From the Sea to the World - Holiday Edition - Completed

[Flossbolna]

Rushing from Meet to Muster

The stateroom was beautiful and (at that point still…) in perfect condition.

It may or may not have been in perfect condition when we left it!

This was Michael’s first cruise as a Gold Castaway Club Member (that means that this was his 6th cruise with DCL) and we got the gift for the Gold level which was the beach bag and inside the bag was an umbrella.

More room pictures:

Our view from our balcony:

Another ship docked at Port Canaveral:

Looking towards the aft of the ship from our balcony:

And looking forward:

It was neat that you could see the part of the bridge sticking out and sometimes you would see people in there. Beyond is the third ship in port.

Michael wanted to let his folks know that we arrived on the ship, but I wanted to check out the spa. So, I left him to chat for a little while and rushed up to the spa and got a lovely lady to walk me around. The problem was that I was a bit rushed for time as we had the next thing on the schedule pretty soon, the DVC Members’ Celebration. So, when the lady wanted to start to tell me all about the special barber shop treatments they were offering and asked if there were any males in my travel party, I told her that there weren’t. I had no interest in her trying to sell me on convincing Michael to purchase a barber shop treatment. We had heard all about those treatments on the spa tour on the Wonder and he had no interest then. And obviously I had no interest in those for myself either. She then asked me with whom I was travelling and in order to keep the chat flowing I kind of was forced to make up a story… I am not good about lying and this totally threw me off. But I really loved what I saw of the spa area on the Fantasy. It definitely is a huge upgrade from the Wonder! And I loved the look of the Rainforest Room which is an area with different saunas/steam rooms, special effects showers, tile loungers (here they have an ocean view, on the Magic and the Wonder they are inside) and two hot tubs with ocean views as well. Michael and I had pre-purchased day passes for the Rainforest Room and I was really looking forward to experiencing it!

Sorry, I forgot to bring my camera! But I can recommend this video that gives you a really nice overview:

When we got to the treatment rooms, they told me all about the Thalasso wraps they were offering and then suggested that I lie down on one of those beds that they use for that. They were really amazing, you are lying on some kind of air cushion that is heated and it is so nice and warm and comfortable! But I really did not feel like paying the 250$ or so it cost for one treatment…

Not a fan of the tours that every ship offers of the spa designed to separate you from your money. I actually know someone who spent $8,000 in a week on an RCL cruise in the spa. I am still not sure how this is possible!

I rushed back to the room afterwards (luckily not far as we were forward on deck 9 and the spa is forward on deck 11, so just down two stairs). And convinced Michael to stop chatting as we had to go!

Our destination was D Lounge which is a place where they hold all kind of events, mainly the smaller game shows and such for the families. This is where all DVC members were invited to attend an event for them called Members’ Celebration. It started at 2:30pm.

When we got there, we were greeted at the door, each given a form to fill out with our names as there was going to be a price drawing and we were given a DVC hat. We already had plenty of hats from our previous two cruises (I don’t ever wear that typo of hat…) and they were white, but this time they were baby blue and were made out of very nice soft material that seemed to be the type that is used for sports clothes. We found a table and got a cocktail from one of the servers.

And then I saw that Stitch was there to meet the guests. He was standing there totally on his own with no one around, so I convinced Michael to come along and greet Stitch with me-That was not difficult as Michael really likes Stitch.

Here is my side of us meeting Stitch:

I love Stitch. He is very much like me, a bit naughty and misunderstood! Oh, we're also both aliens too!

There you can also see why I usually don’t wear caps like the one I am wearing in the picture…

The event is a little bit of a sales event, they would like to buy more points while in happy vacation mode. The newest video we were treated to was of little kids saying how much they love DVC and thanking mommy and daddy for giving such wonderful times. We both found it rather cheesy and even a bit slimy (using kids to sell your product…). Besides seeing some videos, we also had some kind of game show where the room was split in to different halves and we had to compete with each other. Michael and I were at the same table, but the border was running directly through our table, so we were in opposing teams. But I think I had far more enthusiasm for the game than he did!

