DISBoarders in the House Raise it UP!! Whoop Whoop!!!

[jajomo0118]

Come on slow-poke..........when ya gonna finish, it's not like you have a life out side the DISboards.....
and I didn't miss your reference to sailing in X-mas '09...

 

[JDBlair]

Come on slow-poke..........when ya gonna finish, it's not like you have a life out side the DISboards.....
and I didn't miss your reference to sailing in X-mas '09...

I think I have writers block!!! Every time I start Thursday, October 4th, I get about half way through the morning report and . I'm trying to inspire myself now to write it but I'm 2 sentences in to it and already want to toss it out the window! I'll keep at it and will hopefully post the AM part of Thursday, October 4th tonight!

 

[JDBlair]

Our last day at sea and we still had exciting things to anticipate. When I woke up this morning, the cookie I fell asleep with was inches from my face. I took a nibble (hey, I’m on vacation and chocolate chip cookies on vacation are a perfect item for pre-breakfast) and got out of bed to check the time. It was about 8:30 so I didn’t want to waste any more precious Dream Vacation time sleeping. I absolutely felt refreshed, reenergized and ready to finish out the remaining portion of our vacation with the excitement, energy and enthusiasm I had started with!

I leaned in to the bed to tell DH I was going to go up on deck and he said he’d go with me. So, I woke DD, we all dressed, I kissed DS good-bye, told him where we were going, reminded him he had pager duty again later in the morning and told him what time to meet us in the room. DD, DH and I made our way up to deck 9. We grabbed DD some breakfast, a little something for DH and I to nibble on to tide us over and we found a spot outside to enjoy our breakfast. I was a little surprised to find the deck practically empty being that it was almost 9 and the last day at sea. I assumed people would be up at the crack of dawn to take advantage of all there was to do today. I certainly didn’t expect to find an empty Mickey pool – I thought it’d be full with every lounge chair reserved for the day! Wow. Where was everyone?

When DD saw the Mickey pool was empty, she had no interest in eating. Who can blame her? She is a smart girl and quickly caught on that an empty Mickey pool is a treasure to behold and totally taken advantage of! Also being a smart girl, she knew come that afternoon, the Mickey pool would be far too crowded to be enjoyed.

However, I had a bit of a dilemma. DH and I had Palo, not to be missed, at 10 and it was nearing 9. As we stood about, our feet soaking in the pool, mentally debating what to do, I saw the CM’s open the Mickey slide. DD clearly saw this blessed moment occur because she looked up at me, eyes wide open, jaw dropped to the pool floor and speechless. I grab her by the hand, tell DH I’m taking her to change and we rush to the room. DD giggled and laughed the entire way to the room and back. She was truly pleased and approved of my decision. Upon our return to the pool, DD quickly races up the stairs to the slide and makes her way down! She never had to wait in line this morning. She’d slide down and quickly race up to slide back down! Realizing this would probably be her last time in the Mickey pool and on the slide, I took as many pictures as I could! Her love for this slide was something I wanted to remember forever!

DS joined the living and was out on deck eating his breakfast while DD slid her heart out. I sat with him a little bit and did the 20 Question game. Those of you with teen-agers know that teen-agers know how to play the 20 Questions game to the T! Rules: Only one to two word answers allowed and never divulge answers that are not asked.

Me: Are you having a good time?
DS: Yes
Me: What do you do in the Stack?
DS: Hang out
Me: Do you have friends?
DS: Yes
Me: What are their names?
DS: I don’t know
Me: What time did you get in last night?
DS: What’s with all the questions?
End of Conversation

It’s past time we need to return to the room and prepare for Palo so DH, DD and I rush to change and get her to the club. DS isn’t far behind us to take possession of the pager but he doesn’t need the drill, he informs us he knows what’s at risk and he knows what to do. Good because I don’t have time for the drill!!! We race DD to the Club and race to Palo to meet our 10 am reservation. (How we gained weight on this cruise is beyond me! With all the running around I did, I don’t understand how it didn’t balance out!)

We were a minute or two late but since we were wicked early for dinner, I felt it balanced out! Fortunately for us, they hadn’t begun seating anyone yet. The host recognized us and motioned at Sylvester who then greeted us, escorted us to the tray of champagne and showed us to our table. We sat for a moment before he said he would give us a tour of the buffet. I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures. Palo was nearly empty and Sylvester said this would be my only opportunity to take pictures with the buffet all full and nobody in my way! Score!!!

