Could the Dream Turn the Grump into a Believer? Charleston Update 10/13

[SoonerGirl]

The Castawy Cay day was the biggest high point for me on our cruise this past summer! It looks like the cabanas are awesome -- I can't really justify the expense for my next cruise, since I'm going solo, but maybe one of these days...

I was looking at the cruises departing from Galveston the other day, just because it's so close for us, but I just can't imagine going on a Disney cruise and not having a CC day. It's definitely a cruise high point!

Castaway Cay seems like heaven on earth. Toes in the sand and a drink in your hand,


Even your grump is coming around. HeHeHe

Writing this update really made me miss the beach.....

So much fun! That cabana looks fabulous! I think it must have been nice having a place to hang out like that, I agree! looks like everyone had a great day and a fun time on CCay... We were convinced the double dip was the only way to go when we booked it for our boys. Made the trip perfect. I love CCAY!!! AND the Konk Koolers!!!! Nice souvies, too.. especially the beach towel!

I can see why the double dip cruises are so popular!

I love my beach towel, I used it a lot this summer at the pool, it's a great reminder of the fun day we had

Your pics of CC are GORGEOUS!! What a beautiful day you had, lucky, lucky you! I will be there for the third time this May- hope we have sunny skies like that all day (although the other two CC visits I have mad eit rained for only part of the day, and we still managed to enjoy ourselves!).

Very glad your Grump was enjoying making that Mickey in the sand!

It did start to cloud up just a bit as we were getting back on board, but for the most part it was a glorious day. Hope you get one just like it in May!

 

[SoonerGirl]

I had to reread what you posted to make sure I got that right---Don actually made a Mickey head in the sand!!! Maybe there is hope yet!

Castaway Cay is just gorgeous. I can't wait to try it some day.

The cabana looks wonderful. How great that you had your own beach as well!

Love the snorkeling pictures. How neat!

The most astonishing part about Don helping Jared make the Mickey head was that it was his idea!

At that particular moment in time, I had a lot of hope.

The private beach area was the biggest seller to me on the cabana, and it was so nice!

You are killing me with this update! CC looks better and better every time I see it.

Loved the cabana! You and Anita look so relaxed and happy sitting there in the water. That is my very favorite thing to do at the beach. I always pull my chair down to the water and let the waves lap over my feet. Pure bliss!

How odd about the cabana service. I'm surprised by that. Disney service is usually top notch and I would think it would be even better for the people who rent the cabanas considering the cost.

You are going to LOVE it Rinky!

I really want to believe that our buzzer just didn't work. I honestly don't think they would have just ignored us, and we never tried it again to find out.

I loved the pix of CC & the cabana. So wonderful! I adore those kinds of places.

I think I could have taken up residence there for quite awhile!

Does the cabana have a bathroom? If it does then I'm sold, with three little ones I'm always in the bathroom and they never have to go at the same time. And when they poop out they can nap.

Nope, the one thing it is missing is a bathroom. There is one right outside the entrance to the cabana area though so if you were able to get one of the first couple of cabanas you would have one very close by.

 

[kmedina]

I'm in and all caught up. It looks like you had a blast. Sorry about Jared's ear. I think I am going through the same thing right now. The food from this trip looks amazing.

Those cabanas are nice. We are going on our first cruise soon. The cabanas were sold out before our booking window even opened up. That gives me an idea of how amazing they must be.

 

[Spartangirl]

Hi Michelle!!!

I have to apologize because it's been awhile since I was last on the DIS...so, with that said, I have quite a few things to comment on!

Looks like you had an amazing time on the dolphin encounter! Aren't dolphins incredible creatures? Chris and I did this on our very 1st cruise too!

I felt the EXACT SAME WAY AS YOU about walking around Nassau. I literally walked in and right back out of the straw market. I definitely felt a bit uncomfortable in Nassau. We toured Atlantis, which was pretty cool, but I didn't care for the other areas of town. It's not a place that I feel I even need to visit a second time.

I LOVE your family picture in front of the Dream on Castaway Cay...great shot!

Your cabana on the island looks absolutely perfect! What a peaceful and relaxing day you all had!

