monkeydawn
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I am so glad you are in a better place and able to continue your trippie!
The One with 10 days at sea, a westbound Panama Canal during covid-19 trip report
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otten
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In honour of the 3 rd anniversary of this trip, I am going to be posting the rest of this report on the
days of the original report.
Day 2 – March 7th
Day at Sea
Disneybound Theme: Princess and the Frog
March 7th was the first of the sea days. The day got off to a slightly rocky start when our alarm
didn’t get off and we slept in, making us late for our princess gathering time. (Very in fact, by a
solid 30 minutes). Fortunately, perhaps because there were far fewer kids on this cruise and
possibly because they had more timeslots available for these gatherings but essentially missing
our timeslot didn’t end up being an issue and we were able to do the meet. The princesses were
Ariel, Belle, Tiana and Cinderella.
After the princesses we saw that Vampirina was meeting up on deck 4 so we did that and then
we went up on deck for the ice cream social. This was an unofficial even planned by our cruise
group and it was a lot of fun. People brought all sorts of different ice cream toppings and it was
a great opportunity for kids to meet each other. After the social Avelyn went to Oceaneer’s for
an activity and Isabetta stayed up on the pool deck with Augie and I got to go to champagne
tasting. Before heading to the tasting though I did make sure to get a wrap so I wasn't drinking champagne on a mostly empty stomach.
I was really looking forward to the champagne tasting. It was naturally all booked up by the time
silver day rolled around (I think even before gold actually, so many platinums on this sailing)
which was disappointing but then with frequent checking I was able to get a single spot (which
was fine, Augie’s not a big champagne guy). The tasting, along with all of the tastings, in the
Cadillac lounge. It was hosted by the head sommelier on board. The champagne tasting
exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed it a lot. The information provided was really interesting
and it was a nice range of champagnes. (All champagnes too, not a drop of prosecco etc in
sight). The first champagne was a Taittinger, followed by a Veuve Cliquot, then a Bollinger, a
Pommely rose and a Moet ice. The Pommely and the Moet Ice were my favourites. After the
tasting it was time for some lunch. I headed up to cabanas for my first lunch there of the trip.
While I was at champagne tasting Isabetta had gone to the club for a fancy Nancy activity which
apparently she enjoyed and then she was back to the pool. I met up with her and Augie at the
pool. Avelyn was in the club. Isabetta tried the Mickey slide and loved it which was a bit of a
surprise. The family pool area was really quiet. After some pool time Isabetta and Augie headed to
Oceaneer's for anyone can cook during Open House.
Later on Augie and I went to an animation class at Animator's Palate. We did a lot of these classes and Ani was just awesome. We drew Ariel in this class and our drawings turned out not too bad. I really appreciated being able to do some adult only activities this time and Ani made these classes really fun. The kids stayed in the club from 2 until it was time to get ready for dinner.
Dinner was in Tiana’s. It was formal night so we were doing our Princess and the Frog theme
disneybound. I was Facilier, Augie was Naveen, Isabetta was Tiana and Avelyn was Ray, with a
dress with a light up butt that she thought was hilarious. Tiana and Louis both came out at
dinner. The kids got up and danced with them. The atmosphere in this dining room was really
fun.
After dinner it was the Golden Mickey’s show. We had never seen it so that was fun. It was a
good show although I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to see it again and again. We went to
bed right after the show because we had a pretty early day the next day.
days of the original report.
Day 2 – March 7th
Day at Sea
Disneybound Theme: Princess and the Frog
March 7th was the first of the sea days. The day got off to a slightly rocky start when our alarm
didn’t get off and we slept in, making us late for our princess gathering time. (Very in fact, by a
solid 30 minutes). Fortunately, perhaps because there were far fewer kids on this cruise and
possibly because they had more timeslots available for these gatherings but essentially missing
our timeslot didn’t end up being an issue and we were able to do the meet. The princesses were
Ariel, Belle, Tiana and Cinderella.
After the princesses we saw that Vampirina was meeting up on deck 4 so we did that and then
we went up on deck for the ice cream social. This was an unofficial even planned by our cruise
group and it was a lot of fun. People brought all sorts of different ice cream toppings and it was
a great opportunity for kids to meet each other. After the social Avelyn went to Oceaneer’s for
an activity and Isabetta stayed up on the pool deck with Augie and I got to go to champagne
tasting. Before heading to the tasting though I did make sure to get a wrap so I wasn't drinking champagne on a mostly empty stomach.
I was really looking forward to the champagne tasting. It was naturally all booked up by the time
silver day rolled around (I think even before gold actually, so many platinums on this sailing)
which was disappointing but then with frequent checking I was able to get a single spot (which
was fine, Augie’s not a big champagne guy). The tasting, along with all of the tastings, in the
Cadillac lounge. It was hosted by the head sommelier on board. The champagne tasting
exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed it a lot. The information provided was really interesting
and it was a nice range of champagnes. (All champagnes too, not a drop of prosecco etc in
sight). The first champagne was a Taittinger, followed by a Veuve Cliquot, then a Bollinger, a
Pommely rose and a Moet ice. The Pommely and the Moet Ice were my favourites. After the
tasting it was time for some lunch. I headed up to cabanas for my first lunch there of the trip.
