Nudity and Stabbings and Hypothermia, Oh my! First DCL Cruise (Fantasy, 9.5.15) ** Slide Show 2/8

[BlueEyes78]

I just wanted to say hi to a fellow Cincinnatian. We live just outside Cincinnati and are planning our first ever cruise on Feb 29 on 4 night Bahama on the Dream. We are pulling our daughter out of first grade for 1 week. I'm not planning to tell her until the day we leave. I can't wait!! Thanks for sharing your review.

Hello! That is probably the right call. The kids knowing for nine months was a little crazy. We surprised them with our second Disney trip and that was a blast!

 

[BlueEyes78]

Great trip report! Two days from now me and my family will be on the Wonder out of Galveston on our first Disney cruise!

Have a wonderful time!

 

[BlueEyes78]

Chapter 8: Jamaica Day

Hello, I’m back! Hope everyone’s holiday was great. Finally getting some down time to sit down and do some trip reporting.

I forgot to mention in my last update that while the KIDS got to bed early, Shawn and I realized that everyone was just about out of underwear and socks. We switched back and forth between swim suits and rarely wore our T-shirts and shorts more than a couple of hours at a time, so those were getting re-worn but obviously the underwear and socks were not. In retrospect I would have packed more of those because they take up so little room and really dictate your need for laundry. So since we were in need of those we decided to do our first load or two of laundry. It was a bit longer of a walk than I anticipated (but I got lots of Fitbit steps in!). The laundries are at either end of the ship on deck 7, and we were slightly closer to forward so that’s where I went. The machines were a bit smaller than I anticipated and I think I overloaded it that first night – at any rate they didn’t come out quite dry so we did some line-drying in our shower. Also, there is really no need to bring laundry detergent – you can get it there for $1 which is what we paid at home. So one less thing to pack. The instructions are fairly straightforward and it was super handy to just slide our key card and turn the machines on. But we were up late hiking back and forth to switch loads, etc. Didn’t seem to be a super busy time there!

We also had decided to make sure we were up, and to keep things moving quickly since we were supposed to meet our guide shortly after we docked, to order room service breakfast. This was NOT the best idea. I had assumed prior to the trip that we’d be ordering a LOT of room service based on other trip reports. People constantly suggested ordering fruit plates in the afternoon, or cheese plates, or cookies for a bedtime snack. But we were out and about so much and that stuff is handy everywhere, and at night the boys were raiding the ice cream machine, so there was never a need to sit in our room and wait for someone to bring it to us.

So we were excited for our first room service experience and may have over-ordered a bit. Cereal, fruit, yogurt and breads, plus juice to drink (and milk for the cereal). Didn’t seem like so much when we ordered it, but when it came on two overflowing trays and we had three excited kids hopping around, it was a bit overwhelming…especially when we realized that without the beds up, we really had no good place to eat it but in our beds. And kids are not good at eating meals on their laps in bed. Shawn and I got a bit flustered with the crumbs, spilled milk, and a dropped glass of juice and decided that while breakfast in bed is fine and dandy for adults, it’s not so great for the under-ten set. Live and learn!!

We finally got it all cleaned up as best we could, stored the copious amounts of extra fruit in our fridge, and put on our outfits for the day - swim suits! I love that Disney lets you take beach towels also, so you don’t have to pack those. I loaded five into our beach bag as well as our water shoes for the Blue Hole, which Marvyn highly recommended. I’ve heard if you don’t bring them, you may have to buy them. The plan was a drive to the Blue Hole, swimming there, then lunch and MAYBE the beach depending on how it went. I didn’t to push the kids too hard, plus, I had an ulterior motive – Inside Out was playing on the ship at 3:30 and none of us had seen it. I couldn’t wait to give it a try and this would be the perfect opportunity.

The ship docked at 7:30 and we were off by 8. The Falmouth port is really impressive, I have heard it was built recently. No vendors pushed us or called out, and we walked off the boat with the Disney tour groups and tagged along to the exit, taking in all the stores and stands lining the pier. Someone was playing the steel drums and it really set the mood for our day! We were in JAMAICA! And it was already very warm.