Wow!!! Don helped Jared make a MICKEY HEAD in the sand??? I'm impressed!

So are you hooked on cruising yet?

 

[brookelizabeth]

I'll say that again, DON (aka, The Disney Grump) helped Jared make a MICKEY head in the sand!!

That is a very, very good sign!

I'm so happy to hear you thought the cabana was worth it, I've only ever read positive reviews of them - they look just AWESOME. KristiMC and my family have had discussions of splitting one in June, I'm so looking forward to it!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Hey Michelle! I'm just catching up on the boards. Loved the pics of the Dolphin encounter and the Villains show! The pics of the cabana makes me want to go on a beach holiday.

Also on it being 15 days until you are back at Disney World!!

 

[LilAnn]

Wow, CC looks absolutely amazing! I have always wanted to go there and your photos have totally just confirmed it. Sigh, one day. Although I have to tell you that while I keep getting the cruise itch when reading your TR, Titanic has been on the tv a lot lately and that is moving me in the opposite direction of cruising!

Cabana, hammock, private beach, frozen drinks =

I can bet that one day there wouldn't be enough for us.

 

[LilAnn]

oops - duplicate post with the wierd downtime they had.

just ignore!

 

[SoonerGirl]

I'm in and all caught up. It looks like you had a blast. Sorry about Jared's ear. I think I am going through the same thing right now. The food from this trip looks amazing.

Those cabanas are nice. We are going on our first cruise soon. The cabanas were sold out before our booking window even opened up. That gives me an idea of how amazing they must be.

Thanks for joining in!!

We got very lucky with the cabana. When we booked our cruise the cabanas could not be reserved in advance unless you were staying concierge. Well, shortly before we sailed, like a maybe a couple of months, Disney opened up advanced booking of them online. I just happened to notice a thread about it here the day that started and so I checked to see if there was one available, I got the last one left. I was pretty excited!

Hi Michelle!!!

I have to apologize because it's been awhile since I was last on the DIS...so, with that said, I have quite a few things to comment on!

Looks like you had an amazing time on the dolphin encounter! Aren't dolphins incredible creatures? Chris and I did this on our very 1st cruise too!

I felt the EXACT SAME WAY AS YOU about walking around Nassau. I literally walked in and right back out of the straw market. I definitely felt a bit uncomfortable in Nassau. We toured Atlantis, which was pretty cool, but I didn't care for the other areas of town. It's not a place that I feel I even need to visit a second time.

I LOVE your family picture in front of the Dream on Castaway Cay...great shot!

Your cabana on the island looks absolutely perfect! What a peaceful and relaxing day you all had!

Wow!!! Don helped Jared make a MICKEY HEAD in the sand??? I'm impressed!

So are you hooked on cruising yet?

Hi Lynne! I've missed seeing you around here

The dolphin encounter was so awesome! I'm so glad we did that.

Nassau - blech! I'd like to see Atlantis, but outside of that, if we are ever on cruise that stops in Nassau again, I'll stay on the boat

We loved, loved, loved the cruise! I can totally see how people get hooked on it. I'm looking at one for spring break, haven't gotten the green light to book yet though.

That is a very, very good sign!

I'm so happy to hear you thought the cabana was worth it, I've only ever read positive reviews of them - they look just AWESOME. KristiMC and my family have had discussions of splitting one in June, I'm so looking forward to it!

Isn't that just amazing that Don helped him build the Mickey head?! I think I stood there with my hanging wide open and Jared was like, 'ummm Mom, are you gonna take the picture or what?'

Oh, I would jump on the cabana share with Kristi! You won't be sorry and they really aren't all that bad if you split the cost with another family.

Hey Michelle! I'm just catching up on the boards. Loved the pics of the Dolphin encounter and the Villains show! The pics of the cabana makes me want to go on a beach holiday.

Also on it being 15 days until you are back at Disney World!!

Hey Tanz! Look at you getting caught up already! How was your trip? Hope you had an amazing time - I can't wait to hear all about it!

14 days now!

Wow, CC looks absolutely amazing! I have always wanted to go there and your photos have totally just confirmed it. Sigh, one day. Although I have to tell you that while I keep getting the cruise itch when reading your TR, Titanic has been on the tv a lot lately and that is moving me in the opposite direction of cruising!

