V's Bad Girl Guide to 15 Nights of Partying through Panama! Updated ~ 6/14!

[tksbaskets]

Great report V. I'm looking forward to each update. I'm glad I got the chance to meet the “Queen of all the Land, V” at DL.

Ken

I love the graphics in your signature. Did you do them yourself?
T

 

[tksbaskets]

I'm enjoying the heck out of your trip report! Love the pictures. Can't wait for more..... Thank you so much for taking the time to share

 

[kpros]

I love the graphics in your signature. Did you do them yourself?
T

Thanks - yes I did these. Nothing major, just fun stuff.

Ken

 

[lillygator]

Sunday May 11th, 2008 ~ Castaway Cay ~ these were the news headlines slipped under our door ----titled USA Times, we received one daily. I guess DCL didn’t want us to forget about the real world.
“Tornados hit Central US”
“Jenna Bush’s wedding is low-key affair”
“Five bodies found in Houston”

AND THE Devil Rays are rocking!

(up to date…they are offering free concerts after the games and still – EVEN with the best record in baseball no one is coming out!!)

Port: Castaway Cay
Size: 3.1 miles by 2.2 miles
Population: 40
Language: English
Time Zone: Island
Temperatures: 70 – 90 degrees
Money: Key to the World Card


Mother’s Day – Castaway Cay – what could be better? This is my happy place. I love the island, it is gorgeous. Gorgeous.


Not much could be better in my book –toes in the sand and a drink in my hand.….there are those that love the beach and those that hate….I am a lover. If I could make a living being a lifeguard I would be all over that….my Hooters career is sooooo out the window!

The girls and I slept in – Charming was up at 6 – YES 6 AM and went to work out shortly afterward. After he came back we all cleaned up and went to Topsiders for breakfast.

It wasn’t too busy and people were already getting off the ship. We could see Donald and Daisy from the deck and this made the girls ready to go NOW.

According to the Castaway Cay-vents there was quite a bit going on. We had no excursions planned, nor anything rented for the day. We were winging it. I had planned on doing the Pirate Scavenger Hunt, but of course, I forgot to get that from Guest Services.

Getting off the ship we ran into PJ, Lisa and her son Daniel. We opted to walk and I am sure PJ later regretted not catching that tram!

Had to stop and see Jack..

After stopping at the store and buying a shirt and postcards and Nemo floaties, we finally made it to the family beach. We found the pirate flag! Most of the Geeks were there already and we joined up and claimed a spot.

A friendly (not) CC inhabitant.

Most people got out of the way when they saw the Barracuda. One lady however was standing there looking at it smiling – I said that it wasn’t a friendly fish – she kept standing there. Guess she had a death wish.

Samantha almost made it to the very end. Charming was dying to do this as well and I saw him start climbing the ladder – very quickly the lifeguard whistled at him and made him get down.

Our group did have a hammock and the girls all enjoyed playing on it.

At 11:30 there were crab races – this is always been something I wanted to see. Grabbed the girls and went to the pavilion to see that Team Geek had a crab! It was a mammoth too!

Team Geek with the Hannah Montana Crab – was not a winner.

~note~ the pavement is HOT, be sure and wear flops or shoes when going anywhere on the sidewalks


After the defeat we headed over to Cookies BBQ – they had a variety of things on the buffet, mahi sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, ribs, cole slaw, corn on the cob, potato salad, chips, cookies, brownies, etc.

After lunch and some ice cream, all four girls decided to go to Scuttles Cove. Kim took them down there and the adults got to sit in quiet for a moment.

Probably 10 minutes later we get paged. I head down to get them.

~note~ if you are picking up someone else’s child be sure you know the password!

We leave and I decide to grab a wagon and pull them back to the picnic area.

BIG mistake. It’s uphill.

We make it back to the beach and hang out for a while.

The Barracuda came back and the lifeguard was letting the adults up on the play area at the family beach. Of course Charming gets up there and wouldn't you know, I look up and he is doing the rope crawl. I just shook my head. He is a determined fellow.

Towards three or three thirty I am ready to head back to the ship. Another BIG mistake.

Samantha had a ROYAL fit.

People were now looking at us like we were heathens. She was kicking and screaming and wanting to stay with her friends. Charming had to pick her up like a sack of potatoes and throw her over his shoulder.

