Day 7 Friday, November 19, 2004 Castaway Cay
The past few days had been so rocky that when I woke up around 7:00, I thought we were docked!!! I turned on the TV and the ships weather station reported the seas at 1 ½ to 4 feet. There were NO whitecaps and the ship was sailing smoothly along. I felt we really had a good chance of docking at Castaway Cay. I went back to sleep and woke up at 8:00 for my room service coffee. The CM who brought it each day was so nice that we gave him a $10 phone card along with his usual $2 tip. We went out onto our verandah along with everyone else on the ship to see the approach of CC. KY John took my picture hanging over the verandah I took the same one of him. It was wonderful to see the approach of the island as we were on the right starboard side of the ship. As we neared the island, the Captain started to turn the ship around as we backed in. We were again on the right side to see the beaches and coves of the island .and YES, we made it. We were docked and ready to go at 9 a.m. We decided to have breakfast at Lumieres but instead bumped into House_Of_Princesses and joined them in Parrot Cay for the buffet. After breakfast, we went back to our cabin, gathered our stuff and disembarked. I got a great picture of Donald Duck and me in front of the Castaway Cay Post Office; even though Donald was a little upset I did not have a pin of him on my lanyard! I mailed myself a postcard with a Castaway Cay Stamp with the Magic on it and then we took the first tram. I stopped at She Sells . and bought my CC stuff; they would deliver it to the ship.
I had sent DH ahead on the tram to Serenity Bay Beach and I soon followed him arriving around 12:15. When I got on the beach, I saw that it was VERY long; much longer then is represented on the map they gave us! And Tom was at the very end this was not going to work for me! Luckily, I stumbled across Hannosmom and DSis a quarter of the way down the beach and decided to crash with them (smile). chichihoney was with the Princesses at the family beach. My wonderful DH went back and got our stuff and we proceeded to relax with our friends. Hannosdad had gone parasailing earlier and mom was awaiting his return. He did eventually show up and reported he had a great time it was really a lot of fun! He had gone back to the ship to get his stuff (as parasailing is located as soon as you get off the ship) and found out they were working on all the elevators. He had to walk UP 8 flights of stairs and back down! He was on the same boat as feenies DH. We all went to lunch except dad who had eaten on his way over. There was NO lobster burgers at Air Bar BBQ and HOP came bicycling by and said she thought they were here but not at Cookies BBQ. We never did find out if there were Lobster Burgers anywhere. (Edited to add PoohJen had the Lobster Paddies for lunch at Cookies) They did have a nice selection of Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Sausages, Salmon and Chicken with salads and of course, ice cream for dessert. It was a real picnic menu very appropriate for the beach! Hannosmom and DSis had a Frozen Drink the famous Konk Kooler I said I would get one later but I never did another reason I need to cruise again! My DH and Hannosdad went swimming but I only managed to get in up to my waist it was cool. The next time I think I will snorkel in the morning at the family beach which is in a protected cove and not the open ocean that is at Serenity Bay Beach. It has got to be warmer there! HOP also said she saw lots of fish but not the sunken Mickey statue the party line is that he is on vacation. We all wondered if he was damaged in the hurricanes. Spoke to people who had been on CC before. They were sad about the condition of the island. They said there had been flowers everywhere and now there were only a few. You could see that they had done a great job of cleaning up storm damage many trees with recent cuts to trim away the broken branches and trunks but still not as it once was. Many of the areas around the village shops had already been replanted but it will take several years for it to be back to its former glory. There was a nice selection of shops, restaurants, bars and play areas in the central village easily accessible by all. I am glad that I booked a Double Dip Cruise in November 2006 because I will really enjoy 2 stops on this island. There is definitely enough to do for 2 days and everyone will not be as rushed knowing they will be coming back again. It will also be a great way to kick off the cruise, to wake up the first day and be in paradise. No hassles Konk Kooler PLEASE!
