Welcome, Foolish Muggles! IoA/US/MK/SW *July 2013 Trip Report Link*

[natebenma]

UGH! Your experience is exactly why I book all flights direct with the airline these days. Even that isn't perfect but it has lessened issues. That and avoiding airlines that are notorious for changing flight times/cancelling flights etc.

WTG on the Hobbit. I'm spoiled with readers (well, 3 out of 4) but what a great way to "do nothing"

Love pedicures. Haven't had one in forever but...am definitely getting one for Aulani!

Drink porn. You know I'm in!

I was really excited when we were able to change our inbound flight to direct. Ben complained because we were arriving 45 minutes later, he didn't seem to understand that it was a change in having to wake up at 5:30 instead of 2 am!

It is frustrating to me that Nate doesn't like to read. You never have to be bored if you have a book.

I am hoping if he is turned on to the right reading material, he will eventually come around.

Yes, you must definitely get a pedi for Aulani!

Yup I saw the movie and can't wait to see the next two, they are going to be epic. I'm just about finished rereading the Hobbit again.

We didn't know going in to the movie that there were going to be two more. Ben's like- "Where's the rest of the story?"

Great update.

Love that you "lost the least" at ping pong. It is the little accomplishments that make us proud.

And wow! Nate reading!! Nothing could make a parent prouder than to see siblings arguing about who gets a book. Best fight ever!

I'm fairly competitive. It seemed to surprise the guy who challenged us when I "brought it". I was sorry I didn't get his name. We saw him around the resort the next few days organizing a ping pong tournament and soccer on the beach.

Best fight ever! Love it, and totally agree!

My DS15 also LOVES all of Rick Riordan books!!! He did read the first Hunger Games but I don't know if he read the others. ??

I have read all of the Percy Jacksons and two of the Red Pyramids. Ben has read 2-3 Percy Jacksons so far.

Another young adult series the two of us like are "The Fourth Stall"- about an elementary school mafia ring.

That concludes the teen/tween book club discussion (for now).

We will be moving on to a more "adult" theme later today-

Drink Porn

 

[natebenma]

How many times did a waitress or bartender try to serve alcohol to my 14 year old son?


Here is my going away post on the BC/YC FAQ forum:

I know some of you are curious about where I am going. Perhaps a few of you are guessing that I am (or should be) going to rehab, after the posts from a couple of days ago.

Nope!

But I do have a startling confession to make. I have been cheating on you. I have been hanging around on another discussion board!!!



The Unofficial Barcelo Maya site is a lot like the DIS- vacation planning questions, trip reports, etc. however it is WAY smaller in scope than the DIS. As I hinted in a post, I am doing a Drink of the Day Countdown over there- posting photos from past trips.


Drink of the Day


The really ironic thing is that my husband and I dont drink that much. Really. Very rarely when we are home, and a little bit on vacation. Several of the drinks on my countdown are actually non-alcoholic versions ordered by the boys.



Anyway, I want to wish you all a wonderful week! Ill be checking back a couple of times before I go, but Ill probably be mostly lurking. Lots of last minute things to do.

MickeyT- The list is yours!


Adios, mi amigos


Dee


.

**********************************************************************

Here are a few of the drinks we had throughout the week.



Margaritas (Missy and Franklin, these were for you)

Isle of Coconut- how beautiful are these???
(Rum, orange juice, coconut cream, sweet syrup, lime juice, blue Curacao)

Mojito

Mango Tango (Mango & Strawberry Daiquiris living in harmony)

Miami Vice (Pina Colada & Strawberry Daiquiri- those daiquiris really get around!)

Pina Colada and Caribbean Dream (Rum, peach schnapps, orange juice, grenadine)

Maybe the remains of a Sex on the Beach (Vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry and orange juice)
I love the way the sun is shining on the drink

Mudslide- we saw people with these yummy looking drinks during the week, so at one meal, I asked our waiter what they are. He said Mudslide. Ill bring some to you We said no, but he insisted. OK, twist our arms!

A Shot in the Dark

For a change, pixarmom sent ME on this trip with a mission- she had followed my Drink of the Day thread and asked me to have a drink for her, so I asked what she would like me to get. She said

As for the DOTD, I'd say that Mexican flag shot. As I can't remember the last time I consumed a shot and that one looks particularly festive, that's my choice!

First mistake. Telling Ben that I promised to have a shot of the Mexican Flag for pixarmom. He thinks it is a beautiful looking drink and he became OBSESSED about me completing my mission!