While I was at champagne tasting Isabetta had gone to the club for a fancy Nancy activity which
apparently she enjoyed and then she was back to the pool. I met up with her and Augie at the
pool. Avelyn was in the club. Isabetta tried the Mickey slide and loved it which was a bit of a
surprise. The family pool area was really quiet. After some pool time Isabetta and Augie headed to
Oceaneer's for anyone can cook during Open House.
Later on Augie and I went to an animation class at Animator's Palate. We did a lot of these classes and Ani was just awesome. We drew Ariel in this class and our drawings turned out not too bad. I really appreciated being able to do some adult only activities this time and Ani made these classes really fun. The kids stayed in the club from 2 until it was time to get ready for dinner.
Dinner was in Tiana’s. It was formal night so we were doing our Princess and the Frog theme
disneybound. I was Facilier, Augie was Naveen, Isabetta was Tiana and Avelyn was Ray, with a
dress with a light up butt that she thought was hilarious. Tiana and Louis both came out at
dinner. The kids got up and danced with them. The atmosphere in this dining room was really
fun.
After dinner it was the Golden Mickey’s show. We had never seen it so that was fun. It was a
good show although I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to see it again and again. We went to
bed right after the show because we had a pretty early day the next day.
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Day 3 - March 8th Cozumel
Outfit Theme: Little Mermaid
The big thing that Avelyn really wanted to do this trip was swim with dolphins. We had done a
mini dolphin meet and greet thing on our first cruise because she was too young to do the swim
then and as soon as we said we were going on another cruise she asked if she could swim with
dolphins. This would not have been my first choice of activity and hopefully it’s out of her system
now but as it was her one big request we did it. Since the kids were under 13 an adult needed to
sign up too so both kids and I did the dolphin swim. Augie signed up as an observer. Because
we were in Cozumel on a Sunday it wasn’t possible to book this as a do it yourself excursion.
The various places are only open for cruise groups on Sunday. So we had to book a Disney excursion for this. So we got up and ready and headed to the meeting point to get on the bus.
The bus took us out to dolphinaris and we got into our swim suits and lifejackets before walking
out to where the dolphins were. First we interacted with the dolphins: petting, toughing the nose,
“dancing” etc. Then everyone took turns for the swim. The kids had a good time and it fulfilled
Avelyn’s wish so I guess it was worth it in that sense but yea I hope that can be the last of the
dolphin activities now and that if I am ever in Cozumel again we can do something else.
The activity included lunch so once we were changed we got some lunch. This was really the
first hint that all was not ‘normal’ since at the buffet it wasn’t serve yourself (it still was on board
at this stage). The lunch wasn't great but about what you'd expect and it didn't really matter since we would be heading back to the ship and could eat there.
After lunch we watched the seal show and I somehow was chosen as the one to go up on stage with the seal. I blame the pink and purple hair haha.
A note about the photo package at Dolphinaris. As soon as we were changed and getting our life jackets on the photographers were trying to sell us the photo package. They insisted that we simply had to buy it right then not later or else we wouldn't get a group photo with the dolphins. The prices were ridiculous of course but a lot of the time you feel like you need to pay them because otherwise you have nothing to commemorate the excursion (which is plenty expensive on its own). Since we had someone observing and a camera with a long lens we did not plan to prebuy so that we could see what photos we go before paying for any. Well after the activity was done and we were looking at the photos in the shop, the price they were quoting was half of the one quoted earlier. So unless you really really want a group photo with the dolphins and you're willing to pay about 150 dollars for that one shot, don't pay upfront for photos. At any rate I was pretty pleased with the ones we got with our own camera. Good enough anyway.
We got on a bus back to the port and the girls and I headed back on board while Augie went to a nearby store to get some things we needed. There was a Doc McStuffins activity in the Club that Isabetta wanted to do and an animation one in the Lab that Avelyn wanted to do so both kids headed to Oceaneer's. I figured I would take advantage and check out the Quiet Cove pool but it was packed where as the family pool area was pretty quiet. Quite the reverse of the norm. Augie returned a little closer to all aboard time than I would have liked but really was back with plenty of time (no dock running required at all). The kids joined us at the pool a while later for ice cream.
Dinner that night was in Triton's so we did our Little Mermaid themed outfits. Avelyn was Ursula and leaned in to her village character. Before dinner Stitch was dancing in the atrium to the live music so we joined in on that. We really saw characters everywhere this entire trip and there were a lot of opportunities for impromptu and organic interactions.
The menu this evening included escargots as an appetizer so I did something I rarely do: I ordered two. I could not tell you what I ended up eating as an entree but the escargots were delicious and so was the grand marnier souffle. After dinner instead of the show we watched Frozen II in the Buena Vista theatre. I have to say some of those Frozen II songs would feel really on theme in the coming weeks (Into the Unknown, Next Right Thing etc etc).
Outfit Theme: Little Mermaid
The big thing that Avelyn really wanted to do this trip was swim with dolphins. We had done a
mini dolphin meet and greet thing on our first cruise because she was too young to do the swim
then and as soon as we said we were going on another cruise she asked if she could swim with
dolphins. This would not have been my first choice of activity and hopefully it’s out of her system
now but as it was her one big request we did it. Since the kids were under 13 an adult needed to
sign up too so both kids and I did the dolphin swim. Augie signed up as an observer. Because
we were in Cozumel on a Sunday it wasn’t possible to book this as a do it yourself excursion.
