Mom's First Taste of Cruising with the Mouse! **Completed 11/20** About This Page:

[rlb38]

I fell behind but have enjoyed getting caught up, sounds like a perfect cruising day to me ! Didn't realize cozy cove had pastries. I only poked my head in there the last evening to leave some magazines and books behind. Palo's sounds wonderful and you both looked lovely. Looking forward to more.

[FanOfMickey]

I agree about Palo, everyone should try it!! I can't wait till I am able to go on another cruise!!

[Colexis Mom]

What a great night! Glad you had a great time at Palo!

[DrDolphin]

Palo is a definite must do on every cruise!!

[iloverags2]

Paradise Found

Once again we set a wake-up call for 6:30, and once again I slept right through it! Mom was up bright and early though, and she woke me around 7:00 a.m. Not much of a sunrise to see this morning as we pulled into Castaway Cay, and in fact I was a bit concerned about rain as storms could be seen in a distance.

Breakfast was at Beach Blanket Buffet once again, this time with a gorgeous view from Deck 9 of Castaway Cay. Mom decided to try out the omelet station, and had I known they would bring your omelet to you I would have done the same! This was my first experience with this station on DCL, and it was quite impressive. You walk up to the station, a CM notes what you want in your omelet, they give you a number to put on your table, and then bring your omelet to you when it is finished. No standing around and waiting for it while it’s cooking! Nice! I did have a yummy blueberry muffin though, along with some eggs and toast (my standard breakfast fare).

By the time we got back to our stateroom and Mom changed into her bathing suit, it was about 8:30 a.m. The Personal Navigator had listed all ashore being at 9:00, but at 8:30 an announcement was made that we could get off! And they were debarking aft, so that meant just a quick ride/walk down for us! We grabbed our stuff and high-tailed it out (while those other poor cruisers who were eating must have been scrambling at that moment!).

Castaway Cay Post Office


Arriving on Castaway Cay


Our first order of business was to stop at the Post Office to drop off postcards for Russ, Ned (Mom’s hubby), my two sisters, and my niece. (Just for the record, those post cards arrived yesterday and today!) Oh, for those of you wondering, Disney provides towels as you leave the ship so no need to drag those with you. Once we deposited our mail, we walked over to the tram stop where we didn’t have to wait long for the next tram. And with little-to-no crowds, to boot. It wasn’t long before we finally arrived at Serenity Bay, and seriously? We had the pick of the beach! There were a few sunbathers already ahead of us, but for the most part, the place was still empty. Score! We picked a nice spot not too far down under an umbrella. Mom was just blown away by the beauty of this beach, too. And you know what else? The clouds were beginning to break up, and sunny skies were starting to peek out!

Mom staking out our spot


An empty Serenity Bay


We couldn’t quite decide what to do first, but that crystal-clear, blue water was just calling our names! You gotta love a place where you can take photos of things in the water with your camera above the water. There is just nothing like it! Mom was getting a kick out of the fish as they hovered around us, and honestly I was a bit surprised how relaxed she was with them. As more and more folks began to arrive at the beach, we realized we had prime real estate with our spot! The nice thing about Serenity Bay, too, is that Disney provides not only loungers, but also regular small chairs. At this point, we took our chairs and put them just into the water. I tell you, this was another one of those “best” moments – sitting with our feet in the water, just staring out at the beauty and serenity of the ocean.

Enjoying the warm water


Fish swimming around us


Interesting shell in the water


Paradise Found


Mom relaxing!


My favorite picture of Mom (she, of course, didn’t know I took this until we were looking at pictures later on)


And a close-up


The beach starting to fill up


Self-portrait


You know, we Floridians live by the motto down this way, “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere,” and Mom and I decided we would partake in a Konk Kooler on this fine, beautiful morning. We both noted they were rather weak, and Mom commented they must serve them this way due to the heat and lack of food in people’s stomach at this hour! (She’s probably right!) Now, we know there are reasons Mom doesn’t stay in the sun long, and we made it onto the beach early as planned. As the beach began to fill with more and more people we decided it might be good to head over to the BBQ and stake out a good spot in the shade to eat. Our prime real estate was snatched up in a hurry as soon as we packed up and left.

I still have no clue how these guys do this!


Mom and her first ever Konk Kooler


Well, one of us finished our drink!


Lunch on Serenity Bay is served at 11:30, and we must have arrived at the BBQ about 15 minutes prior. Except for a few other folks, we pretty much had our choice of tables, and found a nice, shaded one with a good view of the Wonder in a distance!

