I Love the Little Fishies. Don't You?

[Pinkocto]

So much to comment on, hopefully I won't forget anything.

Glad you had a better interaction with Jesus this time around. Your drinks sound delicious. I might have to try a martini tasting one of these days.

Love love love the characters in their beach outfits!

Fun that Graham joined you with some of the chatacters

Your gold gown is downright gorgeous! Really like the vests you got for Graham.

Glad dinner was less strained this evening. Looking forward to more changes.

Yes, that towel creation certainly is minimalistic

 

[franandaj]

OK, I'm finally caught up after all the moving. The day at Key West sounded very nice. I'm glad you took pictures of that monument thing, I didn't really know what it was and had seen pictures of it elsewhere.

Too bad the sea was so choppy, but good that you had fun.

Your dresses are spectacular, I especially love the Golden Mickey's one! You have definitely started off with some great character interactions!

 

[dolphingirl47]

What a lovely day with yet more fabulous character interactions. I absolutely love your Golden Mickeys dress. I really wish we had the luggage space for me to be able to take so many beautiful dresses with us but, sadly, I will have to stick to a couple of formal gowns and then mix and match the rest. I am living vicariously through your wardrobe though

Such a sad thing that somebody was taken ill on board, although I am relieved to read that there will be a happy ending. I am also intrigued to find out what happens with your seating arrangements for dinner. We played musical chairs on our last cruise somewhat, since we were in a huge group and it did throw the servers off somewhat. They quickly adjusted though and did a sterling job, although it did cost us extra in tips as we had an additional serving team for a couple of nights, it was well worth it as they were all excellent.

I am probably going to be disappointed but I really hope you get another update posted before I leave for NY on Tuesday morning

I learned on our Transatlantic cruise that on the whole, dresses weigh less than trousers and t-shirts or other tops. I only tend to wear trousers and a top on port days. The gowns weigh a fair bit, but I love turning into a princess on our cruises.

No, I definitely won't get an update in before you leave. I got behind with typing them up and the next installment is only about half done and I have not sorted the photos yet. How long will you be gone?

Another great update!

I totally agree with you on the introduction at the DVC meet. I thought it was odd that they did not ask for any members outside the US. And thought that it was only fair that then a number of people whom they picked were not from the US!!

I remember that long long line for pictures with Captain Fabian. No way would I have been able to convince Michael to wait for that photo op!! And we witnessed the medical incident as well, but never noticed that the ship stopped! How intriguing, I am going to find out something about the cruise that I did not know yet.

Also, interesting about the pins. How did you find out about them being released? We only saw pins later in the cruise (just on display) and wondered why they had not been out earlier. Was it the same design as the magnets/postcards/t-shirts? I got one of those later in the cruise.

That is why I decided to get there nice and early as Graham would not joined that line either.

We were right at the back of Triton's by the door to the galley and there it was really obvious and the noise of the rotor blades of the helicopter was also pretty impressive.

I did actually comment to the two DVC guides that I felt like I was not valued as an international member and that this is a shame as we have to make a much bigger commitment than the members in the USA. I had never felt this way before and I think they were quite shocked but my outburst.

The first I knew about the pin release was when people got so uptight about it. I don't think there was anything in the Navigator about this. Yes, the design is the same as on the t-shirt, etc.

So much to comment on, hopefully I won't forget anything.

Glad you had a better interaction with Jesus this time around. Your drinks sound delicious. I might have to try a martini tasting one of these days.

Love love love the characters in their beach outfits!

Fun that Graham joined you with some of the chatacters

Your gold gown is downright gorgeous! Really like the vests you got for Graham.

Glad dinner was less strained this evening. Looking forward to more changes.

Yes, that towel creation certainly is minimalistic

Jesus was an absolute star this time round. The Martini tasting is a lot of fun and other than the classic Martini, I don't think I ever had exactly the same Martini twice.

I really love that gown. We do have a New Year's Ball from work every year and I think I will wear this gown for this next year.

OK, I'm finally caught up after all the moving. The day at Key West sounded very nice. I'm glad you took pictures of that monument thing, I didn't really know what it was and had seen pictures of it elsewhere.

Too bad the sea was so choppy, but good that you had fun.

Your dresses are spectacular, I especially love the Golden Mickey's one! You have definitely started off with some great character interactions!

Key West has definitely grown on me. Despite things not going entirely to plan, I did really enjoy the day.


