JenLynn
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2004
- Messages
- 716
Tuesday: Day 4: St. Maarten
We had the alarm set for 6:30 because Joe and I had an early excursion today. We looked out the verandah to see that we were docked (a bit shipyard replaced the usual blue ocean I had been seeing for 3 days). We got dressed and Joe went to grab a quick breakfast from Topsiders so the children would have something to eat before going to the club for a large part of the morning.
The kids club opened at 7:30 and we had to meet for our excursion at 7:45 so the children were among the first to be checked in for the day. When I checked the children in, I told the CM that we would be off the ship and on the Golden Eagle Catamaran. She made a note that we would be off the ship and was very cheery and told me to have a good time and to not worry about the children. The children were ok about going to the club and I explained to them that Joe and I would not be available for them to page, but if they needed anything the CMs would help them. I told them that Joe and I would be back for them when they finished eating lunch (Teddy was much better if he knew exactly when to expect us back).
We met in the Promenade Lounge at 7:45. Everyone was given a yellow Mickey sticker to wear. Plenty of towels were available to pick up. The CM reminded everyone to have suntan lotion, kttw card, and id for anyone over 18 yo. Joe didnt hear them say photo id so I asked if he had it on him, but he didnt. Our safe had not been working properly the evening before and they thought it might be a problem with needing a new battery. Well, Joe had locked most of our documentation in the safe (including his wallet with drivers license) and we didnt have time to go to Guest Services for them to come open the safe for us. Luckily I had kept the passports with the travel papers out in the room; DH ran to get his passport and met us in the lounge; We followed the CM holding the sign that corresponded to the stickers we were wearing and proceeded off ship. It was very windy and I was starting to get a bit nervous about all of this. I dont really snorkel, I had been having motion sickness concerns, and I am afraid of being on small boats who picked this excursion? We walked to water taxi area to wait for Golden Eagle Catamaran. It was running a bit late. It arrived and they told us that due to conditions (too choppy) we will not be going to the location they usually go to. We boarded the catamaran via a red carpet (such service!). They have baskets there for all shoes. There were seats in the front of the catamaran, and around the sides, also seating underneath in the shade, and a smoking section in back. We sat mid-ship in part because we were among the last to board the catamaran and in part because I was nervous. It was a windy but smooth ride, though one person lost his expensive pair of sunglasses as they got blown off his face and fell to the ocean. Soda and juices were brought around by crew members. The captain pointed out items of interest as we sailed around the island (international airport, well-known resorts, medical school, etc); stopped at Mullet Bay for snorkeling and swimming we pulled up very close to the beach small reef for snorkeling off to the side; snorkeling gear (masks, fins, snorkel) available in a variety of sizes; flotation belts required to be worn while snorkeling; life jackets available for children. They also had noodles available for those who just wanted to swim and putter around. You are able to get to the beach rather easily, it was pretty close and the water was quite calm. To get into the water, you could jump off the side or use ladder that descends into water; crew members had drinks available for us on the beach and were even bringing them to people in the water this is the life! (soft drinks and beer). We did see a few ladies who were sunbathing topless (DH commented that he enjoyed the view, obviously). We swam around and enjoyed the warm, clear, calm water. Or at leas we thought it was warm, but keep in mind that we are from the mid-Atlantic and are not used to warm water like that. Others on the catamaran from southern Florida thought the water was a bit cool at first (Hi Jason!). Joe snorkeled around the reef but said there wasnt much to see. On the beach there were chair rentals and food available, but we just puttered along in the water. On the ride back to the Magic the crew served pretzels and sandwiches and there was an open bar with sodas, beer and rum punch. The ride out was calm and easy; the returning trip was windier and choppier. I stayed mid-ship, but Joe and a the group of people in the front of the catamaran had fun as the water splashed up on everyone and the guys jumped on the net trampoline. I bought a long-sleeve t-shirt; Joe got his moneys worth (and mine too) with the open bar.
When we got back to the water taxi area, we could see a long-line to reboard the ship. It was very windy standing there and several people lost their hats as the wind swept them away. A CM checks your KTTW card and photo id before you enter the ship, then you need to go through a metal detector and your bags need to go through an x-ray machine. Then another CM scans your KTTW card to indicate that you are now on-board.
When we go back on board, Joe went to talk to Guest Services about why our safe would not open. I went to Lumieres for lunch with Chris and Terri. I had the fettuccine alfredo with chicken (pretty good). Meanwhile Joe discovered that part of the reason we were unable to get the safe open (in addition to it needing a new battery) was that he had placed his KTTW card together with the arcade card and it had deactivated the KTTW card (interesting about this was that the KTTW card still worked to open the stateroom door and still worked to charge drinks and items in the stores).
