PoohJen
<font color=green>Willing to share a Mickey Bar?<b
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2004
- Messages
- 3,045
Day 7
The Cast: me, DH 41, DS 12 and DS 7&7; first time cruisers
Woke up early, eagerly anticipating Castaway Cay. I was surprised to find we weren't there yet when I awoke. I watched from the verandah as we sailed past a distant island (Abaco, perhaps?)I brought everyone some breakfast down from Topsiders, and lathered up the kids for a day in the Bahamian sun. We were all very excited!
We head from our rooms on Deck 5 toward Deck 1 aft, where disembarking would occur, but only made it to Deck 3, as the line had already built up (there was a rope blocking entrance to deck 1, I presume until they were ready to let everyone off the ship. It was around 9 am, and we ended up waiting for about 15 minutes.
TIP:What we packed for CC: a bottle of water, our snorkeling equipment, cameras (no, I wasn't worried about theft), including a disposable underwater camera, A FEW DOLLARS FOR STAMPS AT THE POST OFFICE, sunblock.The twins wore T-shirts that they could wear in the water, DS12 wore a "rash guard" (a boarding shirt) - no sunburns today! We all wore sports sandals - you will do some walking!
TIP: Cast members hand out beach towels as you walk down the pier after disembarking. There are plenty for everyone, so take a couple of extras if you're family is going swimming - I don't recall seeing any place to get clean towels once you are on the beach (maybe I missed it???)
The weather was perfect - sunny, warm. We disembarked, it was all the kids could do to restrain themselves from running ahead. The photographers were out on the dock, ready to take family pictures with the ship in the background.
We missed the first tram (at least, I didn't see it) and decided to keep walking to the family beach. Here's what you see: upon disembarkation, you walk to the end of the ship, with the Castaway Cay post office on your right - it's a quaint and colorful shack-type building.
Then on the left is the excursion dock for parasailing and fishing charters. These are both contracted out by DCL.
Next, past the famous Welcome to Castaway Cay sign, and the sign stating that Frances and Isabelle (hurricanes) were here! The island looked very good, some brown, but as I hadn't been there before, I don't know what it was "supposed" to look like.
Next we walked a long, narrow path, past the "Boating Harbor" and "Boat Beach" (hey DCL, time to give this Harbor and Beach a Disney-worthy name!), where kayaks, catamarans and other small craft were available for rent. It was very pretty, with all the colorful sailboats lined up on the beach by the shore. I wanted to take a cat out, but never found the time (one of the things I've saved for "next time").
We passed Scuttle's Cove on the right, past also the Cookie's BBQ dining area (large covered areas with picnic tables), and walked midway down the Family Beach on the left. We found a couple of lounge chairs (there were plenty still at this time of the morning) under an umbrella, and set up camp.
I had read that the snorkeling area gets murky quickly due to sand being kicked up, so we head for the Snorkeling Lagoon first. I had purchased DH and I snorkeling equipment for about $30 each at basspro.com, and we were both happy with the quality. I had purchased cheap sets for the children at walmart and they enjoyed playing in the pool with them all summer. The lifeguards supplied life vests (no charge) for everyone.
Unfortunately, the water was pretty chilly, and after 10 minutes we let the twins "give up". DH dropped them off at Scuttle's Cove (where the kids' Club spends the day) while DS (who by now had hooked up with a couple of other boys) and I continued to explore the lagoon.
I swam through schools of fish, chased after more colorful, less common fish with my underwater disposable camera, and searched for the ultimate Hidden Mickey. Long story short (I know, how unlike me!), Mickey had been removed for cleaning several weeks before, according to the lifeguard. I forgot to ask about the Nauticus (one of the old subs from the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction) which supposedly had been submerged there - I never came across it.
I was out pretty far at this point - what a long haul back! I swam up to DS12, as he needed to get in for his parasailing excursion. I gave him my fins to help him along. We met up with DH who had snorkeled a little, and the 3 of us dried off and headed to the charter dock for the parasailing excursion.
