The Incredibles' Disney Magic Cruise 11/4/06 [THE END, FINALLY!! posted 7/2]
- Thread starter lindaso
- Start date
FrazzledDad
Mouseketeer
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- Dec 2, 2006
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The wife and I are loving your TR so far. Can't wait for more.
kjblovesdisney
The Wonderful World of Disney Presents.....
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2001
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- 227
This is a great trip report and I am enjoying it so much.
lindaso
DIS Veteran
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- May 24, 2001
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- 713
mruhaak said:Anxious for more!
What... are you busy with christmas or something?
Ding ding ding!! That and Tommy's 7th b-day where I had the bright idea to make iron-on transfer t-shirts for 15 kids.
I'll try my best to keep writing this week. Thanks for hanging in there!
lindaso
DIS Veteran
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- May 24, 2001
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- 713
Wednesday Nov. 8th
Chankanaab
Turning the clocks back an hour is one of Chucks favorite days of the year. He loves that he gets to do it on DCL. After the start he had to this cruise, if that makes him happy, Ill go with it! I try not to mention that we have to move them ahead the very next night. Why not let him enjoy his moment?
We wake up on Wednesday a little earlier due to the extra hour. Today is the day the day Stephanie has been waiting for! A little background on my daughter she is dolphin obsessed. She sleeps with a stuffed dolphin, she has a dolphin room complete with bedding, curtains, posters and tchotchkes, dolphin earrings and since yesterday, a dolphin necklace. I did her dolphin room for her 8th birthday. It used to be a pink Disney Princess room. They grow up so fast.
Of course I had spent many hours researching our dolphin options. I booked the royal swim through shoretrips. I dont want to just encounter the dolphins, I want to be right there with them. The minimum age is 8 so the boys are too young to participate. I booked the 2 girls with 2 adults. Which 2 adults? The 2 most adventurous adults me and Keith.
We pack our beach bags again this morning. We head up to Topsiders for our daily breakfast buffet where each Incredible child is instructed to eat now or forever hold your hunger. We meet up with the Boots and head off the ship. Its nice to just walk off onto a pier and not have to ride a tender boat.
The first thing we notice when we get on the pier is how hot it is. Its sunny but its a scorcher. We make it to a section that looks like a mall and immediately get bombarded by taxi drivers. Our red buckets give us away again. Chuck, feeling more confident after our Grand Cayman experience, picks an English speaking taxi driver and negotiates a fare to Chankanaab. The driver makes a face and says why do you want to go there? Chuck answers dolphin swim and the taxi driver nods and opens the door.
We pile in the van and head out through some side streets. Im happy they drive on the right side of the road since it freaked me out a little in Grand Cayman. I kept thinking we were going to crash. This is a much more comfortable cab ride. Chankanaab is further than I expected but we pay less for the taxi than Grand Cayman.
We arrive at Chankanaab and are greeted by a man whose purpose is to show us the map and explain the park. We listen and try to figure out where and if there is a beach. I had read so many conflicting reports, I didnt know what to believe. Mr. Greeter Man says theres a beach so we are hopeful. He walks us over to the admission area and I whip out my coupon (happy that I remembered to bring it). It gives us $2 off adults and $1 off the kids. We pay our 90-something dollars for the 9 of us and receive our bracelets. Uh oh, another bracelet. Mr. Greeter Man helps everyone on with theirs and approaches Kevin. He screams and Mr. Greeter Man jumps back and says he doesnt have to wear it.
We enter the park and check in at the dolphin desk. I tell them we have a 12:00 royal swim and I exhale noticeably after seeing my name on their checklist. Thank you shoretrips! I fill out some paperwork, give them my voucher, and they instruct us to be back at the desk a few minutes before 12.
There are a few groups out there and we see the dolphins jumping out of the water. Wow!! It looks really cool from all the way back here. I cant wait to see what it looks like up close!
We walk to the left in the direction that Mr. Greeter Man showed us. We walk over a construction area but its only a few steps before were on the sand. We pass the kiddie beach and head over to the beach area. We dump our stuff on some chaises that sit under tiki umbrellas and check out the water. The beach is sandy but theres a retaining wall separating the sand and the water. You have to walk down moss covered rock stairs to get into the water. Heres a picture of the retaining wall. The stairs you can see here are easier to navigate than the stairs in the water:
Its close to 100 degrees and theres water so Im game. I hold on tight to the railing so I dont slip and swim out a bit. The water is a bit rough but its refreshing. We have a little over an hour to kill so the guys go rent snorkeling gear. They get 2 sets each and Chuck tries to get Stephanie ready to snorkel.
