Park Commando's Sailing The Rocky Seas, Our 1st Cruise 9/19, with pics UPDATED 11/06

[floydfamily4]

I am enjoying your report! Thanks for sharing. I saw the pictures of the goofy pool splashing and it did not look like fun

Can't wait to read more!

 

[verygfy]

That's quite a action-packed start! Loving all the details and pics.

That's a very nice FE, BTW.

Thank you for reading along. It is so weird to go back and write this report and reread it. We did a lot that first day, but it went by so fast and it didn't seem like that much!!

Thank you for the compliment on the FE, I ordered it from Stichesnbows on etsy. She was such a dream to work with and it came out perfectly!!

I am enjoying your report! Thanks for sharing. I saw the pictures of the goofy pool splashing and it did not look like fun

Can't wait to read more!

As long as you were not one of the ones getting sea sick that night it was kind of neat to watch the pools splash. It was a real downer to not be able to enjoy the football game on deck due to the splashing, but it was interesting nonetheless.

I am hoping to finish up the Nassau day before the weekend and post it. Photobucket was acting up on Sunday so I couldn't finish the pictures.

 

[verygfy]

It’s Monday morning and I’m pulling into the Bahamas instead of being at work, life is good!! That is all I could think on this gorgeous morning.

After a rocky start I awoke AGAIN at 6:30am!! Really I don’t understand this. The room is dark, no tv on, the kids are still asleep, but somehow I couldn’t sleep in

I decided I should make the most out of it and headed up to Deck 10 to watch the sunrise. I have missed seeing sunrises and now was very eager to get up on Deck 10. There were quite a few people with the same idea, but I staked a spot right in front.

It was quiet and peaceful up on deck 10. DH woke and had come looking for me so we strolled around deck 10 and had our coffee. Since my FE gifts were themed around Castaway Cay; beach balls for the kids and postcards for the adults to mail out at Castaway Cay, we decided now would be a good time to pass them out. A quick elevator ride back to the room and I was off. Passing out the FE was a lot of fun; trying to pass out all of these gifts without getting caught, and it was a great way to go deck by deck and a chance to see everyone’s creativity with their doors and FE.

After passing out the FE I went back to the room to find the kids still sleeping (I am so jealous). Since we didn’t have any set plans today I decided it was best to let them sleep in and I headed down to deck 4 to check out the comfy chairs I had heard so much about on the DIS. They didn’t disappoint. It was nice and quiet and I just watched the ocean pass by and then I saw it Nassau!

I headed back to the room to let everyone know and sure enough the kids were up. Our plans for today were to go see some of the sights and get back on the boat around lunch time. We stopped to have breakfast at BBB, I figured since it was 9:30 the line would have died out, NOPE, it was still packed and the line was still wrapping around the hallway. The line did move pretty quick and we got a great spot outside in the shade with Atlantis in the background.

The buffet was loaded with just about any food you can imagine for breakfast, including my favorite Mickey waffles. They also had an omelet station and fresh fruit. After enjoying the view and gobbling up some Mickey waffles we headed down to the gangway to get off. Getting off was so easy, there was no line at all at security they scan your KTTW card and you were straight off the boat.

We walked down to the port area and you have to go through this building to get to the main streets. The haggling in Nassau wasn’t that bad , we definitely got hit up along the way about taxi tours, we politely listened to their pitches and then said no and they left us alone and went to hassle someone else. We got a ton of women asking us about getting DD hair braided and again just said no and were pretty much left alone. I did see a couple of people coming back from the taxi tours and many were saying that they enjoyed it and how neat Atlantis was and seeing some of the areas. We jotted this down as a maybe to do next time we come to Nassau. As we were walking down the street though I would be talking to DH about possibly going over to Atlantis or checking out Cable beach and every time I would finish a sentence someone was coming up from behind us saying $4 per person to take you over to Atlantis or Cable beach. I kept laughing that they were stalking us.

