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

[fortpartyof4 108]

That sushi has peaked my interest in more ways than one. First, I really like sushi. Second, I can slap some on a hook and fish for more. How cool is that? Oh, and the pink drink, dude you almost had to give up your man card.

hahaha I thought the same thing! Between that and admitting riding a tube with another dude! (Not that there is anything wrong with pink drinks or water rides with friends - I enjoy both very much!)

His saving grace are all of the photos of Mrs. TCD! And she is indeed, a SCF!!

[mgsmom 9]

Awww! I :heart: Monsters, Inc. When DD was about 2, she looked just like Boo! And acted like her too.

Love the doppelganger antics! LM is my DH's favorite movie. Sounds like you guys had a great time hanging out on the ship for the day. That is totally something we would do to avoid the mass of humanity that comes with Disney sometimes...

Thanks for the tip on the bikes. DD would probably be okay - she is a hot weather girl like her momma. We were at Carowinds today all day at close to 100 degrees and I had to DRAG her out.

That New Yorker drink is hysterical! You carried it off well, though. My DH might not have been quite so sporting. Good for you!

[Lou... 3,118]

Did you see the photo he posted of you in his TR?

I went back to check it out and that is me. Wonder how MD knew where I lived.

[Dollface...CindyC 18]

It's 4am and I'm finally caught up! This really looks like a Dream vacation.

I'm a morning person too.

[Seals 111]

And I see this is generating a lot of views. And a lot of those views are from Guests.

Guests=Lurkers.

Nothing wrong with lurking.

We all probably started out that way.

But to you lurkers out there, I have a special request: please register and join this site.

We are just shy of 900 members here.

900!

That's pretty awesome.

And, it would be a real honor to me if a lurker or two joined and posted on this report.

It's free.

It's fun.

So do it!

I am following your request because I'm enjoying this trip report, as I have many other trip reports by you and many others. Enjoying this one so much that I too am considering making reservations for a cruise.

Actually, when I went to register I discovered I already had registered about a year ago and forgotten so I'm not technically a "guest" but definitely a lurker. Unfortunately (and the reason I haven't really posted before) I don't have time to do a real introduction right now. Full time job, 3 kids (including twins!), yada yada.... In my eventual introduction I will mention my first trips to the Fort in 1974 and 1977, which gives you a clue why I'm such a fan of the Fort and all things Disney. Also, a clue that I'm kinda old. Although I was only a teenager during those trips.

Anyway, I wanted to "de-lurk" temporarily at this point and I will try to post more after finishing a couple of big projects at work (which I'm using this TR as a break from at the moment) and a vacation, which will include a trip to the Fort (cabin this time for the first time for us usual tent people). I will try to do a TR but I have to warn that with 3 teen/tweens who I remind daily not to reveal any personal information on the internet, especially to strangers, it will have to be a stealth report. I'm also a very poor photographer.

Interruption over. More TR, please.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

I'm so glad you ventured out of Lurkdom!

[Live4FW 30]

Welcome back Fiend!

[caveat lector 181]

Seals...welcome to the wonderful world of a TCD TR. I bet TcD will be thrilled that he brought another member into the fold.

[caveat lector 181]

I like your plan to skip Nassau. That island did nothing to enhance our trip last time, so we stayed on the ship during the next stop there. It was AWESOME to have the ship to ourselves!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

We have a cruise planned in Feb. Since it is only three days, we plan to spend the Nassau day on the boat having fun.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I don't Nassau would be up my alley either, especially dragging the kids through it. If I went on a cruise, I'd consider skipping it and just enjoying the ship. Or at most getting off and walking around for an hour.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow, a lot more comments!

Here we go:

Yep, I love that one! (I also love all the others, but this one especially!) I've been on a lot of Caribbean cruises and always enjoy seeing photos. Happy families enjoying the sunshine and the indescribably blue water. Great meals and shipboard fun. Wonderful service. Love the towel animals and the servers' tricks. I'm having a serious case of cruise withdrawal here ...

I love all those things about cruising, and we all agreed that we need to plan another one soon.

The bad thing for me is that we are now spoiled by DCL. There are so many better deals on other cruise lines, but I can't see us going on one of them without spending the whole cruise comparing it to DCL.

Wow! This report is flowing pretty good at this point.

1. Love the Toothpick Fork Photo

2. I think the Twins should have showed Ariel how to use the dinglehopper.

3. my head is spinning at the amount of photos you have posted in the last few days.

