Triple dip, triple surprise, big birthday blow-out Dream cruise - Page 8 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Once we'd checked out our room, I received a text from our friends that they had arrived at the terminal!!! You may recall, our kids had NO IDEA that our friends would be joining us! I suggested we walk around the ship a bit, to get the feel for it. It really was weird not knowing the way around, after feeling like we know the Magic inside & out!
When we got around to Shutters, I had a text that they were done getting their keys, and were in the process of boarding. So I suggested that we watch people getting on for a bit. Now the kids were chomping at the bit to get to the pool, so they did NOT think this was a great idea. I kept saying, "oh come on, just for a minute?! Isn't it fun to see the families get announced? And we can cheer for them!" You could see the looks on both the kids' faces: "Yeah, right mom, you are such a loser/dork!" But I insisted that we spend a few minutes. And then......they announced the K family! And my kids looked at me, and looked down, and said "That's Alex & Cassie!!!!" YEP!! HA, GOT YOU!!!! We all let out a big whoop, and our friends saw us one deck up. Then we ran down those regal stairs and there were hugs and still a bit of confusion! The kids didn't know this trip, together, had been in the works more than a year! Their kids (5 & 8 yrs old) didn't even know they were going on a cruise until they boarded the bus at POFQ!
One of the funniest parts was the fact that my DD (11) had been worried we'd have someone annoying sitting with us at dinner. I kind of played that up - you never know...comments like that. So she turned to me and said "Can they have dinner with us?!" YES, of course, our reservations are linked and we have requested a table for 8 for all of us! It was great! My sad part is that I took a picture of them just as they were announced, but I was so excited, and trying to see my kids' reactions, that I clearly didn't have the camera still and it is quite blurry.
We went up to Cabanas with them so they could eat, and then returned to our cabin to get ready for the lifeboat drill.
Our luggage actually arrived very quickly - before the lifeboat drill! - so I was able to start unpacking before we had to go. Once again, I was so glad for the over-the-door shoe holders I pack for cruises! I put on on the inside of the bathroom with the sink & toilet, and the other on the outside of the door to the bathroom with the shower. We use the lower level slots for flip flops, and then fill the rest with all the rest of the things that could quickly clutter a room: sunscreen, hairbrushes, sunglasses, lotion, etc. The one inside the bathroom is great for toothbrushes/paste, deoderant, electric shavers, etc. We used them for the Baltic cruise last summer, and wouldn't go without them!
I also bring a "regular" hanging shoe rack - the kind that holds maybe 8-10 pair of shoes - to hang in the closet. That is really used for shoes, since with 4 of us, the shoes can add up: athletic shoes, dress shoes for dinner, sandals that may be too bulky (if they're men's) for the otehr door holders, etc. I like having an organized room! (I am a tad type A).
We were sad to go to the lifeboat drill WITHOUT life jackets. Crazy, I know, but we have a family picture of us in life jackets from every other cruise we've done! And they bring back memories of our DS on his first cruise, at the age of 2, crying through the whole thing, wanting to get that life jacket OFF! Oh well.
We also had another first for this drill - we were INSIDE!! Our lifeboat station was inside the theater! SCORE!! Seats and best of all, AIR CONDITIONING!!! Our leader was very funny - his name was Jared, and he had a whole comedy routine to make the time pass more quickly. "YO, C!" If you see Jared, tell him that!
Before we knew it, it was time to sail away, and we saw one of our favorite sights as we left Port Canaveral:
The sail away party was fun, but CROWDED!!! We enjoyed some delicious sangria I'd packed, in the fabulous double-walled cups with built in straws that I had as well!
Dinner tonight was at Royal Palace. I can't recall what anyone else had, but know I had the tenderloin with lobster medalion:
We met our server, Rocque (pronounced Rocky) from India, and assistant, Maren from Germany. They were great, although it took a few days to really feel like they completely warmed up. That was the nice thing, for us, in doing 9 nights (5, then 4), as if you did a shorter cruise, I don't know if you'd feel the rotational dining was as good.
