The TCD Gang Sails Again!: A Four Night Disney Dream Trip Report

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Now having an iceberg in the Caribbean would be funny in itself.

 

I know.  Maybe the ship could get lost and end up hitting an iceberg somewhere in the north Atlantic?

 

TCD

[dvccamper 32]

 

Where would one see one of these alleged DVC videos?

 

TCD

 

Whenever DVC is promoting something they send us an email with the "opportunity" to view a promotional video. The latest was for the Grand Floridian Villas with Samantha Brown. Then you pick the day and time you want to watch it and they send you the link.  I usually watch them because then they send you a free lithograph. I've stockpiled a few of these, thinking maybe someday I will sell them on ebay.  But for now they sit in my closet (where they will probably stay, ha!).  At the end of the video they usually offer a special add on price or whatever.

 

But they also seem to be on youtube, but you don't get the lithograph   For some reason I couldn't paste the link but go on youtube and look up 'Behind the Grand Design' to see the latest one.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Whenever DVC is promoting something they send us an email with the "opportunity" to view a promotional video. The latest was for the Grand Floridian Villas with Samantha Brown. Then you pick the day and time you want to watch it and they send you the link.  I usually watch them because then they send you a free lithograph. I've stockpiled a few of these, thinking maybe someday I will sell them on ebay.  But for now they sit in my closet (where they will probably stay, ha!).  At the end of the video they usually offer a special add on price or whatever.

 

But they also seem to be on youtube, but you don't get the lithograph   For some reason I couldn't paste the link but go on youtube and look up 'Behind the Grand Design' to see the latest one.

 

Thanks- I didn't know what videos everyone was talking about.  I've never seen one of these.  I don't think I want to, either.

 

I'll make an exception when Sam promotes the River Country DVC.  That should be some time soon, according to a castmember at the pool.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

So, here we are on the third morning of our cruise.  Tonight will be the fourth and last night, and our fourth morning comes tomorrow.

 

It goes so fast!

 

Which is why I waste no time sleeping in.  I can sleep in for free at home.  We do not take cruises to relax.  We take them to have fun.  And, you can't have much fun if you're dead asleep.

 

That may not be your style, but it's how we roll.

 

The sun gets up early here in the Bahamas.  When I hit the top deck at 7:21 am, it was already nice and sunny with blue skies and blue water as far as the eye could see:

 

 

I have seen people sit here and watch the sun rise.  On the Fantasy, this same area is a water feature called Satellite Falls.  But on the Dream, it's just a nice place to sit.  I don't have time to sit this morning:

 

 

Here's a standard sunrise photo.  We haven't missed a sunrise yet on this cruise:

 

 

I was happy to see the blue sky.  We had a cloudy and rainy sea day on our last cruise.  This one looked like it would be different:

 

 

The ship's bridge at sunrise:

 

 

On the Dream, they have walled off part of the deck in the front of the ship, and they call it the concierge sun deck.  This is it behind the wall:

 

 

They have openings so us poor people can peek in and see how the rich folk live:

 

 

What a bunch of suckers.

 

I think they left this off of the Fantasy too.

 

I have never seen a single person out there using that sun deck.

 

Here we are on Deck 13, on the port side, looking down the side of the ship.  You can see the Aqua Duck tube sticking out over the side of the ship back there:

 

 

Mrs. TCD were sitting on the other side of the ship on this level when we left Castaway Cay yesterday.  This side is a smoking area.  You can see all the ashtrays here.  I'm not sure if there is another smoking area anywhere on the top deck:

 

 

The adult pool:

 

 

This is a detail that I love.  And it matches up with the big comic strip that we looked at earlier inside the Aqua Duck stairwell:

 

 

I strolled toward the aft of the ship to get some coffee.  There were guests in the pool at 7:26 am.  I haven't seen that before.  Overachievers:

 

 

The CM's were just getting all of the pool chairs set up.  And as soon as they were setting them up, moms were pouncing on the prime ones to put towels on them to save them.  You can see a couple of them in the act here:

 

 

There are signs posted around the pool area saying that guests may not save pool chairs.  That is also printed in the Navigators that they pass out every night, and I they announce it at the shows.  So we have all heard that for three days straight now.  Yet, here are these ladies saving chairs.  You know what?  Why not?  Who cares?  They're on vacation.  They should be able to do whatever they want.  They're the only ones who matter.  Rules Schmules.  That's what I say.

