Video Killed the Trip Report Star: A Little Halloween Magic (Western) Complete!!

[CherylA]

I'm so enjoying reading your trip report. It is getting me through some very cold very snowy Connecticut days. We are taking the Western Carribean Cruise at the end of November 2011 and it can't come soon enough. All the details especially about the ports are really informative. I also love how Ellen is writing a trip report at the same time. I almost feel like I was one of your fellow cruisers!

 

[nenner1]

Hi Jenn,

Indeed, Nachi was a huge question mark for us. The night before Hope got really sick -- right in front of the Kids Club with Steve and Jeff about to check our three little ones into it -- so she was a "marked girl" by the powers that be. We needed to get a medical clearance for her to get back in after a 24 hour period, even though for her it was clearly an asthma attack, not something viral and contagious. So our Nachi morning was very uncertain. I kept telling Steve he needed to take Skye, he kept telling me no, he'd stay with Hope on the ship because of all the events planned at Nachi and I needed to take Skye. I called Sheri to warn her what was up and she was as cool as a cucumber, bless her heart. Sheri really took charge of the treasure hunt, before and during, so it would have been okay if I hadn't have shown up! And I have to give Jeff and his wonderful wife Missy credit too for being there to help us out when we needed them!

To make a long story short, after a sleepless night with our little brave girl, she woke up with a glint in her eye. We took her down into the bowels of the ship where the doctor's office is; the nurse came out and had her history already (if someone has a child has a pre-existing condition that the Kids Club knows about beforehand, then the Docs office knows about it beforehand too), she talked to us a bit, took her temperature, then gave her a high five and said go have fun. I grilled the nurse about whether or not to take her off the ship and her reply was: "this is a Disney cruise, go have fun!"

Oh, she was such a little trooper, to see the girls playing out on the beach you would never have known she was having such a tough time!!!

By the way, just to set the record straight: the whole reason why over 100 people on our cruise ever went to Nachi was due to your first mentioning it as a possible trip for your family on our Meet Board. Once again, kudos your way.

Well, we did mention it, but we weren't the only ones who did. And in fact not a lot of folks were really jumping onboard at first, it didn't really grow legs until you, and Jeff and Judy and a few others took the idea and ran with it.

I know that Nachi wasn't completely ideal if you were a teenager wanting some really fun water toys, or if you were an adult wanting a really peaceful and quiet beach (it certainly wasn't that on our day there), but the vast majority of us had simple needs: hang out on a beach with some fun people, let the kids enjoy themselves, and let everyone have some good food and drinks (the latter two were unlimited!). Overall, I thought it was a pretty good day. That said, some people were messed with b/c of lack of paperwork when checking in, some people were wanting to be seated closer to amenities and were given the run-around. But for me, my family got medical clearance to go there and be with everyone so we were thrilled.

Us too! I agree, I'm not quite sure it was what the few stragglers from other cruise ships had bargained for that day......we were sitting near two ladies from the Carnival ship and they disappeared for hours at a time. But it couldn't have been much better for us!

Before we got back on the ship, the twins got some great bracelets made especially for them at a store right across from the cruise ship. The person made them right before our very eyes. Skye can never find her name spelled out when we go look for personalized things, so she was very happy to get this from her beach day in Cozumel.

Oh , I saw those, that's so awesome! I'm surprised Skye has problems finding her name spelled right, that's exactly how I would expect her name to be spelled personally...but I totally feel her pain. At Disney, they spell Brendan "Brendon" ...and he is always so bummed to never be able to get anything personalized there.

With all this snow around us tonight (no school for my kids), I am pining for some fun in the Caribbean sun. I sure hope the maiden voyagers are having a great time on the Dream. Speaking of cruising, think of her sister ship, Fantasy, and then think 8/25/, 8/25....we'd love to have you join us in 2012!

