/Cruising on a Dream Full of Frights and Friends: 10/12/13-10/19/13 TR completed 4/21/2014 - Page 23 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Sorry the bug has bitten your home too. Had it here as well.
Good luck with the storm - they have already closed everything here for tomorrow.....well except of course my office
__________________
Lisa Co-Guide to Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
What a fun day!! We did the same thing on our cruise, we didn't get off at Nassau either. It was so great to enjoy the pool and Aquaduck with not a lot of crowds! Hope looks adorable in those shots you got of her just sitting on her lounge chair, especially the first one, she just looks so nice and relaxed
Thanks for all the well wishes. I’m feeling SO much better, but I never did get that relaxing snow day I was hoping for. I was too busy shoveling and building snowmen with Hope. Because it’s been a while since my last update, I’m going to do one big update this time instead of breaking it up.
Day Four: Tuesday, October 15th
Part Two: A Shout Out to Pirate Hope
Once we were back in our stateroom, we all started getting ready for the evening’s festivities. Hook & Smee were going to be out at 5:30pm, and Hope wanted to meet them, so I got her ready first just in case I wasn’t ready by the time we would need to leave. That way Chad could at least head over there with her to grab a spot in line while I played catch up. Hope was dressing up as Izzy from Jake & the Neverland Pirates, but instead of buying her an Izzy costume, I bought a shirt and leggings that looked similar to what she wears in the cartoon. That way she could wear them again in the future, and I wouldn't feel guilty for spending the extra money.
Things got tricky when I tried to get her bandana on her head. My mom’s friend had made it for her, and I knew how I wanted it to look, but when I put it on her she ended up looking like she belonged on the prairie instead of on a pirate ship. Finally, after some finagling and bobby pins, I was able to make it work…with only a few minutes to spare.
Once they left, I finished getting ready, and when I finally met back up with them I found them still waiting in line. Of course nothing ever goes smoothly with us because Hope forgot to grab her autograph book again (that thing would be the death of me). I had to run all the way back to the room again to grab it, but this time it was a little more of a workout because Hook & Smee were greeting guests in Preludes, which is near the Walt Disney Theater…on the complete opposite end of the ship.
I think Chad and some of the people in line with him had started making bets on whether I’d actually make it back in time, because when I finally showed up with the book, they all gave a big sigh of relief.
Next up was Jack Sparrow. He had started greeting guests at the exact same time as Hook & Smee, but his meet & greet was 15 minutes longer. That gave us a little more time to try and get in line to seem him. Earlier, Chad had mentioned to me that he wanted to check out the cigar bar they had on the ship, Meridian. Chad loves cigars, and while I’m not a fan of smoking, he doesn’t do it when he’s around me or other people, plus, it’s only an occasional thing, so I’m okay with it. Anyway, I told him that he should take some time to go enjoy a cigar before Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean show started at 7:30, and to just meet us on that deck with some time to spare. So we parted ways, and Hope and I headed over to meet Jack, which was the much better choice if you ask me.
The line wasn’t too long, and right after us and another family got in line, a CM cut it off. Phew! The family behind us got to talking to the CM that was the line cutter, and then suddenly they ended up getting out of line and leaving. I think they realized they didn’t have enough time to make dinner and meet Jack, so they had to make a choice between the two. That meant the CM was now right behind us, and before I knew it, he started talking to Hope. He asked her if she liked meeting Stitch today, and when she said yes, he said he had actually talked to Stitch later in the day, and Stitch told him that he liked her red Minnie Mouse dress that she had worn when she saw him. WHAT??? I must have had a weird look on my face by that point because then he told us that he’s really good friends with Stitch, and he was really happy that we had followed his directions to come and meet him when he had visited from Outer Space. Wink! Wink!
The light bulb came on, and that’s when I realized this CM was the one that had told Chad the night before to take Hope to see Stitch. He also asked if Hope had forgotten her autograph book anymore during our trip because I had been off running to get it when he was talking to Chad the other night. I liked this guy. He had an incredible memory, and made you feel super special because of it. We eventually introduced ourselves, with his name being Lucas (Luke). We chit chatted about everything, but the most important thing he told us to do was to get up to the show early so that we could grab a seat right up front. After the tip he gave Chad about Stitch, and how much fun she had because of that tip, I wasn’t about to ignore anything he told me.
