The Tale of the Grow Walk ….Hunh? photo Report

[jenseib]

Another stop in one of the kids bathrooms.

 

 

 

 

 

Claire was being a little goofy.

 

 

A look out the porthole window in the secret passageway.

 

 

And back to the Tink area.

 

 

 

After a little bit of playing we moved on once again.

 

 

The Promenade Lounge looked exactly the same as before.

 

 

 

 

The bars/nightclub area had totally been revamped so I wanted to check that area out next.

 

 

 

 

 

Fathoms is where a lot of activities go on during the cruise. In the day they have both adult and kids events and in the evenings they often have adult entertainment in here.

 

 

 

 

On down towards Keys.

 

 

 

This is the staircase that leads down to the nightclub area.

 

 

Claire posed for me.

 

 

A peek into Keys.

 

 

They were getting ready for an event in there. They had some food set up on the table and it was listed as a private event.

 

 

We stopped off at the bathrooms, which did not change in look at all either.

 

 

 

 

 

Back out down the small hallway.

 

 

The carpet looked so fresh and new.

 

 

This shop is where they sell duty free alcohol and cigarettes.

 

 

 

 

A look inside O’Gills.

 

 

 

 

They sometimes have food out to snack on in here.

 

 

 

 

[jenseib]

It was now close to 1:30 and our stateroom would be opening up so we headed that way.

 

 

This was the new Castaway Club gift. I liked this bag. I think it is cute. I have heard they have improved it a bit since I last sailed as the handle would unravel. I haven’t used mine enough to see that happen.

 

 

Claire was checking out the room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selfie

 

 

 

I really do love the split bathrooms and bathtubs on DCL. So much roomier than other lines.

 

 

 

 

 

They still have the horrid hair dryer….I ALWAYS bring my own.

 

 

Skip was supposed to meet us in the room…..and he had not shown up and Claire was getting antsy.

 

 

 

 

We went out to the balcony to take pictures and I forgot to change camera settings.

 

 

Major over exposure….I quickly fixed that.

 

This is one issue I wanted to point out. The balconies really needed to be repainted. This is a pipe out there….it’s all rusty looking. Also the railing and floor could’ve used some freshening up as well.

 

 

See the drain in the corner? Rusty looking as well.

 

 

A look down.

 

 

To the right.

 

 

To the left…in case you hadn’t figured it out, we were towards the aft on deck 6.

 

 

We were in room 6626.

 

 

Disney really does have the nicest terminal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The prizes in my bag.

 

 

 

Skip never showed up, so Claire changed into her swim suit and we went back up top to find him and to let her swim….She had this vision of swimming with her dad and he was ruining it.

 

 

 

We found him and he said he didn’t need to go to the room and figured we would find him eventually. UGH! He took Claire to the pool and found a chair to watch her.

 

 

 

In case you wondered…there is a smoking section between the adult and family pools…and it extends into the adult pool area…on the starboard side.

 

 

 

I went out to find them and Claire was having some fun in the pool.

 

 

 

This next picture cracks me up. It looks like this girl is going to smack Claire. I asked Claire what was going on and she said the girl had been splashing someone she knew and then accidently splashed Claire and was apologizing here.

 

 

Skip said he would keep an eye on Claire and I decided to walk around and take some pictures.

 

First stop, the Vibe….which is the teen club. I never got a chance to check it out last time I sailed the Magic.

 

 

 

 

A look back as I came up the stairs.

 

 

 

 

 

[jenseib]

This is a beverage counter. I am not sure, but they might serve snacks too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It looks like a nice place to “hang”.

 

 

I then headed back outside.

 

 

Another ship in port.

 

 

A look down at the adult pool.

 

 

 

 

I must’ve cut through here for some reason.

 

 

Sports deck

 

 

 

A look out at the tugs.

 

 

 

I wanted to head to the Spa. It had a new name and a little bit of sprucing up since I last sailed the Magic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I walked through Senses, peeking in here and there and taking pictures.

 

 

 

I am a licensed hair stylist….though I don’t practice anymore I keep up my license…as you never know…so I like to check out the salons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I moved on to check out the different treatment rooms.

 

 

 

I love the way they decorate the tables during the open house.

 

 

 

Good to see the tub fixed. Last time the panels were coming off.

 

 

Getting artsy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really enjoyed taking pictures in here.

 

[jenseib]

The spa leads into the gym. They were doing a demonstration in there and the CM looked at me and said I took a bad picture of her. LOL. I told her she looked fine.

 

 

I love looking at the treadmills…..I just ordered a new one for myself at home. My old one was dying fast and has been pretty worthless for the last 2 years so I haven’t used it much and my body shows it. Skip said I could get a new one for Christmas and I can’t wait till it comes.

 

 

My oldest daughter Paige says I am the only person she knows who owns a treadmill and actually uses it. But like I said, the last 2 years it’s been on its last leg, starting with a badly slipping belt…to basically the motor starting to burn out after a few minutes walking now. Let’s just say it’s a fire hazard now.

 

 

I also own a cheap exercise bike….which I do not use as much….and should.

 

 

Banana anyone?

 

 

Or perhaps and orange?

