Get Off The Ship - we are running out of towel animals! Update 10/25 Day 31

[dizneeat]

Great Updates !! I loved watching the Ship sail out of the ports too. But watching them sail in was better cuz you them had a Day to check out the port I am having a fairly quiet day at work so have snuck some Dis time in !! Off all day tomorrow

Glad you enjoyed the updates, Rosie!
We just love watching the ships dock and depart. So much fun to get into a new port and have time to explore.
But sailing into the sunset has its own magic.

Great to hear that you have tomorrow off! Enjoy and relax, you earned it.

Great updates Karin
The winter months always make me dream of cruising so I am loving seeing your photos of CC and the beautiful sunset from the ship

Thank you, Linda!
Reliving our summer sailings is what gets me through those grey winter days. And I cannot wait to get back onto one of those ships - 7 more weeks to count down.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 10, August 16

Back to Paradise - Part 5

Tonight’s theme was “See ya real soon”. We were quickly led to our table and Ryan brought two Diet Cokes before we even had a chance to ask for it.
At the same time he filled our breadbasket with

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Six Grain Country bread and Caramelized Onions and

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Sun-dried Tomato Dip. And while we both liked the bread, we did not like the dip, which was far too sweet and thin for our liking. Soon our server came by as well and we got his recommendations for dinner, before we decided what to order. Tom ordered the

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Dungeness Crabmeet stuffed Tomato, filled with Crabmeet Salad, shredded red onions, topped with Fontina Cheese and Garlic-Herb Drizzle. My choice for appetizer was the

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Grilled Potato and Goat Cheese Napoleon with Balsamic Basil Vinaigrette. Both were really nice and something different. Being at the seaside all day had made us hungry, so we ordered some soup as well. Tom got the

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Lobster and Crawfish Bisque, served with roasted corn relish and I got the

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Potato and Leek Soup, garnished with Sour Cream, Chives and Caviar. We both got the same entrée, the

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Roasted Filet of Beef Wellington, covered with Mushroom Stuffing and wrapped with Puff Pastry, served with Fingerling Potatoes and Baby Vegetables and a Cabernet Black Truffle Jus. I have to say it was as good as it looked and we both cleaned our plates. Needless to say, that on the last day of a cruise you cannot say no to dessert, so we both ordered one.
Tom had the

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Deep Dish Apple-Cranberry Crumble served warm with vanilla ice-cream. Loving chocolate I just had to order the

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Chocolate decadence. And after we had enjoyed our dinner we went to find Jean and Paul to say goodbye to them.
Since they were on the same dining rotation it was pretty easy. We were introduced to their table mates, chatted for a while, but while they headed off to see a show, we were on way back to our stateroom to enjoy some more time out on the veranda watching the waves.
But before we walked back, we strolled through the shops again and picked up a souvenir or two. It was sad to walk past all the suitcases out in the hallway, but we were still happy that ours were in our stateroom and did not have to be ready until a week later.
We did remove our magnets and the Fish Extender, so they would not “walk away” during the change over. We sat outside on the veranda for quite a while that night, nibbling the Mickey Cheese Puffs we had gotten with our Castaway Club gifts and having a drink or two out of the fridge. Around 11pm we were ready to call it a day and got ready for bed.

To be continued ............

 

[RGirl]

Oh, I love the pics of CC from your verandah! How beautiful.

But those sunset pics are The Best! WOW!

The great big towel sea tortoise thing is fantastic! We have never gotten one of the big ones that include blankets in their manufacture. Someday…..

Ugh - I hate the last meals on a cruise - good thing you have another one following right after! Your appetizer looks delicious to me. Actually, everything you two ordered this night looked really tasty.

I can’t imagine how great it would feel to sit out on the verandah on that “last” night and know that you did not have to pack up and go home the next day!

Roni, I just read up on your Christmas update. What a cute little girl and so sorry to hear that she was so sick.

Isn't planning just so fun! It builds up all the excitement for a trip. 
And we both will be going to Disney destinations so soon. Hope you decide to do another trip report. I am really hoping for some pics of all the fun.

We are not beach people at all.  And in 2009 we dreaded the CC day and said we would just go and explore the island for a while, then head back onto the ship and read for the rest of the day.
Well, we were with a group of Disney lovers and they convinced us to come to SB with them. The minute we walked out there we were hooked. Heaven!

