Mama's Got Her Groove Back! Now Let's Go Crusin'!

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Welcome to my pre-trip report. Sit back, relax... It's gonna be a long story!

Now you may be wondering about the title. Let me just explain. No, it's not just a cute little title to catch your attention, Mama (me) really got her groove back and is celebrating with her family.

Here's the back story, which is the whole reason we're taking this trip:

In May of 2008, I, aka "Alice," (whose name in real life is Harmony), was informed by my doctors that I had a golf-ball sized mass in my chest. Long story short, 12 weeks later I was hospitalized for 5 days, during which the surgeons removed that tumor along with my spleen. It was not until another 10 days following my discharge from the hospital that my final diagnosis was NO CANCER!!! For 14 weeks of 2008 I, along with my wonderful husband and son, was preparing for a long-haul of cancer treatments. It apprears as if the good Lord above had different plans for my life, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Our happy family
http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/July132008029.jpg

Ok, enough of the sappy stuff! I am now fully recovered and back to living life as normal. Throughout the entire health ordeal I told my husband (repeatedly) that once we made it through it all we were going on VACATION! Although at the time we hadn't decided where we would go, I remember laying in that horrible hospital bed dreaming of crystal clear waters and beautiful white beaches. Then it hit me - let's take a cruise! But not any old cruise would do. This situation called for the nothing but the best for me and my family. It didn't take long - maybe 10 seconds - and that big, bright light bulb went off in my head...DISNEY CRUISE! After all, what would be better for our sweet 4 year old son than to see the Mouse!

Let the planning begin! I must admit that I have become a compulsive trip planner from the first moment on Disney Cruise Line's website. *Is there a 12-step rehab plan for trip planning addicts? I know I'm not the only one...*

We will set sail Feb. 22, 2009 on a 4 day trip to Nassau and Castaway Cay. Ohhh...I hope and pray that those beautiful beaches are just as beautiful in real life as the pictures...

To add icing to the (birthday) cake, on the 23rd I will be celebrating my 30th birthday aboard the ship! This trip just keeps getting better!

So here are the logistical facts about our trip:

Sat. Feb. 21 - fly from Toledo, OH to Orlando, FL

Sun. Feb 22 - BOARD THAT WONDERful SHIP, BABY!

* the Exotic Rasul and Palo Champagne brunch are in here somewhere... ;) *

Thurs. Feb. 26 - be pulled kicking and screaming from that WONDERful ship, then drive down to Port St. Lucie to meet up with family

Fri. Feb. 27 - fly from Orlando, FL to Detroit, MI (and hope that someone is there to pick us up!)

Sat. Feb. 28 - start posting photos to my trip report and go through post-trip withdrawls...


So that my friends, is the beginning of our next adventure together as a family. The bad stuff is behind us, now we've got so much to look forward to. Each of us really deserves this vacation! But what I look forward to the most is a solid week of family time. To me, there is nothing better. I value each moment we have together. I can't wait until we make memories that will last throughout our lifetime!

[disneyfaninaz]

I can attest to the fact that a Disney cruise is great for mind, body and soul. In the midst of breast cancer treatment, we were fortunate enough to go on a cruise and it was truly magical and wonderful for my "mental health".

Congrats on the great diagnosis and enjoy your cruise.

[lillygator]

sounds like a great trip planned.

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

[QUOTE=disneyfaninaz;29164648]I can attest to the fact that a Disney cruise is great for mind, body and soul. In the midst of breast cancer treatment, we were fortunate enough to go on a cruise and it was truly magical and wonderful for my "mental health".QUOTE]

Congrats to YOU! I am amazed and inspired by those who have gone through the treatment process and come out stronger on the other side. Keep up the good health!

Thank you for your comment, it touches my heart.:lovestruc

[PippyLatte]

What a great outlook you have - enjoy your trip!

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Thanks PippyLatte - I sure will! I'm getting more excited by the day!

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

As I peacefully slept in my cozy-warm bed this morning, I dreamed - true story - that I was in our stateroom on the Wonder, planning my room service breakfast order. Visions of sugar plums dancing in my head were replaced with sugar-coated donuts and bagels slathered with cream cheese. Ahhh, the high life...:rotfl:

Truly, I am so excited about this trip that I dream about it quite a bit! I talk about it constantly (much to the chagrin of my family members), I lurk on the DIS boards all day long, and my PassPorter follows me where ever I go.

-Again, I feel the need to repeat my desperate plea for someone to grab me by the hand and pull me into a 12-step rehab program for obsessive trip planning. But somehow I feel as if I'm at home among friends on these boards. :grouphug:

Here's what's gone down since I last wrote:

*Flights to and from Florida: booked

*First (of many) bag packed: check

*DCL show on Travel Channel: dvr'ed and watched to many times to count

Here's what I still have to do:

*find a rock-bottom deal on a rental car

*book the night-before-the-cruise hotel room

*locate my DH's birth certificate - this should probably be #1 on my list!

*make my FE

*purchase FE gifts. I've been shopping on-line quite a bit, I just have to make a decision!

Well, that's about it for now. Don't worry - I'll be back! We're under the two month mark here friends, I'll be back quite often!

Have a safe and wonderful New Year! :)

[anewmac]

SO glad you are all well!.... Cant wait to read more. Oh and I too would need a 12 step program. My family and friends all think Im a nut also for planning and obsessing over the MOUSE lol

[disneydarling07]

OMG!! Harmony!!! I had no idea of your "back story"!!
I am sooo glad things are all okay now!

Looks like I can give you a hug too when we meet. Why do I have a feeling we are going to be two big sobbing fools when we finally get together on the ship?!!

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

OMG!! Harmony!!! I had no idea of your "back story"!!
I am sooo glad things are all okay now!

Looks like I can give you a hug too when we meet. Why do I have a feeling we are going to be two big sobbing fools when we finally get together on the ship?!!

