Our greyhound is faster than your ship- 10/25/08 Double Dip-4/09, The Home Stretch!

[dvc4life]

Sean - sorry we didn't get to meet on the cruise. But I am loving your TR. Can't wait for the next installment.

 

[abfnumberten]

Hi, I am so happy to hear you have added Max to your family. I am a proud greyhound owner and foster parent to retired racing dogs from Tampa bay. i also had one of my foster greys take a very long journey to your home state where she found her forever home. I currently have fostered seven of these wonderful creatures. Thank you to your and your family for becoming advocates on how wonderful these dogs are. We are also veteran Disney cruisers!!! We have four under cruises under our belt. Thanks again for giving a forever home to a retired racing greyhound. They will love you for it.

God Bless

Patti

Mom to Joey the Greyhound-Foster Mom to Red,Rodney,Dixie,Thistle,Flute,Princess and Farmer

 

[wilma-bride]

Great update - can't wait for more. It certainyl sounds like you had a great cruise. Glad you didn't let 'Frogger' annoy you

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Hi, I am so happy to hear you have added Max to your family. I am a proud greyhound owner and foster parent to retired racing dogs from Tampa bay. i also had one of my foster greys take a very long journey to your home state where she found her forever home. I currently have fostered seven of these wonderful creatures. Thank you to your and your family for becoming advocates on how wonderful these dogs are. We are also veteran Disney cruisers!!! We have four under cruises under our belt. Thanks again for giving a forever home to a retired racing greyhound. They will love you for it.

God Bless

Patti

Mom to Joey the Greyhound-Foster Mom to Red,Rodney,Dixie,Thistle,Flute,Princess and Farmer

Thank you. Max has been a wonderful addition to our family In fact, we just got back from our morning family walk. As part of our TR, I intend to continue to describe the adventures of Max, while we were on our cruise.

We first met Keystone Greyhounds at some of the Hershey Bears hockey games we attended last year. I recall looking at the promo list for the year at the start of last season, "Hey Chris, says that there will be greyhounds at some of our games" Our first game there, they had 6-8 dogs, and about 10 photos and descriptions of current fosters. We were struck by how nonchalant the dogs were about the whole crowd thing. After talking to the reps for over 40 minutes, we brought home some leaflets. Next thing you know, DW wants to not throw out the info sheets during January cleaning. By 1 month into her new telecommuting job, she said she was ready for a friend. Application was sent in after the 2nd game we saw them at in February. Met a foster at the March game, just wasn't our type. By early April, we were informed that they thought they had the right hound for our home. My co-worders threw me a doggie shower. Max arrived here 5/3.

 

[Disneygrl36]

Loved the frogger story.......good for you for being patient & getting all the cocktail sauce.
I think you are right, our meet at the Goofy pool should have taken place elsewhere. All our Disers weren't even in the group picture.
Ready to hear about dinner with non-disers.

 

[101DalmFan]

great tr so far, sean .... looking forward to more -- but take care of that cold first!!!

==Lennie==

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Brilliant installments Sean! We were turned away from Parrot Cay on that first lunch time as it was too busy - but we ended up having a lovely lunch outside at Topsiders just as the rain cleared - they were wiping all the rain water off the chairs so that we could sit down.

We sneaked a peek inside the verandah staterooms on deck 6, and were surprised at how big, airy and light they seemed in comparison to our inside stateroom on deck 6 - and now we hope to book a deck 6 verandah stateroom for our next cruise after seeing how nice they looked.

Hope you will soon be feeling better and I look forward to your next installment!

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Feeling much better now. That pesky tickle still in the throat sometimes. Where were we? Ahh, yes: Dinner

I posted earlier what we thought our dining rotation was to be, based upon the codes on our KTTW. As part of my job, I was to make sure all was in order with tickets, gifts, etc. upon entering the stateroom. I didn't get around to looking at the dining tickets right away, but when I did: Wow. "Umm, honey? The dining tickets don't match our KTTW?!" "What do we do?" was the reply. We, actually me, would be going down to Guest Services, to inquire as to what the heck was going on? When I showed the kind staff member my problem, they instructed me to follow the tickets, not our KTTW. I recall mumbling something about, "Gee, I hope this wasn't some sort of global system error," as I walked back to the room. <it was> We mentioned the topic to almost every DISer we encountered at the 3pm meet. Some had already noticed, and knew. Others didn't. I became slightly concerned about the chaos potential for dinner that night. I really think DCL should have made an announcement acknowledging the issue, and telling everyone to look at their tickets. I'm not aware that they made a specific announcement on the topic.

