You know your youth is long gone when...

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 4, 2012

Our cabana from the beach path side:

Not kidding! This place is postcard perfect!

Our very own hammock... I wish it had stayed in the shade all day...

Turning around and looking back at our little pathway out to the beach:

Outdoor fresh water shower complete with seperate foot-wash spiggot. Genius! Y'all know how I feel about sand...ugh! This WAS going to be my ticket to finally truly enjoying the beach like a normal person!

Walk back out on the "front porch" where you come in from the cart path and our beautiful Dream girl is waaaaay out there...

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 4, 2012

We sat in our cabana, soaked up the views, lounged with some still-needed ice cold bottled water, and enjoyed the company of our awesome guests. It was such fun. Yeah, the young-folk are thinking we're really over-the-hill now but I don't even care. LOL!

Next up was another experience we were really determined to find our gills for. Last September when we tried snorkeling it didn't go so well. Our gear was leaky. We couldn't get into it with so much sea water penetrating our masks and snorkels. After much discussion and consideration Tracey & I decided we'd like to invest in quality gear to give it another try. We have enough cruises on the books we'd definitely get our money's worth, right? So, a few months back we ventured into a tiny dive shop right here in the small coastal town we moved to over the summer and purchased our own quality masks & snorkels. I didn't anticipate it being that much of an investment but if it worked it'd be worth it. So the first thing on our agenda for the day was to see if we had made the right choice. Tracey pushed the concierge call button and in 3 seconds flat Pius, our angel for the day, was on the steps waiting for us. Woot! Pius took us to Pelican Point where we could access the snorkel lagoon directly. We picked up the buoyancy vests from the rental shack (free if you bring your own gear, you don't have to be a cabana guest for that) and hit the water. Thank goodness the water temperature was significantly warmer than May. That May water temp took our breath away! Ready Tracey? I don't know about y'all, but I'm back to thinkin' "Seeeexxyyyyy"!!! LOL!

Floatin' on a Dream!

We could have gotten fins to help us swim thru the water but I refused. I wanted more of a workout to help me earn my dinner tonight. Heading out!

Then I saw little fishies! I know, right? Fishies. In the water in the lagoon. Whodathunk it?!

Swimming around these things was neat because the little fishies who lived inside came out to "greet" you:

Fish fish fish! Curious little fish!

Pretty fish! This one is Bob...

Meet Fred...

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 4, 2012

Kelly's toes goes snorkeling at Castaway Cay!

The snorkel lagoon is pretty big. To help everyone find all the sights they have buoy markers floating on the surface marking the spots you want to go see. Here's the first buoy we came across:

A really big fishy lives here!

The fish would get so close to you!

Having the camera underwater was so fun!

I think Tracey said this was a generator or something:

Okay, trying to capture the little glass bottle on the bottom:

Ooooh...look where Kelly's toes goes now!

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 4, 2012

Old school WDW fans get ready to pick your bottom jaw up off your desk. I suggest you have tissues handy, too. The following video, I kid you not, is absolutely priceless to me. A few times you might hear me vocalizing into my snorkel. I was saying things like "Oh my God" and "Holy $h!t". Think about it. The last time I was THIS close to one of these I was a kid going down inside to take a seat by a little porthole window anticipating the other-worldly things I was about to see pass by. So as I'm swimming so close to this Nautilus I'm not just seeing what's in this video, I'm seeing it the way I remember it above the water's surface. When I see the porthole windows on the other side I see what it was like to peer out from the other side. When I reach my hand out and touch her, yes, there were tears. I'm glad Tracey couldn't see. I'm glad he was there because that was special but I'm glad he couldn't see my tears. He might have laughed at me. Somehow I think there's more than one of you out there who will get this. So here ya go:

Swimming on...debris to discover:

I'm no expert but I would think leaving your prop and shaft out here is probably not a good sign. No?

Cabinet? Old stove? Safe? I dunno. It's fun to imagine what it is and how it got here, tho!

This is a guard fishy for the treasure!

Anchor's awaaaaaayyyy....but I don't think this is what the cap'n had in mind:

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 4, 2012

It's a buoy marker. What is it? It's actually a little midget sub!

Your guess is good as mine. We'll call it "underwater space junk".