Corinna

 

[tiggrbaby]

Love, love, love the pic of the two of you on the steps, with your train all spread out!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Another great day.
Looks like you really are getting to be the best dressed couple of the cruise. I love the Golden Mickey dress and jewellery as well. You look lovely in it.



Your character interactions are such fun. I love reading about them. Seems like on the cruises, they have longer memories.
Yay for having a better time with the Martini class this time round.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Love, love, love the pic of the two of you on the steps, with your train all spread out!

That photo was a happy accident. The train had developed a mind of its own and just did not want to go where I had intended it to be so we decide to make use of this.

Another great day.
Looks like you really are getting to be the best dressed couple of the cruise. I love the Golden Mickey dress and jewellery as well. You look lovely in it.



Your character interactions are such fun. I love reading about them. Seems like on the cruises, they have longer memories.
Yay for having a better time with the Martini class this time round.

I think on the cruises, each character only has one very special friend so hey do remember especially on the longer cruises.

Corinna

 

[DH of dolphingirl47]

"I had a look for Graham, but he was in none of his usual spots"

I wonder where he was!

Stitch interaction was fun, he got that he was number two. pointed at me with 1 finger up, I held up ten fingers, then another 5, which is my best guess at where I am on that list, Stitch thought this very funny.

Generally I keep clear of the characters, I worry about the fleas.

 

[PrincessInOz]

"I had a look for Graham, but he was in none of his usual spots"

I wonder where he was!

Stitch interaction was fun, he got that he was number two. pointed at me with 1 finger up, I held up ten fingers, then another 5, which is my best guess at where I am on that list, Stitch thought this very funny.

Generally I keep clear of the characters, I worry about the fleas.

In my experience in life, I've learnt to summarise the characters of life into 3 basic groups.

Masters, Dogs and Fleas.


I worry about the fleas too.....and wonder if I'm a flea myself.

 

[Wonder93]

Hi Corinna,

Another great day, full of character's interactions and pictures, I cannot believe that people were waiting that long and early to get a pin, specially when you can get it later on with no queue, you won't see me getting up at 6:00 am to queue for a pin or anything else unless is the day of the Panama Canal crossing in which case I may have to get up at 4:00 am .

I love the two colours of your evening gown, the gold with the purple works beautifully and the ears are great, who would know that a pair of mouse ears could be so elegant? .

The martini tasting looks very good, we are doing the mixology one for the first time in September, I tried to do one a couple of years ago on the Fantasy but they were fully booked.

Glad to hear that it all work out well with your table mates and you enjoyed your meal.

Waiting for more......

 

[granmaz]

Oh the lines for the special pins used to be worse in the days when the Panama Canal cruises were rare. Cruisers camped out overnight.

 

[dolphingirl47]

In my experience in life, I've learnt to summarise the characters of life into 3 basic groups.

Masters, Dogs and Fleas.


I worry about the fleas too.....and wonder if I'm a flea myself.

I had a lot of fun with Graham's obsession with fleas in the past. On one cruise he was complaining to one of the chipmunks that Pluto had given him fleas and Chip and Dale then pretended to have caught fleas of him. It was so funny.

Hi Corinna,

Another great day, full of character's interactions and pictures, I cannot believe that people were waiting that long and early to get a pin, specially when you can get it later on with no queue, you won't see me getting up at 6:00 am to queue for a pin or anything else unless is the day of the Panama Canal crossing in which case I may have to get up at 4:00 am .

I love the two colours of your evening gown, the gold with the purple works beautifully and the ears are great, who would know that a pair of mouse ears could be so elegant? .

The martini tasting looks very good, we are doing the mixology one for the first time in September, I tried to do one a couple of years ago on the Fantasy but they were fully booked.

Glad to hear that it all work out well with your table mates and you enjoyed your meal.

Waiting for more......

I had to alter the ears a little. The dress was meant to be gold and dark blue and the ears had red decorations on them. This would have worked with the blue, but not so much with the purple. So I painted over the decorations with purple nail polish.

I would not get up at the crack of dawn for a pin either. Even for the Panama Canal crossing you don't have to be up quite so early.

Oh the lines for the special pins used to be worse in the days when the Panama Canal cruises were rare. Cruisers camped out overnight.

