The Twelve Days of Swinter: From Castaway 'Key' to a Partridge in a Palm Tree! [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-18-2011, 11:52 PM

Hello everyone and welcome to my latest trip report! I'm sure most of you will be coming over from the PTR, but I'll do a quick intro for those who are just joining in.

I've only had time to to upload the pictures from my waterproof camera so far, so all these are water pictures, but I promise there are tons more! (thousands actually :rolleyes1)

The cast for this 12 day land and sea Disney adventure was the same as always, just DH, DD and me.... and an uninvited guest. :rolleyes:

DH is my wonderful husband of 16 years. :lovestruc

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/f4abc806.jpg

This past year was a very stressful one at his job and he really needed this vacation. Each time we go to Disney, the hook sinks a little further into him. In fact, I would now officially call him a Disney convert! :woohoo: He even asked me some questions about DVC at one point in the trip! :eek: (But I won't leave you hanging... we didn't buy in.)

DD (7) is my pride and joy, and I love her with all my heart. :love:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/59f802fb.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/28ae7c6d.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/d378490c.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/a758a8d4.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/538636e4.jpg

This was by far her best Disney trip yet! She really got into it this time and was old enough to get a grasp of what each park had to offer. She was 4 and 5 on our previous trips and we used a stroller for her both times. We went strollerless for the first time this year though and she did GREAT! She was a real trooper and never once complained about hurting feet or being tired. The girl outlasted us every day! And it was SO liberating to be free of that stroller!!! :worship:

And then there's me.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/62cda705.jpg

(Sorry, no pictures of me by myself. Not many pictures of me at all on this trip actually. I'm always behind the camera. And please ignore my really ugly blue water shoes. They are underwater 99% of the time, so it usually doesn't matter how ugly they are! :))

I am the Disney nut of this family. I love everything about our Disney trips, but I think the anticipation is the best part. Having these wonderful trips to look forward to is what gets me through some days. DH says I am in a perpetual state of planning a Disney trip. He swore that I was already cooking up my next WDW adventure while we were still there! I'm quite proud of myself though because I tried lots of new, adventurous things on this trip, which is very out of character for me.

And last but not least... the uninvited guest. If you read my last TR, you know that DH has this hat that I hate....

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/3a1cb127.jpg

Yep! That's the one! :laughing: I tried my best to hide that thing before we left, but he sniffed it out and insisted that it come along. I am almost certain that he wears it just to annoy me. :rolleyes: I really should give the hat a name. It's taken on a life of it's own now, and really deserves a proper title. Hmmm, I'll have to think on that for a while and see what I can come up with!

The dates for this trip were October 26th through November 6th, 2011. We had 12 wonderful, fun-filled, and yes, tremendously tropical days of vacation perfection! It was absolute bliss! We started the trip with a 3 night cruise on the Disney Dream and then followed up with 7 nights at the Caribbean Beach Resort. We all agreed that this was our best Disney vacation ever! I guess the third time really is a charm! I can't wait to share it all with you!

So how did this title for the TR come about? Well, instead of our trip being just 'tremendously tropical' as I had anticipated in the PTR, it was more like a 'magical metamorphosis'. In fact, we started out with very hot, summer like weather, cruising around the Caribbean and we ended up with the parks all decked out for Christmas! :santa: What an awesome and very unexpected surprise that was!

We actually experienced THREE seasons in 12 days! We left summer behind when we got off the ship and headed for WDW. Next we began our week at Disney in the Magic Kingdom which was decorated so pretty for fall with pumpkins and scarecrows adorning every window and streetlamp. Then magically overnight it was all gone and Christmas trees stood in their places! When we first saw the Christmas decorations, DH and I looked at each other and said at the exact same time, "It's like Swinter!" :laughing: And if you don't know what Swinter is then you don't watch Phineas & Ferb! Swinter was their summer/winter combo day on summer vacation.

The 'Key' part of the title is in honor of my DH, bless his heart, who never was able to pronounce it correctly. He kept calling it Castaway C-A-Y, just like it is spelled. I corrected him like the first 400 times he said it wrong, and then I realized... it just wasn't worth it! :rotfl:

So there you go! We will be traveling through the 12 days of Swinter on a land and sea Disney adventure. Now it's time to strap on your seat belts and get ready to hit the highway!

Up next... On the first day of Swinter, my vacation gave to me... a long, boring drive with nothing at all to see!

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-18-2011, 11:53 PM

Cruise (3 Nights, Disney Dream to Bahamas, Oct 27-30, 2011)

On the first day of Swinter, my vacation gave to me... a long, boring drive with nothing at all to see. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43319047&postcount=28)

On the second day of Swinter my vacation gave to me... a really DREAMy boat and a shoebox that's built to sleep three. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43361144&postcount=55)
The second day of Swinter: Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43433901&postcount=98)
The second day of Swinter: Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43494419&postcount=124)
The second day of Swinter: Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43547619&postcount=162)

On the third day of Swinter my vacation gave to me... a heavenly blue lagoon and palm trees as far as you can see! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43653999&postcount=188)
The third day of Swinter: Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43703831&postcount=216)
The third day of Swinter: Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43729129&postcount=248)
The third day of Swinter: Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43753657&postcount=264)
The third day of Swinter: Part 5 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43786109&postcount=292)

On the fourth day of Swinter my vacation gave to me... a private island for the Dream and fun adventures under the sea! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43821895&postcount=321)
The fourth day of Swinter: Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43857736&postcount=346)
The fourth day of Swinter: Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43903513&postcount=362)
The fourth day of Swinter: Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43988219&postcount=421)

Disney World (7 Nights, Caribbean Beach Resort, Oct 30-Nov 6, 2011)

On the fifth day of Swinter my vacation gave to me... a respite from the sea and scarecrows, pumpkins and leaves! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44016579&postcount=439)
The fifth day of Swinter: Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44029148&postcount=459)
The fifth day of Swinter: Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44047543&postcount=477)
The fifth day of Swinter: Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44081871&postcount=519)
The fifth day of Swinter: Part 5 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44102346&postcount=549)
The fifth day of Swinter: Part 6 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44163981&postcount=594)

On the sixth day of Swinter my vacation gave to me... a trip around the World and a Food & Wine Festival for free! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44193033&postcount=622)
The sixth day of Swinter: Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44201063&postcount=643)
The sixth day of Swinter: Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44243240&postcount=671)
The sixth day of Swinter: Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44272617&postcount=694)
The sixth day of Swinter: Part 5 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44310739&postcount=713)
The sixth day of Swinter: Part 6 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44340773&postcount=740)
The sixth day of Swinter: Part 7 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44381084&postcount=770)

On the seventh day of Swinter my vacation gave to me... 3 couples kissing, 2 girls a screaming, and a partridge in a palm tree! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44407917&postcount=798)
The seventh day of Swinter: Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44427217&postcount=815)
The seventh day of Swinter: Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44466731&postcount=841)
The seventh day of Swinter: Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44524812&postcount=864)
The seventh day of Swinter: Part 5 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44545393&postcount=890)

On the eighth day of Swinter my vacation gave to me... a beautiful boutique, posh pirate pool, and a totally theatrical tea! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44558649&postcount=902)
The eighth day of Swinter: Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44573050&postcount=925)
The eighth day of Swinter: Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44604574&postcount=946)
The eighth day of Swinter: Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44629712&postcount=961)
The eighth day of Swinter: Part 5 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44747130&postcount=1051)

On the ninth day of Swinter my vacation gave to me... a wet and wild adventure with a highway built for crusing speeds! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44946569&postcount=1098)

wigdoutdismom

11-19-2011, 12:27 AM

jecskc

11-19-2011, 12:33 AM

We sail on the Dream in April, so I can't wait to see about your cruise. We are doing parks first and then the cruise. So I will be interested in your perspective of cruise and then parks. Can't wait to see more !!

MeMom

11-19-2011, 05:29 AM

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/a758a8d4.jpg

What a cute dress!

Jill and I very much want to experience Castaway Cay (Keeeeeeeeee), but we don't want to have to take a cruise to do it. We will probably take the cruise plunge eventually, though, for the shortest trip available. That's three nights - is that right?

I am looking very forward to your pictures. Chillin' in the water in a lounge chair - that looks heavenly! :cool2:

Lady Lallie

11-19-2011, 06:15 AM

I'm here!! What a great introduction Rinky!! I am so ready to hear more.

I think DH's hat should be named Lou, it looks like a Lou.

Charleston Princess

11-19-2011, 06:37 AM

Here for all the fun!!! :yay:

jenseib

11-19-2011, 06:39 AM

Yay!!! You started!

sjs314

11-19-2011, 07:11 AM

I am here!!!!! :banana:

Did I make page 1?

Ok back to read now :banana:

sjs314

11-19-2011, 07:23 AM

Great opening to your TR. I love the pic of your DD walking on the beach :goodvibes She is getting so big, such the lil lady.

I rather like your DH's hat, I guess that is because I hate the baseball style hats DH insists on wearing. It could be worse , believe me :laughing:

Thanks for explaining about Swinter as I have never watched that show and might have taken me a while to figure it out.

You went exactly when I have always said I would love to go, Fall and Christmas Decorations on the same trip. Maybe someday.

Can not wait to read and see more pics but I know how busy this time of year can be.

Mndisneygirl

11-19-2011, 12:56 PM

I am here!!!! :yay:
eta: such a cute title and I LOVE the pictures of DD in the water and on the hammock!
I am just jealous that you got 12 days! How cool that you had Swinter!

Take your time - I need something to keep me going until my next trip anyway! Which if you'll notice my ticker is right around 100 days!! really I'm at 101. Maybe I should start my PTR by tomorrow!!!

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-19-2011, 01:32 PM

I'm here!!!!

Ok, editing to say that I went back to read and am totally hooked!
Rinky, I'm so happy to see that you all had a great time! I miss that beach... you all look very content there!

Are you going to sing to us through the entire TR? I sure hope so, that is soooo clever!

'Content' is an understatement. I could have stayed there forever. It was beautiful and serene and perfect. The ship was very nice, but I could have stayed on the beach the entire 3 days. It was heavenly and the weather was perfect! :cloud9:

Yep, I will be serenading you with each installment! :laughing: You should be VERY thankful that the DIS has no sound! ;)

We sail on the Dream in April, so I can't wait to see about your cruise. We are doing parks first and then the cruise. So I will be interested in your perspective of cruise and then parks. Can't wait to see more !!

Welcome! I hope you enjoy the report!

Our cruise was not very relaxing so it wouldn't have mattered if we went before or after Disney. I would have been exhausted either way! We wanted to see and do it all so we were on the go constantly. If we go back, I will slow down and enjoy some down time.

What a cute dress!

Jill and I very much want to experience Castaway Cay (Keeeeeeeeee), but we don't want to have to take a cruise to do it. We will probably take the cruise plunge eventually, though, for the shortest trip available. That's three nights - is that right?

I am looking very forward to your pictures. Chillin' in the water in a lounge chair - that looks heavenly! :cool2:

That was one of my Walmart clearance dresses! I only paid a couple of dollars for it. She has a Minnie one too that you'll see later on in the report.

You really do need to try DCL. I know there has to be a way for you to work it out. Maybe you could handle it if you got the veranda room. And we were on the 2nd floor which was great because it didn't have the super long narrow hallways like the other floors did. But I will tell you that the inside stateroom we had was too small for me. I had a panicky moment when we first went in.

That picture of DH lounging in the ocean was taken at Blue Lagoon Island. It wasn't quite as beautiful as CC, but it was a close second. Just gorgeous. My pictures will not do it justice.

I'm here!! What a great introduction Rinky!! I am so ready to hear more.

I think DH's hat should be named Lou, it looks like a Lou.

Lou! :lmao: Sounds good to me! I don't know why it didn't occur to me to throw that thing overboard while we were on the cruise. :rolleyes1

Here for all the fun!!! :yay:

Yay! I'm so glad you are joining in. I know you are really stretched thin these days.

Yay!!! You started!

Welcome Jen! I am so far behind on your report! I am slowly but surely catching up with everyone though. I think I just have to get caught up with you and Brook now.

I am here!!!!! :banana:

Did I make page 1?

Ok back to read now :banana:

You did make page one. I don't think there was any mad rush though! :laughing:

Great opening to your TR. I love the pic of your DD walking on the beach :goodvibes She is getting so big, such the lil lady.

I rather like your DH's hat, I guess that is because I hate the baseball style hats DH insists on wearing. It could be worse , believe me :laughing:

Thanks for explaining about Swinter as I have never watched that show and might have taken me a while to figure it out.

You went exactly when I have always said I would love to go, Fall and Christmas Decorations on the same trip. Maybe someday.

Can not wait to read and see more pics but I know how busy this time of year can be.

I love that picture of DD. We were the only ones on that beach. It was gorgeous!

YOU LIKE THAT HAT! I will mail it to you today then... just send me an address! ;)

Phineas and Ferb is a hoot. I'm pretty sure I would never have watched it if it wasn't for DD though. But basically the show is about the two boys coming up with crazy stuff to do on their summer vacation, and one of them was Swinter.

It was so awesome to get to see so many different things on this trip. I had no idea we would get to see the Christmas decorations. Our last park day was Nov. 5th and I figured that would be a few days too early, but it wasn't! :woohoo:

I am here!!!! :yay:

Take your time - I need something to keep me going until my next trip anyway!

Yay Sheree's here! :yay: And I'll do my best to keep you entertained until October. I'm sure you have already done just about everything in my TR though, but hopefully it will still be fun to read along.

stace208

11-19-2011, 03:26 PM

I'm here!:goodvibes Can't wait to read about all the fun.

I can't wait to sit in a chair in the water like that one of your DH.:cloud9:

Native NYer

11-19-2011, 03:34 PM

Joining in!
Can't wait to read more.

CandleontheWater

11-20-2011, 06:07 AM

I'm heading over from MeMom's TR to join you! You guys look like you were in heaven in those pictures! :cloud9:

I've never been on a Disney cruise, so I'm looking forward to reading all about it!

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-20-2011, 09:59 AM

I'm here!:goodvibes Can't wait to read about all the fun.

I can't wait to sit in a chair in the water like that one of your DH.:cloud9:

He was in pure heaven sitting in the surf like that. He told me that was the most awesome thing he had ever done in his life! :laughing: It was so good for him to have that very relaxing time. It did wonders for him and sold him on cruising. He said he wouldn't ever want to go to our NC beaches again after that! ;) I have to agree, but the problem is that I can't afford to replace our frequent beach trips with cruises! :rolleyes:

You'll be there before you know it though! And btw, that picture was taken at Blue Lagoon, not CC. Wasn't it beautiful? I was very pleased with BLI. I thought it would be nice, but it was fabulous! I expected fabulous from CC, but BLI was a great surprise. Are you guys going there on your cruise? What are you doing with your Nassau day?

Joining in!
Can't wait to read more.

Welcome! I'm always glad to have new people on board! I've seen you on the DIS a lot so I'm sure you'll know most of everyone here. Settle in and make yourself at home!

I'm heading over from MeMom's TR to join you! You guys look like you were in heaven in those pictures! :cloud9:

I've never been on a Disney cruise, so I'm looking forward to reading all about it!

Welcome! I usually get a lot of people joining in from Memom's place. She is sort of Dis Central here isn't she! :)

This was our first Disney cruise (first cruise period). We had a few bumps, but for the most part it was fantastic and we would love to go back. I hope something you read here will help you decide if you'd like to go someday.

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

Sorry Memom... I just realized that I didn't answer your question. As far as I know, the 3 night cruise is the shortest one you can take and still go to CC. Some cruise lines have the 1 night cruise to nowhere that just sails around a bit and comes back (not sure if Disney has this), but it wouldn't go to CC even if they did. You really have to sit down and come up with a plan to get yourself on DCL. Someone who loves all things Disney as much as you do really needs to go. You know I'm claustrophobic too and was worried about that. And I won't lie, I had my moments, but it really helped me to know that all I had to do was go up to one of the open decks if I needed some fresh air. And we stayed so busy that we literally were only in the room to sleep. We stayed out late every night (11:00-12:00), and when we finally got in, we crashed. All that walking, stair climbing, water activities... it really wears you out. So I didn't have much time to think about being in close quarters. I think you could do it with a veranda room. I really do!

Momof2Disneyboys

11-20-2011, 12:05 PM

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-20-2011, 02:45 PM

Well crap!! How did I not see this until you were on page two already??? :faint:

I am here and ready to read.....popcorn:::yay: This is so exciting!! :cool1:

How fun that you got to experience summer, fall, and Christmas all in one trip!! Only at Disney!! :wizard:

:lmao: I knew you'd stop by eventually! But if it makes you feel better, I started the TR in the middle of the night, so I didn't expect anyone to really know about it too quickly. My allergies were keeping me up, so I figured it was a good time to get started if I couldn't sleep. :rolleyes:

Isn't that cool that we had 3 seasons in one trip! I fully expected to see the fall decorations, but I had no idea that the Christmas stuff would be up before we left. Our last park day was Nov. 5th and I was sure that was going to be a few days shy of the Christmas season. But apparently, as soon as the last MNSSHP is over on Nov. 1st, the fall stuff comes down and Christmas goes up. It was really neat and seemed so magical. :wizard: You're right, only at Disney! In fact, when I first realized that the Christmas stuff was up, those were my exact words! I can't even imagine the troop of elves they must have to transform that place overnight! It's really amazing when you think about it.

stace208

11-20-2011, 08:32 PM

Are you guys going there on your cruise? What are you doing with your Nassau day?

I am pretty sure that we will be going there as long as it is not sold out when I am allowed to book. Ellie is dying to do a dolphin swim but I think I am going to stick to the encounter this trip. I'll be doing lots of research over Christmas break!

WDWPrincess486

11-21-2011, 07:44 AM

I'm here! Can't wait to read all about your tropical/Swinter adventures! :goodvibes

Woth2982

11-21-2011, 11:42 AM

All Subscribed in now! Cannot wait to hear about the trip! I had to cancel my trip AGAIN! Doctor had to bump my knee surgery to February (I swear I am just gonna cut my leg off). I will need to live vicariously through you (or finish my TR from a year ago)! TR is off to a great start!

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-22-2011, 07:12 AM

I am pretty sure that we will be going there as long as it is not sold out when I am allowed to book. Ellie is dying to do a dolphin swim but I think I am going to stick to the encounter this trip. I'll be doing lots of research over Christmas break!

I don't think you'll have a problem getting it. I didn't.

I wanted to do the swim too, but I was reading that it is in 30 feet of water and I thought it would freak DD out once she got there. She said she wanted to do it, but I know how she is and I knew she would bail on me at the last minute. And considering what that swim costs, I would have been VERY upset if she had done that. Plus that would have made one of us have to sit out with her too, so I would have paid for 2 that we didn't use. So I played it safe and I'm glad I did. That was her first time IN the water with an animal like that and he was pretty intimidating just because of his size. She loved doing it, but I could tell there was a pinch of fear in her too. I'm hoping next time we can do the swim now that she has seen how much fun the encounter was. Oh, and we went snorkeling the next day at CC and she was fine in the shallow water, but when we got way out to where it was about 30 feet deep, she freaked out. So I am sure I made the right call on the dolphin encounter.

I tell you alllllll of that just to give you something to think about for your kids. You know them and know how they will react to things though so just take my counsel for what it's worth.... not much! :rotfl:

I'm here! Can't wait to read all about your tropical/Swinter adventures! :goodvibes

Welcome! So glad to have you join in!

All Subscribed in now! Cannot wait to hear about the trip! I had to cancel my trip AGAIN! Doctor had to bump my knee surgery to February (I swear I am just gonna cut my leg off). I will need to live vicariously through you (or finish my TR from a year ago)! TR is off to a great start!

Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that. I know that is so disappointing. :hug: Well, I hope I can bring a little cheer to your winter through this TR. :wizard:

3sweetpeas

11-22-2011, 10:03 AM

I too came over from MeMom's TR. I really like your writing style. You're good at this! Can't wait to hear about the cruise. I'm very curious popcorn::

uncw89

11-22-2011, 07:37 PM

I'm here! Can't wait to hear about your cruise/trip! That's cool you got to experience the 3 seasons!

What a cute dress!

Jill and I very much want to experience Castaway Cay (Keeeeeeeeee), but we don't want to have to take a cruise to do it. We will probably take the cruise plunge eventually, though, for the shortest trip available. That's three nights - is that right?

I am looking very forward to your pictures. Chillin' in the water in a lounge chair - that looks heavenly! :cool2:

I was going to ask why you don't want to take a cruise, but Rinky was talking about your claustrophobia...... just get a verandah....yeah, that's it! I think you all would like a cruise though, they are lots fun!

kmrein

11-22-2011, 08:38 PM

Yay! I loved your old report and I can't wait to read about this trip.

MeMom

11-23-2011, 05:22 AM

. Someone who loves all things Disney as much as you do really needs to go. You know I'm claustrophobic too and was worried about that. And I won't lie, I had my moments, but it really helped me to know that all I had to do was go up to one of the open decks if I needed some fresh air. I think you could do it with a veranda room. I really do!

I was going to ask why you don't want to take a cruise, but Rinky was talking about your claustrophobia...... just get a verandah....yeah, that's it! I think you all would like a cruise though, they are lots fun!

I think the day will come when we give in and do a short cruise. I know we would enjoy having a brand new Disney experience, and Jill and I have tlked about how much we would love to see Castaway Cay. I will have to save enough money to have a veranda, for sure. ::yes::

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-23-2011, 08:38 AM

I too came over from MeMom's TR. I really like your writing style. You're good at this! Can't wait to hear about the cruise. I'm very curious popcorn::

Aw, thank you. That's very sweet of you to say. I hope you still feel that way at the end of the TR. :laughing:

I've got tons and tons of cruise pics, so hopefully that will satisfy your curiosity.

I'm here! Can't wait to hear about your cruise/trip! That's cool you got to experience the 3 seasons!

I was going to ask why you don't want to take a cruise, but Rinky was talking about your claustrophobia...... just get a verandah....yeah, that's it! I think you all would like a cruise though, they are lots fun!

So glad you are joining in!

I think Memom should give it a try too. If she can ride Star Tours and ToT, then the cruise should be a piece of cake. :thumbsup2

Yay! I loved your old report and I can't wait to read about this trip.

Thank you! I'm so glad you came back for round 2.

I think the day will come when we give in and do a short cruise. I know we would enjoy having a brand new Disney experience, and Jill and I have tlked about how much we would love to see Castaway Cay. I will have to save enough money to have a veranda, for sure. ::yes::

I know you will break down eventually. You know you cannot resist the persuasive calling of the Mouse! :laughing: And you guys could get connecting rooms which would make them seem bigger. CC is absolutely worth it. :thumbsup2 Blue Lagoon isn't too shabby either!

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-23-2011, 09:09 AM

On the first day of Swinter my vacation gave to me... a long, boring drive with nothing at all to see!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Doesn't that title just have you salivating at the thought of reading this? :rolleyes:

Oh well, I'll do the best I can with what I have!

I guess this story really begins the night before when DD marked the last day off the countdown calendar. That always brings shouts of joy in our house!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/P1000425.jpg
(She had just gotten out of the tub, thus the crazy hair.)

Believe it or not, we all actually slept pretty good that night. We usually have the "I'm too excited to sleep!" syndrome, but not so much this time around. There was something that was raining on our parade, quite literally, and had us in a bit of a funk. :guilty:

I had been watching the weather channel intently for the last several days because there was a storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. It was just off the coast of Honduras at the time and the forecasters really were not sure where it was headed.

Most of the computer models were predicting that it would hit central to southern Florida on Sunday or Monday, which was the exact time that we would be ending our cruise and arriving at Disney World. The forecast also called for rough seas in the Gulf and the Caribbean. Neither part of that news was what I wanted to hear. :sad2:

I kept watching the weather updates on the news and online and day-by-day the forecast just kept getting worse. Eventually the tropical storm became Hurricane Rina and was a Category 3. :eek: Not exactly sailing weather.

I remember lying in bed that night before we left with Titanic like visions of the ship capsizing and people scrambling in the choppy water to find a dingy. :laughing: Such lovely thoughts just before your first cruise, huh? After a few minutes of that, I decided to count sheep because at least if I could get to sleep, I wouldn't be dwelling on our demise. I think I tallied about 10 sheep before I was down for the count. :snooty:

We all woke up especially early the next morning. Who can sleep late when you have vacation knocking at the door! :yay: DD was beside herself with excitement. She was not thrilled about having to go to school that day though, but I wanted her to be there that morning for her lessons since she was missing several days of school for the trip. DH told her on the way to school that morning to make sure she wasn't daydreaming about Disney during class and to pay attention. Her response... "Yeah right, like that's gonna happen!" :rotfl:

While DD was in school, we loaded the car, took care of our fur babies, and grabbed some lunch. When we arrived at school to check her out, she was grinning from ear to ear. It was priceless!

Here's a short video of us picking her up. Do you think she was just a little bit excited? (Click on the picture.)

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/th_trvideo1.jpg (http://s1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/?action=view&current=trvideo1.mp4)

We had a happy meal waiting for her in the car, which she thought was awesome! She doesn't get fast food too often, so this was her first sign that vacation had truly begun!

We meandered our way through the back country roads until we reached I-95. We honestly had been on the highway for about 10 minutes when DD asked, "How much longer until we get there?" :scared1:

SERIOUSLY?!

This is going to be a looonnnggg ride!

By 2:00 we had finally made it into South Carolina and we were greeted with this sight.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/2dcd4091.jpg

As a North Carolinian, I can say that we are very proud of the fact that this place is SOUTH of the border! :lmao: Yes, it's gaudy and tacky, hideous even, but it's a famous landmark for sure. If you've never stopped in here though, let me save you some time... unless you're in the market for fake dog vomit or rubber chickens, then you'll probably want to just keep on truckin'. :moped:

Three more hours passed and we said goodbye to the Palmetto State. (You can count the bug splatters on the windshield as a TR bonus. ;))

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/6e47b228.jpg

These palm trees were a welcomed sight and caused a few 'woot woot's to come bellowing from the backseat!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/f1ed7d2f.jpg

It wasn't too much longer before we were hearing a rumbling in our tummies, so we stopped in Savannah, GA at our favorite highway diner.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/51ecfbca.jpg

We can always count on getting a good, inexpensive meal here no matter where we are traveling.

