Our Land and Sea Vacation 3/21-27 Update 7/5 P.16 The last night

[IamTrike]

Mom read my last update last night and pointed out that there were a couple of big mistakes in my trip report. I prefer to think of them as seeing the past through rose colored glasses.

1. Mom and the kids though the water was freezing. I didn't think it was that bad. Although after my long runs I'll fill a bathtub with ice and water and soak for 10 minutes so my perception of water temperature might be slightly skewed.

2. During the morning snorkel trip we only made it out to the first curve we didn't see anything accept for 1 lonely fish and finally the kids complained so loudly that we too them back to shore. After we got them back to shore I swam out to the buoys and saw all the awesome stuff in the water.

3. I may have spent most of lunch trying to convince mom and the kids to swim out and see all the awesome stuff. It worked and after lunch we swam out to the buoys. The kids enjoyed it for a solid 2 minutes and then really wanted to go back. The swim back included a fair amount of crying and mom thought she might drown.

Aside from these things my assessment that "we all really enjoyed snorkeling" was spot on.

 

[dvczerfs]

great update and pics trike. (i see you brought more than one purse, bag on this trip. i see your sporting a green one now.) thats me, in the rear with the gear!!!!

 

[ZZUB]

Dude, you ran a 5K on vacation? What's up with that?!

Which isn't to say that I'm ever up for running.

But I think that must have been a cool way to spend some time with your boy and it looks like he had fun.

Did y'all get on that water play area deal?

Also, I too can independently verify that bacon=good.

 

[IamTrike]

I'm giddy just anticipating reading about it! Or maybe that's the coffee.

It's probably the coffee.

Barry, I've been able to verify this hypothesis through independent field tests.

Thanks for the independent research.

Exactly. We did the buffet every morning just to sit on the deck and enjoy the view/weather. Not so much the seagulls, but nothing is perfect.

It's really hard to beat those views from the upper decks.

Ah, you're on island time now.

If stopping to take pictures = island time, we've been on island time for the last 5 years or so.

We found the same thing you did on our cruise. I think the real secret is to wake up in the morning, rather than at lunchtime.

Agreed. Even getting on the island first thing in the morning it didn't seem like there was enough time . " Rope Drop" is important on Castaway Cay too.

Wow, you did the snorkeling after running a 5k? That's impressive. I was amazed at how far you had to swim just to get out to where the buried treasures were.

It was pretty far out there. The kids really stuggles getting out that far and it was hard because there weren't many places that were shallow enough for them to stand.

Yeah, that's a problem...

They need a resort on the island. I'd enjoy a couple day stay there.

I like the double-dip idea. My kids LOVED the bikes, although you pretty much saw the whole bike path on your run. But anything that results in more island time is a win.

Did you get to go up the observation tower? I would have really liked to explore it.

 

[IamTrike]

great update and pics trike. (i see you brought more than one purse, bag on this trip. i see your sporting a green one now.) thats me, in the rear with the gear!!!!

thanks Dave.

Yeah the bags are multiplying. If we stayed on the boat much longer I probably would have been carrying 4 or 5 of them at any time. I'm pretty sure pack mule is pretty high on most dads job description list.

Dude, you ran a 5K on vacation? What's up with that?!

There's a little more to the story here. I had read somewhere that if you run the Castaway Cay 5k you get a water bottle. I've paid money and run 6 miles to get a t-shirt. Only having to run 3 miles to get a water bottle seemed like a bargain. Bro was also excited, it was gonna be hist first distance run and he was gonna get a water bottle too. So we run the race and they give you a bottle of water. It's amazing how the same words in a different order can mean something so different. Bro was not pleased with me.

Which isn't to say that I'm ever up for running.

I don't like running, but I do like medals and race t-shirts.

But I think that must have been a cool way to spend some time with your boy and it looks like he had fun.

It wasn't a terrible way to spend the morning.

Did y'all get on that water play area deal?

There were 2 of them. We didn't play on the one by the snorkeling area. I wish we had time to though.

 

[amandaw]

Isn't Castaway Cay just beautiful & awesome? I wanted to stay on the island & not get back on the boat. Maybe one day Disney will build a hotel on the island so I could stay there for a few days & then let the boat pick me up to take me back to Florida. Ahhh, a girl can dream................