Since I took quite a few pictures, I can remember what I ate and I’ll tell you my favorites. The Salmon Mousse (it’s presented on the spoon) - I think I had 8 of those spoons. YUM!!!! Shrimp Cocktail in a Bloody Mary mix – delicious! Chocolate Cream de Pot – my new favorite dessert. I overheard another waiter said it’s the same thing the soufflé is made of. Well, the cold version was far superior to the baked one! The Omelet was surprisingly very good, the eggs benedict were lacking in flavor, I didn’t have any of the pizza but DH did and loved it, the pasta dish was absolutely mouth-watering, and fish dish was shockingly yummy! Our main entrees were ordered by Sylvester, he didn’t ask what we wanted! He served me veal and DH chicken marsala. I am semi anti-veal but I threw caution to the wind, When in Palo, and I ate ½ of what he brought me. It was good but the semi anti-veal kept nagging at me and I just could not finish it. However, it was delicious. DH wasn’t crazy about his chicken, it was tasty but not as tasty as some of the other plates on our table. Sylvester treated us to a 2nd glass of champagne, he became my new best friend, and I also ordered another chocolate martini!! WOW! What an absolutely delicious meal. DH and I were very happy and genuinely enjoying our time together in this wonderful restaurant, with excellent service, the pleasure of each other’s company and delicious food.

 

[JDBlair]

We most definitely had to roll ourselves out of Palo, again, but you knew that because you saw all the pictures of the food! We were on a Food High as we waited for the elevator and decided where to go from here. I reviewed the Navigator (never leave the stateroom without it!) and confirmed the Princesses were still in the atrium. I told DH I would run to get DD and asked if he’d go secure us a place in line. When DD and I joined DH, I noticed the “closing the line” CM was 1 person behind him. DH was all smiles and pointed to the back of the line and said, “Guess who got in right behind me?” I looked at the woman behind him and looked back at DH confused. DH explains she was a split-second behind the CM when he joined the line so the CM showed some Disney Magic to her and let her in. While we waited, quite a few families approached the line and CTL CM would have to turn them away. Some would beg, some would plead, but CTL CM stood his ground. I started teasing with him and asked if he sometimes wishes he could just say, “You snooze you lose?!!” He laughed back! We did some small talk and I commented out loud about missing some event and he quickly jumped me with, “You snooze you lose!” This sent us in to hysterics!!!! (We later gave KUDOS to this CM on our Comment Card at the end of the trip. He was very engaging and funny. Even though our time with this CM was brief, it was memorable and that is what matters!)

One of the greatest things about being at the back of the line for the Princesses meet and greet is that you seem to get much more time with the Princesses because you don’t have a line of pressure behind you!! DD first greeted Cinderella and they gave each other quite a few hugs.

Next was Snow White and they talked, hugged, talked a little more, hugged a little more.

Last, but not least in our book, was Belle and I nearly fell over when Belle addressed DD by name and commented on how many times they’d seen each other! Belle was our favorite.

Another great thing about being at the end of the line is the opportunity to take pictures of the Princesses all by themselves before they glide away!!!

After all the hugs and lovin’ with the Princesses, DD was ready for lunch so we escorted her to Deck 9 for some pizza. We sat near the Goofy pool and DD participated in Goofy Fitness. I tried to take pictures of this activity but DD was becoming annoyed with all the picture taking and refused to participate if I insisted on taking pictures!! I’m not sure where she gets her stubbornness from but I refused to stop taking pictures so we were at this stand still!

At 2, we saw Disney Dreams and DS joined us – what a treat. I think we all loved the show. What’s not to love?? The only part I didn’t love was my inability to snap very many decent pictures!!

After Disney Dreams, we bumped in to Christa and her DH near Guest Services. I believe they had just seen the show and asked if we were going to the Beer Tasting. I said we weren’t, I didn’t get tickets and should probably pack. Beer Tasting piqued DH’s curiosity and he wanted to go. Since we were right near Guest Services, we quickly asked if there was space available and there sure was. DH ordered up a ticket and tried to talk me in to going but I was still so full from Palo, I thought I’d burst. We parted ways with Christa and her DH and took DD to the club. DH and I returned to the room to see if we could pack anything before his Beer Tasting. He didn’t want to leave me alone if I was going to do nothing but pack. I vowed I would not pack after DH convinced me we’d be able to do the packing in no time flat and he’d help me! So, he was off to the Beer Tasting with Christa and her DH and I was left alone in the room to curl my hair for semi formal night.