Mom, are you going to do your shot now?

No, honey, its 9:30 in the morning

Now? Is today the day youre going to order the Mexican Flag?

Every. Single. Day!

I decided pixarmom wouldnt mind if I had a rainbow shot instead of the Mexican Flag. Equally festive. So I saw a couple next to us at the pool bar with pretty layered drinks, and I asked for one of them. They were out of shot glasses at the bar, so they put it in a large glass and the bartender only made two layers.

Shot fail!

I didnt even bother to drink it.


Later, Mark said he would join me in a shot so we ordered two Mexican Flags, two virgin Bahama Mamas (one for Nate, one for me after the shot) and a Shirley Temple for Ben. He made the shots, then made the Bahama Mamas. We noticed he put rum in them! So we had to ask for one more.

NO RUM FOR MY 14 YEAR OLD!

Mexican Flag- creme de menthe, tequila, grenadine


Finally, on our last night, the four of us were at a pool bar and I ordered a rainbow shot.

Bartender said 3?

Um, no.

Uno, por favor.

Rainbow Shot- blue curacao, orange liquor or juice, maybe peach schnapps, grenadine, I think.



Sunken Treasure (Tesoro Hundido)

Those of you who are here from the Beach and Yacht Club FAQ board know that the Sunken Treasure has been adopted as the signature drink of our subforum. This drink is no longer on the menu at Hurricane Hannas Pool Bar, but if you find a bartender who knows how to make it, or if you bring the recipe, you can sometimes still get one.

I brought my own laminated recipe card with me to Mexico. At an opportune time (that is, when Mark wasnt around to be completely mortified), I asked a bartender if he would make one for me. I showed him the card. He was intrigued. He showed it to his manager who was also amused. He said no problem, except they do not have Malibu rum at the bar, so he just used regular rum.

I tipped the bartender well for doing this special favor for me. When we came back about 20 minutes later for drinks to take on our sunset walk, the bartender was bending over backwards to help us. My husband asked How much did you tip him???

The drink was yummy! (along with a Sex on the Beach)

Now, in an attempt to sober up this thread a bit, we did have some drinks that did not contain alcohol. Or at least attempted to:


Shirley Temple- gingerale and grenadine. The boys also enjoyed virgin mojitos, which tasted like a minty lime rickey

Mexican Hot Chocolate- I am a certified caffeine addict, but every morning, a cup of this delicious drink accompanied my breakfast as well:

I also enjoy a refreshing ice tea when we are someplace tropical.

Unfortunately, it was harder to get a glass than one would think! I did order a couple of iced teas at lunch, no sugar, but the tea came sweetened. Not my favorite, but ok.

One evening, I ordered an ice tea with my meal. I think the poor waitress was new. She had no idea what I meant. At this same meal, Mark ordered a Banana Republic, and Nate ordered one without alcohol. When we got back to the table, the two drinks were there, but not my iced tea.

Nate tried a sip of his drink and declared This has alcohol in it. So he and Mark switched drinks. But the second drink also had alcohol. When the waitress came by, we asked her Do these both have alcohol? She got embarrassed, and took Nates drink away.

Still no iced tea. I decided I would be content with water.

I went up to the buffet to get some food. When I came back, the boys were all grinning. There was a cup of hot water and selection of teas at my place at the table. Mark said the waitress brought it over and was so proud of herself! She said Is this good? and Mark did not have the heart to tell her no. So I made myself a cup of so I wouldnt hurt her feelings.

Then Nate pipes up Iced Tea is Te helado


That information would have come in handy when I was ordering!!!


So have you been following along closely?

Nate was going to be given drinks with alcohol 3 times:

The Banana Republic that was served to him
The Bahama Mama we ordered with no alcohol, but was made with rum
The bartender offered us 3 shots when I ordered one. Presumably for me, Mark and Nate.


I was very pleased that Nate was honest about telling us that he was served alcohol.

I have to say a couple of things about lessons the boys learned about drinking in moderation. Most of the people around us were drinking responsibly, but there were a few we observed who got out of control. We used this as an opportunity to point out to the boys that even though we could have all the drinks we wanted, mom and dad do not drink so much that we act like that. We talked about the people we saw who were so drunk that they couldn't stand upright. Ben said it best

"They look stupid!"

 

[JanetMom]

Oh my! Every drink looks better than the last.