 

I like this lady's style.  She was sauntering around with her hands on her hips like some kind of fashion model.  You go girl:

 

 

In the meantime, the poor CM's were just trying to get the chairs set up:

 

 

There are big signs posted at each pool laying down the law.  One of the rules says kids must be potty trained, and no diapers in the pool. Sounds reasonable, right?  Wrong!  Why can't a parent swim with his kid with a poopy diaper wherever he wants? Why not?  Who cares?  They're on vacation.  They should be able to do whatever they want.  They're the only ones who matter.  Rules Schmules.  That's what I say:

 

 

Needless to say, over the past few days, I've seen an endless parade of kids in pull-ups and swim diapers in both pools.  I guess since you're the only one who matters, the rest of us get to swim in your kid's pee.  Gee, thanks.

 

I'm not sure if you can read it, but it says at the bottom there that the maximum bather load for the Mickey pool is 68.  That's a lot of people for such a small pool  Surely there is no way 68 people can fit in there.  Right?  Well, we'll see about that later today.  Remember - the bather load is 68.

 

I went inside Cabanas to get my coffee, and sat for just a moment at a window seat.  This was my view:

 

 

 

How would you like to begin your day sitting right there sipping a hot cup of coffee?  I'll bet you would like it.  I did.

 

I love all the details in Cabanas.  When it's open, it's so packed that it's hard to see and appreciate the details.  Here are some.  These clocks tell the time in each of the Disney Theme parks around the globe:

 

 

This is a huge mural based on the Finding Nemo movie:

 

 

Cabanas was not yet open.  When it's closed, they pull these shades down over the food lines:

 

 

This sign is at the entrance, when you first walk in:

 

 

I headed back toward our cabins to get the girls stirring.  Nobody wanted to sleep in too late today.  I walked through the shopping area.  The shops would not be open until later.  All of this was just one flight of stairs up from our cabins, which was cool:

 

 

 

There is a big liquor store here, in case you run out of provisions:

 

 

 

Since it was so empty and quiet, I strolled through the atrium.  There is a sitting area on the port side.  Across from the seating area are the doors that all the guests entered the ship from three days ago:

 

 

There is all kinds of beautiful artwork on display here:

 

 

 

I love this majestic staircase.  Right behind it is another set of stairs that leads down to Deck 2, which is where I headed next to go and wake the girls:

 

 

I hope you enjoyed looking at the photos of the shopping area and empty atrium.  One thing that never ceases to amaze me is that the Disney ships are spotless.  Always. They look brand new.  Everything is clean and sparkles.  That is how Disney World used to be a long, long time ago.  Like back when it was just the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.  It was ridiculous back then.  There were CM's constantly cleaning the parks all day long.  The restrooms would be spotless.  Not so now.  On the DCL ships, every time I went into a public restroom, it was if it had just been cleaned.  There were no water splashes around the sink, no bits of paper towel on the floor, everything is clean and spotless.  Try that in a Disney park restroom these days.  I was just in one right after rope drop a week ago.  The floor looked like it had been mopped overnight.  I could see the greasy streaks from the dirty mop.  There was dried up crud and worse on the baseboards.  Bits of wet paper towel on the floor- and the place smelled moldy and nasty.  There was actually a CM in there wiping the sink area with a dirty rag, smearing around the water so everything was wet.  Gross.  The DCL ships are nothing like that.  I miss the days when I would be amazed at how clean the Magic Kingdom was.

 

Next up-breakfast-and a day full of fun.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I love Cabanas.  Truly, I love the place.  I mean, it has an unbelievably gorgeous view out 3 sides of the ship.  It has tons of comfortable seating.  I also enjoyed getting some coffee and sitting in the place in the morning, toward the aft of the ship.  Furthermore, throughout much of the day it has an unending, wonderful assortment of food.  All....you.....can.....eat.  I could try different things from those buffets throughout a cruise and never run out of new things to try.  It's like a pig out playground.  And I really like the beachy vibe of the place, despite the fact that I don't care for beaches. 

 

I could really go for some Cabanas right now. 

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Breakfast!

 

The ship does look brand new.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Aah, the end of another great day.  Did you ever say whether you were the last passengers back on the ship?  Did I miss it?

