8/26/07 Wonder (L&S) If it is worth doing, it is worth overdoing.

[DAggiesRWe]

Sorry, Double Posted. See #60

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Just caught up with the reading. I'm sure we crossed each others paths more than a few times. Both at the MK on that wet night and definitely on the ship.
If the new job holds out Kiyomi and I are planning a Honeymoon that we have never had without kids for later this year. Reading your report has made me want to add a water park to the trip. Still not sure which one though.

 

[DAggiesRWe]

Just caught up with the reading. I'm sure we crossed each others paths more than a few times. Both at the MK on that wet night and definitely on the ship.
If the new job holds out Kiyomi and I are planning a Honeymoon that we have never had without kids for later this year. Reading your report has made me want to add a water park to the trip. Still not sure which one though.

Well a lot depends on if you are looking more for adventure or for relaxation. I may be partial, but I believe that giving her a foot massage while floating along on the lazy river is a great way to spend a honeymoon.

 

[Tink rules]

If you want romance... go for Typhoon Lagoon... Blizzard Beach is almost all open and the theming is a bit dare I say it... "colder"... sorry I had to!!!

But I agree with the lazy river part... don't they have double floats?

 

[smeecanada]

Great read so far, Steve. We're were on the same cruise. DH and I met you both in the adult pool.

We booked again while on the cruise and have managed to transfer our ressie to the EB Repo in August - 15 days with DCL - can't wait.

Wally - if you manage to have your honeymoon - definitely go to Typhoon Lagoon. The lazy river is perfect for a little bit of romance. What's not to like - floating on a tube with your sweetheart under palm trees and not a care in the world. Ahh the memories.

 

[DAggiesRWe]

I can’t say for sure what it was that woke me up so early on Monday morning. But after checking my watch and seeing it was 6:00, I peeked through the dividing curtains to see if we were docked yet. The sky was just starting to turn light and DW and the boys are still snoring, so I grab the Navigator and a bottle of water and went out on the verandah to watch the sunrise and see if I could spot Nassau yet. Looking forward, I can just begin seeing lights appear on the horizon. So I settle in and start looking at our options for the day. Soon after, DW joins me and we notice a boat doing circles off the starboard bow (when you cruise, you have to learn these nautical terms). As we proceed closer to this boat, I watch in fascination as he pulls alongside and parallels our course, then even more impressive was seeing them pull their little boat alongside this floating building. Even more impressive was the guy who stepped off of the boat and onto a rope ladder into the ship.

I go shower and get dressed and get back out to the verandah and now we can clearly see land as are pulling into Nassau harbor. Soon after, the ship does its pirouette and backs into our berth next to a Carnival ship. We take a moment to enjoy the view of Atlantis in the distance and all the boats going back and forth in the harbor. Then we head up to the Big Beach Blanket Bingo Bongo Breakfast Buffet (something like that) and enjoy our Mickey waffles with a beautiful view of the Nassau skyline (at least the part that isn't blocked by the Carnival Valor).

After breakfast, we drop back by the room, and the boys get involved in TMNT on one of the movie stations . They have TMNT, Arthur and the Incredibles, Spiderman 3, and strangely Shrek 3 playing on constant loops on the in-room TV, but if you want to see the Disney movies (like Ratatouille, PotC At World’s End, or Underdog) you have to go to the Buena Vista theater or up to the main pool or deck 10 for the big screen if you want to see HSM2. Go figure.

While the boys are doing that, DW and I head to the verandah to discuss our plans for the day, and we (okay I) end up spending the next half hour leaning over the rail of the verandah watching the lifeboat drills going on directly below us (yes, I am a geek , and I love these behind-the-scenes things).

Finally DW tells me she is taking the boys and going to Nassau with or without me so I pack up the camera and we head out.

