3-day Wonder (3/13-16) - more info than you can possibly stand!

Wonderful trip report!!

Your daughter is lovely!

I cannot wait to read more!
 
I sure had trouble wrapping my head around the unpleasant fact that this was our last full day. Bummer.

As usual, I left the girls in bed sawing logs. I went up to Deck 10 ... the ship was barely tooling along, and there were several hearty types watching the docking.

Here's Castaway Cay, surreal in its perfection:

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And other hardcore types like me:

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Fun, watching these guys wrangle a 84K ton ship:

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So we were soon snugly against the dock. That's one narrow channel the captain has to navigate, although I'm sure when the weather cooperates, he could do it in his sleep.

We opted for breakfast at Parrot Cay. It wasn't crowded at all, and again we had standard breakfast fare. I can't remember a standout item on the buffet, but it was hot and tasty.

Donning swimsuits, we headed ashore.

*NOTE* A disclaimer:
I am not what you'd call a "beach person." I love the water. I love being on the water, in a boat or swimming. I think beaches can be lovely. But to be given a towel and be told, "OK, Tony, I want you to spread that towel out, lay it in the nuclear sun, and lie down on hot dirt and have a good time?" Uh-uh, nope. Sorry.

Fortunately, Castaway Cay is much more than that. It is the eerily perfect beach retreat - honestly, I don't see any need of frequenting any other beaches on a Disney cruise. There were plenty of chairs and - thank God! - umbrellas. We found a spot where the girls could parch in the sun, and I could scoot up into the shade of some palms and other foliage. They kept following the sun - I kept dodging it.

Our little spot (there was a young lady just out of the frame that had the mother of all wedgies, and I cropped her out):

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Funny thing about cruises - you meet the most intersting, colorful types:

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The morning languished away, and I enjoyed watching the kids on the rope swings and such. Lunch came ... I sure do like Cookie's. I am a BBQ snob, and I rate the ribs as just a notch above "OK." But my burger was good, the salads were refreshing, and I can always eat corn on the cob. Both our servers were there, and gave us some special attention. Nice meal, nice company.

After we ate, we decided we'd go over to Serenity Bay. Now, I don't know what the typical Serenity Bay patron is looking for, but it was almost too quiet for us. The coral and rock in the bay can eat your feet up if you don't have water shoes of some sort. I did get a blackened mahi-mahi sandwich and a cold drink just to fill out the empty stomach spaces left over from lunch (I tend to eat like a hobbit, with 2nd breakfast, etc.)


Sure was quiet:

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But while the girls were paddling around in the shallows, and I was valiantly trying to stay in the shade, I was treated to a Small Human Comedy. A few yards away was a conclave of what I guessed to be college students, or young adults. It was still early in the afternoon, but this group had already had their quota of "refreshments." It was a hoot.

One of the girls was wrapped in a big white towel, all tucked in like she'd just come out of the shower.

"Stacy," said one of the others, "are you naked again?"

Stacy twirled around and waved her bikini top. "Nope ... just topless." And then, she proceeded to get dressed, in a fashion that would make a contortionist proud. Amazing feat - she got her top on witout really exposing anything, much to the disappointment of several guys on the beach who were watching this display with great interest (not me, of course, although I was aware that I ain't dead yet). Stacy and crew were still having a good time when we headed back to the ship.

We meandered on, although there's always time to shop:

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...admire the view:

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... and never fail to be awed at the glorious Wonder.

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I sure would like to finish this thing, but I gotta sign off for a bit. Stay tuned!
 
I just love your TR. The pics are great!!
Gotta love those young people. Of course we never acted like that.:rolleyes1
Reading about your trip makes me want the next 45 days til our cruise to go by really fast. Then again I know it will be over all to soon.:rolleyes:
 
A 'wonder'ful report. I feel as though I was right there!

Please give your son our Thanks and a big OOOh RAHHHH!!

My DH and I are former Marines and consider him "family".


ivet
 

Semper Fi, Ivet! We are unspeakably proud of him, you, and DH! It is family. He would be pleased to know you. That's him, second from left, in Fallujah. He was a mortarman.

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Sorry. I hijacked my own thread, and I don't want anyone to misinterpret this as "political." We now return you to our regularly scheduled programme.
 
Sill loving your report. :lovestruc
Wow, your son's picture sends chills down my spine. Those who are serving are my biggest heroes. :thanks: I could never say thank you enough for what they are doing for us. You must be so very proud.
 
I don't know you, obviously:rolleyes: , BUT I think you must write like you talk. I can 'see' you(from your photos) speaking like you write. I am enjoying your TR and it gives me many ideas of what we will be doing when we go in 20 months-too far out but hey, I gott'a save up first!! But that topic is for another thread!!

Lori
 
Another great installment!!! I love the pics of the four guys bringing in that huge ship! I cannot wait for September!!!!!
 
Semper Fi, Ivet! We are unspeakably proud of him, you, and DH! It is family. He would be pleased to know you. That's him, second from left, in Fallujah. He was a mortarman.

Please extend my thanks to the hero who is your brave son, Jeremy. I am in awe of every military man and woman, and grateful for all of their sacrifices. May God bless every one of them and their families.