The various places are only open for cruise groups on Sunday. So we had to book a Disney excursion for this. So we got up and ready and headed to the meeting point to get on the bus.
The bus took us out to dolphinaris and we got into our swim suits and lifejackets before walking
out to where the dolphins were. First we interacted with the dolphins: petting, toughing the nose,
“dancing” etc. Then everyone took turns for the swim. The kids had a good time and it fulfilled
Avelyn’s wish so I guess it was worth it in that sense but yea I hope that can be the last of the
dolphin activities now and that if I am ever in Cozumel again we can do something else.
The activity included lunch so once we were changed we got some lunch. This was really the
first hint that all was not ‘normal’ since at the buffet it wasn’t serve yourself (it still was on board
at this stage). The lunch wasn't great but about what you'd expect and it didn't really matter since we would be heading back to the ship and could eat there.
After lunch we watched the seal show and I somehow was chosen as the one to go up on stage with the seal. I blame the pink and purple hair haha.
A note about the photo package at Dolphinaris. As soon as we were changed and getting our life jackets on the photographers were trying to sell us the photo package. They insisted that we simply had to buy it right then not later or else we wouldn't get a group photo with the dolphins. The prices were ridiculous of course but a lot of the time you feel like you need to pay them because otherwise you have nothing to commemorate the excursion (which is plenty expensive on its own). Since we had someone observing and a camera with a long lens we did not plan to prebuy so that we could see what photos we go before paying for any. Well after the activity was done and we were looking at the photos in the shop, the price they were quoting was half of the one quoted earlier. So unless you really really want a group photo with the dolphins and you're willing to pay about 150 dollars for that one shot, don't pay upfront for photos. At any rate I was pretty pleased with the ones we got with our own camera. Good enough anyway.
We got on a bus back to the port and the girls and I headed back on board while Augie went to a nearby store to get some things we needed. There was a Doc McStuffins activity in the Club that Isabetta wanted to do and an animation one in the Lab that Avelyn wanted to do so both kids headed to Oceaneer's. I figured I would take advantage and check out the Quiet Cove pool but it was packed where as the family pool area was pretty quiet. Quite the reverse of the norm. Augie returned a little closer to all aboard time than I would have liked but really was back with plenty of time (no dock running required at all). The kids joined us at the pool a while later for ice cream.
Dinner that night was in Triton's so we did our Little Mermaid themed outfits. Avelyn was Ursula and leaned in to her village character. Before dinner Stitch was dancing in the atrium to the live music so we joined in on that. We really saw characters everywhere this entire trip and there were a lot of opportunities for impromptu and organic interactions.
The menu this evening included escargots as an appetizer so I did something I rarely do: I ordered two. I could not tell you what I ended up eating as an entree but the escargots were delicious and so was the grand marnier souffle. After dinner instead of the show we watched Frozen II in the Buena Vista theatre. I have to say some of those Frozen II songs would feel really on theme in the coming weeks (Into the Unknown, Next Right Thing etc etc).
otten
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March 8th Day 4 Grand Cayman
All ashore time wasn;t until 10:30 and we didn't have any shore excursions so we weren't rushed this morning. Avelyn and Augie slept in but Isabetta and I went to the Oceaneer's open house. She took the time to give me the tour around the club, including her favourite things to do like the slinky dog slide (she loves slinky dog) and then she participated in an Avenger's Academy activity. And then we did the group photo with Mickey and Friends. I'm not sure if this is a thing on every cruise but on our sailing there were a few opportunities to take a photo with Mickey and his crew. The caveat is that you get one shot with your group. You can't have endless arrangements. This really helps the line move faster.
Shortly before al ashore time we gathered the family and lined up for the tenders. On our previous cruise we had had a really pleasant do it yourself beach excursion on Grand Cayman so that had been our plan this time around. The first cruise we had gotten a taxi to a public beach, spent a pleasant day on the sand and surf and then taken a bus back to the port. So that had been our idea this time. It didn't quite work out as well.
We got off the tender and were immediately overwhelmed by smoke. My recollection is that there was a landfill fire nearby? We are fairly used to having wildfire smoke in our area in the summer but this wasn't quite the same. Anyway, we got into a taxi to transport us to a beach but to our disappointment we were transported to a resort beach where you needed to pay for entry. This is not what we had in mind. We ended up walking a little ways from there to a public beach. This was not the greatest start to our day.
Ultimately we did find a bit of public beach although it wasn't quite as nice as the one we remembered and the kids did have a good time playing in the sand and the water. What became clear quite early on was that I, with my ancestral Scottish skin, had not fully anticipated the power of the sun. I am always diligent about sunscreen but even so it really wasn't any match for the sun in Grand Cayman.
