Left you should keep...A Caribbean Cruise Report

[trennr]

I've already Written this report over on the other site... so Updates will be fast and Furious here... Please feel free to comment on the postings though...Hope you enjoy!!! Oh yeah and I'm a terrible speller and forgotten everything I ever knew about grammer...so don't grade me on stuff like that.

When...
Nov. 10-17, 2012

Where...
Departing... Galveston, TX
2 Days at Sea
Port 1... Grand Cayman Island
Port 2... Costa Maya, Mexico
Port 3... Cozumel, Mexico
1 Day at Sea
Returning... Galveston, TX

Cast... form Jonesborough, TN

DW...Melodie...Mel... age 29 and holding.
DS... Chance...Tiny... age 12
Me... Nathan...Nate... Age 43

Story...
So back in September Disney announced a specia offer for Travel Agents that I found to be irresistable... after first mention to the Mel she looked at me and said... "So when is this that we are going?" :lol:

Only down-side to this Trip is that the only 3 dates of the offer... My oldest Son Jayce could not travel with us...because he is in College and could not take the time out for his classes... but he understod that this was an opportunity that we could not pass on.

So I booked the Trip the weekend after the offer was announced... the Following Monday there was an announcment that the Date I had chosen was sold out... wow... that was close.

I guess that's all for now...... Next Post will be about our long Drive from TN to TX... but it was worth it.

 

[trennr]

OK... So we had a LOOOONG Drive ahead of us... we knew it would be a 2 Day venture... so we left our Driveway around 8am EST...

My Yoda voice equipped TomTom GPS said that we could reach the Port of Galveston in 15 hours... Google Maps agreed.

Named this TR "Left You Should Keep" because of Yoda... 95% of his directions were... "Driven well you have...in 400 yards... Left you should keep..." or "Ahead Turn to the Left... but not to the Darkside." I made so many left turns I felt like I was on the NASCAR circuit.

Trip was pretty uneventful... Topped off the Gas tank in Greenville TN... which is about 20 miles from my House... we also got a Drive Thru Breakfast... and off we went. I-81S to I-40W...Pick up I-75S just west of Knoxville...pick-up I-24W in Chatenooga... then I-59S.

Interesting thing I noticed while Driving... when going to WDW we take I-95... this Trip I-59. Numbers geek.

First Stop was in Fort Payne Alabama... Zaxby's for a potty break and a Large Pibb... Brimingham was bigger than I expected... Pretty city.
2nd Stop was in Tusscolussa... Roll Tide... for gas... here as I was finishing up there was this guy came up to me with a tale of woe wanting money for gas... he seemed legit... so I went inside and pre-paid him $20 of gas. If he was scamming me so be it.. but I hope I was helping.

No more stops until Mississippi...just about 10 miles notrh of Louisiana. More Gas and some Subway. By now the sun was starting to set...hopefully traffic will thin out.oh yeah... and we switched Time Zones somewhere along the way. It was now about 5pm CST. 10 hours on the Road... I should be in WDW by now... ♫♫♫ But My Heads in Mississippi♫♫♫ (for all you ZZ Top fans).

I-12 was a traffic nightmare. 3 Delays... apparently people in Louisiana don't know how to merge... no offense Todd. I-12 joins I-10 somewhere East of Baton Rouge... we Cross the Mississippi River...see LSU's Stadium to the South of the Bridge. Then a Very long Bridge over some Bayou Country. like 10 miles of Bridge.

Pass Lake Charles... Interesting place... Casinos and Industry... The Industrial part look very nice in the dark...actually quite pretty to look at. My Goal was to make Texas... and we did... around 10pm CST we stopped at a Holiday Inn Express in Vidor, TX... > than 100 miles to our destination. We had packed a single over night bag to take into this hotel... toiletries and a change of clothes... bed was comfortable... we slept well.

Next Morning we ate the Breakfast at the hotel... I topped off the Gas tank at a nearby Gas Station. and we were on our way.

Time for a short rant...
Texas... your Interstate on and off ramps are totally screwed up. all the parallel roads and short on and off ramps and lack of signage. Your a big :censored: state... Use some of it. :cuss:

Just about 20 miles down the Road it was time for me to exit... Taking Hwy 124 to 87... down the Bolivar Peninsula to the Bolivar-Galveston Ferry.

