SoonerGirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
- Messages
- 4,850
Congratulations! What a beautiful little boy 
2nd Anniversary + 2nd Chances = Our 2nd Cruise! 7/20 NEWS!!
- Thread starter ariel1025
- Start date
Jennifer48
Not a Disney bride but engaged and honeymooned at
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2005
- Messages
- 3,403
He's precious! Congratulations! 
ariel1025
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
- Messages
- 1,393
CongratsWhat a cutie! Glad you made your way back to the Dis. It's good to have some mommy alone time every once in a while
Congratulations! What a beautiful little boy
He's precious! Congratulations!
Thank you everyone for your kind words
I am reminded how blessed I am every time I look at him!
ariel1025
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
- Messages
- 1,393
Our fourth full day of vacation had us waking up on the Disney Wonder, preparing for our day in Nassau. On our previous cruise we had a horrendous experience in Nassau and we were hoping against all hopes that the island could redeem itself 
We had decided to book an excursion through Disney for a day at Atlantis - I can't remember which package it was but it included transportation to the resort, admission to the aquarium and a voucher for lunch at various locations. We had to meet in Wavebands (I believe) around 10:00 a.m. if I remember correctly. I know for sure it wasn't too early because we debated going to breakfast but decided to sleep in instead ... ahh the life of sleeping in
Once everyone was gathered at our meeting point we were given wristbands for admission into the aquarium, a sticker to assign us to our appropriate group and our lunch voucher
After all the groups were organized we were led outside and taken to our shuttle to be transported over to Paradise Island. If you have never been in a car in Nassau and are a scaredy cat passenger (like myself
) you may want to keep your eyes closed during the ride .... there is IMO no rhyme or reason to the driving there. It appears that stop signs, stop lights, turn signals and roads are all considered options instead of requirements 
Our driver took us on a small tour of Nassau on our way to Paradise Island
I would say we spent about 15 minutes in the city before we could see our final destination in the distance
I am not exaggerating when I say that the moment you cross that bridge it feels like you are in a whole other country. This island was definitely developed for the rich and famous as was obvious from the prices of the merchandise to the number of large yachts that lined the marina
. But hey, we got to play "rich and famous" for the day and who can argue with that 
Once we reached the Atlantis resort we were let out of our shuttle and greeted by our tour guide.
Please note, on this excursion our tour guide was only with us to show us the grounds on the way to the beach and point us in the direction of the aquarium. There was also a separate excursion that included a full guided tour of the aquarium but did not include lunch. We debated for a while on which excursion to choose and in the end decided we would rather have lunch and get to tour the aquarium at our own pace. Would we regret our decision? Keep reading to find out
So, we were given our brief tour guide and began our excursion. The "tour" began in the casino through a pavilion of (high end) shops and finally outside and in the direction of the beach we were allowed to use for the day if we desired.
I cannot describe in enough detail how beautiful the grounds of Atlantis were - everywhere you turned was absolute beauty!
Immediately outside the exit we took from the resort
Looking back at Atlantis Resort
Once we had reached the beach we were given access to, our tour guide (vaguely) pointed us in the direction of the aquarium and left us to do our own thing. Now, maybe we are directionally challenged but we had a hard time actually finding the aquarium. We had to stop and ask several people where to go and it seemed they kept pointing us in different directions. However, we finally reached our destination
So, would the excursion be considered worth it for us? Did we enjoy the aquarium? And what caused the only argument of our trip?
We had decided to book an excursion through Disney for a day at Atlantis - I can't remember which package it was but it included transportation to the resort, admission to the aquarium and a voucher for lunch at various locations. We had to meet in Wavebands (I believe) around 10:00 a.m. if I remember correctly. I know for sure it wasn't too early because we debated going to breakfast but decided to sleep in instead ... ahh the life of sleeping in
Once everyone was gathered at our meeting point we were given wristbands for admission into the aquarium, a sticker to assign us to our appropriate group and our lunch voucher
After all the groups were organized we were led outside and taken to our shuttle to be transported over to Paradise Island. If you have never been in a car in Nassau and are a scaredy cat passenger (like myself
) you may want to keep your eyes closed during the ride .... there is IMO no rhyme or reason to the driving there. It appears that stop signs, stop lights, turn signals and roads are all considered options instead of requirements Our driver took us on a small tour of Nassau on our way to Paradise Island
I would say we spent about 15 minutes in the city before we could see our final destination in the distance
I am not exaggerating when I say that the moment you cross that bridge it feels like you are in a whole other country. This island was definitely developed for the rich and famous as was obvious from the prices of the merchandise to the number of large yachts that lined the marina
. But hey, we got to play "rich and famous" for the day and who can argue with that Once we reached the Atlantis resort we were let out of our shuttle and greeted by our tour guide.