I was mortified. I couldn’t get ahead of them fast enough.

I could have let her stay. I am sure the Geeks would have returned her safely to the ship, but here she was throwing a fit and I was not about to give in to that. Even if we were on vacation.

We screamed our way back to the ship, I was pretending I didn’t know them and still taking pictures.

We passed Jill, a DIS’er and I could see the OMG look on her face. I am so sorry you had to witness that!

We got to the tram and I see Charming heading over there….my head is screaming NO, I don’t want to subject these innocent people to this and I certainly didn’t want to be written about on the DIS!

He was determined and we boarded. Thanks so much to the kind man who started talking to Samantha about Davey Jones and getting back to the ship. She actually quieted down. I was too terrified to turn around so I didn’t get to see what he looked like as I would have gladly bought him a drink! I would be willing to bet all the people on the tram were ready to give him a standing ovation.

DCL had cold wet washcloths and water available as we headed back to the ship. It was a refreshing treat.

Got back to the cabin and then I was ready to have a melt down!

~note~ the post office on the island is closed on Sunday’s. I also missed have Guest Services mail our postcards because I forgot to get them down there early.

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Brilliant trip report and amazing photos! I love your girls' outfits - they are really cute! Looking forward to lots more!

 

[Michelle2]

I love reading your report and seeing all the pics! I loved being in Castaway Cay for mother's day last year. You are right, what could be better?
Your report is getting me so excited for the EB! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Tigger1221]

Hey V- I still think your kids are adorable!!! Be glad you didn't do the Pirate Scananger Hunt. It was way to complicated and long, and the prize was not great. We won't do it again.

 

[PizzieDuster]

Sunday May 11th, 2008 ~ Castaway Cay
We passed Jill, a DIS’er and I could see the OMG look on her face. I am so sorry you had to witness that!

We got to the tram and I see Charming heading over there….my head is screaming NO, I don’t want to subject these innocent people to this and I certainly didn’t want to be written about on the DIS!

He was determined and we boarded. Thanks so much to the kind man who started talking to Samantha about Davey Jones and getting back to the ship. She actually quieted down. I was too terrified to turn around so I didn’t get to see what he looked like as I would have gladly bought him a drink! I would be willing to bet all the people on the tram were ready to give him a standing ovation.

_________________________________________________________
I LOVE YOUR PICTURES! KEEP THEM COMING!

I just love how you described what all of us have experienced many times with our kids. On our first DCL cruise, DD then 4 had a melt down because after a long day of excursion, we had to give her a bath and we had Palo ressies. After she was dressed and cranky (you KNOW what cranky means) DH took her down to the club and a CM came to him and DH said 3 words "We have Palo" and they just knew and took her and was like the man on the tram! She was just probably tired of me fussing with her hair or looking at my face. Who knows. We had the best dinner at Palo.

 

[lillygator]

Sunday May 11th, 2008 ~ continued ~ Happy Mother’s Day to me.

Back in the cabin I decided it was time to open a bottle of wine. I was feeling like such a bad mom and just a loser all around. I ran a tub for the girls and got them all cleaned up for dinner. Since we were on the 6pm rotation I really wanted to keep them awake as I knew trying to wake them up would be worse.

Samantha actually fell asleep while I was drying her hair. I guess all that screaming wore her out.

We headed up to dinner and ran into some characters.

Tonight’s dinner was in Parrot Cay and was cruise casual. The menu was Island Dinner. Drink of the day was High Tide.

Oops, yet again I forgot the food porn. My bad.

I had the crab dip, Cesar salad and grouper. Charming had 2 apps, 2 entrees and 2 desserts – though I could not tell you what they were.

Haley confiscated the butter on arrival to the table and I was able to use the restrooms three times. Such fun.

The show for tonight was T-H-E Ricky Kalmon Hypnosis Show. We opted out. The movies for tonight were Enchanted and Dan in Real Life. We opted out of those as well.

We were finished after 8 and we dropped the girls at the clubs. Shots around the Ship was scheduled for tonight and we were already tired. We headed to Diversions and played cards while watching the Spurs game.

John had a rum and Coke and I had a Chardonnay.

Soon it was time to scoot down to the Promenade Lounge for Shots. We were greeted with…..

So the wig talk was true!!

