Travisma 1,317 Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 Great report, looks like a fun time so far. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Seals 111 Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 We walked to and through the Nassau Hilton on our December 2014 Wonder cruise. The hotel lobby was nice to look at but I wasn't overly impressed with the beach and pool area to make it worth the day pass price. We felt compelled to get off the ship both times we were in Nassau and walked one direction to a fort the first time and the other direction to another fort the second time. Both times we were antsy to get back on the ship after a few hours. It just wasn't relaxing. On our first cruise there were only two other ships docked in Nassau and not next to us. The second cruise I got up early on Nassau morning to go in the adult hot tub and was lounging there by myself when I turned around and another ship had docked right next to us. There were a bunch of people looking out toward our ship and therefore me. It was strange after the isolation of our day at sea the first day. Caroline 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 10 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said: I'm not sure we'll get off in Nassau either. I hate that though because I've never been there. You want the Nassau experience without actually spending the time to leave the ship? The day before you board your cruise, go the local Cocoa Beach Walmart. Find an aisle full of crappy Chinese made trinkets. Ask a few Walmart employees to badger you into buying these trinkets, then close your eyes and pretend that the Walmart doesn't have any walls. Bam! You are in the Straw Market. Then, after you leave the Walmart, head to one of the crappy beachside bars near Ron Jon and ask the bartender to make you a tropical drink with the cheapest vodka he has, only he needs to replace half the vodka with water. Bam! You are at Senor Frogs. Do this and there's no need to get off the ship at Nassau. daddyphat808 - Eric and Beckers 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momof6....aka Marty 769 Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 Loving this trip report! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caveat lector 181 Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 4 hours ago, DaveInTN said: You want the Nassau experience without actually spending the time to leave the ship? The day before you board your cruise, go the local Cocoa Beach Walmart. Find an aisle full of crappy Chinese made trinkets. Ask a few Walmart employees to badger you into buying these trinkets, then close your eyes and pretend that the Walmart doesn't have any walls. Bam! You are in the Straw Market. Then, after you leave the Walmart, head to one of the crappy beachside bars near Ron Jon and ask the bartender to make you a tropical drink with the cheapest vodka he has, only he needs to replace half the vodka with water. Bam! You are at Senor Frogs. Do this and there's no need to get off the ship at Nassau. My youngest was not thrilled with Nassau either. I couldn't raise my hand quick enough volunteering to take her back to the ship. Maybe it was just the area we were in, but it was a dump. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dalspot ... Karen 21 Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 No but I can imagine what their flood insurance must be! and once upon a time even the water in the Mid-Atlantic must have been that color! 23 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said: There are also houses along that narrow strip. Can you imagine living in one of them? Look how pretty the water is: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs.TN22 12 Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 6 hours ago, DaveInTN said: You want the Nassau experience without actually spending the time to leave the ship? The day before you board your cruise, go the local Cocoa Beach Walmart. Find an aisle full of crappy Chinese made trinkets. Ask a few Walmart employees to badger you into buying these trinkets, then close your eyes and pretend that the Walmart doesn't have any walls. Bam! You are in the Straw Market. Then, after you leave the Walmart, head to one of the crappy beachside bars near Ron Jon and ask the bartender to make you a tropical drink with the cheapest vodka he has, only he needs to replace half the vodka with water. Bam! You are at Senor Frogs. Do this and there's no need to get off the ship at Nassau. I agree - We were not impressed with Nassau. We skipped Senor Frogs - we just wanted back on the ship! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Friend of a Fiend ... Pam 8 Posted July 9, 2016 Report Share Posted July 9, 2016 10 hours ago, DaveInTN said: You want the Nassau experience without actually spending the time to leave the ship? The day before you board your cruise, go the local Cocoa Beach Walmart. Find an aisle full of crappy Chinese made trinkets. Ask a few Walmart employees to badger you into buying these trinkets, then close your eyes and pretend that the Walmart doesn't have any walls. Bam! You are in the Straw Market. Then, after you leave the Walmart, head to one of the crappy beachside bars near Ron Jon and ask the bartender to make you a tropical drink with the cheapest vodka he has, only he needs to replace half the vodka with water. Bam! You are at Senor Frogs. Do this and there's no need to get off the ship at Nassau. I agree! Stay on the boat! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 596 Posted July 9, 2016 Report Share Posted July 9, 2016 You want the Nassau experience without actually spending the time to leave the ship? The day before you board your cruise, go the local Cocoa Beach Walmart. Find an aisle full of crappy Chinese made trinkets. Ask a few Walmart employees to badger you into buying these trinkets, then close your eyes and pretend that the Walmart doesn't have any walls. Bam! You are in the Straw Market. Then, after you leave the Walmart, head to one of the crappy beachside bars near Ron Jon and ask the bartender to make you a tropical drink with the cheapest vodka he has, only he needs to replace half the vodka with water. Bam! You are at Senor Frogs. Do this and there's no need to get off the ship at Nassau. The Walmart employees also need to say "Hey Mon" when talking you. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted July 9, 2016 Report Share Posted July 9, 2016 2 hours ago, Friend of a Fiend ... Pam said: I agree! Stay on the boat! So you're coming? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FEARtheEERS 18 Posted July 9, 2016 Report Share Posted July 9, 2016 I'm too lazy to quote correctly while on my phone but I do have a couple of photos. They aren't fabulous but one shows dumbo on the back pretty well. Hope that is the correct one. We watched several go out and those photos are on my camera roll not long after the rocket. I would be happy to share them with you. We have camped at Jetty Park several times. We really love it there. We wish they had a pool, but they have an awesome play ground for the kids and a nice little camp store. It's also in delivery range for Papa Vito's which is a great plus. The sites close to the cruise ships that you were talking about are only partial hook ups. They either have water or electricity but not both I believe. We still get an amazingly close cruise ship view from the inner sites where we stay. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 740 Posted July 9, 2016 Report Share Posted July 9, 2016 8 hours ago, FEARtheEERS said: . The sites close to the cruise ships that you were talking about are only partial hook ups. They either have water or electricity but not both I believe. . Water only. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Friend of a Fiend ... Pam 8 Posted July 9, 2016 Report Share Posted July 9, 2016 So you're coming? It's pricey. Let's talk. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119 Posted July 9, 2016 Report Share Posted July 9, 2016 Due to technical problems I am just now able to post, would have made first page to, oh well. Looks like a very smooth trip so far. I have always wanted to try a cruse but suffer from extreme motion sickness, so it makes me a bit nervous. Love seeing your entire family on this TR. Your wife and girls are so lovely. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 On 7/8/2016 at 8:35 PM, caveat lector said: As the one who drives the family in whatever mode of transportation is needed, I might have a tough time leaving the verandah. It sounds pretty cool to have someone drive me around while I enjoy the sights.......and eat room service Mickey Ice cream and drink suitcase liquor. You are right- the room service and BYOB booze are up there with some of the best things about cruising! On 7/8/2016 at 0:47 AM, mouseketab.....Carol said: We had a rather large verandah on our Dream Cruise, and I spent a LOT of time there! We normally don't get verandahs to save $$$. In fact, on this cruise, we were originally booked for inside staterooms, which I was not quite at peace with. Luckily, I spotted a deal a few weeks before the cruise, and I was able to upgrade to the verandah cabins for not too much. It was a great move. On 7/8/2016 at 1:11 AM, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said: I can't remember if I shared that we'll be Dreaming next year... 14 long months away... With my parents. It's too bad you didn't do mixology. It's a lot of fun. I'm not sure we'll get off in Nassau either. I hate that though because I've never been there. If you