Please note, on this excursion our tour guide was only with us to show us the grounds on the way to the beach and point us in the direction of the aquarium. There was also a separate excursion that included a full guided tour of the aquarium but did not include lunch. We debated for a while on which excursion to choose and in the end decided we would rather have lunch and get to tour the aquarium at our own pace. Would we regret our decision? Keep reading to find out
So, we were given our brief tour guide and began our excursion. The "tour" began in the casino through a pavilion of (high end) shops and finally outside and in the direction of the beach we were allowed to use for the day if we desired.
I cannot describe in enough detail how beautiful the grounds of Atlantis were - everywhere you turned was absolute beauty!
Immediately outside the exit we took from the resort
Looking back at Atlantis Resort
Once we had reached the beach we were given access to, our tour guide (vaguely) pointed us in the direction of the aquarium and left us to do our own thing. Now, maybe we are directionally challenged but we had a hard time actually finding the aquarium. We had to stop and ask several people where to go and it seemed they kept pointing us in different directions. However, we finally reached our destination
So, would the excursion be considered worth it for us? Did we enjoy the aquarium? And what caused the only argument of our trip?
SoonerGirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
- Messages
- 4,850
We went to the Dominican Republic for our honeymoon and I swear driving in Nassau sounds just like the driving in the DR, I was terrified everytime we left the resort!
Atlantis looks beautiful!
Atlantis looks beautiful!
Jennifer48
Not a Disney bride but engaged and honeymooned at
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2005
- Messages
- 3,403
I've never read any reports on Atlantis. I'm curious to see if you did end up enjoying it and what your argument was about!
yourMaire83
SPA MARIE
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2009
- Messages
- 253
Yay, I'm so glad you're posting again. I've been lurking on this TR and found this one because I have read 2 others you wrote. I rarely post, just stalk (LOL), but I had to speak up and say that your son is so handsome. What a lil cutie. Congratulations to you and Candi!
I grew up in Florida, so I have been on 6 cruises, but never a Disney cruise. We are planning to book one next year. Can;t wait to hear more about the cruise. Take care!
I grew up in Florida, so I have been on 6 cruises, but never a Disney cruise. We are planning to book one next year. Can;t wait to hear more about the cruise. Take care!
ariel1025
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
- Messages
- 1,393
Yeah, I'm not the most calm passenger to begin with ... I think I was praying the entire shuttle ride
Great explanation
Coming up ... hopefully today
We definitely got a great first impression of Atlantis
Thank you so much for the compliments about my son
ariel1025
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
- Messages
- 1,393
just saw that you are posting again-
your baby boy is just adorable!!! I easily see both you and Candy in his face
congratulations to you both!
Thank you so very much! I can see both of us in him too
Hey everyone! I am working very hard on getting the next update posted. But I have a lot of information for that section and a fussy baby who had to get his 2 month shots today
Tab2Disney
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2009
- Messages
- 223
I have sooo enjoyed your TR and the story of your pregnancy and baby boy!
Great pictures!!! thanks for sharing everything!
I know you are very busy, but you left us with a cliffhanger.
So how was the aquarium?
Great pictures!!! thanks for sharing everything!
I know you are very busy, but you left us with a cliffhanger.
So how was the aquarium?
ariel1025
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
- Messages
- 1,393
I have sooo enjoyed your TR and the story of your pregnancy and baby boy!
Great pictures!!! thanks for sharing everything!
I know you are very busy, but you left us with a cliffhanger.
So how was the aquarium?
Thank you very much! Update should be coming up today .... assuming James stays down for his nap
ariel1025
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
- Messages
- 1,393
It took us well over 20 minutes to find the aquarium and it was hot .... and humid .... and HOT! .... and HUMID! By the time we made it into the entrance I was a tad bit cranky. This was mostly due to the fac that I was drenched in sweat and in desperate need of water. Granted this was not Candi's fault, but when he made fun of me for walking us in a circle because I missed the entrance the first time .... well, let's just say I temporarily lost it 
So, as embarassed as I am to admit it, we stood in the beautiful entryway of the aquarium arguing about my attitude, which resulted in my getting worked up and crying ... and then ultimately to both of us apologizing and putting it in the past 
Not my finest moment I admit and I make no excuses 
Once that little bit of drama was over (and I had cooled down from the air conditioning) we both enjoyed the aquarium.