We take the elevator to deck 1 then go back up the steps to deck 2 because they are departing from the bow exit and the hallway doesn't connect. Soon we have stepped off the ship and as we walk along the dock and look up we realize how big this ship is. We stop at the end of the dock to help folks take family photos in front of the “Welcome to the Bahamas” sign (it didn’t dawn on me until afterwards that none of the 6 families we helped offered to return the favor and let us get a family picture ). We get to the marketplace and DW says she wants some water, only then did I realize that I didn’t have my wallet or any cash on me , so I get to walk back to the ship to get them (I debated on titling this trip report “Forget Me Not” because of everything I forgot at one time or another).

So after I get back, I stop at an ATM in the terminal to get some extra cash in case we find something we want to buy here in Nassau. Then I find DW talking with the guy selling water (he doesn’t charge me to stick my hands into the ice to cool off after my speed walk), and he has to run off to get change when I give him the $20 for water. I have read a couple of reports from people who said that these stores will rip you off by saying they have to get change, but I have to wonder if it wasn’t just people not being patient because it took our guy about 5-7 minutes to find change for our $20 but he did come back. He even posed for some pictures with DW.

We finally step out of the marketplace, issue a steady string of “no thank you’s” to the myriad cab drivers and carriage rides and make our way over to the Pirate Museum. DW spotted a Starbucks along Woodes Rogers Street, but she says it is too hot for coffee (I didn’t remind her about the iced frappachino until we are back on the ship ). We get to the Pirate Museum and find a guy who is perfect for his job.

If you have never been, the Pirate Museum is worth a visit. It gives the real story of the Pirates of the Caribbean, and not the glamorized version from the movies. These guys worked hard, played harder and generally lived very short lives. After touring the museum (they have very good air conditioning), the gift shop is a good place to pick up a few last-minute items for your pirate costumes .

As we were walking back to the ship, we marveled at the different driving techniques that are employed in Nassau (you thought talking on a cell phone while driving was bad, these guys are leaning out of open doors on a moving car to talk to a girl on the sidewalk ). We stopped in at a jewelry store where we bought DW an “updated” wedding ring when we were there in 2005. On that trip, the girl who helped us select the ring sang us a song and really treated us special so we were going to look her up, but it was all different people at the store so we didn’t bother spending much time there. We then stopped by the straw market to pick up some gifts for friends (can’t go to the Bahamas and not get some trinkets to make the folks back home jealous ).

The boys are getting hungry by now so we head back to the ship. There is a long line of folks for the Carnival ship, but thankfully there is no line waiting for us . I also noticed that there was a nice covered hand-cleaning station set up for the Disney folks, but Carnival had nothing similar for their passengers. This small step is one of the main reasons that DCL hasn’t had a reportable outbreak of gastrointestinal illness in the last five years .

We go back to our room to put our purchases away and look out the window. Hey! Who parked that big boat next to us and ruined our view?

 

[pamouselover]

subbing!

 

[Sleeping*Beauty]

Can't wait to hear more!!

 

[DAggiesRWe]

The ship “Norwegian Dawn” is parked next to us with a life sized portrait of the Statue of Liberty painted on the side. Rather than spending too much time pondering the loss of our vista since hunger was growing. DS7 was waffling over whether he wanted to go to the Oceaneer’s Club or get lunch first. The stomach won the battle, and all four of us made our way to Billy Bob’s Baby Back Boogie for lunch. They have some really good ribs on the buffet, but shortly after we get there, we are informed that if we want seconds we need to get them now because they are breaking down from lunch, and dinner setup won’t be for another couple of hours. So we grabbed an extra plateful and ate our fill and then some.

While munching on our lunch, I have the weird sensation that our ship is moving (I didn’t think we were leaving until 2:00 A.M., plus moving that way we will crash into the dock), but I quickly realize it is the Carnival Valor just outside the window setting sail (poor schlubs only got 6 hours in Nassau, I guess Carnival wants to give their passengers more time in their casinos and bars) . Their departure opened up a nice view of Nassau for us, so it was nice to see them go (now if we could just get rid of the Norwegian Dawn).

