My "IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE N KEY WEST, COZUMEL & G CAYMAN TR- JAN '12 (w/pics..)

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So -
DAY ONE



FRI; Jan 6th
High temp for the day = 78 degrees




My adventure began with me finishing up things at work and heading off to DFW airport around 8 for a 9:40am flight. It sure felt really refreshing to drop the silliness of work and enstead adopt another 4 lettered word:

PLAY


and play I did as the flight was rather uneventful though I do say I did see a very nice young lady one row in back of me who I could have sworn was reading a book but I dismissed this as an afterthough. MORE ON THIS LATER as this comment will come back into play a few days later.


WE finally touched down at MCO around 2pm with me hitting the ground floor (and to ME) of the airport as quickly as I could. Enjoyed talking to the people just right across from me on the plane; which made the process of getting to the Magical Express bus system so much less taxing for me.


ANYWHO -


got all checked in the CBR around 3pm and I was now officially in WDW mode!!
:yay:



My first stop was MK and to get a bite to eat at Caseys (I had nothing of "subtsance" allllllllll day):laughing:





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(something I have never seen before while at MK)

** JUST DOUBLE CLICK W/YOUR MOUSE OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 YOU **








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and I jjuusstt had to get a:
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It was just me and that hotdog in front of CIndy's castle; just a chillin out and people watching for a while.

After that, I was off to ride HM; pretty cool ride esp with all the new additions.:woohoo:
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Had fun walking around MK a bit but before I knew it, it was time to head on over to HS since it was rapidly approaching 5pm.



**JUST DOUBLE CLICK ON THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **



Arrived at HS -


Grabbed me a
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from this place:
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(THE 'RITA TASTED SOOOOOOO GOOD):goodvibes



and



made it just in time for a beautiful view of Fantasmic (I have never seen it):





** JUST DOUBLE CLICK W/YOUR MOUSE OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 YOU **




And who can forget STAR TOURS??

I rode that bugger 3 times IN A ROW!!popcorn::

I have never been on it before & it was quite a treat for me to be in row one as I felt like I was IN the movie.


ANd what was soooooo nice about STar Tours, is that its close by this place:
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GUESS WHICH CHARACTER IS MY 2nd FAV???? HHMMMMMMMM..........
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HINT: My last name is Newton:laughing:.




It was also nice to see a still from the movie, "SO Dear to my Heart" and see where Walt got the idea from for his barn:
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AND FINALLY!!


It was nice to finally see the Abe AA:
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(It's amazing to see the tech advances in AA's from the 60's AAs to the 80's "Joe Cocker AA" out at the DIsney Studios)


ANYWHO -
After a quick shot of Coca Cola and another pretzel, I was off to see this spectacle:



and -





**JUST DOUBLE CLICK OVER THE TWO VIDEOS POSTED ABOVE & THEY WILL PLAY FOR YOU **



This was really a sight to behold as I have never seen it before. So I felt like a little kid with his mouth hanging open, taking in all the sights with a "WOW!" look to my face. I must have hung out in that section of HS for about 20 minutes before

I decided that all this was enough for my first day and decided to mosey up on outta HS around 11pm and made it back to CBR around 11:30pm for a quick stop off at Old Port Royale for 6......yes count them Six cc cookies and two cans of Coke.
(DIET?? WHAT DIET??:lmao:)




Threw myself into a nice hot bubble bath while nibbling on a few cookies while looking at the my "Must Do's" for the next day.



Chilled out watching "The Stacey Channel" while finishing my late night snack as I finally tumbled off to Neverland around 1am.






UP NEXT:





So - how fast can you get dressed and out that hotel door for a impromptu charcter breakfast??popcorn::




T.T.F.N.
 
Hi there, can you tell me what time you left Key West on your cruise? Did you leave as scheduled or did the ship stay in port late?
 
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DAY TWO:
:teleport:SAT; Jan 7th
high temp in Orlando = 76 degrees & sunny skies


4am was soon upon me as I awoke a little confused about what CBR's info guide desk had said the day earlier (I had to be out of the hotel by 11am).
Which I found out later was WRONG INFO!!


ANYWHO -



RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!:mad:
Well - that didn't sit too well with me and I let overnight front desk know about it until about 5:30am as I fell back to sleep -
After listening to my complaint,
They had suggested for me to call character dining at 7am this am-----to wit I rsponded that THATS WHY I ASKED THEM (CBR) YESRTERDAY IN THE PM TO AVOID ALL OF THIS!!


But I did tell them that yes I would call them when they open up.



EDITOR'S NOTE:

Little did I know these 90 minutes were not spent in vain as I was about to encounter a gag being played on me by Alice & the Mad Hatter; courtesy (from what I could piece together) of CBR - in a few more hours


BUT.........