Yeah, baby! I'm all better now! Now let the crusing and partying and hugging and sobbing and EATING and DRINKING and being merry begin!:cool1:

SO glad you are all well!.... Cant wait to read more. Oh and I too would need a 12 step program. My family and friends all think Im a nut also for planning and obsessing over the MOUSE lol

Hey Drea! How's it going, girl? I thought of you this weekend as I shopped for little mini bottles to put in the FE's!

[anewmac]

LOL I love when all my Dis friends and "real" life friends tell me they think of me when they buy alcohol LOL.

[CapnJackGroupie]

Oh, you & your beautiful family deserve this trip!! I'm so excited for you! I also need to join a 12-step program...we went on our DCL trip in 3/'07 and I STILL live vicariously thru all of you and your TRs!!!

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

LOL I love when all my Dis friends and "real" life friends tell me they think of me when they buy alcohol LOL.

Is there such a thing as "real" life? I spend so much time on these boards I forget sometimes...:rolleyes:

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Hello Friends,

I must admit, I am down in the dumps! Here in frozen-over-farmland Ohio, we are in the beginning stages of a blizzard. Temps will drop below zero for the next several days, wind chills will cut through flesh, and snow will blow for miles. I keep reminding myself I'll be on a tropical island in a month, but that seems like forever as I trek across a barren college campus day after day... I've had enough of building snowmen - I want to build sandcastles!

Plus all my friends from our meet page are receiving their docs in the mail, have all their FE gifts ready to go, know their cabin numbers, and have mostly all the details squared away. Me, not so much! Add to that a sinus infection from hell :sick: , and you've lived a day in the life of midwesterner desperate to fly the (literal) coop!

*Insert geographical note here: we don't live on a full-fledged working farm, but they're all around us...we are surrounded on all four sides by cornfields, or as I like to call them in the winter-snowmobile super highways!

If anyone can pull me out of such trip planning despair, it is you, dear DIS board friends...:grouphug:

[dvc4life]

Alice - glad to hear you are cancer free! That is wonderful. :woohoo:

Enjoy your trip. Can't wait to read more.

[Jennifer48]

Alice,

God bless you for being cancer free! Believe me, dreaming of Castaway Cay beaches will be nothing compared to what you will see. They are breathtaking.

We are in MA and we are going to get hit with those bitter temps soon. Make yourself some kind of countdown calendar and that will get you out of the dumps and jumping for joy for the warm air and sun to look forward to!!:goodvibes :beach:

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Thank you, dear DIS board friends, for all your kind words of encouragement. It's so nice to stop by and see such sweet sentiments. :hug:

Blessings and hugs to you all! :grouphug:

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

So I've got a little time before I need to head to the college, so I'm actually making door magnets! Let me just tell you - I am shocked :eek: I'm doing it! I didn't think I'd find the time between my classes, and being a mom / wife every day! :laundy:

Making magnets is good for the soul! Now I see why you all put so much time into it! It's a little addicting, huh?

Tonight we're heading for the city to pick up more trip necessities. Here's our shopping list:

* sandals for me & DH
* a few casual tops for me
* soft sided cooler - possibly rolling
* an ENTIRE wardrobe for DS! He has outgrown EVERYTHING!:groom:

Better get the Disney Rewards Visa out, huh? At least we'll get a few more rewards dollars out of it to use for the trip! :hyper:

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Make yourself some kind of countdown calendar and that will get you out of the dumps and jumping for joy for the warm air and sun to look forward to!!:goodvibes :beach:

Well I took your advice, and together my DS and I made a cute little countdown calendar out of a pad of post-its! He LOVES going to the fridge each morning and pulling off another number! Thanks for the good advice.:goodvibes

[Jennifer48]

Well I took your advice, and together my DS and I made a cute little countdown calendar out of a pad of post-its! He LOVES going to the fridge each morning and pulling off another number! Thanks for the good advice.:goodvibes

That's great! Its always awesome to have something fun and exciting to look forward to and it seems like it moves a bit faster when you have a countdown calendar! :goodvibes

Have fun shopping tonight! :goodvibes

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Well folks, this is what we've been dealing with for the last few weeks! :cold: It just keeps coming and coming.

He's taller than our mailbox!

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/1-30-09010.jpg



It will be so nice to jet off to the tropics (and not have to shovel our drive every morning!) :beach:

[anewmac]

oh WOW.. you really dont want to hear that it was 85 todays here then right LOL k I wont tell ya then! LOL

BUt just think of all the great exersice you are getting LOL

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

I jumped on DCL's site today to check to see if we'd received a stateroom assignment yet. (We'd been in GTY status "limbo" for what seemed like ages!)

Finally - a stateroom number! :cool1: We got bumped up to a cat. 11!

Now I know there's not much difference between a cat. 11 & 12, but to me - an upgrade is an upgrade!

We're on deck 6, which puts us close to all the action!:hyper:

[anewmac]

oh Deck 6 is awesome. Thats were we were hoping for .. next time LOL or 5. We were on 1.. did I mention it SUCKED LOL

[TammyNC]

How exciting about the upgrade...will be back to read more.

[Jennifer48]

I jumped on DCL's site today to check to see if we'd received a stateroom assignment yet. (We'd been in GTY status "limbo" for what seemed like ages!)

Finally - a stateroom number! :cool1: We got bumped up to a cat. 11!

Now I know there's not much difference between a cat. 11 & 12, but to me - an upgrade is an upgrade!

We're on deck 6, which puts us close to all the action!:hyper:

Awesome! CONGRATS! :thumbsup2 :goodvibes

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

I walked in the door from a hectic day at the college to see that my dear friend, the UPS man had made a visit to our home (again!). He brought me an adorable pair of sandals and

:yay: :cheer2: :yay: CRUISE DOCS!party:

I am so excited! We leave two weeks from tomorrow (Saturday), and I've got everything under control ... pretty much:lmao:

Magnets are made - FE & FE gifts should be here any day, thanks once again to my dear friend as mentioned above - luggage has been "pre-packed" - PassPorter has been studied and scrutinized...what else is there to do but W - A - I - T:hyper:

[anewmac]

WOOHOOO thats what makes it real!!!