The last of my videos, this was so dang cool!

I was totally inspired to get this picture!

Tracey, however, isn't as good with the underwater camera. LOL!

It's "Little Blue"!

This would be Tim:

After seeing Minnie we surfaced, looked around, and couldn't decide exactly which buoy out there would be Mickey. We knew we'd been to some of the farthest buoys but we weren't sure which was the one we'd missed. We were getting pretty worn out. We didn't want to swim to all the far buoys again for no reason. So we swam over to the nearest lifeguard perch and asked. Thank goodness the lifeguard could point us straight to Mickey. The only problem was he was the one the farthest away. Soooo, quick debate. Do we want to go aaaaall the way back out there or skip it? In the end, we'd come this far and done so much we didn't want to get back to the beach and kick ourselves for not going the distance. We rolled onto our backs, rested a few minutes, then rolled back over and commenced to the swimming. Disney makes you work hard for Mickey. Eventually, we found him. So worth it!

Tracey still isn't the best with the underwater photography. Sorry!

Aaaaand this is where the thread title comes back again. Adding to our list:

You know your youth is long gone when....

....fighting the buoyancy of the fat you've packed on over the years to dive down nearly kills you!

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 4, 2012

Seriously. Tracey almost got down to Mickey but I didn't get a pic. So I surfaced and told him to go again for me. He said, "No. I can't. I'll frickin' drown. Fat guy can't do it this time." I was laughing. Okay. I won't push the issue. So we blew some more air back into our vests and sat there a minute looking aaaaaaall the way back to shore. Good grief! It's a long way back. I briefly eyeballed the lifeguard perches out there and wondered what they'd say if I swam closer to them then made like I was dying. Ugh! But what if someone who really needed their help didn't have them because I was being a wuss? We started making our way back slowly. I swear I coulda done so much better without that stinkin' vest on. I hate that thing. The salt water that's IN my chest is buoyant enough. The stupid vest shifts to one side or the other then gets caught all catty-wampus on one of the two "girls". Then I can't move right because the stupid vest is all lopsided and I'm now swimming weird. I coulda been going in circles. I dunno. I cursed that dang vest the whole way back. I wonder if I could get a vest-free pass if I show my registration card for the implants next time. Sheesh! I promise I'll never inflate that vest again, ever! I got back to the beach waaaaay before Tracey did. I gave up swimming slow to wait on him. I needed to get back. So I was in the shallows looking back long before he got there. Poor guy. I was afraid I'd have to drag him up the beach out of the water. Definitely need to do a LOT more conditioning for next time. And go get dive fins!

We rinsed off in the cold showers by the Pelican Point restrooms then hopped the bus back out to Serenity Bay. Once there we paused for a moment to decide if we really had to walk back to the cabana or not. I mean, how would be call for Pius at this point? We had no way of doing that. So we started walking slowly...strolling...which is not our norm by a long shot. Here's a look over to the ship from the cart path:

We got back to good old #19, grabbed some cold bottled water, and collapsed onto the loungers for a few. Jack & Lisa saw us return and came back to chat. They told us all about our various neighbors who'd arrived while we were gone. It wasn't long and we all agreed we were ready for some sustenance. We pushed the "call" button. Moments later the cart was pulled up again, this time Pius was at lunch so we had another concierge to give us a lift in the cart. This one I was excited about!

Quick bit of useless info for you! Remember last May on the Magic, our assistant server was I Wayan (pronounced EE Wai-yan) from Indonesia. Well, the long-drive contest CM was I Putu from Indonesia. I noticed the "I" before the name, explained about I Wayan, and asked what was up with the "I". I love when the CMs get excited because you ask about their culture! He explained that he was from Bali. In Bali they still use the traditional naming system. The "I" before the name indicates gender. Boys are "I" (pronounced like a long E). Girls are "Ni" (pronounced like the word 'knee'). When I told I Putu I Wayan's name he said, "Yes, this means he is the first son." Apparently there's a list of names to use for each child in the birth order. So Wayan is a first child's name. If it's a boy he is "I Wayan". If it's a girl she could be "Ni Wayan". Get it? So I Putu is is also a first son's name. Cool! When I saw the name of the concierge cart driver I got excited and told him I knew what that meant. I started to explain the I/Ni part to Jack & Lisa then turned to the driver and asked what number his name, I Ketut, was. He said, "I am fourth." Wow! So there ya go! Now you understand a bit about traditional Balinese names! Isn't it amazing?! I swear y'all, not even I could make this stuff up. Here's what Wiki has to say plus one more reference for you.

