Pudge Controls the Weather-A Land and Sea TR Apr 6-Apr 15 ( Last Day new 5/26)

[KatMark]

Love the photos of the ship...stunning. And your fish extender is so cute. Can't wait to hear about the DIS meet.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

The fish extender looks great!! Your hard work definitely paid off!!

The lounges and bars look gorgeous! Can't wait to hear about your DIS meet!

 

[jecskc]

Love the photos of the ship...stunning. And your fish extender is so cute. Can't wait to hear about the DIS meet.

Thanks !! The whole Fish Extender experience was really fun.

The fish extender looks great!! Your hard work definitely paid off!!

The lounges and bars look gorgeous! Can't wait to hear about your DIS meet!

Thanks !! You should have seen some of the other Fish Extenders some of the people ordered off of Ebay. Gorgeous. Mine wasn't the best by far, but at least I made it myself.

That area was really fun. We didn't get to spend near enough time there.

 

[Pixie Princess]

That is a shame, because you would LOVE Castaway Cay. I think the Caribbean is beautiful. Maybe you need an inside stateroom so you don't have to see the open water. At least in the warm water you won't freeze to death.

Oh if only it were as simple as an inside stateroom. I'd never be able to go on deck...not without being heavily medicated anyway. A couple of years ago my SIL (she loves to cruise) suggested going on a 3 day cruise to start. She said you are rarely if ever out of sight of land on those. Something to think about.

I love your pictures of Pink! That seems like my kind of place. I LOVE champagne. I hope you got to visit there.

Question for you.. are the all the pools on the ship really small? They seem pretty small in the pictures, but sometimes that can be deceiving. And if they are small, are there a good number of them scattered about? The pool on The Love Boat was small, but really, how big of pool are you gonna build on a soundstage for a TV show? Oh I crack myself up. Seriously, it seems like the number of people on board would overwhelm pools of that size.

Also are there tons of people out at the crack of dawn reserving deck chairs for their entire party like you might run in to at the resorts? I saw the funniest thing with someone doing that at Pop on our last trip. It totally cracked me up. I really need to get a TR going on that trip. *sigh*

 

[jecskc]

That is a shame, because you would LOVE Castaway Cay. I think the Caribbean is beautiful. Maybe you need an inside stateroom so you don't have to see the open water. At least in the warm water you won't freeze to death.

Oh if only it were as simple as an inside stateroom. I'd never be able to go on deck...not without being heavily medicated anyway. A couple of years ago my SIL (she loves to cruise) suggested going on a 3 day cruise to start. She said you are rarely if ever out of sight of land on those. Something to think about.

I strongly suggest a 3 day then. You will LOVE it.


I love your pictures of Pink! That seems like my kind of place. I LOVE champagne. I hope you got to visit there.


Yes, we did get to visit there. A small but lovely and quiet place to get a drink.



Question for you.. are the all the pools on the ship really small? They seem pretty small in the pictures, but sometimes that can be deceiving. And if they are small, are there a good number of them scattered about? The pool on The Love Boat was small, but really, how big of pool are you gonna build on a soundstage for a TV show? Oh I crack myself up. Seriously, it seems like the number of people on board would overwhelm pools of that size.


Yes, the pools are really small and they quickly got very full. The kids complained about other kids just kicking and shoving to make room. I am not sure why they make them so small. There HAS to be a reason. I will google .......

OK. Here's and answer from the Cruise Critic boards - Why are cruise ship pools so small? - Cruise Critic Message Boards -It is both space concerns as well as the weight of the water and how it affects the stability of the ship. Not that the pool makes the ship unstable, but in rough seas, the sloshing of the water makes a mess and does move large amounts of weight several feet one way or the other...hence the fast pool dump button up on the bridge.

Smaller pools also keep people lounging and buying more booze...that makes the line more money than a big pool.

IMHO - I'm thinking a larger pool WOULD affect the stability of the ship. Here's another post about it.