I decided as part of my comment, I should say which three drinks I would like to try. They are the margarita, mojito, and the mexican flag shot to be patriot while in Mexico. (But I can't stop at 3, so I would also like the pina colada and carribean dream please!)

I'll save my longing for a sunken treasure for when I'm back at the BC/YC.

And for bringing us all the pictures in this post (in focus!).

 

[DrMomof3]

I must confess that I'm jealous of all of your yummy looking drinks!
I can't believe they kept serving alcohol to your 14 year old. Wow!

Amanda

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

We didn't know going in to the movie that there were going to be two more. Ben's like- "Where's the rest of the story?"

It was originally going to be two movies clocking in at just a little over 3 hours. Warner Brothers then asked if they could do three movies so they could get more money and bring the running time down a bit. The first part, An Unexpected Journey, came out last year and will be flowed by the second part this year The dissolution of Samg. The third one will be out in 2014 and is going to be called There and Back Again which was the original title for the second movie. Plus Peter Jackson has put in events that are mentioned in the appendices of the Lord of the Rings, to add to the story and also to help flesh out the back story of Lord of the Rings.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Ok then it is so WRONG that I looked at all of those drinks and thought "yum!!" and it's only 11 am
Bet you're really proud of Nate's honesty I have been known to drive my eldest through the city centre (with locked car doors) late in the evening in Christmas party season to illustrate the dangers of over-drinking! Definitely worked better than any lecture she got in school Might be time to take another trip with my son!

 

[rusty4]

What is the difference between Mexican hot chocolate and regular hot chocolate? I consider myself a hot chocolate snob and have never tried or heard of Mexican hot chocolate.

Those drinks all look so good. What was your favorite new one that you tried? That Isle of Coconut looks real good!

 

[Missyrose]

Here are a few of the drinks we had throughout the week.



Margaritas (Missy and Franklin, these were for you)

Yay! Those look tasty! It's gonna be HOT when we go to Disney in May, so I have a feeling I might be imbibing far more frozen concoctions than when we go in the the fall or late winter.

Isle of Coconut- how beautiful are these???
(Rum, orange juice, coconut cream, sweet syrup, lime juice, blue Curacao)

Mojito

Mango Tango (Mango & Strawberry Daiquiris living in harmony)

Miami Vice (Pina Colada & Strawberry Daiquiri- those daiquiris really get around!)

Pina Colada and Caribbean Dream (Rum, peach schnapps, orange juice, grenadine)

Maybe the remains of a Sex on the Beach (Vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry and orange juice)
I love the way the sun is shining on the drink

Mudslide- we saw people with these yummy looking drinks during the week, so at one meal, I asked our waiter what they are. He said Mudslide. Ill bring some to you We said no, but he insisted. OK, twist our arms!

Shot fail!

I didnt even bother to drink it.


Later, Mark said he would join me in a shot so we ordered two Mexican Flags, two virgin Bahama Mamas (one for Nate, one for me after the shot) and a Shirley Temple for Ben. He made the shots, then made the Bahama Mamas. We noticed he put rum in them! So we had to ask for one more.

NO RUM FOR MY 14 YEAR OLD!

Mexican Flag- creme de menthe, tequila, grenadine


Finally, on our last night, the four of us were at a pool bar and I ordered a rainbow shot.

Rainbow Shot- blue curacao, orange liquor or juice, maybe peach schnapps, grenadine, I think.



Sunken Treasure (Tesoro Hundido)

Those of you who are here from the Beach and Yacht Club FAQ board know that the Sunken Treasure has been adopted as the signature drink of our subforum. This drink is no longer on the menu at Hurricane Hannas Pool Bar, but if you find a bartender who knows how to make it, or if you bring the recipe, you can sometimes still get one.

I brought my own laminated recipe card with me to Mexico. At an opportune time (that is, when Mark wasnt around to be completely mortified), I asked a bartender if he would make one for me. I showed him the card. He was intrigued. He showed it to his manager who was also amused. He said no problem, except they do not have Malibu rum at the bar, so he just used regular rum.

I tipped the bartender well for doing this special favor for me. When we came back about 20 minutes later for drinks to take on our sunset walk, the bartender was bending over backwards to help us. My husband asked How much did you tip him???