HEY!! Enough of my lame foreshadowing attempt.;)




ANYWHO -
For some silly reason, I awoke with a start at 6am and literally flew out of bed and into the shower; thinking happy thoughts.


Then -:idea:


So, at about 6:45am, I was about 3/4 finished getting ready for the day, and was getting my suitcase repacked when 7am hit.


So.....I decided to call the Character dining hotline and asked if there were any character breakfasts still available that I could attend.


I finally got ahold of them at 7:10am.....talked with them for about 10 minutes and...........

They told me that Chef Mickeys was sold out but that 1900 Park Faire was open :


**** AT 8:30am!! ****


I immediately said yes, quickly told them all my relevant info & hung up the phone as quickly as I could.


Let out a HHUUGGEEE scream that would have been heard all the way down to Dade County.:scared1:


WHY you ask??


1) I had not re-packed my day bag.
2) I still was not 100% dressed for the day.
3) the bus for MK leaves in 8 minutes.
4) It was marathon week (heavy traffic).
5) Bus stop was a 5 minute walk from my hotel room.
:scared1::eek:popcorn::
6) bus/monorial ride from CBR to GF 'aint' no 5 minute ride!!


I tell you what, it had to be a miracle I still found enough sense in me to remain calm as I quickly gathered up all my remaining stuff and crammed it in my day bag, etc & literally threw myself out that door -


with tenny shoe laces not tied
AND
the belt to my shorts slung over my shoulder


as I was still combing my wet hair as I was fast walking


almost jogging to the bus stop.popcorn::


By the time I made it to the bus stop, I had less than a minute before the bus pulled up and took me to a ride into destiny:






- A DATE WITH ALICE & THE MAD HATTER I WILL NEVER FORGET -









UP NEXT:


Why it don't pay to get into a deep discussion w/the Mad Hatterpopcorn::




T.T.F.N.
 
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CONT FROM LAST POST -

Ok....so where did I last leave you?





Oh yes, that's right - the bus/monorail ride to the GF.:rolleyes1


There were so many people looking at me like I was strange as I was STILL getting dressed ON THE BUS; and I had to explain to them WHY; to no avail.


BUT hey, It's my vacation ya know?? So Whatever.


Finally, the monorail pulled up to the GF & I was immedially struck by the beauty of the place; esp just to the right of the hotel's front desk:
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Now, by this time I had developed a HHUUGGEE "rumbly in my tumbly" and I was in the mood for FOOD:
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But before I could wrap my arms around some much needed food, SHE stopped on by:
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Now, I will admit I have this thing for MS Poppins and it goes back to last year when I met her alter ego while out in Hollywood. So she & I just hit it off quite well with her & I BOTH acting jjuusstt a wee bit cheeky with each other - but it was all in good fun.

FYI: YYEESSS, take note of the autograph (yes, me with an autograph book) book as I politely asked Ms Poppins if she could please be so kind to autograph my book; right next to Ms Julie's signature



And after a few more minutes, I had my very first encounter with Alice:
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I will admit at first she was very intimidating (WHERE IS MY OJ!!!!! - I NEED TO WAKE UP!!!!!) , but soon memories of "Through the looking Glass" came back to me and all was well.


That & I was throwing down as much OJ as possible while talking with her....and she was soon feeding me more and more and more.........


THEN THE MAD HATTER SAW THIS AND JUST H-a-D to get in on the action.popcorn::
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By this time, the orange juice had started to kick in and I thought I could handle a deep discussion on any random topic with the Mad Hatter (first time I mad met him):



WRONG!!:upsidedow


So FINALLY, I was trying to find a gracefull way to exit the conversation, when suddenly the Mad Hatter picked up my bill and tore it up, saying that this whole thing is free.
(this caught me by surprise).


Then Alice interrupted him and said that it was no charge.

Then MH said , "No Alice It's free."




My reaction to all this??
:confused:





This went back and forth a bit -


SO I decided to put a stop to all this silliness and replied, "No you are both incorrect! It's Non-payment for services rendered!":snooty:


(HEY....that's all I could think up at the spur of the moment!!):lmao:


They both looked at each other and said yes.....then no....then they went back to arguing whether or not my meal was free or no charge.



And with that, I knew it was my cue to head for the door before I totally lost my mind;) as I replied to them that I was off to an adventure out on the water in a boat.


MH asked me if it was a bananna boat or a strawberry boat.


With which I 'innocently' threw it back onto him by asking what's the difference.:confused3


To wit he went off into a small dissertation on the difference.....thus unbeknownst to me he was buying time as my a small gaggle of waitstaff gathered around my table (?????) with Ms Poppins, Pooh, Tigger, MH and ALice all singing me the Birthday song and presenting me with:
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OOPS!!!