Close to 5 pm, I made my way to the Walt Disney Theater to retrieve DD from the club. I was curious as to what they’d be doing in there even though the Navigator listed it as, “Celebrate the Journey.” I thought the kids were being treated to their own special show or something. As I got closer to the theater, I saw all the kids in their t-shirts and Mickey-ear graduation caps and I almost freaked out. I knew instantly what was happening because I’d seen all the pictures in the Trip Reports on the DIS!!! I quickly called the room and left DH a message explaining where I was and to come quick with the camera. I didn’t have time to return to the room and didn’t want to miss seeing DD in the show. Besides, I was worried she’d get out on stage, look around for me, not see me and cry!! The show began and DH hadn’t shown up. I was starting to worry he didn’t see the message light blinking and then started to feel upset that he was going to be so disappointed he missed this. About the time I decided to stop looking for him and stay focused on the stage, the crowds parted and it was as if DH was sailing in on a white horse with camera in one hand and glass of beer in the other! He handed the beer to me as I pointed in the direction of where I thought DD was on the stage and he rushed up to take pictures of her. She most certainly was on stage looking for us because when she saw her Daddy, she hollered out to him and was all smiles!!! Phew!! Daddy was her hero, again!

 

[Jillpie]

just fantastic, as always . But I do fear its almost over . You do have one or more up your sleeve, right? I sure hope so!

 

[JDBlair]

Because I had not anticipated “Celebrate the Journey” being a must-attend event, my original plans for the evening were a little hosed now. When we returned to the room, DS was waiting for us dressed and ready for family portraits. However he was not so pleased that we had been MIA (a taste of his own medicine, perhaps?) and had developed the Stinky Teen attitude. Earlier at Disney Dreams, he was so sweet and pleasant while he sat next to me, enjoying his Mickey sucker and watching the show with us. Teen-age mood swings, good times!!!

We raced to the atrium. Okay, I raced, the family attempted to keep up with me. The place was crawling with people. Lines for each background were long! DS was complaining at every turn. We were limited on time because dinner was at 6 so we needed to find the shortest line possible. I should have scratched the picture-taking idea when DS’s ST attitude reared its ugly head because while you can force them to stand there in front of the camera – you can’t force them to smile. The smiles he did give for the professional portraits are more like smirks and so, I was disappointed and frustrated and defeated. Let’s eat!

There was a funky attitude at dinner this night. Hard to describe, maybe you had to be there, or maybe I’m the only one that felt it? It just wasn’t the fun, good times, laughter-filled dinner the others had been. Yes, we had a good time and yes, we enjoyed our tablemates but something was off. I, for one, didn't like very much about my meal so maybe I was having Palo-Withdrawal? So, let’s skip over dinner and get to the good times!!!

I saw the 8:30 showing of Disney Dreams by myself. I wanted to get better pictures of the show and wanted to sit up front! DS was back to the Stack, DD went to the Club and I don’t recall what DH did. However, DH and I agreed to meet at Studio Sea at 9:45 for Who Wants to be a Mousketeer.

I loved Disney Dreams, even for the 2nd time around, but was grateful I had seen the matinee show. The family behind me allowed their non-English speaking young child to talk, at the top of her lungs, throughout the entire show!! While I understand young children talk out loud at the most inopportune times, there are ways to encourage them to hush and whisper in their ears. The talking was extremely annoying and I have to believe even the performers could hear her!

DH was waiting for me in Studio Sea when I arrived. The show was cute and fun to watch. It was very nice that the hostess helped the 1st contestant along in giving her very obvious hints when she had to use one of her lifelines! A young girl, about the same age as the Contestant #1 (9 or 10) in the hot seat, was having the biggest fit over these hints. She and her famiy were about 3 tables away from us and she was distracting me from watching the show! She was speaking, very loudly, to her mother about the unfairness, exclaiming they were cheating and she went on and on! She was clearly upset over the entire thing, throwing her arms up in the air, laying her head down on the table, her face was turning red – DRAMA! Well, wouldn’t you know, Little Miss Drama Queen was the 2nd contestant. And wouldn’t you know it; she was given the same help with obvious hints and just like Contestant #1, Little Miss Drama Queen won, as well. She collected her prizes, with pride, and returned to her seat. Wow!

