April 6-10 Dream cruise to Bahamas with the mother in law! Essentially finished 5-17!

[mrbudyhed]

OK. I'm gonna do this. I am currently sick less than a dog with horrible laryngitis after 5 days of " sick as dog"fever with cough, congestion, fatigue--bleck. DD 11 just got over it and DD 8 just started Sunday. No time at all until DH gets it. I'm not saying it was the cruise boat with over 4000 people that did it. It could have been the planes to get us to/from Cleveland and Orlando, or the fact that I work in a nursing home where everyone had the same yuck or that kids get stuff no matter what. Last week, I was convinced I was going to cancel my now booked Alaskan 2016 cruise, but as the symptoms relax and the memories come back, I may decide to keep it. We did have a great time! It was the perfect time to escape the Cleveland weather.

We flew to Orlando the Saturday before the Monday the cruise would embark to the Bahamas. My mother in law lives in Cape Canaveral, so it was not a bad way to ease into the beautiful weather. The first night we went to the beach where we came across the full moon-"the blood moon," apparently. It WAS huge. (These pictures don't convey--simple little digital camera.) It was so big, my DH, an overall pretty smart dude, was confused as to what direction we were facing, 'cause it sure looked like a setting sun!

 

[mrbudyhed]

So, I already vented about this on another thread, so I won't go on and on, but...on more than one occasion for the year and half before our cruise was planned, I reviewed with my MIL (who I totally love, respect and adore) about needing a certified or official copy of her birth certificate to get on the boat. I specifically mentioned that a hospital BC, no matter how official looking , does not count. She assured me that she had the right paperwork. Of course, the night before the cruise we get our paperwork out and she does NOT have what she said she did. She has a real official looking hospital BC, and only a cheap photocopy of her state issued BC. We were freaking out. Long story short, they accepted the yucky old, unofficial xerox copy of her Michigan BC. Phew. They CMs didn't blink an eye at in when we checked in and the customs official could not have cared less when we were checking out! FYI, neither was interested in the hospital BC, so don't even bother!

We did a bunch of other stuff before the cruise, but that's not why you're here, so let's start these Dream pics. Here we are waiting to go through the ears. We had a PAT of 10:30 and boarding #3. By the time we checked in and checked in to get the kids their kids club bands, they called "Boarding groups #1-3 can board." I am still looking a little stunned here, because I was REALLY stressed out that I was going to have to deal with a crying family because Nana couldn't get on the ship!


I knew the pools would be super crazy this Spring Break trip, so getting on the AquaDuck at least once was a priority. We skipped lunch at Cabanas and went straight for the pools.



Here is DH with DD8 in the Aquaduck:

Victory snack after conquering the Aquaduck:

The wait wasn't too long 5-10 minutes? but it wasn't just walk up an go. I tried to sign up for tickets for Anna and Elsa and for the 5K, but the lines at Guest Services and Port Adventures were so long, I decided to go later.
Here is the 12th deck smoking area for the MIL:

To be continued--I have to see how the Cavs are doing and I just need to plain old lay down! Thanks for reading.

 

[tltay2005]

I'm in. Can't wait to read more and see more pics.

 

[mrbudyhed]

I noticed that my writing style this trip is very, "we did this, then we did this." I'm going to try and do better! This 4 night cruise, while wonderful, did kind of feel that way vs. the more relaxed 7 night cruise we took a few years ago;we super enjoyed both--they just had a different vibe. Course, our kids are older, we are older, and we were sharing a cabin with the matriarch of the family, so lot's of things could factor in. OK. More pics of Day 1.
Here is a view from our veranda, room 9580, category 4a.


DDs in awe of the art, 5th floor balcony:


Checking out the kids clubs at the open house:







Let's see, we were still on the move! We decided to hit Goofy Sports on Deck 12. It sure does get windy up there!

She's very smart--



Our rooms were ready, so there we went next. We made door magnets--one of a stormtrooper relaxing on a pool float, those "the claw" guys and a pic of the Dream smoke stack that says "Nana's first cruise." She loved it and I really recommend doing this to help you find your cabin more easily. Also, a shout out to the room across the hall near the mid elevators with the big red and blue Mickey heads--totally stopped me from walking down the wrong hall, like a thousand times!


