We Saw It, We Ate It! 11/19 Wonder UPDATED! [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

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tinkmom2

11-24-2009, 11:57 AM

Hiya all,
We just got back from our Wonderful cruise on Sunday after spending 3 days at POP, WDW, Epcot and 3 days on the Wonder on our bounceback cruise. I am still feeling the motion of the ship. I like to call it "sea legs." I still feel like the ships a rockin lol! We took over 3 hours of video and 500 pictures. And we had a few Magical Moments on the way too!

I reported on the food for first half of our trip which was spent 11/16-19th at POP, Epcot, and at the MVMCP. See that part here:thumbsup2
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2337135

Let me tell you first who went. It was my DH Pat, My DD10 Cassie, DD4 Claire, and me on our bounceback cruise.

We had a awesome time at Epcot seeing all the decor and at our first MVMCP. The parade was the best I have ever seen! It was our fifth time visiting the Magic Kingdom but a time for a lot of firsts for us.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP065.jpg
Gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP056.jpg
huge Mickey wreath on the monoraill entrance to the Contemporary
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP216.jpg
another gingerbread house in the USA pavillion
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP219.jpg
one of the many beautiful trees at Epcot

In all the times we have been there, I have never been on the teacups or had a dole whip. We also always come at spring break time so we were loving all the decorations. We have never been to the parks nor the resorts when they are so empty. We now have officially been at all the value resorts and like POP the best.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP002.jpg

The MVMCP was the best time we have ever had at WDW. I was wowed at Spectromagic but when I saw the Christmas Parade it became my new #1. The decorations were over the top at MK.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP089.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP131.jpg
Cassie having her first Dole Whip
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP141-1.jpg

We had several TS meals which you can read about in the link above. When we got back to our hotel room we got our first Magical experince. We were selected as the housekeeping family of the day. I guess we looked like we needed it lol. Our room was a mess lol! Here's the certificate below. We got turndown service and mints on our pillow. Fancy lol!
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP030.jpg

One night we fell asleep and the next day all the decorations were up at our resort!
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP173.jpg

Epcot day we had brekfast at Akershus. Both my dd's were able to meet the Princesses there
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP184-1.jpg

So we had a awesome time at the MVMCP and Epcot. The next morning our Limo company was to pick us up with a towncar. Another Magical moment occured. Here's what pulled up:
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP243.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP244.jpg

Next stop Port Canaveral!

Cheryl726

11-24-2009, 01:22 PM

Great pics so far!

tinkmom2

11-24-2009, 06:01 PM

Now off to Port...

We got to the port around 11:30AM and I went through the Castaway line at checkin. It was pretty fast but our boarding number was a 13. Really it didn't matter because we were busy getting the pager for the kids club and taking pics with the characters. On our maiden voyage we didn't get to port until 3:30pm so we were excited to see all the people and decorations. I prepaid my shipboard account up to $450.00 and am glad I did! I didn't have to worry about money the whole cruise although I did go to guest services midway to check my balance. Here are some pics from port. There is a lot of construction going on I am guessing to make room for the Dream.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP252-1.jpg

Claire and Mickey
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP255-1.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP256-1.jpg

Our boarding number was called pretty quick and we were told to go to Beach Blanket buffet but we wanted Parrot Cay. So that's where we went. We didn't have a line at all. :worship: We were starving!
Here's my plate
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP257-1.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP262-1.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP258-1.jpg

By the time lunch was over we only had a few minute wait until 1:30pm to get to our rooms.
It was off to the mandatory muster drill
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP268-1.jpg
I didn't realize til I got to the muster drill that I had on a kids life jacket lol!

Off to dinner our first night at Animator's Palate. I had requested our server from our first cruise Ganesh Ubale from India but was kind of sad when someone else showed us to our table. I was reading through the menu and guess whom surprised me? Ganesh. He came up to the side of our table and I was so happy to see him as were the girls:yay:
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP282-1.jpg
I had the ahi tuna tartar for the appitzer which I love:
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP275-1.jpg
My entree was the steak
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP276-1.jpg
Pat had the 5 spice scented fish. It was so so.

http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP277-1.jpg
Cassie had the lemon thyme chicken
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP278-1.jpg

on to desserts next time...:cloud9:

OMG! I forgot to mention at 3pm that first day we got a chance to meet some fellow Disers from our FE exchange.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/NovemberNauticals-1.jpg

pmama

11-25-2009, 09:10 AM

Love it, keep it coming! We are going on a land/sea in less than 3 weeks.

tinkmom2

11-25-2009, 10:05 AM

Can't forget the desserts for AP!
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP283-1.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP284-1.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP285-1.jpg

We had first dinner seating this time. Now I know that we like the 2nd better I am sure that's what we'll get from now on. I felt with the first dinner seating we were rushing activities. With the second seating we would eat a good breakfast, take a nap, grab a piece of pizza, and then have the late dinner. The first dinner seating we were hurrying to clean up before dinner and rushing as not to be late.

The Golden Mickey's my oldest skipped but the rest of us love Ensign Benson!

The next morning we docked in Nassau! Beautiful out at sea but once you are off the ship you are bombarded by peddlers. "Do you want your hair braided?"... Our favorite line was..."Come ride these air conditioned bikes lol!"
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP298.jpg

We had our first near death experince on Nassau. We decided to take the ferry across to Atlantis at $3.00/person. Luckily we dropped the kids back off at the ship. We were instructed to walk on the slip where they tie the boats to. It was about 2 feet across and a huge drop into the ocean. I tripped myself several times on the ropes. We get on the boat and it's something out of the 1920's. It had cement seats and not enough life jackets! Luckily I had my free motion sickenss pills from the ship because the boat was in and out of the waves.
A man was on the boat and told us some history of the island. He wanted a tip afterwards.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP306.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP308.jpg

I spent about $40.00 on penny slots at Atlantis and lost. I love all the glass scuptures. It is the same artist whom did the glass sculpture on the Wonder.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP311.jpg

This is the tiny police station at Nassau
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP312.jpg

We took the taxi back and picked up some t-shirts and rum cakes before walking to the Wonder.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP301.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP305.jpg

Mojodisney

11-26-2009, 02:08 AM

Enjoying your TR.

tinkmom2

11-26-2009, 06:33 AM

Thanks Everyone for Reading! And Happy Turkey Day!

tinkmom2

11-26-2009, 07:42 AM

Back from Nassau..Now some alone time...

I forgot to tell you that earlier that AM we met with the Princesses in the atrium. Our first cruise we made it a point to be early. This time we were not so lucky and were waiting by the side of Tritons with a line of about 25 people ahead of us. Thank goodness for the cast members walking around with coffee! Tip: Since we were on a previous cruise we took our own pics and didn't like any of the pics from Shutters. My 4 year old doesn't like to look in the camera too much! Here's some of what we took! Claire had light up shoes and the Princesses got a kick out of that!
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP291.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP294.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP296.jpg

At first I made ressies at the Vista Spa for the Exotic Rasul but decided to cancel it and use the money elsewhere. My nails were looking horrible so I made an appointment for a polish change for right before dinner. I also bought us two rainforest room passes. We couldn't find the spa at first but when we did I checked to see if I could get my nails done sooner. And I was able to. The problem was I wasn't able to enjoy the spa portion because my nails were now wet. It was a big waste of money. Plus I smeared my nails somehow. Luckily you couldn't tell unless you were looking close. I know I really should have booked the rainforest on my 4 day when we weren't so rushed.

By this time it's nearly 4pm. I ran to get Claire from her group and Pat went to get Cassie. The pagers don't work when you are on land and we didn't take them to the spa.

After our little trip to Nassau the DH and I came back and got Claire out of her club. When we got there they were playing a "Find Tink Scavenger hunt." She just turned 4 last month but was fine because she has been in school since September. The only thing I worry about is she doesn't go pee when she is involved in something but I understand they made bathroom stops:thumbsup2

I had to wait about 15 minutes before they were finished with the hunt.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP313.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP314.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP315.jpg
Those were some pics of the inside of the club for the younger ones.
Most times when we looked for my older DD she was on deck 10 doing some sports activity. It was very hard to find her at times and that was a problem for us...see why later!

Claire and I did venture to the Mickey ears in the pool but found it too rough. There was very little parental supervision and there was one cast member not even in swim attire watching about 60 plus kids.

Claire can't swim and the water went to above mid waist in the ears. So I sat ther in the ears. She is too big for the splash pad and some kids were being rude and hogging the streams of water. (Boys are rough that's for sure!) She did make about 10 new friends there though. So we didn't stay long and that was our last and only experince with the pool.