Thanks.

This report is speeding along.

And we aren't even to the half-way point yet.

Plus, we are about to rewind for a minute to look at some photos from the night I wimped out. I forgot that my oldest DD had some photos from that night.

Great report Andrew just hard to keep up with.

You think it's hard to keep up with?

Try writing it.

I understand go with the flow. BUT my flow would never get going at 7:15 a.m.

i have to agree the Outlook Lounge is pretty bland, do you think they may use it for receptions? That would make sense to me, keep it neutral so it doesn't clash with the bride and groom.

7:15 is late for me. I hadn't seen a sunrise yet. Not to worry, I worked on that.

I think you're right about the Outlook- it looks like it is more for special events and meetings than a regular bar. DCL can't seem to get this right on their ships. The Magic and Wonder used to have an ESPN sports bar in the mid-ship smoke stack. Then they made those into the teen club. This space could be put to much better use.

Whew, caught up! Glad to know I don't have to try to find my Dixie Landings mug if I decide to go. Dixie Landings was the first resort I stayed at, kind of sentimental!

Your girls are just awesome. I have noticed that about Fiend kids, they are so much fun! Like Leslie's kids with their funny faces and here are yours with funny faces, a LOF and a dinglehopper!

There is a special place in my heart for Dixie Landings, too. That is the first resort we stayed at with our oldest daughter, way back before the twins were born. It was brand new then, and we have been hooked on WDW ever since.

Yeah, my girls are awesome. There's never a dull moment.

What? No mingling with the Bahamians?

I :heart: Monsters Inc.

Boo!

Kitty!

It was a tough decision for me to not get off the boat. I love to mingle with the Bahamians. Seriously. We have always had a story to tell when we have gotten off the ship on our past cruises. But, it's also a hassle, and it was bound to be really crowded with so many ships there at the same time.

Great Update......again.

Not going into Nassau and staying on the boat seems like a good choice.

I have always heard there is so much to do on the DCL ships that you do not need to get off at some of the ports to have a great time.

Everyone always says Castaway Cay is the exception to that though.

Good job winning the first round and getting to pick the type of movie. Type of movie? Medal? What's the difference?

I like how you think.

At this point in the cruise, Jerry knew that we were on a quest to win a medal. But, picking the type of movie didn't cut it.

As far as getting off the ship in Nassau goes, this is the first time we didn't. I am glad that we didn't. The ship is so nice, and Nassau is so rough, I am sure we would have been thinking the whole time that we should have stayed on the ship.

Whew, finally caught up.

I really want to go on cruise. My eldest is now going to start saving up. 24 hour FREE room service convinced him he needs to gain 24 pounds.

Glad that you're caught up.

Because we will be moving ahead again soon.

That 24 hour room service is hard to beat.

That sushi has peaked my interest in more ways than one. First, I really like sushi. Second, I can slap some on a hook and fish for more. How cool is that? Oh, and the pink drink, dude you almost had to give up your man card.

Don't tell anyone, but I lost my man card a long time ago. Three daughters will do that to you.

hahaha I thought the same thing! Between that and admitting riding a tube with another dude! (Not that there is anything wrong with pink drinks or water rides with friends - I enjoy both very much!)

His saving grace are all of the photos of Mrs. TCD! And she is indeed, a SCF!!

Geez. Everyone has to pile on about the pink drink.

It's not like I knew I was ordering a pink drink.

That thing cost $10.50, was I not supposed to drink it?

Good thing I didn't have my pinky extended.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Awww! I :heart: Monsters, Inc. When DD was about 2, she looked just like Boo! And acted like her too.

Love the doppelganger antics! LM is my DH's favorite movie. Sounds like you guys had a great time hanging out on the ship for the day. That is totally something we would do to avoid the mass of humanity that comes with Disney sometimes...

Thanks for the tip on the bikes. DD would probably be okay - she is a hot weather girl like her momma. We were at Carowinds today all day at close to 100 degrees and I had to DRAG her out.

That New Yorker drink is hysterical! You carried it off well, though. My DH might not have been quite so sporting. Good for you!

I'm sure your DH would have done the same as me. There is no way I wasn't going to drink a drink that cost me over ten bucks.

That is awesome that you had to drag your DD out of Carowinds! She would do fine on the bikes, then. But, y'all should teach her to ride without the training wheels. It took our oldest forever to learn, but the twins were barely four when they were able to ride bikes without them.