And thank you, again, for being so generous in sharing your trip report with all of us! It's a great read, and the photos are wonderful. Your DD is gorgeous - brown hair and all. I've got a 24yo son who loves Disney too... ;)
 
Another great chapter!! Once again, I'm loving all the photo's.....I appreciate that shot of the gift shop at Castaway Cay, I like seeing what I can spend my money on! (That Mickey sarong will be my first purchase upon arrival.)

Please send our sincere thanks to your son. You have a lovely family!
 
Ah, creme brulee cheesecake - my absolute favorite DCL dessert (as anyone who has read any post by me lately will have read ad nauseum).

Thanks for the pics of docking at CC... I'm afraid I'll be sawing logs and miss it, so it was nice for you to take those pics :)

I actually did get up on our first cruise in time to watch the unloading of the crew and supplies -- it was so choreographed - it was amazing! It makes you appreciate how much work is involved in moving the ship to shore!
 
This is just the best TR! Like another poster said, I can picture you telling this story and enjoying every minute of it!!
 
Our all-too-brief cruise was winding down. *sniff* ;)

We got back from Castaway Cay, and the girls elected to lay out by the pool for a bit. Sorry, ladies ... include me out. I found a shady spot and just watched the world go by. I even caught Ariel by herself:

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It finally reached time to get ready for the evening. So, per cruise protocol, we got a little more spiffed up than usual.

Dress-up night sure is open to interpretation. I wore a tie. Now, I have to wear a tie at work most days. Hate 'em. But it seemed reasonable, out of respect for the evening and fellow passengers, to just go a little further along than cruise casual. More on that later.

We ran across this guy, and had the Disney photographers capture the moment with their camera and mine:

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I had a Mickey tie on, which Mr. Mouse fussed over. Funny.

We then headed to Disney Dreams, after picking up some snacks. Again, I can be a pathetic sap. I didn't take any photos during the show - I don't turn on the flash anyway, but it just seemed, I dunno, irreverant. Invariably there is some yahoo in the theater who routinely ignores the "no flash" admonition and acts like a paparazzi. I guess they feel "entitled" (and don't get me started on vacationers who feel like they're above mortals and can do/say/act as they please.)

People, I fell for this show, as I had previously, with a sentimental thud. You fellow Disney geeks know just exactly what I'm talking about. Heck, I get all misty-eyed watching "Wishes." So when Anne Marie goes on her little late night pilgrimage and we're treated to vignettes of Disney favorites - punctuated with the show-stopping performance of "Circle of Life" - I am totally enraptured. And I wasn't alone - there was a young lady and her male companion sitting next to us, and she was just radiant. Then Tinkerbell works her little magic on the ship, and the crowd is in ecstacy. When Mickey shows up during the finale, it's as though we'd been visited by royalty. We clapped, and cheered, and sniffled, and gave ourselves over to pure joy. I will say ... grouches and grinches need not trouble themselves with this show. You'll find your sober, cynical, non-sentimental sensibilties offended. For Disneyaholics - you know who you are! - it doesn't get better than this.

After the show we ducked into Studio Sea and watched some young'uns dance and sing in a High School Musical show. One little lady, festooned with blonde curls, knew every song, every gesture, and I thought, "She thinks this cruise was designed just for her." Loved watching them.

Dinner was at Triton's. I'd rearranged our seating rotation so we could end up here on the last night. It just lends itself to being "dressier," y'know? But a scan of the dining room showed us that "dress-up" means different things to different folks. There were a few full suits and ties, some jackets only, a goodly number of nice polo shirts and khakis, but next to us was a table of about eight folks in shorts and T-shirts. Hey, it's their vacation, and they could come in their skivvies as far as I care. Still ... hopefully not being judgemental, or a Disney snob ... I just wish folks would embrace the occasion and go along for the sweet ride. One nifty thing about Triton's - in keeping with the whole "under the sea" ambiance, the lighting changes subtly throughout the meal, going from a warm white to a cool aqua blue - not gaudily, but tastefully.

I loved our servers even more tonight. I had escargot, and when I'd polished off these wonderful little garlic critters, I took some bread and dunked it in the leftover juices. Tacky? Maybe, but it sure was good. I also had a Normandy salad. Honestly, it wasn't my favorite ... it didn't have a whole lot of taste, but the mixture of textures made it fun. For my entree - well, heck, I was stymied. Egi saw I was struggling, and his suggestions of either the duck or the lamb shank got me even more confused. "Which way are you leaning?" he asked.

"Honestly, all the entrees look terrific, but I'm really torn between the duck and the lamb."

"I'll take care of you."

You know what happpened, of course. He brought me both. According to him, the lamb shank had been braised in its own juices for hours. Assistant servant Galena hovered nearby. I looked up at her, and she just smiled this megawatt grin. "I just wanted to watch you bite into it," she said.

I obliged. Oh, my goodness. It was fall-off-the-bone tender, a lot like the Italian veal osso bucco. It was the best entree of the trip, served with potatoes, braised veggies, and portobello mushrooms.