When we were getting off the boat there was a shopping guide right there, so we had grabbed one. One of the things DH had really wanted was a Cuban cigar and a friend of ours who is a TA had suggested a couple of places to get the real deal, she had said many of the ones sold on the island were Dominican and not Cubans so we started walking to try and find the place she had recommended. Along the way we stopped into Tortuga Rum Cake Factory and they had samples of the banana, after a couple of sample bites I was starting to feel a little tipsy. That stuff was good so of course we purchased one. Then we noticed Diamonds International and had one of those gift certificates for the free bracelet. DD and I went in and the ladies were very sweet and gave DD the bracelet and put in on her for us. Then we noticed we also had the free pendant from Effy’s so we walked 2 doors down and got that for DD as well. For a four year old these were great little souvenirs and she really liked them.

We didn't plan much for Nassau due to all the reports of crime in Nassau and we wanted to stay close to the boat for that reason. Initially we didn’t really feel threatened by Nassau and started letting our guard down. As we were walking down the streets all of a sudden one of the police walked out of one of the side streets and onto the main street, when we noticed the oozie around his neck and his finger on the trigger we were quickly reminded as to how bad the crime in Nassau can really be and our decision to stay in the well populated area wasn’t such a bad idea. So back to being vigilant tourists we went and continued on down the walkway. We hit one of the squares; I can’t remember the name and took some pictures.

DH ended up taking us down the not so part of town for his Cuban and then we got out of there and headed back to the port area. At this point DD was asking if we could go back on the boat so she could go to her club. We decided we would head over to Senor Frogs and have a drink before getting back on the boat.

While we were there Norwegian was pulling into port.

So we had our drinks and watched as Norwegian pulled in, it was amazing to see this huge boat pull into this tiny area. We had a good time at Senor Frogs, they had music playing, a guy making the balloon hats, there are lots of funny things all around the bar area, and the view from the patio area was very nice and relaxing. As we walked out of Senor Frogs there was the Bahamian man playing on a drum, the kids immediately went up to him and started playing on his drum. I didn’t think anything of it at the time until the guy turned to me and I said I do this for tips, oops. DH laughed at me all the way back to boat that I thought this was some nice old man walking the streets. Sometimes I can be so naïve !!

All in all Nassau is not that bad, would I walk around again, NO!! But I have not knocked Nassau off of my places to visit just yet. Next time I would definitely take a tour and do something. DH and I listed a few things that we would do next time and now we know!!

Up next: Some Adult's Only R&R...

 

[Señor DonDuck]

Sounds like you had an interesting time in Nassau. I liked the sunrise pics.

 

[verygfy]

Getting back on the boat was again very easy. Disney seems to do this right since the Carnival ship that was next to us had a line going outside the ships doors and we just walked right back on the boat . Not sure what the hang up with Carnival was, but either way I was happy I was getting back on Disney.

DH & I dropped DD off at her club and went by the Buena Vista Theater to see what movies were playing. Since nothing was playing at the time DS went to his clubs also. This allowed DH and I to have some quiet time together. I can’t remember the last vacation the two of us were able to spend time together without one of the kids glued to our hips. So we took this time to just spend some quality time together. After a little bit of alone time, DH decided to take a nap and I went over to Quiet Cove Pool for some relaxation. The pool area was pretty packed, but I was able to snag one of those cushioned chairs. Those chairs were fantastic!!

Everyone that I had spoken to that day was talking how sea sick they were the night before. One lady had told me that Palo’s had 50 cancellations

After my quiet time at the pool I went and got DS from the clubs for some mommy/ daughter time. We stopped off at the Lobby and played Mr. Toads wild race. While she had fun with the game I don’t think I would recommend this for anyone under 7. As we were heading up to the pool after checking on DH we saw these guys

After some quick pics with the Goofster and Max I got DD undressed to play in the Mickey pool while I got lunch from Pluto’s. This line was insane it wrapped around the side. I stood in line and DD had just got in the pool and started to play when all of sudden they called everyone out due to unidentified floating objects , GROSS!! I felt so bad for DD since she really wanted to get in the Mickey pool, but she was a champ about it and came to wait in line with me at Pluto’s. We sat and had lunch and DD decided she wanted to play in the splash zone. She was one of the biggest kids in the splash zone but she so enjoyed it.