The drink was yummy! (along with a Sex on the Beach)

Now, in an attempt to sober up this thread a bit, we did have some drinks that did not contain alcohol. Or at least attempted to:


Shirley Temple- gingerale and grenadine. The boys also enjoyed virgin mojitos, which tasted like a minty lime rickey

Mexican Hot Chocolate- I am a certified caffeine addict, but every morning, a cup of this delicious drink accompanied my breakfast as well:

All the drinks look so pretty, even the failed ones! We may have to a similar photo essay during our honeymoon in Aruba!

 

[MEK]

I think the Mexican flag wins the award for most creative drink, although I have some of the coconut rum that I might use for a Sunken Treasure. I guess I need to make my own drink card!

 

[natebenma]

It was originally going to be two movies clocking in at just a little over 3 hours. Warner Brothers then asked if they could do three movies so they could get more money and bring the running time down a bit. The first part, An Unexpected Journey, came out last year and will be flowed by the second part this year The dissolution of Samg. The third one will be out in 2014 and is going to be called There and Back Again which was the original title for the second movie. Plus Peter Jackson has put in events that are mentioned in the appendices of the Lord of the Rings, to add to the story and also to help flesh out the back story of Lord of the Rings.

I appreciate the additional info about the movies. At least it won't be huge wait between the releases. I think I will be going to see The Hobbit again soon, now that Nate has read the book.

 

[natebenma]

Oh my! Every drink looks better than the last.

I decided as part of my comment, I should say which three drinks I would like to try. They are the margarita, mojito, and the mexican flag shot to be patriot while in Mexico. (But I can't stop at 3, so I would also like the pina colada and carribean dream please!)

I'll save my longing for a sunken treasure for when I'm back at the BC/YC.

And for bringing us all the pictures in this post (in focus!).

The drinks were absolutely beautiful. I have always known that "food is art" but it wasn't until our trips to Mexico that I found photographing drinks to be so satisfying!

Everyone is interested in the Mexican Flag. The creme de menthe and grenadine is a strange combination. I liked it better when I tried it this year, but the rainbow shot was better still. And prettier.

Yes, the appropriate place to enjoy a Sunken Treasure is in its natural habitat of the Yacht and Beach Club!

I must confess that I'm jealous of all of your yummy looking drinks!
I can't believe they kept serving alcohol to your 14 year old. Wow!

Amanda

They were good! But some of them are overly sweet, especially the daiquiris. I think all of the ones depicted are actually the kids' virgin drinks.

Well, I would like to think in most cases it was accidental- the bartenders are so used to adding booze to drinks that they forgot when we ordered them without alcohol

But drinking age is 18 in Mexico and I'm guessing the ramifications of serving a minor are much less drastic than they are here in the US.

Ok then it is so WRONG that I looked at all of those drinks and thought "yum!!" and it's only 11 am
Bet you're really proud of Nate's honesty I have been known to drive my eldest through the city centre (with locked car doors) late in the evening in Christmas party season to illustrate the dangers of over-drinking! Definitely worked better than any lecture she got in school Might be time to take another trip with my son!

It's 5:00 Somewhere!

It's true- seeing the results of overimbibing is far more effective than lecturing about it.

What is the difference between Mexican hot chocolate and regular hot chocolate? I consider myself a hot chocolate snob and have never tried or heard of Mexican hot chocolate.

Those drinks all look so good. What was your favorite new one that you tried? That Isle of Coconut looks real good!

The favorite new drink was the Sex on the Beach. I haven't had that since my college days and not even much then!

I liked the flavors. But I think I found that late in the trip and only had one.


The quick answer about the hot chocolate is cinnamom. But I also suspect the hot chocolate they serve uses a fair amount of cream instead of the milk I use to make it at home. Here are a couple of recipes.

I have tried the first one since returning home. It was declared - not that good.

I may try the Sandra Lee one soon.

Mexican Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• dash salt
• 1 quart milk (4 cups), divided
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation:
In a small bowl, combine cocoa, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Heat 1 cup of milk in a saucepan until bubbling. Stir in cocoa mixture and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining 3 cups milk and return to boiling. Before stirring, whisk until frothy; stir in cream and vanilla then heat through.
Serves 4 to 6.

Mexican Hot Chocolate (Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee, 2008)
Ingredients
• 6 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 (12-ounce) bags semisweet chocolate chips (recommended: Hershey's)
• Cocoa powder, for serving
Directions
For stovetop: In a large pot over medium heat, whisk together milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and nutmeg. Add chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted. Cover and turn heat to low for 5 minutes.
For slow cooker: In a 4-quart slow cooker, whisk together milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and nutmeg. Add chocolate chips. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve with a dusting of cocoa powder.

