PLEASE! Whistle while you work Update Day 6 - 06/16

[WDisneyMom]

What a perfect beach day!! We looked at renting a cabana when we cruised on the dream in 2011 but wow!! I think it was like $500? Are we crazy or is really that much?

GREAT pictures, love them all!!

 

[dizneeat]

Wow, I just can't get enough of the CC pictures. I am working on my CC day right now too and I just wish I was there right now instead of cold and ugly Ohio.

Working on CC day makes the worst day here a "much better" day. And you are so right .... I can't get enough of CC (and pictures there of) either. My little piece of paradise here on earth.

I'm such a bad Diser! I've been reading along but haven't been posting since it's been so busy at work and then when I get home, I'm sewing like a mad woman on Disney dress/backsack orders all while trying to keep the house in order.

There's simply too much to post comments on so I'll just post on the last couple of updates. What a lovely day on Castaway Cay! The cabana looks amazing and so does that fellow named Jack Sparrow! I could get used to lazing around watching him go up and down the beach.

NO! You are not a bad DISer. We all have our real life to tend to and sometimes there is very little DIS time left. I know you are reading and that keeps me happy!

The Cabanas are just such a luxury. So fun to have a retreat to go to if you need to.
I am not sure about the family beach, but we have seen Captain Jack quite a few times on the adult beach .... and if he does not get enough attention he ever so often will strike up a conversation with someone just enjoying some lazy beach time.

WOW i am finally caught up here too!!!
I LOVE the picture of the corona and konk kooler with the beach back ground what a great postcard it would make!!!
Reading through 6 pages made me really hungry Karin LOL!!!

Yeah! You did it. You are all caught up again!
Hm, now you are giving me an idea - I still have a voucher from Vistaprint - maybe next time we will see you that photo will have turned into a postcard.

124 days until we meet again!!!!!!!!!!!

Castaway Cay is paradise found

Great pics! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us, it's almost like we were there with you

Very neat that you saw a stingray

CC is my little piece of heaven on earth. A paradise only Disney can create.

I am glad you enjoy coming along. It is so neat to relive a vacation by writing the trip report.

We have seen those stingrays quite a few times at Serenity Bay. It is awesome to see them "in the wild".

 

[dizneeat]

Yikes! I hit the wrong thing and accidentally unsubscribed! I'm baaackkk!

NO! you unsubscribed ....... but you are back again! Glad you caught it!

What a beautiful day even if the water was a tad cold at first!

I have a silly question... more something I just kinda wondered about. With all those drinks in your fridge in the cabana... is there a restroom in the cabana? I imagine there has to be one close...or those drinks may pose a certain dilemma.

Captain Jack would be cool to see in that setting!

Love the blue sky pictures!!!

It was a picture perfect day! Beautiful blue skies and wonderful sunshine.

And to answer your restroom question ....... NO, there is no restroom in the cabanas, the restrooms are behind the bar. To be honest, I think it does not even take a minute to walk to them, so it is no problem.

We have seen Captain Jack on the adult beach quite a few times (not sure about the family beach). He usually attracts quite some attention, but if it is not so, he will walk up to you and strike off a conversation. It is sometimes hilarious to listen in.

I was just mesmerized by the blue sky. I kept looking up and up, and kept taking a lot of photos ..... thank god for digital photography.

Good question

Yes, it is! And the answer is ........ NO!

What a perfect beach day!! We looked at renting a cabana when we cruised on the dream in 2011 but wow!! I think it was like $500? Are we crazy or is really that much?

GREAT pictures, love them all!!

Yes, the Cabanas come with a hefty price tag! The ones on the family beach are 499 and the ones at Serenity Bay are 399. But to us they are so worth every penny. To have a shady place is key with my eyes. And since we have had a Cabana I did not have any more issues. So, if I can enjoy a full (painfree) day at CC it is worth if to me.

 

[Teri1]

Karin I dreamed last night I was on a small island with sunny skies, emerald and blue water, and the waves! Then I woke up! Guess I will have to keep dreaming till I get there again. LOL!

 

[dizneeat]

Karin I dreamed last night I was on a small island with sunny skies, emerald and blue water, and the waves! Then I woke up! Guess I will have to keep dreaming till I get there again. LOL!

Teresa, the dream will become a reality in early September ...... keep on dreaming!

