Trip Report 2 Broke Guys - on a boat! 😃

Been debating when to post this. Some of you are already aware of our upcoming trip. (First cruise ever!) What came in the mail today inspired me to get started on this pre-TR:

My very first passport.

Note there is only one. Currently we are joking that I’m going alone because Brian’s got rejected. I’m sure his will arrive Monday.

When: September 5 to 9, 2022. Translation:

Who are going: Tony & Brian

Who is left out: Kylie, our nearly 14 year old German Shepherd Chow-Chow rescue.

Although she’s having a bath on the back patio right now, the pic of her is from a recent drive to the Florida Keys. We pretty much bring her on all trips now, including WDW. As she has aged, she doesn’t take being left alone as well, even with a trusted sitter. Even for one night.

So although we are very concerned about her, we’re trying to arrange multiple people visiting the house more often than just the sitter would, and offering the sitter extra money for more quality time. (Guilt money, for sure.)

And that will likely be the biggest out of pocket expense for this trip (except maybe the passports) because, true to form, we are doing this 4 night Bahamas cruise out of Miami (including all drinks, fancy meals, liquor tastings and souvenirs) entirely on Chase Disney Visa Rewards Points.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

The “eventful” didn’t stop there. We drove back from NY to NJ this morning, and I finally got to visit my dearest Grandma’s final resting place. She passed away 2 years ago, and I could not have traveled from FL to NJ without quarantining for 2 weeks.

I had a plan to get around that, but my brother convinced my mother I shouldn’t come lest I kill everyone with covid. I haven’t talked to my mother since.

After the cemetery, I took Brian for some real Italian food in my hometown.

Then we ordered an extra eggplant parm to go…and we delivered it…to my mother’s house. It was time.

We had a brief but nice visit before heading to the airport. We didn’t discuss what happened 2 years ago, just a normal conversation. When we were leaving, she gave me my Grandpa’s wedding band. That meant a lot. I modeled what I wanted in a marriage based on my Grandma & Grandpa’s example.

Like I said: eventful. What a whirlwind and important 24 to 48 hours.

On the flight home, we got an exit row with enough legroom to set up a playpen! Just the two of us in the row.

We just got home, loving the puppy and making frozen pizza to eat in front of the TV.

I promise I will get to Pirate night soon! No more side trips!

 

[Bullseye1967]

The “eventful” didn’t stop there. We drove back from NY to NJ this morning, and I finally got to visit my dearest Grandma’s final resting place. She passed away 2 years ago, and I could not have traveled from FL to NJ without quarantining for 2 weeks.

I had a plan to get around that, but my brother convinced my mother I shouldn’t come lest I kill everyone with covid. I haven’t talked to my mother since.

After the cemetery, I took Brian for some real Italian food in my hometown.
View attachment 673000View attachment 673001
Then we ordered an extra eggplant parm to go…and we delivered it…to my mother’s house. It was time.

We had a brief but nice visit before heading to the airport. We didn’t discuss what happened 2 years ago, just a normal conversation. When we were leaving, she gave me my Grandpa’s wedding band. That meant a lot. I modeled what I wanted in a marriage based on my Grandma & Grandpa’s example.

Like I said: eventful. What a whirlwind and important 24 to 48 hours.

On the flight home, we got an exit row with enough legroom to set up a playpen! Just the two of us in the row.
View attachment 673002
We just got home, loving the puppy and making frozen pizza to eat in front of the TV.

I promise I will get to Pirate night soon! No more side trips!

So glad the wedding was so much fun. Your family looks like they would be so much fun! Trust me, make peace with your mother. You are such a positive person. Let that lead you.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Trust me, make peace with your mother.

The hard part is out of the way. We visited, so it will generally be “back to normal,” even if there is an elephant in the room.

Now, after all that heavy stuff, how about a little levity?

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Some people went “all out” for pirate night; we were good with some accessories - we brought our own eye patches and some kind of cloth thingy that accidentally perfectly matched the Mickey bandanas left for us in our stateroom.

We ventured up one deck for the festivities. They cover up the pool at night, so it becomes an event space. All these folks crowded into that space (mostly without masks) to watch a combination video/live performance.

Despite the late hour, it was very much aimed at kids, and we were only mildly interested. As you can sort of tell, we watched from off to the side, but whatever space we staked out away from people, we kept getting invaded and moving away. Pirates, indeed.