My DH Pat finally located Cassie. By that time she missed out on swimming. The weather was beautiful the whole trip, no rain! And the temp in Nassau was 85. I was sweating bullets lol! I took a shower before dinner.

It was Pirate Night and we were scheduled for Parrot Cay. They don't make a big deal with presentation on a 3 night. There were no special menus and no more bandannas. Claire was the only one out of our group that was dressed up. She had a pirate dress that had LED lights in it. We bought it from Walgreens and everyone including Jack Sparrow was going bonkers over it! The only problem with the dress is it had a under part with a battery in it and kept falling down when Claire was walking. We had to tie the part that was supposed to go around her waist, around her shoulders.

Our assistant server was Luic from France. He was so nice but hard to understand sometimes because he was just learning English. I thought he did pretty good though. He knew what drinks we all wanted. Pat and I stuck to non alcoholic drinks for the most part but had this banana rum daccori and Cassie had a chocolate milkshake type drink.

Our last cruise we missed Parrot Cay because we chose Palos for the two of us. Now at this cruise we have eaten there breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Dinner unlike the other two was brought out by servers. The later were buffet style.

We were sad to hear Ganesh our server isn't going with the Wonder to Alaska. He recently got married and is going to Dallas to be with his wife! We were so happy for him! Our family developed such a bond with him on our last cruise that we were so happy we could get him this cruise!

Well more about dinner next time. I have to hurry and clean before company comes for Thanksgiving!

pmama

11-26-2009, 08:19 AM

tinkmom2

11-26-2009, 08:47 AM

Oh, my girls will be so excited you saw Princess Tiana on the ship!:yay: They really want to meet her. In fact they had asked if she was on the ship and I said "probably not". I hope she is there when we sail in a couple weeks.:goodvibes

I hope she is there for you! We had Sleeping Beauty, Tianna, Snow White, and Cinderella but had neither Sleeping Beauty nor Tinana on our cruise in March. It all depends on who is onboard at the time. The girl whom played Belle was the same whom played Mulan and is good for stage but not close ups with the kids.

natale1980

11-26-2009, 01:26 PM

Great TR...
But I have to ask you... why was the Dole whip green?

-nat

tinkmom2

11-26-2009, 01:57 PM

They said they made the Dole Whip green and the pineapple was supposed to be red for the Christmas Party. :santa:

tinkmom2

11-27-2009, 10:08 AM

Well back to talking about eating lol!

Our dinner at Parrot Cay was good. I haven't eatten dinner here before and it was good for the most part.
Starters I had crab martinique as well as Cassie.
I thought it was so so. I think I was expecting more of a crab flavor and I didn't care for the plantain chips.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP318.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP319.jpg
I can't recall what this is and will have to ask the DH when he gets up.

Ganesh was really good about bringing Claire (4) her entree first.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP321.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP322.jpg

My salad was a ceasar salad but I can't remember the name they give it:
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP325.jpg
I had this "island" sampler and recall it had lamb, sausage, and I think steak on it.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP327.jpg
Pat had the fish
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP328.jpg
Cassie had a jerk style chicken
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP329.jpg

Claire asked Ganesh if he could bring her Mickey Mouse and here's what he brought!
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP330.jpg

We knew we would be eating at Pirate night so we opted out of dessert. Ganesh picked up Clarie at our table so she could march in the parade they had. She was wearing a pirate costume with LED lights in it.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP331.jpg

So its off to Pirate night on deck. My oldest Cassie didn't want to come out of her program. My DH was pretty frustrated with her because he ran up to deck 10 about 5 times. Eventually he took her back to our room and never came back down to meet me. By this time Claire 4 was exhausted.

http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP356.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP342.jpg
We were right by Minnie when she was doing the "tail feather"
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP348.jpg
We never made it through our first pirate party so I was determined to do it by myself. I still have never tried any of the hot food there but did get some desserts to take back to the stateroom.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP337.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP338.jpg

I also was able to get a pic of my fellow Diser VET's kids with Claire:
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP335.jpg

Next off to Castaway!

pmama

11-27-2009, 10:33 AM

Sounds like a great evening. Love the pirate costume.