The duck wasn't too shabby, either, and Amy ate some of it, too. Duck is tricky, and this consisted of a leg and a sliced breast. Very moist and flavorful, with a citrus glaze. Didn't come close to the lamb, though.

Amy, in addition to working on the duck, had coquilles St. Jacques. She loves scallops, and these were some big ol' plump dudes in a mornay sauce. She wanted to lick the bowl. She also had the same salad as I did and a leek and goat cheese quiche, which was as fluffy as a souflee.

Teresa, who'd looked at the menu with some anxiety, said, "I'm not gonna eat chicken tonight." So she had tomato and basil soup, which was so thick it was almost like a marinara, and the prosciutto cup with mixed leaves. Cute presentation - the ham was molded around a little ring, with different greens stuffed in the middle and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Yum. And she finally bit the bullet and went with dijon mustard roasted beef tenderloin, stating firmly that it needed to be well done, to my everlasting shame. It came out perfectly cooked and she demolished that sucker. Yay! She also had a bite of my lamb, which she was leery of, and declared it "delicious." There's hope for her yet, if she could just eat seafood.

Desserts? Egi said, "there's nothing to have but creme brulee," which is an all-time favorite of mine, but I told him, "I'm gonna do something different," and opted for the Grand Marnier souflee. It was good ... but not exceptional. I'm still haunted by memories of the souflee from Palo. The girls had creme brulee, and it was spot on. I'm a purist here, too - WDW is prone to do things like pistachio creme brulee, or coffee, or something else clever ... sorry, guys, I want the authentic thing. I nibbled at Amy's, and Egi, who spotted this, disappeared and came out with one for me, too. "You're killin' me," I said.

"But, Tony," he said with a grin, "you're on va-caaaaaa-tion!" True enough.

Dinner ended with a parade of our servers, carrying their national flags:

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And the best servers on the ship:

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Just a little more and I think I can wrap this thing up. Stick around!
 
That picture of the sunrise is so spectacular that I made it my desktop wallpaper.

So serene. Hope I get to see that.

Thanks for a wonderful report !!
 
I felt like I was right there, enjoying this entire trip with your family. Thanks for sharing. You are an amazing writer. Loved the links to the Castaway Cay info.
 
I love your trip report! We are going on our first cruise in October. I was worried that 3 days would not be enough, however your trip report makes every minute of the cruise seem perfect! I can't wait!
 
After dinner, we just strolled out on Deck 4. I love this promenade that encircles the ship:

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I could look down at the wake and tell we were moving. I'd heard crewmembers making wry comments about "Captain John's lead foot," and tonight they were right - we were headed to Port Canaveral, and fast.

We stuck around for a little while for the "Till We Meet Again" farewells in the Atrium. Bittersweet.

Donnie, who kept our stateroom ship-shape, had worked his usual magic:

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I can't close this out without giving kudos to Donnie, who was always smiling, soft-spoken, and attentive to what we needed. Another good crewmember.

Donnie and our servers had strongly encouraged us to do the evaluation surveys. I tend to think rave reviews are a little dishonest, 'cause most of them sound like Hollywood publicists. But those three got the best marks I could give them because, doggone it, they earned them. I want to think my gratuities reflected that.

We headed toward bed. We had to get really creative packing, because we had to have our luggage out in the corridor before 11, keeping stuff to change into in our carryons for the next morning. Funny how clothes expand on vacation. Our cruise director, Rachel (a fetching young lady, for sure - had that delightful British accent thing going) had reminded us to keep clothes out for the next day. "I've been at sea for years," she said, "and I'm telling you the truth - I've seen passengers disembark in their pajamas, because they didn't have anything else to wear."

And finally, nighty-night. There was just enough movement to lull us to sleep.

We got to Port Canaveral in plenty of time. Breakfast was in Triton's, and it was great to see Egi and Galina one more time. It was nice ordering breakfast from a menu and being waited on ... Egi recommended the Chef's Farewell, which was an open-faced omelet topped with BBQ chicken, onions, peppers, and Swiss cheese. "Put a little Tobasco on it," he said, offering a bottle, "and it will go nice with the sweet barbeque." He was right, of course, and said after I'd finished this thing off, "Do you want another one?" That dude had my number, but I declined.

Boy, leaving the Wonder was tough. We took one last glance around the Atrium, and passed off the ship onto the gangway. I felt like I was on the Bataan Death March (OK, a little hyperbole there.) We made it though customs without a hitch, and I retrieved the car, and we headed home.

Parting thoughts, coming soon.
 
Semper Fi, Ivet! We are unspeakably proud of him, you, and DH! It is family. He would be pleased to know you. That's him, second from left, in Fallujah. He was a mortarman.


I know your just Busting with PRIDE!!! as I am too!!
((sorry to get OT but needed to let you KNOW!))


[
Please extend my thanks to the hero who is your brave son, Jeremy. I am in awe of every military man and woman, and grateful for all of their sacrifices. May God bless every one of them and their families.


And thank you, again, for being so generous in sharing your trip report with all of us! It's a great read, and the photos are wonderful. Your DD is gorgeous - brown hair and all. I've got a 24yo son who loves Disney too... ;)


Hmmmm .. do I see a get together in the future?? :woohoo:
 


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