Still, it was fun. There was excitement in the air, and we decided to move completely away to find a fireworks viewing spot.

Yes, they have a fireworks show on the ship, Miss @Tuvalu !

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Shameless fireworks pics. I took these with only one person in mind. The pics do not do them justice, but here you go.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Pirate night was our latest night out so far. We thought we would continue on with either adult karaoke or trivia, but those were on a much lower deck, and we made the old person mistake of stopping at our room first - and then staying there and going to sleep. I know. Lame. And the lameness was usually more on me than on Brian. My “let’s not overdo it” gene kicks in. Lame AF. And - better for us. We had a good night’s rest, ready for Castaway Cay day in the morning!

 

[Tuvalu]

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Is that AJ from the BSB?

 

[Tony the Tigger]

It’s morning on the last day. Once again, I was up to watch us dock as the sun rose, this time at Castaway Cay.

And you can tell this is Disney’s private island because…I see trams! I wondered if they were leftovers from WDW or DL. Does anyone know?

 

[Tony the Tigger]

And it was also, finally, our actual 15 year anniversary. From 9/8/7 to 9/8/22. What perfect timing for our last cruise day and Castaway Cay day (not to mention Remy big dinner night!)

The tees were ready to go.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

We, however, were not ready to go. People were getting off the ship at 8:30AM. We don’t do anything at 8:30AM. We also don’t like lines, so we figured we’d wait it out and walk off easily later.

We did walk down to the gym around 9:30 or so. Our stateroom attendant, Laurel, saw us leaving and asked if we were going to the island. I said, “Not yet, gym first!”

Our strategy paid off. Unlike my first trip to the gym, it was dead. There were maybe 2 or 3 other people in there with us. We pumped some iron, did a little cardio, stopped by the smoothie place but didn’t get anything, stopped by the Cove bar (right near the gym & spa) to see Abhi, but no one was there. That was odd because he said pretty much the Cove was the only bar open on CC day since most staff were needed on the island to run the bars and shops.

Right by the Cove bar is the Cove cafe. We had passed it so many times, but decided to stop in. We were the only ones there. Brian had a coffee, and I had a shot of Godiva (breakfast of champions. And drunks.) We had a nice chat with the barista and realized this was a perfectly acceptable alternative to the Cove bar (if we wanted to be indoors or if it was very early.) Cool! Options are good.

This at the cafe reminded me of what they used at Victoria & Albert’s.

We headed back to the room to get ready for the beach. Laurel saw us again, and said, “You have big arms now for beach!”

Well, here’s a pic from my gym back home:

I don’t know if I’d say big in general, but big for my smallish frame. I’ll take it. Been working hard on them for the last 18 months or so. Before it’s, you know, too late and I start looking old and decrepit like Harrison Ford. I told you it was a mid-life crisis!

Upon entering the room, we found this:

Ah, bittersweet. Mickey presents…but luggage tags. A reminder it was the last day. We had to leave our packed luggage outside the room by 10pm, which would be a slight challenge with our Remy dinner time.

 

[Tuvalu]

Is that AJ from the Backstreet Boys?

 

[Tony the Tigger]

It was time to venture out - maybe 11-ish? I can probably check time stamps on the pics. Our strategy continued to pay off, as walking off was a breeze. The trams were running, so there wasn’t one waiting at the front anymore. We decided to walk. How big could it be?

It’s effing big.

We walked, sweating in our anniversary tees (but in bathing suits) carrying beach towels you grab on your way onto the island.

Remember I made a big deal about getting the photo book? We finally took another photopass shot. First since Palo dinner, night one.

Oh, turn your phone sideways.

Yes, I bought those swim shoes for us after reading a recommendation for them in my DCL travel guide. A woman in the ocean later commented we were smart to have them. The ocean floor in the area has a lot of stuff.

I thought this board in particular would appreciate this pic:

Notice anything?

It’s one of the first things you see on the island. I think the post office was first. People get excited about the post office because you can mail a postcard home with a Castaway Cay postmark on it. But: the post office closes early! It was already closed by the time we arrived. So if you want a postcard, don’t use our strategy.

We walked. And walked. And oh, look - there was a bar.

While we didn’t purchase these adorable Frozen “sippy cups,” we did each have an alcoholic beverage and some water.

We were trying to get to the adult beach, and asked how far away it was. We were told it was about double what we had already walked.

