Aruba
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2002
Pre Trip day One:
We (DH,DD,DD and myself) flew out of Rochester NY to Orlando. This was due to TERRIFIC prices! We traveled from MA to NY ( oldest daughter goes to school in Rochester so we could see her also- little did we know it was the beginning of getting two for one deals!) - Air Tran to Orlando - great flight, good airline... we arrived in Orlando at 9 pm and slept at the Hyatt. Girls thought this was wonderful and neat! We woke, walked around the airport had breakfast at McD's and then took our towncar to Port Canaveral at 10:30. We met up with my sister and DH and DD at the Hyatt.
DAY ONE at PC:
We arrived at PC and everyone awed at the the Wonder! This is our 4th trip ( 3 on the wonder - one on the magic) ..The weather looked wonderful and the lines were NOTHING. We got in line and checked in. As castaway club members we entered that que and the women instructed my sister and her gang to follow- Now when it was our turn to go to the check in desk it was brief and easy. I only wished not too BRIEF- I guess they assume since you have come before you know and REMEMBER everything.. it has been a few years for us, so our lovely lady just gave us our keys and lanyards that say castaway member and said have a nice time.... so we were like "thank you".. now thank goodness my sister and her gang got to the desk and they said we have never sailed before, so they got info! My Brother in law says after check in... so they changed the itinary... I said what??? He said yes the lady told them they had to change it...I still was like, what are you talking about.. He then told me they need to do extra maintence on the ship - so they had to remove the day at sea... I am still in the middle of the terminal looking at him like he has 3 heads.. what??? He then says look at the papers you were given- ( the ones that the clerk just folded and gave us and said have a nice time)... yes we were not having a day at sea we were having another day at CASTAWAT CAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You have got to be kidding me- we are double dipping this trip! I have always wanted to do that trip, but never could squeeze it in when they were doing it! Needless to say I was like WHAT!!! 
How could this be any better! thrilled and totally out of my mind, my sister and her gang thought I was crazy- they later learned why this is SOOOO great! We entered the mickey mouse hall as we were section 8 and it flew by and we were on in no time! we were told to go to parrot cay- but we waited a few moments for my sister and her gang to get the name calling event and the speech on what is happening from a crew member- this was great for them, my DD asked why no one was talking to us, as we soon realized that with the lanyard they can tell who has cruised before and who has not! We got lots of welcome backs!! We went to parrot cay only to be told it was full - to please go to the deck 9 Beach Blanket Buffet- we have never done this before,as we are always in Parrot Cay, so something different! It was a great day so sitting out and having lunch upstairs was worth it! I gave all my girls their dosage of Bonine and took one myself! I offered my sister and her gang- but they said they were fine, I tried to warn them about the first night crossing of the gulf stream, but they said they would be fine...
I tried. We were able to check out our rooms at exactly 1:30 and we went in to put down our day bags and then to walk around a bit! We stayed in 5020, yes a secret porthole room and it was wonderful! Very little obstruction and the price is great too! My sister stayed around the corner at 5018. Not a secret porthole, but right next door. They have been on one carnival cruise on their honeymoon some 18 years ago and could not believe the size of their cabin!!! They were laughing- I have no idea what they expected , but it was not this and they were thrilled! I guess we dont really want to try another line, because we might be crying at seeing the room - but the room was wonderful as always and we dropped our day bags and went about the ship! Great day for strolling the decks! I sometimes think that disney could have put a drink station at the forward deck too...but I guess they want you to walk off those pounds!! After awhile my sister and I checked to see if our bags were by our room, each of us had ONE bag there so we started to unpack- so much easier when no one is there to "help" you do it 
.. I took out our magnetic signs and put them up and hung one for my sister ( I knew she did not know of this so we made one for her)... by then my troop had found me and were waiting for the life boat drill, off we went. I have no idea what happened to my sister, but they made them use a different stair case so the finally showed up- after we changed and got ready for dinner. We had early sitting and had PTTA, I was thrilled with this, since I love Tritons on dress up night! We also had the 6:00 eating time, which is great- 5:30 is a rush but 6 works great. Down side is that those little games are always at 7:15 in studio sea and my DD wanted to do them soooo badly- we missed all but one due to the time of eating... OH well something has to go. As we entered Parrot Cay that night for dinner, I could see my relatives looking shall we say 
.. the motion had started... My brother inlaw actually got up and went to get some dramamine during dinner.. They never refused another suggestion I had the entire trip. 