mentioned it, I don't remember that you did. That will be awesome to have the grandparents along on the cruise! I will do the mixology class some day. I don't regret skipping it on this cruise. It was too pretty out on deck to spend time inside. Even though you haven't actually been to Nassau- I think you have been there. To me, all cruise ports in the Bahamas and Caribbean are the same- there are crowds of locals who will harass you, dirty streets and crappy shops in the areas that are walking distance from port, and two star resorts and casinos (and I'm being generous with the stars) that you can ride to in smelly old vehicles that pass as taxis. On a short cruise, it just doesn't make sense to me to leave a beautiful ship to visit that. On 7/8/2016 at 9:22 AM, Travisma said: Great report, looks like a fun time so far. Thanks. It was fun so far, and we are not quite half-way through the trip. On 7/8/2016 at 10:11 AM, Seals said: We walked to and through the Nassau Hilton on our December 2014 Wonder cruise. The hotel lobby was nice to look at but I wasn't overly impressed with the beach and pool area to make it worth the day pass price. We felt compelled to get off the ship both times we were in Nassau and walked one direction to a fort the first time and the other direction to another fort the second time. Both times we were antsy to get back on the ship after a few hours. It just wasn't relaxing. On our first cruise there were only two other ships docked in Nassau and not next to us. The second cruise I got up early on Nassau morning to go in the adult hot tub and was lounging there by myself when I turned around and another ship had docked right next to us. There were a bunch of people looking out toward our ship and therefore me. It was strange after the isolation of our day at sea the first day. Good to know about the Hilton. It doesn't look too bad from the ship. And by Nassau standards, it probably isn't too bad. I have gotten off the boat in Nassau several times, both on Disney and non-Disney cruises. We have visited the Straw Market, Senor Frogs, the Blue Lagoon island, Atlantis, and points in between. You can have fun on the island. But, you can save a bunch of money and aggravation by just enjoying the ship. That's what we choose to do. On 7/8/2016 at 11:17 AM, DaveInTN said: You want the Nassau experience without actually spending the time to leave the ship? The day before you board your cruise, go the local Cocoa Beach Walmart. Find an aisle full of crappy Chinese made trinkets. Ask a few Walmart employees to badger you into buying these trinkets, then close your eyes and pretend that the Walmart doesn't have any walls. Bam! You are in the Straw Market. Then, after you leave the Walmart, head to one of the crappy beachside bars near Ron Jon and ask the bartender to make you a tropical drink with the cheapest vodka he has, only he needs to replace half the vodka with water. Bam! You are at Senor Frogs. Do this and there's no need to get off the ship at Nassau. LOL. That's pretty accurate. But, one thing you won't get with the Wal-Mart experience is the nasty smells. They have horse drawn carriages in Nassau. A lot of them. And those horses do what horses do. Right in the street. And, there is no magical pooper scooper like you see at WDW parades. As soon as you exit the little welcome building, the stench is overwhelming. We joked on this trip that we could smell Nassau from our verandah. Thankfully, that was only a joke. On 7/8/2016 at 3:21 PM, Momof6....aka Marty said: Loving this trip report! I'm glad to see that you're still reading along! On 7/8/2016 at 3:37 PM, caveat lector said: My youngest was not thrilled with Nassau either. I couldn't raise my hand quick enough volunteering to take her back to the ship. Maybe it was just the area we were in, but it was a dump. No, it wasn't just the area you were in. The area around the port is as nice as it gets. Well, that's not entirely true. The Atlantis resort is nice. But, getting there can be a harrowing experience. And, you will drop a ton of cash there. Why bother? On 7/8/2016 at 3:57 PM, Dalspot ... Karen said: No but I can imagine what their flood insurance must be! and once upon a time even the water in the Mid-Atlantic must have been that color! Good point. I live in the town north of Clearwater, Florida. Mrs. TCD was born and raised there. She says that the water used to actually be clear in Clearwater. On 7/8/2016 at 6:16 PM, Mrs.TN22 said: I agree - We were not impressed with Nassau. We skipped Senor Frogs - we just wanted back on the ship! LOL. I think that is probably what everyone thinks as soon as they step out of the welcome center. On 7/9/2016 at 9:30 PM, Friend of a Fiend ... Pam said: I agree! Stay on the boat! This seems to be unanimous. On 7/9/2016 at 10:53 PM, momof3kids-Yvonne