In Search of My Body - Not the One I Ate... Vol. 6: Goddesses just want to have fun

[goofyfan-12]

Hi everyone...

Erika - loving the trip report. You have earned major heaven points in my book.

Not much going on here. Went to JC and the gym (Jesse says hi). Lost the pound I gained last week (thank you god) and am now prepping for mom's first eye procedure tomorrow and then doing the final prep work for my panel discussion tomorrow night.

I'll check in when I can tomorrow, but it is going to depend on how mom is doing.

In other news, my JC consultant was telling me about a summer contest at the center that she says has my name written all over it. There could be $250 in my future if I win (race registration fees anyone). I'll have the details next week on that.

Off to get some things done. Will check in later.

 

[3DisneyKids]

Day 4, continued

Now, I knew that I could bypass the buffet in favor of a nice, quiet sit-down meal at one of the lovely restaurants on board. But it was after 1, we were tired and hungry and cranky and I thought it would be best to just get everyone’s blood sugar back up. So I opted for the buffet for the sake of time.

Since it was a bit late for lunch, there wasn’t a line and we found a table easily (I was told it might be hard to find one, but since the lunch rush was over, it was easy). The buffet food. Eh. Standard buffet fare and standard buffet quality. Which is to say not great. Boring selections and bland food. This was a surprise because everything that we had heard about the food on the Disney ships was that it was excellent. So we were disappointed. We could have dealt with this and gotten over it quickly, except for the fact that we decided to let the kids go in the pool right after lunch (they had their suits on under their clothes since we knew we wouldn’t get our luggage till later in the day).

OMG, the Mickey pool was a nightmare. Disaster of epic proportions. First, it is TINY. I mean really, really small. Think of one of the quiet pools at the resorts. A bit SMALLER. But the slide is awesome and my kids are all about slides. However, since most things/areas of the ship are still closed at this point, every single family on board is here on deck 9. It was a ZOO. I turned to Jeff and said “I can’t believe this. I feel like we are at an inner-city public pool…certainly not on a luxury cruise ship!” It was, quite frankly, stunningly awful. Also on this deck was the Goofy pool. SMALLER and equally chaotic. Omg, first bad food and now the pools suck. And considering we had such a hard time getting to the Port, our moods are getting worse by the minute.

After only about 10 minutes in the pool, our kids got out and came and told us that they wanted OUT. Now my kids have NEVER, not EVER hated a pool. They are FISH. They love to swim. More than just about anything else. And water slides are the best thing ever as far as they are concerned. The fact that they wanted out of there was really telling. And they all said the same thing…just too crowded and loud and out of control.

So we grab towels and decide that we would go explore the ship and find out what is where.

Our first stop, also on Deck 9, is the spa and gym. Great. Jeff and I know that we are both going to be working out while on board we wanted to see it. Beautiful. State of the art. Panoramic ocean views. Pretty incredible all the way around. The CMs pulled me aside to show me all of the Spa stuff. OMG. They have a Rainforest Room. SO peaceful and calming, etc. Moist air and heated creaming lounges. And blessedly quiet. She informed me that they only sell 40 passes to the Rainforest Room. So it was guaranteed to always be empty and quiet. Out of 2400 people on the ship only 40 could use this part. After spending just 10 minutes at that awful pool, that was all I needed to hear. I signed up in a heartbeat and was thrilled to pay the price. Things were looking up. If the whole cruise turned out to be that chaotic, at least I knew I had a quiet and beautiful place to escape.

We finished exploring the rest of the ship and by then our staterooms were ready. We had 2 connecting Category 10s. We could have had a balcony, but since I won this cruise and the prize only covered a stateroom accommodating 4 people, we downgraded stateroom category in order to get 2 staterooms so that we could all still go for free.

As soon as we entered, we found these lovely gift bags and goodies left for us by the Podcast Cruise. As you can see, we got tote bags with the podcast logo, which were filled with bottled water, lots of snacks, a small photo album, a voyage journal, copies of Lee Cockerell’s book (who was the guest speaker brought on for the podcasters), a cute Captain Mickey frame, several other little items, and great podcast magnet for our stateroom doors.

So at this point, it seemed appropriate to hang our Fish Extender and put the magnets on the doors. The DVC team had already been there and put DVC magnets on our door and made it into a hidden Mickey. (For those that don’t know what a Fish Extender is, I will explain in a later post). I should also mention that we had seen LOTS of folks walking around in their white podcast shirts. So I decided that I should put mine on as well.

