scrapbookingpro
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2006
- Messages
- 545
Day Four: Grand Cayman
On this trip: me(33) DH(32) and friends S(25) and J(22)
This is the second seven day western cruise for DH and me, however, on our first one we had very bad weather conditions and we were not able to visit Grand Cayman- the winds were too strong for the tenders. So, this was our first time visiting Grand Cayman!
Tuesday morning, DH went to work out yet again. Yikes. The screaming kids across the hall woke me up early but I stayed in bed and waited for DH to bring me my croissants and fruit (I could really get used to this routine)
S and J got up around ten and we all went up to Topsiders for breakfast. DH and I usually have everything kind of planned out in our heads but we had never been to Grand Cayman and never even tendered before so we really had no idea what we were doing. We wandered down to the theater around 10:40 and they had us sit down in rows to wait our turn. We only had to wait about five minutes before they sent us all out to board the tender. I found the process to be quite painless. I usually get motion sick very easily and I was worried about riding the tender, but I was perfectly fine.
When we stepped off the tender there were lots of people there trying to get us to join their Tours and excursions. We had nothing planned and no idea what we were going to do, so we stopped and talked to a lady about her Stingray tour. It was only 40 dollars and I had heard from friends that the stingrays were great, so we decided to go for it. She said to come back in half an hour.
While we waited, we went into some of the shops. I really wanted to try some rum cake since I'd heard so much about it. We found a place with free samples. I didn't really like it, but it was interesting- different then any cake I've ever had before! We also went and bought some expensive (but super strong) suntan lotion since S was very badly burned and we were going to be in the sun all day.
When we got back to where our excursion was to begin, the lady informed us that it was canceled because nobody else signed up. Considering we hadn't planned to do it in the first place, I was surprised at how disappointed I felt. I was really looking forward to swimming with the stingrays. The rest of the group was upset too so we decided to take a chance and see if Disney would take us on one of their excursions.
We went over to the Disney table and talked to the super nice CMs there and they said yes, they could fit us into the Stingray Reef Sail and Snorkel that was leaving in a few minutes. YAY!
It was 25 dollars more a person, but we didn't care, we really wanted to go.
We sat in the shade and waited for the bus to come. We all piled onto the bus and that's when we saw George. I'm sure you've all heard of George before- he is the famous Disney tattoo guy. He has something like 1700 Disney tattoos. He has a web site (http://www.disneytattooguy.com/)
We struck up a conversation with him. Since all of us work or have worked in entertainment at WDW, we knew a lot of the cast members that George had tattooed on himself. He showed me several tattoos from the Festival of the Lion King (where I work) and lots of others from various shows around property. We had a great time, and he didn't seem to mind at all, lifting his shirt and twisting into various positions so we could see all the tattoos. Here's a pic:
George, it was great meeting you
The bus ride was only about ten minutes, and went by really fast since we were all chatting with George. Then it was off the bus, onto the catamaran. It was soooo beautiful. The boat, the water, the weather, everything! The guys running the boat were great too. The gave us some rules, but then we were allowed to roam freely around and enjoy the breeze and the ride. We took tons of pictures.
When we arrived at the reef, we all got snorkels and jumped into the water. It was pretty deep but it was the perfect temperature. It felt so good! This was my first time snorkeling. It took me a while to get used to it but I was finally able to do it well enough to see all the stingrays. They would swim right under you and around you. It was so cool! DH isn't big on swimming and deep water. He came in for a while and tried it out- I was very proud of him. But he got our early, which was fine because he wanted to take some pictures. We all stayed in and one of the guys brought a stingray up for us all to touch. They had food there that you could feed them with too. J and S both fed one but I was too nervous so I watched from a distance. S said they suck the food right out of your hand! This excursion was honestly the highlight of our trip. We had such an amazing time!
After about 45 minutes with the stingrays it's time to go back. They put the sails up on the catamaran and we sailed back at a nice leisurely pace. S and I fell asleep at the back of the boat. It was so relaxing, we couldn't help it! They also play music and give you snacks and lemonade. All too soon we were back on the bus.
We got on the last tender back to the ship. Because it was the last one, it took forever. We sat on the boat for about fifteen minutes before we finally went somewhere. As soon as we got back to the ship we went to get cleaned up and changed for dinner. Tonight was our Palo night!!
Our Palo reservation was for 6PM but first we had our CC reception at 5:15. DH, J and I went to the reception while S went to get a manicure at the spa. The reception was nice. They gave us free drinks and lots of fancy appetizers. We didn't want to eat very much because we knew we were going to Palo right after. The captain gave a nice speech, then Brent gave another one. Brent is the cruise director, and a very nice guy. We had several conversations with him throughout the week, and of course you hear his voice in the hallways every day.