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Still reading along and enjoying this TR.  :D

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I love Cabanas.  Truly, I love the place.  I mean, it has an unbelievably gorgeous view out 3 sides of the ship.  It has tons of comfortable seating.  I also enjoyed getting some coffee and sitting in the place in the morning, toward the aft of the ship.  Furthermore, throughout much of the day it has an unending, wonderful assortment of food.  All....you.....can.....eat.  I could try different things from those buffets throughout a cruise and never run out of new things to try.  It's like a pig out playground.  And I really like the beachy vibe of the place, despite the fact that I don't care for beaches. 

 

I could really go for some Cabanas right now. 

 

You make some very good points.  I love Cabanas too. This is one area of the ship that they really improved over the top deck buffet on the Magic and Wonder.

 

Breakfast!

 

The ship does look brand new.

 

Yes, breakfast is coming.

 

The ship looks brand new in person, too.  But, it's been sailing non-stop with thousands of passengers aboard for going on 2 1/2 years now.  Not even one day off!

 

Aah, the end of another great day.  Did you ever say whether you were the last passengers back on the ship?  Did I miss it?

 

Alas, the best we could do is that Mrs. TCD and I were the last passengers to leave the island via the forward gangway.

 

The aft gangway was still open, and there were definitely a few stragglers behind us.

 

Still reading along and enjoying this TR.  :D

 

Good to know.

 

TCD

[Beckers 1,136]

You are correct I did not know that.. What is the "Shrimp Distributors" a reference to? Does she perhaps have hygiene issues.

There is just so many dirty jokes to go with this. I can't decide do I pick one or just leave it be?

[Northerngirl--Lori 5]

Loving this trip report. I really need to go on a cruise!

[Memphis 105]

Loving this trip report. I really need to go on a cruise!

I have to agree. That TCD is going to cost me a lot of money. I guess I will have to break down and get a passport.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Love the sunrise and pics of the empty ship.

 

Cruise pools have always kind of grossed me out for the reasons you mention. And there always seem to be a million people in them. But I'd swim in the adult pool. The boat we're cruising on has one, and I'm already penciling that in for anniversary day. No spreadsheets this time though, I promise.

 

Heading to the Aquaduck early?

[mommy rainbo.....Bo 41]

Very cool things you showed us. Thanks.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

There is just so many dirty jokes to go with this. I can't decide do I pick one or just leave it be?

 

Leave it be.

 

We don't do dirty jokes on TCD TR's.

 

Off color, yes.  Dirty, no.

 

Loving this trip report. I really need to go on a cruise!

 

Well, then, do it!

 

There are great deals out there this time of year.

 

 

I have to agree. That TCD is going to cost me a lot of money. I guess I will have to break down and get a passport.

 

You don't need no stinking passport for a DCL Bahamas cruise.  Mine and Mrs. TCD's are currently expired.  The kids have never had them.  All you need is a government ID and a certified copy of your birth certificate.

 

Love the sunrise and pics of the empty ship.

 

Cruise pools have always kind of grossed me out for the reasons you mention. And there always seem to be a million people in them. But I'd swim in the adult pool. The boat we're cruising on has one, and I'm already penciling that in for anniversary day. No spreadsheets this time though, I promise.

 

Heading to the Aquaduck early?

 

Hold that thought about a million people in the pool.  You are right about the adult only pools- those always seem to be less crowded.  And less gross.

 

We should have headed to the AD early.  Never made it to an AD rope drop.

 

Very cool things you showed us. Thanks.

 

You're welcome.

 

And thank you for reading.

 

Hang in there, we just have one more day.

 

And one more morning.

 

And then the bonus features.

 

Then we'll be done.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Page 18.

 

It's open for bragging rights for anyone who hasn't posted yet.

 

We are enjoying our sea day.

 

We all went to breakfast in Cabanas.

 

It was kind of chaotic in there this morning.  Nobody is leaving the ship today, so it seemed as if everyone chose to eat breakfast at the same time.

 

I have one small rant that I need to address.

 

There are too many young parents these days who do not parent. They let their kids run wild.  And the big thing seems to be to let the kids fend for themselves.  So, at the Cabanas buffet, I found myself several times waiting while some very young kid, who is really not able to help himself, is trying to fix his own plate of food.  More than once, the kid ended up dropping the serving utensil on the floor, or tipping his plate and letting the contents fall on the floor.  In most instances, there was a CM there to pick things up.  But where the heck were the kid's parents?  What took the cake this morning, was the kid who climbed up on the counter next to the drink machine because he couldn't reach the dispensing levers from the floor. The kid just climbed up on the counter next to the machine and reached around to fix his drink.  While the kid's ingenuity was admirable, he had his filthy feet on the counter, and he very well could have fallen and been hurt.  Where were his parents?  At a table nearby watching the whole thing and laughing.  Really? 