I think slimy is putting it kindly. It is very low and manipulative. The message I got was ''If you want your kids, some of whom are sitting right there, to think you love them, then the $6,000 you're spending on the cruise isn't enough. Nope. You need to spend $30,000 on timeshares. It really, really, really rubbed me the wrong way.

They were also giving out some prices. They always started reading out the city and state where people were from first and then I heard: Nuremberg, Germany and already jumped before he had said my name. I guess I was pretty safe to assume that there were no other DVC members from my home town on the same ship as me. I guess the chance for that to happen was far lower than chance of me winning one of the prices. I won a DVC beach bag that we ended up using a few times during the trips as it was nice and roomy, but in the end I passed it on to one of Michael’s friends in Orlando. So, this is the second time that I won something at the DVC meeting, but I still haven’t won the big price which is a 200 $ onboard credit. Maybe next cruise!!

It would be nice to win the one thing that actually has value, right?

One thing happened that made me wonder quite a bit. Part of the meeting is always that they ask people to share their positive memories of vacationing with DVC. And this time one guy got up and said how wonderful it is that he can use his DVC points for cruising, because his family can no longer their points for vacations at WDW as they cannot afford WDW anymore because it has become so expensive, the tickets and the food. I guess that was not what the DVC people wanted to hear, but I also thought that this poor guy would most likely be better off to sell his points and use the money for cruises than cruise on points. While you can exchange your points for cruises, it really is not the most economical way to use them that way…

Yes, that was amusing in a sad way. I do know friends who use DVC points to sail because they feel the same way or simply feel that WDW has largely remained stagnant over the last decade while Universal is constantly opening major state of the art attractions. I'd rather take a DCL cruise than visit WDW too!

I have to say that I did not like the timing of the event that much. The past two cruises it had been on the morning of the first sea day. I think I liked that much better. First of all we got mimosas or sparkling wine then, this time it was some cocktails that did not taste that spectacular. And then it made the embarkation day even more hectic than that day is anyway. Of course we could have skipped it, but I like to hear what DVC has to say and how they are advertising the product.

At the exit we all got an insulated cup with the DVC logo. In the past I had gotten a mesh bag that did not really impress me. The cup however was really good as you could use it for refills from the drinks station on the ship and I saw plenty of people do that.

We went back to our cabin for a brief while and Michael started to be a bit upset that we still did not get our suitcases. I told him that obviously they are still delivering them. I saw Tri, our stateroom host, carrying around suitcases.

We had met Tri earlier (and had told him that we loved to get fresh ice in the ice bucket and that Michael loves the shampoo they provide). He seemed really nice and it looked like we had gotten really lucky. On my first two cruises stateroom hosts had not been nearly as magical as I thought they would be. The first one was never to be seen until the next to last day. And the second cruise our first stateroom host had let the room go rather unpleasant – and did weird things like leaving the bunk bed down when we first arrived. We then had a wonderful stateroom host though after changing rooms.

He was great at not only keeping the cabin like new, but always leaving extra shampoo and making sure we always had ice without asking! Oh, and I do think we may have contributed to that stateroom host on the Wonder losing her job. But I also believe it was 'last straw' kind of deal too!

And then it was time for the Muster Drill anyway. We were assigned a station that was inside the Walt Disney theatre – on the balcony of the theatre. When we arrived they had already filled nearly all the seats, I think we sat in the last row. People arriving after us (and those were quite a lot) had to stand. Of course no one was standing outside in the sun and you did not have to line up one behind the other, so there was more personal space. But all in all, the inside location made the whole process only marginally better. And it seemed to take ages until everyone was cleared to leave again.

After the drill we headed back up to our room, still without suitcases. It then dawned on me: We had changed our room from an inside cabin to the balcony cabin rather recently. Our luggage tags still had the old stateroom number on them. We had been told that this did not matter as they were distributing the bags according to the bar codes. However, our old stateroom was only four staterooms away from our new one and it seemed that Tri was responsible for that room as well. So, I went there and yes, that’s where he had put our bags! Obviously they get sorted into areas by bar code, but once the stateroom hosts are distributing them, they are looking at the numbers on the label (and most likely only scan if they see that the number does not fit with their area). We quickly go the bags and Michael stopped being grumpy. Lesson learned: just cross out your number and write the new one on your luggage tags even if Disney tells you it is not necessary. It makes things easier for everyone involved.