Dinner
Main (first) seating
table 62
Head Server: Yolande
Server: Mizar
Assistant Server: Sebastian
Table size: 8

A family of 3 (DD, DM, and DDaughter) were already seated when we arrived at Animators (we finally got the Animators show). I spotted the empty high chair right away. Then came 2 women (Grandma, Mom) and a young boy. There is no doubt, this young lad will one day become a Hall of Fame pitcher. Or, Olympic javelin thrower. For 18 months old, he had super baby strength. First thing, he grabbed the tablecloth, and pulled. Darn near got the whole thing off, like a magic trick. We regrouped, and smoothed things out, but I spent most of the meal with one hand in a vise grip position, trying to keep hole of the tablecloth. Next, items began to land at my place. I remember the crayon the most. Taking quick inventory of my options, I placed one of the bread baskets directly in front of me, as a defensive shield. I made sure to keep it there for the rest of the meal.

The young lad then transferred to Grandma's lap, directly in the line of fire -oops- across from, Christine. I heard a loud <clank> as the fork landed on her bread plate. I didn't give it too much thought, and we sort of laughed it off. I later found out what I suspect none of us knew/saw: it only landed on the bread plate AFTER it bounced of Christine's forehead! Fortunately, she said, it didn't hit tines first. Unfortunately, this wouldn't be Chris' only encounter with wayward cutlery on this cruise, the staff would later get into the act. What did we eat? Not surprisingly, I don't recall exactly. I had the pasta with alfredo sauce entree. I believe some very dried prosciutto. It was just above room temp. I didn't send it back, as I was just plain hungry.

At this point, some of you might be thinking: DINKS, and they hate kids. No, we don't hate them. Not even this one. They'd flown from Australia to Florida for this cruise, with a stop in LA. Little guy's clock must've been all out of whack. Being at the end of the table, under almost constant assault, and me having basically no interaction with the family of 3 the first night: did we actually have discussions in our room about changing our table? I'll be honest: yes, we did. But, we didn't change. Why? First, our sample size was too small, n=1. It was only the first meal. Everybody needs a chance to get to know one another, and interact. Not all have chatted on the DIS for a year or more. Second: the lad needed some sleep.

The Animators Show:
Just didn't do it for us. Perhaps we were tired ourselves. Or, the struggles at the table effected our perception. One thing: that dining room is LOUD! And, that took away from us being able to hear the music, until the very end. Good music well matched is like sauce with a meal item: it makes it better, and brings out all sorts of good things.

We toured the shops and Shutters before retiring for the evening. We need a good night's sleep, as we get CC, and stingrays, tomorrow!

 

[wilma-bride]

Great update Sean - sorry to hear your first dining experience was not great. I sure hope that young lad calmed down a bit on subsequent nights. DH and I had some teething problems with our table mates on our last cruise and we had those same in-cabin discussions. However, we stuck it out for many of the same reasons as you.

Keep the reports coming - glad you're feeling a little better now.

 

[Disneygrl36]

Ohhhhhhhhhhh sounds like dinner was not so good. Hope it got better. Eric & I discussed several times before last years cruise what we would do if sat with a disruptive child & I am not sure we could have been as amiable as you guys. We were luckily sat with 3 other couples so it worked out great for us. We love kids too, but having none prefer to eat with other adults.
Can't wait to hear about CC & be jealous of your time there since Noel cheated us out of it last year. Glad you got 2 trips this year to make up for last year.

 

[jenn&nelsonrego]

Hey Sean!

(give Christine {and Max} my well wishes too!)

So glad you are doing a TR. I have considered it but I think I am having more fun reading everyone's!

We had a magnificent time on this cruise and was bummed to find out that others did not. I cannot think of anything (short of weather and DCL cannot control that) that I feel the need to complain about. Everything was wonderful!

Cannot wait to read more!

Hope you are feeling better!

