TammiMcMan
Ohana
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2002
- Messages
- 6,308
Jim & Tammi - The Parents
Meagan - just finished her first year at college
Colin - extremely busy 14 year old
Casey - aka "Lola" or the "Diva"
Thanks to Dave and all the wonderful folks on the DCL board, I already had my $1.25 set aside for tolls and directions to the Wal-Mart in Cocoa Beach. The drive over was not bad at all. It took about 35 minutes until we were going over that final bridge. There she was, just off to our left. Many have described seeing her for the first time and it is incredible. We couldnt believe how big she was. I didnt think wed mind being stuck there for the next few days. The kids were a little dismayed as we drove on past, but it was only a little after 10am and we had some last minute shopping to do. Into Wal-Mart we headed. We picked up some sand toys, a net for catching small fish and Colin found a shark tooth necklace that he had to have. I debated about getting drinks and snacks and I finally decided that wed just wing it. I knew there was a drink station on board and we each had a water bottle. Jim needed sunglasses, which is a constant with him. He manages to never keep a pair for more than a week. With everyone settled in with their purchases, its back to the DCL terminal. We arrive close to 11am and are ushered right around to the baggage drop off area. I had put on our luggage tags before we left the Hawthorn, so we were good to go. The kids and I proceeded through security while Jim went to park the car. Remembering that I should be considerate of my fellow cruise mates, I stopped by the information kiosk first. They were a great help in making sure all our paperwork was in order and filled out correctly. Jim joined us shortly and we made our way to concierge check in. I love that the Disney cast members have their hometown listed on their nametags. Our check in agent was from the town right next to us. Within minutes we were shown to a waiting area and got our first up close view of the Wonder. All I can say is wow. Pluto came out and shook everyones hand and just before noontime, we were escorted to the front doors. We had our cards scanned, posed for a family picture and we were the first family on board. It was so neat hearing our name announced and having everyone clap for us. Casey felt so special and she was just in awe of everything.
We had lunch in Parrot Cay. I was happy because this is the dining room that we chose to skip for Palos. The buffet was delicious and we completely stuffed ourselves. As we headed back towards the Cadillac Lounge for the concierge meet and greet, they had areas set up to purchase soda mugs and stickers. Colin had decided that he would probably be having soda in the teens lounge, so he purchased the sticker for $15. It ended up being well worth it for him. We managed to find the Cadillac Lounge after one wrong turn and met Rebecca from the concierge team. We were able to register Casey for the kids club. I honestly didnt know which age group shed be most comfortable in. Shes a month shy of her 8th birthday, but shes in the second grade and hangs out with older kids. The cm helping to sign Casey up spoke to her for a few minutes and said that based on her height and maturity, she would place her in the lab. It ended up being a perfect fit for her. I had pre-booked the snorkeling equipment for Castaway Cay, the Catamaran Sail & Snorkel and we had already made our Palos reservation with Debbie. All of these were confirmed and Jim & Meagan also booked the Jet Ski eco tour on Castaway Cay. By this time, we were all pretty anxious to see the rest of the ship, so we headed up to Deck 9. We got one quick glance of the pools and Casey was headed to the nearest restroom to put on her bathing suit. For the next hour and a half, she practically had the Mickey pool all to herself. There was no line for the slide and she kept going up and down. The rest of us found a nice table and ordered a round of virgin Bahama Mamas. Yes, we kept the glasses. I have a nice set of 4 to remind us of this trip. We were supposed to be meeting my cousin and her two sons on board. They live just outside of Orlando. She called me at about 1:30, saying that they were just getting on the road. I didnt think that was a good sign. Wait a minute, did I say 1:30? That means our stateroom should be ready. Jim and I gathered up our carry on luggage and left the older kids to watch their sister. I was so anxious to see our room. I was not the least bit disappointed. We opted to go with a category 3 instead of the 4. I can tell you, that I didnt once regret that decision. The stateroom was beautiful and we had plenty of room to stretch out. The concierge team had left us two bottles of water and six cans of assorted sodas. There was also a fruit basket on the dining room table. We were in room 8022, which had the pull down murphy bed in the master bedroom. Other than not being able to get out to the verandah when it was pulled down, we had no problem with it. The master bathroom was huge, with a Jacuzzi tub and a separate shower. There was a second smaller bathroom also. We had a full size walk in closet and plenty of space to unpack everything. There was television in the living room and the bedroom. There was also a video player and CD player attached to the living room tv. We popped in our Josh Groban cds and listened to him all weekend. I unpacked everyone, put up my magnetic door signs and headed back up to deck 9.