Did I not mention to ya that I am celebrating my Birthday??
Okokokokokok.......that was just a weeee bit embarrasing but I will admit I was having fun (& highly recommend atleast one character meal during your vcacation) as I emptied the contents of that cupcake outta it's container and into my tumbly asap as I listened for a bit to MH finishing his dissertation on the boat differences with me quickly hugging the both of them and with a wave goodbye, I was off for a snack before heading off to my "Bananna Boat" adventure:


I mean ya know, all that cupcake leaved me with a dry mouth! So I need
a Milkshake at Dntwn Disney at:
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REMEMEBR: Diet?? What diet:laughing:





UP NEXT:
Seeing the Magic up close for the very first time



(P.S. THANK U CBR!!)






T.T.F.N.
 


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So after escaped with my wits from the GF area, I meandered my way on over to Dwntwn Disney area for some quick shopping and a:
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ME?

I am a sucker for their PB SHakes:
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YUM!!!


i discovered them while at the 50's Prime Time Cafe 2 yrs ago and it worked its magic once again as I was soon finding myself back on the WDW bus and back to CBR for an adventure of a lifetime:

** A DCL CRUISE **:woohoo:



From there, we transfered on over to this mode of transpo:
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I finished the shake in no time (before boarding the motorcoach) and decided to take a quick 70 minute cat nap as it took us to the port in what seemed like 5 minutes:
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as I got off the motorcoach, I looked off on my right, and there she was:
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I headed towards the check in area, marveled at literally everything in sight and had to refrain from running towards her as I was so ready for more fun and excitement.


What lays ahead for me?? What more silliness awaits me?? Any tablemates from Heck????



Stay tuned -
popcorn::






UP NEXT:



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T.T.F.N.
 
So I thought I would play a little video for ya to refresh the ol' noodle as to where I am going:


** JUST DOUBLE CLICK ON THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U ****


Had fun getting on the ship, got all checked in and made a quick beeline to the Promenade Lounge for our DISmeets (it was just awe bit past 2pm); which kicked in more or less around 2pm until 3:30pm.
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(lobby of the DIsney Magic)




Had fun, meet a lot of interesting and very engaging people.:goodvibes

From there, it was that boat drill at 4pm - then onto my room!
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I loved how they decorated it::woohoo:
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Complete with a:
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- AND -


Ya can't ferger about these little buggers:
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Soon, it was time for me to get cleaned up and ready for dinner (2nd seating):


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I'm thinking the below pic really helped (will explain in my next posting) -
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Soon it was time for desert:
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I was literally losing myself in the birthday cupcake the waitstaff had presented me (did I blush when they sang to me the H.B. Song??):rolleyes1


HHmmmmmmm............



Why was I literally losing myself in the B.D. cupcake??
Well, it had to do with my tablemates.




DETAILS COMING UP -





UP NEXT:
Table mates from HECK!!popcorn::






T.T.F.N.
 
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(My apetizer while on day 1 at AP) = YUM!!




About the pesky world of tablemates from heck:



I have a strong belief in the phrase, "Treat your table mates in the way that you would want to be treated.":goodvibes


Now here comes the word BUT -




But -



when I sat down at an EIGHT TOP (table) and introduced myself to the ONLY PERSON AT THE TABLE ....


ok......:confused3


AND....popcorn::



the tablemate begins to talk about:


1) US politics:eek:
2) real estate:scared1:


Now, let me stop this right here and express that I really tried to give it a go and see if this could work, but I gotta tell ya, I was rapidly losing interest since I am on a vacation and the LAST thing I desire to immerse myself in is REALITY.

Yes, there is so much more I could say about this but I am choosing to be kind here.


ANYWHO -

So at the end of the meal, I made it a point to stop on by Guest Services and express my sincere disdain for the table from heck.

A table that shall go un-named:rolleyes1.



And with that, I bid him a farewell, and made my way on up to Rockin' (what's the proper name of that bar??;)) and had fun participating in Magic Quest - A game that all should enter.


We all had fun - didn't win but had fun playing.:)
From there, I hung around that area checking out the sights and sounds before


I sauntered on back to my room, ordered 3 big island cookies and a can of Coca Cola (from Room service) and relaxed out for a bit while watching "Puss n Boots" on one of the zillion Disney tv channels.


Finally called it a night around 1:30am.


All in all, what a beautiful day; all things considered.






UP NEXT:




Having fun out in Key Westpopcorn::
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T.T.F.N.
 


Hi there, can you tell me what time you left Key West on your cruise? Did you leave as scheduled or did the ship stay in port late?


One of the nice things about DCl is they are always prompt.:thumbsup2


Yes, we left Key West as scheduled.
Don't get me wrong, I had fun at all ports but I was very very very aware of the time and made sure I made it back on the Magic well ahead of the departure time.:goodvibes





T.T.F.N.
 