[Jennifer48]

Wow that's awesome! I never got my docs that early before. Usually they came less than a week out. WOOT! :goodvibes

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

The weather in Ohio just can't make up it's mind. Just a week ago we were standing on 4 foot snow piles:cold: (see post # 21), now all that snow is melted thanks to 60 degree weather here yesterday. Today it just poured and poured. :umbrella: That melting snow plus today's substantial rainfall has resulted in massive flooding.

Here's the view from our backyard:
http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/2-11-09007.jpg

That is not a reflection - it's a true double rainbow!

[anewmac]

oh how awesome..
ya we too have had some crazy weather, 80, then raining and now 50 ouch.

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Well DIS friends, it's that time! :hyper: I'm finishing up the last minute tasks, doing laundry and packing. I can't believe this trip is finally here!

It's a little bittersweet for me. Just seven short months ago I lived through one of the hardest parts of my life, and now I'm headed off on a dream vacation with my family. God's blessings have been flowing, and I am eternally grateful.

Ok, enough of the sappy stuff! I'm headed to the Bahamas soon! :cool1: We're flying out Saturday morning, and we'll be in Orlando by 2:00 p.m.! We'll pick up our rental car and drive the last leg of the trip to Port Canaveral. Then we'll check into our hotel and head to Rusty's or Gil's or Fishlips for dinner to watch the cruise ships full of happy vacationers embark on their journey. Then it will be our turn!:woohoo:

That's it my friends - we're off! I'll check in with exciting tales once we're back!

Hugs!:grouphug:

[Had2disneycruz]

Well DIS friends, it's that time! :hyper: I'm finishing up the last minute tasks, doing laundry and packing. I can't believe this trip is finally here!

It's a little bittersweet for me. Just seven short months ago I lived through one of the hardest parts of my life, and now I'm headed off on a dream vacation with my family. God's blessings have been flowing, and I am eternally grateful.

Ok, enough of the sappy stuff! I'm headed to the Bahamas soon! :cool1: We're flying out Saturday morning, and we'll be in Orlando by 2:00 p.m.! We'll pick up our rental car and drive the last leg of the trip to Port Canaveral. Then we'll check into our hotel and head to Rusty's or Gil's or Fishlips for dinner to watch the cruise ships full of happy vacationers embark on their journey. Then it will be our turn!:woohoo:


That's it my friends - we're off! I'll check in with exciting tales once we're back!

Hugs!:grouphug:


Hi Alice! I have enjoyed your pre TR and I hope that this trip will be everything you want it to be! Enjoy the time with your family and I look forward to hearing how it went! Best wishes for beautiful weather and may God continue to bless you and your family! Have fun!

[Jennifer48]

Have an awesome time! Can't wait to hear all about it! :goodvibes :hug:

[disneyfaninaz]

Alice,

I know exactly how you feel as our "celebratory" cruise is just over 2 weeks away. Have a trip of a lifetime!!!

[Had2disneycruz]

Alice,

I know exactly how you feel as our "celebratory" cruise is just over 2 weeks away. Have a trip of a lifetime!!!

Hi Disneyfaninaz. Sounds like you deserve a great trip too. I hope you enjoy your week on the Magic. Will you do a TR too? We are cruising in April on the Magic. We are celebrating too but not for health issues like you and Alice. (We all should celebrate life though!) We are just happy to have jobs after my DH's job was outsourced. Luckily, he found another and we are blessed and celebrating! I hope both of you disney cruisers have terrific trips!

[disneyfaninaz]

Hi Disneyfaninaz. Sounds like you deserve a great trip too. I hope you enjoy your week on the Magic. Will you do a TR too? We are cruising in April on the Magic. We are celebrating too but not for health issues like you and Alice. (We all should celebrate life though!) We are just happy to have jobs after my DH's job was outsourced. Luckily, he found another and we are blessed and celebrating! I hope both of you disney cruisers have terrific trips!

Thanks. I will certainly attempt another trip report after we get back. :)

Glad to hear everything worked out for your on the job front. Here's hoping for continued success.

[podsnel]

Have a blast, Alice!! Looking forward to hearing all about it when you're back!! :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Oh, you dear, sweet DIS friends just warm my heart! :cloud9:

I'm sure we'll have a great time, and I'll tell you all about it when we get back.

:cool2:

[anewmac]

Enjoy it!!! Make it a celebration like another dis said! Go get your Grove on Mama LOL

[Had2disneycruz]

Oh, you dear, sweet DIS friends just warm my heart! :cloud9:

I'm sure we'll have a great time, and I'll tell you all about it when we get back.

:cool2:

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

[Kelly Lou]

Hi, :wave2: just read your pre trip report... Can't wait for the post report. I'm in Canfield Ohio (near Youngstown), and it's snowing here again today:scared1: ! :worship: I so wish I was there now! We go on our first cruise, 4 nights on the Wonder, in May!!!!! Can't wait to hear all about yours! :cheer2:

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

I'm getting a little fearful about getting out of Ohio...we're supposed to get 3 - 5 inches of snow tomorrow morning and our flight leaves at 11:00 a.m.!:scared1:

JUST GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!:scared:

[iu97alum]

Happy Birthday to you!!! Hope you're celebrating it in STYLE!!!

[anewmac]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

enjoy the cruise cant wait to hear all about it.... and Ill be praying for NO snow tmrw for ya!