Most modern cruise ships are in excess of 90,000tons and are "high" in the water because of the ever growing number of decks to accomodate passengers.Some if not all modern cruise ships have the ability to take on water ballast, to lower the centre of gravity and keep them stable, especially on the high seas, eg trans-atlantic. Clearly given the above, if the ships had huge swimming pools on top located decks, they would tend to undermine the stability of the vessel, especially during inclement weather. And as 1 cubic metre of water alone weighs 1 ton, you don't really need to be Einstein to work it out.


Also are there tons of people out at the crack of dawn reserving deck chairs for their entire party like you might run in to at the resorts? I saw the funniest thing with someone doing that at Pop on our last trip. It totally cracked me up. I really need to get a TR going on that trip. *sigh*

I would guess so. I never really had trouble finding a spot when I wanted one, though. We usually went to the pool on the day we were at port because there would be less people on deck - out on excursions. We chose early excursions and were usually back on the boat around 1 or 2 PM. They have TONS of chairs. I am sure it COULD be a problem and people complain about it over on the Cruise thread, but it was never a problem for us. We had more trouble finding a spot at the AKL pool than on the boat.

 

[jecskc]

Day 5 – Part Six

Portholes

D Lounge.

I just loved this piece of artwork.

I guess I was so excited about the Dismeet that I didn’t take any photos. I know .... lame .....

Our group had created a facebook group before our cruise and it was lots of fun to get to know people a little before we met them. Kyirish here on the DIS was handing out nametags when we got there and I started introducing myself to everyone. Some of them I recognized already. It was fun to put names with faces. We stayed about 20 minutes and chatted and then we went back to our room.

We found this waiting on our bed.

It was a box from DVC. With a set of lanyards inside.

Loved them. Used them on the cruise. They came in handy.

At 4:00 PM, it was time for muster, which is the lifeboat drill. We put on our bathing suits and left or cabin about 3:45 pm and headed to our station. And waited, and waited ….. and waited some more for it to start. Apparently, they don’t start the drill until everyone is present. And apparently there were quite a few people who thought that their time was more important than ours because they were late and we all had to wait on them. Very rude. So about 4:20 PM or so, they finally started the drill and after about 15 minutes it over. I understand this is necessary, but it was such a drag. All of the kids were very restless and there were so many people. It would have been not so bad except for the late people making us wait. It really hacked me off. OK. Rant over.

After muster we headed back up on Deck where DD rode the big yellow Mickey hand slide and DS and DH rode the Aquaduck. I had another drink of the day and found a great spot facing the Disney terminal and then the Sail Away party started and at about 5:00 PM, we pulled away from the port. There was a park at the end and people were camping and waving and it was fun. Lots of music and dancing as well, but I forgot my camera and didn’t get any photos.

The spot I had was a little set apart from everyone, but I had an excellent view and a lovely breeze. So I really enjoyed my peaceful sail away.

At about 5:45 PM we headed back to room to get ready for the Golden Mickey’s which started at 6:15 PM. But the kids were having none of that and wanted to head to the kids clubs as soon as they opened at 6:00 PM. We said OK and DS headed off on his own and DH went to take DD to her club because she had to be checked in. DS took the wave phone which was an excellent way for us to communicate with him. You had to do some old school texting and learn how to use it, but he and I are pretty technically savvy, so we got the hang of it right away.

When DH got back, we went to see the Golden Mickeys on our own.

We enjoyed it very much and it was nice to see it …. just the two of us.

Afterwards, we looked in the shops and checked in with DS, who had already made some friends and they were going up to deck 11 to eat. So we said that was OK and to be good and we went and got DD for dinner. We peeked in at the adults only area and took a couple of photos.

We had late seating for dinner, which was 8:15 PM and it was OK, but next time I am going to ask for early seating. I just prefer to eat earlier so my food can settle some before bed. I don’t really like to stay up super late, so I just prefer to eat early and then have some time to do other stuff before bed. Our dining rotation was ERAAE which stand for Enchanted Garden, Royal Palace, Animator’s Palate, Animator’s Palate and then Enchanted Garden again. But we had Palo booked for our last night, so we wouldn’t eat there the last night, but would eat at EG the last morning for breakfast.