Beth

I agree I can't wait for all the news on the Dream to come pouring in...it's so exciting!!! (and we have so long to wait!)..It's awesome you guys are going this summer!!!

oh Beth, I know EXACTLY how you feel. I cruised with Jen on my 1st Disney cruise and have to say she and the others from my meets thread are the same way we have these lasting friends shipships just from talking online over a year. Let alone meeting in person. Ellen and I have never cruised but after reading all her trip reports I already feel like I know her also! I think that is what is so unique about Disney. and especially the DISBoards.. it just brings people together! Ive been on cruisecritics for a carnival cruise were taking and i can barely get 1 word out of people ... no where near as awesome as the DIS is!

Awww...luv you too hun!! I am so blessed to have been involved with two amazing groups and I couldn't have imagined meeting so many wonderful people.

I would love so much a reunion cruise with both DDD and MNSSHC cruisers together!!!! OMG it would be such a blast!!!

It is such a shame that the other cruiselines don't have the cameraderie you find here on the Dis. We had one of the most active meet threads on the RCCL Cruise Critic forum and while those that we did meet onboard were nice enough, but ...nuttin. they didn't even come back to the thread after the cruise at all, it just wasn't the same. I would say I hope your Carny meet thread doesn't go that way, but it sounds like it will. It actually does feel like something is missing not sharing the experience.

It is coming up quick for ya though!!!

I'm so enjoying reading your trip report. It is getting me through some very cold very snowy Connecticut days. We are taking the Western Carribean Cruise at the end of November 2011 and it can't come soon enough. All the details especially about the ports are really informative. I also love how Ellen is writing a trip report at the same time. I almost feel like I was one of your fellow cruisers!

Thanks Cheryl! I'm so glad you find it enjoyable and helpful!!!!

 

[nenner1]

Another morning has arrived aboard the Disney Magic! Bright and early on this Wednesday finds us on approach to Cozumel, Mexico!

As usual, Ron and the older kids were up early and headed down to Parrot Cay for breakfast. Sarah and I slept in a bit, and they brought us back a tray to nibble off of while we got ready for our big beach day.

Most of that bacon is for me!

Our plans today were to join about 100 of our Dis buddies for a relaxing day at the private Nachi Cocom beach club. This would be a very busy day in the port of Cozumel, with six large cruise ships in port. Many of us on our meet thread decided to book Nachi due to the strict limit of 100 people per day they impose. This would guarantee we would not experience overcrowding out at the beach, and get to spend it with our new friends at that!


We headed off the boat around 9:30. Nachi was opening at 10 AM and we wanted to arrive early to get a nice spot, we also wanted to request a specific server that we had read a lot about in Cruise Critic.

Could we have even asked for a nicer day?

We walked straight through the (thankfully) mostly deserted Punta Lagosta Mall at the port area, and followed the signs that pointed us to the taxi area. You have to go up into the mall complex, walk completely through it to the other side, and then back down to street level to find yourself in the taxi area.

Rates are set and clearly displayed:

We had read that parties of 1-4 people can ride in any car, but parties of 5 or more have to share a van, which is more expensive. With Sarah being our fifth “person”, I wasn’t sure if they would make us take a van or not (we were hoping not!!), but sure enough we were led right to a van.
We did not have to wait for any other parties to share with however, as soon as we packed in the van, our driver headed off on the 10 minute drive or so to Nachi Cocom.

Now, I don’t know about you, but we really enjoy the little things when traveling in a foreign country. Local radio and TV, for instance. While we would have gotten a kick out of listening to the local radio station, apparently most tourists don’t. Our cab driver had a CD he inserted almost immediately without us asking. It ended up being the strangest mix of “American” hits from the 80’s and 90’s..Phil Collins, Madonna, and Radiohead for example. But the funniest part was that the CD had been used so much that it skipped incessantly, every track was unlistenable, and he must have known it…yet after a few minutes of “I can *skipskip* feel *skip* it com-*skipskip* -ing in the air *skip* tonight*skipskip* oh lawwwwdddd” *skipskipskip”, he would push the next track button and it would be the same thing all over again…”Holiday….*skip* Celebrate *skipskip*” …it was hilarious. He went through almost every track of that horrible bootleg CD before finally giving up and turning the radio completely off. Meanwhile we were stifling chuckles back in the rear of the van!