 

Enough of that.

 

We had a nice breakfast.

 

Sat right next to the window and watched the ocean go by.  We were blessed with a beautiful day.

 

There were more activities scheduled today than we could possibly hope to do.  Mrs. TCD and I wanted to set up a base camp near the pool, and the plan was that we could all come and go from there as we pleased.

 

Since all the chair savers had reserved all the chairs around the pool on Deck 11, we had to go up to Deck 12 to find some chairs.  That's OK, though.  It's too crowded and hectic on Deck 11 on sea days.

 

This was the view right behind where we sat:

 

 

The pool wasn't too crowded yet:

 

 

There was no entertainment or activities scheduled for the pool stage all day.  They were just going to play movies on the Funnel Vision.  On past cruises, there have been scheduled pool games and such.  But not on this cruise.  That's actually a good idea.  The pool is too crowded as it is.  It's better to have the activities somewhere else so guests will go someplace other than the pool.  The first movie they played this morning was Aladdin.  We could see and hear fine from our seats on Deck 12:

 

 

It's been a long time since I saw Aladdin.  That is a good movie.  Robin Williams as the Genie?  Awesome job!  There are many, many jokes that I had forgotten about.  That man is talented.  And kudos to the folks who made that movie and let Robin go wild.

 

The List of Fun said we needed to meet a rare character, and as we all were still getting settled, one came right to us:

 

 

 

That was a big check off on the LOF!

 

One of the early activities scheduled for today was something called the Diaper Dash.  It's a baby race.  Like with real babies.  We saw this on our last cruise, and it was surprisingly entertaining.  The girls wanted to go.  But, I didn't.  It was too nice out, and you never know if clouds or rain would be rolling in.  So, Mrs. TCD and I stayed put, and the girls went.  These next photos are courtesy of Twin #1.

 

For the baby race, they set up a big mat right in the middle of the atrium:

 

 

I'm not sure of the exact ages of the babies who are allowed to participate, but it's a crawling race.  Walking is not allowed.  It's a pretty simple concept.  The babies start at the starting  line, and the first one to the finish line wins.  The girls were impressed with one mom, who you can see at the top of the finish line of the mat, who brought an ice cream cone to wave at her kid:

 

 

You can see the ice cream cone here:

 

 

The kid who belonged to the mom with the ice cream cone flew out of the gates like Usain Bolt:

 

 

It wasn't even close- the kid was to the finish line before the other babies even knew that the race had started:

 

 

Here's the winner with his ice cream cone.  He's having a great day.  And, I think he won a medal:

 

 

While the girls were watching the race, Mrs. TCD and I watched how many people tried to find a place to squeeze in to the Donald Duck pool.  I didn't get a photo of the sign for the Donald pool, but I can't imagine that its bathing capacity could be much higher than the Mickey pool's 68.  I tried to count how many people were in the pool here. It's kind of hard because there are so many, but I think it's well above 70:

 

 

The Mickey pool was not quite as crowded, but it was crowded:

 

 

Looking past the Mickey Pool, take a look at the Aqua Duck line- that's it extending down the staircase next to the smoke stack.  That's at least a 30 minute wait.  For one ride.  I need four more to get my ten rides in.  Do the math.  Not good:

 

 

The girls joined us for a while poolside, and then wanted to go and play a trivia game down in one of the lounges.  We weren't really sure what this would entail, and I wanted to see for myself, so I went with them.  The trivia contest took place in the sports bar, Club 687.  You played in teams.  Each team got a sheet of paper, and the host read the questions.  There were about 30 questions, and they weren't easy.  Some examples: 

 

Who was the singing voice for both Princess Jasmine and Mulan?  To my surprise, the girls actually knew this one.  Based on the groans we heard from the other teams, I think we were the only ones who got this one right- the answer is Lea Solonga.

 

What two Disney Villains did Eleanor Audley provide the voice of?  We didn't know this one- we guessed the Hag from Snow White and Maleficent.  The correct answer was Lady Tremaine and Maleficent.

 

What Disney legend provided the voice of the Ghost Host in the Haunted Mansion? We missed this one too.  It was Paul Frees.