The lunching spot on Serenity Bay has it perks. Like steak.

Here's my plate. I had a brat with kraut, steak, and my favorite couscous salad. I want this recipe!

Then I had some fruit (watermelon, pineapple, & mango) along with some banana bread and pineapple upsidedown cake:

With full bellies we opted to walk back to Cabana #19 by way of the beach side. Along the way I took yet another pic of this (lots from last trip). I love the use of what might be junk or scrap to create something picture-worthy:

Cabana Guests Only? Luckily, that's US!

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 4, 2012

We returned to our perch in Cabana #19 and gazed back at that gorgeous glistening sea. How do you not go partake??? Jack & Lisa grabbed some floats and headed out. Tracey & I, being total glutons for punishment, grabbed our snorkel gear and headed down to the water. We knew there wouldn't be a ton of treasures to discover but we had heard there's sometimes stingrays, a friendly barracuda, and other little fishy critters out there. At least this time we could relax and move at a leisurely pace. Isn't the water amazing???

Further down Serenity Bay:

As gorgeous and clear as the water is, there's one thing I did find myself missing: waves. See how calm?

There was definitely stuff to see if you looked for it:

Can't miss this!

Kelly's toes goes snorkeling at Serenity Bay, too!

The water is very shallow here. Jack & Lisa had mentioned the tide was out. We could've easily walked a mile out into the sea if we'd wanted to with the water never going over our lower chests. I told Tracey I wanted to go out to the sandbar just to say I had. Here's Tracey sitting and making an adjustment to his snorkel or mask or something:

The water depth where I was standing was maybe a few inches above my ankles. It was so cool. I could've sat out here for a while but Tracey wanted to start exploring our way back. Okee dokee.

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 4, 2012

What did you find, Tracey?

Sweet!

I saw a lot of these little "pit" type things in the sand bottom and wondered what they were. I wasn't willing to accept "underwater crop circles". They remind me of what the beds that bass fish will create when they are ready to lay their eggs. Some were empty. Some were like bowls holding some vegetables inside. If anyone knows definitively what they are, care to share??? See?

There's another one by Tracey's foot:

This is a sea sponge!

And a little bitty flounder! He was hard to see!

It was so neat to explore Serenity Bay! I'm definitely planning to go swimming here again and go back out to that sandbar. We returned to our cabana and relaxed a bit. Drank more water. Jack & Lisa returned, too, and we all sat relaxing and visiting. It was so nice. Soon our guests needed to start making their way back to the ship to shower for dinner. They had the early seating. Tracey and I lingered a while longer soaking it up. Tracey said he needed me to get a cabana for every visit we make to Castaway Cay. I informed him the only way to ensure that is to put me on enough cruises to make platinum status or book concierge. He's now itching to do as many Florida Resident back-to-backs as we can manage. He's totally onboard to send me & my mother on a short mother/daughter cruise. He's ready to make me a platinum! Somehow I think this could totally work to my advantage. LOL! Tammy, would you like to join me in this Gawd-awful sacrificial job??? I bet I know the answer to that! Ha!

You know, when I booked the Serenity Bay cabana I was so excited I was about to pop. But then I started looking at what the different views from the family cabanas and the adult cabanas were. I was second-guessing myself so bad. The family cabanas overlook the private cove with the ship in the distance. Google "Castaway Cay Cabanas" and you'll see what I'm talking about. The more I thought about it, the more concerned I was that we'd be stuck looking out over other people on the beach. Not so magical. I was worried for nothing, tho. The cabanas are set back behind the adult beach looking out but they're sorta elevated and tucked back. When you look out you don't see people as much as you see....heaven...

I laid in the hammock a bit. I sure wish it'd been in the shade, still. I loved the hammock!