[laura001]

I look forward to reading your report when you get back, hope you are having a good time!!:goodvibes

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Saturday, February 21st, my alarm woke me at 6:30 a.m. Normally I would mutter swear words under my breath and smack that annoying little machine silly, roll over and drift back to sleep, but this was VACATION DAY! :yay:

I bounced out of bed with a smile on my face and hopped in the shower. I was ready in a flash, and had to pull my hubby from his nice, warm slumber. Once we both were showered, dressed, and ready, we began packing up those all important last minute items that simply can’t be forgotten. We were ready earlier than we had planned, but it made for a less-stressful morning. Our son was still sleeping peacefully. What fun it was to gently wake him to the words “Get up honey…we’re heading to Florida today!” :cloud9:

My husband’s parents arrived around 7:45, and by 8:00 a.m. we were on the road to the airport. We stopped for breakfast at McDonalds. My husband and son gobbled up their food, but I was too excited to eat, so I just picked at my meal – most of it went in the trash! :p

By 9:00 we had arrived at the airport. We had a brief wait to check in. After what felt like ages (but was really only 15 minutes), we checked our bags, grabbed our boarding passes, hugged the in-laws, and breezed through security.

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise006.jpg

Now came the “hurry up and wait” portion of our day. We sat in the Toledo Express airport for about an hour and a half. Not because our flight was delayed, but because I was so excited for this trip that we arrived at the airport way too early. Finally, our plane arrived from Orlando/Sanford airport and we boarded around 11:00. Once we were on the plane, we had to wait (yep, more waiting) for our plane to be de-iced. This process took about 20 minutes. Now that’s not a long time to you and me, but to a 4 year old, this feels like eternity. Before long we were given the go-ahead and our plane finally took flight. We’re off to Florida! Yea!

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise010.jpg

Once we arrived at the Orlando/Sandford airport, it was all smooth sailing from there – yes, pun intended! :boat: My husband grabbed our checked luggage while I signed all the paperwork for the rental car, and within 20 minutes we were on our way to Cape Canaveral. Let me just tell you how nice it was to get on an airplane in freezing cold Ohio and be driving down palm-tree lined roads with the windows down and the music cranked 3 hours later. A girl could get used to that kind of life…

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise032.jpg

After a short, happy drive down the Florida coast, we crossed those famous bridges and saw the happiest sight of the day:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise015.jpg

Sadly, we kept on driving to our less-than-savory hotel room – but it would have to do, after all we would be on the grandest ship in the harbor the very next day!

Once we were settled we noticed the loud grumbles coming from our tummies, so we headed down to Jetty Park for dinner. We stopped at Rusty’s for the BEST EVER wings and beer. Luckily the Disney Magic hadn’t left yet! I got a few shots as she sailed out to sea:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN-uDvIz790

After dinner we stopped at the liquor store and stocked up! Hint: if you eat at Rusty’s, save your receipt! The owner of Rusty’s also owns Cape Canaveral Liquors, so your receipt acts as a 15% off coupon. Your discount is printed on the bottom of your Rusty’s receipt; just take it in and save some money on drinks!:drinking1

We then headed back to our hotel for a restless night of sleep. But not to worry – the best is yet to come! :thumbsup2

Up next: Our own private Mickey pool

[CapnJackGroupie]

I can feel your excitement!!! :goodvibes

[Jennifer48]

Yay I can't wait to hear more! :woohoo:

[Kelly Lou]

:yay: I've been waiting for this report all week. :goodvibes And, Happy Delayed Bday! :cool1: Keep it coming, :surfweb: I'll be checking in daily!

[anewmac]

yeah!!!!!! I love the horn sound!!!! Still bring tears and chills to me :)

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

:yay: I've been waiting for this report all week. :goodvibes And, Happy Delayed Bday! :cool1: Keep it coming, :surfweb: I'll be checking in daily!

Well I'll try not to disappoint!:cool2:

(I'm a little obsessed with researching Disney Vacation Club membership right now...I'm trying to convince my DH to do this so we can go back again soon!)

More to come - I promise!

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Day One of Our Cruise...

It’s Finally Embarkation Day! :yay: The day we’d dreamed of for so long had finally arrived! I could not sleep the night before – I tossed and turned all night, and looked at the clock constantly wondering when it would be “appropriate” to get up! Finally, I figured 6:30 a.m. was good, I’d slept long enough!

We all headed to the Omelet Station for breakfast – yum! DS was thrilled with his Mickey shaped chocolate chip pancakes. How did they know we were going on a Disney cruise?! :lmao: I was still too excited to eat, so for the second day I picked at my breakfast. (I think my DH was getting a little annoyed with buying me breakfast only to see it thrown in the trash!):scared:

After breakfast we made a quick stop at Cocoa Beach.

Why thank you for such a heart-warming welcome!
http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise035.jpg

Brrr! That water is cold!
http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise039.jpg

After running in and out of the surf, we jumped into the rental car and headed back to the hotel-from-a-horror-movie to get cleaned up and ready to head to the cruise terminal. Boy was I glad to check out of that place! We then turned our rental car back in at Avis and were on the shuttle to the terminal just before 10:00 a.m.


http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise045.jpg

We made it! We breezed through security, and before I knew it we were standing on that wonderful escalator, headed up! up! up! to check in for our cruise!

We were greeted by a friendly CM waving hello with her cute Mickey glove. She pointed us to an open clerk, and within 3 minutes we had our boarding pass. We were directed over to the security picture stop, smiled and said “cheese!”, grabbed our son’s kid’s Club pager, and had plenty of time to explore the terminal.

He's in AWE!
http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise050.jpg

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise049.jpg

Before long, word got around that Captain Mickey was in the terminal. I was more excited than DS was! We quickly jumped in line, and within 10 minutes we got to meet Mickey in person – er, in mouse.

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise054.jpg

DS was getting a little antsy and a little moody, and a LOT tired of waiting, so DH grabbed a few snacks. While we were munching, a friendly voice came over the loudspeaker to announce the family of the “week.” A moment later that same happy voice began announcing boarding pass numbers. We had a 5, not great but not bad, and a short while later our group was announced.

We walked through the big Mickey Ears, posed for our first Shutters photo op, then strolled across the gangway. A cheerful CM asked our family name and then announced:

“Welcome to the Beck family!”

I’ve just gotta say – being announced like that as we stepped into the atrium was fantastic! I actually got a little choked up!