 

What do the letters EPCOT stand for?  We got this one.  And, we found out the guy at the table next to us was an Epcot castmember, because he blurted out the old joke Every Paycheck Comes On Thursday.  Which apparently is true.

 

What is the name of the evil puppeteer in Pinocchio?  For some reason, I knew this- it's Stromboli.  The girls were impressed.

 

When was the last Olympics for which Disney provided the opening ceremony?   I don't remember the answer to this, and we got it wrong.  It was a Winter Olympics, if I recall correctly.

 

In the Disney attraction, Tower of Terror, how many people disappear in the video played during the ride?  The girls figured this out- the answer is 5.  Bonus point if you can state what the little girl in the video was holding.  It was a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal.

 

I think that's enough.

 

This went on for a while, and then we were done with the last question.  Then, the host said he would award one bonus point for each of the Cruise Staff castmembers we could name.  The Cruise Staff are the CM's who host the dance parties and games like this.  The TCD girls always buddy up to them, and they were able to rattle off  and write down a good 8 to 10 names.  Based on the comments from the tables around us, nobody else knew the names of any of the Cruise Staff.

 

Then it came time for the answers.  The host said this contest would operate on the honor system.  He then went through each answer.  We were doing pretty good.  I looked around at our completion, and there were a lot of people not doing as well as us.  What bothered me, though, was a table of 20 somethings that were near us.  They were goofing around, and I could see the girl in charge of the pencil was writing down answers that they had missed.  Cheaters.

 

When we got to the names of the Cruise Staff, the host asked us to call them out.  We were the only table able to do that.  The 20 somethings had nothing.  That meant we would win this easily.  But, then the host asked us to total up our scores.  He then asked who thought they had a high score, and he went around the room asking us to announce our numbers.  We laughed at some of the low numbers people had.  Then we announced ours.  A lot of other hands went down.  But the 20 something table said they had the same score.  Cheaters.  There was no way.  But, at least they didn't lie and say they had a higher score.  So we had a tie.

 

The host said that each team should send one player forward.  We thought there might be a sudden death trivia question.  We conferred and agreed to send Twin #1.  That girl knows a lot of trivial things.  The other team sent a cocky 20 something guy with a backward baseball cap.  This should be easy for Twin #1.

 

Then the host shocked us by saying that the tie would be resolved by a best of three Rock, Paper, Scissors competition.  The guy fist pumped.  Twin #1 hung her head.  If we had known it was going to be Rock, Paper, Scissors, Twin #1 would have been the last person we chose.  The last.  It is a well known fact that she stinks at Rock, Paper, Scissors.  She always loses.  It's a family joke.  She is the worst in the history of Earth at Rock, Paper, Scissors.  And she knows it.  It was hilarious that she was standing there with our fate in her hands.  Before we could switch her out for someone else, the host started the competition.  To our shock, Twin #1 won the first one.  Then they went again, and she won a second time.  Bam!  Just like that, we were the winners!  We couldn't believe it.  That was epic.  Twin #1 never wins at Rock, Paper, Scissors.  But when she had to, she did.  Epic.

 

The host then asked how many were on our team.  For a moment, we thought that meant medals. But, then he handed Twin #1 four small packages, and said that we had one genuine DCL ear buds.  And that is what we won.

 

I wanted to take a photo to commemorate our epic victory, and only took this one.  This is a bad photo even by my very low standards, but it's all I have.  This is the girls holding their hard-won ear buds:

 

 

The trivia game counted as the game show we needed to play as required by the LOF.  And those ear buds had to stand in for the medals.  The medals were hard to come by on this cruise.  We hadn't cozied up to a CM well enough to beg for a medal like we had on our last cruise.  But, we won a difficult competition, and got DCL ear buds.  That's as good as a medal in my book.

 

After the trivia game, we went and shared the whole story with Mrs. TCD, and we lounged around in the sun a bit more.

 

Then, there were some characters to meet and dance with in the atrium.  The girls headed down there and met the characters.  The dance party was pretty much bedlam, but we did get another chipmunk photo:

 

 

After this, it was back to base camp on Deck 12.  You get the idea by now how the day went.  It was fun.

 

The girls went to Cabanas for lunch, and Mrs. TCD and I just got fast food from the fast food station on Deck 11.

