Dream, Mar 20-24, 2011 (day 3 with pics, updated 05/09)

[lenshanem]

Another thank you for the review on the Edge. I have been worrying my daughter won't have as much fun as her younger sister who will be in the Lab. What time was the Ice Breakers? Was it after the later show???

 

[magicron]

Day 3- Castaway Cay
We began the day by going to Enchanted Garden for breakfast. We wanted to check out one of the other options besides Cabanas. I misunderstood, thinking that EG was offering a buffet breakfast. Instead, it was ‘order from the menu’. I believe it was actually RP that was offering a buffet. Check your Navigator or ask your server to clarify which is which. Regardless, it was nice to sit by the window in a relatively quiet and somewhat empty dining room, and be waited on for breakfast. Our main issue was that three of us were planning to run the 5K on CC. So, we really just wanted a quick, light meal. I ordered some oatmeal, while others had a pastry, some fruit, and orange juice.

Our last visit to Castaway Cay was March 2009. That day was somewhat cool and breezy: if I remember correctly temperatures then were in the low 70s, and it was breezy. In fact, most of the water sport excursions were canceled for the day. Nonetheless we still had a great time enjoying the beach, and even though swimming and snorkeling were a little cold, we still enjoyed it.

This time the weather was absolutely gorgeous. The winds were calm and the sea was as smooth as glass, and the temperature probably was low to mid 80s. The water was a little chilly at first, but we got used to it quickly and swam and snorkeled.

The 5k run met up just before 9:00 am by the bike rental station, a good distance from the ship, near the middle of the family beach. We stopped by the family beach on the way and claimed our spot for the day. At that time of day, we had our choice of places so we staked out a nice spot with an umbrella, lounge chairs, and small sitting chairs directly in front of the lounge chairs.

I’m guessing about 50 people participated in the 5k run, which started from the bike rental, went to the runway, then around the bike loop, up to Serenity Bay via the runway, back down the runway, around the bike loop one more time, then back to the bike rental shop. There are no prizes, awards, certificates, etc. So you can run as fast or slow as you wish, walk, or even cut out part of the course to suit your ability.

After the run, I went to our spot on the beach, while DW and DD15 went back to the ship to clean up, and bring DD11 out to CC. We left DD11 on the ship, thinking she could spend some time at the pool, and ride the Aquaduck. Problem was the Aquaduck did not open until 11:00. So, DD11 had about an hour to herself at the pool, and then stayed in the room for about another hour while DW and DD15 cleaned up. So, it turned out not to be the most efficient use of DD11’s time. In hindsight, it probably would have been better for DD11 to go to our spot at the beach while we ran the 5k, so she wouldn’t have been stranded on the ship. The good news is that they don’t let minors off the ship by themselves, so we didn’t have to be concerned about her leaving the ship without our knowledge.

We basically sat at the beach most of the day. The kids took some time to see what their clubs were doing at CC. They also played on the rope playground out in the water, and we went snorkeling. The water was warm enough so as not to feel uncomfortable. I saw very few fish while snorkeling; instead there are various objects to find on the bottom. I didn’t go out too far into the water, maybe half way out, due to some malfunctioning of DD11’s snorkeling equipment (we brought our own).

Lunch at Cookies was a breeze. I think we went about 12:30, and there was no line. My recollection is that it closes at 2:00, and as a result the self-serve, soft-serve ice cream stations start shutting down then, also. So, don’t wait until 3:00, thinking you’re going to be able to get a snack or soda. DW and I walked out to Serenity Bay just to see what it was like. It was not crowded at all, and certainly looked to be a very peaceful place to hang out. I noticed that a few people took their chairs out on to a sandbar several feet out from the beach.

Around 3:30, we were ready head back to the ship, stopping on the way to buy some t-shirts, and take a few pictures. We spent about an hour on decks 11 and 12 stopping for ice cream and sat in the sun before going back to the room to get cleaned up for dinner.

Tonight was pirate night. In 2009, on the Magic, we dressed up. This time we did not. Either way, I think there are enough others doing the same that you wouldn’t feel out of place, either way. And, the ship provides bandanas in the stateroom, that you can always wear to dinner. Dinner tonight was at AP. Very nice continuous stream of various Caribbean and pirate drawings displayed on the screens during dinner. Service was very good tonight; our servers have our routine down by now. I don’t believe we ever saw our head waiter tonight, as well as the next night. No issue though, Constantine and Gustavo were able to take care of us.

After dinner we stopped by souvenir shops, and went to see tonight’s show featuring Jeff Civillico, a funny juggler. It was a great family show, with a lot of laughs and impossible feats of juggling and balance. I think this show provides a nice break in style from the other shows during the week.
Following the show, we went up to deck 12 to get a spot for Pirate night. It was a nice night, with calm seas. Even though it’s still relatively warm, there is a bit of a breeze on deck 12, so bring a jacket or sweater.

Following the pirate party the kids went to their clubs for a bit while DW and I checked out the buffet in Cabanas. Again, the traffic flow in Cabanas is a bit confusing. The entrance was actually at the front of the line (end of the buffet), so we were swimming upstream to get to the end of the line. The other issue is that there is a Crepes station near the middle of the line. Crepes are practically made to order, so there’s a wait. As a result there’s a rather awkward feeling of deciding whether or not to bypass the folks waiting for crepes, moving instead to other items after that. Even so, some folks come in from the front, and then cut into the line at the end to get what they want. It seems they could have one-way in, and one-way out, and put the crepes at the end of the line. That way you could work down the line, and exit if you don’t want to wait for crepes. Not a huge deal, but just a bit inefficient and awkward to have folks cutting in and out of the line.

After the pirate party, I believe the kids rode the Aquaduck a few times, before going to their clubs since the line was relatively short.

We stopped by Shutters to check out pictures taking during the day, sorting and discarding our pictures in preparation for purchasing tomorrow. That was about it for the night; we all got back to the cabin around midnight.

Tomorrow is our day at sea, with nothing planned but sitting by the pool.

View of CC from Deck 12

Pictures in Animators

Jeff Civillico balancing ladder on chin

Our server, Constantine

 

[Brancaneve]

I like your soapbox.
Can you tell me how people are dressing for the optional formal night? Are most "dressed up?" Are men wearing suits and ties? Our 3rd Disney cruise is coming up and I keep trying to remind myself how casual the dress is. Is that true for the Dream?

 

[magicron]

I wore a sport coat and tie. If I remember correctly, you see about everything from casual (dockers and short sleeve shirts) to suit/tie. I think much depends on those who want to get formal pics taken that night.