DD wanted her picture taken in this rocking chair to commemorate our visit to Georgia.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/a9273f3c.jpg

So after the purchase of a bag of Maple Nut Goodies for the road, we were moving along again. Things timed out perfectly for us to see a beautiful sunset over the marshes of the low country.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/6cdba1af.jpg

I might have been doing a little daydreaming around that time about seeing the sunrise over the ocean in the coming days. :cloud9:

It was about this time that my phone rang. I was expecting it to be my mom calling with an update on the hurricane, but it wasn't her. It was a very special mouse calling for DD! ::MickeyMo I had totally forgotten that I had set this up. I don't know if you can tell from the video since it was dark, but DD's mouth is gaped wide open the whole time... something like this :eek:. She could not figure out how Mickey called us!

(Click on the picture.)
http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/th_trvideo2.jpg (http://s1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/?action=view&current=trvideo2.mp4)

Then finally, we saw the blurry sign we had been waiting for! Welcome to the sunshine state! Boy, I sure was hoping it would live up to its name.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/da07b9ad.jpg

Continued in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43319113&postcount=29)

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-23-2011, 09:16 AM

Before we knew it, we were in Jacksonville, which is where we were spending the night. It was actually a pretty cool looking city.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/c0843a51.jpg

Our hotel was easy to find. We were staying at the Hilton Garden Inn/Homewood Suites. I chose this place because we could stay here free on Hilton points that my DH had accumulated through his work travels. It was a really nice place.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/ae374b0e.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/dad4a2db.jpg

Lovin' those palm trees!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/1b671799.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/789e937b.jpg

The lobby was very inviting, with some nice fireplaces.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/cb659ee4.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/9f106d80.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/29dc9634.jpg

I booked a suite because it was the same number of points as a regular room. It was very roomy. I'm somewhat claustrophobic, so I am very fond of roomy!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/a7e595d4.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/a89c0110.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/ca5c0fd3.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/da84a978.jpg

The beds and pillows were heavenly soft!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/65d08db8.jpg

And look Memom, we even had a ceiling fan! I know you can appreciate that as much as I do.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/4b076797.jpg

We had a nice view of the pool and hot tub from our window.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/85fda6d9.jpg

It was too late to get in the pool, although DD tried her best to convince us that we should, but we did go down and soak our legs in the hot tub. It felt so good after being cramped up in the car for so long.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/acad7dc3.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/7b586836.jpg

I'm pretty sure she was hoping that she would 'accidently' fall into the pool. :rolleyes:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/99e73e03.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/4d837e41.jpg

DH spotted this pool table on the way back to the room, so they played a game or two.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/7fe09a43.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-%20Day%201/f30d2b14.jpg

We were all really tired, and I knew we had an early start waiting for us in the morning, so we headed up to bed. We watched the weather channel for a few minutes, but not much had changed since we left home that morning. I must say that I had a really sick feeling in the pit of my stomach just thinking about getting on that ship with a hurricane looming, but what could I do. :confused3

I got in bed, said my prayers, and added in a few extra ones for good vacation weather. We had waited so long for this trip, and I could hardly stand the thought of it being ruined. I mean come on, it's October 26th for goodness sakes. This should NOT be happening! :headache: But alas, no amount of wishing and hoping on my part was going to change the course of the weather.....................................

but it's amazing what that little prayer was able to accomplish! :worship:

Up next... On the second day of Swinter my vacation gave to me, a really DREAMy boat and a shoebox that's built to sleep three!

wigdoutdismom

11-23-2011, 09:45 AM

JoBird

11-23-2011, 01:24 PM

Hi Rinky! Joining in for the fun. Great start so far- loving all of the pictures and explanations. Looks like it was a wonderful vacation.:goodvibes

We have always had wonderful experiences with Hilton Garden Inns. They just seem to always be so clean and nice.

I can't wait to read about your cruise--- I can't bring myself to go on one again ( I did Carnival 15 yrs ago...) so I have to live vicariously thru others.

Oh and since I'm a Carolina Girl, born and bred--- I will say that "South of the Border" makes me a little :scared1:. It's not exactly what SC should be known for.;)

Can't wait for more!:woohoo:

Mndisneygirl

11-23-2011, 04:29 PM

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-23-2011, 04:50 PM

I think that was a fabulous update!
DD was a very good girl to pay such close attention in school on the first day of a vacation!
I'm not sure I could have held it together like she did!:eek:

We are huge fans of Cracker Barrel here in Kansas! Just ate there last weekend.:goodvibes

What a nice hotel you stayed at, your suite looked awesome and you had such a great view of that pool area! I don't blame DD for wanting to get in! I am amazed at how much she has grown in these pics!
So pretty and I have to mention that the bathtub hair picture of her is adorable!

I fretted for you all over the weather. So happy that prayers were answered.
Thanks for the update.
You kept me from working for a little while today!

Oh and is there anyway you can get to Disney over the 4th of July? We are getting quite a group down there....

I didn't know they had Cracker Barrels everywhere. I figured it was a regional thing. I know why you love them, you can shop and eat all at the same time! :laughing:

DD has really grown since my last TR. It doesn't seem like it, but that last trip was 2 years ago, so there is a big difference in her.

That hurricane really knocked the wind out of my sails. I wish it had been different because I couldn't get as excited as I normally would, but I'm just thankful that everything worked out ok.

Alright now, don't get yourself in trouble at work b/c you're reading this TR. :rotfl:

I'd love to be a part of the big DIS family vacation, but July 4th is not an option for us. I don't know how you ladies stand the heat at that time of year. You all are tougher than I am. If you guys every get together in the fall or winter though, I want to know about it!

Hi Rinky! Joining in for the fun. Great start so far- loving all of the pictures and explanations. Looks like it was a wonderful vacation.:goodvibes

We have always had wonderful experiences with Hilton Garden Inns. They just seem to always be so clean and nice.

I can't wait to read about your cruise--- I can't bring myself to go on one again ( I did Carnival 15 yrs ago...) so I have to live vicariously thru others.

Oh and since I'm a Carolina Girl, born and bred--- I will say that "South of the Border" makes me a little :scared1:. It's not exactly what SC should be known for.;)

Can't wait for more!:woohoo:

Well hello there! I'm so glad you're joining us ladies over here. My TR won't be as much fun as your PTR, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.

We like the Hilton Garden Inns too. You're right, they are very clean and nice.

I hate that Carnival ruined you on cruises. What exactly was wrong? Was it Carnival specifically or just the whole experience of cruising? I've heard that Carnival is the party cruise line, so maybe that was the problem. I can assure you though that Disney is grade A and first class all the way. Seriously, it was so nice that I felt like a hillbilly most of the time. :laughing: I wouldn't write off cruising until you give DCL a try.

Now come on Jo, you know you are proud of those South of the Border roots of yours! :lmao: Hey, if it's any consolation, we have ordinances in NC that prohibit you from putting 'interior living room furniture' on your front porch! :rotfl: So see, we all have skeletons in our southern closets. :upsidedow

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-23-2011, 05:02 PM

Pretty darn good update for a "boring drive"!!

Your DD is so cute! I love her short hair cut. I enjoyed the videos, so I could hear your southern voices!

I was thinking about you when you were heading down there - worrying and praying right along with you about the weather! BTW - You're welcome. Anytime!

:worship: :worship: :worship: I had no idea that my vacation was salvaged because of you Sheree! You rock! :rockband:

Seriously though, I really do appreciate it. It really was rather miraculous what happened with the weather on this trip. So all jokes aside, thank you very much for the prayers. It made all the difference! :flower3:

I love DD's hair too. It is soooooo easy and I like easy! There is no drama with brushing her hair in the morning anymore! :worship:

Southern voices.... I have no idea what you are talking about. :rolleyes1

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

And thank you to everyone else who was praying us through! I'm so thankful for all of my DIS friends! You guys are the best!

While I'm at it..... Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

wigdoutdismom

11-23-2011, 05:51 PM

momof2TNboys

11-23-2011, 06:21 PM

Joining in! I am following you over from Memom's report. We are going on a cruise in March and look forward to hearing about your experience. Your daughter is adorable!!

sjs314

11-23-2011, 07:48 PM

Great start to your trip. I have to say you have a cute accent. Love the room you had at the Hilton. Excited for the next installment.

Happy Thanksgiving Rinky!

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-23-2011, 08:46 PM

:laughing: I wasn't at work I was at home not getting any work done.... just Dising!

I know for for certain that we will be back in the fall and at Christmas! Always at Christmas....unless some unforeseeable circumstance should arise.

:laughing: Oh ok. Well that's alright then! I'm guilty of Dising instead of doing housework on a regular basis.

I love Disney at Christmas. That's my favorite time to go. As soon as DD's school calendar comes out for next year, I'll be making plans for a 2012 trip!

Joining in! I am following you over from Memom's report. We are going on a cruise in March and look forward to hearing about your experience. Your daughter is adorable!!

Thank you, and welcome! It seems like everyone is coming from Memom's place. We're glad to have you joining in. Cruise details will be coming up in the next update! I think March would be a great time to go. 'Jenseib' went in March of this year I believe. If you haven't read her report, it's a good one with lots of info and fantastic pictures! There may be someone else here who has cruised in March too but I don't know for sure.

Great start to your trip. I have to say you have a cute accent. Love the room you had at the Hilton. Excited for the next installment.

Happy Thanksgiving Rinky!

Thanks! I hope you have a great holiday!

Well, I am going to take everyone's word for it that I have an accent, but I still claim that I don't hear one at all. :rolleyes1

That Hilton was really nice. I would stay there again if we drive, but DH says we're flying next time. We'll see.

Mndisneygirl

11-23-2011, 09:37 PM

It was ME!! I cruised on the Dream 3 day last March. Feel free to check out my TR in my signature! I'm happy to answer any questions too.

stace208

11-24-2011, 05:22 AM

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-24-2011, 07:36 AM

It was ME!! I cruised on the Dream 3 day last March. Feel free to check out my TR in my signature! I'm happy to answer any questions too.

I thought it was you Sheree, but then I wasn't 100% sure if it was March or May.

But yes, Sheree's TR is another great one to read. If anyone else went in March, feel free to speak up. :thumbsup2

Loved the pictures of your drive down! Add in some from your home state and that's my drive!! Since we leave around 3 AM it's usually the sunrise I am seeing though, not the sunset!:laughing:

Thanks for your tips on the dolphin swim vs. encounter. I value your opinion greatly so keep them coming!:goodvibes

Oh, and I am scheming a Christmas 2012 trip as well. We're out earlier than normal so we could have a trip and some down time too. Just gotta convince "da man" LOL!

Happy Thanksgiving Rinky! I'm thankful that I found my way to your TR!:goodvibes

Aw, you are too sweet! So much Thanksgiving love going around the DIS! :hug:

Isn't that a FUN drive down I-95! :lmao: The part I hate is that you either have tons of traffic, mostly big trucks which tear my nerves up, or if it's not busy then that repetitive thump of the road is almost hypnotic and can put you to sleep! I know you know that sound I'm talking about.

Well it sounds like maybe a DIS Christmas trip is brewing. :rolleyes1 We haven't even had Christmas 2011 and we're already planning for 2012! :laughing: We're all sick and twisted! :rotfl:

Have a great Turkey day Stacy!

jenseib

11-24-2011, 08:37 AM

It was ME!! I cruised on the Dream 3 day last March. Feel free to check out my TR in my signature! I'm happy to answer any questions too.

Yes, you are more March than me. I was March 31st...so technically still in March, but the majority in April.

But my TR is in my signature as well. (A Hop, No Skip and Many Mishaps to a Dream)

wigdoutdismom

11-24-2011, 10:02 AM

Loved the pictures of your drive down! Add in some from your home state and that's my drive!! Since we leave around 3 AM it's usually the sunrise I am seeing though, not the sunset!:laughing:

Thanks for your tips on the dolphin swim vs. encounter. I value your opinion greatly so keep them coming!:goodvibes

Oh, and I am scheming a Christmas 2012 trip as well. We're out earlier than normal so we could have a trip and some down time too. Just gotta convince "da man" LOL!

Happy Thanksgiving Rinky! I'm thankful that I found my way to your TR!:goodvibes
Stacy, I'll help you work on him this summer if you don't have him convinced. I only hope we overlap on our trips!!!
Rinky, Stacey's Ellie and your DD would make perfect playmates on the beach at Vero in June....:rolleyes1
It's not nearly so hot right there by the ocean.:laughing:

wigdoutdismom

11-24-2011, 10:03 AM

Oh and Rinky, Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope your family has a wonderful day!

pooh'smate

11-26-2011, 10:26 AM

I had a little bit of time and found your tr. I may not comment a lot because of time but I will be following and commenting when I have time. When I read your tittle I started singing "Swinter" in my head. We love Phinneas and Ferb in our house.

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-26-2011, 10:03 PM

Yes, you are more March than me. I was March 31st...so technically still in March, but the majority in April.

But my TR is in my signature as well. (A Hop, No Skip and Many Mishaps to a Dream)

Just wanted to let you know that I am slowly but surely getting caught up on your TR. I was 20 pages behind when I got back, but now I'm only 10! I'm making progress!

Stacy, I'll help you work on him this summer if you don't have him convinced. I only hope we overlap on our trips!!!
Rinky, Stacey's Ellie and your DD would make perfect playmates on the beach at Vero in June....:rolleyes1
It's not nearly so hot right there by the ocean.:laughing:

I know! I'm sure they would hit it off very well! And I am certain that if anyone can whip her DH into line over that Disney trip, it's you Wigd! :laughing:

Oh and Rinky, Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope your family has a wonderful day!

Thank you! We did have a wonderful day! I hope your family did too!

I had a little bit of time and found your tr. I may not comment a lot because of time but I will be following and commenting when I have time. When I read your tittle I started singing "Swinter" in my head. We love Phinneas and Ferb in our house.

Welcome! I hope you will be able to join in often, but if not, please don't worry about it. I completely understand. I am reading (and posting) on 10 different TRs right now and that is the limit I have set for myself. I just don't have the time to read more than that and still be engaged with my family like I should. The DIS can really suck you in like a vortex and make you forget about everything else. Sometimes that's a good thing, but sometimes it isn't. And when I am writing a TR of my own, I have even less time. I feel really guilty about it sometimes though b/c I really want to read all of them, especially the TRs from people who read and post on mine, but it's just impossible to do that. So I totally understand what you mean!

Every time I hear that song, it is stuck in my head for days! :laughing:

MeMom

11-27-2011, 05:19 AM

Hope your family has had/is having a very enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend!

momof2TNboys

11-27-2011, 06:29 AM

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend! Thanks for the heads up on the TRs. I will check them out.

Happy Elf

11-27-2011, 09:37 AM

Enjoyed your update! What a nice place to stay! We love our Cracker Barrel too!

jenseib

11-27-2011, 12:49 PM

I can totally understand...I am subscribed to "MANY" TR's and it's hard to keep up at times. And I wish I could read more, but I just don't have the time.....which is one of the nice things about not writing a TR...you have a bit more time to read things. It's gonna take me forever to get mine done...and I have decided to just work at my own pace. Some weeks, I may be ambitious, but others, not so much.

archdandy

11-27-2011, 04:40 PM

Great first update. And dont worry about it being boring, I love the travelling days! It gets me so excited for the rest of the days! :goodvibes

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-27-2011, 09:02 PM

Hope your family has had/is having a very enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend!

We did! I hope you did too! I hope you'll be telling us all about it on your TR.

We had a great meal next door with my parents and 85 year old grandmother. We took naps afterwards, which we never get to do, and DD got to ride the huge combine all over the farm b/c they picked the soybeans on Thanksgiving day. Doesn't get much better than that around here. Even the dogs were fat happy!

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend! Thanks for the heads up on the TRs. I will check them out.

We did have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope your family did as well.

Enjoyed your update! What a nice place to stay! We love our Cracker Barrel too!

You can't beat the Cracker Barrel. I think the eating and shopping all at once is a big draw for lots of women!

I can totally understand...I am subscribed to "MANY" TR's and it's hard to keep up at times. And I wish I could read more, but I just don't have the time.....which is one of the nice things about not writing a TR...you have a bit more time to read things. It's gonna take me forever to get mine done...and I have decided to just work at my own pace. Some weeks, I may be ambitious, but others, not so much.

I agree. I actually enjoy reading other TRs more than writing my own. But I do like reliving my trip and having all the memories recorded so that when my feeble mind goes, I can go back and read it to remember. :rolleyes1 But like you, I'm going to have to take this TR at my own pace. Now that I am working more, I just don't have the time that I used too.

Great first update. And dont worry about it being boring, I love the travelling days! It gets me so excited for the rest of the days! :goodvibes

The traveling really wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. DD did really well overall and it went quicker than I thought it would. No pain, no gain, I suppose. :rolleyes:

Tracerr00

11-29-2011, 09:22 AM

jecskc

11-29-2011, 09:37 AM

Hey Rinky ... did you have passports ?? Or did you just use your birth certificates ?? And if you DID have passports, how long did it take you to get them ?? TIA !

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-29-2011, 09:49 AM

On the second day of Swinter my vacation gave to me, a really DREAMy boat and a shoebox that's built to sleep three!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

We were up bright and early on Thursday morning, and the very first thought that entered my mind was, “I wonder what’s going on with the hurricane.” To quote Nemo, it was hard to get that ‘swirling vortex of terror’ out of my mind considering that I was about to board a ship and sail out into the big ‘ole blue. I turned on the TV but couldn’t find any mention of Rina. We wanted to get to the port early since we had no idea where to go or what to do, so for the moment, I tried to put it out of my mind and focus on getting ready to head down for breakfast.

By 7:00 a.m. we were on our way to the lounge.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/334ac86b.jpg

The breakfast offerings were great as always. This is one of the main reasons we choose to stay at Hilton properties. They always have hot foods such as eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, etc. in addition to the typical continental type items.

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Then it was time to say goodbye to Jacksonville. :wave2:

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Once we were on the road I decided to call my parents one last time before we set sail. I knew that once we boarded the ship, I wouldn’t have any means of communication, so I called them to say farewell. The first thing I did was ask my mom about the hurricane. Her response was, “You’re not going to believe this, but it just fell apart overnight!” WHAT?!? :eek: The last time I had checked, it was a category 3! How did it just fall apart? I was elated!!! :woohoo: I kept asking her if she was sure. I just couldn’t believe it. She assured me that she had just watched the tropics update on the Weather Channel and Rina had only made it as far as Cuba before it ran out of steam! What a HUGE relief! :worship:

NOW IT’S TIME TO GET EXCITED ABOUT THIS TRIP!!! :hyper:

It wasn’t much longer before we were seeing signs for Port Canaveral.

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We knew we were getting close when we started crossing over water.

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And then we saw this, and squeals erupted!

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Just mere seconds later, this appeared off in the distance.

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And just as I had predicted in my PTR, chaos ensued at the sight of the ship. DD and I screamed like giddy school girls and DH started fussing because we were being so loud that he couldn’t hear the GPS. DD just kept yelling, “I can see the Aquaduck, look, look, it’s the Aquaduck!!!”

We pulled into the port and were directed to the curb where we could drop off our luggage.

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We were greeted by a porter who took our bags. We tipped him and headed to the parking garage. By 10:00 a.m. we were in line and waiting to get into the port.

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I was sure that we would be standing there for an hour before we could go in, but surprisingly, they opened the doors after about 10 minutes! We were some of the first people to go in and had no wait at the registration counter. I had already printed out and signed our cruise documents before we left home, so we breezed through check in very quickly. We were assigned to boarding group number 5.

As soon as I turned away from the check in counter, I saw Mickey coming out for his meet and greet! We hurried over before everyone else spotted him and we were first in line! He walked right over and grabbed DD up.

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Then gave her a kiss on the hand…

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He must have been in a photographic mood because he kept on posing for me!

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Then we all got some love from Mickey!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/94fc8c19.jpg

Continued in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43361166&postcount=56)

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-29-2011, 09:53 AM

The terminal was still really empty at that point, so I went ahead and got DD’s kid’s club bracelet. I had no intention of dropping her off there (she is super shy and I knew she wouldn’t go for it), but the CM told me that we couldn’t even go in there and look around without her having a bracelet on.

Once that was done, all we had to do was wait. DH and DD easily found a seat, and I entertained myself by taking some pictures in the terminal.

The entrance to the ship…

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The terminal was still really empty. I was hoping that meant that our cruise was not sold out. (Unfortunately, that would turn out to be wishful thinking.) Pretty much everyone who was in the terminal was now in line to meet Mickey. I was very glad that we happened to be in the right place at the right time and didn’t have to wait in that line to meet him.

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Still waiting…

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Getting excited.... and silly

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Then they began calling boarding numbers over the loud speaker. We stayed in our seats because I figured it would take a while to get to group five, but I was wrong! They went through groups 1-3 in just a few minutes, so we walked up towards the entrance. Just then, Mickey left the meet and greet and Minnie came out! I really wanted pictures with her but there was no way we had time before our number was going to be called, so I just snapped a really quick picture and moved on.

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Boarding group five was called next and I was ecstatic! I took this picture on the way in to remember what time we boarded. 11:37…not bad!

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I can remember the intense excitement and anticipation I felt walking through here.

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We were announced by our family name in true royal fashion as we entered the atrium. My eyes were immediately drawn up to the gorgeous chandelier. Pictures do not do it justice. It’s amazing!

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Then we were pulled aside by a CM and told that our room would be ready at 1:30, and until then we could have lunch at the Enchanted Garden and enjoy the rest of the ship. Sounded good to me!

Even the elevators had special Disney touches.

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We found EG very easily, and it was just steps away from our stateroom.

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A hidden Mickey in the iron gate

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The place was pretty empty.

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DD thought everything looked so fancy.

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I guess she was feeling like royalty, so she used her napkin for a crown.

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This was set up as a buffet for lunch. They had lots of different things to choose from and most of it was really good.

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DH raved about the lamb they served here. I really liked the pasta and the turkey caesar wrap.

On our way out of Enchanted Garden we saw this beautiful picture. The artwork on the Dream is so gorgeous! But this wasn't any ordinary painting. I knew about this from reading cruise reports here on the DIS, but DH and DD got quite a surprise when we walked by and it came to life! DD loved these and different ones were scattered all over the ship.

(Click on the picture to see a very short video.)

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/th_magicalart2.jpg (http://s1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/?action=view&current=magicalart2.mp4)

Since we were so close, we peeked around the corner to see if our room was ready a bit early, but it wasn’t, so we used the bathrooms near Enchanted Garden to change into our swimsuits (we brought them on board in a carry-on bag).

From the pool deck we had a great view of the port and the other ships that were docked.

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It was such a beautiful day, hardly a cloud in the sky! So much for that 70% chance of rain that was predicted for our embarkation day! So far, everything was absolutely perfect, but could it really be this wonderful or was I just dreaming?

Up next: The Second Day of Swinter: Part 2

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-29-2011, 10:36 AM

Believe it or not I've never followed a TR before (only dining reports) so this is my first!! My DD and I are going on our first Dream cruise (first cruise ever actually) in January and then doing a short stay at WDW afterwards as well. I can't wait to hear all about your trip so we know what to expect! I love your writing style so I know it'll be a fun report!:cool1:

:welcome: I am so glad that you are joining in! If you are like me, you are going to get hooked on the TR boards! It is so much fun reading about how other people spend their Disney vacations. You learn so much and get some great ideas. I LOVE IT! It's my hobby! :laughing:

This was our first cruise as well. Hopefully our experience will help you out with your cruise. I definitely learned some things that I will do differently next time. But you are in for a great vacation. I'm VERY curious to hear how the weather is for your January cruise. You'll have to tell us all about it when you get back.

Hey Rinky ... did you have passports ?? Or did you just use your birth certificates ?? And if you DID have passports, how long did it take you to get them ?? TIA !

We went back and forth on getting passports for what seemed like forever. Finally we just decided to skip them this time since the cruise was so short and since we didn't know if we would even want to cruise again. It was already adding up to a pretty expensive trip, so the passport cost just sort of pushed it over the edge. I think it was going to be about $420 for the 3 of us! :scared1: We had no problems at all using our birth certificates. They hardly even looked at them. Just know that you cannot fly out of the Bahamas without a passport should you have an emergency. That's very unlikely, but still something you have to decide whether or not you are willing to risk. The paperwork that I got when we were thinking about getting the passports said to allow 8 weeks.

Mndisneygirl

11-29-2011, 10:39 AM

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-29-2011, 11:22 AM

Oh - big sigh! I have some of those very same pictures (Except it was raining) approaching the Dream! And the gorgeous chandelier, all that!! I LOVE IT!!!
great pictures!!
Lucky you got to have lunch at Enchanted Garden! I thought that place was so pretty. We had ours at Cabanas.

EG was really pretty wasn't it? I was sure that we would be having lunch at Cabanas. I think all the cruise reports I have read had lunch there. Not sure how we ended up at EG, but it was good. I kind of had my heart set on some of those crab claws from Cabanas though. Maybe next time! Unfortunately, that turned out to be the only lunch we would eat on the ship.

Momof2Disneyboys

11-29-2011, 12:55 PM

Looks like things were off to an awesome start!! :cool1: I am loving all the pictures. Can't wait for more! popcorn:::yay:

kittylady1972

11-29-2011, 01:51 PM

Love the report so far! We are a year away from our first Dream Cruise so can't wait to read more about what to expect! :)

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-29-2011, 02:18 PM

Looks like things were off to an awesome start!! :cool1: I am loving all the pictures. Can't wait for more! popcorn:::yay:

We did have a fabulous start! The finish on the other hand.... :rolleyes1 Too bad you know EVERYTHING that's going to happen! :lmao: Just kidding. There's plenty that I didn't tell you. I do feel like I have spoiled the TR fun for you though. :sad2:

Love the report so far! We are a year away from our first Dream Cruise so can't wait to read more about what to expect! :)

Oh you are in for such a treat. They make such a fuss over you on the ship. You really get spoiled. And everything is just so nice and clean and gorgeous! You are going to love it!

sjs314

11-29-2011, 02:45 PM

brookelizabeth

11-29-2011, 08:34 PM

I'm behind on my subscriptions, but saw you started this from you posting on my TR, I can't wait to read it all!!! :yay:

brookelizabeth

11-29-2011, 09:02 PM

Okay, caught up - I welled up with tears seeing you walk onto the ship! Isn't it amazing?!

