KC's Western POST trip report 4/19-4/26

[laura001]

Oh my!!! Did you ever find his belongings, did they replace his KTTW card right away??

 

[Hypermommy]

Oh my!!! Did you ever find his belongings, did they replace his KTTW card right away??

Yes, they cancelled the card right away and replaced it when we got back on board. We didn't have any problems whatsoever. And we got his shirt back the next day. So the only issue is the boy's doofiness at throwing his stuff down on one of a million identical chairs and then not remembering where it was. Think maybe he learned anything? Probably not!

 

[King Charming]

Replacing a KTTW is simple, but it must be done at GS on the ship. DS 14 lost (?) his earlier having left it in the tennis shoes that walked off. Although I didn't think about it at the time, I'm sure you can pick up a phone and report it. There is a guest services type CM near the family beach area, as well as at the lost and found at the tube rental building. These nice folks are very professional when you confess to having clueless offspring, and actually encourage you to check back with them later.

And while I'm thinking about it, I might as well confess I was wrong! Those dorky lanyards that everybody wears really are a treasure. I wish I had gotten them for at least the kids, hopefully making these KTTW's harder to lose. The reason I didn't was the last time they wore lanyards at Mickey's. They came home cluttered with pins! I got off light this time (only 3 pins), but you know how multiple collectors within one wallet, er... family can get .

As scatterbrained as I felt Wed evening, I never felt the need to keep my drivers license and room key in a clear plastic envelope hanging from my neck. But I must admit that between the coins and the lanyard, it would have been nice to leave my wallet in the room. Since about half the folks wear one, I guess this falls under 'cruise casual'.

In order to take OB off the ship we have to get a replacement KTTW. There was no line and was done in a flash. They reviewed with us the procedures for 'L&F'. I was in a hurry to get off and get to the tram. While waiting for our ride, a quick inventory reveals no shirt for DW. After the uneven sunburn she got on Sunday, I know she will need this. I re-board a fourth time (Hi, how are you, again? It's me, old guy w/ a hat full of coins and suspenders, remember?), get the T-shirt, and top off the blue cup. Back off the ship, pick up OB right where I left him (better be there), and walk over the short bridge. It's amazing what you remember when you make the trip so often. We meet up with DW, but she is bummed because there is no time for a quicky over to the far beach before the banana boat ride at 3:30. I was disappointed to find out that the child trading center was closed AND that they had stopped serving lunch. Not only will I finally be hungry, but I will have to take home the same pair of kids I started with. I thought parents got to have fun on paradise island

3:20 at the floatation vest area for the boat ride and no DS14. They suit up and I walk back towards where he will likely be coming from. I found him and he went running down there waving his arms and yelling as advised. DW took it from there and he was the last to get on.

By now there is the shifting of the human tide and people begin trickling back to the ship. The flow continues to grow for an hour. I found an empty hammock not far away and enjoyed a peaceful rest. We poked around 'She Sells' when they returned, checked L&F a last time, then headed back. She Sells is about what you would expect a touristy beach wear shop to be, only more expensive. Most everything had DCL or CC printed on it. I wanted to buy several beach towels because of all the neat prints they had. A full display case with 20 each of 20 prints for $20-22 each. Tell me they are half price on the cay only and watch that case empty out. Just as well, the final accounting is coming soon, and I don't need to be padding the expenses.

 

[rala]

Great TR. Thank you. We are back to rainy Germany and we miss you so much. It was so nice to drink a coffee with you in the early morning.

Marion & Michael

 

[Hypermommy]

Sorry to get behind guys. Just truly enjoying scrapbooking and trying to keep up with a post-as-many-as-you-can-do-in-May challenge over at one of the scrap boards I hang out on.

Oh, Marion, got your PM. Glad you guys made it back safe and sound. I can't wait to hear about your trip. I'll PM you back sometime today.

But on to Friday. Ahhhh... Castaway Cay. I'd heard so much about it. I'd seen it on TV lotsa times. I was sooooo looking foward to a few hours at Serenity Bay hearing nothing but the lapping of the waves and enjoying a bit of lobster or steak. Ahhhhh.