I went back to check it out and that is me. Wonder how MD knew where I lived.

Yeah, I thought that was you.

Rotten kids.

It's 4am and I'm finally caught up! This really looks like a Dream vacation.

I'm a morning person too.

Nicely done!

I am following your request because I'm enjoying this trip report, as I have many other trip reports by you and many others. Enjoying this one so much that I too am considering making reservations for a cruise.

Actually, when I went to register I discovered I already had registered about a year ago and forgotten so I'm not technically a "guest" but definitely a lurker. Unfortunately (and the reason I haven't really posted before) I don't have time to do a real introduction right now. Full time job, 3 kids (including twins!), yada yada.... In my eventual introduction I will mention my first trips to the Fort in 1974 and 1977, which gives you a clue why I'm such a fan of the Fort and all things Disney. Also, a clue that I'm kinda old. Although I was only a teenager during those trips.

Anyway, I wanted to "de-lurk" temporarily at this point and I will try to post more after finishing a couple of big projects at work (which I'm using this TR as a break from at the moment) and a vacation, which will include a trip to the Fort (cabin this time for the first time for us usual tent people). I will try to do a TR but I have to warn that with 3 teen/tweens who I remind daily not to reveal any personal information on the internet, especially to strangers, it will have to be a stealth report. I'm also a very poor photographer.

Interruption over. More TR, please.

Hooray!

A lurker has come forward!

Thanks!

I'd love to hear some stories about the way the Fort used to be.

And, any trip report is a good trip report. You should see my first trip report. I think it had one photo, and maybe two posts. So, please give it a try when you get back.

In the meantime, thanks. I really do enjoy the comments, especially from former lurkers!

I'm so glad you ventured out of Lurkdom!

Me too!

Welcome back Fiend!

Yes!

Seals...welcome to the wonderful world of a TCD TR. I bet TcD will be thrilled that he brought another member into the fold.

I am thrilled!

And I hope Seals jumps right in as a non-lurker!

I like your plan to skip Nassau. That island did nothing to enhance our trip last time, so we stayed on the ship during the next stop there. It was AWESOME to have the ship to ourselves!

As I said, it was a tough call.

I think it's cool to visit another country. And, we always have some kind of memorable adventure on Nassau. Not this time, though.

We have a cruise planned in Feb. Since it is only three days, we plan to spend the Nassau day on the boat having fun.

On a three day cruise, I agree with this strategy.

You are paying a lot of money to be on that ship. It is nicer than Nassau by a long shot.

I don't Nassau would be up my alley either, especially dragging the kids through it. If I went on a cruise, I'd consider skipping it and just enjoying the ship. Or at most getting off and walking around for an hour.

The nice thing about Nassau, is that you can get off the ship and walk around and go back in short order. We have done that. And we have ventured further, including heading over to Atlantis a few times. But, the ship is nicer than anything you will find on that island. No matter what you hear about the shopping, I promise you that you can find nicer and cheaper crap at your local flea market.

TCD

[fortpartyof4 108]

I was totally teasing. Which I really shouldn't do, given I've never met you, but do feel as if I know you from reading all of your wonderful TR's.

Your man card is very much intact, particularly due to all of those females in your house. Anyone who takes such good care of 4 women is more of a man than most! So drink all the "foo-foo" cocktails you want!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Sorry to do this, but I need to hit the rewind button on this trip report.

I have already moved on to day three, but there are some photos from night two that I didn't post.

Night two was the night that I wimped out and went to bed. The girls did some things on their own and ordered all that room service.

Well, it turns out that my oldest DD had some photos of these antics, which I was able to swipe from her Facebook page.

So, here we go.

The girls went together to a game show after dinner. It was in the family lounge, and was open to all ages.

It was called Mirror Mirror. It is based on the Snow White story, and involved teams competing against each other.

The Twins were chosen to be a team:

Apparently, at some point in the game, Twin #2 had to dress up like a dwarf:

Then there was a part where Twin #1 had to run around gathering apples- the blur in the center of this photo is Twin #1:

According to all accounts I have heard about this, the Twins won the game. But they got nothing for it.

Still no medals.

But, they didn't let that stop them from working on other items on the LOF.

The LOF says that we needed to explore the crew deck.

Frank and I had received some intel on that on CC.

Frank shared what we had been told at dinner that night.

The girls set off to see what they could see.

Does anyone remember a SNL skit from a year or so ago about the Disney Channel Acting School? Miley Cyrus was the host on that show, and played herself in the skit.