I am SO happy Rina fell apart!! What an awesome answer to prayer! :yay:

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-29-2011, 09:03 PM

Oh the Enchanted Garden looked lovely! I can not wait to read and see more. By the way I adore the "goofy" pic of your DH and DD, you can feel the happiness of the moment. :goodvibes
Can not wait to read more, I already want to go on a cruise.

EG was so pretty. Definitely the prettiest of the 3 restaurants in the dining rotation.

You need to take the cruise plunge! You can't go wrong with DCL!

I'm behind on my subscriptions, but saw you started this from you posting on my TR, I can't wait to read it all!!! :yay:

Well join the club. I can't seem to keep up with my subscriptions either. It is so much easier when I'm not doing a TR of my own, so I know how you feel. I'm about 20 pages behind on yours. :rolleyes: I sure wish I had more DIS time these days.

jenseib

11-29-2011, 09:04 PM

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-29-2011, 09:07 PM

Okay, caught up - I welled up with tears seeing you walk onto the ship! Isn't it amazing?!

I am SO happy Rina fell apart!! What an awesome answer to prayer! :yay:

Wow! You are fast!

Yes, the Dream is awesome. Simply awesome!

Rina's demise was quite miraculous! I have no doubt about that. It never ceases to amaze me how God even cares about the smallest details of our lives, like vacation weather! :worship:

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-29-2011, 09:13 PM

You Are On The Ship!!!!! :banana: :banana: :banana:

Isn't that such a wonderful feeling. I was giddy too. I am just reading slowly and taking it all in. I never did eat the lunch buffets at EG. I chose not to go there on embarkation day because I heard they had less kid friendly food, but we never had a chance later in the cruise to try it. 3 days is just too short!

I didn't realize that you had a choice of where to eat lunch that first day?? :confused3 I thought they told you where to go and that's where you had to go. Oh well. When she told us to go to EG, I just assumed that we had been assigned to that restaurant. I had expected to go to Cabanas b/c it seems like that is where everyone else has gone. It didn't really matter though. It was good and we were just happy to be there. I would agree though that there wasn't a whole lot of "kid food" there. DD loves salads so she was fine b/c they had plenty of that.

3 days does fly by super fast!

wigdoutdismom

11-29-2011, 09:49 PM

3sweetpeas

11-29-2011, 09:53 PM

Rina's demise was quite miraculous! I have no doubt about that. It never ceases to amaze me how God even cares about the smallest details of our lives, like vacation weather! :worship:[/QUOTE]

This is exactly what I thought while I was reading your TR! :goodvibes . God is good!! I'm in the process of reading Jenseib's TR. I'm fascinated with the cruise and now it's fun to get your take on it. Looking forward to more!

jenseib

11-30-2011, 07:50 AM

This is exactly what I thought while I was reading your TR! :goodvibes . God is good!! I'm in the process of reading Jenseib's TR. I'm fascinated with the cruise and now it's fun to get your take on it. Looking forward to more!

Hey thanks! :thumbsup2 Feel free to comment or ask questions

Lady Lallie

11-30-2011, 08:22 AM

I was behind but I just caught up!

I am so glad that the stupid hurricane fell apart. What a wonderful way to start your cruise!

RinkyTinkyTinky

11-30-2011, 10:19 AM

I just want to say that seeing your pictures makes me want to be back on that ship NOW!!!
and we have months and months to wait.....
I love it that you had that special photo session with Mickey! Those are some great memories!

Seeing my pictures make ME want to be on that ship now! I'm finding it really had to adjust to normal life again after this last trip. :sad2:

Mickey was a hoot! I think he was just taking his time b/c the line wasn't long yet. I do love that mouse! :love:

This is exactly what I thought while I was reading your TR! :goodvibes . God is good!! I'm in the process of reading Jenseib's TR. I'm fascinated with the cruise and now it's fun to get your take on it. Looking forward to more!

Amen to that. I am reminded more and more of that fact everyday.

Jen's TRs are always great! She's a real talent with the camera.

I was behind but I just caught up!

I am so glad that the stupid hurricane fell apart. What a wonderful way to start your cruise!

I think everyone is behind. It's just that time of year when everything is CRAZY!! :upsidedow

Yep, it was something to see how drastically different the weather actually was for our trip from what the forecast had predicted. Our cruise director even commented one night before the show about how shocked she was at the perfect weather we had when the forecast said it was going to rain pretty much all day everyday of our cruise.

Roxychica7

11-30-2011, 11:36 AM

I was a lurker on your last TR and am definitely signing on for this one. Disney Dream AND Caribbean Beach Resort?! Too lucky!! Love your ship pictures thus far, the ship looks beautiful!!:thumbsup2

momof2TNboys

11-30-2011, 12:39 PM

Love the pictures so far! The ship is beautiful. I am so glad the hurricane dissipated and you had great weather. Can't wait to read more!

Lovemy3babes

11-30-2011, 03:29 PM

Hey Rinky! You started! Sorry I have been missing. My dh's mom passed away a couple weeks ago so our life has been chaos and sadness.

I'm glad I found you. What a GREAT trip so far! I cannot wait to read more. :goodvibes

MeMom

11-30-2011, 07:06 PM

I am SO happy Rina fell apart!! What an awesome answer to prayer! :yay:

This is the first post that caught my eye as I was scrolling through very quickly at school today. Not recalling who Rina was, I wondered why in the world a supposedly nice Brook E would be happy that someone fell apart.

I read further, figured out that it was the storm, and forgave Brook. :laughing:

So glad the weather cooperated. :thumbsup2

3sweetpeas

12-01-2011, 12:50 AM

This is the first post that caught my eye as I was scrolling through very quickly at school today. Not recalling who Rina was, I wondered why in the world a supposedly nice Brook E would be happy that someone fell apart.

I read further, figured out that it was the storm, and forgave Brook. :laughing:

So glad the weather cooperated. :thumbsup2

Funny! :lmao:

3sweetpeas

12-01-2011, 12:58 AM

Hey thanks! :thumbsup2 Feel free to comment or ask questions

I was sick on Sunday and sat and read your TR all day. I must be slow... I still haven't finished yet. You're at Disney now...I love all your pictures and great descriptions. :) Your dad cracks me up! I love all his faces! :rotfl: I couldn't help but worry about him when he was lost.

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-01-2011, 05:31 AM

I was a lurker on your last TR and am definitely signing on for this one. Disney Dream AND Caribbean Beach Resort?! Too lucky!! Love your ship pictures thus far, the ship looks beautiful!!:thumbsup2

Yay! I love it when people delurkify themselves! :laughing: I'm so glad you posted to let me know you are reading along.

Yes, I was quite spoiled with the cruise and CBR. WE LOVED CBR!!! :cloud9: My DH told me that we could never stay at a value again after CBR. :laughing: I had a feeling we would all feel that way. I was totally sold on it though. I am dreaming of being back there again.

Love the pictures so far! The ship is beautiful. I am so glad the hurricane dissipated and you had great weather. Can't wait to read more!

That weather situation was so stressful. You plan so long for these trips and have so much money invested, and it is just gut wrenching to have something like that looming over you that you have no control over. I was so relieved when she took a hike!

Hey Rinky! You started! Sorry I have been missing. My dh's mom passed away a couple weeks ago so our life has been chaos and sadness.

I'm glad I found you. What a GREAT trip so far! I cannot wait to read more. :goodvibes

Oh I am so sorry to hear that. I knew I hadn't seen you around much, but I figured you were just busy at this time of year. My deepest sympathies to you and your family. I know how hard a loss like that can be, especially around the holidays. You guys will be in my prayers. :hug:

This is the first post that caught my eye as I was scrolling through very quickly at school today. Not recalling who Rina was, I wondered why in the world a supposedly nice Brook E would be happy that someone fell apart.

I read further, figured out that it was the storm, and forgave Brook. :laughing:

So glad the weather cooperated. :thumbsup2

:lmao: You are a nut!

Yeah, we have been kind of harsh on poor Rina haven't we. She was just minding her business and doing her job and here we are, a bunch of gossiping, cackling hens, stabbing her in the back when she isn't looking! :rolleyes1

Funny! :lmao:

::yes::

WDWPrincess486

12-01-2011, 07:53 AM

mickeystoontown

12-01-2011, 09:29 AM

I'm joining in! I am loving the trip report so far and can hardly wait to read more!

Woth2982

12-01-2011, 11:12 AM

Great update! Love all the photos leading up to getting on the ship! Makes me want to book a flight and room tomorrow! Sadly it will have to wait a while. But fun!

pmama

12-01-2011, 09:51 PM

Great TR so far! Love the picture of your daughter and Mickey from back. She is looking so big. Plan to return to read more on my sporadic visits to the DIS.:goodvibes

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-02-2011, 08:38 AM

I love your updates so far! I quite enjoy your writing style and love all of your pictures. Your DD is so cute and you all look so excited and happy! :goodvibes I love the feeling of boarding that ship :lovestruc

Thank you so much for all your nice comments! We were really happy! Once we heard that hurricane was gone, we were in FULL vacation mode! And boarding the Dream almost felt surreal. I felt very blessed to be able to do such an awesome thing for vacation. Now, walking off the ship... that was a whole different feeling. :rolleyes:

I'm joining in! I am loving the trip report so far and can hardly wait to read more!

WELCOME!! I'm so glad to have you here! I know you love CBR, so you should enjoy reading along on this one. Tons of CBR pics coming up. I know you have tons of your own, but if you're like me, it's always fun to see more. And I think we love CBR just as much as your family does! :thumbsup2

Great update! Love all the photos leading up to getting on the ship! Makes me want to book a flight and room tomorrow! Sadly it will have to wait a while. But fun!

Makes me want to book a flight now too! I love reliving my trip through a TR but it really makes me want to go back so bad!

Waiting for the next Disney trip is better than no Disney plans at all. You'll get there sooner than you think. :hug: It had been 2 years since our last trip and sometimes it seemed like an eternity, but then all of a sudden, it was here and I wondered where the time had gone. Try to enjoy the anticipation as much as possible. :)

Great TR so far! Love the picture of your daughter and Mickey from back. She is looking so big. Plan to return to read more on my sporadic visits to the DIS.:goodvibes

Well hello! I haven't seen you around here in forever! I'm glad to see you back again. Feel free to chime in whenever you have the time.

My DD has grown and changed so much since our last trip. I bet your girls have changed a lot too! I think my DD and your Faith are about the same age. Seems like the last time I was reading your TR, Faith was just starting either Pre-K or Kindergarten! Time flies!

CandleontheWater

12-02-2011, 01:19 PM

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-03-2011, 05:57 AM

I'm so happy that the weather cooperated, what wonderful luck!

I love all the pictures you took boarding the ship, it really makes me feel like I was right there with you, sharing in the excitement! Maybe its time for me to take the Disney cruise plunge!

Well, yes, I think it is! I had read several cruise reports before I got up the nerve to book one myself and I am so glad that I did. There were lots of things that I had reservations about that had kept me from booking, but there was no need to worry. It's Disney... it was awesome!

sjs314

12-03-2011, 06:29 AM

Today I learned a new word ...... delurkify :rotfl:

Happy Weekend Rinky!

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-03-2011, 03:01 PM

Today I learned a new word ...... delurkify :rotfl:

Happy Weekend Rinky!

:laughing: Well I'm glad I was able to teach you something new about the English language! :laughing: I say, when you need a word and there isn't one, make one up. :thumbsup2

Happy weekend to you too!

heaven2dc

12-03-2011, 07:23 PM

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-03-2011, 08:44 PM

Am having so much fun tagging along on your trip :) and was so excited to hear that the Hurricane didn't affect your first day (now I'm sitting on pins and needles hoping bad weather didn't come along and surprise you!)

Well I'm glad you are enjoying the TR!

Bad weather surprising me later on.... you'll have to wait and see about that. :rolleyes1

;)

jenseib

12-04-2011, 06:07 AM

I didn't realize that you had a choice of where to eat lunch that first day?? :confused3 I thought they told you where to go and that's where you had to go. Oh well. When she told us to go to EG, I just assumed that we had been assigned to that restaurant. I had expected to go to Cabanas b/c it seems like that is where everyone else has gone. It didn't really matter though. It was good and we were just happy to be there. I would agree though that there wasn't a whole lot of "kid food" there. DD loves salads so she was fine b/c they had plenty of that.

3 days does fly by super fast!

I have read on Dis, that you can say, well I rather eat "here" instead...and then proceed to that restaurant. Sometimes they will say they are full, but even then, most times they will seat you...We were directed to Cabanas, I think...and that is where I had planned to go anyways. :thumbsup2

I was sick on Sunday and sat and read your TR all day. I must be slow... I still haven't finished yet. You're at Disney now...I love all your pictures and great descriptions. :) Your dad cracks me up! I love all his faces! :rotfl: I couldn't help but worry about him when he was lost.

I am a bit longwinded. :rolleyes1 Glad you are enjoying it.

Happy Elf

12-04-2011, 07:51 AM

Great pictures with Mickey, what a lucky start! The ship is beautiful, can't wait to see more!

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-04-2011, 01:42 PM

I have read on Dis, that you can say, well I rather eat "here" instead...and then proceed to that restaurant. Sometimes they will say they are full, but even then, most times they will seat you...We were directed to Cabanas, I think...and that is where I had planned to go anyways. :thumbsup2

I didn't know that. But I was surprised when she told me to go to EG and I actually told her that I had expected her to say Cabanas. That's when she told me they weren't open yet. :confused3 Maybe because we got on the ship so early??? IDK. It didn't matter much to me anyway. I was just happy to be there! :thumbsup2

Great pictures with Mickey, what a lucky start! The ship is beautiful, can't wait to see more!

Thank you! He was a great Mickey! Or maybe I should say she was a great Mickey??? I try not to think about what's underneath and just enjoy the magic! :laughing:

jenseib

12-04-2011, 02:23 PM

I think Cabanas opens like at 12..I know it is a little later than EG.

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-04-2011, 08:44 PM

I think Cabanas opens like at 12..I know it is a little later than EG.

That must be it then. We boarded just after 11:30, so I guess she was right that it wasn't open yet.

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-09-2011, 09:12 AM

We left off on the last update with us heading up to the pools after a great lunch at the Enchanted Garden. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the pool deck was practically empty. I guess most people were still boarding or eating lunch. Again, I was hoping this was a good sign and meant that our cruise wouldn’t be packed like sardines.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/a3c9966e.jpg

As soon as we arrived, I asked DD if she wanted to ride the Aquaduck with me. She said, “No, not yet.” I figured she was just overwhelmed by all the water fun in front of her and just wanted to check everything out first. She wasted no time and jumped right into the Mickey pool, yelling out, “Mama, I’m swimming in Mickey’s ear!” :laughing:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/080f8db2.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/677569bb.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/dc8d7575.jpg

That lasted for about 5 minutes and then she set her sights on the Mickey slide.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/0568c23b.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/892a83af.jpg

She rode it several times with no wait and loved it!

After she had gone down 3 or 4 times, I couldn’t take it anymore! I was ready to ride the Aquaduck and the wait was killing me! I asked DD again if she was ready to ride, and she gave me the same response as before. I thought that was very odd since she had talked about NOTHING but the Aquaduck for months before the trip, but I decided to let her get the pool thrill out of her system first.

Next up was Donald’s pool. This one is 5’-6’ deep. I know I couldn’t touch the bottom without going underwater.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/66847a87.jpg

Once again, she played around for about five minutes and then wanted to go back on the Mickey slide. That’s when I realized that she was avoiding riding the Aquaduck with me. What the heck? I guess once she saw it in person, it was a little intimidating. I admit that I was a tad bit nervous myself, but no way was I waiting all that time for the cruise, driving all that distance to get there, and then NOT riding the Aquaduck! So cue the music and put the spotlight on the stage, because what happened next should win me the ‘Mother of the Year’ award… :rolleyes1

Yes….. I did it.

I forced my child to ride the Aquaduck.

But before you roast me on a spit, let me say that I know my child extremely well, and if she can just conquer that initial fear, then she is ALWAYS happier for having done so. If it had been something extreme or truly scary, I wouldn’t have done that, but I knew this was going to be 100% pure fun for her if she would just get her fanny up the stairs and on that raft!

DH volunteered to sit this ride out because someone had to stay with our carry-on bag. It had my big camera and our key cards in it, so it couldn’t be left unattended. DD and I headed for the entrance to the slide and a CM told us that we had to remove our shoes and no cameras were allowed. :rolleyes: I was afraid he was going to say that! I was pretty disappointed that I couldn’t take my waterproof camera down the slide. I really wanted to record it. Oh well! I left the camera with DH and told him to film us as we came down.

DD and I left our water shoes in the cubbies and started up the stairs.

OH

MY

GOODNESS!

It felt like we were walking on a staircase of hot coals! It was so stinkin’ hot! My feet felt like they were going to spontaneously combust! We practically ran all the way up, and let me tell you… I am way too old and out of shape to be doing that! I guess that was part of my payback for being such a great mother that day. :rolleyes: And believe me, DD did a wonderful job of reminding me of that fact too. All the way up she chewed on her fingernails and told me how much she hated this slide (you know…the one she’s never been on :rolleyes2). But alas, we made it to the top, roasted but ready to ride! And what did we find when we got there? NO WAIT!!!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/d13262df.jpg

The CM put DD in the front which didn’t help her nerves a bit, but once he gave us the shove, there was no turning back! DD screamed all the way down, “I hate this ride! I hate this ride!” I will admit that it looks like the rafts are moving really slowly when you’re watching from the deck, but it was actually a lot faster than I expected. It had several small drops too that were a little ‘exciting’ for a ride chicken like me!

My final dose of payback came as the ride ended. Let’s just say those rafts are not designed with very short people in mind. You are sitting in a pretty deep hole in the raft and when you reach the bottom, you have to throw your legs over the side and step out. Well if you are 6’ tall, this isn’t a problem, however, that is not the case for me. When I shifted my legs to the side, they were sticking straight up in the air and no way were they going to bend where I needed them to bend in order to get my rear out of that raft. I would’ve needed knees where my ankles are in order to do that! :rolleyes: So much to my humiliation, the CM had to pull me out of my raft hole, DD snickering all the while, and me panicking about the next raft clobbering me from behind before I could get out of the way. Not one of my finer moments! :rolleyes1

But after all that drama, I was able to redeem my motherhood because when we got to the bottom, DD’s attitude instantly changed. Once she knew she had survived and saw how much fun it was, she wanted to ride it again! See, I told you that I know her well! ::yes:: It was time for her to get a new ride partner though, because one round of roasted feet and a sunken rump was enough for me at the moment! DH rode with her next while I walked around and checked things out.

I saw lots of CMs with frozen concoctions available for purchase.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/22d49861.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/e4275d94.jpg

Signs

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/a5e32d47.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/8225a199.jpg

It was very cool to be able to see Kennedy Space Center from the ship.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/c383a6e6.jpg

Random Aquaduck riders

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/5e4085e5.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/ad2044b3.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/7a37d76d.jpg

The spray area

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/6de621bd.jpg

Continued in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43433937&postcount=99)

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-09-2011, 09:20 AM

After my mini tour, I sat down and watched the video that DH took of us on the Aquaduck. I was very disappointed to see that some woman walked in front of him at the exact time that we floated by and all you could see was her backside! :rolleyes: I’ll spare you that video.

DH and DD had a great ride though, and they both loved it. DH told me that DD was riding with her hands in the air yelling out, “I’m living the sweet life now!” :rotfl: Talk about a change of heart!

By now it was 1:30 and I was dying to see our room and drop off the carry-on bag so we didn’t have to lug it around anymore. I was a little nervous about the size of the room though. I knew it was going to be small, but I was hoping it would be bigger than it looked in the pictures online.

We had an inside stateroom with the magical porthole.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/0fbff05a.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/b12122ad.jpg

The view outside the ship

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/8268b6d6.jpg

The bedside lamp

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/4f05be54.jpg

The room was nice and extremely clean, but it was actually smaller than I had anticipated, which was not good news to this claustrophobe. :guilty: I was ok though until we brought our luggage in that was waiting in the hallway. Then things got really cramped and I could feel the panic welling up, so I stepped out into the hall while DH put the bags away. We decided to go on back to the pool deck so I could get some air and have some space.

We made a pit stop for ‘eye scream’ on the way.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/6f8b38e6.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/e5d0ce43.jpg

Proud of her creation :cutie:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/e6bdf204.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/e0b696a7.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/c6de0c37.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/94344767.jpg

DH kept saying, “We can really get all the ice cream we want for free?” ::yes::

Then it was back to the pools.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/fca17f24.jpg

This is EXACTLY how I looked trying to get out of that Aquaduck raft! :rotfl2:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/738866d8.jpg

It was really getting hot so the pools felt so good!

Swimming in Mickey’s ear again!:listen:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/d0d1fd7f.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/23b4ca6a.jpg

Then back to Donald’s pool. We did some major pool hopping that day!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/fe85f2b3.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/73e99f26.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/7a20ea44.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/575871f3.jpg

Continued in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43433994&postcount=100)

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-09-2011, 09:27 AM

This guy did a great job of keeping things lively and entertaining on the pool deck. It really is a fun atmosphere with all the music. :rockband:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/eb830621.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/f0fbd4f5.jpg

And one last ride on the Mickey slide

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/2e8d6012.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/733faece.jpg

It was now around 3:00 and the pools were super crowded. :crowded: In fact they could no longer be called swimming pools, because there was no way you could actually swim. They were more like dipping pools because all you could do was just stand in the water and try not to move so you didn’t bump into anyone. :sad2: Not my idea of fun.

This short video gives you an idea of how packed the pool was, and it only got worse.

DH and DD swimming in Donald's pool (http://youtu.be/hlOzF3rqt_Q) (48 sec.)

We totally bailed out!

DH and DD hit the hot tub for a few minutes.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/72f21495.jpg

Then we sat down by the pool for a while to dry off before we headed back to the room.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/1984a7fb.jpg

DD doing the Y-M-C-A! :yay:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/de8df877.jpg

Mickey and Minnie came out, but there was a long line almost instantly.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/8399c019.jpg

We spotted this on the way back to the room and the fruit looked too good to resist.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/2374dcc9.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/4103ceb2.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/43c5725a.jpg

It was really good, especially the fresh pineapple! :thumbsup2

It was time to head to our tiny cabin and get dressed for the lifeboat drill and the evening activities. I will admit that I was a little bummed at that point because the room was so small and the pools seemed way too tiny for the number of people on board. I was really starting to wonder if I had made the right choice by choosing to cruise? :guilty: I was thinking though that maybe I had just set my expectations too high, so I tried to reserve judgement until the cruise was over. I mean, if my only issues were crowded pools, and a tiny room, then I could handle that as long as nothing else major went wrong. Dum, dum, dum.....

Up next: The second day of Swinter: Part 3

WDWPrincess486

12-09-2011, 09:36 AM

mickeystoontown

12-09-2011, 10:48 AM

Oh my gosh!! I was laughing like crazy at your entire description of coaxing your daughter to go on the Aqua Duck, the hot walk up the stairs, the yelling all the way down and especially you getting out of the raft! I could totally see myself having to get pulled out of the raft too and it made it all the funnier.

I sure hope that the dum dum dum isn't a bad dum dum dum. I know that you were worried about the small room and the crowded pool.

Mndisneygirl

12-09-2011, 11:01 AM

Oh my gosh - you are so funny - I love how you wrote about your DD and the aquaduck! I knew she would like it too! We never managed to get on there - we made the mistake of not going right there first thing, and the lines were ALWAYS long after that day. I'm sure I would have needed help getting out of the raft too - my legs are so short!!
Sarah loved the Mickey slide too - went on it probably hundreds of times on our cruise.
I think one of my biggest gripes on cruises (any of the ships) is that the pools are too small. I assume there's a good reason for it since they are all that way. But they get so crowded it's just not fun.

I sure hope your dum dum dum dum is not too ominus! I know how hard it can be to plan and have expectations. It's hard to remember to keep them in check. Your room did seem pretty small though, and without a balcony I bet it felt rather confined. It really stinks that the DCL is so expensive - because I guarantee you if you had our room, you would have had no problem. It really does make a difference to have more space and a door you can open to fresh air! It will be a while before we can do that again! Especially because I want to go on a 7 day!! ;)

Your DD is getting so big - she's just beautiful! We stopped by Flo's frequently for that fresh fruit too. There were really good fries too!!

Tracerr00

12-09-2011, 12:19 PM

I'm so excited for our cruise next month!! I think my DD will end up spending more time in the clubs than in the pool but I'm totally going to make her ride the aquaduck with me! Even at age 12 she is a chicken sometimes but just like your DD, she will love it once she tries it. Your TR is helping me so much to know what to expect. And I expect that I will be having one of those big drinks! ;)

CandleontheWater

12-09-2011, 12:59 PM

No flames from me for making your DD ride the aquaduck! I firmly believe that parents know their kids best, and know what they can and cannot handle. So glad that you guys got to ride it and it was such a big hit! :thumbsup2

I have to say, when I first saw the pics of the pool, I was thinking "wow, those look small for such a big ship", I hope that they cleared out a little as the cruise went on, and you were able to enjoy some pool time without feeling like a sardine.

I've never done a Disney cruise, but Dh and I have done other cruises and always in inside staterooms. I don't have problems with claustrophobia, but I could see how it would be easy to feel like the walls were closing in on you. We never spend much time in the room, and I'm sure with your DD you guys didn't either, so I hope it didn't impact your enjoyment of the trip too much.

kittylady1972

12-09-2011, 02:39 PM

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-09-2011, 02:59 PM

Rinky, what a wonderful treat to read your TR update this morning :goodvibes

We went on the AquaDuck at around the same time you did when we went in May...the wait (or lack thereof) was not that bad at all! :lmao: Love DD's initial feelings towards the slide and then her change of heart :rotfl:

We found that there was no line for the AD early that first day and at night. We went after dinner or after the show one night and there was almost no one else up there. It was really nice!

DD can be a drama queen sometimes for sure. :rolleyes:

Oooh...those concoctions on the trays...my favorite is definitely the Bahama Mama! :yay:

I don't know which drink was what??? I don't like the taste of alcohol, so I didn't get any. I'm sure I would have liked a virgin one though. We got virgin drinks a few nights at dinner they were REALLY good!!!

Don't you just love how all of the food on the ship is "free"? I quite enjoyed the strawberry and banana ice cream, as well as the pizza! Yummmm

YES! It makes it so nice to know you can get whatever you want and not have to think about the cost!