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(Sunest out on the waters of Key West)



:boat:DAY THREE (Key West Day)
Sat; Jan 8th
High Temp of the day = 78 degrees and sunny skies




Life began for me this day at around 5am w/me heading on up to the Vista Spa excercise room around 6am for some much needed excercise on their tread mill (did 1.2 miles in 45 minutes:woohoo:) -

before headin on over to the other side as I checked out their rainforest room from about 8-10:30am:cloud9:.

11am - quick breakfast for me
But before I knew it, it was time for my shore excursion:
"Fury Catamran sail and snorkel tour"


The excursion even gave me an opportunity to see my Fav Disney Character up close and personal having fun at the back of the Magic:
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a pic of the Magic as we were being taken to our snorkel area:
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Now about the snorkel experience and the cat ride?
LOVED IT!!


the cast and crew were very professional and knew exactly what they were doing:
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Before we all went out, they gave us an option to cancel since the winds were at 17.5 knots.popcorn::

Some did bail.

Me??


I look at it this way, since the winds were up, then go out and enjoy the catamaran - which I did.


The skipper took out us a little bit farther out to find a much quieter area; which cut down by approx 15 minutes our snorkel time but hey - it was still fun to see the waters of Key West for the very first time.
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He and I talked for a bit as we past a sanctuary area (one I saw in a Key West dvd that the name of it just slips my mind) that has some sort of a huge bouy that signals to people that its there -

anyway -

what he was telling me is that that area is really drying up ----


ok - sorry for the deviation -


back to the story.popcorn::



So I decided to walk down the stairs and into the 70 degree water and
with a splash, I was in.:woohoo:

Took me a few minutes to get my bearings, but in no time I was having fun checking out the coral and the fish the closer I got to that sanctuary area (the waves were up was the reason for low visibility until I got closer in).


nontheless, I got in one nice aerobic workout and enjoyed myself before it was time to head on back in to the catamaran.
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The skipper took us back in no time and soon it was getting to be around 4pm.



As I was heading off the cat, I realized, "HEY! I don't have to be back on the boat until 1am!!"


HHmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........:rolleyes1
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(me in front of the Magic at mallory Square)

- NOTE: my 'man bag' is not in view but more about that later as I can't even BEGIN to tell ya how many compliments I got from people (esp women) who were asking me where did I get it from as they liked how it also matched my swimming apparel.
And this occured ALL throughout my DCL adventure -

YES, Pics will be forthcoming!!;)


SO with a 1am deadline,
that set me off into a fun filled afternoon of having way too much fun.



Fun that I will open up to in my next installment -





UP NEXT:


Having fun getting lost in Key West DOES have its benefitspopcorn::
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T.T.F.N.
 
One of the nice things about DCl is they are always prompt.:thumbsup2


Yes, we left Key West as scheduled.
Don't get me wrong, I had fun at all ports but I was very very very aware of the time and made sure I made it back on the Magic well ahead of the departure time.:goodvibes





T.T.F.N.

THANKS!

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that the crew gets rewared with a late night in port. If not, we will be just as happy to be enjoying the ship that night!
 
THANKS!

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that the crew gets rewared with a late night in port. If not, we will be just as happy to be enjoying the ship that night!


....according to Guest Services -


there were STILL over 250 people still out and about in Key West enjoying themselves.:upsidedow



Pretty nice town - just get out your walking shoes.:goodvibes





T.T.F.N.
 
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So here I am, right smack dab in the middle of Key West and I didn't have the foggiest idea where to go first or how to get there.



SO I decided to split the difference and see as much as my legs could/would take me.


Popped in here for a bit:
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and here as well:
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(if I had to chose between the 2 - IMO....I would choose Hog's Breath):thumbsup2



Anywho -
From the southern most point to Hemingway's House - I saw it.:thumbsup2
(just bring your walking shoes)


But soon, I was craving for a.........


YOU KNOW;) -



But in the midst of having all this fun, I was slowly getting turned around......

No wait -


'Directionally challenged.":laughing:



So I decided to ask the first cute woman who walked by me for directions to "J.B.'s Place" and how to get there.
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hmmmmmmm.......

......and as luck would have it, I saw a very cute black haired lady walking towards me as I reached out and asked her where is
J.B'.s place and if she could be so kind to direct me since my feet and I feel conched out.


Hmmmmmm.. mabey it was the way I was dressed or that extremely lame line but it worked!:goodvibes

Soon I was on my way as I made a flippant remark outloud about how much better this place is than the one in Oahu.

to wit I heard a rather loud, "EXCUSE ME??"


I turned around it yup, it was her. We exchanged remarks for a few minutes and before I knew it, I had an unoffical tour Guide of all things key West as she and I headed back to Margaritiville for a bit as she wanted to hear about all things Hawaii -

AS SHE BOUGHT ME A KEY LIME PIE!!:confused:


OK ....NOTE TO SELF -
the "conched out" line (Key West)

is now added to my list of lines..........

but it hasn't beaten the one while I was up in Wash Dc where I asked someone if they wanted to check out the "stuffed head animal room" - aka the bar section of Ebbits Grill.:lmao:
(lines that are meant only in fun - DISNEY FUN).