TIP: actually, an observation: it turns out to have been a good thing that our snorkeling excursion had been cancelled in St. Maarten - I don't think the twins would've had the stamina to snorkel for very long, and I think they would've needed much assistance. When we cruise again in 2 years, they will be that much stronger.
DH and DS12 had a 10:30 parasailing excursion, so I walked to the dock with them to see them off (I have done it before, love it, but at $75 a shot, I thought I'd pass this time around). Our DisFriends from KY were also on that excursion. DS didn't meet the minimum weight, so he and our DisFriends' young daughter decided to tandem together. DH, who is afraid of heights, LOVED parasailing! I knew he would!
TIP: Try something new when you are on the cruise!!! Who knows when another opportunity will present itself!!!
After seeing my fearless parasailers off, I explored a little. The postoffice was empty at this point, so I purchased some stamps. They came in 2 denominations, I thinnk 45 cents and 55 cents, depending on the size postcards. I hadn't purchased my postcards yet (and wasn't sending too many), so to be safe I just bought the extra postage type. Postcards are supposed to take 2-3 weeks to arrive in the States from CC; it's now 3 weeks later, and I'm still waiting! (that's ok, it'll be a fun surprise when it comes!) Thus...
TIP: send yourself/your children a postcard from CC for a happy little reminder after the cruise!
I wandered around, taking pictures of the island and the ship. Next I hit the souvenier shop, still not too crowded. I picked up some postcards and the clerk gave me a pen. Later I went back and bought some Castaway Cay pins and a towel. You can send your purchases to the ship (they are not sent directly to your room) where you can pick them up later, but I didn't have much and so passed on this option.
I passed by the twins who were already at Cookie's eating lunch with the rest of the children in the Club. I stopped to check on them - they were having fun! It was about 11:15. I decided I was hungry and got my lunch - bbq ribs, corn on the cob, banana bread, a bag of chips. The ribs and banana bread were great! Chicken, burgers, hot dogs and lobster burgers were also offered. The "lobster burgers" were like a crab cake texture - Tasty nonetheless (this from a non-seafood eater!) There were several drink stations, where you could get sodas, etc. (there was also a bar, but...yet another thing I've saved for "next time"). I sat down at a picnic table (they are in several large covered areas) and began to write my postcards. Wawan, our assistant server from the ship, stopped by to say hello to me (how nice!) and ask where all the boys were.
Time to meet my fearless parasailers! Perfect timing, they were just leaving the dock as I arrived. We went to Cookie's for lunch (yes, I ate again!) - the lines were much longer this time, but really, the wait isn't long at all. DS12 ran off to join his friends at the Lab (later he decided to spend most of his time at the game pavillion, playing billiards and ping pong - he had a great time!) DH took a nap in a hammock - his version of paradise!
I picked up the twins from the Club and we grabbed some soft-serve ice cream cones (mmm, cookie dough soft serve). Earlier I had seen Sasha - the famous Sasha from Palo's - manning the ice cream machines. He had joked last night that he'd be out there kicking the machine and, well, yeah - he was! lol
The twins hit the water after that, making their way to the playground in the middle of the swimming lagoon. It was propbably 2:30 or so at this point, and people were abandoning their floats. A woman gave her float to my son, who was very appreciative! The twins loved the water playground, which is bridges and ropes. DH joined them out there. I scanned the beach and was amazed at how MOBBED it was - face it, CC gets VERY CROWDED. Certainly some areas are more dense with bodies than others, so you can try to find your own quiet spot further up the beach. And, of course, there's Serenity Bay...another thing for "next time"!
The last night there is show with all the kids in the Clubs/Labs. Rehearsal was set for 4pm on the ship, so we called it a day around 3-3:30. We had really packed alot of fun into this day already! I noticed the shops and post office were fairly crowded at this time of day. I was glad to have taken care of all that earlier. I just dropped my cards in a slot at the post office as we head back to the ship.
We ordered a room service snack (we loved the All Hands On Deck platter) while we cleaned up - it came very quickly. While the kids were at their rehearsal, I went to the top deck to walk around and shoot some pictures of both the island and the ship. The deck was deserted!!!! And as much as I love my 35mm camera, I have to say my digital pics came out just as nice (except for very-low light pictures).
