Specularius 102 Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 We had taken a 3 night Cruise the first week of January that wound up being a less than spectacular cruise. Shardi got sick with a sinus cold, the weather was horrible, and we never got docked at Castaway Cay. This was a bit of a downer, but we had reservations for a Double dip in June and hoped to make up for our January cruise. During planning for the June Double Dip, it was pointed out by the rest of the family that we would be close to Disney World just as the new Blue People Zoo was opening....and they just had to go. So, being the devoted husband and father that I am, I booked three nights before the cruise and two nights after to give us a chance to see the new attractions. We were able to secure fastpasses for the river ride, but could not secure any for the Flight of Passage. We also secured fastpasses for the new Soarin'. We left home at 8:20 am Memorial Day with plans to spend the night at Madison, FL, then finish the drive the next morning to the Fort. We had no troubles and arrived at the Fort at 11 am Fort time. The friendly castmember promptly assigned us a sight in the 1600 loop. My normal mode of operation after checking in is to unload the golf cart and use it to go check the sight out before I ever leave the unhitch/hitch area. Upon checking the site assigned, it was less than desirable, so to the front we go with a list of better sites. We were able to change to 1619. It was a great site, easy in and right against the pet walk area. I made a loop around the Fort and did not see a single Fort Fiend sign. I was a bit disappointed. That afternoon we made our way to the Magic Kingdom with the main reason being to upgrade our 2 day tickets we had purchased to be able to get fastpasses to Annual Passes. I used my points from my Disney Visa and almost covered the entire upgrade. We road our favorites of Pirates, Big Thunder Mountain, and Haunted Mansion before returning to the camper to finally get some rest. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Specularius 102 Posted June 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 Wednesday morning we lounged around the camper taking our time to get started. We eventually made our way over to Animal Kingdom to walk through the Land of Pandora. We had fastpasses for the Safari ride, Dinosaur, and Primeval Whirl. We got a family picture at the entrance to Pandora. The theming in the new area is very good. I could tell that things were designed to be lit up at night and looked forward to seeing it at night. The new path along the side of the river to Africa was very nice as well. The line for Flight of Passage was to the bridge that separates Pandora from Africa. That was a long line! The Safari ride was about the same as usual, although we experienced the moving/rocking bridge for the first time ever. It rocked over to side a lot. I do not miss the poacher chase. I think the ride is better without it. We then made our way over to Dinosaur. I over acted the part for the picture. It was a very HOT day. We had supper reservations that night so we left after finishing Primeval Whirl. Thursday brought us to EPCOT. Our goal was to experience the New Soarin’. It was not a disappointment. It is a great improvement over the previous Soarin’ California. We made our way around the world showcase dodging rain showers. We did not have fastpasses for Test Track so we got in the standby line. After 45 minutes we were at the door to the design room when the ride went down. They came over the PA for everyone to turn around and exit through the entrance. My daughter needed to use the restroom badly and she saw an exit sign to the right of the design room doors. She took it and the rest of us just followed her. It led to the loading area for the ride and CM’s were directing people out an emergency exit to the far left of the loading area. As we exited that door, there was a CM handing out fastpasses. We were handed a fastpass each. As we got around the building to entrance, the standby line people were still exiting the building, but there was no one there handing out fastpasses. Bummer for those people. We grabbed another Family photo on our way out. Notice the storm clouds above Spaceship Earth. We needed to get our two dogs to their spa reservation while we are on our cruise. They would be shacking up at Best Friends. A luxury dog Kennel. They even tell a bedtime story to the dogs each night. So off we went to get the two dogs. After checking the two dogs into the resort, we made our way off property for supper. We ate at Chevy’s. This was our first time ever eating at a Chevy’s. The salsa and the guacamole are fantastic! Then it was back to the camper to pack up our suitcases for the cruise. Getting back to the Fort, I stopped by the front office and asked the CM if I could get a parking pass to leave our camper in the overflow lot while we were on our Disney cruise and that we would be returning to check back into the Fort. I got this deer in the headlight look. Luckily the shift supervisor was behind the counter and the CM asked them what do I do. The supervisor said let him fill out the form, notify him that Disney is not responsible for any damages or theft and we will see him when he gets back. So easy as that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 I'm in! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Memphis 105 Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 I'm in Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 596 Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 Looking forward to reading more. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ivy 36 Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 In- looking forward to reading about your trip! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119 Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 I'm in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Specularius 102 Posted June 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 Friday morning we are a bit over eager to get to Port Canaveral. I get the camper hooked up and pull it to the overflow lot, get a great parking space, unhook, disconnect the battery knowing it would not last for 5 days, and we are off….at 8:30 am. This was our third cruise ever, and the first one that we actually parked at the terminal. I had no idea of what to do, so I just followed the line of cars. We dropped off our suitcases at the curb and proceeded to the parking garage. The attendant took my money and said I may want to park in the outside lot at the end. So we did and it was a short walk to the terminal. This cruise was big splurge on Shardi’s part. She wanted, and got, a concierge room. Room 12516 to be exact. It was the same layout as our previous two cruises but with a balcony. IN CONCIERGE! Concierge is a whole new world. They give you the royal treatment. You get to check in at a special desk where they then escort you to the front of the line for pictures, then escort you straight to your stateroom. The first thing I checked out was the balcony. Then it was into the concierge lounge to meet the host and his team, with an open bar and food. Great food too. We then watched as we left the port from our balcony. It was a very nice departure, in the rain. I really like the Port Authority building. At least that is what I think it is. Funny thing is there is a building that looks almost exactly like it, only much larger in Dubai. It is my understanding that the Arabs in Dubai copy lots of architectural designs, stealing the ideas and building them bigger. The Coast Guard looks as though they were recruiting. Then we were on our way direct to Castaway Cay. Supper that night was Animators Pallet. It was great and we met our service team. We had a lovely woman from Great Britain named Steph. She had a horrible accent…this from the certified redneck from the deep south talking about accents… but did a great job. We were really hoping to have the same service team we had in January, but never did see them. At this point, with the weather being so bad, lots of rain and wind, I was starting to get worried that it would be just like January. I did not sleep well that night with thoughts of having to skip Castaway Cay…again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Specularius 102 Posted June 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 Saturday morning I was up very early. It was not raining at the moment, but was very overcast. The winds were steady at about 10 mph. Here we are, backing into the dock at Castaway Cay. This was the view from our Balcony I even took a selfie. We had made it. Finally we would get a day on the Cay. We made our way to the second tram stop, walked out under some palm trees and staked claim to some lounge chairs looking back at the ship. We spent the next four hours snorkeling. That was a workout. I also got to put my Olympus TG-870 to the test. It performed great. Notice the school of fish hiding under Mickey. I heard this was from the 20,000 Leagues ride from Magic Kingdom. This was one of the highlights of our trip. We all 4 got to see the turtle, munching on sea grass. We made our way back to the ship, exhausted. We spent a total of about 6 hours snorkeling. Ian’s back was blistered. We did not pay attention that his short was riding up while he was snorkeling and had not applied sunblock to his lower back and plumbers crack. He slept on his stomach that night. Word of advice to everyone. Sunscreen even on parts that you think will not need it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 Wow! Great trip, and great trip report! It was very nice of you to agree to the concierge cabin on the ship. That must have been awesome. I'm glad you made it to Castaway Cay this time. Was this a "Double Dip" cruise with two stop at Castaway Cay? TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Northerngirl--Lori 5 Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 I'm looking forward to this trip report. we are going on our first Disney cruise, well first time ever cruise, in January! we also booked concierge. I would love to hear more about that. I cant wait to read the rest. thank you for posting! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tony 27 Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 I'm in. Awesome trip so far, love reading along. We have yet to do a Disney cruise so its great to learn from the trip reports!! Thanks for sharing and looking forward to whats next Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alexwyattmommy 181 Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 Pretty sure I will never get to cruise. So these trip reports are extra special for me. It is the only look I will get at cruising. