4/28/06 Gainesville/WDW/Cape Canaveral- This was very trying day. This is our first vacation in almost a year. I have to work on reducing stress. SO I spent the day running errands and we finally got on the road about 4pm. We had dinner at Citricos with some new found friends, Carolina Yankee. We had lovely dinner. We dropped our friends off at their hotel and headed to Cape Canaveral for our stay at Residence Inn. It was a very nice property. The only down side was there were very few luggage carts. That came to be a problem Saturday morning, as we were getting our luggage down from the room.
4/29/06- Cape Canaveral- We ended up taking Yellow cab and it cost us 8.00 to get to the pier. The Hotel recommended Cocoa Beach Shuttle but they would not pick up till 1pm. We checked our check baggage at the curb and took the rest of the safari luggage into the terminal. We got up to check in and it was odd the 1st time cruise line moved faster than the Castaway Cay line. We finally got checked in and then found a place to sit down. My shyness kicked in and I could have introduced myself to fellow Disboards members, but did not. Around noon, the hatch opened. We boarded and DW and I decided we did not want embarkation photos. So we bypassed all that and boarded. We ate lunch and then attempted to get to our stateroom. But it was blocked off. However, I needed to get my medication in the fridge and a cast member got us into our room to just drop our stuff off.
We had room 8502 and were on the same level as the bridge and just two staterooms down. We then went and roamed the ship some and then went down to the Roses suite and had a lovely get together to meet other Disboards people. (Thanks to the Roses for hosting the get together. It was nice to put faces to names and sample some awesome wines). I watched the cast off from our balcony. It was very cool. Then we went up topside as we went down the channel. We ended up missing the show but had a lovely dinner. Our server was Darius. Our rotation was LAPLAPL
4/30/06- We had our 1st day at Sea. It was pretty rough. I had the Wine Tasting and Martini Tasting. The wine tasting was okay, no real special bottles to me. But that doesnt mean it is not for you. The Martini tasting was really neat. I learned a lot. But the French Martini is still my favorite. We also got cleared on the wait list for High Tea at Palo and it was awesome. We had Korina as our server. She is very cute and has a very sweet voice. It was nice diversion.
Sunday night we went to the Gold Mickeys. It was a very well done show and we had a great time. They do some video interviews in the Lobby and they broadcast live in the Walt Disney Theater
5/1/05 We started the day off with Brunch in Palos. If you have never done brunch here, it is a must. You wont need to eat till that evening. Everything frm cold stuff to hot entrees. It was here. We had an awesme time!!
We had our Couple Choice spa service today too. This was done the Villas and our spa Villa was directly over our stateroom. They have a balcony with a whirlpool tub for two and a day bed. They go over a questionnaire and then recommend treatments based on responses. DW had some wrap thing that I called her a baked sweet potato. I did the aroma stone therapy treatment. But you first get in the hot tub. The balcony is viewable from deck 9 bulge in the forward Plexiglas. However it is blocked off. However from deck 10, you can look into the 1st two villa balconies. There are also drapes to close. However, it was a windy day and no one was there to spy on my wifes goodies. After 20-30 minutes in the hot tub and the foot washing before you get in, they bring you inside and you get a nice massage. After they are done, you got outside a lay on the day bed and have tea and fresh fruit and look out over the ocean. It was awesome.
We went to the Twice Charmed. It was a wonderfully done show and we had a great time. I love the way they mixed in video with live performance on the main stage. It was pretty neat. We got to talk to some of the new cast that was replacing the one currently doing the show and they train in Canada for several months and watching the show, it all seemed to come together for them.
5/2/06 St Maareten- We did not do too much here due to a medical situation. We started the day with the intention of having some good diving. We got off the boat and off to the water taxi area and the dive shop had a shuttle pick everyone up. We got to the dive shop and loaded on boat. They had locations and other essentials planned out. Well organized operation. We then went out about 15 minutes to site, It was the British tried to invade by using a captured dutch ship and they ran it aground and the Dutch had to rescue the stranded sailors. The Brits tried to lighten the boat and dropped anchors and cannons overboard. Majority of this is still down there. So we got some neat photos of historical stuff.
The second dive was on cruise ship reef, this is where an RCI Captain hit the reef and then ran his ship aground on the beach to prevent it some sinking. Anyhow, wife got in water and I was last one in line. Turns out I had an O ring problem and had to swap tanks. So to catch up with the group, I was huffing and puffing. Went I got to 1K psi, I signaled the dive master. When we got 800, I signaled again and then again at 500. Hoping we are getting back to the boat soon. Well turns out the Dive Master was lost. When I dive in strange place I rely on the guide/master. Well I surfaced at 125 psi, a ¼ of mile off the boat. We started surface swim. I forgot about the snorkel in my BC pocket. Anyhow, I swam about ½ ways and then just got tired. That coupled with inhaling sea water and started a panic asthma attack. Which I had not had in 20 years. Anyhow, the Dive Master ended up towing me back to the tag line and I got back on the boat. Got out of my gear and went for the rescue inhaler. I spent my day with exhausted lung muscles. SO once we got back to the ship, we just goofed off. We were scheduled to dive in St Thomas, but decided it would be medically inappropriate. So we went to shore excursion desk and asked to cancel. They canceled our dives and we booked the St Thomas Coral World tour.
