mississaugamom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2003
- Messages
- 1,066
I was up and out again by 6:30 this morning, determined to write my postcards for mailing from Castaway Cay. It was far too windy to stay on deck, though! I took some sunrise photos, then headed downstairs to the Atrium to write my cards. On my way back upstairs, there was Plutospup, relaxing in the Promenade lounge area! (I ran into you almost every morning, didnt I?)
Lara and I had breakfast at Topsiders (as usual) with Auntie and Uncle. We went out on deck to get our first view of Castaway Cay and to take some photos! I discovered what a generous little soul my darling Lara has. We first looked off the starboard side of the ship and saw the dock area with the trucks and just a small strip of green NOT the image of Castaway Cay the Travel Channel showed! My face must have shown my surprise, because Lara patted my hand and said, its still nice, Mommy. Disney hasnt owned it very long theyre still working on it! After hugging her, we walked to the other side of the ship and there saw the image of my dreams. We took pictures and hurried back downstairs to pack our snorkel gear for the day.
After meeting Auntie and Uncle, we walked off the ship and got our stamps at the Post Office. Next we posed for group photos with the Magic in the background, and then hopped on the tram to the family beach.
Although we were certainly not among the first off the ship, we found lounge chairs in the shade on the beach, not far from Cookies and the Heads Up Bar. Lara immediately wanted her drink coke in a coconut! We bought her a pink coconut filled with coke she was so happy!!! (She doesnt get to drink Coke at home; this was a vacation treat.) She stayed with Auntie and Uncle to play in the sand while Martin and I went to get our snorkel vests and fins. After leaving them on our chairs, we went to check in for Martins parasailing booking. It turned out that the check-in booth was back near the ship! (After hurrying all the way back, we discovered it was cancelled!) The tram was waiting, so we rode back to the family beach again, which gave Martin a chance to tape the spiel on our video camera.
Lara had been in the ocean with Auntie and they were busy collecting shells. Cookies BBQ had just opened for lunch, so we were quick to get in line. Yummy lobster patties were on the menu today! (I guess I didnt eat ALL of the lobster tails last night!) Everything looked fantastic, and we all filled our plates, but the biggest excitement for Lara and Martin was potato chips! They are both addicted to chips (especially BBQ) at home, but with all the food available on the Magic, I couldnt believe those two had actually missed their potato chips! Lara quickly munched down two bags (hers and mine) and was working on a third (Uncles) when Auntie went back to get her more bags to eat later on.
We ran into Mamagriz and family again while having lunch. It was a great opportunity to get more photos of our DDs together. Sammys hair was now braided too and looked adorable.
After picking up ice cream cones for dessert, we wandered back to She Sells and did some shopping for pins and matching T-shirts for Lara and I. It was nice being able to send everything back to the ship for pickup after 6 pm. (We were surprised to find our shopping had been delivered directly to our cabin while we were at early dinner!) Back to the beach chairs for some R&R for Auntie and Uncle, while the three of us grabbed our snorkel gear and headed to the lagoon.
There wasnt much too see on the beginner trail (too stirred up by early afternoon) but once we got onto the advanced trail the visibility cleared and there were LOTS of fish in the various containers Disney has placed there to create an artificial reef system. Martin and I are both certified divers, and we were pleased to see how well the artificial reef is taking in the lagoon, especially considering that Bahamas is not that far south. Lara is too young to remember the 20,000 leagues ride ever being at WDW, but she was happy to see a submarine out there. We found the Mickey statue (Lara keeps calling it The Golden Mickey) and took lots of photos before Lara and I turned around to snorkel back to the beach. Martin kept going to the end, but there really wasnt too much more to see after the Mickey. Were lucky that she swims and snorkels so well for a 7 year old; she kept up beautifully all week and we got to snorkel at four different locations this trip!
After warming up in the sun while Martin finished snorkelling, we headed back to Auntie and Uncle to relax in the sun with Konk Koolers!!! As advertised here on these boards, they were gooooood! Lara had another coke in a coconut and even Auntie went to get a non-alcoholic Konk Kooler since they looked so tasty. This was living warm sun, sand, and a quiet beach. (A lot of people had already left and headed back to the ship.) At 3:30, we reluctantly packed up and headed back too. It felt like a perfect day in Paradise - Ill be back!!!