 

 

Back into the spa.

 

 

This is the women’s locker room and it did NOT get a refurb…I think it needed on…to get rid of the awful peach colors in there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I believe this was a sauna.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The heated tile loungers that so many people love.

 

 

 

 

This is like a sauna type room too (I am not very spa savvy so I am sure I am not calling things by their proper names) and it’s hot.

 

 

Back out to take a few more shots before leaving Senses.

 

 

I love this next picture.

 

 

 

 

And back out on deck to check out some more of the ship.

 

This place changed names….and I can’t for the life of me remember off the top of my head what it was called before.

 

 

The Cabanas sign.

 

 

I then took a walk around deck 4, working off some of that lunch.

 

 

 

I then went and found my family and we got Claire dressed again. It was getting time to do the muster drill. Our station was in Animator’s Palete.

 

 

 

They had freshened up this place and it looked nice. I can’t wait to see the new show.

 

 

 

 

 

Skip is doing his creepy smile here. He thinks he is funny when he does this.

 

 

 

As we waited, Skip’s phone rang. I told him to just ignore it and call whoever it was later as you weren’t supposed to be talking on the phone during the drill…..did he listen? Nope! I did give him the evil eye and he didn’t talk for too long.

 

Once the drill was over we headed out with the crowds and tried to make our way up to the top decks so we could watch the sail away show.

 

 

Claire and I found a spot near a railing and Skip wandered off. He did that a lot! She was worried about him but I told her that he is a big boy and I couldn’t worry about where he was every single minute.

 

 

 

Andy came out and got the party started. Skip LOVED Andy. He hung on every word he said…and I think he had a guy crush on him. All through the cruise he would say…. ”Andy says this is fun to do”…or something along those lines. If Andy recommended it, Skip thought it should be done.

 

 

Andy was on the last cruise I took on the Magic too and he is pretty cool.

 

[jenseib]

Let’s get this party started!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Brent was our cruise director.

 

 

I had never had him, but he is always in the promotional videos for DCL so it was kind of neat to have him. I know some people really are particular about who the cruise director is…..me not so much. I really don’t care, though I tend to have liked some of them more than others. Brent was one of my favorites so far. Actually of the 4 DCL cruises I have taken, there was only one I didn’t care for and I can’t even remember his name now, but he was on our cruise on the Dream in Nov. 2012.

 

 

 

I love that the characters are part of the party.

 

 

 

 

 

 

No one does a sail away party like DCL!

 

 

 

 

Oh no!!!! Donald lost his hat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the party was winding down we were starting to move so we went in search of Skip. I found him towards the back of the ship. He had gotten some sail away drinks. I asked him what they were and he didn’t know but thought they were strawberry daiquiris. He had gotten one for me and I took a sip. It tasted like it had a touch of coconut in it and I just cannot stand coconut. I sipped it off and on as I didn’t want to hurt his feelings too badly, but in the end I gave it to him because it just wasn’t good to me.

 

We decided to do a family selfie to post on facebook before we got out of port.

 

 

Good bye PC!

 

 

 

 

Lots of well-wishers sending us off.

 

 

I was also messaging some of my friends and they were watching us on the webcam as we sailed away.

 

 

 

There was the mystery drink.

 

 

Skip parked himself at that table and Claire had to use the restroom so we went inside and used the one outside of Palo.

 

 

Yes I took a picture of the tampon machine. If you may remember….I have a running joke with a group of friends. When we see free tampons we report it to each other and take pictures. It started for the most part in Feb. when I found free tampons in the Disneyland Hotels. I took a picture and posted it in our facebook group and since then we joke about it all the time. Well the Magic has free tampons too. I actually knew that from last time when my friend who sailed with me and I discovered it and had a good laugh then. It’s still true for the reimagined Magic as well.

 

 

 

 

Back outside we watched the world go by as we headed out to sea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good bye! See you in a couple of days!

 

 

This boat kept buzzing around and I kept telling Claire it was the pilot boat…and then I saw it was a police boat. I spotted the pilot boat later.

 

 

 

 

As we floated out many people left the decks. We had late dinner so I was in no hurry to go back to the room to get changed.

 

 

I took a few more pictures around the ship.

 

 

 

I think these were some of the food offerings at Daisy’s deLites.

 

 

 

We headed back to our room

 

 

And went out to our balcony. That’s when I saw the real pilot boat.

 

 

 

 

 

We then got ready to head to the show tonight. I don’t think we changed our clothes yet. I think we went as is.

 

 

I loved how fresh and bright the new carpeting was.

 

 

 

Tonight’s show is Twice Charmed.

 

 

The ritual each night at the show was started tonight….Claire wanted Popcorn and she only had to bat her baby blues at her dad and he would buy her some……Yes popcorn is not free for the shows. (I don’t think there is any free popcorn or candy bars on the ship) They sell it right outside the entrance. Skip would typically get a beer as well. They do have servers coming around before the show too. If you ask, they will also bring back popcorn as well. The popcorn was really good, but pricey for the amount you got, which was a very small bag. It is now freshly popped though.