At 5pm we saw the childrens' show - "Celebrate the Journey". They bring ALL the children onto the stage at the Walt Disney Theatre for a "graduation ceremony". Each child gets a free t-shirt and mickey ears, and a slide show is presented, with pictures of all the kids through out the week - very cute!
Time for our last dinner on the Magic. Tonight was the "Best Of" menu, we were eating at Parrot Cay. We paid our tips and said goodbye to our terrific serving team.
TIP: I had charged my tips to my shipboard account the day before.
After dinner I set out to pack, while DH took the twins to see The Incredibles again (you may recall from Day 4 that one twin didn't want to see it; well, he changed his mind after hearing the reviews and loved it!). Packing took me a very long time (it didn't help that we had stuff spread over two different rooms!) I set out as much luggage as I could outside our room, but I needed to be organized because we would be driving 12+ hours the next day, and would need access to certain things.
TIP: you can watch the disembarkation talk on your stateroom tv while you pack, rather than go to it in person at 4:30.
Oh yes, forgot about Shutters. MOBBED. I knew to try to take care of this earlier in the week, but really didn't have any good pics (very hard to get all 3 boys smiling at the same time, it seemed). I ordered Christmas cards from one of the photographer's shots. I didn't realize you had to order the 8X10 of the shot too ($20)!
I had really wanted to go to Pub Night, which I had read on these boards was a kind of British comedy skits by the cruise staff. When we got there they were doing sing-alongs (which I do find fun, but I was much too tired!) so we got the kids and called it a week.
LOL - almost forgot: tonight was SUPPOSED to be our Palo's night, but we had switched it at the last minute to join our friends the evening before. Our very friendly hostess Corine knew this, but went ahead and gave us the special (REAS) turndown tonight anyway - kissing swan towel animals in the shape of a heart, with hundreds of rose petals strewn across the bed. Very sweet!
Might as well add disembarkation here: breakfast for us was at 6:45; we got there a bit late (who knew DH wanted a sit down breakfast?!!! I thought we'd grab continental at Topsiders). Ran back up for teeth brushing and final touches on packing. Now, here comes my biggest tip: KNOW HOW MANY BAGS YOU ARE LEAVING WITH!!! This means both luggage set out the night before and carryons as you disembark. When you meet up with your checked luggage, it might not all be immediately together - you'll want to remember what you had. Also, after leaving the room for one last time we hit shutters to pick up our Christmas card pics (again, LONG line!). The kids and DH waited out in the hall. When we finally met our luggage, DH asks where the black carry on is.
OY.
Here's how this went: the luggage tags they give you for disembarking have a space to write how many bags total you have. We had them all, so our favorite black carryon (the same generic American Tourister pullman every other cruiser was hauling) must've been left in the room. Lost and Found calls up to the room. No bag. She calls some other places. No stray bag. Ok, DH takes the kids out of the terminal and thru customs, to meet his parents. I return to the ship to retrace our steps. No bag. Back to lost and found, where a staff person helps me check through all the luggage laying there in the terminal. She asks "are you sure you brought that bag?" Well, you know what, the more I thought about it, the more I wasn't sure. Then I realized we had left it at DMIL's with our dirty travelling clothes!!!
How embarrassing. I filled out a form just in case, and was told to call a number if I found it.
Luckily, it was at DMIL's. I called and left a message w/ DCL. We shared our pictures (on my laptop) with DH's parents, and some video footage (lucky them! lol) before heading out on our long journey home. Next stop: Arby's drive through, where we paid $30 for 5 pressed meat sandwiches and some Cokes.
WAHHHH! I missed my ship, my servers, my extravagant nightly menus!!!! Reality can be so harsh.
Thanks for reading and sharing my vacation with me. Overall, we had a wonderful time, and look forward to sailing again in 2006. I think I'll do a short summary of the trip and tips. Meanwhile, any questions, just ask (or PM) me, I'd love to help!