We got the children out of the club and decided to head back to the port to do some shopping. We took the water taxi from the port over to the main area. The water taxi is a good deal at $5 for an all day pass or $3 for one way. We walked along the street and I kept a death grip on Teddy and Madalyn the street was narrow and there was a good amount of traffic. As we walked along, people at the opening of many of the shops were handing out discount cards. Some were rather pushy about trying to get us into the shops. We turned down a side-street and bumped into Hydster and her family who were buying brightly colored shirts. Teddy and Madalyn wanted an ice-cream and candy from a local
Café so we sat and enjoyed a little break under a cool umbrella on a quaint street. We decided to return to the ship to take a short nap before getting ready for dinner. On the way to the water taxi, Joe saw jet skis for rent. The children and I returned to the ship while he rode the jet ski. (After negotiating the price, Joe got it for $35 for 30 minutes). We could see him riding around the harbor while we were on the water taxi back to the ship. (oh, he also lost his sunglasses on his journey, so it actually cost us a bit more than $35 if you figure in the cost of the sunglasses).
Dinner tonight was in Animators Palate and it was Tropicaligragilisticexpidaliocious Night. I got the crab and scallop fritter (pretty good), the Caesar salad (very good), and the garlic shrimp (which was served over pasta and did not taste very garlic-y to me, but I loved it!) Joe got the Caribbean beef ravioli (excellent) and the garlic shrimp (he thought it was just ok). Everyone was given leis to make it seem more tropical I loved seeing all the different tropical clothes and Hawaiian shirts everyone was wearing! During dinner, tropical music started playing and the servers came around to get the children to join them doing the limbo in the middle of the room. Although my kids were too shy to join the fun, everyone had a wonderful time!
After dinner we walked around the shops before going in to get seats for the movie in the Walt Disney Theater Home on the Range. We had intentionally not taken the children to see it at home before going on the cruise so we could see it on the cruise for the first time. It was cute. The children snacked on popcorn that Terri bought from Preludes in front of the theater. After that, Madalyn decided she wanted to go to bed and Joe took Teddy up to the Tropicali deck party at the Goofy pool. When Madalyn and I got back to the cabin we decided to order cookies and milk from room service. When it arrived, the CM asked if we were going to go to the deck party. He said there was dancing and music and fruit and desserts. Well, Madalyn quickly changed her mind and we headed up to the party. We got there in time to see the last bit of the characters up on stage. We stayed for a few minutes of dancing. Then Teddy decided he wanted to go to bed, so I left Madalyn with Joe and took Teddy to the cabin. Joe followed a little bit later with Madalyn, and he brought me a plate filled with a variety of yummy desserts from the buffet they had up on deck for the party.
Then it was to bed for the children and I; Joe headed out to Rockin Bar D.
Coming up on Day 5: immigration, St. Thomas, Coki Beach, shopping, Palo dinner
JenLynn's Disney Cruise Pictures
We had the alarm set for 6:30 because Joe and I had an early excursion today. We looked out the verandah to see that we were docked (a bit shipyard replaced the usual blue ocean I had been seeing for 3 days). We got dressed and Joe went to grab a quick breakfast from Topsiders so the children would have something to eat before going to the club for a large part of the morning.
The kids club opened at 7:30 and we had to meet for our excursion at 7:45 so the children were among the first to be checked in for the day. When I checked the children in, I told the CM that we would be off the ship and on the Golden Eagle Catamaran. She made a note that we would be off the ship and was very cheery and told me to have a good time and to not worry about the children. The children were ok about going to the club and I explained to them that Joe and I would not be available for them to page, but if they needed anything the CMs would help them. I told them that Joe and I would be back for them when they finished eating lunch (Teddy was much better if he knew exactly when to expect us back).
We met in the Promenade Lounge at 7:45. Everyone was given a yellow Mickey sticker to wear. Plenty of towels were available to pick up. The CM reminded everyone to have suntan lotion, kttw card, and id for anyone over 18 yo. Joe didnt hear them say photo id so I asked if he had it on him, but he didnt. Our safe had not been working properly the evening before and they thought it might be a problem with needing a new battery. Well, Joe had locked most of our documentation in the safe (including his wallet with drivers license) and we didnt have time to go to Guest Services for them to come open the safe for us. Luckily I had kept the passports with the travel papers out in the room; DH ran to get his passport and met us in the lounge; We followed the CM holding the sign that corresponded to the stickers we were wearing and proceeded off ship. It was very windy and I was starting to get a bit nervous about all of this. I dont really snorkel, I had been having motion sickness concerns, and I am afraid of being on small boats who picked this excursion? We walked to water taxi area to wait for Golden Eagle Catamaran. It was running a bit late. It arrived and they told us that due to conditions (too choppy) we will not be going to the location they usually go to. We boarded the catamaran via a red carpet (such service!). They have baskets there for all shoes. There were seats in the front of the catamaran, and around the sides, also seating underneath in the shade, and a smoking section in back. We sat mid-ship in part because we were among the last to board the catamaran and in part because I was nervous. It was a windy but smooth ride, though one person lost his expensive pair of sunglasses as they got blown off his face and fell to the ocean. Soda and juices were brought around by crew members. The captain pointed out items of interest as we sailed around the island (international airport, well-known resorts, medical school, etc); stopped at Mullet Bay for snorkeling and swimming we pulled up very close to the beach small reef for snorkeling off to the side; snorkeling gear (masks, fins, snorkel) available in a variety of sizes; flotation belts required to be worn while snorkeling; life jackets available for children. They also had noodles available for those who just wanted to swim and putter around. You are able to get to the beach rather easily, it was pretty close and the water was quite calm. To get into the water, you could jump off the side or use ladder that descends into water; crew members had drinks available for us on the beach and were even bringing them to people in the water this is the life! (soft drinks and beer). We did see a few ladies who were sunbathing topless (DH commented that he enjoyed the view, obviously). We swam around and enjoyed the warm, clear, calm water. Or at leas we thought it was warm, but keep in mind that we are from the mid-Atlantic and are not used to warm water like that. Others on the catamaran from southern Florida thought the water was a bit cool at first (Hi Jason!). Joe snorkeled around the reef but said there wasnt much to see. On the beach there were chair rentals and food available, but we just puttered along in the water. On the ride back to the Magic the crew served pretzels and sandwiches and there was an open bar with sodas, beer and rum punch. The ride out was calm and easy; the returning trip was windier and choppier. I stayed mid-ship, but Joe and a the group of people in the front of the catamaran had fun as the water splashed up on everyone and the guys jumped on the net trampoline. I bought a long-sleeve t-shirt; Joe got his moneys worth (and mine too) with the open bar.