I never tried the ice cream or the pizza. I should have tried more stuff like that though, but I just didn't have the room!

I'm sure you made the best decision as far as cruising goes :goodvibes We don't spend that much time in the room anyway, although I do understand where you are coming from. I need my space as well!

Well, I might be ruining the suspense of the TR by saying this, but overall, we loved cruising. We definitely had some issues though, but now that I know, I can do things differently next time.

I love all of your pictures! I could definitely go for a ride on the AquaDuck right about now... Looking forward to your next update! Hope you have a wonderful weekend! :goodvibes

Yes, a ride down the AD would be just what this Friday afternoon needs! I wonder where the ship is right now? Probably in Nassau. :cloud9:

Hope you have a great weekend too!

replies in blue

Oh my gosh!! I was laughing like crazy at your entire description of coaxing your daughter to go on the Aqua Duck, the hot walk up the stairs, the yelling all the way down and especially you getting out of the raft! I could totally see myself having to get pulled out of the raft too and it made it all the funnier.

I sure hope that the dum dum dum isn't a bad dum dum dum. I know that you were worried about the small room and the crowded pool.

Well I'm so glad that you had a good laugh at my expense! :lmao: It was pretty funny though... after the fact anyway.

Is there a good dum, dum dum? Well, if there is, this doesn't qualify as one. This is a standard dum, dum, dum! :laughing: A sign of not so good things to come!

But there's lots of good stuff before we get to the bad!

Oh my gosh - you are so funny - I love how you wrote about your DD and the aquaduck! I knew she would like it too! We never managed to get on there - we made the mistake of not going right there first thing, and the lines were ALWAYS long after that day. I'm sure I would have needed help getting out of the raft too - my legs are so short!!
Sarah loved the Mickey slide too - went on it probably hundreds of times on our cruise.

Oh I can't believe you guys didn't ride the AD! I didn't remember that from your TR. I demand a do-over for you! ;)

We found that there was practically no wait at night too.

I really wish they allowed adults on the Mickey slide. I even asked the CM if I could please ride it. :rotfl: He said no. :rolleyes1 It looked like so much fun though.

I think one of my biggest gripes on cruises (any of the ships) is that the pools are too small. I assume there's a good reason for it since they are all that way. But they get so crowded it's just not fun.

I know. I knew from the pictures I'd seen that they would be small, but when you can't even move at all without bumping someone, that just stinks. The only solution we found was to swim at night. The pool deck was almost empty every evening.

I sure hope your dum dum dum dum is not too ominus! I know how hard it can be to plan and have expectations. It's hard to remember to keep them in check. Your room did seem pretty small though, and without a balcony I bet it felt rather confined. It really stinks that the DCL is so expensive - because I guarantee you if you had our room, you would have had no problem. It really does make a difference to have more space and a door you can open to fresh air! It will be a while before we can do that again! Especially because I want to go on a 7 day!! ;)

Well we had a few more small dum, dum, dums and then a pretty big one at the very end, so.....

But I still loved the cruise. :laughing: I know I am making no sense at all!

The room was very tiny. I think it would work best for 1 or 2 people, but 3 was really pushing it. And I packed way too much stuff too. Next time I will FORCE myself to only bring 2 bags! So part of it was my own fault. And, I would love a balcony next time. I like the 7 night cruise too. I want the 7 night Eastern with a balcony. I don't want much, do I? :laughing:

Your DD is getting so big - she's just beautiful! We stopped by Flo's frequently for that fresh fruit too. There were really good fries too!!

Thank you. You are too sweet. I think she's a beauty inside and out!

We never tried the fries. Another thing for next time!

replies in blue

I'm so excited for our cruise next month!! I think my DD will end up spending more time in the clubs than in the pool but I'm totally going to make her ride the aquaduck with me! Even at age 12 she is a chicken sometimes but just like your DD, she will love it once she tries it. Your TR is helping me so much to know what to expect. And I expect that I will be having one of those big drinks! ;)

I'm glad you are learning from my mistakes! :laughing: Seriously though, early on the first day or at night are the best times to swim. Are you taking notes? Trust me, you'll be glad you know all this up front. ;) Those are the best times to ride the AD also. Afternoons.... don't even think about it. :eek:

Those big drinks were very pretty! I never had one, but they seemed very popular.

No flames from me for making your DD ride the aquaduck! I firmly believe that parents know their kids best, and know what they can and cannot handle. So glad that you guys got to ride it and it was such a big hit! :thumbsup2

I have to say, when I first saw the pics of the pool, I was thinking "wow, those look small for such a big ship", I hope that they cleared out a little as the cruise went on, and you were able to enjoy some pool time without feeling like a sardine.

I've never done a Disney cruise, but Dh and I have done other cruises and always in inside staterooms. I don't have problems with claustrophobia, but I could see how it would be easy to feel like the walls were closing in on you. We never spend much time in the room, and I'm sure with your DD you guys didn't either, so I hope it didn't impact your enjoyment of the trip too much.

The AD was definitely a big hit. I have no idea how many times she actually rode it, but it was a lot! And I made her ride it b/c she would have had such a rotten attitude during the whole trip if I had let her chicken out. That's just how she is. If she's wants to do something, but is too afraid, then she gets mad with us! :laughing: :confused3

We discovered that the time to swim is at night. We almost had the pools to ourselves when we went up after dinner. :thumbsup2

Well not to spill the beans on everything, but you are right. We spent almost no time in our room, so it really wasn't that bad after I got over the initial shock of how small it was. I'd still like a balcony next time if I could afford it.

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-09-2011, 03:09 PM

:thumbsup2 Yippee another great update! Loved it! I was watching those pools and thinking wow they are small...especially with all of those people! Looks like fun though and loved the Aquaduck story!

Can't wait to hear more! :)

Yeah the pools are really small when they were full. The afternoons are not the time to try to swim. Next time I think we will do some of the other activities in the afternoon and save the pools for nighttime.

I thought about leaving the AD story out since it took so long to tell it, but I just had to include it. It just wouldn't be an accurate report without it. :laughing:

jenseib

12-09-2011, 03:42 PM

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-09-2011, 04:16 PM

Love the update. I don't think you're bad for forcing her on either....sometimes we just have to do that. And we usually know when it is the right time.
I have heard others have worn their watershoes on the AD, but they made us take ours off too. Kind of dumb, if you ask me.

The pools are tiny, but we only swam at night or on our CC day, so they weren't bad then.
We did tour an inside room in August...and I was actually impressed with how big they were. LOL! The one we were in on NCL was sooooo tiny.

I think I did the right thing with DD too, but you never know as a parent... kids don't come with manuals ya know. ;)

Well what's funny is that we were allowed to wear our water shoes and take my camera on Crush N' Gusher at Typhoon Lagoon and that ride is exactly like the Aquaduck. :confused3 I don't get it??? I can see the no camera rule b/c you really need to hold onto your raft while riding and not have your hands occupied, but the water shoes???? And I don't know why the stairs were so hot b/c I thought the rest of the decking area stayed pretty cool all the time. Maybe because it was always wet? IDK.

Yes, we found out that nighttime is the best time to swim. There was almost no one up there at night.

That is too funny about the stateroom! :laughing: I had read on the DIS how much larger DCL rooms are than other cruise lines and I remember thinking when we walked in, "Gosh, if this is bigger, I'd die on the other cruises!" For me I think it was that dang ottoman! I don't know why they think they need that thing in the middle of the floor! I hated it! If that thing was gone, I think I would have liked it much better. But we ended up spending very little time in our room so in the end, the tiny room wasn't too big of a deal.

wigdoutdismom

12-09-2011, 05:27 PM

pooh'smate

12-09-2011, 05:30 PM

Your description of how you "forced" dd on the AD had me literally laughing out loud. :rotfl: Your fruit looked really yummy. I can't wait for the next update.

sjs314

12-09-2011, 05:43 PM

Rinky - You made my day. I thought I was going to die laughing reading your description of trying to get out of the AD raft all the while pictureing me trying and then I came to the pic of Donald all topsie tuvie butt side up and totally lost it.

The pools did seem awful crowded. I did not think the room looked too awful small but then I do not have claustophobia like you.

Your DH sounded like something mine would say about being able to have all the ice cream he wanted for Free.............Free at these prices :rotfl2:Truely enjoyed your update :thumbsup2

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-10-2011, 09:02 AM

I totally agree with you, we know our kids and sometimes we just have to push them to do things for their own good!
So yes, you should have made her ride the AD!!!
Can you believe Marc and I have never been in one of the pools on-board? I'm sure Baylor has when he has been out and about, but they have always seemed jammed packed full of people...
Well except for the adults only area, we went past that pool and it was empty!

I'm all for the stateroom with the veranda. I think you would find yourself relaxing more in your room, enjoying the view...:goodvibes

Last summer we rode the AD. One time was enough for me.:laughing:

I can't believe you've never gotten in the pools! :eek: I couldn't stand being up there on that top deck without some relief from the heat. You really need to try out the adult pool sometime if they stay empty. We didn't have that option b/c DD didn't want to go to the kid's club, but I think every time we saw the adult pool it was empty too. Maybe they should have just put in a few adults only hot tubs and added the other pool to the family area. :confused3

I think I'd really enjoy the veranda room. This cruise was just sort of a trial run for us though since we had never cruised before, so I just wanted to go the cheapest route possible. If I was on a long cruise though, the veranda would be a must.

I only ended up riding the AD once too. I was so embarrassed about not being able to get out of it that I didn't go again. :rolleyes1

Your description of how you "forced" dd on the AD had me literally laughing out loud. :rotfl: Your fruit looked really yummy. I can't wait for the next update.

Well I am so glad that I didn't cut the AD part of the story out b/c it seemed to give everyone a good laugh! It is pretty funny thinking back on it now. At the time, I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide from the embarrassment! :rolleyes: I do always try to remember at times like that though that this will make for good story telling later on! :laughing:

Rinky - You made my day. I thought I was going to die laughing reading your description of trying to get out of the AD raft all the while pictureing me trying and then I came to the pic of Donald all topsie tuvie butt side up and totally lost it.

The pools did seem awful crowded. I did not think the room looked too awful small but then I do not have claustophobia like you.

Your DH sounded like something mine would say about being able to have all the ice cream he wanted for Free.............Free at these prices :rotfl2:Truely enjoyed your update :thumbsup2

I think they put that crashing Donald on the ship in honor of my AD ride! :rotfl:

Well, the room didn't seem quite as bad after we got our things put away, but at that moment with luggage sitting everywhere, it was too much for me. We literally couldn't even get turned around in there until the bags were put away. And there was an ottoman in the middle of the floor that just took up way too much space and drove me crazy. I did get adjusted to it though and never did have a meltdown, so that was good.

Yes, the ice cream really isn't free.... more like prepaid! :laughing:

wigdoutdismom

12-10-2011, 09:12 AM

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-10-2011, 01:57 PM

Rinky, we had an inside room the first cruise too. I know exactly what you mean about wanting to try it out and all....

Getting out of that raft was not pretty for me either! I'll probably give it another spin this summer though.

Even after the issues we had, I would still say that I am glad we got the inside room. We spent almost no time at all in our room, so the more expensive room would have been a waste this time. I think it would be nice though even on the 4 night cruise b/c you would have that one whole day at sea to enjoy it. But on the 3 day, it just isn't worth it to me.

I'm so glad to hear that I wasn't the only one who had a hard time getting out of the AD! :laughing: I was starting to think it was just me!

MeMom

12-10-2011, 08:25 PM

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/6de621bd.jpg

I know our girls would have a lot of fun in this place!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/4103ceb2.jpg

That all looks so good. I would have wanted about a hundred pieces of that watermelon. Yum!

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-11-2011, 06:49 AM

I know our girls would have a lot of fun in this place!

That all looks so good. I would have wanted about a hundred pieces of that watermelon. Yum!

Oh yes! There are lots of things that your girls would have a blast doing on the cruise... the little girls AND the big ones! I can hear that 3 night cruise calling for you Memom. :rolleyes1

The fruit rocked. It was especially good because it was getting super hot and the fruit was cool and refreshing. The watermelon was very good, but that fresh pineapple was ridiculously awesome! And btw, we all 3 shared that plate. I just realized looking at that picture that I didn't clarify that. I bet everyone thought that was my plate alone! :eek:

pmama

12-17-2011, 09:58 PM

Your first few hours on the ship look very magical! Merry Christmas!

momof2TNboys

12-18-2011, 06:58 AM

Your AD story is hilarious. Your raft story reminds me of my water park visits. I am so short that it is impossible to get yourself out of the rafts! Loving the boat pics so far. We are going on the Magic in March and I will remember about swimming at night. I usually avoid the pools on cruises because of crowding issues. This is the first time I will be taking the boys and I know they will want to swim.

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-18-2011, 09:47 AM

Your first few hours on the ship look very magical! Merry Christmas!

The ship is pretty magical! Not quite as much so as WDW to me, but still magical indeed!

Merry Christmas to you and your family too! :santa:

Your AD story is hilarious. Your raft story reminds me of my water park visits. I am so short that it is impossible to get yourself out of the rafts! Loving the boat pics so far. We are going on the Magic in March and I will remember about swimming at night. I usually avoid the pools on cruises because of crowding issues. This is the first time I will be taking the boys and I know they will want to swim.

Those water rides really do need a new exit system for shorties. I'm just glad to know that it wasn't just me!

I've got some nighttime swimming pics coming up soon and you will see that the difference is HUGE! That's definitely the way to go. There are other things that you can do in the afternoons and save the pools for another time. That's going to be our plan next time anyway. If you ever go on the Dream of Fantasy, the AD is also empty at night. :thumbsup2

wigdoutdismom

12-18-2011, 11:28 AM

Hi Rinky! How are things in your neck of the woods? I'm sure your dd is getting really excited for Christmas! Are you ready for the big day?

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-18-2011, 05:00 PM

Hi Rinky! How are things in your neck of the woods? I'm sure your dd is getting really excited for Christmas! Are you ready for the big day?

Hey Wigd! Things are going great here, and yes I'm ready for Christmas. All the gifts are purchased and wrapped and all the food has been bought. Thankfully, I got all of it finished last week b/c I have been sick this weekend with a nasty sinus/ear infection. I don't know if I get wimpier the older I get or what, but this thing has kicked my hiney. I feel more like I've had the flu. :sick:

I hope all is well in Kansas and that you guys have a fantastic Christmas! You have so much to be thankful for with all those beautiful kids of yours!

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-18-2011, 07:05 PM

After a fun time at the pools, we headed for the room to get cleaned up and changed for the afternoon activities. As soon as we entered our stateroom, we noticed a really foul smell. It seemed to be coming from the bathroom, so we checked it out. Sure enough, when we opened the bathroom door, the horrible stench of raw sewage hit us like a ton of bricks. :snooty: We inspected the shower, toilet, and sink and everything seemed to be working fine and was extremely clean. We couldn’t figure out what was causing the smell, and we just didn’t have time to deal with it right then. We had to be at the lifeboat drill in just a few minutes.

Our stateroom hostess told us earlier in the day that we needed to report to the Walt Disney Theater for our drill, so that’s where we went, but no one was there. We saw two CMs standing around so we showed them our key cards and asked if we were in the right place. They told us in very broken English that we needed to report to section ‘N’ on the outside deck.

Ok. :confused3

So we trekked along passing, ‘K’, then ‘L’, and ‘M’. We were completely at the opposite end of the ship before we saw ‘N’, but we made it just in time. There was already a large group of people waiting there and one of the CMs told us where to stand. Then DH pulls out our key cards and says, “I wonder why they sent us here when we have a ‘D’ on our cards?” Well, I have no clue! I’d never done this before! :confused: He showed our cards to the CM in charge of the ‘N’s and she says, “You’re in the wrong place. You should be in the Walt Disney Theater.

Serioulsy?!?! :sad2:

So we commenced to walking alllllllllllllllll the way back down to the other end of the ship, back into the theater, and still, there is no one there. I could feel the vein in my neck throbbing at that point, and I wanted to scream. :headache: We were now late for the drill and still had no clue where we were supposed to be. That’s when it hit me that the theater has two levels and maybe they were meeting in the balcony. We hauled hiney up the stairs, and that turned out to be exactly what was going on! :rolleyes:

Amazingly, we were not the only ones who were late and others kept coming in after us. It seemed to take forever, but we all finally got checked in. Then we listened to the whole inaudible spiel on how to put on a life jacket, and where to go if the ship starts to sink. Great! Just what I want to think about right before we set sail! :rolleyes1

As soon as the drill ended, we went up to stake out a spot for the Sail Away party.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/5d293bcf.jpg

And guess what… all 874,362 of the other guests had the same idea! :eek:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/ad294235.jpg

It was just a tiny bit crowded, huh?

We managed to find a small bit of space directly to the side of the stage though.

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The CM in this picture to the far right was wearing a skirt so short that we could actually see her underwear during some of the dance moves. It was way shorter than what the other ladies were wearing. I thought that was VERY unDisney like!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/a5caad8c.jpg

Poor Donald! Daisy got a little carried away with the credit card on her cruise and Donald was left holding the bags!

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The show was almost over, but we threw in the towel early. It was soooooo hot up on that top deck with the sun beaming down! We had sweat pouring from everywhere. It was time to find some shade and cool off.

When the show ended, there was a countdown and then the horn blew. It made my heart flutter to hear it! :love:

Click on the picture to hear the horn. (8 seconds)
http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/th_4504fcd7.jpg (http://s1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/?action=view&current=4504fcd7.mp4)

Now that's no ordinary ship horn!

Lots of tassle waiving was going on. It was so exciting!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/e142f7e1.jpg

We walked over to the shady side of the ship and waved goodbye to everyone on the ground. There were lots of people watching the ship sail out.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/b638e3bc.jpg

Our last sightings of land for the day

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http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/f8fda111.jpg

Cocoa Beach is down this way.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/c95b07c0.jpg

Continued in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43494480&postcount=125)

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-18-2011, 07:16 PM

As much as we wanted to stay and watch the shoreline fade away, we had to get to dinner. Tonight we would be dining at Animator’s Palate.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/98f1fed9.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/0fd11b07.jpg

Such great detail in this restaurant

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/09926bf9.jpg

We had requested private dining for the cruise and we received it! :woohoo: We just were not really comfortable eating with strangers. Looking back, I am so glad we did this. We stayed so busy each day on the cruise, that mealtime was really the only opportunity we had to talk to each other about all the things we had done that day. If we would’ve been seated with others, I know we wouldn’t have talked with each other the way we did.

Our table

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/48edb936.jpg

I want these chairs at my table!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/2d1a465a.jpg

Cool plates and utensils

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Mickey head bread basket

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/7beba128.jpg

Menu

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/672cc252.jpg

We sat across from this guy who talked to us all night.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/9d594266.jpg

He kept DD entertained. It is very similar to Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot.

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http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/a4c3a21b.jpg

We met our servers shortly. Our main server was Roque (pronounced Rocky) from India and our assistant server was Kristina from Australia. They were both wonderful throughout the entire cruise! :thumbsup2

Kristina came by to take our drink orders and while she was talking to us, I started to feel the movement of the ship for the first time. I was really hoping to be like others who said they never felt the ship moving, but I wasn’t so lucky. It wasn’t just me either. DH and DD felt it too. DH and I both thought it was disorienting. It didn’t make either of us feel nauseous as I had expected, but we definitely felt weird, like we couldn’t quite get our bearings.

I asked Kristina for a ginger ale hoping that would stave off any seasickness that might be brewing. This ended up being my drink of choice at every meal for the rest of the cruise. I’m a real party animal aren’t I? :upsidedow

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/e2734071.jpg

Roque came by next and made his recommendations, which turned out to be spot on every night! I ordered everything he suggested and enjoyed it all! I had the black truffle pasta, baked potato soup, and lemon-thyme chicken. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I’m really bad about taking food pics.

My chicken dish

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/5575ad8d.jpg

DH had the wild mushroom risotto, beef tenderloin, and cookies and cream sundae. I only have a pic of his dessert.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/54f7f5e4.jpg

In this picture, he looks like he found something funky in his food, but he was actually marveling at the Mickey Mouse painted on a piece of chocolate that was on top of his sundae! :laughing:

DD had a salad every single night of the cruise! The girl loves her salads! She was quite impressed that Roque brought her dressing out in a fancy silver boat and ladled it onto her plate!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/d1e22588.jpg

And what’s better for dessert than a Mickey bar? :mickeybar

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/e29b61c4.jpg

We loved this meal! It turned out to be some of the best food of the entire cruise!

Continued in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43494505&postcount=126)

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-18-2011, 07:25 PM

We had the first dinner seating, which is at 5:45, so we had some time to walk around and explore the ship a little before the 8:30 show. We liked walking this long hallway full of portholes where you could watch the ocean go by.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/0385dfd7.jpg

Art in the atrium

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The gorgeous chandelier from directly underneath

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Feeling like Cinderella :cutie:

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This was waiting for us on the bed when we got back to our stateroom.

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http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/7a8339c4.jpg

We didn’t notice the sewage smell in the bathroom this time so we hoped it was just a fluke thing. Unfortunately, it found its way back later on. The problem though was that every time we smelled it, we were on our way out and just didn’t have the time to deal with it. I feel certain that DCL would have made it right though if we had reported it, but the three night cruise goes by so fast and before we knew it, it was over. I have since read from other Dissers that they have experienced the same problem in some of their staterooms. :confused3

The first thing we noticed upon entering our room was that our stateroom hostess had pulled the bunk bed down for DD, and she was really excited about getting to sleep up there! She had never slept on a bunk bed before so this was one of those little things that was big fun for a kid!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/001ed577.jpg

The ceiling above the bed looks like a skylight with constellations shaped like Peter Pan, Wendy, and Tinker Bell. The kids also have their own personal little nightlight up there.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/6627100a.jpg

We took a minute to hang our fish extender out in the hall. This is one of my sewing projects that I didn’t get around to showing on my PTR because we were down to the wire making it. DD had the BEST time checking this throughout the cruise to see what goodies had been left for us.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/2d37e18a.jpg

We still had just a few minutes before the show started so I took DD’s pillowcase and tote bag to guest services to be signed by the characters. My mom and I made these over the summer.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/3a330275.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/7ba2a817.jpg

While I was at the guest services desk, I noticed a sign on the counter that said no room upgrades were available because our cruise was completely booked. :eek: That pretty much explained the packed pools from earlier in the afternoon. I would have to say though that I was pleasantly surprised for the most part that the ship didn’t really seem crowded even though it was booked up. The only times that I felt like it was noticeable was at the pools in the afternoon and at the deck parties.

DH had been asking to find the bow of the ship ever since we boarded, so we headed out in search of it before the show. It took some sleuthing, but we finally found it beyond the adult pool area. There were several other cruise ships that we could see all lit up off in the distance.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/b4f925bd.jpg

There wasn’t a soul around, so we let loose and did what any bunch of geeks would do standing on the bow of the most awesome ship on the ocean.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/2d60933c.jpg

We were the kings of the world! :rotfl:

I’m not sure how fast the ship was going, but we felt like we were flying! That is one of my favorite memories from the cruise! :lovestruc Boy, I’d love to be standing there tonight!

Up next: The second day of Swinter: Finally, the finale!

wigdoutdismom

12-18-2011, 07:54 PM

Mndisneygirl

12-18-2011, 08:51 PM

Great pics Rinky!
You weren't kidding about that crowded deck party! When we sailed on the Dream, we missed most of it roaming around the ship or something, so the crowd was dispersing a bit by the time we got there.

The Christmas time cruise on the Wonder was just so great - very beautifully decorated of course. I'd love to go again on the Fantasy and do the 7 day eastern...add that to my "someday" list.

I think the decor at Animator's is so cute!

sjs314

12-19-2011, 06:51 AM

Rinky - OMG Again you made my day, I laughed reading about your run around trying to find the lifeboat drill. Glad you eventually found it.:thumbsup2
All I can say is WOW about the pics of all the people on deck for the sail away party............loved the horn, I did not expect it to be disney themed. :love:

DH and I were discussing cruising the other day and I told him how you said you could request private dining, I am glad you were able to get it. It is something I think I would want, I love kids but sometimes when they are not your own especially when you want like you said to talk about your day or anything for that matter, kids being kids can just seem noisy, then again maybe they sit couples with couples? :confused3

Great time to feel the ship moving for the first time (right before eating). I use to always order ginger ale if not drinking but now with my diabetes no place ever has diet gingerale so I have to have diet coke.

Oh those pics of the ship are beautiful, I am so wanting to go on a cruise more and more. Love the bunk bead and that skylight above is just too wonderful.:lovestruc

That is so cool that you went to the bow and did the King of the World, it looks like the breeze was really blowing. Great memory.:cloud9:

Wonder about the smell in your cabin, when we stayed at the Luxor in Vegas , our DS & Ddil room next door had a funky smell when they first entered, they imediately complained and were moved, but I guess if the cruise was sold out it was a good thing the smell came and went or you would have been out of luck.

Can not wait to read and see more!:)

MeMom

12-19-2011, 07:38 AM

Great pictures! I loved hearing the horn.

Looks like there are many, many details on the ship that could keep me very busy taking pictures. I am not a pool person, so I think what I would love most on a cruise would be the shows.

And the food. :goodvibes

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-19-2011, 08:16 AM

I'm with you Rinky, I'd love to take a Christmas cruise and be out there tonight too!
We have snow predicted this week.
Luckily for us we have never have that sewer smell in our cabin. I'll keep my fingers crossed that we don't on the next cruise either.

I know the ships are gorgeous at Christmas! I think it would be a great time to cruise.

Lucky you getting snow at Christmas! I'd love to have a white Christmas, just once!

Great pics Rinky!
You weren't kidding about that crowded deck party! When we sailed on the Dream, we missed most of it roaming around the ship or something, so the crowd was dispersing a bit by the time we got there.

The Christmas time cruise on the Wonder was just so great - very beautifully decorated of course. I'd love to go again on the Fantasy and do the 7 day eastern...add that to my "someday" list.

I think the decor at Animator's is so cute!

Yeah, I discovered that the deck parties really were not for me. I just don't do well with crowds, so next time we will do something else during that time.

That's the same cruise that I want to take. It is really expensive though. We need to start saving our pennies! Maybe you guys can go on that cruise next year???

