December 14-19, 2003

[CRSNDSNY]

This is copied and pasted from my live trip reports from the Wonder last December.

Cast of "Characters":
Me -- Melody -> 28yrs, 2nd Wonder, 3rd Disney Cruise
Mom -- Elenore -> 51yrs, first cruise ever


Hi everyone! Just wanted to report from the Wonder!

Today was embarkation and it POURED ALL DAY! But, it stopped raining in time for the Sail Away deck party and was just overcast. Temps were around high 60s, low 70s. Better than an all-day rain.

We took a Happy Limo shuttle to the Port and they picked me and Mom up promptly at 9:30am from BWV and we made it to Port by 10:45 with a grocery stop on the way here. Boarding started at 11:55 with concierge and handi-able folks. The new embarkation background is really nice -- very classic look. I took a picture of the Christmas card photo package that Mod inkognito was mentioning, so I will post those prices when I return -- unless someone has already done so.

This is my third cruise and my first time having embarkation lunch at Parrot Cay. I liked that much more for many reasons -- one of them being the atmosphere and another being the less intense crowd. The food selection was great and I ate quite a bit! --> especially dessert!

After eating we went to Wavebands to wait in line for Palo reservations. People were already camped out outside Wavebands waiting for reservations to begin. We were about the 5th or 6th family in line and got our preferred night and time -- Wednesday at 8:30pm.

After lunch, Mom and I settled into our stateroom after a little bit of a hassle -- we upgraded ourselves at port and our luggage and stateroom gift didn't follow us -- long story and don't want to bore you. We were orginally in 6567 CAT11, but upgraded to 5016 CAT8. After just a couple of days at BWV with my Mom, I was getting worried about the bathroom situation. It ended up being a little over $200 for the upgrade and so far well worth it.

Upon entering our stateroom we discovered a little present from Dreams Unlimited Travel -- keepsake frames. I was completely not expecting that because I thought DU did away with that. It was really nice and I took a picture of it to share with everyone.

After settling in -- and me making another trip to the buffet for something small (yes, I eat a lot), we changed into our bathing suits and went to the hot tubs at Quiet Cove pool. One of the saunas was not warming up, so we went in the other and were soon joined by two others. That was fun.

Hercules was the stage show for tonight and although I've seen in a couple times already, it just seemed SO much BETTER and SO much funnier. The final muse is HILARIOUS and I just couldn't get enough of his funnyness! It was all so good and I honestly think it was the best performance of this show I've seen.

We played Bingo tonight and this was the first time since the Magic in 2001 that I played. I'm happy to see (and this might not be news to anyone else) that they are giving away 'raffle prizes' throughout the games. That was nice. It seems that everyone was winning the games quickly, though and the jackpot has snowballed into tomorrow night -- what a shocker .

We ate at Triton's and were seated with a very lovely couple from Connecticut. We had some great conversation and they are super nice. Tomorrow we have Animator's Palate and Tuesday is Parrot Cay.

Another new thing I am trying this time is the Rainforest -- I plan on going tomorrow morning for the first time. I'm excited about that.

Well, I'm sorry this was so long. I have to go and write to my husband -- I miss him so much and wish he were here with me. This is so weird being here without him.

If you have any questions, please let me know!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Hi all!

CaliforniaDreaming: First, to answer your question I actually do not mind the CAT8 so far. I would definitely do it again, but I would not book another CAT11. I was able to see our 'old' stateroom because we had to go looking for our luggage. We walked in and I looked around and was so happy that we upgraded to the 8. I don't think that I would have liked the 11. It felt SO much smaller to me...especially after only experiencing a 5 up to that point. If we could, next cruise I will try a CAT7 -- kinda a mix between the 8 and 5. But I definitely did like the 8.

One other thing while speaking of Categories, I have only ever been on Deck 7. The stateroom I'm in right now is on deck 5 and I am not crazy about that deck. With the kids clubs and all on that floor, I am not able to walk the same hallway from my room far forward to aft. I know it sounds trivial, but with the clubs blocking off portions of the deck I actually find it annoying. I will try to only book on decks 6 or 7 from now on. ALSO, not that I'm complaining but constantly running up and down from decks 5 - 9 is kinda a pain. I have been spoiled by Deck 7. I spend a LOT of time at Quiet Cove pool and Vista Spa and I know it's only a couple of more flights of stairs, but...what can I say? I'm on vacation and feeling very VERY lazy! LOL! Overall, though I really do like the CAT8 and I am glad I tried out deck 5 on a 4-nighter rather than a 7-nighter just because of my preference. This cruise has been really nice so far, too.

A couple of things from the last few days:

I am really REALLY enjoying the Rainforest and do think that it will be a must for me from now on. The scents and the heat are so wonderful. I am a person who is constantly cold. I swear -- I wear sweaters in the heat of the summer! So being able to walk into a room that is steamy hot is SO comforting. I love it.

