Paddington's Mischief to Mexico-5/nt Wonder-Miami-updated 27/5 - More Cabana#5

[5forDis]

This is a great trip report. I can't wait to hear the rest.

 

[fredgirls]

Fun TR - I'm enjoying it! I love the Wonder - she's my favorite ship. Wow, that is some wave in the pool. No wonder people were feeling woozy!

hello.
The waves were certainly fun to watch! As you can see from the wet areas around the pool and onto the stage area, they often splashed right out!

 

[fredgirls]

This is a great trip report. I can't wait to hear the rest.

Hi there neighbour across the border!
Obviously New England is large, but it feels like our US buddy!

 

[fredgirls]

Before continuing with Day 3, I just wanted to add a little video of the wavy pool. Also to let you hear "higher Ground' the band. This isn't the best quality but they were really good. Ben and I are musicians, so we're usually very picky about musicians, but this group were really tight and we enjoyed listening to them without picking them apart!

I'm not sure what the rules are about including videos with other people in them. I don't think anyone is recognizable, but i'll remove it if necessary.

 

[fredgirls]

We had decided not to do any excursions. Whenever we visit a new place we usually explore on our own. We just prefer that.
And also knowing we had that Cabana, I couldn't justify an expensive activity!

We had breakfast at Tritons. We'd never done a sit down breakfast, but thanks to advice from 'Pinkocto' in her wonder 4-night trip report we gave it a try! It was a wonderfully relaxing start to the day.

When we got off the ship Esme was enthralled with the colour of the water. It really was an amazing colour. Not something we expected to see where ships dock.

We only visited nassau last time, and were not that excited about the place. After researching Cozumel we were looking forward to exploring.
We used http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/ for research. It is written by locals and is very helpful and encourages you to try other things than those the cruise line suggests.

We exited through the duty free area and shopping mall. The girls went in the very first shop and were very excited about all the souvenirs! I had a feeling this was going to be a long shopping day! And I don't like shopping!

We promised we'd come back later and encouraged them out with the bracelets being made outside, with names on them.
Now...I know they're a rip-off, but the girls were so excited to have something made with their name on it, it was definitely worth it. He already had one with 'Alice' on it, which amazed her, and he made one with 'Esme' on it while we waited. It was amazing to watch them being made!

We headed down the oceanfront past the shops. It was quite fun!

We crossed over to walk along the boardwalk. There were fishermen bringing in their catch and gutting them and locals were coming to buy. It was very relaxing and everyone was very friendly.

We were aiming for the Museo de la Isla de Cozumel. It was quite a walk, but a nice one.

The museum was bigger than I expected. Still small but well done. There was a concise history of the island, both ecologically and economically. Just enough to read but not so much the kids got bored!
All the kids loved the large dioramas of the ocean life. And all the examples of coral.

There is a number of rooms
There was a room where we could look at the island now and one of the island as it was. There was also a pirate room and a room of art. Also outside was some small mayan examples.

The girls loved to see Francis Drake, a British hero, shown here as a pirate!

I had read that the cafe was nice, and it looked beautiful. On the first floor, open air and overlooking the ocean. We weren't ready to eat, but stopped for a drink.

Paddington loved the view. It really was a beautiful location.

We headed out. Just such a lovely relaxing place to be.

Next - heading for Cinco Soles and lunch!

 

[jm106]

Thanks so the TR. Ill be reading for sure. I am really interested in the museum, sounds great for our family as we dont want to book excursions. I like the chance to learn about the island though

 

[fredgirls]

Just one more block from the Museum was the shop we were heading for, as recommended by the MyCozumel site. Los Cinco Soles.
http://www.loscincosoles.com/

(This taken from the tourist site)

It was a wonderful eclectic display of arts and crafts. And huge!
I wanted to look at the silver, as I was hoping to find a special ring for Esme for her 13th birthday. And it just so happened there was a nice sale on the silver
Ben and Alice went to explore while Esme and I perused the rings.