Rinky - OMG Again you made my day, I laughed reading about your run around trying to find the lifeboat drill. Glad you eventually found it.:thumbsup2

That sort of thing always seems to happen to us. I don't think DH nor I have a very good built in GPS! :rolleyes1

All I can say is WOW about the pics of all the people on deck for the sail away party............loved the horn, I did not expect it to be disney themed. :love:

That horn is so awesome! It also played a couple of other tunes. It was really cool!

DH and I were discussing cruising the other day and I told him how you said you could request private dining, I am glad you were able to get it. It is something I think I would want, I love kids but sometimes when they are not your own especially when you want like you said to talk about your day or anything for that matter, kids being kids can just seem noisy, then again maybe they sit couples with couples? :confused3

Yeah, I don't mind sitting with strangers if I have to, like at the German restaurant at Epcot, but I'd rather not do it every night. And you're right, children can be a joy to be around or an annoyance and you never know which ones you'll be sitting with.

Great time to feel the ship moving for the first time (right before eating). I use to always order ginger ale if not drinking but now with my diabetes no place ever has diet gingerale so I have to have diet coke.

I love ginger ale, but you're right, they never have diet (which I prefer too). It's really hard to find a diet and a caffeine free drink. :confused3

Oh those pics of the ship are beautiful, I am so wanting to go on a cruise more and more. Love the bunk bead and that skylight above is just too wonderful.:lovestruc

That is so cool that you went to the bow and did the King of the World, it looks like the breeze was really blowing. Great memory.:cloud9:

How could you not do that on that ship! :laughing: We just couldn't resist. Although, I don't think "Titanic" was probably the best thing to be imitating since it sank! :eek:

Wonder about the smell in your cabin, when we stayed at the Luxor in Vegas , our DS & Ddil room next door had a funky smell when they first entered, they imediately complained and were moved, but I guess if the cruise was sold out it was a good thing the smell came and went or you would have been out of luck.

I've read that DCL keeps some cabins empty all the time even when they say the ship is booked up. I guess that's b/c of situations like ours. Thinking back on it, I really should have gone on and reported it b/c they might have given us a room upgrade. But then no one from our FE group would have known where we were, so I guess it all worked out ok.

Can not wait to read and see more!:)

replies in blue

Great pictures! I loved hearing the horn.

Looks like there are many, many details on the ship that could keep me very busy taking pictures. I am not a pool person, so I think what I would love most on a cruise would be the shows.

And the food. :goodvibes

The horn was so cool! It had other tunes as well. I bet the captain blew it 10 times or more!

There's lots of other stuff to do besides the water stuff. They have mini golf, a detective game, the kid's clubs, tons of spa stuff, lots of entertainers like comedians and other shows, plus all the excursions. You would not be bored and you would have a field day with the camera. I wish I had more time to just walk around and snap away.

I'm just like you... my favorite things on the ship were the shows... and the food! ;) It was soooo nice knowing that you could order whatever you wanted and not have to pay for it. :thumbsup2

Momof2Disneyboys

12-19-2011, 09:42 AM

Hey Rinky! :goodvibes Sorry I haven't been around lately. Things are crazy here as you know! :faint:

Anyway -- great updates!! :cool1: I really enjoy your story telling! I always know just how you feel. :rotfl: That whole lifeboat drill fiasco would have put me over the edge. :sad2: And then the huge crowds at the Sail Away party. :scared1: Things like that are the little things that make me think I should just stick to what I know best -- WDW!! :laughing:

But I have to say that that slide and those restaurants look awesome!! :goodvibes Looks like a fabulous time and I can't wait to hear more.

Great pics! :thumbsup2

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-19-2011, 10:40 AM

Hey Rinky! :goodvibes Sorry I haven't been around lately. Things are crazy here as you know! :faint:

I know you are very busy. I really hadn't even expected to see you around here for a while!

Anyway -- great updates!! :cool1: I really enjoy your story telling! I always know just how you feel. :rotfl: That whole lifeboat drill fiasco would have put me over the edge. :sad2: And then the huge crowds at the Sail Away party. :scared1: Things like that are the little things that make me think I should just stick to what I know best -- WDW!! :laughing:

Don't you just hate that when you get a different answer from every person you ask. That drives me nuts!

Alright now, I am going to have some major guilt going on if you cancel your cruise b/c of my report! I told you it wasn't perfect, but you know, my first trip to Disney World wasn't perfect either. What's the saying... "the more you go, the more you know." I definitely think that applies to Disney vacations. I learned a lot on this first cruise, and I will use that to make the next one better. I did the same thing with my first WDW trip too and each trip there seems better than the last. I still think you should go. I think if you avoid some the mistakes that we made, you will be in good shape. I personally HATE crowds, so the deck parties were not much fun to me. If you are the same way, then skip them and do something else. That's what we will do next time. Or just go up and give them a try and if it's too crazy, you can find something else to do. We had several bumps in the road on our cruise but nothing enormously major went wrong that would keep me from going back or discourage me from telling you that you need to get your behind on that ship! :rotfl:

But I have to say that that slide and those restaurants look awesome!! :goodvibes Looks like a fabulous time and I can't wait to hear more.

They are! Almost all of the food on the cruise was fantastic. And the best part is that if you don't like something, they will bring you something else. And if you REALLY like a particular item, they will bring you more. It's a win win! You are going to kick yourself if you don't give it a try and see firsthand what you think of it. I put off going for two years before I finally broke down and did it and now I am thinking what in the heck was I waiting for?

Great pics! :thumbsup2

replies in blue

Mndisneygirl

12-19-2011, 12:43 PM

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-19-2011, 01:56 PM

No Shelly - DON'T CHANGE YOUR MIND!!!! The cruise is great - you will find good and bad things about it, but the bad things are usually not horrible! I agree - the more you go the more you know - we already know what we can skip out on next time and what we would do more of...

I have some of the horns as ringtones on my phone! I think when DH calls it does the horn from the Wonder - When you wish upon a star!

We will be saving our pennies for that 7 day eastern, but we have so many trips we want to do over the next few years - I really need that money tree to start producing!!! 2012 is all booked, we're considering a few options for 2013 already too.

See Shelly, you can't back out now! You already have a cheering squad rooting for you!
:cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

I want a horn ringtone! I will be checking into that! When we sailed on the Dream though the Captain played 3 different tunes I believe. I distinctly remember "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and "When You Wish Upon a Star" and I think one more. I thought they only played the "Dream" one though? And I thought it only blew once, but he blew it over and over again. :confused3

I'm sorry Sheree... I got ahead of myself. Things are so busy right now that I am in a time warp. When I said maybe you can sail next year, I meant 2013. I guess I've already put 2011 to bed in my mind. :rolleyes: I knew you weren't planning to sail in 2012 with your Europe trip and Disney in October. I have a really bad sinus infection right now and my head feels like it's full of cotton. I guess it's blocking my brain cells from working too. :rolleyes1

Lovemy3babes

12-19-2011, 02:12 PM

Mndisneygirl

12-19-2011, 03:35 PM

The horn is so cool that it plays a bunch of songs! You can find ringtones to download for free pretty easily. I will try to find the site that I used for you. It's phonezoo - worked pretty well for me.

I just typed in Disney ringtones and got a whole bunch - Yo Ho, Yo Ho, Fantasmic, the cruise horns, Soarin' music, the monorail thing (Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas).

Rinky - yeah, I guessed you probably meant 2013 since you know of my big 2012 plans! Hopefully I'll have some $$ to do something in 2013!! We're debating an Alaskan cruise, Hawaii (maybe 2014 for that) and the Caribbean. Who knows?

jenseib

12-20-2011, 06:50 AM

Love all the updates. I did not know they had gingerale on the ship. I heard they only had coke products, so I guess I never thought about if they had some sort of gingerale too. I don't think they have it at the drink stations though.
I loved private dining too. I am not one who wants to share my day with strangers. I don't have a problem talking to others, I just don't want to do it while I'm eating.
Too bad about the funky smell. I have heard that issue on some other cruisline ships, but hadn't on the Dream yet. I hope they get that fixed.
Seeing your sail away party makes me so jealous...as you remember ours was in the Atrium due to rain. I pray that next year we have a nice sunny day...and all our days are sunny and warm.

I want a ship horn ringtone too. I don't know if I can get them on my phone though. It's not as advanced as some of the other smartphones and has limitd things.

kittylady1972

12-20-2011, 08:19 AM

More GREAT updates...love reading along! :) Well except for that smell part...ew! :eek:

My countdown is now less than a year and while I can't wait for it to get here it seems time is flying by too quickly already with the kids so it needs to slow down too! :rotfl:

Being able to book the private table was pretty nice. I have a feeling it won't be an issue for us since there will be seven of us eating together already...I think we'll just be stuck with each other each night for meals! :rotfl:

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-20-2011, 02:36 PM

I also love the horn Rinky. :goodvibes What pretty pictures you took! The ship looks gorgeous!!

I think it's adorable your daughter was so excited to sleep on a bunk bed. And what a neat view she had!

We too would be the people, doing the "Titantic". No judgment here! :rotfl:

Thanks! The ship is way prettier than what my pictures show though.

Sometimes it's the little things that make kids the happiest. We could've saved a ton of money and just bought her a bunk bed instead of going on a cruise. :rotfl:

Doing the Titanic... that sounds like a new dance move! :laughing:

The horn is so cool that it plays a bunch of songs! You can find ringtones to download for free pretty easily. I will try to find the site that I used for you. It's phonezoo - worked pretty well for me.

I just typed in Disney ringtones and got a whole bunch - Yo Ho, Yo Ho, Fantasmic, the cruise horns, Soarin' music, the monorail thing (Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas).

Rinky - yeah, I guessed you probably meant 2013 since you know of my big 2012 plans! Hopefully I'll have some $$ to do something in 2013!! We're debating an Alaskan cruise, Hawaii (maybe 2014 for that) and the Caribbean. Who knows?

Thanks for the info. I haven't had time to look for the ringtone yet, but it's on my to do list! My phone isn't the latest or greatest though so I might not be able to do it.

Alaska or Hawaii... hmmm... I'll take both please! I'd love to do both of those. It is just so expensive to get there! I think Shelly said the ticket prices were about what you paid to fly to Europe! :sad2:

Love all the updates. I did not know they had gingerale on the ship. I heard they only had coke products, so I guess I never thought about if they had some sort of gingerale too. I don't think they have it at the drink stations though.
I loved private dining too. I am not one who wants to share my day with strangers. I don't have a problem talking to others, I just don't want to do it while I'm eating.
Too bad about the funky smell. I have heard that issue on some other cruisline ships, but hadn't on the Dream yet. I hope they get that fixed.
Seeing your sail away party makes me so jealous...as you remember ours was in the Atrium due to rain. I pray that next year we have a nice sunny day...and all our days are sunny and warm.

I want a ship horn ringtone too. I don't know if I can get them on my phone though. It's not as advanced as some of the other smartphones and has limitd things.

I was really happy that we got the private dining. They originally had us sitting with others b/c they called our stateroom and told us that our table number had been changed to accommodate our request. I know that was a hassle for them, but I'm so glad they were willing to do that for us.

We had the absolute best weather imaginable for this cruise. We were VERY fortunate. It rained twice, but both times were during the night and we never felt a drop. I remember all the bad weather you had to fly through just to get there. That would have scared me to death!

More GREAT updates...love reading along! :) Well except for that smell part...ew! :eek:

My countdown is now less than a year and while I can't wait for it to get here it seems time is flying by too quickly already with the kids so it needs to slow down too! :rotfl:

Being able to book the private table was pretty nice. I have a feeling it won't be an issue for us since there will be seven of us eating together already...I think we'll just be stuck with each other each night for meals! :rotfl:

Thanks! I'm glad your enjoying the adventure! pirate:

I know what you mean about time. Our trip was the same way. It seemed like forever away at first, but then in the blink of an eye, it was here! Then it was over. :sad1:

Well, if you decide that you want to request private dining just to make sure, all you have to do is call DCL and add it to your ressie. I don't think you can do it online. I know I did see parties seated together that were much larger than 7, but they may have been all one group. :confused3

brookelizabeth

12-20-2011, 10:25 PM

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-21-2011, 08:01 AM

I am glad to read that despite the cruise being booked it didn't feel too crowded! :thumbsup2 Such a neat touch with the stars above the bed and the nightlight.

I got tears in my eyes when I listed to the horn! :goodvibes

It really wasn't bad at all. The deck parties were too crowded for me, but that's just how I am. Most people probably wouldn't mind. I just can't stand people right up on me. But other than the parties, it was really great. Even Castaway Cay didn't seem crowded at all. It really seemed kind of empty. :confused3 We had NO problem finding a chair and there were empty ones all day long. I had read though that it was hard to find a seat on CC, but we didn't experience that at all.

That ship horn is soooooo awesome! The other ships that were docked at PC pulled out first, and I didn't hear them even have a ship horn. Maybe they did, but we didn't hear one. Disney definitely ROCKS on everything they do! :worship:

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-22-2011, 09:32 AM

I just wanted to tell everyone to have a very merry Christmas before things get too crazy. All of you are very special people and I love talking with you and having such great ladies to share my love of Disney with. I really don't have anyone in my 'real life' that 'gets it' like you guys do, so I very much appreciate having all of you around.

I always like to give my friends a little something for Christmas each year just to let them know that they were thought of, but since you guys are scattered all over the US and a few other countries, that's not really possible. But I didn't want to leave you all out nonetheless, so I am going to give the gift that women have given each other since the beginning of time... recipes!

These are my two, absolute favorite Christmas recipes. I make these for EVERY party that we attend each year and I swear to you there is NEVER a drop left of either one. In fact, people always tell me that I can't come to the party if I don't bring these! :laughing: They are both super easy and extremely good! That's the only kind of recipe I want!

Bacon Wrapped Smokies

1 package Hillshire Farm Little Smokies
1 pound bacon
brown sugar (about 1 cup)
toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut entire package of bacon into 3 equal parts. Wrap each little smokie with 1/3 slice of bacon , slightly overlapping ends, and secure with a toothpick. Place smokies in a large baking dish. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or just until the bacon is cooked through. Place smokies on a clean serving tray or warming plate to serve.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/7e6e6d4e.jpg

*This recipe was given to me years ago by my aunt. I have no idea where she got it from, but it's a keeper! The little smokies can be found in the hot dog/smoked sausage area of the grocery store. Kids love these too!

Sweet N' Salty Turtles

1 large bag Rolos (chocolate & caramel candies)
1 bag mini pretzel twists
pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove foil wrappers from entire bag of Rolos. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Fill the cookie sheet with pretzels in a single layer. Top each pretzel with a Rolo. Place cookie sheet in oven for about 2 minutes. The Rolos will just start to get limp, but DO NOT let them melt completely. (You want the chocolate to get JUST soft enough to press the pecan halves into.) Remove the tray from the oven and immediately begin pressing one pecan half into each Rolo. Place entire tray into the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour or until the chocolate is completely set and the candies come off clean from the aluminum foil.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/ff5d0126.jpg

*I got this recipe from a little old lady at church, so you know it has to be good! ;) You can find large bags of Rolos on the candy isle of the grocery store. Also, the pecans are just raw and natural (not roasted or salted). We pick our own around here and crack them ourselves, but that's probably a southern thing. You can buy big bags of them in the store though. ENJOY!!!! :santa:

:santa::santa::santa: Merry Christmas Dis Friends!!!!!!!!!!!!! :santa::santa::santa:

Momof2Disneyboys

12-22-2011, 09:40 AM

Thanks for the awesome recipes!! :santa: I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!

wigdoutdismom

12-22-2011, 11:31 AM

Yummo!!! Thanks for sharing!
I have a bacon recipe to share with you, but I have Harper and Hunter here right now. I'll be back later...

OK, here you go: I'm posting the link from the pioneer woman website. The recipe I started using came from Paula Deen. We love these and have been known to make ourselves sick on them. Whenever we have treat day at school, I'm expected to bring them. I make the night before and heat them up in the oven so that I can bring them in warm...

I make a couple of changes by using the fresh grated Parmesan and Townhouse Crackers but I like the way she shows you how to do it all!!!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/12/flashback_1981_-_holiday_bacon_appetizers/

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-22-2011, 01:38 PM

Thanks for the awesome recipes!! :santa: I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!

Thanks Shelly! You too!

Yummo!!! Thanks for sharing!
I have a bacon recipe to share with you, but I have Harper and Hunter here right now. I'll be back later...

OK, here you go: I'm posting the link from the pioneer woman website. The recipe I started using came from Paula Deen. We love these and have been known to make ourselves sick on them. Whenever we have treat day at school, I'm expected to bring them. I make the night before and heat them up in the oven so that I can bring them in warm...

I make a couple of changes by using the fresh grated Parmesan and Townhouse Crackers but I like the way she shows you how to do it all!!!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/12/flashback_1981_-_holiday_bacon_appetizers/

Oh, those look really good! I will absolutely be trying them!!! Thank you! And btw, I love the Pioneer Woman! I just saw her show for the first time last week and LOVED it! In fact, I loved it so much that I took the time to email FN and tell them. She is so real and I can totally appreciate that. ;) A lot of the other shows on Food Network just portray a lifestyle that I don't live... and I'd imagine most other people don't either. :rolleyes:

Thanks again and Merry Christmas!

Mndisneygirl

12-22-2011, 07:54 PM

Thanks Rinky - my mom is making those bacon wrapped smokies for us for Christmas - one of my DH's favorites!!!

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas as well!!:santa:

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-23-2011, 07:06 AM

Thanks Rinky - my mom is making those bacon wrapped smokies for us for Christmas - one of my DH's favorites!!!

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas as well!!:santa:

You too Sheree! Eat some smokies for me! ;)

When are you guys leaving for Va? I hope you have a safe trip and we'll be praying for you. :hug:

sjs314

12-23-2011, 07:40 AM

CandleontheWater

12-23-2011, 01:50 PM

Thanks for the awesome update! Too bad about the lifeboat drill mix-up, but I'm glad it all got sorted out!

Dinner sound divine! My favorite part of cruising is eating, so I love to hear about all the dining experiences. How long did you guys spend at dinner? We are thinking about a last minute cruise, but I'm not sure how DS would do with extended dining.

Do you think it would be OK if we brought the ipad to the table and let him watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with the sound off? I don't want to be rude, and I know some people don't like technology at the table, but people don't like fussy kids either.

DS is doing much better with eating out, we went to a fairly nice restaurant last weekend and he sat with no issues for about an hour and a half, watching the ipad (with the sound off). No one seemed bothered by it, but no one else was sitting at our table either.

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-23-2011, 02:43 PM

Merry Christmas Rinky !:santa:

I love the recipes especially the one for the Turtles......just yesterday while shopping DH and I got into a disagreement about chocolate covered pretzels which he insists he does not like yet has never tasted them (we have this "disagreement"over lots of foods) :laughing: anyway I want to make your turtles and watch him eat them not knowing about the pretzels, he loves chocolate so I think I can pull this off :rotfl2:

Yep picking pecans is a southern thing but we can buy then in the shell in bags :thumbsup2

Well I guess I am lucky b/c DH and DD both will eat just about anything I put in front of them. I bet your DH would like those turtles though. They are really, really good! I've never met anyone who doesn't like them. Good luck!

Thanks for the awesome update! Too bad about the lifeboat drill mix-up, but I'm glad it all got sorted out!

Dinner sound divine! My favorite part of cruising is eating, so I love to hear about all the dining experiences. How long did you guys spend at dinner? We are thinking about a last minute cruise, but I'm not sure how DS would do with extended dining.

The food on the Dream is soooooo good! We were really pleased with almost everything. And the dinners moved really quickly. They were not rushing us or anything, but it moved along a lot faster than I expected. Each meal is 5 courses (I think) and they bring the drinks and bread out as soon as you sit down. Then the starters came almost immediately too b/c it was stuff that you would want to eat with the bread, like soup and salad. They time it perfectly though so it's not rushed but doesn't take forever either. I thought we finished up faster every evening than what we do in restaurants around home. The service is just so good. We were never sitting there waiting for anything. I think you'll be pleased.

Do you think it would be OK if we brought the ipad to the table and let him watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with the sound off? I don't want to be rude, and I know some people don't like technology at the table, but people don't like fussy kids either.

I would absolutely bring it if it works. I wouldn't worry about what anyone else thought. I'm sure they would rather see a child watching a movie than a child whining or crying. I don't blame you one bit. My DD was not very good about sitting in restaurants either at that age and we ALWAYS carried something for her to do. You can always ask for private dining though.

DS is doing much better with eating out, we went to a fairly nice restaurant last weekend and he sat with no issues for about an hour and a half, watching the ipad (with the sound off). No one seemed bothered by it, but no one else was sitting at our table either.

Again, if I was your tablemate, I'd much prefer a contented child to a fussy one. ;)

replies in blue

ETA: I just went back and checked the times on all my dining pictures and we were seated at 5:45 and done by 7:00 each night... so 1:15 for each meal. That's fast to me for so many courses. Hope that helps!

:)

Mndisneygirl

12-23-2011, 09:06 PM

You too Sheree! Eat some smokies for me! ;)

When are you guys leaving for Va? I hope you have a safe trip and we'll be praying for you. :hug:

Thanks! I will definitely be eating more than my share!

We will be leaving for VA at 0-dark-30 on Monday morning. Probably on the road by 6. Monday will be a long day of driving - hopefully to Pennsylvania and then on Tuesday only a short day to get the rest of the way, hopefully by early afternoon.
Thanks for your prayers. It's sure nice to know I have such good people helping us out!

MeMom

12-24-2011, 05:58 AM

We do love those little smokies at our house, too. I take them to functions all the time - covered in barbecue sauce in a crockpot. There are never any leftovers. I am going to make a package of them with the bacon and brown sugar for us to have at Jill's house tonight. I've done that bacon/cheese/cracker recipe before, too. So good!

I will be trying the turtles, for sure. I love the white or milk chocolate covered pretzels. And anything with nuts works for me!

How fun it would be to have a DIStown Center where we could gather - sharing recipes and stories, sipping on hot chocolate in the winter and ice cold lemonade in the summer, DIS kids playing in the yard or doing fun crafts together. :)

Merry Christmas to your family! I will be on the road to Alabama in a few hours. Have a great weekend!

mom2rtk

12-24-2011, 12:58 PM

Is it too late to join in? I just found your TR and am all caught up! :cool1:

Your photos are awesome. Between you and Jen, you really have me drooling over the Dream. (Is there a drooling smiley????? Jen??????? Surely you have one??????)

The AD story was priceless! It reminded me of last year when I shoved Katie onto Rockin Roller Coaster. Same deal. She had looked forward to it so long, then was trying to chicken out at the last. Soooooo..... no flames here........ or I'd be throwing them at myself as well!

Merry Christmas! :santa: Can't wait to read more!

mommy2mb

12-24-2011, 02:02 PM

Joining in!!

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-25-2011, 10:36 AM

Thanks! I will definitely be eating more than my share!

We will be leaving for VA at 0-dark-30 on Monday morning. Probably on the road by 6. Monday will be a long day of driving - hopefully to Pennsylvania and then on Tuesday only a short day to get the rest of the way, hopefully by early afternoon.
Thanks for your prayers. It's sure nice to know I have such good people helping us out!

Well I hope you have a safe and uneventful trip. Hope you've managed to have some joy in your Christmas day despite your sad news. :hug:

We do love those little smokies at our house, too. I take them to functions all the time - covered in barbecue sauce in a crockpot. There are never any leftovers. I am going to make a package of them with the bacon and brown sugar for us to have at Jill's house tonight. I've done that bacon/cheese/cracker recipe before, too. So good!

I will be trying the turtles, for sure. I love the white or milk chocolate covered pretzels. And anything with nuts works for me!

How fun it would be to have a DIStown Center where we could gather - sharing recipes and stories, sipping on hot chocolate in the winter and ice cold lemonade in the summer, DIS kids playing in the yard or doing fun crafts together. :)

Merry Christmas to your family! I will be on the road to Alabama in a few hours. Have a great weekend!

We like them in BBQ sauce too! YUM!

Well I nominate you to start a Distown blog where we can share recipes and tips and whatever! :thumbsup2 I'm way too techno illiterate for anything like that. In fact, I don't even know if that's what a blog is for! :rotfl:

Hope you had safe travels and a wonderful Christmas day! :santa:

Is it too late to join in? I just found your TR and am all caught up! :cool1:

Your photos are awesome. Between you and Jen, you really have me drooling over the Dream. (Is there a drooling smiley????? Jen??????? Surely you have one??????)

The AD story was priceless! It reminded me of last year when I shoved Katie onto Rockin Roller Coaster. Same deal. She had looked forward to it so long, then was trying to chicken out at the last. Soooooo..... no flames here........ or I'd be throwing them at myself as well!

Merry Christmas! :santa: Can't wait to read more!

No way is it too late! We haven't even gotten started good yet! I'm so glad you came over! I would've invited you personally, but I really hate to do that b/c I don't want people to feel obligated to join in. I know how busy life is and you can't read every TR out there, but I sure am glad you are here.

I'm sure I'll need photography tips along the way from you. You know I'm just working with a fancy point and shoot here, so I'm limited with what I can do. My pictures won't be anywhere near what you and Jen take, but I'll try to tell a good story to go along with it to make up the difference! :lmao:

You really do need to bite the cruising bullet. You'd be in heaven with all the gorgeous costumes in the shows.

Sometimes you just have to push kids along a little don't you. We all know our kids and what they need. I was always so shy as a kid and I wish now that my parents had pushed me more than what they did. :rolleyes:

Joining in!!

Yay, new readers! So glad you are here! Make yourself at home!

jenseib

12-26-2011, 12:11 PM

Is it too late to join in? I just found your TR and am all caught up! :cool1:

Your photos are awesome. Between you and Jen, you really have me drooling over the Dream. (Is there a drooling smiley????? Jen??????? Surely you have one??????)

Merry Christmas! :santa: Can't wait to read more!

http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Drooling/drooling-5.gif

Does that works?

Thanks for the recipes! They sound good!!!!

Lovemy3babes

12-26-2011, 12:48 PM

Thanks for the recipes Rinky! They both sound and look yummy!!! I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! :)

kmrein

12-27-2011, 11:24 AM

Hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas. Thanks for the recipes! We're hosting a Rose Bowl party this year for our Badgers and I'm going to try the bacon-wrapped little smokies.

disneybarbie

12-27-2011, 12:03 PM

Hi Rinky!

