Just Back, May 3-10 Western

[philatiger]

Sorry to hear Karen was sick...glad to hear Disney took care of her in her room.
My partner and I are enjoying your TR...We just got back a few weeks ago from the 7day eastern...so reading your posts makes me wish were were going on the western much sooner. A year and a half is a long way off...but for now we will live it through your eyes.
thanks for sharing and look forward to reading about your adventures in Cozumel

Chuck

 

[bsusanmb]

Loving your TR...can't wait for more!

 

[bobbi565]

Hooray, Lisa! I've been enjoying Linda's narrative so far, and now I'll have the pictures to go along with it. Keep it up ladies! Looking forward to what comes next...

 

[LJC1861]

As usual I began Wednesday with my brisk walk on Deck 4. Once again we did room service for breakfast embellished with some bacon and waffles from Topsiders. Cruising works for us because I can be as busy and active as I want while Lisa relaxes as much as she needs to. Karen was feeling a bit better and was given permission by the medical clinic to leave the ship for the excursion. Funny thing though, as soon as she got back to the ship she would need to be quarantined again (What's up with that??)

We got ourselves ready and headed out to Cozumel as soon as we were able to. We did a bit of shopping in the mall right off the pier and I immediately headed for Los Cinco Soles and a very large bottle of Vanilla. I wanted to get it early as I knew that after our excursion I would most likely want to head right back to the Shop for a nap.

After shopping we caught a cab to Chankanaab for our Dolphin Swim. We arrived with plenty of time to get ourselves oriented to the park and our things put away in lockers. Then the fun began. We enthusiastically sat through the orientation video and demonstration of the body positions needed for the behaviors. Then we got suited up in our life jackets and out on the dock we went. Our Dolphins were Romulo and Chaac....which we all heard pronounced as Chuck ( we all thought that was funny...a Mexican Dolphin named Chuck) and met our trainers Claudia and Alex. We immediately began working with the Dolphins. Lisa and I were the first in our group to do the dorsal pull. We swam out and waited. I could feel a slight rushing in the water behind me as Claudia shouted " one....two...three...go!" I felt the dolphins swim right up beside me and grabbed on to both dorsal fins. We sped through the water towards the dock and they deposited me gently back to where I started. It was fantastic!! While we were swimming out other members of our party were back on the dock feeding and dancing with the dolphins. We also did a kiss where we first kissed and then were kissed by the dolphins. Next up was the foot push, the behavior that I was nervous about. I swam out, farther than before and assumed the required 'superman' position. Then I waited somewhat nervously I might admit. Once again I heard the countdown from Claudia and then felt two hard noses pushing on my feet. I locked my knees and raised my arms and lo and behold I was flying!!! They pushed me higher and higher out of the water until suddenly it stopped and again I was deposited gently back at the dock. It was such a wonderful experience, one that I will never forget.

Karen and Robin were up next and did their foot push. When it was time for their dorsal pull Robin balked....."I'm going to hurt them" she said. We all looked at her like she was nuts. She just got pushed through the water by them and she is now worried that by holding their dorsal fins she was going to hurt them??!!?? She was finally convinced that it was going to be fine and went and did it. She and the dolphins were both fine. All too quickly it seemed we were saying goodbye to our dolphin friends and it was back on the dock. We were shuttled through the obligatory video and picture viewing and bargaining session and decided on one video to share and 3 pictures each. I think the vendors were a bit put out that we opted not to buy all the pics, but that is the way it goes.

After we were done and cleaned up we had a delicious lunch at the park. The hamburgers and fries were simply delicious and disappeared quickly. Chankanaab is a beautiful park and very very clean. I did not hesitate ordering food for one minute, although I did opt to remove the lettuce, tomato and onion that were on top of the burger.

We caught a cab back to the pier and stopped for ice cream before heading back to the Magic. We had time for a nap before dinner.

