jaycns
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WOW...you got to do two crossings? I am hoping to be able to do that one day (an ocean crossing!). Thanks for reading!
17 Days of Wishes Come to Life- A Sept. 08 WDW and DCL Adventure 3/27 new link posted
- Thread starter jaycns
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Lifelong_Dreamer
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Castaway Cay already? Were you on a double dip cruise?
jaycns
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OH YES WE WERE!!
I do so love CC!
jaycns
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The day started out with me feeling VERY sleepy. I guess I had laid awake for a lot longer than I thought the night before. Instead of popping up with excited energy I was sort of laying in bed smiling over what the day would be. I was feeling very lazy. Dh noticed and did something that reminded me once again just why I married him. He set another wake up call for me, told me to make sure to grab the shore excursion envelope when my wake up call went off and that he would take care of getting the boys dressed, fed and where they needed to be this morning. YES...I married a very sweet man! When you think about how many different places he scurried that morning, it really was impressive. He took our Little Prince to Flounder's Nursery(on the ship), dropped off Stitch and Goofy at Scuttle's Cove (on the island) and walked Aladdin to the Grouper Pavilion (although he didn't need to be signed in, we didn't want him wandering the island alone...he hadn't spent any time there since he was four *he got sick the last time we were at Castaway Cay and spent less than 15 minutes on the island*). Dh then had to speed walk back to the ship and I was meeting him at our excursion meeting place.
I don't think I ever did fall back asleep, but I did lay there in a very lazy stupor and happily did nothing at all...until the second wake up call came. Then I was up like a flash, brushed my teeth, washed my face, threw on my swimsuit (I skipped the shower knowing I was going to be jumping into the ocean in less than an hour), grabbed the envelope and made my way to our meeting place. Dh got there about five minutes after I did and I gave him a kiss to thank him for being so sweet this morning. It really is rare for the mom of four kids to have a morning to sleep in and not have to worry about getting anyone but herself ready for the day. It was a special favor that I am very grateful for.
But back to what we did that morning. We were going on the Seahorse Catamaran Snorkeling Tour. Just to clarify, there are no seahorses there. Hahaha. I don't know why it has that name. I had read some not so great descriptions of this excursion and I was a bit nervous about booking it but dh and I really wanted some time to snorkel alone together...and for us, this was the one that fit. Although the catamaran ride was nothing special, it was not unenjoyable either. The catamaran actually motors out to the snorkeling spot about ten minutes from the shore. It's a leisurely ride and you have great views of Castaway Cay, the ship and the Flying Dutchman. Not a bad ride at all!
Before long, we were at the drop spot. I will say that the line to go down the stairs was moving slowly. I don't see how this is any fault of anyone other than the guests in front of us (who didn't see fit to get 'ready' before they got to the stairs...it seemed as if every guest would stop to adjust their mask, see if their fins fit and then take them all off again to go down the stairs before actually getting to the the going down part then it would start all over again at the bottom). Being as we didn't want to eat up our own snorkel time, dh asked the captain if we could just jump in. The captain happily opened a side railing for us and we splashed on into the water with big smiles on our faces. I was hoping that the water would not be cool. And I was not disappointed. The water felt refreshing, but not cool in the least. As I swam away from the catamaran I looked back at all of the people still waiting to go down the stairs and I was happy that we had chosen to just jump right in.
Dh and I swam out and in no time at all, we were over a beautiful reef. The fish were varied, plentiful and fascinating. I loved the coral, sea fans, shells and rock formations. I will let the pictures I took do the describing. I really loved snorkeling here!
My favorite part of our snorkeling time was when a huge school of yellow fish swam all around us.
I don't think I ever did fall back asleep, but I did lay there in a very lazy stupor and happily did nothing at all...until the second wake up call came. Then I was up like a flash, brushed my teeth, washed my face, threw on my swimsuit (I skipped the shower knowing I was going to be jumping into the ocean in less than an hour), grabbed the envelope and made my way to our meeting place. Dh got there about five minutes after I did and I gave him a kiss to thank him for being so sweet this morning. It really is rare for the mom of four kids to have a morning to sleep in and not have to worry about getting anyone but herself ready for the day. It was a special favor that I am very grateful for.