After a day on the sun we started to make our way back to the ship. As soon as we left the beach Isabetta became nearly inconsolable. Like she was in intense pain. It was very worrying and we worked quickly to get back on board. Once back on the ship I considered if we should visit the medical centre but after a bath in our room she was doing much better. We have since learned that she potentially has a sun allergy which explains a lot about this and other experiences with heavy sun. At this point, between her reaction and my own sunburn I was legitimately concerned about our day in Cartagena Columbia. Our plans for that day did not include a beach but I had definitely ready that it was very very hot. Obviously my worry was for naught.
Once back on the ship we got Isabetta into a bath and otherwise relaxed until dinner. Dinner was in Animator's Palate and we were Rapunzel themed; I was Pascal, Avelyn was Mother Gothel, Isabetta was Rapunzel and Augie was Flynn. Isabetta did not make it through dinner, no big surprise so I left dinner early with her.
Later in the evening Augie and Avelyn went to see Rise if Skywalker. Augie had specifically not seen it until now in order to watch it on the ship and had somehow managed to avoid spoilers. After her nap Isabetta rallied and insisted that she wanted to go to Pluto's pyjama party so I went to the French Quarter Lounge for some Jazz and contemplated the many layers and long sleeves that Isabetta and I would need to wear in order to survive Cartagena. I also went to Villains Quote trivia where despite m ylove of all things villain, I did very terribly.
I finished the night in the Cadillac Lounge and by the time I returned to my room my two children had taken over my bed and I was relegated to the pullout.
All ashore time wasn;t until 10:30 and we didn't have any shore excursions so we weren't rushed this morning. Avelyn and Augie slept in but Isabetta and I went to the Oceaneer's open house. She took the time to give me the tour around the club, including her favourite things to do like the slinky dog slide (she loves slinky dog) and then she participated in an Avenger's Academy activity. And then we did the group photo with Mickey and Friends. I'm not sure if this is a thing on every cruise but on our sailing there were a few opportunities to take a photo with Mickey and his crew. The caveat is that you get one shot with your group. You can't have endless arrangements. This really helps the line move faster.
Shortly before al ashore time we gathered the family and lined up for the tenders. On our previous cruise we had had a really pleasant do it yourself beach excursion on Grand Cayman so that had been our plan this time around. The first cruise we had gotten a taxi to a public beach, spent a pleasant day on the sand and surf and then taken a bus back to the port. So that had been our idea this time. It didn't quite work out as well.
We got off the tender and were immediately overwhelmed by smoke. My recollection is that there was a landfill fire nearby? We are fairly used to having wildfire smoke in our area in the summer but this wasn't quite the same. Anyway, we got into a taxi to transport us to a beach but to our disappointment we were transported to a resort beach where you needed to pay for entry. This is not what we had in mind. We ended up walking a little ways from there to a public beach. This was not the greatest start to our day.
Ultimately we did find a bit of public beach although it wasn't quite as nice as the one we remembered and the kids did have a good time playing in the sand and the water. What became clear quite early on was that I, with my ancestral Scottish skin, had not fully anticipated the power of the sun. I am always diligent about sunscreen but even so it really wasn't any match for the sun in Grand Cayman.
After a day on the sun we started to make our way back to the ship. As soon as we left the beach Isabetta became nearly inconsolable. Like she was in intense pain. It was very worrying and we worked quickly to get back on board. Once back on the ship I considered if we should visit the medical centre but after a bath in our room she was doing much better. We have since learned that she potentially has a sun allergy which explains a lot about this and other experiences with heavy sun. At this point, between her reaction and my own sunburn I was legitimately concerned about our day in Cartagena Columbia. Our plans for that day did not include a beach but I had definitely ready that it was very very hot. Obviously my worry was for naught.
Once back on the ship we got Isabetta into a bath and otherwise relaxed until dinner. Dinner was in Animator's Palate and we were Rapunzel themed; I was Pascal, Avelyn was Mother Gothel, Isabetta was Rapunzel and Augie was Flynn. Isabetta did not make it through dinner, no big surprise so I left dinner early with her.
Later in the evening Augie and Avelyn went to see Rise if Skywalker. Augie had specifically not seen it until now in order to watch it on the ship and had somehow managed to avoid spoilers. After her nap Isabetta rallied and insisted that she wanted to go to Pluto's pyjama party so I went to the French Quarter Lounge for some Jazz and contemplated the many layers and long sleeves that Isabetta and I would need to wear in order to survive Cartagena. I also went to Villains Quote trivia where despite m ylove of all things villain, I did very terribly.
I finished the night in the Cadillac Lounge and by the time I returned to my room my two children had taken over my bed and I was relegated to the pullout.
Thanks for coming back and finishing this. We were on this cruise with you and just returned to the Wonder on February 6 for our first cruise since this one. Happy to enjoy reliving memories.
Flossbolna
Sea days are just so relaxing!
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I had sun allergy issues as a kid. So unpleasant. Luckily I grew out of it. But still need to be really careful in the sun about burning.
Sorry that you ended up at the wrong beach!
Sorry that you ended up at the wrong beach!
otten
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That’s good to hear that you grew out it. It has seemed less severe in the last year or so. I been to be careful in the sun too. My ancestry is primarily Scottish and Irish and some times I think I could sunburn indoors.
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I'm a bit off schedule of the days due to a busy weekend but I should catch up today.