ANYWHO -


after a few 'ritas, we both exchanged email address' and I was off again, this time I was slowly making my way back to the Disney Magic.


4 hours out walking was enough for me -


------------------
BARB: Thank you for being my 'Key West' tour Guide as you helped cut down any unecessary walking and made my "bucket list" now one less travel destination. A HUGE thank you.:thumbsup2
------------------

ANYWHO -
Time to check out my situation with my dinner mates -:eek:


To prepare for this,
I chose to be fashionably late for dinner but not without surprise, as the 8-top now had THREE tablemates there!!:confused3


And yes......they were all talking about REAL ESTATE!!


I lazily snapped at my dinner, looking forlornly over at other tables, wishing someone would PLEASE RESCUE ME!!:upsidedow

I left Parot Cay asap -


Needless to say, I finished dinner quickly and went straight to Guest Services, Said a very 'un-Disney' comment to them - in hopes that my luck would change the next day......no ifs and nor buts.



EDITOR'S NOTE:
1) Now I had spoken with Guest Services twice before about moving me to a different table.............

2) I had even spoken with a very nice fellow DISser about asking her (once I explained to her the situation) if that would be ok if I could be moved to her table - and she said yes.





and soon 11:30pm hit me like a ton of bricks.


I fell asleep to DIsney tunes on my I-pod and had many a dream about my spa day; scheduled in just a few hours.


All in all, it was a very good day.



UP NEXT:

Enjoying a very relaxing morning while out at the Vista Spapopcorn::



**JUST DOUBLE CLICK ON THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **





T.T.F.N.
 
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DAY 4
:earsboy:Sunday Jan 9th (SEA DAY)
High temp for the day = 78 degrees.



4am was the time I decided to get on up outta bed and onto deck 4 for some much needed jogging around the ship a few times.

Put in about 3 1/2 laps around before I decided to head it on back to my state room and relax watching soem of the Disney tv channels while nibbling on my birthday cake and some key lme cookies.

But before I knew it, it was 6am ish - so off into the shower I went to get ready for the day.:yay:

7:30am was a quick bite to eat for me at Topsiders before I slowly made my way onto this area::cloud9:
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(The Vista Spa)



And the next 4 hours of my life was just spent in total total total bliss!!:cloud9:




From a Swedish massage, facial to 2 hours in the Rainforest room, this is something I highly recommend to anyone going on a DCL adventure:

"YOU TIME"




ANYWHO -

from there I finally made it to the only stage/theatre production I saw on this whole vacation; "Twiced Charmed."
(Very cute - loved it)


and yup, close to the end of the show, I was beginning to feel the effects of the Spa treatments, so I mozied on back to my room and ordered room service.:goodvibes


Loved the view from my room:
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So around 4pm, I decided to head on back for more fun; but this time - I headed out for some much needed:
Tequila and Margarita tasting (At AP):
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(my eyes are saying 'I'm tired" but I was having the time of my life)



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Now, I will admit - I learned a lot about tequila and the wacky world of margaritas from our wonderful and very funny teacher:
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Soon, it was time for someone from the group to get their "haircut."

THERE WERE NO VOLUNTEERS.


So, you know me - I jjuusstt had to volunteer....not once but TWICE throughout this 1 hour of fun:
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(he told me to have a napkin ready, "Just in case";)




Ok
by now, my body was just going nuts but hey ....it's a vacation ya know!!
And by the end of that one hour = WOW!!!!


EX: Imagine there were mabey 15 people in AP that one hour, and after my first haricut, he told me to jump up and yell.
Which of course I did and eveyone finally losened up quickly after that and began to enjoy themselves and the class.


Feeling no pain,
I decided after the class I needed to "expholiate" a bit and headed on back to the Vista Spa and relaxed a bit in their Rainforest room (6pm-7:30pm) before I decided to head it on up to Palo; and an accidental encounter w/Maria (my server).


But before I was up there, I just had to stop on by and see these guys:
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Besides, it showed that me....of all people - wore pants!!


ME? PANTS??


AHhhhhh - the horror!!;)



So after that brief encounter, I was off to see the world of Palo for the very first time:
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the food was wonderful and so was the Lava cake!

A MUST DO for anyone IMHO.:goodvibes
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About the back story behind Maria (my server):
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(a pic of her during Palo brunch; taken on our 2nd sea day)


AS she & I were talking throughout the evening, she asked me if I was late getting to MCO on day one.


HUH?????:confused3


I answered.



SHE then asked if I was late getting to CBR; say around 2pm.



HUH????!!!!:confused3


How does she know this???:wizard:



So I answered.