Fatima1922

11-27-2009, 04:11 PM

tinkmom2

11-27-2009, 06:00 PM

I am doing my first DCL cruise in a couple of weeks. I am trying to decide whether to change to late dinner but I have a 3 year old. I am curious how your daughters did when you had late dining the last time. I don't like being rushed and I KNOW my DH hates it.

My DD was 3 on our first cruise and did just fine with having late dinner. We took a nap mid day and she was ready to go for the rest of the night. She is pretty energetic though and it's hard for her to slow down lol!

VET

11-28-2009, 12:42 AM

Hello Chris!!!
I am back at work---UGH!!! And am ABSOLUTELY LOVING your TR!!!! I read that you didnt get any pics of your door on the cruise...well...I did!!! One morning, Katrina was helping me deliver the gifts, and I said I wanted an action shot of her, and realized it was your door...I will email it to you if you like. Valerie and Katrina (both pictured with Claire in the pirate costume picture) havent stopped talking about how sweet Claire was!!! They loved looking for her and getting her special hugs!!! I see from my pictures Thomas and Cassie seemed to be together quite a bit with the kids activities. I really enjoyed meeting all of you and must thank you again for coordinating our FE!!!:worship: It was GREAT!!!
Thanks again!!!
Ellen:flower3:

tinkmom2

11-28-2009, 03:03 AM

Hi,
I was wondering why Cassie didn't want to come out of her group:) I had a great time but wish we all could have been together more. It was just too short of a trip! Right now I am up with a tooth ache..fun I know! (I am glad it didn't happen on the cruise)

Did you have fun on Castaway?

The FE was a blast! It's like having Christmas when ever you come back to your cabin. The girls have a huge bowl full of candy and gifts and get to choose something every day.

Thanks for taking a pic of my door. I took video of the inside of the cabin but forgot to take some of the outside. We took about 500 plus have a few hours of video. There were so many magical moments throughout our whole trip. It's about 35 degrees now. I wish I could be back there in Florida!
Chris

VET

11-28-2009, 04:28 AM

Castaway Cay was AWESOME!!! We brought our own snorkle gear and played on the beach. I ended up renting a bike and went for a nice ride by myself. I will do that again hopefully if the weather is nice when we go. I think Castaway Cay is really what made me go ahead and book the Dream, although we have 722 more days to go!!!:scared1: I hope your tooth feels better!!!
Ellen
P.S. as for the weather.... right now we're not too far behind you....its 46!!!! I am so glad we had such great weather for the cruise!!!

Kay1

11-28-2009, 08:23 AM

Thanks for sharing with us and thanks for all the food pictures.

:)

tinkmom2

11-28-2009, 08:40 AM

Thanks Ellen for sharing your pics of my door and of our children from DIS meet:)

This is a pic of my door which I forgot to take in it is VET's daughter Katrina dropping off FE gifts. My girls have both been fighting over this Winnie the Pooh thing!
http://bl140w.blu140.mail.live.com/att/GetAttachment.aspx?tnail=2&messageId=5e2b7577-dc15-11de-bbc8-002264c17d04&Aux=4|0|8CC3E394EBA0870||

This is a pic of our children from the DIS meet. There is a bigger one of our whole group yet to be posted.
http://bl140w.blu140.mail.live.com/att/GetAttachment.aspx?tnail=1&messageId=5e2b7577-dc15-11de-bbc8-002264c17d04&Aux=4|0|8CC3E394EBA0870||

I have to hop on over to my lap top as soon as my DH is off to post more..lol!

anetnmike

11-28-2009, 08:56 AM

Hi! Looks like you guys had a great time!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE all of your pictures! The girls look so adorable in their Princess dressess:cloud9:

tinkmom2

11-28-2009, 10:03 AM

Hi! Looks like you guys had a great time!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE all of your pictures! The girls look so adorable in their Princess dressess:cloud9:
We had the best time! Thanks:)

tinkmom2

11-28-2009, 10:43 AM

Castaway Day!

I really hadn't slept well all week during vacation and brought my insomnia pills with me but only used them once. They make me grouchy so I was pretty much the first one up every day. I got a chance to go out on the veranda and see sunrise which was beautiful and take my shower before the brood got up. We went to breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet. It was all pretty good except for the biscuits which were like hockey pucks lol!