I had planned on going to Houston then taking I 45 to Galveston... But I determined this would add about 1:45 to my trip... no thanks... ferry should be fun... was actually quite a treat for us Mountain folk.

Oh and BTW... Beautiful Drive Down the Bolivar Peninsula... Here are some Pictures of the Ferry Ride.

Mine...Mine...Mine...

Hey Mel... Chance...

Watch out for Seagulls...

There's our Van... Bessie... Note the Doom Bugy tag.

Navy Ships/Subs...

We arrive in Galveston around 10:30pm... so we go explore a little... can't start boarding until after noon.

We visit a Walgreens...and some Beach Shops...and McD's. Galveston is a pretty place... wouldn't mind vacationing there if it weren't so far away.

So around 11:45 we leave McD's and drive over to the Port... traffic is thick... both the Disney Magic and the Carnival Triumph are in port loading up.

I drop off Mel, Chance, and the Luggage then drive over to park Bessie for the week. Ride the Bus back... We Check in thru Port Authority... Checkin with Disney...get our Keys to the World Card... this was all painless... as we had all of our Documents and Paper work in order... Up the Escalltor... and Cross the Gangway...

...to be Continued.

 

[trennr]

Lets see... where was I?

Oh Yes... we were fixing to Board... Welcome the Trent Family!!! :clap::whoo:

Se First Post for our Arrival Photo...

Believe it or not it's about 1pm now... they said our room would be ready until around 1:30pm... so we just Stroll around Deck 3 and Deck 4. and wait a few minutes.

Finally it was time for the Room... Deck 2 Port Side...Aft... Turned out to be convenient to the Aft Elevators

This Picture was taken later in the trip... but here is our Room... King Bed (Actually 2 Twins side by side.

Chance was Dying to use the Bunk Bed... again this picture was Taken Later in the Trip...

Picture Above the King Bed...

Restroom Part 1... the Suck-Master 2000... (Note the Duct Tape on the Floor? Not sure what it was covering.)

Restroom Part 2... the Shower...

Again... more Duct Tape?

Never did ask what the Duct Tape Covered holes were... I was just glad to see I'm not the only one to use Duct Tape.

One of many "Hidden Mickeys" in the Room... put quotes around it because I think they were more part of the Decor than a Hidden Mickey.

So we actually unpack our bags... and get ready for the pre-Cruise manditory Safety Drill. We were with Group R... which met in Animators Palate.

After the Drill We went up to Deck 9 and 10 to walk around and get ready for the Sail Away Party... Chance Checked out the Sports Deck and got in a game of Basketball. Mel and I took a tour of the Spa... boy it smelled nice in there. I booked my Lady a Seaweed Wrap and a Massage for day 1 on the seas. +100points for Nate.

If I had your Digits you've seen this Picture...

We Set Sail at 4:30pm... the Carnival Cruise had a head Start...

Mel sending her worries away on a wave...

Not so Hidden Mickey...

I spent the next hour or so just walking around Deck 10 looking out at the Gulf... I was in awe... and felt pretty small out on the seas.

We had the First Seating for dining (5:45)... So we went back to the room to change clothes. Our Dining Rotation was LAPLAPL.
Anyone care to decypher? Lumiere's, Animator's Palate, Parrot Cay, repeat... So we got Lumiere's 3 times and the others twice.

So at Lumiere's we were seated at Table 20 which seated 8... we were Joined every night by a Family of 5. DMom, DDad, DS13, DD11, and DGM. This Family was from Dallas. Chance and DS13 got to know each other pretty well. DD was quite... DDad, DMom were both Nice... but my favorite was DGM. She was a retired employee of the FAA... she was a hoot. Sorry no pictures of the family... unless the show up later.

Our Head Waiter's name was Bhoola... He was from South Africa... We saw him every night but not very much.
Our Head Server was Cindy...she was from France... we loved Cindy!!!
Our Assistant Server was I-Wayan. He was very new and had trouble keeping our drink orders straight... but he made a mean Cherry Coke.

Sorry No food porn... i had the Sea Bass this night... it was pretty good. After seeing the Lamb... I wish I had gotten that... but was too full to ask for it.