Mercifully it wasn’t long before we reached our destination- Nachi Cocom Beach Club! We were happy that the taxi driver gave us a reduced rate on our van, according to the sign it should have been $24, but we were only charged $20. Not a huge discount, but nice nonetheless (especially given the cruel and unusual punishment our ears had to endure). He got the difference in his tip, which was probably what he was hoping for.

As we walked down the tropical foliage lined path into the beach club, we were greeted by a nice lady and we lined the kids up for the famous sombrero picture:

(The cost was $12 USD and I did not try to haggle the price, not sure if you can or not. We were standing right there and probably could have taken a picture with our own camera but I wasn’t prepared for it, so we didn’t.)

We were among the first 15-20 people there, welcome to paradise!

We were escorted into the club area, shown the pavilion, the pool, and began to be led out to our palapa for the day. Almost immediately the server leading the way began to head to the very far end of the beach. The sand was very, VERY thick and I had so much stuff (and maybe Sarah , I don’t recall) I was struggling bringing up the rear. Right away I made no bones about expressing the fact that I wanted to be close to the pool and pavilion, and with a toddler- the restrooms. Ron also let the guy know we were interested in sitting in Carlos’ section. He spun right around without hesitation and brought us to one of the best palapas in the house, right off the pool deck in the center of the beach.

Sweet!

We heard later form others that some people were given a hard time when they asked to not be situated so far out. Some were moved, like us, and some weren’t. We watched the same parade over and over again of people being led towards the far end, then brought back as they began to protest. I’ll tell you what, that sand is thick and deep and it was NOT so easy to trudge through..I don’t know how those servers do it all day with heavy trays of food and drink! They have calves of steel!

Carlos came over to greet us and we placed our first drink order. The admission price at Nachi (Adults $49, Teens (12-17) $35, and kids (4-11) $17, under 4 free) included unlimited drinks (even alcohol for adults) and also food.

From top center, iced tea, sprite, diet coke, corona, strawberry smoothie, and my Dirty Monkey (one of the specialty drinks, so good which was kind of a banana daiquiri with kahlua…yummmm!!!)

Coming Up: Pirates Invade Cozumel!!!

 

[livingis2me]

Right away I made no bones about expressing the fact that I wanted to be close to the pool and pavilion, and with a toddler- the restrooms. Ron also let the guy know we were interested in sitting in Carlos’ section. He spun right around without hesitation and brought us to one of the best palapas in the house, right off the pool deck in the center of the beach.

Sweet!

We heard later form others that some people were given a hard time when they asked to not be situated so far out. Some were moved, like us, and some weren’t.

Actually the guy who was leading us out did get a little upset when I told him we wanted to be closer and in Carlos' section. At first he didn't want to, but when I told him I requested Carlos ahead of time he rolled his eyes and turned us around. You were so far behind us that you didn't notice this happening. Wasn't that big of a deal though...

 

[livingis2me]

Coming Up: Pirates Invade Cozumel!!! (or watch out for low hanging palapas...)

Great update!

 

[verygfy]

Hi Jenn,

Indeed, Nachi was a huge question mark for us. The night before Hope got really sick -- right in front of the Kids Club with Steve and Jeff about to check our three little ones into it -- so she was a "marked girl" by the powers that be. We needed to get a medical clearance for her to get back in after a 24 hour period, even though for her it was clearly an asthma attack, not something viral and contagious. So our Nachi morning was very uncertain. I kept telling Steve he needed to take Skye, he kept telling me no, he'd stay with Hope on the ship because of all the events planned at Nachi and I needed to take Skye. I called Sheri to warn her what was up and she was as cool as a cucumber, bless her heart. Sheri really took charge of the treasure hunt, before and during, so it would have been okay if I hadn't have shown up! And I have to give Jeff and his wonderful wife Missy credit too for being there to help us out when we needed them!