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 4, 2012

We looked at the time (about 2:30) and decided we wanted to get back in time to see the final stage show since we'd not seen it yet. I didn't get to try the other Pelican Plunge slide but, hey, we'll be back. Right? We packed up our stuff, grabbed our bottled water, hit the "call" button, picked up all our towels and things, then headed out. Here's Tracey doing the flat-foot waddle over to the steps out to the golf cart.

You know me, if it's someplace I hate to leave I have to look back. Goodbye Cabana #19. We'll miss you!

Back out at the Serenity Bay tram stop...I love the sign. You can't complain about the 12 minute tram intervals. You were warned this was subject to "Bahamian Time".

What this tram stop desperately needs is some shade! There wasn't a time all day that the benches at the stop weren't in full sun. Ugh! Misery!

We stopped at a few of the shops to gather some gifts for the boys. And a couple postcards to mail. I had our stamps in the backpack still. We ended up getting each of the boys and Tracey 2 Castaway Cay tshirts each. We picked them carefully by favorite colors, etc.

On our way back I snapped some pics. Castaway Cay is most definitely paradise incarnnate:

Yep. See ya later, mon!

It's almost like you could hop in the water and walk right up to her, huh?

No, there's no such thing as too many pics of the Dream at Castaway Cay. If you've been there, you know. If you haven't, you should go. Then you would know, too.

Oh yes! This is my fresh catch!

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 4, 2012

Remember, neeeeever too many.....

We sat in the shade at one of the tables by Marge's Barges to fill out our postcards. Some guys at the next table over asked where we found our stamps since the post office wasn't open. We told them we had gotten them yesterday in Nassau and offered them the 1 we didn't need. ((Both our postcards needed extra postage.)) They tried to give us $.50 but we laughed and said if we were worried about $.50 we had much bigger problems than being 1-less Bahamian stamp. LOL!

Here's Tracey puting our postcards in the mail slot:

I love this! It's a huge mailbox way up high on a pole. It's marked "air mail". Love!

Thank you, Dream, for casting such a lovely shadow!

Our bump-out verandah. She's right there!

We were back onboard at about 3-ish. The whole way up from the pier I was trying everything I could think of to convince Tracey that he should walk right out to the adult's pool and do a perfect, full belly-flop. He laughed at me and said he couldn't, there'd be too many people. Oh come ON! It'll be the most awesome thing anyone has ever seen. Don't say a word. Just walk up to the side and do the full-flop. He laughed! So when we walked past the pool there were quite a few people lounging about inside & outside the pool. He said, "See? There's no room." No way! He coulda done it. There was room. Would people get splashed? Well, yeah. That's a small detail that could go one of two ways: everyone would get seriously mad and tell him off or he'll start a trend and all the guys will be on their feet floppin' one after the other! THEN, I started thinking about next May when my craaaaazy brother is going to be on the Fantasy with us. Oh my! Here's a guy who wouldn't take much convincing at all! So now I'm anticipating the fun we'll have starting a full-on can opener splash fest! Oh yes! It will be EPIC!!!! ((FYI, anyone care to join??? May 25, 2013 Fantasy Western 7-night!!!))

When you enter the forward area to go to our stateroom on deck 11 you go past the elevator bank and turn left to the gate to go to our room or you can go right into the Senses spa. So anyone who has read my trip report from last September knows the story of my toe-hacking...er...I mean pedicure that made me have such an aversion to this place. So when Tracey suggested a few times before and during the cruise that I go let the salon ladies wash my hair for me I didn't even give it a second thought. Absolutely NOT! But today....**sigh**....today I was floating on a cloud....drying and straightening my hair would have been the worst kill-joy ever. I looked over at the Senses Spa door and Tracey said, "Go check. You know you don't want to do your hair for dinner tonight." No, I sure didn't and letting it go curly wasn't an option considering our dining venue and my dress this evening. I caved. I went in, asked if there was any openings to blow dry and flat iron my long hair. Yep, there was. I had 45 minutes to shower and wash my huge mop. I didn't even want to know how much. At this point, I didn't even care.

Just a few steps across the hall and we were back in our room. Kinda anti-climatic compared to what we found when we returned last night. LOL!