We were fairly tired after dinner (we had the late seating, so left the dining room most nights at 10:15 or so!), so if I recall right, we had a pretty early night.
Tomorrow - our first of THREE stops at Castaway Cay!!
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Just catching up (again). Sorry to hear about all the troubles in your life--many crates of pixie dust heading your way!
Glad that you were able to surprise your kids so completely--great memory for all of you.
Looking forward to more
(And is there any way you could let me know where you got that fab-u-lous nail art? My DD and I love to "glam it up" on our cruises, too!) TIA!
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Just catching up (again). Sorry to hear about all the troubles in your life--many crates of pixie dust heading your way!
Glad that you were able to surprise your kids so completely--great memory for all of you.
Looking forward to more
(And is there any way you could let me know where you got that fab-u-lous nail art? My DD and I love to "glam it up" on our cruises, too!) TIA!
Here's the website where I got the nail tattoos: Pretty Girly Girl | Nail Decals & Accessories
Someone else here on the boards had posted the information. They worked really well on my nails, but were almost a bit too big for DD. Her hands are small, so I did have some trouble trimming the tattoos so they'd fit her nail, with some border for the nail polish to actually get a hold on her nail.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jenseib
how fun that your friends were able to join you. Were they there 9 days as well? I don't know if I could ever keep that a secret. I have a big mouth.
Our friends only did the first cruise with us - but they'd come from a full week at Disney World first. Their kids were starting school the week of our second cruise, and we don't start until after Labor Day, so we had a bit more time to play with. Which was a plus for us, as the second cruise was A LOT less expensive than the first (it was also 1 day shorter, but it was also in a different category since it was already so late in August).
I was so happy with the kids' reactions - and the fact that I was able to keep the surprise for so long!! This isn't the first time we've surprised them, though, so I do find I'm getting better at it as we do it more! But the downside is that they sometimes now assume we're surprising them with something when we aren't!
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OH!!! Your TR is GREAT so far. What an awesome surprise for the kids I don't know if I could have kept quite that long, but what a sweet surprise!!
I wish I saw this earlier as we have been to Atlantis quite a bit, I would have told you to stay on that "not so lazy river" for multiple trips around. We spent probably a good hour on that once. I'm sure you found it and had fun, can't wait to hear about that portion of the trip.
Your lunch at Cabana's looked AMAZING! Did I see a lamb chop???? YUMMM
We had late seating for dinner when we first boooked, I asked to be put on a waiting list for the early, which we did get!!! But seeing you didn't get out until almost 10pm, I am pretty sure that would have been a disaster for my little ones.
I am sooo looking forward to hearing more!
I wish I saw this earlier as we have been to Atlantis quite a bit, I would have told you to stay on that "not so lazy river" for multiple trips around. We spent probably a good hour on that once. I'm sure you found it and had fun, can't wait to hear about that portion of the trip.
Your lunch at Cabana's looked AMAZING! Did I see a lamb chop???? YUMMM
We had late seating for dinner when we first boooked, I asked to be put on a waiting list for the early, which we did get!!! But seeing you didn't get out until almost 10pm, I am pretty sure that would have been a disaster for my little ones.
I am sooo looking forward to hearing more!
You'll hear later about our Atlantis "adventure" - specifically having to do with that "not so lazy river" (and CLEARLY, I should have sought advice on that prior to our trip!!!)
Yep, it was a lamb chop. And it was DEEEEE.LISH.OUS! Don't miss it if they're on the menu the day you embark!
