The Twelve Days of Swinter: From Castaway 'Key' to a Partridge in a Palm Tree!

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

I didn't realize there was a snorkeling trail at Castaway Cay! That sounds really awesome! Dh and I love snorkeling, so I'm sure we'd have a blast. Oh the reasons to take a Disney cruise keep mounting, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold out!

Awesome that the weather held out! I'd be bummed if it rained on you guys!

I feel for you. I remember the feeling of succombing to the DCL temptation! You might as well go ahead and wave the white flag... you can't beat it!

The snorkeling trail is awesome! There are actually two of them. One is longer than the other, but both are very long! We couldn't even finish the shorter one. I think when DD gets older though we will be able to do it. I really wanted to find some of the hidden treasures in the water. I'm looking forward to going back so I can try again! If you guys already enjoy snorkeling, I think you would love it on CC. I felt really safe with the lifeguards stationed all along the trail and knowing there was a shark fence.

Love the pictures. Can't wait to go back on a cruise.

Thanks!

You had me laughing out loud with the flippers/drunk penguins episode! That is something we would do too! And those kinds of things make the best memories.

I'm thrilled to hear there wasn't one drop of rain!!!

I'm glad my ignorance could give you a chuckle! It was pretty funny though! I'm sure the folks on shore got quite a laugh too. And you're right, those are the best memories!

We were so thankful for NO RAIN!! Rain and the beach just don't mix.

 

[petals]

Love your underwater pics.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I'm telling you, CC is worth the cost of the cruise alone! It is tropical perfection.

I know, we were very fortunate to have such good weather considering the forecast we had.

I think you fogot to answer my question earlier about where did you decide on going since you canceled the cruise. Or maybe you are keeping it a secret for a PTR??? If it's not a secret though... inquiring minds want to know!

We haven't officially decided on anything yet. We are doing WDW in May. The cruise would have been spring 2013. It may end up being CA and DL and some sites out there in summer 2013. Unless I can find some decent airfare to Hawaii!!!

DS12 was never on-board with the whole cruise thing and now after that cruise ship accident near Italy he is terrified. So I guess my cruising dream will just have to live thru you for now.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Love your underwater pics.

Thanks! I have more to come.

We haven't officially decided on anything yet. We are doing WDW in May. The cruise would have been spring 2013. It may end up being CA and DL and some sites out there in summer 2013. Unless I can find some decent airfare to Hawaii!!!

DS12 was never on-board with the whole cruise thing and now after that cruise ship accident near Italy he is terrified. So I guess my cruising dream will just have to live thru you for now.

Really? I thought your older son was your thrill junkie, afraid of nothing? I would've expected you to have said that about your younger son. And I know this won't help him a bit since he doesn't know me from Adam, but I felt really safe on DCL. Maybe it was a false sense of security because of the pixie dust on everything Disney, but I did feel safe. And that is saying a lot coming from me... chicken to beat all chickens! But I do understand. It is quite intimidating knowing that you are out there in that enormous ocean with no land in sight. I get it. I really do. And to be honest, I've tried not to watch too much of the Italy cruise news because I know it will freak me out and I'll get too afraid to sail again. The thought of those people being trapped in that ship and drowning is so horrible. But, I just keep telling myself that it wasn't a Disney ship and Disney does everything better.

I hope you will take a cruise someday though. Maybe after your big 2013 celebration, you can think about a cruise. I'm having a hard time deciding what we will do this year. I'm trying to decide between another land/sea combo or renting DVC points and staying deluxe at WDW. I just can't make up my mind either. I'm REALLY looking forward to your TR about the BC though b/c if we rent points, that would be my first choice. So take lots of pictures for me in May.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

I left off in the last update with me coming back in after snorkeling on my own for a while. When I reached the shore I found DD having a good time on the float I had rented for her.

Then I noticed DH sitting on one of our lounge chairs talking to a CM. I wondered what was going on so I went to check things out.

As I was approaching them I could see DH handing money to the CM. Then I noticed a bucket of soft drinks in the sand. I knew in an instant this wasn’t going to be pretty.

When the CM walked away, I asked DH what he was doing. He proceeded to tell me that he had just paid $11 for 5 canned drinks.

WHAT?!?!

I tried to stay calm, as not to cause a scene on that lovely, peaceful beach, so I asked him as nicely as possible, why in the heck did he buy those when ALL the food and fountain drinks on the island are FREE!!!

From that I got the typical reply, “Well I didn’t know. You didn’t tell me that!”

To which I gave the typical response, “Yes I did, but you weren’t listening!”

Am I the only wife who has this same conversation over and over and over again?

I took a deep breath and reminded myself that we were on vacation, and we’d already spent hundreds of dollars, so what’s $11 more, right? Then just as I was convinced to suck it up and take one for the sake of vacation harmony, DH sarcastically replied with, “Would you like an ice cold Sprite to make you feel better?”