The Pirates IN Caribbean party was great. DW gets sea sick every time we start moving the ship, so she stayed in the room. I ended up going to dinner alone, as our table mates had Palo reservations. I went to the party and stayed by the stack. I was leaning against the rail, when this Hispanic lady came up and asked me to move so her 2 children in the stroller could watch. I had no problem till her family dragged a chair and 8 members of her family. I was not happy as I got blocked out of my spot and ended up in the way of traffic. But I found some show cast members in another spot and they were sitting on the railing and I tried withmy fat butt, but found standing there was the best thing. Anyhow, The Dumbotron was good for adding to the show and showing video for all to see. The Fireworks were great for a cruise ship not of calibr we expect from WDW. However factoring wind and other issues, they did a great job. Most of them were aerial bursts. And DW watched them from our balcony. She enjoyed them too
5/3/05- St Thomas- We did the Coral World tour. They load you into a F350 with a passenger container on the back. You go to the Mountain Top building and overlook the St John and the other Islands. They also have shops and Banana daiquiris. Then they take you to Coral World and it is nice mini-Sea World Park. They do a shark feeding and have some tanks. They also have a SNUBA adventure too. We really enjoyed ourselves and being Divers that see a lot, that is a good thing. It is right next to Coki beach
We had dinner in Palos. We had Anne Marie as our server. She was really cool. Oddly she knew it was our anniversary. It was very lovely dinner and DW had seafood combo with another sides combination and they did an excellent presentation. I had the chocolate soufflé and DW had a Cream desert with Berries. Of course my Vanilla Sauce got poured in my soufflé and on her desert too. DW was very happy.
5/4/06- Day at Sea- We had a lovely day at Sea. We attended the Officer Corner in Diversions and they had slide presentation and Q&A with Staff Captain (Who really does all the work) and the Chief Engineer. Every time, I go to these, I learn something new.
We then did the Galley tour and it was very informative. Chef Vinny took about 20 minutes at the end of the tour to answer various questions and offered a lot of information on the dining on the ship. We learned the ship takes on about $250,000 in food in Port Canaveral. All food is bought here. They only take on food from US Ports, if there is an shortage or something.
We ended up taking a nap and missed Disney Dreams, but went to dinner and then up to Cove Cafe for cognac. I had been searching for years to get the last few shots out of a Louis XIII bottle, so we could keep the bottle. We ended up buying the last 2 for the bottle on the ship. So now I got my own Baccarat bottle now. Woo Hoo.
5/5/06- Cataway Cay. This was day that I am paying for now. We got off the ship and did the Eco Tour. It was awesome and I am felt it was a good value. DW now wants a PWC of her own now.
We did the snorkel lagoon. It was very neat. Lots to see and never bored. However, we forgot to reapply our sun tan lotion after swimming.
We also signed up for Stingray Rays. It was an okay tour for those that have never swam with rays before. The fact that portion of the proceeds go to the Disney Conservation Fund, made up for what I felt personally lacking the in the adventure for me. However, the joy of seeing the kids get from feeding the rays was great. It is a very good program.
Afterwards, we ate lunch and almost missed out on lunch all together. They close up at 2pm. So we just made it. Then we went to conked out bar and had a Banana Baileys and Rum. Yummy. Then back to the ship, where we started packing all the dive gear and clothes up.
Of course, we watched the ship pull out of Castaway Cay. Cast members stood on the dock and waved goodbye to us and thanked us for coming. We had pulled in bow first and Captains Tom and Robert backed us out and turned us to the west as we made our final leg our journey back home. About 20 minutes into our run, we passed a pod of dolphins swimming away from the ship on the starboard side. It was the perfect way to end our cruise.
5/6/06- Port Canaveral. A last the vacation came to an end. It was a week of fun and good times with DW. We skipped breakfast and got our luggage. The problem arose when I did not make a better effort to get us back to the Residence Inn. They called a cab for us and they driver, from Thunderbolt Taxi, was put off that we were only going such a short distance. It ended up costing us $30.00 to get back to the hotel. The driver did mention that the Residence will be starting a shuttle service. So that was good news. So we will probably try parking at the Residence again. My bottom line was it ended up costing $50.00 for the room, after I figure in cost of parking at the pier.
