Once Upon a Dream, We Took Our First Cruise - Goodbye Dream Vacation

[shan23877]

What a fun excursion! Poor Xander getting scared.

There's a stingray exhibit at Brookfield Zoo here that Maddie loves where you can pet and feed the stingrays. She talks about doing it again at least once a week so I'm sure that she'd love that excursion! To me, the stingrays feel like firm jello.

The only time I've tried snorkeling (on our wedding cruise) it took me a while to get the hang of the breathing too. I have a really small head and they didn't have any child masks on the boat so my mask was a little loose and kept filling with water in addition to the fogging. It was still a lot of fun though!

I was also curious about the cost of the stingray thing and the haircut. If you don't mind sharing.

I can't wait to hear about formal night on the ship! I hope you have lots of pictures of you handsome boys in their finery.

 

[kmedina]

2 How much questions...how much was the excursion and haircut? Thinking of doing both on my cruise.

The sting ray excursion was $35 per adult. I thought it was worth it, since snorkeling alone usually costs around that much. Disney even donates some to wildlife conservation, so that is a good thing too. Crap does not remember what the haircut cost but remembers thinking it was very reasonably priced. He sees two different people back home who charge either $55 or $65. My guess is it was probably less than that since he considered it reasonable.

What a fun excursion! Poor Xander getting scared.

There's a stingray exhibit at Brookfield Zoo here that Maddie loves where you can pet and feed the stingrays. She talks about doing it again at least once a week so I'm sure that she'd love that excursion! To me, the stingrays feel like firm jello.

The only time I've tried snorkeling (on our wedding cruise) it took me a while to get the hang of the breathing too. I have a really small head and they didn't have any child masks on the boat so my mask was a little loose and kept filling with water in addition to the fogging. It was still a lot of fun though!

I was also curious about the cost of the stingray thing and the haircut. If you don't mind sharing.

I can't wait to hear about formal night on the ship! I hope you have lots of pictures of you handsome boys in their finery.

It really was a fun excursion. I am sad Crap was hurt but glad I got to do it.

That is an excellent way to describe the way they feel, firm jello. I like it, and that is so true. Was Maddie brave enough to keep her hand still while they suctioned the food out? If so, she has me beat. She would probably love the excursion. There was a little girl their age who loved every minute of it.

I am glad you got the hang of it too, because it really was a lot of fun. The foggy feeling creeped me out a little. Every time I fogged up, I felt one near my leg and was afraid to move. Luckily, no water came in. That would have really creeped me out if I was stuggling with that and accidentally stepped on a sting ray. They were everywhere.

For kids, the sting ray excursion was $29. The adult price was $35. Crap does not remember the haircut price. He said it was reasonable. At home, he pays $55 or $65, so I am guessing it was less than that. They probably charge more for women. The same lady that charges Crap $55 charges me $75.

Crap was in charge of the pictures unfortunately, so he did not get very many pictures at all. I was so sad reviewing the pictures. He did not take a single picture of the final day, so that report will be without any pictures at all. At Disneyland, I am going to make sure I take pictures when he does not. He really does not care about pictures, so I was foolish for leaving him in charge of that. It will be hard to hold Connor, constantlly nurse, ensure Xander has not run off and take pictures, but I have to do it to get more shots this time. Luckily, we ran into the big cheese after dinner, so I have those pictures with the boys dressed up. If we did not see him, we probably would not have gotten any. Crap never got a single picture of himself that night.

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Thanks for the reply. Did the haircut include a shave? I cut my hair for less than 20bucks here but Im not picky...whereas my wifes cost close to 300 each time. Heck my 2 poodles cost 75each every two months.
DEFINITE on the stingray thing...that is cheap and looked fun...definitely will get a water camera.

 

[jennyjinx3]

Thanks for the update!! Do you think there is enough to do at Castaway Cay if you don't do any paid things? I would like to just hang out on the beach, and let the kids play on the water structure. The snorkeling looks very cool, but I think I would be the one who chickened out!!