Welcome on board. The pin lines for the 2011 Panama Canal Cruise was quite something. Graham actually made a You Tube video of the line on the last sea day.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

Day 5

We were awake bright and early and had not quite arrived in port yet, although we were very close. We got up and got ready. I sorted out our bag with what we had to take for the day and then we decided to get some breakfast. Beach Blanked Buffet was already open so we decided to go there for a change. We both felt like a more substantial breakfast as we would have a busy day and would not be back for lunch. Graham started out with some fruit, but I was not all that hungry and went straight for the hot food. I had some Scrambled Egg, Sausages, Baked Beans, Breakfast Potatoes and half a Bagel with Cream Cheese. I also had some Apple Juice and Chocolate Milk. Graham went back for Bacon, Scrambled Egg, Sausage and some Toast. He had an Orange Juice and Coffee. We were pleasantly full without being so full that we would sink. We got a couple of towels and then went back to the cabin to get our stuff. By then, the ship had been cleared and this time round there were signs to the gangway on our deck. Both the forward and aft gangways on deck 1 were open so this could not have been any easier. We just went down one flight of stairs and we were where we needed to be. There were not many people about that early so we went straight to one of the terminals to touch our cards against the reader and we were on our way.

As we were so early, most of the shops were still closed. So getting to the exit of the port was smooth and painless. There were a couple of shops selling Mexican jewellery that were already open and tried to get me to come in and look at their goods. I used to collect Mexican silver jewellery when I was in my teens, so this was a temptation. However, I am never sure if they still use Nickel in Mexico so I resisted the temptation. We headed down the escalator to the area where the taxis are waiting. There were not as many as usual, but we managed to get a taxi straightaway. We were quoted $12 for the two of us to go out to Chankanaab, which I thought was very fair as it is quite a long way out. We agreed and got into the taxi. When we arrived there, the security guard was speaking to the taxi driver for quite some while. The driver explained to us that the park was not open yet and would only open in about 20 minutes. He advised that there were benches near the entrance and we could sit and wait there. We were perfectly happy with this. We paid and tipped him and then we found somewhere to sit. We were not the first people there. A lady and her son who came from one of the Carnival ships were already waiting. We found a bench and settled down. There is a roof over the entrance area so we were in the shade. There is also a water feature in the area, which attracted a lot of birds that came to get some water. There were a lot of Grackles around. I cannot remember seeing them in Cozumel previously. They are amongst my favourite birds and I was entertained by watching them.





I could hear a noise behind me and spotted that the ticket window was now open. The admission is normally $20 per person, which in itself is a good price for what you get, but we also had a money off coupon for $2 per person. We paid our admission and were given wristbands. We then headed inside. I took some photos of the entrance area. Unfortunately I had not spotted that the lens had misted up so they are a little blurry. It was strange being at Chankanaab and not having some kind of animal interaction booked. This time I had decided to just enjoy the rest the park had to offer. Still, the sea pens that are used for the dolphin and manatee interactions are right across from the entrance and seeing the dolphins did test my resolve. I stayed firm though. I got changed into my swimsuit and my rash guard and then put my street clothes over the top. We put the rest of our stuff in a locker. Then we headed off exploring the park.







It was amazing how quiet the park was. We had taken our time to get changed and I had stopped a few times to take photos, but we seemed to be the only people in the park apart from members of staff that were cleaning and gardening. What we did see plenty of were iguanas. We had seen plenty of iguanas in other ports in the past, but never at Chankanaab. This time round, they were 10 a Penny. We then walked towards the beach. With this being completely empty and it being a beautiful day with bright blue skies, this looked like a little slice of paradise. Neither of us is really into chilling out on the beach and we thought the water may still be a little on the cold side. So we checked out the nearest map and then headed deeper into the park.













We came across beautiful flowers and a building that had Tequila written on it and looked very tempting. Still that would have to wait until we were done swimming and snorkeling. Instead we headed towards the Mayan Village. They have a whole village set up including the facilities for a traditional Mayan steam purification treatment. They also had all kinds of replicas of Mayan ruins and other Mayan artifacts. Every replica was clearly labeled with where it came from and the period of time that it belongs to. It was not comparable with visiting genuine Mayan ruins like we had done in 2012, but it was educational and the landscaping in this area was very pretty. I am glad that we finally had the time to explore this part of the park.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Next up was the crocodile habitat. There was so refurbishment work going on right next to it and it was fascinating to watch the crocodiles tracking the workmen. Having seen this, I wondered about the wisdom of routing one of the park’s zip lines to go right over the crocodile habitat. I am sure they were hoping that somebody may “drop in” for lunch. Right next to the crocodile habitat is a real little gem, the Chankanaab lagoon. I had read prior to the trip that this is full of fish. You cannot actually swim or snorkel in there, but there are viewing areas all around the edge of the lagoon. Initially we did not see a lot other than brilliantly turquoise water, limestone and coral. After we were there for a while, we suddenly saw 100s of colourful fish. This is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen and we spent a fair while there just enjoying this.

