I'll have to check the timestamp on the photos, but if I remember correctly, it would have been about 10:30-11:00am when I took those pictures - maybe a little later.
Disney Dream 3-Day Cruise 5/26 - Longtime DVCers/First time Cruisers
- Thread starter tedhowe
- Start date
I'll have to check the timestamp on the photos, but if I remember correctly, it would have been about 10:30-11:00am when I took those pictures - maybe a little later.
jerseygal
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2008
- Messages
- 7,581
YOUR TRIP REPORT IS GREAT! 
LOVE READING IT!
At the DVC Member Reception, only Mimosas? Anything else give out?
What deck is the DVC Member Reception at?
Am I correct, other than Cabanas for breakfast, you can choose to eat in one of the Dining Rooms? Which one serves full breakfast?
Much thanks!!!!!!!!!
LOVE READING IT!At the DVC Member Reception, only Mimosas? Anything else give out?
What deck is the DVC Member Reception at?
Am I correct, other than Cabanas for breakfast, you can choose to eat in one of the Dining Rooms? Which one serves full breakfast?
Much thanks!!!!!!!!!
At the DVC Member Reception, only Mimosas? Anything else give out?
What deck is the DVC Member Reception at?
Am I correct, other than Cabanas for breakfast, you can choose to eat in one of the Dining Rooms? Which one serves full breakfast?
Much thanks!!!!!!!!!
The only drinks they gave out were mimosas. Everyone got a DVC hat and reusable bag.
There is breakfast at the other restaurants. We ate at Enchanted Garden on Castaway Cay day... They have a buffet, but you can also order full breakfast. Debarkation day has assigned restaurants and times for breakfast with a full menu you can ord off of.
More details on Castaway Cay to come in the next part (hopefully tonight)
Ted
FirstTimeDC
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2004
- Messages
- 294
I'm in...love your report!
CC197823
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2009
- Messages
- 198
Great TR. Enjoying it. Congrats on being picked as the "Magical Family" that must have been a nice surprise. I am also glad to hear you found bathing suits, I believe I saw your post on the boards before your cruise about where to go to purchase one.
The day that we had all really been looking forward too dawned clear and calm.
Since Kathy had gone exploring the day before, she recommended that I do the same this morning. I thought it was a great idea. I made my way up to deck 13 and went all the way forward... there were a couple of other folks up on the deck, but it was very quiet and very beautiful.
I took a couple of photos:
I'm the King of the World!
The sunrise was amazing.
In fact, the sunrise was so amazing, that I had to go back down to the room and get everyone to come up on deck with me so the girls could see it.
All four of us went up to the far forward edge of Deck 13 and enjoyed the view... seeing Castaway Cay start to come into sight.
I got a cute shot of Joy peeking out from behind a pole on the deck
After spending a while on deck, we decided to get going. We stopped back by the room to change into swimsuits and grab our day bag and then headed to Enchanted Garden for breakfast. The girls and I took advantage of the buffet, while Kathy ordered a omelette.
The breakfast was good and we were finished just in time to hear the all ashore announcement over the ships speakers. We headed down to the gangway and stepped on to Castaway Cay. (Yay!).
We grabbed towels as we left and one the walk down the pier, I stopped and got the first really clear shot of the Dream in all her glory.
We found a good spot on the family beach were the trees were giving our seats shade in the morning and we were right under one of the beach umbrellas so that we'd still have shade when the sun was high in the sky.
We headed to the water to check it out. It was clear and cool, but not cold. Very pleasant to be in.
After a few minutes, we decided to take advantage of our Magical Family benefit and headed over to the shack to pick up our snorkel equipment.
Now Grace can swim, but she's not really confident yet, and Joy is not quite at the point of swimming yet, so we weren't sure exactly how this would go.
After we all got our gear on and spent a little time in the shallows, the girls were actually a little freaked out by the fact that there were fish visibly swimming with us in the water. They were doing okay, but were not confident. Kathy decided to head out into the deeper water by herself while I stayed with the girls in the shallows.