... Dinner that night was ok. My 2 ordered from the kids menu and the grown ups- fruit cup from the kids, and chicken from the adults.. I had some type of appetizer that was jerky tuna... raw fish, not for me, but heck I tried it! Then the salad was ok, but the main dish- Grouper was to die for! I finished with a rice pudding, which I would never had gotten, but I wanted to try different things this trip and promised myself to go outside of the comfort zone and it was great. That was not the only thing I promised myself. I had joing WW 10 weeks earlier and had lost 12 lbs, slow and steady and I cringed at going on a cruise now, so I swore no eating between meals- no PIZZA ( darn it!) and walk the stairs everywhere no elevators! I was on deck 5 so this gave me ample places to walk the stairs! I did do that too and by the end of the cruise I actually ran UP 5 decks! I did not die either!!! It felt good- next week is weight in so we shall see how well I did! 
We were intertained by a juggler/comic the first night Max. He was very good and it was enough. The theater was half full and I wondered how many were just tired or sea sick... we went to the WHo Wants to be Mouseketeer- and it was fun, DD wanted to be in that chair so bad! Everyone wins, so dont worry- they give you million of chances and clues if you choose wrong- not sure that is good, tell them they got it wrong and give them a runners up prize- and go to the next person... but oh well it is disney.. anyways we ended up going to bed right after that and the beds were just wonderful- slept great - a mild rocking not really bad at all, I found the forward section not bad, we have been in aft on all 3 other trips and I think I prefer that section but more on that later. Day one down.
DAY 2: Nassua
Normally we do not get off the boat here. But I wanted our DD's to experience the bahamas and to say atleast they were on the island! We decided to do the Pirate Museum. It was a brief walk from the boat and it was a beautiful day too! We ate breakfast on the top deck and enjoyed the beauty, we left and were on the wharf by 9:30 am- we went right to the museum it was $36 for 2 adults and 2 children. They enjoyed it ! there were true and false questions - game like thru out and the girls had fun with that. In parts it is like walking thru pirates of the caribbean! It was about and hour and half there. We then walked thru and I mean THRU the straw market on the way back to the boat! there were places to eat lunch- but heck i paid for the one on the boat already! the straw marked was an experience- mostly the same stuff- knock off pocketbooks! I tried to explain to my DD that someday you should save and buy the REAL thing, no 13 year old needs to be walking around with gucci or coco, everyone knows they are knockoffs and you just throw them on the floor at school anyways!!! We laughed. We decided that we should buy things that remind us of where we have been - more local. Of course we bought the local pin for our collection, but we watched a lady weave the straw into a bag and it was impressive, so we bought a straw bag from her and that was a great reminder of the day and what people make and can do! very impressive. We returned back on ship, had lunch upstairs at BBB, very good - remember the salad bar at the end! We decided to watch National Treasure 2 again, the theater was great and only a handful of people there- it was wonderful! We then went and got our suits on and layed in the sun and watched the family games at the goofy pool- I was getting a drink for my dd when she told me she saw her Aunt doing the hoolahoop game... I said oh really- and I later found out it was! We soon had to get ready for supper and it was dress up night! We dressed in our "cool " clothes and then went down to have some pics taken- This trip there were many opportunities to have formal pics taken....I normally dont buy alot of pics - I take millions, but a nice formal one is something you never really do, so we tried them, if they dont come out well - you just dont buy them!... we ended up buy 2 from that night. You can buy them seperate- the packages are pricey! ANd of course they are cheaper if they are 5 x7's and they take the formal ones at 8 x 10- but they were $20 each and we now have a very nice formal pic of the 4 of us and I bought one of the 2 DD's- Tritons that night was beautiful- we had lovely staff and they both did a great job- our server PUTU did some "thinking" games with crayons that were wonderful for the two 13years olds.. great idea at the end of the meal while we sat and had our dessert and conversation!!! Tonight we tried escargot- everyone did! ( we got an extra plate so we all could try something different) Mixed reviews on this - but for the most part we like it! I ended up having the Halibut and it was very good. Not as good as the grouper the night before, but good! The highlight of this night was the show- Toy Story the Musical! fantastic! We had a wonderful time and it was a true broadway production- such talent and really a great time. For some reason tonight was my crash night- I could hardly keep my eyes open. I retired early and boy did I crash- now just to let you know I decided to pass on alcohol drinks this trip ( saved those points for food instead) so it was not that! Retired for wonderful sleep! I think dad was right behind with the DD's- I think I quick trip upstairs and then ice cream and out!