So at this point, I am starting to feel a little queasy, so I took a Bonine and we headed to Enchanted Garden.

A photo of the Atrium chandelier again

We were seated at table 24 and we had some VERY nice and fun tablemates from Virginia. It was a woman and her two sons and her mother. Wonderful people. We really enjoyed their company at meals.

Our head sever was Dolan, I think. Our Main waiter was Warren, and our assistant server was Ibrahim, from Turkey.

So we ordered drinks and they brought our bread. Multi-grain Loaf and Country Current Bread with Chickpea-Garlic Purée

For Starters DH ordered - • Heirloom Tomato Soup With Sour Cream, Croutons, and Basil,

I orded • Romaine Wedge fresh crisp Romaine topped with a creamy Romano Dressing and homemade spiced Croutons

By this time, I am starting to struggle with nausea. Someone from the table next to us had to go back to her room because she wasn’t feeling well.

I don’t remember what DD ordered - I didn’t get a photo, but I think she got Mac n Cheese.

I made it through the salad and DH and I both ordered. • Slow Roasted Prime Rib Thyme-roasted Vegetables, Double-baked Potato, Horseradish, and Natural Jus

I had one bite – and I couldn’t get it down. So I quickly excused myself and just made it to the bathroom. Yeah, it was gross. So after that, I felt a little better and went back to the table and had a bite of potatoes. And ……. no. It wasn’t that it didn’t taste good, because it did, but I guess I was seasick. So I gave my apologies to everyone and headed back to our Stateroom to lay down. Just as I got there DS was there, too saying he didn’t feel well either. I was sick a little more and then we both took another Bonine and watched a movie.

Back at the restaurant, DH and DD were fine. DD even took a photo of her dessert for me.

For dessert DH had • Sweet Temptations A trio of Esterhazy Cake, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Chocolate Silk Mousse

But he didn’t get a photo. He said the meal was excellent and I was disappointed that I couldn’t finish. But for the rest of the cruise, I was fine. I kept up with my Bonine though. We even brought ear patches and sea bands but only needed the Bonine, so I was thankful.

After DH brought DD back to the room, he went back out and took some photos.

DD, DS and I watched and movie (Bolt) and settled in for bed. They had on demand movies on the TV and we had a great time watching Disney movies the whole time. We could pause them and go do something and come back and pick it up right where we started. We really enjoyed this feature.

I was feeling well enough to get a shower, so I took one and I LOVED it. It had a large rain shower head. Very nice. I put a pain patch on my ankle which was killing me after those four days at the parks. Did I tell you I had a bad ankle ?? Well I do and it will never be the same. It sucks, but there it is.

We got some post cards as Fish Extender gifts.

And some string bags

These really came in handy. The kids and I used them to carry stuff around the boat and at Castaway Cay.

Other passengers were commenting about our magnets and Fish Extender, so we told them about the Dis and our great group of people.

DH came back and we all went to sleep. We were looking forward to our next day, which was our day at Castaway Cay. The bed was VERY comfortable and a woman in our FE group went straight home and ordered one the mattresses for herself.

 

[KatMark]

Great update, Susan.

I'm sorry you and your DS were feeling sick on the boat (the one thing I fear if we ever take a cruise, although that is highly unlikely, is getting sick). The prime rib has my mouth watering after eating just a salad for lunch.

The pictures are great and you really captured a lot (love your hubby's nighttime photos too...they came out great).

 

[jecskc]

Great update, Susan.

I'm sorry you and your DS were feeling sick on the boat (the one thing I fear if we ever take a cruise, although that is highly unlikely, is getting sick). The prime rib has my mouth watering after eating just a salad for lunch.

The pictures are great and you really captured a lot (love your hubby's nighttime photos too...they came out great).

Thanks Kathy !! We kinda felt bad that first night, but after that, we were fine. We had just let our Bonnie wear off. We stayed on top of it after that first night.