said: The Walmart employees also need to say "Hey Mon" when talking you. True. And, Wal-Mart employees do not harass you to spend your money buying the crap they sell. On 7/9/2016 at 0:14 AM, FEARtheEERS said: I'm too lazy to quote correctly while on my phone but I do have a couple of photos. They aren't fabulous but one shows dumbo on the back pretty well. Hope that is the correct one. We watched several go out and those photos are on my camera roll not long after the rocket. I would be happy to share them with you. We have camped at Jetty Park several times. We really love it there. We wish they had a pool, but they have an awesome play ground for the kids and a nice little camp store. It's also in delivery range for Papa Vito's which is a great plus. The sites close to the cruise ships that you were talking about are only partial hook ups. They either have water or electricity but not both I believe. We still get an amazingly close cruise ship view from the inner sites where we stay. I'll send you a PM about texting those photos to me. It would be very cool to see the ship heading out from the perspective of Jetty Park. Thanks for the information about the campground. I think I need to check that out in person some time! On 7/9/2016 at 10:02 AM, Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie said: Due to technical problems I am just now able to post, would have made first page to, oh well. Looks like a very smooth trip so far. I have always wanted to try a cruse but suffer from extreme motion sickness, so it makes me a bit nervous. Love seeing your entire family on this TR. Your wife and girls are so lovely. I'm glad that you got those technical problems fixed! It's good to see you posting! I understand your reluctance to cruise if you are prone to motion sickness. We were really fortunate that this was a smooth cruise. I've been on some where motion sickness would be a real problem. Unfortunately, bad weather and rough seas can happen any time- so you just never know. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 Let's pick this up where we left off. . . It's Saturday, June 25, and we are leaving Nassau: Here's a look at the Hilton beach: This area over here looks like it is the industrial port area- I've never paid attention to it before: This long rock jetty protects that industrial area: Here's that weird thing I mentioned- there was a man standing out there on those rocks. Take a closer look: In case you can't spot him, here's the purple crayon version: You may say, big deal, it's a guy on some rocks. But, how did the guy get out here, and why? I can't imagine he walked all the way out on this rock pile: It seems to me that they restrict boat traffic in this little harbor. Which makes sense. You don't want a bunch of boats swarming around these big cruise ships. So it doesn't seem likely that some buddies dropped that guy off to fish. But, who knows? There was a boat driving along side us on the way out of the harbor. I know that some ports have pilots that have to be on board to guide ships in and out, and this boat may have been there to retrieve a pilot off of our boat- but I never saw it actually pull up to pick up any one from our ship: I couldn't stay out on the verandah to watch that boat any longer. It was pirate night, and it was also the night they show the Villains show. We all wanted to go to that, so we grabbed our free bandanas and went: Pirate night is a big deal on Disney cruises. It's the night they shoot off fireworks from the ship. Which you will hear repeatedly is an industry first. The thing is, though, that it's been going on for a long time, and to be honest, it's gotten a little old with the TCD gang. So, we don't dress up like pirates. Here's a shot of Twin #1 on the verandah before we headed out: After the show, we had some time for some family photos. Here's Twin #2 in more Lilly: A rare photo of me with Mrs. TCD: Just the girls: We decided to visit the Pink champagne bar before dinner where everyone got a fancy drink: Then it was on to dinner. This is an appetizer that Twin #1 enjoyed: And a dessert plate: We have always had the second dinner seating, and on every cruise, it seems like we have had to rush to make it up to the top deck for the fireworks after dinner. Our servers on this cruise worked at a much quicker pace, which I really appreciated. We had time to stop by our rooms before heading up top for the fireworks. When we stopped by our cabins, we found our nightly towel animal displays: I don't have any fireworks or pirate night photos to share. I learned many cruises ago that it's next to impossible to get a fireworks photo on a moving cruise ship, so we just enjoy watching them. After the fireworks, there is a huge buffet set up in Cabanas. Which is the last thing we were interested in after