Oh, let me be
On
Castaway Cay
Where the Wonder can take me away
The sun, the sand, the sound of a calypso band
I wish I could stay more than a day...
It's my favorite island!
We have a nice casual breakfast before heading ashore. I have so much scheduled today. I hope we don't wear ourselves out.
Disney has these wonderful island taxi's that help those who can't walk long distances. We took advantage of these for my parents to help them get around the island without their wheelchair.
Our first event is the Jet ski eco-tour. I'm a little concerned about my parents doing this, but they said they could handle it. We do the paperwork and listen to the safety speech before stepping on to the jet ski's. None of us have ever done this so there is some apprehension on top of the excitement. I tell the guides that my parents may be a little slow but they assure me that there will be someone to watch them if they need help.
As we head out, my wonderful husband's driving is a little shaky but he seems to be getting the hang of it. We start out slow and I have the ability to hold on tight with one hand as I take overhead photo's and an unexplained video with the other. Most of the photos don't really turn out that well, but the video managed to get a shot of my parents as they flew by us in a huge plume of water.
In the mean time, I am squeezing so tight, my nails are digging into the palms of my hands, my face buried into my husbands back, begging him to slow down. When we finally catch up to the rest of the group, I notice my parents are happy and enjoying themselves. We listen to a little bit of local history before heading to spot #2. Everyone else flies off while I am screaming for James to slow down. I am freaking out on the back of this jet ski and all I can think of is how soon I can get off. We are going so slow that they finally send a rescue boat out for us. The guy on the boat asks if we are having engine trouble. James says "No, it's my wife." At this point, I'm thinking I could jump off, swim to the boat and let James finish the tour. I am crying, shaking and just generally freaking out. So the guide just tells us to take it in. I felt bad for James because I cut his ride short. I was hoping there would be time for him to drop me off and head back out and catch up with the rest of the group. As we are near the ship and I can see the shore, I said I would jump off here and swim back... I just wanted OFF! No, James said he would take me in. By the time we got to the shore I was a terrible mess. I have had anxiety attacks before, usually caused by spiders, but nothing like this. I like being on the water. I have tried water skiing (with little success), I ride horses. Apparently, I don't like jet ski's.
My parents cruise in with the rest of the group. They are having a blast. My dad exclaims that he would like to do that again. I, on the other hand, am still shaking like a leaf. At least I've stopped crying like an idiot! As we help the old ones of the jet ski, we notice two minnows in the footwell. Not only did my father blow us out of the water, he apparently took out two fish as well. On our next cruise I will make sure James gets another opportunity to do this. I may join him on my own jet ski where I have complete control, but I have two years to build up the nerve. I may just do the para sailing that I missed out on two years ago due to high winds.
A side note from James: We NEVER got over 2 on the speedometer, on a scale of 10!
We then head down to Serenity bay for a fabulous lunch of grilled steak and veg. I think there were other cuts of meat, but I was done with the huge slice of steak on my plate. I even tried to enjoy a small cup of ice cream and a chocolate chip cookie, but both ended up in the trash. While James sat with my parents, waiting for them to finish their lunch (remember, slow eaters) I went to get a float from Devon with the large shoulders from South Africa (WOW). I piddled about in the water for about 15 minutes before the rest of the family arrived. I then took my mom out into the water. I pulled her around on the float as she muttered "it's cold, it's cold, it's cold". Oh, Mother...It's NOT that cold! What a good daughter am I!
James and I decide to take the bike tour around the island while Mom and Dad lounge on the beach. When we get to the bike rental shack, they inform us that we were scheduled for the stingray adventure at this time. I explained that the parents were pooped and we had so much to do that we were running out of time. We would rather do the bike tour than the stingrays. Warning to first timers on C.C. Be careful how much you schedule. Unless you are doing a double dip, there is so much to do and not enough time. Any way, the bike tour was nice. The trail was level, smooth and very easy to do, even if you're slightly out of shape as we are. The bikes are very comfortable and adjustable to fit you. Half way down the path is an elevation platform that allows you to get a good view of the island, including the ship.