 

[dizneeat]

Half term vacation 2013, Feb 16 - Feb 24

Day 4, February 19

“I could get used to this!” - part 5

We relaxed on the veranda and in the hammock for a while, enjoying some cold Evian water and soft drinks out of the fridge, before we decided to head back into the ocean for another swim.
Again, walking into the water it seemed very cold, but the further you got in the more bearable it became and once you were fully emerged it was quite okay.
We swam, drifted around and just generally enjoyed the sun and ocean for about an hour before we slowly made our way back to the beach and our Cabana.

Once we had showered and dried off a bit we sat in the shade of our home for the day, when we saw the bar server, who had brought our first drinks for the day, waving at us. Quick word and we had decided that we wanted to order another drink. So we let the bar server know that we wanted to order something and he was happy to come up to us. While he was waiting for Tom to get our stateroom key out of the safe we chatted a bit and seeing that Diago was from Portugal, we asked how long he had worked for Disney. He was happy to tell us that he had only started a few weeks ago and when asked if he liked his work, his answer was really great.
He pointed at the beach and ocean and said, “What’s NOT to like about my office.” We all had a good laugh and he went to pick up our drinks. While waiting for them we put the hammock and loungers to good use and after about 20 minutes, Diago was back with

another Corona for Tom and a

Bahama Mama, white and dark rum, creme de banana, coconut rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, and a dash of grenadine, for myself. We tipped him well for bringing it round and chatted a bit more, before it was time for him to head back to the beach. We had some chips in our Cabana basket, so we sat in the shade, enjoying the drinks, munching chips and looking out onto the beach and ocean.

When we finally looked at our watch it was going towards 3pm. Time had just flown by. We decide to stay put until 3.30 and then pack up.
Tom went to enjoy a few more minutes in the hammock while I sat on my lounge chair, watching the beautiful palm trees.

And within the blink of an eye it was 3.30 and we got changed, packed up our things and for a split second thought about calling the Cabana host to drive us down to the tram in his golf cart, but instantly decided against it and after having checked if we hadn’t left anything behind, we strolled down to the tram. Our Cabana host was pretty disappointed we had not rang for him but he got tipped anyway.
We didn’t even need to sit down at the bench waiting for a tram as one approached when we were saying goodbye to our Cabana host. We quickly hopped on and there were only a few more guests going back to the ship, a few minutes before 4pm.

We changed trams at the next stop and the one running back to the ship filled up well. I think Tom and I were the only ones who had a few empty seats in their row, but someone had spilled a good deal of Coke onto the seats and no one wanted to sit on them. Since we were seated towards the front of the tram we were at the head of the crowd that was heading back on board and it was fairly easy to go through security and jump into a half full elevator.
Back at our stateroom we emptied the ever full Fish Extender and then took showers. We were just done with them when the ship started to pull out of Castaway Cay.

We watched from the balcony, happy at heart that we would be back twice again this year, as we are booked on a back to back on the Fantasy in August.
There wasn’t much time for us to do something else, as we needed to go to dinner at 5.45, so we just enjoyed the warm breeze out on the veranda until it was time to change and get ready for dinner. Katerina and Jimmy were having dinner at Palo and we usually don’t eat Pirate dinner at the main dining room, but after Ana had gone to great length to change our rotation we didn’t want to disappoint her. So at 5.45 we arrived at the Enchanted Garden and were quickly led to our table.

To be continued ...........

 

[MEK]

Once again your drinks look quite refreshing and the beach looks like it would be incredibly hard to leave.

I have to ask - why does the top of the Corona look like a funnel? I have never seen that before. Sure makes getting the lime in there a lot easier.

 

[jedijill]

Ah, Serenity Bay, only another 6 months until we meet again.

Jill in CO

 

[Ntrain]

This is the cabana we booked for our June 27 Sailing on the Dream. I can't wait, we are so excited. First time on the Dream, 3rd DCL cruise.

Love your report!!!

 

[Mom&RN]

Karin,
Love the trip report so far! Just started reading it earlier today and read it off and on until I got all caught up! You are making me want to do a cruise. I've always said the cruises weren't for me because I'd rather be in the parks but wow! Your day in the cabana sounds so relaxing and wonderful. Can't wait for the rest of the report

 

[englishrose47]

Your CC Day looks sooo restful!!! Hope ours is next month!!!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Once again your drinks look quite refreshing and the beach looks like it would be incredibly hard to leave.

I have to ask - why does the top of the Corona look like a funnel? I have never seen that before. Sure makes getting the lime in there a lot easier.

You are so right on the beach being VERY hard to leave. I always make sure now, that I have another cruise booked, so I know we WILL be back.