The Cast: me, DH 41, DS 12 and DS 7&7; first time cruisers
Woke up early, eagerly anticipating Castaway Cay. I was surprised to find we weren't there yet when I awoke. I watched from the verandah as we sailed past a distant island (Abaco, perhaps?)I brought everyone some breakfast down from Topsiders, and lathered up the kids for a day in the Bahamian sun. We were all very excited!
We head from our rooms on Deck 5 toward Deck 1 aft, where disembarking would occur, but only made it to Deck 3, as the line had already built up (there was a rope blocking entrance to deck 1, I presume until they were ready to let everyone off the ship. It was around 9 am, and we ended up waiting for about 15 minutes.
TIP:What we packed for CC: a bottle of water, our snorkeling equipment, cameras (no, I wasn't worried about theft), including a disposable underwater camera, A FEW DOLLARS FOR STAMPS AT THE POST OFFICE, sunblock.The twins wore T-shirts that they could wear in the water, DS12 wore a "rash guard" (a boarding shirt) - no sunburns today! We all wore sports sandals - you will do some walking! TIP: Cast members hand out beach towels as you walk down the pier after disembarking. There are plenty for everyone, so take a couple of extras if you're family is going swimming - I don't recall seeing any place to get clean towels once you are on the beach (maybe I missed it???)The weather was perfect - sunny, warm. We disembarked, it was all the kids could do to restrain themselves from running ahead. The photographers were out on the dock, ready to take family pictures with the ship in the background.
We missed the first tram (at least, I didn't see it) and decided to keep walking to the family beach. Here's what you see: upon disembarkation, you walk to the end of the ship, with the Castaway Cay post office on your right - it's a quaint and colorful shack-type building.
Then on the left is the excursion dock for parasailing and fishing charters. These are both contracted out by DCL.
Next, past the famous Welcome to Castaway Cay sign, and the sign stating that Frances and Isabelle (hurricanes) were here! The island looked very good, some brown, but as I hadn't been there before, I don't know what it was "supposed" to look like.
Next we walked a long, narrow path, past the "Boating Harbor" and "Boat Beach" (hey DCL, time to give this Harbor and Beach a Disney-worthy name!), where kayaks, catamarans and other small craft were available for rent. It was very pretty, with all the colorful sailboats lined up on the beach by the shore. I wanted to take a cat out, but never found the time (one of the things I've saved for "next time").
We passed Scuttle's Cove on the right, past also the Cookie's BBQ dining area (large covered areas with picnic tables), and walked midway down the Family Beach on the left. We found a couple of lounge chairs (there were plenty still at this time of the morning) under an umbrella, and set up camp.
I had read that the snorkeling area gets murky quickly due to sand being kicked up, so we head for the Snorkeling Lagoon first. I had purchased DH and I snorkeling equipment for about $30 each at basspro.com, and we were both happy with the quality. I had purchased cheap sets for the children at walmart and they enjoyed playing in the pool with them all summer. The lifeguards supplied life vests (no charge) for everyone.
Unfortunately, the water was pretty chilly, and after 10 minutes we let the twins "give up". DH dropped them off at Scuttle's Cove (where the kids' Club spends the day) while DS (who by now had hooked up with a couple of other boys) and I continued to explore the lagoon.
I swam through schools of fish, chased after more colorful, less common fish with my underwater disposable camera, and searched for the ultimate Hidden Mickey. Long story short (I know, how unlike me!), Mickey had been removed for cleaning several weeks before, according to the lifeguard. I forgot to ask about the Nauticus (one of the old subs from the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction) which supposedly had been submerged there - I never came across it.
I was out pretty far at this point - what a long haul back! I swam up to DS12, as he needed to get in for his parasailing excursion. I gave him my fins to help him along. We met up with DH who had snorkeled a little, and the 3 of us dried off and headed to the charter dock for the parasailing excursion.