Well, it seems that today is Stephanies day for meltdown. Shes whining and complaining and just plain miserable. I know Keith and Christine take pleasure in the fact that its our turn. But unlike Christine from the day before, I have little patience for it. I pull her aside and tell her that we are here for her, today is her Super Bowl and she better snap out of it. She lets Chuck get the snorkel gear on and works her way over to the steps. Shes not comfortable in the mask but at least shes not whining.
Looking back, I realize that its meltdown Wednesday. I didnt realize it at the time but Stephanie always melts down on Wednesday of vacation week. We always do Epcot on Wednesday and I thought it was Epcots fault. Apparently I owe Epcot an apology.
She and Chuck get in the water but I see them stop every few seconds to adjust her mask. Keith and Alyssa get in and Alyssa picks up snorkeling right away. Tommy wants to swim so I grab some speedo goggles for him and we navigate the steps. Here we are enjoying the water:
Its getting hotter by the minute and I want Kevin to cool off in the water too. Unfortunately, he put two and two together and realized we are snorkeling to see fish. I invite him to swim and get a nooo, there are pish in the water.
Come on Kev, you need to cool off. The fish wont hurt you.
NOOO, Im not shwimming with pish!!
You cant go the whole day without getting wet. Its too hot.
NOOOOOOO
Hes all red and sweaty and I really want him to cool down. So I ignore his opinion, pick his 50 lb. body up and carry him down the moss-covered steps praying that I dont slip b/c if he gets scraped against the rocks Ill never hear the end of it. I dunk his shoulders and quickly get him out of the pish-infested waters. Hes screaming and Christine is chuckling at me. Im such a bad mother.
Steph and Chuck come out a few minutes later and shes unsuccessfully trying to hold back tears. She says shes having trouble breathing through the snorkel. Chuck now hears Kevin who is still screaming on the chaise and gives me one of those why are we doing this? looks.
I try to explain to Stephanie that she has to bite down on the little tabs and breathe through her mouth. She says she cant and opens her mouth to show me. Her tooth and gums are all bloody. Another loose tooth! This child loses teeth in the most bizarre places it would be just like her to lose it during the dolphin swim. She once lost a tooth in the middle of Goofys Barnstormer and I thought it was a pebble and almost tossed it off the ride. Her most recent tooth was in centerfield in the middle of a game. She came in after the inning with blood all over her uniform.
So bloody mouth takes a break from snorkeling. Meanwhile, Kyle is now out snorkeling with Keith and doing really well. Tommy just wants to swim with the Speedo goggles so I get the snorkel gear on to swim with him. I take one step in the flippers and almost land on my face. I manage to make it to the ledge without falling. But now Im at the same rocks I had trouble navigating before. And now I have an extra 12 inches on the ends of my feet. I grab hold of the railing, take a step and loose my footing. Im a menace in these flippers! Thank God I had a good hold on that railing!!
I let go of the railing and push off the rocks with my flippered feet. Tommy comes and joins me and we snorkel as best we can with him coming up for air every 10 seconds. Before I know it, its time to come in and head over to the dolphins. We leave our stuff on the beach and arrive at the desk at 12:00.
They tell us to have a seat. We watch the other groups out in the water. The boys ooh and aah every time a dolphin jumps out. We discuss whether Christine should sneak out onto the pier for pictures. We wait some more. They tell us they are waiting for a trainer. We chat with another family from the Magic waiting for the same swim. Finally at about 12:45, our trainer comes over.
We say goodbye to the rest of our crew and the four of us follow the group. We are lead into a room with benches to watch a video with safety instructions. The trainer asks Alyssa how old she is but he doesnt ask Steph. Alyssa makes a face at Stephanie and we all laugh. Alyssa is actually 7 weeks older but youd never know by looking at them.
We finish our video, get our group letter, and walk out toward the life jacket area. They hand me the same size life jacket as Stephanie a size small, woohoo!! I cant remember the last time I wore a size small in anything!! Christine pops out with her camera and snaps our picture (have I mentioned her kids call her the paparazzi? Now I know why). Chuck and the boys sit in the heat on the bench. Christine and I really cant bear the thought of not getting pictures so she walks with us pretending like shes supposed to be there. It works!! No one kicks her out.
We arrive at our little tank area. Its time were swimming with the dolphins!!
Up next the royal swim (with Christines pictures), more Chankanaab adventures, yo ho yo ho, a pirate night for me
Turning the clocks back an hour is one of Chucks favorite days of the year. He loves that he gets to do it on DCL. After the start he had to this cruise, if that makes him happy, Ill go with it! I try not to mention that we have to move them ahead the very next night. Why not let him enjoy his moment?