We returned to the ship around 3:00 it was very sad leaving Castaway Cay knowing our cruise was almost at an end. We went to our stateroom to pack and I realized I needed another bag! Down to Treasure Ketch I go to buy a DCL bag to take stuff home in. And of course, I needed a few other things from the stores. It was VERY crowded as everyone was finishing up their shopping .on DCL, you are better off buying what you want earlier in the week as very little seems to go on sale. The only item I purchased that was reduced was a DCL Photo Album marked down to $9.99 from $20. The Cast Members said that Friday is the BUSIEST shopping day so plan accordingly. DH and I finished packing and went out on the verandah to see the ship sail away. No party tonight ..no bands playing us out to sea this time. I caught part of the Club/Lab Graduation Celebrate The Journey from The Walt Disney Theatre on the room TV it was so cute! The kids I spoke to all seemed to enjoy the club experience. We put our luggage in the hall and decided to go up to the Promenade Lounge to people watch and have a drink. We saw many of our DIS friends running around trying to tie up loose ends. I went to Shutters and purchased our embarkation photo as well as a group photo from our dinner last night at PALOs. There was a special release pin I purchased about 5 limited release/new release pins on this cruise so I bought 3 Mickey 76 Birthday Cruise Pins for myself, KY John and chichihoney. chichi ended up buying one herself so I took 2 home. I also discovered a small DCL charm that is intended to go on a clip-on style bracelet but I am going to attach it to a dangle Italian charm and add it to my new bracelet. Came back to the Promenade to find Tom enjoying his jumbo beer mug. I went to my last pin trading in the Atrium but was very happy with my wheelings and dealings of the week. I only trade for what I like and I decided to stick to a DCL and Mickey Theme. I hope to use one of the Photo Albums I purchased as a pin book just have to find pages to go in the album that will hold the pin. There were many characters in the Atrium during the pin trade and I was able to get some great pictures finally, the elusive Captain Mickey!!!
We went to Parrot Cay for our last dinner and I have to say this was the only night I didnt care for my meal. I enjoyed the Soft Shell Crab Tempura appetizer but my main course was not memorable maybe I was just sad about leaving the ship! I brought the jar of olives I had been carrying around for 2 weeks added 3 to my drink - and then gave the rest to the very olive hungry princesses. We celebrated one of the princesses Birthday with a cake and gifts so the meal did have a festive end. After dinner we went to the Atrium and it was very HOT and a mad crush of people. Instead, we went up to deck 4 (and went out on the wonderful deck 4 promenade for the first and only time this cruise!) and looked over the interior balcony to see the characters below. Soon it was time for - Til We Meet Again a farewell appearance by many characters and actors from the shows. It is really fabulous seeing so many people gathered together. I was able to take several pictures as the characters gathered from the lobby up the grand staircases on both sides. It was a very touching ending to a wonderful week!
We had intended to go to Pub Night as we heard this was a great time with the crew .but instead went up to Hannos and had a farewell visit .. it is hard to believe our week is almost over. We agreed to meet for a final breakfast tomorrow at 8:00. Back to our cabin, out onto the verandah for the last time and into bed placed a wake-up call to hear from Captain Mickey one last time at 7:15.
Day 8 Saturday, November 20, 2004 Disembarkation
I woke up around 5:30 and we were still at sea. As I was on the starboard side, I couldnt see the Florida Coast. Woke up again a little after 6:00 and we were docked at Port Canaveral no rocking, no beautiful view! I guess the reason DCL can turn the ship around so fast is because of this early arrival and restocking of the ship. I got my my last Mickey wake-up call at 7:30 we dressed, took one last look around our cabin and sniff, sniff verandah and went to Parrot Cay for breakfast. The House_Of_Princesses Family was there , KY John and Susan with their 2DDs and the Hannosmom Family. The Hannos had an extraordinary amount of luggage I dont know how they got in the car! They were driving home today as were KY John and Susan and their kids. House_Of_Princesses were staying at WDW for a few days and then were going to visit their grandparents for Thanksgiving. It was a happy but sad meal as we said goodbye to our new friends. 3 out of 4 families had rebooked for 11/11/06 so our parting was only temporary!
We left the ship at 8:45 and easily found our luggage DCL has a great system for disembarking. We had purchased DCL transfers to the airport so off we went to the buses with HOPs mom and sister. We were able to get our AA boarding passes (and they upgraded us to exit row seats) and check our luggage right at the dock. We had booked a day room at the airport Hyatt so we went right from the bus at 10:00 to the hotel lobby and checked in. The room was lovely and spacious; we were able to nap and take a shower before our 6:30 flight. I would definitely do this again! Our flight home was uneventful except only 3 of our 4 bags arrived on the luggage belt could this be happening again!!! Luckily, DH saw another luggage belt 3 down from where we were with a few random pieces and one was ours! Kelly Cab picked us up and took us to our friends house where we picked up our car .home to The Hamptons before midnight!