We got off the ship probably around 9 AM and made our way to the family beach. It was pretty packed all ready and we found ourselves a nice shaded area.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP385.jpg
We did meet some characters on our way there:
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP387.jpg

Our first cruise we had this mixup with the staff about Jack. He wasn't there at the time they said so I was bound and determined to meet him at Castaway this time!
Here is some video. Just click the link on the pic...
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/th_WONDERFUL016-1.jpg (http://s902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/?action=view&current=WONDERFUL016-1.flv)

We didn't spend much time on the family beach and headed to our excursion. The Glass Bottom Boat tour. Our first time it was cancelled because of rough waters. I thougt the tour was good but I was expecting to see more types of fish. I got better pics off the side of the boat than I did through the glass bottom.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/th_VMCP402.jpg (http://s902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/?action=view&current=VMCP402.jpg)
We were feeding them oatmeal provided by the staff.
This is a pic of the reef that will become a Cay
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP420.jpg
This is a pic of the family beach from the Glass Bottom boat
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP421.jpg

Our next stop was lunch at Cookies. Our friend and server Ganesh was there and pulled me out of line and showed me where there was no waiting. I had two trays and our head server Ali was wonderful and helped me to our table which was pretty far away! He also got our drinks. I didn't think to take a pic of our full plates because we were starving!
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP441.jpg
Luic our assistant server saw us and got everyone some ice cream...
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/th_VMCP442.jpg (http://s902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/?action=view&current=VMCP442.jpg)

Pat and I each dropped the kids off at their clubs and headed to Serenity Beach. This was a first time here for us and it was gorgeous!
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP445.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP452.jpg
Pat made a man friend here:
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP454.jpg
I was annoyed and found myself a hammock:(my feet were swollen from a weeks worth of walking)
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP457.jpg
It was absolutly beautiful weather but I couldn't keep the sun lotion on long enough because I was sweating so much. The tram to Serenity was broken so there was a man coming in a 12 person golf cart to drive us back to the Serenity pick up point.
We went and found Claire happily playing at her program
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP462.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP464.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP466.jpg

It was about 3 by this time and we all went back to the ship after taking this pichttp://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP463.jpg

Claire and I headed back to the room and watched "Sleeping Beauty" and took a nap.

kindra657

11-28-2009, 07:38 PM

tinkmom2

11-28-2009, 08:43 PM

Enjoying your TR and all of your pics! Your lil Claire is adorable!!! We will be on our first cruise (3 night) in 61 days! :banana:

Are kids able to swim with the supervised kids activities on cc? DH and I would like to head over to serenity bay for a little while but I'm about 100% sure dd won't want to come out of the water.

Thanks! I am not sure if they go into the water or not. I am guessing no. When my oldest went they were playing at this arcade and then at Scuttles doing things like volleyball. Claire was playing with sand toys. Join a DIS meet or FE exchange if you can. It's a blast!
I didn't get to go to Serenity at all on our first cruise. The only thing I was able to do is take advantage of the adult pool which I highly recommend:thumbsup2.

kindra657

11-28-2009, 09:01 PM

Thanks! I am not sure if they go into the water or not. I am guessing no. When my oldest went they were playing at this arcade and then at Scuttles doing things like volleyball. Claire was playing with sand toys. Join a DIS meet or FE exchange if you can. It's a blast!
I didn't get to go to Serenity at all on our first cruise. The only thing I was able to do is take advantage of the adult pool which I highly recommend:thumbsup2.

We are participating in the FE exchange and I can't wait for that! I even made my own FE!!! ...which is a big deal for me! :rotfl:

Thanks for the information!

tinkmom2

11-28-2009, 09:50 PM

Thanks to Tikihula whom posted a pic of my fellow DISers at our meet! I am so glad I got a chance to meet everyone! And hope to keep in touch!
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/NovemberNauticals.jpg

I ran into VET and her family at bingo. That was a lot of fun. We did that on Castaway day. I heard an announcement that it was going to start at 4:15PM at Wavebands so Cassie and I ran over there. We got a UP poster, some Disney pens, and two Jonas Brothers backstage passes. It was around $40.00 for 6 games. Cassie had a virgin Mai Tai and I had the drink of the day which I can't recall what it was but it was good!
Tip: Gratuities are already added to your drink bill. It is optional to tip more!
Before dinner I got to see the sun set. How beautiful is that?
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP468.jpg

Dinner our last night was at Triton's. Triton's is considered the "fancy" restaurant but people dress all over the board since there is no true formal night on the 3 or 4 nights. Cassie wore a dress. I wore a black top with sheer arms, Pat a dress shirt and Claire a sun dress. On the other side of the spectrum there were people in jeans. It's a very relaxed atmosphere.