But first we have to get there. I woke up early on Friday (what else is new) and noticed that we had a message on the phone. I picked it up and it's fromm guest services letting us know that there's been $120 in charges in the gameroom. Now I knew the boys had been steadily building all week but something about the way it sounded made it seem like someone had bought a $120 one-time charge. Of course, I freaked a bit.

Not enough not to go get coffee and have a smoke first. Hey, some things are important! But after that I went down to guest services and learned that it was more like $300 but it was not all at one time. There was no more than a $30 one-time charge. Whew!!! After seeing DS14 in there at some point buying some games for some girls (what we won't do to get what we want from these guys, huh, ladies?) I thought maybe he'd decided to treat everyone in The Stack or something. Okay.... now I can calm down again.

I ran back to the room for my glasses (yes, trying to figure out the game room charges without my eyeballs was fun, but I told you I'd freaked) and went back up on deck for more coffee and nicotine.

Around 8 or so I went to wake up DS14. It was easier than I thought it'd be given how late he was out at the homecoming dance last night. But he'd decided to do The Wild Side excursion with his friends instead of parasailing with his brother and I and he had to be at The Stack at 9am. At least now you know why I don't have any CC pictures of him. It's not that I hate my son

After getting him situated I went to get some breakfast for me. I know the seaguls that live at CC absolutely love Topsiders, that's for sure.

Okay... well, I was trying to be good this morning but now I have to go help pick up a free couch. Thank goodness for freecycle.

Back later.

 

[Hypermommy]

Ugh! So we got the couch and it's a nice one. And KC and DS14 moved out the old one (ain't it great to have sons that are old enough now to help with the heavy lifting?). So DS12 and I started cleaning out from where the couch had been. It's amazing what mess collects. And then we decided we needed a new vacuum cleaner. I didn't think we did but, as usual, KC was right. And he knew just the right words to say to get me to go along -- "wanna go get a Costco membership"? We just had a new Costco open around the corner from our house. So we're there and they have lots of stations where there are free samples. One of them is salmon cooked with just some seasoning salt. Well, that's easy...even Hypermommy can cook that. So we picked up some salmon. And then I cooked it last night. Now why do I say all of this that's not related to the trip? Becuase I wanted you to know that I didn't mean to neglect the TR for almost 18 hours when I promised I'd be right back. (hush, purplepeg! )

So where were we? Oh yeah... eating breakfast and watching the seagulls and how much they love Topsiders. Okay, so I got some breakfast and took it out to Deck 9's Goofy pool area where I shared it with KC and DS12. Good thing I got lots of bacon but I guess by now I know my menfolk. And then it's off to Castaway Cay!

As we got off the ship we decided to walk to the main section of the island in the hopes of seeing Capt. Jack Sparrow. Alas, no luck. But I did snap a picture of KC and DS12 with the Dutchman in the background. It'd be one of the last pictures I was able to get of them that day with something akin to a smile on their faces.

Then we were on the island proper. Seeing this sign is great!

And I got a photo of DS12 at the Scuttle's Cove sign becuase the plan was that this is where he'd go after we finished parasailing.

Of course, the best laid plans...... right?

And we got this cool picture. I love how the shark hooked the humans with a hot dog!

We bought some postcards to mail back to family and ourselves and then took the tram back over to the post office to mail them. Sent one to ourselves that said "Hey you. Bet you wish you were here." Ain't that the truth!!!!

And the island wasn't totally characterless. Got a pic of us with C&D at the post office.

At that point we had just a bit of time to kill before our parasailing. The meeting point was at Marge's Barges which is just about across from the post office. We checked in for parasailing and they had a little waiting area for us until the boat was ready for us. There were about 20 of us or so but they split us up until there were about 10 of us in each boat. I had been debating all week whether or not I should take my digital camera or just use the waterproof one. In the end I decided to take the digital and boy was I glad that I did. We got in the first boat with Mike and Ken. They had reggea (sp?) music playing and the ride out to where we'd go sailing was fast and fun. Ken was sweet enough to take pictures of DS12 and I as we parasailed and I think they came out marvelous!!!

