You Best Start Believing in Ghost Stories...Halloween on the Dream | The End P40 8/15

[Dugette]

We had Madison at WDW at 7 weeks and Evan at 1 year. Ryder will be 5 months for his first visit, so having a baby at WDW is totally doable! I'll be sure to add plenty of baby tips to my next TR!

Great, thank you!

 

[Poolrat]

All caught up and glad Ryder came home on Easter.

 

[Grooovertoo]

Cooll, I had a slow day at work today so I figured, I might as well get caught up on your TR. Good to see you haven’t gotten on the boat yet, I didn’t miss much then. Love the pics…keep up the good work.

Oh yea, and congratulation on Ryder, cool name. Sounds like he is already off to a great life. I hope for all the best to you and yours!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Loving your report and congrats on the your new arrival!

Thanks and Thanks!

I am a little behind but, YAY! Congrats to you and your family! What a great Easter gift!

You think you're behind? How do you think I feel?
Thank you!

Great, thank you!

All caught up and glad Ryder came on on Easter.

He's a cutie!

Cooll, I had a slow day at work today so I figured, I might as well get caught up on your TR. Good to see you haven’t gotten on the boat yet, I didn’t miss much then. Love the pics…keep up the good work.

Thanks! I hope to get to writing about getting on the boat before we actually get on the boat again. In March.

Oh yea, and congratulation on Ryder, cool name. Sounds like he is already off to a great life. I hope for all the best to you and yours!

Thanks!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

We didn't need to be downstairs at the hotel for our shuttle to the port until 11am, so we decided to sleep in and have a nice relaxing morning. Naturally, we were too excited to sleep and were up at the butt crack of dawn.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below. When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But two red and black smokestacks, peeking out from behind that Royal Caribbean Ship.

Crappy cell phone picture:

Slightly better zoomed picture from an actual camera:

Honey! Our boat's here!

When checking in yesterday, the lady at the front desk asked what floor I wanted to be on. Naturally, I asked for the highest they had (4th) hoping that we would have a decent view of the port. Turns out, Bambi and I weren't the only ones that were excited by those two little funnels playing peek-a-boo with us.

We dressed up - well, got dressed anyway - and headed down for breakfast. The best part about Country Inns & Suites? Besides the clean, comfortable rooms at a reasonable price, the chocolate chip cookies in the lobby, the free parking and shuttle to and from the port? Free Hot Breakfast! No "continental" breakfast of doughnuts and last week's fruit for us. Scrambled eggs, made to order waffles, biscuits & gravy, sausage, bacon, oatmeal, fruit, etc. They even had grits! Which, as a native and proud northerner, I completely stayed away from.

Unfortunately, the biker gangs and what appeared to be the Red Hat Society (minus the red hats) all had the same idea about breakfast at roughly the same time we did. The dining room was full, but not overly packed. We spotted a fairly large family just getting ready to leave so I casually wandered over to the table and marked it as my own. You can use your imagination as to how I accomplished that, but rest assured, no one else was going to sit there.

With breakfast taken care of, we had only one more thing to do before we got loaded into our taxi. Wait.

I had called the taxi company provided by the hotel the night before and scheduled us on the 11 am van to the port. So we wandered around the hotel. We checked out a little craft show they had in one of their conference rooms. We threw rocks into the pond out back hoping to agitate any alligators that were living in there. And then we waited some more.

All the while, there was a steady stream of shuttles and taxis in and out of the hotel, loading up luggage and people and making the 5 minute drive to the port. Finally, our chariot (well, a 15 passenger Ford Econoline van pulling a Haulmark trailer) arrived! We were loaded up with a few other families destined for other ships (suckers!) and headed off.

The first stop was Disney's terminal. We expected the family with the very excited teenage girl in the Donald Duck t-shirt to get off with us, but they were headed to another boat. OoooooKKKkaaaayyy.

We had a few minutes before we needed to be inside, so we took a quick walk around to check out the ship, Mickey, and the broomsticks.

Our first reaction? "Holy crap that's a big boat!"

(You're probably wondering what that flag is flying off the back of the ship. It's the Bahamian flag, where Disney (and a lot of other cruise lines) register their ships. If you register your ship in the US, you have to pay US taxes and abide by all US employment laws for anyone working on the ship. Cruise lines find countries that have much more - shall we say, profit-friendly laws and register their ships there)

Once inside the terminal, you go through an airport TSA-style security checkpoint where no photographs are allowed, then head up the escalators to get checked in for the cruise.