We wake up on Wednesday a little earlier due to the extra hour. Today is the day the day Stephanie has been waiting for! A little background on my daughter she is dolphin obsessed. She sleeps with a stuffed dolphin, she has a dolphin room complete with bedding, curtains, posters and tchotchkes, dolphin earrings and since yesterday, a dolphin necklace. I did her dolphin room for her 8th birthday. It used to be a pink Disney Princess room. They grow up so fast.
Of course I had spent many hours researching our dolphin options. I booked the royal swim through shoretrips. I dont want to just encounter the dolphins, I want to be right there with them. The minimum age is 8 so the boys are too young to participate. I booked the 2 girls with 2 adults. Which 2 adults? The 2 most adventurous adults me and Keith.
We pack our beach bags again this morning. We head up to Topsiders for our daily breakfast buffet where each Incredible child is instructed to eat now or forever hold your hunger. We meet up with the Boots and head off the ship. Its nice to just walk off onto a pier and not have to ride a tender boat.
The first thing we notice when we get on the pier is how hot it is. Its sunny but its a scorcher. We make it to a section that looks like a mall and immediately get bombarded by taxi drivers. Our red buckets give us away again. Chuck, feeling more confident after our Grand Cayman experience, picks an English speaking taxi driver and negotiates a fare to Chankanaab. The driver makes a face and says why do you want to go there? Chuck answers dolphin swim and the taxi driver nods and opens the door.
We pile in the van and head out through some side streets. Im happy they drive on the right side of the road since it freaked me out a little in Grand Cayman. I kept thinking we were going to crash. This is a much more comfortable cab ride. Chankanaab is further than I expected but we pay less for the taxi than Grand Cayman.
We arrive at Chankanaab and are greeted by a man whose purpose is to show us the map and explain the park. We listen and try to figure out where and if there is a beach. I had read so many conflicting reports, I didnt know what to believe. Mr. Greeter Man says theres a beach so we are hopeful. He walks us over to the admission area and I whip out my coupon (happy that I remembered to bring it). It gives us $2 off adults and $1 off the kids. We pay our 90-something dollars for the 9 of us and receive our bracelets. Uh oh, another bracelet. Mr. Greeter Man helps everyone on with theirs and approaches Kevin. He screams and Mr. Greeter Man jumps back and says he doesnt have to wear it.
We enter the park and check in at the dolphin desk. I tell them we have a 12:00 royal swim and I exhale noticeably after seeing my name on their checklist. Thank you shoretrips! I fill out some paperwork, give them my voucher, and they instruct us to be back at the desk a few minutes before 12.
There are a few groups out there and we see the dolphins jumping out of the water. Wow!! It looks really cool from all the way back here. I cant wait to see what it looks like up close!
We walk to the left in the direction that Mr. Greeter Man showed us. We walk over a construction area but its only a few steps before were on the sand. We pass the kiddie beach and head over to the beach area. We dump our stuff on some chaises that sit under tiki umbrellas and check out the water. The beach is sandy but theres a retaining wall separating the sand and the water. You have to walk down moss covered rock stairs to get into the water. Heres a picture of the retaining wall. The stairs you can see here are easier to navigate than the stairs in the water:
Its close to 100 degrees and theres water so Im game. I hold on tight to the railing so I dont slip and swim out a bit. The water is a bit rough but its refreshing. We have a little over an hour to kill so the guys go rent snorkeling gear. They get 2 sets each and Chuck tries to get Stephanie ready to snorkel.
Well, it seems that today is Stephanies day for meltdown. Shes whining and complaining and just plain miserable. I know Keith and Christine take pleasure in the fact that its our turn. But unlike Christine from the day before, I have little patience for it. I pull her aside and tell her that we are here for her, today is her Super Bowl and she better snap out of it. She lets Chuck get the snorkel gear on and works her way over to the steps. Shes not comfortable in the mask but at least shes not whining.
Looking back, I realize that its meltdown Wednesday. I didnt realize it at the time but Stephanie always melts down on Wednesday of vacation week. We always do Epcot on Wednesday and I thought it was Epcots fault. Apparently I owe Epcot an apology.
She and Chuck get in the water but I see them stop every few seconds to adjust her mask. Keith and Alyssa get in and Alyssa picks up snorkeling right away. Tommy wants to swim so I grab some speedo goggles for him and we navigate the steps. Here we are enjoying the water:
Its getting hotter by the minute and I want Kevin to cool off in the water too. Unfortunately, he put two and two together and realized we are snorkeling to see fish. I invite him to swim and get a nooo, there are pish in the water.