After lunch, DS11 wanted to check out the game room. We got him a game card and left him to play (with instructions to go check into the Lab when he is done. DS7 says he wants to go to the pool next but after a few minutes he announces that he is ready for the Oceaneer’s Club. We go check him in and head straight to our friends at Cove Café. DW gets some coffee drink and while Christina is making that, I tell Gede I want something with rum and he can just surprise me. He runs out to the pool bar and comes back with a delicious 5 layer drink that he just made up. He couldn't remember what was in it or how to charge for it, so he just called it Gede's drink of the day special and charged $4 . DW and I head to the adult pool for a soak and meet some DIS Boarders there. After a nice relaxing soak, and some good conversation, it is time for us to head to the spa for our couples massage (sorry, no pictures )

DW has never experienced a massage before, but I have a couple of times (I know, usually it is the wife talking the husband into getting a massage). I discover my masseuse will be Dacy, and am a little leery of her based on what I read in Sleepydog’s report (she must have gotten her fill of her children because she was back and ornery as ever) and am only more apprehensive when she discusses deep tissue massage. DW has Shibo and will be getting Swedish (so I know at least she will enjoy it). The massage starts fine, but then Dacy tries to see if she can touch my femur by pushing her elbow through my hamstring and then repeating the process with the other leg. Not satisfied that I won’t be able to walk for the rest of the cruise, Dacy then pulls my arms back and tries to make my elbows touch (something I haven’t been able to do since I was 10) so now I won’t be able to lift my drink either. After flipping over, I think the torture is complete as the legs, arms and chest go fairly painlessly but Dacy has one more trick in her store as she drills her fingernail into my forehead for a full minute. Then I feel my hand being placed in my wife’s hand and we are told to lie quietly for a bit, get up slowly, dress and they will come back when we open the door. There is a description of the products they used and an offer to sell them, but no pressure when we say no thanks. We sign the ticket and ooze our softened muscles back to the room.

While walking back, we debate on seeing if the oils they rubbed into us are still slippery , but discover DS11 is in the room watching Spiderman 3 (and I regretted the decision to allow him to self-check at the Lab). DW and I do a rock-paper-scissors for the shower. She wins and I head to the verandah with a bottle of water and examine the port side of the Norwegian Dawn (big tip: if you get any massage, but especially after a deep tissue massage, drink LOTS of water. All the toxins –like alcohol - that your body has been hiding in the muscle and fat tissue is pushed back into your bloodstream and if you are dehydrated you can get sick.). I listen to what sounds like a limbo contest over on the next ship when DW comes out and calls my turn. I let the hot water restore some feeling to my hamstrings, and when I get out I discover that DS has left for to the Lab . However there isn’t time for more than some playful grab and pinch before we have to get dressed for our dinner at Palo.

Since I don’t have my tuxedo with me, I put on a dress shirt and one of the Disney ties I brought along (this one with the Pooh gang on it). When we got to Palo, I learned that not having the tux was probably a good thing because during the entire 4-night cruise we never saw anyone who was fully formal so we fit in better (see, God knew what he was doing). Most of the people were in dress shirts and ties, and a few were wearing golf shirts and khakis.

We check in on DS7 at the Club, and they tell us he is having a great time. We remind him that we are going to a special mommy-daddy dinner and he is going to eat with the kids in the Club. Then we head up to Palo where we meet Coskun from Turkey who will be our server for the evening. We tell him we are celebrating our 20th anniversary (it was really in February, but the anniversary was one of the reasons for the cruise). He says he will make it special for us.

I have determined before this trip that I am going to try new things and take suggestions (particularly at this meal), so when Coskun asks what we would like to drink, and I ask him for a white wine recommendation and he suggests a reasonably priced wine that he thinks is better than some of the more expensive bottles (BTW, it was really good) . For appetizer, I go with his recommendation again and decide to try the calamari. I have never had fried squid before, but this is the chance for new things. It was okay, but not really my cup of tea. Coskun is more than happy to bring me a shrimp appetizer like DW was enjoying.