To make a long story short, after a sleepless night with our little brave girl, she woke up with a glint in her eye. We took her down into the bowels of the ship where the doctor's office is; the nurse came out and had her history already (if someone has a child has a pre-existing condition that the Kids Club knows about beforehand, then the Docs office knows about it beforehand too), she talked to us a bit, took her temperature, then gave her a high five and said go have fun. I grilled the nurse about whether or not to take her off the ship and her reply was: "this is a Disney cruise, go have fun!"

By the way, just to set the record straight: the whole reason why over 100 people on our cruise ever went to Nachi was due to your first mentioning it as a possible trip for your family on our Meet Board. Once again, kudos your way. I know that Nachi wasn't completely ideal if you were a teenager wanting some really fun water toys, or if you were an adult wanting a really peaceful and quiet beach (it certainly wasn't that on our day there), but the vast majority of us had simple needs: hang out on a beach with some fun people, let the kids enjoy themselves, and let everyone have some good food and drinks (the latter two were unlimited!). Overall, I thought it was a pretty good day. That said, some people were messed with b/c of lack of paperwork when checking in, some people were wanting to be seated closer to amenities and were given the run-around. But for me, my family got medical clearance to go there and be with everyone so we were thrilled.

Before we got back on the ship, the twins got some great bracelets made especially for them at a store right across from the cruise ship. The person made them right before our very eyes. Skye can never find her name spelled out when we go look for personalized things, so she was very happy to get this from her beach day in Cozumel.

With all this snow around us tonight (no school for my kids), I am pining for some fun in the Caribbean sun. I sure hope the maiden voyagers are having a great time on the Dream. Speaking of cruising, think of her sister ship, Fantasy, and then think 8/25/, 8/25....we'd love to have you join us in 2012!

Beth

I don't mean to hijack your TR Jenn, but I am very curious about the asthma incident. DD has asthma and on our cruise we were very nervous about her having an attack (something about Florida weather does her in every time). Anyways, why did they not allow her in the clubs for 24 hours knowing it was an asthma attack? They had her records and knew that she was prone to this. I completely understand the up all night, when DD has her attacks we are giving her treatments every two hours around the clock until it calms down. That was my biggest fear on the cruise was she would have an attack so I am very sympathetic to what you went through and glad she was feeling well enough to go the next day.

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

I don't mean to hijack your TR Jenn, but I am very curious about the asthma incident. DD has asthma and on our cruise we were very nervous about her having an attack (something about Florida weather does her in every time). Anyways, why did they not allow her in the clubs for 24 hours knowing it was an asthma attack? They had her records and knew that she was prone to this. I completely understand the up all night, when DD has her attacks we are giving her treatments every two hours around the clock until it calms down. That was my biggest fear on the cruise was she would have an attack so I am very sympathetic to what you went through and glad she was feeling well enough to go the next day.

Hi,
The reason why Hope was "marked" by the Kids Club was that she literally got sick (upchucked) right at the entrance when my DH was checking her in. When that type of thing happens, while everyone is sympathetic, walkie talkies are going off. I think something akin to a red flag gets placed in the child's record: and the child needs 24 hours or a special clearance from the doctor to get back in. I actually don't have a problem with this type of precaution, as I would rather they be overly cautious with such incidents, especially with other children around that might catch something infectious. While we knew it was due to her asthma, no doubt exacerbated by a day spent at the Grand Caymans on a Capt Marvin's excursion, the cast members didn't know what was up, even though she had "asthma" in their file. And that night, like some other nights on the cruise, I was up and down with her. But, since this wasn't out of Hope's norm and she had no fever, we waited to go down to the Infirmary in the morning (I did call the nurse to tell her what was up). And once Hope got the all clear down in the infirmary, she was lifted off the 24 hour ban of the Kids Club, because they knew from our discussion with them, plus the paper trail, that asthma was the issue. So we were good to go.

I will say this, all of us had a fabulous vacation, so much so, that we are booked on three more DCL vacations. Asthma can affect my child at any time, any place, so at least on the Magic we got to have lots of fun. And when things went south, our room steward, Dewa, was fabulous and so too was our server, Sasha. As my brother (who used to work for Disney) says, "The Mouse wants everyone to have an over the top vacation." For my family, Disney showed us some extra special magic on our first cruise. And we are very grateful.