Come on Kev, you need to cool off. The fish wont hurt you.
NOOO, Im not shwimming with pish!!
You cant go the whole day without getting wet. Its too hot.
NOOOOOOO
Hes all red and sweaty and I really want him to cool down. So I ignore his opinion, pick his 50 lb. body up and carry him down the moss-covered steps praying that I dont slip b/c if he gets scraped against the rocks Ill never hear the end of it. I dunk his shoulders and quickly get him out of the pish-infested waters. Hes screaming and Christine is chuckling at me. Im such a bad mother.
Steph and Chuck come out a few minutes later and shes unsuccessfully trying to hold back tears. She says shes having trouble breathing through the snorkel. Chuck now hears Kevin who is still screaming on the chaise and gives me one of those why are we doing this? looks.
I try to explain to Stephanie that she has to bite down on the little tabs and breathe through her mouth. She says she cant and opens her mouth to show me. Her tooth and gums are all bloody. Another loose tooth! This child loses teeth in the most bizarre places it would be just like her to lose it during the dolphin swim. She once lost a tooth in the middle of Goofys Barnstormer and I thought it was a pebble and almost tossed it off the ride. Her most recent tooth was in centerfield in the middle of a game. She came in after the inning with blood all over her uniform.
So bloody mouth takes a break from snorkeling. Meanwhile, Kyle is now out snorkeling with Keith and doing really well. Tommy just wants to swim with the Speedo goggles so I get the snorkel gear on to swim with him. I take one step in the flippers and almost land on my face. I manage to make it to the ledge without falling. But now Im at the same rocks I had trouble navigating before. And now I have an extra 12 inches on the ends of my feet. I grab hold of the railing, take a step and loose my footing. Im a menace in these flippers! Thank God I had a good hold on that railing!!
I let go of the railing and push off the rocks with my flippered feet. Tommy comes and joins me and we snorkel as best we can with him coming up for air every 10 seconds. Before I know it, its time to come in and head over to the dolphins. We leave our stuff on the beach and arrive at the desk at 12:00.
They tell us to have a seat. We watch the other groups out in the water. The boys ooh and aah every time a dolphin jumps out. We discuss whether Christine should sneak out onto the pier for pictures. We wait some more. They tell us they are waiting for a trainer. We chat with another family from the Magic waiting for the same swim. Finally at about 12:45, our trainer comes over.
We say goodbye to the rest of our crew and the four of us follow the group. We are lead into a room with benches to watch a video with safety instructions. The trainer asks Alyssa how old she is but he doesnt ask Steph. Alyssa makes a face at Stephanie and we all laugh. Alyssa is actually 7 weeks older but youd never know by looking at them.
We finish our video, get our group letter, and walk out toward the life jacket area. They hand me the same size life jacket as Stephanie a size small, woohoo!! I cant remember the last time I wore a size small in anything!! Christine pops out with her camera and snaps our picture (have I mentioned her kids call her the paparazzi? Now I know why). Chuck and the boys sit in the heat on the bench. Christine and I really cant bear the thought of not getting pictures so she walks with us pretending like shes supposed to be there. It works!! No one kicks her out.
We arrive at our little tank area. Its time were swimming with the dolphins!!
Up next the royal swim (with Christines pictures), more Chankanaab adventures, yo ho yo ho, a pirate night for me
becca_n_wa
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2006
- Messages
- 584
I did find your trip report!
Cool so far, cant wait for the rest and those pics also!
Cool so far, cant wait for the rest and those pics also!
discruiselovers97
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2006
- Messages
- 413
Poor Alissa! That is my daughter exactly! She is 14 for petes sake and they kept asking her what she was doing in the stack! She was like umm going in? They would question her and then finally they made this cute card that she put in her key to the world holder!
lindaso
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 24, 2001
- Messages
- 713
Wednesday Nov. 8th, continued
The Royal Swim
We follow our group to the roped off area which is now our own personal fish tank. We walk down the steps into the water. I had read so many reports about the grate you have to stand on. We stand on it barefoot and have no problems at all. The current is a bit strong and I find myself holding on to the fence behind me so I dont float out beyond the grate. The water is so deep that our weight doesnt really rest on the grate at all, so no feet boo boos for us.