DH and I decided we’d leave Studio Sea, DH may have been worried I was going to give Little Miss Drama Queen the lecture her parents hadn’t given her (I wouldn't do that but I would have liked to!), and join the adults in Rockin’ Bar D for Cabaret: Michael Harrison. He had performed the evening before in the Walt Disney Theater but I had fallen asleep and we missed that show. So, we didn’t know what to expect but the bar was packed - a good sign. This guy was awesome. He was hilarious! He picked on this very good-spirited gentleman (Patrick, I believe, was his name) in the front row and I wouldn’t be surprised if people in the audience wet themselves this evening!! It was a show not to be missed and if you were on this sailing and missed this show, you missed the best show of the week!! If you are sailing soon and see Michael Harrison on the billing – do not miss his show!!! Who would have thought adults would enjoy a ventriloquist so much???

We joined DD in the Club. She was laying on a mat, in front a big screen, watching a movie. I lay down next to her and marvel at the ceiling. I found Sorcerer Mickey in the twinkle lights in the ceiling and again, wow, Disney really adds touches in the places they don’t have to.

DD was ready to leave the Club and I didn’t want to disturb the other children around us who were watching the movie. We decide we’ll join the crowd in Lumiere’s for the dessert buffet. The line was seriously backed up because of a malfunction with the chocolate fountain. You would think people had never seen a chocolate fountain before! Maybe they hadn’t, I didn’t know but what I knew is it took a very long time to make it down the buffet and I didn’t see very much that appealed to me. DD fell asleep on chairs at our table!

What? An opportunity to stuff her face with sugar and she goes to sleep? I did return to the fountain, after the crowd had disappeared, for some strawberries. Wouldn’t you know it; the strawberries were a bit bruised and did not taste well – even covered in chocolate. It was a bit disappointing and next time, I’ll just skip the buffet and order Mickey bars and chocolate chip cookies from room service!!

DH lifted Sleeping Beauty in to his arms and carried her back to our room. I walked behind them, snapping pictures of this precious site. I guess I win the Stubborn War with DD because I never did put the camera away and have the pictures to prove it!!

 

[JDBlair]

just fantastic, as always . But I do fear its almost over . You do have one or more up your sleeve, right? I sure hope so!

Thanks for sticking around!! With Thursday posted, I have Friday, Saturday and Sunday to post. That will finish up the TR. I hope to get "Friday" posted some time this weekend!! The closer I get to the end of this TR, the more pressure I feel to rebook a cruise so it doesn't feel truly over!!

 

[reigle4]

As I read your report I get more and more excited about our little 3 day cruise. (Nov 29th til Dec 2nd) This will be our 1st Disney cruise so we thought we would start out slow to see if our DGD (3 soon to be 4) could handle cruising. I have gained 15 lbs just hearing you describe the food and seeing the pictures.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Thanks for sticking around!! With Thursday posted, I have Friday, Saturday and Sunday to post. That will finish up the TR. I hope to get "Friday" posted some time this weekend!! The closer I get to the end of this TR, the more pressure I feel to rebook a cruise so it doesn't feel truly over!!

Hey neighbor, it's Monday!! Where have you been.

Say, if you want to book another cruise, there's always Spring Break!!

Looking forward to more!

 

[JDBlair]

As I read your report I get more and more excited about our little 3 day cruise. (Nov 29th til Dec 2nd) This will be our 1st Disney cruise so we thought we would start out slow to see if our DGD (3 soon to be 4) could handle cruising. I have gained 15 lbs just hearing you describe the food and seeing the pictures.

Thank you for reading!!! You are going to have an amazing time on the cruise. I sure wish I had a cruise to look forward to right now!! I think your DGD is the perfect age to go. If she's anything like my DD, she's going to love that Mickey slide! As far as the weight gain goes, you're in good company!

Hey neighbor, it's Monday!! Where have you been.

Say, if you want to book another cruise, there's always Spring Break!!

Looking forward to more!

Unfortuantely, , I'm not going to be able to update this in the next week. My grandmother passed away last night and I am leaving today for the funeral. I promise to update this TR when I return home!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

So sorry for your loss.

Don't let us DISers rush you. Take your time. We'll still be here.

 

[reigle4]

You and your family will be in my prayers. Have a safe trip.

 

[JDBlair]

So sorry for your loss.

Don't let us DISers rush you. Take your time. We'll still be here.