 

Sadly you can no longer take pictures at the shows so I don’t have any. We really enjoyed the show though and Claire thought all the costumes were just beautiful.

 

After the show we headed out with the masses and Claire and I wanted to peek in the shops. Skip said he had no desire to so he was going off on his own. He said he would meet us outside the restaurant for dinner at the designated time. Bye dear!

 

After we shopped around we headed towards the atrium.

 

 

We did a little people watching.

 

 

 

And then we headed back to our room. Earlier I had done some unpacking, though I don’t remember exactly when. I also had brought several magnets for our door and had put them out as well.

 

 

We got ready for dinner and relaxed a bit and then headed back out.

 

 

 

I just love Deck 4!

 

 

A ship off in the distance.

 

[bert425]

"several magnets" ????

 

that's like a store display!

 

I'm surprised none of them "walked off" during the cruise!

[jenseib]

"several magnets" ????

 

that's like a store display!

 

I'm surprised none of them "walked off" during the cruise!

 

 

LOL. Thats pretty common on DCL. Many have more than what I put out. I have had good luck with ours...I don't think any have walked away but I do often try to put our name on them too so they are worthless to others. I have a friend who had issues with a bunch of kids stealing theirs and they actually followed the kids one day to let them know it was unacceptable.

[jenseib]

We still had time to kill so we walked around a bit, kind of hoping we would bump into Skip.

 

 

 

 

It’s pretty dead up here.

 

 

 

We moved on.

 

 

 

 

 

We then made another stop back at our room and noticed our beds had been turned down.

 

 

 

This is when panic set in.

 

 

Claire sleeps with silky…the blanket…and Penelope…a doll, every single night. She also had been sleeping with her Figment and her Dumbo she got at the parks. As you can see, only silky and Figment are in the picture.

 

We did some searching and found Penelope right away but Dumbo was missing. Last seen he was on the couch. My guess was he got folded into the bed, and I kept trying to figure out how to unfold it to check and I just couldn’t get it to budge.

I found our stateroom host, who was a lady and asked her and she said to look around more as she never saw him. I am going to say it now……she was very nice but never seemed to want to do anything extra. I think she was probably one of the worst stateroom hosts I have ever had…though the one I had on our first Dream cruise was not that good either….I never saw him once.

 

We looked all over the place for Dumbo throughout the night and never could find him. Later in the evening I had to insist that she open the bed up to take a peek and she seemed to fight me on this still…..sure enough when she did open the bed, there was Dumbo smashed in between. Claire was so happy to have him back and I gave our gal a “told you so” look but I did thank her too.

 

We headed out to dinner (at this point we still had not found Dumbo and Claire was still worried).

 

 

Tonight our dinner would be in the new Carioca’s. We waited outside for Skip and waited…and waited.

 

 

He didn’t show up and I was not about to miss dinner so we headed inside.

 

 

 

 

They took us to our table…..where we found my husband already sitting. UGH! I told him how we had been waiting for him out front like we had discussed but he said he just felt like being seated. Ok then…..not good with directions….does not play well with others….to name a few…..

 

We met our servers and for the life of my I know longer remember their names. They were good, but not great or memorable like some in the past. I do remember they were a little harder to understand than some of our past servers though. But they were super friendly and I didn’t really have any problems with them. I just didn’t bond with them. On my last Magic cruise I really bonded with our servers….as did I with the ones on our first Dream cruise.

We took a look at the menus. I had been doing a little menu peeking before the cruise and I wasn’t sure how I would like it, but I figured I would try a few things and if worse came to worse I could get a burger up on deck later or order some room service.

 

 

 

Bread was served. I think it was a type of banana bread.

 

 

I tried to take pictures of the restaurant since it was all so new.

 

 

We made our orders. I ordered a few things and 2 entrees. I kept telling Skip as he was looking over the selections that he could order more than one thing from each area if he wanted but he didn’t seem to get it. I think he was afraid they would tell him no.

 

Claire sat next to her Daddy as she was so excited he was along.

 

 

She got the soup…I think it was chicken soup…but whatever it was we had to scoop out most of the vegetables because God forbid one would touch her lips.

 

 

I got an Empanada.

 

 

It was very good….I could eat 3 or 4 easily.

 

I think Skip got the Deep Fried Lobster Croquetas. I actually think we both got it but I must’ve eaten all of mine before I thought of a picture.

 

 

I believe we enjoyed them.

 

Claire working on getting those horrid veggies out of her soup.

 

 

Skip had a tomato soup. The menu has changed a few times and I am not sure if it still being served or not.

 

 

Claire’s entrée was brought out fast since she planned to do the dine and play and head to the kids club soon.

 

 

She surprised me by trying something other than chicken nuggets.

 

Soon our meals came out as well.

 

I don’t see what I got on a menu but it sure looks like prime rib to me. It was good...I do remember that.

 

 

I think Skip got the Lobster, Shrimp and Mahi Mahi skewer.

 

 

I also got the Jose Carioca’s which is different skewers of meat.

 

 

 

 

They were good too but I did not like the rice at all. I liked some meats better than others and my friend has told me you can request them to be just of the meats you like instead of getting all the different types…I will do that next time.