After Dinner we made our first trip to the Shops on Deck 4 Treasure Ketch and Mickey's Mates... This became Mel's favorite spot on the ship.

DCL logo between the Shops...

Mickey's Mates... Not so hidden Mickey...

Now THIS is a Hidden Mickey...

And This...

After Mel had a Successful shopping experince... I ran our items down to our room while Mel and Chance got us seat in the Walt Disney Theater...

Our first show... "All Aboard: Let the Magic Begin!" was a nice little variety show with an overview with what to expect on our cruise.

After the show... I was beat...so was Mel...we went to the room to get ready for bed... Chance stopped off at the Tween Club "the Edge" Chance spent allot of time at the Edge playing Video games and Driving the Ship. at 11:30 I went and fetched Chance from the Edge.

end of Day 1

 

[trennr]

Oh... I forgot to show the Picture of our First Towel Critter...

Towel Critter #1... a Runny Babbit!

Day 2... a day at Sea...
So the Seas were a little rough our first day... Rocked us to sleep pretty well through our first night.

Mel was scheduled for here Spa visit from about 11:30 until ???

We went to Top-siders for what turned out to be Brunch... where I got to have some of that lamb I missed out on the other night at Lumiere's... well maybe not the same lamb they were serving... but it was good none-the-less.

View off the Aft of the ship from Deck 9 seating area for Topsiders.

Saw an Oil Rig in the Distance...

A view from the Aft toward the Front...Port Side...

Chance ate and left to the Sports deck... Leaving Mel and me alone...

it was time for Mel's Spa visit so I walked her to the Spa... and I went to tsports deck to see what Chance was into... Hoops... Socks with Sandals... it's a fashion statement?

It was actually pretty windy up on Deck 10... so Chance and I go and explore the Ship...
We check out the Buena Vista theatre... We catch the last little bit of the Avengers... as in the part where Iron Man is guiding the Nuke through the portal to blow up the Bad Guys.

At the End we were the firstones out... he said... good movie... I said... yeah I especially liked the Ending. :drum:

After the Movie... We went to the Room to see if mom was done... Nope... but our Room Host had been thru... Arranged Chance's Sailing Crew...

Chance headed for the Edge... Me... I went and checked out the Internet Cafe. CellAtSea was not working for our Cell phone even though My Research said it would So... I needed to Check on DS17 at home.

Disney is very proud of their Internet service. I purchased the 200 minute block. and was able to email DS17 who was online...got him to enable the Chat option on G-mail so we could chat...

He was doing fine... dogs were doing fine... several family members and friends were making sure he particpated in life with them..

Went back to the room... no body home... for about 10 minutes and Chance came in... we decided to check out the Goofy pool... I determined it was too cold... so I checked out the Goofy Hot Tub.

We get back to the room and Mel is napping...

Tonight is our first trip to Animators Palate.. however it was Prince and Princess night... aka formal night.

Allright... this is a semi-rant... I think this is total Horse crap... Why in the Peanut Butter would I want to wear clothes I wouldn't normally wear on vacation.. let alone take up valuable luggage space to pack them.

Mel wore a nice outfit... I wore my best Polo and Kakhi's...Chance did the same. I figure it's good enough for Church...It better be good enough for Mickey Mouse. We were not the only ones dressed down. However others had Tux's and Evening gowns. If they enjoy that... more power to them... would be an exercise in a torture for me. And Mel definately didn't want to participate.

Also since it was Prince and Princess night Animators Palate did not change colors... bummer. Oh well foosd was good.

After Dinner tonight was our first "Real" show... Twice Charmed...a Twist on the Cinderella Story.

I won't ruin it for you if you haven't seen it... Great show... new villan the Evil Fairy God-Father.

Chance went to the Edge... Mel and I went to the room...

Towel Critter #2... the Heffalump.

end of Day 2.

 

[trennr]

Day 3... our 2nd Day at Sea...

We wake up... today is our day at the Parrot Cay Island Breakfast with this guy...

And this guy...

And this guy...

Our Assistant Server Starts making Pirate gear for us to wear...

Pluto...

Minnie...

Dale and Mel...sporting her Minnie Mouse Bow...

Here is the Family Picture... I'm Sporting some Dreads...

