Goin' with the Flow- TCD's Disney Dream Trip Report

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

So Much Hotness?

Stud Muffin Heaven?

Stop My Hands?

Some Mighty Hardness?

Stef May Have a stroke?

LOL!

You are on your "A" game today!

Good stuff!

The water looks so gorgeous. Whenever I need to deal with some gross child issue, I just keep repeating my mantra - "Crystal clear, blue water; beautiful, white, shining beaches." That has helped me through many an issue. Now I can just add the mentall image of castaway cay.

Happy to help.

I have a lot more Castaway Cay photos on the way.

Living in Florida, I get to visit a lot of beaches.

Castaway Cay is right up there with the prettiest beaches Florida has to offer.

TCD

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

I am loving the Castaway Cay pics. I think I would love CC by myself, but Rick doesn't enjoy the sun or sand, and it was HOT, and the sand was way too soft for my liking. So our CC day was a bust. We are going out on the Fantasy next year and CC is one of our stops, Rick may stay on the ship that day, so maybe I'll get to enjoy CC as it should be enjoyed.

[kampfirekim 260]

Most families with young kids get the first seating. That one moves a lot faster, because they have to get everyone in and out before the second seating people arrive. Also, they have a deal where they will bring out the children's menu stuff first to let the kids eat, and then the camp counselors come around and collect the kids while mom and dad finish their meal. This is a Disney cruise, they have the kids handled.

TCD

You had me at "camp counselors come around and collect the kids..." If only you'd mentioned this before I could have avoided the whole " I don't know if I want to take a cruise" question. ;D

Seriously, this looks like sooooo much fun. I seem to remember Lil H being inspired to canoe at FW while looking at a TCD TR. This TR got a "YEAHHHH!!!" reaction from him.

[Gots2pitt.. Jeff 64]

Awesome updates! I might have to consider a cruise in the future.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Still here but way behind...

[Gabbys-mom aka Kim 1]

Yeah! A TCD trip report! That water looks amazing!

[alexwyattmommy 181]

More please.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Need to go on another Disney cruise!! Love the addition of Pelican Plunge!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

You had me at "camp counselors come around and collect the kids..." If only you'd mentioned this before I could have avoided the whole " I don't know if I want to take a cruise" question. ;D

I'm thinking the same thing. Screw Stone Mountain. I want to do this!

[kampfirekim 260]

I'm thinking the same thing. Screw Stone Mountain. I want to do this!

:lmao1: For real!!! No one came to collect my kids at SM!!! I think I actually ended up with a few spares at times. ;D

[We4mickey 6]

Lovin the trip report TCD. Your pics of castaway cay are so green. We had just had a hurricane go through a couple weeks before we were there and everything was brown from the salt water. DH and I tried out the hot tubs. He said what do you think would happen if that glass in the bottom broke. I simply said, "shark bait". Can't wait to read more!

[mgsmom 9]

Hold. the. phone.

"Camp counselors come around and collect the kids"

Dang. So DH and I could eat dinner and talk in complete sentences? While on vacation?

We were toying with the idea of doing a Disney cruise with DD for our 10th anniversary next summer. I think that idea just grew legs.

And thanks for the pics of the hot tub of death. I think I could deal with the Aqua Duck cause you're moving pretty quickly, though.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

Happy Birthday to Mrs. TCD!

Add me to the list of people who would love to go on a Disney Cruise.

[SCTigerCock 171]

Are the best cruise prices found on the DCL site directly?

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

On the Aqua Duck, the part that goes out over the side is right at the beginning and it's over before you realize it. I totally missed it the first ride.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Here we go!

I am loving the Castaway Cay pics. I think I would love CC by myself, but Rick doesn't enjoy the sun or sand, and it was HOT, and the sand was way too soft for my liking. So our CC day was a bust. We are going out on the Fantasy next year and CC is one of our stops, Rick may stay on the ship that day, so maybe I'll get to enjoy CC as it should be enjoyed.

