to the Mickey ears (unless you need to check your children in for the kids' clubs).

[mindy327]

Loved your trip report... I'm with you. I enjoyed my two 4-day trips so much I'm now booked for a 7-Day:cool1: And it's a double dip so I'm very excited!!!

Mindy327 - When you do the land and sea you don't actually need a "boarding number". You normally get picked up at your resort around noonish and it's 1-1:30 by the time you get to the ship. By that time, you don't really need a boarding number as the early birds have all boarded (Disney is efficient on getting everyone on board). You can just usually walk right through the terminal over to the Mickey ears (unless you need to check your children in for the kids' clubs).

Thanks for the support. I just hAVE to do a 7 day next time. Boy would I really love to do a repo cruise. Relaxation to the max and surrounded by the disney uphoria!!! I love DCL. Thats one great thing Micheal Isner and the clan thought up! Whoda thunk I would be a DCL junkie. Wish there was one closer to home! crossing my fingers for Cali as a permantant home for a ship!!!

[mindy327]

I opened up my trip report thread and now I am wiping away a tear! I wanna go back! I am really honestly depressed, I think I have the post DCL blues everyone talks about getting. Anyhow, thanks everyone, hope you enjoyed coming along for the trip!:goodvibes

[CastleCreations]

Hi, I loved your report. We missed the graduation. I'm not sure why we weren't told about it...:confused3 oh well. I was wondering what you had in your fish extender. Were these gifts for someone, or just goodies for your family.

[mindy327]

Hi, I loved your report. We missed the graduation. I'm not sure why we weren't told about it...:confused3 oh well. I was wondering what you had in your fish extender. Were these gifts for someone, or just goodies for your family.


The graduation was not ever announced to be a big thing! In fact, if I hadnt looked at the navigator that day, I would have never known there was a graduation. It was cute though, and glad we were able to go. The fish extender goodies were actually from our dis board friends we met, and we did a secret santa like gift exchange. The goodies inside were from them on one day. We had goodies each day we came back to our room. Our friends we met on the boards were great. I still talk to a good friend by email, her daughter and mine were cruise buddies so to speak.

[mobopolo]

LOVED your TR! :thumbsup2 Was it hard to add a extra "land" day? Do you just call and have it added? This is just what we want to do. Thanks for sharing, it was fun to read.:goodvibes

[mindy327]

LOVED your TR! :thumbsup2 Was it hard to add a extra "land" day? Do you just call and have it added? This is just what we want to do. Thanks for sharing, it was fun to read.:goodvibes

The extra day is VERY easy to add. You must let your TA know or DCL that you would like to add additional days to your package. It is more of an extra day at the hotel. You only get the original days of park hoppers though. So when we got to the hotel we had a day to relax. Or go to the parks when you get there and opt out of parks on sunday before the bus leaves. Either way, it is a blast. Thanks for following along. :goodvibes

[MICKEY621]

I really enjoyed reading this one again. It was very entertaining. I found the Toy Story show to be wonderful as well. Great family.

[wilma-bride]

Great trip report - your kids are so cute :)

[mindy327]

Great trip report - your kids are so cute :)

Thanks for the compliment. They are great kids. Kaden keeps asking "If we can go on the airplane to DisneyWorld"! He really does miss it. But I know, he really wants to go to the kids club and play. How long before they stop asking? The world may never know!!!!:lmao: I am creating MONSTERS!!!!

[wilma-bride]

Thanks for the compliment. They are great kids. Kaden keeps asking "If we can go on the airplane to DisneyWorld"! He really does miss it. But I know, he really wants to go to the kids club and play. How long before they stop asking? The world may never know!!!!:lmao: I am creating MONSTERS!!!!

I know exactly what you mean - we took my DS for his first trip to Disney World in April and he cried and cried when we left. He talks all the time about going back and, when I finally booked yesterday for our next trip, he was just so excited.

What he doesn't know is that we have also booked a 3 day Disney Cruise for us all too - we plan not to tell them and pretend we're going to Kennedy Space Centre ;)

[tammythetwinsmom]

Hi.. did the kids keep their tshirts from the graduation? Did they sing along or just sit and listen? Thanks for the trip report!

[MandyMommytoReaghan]

Mindy,
Your TR was great. I really enjoyed reading it. You have a beautiful family. Thanks for posting the pics. ::yes::

[mindy327]

Hi.. did the kids keep their tshirts from the graduation? Did they sing along or just sit and listen? Thanks for the trip report!