But back to what we did that morning. We were going on the Seahorse Catamaran Snorkeling Tour. Just to clarify, there are no seahorses there. Hahaha. I don't know why it has that name. I had read some not so great descriptions of this excursion and I was a bit nervous about booking it but dh and I really wanted some time to snorkel alone together...and for us, this was the one that fit. Although the catamaran ride was nothing special, it was not unenjoyable either. The catamaran actually motors out to the snorkeling spot about ten minutes from the shore. It's a leisurely ride and you have great views of Castaway Cay, the ship and the Flying Dutchman. Not a bad ride at all!
Before long, we were at the drop spot. I will say that the line to go down the stairs was moving slowly. I don't see how this is any fault of anyone other than the guests in front of us (who didn't see fit to get 'ready' before they got to the stairs...it seemed as if every guest would stop to adjust their mask, see if their fins fit and then take them all off again to go down the stairs before actually getting to the the going down part then it would start all over again at the bottom). Being as we didn't want to eat up our own snorkel time, dh asked the captain if we could just jump in. The captain happily opened a side railing for us and we splashed on into the water with big smiles on our faces. I was hoping that the water would not be cool. And I was not disappointed. The water felt refreshing, but not cool in the least. As I swam away from the catamaran I looked back at all of the people still waiting to go down the stairs and I was happy that we had chosen to just jump right in.
Dh and I swam out and in no time at all, we were over a beautiful reef. The fish were varied, plentiful and fascinating. I loved the coral, sea fans, shells and rock formations. I will let the pictures I took do the describing. I really loved snorkeling here!
My favorite part of our snorkeling time was when a huge school of yellow fish swam all around us.
jaycns
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DCL Day 2 continued...
All too soon, it was time to re-board the catamaran and head back to Castaway Cay. On the trip back, we chatted with a very friendly couple. I didn't ever get around to asking if they were a DISer, but if you are and read this...SAY HI!
I was getting VERY hungry about this time. I slept in late and then spent the morning hours enjoying our excursion...my stomach was really starting to rumble. Dh and I planned on enjoying lunch together before he ran back to pick up our Little Prince from Flounder's while I tracked down our three oldest on the island and then we were going to meet up for a family afternoon. I wasn't so hungry that the sight of these two ships were lost on me...so I ignored my rumbling tummy long enough to take these two pictures.
As we docked, dh and I both agreed that it was past time to put some food into our bellies. We made our way to Cookies BBQ. Along the way, a photographer snapped this picture of us. Ignore the "we have been in the ocean all morning" look.
And then we were finally at Cookies BBQ and it smelled SO GOOD. I had the barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, cole slaw AND half of a hamburger. Dh had the same thing (we split the hamburger). We also split a plate stacked with fresh fruit for dessert. I love the fresh fruit stand at Cookies BBQ. There's just something about eating freshly carved pineapple on a tropical island that makes me smile. The fruit was sweet but still light enough that we could walk away without the assistance of a crane and moving crew.
After lunch dh headed back to the ship to pick up the Little Prince for his first island adventure. I started to make my way to Scuttle's Cove to pick up two of the three kids. As I walked past Pop's Props (the kid's club dining pavilion at Cookie's BBQ) I saw Goofy. I went over to pick him up and he begged me to stay. They were just about to start an adventure called "Castaway Capers" and he didn't want to miss it. One look at his big pleading eyes and I didn't have the heart to drag him away from his new friends and the fun he was having. I would just make his excuses to the rest of the family. I said goodbye to him and started on my way once again. This time I caught a glimpse of Aladdin walking with a group of kid's from his Ocean Quest group. They were doing a scavenger hunt called "The Search for Atlantis". I tried to get him to join us for a family afternoon on the beach but once again was met with pleas to stay with his group. I once again agreed and left empty handed. I was a bit sad, our boys are growing up so fast and I had high hopes for a fun afternoon of us all together. However, I was also happy, the boys not wanting to leave their groups was no reflection on how much they enjoyed family time. It was instead a reflection of just how much fun they were having with their new friends and in taking part in the programming that Disney created. They were really enjoying themselves and when it comes down to it, that's what a vacation should be all about.