I like the fact that you get a Character Breakfast... however it seemed rushed... Characters and handlers did not seem to want to spend time at any given table very long.

Mel had put on a Nausea Dot... she went back to the room and Crashed... like for several hours Crashed... Come to find out she had also taken a Zyrtec which also makes her drowsy... Good night Mel.

Chance went to the Edge...

Me... I just walked around and explored some more. I went to the large Deck on the Aft of the Ship on Deck 7. Actually... This picture is fron Deck 10... but I spent allot of time on Deck 7 Aft.

I still couldn't get over how Blue the Water was out here...

I found a spot on the Forward Port Side of Deck 9... I was by myself for an hour or so... I was just looking at the Water... watching the world go by.

I finally got my feel of that... so I went to the Theater to see what was showing... Finding Nemo 3D... So I slipped in and had a seat... way down on the 2nd or 3rd Row... Dory and Marlin were in the Divers mask hanging over the canyon... I watched until the Mt. Wanna-haka-loogie... then I fell asleep...

I woke up to an almost empty theater...lights were one...no movie... just one guy back there texting or playing a game on his phone. I just laughed at myself... Said I hope I wasn't snoring too loud. I fact is was about time for Dinner... We were to dine at Parrot Cay this evening as well.

We skipped the show this evening... it was a Comedian/Magician... we saw enough of him in the First Nights Preview show... We all retired early because tomorrow we reach the Grand Cayman Islands.

Oh... Towel Critter #3... the Kraken...

end of Day 3.

 

[trennr]

Day 4... the Grand Cayman Islands...
We went to Topsiders again for an Early Breakfast... I took some Pictures of the Island...

We were Fortunate that we were the only ship off shore here. :thumb:

At GCI they do not have a peir so Passengers are ferried via Tender Boats...

I had planned an excursion here for a Semi-Submarine Tour hosted by a company called Atlantis. We had a pre-departure Meeting planned for 8:45am in the Diversions Sports Bar/Lounge. We waited there while until they had a Tender ready for us to make our wat to shore.

Here are Mel and Chance on the Boat...

Once Ashore I got a great shot of the Magic Sitting off shore...

A short 3 minute Bus ride and we were at our excursion.

Next Door there was a neat little Pirate ship...

I could still see the Magic... and that little ship there... that would be our Excursion vessel for the next 2 hours...

Here is a shot of our host "Manny"...

Here are some shots of the tour...

Shipwreck...

Reef and Fish

Our Atlantis Captain went for a dive to feed the fish...

Manny took a Picture of the Family watching the Captain...

The Family loved this excursion... Plus it left us plenty of time to explore the Shops and walk our way back to the Tender Peir.
We went to the Hard Rock Cafe to get DS17 a T-Shirt... Mel got herself one too...

We went into one of the Diammonds International Stores... Pretty Jewelry and Watches... Glad DW knew we were just looking.

Down one of the Side Streets I found a Reason to move here...

One the way back I also found a nice OLD church...

continued...

 

[trennr]

Day 4 part 2...

Back into the Port area I found these in a candy story and thought of Randall...

Love this old sign...

Pretty water on the Tender Ride back...

Back on Board I went Topside to just watch the Tender's going back and Forth... Chance went to the Sports Deck... Mel Changed into a Swim Suit and soaked up some rays...

I believe this was the Last Tender for our ship...

I spent a while watching these guys making sure the Ship was ready to sail again...

Then we were off again... (Note the Cast Member asleep by the Pool.)

Tonight was Pirate Night... Which means 2 things... Pirates and Fireworks

Chip and Dale having Fun with Chance's Pirate Goofy Ears...

I'm still here too...

Pirate Capt. Mickey and the family...

Chance Partying inside Lumeire's...

We had some time before tonight's show... Wreck-it-Ralph!!!

Guess who we found outside the Walt Disney Theater...

This guy was spot on with his Cpt. Jack! Very funny.

We then Found Pirate Stitch...

Then we went and watched Wreck-it-Ralph. Chance and I gave it a thumbs up... Mel didn't care for it... but then she never has liked video games and missed allot of the humor.

After the Movie it was time for the Pirate Party and Fireworks.

Tried to get a good night shot of the Logo...

Bedtime...Towel Critter #4...The Monkey... this is probably our favorite... we left it up the rest of the trip...