Jenn, sorry I'm being so wordy on your TR! I'll stop!!!! Keep those pictures and trip report coming. It is bringing back lots of memories.

 

[anewmac]

oh that just looks so picturesk ... loveit! ... the DRINKS looks awesome!!!

ahh ohh a Dirty Monkey.. did Ellen kiss it LOL

 

[dvc4life]

Great Update!

We are gonna look into going there in December. Looks so nice and relaxing. And that Dirty Monkey sounds great! So if you have any tips, we would love to hear about them.

Can't wait to see how the rest of the day goes.

 

[JKSWonder]

That's my Allison, in the bottom left and the top of my Michael's head, bottom right corner!

 

[Rogue1230]

Such fantastic pictures.... I am only doing the 4 day Bahamas but I am now thinking we may do another the following year for 7?

 

[CRdisMom]

dirty monkey....lol!

 

[nenner1]

I don't mean to hijack your TR Jenn, but I am very curious about the asthma incident. .

Jenn, sorry I'm being so wordy on your TR! I'll stop!!!! Keep those pictures and trip report coming. It is bringing back lots of memories.

Heck no, don't worry about it, it's good!! It's important to know these things, the more experiences we can all share the better!!

oh that just looks so picturesk ... loveit! ... the DRINKS looks awesome!!!

ahh ohh a Dirty Monkey.. did Ellen kiss it LOL

LOL she was on tha Ritas!!!

Great Update!

We are gonna look into going there in December. Looks so nice and relaxing. And that Dirty Monkey sounds great! So if you have any tips, we would love to hear about them.

Can't wait to see how the rest of the day goes.

This is a really long update cause I have a million pics (OK a few less than million). Not too many tips offhand, just expect the whole "take ya to the far end of the beach thing"....just wonderful place. I don;t think you will regret going there!!!

All of the little details are coming up, including great pics of our food, which was DEEEELICIOUS! I'll include everything you need to know, promise!!!

That's my Allison, in the bottom left and the top of my Michael's head, bottom right corner!

Aww! I have much better ones coming!!! I didn't realize ya'll were there so early! You were way down there too, down by where Ellen ended up! (Where they were trying to take us..not that I would have minded being your neighbor..LOL

Such fantastic pictures.... I am only doing the 4 day Bahamas but I am now thinking we may do another the following year for 7?

Thank you! Our first cruise was a 4-night too, and no it wasn't enough!! The 7 nights are great,not sure I could go back to a shorter cruise now, but a short cruise is better than no cruise!!

dirty monkey....lol!

Yeah! It was good, but so, so sweet. I could only have one of them!

 

[myelton01]

Great update Jen!!! Thanks for sparing me any food pics. I'm glad they didn't drag you all the way down to the end of the beach with Sarah in tow, that would have been horrible!!! If I ever get DH talked into a 7 day western, I'm thinking Nachi is the way to go now!!! It looks amazing!!! The drinks look yummy as well. I'm hoping in the next update there is more of the same!

OOOOO, there is going to be a longer video??? I can't wait to see it! I don't know if I'm going to try and tackle a trip report or not when we get back in November... I'm not a great story teller, but you and Ellen make me want to try! I've already bought this super nice journal to have everyone write in every night, I'm just hoping we all do! MIL is great about that though, and since she will have the kids with her, I know at least THEY will all write in it!

Alright, off to deal with a DD... Hoping for another update soon, you are getting me through the winter with all the pics and things!

 

[nenner1]

Hi everyone....I have a *HUGE* update ready to go but Photobucket has not been cooperating this afternoon. I'll get it up as soon as I can.

Great update Jen!!! Thanks for sparing me any food pics.

I'll do that for a little bit longer but I have to warn you there are some delicious drool inducing Mexican food porn pics coming up!!!

I'm glad they didn't drag you all the way down to the end of the beach with Sarah in tow, that would have been horrible!!!