It never occurred to me to get a few shots of the terminal building itself. It's massive, open, airy and very clean. Check in desks line the left hand side of the room, lounge seating and TVs showing Disney cartoons on the right.

We headed to the left to get checked in - a process that took maybe 10 minutes, even with an "Earning My Ears" cast member working the controls. We were given a card with a boarding number and were told to listen for the announcements and to board the ship when our number was called.

She then instructed us to head over to another corner of the room to get the kids registered for the Kid's Clubs. Each child got a waterproof electronic wristband that stayed on them for the entire cruise. Sensors around the ship read the band which not only checked them in and out of the Oceaneer's Club and Oceaneer's Lab, but also allows cast members to locate them anywhere on the ship. Lojack for children!

(You can see Evan's Lojack bracelet pretty good in this shot. Yes, Disney has a fancy name for the bracelet, but I don't remember what it is and calling it Lojack for kids just sounds funner)

While the kids waited and watched TV, we stood in Minnie Mouses's line. She was doing a meet & greet in the middle of the atrium. About 5 families from the front of the line, Minnie left. And was replace by Mickey! Score!

(Want to hear something freaky? See that shirt I'm wearing in the picture with Mickey? I'm wearing it now! Twilight Zone music: Doo Doo Dooo Dooo Doo Doo Doo.)

The other side of the model of the Disney Magic is open for inspection. I don't think it helps with "floating" much, which as I understand is a fairly important feature in a ship.

The entire floor of the terminal building is a map of the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Three of the most important areas are: Port Canaveral, Florida (sorry, no picture),

Disney's Private Island, Castaway Cay:

... and finally, and possibly most importantly, Barry Island!

(Although with Disney's famous attention to detail, you'd think they'd get that spelling mistake fixed sooner or later, wouldn't you?)

Finally, our boarding number was called and we headed through the giant Mickey Mouse shaped tunnel. A final security check to make sure we were who we said we were, a picture or two for ship's photographers, and we were headed up the gang plank!

Luggage for 4,000 people takes a while to load.

As soon as we stepped onto the ship, we were greeted by a member of the crew and asked our names. They then escorted us a few feet into the atrium, and announced our arrival on the PA system. Yeah, we're that important. (OK, they do it for everybody, but it's still cool!)

The kids with the Admiral Donald statue in the Grand Atrium.

The Atrium is simply stunning. Huge, classical, ornate...think of any other fancy words like that and insert them [here].

The purple and orange bunting was all part of their Halloween on the High Seas celebration going on. We got on the ship on October 30 after all.

Coming Up Next: Lunch, Swimming, and the First of Many Parties!

 

[glennbo123]

You're on the boat! Okay, when do we eat?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Naturally, we were too excited to sleep and were up at the butt crack of dawn.

This is a condition known worldwide as "Disinsomnia."

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But ...

Eddie...and a guy with a big red ribbon on his head..what the..?

The best part about Country Inns & Suites? Besides the clean, comfortable rooms at a reasonable price, the chocolate chip cookies in the lobby, the free parking and shuttle to and from the port? Free Hot Breakfast! No "continental" breakfast of doughnuts and last week's fruit for us. Scrambled eggs, made to order waffles, biscuits & gravy, sausage, bacon, oatmeal, fruit, etc. They even had grits! Which, as a native and proud northerner, I completely stayed away from.

Free makes it taste better, too. I live in a border state, but I don't really "get" grits, either.

We spotted a fairly large family just getting ready to leave so I casually wandered over to the table and marked it as my own. You can use your imagination as to how I accomplished that, but rest assured, no one else was going to sit there.

I hope you at least wiped it down before the rest of the family got there.

Our first reaction? "Holy crap that's a big boat!"

(You're probably wondering what that flag is flying off the back of the ship. It's the Bahamian flag, where Disney (and a lot of other cruise lines) register their ships. If you register your ship in the US, you have to pay US taxes and abide by all US employment laws for anyone working on the ship. Cruise lines find countries that have much more - shall we say, profit-friendly laws and register their ships there)

Disney? Maximizing profit? Surely you jest.

(You can see Evan's Lojack bracelet pretty good in this shot. Yes, Disney has a fancy name for the bracelet, but I don't remember what it is and calling it Lojack for kids just sounds funner)

(Want to hear something freaky? See that shirt I'm wearing in the picture with Mickey? I'm wearing it now! Twilight Zone music: Doo Doo Dooo Dooo Doo Doo Doo.)