Then as we got closer to Jack, he told Hope to make sure to call him Jack, and only Jack. Hope tells Luke that his name is Captain Jack, which made us laugh, but Luke told her to just do what he says, and that when Jack asks her who told her to call him that, say Luke. So of course when it was our turn, Hope gets a tiny bit shy, I mean, who wouldn’t? It’s Captain Jack Sparrow! And she barely gets out that Luke told her to call him Jack, and not Captain Jack. She ratted Luke out even before Jack Sparrow could ask her anything. Poor Luke. Then Jack asks Hope if she would like to stab him with his sword or should he? And all she could do was point to Jack and giggle because he was being so funny with our new friend Luke.
So far we were meeting some great CMs on this cruise, and I was making mental notes about it so I could be sure to add it to that wonderful letter I was going to write when I got home.
We still had some time to kill before we had to go up and grab those front row seats, so I took Hope outside to get some pictures of her while the sun was giving off some pretty light. I told her to act like a pirate, and this is what I got…
Then we headed up to the top deck to wait for the show to start. I was surprised at how empty it still was, even with only 20 minutes until showtime. Once again, I decided to take some pictures, even though the orange lighting they had coming from the Funnel Vision made it a bit difficult to get anything decent.
And here’s Hope hamming it up again. (Kelly gave the kids those glowstick swords, which I don’t think Hope ever put down).
Chad met back up with us with enough time to grab a spot, and hold some extra room for Kelly and her family. I used our wave phone to text them our location, and she told us she was in line to get pictures taken, but she would try and hurry up. While we waited, Chad mentioned how wonderful that lounge was. The views were amazing, and it probably had the prettiest views of anywhere on the ship, especially because he was up there when the sun was setting.
With only about 5 minutes until the show was supposed to start, it was getting tougher and tougher to hold a big enough spot for all of us. And then out of nowhere Dylan and Lukas showed up, and when I turned around I saw Kelly and Mike standing a little further back. Dylan sat right next to Hope, and Lukas plopped right down in my lap.
The show started, and it was so much fun. They didn’t have this when we were on the Magic or Wonder, but I’m glad we decided to watch it. It starts out with Mickey and his friends teaching us the basics of being a pirate so we can earn the right to be part of his pirate crew. Pretty soon Hook shows up and tries to take over the ship, and the only way to stop Hook from actually doing it, is by showing off our new skills to prove we know what it takes to be a pirate. Hook agrees to that because he doesn’t think we have what it takes just yet, and calls for all of the pirates in his crew to join him to make sure we do every pirate skill just right.
All of a sudden all of these new pirates start coming on stage from all different directions, and one of them runs over to us, gets down low to the kid’s level and says, “Pirate Hope, do you have what it takes to join our crew?” She nods her head with this HUGE smile on her face, and Dylan looks at me and asks, “How do you know him”? Well, it was Luke!!! Once again, he came through on his tip, and made another magical moment happen for her, plus the boys thought that was the coolest thing ever.
We were having so much fun during this show. I think there were 8 or so things you had to do to be a pirate, and after each one we’d have to repeat everything we had learned previously. By the end, Hope and Dylan would stand up to dance their jig, swing their “sword”, say “Aaargh!”…you name it, and they were so excited to do it.
When the show was over, we joined Kelly and Mike, and then headed down to dinner. We must have stopped by our stateroom because this was the next picture in my camera.
For dinner, we were once again in the Royal Palace, and out of all our meals, this was my least favorite. So much so, that I completely forgot to take pictures of our main course.
My Appetizer (The Buccaneer's Sun-Ripened Pineapple)
Chad’s Appetizer (Black Beard's Jumbo Crab Cake)
For my main course, I ordered the Treasures of the Seas Grilled Shrimp and Seared Scallops which was served on pasta in a creamy tomato sauce. First of all, it seemed a bit too dry for me, and not as creamy as you would think a “creamy tomato sauce” would be. Second of all, the taste was pretty bland, and the shrimp was a bit to fishy tasting for my liking.
I really can’t remember if Chad liked his main course, but for whatever reason (Kelly probably forgot to remind me), I didn’t take a picture of his either. He ordered Captain Hook's Macadamia Nut-dusted Mahi Mahi.
I’m pretty sure Hope ordered the Mickey Mac-n-Cheese again, but I can’t be 100% sure. However, the desserts did make up for what the main course lacked, at least for me it did.