 

Skip looked at his plate and then looked at ALL of my food and stated…You clearly made out much better in this deal…..um yeah. I told you that you could order more than one entrée. I did let him try some of my foods and I told him he could ask for another entrée and they would go get it for him, but he said he was ok.

 

We were approaching the time for Claire to leave the kids club and she still had not received her dessert so I reminded our servers and they quickly brought it out for her.

 

 

She ate about half since she was in a hurry and then I took her up front and had her checked into the clubs. She wanted to give it a try but she told me she didn’t want to stay too long so she wanted us to come after her soon after dinner.

 

Skip and I made out dessert choices then.

 

Skip got the sweet temptations with a trio of desserts. I think it was a chocolate torte, a strawberry cheesecake and a cream cheese flan.

 

 

I can’t remember what this is….I am thinking cream cheese flan….and I don’t remember if I liked it or not.

 

 

This was the strawberry cheesecake and it was good.

 

 

We left quite full, so that was a good thing. I still would like to try more things here. The menu is a little “wild” for us and probably not a favorite, but I still had a decent meal.

 

With that we left and headed outside to take a stroll together.

 

 

 

One thing I haven’t mentioned….it was quite rocky. I take bonine every day while cruising and it helps quite a bit. Tonight the waves were starting to get to me. I wasn’t sick, but I could feel it enough to make me uncomfortable. I also was super tired and the motion just made me want to sleep. Skip had big plans for the evening still and I told him I wasn’t sure how much longer I would last.

[jenseib]

We decided to walk around a bit. We took a walk through Shutters on the way.

 

 

And out towards the atrium.

 

 

 

 

And the clubs weren’t really happening yet.

 

 

Skip was bound and determined to hang out here tonight though because Andy said he had special stuff planned.

 

 

 

We then picked Claire up from the club. She was interacting with some CM’s. I think they were doing a dance type game and she looked like she was having fun. I was so glad she was giving it a chance.

 

We headed back to the room to change clothes. I think this is when I got our room host to find Dumbo for Claire.

At that point I just couldn’t go on. I told Skip I was getting pretty nauseous and I was just so dang tired. (We had been going pretty strong at the parks for a week). Claire wanted to go see the karaoke so Skip said he would take her while I took a rest. I think it was around 10PM and I just totally died in the bed. I woke a little later when I heard Claire talking. She chattered about the karaoke a bit, I asked her if she sang and she said no (she is very shy) and that’s the last I remember. I guess she got herself ready for bed.

I later found out she actually stayed up and watched TV for a while and then went to sleep and Skip went to the clubs and people watched and enjoyed whatever entertainment Andy had going on. I think he met a few guys to chat with as well. I never heard him come in. I did find several rum and cokes on our bill when I checked it the next day, so he must’ve had a good time. LOL.

 

I wish I could’ve stayed up later, but the lack of sleep and the motion was just too much for me and I am sure I needed to do a little catch up in the sleep department anyways.

[TBpony414]

What makes one cruise director better than another? I've only been on 2 cruises, neither of them DCL, and don't remember much about either one. When you wrote that Skip thought Andy was so cool I was thoroughly confused and thought you meant Andy from Toy Story because there were TS characters around those pics LOL.

 

I can identify with the panic you and Claire felt when Dumbo disappeared! We've all been there when someone loses a beloved stuffed animal and you have to tear apart a room to find it

 

I may have missed it - what restaurant did Carioca's replace? Is all the food included in the price of the cruise, excluding alcohol, popcorn, and upcharge restaurants?

 

The ceiling lights in the club are really cool and remind me of upside down jellyfish!

[jenseib]

What makes one cruise director better than another? I've only been on 2 cruises, neither of them DCL, and don't remember much about either one. When you wrote that Skip thought Andy was so cool I was thoroughly confused and thought you meant Andy from Toy Story because there were TS characters around those pics LOL.

 

I can identify with the panic you and Claire felt when Dumbo disappeared! We've all been there when someone loses a beloved stuffed animal and you have to tear apart a room to find it

 

I may have missed it - what restaurant did Carioca's replace? Is all the food included in the price of the cruise, excluding alcohol, popcorn, and upcharge restaurants?

 

The ceiling lights in the club are really cool and remind me of upside down jellyfish!

 

I really don't know what some people consider a good cruise director either. For me if they are fun or not annoying then I like them. The first one I had on DCL was nice, but nothing so great I remember him. The 2nd one was just nice and I seemed to like his personality. The 3rd annoyed the heck out of me. I like Brent because I had seen him on so many shows.

Now as for their job...I really don't see them much around the ship to make or break my vacation.

I am not sure what Andy's actual title is, but he seemed to be more present than the cruise director and he was super friendly and fun. I have cruise with him before as well and went on a tour he did.

Claire was very worried about it, but if worse came to worse I was going to complain to someone higher as I knew were we left it.

Yes all the main dining rooms food is included as well as soft drinks. The buffet (cabanas) and the little fast food areas on top are included and any soft drinks you get at Cabanas or the self serve station are included. If you order it from a bar or room service there is a charge.