Our trainer introduces us to our dolphins, Mussa and Regina. Here they are courtesy of Christine who acts like shes supposed to be standing there on the dock with her camera:
And heres a close-up:
I cant remember our trainers name so Ill just refer to him as Trainer. Trainer explains how we should put our hands together to get our kiss. You can see that Im a very good student as Im practicing while hes talking:
Its a bit unsettling as were standing there with our hands in position b/c I cant see which person the dolphin is going to. I get a little shock when its my turn as the dolphin is suddenly RIGHT THERE in front of me. I kiss her and then forget to turn toward the photographer. Apparently they call my name a few times and it finally dawns on me to look over. Heres my dolphin kiss:
Trainer instructs me to swim out for my hug. I swim out and turn around to face the other swimmers as well as the photographer on the dock. Trainer says to put my arms out with my palms up. Again, before I know it, the dolphin swims right up and is in my arms. Theyre quiet and hard to see so they constantly take me by surprise. I smile for my picture and then Trainer says to prepare for the foot push. Before I swim away, I look at Keith and confirm that thats the belly one. My brain is not working and I cant remember any of the instructions!!
I swim out to the middle of the tank and get ready. Im supposed to float on my belly with my feet pointing down toward the bottom of the water. Its really freaky floating in the middle of the water knowing that 2 dolphins are suddenly going to push you as hard as they can. Im floating there trying my best to see the dolphins swimming past me. I dont see them at all. Out of nowhere, I feel their pressure on my feet and Im suddenly flying through the air like Superman. I yell a WOOO like Im on a rollercoaster what a feeling!! I fly all the way to the end of the tank where Mussa and Regina let me go and I fall into the water like from a diving board.
All I can say is AWESOME!! That right there was worth all the money I paid for the royal swim. That was one of the coolest things Ive ever done in my whole life! Unfortunately Christines battery died right before my foot push so she was changing them while I was flying through the air. So I dont have a picture of my Superman impression to show you. But its just as well b/c I dont love the thought of posting a picture of myself in a bathing suit on the internet!!
After me, Trainer calls for Stephanie. She gets her kiss and swims out for her hug. Heres my baby girl at one of the happiest moments of her life:
Trainer tells Stephanie to prepare for the dorsal pull. He reminds her to stand straight in the water with her hands out to her sides like a T. When she feels their fins, she is to grab hold of them. Im so glad Trainer is reviewing the instructions b/c many of us are having trouble remembering the details from the instruction video. I admit to being nervous watching my daughter out there all by herself. I now understand why 8 is the minimum age for this swim.
Mussa and Regina swim by and Steph successfully grabs their fins and gets a nice ride through the tank. Its like tubing without the boat. The dolphins are really fast! Heres Steph during her dorsal pull:
The current in the water is pretty strong and we are all holding the fence when its not our turn. When Trainer calls for Alyssas kiss, he instructs Keith to hold her life vest so she doesnt float away:
Alyssa swims out for her hug and Trainer says prepare for foot push. Alyssa does great and Christine gets the greatest picture of Alyssa coming out of the water:
Keith and the other swimmers get their turns. The last guy called is a bit weird as he keeps kissing the dolphin over and over. The photographer is yelling for him to look over but he wont put his cheek to her mouth. He just keeps kissing the dolphin again and again and again. I didnt know whether to laugh or tell him to get a room. Trainer gets him to stop eventually and we get to move on with the program.
Everyone has had their first turn and Trainer starts calling people out to do their remaining ride. I get called for my dorsal pull. This is it my last turn. I remember the T and wait for Mussa and Regina. I feel their fins against my palms and close my hands around them and get my ride. Its basically a ride full of water in your face. Fun but nothing like the foot push! Heres my water-in-the-face ride:
When its Stephanies turn for the foot push, she doesnt get very high into the air and winds up falling on top of the dolphins!! Trainer has her go back and try again and instructs her not to bend her knees. He didnt tell anyone else that, I guess we all just kept our legs straight instinctively. Heres Stephanies flying through the air:
Heres a picture of Keith doing his dorsal pull. You can see just how much water gets thrown in your face:
While everyone is standing at the grate, Trainer tells us to stand at the end of the grate with our arms out and our palms down. Its pretty hard to keep our balance but before we know it, the dolphins are swimming right under our hands and we get to pet them. Its amazing how fast and quiet they swim, even right in front of us! Their skin doesnt feel rubbery, it feels more like smooth plastic.
Everyone has had both rides except for the blond girl. She refuses to do the foot push. Shes freaked out by how high you go and how you get dumped into the water at the end. Her boyfriend tries to talk her into it but she wont budge. I seriously consider asking if I can have her turn but I dont because I dont want to seem tacky. What a waste!!