My Dessert (Floating Island - crisp meringue, vanilla anglaise and marinated fruits)
Chad’s Dessert (Rum Soaked Chocolate Cake)
For some reason I think this was the night that Mike taught Hope how to play tic-tac-toe, and I think he might have regretted that decision after something like the 15th game, but it was very cute bonding time no matter how you looked at it. And speaking of cute…
After dinner we made our way up to the very very top deck because our waiter told us that best spot to view the fireworks was right in front of the smoke stack. We pushed, and yes, we literally pushed our way through the crowd of people to get up those stairs and find a place to stand. We finally found a spot in front of a railing, and for some reason I think poor Mike ended up having to take one of the boys to the bathroom after we had gotten all the way up there.
Once the show did start, it was a little difficult for me to see exactly what was going on because I didn’t have my glasses on, and once again, this show was much different than the one I saw on the Magic and Wonder. The little show before they set off the fireworks featured Jack Sparrow, and honestly, that’s about all I remember. I do remember the fireworks though, however, I didn’t take any pictures of them because I was holding Hope. They seemed to last a lot longer than on previous cruises, and there also seemed to be a lot more of them as well.
Once the fireworks were over, Club Pirate started, and it was basically one big dance fest, and by dance fest, I mean the most fun I had ALL day. I think by the time it was over my mouth hurt from laughing and smiling so much. The kids were out of control with their dance moves, and I can honestly say some of Hope’s dance moves had me questioning where in the heck she learned them because I know I didn’t teach them to her!
We pretty much had that whole section of the top deck to ourselves, and the kids took full advantage of it.
At some point we made our way downstairs, where I ended up doing The Wobble on the dance floor all by myself…thanks guys! But I Wobbled with one of the CMs dressed up like a pirate…who ended up puting my Wobble to shame.
When the dance party was over, we decided to check out the buffet they had set up in Cabanas, and from there we parted ways with Kelly, Mike and the kids. We were going to enjoy our snacks out on the deck while we caught a little bit of Pirates of the Caribbean they had playing on the Funnel Vision. Orlando Bloom being projected larger than life on the big screen is something I just CANNOT pass up, so we snagged a few pool chairs and got comfy.
While we were sitting there, I just so happened to look over towards the port side of the ship when I noticed I could see land pretty darn well. Then I noticed it looked as if we were docking again. When I saw the sign for Senor Frogs I knew we were pulling back into Nassau, so I walked over to where there were other guests checking things out and asked a CM what was going on. Unfortunately the CM didn’t have any answers for us, but we did end up finding out what happened the next day, and that was only because Mike and Kelly could see everything that was going on from their balcony. It was a medical related issue, and I think they said one of the guests had to be taken off the ship and put into an ambulance. Would you like to add to this info Kelly???
We headed back to the room about 30 minutes into the movie, and then pretty much crashed as soon as our head’s hit the pillow. What a fun fun day we had had, and with the thought of our last full day coming up, it made me sad because I definitely didn’t want to see it end just yet.
What a wonderful pirate night you had! I absolutely adored the photos of Hope as a pirate and you brought back some great memories of the dinner from pirate night - so good!
Oh my. What a amazing time you guys had. That CM Luke was a doll for letting you know where to sit to get some special attention. I just love it!! The pictures of Hope are amazing. Such a cutie pie!!!!
Sounds like a great pirate party! Hope makes a cute Izzy. My niece had a Jake birthday party and she had bandanas for the girls to be Izzy and I struggled to put them on myself and Mallory. It's hard to be a "pretty" pirate.
I love all the pictures of the dancing. Sounds like a great time!
What an amazing Pirate day and night! Hope makes the cutest pirate ever, and the photos of the kids all dancing together are wonderful. Luke the CM is going to be Cruise Director one day! Does he ever know how to PLUS the guest experience-- for the right adorable guest, at least! The glow-swords Kelly got are just great.
What a great night!! All your pictures were fabulous...but I especially loved the one of Kelly on the dance floor. It shows just pure fun! The way her head is thrown back in laughter...it's great!
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Because it’s been a while since my last update, I’m going to do one big update this time instead of breaking it up. 