I decided to order two appetizers. Duck confeit and escargot. (I loved both!) Cassie decided to try my escargot and liked it too!
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP478.jpg
Cassie had the shrimp cocktail as well as Pat:
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP477.jpg
Claire began eating her mac and cheese
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP480.jpg
I love this citrus salad and ordered it once again.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP481.jpg

Ali our head server stopped by to see how everything was. If you have any food allergies he is right there to see how you are doing and to check if you are allowed to eat certain things. They are very good about accommodating dietary requests.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP482.jpg

I have really never had lamb and found out this trip I really enjoy it. I had the lamb shank braised in wine
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP483-1.jpg
Pat had the steak
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP484-1.jpg
and Cassie had the ravioli
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP485-1.jpg

This was our last time seeing Ganesh but we plan on keeping in touch!
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2
/VMCP492-1.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP493.jpg

Desserts: Cassie had the crem brule(sp)
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP494-1.jpg
I had the sampler
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP495-1.jpg
Claire opted for the ice cream.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP496-1.jpg

Up Next Dreams and More!

mainstreetmugs

11-28-2009, 10:39 PM

tinkmom2

11-29-2009, 06:20 AM

Mike,
Claire loved that Pooh mat! Both she and Cassie have been fighting over it. Cassie made a cube out of it and Claire just wants to play with it lol! We have so many cool gifts I have them in a bowl kind of like Halloween candy. Candy they get one a day or they can choose stickers etc..
Thanks again everyone!
Chris

tinkmom2

11-29-2009, 07:22 AM

I was able to take video this time with sound and figured out how not to erase it lol! Our first cruise I erased all our video.:confused3http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/th_MVMCP2014.jpg (http://s902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/?action=view&current=MVMCP2014.flv)
click on the image and you can watch the video of our stateroom.

On to our last Magical Moment of the cruise! We went to the atrium which is right outside of Triton's and the Cruise Director Ray was there. It is our second time of us having him and Claire runs right up to him and gives him a hug! She is talking to him and he gets such a kick out of her that he invites us to meet the characters at Studio Sea before they meet everyone else after "Dreams." My Dh and I are knocked off our feet! Cassie my oldest decided not to go to "Dreams" and the plan was to find her so she could go with us to Studio Sea.

http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP497.jpg
On our way to "Dreams" we see the Captain with no one in line sitting at the gift shop..Claire says to him "I saw you on stage!" and runs up to him...
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP499.jpg
Off to "Dreams!" There were people taking pics throughout the whole play in front of us but I waited to the very end and did not use my flash...

http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP507.jpg
The show ends and Pat goes to find Cassie in her program but cannot so he finds me at Studio Sea with Claire. We wait and Ray the Cruise Director comes out and talks to us for a bit. Then one by one the characters come out...Claire, her dad, and I are the only others in the room.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP512-1.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP510-1.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP513-1.jpg[/IMG
[IMG]http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP515-1.jpg
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP516-1.jpg

Here is some of the video we shot. It was so dark in there I didn't think about turning on my camera light. Just click on the pic and it will take you to the link...
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/th_MVMCP2054.jpg (http://s902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/?action=view&current=MVMCP2054.flv)
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/th_MVMCP2056.jpg (http://s902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/?action=view&current=MVMCP2056.flv)
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/th_MVMCP2027.jpg (http://s902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/?action=view&current=MVMCP2027.flv)
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/th_WONDERFUL024.jpg (http://s902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/?action=view&current=WONDERFUL024.flv)

We got a few more pics with characters right outside of Studio Sea.

http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/MVMCP2032.jpg
I was able to get this one final video.. Click on the pic to play it.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/th_MVMCP2058.jpg (http://s902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/?action=view&current=MVMCP2058.flv)

So there you have it! That was our Magical Moment. I still wasn't able to find Cassie but when I got back to the stateroom she was there crying. Upset she missed the whole thing. I called down to guest services and they were nice enough to send a picture up autographed by everyone. It was almost 11 and we didn't have our luggage outside our stateroom yet. Pat and I rushed to fit everything in and luckily we found someone still collecting luggage.