 

[kmedina]

Thanks for the reply. Did the haircut include a shave? I cut my hair for less than 20bucks here but Im not picky...whereas my wifes cost close to 300 each time. Heck my 2 poodles cost 75each every two months.
DEFINITE on the stingray thing...that is cheap and looked fun...definitely will get a water camera.

You're Welcome. It is rare but whenever Crap gets his haircut at a barber shop, he pays $20 with tip. On ship, it is a salon, so it charges closer to salon prices. I doubt they shave, but if they do it is a separate price. He was not clean shaven when he returned to the room. If you need a haircut on ship, I say go for it. I go 2-6 months in between haircuts (depending on my hair color). Crap needs cuts far more often, so he was due. Your dogs get more expensive grooming than you do. I've paid over $300 for services but that is when I get a haircut with a double process (color and highligts or stripped color and highlights) and deep conditioning. I'll bet your wife has fabulous hair.

The sting ray excursion was a lot of fun. You will love it. I regret not buying a water camera, but Crap said no when I tried to get one. Hopefully, he lets me buy one before our next cruise.

Thanks for the update!! Do you think there is enough to do at Castaway Cay if you don't do any paid things? I would like to just hang out on the beach, and let the kids play on the water structure. The snorkeling looks very cool, but I think I would be the one who chickened out!!

You're welcome. As much as I liked the stingray excursion, I liked relaxing on the beach too. You could easily spend a day there without paying for anything. The water structure looks like a lot of fun. That could occupy your time between relaxing on the beach and playing in the ocean. Castaway Cay is larger than I expected too. Just exploring the island if you wanted something a little more exciting than relaxing would take some serious time.

 

[dara00]

when I went snorkeling (twice, I think) I could not get it to work right. Every time I went under the water I felt that I had to swallow or something and could not breathe out of my mouth correctly. I ended up using the goggles to look at the fish, but had to keep coming up for breaths.

on our recent sea world trip we saw people who I think paid extra to go in the water with the rays. it looked pretty cool, though I can imagine it would be strange for Xander to feel them swimming up against him like that! we got to pet the rays from above and did enjoy that.

 

[kmedina]

when I went snorkeling (twice, I think) I could not get it to work right. Every time I went under the water I felt that I had to swallow or something and could not breathe out of my mouth correctly. I ended up using the goggles to look at the fish, but had to keep coming up for breaths.

on our recent sea world trip we saw people who I think paid extra to go in the water with the rays. it looked pretty cool, though I can imagine it would be strange for Xander to feel them swimming up against him like that! we got to pet the rays from above and did enjoy that.

Snorkeling is definitely a learning experience. I was doing it your way at first, but I cannot hold my breath for very long under water anymore. That made me force myself to get it right.

It was strange for me when they swam up against me too. They feel funny. I was so afraid I was going to step on one by accident. Every second of it was awesome though, so I am sad Crap missed it. Maybe, he can try it next time we go to Sea World. Thanks for letting us know that is an option. Hopefully, the one in San Diego has that option as well.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

Thanks for the allergy advice...I feel better knowing there are doctors on the ship who can handle it, should there be an issue. As I said, I am not as concerned when wh is in the clubs, but more if he is on his own....but it has been years since he had a reaction that required an epi-pen, so he should be fine. It is just the thought of no close Emergency room.

That is too bad that Xander didn't like the stingray excursion. That looked really cool. Hopefully in a few more years you can try again.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[kmedina]

Thanks for the allergy advice...I feel better knowing there are doctors on the ship who can handle it, should there be an issue. As I said, I am not as concerned when wh is in the clubs, but more if he is on his own....but it has been years since he had a reaction that required an epi-pen, so he should be fine. It is just the thought of no close Emergency room.

That is too bad that Xander didn't like the stingray excursion. That looked really cool. Hopefully in a few more years you can try again.

Can't wait to read more!

You're welcome. I just understand your concern on allergies, so I hope everything turns out well. Even though Xander has never used his epipen, I am glad we have it.