Our spot




Our view (the Wonder is hiding behind the greenery)


Lunch was served promptly at 11:30, and it was good stuff! Mom is a hot dog lover, so that’s what she stuck with, along with some fruit and chips. I, on the other hand, went for the good stuff – Ribs! They were absolutely wonderful, although big and filling. I would have liked to try a burger or steak, but just didn’t have it in me to eat much more than the ribs, chips, and fruit. And for dessert, we split a chocolate chip cookie (keep in mind, we were making plans to visit Cove Café again!). With our tummies full, we decided to start making our way back to the ship with a few stops at She Sells and the Bahamian craft stand.

At the Serenity Bay tram stop


On our way back to the ship


My only picture of the family beach


Isn’t she a beauty


Had to get a shot of The Flying Dutchman


I just love this ship!


More blue water!


Once back on board, we headed straight for the room to shower and change before making another trip up to Cove Café for yummy chocolate cups. It was still a bit early, only about 1:30 in the afternoon. We decided to eat our treat out on the deck, while taking in the scenery around us. So beautiful! Our plan was to be back in our stateroom prior to sailing away from Castaway Cay. We still had a bit of time before that, and decided to play a couple more games of checkers in Diversions. I have come to realize the quiet times on the ship, when everyone else is in port, are just absolutely wonderful. I’m happy spending just a few hours somewhere and also enjoying time just relaxing on board. Others will most likely feel differently, but that’s the beauty of it all – there truly is something for everyone!

There was still something I wanted to do, which we hadn’t had a chance to do yet, and that was order a Mickey Bar from room service! (Again, Mom reminded me of this! She’s a good Mom!) We made our way back to the room, ordered our treat, and just sat back and relaxed. Since we were on the quiet side of Castaway Cay, it was so peaceful looking out from our verandah. It was also fun to watch people as they returned from the beaches and boarded the ship, and to watch a few of the characters greet them on their arrival. Before long, we were ready to sail off. Mom wanted to toast our leaving this little treasure in the middle of the ocean, so we ran up one flight of stairs and grabbed a few merlots from the Outlook Bar before heading back to our room.

The view from our verandah






Room Service!


Mom’s first Mickey Bar


Here’s to our cruise!




Mom truly enjoying herself!


Up Next: Dreams, Dinner, and a First Character Meet!

[Kenny]

Serenity Bay almost to yourself AND the ship almost to yourself! Can't beat that!!

A little room service, a little wine... I'm glad to see you made good use of that veranda!!

[Colexis Mom]

What a great time at CC! Love the pictures!

[chezp]

What a wonderfully relaxing day at Castaway Cay!

[lauriep]

Now, that's a perfect day! I love the photo of the two of you on the tram returning to the Wonder.

[rlb38]

Beautiful photos of CC. Sounds like another perfectly relaxing day. Too bad being at CC means it's almost over. I'm dismayed that I didn't know I could order a Mickey bar from room service. DD says another reason why we need to go back!

[iloverags2]

Originally Posted by rlb38

I'm dismayed that I didn't know I could order a Mickey bar from room service. DD says another reason why we need to go back!

I didn't know about the Mickey Bars until just before this cruise. To think I have missed out on previous chances! Definitely a good reason to go back!

[iloverags2]

Dreams, Dinner, and a First Character Meet!

After sailing off from Castaway Cay, we decided to begin the dreaded packing signifying the end to our cruise. With pick-up of baggage at 11:00, we knew this was something we wanted to get done fairly early. Anything which needed to be packed away after any clothes changes could be done at the last minute and just laid on top. Isn’t this just one of the worst parts of a cruise vacation? Even worse for me, it means Mom will be on her way back to Chicago soon.

With most of our luggage ready to go, we both got dressed for the evening, and although tonight was dress-up optional, we felt since we already did Palo we would just put on nice, casual outfits (khakis and tops). This was truly a relaxing vacation, and we wanted to end it on that note!

Our first order of business for the evening would be Disney Dreams. We headed down to Deck 4 before crossing over to the forward section of the ship. As we passed through the atrium, we noticed an all dolled-up Minnie Mouse greeting cruisers. Minnie looked radiant, as usual, and Mom and I both agreed we would have to meet up with her later in the evening. In the meantime, I took a few photos of Minnie from above.

I wish I could pull off a ball gown like this!


This little girl was so adorable!


Time was closing in for the start of the show, and we wanted to be sure to get good seats again. For Golden Mickey’s, we sat to the right side as you walk into the theatre, down about 5 rows. Thankfully, we found our seats open again where we enjoyed a great view for Disney Dreams. This time Mom sat on the aisle.