TIP: actually, an observation: it turns out to have been a good thing that our snorkeling excursion had been cancelled in St. Maarten - I don't think the twins would've had the stamina to snorkel for very long, and I think they would've needed much assistance. When we cruise again in 2 years, they will be that much stronger.DH and DS12 had a 10:30 parasailing excursion, so I walked to the dock with them to see them off (I have done it before, love it, but at $75 a shot, I thought I'd pass this time around). Our DisFriends from KY were also on that excursion. DS didn't meet the minimum weight, so he and our DisFriends' young daughter decided to tandem together. DH, who is afraid of heights, LOVED parasailing! I knew he would!
TIP: Try something new when you are on the cruise!!! Who knows when another opportunity will present itself!!! After seeing my fearless parasailers off, I explored a little. The postoffice was empty at this point, so I purchased some stamps. They came in 2 denominations, I thinnk 45 cents and 55 cents, depending on the size postcards. I hadn't purchased my postcards yet (and wasn't sending too many), so to be safe I just bought the extra postage type. Postcards are supposed to take 2-3 weeks to arrive in the States from CC; it's now 3 weeks later, and I'm still waiting! (that's ok, it'll be a fun surprise when it comes!) Thus...
TIP: send yourself/your children a postcard from CC for a happy little reminder after the cruise!I wandered around, taking pictures of the island and the ship. Next I hit the souvenier shop, still not too crowded. I picked up some postcards and the clerk gave me a pen. Later I went back and bought some Castaway Cay pins and a towel. You can send your purchases to the ship (they are not sent directly to your room) where you can pick them up later, but I didn't have much and so passed on this option.
I passed by the twins who were already at Cookie's eating lunch with the rest of the children in the Club. I stopped to check on them - they were having fun! It was about 11:15. I decided I was hungry and got my lunch - bbq ribs, corn on the cob, banana bread, a bag of chips. The ribs and banana bread were great! Chicken, burgers, hot dogs and lobster burgers were also offered. The "lobster burgers" were like a crab cake texture - Tasty nonetheless (this from a non-seafood eater!) There were several drink stations, where you could get sodas, etc. (there was also a bar, but...yet another thing I've saved for "next time"). I sat down at a picnic table (they are in several large covered areas) and began to write my postcards. Wawan, our assistant server from the ship, stopped by to say hello to me (how nice!) and ask where all the boys were.
Time to meet my fearless parasailers! Perfect timing, they were just leaving the dock as I arrived. We went to Cookie's for lunch (yes, I ate again!) - the lines were much longer this time, but really, the wait isn't long at all. DS12 ran off to join his friends at the Lab (later he decided to spend most of his time at the game pavillion, playing billiards and ping pong - he had a great time!) DH took a nap in a hammock - his version of paradise!
I picked up the twins from the Club and we grabbed some soft-serve ice cream cones (mmm, cookie dough soft serve). Earlier I had seen Sasha - the famous Sasha from Palo's - manning the ice cream machines. He had joked last night that he'd be out there kicking the machine and, well, yeah - he was! lol
The twins hit the water after that, making their way to the playground in the middle of the swimming lagoon. It was propbably 2:30 or so at this point, and people were abandoning their floats. A woman gave her float to my son, who was very appreciative! The twins loved the water playground, which is bridges and ropes. DH joined them out there. I scanned the beach and was amazed at how MOBBED it was - face it, CC gets VERY CROWDED. Certainly some areas are more dense with bodies than others, so you can try to find your own quiet spot further up the beach. And, of course, there's Serenity Bay...another thing for "next time"!
The last night there is show with all the kids in the Clubs/Labs. Rehearsal was set for 4pm on the ship, so we called it a day around 3-3:30. We had really packed alot of fun into this day already! I noticed the shops and post office were fairly crowded at this time of day. I was glad to have taken care of all that earlier. I just dropped my cards in a slot at the post office as we head back to the ship.
We ordered a room service snack (we loved the All Hands On Deck platter) while we cleaned up - it came very quickly. While the kids were at their rehearsal, I went to the top deck to walk around and shoot some pictures of both the island and the ship. The deck was deserted!!!! And as much as I love my 35mm camera, I have to say my digital pics came out just as nice (except for very-low light pictures).