just finishing dinner. But, Mrs. TCD did get the required turkey leg: So what's the deal with the turkey leg, you ask? Long story short- on a previous cruise, the twins discovered that they served turkey legs at the pirate night buffet. They used to be identical to the ones they serve in the parks. The twins each got one, but came nowhere near finishing them. So, Mrs. TCD had to bring them back to the cabins, because they were too busy dancing. On a subsequent cruise, they grabbed the turkey legs, and they were scorching hot. Mrs. TCD had to bring those back to the cabins too, and tells the story about how they were burning her hands, dripping grease, and smelled up the elevator she had to ride in, prompting looks and comments from other guests. Once we started doing the List of Fun, Twin #1 has always snuck getting a turkey leg on there for Mrs. TCD. As a joke. But she always plays along. Fun times. After the fireworks and pirate dancing, Mrs. TCD and I were done. The girls said they were going to go out and hit the bars. I didn't really like that idea, but we told them to be careful and have fun. It turns out that the bars were all dead, so the girls instead played the MIdship Detective Agency game, and came back with these photos: We broke with tradition and skipped our nightly room service Mickey Bars tonight. I really didn't want to eat any more, as I was going to get up to run my first Castaway Cay 5K in the morning. We all planned to get up and out on the island early. So that was it for night two. We will start our third and final day on the ship early. We were hoping for nice weather on Castaway Cay. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fladogfan aka Gretchen 259 Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 As usual, great pics and good story telling all about them. Mrs. TCD is a good sport, turkey legs and all. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 The turkey leg picture is the best! I like most Caribbean islands, but haven't been to any with lots of horse poop. We found the bars on Disney to always be dead, with the exception of our mixology class. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momof6....aka Marty 769 Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 Back in 1999, I took my one and only cruise. One of our ports of call was Freeport. It sounds very much like Nassau, without any of the upsides you mentioned. After a very short time there, we went to Port Lucaya. It was clean, friendly, more expensive, but worth it. I don't remember being traumatized by the transport there. I think the cruise ship had a van going. Our other port of call was Key West and that was definitely the best. The Midship Detective thing sounds fun! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DramaMama .......... Janet 75 Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 Finally caught up! Beautiful ladies, loads of fun, great family memories. Keep it up! My cruising experience is a one day cruise to the Bahamas from Ft. Lauderdale. I puked all the way there, survived a crowded wild taxi-van ride to Port Lucaya, froze while we shopped, and headed back to lie down flat for the cruise back. Go figure - the day after Christmas - right through the jet stream. It explained the cooler temps and the boiling water sloshing out of the buffet tables. The boat held about 2000 guests. I know, it was a "small" boat. Still, I just can't say "yes" to a cruise yet. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 On 7/11/2016 at 0:44 PM, fladogfan aka Gretchen said: As usual, great pics and good story telling all about them. Mrs. TCD is a good sport, turkey legs and all. Thanks. Mrs. TCD is a great sport. That poor woman puts up with a lot! 21 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said: The turkey leg picture is the best! I like most Caribbean islands, but haven't been to any with lots of horse poop. We found the bars on Disney to always be dead, with the exception of our mixology class. If you like most Caribbean islands, then you probably would find Nassau to be OK. If I stopped there on a longer cruise, I wouldn't mind getting off and having a look around. But, these 3 and 4 night cruises are so short, that it's a shame to spend time away from the boat to experience what you will find on Nassau. I think you're right about the Disney bars. I think being a bartender on a Disney ship would be a very boring job. 19 hours ago, Momof6....aka Marty said: Back in 1999, I took my one and only cruise. One of our ports of call was Freeport. It sounds very much like Nassau, without any of the upsides you mentioned. After a very short time there, we went to Port Lucaya. It was clean, friendly, more expensive, but worth it. I don't remember being traumatized by the transport there. I think the cruise ship had a