I think the program is over at this point so Im pleasantly surprised when Trainer tells everyone to swim out and line up in the middle of the tank. He instructs us to put our hand straight up in the air. This signals the dolphins to come straight up out of the water:
Again Trainer tells us to pet the dolphins. We got so many swim-by pettings, we just kept doing it over and over. Trainer gets cute and tells us to move our hands in the water. Mussa and Regina splash us back:
Trainer tells us to put our arms up in the air and spin around in the water. Before we know it, Mussa and Regina are copying the spin right in front of us:
Then Trainer gives the dolphins a command and they swim around the tank at full speed and suddenly jump way out of the water and dive back in. WOW!! I didnt realize we would get a performance like this. Its unbelievably cool. Its like being in the tank at a Sea World show!
We get a few more swim-by pettings. On the second to last swim-by, one of the dolphins jams my thumb. I thought I had imagined it but Steph noticed and said the dolphin came at my hand. It hurt for a few minutes but then went away. I really dont know why that happened. But it doesnt stop me from putting my hands out for the last swim-by.
Its time to say goodbye to our dolphins. Here they are saying goodbye:
We leave our tank and follow the group back to the front. Chuck and the boys are still on the bench, looking incredibly hot. They come with us to return the life vests and see the video. We get seated in another room with benches and someone comes in to check the spelling on our names. It only takes a few minutes and we relive the whole royal swim on the TV in front of us. Im back from laa-laa land and the whole time Im wondering just how much this video costs.
After the video, we are instructed to go to the gift shop (naturally) to view our photographs. The magic ends here as the photos and video are insanely expensive and Chuck, having sat in the heat with 3 boys, wants to get back to the beach. There are tons of pictures and the girl quotes us $120 for all pictures plus the video. The video itself is $50 and the individual pictures are $15 or $20. Chuck just laughs at her. Not good Im now feeling very discouraged. Christine starts going through the shots she has but its hard to tell how good they are. Its very crowded, Stephanie wants everything in the store, the boys are starting to wander off we need to get out of here!!
Chuck tries to haggle over the pictures but they wont budge. It doesnt seem like theyre allowed to do that. I decide to buy one picture of Stephanies hug b/c its straight on and Christines is a profile. I forego the picture of myself doing the foot push (the bathing suit thing again). The Boots buy the DVD and some pictures and we get out of there.
We make it out of the gift shop unscathed (barely) and walk back to our stuff on the beach. The kids munch on the cereal I had packed from Topsiders. The granola is suddenly very popular. We buy some soda and do some more swimming/snorkeling. Kevin still refuses to go into the water with the pish. Ive tortured him enough for one day so I forego dunking him again. Christine finds some native creatures:
And another creature:
I get the snorkel gear on and go out without kids. Stephs tooth still hurts and she doesnt want to go with me. Im just grateful she didnt lose the thing in the dolphin tank. I swim all the way out where Keith showed me and saw a good amount of fish. Its nice and relaxing just floating out there by myself.
Its been about an hour and a half since the gift shop and we want to get back to the ship. Neither of us want to spend money on food here. But Keith wants to stay and has just ordered nachos. We tell them that well just take separate cabs back but unfortunately for Keith, Christine wants to go back too. Chuck tries to mediate a solution between the two of them and I have to poke him and mumble for him to stay out of it.
Of course Christine wins and Keith and their kids scarf down their nachos and we pack up. It's a bit uncomfortable for us cheapskates when Steph asks for some of their nachos. Keith shares with her and I feel incredibly guilty.
We walk out of Chankanaab and there are numerous cabs waiting to take cruisers back and we have no problem finding a van to fit all of us. We make it back to the pier area and split from the Boots who want to do some shopping.
We just want to get back to the ship and find food. We make it back on board and order room service. We enjoy relaxing in the room until its time to clean up for dinner.
Up Next: yo ho, yo ho, a pirate night for me
We follow our group to the roped off area which is now our own personal fish tank. We walk down the steps into the water. I had read so many reports about the grate you have to stand on. We stand on it barefoot and have no problems at all. The current is a bit strong and I find myself holding on to the fence behind me so I dont float out beyond the grate. The water is so deep that our weight doesnt really rest on the grate at all, so no feet boo boos for us.