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Specularius 102 Posted June 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 4 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said: Wow! Great trip, and great trip report! It was very nice of you to agree to the concierge cabin on the ship. That must have been awesome. I'm glad you made it to Castaway Cay this time. Was this a "Double Dip" cruise with two stop at Castaway Cay? TCD yes, it was a Double Dip. More to come when I get to our second day on Castaway Cay. 4 hours ago, Northerngirl--Lori said: I'm looking forward to this trip report. we are going on our first Disney cruise, well first time ever cruise, in January! we also booked concierge. I would love to hear more about that. I cant wait to read the rest. thank you for posting! You have made a HUGE mistake. You will be so spoiled, that any other cruise line, and any other room level other than Concierge, will be a complete letdown. We went on our first ever cruise May of last year in an outside single portal stateroom. It was fantastic and hooked us bad. In January of this year we went back, same level of room, had a horrible trip in some aspects, but still loved it. This was our third cruise ever and all three on the Disney Dream. We are booked for a 9 night Alaskan Cruise on the Disney Wonder, although in a standard room. Concierge was just too much for and luckily was already sold out. 1 hour ago, Tony said: I'm in. Awesome trip so far, love reading along. We have yet to do a Disney cruise so its great to learn from the trip reports!! Thanks for sharing and looking forward to whats next All I can say is GO! You will love it. 51 minutes ago, alexwyattmommy said: Pretty sure I will never get to cruise. So these trip reports are extra special for me. It is the only look I will get at cruising. I hope that what I bang out is good enough to entertain other Fiends. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 Great underwater pics! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 23 minutes ago, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said: Great underwater pics! I meant to comment on that too. I even looked up the camera Jody mentioned, as the photos are very good. It's also worth noting that the snorkeling lagoon is huge, and it took a lot of swimming to get those photos. I can't tell you how many people I've talked to after visiting Castaway Cay who never found Mickey, Minnie, or the Nautilus. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Specularius 102 Posted June 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 22 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said: I meant to comment on that too. I even looked up the camera Jody mentioned, as the photos are very good. It's also worth noting that the snorkeling lagoon is huge, and it took a lot of swimming to get those photos. I can't tell you how many people I've talked to after visiting Castaway Cay who never found Mickey, Minnie, or the Nautilus. TCD It is a great little camera. It is very easy to find all those. They all have a buoy marking their location. We wound up visiting everyone at least three times that day. That day was the first time I had ever snorkeled, ever. And we did it for over 6 hours. I was dead tired. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 740 Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 46 minutes ago, Specularius said: We are booked for a 9 night Alaskan Cruise on the Disney Wonder, although in a standard room. You will love that cruise. Highly recommend the whale watching trip out of Juneau that is combined with the Mendenhall glacier. Also do the Whitepass Railroad trip out of Skagway. When you get to Ketchican stock up on some of the smoked salmon.. yummmmy . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
magnoliafig 51 Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 3 hours ago, Specularius said: We are booked for a 9 night Alaskan Cruise on the Disney Wonder, although in a standard room. Concierge was just too much for and luckily was already sold out. No it's not. But I can make sure there is one less concierge cabin available... and did you seriously take a photo of your feet? Lol!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Specularius 102 Posted June 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2017 Saturday night we had supper at the Enchanted Garden. Ian has this thing where he hangs a spoon on his nose at restaurants. He is very good at it. I have timed him at over 5 minutes with the spoon stuck to his nose, even while drinking from a straw. There was a young man about the same age as Ian at the table next to us. He stuck a spoon to his nose too. While they were having this impromptu contest, Steph, our table host, looks and Ian and ask if he can hang one off his cheek bones. Ian said, “I only have 1 spoon” so Steph went and got him and his competitor 3 more spoons to play with. Ian quickly stuck a spoon to each cheek. After a minute or two of trying, all while Ian is sitting there showing off his magnetic abilities, the other young man says “I give, you win.” Ian was beaming with pride. Sunday morning brought us to Nassau. This was the 3rd time we have been to Nassau, and for the second time, we stayed on the ship. We were docked on the outside of the last pier with a great view of the water. We spent the day just relaxing. That night we had reservations to eat at Palo. It was wonderful. We have had the honor of eating several times at Victoria and Albert’s at the Grand Floridian. Palo is the same