Hi Tammy,
The kids get to keep their shirts and Caps!!! This was a great free souvie. And as a parent, you cant help but get a little emotional when you see your kids up there. They did have a half hour to practice what to do, but the kids were pretty small so the really just sat and watched. They make a photo colage of the kids with digital picture and do a pictures to video to the "On my way" Phil Collins song. Again tears!!! Glad you enjoyed it. It makes me happy to read that people like it.;)

[d'Isigny]

First - HOWDY NEIGHBOR...also from Glendale and a DCL addict.

reading...your below post...appears you are as well. Best way to get over 'post cruise depression'...book again. We are waiting for Oct 2010 to open up...and I'll feel better...

enjoyed your trip report...great pictures...k

I opened up my trip report thread and now I am wiping away a tear! I wanna go back! I am really honestly depressed, I think I have the post DCL blues everyone talks about getting. Anyhow, thanks everyone, hope you enjoyed coming along for the trip!:goodvibes

[mindy327]

First - HOWDY NEIGHBOR...also from Glendale and a DCL addict.

reading...your below post...appears you are as well. Best way to get over 'post cruise depression'...book again. We are waiting for Oct 2010 to open up...and I'll feel better...

enjoyed your trip report...great pictures...k

Thats funny. Good to have a close neighbor. Perhaps we could get together and talk DCL!!!

[mindy327]

I am sooo missing this trip right now!!!!:sad1:

[CSwan1]

Hi Mindy!! What's new? Hows the family and kids?

[MaryAz]

Mindy
Another neighbor and Disney freak! When are you going again?? A little over a year for me!! Great TR.

[BabyRN]

Hi Mindy I just have a couple questions. I'm really excited about my cruise that's not for over 2 years yet...lol, but, I'm really enjoying reading some trip reports, including yours! It's going to KILL me to have to wait so long! Anyway, can you tell me a little about the clubs for kids? I will have a 7 year old, 9 year old and 12 year old. Do they have to go everyday in order to be able to do the graduation? Also, how late can the kids stay in the clubs? We will also have a 19 month old, so I'm trying to figure out what my husband and I will be able to do alone. Does anyone know the hours of the nursery? Thanks in advance for any info anyone can share!

[mindy327]

Hi Mindy I just have a couple questions. I'm really excited about my cruise that's not for over 2 years yet...lol, but, I'm really enjoying reading some trip reports, including yours! It's going to KILL me to have to wait so long! Anyway, can you tell me a little about the clubs for kids? I will have a 7 year old, 9 year old and 12 year old. Do they have to go everyday in order to be able to do the graduation? Also, how late can the kids stay in the clubs? We will also have a 19 month old, so I'm trying to figure out what my husband and I will be able to do alone. Does anyone know the hours of the nursery? Thanks in advance for any info anyone can share!

Hi there. Thanks for coming along on our "trip" but to answer your questions,
The kids club is great. My children still talk about it almost everyday. My daughter Cecily, really enjoyed the flubber and making cookies. Your children are a little bit older but I am sure the activities are going to be phenominal for them as well. The graduation is scheduled, but not really told about. Be sure to find it in your navigator and go. IT IS WORTH IT! I bawled the whole time. Your kids dont have to go to everything to be able to graduate. They get a shirt from the cruise and these really great mickey ear caps to boot. Check out the nursery! Your 19 month old can go there for you and DH to spend some "alone time" together. The nursery is open rather late. I would say midnight just as the clubs are. I would recommend the rasual bath at the spa. DH and I found it to be a great "together" time. HE HE. Hope this helps, and start on the Fish Extender! Its fun to prepare. Two years seem like a long time, but will come very quickly.

[BabyRN]

Thanks for the info! I know the 2 years will go by quickly, especially with a new baby on the way and I just started my master's degree. I did it purposely that way so I could have plenty of time to pay on the vacation. Not to mention I am booking a land vacation and also possibly a vow renewal on the cruise! My husband will be glad to hear that the nursery and clubs are open later so we can have some alone time!

[mindy327]

Bumping for a friend!!!

[LindseyLou2222]

Thanks for sharing! :)

[WeGoDisney04]

I really enjoyed your report also!!!!:thumbsup2

[KandiB47]

Thank you for sharing your trip report! I really enjoyed it. My son's name is Kaden too. I haven't seen anybody else spell it like that.