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

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

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!

Well, you must have a DH with selective hearing as well! I think it's in the male chromosomes or something! I can just imagine what your DH said about that!

You guys would love Pelican Plunge since you are water slide junkies. When I am choosing my hotel for a WDW trip, that is one of the most important things to us. We love a good pool with good slides! That's why BC is at the top of my list. I can't wait to hear what you think of staying there.

My DD is an ice cream addict so she was thrilled that there was an unlimited supply of it on the ship and the island. And it was very good!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

When I left off, I was giving my all to becoming one with my lounge chair. After several days of climbing stairs on the ship and then a day filled with snorkeling and more stair climbing at Pelican Plunge, my legs were screaming! I rarely climb any stairs in my day-to-day life and I never swim with flippers on, so I had given a serious workout to muscles that had been dormant for a long time! I knew if I didn’t slow down, my feet and legs were going to be in bad shape before I even made it to Disney World. And we all know, that is NOT a good setup.

DH decided he wanted to give the snorkeling another shot since we had some ‘issues’ earlier in the day, so he went out on his own for a bit. While he was swimming with the fish, DD played in the sand, and I got that much desired vegging time I had been craving. It was absolute bliss. I closed my eyes and all I could hear was a light breeze rustling through the palm fronds, an occasion sea gull squawking, and the faint melody of steel drums in the distance. The sun was warm on my face and it was just heavenly. I could have stayed there forever and ever and ever…

DD was very excited when she found this. It looked like petrified coral, if there is such a thing???

It was really neat. We’ve never found anything like that at our beaches back home.

While she was showing me her findings, I noticed someone way out in the lagoon waving their arms back and forth. I thought, “Wow, I hope that person isn’t in trouble out there.” I looked at the lifeguard who was nearby, and he didn’t appear concerned, so I just went on about my business. But the person kept on waving, and waving… and then it dawned on me that it was my DH! DUH! I guess the sun fried my brains during my siesta!

Anyway, he kept pointing to his waist and motioning for us to come out there. It finally occurred to me that he was showing us how shallow the water was. He was really far out there and standing on the bottom, the water was only waist high! So DD and I donned our snorkeling gear again and headed out to meet him.

You can see how the lifeguard stations are set up in this picture. The ship mast that is sticking out of the water is the marker for the first hidden treasure along the trail, the pirate chest.

Ready for another trip ‘under the sea’? Slap on a mask ‘cause here we go…

Peek-a-boo! I see you!

Continued in next post

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

You can see how shallow the water was at low tide. DD was standing on the bottom and it was chest high on her. The dark spots in the water are where the patches of seaweed are on the sea floor.

The water was much clearer during low tide too.

You can see how far from shore we were here and the water was still very shallow. We LOVED it!

This was some kind of coral thing with what looked like little glass shrimp on it.

Getting a mask adjustment…

We had a hard time keeping the water out of our masks. I’m not sure what we were doing wrong?

And guess what happens when you get too close to someone snorkeling so you can take a picture? You get popped in the head with a flipper! Right after I took this, DD smacked me good!

I spliced together some video clips that I took of our snorkeling adventure. (1 min. 31 sec.)

Click on the picture.



(Sorry the underwater video is so shaky, but it is really hard to do!)

We knew it was getting late, so we made our way back to shore.

We all concurred that we LOVED snorkeling! It was so much fun and we all want to do it again. We actually had one more chance to do some snorkeling on this trip, but we’ll get to that later.

One last look for shells…

We took some small shells and sand home with us and made Christmas ornaments with them.

My baby’s footprints in the sand…

By the time we got all our gear off and our things packed up, the beach looked like this.

I was worried we had stayed out past curfew! A check of the time showed it was 4:00. We had to be on board by 4:30. We were cutting it close, but I knew we would make it on time.

Some sights on our way out…

This little guy scurried across the sand in front of me and almost ran right over my feet. It kind of freaked me out a little, but he was sort of cute.

Continued in next post

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

We were pretty tired after a long day at the beach, so we took the tram back to the ship.

View of the island from the pool deck…

DD asked to ride the Aquaduck, but the line was kind of long and we needed to go back to the room and get showered and ready for dinner. There wasn’t a line for the Mickey slide though so she went down that a couple of times. You would think she’d gotten her fill of water fun for one day, but it never seems to be enough for her.

Back at the room there were lots of fish extender goodies waiting for us. I found a great tip on the DIS of using a zip tie to attach your FE to your hanger so it doesn’t ‘walk away.’ And yes, that has happened to lots of people.