The reason why Michael was grumpy about the luggage missing was that he wanted to get to his usual sailaway spot: the hot tub! And his swim suit was in his bag (don’t ask me why, he obviously does not read the DIS cruise board where everyone is told that the most important item in your carry on after your prescription medicine is your swim suit). We both quickly unpacked our bags so that that was done and we did not have to worry about them anymore. And then Michael disappeared into the hot tub.

I was not Grumpy. I was maybe Sleazy ... or what's that other Dwarf? ... Oh, Sleepy. Yep, I was him!

Yes, no one who read my Panama Canal trip report would have any doubt that you are Sleepy....

I had something else to do first: I wanted one of those sailaway drinks in the souvenir glasses!!

It’s a mix of pina colada and something strawberry and it was tasty. But I think next time I will go back to the drink of the day.

Folks, Magdalene can drink me under the table. Totally!

I also went up on the top deck all the way to the front to watch us pull out of the port:

And then there in the distance you can see the rocket assembly building from Kennedy Space Center:

And then it was time for me to watch the rest of the sailaway from the hot tub as well. The Fantasy adult hot tubs are great as they are directly at the edge of the deck and you have a fantastic view. They even have a clear bottom so that you can look directly down to the water. But the location also has the side effect that they have the walkway of the deck above above it, so they are under a rather wide cover. If there are a few more people in the hot tubs the sound bounces off that ceiling and I find them to be extremely noisy. That day however we were only a few people in there. We met someone who had been on the Fantasy quite often and he told us to make sure to go to Remy this cruise as one of the two chefs who create the menu for Remy was on this cruise introducing a new menu and overseeing the kitchen. It was the French chef (the other one is the chef from Victoria & Albert at WDW) who had recently gotten a third Michelin star. We told him that we already a reservation and I was quite excited that we would indeed get to eat a meal from a kitchen where a three star Michelin chef was working himself.

Ok, I better put Michael's comment on this into a spoiler tag...

Spoiler: Michael's comment on Remy

When I am eating at a mall food court, like I just was, I can fantasize about that meal at Remy. Truly, spectacular in every way!

After some time it was time to get out of the hot tub and ready for the show.

Up Next: A Passport of a Different Kind

 

[Poolrat]

Fabulous that things have gotten into Cruise mode quickly.

A run through the spa, a DVC members mingle and a sail away. Good thinking to go look for the luggage.

 

[glennbo123]

The room looks nice. Glad you found your luggage.

Yeah, it's a shame that those DVC events turn into so blatant a sales pitch.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

So, when the lady wanted to start to tell me all about the special barber shop treatments they were offering and asked if there were any males in my travel party, I told her that there weren’t. I had no interest in her trying to sell me on convincing Michael to purchase a barber shop treatment. We had heard all about those treatments on the spa tour on the Wonder and he had no interest then. And obviously I had no interest in those for myself either. She then asked me with whom I was travelling and in order to keep the chat flowing I kind of was forced to make up a story… I am not good about lying and this totally threw me off.

Darn, I was hoping there would be a long story involving exploding helicopters.

In the future, if I were you, I'd probably start spouting random German phrases in a "No speak-a de English" type way.

But I really did not feel like paying the 250$ or so it cost for one treatment…

Not a fan of the tours that every ship offers of the spa designed to separate you from your money. I actually know someone who spent $8,000 in a week on an RCL cruise in the spa. I am still not sure how this is possible!

You'd better be guaranteed to be cancer-free for life for those prices.

And then I saw that Stitch was there to meet the guests. He was standing there totally on his own with no one around, so I convinced Michael to come along and greet Stitch with me-That was not difficult as Michael really likes Stitch.

Stitch is always one of the best for interaction!

I love Stitch. He is very much like me, a bit naughty and misunderstood! Oh, we're also both aliens too!