Yeah I would not have been too happy since we spent a lot of time in the pool, the location we ended up in was very convenient. It sure was peaceful down at that end though (I ventured down that way to visit Ellen)!

If I ever get DH talked into a 7 day western, I'm thinking Nachi is the way to go now!!! It looks amazing!!! The drinks look yummy as well. I'm hoping in the next update there is more of the same!

You betcha!!!

OOOOO, there is going to be a longer video??? I can't wait to see it! I don't know if I'm going to try and tackle a trip report or not when we get back in November... I'm not a great story teller, but you and Ellen make me want to try!

I would love to read about it, I hope you do give it a shot!!!

I'm working on a video, but I am only up to MNSSHP so it will take a while to get it done. I will post the link when I do though!!!

I've already bought this super nice journal to have everyone write in every night, I'm just hoping we all do! MIL is great about that though, and since she will have the kids with her, I know at least THEY will all write in it!

That sounds like a great idea!!! There is so much to remember, and as much as you don't want to admit it the little memories slip away so fast! Having a journal will really help you recall all the little moments!

Alright, off to deal with a DD... Hoping for another update soon, you are getting me through the winter with all the pics and things!

Hope she's feeling a little better! I have one ready to go, if I could just get photobucket to cooperate. It's a monster..... probably a 3-parter, and it won't even get us to lunch! LOL!!

 

[nenner1]

Back at beautiful Nachi Cocom, the kids wasted absolutely no time getting in the crystal clear water.

Meanwhile, more and more Disers were arriving and slowly but surely the palapas filled up and we were soon surrounded by friendly familiar faces. There were a couple of groups here and there from other ships, their towels and cruise line beach bags gave them away. Nachi had been sold out for at least six months prior to our sailing and with so many ships in Cozumel, we spied more than one rant over on Cruise Critic about the very popular Nachi being booked full on November 3. Those few stragglers from the other cruise lines that had been lucky to book before all of us on our meet thread bought the place out must have wondered what in the heck was going on with all of the children around. But with the exception of Sarah’s isolated mid-morning meltdown (ahhh, like clockwork), I have to say the beach was still fairly quiet and peaceful with only moderate and occasional chatter from the kids frolicking across the beach. That didn’t stop our nearby neighbors from the Carnival ship from disappearing for hours at a time. Carlos would come by and ask if I had seen them, I would just chuckle and say no.

A short video panning the beach: (click to play)




***Continued in next post***

 

[nenner1]

More pictures from around this beautiful beach club:

The Jacuzzi, or "Hot Pool" as Sarah calls it...

The very large pavilion for dining:

Te restroom and shop area are visible here along the blue and white wall at the rear of this picture. The shop was just a small window with beach essentials and some small souvenir type items)

The bar, with a swim up counter on the other side!

Now, we were warned by Carlos when he brought our drinks to be careful about entering and exiting the palapa, they are not very tall and to be careful and duck going in and out so as to not bump your heads. So what do you think I do the very first time I go to get up? SMACK! Man that hurt. And I’m glad I wasn’t the only one, Ron did it too. I ended up smacking my head multiple times during the day. And I was not tipsy in the least, I can only imagine those folks that sit there drinking all day and finally get up to leave….and WHACK! Ha! (Of course they probably don’t feel much pain!!!) So when at Nachi..beware of the attack palapas, they’ll get you every time!!

Back in the numerous palm trees , we really enjoyed the hammocks tied between the trunks. What more could one ask for???

Ron soothes Sarah in the hammocks:

Coconut anyone? This baby’s ripe!

**Continued in next post!**

 

[nenner1]

Ron and I would take turns, one of us under the palapa relaxing, and one “on duty” with Sarah at the shoreline. Carlos came by and dropped off a basket of sand toys for Sarah to play with! How wonderful! We had brought along a few small sand molds she had gotten in the FE but not a lot else, so she really had a blast playing with all the buckets and shovels.