More pixie dust from our stateroom hostess…

The pillowcase and tote bag that I had dropped off at the beginning of the cruise were also waiting for us. I think they did a fantastic job! Each signature was done perfectly!

(Thanks again Jen for the pillowcase idea! )

We had chosen not to really dress up for the previous two dinners on the ship. I went back and forth on it and just decided that it was our vacation and we wanted to be comfortable. DH did wear polos and I wore dressy capris, but no formal wear for us. We actually felt very appropriately dressed each night as the large majority of passengers wore casual looking attire.

However, we were eating at Royal Palace on our last night, and it is the ‘fanciest’ of the three restaurants, so I decided that we would dress a little nicer that night and have some portraits made as well.

The photographer was set up just outside the entrance to Royal Palace. These were the two pictures that I purchased later that night.

You can see the after effects of that Castaway Cay siesta time on my face. I got just a bit sunburned, but it was so worth it!

We noticed that Ariel was greeting guests on the floor just above the lobby, so we went up to get a picture with her. We were pretty excited because we had never seen her with her land legs before!

It was getting late so we had to get moving. There was so much to do on that last night of the cruise, and we had no time to spare!

Up next: Royal Palace, the kid’s club, our last show, and dum, dum, dum…

 

[sjs314]

Snokeling really looks like a lot of fun! I thought you did a good job of keeping the underwater shots steady, you should see me on dry land LOL

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Wow I can't believe how shallow that water was that far out! That must have made your DD feel much better about snorkeling. It looks like you guys had a wonderful afternoon. And you are so brave staying on the island that long - I would have been so afraid that the ship would leave without me that I probably would have gone back hours before I needed to. You were smart to enjoy every last second of CC!!

Very nice family pic before dinner. I'm so excited to hear about the rest of your evening. Well except for the 'dum dum dum' part. I think I know what's coming there.




Thanks for another great update.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Snokeling really looks like a lot of fun! I thought you did a good job of keeping the underwater shots steady, you should see me on dry land LOL

Me too! I can't take decent video anywhere! I don't get it??? It looks easy. All you have to do is hold the camera and follow the action, right? I just can't get the hang if it though.

Wow I can't believe how shallow that water was that far out! That must have made your DD feel much better about snorkeling. It looks like you guys had a wonderful afternoon. And you are so brave staying on the island that long - I would have been so afraid that the ship would leave without me that I probably would have gone back hours before I needed to. You were smart to enjoy every last second of CC!!

Low tide is very family friendly! And chicken friendly...

We were really pushing it on the time, but I just didn't want to leave. Honestly, I think I was hoping the ship would set sail without us!

Very nice family pic before dinner. I'm so excited to hear about the rest of your evening. Well except for the 'dum dum dum' part. I think I know what's coming there.

Yes, you know what's coming! It still strikes fear in my heart whenever I entertain the thought of cruising again!

Thanks for another great update.

replies in blue

 

[MeMom]

Great pictures again. The warmth and beauty comes through in all of them.

What do people do when they miss their 'curfew'?

Kids getting enough water time? I don't know if that ever happens!

I have been saying for about two years that I am going to get some pillowcases for the girls to get signed in the parks. They have plenty of autograph books. I just keep on forgetting to get the stuff before we leave.

 

[sjs314]

The before dinner pictures came out lovely as did the one with Arial and DD.

Dressing for dinner was one thing that always worried me about cruising. Plus eating with strangers.

I know when my friends did the RC cruise they sat with the same couples every night for dinner and dressed up, Men Jkt and ties, ladies dresses. I am not by any means a formal type person but maybe I could fit in on a Disney cruise

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Great pictures again. The warmth and beauty comes through in all of them.

What do people do when they miss their 'curfew'?

Kids getting enough water time? I don't know if that ever happens!

I have been saying for about two years that I am going to get some pillowcases for the girls to get signed in the parks. They have plenty of autograph books. I just keep on forgetting to get the stuff before we leave.

Thanks Memom! You'd have a field day taking pictures at CC!

I'm not sure what happens if you don't get on the ship by 4:30 on the CC day. I know if you don't get on in time at the other ports, you get left behind! I would think though that if you were not back in time from CC, they would go look for you since they own the place, but I'm not sure. I've heard if you are late, you get a very harsh talking to, but I don't know if that's true. We were never late. I would have gladly stayed behind on CC and watched the ship sail off into the sunset, but no way was I being left behind in Nassau.

You should do the pillowcases. They are so cheap and easy to fold up and stash into a bag when you are in the parks. A t-shirt would be cute too. DD has really enjoyed both the items we had signed for her. She sleeps on that pillowcase every night and uses the bag for church.