Is Michael also blue and furry?

The newest video we were treated to was of little kids saying how much they love DVC and thanking mommy and daddy for giving such wonderful times. We both found it rather cheesy and even a bit slimy (using kids to sell your product…).

I think slimy is putting it kindly. It is very low and manipulative. The message I got was ''If you want your kids, some of whom are sitting right there, to think you love them, then the $6,000 you're spending on the cruise isn't enough. Nope. You need to spend $30,000 on timeshares. It really, really, really rubbed me the wrong way.

So, tell us how you really feel.

I agree, although this is basically the heart of marketing ("You won't be truly happy until you have THIS"). We set our kids straight: You can either see the Grand Canyon and eat peanut butter and jelly, or eat croissant sandwiches and stay home. That gets the message across.

And this time one guy got up and said how wonderful it is that he can use his DVC points for cruising, because his family can no longer their points for vacations at WDW as they cannot afford WDW anymore because it has become so expensive, the tickets and the food. I guess that was not what the DVC people wanted to hear, but I also thought that this poor guy would most likely be better off to sell his points and use the money for cruises than cruise on points. While you can exchange your points for cruises, it really is not the most economical way to use them that way…

And here I thought cruising was far more expensive than WDW.

The reason why Michael was grumpy about the luggage missing was that he wanted to get to his usual sailaway spot: the hot tub! And his swim suit was in his bag (don’t ask me why, he obviously does not read the DIS cruise board where everyone is told that the most important item in your carry on after your prescription medicine is your swim suit).

Uh oh. That's a big-time DIS Fail...

Folks, Magdalene can drink me under the table. Totally!

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Mark, that's the kind of choice far too few parents give their kids any more.......

 

[Steppesister]

Don't you have red cabbage in the US?? If you have it, I can send you a recipe for Blaukraut (that's the German name for it, we call it blue, not purple). It is made from red cabbage, but by not making it sour, it turns purple as the color in it is an indicator for acidity.

We do. I really don't cook it very often because my kids don't love it. In fact, they really don't even like it very much, but I sure do. And you can actually use it to test acidity and I remember doing that in both high school and college science classes.

I was so sad for you that that little trip had such a bad start!

But even so, we had an amazing time and managed to pull off some pretty stinkin' fun touring. Let's see, not one, but two churches, the castle, the toy museum, the Albrecht Durer Haus, some freakishly amazing restaurants (my favorite was the Bratwurst place near the first church we saw), visiting you, the underground tour... OH MY! I'm tired just reading that. And want to go back so bad!

I need to make sure to stay current on the DIS for the short week you have lots of time!

That will be awesome, crazy fun!

Since you haven't been there for quite some time that is totally understandable. I find after plenty of trips in the last 10 years, I am more looking forward to exploring other things besides Disney as well.

There actually is a 2nd part of this trip that I'm not sure I mentioned yet?? I'd have to go back and read... but more on that coming up.

I made it to FW for the first time this trip - and I would have loved to do more exploring there! I wonder whether that boardwalk still exists.

Believe it or not, there actually is a fair amount to do there, and the Hoop should be done once for sure. Even if only to wander into the men's room.

That sounds like a great memory! I remember being fascinated by the exhibit about WDW landscaping that they had during the Flower and Garden festival.

I'd go back and do that again for sure, but since I've not done F&W yet, I want to tackle that first. THe last time I did F&G was in 2003? with my parents and we had FAR too little time to really do it justice.

I would think that California had Donald Duck oranges as well. I had no idea that they were such a collectors item. But they are really cute!

I"m sure they probably did, but more of the labels I'm finding are landscape style with orchards and such.

You will get there!!

I'm WAY too stubborn to not finish this program- or at least stick it out until I am kicked out..

 

[Steppesister]

$8,000 on spa treatments? I guess I can think of plenty of other things (like another vacation) I'd want to spend that on. That would pay for a trip to Europe, or WDW. And there ain't NO ONE that ugly. Or tired.

Anyway, sailaway looked fabulous. As did you room. I think my favorite was the rocket assembly bldg in the distance. Really gave it some perspective!