Everyone had said how peaceful it is when you're parasailing. It was. It was really cool. Of course, I kept worrying about how high up we were in case we were to fall. It was really getting to me. I never knew I had such a problem with heights, but I guess it was something about being that high up and just tied on with a few ropes and hoping that the harnesses would hold me and stuff like that. I even said something to DS12 about if he were to fall to make sure he crossed his ankles and stuff. It really weighed on my mind. Wish I could have gotten past the height becuase it really was a cool experience. But as you can see in those last couple of pictures, Ken told us to stick out our arms for a good picture and we did, but I just couldn't leave my arms out. I had to be hanging on to something. Don't know what I thought I could do if the harness broke. It's not like I could actually hang on for a long time -- I just don't have that kind of strength. It's like when the boys were younger and we'd go on roller coasters and I had to have my hands on their legs in case they slipped out of the restraint. Did I actually think I was going to be able to hang on to them? I know... doesn't make much sense does it? Welcome to the worrywart world. Whenever I get to worrying like this KC always tells me to worry about an asteroid out in space that's going to hit the earth someday because at least I might as well be worrying about something reasonable.

But it was a fantastic experience!

From this point our Castaway Cay experience started to go downhill. KC and I were snitting at each other after the parasailing ride. I don't even remember now what it was about. You couples out there that have been married a while ... you know how it is. Every now and again you hit a patch where you're just not happy with each other. And later on the reason (if you can even remember it) is so stupid. Well, that's how it was with us. I don't remember what we were snitting about but we were.

And then there's the incident with DS12 and his wallet and shirt. I won't go into great detail because KC has covered that quite thoroughly. But it was sure aggravating. KC kept telling DS12 to go back and look for it. And this was after I'd been with him at least a half hour (or at least that's what it felt like) looking up and down the beach for it. I knew we weren't going to find it and it seemed rather pointless to tell him to go look again. And all the while I knew that we were running out of time for Serenity Bay. Which is what I really, really wanted to do. And I was getting frustrated with the fact that we weren't going to get to do that.

Now, looking back on it, I figure this alone -- the fact that I didn't get to go to Serenity Bay -- is reason enough to get on a cruise again. So I'm telling KC right here and now in front of everyone that we absolutely have to figure out a way to get on another cruise. A 3 day is fine with me becuase the only place I want to go is SB. And next time there will be no excursions booked for me (even though I was greatly looking forward to the ones we had)... nothing but SB. All day. Until they make me leave!

But okay, so there's all the stuff with DS12 and his wallet and getting on and off the ship for KC. Meanwhile, DS14 has finished his excursion and met us at Cookie's for lunch. Poor thing... he saw how KC and DS12 were getting angrier and angrier at each other and how upset I was at missing SB. He tried to come up with a solution. He's such a good boy. But nothing worked. He wanted to go to the teen beach and I told him to go ahead and have fun but to be at the banana boat place at 2:30 (becuase our ride was at 3:30 -- I figured this would give him a bit of time in case he was late).

So now here I am alone at Cookies, in a bad mood, plans for Serenity Bay ruined. Well, I might as well get some pictures for the scrapbook. I really loved how the restrooms were labelled.

And I had to get a picture of Mt. Rustmore

And look where I found myself

Yes, I believe I will have a Conch Cooler. Of course, I know that I'm out in the sun so I made a rule. For each Conch Cooler ordered, I'd have to get 2 cups of water and drink them first. Boy, you ain't never seen water disappear quicker in your life. But I walked around and shopped and enjoyed my Conch Coolers and eventually caught back up with KC. Eventually I was able to talk him into letting DS12 off the boat to enjoy the banana boat ride. I know I shouldn't do that. I really do try to let him handle the discipline of the kids becuase I know that I'm the original Marshmallow Mom (soft as a marshmallow when it comes to discipline). But this would be my baby's only chance to be on Castaway Cay and ride the banana boat. So off KC goes to get him.