You and your family will be in my prayers. Have a safe trip.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I am home now. I'll probably start working on "Friday" now!

 

[MiaSRN62]

Jac ~
You're doing a supurb job with the TR I am thoroughly enjoying it.

I also wanted to add my condolences on the loss of your grandmother. Prayers to your family.

 

[JDBlair]

A great tip learned on the DIS is to order breakfast for room service on port days. Knowing how popular Castaway Cay is and how short of a visit you have on this island, I knew the restaurants would be insanity. So before bed on Thursday, I filled out our room service card and put it on the door. Bright and early Friday, we were greeted with breakfast in bed – kind of!

We hadn’t pulled in to Castaway Cay yet so we took our time eating and preparing for the day. DS was scheduled for the Wild Side excursion and needed to meet his group at 9. Right before 9, I could feel the ship slowing down and told DH we should rush up on deck to watch us pull in to CC. So, that is what DD, DH and I did. Having done my research on the DIS, I knew the ship “backs in” so we found a good spot aft. We had the aft deck almost to ourselves for quite awhile. I did all I could to take in the beauty of the island.

As soon as the ship lined up with the pier, it started to turn around – that is a very neat experience!! Just as the ship completed turning around, the group that was forward all began to rush aft. I maintained my spot. You snooze, you lose!! Then I was very proud of myself for seeming to know something they didn’t know! I win!!

Before we were completely docked, we went back to the room to finish tidying up and pack our day bag. We took the elevators to Deck 2 and it was almost impossible to get out of the elevator. The crowd that had gathered was enormous. We had to weave in and out of people who were standing, sitting, laying down, you name it – they were doing it to maintain their “spot in line.” Getting through this cluster was quite a mess and at one point, a woman instructs her children to stand up and not let me through. I said, “Would you mind allowing me to get to my room? My room is over there!” She just glared at me with disbelief. I could not believe the insanity. People really LOVE this island!!

(View from our porthole!!)

DS was gone for his excursion when we made it back to the room and I forgot to remind him to put on sunscreen so I kept commenting I hope he remembered! I found his sunglasses and started to worry he didn’t remember the sunscreen if he didn’t remember his sunglasses. I didn’t believe I would be able to make it back through the massive amount of people to find him so I just hoped for the best.

When we were ready to leave the ship, we made our way out to the stairs and while the crowd was still insane, we blended right in. To our surprise, Christa and co. were just a few families behind us and I could see on Christa’s face she was not enjoying this moment on DCL! It was anything but Magical! However, it wasn’t long until we were outside and free of the masses!!!

Instantly grabbed our towels (a DIS tip not to be missed) and made our way to the Post Office. I had read the lines in the afternoon are very long so I wanted to get it done and over with. There were only a few people inside. I already had my post cards ready and cash in hand so I made my quick purchase, affixed stamps, and we were on the way.

DH, DD and I posed for a picture with the ship in the background. It is a cute photo but heart breaking DS isn’t in it. After smiling for the picture, we waited for the tram. I told DH it would be best to take the tram because I read the walk is longer than it appears. He trusted me and so we waited. DD found a little crab crawling on the road and went in to hysterics. She’s quite a tom boy until you get to bugs and things like that. The smallest fly will send her screaming bloody murder! She definitely entertained me while waiting for the tram. When she suggested someone stomp on the little crab, the little girls who had gathered to “oooo’ and “ahhh” over the crab went hysterical. Good times at the tram stop!!!

We decided to drop DD off with the club so she could dig (since she enjoyed doing this so much in St. Thomas) and we could hit up Serenity Bay. A quick stop to drop her off and we were on our way. When we arrived at Serenity Bay, the beach was a little busy but not too crazy. We rented an inner tub and a floating mat and walked about ½ ways down the beach until we found available chairs. We dropped our belongings, with tube and mat in hand, we rushed to the ocean. Ahh!!!!! Pure perfection!! Nothing gives this beach justice. Pictures, words, video clips – nothing. It truly is something you must experience for yourself and I can say that now that I have been there. We took turns floating on the mat and tube. We floated for quite a while – the only thing missing were Mai Tai’s but neither one of us wanted to leave the water to go get them! I could have really relaxed and dozed off if my Vacation ADHD hadn’t started kicking in. What is up with this problem of mine? We returned for the chairs to pull them to the ocean and sit in those. That was fun. I was using mine as a rocking chair and then DH tipped me back so far I couldn’t pull forward again. It wasn’t long before I noticed the beach was filling up and getting louder. Since my Vacation ADHD was really starting up, the guilt of dropping DD in the club started kicking in. Here we were, in paradise, and I dumped her to play in dirt. What kind of a mother am I?? I convince DH I need to relieve my guilt by retrieving DD from the club. He’s game.