Now, Jeff knows almost nothing about the podcast or the DisBoards. On the drive to the Port, I gave him the basics, told him how it all worked, explained who the on-air personalities were, etc. So now he wonders where his shirt is.

“You mean you didn’t order one for me?”
“Um, these aren’t something you order. You get on when they read your e-mail on the air.”
“Oh, so I don’t get to be part of the club?! I won’t be part of the group this whole trip?”
“You had no idea what this was about until an hour ago.”

Finally he let it go.

By this time it was 4pm and time for muster. (Lifeboat drill.) We don our lovely orange lifevests and head to Deck 4. It goes smoothly and quickly and now our cruise really begins!

We dumped our lifevests back in the rooms and head up to Deck 9 for the Sail Away party. Fun. The characters are all there, on stage, in their sailor outfits and it is a big dance party. Again though, very loud and chaotic and crowded, and I am beginning to wonder if I will ever get any quiet time in the sun.

--I will add pics to both of these installments soon. Still one more installment for this day to come!--

 

[AKASnowWhite]

Stupid suit!

I know. Pretty soon I'm going to have to silence that stinkin' piece of spandex

DH's birthday is tomorrow, so we are heading over to Disney again. It will probably be rainy off and on, but I don't mind that so much.

Have fun tomorrow!

Valet brought the car up, and after spending way too much time, we got all of the luggage in. My husband has to “engineer” everything. I am willing to bet that Nancy knows what I mean.


OMG. Do I ever

He packed his passport in his luggage.

Holy crap. The coffee, the shoes, the passport. I'm thinkin' 3 strikes and you are OUT pal!


now to read the next installment....


(oy. Becca is trying to wrangle a deal with Dad. I can hear him mocking her in the basement. Oh how I hate being referee to their discussions! )

 

[3DisneyKids]

Day 4 – part 3 of 3

After the Sail Away party, we were finally underway and heading out to sea! Exciting! I was really worried about getting seasick. This is one area where I am definitely NOT vampire-like. I am very prone to motion sickness. I had taken a Bonine before getting on the ship and just prayed that it would work. I had nothing to fear. The whole cruise was perfect in that regard.

Next up was the Podcast Welcome Aboard Party. I really wanted to go to this as I knew this would be my first opportunity to meet the crew as well as other podcasters. It took place in WaveBands (one of the bars on board). We walked in and immediately were given special Dis Unplugged lanyards with our names. Jeff was happy because now he was part of the club. Go figure.

The very first person I saw happened to be someone I actually knew. Frank from here on the WISH boards! (FireDancer) I was so happy to meet someone I “knew” so that we weren’t just sitting there by ourselves. I then met several other posters that I “know” from the podcast boards. (Lyz and EE—I met Aaron [ADP], Don, [dpuck], and most of the guys who did the Muddy Buddy.) This was great because they are all runners. So instantly both Jeff and I had something to talk with all of them about. Then I was SO happy to meet Dave Parfitt. Dave and I have been online friends since long before the Podcast. We are both professors, in similar fields, both run for WISH, etc. I helped him out professionally about 2 years ago and we have been fast friends ever since. So it was really nice to hang out with him. He and Jeff got along well, too. I also met Kevin, Kathy, and Teresa at this event (all on-air personalities).

Finally, Pete took the stage and introduced the whole crew! Lots of cheering and applause, etc. And I could finally SEE all of these people. And that was surprising! (Lyz and EE, I will tell you the details off the thread. Just not posting here as we were asked to keep some of this off the boards.) Jeff and I had a couple of Mai Tais and then it was time for dinner.

We changed for dinner and headed to Animator’s Palette. We were seated with another podcaster, Ben, (Commando) and his two girls, who are 6 and 8 (same ages as our girls). He’s a single dad and figured that this was a good way to go on a cruise since he would “know” lots of people and wouldn’t feel awkward/lonely traveling as a single adult. He is a nice guy and Kelly and his younger daughter got along GREAT.

Finally, FINALLY we relaxed and began to enjoy the cruise. The food was good and the service was incredible! We found out later that there were 2400 passengers on board about 1000 CMs! Talk about a great ratio! Holy cow! And it really shows. The service is beyond compare.

Here is what Kelly got when she asked for ketchup--

Jeff and Kel at dinner:

After dinner we spent some time up top (deck 10) just enjoying the breeze as we sailed into the starry night. Lovely.

Jeff took the kids down to put them to bed (I think he was making up for the bad start to the day), and I found some podcasters and chatted for a bit.

