SrisonS
... and that's 'ess-ryzun-ess' (play on my name)
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2007
Day 1: Let the Fantastical Moments Begin
IMG_0463 by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr
Well my DW got a cruise for her birthday!!!! Or course she knew about it; and even helped pay for it. But still.
So this is the 4th Disney Cruise for my wife (Mollie) and I (Scott); and the 2nd Welcome to the Castaway Club!!!... for our DD (Samantha, age 4). I wrote a thorough trip report for our 2012 sailing (see sig); but there were a lot of new experiences and discoveries for us this time around. So itll be nice to touch some new bases here. And our destinations this trip are Cozumel, Mexico; Grand Cayman; Falmouth, Jamaica; and Castaway Cay. Weve been to Cozumel before; were supposed to go to Grand Cayman that same trip; and have never been to Jamaica.
IMG_0568 by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr
To start off; we live in Orlando, and are Disney Annual Passholders. So this isnt an extended Disney vacation (i.e. parks, then cruise), like some people are apt to do. And we can just easily drive to the port (1 hour away $120 to park for the week); which is something that is quite nice.
Going into this trip, there were a couple of things we were looking to do. One small thing on my end, is that I would get a chance to meet a guy whos been a Flickr Contact of mine for quite some time. Ive recently been posting pictures from our cruise from 2 years ago; and had mentioned in the commentary that we would be sailing again this year. So Arthur (my Flickr friend) reached out to ask when the dates of our trip would be. Lo and behold, he and his family would be on the ship with us!!!! But on a bigger scale, we would also be taking part in a Fish Extender group (any more White Rabbits out there???). It was more my wifes doing than anything. I helped out a tad bit. But she really spearheaded everything. The preparation got a little hectic and stressful at times; but she pulled it off. And being a part of the FE experience was definitely a highlight of our trip.
So getting over to Port Canaveral was pretty uneventful which is good. There wasnt any traffic. We didnt take an early Exit by accident (like last time). And my wife had her pleasantly teary moment when first seeing the ship appear along the horizon. Upon arrival; one thing I noticed that didnt seem to be there last time (or they mightve been working on it), was an alternate security entrance. It was extended from the 3rd floor of the parking garage; and we could see a nice line of people waiting to get in. So when parking, we made a point to go the 3rd floor. And by the time we had gotten to the line, there wasnt much of a line left. I cant say if this was necessarily faster than going through the main lower entrance; but at least there was an alternative.
IMG_0339 by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr
Almost as soon as we got in line to check in; I saw my Flickr pal Arthur and his family. Ive seen pictures of them beforehand; and Ill just address the elephant in the room a little 2 African-American guys trying to find each other wasnt all that hard. Everything with the check-in process was a breeze. And of course; a 4 year old little girl seeing a lanyard that is hers instant fashion accessory!!!! Im just assuming that little girls think alike. Ours will jump at the chance to wear something new and unique. Whether its a hat, or sunglasses, or a necklace, or a mask, or a bracelet, or stickers its going on!!! We then head over to register our DD for the Youth Activities. This was a pretty straightforward process as well. And she even got a cool Disney Cruise Line 2014 Magic Band, with Captain Mickey on it, that she wore for the ENTIRE week. Entire because you really couldnt take it off without first cutting off a plastic zip-tie they put in place. The colored zip-tie thingy (I know there were black ones and red ones) served to notify the crew if your child had certain allergies and stuff though. So it was important to not disturb it. Plus, she didnt seem to mind wearing all the time. I am very curious to know if we could link her Annual Pass to that Magic Band though (UPDATE: I was able to do it!!!!!). Heck; I wish they sold them for the adults, to eventually link passes to. I wouldve bought one in a second!!!!!
After that, it was just about time for us to board the ship. We skipped out on the pic with Mickey in the terminal, because my wife just wanted to get going. We were in Group 3 to board, and our number was just about to be called. Stepping into the Atrium to be introduced was definitely more pleasant than last time. Two years ago, our DD was already in a really cranky mood at this point; which also lasted the rest of the day. But luckily, she was in good spirits this time around. We were introduced my Anthony; and he made a point to tell us how much he REALLY liked the last name Smith. I dont think he was bluffing either. He seemed really enthusiastic about it, and was like ask anybody here. Shouldve taken him up on that, just for curiositys sake.
Let's Go Cruisin' by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr
IMG_0349 by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr
Our very first stop would be to the Port Adventures desk, on the 5th floor. This is where we would get a ticket for the Anna/Elsa meet, as well as one for the Princess Gathering. Kudos to my wife for perusing over tons of cruise info before this trip. Otherwise, theres a possibility we couldve overlooked doing this. And I highly recommend doing this for anyone else that wants to save time when it comes to meeting these characters. It was probably the only wait to meet Anna and Elsa. And although the Princesses would be out and about at various times, it was nice to meet 4 (Cinderella, Ariel, Tiana, & Jasmine) in one shot.
Next on our agenda was to get some lunch at Cabanas. So after stopping to take a picture with Sailor Goofy, we were on our way. Yes, it was nice to see that at least some character interaction started as soon as guests were allowed on the ship. But lunch was good. It was just as expected for the most part. Going in though, we were kind of expecting that Crew Members would be putting the food on your plate; to help ease the worry about germs spreading. Thats what my wife was hearing anyway. But in Cabanas, it did not happen at any point during the cruise.