Day 5 March 10th
Incredibles
Also known as the day it started to get weird
To start the day off we met Doc McStuffins. The kids brought their stuffies so Doc could do their check ups. A few years earlier we went to Disneyland and Isabetta had a stuffy with her so Doc did a check up. Avelyn was very mad that hadn't been allowed to bring her stuffy. The thing is though Avelyn has had these two stuffies since my baby shower (you can probably tell how old they are lol) and even now she is very attached to them. I joke that they are like the royals and shouldn't travel together lest one get lost. So obviously we've never let her bring them into a theme park. On the cruise where they can go back to the room right away is safer. So Puppy and Bear got their check ups.
After Doc we had the Frozen Gathering with Anna and Elsa. We also had Kristoff and Olaf. It's not every day that you get them all together like that so that's always fun. After the meet Isabetta wanted to do the spider man activity in Oceaneer's. She gave me a tour of the club and talked about all the things she liked to do there, including the Slinky Dog slide. I don't think she would have enjoyed the club half as much this trip if it hadn't had so few kids. The low numbers allowed her to enjoy the club without feeling crowded or like she was always waiting in line.
After the open house I went to Anyone Can Cook. On these longer ‘special’ sailings, they often bring
on special guests for activities. On this cruise they had executive chef Mike from Disney Resorts
to do the originally scheduled anyone can cooks. The was my first one of these and I really
enjoyed it. The recipe today was savannah crab chowder and it was delicious. It was during
anyone can cook that I started to hear murmurings that the ship had turned around in the night
but we didn’t have any further details at that time.
After Anyone can Cook it was time for a more fulsome meal so we went to Tritons for lunch.
After lunch it was time for BBB! We brought our own dresses and both girls chose the coloured
extensions hairstyle. Personally I like this one a lot more than the classic BBB bun. The flower
headband is a nice addition. While we were at BBB was when we got the announcement. Due
to a medical emergency the night before, the ship had needed to turn back to Grand Cayman to
evacuate a passenger. Due to the turnaround we would arrive in Cartagena too late to do our
planned port day there. I won’t lie, this was disappointing. I know Cartagena isn’t known for
being an amazing port stop but this was our port stop in South America and it’s maybe a bit silly
but I wanted to add south America to the continents I have visited. However as the Captain said,
the most important thing was the health of that passenger.
Midday was the Pixar Play dance party where a lot of Pixar character dance in the Atrium. There were a lot of characters that don't appear at any other time.
Since we weren't going to do our excursion in Cartagena I caved and bought the girls the Frozen 2 dresses that were eyeing in the gift shop. I will say that the Anna dress is one of the best Disney costumes I've seen. We spent the early afternoon doing character meets such as Joy and then we also did some towel folding.
Next up was the Royal Tea. This is very similar to the Perfectly Princess Tea at the Grand Floridian (though I would give the edge to the latter if it ever restarts). We had tea (Isabetta had apple juice) and treats and some one on one
time with each princess. The girls each got an autograph book, a charm bracelet and a
Cinderella doll.
Dinner was back in Tiana’s and we did Frozen theme for disneybounds. The girls wore their
new Frozen dresses that I had purchased that day. After dinner we got some photos with the incredibles and then the girls went back into the club for some activity and Augie and I went to the Cadillac lounge.
Day 5 March 10th
Incredibles
Also known as the day it started to get weird
To start the day off we met Doc McStuffins. The kids brought their stuffies so Doc could do their check ups. A few years earlier we went to Disneyland and Isabetta had a stuffy with her so Doc did a check up. Avelyn was very mad that hadn't been allowed to bring her stuffy. The thing is though Avelyn has had these two stuffies since my baby shower (you can probably tell how old they are lol) and even now she is very attached to them. I joke that they are like the royals and shouldn't travel together lest one get lost. So obviously we've never let her bring them into a theme park. On the cruise where they can go back to the room right away is safer. So Puppy and Bear got their check ups.
After Doc we had the Frozen Gathering with Anna and Elsa. We also had Kristoff and Olaf. It's not every day that you get them all together like that so that's always fun. After the meet Isabetta wanted to do the spider man activity in Oceaneer's. She gave me a tour of the club and talked about all the things she liked to do there, including the Slinky Dog slide. I don't think she would have enjoyed the club half as much this trip if it hadn't had so few kids. The low numbers allowed her to enjoy the club without feeling crowded or like she was always waiting in line.
After the open house I went to Anyone Can Cook. On these longer ‘special’ sailings, they often bring
on special guests for activities. On this cruise they had executive chef Mike from Disney Resorts
to do the originally scheduled anyone can cooks. The was my first one of these and I really
enjoyed it. The recipe today was savannah crab chowder and it was delicious. It was during
anyone can cook that I started to hear murmurings that the ship had turned around in the night
but we didn’t have any further details at that time.
After Anyone can Cook it was time for a more fulsome meal so we went to Tritons for lunch.
After lunch it was time for BBB! We brought our own dresses and both girls chose the coloured
extensions hairstyle. Personally I like this one a lot more than the classic BBB bun. The flower
headband is a nice addition. While we were at BBB was when we got the announcement. Due
to a medical emergency the night before, the ship had needed to turn back to Grand Cayman to
evacuate a passenger. Due to the turnaround we would arrive in Cartagena too late to do our
planned port day there. I won’t lie, this was disappointing. I know Cartagena isn’t known for
being an amazing port stop but this was our port stop in South America and it’s maybe a bit silly
but I wanted to add south America to the continents I have visited. However as the Captain said,
the most important thing was the health of that passenger.