We asked a few of the port employees where to find the private tour guides, and found our way with little problem to the lot where they were waiting. Lenue, from Marvyn’s Paradise Tours, was waiting with a sign with our name on it. We boarded his van and I was very impressed with how clean it was. Everything was in working order, and we couldn’t have asked for a friendlier guide than Lenue. He was a lifelong islander and was happy to answer any questions we had about his home. He made sure we knew early on that we called the shots: “you da boss.” He was great with the kids and told us he had a 12-year old son. Some day he hoped to vacation in America. The kids were thrilled to tell him about snow since he was very curious about it!

He told us the drive would be about 90 minutes and he was spot-on. I sat in the back with Megan since she was tired and whiney and I didn’t want her bothering anyone else. I tried to take in as much of the scenery as I could. We drove along the coast for a bit (I had to stop cringing every time someone passed us on our right, I had never been on the left side of a road before), with ocean to our left and a hilly forest to our right. I was surprised by that, I was not expecting it to be so “woodsy.” Lenue briefly pulled over at Columbus Park to show us where one of Columbus’s ships had wrecked on his journey to the New World, so we could take pictures. The most striking thing that I remember noticing is that the houses were either shacks or mansions. There did not seem to be much of an in-between. I’m told that’s common in the Caribbean.

After about an hour I started seeing signage for Ochos Rios, and we passed some of the places I recognized from the excursion list – Dolphin Cove and the butterfly gardens. Lenue warned us that the turn-off to Blue Hole was a bit primitive and boy was it ever! It turned into a one-lane, pitted dirt road pretty quickly that made me wonder which car would go off the side of a cliff should we meet someone coming down!

At the bottom of the turn-off, there was a shabby litte stand selling “Brownies” and other pot-laced items that cracked me up. Made me wonder if the states keep legalizing it if the tourist sales would go down in other countries! And speaking of pot, when we got to the top of the hill, a young guy with bloodshot eyes started walking along the van, pacing us long enough to creep me out. Turns out this was Mike, our pre-arranged Blue Hole tour guide. Not sure if the eyes were due to being high, or tired, but he did end up taking very good care of us (and our rented camera). I was shocked at the ease at which he and his fellow guides hopped along in the creeks and falls and no one, not one out-of-shape tourist got hurt on their watch.

So after Lenue parked we hopped out of the van and he introduced us to Mike and told us to lock everything up in the van and he’d be with it the whole time. Shawn had wanted to take some money for tipping so he had purchased a water-proof wallet and had it strapped on under his suit. We were also told there was no need for bug spray and to leave our sunglasses behind (I don’t think they realized how little sun our pale Ohio eyes can take! Those first few minutes before we got under the trees were awful!), and to just bring our camera and apply sunscreen.

Mike took us over to the trail and took several pictures of the falls behind us, and then guided us up the stairs to the highest level accessible by the trail and then into the creek.




We needed to cross over to climb up to the highest pool, and it didn’t look very deep so Mike took Caden by surprise when he swept him up in his arms and bodily carried him across (I think at 10 you’re not used to people doing that). Mike wasn’t a huge guy so it surprised me that he could wade across water so quickly lugging 75 pounds of boy!). After seeing that I had no problem handing Connor or Megan over to him. Once all the kids were across he guided me and Shawn across and then helped all of us climb the rocks to the pool.

He took one last picture, teasing us this is the last “dry” picture.

And then we proceeded to the one unpleasant part of the day. He coaxed Shawn into the water to perch on a rock with the waterfall behind him, then he used his hands to spray the ice-cold water all over Shawn’s back and head. At this point I could tell Shawn was “pretending” to have fun. Can’t say that I blame the man. I hate feeling cold more than just about anything. Next it was my turn to sit on Shawn’s lap and we both got the shower treatment. Mike seemed to be having a great time and since we were trusting this guy to tell us exactly what to do and when we just went along not know what to expect next. He got all the kids out there with us and the two littlest ones were FREAKED OUT. Caden at least faked it pretty well but Megan did not like to be sprayed and Connor was shivering and ticked off. Megan recovered fairly quickly. Connor would not, as it turned out, so if you do this, and your kids might be put off a bit by being sprayed unexpectedly with ice-cold water, you may want to ask the guide if you can “pass” this part of the experience. Had I known it was coming, I would have rather turned him down and gone onto the jumping. Though it was cold too, it was a bit more fun and I knew what was coming!