I was bummed I couldn't finish that prime rib ....

 

[pooksma]

Love the cruise pics! You are making me wish time away

 

[jecskc]

Love the cruise pics! You are making me wish time away

It is worth the wait, I promise. We absolutely loved it !!!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I'm sorry to hear that you weren't feeling well during dinner! Hopefully you weren't too nauseous the rest of the cruise!

Glad to hear the kids really enjoyed the kids clubs! How fun that your DS made friends so quickly!

 

[jecskc]

I'm sorry to hear that you weren't feeling well during dinner! Hopefully you weren't too nauseous the rest of the cruise!

Glad to hear the kids really enjoyed the kids clubs! How fun that your DS made friends so quickly!

I was fine after that first night. And I was so relieved. I was really bummed to have missed dinner that night.

My kids are really outgoing, so I knew they would love the clubs. It worked out so well for all of us.

 

[LissaW16]

ok, so I'm still 3 pages behind but I have to say I find it so fascinating... we, like you, were at HS and Epcot before the cruise, yet we did almost nothing the same (except for maybe the Toy Story ride). We didn't eat at any of the same places, we didn't ride the same rides... Every trip is so different!!!

 

[LissaW16]

Day 5 -Part Two

Then we went with DS to check out the Edge which was the kid’s club he was to go to. It was up in one of the funnels. The forward one, I think.

Photos of the Edge – DS LOVED it here.

Wallpaper detail

Donald Duck was randomly walking around.

OMG thank you for Edge pics - those of us without a "tween" always wonder... I've never seen anything but DCL stock photos of it! Something for my princess to look forward to (in 5 years or so!)

 

[jecskc]

ok, so I'm still 3 pages behind but I have to say I find it so fascinating... we, like you, were at HS and Epcot before the cruise, yet we did almost nothing the same (except for maybe the Toy Story ride). We didn't eat at any of the same places, we didn't ride the same rides... Every trip is so different!!!

So true. And we saw Cher and her family everywhere. At WDW and on the boat. She just told me that we had the same dining rotation even.

OMG thank you for Edge pics - those of us without a "tween" always wonder... I've never seen anything but DCL stock photos of it! Something for my princess to look forward to (in 5 years or so!)

You're Welcome!! It really was a cool space. I wonder what the Vibe looks like.

 

[IheartDDuck]

I'm sorry you weren't feeling well. My mom had the same thing happen to her on their cruise too. She sadly actually got sick at the table.

I would have been so irritated if the people did not show up on time for the lifeboat drill. Grrr. So inconsiderate.

 

[jecskc]

I'm sorry you weren't feeling well. My mom had the same thing happen to her on their cruise too. She sadly actually got sick at the table.

I would have been so irritated if the people did not show up on time for the lifeboat drill. Grrr. So inconsiderate.

I just barely made it to the bathroom myself. I was fine the rest of the time. It was weird that first night.

It really was rude. I was wanting to get started on my fun !!! The weather was nice, though. I can't imagine what it would have been like if it was super hot out.

 

[marDgreen88]

Ugh, so sorry you got sick on your first night! So glad to hear that you were okay for the rest of the trip though. I must say, that is my NUMBER ONE concern about going on a cruise... I get sick so easily.

The Golden Mickey's look like fun!

 

[jecskc]

Ugh, so sorry you got sick on your first night! So glad to hear that you were okay for the rest of the trip though. I must say, that is my NUMBER ONE concern about going on a cruise... I get sick so easily.

The Golden Mickey's look like fun!

I was worried about it, too. I can get sick easy, too. We even had ear patches and Sea Bands, so we were ready. But we didn't need them, so that was good.

I thought it was kinda funny that we each posted about getting sick in our TR's on the same day.

Golden Mickey's was a good show. We really enjoyed all of the entertainment on board.

 

[marDgreen88]

I thought it was kinda funny that we each posted about getting sick in our TR's on the same day.

I know right? The people who read both our TRs were probably like... "WHAT IS GOING ON???"