[jenseib]

March 29, 2015, Saturday, Day 9

 

I was up before anyone else…..because they are deadbeats on vacation!!! Ok, I also went to bed much earlier than them too.

 

I went for a walk. I love the carpets.

 

 

 

Still dark outside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This time of morning is very peaceful to be up on deck. You really see only a few people at most.

 

 

 

The sun is trying to peek out.

 

 

 

 

The crew hard at work cleaning the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A ship off in the distance.

 

 

 

This one didn’t turn out like I wanted it to. I was trying to focus on the Mickey logo but I guess I wasn’t paying attention and it got the background instead.

 

 

Continuing my morning walk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to check out the new splash area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stairs up to the new slide.

 

 

 

Pools are still closed at this time.

 

 

I was getting a little hungry so I think I grabbed a banana.

 

 

And walked around a little more and took a peek in the arcade.

 

[jenseib]

I headed back to the room and got the family going. Sadly, Claire was pretty tired and it took a lot of coaxing to get her moving today. Once we were ready for the day we went and got some breakfast.

 

All the important essentials.

 

 

 

I believe we were eating out back so we could watch us pull into Nassau.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought that this ship looked like a lego.

 

 

 

A carnival ship already docked.

 

 

It was warm out but still extremely windy and the seas had still been rocky out there, but calm as we pulled into the harbor.

 

 

 

 

 

Another Carnival ship coming in.

 

 

I think this is the one that was already docked.

 

 

 

We had plans today! When we sailed the Dream in 2012, Claire tried snorkeling for the first time with the sting ray feeding adventure at Castaway Cay. She took to it easily and she has asked since then to do a real snorkeling excursion. So I looked at options and we booked one for this day. It was a morning excursion and the plan was to do it, come back to the ship for lunch and then take a taxi over to Atlantis to check out the Aquarium.

 

At the designated time we met up with the group.

 

 

Most of Disney’s excursions meet on the ship and then you head out together. I really like that. Most other lines don’t do it that way.

 

After everyone was there and accounted for and we all showed our room keys and ID’s we were escorted off the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

We were led just outside a gate and told that our boat would soon be there for us.

 

 

 

They let us in the gated area and our boat arrived.

 

 

And we boarded her.

 

 

I like to people watch and check out the people on excursions with us. There was one family that was all blonde and beautiful…the perfect family. LOL. It was like a family out of a magazine.

Then there was the family with a mom (I don’t remember if a dad was with them or not, but I think so), and she was the loud talker that explained things to her preteen to young teen kids. It was obvious she wanted everyone to hear what a perfect parent she was explaining it all to her kids and you could see her look around to see if anyone else was listening. I swear I attract those kinds everywhere I go and it’s fine to explain to the kids what is going on etc, but I don’t need to hear it. In fact I did do some explaining to Claire….and Skip, but I said it in low tones…..of course Skip said Hunh?

 

Once we all were settled in we took off towards the snorkeling location.

 

 

I thought that boat looked kind of neat.

 

 

The buildings look so pretty and colorful.

 

 

We went right around the Mail Boat.

 

 

Some of the boats docked there made me wonder how they were still staying afloat.

 

 

And out to the open seas.

 

 

It was still pretty wavy and for a little boat like this we did do quite a bit of bouncing around. We also received directions as we headed out. Finally we made it to our destination and we came to a stop.

 

There were other people snorkeling in the area as well. I think we had a flag or something to identify which boat was ours and also were told to stay in a certain distance.

 

 

Claire is ready and excited!

 

 

We all used the stairs to jump in. …..remember that family where the Mom explained it all to basically all of us….her kids were blocking the steps because they didn’t want to get in and I think they ended up going back up and waiting till the rest of us went.

 

The water was cold, but we got used to it fast…but it was wavy. It took us a bit to adjust our things so we weren’t swallowing water or getting it in our masks. I will admit, it was kind of hard to snorkel with it being so wavy. Claire was having the most trouble.

I took some underwater pictures and tried to play with them in photoshop, but unless you have a really good camera with a flash, I just don’t think underwater pictures come out all that fabulous.

 

 

 

My favorite fish…The Claire.

 

 

And here comes a shark….oh wait, that’s Skip.

 

 

 

 

[jenseib]

I am not sure who this guy was…probably one of the instructors.

 

 

Skip kept telling us he saw a bracelet or necklace on the bottom….I never could see it, but he insisted it was there. I think he thought he found treasure because he would tell everyone about it. LOL.

 

 

Claire was struggling and I tried to help her a bit, but I think the waves were just a bit too bumpy for her as a beginner to go with the flow so much.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a look at the waves. Now I know they don’t look huge but for a snorkeling day for us who are not super experienced it moved us around more than we would like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claire really was struggling. Every time we pointed something out she said she couldn’t see. I really should’ve taken more time to see if her mask was right, because I think she was taking in water more than I thought, which made it hard on her. She also told me later she just had a really hard time looking down and keeping her air thing (that’s the technical term. LOL) out of the water as waves kept going over her.