 

[franandaj]

The stateroom was beautiful and (at that point still…) in perfect condition.

(((((sigh)))))

Now I am so nostalgic. I thought I would see one of these next month and now it may be six months, if even then.....

This was Michael’s first cruise as a Gold Castaway Club Member (that means that this was his 6th cruise with DCL) and we got the gift for the Gold level which was the beach bag and inside the bag was an umbrella.

So cool. And again, I'm feeling envious....

Not a fan of the tours that every ship offers of the spa designed to separate you from your money. I actually know someone who spent $8,000 in a week on an RCL cruise in the spa. I am still not sure how this is possible!

I actually can imagine how someone could do this. Not that I would, but I can understand it. Just wondering how they have so much money to throw around, but then sometimes I ask that of Fran.

There you can also see why I usually don’t wear caps like the one I am wearing in the picture…

No, I can't see why you don't wear caps like that. I think you look very nice in the cap. But I feel the same way. I hate seeing pictures of me in ball caps.

I think slimy is putting it kindly. It is very low and manipulative. The message I got was ''If you want your kids, some of whom are sitting right there, to think you love them, then the $6,000 you're spending on the cruise isn't enough. Nope. You need to spend $30,000 on timeshares. It really, really, really rubbed me the wrong way.

I can see that, but since I don't have kids, nor do I want them (being waaaay past the child bearing age) I would just blow it off, but I can see how it could be manipulative to folks who would buy into it. I drank the Kool Aid freely and actually with how many points I own, was probably doing shots in the back room!

So, this is the second time that I won something at the DVC meeting, but I still haven’t won the big price which is a 200 $ onboard credit. Maybe next cruise!!

I've never made to a meeting so I haven't had an opportunity to win, but I've never got a prize, just what they hand out at the kiosk on the ship. It would be nice to get the $200 OB credit!

We quickly go the bags and Michael stopped being grumpy. Lesson learned: just cross out your number and write the new one on your luggage tags even if Disney tells you it is not necessary. It makes things easier for everyone involved.

I'm glad you found them and figured out what to do in the event of changing rooms in the future. This is the second time I've heard of this problem.

I had something else to do first: I wanted one of those sailaway drinks in the souvenir glasses!!

Ooooh! I wish I were having one of those sometime soon!

And then there in the distance you can see the rocket assembly building from Kennedy Space Center:

That's soo cool! We toured the Kennedy Space Center on one of our trips about 7 years ago, it was really neat!

 

[Flossbolna]

Fabulous that things have gotten into Cruise mode quickly.

I find it so much easier to settle in now that I have been on a few cruises. I really hope that I can get some of that transferred to Katharina so that she does not feel like a headless chicken on our first day on the Magic.

A run through the spa, a DVC members mingle and a sail away. Good thinking to go look for the luggage.

I am glad that I knew exactly where our former stateroom was. Obsessive planning helps with memorizing things like that!

The room looks nice. Glad you found your luggage.

The room was lovely. Even though the ship was 2.5 years old when we sailed, it still felt like totally new. Very nice!

Yeah, it's a shame that those DVC events turn into so blatant a sales pitch.

I have heard so often how DVC is not like your usual timeshare as they are totally no pressure. Ok, I have never endured the sales pressure of traditional timeshare. But to me it feels like DVC does not use tactics like locking you in a room. But they have their psychological sales tactics down very well!

Partly I think that with the current prices they need to be more blatant. The savings really aren't there as much anymore when you buy direct from Disney as compared to even when I started looking into buying in 2010.

 

[Flossbolna]

Darn, I was hoping there would be a long story involving exploding helicopters.

In the future, if I were you, I'd probably start spouting random German phrases in a "No speak-a de English" type way.

No, I am not good at all in making up stories! I guess it has something to do with my job...

And you know what: I just can't fake it not speaking English either. I tried a few times and failed. And I even can't fake a really bad German accent either (not to sound like I am bragging, but most people don't figure out that I am German when they hear me speak English.)

You'd better be guaranteed to be cancer-free for life for those prices.