 

[Uncleromulus]

Sean: JUST when we might talk ourselves into a Disney Cruise, I read the "unruly kids at the table" report. And then I see in my mind a ship over-run with uncontrolled kids
Looking forward to next installment!!
And sounds like Max did rather well for himself. I'm sure he enjoyed that much better than a kennel

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Sean: JUST when we might talk ourselves into a Disney Cruise, I read the "unruly kids at the table" report. And then I see in my mind a ship over-run with uncontrolled kids
Looking forward to next installment!!
And sounds like Max did rather well for himself. I'm sure he enjoyed that much better than a kennel

Noooooo! It's our fault for not coordinating dining with DISers. And, the story will take a turn for the better. I know: book yourselves on the 10/23/2010 Eastern, and link dining. We promise to behave ourselves. We're already talking with other DISers about linking then.

Max did so well. There will be entire posts devoted to his time with my parents. We're not the only ones to have a good time during the cruise. Mom and Dad have decreed that they will make every effort to stay with him whenever we go away.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

I'll keep the background brief: not once in our 2 prior cruises with DCL have we been able to have an entire day at CC. On the Halloween 2007 Eastern, we didn't even get to the island. Hello, Nassau. Rats!

10/26/08
Position: Castaway Cay
Orientation: backed in
Excitement level: high
Excursion of the day: Castaway Ray's Stingray Adventure

We got off the ship, collected far too many towels for just 2 persons, and set off on foot to enjoy day 1 of 2 at CC. After pausing for a few photos, we eventually made our way to Palm Central, where shopping ensued. I purchased a Hawaiian-style Disney shirt, which I joyfully found to be 50% off when they rang it up. DW got a cute little red plastic pail, to organize her bathroom items (she got the shub room, I established base camp in the latrine). She also got a white t-shirt with the gulls from Nemo on it, with MINE! on the front, in bedazzled green sparkles. Everyone seemed to be at a reasonable pace, possibly due to the 2nd stop later in the cruise. We headed over to the far end of the family beach, where there were about 20 chairs for each person. Score #2 of the day: we found an unoccupied/unclaimed hammock. Somewhere, Mickey has a nice video of us eventually summiting the hammock, where we laid in bliss for about 30-40 minutes. It was cloudy, with winds strong enough to cancel all of the non-Disney run excursions. The locals couldn't boat over to CC, seas were too rough, we were told. But, it was in the mid-70's, and we were on vacation, in a hammock, on CC.

Soon, it was time to go find Ray. First, we took a leisurely stroll out to the Heads Up Bar, just to look around. Then, we headed over to Ray's. The LovableGluttons were just finishing their 10am excursion, and we were able to obtain a good scouting report from them. Upon checking in, we obtained our masks, snorkels, and float vests. I'll admit, I needed help figuring out how to inflate the darned thing. You push down on the tube, then blow. I thought you unscrewed (opened) the tube, then blew. Gluttons to the rescue, keeping me from staying on CC forever. We found the 15-20 minute educational session interesting. Vets from AK had recently been out, and given each of the 54 rays their physicals. Barbs were freshly trimmed. We were also educated about their food: shrimp, squid, and ray jello. I expect to see ray jello as a healthy choice option soon on the dining plan. They all have chips on their left, dorsal side, that can be used to id them. But, the full time keepers appeared to know each one on sight.

Now, it was our turn to swim with stingrays.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Sorry about the hanging chad. Max was in need of some outside time, the mail arrived, and there was chicken to marinade.

Location: Castaway Rays Lagoon
Time: about 11:20

As you proceed to the water's edge, you're directed to one of 4 feeding stations. We were sent to #4, the one farthest from the education shack. The feeding stations have some bouyancy, neither resting on the bottom or floating totally above the surface. Our CM, we found out, was the 2nd in command of Ray's. She was very educational, staying in the water (shin deep) for several minutes after feeding time was over to answer our questions, which we appreciated. I think there were about 8 at each station. The rays enter the station loop from the left, something that the staff wishes to keep them trained to do. In on the left, feed, keep moving, out on the right. We met the largest ray: Megatron, weight 94#, Big Momma (famous from the Travel Channel show) 64#, Thing 1, Thing 2, and several others. Each guest at the station had the chance to feed 3-4 times. While the rays are cycling through the feeding station, other rays are cycling around you, as you stand in the water. They'll lightly rub you, as they pass by. We found the leading edges of the rays to be very soft, as well as the edges of their tops. Harder, bony like structure as you moved more towards the center of their top. They have no teeth, but we were advised to let go of our food as soon as they started the suction, lest one become more aggressive in taking the food. I did get to feel the plates (no teeth) of a ray on my second feeding pass. Turns out, it was a small female, who had a history of grabbing her food, no matter how quickly you let go. No bruise, no cut, just a different sensation on the top of my trigger finger.