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Really, you're doing a great job on the TR. You don't have to use puns and bathroom pictures like somebody else.

Yeah, I hate guys that have to stoop to that level.

Barry, I've been able to verify this hypothesis through independent field tests.

All the same, I think I'll let my lab techs have a run at it. They've been looking a pit peckish lately.

Eu tu, Captain?

I thought I read in the fine print those were required.

You're right, they're not required. If you want to settle for a lame TR. But if you want to push yourself to the next level....

Mom read my last update last night and pointed out that there were a couple of big mistakes in my trip report. I prefer to think of them as seeing the past through rose colored glasses.

1. Mom and the kids though the water was freezing. I didn't think it was that bad. Although after my long runs I'll fill a bathtub with ice and water and soak for 10 minutes so my perception of water temperature might be slightly skewed.

2. During the morning snorkel trip we only made it out to the first curve we didn't see anything accept for 1 lonely fish and finally the kids complained so loudly that we too them back to shore. After we got them back to shore I swam out to the buoys and saw all the awesome stuff in the water.

3. I may have spent most of lunch trying to convince mom and the kids to swim out and see all the awesome stuff. It worked and after lunch we swam out to the buoys. The kids enjoyed it for a solid 2 minutes and then really wanted to go back. The swim back included a fair amount of crying and mom thought she might drown.

Aside from these things my assessment that "we all really enjoyed snorkeling" was spot on.

Mom - I know you're reading along, so let me give you a little bit of unsolicited advice. If you see a flaw in the Trip Reporting, go ahead and call him out in print. For all of us to see. Make him squirm. It's better that way. Trust me, precedence has been set in other TRs.

 

[Normangirls]

I just wanted to say I am really enjoying your TR.

We sat on the beach at Castaway Cay in the exact same spot as you (see my picture of our girls below)! We loved the spot - close to Pelican Plunge, not too crowded, and most importantly close to the food.

Looking forward to your next update!

 

[trikefam]

Mom - I know you're reading along, so let me give you a little bit of unsolicited advice. If you see a flaw in the Trip Reporting, go ahead and call him out in print. For all of us to see. Make him squirm. It's better that way. Trust me, precedence has been set in other TRs.

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep that in mind! And I probably would've posted a comment about it, but DH beat me to it. Can't keep him off these boards! I actually have things like laundry, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids...all those fun things we DW's have to do.

Thanks to everyone for continuing to read along! IamTrike's doing a great job on his TR. But I might be a bit biased.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep that in mind! And I probably would've posted a comment about it, but DH beat me to it. Can't keep him off these boards! I actually have things like laundry, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids...all those fun things we DW's have to do.

Thanks to everyone for continuing to read along! IamTrike's doing a great job on his TR. But I might be a bit biased.

It appears that either you found way to keep him off the boards or he's letting us hang to set up a very exciting next entry.

 

[IamTrike]

It appears that either you found way to keep him off the boards or he's letting us hang to set up a very exciting next entry.

Unfortunately the lag has all been because work has gotten in the way. The last couple of weeks have been really busy. I am hoping to finish this TR this weekend.

It'll be way before our next trip though. It looks like we won't be spending time at Disney until December.

 

[scott2997]

Unfortunately the lag has all been because work has gotten in the way. The last couple of weeks have been really busy. I am hoping to finish this TR this weekend.

It'll be way before our next trip though. It looks like we won't be spending time at Disney until December.

Peanut Butterin' Work! I guess it's a necessary evil if we want to take these wonderful trips!

We'll be waiting....patiently.....well maybe.......

I guess we'll just be waiting....

 

[IamTrike]

Allright so in step of epic bone headed-ness I wrote the entry for the last entry over a couple of days and then accidentally deleted it before I had a chance to save it to notepad or submit it. Woohoo!. I guess I get to write it again. It'd be nice to think that writing a detailed "rough draft" will make this version better but I doubt it.

So when I last left off we had just finished up on Castaway Cay.

Based on the pictures it looks like this took place in the 1950's so it has taken me a while to finish this trip report.

After we got back on the boat the we got ready for dinner and took the kids to the kids club. While they were in the club, mom and I headed up to the adults area. We used to the time to take some pics of the island as we started to pull away.