Meanwhile it didn’t take long for Brendan and Savannah to hook up with their buddies, Daniel and Tim, Troy and Patrick, of course Tyler and Timmy, and also Adriane, whom Savannah had gotten to know on the cruise kids’ meet thread but they hadn’t run into each other very much onboard up ‘til this point.

Brendan, Savannah, Tyler, and Timmy yuk it up!

I think she's trying to serve us something...ocean delicacies maybe? I'm not quite sure!

Thanks Ellen for some of the great pics, I lost many from this day!


Before too long, it was time for Ron and the kids to go on the Banana Boat ride we had planned. Nachi Cocom offers many water sport activities (at an extra charge) including banana boat rides, jet skis, fishing/snorkeling charters, and parasailing. We found the prices very reasonable and there is no pressure. Not long after we arrived at our palapa, a gentleman stopped by with a list of all the services they offer, with prices (cash only - $$USD accepted). We told him we would probably take a banana boat ride later and he told us whenever we were ready to stop by the watersports area (marked by a large surfboard shaped sign) at the end of the beach closest to the pavilion and dock. That’s it! We found the prices very reasonable ( I believe the cost of the banana boat ride was $12/pp).

So Ron, Brendan, and Savannah headed over mid-morning for thir ride while I waited with Sarah back at the palapa (I was trying desperately to get her to take a nap but she wailed nonstop so eventually I gave up and let her run back to the shore with her basket of toys. Sigh.

The Banana Boat ride lasted a good 15 minutes, they were towed back and forth numerous times past the beach. The seas and waves were not really very high, plus they were only towed by a jetski, not a powerboat (like we were in Castaway Cay back when they used to do them there), so the ride was a bit tamer. In fact the operator told Ron we could even have brought Sarah on and he would have gone slow. Not a good idea though, holding on to a banana boat is hard, and holding on to Sarah is hard, holding on to both would have been impossible! Ha!

The kids on the Banana...(sorry about the water on the lens, these were taken with our smaller camera in the waterproof DiCaPac)

....and during the ride

To get an idea of how fast and rough the ride is, here's a short video clip (click to play)



And the verdict? While not as rough (or exciting) as the one that used to be done at Castaway Cay, Ron and the kids thoroughly enjoyed the ride and proclaimed it worth the cost, and would do it again!


Some of our group enjoying the other watersports, parasailing and in the background jetskis (Ellen? Is that you?)

 

[nenner1]

Being Wednesday and given our location in the heart of the Caribbean, as you know, on the Magic Western cruises Day 5 is Pirate Night onboard, which is a huge Pirate themed celebration. Some of the fantastic folks on our meet thread got together and put together this wonderful event for the younger kids (under 10) to enjoy while out at Nachi Cocom. Coordinated by Beth, Judy, and Sheri, they took the idea of a pirate themed treasure hunt and RAN with it!

First off, on Tuesday night this awesome magnet showed up on our door, inviting us and giving a little hint of what was to come!

Back out on the beach, we knew the festivities were beginning when the pirate flag was hoisted over the shore!

I had Savannah and Sarah signed up to participate. Brendan, was off with the boys at first, but when it was time for Timmy and Tyler to go on their jetski ride, he ended up migrating back towards the group and lo and behold, ended up right with the rest of the “pirates”. The kids were read clues and they ran off in groups solving their little challenges. Many of the participating parents scattered about in their palapas held up signs of state and country flags in the shape of Mickey Heads, and each correct answer to the clues led the kids closer and closer to finding the buried treasure.


They had such a blast!!!

Sarah was still a bit cranky and was more content to just play in the surf, but Savannah, and even Brendan really had a lot of fun with it. Kudos to all involved with the planning of this fun event for making our day at Nachi even more special!!

Pay no attention to the man -er- dads behind the curtain!

The colors are hoisted! Time to pillage and plunder!

They’re getting close to uncovering buried treasure!

A treasure chest of goodies!!

Savannah shows off her sassy pirate garb!

Don't even think we're done with this day yet. Why it's not even lunchtime!

Up next: A Fiesta, A Siesta, A Piscina, and A Tequila! (oh my!)

 

[jns]

another great update