We were directed to Parrot Cay, but being “in-the-know,” we headed up to Beach Blanket Buffet. By this time it was only 12:30. Once we got out onto deck 9 we noticed it was empty! Only a few CM’s were around, just finishing up a few last minute clean-ups.

It was then that my DS spied the Mickey Pool. It was EMPTY! He begged to swim right at that moment, but I turned him down – he had to have at least four bites of something before he could swim! All of our stomachs were growling, so we went directly to Beach Blanket Buffet to grab a bite. There was no one in line, so we breezed through quickly and headed out to the aft deck to scarf it all down.

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise056.jpg

After DS inhaled and counted all his bites (yes, I’m that kind of mom!) I took him to the Mickey pool. Poor DH had to carry his tray and lug a few carry-on bags over to a table by the pool by himself because DS was running straight for the water – he was on a mission!

Then, the funniest thing happened. I told DS “Let’s get you changed into your swimsuit” and he dropped his shorts right then and there out on deck! I shrieked “NO! I’ll take you to the bathroom to change!” DH and I haven’t laughed that hard in a LONG time! (Thankfully hardly anyone was around to see that!)

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise059.jpg

Once DS had his swim shorts on I let him run loose. He hopped in that pool as quickly as he could! I think there were maybe one or two other kids by now. No big deal – but this was the LAST time we’d see that pool so empty! DH and I sat back and relaxed… we had a little time to kill before our bags would be at our room.

Ahh... The high life!
http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise061.jpg

Up Next: Our first DIS meet & the wonderful safety drill

[Kelly Lou]

Then, the funniest thing happened. I told DS “Let’s get you changed into your swimsuit” and he dropped his shorts right then and there out on deck! I shrieked “NO! I’ll take you to the bathroom to change!” DH and I haven’t laughed that hard in a LONG time! (Thankfully hardly anyone was around to see that!)

:lmao: LOL! :lmao: I love that my boys aren't the only kids who are willing to strip naked anywhere!:rotfl2:

:mickeyjum And let me know what you find out about DVC- I'm obsessed these days too! We're not even there yet and I can't wait to go back!:dance3:

[anewmac]

HAHA you got a streaker in the making!

[CapnJackGroupie]

:lmao: I appreciate your son's eagerness!! Who can blame him?? :goodvibes

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Day Two Continued…

When I last wrote, I left off while I was lounging by the Mickey pool…that was nice, but short lived. As time went on more and more families started showing up, and pretty soon it was super crowded, just as it would be the rest of the cruise. The water temperature in that pool was pretty chilly, and in no time DS’s lips started to turn blue. :cold: Even the Mickey-ear “hot tubs” weren’t very warm, so I bundled DS up in a towel and walked him down to the hot tubs by the Goofy pool. :goofy: The water here was much warmer. This pool was MUCH less crowded and the atmosphere was much more enjoyable. For the rest of the cruise, I enjoyed this pool the best!:sunny:

How do we keep getting these pools all to ourselves?
http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise064.jpg

The time was nearing 1:30 and I was anxious to drop our carry-on bags off in our stateroom. Wheeling a suitcase full of booze around gets pretty tiresome! :lmao: After we dropped our bags off we decided to do a little exploring around the ship. The beauty of that vessel just amazes me. I’ve cruised before (on the floating box with the whale tail), but I’ve never experienced such class and sophistication on a ship like this before. Disney does it right! The artwork is beautiful, and it’s everywhere! Having special touches like these at every turn really does make the feel of the ship seem so elegant.

Soon it was time for our first DIS meet! :grouphug: I had arranged our meets for our group, and I decided to make our first meet at the Mickey pool, since nearly all of us had young children, and I figured we’d all be up there anyway! After a few minutes, campinggal and her DD found us. We had met earlier in the terminal, thanks to those handy lime green Mickey heads. A few minutes later, Sue from our meet found us and pointed us toward the rest of the group that had already found each other. It was great to meet each other, but my DS was tired and grumpy at this point so I had to cater to his every whine and I didn’t get to talk with the other moms from our group as much as I would have like. But my DH sure had a good time! Within minutes he had a beer in his hand (given to him by “sharkbait,” other wise known as Ron in real life) and was laughing it up with all the other hubbies. Meanwhile, I’ve got a grumpy 4-year-old monster draining the life out of me…so I quickly grabbed that beer out of DH’s hand and took a few swigs myself! :drinking1

Not long into our meet I decided that I needed to take DS down to our stateroom for a short rest before the security drill and the Sail Away party. So we politely said our goodbyes and all headed down to the room. One of our checked bags was waiting for us by the door. Luckily it was the one that had the magnets and the fish extender in it, so I hung those up while DS rested on the couch and watched a little t.v.

Not five minutes into our little respite, the voice of our cruise director Peter came over the ships p.a. system to explain that it was time to grab our life vests and head to our designated meeting station. So much for that much-needed rest for ALL of us!


Does this life vest make me look fat?
http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise071.jpg

This drill wasn’t really all that bad, except that my feet were killing me, we were standing in the direct heat of the sun, it was really crowded, :crowded: and a bratty little 2 year old boy stomped on my DS’s toes a few times, pinched him, and hit him, all while his parents pretty much did nothing about it. I tired my best to separate them, but the shortest ones have to be in the front, and this put those two right beside each other, and gave that other little boy ample opportunity to take his frustrations out on my kid. Finally, one of the CM’s told that little boy’s mom that she could take him back to their room. She apologized to me for his behavior and grabbed him up and whisked him away. (Thank you, Lord! My kid was bad enough on his own, he didn’t need a little instigator beside him to make his mood worse!)

Happy guy #1
http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise068.jpg

Happy guy #2
http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise069.jpg

I was so excited for the Sail Away party that I made my family sprint back to our room to drop off the life vests because I was on a mission to get a good spot on deck 10 to watch the whole experience. DH & DS didn’t share my enthusiasm. We got a good spot and I was able to get quite a bit of it on our camcorder, but DS hated it! DH asked DS what he wanted to do, and all our little guy wanted to do was be down on deck 9 to dance. I felt horrible! From what I had read on the DIS boards, the Sail Away party is a little too over-stimulating for the younger ones, and they would enjoy watching it from deck 10 so they could see everything. But not my kid! He wanted to be down there in all the action. It seems he had his own expectations for his vacation and I was ruining it for him!