We finally pulled Casey out of the pool at 3:15. I was hoping to see the kids lab before they shut everything down for the lifeboat drill, but we didnt make it in time. We returned to our stateroom and enjoyed the verandah for a while. There was a pretty good-sized stingray swimming right below us, but thats all we saw. It took a while, but we finally figured out how to put on the life jackets and I thought, it was probably a very good idea that they have this drill. If it were an emergency, Id have drowned for sure. Feeling like a family of weebles, we made it to life station D. This is a family forum, so Ill just say that my own anatomy contains fairly good-sized flotation devices and with the added life jacket, well, I was just bouncing off people. I think we had about 5 or 6 staterooms at our station that did not attend the drill and many others who showed up not wearing their life jackets. If I have to look ridiculous, then we should all just grin and bear it.
Back to the stateroom and of course a family photo before we put the life jackets back in the closet. Casey changed from her lifeboat drill outfit, into her sail away outfit. Yes, she looked through the navigator and has something special laid out for every occasion. Up we go to deck 9 again, but hey, theres a nice cm right in the hallway selling a combination drink of pina colada and strawberry daiquiri, my favorite. We bump into my cousin, who luckily made it on board. They were so late though, that they had to carry on their own luggage. Everyone is up dancing and Casey pulls me up to the dance floor with her. Im trying to spot some fellow disers, but this place is packed. I never did get more than a sip of my drink, as Casey wanted to boogie down. We snacked on chicken fingers and fries, had ice cream and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
There isnt really anywhere to go on the ship, but we always found ourselves just a few minutes late for everything. We didnt have enough time to change for Hercules, so we went in our sail away party clothes. The only one disappointed with that was Casey. The show was terrific. I couldnt enjoy it completely though because I could really feel the movement of the ship. I had packed a small pharmacy, complete with Bonine and I was really hoping that no one would be sick. It really didnt take long for us to get our sea legs and the ocean was very smooth for the whole trip. After Hercules, I took Casey to the kids club. I was impressed with their check-in and checkout procedure. They explained that tonight would be less structured. It was more a chance for the kids to get to know each other. Casey was fine with that though and one of her cousins is 10 and he would be there also. I ran back up to our stateroom to get ready for our dinner at Palos. While I was getting Casey settled in the club, Jim was supposed to be ironing his shirt for dinner. When I got back to the room, he still hadnt come back. When Meagan and I had finished dressing, he still hadnt come back. Our reservation was at 8pm and it was now 8pm. I did what any other wife of 20 years would do, I left and went up to dinner. I did pass my son on the staircase though and he promised that he would find his dad and tell him that we had gone on without him. Okay, so after only a few hours on the ship, I still have no idea where anything is. I knew that Palo was on deck 10 and I didnt bother to check if we were in the front or the back. We ended up being on the wrong end of the ship and arrived at Palos with an extremely wind blown look. And we were missing half of our party. My cousins tardiness in getting on board this afternoon was not a fluke, its a way of life for her. Luckily, we have been friends all our lives and its something that Im very used to. She finally shows up, followed by my husband. Hes complaining about the lack of irons and ironing boards and said that he had to wait behind someone who was ironing her whole wardrobe. Im trying to think if I read anything about irons on the disboards. I think there might have been something, but its duly noted for next time.