Day 2: Castaway cay ONE
AH it is here... finally! This is the best- walk right off and onto your own beach! We ate at BBB, agian very good- I passed all week on the omlette station, but it did look good! I must say, the first morning we ate there, there were a few families tossing food up for the seagulls to eat- it became a problem, How they did not know this was beyond me, but the cruise director PETER had to make several announcements after about PLEASE dont do that and parents you need to be sure that your children dont do it! I wont preach to much here, but parents I know you feel your children are safe , and they are , but you are their first teachers, and you need to teach them proper etiquette- I understand that some did not get this info passed down and thus the problem- I was at the beach at Castaway cay and heard one mom tell her sons- I am guessing 8 and 10 that "they" mom and dad were going to the other beach and walk around and that they would be back later- lunch was over there... and left them!!!!!!!!!! I was blown away! Who does that??? Just cause you can vacation doesn't mean you should! But anyways back to the good parts of this report... castaway was cloudy this day, but it was so warm- so this was good! One of the things I found on this board was that there was a pirate map for castawat cay- I asked the ngiht before, but no one knew anything about it, the Navigator mentions getting your maps today at 9 am in prominade lounge- so we stop there first. What a great idea. It would have been nice to get them the night before so you could read it first, but we did it while we were walking off the boat... they find clues and solve where the treasure is! Really neat! But some of the clues are right near the boat, so if you dont open the packet till you are on the beach you have to go all the way back! DD's were the first to figure it out- but there is a prize for all! Our two DD's took a banana boat ride just for teens and they had a fun time, a counselor goes out with them so that is great! My brother in law and daughter took the eco tour with jet skis and had a GREAT time. they went out to a sand bar in the middle of the ocean! He said that was a highlight! Cookies was delicious and had that outdoorsy type food! In all great day at the beach- we even saw a water funnel cloud in the ocean, kind of scary, but cool... glad is was out a way! That night was Pirate night and we dressed more carribean than piratey but we had fun! Dinner was very good- and we went off to see the pirate party on deck 9 and danced and saw the show and mickey coming to the rescue and the fireworks were just awsome! We sat up on deck and watched Pirates of the Carribean for awhile but it cooled off and everyone was ready for bed- so we made one trip down the dessert buffet that they set out ( and boy is this food great! PS used alot of points here on WW) and off to bed! Towel animals every night were a treat for the kids. My sister was amazed at the lowering of the bunk bed! We had 4 in our room- she had 3 so no need to drop the bed! They were blown away with the room!
Day 3: Castaway TWO
So here it is the day I have been waiting for... double dipping ...OMG, could this be any cooler. Oh yes we had to still be on board the day before for 5 and out to see for the fireworks and so that the boat can take on more water to use... so we came back in this morning- I felt them come in this morning- more wind and more waves! But sun, sun, sun! We ventured off to find a palm and hammock area. Today we went father down to the end of the family beach and it was a good location. We sat and talked and this time we went on a bike ride. It takes an hour and there were just 4 of us that went- it was easy riding and good exercise!!!! But nice to see a apart of the island you dont get to see! We stayed on the island until 4 and then back to the boat to get ready for dinner- showers for 4 people take awhile!!! especially when 3 are girls! Dinner was at Animators Palate and it was amazing.. my sister thought is was great too! I had a filet mignon which was out of this world! We saw Disney Dreams in the theater and that was wonderful- did a little shopping in the stores and then we were off to bed. I noticed that the last night, not much to do after the theater presentation- I guess they realize we have to be up and out the next day! We had 6:30 am breakfast- my sister and her gang went upstairs to BBB, we went to say good bye to our servers! That night the water was choppy. I did not sleep well either. I must say it might have been due to the forward sleeping arrangements not sure- we tossed a bit that night, more than anyother. Also the one bad thing of 5020 is that accross the hall is the crew members door, this is were the luggage comes up and down- well they work ALL NIGHT LONG.. the banging of that door! I can assume that if I had been asleep I would not have heard it- but i was awake and could not go back. But that was ok- I was on the wonder!