Dinner tonite was Lumieres again and once again Csaba had all our drinks ready for us and Don brought us more Chocolate Peanut Butter pie in addition to all the other desserts we ordered. Tonite for dinner it was only Robin, Lisa and I as Karen was still quarantined and Nina and Barb were worn out and just wanted to stay in for dinner. Don was a bit disappointed that several of our party were not present for dinner. He kept asking if we wanted him to bring dinners to all of them. We insisted that it was not necessary, but he seemed to really want to. For dessert he had 3 creme brulees and 2 chocolate peanut butter pies and some potatoes (for Karen) plated up for us. Once again he asked about delivering it and finally sent us off with his best wishes for our friends. Csaba, who didn't speak much English was also concerned. He had Nina and Barb's Pellegrino chilling and when they were not at dinner he asked "Friends okay??" with a very concerned look. They were both just SO sweet to be so concerned.

As we brought up the desserts we visited for a bit in Karen's room and then parted ways for the evening. I was feeling like I needed a walk...especially after all the food I had been eating. Once again I headed to deck 4. As I was walking I noticed that one of the windows looked into the Galley for Animator's Palette. I stood there for several minutes just watching plates being prepared. At one point the 4 chefs turned around, looked at me and waved. It was so funny.

When I got back I sat on my verandah with a glass of wine and a book. Not a bad way to end a wonderful day.

Tomorrow--our second day at Sea or " Do we HAVE to go home?"

Linda

 

[whayes]

Thanks for the great trip report! I have to wait until next year for my cruise. I plan to cruise vicariously through everyone's trip reports.

Did you have fun with Flat Kevin? I had a Flat Stanley that I took on a trip to Japan. It was great seeing the faces of the people wondering what I was doing with a laminated, hand drawn character.

Thanks for adding the photos Lisa!! It is always nice to see people enjoying themselves!

 

[poffles]

Awesome report ... I am reading every word and the pictures are great. Can't wait to be able to post a report myself.

 

[bobbi565]

Thanks for showing me much of Chankanaab that I didn't get to see! We were pretty much confined to the kid's beach all day.

 

[philatiger]

thanks for the continued updates on your trip. We were not real impressed with Cozumel on our last cruise there, so maybe we will look into the dolphin encounter. We were very disappointed with the snorkling.

Did you hear from any of the other cruisers about any other excursions?

thanks

 

[LJC1861]

Guess what I did to wake up this morning??? Yup, a mile on deck 4. After the walk I went back to the cabin to get an underwater camera that I had purchased in the gift shop that we didn't need and took it to the Treasure Ketch to return it. While there I saw a woman limp up to the counter and begin talking to the CM behind the counter. She stubbed her toe on an umbrella pole and thought it might be broken. She did not go to the medical clinic because as she said, "what are they going to do for a toe??" She knew there were only 2 more days and she could tough it out. I felt sorry for her because she could barely walk. I finished my transaction and lo and behold we met up in the elevator. I looked down at her foot and immediately asked what size shoe she wore. It was the same as mine and I took off my Croc and handed it to her. "Try it on" I said. I explained that they were soft, with a wide toe and incredibly easy to slip on and off. It fit perfectly and there was immediate relief on her face. "This is incredible!" she exclaimed. We had arrived on her floor and I handed her the other one. "Here you go" I said. She was stunned! I explained that I had purchased a replacement pair in Key West, and that these were destined for the recycle bin. They were a bit worn on the sole, but would get her through the next few days. She tried to protest, but I insisted. She thanked me with a hug and we parted ways. Of course Lisa looked at me with a strange expression when I came in with no shoes, but totally understood when I explained what I did.

From there it was time to get dressed for brunch. We all met in the hallway and headed up to Palo. We were greeted by PJ, and we introduced him to Karen, our friend who had been sick on Tuesday when we dined there. He mentioned again that he would do his best to find us a table for Friday. Sylvester showed us to our table, after stopping to get us our Bellini's. When we got to the table we placed our Bellini's in a circle with the flowers in the center and got a really cool picture. Then we did a little toast to wonderful friends and future vacations. After Tomas our server gave us a tour of the buffet we began to eat....and eat.....and eat.......