We met up and checked in for the banana boat ride. Where's DS14? Late again, of course. We got ourselves all checked in and were actually boarding the boat when he came running up waving his hands. I let the boat folks know that he was with us and they got him in a lifejacket and on the banana boat. He apologized to me and said that folks on the teen beach kept telling him it was 2:30. Now I know I've said this before but GET A WATCH in case you want members of your party to meet you at particular times.

So here we are on the banana boat. How to describe this. Well, you ever seen that mechanical bull that was so popular back in the 80s? Think of that but on water. It was actually a lot of fun! Until the point where I looked off to my left and saw a tsunami heading towards me. The next thing I know, I'm in the middle of the water along with about four or five other folks and the boat's still moving without us on it. That's about when my mind thought about sharks. Okay, so now I'm ready to walk on water or something. I pull my legs up -- I don't know why -- to give the shark a better bite at the rump roast, I guess. Fortunately, both of my boys are still on the raft so I don't have to worry about that. Now I have to figure out how I'm going to get back on this raft myself. No I don't... one of the operators is pulling people up by the lifejacket. Poor guy doesn't know what he's gotten himself into with me. He managed to get me up and almost fell off the other side doing so becuase he had to give such a mighty heave-ho. But here I am back on the boat and now I'm scared of falling off becuase I can't quit thinking about sharks. I'm ready to be back at shore. It was a lot of fun and if I were younger I'd definitely do it again. But I think I'll do without it next time. Remember, I'm going to be at Serenity Bay all day... until they kick me off the island.

So back to the ship we go. We had a bit of time to kill before dinner which was at Parrot Cay. DS14 was late again (big surprise) and boy you should see how sunburned his back is. No other part of him... just his back. I gotta teach that boy how to ask some pretty girl to put sunscreen on his back. Hey, it's legitimate ... he needs the sunscreen back there. You'd think a boy would think of this kind of thing on his own.

After dinner it was time to pack. KC was absolutely WONDERFUL in how he helped me pack. He really is a marvelous person. The sons came into the room a time or two but they were properly scared off when I told them if I saw them again they'd help pack.

Of course we went to Guest Services and got luggage tags in all varieties so we'd have one of each character for scrapbooking purposes. And we went to Shutters and picked out pictures. We ended up getting five 8x10s. There were a lot of other ones I would have wanted if we had unlimited funds, but with the price of these we kept it just at the 5.

Later that night I was wandering around and saw the "Till We Meet Again" show. I thought it was really cute how Goofy tried to hide in front of the Mariner Mickey statue because he didn't want to go to bed. And I loved how Stitch scampered up the stairway on all fours. It's a really cute show and you should definitely try to catch it.

Later on we tried to turn in the pager for DS12 (which went off once during the course of the week because he wanted me to join him for a video game during open house) but we couldn't because he was still checked in. Oh well... I got a free Disney Sea Institute (children's program) t-shirt because I noticed them laying over there and asked if he got one. I was honest -- I told them that he hadn't participated in the program. They said I could have one anyway and far be it from me to turn down a freebie Disney anything!

We went shopping a bit more and got a frame for my mother in law. Her birthday was the Sunday after we get back so we figured a framed picture of us in our semi-formal wear would be a good present. I thought about getting a DCL frame of my own but then I realized that when she passes away I'll get this one back so I can wait a while and save a bit of money (I'm so bad, aren't I?).

We spent some time chatting with some DISsers (I really enjoyed doing this all week!) and then went back at midnight to turn in the pager. Turns out DS12 had already checked himself out so we were able to turn it in this time. Whew! That's done. Time for bed.

About 2:30 in the morning I woke up and realized KC wasn't in the room. I went looking for him and found him in Quartermasters trying to spend down some of what was left on those cards. I left him there and went back to bed.

Next up from me.... Debarkation Day - A Sad Morning

 

[TotallyAngelic]

amazing photos! castaway cay looks beautiful!

 

[nzdisneymom]

We ended up buying a new vacuum at Costco about two weeks after they opened because our old one bit the dust.

Love the pics of you and DS12 parasailing - how fun! I want to parasail our next time.