PROS AND CONS:
In summary- I cant wait to do another cruise. I am spoiled and love disney! it is familiar now! Food was wonderful and I really did walk alot- so I am hoping the scales are kind to me! I ate normal- yes I did have dessert, but I did not pig out and the portions at dinner are great for WW.
Our children are older and did not do the clubs- they could have done the teen thing but I found even last time when my oldest was with us at 16 she did not do it either...
My middle child is special needs and LOVES the disney boat! She was on the GOLDEN MICKEYS and they- Disney staff always makes her feel special and for that I am forever greatful!!! The true kindness of strangers always impresses me! So many people stopped her the day after to say OH I saw you at the golden mickeys last night! SHe glowed!!!!
Cons are few- I take the opportunity to tell my children what is not appropriate behavior and what is... when I see things that should not be allowed I just mention why they are not allowed- safety- self respect etc. I guess those moments are life lesson moments and in the end are a good thing.
I love the dinning rotation. We ate of course with my sister and gang so there were 7 of us at dinner and we always new who we were sitting with, and when and where- it takes alot of planning out of MY hands and I can just enjoy!
I did like the forward section, but we walked down on deck 2 and looked in some of the rooms and they looked great too! so if I am looking for prices I may do deck 2- I just dont want water splashing my window!!!!!
I wish disney had more connecting rooms! inside especially. Maybe the new ones will have more - for bigger families!
Not as many signs as I thought there would be- esp since this was vacation week from schools up north... It made it special and easy to find the room!!
I guess that is all, any questions ask, but truely a great vacation and we double dipped! My oldest daughter is in college and did not make this trip - first time
so I called her from PC when I found out we were double dipping and she was going crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you all and Disney for making our dreams come true no matter how old we are ................or become!
We (DH,DD,DD and myself) flew out of Rochester NY to Orlando. This was due to TERRIFIC prices! We traveled from MA to NY ( oldest daughter goes to school in Rochester so we could see her also- little did we know it was the beginning of getting two for one deals!) - Air Tran to Orlando - great flight, good airline... we arrived in Orlando at 9 pm and slept at the Hyatt. Girls thought this was wonderful and neat! We woke, walked around the airport had breakfast at McD's and then took our towncar to Port Canaveral at 10:30. We met up with my sister and DH and DD at the Hyatt.
DAY ONE at PC:
We arrived at PC and everyone awed at the the Wonder! This is our 4th trip ( 3 on the wonder - one on the magic) ..The weather looked wonderful and the lines were NOTHING. We got in line and checked in. As castaway club members we entered that que and the women instructed my sister and her gang to follow- Now when it was our turn to go to the check in desk it was brief and easy. I only wished not too BRIEF- I guess they assume since you have come before you know and REMEMBER everything.. it has been a few years for us, so our lovely lady just gave us our keys and lanyards that say castaway member and said have a nice time.... so we were like "thank you".. now thank goodness my sister and her gang got to the desk and they said we have never sailed before, so they got info! My Brother in law says after check in... so they changed the itinary... I said what??? He said yes the lady told them they had to change it...I still was like, what are you talking about.. He then told me they need to do extra maintence on the ship - so they had to remove the day at sea... I am still in the middle of the terminal looking at him like he has 3 heads.. what??? He then says look at the papers you were given- ( the ones that the clerk just folded and gave us and said have a nice time)... yes we were not having a day at sea we were having another day at CASTAWAT CAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You have got to be kidding me- we are double dipping this trip! I have always wanted to do that trip, but never could squeeze it in when they were doing it! Needless to say I was like WHAT!!! How could this be any better! thrilled and totally out of my mind, my sister and her gang thought I was crazy- they later learned why this is SOOOO great! We entered the mickey mouse hall as we were section 8 and it flew by and we were on in no time! we were told to go to parrot cay- but