It was a lot of fun. He may be more willing to try in down the road. I will ask him before I book it again, since he was already brave enough to try it once. All I ask is that he try everything at least once before he makes up his mind. He needs to have an open mind but can decide not to do something once he has tried it. Thanks to the ease of kids' clubs on the ships, we can always put both kids in there while Crap and I do this or another excursion.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I'm sorry Xander didn't like the excursion, but I kinda agree with him. Stingrays freak me out a little, I don't think I'd like they rubbing up against me and being completely surrounded.

We've snorkeled in the Bahamas, the Turks and Cacaos, and Grand Cayman, and I enjoyed the experience, but then again nothing touched me! If fish were swimming up against me, I would have been out of the water REAL fast!

I understand how hard it is to get pictures! My DH isn't really much of a picture taker, and usually I'm the one in charge of Everett and the stroller, so its tough to also manage the camera. I can only imagine how much harder it is when you have two kids to wrangle! I need to either make it really clear that he is in charge of Everett, and then stand my ground, or keep reminding him to take pictures! Maybe we just need to hire a photographer to follow us around, then we'd have plenty of pictures!

 

[kmedina]

I'm sorry Xander didn't like the excursion, but I kinda agree with him. Stingrays freak me out a little, I don't think I'd like they rubbing up against me and being completely surrounded.

We've snorkeled in the Bahamas, the Turks and Cacaos, and Grand Cayman, and I enjoyed the experience, but then again nothing touched me! If fish were swimming up against me, I would have been out of the water REAL fast!

I understand how hard it is to get pictures! My DH isn't really much of a picture taker, and usually I'm the one in charge of Everett and the stroller, so its tough to also manage the camera. I can only imagine how much harder it is when you have two kids to wrangle! I need to either make it really clear that he is in charge of Everett, and then stand my ground, or keep reminding him to take pictures! Maybe we just need to hire a photographer to follow us around, then we'd have plenty of pictures!

I am glad he tried it even though he was scared. He lost it when the rays were swimming up against him. Poor thing. They did feel weird, so I understand why he was uncomfortable.

I would like to snorkel again sometime. It was a lot of fun. Our next cruise has a port in Grand Cayman. Maybe, I can try it there.

You know exactly what I mean on the picture thing. Connor does not really go to Crap often. He is such a Momma's boy. It is hard to have him hold Connor while I take pictures, because neither of them would be very happy about it. Many of the pictures we got this trip were ones I asked him to take or took myself. I guess the times without pictures, I must have been too busy to notice he had not taken any. At Carsland, I am going to watch him like a hawk to ensure he takes them or watches the boys while I take them.

 

[CrapBag]

At Carsland, I am going to watch him like a hawk to ensure he takes them...

Uh, I might be too busy trying to master that hairpin turn under Doc Hudson's tutelage.

Must turn right to go left.

Snapping photos may prove to be difficult. #TestTrackFTW #hashtag

 

[CrapBag]

I think it was called the Dine In. We each had a burger with fries. The drink selection was what you would see on ship with the exception of a passion fruit type drink that Crap was happy to partake in. He said it was good. Even though I want to try new things as often as possible, juice blends are not usually my thing. I opted for a coke. The food was all right.

Standby...

(Truth be told, this post is nothing but filler. I tried posting a picture of the "passion fruit type drink," but apparently one needs to have at least 10 posts before one is allowed to picture up. Didn't have 10 posts. Now I do.)

 

[CrapBag]

And... wait for it... boom! It was called Barq's, and it had bite. Splendid beverage.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Are you talking about the Bahamas Goombay Punch or the Root Beer?

I used to love A&W Root Beer. Sadly, it was hard to get A&W in Australia and the only substitute was Barq's. I still prefer A&W; but Barq's is an acceptable substitute.

 

[kmedina]

Uh, I might be too busy trying to master that hairpin turn under Doc Hudson's tutelage.

Must turn right to go left.