I had visions of shaking up my can and opening it towards his face , but lucky for him, his daughter saved him from a sweet and sticky demise. DD came running up to us, all upset, because some little boy had taken her float from her. He must have been a triathlete, because when we turned around, he was nowhere to be found. DD said he had one of the clear tubes and told her he wanted to trade. She told him no thanks, so he snatched it from her and took off. Anyway, in his rush to flee the scene of the crime he left his tube behind, so I just told DD to play with that float instead. She was ok with that and went on having a good time despite her run in with the ruffian.

Later on she decided to build a cruise ship in the sand.

While she was working on her masterpiece, I decided to head back to my lounge chair and let the sun dry me off before lunch. DH was still sipping on his champagne… I mean Coke… with the price he paid, I get them a little confused.

Before I could even get comfortable, DD comes running up to us, upset again, because the same boy came over and stomped on her sand ‘creation’.

I couldn’t help but think, “It sure was a lot more peaceful out there with the fish!”

We finally caught sight of the mystery marauder that had been wreaking havoc, but he was running around on the beach like a banshee, and I had no idea which adults he belonged to. And honestly, I just wanted to veg on the beach in blissful ignorance of the world around me! I told DD to just go ahead and start drying off so we could head to lunch. I figured by the time we got back, maybe he’d be gone anyway and the problem would be solved without any drama.

And JUST when that thought entered my mind, you know… the one about no more drama, company showed up! The set of loungers next to ours had been empty all morning, but suddenly I heard the plop of a beach bag on the chair next to me. Naturally, I turned around, and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature bathing suit and “that woman’s” rear! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist. )

I know I must have looked like a deer in the headlights! I just could not believe that of all the thousands of chairs on that huge beach, she found her way to the seat beside ME! I had to chuckle! It was just too comical not to!

The good news though is that her suit of choice for that day was a MAJOR improvement over the dental floss and fig leaves she wore at the dolphin encounter! You could actually see fabric this time and it wasn’t a thong!

It was now around 12:30 and Cookie’s BBQ was calling our names.

We passed by Daisy dancing with a crowd of adoring fans. This ended up being the only time we saw any characters on the island.

They had this fruit stand just dripping with good stuff!

Continued in next post

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Cookie’s is a cafeteria style buffet. You grab a tray and move down the line picking up what you want.

We thought the food was very good! The ribs were the best we’ve ever had and the cookies were so YUMMY!

After lunch we decided to do some shopping, so we headed down the path again.

We stopped in here for a while.

DD bought a beach ball, and I got this jacket. I LOVE IT! It is super thin and lightweight, perfect for me because I am so hot natured.

Front…

Back…

Wouldn’t it be nice if the sun looked like that each day when it came up!

We figured while we were out and about, we should just go ahead and see the rest of the island and maybe try out Pelican Plunge, the water slide in the ocean.

Keeping on down the trail…

Another little shop…

This was taken after lunch and you can see the beach was not crowded. There were plenty of chairs still available.

Continued in next post

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

We found Pelican Plunge and were very excited to try it out.

There are two slides, one open and one enclosed.

You have to swim over to the ladder on the platform to ride.

They have lifejackets if you need them. The water at the bottom of the slide is pretty deep.

Some pictures of the island from atop the slide. It was so beautiful up there!

You can see people snorkeling in this picture.

Here’s a video that I took from the top. ( 11 sec.)

Click on the picture.


DH went down first…

Then DD…

And the chicken goes last. I took this video going down the slide. (17 sec.)

Click on the picture.


We had the best time! We rode over and over again. It felt so weird to go down a water slide and end up in the ocean.

After we had worn ourselves out on Pelican Plunge, we made our way back down the beach to our original spot where we left all our stuff. Some sights along the path…

We were lucky enough to meet a feline celebrity! I had read about the Castaway Cay cat, but never thought we would see him. This guy has it made in the shade!

We made a pit stop for ice cream.

Chocolate in a cone, or banana in a cup… you can have whatever your heart desires there.

The DJ was playing island tunes. I loved that part! Most of the music was Calypso style.

When we made it back to our chairs we noticed that a lot people had already headed back to the ship. Most notably, our “friends” from earlier in the day were gone, so maybe I would finally be allowed to relax and let my inner beach bum shine! My only goal for the rest of the day was to become one with my lounge chair! Would it ever happen?

Up next: A little more Castaway Cay fun, and our last night at sea

 

[sjs314]

Rinky great update, I did want to mention I told DH if I cruise it will be with Disney especially if going on a Mediterranean Cruise since the two women from CT that were on that ill fated one in Italy said the crew did not talk English so you could not find out where to go.