As my appetizer arrived, the pager goes off telling us DS7 wants us to pick him up from the Oceaneer’s Club. So I rush down and mention to the desk person at the Club that we are in the middle of dinner at Palo and she apologizes and makes a note so that we won’t be bothered again. Even more frustrating is that I discover that DS is now happily playing and doesn’t want to leave anyway. So I trot back up to Palo and Coskun also apologizes and says to relax and enjoy the rest of the meal (the nice part is he took the appetizer back to the kitchen to keep it warm and he slowed our entrees so that we didn’t feel rushed).

For the main entrée, DW goes for the lobster ravioli, and I once again follow Coskun’s recommendation and choose the monkfish . The lobster ravioli is delicious as expected and the monkfish tastes just like lobster but is light and flaky like a good tuna steak. I highly recommend that if you like lobster, you should give the monkfish a try.

In the middle of the entree, the pager goes off again and I ponder throwing it out the window, but it is DS11 letting us know he is checking out of the lab and going back to the room to watch a movie. (Thousands of dollars for this trip, and he spends it doing the same thing he does at home ). Oh well, at least I don't have to leave again.

The wine and the entrée are finished together and we order our desserts. After a few minutes, Coskun brought us each one of the wonderful chocolate soufflés AND a tiramisu as well (which was the best we have ever had). All in all it was very special for us.

After this wonderful dinner, it was time to go get the boys and head to see Hercules – the “Muse”ical. There have been many reviews of this show, and I have heard a rumor that they are possibly going to replace it in the near future. I hope not, because this was one of the more entertaining shows we saw. Hades definitely keeps the humor turned to a high level without ever having to resort to “adult” jokes.

After the show, we got the boys ready for bed and convinced them to get some sleep because the next day was Castaway Cay. After tucking in the boys, DW and I head up to Cove Café for our nightcap with Gede and Christina. DW selects something new from the menu and I get my scotch (Gede had a bottle sent up to make sure he had it in stock for me). We meet up with a couple who are travel agents from Bermuda, which led to an interesting discussion over how difficult it must be to live in paradise and convince people to travel elsewhere. After finishing our drinks, we headed back to the room to settle in for a quick summer nap. When we get there, I’m not sleepy and we are still sitting in port so I head to the verandah and listen to the activities over on the dawn where it sounds like they are having a cross-dressing beauty contest (at least they were playing some good music), and I am glad that I am on the Disney ship .

 

[manntra]

Steve, I spent quite some time on the verandah that night in Nassau just watching the people on the Norweigan also! I was just amazed at the monstrosity of that ship and watching as people wandered all about. And then of course I was just oh so happy to be right where I was on the Wonder!

 

[DAggiesRWe]

Just came across this today :

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080108/BREAKINGNEWS/80108015

Longer story:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...,0,5669824.story?page=2&coll=orl_tab01_layout

I wish they would have replaced "Golden Mickeys" instead. That show...well, I will tell you about it when I get to that part of the trip report.

Oh well, glad we got to see Hercules at least once before they shut it down, and now we have something new to look forward to when we go next December.

 

[pamouselover]

Greta Pics!
I am glad, I am not to big fan of Hercules!
But I love Toy Story!

 

[fairfax]

I just found this TR through the link you posted on the pillowcase thread. Great report and pictures! I have really enjoyed reading this, great writing!

 

[silmarg]

D'Aggies, Loving the TR. Was on the wonder with you as well. We did the day room at Comfort Suites to use the Atlantis facilities... it was a blast!

Did not get to do as many adult things as you (my DDs were much younger and my little one who was deathly afraid of Capt Hook was afraid to go to the lab incase he showed up)

Great read so far, Steve. We're were on the same cruise. DH and I met you both in the adult pool.