See, we're all having fun here! Haha! Right?!? I'm not nearly ripping Caden's arm off while trying to stay perched on a tiny, slippery rock!! I promise!



So after that came the first jump, which was little – maybe 5-6 feet. Caden went first. I love his enthusiasm!

Shawn hates jumping into water he can’t see through, but Mike egged him on, so he did it too. I followed and WOW was it cold! I won't be showing a picture of that jump. : )
Connor was so turned off by the cold that he wouldn’t do the jump. He told us later it was a hot place, so he thought the water would be warm and he just could not get over that. He lucked out – at this pool he didn’t have to jump to get back down. Once I was in the water, I turned around and Mike lowered Megan in (she didn’t’ want to jump because she hates going under), and she was a trooper! She kind of gasped when she was submerged, but she dog-paddled her little self over to me and was so proud of herself for “swimming” across the first pool. I climbed out to try to warm up with her and Connor while Caden climbed up an extra level to do the 10-foot jump. Lots of groups were going up even one more to the 50-foot. The guides were swan-diving from up there, it was really incredible. Ten feet was probably the biggest jump Caden’s ever done and he was happy with that!

Mike took all of these pictures, and was careful to wrap the camera in while moving around the pools:



From there we worked our way down one level to a fairly large water fall, where the guides were walking guests two or three feet down it to a place they could jump the rest of the way. That was not my cup of tea – I could not imagine how slippery the rocks in that fall must be and it looked very steep to me, but Caden was ready for it. I stayed with the younger two again while Mike grasped the top of each of Caden’s arms and then, from behind, walked him slowly into the top of the water fall and down the rock. Connor was crying the whole time because he thought he was going to have to jump, and I assured him that we could get into that same pool by going down the stairs. He didn’t want to swim it either, but to get to where Shawn and Caden were that’s what we needed to do.

After Shawn and Caden jumped and swam the length of the pool, Mike came back up and showed us the way down the stairs and where to get in to swim across. Shawn had swam back over to help Connor so I could swim alongside Megan, and as soon as Connor got into the water he lost his ever-loving mind. He was howling like a banshee and nearly pulled Shawn down he was flailing around so bad. The water was cold, but you really did get used to it. He was beyond reason at this point, so we were relieved to find we were at the last pool. This one was fun and I was super-excited – it had a swinging rope. The guides pushed you out and you let go when you were at the highest point. Again, it was Caden, then Shawn, then me, and Mike lowered the other two in. Connor swam for all he was worth to get to the ladder at the other side, and then hung out on the path for the rest of the time. There was another jumping-off point at the bottom pool and since we were at the last one we let Caden do it as many times as he wanted. Once he’d had his fill we hiked back to the lot. I’d say about 2.5 of us had a good time! I loved it, Caden loved it, and Shawn and Megan liked about half of it. I can honestly say Connor would have LOVED it if he water had been in the 70s maybe, and I had no idea how cold it would be. But for Caden this was the highlight of the trip so I really had no regrets about booking it. As we walked back to the lot I reminded him that his buddies were in language arts at that moment, and he was jumping off cliffs in Jamaica. He loved the idea of that! : )

All in all, we had taken about 45 minutes there – possibly a little shorter than the average, because it depends on what you want to do, and since Caden was really the only one doing stuff over and over and Connor was miserable, we were a little quicker than most at moving through. You could probably hang out for a couple of hours if you’re really into the jumping thing!


We tipped Mike (what I read in several trip reports was true - the guides do "remind" you that this is their job and, as Mike said, "if you're happy, then you can make me happy.") and dried off as best we could, and then, wrapped in towels, piled back into the van and changed our shoes. The lot was completely made of sand so we made a lot of mud, and I felt bad for that, but I don’t think it was anything out of the ordinary for Lenue.

He drove us straight to Scotchies for lunch and I can’t tell you how immensely this improved Connor’s day. The kids still talk about this as some of the best food on the trip. We loved that it was open-air with picnic tables (and the kids loved that there was a cat hanging out). Our waitress seemed to think Megan was the cutest girl she’d ever met and Megan ate that attention up!