I hurried to shower, throw on some shorts, and scurry back to the salon. I was introduced to my stylist, Tamaryn from South Africa, and settled into my perch for the pampering. Tamaryn was a young little thing. Absolutely adorable. I loved to hear her talk. When she wanted to know that I understood what she was talking about, oh about anything really, she'd ask "D'you know?" in her lovely little accent. So cute! When she let my hair down and gave it a good look (still wet) she started gushing over how wonderful my color is. She gushed compliments upon my usual stylist. ((Shameless plug for Shannon @ Salon Mecca in Port Neches, TX who I still drive over an hour each way to have do my hair since we moved this summer!)) Tamaryn was so sweet. She dried my hair, chit-chatting the whole time. She asked if I'd ever been to Senses before and wanted to know about it. I told her the full nightmare. So then she was in complete awe of such a terrible story. I told her the nail tech's name and she'd never even heard of her. Tamaryn said usually she'd recognize names of other staff members from hearing the other staff members talk about those before them but she totally didn't recognize Johnretta's name. Tamaryn's roommate who was the girl at the front desk who checked me in came over to chat and Tamaryn had me tell the whole tale again. The friend had been on the Dream longer than Tamaryn and she'd never heard of her either. I told them I wrote all about it on the comment card so they agreed she probably wasn't onboard long after that. I kinda feel bad but that was a really reeeeaaaaally unprofessional service last year. It was insane! So Tamaryn had my hair looking like a million bucks in no time at all. She single-handedly turned my feelings about Senses around and I thanked her. Such a sweet girl, definitely good at what she does. Just the way she talked, how she noticed details in the way my hair was cut, the color job, etc. I definitely get the feeling she's every bit as talented a stylist as my friend Shannon here in Texas. Love her!

I headed back to our stateroom, put on my face, pulled out the dress & heels, and we got all spiffied up for the evening. I wish I had a picture. We looked like a million bucks!

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 4, 2012

We made it in plenty of time for the 6:15 showing of "Believe". It's the one show of the 3 on the Dream we hadn't seen yet. We found great seats towards the front, ordered some drinks (he had a double Crown & diet, I had ice water), and settled in.

There is absolutely no photography or video of any kind during the show. We saw a few guests get asked to put their cameras away during the show which was great. As for the show, well, you've got to see this one, folks. I think of all the Disney cruise shows we've seen thus far 'Believe' is my favorite. When the Princess & the Frog number came on and they started up the Second-Line dance with the umbrellas....ooooh-weeeee....it was haaaaaard to keep my tappin' toes still and my tush in my chair! I wanted to get up and raise it with 'em, y'all! Good Lord, do I ever miss our Louisiana home. There's no place like it. Oooh, and then the part where the main character is seeing his daughter all grown and talking about how short the time is with our little ones....this is NOT a good thing for a momma who left her "babies" at home to see! I couldn't stand it! I mean, hello! I have teenagers! I'm all too aware of how short my time with them has been and is. They aren't really mine anymore and I know that. All those years that have flown by in a blur...I know I'm not getting any of that back. Right now, in this theater, I couldn't be crying! We still had dinner to go to! I sat there and looked up at the light rigging in the ceiling and started chanting in my brain "foot-ball, foot-ball, foot-ball". Ugh! That's one powerful storyline! Loved it lots! I missed my "babies", tho. I really did.

steviej · Oct 4, 2012

DisneyDebNJ said:
Honestly, Sweetpee, your cruise pics from your latest trip to your last, has me seriously considering booking a cruise next year!!! Awesome!!!!

Agreed!

Gojira ゴジラ · Oct 4, 2012

Sweetpee does castaway cay have a locker too?

The Cabanas is looking awesome.. that's gonna be the perfect place for my wife as she loves taking pictures.
I didn't know until today but as you might have guessed, they are all booked.

We're planning to snorkel, do you think we should bring our own gears too? I prefer not too but this excited us so much I don't want to be left disappointed with crappy gears.