we waited a few moments for my sister and her gang to get the name calling event and the speech on what is happening from a crew member- this was great for them, my DD asked why no one was talking to us, as we soon realized that with the lanyard they can tell who has cruised before and who has not! We got lots of welcome backs!! We went to parrot cay only to be told it was full - to please go to the deck 9 Beach Blanket Buffet- we have never done this before,as we are always in Parrot Cay, so something different! It was a great day so sitting out and having lunch upstairs was worth it! I gave all my girls their dosage of Bonine and took one myself! I offered my sister and her gang- but they said they were fine, I tried to warn them about the first night crossing of the gulf stream, but they said they would be fine... I tried. We were able to check out our rooms at exactly 1:30 and we went in to put down our day bags and then to walk around a bit! We stayed in 5020, yes a secret porthole room and it was wonderful! Very little obstruction and the price is great too! My sister stayed around the corner at 5018. Not a secret porthole, but right next door. They have been on one carnival cruise on their honeymoon some 18 years ago and could not believe the size of their cabin!!! They were laughing- I have no idea what they expected , but it was not this and they were thrilled! I guess we dont really want to try another line, because we might be crying at seeing the room - but the room was wonderful as always and we dropped our day bags and went about the ship! Great day for strolling the decks! I sometimes think that disney could have put a drink station at the forward deck too...but I guess they want you to walk off those pounds!! After awhile my sister and I checked to see if our bags were by our room, each of us had ONE bag there so we started to unpack- so much easier when no one is there to "help" you do it .. I took out our magnetic signs and put them up and hung one for my sister ( I knew she did not know of this so we made one for her)... by then my troop had found me and were waiting for the life boat drill, off we went. I have no idea what happened to my sister, but they made them use a different stair case so the finally showed up- after we changed and got ready for dinner. We had early sitting and had PTTA, I was thrilled with this, since I love Tritons on dress up night! We also had the 6:00 eating time, which is great- 5:30 is a rush but 6 works great. Down side is that those little games are always at 7:15 in studio sea and my DD wanted to do them soooo badly- we missed all but one due to the time of eating... OH well something has to go. As we entered Parrot Cay that night for dinner, I could see my relatives looking shall we say .. the motion had started... My brother inlaw actually got up and went to get some dramamine during dinner.. They never refused another suggestion I had the entire trip. ... Dinner that night was ok. My 2 ordered from the kids menu and the grown ups- fruit cup from the kids, and chicken from the adults.. I had some type of appetizer that was jerky tuna... raw fish, not for me, but heck I tried it! Then the salad was ok, but the main dish- Grouper was to die for! I finished with a rice pudding, which I would never had gotten, but I wanted to try different things this trip and promised myself to go outside of the comfort zone and it was great. That was not the only thing I promised myself. I had joing WW 10 weeks earlier and had lost 12 lbs, slow and steady and I cringed at going on a cruise now, so I swore no eating between meals- no PIZZA ( darn it!) and walk the stairs everywhere no elevators! I was on deck 5 so this gave me ample places to walk the stairs! I did do that too and by the end of the cruise I actually ran UP 5 decks! I did not die either!!! It felt good- next week is weight in so we shall see how well I did! We were intertained by a juggler/comic the first night Max. He was very good and it was enough. The theater was half full and I wondered how many were just tired or sea sick... we went to the WHo Wants to be Mouseketeer- and it was fun, DD wanted to be in that chair so bad! Everyone wins, so dont worry- they give you million of chances and clues if you choose wrong- not sure that is good, tell them they got it wrong and give them a runners up prize- and go to the next person... but oh well it is disney.. anyways we ended up going to bed right after that and the beds were just wonderful- slept great - a mild rocking not really bad at all, I found the forward section not bad, we have been in aft on all 3 other trips and I think I prefer that section but more on that later. Day one down.