After shooting a bit mom enjoyed a cold beverage and I enjoyed a very adult ice cream cone. We only had a couple of minutes though and then we needed to head down and pick the kids up for dinner. At this point having the early dinner was really starting to cramp our style. Of course even if we didn't have early dinner it would have been time to go see that nights show so it probably wouldn't have made that much of a difference.

For our last night on the boat we were going to get to experience the enchanted garden. Sis decided that fairy dress would be most appropriate for this meal.

The interior of the restaurant was pretty neat. It was interesting how the lighting and scenery changed throughout the meal.

In looking through the menu there wasn't really anything in the "salad" section that jumped out at me so I skipped that course and order 2 appetizers instead. So it only took till day 3 for me to begin really taking advantage of the cruise menu thing. Of course, if I were really good I would have ordered everything including dessert and my beverage, wrapped in bacon.

After we ordered the kids colored and I entertained mom with my humorous commentary.

For some reason I must have also thought this cup was really important as I took numerous pictures of it.

Yeah none of the cup pictures are even very good. If you can think of any reason why it might be important, let me know.

The first round of appetizers came. I had ordered the lobster ravioli.

These were pretty darn tasty, but I enjoyed the second round a little bit more. This tuna tarter was delicious. You can see Mom's salad in the background. Silly mom you could have had meat.

For dinner I had the scallops with asparagus and little pearl things. That may not be exactly what it was called on the menu, but I'd definitely call it delicious.

I just noticed that I spent all day snorkeling to explore the beauty of the sea and then the main component of every course I ate that night was seafood. I guess that'll teach'em to let me enjoy nature.

After our main course the chef sent out weird gelatinous cubes. The kids seemed to enjoy them.

When we finished the not quite jello blocks it was time for ice cream sundaes and then time to say farewell to our waitstaff. We had a great time with them all week so it was a sad goodbye for most. I'd forgotten our tip envelopes so I was going to get to see them again tomorrow morning at the 6 am breakfast seating.

On our way out we got this picture infront of the fountain. For some reason this pic reminds me of the scene in Independence Day when they blow up the White house.

After dinner we walked by the customer service desk to check on our Mickey Mail. Mom had made custom pillow cases for each child and we had dropped them off when we arrived to have them signed. After waiting for a while it became apparent that the customer service desk didn't know where our stuff was. They said to check back later in the evening. We were a little anxious but there was nothing we could do so we headed to the show to watch Believe.

While we were waiting for the show we began talking with the family in fornt of us. They had done a similar land and see trip to what we had done. They mentioned how they thought that the cruise was going to be the relaxing part of the trip and they were sorely mistaken. They also talked about how crowded the parks were and how they didn't really get to do anything. I am constantly amazed by the number of people that pay the money for a Disney vacation and then don't invest the time to research a touring plan.

This show was pretty good. Sis's face during the scenes with the princesses and during the "snow" was priceless. We didn't shoot during the show, but mom did snap this at the end.

After the show we took the kids back to the kids club so that we could pack and talk with guest services more about the pillow cases. Rather than bore you with the minutia of the trip, I'll just say that our quick trip back by guest services wound up becoming multiple conversations with guest services and housekeeping that took the next couple of hours and ended with us needing to come back by guest services at 8 am the next morning. That was a really long sentence for someone not wanting to get into the details.

As it became apparent that the pillow cases were gone mom and I abandoned the idea of packing and set out in pursuit of keepsakes for the kids. Fortunately we still had two picture frame matts in the room. When we dropped of the Mickey Mail they only let us submit 2 things total for signature. We had planned on it being one thing per person based on something that we read on the disboards. We grabbed the matts and got them signed by the characters at the farewell party. By the time we finished it was well after 10 so we picked the kids up from the club and took them back to the room to get a bit of sleep.

As the kids slept Mom and I packed the suitcases and prepared for departure in the morning.

Mom and the kids all opted to sleep in since we new we had to wait till after 8 am to talk to guest services. I on the other hand got up and headed to our 6 am breakfast seating at Enchanted Garden. There was a surprising number of people there for it being 6 am. Breakfast was okay, but frankly at 6 am my taste buds don't really work that well. After tipping the waitstaff I headed back to room to wait for our call and to finalize our packing. At a little after 8 they called us to let us know that they had delivered our Mickey Mail, just to someone else's room. They asked us to come by guest services on the way out. Slightly dejected we grabbed our suitcases and said goodbye for the last time. At guest services they got our address and offered to have our photomatts signed by more characters. We took them up on this They mailed us the signed Matts a week or so later. They also gave us a keel coins for each of the kids. They really tried hard to make it right but it was still kind of a bummer. Soon we turned and said goodbye to the ship and headed out into the sunlight.