We decided to skip the Sail Away party--too chaotic. We watched from our room, ordered the cheese platter. Actually, we didn't notice that we had already took off by the time we got back to our room. It is fun waving to everyone on shore at the restaurants! You feel really special to be on that ship. I saw one dolphin as we were leaving port.





My MIL was totally fascinated by the Pilot captain. I guess they saw the boat come right up to ours and saw him get on:

 

[mrbudyhed]

My DH explored the ship a bit more before dinner.



I think we were somewhat in a rush to get the lay of the land because we decided that we were going to give DD 11 check in/out privileges (which she automatically has at the Edge, but she can also go to the Lab an Club) and more freedom on the ship. We gave DD 8 to ok to check herself in/out of the Lab or Club ONLY if her sister was with her/getting her. We just wanted to make sure that they could navigate the ship. As the trip went on, it became plain that they knew the ship better than I ever did! We also would let them go to Goofy Sports Deck together. We let them eventually get beverages/ice cream alone--stuff like that, with clear rules on when to be back etc.

Dinner was at Enchanted Garden that night, Deck 2, I believe. We had a table facing the windows, which sounds like a coup, but WOW could you feel the ship moving! Seeing the waves just made it worse. I had taken my Meclizine (Bonine) so I wasn't too bad, but DD11 had to leave twice to just get out of there for a minute to see if the nausea would settle down. I went to the cabin to get her a children's Dramamine, which did kick in about 20-30 minutes and she was a little better.



We were seated with a wonderful family from VA-a husband, wife and 11 year old daughter. I didn't figure it out until after we got home that the DW, is on the Disboards too and was posting on our meet group! In my defense, she was not feeling good day 1 and turns out was probably brewing the Flu, which she was dx on return home. The two of us only ate together that 1st night because DH and I had Palo reservations the 2nd night, the 3rd night they switched to late dining because they were exhausted from the day at CC (per our wait staff--we probably "those type" of tablemates ) and the 4th night she was unable to make it. My point is, I'm sure we would have put it together, given the opportunity!
The food was great, but am I the only that thinks the desserts are just meh?

Let's see, I think my girls and their DD decided to go to the kids clubs. That was wonderful. DD8 has no trouble making friends and is very outgoing, so it was nice for my DD11 to have someone go to the Edge with, which is probably a little more intimidating. We decided that we had to order a drink, because we were on vacation, dammit.


You can see the Edge club from the 12th Deck bar.



DD probably called us on the Wave phone at some point, so we walked around the ship some more, exploring.


We did try to see the 1st show but you could feel the movement SO much in that theater. DD11 and I could just not take it and my DH and MIL didn't really care about the show, so we left. (DD8 was in the Club/Lab--hard to drag her out of there!) After we got home, some fellow Disers did express that Monday night was especially rocky because of the wind and not the norm--boy I hope so-blech.

A lot of times our plans to just stay put were foiled by outside forces. We were going to try and catch part of the college championship BB game on the Funnelvision, but the pool deck wouldn't close all the way, so we couldn't get a chair.


I think this is the night I rode the AquaDuck with DD11. It is super cool...AND cold while waiting in line because of the wind. Totally worth it.

At some point, DD8 and DH did part of the Detective mystery game thing--probably on the way from picking her up from the Club/Lab. I'm telling you, we were all easily distracted this trip!


FINALLY, we got to our room for the night.


PHEW! OK. Good night folks--I'm exhausted reliving all of this. To be continued....

 

[tltay2005]

Thanks for the report update. Sorry about the sea sickness, this will be our first cruise and that is my worst fear. Will be taking meds with me just in case. Look forward to reading and seeing more.

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

I'm in! We are doing a 4 day cruise on the Dream in May so really looking forward to reading more!

 

[mrbudyhed]

Here we go--Day 2!
We all decided to stay on the ship at Nassau. My MIL was freaked out by some fellow smokers on the 12th deck about how aggressive the vendors can be/crime. My DH and I really weren't too worried--you just have to be vigilant whenever there are big groups of people and you can read reports like that for anywhere you go. BUT, since this was a shorter cruise, we just thought why and cram so much in? FYI--the ship didn't feel any less full to me on this day--lot's of people stayed on the ship.