Tram it is!

Brian commented how familiar the surroundings were - very WDW style, very Jungle Cruise-esque.

 

[lostpro9het]

I thought this board in particular would appreciate this pic:View attachment 673159
Notice anything?

Cant miss it!

Spoiler: Hidden for the overly sensitive

He’s #1 in my book!

 

[93boomer]

It was time to venture out - maybe 11-ish? I can probably check time stamps on the pics. Our strategy continued to pay off, as walking off was a breeze. The trams were running, so there wasn’t one waiting at the front anymore. We decided to walk. How big could it be?

It’s effing big.

We walked, sweating in our anniversary tees (but in bathing suits) carrying beach towels you grab on your way onto the island.

Remember I made a big deal about getting the photo book? We finally took another photopass shot. First since Palo dinner, night one. View attachment 673158
Oh, turn your phone sideways.

Yes, I bought those swim shoes for us after reading a recommendation for them in my DCL travel guide. A woman in the ocean later commented we were smart to have them. The ocean floor in the area has a lot of stuff.
View attachment 673163

I thought this board in particular would appreciate this pic:View attachment 673159
Notice anything?

View attachment 673161

It’s one of the first things you see on the island. I think the post office was first. People get excited about the post office because you can mail a postcard home with a Castaway Cay postmark on it. But: the post office closes early! It was already closed by the time we arrived. So if you want a postcard, don’t use our strategy.

We walked. And walked. And oh, look - there was a bar.

View attachment 673162
While we didn’t purchase these adorable Frozen “sippy cups,” we did each have an alcoholic beverage and some water.

We were trying to get to the adult beach, and asked how far away it was. We were told it was about double what we had already walked.

Tram it is!
View attachment 673165
Brian commented how familiar the surroundings were - very WDW style, very Jungle Cruise-esque.
View attachment 673164

 

[Tony the Tigger]

We made it onto the adult beach, found a good couple of spots with beach chairs where others had just left, and ventured into the water.

And it was a long venture - the water stayed ankle deep pretty far out! We saw conch shells, small fish (like in Florida) etc. You aren’t allowed to take any shells back onto the ship.

Before we could lay out, it started to drizzle. In case that got worse, we walked a few steps to the BBQ area. This was included in the price of the cruise, but wasn’t super impressive. (No pulled pork. ) We each had burgers and slaw. It took a moment to find an empty table, but then a new buddy kept us company from their perch (suspiciously eyeing our crumbs IMO! )

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Can’t see him/her? (Guessing him, but who knows?) Here’s a close-up:

We would have gone back to the beach, but I remembered I had reserved a paddle boat at a certain time…and the pick up spot was all the way on the other side of the island.

This is not me complaining, we had the time of our lives. This is me self-critiquing and learning how to do it better next time - and putting my “goofs” out there so maybe others will make better choices on their first time out.

We found the spot to pick up our rental, and the people running it were completely lax (fine with me!) nobody asked our names, nobody checked what we rented or for how long. We just walked up and said we rented a paddle boat, and they gave us a paddle boat. They didn’t say when to come back, but I knew I had paid for 30 minutes, so that’s what we did. Without risking life or limb, we had a blast.

I enjoyed taking pics from the water as well:

Those clouds lingered, but it never rained anymore. It didn’t make sense to go all the way back to the adult area with the time we had left, so we just explored around where we were and walked a bit.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Getting back onto the ship was easy as pie, barely any inspection, just our DLs. Very quick.

So we had what would be our last visit with Abhi.

And we had a good laugh because the couple who sat near us at his bar the day before (and were drunk to the point of comical, but not worse) somehow ended up sitting at the table next to us at the island BBQ. They did not spot us before we finished.

It was a comparatively brief visit because we had Remy coming up, and that would involve many courses of wine.

That doesn’t mean we didn’t stop for a banana gelato on the way back to the room!

 

[Tiggerish]

I've been busy for a few days, so sorry for the quote-and-like bombs.

Why such a long break between lunch and dinner on day 3?

Because in real time, I had a business & bourbon trip to Louisville, KY.

Photo dump:
View attachment 672033View attachment 672034View attachment 672035View attachment 672036View attachment 672037View attachment 672038View attachment 672039View attachment 672040

Was Yogi a Met or a Yankee?

(this is a quiz)

Can I just stay home for a moment?