Castaway Cay is the highlight of our DCL cruises. But, I understand that anyone who is not into a beach visit would not enjoy it much. But, there is a big silver lining. From what I hear, the ship is pretty quiet on CC days. I don't think I will ever find out, but it would be fun to have the feeling of having the ship to yourself.

You had me at "camp counselors come around and collect the kids..." If only you'd mentioned this before I could have avoided the whole " I don't know if I want to take a cruise" question. ;D

Seriously, this looks like sooooo much fun. I seem to remember Lil H being inspired to canoe at FW while looking at a TCD TR. This TR got a "YEAHHHH!!!" reaction from him.

I am happy to hear that I am again inspiring Lil' H to try new things.

I was right about the canoe, and I guarantee that I am right about the cruise.

Go!

Awesome updates! I might have to consider a cruise in the future.

You might have to consider a cruise?

Dude, read on.

Anyone who loves WDW will love a DCL cruise. I am sure of that.

Still here but way behind...

No worries.

Go with the Flow!

This report isn't going anywhere fast.

Yeah! A TCD trip report! That water looks amazing!

The water is amazing.

There are few places left in Florida where the water is that clear.

We live near Clearwater, Florida. From what I hear, the name was once appropriate.

Not so much anymore.

More please.

Don't worry.

We are just getting started.

In fact, it just dawned on me that all my trip reports so far have been for much shorter trips.

This one is going to be a beast.

Need to go on another Disney cruise!! Love the addition of Pelican Plunge!

Cherie- I don't know when you last cruised DCL, but you do need to go again.

I wasn't sure that the Dream would be that much nicer than the Magic or Wonder, but I was wrong about that.

I'm thinking the same thing. Screw Stone Mountain. I want to do this!

Do it!

Do it!

Do it!

Do I need to keep chanting?

:lmao1: For real!!! No one came to collect my kids at SM!!! I think I actually ended up with a few spares at times. ;D

That's what's great about camping. And that will always be my first love.

But, seeing your kids happily take off with a counselor while you get to dine in peace with your spouse is pretty special.

Of course, the TCD girls are too old for the counselors to collect now. But, we still had plenty of alone time.

Lovin the trip report TCD. Your pics of castaway cay are so green. We had just had a hurricane go through a couple weeks before we were there and everything was brown from the salt water. DH and I tried out the hot tubs. He said what do you think would happen if that glass in the bottom broke. I simply said, "shark bait". Can't wait to read more!

Yes, CC was in great shape. Our first two DCL cruises were in November, and on our 2005 visit, CC had been slammed by several of that season's hurricanes. It probably looked the nicest it ever has for us on this trip.

Shark Bait! That's funny. Wait, no it's not.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

A few more, and then we move on . . .

Hold. the. phone.

"Camp counselors come around and collect the kids"

Dang. So DH and I could eat dinner and talk in complete sentences? While on vacation?

We were toying with the idea of doing a Disney cruise with DD for our 10th anniversary next summer. I think that idea just grew legs.

And thanks for the pics of the hot tub of death. I think I could deal with the Aqua Duck cause you're moving pretty quickly, though.

Your DD is the perfect age for a Disney cruise. Word on the street is that the kids love the clubs on board so much that some parents hardly see their kids on the cruise.

The hot tub of death is not scary at all. With the jets going, you can't even see the glass panels below. I know what they were trying to do here, but in my opinion they missed the mark on these hot tubs. On the Magic and Wonder, the hot tubs are right next to the pool, and you can sit in them and watch the Funnel Vision. Not so on the Dream, as the hot tubs are shoved over to the side of the deck for the hangover effect.

And you are right about the Aqua Duck, it goes by so fast, you don't even realize that you are hanging hundreds of feet above the ocean in a flimsy plastic tube.

Happy Birthday to Mrs. TCD!

Add me to the list of people who would love to go on a Disney Cruise.