John grabbed another drink and I wasn't feeling any love so we were out of there pretty quickly.


We ran into Kaylee and Lisa in Shutters and they strong armed us into having a drink with them. All was a go until that damn pager went off again. Charming CLEARLY did not understand how to remove the batteries – I will give him detailed instructions upon retiring to the cabin.

Charming did run into his favorite – Belle – on the way out.

We got the girls and Haley was in no mood to go back to the cabin, she wanted to “party”….we went to deck 9 and grabbed a drink and a slice of pizza. Then back to the room.

So this Bad Girl was in the room by midnight and everyone (except me) was asleep within minutes.

We did have an animal and my OBC slips were in the cabin this night. I had already checked with Guest Services, but seeing it printed out reassured me.

Thoughts on Day 2: So this trip I vowed to get to the adult beach, etc. Did not happen and really – it didn’t bother me. I heard through several CM’s that this was the most crowded the adult beach had been. There were not that many children on the ship. This would become more evident later on.

I also messed up the Pirate Scavenger Hunt, didn’t get it, also messed up the postcards. Make sure to wear shoes on the concrete if you are not used to the heat. In FL, everything is that hot all the time, but many people were not used to it at all. Also - Shots Around the Ship - even though one was scheduled later - a port day was not good I think, many people were worn out from the beach. If you are not used to it, a day at the beach is tiresome.

I love Castaway Cay – the beauty of visiting is there are so many things to do, yet the ability to do nothing at all. My desire to live on an island is becoming more and more strong.

This day was gorgeous. Really – a typical FL day – the kind of day that when I have to go to work makes me wish for rain. The ending wasn’t so great and really, Samantha has never had such a fit. Sure, she has been bad, but I have never seen her act like this. Never. Charming and I discussed it in the cabin worried that something was wrong with her. Do kids really do this? Kick, scream, demand? Where did we go wrong?

Oh well, I needed to not stress….and go to sleep.

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

[kpros]

Hey V - you better watch out for Belle. I think she was trying to move in on Charming.

And I've never heard of "Shot around the ship" - can you describe it please?

Ken

 

[lillygator]

Hey V - you better watch out for Belle. I think she was trying to move in on Charming.

And I've never heard of "Shot around the ship" - can you describe it please?

Ken

Hey some days I would gladly fork him over!!! Belle was pretty though~!

Ian - on our thread organized Shots Around the Ship.....meaning we hit all the bars on the ship and get a shot or drink of pleasure....we didn't make it passed the Promenade Lounge....pesky kids (and tired adults)!

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

V, I don't think you should worry about your daughter. If you think about it, she (and your whole family) had had a couple of very full, highly emotional, physically draining days. She was probably just worn out!

Loving your trip report!

 

[UKANGEL]

great reports thanks V wishing again we'd made it to the cruise with you all

 

[MouseFaninQueue]

Great trip report, so far, V.

It sure was great meeting you and your family.

Even though we were on late dinner, we seemed to keep bumping into you guys.

 

[lillygator]

Monday May 12th, 2008 ~ Day At Sea ~ Limerick Day!

Sunrise: 6:45am
Sunset: 5:57pm
Evening Attire: Formal
Dinner Menu: Golden Mickey’s
Drink of the Day: Golden Start

Events Throughout the Day:
Panama Presentation 1 pm
Captain’s Welcome Reception 5:15, 7:15 m
John Charles Cabaret 7:30 pm Rockin’ Bar D
The Golden Mickey’s 6:15, 8:30 pm
Atrium After Party 10:30 pm
Ricky Calmon Cabaret 11 pm Rockin’ Bar D

So we begin day 3…Charming is off his rocker and up before 8 and off to the gym, more power to you sweetie.

We all finally roused and headed up to breakfast first stopping at Guest Services, wanted to sign up for a wine tasting. The girls found Sophie and Savannah outside Lumiere’s at Mr. Toad’s Wild Race. We all had to stop and do it.

Silly me, I thought they would use real frogs like at the crab races.

Not so.

“I see sumpfing mom.”

Those suckers are hard to hop! We finished up, grabbed our participant ribbons and headed to Lumiere’s for brunch. Several days DCL had brunch in there which was much better than Topsiders in my opinion.