Hook & Smee were going to be out at 5:30pm, and Hope wanted to meet them, so I got her ready first just in case I wasn’t ready by the time we would need to leave. That way Chad could at least head over there with her to grab a spot in line while I played catch up. Hope was dressing up as Izzy from Jake & the Neverland Pirates, but instead of buying her an Izzy costume, I bought a shirt and leggings that looked similar to what she wears in the cartoon. That way she could wear them again in the future, and I wouldn't feel guilty for spending the extra money. 
Finally, after some finagling and bobby pins, I was able to make it work…with only a few minutes to spare. 
I had to run all the way back to the room again to grab it, but this time it was a little more of a workout because Hook & Smee were greeting guests in Preludes, which is near the Walt Disney Theater…on the complete opposite end of the ship. 
He had started greeting guests at the exact same time as Hook & Smee, but his meet & greet was 15 minutes longer. That gave us a little more time to try and get in line to seem him. Earlier, Chad had mentioned to me that he wanted to check out the cigar bar they had on the ship, Meridian. Chad loves cigars, and while I’m not a fan of smoking, he doesn’t do it when he’s around me or other people, plus, it’s only an occasional thing, so I’m okay with it. 
Anyway, I told him that he should take some time to go enjoy a cigar before Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean show started at 7:30, and to just meet us on that deck with some time to spare. So we parted ways, and Hope and I headed over to meet Jack, which was the much better choice if you ask me. 
The family behind us got to talking to the CM that was the line cutter, and then suddenly they ended up getting out of line and leaving. 
I think they realized they didn’t have enough time to make dinner and meet Jack, so they had to make a choice between the two. That meant the CM was now right behind us, and before I knew it, he started talking to Hope. 
WHAT??? 
I must have had a weird look on my face by that point because then he told us that he’s really good friends with Stitch, and he was really happy that we had followed his directions to come and meet him when he had visited from Outer Space. Wink! Wink! 
and that’s when I realized this CM was the one that had told Chad the night before to take Hope to see Stitch. He also asked if Hope had forgotten her autograph book anymore during our trip because I had been off running to get it when he was talking to Chad the other night. 
I liked this guy. He had an incredible memory, and made you feel super special because of it. We eventually introduced ourselves, 
with his name being Lucas (Luke). We chit chatted about everything, but the most important thing he told us to do was to get up to the show early so that we could grab a seat right up front. 
which made us laugh, but Luke told her to just do what he says, and that when Jack asks her who told her to call him that, say Luke. So of course when it was our turn, Hope gets a tiny bit shy, 
I mean, who wouldn’t? It’s Captain Jack Sparrow! 
And she barely gets out that Luke told her to call him Jack, and not Captain Jack. She ratted Luke out even before Jack Sparrow could ask her anything. 
Poor Luke. Then Jack asks Hope if she would like to stab him with his sword or should he? 
And all she could do was point to Jack and giggle because he was being so funny with our new friend Luke. 
Dylan sat right next to Hope, and Lukas plopped right down in my lap. 
She nods her head with this HUGE smile on her face, and Dylan looks at me and asks, “How do you know him”? Well, it was Luke!!! 
Once again, he came through on his tip, and made another magical moment happen for her, plus the boys thought that was the coolest thing ever. 
So much so, that I completely forgot to take pictures of our main course. 
Second of all, the taste was pretty bland, and the shrimp was a bit to fishy tasting for my liking. 
but it was very cute bonding time no matter how you looked at it. And speaking of cute…
We finally found a spot in front of a railing, and for some reason I think poor Mike ended up having to take one of the boys to the bathroom after we had gotten all the way up there. 
and it was basically one big dance fest, and by dance fest, I mean the most fun I had ALL day. I think by the time it was over my mouth hurt from laughing and smiling so much. 
The kids were out of control with their dance moves, and I can honestly say some of Hope’s dance moves had me questioning where in the heck she learned them because I know I didn’t teach them to her! 
Then I noticed it looked as if we were docking again. When I saw the sign for Senor Frogs I knew we were pulling back into Nassau, so I walked over to where there were other guests checking things out and asked a CM what was going on. Unfortunately the CM didn’t have any answers for us, but we did end up finding out what happened the next day, and that was only because Mike and Kelly could see everything that was going on from their balcony. It was a medical related issue, and I think they said one of the guests had to be taken off the ship and put into an ambulance. Would you like to add to this info Kelly???
What a fun fun day we had had, and with the thought of our last full day coming up, it made me sad because I definitely didn’t want to see it end just yet. 
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"Sparky"(My first trip.)
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