I've just caught up with your new TR - I remember reading your last one and really enjoying it :goodvibes

We went on the Dream as part of our honeymoon last summer and absolutely loved it! It was our first ever cruise & we've already booked our next one :cloud9:

Btw I think in your last TR, you wrote about doing 'pick a pearl' for your DD in the Japan Pavilion at Epcot? Well I wanted to say thank you as it inspired me to the same during our last trip, I love the cinderella carriage necklace I have now! :cutie:

Hope you've had a great Christmas and look forward to reading more,

Emma princess: x

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-27-2011, 12:18 PM

http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Drooling/drooling-5.gif

Does that works?

Thanks for the recipes! They sound good!!!!

:laughing: That's some serious drooling!

You're welcome!

Thanks for the recipes Rinky! They both sound and look yummy!!! I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! :)

You're welcome! We did have a great Christmas and I hope you did too. I know Christmas is exciting at your house with four kids!

Hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas. Thanks for the recipes! We're hosting a Rose Bowl party this year for our Badgers and I'm going to try the bacon-wrapped little smokies.

I feel pretty sure that the little smokies will be a big hit. Men especially like them... you know it's the whole meat wrapped in meat thing! :laughing:

Hi Rinky!

I've just caught up with your new TR - I remember reading your last one and really enjoying it :goodvibes

We went on the Dream as part of our honeymoon last summer and absolutely loved it! It was our first ever cruise & we've already booked our next one :cloud9:

Btw I think in your last TR, you wrote about doing 'pick a pearl' for your DD in the Japan Pavilion at Epcot? Well I wanted to say thank you as it inspired me to the same during our last trip, I love the cinderella carriage necklace I have now! :cutie:

Hope you've had a great Christmas and look forward to reading more,

Emma princess: x

WELCOME!! I'm so glad you found me again. I absolutely remember you and you planning your honeymoon. It sounds like it was fantastic! The Dream is definitely a wonderful place to spend a honeymoon! And I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the P-A-P in Japan. I still get lots of compliments on that cage pendant too. It's probably my favorite Disney souvenir.

Hope you had a great Christmas too! :santa:

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-27-2011, 12:25 PM

I sure hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas holiday, and I wish you all a very happy 2012! :wizard:

I left off last time with our stellar Titanic reenactment up on the bow of the ship. :laughing: It was so nice and quiet up there, but it was time for the show, so we made our way back down to the theater.

The adult pool was always empty. :confused3

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/815e665e.jpg

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101 Dalmations was playing on the big screen.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/baea9864.jpg

As you can see, the pool had thinned out, and it was even better later on.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/79287702.jpg

Finally, it was time for our first show. I was really looking forward to this. No one does live entertainment like Disney.

Our show for the night was…

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/2c249867.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/bd359f53.jpg

I loved the Snow White part! They used some kind of transparent screens to give the forest a really cool 3-D effect. :3dglasses

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/cb616e93.jpg

The dwarfs were kids from the audience.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/fdb3eab1.jpg

Hunchback

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/6514058d.jpg

Lots of bubbles fell on the audience during Ariel’s gig.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/3c9d3cae.jpg

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Continued in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43547683&postcount=163)

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-27-2011, 12:31 PM

The Rapunzel part was my favorite! They used the same effect that they did with Snow White and all the lanterns looked so cool.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/42b298fd.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/8c95dc47.jpg

Lion King

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/55a75cea.jpg

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http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/74e6bdd5.jpg

Can you spy a buff ape-man in a loin cloth?

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/29151cba.jpg

Betcha don’t see that every day! :rotfl:

The show was FANTASTIC!! We loved it! I even got teary eyed at the end when they showed pictures of Walt Disney and talked about his dreams. :sad1: It was very touching.

When we got back to the room, our first fish extender gifts were waiting for us! :yay: (I’ll show everything we got in a later post.)

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/2924c983.jpg

It was 9:30 and for us, that’s way too early to turn in when on vacation, so we decided to see if the pools had cleared out.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/22d00853.jpg

Oh yes! That is MUCH better! :woohoo:

DH and DD went straight for the…

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/02f57de6.jpg

The flaming, lava encrusted staircase to Hades was nice and cool now!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/cb8472f9.jpg

Finally some AD footage (12 sec.)

Click on the picture

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/th_d834f763.jpg (http://s1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/?action=view&current=d834f763.mp4)

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/ff0484a8.jpg

DD had a great time in the Mickey pool.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/3c207dd0.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/503423a2.jpg

Continued in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43547729&postcount=164)

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-27-2011, 12:37 PM

I noticed the spray area was empty so I thought it would be a good time to get some better pictures.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/93da6594.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/ea27d480.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/0ab73380.jpg

I love the theme in there!

DD found this glass ‘window’ in the floor that showed the ocean beneath. It was pretty cool. They had one in the bottom of the hot tub too.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/3b4a8b09.jpg

I watched the end of Beauty and the Beast on the big screen while DH and DD warmed up in the hot tub.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/5861e203.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/b61e615e.jpg

When the movie ended, it was time to go. I planned to be up before the sun the next morning to see the ship pull into the Bahamas, so we needed to get some sleep. We got drinks to go at the fountain station by the pool. (Don’t forget about this if you are cruising soon. You can get drinks 24/7 by the pool even after all the counter service places have closed.)

We walked through Cabanas (buffet place) to get back to our room.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/1016d197.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/bb649cc0.jpg

They have mosaic tile murals in here that are amazing! Pictures just don’t do them justice!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/a55d65c0.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/d99eb083.jpg

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http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/0b3e7170.jpg

The time on the ship and at Disney World was…

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/632643de.jpg

Looking at that made me excited for the WDW portion of our trip that was to come! :goodvibes

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/51536625.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/e15aeae3.jpg

I checked the TV in our room when we got back to see where we were. I loved this feature. The circle on the map shows where the ship is. We were about halfway there!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day2%20Cruise/431987f6.jpg

I remember us all being really tired that night. It had been such an exciting day! And believe it or not, I adjusted pretty quickly to the small room and never had that panicky feeling again. The soft, down filled bed and pillows felt so good and I slept like a baby. The mild rocking of the ship put us all out like a light!

And that was the end of our first day on the cruise. I can’t believe I’ve only covered one day! We’ve already done so much! The best is definitely yet to come though! :wizard:

Up next: On the third day of Swinter my vacation gave to me… a heavenly blue lagoon and palm trees as far as you can see!

Momof2Disneyboys

12-27-2011, 12:45 PM

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-27-2011, 07:03 PM

Wow awesome update! :goodvibes What a great ending to your first day of cruising. You guys did so much that day!! :cool1: I am so impressed!

The show looks fantastic and riding the AquaDuck at night looks super cool. Loved the video! :thumbsup2

Your pictures are great as always! Can't wait to hear all about the rest of your trip!! :yay:

Our day did end pretty well considering that we had a bumpy start. And we did do a lot that day especially since it wasn't even a full day. We didn't even get on the ship until noon.

You have to ride the AD at night. It's really cool with the flashing lights! Your boys are going to LOVE that AD!

jenseib

12-27-2011, 08:02 PM

Loving the updates. It sure brings back memories. We tried to ride the AD at night and they had just cut off the line.

Charleston Princess

12-28-2011, 07:02 AM

Hi, Rinky! Hope you had a great Christmas! I am going to try and keep up better with your TR from now on! :goodvibes

You are so right -- nobody does live entertainment like Disney! The Golden Mickeys show looks like a lot of fun!

Hurray for being able to ride the Aqua Duck without a huge line and hot staircase! :thumbsup2

That map is really neat -- I would really like that because I would always be wondering where exactly in the ocean we were. :laughing:

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-28-2011, 07:53 AM

Loving the updates. It sure brings back memories. We tried to ride the AD at night and they had just cut off the line.

I know. I want to be back there so bad!

I hate you didn't get to ride at night. That 3 night cruise is so short isn't it?

Hi, Rinky! Hope you had a great Christmas! I am going to try and keep up better with your TR from now on! :goodvibes

You are so right -- nobody does live entertainment like Disney! The Golden Mickeys show looks like a lot of fun!

Hurray for being able to ride the Aqua Duck without a huge line and hot staircase! :thumbsup2

That map is really neat -- I would really like that because I would always be wondering where exactly in the ocean we were. :laughing:

Don't worry about it. It is such a busy time for everyone. I haven't had time to post much anyway.

I adore Disney shows. They are so good!

I am a total map nerd. I love maps, weather, geography... I can look at maps for hours. :laughing: I don't know what it is, but it just fascinates me to see where things are. :rolleyes1

SoonerGirl

12-28-2011, 11:06 AM

Hey there Rinky! Things have finally slowed down a bit around here and I'm trying to get caught up on the DIS! I'm really enjoying your report so far, but it's giving me serious Dream withdrawals!

Lovemy3babes

12-28-2011, 06:29 PM

Wow, the show photos make it look amazing! I can't even imagine what it was like in person. :eek: So, so neat! I think swimming in the evening when the crowds have died out is such a great idea Rinky. I don't do well with big crowds. Great update! :goodvibes

sjs314

12-28-2011, 07:12 PM

Great update. Glad the pool cleared out so you guys were able to enjoy a nice swim that evening. The video of the AD was enough for me, you'd never get me on it :rotfl: Everything on the ship looks so pretty and the show you saw looked amazing.That is cool that you can see on the tv where the ship is and how cool are the windows to the sea, although knowing me I would start worrying about them leaking. All in all a wonderful 1st day.

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-29-2011, 06:26 AM

Hey there Rinky! Things have finally slowed down a bit around here and I'm trying to get caught up on the DIS! I'm really enjoying your report so far, but it's giving me serious Dream withdrawals!

Hey Michelle! I am so glad you are back! It hasn't been the same without you!

I know what you mean about withdrawals! I've been having those too. I even think my DH is having them. He made us an Ohana dinner last night (totally out of the blue) and said he was ready for another cruise whenever I was! :eek: I was stunned. I think the cruise really impressed him! :thumbsup2

Are you having any luck convincing your DH to do another cruise or WDW trip? I know you said he wasn't in love with WDW, but he seemed to enjoy the cruise more, so.... ???

Wow, the show photos make it look amazing! I can't even imagine what it was like in person. :eek: So, so neat! I think swimming in the evening when the crowds have died out is such a great idea Rinky. I don't do well with big crowds. Great update! :goodvibes

That show was awesome. It was my favorite of the 3. Pure classic Disney all the way!

Swimming at night is the only way to go for me from now on. The crowds just made it miserable in my opinion during the day. Everyone else seemed to be having a good time, but I just can't stand people all over me.

Great update. Glad the pool cleared out so you guys were able to enjoy a nice swim that evening. The video of the AD was enough for me, you'd never get me on it :rotfl: Everything on the ship looks so pretty and the show you saw looked amazing.That is cool that you can see on the tv where the ship is and how cool are the windows to the sea, although knowing me I would start worrying about them leaking. All in all a wonderful 1st day.

The AD was lots of fun! What don't you like about it? It wasn't too much of a thrill ride. I am a major ride chicken, and I could do it... once anyway. :laughing: I wasn't crazy about being in that tube though. I kept imagining it malfunctioning and filling up with water! :eek: But that's just my schitzo, claustrophobic mind going off the deep end. :laughing: It really wasn't that bad. :thumbsup2

Our first day did turn out pretty good. I really had my doubts for a while there, but it all ended up fine, well.... until the last night anyway. :rolleyes1

cyndiloveswalt

12-30-2011, 05:01 PM

MaryAz

12-30-2011, 05:44 PM

Great update! The Aqua Duck at nights looks so fun! Glad the first day ended so well. Better get on that cruise planning while Hubby is excited to go!

sharonW

12-30-2011, 06:53 PM

Rinky....so glad I saw you on FB or i'd have never know about your trip!
Am lovin your TR so far, the Dream is amazing and your pics are fabulous
Just can't wait for more, more, more!!!popcorn::

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-30-2011, 07:08 PM

Hi Rinky, came over from Shelly's TR. we just did a cruise on the Dream in Nov. loved it! We have cruised Disney 3 times and have never asked for private seating but have always had it, as has everyone around us. I just aasumed Disney only seated families together.
I am with you on those chairs at Animators Pallete, I was a little peeved my DH wouldn't even try to put one under his shirt!

WELCOME! So glad you decided to join in the fun!

It looked to me like most people were probably only seated with their own families on the cruise, but I do think they seat parties together sometimes b/c they had to change our table number to have us seated by ourselves. Maybe because we were a small party of 3, they decided to join us up with someone else. Not sure how that's determined. :confused3

Aren't they some awesome chairs! I loved the entire decor in AP. The plates, utensils, everything was just perfect!

Great update! The Aqua Duck at nights looks so fun! Glad the first day ended so well. Better get on that cruise planning while Hubby is excited to go!

The AD is really neat at night! I loved the flashing lights. It made the whole deck look cool.

I know I need to take DH up on his offer while he is still willing. I just can't figure out how to pay for it. :rolleyes:

Rinky....so glad I saw you on FB or i'd have never know about your trip!
Am lovin your TR so far, the Dream is amazing and your pics are fabulous
Just can't wait for more, more, more!!!popcorn::

Hey there! I'm so glad you were able to join in over here! Sorry I didn't have long to chat on FB the other day, but I was on my way out the door. I'm really glad you saw me and spoke up though so I could send you the link.

The Dream was awesome! One day you'll have to take those grandbabies on a Disney cruise! :thumbsup2

Moodyzblu

12-30-2011, 07:37 PM

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-30-2011, 09:25 PM

Joining in !! :yay:

I have to say .. this cruise looks just amazing ! I've never cruised before and honestly never really wanted to .. but seeing the pics and hearing about it really makes me want to do it. I have 7yr old twin boys and I know they would love it. Some day .. for sure !

Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip !!

WELCOME! Always glad to have new Dissers joining in!

The cruise is wonderful! It is well worth giving it a try. I think the 3 night cruise is a great way to start out. We had never cruised before either so that's why we chose the shortest cruise possible, and it was the right choice for us. I think 7 is the perfect age to give it a try also. They are old enough to really be able to do everything and still young enough to like the Disney aspects of it. There's lots more good stuff to come about the cruise so stick with me. By the time I get to Castaway Cay, you'll be convinced to take the cruise plunge! :thumbsup2

RinkyTinkyTinky

12-31-2011, 04:02 PM

Happy New Year's Dis Friends!

I hope 2012 is very good to all of you!

party:party:party:party:party:

Charleston Princess

01-01-2012, 07:57 AM

Happy New Year to you, too, Rinky!

SoonerGirl

01-01-2012, 09:42 AM

Are you having any luck convincing your DH to do another cruise or WDW trip? I know you said he wasn't in love with WDW, but he seemed to enjoy the cruise more, so.... ???

No :sad2: He told Jared the other day that he would go back to WDW when he had grandchildren to take. I guess I'm just going to have to be happy going without him. I'm hoping to take Jared over Labor Day this year, fingers crossed that that works out!

I know Don would go on another cruise, it's just finding the funds to do it that is the issue right now. I need to book more travel and get some more $$ rolling in here! :laughing:

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/SoonerGirl69/Smilies/imagesCA0ECXPK.jpg

Momof2Disneyboys

01-01-2012, 10:06 AM

Happy New Year! :cool1:

sharonW

01-02-2012, 06:06 PM

:banana:HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!:yay:
May all your disney dreams come true!!!!!::MickeyMo::MinnieMopluto:pooh::donald::

petals

01-06-2012, 12:53 PM

Joining in and catching up. Love the trip report so far!

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-06-2012, 03:08 PM

No :sad2: He told Jared the other day that he would go back to WDW when he had grandchildren to take. I guess I'm just going to have to be happy going without him. I'm hoping to take Jared over Labor Day this year, fingers crossed that that works out!

I know Don would go on another cruise, it's just finding the funds to do it that is the issue right now. I need to book more travel and get some more $$ rolling in here! :laughing:

Well I hate to hear that about Don, but at least he will still do the cruise. And maybe you can talk him into a couple of nights before the next cruise like you did before without going to the parks. I think that's great though that you and Jared are going together!

And I know what you mean... I need my money tree to bloom too! :rolleyes:

Thanks for the New Year's Tink!

Happy New Year to you, too, Rinky!

Happy New Year! :cool1:

:banana:HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!:yay:
May all your disney dreams come true!!!!!::MickeyMo::MinnieMopluto:pooh::donald::

Thanks for all the New Year's wishes everyone. I sure hope 2012 brings joy and happiness for all of us (and more Disney trips wouldn't hurt either!).

Joining in and catching up. Love the trip report so far!

Welcome! So glad you could join in!

CandleontheWater

01-06-2012, 04:42 PM

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-06-2012, 08:19 PM

On the third day of Swinter my vacation gave to me... a heavenly blue lagoon and palm trees as far as you can see!

Friday, October 28, 2011

I'm so excited to finally be sharing the second day of the cruise with you. This was such an exciting day for us! We had one new experience after another and it was everything I had imagined it would be. A real dream come true of a day!

It all started early... really early. Well, it was really early to be getting up on vacation anyway. My goal was to see the sunrise over the ocean, so we had to be up on deck by 6:30 a.m. I had been looking forward to this for months.

I woke up around 5:00 and got showered and ready for the day. DH and DD soon followed, although a little sluggishly. I knew exactly where I wanted to go to watch the sunrise... our 'secret' spot at the bow of the ship.

We headed out and there was absolutely no one stirring about yet. We only passed by one person on the way up and that was a CM who was moping the water up on the deck floor.

It was so incredibly peaceful and beautiful up there! :cloud9:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1628.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1631.jpg

There was NO need for DD and I to have fixed our hair that morning, but it was so worth it!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1634.jpg

This picture takes me right back there in my mind.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1635.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1636.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1638.jpg

This boat coming by looked like an ant compared to the Dream.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1640.jpg

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http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1642.jpg

Again, being up there was easy on the eyes, but not the hair! :laughing:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1646.jpg

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Yes, I got carried away with the pictures, but it was so beautiful that I couldn't help myself.

Here's a short video I took from up there. (54 sec.) Sorry about the shakiness at the end, but the camera couldn't focus with all the motion. I was trying to zoom in on Atlantis that we could see way off in the distance.

Click on the picture.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/th_fac34606.jpg (http://s1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/?action=view&current=fac34606.mp4)

This is a seating area in the adults only section.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1652.jpg

I wanted to stay put right where we were until the ship pulled into the port in Nassau. There's a lighthouse on an island that you can see as the ship sails in and I really wanted to be there to get some pictures of it. DH on the other hand wanted to go eat breakfast. He's ready to eat about 30 seconds after his feet hit the floor each morning, and we had been on deck for about an hour by then. He knew I had my heart set on seeing that lighthouse (I love lighthouses... we have lots of them in NC and I've always been very fond of them), but his belly was telling him it was time to go. What to do, what to do? I knew he was going to be a grump and rush me until he was fed, so I caved and went on with them to Cabanas. I was certain that I was going to miss seeing the lighthouse.

There still weren't that many people out and about yet, even at Cabanas. We walked right through the buffet with no line. They had lots and lots of choices and everything we ate was good.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1654.jpg

We had a nice window seat. The whole meal was just a really nice experience. Quiet, relaxed, uncrowded, awesome view, good food... it was just a great day to be alive kind of feeling in the air!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1656.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1657.jpg

We finished up pretty quickly and decided to walk back up to the top deck to see if by some miracle we hadn't passed by the lighthouse yet.

This flag flies on the front of the ship.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1659.jpg

I couldn't believe it but we hadn't quite made it to Nassau yet! I was really excited! You could easily see Atlantis though so I knew we were really close.

Can you see it?

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1661.jpg

Ok, I'll zoom way in for you...

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1660.jpg

I'd really like to check that place out the next time we go.

Continued in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43654148&postcount=189)

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-06-2012, 08:32 PM

There were now a handful of people in our 'secret' place on the bow of the ship watching to see us pull into the Bahamas. Somehow, DH and I got into a conversation with a guy while we were waiting. Well, I say it was a conversation, but we could hardly get a word in edgewise. He just went on and on about how expensive everything was and how Disney was trying to gouge all of us out of every penny we had. He griped about the cost of the alcohol and the pictures the photographers take of you. He said that they tried to charge him $150 for one picture of him and his wife at dinner. I was almost certain that he was dead wrong on that but I kept my mouth shut. I later found out that he was indeed wrong. In fact... he was VERY wrong! One picture is $20! Then he went on to complain about having to pay tips, and pay for excursions, and pay for rental equipment... yada, yada, yada! He was a REAL sourpuss, so I discreetly slipped off to take more pictures and left DH to deal with him! :lmao:

Nice of me huh?

Anyway, what's the moral of this story??? If you're going to sink major cash into a vacation, do your homework first and know what's included and what's not. Don't just show up blissfully ignorant and expect to have a good time.

It wasn't too long before this boat came out to greet us and led the ship into the port.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1662.jpg

And we're getting closer...

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1664.jpg

And then... there she was!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1667.jpg

I got just a little bit snap happy... but as the boat sailed by, the view kept changing, and it just kept getting more and more beautiful. I couldn't help myself!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1669.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1670.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1673.jpg

Atlantis is in the background.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1675.jpg

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http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1694.jpg

Our parking spot for the day

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1697.jpg

This is the entrance to Nassau.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1696.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1698.jpg

We never made it here. Maybe next time.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1699.jpg

A swanky Bahamian resort

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1702.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1704.jpg

Then the captain started to turn the ship around and backed us into the port.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1708.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1710.jpg

There were lots of seagulls flying around hoping someone would throw them a morsel.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1711.jpg

It had been a fantastic morning so far, despite our time with Henny Penny, but we had to get back to the room to redo our hair and pack up our backpack for our excursion. This fish extender gift was stuck to our door when we got back. Thank you Wisconsin Princess! I use this almost every day!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1713.jpg

It only took a few minutes to get ready to go. We were all really excited about our excursion. We were doing the dolphin encounter on Blue Lagoon island! Another dream come true for me! So stay tuned... lots more pictures and fun to come from this awesome day in the Bahamas!

Up next... The third day of Swinter: Part 2!

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-06-2012, 08:54 PM

What a wonderful ending to the day! I love swimming at night best, so I think you guys made an excellent choice! :thumbsup2

The show looks really cool too, maybe even cool enough to keep my 2 year old engaged!

The shows are great! And they are only about an hour long so I think a little one would probably last without getting too antsy. :thumbsup2

Mndisneygirl

01-06-2012, 09:35 PM

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-06-2012, 10:03 PM

I agree - the shows are awesome for little ones (and big ones)! They really are captivating.

Rinky - I feel like I'm reliving our trip too - thank you! You really got some beautiful shots of the sunrise and light house. I am anxious to hear how your dolphin encounter was, since we also did that!

Might I be nosy and ask - did your DH lose weight? He looks thinner in these pictures- just great, he's a handsome man! ;)

Do you want him? 'Cause I've been looking for someone to take him off my hands! :rotfl2:

Just kidding! :laughing:

If he's lost any weight... I've found it! He is very fortunate that he is 6' tall and has a racing metabolism. He eats like a government mule and never gains a pound! Disgusting I tell you! But as far as I know, he hasn't lost any weight. In fact, he thinks he's starting to gain some. He says the older he gets, the more he is getting his mother's double chin! :rotfl: He's even named it his 'gobbler' because he says it shakes just like a turkey's does! :laughing: He's a nut! But I'll tell him you thought he had lost weight and that will make his day!

I know, our trips were really similar with us doing the same excursion. I think a lot of us did that one. I know Jen, Michelle, and Anita all did that one too. I knew that was the excursion for me. I didn't even have to research the others. I've always wanted to get in the water with the dolphins. Next time I would like to see Atlantis though. I just don't know if I am brave enough for their water attractions. They all look really intense, and I am such a chicken. And I absolutely fell in love with Blue Lagoon island so I might be better off just going back there. We ended up spending the entire day on BLI and we didn't want to leave at 4:00 when the last boat came. WE LOVED IT!

Glad you guys made it back home safely. :hug:

sharonW

01-06-2012, 10:31 PM

Really, Really enjoying every moment of your magical trip. you pics are awesome!!! Its like heaven on earth!!! Keep it coming, Rink!!!:goodvibes

mom2rtk

01-07-2012, 07:58 AM

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-07-2012, 08:00 AM

Really, Really enjoying every moment of your magical trip. you pics are awesome!!! Its like heaven on earth!!! Keep it coming, Rink!!!:goodvibes

Thanks Sharon! It absolutely is a paradise! :cloud9: I think the Bahamas in general gets a bad wrap because the city part is slummy, but there are other areas that you can go to that are truly awesome! We really loved the Bahamas and would go back in a heartbeat. I don't think I'd ever go into the city, but I'd go back to Blue Lagoon or Atlantis in a split second.

My DD has been asking lots of questions about Heaven lately. She's at that age where she is starting to really ponder the things she hears in church. Anyway, she asked us the other night what Heaven looked like and if it was as beautiful as the islands we went to. We told her it was even MORE beautiful and she said, "Wow! Really? That's going to be one awesome place then!" ;) So yes, it's about as close to Heaven on Earth as you can get! :thumbsup2

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-07-2012, 08:09 AM

I feel like I was right there with you! Great photos, great start to the day.

Next time I need a food alert though. I was sitting her fending off my morning hunger........... and that plate of gorgeous food popped onto my screen!

Sunrises are the best though aren't they. When we're at the beach I'm up every morning to photograph it.

Thanks Janet! It was really hard to take pictures up at the front of the ship because of all the movement. I kept thinking the whole time that I really needed a tripod, but then it dawned on me that DUH... the whole ship is moving, that won't do any good! :rotfl:

Oh the cruise food... how do I love thee! That Mickey waffle with the strawberries on top... YUM!!!