I had been thinking about a Trinity Ring for Esme and it just so happened this is the one she picked out! She tried lots of other styles on too. It was a really special time together.

We eventually found Ben and Alice among sombreros and maracas!

We also wanted to come here because my trusty local website had mentioned the restaurant. It was called 'Panchos Backyard'.
We were not disappointed.
It was tucked away at the back of the shop, in a open-air, but covered, courtyard. It was much bigger than I had expected.
The atmosphere was great! There were Marimbas playing old-time tunes and a friendly hustle-and-bustle. And the food was excellent.

Unfortunately Paddington rather overdid it.

After our fill we wandered back along the oceanfront taking in the beautiful view.

It has become a family thing to copy statues we see, so here they are...

And then this guy flew down to say hello.

We sauntered back to the 'tourist' area and the girls bought their souvenirs. Then we headed back to the ship. We had a date with some Flubber...and some pirates!

 

[fredgirls]

Thanks so the TR. Ill be reading for sure. I am really interested in the museum, sounds great for our family as we dont want to book excursions. I like the chance to learn about the island though

The museum was just enough to learn something, without being overwhelming. And a nice break from the sun. It was just a few dollars to get in, and you could pay in $US.
I highly recommend Panchos Backyard for somewhere to eat.

 

[fredgirls]

Just posted a video of our jolly Marimba Players with 'roll out the barrel'.
Previous number had been 'the Birdy Song'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBzAFdHuOqY

 

[fredgirls]

So, back on the ship we had a date in the Lab. Alice had wanted to make Flubber when it was offered the previous day, but we had missed it. Then we saw it was being offered as an open house activity, so we were all over that.

Because of the timing, we showered and changed for pirate night first.
I had made Pirate T-shirts but didn't get any good pics of us wearing them, so here they are without our bodies filling them!

I really loved the Lab on the Wonder. Just a great size and the activities were so much fun.

We all started by sitting in front of the big screen, with excerpts of the Movie 'Flubber' playing. The kids were given white coats to wear which excited them a lot!

At this point I noticed a videographer was interviewing someone in front of the 'Flubber' area. They continued to film the whole session. I wondered if this was for the 'On the Wonder' stuff they had been posting on Facebook, but the person they were filming was different. If anyone knows what this might have been i'd like to know!

Anyway...the whole session was lots of fun.
The Host was very funny.
There were lots of explosions and mess and they got to get sticky. A kids dream. Mums...not so much!
You gotta be worried when you arrive for an activity and everything is wrapped in plastic wrap!

This was a great family activity (although Esme chose not to join us!). The only downside is the kids want to take the sparkly, bouncy Flubber home. Not sure how long it's going to have to sit in our fridge?!

It was a quick dash to Supper now. Back to Parrot Cay for Pirate Night.

Last year we got lots of 'official' pics, mainly because we won the draw for 10 free prints. But this year we decided to skip them all.

Our own pics were enough to spark the memories.

We tried to use the mirror to take a family shot but it didn't quite work, and we were laughing so much after this that we gave up!

Sad to see the end of Day 3 already, and a little apprehensive about another day at sea. We were just hoping for calmer seas!

 

[pharmjenn]

yay! A Paddington Lover!


If any of you reading are in North America and don't know Paddington, you can check out some old TV episodes on NetFlix! Love Love Love!

How can someone not know Paddington? I guess since I was born in the UK, but moved back to the US when I was 2, we don't count as Americans!

The girls were really pleased this room had a murphy bed, so neither had to have the top bunk. As it happened the murphy bed was pretty old and not very comfy, but Alice didn't seem to notice!
Esme is 5'6" and both beds were too short really. She managed but I certainly wouldn't want to be an adult on either of these.

[

I slept one night on the sofa and didn't think it was too short. I am 5'9''. It was a really rough night and DS5 had crawled into our bed. So after a bit (when I realized he was there) I switched to his.

Loving your report. We were on the Wonder in December and seeing the pics brings me back to a great vacation.