End of Day 4...

 

[trennr]

Day 5... Coasta Maya

Were were Scheduled to be Docked at Costa Maya by 12 noon... and a Departue time of 4:45ish... So really not allot of time to do anything... so we slept in... as in 10AM... As luck would have it they had a buffet setup in Parrot Cay...

Chance had woken up around 930and decided he had waited on us enough... I woke up as he was leaving... he said... I'm Hungry... I'm going for Breakfast.
We told him we would meet him at Parrot Cay. I got ready next... then Mel.

When I got to Parrot Cay... Chance was sitting with the grandmother of the Family we are seated with at Dinner... she was such a nice lady.
We all had a nice Breakfast and we were ready to get off the boat... which was Docked and cleared for people to debark a little before noon.

I did not plan an excursion here for 2 reasons... a we were not planned to be Docked here very long... and 2 I just didn't feel comfortable about this Port... a Small Place created for Cruisers on a Jungle Covered area of the Yucatan Penninsula... no thanks...I'll just stay here in the port and check out the shops.

Costa Maya has a REALLY long Peir... and again we were the only Ship in port.

Watched some Dancers...

Chance made some new Friends...

We were surrounded by Mayan Natives...

Mel and Chance were both attacked by a large Gator...

Mel got a bunch of things... Chance got a Temporary Tatoo of the Miami Heat Logo...
The Biggest thing in the Mexican Ports were Personalized Nylon Wrist Bands... Chance got an Phil. Eagles one... and 2 for the Heat 1 with LaBron's # and one with D-Wades.

There was an observation Tower... I climbed up there to get some Pictures...
South...

East...

North...

West...

Mel...

We walked around some more...Watch some folks Swimming with the Dolphins... it was actually right in the Port area... Forgot to take Pics.

Walked back out the Pier... Really you should google this thing... huge...

Goofy is still doing some Maint. work.

More Pretty blue H2O..

Back on Ship... Mel went to sun Bath on Deck 10... Chance went to play B-Ball. I just wandered around for a while then Joined Mel on Deck 10.
We were up there until it set sail again...

to be Continued...

 

[trennr]

Day 5 Continued...

Lets see where was I? Oh yeah... we had just sailed away from Costa Maya...

Once we set sail we all went to our room to get an early start for our 5:45 seating at this place...

On the way we stopped by the Lobby to see whowas there... Chance hadn't gotten any pics with Pluto other than the Breakfast...

We get to the Resturant around 5:30... they are still getting ready...

So we wait...

Once inside we get picture with our Wait Staff... Mel and Our Head Server Cindy... (Cindy was great!!! and from France)

Chance and our Assitant Server I Wayan (I Wayan was from Indonesia...he was also fairly new...but could make us a mean Cherry Coke.. with real Cherries.)

We were seated next to the Beauty and the Beast Picture... here it is when it is all Color.

At the end of th eMeal we had a Special Visitor. and our Staff was in color too...

I Wayan ann Mel...

Cindy and Mel...

Mel and I with the Head Waiter Bhoola (He was from South Africa.)

After Dinner Mel did some Shopping and I returned to the Room and found Towel Critter #5...Scropio...

Tonights Show was probably my favorite of the trip... Villans Tonight... The Story was OK... the Acting was OK... but the Comedy... LMAO... I loved it.
I also noticed these Hidden Mickey's in the scroll work along the edge of hte Walt Disney Theater...

On the way back we noticed... Sailor Goofy...

On the Way Back we stopped into Studio Sea and Played a little "Who Wants to be a Mousekateer?"

Chance got Selected...and since they dont have Phone a friend they let you bring a partener...He picked me.

And we did very well until Round 5... I swear it was a trick question about Peter Pan...

Let's see how many of you get it. I'll give you the 2 answers after the 50-50.
In the Movie Peter Pan...What is the name of the land where Peter Pan calls home?

A] Neverland
C] Never Neverland

The result is... Dad got it wrong and Chance now thinks I have absolutely NO Disney Knowledge... I have to say I over thought it and it's been a while since I've seen the Movie.

We still got a pin and a trophy.

After that it was time for Bed...we had Cozumel tomorrow and a Beach Excursion.

end of Day 5.

