Chapter 9: You all thought we were insane to bring out own Blender???
As usual, thank you all for your kind words...it's appreciated! so when I left you last I was typing in the middle of the night (3:30am to be exact). So I have a tip for all you TR writers out there...before you click "Submit Reply" make sure you copy everything you wrote. When I tried to post the first time at 3:30, the server was down (for whatever reason) and I would have lost a ton of work...luckily I had copied it!
Also, I know there are spelling errors in everything below. Sorry. But get over it
Anyway, once we got back to our rooms we decided to make smoothies for the kids and Daqueries for the adults.
Yes, we brought a blender onboard. DNH bought a smoothie blender no less to bring on the trip. This was something that we debated many times. We knew we were going to bring beer...but the thinking was...how cool would it be to bring a blender and make our own icy, yummy drinks. Well, we used the blender twice on the whole trip...I think partially because it just isn't that convenient...and partly because we were usually extremely busy. The Beer pretty much covered me from a drinking perspective, and DW had a few of her froo-froo drinks in a bottle to tide her over. So looking back, I don't think I would choose to bring a blender again. There, you have yet another tip!
DNH went up to deck 9 and got some fresh fruit (definately an advantage when making your own blended drinks in your room) and made smoothies and then daqueries (I'm pretty much 100% sure I'm butchering the spelling here, so please bear with me).
After we were done, DS8 (Nick), DNS9 (Chris), and I decided to go and see about pin trading. So we wandered around the ship with no luck. Since we were in port the stores weren't open (that's where you can always find CM's to trade with), and no one at Guest Services was wearing layards.
But in the lobby, we did find....wait for it...Chip it Golf! Yes! how exciting that we had bumped into that right when they were setting it up. For those of you not experienced in Chip It Golf, basically there is a mat that you chip the ball off of, and a larger mat with designs to look like a golf course with sand traps and a green, and each area has points (both positive and negative). I remembered reading that it was supposed to be 12+, but when I asked the CM about it she had no problem letting the boys play.
She then announces that they will do a kid competition, and an adult competition. So I figured that I would sign up. What did I have to lose? just sitting there anyway.
Each person got 3 chances, the first two were whatever score the landed on, and the last one was double. There would be two rounds, exactly the same rules except the last ball in the second round would be triple. Big excitement.
So they started with the Kids. Both Nick and Chris did very well, and after the first round they were 1st and 2nd overall. Pretty good. Then the adults started...I got no score on the first ball...2 points on the second, and then on the third ball I nailed the bullseye (15 points...so I got 30!!!). So I was in first after the first round.
Round 2 came around and the kids went again...Nick and Chris again did very well, and finished 1st and second overall. The adults went next and I was able to hold onto first place. So the three of us finished: 1st, 1st, 2nd. not bad considering we bumped into it. The first place prize was a medal (which Nick was very proud of) and the second place prize was a disney keychain. Huh. The 2nd place prize was better. I should have thrown the competition.
Note by the way, that I suck at golf. So I recommend anyone play
During this time DNH and DNW went back into Key West to get a poster as a present (apparently they really liked the hot humid weather, or they were closet lovers of the key lime pie on a stick but didn't want me to know. Mmmm, key lime pie on a stick, but I digress). DW took the younger kids to do a frame craft and take a picture with Pocohontas, and finally to the pool to swim.
As you have read before elsewhere, the best time to hit the pool is on a port day. you can do what you want, and I'm pretty sure the pools don't get quite as disgusting as they do on a sea day. I've never seen water so cloudy as when 1500 kids get in the mickey pool at the same time. gross.
If you can see their feet...it's safe to go in the pool.
At some point we did manage to squeeze in some standard picture shots...
The kids in the porthole. Tip for future cruises: if you are going to post a TR, it is a requirement that you have at least one of these pictures. I don't make up the rules people.
I love the Mickey statue. Frankly speaking I would be sad on the Wonder without Mickey guiding the ship. I mean how else do you get to where your going? can we really trust a mermaid???
It was time for dinner. Our second night was in Parrot Cay. DW had planned ahead for us to wear our matching disney hawaiian outfits which I know I have seen at least once on a trip report...so some of you will find this familiar:
Aren't we cute? Note that I didn't know that Adrian had put the plates up behind Nick until I uploaded this picture to post here...pretty darn funny! I'd also like to know where we are looking. Maybe someone was hanging naked outside the ship? Rasul ended a bit early?
So let's see, dinner menu. DW, DS8 (quick side note (I know, I know...I'm wandering off topic yet again...get over it. If you wanted the quick version of my report...read from the beginning and I believe I gave you the easy way out). I do call Nick DS7 and DS8 interchangeably. He turned 8 November 1...and so he is 8 now, even though he was 7 on the ship officially...but we unofficially celebrated his birthday, so that makes it my choice, and besides I'm the author, now back to the story) and I had ribs.
