Stingray Hickies and Hidden Mickies -cruise report for September 23-30th

[JDBlair]

I am really enjoying your TR. Loved the part about Quiet Cove not being quiet after DH fell asleep! Hilarious stuff!

 

[Jennifer48]

You are a wonderful writer. I like the way you broke up the day into paragraphs instead of telling us everything you did hour after hour. Great job! Keep it coming!

 

[curlybop]

I just LOVE detailed trip reports. You're doing a wonderful job, keep on going!

 

[cruisecrzy]

Thank you so much for your wonderful trip report. It was so easy to read and follow. It answered every question I had and is helping me prepare for our upcoming cruise. Thanks so much for taking the time.

 

[yazee1]

Thank you for the encouragement. Here's the next installment.

September 29th - Castaway Cay


The question of the day was not what should we do first, it was when will the rain start? We woke up Friday morning to an overcast day with threatening clouds on the horizon. The prospect of rain didn't bother dh and me. As long as the kids were in the Lab/Club we could find some way to relax and enjoy ourselves whether it was on a beach or on a ship, but for the kids' sake I prayed the weather would brighten up. Castaway Cay was something they'd been talking about for a year.

This girl's got a one track mind

We disembarked as soon as the doors to the ship were opened and huffed it down the road to the family beach. Beach chairs and hammocks were there for the taking. I thought about securing a hammock but I realized if I did it would only be for the bragging rights. None of us really enjoy laying in a hammock. Once we set up camp at the water's edge, I took Leah to Scuttle's Cove. She wanted nothing to do with the ocean today. What she'd been talking about all year is going on a treasure hunt and digging for whale bones. That's the last we saw of Leah until it was time to pick her up when the Cove closed, and even then she didn't want to leave.

Grab life, I mean Mickey by the ears

The rest of us went snorkeling. The visibility was not too good. That was disappointing since we were sure our early arrival would mean we'd have the clearest water of the day. Nevertheless, I was just glad to be there and finally get my chance to dive down to the sandy bottom and grab Mickey's ears. I warn you it's not that easy to stay down there once you reach it. If you want a picture of yourself with Mickey, the photographer has to be ready to shoot.

We had our fill of snorkeling and the rain had not started. So far, so good. We headed down the beach to find chairs where the boys could be closer to the playground in the swimming lagoon. The water front chairs were all occupied but we were lucky enough to meet up with our tablemates who were just leaving theirs to return to the ship. After they left and we were all set up, Dh was ready for a cold beer and a good book. Too bad he forgot his little cooler of beer at the room.

Unexpectedly Child-free afternoon

While dh was on his beer retrieving mission, the boys decided they wanted to eat lunch with the Lab group and spend the rest of the afternoon in the kids' activities area. Unfortunately, according to the Navigator Spencer had missed lunch with his group and William's group would only be at lunch for 5 more minutes. Unlike their mother, they were willing to skip lunch in order to go play, but I insisted they stop at the buffet on their way and get something to eat. Later Spencer admitted they didn't really eat lunch, they grabbed some fruit and ordered smoothies.

Warren was surprised when he returned and found only me left at the chairs. Since I'd never been there, I suggested we take the tram to Serenity Beach and do our relaxing and lunching there. On our way off the beach we ran into Heidi and her husband who has a really cool waterproof case for his digital camera. It was the same one dh wanted to buy for my camera but I had said it was too expensive for the likes of me who loses and breaks things too easily. When Heidi's dh told us he bought his case online for $150.00, I agreed with dh that that's not so bad. What was bad were the lousy disposable waterproof cameras we bought for the trip. Guess what I'm asking for for my birthday next month?

No Serenity for us at Serenity Bay
We reached Serenity Bay shortly before 1:30. Still no rain. That was good news. The bad news was the disappointing lunch buffet. Having never been to the adult side of the island but having read here about the steaks and lobster burgers, I was anticipating a great meal. It was good enough, but the choices were few and Cookie's, if they were still offering the same food as the last time we cruised, would have been much more satisfying. Even though lunch is until 2pm, the staff was packing up and cleaning out by 1:45pm. We felt rushed. I also will note this is the first place and only place on a Disney Cruise I saw overflowing trash cans.

Following the rushed lunch, we wandered over to the beach and found a couple lounge chairs. So this is it, I thought to myself. I like the family beach better. I think next time we'll stick to the family beach. It's a shorter commute, the beach is nicer and there's better food. If I want serenity, I can find it there. I'll just bring ear plugs and order a couple drinks.