As I was getting ready to head down to the stateroom myself (it was about 11pm), I spotted Pete and Walter. (Pete is the owner/operator of the Dis boards and basically runs the whole show in terms of the boards, the podcast, etc.) My main goal of the trip was to find each member of the podcast team and personally thank them for the cruise. I ended up chatting with Pete and Walter for a long time and it was lovely. I really clicked with them both, particularly Walter, and it was a great way to end the evening.

Back at the stateroom, Jeff had opened a bottle of wine and ordered room service. Perfect. One of the BEST perks of the cruise was 24-hour room service…all included in the cost of the cruise.

~~I will add pics to all 3 installments before writing about the next day, Nassau~~

 

[AKASnowWhite]

In other news, my JC consultant was telling me about a summer contest at the center that she says has my name written all over it. There could be $250 in my future if I win (race registration fees anyone). I'll have the details next week on that.

A contest Paula? Sounds intriguing...

 

[adsrtw]

Amy ~ The demon series is very addictive. I like her style, lol.

Steph ~ Kudos to you for escaping the internet and walking instead!

Dawn ~ so sorry for the crap Baylor had to put up with.

Lyz ~ cute recital costume. What did she dance to? Good luck on the low carb.

Liz ~ I can't imagine how you kept your composure! OMG! So rude! Maybe she was tipsy?

Paula ~ love how you called out your dad. Maybe he needed that! Your burgers sound yummy! I so love that Jesse says hi. Cool!

Nancy ~ closing!!! So excited for you!

E ~ loving the TR's. So cool that you were able to meet the muddies! Can't wait to here the secret details! I am so taking my kids on the 2nd trip. Must do it. Loving the pics! Tons of loot.

Kat ~ CSI mini marathon for you. Fun! Hope you enjoyed your weekend.

LisaV ~ glad to see that you were able to pop in to say hi for a bit.

Ah, my weekend. Well, I didn't go into work at all. Are you guys proud of me?!? I have been banned from even entering work on the weekends that I don't normally work. My boss is even pulling a badge report, lol. Hung out with my kids at ball, then with my mechanic while watching TV. Sunday hung out at my friend's coffee shop and read another book, lol. She is leaning towards Sunday brunch in her cafe and I was a tester. All I am going to say is ~ made to order omelets. Yum!

 

[AKASnowWhite]

Back at the stateroom, Jeff had opened a bottle of wine and ordered room service. Perfect. One of the BEST perks of the cruise was 24-hour room service…all included in the cost of the cruise.

24 hour room service included? OMG - my boys would make them sorry they offered that

 

[goofyfan-12]

A contest Paula? Sounds intriguing...

I know. I can't wait to get all the details. You know how I love a good challenge.

Amy ~ The demon series is very addictive. I like her style, lol.

Steph ~ Kudos to you for escaping the internet and walking instead!

Dawn ~ so sorry for the crap Baylor had to put up with.

Lyz ~ cute recital costume. What did she dance to? Good luck on the low carb.

Liz ~ I can't imagine how you kept your composure! OMG! So rude! Maybe she was tipsy?

Paula ~ love how you called out your dad. Maybe he needed that! Your burgers sound yummy! I so love that Jesse says hi. Cool!

Nancy ~ closing!!! So excited for you!

E ~ loving the TR's. So cool that you were able to meet the muddies! Can't wait to here the secret details! I am so taking my kids on the 2nd trip. Must do it. Loving the pics! Tons of loot.

Kat ~ CSI mini marathon for you. Fun! Hope you enjoyed your weekend.

LisaV ~ glad to see that you were able to pop in to say hi for a bit.

Ah, my weekend. Well, I didn't go into work at all. Are you guys proud of me?!? I have been banned from even entering work on the weekends that I don't normally work. My boss is even pulling a badge report, lol. Hung out with my kids at ball, then with my mechanic while watching TV. Sunday hung out at my friend's coffee shop and read another book, lol. She is leaning towards Sunday brunch in her cafe and I was a tester. All I am going to say is ~ made to order omelets. Yum!

Amiee - your weekend sounded heavenly. I am loving your boss right now.
I had told Jesse a while back that he had a fan club in you all and he totally gets into that. The kid is a true narcissist. He just doesn't know it yet. I haven't told him about the contest at JC or I won't be able to deal with him at all. He is way too into that kind of stuff and is on a mission to make me the ultimate poster child for his training skills. We'll see about that, but I'll take the extra attention while I can get it.

Erika - the trip reports are awesome....

Hope everyone else is having a great night...