I know your sunrise pics are gorgeous! I love natural beauty. That is my favorite thing to take pictures of. I remember seeing some of your pictures from one of the National parks I think and they were so so beautiful. I can tell you have a love for the natural stuff too!

jecskc

01-07-2012, 08:20 AM

jenseib

01-07-2012, 08:21 AM

I love your lighthouse shots...as you know...I took a million of them too.:goodvibes Isn't is just such a beautiful morning arriving in port. I got up at the crack of dawn each day too.
I am thinking of doing the Atlantis aquarium tour next time. Still thinking it over. Skip and I did it on our own many years ago and enjoyed it, bu with it being just Claire and I, I think I'll do it through Disney. She can get a glimpse of how pretty the place is then too. I am not much of a swimmer, so I'll leave the swimming for CC and the ship.
My Mom keeps pushing me to do the dolphin encounter again...and she wants my sisters family to do it as well. But it is a lot of money, and if I go to WDW after the cruise, I really need to watch my spending this time around. I still have a long time to think it over. I know Claire wants to snorkel but I am thinking of doing that on CC.

mom2rtk

01-07-2012, 09:05 AM

Thanks Janet! It was really hard to take pictures up at the front of the ship because of all the movement. I kept thinking the whole time that I really needed a tripod, but then it dawned on me that DUH... the whole ship is moving, that won't do any good! :rotfl:

Oh the cruise food... how do I love thee! That Mickey waffle with the strawberries on top... YUM!!!

I know your sunrise pics are gorgeous! I love natural beauty. That is my favorite thing to take pictures of. I remember seeing some of your pictures from one of the National parks I think and they were so so beautiful. I can tell you have a love for the natural stuff too!

LOL! I guess that does sort of negate the whole tripod thing. I guess a fast lens would be helpful so you could keep the shutter speed up.

I had breakfast, so you are now cleared to post more food photos. :thumbsup2 I could never do a long cruise. I'd gain way too much weight. Heck, even free dining in the parks does me in!

Thanks for the kind comments. I love photographing Disney. But put me in some scenic national park......... and I really am in heaven. Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon at sunrise.......... on Sanibel Island at sunset........ man, I have to get working on some summer vacation plans. Oh, and I should move. I live WAY too far away from anything pretty! :rotfl:

sjs314

01-07-2012, 09:07 AM

Rinky - Happy New Year! Watching the sunrise is the way I like to start my days on vacation, I love it just on the balcony of wherever we are staying, but from the bow of the ship with the wind in your hair was the best, the video really made me want to be there with you guys :goodvibes

The food looked scrumptious and my DH is a breakfast nut too that is why we always have to go to a TS or buffet and early.

The pictures of the lighthouse and pulling into port were gorgeous. I like lighthouses too and was just reading on the cruise thread about all the lighthouses you pass on the cruise to Canada.(I am 99% sure we are going to book one, just not sure when yet)

Can not wait to see and read more about your day in port!!!

MeMom

01-07-2012, 09:39 AM

I love those great day to be alive days. That's the way I feel on spring Disney trips. The cold winter wears on me, so when I get to Florida with the warmth, the palm trees, and the color, I feel alive again. ::yes::

brookelizabeth

01-07-2012, 09:50 AM

Those pictures are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! I showed Joe the picture of the sunrise, and even with him being color-blind, his immediate response was, "When are we going?" :laughing: JUNE 2ND BABY! :woohoo:

I highly doubt I could pull my rear out of bed so early, but that would be totally worth it!

Momof2Disneyboys

01-07-2012, 09:59 AM

Wow what a fabulous update! :goodvibes What a wonderful morning you were having. Great views, you were so smart for getting up so early! And that breakfast looked so good. ::yes:: I can't wait to see what the rest of the day held for you. :cool1:

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-07-2012, 02:15 PM

I need to get on the FE list for our trip. About what time did you get to Cabanas that day ?? 7 ish ?? This would be good info for us. Thanks so much for sharing your trip. 90 more days for us. I soooo can't WAIT !!

Yes, it was around 7:00 because we were back on deck before 8:00. That was really the best time to eat at Cabanas. We ate there later than that the next morning and it wasn't nearly as pleasant of an experience. Definitely go early!

I love your lighthouse shots...as you know...I took a million of them too.:goodvibes Isn't is just such a beautiful morning arriving in port. I got up at the crack of dawn each day too.
I am thinking of doing the Atlantis aquarium tour next time. Still thinking it over. Skip and I did it on our own many years ago and enjoyed it, bu with it being just Claire and I, I think I'll do it through Disney. She can get a glimpse of how pretty the place is then too. I am not much of a swimmer, so I'll leave the swimming for CC and the ship.
My Mom keeps pushing me to do the dolphin encounter again...and she wants my sisters family to do it as well. But it is a lot of money, and if I go to WDW after the cruise, I really need to watch my spending this time around. I still have a long time to think it over. I know Claire wants to snorkel but I am thinking of doing that on CC.

I know! I was thinking about your TR when I was writing that post and how similar our Nassau days were. And I don't know if I saw the lighthouse on your TR or Sheree's or where I saw it first, but I am so glad that I did. I didn't even know there was one and I would have hated to miss it.

I agree that the dolphin encounter can be expensive. I don't think we would do it again anytime soon. I'd love to do the dolphin swim next time but that is outrageous! I think I'd actually rather go to Discovery Cove than do the swim at BL, but again, very expensive.

We did the snorkeling at CC and really enjoyed it. I've read they have a shark fence in the family beach area and that was really important to me! :scared1: :rotfl: I don't think I'd be brave enough to snorkel out in the open sea.

Maybe your family should just split up and do different excursions that day. It's not like you won't have plenty of time to spend together doing other things.

LOL! I guess that does sort of negate the whole tripod thing. I guess a fast lens would be helpful so you could keep the shutter speed up.

I had breakfast, so you are now cleared to post more food photos. :thumbsup2 I could never do a long cruise. I'd gain way too much weight. Heck, even free dining in the parks does me in!

Thanks for the kind comments. I love photographing Disney. But put me in some scenic national park......... and I really am in heaven. Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon at sunrise.......... on Sanibel Island at sunset........ man, I have to get working on some summer vacation plans. Oh, and I should move. I live WAY too far away from anything pretty! :rotfl:

Well, I've got one lens and that's the one that is permanently attached to the camera! :rotfl2: One day I'm going to bite the bullet and get an SLR. One day. Every time I see your pictures, I get really motivated to make the switch, but I just hate how long it takes to learn and get good at using a new piece of equipment. I wish they came with a live tutor. :laughing:

Rinky - Happy New Year! Watching the sunrise is the way I like to start my days on vacation, I love it just on the balcony of wherever we are staying, but from the bow of the ship with the wind in your hair was the best, the video really made me want to be there with you guys :goodvibes

The food looked scrumptious and my DH is a breakfast nut too that is why we always have to go to a TS or buffet and early.

The pictures of the lighthouse and pulling into port were gorgeous. I like lighthouses too and was just reading on the cruise thread about all the lighthouses you pass on the cruise to Canada.(I am 99% sure we are going to book one, just not sure when yet)

Can not wait to see and read more about your day in port!!!

I love a sunrise too. I always feel so good when I make the effort to get up early and see it. So worth it!

What is it about men and breakfast? Almost every man I know is crazy over breakfast. I mean, I like it, but it's not my favorite meal by any means. :confused3

Oh, I would love to do that Canada cruise! And Alaska, and Hawaii, and Europe... :rolleyes1 You HAVE to give us all the details if you do end up going. I think that would be an awesome cruise. I've actually looked into it and the pictures are gorgeous!

I love those great day to be alive days. That's the way I feel on spring Disney trips. The cold winter wears on me, so when I get to Florida with the warmth, the palm trees, and the color, I feel alive again. ::yes::

Aren't those the best days! Sadly, I don't have enough of them in my everyday life. I guess most people don't. I need to find more joy in my day-to-day life though b/c I am so very blessed compared to many others and I just forget that sometimes. But I totally agree with you that you do feel alive after a long winter, or even more so for me, at the end of a long summer when that fresh, crisp fall air starts to roll in! :cloud9:

Those pictures are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! I showed Joe the picture of the sunrise, and even with him being color-blind, his immediate response was, "When are we going?" :laughing: JUNE 2ND BABY! :woohoo:

I highly doubt I could pull my rear out of bed so early, but that would be totally worth it!

Thanks! You are going to LOVE that cruise!!! I can't wait to hear all about your trip and see your pictures. I know Henry is going to go nuts with all the fun stuff there is to do!

You really need to roll on out of that bed early! The reward is great! I can relate though. I normally am NOT an early riser on vacation. You'll see later in the TR that it caught up with us too! :rolleyes1

Wow what a fabulous update! :goodvibes What a wonderful morning you were having. Great views, you were so smart for getting up so early! And that breakfast looked so good. ::yes:: I can't wait to see what the rest of the day held for you. :cool1:

See Shelly, I told you there was way more good than bad. I hope these next several updates will make you feel better about your cruise. It's going to be awesome! :woohoo:

mom2rtk

01-07-2012, 02:28 PM

Well, I've got one lens and that's the one that is permanently attached to the camera! :rotfl2: One day I'm going to bite the bullet and get an SLR. One day. Every time I see your pictures, I get really motivated to make the switch, but I just hate how long it takes to learn and get good at using a new piece of equipment. I wish they came with a live tutor. :laughing:

Sorry about that. Sometimes i forget and just assume everyone is lugging around a 30 pound sack of camera gear! :lmao: OK, maybe it's not THAT heavy, but it sure seems close some days.

If you ever do jump into a DSLR, there's lots of help over on the DIS photography forum. It's not nearly as complicated as it seems.

Your pictures turned out great. And honestly, some point & shoot cameras allow you to control shutter speed and ISO as well.

pooh'smate

01-07-2012, 07:27 PM

Just wanted to let you know that I am still reading along and I love all of your pictures. I miss the ocean so and really do not enjoy living in a land locked state in the middle of the country.

wigdoutdismom

01-07-2012, 11:13 PM

Hi there Rinky! I'm finally getting caught up over here. I really enjoyed your update and photos! How funny that you left Mr. Gripey Man to our husband....:laughing:
We really enjoyed our meals in Cabanas too! It's a great spot to grab a quick breakfast or lunch!

stace208

01-08-2012, 12:13 PM

Hi Rinky! It's your long lost VA DIS friend!:flower3:

I had fully intended on catching up over break but that just didn't work out for me...lol! How come school weeks never go that fast??? Between Christmas fun, family stuff, and my dad in the hospital almost the whole break, the days just got away from me!

But, I am caught up now and am loving everything. I'm using your report as my personal "getting ready to cruise" manual. I need to start taking notes so I don't forget anything. We have to pay off our cruise this month and we are in the 90 day range now. Always starts to get real then...I only hope the weeks fly by...February and March are always looooooong school months!

I am really debating what to do on our Bahamas day. I know we all would love the dolphin encounter. But, Atlantis just looks like so much fun and I know my kids would love it. I guess I need to get all the info together and present it to them and see what they think.

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-08-2012, 01:26 PM

Sorry about that. Sometimes i forget and just assume everyone is lugging around a 30 pound sack of camera gear! :lmao: OK, maybe it's not THAT heavy, but it sure seems close some days.

If you ever do jump into a DSLR, there's lots of help over on the DIS photography forum. It's not nearly as complicated as it seems.

Your pictures turned out great. And honestly, some point & shoot cameras allow you to control shutter speed and ISO as well.

My camera will let me do all that stuff, but I am perpetually stuck in auto mode. I always feel rushed to move on when we are traveling. My DH and DD are not huge fans of all my picture taking, so many times I just have to snap it and run and I just don't have the time or mental fortitude to think through what I need to do with the camera in a particular situation. :laughing: Sometimes I think it would be great if I could just go off by myself for a while and take my time and do all the photographing I want to without being nagged. But then I am quickly reminded, that my trips wouldn't mean anything to me without them. So I just do the best I can in auto, and occasionally I get crazy and try other things. :laughing: It just usually doesn't turn out well for me b/c when you're on vacation, that's not the time to be practicing! I need to do that beforehand! I actually went this time with a brand spanking new underwater camera and had only used it twice! :scared1: I don't recommend that strategy! :rotfl: Bottom line... I need to spend a little less time cleaning toilets and washing clothes and more time playing with my camera! ;) Problem is... no one wants to clean the toilets in my stead. :rolleyes:

Just wanted to let you know that I am still reading along and I love all of your pictures. I miss the ocean so and really do not enjoy living in a land locked state in the middle of the country.

Thank you!

I think that would be the worst thing about living in the middle of the country. I've always felt really lucky to live so close to the ocean. We can make a day trip out of it if we want. We don't do it often enough, but at least we have the option. We can take several beach trips a year really cheap. I guess for you guys going to the beach is just as major of a trip as going to Disney. :sad2: Sounds like good grounds for taking a cruise to me. :rolleyes1

Hi there Rinky! I'm finally getting caught up over here. I really enjoyed your update and photos! How funny that you left Mr. Gripey Man to our husband....:laughing:
We really enjoyed our meals in Cabanas too! It's a great spot to grab a quick breakfast or lunch!

Wasn't that nice of me. DH was thrilled that I did that to him. :laughing:

We thought Cabanas was really good. It was just basic stuff, but all good.

Hi Rinky! It's your long lost VA DIS friend!:flower3:

I had fully intended on catching up over break but that just didn't work out for me...lol! How come school weeks never go that fast??? Between Christmas fun, family stuff, and my dad in the hospital almost the whole break, the days just got away from me!

But, I am caught up now and am loving everything. I'm using your report as my personal "getting ready to cruise" manual. I need to start taking notes so I don't forget anything. We have to pay off our cruise this month and we are in the 90 day range now. Always starts to get real then...I only hope the weeks fly by...February and March are always looooooong school months!

I am really debating what to do on our Bahamas day. I know we all would love the dolphin encounter. But, Atlantis just looks like so much fun and I know my kids would love it. I guess I need to get all the info together and present it to them and see what they think.

Hello stranger! I thought of you just yesterday and wondered where you were hiding. I know how busy my life is though just working part time from home, so I know yours is extra busy. And yes, I remember how fast those school breaks would fly by yet the school days seemed to drag on for eternity! :sad2:

I highly recommend taking notes! :laughing: Seriously. I started out reading several cruise reports and kept thinking that I could remember it all and then realized that there was no way. I DID actually start taking notes and it came in handy.

I think you can't go wrong with BLI or Atlantis. We didn't go with Atlantis because I've read that their water rides are really intense and I knew it would not be fun for DD and me (aka... ride chickens). DH would love it though! If you guys are thrill junkies, then go for it. I think we might do it when DD gets older though. But another thing I considered was that one day at the beach wouldn't be enough for me. I had waited my whole life to see that gorgeous, clear tropical water and I wanted more than one day. Going to BLI gave us two days at the ocean and that was perfect for us. We loved BLI so much that we ended up staying until the last boat left. It was wonderful!! I guess it just depends on what you like and what you are looking for. If you want thrills and rides, then do Atlantis. If you want more relaxing time, then do BLI. It's going to knock your socks off either way! ;)

Trinity524

01-08-2012, 06:05 PM

Love the TR!!! More please!

jenjolt

01-08-2012, 08:35 PM

Loved the pictures of the sunrise!!! What a gorgeous view!!!
I'm really really looking forward to sailing on the Dream!!!!!

Can't wait to read more about your trip!

VAisforDisneyLvrs

01-08-2012, 09:42 PM

Hi, Rinky! I've not been on the DIS too much lately except for reading the Rumors board, but I decided to catch up on everyone's TRs. I used to enjoy reading them so much, so I don't know why I stopped!:confused3

Anyhow, I just wanted to say hello. Your DD has changed so much since your last trip! They grow up and it's wonderful and awful all at the same time! :lovestruc:sad1:

The pictures of the sky at sunrise are enough to convince me to go on a cruise. Simply gorgeous! I can't wait to read more.

marDgreen88

01-09-2012, 12:06 AM

Hi there! I'm joining in a little late, but I read your last TR and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to find you had started a new one! Your daughter has really grown up! She's so cute. :) Really enjoying so far!

Moodyzblu

01-09-2012, 02:09 PM

Wow .. your trip is just convincing me more and more to do this cruise thing ! It all just looks so amazing and I think I need to do this soon !
After our next trip I'm going to start planning it .. :thumbsup2

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-09-2012, 03:03 PM

Love the TR!!! More please!

Welcome! I'm glad you are enjoying it. I'm working on another update. :)

Loved the pictures of the sunrise!!! What a gorgeous view!!!
I'm really really looking forward to sailing on the Dream!!!!!

Can't wait to read more about your trip!

It was a cloudy day so it wasn't the most perfect sunrise ever, but it was still beautiful. You are going to have a fantastic time on the Dream!

Hi, Rinky! I've not been on the DIS too much lately except for reading the Rumors board, but I decided to catch up on everyone's TRs. I used to enjoy reading them so much, so I don't know why I stopped!:confused3

Anyhow, I just wanted to say hello. Your DD has changed so much since your last trip! They grow up and it's wonderful and awful all at the same time! :lovestruc:sad1:

The pictures of the sky at sunrise are enough to convince me to go on a cruise. Simply gorgeous! I can't wait to read more.

Well hello there! I'm so glad you found me again!

Yes they do grow up fast. :sad1: She doesn't have that baby face to me anymore and that makes me sad. I hate it when kids get their permanent teeth in b/c it instantly makes them look so much older. :sad2:

I think every Disney lover needs to try the cruise at least once. I know it isn't something that everyone will love, but you'll never know if you don't go. I hemmed and hawed forever about going, but I am SO glad that I finally did it! :thumbsup2 Only problem is that it has opened up a whole new can of travel worms for me and now I want to go to Europe and Canada and Hawaii and Alaska... :rolleyes1

Hi there! I'm joining in a little late, but I read your last TR and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to find you had started a new one! Your daughter has really grown up! She's so cute. :) Really enjoying so far!

Thank you! And WELCOME! I'm so glad you found out about the report! I'm always glad to have more friends join in on the fun!

Wow .. your trip is just convincing me more and more to do this cruise thing ! It all just looks so amazing and I think I need to do this soon !
After our next trip I'm going to start planning it .. :thumbsup2

Yay! I say go for it! Life is short, vacation hard! :laughing: And there's LOTS more to come in this TR that should seal the deal for you. Anyone who can see Castaway Cay and not want to go... well, they are just strange! :rotfl:

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-11-2012, 03:27 PM

So I left off with us heading out for our exciting excursion on Blue Lagoon Island! Our stateroom hostess left our dolphin encounter tickets in our room the night before, which was nice because we didn’t have to go pick them up.

We were told to report to the Buena Vista Theater (where they show movies) at 9:30 to get checked in and receive our ID bracelets. They also provided towels for everyone so you don’t need to bring your own. This whole process went really smoothly and quickly.

We all walked off the ship together as a group with our CM leading the way. This was our first time entering a foreign country so we were all pretty excited and wondered what in the world this adventure would hold for us? :yay:

First steps outside of the good ol’ U.S.A.

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When I looked back at the ship, I thought it was cool how you could see the Aquaduck hanging off the side.

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You walk across this short bridge and the Blue Lagoon boat is waiting just on the other side. You don’t actually go into Nassau.

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The Nassau Welcome Center and Marketplace

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This is the type of boat that takes you over to the island. The boat has a snack bar with chips, candy bars, and canned soft drinks. There is also a bathroom on board.

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We were told that it would be a 30 minute boat ride to the island, but it was more like 20. We took a seat on the outer edge of the boat so that I could take pictures during the ride.

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They give you a narrated tour on the way to the island and tell you about the area and what celebrities live in the oceanfront homes there. We first sailed by the lost city of Atlantis.

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I LOVED this row of apartments or condos or whatever they were. This is what I picture in my mind when I think of a house in the Bahamas, and it looked so much like the Caribbean Beach Resort that we would be staying at later in the trip.

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Looking back at the port. Royal Caribbean’s ‘Allure of the Seas’ is the ship on the right. It was enormous! (But bigger isn’t always better!:snooty:)

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I leaned over the edge of the boat and took a picture of the water. I was so excited to finally see it for myself and it looked even more beautiful than it does in pictures and commercials. The water was pretty deep where we were and you could still see all the way to the bottom!

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There were many multimillion dollar celebrity homes along the shoreline. I was sitting on the wrong side of the boat to get any good pictures though, but I took plenty on the way back. I’m not sure which house this was but we were told that Oprah, Chuck Norris, Tiger Woods and some famous baseball player (his name escapes me right now) all live in this area. Must be nice!

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Continued in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43704037&postcount=218)

mom2rtk

01-11-2012, 03:44 PM

JUST GORGEOUS!

That water is incredible. How awesome to be going on a dolphin adventure! So how warm was it that day?

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-11-2012, 03:45 PM

DD went up to the front of the boat so she could see better and ruin the hair that I had already fixed twice that day. :rolleyes: Unfortunately, the bad hair day pattern was destined to continue... for both of us.

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It wasn’t long before we could see the lookout tower at the entrance of Blue Lagoon Island!

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I started snapping away before we even got off the boat. This is part of the beach area. Look at that water! :worship:

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DD spotted this water play area almost instantly and of ‘course she wanted to know if she could play on all the blow up stuff. I knew we were not allowed to without paying extra since it isn’t included in the dolphin encounter excursion, but DH insisted on asking one of the workers on the boat. His response was “Absolutely! You are welcome to use all the facilities here all day.” :confused3 I was certain that this was incorrect from what I had read here on the DIS, but I thought maybe the policy had recently changed. Regardless, DD now had her heart set on checking out those water slides and floats.

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Time to get off the boat!

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They had a changing area if you needed it, but we already had our suits on so we just put our things in a locker (free of charge) and went on to the orientation. We were sent to a little outdoor classroom where we learned about the anatomy of dolphins and the appropriate ways to touch them. We also learned where NOT to touch them if you know what I mean. That provoked a question or two from my little Encyclopedia Britannica for which I quickly responded with, “Oh, look at the pretty butterfly over there!” :rolleyes1 Stellar parenting… I know! :rotfl:

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Then we were sent to a floating platform where we all sat down and waited for our turn to get into the water.

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More and more excited families came and sat down until the platform was almost full. And that’s when it happened… the very last person to join our group was ‘that woman’… you know the one that everyone gasps at because they simply cannot believe their eyes. :eek: Yep… of all the groups doing the dolphin encounter that day, we had to be the lucky ones to be graced with her presence. Maybe I’m just a backwoods hillbilly who knows nothing about the world outside of rural North Carolina, but I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like that, live and in person, in my life.

‘That woman’ marched herself down to the platform, proud as a peacock, wearing practically nothing. Maybe I’m weird, but I tend to classify strings as practically nothing. Her bathing suit was pretty much the equivalent of a few fig leaves strung onto a piece of dental floss, and let’s just say that the floss on her backside was playing hide and go seek where the sun don’t shine. :crazy2:

DH turned to me and said, “Well Dorothy… I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore!” :upsidedow Little did we know this was just a foreshadowing of things to come during our time in this foreign land!

And there we all sat, a bunch of Mickey Mouse loving families, all there to spend an hour fulfilling wholesome childhood dreams of frolicking with Flipper when she made her grand entrance. I do believe you could have heard a pin drop. And of ‘course, in true 7 year old fashion, my DD blurts out, “What in the world is that woman wearing?”

My response…… “Not much!”

I tried to just put it out of my mind and focus on the fun about to be had. After all, the dolphin encounter would only last an hour and then I’d never have to see her overexposed bum again, right? Dum, dum, dum! :sad2:

Thankfully, the trainer came on out and got things moving along which focused our attention elsewhere. He called for one of the dolphins and out of nowhere he appeared!

This is 6 year old Salvador!

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Remember how I told you this was destined to be a bad hair day? Well, my plan was for us to keep our hair dry until after our family picture had been taken. However, Salvador had other plans. The trainer told him to go around and welcome everyone, and boy did he take that to heart!

Click on the picture (21 sec. video)

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/th_156220d5.jpg (http://s1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/?action=view&current=156220d5.mp4)

We got drenched from head to toe! There was no hope for our hair at that point but how could I hold a grudge against such a handsome fellow!

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Continued in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43704137&postcount=221)

DVC Jen

01-11-2012, 03:46 PM

ACK!!! I am not seeing a next post. :eek:

I am trying to be patient and remember you have a life and are doing us a favor with this trip report. I am trying.. really I am! ;)

Loving the TR by the way. :goodvibes

mom2rtk

01-11-2012, 03:51 PM

And that’s when it happened… the very last person to join our group was ‘that women’… you know the one that everyone gasps at because they simply cannot believe their eyes. :eek:

Uh.......... HELLO?????????

You had a camera in your hands.

WHERE IS THE PHOTO??????????

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-11-2012, 03:53 PM

The trainers give them fish from coolers as rewards for following commands.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000446.jpg

Salvador did a few tricks for us and then it was time for the families to get into the action. We got lucky and were in the first group. You walk down a few steps and stand on a suspended platform in waist high water. You have to be careful though because the platform is slippery and it moves about a bit. The water underneath you is 20-30’ deep according the BL website.

While we were all getting situated, Salvador swam off and did a few flips out of the water. While he was showing off, I noticed these beautiful fish swimming all around our legs. I dipped my camera under the water and ended up with one decent shot. Their colors were so vivid!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000448.jpg

And while I was down there taking pictures, look who popped up right in front of me!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000449.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000476-1.jpg

He rolled over on his back for us to rub his belly. :cutie:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000450.jpg

(Sorry these pictures aren’t the best but I was too close to the action and had nowhere that I could back up.)

We all got hugs…

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000454-1.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000453-1.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000458-1.jpg

And then we got big, sloppy, wet kisses with a hint of fish! :laughing:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000455-1.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000459-1.jpg

He let us rub our fingers across his teeth although we were a little hesitant about that.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000462.jpg

Salvador decided that he was getting bored with us so he took off and did a few more midair tricks.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000466.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000467.jpg

When he swam back in, he made a few loud squeals and clicks and the trainer told us that meant he wanted to show us his shark impersonation.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000475.jpg

It was really cute!

He was such a gentleman through it all that we each gave him a stinky treat.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000472-1.jpg

He got a few more belly rubs out of us and then went down the line and danced with each person. Now that was funny! The expressions on the men’s faces were priceless! This one man had been kind of hesitant to participate the whole time and when Salvador went up for a dance the guy didn’t really want to do it. Well apparently Salvador took offense and made this really loud ‘raspberry’ noise right in his face. :rotfl: It was hilarious! It totally cracked his daughter up (she was probably 3 years old) and she yelled out, “Daddy, he far**d on you!” :rotfl2: Oh my gosh! That man turned ten shades of red and the whole place exploded with laughter! You just NEVER know what will come out of the mouths of babes!!!