Current view:
View attachment 672485

Flying into Newark and driving 2 hours+ to Fishkill (Poughkeepsie) for the rehearsal dinner for my youngest brother’s wedding. Might not make it after the flight was delayed 2.5 hours. Preparing to feel cold!

Thank goodness I sprung for the 2 big front seats! On this plane almost 5 hours by the time we land.

So…let’s go back to dinner on day 3 of the cruise! Happy thoughts.

Our lovely Pipa once again greeted us at the entrance. While it was the same restaurant, tonight would be a different experience.

No crazy courses, no 3 hour marathon dining. Just a “regular meal,” hosted by the best server we have had the pleasure of meeting in years at any venue.

She started us off with 2 amuse bouche (each.) View attachment 672497

One was the star gnocchi we experienced on the first night. The other was equally tantalizing but at the moment I can’t remember the ingredients.

There was also a drink on the house.

Brian ordered a mesclun salad. (No pic.) I ordered this beautiful ciuppin (fish soup.) Loved it.
View attachment 672498

Each time we dined at Palo, we were seated in a different area. (Each seemed better than the last.) They treated us well. Tonight we were seated not far from the private dining area, which I had looked into reserving, but a minimum party is required. Still, I took a pic of it from my seat.
View attachment 672496

As I labored over the wine list without the usual sommelier to offer pairings, we discussed the strategy with Pipa. Inspired by the discovery of excellent sauces earlier at brunch, and wanting a more “homey” experience, I ordered the homemade pasta with lamb ragu.
View attachment 672500

This was the perfect choice for me, and it did not disappoint. When I eat pasta, I enjoy plenty of sauce (gravy.) This was smothered in it, and every bite was delicious.

By accident, I chose a wine that complemented the dish at least as well if not better than any other pairings we enjoyed the whole time.

Brian had tuna or whatever.
View attachment 672501

He enjoyed it (with a different kind of wine.)

She brought us these, which I think was another drink (my brain is shot. B will remember. He’s sleeping on the plane now like a chooch.)

View attachment 672504
And yet another chocolate sign:
View attachment 672505

This was one of my favorite meals. Simple, not too long, delicious, not too expensive, and not too much alcohol (did I say that? See what happens when you’re 51?!)

This is how we would do Palo going forward. The big tasting menu would be a treat once in awhile. (Can you tell we are definitely cruising again?)

When we returned to our room, this was on the bed:
View attachment 672506

We love our stateroom attendant! Perfect for…up next: pirate night.

Palo dinner is great, and by our standards, a bargain. I've dined in the "private" room with my annual girls group (organized on this very site!) many times, and I can tell you, it ain't all that. The giant round table does not invite conversation. You can chat to the person on either side of you and that's it.

We were just on the Wish, and while I would never, ever rank that ship above the Dream, we were seated at two rectangular tables, and despite not being able to interact with the entire group (which we couldn't anyway at the round table on the Dream, not without yelling) it was kind of a better experience. Although Palo on the Wish cannot hold a candle to the Dream. Or the Magic.

I'm sorry to say that I cannot recommend the Wish.

I take you guys on so many trips!

Photo dump from my littlest (but huge) brother’s wedding in New York. Look at that view!
View attachment 672988View attachment 672989
The empty chair was in memory of our Dad.
View attachment 672990
Here’s Joey dancing with his bride…
View attachment 672992
…and with his mom. She is 67 and a ball of energy.
View attachment 672993
View attachment 672994View attachment 672995
View attachment 672996

That's the Hudson Valley for ya! Love your tie.

We had a brief but nice visit before heading to the airport. We didn’t discuss what happened 2 years ago, just a normal conversation.

Best course of action. Trust me, I know. Good luck, and God bless.

When we were leaving, she gave me my Grandpa’s wedding band. That meant a lot. I modeled what I wanted in a marriage based on my Grandma & Grandpa’s example.

It all went well, then. I'm happy for you, and I agree, that is a very meaningful gesture.

Personally, I went my own way with my marriage, both of my grandfathers died young, and my parents' marriage was a mess, so I had little to guide me. We'll have our 37th anniversary next May. I'm good with that, and it's kind of a shame that we didn't produce anyone to take our example.

We, however, were not ready to go. People were getting off the ship at 8:30AM. We don’t do anything at 8:30AM. We also don’t like lines, so we figured we’d wait it out and walk off easily later.