We got a couple of orders of jerk chicken, a jerk sausage, breadfruit (because it sounded odd), holiday bread (which is a fried bread that is incredibly delicious), and, because Lenue recommended it, pumpkin soup. It was really hot and not really soup weather, but, when in Rome….oh, it was such a good choice! That soup was delicious. I barely got to eat any because Megan lapped it up. She still asks me to make her pumpkin soup like that but I don’t have a clue how it’s made. I’ll have to find a Jamaican restaurant for her sometime. Lenue hung out and we shared our food with him (turns out one order of chicken would have been enough but I was glad we had extra). The only thing I may not get again would be the breadfruit. It wasn’t bad, but a little odd and kind of bland.


It was a very satisfying meal. I can’t say how “authentic” it is, I’ve heard it’s a big tourist destination, but Lenue didn’t mind eating it either, and objectively the food was fantastic. I would definitely go again!



It was about noon now, and with a 90 minute drive back, we decided to forgo the beach and call it a day, ending on a high note!

Back on the road!


We were back at the ship by 2 and were sad to part ways with our new Jamaican friend. Anyone who uses Marvyn’s Paradise Tours should ask for him. Friendly, helpful, good driver, and very flexible and knowledgeable and open about his country. He made our day in Jamaica a memorable one! Also, it turns out Shawn’s water-proof wallet was not as water-proof as advertised, and he was very good humored about being paid with some wet cash!

We embarked onto the boat, and Caden decided to use some of his allowance to buy some souveniers to remember his amazing day in Jamaica, so Shawn took him back out to the port where he bought a little flag woven out of wire, two magnets (one for my parents), and three stuffed Jamaica turtles – one for him and his brother and sister. What a great kid!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

awesome update I plan on Blue Hole next Decmeber when we cruise. Love reading about it and seeing the pics. I think we will definitely go to Scotchie's as well - now I want to try the fried bread and pumpkin soup!

 

[BlueEyes78]

awesome update I plan on Blue Hole next Decmeber when we cruise. Love reading about it and seeing the pics. I think we will definitely go to Scotchie's as well - now I want to try the fried bread and pumpkin soup!

Glad you found it helpful! I didn't find a ton out there about the Blue Hole since there is no official Disney excursion there. Who are you going with as a tour operator?
It really was amazing and beautiful. I'd heard others describe the water as "brisk." I'd say it's a bit colder than that but maybe I'm just a wuss. : )

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Glad you found it helpful! I didn't find a ton out there about the Blue Hole since there is no official Disney excursion there. Who are you going with as a tour operator?
It really was amazing and beautiful. I'd heard others describe the water as "brisk." I'd say it's a bit colder than that but maybe I'm just a wuss. : )

I am planning on going with Courtney Taylor. I think it would be great to try at least once and even though I hate cold water too and am terrified of heights but I think the kids will love it! It looks so beautiful!

 

[BlueEyes78]

We considered him as well. Marvyn beat his price by just a bit, but I had nothing but positive interactions with Courtney as well.
You don't have to worry about heights, the only "height" is if you go up to the 50-foot jump. Otherwise it's just a series of pools seperated by 5-15 foot falls. All of them are accessible by stairs as well.
And it's not like you're cold for hours afterwards. The intial shock of the water may get you, but once you get out the air is so warm you feel fine!
Have a fantastic time!

 

[BlueEyes78]

Chapter 9: Pirate Night

We were back in plenty of time for Inside Out. I was more interested in seeing it than Shawn, so he volunteered to do Megan Nap Duty while I took the boys for the 3:00 3-D showing. I was really digging this free-theater on the boat thing (well kind of free!).

We swung by deck 11 to grab some cookies and chips and got great seats in the Buena Vista. I cannot tell you how much I LOVED LOVED LOVED this film. I was sitting there watching thinking how much Shawn would love it too. Turns out he was loving looking at the backs of his eyelids while Megan watched some TV, but hey, at least she got some rest! The boys loved it (mostly). I think Connor was still feeling the effects of the stress of the day, and he struggles with suspense in movies. I tell him it’s because he has a larger dose of empathy than most, and sometimes he has a hard time with the feelings. So when the main character was in the midst of an emotional crisis, he was going through it with her! At one point I had to keep him from running out, and I told him if he left now, he’d never see how it resolved and then he’d be stuck in that “bad feeling” place. He agreed to stay, and he was glad that he did. It’s now one of his favorites, too!