 

[trennr]

Day 6... Cozumel

Well this Morning we stop at our last Port of Call Cozumel, Mexico. We have a Beach Resort Excursion planned and a excursion group meeting in Studio Sea @ 9am.

So back to Topsiders for a quick bite... On the Way Out we stop for Pictures with our Cabin Steward (Froi) and Folder of our belove Towel Critters.

Froi was from Indonesia as well...

We had Breakfast... and made it back to Studio Sea.
We get Checked in and our Wrist Bands for the Resort...and now we just have to wait to get off the Ship and walk to our Bus for a short 15 Minute Trip up the Island to our Resort.

The resort was called Playa Mia Grand Beach Park. It was very nice and the Staff was very Family Friendly. Our Excursion included a Buffet and an Open Bar.

Buffet area...

Pool...

Beach...

Chance in the Water...

We had Paddle Boats...and Water Play Inflatables...

The current was very strong today...and I'm not a very good swimmer... I gave up about half way out to the play things. Chance Made it the the Mountain thing but was too tired to play by the time he got out there.

Chance and I took a Paddle Boat out. that was fun.

The Staff had a series of games for the guest to play. There was a Football Contest where we had to toss a Football through a hole... I suck... Chance... got close on his 2nd ball.

Later they brought out a Pinata for the Kids to attack... Forgot picture until it was over... Chance was the largest kid and he was the last to take his swings at it... and he almost busted it... then they let this mom take a swing... sucess...

Here is Chance getting some candy... also sporting his temp. tatoo...

This guy was walking around with his birds and Taking Pictures... I got my own with out him noticing...

Mel and I sat in our Chairs for a while just enjoying the scenery... Chance played some more.

Granted I'm not a drinker... I really don't like the taste of anything with alcohol...but seeing it was free DW and I tried a few drinks... I would probably have liked them if they were Virgin. I'll stick with sweet tea and sodas.

Time flies...because the next thing you know it was almost time for our bus to leave... so we went to the shower house to get ready to leave and check out our Buffet. The Buffet was ...eh... I was expecting Mexican Fair... I was more American than anything...everything was kinda bland. OH well... I ddin't book this place because of the Buffet.

We got on our bus and they dropped us off right at a big shopping center next to the the port.

Mel picked up a last few gift items for folks at home. and we were ready for our ship...

Back onboard looking back at Cozumel...

I noticed these 2 Carnival ships while on our excursion... one of them is the one Mel and Chance will be sailing on in January with the Corn Maze people. The Carnival Paradise.

More Pretty Blue Water.

to be continued...

 

[trennr]

Day 6 continued...

Once on baord we went to Deck 9 for some food...
One of my favorites the whole cruise was the Cajun Chicken Sandwich from Pluto's Dog House...My second favorite... a big ol' plate full of Pineapple from Goofy's Galley. Mel got a Burger... Chance got some Pizza... we all shared the Pineapple. We still had about 2½ hours before dinner at Parrot Cay tonight...so we didn't eat too much.

Mel and I go to the room to get showers... Chance goes to see whats happening on the Sports Deck.

Mel gets the Shower First... On and off through the week I had been watching The Amazing Spiderman (movie) on the TV...it had it's own dedicated channel. I finally got to see most of it during this stretch.

Chance came down once we cast off from Cozumel... got too windy for B-ball. He took a Shower... then me. Next thing you know... time to eat again.

Tonight's menu had what Cindy refered to as Bambi. She said... this is Disney and you shouldn't eat Bambi. Well when she got to me...What di I have to order...Bambi. Cindy was sad. I'm like...I didn't kill Bambi... I'm preventing Bambi's death from being a waste.

After Dinner Chance and I finally found the hardest of the Fab Five to get a picture of on this boat...

I suppose since Donald is a Sailor and all he's busy helping the Captain and all... but seriously... he's a hard Duck to track down.

Tonights show was titled Dreams... this is probably the Best show... The Cruise Director kept refering to the Awards it had won. #2 on my list.

Basically Peter Pan helps this girl realize her Dreams befor the the Clock Strikes 6... If not she will "grow-up" and never believe in the Magic. Nice show blending in allot of different Disney Tales...and at the end... Tinker Bell Does something to the theater that was very breath-taking.