So anyhow, DW and I are nursing our sunburns. I also have a cold now. PND, and achey joints. Just glad it is started now and not on the cruise. Now, I need to start planning on how I can do the Western Med Repo cruise for the Magic.
4/29/06- Cape Canaveral- We ended up taking Yellow cab and it cost us 8.00 to get to the pier. The Hotel recommended Cocoa Beach Shuttle but they would not pick up till 1pm. We checked our check baggage at the curb and took the rest of the safari luggage into the terminal. We got up to check in and it was odd the 1st time cruise line moved faster than the Castaway Cay line. We finally got checked in and then found a place to sit down. My shyness kicked in and I could have introduced myself to fellow Disboards members, but did not. Around noon, the hatch opened. We boarded and DW and I decided we did not want embarkation photos. So we bypassed all that and boarded. We ate lunch and then attempted to get to our stateroom. But it was blocked off. However, I needed to get my medication in the fridge and a cast member got us into our room to just drop our stuff off.
We had room 8502 and were on the same level as the bridge and just two staterooms down. We then went and roamed the ship some and then went down to the Roses suite and had a lovely get together to meet other Disboards people. (Thanks to the Roses for hosting the get together. It was nice to put faces to names and sample some awesome wines). I watched the cast off from our balcony. It was very cool. Then we went up topside as we went down the channel. We ended up missing the show but had a lovely dinner. Our server was Darius. Our rotation was LAPLAPL
4/30/06- We had our 1st day at Sea. It was pretty rough. I had the Wine Tasting and Martini Tasting. The wine tasting was okay, no real special bottles to me. But that doesnt mean it is not for you. The Martini tasting was really neat. I learned a lot. But the French Martini is still my favorite. We also got cleared on the wait list for High Tea at Palo and it was awesome. We had Korina as our server. She is very cute and has a very sweet voice. It was nice diversion.
Sunday night we went to the Gold Mickeys. It was a very well done show and we had a great time. They do some video interviews in the Lobby and they broadcast live in the Walt Disney Theater
5/1/05 We started the day off with Brunch in Palos. If you have never done brunch here, it is a must. You wont need to eat till that evening. Everything frm cold stuff to hot entrees. It was here. We had an awesme time!!
We had our Couple Choice spa service today too. This was done the Villas and our spa Villa was directly over our stateroom. They have a balcony with a whirlpool tub for two and a day bed. They go over a questionnaire and then recommend treatments based on responses. DW had some wrap thing that I called her a baked sweet potato. I did the aroma stone therapy treatment. But you first get in the hot tub. The balcony is viewable from deck 9 bulge in the forward Plexiglas. However it is blocked off. However from deck 10, you can look into the 1st two villa balconies. There are also drapes to close. However, it was a windy day and no one was there to spy on my wifes goodies. After 20-30 minutes in the hot tub and the foot washing before you get in, they bring you inside and you get a nice massage. After they are done, you got outside a lay on the day bed and have tea and fresh fruit and look out over the ocean. It was awesome.
We went to the Twice Charmed. It was a wonderfully done show and we had a great time. I love the way they mixed in video with live performance on the main stage. It was pretty neat. We got to talk to some of the new cast that was replacing the one currently doing the show and they train in Canada for several months and watching the show, it all seemed to come together for them.
5/2/06 St Maareten- We did not do too much here due to a medical situation. We started the day with the intention of having some good diving. We got off the boat and off to the water taxi area and the dive shop had a shuttle pick everyone up. We got to the dive shop and loaded on boat. They had locations and other essentials planned out. Well organized operation. We then went out about 15 minutes to site, It was the British tried to invade by using a captured dutch ship and they ran it aground and the Dutch had to rescue the stranded sailors. The Brits tried to lighten the boat and dropped anchors and cannons overboard. Majority of this is still down there. So we got some neat photos of historical stuff.
The second dive was on cruise ship reef, this is where an RCI Captain hit the reef and then ran his ship aground on the beach to prevent it some sinking. Anyhow, wife got in water and I was last one in line. Turns out I had an O ring problem and had to swap tanks. So to catch up with the group, I was huffing and puffing. Went I got to 1K psi, I signaled the dive master. When we got 800, I signaled again and then again at 500. Hoping we are getting back to the boat soon. Well turns out the Dive Master was lost. When I dive in strange place I rely on the guide/master. Well I surfaced at 125 psi, a ¼ of mile off the boat. We started surface swim. I forgot about the snorkel in my BC pocket. Anyhow, I swam about ½ ways and then just got tired. That coupled with inhaling sea water and started a panic asthma attack. Which I had not had in 20 years. Anyhow, the Dive Master ended up towing me back to the tag line and I got back on the boat. Got out of my gear and went for the rescue inhaler. I spent my day with exhausted lung muscles. SO once we got back to the ship, we just goofed off. We were scheduled to dive in St Thomas, but decided it would be medically inappropriate. So we went to shore excursion desk and asked to cancel. They canceled our dives and we booked the St Thomas Coral World tour.