When we got back to the room, Megan was all dressed in her pirate finery (a size 18-month pirate dress that had belonged to my niece that doubled nicely as a shirt for a petite four-year old!) and was ready for the pirate dance party in the lobby at 5. That girl LOVES to party.


Shawn took her down while the boys and I got dressed, and then came back up for some pictures before dinner, and to say goodbye to Jamaica from our balcony as we sailed away!



We were in the Royal Court again. I adored our window table there. This time we switched Caden to the other side so he wouldn’t get sea sick. I have been pouring over the pirate night menu and I cannot for the life of me remember what I ordered so it must not have been memorable! We were probably too full of jerk chicken to enjoy it! If I had to guess, if I were ordering right now, I’d get the crab cake appetizer as my entrée. I do know I got the rum-soaked chocolate cake for dessert. I’ll bet Connor got the shrimp medallions! Here he is at dinner with "Squirt" his new turtle. He is standing in as parrot for Pirate Night.


After dinner we got our professional pictures done. They turned out pretty good. In our case, if four of the five of us are looking at the camera, we call it a win.


Connor and Megan had been completely wiped out by our excursion, and were actually asking to go to bed. We were a little concerned about our towel animal tonight. It might have been a monkey but looked kind of like a ghost.


So the plan was for Shawn to take them and get them settled, while Caden and I went to the Magic Dave show at 8:30 in the Walt Disney Theater. I hadn’t been there yet and was excited to finally see a show, and Caden loves magic. Then Shawn and Caden would see the fireworks show at 10:30.

This is just a random cute picture of Megan I found from bedtime that night while preparing to write the report.


We got to the show in plenty of time, and both of us remarked on how bumpy the ship was! I don’t know if it was rough waters, being so far forward, or the speed, but it was almost difficult to navigate the stairs to a seat. Waiting for the show to begin we could see the stage curtain swaying back and forth and Caden got a little queasy. He was OK for most of the show, and I think he enjoyed it (I know I did, Magic Dave is a riot!!), but around 9:15 he told me he REALLY wanted to go back to the room. His stomach was bothering him and he told me he just wanted to lie down. So we missed the last few minutes but the last thing I wanted was to end the show with him barfing on the row in front of us.

Shawn was a little disappointed to lose his fireworks buddy but I sent him on up at 10:30 so at least one of us could enjoy it! Sorry I can’t review the show in detail but I did hear the fireworks pretty well! The kids were so deeply asleep they didn’t even stir. I have read so many trip reports where people had kids younger than ours that made it to the show, or through late dinners every night, or hung out at the kids club till midnight with absolutely no ill effects. I don’t know if my kids are more scheduled or sleep-dependent or what, but this was certainly not an option for us. I didn’t really think it would be going in, from past experience, but so many people were like “oh my kid naps every day at home but on vacation she doesn’t need to sleep at all!” that I thought maybe something about the boat experience would keep them going. That didn’t happen!

Anyway, Shawn said it was a good show, I think he enjoyed Captain Jack rappelling down the funnel. We remembered to set our clocks forward that night and set our alarm to make sure we didn’t miss the Princess Gathering at 9:30 the next morning!

 

[Thelangstons]

I've so enjoyed reading about your trip! Can't wait to go on the fantasy for 7 nights in May!

 

[SonyaShay]

Loving this trip report!

I am planning on going with Courtney Taylor. I think it would be great to try at least once and even though I hate cold water too and am terrified of heights but I think the kids will love it! It looks so beautiful!

We went to Blue Hole in June 2015 and we used SNL Jamaican Tours. We were taken first to a different part of the falls that Courtney Taylor doesn't use. We were there for over 30 minutes with NO ONE else in the pools and falls with us! Lindsay (the owner) is used to be a Cast Member on the Disney Magic in the late 90's!