Cabana, hammock, private beach, frozen drinks =

I can bet that one day there wouldn't be enough for us.

Jared went on and on about Titanic before our cruise too! I'll tell you what I told him - there are no iceburgs in the Caribbean

Do the double dip cruise with two stops at CC........

 

[SoonerGirl]

Once we got back to our stateroom we took showers and then sat out on our verandah for awhile. I grabbed the rebooking offer that was left in our room to peruse as we sat out there, hoping that the fabulous day we had just had would be incentive enough for Don to want to book another cruise.

Don took a few pictures as we said goodbye to Castaway Cay.

We found several itineraries that were appealing, and the rebooking incentives were good, if I remember right it was 10% off current rates plus a $200 on board credit. Try as I might though, I couldn't get Don to take that walk with me down to the rebooking desk, he wasn't ready to take the plunge.

I didn't push it as it was time for us to get ready for dinner anyway. The boys were on their own this night because the adults were dining at Palo. We had a little bit of confusion over the reservation time. When we had discussed it that day we thought it was at 7:30, well as we were getting ready I decided just to take another quick look at our itinerary and that is when I saw that our reservation was actually for 7:00. I tried to call Anita to let her know, but there was no answer in their stateroom (she was probably out shopping ).

Don and I went ahead and went up to Palo at our appointed time and told the hostess about our little miscommunication. She was very nice and said it was no problem at all. She said she could seat us, and then just bring Anita & Marc in when they arrived, or we could wait and all be seated together. We elected to wait.

While we waited to be seated we went into Meridian, the bar between Palo & Remy. I felt kind of sorry for the wait staff in there as no one was ordering anything, everyone was just waiting for their tables, the staff looked really bored! It didn't look to us like this bar is used much, which is really a shame because it's a really nice, quiet area. There are outside tables too, I think it would be a great place to go grab a drink and have a nice conversation while watching the ocean float by.

Soon enough we were shown to our table, where we met our server, Thomas, I think? It bugs me that I can't remember his name, because he was really fantastic!

We started off the meal with some breads, meats, cheeses & olives. And while we were enjoying that, we noticed something out in the water, in fact most everyone seated near the windows noticed it.

It was a little water spout! We watched it until it reached the ship and disappeared. Pretty cool to see!

Next up, the appetizer. Don and I both ordered the mozzarella & tomato, the mozzarella is hidden under the tomato flower - very pretty presentation

I think it was Anita who ordered the shrimp, and it looked so good that Don and I asked for one of those to share as well!

Time for a little palate cleansing

Followed by the main course

I ordered the lobster ravioli

Don got the tuna - rare - ewwww, this looks so gross to me!

For dessert, it was the famous chocolate soufflé all the way around - yum!

Followed by a small shot of limoncello

We did have a photographer come around and take our picture during the meal, this was the result, not a bad photo.

When we left Palo we headed to the atrium to see if there were still some photographers around, I wanted another picture since we were all dressed up

Continued in the next post

 

[SoonerGirl]

We went back to the stateroom to change. When we arrived we saw this guy hanging out

We didn't spend much time in the room, it was pirate night and we were hoping to find the kids and get to watch the fireworks together. Amazingly enough when we went up to try and find a spot for the fireworks, we bumped into the three boys. We asked them about their night. They had gone to see the show that night, 'The Physical Comedy of Alfred & Seymour', and they proclaimed it to be the funniest thing they had ever seen. Then they went to our normal dining rotation. We had told our servers the night before that we would not be with the kids on this night and we asked if it was okay for them to come on their own or if they needed to eat quick service. They said that the boys would be fine to come to the dining room on their own and that they would take good care of them. I can't remember what they said they ordered off the special pirate menu, but there were no complaints.

A picture I bought of the boys that was taken during their meal

We were late getting up to the pirate party and so weren't able to get a very good spot to watch the fireworks or the show, but we were able to squeeze in and see them anyway.

I had to get a drink in one of these cute glowing glasses

I didn't have a very good angle for taking fireworks pictures, but I managed to get a few

When the fireworks ended we got a visit from a special guest - some of these are sort of blurry, sorry about that!

