iloverags2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2002
- Messages
- 2,405
Paradise Found
Once again we set a wake-up call for 6:30, and once again I slept right through it! Mom was up bright and early though, and she woke me around 7:00 a.m. Not much of a sunrise to see this morning as we pulled into Castaway Cay, and in fact I was a bit concerned about rain as storms could be seen in a distance.
Breakfast was at Beach Blanket Buffet once again, this time with a gorgeous view from Deck 9 of Castaway Cay. Mom decided to try out the omelet station, and had I known they would bring your omelet to you I would have done the same! This was my first experience with this station on DCL, and it was quite impressive. You walk up to the station, a CM notes what you want in your omelet, they give you a number to put on your table, and then bring your omelet to you when it is finished. No standing around and waiting for it while it’s cooking! Nice! I did have a yummy blueberry muffin though, along with some eggs and toast (my standard breakfast fare).
By the time we got back to our stateroom and Mom changed into her bathing suit, it was about 8:30 a.m. The Personal Navigator had listed all ashore being at 9:00, but at 8:30 an announcement was made that we could get off! And they were debarking aft, so that meant just a quick ride/walk down for us! We grabbed our stuff and high-tailed it out (while those other poor cruisers who were eating must have been scrambling at that moment!).
Castaway Cay Post Office
Arriving on Castaway Cay
Our first order of business was to stop at the Post Office to drop off postcards for Russ, Ned (Mom’s hubby), my two sisters, and my niece. (Just for the record, those post cards arrived about three weeks later!) Oh, for those of you wondering, Disney provides towels as you leave the ship so no need to drag those with you. Once we deposited our mail, we walked over to the tram stop where we didn’t have to wait long for the next tram. And with little-to-no crowds, to boot. It wasn’t long before we finally arrived at Serenity Bay, and seriously? We had the pick of the beach! There were a few sunbathers already ahead of us, but for the most part, the place was still empty. Score! We picked a nice spot not too far down under an umbrella. Mom was just blown away by the beauty of this beach, too. And you know what else? The clouds were beginning to break up, and sunny skies were starting to peek out!
Mom staking out our spot
An empty Serenity Bay
We couldn’t quite decide what to do first, but that crystal-clear, blue water was just calling our names! You gotta love a place where you can take photos of things in the water with your camera above the water. There is just nothing like it! Mom was getting a kick out of the fish as they hovered around us, and honestly I was a bit surprised how relaxed she was with them. As more and more folks began to arrive at the beach, we realized we had prime real estate with our spot! The nice thing about Serenity Bay, too, is that Disney provides not only loungers, but also regular small chairs. At this point, we took our chairs and put them just into the water. I tell you, this was another one of those “best” moments – sitting with our feet in the water, just staring out at the beauty and serenity of the ocean.
Enjoying the warm water
Fish swimming around us
Interesting shell in the water
Paradise Found
Mom relaxing!
My favorite picture of Mom (she, of course, didn’t know I took this until we were looking at pictures later on)
And a close-up
The beach starting to fill up
Self-portrait
You know, we Floridians live by the motto down this way, “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere,” and Mom and I decided we would partake in a Konk Kooler on this fine, beautiful morning. We both noted they were rather weak, and Mom commented they must serve them this way due to the heat and lack of food in people’s stomach at this hour! (She’s probably right!) Now, we know there are reasons Mom doesn’t stay in the sun long, and we made it onto the beach early as planned. As the beach began to fill with more and more people we decided it might be good to head over to the BBQ and stake out a good spot in the shade to eat. Our prime real estate was snatched up in a hurry as soon as we packed up and left.
I still have no clue how these guys do this!
Mom and her first ever Konk Kooler
Well, one of us finished our drink!
Lunch on Serenity Bay is served at 11:30, and we must have arrived at the BBQ about 15 minutes prior. Except for a few other folks, we pretty much had our choice of tables, and found a nice, shaded one with a good view of the Wonder in a distance!