So we ran down the stairs to deck 9, danced along with Mickey, Pluto, and Goofy, and heard the beautiful sound of the ship’s horn. Amazingly, I didn’t cry! I can’t believe this, because every time I listened to it at home before we left I bawled like a baby! :sad: I guess I was just so happy to be there that I cheered instead of falling into a blubbering mess and embarrassing my DH.

By this point, the Sail Away party was in full swing, so I decided to take my boys out to the “secret” deck 7 aft observation deck. There was one other family out there, and it was a much more peaceful for place for DS to watch the ship leave port. I think this was one of his favorite experiences.

He's explaining it all to his daddy
http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise072.jpg

Up next: just the two of us

[anewmac]

I love the ships horn! Funny how they werent too happy about the sailaway mine werent either go figure LOL.

[campinggal]

Hi Harmony!!! :wave2:

It is fun to be reading your report! I don't have time to do one myself but it will be nice to relive our cruise through your report.

Mother Nature is being cruel to us today- we had two days of mid 50s weather over the weekend and the snow rapidly melted but we woke up this morning to snow, 2 hr school delays and at least 3 to 6 inches. Yuck!

I would SO rather be standing on deck in the hot sun at a lifeboat drill! Sigh...

Happy Monday!!

Liz

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Hey Liz!:flower3:

It's so nice to "see" you again! Our weather has been crazy here too. We had 5 tornadoes within a 50 mile radius of our house last night, some only a few miles away. Then, a few minutes after the last one touched down, we had another beautiful rainbow just outside our living room window. Destruction and beauty all in one wild evening!

Actually, I shouldn't complain too much about that life boat drill - that was the worst part of our trip and even that wasn't that bad! We had such a great time. We can't wait to go back. We're in the process of planning our next trip! Can't wait.::yes::

[disneychic]

Great TR! Looking forward to reading more popcorn::

[Jennifer48]

Aww I'm sorry to hear about the little boy bothering your son! Thats not a good way to start a DCL cruise! :sad2: Hope the rest of the trip gets better! I always tear up at the horn. No matter where I am. :cloud9: *sigh* I can't wait to hear it in a few months! :thumbsup2

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

As our beautiful ship headed for sea, we waved good-bye to all those suckers stuck on land. (That was a lot of fun!:cool2: ) We all relaxed out on secret deck 7 for awhile. Relaxing for me included doing a shot of Captain Morgan! :drinking1

Once we were all rested up and ready for more fun, we headed down to the Walt Disney Theatre for the Golden Mickey’s. This show was my absolute favorite! We were all blown away. DH had never been to a production quite like this before and he just couldn’t quit talking about it.

We sat down just before the show began so I missed the announcements about NOT recording it, so we’ve got most of the show on our camcorder! Shhh….please don’t tell on me! :ssst: I really didn’t know!:sad2:


We had late dinner seating, so after the show we took DS down to get a quick bite to eat at BBB because he had no intentions of sitting through a long dinner – all he wanted to do was go to the Oceaneer’s Club, which DH & I gladly agreed to!

DH & I headed to Triton’s alone. (It was quite nice! But I felt a little weird without my kid…not to worry, I quickly got over that feeling.)

The atmosphere at Triton’s is nice, but it just wasn’t quite as nice as I expected. Mostly because I didn’t feel like there was any intimacy to it. This dining room is pretty wide open. I guess I felt like if it was just me and DH I wanted a nice, quiet table all to ourselves. Plus, I just didn’t like the food! I did have the escargot which was good, but my entrée was YUCK-O. :crazy2: I’m looking forward to the new menus on our next cruise in November. Don’t feel too badly for me though, we would have a better experience at Triton’s another day.

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise075.jpg

After dinner, we took advantage of our child-less evening. Since our pager hadn’t gone off yet, we decided to take a leisurely stroll around deck 4.

Deck 4 is by far one of my favorite places on the ship! It’s very rarely ever crowded, there are plenty of comfy cushy lounge chairs for everyone, and you can see for miles. DH & I made sure we went out there every evening. That deck just feels enchanted at night, especially when the moon glistens off the ocean, the stars twinkle brightly, and the lights of the ship dance across the waves…:lovestruc :cloud9: :love:

(next time I'll get a few pictures of myself, too!)
http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise073.jpg

After our turn around the deck, we checked DS out of his club, (more like pulled him kicking and screaming from the club!) and headed back to our stateroom. The ship was really moving – it felt like full steam ahead. The peaceful rocking of the ship lulled us off to dreamland. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Up Next: You’re on Ralph Time now, baby!

[anewmac]

WOOHOO shots of the Captain... thats my girl! ;)

Dont you love that the kids love the clubs! That for me is the best part of the vacation!

Oh and escargot... my fav!!!!!

[anewmac]

WOOHOO shots of the Captain... thats my girl! ;)

Dont you love that the kids love the clubs! That for me is the best part of the vacation!

Oh and escargot... my fav!!!!!

[gent1987]

I have to comment on this. We were on Ralph time buddy, not baby. That's the way Ralph talked. Ha....Ha....Ha.....Ha.
That's the way he laughed too. My wife won't post this, but I had a great time imitating all the different accents that we heard (she was a bit annoyed). My favorite to imitate was Peter the cruise director. If anyone has heard Peter, you would understand. "How did it feel coming back to the beslooking ship intheharbor? What were theythinking? Let'sbuildabox, seeifitfloatss. Nowwhadowedo?"
:rotfl2:

[campinggal]

I have to comment on this. We were on Ralph time buddy, not baby. That's the way Ralph talked. Ha....Ha....Ha.....Ha.
That's the way he laughed too. My wife won't post this, but I had a great time imitating all the different accents that we heard (she was a bit annoyed). My favorite to imitate was Peter the cruise director. If anyone has heard Peter, you would understand. "How did it feel coming back to the beslooking ship intheharbor? What were theythinking? Let'sbuildabox, seeifitfloatss. Nowwhadowedo?":rotfl2:

:rotfl: TOTALLY!!! I can hear Peter saying that right now....especially the 'beslooking ship intheharbor'!!!