We watched some of the show, but didn't stay too long, it had been a long day and we were beat!

 

[Roxychica7]

What a fantastic day and night!! It looks like a total blast! And Palo looks absolutely delicious!!! Maybe Don will change his mind??

 

[princesscinderella]

I love the pirate night drink glass I still use it every day and it reminds me of all the fun we had. I'll be so sad when the batteries die.

 

[TanzUnited99]

What a fantastic update Michelle! The food looks amazing and that chocolate souffle looks very yummy!

Love the pics of you and Don as well as the one of the boys taken during their meal.

Yay on ending the night with fireworks and getting a visit from a special guest

P.S. I had a great trip and have started my TR - link is in the signature. Hope to see you over there

 

[Pinkocto]

Loved the update! Palo looks so scrumptous! I can't wait to finally try it after hearing and seeing such wonderful reviews from everybody. Were you specifically skipping pirate night dinner or was that the only time slot to get into Palo? I'm going back and forth on the menu for that evening. That picture of the boys at dinner is priceless So sad Don wasn't up for the commitment, that sounded like fantastic savings.

You've got a trip coming up real soon!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Sounds like a perfect ending to your day! You got some really nice pictures from the ship photographers. The one of you and DH at Palo is great! And all the food there looked really good too (except the tuna ). I don't know how people can eat raw meat like that. My DH does it too.

So what cruise would you have been interested in rebooking if DH had agreed? I'm been trying to decide that myself. I really want to rebook onboard to get the discount even if we have to cancel it later, but I don't know which one would be a good choice. The double dip would be my fist choice, but they don't have that in Oct. and that's when we would be going in 2012. Just wondering what you were considering though.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

I love the photos of you and Don, Michelle. You look so pretty!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Love your photos all dressed up for Palo.
I ordered a new dress & shoes for the exact same thing. Hope our pictures turn out half as good as yours.
Too bad you weren't able to talk Don into rebooking while on board. What is wrong with him?
Love your Jack Sparrow pictures....that is new to the pirate party I think. Can't wait to see Capn Jack myself.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Great way to end your day. That meal looks scrumptions, fireworks and JACK, plus photopass pix.

Now if only Don would have signed up for another Disney fix!

 

[SoonerGirl]

What a fantastic day and night!! It looks like a total blast! And Palo looks absolutely delicious!!! Maybe Don will change his mind??

It was a fantastic day!

And Palo was delicious!

I love the pirate night drink glass I still use it every day and it reminds me of all the fun we had. I'll be so sad when the batteries die.

I love that pirate night glass too, but I try not to use it a lot because I don't want the battery die I guess when it does that means it's time for another cruise

What a fantastic update Michelle! The food looks amazing and that chocolate souffle looks very yummy!

Love the pics of you and Don as well as the one of the boys taken during their meal.

Yay on ending the night with fireworks and getting a visit from a special guest

P.S. I had a great trip and have started my TR - link is in the signature. Hope to see you over there

Oh, the chocolate souffle was so good! We had to order it early because it takes so long to make.

The fireworks at sea were really cool! Obviously they are nothing like what they can do in the parks, but to have fireworks out in the middle of the ocean is pretty awesome.

Thanks for the heads up on your TR, I'm really bad about noticing links in peoples signatures, you gotta hit me over the head with it, so I'm really glad you told me

Loved the update! Palo looks so scrumptous! I can't wait to finally try it after hearing and seeing such wonderful reviews from everybody. Were you specifically skipping pirate night dinner or was that the only time slot to get into Palo? I'm going back and forth on the menu for that evening. That picture of the boys at dinner is priceless So sad Don wasn't up for the commitment, that sounded like fantastic savings.

You've got a trip coming up real soon!

We did specifically pick pirate night to go to Palo. My boys really weren't into the whole idea, so we didn't feel like we were missing out there, and we wanted to be sure we were able to experience all 3 restaurants with their regular menu, and since pirate night is the night you repeat one of the restaurants, we thought it would be the best night for Palo.

My trip is coming up soon - just 2 weeks!! Which means I've got to get this puppy wrapped up!