We dropped Lara off at the Oceaneers Club to participate in the Discover The Magic show and went to attend the Debarkation talk. Rachel sure made it sound easy! We were surprised how many kids participated in the stage show it hadnt seemed like that many kids all week! (Apparently there were over 700 3-12 year olds on our sailing.) The slide show was very nice there were certainly lots of different activities for all ages! Mickey made his appearance with the kids onstage, then they went back to the Club. We followed to sign Lara out and went back to our cabin to get ready for our final dinner.
Dinner was at Lumieres again. I love this dining room! We were seated right near the big mural of Belle and the Beast dancing, so I had to take pictures of it for my scrapbook at home. We handed out our envelopes, and were glad we would have one more chance to say goodbye in the morning. Claudio, Leasa, and Nadege had taken wonderful care of us all week we were going to miss them! (We were happy for Claudio, though he was flying home to Rome Saturday night to begin his 2-month vacation.)
We skipped the Farewell Variety show so we could finish packing. Lara went back to the Club for the night, and we fought our way through the crowds at Shutters to buy all our photos. They did well with us 5 8x10s and 15 6x8s!!!! We wanted to capture as many memories as we could since well likely not have the chance to do this again with our very special Aunt and Uncle. Also, the characters may not hold the same magic for Lara when shes older and we can bring her again, so I considered it more than worth the price.
We finished packing by 10:00, so we picked Lara up from the Club. We were surprised when she got a cute sunhat for participating. (Shed already gotten the T-Shirt for being in the Discover The Magic show.) We went to see Till We Meet Again in the Atrium. It was quite crowded, so I stayed on the 4th Deck to take ending photos while Martin and Lara went down to meet Hades, Pain and Panic. It was very nice, and I got a lump in my throat that it was coming to an end so quickly. Id made up my mind that we WOULD meet again although itll be awhile!
We tucked Lara into her couch-bed for the last time, filled out the questionnaire and shore excursion reports, then drifted off for a very short nights sleep.
Lara and I had breakfast at Topsiders (as usual) with Auntie and Uncle. We went out on deck to get our first view of Castaway Cay and to take some photos! I discovered what a generous little soul my darling Lara has. We first looked off the starboard side of the ship and saw the dock area with the trucks and just a small strip of green NOT the image of Castaway Cay the Travel Channel showed! My face must have shown my surprise, because Lara patted my hand and said, its still nice, Mommy. Disney hasnt owned it very long theyre still working on it! After hugging her, we walked to the other side of the ship and there saw the image of my dreams. We took pictures and hurried back downstairs to pack our snorkel gear for the day.
After meeting Auntie and Uncle, we walked off the ship and got our stamps at the Post Office. Next we posed for group photos with the Magic in the background, and then hopped on the tram to the family beach.
Although we were certainly not among the first off the ship, we found lounge chairs in the shade on the beach, not far from Cookies and the Heads Up Bar. Lara immediately wanted her drink coke in a coconut! We bought her a pink coconut filled with coke she was so happy!!! (She doesnt get to drink Coke at home; this was a vacation treat.) She stayed with Auntie and Uncle to play in the sand while Martin and I went to get our snorkel vests and fins. After leaving them on our chairs, we went to check in for Martins parasailing booking. It turned out that the check-in booth was back near the ship! (After hurrying all the way back, we discovered it was cancelled!) The tram was waiting, so we rode back to the family beach again, which gave Martin a chance to tape the spiel on our video camera.
Lara had been in the ocean with Auntie and they were busy collecting shells. Cookies BBQ had just opened for lunch, so we were quick to get in line. Yummy lobster patties were on the menu today! (I guess I didnt eat ALL of the lobster tails last night!) Everything looked fantastic, and we all filled our plates, but the biggest excitement for Lara and Martin was potato chips! They are both addicted to chips (especially BBQ) at home, but with all the food available on the Magic, I couldnt believe those two had actually missed their potato chips! Lara quickly munched down two bags (hers and mine) and was working on a third (Uncles) when Auntie went back to get her more bags to eat later on.