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

:rotfl: TOTALLY!!! I can hear Peter saying that right now....especially the 'beslooking ship intheharbor'!!!

Oh no! Now you're BOTH ganging up on me!:eek:

[Jennifer48]

I love love love sitting on deck 4 in those comfy chairs at night. Its so romantical! :lovestruc :love:

[sas_mk]

Deck 4 was one of my favorite spots on the ship too. I am loving your TR. Keep it up!!

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

:wave2: Hi Friends!

I know you all have been waiting patiently for an update on my trip report. Thank you for taking intrest in my trip!

I'm a little swamped right now at school, the end of the semester is nearing and all those horrible projects and papers are looming over my head. :scared: But I promise I'll have an update sometime this weekend!

Thanks for reading! :coffee: I can't wait to read all of YOUR TR's. popcorn::

[anewmac]

take your time... I know how that goes LOL dumb life getting in the way of our vacations and planning the trip reporting LOL

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

They say it’s MY birthday! :bday:Yep, I turned the Big 3-Oh! on the cruise. My birthday in paradise…there’s nothing better!

This was Nassau day. I woke up EARLY, way too early. By 6:00 a.m. I was wide awake. I was just so excited to be in the Bahamas on a Disney cruise on my birthday to sleep. :yo-yo:I laid in bed for a little while, and finally got up at 6:30. My boys weren’t as ready to bound out of bed as I was so I showered while they slept. By 7:00 everyone was up, munchin’ on fruit loops, and starting to get around. Once we were all ready we headed up to deck 10 to check out our new home port for the day.

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise085.jpg

Once we got up to deck 10, we noticed a dramatic change in the weather. It was so WARM there! :sunny:Don’t get me wrong – Cape Canaveral was so warm and beautiful in February compared to frigid Northwest Ohio, but the weather in the Bahamas was perfect! ::yes::We had perfect weather the whole trip.

Since we were on a cruise we went to BBB for MORE food, after all we had an exciting day planned and we would need lots of energy! Our excursion was planned to begin at 12:45, so we had the whole morning to loll around the ship.

After our second breakfast we headed up to check DS into his club and ran into this handsome chap:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise087.jpg

And this lovely lady:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise088.jpg

And DS’s favorite, Captain Hook!

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise092.jpg

After our great photos with friends DS played in his club for a little while and then paged us to go swimming. We took him up to the Mickey pool and we lounged while he swam and played in the pool.

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise093.jpg

After lunch it was time for our excursion: Ardastra Gardens and the city tour.

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise096.jpg

This is when we met our Bahamian tour guide, Ralph. Now Ralph is a really nice guy, but he’s Bahamian. One important fact to note here: those who live in the Bahamas live life like no other. They come and go as they please, and they’re NEVER in a hurry.

So we hopped on the bus with Ralph and he talked and he talked and he talked. :mic:He talked the whole way to the gardens. Some of what he was saying was informative, but I got the feeling this guy really likes the sound of his voice!:confused3

After Ralph wove his way through nearly all of the city of Nassau – the nice parts and the seedy parts – we finally arrived at Ardastra Gardens. Once we were inside, a park guide directed us back to feed the Lories (small parrots). This part was fantastic! :thumbsup2Just look at the smiles on the faces of my boys!

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise105.jpg

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise108.jpg

After we had fed nearly every little bird in that place, we went to explore the gardens. Ardastra is famously known the world over for their beautiful, bright pink flamingoes. And they’re everywhere! The flamingoes have the run of the place. They walk here and there wherever they please. They aren’t packed away in an enclosure. They just walk right along beside you! These birds are just too cool. :lovestruc

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise116.jpg

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise128.jpg

We had about an hour and a half to stroll around the grounds, watch the flamingo show, grab our free drink, and head back to the tour van. By this time DS was getting a little tired and groggy so we were happy to get back on that van to sit down and rest for a while. Then we waited. And waited some more. The other van drove off back to the ship without us. Then we waited some more. I was starting to get irritated. :mad:But my DH reminded me that we were on Ralph time and there was nothing I could do about it… What was he doing? Smoking a doobie out behind the bushes?!:smokin:

Finally, Ralph came back to the van and my stress dissolved – for a little while. Since Ralph was driving he controlled where that van went. I thought we had already seen all of Nassau, but oh no I was wrong. Ralph took us all over the parts we hadn’t previously seen. This lasted for an hour and a half!:furious: All I wanted to do was get back on that ship! The only good thing I could say about this was that my DS fell asleep and got a good nap in.

Ralph finally took us back to the ship. It was so nice to see our ship again!:love:

We stopped for a quick photo. (Notice the chipper look on my DS’s face.:laughing:)

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise143.jpg

And to see this sign:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise095.jpg

Up next: The OTHER happiest place on Earth: Castaway Cay!

[anewmac]

Happy birthday... ok a lil late but were reliving so it goes with the post right LOL

Im making note of the bird place incase we ever check it out!

[gent1987]

The bird place was great, just watch out for Bilbo, the leader. He may bite the hand that feeds as Jack discovered!:sad:

[gent1987]

I will at least admit that by this time I found out how much good food was available. I think before our excursion I ate at about 4 different places! Too much good food. This is a sign for how much weight I gained not lost.

:wish180:wishsize10

The flamingos were cool too, they had a "general" commanding them and they obeyed every command. I also liked the Bahamian opportunists. They would give someone a funny hat and take their picture. The tourists are thinking "man this is nice" and then bam they hit you with "please put money in the box". I had to laugh hysterically at these people! I also laughed hysterically at at an old man coming out of the gift shop on the ship. He exited in "Kramer" like fashion with a couple of "woo's". I was laughing so hard I couldn't see and my wife or dear wife I guess seperated herself from me.