When we got back to the water taxi area, we could see a long-line to reboard the ship. It was very windy standing there and several people lost their hats as the wind swept them away. A CM checks your KTTW card and photo id before you enter the ship, then you need to go through a metal detector and your bags need to go through an x-ray machine. Then another CM scans your KTTW card to indicate that you are now on-board.
When we go back on board, Joe went to talk to Guest Services about why our safe would not open. I went to Lumieres for lunch with Chris and Terri. I had the fettuccine alfredo with chicken (pretty good). Meanwhile Joe discovered that part of the reason we were unable to get the safe open (in addition to it needing a new battery) was that he had placed his KTTW card together with the arcade card and it had deactivated the KTTW card (interesting about this was that the KTTW card still worked to open the stateroom door and still worked to charge drinks and items in the stores).
We got the children out of the club and decided to head back to the port to do some shopping. We took the water taxi from the port over to the main area. The water taxi is a good deal at $5 for an all day pass or $3 for one way. We walked along the street and I kept a death grip on Teddy and Madalyn the street was narrow and there was a good amount of traffic. As we walked along, people at the opening of many of the shops were handing out discount cards. Some were rather pushy about trying to get us into the shops. We turned down a side-street and bumped into Hydster and her family who were buying brightly colored shirts. Teddy and Madalyn wanted an ice-cream and candy from a local
Café so we sat and enjoyed a little break under a cool umbrella on a quaint street. We decided to return to the ship to take a short nap before getting ready for dinner. On the way to the water taxi, Joe saw jet skis for rent. The children and I returned to the ship while he rode the jet ski. (After negotiating the price, Joe got it for $35 for 30 minutes). We could see him riding around the harbor while we were on the water taxi back to the ship. (oh, he also lost his sunglasses on his journey, so it actually cost us a bit more than $35 if you figure in the cost of the sunglasses).
Dinner tonight was in Animators Palate and it was Tropicaligragilisticexpidaliocious Night. I got the crab and scallop fritter (pretty good), the Caesar salad (very good), and the garlic shrimp (which was served over pasta and did not taste very garlic-y to me, but I loved it!) Joe got the Caribbean beef ravioli (excellent) and the garlic shrimp (he thought it was just ok). Everyone was given leis to make it seem more tropical I loved seeing all the different tropical clothes and Hawaiian shirts everyone was wearing! During dinner, tropical music started playing and the servers came around to get the children to join them doing the limbo in the middle of the room. Although my kids were too shy to join the fun, everyone had a wonderful time!
After dinner we walked around the shops before going in to get seats for the movie in the Walt Disney Theater Home on the Range. We had intentionally not taken the children to see it at home before going on the cruise so we could see it on the cruise for the first time. It was cute. The children snacked on popcorn that Terri bought from Preludes in front of the theater. After that, Madalyn decided she wanted to go to bed and Joe took Teddy up to the Tropicali deck party at the Goofy pool. When Madalyn and I got back to the cabin we decided to order cookies and milk from room service. When it arrived, the CM asked if we were going to go to the deck party. He said there was dancing and music and fruit and desserts. Well, Madalyn quickly changed her mind and we headed up to the party. We got there in time to see the last bit of the characters up on stage. We stayed for a few minutes of dancing. Then Teddy decided he wanted to go to bed, so I left Madalyn with Joe and took Teddy to the cabin. Joe followed a little bit later with Madalyn, and he brought me a plate filled with a variety of yummy desserts from the buffet they had up on deck for the party.
Then it was to bed for the children and I; Joe headed out to Rockin Bar D.
Coming up on Day 5: immigration, St. Thomas, Coki Beach, shopping, Palo dinner
JenLynn's Disney Cruise Pictures
We were usually in there too and it's a lot of fun. Especially during the "theme" nights.
At any rate, if you need replacement croakies from WDW, just give us a shout.
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