 

[adsrtw]

Oh Paula, I see a deal in the making. You should tell Jesse about the contest. He might cut you a deal (since he isn't the least bit competitive, lol).

 

[3DisneyKids]

Day 5 – Nassau, Bahamas

We had a GREAT night’s sleep. The connecting rooms were, of course a God-send. The kids loved theirs. They had a queen bed, and when our steward came to do turn-down service, he turned their couch into bunk-beds. And left towel animals. They loved it all.

We knew that we would not spend too much time in Nassau. It’s a sewer of a place, sadly, but we also knew that we at least had to explore a bit. I had been there years ago and Jeff never had.

First up, though, we each worked out and then it was off to Palo for the podcast brunch! We dropped the kids off in the clubs for the first time and they were happy to go and play.

Working out turned out to be a riot. While in the gym, Goofy came in and joined the spinning class! SO cute and funny. He tried to spin, but he was, well, Goofy, and kept falling off! When Jeff was running on the treadmill, Goofy gave that a try too…but sadly, he was too…Goofy to be coordinated enough!

After my run I went into the rainforest room to relax and unwind and enjoy. No sooner had I settled in when who should come join me but Donald! He took the lounge next to me, put his hands behind his feathered head, and relaxed back! Hi lar ious! Of course, I didn’t have my camera during any of this because I didn’t think to bring it to the gym!

Up to Palo we went and were immediately greeted and then brought to a table with 5 other podcast couples. Alicia and Paul were there as were Yvet and Emil, plus Stacey and her husband (all of whom I knew from the boards). The two other couples I met for the first time at brunch and they were lovely. The Palo food was incredible, as we were told to expect. The only problem was that it was 10am. And there were the most outrageous Alaskan King Crab legs you ever saw, plus scallops, and incredible looking sashimi and much, much more. But this is not morning food to us. Of course, they had tons of excellent breakfast selections as well. We just felt bad that we couldn’t appreciate all of it due to timing. Lots of our tablemates took pics of the food, so I didn’t figuring I would get their photos. Still have to do that.

After brunch we waddled back to our stateroom to change and head out to the island. We had fun walking around and shopping. We found Mecca (or my version of it anyway….the Bacardi outlet!)

The islanders weren’t too aggressive about trying to sell us stuff ( we are both used to this type of behavior and this was far more mild than what we have experienced in other parts of the world). We bought some little souveniers and had drinks at Senor Frogs before heading back to the ship. We were only on land for about 90 minutes or so.

After some lounging in the sun with a book, it was time for the Podcast Wine tasting, yet another event that the podcast team set up for us. It was very well done. Although we only truly liked one wine, it was still a fun and informative event. We always love wine tasting.

We grabbed the kids and headed to dinner. Tonight was Parrot Cay. Just yum, yum, and more yum. Excellent food and even better service. After dinner we went to see the show, Toy Story, the Musical. It was great and we all loved it. (The night before was the Golden Mickeys, which was also a hit.)

By this time it was after 10pm and we wanted to get the kids in bed. Once they were settled in, it was time for more drinks and, of course, room service!

 

[3DisneyKids]

~~Intermezzo~~

This seems like a good time to explain Fish Extenders.

These are something specific to the DIS boards. I don’t know how long ago, but it started on the cruise boards. DISers would find out who was sailing at the same time as them and start to form friendships here on the boards.

Then someone had the idea of creating these Fish Extenders. They are these hanging things with pockets. Called Fish Extenders (FEs) because they hang off of the decorative fish that is outside every stateroom.
Lyz described it best when she called in Secret Santa on Crack.

So here is our FE--

Those participating in the FE exchange go around and leave little gifts for each other in the pockets. And since this was the Podcast Cruise, it was the MOTHER of all FE exchanges.

For those with kids, you know how every time your kid goes to a birthday party they get goodie bags? It’s like that. Little things. Lots of Dollar Store type of stuff. But since this was, again, the mother of all FE exchanges, some people did really cool stuff. Lots of custom magnets, CDs with Disney music, candy, little trinkets, etc. Those who have a specialty type of craft did that. We got homemade specialty soaps and candles, and the like. There were also lots of beach-themed gifts like beach balls and other water toys for Castaway Cay day. And some DISers were really creative and went in on it with others so that they could give really great gifts. We got lots of pirate themed stuff and one group got NICE ruck-sacks that were customized with the podcast cruise logo, etc.