The before dinner pictures came out lovely as did the one with Arial and DD.

Dressing for dinner was one thing that always worried me about cruising. Plus eating with strangers.

I know when my friends did the RC cruise they sat with the same couples every night for dinner and dressed up, Men Jkt and ties, ladies dresses. I am not by any means a formal type person but maybe I could fit in on a Disney cruise

Thanks Sheila!

I'm not a fancy or formal person either. I'm a jeans, t-shirt, and flip flops kind of gal. I'd rather go to the dentist than wear a dress! So I knew the whole dress up thing wasn't for me. But you would be fine without dressing formal. Most of the other cruisers were wearing khakis, dressy capris, dress shorts and even jeans. There were very few people that dressed really formal, and I think they were probably going to Palo or Remy. Those are the only two restaurants that require formal attire. And you know now that you can ask for private dining with DCL too so you don't have to eat with strangers. I think you would fit perfectly on a Disney cruise!

 

[MEK]

Subbing. I want to do a cruise followed by a resort stay in October 2013 so I want to read about your adventures. Your daughter is adorable and your DH's hat is not that bad (at least for the beach).

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Subbing. I want to do a cruise followed by a resort stay in October 2013 so I want to read about your adventures. Your daughter is adorable and your DH's hat is not that bad (at least for the beach).

I'm so glad you decided to join in! Our trips sound very similar. We really enjoyed the land/sea combo. It was nice to have the best of both worlds in one trip. I think you will enjoy it too.

I can deal with the hat at the beach, BUT, he doesn't just wear it at the beach.

 

[kittylady1972]

Another great update. You have me now convinced to try snorkeling again. I think I'd be much better at it in the shallow water. Last time I tried it we were in deep water and I just couldn't get the hang of it and it was frustrating. It was AWESOME that the water was so shallow so far out for you! I'll have to keep that in mind!

 

[marDgreen88]

More awesome pictures! How great that the water was so shallow! I'm sure that made it infinitely more enjoyable! The pillowcase and tote bag are SO cute!

 

[Tiggerrn2]

Wonderful update. Love the bright blue ocean. Looks like you all had such a good time. DH and I used to scuba dive (before kids and reality hit us) so it was great to see the bright colors and the colorful fish again. We tried the shark reef at Typhoon Lagoon on our last trip, but the masks didn't fit well for the kids (always leaking, too). We ended up giving up that day. This really makes me want to try a cruise and snorkel adventure.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Wow! I can hardly believe how far out you were able to go and the water still be shallow. What kind of camera do you have? I bought myself a nice camera for Christmas but that was before I planned our cruise. Now, I want to find a semi-cheap waterproof camera for the cruise portion of our trip.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Another great update. You have me now convinced to try snorkeling again. I think I'd be much better at it in the shallow water. Last time I tried it we were in deep water and I just couldn't get the hang of it and it was frustrating. It was AWESOME that the water was so shallow so far out for you! I'll have to keep that in mind!

I agree. When we went out the first time it was very frustrating. We couldn't get our gear right and there was nowhere to stop and take a break to get things adjusted. When the water was shallow, it made it much easier to stop if we needed to. It was a whole different experience at low tide. You really should try it again, just check the tide schedule first.

More awesome pictures! How great that the water was so shallow! I'm sure that made it infinitely more enjoyable! The pillowcase and tote bag are SO cute!

Low tide made it a whole different experience. It was so much fun the second time out. I think we will bring our own snorkeling gear next time though b/c their stuff didn't fit us well.

Wonderful update. Love the bright blue ocean. Looks like you all had such a good time. DH and I used to scuba dive (before kids and reality hit us) so it was great to see the bright colors and the colorful fish again. We tried the shark reef at Typhoon Lagoon on our last trip, but the masks didn't fit well for the kids (always leaking, too). We ended up giving up that day. This really makes me want to try a cruise and snorkel adventure.

You should give it another try. I think we will bring our own snorkeling gear next time though b/c none of the Disney owned masks worked well for us. They all leaked. We tried everything too, but they just kept on leaking. I think we can buy a decent set for not much more than the cost of a rental anyway. At the very least, I would've done better with a pair of goggles and a nose clip!

Wow! I can hardly believe how far out you were able to go and the water still be shallow. What kind of camera do you have? I bought myself a nice camera for Christmas but that was before I planned our cruise. Now, I want to find a semi-cheap waterproof camera for the cruise portion of our trip.