Midday was the Pixar Play dance party where a lot of Pixar character dance in the Atrium. There were a lot of characters that don't appear at any other time.
Since we weren't going to do our excursion in Cartagena I caved and bought the girls the Frozen 2 dresses that were eyeing in the gift shop. I will say that the Anna dress is one of the best Disney costumes I've seen. We spent the early afternoon doing character meets such as Joy and then we also did some towel folding.
Next up was the Royal Tea. This is very similar to the Perfectly Princess Tea at the Grand Floridian (though I would give the edge to the latter if it ever restarts). We had tea (Isabetta had apple juice) and treats and some one on one
time with each princess. The girls each got an autograph book, a charm bracelet and a
Cinderella doll.
Dinner was back in Tiana’s and we did Frozen theme for disneybounds. The girls wore their
new Frozen dresses that I had purchased that day. After dinner we got some photos with the incredibles and then the girls went back into the club for some activity and Augie and I went to the Cadillac lounge.
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otten
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2015
- Messages
- 1,599
Day 6 March 11 Cartagena or well... not
Outfit Theme: Frozen
This was the first of the three unplanned sea days. In the morning Isabetta and I went to Wake Up with Disney Jr in the D lounge.
I attended another Anyone can cook, this one with a chef from the ship since it was not one of the originally scheduled ones. You have to be impressed with how flexible the entertainment staff were. These PC cruises are already a lot
of work for the entertainment staff since there are so many sea days just on a normal sailing and they kept needing to come up with more things to keep us all happy with all the time on board. The dish was an avocado tuna tower and it was delicious.
After anyone can cook I went up on deck to take some pictures of Cartagena. What I didn’t
realize at the time was that it wasn’t actually normal that we were anchored away from the port.
It was indeed a sign of other things afoot. I had never been to Cartagena so I didn’t twig at the
time that there was anything odd going on. And then I noticed that we seemed to be staying in
Cartagena longer than the technical stop that we’d been told about but again I wasn’t really
twigging to anything else going on.
We did some more character meets throughout the day including Mickey and Minnie and spent quite a bit of time at the pool.
During the day we learned that the covid situation had been officially declared a pandemic and
that Columbia had closed their borders. As a result the entertainers who were onboard for the
first half of the trip were not able to disembark as planned and the new entertainers were not
allowed to board. Planned crew changeovers didn’t happen either. This began the many
changes to the evening entertainment options. The first thing that they did was since the
scheduled nightime show couldn’t happen, the moved Frozen to tonight. This was a bit of an
issue for us since we had Palo dinner booked and definitely did not want to miss that so we
went to guest services to get that changed to later in the week.
As a sign of how weird things were, they started putting paper navigators in our rooms again. Earlier in the trip we’d had to get them from guest services. Obviously with all the changes they felt putting them in the rooms
was a good idea. One thing that I have thought ever since is how much worse the situation might have been if we had all been wandering around Cartagena when the pandemic was declared, as opposed to being on the ship, since it was the medical emergency, not the pandemic that had caused us to miss the Cartagena port stop.
So tonight was the Frozen show and it was really good despite the fact that they had moved the night at the last minute.
Outfit Theme: Frozen
This was the first of the three unplanned sea days. In the morning Isabetta and I went to Wake Up with Disney Jr in the D lounge.
I attended another Anyone can cook, this one with a chef from the ship since it was not one of the originally scheduled ones. You have to be impressed with how flexible the entertainment staff were. These PC cruises are already a lotof work for the entertainment staff since there are so many sea days just on a normal sailing and they kept needing to come up with more things to keep us all happy with all the time on board. The dish was an avocado tuna tower and it was delicious.
After anyone can cook I went up on deck to take some pictures of Cartagena. What I didn’t
realize at the time was that it wasn’t actually normal that we were anchored away from the port.
It was indeed a sign of other things afoot. I had never been to Cartagena so I didn’t twig at the
time that there was anything odd going on. And then I noticed that we seemed to be staying in
Cartagena longer than the technical stop that we’d been told about but again I wasn’t really
twigging to anything else going on.
We did some more character meets throughout the day including Mickey and Minnie and spent quite a bit of time at the pool.
During the day we learned that the covid situation had been officially declared a pandemic and
that Columbia had closed their borders. As a result the entertainers who were onboard for the
first half of the trip were not able to disembark as planned and the new entertainers were not
allowed to board. Planned crew changeovers didn’t happen either. This began the many
changes to the evening entertainment options. The first thing that they did was since the
scheduled nightime show couldn’t happen, the moved Frozen to tonight. This was a bit of an
issue for us since we had Palo dinner booked and definitely did not want to miss that so we
went to guest services to get that changed to later in the week.
As a sign of how weird things were, they started putting paper navigators in our rooms again. Earlier in the trip we’d had to get them from guest services. Obviously with all the changes they felt putting them in the roomswas a good idea. One thing that I have thought ever since is how much worse the situation might have been if we had all been wandering around Cartagena when the pandemic was declared, as opposed to being on the ship, since it was the medical emergency, not the pandemic that had caused us to miss the Cartagena port stop.
