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"
We took full advantage of having a dining room table and I ordered breakfast from room service. Were not big breakfast eaters and I didnt want to tempt the stomach gods by doing anything different during our trip. So far, so good. I hadnt had to break into my on board pharmacy yet. The last thing I did before going to bed was to fill out my little breakfast card and hang it on the doorway. I ordered an assortment of juices, coffee, cereal, croissants and muffins. I selected the 7:30-8am delivery time as Jim and Meagan were supposed to meet for the Catamaran Sail & Snorkel trip at 9am.
My first question is why cant I sleep in anymore? Even though I didnt fall asleep until after 1am, I was still bright eyed and bushy tailed by 6am. Honestly, I think I get more excited about vacations then my kids do and I dont want to waste a minute. I dressed quietly and snuck out into the hallway. What a beautiful morning greeted me as I emerged onto deck 9. I grabbed some coffee at the beverage station and started to explore all the decks. I got a great picture of the sunrise and met a few other morning people. A round of applause also for all those joggers on deck 4. I gave up on my work out routine for the week. Well, all except for taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Gotta love having that guilt free dessert at dinnertime. I made my way down to the internet café and checked on my e-mail and fired off a hello to all my dis friends who were not on the ship with me. I made it back to our room a little after 7:15. The natives were starting to rub the sleep out of their eyes and Lola was going through todays navigator and planning our day and her outfits. I packed up the murphy bed and sleeper sofa and I eagerly awaited my second cup of coffee. Room service arrived promptly at 7:35 and we ate heartily. I cant believe what a little salt air does for your appetite. We sat out on the verandah and enjoyed the view as the Wonder slipped right into the Nassau port. The kids were amazed at the color of the water. Jim and Meagan headed out to their meeting spot. Their plans were to do the Catamaran Sail, come back to the ship for a change of clothes and then go to the Atlantis. You see Meagan is 18 and she is legal in the Bahamas. She wanted to get a drink at the bar and play slots with her dad. She thought that would make for a great story. Colin was hooking up with his cousins for a swim and beyond that, he had no plans. Lola informed me that we were starting the day with a swim, and then she wanted to see Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen in the movie theatre. We agreed that wed meet up with Colin again at noontime and go into Nassau for a little while.
Swimming was great. From 9:00 to 10:15, we had the pool almost to ourselves. We spent the posted time of 15 minutes in the hot tub and cooled off in the Goofy pool. Casey even made it over to the Mickey pool for a little while. We completely lost track of time again (a constant on this trip) and we rushed back to our room to change for the movies. My cousin was there with the boys and they were ready to go into Nassau. She had no idea if theyd let Colin off the boat with her, but she was willing to give it a try. They had no problem and went off exploring and getting their shopping card punched. Casey and I enjoyed the movie and made our way to deck 1 when it was over. We made our way into Nassau. First, you need to go through the Welcome Center. A tight fit, with only one door open. I kept a good grip on my daughters hand and we made it through with the rest of the cruise folks. A quick walk through the little shops and out the back door. That was a little crazy. Taxi tours lined up, horse & carriage rides, hair braiders, it could be intimidating. We really didnt encounter any problems though and we carefully crossed the street to do some shopping. Our first and only stop was the Del Sol store. Casey really wanted a t-shirt that changes color in the sun. She had her own money, so she picked out what she wanted. Of course, there werent price tags on anything and she was shocked when the woman at the counter told her it was $27 for a childs t-shirt. There was my nearly 8 year old Lola complaining to this woman about the high prices she was charging. That was it too. As soon as she bought her shirt, she wanted to go back to the ship. She was through shopping there. Back through the sea of humanity at the welcome center where one security guard was checking room keys and ids of all the people trying to leave. All this for not even 30 minutes in Nassau and an overpriced t-shirt. Oh well, live and learn. Finally back to our oasis, we went up to the Topsiders for lunch. There was so much food and it was all good. One thing I did forget from the boards, is that I should have entered on the right hand side. When we arrived, a cast member directed us to the left. In hindsight, that probably wasnt very smart of her because my daughter needed the kids line, which is on the right. We ended up walking in, waiting in line and then having to go all the way around to the other side anyway. Thats what I get for not having my dis notes with me.