Mom and I went into Nassau yesterday. I wanted her to see Atlantis because it is so beautiful and so amazing. We didn't pay for the Dig or anything, but we did walk through the parts of the hotel allowed. She likes to play slot machines, so we gambled for about an hour. Didn't win anything, though. That's okay. She was definitely impressed with the sharks, rays and variety of fish she saw. This is the second time I was seeing it and I was still highly impressed. This is definitely something to see. BUT (there's always a 'but' -- sorry ), I don't think I ever want to step foot in Nassau ever again. I really just do not like the place. This is the 3rd time I have been there just this year (2 times on the Wonder and once in August we spent time at an all-inclusive resort). I have no interest in going back there ever again. If my husband had been able to come on this cruise with me as planned, we weren't even going to get off the ship until Castaway Cay. But of course, that's just my opinion. I tried it. I tried it more than once. More than two times. I'm done.

Today was Freeport and Mom and I didn't get off the ship. We hung out at the pool all day, ate lunch at the pool, too. I used my Rainforest pass twice as well. Did I mention how much I like the Rainforest?

The ship has been WONDERful, though. That Tropical Deck party is out of this world! It is so full of energy and excitement! I would not recommend missing this one for anything! We ate at Animator's Palate last night and the food was excellent. I had gazpacho, which I absolutely love. Since I wasn't interested in any of the Vegetarian Entrees (yes, I'm a veggie) they made an entree out of one of the appetizers. It was a stuffed tomato and it was so yummy! I also had the Boston Bib lettuce salad with blue cheese dressing. That was great, even though I'm not a fan of blue cheese. I really enjoyed it. The best part was dessert, though...strawberry shortcake!

Tonight we ate at Parrot Cay and it was a lot of fun. I know a lot of people complain about the noise there but I really like it. The music, the dancing...it's so much fun!

Last night we saw Jeff Harris as the stage show and I was a bit apprehensive about seeing it but Mom and I really enjoyed it. He was really funny and is very talented. Definitely worth seeing.
Tonight was GOLDEN MICKEYS. Oh my goodness...this show is AMAZING! I actually briefly contemplated skipping dinner just so I could see it again. Yes. It is THAT good! The sets, the music the changes the characters. WOW. WOW. Double WOW. I think my favorite was Tarzan. No, maybe it was the Villians. No, maybe it was Sleeping Beauty. Oh boy...this is going to be hard to decide. I just loved it SO much.

I know I'm skipping around a lot here, but we saw Haunted Mansion yesterday afternoon. That was an entertaining movie. I also wanted to see Pirates and Brother Bear, but it's hard to schedule everything into the daily plans.

I just left the 70s theme night at Wavebands to come and post and IM hubby. That party is funny. The girls did a decent job as Gloria Gaynor, but the guys really took the cake this time. WOW...they really got into the John Travolta thing. I got some good pictures. BTW -- Tisa -- entertainment staff is really funny!

Oh...one really COOL thing is that in Nassau we were docked next to a cruise ship that wasn't in service. It is being used to film the next James Bond movie. A cruise staffer even spotted Pierce Brosnan last night so that is pretty cool. I got pictures of that, too.

Well, hubby and I are IMing right now, so I need to go pay full attention to him.

I'm so glad you all enjoyed my last post, I hope this was fun/interesting to read.

Take care everyone!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Barb and Tony...not sure how you EVER skipped CC that one time because...
I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!

Today started out beautifully in Castaway Cay. The ship docked nicely and it was sunny and a little overcast. Mom and I had a really nice breakfast in Triton's and were off the ship by about 9:30. Mom was really excited by everything she saw with the decorations, the color of the water and the beauty of the island.

We headed straight for Serenity Bay and were able to get two nice lounge chairs a bit away from the traffic. The sun was beautiful and it was great watching the rays and fish swimming in the ocean. A group of beautifully colored fish kept swimming up and down the shore line jumping out of the water. That was really really cool. The water was a bit chilly, but people managed to wade and float around. I got in for a bit up to my waste but just couldn't handle the chill. I just layed around and read. It was really quite serene -- what a surprise LOL.

We ended up eating at the lunch buffet at the adult beach. I had a veggie burger, pasta salad, potato salad, chips and cookie dough frozen yogurt. Wow....it was all so good! Mom had pretty much the same as me, but a cheeseburger (in paradise, yes. )

Around 1:00 it started to cloud up and we packed up and headed for some shopping on the Island. We were back onboard by 1:45 just in time to go see Brother Bear in the Buena Vista Theatre. That was a really great movie. I enjoyed it so much and want to make sure I take my husband to see it when I return.

When we got out of the movies it looked wet out so it was definitely raining. But when I was walking down here to the Internet Cafe, I glanced outside and Mickey was pushing Minnie around in a wheelchair being funny in front of the Christmas tree on the Island. Very funny sight to see.

Well, I have to go and get dressed for the Castaway Club reception so I will check in again later.

Hope you enjoyed!!!

 

[wtg2000]

Oh...one really COOL thing is that in Nassau we were docked next to a cruise ship that wasn't in service. It is being used to film the next James Bond movie. A cruise staffer even spotted Pierce Brosnan last night so that is pretty cool. I got pictures of that, too.

I remember reading this post earlier in the year. It was curious because there was no new James Bond movie planned or being filmed - so I wondered what it could be. However, Brosnan's new movie with Salma Hayek takes place in the Bahamas and features a cruise ship. It's called After The Sunset. This would have been what they were filming last winter. It probably just got reported that "James Bond" was there and everyone assumed it was a Bond movie. Still cool either way.

 

[pixiedust23]

What is the rainforest?