The Pirates IN Caribbean party was great. DW gets sea sick every time we start moving the ship, so she stayed in the room. I ended up going to dinner alone, as our table mates had Palo reservations. I went to the party and stayed by the stack. I was leaning against the rail, when this Hispanic lady came up and asked me to move so her 2 children in the stroller could watch. I had no problem till her family dragged a chair and 8 members of her family. I was not happy as I got blocked out of my spot and ended up in the way of traffic. But I found some show cast members in another spot and they were sitting on the railing and I tried withmy fat butt, but found standing there was the best thing. Anyhow, The Dumbotron was good for adding to the show and showing video for all to see. The Fireworks were great for a cruise ship not of calibr we expect from WDW. However factoring wind and other issues, they did a great job. Most of them were aerial bursts. And DW watched them from our balcony. She enjoyed them too
5/3/05- St Thomas- We did the Coral World tour. They load you into a F350 with a passenger container on the back. You go to the Mountain Top building and overlook the St John and the other Islands. They also have shops and Banana daiquiris. Then they take you to Coral World and it is nice mini-Sea World Park. They do a shark feeding and have some tanks. They also have a SNUBA adventure too. We really enjoyed ourselves and being Divers that see a lot, that is a good thing. It is right next to Coki beach
We had dinner in Palos. We had Anne Marie as our server. She was really cool. Oddly she knew it was our anniversary. It was very lovely dinner and DW had seafood combo with another sides combination and they did an excellent presentation. I had the chocolate soufflé and DW had a Cream desert with Berries. Of course my Vanilla Sauce got poured in my soufflé and on her desert too. DW was very happy.
5/4/06- Day at Sea- We had a lovely day at Sea. We attended the Officer Corner in Diversions and they had slide presentation and Q&A with Staff Captain (Who really does all the work) and the Chief Engineer. Every time, I go to these, I learn something new.
We then did the Galley tour and it was very informative. Chef Vinny took about 20 minutes at the end of the tour to answer various questions and offered a lot of information on the dining on the ship. We learned the ship takes on about $250,000 in food in Port Canaveral. All food is bought here. They only take on food from US Ports, if there is an shortage or something.
We ended up taking a nap and missed Disney Dreams, but went to dinner and then up to Cove Cafe for cognac. I had been searching for years to get the last few shots out of a Louis XIII bottle, so we could keep the bottle. We ended up buying the last 2 for the bottle on the ship. So now I got my own Baccarat bottle now. Woo Hoo.
5/5/06- Cataway Cay. This was day that I am paying for now. We got off the ship and did the Eco Tour. It was awesome and I am felt it was a good value. DW now wants a PWC of her own now.
We did the snorkel lagoon. It was very neat. Lots to see and never bored. However, we forgot to reapply our sun tan lotion after swimming.
We also signed up for Stingray Rays. It was an okay tour for those that have never swam with rays before. The fact that portion of the proceeds go to the Disney Conservation Fund, made up for what I felt personally lacking the in the adventure for me. However, the joy of seeing the kids get from feeding the rays was great. It is a very good program.
Afterwards, we ate lunch and almost missed out on lunch all together. They close up at 2pm. So we just made it. Then we went to conked out bar and had a Banana Baileys and Rum. Yummy. Then back to the ship, where we started packing all the dive gear and clothes up.
Of course, we watched the ship pull out of Castaway Cay. Cast members stood on the dock and waved goodbye to us and thanked us for coming. We had pulled in bow first and Captains Tom and Robert backed us out and turned us to the west as we made our final leg our journey back home. About 20 minutes into our run, we passed a pod of dolphins swimming away from the ship on the starboard side. It was the perfect way to end our cruise.
5/6/06- Port Canaveral. A last the vacation came to an end. It was a week of fun and good times with DW. We skipped breakfast and got our luggage. The problem arose when I did not make a better effort to get us back to the Residence Inn. They called a cab for us and they driver, from Thunderbolt Taxi, was put off that we were only going such a short distance. It ended up costing us $30.00 to get back to the hotel. The driver did mention that the Residence will be starting a shuttle service. So that was good news. So we will probably try parking at the Residence again. My bottom line was it ended up costing $50.00 for the room, after I figure in cost of parking at the pier.
So anyhow, DW and I are nursing our sunburns. I also have a cold now. PND, and achey joints. Just glad it is started now and not on the cruise. Now, I need to start planning on how I can do the Western Med Repo cruise for the Magic.