After about 20 minutes Kathy came back in and we changed places. The girls were starting to get more comfortable, but they didn't want to try going out very far yet.
I had never snorkeled before (other than at Shark Reef in Typhoon Lagoon) so I took a couple of minutes to get acquainted and once I was comfortable, I kicked off and made my way out to see the sights that Disney had sunken below the surface of the lagoon.
If you've never done it, I recommend renting the snorkel gear at Castaway Cay and taking the time out of your day. It was exhilarating and relaxing and the same time. And the further out I went, the more fun I had. At one point, I saw a school of fish swim by, glinting in the sunlight that was shining down from the surface and I could have sworn that I was in Finding Nemo.
I made my way back to the beach and everyone was ready to get out of the water for a while. It was getting close to lunch time, so we went off in search of the bathrooms and then followed the smell to Cookies BBQ.
The lunch spread was very tasty and we really liked the large slices of fresh fruit that was available - the pineapple and especially the mango were delicious.
Joy enjoying a yummy slice of pineapple.
While we finished up lunch, Grace went and watched the crab races at a nearby gazebo... unfortunately the crab named Justin Bieber didn't get out of his heat, so she was quickly back with us.
To top lunch off, we went to the soft serve machine where our server from dinner, Joselito, was helping folks out... Except that he wasn't "Joselito"... instead he was "Matthew" from India. He had forgotten his name tag on the ship and had to borrow one from someone backstage since he was out with guests. The girls found this very funny (as did we) and they delighted in calling him "Matthew" for the rest of the cruise. I for one said that we could no longer trust that his name really was Joselito and more so I just decided to call him Bill.
After lunch, the girls wanted to try Pelican Plunge, and Kathy wanted to take a bike ride, so she went off and I took the girls to the other side of the family beach. Kathy rode out to the observation tower and all around and she got some great photos of the island and the ship.
Here are several of them.
For the other three of us, Pelican Plunge was a lot of fun... something about a water slide into salt water was a lot of fun. After trying out both of the slides, we headed off the beach and hung out for a little while at Sprung a Leak while we waited for Kathy to come back.
Once we were all reunited, it was time to head back for the Castaway Rays adventure. We made our way back, checked in and headed to the briefing area for the Stingray encounter.
Joy was nervous at first and didn't even want to come in to the feeding station, but after she saw the stingrays and that no one else was afraid, she made her way in and had a blast feeding the rays, and ultimately decided to come in and snorkel more.
The girls were both much more relaxed than they had been in the morning with the snorkeling (I think it was a great idea to get some practice in the morning with the other snorkeling before the stingray encounter.)
Joy stayed with Kathy and Grace stayed with me and we went around in pairs. Grace was very comfortable, and her fear of deep water disappeared as we followed the rays out to the edge of the lagoon. It was really beautiful to see how the rays move underwater - almost like they are flying. We also saw a couple of large starfish on the bottom near the fence.
Eventually, we made our way back in... fighting the tide as we went.
Kathy snapped a couple of pictures as Grace and I were making it to shore.
Joy was not this red in real life (the vivid mode on the camera had been left on) but she and I did get some sunburn this day... we spent so much time in the water that we didn't reapply sunscreen enough.
After the stingray adventure, we headed back to the beach again, while the others sought out restrooms, I stopped by the float rental place to pick up the final part of our free treats - floats for all of us. At this point (about 3:30PM) there was no longer a cast member manning the station with the floats, so I just helped myself. I must have been a sight to see, as I managed to carry our day bag, four bags of snorkel gear, and four large inner tubes back to our chairs.
We didn't have much time, but we took the tubes into the water and floated for about 20 minutes or so, and then it was finally time to call it a day on Castaway Cay. We packed up our stuff and made our way back to the tram stop and then to the ship.
On the walk back, I caught my favorite view of the ship from the whole trip and took this picture.
And then I got a good closeup of the stern of the ship with Sorcerer Mickey and the painting broomsticks.