We all loved the pizza with proscuitto that we had at dinner on Tuesday. When we asked if it could be prepared for us, the answer was "of course!" There was pizza all around along with several other wonderful entrees. We dove enthusiastically into the dessert buffet and several hours later rolled ourselves out. We were still at our table at noon when the "When you Wish Upon a Star" signal came over the intercom system. We all IMMEDIATELY put our fingers into our ears and waited. Tomas looked at us like we were nuts! We did this because on Monday at noon we missed the announcement that the horn was going to sound and almost lost our eardrums as we were blasted while sitting on Deck 9. This time we were prepared. Tomas said to us "ladies, it is an announcement. You HAVE to listen." We laughed ourselves silly. If anyone reading this was sitting anywhere nearby that day, I hope we did not disturb you. We giggled all the way back to our staterooms. Lisa decided to go to the DVC presentation and I opted to something I had not done yet on the trip....take a nap! 2 hours later Lisa woke me up and she took a nap while I headed up to Deck 10 for a fruity drink with Robin. It was such a relaxing day. While we were up on deck 10, Robin looked at me and stated emphatically......" I don't WANT to go home!!!!" I told her that I could totally realte and definitely felt the same.

Dinner that night was semi-formal and was the "Master Chef" menu. It had lobster on it and the lobster tail was huge!!! I had it paired with prime rib and was in heaven!!! Once again we rolled out of dinner and off to Disney Dreams. I was SO looking forward to seeing this show through the eyes of our friends. Nina loves Peter Pan and I knew she would love the show. We were all in tears when it was over and it was the perfect way to end a wonderful day. We all collapsed into bed ready to take on Castaway Cay in the morning.

Tomorrow, Castaway or "Hey Bruno......where's my drink"???

Linda

 

[lakeeter]

Hi -

Here are some of the pics from the Dolphin Encounter -- it was WAY fun!!!

 

[Buckeye Gal]

Very cool pictures with the dolphins! You can tell you all had a great time! Did all of you do the "Encounter", or are some of those activites from other options like the Swim Adventure? I specifically loved the pic of one of you holding onto two dolphins who are pulling her in the water. THAT'S what I want to do!!

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us!

 

[philatiger]

Way Cool!!!!! I am convinced....we will be doing the dolphin encounter....

 

[LJC1861]

Lisa typed in "encounter" but what we did was actually the Royal Swim. It was the most amazing experience, especially the foot push. If you are even remotely thinking about it.....I say go ahead and do it.

Linda

 

[bobbi565]

Great dolphin pictures! I'm really enjoying your TR, Linda and Lisa!

 

[Buckeye Gal]

Lisa typed in "encounter" but what we did was actually the Royal Swim. It was the most amazing experience, especially the foot push. If you are even remotely thinking about it.....I say go ahead and do it.

Linda

Thanks for the clarification, Linda! I had a feeling it wasn't the Encounter. It looks like just an amazing experience!

 

[LJC1861]

Friday morning dawned bright and beautiful. I didn't walk on the deck this morning as I was just too excited about Castaway Cay. I opened the door to the verandah expecting to see the pirate ship and what did I see....the dock!! I have to admit I was a bit disappointed as I really wanted our friends to see the beautiful expanse of beach. Oh well....there was no time to waste....we had hammocks to get!!! Lisa mentioned somewhat casually that she had another appointment with the DVC representative and would meet us on the island.

I rounded up the rest of the gang and it was off to the island. It took a bit longer than I expected to get everyone together and moving from point A to point B. No worries....we still got a great spot on the beach at Serenity Bay with 2 umbrellas, 6 loungers and a hammock next to us. It was in use by the time we got there, but the man who was in it mentioned that he would be leaving to head back to the ship as his wife was sick....so the hammock became ours!!!