 

[Jillpie]

Ok, LOVED this last report from you, I laughed right out loud so many times. Buying the frame for MIL to have later, omg and trying to get back on the banana boat , funny, funny stuff!! And boy do I understand how you and DH had a tiff shall we say, we all do that and understood every minute of it. I hate to see this cruise end, you guys have done such a great job.

 

[King Charming]

An interesting range of emotions tonight; thrilled to STILL be on the ship, sad knowing it is almost over. Dinner was again good, taking a relaxing 70 minutes from entry to exit. Next was packing . I hadn't taken an active role in packing for the trip and was unaware of how much stuff we brought along. No wonder she wanted help. Even with the new T-shirts taking the place of the booze that filled 2 carry-ons, it was still a pain getting it all to fit. Smart people take into consideration the souvenirs and shopping they will be bringing back and pack accordingly. I lucked out and bought a rolling DCL carry-on so that helped some. Caution, do not put breakable items in your checked bags. Part of the efficient baggage movement includes stacking it to the ceiling. The three foot plastic saber for my pirate costume was no match for our soft sided luggage getting on, so they were not too gentle there either. After getting the 8 tagged bags into the hallway, they were quickly whisked away. I would have expected the hallway to become hopelessly jammed with luggage, but they were flawless in the removal process.

In addition to the regular, extra, and cash tips given to our room attendant, the hardest working man on the ship also got the remaining 5 bottles of cold beer. Cold beer is universally accepted and Clefus again displayed the best smile on the boat. (you did vote for him?) This turned out to be the last time we saw him as he was on a bag mover team. He and Edwin were always around and were great helpers. On Sat morning he also inherited some more stuff by default. 6 un-opened tax free packs of cigarettes, a plastic toy beach bucket/shovel, and the remaining arcade cards. Everybody has a buddy who will smoke free cigs, and I'm sure he will pass along the other items as he see fit.

Next was the dash to Shutters. We had been in during the week tossing the bad ones, so selecting pics was easy. Yes it was a madhouse, but for some reason we got in and out pretty quick. Go to the room to drop them off, then head back out. The timing of this evenings events worked out so nicely. There were so many things to do and we had just enough time for everything.

Next up was a trip to deck 9 for cake. Michael and Marion invited us to share some wedding cake . They don't look too happy when they show up without cake. . Seems they have to sift through 400 wedding photos and pare it down to 80 keepers. . Off they go so we hunt down John. He and his wife were another couple who lived up here on deck 9 with us. They are from NJ, are fellow DIS'ers, and are repeat cruisers we learned alot from. We later used his lap-top to see the wedding pictures when the newlyweds came back with a disc containing ALL the pics. The photos were proof of the fabulous ceremony, beautiful backdrops, and two people deeply in love. (The honeymoon was 2 weeks in WDW! ). We turned our pager in with 2 minutes to spare, but were only second to last. We went back to the room to check on the boys. I was ready to turn in when I saw the arcade room cards.

Back up to deck 9 to the arcade. Quarter Masters, a neat word play there. So I check the cards, and sure enough there are hundreds of points on each card! So I start playing and I'm watching the only other guy in the place play every other machine. After 20 minutes or so he walks over to the re-load machine. "Not so fast" I yell, "Here, have one of these" I beg. "No thanks" he says as a big grin appears. "I'm trying to use these up and wanted to know if the machine would tell me how much is left on them" as he shows me 3 cards of his own. Nice to know I wasn't the only fool who let his kids have charging authorization near an arcade.

I was surprised when DW came to claim me. I don't see why the night should end. I feel great and I'm sober (wish I hadn't have been in such a hurry to get rid of those beers) and the vacation still has one more night, ah... er...morning to go. Why would I want to go to sleep now? As my head hit the pillow, I knew why.

 

[podsnel]

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[/QUOTE]

WOW!!! This is a great, GREAT page! Love your red and black photos, too!!

 

[King Charming]

Like I said, I charged whatever I could so I would have an itemized record. The total ship charges were $2.1K+. A total breakdown as follows:
$ 400 Tulum
$ 300 CC
$ 325 tips
$ 325 arcade
$ 200 gift shop
$ 130 spa
$ 150 booze
$ 99 Bingo
$ 50 duty free
$ 100 misc. b.s.