I had the grouper with potatoes and a Bellini, Charming had the hamburger and the girls had Mickey Waffles and an express breakfast….we were seated with another family (who turned out to be hawkeye) so I felt silly taking pictures of the food, so no food porn at this meal.

After brunch we took the girls to the clubs and we hit Shutters. Charming has no concept of picking the pictures….he wants them all even if say one person’s eyes are closed or has their back to the camera. He also doesn’t care about the cost….me, knowing that most all of our previous DCL Shutters photos are in the dining room china cabinet drawer, makes it a little easier to discard them. We end up leaving with none.

Hurried up as we had a wine tasting to get to at 1 pm. We had run into gaylean and she had said they were coming so we saved the seat across from us. Bubba also made an appearance.

Each table was adorned with….

Before we could toss one back we had to be schooled a little…..torture, let’s drink already!

We held the wines against the white tablecloth to assess the color, stuck our nose in the glass to take a whiff, swirled to test the legs or tears – which is the hardest for me, I can’t seem to get the swirling right….I get my wine going and wow, I start losing some out the top! We also learned to SLURP, yes folks, our wine god s-l-u-r-p-e-d.

The first wine was a Selbach Riesling, 2006, 9% alcohol.

Charming really enjoyed this one but the only Riesling I really like is Jekel. This was too sweet for me. I managed to choke it down though.


Vino numero dos was Beringer White Zinfandel, 2007 and yuck…if it’s pink I can already tell you I don’t like it. Half a nostril in and I felt like I was drowning in a bottle of Sea Breeze. Yuck!

I couldn’t shove that one out of the way fast enough.

Wine number 3 was a Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, 2006 from Italy. This was clear, pale and dry. I liked it.

On to the last of the whites….number 4 was the Alice White Chardonnay which DCL offers on the menu for $5.25 per glass.
This was bright gold and since I like Chardonnay, I thought this was ok…

Now onto the reds…not my favorites in the least. Wine number 5 was a Santa Carolina, 2006 from Chile. This was dark purple, bitter and had a bit of a spice flavor to it.

Lastly, wine number 6 was Kiara Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This was deep red and very woody.

So – our DCL first wine tasting…in between tastes we drank water and ate bread to clear the palate. Several different presenters were there. The sommelier from Palo, etc. I was disappointed in the wine selections. All those wines are around $10 a bottle and I could sample them at home, I wanted to try more of the higher end wines – oh well.


We were finished by 2 pm, even though the Nav says it’s a ½ hr deal. Off we headed to find some food!!

 

[taysmom]

You're doing such a great job with your trip report. I did not take enough pictures this trip....

 

[SDHoneymooner]

After reading from beginning to end, your TR has made me really excited for our EB cruise in August.

I've never cruised before. This one is supposed to be a surprise (guys are really bad at giving "subtle" clues). And I'll be on my honeymoon ! If that wasn't enough to be excited for, we're on a Disney cruise and now I've read all the fun you had with your family.

Thanks for such a great trip report. Now my excitement is really building!!!
Do you have any advice for a frist time cruiser?

 

[MrsMork]

After reading from beginning to end, your TR has made me really excited for our EB cruise in August.

I've never cruised before. This one is supposed to be a surprise (guys are really bad at giving "subtle" clues). And I'll be on my honeymoon ! If that wasn't enough to be excited for, we're on a Disney cruise and now I've read all the fun you had with your family.

Thanks for such a great trip report. Now my excitement is really building!!!
Do you have any advice for a frist time cruiser?

Congratulations and congratulations!! (wedding and first cruise!)

 

[scottishwee35]

Hi V and John

How are you? It was good to meet you both and the girls too.

I enjoyed reading your trip report and sorry to heard that Samatha got fit at Castaway which I didn't know about it.

I hope she is fine now.

I love to see the photos and you both look lovely couple

Forgot tell you that we had so much fun with Jeep at Aruba, as start off we got lost and end up circle for half hour, what a laugh. It was good fun day.

Scottishwee35

 

[MrsMork]

Hi V and John

How are you? It was good to meet you both and the girls too.

I enjoyed reading your trip report and sorry to heard that Samatha got fit at Castaway which I didn't know about it.

I hope she is fine now.


Scottishwee35

And it was a FINE fit too! This Grandma and Grandpa just smiled. Been there, done that with kids and grandkids.