Snapping photos may prove to be difficult. #TestTrackFTW #hashtag

Snapping photos always proves difficult for you. Doc Hudson has passed on according to the second movie.

Standby...

(Truth be told, this post is nothing but filler. I tried posting a picture of the "passion fruit type drink," but apparently one needs to have at least 10 posts before one is allowed to picture up. Didn't have 10 posts. Now I do.)

"I think this line's mostly filler."

And... wait for it... boom! It was called Barq's, and it had bite. Splendid beverage.

Thank you. That picture was not in my stockpile. Since the report is rather lax with the photos, feel free to give me any others taken from your cell phone. I am glad you got the picture, so you can remember the name of the drink.

Are you talking about the Bahamas Goombay Punch or the Root Beer?

I used to love A&W Root Beer. Sadly, it was hard to get A&W in Australia and the only substitute was Barq's. I still prefer A&W; but Barq's is an acceptable substitute.

Crap is talking about the punch. The root beer having bite is sort of an inside joke. When I was pregnant, he was anti caffeine. Most root beers do not have it, but Barqs does. I was unsure if it did or not until he teased me asking me why I think it bit. A&W is smoother, but I need a little caffeine in my soda (unless I am pregnant, of course). I never snuck any during pregnancy.

 

[kmedina]

I made my way down to the stores on the third floor. Knowing that Crap and Xander would be at dinner shortly, I decided to move quickly. We had wandered through the stores previously when we were cruising through the ship. Most of my selections were quick. I found white sailor hats labeled DCL for both of the boys. Connor loved a blue Mickey baby rattle as soon as he saw it, so I decided to get that for him as well. Even though the front of my fridge does not allow magnets, I like to collect them for the side. There was a cute DCL magnet that I selected for that. DCL was selling special bags for a good price if you spent over a certain amount. The bag was not really my style, but I like collecting bags in addition to magnets. I know I got a couple of other things, but I do not remember what they were. Total time spent selecting items was less than five minutes.

Shopping is not allowed when the ship is in port (I think this applies to every port, but I am not 100% sure) due to regulations. Since the ship arrives at Port Canaveral very early in the morning, the stores would be closed after this evening. A lot of people had the same idea to save shopping for almost the last minute. The lines were quite long. After almost 15 minutes in line, I got to the front. When I pulled my room key out of my pocket, I noticed I grabbed my husband’s by mistake. I informed the cast member that it was my husband’s card, not mine. She said it was fine as long as I signed his name, whew. Less than 20 minutes after entering the store, I exited.

I made my way over to The Royal Palace, where we were having dinner that night. Surprisingly, I beat Crap and Xander to the table. Crap had only gone to get Xander, so I wondered how I beat him. They arrived a couple of minutes later. Apparently, I forgot to leave the epipen the second time I dropped him off. Since the epipen was noted in Xander’s account when I dropped him off the first time, they thought it was still there. I guess the person who checked him in the second time did not ask for it or make notes that I did not have it. While the CM searched for the epipen, they made Crap wait to get Xander. He was in the shower when I dropped Xander off, so he had no idea whether or not I left the epipen. Eventually, they both came to the conclusion that I never left it the second time, since it was nowhere to be found. Luckily, Crap is a very patient man, because he did not even sound irritated when he recounted the story.

Xander had a great time in the Oceaneer Lab. He did inform me that he enjoyed the Oceaneer Club more. When I was researching the clubs, I figured he would enjoy the club more. The club is more play oriented while the lab is more oriented toward creativity. While he enjoys both, he tends to play longer than he creates. I am glad that he got to try both clubs and that he had more time in the Oceaneer Club, since he enjoyed that one more. He has already asked me if he is getting more time in the clubs on our next trip.