I laughingly told a buddy that the money blown in the arcade was as bad as losing it on another cruise ship's casino. He quickly pointed out there is at least a chance of a pay-off the second way. If I had to do it over again I would have removed the charging privileges from the kids cards because they blew thru $ 300+ total. I'm sure I could have run up a more respectable bar tab if I hadn't cut way back after stroking. Beers were around 5 bucks, drinks averaged 6, w/out tip. You CAN go higher. Drink strength varied by location/venue; free drinks at the Capt's Gala and early morning Bloodymarys were noticeably less 'full bodied' than drinks poured by a well tipped bartender. By carrying around $ 20 worth of coins each day in one pocket, and a wad of 5's in the other, I was ready to give away money and be easy to remember.

I was kind of unsure who/when to tip and how much. I'm not allowed out much. We did the recommended tips and ended up giving away over a hundred more; ranging from the fellow who opened my beer bottle in Cove Cafe ($1) to $ 20 for a less than one hour massage. I had counted on the uniqueness of the shiny gold dollars and large silver halfs to make up for my cheapness. They did, and were a genuine hit with everybody. Two responses stood out; one fellow didn't know they were money and asked what they were. The other lady said they would go into her 'America' scrapbook. I never thought to tip the tender operators, nobody else seemed to be doing it, so It never dawned on me. I also missed the bus driver in Mexico, another rookie mistake. I had heard 2 bucks was the magic number per person per event for tipping and used it as my model. Here's a rundown of who got what:
$ 1 Politely explain something or generally make my life easy (L&F guy)
$ 1.50-2.50 Bartenders
$ 2-2.50 Deck servers,per plate room service, shuttle to port driver (X2)
$ 5 GC bus driver (X2),KW cabbie, parasailing guys, Radisson housekeeping
$ 8 Tulum tour guide
15-16 Porters (X2)
$ 20 Spa guy, stateroom attendant (X2)

Finally, remember to keep some cash for leaving the ship. The re-entry tax MUST be paid in cash so... what?....No more?....OK then, you'll still need a wallet full to return to the real world where cash IS used. Porters, cutoms duties, tolls and other transportation costs, and lunch will need to be addressed almost immediately. Your wallet is not safe until you get home, be prepared!

 

[jollytammy]

Thank you for the breakdown and tips They will be helpful in my planning!

 

[King Charming]

This was not what I expected and wish I had done a few things differently . I thought it would be more personal, more one on one like when I came back from an afternoon in T.J. Mexico, south of San Deigo. Statements like 'Business or pleasure', 'What are you bringing back', and 'Show it to me' were spoken then. Where are the fearsome dogs that can sniff out more than two bottles of booze, or only Cuban cigars? I could book another cruise with the black market markup on all these tax free cigarettes. Due to the clientele of DCL, I don't think smuggling has ever been an issue. It is all about paperwork now. They seem less concerned with a gallon of tequila then the threat of fruits or veggys coming in. I never once saw the line get held up by someone who brought back more than authorized and had to pay a duty.

Even DCL seemed to agree. They were more fussy about fresh food items but ignored personal use amounts of most anything. I got the impression that the DCL screeners were more for show than anything else. I never saw or heard of them ever physically poking around a purse or package after it went through the X-ray. Of course we gave them no reason to, also. While waiting on lost and found on Saturday, I got to look around the baggage handling area. I again found no scanner these bags must go through somewhere. I wonder when, where, and how this items are checked. Our bags were found up on a table when we claimed them, surely making it harder to be inspected by any type of K-9 unit.

It was a hoot when DW gave away a couple of apples she had taken from the ship. We were in George Town GC and we had just bought another round of T-shirts and were about to head back. The guy at the cash register was getting these apples. She is trying to explain the ships policy to someone who really didn't care why he was getting them. The apples looked great, which is all that mattered to the guy, so yeah, thank you. She hadn't realized he said yes, and gave him a better explanation. She talked him into accepting all over again.