She then let on to her comments and said that she was the one who sat one row and to the right of me on the plane from DFW airport to MCO and I never knew this!!



AH - small world.:laughing:


She and I exchanged emails and promised to keep in touch as my bucket list does have on it Ecuador.



Finally finshed Palo at around 10:15pm and


Lights out for me at 11:30pm.
(really enjoyed Palo and highly recommend this for many reasons)





UP NEXT:






FINALLY, being rescued by table#32popcorn::
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T.T.F.N.
 
.....to bring ya some misc pics taken from this adventure:

(besides, I just double posted a posting so this gives me an excuse to post some extra pictures):lmao:


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and -
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*(Pluto was the one who turned my hat around and on sideways);)



and lest we forget my Fav:
dclpics260.jpg

(hey....check out those shorts!! - that's 1/2 of my outfit that received sooooo many compliments)


DETAILS FORTHCOMING -





all right - we now return you to your regularly scheduled program.popcorn::





T.T.F.N.
 
dclpics325.jpg




DAY 5pirate:
Monday Jan 10th (Grand Cayman Day)
High temp of the day = 74 degrees and sunny



Morning kicked in for me around 5am as I threw myself into the bathtub for a much needed bubblebath.:yay:

Got a big day planned today and as I made my way on down to deck 1 and disembarked at 7:30am for my 'Stingray City Reef Sail & Snorkel" excursion.


It sure was fun seeing the Magic from a different perspective:
dclpics324.jpg



IMHO, the time spent on this excursion was well spent and very relaxing as the winds were not as high this day; thus giving me the ability to really focus in on seeing the fish up real close and heading over the breakers just a weeeeee bit - but not too far that I wound up scooting across the pond.;)



A short couple of videos from this time:



and





**JUST DOUBLE CLICK ON THE ABOVE VIDEOS W/YOUR MOUSE & THEY WILL PLAY 4 U **



Got even a pic of yours truely having fun:
dclpics336.jpg




Even
Met a very nice couple while on this excursion as we all went shopping together afterwards in the nearby shopping areas.:woohoo:


from there, we all headed out to this place:
dclpics342.jpg



as we all had fun relaxing/unwinding out by their pool and nibbling on some food and drink.


ME?


Well, I will put it to ya this way:


It was "A dark & Stormy Night:";)
dclpics341.jpg

(the drink is on your right w/a glass of water on your left as the french fries/onion rings, etc were spicy:thumbsup2)


in other words, it was just what the Doc ordered as in no time, the three of us were feeling no pain as we slowly made our way back to the ship around 4pm.


I made it just in time to my room, kicked off my shoes, asked for a wake up call and didn't decide to wake up and get cleaned up until around 7pm.





UP NEXT:
Meeting table #32 and having a wonderful time.
and hmmmmmm..... I just wonder who won "Match your Mate" on this night?





STAY TUNED popcorn::






T.T.F.N.
 
Ok -


So it's around 8pm, and I saunter up to the place where we are having dinner that night &.................



ACK!!!!


I didn't see my fellow DISser there at dinner table #32!!


RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!
:mad:

I was about to head on back to Guest Services ONCE AGAIN when
a hand reached out to me and said,

"Hi! I am Jennifer!! Nice to meet you.":goodvibes

And from there, the rest is history.


IMHO,
table #32 made me feel right at home and I was truely blessed with a bunch of fun loving, easy to get along with bunch of fellow travelers -
We all hit it off immediately and had fun eating, drinking and just being plain Goofy for the evening.


Afterwards, it was time to head out for "Match Your Mate."

Couple number one was from our table!!
(YES - THEY WON!!!):woohoo:


Now....couple #3????? Been married the longest and wouldn't ya know it -
didn't get a whole lotta answers correct.

But hey - its the fact that they all got up there PUT THEMSELVES OUT THERE for the whole public to see.

Fun was had by all as soon it was 2am.




Lights out for me at 2am -






UP NEXT:
Karoke night at that bar called "Rockin' something somethin'";)
DCL-Jan2012029.jpg

(OK - I will let you in on the gag.......Guest Services has said that the above named establishment is the most mis-named place on the ship!!);)


AND

gettin' my Chef on at
"Mexican Cuisine tasting" excursion
dclpics376.jpg

(Love that hat!!):lmao:





T.T.F.N.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvDvTnTGjgQRELATED

The above short video is meant for a giggle.


- AND -



(Luis; our instructor - very informative & very funny)


**JUST DOUBLE CLICK ON THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 YOU **






DAY 6Tues; Jan 11th
(Cozumel Day)



WOW!! Today....well ....hmmmmmm....let's just say I had waaayyyy 2 much fun on this day ......


here comes that word -


BUT -


But , I had the time of my life!!


and it all began at 5am with yours truely doing LAUDNRY!!


:confused3 you ask???