As for the Corona bottle ..... no idea why it is shaped like this, but just so you know, the bottle is actually plastic and I think they use it instead of a glass.
Now, that didn't help much, did it?

Ah, Serenity Bay, only another 6 months until we meet again.

Jill in CO

Four more months for us until two more days there.

This is the cabana we booked for our June 27 Sailing on the Dream. I can't wait, we are so excited. First time on the Dream, 3rd DCL cruise.

Love your report!!!

You are so going to love the Cabana, it is such a treat to have one, even though the beach does not get crowded.
Don't forget to use the tubes and floats that are included in the price!
The DREAM is beautiful!

Karin,
Love the trip report so far! Just started reading it earlier today and read it off and on until I got all caught up! You are making me want to do a cruise. I've always said the cruises weren't for me because I'd rather be in the parks but wow! Your day in the cabana sounds so relaxing and wonderful. Can't wait for the rest of the report

I am glad you like the report so far.
You know, I was just like you before our first cruise. We were always happiest in the parks, and were sure we were not cruise people. Then, after just one day on the Wonder we were hooked. There is something so relaxing and wonderful about being on a ship (a DISNEY ship, that is). I am sure you would love it too.
More coming up soon.

Your CC Day looks sooo restful!!! Hope ours is next month!!!!!

The Family beach may be more lively, Rosie, and I would advise you to stay there, as there is NO lifeguard on duty at Serenity Bay.

 

[dizneeat]

Half term vacation 2013, Feb 16 - Feb 24

Day 4, February 19

“I could get used to this!” - part 6

So at 5.45 we arrived at the Enchanted Garden and were quickly led to our table.
Ana was already waiting and our assistant server stopped by to ask for our drinks order and explained to us that they were offering special light up glasses on Pirate night. Well, we could not say no to that offer, so we both ordered our Diet Coke in a light up glass,

Tom ordered a

Coors Light, while I ordered

the Captain’s Treasure, Absolute Mandarin, Peach Schnapps and Orange Juice. While we were waiting for our drinks we tried

the Johnny Cakes, which were served with

a pigeon pea relish. Well, both were not our favourite thing, so after a small piece we both gave up on it. In the meantime our drinks had been served and soon after our starters were served. Tom had ordered

the Caribbean-style Conch Chowder, with sherry, sweet peppers, onions, tomatoes, thyme, and garnished with diced potatoes and crispy bacon bits and I had chosen

Blackbeard’s Jumbo Crab Cake, with a golden raisin-carrot and coconut slaw served with a spicy Calypso dressing. Both were very nice and we enjoyed them a lot. Ana kept stopping by as most of her diners had decided to eat somewhere else.

Once we had finished our appetizers and our plates had been cleared away, our main courses were served. Now I am not a huge fan of the pirate menu, so I had decided to stick with the “healthier” option for the night. I had ordered

the baked salmon, served with a baked potato and some vegetables. Tom found something on the pirate menu that tickled his fancy,

Jack Sparrow’s Barbecue Marinated Beef Short Ribs, rubbed beef short ribs with tamarind-barbecue sauce served with onion red bliss mashed potatoes and plantain chip. Even though my salmon was a bit on the dry side, we both finished most of our main courses. Then it was time for dessert. Tom chose

the Fruit Cobbler, with vanilla ice cream, while I was already pretty full and just opted for

the Crunch Time Sundae, Rum Raisin Ice Cream, pineapple, whipped cream and croquant. When we were finally done with our dinner we realized that most of the other diners had already left, but we had had a lot of fun with Ana and our assistant server, so that we never even noticed how time had flown by. So, after we had finished our desserts we left the restaurant and went back to our stateroom.
We again emptied out the fish extender and rested for a little while, before we went to hand out the last round of fish extender gifts. Everyone got a different gift, so this took a little more organizing, but we managed in the end. It had taken a little longer than usual though.
Once we were done, we did a little more shopping and then headed back to our stateroom. There were two more things we wanted to do and see that day, the Fireworks at sea and the Pirate buffet.
So after putting our feet up for a short while we headed upstairs to deck 12 to view the fireworks. They had closed the exit we usually take, so we had to walk out at the other side and walk all around the funnel.

We seemed to be a bit early as there was still loads of space to be found. Once we had staked our claim, we looked around and saw some ships out there in the ocean. Charging by all the lights they were cruise ships like ours. It is so fun to see that right before the Disney ship’s fireworks, there are other ships close by to enjoy the fireworks as well. The fireworks started a few minutes late, but were fun and impressive like always.