I am not sure where DS ate lunch, but every time he checked in with us he never complained about being hungry and since he has the worst eating habits in the world (can we say junk food junkie) I didn’t ask. I knew at least once a day he would have something nutritious. It’s his vacation to, right!!

After something to eat and splashing in the splash zone, DD and I headed to scrap booking at wavebands. It was an obvious pitch for rebooking on board, but Disney style, not a lot of pressure. DD enjoyed it though. They had old navigators and the DCL brochure magazine to cut from. Once we finished up our pic. We went back to the room to check on DH and DD could show off her scrapbook page (DD was very proud of her picture and really had a good time with the event). DH was finally awake from his nap and we all decided to go see if the Mickey Pool had reopened. As we walked out we ran into this guy

Unfortunately the Mickey Pool wasn’t open yet, they were having trouble getting water pressure for the pressure washing they must do. We looked at the Navigator and realized story time with Belle was happening soon so we went back to the room for a quick change and dropped DD off at her club. She really liked her club and kept asking to go visit it.

DH & DS headed over to the arcade and bought a $30 card for DS. DH said that was the best deal since the games were pretty high.

DH & I again found ourselves without any kids, we didn’t know what to do with all this kid free time. This time we just hung out on deck 10 and enjoyed the breeze. DS came and sat with us for awhile and I went and grabbed us some goodies from Outlook Café. DS was so jealous he couldn’t go in, yeah like he needs another place to get more junk food. We all watched the Carnival pull away and we all commented on how beat up the boat looked. Doesn’t look like we will be sailing Carnival anytime soon.

Tonight was Animator Palate and Formal night; wow did the lobby get crazy tonight. People were everywhere taking pics with Mickey and Minnie in their formal wear, taking Lifestyle photos and having pictures taken with the ship at night backdrop. I did my best to avoid deck 3, but constantly found myself tangled up in the mess of people. We managed to get away by walking around outside on deck 4. DH & DS played shuffleboard for awhile before dinner.

I must admit that prior to the cruise I never understood everyone’s hype about the show at Animator’s Palate, but after attending dinner there, I get it!! We had so much fun watching the room change colors and the music changing. The kids had such a great time they didn’t even do Dine and Play tonight they didn’t want to miss anything.

I ordered the tomato salad which I really enjoyed, DH ordered the baked potato and cheddar soup and licked the bowl clean. DD had the pork chops tonight (I managed to convince her to get away from the Macaroni and Cheese). DH had the beef tenderloin (I think I see a pattern forming), it had a bit of a bbq flavor to it, he did quite enjoy it. I had the veal chop and while it was a little bit fattier than I would like (I don’t like fatty meat) it was still good.

After dinner we headed over to Shutters, but we had to stop and chat with this lady

After browsing through the photos the crowd in Shutters started to frustrate me, so we headed out. As we walked out we ran into our other favorite

Both of these ladies were fabulous with DD, they both allowed her to tell them all about how they were her favorite. I was so impressed with how they treated her especially since she just ran into them in the hallway. DD tells everyone how she talked with Cinderella and Tiana.

 

[UGAFan0829]

Awesome updates!!

We had to have been close to each other in line for boarding, as we got boarding pass #2 as well, and we also ate at Parrot Cay right after we boarded! We probably saw each other and never knew it!

I'm loving your report, it's really cool to read about it from a different perspective!

 

[chasingthedream]

Thank you very much for this TR! The details and the photos are wonderful. I'm so appreciative of people like you that take the time out to share with the rest of us. We're taking our first cruise in May, and it's reports like these that keep me occupied so I don't go crazy with excitement! I can't wait to read the rest.

 

[Mom2CJ&Kitty]

I am loving your TR. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Cheryl726]

Enjoying your TR and all your pics! How did your kids like Senor Frogs in Nassau? The pics with your DD and the princesses are adorable!

 

[verygfy]

Sounds like you had an interesting time in Nassau. I liked the sunrise pics.

Thank you!! Watching the sunrise was one of my favorite moments, it will definitely be on my to do list next cruise as well. We had an interesting time in Nassau, next time I will book an excursion or do a taxi tour of some sort.

Awesome updates!!