By 5:45 we were up at Palo, patiently (kind of) waiting to be let in.
I was excited for S and J to experience Palo for the first time- I knew they'd love it. Marco was our server from Italy! We actually had him as our server on our last seven day cruise also! He said he's been sailing with Disney for about seven years. He was a fantastic server. He brought as two pizzas right away, which were delicious. Then he brought out several appetizers, including calamari and the tomatoes. I think we all ordered filet mignon- so yummy!! Then he also brought two different pasta dishes for us to try. I loved the linguini. I think I ate more of that then my filet mignon. Of course we all ordered soufflés for dessert and Marco brought two other desserts for us to try. Everything was amazing. Absolute do NOT miss Palo. The food is great and the restaurant itself is beautiful. We were seated right next to a window and we could see the sun setting. It was a dream.
After dinner we went to see Twice Charmed. The reviews from our group were mixed. S thought it was good, but "flawed"- he's a director, so that could mean anything. I loved it. It was actually my favorite of the shows, maybe partly because it was the only one I hadn't already seen several times. DH loved the music (actually we all did), and J liked it as much as I did. It was creative and fun IMHO. Of course, since we had dinner early this night, we had our show with all of the kids. That was kind of crazy! The early show is definitely quieter and not as crazy as the late show was.
After the show we went to Sessions to have drinks and listen to the Piano Tribute to Broadway. I don't remember the piano guy's name, but he was great. We all loved him- he has kind of an Aaron Neville singing voice- really laid back and nice. My apologies to anyone who was there listening that night- we were the obnoxious ones that got up and danced during "Talk to the Animals". We were not quite fitting in to the quiet, relaxed atmosphere that had been created. For that reason, we quickly retreated to the 80s dance party. Yes, much more loud and wild! We met several new friends this night- Sarah, nanny Tayler, Joe (who knew a friend of mine from home) and his sister Lisa. We all danced together and had a blast! And of course, cute Travis was there, and Michael. And the dancers from the theater performed two numbers- Footloose and a Michael Jackson medley. What a great party that was!
12:30, time for bed. Well, time for room service at least. We ordered a hot dog and a chicken fajita sandwich. O.K., NOW time for bed.
Day 5: http://www.disboards.com/threads/may-6th-western-day-five-with-pictures.1114196/
On this trip: me(33) DH(32) and friends S(25) and J(22)
This is the second seven day western cruise for DH and me, however, on our first one we had very bad weather conditions and we were not able to visit Grand Cayman- the winds were too strong for the tenders. So, this was our first time visiting Grand Cayman!
Tuesday morning, DH went to work out yet again. Yikes. The screaming kids across the hall woke me up early but I stayed in bed and waited for DH to bring me my croissants and fruit (I could really get used to this routine)
S and J got up around ten and we all went up to Topsiders for breakfast. DH and I usually have everything kind of planned out in our heads but we had never been to Grand Cayman and never even tendered before so we really had no idea what we were doing. We wandered down to the theater around 10:40 and they had us sit down in rows to wait our turn. We only had to wait about five minutes before they sent us all out to board the tender. I found the process to be quite painless. I usually get motion sick very easily and I was worried about riding the tender, but I was perfectly fine.
When we stepped off the tender there were lots of people there trying to get us to join their Tours and excursions. We had nothing planned and no idea what we were going to do, so we stopped and talked to a lady about her Stingray tour. It was only 40 dollars and I had heard from friends that the stingrays were great, so we decided to go for it. She said to come back in half an hour.
While we waited, we went into some of the shops. I really wanted to try some rum cake since I'd heard so much about it. We found a place with free samples. I didn't really like it, but it was interesting- different then any cake I've ever had before! We also went and bought some expensive (but super strong) suntan lotion since S was very badly burned and we were going to be in the sun all day.
When we got back to where our excursion was to begin, the lady informed us that it was canceled because nobody else signed up. Considering we hadn't planned to do it in the first place, I was surprised at how disappointed I felt. I was really looking forward to swimming with the stingrays. The rest of the group was upset too so we decided to take a chance and see if Disney would take us on one of their excursions.
We went over to the Disney table and talked to the super nice CMs there and they said yes, they could fit us into the Stingray Reef Sail and Snorkel that was leaving in a few minutes. YAY!