Funny, for the seond cruise, we had originally been scheduled for the early seating, but when I did all our on-line check in stuff, I moved it to the late seating. We've always preferred that in the past, as I like to go to the show before dinner. I would still rather do that (show then dinner), but I am getting too old to eat that late! Next cruise, I think I'd pick early. (The other thought we had was that late seating means you aren't as rushed to get back on the ship on port days)
Castaway Cay - Stop Number One
It was very overcast when we got up, so we were in no hurry to get off the ship and on to the beach. We did watch them dock the ship, which was kind of fun. They actually use an air cannon to shoot the ropes out from the ship to the waiting CM's on the pier. It makes a BIG noise if you're in the right spot to hear it.
Here's one of the jobs I'd like to apply for:
They get to LIVE on Castaway Cay!!
The kids (all 4 - our 2 and our friends' 2) decided to spend some time in the pool and on the Aquaduck before getting to the beach.
Here's DS riding with our 5 year old friend:
We eventually made it out to the island, where it was HOT!! You definitely feel that humidity more in August than in February or November (our preferred times to cruise!). I didn't take many pictures that day, so you'll have to wait until stop #2 for my CC pics. But we had a great time! We plunked our stuff down on the first beach, or the "old" family beach, as there were lots of chairs and even some umbrellas still open when we got down there around 10:30 or 11. The water is just so great there! Crystal clear, and fabulously blue. Ahhhhh!
We spent a good amount of time out snorkeling, and while we didn't find that hidden Mickey that time, we did find a hidden Minnie I hadn't even known about!
Unfortunately, while I had applied sunscreen, I didn't consider how strong it would be beating down on me while snorkeling, and I ended up with a pretty red back by the end of the day. It didn't hurt too much, and didn't actually start peeling until we'd been home a week - so about 2 weeks after getting it.
Back on the ship, we were SO excited about dinner tonight, as it was at Animator's Palate.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!! Do NOT read this (or look at the pictures) if you want to be surprised when you sail the Dream!!!!
OK, this was by far, my favorite restaurant - well, of the 3 "main" rotational restaurants. Not because of the food, but the "show." AP on the Dream doesn't even compare to what you've seen if you sailed on the Magic or Wonder. The cool touches are EVERYWHERE! Note the very cute way of displaying table numbers:
The screens all look like drawing board displays when you first arrive:
Then the show starts, with the arrival of Crush, Nemo and Squirt:
They talk for a bit, and then send out some other fish to do tricks - kind of a pictionary game:
It's almost hard to focus on the menu, and ordering, because you don't want to miss a moment! They do work hard to time the meal, so that the servers have finished with orders before things really ramp up.
Most people are eating their first course when Crush comes back:
He engages several tables in each section. There were 10-12 tables in our section, and he spoke to people at three of them. Our table was one of the tables (and the next cruise, you could tell, there were specific tables that he always goes to). He spoke mainly to the kids at our table, and it was SO COOL!! The adults were all trying to figure out where the microphones were hidden, as when Crush talked to the littler kids, their answers were so quiet, but Crush responded to them! MAGIC!!!
The other thing I really liked was the little Pixar touches all over the dining room, on the display shelves. Recognize this?:
We couldn't stop talking about dinner! For the rest of the cruise! Of course, thanks to my bad (read non-existent) notes, I can't tell you what I ate that night. I do know it was delicious!! Maybe it was the veal trio? The best part of that was this ravioli type veal. You'll see later how much I liked that part......
Tomorrow - our first stop at Nassau! Was the dolphin encounter worth the price?
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Once again, I was so glad for the over-the-door shoe holders I pack for cruises! I put on on the inside of the bathroom with the sink & toilet, and the other on the outside of the door to the bathroom with the shower. We use the lower level slots for flip flops, and then fill the rest with all the rest of the things that could quickly clutter a room: sunscreen, hairbrushes, sunglasses, lotion, etc. The one inside the bathroom is great for toothbrushes/paste, deoderant, electric shavers, etc. We used them for the Baltic cruise last summer, and wouldn't go without them! 
Oh well.
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Pixie Dust
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on the successful suprise for your kids. 
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