As we waited for the tram, DH and I grabbed a soda and then topped off our drinks with our rum. Yum!!! We saw a group of bicyclists approaching and I wondered, out loud, if maybe that was DS with his Wild Side group. As the group grew closer, it became obvious it was nothing but teen-agers and DH spotted DS. I’m screaming like a crazy person for DS and when he finally decides to acknowledge me, I’m already on the tram. The tram is preparing to pull away and I’m struggling to find DS’s sunglasses. As we begin to roll, I throw him the sunglasses. I had wanted to spray him down with sunscreen but it was too late. The sunglasses would have to appease my guilt in regard to DS and the missing sunscreen application and sunglasses.

We find the club eating lunch but DD is missing. The CM explains DD is in the restroom. Ah yes, but of course! CM’s tone indicated to me they were far too familiar with DD’s love of restrooms. I’m betting DD had toured at least 3 different restroom facilities during her time with the club on the island! We tell the CM we will go have lunch and retrieve DD shortly.

(My tray)

(DH's tray)

Wow! Lunch!!!! First, going in to lunch, I seriously wondered what was the big deal DCL Veterans make on the DIS. I mean, come on, it’s a BBQ! Most of us, if not all, have been to BBQ’s! Yes, BBQ food is good but I was starting to think people on the DIS had never eaten BBQ before with the way they went on and on about Cookie’s. However, now, I am now a believer. Cookie’s BBQ was amazing. My tray was loaded and no, I didn’t have anything to share with the children. It was all mine and I intended to eat it all!!! When we stopped for soda, we bumped in to Kendell! (You all remember Kendell from our breakfast in Lumiere’s before we departed the ship in St. Thomas, don’t you?) He instantly recognized us, greeted us and helped us with our drinks. He’s amazing!!!

We found a seat and set down our trays. I returned to the club, still eating lunch, to pick up DD and DH got in line for a Mai Tai – for me, not for him! Upon our return to the table, DD didn’t want to eat so I got her some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream since we were sitting right near the machine and there wasn’t a line!

There was quite a bit going on here so I may mess up the chronological order. DH tells me, at one point, I need to take DD over to see Kendell so I do and he gets her a Sprite and they pose together for a picture. We love Kendell!

DD also announces she needs to use the restroom so she leads the way to the closest one. What’s cool about her going to the restroom with the club is she knew there was this rolling “stand” under the sinks that can be pulled out that she could stand on to wash her hands. How cool is that? Later in the day, when we made another restroom visit, we pulled out the stand and women gathered around to marvel in our “discovery”!

Lunch was fabulous. I nibbled everything on my tray. It was yum-o-licious! I saved room for dessert because I had to find out what was the big deal about this chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. If there’s one thing DIS DCL Veterans know it is food. They do not lie when they say this stuff is marvelous. Yum!!! I regret I had just one cone!

With full tummies, we wandered over to the beach. Houston – we have found the masses! The beach was swarming with people. I had serious doubts about finding a seat but we not only found seats, we found seats under an umbrella!! Score. DH had wandered off to retrieve a mat and tube from the rental place. (We rented our original ones at Serenity but returned them there. We were told we could show our receipt at the family beach and recover new ones!) DH returned with mat and tube and soon all 3 of us were in the ocean, floating as far away from the masses as we could get. Amazing. You float out just a little ways and you really can’t hear the noise from the beach. Paradise found, again! We had a great time floating out there. DD had her arm floaties on and that was a big help or we would have been stuck sitting in the shallow end.

After spending some time floating in the ocean, we made our way over to the boat rental. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to rent anything because the minimum age was 5 and DD was just 3. Oh well – money saved. After looking around the shop a little, we returned to our chairs to dig in the sand. DH took the mat and floated back in the ocean. After a little digging, it was hot so DD and I splashed a bit in the shallow end.

Some dark clouds looked to threaten our day at the beach and it was about 2. I suggested to DH we make our way back to the ship so we can beat the crowd and do some packing. We rinsed in the showers, did a little shopping and made our sloooow walk back to the ship.