Finally, my last photo from Castaway Cay itself a was a shot up from the pier to the Aquaduck with someone moving through it. A bit of an unusual perspective on the duck in action.
So that was all on Castaway Cay... what a fabulous, truly memorable day. I don't know how we could do so much and still have it feel so relaxing, but that's the way the day felt. The physical activity, strong sunshine, and I suppose the tropical drinks, all took their toll and I was exhausted after dinner, but that will have to be a story for the next part - Day Four (part two): A final night that none of us wanted to end.
Ted
Since Kathy had gone exploring the day before, she recommended that I do the same this morning. I thought it was a great idea. I made my way up to deck 13 and went all the way forward... there were a couple of other folks up on the deck, but it was very quiet and very beautiful.
I took a couple of photos:
I'm the King of the World!
The sunrise was amazing.
In fact, the sunrise was so amazing, that I had to go back down to the room and get everyone to come up on deck with me so the girls could see it.
All four of us went up to the far forward edge of Deck 13 and enjoyed the view... seeing Castaway Cay start to come into sight.
I got a cute shot of Joy peeking out from behind a pole on the deck
After spending a while on deck, we decided to get going. We stopped back by the room to change into swimsuits and grab our day bag and then headed to Enchanted Garden for breakfast. The girls and I took advantage of the buffet, while Kathy ordered a omelette.
The breakfast was good and we were finished just in time to hear the all ashore announcement over the ships speakers. We headed down to the gangway and stepped on to Castaway Cay. (Yay!).
We grabbed towels as we left and one the walk down the pier, I stopped and got the first really clear shot of the Dream in all her glory.
We found a good spot on the family beach were the trees were giving our seats shade in the morning and we were right under one of the beach umbrellas so that we'd still have shade when the sun was high in the sky.
We headed to the water to check it out. It was clear and cool, but not cold. Very pleasant to be in.
After a few minutes, we decided to take advantage of our Magical Family benefit and headed over to the shack to pick up our snorkel equipment.
Now Grace can swim, but she's not really confident yet, and Joy is not quite at the point of swimming yet, so we weren't sure exactly how this would go.
After we all got our gear on and spent a little time in the shallows, the girls were actually a little freaked out by the fact that there were fish visibly swimming with us in the water. They were doing okay, but were not confident. Kathy decided to head out into the deeper water by herself while I stayed with the girls in the shallows.
After about 20 minutes Kathy came back in and we changed places. The girls were starting to get more comfortable, but they didn't want to try going out very far yet.
I had never snorkeled before (other than at Shark Reef in Typhoon Lagoon) so I took a couple of minutes to get acquainted and once I was comfortable, I kicked off and made my way out to see the sights that Disney had sunken below the surface of the lagoon.
If you've never done it, I recommend renting the snorkel gear at Castaway Cay and taking the time out of your day. It was exhilarating and relaxing and the same time. And the further out I went, the more fun I had. At one point, I saw a school of fish swim by, glinting in the sunlight that was shining down from the surface and I could have sworn that I was in Finding Nemo.
I made my way back to the beach and everyone was ready to get out of the water for a while. It was getting close to lunch time, so we went off in search of the bathrooms and then followed the smell to Cookies BBQ.
The lunch spread was very tasty and we really liked the large slices of fresh fruit that was available - the pineapple and especially the mango were delicious.
Joy enjoying a yummy slice of pineapple.
While we finished up lunch, Grace went and watched the crab races at a nearby gazebo... unfortunately the crab named Justin Bieber didn't get out of his heat, so she was quickly back with us.
To top lunch off, we went to the soft serve machine where our server from dinner, Joselito, was helping folks out... Except that he wasn't "Joselito"... instead he was "Matthew" from India. He had forgotten his name tag on the ship and had to borrow one from someone backstage since he was out with guests. The girls found this very funny (as did we) and they delighted in calling him "Matthew" for the rest of the cruise. I for one said that we could no longer trust that his name really was Joselito and more so I just decided to call him Bill.