 

 

But she wasn’t having as hard of a time as those 2 kids with the loud mom. The mom would take each one out separately and the other would cling to the steps at the boat. They did a lot of complaining and I think one was crying. They clearly did not like this at all. At least Claire was giving it a shot….but this was something she wanted to do. I will say Claire was not overly impressed with it when we were done but I think it was the conditions more than anything and she is willing to try it again in the future and hopefully we’ll have calmer seas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I noticed more fish seemed to be in the area all of a sudden.

 

 

And then I realized why. This guy was feeding the fish bread.

 

 

 

At least I assumed it was bread.

 

 

 

 

I took a little video of the fishies too.

 

 

 

 

By this time Claire had had it. She was taking in too much water and was feeling cold. I too was getting pretty tired as it was harder swimming with it being wavy and I too was getting a bit cold so I told her I would take her back on the boat. Skip wanted to stay out a bit more, which was fine with us.

 

We headed to the ladder and had to tell the child clinging for life that we wanted up. I think in the end that family just gave up and went back on the boat too. Claire went up and then me. Let’s say I am not graceful using these stairs. I think the ladder is actually easier. I took off my flippers and then threw them on the steps and tried to hoist my body out of the water….It took a few tries…If someone was videoing it, it probably would make America’s Funniest home Videos.

 

We dried off and got situated in our place on the boat.

 

 

I believe that is Skip out there in the red trunks….probably still looking at that bracelet!

 

 

They started to call everyone in and Skip made a slight more graceful transfer to the steps than I did.

 

 

But not but much!

 

 

Time to head back.

 

 

I just love how blue the water is.

 

 

 

 

This boat appeared to be sinking, but no one seemed to care…I am not sure if it had been there a few days or what. I just found it creepy.

 

 

 

They did hand out snacks and drinks for us as we went back. Just basic small stuff and I think it was koolaid and very watered down.

 

 

 

 

 

[TBpony414]

"Here is a shark... I mean Skip" LOL! Snorkeling out in the open ocean is a gamble and a properly fitted mask and snorkel can make or break it! Most kids tuck their chin almost down to their chests when looking down so you have to adjust the snorkel direction to compensate for that as well. Scuba diving is so much easier!! Glad you got to do it.

[jenseib]

"Here is a shark... I mean Skip" LOL! Snorkeling out in the open ocean is a gamble and a properly fitted mask and snorkel can make or break it! Most kids tuck their chin almost down to their chests when looking down so you have to adjust the snorkel direction to compensate for that as well. Scuba diving is so much easier!! Glad you got to do it.

 

I would love to try scuba some time but I am so nervous about it all the same. I have a friend that got certified a while back. We lost contact over the years. I would love to ask her questions now that I would want to do it.

[jenseib]

There are always these junky boats here in Nassau. Not sure why, but they look like they will sink…or they are loaded up with garbage too.

 

 

I always love to take pictures of Atlantis…and the plan was to head over there later yet today.

 

 

All the cruise ships docked ahead of us.

 

 

I think this is the most I have seen in port at one time on a visit to Nassau.

 

 

Ours is the prettiest though.

 

 

Holy cow! ANOTHER one is coming in too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were dropped off at a different location than where we boarded but still not far from the ship.

 

 

 

We then stood around and decided what to do next.

 

 

We were hungry so we decided to head back to the ship for lunch. The plan had been that after lunch we would head over to Atlantis but Claire only wanted to swim. She complained about how it wasn’t enjoyable while snorkeling because she kept taking in water and that she saw next to nothing. I am pretty sure she was exaggerating but I also knew she was at her max. She had not had enough sleep over the past week and this girl needs a lot of sleep. Skip agreed that we could just spend the afternoon on the ship and forget about Atlantis. I have to admit I was disappointed, but it wasn’t worth an argument. I told them after lunch I may come back on shore though to do a little shopping around.

We headed back towards the ship.

 

 

I did take pictures as we walked though.

 

 

I laughed at that sign on the right…..thank goodness they have a large selection of Booty Shorts!

 

 

 

 

 

I got a shot…sort of…of the new duck tale the ship was sporting.

 

 

 

A few more pictures of the ship before we board.

 

 

 

First stop was the bathroom.

 

 

 

And then we hit Cabanas for some lunch.

 

 

 

 

And of course some dessert….which always includes a chocolate chip cookie.

 

 

After we ate, Skip took Claire swimming.

 

 

As they were in there I noticed how much Claire looks like Skip. At one point I only saw both their foreheads sticking out and I couldn’t tell who was who. LOL.

 

I told them I was heading off the ship again for a little bit and would catch up with them later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I walked down the streets and browsed a few shops.

 

 

I know I went in the Del Sol store and looked at things but they were more money than I wanted to spend for what they were. I ended up just buying some pretty and nice smelling soaps and a couple of magnets.

 

I then headed back to the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

Cold towellette?

 

 

 

 

[TBpony414]

I would love to try scuba some time but I am so nervous about it all the same. I have a friend that got certified a while back. We lost contact over the years. I would love to ask her questions now that I would want to do it.

 

I'm open water certified, what kind of questions do you have? PM or fb msg me so we don't get too OT in your TR! That was a lot of abbreviating lol.

[jenseib]

I would love to try scuba some time but I am so nervous about it all the same. I have a friend that got certified a while back. We lost contact over the years. I would love to ask her questions now that I would want to do it.