I think you should write a comprehensive review of the cruise. I really do

You are so expert and thorough with your explanation. Awesome TR

joanna71985 · Oct 4, 2012

Loving the TR so far! I really hope the "test" check-in at MCO doesn't last (because I will be taking the bus from there for my cruise coming up

sweetpee_1993 said:
Tracey and I lingered a while longer soaking it up. Tracey said he needed me to get a cabana for every visit we make to Castaway Cay. I informed him the only way to ensure that is to put me on enough cruises to make platinum status or book concierge. He's now itching to do as many Florida Resident back-to-backs as we can manage. He's totally onboard to send me & my mother on a short mother/daughter cruise. He's ready to make me a platinum! Somehow I think this could totally work to my advantage. LOL! Tammy, would you like to join me in this Gawd-awful sacrificial job??? I bet I know the answer to that! Ha!

That sounds like my kind of job!

disneygirl1 · Oct 4, 2012

I am so loving this report! Have I mentioned that to you? LOL! OMG I seriously have to go on one of these crusies. I think one of my biggest fears is I'll love it so much and not one to do the parks amymore!

But anyway, the mixology class looked like a blast! That will definitely me on my must do lists. And the cabanas at CC looked like sheer heaven on earth!

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 4, 2012

steviej said:
Agreed!

I'm telling you, once upon a time we were WDW parks freaks. We thought it could get no better. I mean, what could there possibly be that's as fun as the parks on a ship??? The answer? Plenty! And there's so much you'll never do it all! There's so much to do that you can stay busy-busy all day if that's what you want. Or if you would rather just slow down & relax there's plenty of that right at your fingertips, too. The best part is that it's all infused with the Disney magic we all love so dearly. It's that old familiar warm-n-fuzzy we get. It's just in a different form. The surroundings are every bit as immersive. It's just as much of an escape if not more. There's nothing else in the world like it. Is it like the parks? It has it's similarities but then it's totally different which makes it all the more exciting and fun. We're so totally hooked. Truly!

EpicMickey said:
Sweetpee does castaway cay have a locker too?

The Cabanas is looking awesome.. that's gonna be the perfect place for my wife as she loves taking pictures.
I didn't know until today but as you might have guessed, they are all booked.

We're planning to snorkel, do you think we should bring our own gears too? I prefer not too but this excited us so much I don't want to be left disappointed with crappy gears.

I think you should write a comprehensive review of the cruise. I really do You are so expert and thorough with your explanation. Awesome TR

Castaway Cay does NOT have lockers. They're only in the cabanas. I can't remember where I saw it, maybe it was on the ship or maybe it was in the airport...but they make all sorts of locking bags. Like this is one you would carry in your bag then secure those little valuables while you're off swimming. I've heard good things about this Kyss bag, as well. We've left our room keys and expensive sunglasses inside bags on our loungers twice before when we didn't have a cabana and it was fine. But then I've read where people have had stuff stolen from their loungers like their beach bags, etc. while on Castaway Cay. I think for the future if I don't get a cabana I'll prob'ly get a locking bag. It's not fool-proof but at least it would slow down a grab-n-go, right? There's always neck pouches like this, too. Just think about what your needs are and go from there.

Not surprised the cabanas are all booked up. Don't give up, tho! People cancel them all the time! Get crazy and check religiously! Also, when you get onboard go straight to Guest Services and ask to be put on a waiting list. During your cruise, someone might need to cancel. I've heard of it happening...like a family met another family and decided to split a cabana so they let one go or someone got sick and didn't feel up to leaving the ship....it happens! Also, 2 of the cabanas are never booked online prior to sailing. It's 1 on each beach. These are held back in case a concierge guest decides once they get there that they want it. The day or so before Castaway Cay day if they've not sold these "extra" cabanas they will go to the list and contact you. I've heard of that happening, too.

The first time we thought we were so smart and brought snorkel gear we picked up on clearance at Target for like $10. That was gonna save us $$ over the $20 or $25 to rent the CC gear, right? Oh no. The stuff we brought was so crappy we ended up getting frustrated and threw it away. LOL! So the stuff Tracey & I bought a month or so ago was higher-dollar dive-shop stuff. I know for 2 masks and 2 snorkels we paid over $200. But, we live near the coast. We have a LOT of cruises on the books in the coming years. We know we'll get our money's worth. Before our next cruise we'll have to take the boys to go get outfitted as well. It's nice to not have to do it all at once.

For your first cruise maybe use the rental stuff on the island. Or if you think you'll get use out of it get the good stuff. I'd just hate for you to drop that coin, go on the cruise, decide it's not your thing, and be stuck with pricey snorkel stuff you'll never use again. You know? You'll have to decide on that.