We did walk down to the gym around 9:30 or so. Our stateroom attendant, Laurel, saw us leaving and asked if we were going to the island. I said, “Not yet, gym first!”

Our strategy paid off. Unlike my first trip to the gym, it was dead. There were maybe 2 or 3 other people in there with us. We pumped some iron, did a little cardio, stopped by the smoothie place but didn’t get anything, stopped by the Cove bar (right near the gym & spa) to see Abhi, but no one was there. That was odd because he said pretty much the Cove was the only bar open on CC day since most staff were needed on the island to run the bars and shops.

Right by the Cove bar is the Cove cafe. We had passed it so many times, but decided to stop in. We were the only ones there. Brian had a coffee, and I had a shot of Godiva (breakfast of champions. And drunks.) We had a nice chat with the barista and realized this was a perfectly acceptable alternative to the Cove bar (if we wanted to be indoors or if it was very early.) Cool! Options are good.
View attachment 673058
This at the cafe reminded me of what they used at Victoria & Albert’s.

We headed back to the room to get ready for the beach. Laurel saw us again, and said, “You have big arms now for beach!”

Well, here’s a pic from my gym back home:
View attachment 673060
I don’t know if I’d say big in general, but big for my smallish frame. I’ll take it. Been working hard on them for the last 18 months or so. Before it’s, you know, too late and I start looking old and decrepit like Harrison Ford. I told you it was a mid-life crisis!

Upon entering the room, we found this:
View attachment 673059
Ah, bittersweet. Mickey presents…but luggage tags. A reminder it was the last day. We had to leave our packed luggage outside the room by 10pm, which would be a slight challenge with our Remy dinner time.

Those early people are crazy people.

And I cannot believe it took you that long to discover Cove Cafe. My husband lives in Cove Cafe--for the coffee. I don't mind it for the Kahlua, but I'm with you, I'd rather be at Cove Bar.

36 years...and counting.

It was time to venture out - maybe 11-ish? I can probably check time stamps on the pics. Our strategy continued to pay off, as walking off was a breeze. The trams were running, so there wasn’t one waiting at the front anymore. We decided to walk. How big could it be?

It’s effing big.

We walked, sweating in our anniversary tees (but in bathing suits) carrying beach towels you grab on your way onto the island.

Remember I made a big deal about getting the photo book? We finally took another photopass shot. First since Palo dinner, night one. View attachment 673158
Oh, turn your phone sideways.

Yes, I bought those swim shoes for us after reading a recommendation for them in my DCL travel guide. A woman in the ocean later commented we were smart to have them. The ocean floor in the area has a lot of stuff.
View attachment 673163

I thought this board in particular would appreciate this pic:View attachment 673159
Notice anything?

View attachment 673161

It’s one of the first things you see on the island. I think the post office was first. People get excited about the post office because you can mail a postcard home with a Castaway Cay postmark on it. But: the post office closes early! It was already closed by the time we arrived. So if you want a postcard, don’t use our strategy.

We walked. And walked. And oh, look - there was a bar.

View attachment 673162
While we didn’t purchase these adorable Frozen “sippy cups,” we did each have an alcoholic beverage and some water.

We were trying to get to the adult beach, and asked how far away it was. We were told it was about double what we had already walked.

Tram it is!
View attachment 673165
Brian commented how familiar the surroundings were - very WDW style, very Jungle Cruise-esque.
View attachment 673164

Bob Chapek s*cks, there are more bars on CC than you would imagine, the adult beach (Serenity Bay) is as long a walk as (all get out--that's me being polite) but what did it in for me was the food. Serenity Bay is the only place on the island that serves steak. But they can only serve it done medium well, which is an insult to beef. So when I go with my girls group, we get a cabana on the family beach ( so we're not mingling with the rabble ) and we eat at Cookies, and we make ice cream sandwiches with the giant choc-chip cookies and soft serve.

Reading your story reminded me of the first time I tried to walk the entirety of Castaway Cay.

This is not me complaining, we had the time of our lives. This is me self-critiquing and learning how to do it better next time - and putting my “goofs” out there so maybe others will make better choices on their first time out.

I love this part. Cruising takes knowing!! You've done a real service to others with your report.

Now, sail on the Magic, which is my favorite DCL ship.

 

[lostpro9het]

Now, sail on the Magic, which is my favorite DCL ship.

The best ship!