After lunch, the girls wanted to try Pelican Plunge, and Kathy wanted to take a bike ride, so she went off and I took the girls to the other side of the family beach. Kathy rode out to the observation tower and all around and she got some great photos of the island and the ship.
Here are several of them.
For the other three of us, Pelican Plunge was a lot of fun... something about a water slide into salt water was a lot of fun. After trying out both of the slides, we headed off the beach and hung out for a little while at Sprung a Leak while we waited for Kathy to come back.
Once we were all reunited, it was time to head back for the Castaway Rays adventure. We made our way back, checked in and headed to the briefing area for the Stingray encounter.
Joy was nervous at first and didn't even want to come in to the feeding station, but after she saw the stingrays and that no one else was afraid, she made her way in and had a blast feeding the rays, and ultimately decided to come in and snorkel more.
The girls were both much more relaxed than they had been in the morning with the snorkeling (I think it was a great idea to get some practice in the morning with the other snorkeling before the stingray encounter.)
Joy stayed with Kathy and Grace stayed with me and we went around in pairs. Grace was very comfortable, and her fear of deep water disappeared as we followed the rays out to the edge of the lagoon. It was really beautiful to see how the rays move underwater - almost like they are flying. We also saw a couple of large starfish on the bottom near the fence.
Eventually, we made our way back in... fighting the tide as we went.
Kathy snapped a couple of pictures as Grace and I were making it to shore.
Joy was not this red in real life (the vivid mode on the camera had been left on) but she and I did get some sunburn this day... we spent so much time in the water that we didn't reapply sunscreen enough.
After the stingray adventure, we headed back to the beach again, while the others sought out restrooms, I stopped by the float rental place to pick up the final part of our free treats - floats for all of us. At this point (about 3:30PM) there was no longer a cast member manning the station with the floats, so I just helped myself. I must have been a sight to see, as I managed to carry our day bag, four bags of snorkel gear, and four large inner tubes back to our chairs.
We didn't have much time, but we took the tubes into the water and floated for about 20 minutes or so, and then it was finally time to call it a day on Castaway Cay. We packed up our stuff and made our way back to the tram stop and then to the ship.
On the walk back, I caught my favorite view of the ship from the whole trip and took this picture.
And then I got a good closeup of the stern of the ship with Sorcerer Mickey and the painting broomsticks.
Finally, my last photo from Castaway Cay itself a was a shot up from the pier to the Aquaduck with someone moving through it. A bit of an unusual perspective on the duck in action.
So that was all on Castaway Cay... what a fabulous, truly memorable day. I don't know how we could do so much and still have it feel so relaxing, but that's the way the day felt. The physical activity, strong sunshine, and I suppose the tropical drinks, all took their toll and I was exhausted after dinner, but that will have to be a story for the next part - Day Four (part two): A final night that none of us wanted to end.
Ted
jerseygal
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2008
- Messages
- 7,581
I love your pictures!
My favorite is The Dream from "afar' on Castaway Cay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This one is getting my very excited for our trip! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!
My favorite is The Dream from "afar' on Castaway Cay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This one is getting my very excited for our trip! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!
disneychic
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2001
- Messages
- 2,606
Loving the TR and the pictures! BTW, any navigators that you can post?...Pretty please!!!
I do have the navigators... I'm hoping I can scan them and post them by Monday night.
jhagan0923
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2009
- Messages
- 34
I am loving your trip reports! I can't wait to read more! We are going on our first Disney cruise in DEC and can't wait!
Zandy595
DIS Veteran<br><font color=green>The other day I f
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2000
- Messages
- 10,824
Were you able to post your navigators somewhere? I've been searching for some recent ones. The latest I've fond are from March.
blueladybug
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2011
- Messages
- 37
Loving your TR. Can't wait to read the rest.
MARY-IN-OH
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2006
- Messages
- 1,215
More!!!! I am really enjoying the report. You have a beautiful family, and the pics are terrific!
-mary
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