 

[IamTrike]

1. Writing a trip report was both a lot harder and a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I really appreciated all the people that took time to read and or comment on my humble TR. Getting feedback from people was pretty awesome. I think writing it wasn't actually nearly as hard as finishing the TR. It was like reliving the trip an I didn't really want it to end.

2. My perception of the cruise has changed as we've gotten farther away from it. When we got off the boat I was tired and frustrated with the Mickey Mail fiasco. I was pretty sure when we got off the boat that I felt spending time in the parks was a better value than the time spent on the boat. As we've gotten farther away from the cruise I think my perception has shifted a bit. I think part of my frustration with the cruise was the feeling that there was so much we didn't really do. If we were to do the same length cruise again I think it would be a different experience because we'd skip most if not all of the shows and we'd do late dinner. That'd free up a lot of time to do more stuff. The combination of it being a short cruise and it being our first Disney cruise so we wanted to try all the restaurants and shows left us without much time to really try other stuff. All that being said when it comes right down to it if my option is to spend 4k for 7 days at the parks and the Wilderness Lodge or 4k for 4 nights on the boat I think I'd still take the parks.

3. The kids loved this trip. Being on the boat was probably their favorite vacation so far. They would definitely pick this again for our next vacation.

Thanks for reading.

Ryan

 

[dvczerfs]

great pics and finish trike!!!! great pics of the cup! i get great pics of peoples feet for some reason. now you will have to plan to go back. take the same cruise, just eat later and see how it goes. glad you guys had a great time!!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Allright so in step of epic bone headed-ness I wrote the entry for the last entry over a couple of days and then accidentally deleted it before I had a chance to save it to notepad or submit it. Woohoo!. I guess I get to write it again. It'd be nice to think that writing a detailed "rough draft" will make this version better but I doubt it.

That's ok. I had some really awesome comments ready, but lost them as well. So you'll have to make do with whatever random stuff I make up.

The interior of the restaurant was pretty neat. It was interesting how the lighting and scenery changed throughout the meal.

So what happens in there? Is there a Venus flytrap that eats kids?

Of course, if I were really good I would have ordered everything including dessert and my beverage, wrapped in bacon.

Next time...

Yeah none of the cup pictures are even very good. If you can think of any reason why it might be important, let me know.

Well obviously, it's got the...

Yeah, I got nothin'.

Silly mom you could have had meat.

I just noticed that I spent all day snorkeling to explore the beauty of the sea and then the main component of every course I ate that night was seafood. I guess that'll teach'em to let me enjoy nature.

Nice. You'll have to eat at the Coral Reef restaurant in EPCOT on the next trip so you can threaten the fish in the tank.

On our way out we got this picture infront of the fountain. For some reason this pic reminds me of the scene in Independence Day when they blow up the White house.

You know, I can see that, actually. So is that what happens? They blow up the White House during dinner?

I am constantly amazed by the number of people that pay the money for a Disney vacation and then don't invest the time to research a touring plan.

This sounds like the people I deal with during the summer at the highway department. They decide to go to the beach and then are amazed that other people had the same idea, and a few of them also decided to use the roads.

I think writing it wasn't actually nearly as hard as finishing the TR. It was like reliving the trip an I didn't really want it to end.

I know that feeling. Having the vacation end once is bad enough.

All that being said when it comes right down to it if my option is to spend 4k for 7 days at the parks and the Wilderness Lodge or 4k for 4 nights on the boat I think I'd still take the parks.

Yeah, I agree on this. My wife and I liked the cruise quite a bit, but we don't think we're "cruise" people, if that makes sense. I'd take the parks.

Ryan, thanks for a great TR! It was very entertaining and a lot of fun to read. I enjoyed getting to know you and your family, even for just a little bit. See ya around the Dads Club.

 

[Wherem I Now]

Great job on the TR Ryan! I really enjoyed reading along, especially since the cruise portion of your report started right about the time I got off the Dream.

As your report went on, I began to realize how much of the ship I never did see. Thanks!