Yay! Those look tasty! It's gonna be HOT when we go to Disney in May, so I have a feeling I might be imbibing far more frozen concoctions than when we go in the the fall or late winter.

All the drinks look so pretty, even the failed ones! We may have to a similar photo essay during our honeymoon in Aruba!

Can't wait to see your drinks!!! Are you going to an all inclusive resort? You'll have to let me know where.

I think the Mexican flag wins the award for most creative drink, although I have some of the coconut rum that I might use for a Sunken Treasure. I guess I need to make my own drink card!

Oh, I should make a card for the Turtle Crawl. I copied the recipe when it was printed on (Cynthia's?) trip report, but as I recall, you were not successful when you tried to duplicate it.

 

[rusty4]

I may try the Sandra Lee one soon.

That does sound good! Thank you for posting this.

 

[Pixel Dust]

Margaritas (Missy and Franklin, these were for you)

I have been craving the jalapeño margarita lately...

 

[Ninja Mom]

Well I finally made it over here. Thanks for the awesome (said in a high voice AWESOMMMMME) Trip report!

Now I have one question... were the drinks included in the price of the resort?

YEARS ago when I stayed at an all inclusive resort in Jamaica the drinks were included but I swear they watered down the liquor....

There were also little cannabis plants sprouting up like weeds all over the resort gardens but that is a different story....

The activities look really good at this resort and I love how you are embracing second place or lower in all the trash talking, competitive, resort activities. One must go with their strengths while consuming multicolored alcoholic drinks in foreign countries.

Viva La Mexico!

~NM

 

[Sue M]

Great TR!! Never heard of those shots, but they sure are pretty! Some of the resort photos sorta look like the Poly!! ish! Beautiful resort. We were in Cozumel, and loved the snorkelling.

The ticketing glitch by Delta sounds horrible. Do you mean 60 min isn't enough time to change planes in Atlanta I'm in trouble then, as I just booked our flight home on Delta, with 60 min connection in Atlanta.

 

[natebenma]

That does sound good! Thank you for posting this.

I'll let you know if I try making the hot chocolate and how it comes out.

I have been craving the jalapeño margarita lately...

Sounds very tempting! I have read great reviews of the jalapeño margarita. I'll have to see if I can work up the nerve to try one out.

Peter Piper sipped a bit of pickled pepper. How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper sip?

How quickly can you say this after a few pickled pepper drinks???

Well I finally made it over here. Thanks for the awesome (said in a high voice AWESOMMMMME) Trip report!

Now I have one question... were the drinks included in the price of the resort?

YEARS ago when I stayed at an all inclusive resort in Jamaica the drinks were included but I swear they watered down the liquor....

There were also little cannabis plants sprouting up like weeds all over the resort gardens but that is a different story....

The activities look really good at this resort and I love how you are embracing second place or lower in all the trash talking, competitive, resort activities. One must go with their strengths while consuming multicolored alcoholic drinks in foreign countries.

Viva La Mexico!

~NM

Hola! So glad to have you here!

Oh, yes, all the drinks were included in the price of the resort. I'm a big ole cheapskate and if I had to pay for drinks OOP, I would be digging up the agave plants that were growing around the resort to make my own tequila!

I don't know if the drinks were watered down, but I really didn't care. They didn't seem shy about pouring the alcohol. Booze appeared even when we didn't want it!!!

Great TR!! Never heard of those shots, but they sure are pretty! Some of the resort photos sorta look like the Poly!! ish! Beautiful resort. We were in Cozumel, and loved the snorkelling.

The ticketing glitch by Delta sounds horrible. Do you mean 60 min isn't enough time to change planes in Atlanta I'm in trouble then, as I just booked our flight home on Delta, with 60 min connection in Atlanta.

I'm not sure what to tell you about the timing in Atlanta. Maybe someone reading here is familiar with Delta/Atlanta connecting flights. I try to avoid going over to the Transportation thread on the DIS- it can be very scary ("There's no pixie dust on the Transportation board")- but you could post your question over there...

The drinks really were pretty! It was a lot fun trying the different choices, especially since we were not paying extra.

We spent a week in Cozumel and then a cruise stop once. Great snorkeling, but a lot of it is very deep. I prefer snorkeling in shallow water because you can see more, close up.

During the summer you can book a snorkel with whale sharks- one of Ben's favorite animals- that is definitely on my bucket list.