After feeding, we had the opportunity to snorkel with the rays. To avoid surprises, one is advised to do the Ray's shuffle when walking in the lagoon. It is rather shallow in many areas, but no surprises here. We were told that they move out from the shore once the feeding stations are removed from the water, but didn't find too many out there. Back to the shallows we went, where we encountered many rays. Christine went in search of them, but not in a chasing way. I tried a different approach: standing in one spot. Both worked from time to time. I had several come very close to me. Noon was fast approaching, and it was all over.

After turning in our gear, we headed to the Serenity Bay tram stop, where we ran into PraiseHisName, a fellow DISer (love those orange lanyards). A brief tram ride later, we were, for the first time ever, at Serenity Bay. Lunch was well under way, and the crowds at the food station were light. I had a cheeseburger, some BBQ chicken, and coleslaw. DW enjoyed some chicken and BBQ ribs. While I don't recall here desert selection, I had soft serve chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Boy, that stuff comes out of the machine slowly.

Hunger defeated, we walked onto the beach. It was so quiet. And, it stretches for quite a distance. We walked, I'd say, about 2/3 down, and selected some lounge chairs under an umbrella. From our vantage point, we thought we saw some DISers getting into the water, but they were too far away to be sure. After about 20 minutes in the sun, we got in, too. Both of us had spotted dark clouds in the distance, and were trying to make sense of their direction of travel. Not taking chances, we began our return trek to the ship. Later that same day...we arrived at the Magic. They were only using the aft gangway, and the line grew to a few hundred very quickly. And, the dark clouds grew closer. Finally, as we got on the gangway, they opened the front one too. Saw lots of folks getting their exercise as they sprinted to the forward gangway, with the short line. Back on board, we declared that we'd had a CC day, and prepared for dinner.

 

[jns]

Great to hear you enjoyed your first ever day at Castaway Cay
we had a ball too
we didn't leave the beach until it started to rain and boy did it rain
we had so much fun walking in the rain it was warm

 

[LivingtheWDWdream]

Glad you had a great time on Castaway Cay! I wish I were brave enough to try the Stingray adventure but being that I am not ready to face my fear of fish I will stick to relaxing on the beach!

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Due to me working long shifts at work this weekend, the next full update won't be until at least Monday.
We hope you're enjoying.

 

[ReneaB]

Great job on your trip report...cannot wait to hear more about it and more about Max!
Can we please see a picture of Max??

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

I hope Sean does not mind me "hijacking" his TR. I see he has gotten away from stating "lessons learned".

1. Ok, I'll take the blame for the towels. I didn't realize that each person is handed 2 towels when debarking at CC and I grabbed one more. 2 is enough. I think I lost one (unintentionally) while on CC.

2. We should have booked the earlier Sting Ray encounter. An earlier time slot would probably still allow enough time to shop (very important). Even though we enjoyed relaxing in the hammock, it just seemed like we were killing time till our appointment with the stingrays.

3. I have not discussed this w/Sean, so this is my own opinion, for now. I didn't think Serenity Bay offered much of an advantage over the other beaches. One disadvantage is that there does not seem to be much depth to the water. I like to get in the water, swim around, float, etc. At serenity bay, you need to walk far out to get into water deeper than 2-3 feet, whereas at the family beach, there is more of a drop-off into chest-deep water. In 2005, during our brief stay at CC, we swam at the far end of the family beach, which was not very crowded.

I know that #3 makes it sound like I did not enjoy the day, but that is not the case. It was a great day, and I would consider booking the Stingray excursion again. I definitely recommend doing this excursion!

Christine (DW)