We booked again while on the cruise and have managed to transfer our ressie to the EB Repo in August - 15 days with DCL - can't wait.

Wally - if you manage to have your honeymoon - definitely go to Typhoon Lagoon. The lazy river is perfect for a little bit of romance. What's not to like - floating on a tube with your sweetheart under palm trees and not a care in the world. Ahh the memories.

Smee, we will be on the EB repo as well. I CANT WAIT!!!

We booked the EB on the 1st day it went on sale (1/31/2007). I wonder how your price (after discount) compares to the 1st day price? We are in a Cat 6, 2 adults and 2 kids - 6&8 and I think we are paying around $9600 (no air, no ins, no transfers).

 

[DAggiesRWe]

Sometime while we slept we must have slipped out of Nassau. I wake up once again right at sunrise so I head to the verandah and grab the camera because the prettiest sunrise is being given to us few early risers.

I also noticed that we seemed to be nearly at a standstill when suddenly the thrusters fire up as the ship starts it pirouette maneuver, and I call in to wake up DW and the boys because this must mean that we are coming into Castaway Cay. As the ship spins, we get this cool view of where we will be spending our day.

Once the ship was docked, I trot up BBB and grab some cereal and milk for everyone's breakfast while DW starts gathering the things we will need for the day at the beach (note for next trip, use room service, duh ). As we are eating breakfast, DS11 asks if we can put the water bottles in the cooler and bring it with us . Uhhh, what cooler? The big blue one we left in the van? No, the one the lady brought us yesterday with the stuff in it.

Apparently the previous day while we were at Palo, DS11 had checked himself out of the lab and was back in the room watching Spiderman when Christina brought by a surprise gift for DW and I. We later found out she was as surprised by DS as he was of her. She placed the gift on the desk with instructions to DS11 to make sure we got it (not realizing that when cathode rays are in his eyes, he doesn't remember anything ). After the show, while DW and I were at Cove Cafe, DS7 and DS11 started going through the gift and had hidden everything in their little hidey hole under the desk .

Once they dug out everything, we found the card telling us we had been selected as a "Magical Moments Family" by the beverage staff (Gede and Christina). The gift included a soft-sided cooler, a bottle of Korbel Brut, several sodas and bottled water, cards for free drinks at cove cafe, Disney lanyards for our water bottles and several lighted drink decorations. It was still a surprise even though the presentation wasn't as originally intended .

Just as we are finishing going through our gift, we hear the announcement that we are now allowed to go ashore at Castaway Cay. So we grab our things and hit the stairs to deck 1 and are among the first ones off the ship. As soon as we step off, we spot Christina selling bottled water and lanyards. We thank her for the gift and share a laugh over how it ended up being presented to us (DS11 had to endure a good German glare for not telling us about the gift) . Christina gives us each a bottle of water, and flatly refuses to accept payment.

We continue along the walkway and pose for the photo at the stern of the ship. After crossing the bridge, we spot a CM setting up a camera for pictures with the Flying Dutchman. He tells us to wait because Captain Jack is due to arrive at any minute. I wish I had my digital camera at this point because a couple of minutes later a golf cart comes flying around a sand dune with Jack Sparrow hanging on for dear life. This guy was in character from the moment he came into view, and if I didn't know better would say it was Johnny Depp because he had all the mannerisms and even his speech to a "T".

We had purchased the "Extreme Getaway Package ", so we headed to the shack to get our snorkel gear and find a nice shady place for home base under the trees and umbrellas. As you can see, we were close to the first ones on the beach and for a few minutes at least it seemed like we would have the place to ourselves .

As we settle our things, DW and I apply sunscreen to each other (she did the boys back in the room). Here is another really good tip: Don't attempt to apply spray-on sunscreen outdoors on a windy day . DW and I ended up with white tiger stripes between red sunburn on our backs. (I guess some of the sunscreen helped because neither one of us ended up peeling, but we had stripes for the next month ). Once the sun protection is on, we head down to the snorkel area.