IMG_0351 by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr
IMG_0463 by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr
Well my DW got a cruise for her birthday!!!! Or course she knew about it; and even helped pay for it. But still.
So this is the 4th Disney Cruise for my wife (Mollie) and I (Scott); and the 2nd Welcome to the Castaway Club!!!... for our DD (Samantha, age 4). I wrote a thorough trip report for our 2012 sailing (see sig); but there were a lot of new experiences and discoveries for us this time around. So itll be nice to touch some new bases here. And our destinations this trip are Cozumel, Mexico; Grand Cayman; Falmouth, Jamaica; and Castaway Cay. Weve been to Cozumel before; were supposed to go to Grand Cayman that same trip; and have never been to Jamaica.
IMG_0568 by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr
To start off; we live in Orlando, and are Disney Annual Passholders. So this isnt an extended Disney vacation (i.e. parks, then cruise), like some people are apt to do. And we can just easily drive to the port (1 hour away $120 to park for the week); which is something that is quite nice.
Going into this trip, there were a couple of things we were looking to do. One small thing on my end, is that I would get a chance to meet a guy whos been a Flickr Contact of mine for quite some time. Ive recently been posting pictures from our cruise from 2 years ago; and had mentioned in the commentary that we would be sailing again this year. So Arthur (my Flickr friend) reached out to ask when the dates of our trip would be. Lo and behold, he and his family would be on the ship with us!!!! But on a bigger scale, we would also be taking part in a Fish Extender group (any more White Rabbits out there???). It was more my wifes doing than anything. I helped out a tad bit. But she really spearheaded everything. The preparation got a little hectic and stressful at times; but she pulled it off. And being a part of the FE experience was definitely a highlight of our trip.
So getting over to Port Canaveral was pretty uneventful which is good. There wasnt any traffic. We didnt take an early Exit by accident (like last time). And my wife had her pleasantly teary moment when first seeing the ship appear along the horizon. Upon arrival; one thing I noticed that didnt seem to be there last time (or they mightve been working on it), was an alternate security entrance. It was extended from the 3rd floor of the parking garage; and we could see a nice line of people waiting to get in. So when parking, we made a point to go the 3rd floor. And by the time we had gotten to the line, there wasnt much of a line left. I cant say if this was necessarily faster than going through the main lower entrance; but at least there was an alternative.
IMG_0339 by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr
Almost as soon as we got in line to check in; I saw my Flickr pal Arthur and his family. Ive seen pictures of them beforehand; and Ill just address the elephant in the room a little 2 African-American guys trying to find each other wasnt all that hard. Everything with the check-in process was a breeze. And of course; a 4 year old little girl seeing a lanyard that is hers instant fashion accessory!!!! Im just assuming that little girls think alike. Ours will jump at the chance to wear something new and unique. Whether its a hat, or sunglasses, or a necklace, or a mask, or a bracelet, or stickers its going on!!! We then head over to register our DD for the Youth Activities. This was a pretty straightforward process as well. And she even got a cool Disney Cruise Line 2014 Magic Band, with Captain Mickey on it, that she wore for the ENTIRE week. Entire because you really couldnt take it off without first cutting off a plastic zip-tie they put in place. The colored zip-tie thingy (I know there were black ones and red ones) served to notify the crew if your child had certain allergies and stuff though. So it was important to not disturb it. Plus, she didnt seem to mind wearing all the time. I am very curious to know if we could link her Annual Pass to that Magic Band though (UPDATE: I was able to do it!!!!!). Heck; I wish they sold them for the adults, to eventually link passes to. I wouldve bought one in a second!!!!!
After that, it was just about time for us to board the ship. We skipped out on the pic with Mickey in the terminal, because my wife just wanted to get going. We were in Group 3 to board, and our number was just about to be called. Stepping into the Atrium to be introduced was definitely more pleasant than last time. Two years ago, our DD was already in a really cranky mood at this point; which also lasted the rest of the day. But luckily, she was in good spirits this time around. We were introduced my Anthony; and he made a point to tell us how much he REALLY liked the last name Smith. I dont think he was bluffing either. He seemed really enthusiastic about it, and was like ask anybody here. Shouldve taken him up on that, just for curiositys sake.
Let's Go Cruisin' by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr
IMG_0349 by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr
Our very first stop would be to the Port Adventures desk, on the 5th floor. This is where we would get a ticket for the Anna/Elsa meet, as well as one for the Princess Gathering. Kudos to my wife for perusing over tons of cruise info before this trip. Otherwise, theres a possibility we couldve overlooked doing this. And I highly recommend doing this for anyone else that wants to save time when it comes to meeting these characters. It was probably the only wait to meet Anna and Elsa. And although the Princesses would be out and about at various times, it was nice to meet 4 (Cinderella, Ariel, Tiana, & Jasmine) in one shot.
Next on our agenda was to get some lunch at Cabanas. So after stopping to take a picture with Sailor Goofy, we were on our way. Yes, it was nice to see that at least some character interaction started as soon as guests were allowed on the ship. But lunch was good. It was just as expected for the most part. Going in though, we were kind of expecting that Crew Members would be putting the food on your plate; to help ease the worry about germs spreading. Thats what my wife was hearing anyway. But in Cabanas, it did not happen at any point during the cruise.
IMG_0351 by Scott Smith (SRisonS), on Flickr