I read a book while Dh snorkeled some more. He didn't see anything interesting swimming around in the water but he did find a wristwatch out there. We took it to the Lost and Found because we're honest people. No, let's be honest. We took it to the lost and found because it was a Casio and not a Rolex.

Genuinely sad to leave

It may sound twisted but I'm happy to say all of us were sad when it was time to leave the island. We had a great day. Everyone got to do what they wanted to do It never did rain.

The first hint of trouble

Truthfully, dinner was not as festive this night as usual. Everyone was tired and of all the nights, this evening's dinner was probably the least appealing. To be fair, the food might not have been under par. It could have been just the way we were all feeling. For most of us, it was a matter of being overly tired. For at least three of us it was the onset of a stomach virus. We found out after the cruise that a lot of people came down with a stomach bug either during the cruise or after. We didn't. I don't know if Angie and her kids were spared, but Scott and his family got it. They didn't know it but the first sign of trouble showed itself that night. Their daughter was not her usual self. It didn't register with dh and I that she was being difficult because we were dealing with Leah who unusually fidgety and cranky herself.

The Men in Black are Real

I thinks someone zapped me a couple times during the cruise with a memory loss wand. Once again, I can not remember what we did after dinner. I'm sure we must have packed. Now that I'm writing this, I think that's what we were doing Thursday night after dinner. One of those nights we let the boys stay at the Lab as long as they wanted to. Spencer was in bed by 10pm anway, but William outlasted us. It was whichever night the Lab kids had a late night splash party and a pizza party afterward. Dh and I didn't want to go to bed before he returned to his room, but by 11pm, we were just too wiped out to wait up for him.

It's really late. I wish I could call room service for some chicken soup and a Mickey Bar but real life isn't a Disney Cruise, is it?

 

[strawberryblonde]

I've really been enjoying reading your trip report Monica! You make me laugh. I like that I "hear" this report in your voice as I read it because I know what your voice sounds like. It is also great to get camios in such a fun trip report, you say such nice things about me, thanks.

Sorry that the adult beach wasn't much fun. It didn't look as nice to me, when I would view photos of it. Not as much shade, and I need my shade.

I would love to be able to book our family for the same dates as yours (which I realize you don't even know exactly when that is yet). I'll have to talk to DH and see if we can swing it in two years. Are you thinking of Sept. again? I love Sept. You are a fun family to cruise with.

Thanks for taking the time to write up your report. It is an enjoyable read.

 

[nluvwithmickey]

Ohhh you are making me want to go back on that ship soo bad I can almost taste that Mickey bar!!!


Thanks for the great report, you guys really seemed to have alot of fun.

 

[yazee1]

September 30th - Leaving time

Writing this part of the report is no fun. The last day. The dreaded disembarkment. I've read a lot of complaints about the disembarkment, but so far ours have not been too painful.

The last breakfast

Our breakfast time was 7am and it was in Lumiere's. That's not a bad way to end the week in my opinion. Since our table was next to the front window we could watch the progress of the disembarkment line while we ate. Needless to say, it's more pleasant to watch the people in line than be in the line. By the time we were finished eating and saying our goodbyes to our tablemates and Kumar (like every other meal, he and dh got into a long discussion about national matters) there didn't seem to be a long line.

Before we joined the departing queue, I took dd to the restroom and on the way I ran into a couple we met during our first lunch onboard. A very nice older couple with three married daughters and a growing number of grandchildren. They were sitting outside the Promenade Lounge looking a little shell shocked. I think the cause of their agitated state the shock of what they did the day before. They rebooked for a cruise for themselves and their daughter's families to the tune of $18,000.

Leah keeps the family together

Finding our luggage was not difficult. Even though our luggage as is as nondescript as everyone else's, the bright curly ribbons tied onto the handles made them easily distinguishable. The customs line (or whatever that security point is called) could have presented a problem in that I had our driver's licenses in my handbag but forgot to leave out the kids' passports for their id. Those were packed and I didn't know in which bag. Fortunately, we got a nice agent. At first, we thought we had trouble because he said, "How do I know these kids are yours?" Before we could answer or become really uncomfortable, he bent down and starting talking to my daughter. He asked my daughter if we were her parents and if the boys were her brothers. Of course, she said yes. She warmed right up to him and we were free to go in less than a minute later.

Catching a ride
Leaving the port took longer than it should have. The plan was to have Warren take a cab back to the Residence Inn in order to pick up our car and come back for us and the luggage. The mood curbside was tense as families and groups of people waited for the shuttle. From what I was overhearing many people did not understand that they weren't the only ones waiting for a shuttle. If you think people get irritated by those who butt in line at character appearances, multiply that by a 100 when everyone's waiting in the muggy Florida heat for a shuttle at the end of their vacation.