OK, you're on the list.

Are the best cruise prices found on the DCL site directly?

I used to think so.

The deal used to be that if you booked far in advance, you would get the best deal. And, if a better deal came along after you booked, like at WDW, they would honor that if you asked.

Not so anymore.

On other cruise lines, the best deals were "last minute" deals, where you book a month or even weeks before you cruise. The cruise lines need to fill their ships, and that's how the other ones have always done it.

It seems like Disney has now adopted the other cruise lines' methods. There were "last minute" deals on our cruise that offered much lower rates than what we paid, but they were only for new bookings. I understand why Disney and all the other cruise lines do that. But, it is a major shift on Disney's part. They are never going to get an early booking and the required huge deposit from me again.

The whole cruise thing can be confusing, as there are so many cabin options. If I was a cruise newbie, I would definiitely go with a travel agent. A good one will get you the best deal. Disney isn't going to hand over the best deal to you anymore.

On the Aqua Duck, the part that goes out over the side is right at the beginning and it's over before you realize it. I totally missed it the first ride.

True. My first rides were at night. The Aqua Duck is lit up like a late 70's disco at night. I couldn't see much outside the tube.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I think it's time for an update.

So, here we go!

It's still Saturday morning.

We haven't been on the ship for 24 hours yet.

But, boy are we having fun!

We are on Castaway Cay, baby.

Next on the agenda is snorkeling.

I hauled my own gear from home.

That is allowed.

And, for us, it isn't a big deal.

Since we drive to the port, I just load all the beach stuff into an extra duffel bag. They bring that to my cabin, and I keep it under the bed. No problem.

But, why haul my own gear?

It costs $25 a person to rent the gear on Castaway Cay. If you can multiply, you can see what it might cost old TCD if everyone wanted to snorkel for both of our CC visits. And, we already have our own snorkel gear, so why not? More money for drinks.

So, we headed over to the snorkel lagoon.

It's big.

All together now: "How big is it?"

Twenty two acres.

That's not a typo. 22 acres! Holy moly, it's big!

And, to make things interesting, they have all kinds of stuff sunk in the lagoon for you to find when you snorkel.

Like statues of Mickey and Minnie.

And treasure chests.

And, my favorite: one of the old subs from WDW's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction.

This part of the report should have magnificent photos of all of that.

But, that POC (I would say POS, but this is a family site) Fuji camera had just died on my after the Pelican Plunge.

So, we have no snorkel photos to look at.

If we did, it would be of a bunch of fish, and some blurry blobs of things under the water.

But I don't have any photos.

And, I don't care.

Go with the flow.

After the snorkeling, it was time for lunch.

It had almost been three hours since we had a thing to eat.

Poor us.

But, after the girls consulted the Navigator (that's the daily schedule you get on the ship) we found out that there was some other important business that had to be addressed before lunch.

Namely, a character dance party.

Who doesn't love a character dance party?

The TCD girls love any dance party, characters or not, so we had to go.

We were still using those Wave phones at this point in the trip, and the oldest TCD DD had alerted us that she was on the way off the ship, so we told her to meet us at the main gazebo, which is where the dance party would commence shortly.

We made it to the gazebo just as things began.

The party began with the ship's captain coming out to kick things off:

Check this out.

If your kids love to interact with characters, this is where you want to be.

If a kid ran up and tried to hug Mickey like that in a WDW park, I think he would get tazed. Or worse.

But, here on the island, it's totally OK, mon!

It's the Bahamas, mon.

Minnie came out right behind Mickey and the dance party was on! Check out the dad there shaking his groove thing. I call him a dad, because I assume he had kids somewhere there. Otherwise, that might be creepy. The thing is, he didn't seem to have any kids with him at the time. Whatever, mon, it's the Bahamas:

To get the party started, Minnie started a conga line:

Check out my man, Frank:

You may remember that the LOF had start a conga line on it. Frank tried to say that him joining in this poor excuse for a conga line counted. I set him straight. No cutting corners on the LOF!