We get back to our room... Froi had made Towel Critter #6...the Brontosaurus

Froi also reworked our Monkey...

Tomorrow is our last day... a day at sea... I'm a little sad.

 

[trennr]

Day 7... Final Day at Sea.

We have one last day to do anything on the Boat that we wished we had done. Mel and I decide to Hang out on the Deck 10 and watch the Ocean while getting some Sun. Chance... He went to play Hoops.

Let see... the boat leave Galveston @ 4pm and it takes it 2½ days to get from there to GCI and I has basically only 1½ days to make it from Cozumel back to Galveston by 8am. I believe on the Way Down we were Cruising at around 14 Knots... on the way back we are traveling at 20 Knots. and when you are on the Top Deck... you can tell... the wind is Really Strong as you get closer to the Front of the Ship. We Find A spot behind a Wall the Blocks Said Wind and it's pretty nice. We are pretty close to the Funnel Vision... they are showing Toy Story...

But After that they have a Little Deck Party... and I get a Picture of non other tha Max Goof.

Max, Chip, Dale and Pluto have this party in control for several songs the Mickey, Minnie and Goofy Take over...

Mix Master Mickey shows off his Scratching Skills...

Cute Party... was the best one so far because I don't think anyone knew it was going on...

Then I noticed the Blue Water again... Dave...

The guy was at Goofy's galley Today... I thought he was neat...

After a quick bite of Lunch with Mel... I had had enough of the Deck Chair... so I went to see what was showing...
Wreck-it-Ralph was on again in the Walt Disney Theater... So I sat in and caught part of what I had fallen asleep on the other night. I Relly like this Movie.

After Ralph... I went to the BV theater to see if Lincoln was showing... Nope...it was Franken-Weenie. It was about half way through. I guess I' just don't get Tim Burton... cause I found the movie to be... BAD. Though I appreciated the old classic horror movie humor.

Down the Hall from that... they had an Art display... Chance Really wanted this peice... but not $495 wanting it... Got to admit... it's a nice one...

Also at Studio Sea... the Doors are covered with Buttons... and each Button was a Hiddem Mickey.

Now it was almost time for dinner and I needed to get our Tip Envelopes in order for our Servers.

Got to the room and Mel was napping... so was Chance. Got the tip slips squared away... and I layed down on the Couch and fell asleep too (not sound... but what I refer to as "la-la land") while watching a bit of Spidey again.

When we woke up it was time to make our way to Lumiere's again. I looked out our Port Hole and Noticed this Most Awesome Sunset... so I Rushed Upstairs to get a Picture... This is now my Desktop Photo...

All theElevators have this DCL Logo...so I don't thing this qualifies as a Hidden Mickey... but her eit is any way...

I meet theFamily at Lumiere's...At First I was upset that I had gotten this resturant 3 times... and only Animators Palate Twice... but looking back... I liked the Menus at Lumiere's better than any of the other 2.

The Show For tonight was much like the First night an overview of the Cruise... it was called "Remember the Magic" and featured a little of all the Plays... also at GCI the had changed the Special Guest from the Comedian/Magician to this ventriquist guy... now he was funny... I liked him.

Last Dinner... Last Show... went for my Last trip to the Internet Cafe to check on DS17... haven't mentioned it much... but I went here almost every night for a little while to Chat with DS... We tried Skype a few times using my Droid... but it was just to noisey. Jayce had to take one of our Dogs to the Emergency Clinic... got into a tangle with an Opossum in our fenced in back yard? It had scratched her nose... but he took her to the vet to be sure she was OK. She had just gotten all of her shots in Sept... so we were good and Mollie was fine. Glad to see him handle the situation like the "Adult" he's fixing to be soon...officially anyway. I think he's been there on some level since 5th grade.

Well that was it... time for bed... Next Morning we would be back in Galveston and a long Drive to go...

Towel Critter... ummmm... Towel Figure #7... Froi Loves us... he must have liked his tip...

 

[trennr]

Day 8... Crud... back to reality...

We arrived in Galveston this AM... We had put our Luggage out the Night before for Pickup in the Port.

We were scheduled for Breakfast in Lumiere's at 8am... We said farewell to Froi... and Cabin 2136.

Our Towel Monkey had fallen apart and look like a Ghost...