Next time I am bringing my own mask and snorkel because their mask leaks and the snorkel is too short (I feel like my mouth is stretching toward my ear). In spite of the minor irritations, it is very relaxing to glide over the artificial reefs looking for different fish. I spent an hour swimming to all of the bouys trying to find the Mickey statue, but never did spot him. DS7 finally figured out how to breath and relax enough to enjoy himself. DW shot this picture of the two of us waterbugs looking for fish.

Okay, we snorkeled, so now it is time for the next item on the list and we walk down the path and pick up our tubes. There are four of us, so we get four tubes. We get down to the water's edge, and DS7 starts hunting seashells (while his tube is blowing across the bay ) so I swim out and rescue it and return to the beach where DS7 shows me the tiny crab that he found. So I carry three tubes back to home base and settle under the tree for a well deserved rest from that walk. Before I know it I have dozed off.

 

[DAggiesRWe]

I am gently awakened by my wife whispering “don’t move” in my ear as DS7 places the previously mentioned crab on my arm . I watch the little guy skitter around for a few minutes and then tell my son that he can’t bring it home with us and he should take it back to the ocean. Now that I have caught my breath DW, DS11 and I grab our tubes to go floating in the lagoon. DS11, reprising his role from the lazy river as motor for our mini-flotilla, pushes us around the lagoon and keeps us from being blown too far out. We spot one of the photographers from Shutters and pose for a shot (unfortunately, DS7 was too far away to get into the shot but we discovered later that they got a couple of good ones of him.

By now it is lunch time and we are getting hungry . We head to Cookies BBQ and find long lines at most of the stations, but by continuing all the way around to the right we find an entire serving line with nobody there. As we step up with our trays, we find none other than Romy behind the counter. He tells us that this is the secret line, and piles our plates high with ribs, chicken and sweet corn . We make our way to an available table, then I head back with DS’s to get drinks. Minor gripe here because they ran out of ice in the middle of the lunch rush and nobody seemed to know what to do about it (I guess the guy with the recipe missed this trip ). So we had tepid tea, lemonade and soda with our lunch and just made the best of it (wife told me to stop grumbling and get over it) .

After we are all well fed, DS7 and DS11 return to their seashell hunt while DW and I take another tour of the snorkeling area (still can’t find that Mickey statue). As we are swimming, we hear Ian calling the crab races with all the excitement of the Kentucky Derby (something else to look into next trip). By now, it is time to get everyone together for the long walk to Castaway Rays for the Stingray portion of our Extreme Getaway Package (maybe this will be the “extreme” part). DS7 is waiting at home base showing his seashell collection to our neighbor. We start looking around for DS11 and see him walking down from where the crab races were being held. He says he got there just in time to watch the last race.

We hurry down the long walkway (it is a lot farther than it looked on the map to get to Castaway Rays), but we arrive just in time to catch the end of the briefing. On the way down to the water, the instructor says we were there for the important parts, and we also discuss some of the info about the program. The money paid for the Stingray encounter on Castaway Cay goes to the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund, and the care and feeding of the rays is actually paid for by DCL (as part of the upkeep budget of Castaway Cay). The rays are mostly rescues who have been nursed back to health in the enclosed Stingray area. There is an underwater fence around the area that keeps away the predators, which is why there is no danger to the ray in removing the barb.

Cameras at the ready, we wade to our assigned “racetrack” and are greeted by the velvety smoothness of these gentle creatures swimming around our ankles. As soon as the Mickey plate goes into the water, the rays know the procedure and are soon taking food from everyone’s hands in turn (everyone gets three times to the plate).