You made me laugh with your DH and the sodas Someone needs to isolate that male non hearing gene and find a way to remove it
Bless his heart it was in the right place and you did get a cold one (sprite) out of it

The "free" food looked great. I wonder who that kid belonged to that decided to keep bothering your DD. I thought I would die laughing when you said that lady showed up and plopped down on a chair near you guys...........there were so many empty chairs , what were the odds

The slide was kool as was the video , the crowds on the island did not look bad at all. Is there just one kitty living on the island?

Love that jacket you found.

Waiting to see if you went back to snorkeling at low tide

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Rinky great update, I did want to mention I told DH if I cruise it will be with Disney especially if going on a Mediterranean Cruise since the two women from CT that were on that ill fated one in Italy said the crew did not talk English so you could not find out where to go.

Yep, that would be my issue with it as well. I'm really not comfortable going anywhere that doesn't speak English. I would do it by land though, but not by sea. I mean, communication is pretty vital if a ship is sinking!

You made me laugh with your DH and the sodas Someone needs to isolate that male non hearing gene and find a way to remove it
Bless his heart it was in the right place and you did get a cold one (sprite) out of it

I do have a wonderful husband and any of my vacation 'stories' are included just to make the TR more entertaining. Everyone can use a few more laughs, right? I know he meant well though. BUT he does has a serious case of selective hearing! I would imagine that most husbands have that same affliction though!

The "free" food looked great. I wonder who that kid belonged to that decided to keep bothering your DD. I thought I would die laughing when you said that lady showed up and plopped down on a chair near you guys...........there were so many empty chairs , what were the odds

I know! I couldn't help but laugh over it. It always seems that the most unlikely things happen to us! That's what made it so funny! In fact, with her coming in to the dolphin thing a little late, I didn't even think she was on the Disney cruise. I thought she came in with another group. So imagine my surprise when she sat down next to me! I didn't want to point her out directly, but she was in one of those pictures.

The slide was kool as was the video , the crowds on the island did not look bad at all. Is there just one kitty living on the island?

I think he's the only one. He's the only cat I have read about anyway. I remember this summer when a hurricane went right over CC, people were posting here on the DIS asking if the cat was ok! Clearly, he was!

Love that jacket you found.

Waiting to see if you went back to snorkeling at low tide

I'll be finishing CC in the next update.

replies in blue

 

[sjs314]

replies in blue

I sorta thought that one backside belonged to the phantom lady "let it all hang out" eh ?

I love your style of writing when you described the froggy feet filling up with water and just giving up and doing a belly flop into the water, plus seeing the pic of DD laughing was great. What a wonderful memory that you can all share and laugh over for years to come.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Every update that you post makes me more and more excited about our upcoming cruise. It looks like ya'll were having a great time (with the exception of the naughty little heathen who kept terrorizing your daughter). I can just see my husband shelling out $11 for 6 cans of Sprite as well. So, all the food on Castaway Cay is free of charge? I thought I remember reading that it was but thought I'd clarify so I won't look like a dummy when I tell the family that.

Pelican Plunge looks like so much fun! I can't really tell from the picture how far you have to swim to and from there though. In the pictures it looks a little far but from your video it doesn't look like it's far at all.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

I sorta thought that one backside belonged to the phantom lady "let it all hang out" eh ?

You really have no idea. She gave a whole new meaning to letting it all hang out! If she had been anywhere else, she would've been arrested for indecent exposure. Thankfully she had way more coverage at CC.

I love your style of writing when you described the froggy feet filling up with water and just giving up and doing a belly flop into the water, plus seeing the pic of DD laughing was great. What a wonderful memory that you can all share and laugh over for years to come.

That was a pretty funny memory. We probably looked like total dorks at the moment, but it's hilarious now!

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Every update that you post makes me more and more excited about our upcoming cruise. It looks like ya'll were having a great time (with the exception of the naughty little heathen who kept terrorizing your daughter).

Naughty little heathen! I was just so thankful that he wasn't going home with me!

I can just see my husband shelling out $11 for 6 cans of Sprite as well. So, all the food on Castaway Cay is free of charge? I thought I remember reading that it was but thought I'd clarify so I won't look like a dummy when I tell the family that.

Yes, it's all free, or should I say 'included'. Of course, alcohol is not included. And if you want a drink in a cute cup or any food in the gift shop, you'll have to pay for that. But all the food at Cookie's, the ice cream machine, fruit stand, fountain drinks, etc. are all free. And as we learned, if you want a CM to bring you something on the beach, you will pay for it, and dearly! It was SO SO nice though not to have to pay for our lunch like we did at Blue Lagoon. You can also go back on the ship and eat if you want to take a break from the beach.

Pelican Plunge looks like so much fun! I can't really tell from the picture how far you have to swim to and from there though. In the pictures it looks a little far but from your video it doesn't look like it's far at all.