DAY 2: Nassua
Normally we do not get off the boat here. But I wanted our DD's to experience the bahamas and to say atleast they were on the island! We decided to do the Pirate Museum. It was a brief walk from the boat and it was a beautiful day too! We ate breakfast on the top deck and enjoyed the beauty, we left and were on the wharf by 9:30 am- we went right to the museum it was $36 for 2 adults and 2 children. They enjoyed it ! there were true and false questions - game like thru out and the girls had fun with that. In parts it is like walking thru pirates of the caribbean! It was about and hour and half there. We then walked thru and I mean THRU the straw market on the way back to the boat! there were places to eat lunch- but heck i paid for the one on the boat already! the straw marked was an experience- mostly the same stuff- knock off pocketbooks! I tried to explain to my DD that someday you should save and buy the REAL thing, no 13 year old needs to be walking around with gucci or coco, everyone knows they are knockoffs and you just throw them on the floor at school anyways!!! We laughed. We decided that we should buy things that remind us of where we have been - more local. Of course we bought the local pin for our collection, but we watched a lady weave the straw into a bag and it was impressive, so we bought a straw bag from her and that was a great reminder of the day and what people make and can do! very impressive. We returned back on ship, had lunch upstairs at BBB, very good - remember the salad bar at the end! We decided to watch National Treasure 2 again, the theater was great and only a handful of people there- it was wonderful! We then went and got our suits on and layed in the sun and watched the family games at the goofy pool- I was getting a drink for my dd when she told me she saw her Aunt doing the hoolahoop game... I said oh really- and I later found out it was! We soon had to get ready for supper and it was dress up night! We dressed in our "cool " clothes and then went down to have some pics taken- This trip there were many opportunities to have formal pics taken....I normally dont buy alot of pics - I take millions, but a nice formal one is something you never really do, so we tried them, if they dont come out well - you just dont buy them!... we ended up buy 2 from that night. You can buy them seperate- the packages are pricey! ANd of course they are cheaper if they are 5 x7's and they take the formal ones at 8 x 10- but they were $20 each and we now have a very nice formal pic of the 4 of us and I bought one of the 2 DD's- Tritons that night was beautiful- we had lovely staff and they both did a great job- our server PUTU did some "thinking" games with crayons that were wonderful for the two 13years olds.. great idea at the end of the meal while we sat and had our dessert and conversation!!! Tonight we tried escargot- everyone did! ( we got an extra plate so we all could try something different) Mixed reviews on this - but for the most part we like it! I ended up having the Halibut and it was very good. Not as good as the grouper the night before, but good! The highlight of this night was the show- Toy Story the Musical! fantastic! We had a wonderful time and it was a true broadway production- such talent and really a great time. For some reason tonight was my crash night- I could hardly keep my eyes open. I retired early and boy did I crash- now just to let you know I decided to pass on alcohol drinks this trip ( saved those points for food instead) so it was not that! Retired for wonderful sleep! I think dad was right behind with the DD's- I think I quick trip upstairs and then ice cream and out!
Day 2: Castaway cay ONE
AH it is here... finally! This is the best- walk right off and onto your own beach! We ate at BBB, agian very good- I passed all week on the omlette station, but it did look good! I must say, the first morning we ate there, there were a few families tossing food up for the seagulls to eat- it became a problem, How they did not know this was beyond me, but the cruise director PETER had to make several announcements after about PLEASE dont do that and parents you need to be sure that your children dont do it! I wont preach to much here, but parents I know you feel your children are safe , and they are , but you are their first teachers, and you need to teach them proper etiquette- I understand that some did not get this info passed down and thus the problem- I was at the beach at Castaway cay and heard one mom tell her sons- I am guessing 8 and 10 that "they" mom and dad were going to the other beach and walk around and that they would be back later- lunch was over there... and left them!!!!!!!!!! I was blown away! Who does that??? Just cause you can vacation doesn't mean you should! But anyways back to the good parts of this report... castaway was cloudy this day, but it was so warm- so this was good! One of the things I found on this board was that there was a pirate map for castawat cay- I asked the ngiht before, but no one knew anything about it, the Navigator mentions getting your maps today at 9 am in prominade lounge- so we stop there first. What a great idea. It would have been nice to get them the night before so you could read it first, but we did it while we were walking off the boat... they find clues and solve where the treasure is! Really neat! But some of the clues are right near the boat, so if you dont open the packet till you are on the beach you have to go all the way back! DD's were the first to figure it out- but there is a prize for all! Our two DD's took a banana boat ride just for teens and they had a fun time, a counselor goes out with them so that is great! My brother in law and daughter took the eco tour with jet skis and had a GREAT time. they went out to a sand bar in the middle of the ocean! He said that was a highlight! Cookies was delicious and had that outdoorsy type food! In all great day at the beach- we even saw a water funnel cloud in the ocean, kind of scary, but cool... glad is was out a way! That night was Pirate night and we dressed more carribean than piratey but we had fun! Dinner was very good- and we went off to see the pirate party on deck 9 and danced and saw the show and mickey coming to the rescue and the fireworks were just awsome! We sat up on deck and watched Pirates of the Carribean for awhile but it cooled off and everyone was ready for bed- so we made one trip down the dessert buffet that they set out ( and boy is this food great! PS used alot of points here on WW) and off to bed! Towel animals every night were a treat for the kids. My sister was amazed at the lowering of the bunk bed! We had 4 in our room- she had 3 so no need to drop the bed! They were blown away with the room!