It was 25 dollars more a person, but we didn't care, we really wanted to go.We sat in the shade and waited for the bus to come. We all piled onto the bus and that's when we saw George. I'm sure you've all heard of George before- he is the famous Disney tattoo guy. He has something like 1700 Disney tattoos. He has a web site (http://www.disneytattooguy.com/)
We struck up a conversation with him. Since all of us work or have worked in entertainment at WDW, we knew a lot of the cast members that George had tattooed on himself. He showed me several tattoos from the Festival of the Lion King (where I work) and lots of others from various shows around property. We had a great time, and he didn't seem to mind at all, lifting his shirt and twisting into various positions so we could see all the tattoos. Here's a pic:
George, it was great meeting you
The bus ride was only about ten minutes, and went by really fast since we were all chatting with George. Then it was off the bus, onto the catamaran. It was soooo beautiful. The boat, the water, the weather, everything! The guys running the boat were great too. The gave us some rules, but then we were allowed to roam freely around and enjoy the breeze and the ride. We took tons of pictures.
When we arrived at the reef, we all got snorkels and jumped into the water. It was pretty deep but it was the perfect temperature. It felt so good! This was my first time snorkeling. It took me a while to get used to it but I was finally able to do it well enough to see all the stingrays. They would swim right under you and around you. It was so cool! DH isn't big on swimming and deep water. He came in for a while and tried it out- I was very proud of him. But he got our early, which was fine because he wanted to take some pictures. We all stayed in and one of the guys brought a stingray up for us all to touch. They had food there that you could feed them with too. J and S both fed one but I was too nervous so I watched from a distance. S said they suck the food right out of your hand! This excursion was honestly the highlight of our trip. We had such an amazing time!
After about 45 minutes with the stingrays it's time to go back. They put the sails up on the catamaran and we sailed back at a nice leisurely pace. S and I fell asleep at the back of the boat. It was so relaxing, we couldn't help it! They also play music and give you snacks and lemonade. All too soon we were back on the bus.
We got on the last tender back to the ship. Because it was the last one, it took forever. We sat on the boat for about fifteen minutes before we finally went somewhere. As soon as we got back to the ship we went to get cleaned up and changed for dinner. Tonight was our Palo night!!
Our Palo reservation was for 6PM but first we had our CC reception at 5:15. DH, J and I went to the reception while S went to get a manicure at the spa. The reception was nice. They gave us free drinks and lots of fancy appetizers. We didn't want to eat very much because we knew we were going to Palo right after. The captain gave a nice speech, then Brent gave another one. Brent is the cruise director, and a very nice guy. We had several conversations with him throughout the week, and of course you hear his voice in the hallways every day.
By 5:45 we were up at Palo, patiently (kind of) waiting to be let in.
I was excited for S and J to experience Palo for the first time- I knew they'd love it. Marco was our server from Italy! We actually had him as our server on our last seven day cruise also! He said he's been sailing with Disney for about seven years. He was a fantastic server. He brought as two pizzas right away, which were delicious. Then he brought out several appetizers, including calamari and the tomatoes. I think we all ordered filet mignon- so yummy!! Then he also brought two different pasta dishes for us to try. I loved the linguini. I think I ate more of that then my filet mignon. Of course we all ordered soufflés for dessert and Marco brought two other desserts for us to try. Everything was amazing. Absolute do NOT miss Palo. The food is great and the restaurant itself is beautiful. We were seated right next to a window and we could see the sun setting. It was a dream.After dinner we went to see Twice Charmed. The reviews from our group were mixed. S thought it was good, but "flawed"- he's a director, so that could mean anything. I loved it. It was actually my favorite of the shows, maybe partly because it was the only one I hadn't already seen several times. DH loved the music (actually we all did), and J liked it as much as I did. It was creative and fun IMHO. Of course, since we had dinner early this night, we had our show with all of the kids. That was kind of crazy! The early show is definitely quieter and not as crazy as the late show was.
After the show we went to Sessions to have drinks and listen to the Piano Tribute to Broadway. I don't remember the piano guy's name, but he was great. We all loved him- he has kind of an Aaron Neville singing voice- really laid back and nice. My apologies to anyone who was there listening that night- we were the obnoxious ones that got up and danced during "Talk to the Animals". We were not quite fitting in to the quiet, relaxed atmosphere that had been created. For that reason, we quickly retreated to the 80s dance party. Yes, much more loud and wild! We met several new friends this night- Sarah, nanny Tayler, Joe (who knew a friend of mine from home) and his sister Lisa. We all danced together and had a blast! And of course, cute Travis was there, and Michael. And the dancers from the theater performed two numbers- Footloose and a Michael Jackson medley. What a great party that was!
12:30, time for bed. Well, time for room service at least. We ordered a hot dog and a chicken fajita sandwich. O.K., NOW time for bed.
Day 5: http://www.disboards.com/threads/may-6th-western-day-five-with-pictures.1114196/
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I'm really enjoying your reports. Keep em coming! We were on the same cruise and had a great time.