 

[Daisy5115]

Thank you for a very entertaining trip report! I only met Denise briefly in line for formal photos, at trivia and in the bathroom I helped her check the back of her evening gown. It was a great trip, thanks for stretching it out a little bit for all of us.

Karen

 

[TotallyAngelic]

A fantastic trip report. Thanks for sharing this. I have really enjoyed it and it has been so informative re. the financial extras I should be prepared for. I hadn't even thought about or budgeted for the arcade, but maybe I should as I have 4 teens and one of them a gaming addict. I didn't realise the arcade bill could sneak up and bite you on the bum like that!

 

[King Charming]

I'm happy this helps. I had hunted high and low trying to find out what stuff costs and what to expect before we went. I'm sure most people don't list costs because they don't want to appear cheap/extravagant.

Another significant ship expense I missed in the breakdown was Shutters. I think it was $88 for five 8x10s (the smallest package).

As a sort of payment for this fine planning tool you have been reading, you soon to be cruisers will have to promise me something. You will set aside the 88 or 90 bucks for these professional photos. (Oh, that photo? Yes, thank you, we do look good. That was taken during our Caribbean cruise.) Sure they are overpriced, but do it for your 'tomorrow' self. You will fondly look back on the trip and remember the exact moment the picture was taken, and smile.

 

[tksbaskets]

I'm happy this helps. I had hunted high and low trying to find out what stuff costs and what to expect before we went. I'm sure most people don't list costs because they don't want to appear cheap/extravagant.

Another significant ship expense I missed in the breakdown was Shutters. I think it was $88 for five 8x10s (the smallest package).

As a sort of payment for this fine planning tool you have been reading, you soon to be cruisers will have to promise me something. You will set aside the 88 or 90 bucks for these professional photos. (Oh, that photo? Yes, thank you, we do look good. That was taken during our Caribbean cruise.) Sure they are overpriced, but do it for your 'tomorrow' self. You will fondly look back on the trip and remember the exact moment the picture was taken, and smile.

I commend you and your DW for the amazing restraint at Shutters - I just go ahead and pony up for the biggest package they have...

 

[King Charming]

We were up early enough to finish packing and trip over each other a few last times as we got ready to head out. I can't imagine 4 people co-existing in a smaller room (like on other ships). We found that with the table removed, there was room for two people to move around at the same time. It also made a big difference that seldom were the 4 of us in the room at the same time unless we were sleeping. The boys sure didn't want to hang out there, and with no verandah, neither did I. At first it was strange not to have a window and see daylight upon waking, but with the ease & speed I could get on deck, I was glad (sour grapes?) I didn't spend the extra $500 or $1K for a porthole room. Our cat 10 room was everything we expected. The split bath will soon be standard industry wide it worked so well.

It was bad enough realizing that I missed the large majority of ship-board activities simply because so much was scheduled. It would have been even worse if I had missed anymore because I was enjoying the view I paid extra for.

With the late dinner seating comes a late breakfast seating. We are in no hurry as a 5 hour drive awaits us. Thankfully this is the only other early meal I am required to attend, but at least Mickey stopped by last time. Our pleasant table servers bid us farewell as I gulped coffee. I left the restaurant a tad early to go over to lost and found at CS. They had left a message at 2:30am on the stateroom phone saying they found OB's stuff . They seemed to have many CM's working here this morning and the wait was only 10 mins or so. There were a couple sets of folks here complaining about 'phantom' charges. I was warned by DIS'ers during the cruise that this does happen and to check my bill carefully. I'm sure it was some screw-up with the corkscrew charge I got hit with, but since I wasn't charged for 2 Cay bar drinks, it's a wash.