Dh was able to get a taxi almost right away, but for reasons Dh couldn't understand the taxi driver kicked him out of the car before he ever left the curb. Seriously, Warren could not understand what the man was saying but he was definitely not taking Warren to the hotel. Warren told the porter what happened and the porter made sure dh got a seat on the shuttle instead. It was fortunate that it happened because the shuttle ride was only $3.00. Dh said the taxi driver was going to charge him $20.00. I'm pretty sure he was mistaken.

Kennedy Space Station is out of this world.....expensive!!

After dh came for us, we had several hours to kill before getting back on the train, so I suggested we tour Kennedy Space Center. We found the admission price too steep, so we didn't stay. Instead, we drove up to Sanford, found the mall and browsed around Brookstones for a good hour or so. The kids had never been there and every gadget was a marvel to to them especially the little clocks that look like they are projecting the time into midair. We took turns helping ourselves to the back and foot massage chairs and weighing ourselves on the talking scale. I did not like what that scale had to say! It seems I gained 4 pounds during our cruise. All the while we were in the mall dh and I felt like we were swaying but the kids said they didn't feel it.

I really don't like malls. I wish we had toured KSC instead. That's okay. I'll just work it into the plans for our next cruise. We had lunch there and I don't need to tell you how that compared to all the lunches we had for seven days prior to that one.


Almost home, it's almost over

There were no cheap upgrades for the family suite on the Auto Train going home so we reserved one standard sleeping unit so at least Leah and one of us parents would have a quiet comfortable place to sleep. That upgrade was very inexpensive. As it turned out, we should have booked two. We thought William, Spencer and I would be fine in the coach section since we all had books and games to occupy us during our waking hours. As it turned out, the noise level in our coach car was much too loud to read. I was also nervous about overhearing the father sitting behind me asking his son if he had to throw up again. I deeply feared the boy, at some point wouldn't make it to the bathroom. We endured whining (by children and parent), crying, arguing, and personal intrusions for about an hour before we fled from the coach car in hopes of obtaining the empty sleeper across the hall from with dh and Leah. The attendant there said we could hang out in the sleeper across from dh until turn down time. If we wanted to secure it for the night it was $123.00. Yikes! That was twice as much as we paid at the station. He sympathized with us because he knew exactly what was going on in our coach car, so he suggested since the train was only partially full, we could find seats in a quieter coach car. After dinner, that's what we did only instead of Spencer and William and I looking. Spencer and Leah squeezed into the the bottom bunk of the sleeper and I took the top.

The next morning I woke to the sound of the morning announcements. Miraculously, the train was running on time. Our family reunited for breakfast and soon after that, we were back in Lorton, Va. We walked off the train and returned to our every day lives. End of vacation.

The countdown has started! September 2008, God willing, will be our next cruise. We don't have an exact date yet. Heidi, if you're reading this, it would be awesome if our families were on the same cruise again. This time it might be me playing cruise director to the extended family.

 

[strawberryblonde]

This was a great report, Monica. I'll be putting a bug in DH's ear about Sept. 2008, that would be perfect for us if a cruise fits into our future. IMO, a cruise is the easiest way to do a family reunion. I don't think I want to do a family reunion any other way now .

 

[michelle9343]

Excellent report. Thanks for taking the time to post it.

 

[sejejoemmiev]

Loved your report! I love reading reports that include lots of kids in the family.(I have 4) Sounds like you guys had a blast!

 

[DiaLady]

Hi Monica --

Oh you had a wonderful trip report. We can't wait to do it again. Did you manage to find any discounts for the auto train. I was shocked how pricey it was even with simple coach seating. What a wonderful way to travel. My kids would love it.

Thanks for your tips!

Theresa

 

[yazee1]

Auto Train. I don't know if there is a kids-free special of some sort all year long, but when I booked our tickets, a child was free with a paying parent. Originally, we booked coach seats and reserved the space for our car instead of our van. The total for 2 adults, 3 kids and one car was $608.00. (taking a car saves over a hundred dollars) I could have booked airline tickets for about $560.00 using Southwest's Ding program but then we would have had considerable additional expense renting a car or paying for transportation. When we were making our arrangement, gas was over 3.00 a gallon. Driving (with an overnight stop each way) would have cost us as much as flying. Now that gas prices have dropped, driving would have been the least expensive choice, but not by that much.

Going in September meant the train was only partially full and last minute upgrades at the station were rock bottom cheap.