 

[dolphingirl47]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/nKnq4z]

 

[dolphingirl47]

By that time we were getting quite hot. So we headed back to the locker so that I could drop off my street clothes and we could collect our snorkeling gear. We then headed to the shallow swimming area and accessed the sea this way. Just as soon as we were in the open ocean, we saw all kinds of different fish. I once again had a fish that seemed to stalk me. He seemed to follow me wherever I was heading. I have to admit that although the fish did not look particularly aggressive, this did freak me out. The rest of the fish seemed friendlier. I saw a lot of Parrotfish, which I had never seen in the wild before and I also saw plenty of the black, yellow and silver striped fish that are quite common in Cozumel. Before the trip, I had read that there are a number of submerged statues and I managed to find two of them. The third one was a lot further away. The water around the statues was quite churned up so unfortunately the photos did not come out.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Unfortunately at some stage it became quite overcast and I started to feel a little cold. We decided that we had been in the water for long enough and started to swim back. I stayed close to the shore thinking that the currents are not as strong there, but the opposite is the case. Graham was clever and had swum out a bit further before making his way back. Still, I made good progress and the current was not anything I could not deal with. I still got back to the shallow area before Graham did. That proved to be a bit of a problem. There is only a very small gap between the open sea and the shallow inland swimming lagoon. Unfortunately the gap is not all that obvious. I thought I had found it, but then got tangled up with some rocks underneath the surface. When I tried to go back, I lost my footing and slipped. I ended up where I wanted to be and as the water is still quite deep there, I did not get hurt. I made my way back towards the beach and waited for Graham in the shallows.

I did not have long to wait and we decided to have a quick dip in their freshwater pool before getting showered and changed. We had the pool all to ourselves. I rinsed off underneath the shower, dried off and got changed into my street clothes. Graham had brought a dry pair of shorts, but had worn his rash guard in the morning and had not brought a dry shirt. The wind had picked up a little and walking around in a wet top was not a joy. So we got him a t-shirt in the gift shop and he got rinsed off and changed as well. Then we headed over to the interesting building that had Tequila written on it. We had a wander around. I had read before our trip that they offer a Tequila tasting for a nominal charge. I could not figure out where this was taking place. We were just about to leave when we were asked if we wanted to try some Tequila. Graham passed, but I was up to it. Most of the samples I got were Tequila-based liqueurs in various flavours. I got to try Grapefruit, Lime, Cherry, Orange, Almond, Coffee and Cream Tequila as well as Silver, Reposado and Anejo Tequila. My favourite was the Almond Tequila. I was a bit disappointed in the Coffee Tequila. I absolutely love the Patron XO Café Coffee Tequila, but this one was not nearly as nice. I was really surprised that there was no charge for this after all, but there was a tip jar out and I put something in this. I had a quick look around the shop, but the logistics for taking Tequila home on a plane are just too complicated. So I left it.

We had walked past the Natural Spa earlier on and this had been all deserted. Graham had told me that while he was having a wander around the park in December while I did my dolphin swim, the staff from the spa had been around offering specials. We had discussed before the holiday that if there were specials on offer, we would have a couple’s massage. We were in luck. They offered a 2 for the price of 1 deal on massages. So for the two of us, we only paid $55 plus tip for 30 minutes each. The location was very beautiful. The building where the spa is located is open on side and this side overlooks the lagoon. The massage was also heavenly although she seemed to have some fixation on my left side where I had all the bruising. Still, I felt quite sore for a couple of days afterwards, but then I really felt the benefits of this. Once our treatment was finished, we were each given a bottle of water. We paid and then sat down outside the spa while we had our water.



Once we had finished our water, we decided that we had managed to do everything we had come for and had enough fun for the day. We headed back towards the lockers and collected our stuff. We then headed towards the exit. Normally they have taxis waiting right by the exit, but this time round they had them parked somewhere else and just called them as and when required. We did not have to wait long for a taxi to arrive. We got in and just as we were thinking we were on our way, three more people got in. The other three people actually came from one of the Carnival ships. We had to go past where their ship was docked anyway so this was just a minor detour. They were more upset about this then we were. For some reason they did not recognize the port and thought they had been dropped off elsewhere and had to walk back to the ship. I suppose that a great big Carnival ship was right ahead of them should have been a clue. Once they had been dropped off, we continued on to the port where we were docked.