I finally made it to Scuttle's Cove and was mentally preparing myself for Stitch to give me the same answer that both of his bigger brothers just had. Lucky for me, I was able to talk him into leaving if I would wait for him until the end of the sandcastle building competition they were having. It was boys vs. girls and I take it that the competition was very serious. HA HA HA.
He also wanted to bring one of his friends with him. Lucky for us, it was Cinderella and I was on her list of "approved adults" for sign out. I think Disney has good system. You have to be on an approved list AND know the secret password set by the parent to be able to remove them from the children's programming. I like the double safety check. Keeping kids happy and safe is something Disney is good at. As I picked her up, I asked that the kid's club CM who was checking us out page her parents to let them know that we had picked her up and we would be at the family beach with her. Although the CM had to send two pages to fit the entire message in...she did it with a smile. I thanked her and snapped this picture of the only two kids to agree to spend the afternoon with me.
As we were walking out, who should we bump into reading their pager but our dear friends. Hee hee hee. They were not on their way to pick her up, but were heading to the jet skis to drop off Snow White and Mr. Friend. They had booked the jet ski tour for the afternoon. Since dh still wasn't at our meeting place (the first aid shack), I agreed to walk them over there and wait until Mrs. Friend got the snapshots she wanted of them on their jet skis about to take off. Mrs. Friend had been planning on going to the adult beach, but she said she would stay with us instead if we would wait for her. While she was taking pictures of them getting their safety briefing and waiting for the perfect shot of them mounting/leaving on their jet skis, I was hanging out with Stitch and Cinderella. Or rather, I was watching them hang out together and snapping lots of pictures. Here they are talking and strolling up and down the beach.
Once the jet skis were off, Mrs, Friend took the kids to get drinks at Cookies BBQ and I went and sat in a rocker until Dh and our Little Prince got back to the island. As I waited, I snapped a picture of Mt. Rustmore.
They both got back to me at about the same time. Here are our littlest guys first island pictures.
And then finally, we made our way to the beach.
To be continued...
All too soon, it was time to re-board the catamaran and head back to Castaway Cay. On the trip back, we chatted with a very friendly couple. I didn't ever get around to asking if they were a DISer, but if you are and read this...SAY HI!
I was getting VERY hungry about this time. I slept in late and then spent the morning hours enjoying our excursion...my stomach was really starting to rumble. Dh and I planned on enjoying lunch together before he ran back to pick up our Little Prince from Flounder's while I tracked down our three oldest on the island and then we were going to meet up for a family afternoon. I wasn't so hungry that the sight of these two ships were lost on me...so I ignored my rumbling tummy long enough to take these two pictures.
As we docked, dh and I both agreed that it was past time to put some food into our bellies. We made our way to Cookies BBQ. Along the way, a photographer snapped this picture of us. Ignore the "we have been in the ocean all morning" look.
And then we were finally at Cookies BBQ and it smelled SO GOOD. I had the barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, cole slaw AND half of a hamburger. Dh had the same thing (we split the hamburger). We also split a plate stacked with fresh fruit for dessert. I love the fresh fruit stand at Cookies BBQ. There's just something about eating freshly carved pineapple on a tropical island that makes me smile. The fruit was sweet but still light enough that we could walk away without the assistance of a crane and moving crew.
After lunch dh headed back to the ship to pick up the Little Prince for his first island adventure. I started to make my way to Scuttle's Cove to pick up two of the three kids. As I walked past Pop's Props (the kid's club dining pavilion at Cookie's BBQ) I saw Goofy. I went over to pick him up and he begged me to stay. They were just about to start an adventure called "Castaway Capers" and he didn't want to miss it. One look at his big pleading eyes and I didn't have the heart to drag him away from his new friends and the fun he was having. I would just make his excuses to the rest of the family. I said goodbye to him and started on my way once again. This time I caught a glimpse of Aladdin walking with a group of kid's from his Ocean Quest group. They were doing a scavenger hunt called "The Search for Atlantis". I tried to get him to join us for a family afternoon on the beach but once again was met with pleas to stay with his group. I once again agreed and left empty handed. I was a bit sad, our boys are growing up so fast and I had high hopes for a fun afternoon of us all together. However, I was also happy, the boys not wanting to leave their groups was no reflection on how much they enjoyed family time. It was instead a reflection of just how much fun they were having with their new friends and in taking part in the programming that Disney created. They were really enjoying themselves and when it comes down to it, that's what a vacation should be all about.