So you don't throw your shirts out after wearing them once? If you always mark your territory like you did at the Country Inn, you might want to consider it.

... and finally, and possibly most importantly, Barry Island!

(Although with Disney's famous attention to detail, you'd think they'd get that spelling mistake fixed sooner or later, wouldn't you?)

Isn't that where they did nuclear weapon testing in the 60's?

As soon as we stepped onto the ship, we were greeted by a member of the crew and asked our names. They then escorted us a few feet into the atrium, and announced our arrival on the PA system. Yeah, we're that important. (OK, they do it for everybody, but it's still cool!)

You didn't give them a fake Simpsons-style name? "My name is Hiney, first name Seymour."

The Atrium is simply stunning. Huge, classical, ornate...think of any other fancy words like that and insert them [here].

Splendiferous?

You do know who your audience is, right?

 

[KatMark]

You didn't give them a fake Simpsons-style name? "My name is Hiney, first name Seymour."



I'll come back with my own comments later, but this had me spitting out my pop with my lunch. That was AWESOME, Mark!

You do know who your audience is, right?

Hey, hey, hey there. I could come up with some great words!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

We didn't need to be downstairs at the hotel for our shuttle to the port until 11am, so we decided to sleep in and have a nice relaxing morning. Naturally, we were too excited to sleep and were up at the butt crack of dawn.

Funny how it seems to work out that way…

…The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below…

You seem to have some type of fixation on snow…
Or maybe it’s a fixation on something else that compelled that particular quote.

Yep… That’s just what it looks like from the Radisson as well.
A nice view of an RCCL ship…
with those red funnels hiding tantalizingly in the back ground…
Mocking you for not being over there already

DCL needs to build its own hotel closer to the terminal
(which, like lemmings, we’d surely be will to pay extra for).

They even had grits! Which, as a native and proud northerner, I completely stayed away from.

I need to have y’all over for dinner one evening and introduce you to this delicacy.

You bring the fried cheese curds as an apatizer…
and we’ll take care of the rest of it.

…so I casually wandered over to the table and marked it as my own. You can use your imagination as to how I accomplished that, but rest assured, no one else was going to sit there.

We just can’t take you out in public at all, can we?
The cows are more housebroken…

We threw rocks into the pond out back hoping to agitate any alligators that were living in there.

Once agitated, what exactly were you planning to do with ‘em?

The first stop was Disney's terminal. We expected the family with the very excited teenage girl in the Donald Duck t-shirt to get off with us, but they were headed to another boat. OoooooKKKkaaaayyy.

I suspect that was her public protest against her folk’s frugality.

Our first reaction? "Holy crap that's a big boat!"

Yes… yes it is.
It makes the Magic and Wonder look like sub-compacts.
Dang fine compacts, but still…

(You can see Evan's Lojack bracelet pretty good in this shot. Yes, Disney has a fancy name for the bracelet, but I don't remember what it is and calling it Lojack for kids just sounds funner)

Lojack! I like your name better.

Proof positive you have arrived…
Let the dreams commence!

 

[MEK]

So I think flunked DISing when I totally missed that your new son Ryder was born. Congratulations! So happy that he recovered quickly from his delivery and infection. He is gorgeous!

Fun update. You are finally on the boat! I agree with Mark - when DO you eat?

As many pictures of the boat that I see, I still can't wait to see it in person some day!

 

[shan23877]

I'm not sure if I posted previously or not, but congratulations on the birth of Ryder! I'm very glad that his infections cleared up quickly.

Can't wait to hear more about your family's sail on the Dream. Enjoying it so far!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Yay, you're on the boat!! Glad to hear the check-in process went smoothly! The ship looks gorgeous!

Agreeing with Glenn...when's the food?

 

[Dugette]

You're already REALLY making me want to go on a Disney cruise! Looking forward to more!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

You're on the boat! Okay, when do we eat?

Ummm...next update. Whenever that is.

This is a condition known worldwide as "Disinsomnia."

I think Ryder has that. He's quite prone to waking me up 45 minutes before my alarm goes off. And 4 out of 5 doctors agree - the last 45 minutes of sleep are the most important.

Eddie...and a guy with a big red ribbon on his head..what the..?

Oh, the silent majesty of a winter's morn... the clean, cool chill of the holiday air... an a****** in his bathrobe, emptying a chemical toilet into my sewer...