I have heard that on some ships you can get things like botox. No way will I let anyone inject poison into me when I am in the middle of the ocean and far away from any emergency room!

Stitch is always one of the best for interaction!

Yes! I think him and the chipmunks are most likely the most fun characters to be "friends" with. But also pretty exhausting!

Is Michael also blue and furry?

No comment!!!

So, tell us how you really feel.

Yep, you will get that from Michael a lot! He is not one for polite restraint...

And here I thought cruising was far more expensive than WDW.

Well, these people already put a 5 digit number amount on the table with their DVC points... And most likely pay a large chunk in annual dues anyway. And the beauty of the cruise is that once it is paid, you really don't need to pay a lot extra. With DVC at WDW you still need food and tickets.

Uh oh. That's a big-time DIS Fail...

I did not think that he as the experienced cruiser needed any of my DIS knowledge. But now I know not to assume...

I am really looking forward to cruising with my sister who can definitely hold up with me!!

I agree, although this is basically the heart of marketing ("You won't be truly happy until you have THIS"). We set our kids straight: You can either see the Grand Canyon and eat peanut butter and jelly, or eat croissant sandwiches and stay home. That gets the message across.

Mark, that's the kind of choice far too few parents give their kids any more.......

I agree with Marv there! And I know I have commented on that on your trip report already! You are definitely doing something right there by raising your kids to enjoy the beauty of the Grand Canyon!!

 

[dolphingirl47]

I love wandering around the resorts or ships first thing in the morning when hardly anybody is around. It is so peaceful. Your lobby photos have come out great. What a nice way to start the day with a walk along the beach. That business with the shuttle was a pain, but I am glad that it ended up saving you some time.

I will be so upset if I don't get to walk through the Mickey head the next time we sail out of Port Canaveral. We have not done this since 2011. The atrium of the Fantasy looks gorgeous.

I can imagine what Cabanas would have been like. I loved Cabanas on our last trip on the Magic, but we did not brave it on embarkation day. We ended up at Beach Blanket Buffet for the embarkation lunch on one cruise and that was a complete zoo.

I wonder why they do the DVC Member Celebration on embarkation day. This makes it so hectic. I do rather like that they had Stitch there. Stitch is the second biggest love of my life.

The adult hot tubs sound nice despite the potential for noise and the Rainforest Room on the new ships is my idea of heaven.

Corinna

 

[Poolrat]

I have heard so often how DVC is not like your usual timeshare as they are totally no pressure. Ok, I have never endured the sales pressure of traditional timeshare. But to me it feels like DVC does not use tactics like locking you in a room. But they have their psychological sales tactics down very well!

I have heard of others locking you in a room or just plain not letting you leave. Being told I could not leave when I wanted to would unleash all sorts of this NY girl on the poor salesman. It would not be pretty.

And you know what: I just can't fake it not speaking English either. I tried a few times and failed. And I even can't fake a really bad German accent either (not to sound like I am bragging, but most people don't figure out that I am German when they hear me speak English.)

I will say if I did not grow up with a German mother I probably would not know. Your English and accent is on par with my mother's that has been in this country for over 50 years.

Yep, you will get that from Michael a lot! He is not one for polite restraint...

I did not think that he as the experienced cruiser needed any of my DIS knowledge. But now I know not to assume...

Now just to make it his idea the next time.

I am really looking forward to cruising with my sister who can definitely hold up with me!!

Good German Stock.

 

[pierresgirl]

Hi there! Read another report of yours, loving the tag team effort! The hotel looked beautiful, tempting! That drink looked amazing 8,000 on spa treatments?! That's 2 more cruises for me!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Well, these people already put a 5 digit number amount on the table with their DVC points... And most likely pay a large chunk in annual dues anyway. And the beauty of the cruise is that once it is paid, you really don't need to pay a lot extra. With DVC at WDW you still need food and tickets.

True. I guess I look at the total cost since I knew I wouldn't be able to buy into DVC to begin with!

Mark, that's the kind of choice far too few parents give their kids any more.......

I agree with Marv there! And I know I have commented on that on your trip report already! You are definitely doing something right there by raising your kids to enjoy the beauty of the Grand Canyon!!