 

I'm open water certified, what kind of questions do you have? PM or fb msg me so we don't get too OT in your TR! That was a lot of abbreviating lol.

 

If I get close to that point I may take you up on that

[jenseib]

I headed back to the room and showered and just kind of hung out and straightened things up. We had been part of the fish extender exchange…kind of like a secret santa that’s not so secret. You sign up ahead of time and then deliver gifts to other rooms that are part of it and they in turn deliver little gifts to yours. You hang your pocket extender on the fish outside the door. I had been delivering ours off and on throughout the cruise….. I went through what we had and we really got a lot of things this time and some nice stuff too. Typically a lot of it is junk, but we did get some decent usable stuff this time around.

 

After a bit Claire and Skip made it back to the room. Claire had made a friend at the pool…actually on the Aqua Dunk. Yes…her and Skip did the Aqua Dunk. Skip said it was painful and only did it once, but Claire did it several times.

While in line she recognized a girl who had sang karaoke the night before and struck up a conversation with her. They then swam together and had a lot of fun.

Claire asked if she could skip dinner tonight and go to the kids club as her friend was going to be there during the time of our dinner. I said that was fine and I was excited she had made a new friend.

 

I told Claire to get in the shower and I would order some room service. Skip wanted to know why I would do such a thing…..because I can…that’s why!

Claire at this point in time always had me help her wash her hair. She can do it on her own but preferred me to do it. I told her to just do it on her own and she kept yelling out for help and step by step instructions. Seriously? It’s not hard to take a dang shower. Now that it is several months later she is a pro at taking them and doesn’t ask for help and I am so happy she decided this is something she can do on her own…..about time!

So I made the room service order and we just hung out in the room while we waited. Skip took a little nap.

A knock finally came on our door and our goodies were here.

 

I got Claire a hot dog and fries since she would be missing dinner. She doesn’t like buns so she took the hotdog out and started eating it before I grabbed the camera.

 

 

I ordered the All Hands on Deck cheese platter.

 

 

After we had our snacks we decided to head out for a bit. I have no pictures, so I am not sure exactly what we did, so it must not have been too exciting…or it was and I was too excited to take pictures. LOL.

 

I believe we then headed to the show, where Skip got some sort of beverage and Claire got popcorn. Tonight’s show was Villains Tonight, which is my least favorite Disney show. It was also pirate night tonight.

Skip thought this one was better than the night before, which surprised me.

 

I think we then dropped Claire off at the kids club and headed back to our room for some reason for a few minutes.

 

 

 

And then a walk by the Buena Vista Theatre.

 

 

 

Captain Hook out for a meet and greet.

 

 

And we worked our way to dinner, which was at Lumiere’s tonight.

 

 

It was strange with it being just the 2 of us.

 

 

 

Our rolls.

 

 

I got my favorite drink…a Princess Delight. It’s so good….no alcohol in it for those wondering. I think it’s a mango and Strawberry smoothie basically. I actually had them make me something like this on the Princess cruise I took in Sept. Not quite as good but it was not too far off and delicious as well.

 

 

Skip was trying different ways to wear his bandana.

 

 

They came around taking pictures at one point so Skip and I gave our best pirate looks. Since I had a coupon for a free picture this is the one that I ended up getting. It was the only one where Skip wasn’t giving a creepy look.

 

 

Appetizers started to come out.

I got the Escargot - with diced mushrooms and garlic butter, served with a Baguette.

 

 

 

I also got the Iced Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp – with green asparagus, horseradish cream and dill dressing.

 

 

Skip got the Onion Soup Gratinee – with baguette and Gruyere cheese.

 

 

I believe I got the Roasted Filet for an entrée. (Well some kind of steak)

 

 

After feeling left out last night, Skip got 2 entrees tonight.

I have no clue what this is…possibly the duck?

 

 

 

And some sort of steak as well.

 

 

He cleaned his plates so they must’ve tasted decent to him.

 

 

All too soon dessert was being served. I got my favorite DCL dessert…the Grand Marnier Souffle.

 

 

 

 

Skip went with the Strawberry Shortcake Sundae.

 

 

I also got a 2nd dessert….because I can.

The Peanut Butter Mousse.

 

 

 

Needless to say, when we were done we were extremely full.

 

We headed out to get Claire so we could enjoy the Pirate party and had a run in with Mr. Mouse.

 

 

Claire was ready to join us. Her friend had just left about 10 minutes prior for the party as well. We headed up top with the party already started.

Something I have never seen or remember noticing at least was that they were selling stuff at the pirate party.

 

 

Skip went to the side and observed and Claire and I went a little closer to try and see.

 

 

Pirates were invading the ship!

 

 

 

 

As we watched the party I noticed Mickey was getting in place to save the day…I pointed him out to Claire.

 

 

 

 

Mickey stepped out…still waiting for his entrance…..just “hanging” around. A few more people spotted him now.

 

 

He even waved to a few people.

 

 

 

 

And he is ready to save the day now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This would’ve been a great shot if it wasn’t blurry.