Free makes it taste better, too. I live in a border state, but I don't really "get" grits, either.

They serve them at Waffle House, so they can't be that bad, right?

I hope you at least wiped it down before the rest of the family got there.

Nah, they're used to it by now.

Disney? Maximizing profit? Surely you jest.

It's true.



And stop calling me Shirley.

So you don't throw your shirts out after wearing them once? If you always mark your territory like you did at the Country Inn, you might want to consider it.

No. But Bambi insists on washing them with some kind of special soap that she has to put on a respirator and heavy rubber gloves to use.

Isn't that where they did nuclear weapon testing in the 60's?

I'm not sure.
Hey, on an unrelated note, do you know why microwaves always turn on when I walk past them? I thought it happened to everyone, but it turns out it's just me.

You didn't give them a fake Simpsons-style name? "My name is Hiney, first name Seymour."

Next time. The first cruise needed to be authentic. Next time we'll have some fun.

Splendiferous?

You do know who your audience is, right?

I was thinking of using "C'est Magnifique" but then I realized I have not idea what it means.

Hey, hey, hey there. I could come up with some great words!

I can't wait to hear them!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Funny how it seems to work out that way…

Every. Single. Time.

You seem to have some type of fixation on snow…
Or maybe it’s a fixation on something else that compelled that particular quote.

Fat guys that break into your house while you children are sleeping?

Yep… That’s just what it looks like from the Radisson as well.
A nice view of an RCCL ship…
with those red funnels hiding tantalizingly in the back ground…
Mocking you for not being over there already

Maybe I'm biased, but Disney's ships with their red, white and black livery just look soooo much cooler than the the plain, all white boats that were parked next to it.

DCL needs to build its own hotel closer to the terminal
(which, like lemmings, we’d surely be will to pay extra for).

So charge you the hotel stay, and $15 a day for parking? I'm sure it wouldn't take much to convince them.

I need to have y’all over for dinner one evening and introduce you to this delicacy.

You bring the fried cheese curds as an apatizer…
and we’ll take care of the rest of it.

Grits and fried cheese curds. If someone had thought of this back in 1860 we could have avoided a whole lot of bloodshed.

We just can’t take you out in public at all, can we?
The cows are more housebroken…

Oh, I beg to differ. Nothing would tick my mom off more than a stray cow wandering around and pooping on her lawn.

Once agitated, what exactly were you planning to do with ‘em?

I can assure you we were not thinking that far ahead.

I suspect that was her public protest against her folk’s frugality.

Indeed. And she was making sure they heard every word of it.

Yes… yes it is.
It makes the Magic and Wonder look like sub-compacts.
Dang fine compacts, but still…

I'll have to find my way onto one of those ships one of these years....

Lojack! I like your name better.

We refer to the little security tag that Ryder got at the hospital as Baby Lojack.

Proof positive you have arrived…
Let the dreams commence!

So I think flunked DISing when I totally missed that your new son Ryder was born. Congratulations! So happy that he recovered quickly from his delivery and infection. He is gorgeous!

Thank you! He even let me get 6 hours of sleep last night. IN A ROW!

Fun update. You are finally on the boat! I agree with Mark - when DO you eat?

Soon. As a matter of fact, I'm feeling a little peckish myself now that you mention it...

As many pictures of the boat that I see, I still can't wait to see it in person some day!

It is absolutely stunning!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

I'm not sure if I posted previously or not, but congratulations on the birth of Ryder! I'm very glad that his infections cleared up quickly.

Well, even if you did, it's always nice to hear it again. Thanks!

Can't wait to hear more about your family's sail on the Dream. Enjoying it so far!

Hopefully in my next update we'll actually get out to sea!

Yay, you're on the boat!! Glad to hear the check-in process went smoothly! The ship looks gorgeous!

Agreeing with Glenn...when's the food?

It's coming, it's coming! Now I know how my mom felt trying to cook dinner with two teenage boys bugging her that they're hungry!

You're already REALLY making me want to go on a Disney cruise! Looking forward to more!

I'm making myself want to go on another just looking back at my pictures!

 

[KatMark]

Crappy cell phone picture:

Better than NO photo.

Slightly better zoomed picture from an actual camera:

Yes, much better.

Honey! Our boat's here!

When checking in yesterday, the lady at the front desk asked what floor I wanted to be on. Naturally, I asked for the highest they had (4th) hoping that we would have a decent view of the port. Turns out, Bambi and I weren't the only ones that were excited by those two little funnels playing peek-a-boo with us.