 

It was around here that we got a bit of AD pixie dust.  We were siting under the long clear tube, and notice that the water had stopped, and that the AD was closed.  There must have been some kind of malfunction.  We looked over, and they had actually cleared the stairs and made everyone leave.  We kept checking to see if there were any signs that it would reopen, and noticed when the water began to flow again.  We then saw a CM near the closed gate at the base of the stairs.  We figured that meant they were getting ready to reopen and walked over and asked the guy if that was what was going on.  He said he was going to open the gate in 5 minutes.  We asked if we could wait.  He said sure.  So, we got to be first in line for when it reopened.  Which it did in the 5 minutes the guy promised.  So, we got in one more ride with only a 5 minute wait.  That is good on a sea day.  After that one ride, though, the line was all the way back down the stairs.

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon sunning and watching the movies on the Funnel Vision.

 

After Aladdin came Mary Poppins.  I have not seen that movie in ages.  I forgot how good it is.  Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke are so young.  But, wow, what a movie.  The special effects look a little hokey now, but it's amazing what they were able to do with the technology that they had then. 

 

Late in the afternoon, the AD line was only half what it had been all day.  It looked like it would be a 15-20 minute wait, so Twin #1 and I decided to give it a try.  We figured that the line would continue to shorten, and maybe we could get a few rides in now, and finish up after dinner.

 

While waiting our turn, we had a good view of the ocean all around us.  There were lots of ships that we could see around all day:

 

 

 

This is a view from the AD stairs looking toward the Mickey and Donald pools:

 

 

And this is the view looking the other way- toward the back of the ship:

 

 

That's the sports deck back there- where they have the mini golf, ping pong, foosball, etc.

 

Here's a look at some guests enjoying the AD:

 

 

And another ship to our side, as seen from under the AD tube:

 

 

One last look toward the back of the ship- still nothing but blue sky and blue water:

 

 

Our estimate of the wait time was pretty close.  It took us only about 15 minutes to reach this point, which is where you get in the tube and go:

 

 

We only had about 5 or 6 people left in front of us at this point, and looking behind us, it looked like the line had not gotten any worse.  We would be able to get in 3 or 4 rides in about 45 minutes.  That's good.

 

But then something happened.

 

A kid barely over the height requirement got stuck.  This, unfortunately, is a common occurrence.  If there isn't enough weight on the tube, it gets stuck at the base of the second hill.  That's what happened to this kid.  We've been through this drill before.  They have to shut off the water and send a CM in to get the kid.  Which is what they did.  That takes 10 or 15 minutes, and then the painful part comes where they turn the water back on and they make everyone wait another 10 minutes before the next rider can go.  That last 10 minutes is awful.  And it is hot inside that funnel. There isn't enough air circulation, because it's mainly enclosed.  Add all that chlorinated water, and the humidity, and it's a sweat box.  Since we were so close, we waited through all of this.  That set us back about 30 minutes, and we agreed that we would just ride once now, and hope for the best after dinner.

 

Finally, they began to send people down the slide again.  The first two folks went.  No problem.  Then came another skinny boy who wanted to go solo.  We had all just waited a half hour because the last skinny boy got stuck.  There were people in line who asked the CM not to let the kid go.  But, he met the height requirement, so she let him.  Guess what happened?  Yup.  He got stuck.  In the same place as the last kid.  The CM apologized, although not very sincerely, and said it would be the same length of time before the slide would be operational again.  The people in front of us, who had asked the CM not to send the kid were really mad.  They decided to leave.  And after thinking about it for a minute, so did we.  We had already wasted enough precious time on this last day of the cruise.  It wasn't worth standing there sweating for another 30 minutes just for one ride.  So we left too.  That was a big fail.  Stuff happens.

 

That was the end of our pool time for the afternoon.  Evening was now approaching, and we needed to go and get ready for tonight's show, which we all had agreed we would go and see.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

They need to rethink those requirements for riding the AD. 

 

Aladdin and Mary Poppins are two of my favorite movies.  We just watched Aladdin one Sunday afternoon a couple weeks back.  Classic. 

[campingdawgs 4]

Ok, I am posting. Not just reading. Not so easy while walking on a treadmill. Loving the report! We need to try a cruise, but 5 people is a little pricey as you know. So just enjoying reading along for now!

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

I do not get parents of young children sending them up to a buffet line by themselves. Our daughters are 11 and almost 13 and one of us is still near enough to them to help them should they need it.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I do not get parents of young children sending them up to a buffet line by themselves. Our daughters are 11 and almost 13 and one of us is still near enough to them to help them should they need it.

