Our Coffee Can Cruise *or* San Diego to Cabo, Oct 11-16, 2015

[FergusBC]

Moving right along...

So when I left off we were killing time in the cabin, hoping that the kids would fall asleep so that we could go to bed too. Yeah. No such luck. They were more awake than we were at 11:30 so I ended up walking them down to the Edge to join the Arcade Night (Storm the Arcade? I can't remember what they call it).

Dh and I met up on Deck 9 and grabbed a seat to wait for the kids to arrive safely at the Arcade (Helicopter parents? Us?).

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Not sure what they were doing down in the Edge but finally about 20 minutes later the noise level went up significantly, signalling the arrival of the tweens and teens at the Quartermaster Arcade.

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Dh & I wandered towards Outlooks for peace and quiet to get a drink but the horror! It was all closed up! Wha…? Do they realize what an accomplishment it is for us to actually stay awake past 9 pm at night! And no way to celebrate! We would’ve protested…but we were too sleepy.

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Fortunately it didn’t take much longer for the girls to run through their arcade credits and run smack dab into the wall o’exhaustion. They were quite amenable to calling it a night and heading back towards the cabin. But not before making a sidetrip to the Atrium first to check out the freshly pumpkin’ed tree (a tree of pumpkins? Really Disney, isn't that stretching it a bit?)

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We finally got everyone tucked in (including us) about 1am (technically, that's the next day, right?).

Oh, those wonderful DCL pillows – crafted from real fairy wings and stuffed with unicorn dreams!

 

[ukintheus]

But in this case, wouldn't it be 'pier' pressure?

[awkward silence]

Yeah, I'm not proud of that one either

Good one! My definition of Pier Pressure is when we were in Falmouth and the ship's horn blew and we were still wandering around the stalls shopping!

 

[ukintheus]

Oh, those wonderful DCL pillows – crafted from real fairy wings and stuffed with unicorn dreams!

I'm scared that our upcoming cruise on RCI won't have good pillows. Our pillows at home are the same as those on DCL we love them so much. But I don't want to take our own pillows with us because I don't want them disappearing. first world problems indeed.

I think the only bars open at that time of night are downstairs - Wavebands/Cadillac Bar etc. and Promenade Lounge. Just for future reference.

 

[Megan Cocke]

Joining into the audience!!

 

[FergusBC]

Good one! My definition of Pier Pressure is when we were in Falmouth and the ship's horn blew and we were still wandering around the stalls shopping!

Gack! That would have had me scrambling in a panic! LOL

 

[FergusBC]

I'm scared that our upcoming cruise on RCI won't have good pillows. Our pillows at home are the same as those on DCL we love them so much. But I don't want to take our own pillows with us because I don't want them disappearing. first world problems indeed.

YOU HAVE DCL PILLOWS?!!!! OMG....SO MUCH WANT!

 

[FergusBC]

Mon, 12 Oct 2015

Today’s port – Ensenada! We’d been here a couple of years ago on our first cruise. We didn’t have anything planned for today. Last time we were newbies and did the DCL excursion to the tequila tasting. This time we were more relaxed so we just planned on going into town and walking around a bit, maybe grab a bite to eat..that kind of thing.

But first, we had to get out of bed! I woke up early (not sure what time but it was still dark so let’s just go with ‘early’) AND guess what? My headache was back (ugh…maybe this is why I don’t stay up past midnight in my normal life!!) Thankfully we travel well stocked with painkillers so I scarfed down some Tylenols and crawled back to bed until around 7am. I peeked out the balcony to see what was happening and we were just docking at Ensenada. I celebrated with more Tylenol (woohoo…breakfast of champions!) and watched the sea lions swimming around the ship as we swung around into the dock. We ended up facing away from the town so I went up on deck for a better view … and coffee! But mostly coffee.

And random Deck 10 photos

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By the time I got back to the cabin, Dh was awake so we went to grab some fancy coffees from the Cove Café and hot chocolates for the girls. I’ve had the same coffee card since our first cruise so really figured it was time to finish it off.

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Back at the cabin, we had to get the girls hustling as it was now after 8am and we had the Frozen meet ‘n greet at 8:45am. Dh and I had brought back some tasty pastries from Goofy’s Galley so at least we could feed them before dragging them out of the cabin. Of course, on a cruise, this counts as the appetizer, not the actual breakfast.

The meet ‘n greet was in Animator’s Palette. We stood in line for about 10 minutes or so, then it was the ‘stand, smile and snap’ routine with Elsa, Olaf and Anna.