 

[fredgirls]

How can someone not know Paddington? I guess since I was born in the UK, but moved back to the US when I was 2, we don't count as Americans!


I slept one night on the sofa and didn't think it was too short. I am 5'9''. It was a really rough night and DS5 had crawled into our bed. So after a bit (when I realized he was there) I switched to his.

Loving your report. We were on the Wonder in December and seeing the pics brings me back to a great vacation.

Hello,
Yeah, to be honest the sofa was longer than the murphy bed, but her feet did press against the end. She managed fine. We sleep curled up anyway. Murphy bed was funny though. Her feet dangled off the end. And as it was a little broken at the end, the mattress sagged - it looked like she was going to slip off!
You're so tired at the end of every day though, I think we could have slept anywhere!

 

[dhopgood]

I'm really enjoying your trip report! We will be on the Wonder April 22.

 

[5forDis]

We're on the same cruise dhopgood & I love reading this trip report with the great pictures and descriptions!

Thanks for taking the time to write this trip report!!!

 

[fredgirls]

I'm really enjoying your trip report! We will be on the Wonder April 22.

We're on the same cruise dhopgood & I love reading this trip report with the great pictures and descriptions!

Thanks for taking the time to write this trip report!!!

Thanks Guys!
April 22 is really close! You must be getting excited now!
I found a trip report for the Wonder a few weeks before we left and seeing the pictures got me really excited!
Another sea day and then the Cabana at Castaway Cay to come
Thanks for reading.

 

[fredgirls]

I was just downloading the next days pictures when I found some videos Alice made. She did a Paddington Video Diary that she's going to put together for family and friends.
But I thought I'd share her one of the Stateroom tour. She has Esme on camera. It's not a great tour! No bathroom, but it wouldn't occur to kids to show the toilet!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA8C0YqHmmY&feature=youtu.be

 

[fredgirls]

OK, yes, I realise now I completely forgot the Pirate Party!

I am using my photos as a guide to our report, and as I didn't take any of the pirate party, I thought I was done for the day!

Tonight's show was Toy Story.
When we booked, this was the show we were really looking forward to. Then I read lots of reviews that didn't like it at all. I'm not one to take the opinion of others as gospel, so went into it with an open mind. And we loved it!
Sure, so maybe it's a little out of the box compared to Disney's other shows, but it was very entertaining. I could have done with a little less Sid, but the toys were great! It was just fun to see all the characters like slinky and rex come alive. And Sid's toys were excellent too.
Admittedly I thought the story was a little slow in places, but the larger than life characters made up for that.
Obviously it's not everyone's cup-of-tea, but I hope those who haven't seen it will go in with an open mind.

I think we headed straight up for the pirate party after the show. Ponz saw us outside and remembered our names. This excited the girls and made them feel special.

We found a spot to stand by one of the podiums. A great place to stand by the way, as a number of characters come and dance there.

The party was much better than that on the dream, like all the activities on deck were in our opinion. Of course it's smaller, so you can see better, but the show itself was much better. The pirate show on the dream was so confusing we had no idea what was happening!
There was lots of dancing and we had to learn lots of steps. Ponz saw us and came over to dance with the kids. It was loads of fun and even Esme joined in! And when Minnie came to the little stage right by us to do some of the dance moves, it was a real treat. A special moment for Alice.

We have done the parks a number of times, but one thing I love about the cruise is there are often spontaneous meeting of characters, and occasionally they have time to spend with you. Just having even a costumed character like Minnie look your child in the eye for a few moments, is a memory they'll cherish.

We danced, we sung, we laughed.

And then there was fireworks!

After it was all over we decided not to go to the after party dessert buffet but rather return to our room for room service! This was on our 'must do' list, so we went back and ordered cookies and milk and the cheese plate. We played a game in our room and concluded our best day so far. And then we realized the boat was not rocking and the seas were calm!

 

[fredgirls]

Last night the seas had been calmer and this morning much of the same. We were so excited to have a sea day we could enjoy. The last one just went by in a blur to be honest.