Cinderella and her prince


Mickey and Minnie


There was still time to catch Minnie after the show and before dinner! Not only had Mom never met Minnie before – she had never met a character before! We did have breakfast at Donald’s Breafastosauras in Animal Kingdom several years ago, but the characters were mainly interested in my niece, Caitlin, who was 4 at the time. Mom had the chance to see them at the table, but this was different and she was actually looking forward to it. To add to the excitement, Minnie is my favorite Disney character and any chance I get to say “hi” is always fun! The line to meet Minnie wasn’t too terribly long. Many people were still eating dinner at the early seating, or just leaving the show and possibly hitting the shops. Our wait was only a few minutes before Mom went up to Minnie and told her, “I’ve waited my whole life to meet you.” This made Minnie extremely happy. Then I added, “You are the first character Mom has ever met.” Well, Minnie became very excited at this point and started jumping up and down! I was afraid she was going to trip on her gown! She managed to calm down enough for pictures, and I think Mom really enjoyed the meet. She later commented how the characters get so, well into character!

Cindy getting a hug from Minnie as Mom looks on


Cindy, Minnie and Mom


The official portrait


Ok, after looking at those photos, I think I should mention here, Mom and I did not plan on being matchy-matchy this evening. In fact, we didn’t realize it until we looked at the pictures at Shutters much later on that night!

As we finished up our chat with Minnie, the line to Triton’s for second seating began to build. Waiting in line was not appealing to us, but since we were already there we decided to go ahead and get in line. Turns out the couple in front of us were also our tablemates! They had dined at Palo the first evening, and we had dined at Palo the second evening. This was the first we had met them! Our wait wasn’t long, and in we went to Triton’s.

Pablo recalled Mom’s love of Merlot and brought one out to her. As usual, I stuck with my glass of water for dinner, and was happy with just a plain salad before our entrée. Mom went for the Escargot (as did many at our table, which was finally full with all eight of us present), and also the French Onion Soup. She said both were excellent! Mom had the seafood for dinner, but wasn’t real knocked-out by it. She said it was ok, but nothing special, and didn’t finish it. Carnivore that I am, I had the Grilled Beef Tenderloin. It was good, but how can anything compare to Palo?! I will say it was quite tasty still. Dessert was really what Mom was looking forward to at Triton’s. Crème Brulee is her favorite dessert ever, so we all know what Mom ordered! As did I! Triton’s certainly does an excellent Crème Brulee, and in fact several of us at the table ordered this.

Dinner was topped off with the International presentation by the dining servers, assistant servers, and chefs. I always find this fun as the tables (well, at least those who had top-notch servers) cheer loudly for them. Let me tell you, Kabelo and Pablo got a wild applause!

Tablemates from Ocala, FL (left) and California (right)


Tablemates from Mississippi (left), Mom and Cindy


Again, I wish I would’ve heard names, but we really had such a great group at our table.

Kabelo during the parade


Kabelo and Pablo (this photo truly captures their personalities!)


Pablo and Kabelo


Lighting in Triton’s


Triton’s mural


Triton’s mural


After dinner we decided we wanted to see the Til We Meet Again show in the lobby. I had explained to Mom this was just a short, cute and small-scale production where the characters bid goodnight and good-bye to the cruisers. To me this is a great opportunity to snap shots of the characters! Mom enjoyed this immensely and really loved how the characters are so accessible on the cruise ship. She also was impressed with the Cast Members and how those who are dressed-up for the show stay in character so well.

Aurora


Belle


Daisy Duck


Mickey and Minnie


Donald


Mickey


The last order of business we had for the evening was finishing up any shopping we still needed to do, including photos from Shutters. After dropping a pretty penny there, we headed over to Treasure Ketch and managed to pick-up the last of the items we needed for those back home. Our night was slowly coming to an end. We stayed up as long as we could giggling and having our own version of a slumber party before the ships light rocking lulled us to sleep.

Turtle towel animal


Before I knew it, Mom was once again waking me up with a sad look on her face. We were already at Port Canaveral – the sign of the end of our cruise. *sigh*

One of the reasons I enjoy having second seating is to have the later seating at Triton’s for breakfast. We were joined by the couple from Mississippi. They had bumped into both of the other couples, who would be having breakfast at Beach Blanket. It was a nice morning, and as I stated earlier, we just really clicked with this couple. Sweet, sweet folks! They had several more days to look forward to as they were heading onto WDW for a few days. Good for them!

With our carry-on’s in hand, we slowly made our way off the ship and quickly went through customs at Port Canaveral. (Seriously, we were outside within five minutes or less, and Mom was insanely impressed and pleased with the smooth debarking process Disney has in place.)

As we drove away from the Port, Mom and I began to make plans for our next Mommy/Daughter trip!

Mom waving good-bye


Up Next: Final Thoughts

[Colexis Mom]

Sounds like a great last night onboard the ship! Great pictures!

[chezp]

What a wonderful last night! I adore Minnie's outfit!

[Kenny]

The end of a Wonder-ful cruise! Looks like a grand last night!
Great interaction with Minnie!!