Anyway, I was rapidly dispatched when told that L&F had been transfered to the terminal, next passenger please? Boy, was I peeved when I found out she was wrong . So then we line up in an ever growing queue. We were near a porthole and could see that the re-fueling barge had already hooked up. We gazed out there for 10-15 mins before the line took off. We were again halted just inside the terminal. We waited in this hallway for another 10 mins. Every so often a family would walk by in the 'fastpass'/concierge lane, so it was frustrating to wait. I assume we were among the last 10-20 percent off the ship. I have no idea if the delays were due to some poor soul getting hauled off for smuggling or if it was crowd/density issues. Our bags looked pretty lonely on the big long table when we got into the customs room. The room is quite large. I quickly counted all eight bags, then checked in with L&F. They let me dig through the bins of stuff turned over. OB's stuff ain't here. I explain about the message so she calls back to the ship. They confirm his junk is still onboard. "Should I send him back for it?" The whole room could have heard this fellow say no. If they get you off once, you're gone! They'll send someone down w/ it. Now 10 to 15 mins of poking around and observing. First thing you notice is how fast the room is getting empty. People with passports are being hustled through just as fast as they can swipe the info. Folks with photo ID's go through almost as fast. I went looking for the checked luggage scanner. I figure it has got to be in here somewhere, since here are all the bags to be loaded on the ship. Make sense to put it somewhere around here . Oh well, makes no never mind to me what they take on this week. They must have sent it out for repairs .

The L&F consisted mostly of white T-shirts with prints on them, followed closely with little girls hair adornments. A couple pair of flip-flops and that was it. You could see that the stuff was easy to replace and wouldn't be claimed. But no black sneakers! OB's stuff arrives complete! Shirt, KTTW, and wallet w/ 4 bucks in it!

Our bags are now the only bags on any of the 8 or 10 tables, so finding a porter is a snap. At the back of a speedy line (2 check'ers working), we are outside almost as fast as we can walk. The porter is so tickled with the 6 gold coins that accompanied a ten dollar bill (can't wait to give them to my grandkids), that he sets us up in his favorite spot. It has a bench, is in the shade, and is near water fountains and bathrooms. It is also within 30 feet of the curb for pick-up, so it is the ideal spot to wait.

 

[Hypermommy]

I really don't want to write this part of the TR becuase that means the trip is really, really over. I find myself feeling about like I did that last morning .... really brought down because it's over. What a depressing feeling.

But then again... I still have pictures to scrap so I guess there's still that

So what did I do the last day? Well, of course, I woke up at 5am and went to get coffee. No sense wasting the last few hours, I figured. It was chilly that morning -- guess the weather was picking on my mood. Oh, but we did have such beautiful weather on the cruise!!!

As I walk around the ship I'm reminded of all the stuff we didn't do. We didn't play shuffleboard, not once! We didn't see Captain Jack Sparrow at all, nor did we get pictures with Stitch. And to think I bought a backgammon set for KC just in case he got bored. Never did send the postcards I promised to send (I bought them but they didn't get mailed until I was back in Tallahassee). Just so busy!

I noticed a few things this morning. Did you know when it's really quiet that in the lobby of the Parrot Cay entrance you can hear birdsong? I think that's part of why I love Disney. They always plus it even when it's not something that most people are going to notice.

Breakfast was sad. It was hard to say goodbye to Jaimey and Aditya. They were soooo wonderful.

As we were on the line to get off the ship the boys saw dolphins. They'd been hoping to see them and look... there they are! Talk about your Disney magic!

So how do you end a trip report from your very first cruise? First, I know I need to thank all of you that have stuck with this report for so long. We've had a marvelous time writing it but it wouldn't have been near as much fun had you not chimed in with your comments and fun. Second, I guess the only thing left to do is show some of the pictures I took as I was moping around the ship Saturday morning.

Early morning on Deck 4

I just love the colors on this one but it's a sad picture because the only way to get this shot is to be pulling into port and about to have to leave the ship

He says it all started with a mouse, but we all know it all started with a man... a man with a dream and a vision and the drive to see it through. What a role model for all of us.

The hardest working man onboard... our buddy Clefas

I hope so Mickey... I sure hope so!

Remember that sunburn I told you DS14 got?

Waiting for Dad to return with the van

Now it's time to say goodbye to all our family......

Finally, I'll end by saying that I know we'll cruise again. Don't know how, don't know when, but I know this is one wish my heart will be making and I'll definitely be wishing upon a star.