After our dance it was time to say goodbye. He waved his little flipper at all of us.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000478.jpg

They have a photographer there that takes individual and family pictures that you can purchase in the gift shop after your session ends. These are the ones they took of us.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/004-1.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/005-1.jpg

I was next to DH in this picture but I cropped myself out. There is NO WAY I was posting a picture of myself in a bathing suit and with that mop of wet hair that Salvador created! Picture Medusa in a typhoon and you’re close. :crazy: Trust me, it wasn’t pretty!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/006-1.jpg

We had a wonderful time doing the dolphin encounter and I would recommend it to anyone! It was one of the greatest things I’ve ever experienced! A major highlight of the trip!

Stay tuned! More Blue Lagoon to come!

Up next: The third day of Swinter: Part 3

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-11-2012, 04:08 PM

JUST GORGEOUS!

That water is incredible. How awesome to be going on a dolphin adventure! So how warm was it that day?

We were posting at the same time. The rest of the update is up now.

It was 86 and humid that day. It was overcast most of the day but b/c of the humidity, it still felt really hot. We stayed in the water all day and it felt great! If it was that warm in late October I can't imagine how hot it is in the summer!

ACK!!! I am not seeing a next post. :eek:

I am trying to be patient and remember you have a life and are doing us a favor with this trip report. I am trying.. really I am! ;)

Loving the TR by the way. :goodvibes

Try refreshing. There are 3 posts and they are all up now. We were posting at the same time. :)

Uh.......... HELLO?????????

You had a camera in your hands.

WHERE IS THE PHOTO??????????

:lmao: Oh believe me! I have LOTS of pictures of her! Unfortunately she was in my line of fire for every picture I took in the water. I cropped her out of all of them that I could and I blurred her out of the rest. She's the hot pink blur in several of the pictures. Much to my dismay, this will not be the only time you see her. :sad2:

mom2rtk

01-11-2012, 04:42 PM

We were posting at the same time. The rest of the update is up now.

It was 86 and humid that day. It was overcast most of the day but b/c of the humidity, it still felt really hot. We stayed in the water all day and it felt great! If it was that warm in late October I can't imagine how hot it is in the summer!

Try refreshing. There are 3 posts and they are all up now. We were posting at the same time. :)

:lmao: Oh believe me! I have LOTS of pictures of her! Unfortunately she was in my line of fire for every picture I took in the water. I cropped her out of all of them that I could and I blurred her out of the rest. She's the hot pink blur in several of the pictures. Much to my dismay, this will not be the only time you see her. :sad2:

Oh you're no fun! Inquiring minds want to know. Or inquiring eyes want to see...... Or is it SO bad that you'd get banned from the DIS??????

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-11-2012, 05:02 PM

Oh you're no fun! Inquiring minds want to know. Or inquiring eyes want to see...... Or is it SO bad that you'd get banned from the DIS??????

It's definitely nothing I could post on the DIS. But trust me, you really DON'T want to see it. :eek:

sharonW

01-11-2012, 05:31 PM

very awesome, what a unique experience!!! I can see many wonderful memories were made on your trip! lovin it!!

Momof2Disneyboys

01-11-2012, 06:07 PM

WOW what an awesome day!! Well, except for little miss naked. :eek: Good grief.

Anyway -- what an incredible experience for all of you. :cool1: And look at that clear blue water. :cloud9: I just love all your pics. And you are right -- those buildings look just like CBR!! :lovestruc

Can't wait for more!! :yay:

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-11-2012, 09:33 PM

very awesome, what a unique experience!!! I can see many wonderful memories were made on your trip! lovin it!!

Oh yes, this was a trip of a lifetime for us. I had always wanted to take a cruise, visit a tropical island, see that clear blue water, and get in the water with dolphins, so I got to check a lot of things off my bucket list on this day!

WOW what an awesome day!! Well, except for little miss naked. :eek: Good grief.

Anyway -- what an incredible experience for all of you. :cool1: And look at that clear blue water. :cloud9: I just love all your pics. And you are right -- those buildings look just like CBR!! :lovestruc

Can't wait for more!! :yay:

It was a totally awesome day! One of the best vacation days I've ever had. I loved every minute of it... well, except for my time with 'that woman.' She did ruin the mood for a while. I still can't believe she wore that to a family type outing. Everyone at the dolphin excursion was a parent with small children, so her attire was REALLY inappropriate.

Anyway, I sure hope you still have that cruise booked b/c I really want you to go and hear your opinions on everything. As much as you love a tropical theme, I just know you are going to enjoy it.

VAisforDisneyLvrs

01-11-2012, 09:48 PM

Salvador decided that he was getting bored with us so he took off and did a few more midair tricks.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000466.jpg

This picture made me :rotfl2:

sharonW

01-12-2012, 06:47 AM

so true Rink, you killed many birds with one stone!! I have seen those turquoise waters in Bermuda, they are beautiful! Most definitley this is the trip of a lifetime, how do you plan to top it???;)

kittylady1972

01-12-2012, 07:02 AM

Oh wow, just when I had convinced myself we would just stay ONE THE BOAT and not venture off on any excursions...you post this report and now I'm thinking about changing my mind! AWESOME photos...now off to price out the excursion to see how much extra I'll need to save for our trip! :rotfl:

mickeystoontown

01-12-2012, 10:05 AM

I don't know how it happened but I stopped getting emails when you posted updates. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter 'cause I found the thread and subscribed again and I'm all caught up and I promptly forgot half the stuff I wanted to comment on. :laughing:

We are considering doing the dolphin excursion in May. I've heard some say that the water was cold and others didn't mention it. I am betting I could put up with a cold water for a while if I were able to dance with a dolphin.;)

mickeystoontown

01-12-2012, 10:22 AM

Oh I know what I wanted to comment on....the fish extenders. Is that something that most of the cruisers do? If so, how does that work?

Lovemy3babes

01-12-2012, 10:37 AM

Rinky, what gorgeous photos! I bet you almost had to pinch yourself, believing that you were finally there. :goodvibes

The dolphin encounter sounds like so much fun. Don't crop yourself out of photos though my friend. I have seen photos of you and you are pretty. You're way too hard on yourself. :hug:

Ew on the nasty swim suit. Yuck. :eek:

Momof2Disneyboys

01-12-2012, 11:07 AM

It was a totally awesome day! One of the best vacation days I've ever had. I loved every minute of it... well, except for my time with 'that woman.' She did ruin the mood for a while. I still can't believe she wore that to a family type outing. Everyone at the dolphin excursion was a parent with small children, so her attire was REALLY inappropriate.

Anyway, I sure hope you still have that cruise booked b/c I really want you to go and hear your opinions on everything. As much as you love a tropical theme, I just know you are going to enjoy it.

Well unfortunately I did cancel our May 2013 cruise we had booked. We had a lot going on and I still wasn't 100% sold on the cruise for the price, so I cancelled. That doesn't mean we aren't going to cruise in the near future, but we are still undecided at the moment. Although you are making a very good fight for it!! :thumbsup2 What an awesome excursion!:goodvibes

Don't crop yourself out of photos though my friend. I have seen photos of you and you are pretty. You're way too hard on yourself. :hug:

I agree with Kelli!! Don't crop yourself out of pics! I know I look like a total dork in lots of the pics I post in my TR! :laughing:

Mndisneygirl

01-12-2012, 01:03 PM

You had a better boat ride over than we did. The first boat (like yours) got full so we had the "extra" boat. Not as big or nice, and no tour guide Barbie telling us what we were looking at. But - we still got the same pictures as you!! So beautiful there.

I can't believe how some people are - no sense of what is good/bad, right/wrong... Then again, maybe she was European. That kind of "suit" is perfectly acceptable there...

I thought the Dolphin Encounter was SUPER fun too! We had a couple other families and we all seemed to "get along" and we kept bumping into one of them on the ship later! I agree that you should not have cropped yourself out - you probably have the biggest smile on your face from having so much fun!
It was cute to hear all the squeals and laughs on the video! DH got a little splash from the dolphin after he said the kiss was kind of salty!

When we went it was March and the water was kind of cold, and you're not in the sun, so the water was a bit too chilly for my taste. But out in the sun it was nice.

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-12-2012, 01:27 PM

This picture made me :rotfl2:

It does look like the amazing flying dolphin doesn't it! :laughing:

so true Rink, you killed many birds with one stone!! I have seen those turquoise waters in Bermuda, they are beautiful! Most definitley this is the trip of a lifetime, how do you plan to top it???;)

I did! I've always been infatuated with anything tropical, so this trip made many dreams come true for me. And as far as topping it... well, I can't afford to do that anytime soon! :laughing: I wanted to rebook while on the cruise and do the 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise to the Virgin Islands, but that didn't work out for me. More on that to come... :rolleyes1

You went to Bermuda and made it back... I didn't think that ever happened! :laughing: I bet it was beautiful though. There's really nothing like that gorgeous water!

Oh wow, just when I had convinced myself we would just stay ONE THE BOAT and not venture off on any excursions...you post this report and now I'm thinking about changing my mind! AWESOME photos...now off to price out the excursion to see how much extra I'll need to save for our trip! :rotfl:

I think lots of people stay on the boat in the Bahamas but I think Blue Lagoon is a real jewel. If I had to do it all over again, I'd absolutely go back. There is a dolphin 'swim' and a dolphin 'encounter'. The price difference is huge! The swim is in deep water and the dolphins push you across the lagoon by your feet. The encounter is in shallow water (b/c of the platform) and you don't 'swim' around with them. I actually used my shipboard credits and some Disney Visa points to pay for it and it didn't cost me a dime! Have fun deciding!

I don't know how it happened but I stopped getting emails when you posted updates. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter 'cause I found the thread and subscribed again and I'm all caught up and I promptly forgot half the stuff I wanted to comment on. :laughing:

We are considering doing the dolphin excursion in May. I've heard some say that the water was cold and others didn't mention it. I am betting I could put up with a cold water for a while if I were able to dance with a dolphin.;)

Don't feel bad. The same thing happens to me. The DIS really needs to fix whatever the problem is there.

As for the water... I think it depends on when you go. I knew I wanted to go at the end of summer b/c the water is always warmer then than it is in the spring. I would say that it was cool but not cold, but it was sooooo hot that day that the water felt perfect! (It was 86 and very humid) I am super hot natured though, but my DH is cold natured and even he thought it was a nice kind of coolness to the water b/c it was so hot. I think the water over there stays a little cooler b/c it is shaded with those awnings all the time. The water in the beach area felt much warmer to me. Either way though, after a few minutes, you'll adjust and you won't be thinking about it with all that's going on. That's just my opinion though. I wear flip flops almost year round, so take it for what it's worth. :laughing:

Oh I know what I wanted to comment on....the fish extenders. Is that something that most of the cruisers do? If so, how does that work?

No, only a handful of people do the FE. We had 14 families in ours. It's a Dis thing. I just googled 'fish extender october 27-30 disney dream cruise' and I found it that way. (The search function on the DIS never works for me.)

Basically you just go to the thread that's setup for your cruise and tell them you want to join the FE group. They will compile a list of everyone who is participating (with stateroom #s, sexes & ages so you know where/what to give). Then you just make or buy things for each person in the group and they do the same for you.

Once you get on the ship you go to each stateroom on the list and drop off your goodies in their FEs hanging outside their door. They do the same for you. You can deliver them at any point in the cruise and you will get stuff all along as well.

We thought it was fun and my DD LOVED it! Just know that it will take time away from your cruise to make the deliveries and there is a lot of walking involved going to different floors and front to back on the ship. It is a BIG ship! But if you are ok with that, it is a lot of fun. The homemade stuff is the BEST! I got some great things and I'll show pics of all of it soon, as well as pics of what I gave. Here's a thread that has some terrific homemade FE gift ideas if you are the crafty type:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1980639

Rinky, what gorgeous photos! I bet you almost had to pinch yourself, believing that you were finally there. :goodvibes

The dolphin encounter sounds like so much fun. Don't crop yourself out of photos though my friend. I have seen photos of you and you are pretty. You're way too hard on yourself. :hug:

Ew on the nasty swim suit. Yuck. :eek:

I did say over and over that I just couldn't believe I had finally made it to a tropical island! I want to go back so bad!! It just opened a whole can of worms! :laughing:

You are too sweet. I will say that I wasn't as outrageous looking as thong girl, but I was giving her a run for her money! :rotfl: It was a really, really bad picture of me though. :upsidedow

Well unfortunately I did cancel our May 2013 cruise we had booked. We had a lot going on and I still wasn't 100% sold on the cruise for the price, so I cancelled. That doesn't mean we aren't going to cruise in the near future, but we are still undecided at the moment. Although you are making a very good fight for it!! :thumbsup2 What an awesome excursion!:goodvibes

I agree with Kelli!! Don't crop yourself out of pics! I know I look like a total dork in lots of the pics I post in my TR! :laughing:

Oh Shelly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so upset that you cancelled! If you thought you were getting weak, you should have sent me a PM! I could have written you a 10 page response again and talked you back into it! :rotfl2: What am I going to do with you!! :sad2:

:laughing:

So what is the new plan? Are you back looking into Hawaii and DL?

And you do NOT look like a dork in any of your pictures! And if you did, I bet you wouldn't post them either! :rotfl:

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-12-2012, 01:44 PM

You had a better boat ride over than we did. The first boat (like yours) got full so we had the "extra" boat. Not as big or nice, and no tour guide Barbie telling us what we were looking at. But - we still got the same pictures as you!! So beautiful there.

Wow you must have had a much larger group going than we did. That one boat wasn't even close to being full. And don't feel bad about missing tour guide Barbie... we had tour guide Ken and his accent was so thick that all I could really understand were the names of the celebrities! :rotfl:

I can't believe how some people are - no sense of what is good/bad, right/wrong... Then again, maybe she was European. That kind of "suit" is perfectly acceptable there...

I thought about that too that maybe she was European, but still... the place was FULL of little kids and they were all staring at her. :eek: Poor things are probably scarred for life! :rolleyes:

I thought the Dolphin Encounter was SUPER fun too! We had a couple other families and we all seemed to "get along" and we kept bumping into one of them on the ship later! I agree that you should not have cropped yourself out - you probably have the biggest smile on your face from having so much fun!

I did have a huge grin and a huge mess of a head! ;)

It was cute to hear all the squeals and laughs on the video! DH got a little splash from the dolphin after he said the kiss was kind of salty!

They are natural little comedians aren't they. I could have stayed there with that dolphin all day. Those trainers have the best jobs ever!

When we went it was March and the water was kind of cold, and you're not in the sun, so the water was a bit too chilly for my taste. But out in the sun it was nice.

I agree that it feels cooler b/c of the shade. The beach area felt much warmer to me too.

replies in blue

disneybarbie

01-12-2012, 02:01 PM

Mndisneygirl

01-12-2012, 03:20 PM

Sarah said she wants to be a dolphin trainer after we did that too! She has a list of potential careers and 75% of them involve animals. I told her to study up on the sciences!!

Moodyzblu

01-12-2012, 04:57 PM

The dolphin encounter looked so awesome .. but my guys wouldn't do it. But I would love to !!
Love the pics you got (even the ones with the blurred out "lady". :lmao:

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-12-2012, 05:02 PM

Hi Rinky, really enjoyed reading about your Dolphin Encounter at Nassau - we did the same excursion during our cruise and loved it so much! Definitely something we'll always remember - we're hoping for our next cruise to do a dolphin swim in Gran Cayman.

How exciting too that that was the first time you set foot outside the USA during a Disney cruise! :goodvibes

Emma princess: x

Oooh, that sounds nice! I hear they have awesome snorkeling there too. We got hooked on that during this trip.

Yeah, we don't get out much. :laughing: I actually never thought I would travel outside of the U.S. b/c I am so afraid of flying, but the cruise was the perfect solution to that. I want to see England (and all of Europe) so bad though that I need to just get over it. :rolleyes:

Sarah said she wants to be a dolphin trainer after we did that too! She has a list of potential careers and 75% of them involve animals. I told her to study up on the sciences!!

I was just like that at her age. I've always loved animals. I think a lot of young girls are interested in that field of study. I hope she follows through and pursues her dream! Maybe one day she'll work for Seaworld or The Seas at Epcot! :thumbsup2

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-12-2012, 05:10 PM

The dolphin encounter looked so awesome .. but my guys wouldn't do it. But I would love to !!
Love the pics you got (even the ones with the blurred out "lady". :lmao:

Aw that's too bad. My DH wasn't really overly excited about it at first either, but then a guy that he works with told him that he had done it and it was awesome. After that, he had an open mind about it. Once he got there, he was totally into it.

Thanks! I hate I had to blur up all my pictures though. :rolleyes:

MeMom

01-12-2012, 05:24 PM

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1744.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1743.jpg

So colorful like CBR! We took Jarvis over to see that resort on NYE. He liked it, and he definitely liked the food court.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1770.jpg

This is absolutely beautiful! I am under two blankets right now, and it is snowing outside. I'd like to be sitting on that dock soaking in the warmth.

marDgreen88

01-12-2012, 06:42 PM

Wow, beautiful pictures! That dolphin is the cutest thing! I absolutely LOVE that he did a shark impression! Looks like yall had a blast!

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-12-2012, 08:27 PM

So colorful like CBR! We took Jarvis over to see that resort on NYE. He liked it, and he definitely liked the food court.

This is absolutely beautiful! I am under two blankets right now, and it is snowing outside. I'd like to be sitting on that dock soaking in the warmth.

As much as you like the tropical theme, I can't believe you haven't stayed at CBR yet! You have tried so many different resorts now and it just doesn't seem right that you haven't stayed there. I want to see a Memom report from there complete with lots of early morning walking pictures. :thumbsup2

I know! It is so hard to look at all these pictures and remember how wonderful it felt to be in that water while it is cold and rainy here. And to top it off I can feel the winter blues/cabin fever setting in for me. It always happens this time of year and towards the end of summer after I've been trapped inside for so long b/c of the extreme heat. DH told me that we should do a spur of the moment cruise or WDW trip over DDs winter break in February. I sure wish I wasn't so financially responsible b/c I'd book it in a heartbeat! I think it would totally turn my mood around just knowing I had a trip around the corner. I've priced out a short cruise and a short WDW trip and neither one is too bad, but for such a short trip, we would have to fly and that is where the cost goes through the roof. Why does it have to be so expensive just to get there? If it wasn't for that, I'd be on my way a lot more often! :sad2: I know you would too.

Enjoy your snow. At least it is pretty to look at.

Wow, beautiful pictures! That dolphin is the cutest thing! I absolutely LOVE that he did a shark impression! Looks like yall had a blast!

He was a real cutie! :cutie: And his shark gig was too cute! He even swam in a side to side motion like a shark does in stead of an up and down motion like a dolphin. It was really impressive! :laughing: If I had not known, I would have sworn there was a shark in the water!

Mndisneygirl

01-12-2012, 08:42 PM

Why does it have to be so expensive just to get there? If it wasn't for that, I'd be on my way a lot more often! :sad2: I know you would too.

Those words have passed my lips many a time...

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-13-2012, 06:53 AM

Those words have passed my lips many a time...

I know. It really stinks. I guess we all just need to live closer to the mouse. Maybe we need to set up a DIS housing community in Jacksonville. :laughing: That's far enough away to still be affordable, but close enough to drive even just for a weekend!

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-13-2012, 07:40 PM

After our dolphin encounter ended, we got our things out of the locker and headed to the gift shop to see our photos.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000480.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000481.jpg

They had only one lady in charge of showing and explaining the photo packages and she was swamped at the moment so we decided to just come back later. We did take a moment to look around in the gift shop though, and I saw this display of magnets and just had to take a picture since this was the title of my PTR!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000482.jpg

That turned out to be the PERFECT motto for our day!

We had the option to either take the next boat back to the ship or stay and enjoy the beach. They had boats leaving at 1:00, 2:00 and 4:00. The consensus was that we wanted to stay. It was so incredibly beautiful there and I wanted to see the whole island. I knew the pool on the ship would be insanely crowded in the afternoon anyway, so we thought it best to catch a later boat ride. It turned out to be a very good decision!

We decided to go on down and check out the beach for a while since we were already wet anyway.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000483.jpg

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http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000488.jpg

We had our pick of the lounge chairs as the whole beach area was practically empty. I loved these straw covered tiki huts. It looked just like I had always imagined it would.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000489.jpg

Two big thumbs up for this gorgeous beach!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000491.jpg

This video gives you a feel for the beach area. You can hear the dolphins in the background. (26 sec.)

Click on the picture.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/th_ac947777.jpg (http://s1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/?action=view&current=ac947777.mp4)

The water was so clear that we felt like we were in an enormous swimming pool, and I loved that there were NO waves on Blue Lagoon Island (or Castaway Cay)!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000493.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000495.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000498.jpg

DD was watching a tiny school of fish that were darting around near the bottom.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000494.jpg

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This is a terrible picture, but I was trying to take it without going under. DH was having a really good time looking at fish and searching for cool stuff on the bottom.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000502.jpg

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A lady walking by told us that if we dug down a little we could find whole conch shells. That was all DD needed to hear. The search was on!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000506.jpg

‘I think I’ve got something!’

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000517.jpg

Hmmm, maybe not!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000526.jpg

Trying again….

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000521.jpg

‘I found one! I found one!’

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000531.jpg

Somehow I don’t think this was what she meant by ‘whole conch shells!’ :laughing:

Oh well, we still had fun!

Continued in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43729173&postcount=249)

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-13-2012, 07:44 PM

While we were shell searching, DH was getting in some heavy duty relaxing time! He absolutely LOVED the beach area. He just went on and on about what a paradise it was and how it was so secluded and peaceful there.

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http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000528.jpg

She was a very happy girl!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000512.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000513.jpg

DH has always been one of those people that just can’t float in a pool. For some reason he always sinks, so he was excited that the salt water made him more buoyant! :laughing: We could never do this at our NC beaches b/c the surf is so rough.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000515.jpg

DD decided to move her conch shell search up on shore. She still only found some little ones though.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000525.jpg

Panning for shells!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000534.jpg

Letting sand run through your fingers really is one of life’s simple pleasures.

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DH decided it was time for some liquid refreshment so off to the bar he went. He came back with my very favorite drink, a strawberry daiquiri (no alcohol). He just got one for all of us to share since it was so close to lunchtime.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000540.jpg

DD quickly snatched her favorite part, the cherry!

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http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000543.jpg

It was really good!

DH and I took a break from the water for a while and soaked in some sun. This was the view from our chairs.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/IMG_1776.jpg

There was a beach volleyball court right behind us.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000538.jpg

I think you have to rent these floats, but a little boy who was leaving was nice enough to give his to DD.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000544.jpg

DD wanted to head further down the beach to the water play area, but DH and I were getting hungry, so we told her we would come back later.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000546.jpg

DH led the way back to the bar because you have to place your food orders there as well.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000545.jpg

They had a gorgeous picnic area.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000547.jpg

And tons of hammocks…

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000549.jpg

We passed by a merchant selling coconuts and conch shells.

Now THAT is what I call a conch shell!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000551.jpg

I really regret no buying one of those.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000550.jpg

He also had a cooler full of coconuts for sale.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000552.jpg

He actually climbed a palm tree right there in front of us to show us how he collects them! DD wanted to try one so we asked how much they were. He said that ‘if we dropped $3 in his can, that should cover it!’ :laughing: Ok, it was worth $3 just to know what a fresh coconut tasted like! We had never eaten a ‘real’ coconut before, so he cracked one open for us.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000553.jpg

Continued in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43729234&postcount=250)

RinkyTinkyTinky

01-13-2012, 07:49 PM

DH took the first sip of the coconut water inside.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000558.jpg

Then DD gave it a try although she wasn’t so sure about it.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000555.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000556.jpg

We were all really surprised by how it tasted. We had expected it to be sweet, but it actually tasted like saltwater! We definitely are not purist, b/c we like the taste of over processed, grocery store coconut much better! It was still fun to try it though.

That coconut actually ended up making us international criminals! What happened was I put it in our beach bag when we were done with it and I just forgot about it. Well, you have to fill out a customs form before disembarking the ship, declaring that you have not brought any plant materials back into the U.S. from a foreign country. I guess I told a little fib when I checked that box b/c I discovered it when we unpacked our bags at CBR! Hmmm, I wonder if they have Interpol after us?

We were definitely on island time because we were still making our way to the bar at this point. We passed by the rental booth and stopped to check out what was available.

Lots of floats and boats…

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000559.jpg

Limbo anyone?

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000561.jpg

The guy working the rental booth was super nice and offered to take a family picture for us. We chatted with him for a while before moving on.

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Finally, we made it to the bar.

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I looked over the menu and nearly had a heart attack! The prices were OUTRAGEOUS!! Way worse than Disney prices! DH and I went back and forth trying to figure out what to order that wouldn’t be a second mortgage. We finally decided that DD and I would share a combo meal and DH would get an appetizer. It would at least hold us until we got back on the ship.

All of the employees that worked in the bar and kitchen area were very weird acting too. Honestly they looked and acted like they were ‘smoked up.’ :rolleyes1 We told the guy what we wanted to order like 3 or 4 times and he just kept repeating it back to us with this blank stare. And he wouldn’t make eye contact when we were talking. It was just very odd. He finally got it though and we moved on to the covered picnic area to pick up our food.

They had a steel drum player but he was on break the whole time we were eating! What a bummer!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000566.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000565.jpg

And this my friends is what $15 worth of food looks like in the Bahamas! Seriously! One burger and a side of fries…. $15! :scared1:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000567.jpg

And this was $10 (I think).

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000569.jpg

Again, the employees here were rude and weird acting. When I went to the drink station to get our lemonade, the lady working the fountain made sure she let me know that we were not allowed to have any refills. Sheesh! It was already a fairly small cup and now no refills!

We tried not to grumble too much about it though. It just wasn’t worth ruining the mood. And it did taste decent so we made the best of it.

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000568.jpg

You can see in the background of that picture that there was a big sand dune in front of us. It had a little boardwalk down the middle and that had my curiosity up. When we were finished eating, I just had to go see what was on the other side.

I am so glad I was nosy!

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000570.jpg

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It was totally natural and deserted over there. Just gorgeous!

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http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/rinkytinkytinkys/Disney%202011-Day%203%20Cruise/P1000573.jpg

We could see Atlantis way off in the distance.

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I wanted to hide away and stay there forever. DD was ready to get back in the water though so we went back to the lagoon side for more fun in the sun!

Up Next: The third day of Swinter: Part 4 (This was a LONG day!)