I had two camera on this trip, my big Canon and my waterproof. ALL the pictures from CC were taken with the waterproof camera (I didn't take the Canon on the island, b/c I knew we would be snorkeling and there are no lockers on CC). I thought the camera did pretty well considering it wasn't a high end SLR or anything like that. It does cost $240 though, but I have to tell you it was SO MUCH FUN to have that camera! It was absoluetly worth the money. I used it for the dolphin encounter, CC, Typhoon Lagoon, and the CBR pool. I really got my money's worth out of it. We love to do water activites, so I know I will continue to get a lot of use from it.

It is a Panasonic Lumix TS3. Here is a link to the place that I bought it from online (I couldn't find it in stores)...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=752105&Q=&is=REG&A=details

I've bought two camera now from B&H and have been very happy with them. I also did A LOT of research before choosing that camera. It basically came down to that one or the Canon Powershot D10. After reading hundreds of reviews, it seemd like the Panasonic was slightly better. I read several reviews from people who said the Canon leaked but I didn't read that for the Panasonic, so that was how I made my choice. So far, I love that camera.

This is just my opnion, but I don't think I would go too cheap on a waterproof or you will probably end up with a leaking camera. I read that complaint on a lot of the cheaper models. I am very frugal, but in this case, I think the extra $ is worth it. It is a super fun little toy!

 

[jenseib]

Great snorkling adventure. And I love your matching theme for Royal Palace.
Your water prrof camera does take good pictures. I got a fuj, which is a lot cheaper, and it does a decent job too. I think I need to get another battery for it, as I always like to have a spare.
I'm ready for a beach day myself.


Love the pillowcase.I'm thinking of making some tie dye ones for this next cruise and use light colors.....I need to play around with it a bit first to see if it will work.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Great snorkling adventure. And I love your matching theme for Royal Palace.
Your water prrof camera does take good pictures. I got a fuj, which is a lot cheaper, and it does a decent job too. I think I need to get another battery for it, as I always like to have a spare.
I'm ready for a beach day myself.


Love the pillowcase.I'm thinking of making some tie dye ones for this next cruise and use light colors.....I need to play around with it a bit first to see if it will work.

I am such a dork over matching clothes! We actually wore several matching sets on our parks days as well. Sometimes my DH thinks I'm a little nutty, but I think it looks nice for pictures. We don't match any other time like that though!

I was really happy with my waterproof camera. I actually use it a lot. If I am going to school parties for DD or birthday parties or whatever where I don't need a big clunker camera, it works perfectly. I can slip it in my pocket or hang it on my wrist and I love that.

One tip I read online that helped me A LOT was to put a tiny amount of Rain-X on the lens with a Q-tip and that will make the water roll right off so you don't have water spots on all your pictures. It really worked great. You just have to remember to blow the droplets off the lens when you get out of the water. A few times I forgot to do that and those pictures have a foggy look to them.

That sounds like a cute idea on the pillowcases! I think we will do something like that again also. I liked it better than the autograph book.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

I hate to interrupt the TR, but I’ve started planning for our next trip and I need some advice. We will most likely be going again in the fall, late October/early November, and I’m trying to decide where we should stay. We have stayed at ASMo, Pop, and CBR, and I’d like to try out another moderate resort. We LOVED CBR, but I’m not sure I want to stay there two years back-to-back when there are so many other places that I want to try.

The resort pool is a big draw for us and is one of the main things I consider when choosing where to stay. I really like the looks of both POR resorts, but neither of those pools look overly fabulous to me like the one at CBR. Anyone have any input there? As far as moderates go, CSR seems to have the best pool area, but I know nothing about that resort. It doesn’t seem like many people are in love with that place??? Maybe b/c of the convention feel??? Opinions on that too please...

The other thing I am considering is renting DVC points to stay at a deluxe. I’ve never done this so I am nervous about it. I really don’t even know where to start with it. I’ve looked into renting from David’s DVC rentals and it seems legit, but I’m still not sure. If we go that route, I’d like to stay at the BC, BW or AKL, in that order. I’m also considering a split stay to save some money, but I’ve never done that either and don’t know how much of a hassle it is, or how aggravating it is if you are on the dining plan (most likely we will be on the DP). But with a trip that will be 10-12 days long, I probably won't have a choice. I can't afford to stay at a deluxe for that long, even on rented points.

Another reservation I have with renting points is that we won’t get the free dining if it comes out again for the fall. It has been offered every year at least since ’08, but I am wondering if they will do away with it this year with the new Fantasyland opening (partial opening anyway). I would expect the crowds to be larger, and therefor less need for discounts. If free dining does come out though, it will be much cheaper for us to stay at a mod than to rent point at a deluxe. Decisions, decisions…. Help please!