Before we know it, the food is gone and the leader turns us loose to snorkel around watching the rays. I pick one ray and simply float along watching her snapping photos with our water cameras. She soon settles on the bottom (all but two of the rays are female), and I watch in fascination as she goes through her camouflage routine. I call DW and the boys over, and with a wave of my foot she moves about 10 feet and goes through the process for them to see (and I get some more pictures). I watch for a few more minutes as DW and the boys grow bored and head to shore, and in just a few more minutes it is time for us to leave. On the way out, we grab our Wildlife Conservation Fund buttons as we turn in our gear.

There is just enough time left for a quick bike ride (the final item in the Extreme Getaway Package), but DW says she is going to pass. DS7 is still struggling with riding a bike but they have bikes in his size with training wheels so he and I stay together while DS11 rides ahead along the trail. We make it down the abandoned runway, past the adult beach (another thing we need to look into next time), and along the bike trail. We stop at the water station for a very refreshing, and very cold , drink of water from the cooler. As we are remounting our bikes, DS11 is heading back along the trail and reports that he didn’t make it to the observation tower, but someone was walking back and said that they were closed anyway. A check of my watch and I see we need to start back (as nice as the island is, I don’t think we want to be stuck there until the Wonder returns in four days). We ride back and return our bikes to the rack.

Thinking back on the four things included with the package, I think they should reconsider the name. They call it the “Extreme Getaway” package, but snorkeling, bicycles, stingrays and tubes were hardly what I would consider “extreme” activities . Especially when we watched people riding the banana boats, parasailing and other activities that would tend to fit the name much better . In any case DW and I agreed that the package filled the day, but we would probably not do it again in the future. There are just too many other things we missed this time around.

As we are walking along the path to meet DW at home base, we see that most of the shops are closing up for the day and the CMs are starting to lower the umbrellas and stack the chairs. Looking across the bay, I see a bunch of tubes that have blown to the other side. To me they look like a bunch of giant beached jellyfish. We get back to home base and find that DW has returned the snorkel gear and tubes (and DS7’s seashell collection) and has all our things packed up. We make a stop at the souvenir stand (which is one of the few places still open) and pick up a couple of pins and Castaway Cay beach towels). As we walk back to the ship, the CMs are putting the waverunners back onto their trailers, the parasailing and banana tow boats do a drive-by sounding their horns and waving to folks on the ship, and generally making it clear to everyone that the island is going back to sleep for a few days. We take advantage of the showers at the dock to wash off as much sand as possible and we are among the last few stragglers to get back on the ship.

We take the elevator to our room (too exhausted to walk up 6 floors) . A little redness around the eyes and nose is the only evidence of the sun exposure the boys received. Unfortunately DW and I cannot say the same as we examine the interesting sunburn patterns across our backs . I look out the window and see that we are moving, so we all head to the verandah and watch as the ship sails past the breakwater back into the open ocean and we bid a “farewell until next time” to Castaway Cay. We go back inside and take our turns in the shower to wash off the salt and sand (and to cool down the sunburn). The boys watch Arthur and the Incredibles while DW and I take turns rubbing aloe lotion into each others backs and shoulders. As tired as we are, we can’t just skip dinner tonight because it is time for “Pirates IN the Caribbean” .

 

[Dopey'sMAMA]

I'm enjoying your TR it is reminding me of the trip We are also on the Aug. repo. so we will meet again!

 

[manntra]

Hi there Tracie! It's Tracy from the cruise! We met at the pool....I was on the cruise with my niece! Hope all is well and you are having a good winter!

 

[momtotanmanandraerae]

I just found your trip report! I am reading while dh is watching football. We are from Richmond too! We are going on our first ever DCL cruise in November. We have driven to WDW twice in the past year. In November, we will fly though. The drive is just a little too much for me!!

I am on page 4 and have to end for tonight but wanted to make sure I come back! I have enjoyed reading!

 

[dwonder6522]

Tracy I found you on Disboards LOL!!!!! You must be very excited for Disney world Animal Lodge, I am very thrilled about 2nd Disney Cruise Magic This time 7 days Mexican Riviera