Oh, and we would love to take care of Willow!  We have been know to spoil kids wrotten before handing them back tired, but full of sugar to their parents. 

The planning is a big part of the fun! I will definitely try to do a TR for our little birthday trip. Just haven’t decided whether I will tack it on at the end of my current TR or write a new one. It is just a few days, so I may just tack it on.

That’s funny about you not being beach people either - CC really changes all that, doesn’t it?

Oh, I’m thinking Willow would love to hang out with you and Tom - that sounds right up her alley!

 

[Teri1]

Love the update, nice to see the island and ship again. : ) I wished I had asked for two of the chocolate decadence dessert, it was so good.

 

[scottny]

Loved the ray pics.
Nice they stopped the tram for you.
I guess shells are a no no.
I would love to work on the island and stay there as long as I have wifi. LOL.
The food looks good.
Great updates and pics.

 

[perfectmatch300]

Great updates as usual, Karin.
I had never noticed the Bob Iger shrimp distributor sign before, or the coconut lotion barrel with the hidden Mickey. Don't know how I missed those as I'm always on the lookout for things like that!
Pretty cool that you saw a container ship heading into CC as you sailed away! Guess the CC staff had a busy night ahead of them, following a busy day with the Fantasy in port.
Loved your towel turtle! I think that was one of the best towel animals I've ever seen. We had a turtle made with the blanket once, but ours wasn't anywhere near as good asyours was!
Thanks for the link to the excursion comparison on the Disney Cruise Blog. I should have known to look there. Since I bring all my own snorkel vear and will be happy spending my CC time in the snorkel lagoon and eating in the buffet at Serenity Bay, I guess these increases won't affect me too much. We did enjoy parasailing and bike riding on CC on past trips. Probably won't be doing those again, or renting kayaks like I was thinking of doing.
I would love to experience the last day of the first leg of a B2B some day.

 

[veggiemama]

Great Update Karin. I have loved reading about your trip so far. All the pictures of CC are awesome - makes me almost wish we had booked a cabana for the day! Our first cruise and first time to CC is just over a month away - so excited and your TR and pictures sure help keep the excitement alive. Even showed your pics to my DH, who then said - next time we should book a cabana! LOVE that he is already thinking next time!

 

[nicswife]

your brother took a photo of himself off the ceiling of the urinal stall! hilarious!

 

[KatMark]

Konk Koolers...I'll take two, please. Oh my...those look and sound so good.

Lovely pictures of the stingrays.

And even more beautiful photos as you went back out to sea.

To you and Tom, I send you this wish:

 

[dizneeat]

Oh, I love the pics of CC from your verandah! How beautiful.

But those sunset pics are The Best! WOW!

The great big towel sea tortoise thing is fantastic! We have never gotten one of the big ones that include blankets in their manufacture. Someday…..

Raj really outdid himself with his towel animals - we had a lot of LARGE ones. Then I did not want to remove them from the bed and had to sleep "around them".

Ugh - I hate the last meals on a cruise - good thing you have another one following right after! Your appetizer looks delicious to me. Actually, everything you two ordered this night looked really tasty.

I can’t imagine how great it would feel to sit out on the verandah on that “last” night and know that you did not have to pack up and go home the next day!

I hate those last meals too, only this one was not that bad as we could stay on.
It was so sad to see all those suitcases out there, even though I was pretty happy mine was still under the bed and empty.

The planning is a big part of the fun! I will definitely try to do a TR for our little birthday trip. Just haven’t decided whether I will tack it on at the end of my current TR or write a new one. It is just a few days, so I may just tack it on.

That’s funny about you not being beach people either - CC really changes all that, doesn’t it?

Oh, I’m thinking Willow would love to hang out with you and Tom - that sounds right up her alley!

Ah, I would love it if you just include it your current TR. It is going to be so fun to read about Willow's new adventures.

Yes, CC changed everything for us! We even use the hotel pools now.

Love the update, nice to see the island and ship again. : ) I wished I had asked for two of the chocolate decadence dessert, it was so good.

I am glad you like the update, Teri! That chocolate decadence dessert was really good, wasn't it?

Loved the ray pics.
Nice they stopped the tram for you.
I guess shells are a no no.
I would love to work on the island and stay there as long as I have wifi. LOL.
The food looks good.
Great updates and pics.

It is so awesome to see those rays "in the wild". We have seen them most every visit so far and it is truly impressive.
We had such a laugh when the tram stopped and we heard the comment. It was kind of a catchphrase for a while.