I have to say that this was one of the highlights of the trip for the kids. They checked that thing every hour, I swear. Sometimes every 10 minutes. And you know what? Even if it had only been 10 minutes since the last time they checked, there was ALWAYS something in there. Always. It was crazy!
Here is our door at the beginning when we got the podcast and DVC magnets…

Then after Day One….

(hmmm...can't seem to find it. If I do, I will come back and edit.)

After Day Two….

And I don’t think I have one of Day Three….but the door was covered from top to bottom!

 

[DISNEY4XMAS]

Erika the trip looks really good! Real FUN! I can't wait to read more ! well I am heading for bed it's kinda chilly here tonight on 40 and it is about that in the house ( well it feels it) ok
NIGHT EVERYONE!

 

[3DisneyKids]

Day 6 – Castaway Cay

This was, by far, the best day of the trip! OMG, perfect!

We started by sleeping IN. Felt so great. And although we gave up our balcony, the nice part of having an inside stateroom is that it stays so dark and you can really sleep in. Even the kids slept past 9!

First stop of the day was Triton’s for a wonderful breakfast. Even breakfast was 3-4 courses! Then we changed and got ready for the day on the island.
I have to say that Castaway Cay is just perfect. Imagine a topical island paradise. That is exactly what it is like. Incredible and beautiful and pristine. All of it.

Jeff decided to start with a run. He did 5 miles on the island, which really gave him a good feel for the layout of the land. While he was running, I took the kids to begin their fun in the sun.

As soon as we got off the boat, there were photographers there to take our pic in front of the boat. And then all the way along the walkway to the beach, there were characters our for photos with the gorgeous Caribbean as a backdrop.

I dropped Kel off at the kids’ club and Riley and Cammie wanted to stay with me. We went straight to the Family Beach and they ran right into the water and didn’t get out for two hours.

Jeff eventually caught up with us, and the rest of the day was just surf, sun, and cocktails! We also pulled Kel out of the kids' club as we couldn't stand that she was not with us!

We went for a late (and light!) lunch at the BBQ on the island. We debated heading back to the ship for a better quality sit-down meal and to get out of the sun for a bit (as opposed to the buffet on the island), but we decided that would cause us to eat way too much. So way just stayed on the island.

Shortly after lunch it was time for the Podcast Party at Heads Up Bar on the island. Of all of the events planned by the Podcast team, this was the best. They rented out the bar just for us. I don’t know how they pulled that off. I am sure there were plenty of cruisers who were ticked when they arrived at the bar and couldn’t go in. (It is more of an outside/tiki bar type of place.)


We were provided with free drink coupons (yum!), the whole team was there to socialize with, and they even had both Mickey AND Donald there for exclusive photos. Not only did we get character photos, but they had it positioned so the ship was in the background. Sadly, our pictures didn’t turn out great, but it was still awesome. I also got lots of photos of the crew, but of course am not posting those here on the boards.

By this point, we were sun-drenched and half in the bag, so we decided to say good-by to Castaway Cay and head back on board. Of course, we had to say good-bye to some friends as well.

Once there, we just hung out on deck 9 while the kids swam in the pool and we enjoyed many a beverage.

This is a good time to point out that other than that first day, both the Mickey and Goofy pools were never over-crowded. Even though they were laughingly small, Disney must have done its homework. There was plenty of room for all the kids who wanted to be in there. I guess it is just that for the first few hours, there really aren’t many place on the ship that are up and running. But once people are dispersed throughout the various parts of the ship/activities, crowd management seemed not to be an issue.

We finally had to drag ourselves out of the sun to get ready for dinner and Pirate Night! (No we didn’t dress up.) But we did get some pics of the characters in their pirate garb.

Dinner was, again, superb. And filling. And again we rolled out. Riley was so full he couldn’t even have dessert. So when our server asked him what he wanted, he said “Nothing for me, thanks.” So that is exactly what he got. Our server brought out a plate that had the word “Nothing” written on it in chocolate syrup. He loved it! We took a pic, but I need to have Ben e-mail it to me.

[Side note—the night before was Riley’s birthday, which the staff knew. For dessert, they brought him out his own birthday cake (BIG), the whole place sang to him, and he got this chocolate ribbon with the cruise ship engraved on it that said Happy Birthday. Ben has those pics, too!]

The show on this night was Disney’s new movie, Earth. We decided to pass, opting to just hang out instead. We got our souvenier shopping done and spent time up on deck 10 just enjoying the night air.

Then it was time for “the” event. The party. Pirates IN the Caribbean. SO much fun. They had a dessert buffet that was to die for. We passed—just too full!