After lunch, it was back to the pool. That didnt last very long though. There were some out of control kids there and not a cast member to be found. They were running to the hot tub, jumping in there, jumping out, running back down the steps and then jumping into the Goofy pool from the wooden deck. I had to pull Casey out of there. It was only a matter of time before one of them jumped right on her head. We met up briefly with my cousin and the boys. They had a great time in Nassau. Colin added to his shark necklace collection and they went on a horse & carriage ride. My cousin was trying to teach them how to barter and she said that her son was horrified when she told him to offer $20 instead of the $25 the seller was asking for a carved walking stick. He told her that hed be willing to pay $30 because it was so nice. Im glad he wasnt in Del Sol with us. The boys took off to eat and my cousin went back to her room for a nap. Casey and I stayed at the pool for a prize only bingo game. When it was over, she decided that she wanted to hang out in the kids club for a while. That worked out very well, because my cousin and I had made plans to do the wine tasting seminar in Palo's. It was excellent and I learned quite a bit. When I returned to my room, I had all the boys and Jim & Meagan had returned. The concierge staff had dropped off a dessert tray for us, but with three growing boys, there wasnt much left when I got to it. Jim and Meagan had a great time snorkeling. They saw a lot of fish and spent close to an hour in the water. I guess they ended up sailing past the Atlantis and the driver of the boat offered to stop there for anyone wishing to visit the hotel. They hopped off and hit the casino. For those that are wondering, Meagan lost $40 on the slot machines and she ordered a strawberry daiquiri as her first alcoholic drink. According to her dad, she only drank about two sips of it. She said it tasted as nasty as rubbing alcohol smells. We cleaned up and Colin went back to the teen lounge for a while. He said that it was a nice place to hang out. He was having a tough time with some of the accents though. Meagan, Jim and I went down to the lounge after we stopped in to check on Casey. They were just getting ready to have dinner and she didnt want to leave. I asked if she wanted to see the Golden Mickeys or stay in the club. She decided that I should come get her right after she ate. We had a nice glass of wine and snacks from 5-6pm. We got Casey from the kids club and returned to our stateroom to change for the show and dinner. This was our families formal night. We were eating in Tritons and us girls wanted to get dressed up. Casey had on a beautiful silver gown, silver shoes and a matching handbag. We were guests at the Golden Mickeys and thought it was a terrific show. Those kids are very talented. We made a stop to have our formal pictures done and checked out Shutters. Casey spotted Studio Sea and we all had to go in and do some dancing. I figured it would take off a few pre-dinner pounds right? We had a blast and Im sorry to say, that we never made it back. There just wasnt enough time to do everything.
We had the 8:30 seating in Tritons and tonight we were meeting our serving team for the first time. We were seated at table 53, which was a very nice spot. Our servers were Anita and Jason. I have no idea how many tables they are responsible for, but I was truly impressed that within a few minutes, she had all eight of our names memorized and even figured out which child went with which parent. We received excellent service from them.
We left Tritons and the boys were off to get changed and visit the teen lounge. Tonight was supposed to be a pj party while they watched a movie. My son claimed that there was not one teenager in pajamas, but they did enjoy Lion King 1 ½. My cousins younger son wanted to go to the kids club and make flubber. Meagan was ready for bed, but Lola informed us that there was going to be a midnight buffet and tropical deck party this evening. So, back to the room to change into our tropical attire and back up to deck 9. The entertainment was terrific and we outlasted the band. As if we hadnt already eaten enough, we managed to find some room for a tasty dessert from the buffet. We found a table up on deck 10 and the three of us stayed up past midnight. I suggested a midnight stroll, but Casey was fading fast. When that girl calls it quits, you better have a bed ready quickly. I think she was asleep before her head hit the pillow. She didnt even care about the chocolates tonight. The kids were playing musical beds and tonight was her turn to sleep on the murphy bed.
I did my duty of filling out the breakfast card and tried to wait up for my son. I know that drifted off to sleep more than once. He finally made it in at about 1am. It was a very full day, but I was glad that everyone was doing what they wanted to.
Tomorrow, that island oasis called Castaway Cay
Good things to know:
· SPF 50, sunglasses and a hat. We managed to get through some very sunny days without a single sunburn.
· Read over the navigator in the morning and decide what youd like to do. It saved us from a lot of confusion.
· Take the time to get a professional family portrait. I will treasure mine always.
· If you want to see the characters, this is the place. I thought they had a terrific setup. The schedule is posted right in the atrium for easy reference.