Even though we were a few minutes early to dinner, the wait staff was ready and there were already other diners in the restaurant who were seated as well. Our regular drink orders were already waiting for us on the table when we arrived to, so they must start setting up pretty early. We had breakfast here on our first morning, so it was our second time dining in this restaurant. Once again, the food was good although I cannot remember what we ate. It was a pleasant dining experience, and the restaurant is very beautiful. The only thing that could make it better in my opinion is if the princesses came around at dinner time. Considering it is a Disney cruise, it would have been nice to have at least one character dining opportunity. This restaurant is princess themed, so it just seems like the obvious choice.

It was formal night, so I was actually wearing a long dress. I rarely wear a dress, so I wish Crap or I would have thought to get a full body picture. At least he got a picture of me showing off Connor’s sailor hat.

He also got a picture of Xander at the table. I was proud of the fact that Xander did not get his formal wear dirty in the kids’ club. This was even more impressive, because he ate dinner there. Even though I asked them not to let him eat since he was dining with us, they fed him anyway. At first, I was not happy about that, but then I realized it was fine. There were probably other kids eating, and he probably mentioned he was hungry. I am glad that they did not let him go hungry just so he could come down a little bit later and eat with us. We made him stay with us through dinner even though he was not hungry, because I wanted the whole family to be together for dinner. He was all right with sitting with us while we dined, since he had crayons to keep him company. It looks like he did more scribbling than coloring, but he must have still enjoyed himself.

After the main course, Melissa brought around the dessert menus. I cannot remember what they were, but I do remember having a hard time deciding on which one to get. Ultimately, I decided to get them both. Crap teased me immensely for that. While we were waiting for it, I told him that I’ve read people often order multiples of appetizers, entrees, desserts, etc. DCL does not limit the amount you can order in a sitting, since it is all included with the price of the cruise. Disney probably expects most people to order one of each but carries enough for the people who order extra. He said that did not make it right. Then, I reminded him that he had a soup and appetizer one night when most people were choosing one or the other. Somehow that was different he exclaimed. Anyway, I am glad I ordered two despite the teasing I endured. One of them was not to my liking, but the other one was fantastic. Everything works out for a reason, I guess.

My first stop after dinner was to return the ship’s stroller. We planned on using it a little longer but as I’ve already told some of you, I had to return it early. That thing was a pain. After I dropped it off, I headed up to Shutters, the ship's portrait studio. It took me a bit of time to locate our photos, because the place was busy. I am pretty certain that pictures must be ordered while you were on the ship, and it was the last night. When I found our portfolio, which is displayed very beautifully I must say, I was saddened by the fact that only four of our shots were good. Since we barely had any photos of us taken on the cruise, I was not planning on buying the CD. The price does vary depending on the number of days you cruise. Even with our short cruise, it was more expensive than a WDW CD where we got hundreds of photos. The value is certainly greater there.

I waited in line to discuss the pictures with the CM. The four shots I liked were just under $80. They’ve already been posted within the report, so I will not include them here again. When I exited the store, I noticed a line was formed in a character greeting location. Crap had been shopping on his own while I was inside Shutters. He purchased a light blue DCL golf shirt, which he loves.

At this point, we had not seen a single character the whole time we were on the ship. Our personal navigator was in the room, so I had no idea who the line was for. I was very happy a few minutes later when the character came out. It was Mickey Mouse himself! How awesome that we were going to see the big cheese as our one and only character on the first cruise. We got in line just in time too. As soon as Mickey made his appearance, the line got very long behind us. Our wait was about 10-15 minutes. When we reached the front of the line, I suggested that Crap take pictures of just the boys. Even though I tried to stay out of the shot, I am in it a little. The photographers are not willing to take pictures with your camera, and the cast member was talking to another guest when it was time for our family picture.

Since I had already been to Shutters and the lines were long enough, I did not want to return. We decided the pictures of Mickey with the boys that we took would have to be enough. I wish I would have looked at them before we made that decision, because they really are sub-par. It is cute that Connor was just staring at Mickey the entire time we were taking pictures again. He did this almost every time we took pictures at WDW too, so he was consistent with trying to figure out the characters. On the next cruise, I will wait until the very end of the night before I go to Shutters and endure a long line (just once) if that is what it takes to ensure we have a chance to purchase every possible picture.