The party continued with some line dancing.

The TCD girls excel at line dancing.

I believe this is a photo of that old standby, the Cupid Shuffle:

This is how the TCD girls roll. If there's a dance party, they're there. And, they know all the dances. Their participation is always appreciated by the castmembers, because the want people dancing at the dance parties. This usually leads to good interaction with the castmembers, and by the time we are finished, they are on a first name basis with them. It happens at the Fort. It happens on DCL cruises. That's where that become BFF's with a castmember came from on the LOF.

Next thing you know, we hear, "Who Let the Dogs Out," and out comes Pluto:

Perfect.

Who knew, but Pluto ended up being a buzz kill.

The party wrapped up right after he came out. MIckey and Minnie used the distraction to slip away, and just like that, the party was over.

Which was fine with me, because that meant it's time for lunch.

I wasn't hungry, but they closed the lunch buffets at 2 pm, and I was getting worried that I might have a slight hunger pang.

It turns out that I was wrong about lunch being next.

I had forgotten about the crab races.

Yes, I said crab races.

Today, there were actually two crab race events on the island.

We had missed the first.

We could not miss the second.

We are old pro's at this.

We have never won, but we are still old pro's.

So, we had to haul butt over to the new gazebo for the crab races.

Why?

Because when there is any kind of contest on the ship, we need to participate.

The LOF said we needed to win a medal.

That's a proud tradition in the TCD family.

It goes way back to the early days of our cruise history.

Way, way back.

Before DCL even existed.

Once upon a time, Mrs. TCD and I had a group of friends that we used to cruise with. We would find a great deal on a three night cruise out of Port Canaveral, and dump the kids with grandma, and go have a fun weekend with our friends. Then the deals stopped being as sweet, and the kids wanted to go, and our vacation budget got spent on family trips, and those quick cruise trips stopped. But, back when that used to happen, we would usually sail on a Royal Carribean ship. And, they had a private island. And, they used to have volleyball tournaments. And award medals to the winners. And we had a secret weapon . . . Mrs. TCD. You read that right. Mrs. TCD was our secret weapon. You see, before she became Mrs. TCD, Mrs. TCD was a big time athlete. She was the female athlete of the year at her high school. The male athlete of the year went on to play in the NFL. Mrs. TCD went to college on a volleyball scholarship, and then became Mrs. TCD. But she still has it. She has a volleyball serve that cannot be returned. If it couldn't be returned by NCAA athletes, it certainly could not be returned by a bunch of half drunk ham and eggers on a three night RCCL cruise. So we always won the volleyball tournaments. It was fun. We didn't have to do much. Just get the serve back, get Mrs. TCD the ball, and stand there and watch the fun.

What was that?

Pics or it didn't happen?

OK,

Here is an old pic from the TCD archives- that skinny guy in the middle with the 'stache is TCD. Check out the medals:

So, when the TCD gang began to sail together, we always tried to win medals on the DCL cruises.

They used to give medals out for ping pong tournaments. And they had a crazy legs contest for the men (which I am undefeated in thank you). But, these events seem to have fallen by the wayside, and the medals are harder to come by.

I think they used to award medals for the crab races, so we had to give those a try.

And here we are.

Only 8 families get to participate, so it's first come first served.

We got there in time to claim a crab.

Here's ours:

He (or she?) looked fast enough, so we were ready to go.

While we waited, Frank struck up a conversation with Jerry. Remember Jerry? He was the first castmember we met on the ship just the day before. Here he was at the crab races. And the girls had run into him the night before on the ship. The girls decided that he would be their BFF, and they had shown him the LOF.

Frank showed Jerry the LOF too.

Do you remember that there was something on there about holding a DJ like a baby?

Did you wonder What the Fort that was about?

Well, there is a story about that too.

Back on our 2005 cruise, we met a very popular castmember who went by the name Pikey. On our CC day on that trip, we ran into Pikey on the beach, and Twin #1 wanted a photo. So we posed for one. Right before Mrs. TCD snapped the photo, Pikey jumped into my arms. I don't know why, but he did. And that ended up being one of our favorite photos from the cruise.

What's that?

Pics or it didn't happen?

OK:

There's the famous TCD 'stache again, and 10 year old Twin #1.

Good times.

So, when Twin #1 made up the LOF for this trip, she put hold a DJ like a baby on there.

Frank asked Jerry if he was a DJ.

Jerry said sort-of.

Then Frank asked if he could hold Jerry like a baby.

What's that?

Pics or it didn't happen?

OK:

I don't know about you, but that picture makes me LOL!

I like how Jerry is holding a crab.

While all this is going on, the other castmember there calls BS.

She says Jerry is not a DJ.

She said she was, and she could prove it.

I said how?

She says look, it's on my ID card.

I asked if I could take a photo.

You know, pics or it didn't happen?

She said sure, take a photo.

And I did.

Her ID card had her last name, birthdate, and her ID number on it. I can't believe she let a strange old man take a photo of it. But she did. She said don't post it on the internet or anything. And I said too late to tell me that now. So here it is. But, I did remove her last name, birtdate and other info. I have to post this to prove that she is, in fact, a DJ:

And then I said, please hop into my arms.

And, much to my surprise, she did:

Check.

I told Frank he had been p'owned.

He knew it too.

He had held Jerry like a baby for nothing.

Luckily for him, Laura was very accommodating.

So Frank was able to check this off his LOF too:

But, once again, bragging rights to TCD!

Are we having fun yet?

Where were we.

Oh yeah, the crab race.

Jerry thought it would be funny to shove the crab in the oldest TCD DD's face:

And he was right.

At last, it was time for the race to start:

And here they go:

They dragged this out for a long time.

There were three preliminary heats, and then the finals.

I'll make a long story short and tell you that our stupid crab didn't even make it to the finals.

Fail.

But, the winners didn't get medals.

They got a gift bag with DVC stuff in it. I think it was hats and pins. Not bad. But no medals.

Go with the flow.

Finally, it was time for lunch.

Truthfully, I wasn't hungry, but the buffet ends at 2, and at that point in the cruise, I thought I possbily might get hungry, so we ate.

Here we are enjoying our meal together:

Whoops, I cut Nancy out of that photo. Here's another:

The only one missing from that one is me. But, that's my tray there next to Mrs. TCD.

Since I had the camera out, I got some shots of the girls. Here's the oldest DD and her BFF:

The twins were at the end of the table, so they asked me to pass the camera. I later found about 20 photos like this on the camera. I'll just give you a few so you get the idea:

Like I said, there were about 20 more photos like that.

Rotten kids.

We finished up with lunch right around 2.

Boy, this day was flying by.

We had to be back on the ship by 5.

So what's next?

We decided to chill at our base camp for a while and discuss the rest of the afternoon.

That's where we headed next.

Does anyone remember all those clouds?

So far, they all kept passing by.

Do you think our luck held out?

You will find out in the next update.

TCD

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

Caught up on the last 3 updates. I got way behind when I lost power yesterday!

The food looks awesome.

6 duck rides in one night! Jealousy reigns here.

Castaway Cay looks awesome. Definitly need to take the fam on a cruise at some point.

Updates are fast and furious! Keep them coming!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

You certainly are getting it all in. Crab races? Dance parties? Buffets! Wow. And it's only lunch time.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

1. The stache is a bit scary

2. what is wrong with your legs

3. those girls crack me up!

4. the stache is still scary...

[stefa70 205]

Best update so far.

I love the Cupid shuffle!

Mrs TCD is an animal! Who knew? If she was a dude, I'd say she was a stud, but since she's a lady that won't work.

Stud - ette?