On our way back, we stopped by Serenity bay to see the folks. We told them that we were heading back and we would meet them by the shops if they wanted to get some shopping done. I told them to catch the shuttle and get off at the next stop, we will be right behind them. The tram comes, they get on, we petal right behind them all the way down the runway. The tram cuts down the tram path, we go to the right to turn the bikes in. We walk over to the shops to await their arrival... we wait...we wait...we wait. My parents have developed the gift of magically disappearing from sight in a matter of seconds. We decide to wait for them instead of going off to look for them, which was a good idea because about 15 minutes later they show up. I ask them where they went and they explained that they thought they would get off at the next stop (I don't know why!) but the tram turned around and went back to Serenity bay. So they stayed on until they came back to the first stop. This is why we felt it was necessary for them to have babysitters when they went on their cruise.
We did some shopping, getting a little something for the sisters and of course, ourselves. James and I got that huge beach blanket/towel with Mickey and Minnie on it. LOVE IT! We decide to call it a day and arrange for an island taxi to take the folks back to the boat as James and I choose to walk back, enjoying a moment to ourselves as we waste the last few shots on the camera and reflect on the memories and plan our next visit.
We get back on the ship in time to shower and dress for our Castaway Cay club meet. Clayton did his little dance and showed some interesting clips of the christening and inaugural cruises of each ship. We didn't win any clocks or whatever else they were giving away, but it was nice to meet some of the crew and swap howdy's with a few other guests.
Tonight is Palo night which I have been looking forward to for the last few months. For the second cruise in a row, we are missing Pirate night. I have been ordered to skip Palo's on our next cruise.
Brendan and the Palo staff bent over backward to fix something wonderful for my mother. I believe she had the Filet Mignon. I had the monk fish and a side of mushroom risotto. Oh my word, it was faboo! I never had monk fish before and it was awesome. They call it the poor man's lobster. It was sweet and buttery and, in my opinion, much better than lobster. I really didn't care what everyone else was having because I was too much into my own dish. I absolutely LOVE Palo's.
After dinner, we send the parents back to the cabin to change clothes and rest before the pirate party. If anything, I wanted my parents to see the fireworks. On the way back, I stopped by Triton's to see if I could get our pirate bandanna's. I was greeted by Edwin who came running over with a tray of dishes in his hand to see if he could help me. As he went off to get my stuff, Putra, our head waiter came by. Edwin returned and both tried to convince me to join them for dessert. No thanks, I say. We are stuffed!
James and I manage to get in a few photo ops while there were no lines. We then head to the Cadillac lounge for a couple of drinks and to promise each other we will never vacation with relatives again. As we leave the lounge, we use a house phone to call the parents to meet us on deck 10 for the fireworks. There is no answer, so we presume they have already left. We head upstairs to find them wandering around, catching them just in time to see the fireworks. Although the show is nice, I wasn't much into the dancing and stuff, but I would really hate to miss the fireworks at sea. Mom and Dad were really impressed. They thought it would be one or two booms and it would be over. Even though it's not as long as it would be if it were on land, one must admit that it's a pretty good show from a boat!
It's been a long and busy day and we are ready for bed. I stopped in on my parents for a quick chat before turning in and my Mom was disappointed to find that her room steward, Alain had taken her elephant and replaced him with a monkey. As I left, I saw Alain and asked him if it would be possible for him to re-do her elephant the next day. He immediately dropped everything and came back down to her room to make another for her. I thought that was very sweet. My Dad thought I went down and threatened him. Nah, not on
DCL!
I head back to my room to be greeted by my exhausted spouse and a pirate monkey. I prep for bed and curl up in my honey's arms, and prepare for one more day. Ah, peace and quiet! A nice end to a wonderful day!
. I have been squirreling away the rest of the money since then and waiting for the right time to take them. I also had to save the funds for my husband and myself as well.
As we came over the last bridge, when the boats first come into sight, we had to wake him up! I love the feeling you get when you see the smoke stacks for the first time!
He spent several years in Germany while serving in the Army. My two oldest sisters were born there. Both Nicole and Edwin did a spectacular job taking care of my parents dietary needs. They made sure Mom had something good to eat beside her usual steak or chicken and baked potato. We were usually the first ones in and the last ones out because my parents ate so slow. Plus, father wouldn't stop talking to Nicole. As we were leaving, He said "I hope to see you again soon". I explained to him (again) that they will be with us the entire cruise. He said "Oh good, I hope we get to sit in her section!" He just doesn't get it. This will not be the last time I have to tell him this!