Day 3: Castaway TWO
So here it is the day I have been waiting for... double dipping ...OMG, could this be any cooler. Oh yes we had to still be on board the day before for 5 and out to see for the fireworks and so that the boat can take on more water to use... so we came back in this morning- I felt them come in this morning- more wind and more waves! But sun, sun, sun! We ventured off to find a palm and hammock area. Today we went father down to the end of the family beach and it was a good location. We sat and talked and this time we went on a bike ride. It takes an hour and there were just 4 of us that went- it was easy riding and good exercise!!!! But nice to see a apart of the island you dont get to see! We stayed on the island until 4 and then back to the boat to get ready for dinner- showers for 4 people take awhile!!! especially when 3 are girls! Dinner was at Animators Palate and it was amazing.. my sister thought is was great too! I had a filet mignon which was out of this world! We saw Disney Dreams in the theater and that was wonderful- did a little shopping in the stores and then we were off to bed. I noticed that the last night, not much to do after the theater presentation- I guess they realize we have to be up and out the next day! We had 6:30 am breakfast- my sister and her gang went upstairs to BBB, we went to say good bye to our servers! That night the water was choppy. I did not sleep well either. I must say it might have been due to the forward sleeping arrangements not sure- we tossed a bit that night, more than anyother. Also the one bad thing of 5020 is that accross the hall is the crew members door, this is were the luggage comes up and down- well they work ALL NIGHT LONG.. the banging of that door! I can assume that if I had been asleep I would not have heard it- but i was awake and could not go back. But that was ok- I was on the wonder!
PROS AND CONS:
In summary- I cant wait to do another cruise. I am spoiled and love disney! it is familiar now! Food was wonderful and I really did walk alot- so I am hoping the scales are kind to me! I ate normal- yes I did have dessert, but I did not pig out and the portions at dinner are great for WW.
Our children are older and did not do the clubs- they could have done the teen thing but I found even last time when my oldest was with us at 16 she did not do it either...
My middle child is special needs and LOVES the disney boat! She was on the GOLDEN MICKEYS and they- Disney staff always makes her feel special and for that I am forever greatful!!! The true kindness of strangers always impresses me! So many people stopped her the day after to say OH I saw you at the golden mickeys last night! SHe glowed!!!!
Cons are few- I take the opportunity to tell my children what is not appropriate behavior and what is... when I see things that should not be allowed I just mention why they are not allowed- safety- self respect etc. I guess those moments are life lesson moments and in the end are a good thing.
I love the dinning rotation. We ate of course with my sister and gang so there were 7 of us at dinner and we always new who we were sitting with, and when and where- it takes alot of planning out of MY hands and I can just enjoy!
I did like the forward section, but we walked down on deck 2 and looked in some of the rooms and they looked great too! so if I am looking for prices I may do deck 2- I just dont want water splashing my window!!!!!
I wish disney had more connecting rooms! inside especially. Maybe the new ones will have more - for bigger families!
Not as many signs as I thought there would be- esp since this was vacation week from schools up north... It made it special and easy to find the room!!
I guess that is all, any questions ask, but truely a great vacation and we double dipped! My oldest daughter is in college and did not make this trip - first time
so I called her from PC when I found out we were double dipping and she was going crazy!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you all and Disney for making our dreams come true no matter how old we are ................or become!
I wish I had known about the treasure hunt. It would have been great on day 2. the morning was a little windy and chilly in the water. We did the bike ride. I especially liked the observation tower and the "picture" spot at the end of the road past the adult beach. DD 14 did the Wild teen adventure- bike ride, snorkling and kayaking. She really enjoyed.