Great updates as usual, Karin.
I had never noticed the Bob Iger shrimp distributor sign before, or the coconut lotion barrel with the hidden Mickey. Don't know how I missed those as I'm always on the lookout for things like that!

There are several hints like the Iger board out there. We love to hunt for those details as well as hidden Mickeys.

Pretty cool that you saw a container ship heading into CC as you sailed away! Guess the CC staff had a busy night ahead of them, following a busy day with the Fantasy in port.
Loved your towel turtle! I think that was one of the best towel animals I've ever seen. We had a turtle made with the blanket once, but ours wasn't anywhere near as good asyours was!
Thanks for the link to the excursion comparison on the Disney Cruise Blog. I should have known to look there. Since I bring all my own snorkel vear and will be happy spending my CC time in the snorkel lagoon and eating in the buffet at Serenity Bay, I guess these increases won't affect me too much. We did enjoy parasailing and bike riding on CC on past trips. Probably won't be doing those again, or renting kayaks like I was thinking of doing.
I would love to experience the last day of the first leg of a B2B some day.

I never thought about it, but they still need stuff on the island and seeing it delivered was really fun.
Oh, Raj made the most wonderful towel creations. I was so impressed with them. They were just so beautiful and he never repeated himself.

You really have to cruise back to back - so fun! Not only is the last day a sad one as you see all the others leave, but the next morning you get on the ship early and have it literally to yourself. Best feeling ever.

Great Update Karin. I have loved reading about your trip so far. All the pictures of CC are awesome - makes me almost wish we had booked a cabana for the day! Our first cruise and first time to CC is just over a month away - so excited and your TR and pictures sure help keep the excitement alive. Even showed your pics to my DH, who then said - next time we should book a cabana! LOVE that he is already thinking next time!

I am glad you enjoy reading along.
You are really going to love CC, Cabana or not! Before they had them we were perfectly happy just having an umbrella and some loungers.
But it sounds great that your DH is already thinking about his NEXT cruise!
And if that next cruise should be within 18 months from your saildate - don't forget to book on board to get some stateroom credit and a discount.

 

[dizneeat]

Konk Koolers...I'll take two, please. Oh my...those look and sound so good.

Lovely pictures of the stingrays.

And even more beautiful photos as you went back out to sea.

To you and Tom, I send you this wish:

Those Konk Koolers are perfect - they give you the best island feelings.

Thank you for your New Year's Wishes!

 

[annmarieda]

Great updates! The sunset pictures are beautiful!

Although it is sad to have one cruise end... not needing to pack up because you have another one starting up probably lesses that sadness.

 

[dizneeat]

Great updates! The sunset pictures are beautiful!

Although it is sad to have one cruise end... not needing to pack up because you have another one starting up probably lesses that sadness.

I love sunsets, but sunsets on the water have something even more magical.

A vacation (or part of it) ending is always sad, knowing that you can start a very similar experience right away again softens the punch.
It was awesome to stay on, as during a week many crew members get to know you a little better and then to stay on you really feel a connection to them.

 

[dizneeat]

Happy New Year to all our DISboards friends!

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[HowieHowie]

Happy New Year Karin & Tom!!! Hope it's a magical one for both of you!!

 

[scottny]

Happy New Year!

 

[RGirl]

Happy New Year, Karin!! Have a wonderful trip!!!!!

 

[Leshaface]

I'm all caught up again!

Ick, sorry you didn't feel so safe in those trucks. Could you imagine if you had gotten into an accident in one of those?!

Glad those strong drinks made the ride more bearable!

I LOVE the Christmas calendars you made!

Palo brunch...get hungry everytime I see their offerings. Totally unfair!

Haha i'm that girl too about the expensive, good stuff

I love that animators palate does the animated drawings! Must be even more fun for kids.

The cabanas looks so nice and relaxing.

I never even thought about taking shells on board with me, surprising that others have thought of that...

So for a back to back cruise, you don't have to get your suitcases off the ship? You're allowed to leave all your items in the stateroom?

 

[dizneeat]

Well, NOT quite, we are only an hour away from driving to the airport. But things went a bit crazy yesterday and I never got around to post the picture or the planning for the last two days.

Guess you will have to wait for the trip report.

We will check in once we have made it to DLRP! ​

 

[jedijill]

Have a fantastic trip!

Jill in CO