Next Stop off to the Hyatt at MCO..

tinkmom2

12-03-2009, 03:25 PM

miprender

01-08-2010, 05:27 AM

jenseib

01-08-2010, 11:16 AM

Looks like you had a wonderful trip! I have a little Claire too. She just turned 5 in Dec.

tinkmom2

01-08-2010, 12:23 PM

Just read your TR. Wow the weather looks so beautiful. It is freezing here in RI and I sure could use some nice sunshine:goodvibes

Love all the pics with the characters. We might try a cruise someday in the future when the kids get a little older.

Thanks for reading! I never knew how much I would enjoy cruising! Being around the characters I dreamed of as a child and being able to share that with my kids is wonderful! We are going to try a 5-7 day next time. The 3 day was just too short!

tinkmom2

01-08-2010, 12:24 PM

Looks like you had a wonderful trip! I have a little Claire too. She just turned 5 in Dec.
I don't know about your Claire but mine is a handfull lol! She keeps me busy everyday that's for sure! We aren't going back to DCL until 2011 it seems so far away!

kimkarli

02-04-2010, 09:25 AM

So, was the Wonder fully decorated for Christmas on your cruise? We sail this year on the Wonder on Nov. 18, and are hoping for Christmas decorations!

THANKS!
Kim

tinkmom2

02-04-2010, 09:59 AM

I called DCl and they assured me decorations start going up by the first week of November or so. The only decorations that weren't up were at Castaway. There were wreaths. I guess there are Christmas trees and snowmen that weren't up when we went and don't go up until December.

The Wonder had all it's decorations up and was just starting to build it's gingerbread house. Hopefully it will all be up when you go.:wizard:

kimkarli

02-04-2010, 11:58 AM

Thank you!!!!:banana:

S'sMom

12-27-2010, 06:15 PM

Let me tell you once again on port morning no one wanted to get out of bed. Pat thought we should skip breakfast to get through customs. We had a towncar picking us up at 9. I wish we would have ate. We got through customs in 5 minutes.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP517.jpg

Our car was there early and picked us up. This tiime it was a sedan not a stretch limo. Our driver I believe was Robert. He was so nice! We ended up getting to the air port around 10. I had to run into the airport to get some money from the ATM for the tip for the driver.

We headed right to check in and were shown our room. It was very nice.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP532.jpg

By this time we were all starving. Cassie and I walked out to the food court in the air port and got Nathan's. That's a must have for us in Florida. We scarfed down our food and headed for the pool on the roof.

http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP520.jpg

http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/tinkmom2/VMCP521.jpg

We stayed until about 3 and made our way to baggage to get our luggage checked in. We were boarding by 5 and back in Milwaukee by 7:30PM.

All in all we had a great vacation! Our next cruise will probably be on the Dream in 2011:)

I was asking because we are leaving in June and from the flight info we have we will have a flight that leaves at 8 PM from MCO to DFW. Since we will be off the boat by 9ish, I figured it might be worth it to take a look at this for us. Having a room to rest during that time would be nice to tide us over, since we are returning that day.

Any information would be great :goodvibes

I loved your TR by the way. I can tell you guys had an awesome time. Also, I noticed that you had our server that we had on two of our trips. He is awesome!!! :goodvibes

tinkmom2

12-27-2010, 06:56 PM

S'sMom

12-27-2010, 07:03 PM

Hi,
I think the room at the Hyatt was under a hundred dollars. It was well worth it. Some have said you don't need to reserve a day room but we did so by calling Hyatt directly.
We were all exhausted! The girls and I went swimming, we did a little shopping, and all took a nap. We'll probably be doing the same thing again when we cruise next October. Our flight didn't leave til 5 but we checked out and headed for security around 3.
Cool to hear you had Ganesh too! We requested him for our Oct 2011 cruise too!

Thank you so much :goodvibes I will definitely be adding that expense to our budget. If we do that I think that we will just rent a car for the whole week. Having that time to just rest sounds like a plan. I will be calling them in the AM, so that I can go ahead and get it.

Thanks again. Another cruise sounds like a plan for you guys :goodvibes