We had to have been close to each other in line for boarding, as we got boarding pass #2 as well, and we also ate at Parrot Cay right after we boarded! We probably saw each other and never knew it!

I'm loving your report, it's really cool to read about it from a different perspective!

I have been enjoying reading everyone's TR from the cruise, we were all in the same place all doing different things. Makes you realize just how much there is to do on the boat!!

I think we were directly in front of you at the terminal waiting to go in. I was the annoying mom nagging my son to stop looking at everything through the camera screen

Thank you very much for this TR! The details and the photos are wonderful. I'm so appreciative of people like you that take the time out to share with the rest of us. We're taking our first cruise in May, and it's reports like these that keep me occupied so I don't go crazy with excitement! I can't wait to read the rest.

Oh thank you so much. I just read a great thread on CC last night about Rookie mistakes, it was nice to read them and say thanks to the DIS I didn't do that. I also enjoyed reading everyone else's TR before our first cruise and definitely felt like I should pay it forward. Actually writing it has been more fun then I thought it would. It's a great way to relive the cruise while you are waiting for the next one.

I am loving your TR. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for reading along.

Enjoying your TR and all your pics! How did your kids like Senor Frogs in Nassau? The pics with your DD and the princesses are adorable!

The kids enjoyed it, we sat right next to the water and they watched to NCL ship pull into port and they had the hat guy that DD really thought was funny. They are really fast there so we were in and out. The picture of the Bahamian guy was right out front. I would stop in there again on our way back to the boat just to sit by the water.

Thank you, DD had a great time with the princesses. She told Cinderella she was going to be her for Halloween. They were so wonderful with her, never rushed her at all and gave her hugs. I think she loves Tiana and Cinderella more now than before the cruise.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

I'm subbing.

My youngest remembers the "boy with his DS." He went to Out-and-About, correct?

Your pics are nice and it's kinda fun to see other people's experiences during the same trip.

 

[15isto2]

Great report so far

 

[SoonerGirl]

Hi! I just wanted to say thanks for the wonderfully detailed report! We are planning our first cruise for next August and I'm trying to soak up as much info as I can.

The rocky seas you experienced on your first night are my biggest fear! I have a tendency to get motion sickness and I'm terrified something like that will happen and I'll be down for the count for the entire cruise!

 

[verygfy]

I'm subbing.

My youngest remembers the "boy with his DS." He went to Out-and-About, correct?

Your pics are nice and it's kinda fun to see other people's experiences during the same trip.

I have enjoyed reading about everyone else's trips as well. It is so neat that all of us were only a few feet from each other the whole trip, yet had different experiences. I am not sure if DS ever had his DS with him in the clubs. I don't think it ever left the cabin, but I am not positive on that. I know he had such a good time he never asked for it.

Great report so far

Thank you for reading!

Hi! I just wanted to say thanks for the wonderfully detailed report! We are planning our first cruise for next August and I'm trying to soak up as much info as I can.

The rocky seas you experienced on your first night are my biggest fear! I have a tendency to get motion sickness and I'm terrified something like that will happen and I'll be down for the count for the entire cruise!

DH had only been a boat once and got terribly sick so I asked my cousin who is in the Coast Gaurd and a friend of mine who does patrol in Key West and they both highly recommended Bonine. It is a tiny pill that you chew once a day and is non drowsy, we took it at lunch at Parrot Cay and not one of us had an issue the first night and we were thrilled. The seas were very rocky that night, no doubt about that, but the Bonine really helped. When I was talking with people the next day many said they had taken Dramamine after the ship was rocking and it didn't work. One lady told me that her cabin steward brought her some green apples and she was amazed as to how much better they made her feel. I recommend the Bonine for anyone that is worried about getting sick that first night. Our's was extreme, but I understand the waters are always rocky leaving the Florida channel.

 

[verygfy]

Ahoy Matey’s and welcome to Castaway Cay!