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=699544">"Is It November Yet?" Magic 11/13-20/04 - Things I'm Glad I Did/Didn't Do!</a>
The past few days had been so rocky that when I woke up around 7:00, I thought we were docked!!! I turned on the TV and the ships weather station reported the seas at 1 ½ to 4 feet. There were NO whitecaps and the ship was sailing smoothly along. I felt we really had a good chance of docking at Castaway Cay. I went back to sleep and woke up at 8:00 for my room service coffee. The CM who brought it each day was so nice that we gave him a $10 phone card along with his usual $2 tip. We went out onto our verandah along with everyone else on the ship to see the approach of CC. KY John took my picture hanging over the verandah I took the same one of him. It was wonderful to see the approach of the island as we were on the right starboard side of the ship. As we neared the island, the Captain started to turn the ship around as we backed in. We were again on the right side to see the beaches and coves of the island .and YES, we made it. We were docked and ready to go at 9 a.m. We decided to have breakfast at Lumieres but instead bumped into House_Of_Princesses and joined them in Parrot Cay for the buffet. After breakfast, we went back to our cabin, gathered our stuff and disembarked. I got a great picture of Donald Duck and me in front of the Castaway Cay Post Office; even though Donald was a little upset I did not have a pin of him on my lanyard! I mailed myself a postcard with a Castaway Cay Stamp with the Magic on it and then we took the first tram. I stopped at She Sells . and bought my CC stuff; they would deliver it to the ship.
I had sent DH ahead on the tram to Serenity Bay Beach and I soon followed him arriving around 12:15. When I got on the beach, I saw that it was VERY long; much longer then is represented on the map they gave us! And Tom was at the very end this was not going to work for me! Luckily, I stumbled across Hannosmom and DSis a quarter of the way down the beach and decided to crash with them (smile). chichihoney was with the Princesses at the family beach. My wonderful DH went back and got our stuff and we proceeded to relax with our friends. Hannosdad had gone parasailing earlier and mom was awaiting his return. He did eventually show up and reported he had a great time it was really a lot of fun! He had gone back to the ship to get his stuff (as parasailing is located as soon as you get off the ship) and found out they were working on all the elevators. He had to walk UP 8 flights of stairs and back down! He was on the same boat as feenies DH. We all went to lunch except dad who had eaten on his way over. There was NO lobster burgers at Air Bar BBQ and HOP came bicycling by and said she thought they were here but not at Cookies BBQ. We never did find out if there were Lobster Burgers anywhere. (Edited to add PoohJen had the Lobster Paddies for lunch at Cookies) They did have a nice selection of Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Sausages, Salmon and Chicken with salads and of course, ice cream for dessert. It was a real picnic menu very appropriate for the beach! Hannosmom and DSis had a Frozen Drink the famous Konk Kooler I said I would get one later but I never did another reason I need to cruise again! My DH and Hannosdad went swimming but I only managed to get in up to my waist it was cool. The next time I think I will snorkel in the morning at the family beach which is in a protected cove and not the open ocean that is at Serenity Bay Beach. It has got to be warmer there! HOP also said she saw lots of fish but not the sunken Mickey statue the party line is that he is on vacation. We all wondered if he was damaged in the hurricanes. Spoke to people who had been on CC before. They were sad about the condition of the island. They said there had been flowers everywhere and now there were only a few. You could see that they had done a great job of cleaning up storm damage many trees with recent cuts to trim away the broken branches and trunks but still not as it once was. Many of the areas around the village shops had already been replanted but it will take several years for it to be back to its former glory. There was a nice selection of shops, restaurants, bars and play areas in the central village easily accessible by all. I am glad that I booked a Double Dip Cruise in November 2006 because I will really enjoy 2 stops on this island. There is definitely enough to do for 2 days and everyone will not be as rushed knowing they will be coming back again. It will also be a great way to kick off the cruise, to wake up the first day and be in paradise. No hassles Konk Kooler PLEASE!