Our trainer introduces us to our dolphins, Mussa and Regina. Here they are courtesy of Christine who acts like shes supposed to be standing there on the dock with her camera:
And heres a close-up:
I cant remember our trainers name so Ill just refer to him as Trainer. Trainer explains how we should put our hands together to get our kiss. You can see that Im a very good student as Im practicing while hes talking:
Its a bit unsettling as were standing there with our hands in position b/c I cant see which person the dolphin is going to. I get a little shock when its my turn as the dolphin is suddenly RIGHT THERE in front of me. I kiss her and then forget to turn toward the photographer. Apparently they call my name a few times and it finally dawns on me to look over. Heres my dolphin kiss:
Trainer instructs me to swim out for my hug. I swim out and turn around to face the other swimmers as well as the photographer on the dock. Trainer says to put my arms out with my palms up. Again, before I know it, the dolphin swims right up and is in my arms. Theyre quiet and hard to see so they constantly take me by surprise. I smile for my picture and then Trainer says to prepare for the foot push. Before I swim away, I look at Keith and confirm that thats the belly one. My brain is not working and I cant remember any of the instructions!!
I swim out to the middle of the tank and get ready. Im supposed to float on my belly with my feet pointing down toward the bottom of the water. Its really freaky floating in the middle of the water knowing that 2 dolphins are suddenly going to push you as hard as they can. Im floating there trying my best to see the dolphins swimming past me. I dont see them at all. Out of nowhere, I feel their pressure on my feet and Im suddenly flying through the air like Superman. I yell a WOOO like Im on a rollercoaster what a feeling!! I fly all the way to the end of the tank where Mussa and Regina let me go and I fall into the water like from a diving board.
All I can say is AWESOME!! That right there was worth all the money I paid for the royal swim. That was one of the coolest things Ive ever done in my whole life! Unfortunately Christines battery died right before my foot push so she was changing them while I was flying through the air. So I dont have a picture of my Superman impression to show you. But its just as well b/c I dont love the thought of posting a picture of myself in a bathing suit on the internet!!
After me, Trainer calls for Stephanie. She gets her kiss and swims out for her hug. Heres my baby girl at one of the happiest moments of her life:
Trainer tells Stephanie to prepare for the dorsal pull. He reminds her to stand straight in the water with her hands out to her sides like a T. When she feels their fins, she is to grab hold of them. Im so glad Trainer is reviewing the instructions b/c many of us are having trouble remembering the details from the instruction video. I admit to being nervous watching my daughter out there all by herself. I now understand why 8 is the minimum age for this swim.
Mussa and Regina swim by and Steph successfully grabs their fins and gets a nice ride through the tank. Its like tubing without the boat. The dolphins are really fast! Heres Steph during her dorsal pull:
The current in the water is pretty strong and we are all holding the fence when its not our turn. When Trainer calls for Alyssas kiss, he instructs Keith to hold her life vest so she doesnt float away:
Alyssa swims out for her hug and Trainer says prepare for foot push. Alyssa does great and Christine gets the greatest picture of Alyssa coming out of the water:
Keith and the other swimmers get their turns. The last guy called is a bit weird as he keeps kissing the dolphin over and over. The photographer is yelling for him to look over but he wont put his cheek to her mouth. He just keeps kissing the dolphin again and again and again. I didnt know whether to laugh or tell him to get a room. Trainer gets him to stop eventually and we get to move on with the program.
Everyone has had their first turn and Trainer starts calling people out to do their remaining ride. I get called for my dorsal pull. This is it my last turn. I remember the T and wait for Mussa and Regina. I feel their fins against my palms and close my hands around them and get my ride. Its basically a ride full of water in your face. Fun but nothing like the foot push! Heres my water-in-the-face ride:
When its Stephanies turn for the foot push, she doesnt get very high into the air and winds up falling on top of the dolphins!! Trainer has her go back and try again and instructs her not to bend her knees. He didnt tell anyone else that, I guess we all just kept our legs straight instinctively. Heres Stephanies flying through the air:
Heres a picture of Keith doing his dorsal pull. You can see just how much water gets thrown in your face:
While everyone is standing at the grate, Trainer tells us to stand at the end of the grate with our arms out and our palms down. Its pretty hard to keep our balance but before we know it, the dolphins are swimming right under our hands and we get to pet them. Its amazing how fast and quiet they swim, even right in front of us! Their skin doesnt feel rubbery, it feels more like smooth plastic.
Everyone has had both rides except for the blond girl. She refuses to do the foot push. Shes freaked out by how high you go and how you get dumped into the water at the end. Her boyfriend tries to talk her into it but she wont budge. I seriously consider asking if I can have her turn but I dont because I dont want to seem tacky. What a waste!!