For our photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/tammimcman
Trip Report Part 1: http://www.disboards.com/showthread...threadid=582493
Trip Report Part 2: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=582595
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"
We took full advantage of having a dining room table and I ordered breakfast from room service. Were not big breakfast eaters and I didnt want to tempt the stomach gods by doing anything different during our trip. So far, so good. I hadnt had to break into my on board pharmacy yet. The last thing I did before going to bed was to fill out my little breakfast card and hang it on the doorway. I ordered an assortment of juices, coffee, cereal, croissants and muffins. I selected the 7:30-8am delivery time as Jim and Meagan were supposed to meet for the Catamaran Sail & Snorkel trip at 9am.
My first question is why cant I sleep in anymore? Even though I didnt fall asleep until after 1am, I was still bright eyed and bushy tailed by 6am. Honestly, I think I get more excited about vacations then my kids do and I dont want to waste a minute. I dressed quietly and snuck out into the hallway. What a beautiful morning greeted me as I emerged onto deck 9. I grabbed some coffee at the beverage station and started to explore all the decks. I got a great picture of the sunrise and met a few other morning people. A round of applause also for all those joggers on deck 4. I gave up on my work out routine for the week. Well, all except for taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Gotta love having that guilt free dessert at dinnertime. I made my way down to the internet café and checked on my e-mail and fired off a hello to all my dis friends who were not on the ship with me. I made it back to our room a little after 7:15. The natives were starting to rub the sleep out of their eyes and Lola was going through todays navigator and planning our day and her outfits. I packed up the murphy bed and sleeper sofa and I eagerly awaited my second cup of coffee. Room service arrived promptly at 7:35 and we ate heartily. I cant believe what a little salt air does for your appetite. We sat out on the verandah and enjoyed the view as the Wonder slipped right into the Nassau port. The kids were amazed at the color of the water. Jim and Meagan headed out to their meeting spot. Their plans were to do the Catamaran Sail, come back to the ship for a change of clothes and then go to the Atlantis. You see Meagan is 18 and she is legal in the Bahamas. She wanted to get a drink at the bar and play slots with her dad. She thought that would make for a great story. Colin was hooking up with his cousins for a swim and beyond that, he had no plans. Lola informed me that we were starting the day with a swim, and then she wanted to see Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen in the movie theatre. We agreed that wed meet up with Colin again at noontime and go into Nassau for a little while.
Swimming was great. From 9:00 to 10:15, we had the pool almost to ourselves. We spent the posted time of 15 minutes in the hot tub and cooled off in the Goofy pool. Casey even made it over to the Mickey pool for a little while. We completely lost track of time again (a constant on this trip) and we rushed back to our room to change for the movies. My cousin was there with the boys and they were ready to go into Nassau. She had no idea if theyd let Colin off the boat with her, but she was willing to give it a try. They had no problem and went off exploring and getting their shopping card punched. Casey and I enjoyed the movie and made our way to deck 1 when it was over. We made our way into Nassau. First, you need to go through the Welcome Center. A tight fit, with only one door open. I kept a good grip on my daughters hand and we made it through with the rest of the cruise folks. A quick walk through the little shops and out the back door. That was a little crazy. Taxi tours lined up, horse & carriage rides, hair braiders, it could be intimidating. We really didnt encounter any problems though and we carefully crossed the street to do some shopping. Our first and only stop was the Del Sol store. Casey really wanted a t-shirt that changes color in the sun. She had her own money, so she picked out what she wanted. Of course, there werent price tags on anything and she was shocked when the woman at the counter told her it was $27 for a childs t-shirt. There was my nearly 8 year old Lola complaining to this woman about the high prices she was charging. That was it too. As soon as she bought her shirt, she wanted to go back to the ship. She was through shopping there. Back through the sea of humanity at the welcome center where one security guard was checking room keys and ids of all the people trying to leave. All this for not even 30 minutes in Nassau and an overpriced t-shirt. Oh well, live and learn. Finally back to our oasis, we went up to the Topsiders for lunch. There was so much food and it was all good. One thing I did forget from the boards, is that I should have entered on the right hand side. When we arrived, a cast member directed us to the left. In hindsight, that probably wasnt very smart of her because my daughter needed the kids line, which is on the right. We ended up walking in, waiting in line and then having to go all the way around to the other side anyway. Thats what I get for not having my dis notes with me.