Entrance to aquarium
After an hour or so, we decided we would both be in better spirits if we had some lunch in our bellies! Ok, remember the quest we took to find the aquarium? And remember that voucher I showed you in the last post showing where we could eat lunch? And can you guess where this is going?
If you are thinking we had one heck of a time finding a place to eat you would be a winner. If you are thinking that we had such a hard time finding a place to eat and almost forfeited the vouchers and paid the ridiculous prices out of pocket to eat elsewhere, you would be the million dollar winner.
We once again got different answers from everybody we asked directions and could not find a resort map to save our lives. After about 15 minutes of searching we found one location but it was closed. Another 10 minutes later we came across another one but it was closed too
I finally told Candi if we didn't find one that was open in the next 10 minutes we were getting food from anywhere we found that was open. Well, we did finally find one of the locations, hidden in the middle of the waterpark area behind a bunch of slides, but it was on the voucher and it was in the shade 
Too bad there wasn't an empty table to be found and the line was about 30 people deep .... I so wish I was exaggerating 
But we decided to just deal with it and by the time we were about halfway through the line a table opened and I quickly stole it. I know, I know, it's so not nice to take up a table when you haven't ordered your food yet ... go ahead flame me
I don't remember where we ate but I do remember that the only thing they had left that was covered by the voucher were burgers so burgers are what we got! They came with french fries and a Coke (in a paper cup, not a bottle; bottled beverages didn't count, therefore water didn't count as a drink option
). I decided to get a Sprite and also asked Candi to get me a Gatorade for the rehydration benefit The food wasn't anything to rave about, and I didn't figure it would be, but it served its purpose and we were both in GREAT moods after finishing!
*** As a side note, the 2 Gatorades ended up costing us over $15 They were expensive to start with and then we didn't have any cash so we got charged a service fee for using a debit card. And if I remember correctly we got charged a service fee by the resort AND by our bank 
So my advice is to take at least a little cash with you! ***
After finishing up lunch we decided to roam the resort grounds for a little while and then head over to the Marina Village to check out the shops there.
As you can see the wind kicked in ... and it felt GREAT!
This is actually the back side of a water slide in the waterpark area
Pretty!
The lobby of the main hotel area
I have to say, I really enjoyed the Marina Village area ... they were not pushy at all about their sales and were very helpful and polite! We ended up buying a few souvenirs and gifts for people back home before deciding to head on back to the main island to board the ship.
We were very proud of ourselves for easily finding the area to board a shuttle back to the main island Once we got back we decided to do a little bit of shopping around Nassau. The main goal was to see if I could find myself a dress for our Palo brunch the next morning. I had brought one with me, but figured out all too late that it was already snug in the bellly area .... from the pregnancy, of course ... yep, that's my story and I'm sticking to it Candi was also in search of a rash guard for our snorkeling adventure in Castaway Cay in a couple of days. We had looked for both items in the Marina Village, but they were more than we wanted to pay. I lucked out with the dress and found a cute and festive dress for under $20. Unfortunately, Candi didn't have any luck and we never found him a rash guard
Once we had finished our shopping endeavors we made our way back onto the ship ... buying a few things in the marketplace while waiting in line to board the ship
After we boarded the ship, we hit the showers and ordered more room service to chill out before the show and dinner that night ....
So, as embarassed as I am to admit it, we stood in the beautiful entryway of the aquarium arguing about my attitude, which resulted in my getting worked up and crying ... and then ultimately to both of us apologizing and putting it in the past Not my finest moment I admit and I make no excuses Once that little bit of drama was over (and I had cooled down from the air conditioning) we both enjoyed the aquarium.
Entrance to aquarium
After an hour or so, we decided we would both be in better spirits if we had some lunch in our bellies! Ok, remember the quest we took to find the aquarium? And remember that voucher I showed you in the last post showing where we could eat lunch? And can you guess where this is going?