We ran into Mamagriz and family again while having lunch. It was a great opportunity to get more photos of our DDs together. Sammys hair was now braided too and looked adorable.
After picking up ice cream cones for dessert, we wandered back to She Sells and did some shopping for pins and matching T-shirts for Lara and I. It was nice being able to send everything back to the ship for pickup after 6 pm. (We were surprised to find our shopping had been delivered directly to our cabin while we were at early dinner!) Back to the beach chairs for some R&R for Auntie and Uncle, while the three of us grabbed our snorkel gear and headed to the lagoon.
There wasnt much too see on the beginner trail (too stirred up by early afternoon) but once we got onto the advanced trail the visibility cleared and there were LOTS of fish in the various containers Disney has placed there to create an artificial reef system. Martin and I are both certified divers, and we were pleased to see how well the artificial reef is taking in the lagoon, especially considering that Bahamas is not that far south. Lara is too young to remember the 20,000 leagues ride ever being at WDW, but she was happy to see a submarine out there. We found the Mickey statue (Lara keeps calling it The Golden Mickey) and took lots of photos before Lara and I turned around to snorkel back to the beach. Martin kept going to the end, but there really wasnt too much more to see after the Mickey. Were lucky that she swims and snorkels so well for a 7 year old; she kept up beautifully all week and we got to snorkel at four different locations this trip!
After warming up in the sun while Martin finished snorkelling, we headed back to Auntie and Uncle to relax in the sun with Konk Koolers!!! As advertised here on these boards, they were gooooood! Lara had another coke in a coconut and even Auntie went to get a non-alcoholic Konk Kooler since they looked so tasty. This was living warm sun, sand, and a quiet beach. (A lot of people had already left and headed back to the ship.) At 3:30, we reluctantly packed up and headed back too. It felt like a perfect day in Paradise - Ill be back!!!
We dropped Lara off at the Oceaneers Club to participate in the Discover The Magic show and went to attend the Debarkation talk. Rachel sure made it sound easy! We were surprised how many kids participated in the stage show it hadnt seemed like that many kids all week! (Apparently there were over 700 3-12 year olds on our sailing.) The slide show was very nice there were certainly lots of different activities for all ages! Mickey made his appearance with the kids onstage, then they went back to the Club. We followed to sign Lara out and went back to our cabin to get ready for our final dinner.
Dinner was at Lumieres again. I love this dining room! We were seated right near the big mural of Belle and the Beast dancing, so I had to take pictures of it for my scrapbook at home. We handed out our envelopes, and were glad we would have one more chance to say goodbye in the morning. Claudio, Leasa, and Nadege had taken wonderful care of us all week we were going to miss them! (We were happy for Claudio, though he was flying home to Rome Saturday night to begin his 2-month vacation.)
We skipped the Farewell Variety show so we could finish packing. Lara went back to the Club for the night, and we fought our way through the crowds at Shutters to buy all our photos. They did well with us 5 8x10s and 15 6x8s!!!! We wanted to capture as many memories as we could since well likely not have the chance to do this again with our very special Aunt and Uncle. Also, the characters may not hold the same magic for Lara when shes older and we can bring her again, so I considered it more than worth the price.
We finished packing by 10:00, so we picked Lara up from the Club. We were surprised when she got a cute sunhat for participating. (Shed already gotten the T-Shirt for being in the Discover The Magic show.) We went to see Till We Meet Again in the Atrium. It was quite crowded, so I stayed on the 4th Deck to take ending photos while Martin and Lara went down to meet Hades, Pain and Panic. It was very nice, and I got a lump in my throat that it was coming to an end so quickly. Id made up my mind that we WOULD meet again although itll be awhile!
We tucked Lara into her couch-bed for the last time, filled out the questionnaire and shore excursion reports, then drifted off for a very short nights sleep.