At 5pm we saw the childrens' show - "Celebrate the Journey". They bring ALL the children onto the stage at the Walt Disney Theatre for a "graduation ceremony". Each child gets a free t-shirt and mickey ears, and a slide show is presented, with pictures of all the kids through out the week - very cute!
Time for our last dinner on the Magic. Tonight was the "Best Of" menu, we were eating at Parrot Cay. We paid our tips and said goodbye to our terrific serving team.
TIP: I had charged my tips to my shipboard account the day before.After dinner I set out to pack, while DH took the twins to see The Incredibles again (you may recall from Day 4 that one twin didn't want to see it; well, he changed his mind after hearing the reviews and loved it!). Packing took me a very long time (it didn't help that we had stuff spread over two different rooms!) I set out as much luggage as I could outside our room, but I needed to be organized because we would be driving 12+ hours the next day, and would need access to certain things.
TIP: you can watch the disembarkation talk on your stateroom tv while you pack, rather than go to it in person at 4:30.Oh yes, forgot about Shutters. MOBBED. I knew to try to take care of this earlier in the week, but really didn't have any good pics (very hard to get all 3 boys smiling at the same time, it seemed). I ordered Christmas cards from one of the photographer's shots. I didn't realize you had to order the 8X10 of the shot too ($20)!
I had really wanted to go to Pub Night, which I had read on these boards was a kind of British comedy skits by the cruise staff. When we got there they were doing sing-alongs (which I do find fun, but I was much too tired!) so we got the kids and called it a week.
LOL - almost forgot: tonight was SUPPOSED to be our Palo's night, but we had switched it at the last minute to join our friends the evening before. Our very friendly hostess Corine knew this, but went ahead and gave us the special (REAS) turndown tonight anyway - kissing swan towel animals in the shape of a heart, with hundreds of rose petals strewn across the bed. Very sweet!
Might as well add disembarkation here: breakfast for us was at 6:45; we got there a bit late (who knew DH wanted a sit down breakfast?!!! I thought we'd grab continental at Topsiders). Ran back up for teeth brushing and final touches on packing. Now, here comes my biggest tip: KNOW HOW MANY BAGS YOU ARE LEAVING WITH!!! This means both luggage set out the night before and carryons as you disembark. When you meet up with your checked luggage, it might not all be immediately together - you'll want to remember what you had. Also, after leaving the room for one last time we hit shutters to pick up our Christmas card pics (again, LONG line!). The kids and DH waited out in the hall. When we finally met our luggage, DH asks where the black carry on is.
OY.
Here's how this went: the luggage tags they give you for disembarking have a space to write how many bags total you have. We had them all, so our favorite black carryon (the same generic American Tourister pullman every other cruiser was hauling) must've been left in the room. Lost and Found calls up to the room. No bag. She calls some other places. No stray bag. Ok, DH takes the kids out of the terminal and thru customs, to meet his parents. I return to the ship to retrace our steps. No bag. Back to lost and found, where a staff person helps me check through all the luggage laying there in the terminal. She asks "are you sure you brought that bag?" Well, you know what, the more I thought about it, the more I wasn't sure. Then I realized we had left it at DMIL's with our dirty travelling clothes!!!
How embarrassing. I filled out a form just in case, and was told to call a number if I found it. Luckily, it was at DMIL's. I called and left a message w/ DCL. We shared our pictures (on my laptop) with DH's parents, and some video footage (lucky them! lol) before heading out on our long journey home. Next stop: Arby's drive through, where we paid $30 for 5 pressed meat sandwiches and some Cokes.
WAHHHH! I missed my ship, my servers, my extravagant nightly menus!!!! Reality can be so harsh. Thanks for reading and sharing my vacation with me. Overall, we had a wonderful time, and look forward to sailing again in 2006. I think I'll do a short summary of the trip and tips. Meanwhile, any questions, just ask (or PM) me, I'd love to help!
took the "lobster burgers" - Vicki and I both were searching and couldn't find ANY 
- really helpful....I am working on my last installment - Things I WISH 
I had done and things I am glad 
I didn't do!