 

I just lift Anna up onto the buffet and let her graze like a cow.  She walks along the buffet eating what she likes, and when she's full she yells for me and I lift her back down.  I don't see a problem....she eats and I get to just sit and enjoy my meal.  It's all about me, isn't it? 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

What is the height requirement? Z would be realy sad if he couldn't ride. Is it shorter with a parent?

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

And I totally agree about parents just letting kids wander. I see that even with kids Z's size. He's 4! No way am I sending him to a buffet or anything like that.

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Another lovely lunch time spent pretending I am on a cruise.  Thank you, TCD.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

My youngest will be 12 and it was only this past summer I let him do the buffet by himself.  But he knows not to touch the food with his hands, not to touch utensils he won't use and he doesn't cut line.  He is very respectful while waiting.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

They need to rethink those requirements for riding the AD. 

 

Aladdin and Mary Poppins are two of my favorite movies.  We just watched Aladdin one Sunday afternoon a couple weeks back.  Classic.

 

According to a guy who was there in line with us during the fiasco, there are water parks that have scales and minimum weight requirements.  Personally, I wouldn't want to have to step on a scale when I'm on a cruise, but having a minimum weight requirement would solve the problem of scrawny kids who are tall enough but don't weigh enough.

 

Ok, I am posting. Not just reading. Not so easy while walking on a treadmill. Loving the report! We need to try a cruise, but 5 people is a little pricey as you know. So just enjoying reading along for now!

 

Alright!  You get page 18 bragging rights!!  Way to go!

 

Plus bonus points for posting while walking on a treadmill.  That is dedication.

 

You are right, that 5th person is a killer on the budget.

 

I do not get parents of young children sending them up to a buffet line by themselves. Our daughters are 11 and almost 13 and one of us is still near enough to them to help them should they need it.

 

I don't get it either.  And, there are many places where a kid could get a nice burn from hot food.  People are getting dumber, I tell you.

 

I just lift Anna up onto the buffet and let her graze like a cow.  She walks along the buffet eating what she likes, and when she's full she yells for me and I lift her back down.  I don't see a problem....she eats and I get to just sit and enjoy my meal.  It's all about me, isn't it?

 

Yes, it is all about you.  Have fun.  It's your vacation.  Who cares about anyone else? 

 

This comment about Anna reminded me of something really gross that I forgot to mention.  I'll tell that after I get done responding to the comments.

 

What is the height requirement? Z would be realy sad if he couldn't ride. Is it shorter with a parent?

 

Sorry, I can't tell you the exact heights, but there are two.  One is the minimum to ride at all.  It's pretty low-I saw kids who couldn't have been more than 4 riding with a parent.  The second height requirement is the minimum to ride alone.  Kids shorter than the second height requirement have to ride double.  Riding double is more fun anyway- you go way faster.

 

And I totally agree about parents just letting kids wander. I see that even with kids Z's size. He's 4! No way am I sending him to a buffet or anything like that.

 

Thank you.  I wouldn't expect you to let Z go wandering off by himself.  But, it's startling how many young parents just seem to be clueless about things.  It's the Me Generation to the extreme.  These are the same people you see on land with their heads down paying attention to their smart phones instead of their kids.

 

Another lovely lunch time spent pretending I am on a cruise.  Thank you, TCD.

 

You are most welcome.

 

Glad you liked it.

 

 

My youngest will be 12 and it was only this past summer I let him do the buffet by himself.  But he knows not to touch the food with his hands, not to touch utensils he won't use and he doesn't cut line.  He is very respectful while waiting.

 

You need to come and give etiquette lessons to all the young moron parents who don't have a clue about how to raise a child.

 

Which brings me to my gross story that I forgot to tell.

 

Another morning I'm at the buffet.  A dad is kind of dragging his kid along the buffet, letting the kid fix his own plate.  About half of what the kid scoops up falls on the counter or floor.  I guess the dad was training the kid for a solo mission.

 

The kid has a cough.  You know how they have those sneeze guards on buffets?  Well, they don't do a bit of good if the customer is way shorter than the guard, like nose level to the food.  So, this kid is coughing on the food and serving utensils as he makes his way down the line.  The cherry on top was when the kid lets out a big juicy sneeze right on the food.  No effort to turn his head or cover his sneeze.  He just let it rip.  What does Wonder Dad do?  Not a darned thing.  And that is just one kid and one idiot dad.  How often do you think that scene repeats itself all day long at the buffets?

 

TCD