quality of food and service. It is well worth the upcharge to eat there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Specularius 102 Posted June 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2017 Monday brought us back to Castaway Cay. Shardi decided that since we are fair skinned European descent, easy to sunburn, rarely get to the beach people, that she would rent a Cabana on Castaway Cay for our second day. It is a bit pricey but has some very good perks. You get soft drinks and snacks, snorkeling gear rental, bicycle rental, and golf cart service to run you around the island. The Cabanas are at the end of the beach. Each Cabana has its own fresh water shower to rinse off. I am not sure if it was by design or not but the Cabana area has its own swimming area separated from the other swimming areas. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea. It was a great hangout. We were the first Cabana renters to check in for the day. I immediately hit the smaller swimming area with the snorkel. It did not take long to cover most of the area. I found two Conks and a fairly large hermit crab. That is a size 13 foot for reference. I took them all three to the off limits area, outside of the swimming area and released them. After lunch, Shardi and I got a pair of bicycles and headed for the observation Tower. I had wanted to visit it on our first cruise but is was so hot and another 1 mile walk to get that that we stopped at the airplane. So with bikes, an overcast and somewhat cool day, we made it. We then went down to the adult beach followed the path to the right all the way to the end. That was a much longer ride than anticipated. It is a great view when you get there. We enjoyed the Cabana as much as we could, and were the very last to leave. We were given a golf cart ride to catch the last shuttle from Pelican Point back to the ship. We were not the last ones to go back aboard, but we were close to it. It made for a wonderful second day on the Cay. It started raining shortly after getting back aboard. We had dodged another day of rain while on the Cay. That night was Pirate night. After supper at Animators Pallet, we were greeted by this, I guess Ninja Monkey, upon our return to the stateroom. We were so exhausted from our second day on the beach that we stayed in the Stateroom and went to bed early. Tuesday was sea day. It rained most of the day making it hard to enjoy the top deck of the ship. We spent part of the day watching movies in the theater. We started with the new edition of Beauty and the Beast, then finished with Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales, in 3D. We had waited to see if it would be shown during the cruise, because what could be better than watching Pirates of the Caribbean while cruising around in the Caribbean! After supper we packed our bags, got a bit depressed about the cruise coming to an end, and went to sleep. Tony 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted June 14, 2017 Report Share Posted June 14, 2017 Wow! A cabana on Castaway Cay! It doesn't get any better than that. I was going to ask you how in the world Shardi managed to snag a cabana reservation since you are still only silver Castaway Club members, but then I remembered. Y'all were concierge guests, and you got first crack at the cabana reservations. Great move! I'm glad you got to enjoy both of your days on Castaway Cay. That makes up for the fail on your last cruise. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Specularius 102 Posted June 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2017 1 hour ago, Tri-Circle-D said: Wow! A cabana on Castaway Cay! It doesn't get any better than that. I was going to ask you how in the world Shardi managed to snag a cabana reservation since you are still only silver Castaway Club members, but then I remembered. Y'all were concierge guests, and you got first crack at the cabana reservations. Great move! I'm glad you got to enjoy both of your days on Castaway Cay. That makes up for the fail on your last cruise. TCD Yep, Concierge gets first crack at renting the Cabanas. In one way it did make up for missing it last time, but at the same time, it cements what we missed, which is a little depressing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted June 14, 2017 Report Share Posted June 14, 2017 Did you really have to post this crap? Now I'm going to be looking into booking another cruise. Oh, who am I kidding. I already have the placeholder reservation that I booked onboard the Wonder in February. I just need to figure out the details..... So, who volunteers to watch Anna while INC and I go to Alaska?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Specularius 102 Posted June 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2017 Something that I noticed with the Cabanas. We were in #19, but there were flags inside, which I should have grabbed a picture, that showed it was #23. Some of the literature I saw stated 25 cabanas, but there were only two more cabanas past us. I am not sure what happened to the first 4 cabanas because I could see the flags in the last cabana and it was #25, but the sign in front of it was #21, the family cabana, which was twice the size of the other cabanas. I also noticed that several of the cabanas were hosting 2 families, with one even hosting 3 families. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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