YawningDodo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2014
January 25
White Sand and One Last Bingo (continued)
I hemmed and hawed over the snorkeling gear when I got back to shore--technically I had the rental for the full day and could theoretically put it back on and go back out after lunch, but I felt like I'd had my fill already (see? not a beach person). I opted to go ahead and return it so I wouldn't have to worry about it later, and took off in search of lunch. The buffets at the family beach looked a bit busy, plus I wanted to at least see Serenity Bay, so I headed down the runway in the direction the trams seemed to be going (once again eschewing the transportation offered).
I was rewarded with a slightly more adult spread of protein options, so of course I opted to have the same hot dog I could have had over on the family beach. Then, for dessert, strawberry and banana soft serve.
By this time I'd cheered up quite a lot and was having a very nice time. It was just such a pleasant place to be, and the picnic-style lunch foods felt perfectly right after a (brief) swim.
I poked around Serenity Bay for a few minutes after lunch, but a No Swimming sign was posted and it was much windier and colder on this side of the island. My apathy for beaches was only increased by the lack of anything to do beyond sitting in a lounge chair, so I turned around and left again.
I took the tram this time, at least back to the family beach. I wanted to make a stop to buy a magnet I'd seen earlier, but beyond that I had no further plans.
From the shop, I made my way the rest of the way back to the ship on foot, taking my time to look around and to snap a quick selfie.
All in all, I only spent about three hours on Castaway Cay. I'm sure this seems like a terrible waste from the perspective of anyone who does love the beach, but despite it being generally pleasant and despite being very glad I left the ship and had a wander and a swim, I was perfectly content to cut it short.
Since I was already in my swimsuit, I dropped my phone and so forth off in my stateroom and rode the AquaDuck half a dozen times before showering and changing. I knew this would be the last time, as I had plans for the afternoon and evening, so I rode it probably a few more times than my body was really up for (so much water up the nose even when I held it shut!).
Good Morning Magic had changed over to the Debarkation Presentation, so after I showered I let that run in the background while I did most of my packing.
With most of my stuff squared away in my bags, I headed to After Hours to wait until Bingo presales opened up. I was early enough to snag a porthole and watch the people coming back in to the ship. By then the sky was getting dark and it was decidedly colder and windier outside. It was really lovely to be comfortable and dry after a few hours outside in my swimsuit, and I was very content at this moment. Also, I got to meet the family whose little girl had won the baby race during MDAS, which I'd sadly missed.
This last round of Bingo was both the most expensive and the most crowded round. In future I'd probably skip it even if I were doing most or all of the other sessions; the more people there are there, the less likely you are to win. And yeah, there was a $10,000 jackpot, but I knew from previous days that it was very unlikely that someone would win it.
Yeah, no one won the jackpot. I didn't win anything at all; it was still a good time but it felt less worth the money than previous sessions because the odds were just so bad with that big crowd in the room.
White Sand and One Last Bingo (continued)
I hemmed and hawed over the snorkeling gear when I got back to shore--technically I had the rental for the full day and could theoretically put it back on and go back out after lunch, but I felt like I'd had my fill already (see? not a beach person). I opted to go ahead and return it so I wouldn't have to worry about it later, and took off in search of lunch. The buffets at the family beach looked a bit busy, plus I wanted to at least see Serenity Bay, so I headed down the runway in the direction the trams seemed to be going (once again eschewing the transportation offered).
I was rewarded with a slightly more adult spread of protein options, so of course I opted to have the same hot dog I could have had over on the family beach. Then, for dessert, strawberry and banana soft serve.
By this time I'd cheered up quite a lot and was having a very nice time. It was just such a pleasant place to be, and the picnic-style lunch foods felt perfectly right after a (brief) swim.
I poked around Serenity Bay for a few minutes after lunch, but a No Swimming sign was posted and it was much windier and colder on this side of the island. My apathy for beaches was only increased by the lack of anything to do beyond sitting in a lounge chair, so I turned around and left again.
I took the tram this time, at least back to the family beach. I wanted to make a stop to buy a magnet I'd seen earlier, but beyond that I had no further plans.
From the shop, I made my way the rest of the way back to the ship on foot, taking my time to look around and to snap a quick selfie.
All in all, I only spent about three hours on Castaway Cay. I'm sure this seems like a terrible waste from the perspective of anyone who does love the beach, but despite it being generally pleasant and despite being very glad I left the ship and had a wander and a swim, I was perfectly content to cut it short.
Since I was already in my swimsuit, I dropped my phone and so forth off in my stateroom and rode the AquaDuck half a dozen times before showering and changing. I knew this would be the last time, as I had plans for the afternoon and evening, so I rode it probably a few more times than my body was really up for (so much water up the nose even when I held it shut!).
Good Morning Magic had changed over to the Debarkation Presentation, so after I showered I let that run in the background while I did most of my packing.
With most of my stuff squared away in my bags, I headed to After Hours to wait until Bingo presales opened up. I was early enough to snag a porthole and watch the people coming back in to the ship. By then the sky was getting dark and it was decidedly colder and windier outside. It was really lovely to be comfortable and dry after a few hours outside in my swimsuit, and I was very content at this moment. Also, I got to meet the family whose little girl had won the baby race during MDAS, which I'd sadly missed.
This last round of Bingo was both the most expensive and the most crowded round. In future I'd probably skip it even if I were doing most or all of the other sessions; the more people there are there, the less likely you are to win. And yeah, there was a $10,000 jackpot, but I knew from previous days that it was very unlikely that someone would win it.
Yeah, no one won the jackpot. I didn't win anything at all; it was still a good time but it felt less worth the money than previous sessions because the odds were just so bad with that big crowd in the room.