I finally made it to Scuttle's Cove and was mentally preparing myself for Stitch to give me the same answer that both of his bigger brothers just had. Lucky for me, I was able to talk him into leaving if I would wait for him until the end of the sandcastle building competition they were having. It was boys vs. girls and I take it that the competition was very serious. HA HA HA.
He also wanted to bring one of his friends with him. Lucky for us, it was Cinderella and I was on her list of "approved adults" for sign out. I think Disney has good system. You have to be on an approved list AND know the secret password set by the parent to be able to remove them from the children's programming. I like the double safety check. Keeping kids happy and safe is something Disney is good at. As I picked her up, I asked that the kid's club CM who was checking us out page her parents to let them know that we had picked her up and we would be at the family beach with her. Although the CM had to send two pages to fit the entire message in...she did it with a smile. I thanked her and snapped this picture of the only two kids to agree to spend the afternoon with me.
As we were walking out, who should we bump into reading their pager but our dear friends. Hee hee hee. They were not on their way to pick her up, but were heading to the jet skis to drop off Snow White and Mr. Friend. They had booked the jet ski tour for the afternoon. Since dh still wasn't at our meeting place (the first aid shack), I agreed to walk them over there and wait until Mrs. Friend got the snapshots she wanted of them on their jet skis about to take off. Mrs. Friend had been planning on going to the adult beach, but she said she would stay with us instead if we would wait for her. While she was taking pictures of them getting their safety briefing and waiting for the perfect shot of them mounting/leaving on their jet skis, I was hanging out with Stitch and Cinderella. Or rather, I was watching them hang out together and snapping lots of pictures. Here they are talking and strolling up and down the beach.
Once the jet skis were off, Mrs, Friend took the kids to get drinks at Cookies BBQ and I went and sat in a rocker until Dh and our Little Prince got back to the island. As I waited, I snapped a picture of Mt. Rustmore.
They both got back to me at about the same time. Here are our littlest guys first island pictures.
And then finally, we made our way to the beach.
To be continued...
Goldeelox9
Our Disney Cruise Line Wedding ~ November 4, 2008
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Great Update....Looks like you had alot of fun!
Spartangirl
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Castaway Cay sounds very nice........the snorkeling looked fun! I love the feeling of being surrounded by all of the different fish! 
Lifelong_Dreamer
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Beautiful 
DisneyJo
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How sweet of your DH to let you have a lie in
The clubs sound fantastic and even better that the children obviously really enjoyed them
What a great idea just to jump off the boat, I would have been right behind you
Lovely fish too, snorkelling is the only thing I miss about us going on WDW trips!
The clubs sound fantastic and even better that the children obviously really enjoyed them
What a great idea just to jump off the boat, I would have been right behind you
Lovely fish too, snorkelling is the only thing I miss about us going on WDW trips!Laneychris
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Great pics!
kaysmommie
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Those Castaway Cay pics are gorgeous! Wish I was there right now . So 
that the kids love the kids clubs so much you could not drag them away. Love the pics of the little prince all ready for the beach.
. So that the kids love the kids clubs so much you could not drag them away. Love the pics of the little prince all ready for the beach.
SoonerGirl
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Great pictures of Castaway Cay! I love the ones you took of Stitch and Cinderella - they look so cute together! And the big smiles from the LP, again just too sweet - makes me want to cuddle him!!
Tatania
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It's so nice to see pictures of beaches in mid-winter 'cause I like to daydream that I'm there.
I took my son on quite a few cruises (non-Disney because we couldn't afford Disney ships) with the plan that we would have some Mom-son time (as I'm a single working Mom) but in fact, I rarely saw in during the cruise because he loved the kid's clubs so much. They'd rather be there having fun with their peers and who can blame them?
I took my son on quite a few cruises (non-Disney because we couldn't afford Disney ships) with the plan that we would have some Mom-son time (as I'm a single working Mom) but in fact, I rarely saw in during the cruise because he loved the kid's clubs so much. They'd rather be there having fun with their peers and who can blame them?
retiredkid
<font color=blue>Your shots make me want to try ag
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wonderful update and pics!! My fave place to be.....Castaway Cay. sigh..
jaycns
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Indeed, we did have a lot of fun!