And thanks for the kind words. Before my first cruise I sought out everything I could find that described everything to a "t" so I'd not feel overwhelmed and clueless. If this helps even one other person then I'd feel like it was well worth the work! I love to write about like I love to cruise....

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 4, 2012

joanna71985 said:
Loving the TR so far! I really hope the "test" check-in at MCO doesn't last (because I will be taking the bus from there for my cruise coming up

That sounds like my kind of job!

For your sake, I hope it's a short-lived test, too. Next September, for the girls cruise, I'm voting party bus!!!! We set the pickup time!

disneygirl1 said:
I am so loving this report! Have I mentioned that to you? LOL! OMG I seriously have to go on one of these crusies. I think one of my biggest fears is I'll love it so much and not one to do the parks amymore!

But anyway, the mixology class looked like a blast! That will definitely me on my must do lists. And the cabanas at CC looked like sheer heaven on earth!

I think we hit the cruise addiction timing right. We were starting to wane in our parks interested and getting worn out on fighting the ever-growing herds even during the "slow" times. But, I mean, look at Tammy! She still totally loves the parks trips and she's hooked on the cruising, too. I think our needs have shifted is all. Our boys are practically "grown" and we're getting where we crave the relaxation time more.

The CC cabanas are sooooooo heaven-on-earth!!!! Words and pictures do them noooo justice! Go google like I said. You'll fall out of your chair!

Gojira ゴジラ · Oct 4, 2012

sweetpee_1993 said:
There's nothing else in the world like it. Is it like the parks? It has it's similarities but then it's totally different which makes it all the more exciting and fun. We're so totally hooked. Truly!

That's why I'm very excited with this cruise. We love Disney so much but we're at the point where we've seen most of stuff and want to experience something entirely new but -as you said- infused with Disney. Going to WDW after the cruise is excellent, we're looking forward to it but going to the cruise itself excites us more.
We're afraid that the cruise will be the climax and it will be rolling down the hill from there. Hopefully that's not the case.

sweetpee_1993 said:
Like this is one you would carry in your bag then secure those little valuables while you're off swimming. I've heard good things about this Kyss bag, as well.

Those are awesome suggestions, I may get the kyss bag.

sweetpee_1993 said:
I'd just hate for you to drop that coin, go on the cruise, decide it's not your thing, and be stuck with pricey snorkel stuff you'll never use again. You know? You'll have to decide on that.

We already have the gears, we snorkel a few times in Bali.. but we don't have the vest yet. I assume the vest is required and renting a vest means renting the whole gear? Did you bring your own vest Sweetpee?

We will def go to the guess services first. I'd love to be able to rent it

and get that 3d model thing

Disneyfalcon · Oct 4, 2012

Okay, so much to remember. Thank you thank you for all the toes! I love it!! And you have Minnie toes which is even better!!

Yes. I am down with helping you get to Platinum.

That giant/blanket towel animal is sooo awesome! But the model Cabana was even better!!! Wow wow!!

And you are so incredibly nice getting someone to join you in your cabana. Seriously. That is so nice.

So glad you had a better spa experience.

Your underwater pictures are so awesome! I love them all! I am so glad snorkeling went better this time too! It's one of our favorite things!

Disneyfalcon · Oct 4, 2012

sweetpee_1993 said:
For your sake, I hope it's a short-lived test, too. Next September, for the girls cruise, I'm voting party bus!!!! We set the pickup time!

I think we hit the cruise addiction timing right. We were starting to wane in our parks interested and getting worn out on fighting the ever-growing herds even during the "slow" times. But, I mean, look at Tammy! She still totally loves the parks trips and she's hooked on the cruising, too. I think our needs have shifted is all. Our boys are practically "grown" and we're getting where we crave the relaxation time more.

The CC cabanas are sooooooo heaven-on-earth!!!! Words and pictures do them noooo justice! Go google like I said. You'll fall out of your chair!

Party bus! Score!!

And yes, I still love the parks too. If I had a fully paid pick at either one, I'd definitely pick a cruise, but we still love going to the parks.

You know your youth is long gone when...

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