The show for this evening was about to start. Even though we did not have any nursery time scheduled, I decided to drop by on my way to the show to see if they could take Connor as a walk in. I was very happy that not only did they have an opening, but they were happy to see him. Apparently, they had a surprise that they wanted to give me when I picked him up. I read online that they were not allowed to accept cash tips (any cash given goes into a pool that they do not really get). People online gave suggestions of what to get them, but I figured I would ask them myself what they wanted. The general consensus was they liked to eat/snack. We were already headed to the show, so I called Crap on the wave phone and told him to pick up snacks at the concession stand for them.

The items there are a little overpriced (just like any theater), but the nursery staff was worth every penny. I absolutely adored every one of those girls. Anyone who saw the three of us (Crap, me and Xander) with all of those snacks probably thought we were pigs, but we were bringing most of them up to the nursery after the show. We had gifts for each other as it turned out.

 

[shan23877]

Ok, I so didn't know that there's a princess themed restaurant! Maddie would go crazy! You're right though, it does seem like there'd be a character meal.

Too bad that you didn't get any photos of everyone all dressed in their finery. I'm so glad that Xander stayed clean at the kid's club though!

I'm glad that Crap didn't get impatient over the epipen confusion. It would depend on the day for Bryan.

Love the Mickey pics! I think it's cute that you're in them. Connor looks so enthralled, I'll be he's going to be a character lover before too long!

How long now until the DLR trip? Are you so excited? I'd be bursting at the seams!

(DH says we aren't vacationing next year due to the move and all, but as soon as I get a job, I'm gonna see what I can do about that...)

 

[shan23877]

You two are funny. Thanks for the photos Crap!

When I was pregnant I think that I had a stock of every non-caffeinated soda available. I prefer A&W too.

 

[kmedina]

Ok, I so didn't know that there's a princess themed restaurant! Maddie would go crazy! You're right though, it does seem like there'd be a character meal.

Too bad that you didn't get any photos of everyone all dressed in their finery. I'm so glad that Xander stayed clean at the kid's club though!

I'm glad that Crap didn't get impatient over the epipen confusion. It would depend on the day for Bryan.

Love the Mickey pics! I think it's cute that you're in them. Connor looks so enthralled, I'll be he's going to be a character lover before too long!

How long now until the DLR trip? Are you so excited? I'd be bursting at the seams!

(DH says we aren't vacationing next year due to the move and all, but as soon as I get a job, I'm gonna see what I can do about that...)

The Princess restaurant is very beautiful. I think Maddie would love it.

I am sad he missed a picture of us all dressed up, because we do not get dressed up like that often. He used to dress up for work everyday, but his new job does not require it. It is rare to see him dressed up anymore unless he has a big meeting at work.

Crap has his moments with letting things like that upset him, but he mostly stays cool. He is very patient.

Connor loves staring at the characters. I cannot wait until he really enjoys them. Hopefully, he will hug them and smile soon.

We leave for Disneyland on Wednesday when Crap comes home from work. He is going to try leaving early, but his days fill up sometimes outside his control. People can use outlook to see when he is available and fill in the gaps. As of today, his last appointment is 10am. Fingers crossed that he does not work past 1 or 2pm.

I hope you get your vacation after all. Good luck on finding a job. If I go back to work anytime soon, I hope we still get to take our cruise. We may not take the October 2013 WDW trip. Crap does not want to ask for more than a week off next year, since he does not even reach a full year until February. If he does decide to ask, we may take it. Both of us are having second thoughts about pulling Xander out of school anyway, so we decided to book the Spring Break trip to ensure we take at least one vacation.

You two are funny. Thanks for the photos Crap!

When I was pregnant I think that I had a stock of every non-caffeinated soda available. I prefer A&W too.

Crap is going to love that people think he is funny. I am so not funny, but thanks for the compliment.

I would prefer A&W if they put caffeine in it. When I am pregnant, I love it.