I say “slow” because I stopped about every 5 steps to take a picture of The Flying Dutchman. Have I mentioned how much I love the Pirates ride, the Pirates movie and Johnny Depp as Capt Jack Sparrow??? The slowness of our walk bothered DD more than DH. DH had a cigar to smoke he had purchased in St. Maarten so he didn’t mind, one bit, our leisurely walk.

Just as we hit the gangway, the rain hit. I don’t know how much it rained, I don’t know if it sent the masses in to hysterics but what I know is we didn’t get caught in it!

 

[JDBlair]

Back in our room, we went in to “work mode”. We showered, rinsed the sand off the toys and ordered room service for a snack. Playing on the beach can work up an appetite, you know!! We weren’t in the room for too long before DS popped through the door. I was happy and surprised to see him. I thought, for sure, he wouldn’t make an appearance until last call on the island. Immediately he begins questioning where we’d been all day. This line of questioning confused me because 1) we had seen him to pass off the sunglasses and 2) he hadn’t asked us all week where we’d been. Then he starts to explain he’d been looking for us. Why? He wanted to hang out with us, he answers. Excuse me? Is there salt water in my ears? I did not expect him to say he had wanted to hang out with us!!! So, I started to feel guilty that I had not made arrangements with him to meet up on the island. My plan, at the beginning of the trip, was to give him a place and time to meet us after Wild Side. However, his attitude during the week on the ship made me dismiss that idea as a bad one and I didn’t want to ruin anybody’s time on CC. So now, I struggled with confusion, guilt and frustration. Teen-agers, when someone figures them out – please PM me!!!

Thankfully, DS did not return with a sun burn! He has never burned in his entire life and when I realized he went out on the island without sunscreen, I tried to calm my nerves with that bit of information. He was a little pink, however, and exhausted. He sat on the couch to watch TV with DD and quickly slumped over – sound asleep!

DH and I packed the room rather quickly. Maintaining organization in the room during the week contributed to our ability to pack things away quickly and efficiently. It wasn’t long before we were packed and ready to leave the room and enjoy the rest of the day!

We left DS to sleep, I called in a wake up call for him so he wouldn’t miss dinner, and the 3 of us vacated the room! We went out on to deck 4 to take in the scenery. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Walked around inside and bumped in to Christa’s boys. I made them pose for a picture with the Mickey statue in front of Lumiere’s because the area was empty! Did I take a picture of my own family at this time? No! Just Christa’s boys!

Before dinner, we went to the club to return the pager and drop off a bag of candy and thank you note for the club CM’s. When I reached my hand out to turn in the pager, the CM begged us not to. She pouted and said, “We don’t get to play with Daelyn tonight?” I did not expect this at all! I thought, for sure, they’d be very happy to retrieve the pager – one less kid to worry about!! DD perked up and announced she wanted to go to the club. I did not expect this either. I really can’t/won’t argue with DD when she wants to go to the club!!! DH and I shrug at each other, I put the pager back in my bag and DD rushes in to the club. I hand over the large Ziplock bag of candy and one of the CM’s standing at the desk asks if she sees Pirate fruit snacks. I’m worrying she’s allergic or something but answer there are some Pirate fruit snacks in the bag. She screams, “Those are mine!!!” They both thanked me for the candy, they affixed a print out label on the bag and we said our “see you later”!

Dinner came too soon and we all commented to one another the “excitement” of not having left the island as scheduled. We also agreed we should have been allowed to stay outside on the island since we were still there! A little before dinner, an announcement was made over the intercom that there had been a medical emergency and we were waiting for the Coast Guard helicopter to arrive and retrieve the injured. Christa and her DH explain there had been a jet skiing accident near the rocks and perhaps that is what was keeping us. (Much later, we learned through a news article that a man had a heart attack on the beach and had to be rescued. No word on what happened with the jet ski injury)! One would think the mood at dinner would have been somber being our last night. It was actually a good time. Everyone was happy, a little sad but nobody seemed to let that get in the way of enjoying our time together. There were no good-byes at dinner because we’d see each other for breakfast!