How exciting for the kids.


Unfortunately, the biker gangs and what appeared to be the Red Hat Society (minus the red hats) all had the same idea about breakfast at roughly the same time we did. The dining room was full, but not overly packed. We spotted a fairly large family just getting ready to leave so I casually wandered over to the table and marked it as my own. You can use your imagination as to how I accomplished that, but rest assured, no one else was going to sit there.

I don't think I even want to know.

We had a few minutes before we needed to be inside, so we took a quick walk around to check out the ship, Mickey, and the broomsticks.

Our first reaction? "Holy crap that's a big boat!"

Just from the pictures it looks like a BIG BOAT!

(You're probably wondering what that flag is flying off the back of the ship. It's the Bahamian flag, where Disney (and a lot of other cruise lines) register their ships. If you register your ship in the US, you have to pay US taxes and abide by all US employment laws for anyone working on the ship. Cruise lines find countries that have much more - shall we say, profit-friendly laws and register their ships there)

Very interesting tidbit; I never knew that.

While the kids waited and watched TV, we stood in Minnie Mouses's line. She was doing a meet & greet in the middle of the atrium. About 5 families from the front of the line, Minnie left. And was replace by Mickey! Score!

Great picture!

(Want to hear something freaky? See that shirt I'm wearing in the picture with Mickey? I'm wearing it now! Twilight Zone music: Doo Doo Dooo Dooo Doo Doo Doo.)

I hope you've washed it since then.

The other side of the model of the Disney Magic is open for inspection. I don't think it helps with "floating" much, which as I understand is a fairly important feature in a ship.

The entire floor of the terminal building is a map of the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Three of the most important areas are: Port Canaveral, Florida (sorry, no picture),

Disney's Private Island, Castaway Cay:

... and finally, and possibly most importantly, Barry Island!

Did Bambi arrange that for you?

(Although with Disney's famous attention to detail, you'd think they'd get that spelling mistake fixed sooner or later, wouldn't you?)

Finally, our boarding number was called and we headed through the giant Mickey Mouse shaped tunnel. A final security check to make sure we were who we said we were, a picture or two for ship's photographers, and we were headed up the gang plank!

Luggage for 4,000 people takes a while to load.

As soon as we stepped onto the ship, we were greeted by a member of the crew and asked our names. They then escorted us a few feet into the atrium, and announced our arrival on the PA system. Yeah, we're that important. (OK, they do it for everybody, but it's still cool!)

The kids with the Admiral Donald statue in the Grand Atrium.

The Atrium is simply stunning. Huge, classical, ornate...think of any other fancy words like that and insert them [here].

The purple and orange bunting was all part of their Halloween on the High Seas celebration going on. We got on the ship on October 30 after all.

Coming Up Next: Lunch, Swimming, and the First of Many Parties!

Great update, Barry, and great photos.

Thanks to you and Bambi for the adorable announcement card on Ryder...it now holds a place of honor front and center on my fridge; and you best stop making comments about that adorable Bib!!!!

 

[E3yore]

Great update, Barry, and great photos.

Thanks to you and Bambi for the adorable announcement card on Ryder...it now holds a place of honor front and center on my fridge; and you best stop making comments about that adorable Bib!!!!

But I can still make comments about the Packers, right?

 

[KatMark]

but i can still make comments about the packers, right?

absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[afwdwfan]

Naturally, we were too excited to sleep and were up at the butt crack of dawn.

Nothing like being mooned by the sun when you're trying to sleep in.

Besides the clean, comfortable rooms at a reasonable price

Do you own stock?

You can use your imagination as to how I accomplished that, but rest assured, no one else was going to sit there.

Well, your namesake is a monkey, so I can only imagine what you might have been flinging...

Yes, Disney has a fancy name for the bracelet, but I don't remember what it is and calling it Lojack for kids just sounds funner)

Yeah, Disney probably has some fancy schmancy sounding technical name that makes it sound warm and fuzzy to convey the image of "we didn't really lose your kid, just temporarily misplaced them"

Lojack for kids is just telling it like it is.

(Want to hear something freaky? See that shirt I'm wearing in the picture with Mickey? I'm wearing it now!

Are you wearing it underneath that infamous sweatshirt?

As soon as we stepped onto the ship

I'm on a boat!

Eddie...and a guy with a big red ribbon on his head..what the..??

I'm just disappointed that I let you beat me to this reference...