We had a good Breakfast... and said fairwell to Cindy and I Wayan and the Family we had dined with all week.

The Line to get off the Ship had wrapped around to the side exit of Lumeire's... I'm not certain but I think we cut line... but there was a big opening and it looked like the end of the line to us.

Take a quick shot of this wonderful smelling Gingerbread Houst they had been working on all week...

We swiped our Key one last time... we are truly leaving the Magic.

We get down and the Luggage are divided into Sections... Kinda like to old parking lots at Magic Kingdom... ours was parked in Daisy... funny thing they were all in different rows. We walk around and a cast memeber guides us to the US Customs and tells us to pick a row... 1-3... Row 2 only has one couple in it. Rows. 4-10 are Crowded... but are for non-US Citizens. Didn't realize there were that many non-US'ers on this cruise. The Couple in front of us finished and I presented our Passports and Declaration form... He looks at each of us and says ... Welcome back... and we were done.

I left Mel and Chance with the Luggage and rode the Bus back to the Parking lot. Call the Boy and tell him we now have Cell Service...and tell him to call his Mother. On the Bus I give my Mom a call. the buss Arrives and Ol' Bessie was covered in Dust.

Hop in the Van and she starts... good... I was wondering if I had turned he lights off.

Pick up Mel and Chance... and off we go. Back to the Ferry...

And Drive back up the coast...

That's pretty much it... We stop somewhere in Louisiana for Lunch and Gas... don't stop again until Mississippi for a potty break... Stop in Alabama for Gas and Restrooms and dinner from McD's.

Mel and I decide at 10pm we can make it to the house if she drives a little... I make it until somewhere between Chattenooga and Knoxville... and let her take over the wheel. We make it home around 3am.

And we sleep the sleep of the dead.

Overall... Great Trip... Great Experience... Great Food. Well worth the 15-17 hour drive both directions.... although the next time I will be sailing out of Port Canaveral... or Flying. I hope to be able to swing a 4-5 night cruise on the Dream sometime soon... I'm hooked.

Chance and Mel are looking forward to returning to Grand Cayman and Cozumel on a Carnival Cruise in late January.
Mel is much more at ease about sailing without me now that she kinda knows what to expect.

I'm looking forward to going to the Disdads Convention with Jayce in early January as well.

Thanks for joining me!!! See ya again....REAL SOON!!!

 

[trennr]

Things I learned...

1] Don't pack too much...despite all the warnings... we WAY overpacked. I had about 4 T-shirts I never wore... and 2 Pair of Shorts.
2] Bring a Mug... the Drink Stations have "Small" cups.
3] Bring a an Empty Suitcase for Stuff... My wife is a shopper and a giver. She spent allot on stuff for Family, Friends, Teachers, etc. You name it... she got it for someone... Hope y'all enjoyed what she got you. :lol:
4] If you are having a hard time deciding on what to order at dinner... Let your Server know... they will bring both.
5] Take a Nap...or you will nap through your show.
6] Cash is a powerful tool in the Ports. You can negotiate if you show them US Dollars.
7] Cash is usless on board... with exception of Tips.
8] Prepay tips... I think this is customery on DCL now... but it was nice to have that taken care of before we set sail... and if someone you feel goes above and beyond... you can slip them extra cash with your slip... or adjust it at Customer service.
9] Get to know your Staff... if you show interest in them... they will take care of you all the more.
10] Unless it's clearly marked "For Crew Only"... go ahead and explore it.
11] Order Room Service. Chicken Wings and Pizza at Midnight... why not.

 

[trennr]

TPO!!!

 

[AirGoofy]

Cruise looks fun. Yoda and duct tape to make the trip even better.

 

[theduck619]

Well done Nate!

 

[trennr]

Cruise looks fun. Yoda and duct tape to make the trip even better.

I think that has the makings of a new Man Law... all Trip reports must contain references to Yoda and Duct Tape.

Well done Nate!

Thank you!

 

[GoHerd1028]

Great TR that brought back a lot of great memories!!! We have now done two DCL cruises...first on Magic and second on Fantasy!! I am hooked too!!

 

[trennr]

Great TR that brought back a lot of great memories!!! We have now done two DCL cruises...first on Magic and second on Fantasy!! I am hooked too!!

Hey Steve...