We had breakfast at Cabanas and came across the hair braiders so we made an appt to have it done. Those ladies are FAST! You pay like $2 a braid and then sign a receipt at the end. I tried to tip them in cash, but they insisted they were not allowed to accept cash tips, so I wrote one in.


Somewhere in the morning I decided to hop on the treadmill--cramming for the 5K the next day. I don't know if this pic is from there, but the view was similar. I forgot my headphones and there was not TV in front of me because I was facing the window. I had to play that mental game of "I won't look to see how far/long I have run until I see that boat reach that buoy." It was horrible--I was never as far as I thought.



We played shuffleboard. The kids really love this for some reason.




Ship next to us:


More mini golf

Hanging out 3rd floor:




We had PALO reservations that night, while MIL took the kids to Royal Palace.
Here is the view from PALO:



Here's our food. Appetizers first:

Main course:



Our waiter suggested small portions of dishes to go with a main portion of another. I had a small portion of the potato gnocchi and main course of some sort of fish that started with a T. It was ok. My DH had a small portion of some sort of pasta with red sause and the Tuna as his main course. It was wonderful.



The food was great, but we are so spoiled here in Cleveland--we have SOO many great restaurants ALL around, that we are kind of used to this. (Cleveland?! you say--I'm serious. We are quite a foodie town.) Our waiter was so nice, but the Italian accent was so thick and he did SOOO much talking between every course and napkin change out etc, that I was just mentally exhausted from listening so hard and from saying "Thank you" so much. Problems, right?!
At night we wandered around and such. 9-10pm the character meets were zero to little lines, so we decided to snap some pics.


My youngest took these pics. It was sad, 'cause the girls were not as into the pics with the characters as in years past. It sure does save a lot in time wasted waiting in line, but still...

Here's a pic of the water at night:


I think we saw the movie Cinderella in the theater this date--can't remember. There is something awesome about seeing a movie for "free!" The kids were at the clubs a lot and I think they did more of the Detective Mystery games. All in all a good day.

 

[mrbudyhed]

Day 3: Castaway Cay

I got up with the alarm clock so I could meet up at Diversions (I think) for the 5K. I signed up during one of the previous days, but I forgot my ticket. It didn't seem to cause a problem. The line was long! There were lots of people. I overheard many guests talking about how the last time they did the race it was just like 10 people. I am no good at crowd estimates, but I would say over a hundred for sure. Everyone was in a good mood, and the young ladies who were running the race, Mia and I can't remember her name, were great and really upbeat and funny. What a job they have! A woman in front of me in the line to check in was very upset that her 8 year old could not run the race. The policy is I think 10 and over? The CM informed her that her dtr could not run the race. The mom was all, "why not? Guest services told me she could." CM: "I am so sorry that you were given the wrong information, but it is the policy that she can not run in the 5K." Mom: "What if she just walks it?" CM: "No, I am so sorry." But this just kept going. YES, everyone who answers questions about events on the boat should be all on the same page, but it didn't happen this time. ALSO, is ok at times to be assertive/aggressive when you think you've been wronged, but NOT when there is whole line of people behind you who just want to get this race going so we won't be running in the heat of the day. The conversation did eventually come to a polite conclusion and I got checked in. (That guest actually seemed really nice, just picked the wrong battle in my opion. Rules are rules.) My family got off the boat to find seats (there were PLENTY) and planned on just meeting me at the start/finish line to show me where we were set up.






My time was better than this! I haven't run in weather higher than like 40-50 degrees for months, so I decided to stop twice for water, just so I wouldn't pass out or something embarrassing like that!

You feel so good after a race and look not so good!
Some beach time:




We rented bikes.





There are these pelican sculptures all around. This guy is in the outhouse.


Here's the overlook on the bike trail. You park your bike and climb up to the top.