After the fireworks we walked back down to deck 10, back to the aft staircase and up one deck to Cabanas to pick up some goodies at the Pirate buffet. We were amazed to see that not too many people were already taking advantage of the buffet and we picked up a plate each to fill them and take back to our stateroom. Tom loaded

two wraps,

a gigantic turkey leg and some small braided breads on his, while I filled mine up with desserts,

a chocolate fudge cake,

a very sweet cake with lots of nuts,

a profiterole and

a cake covered in coconut. Plates filled we headed downstairs again and into our stateroom, set the small coffee table with some drinks and savoury and sweet treats while watching a movie on TV. It was getting pretty late and after we had finished our food feast, we sat outside on the balcony with a nightcup for a while before we called it a day.

To be continued ...........

 

[jenseib]

The Pirate menu is my least favorite too. Though I have found something I do like. I can't think of the name now, but it's a past with marinara and shrimp and scallops (I think). That so far is the best thing I have had. I think I discpvered it on the Magic and I am pretty sure I had it on the Dream too.

 

[englishrose47]

You are so right on the beach being VERY hard to leave. I always make sure now, that I have another cruise booked, so I know we WILL be back.

As for the Corona bottle ..... no idea why it is shaped like this, but just so you know, the bottle is actually plastic and I think they use it instead of a glass.
Now, that didn't help much, did it?



Four more months for us until two more days there.



You are so going to love the Cabana, it is such a treat to have one, even though the beach does not get crowded.
Don't forget to use the tubes and floats that are included in the price!
The DREAM is beautiful!



I am glad you like the report so far.
You know, I was just like you before our first cruise. We were always happiest in the parks, and were sure we were not cruise people. Then, after just one day on the Wonder we were hooked. There is something so relaxing and wonderful about being on a ship (a DISNEY ship, that is). I am sure you would love it too.
More coming up soon.



The Family beach may be more lively, Rosie, and I would advise you to stay there, as there is NO lifeguard on duty at Serenity Bay.

I don't plan on letting any of them do much more than paddle and last year the group went to Serenity !!! So we will see what the guys are like !! I f I have just 1 I think might go in too far we will not go or he will be tied to CarolE

 

[englishrose47]

Karin Do you have the menu for Pirate's night !!! I don't see it on the menus !!What time is the Pirate buffet served ???? I have to say that crab cake looked yummy!!! I have heard that the healthy choices are kinda bland !!!

 

[luvslikepi]

The Corona bottle is shaped like that so they can easily pour the glass bottle into the plastic one since they don't want glass on the beach. Read it in another TR. It is genius. And perfect for taking home to add a shot of Patron to your Corona.

 

[dizneeat]

The Pirate menu is my least favorite too. Though I have found something I do like. I can't think of the name now, but it's a past with marinara and shrimp and scallops (I think). That so far is the best thing I have had. I think I discpvered it on the Magic and I am pretty sure I had it on the Dream too.

I know the pasta dish you are referring to, Jen. Tom has had it before and liked it. It is just that there is nothing that really "wows" me.
The menu is the same on all four ships, so for the Fantasy we plan on having a meal at Palo on Pirate nights.

I don't plan on letting any of them do much more than paddle and last year the group went to Serenity !!! So we will see what the guys are like !! I f I have just 1 I think might go in too far we will not go or he will be tied to CarolE

I just wanted to let you know that there are no lifeguards, Rosie. If they are good swimmers - no problem, just keep your eyes on the "not so good" swimmers, especially since the beach is quite shallow in parts and you have to wade WAY out!

Karin Do you have the menu for Pirate's night !!! I don't see it on the menus !!What time is the Pirate buffet served ???? I have to say that crab cake looked yummy!!! I have heard that the healthy choices are kinda bland !!!

Rosie, there is a menu on allears (go to the DCL section and on the left hand side it says menus - the Pirate menus are the same on all ships.
The food is not bad, it is just not my favourite menu and it is the one I have no problem missing.
Since this is all of you's first DCL cruise, you should try it - the servers are all dressed up!

 

[dizneeat]

The Corona bottle is shaped like that so they can easily pour the glass bottle into the plastic one since they don't want glass on the beach. Read it in another TR. It is genius. And perfect for taking home to add a shot of Patron to your Corona.

Thank you! I asked Tom the same thing today and he explained it exactly as you did!
Oh, and btw I had several of those babies to transport home.

 

[englishrose47]

Checked out the menu on allears and I see a couple of things I would like , so feeling more at ease now !!