Then all of the characters came out for another show on the stage and it was another loud, fun dance party. The main event was when Pirate Mickey came down from the top of the stack on a zip line and then the fireworks started. LOVED the fireworks show. It wasn’t Wishes, but considering we were at sea, it was awesome.

It was after 11 by the time we got back to the stateroom. Where again, yes, it was time for room service (kids, too!) and hanging out before turning in.

Great, great day!

 

[princessrunner]

Good Tuesday everyone! Just flying through. Crazy busy here and then there is work too...

Erika, love the pics. I wish there was a cruise in the future for us but Mike is not a "boat" person. Not that right now he is even a vacation person...

I hope that everyone is well. I have read but cannot comment on everything. Sorry...again... I really wish I had more time to partake in the frivolity here!!

I have not been doing much of anything for the entire month I have come to realize. Time to get off the old bummocks and get moving again. I have run two 5K (informally) and they were both under 30 minutes which gives me encouragement that I should maybe try that distance again. Unfortunately for me, there is not a 5K around here until September. It seems a long time away but I guess that is my life right now. Shelby has a game tonight, David tomorrow night and then Shelby has a double header on Thursday night. Fun times. I also just got an email about her trying out to goalie the U16 field hockey team going to a festival in Indio, CA. Not happening of course but nice to have the invite. My fear is that they will stop calling and emailing but I guess that is just another price to pay...literally, right Nancy and Dawn??!! That solar plan is looking better all the time.....

 

[DISNEY4XMAS]

Good Morning Everyone!

Erika~ I am totally LOVING the TR!

LIZ ~ again hit another second hand shop and there were about 4 Vera Bradley bags in there. This shop was a little more expensive. Her bags were $18 and $20. I was going to take pictures to text u but thought the shop keeper would think I was "WEIRD" LOL.

Nancy~ I know the feeling about the bathing suit. I have the Same dreaded feeling. My pool is NOT open as of yet! Still very cold here. Last night it was 38. BURRRRRRR

LYZ~ yes my first attempt at making Mojito's last summer was a total DIS A STER I blame it on that the RUM came from Stephens EX-WIFE. SO I have to buy some GOOD RUM and then I will make them again

Amy~ So can I make a pitcher of Mojito's and if I can't drink it all will it store in the Fridge? and if yes for HOW LONG?

HI to everyone ELSE! I am off to do my WALK! I haven't walked since Wednesday last week! I don't like to go out in the rain and since it POURED all WEEKEND I didn't attempt to walk.

 

[DisneyWorld Delight]

Day 4, continued

I should also mention that we had seen LOTS of folks walking around in their white podcast shirts. So I decided that I should put mine on as well.

Now, Jeff knows almost nothing about the podcast or the DisBoards. On the drive to the Port, I gave him the basics, told him how it all worked, explained who the on-air personalities were, etc. So now he wonders where his shirt is.

“You mean you didn’t order one for me?”
“Um, these aren’t something you order. You get on when they read your e-mail on the air.”
“Oh, so I don’t get to be part of the club?! I won’t be part of the group this whole trip?”
“You had no idea what this was about until an hour ago.”

Finally he let it go.

THIS is HI LAR IOUS! So typical!!!!!

GREAT picture!

Day 4 – part 3 of 3


Finally, FINALLY we relaxed and began to enjoy the cruise. The food was good and the service was incredible! We found out later that there were 2400 passengers on board about 1000 CMs! Talk about a great ratio! Holy cow! And it really shows. The service is beyond compare.

Did you have a hard time finding vegetarian meals?

Here is what Kelly got when she asked for ketchup--

Cute!

As I was getting ready to head down to the stateroom myself (it was about 11pm), I spotted Pete and Walter. (Pete is the owner/operator of the Dis boards and basically runs the whole show in terms of the boards, the podcast, etc.) My main goal of the trip was to find each member of the podcast team and personally thank them for the cruise. I ended up chatting with Pete and Walter for a long time and it was lovely. I really clicked with them both, particularly Walter, and it was a great way to end the evening.

Where did you talk with Pete and Walter at? Oh and I want a transcript of the conversation.

Back at the stateroom, Jeff had opened a bottle of wine and ordered room service. Perfect. One of the BEST perks of the cruise was 24-hour room service…all included in the cost of the cruise.

~~I will add pics to all 3 installments before writing about the next day, Nassau~~

So...with all this room service being ordered, did you have a big bill at the end for your "drinks"? Oh and tell me about the photographers and the pics. Did you order any? Was it how I described or is it a photopass situation now?