Again I was up early and made the clamber over the murphy bed to take these from the balcony. This was the most annoying thing about the room. With the murphy bed down it's really hard to get to the balcony. My thoughts of early morning coffee out there or late night wine were not easy and therefore not done as often as I'd hoped.
The view was worth the gymnastics this morning though.

We'd taken our nightly peek at the navigator while having milk and cookies. Strangely there was very little that we wanted to highlight.
There were 2 more animation classes we wanted to do, but that was about all.
Looking at the previous sea day we marked 9 activities, but today just 2.

The activities in the Edge did not interest Esme at all. Just catering more to the younger crowd I guess. (They keep letting those younger ones up from the Lab! ) Bingo? Apples to Apples jr?
To be honest there were a few things I think she may have done if she'd connected with more people in the club. She likes 'Just Dance' and the Gender Wars game, but it's not so much fun making a fool out of yourself if you're on your own!
Nothing was good enough to be more appealing than hanging out with us!

So, after a lazy start we headed to Parrot Cay for breakfast. This was a nice balance between the formality of Tritons to the craziness of BBB. We could choose a variety of things but still be waited on for drinks etc.

When back in our room the beds were put away and I captured my favourite shot of the cruise.
This is what my rose-tinted idea of cruising looks like.

I think we did a little shopping now.
The girls had lots of money burning a whole in their metaphorical pocket.

Alice immediately saw the pirate ship! It has mickey pirate and lots of other characters. She has the cinderella castle and also likes playmobile and lego friends, so i knew she'd play with it. I was dreading seeing how much it was. I was very surprised to see it was only $50. Compared with lego this was a bargain! And as she was buying it with her (early) birthday money from her nana, I thought nan would be pleased with this too.

It was soon time for the first animation class so Ben and Alice carted the ship back to the room while Esme and I finished up browsing. I bought a DCL swim top which i thought I'd need for Castaway tomorrow and she bought a pin.

now...I hadn't mentioned earlier, but each night the girls had been pin trading at the station near the theatre. Esme had started a collection of pooh character silhouette pins and by now had all but 2 of the 8-set. As we were paying she saw one she needed on the CM's patch. Of course she didn't have her pins to trade, but he let her take it. Then she dashed back to get her pins to give him one back! I felt I had to hang around in the store as collateral! While I was waiting I bought a christmas decoration and some mickey head dice. We play a lot of yahtzee and thought these would be fun.

Esme back, pins traded and we were off to Animator's Palate to draw Goofy.

After the class the girls headed back to our room with the pictures while Ben and I headed to Cove Cafe for some caffeine.

When we got back to the room the girls were bursting! They'd had a delivery!

And an envelope with details of tomorrows delights!

We were all excited now, so ordered room service and sat out on the verandah for a game of yahtzee with the new dice!

Ordered 4-cheese pizzas and the steak sandwiches.
Both were delicious. Only problem, I didn't read the description well enough. The four cheese pizza includes gorgonzola cheese. So not the girls favourite.

After lunch and the game, we were getting up from the verandah floor when Esme's new ring flew off her finger and under the dividing wall to the next verandah! We peeked under but couldn't reach it. We thought about sticking something under there to get it, but thought it might be alarming if anyone was in the room!
Just joking, Ben said, "I'll just climb on the outside of the ship and shimmy over"! The girls didn't realise he was joking and both cried out "no stop' in alarm. Quite a funny moment!
Instead they went to knock on the door, but no-one was home. Fortunately our room host was out and about and he went in and got it for us.

All good.

Next - more drawing and a nice surprise.

 

[jm106]

Your family sounds like a lot of fun! Great TR.

 

[pharmjenn]

I love that Pirate Ship, and you are right, the price is not bad at all. The Jake and Neverland Pirates one is around $45 and it only has a couple pieces. May have to be on the lookout for that one!

You photos of the cabanas are now making me want to have one as well. I have never been to CC, but figured the cabanas wouldn't be worth it. It looks like you get a lot of stuff included.