 

[amandaw]

I really enjoyed your TR! Thanks to you & your wife for sharing your wonderful memories with all of us here. I still haven't completely decided if I would choose the parks over the boat or vice versa. Guess it's good that it'll be a while before we go back to either so that I can make up my mind.

 

[afwdwfan]

I guess I get to write it again. It'd be nice to think that writing a detailed "rough draft" will make this version better but I doubt it.

Looked fine to me. At least you didn't delete this one, so I guess we have to say it is a lot better than the update that you deleted.

In looking through the menu there wasn't really anything in the "salad" section that jumped out at me so I skipped that course and order 2 appetizers instead.

Good call. Salad is really just a filler so they don't have to give you as much of the good stuff anyway.

Of course, if I were really good I would have ordered everything including dessert and my beverage, wrapped in bacon.

MMMMM..... Bacon.

You can see Mom's salad in the background. Silly mom you could have had meat.

She fell into their trap.

I just noticed that I spent all day snorkeling to explore the beauty of the sea and then the main component of every course I ate that night was seafood. I guess that'll teach'em to let me enjoy nature.

Oh, that was enjoying nature? I thought it was just a picture menu, Disney style.

As it became apparent that the pillow cases were gone mom and I abandoned the idea of packing and set out in pursuit of keepsakes for the kids.

Not the ideal way to spend the last night, but good recovery!

Breakfast was okay, but frankly at 6 am my taste buds don't really work that well.

But did you remember to have everything wrapped in bacon?

1. Writing a trip report was both a lot harder and a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I really appreciated all the people that took time to read and or comment on my humble TR. Getting feedback from people was pretty awesome. I think writing it wasn't actually nearly as hard as finishing the TR. It was like reliving the trip an I didn't really want it to end.

I'm glad you wrote it. You did a good job. I really enjoyed seeing the Land/Sea trip and it really looks like something that I might like to try sometime.

 

[IamTrike]

great pics and finish trike!!!! great pics of the cup! i get great pics of peoples feet for some reason. now you will have to plan to go back. take the same cruise, just eat later and see how it goes. glad you guys had a great time!!

Thanks Dave. I think it'll be a while before we do a cruise again. Our goal is Disneyland in December and then WDW again with a larger family group next September. I've really enjoyed the pictures you've been posting on the disdads thread.

That's ok. I had some really awesome comments ready, but lost them as well. So you'll have to make do with whatever random stuff I make up.

Awww man...I can't believe I deprived the world of some of your awesome comments. I better lay low or the dis community might tar and feather me.

So what happens in there? Is there a Venus flytrap that eats kids?

Only ones that misbehave... the lights change shape and the lighting and background lighting change so that it gradually shifts from day to night. It was subtle.

Nice. You'll have to eat at the Coral Reef restaurant in EPCOT on the next trip so you can threaten the fish in the tank.

We ate there on one of our last trips no amount of tapping on the glass and pointing to my plate seemed to intimidate the fish.

You know, I can see that, actually. So is that what happens? They blow up the White House during dinner?

If they did that it probably would have topped Animators Palette in my book. It would have been acceptable if they just blew up a cake too.

This sounds like the people I deal with during the summer at the highway department. They decide to go to the beach and then are amazed that other people had the same idea, and a few of them also decided to use the roads.

I feel bad, but its a good object lesson for the kids. "i know you guys would love to sleep in, but if the crowd calendar is showing 6 or greater there is no way we are missing rope drop"

I know that feeling. Having the vacation end once is bad enough.

At least it means we get to start planning for the next vacation

Yeah, I agree on this. My wife and I liked the cruise quite a bit, but we don't think we're "cruise" people, if that makes sense. I'd take the parks.

In our case I think its just that I'm cheap. I liked the cruise a lot but with a finite vacation fund I can get a lot more days in the parks than on the boat.

Ryan, thanks for a great TR! It was very entertaining and a lot of fun to read. I enjoyed getting to know you and your family, even for just a little bit. See ya around the Dads Club.

Thanks

Great job on the TR Ryan! I really enjoyed reading along, especially since the cruise portion of your report started right about the time I got off the Dream.

As your report went on, I began to realize how much of the ship I never did see. Thanks!

Thanks I'm glad that you enjoyed. It is a big boat. I'm sure we missed a bunch too. Reading other people's comments I see that there is definitely a lot that we missed too.