Porthole details
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I have a slight obsession with the random artwork throughout the ship and made an effort to take pics of more favourites


This one is made up of PINS! When I retire (and win the lottery)
I'm going to try and recreate it at home. Wish me luck!
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Afterwards we picked up Dh from the cabin and went up to Beach Blanket Buffet for the real breakfast. We’re just like hobbits (without the furry toes!) – having second breakfast!

Stealthy FE delivery on the way to breakfast!
Anybody recognize their cabin?
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Oh, and who doesn't dream of these when not on a cruise?!
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Finally we were ready to go and walked off the ship around 10:30, browsing the stores at the port on our way out…We hopped on the shuttle into town. With tip, we paid $15 all in for the four of us. The shuttle dropped us off at this weird little courtyard about a block from the main ‘shopping’ street. We did the tourist thing, wandering into shops, picking up some gifts.

Hey kids, a fun family activity to play is 'count the Viagra ads'!​

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After a few blocks, we were getting a little hungry and thirsty so we stopped at a restaurant/café for a drink.

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The table had a glass top with all sorts of photos and mementos underneath. We cracked up when we realized that there was Canadian Tire money under there!

Ha! Is there a Canadian that doesn't have
some of these stuffed in a drawer at home?!
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We checked out the menu but decided to just head back and eat on the ship. The heat and our late night were wearing us down. We turned around and started walking back to the courtyard to find the shuttle.

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We couldn't resist a stop into 7-11, mostly because we wondered what 'slurpee' is in Spanish LOL. Dh wanted to pick up more 'supplies' (translation - beer) so we checked out the selection., .

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I think we bought some pop or something for the girls there. I remember buying something at the cash register, but it wasn't beer.

From the strange little courtyard, we hopped on the next shuttle bus back. We did the shops at port and bought some leather sandals for V and finally, beer - a six-pack of Dos Equis for us. Yay! Mission accomplished!

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[cruisehopeful]

I celebrated with more Tylenol (woohoo…breakfast of champions!)

Isn't waking up with a headache the worst?

Did you use pesos in Ensenada? I have 2 scheduled stops there next year. I think I'll be doing a wine tasting excursion on one, but not sure what I'll do on the Disney cruise. I was hoping I could use USD in the shops, but I'm sure it will be easy to get pesos if needed.

 

[bcwife76]

Haha, imagine finding CDN Tire money all the way down there! My dh uses the app on his phone now for them but I'm pretty sure we have a few old bills of CDN Tire money in our kitchen junk drawer!

Love the photos of the ship at night, so peaceful I'm assuming the arcade is coming out when they do the dry dock later this year?

 

[FergusBC]

Isn't waking up with a headache the worst?

Ugh...YES! It just seems so unfair..."But I haven't done anything yet to deserve a headache?" LOL...key word being 'yet'.

Did you use pesos in Ensenada? I have 2 scheduled stops there next year. I think I'll be doing a wine tasting excursion on one, but not sure what I'll do on the Disney cruise. I was hoping I could use USD in the shops, but I'm sure it will be easy to get pesos if needed.

Yes, we did use pesos actually. We'd converted some money at home. Hmm...the girls were supposed to do some research to tell us who is on the Mexican money. We're still waiting. But USD would have been accepted at any shop we were at. We just wanted the excitement of foreign currency ... Well, technically USD is foreign currency for us too...LOL

 

[FergusBC]

Haha, imagine finding CDN Tire money all the way down there! My dh uses the app on his phone now for them but I'm pretty sure we have a few old bills of CDN Tire money in our kitchen junk drawer!

There's an app? Oh jeez, I am out of touch! LOL

Love the photos of the ship at night, so peaceful I'm assuming the arcade is coming out when they do the dry dock later this year?

Late at night or early morning...best times to prowl the ship with camera in hand! I didn't do my usual early morning prowlings this cruise. Apparently I discovered the joys of sleeping in instead! I imagine the arcade is a goner. It's kind of a meh thing for us ... the kids seem to like the idea of it but then get bored pretty quickly once they are there. Too many other fun things to do on board for them

 

[tink1970]

I hope your headaches went the way of the Dodo bird..

On my last TWO cruises I've been felled by migraines and although it's no fun to have a headache on vacation, it was sort of convenient-didn't have to worry about feeding or entertaining the DH/DD

Thanks for the updates, enjoyed learning "doritos" and "tostitos" were the same in Spanish...I've learned my words for the day

 

[FergusBC]

Back on board, we headed up to BBB for lunch and desserts (mostly desserts). BBB is our go to place for lunch because we love grazing and nothing beats grabbing a table out on deck to sit and eat your lunch!