We are seated in a very quiet Palos. Im actually surprised because I had heard reservations are so hard to get here. Balasz is our server and treats us as if were his only patrons in the restaurant. His recommendations are fabulous and his personality is just wonderful. Im thinking that we should have booked dinner here for all 3 nights. Jim starts with grilled Portobello mushroom followed by the filet, I had the tomatoes & mozzarella followed by the filet, my cousin had the calamari followed by the lamb and Meagan had the salad greens followed by the linguini carbonara. We taste tested off of each others dishes and they were all excellent. For dessert, we all chose the soufflé. Balasz treated us to an additional three desserts that were his favorites. We practically licked all the plates clean. It was a wonderful evening. We signed the guest book and left glowing remarks about the service we received from Balasz.
We went back to the kids club and picked up Casey. She was having a great time playing a game with one of the counselors. They had a pizza party, but she was still hungry. We went up to deck 9 for another slice of pizza and hooked up with Colin. He wanted to go to the movie theatre to see the 11pm showing of Hidalgo with his cousin Brandon. They had been hanging out together at the teen lounge. Jim said that was fine, but we were heading back to the stateroom. It had been a very full day and we were ready for bed. Colin came in at about 1:30am and I was finally able to fall asleep to the steady rocking of the ship.
Tomorrow, our Nassau experience
Good things to know:
· Check in early. Casey had the pool to herself for quite a while.
· Dont forget to put those bathing suits in a carry on. We had a good hour to swim before our stateroom was ready and baggage may not arrive until 5pm.
· Palos was very quiet on the first night. We were told that this is fairly common.
· Bring a travel iron.
· Use the stairs. We justified eating so much because we were getting exercise from using the stairs. Combined with the fact that the elevators are very weird and some people are just downright rude, youll save yourself some aggravation.
For our photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/tammimcman
Trip Report Part 1: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=582493
Trip Report Part 3: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=582780
Trip Report Part 4: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=582976
Trip Report Part 5: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=583196
Trip Report Final: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=583825
Meagan - just finished her first year at college
Colin - extremely busy 14 year old
Casey - aka "Lola" or the "Diva"
Thanks to Dave and all the wonderful folks on the DCL board, I already had my $1.25 set aside for tolls and directions to the Wal-Mart in Cocoa Beach. The drive over was not bad at all. It took about 35 minutes until we were going over that final bridge. There she was, just off to our left. Many have described seeing her for the first time and it is incredible. We couldnt believe how big she was. I didnt think wed mind being stuck there for the next few days. The kids were a little dismayed as we drove on past, but it was only a little after 10am and we had some last minute shopping to do. Into Wal-Mart we headed. We picked up some sand toys, a net for catching small fish and Colin found a shark tooth necklace that he had to have. I debated about getting drinks and snacks and I finally decided that wed just wing it. I knew there was a drink station on board and we each had a water bottle. Jim needed sunglasses, which is a constant with him. He manages to never keep a pair for more than a week. With everyone settled in with their purchases, its back to the DCL terminal. We arrive close to 11am and are ushered right around to the baggage drop off area. I had put on our luggage tags before we left the Hawthorn, so we were good to go. The kids and I proceeded through security while Jim went to park the car. Remembering that I should be considerate of my fellow cruise mates, I stopped by the information kiosk first. They were a great help in making sure all our paperwork was in order and filled out correctly. Jim joined us shortly and we made our way to concierge check in. I love that the Disney cast members have their hometown listed on their nametags. Our check in agent was from the town right next to us. Within minutes we were shown to a waiting area and got our first up close view of the Wonder. All I can say is wow. Pluto came out and shook everyones hand and just before noontime, we were escorted to the front doors. We had our cards scanned, posed for a family picture and we were the first family on board. It was so neat hearing our name announced and having everyone clap for us. Casey felt so special and she was just in awe of everything.