Me too. I am still amazed that they are so good at judging distances. They always stayed about a quarter inch out of reach but never more than an inch. No matter how many times I tried to trick them.Castaway Cay sounds very nice........the snorkeling looked fun! I love the feeling of being surrounded by all of the different fish!
Seriously though, they were all around but they never swam into me. I was amazed at that, I would surely have swum into a great big moving thing if it were me trying not to. Thanks!! I love underwater pictures! Castaway Cay has so many beautiful places that it is hard NOT to take beautiful pictures.Beautiful
How sweet of your DH to let you have a lie in
The clubs sound fantastic and even better that the children obviously really enjoyed them
What a great idea just to jump off the boat, I would have been right behind you
Thank you!
I wish I was back there right about now too! It's way too cold for me now!Those Castaway Cay pics are gorgeous! Wish I was there right now
The kid's clubs are great! I saw more than one parent having trouble getting their children to leave. Disney knows how to entertain kids, that's for sure!
I would happily hand him over for a few cuddles right about now. He has been teething again so he is 'extra' cuddly. We have noticed that he
doesn't get cranky when he teethes as long as he is being held. I think he gets a lot of comfort from that. Sometimes my arms could use a break though.
Looking over our cruise pictures has really helped me find sunshine on more than one dull day. It's great to have those memories bottled up inside my memory to save me from drearier times!
I knew we would have lots of other family time together, so I just let them be. Little did I know, I would be childless for more time than not.
Which cruise line did you cruise on?
jaycns
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Aww, thanks Linda, I sure hope not. It's hard to see them so independant sometimes...but it's also a great feeling. You know you raised them right when they can spread their wings and fly. I am just glad they still return to the nest between flights (for now at least
).It really is lovely, isn't it? I love it there.
jessily
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Love the snorkeling pictures We went snorkeling in the Bahamas last summer and the water was so rough we all got really seasick. I'd love to try it again someplace where the water is calmer. Your pictures are awesome!
I had never heard of Flounder's. A coworker of mine is in the early stages of planning a Disney cruise vacation but wasn't sure if there would be any childcare available for their 2 year old. I'll have to pass that info along to her.
Stitch and Cinderella are too cute together!
We went snorkeling in the Bahamas last summer and the water was so rough we all got really seasick. I'd love to try it again someplace where the water is calmer. Your pictures are awesome! I had never heard of Flounder's. A coworker of mine is in the early stages of planning a Disney cruise vacation but wasn't sure if there would be any childcare available for their 2 year old. I'll have to pass that info along to her.
Stitch and Cinderella are too cute together!
Illini4ever
Travel Bug
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Castaway Cay looks so amazing! I guess it's a testament to how wonderful the clubs are that the kids never want to leave. It all just sounds so wonderful. Ahhhhh
Has your family ever sailed on another cruise line? The reason I ask is because my whole family is supposed to go on a cruise next year to celebrate my parent's 40th wedding anniversary. I couldn't sell them on Disney (although I tried real hard) but seeing as how we're the only ones out of 16 people bringing our kids I kind of understand. Anyways I was hoping I could get your input being the travel queen that you are.
Has your family ever sailed on another cruise line? The reason I ask is because my whole family is supposed to go on a cruise next year to celebrate my parent's 40th wedding anniversary. I couldn't sell them on Disney (although I tried real hard) but seeing as how we're the only ones out of 16 people bringing our kids I kind of understand. Anyways I was hoping I could get your input being the travel queen that you are.
Figment's Friend
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What a nice picture of you and DH together! Your night at the Walt Disney Theater sounds so much fun, I'd love to see all the cruise ship entertainment on a Disney cruise! You just know it's top-notch. How funny the kids don't want to leave their groups The snorkeling excursion sounds fun, I'm sure it was beautiful. How cute are Stitch and Cinderella?
Your night at the Walt Disney Theater sounds so much fun, I'd love to see all the cruise ship entertainment on a Disney cruise! You just know it's top-notch. How funny the kids don't want to leave their groups The snorkeling excursion sounds fun, I'm sure it was beautiful. How cute are Stitch and Cinderella? -
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