 

 

And with Mickey saving the day…the fireworks started.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the fireworks ended it was back to the party!

 

 

 

 

Dance like a pirate!

 

 

These CM’s really work up a sweat with all the dancing they do.

 

 

They had a camera panning us and a few times we could see ourselves onscreen. Claire also saw her new friend on there as well.

 

 

 

 

Claire went over to hang with her Daddy a bit.

 

 

 

 

Having fun!!!

 

 

We watched these guys dance a bit. I am not sure if they were all one family or just friends, but the one guy was really dancing and they were all cheering for him.

 

 

 

 

We hung out in the area for a while and watched people dance, watched the screen, and just chilled and had a beverage.

 

 

After the party started slowing down we headed back to the room to call it a night. I think Skip headed off once again to wander a little bit and see what was happening in the adult area, but I don’t think he was gone too long before he came back to go to bed.

 

It had been quite a long day and we seemed to have done so much. Even though this was only a 3 night cruise it really seemed like we were making the best of our time and enjoying a lot of things.

[jenseib]

March 30, 2014, Sunday, Day 10

 

I can’t believe it! It’s our last full day on the ship. I must say though we have been having a great time and enjoying every minute of it.

 

Today was our Castaway Cay day. I must admit I was a bit worried that we wouldn’t be able to dock. I know when it is wavy or too windy the ship has issues docking and it had been both for most of the cruise. I have read a few TR’s where the ship would try for a while and then give up and some where it tried for quite some time and did actually make it in. I was hoping it would work for us.

 

I got up early and headed out to see the sites.

 

There she is!

 

 

 

 

Getting closer.

 

 

The decks have been swabbed for the day.

 

 

 

 

 

After watching for a bit, I went back inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back out to deck 4. What a beautiful sunrise!

 

 

 

 

I was playing with my panoramic feature on my phone.

 

 

Backing in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the water wasn’t exactly calm.

 

 

I LOVE how blue the water gets when it is churned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did not seem to be having any issues backing in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cabanas off in the distance.

 

 

 

Then I headed back to the room to check on the family…who were dead to the world.

 

 

 

 

I then headed through Cabanas to the back of the ship.

 

 

 

 

The seagulls knew we were coming into port and were swarming.

 

 

 

I noticed construction off in the distance. I am not sure if this was just the staging area or if they are really building something back there. I know they were building new cabanas so this might be the base where they work out of….or it could be a future expansion….which there has been rumors of over the years.

 

 

Cast Members getting ready for guests.

 

 

 

 

I then went and got myself a bite to eat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I must’ve done some more wandering.

 

 

So pretty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And some more exploring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jenseib]

Again I went to check on the family. Skip had no desire to get moving and Claire was a rag doll and too tired. I told Skip I was not waiting around all day long while they slept and I told him I was heading off to the island to take some pictures while they slept a bit longer and he was fine with that.

 

 

 

 

I did a pano with my phone and it gave it this curve which was kind of interesting.

 

 

 

 

There goes Pluto and Minnie to their character spots.

 

 

 

Olaf had made it to the island!

 

 

Hi Donald!

 

 

 

Going for a sort of artsy shot.

 

 

 

 

Because of the choppy water a few things already had been canceled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My whole goal for now was just to take a bunch of pictures.

 

 

 

It was nice because I didn’t have any family members pulling me onward towards the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I found where Minnie ended up.

 

 

I decided to stop and get a picture since there wasn’t a wait.

 

 

Minnie kept pointing at the sand and I finally realized what she was pointing at and she wanted me to take a picture….so I did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn’t this bench so cool looking?

 

 

I knew my battery was low in my camera so I grabbed a replacement when I headed off the island. I soon had to change the batteries and the battery I grabbed wasn’t fully charged. Of course the time I want to take a lot of pictures I had low battery power. I really tried to save it as much as I could and still tried to take as many pictures as I could as well. I also used my phone for pictures.

 

 

 

 

And a visit to the bathroom.

 

 

Now you may remember that I have a running joke with some co-workers about free feminine products. When we see them we take a picture or at least report it to each other. There is more to the joke than I can explain publicly but we always have a good laugh over it…so I had to take this next picture.

 

 

They weren’t free here, but you could go to the Bahamian Rental and ask for them…..which made me wonder why they weren’t free here as the island is cashless.

 

 

 

Mini golf.

 

 

And more activities.

 

[jenseib]

Continuing my walk around the island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t you just wish you were here right now?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I then got on the tram to take me to Serenity Bay. I had never visited there before and I wanted to check it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got off the tram and made my way towards the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This area was MUCH smaller than I thought it would be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not many people here yet.

 

 

 

I wandered around and took some more pictures of the area.

 

 

 

 

 

The tram I had rode in on was actually still there and I thought about just jumping right back on, but I decided to take a few more pictures before going back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trying to get a bit artsy with the bikes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TBpony414]

For having choppy waters earlier in the morning and not being sure you could dock, the Cay shots sure turned out beautiful with the bright sky background!

[jenseib]

For having choppy waters earlier in the morning and not being sure you could dock, the Cay shots sure turned out beautiful with the bright sky background!

 

It really ended up being a super nice day