DH, DS and I went to the shops in search of a souvenir for DS. My kids are very good about not asking for things in stores. We took them to Disneyland last year and I practically had to force the children to pick out souvenirs! We roamed around the shops a bit but didn’t really come up with anything. I told DS we could always look at the Disney Store in the airport and he was content with that. It was during this roaming time that DH said he wanted to get me a present for planning us such an amazing vacation. Just him saying those words to me was present enough. Nothing really grabbed my attention in the stores. I had already purchased the photo album and key chain I wanted. I asked if we could check out the Disney Store in the airport later and he said that was fine.

We didn’t retrieve DD for the show and instead went without her. Our favorite part of “Remember the Magic” was Michael Harrison, the ventriloquist we had seen the night before in Rockin’ Bar D!!! When Michael took the stage, DH and I were screaming and clapping so loud - we knew we were in for a great show!!! DS thought we’d lost our minds! It didn’t take long for DS to understand what we were so excited about as all three of us were laughing so hard there were tears rolling down our cheeks. Michael Harrison does this bit where he picks a child from the audience to be his “dummy”. He puts a silly mask and hilarious accessories on the “dummy”. Then he makes the “dummy” talk and it is “wet your pants” funny!!!!

After the show, we parted ways with DS – he had Stack business to tend to. DH and I returned to the room to wrap up the packing and set the bags out for pick up. I refused to allow myself to think about the cruise being over. I think 7 days for a cruise is a perfect number. While 10 days may be better, 7 days was enough to make me happy!

Before we knew it, it was time to officially turn the pager in and collect DD to attend ‘Til We Meet Again. The club was pretty empty. I had to wonder if many families were locked up in their staterooms going through the packing frenzy. Thanks to the DIS, I knew to plan ahead and shorten some activities in order to participate in more activities by getting the packing done sooner rather than later!!

‘Til We Meet Again is fun in that it’s not attended by a huge mass of people. But enough of the “right” people attend that it can make you crazy. Ever hear the expression, “The Freaks Come Out at Night”? While we waited for the show to begin, DD and I were near the ropes at the stairs on deck 3 – we were to the left of the Mickey statue if you are looking at it dead on. (DH stayed at the back, along he wall – he didn’t want to be in the “thick of things”) It never ceases to amaze me that tall, grown adults will stoop to the level of a toddler to get front and center. Never mind that in their quest for this position, they actually block the view of an actual toddler. 2 grown men took advantage of the small space between me and DD and squeezed themselves right in. What is wrong with people? Then when the characters appear and spread out in to the crowd, it’s like the piñata at a children’s party has exploded and it’s a mad scramble!!! DD rushed to the Princesses – her beloved favorites. In this scramble, DD was shoved out of the way more than once by an adult in a frenzy to have their photo taken with the object of their desire. I have to say, the children behaved better with this craziness than some of these adults did. We left the insanity on the 3rd deck and went up to deck 4. DD had her picture taken with Chip and Dale and then wanted to rush over to see Peter Pan. The line for Peter Pan was rather long and the Character Scramble was coming to a close. The announcer was calling for the characters to return when DD made it to the front of the Peter Pan line. Peter Pan motioned for DD to hurry and she rushed up and had her picture taken but it’s blurry – I tried to hurry too!

DH had reserved us a spot overlooking deck 3 for the final farewell. We joined him and then another woman decided to join us. She stood with half of her body in front of mine and elbow in front of my face while she took pictures. I looked at DH and told him I was officially ready for this vacation to be over. I don’t recommend missing ‘Til We Meet Again but I do recommend coming in your football gear – you’re going to need it!!!

It was off to bed for the 3 of us. Morning would come too soon. Vacation time was almost over.

 

[Jillpie]

Once again, a fantastic report. But I am SO sad it is over. I have really, really enjoyed your way of writing and completely relating to everything you said! thanks and also, I am so sorry for your loss. You have a wonderful family.

 

[jerry112]

Absolutely loved, loved your T.R. It brought back so many memories of our first Disney cruise back in 2004. We've since been on 3 others, but nothing beats the "magic" of the first.

Glad your family had such a great time!

 

[Jennifer48]

I'm enjoying your trip report!

I hear ya about the Till We Meet Again show. I was originally on deck 3, perfect spot right in front of the ropes before people started showing up. As soon as the characters came out I got pushed forward and almost took out the rope stand! I decided to head up to deck 4 and watch from up there. No one in front of me and I got some nice shots.

Thanks for sharing your vacation experience

 

[JLSE50]

Sorry about your Grandma.

Great report. Thanks for sharing. Lovely photos!
Nice to relive the cruise we were also on from the experiences of a family with kids.

Jan