van going. Our other port of call was Key West and that was definitely the best. The Midship Detective thing sounds fun! I've been to Freeport and Port Lucaya. Both are nicer than Nassau. I'll bet whatever vehicle you rode in to get to Port Lucaya is still in service and has not been cleaned since you last rode in it. Key West is 1000% nicer than any Bahamas port. And Key West is a little rough. The Midship Detective Agency game is fun. The girls enjoyed playing it. It takes you all over the ship, which is fun. But, it's time consuming. I'm glad they did that instead of hanging out in a bar. 17 hours ago, DramaMama .......... Janet said: Finally caught up! Beautiful ladies, loads of fun, great family memories. Keep it up! My cruising experience is a one day cruise to the Bahamas from Ft. Lauderdale. I puked all the way there, survived a crowded wild taxi-van ride to Port Lucaya, froze while we shopped, and headed back to lie down flat for the cruise back. Go figure - the day after Christmas - right through the jet stream. It explained the cooler temps and the boiling water sloshing out of the buffet tables. The boat held about 2000 guests. I know, it was a "small" boat. Still, I just can't say "yes" to a cruise yet. Even a big boat can get moving pretty good when the Gulf Stream is rough. And all cruises out of Port Canaveral have to cross it coming and going. This cruise was amazingly smooth. But, we have been on some really rough ones. Back in 2005, we sailed on the Magic the week of Thanksgiving. That first night, when we crossed the Gulf Stream, more than half the dining room did not make it through dinner, and guests were literally puking in the hallways on the way out. That was our second DCL cruise, and I remember how badly the ship was groaning and creaking that night through the rough seas. It sounded like the ship was going to break apart. But, it didn't. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 It's Castaway Cay day! The best day of any DCL cruise. As always, I was up early. But, again, not early enough to actually see the sun rise. It's a good thing I didn't bother, as the TCD camera fogged up when I took it to the very front of the ship for some approaching Castaway Cay photos: I was only going to have coffee and water this morning, as I would soon be heading off the ship to run my first Castaway Cay 5K. This would be my 9th time on the island, and it was about time. Like they say, the 9th time is the charm. Truth be told, I did snag a couple of donuts from the pre-breakfast buffet that they open at 7 am, and had one out on the Verandah, where, after some careful cleaning, I got the camera lens cleared up. Land ho!: Smooth seas and blue skies. Very nice: We were moving pretty good, and that little island quickly was growing larger: I could start recognizing landmarks on the island, like the swimming and snorkel areas and the dock: But, I couldn't see my favorite landmark: the giant fake palm tree. It should be around the middle of this photo: But, I couldn't see it. Zooming in, I now see why- the leaves are missing from it: It wasn't long before we felt the ship slow and start to turn around to prepare to back in. That happened right around 7:30: The dock is there on the right: The snorkel and swim areas are on the other side of the rock barricade: We finished turning, and then started to back in. We could see the men down on the dock getting ready to tie the ship down: All of these vehicles were lined up on the dock ready to unload the supplies that they would need to host all of us on the island for the day: Since we were on the port side of the ship, we would have a view of the dock and this part of the island while we were in port. This is a big reason why I prefer the starboard side. The view from that side would be of the whole developed part of the island. But, it was cool to watch the men work together to pull the ropes in from the ship: We also had a nice view of this shirtless old dude with a hairy back two verandahs down from us. I hope he was only shirtless: It took a lot of guys to pull in those ropes: There's the Castaway Cay post office down there. A lot of people mail themselves postcards from there. I still have yet to step foot in the place: One rope down, and only six or seven to go. Good work, men: I had to skip out on the rest of the rope tying, as I had to go down to the Evolution Lounge on Deck 3 to meet with the group that would be led off the ship first for the 5K run. There were more people in the lounge than I expected, and a lot of them didn't look like they'd be able to run very far: At just a few minutes before 8:30, one of the castmembers there told us that she would lead us down to deck one, where we would all be let off the ship before any of the regular guests. And that is what we did. Only, there were