Day 5 – Nassau, Bahamas

We knew that we would not spend too much time in Nassau. It’s a sewer of a place, sadly, but we also knew that we at least had to explore a bit. I had been there years ago and Jeff never had.

After brunch we waddled back to our stateroom to change and head out to the island. We had fun walking around and shopping. We found Mecca (or my version of it anyway….the Bacardi outlet!)

Did you take the kids to the island or leave them on the ship?

~~Intermezzo~~

This seems like a good time to explain Fish Extenders.

EriKa! Your fish extender is Awesome! Did you design it? How much did it cost to have that made? What was your contribution?

Day 6 – Castaway Cay

I dropped Kel off at the kids’ club and Riley and Cammie wanted to stay with me. We went straight to the Family Beach and they ran right into the water and didn’t get out for two hours.

Jeff eventually caught up with us, and the rest of the day was just surf, sun, and cocktails! We also pulled Kel out of the kids' club as we couldn't stand that she was not with us!

OK, how did your new swimsuit workout? Did your kids love the clear water? Was the water warm? You guys have cold ocean water in Maine, doncha?

We went for a late (and light!) lunch at the BBQ on the island. We debated heading back to the ship for a better quality sit-down meal and to get out of the sun for a bit (as opposed to the buffet on the island), but we decided that would cause us to eat way too much. So way just stayed on the island.

Was there much selection for you to eat at Cookie's BBQ?

Dinner was, again, superb. And filling. And again we rolled out. Riley was so full he couldn’t even have dessert. So when our server asked him what he wanted, he said “Nothing for me, thanks.” So that is exactly what he got. Our server brought out a plate that had the word “Nothing” written on it in chocolate syrup. He loved it! We took a pic, but I need to have Ben e-mail it to me.

That is so clever!

Then it was time for “the” event. The party. Pirates IN the Caribbean. SO much fun. They had a dessert buffet that was to die for. We passed—just too full!

WHAT?????

It was after 11 by the time we got back to the stateroom. Where again, yes, it was time for room service (kids, too!) and hanging out before turning in.

Did you order Mickey Bars? You know they cost like $5 in the park. Bob ordered 6 or 7 (free on the ship) and ate them all.

Ahh this trip report is so fun!!!!

Lyz ~ cute recital costume. What did she dance to? Good luck on the low carb.

Well, she danced to Jingle Bells. I KNOW! I need to make the score list. The first quarter of the show was DISNEY songs! How did we not get in that lineup? And frankly, there is enough DISNEY music for the whole show. The second quarter theme was Americana. The last half was Winter! WINTER!

He is way too into that kind of stuff and is on a mission to make me the ultimate poster child for his training skills.

That's a good thing Paula! You both are determined for you!!!!

 

[Dizneydawn]

Good Morning all.

I need to get caught up from the weekend and I will try later tonight.

I am in graduation panic and will say ahead of time that I may not be posting as much as I would like until after mid June. Dan will be travelling more than he thought and thus all the projects will need to be done by moi. That is okay but less time for much computer enjoyment.

My weekend update is:

Baylor - 4 soccer games - 2nd place in his tournament!
Baylor - semi-formal Friday night. So cute to see all these akward feeling junior high kids all gusseyed up!
Treyner - won his State Championship! Now on to regionals June 20-24 in Sioux Falls, SD. (Note to self - make hotel or camping ressies)
Treyner - Prom - great night - all was awesome.
Carsyn - babysitting/nanny expo tonight.
Treyner - got one of the largest scholarships given out for seniors last night at awards night. Most were around $500 and his was $1200. He graduates with 446 people and only 94 students got scholarships. It will not be given until after the complition of his Freshman year so actually will help his sophmore year. I am beyond ecstatic for him!

I spent way too much time this weekend in a car! Love the games more than anything though!

On top of that went to Menards and ordered countertops and found a great deal on an over the stove microwave I had been waiting for.

I am waiting to dig up a pot of gold somewhere. I will share if found!

Treyner and the girl who really holds his heart. Skyler!

Baylor Friday night for semi-formal after flying in from a soccer game and a 2 minute shower! I had to beg for a picture cause he was an hour late already.

After Grand March! Baylor, Skyler, Treyner & Carsyn.

I have to say that this is my all time favorite picture of Treyner and I. Totally spontaneous and just fun. He was more sentimental than I thought he would be and after laughing at him, I had turn away or I knew I would loose it for the rest of the night.

Treyner and Carly. They made such a beautiful couple.