So tonight was the Frozen show and it was really good despite the fact that they had moved the night at the last minute.
otten
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2015
- Messages
- 1,599
Day 7 March 12 Panama Canal Day
Theme: Winnie the Pooh and Friends
I was the only one in the family who wanted a front row seat to the Panama canal entry so I
woke up very early and went up on deck. This was absolutely worth it because besides having a
front and centre view for the first locks, the approach towards the locks was also pretty. With
what came after though I will never not think of the crowd of people who were all gathered close
together on deck that morning and hope that everyone is okay. It seems impossible now to think
that there wasn’t some covid spread going on then with all of us so close together.
Anyway, up on deck we also started hearing about things going on ‘out there’ such as rumors,
confirmed later that day, that Disney was going to close. This wasn’t really surprising at this
point but it was disappointing since we were supposed to go up to Disneyland after the ship
docked in San Diego. It also created some uncertainty around our travel plans since our flights
home were currently booked from LAX 5 days after the end of the cruise and at present we
didn’t have any access to data for rebooking. I stayed up on deck 10 while we went through the
first lock and then I left to find breakfast. I got a beignet and a coffee in the French Quarter
lounge.
At a more civilized time of the morning the rest of the family came up on deck and found a spot
to watch the passage through the locks. Isabetta was not particularly interested, being 5 and all
but Avelyn had been learning about water displacement in school so she found it a little more
interesting. Even so, the locks were not going to hold their attention for very long. We got our
passports stamp by the Panamian authorities who were on board. Since I now have a stamp in
my passport from south America I’m going to count it as a continent visited haha even though I
did not get to stand on South American soil.
In the afternoon we did the Swim through the Panama Canal activity. You swim across the pool
and get a certificate or “swimming through the canal.” It is silly and cheesy and exactly the sort
of thing I like. This might have been the one time I went in the pool? We spent a good chunk of
the day by the pool, visiting characters, taking advantage of photo ops and enjoying the view.
The area between the two sets of locks, Gatun lake is very scenic. It reminded me quite a bit of
the scenery between the mainland of BC and Vancouver Island except a whole lot warmer. It
was very hot that day and I reapplied sunscreen regularly.
We spent most of the day going being the pool and various meet and greets. Including Suzy and Prla, for which I changed into my Lady Tremaine outfit.
Dinner was in Tritons. It was the Panama Canal menu which included shrimp and lobster as an
option. I am never one to turn down lobster. Then it was early to bed for me because I had been awake since 5.
Theme: Winnie the Pooh and Friends
I was the only one in the family who wanted a front row seat to the Panama canal entry so I
woke up very early and went up on deck. This was absolutely worth it because besides having a
front and centre view for the first locks, the approach towards the locks was also pretty. With
what came after though I will never not think of the crowd of people who were all gathered close
together on deck that morning and hope that everyone is okay. It seems impossible now to think
that there wasn’t some covid spread going on then with all of us so close together.
Anyway, up on deck we also started hearing about things going on ‘out there’ such as rumors,
confirmed later that day, that Disney was going to close. This wasn’t really surprising at this
point but it was disappointing since we were supposed to go up to Disneyland after the ship
docked in San Diego. It also created some uncertainty around our travel plans since our flights
home were currently booked from LAX 5 days after the end of the cruise and at present we
didn’t have any access to data for rebooking. I stayed up on deck 10 while we went through the
first lock and then I left to find breakfast. I got a beignet and a coffee in the French Quarter
lounge.
At a more civilized time of the morning the rest of the family came up on deck and found a spot
to watch the passage through the locks. Isabetta was not particularly interested, being 5 and all
but Avelyn had been learning about water displacement in school so she found it a little more
interesting. Even so, the locks were not going to hold their attention for very long. We got our
passports stamp by the Panamian authorities who were on board. Since I now have a stamp in
my passport from south America I’m going to count it as a continent visited haha even though I
did not get to stand on South American soil.
In the afternoon we did the Swim through the Panama Canal activity. You swim across the pool
and get a certificate or “swimming through the canal.” It is silly and cheesy and exactly the sort
of thing I like. This might have been the one time I went in the pool? We spent a good chunk of
the day by the pool, visiting characters, taking advantage of photo ops and enjoying the view.
The area between the two sets of locks, Gatun lake is very scenic. It reminded me quite a bit of
the scenery between the mainland of BC and Vancouver Island except a whole lot warmer. It
was very hot that day and I reapplied sunscreen regularly.
We spent most of the day going being the pool and various meet and greets. Including Suzy and Prla, for which I changed into my Lady Tremaine outfit.
Dinner was in Tritons. It was the Panama Canal menu which included shrimp and lobster as an
option. I am never one to turn down lobster. Then it was early to bed for me because I had been awake since 5.