K wanted to go swimming so Dh took her back to the cabin to change. K pretty much always wanted to go to the pool. This was the first cruise that she was tall enough to feel comfortable in the Goofy pool and she wanted to make the most of it.


There was a matinee showing of the Nightmare before Christmas in 3D, which is one of V’s faves. As I’ve never actually seen the entire movie (I’ve seen bits and pieces of it before but never watched the whole thing) she and I headed to the theatre to watch.

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And of course there were a couple of ‘surprise’ guests at the end. I thought V would want to stay for photos but she was feeling a little queasy so we walked along deck 4 to get some air (and stretch out in the comfy lounge chairs!). Although I don't actually remember it, we must have been leaving Ensenada around this time as I have photos as we move away from land.

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We decided to spoil ourselves and order snacks from room service: two of the All Hands on Deck cheese platters and two orders of chicken wings! Maybe more of a meal than a snack, really! While we waited for the food, the girls and I headed out to deliver FEs and explore.

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The food had arrived when we got back to the cabin, so we pigged out. Love the cheese and crackers!

We changed for the show – tonight it my favourite - the Golden Mickeys.

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We got there early enough to grab seats close to the front ...just because. Last time the girls were interviewed on the red carpet but they said they'd pass this time. Paparazzi and all that LOL.

There was pin trading outside the theatre after the show. V and I stayed to browse the offerings for a bit ...

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...and then met up again with Dh and K at Studio Sea for the “Do you know your family?” game. We didn’t get picked to compete but enjoyed watching the creative answers from the kids on stage, especially the kid who said 'if mom isn't happy, nobody is happy'. Yep, that sounds about right.

Tonight’s restaurant was Parrot Cay. K was obviously worn right out and couldn't decide what to eat and was getting cranky about it. Although the table was set for eight again, the other family still didn't show up. The kids were very disappointed not to have company at dinner although to be honest, I was happy enough to be able to just sit with my own family. Last cruise we had a table with a fantastic couple with two girls more or less the same age as ours so I’m not adverse to sharing a table, but sometimes it’s nice just to hang with your own peeps.

(As I look at this picture, I'm thinking that was NOT my first glass of wine I'm holding!)

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We eventually talked K into ordering crab martinique & prime rib...we are so mean to that kid! We also ordered a Jamaican jerk appy to share. I ordered the caribbean chicken breast and Dh ordered prime rib as the main. Dh said it was very tough and ‘too bloody’ to be medium rare. V and I only had a couple of bites of our dinner as we were both still full. Maybe we had ordered just a bit too much from room service. Both Bugas and Istvan were very concerned about us not eating as enthusiastically as they would have liked – Was it unsatisfactory? Could they get us something else? -- Good heavens, it was like eating with my parents!

K’s mood improved a bit as she ate but then got tired before she finished and went back to cabin before dessert. Dh & I split part of a Sweet Temptations plate. Those little 'sampler' desserts don't even count as food. I'm sure I read that somewhere.

Bugas used the crayons to create more brainteasers.

Starting with this:


We had to figure out how to make it equal 139 - by only moving ONE crayon!
(we did it!)

And I can't remember whether this photo is a before or after or what the puzzle part was.
Hmm...apparently photos aren't a foolproof memory prompt for me
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But I'll leave it in and maybe one of the kids will remind me...

After dinner, Dh went to Wavebands to grab us a seat for the Heath Hyche show. K stayed in the cabin watching TV and V decided to go to the Edge for the Pizza Perfection activity (Really? More food?). Dh and I had a great time at the comedy show. When I checked in on K afterwards and she was sound asleep on her bunk. Both girls had planned to go to the pyjama/movie night at the Edge. I took it as a sign that K needed the sleep more than she needed the movie so left her snoozing. Yay! We outlasted one kid tonight!

Dh and I turned on the Terminator movie (mostly because we spotted Matt Smith as we were flipping channels!). I waited till after 11pm then went looking for V. The kids from the Edge were still on Deck 9 waiting for their pizza. She came back after to change into pjs and head down for movie night. Lordie, I wish I had that much energy.

Apparently the movie night turned out to be a bore so she went for a walk with a couple of friends and was back at the cabin by curfew time. The Navigator told us to set the clocks ahead tonight so we were already losing a whole hour of vacation time LOL

 

[shoreline]

So glad I checked the disboards and found that you continued the coffee can trip report! Love you're writing style.

Has the Wonder gotten rid of those clunky wrist bands for the kids clubs?

 

[Rabb it]

Very cool report, can wait for the rest! You're getting me the dead time today at work!

 

[MarbleBob]

Just found your TR. It's awesome! Looking forward to reading about the rest of your cruise!