Let me say that the barbeque sauce was fabulous. I considered just asking for a bowl of that, which I would have enjoyed. or perhaps a bowl to dip fries into (which, I think, is a tad bit more socially acceptable
). The ribs themselves, however, weren't that good. they were tough, and it was kind of like chewing on a peice of rubber that was slathered with very, very good BBQ sauce. Oh I ate it...but I didn't have to enjoy the chewing part.
I have no idea what we had for desert because DW didn't write it down in her journal (note that whenever I screw up I will try my best to blame it on that, don't take it personally honey!). the only thing I am sure about is that Connor had cookies (again not on the menu) because that's what he had for the first 3 days until we could convince him to try the Mickey Bar. Frankly I wish we had known he could order nothing...he would have enjoyed that. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go read a couple other trip reports, I refuse to ruin that one!
After dinner it was off to search for characters...we found: Snow White, Dopey, Mad Hatter, Lili&Stitch, Peter Pan and Wendy, and Genie:
Strangely he fits right in with our family. Huh.
At this point we split up...DNH and I got beers again to make our stand at the doors to the Walt Disney theater. We drank and chatted while everyone else went and got candy and drinks for us all (you know the beers would need to be refreshed).
So this time when the doors opened we needed to save 8 seats. I was determined to be in the front row, so we headed right down...unfortunately a young girl on the other side was like grease lightning...
down those stairs, and they had 4 people. So we made it down and saved the 4 seats next to them, and saved 4 right behind. DNH and I figured this would work as the kids could be up front (this turned out to be a good call). Everyone showed up shortly thereafter and we were ready for the show.
Note that this is the point in the story where I'm going off on my own because I disagree with what is written in DW's journal. going off the pictures and the cool matching outfits I think I'm correct, but again...I might not be
Then again...none of you would have any idea unless you were on the cruise, and anyone that was on the cruise with us would be too polite to say anything, riiight?
So the show for this night was "The Dangerous Physical Comedy of Wilde and Haines". OH. MY. GOSH. These guys were absolutely hilarious. My side hurt in short order watching them. They did alot of juggling...alot of jokes...did a Unicycle trick and did a nice job of involving the audience, including our kids in the front row:
They all got to throw juggling sticks up to them on stage and they were supposed to do it at a certain time. Kathryn chose to do it her own way and hucked it after everyone else...surprising them, and causing a pretty comical moment. Nick was a heckler...which I find hard to believe because I'm very reserved and never heckle anyone (must have been DW's side), and he got a few comments out of the two on stage which was hilarious.
Then came the controversy. Wilde and Haines chose a little boy from the audience to come up for a trick involving juggling bowling balls. They of course played it up to seem dangerous (which was hilarious), and finally the kid walked off the stage. They go out in the audience and bribe him with $5 to come back up, which he gruggingly does...and they make him lay down on the floor and do the juggling. Very funny, but I think it was all a setup.
It was hilarious, but was just a little to perfect...the kid was acting exactly how he had to in order to make it work. I suspected a setup in the adult version of the show too...but I'll tell you about it later. Not that it mattered...it was still a great show...but I'd like to know...
so I just figured out why I was confused by DW's journal. She's right. I'm wrong. Let's just leave it at that.
After the main show we put the kids in the clubs so that we could go see Freddy Fusion (who had performed the night before). Again...pretty good, but it really paled in comparison to the main show. This seemed to be a theme, and we avoided most adult things after the following night. I'm sorry to say that I can't report out on the nightlife on the ship, we aren't late people...it's just how we are. if you want to read about nightlife...go read Father Force's TR or Sleepydog's TR (of course Sleepydog forgot to bring his kid...so he had it nice and easy...did I say forgot? I mean left behind! ha! just kidding Sleepy...).
Connor and Kathryn had some free time in the clubs and then they put on Little Mermaid. They were both asleep when DW and DNW picked them up. Plum tuckered I think.
Nick and Chris were up on the sports deck playing the first of many rounds of dodgeball. This looked like a ton of fun. Pretty cool that they can do that outdoors while the ship is moving...just kind of neat. Unfortunately neither were very happy that we were yanking them out of the clubs...but we were beat...time for bed.
So I leave you with one more picture...naturally it's the towel animal we were greated by when we returned to our room...
How cute
By the way, if you haven't gone on
DCL before, the chocolates that they give you are fabulous.
That's it for now...short and sweet...next up:
Chapter 10: Monday, our first day at sea and our first visit to Palo!