You guys are too kind. All I can say is Julie and I are doing our best and making it up as we go. We both love traveling, so it's rewarding to see that attitude rubbing off on the kids.

 

[aboveH20]

I think as long as I have new things to write about I am kind of hooked on writing TRs... They do become a little bit addictive. And it is just great to have them for myself to go back and look at and read. Such a nice vacation memory!

I am glad that you got some good hints out of my previous report! Deck 4 is a great space!

I think you were thinking of Hilton Head, which is another DVC property outside of WDW. That is in South Carolina (I think...). And I can very well understand why you would chose OKW instead of SSR! If Disney had a "Bavarian Village" resort, it would not be very high on my list to stay there at all. SSR was lovely and I think I have some really nice pictures of it.

Many of us are glad you're hooked on writing them. I know it's a lot of work with all of the detail and photos you include. (Not sure if Michael is being paid as a copywriter or editor .) I did a trip commentary, not a full blown TR, after our trip to Aulani last year and like you, partly it was for myself to refer to in the future. And, I'm pretty sure it was Captain O who alerted us to the $100 gift card that would be ours for sitting through a painless DVC spiel.

Thanks for clearing up the Vero Beach location. I just have to travel more!

Photos of bathroom signs would make a great coffee table book. I'm sure it's been done. When my husband and I were first dating we visited an army buddy of his in Arizona. I looked at the signs on the restrooms and had to go back to the table to ask -- in front of his friend -- if I was a pointer or a setter. As I heard myself asking the question I figured it out.

Your bathroom photo was cute -- and quite clear!

 

[nodnol]

struggling to catch up!

The rest of my family had finally gotten IPhones (and also their first “real” smart phones) a few months before my trip and it was so nice to just use facetime.

What's your definition of a smart phone????? There ARE other ones beside IPhones, you know….

To be fair, one of us worried way too much about ''missing the boat'' and it isn't me!

You already travelled a lot with one of the sisters, so you should be used to this attitude by now?!

I think the Minnie on the Fantasy is my favourite of all the atrium statues (every ship has a unique one, the Magic has Mickey, the Wonder has Ariel and the Dream has Donald).

She looks very elegant!

And he also got a salad:

Michael and I definitely have not the same taste in salads!

I am guessing your lovely, and cooler, sister will wind up with something!!!

I don't know anything about cooler???!!!

I'll post a picture of Katharina's luggage when we go on our Norway cruise. She always has the tiniest of luggage! But then she is tiny as well - I think she can pack the same number of t-shirts as me in half the space that my t-shirts require...

I also own only about half as many shirts ;-)

I don’t ever wear that typo of hat…

I think we can assume Michael doesn't correct all your typos.

The newest video we were treated to was of little kids saying how much they love DVC and thanking mommy and daddy for giving such wonderful times. We both found it rather cheesy and even a bit slimy (using kids to sell your product…).

We always say child labour should be abolished when we hear or see ads with kids...

So, this is the second time that I won something at the DVC meeting, but I still haven’t won the big price which is a 200 $ onboard credit. Maybe next cruise!!

I vote for the big price!!!

I find it so much easier to settle in now that I have been on a few cruises. I really hope that I can get some of that transferred to Katharina so that she does not feel like a headless chicken on our first day on the Magic.

You mean "so that she does not feel like me on my first cruise"?

I am really looking forward to cruising with my sister who can definitely hold up with me!!

I guess I should start training…

I'm glad you made it on the ship without any bigger problems, I hope you'll also make it off the ship without any problems!
I'm taking notes for our cruise - first day: huge drink in funny glass and stupid hats.

 

[Steppesister]

struggling to catch up!

I think we all are!!!

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Katharina my dear friend, you always make comments that brighten my day.......

 

[nodnol]

Katharina my dear friend, you always make comments that brighten my day.......

you're welcome!

 

[nodnol]

I was wondering wether I accidentally "unwatched" this TR, as nothing was happening here although I heard rumours of several updates having been written.... I hope the vitamin pills kick in soon! Only 70 days left!!!!