After lunch, it was back to the pool. That didnt last very long though. There were some out of control kids there and not a cast member to be found. They were running to the hot tub, jumping in there, jumping out, running back down the steps and then jumping into the Goofy pool from the wooden deck. I had to pull Casey out of there. It was only a matter of time before one of them jumped right on her head. We met up briefly with my cousin and the boys. They had a great time in Nassau. Colin added to his shark necklace collection and they went on a horse & carriage ride. My cousin was trying to teach them how to barter and she said that her son was horrified when she told him to offer $20 instead of the $25 the seller was asking for a carved walking stick. He told her that hed be willing to pay $30 because it was so nice. Im glad he wasnt in Del Sol with us. The boys took off to eat and my cousin went back to her room for a nap. Casey and I stayed at the pool for a prize only bingo game. When it was over, she decided that she wanted to hang out in the kids club for a while. That worked out very well, because my cousin and I had made plans to do the wine tasting seminar in Palo's. It was excellent and I learned quite a bit. When I returned to my room, I had all the boys and Jim & Meagan had returned. The concierge staff had dropped off a dessert tray for us, but with three growing boys, there wasnt much left when I got to it. Jim and Meagan had a great time snorkeling. They saw a lot of fish and spent close to an hour in the water. I guess they ended up sailing past the Atlantis and the driver of the boat offered to stop there for anyone wishing to visit the hotel. They hopped off and hit the casino. For those that are wondering, Meagan lost $40 on the slot machines and she ordered a strawberry daiquiri as her first alcoholic drink. According to her dad, she only drank about two sips of it. She said it tasted as nasty as rubbing alcohol smells. We cleaned up and Colin went back to the teen lounge for a while. He said that it was a nice place to hang out. He was having a tough time with some of the accents though. Meagan, Jim and I went down to the lounge after we stopped in to check on Casey. They were just getting ready to have dinner and she didnt want to leave. I asked if she wanted to see the Golden Mickeys or stay in the club. She decided that I should come get her right after she ate. We had a nice glass of wine and snacks from 5-6pm. We got Casey from the kids club and returned to our stateroom to change for the show and dinner. This was our families formal night. We were eating in Tritons and us girls wanted to get dressed up. Casey had on a beautiful silver gown, silver shoes and a matching handbag. We were guests at the Golden Mickeys and thought it was a terrific show. Those kids are very talented. We made a stop to have our formal pictures done and checked out Shutters. Casey spotted Studio Sea and we all had to go in and do some dancing. I figured it would take off a few pre-dinner pounds right? We had a blast and Im sorry to say, that we never made it back. There just wasnt enough time to do everything.
We had the 8:30 seating in Tritons and tonight we were meeting our serving team for the first time. We were seated at table 53, which was a very nice spot. Our servers were Anita and Jason. I have no idea how many tables they are responsible for, but I was truly impressed that within a few minutes, she had all eight of our names memorized and even figured out which child went with which parent. We received excellent service from them.
We left Tritons and the boys were off to get changed and visit the teen lounge. Tonight was supposed to be a pj party while they watched a movie. My son claimed that there was not one teenager in pajamas, but they did enjoy Lion King 1 ½. My cousins younger son wanted to go to the kids club and make flubber. Meagan was ready for bed, but Lola informed us that there was going to be a midnight buffet and tropical deck party this evening. So, back to the room to change into our tropical attire and back up to deck 9. The entertainment was terrific and we outlasted the band. As if we hadnt already eaten enough, we managed to find some room for a tasty dessert from the buffet. We found a table up on deck 10 and the three of us stayed up past midnight. I suggested a midnight stroll, but Casey was fading fast. When that girl calls it quits, you better have a bed ready quickly. I think she was asleep before her head hit the pillow. She didnt even care about the chocolates tonight. The kids were playing musical beds and tonight was her turn to sleep on the murphy bed.
I did my duty of filling out the breakfast card and tried to wait up for my son. I know that drifted off to sleep more than once. He finally made it in at about 1am. It was a very full day, but I was glad that everyone was doing what they wanted to.
Tomorrow, that island oasis called Castaway Cay
Good things to know:
· SPF 50, sunglasses and a hat. We managed to get through some very sunny days without a single sunburn.
· Read over the navigator in the morning and decide what youd like to do. It saved us from a lot of confusion.
· Take the time to get a professional family portrait. I will treasure mine always.
· If you want to see the characters, this is the place. I thought they had a terrific setup. The schedule is posted right in the atrium for easy reference.
For our photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/tammimcman
Trip Report Part 1: http://www.disboards.com/showthread...threadid=582493
Trip Report Part 2: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=582595
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