Sorry for the randomness, but this is like my mind, always changing channels!

:happytv::rotfl2:

[Jennifer48]

I've never heard of those gardens before, very cool!

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Too much good food. This is a sign for how much weight I gained not lost.

:wish180:wishsize10

:rotfl2:

Friends, don't let my DH fool you - he's in perfect shape! Although he may have gained a few ounces on the cruise, he looks great now!

(He's doing several reps of pushups as I write!:worship:)

[anewmac]

Friends, don't let my DH fool you - he's in perfect shape! Although he may have gained a few ounces on the cruise, he looks great now!

(He's doing several reps of pushups as I write!:worship:)

Well tell him to do some more for me LOL tell him to run a few miles also.. great Im going to get a beer LOL tell him I said thanks! :thumbsup2 lol:rotfl2:

[Kelly Lou]

Hi There, :thumbsup2quick question for you (or anyother recent cruiser). Our first cruise is coming up next month. :banana::banana::banana:We heard that the cm's on land wave to us wearing big mickey hands. Is this during the sail away party? or as the ship begins to move? Can you see them from deck 9? Is it better to be on the right or left side of the stage (when looking at it)???:confused:
Thanks for any answers!

[Jennifer48]

Hi There, :thumbsup2quick question for you (or anyother recent cruiser). Our first cruise is coming up next month. :banana::banana::banana:We heard that the cm's on land wave to us wearing big mickey hands. Is this during the sail away party? or as the ship begins to move? Can you see them from deck 9? Is it better to be on the right or left side of the stage (when looking at it)???:confused:
Thanks for any answers!

CM's will wave from port during the Sail Away party. You can see them from deck 9 or 10 or even deck 4. I believe when you are looking at the stage, its on your right side. They are outside the terminal so whichever side that is. They also wave when you leave Castaway Cay! Hope that helps! :thumbsup2:goodvibes

[Kelly Lou]

:thumbsup2Thanks Jennifer48!:cool1:
Can't wait- our vaca starts in 44 days!!!!:banana:

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Sorry I haven't posted an update in a while. The end of the semester is looming and I have tons of work to complete in the next few weeks. I'll try to get an update soon, I promise!

Thanks for reading. :)

[Granny Hawkins]

Looking forward to the rest of your TR>

We set sail on July 11th.

[wilma-bride]

Just started reading this report and now I'm all caught up - great report so far. Love your DS' grumpy face when he's tired - he looks just like mine :rotfl:

Looking forward to the next update :)

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

:ssst:Disclaimer: Castaway Cay may just be the most addictive place on the whole darn planet.
Once you go all you can dream of is getting back!:cloud9:

The OTHER day we had been dreaming of had finally arrived! (The first day of the cruise is the other “other” day!)

After a QUICK breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet, we headed back to our stateroom to pack the beach bag and cooler, slather on some sunscreen, and flip on our flops. We were READY for the BEACH!

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise161.jpg

Thanks to the DIS boards, we knew to head to the farthest end of the family beach. While it was still pretty early in the morning, the family beach was filling up quickly. By the time we got down to the end there were NO free hammocks. There was a bunch of someone’s stuff on one…so I watched it like a hawk, and they never came back…so I was about to make my move when…
they came back! Drats! But it turned out we were too busy for that hammock anyway!


The water was just a bit chilly, so DS asked to go to his club. Let me just say this: Disney thinks of everything to keep a family happy! Having the kid’s club right there on the island was perfect. DS had a blast with his friends and DH and I spent quite a bit of time together ALONE! And we loved every minute of it.
Ahhh…relaxing on our own private island…Life is GOOD!

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise154.jpg

Notice the glow-in-the-dark pasty white color of my legs? They didn’t stay that color for long! By the end of the afternoon they were BRIGHT pink. I guess that’s the only place I forgot to put sunscreen. Oops!

After a delicious lunch at Cookies – hands down, the best BBQ I’d had in a while – DH & I dropped DS back off at his club and headed to Serenity Bay. This beach is beautiful, but it was COLD! The wind was blowing and chilled us to the bone so we only stayed for about 15 minutes.


We picked DS up and headed back to the beach where it was nice and warm in the Caribbean sun. Our little guy played the afternoon away digging holes and building sandcastles. This place is just perfect…

After a full day in the sun knocking back a few cool drinks, we were all ready to head back to the ship to rest before dinner.
We stopped for a few pics:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise180.jpg

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise176.jpg

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise184.jpg

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise183.jpg


And were welcomed home by these guys:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww97/harmony_beck223/disneycruise186.jpg

All in all, this was the PERFECT day. I left part of my heart on that island. I can’t wait to go back and feel complete again!

[disneyfaninaz]

Alice,

What a beautiful day you had at Castaway Cay. I know what you mean, they must put something in the BBQ that's makes it so addicting. :laughing:

Anyway, enjoyed your report. Thanks for sharing! :flower3:

[anetnmike]

I know what you mean Harmony. In my mind I am still there!::yes::
It is so wonderful you just never want to go back to real life!!:goodvibes
I am so happy that we will both be back there soon...:woohoo:

[anewmac]

I know EXACTLY what you mean I love that island. They should make a hotel there. I would stay LOL Love your hat by the way.. cute!

[disneydance]

Subscribing :)
I'm loving your TR is absolutely wonderful :)
Keep up the great work :)

[wilma-bride]

Your Castaway Cay pics are gorgeous. Sounds like a lovely day, I can't wait to get back there :)

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Love your hat by the way.. cute!

Yeah, looking back at these pictures now, I've decided I love the hat, hate the coverup! I'm on the prowl for a new one for our next cruise. Got any shopping tips for me?

Also, my DH was disappointed in this TR. He said it was too short.

Well, hubby, I'm forgetting all the little details - so you post a TR!:lmao: