An Easter Weekend Trip on the Wonder with (most of) the TCD Gang

[Beckers 1,136]

If you ever do the coorgated steel let me know how it goes. I want to use it for a backsplash in our kitchen. 

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

22 minutes ago, Beckers said:

If you ever do the coorgated steel let me know how it goes. I want to use it for a backsplash in our kitchen. 

 We tried it as a backsplash in one of our houses. Didn’t like how it looked at all. We did however use it as a wainscoting  in one of our commercial property bathrooms. And it came out really nice. We used composite decking to trim out the top and bottom of it.  To cover the sharp edges. I’ll have to see if I can find a picture of it or just go by the building and take a new picture of it for you and TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

What a beautiful day! I’d love to spend the day at Serenity Bay!

With all the rain and still cool weather we’re having, these pictures are killing me.

I need that out of office hat!


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[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Wow!  Serenity Bay is beautiful!

 

[Beckers 1,136]

How long until Disney builds a dvc on their private island?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

On 4/23/2018 at 9:52 AM, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Another advantage of the Magic and Wonder.

Good point. I wasn't sure if we'd notice a difference, but we did. Even the pools and decks around them on the ship were less crowded, which surprised me. 

On 4/23/2018 at 10:41 AM, DaveInTN said:

We had a very similar experience at Serenity Bay.  It was quiet, and we had no trouble getting a spot with 2 hammocks and 2 loungers, plus plenty of those low beach chairs you can drag down to the water's edge.  And it's not like we were hogging chairs....there were lots of chairs that went unused that day.  Like Dave said, I guess that's an advance of the smaller ships.  

There was also a group doing Yoga down there on the beach when we were there, so my guess is that it's an official activity.  

It's a good thing you didn't go past the rope.  The smoke monster can get you if you cross over there.  Jacob's cabin is right beyond that tree line.  

I might look in to that yoga on a future trip. That is a pretty amazing spot. 

On 4/23/2018 at 2:41 PM, Beckers said:

If you ever do the coorgated steel let me know how it goes. I want to use it for a backsplash in our kitchen. 

I think we've decided against it. The bathroom we were thinking about redoing is small, and I think the look would be too much for such a small space. 

On 4/23/2018 at 3:07 PM, h2odivers...Ray said:

 We tried it as a backsplash in one of our houses. Didn’t like how it looked at all. We did however use it as a wainscoting  in one of our commercial property bathrooms. And it came out really nice. We used composite decking to trim out the top and bottom of it.  To cover the sharp edges. I’ll have to see if I can find a picture of it or just go by the building and take a new picture of it for you and TCD

I'd like to see the photo if you find it. 

On 4/24/2018 at 8:10 AM, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

What a beautiful day! I’d love to spend the day at Serenity Bay!

With all the rain and still cool weather we’re having, these pictures are killing me.

I need that out of office hat!

LOL. It's funny that Twin #2 Fort finally just started an office job, and that's the hat she made. 

On 4/24/2018 at 7:57 PM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

Wow!  Serenity Bay is beautiful!

 

It really is. The whole island is nice. Way better than any other cruise line's private island. 

On 4/25/2018 at 10:06 AM, Beckers said:

How long until Disney builds a dvc on their private island?

That's an interesting idea. I am personally very much against it. Which means it probably will happen one day. 

TCD 

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Serenity Bay looks very nice.

Your pool bathroom idea is a good one.

Steak. Nice

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

2 hours ago, AC in A2......Aaron said:

Serenity Bay looks very nice.

Your pool bathroom idea is a good one.

Steak. Nice

Hey it's good to see a post from you, Aaron. 

TCD 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We left off with lunchtime at Serenity Bay. That was followed by more beach and hammock time. Then it was drink time. We went to the bar there at Serenity Bay, which is themed to look like and old hangar. 

The names on the signs behind the bar all refer to actual Disney executives:

This shot shows the souvenir cups they had for sale, and you can see that corrugated metal was used liberally by the imagineers here:

Here's one last look at the decor behind the bar:

The girls tried the drink of the day, which was a Stingray. I went for the Pelican Mule, which was a Moscow Mule made with a premium pineapple vodka, and muddled tropical fruit. My drink was a winner. So much so that I asked the bartender to show me the vodka bottle because I wanted to get some when I got home. But I have since forgotten the name. But I'll recognize it if I see it. 

We drank our drinks at the tables there at the bar. Here's one of the twins' artsy photos from there:

And here's some artsy umbrella shots:

 

Here's a classic photo of my feet in a hammock:

After a bit, I reminded the girls of the plan to head over to the family beach for a slide down Pelican Plunge.  We also wanted to get a Konk Kooler at the Head's Up bar, which is an every cruise tradition for us.  The girls didn't want to leave, but we stuck to the plan and headed to the tram.

When we got to the family beach, we regretted leaving Serenity Bay- the beach was still crowded, and there were people everywhere.  And the sand here was noticeably coarser and not as white.  We set our stuff down and rode the slide.  Way better than the slide on the ship.

 Then we headed to the bar.  I like the view of the ship in the background of this photo:

The famous Konk Kooler:

After this round of drinks, the plan was to spend some time on the family beach, but none of us really wanted to.  The girls decided that they wanted to go look in the shops then head back to the ship.  I wanted to go for a bike ride.  So, we split up here.

The twins visited Mount Rustmore:

And they took these photos on their way back to the ship:

While they did that, I rented a bike.  I'll share what I was on the bike ride in the next update.

TCD

 

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

I got really nervous that you didn't get a Konk Kooler!  Glad you stuck to tradition!

Did they make your Konk Kooler from scratch in a blender?  Our first cruise they had a big margarita type machine full of it but this cruise they made them from scratch.

Is this the first time the girls didn't bike with you?  

WBI

[dvccamper 32]

I’m late to the party but I just have to comment that it’s nice to see you got a pedicure for your classic hammock shot.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

7 hours ago, WannaBeImagineer said:

I got really nervous that you didn't get a Konk Kooler!  Glad you stuck to tradition!

Did they make your Konk Kooler from scratch in a blender?  Our first cruise they had a big margarita type machine full of it but this cruise they made them from scratch.

Is this the first time the girls didn't bike with you?  

WBI

We always go for the Konk Koolers. On one cruise, we hit the bar right before closing time and they were out of the mix. That was sad. 

On this visit, we had a super bartender. He mixed all the drinks fresh, and he gave us heavy pours. 

There was one Castaway Cay visit before when I biked with the dad of my DD 's friend, so no girls biked with me on that trip. This was my first solo ride. 

42 minutes ago, dvccamper said:

I’m late to the party but I just have to comment that it’s nice to see you got a pedicure for your classic hammock shot.

Good job. I posted that to see if anyone was paying attention. Those are not my feet, but there wouldn't be anything wrong with that if they were. 

TCD

[bhall 115]

1 hour ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Good job. I posted that to see if anyone was paying attention. Those are not my feet, but there wouldn't be anything wrong with that if they were. 

TCD

Oh yes there is.  That color does not compliment your eye color one bit!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I would love a frozen drink and some sand between my toes right now. That drink you describe sounds awesome. I wonder if I can find the recipe online.


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[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

1 hour ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

I would love a frozen drink and some sand between my toes right now.

Get a popcicle and send Jason to homedepot for a bag of sand to dump on your feet. Wala..

 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

On 4/28/2018 at 3:04 PM, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Get a popcicle and send Jason to homedepot for a bag of sand to dump on your feet. Wala..

 

Ha ha ha! Not quite the same, but..... I just might. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We left off on Saturday afternoon on Castaway Cay. All aboard time wasn't until 4:45, and I decided to take a solo bike ride at 3:00. I'm not sure what time they stop the bike rentals, but I figure it must be between 3 and 4. 

Here's my rental bike parked at the furthest point you're allowed to take bikes on the island:

There is an overlook here:

This is the view from there- first looking to the right:

And now to the left- the white sand beach you can see along the coastline in the distance in this photo is the Serenity Bay beach:

One of the extra amenities that DCL offers on Castaway Cay are rental cabanas. There are some along the beach at Serenity Bay, and some at the family beach. I believe they rent for around $500 per day. When they first added these to the island, I thought it was ridiculous. Five hundred bucks to sit in a shack?  But, what do I know?  They sell the cabanas out on every cruise, and I've never even had the chance to rent one. In fact, up until this cruise I had never even gotten a close look at one. But, the bike path is also the access path to the cabana, and as I rode along, it looked like all the cabana customers had already headed back to the ship. So, on my way back, I stopped at a cabana for a peek. Here's the back door:

And, this is the inside sitting area:

The rental price includes a stocked fridge:

This is the back porch- note the private hammock. And beyond that you can see a lifeguard still on duty:

The Serenity Bay cabanas sit behind the beach that all adult passengers have access to, so the umbrellas and chairs behind the cabana are open to anyone to use. Note that the little sign in this photo says this is cabana #22:

Guests on the beach could be pretty close to your cabana:

Over at the family beach, the cabanas sit on a private beach area, which allows those guests respite from the commoners who might infringe on the cabana experience  

The rental price also includes sunscreen and floats:

So here's something weird- it was pretty clear from the condition of the cabana that no one had used it that day.  I wonder what happened?  Clearly, it was set up for guests to use, but nothing had been touched.  I guess it's possible that the cabana had already been cleaned and prepped for the next guests, but I figure they are more likely to do that on the day of arrival.  Weird.