It wasn't far at all. And if you want to ride again, you don't have to swim back to shore and start over. You can just cut under the floating rope and go right back up.

You are going to have so much fun on your cruise! I know you are really getting excited!

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[fnrsgrl]

Just wanted to take a moment to stop being a lurker and let you know how much I'm enjoying your trip report! It's getting me very excited for my upcoming cruise!

 

[MeMom]

So many things to comment on in these pictures:

-the simple beauty of the palm trees, sand, and water
-that wonderful fruit stand, especially the watermelon flower
-the cute sundresses
-fun on the slide - I would have been in for that
-a good lunch
-all the ice cream I could eat
-becoming one with a lounge chair for a little while
-the colorful flowers

It would be hard to leave a place like that.

 

[jenseib]

Ok, you friend doesn't appear to really have th body for a thong and fig leaves. LOL! Believe me, I don't even have the body for a swim suit of any nature, but I do wear one when I have to, but I certainly wouldn't got for the thong and think what the heck, let them see it all.

My DH has done some similar thing too. Like not getting the extra drink at breakfast (or any drink at all for tham matter) while using the dining plan. Or using snack credits on a banana, but paying for popcorn. LOL And believe me, I have told him too, he just doesn't chose to hear me.

 

[petals]

I love all your pictures. The story bout your DH sounds funny amnd I loled when you said bout the lady and her rear showing up right beside you again.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

I decided to stop lurking and let you know how much I am enjoying hearing about your cruise. We are in the planning stages for our first cruise and your report is making me want to leave tomorrow! We are looking at going in Feb of 2013 and there are 5 night cruises that will be leaving from Miami. That really interested me until I saw that the itinerary for the dates we were looking at doesn't stop at Castaway Cay. After seeing how much fun you had there is no way I would want to miss Castaway Cay!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Just wanted to take a moment to stop being a lurker and let you know how much I'm enjoying your trip report! It's getting me very excited for my upcoming cruise!

Well thank you for coming out of lurkdom! And I am glad you are enjoying the TR. You are going to love DCL!

So many things to comment on in these pictures:

-the simple beauty of the palm trees, sand, and water
-that wonderful fruit stand, especially the watermelon flower
-the cute sundresses
-fun on the slide - I would have been in for that
-a good lunch
-all the ice cream I could eat
-becoming one with a lounge chair for a little while
-the colorful flowers

It would be hard to leave a place like that.

So true! I have decided that I don't even care if you take a cruise, but I want you to see Castaway Cay! I think we should start a petition to put in a landing stip on the island so you can just skip the cruise and head straight for the best part! I know you would fall in love with CC, if we can just get you there!

Ok, you friend doesn't appear to really have th body for a thong and fig leaves. LOL! Believe me, I don't even have the body for a swim suit of any nature, but I do wear one when I have to, but I certainly wouldn't got for the thong and think what the heck, let them see it all.

My DH has done some similar thing too. Like not getting the extra drink at breakfast (or any drink at all for tham matter) while using the dining plan. Or using snack credits on a banana, but paying for popcorn. LOL And believe me, I have told him too, he just doesn't chose to hear me.

I don't have the body for sweat pants, much less a bathing suit! I do believe in concealing as much as I can when I have to wear one though. It sure opened my eyes to what we might see if we ever do the Eastern Car. cruise where they have European style beaches. Not sure I'm ready for that!

Your DH sounds just like mine. He never puts thought into stuff like that. Sometimes I wish I could be more like that though, but I would be completely broke if I was.

I love all your pictures. The story bout your DH sounds funny amnd I loled when you said bout the lady and her rear showing up right beside you again.

It was pretty comical that she found me like that on such a huge beach. I didn't even know she was on our cruise! And my DH does stuff like that all the time! I love him though despite himself.

I decided to stop lurking and let you know how much I am enjoying hearing about your cruise. We are in the planning stages for our first cruise and your report is making me want to leave tomorrow! We are looking at going in Feb of 2013 and there are 5 night cruises that will be leaving from Miami. That really interested me until I saw that the itinerary for the dates we were looking at doesn't stop at Castaway Cay. After seeing how much fun you had there is no way I would want to miss Castaway Cay!

Yay! I'm so glad you came out of hiding! I totally agree with you about the cruise. I looked into the ones going out from Galveston and they didn't stop at CC either. That was a deal breaker for me. You really DO NOT want to miss CC. It's the best part about the cruise in my opinion. It is paradise perfection!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Great update!! I even had to share it with DH....Can you guess which part of it I specifically showed him??? You had me laughing so hard about the bucket of soda.

The Pelican Plunge looks like so much fun! Great videos too.

What a great day on the island. Too bad that little boy kept bothering your DD though.

The ice cream sure looks yummy!! Love your new jacket!