We ate at the BBQ on the island. It is just ok. I thought this a few years ago too. And, ugh! I screwed up. I thought that you just went to the stations you wanted like at Cabanas. Nope. So I was an unintentional line cutter. I don't think any other guests noticed or cared, but I couldn't get any silverware because you had to get it at the beginning of the line. Oh well. Also, most of the pop machines weren't working right and the drinks had no carbonation. The ice cream came out of the machines too fast because it wasn't cold enough. We shopped a little, then went back on the ship around 1-2pm ish.


The kids probably went to the clubs. We hung out on the adult side a bit.








We stopped by some of the bars on Deck 4. I did not have time to fix my hair, so it is in goofy pigtails.


Dinner at Royal Palace. We had the table to ourselves because, per our wait staff, our tablemates were too worn out from their day and they switched to late dining for that evening.


Pirate Night.


We tried to go to the little show before the big one late at night, but the deck gets so crowded. It just gets more tiresome than anything to try and see. No problem! Kids went to the clubs and we decided to check out each bar.



I have to admit that that is the same drink in each picture. I can no longer party like it is 1999! In fact, it was so hard to get that vodka drink down, I decided to skip out on our Mixology class the next day! I think beer just sits better with me--and TO me, unfortunately.
We got a picture with Goofy:


My DH went to the big pirate night with one of the DDs. He said as soon as people realized the turkey leg buffet thing was open it was crazy. I'll have to take his word for it, 'cause I was laying supine in the stateroom, listening to the fireworks.
To be continued....

 

[okwminnie]

really enjoying your report! Thank you for posting

 

[Flossbolna]

Great report! Thanks for posting it! I am impressed that you ran the 5k in the heat. I never dared to do that. I think I would just be tired out for the rest of the day...

 

[mrbudyhed]

Day 4: Day at Sea.

Well, this day was just a whirlwind. We were all over the place--literally and figuratively! Here are some highlights with MY MOST FAVORITE to start it off:

BABY RACES!!!!

This is where they put crawling babies on the track and the families do everything they can to get their rugrats to crawl to the finish line. The race itself is hysterical, but this time the before was almost funnier. Apparently, there were not many crawlers on this trip. We, (spectators on the 3rd deck and 4th and 5th floor balconies) kept waiting and waiting for some babies to show up. They even delayed the race to find some. So, every time an adult with a baby of any sort walked by or just got off the elevator, hundreds of people started cheering for them like they were celebrities. Most of these parent/baby combo were totally caught unawares and their reactions were priceless. We even started chanting, "Wake those babies! Wake those babies!" Anyway it came down to two babies, with a nice young chap from New York winning, because the other contestant from Cleveland started walking and she was immediately disqualified.


Let's see, we hung out on the veranda for a bit. This is a sea turtle, even though you can't tell.


My oldest DD and my DH did the towel folding class. You need a partner for some of these.




We got tickets at guest services somewhere in the 1st or 2nd day. My children are too world weary to be bothered with being pulled away from whatever they were doing to meet characters, so we went instead.

It took place in Animators Palate. It was really cool, because the room was lit to look like a snowy scene and they had the snowy scenes on the screens where they show Crush during dinner.
We did not hurry to get there at our designated time, and we still only had to wait 20-30 minutes. My husband was excited to do this because he wanted to be able to tell his friend at work, who waited in line for 3 HOURS at the World to meet these Frozen gals, about how easy this was to accomplish.

Hanging out on Deck 4:


Making the kids go to Diversions for a family dance

My MIL hung out for the going away dance party on Deck 3.

Dinner at Animator's Palate:




We were not by a table where Crush talked to us directly, but it was still super fun. We could see several screens of him talking to people. He goes to each one and has a little interaction with that table and then gets the whole restaurant involved. You know, like yelling out, "Dude" and such.
Last night hangin' with the smokers.


We packed at night and had our bags outside the door like we were supposed to. The next morning, we ate at Cabanas instead of our assigned breakfast time. (We gave our tip envelopes out the night before.) At customs, they had a lost and found section. I had lost my sweater on this trip and checked with guest services at least twice to see if it had been turned in, but no. My kids decided to look in all the bins at customs that are labeled by category when lo and behold, there it was! Yay! Well, I hope you all enjoyed my hacked together report and have a great time on your upcoming cruise so I can read about yours!