I think the program is over at this point so Im pleasantly surprised when Trainer tells everyone to swim out and line up in the middle of the tank. He instructs us to put our hand straight up in the air. This signals the dolphins to come straight up out of the water:
Again Trainer tells us to pet the dolphins. We got so many swim-by pettings, we just kept doing it over and over. Trainer gets cute and tells us to move our hands in the water. Mussa and Regina splash us back:
Trainer tells us to put our arms up in the air and spin around in the water. Before we know it, Mussa and Regina are copying the spin right in front of us:
Then Trainer gives the dolphins a command and they swim around the tank at full speed and suddenly jump way out of the water and dive back in. WOW!! I didnt realize we would get a performance like this. Its unbelievably cool. Its like being in the tank at a Sea World show!
We get a few more swim-by pettings. On the second to last swim-by, one of the dolphins jams my thumb. I thought I had imagined it but Steph noticed and said the dolphin came at my hand. It hurt for a few minutes but then went away. I really dont know why that happened. But it doesnt stop me from putting my hands out for the last swim-by.
Its time to say goodbye to our dolphins. Here they are saying goodbye:
We leave our tank and follow the group back to the front. Chuck and the boys are still on the bench, looking incredibly hot. They come with us to return the life vests and see the video. We get seated in another room with benches and someone comes in to check the spelling on our names. It only takes a few minutes and we relive the whole royal swim on the TV in front of us. Im back from laa-laa land and the whole time Im wondering just how much this video costs.
After the video, we are instructed to go to the gift shop (naturally) to view our photographs. The magic ends here as the photos and video are insanely expensive and Chuck, having sat in the heat with 3 boys, wants to get back to the beach. There are tons of pictures and the girl quotes us $120 for all pictures plus the video. The video itself is $50 and the individual pictures are $15 or $20. Chuck just laughs at her. Not good Im now feeling very discouraged. Christine starts going through the shots she has but its hard to tell how good they are. Its very crowded, Stephanie wants everything in the store, the boys are starting to wander off we need to get out of here!!
Chuck tries to haggle over the pictures but they wont budge. It doesnt seem like theyre allowed to do that. I decide to buy one picture of Stephanies hug b/c its straight on and Christines is a profile. I forego the picture of myself doing the foot push (the bathing suit thing again). The Boots buy the DVD and some pictures and we get out of there.
We make it out of the gift shop unscathed (barely) and walk back to our stuff on the beach. The kids munch on the cereal I had packed from Topsiders. The granola is suddenly very popular. We buy some soda and do some more swimming/snorkeling. Kevin still refuses to go into the water with the pish. Ive tortured him enough for one day so I forego dunking him again. Christine finds some native creatures:
And another creature:
I get the snorkel gear on and go out without kids. Stephs tooth still hurts and she doesnt want to go with me. Im just grateful she didnt lose the thing in the dolphin tank. I swim all the way out where Keith showed me and saw a good amount of fish. Its nice and relaxing just floating out there by myself.
Its been about an hour and a half since the gift shop and we want to get back to the ship. Neither of us want to spend money on food here. But Keith wants to stay and has just ordered nachos. We tell them that well just take separate cabs back but unfortunately for Keith, Christine wants to go back too. Chuck tries to mediate a solution between the two of them and I have to poke him and mumble for him to stay out of it.
Of course Christine wins and Keith and their kids scarf down their nachos and we pack up. It's a bit uncomfortable for us cheapskates when Steph asks for some of their nachos. Keith shares with her and I feel incredibly guilty.
We walk out of Chankanaab and there are numerous cabs waiting to take cruisers back and we have no problem finding a van to fit all of us. We make it back to the pier area and split from the Boots who want to do some shopping.
We just want to get back to the ship and find food. We make it back on board and order room service. We enjoy relaxing in the room until its time to clean up for dinner.
Up Next: yo ho, yo ho, a pirate night for me
love2travel
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2005
- Messages
- 1,210
Linda, those pictures are incredible. What kind of camera do you have?
It looks like you guys had a great time!
It looks like you guys had a great time!
mruhaak
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2005
- Messages
- 2,539
Your dolphin photos are great!
That last one of Kevin is adorable. I'd get that one framed if I were you!
We didn't do the dolphin swim at Chanakaab, but you make me wish I had. I just laid on the beach, drank margaritas and had a GOOD time. (No kids that trip!)
That last one of Kevin is adorable. I'd get that one framed if I were you!
We didn't do the dolphin swim at Chanakaab, but you make me wish I had. I just laid on the beach, drank margaritas and had a GOOD time. (No kids that trip!)
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