I would love to see her kick some a$$ in volleyball. :bravo:

Now, let's move on to the hunky, young, mustached TCD....

*insert catcalls here*

And how awesome to see twin #1 as a 10 year old. I have seen her make that very same face/pose in recent pictures.

I think everyone should post old pictures. It's neat to see how much people have or haven't changed.

I will now forgive you for leaving me home. I'm proud to be a part of such a great family. ^-^

[mgsmom 9]

Fun times at CC!! Your girls are so funny. Sorry your crab didn't win. At least you didn't miss out on a medal!

So impressed with Mrs. TCD - she rocks! Talented people are very fortunate. And she obviously was able to look beyond your pictures of kitties mustache to fall in love with the inner you... so she's deep, too. ;D

Looking forward to hearing how that weather pans out for you!

ETA: lookie there - I've been edited - cause you know that didn't say "pictures of kitties" mustache when I typed it LOL- I guess I should have said your prawn mustache...

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Caught up on the last 3 updates. I got way behind when I lost power yesterday!

The food looks awesome.

6 duck rides in one night! Jealousy reigns here.

Castaway Cay looks awesome. Definitly need to take the fam on a cruise at some point.

Updates are fast and furious! Keep them coming!

Well, I hope that your power stays on and that you don't fall behind again.

It's not good to fall behind on a TCD trip report. You might never catch up.

Castaway Cay is awesome, and there are a lot more photos from there coming. I would say we have another two updates to go before we get back on the ship.

You certainly are getting it all in. Crab races? Dance parties? Buffets! Wow. And it's only lunch time.

Welcome to my world.

That's how we roll.

There isn't any relaxation on our vacations.

1. The stache is a bit scary

2. what is wrong with your legs

3. those girls crack me up!

4. the stache is still scary...

You obviously are too young to remember the 80's. That was a normal, respectable moustache when I grew it. I am a creature of habit, so I kept it longer than I should have. It had to go when it started to turn white. I was going to look like Captain Kangaroo.

Best update so far.

I love the Cupid shuffle!

Mrs TCD is an animal! Who knew? If she was a dude, I'd say she was a stud, but since she's a lady that won't work.

Stud - ette?

I would love to see her kick some a$$ in volleyball. :bravo:

Now, let's move on to the hunky, young, mustached TCD....

*insert catcalls here*

And how awesome to see twin #1 as a 10 year old. I have seen her make that very same face/pose in recent pictures.

I think everyone should post old pictures. It's neat to see how much people have or haven't changed.

I will now forgive you for leaving me home. I'm proud to be a part of such a great family. ^-^

Thanks, Stef.

I'm glad to hear that you have forgiven me for leaving you behind. Now, I just have Rocky to contend with.

Fun times at CC!! Your girls are so funny. Sorry your crab didn't win. At least you didn't miss out on a medal!

So impressed with Mrs. TCD - she rocks! Talented people are very fortunate. And she obviously was able to look beyond your pictures of kitties mustache to fall in love with the inner you... so she's deep, too. ;D

Looking forward to hearing how that weather pans out for you!

ETA: lookie there - I've been edited - cause you know that didn't say "pictures of kitties" mustache when I typed it LOL- I guess I should have said your prawn mustache...

Hey, Hey, Hey.

Like I said above, that is no prawn moustache. That is the same moustache lots of guys had in the 80's. And the 90's even.

Oh, and while I was bragging about Mrs. TCD, I should have mentioned that she is a heck of a softball player too. She used to play in the coed team with our church. She would pitch, and they could not lose. On the remote occasion when someone would hit one of her pitches, she played pretty good defense too. And don't even get me started about her bat. She had to hang up her cleats after the twins came.

TCD

[shoreline99 137]

That 'stache would rock with the fedora and glasses. All you need is the pastel Don Johnson jacket to go with it.

Great report - we've talked about doing a cruise/park trip some day, so this is all new to me.