We had lunch in Parrot Cay. I was happy because this is the dining room that we chose to skip for Palos. The buffet was delicious and we completely stuffed ourselves. As we headed back towards the Cadillac Lounge for the concierge meet and greet, they had areas set up to purchase soda mugs and stickers. Colin had decided that he would probably be having soda in the teens lounge, so he purchased the sticker for $15. It ended up being well worth it for him. We managed to find the Cadillac Lounge after one wrong turn and met Rebecca from the concierge team. We were able to register Casey for the kids club. I honestly didnt know which age group shed be most comfortable in. Shes a month shy of her 8th birthday, but shes in the second grade and hangs out with older kids. The cm helping to sign Casey up spoke to her for a few minutes and said that based on her height and maturity, she would place her in the lab. It ended up being a perfect fit for her. I had pre-booked the snorkeling equipment for Castaway Cay, the Catamaran Sail & Snorkel and we had already made our Palos reservation with Debbie. All of these were confirmed and Jim & Meagan also booked the Jet Ski eco tour on Castaway Cay. By this time, we were all pretty anxious to see the rest of the ship, so we headed up to Deck 9. We got one quick glance of the pools and Casey was headed to the nearest restroom to put on her bathing suit. For the next hour and a half, she practically had the Mickey pool all to herself. There was no line for the slide and she kept going up and down. The rest of us found a nice table and ordered a round of virgin Bahama Mamas. Yes, we kept the glasses. I have a nice set of 4 to remind us of this trip. We were supposed to be meeting my cousin and her two sons on board. They live just outside of Orlando. She called me at about 1:30, saying that they were just getting on the road. I didnt think that was a good sign. Wait a minute, did I say 1:30? That means our stateroom should be ready. Jim and I gathered up our carry on luggage and left the older kids to watch their sister. I was so anxious to see our room. I was not the least bit disappointed. We opted to go with a category 3 instead of the 4. I can tell you, that I didnt once regret that decision. The stateroom was beautiful and we had plenty of room to stretch out. The concierge team had left us two bottles of water and six cans of assorted sodas. There was also a fruit basket on the dining room table. We were in room 8022, which had the pull down murphy bed in the master bedroom. Other than not being able to get out to the verandah when it was pulled down, we had no problem with it. The master bathroom was huge, with a Jacuzzi tub and a separate shower. There was a second smaller bathroom also. We had a full size walk in closet and plenty of space to unpack everything. There was television in the living room and the bedroom. There was also a video player and CD player attached to the living room tv. We popped in our Josh Groban cds and listened to him all weekend. I unpacked everyone, put up my magnetic door signs and headed back up to deck 9.
We finally pulled Casey out of the pool at 3:15. I was hoping to see the kids lab before they shut everything down for the lifeboat drill, but we didnt make it in time. We returned to our stateroom and enjoyed the verandah for a while. There was a pretty good-sized stingray swimming right below us, but thats all we saw. It took a while, but we finally figured out how to put on the life jackets and I thought, it was probably a very good idea that they have this drill. If it were an emergency, Id have drowned for sure. Feeling like a family of weebles, we made it to life station D. This is a family forum, so Ill just say that my own anatomy contains fairly good-sized flotation devices and with the added life jacket, well, I was just bouncing off people. I think we had about 5 or 6 staterooms at our station that did not attend the drill and many others who showed up not wearing their life jackets. If I have to look ridiculous, then we should all just grin and bear it.