Hold on -popcorn::



Doing laundry and understanding how to use the machines now are two totally different things as I made my way to Guest Services to bark at them for this debacle.

They refunded my $.


FYI: Just be very careful on how you use them. Follow the arrows procisely and be aware ALSO which way is what for whom!

Hope that makes sense.


ANYWHO -

from there I made it on up to Topsiders for a much needed breakfast:
dcl-jan2012329.jpg


to grab some:
dcl-jan2012218.jpg

(ya just gotta have yer donut!!):lmao:



and around 10am, it was time to head on back to deck 1
and to begin something I have never done before:



"Learn how to appreciate the art of cooking"



Seriosuly.





So
around 10am, our group made its way down to deck one and onto our mode of transpo to take us to our next excursion:

"The Mexican Cuisine & Tasting Workshop"



The ride there didn't take long and soon we were all getting out of our vans when wouldn't ya know it - guess who is also along for the ride:

"Couple #3 from 'Match Your Mate' "!!
dclpics383.jpg



SMALL WORLD!!

I of course, just HAD to say high to them (Shirley & Bill) as we all clamered into the our cooking class building and into a few hours of fun.


And what fun it was!!


We all met our Chef instructor (Luis) and his staff who had us introduce ourselves as we donned on our outfits and got prepped for cooking:
dclpics388.jpg

(our fearless instructor)



OOPS!!!!


Did I also mention that the class also included open bar??


Hmmmmmmmmmmm........


So, with a 'rita in one hand and a spatula in the other, I was off and running learning how to make fried bannanas, cooked chicken, shrimp and a desert that I will admit was mouth watering to say in the least!!



We first had to put our decorations around our plate:


Then we put our finished product on the plate:
dclpics402.jpg


and viola!!

here is what the finished 'main course' of my meal looked like when done:
dclpics411.jpg



Now, in a far as our desert,
Soon, our plates of food were all ready to be sent off to the fired up in the oven:
dclpics398.jpg

(our bananas about to go to the oven)




Of course, that meant a few more Pina Colatas/ 'ritas for me!
dclpics417.jpg

(YYUUMMMM!!!!)





And before we all knew it, it was time to now feast on our creations.
Now, that also meant, any complaints, talk to yourself!! hehehehehehe......



Luis???


He had no complaints about my shrimp sauce - he even gave me a compliment on it!:yay:
dcl-jan2012242.jpg


WOW!!!

-------------------------------------------------
All in all, I really enjoyed this excursion as it really gave me a new and fresh look to food. Per se, it not so much just fix it and eat it......

More - it's all in the preperation.
------------------------------------------------------



Afterwards, we all thanked him and his staff and we were soon off again back to the ship and for more fun.
But before we all did that, I spent some time in their shops doing some browsing for souiviners.


NOw before I go any further..........
let me explain something.



The vendor earlier today kept on saying that have fun in Cozumel cuz they feed you shots of tequila.


NOW - that to me sounded like a red flag, so was out to see WHY they would do that.
(you know me, always gently pushing the system).:rolleyes1


So, what I am about to reveal IMO, is more like an FYI to all of you who like to shop in Mexico.
-------------------------------------------

Being so close to the US/Mexican border (Dallas Texas) , I am used to to way of the art of haggling when over in Mexico while shopping.
this day, I was in no mood to enagage in that as I was feeling "just a little light" in the head......
(I took what I felt was the actual price of a souvineer that I had wanted to buy and rounded up the price).
---------------------------------------------



Hmmmmmmm......remember "Open bar" while I was cooking????

Well......

yours truely had 9 margaritas, 3 Pina colitas and well.........


ANYWHO -
I saw a little knick knack thingee I had wanted in a store -

so I chose to overpay by $5-6 US -

AND ......

Yes, store owner gave me 2 shots of Mescali!!


AND Guess who was with me????



SHIRLEY from Couple #3!!


She must have treated the drinks the same way while cooking since
We were BOTH rolling in the aisles, laughing and having waaaayyy too much fun while shopping.


Some of the sights/people we saw while shopping:
dcl-jan2012260.jpg



- AND -
here is a short video:



** JUST DOUBLE CLICK ON THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **




And me??

One who likes to push the syytem just a weeeeee bit???
Well, now I know if a vendor tries to give you a shot, THERE IS A REASON.
(never before experienced that until now).


EDITOR"S NOTE: Yes, I knew what I was doing & I didn't care. I was having a lot of fun this day & I owe it all to table #32. Plus, this excurion also gave me new insight as to the appreciation to the art of cooking and I really believe that this is a gem of a find for DCL excursions.:thumbsup2:thumbsup2
(Luis also took enjoyed my Texan twang and kept on using the phrase, "RIGHT NOW!" throughout the excursion);)



Afterwards, I made it back to the pick up point and soon we were all off again back to the ship.