You even get free magazines in premium waiting room covers to read:

Here's a look at the wall opposite the magazine rack- we already saw the fridge- and there's also a basket on top with some bags of snacks.  There's a little locker there to the right.  And one more detail to point out- those nautical flags on the wall to the left are for the numbers one and eight, which stumps me because the sign out back said that this was cabana #22:

That's all the cabana photos I have.  I think it would be fun to have one, but I can't get past that $500 price tag.

I headed back toward the Serenity Bay beach area where we had spent the morning, and found the entire beach practically deserted, which kind of surprised me, because it was only 3:20 pm, and all aboard wasn't until 4:45:

Seeing all of those empty hammocks, I may take my bike ride earlier on the next cruise, and spend my last hour or so on the island enjoying a deserted Serenity Bay.

 The Castaway Air bar was still open, but had no customers:

This is the food service area for Serenity Bay, where we had lunch earlier- it's all closed up now:

And this is the seating area- the umbrellas were all opened when we had lunch here:

After this, I hopped back on the bike and headed to the observation tower. We will start with that in the next update. 

TCD

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

I was wondering if we were going to be left at Castaway Cay. Not that it would be a bad thing.

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[WannaBeImagineer 98]

I'm always baffled by those cabanas.  I've heard of people that pay for concierge rooms just so they can book one.  I'm just not to the point where I'm going to sit all day long in one spot at Castaway Cay, there's still too much that I want to do when we go.  Maybe one day I'll get bored with everything?

 I mean they don't even have a bathroom right?  You can get drinks brought to you but I think you still have to go get lunch with the commoners. Maybe one day some rich family member I don't know yet will pay for one for me, when that happens I'm sure I'll love it and I'll let everyone know how great it is.  

WBI

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I think people pack up early because they have the early dinner seating. That's why we prefer late seating.

We rented a cabana on Royal's private beach once, but it was half that price. My mom and brother were with us, and I did it as a splurge for my mom (mostly). It was nice, but I can't see spending $500 for one. LOTS of people do though. 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

5 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

 And one more detail to point out- those nautical flags on the wall to the left are for the numbers one and eight, which stumps me because the sign out back said that this was cabana #22:

 

There used to be 17 cabanas on the family beach, and 4 at Serenity Bay, as noted on this map.

But at some point, they built 4 more cabanas at the Family beach, and re-numbered the Serenity Bay cabanas from 18-21 to 22-25, as per the current map below.  So, current cabana 22 used to be cabana 18, and they figured that nobody would ever notice that the nautical flags no longer match up with the cabana number.  

[Beckers 1,136]

Look at you Dave, educating us on 2 different threads!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

21 hours ago, momof3kids-Yvonne said:

I was wondering if we were going to be left at Castaway Cay. Not that it would be a bad thing.

I haven't abandoned a trip report yet. Never fear. 

20 hours ago, WannaBeImagineer said:

I'm always baffled by those cabanas.  I've heard of people that pay for concierge rooms just so they can book one.  I'm just not to the point where I'm going to sit all day long in one spot at Castaway Cay, there's still too much that I want to do when we go.  Maybe one day I'll get bored with everything?

 I mean they don't even have a bathroom right?  You can get drinks brought to you but I think you still have to go get lunch with the commoners. Maybe one day some rich family member I don't know yet will pay for one for me, when that happens I'm sure I'll love it and I'll let everyone know how great it is.  

WBI

I agree. I can see where having the use of a cabana would be nice, but there are too many other things that I can think of where $500 would be better spent. 

But, the cabanas are sold out and have wait lists months before every DCL sailing. These things are plywood shacks- and you're right- you have to call for a golf cart or make a long walk to get to the rest room or food. It's amazing to think about the return on investment DCL is getting on these.

17 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

I think people pack up early because they have the early dinner seating. That's why we prefer late seating.

We rented a cabana on Royal's private beach once, but it was half that price. My mom and brother were with us, and I did it as a splurge for my mom (mostly). It was nice, but I can't see spending $500 for one. LOTS of people do though. 

You're right- people head to the ship because there's a lot to do aboard, and all day at the beach is a long time. Only legends can handle that. 

15 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

There used to be 17 cabanas on the family beach, and 4 at Serenity Bay, as noted on this map.

But at some point, they built 4 more cabanas at the Family beach, and re-numbered the Serenity Bay cabanas from 18-21 to 22-25, as per the current map below.  So, current cabana 22 used to be cabana 18, and they figured that nobody would ever notice that the nautical flags no longer match up with the cabana number.  

I am seriously impressed. Nice work. 

I figured it was something like this, but I didn't think I'd be able to find an answer online. Stick around- there was one more thing that stumped me on the island, and I haven't resolved that one yet either. 

11 hours ago, Beckers said:

Look at you Dave, educating us on 2 different threads!

This board would be nothing without DIT. 

TCD 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

19 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

This board would be nothing without DIT. 

TCD 

You know that's going straight to his head. 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

1 hour ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

You know that's going straight to his head. 

Don't worry.  I may be highly intelligent and extremely good looking, but I'm humble.