Back to the stateroom and of course a family photo before we put the life jackets back in the closet. Casey changed from her lifeboat drill outfit, into her sail away outfit. Yes, she looked through the navigator and has something special laid out for every occasion. Up we go to deck 9 again, but hey, theres a nice cm right in the hallway selling a combination drink of pina colada and strawberry daiquiri, my favorite. We bump into my cousin, who luckily made it on board. They were so late though, that they had to carry on their own luggage. Everyone is up dancing and Casey pulls me up to the dance floor with her. Im trying to spot some fellow disers, but this place is packed. I never did get more than a sip of my drink, as Casey wanted to boogie down. We snacked on chicken fingers and fries, had ice cream and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
There isnt really anywhere to go on the ship, but we always found ourselves just a few minutes late for everything. We didnt have enough time to change for Hercules, so we went in our sail away party clothes. The only one disappointed with that was Casey. The show was terrific. I couldnt enjoy it completely though because I could really feel the movement of the ship. I had packed a small pharmacy, complete with Bonine and I was really hoping that no one would be sick. It really didnt take long for us to get our sea legs and the ocean was very smooth for the whole trip. After Hercules, I took Casey to the kids club. I was impressed with their check-in and checkout procedure. They explained that tonight would be less structured. It was more a chance for the kids to get to know each other. Casey was fine with that though and one of her cousins is 10 and he would be there also. I ran back up to our stateroom to get ready for our dinner at Palos. While I was getting Casey settled in the club, Jim was supposed to be ironing his shirt for dinner. When I got back to the room, he still hadnt come back. When Meagan and I had finished dressing, he still hadnt come back. Our reservation was at 8pm and it was now 8pm. I did what any other wife of 20 years would do, I left and went up to dinner. I did pass my son on the staircase though and he promised that he would find his dad and tell him that we had gone on without him. Okay, so after only a few hours on the ship, I still have no idea where anything is. I knew that Palo was on deck 10 and I didnt bother to check if we were in the front or the back. We ended up being on the wrong end of the ship and arrived at Palos with an extremely wind blown look. And we were missing half of our party. My cousins tardiness in getting on board this afternoon was not a fluke, its a way of life for her. Luckily, we have been friends all our lives and its something that Im very used to. She finally shows up, followed by my husband. Hes complaining about the lack of irons and ironing boards and said that he had to wait behind someone who was ironing her whole wardrobe. Im trying to think if I read anything about irons on the disboards. I think there might have been something, but its duly noted for next time.
We are seated in a very quiet Palos. Im actually surprised because I had heard reservations are so hard to get here. Balasz is our server and treats us as if were his only patrons in the restaurant. His recommendations are fabulous and his personality is just wonderful. Im thinking that we should have booked dinner here for all 3 nights. Jim starts with grilled Portobello mushroom followed by the filet, I had the tomatoes & mozzarella followed by the filet, my cousin had the calamari followed by the lamb and Meagan had the salad greens followed by the linguini carbonara. We taste tested off of each others dishes and they were all excellent. For dessert, we all chose the soufflé. Balasz treated us to an additional three desserts that were his favorites. We practically licked all the plates clean. It was a wonderful evening. We signed the guest book and left glowing remarks about the service we received from Balasz.
We went back to the kids club and picked up Casey. She was having a great time playing a game with one of the counselors. They had a pizza party, but she was still hungry. We went up to deck 9 for another slice of pizza and hooked up with Colin. He wanted to go to the movie theatre to see the 11pm showing of Hidalgo with his cousin Brandon. They had been hanging out together at the teen lounge. Jim said that was fine, but we were heading back to the stateroom. It had been a very full day and we were ready for bed. Colin came in at about 1:30am and I was finally able to fall asleep to the steady rocking of the ship.
Tomorrow, our Nassau experience
Good things to know:
· Check in early. Casey had the pool to herself for quite a while.
· Dont forget to put those bathing suits in a carry on. We had a good hour to swim before our stateroom was ready and baggage may not arrive until 5pm.
· Palos was very quiet on the first night. We were told that this is fairly common.
· Bring a travel iron.
· Use the stairs. We justified eating so much because we were getting exercise from using the stairs. Combined with the fact that the elevators are very weird and some people are just downright rude, youll save yourself some aggravation.
For our photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/tammimcman
Trip Report Part 1: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=582493
Trip Report Part 3: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=582780
Trip Report Part 4: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=582976
Trip Report Part 5: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=583196
Trip Report Final: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=583825