We returned to the ship around 3:00 it was very sad leaving Castaway Cay knowing our cruise was almost at an end. We went to our stateroom to pack and I realized I needed another bag! Down to Treasure Ketch I go to buy a DCL bag to take stuff home in. And of course, I needed a few other things from the stores. It was VERY crowded as everyone was finishing up their shopping .on DCL, you are better off buying what you want earlier in the week as very little seems to go on sale. The only item I purchased that was reduced was a DCL Photo Album marked down to $9.99 from $20. The Cast Members said that Friday is the BUSIEST shopping day so plan accordingly. DH and I finished packing and went out on the verandah to see the ship sail away. No party tonight ..no bands playing us out to sea this time. I caught part of the Club/Lab Graduation Celebrate The Journey from The Walt Disney Theatre on the room TV it was so cute! The kids I spoke to all seemed to enjoy the club experience. We put our luggage in the hall and decided to go up to the Promenade Lounge to people watch and have a drink. We saw many of our DIS friends running around trying to tie up loose ends. I went to Shutters and purchased our embarkation photo as well as a group photo from our dinner last night at PALOs. There was a special release pin I purchased about 5 limited release/new release pins on this cruise so I bought 3 Mickey 76 Birthday Cruise Pins for myself, KY John and chichihoney. chichi ended up buying one herself so I took 2 home. I also discovered a small DCL charm that is intended to go on a clip-on style bracelet but I am going to attach it to a dangle Italian charm and add it to my new bracelet. Came back to the Promenade to find Tom enjoying his jumbo beer mug. I went to my last pin trading in the Atrium but was very happy with my wheelings and dealings of the week. I only trade for what I like and I decided to stick to a DCL and Mickey Theme. I hope to use one of the Photo Albums I purchased as a pin book just have to find pages to go in the album that will hold the pin. There were many characters in the Atrium during the pin trade and I was able to get some great pictures finally, the elusive Captain Mickey!!!
We went to Parrot Cay for our last dinner and I have to say this was the only night I didnt care for my meal. I enjoyed the Soft Shell Crab Tempura appetizer but my main course was not memorable maybe I was just sad about leaving the ship! I brought the jar of olives I had been carrying around for 2 weeks added 3 to my drink - and then gave the rest to the very olive hungry princesses. We celebrated one of the princesses Birthday with a cake and gifts so the meal did have a festive end. After dinner we went to the Atrium and it was very HOT and a mad crush of people. Instead, we went up to deck 4 (and went out on the wonderful deck 4 promenade for the first and only time this cruise!) and looked over the interior balcony to see the characters below. Soon it was time for - Til We Meet Again a farewell appearance by many characters and actors from the shows. It is really fabulous seeing so many people gathered together. I was able to take several pictures as the characters gathered from the lobby up the grand staircases on both sides. It was a very touching ending to a wonderful week!
We had intended to go to Pub Night as we heard this was a great time with the crew .but instead went up to Hannos and had a farewell visit .. it is hard to believe our week is almost over. We agreed to meet for a final breakfast tomorrow at 8:00. Back to our cabin, out onto the verandah for the last time and into bed placed a wake-up call to hear from Captain Mickey one last time at 7:15.
Day 8 Saturday, November 20, 2004 Disembarkation
I woke up around 5:30 and we were still at sea. As I was on the starboard side, I couldnt see the Florida Coast. Woke up again a little after 6:00 and we were docked at Port Canaveral no rocking, no beautiful view! I guess the reason DCL can turn the ship around so fast is because of this early arrival and restocking of the ship. I got my my last Mickey wake-up call at 7:30 we dressed, took one last look around our cabin and sniff, sniff verandah and went to Parrot Cay for breakfast. The House_Of_Princesses Family was there , KY John and Susan with their 2DDs and the Hannosmom Family. The Hannos had an extraordinary amount of luggage I dont know how they got in the car! They were driving home today as were KY John and Susan and their kids. House_Of_Princesses were staying at WDW for a few days and then were going to visit their grandparents for Thanksgiving. It was a happy but sad meal as we said goodbye to our new friends. 3 out of 4 families had rebooked for 11/11/06 so our parting was only temporary!
We left the ship at 8:45 and easily found our luggage DCL has a great system for disembarking. We had purchased DCL transfers to the airport so off we went to the buses with HOPs mom and sister. We were able to get our AA boarding passes (and they upgraded us to exit row seats) and check our luggage right at the dock. We had booked a day room at the airport Hyatt so we went right from the bus at 10:00 to the hotel lobby and checked in. The room was lovely and spacious; we were able to nap and take a shower before our 6:30 flight. I would definitely do this again! Our flight home was uneventful except only 3 of our 4 bags arrived on the luggage belt could this be happening again!!! Luckily, DH saw another luggage belt 3 down from where we were with a few random pieces and one was ours! Kelly Cab picked us up and took us to our friends house where we picked up our car .home to The Hamptons before midnight!
<a href="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=699544">"Is It November Yet?" Magic 11/13-20/04 - Things I'm Glad I Did/Didn't Do!</a>