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otten
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2015
- Messages
- 1,599
Day 8 - March 13 Day at Sea (Planned)
Outfit Theme: Star Wars
This was a planned day at sea. The mood on board was definitely changing. A lot more people
were watching the news for regular updates and while most people reported feeling very safe on
board, the carefree, relaxed vacation mode was disappearing. The outside world was
encroaching more and more. With reports of other ships in quarantine, school closures and other updates we were all starting to feel a little more tense. It was announced that DCL was pausing operations until the end of the month. We started hearing the phrase "out of an abundance of caution" a lot. We were starting to get more of the Captain's announcements coming into the staterooms and I won't lie I was starting to wonder each time I heard that chime in the stateroom I wondered if that would be the moment that they announced cases on board and a ship wide quarantine.
We had a late morning since why not and then had breakfast at Triton's for the first time of the trip. Then we visited Thor. The Girls then spent some time in the club and the lab doing Anyone Can Cook, Gasses in Action and a few other activities.
I was able to get a last minute wine tasting that morning. This was perhaps one of my favourite
wine tasting experiences I’ve done anywhere. The sommelier really tried to teach about tasting
wine and the different things to pay attention to when you’re tasting. It was very informative. And I enjoyed it a lot. It was the one tasting I wanted that I hadn't been able to prebook so I was very excited to get a spot. We also did another Anyone Can Cook, this time with Chef Mike again and it was Savannah crab biscuits. Doing up this report is making me think I need to pull out my recipe cards and make some of these things.
We spent a lot of time at the pool, ate lunch in Cabanas and then we did another Animation Class. This time was Cinderella which I don't think we did as well as Ariel but that's not the point right.
Dinner in the dining room was the Frozen menu. The kids had dinner but Augie and I stuck with
appetizers because our rescheduled Palo dinner was that night. After dropping the kids off at the club and before going to Palo we went to the Captain's reception where we got to thank Captain Henry for all the work is was doing keeping us safe and also informed.
Palo dinner was great. While our 10th anniversary was not until May we used this dinner as a celebration for it. Good thing since we certainly were not able to go out to eat in a fancy restaurant by the time our actual
anniversary rolled around. This was our first time eating dinner at Palo and I think I enjoyed it more than brunch, though it was sad that we missed other things going on that evening. It certainly seems easier to fit brunch around other activities.
We didn't get to see the show because we were at Palo but it was a one night only show put together by the Disney Cruise Line Theatre Cast. It's too bad because I would have liked to have seen that. It was called And the Award Goes To.
It was supposed to be the Coast to Coast campout night which is a special thing on these crossings where the kids get to sleep over in the club. They changed it to be until 2am which is not quite the same, especially for all of us parents who had to make sure to wake up at 2am for pick. They still had a good time though.
Outfit Theme: Star Wars
This was a planned day at sea. The mood on board was definitely changing. A lot more people
were watching the news for regular updates and while most people reported feeling very safe on
board, the carefree, relaxed vacation mode was disappearing. The outside world was
encroaching more and more. With reports of other ships in quarantine, school closures and other updates we were all starting to feel a little more tense. It was announced that DCL was pausing operations until the end of the month. We started hearing the phrase "out of an abundance of caution" a lot. We were starting to get more of the Captain's announcements coming into the staterooms and I won't lie I was starting to wonder each time I heard that chime in the stateroom I wondered if that would be the moment that they announced cases on board and a ship wide quarantine.
We had a late morning since why not and then had breakfast at Triton's for the first time of the trip. Then we visited Thor. The Girls then spent some time in the club and the lab doing Anyone Can Cook, Gasses in Action and a few other activities.
I was able to get a last minute wine tasting that morning. This was perhaps one of my favourite
wine tasting experiences I’ve done anywhere. The sommelier really tried to teach about tasting
wine and the different things to pay attention to when you’re tasting. It was very informative. And I enjoyed it a lot. It was the one tasting I wanted that I hadn't been able to prebook so I was very excited to get a spot. We also did another Anyone Can Cook, this time with Chef Mike again and it was Savannah crab biscuits. Doing up this report is making me think I need to pull out my recipe cards and make some of these things.
We spent a lot of time at the pool, ate lunch in Cabanas and then we did another Animation Class. This time was Cinderella which I don't think we did as well as Ariel but that's not the point right.
Dinner in the dining room was the Frozen menu. The kids had dinner but Augie and I stuck with
appetizers because our rescheduled Palo dinner was that night. After dropping the kids off at the club and before going to Palo we went to the Captain's reception where we got to thank Captain Henry for all the work is was doing keeping us safe and also informed.
Palo dinner was great. While our 10th anniversary was not until May we used this dinner as a celebration for it. Good thing since we certainly were not able to go out to eat in a fancy restaurant by the time our actualanniversary rolled around. This was our first time eating dinner at Palo and I think I enjoyed it more than brunch, though it was sad that we missed other things going on that evening. It certainly seems easier to fit brunch around other activities.
We didn't get to see the show because we were at Palo but it was a one night only show put together by the Disney Cruise Line Theatre Cast. It's too bad because I would have liked to have seen that. It was called And the Award Goes To.
It was supposed to be the Coast to Coast campout night which is a special thing on these crossings where the kids get to sleep over in the club. They changed it to be until 2am which is not quite the same, especially for all of us parents who had to make sure to wake up at 2am for pick. They still had a good time though.
cruisenews411
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2022
- Messages
- 68
It’s been fascinating hearing a first hand account of what it was like to be on a ship during this time. Thanks for sharing.
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