Part 12 Last day & trip home
Now it comes to say goodbye, to all our company
We had packed everything up the night before and it was gone - so we "roughed it" this morning without first breakfast. ...and yes, we did see a couple ladies in pajama bottoms who must have forgotten to pack the next day's outfit. Note to self.
The lady was not happy that they were forcing us out of our home. Wheres my dang chocolate croissants?
We had already pulled into port sometime that morning why didnt we wake up THIS time? It was a foggy, sad day.
So before I end this report, here are some things we learned on the trip and wanted to share. Here are the good ideas:
1.) The before mentioned French Press, your own coffee, and the versatile LARGE Tervis Tumbler with the lid, straw, and holder.
2.) Step one, turn your clock to the darker setting. Step two, cover the dang thing with a towel! Seriously, this thing would light up Tucson!
3.) We took a little white-sound machine. Setting? Ocean!!! Though we found the rooms to be very soundproof, this helped keep little feet upstairs a memory.
4.) Little music speakers hooked up to my phone, we had all the island music, mood music, wake-up eating first-breakfast music we could ask for!
5.) Shorty wetsuits in Castaway Cay in January! We were never cold in the water even after hours of swimming!
6.) The H2O shampoo, conditioner, and lotions is da bomb! DW loved it so much she ordered some online after we got home.
7.) Over-the-door shoe holder. We cut the last two rows off ours. DW said that if she had to, she could have done without it, but it was a handy place to store jewelry. With only 2 of us in the cabin, we had plenty of room, but I could see how this would have been helpful in a room with more than two. It was cheap enough that we didnt need to take it home with us, too.
8.) The mirror with the magnified mirror in it was something my DW commented about nearly every day. I wonder when shes going to look that up on line to see how we get one at home.
9.) Have your family watch you sail away on the Port Canaveral webcam. Then have them send it to your smart phone while youre still sailing away. It was so cool!
10.) If you have a little point-and-shoot digital camera, buy one of these waterproof sleeves. I found mine on
Amazon (Dicapac) for around $18. It worked like a charm and had a wrist float. Highly recommended!
11.) BONUS: Make your reservations for your next trip onboard. This is the biggest regret I have on the entire experience. I was hitting myself about this while standing in line to disembark.
Guest services gets bogged down near the end of the cruise. I overheard one conversation with a gentleman arguing with the cast member about paying tips. He acted as if they didnt know anything about this procedure even though its mentioned in numerous places. These poor cast members from all over the world have to deal with folks like this every. Be kind to your local cast member!
Since we had late dining seating, our breakfast seating was also late on the last day. This gave a few extra minutes on the ship before disembarking. We were reunited with our table-mates (who we missed the last night while we were in Palo).
They dont let you back in your room once you go to breakfast, so after it was over, we sadly shuffled off the ship.
RARE PHOTOS: I took a couple of these shots of the customs area, which is vaguely familiar to standing in cues for rides at Disney World. I was then shot and wrestled to the ground by the TSA. I didnt know it was against the rules.
Then, sadly, we made our way to the shuttle that took us back to the La Quinta hotel in Coco Beach. The rental was there, just as we left it. We took one more photo of our beloved ship and then had the horrifying thought that OTHER PEOPLE were going to be using our room that night!!!
After an hour drive or so, we were reunited with our DD who had finished her term in the Disney College Internship program. We goofed around for a bit, and then headed out of Dodge for the frozen north.
Unfortunately, the next day, we found it.
Overall, it was the greatest vacation Ive ever had! Disney does it right comfort, service, venue, show, and that special dusting of magic. The cast members were top-notch, the weather was fabulous, the food delicious! Though we may need to be saving another 30 years for our next cruise, we both felt it was worth every dollar.
And, in case you didnt know, Im a lucky man. My lady sparkled all week, but she does every day. It made me happy to see her so happy. I love you, babe - happy anniversary!
You had me LOL a couple of times! This type of trip is a "dream" for DH and I , but first we have to try our first cruise as a family in November on the Dream! So excited! Thanks for sharing!