By 10:00 many of us were already craving something cool and fruity. Luckily along came Bruno.....our best friend for the day. He was delightful and chatty and had visited our region of North Carolina and kept bringing drinks at regular intervals. I rented a floaty mat and hit the water. After a little while it was back to the chairs to dry off. Soon after Lisa arrived with big news and a bright red DVC hat for each of us. She stated proudly that we were now the proud owners of 160 DVC points at Saratoga Springs Resort. Just about that time Bruno came by again and we ordered more fruity drinks. Bruno had convinced me to try my Konk Kooler with Captain Morgan and it made this already wonderful drink even more wonderful. We all had one to celebrate Lisa's big announcement. We spent a lovely morning swimming, relaxing, talking, and just enjoying the beautiful beach. Soon it was time for lunch and we made our way to the BBQ area at Serenity Bay. Lunch was delicious but we quickly made our way back to our little camp for more relaxin'. By this time Bruno knew our order and all we had to do when he passed by was yell " Hey Bruno!!" and drinks would appear! At one point Robin and I were out in the water on our floaties and we waved at Bruno for more. He brought us some and even came out into the water up to his mid thigh level to bring them to us. Then he put his tray and receipt machine down , hiked up his shorts and scrunched down and posed for a picture. It was so much fun!!

As the afternoon wound down we made our way back to the other side of the island to do some shopping before Lisa, Karen, Nina and I were supposed to be at Marge's Barges for our parasailing appointment. We got there a bit early and just waited. We chatted with Randy from Wisconsin and he mentioned that he would have his camera and would be glad to take pictures for all of us. The excursion got started a bit late and by the time we got on the boat we were more than ready. All except Karen that is. She was still a bit nervous about being on a small boat. She did great!! She was the first one to fly when we finally got underway. Our parasailing adventure was over much to quickly and we made our way back to the ship. We had just enough time to shower and change before our last dinner with our servers.

We were eating in Parrot Cay and had a great dinner. True to form Csaba had our beverages all ready for us and he seemed surprised when we all ordered yet another fruity drink. When it came time for dessert we simply couldn't decided. Finally Don decided for us. He brought us two of every dessert....one for each end of the table. It was such a fun way to finish dinner. We were one of the last tables out of the dining room and we were all a bit silly as we left. When we got to the promenade lounge we couldn't help but get in the spirit of the music, and created a conga line through the lounge, laughing all the way. It was the perfect way to end the perfect day.

We all, sadly, made our way back to our cabins to finish packing. Lisa and I were done quickly as we had an appointment to meet Ramsay from DVC to sign all the paperwork. It was late as we made our way back to our cabin for our last night onboard.

Tomorrow--Port Canaveral or "Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company....."

Linda

 

[rcchello]

Congrats and welcome to the Club
Here is to many years of Happy DVC vacations!!!

 

[philatiger]

Thanks again for sharing your journey with us. We really enjoyed it. Makes we wish we had kept a journal of our trip. But I did take way too many pictures....lol

welcome to the club!!!! We have only been members for a year, and love all the planning to get the most of our points. Did you buy into SSR or AKL? Hope to see you on one of the DVC member cruises.

Chuck n Mark

 

[LJC1861]

Philatiger,

DVC member cruises???!!!??? Do tell.............


Linda

 

[philatiger]

We just found out about them on our last cruise. Every September they offer a 4 day member only cruise. The other DVC memberbers we met on the crusie said they really treat you well. They actually have to pack an extra suitcase they have so many giveaways. We are on the wait list now for this September.. Apparently it sells out very fast. Keep a look out for the announcements from DVC. Somehow we missed it for this year. You can contact DVC to get more information. Although I am sure there are plenty of other disers who can fill in the gaps on what I know.