Okay - Off to paint and then will catch up while paint is drying.

 

[goofyfan-12]

Hi Everyone,

Finally home from mom's eye procedure. All went beautifully and she is now resting. The second eye will be done next Tuesday and that should be it for a while.

Erika - the trip report is awesome and I so want to go on a cruise now. The kids are adorable in the pics. Too cute.

Lyz - thanks for asking such great questions. Can't wait for Erika to answer them all now.

Dawn - the prom pics are great. Everyone looks fantastic. Congrats on all of the soccer wins.

LisaPF - nice to see you here. As crazy as life gets don't forget to stop in and say hi from time to time.

Hi to everyone else....

This is a quick stop for me. I am off to do the final prep work for tonight's panel discussion. I will be soooo happy when this is over. Way too much work for one night. Hopefully, it will be worth it.

Have a great day everyone and I'll catch up soon.

Paula

 

[Dizneydawn]

K - you guys are like crack to an addict. I knew I could not wait!

E - your trip report was just the sunny spot I needed today! Every time I think I figure out which kid looks like who, they grow a bit and I am now puzzled again. Simply gorgeous kids!

Thanks all for the kind words about Baylor. Just part of life now and I need to get a tougher skin as well.

Liz - you handled it well. Yoda would be proud young Jedi. I, would have been under the training of Kung Fu Lou and with an ever so silent chop to the neck, put her outta comission for about 5 minutes. Enough time to shave her eyebrows off so she could be a bit more sympathetic.

Lyz - you have a dance queen for sure! Totally adorable!

Steph - how is the pool?

Nancy - I did not know you havd a pool and am still awaiting your prom pics my dear. And a vacation from recent times if we can mention that as well...

Paula - I would loveto see picsof yourcamp sometime so I can visualize you enjoying rest and relaxation. Congrat's on the one pound loss!

Lisa PR - I am so with you on where everything can possibly come from. It is a huge deal she was invited though. Do they have any schoalrships available? Sometimes the sponsors for the teams will have more alloted than just for uniforms. Esp., if they know they need a player position. It might not hurt to ask. Just a thought as I think back to the teams Treyner has played on and what was out there. Again, they are seeking her out. Huge pride!

 

[DisneyWorld Delight]

Dawn! Loved the pics. Great job Treynor on the scholarship! When does he graduate?

I forgot to tell you guys about the Dance Recital. It's a CIRCUS!

The doors open at 5:30 and you can get a seat and save 3 additional ones for the 7pm show. (The instructor is VERY controlling and rigid. She tries to make things fair, cause you know mama bear will save 6 rows of seats. One row for her family and cousin benny and memaw. And then 5 other rows for friends who's kids also dance. Thus the rule-a person can save 3 seats and sit in their own.)

I've been doing this for years. Mol took dance also. I get in line (at the back door - cause only 1/4 of the people line up there) at 4:50. Great place, close to the front. I actually walk up behind bff and another friend lines up behind me. So the 40 minutes go by quick.

The doors open and people do the shuffle, body squeeze up to the doors. You turn in your ticket and then run into the auditorium to your seats. And then sit for a spell. From 6-6:30 everyone else shows up. And they huff and puff up and down the isles. Mad - cause all the close seats are taken. Well, I'm sorry, but you must stand in line if you want a seat. There was a fight behind me over a seat because one woman went to get her daughter dressed and left her seats with her things. They were obviously taken. Another woman moved her stuff and sat down. It's nuts!

Anyway, I was geared up to video tape Mad. She had alot of friends who were dancing before her and she wouldn't get to see them. I figured I'd video them also. The first friend dances and I'm happily taping, la la la, then it hits me. Deep breath here. I am TAPING over Maddi's graduation program from Tuesday night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I pause. QUICK. I am sick. Sick, sick, sick. I look at the damage. Ok, I didn't tape over Maddi saying her part in the mic, just a portion of the soulful singing she belted out. I fast forward past the graduation show. Next. Going to tape a couple more friends. Happily taping, when they are done, I press pause and my camera flashes "record". I HAD BEEN PAUSED THE WHOLE TIME!!!!! My MIL asked if I was going to get it together for Maddi's dance? I'm really freaking not sure!!! But I do. I get Madeline fine. That's really all that matters.

Saturday night. Same scenario. Arrive early. Blah blah blah. I begin the night trying to tape a friend from the early part of the show, that I missed Friday. Press the button to record. The camera flashes "out of tape". Are you kidding me!!!! I can't even believe it.