The most beautiful, serene beach you have ever seen!! It was an absolutely spectacular day on the only day I planned for an early morning. The night before we hung the sign on the door for room service to deliver breakfast between 7:30 and 8:00am, I had ordered donuts, bagels, coffee, orange juice, milk, and a fruit bowl. Promptly at 8:00am room service arrived with our bountiful tray of food (room service always seemed to come later versus sooner, but hey it’s free room service how cool is that)! I tipped the guy and off he went. Today was a continental breakfast day with beach and hammock ahead. The plan was that I would head out first and DH and the kids would follow me. The walkie talkies really came in handy in this week.

You know the one great thing about a beach day, besides a quick shower you don’t need to do much else when it comes to getting ready. So I was able to have a cup of coffee, quick shower and was down at the gangway at 8:30am. I am really glad I was to, the 1st floor filled up pretty quickly and people were quickly finding the line on its way up to the second floor. They allowed us off the boat around 8:40 and away I went to find a spot and a hammock. I found a great spot between pelican plunge and Cookies BBQ.

DH and the kids followed not to long after I arrived and got all of our stuff settled in. Now here comes another nice part to being on vacation and on an island, it’s the only place in the world where you can have a Konk Cooler at 9:45am and no one will say a word!! Normally at 9:45am I am on my fourth cup of coffee, not today. Today I was in a chair, in the ocean, sipping on my Konk Cooler and happy as a clam. We spent most of the morning just floating around, playing ball, building sandcastles and just enjoying the beauty of the island. The water was so crystal clear and was quite comfortable.

DS headed over to Pelican Plunge but after the first time down he said it plunged him into the sea and he didn’t like it. He thought it was a little too rough for him. We tried to coax him back over for awhile but he was standing his ground.

Around 11 the kids were tired of swimming and wanted to attend some of the activities with their clubs. DS went on a scavenger hunt in search of Atlantis and DD was going on a whale dig. I dropped DS first as we headed down to Scuttle’s Cove for DS we had to stop by and say hi to Minnie and Goofy.

Tip: ALWAYS HAVE YOUR CAMERA

I was so disappointed that I didn’t have my camera, but DD was thrilled to see Minnie in her bathing suit.

I have to say when I dropped DD off at Scuttle’s Cove that place was amazing. It had a splash zone, a huge sand area and was quite substantial in size. While the kids were in the clubs DH and I decided to take a bike ride around the island. The trail was pretty good size and we had a blast riding around.

After our adventure on the island we headed to check in on the kids. DD was eating lunch with her club and DS wasn’t done with his scavenger hunt so DH and I headed over to Cookies to get a bite to eat. The food at Cookies was so good. DH raved about the ribs and I agreed. The Mahi was very good as well.

After we finished devouring our lunch we grabbed DS from his club and then went to get DD from her club. She was having a great time in the sand with the counselors.

Tip: If the kids are with their club eating lunch pick them up from the gazebo. The walk back to Scuttles from Cookies is quite a hike.

We made a quick stop off at Cookies from some Chocolate Chip ice cream and a 2 for 1 Konk Cooler special at Conched Out before we went back to our spot to start packing up. We lingered for quite a while at our chairs and luckily no one was around the hammocks so we laid for a few more minutes and then back to the ship we went.

Before we got back on the ship we stopped off at the Post Office to mail out some postcards, FYI the post office is open until 4pm so you can mail out the postcards after your day on the beach. Getting back on the boat was just a quick scan of the card.

DD and I went to the Mickey pool for a bit while DH took a nap and DS went off to his club. The Mickey pool was empty and was really nice. A few parting shots of Castaway Cay.

Up Next: We have lost Mickey, and Pirate Night...

 

[SoonerGirl]

What an amazing day on Castaway Cay! I'm having wonderful visions of a hammock and a Konk Cooler right now

The clubs for the kids sound awesome!

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

So enjoying your trip report!! Thanks for sharing!

 

[verygfy]

What an amazing day on Castaway Cay! I'm having wonderful visions of a hammock and a Konk Cooler right now

The clubs for the kids sound awesome!

I really wish I had my camera when I took DD to her club, that place was huge!! I was hesitant about sending them to there clubs since they had already spent so much time there, but when I walked DD in I kind of wished I was 4 and could play there for awhile.