Our spot
Our view (the Wonder is hiding behind the greenery)
Once again we set a wake-up call for 6:30, and once again I slept right through it! Mom was up bright and early though, and she woke me around 7:00 a.m. Not much of a sunrise to see this morning as we pulled into Castaway Cay, and in fact I was a bit concerned about rain as storms could be seen in a distance.
Breakfast was at Beach Blanket Buffet once again, this time with a gorgeous view from Deck 9 of Castaway Cay. Mom decided to try out the omelet station, and had I known they would bring your omelet to you I would have done the same! This was my first experience with this station on DCL, and it was quite impressive. You walk up to the station, a CM notes what you want in your omelet, they give you a number to put on your table, and then bring your omelet to you when it is finished. No standing around and waiting for it while it’s cooking! Nice! I did have a yummy blueberry muffin though, along with some eggs and toast (my standard breakfast fare).
By the time we got back to our stateroom and Mom changed into her bathing suit, it was about 8:30 a.m. The Personal Navigator had listed all ashore being at 9:00, but at 8:30 an announcement was made that we could get off! And they were debarking aft, so that meant just a quick ride/walk down for us! We grabbed our stuff and high-tailed it out (while those other poor cruisers who were eating must have been scrambling at that moment!).
Castaway Cay Post Office
Arriving on Castaway Cay
Our first order of business was to stop at the Post Office to drop off postcards for Russ, Ned (Mom’s hubby), my two sisters, and my niece. (Just for the record, those post cards arrived about three weeks later!) Oh, for those of you wondering, Disney provides towels as you leave the ship so no need to drag those with you. Once we deposited our mail, we walked over to the tram stop where we didn’t have to wait long for the next tram. And with little-to-no crowds, to boot. It wasn’t long before we finally arrived at Serenity Bay, and seriously? We had the pick of the beach! There were a few sunbathers already ahead of us, but for the most part, the place was still empty. Score! We picked a nice spot not too far down under an umbrella. Mom was just blown away by the beauty of this beach, too. And you know what else? The clouds were beginning to break up, and sunny skies were starting to peek out!
Mom staking out our spot
An empty Serenity Bay
We couldn’t quite decide what to do first, but that crystal-clear, blue water was just calling our names! You gotta love a place where you can take photos of things in the water with your camera above the water. There is just nothing like it! Mom was getting a kick out of the fish as they hovered around us, and honestly I was a bit surprised how relaxed she was with them. As more and more folks began to arrive at the beach, we realized we had prime real estate with our spot! The nice thing about Serenity Bay, too, is that Disney provides not only loungers, but also regular small chairs. At this point, we took our chairs and put them just into the water. I tell you, this was another one of those “best” moments – sitting with our feet in the water, just staring out at the beauty and serenity of the ocean.
Enjoying the warm water
Fish swimming around us
Interesting shell in the water
Paradise Found
Mom relaxing!
My favorite picture of Mom (she, of course, didn’t know I took this until we were looking at pictures later on)
And a close-up
The beach starting to fill up
Self-portrait
You know, we Floridians live by the motto down this way, “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere,” and Mom and I decided we would partake in a Konk Kooler on this fine, beautiful morning. We both noted they were rather weak, and Mom commented they must serve them this way due to the heat and lack of food in people’s stomach at this hour! (She’s probably right!) Now, we know there are reasons Mom doesn’t stay in the sun long, and we made it onto the beach early as planned. As the beach began to fill with more and more people we decided it might be good to head over to the BBQ and stake out a good spot in the shade to eat. Our prime real estate was snatched up in a hurry as soon as we packed up and left.
I still have no clue how these guys do this!
Mom and her first ever Konk Kooler
Well, one of us finished our drink!
Lunch on Serenity Bay is served at 11:30, and we must have arrived at the BBQ about 15 minutes prior. Except for a few other folks, we pretty much had our choice of tables, and found a nice, shaded one with a good view of the Wonder in a distance!
Our spot
Our view (the Wonder is hiding behind the greenery)
Even still, I would love to do a getaway cruise like this with her...one day!