TONIGHT'S THEME:
dclpics507.jpg



SO,
at 5pm, I headed off to the Vista spa and relax in the Vista Spa Rainforest room

BUT..........

I made the mistake of not remembering to put the rolled up towel under my neck!!

Soon I was rapidly asleep.


Soon a very nice and cute woman approached me in the Rainforest room,
struck up a converation w/me and during the talk said I was snoring!!


OUCH!!!!!!!

Didn't I feel just a weeeeee bit Goofy!!



Around 7pm, I left Vista Spa and headed back to my room to get ready for more fun w/table #32 back again at AP.




8-10:30pm was at AP enjoying the converstions w/table #32 but...

hmmmmmmm.....

for SOME strange reason, a few of Table 32ers were saying I was being quiet this night!!

Hmmmmmmmm.... I just wonder why! lol!!!!




Tonight was Pirate night on the ship and fun was had by all:



pic from dinner that evening:
dclpics558.jpg

(I am such the 'back stabber'):lmao:





Afterwards,
we all headed up to Rockin "somethin Something" place for:

KAROKE NIGHT!!!



1:30am Lights out.


WHAT A BLAST!! TOTALLY ENJOYED THE DAY.:woohoo:
THANK YOU TABLE#32!! THANK YOU LUIS & STAFF!!





T.T.F.N.
 
.....aka "Karoke night"




**JUST DOUBLE CLICK W/YOUR MOUSE OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **



Ok Beth (from table#32).....YOU ARE GOING TO HOLLYWOOD!!!


WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?
dclpics461.jpg



(Actually, IMO, she sounded pretty good).:thumbsup2




T.T.F.N.
 
dclpics445.jpg

(me w/my "arch nemisis" aka Peter)



Part of our team during "Magic Quest"
dcl-jan2012262.jpg




Who can forget this character while I was at HM (WDW):
dcl-jan2012010-1.jpg



TABLE#32
dclpics460.jpg



- AND -



Lastly:
dclpics648.jpg



Ok ------



back to the adventure!




UP NEXT:

Meeting up w/Maria at Palo for Brunch
dcl-jan2012350.jpg



-and -

having a rockin' good time checking out the Muppet movie.






STAY TUNED -popcorn::




T.T.F.N.
 
Day 7
Wed Jan 12th (Sea Day)



Today was a light day for me as I was up and outta bed around 6am -
Mousekeeping (Klinel Williams) has been very nice and always kept me well stocked with various things I have been needing throughout my adventure and today was no exception.

I am going to miss daily Mousekeeping.:sad1:


Next time.....
there is GONNA HAVE ta be a "Next Time.":yay:



ANYWHO -
hhmmmmmm.....looks like I have to tell my "stowaways they have one more day & they gotta go -
dcl-jan2012336.jpg




So -
at 7:45am, I decided to head on up to Topsiders for some much needed OJ and a very light bite to eat.

From there, I headed to Vista Spa excercise room and used their treadmill for a while.

Just love the "DCL Bow channel.";)

** JUST DOUBLE CLICK ON THE ABOVE VIDEO W/YOUR MOUSE & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **



ANYWHO -

At 11am, I was off to see Maria one last time at Palo for brunch:
(I have enver been to brunch there before)


Here is a brief video of her explaining some of what the brunch has to offer:

** JUST DOUBLE CLICK ON THE ABOVE VIDEO W/YOUR MOUSE & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **


Some pics of what they had to offer for food & drink:
dcl-jan2012347.jpg



- and -
The Mimosa was wonderful!!
dcl-jan2012340.jpg



pic of Maria explaining some more about what the Palo brunch is all about:
dcl-jan2012343.jpg




IMO,
Brunch @ Palo is something worthwhile checking out. Very fun, informative and lots of food variety to chose from.:goodvibes


Also,
Maria was very helpful in making a first timer into the Palo area feel right at home and hopefully she will be your server next time you are in her area of the Magic.



After a while, all was done at Palo, so I headed back to my stateroom for a short cat nap.



At 5pm, I decided to check out the new Muppet Movie -
dcl-jan2012364-1.jpg



FUN MOVIE!!



And of course, at 8pm, I was off to see my Table mates again until all hours of the morning.

(Our Table#32 Asst server was Lazim Amaroli
Server: Aditya Salian)

they were very professional and always there with a smile for you. Gonna miss them dearly.:grouphug:



After dinner, we all clammered on over to Sessions for a while to see what Andy the piano player was up to:



**DOUBLE CLICK W/YOUR MOUSE OVER THE ABOVE VIDEO & IT WILL PLAY 4 U **




Lights out for me around 2am.






UP NEXT:


Relaxin' out of Castaway Cay
while feeding the 'rays

- and -

other very relaxin' things.:goodvibes





STAY TUNED -popcorn::




T.T.F.N.
 

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