Speaking of snorkeling- I think that will be my next update. Especially since I already have it written and posted on that "other board"

Next up: Under the Sea

.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Just a heads up invade you don't follow peter Jackson on YouTube he said a trailer for the next Hobbit movie is going to go up sometime this week

Sent from my Samsung Galexy Ace using the DISBoards app

 

[natebenma]

Just a heads up invade you don't follow peter Jackson on YouTube he said a trailer for the next Hobbit movie is going to go up sometime this week

Sent from my Samsung Galexy Ace using the DISBoards app

Thanks, again!

Told Ben and he will be on the lookout!

 

[natebenma]

What two important things bit the dust during this trip?

The main draws of this resort for us is the beauty and size of the beaches and the excellent snorkeling.

We brought our own equipment to the resort. Four masks and 2 sets of fins (for my husband and me). Unfortunately, one of the masks broke, probably when the snorkel bag was in the luggage compartment in the plane or carousel at the airport. The mask I ended up using did not fit me well so it leaked water and was really hard to use. When my son wasn’t snorkeling, I used his mask and it was much better.

Although we have been told it is very common to see turtles while snorkeling, we haven’t in our past two trips. While preparing for the trip, we read the reports that the best place to enter the water to see turtles was at the anvil-shaped rock.

My son was obsessed with the anvil-shaped rock.

We had to find the anvil-shaped rock:

This time, when we first entered the water, Mark could see turtle heads coming up for air. The 3 of us put on our masks and saw: TURTLES!!! We saw 3 or 4 on this first outing, others on subsequent snorkels and then on Thursday while I was out snorkeling alone, I followed one turtle for about 10 minutes. The turtle now has a restraining order on me for stalking! (Thanks, NM)

Dude! How many pictures of turtles did you take?

Answer: 34 pictures plus 2 videos


Continued in Next Post, More Snorkeling and "Where Cameras Go to Die"

 

[natebenma]

Continued from Previous Post


In addition to some beautiful corals and amazing colored fish, we saw skates/stingrays swimming and submerged in the sand, a venomous lionfish (no picture, but I have a very brief image on video) and I saw a green moray eel out swimming for a couple of seconds. I was not quick enough to get a picture, but it looked to be a 3-4 foot eel.

Hogfish:

Yellowtail Damselfish:

Whats Ben looking at?

A skate buried in the sand:

Blue Striped Grunt:

Stoplight Parrotfish:

Porkfish and Tang?:

French Angelfish- intermediate and adult:

Spotfin Butterfly Fish:

Four-Eyed Butterfly Fish:

Smooth Trunkfish:

Bluehead:

Where Cameras Go To Die
(points to Jenseib for correctly guessing this)

I am currently using a year-old Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 for all of my pictures, underwater and on land. Currently selling on Amazon for around $350. Right now, I love, love, love it!

I have been using waterproof-rated cameras exclusively for all of my photos since 2008. I love that I don't have to leave behind my camera if I go into the ocean or a pool or a waterpark. I don't need a babysitter or locker when I am swimming.

But, these cameras are subject to leaks and I have had to replace 4 cameras since 2008. I always make sure I have a backup just in case.

In fact, I am thinking of nicknaming the Barcelo Maya "The place where cameras go to die". On our first trip in 2010, my Olympus Tough died on the last day of our trip (opened the case to change the memory card after coming out of the water-that's a no-no). The following year, its brother died during our trip. And this year, although you would think I have learned my lesson, my backup Olympus Tough, which I was letting my 11 year old use, died while we were out snorkeling.

And it is not that the Barcelo is the only place I take these cameras into the water. I use them at pools, the ocean, local waterparks, Atlantis water park twice, water rides at amusement parks.

But the Olympus cameras always seem to die in Mexico.

I also had a Canon Powershot D10 that I liked a lot but that bit the dust in Puerto Rico last year, the Lumix is its replacement.

In other news, Santa did bring me a big girl camera for Christmas. I have not spent very much time getting to know it, but it did accompany me to Mexico and I took it out for one photo safari. Liked the pictures and I look forward to putting it through the paces in Disney and Universal.

And one more moment of panic. At one point in the Mexico trip, I asked Mark to take a picture of me with the Lumix. I wanted a picture with my string bag to post on mickeystoontown's trip report.

He lifted the camera and said "There's something wrong with the camera! The screen is dark!"




"Oh. I'm wearing sunglasses"


Next up: Bonus Track- The Land and Soarin'