So enjoying your trip report!! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for reading!! I tried really hard to put the entire day in 1 post, but I can only upload 25 pictures and I just couldn't find a way to narrow down the pics of Castaway Cay. I am hoping to finish the rest of the day by tomorrow.

 

[nettii]

You are getting me so excited for our up coming trip! Your trip report is great so far! I hope you report on the pirate party! I love your tip on the walki talkies, Im always the early bird when we go to Disney Im always up had coffee in the hot tub, showered and ready by the time the wake up call rings! SOOOOOOO Looking forward to your next TR!

 

[verygfy]

After a little while DD and I went back to the cabin for quick showers and both took a nap ourselves before Pirate night. After our nap DD was looking all around for something, when we asked her what she was looking for we found out it was MICKEY!!

Now some background on Mickey, he has been with us for 2 years and DD sleeps, eats, and plays with Mickey every day. Losing Mickey was a nightmare. DH and I went on a mad dash around the cabin searching for Mickey. I went out to the hall to and found our room steward Rommel and asked if he had seen Mickey while he was straightening up. He immediately came into the room and flipped the sofa bed and even pulled down the overhead bed. We tore the room up and down to come to the conclusion, Mickey’s gone. We told DD that we would continue looking and DH and I started talking about replacing Mickey.

Tonight was Toy Story 3 3D movie and everyone wanted to play on the boat more than go see the show since we had already seen it. I headed over to see my favorite man Captain Jack Sparrow and while I was waiting for him to join the rest of us in Eastern Standard time we saw Pirate Mickey come out so DH to DD went down for some pictures with him and Stitch.

After they were done with their pictures DH & DS came back upstairs to meet me STILL waiting on Jack (he took forever), but hey I would be late to if I lived on Caribbean time and drank all the rum too!! Finally I got to meet him, what a hoot!!

After our adventure with Jack we headed over to Pirates life for me, it was kind of corny, but cute. But we had to leave because we were still on the hunt for Mickey. DD and I went over to guest services to see if Mickey had wandered that way. We got to the desk I asked the CM if anyone had found Mickey and sure enough HE WAS THERE!! I don’t know who was more excited me or DD. Guest services were great they told DD that Mickey had strolled around and couldn’t find his cabin. With crisis averted we headed to dinner back at Animators Palate.

Anthony was great at making recommendations. I had the crab cake, YUMMY. DH & DS had the pot stickers that they both really seemed to enjoy. DS had the shrimp and scallops pasta and enjoyed that. DH and I had the sirloin and it was very tasty. Even DH said the sweet potato was very good, I was shocked he even tried a sweet potato anything.

Anthony and Carlo were great about getting us in and out tonight for the Pirate Party. I finished settling the bill while DH went up to get us a spot for the party. He got us a great spot along the rail on Deck 10.

Now you have not lived until you see Goofy doing the hand jive and Minnie doing her crazy dance!!

Unfortunately my camera was acting up with all the night shots so I didn’t get that many and for some reason it doesn’t like to work with fireworks. This thing has a million different settings, but not one for fireworks, seriously. Err, I have decided before our next cruise I want a new camera.

We had such a great time at the Pirate Party, I wish we had all dressed up a little bit more, but I wasn't quite sure how much everyone would dress up and I didn't want to feel out of place. There were so many people dressed up that DH and I both said next time we are dressing up.

After the party DS hit the buffet, I wasn’t going near that line. I had been dieting for a month now, and I just didn’t see a reason to stand in an hour long line to destroy it (however I did find many more convenient ways to destroy it all cruise long, but hey isn’t that why I was on a diet in the first place ).
One of my favorite things they did was turn the goofy pool deck into a drive in movie theater style with Pirates of the Caribbean on the jumbo screen.

So DH and DS hung out there and watched the movie while I took DS who was looking a little weary off to bed, but look who she has with her!

When we got back to the room we had this guy waiting for us:

I got a head start on some packing and was looking over the rebooking booklet when DS and DH walked in around 1am. I was still not sure about rebooking onboard, but then DH said “Haven’t you rebooked yet!!” Well no sir I haven’t, but I will do just that first thing in the morning.

Up next: At sea and our Last Day …