 

[dolphingirl47]

We headed straight back to our cabin when we got back from port to hang up our wet stuff. Due to the detour, we had missed lunch anyway so we decided to have a shower and get changed before heading up to deck 9 to get some food. Graham had a Roast Beef Sandwich and some fruit from Goofy’s Galley and I had a Vegetable Burger with Fries from Pluto’s Dog House. After lunch, we went back to the cabin and had a nap. We had set the alarm in time to get ready for Walk a Mile. This did not quite work out as planned. We had not left the port long before Walk a Mile started so they had not had time to store the ropes. Therefore the forward part of the walking track was roped off. To get around this, we just cut through the elevator lobby when we got forward. We probably did not quite walk a mile because of this, but I think we were close enough.

When we came back from Walk A Mile, I headed off to meet some characters. They were in their Mexican outfits that evening. As I arrived a little late, I missed Mickey in that set, but I managed to catch Donald, Minnie and Goofy. After I was finished with them, I made the mistake to head back to the cabin to read. I must have fallen asleep. Fortunately Graham came back to the cabin in time for the next character set and this woke me up. I quickly went upstairs to catch Pluto. He looked really cute in this Mexican outfit. Minnie did not have much of a line so I went back to her to say “hi”. Then I headed back to the cabin to get changed. I then managed to get back in time to meet Mickey and Goofy. When I saw the photos, I was glad that I had a second chance to meet Goofy, as the first set of photos had not really worked out.



























By the time I had finished with the characters, Graham had joined me in the atrium. We chatted to a couple of people that we know and then headed up to Animator’s Palate. For some reason I find the layout of Animator’s Palate terribly confusing. I forever get turned around trying to find our table or finding the exit after the meal. I don’t have the same problem at any of the other restaurants. So when we got to Animator’s Palate, I looked a little lost. Our head server Josip came to my rescue. This time I had a good reason to be lost though. Where our table had been, there was now one very long table. Josip explained to us that after all the confusion about who should be on which table; somebody from the other table had suggested that we should just merge them. As both tables had the same serving team, this was no problem. Apart from the two couples that we sat with on the first evening, I knew one other couple from the other table from a previous cruise. So it was nice to get a chance to chat with them over dinner. I really liked the new arrangement. Our tablemates from the last two nights were not at dinner that night. Indeed, for the rest of the cruise, there was only one evening when everybody was there.

Dinner that night was the rotational menu for Animator’s Palate. This was also the show night. Graham ended up with Sliced Serrano Ham with Tomato Bread and Spanish Olives followed by Creamy Butternut Squash Soup garnished with Chives and drizzled with Sour Cream. For his main course, he had Ginger-Teriyaki dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin on Wasabi Mashed Potatoes with Bok Choy and Tamarind-Barbecue Reduction. I had the Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes: Pasta Purses filled with Truffle Scented Cheese and coated with a delicate Champagne Sauce followed by Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup with Bacon Bits and Chives. I also had the Ginger-Teriyaki dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin for my main course. I could not resist that day and had the Cookies and Cream Sundae, which consisted of Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Wafer Cookies and Whipped Cream for dessert. While I was waiting for the dessert to arrive, the show started. I was reminded yet again what a sorry affair this is especially compared with the new show on the Magic.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Once I had finished my sundae, we said goodnight to our tablemates and our serving team and headed off to have some photos taken. They had the black backdrop up and also used a barstool as prop for this photo. They also had the backdrop out with the bow of the ship at sunset. We did a few silly poses. In one of them, I actually look like I am holding on to the railing. This is one of my favourite photos from this cruise. I decided to hang around until Chip and Dale were out. I got in line as soon as we finished with the portraits and I was first in line. They arrived a little ahead of schedule and I was actually done before they were even due out. We headed back to the cabin and got ready to bed. I quickly took a photo of our towel animal and then we called it a night.





























Close up of the jewellery for that evening (photo courtesy of www.wyrdingstudios.com):

 

[tiggrbaby]

Great fish pics, especially the one that looks like it is smiling! Love the black/white sundress, and the necklace is so clever!

 

[DH of dolphingirl47]

4 visits to Cozumel now, must like it. More fish and grounds photos if interested

http://manchesterprobate.wordpress.com/cozumel/