 

[sager1969]

Your family is totally adorable!!
1. Megan knows her mind! I love it. At least, she will be a girl that will take care of herself. When it's time to put your bathing suit on, it does not matter where you are!

2. The CM for the trivia is named Katelyn. She is one of my very favorite CM's I have met. She is so awesome and fun especially with kids.

3. I loved how your son just dove right in the pools at Blue Hole like a champ!! That is so cool. My son would love the jumping but hate the cold!!! I would have to tell them no spraying to I am sure the day would be over.

4. My family goes to bed early. I am amazed at the kids that can stay up. Mine has always needed more sleep than most. But I am that way too.

Thank you for sharing! I am really enjoying your family.

 

[Password is Taco]

Great trip report, looking forward to reading more.

 

[buttercup3]

Great report so far! Your family is so cute! And I love that you are being so real about some of the less glamorous parts of family trips.
Love your family pirate picture. Megan's "pirate face" is awesome!!

 

[ACoupleOfDisneyFans]

Great trip report! I'm enjoying reading it! We just took the Wonder from Galveston during Christmas & are having withdrawal!!!!

 

[BlueEyes78]

I've so enjoyed reading about your trip! Can't wait to go on the fantasy for 7 nights in May!

You will have such an amazing time! I'm glad you're enjoying reading along!

 

[BlueEyes78]

Loving this trip report!




We went to Blue Hole in June 2015 and we used SNL Jamaican Tours. We were taken first to a different part of the falls that Courtney Taylor doesn't use. We were there for over 30 minutes with NO ONE else in the pools and falls with us! Lindsay (the owner) is used to be a Cast Member on the Disney Magic in the late 90's!

What a fantastic find! I did not come across that company in my research.

 

[BlueEyes78]

Your family is totally adorable!!
1. Megan knows her mind! I love it. At least, she will be a girl that will take care of herself. When it's time to put your bathing suit on, it does not matter where you are!

2. The CM for the trivia is named Katelyn. She is one of my very favorite CM's I have met. She is so awesome and fun especially with kids.

3. I loved how your son just dove right in the pools at Blue Hole like a champ!! That is so cool. My son would love the jumping but hate the cold!!! I would have to tell them no spraying to I am sure the day would be over.

4. My family goes to bed early. I am amazed at the kids that can stay up. Mine has always needed more sleep than most. But I am that way too.

Thank you for sharing! I am really enjoying your family.

Yes she does know her mind! I struggle with encouraging her confidence and strong will and also tempering it a little so she's not obnoxious. People seem to like her so - so far, so good! : ). Thanks for telling me the name of the CM. I saw her several times but I was late to everything and never caught her name. She was my absolute favorite too, so much energy and she was so fantastic with Megan!
Caden still talks about the Blue Hole (so does Connor but they remember it differently). Cold or not, it was such a fantastic experience.

 

[BlueEyes78]

Great trip report, looking forward to reading more.

Welcome aboard! Thanks for sticking with me in my droughts between updates!

 

[BlueEyes78]

Great report so far! Your family is so cute! And I love that you are being so real about some of the less glamorous parts of family trips.
Love your family pirate picture. Megan's "pirate face" is awesome!!

I have always enjoyed trip reports that have a healthy dose of honesty. Do I want to read about every meltdown and argument, no, but if you don't mention any I might be suspicious!
One thing I haven't mentioned that plagued us all week was the "keycard in the slot" fight. Disney has come up with a great way to save energy - when you are in your cabin, a keycard had to be in this little slot by the door to provide you with lights and power. The kids were CONSTANTLY taking it out. Sometimes deliberately, sometimes absent mindedly, and often when someone was using the bathroom. So you're on the toilet and suddenly it's pitch black in there. And there's about 15 lights (reading lights and overhead) in the cabin and if the kids weren't fiddling with the key card they were flipping them off and on all over the place. It became quite a source of contention for the entire trip. It's like they had a compulsion to mess with the lights EVERY MINUTE we were in the cabin. I'm glad I can laugh about it now!

 

[BlueEyes78]

Great trip report! I'm enjoying reading it! We just took the Wonder from Galveston during Christmas & are having withdrawal!!!!

Welcome! Will you be writing a report??