If you are thinking we had one heck of a time finding a place to eat you would be a winner. If you are thinking that we had such a hard time finding a place to eat and almost forfeited the vouchers and paid the ridiculous prices out of pocket to eat elsewhere, you would be the million dollar winner.
We once again got different answers from everybody we asked directions and could not find a resort map to save our lives. After about 15 minutes of searching we found one location but it was closed. Another 10 minutes later we came across another one but it was closed too
I finally told Candi if we didn't find one that was open in the next 10 minutes we were getting food from anywhere we found that was open. Well, we did finally find one of the locations, hidden in the middle of the waterpark area behind a bunch of slides, but it was on the voucher and it was in the shade Too bad there wasn't an empty table to be found and the line was about 30 people deep .... I so wish I was exaggerating But we decided to just deal with it and by the time we were about halfway through the line a table opened and I quickly stole it. I know, I know, it's so not nice to take up a table when you haven't ordered your food yet ... go ahead flame me I don't remember where we ate but I do remember that the only thing they had left that was covered by the voucher were burgers so burgers are what we got! They came with french fries and a Coke (in a paper cup, not a bottle; bottled beverages didn't count, therefore water didn't count as a drink option
). I decided to get a Sprite and also asked Candi to get me a Gatorade for the rehydration benefit The food wasn't anything to rave about, and I didn't figure it would be, but it served its purpose and we were both in GREAT moods after finishing!*** As a side note, the 2 Gatorades ended up costing us over $15
They were expensive to start with and then we didn't have any cash so we got charged a service fee for using a debit card. And if I remember correctly we got charged a service fee by the resort AND by our bank So my advice is to take at least a little cash with you! ***After finishing up lunch we decided to roam the resort grounds for a little while and then head over to the Marina Village to check out the shops there.
As you can see the wind kicked in ... and it felt GREAT!
This is actually the back side of a water slide in the waterpark area
Pretty!
The lobby of the main hotel area
I have to say, I really enjoyed the Marina Village area ... they were not pushy at all about their sales and were very helpful and polite! We ended up buying a few souvenirs and gifts for people back home before deciding to head on back to the main island to board the ship.
We were very proud of ourselves for easily finding the area to board a shuttle back to the main island
Once we got back we decided to do a little bit of shopping around Nassau. The main goal was to see if I could find myself a dress for our Palo brunch the next morning. I had brought one with me, but figured out all too late that it was already snug in the bellly area .... from the pregnancy, of course ... yep, that's my story and I'm sticking to it Candi was also in search of a rash guard for our snorkeling adventure in Castaway Cay in a couple of days. We had looked for both items in the Marina Village, but they were more than we wanted to pay. I lucked out with the dress and found a cute and festive dress for under $20. Unfortunately, Candi didn't have any luck and we never found him a rash guard Once we had finished our shopping endeavors we made our way back onto the ship ... buying a few things in the marketplace while waiting in line to board the ship
After we boarded the ship, we hit the showers and ordered more room service to chill out before the show and dinner that night ....
mousetravel
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2007
- Messages
- 2,760
I just found your TR and read it from the beginning. Can't wait to read more! Hope you'll make some TR's of your upcoming trips with the baby!!!
I'm also glad you included your experience with the bicycle excursion at CC. We were thinking of doing this on our upcoming trip. I have been hesitant though, because I also have not rode a bike in YEARS!!!!!! So not sure if I could even do it now! With it being an inexpensive thing to do, I might have to give it a try!!
I'm also glad you included your experience with the bicycle excursion at CC. We were thinking of doing this on our upcoming trip. I have been hesitant though, because I also have not rode a bike in YEARS!!!!!! So not sure if I could even do it now!
With it being an inexpensive thing to do, I might have to give it a try!!
SoonerGirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
- Messages
- 4,850
Isn't that frustrating when you even ask where to go and no one can seem to point you in the right direction? I'm glad you were finally able to find someplace to eat! But, yikes, $15 for 2 Gatorades that's insane! Good thing you didn't have to pay for the rest of the meal.
On the bright side, Atlantis looks beautiful
I'm glad you were finally able to find someplace to eat! But, yikes, $15 for 2 Gatorades that's insane! Good thing you didn't have to pay for the rest of the meal.On the bright side, Atlantis looks beautiful
Minnie_Mom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2010
- Messages
- 390
Great to have you back... I just came across all your new posts! James is absolutely adorable... I know you are a very proud mommy! Have you guys decided when he gets
to meet
?
to meet
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