some sneaky regular folks who were waiting down on deck one and jumped in with the running group. Even so, I was on the island at 8:31 am-these folks who don't have race numbers on their shirts jumped in with the runners to get a head start on the rest of the guests: It's always stunning to see how big the ship looks when you can stand right next to it here: Want to know where our cabins were? Look at this next photo- do you see that round half-circle bump out that juts out from the top deck? Do you see those two posts holding it up? The two verandahs between those posts, right above the last two cabins with the big circle windows, are our cabins: Now you know why those white posts show up in all of the photos I took from the verandah -we were right in the middle of them! Before we left the ship, we were told that we would be walking all the way to the second tram stop, by Pelican Plunge, which is where the race would begin. The CM told us that if we knew where that was, we were free to head there on our own, or we could all meet up after disembarking, and walk there as a group. I was already sweating, and didn't feel like walking all that way in a small mob, so I started heading to the starting point as soon as I got off the boat. These folks were not runners- just regular guests- but they all thought it was important enough to get off the ship first: I stopped to snap this photo of the ship. Now that you know where our rooms are, you can spot them easily. Do you see those small white dots up there on near the top right of the ship? Those are pesky seagulls divebombing the guests eating outside of Cabanas: I was just a few people back from the very first guests to head out onto the island. The guy you see way out there in front was almost running. I wondered why he was in such a hurry: The walk was beautiful this morning. The folks in front of me were not stopping for nothing. But, I did. I stopped to get a photo of Mount Rustmore: Look how pristine it looks. There aren't even any footprints in the sand yet. Also, nobody told me that Mount Rustmore has been refurbed. But it clearly has been. This is what it looked like back in 2012: I'd say it's going to be a while before it looks that rusty again. Next, I walked past the shopping area: You need to pay attention to the details around here. I think all of the signs are tributes to the egos of the men who run the Disney empire. For example, there's this sign: Uh. Captain Tom left the company earlier this year. Ooops. What about that round sign over there?: A closer look: R. Daya? Who's that? I guess it's this guy- Russell Daya: He's been with Disney Cruise Line since January, 1998. I guess he deserves a sign. This sign over here mentions F. De Heer: I never head of him either, but Frank is another DCL executive: This photo shows a sign, which is partially blocked by a door, mentioning the Rasulo brothers and another sign around the corner mentioning P. Weaver. Rasulo is obviously a nod to Jay Rasulo, who, up until recently, was the CFO of Disney. I don't know who P. Weaver is, but I'm sure he's somebody with the company: Just past all of this, I came upon the fellow who had sprinted off the ship. This is where he was headed- to claim this spot for his family. I see it has a nice group of hammocks, and some nice landscaping around it. Good job, guy: As for me, I had to keep walking. I had a race to run. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momof6....aka Marty 769 Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 Go, TCD, Go! The Fort Fiends are counting on you! Not to win the race. Just to take many more fabulous photos. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DramaMama .......... Janet 75 Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 9 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said: Even a big boat can get moving pretty good when the Gulf Stream is rough. And all cruises out of Port Canaveral have to cross it coming and going. This cruise was amazingly smooth. But, we have been on some really rough ones. Back in 2005, we sailed on the Magic the week of Thanksgiving. That first night, when we crossed the Gulf Stream, more than half the dining room did not make it through dinner, and guests were literally puking in the hallways on the way out. That was our second DCL cruise, and I remember how badly the ship was groaning and creaking that night through the rough seas. It sounded like the ship was going to break apart. But, it didn't. TCD You're not making me want to book a cruise, man. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119 Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 You look fantastic!! Do you know how much weight you have lost? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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