I couldn't find a copy of it on YouTube, but I did on the NBC site. Hopefully this link will take you there:

http://www.nbc.com/s...-School/1311340

If not, I will explain what is going on in the next two photos.

In the skit, Miley and Keenan explain how to act like a Disney Channel star. The say things like talking loud, disrespecting grown-ups, dressing in bright colors, etc.

Then they show certain classic moves. Like how to peek around a corner.

That's what the girls are doing here:

If you are familiar with the SNL skit, that photo is hilarious.

That's the girls spying.

At some point they ended up on the top deck. We had heard about a secret place up there:

But, it was guarded with one of these:

Those photos do a good job of showing how the Aqua Duck is lit up at night. I am not sure if I have any better photos showing that, as that POC Fuji camera had died, and I was not able to carry a camera on the AD on the night rides.

So, it was a no go on the exploring the crew deck.

How about gymanstics?

What's the story behind that, you ask?

Well, it is a TCD gang tradition to do cartwheels in the atrium.

Here's a photo from the archives showing TCD doing a cartwheel on the Wonder:

The LOF originally said that we needed to do cartwheels in the atrium, but Twin #1 changed it to gymnastics so folks would not be limited to cartwheels.

I missed the action on night two, but some of the girls earned bragging rights that night:

Where else can you do cartwheels beneath and expensive light fixture like this:

The room service came after all of the above.

I missed all the fun.

But, that would be the last time I let that happen.

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Fun update! sorry you missed all the fun. But I bet the girls had a blast on their own. My older girls don't typically like to leave our sides, even when we've encouraged it. Hopefully they can ease into that in the next couple of years.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Top Secret TCD Girls fun... now i'm off to watch that skit.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Fun update! sorry you missed all the fun. But I bet the girls had a blast on their own. My older girls don't typically like to leave our sides, even when we've encouraged it. Hopefully they can ease into that in the next couple of years.

The nice thing about a cruise is that it's a controlled environment and the girls can do a lot on their own.

Plus there are the clubs for your younger ones.

You ought to give a cruise some thought some time.

Top Secret TCD Girls fun... now i'm off to watch that skit.

Yes, watch that skit.

If you are familiar with the Disney Channel at all, it is very funny.

TCD

[MetalDad 33]

I agree, good call on the Nassau bit. We were there some years ago on the RCCL Sovereign of the Seas, looks a lot like the one in your photo.

We got to the open air market, and it was so packed, we turned around to head back to the ship.

We were stopped by all manner of panhandlers, telling my wife "braid your hair pretty lady?", one kid said he'd sing a song for a dollar, we got a half a verse of Happy Birthday To You!

We headed to the pool where they had a live reggae band and no people. Now I know for next time!

[mgsmom 9]

I know that skit - the girls nailed it! huh-freakin-larious! :rofl2:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

OK, the rewind is over.

Sorry about that, but there were some things on there that needed to be included.

Now, we are back up on deck enjoying our day on the ship in Nassau.

Mrs. TCD and I enjoyed the sun, and some beers.

Frank and Nancy and all the girls joined us for a while.

Eventually, people broke off to do some things.

A group went into Cabanas for lunch. They set up a big buffet every day for lunch. They have anything you can imagine in there, and probably some things you can't.

That's where the sushi was. A lot of the girls had that. Frank had some too. He told me he hates sushi, but he choked down a piece because he was determined to do everything on the list of fun.

Good man.

Mrs. TCD and I opted to dine at the quick serve place right there on deck. We went with the pannini sandwiches. I tried the bacon and brei sandwich. I couldn't finish it. Mrs. TCD asked me if I didn't like it. I told her that I never thought I would ever say what I was about to say, but there was too much bacon in the sandwich. Too much bacon? Trust me, I have never said that before. But, in this case it was true. I kid you not, there had to be a dozen pieces of bacon on that one sandwich. And it was salty. Maybe if I hadn't eaten a pound of bacon at breakfast that morning I could have handled another dozen pieces, but I couldn't at that time So that was certainly a first.

While we were lounging back on deck, I noticed some movement. For a minute, I thought that our ship was moving. But it couldn't be. It was only 2 pm. We were staying in port until 6. So, I looked again.

It turned out that the other Dream was leaving.

Was it something we said?

That was weird that they were leaving Nassau at 2 pm.

But, there they go:

Check out how they have hot tubs down there on that lower deck, along the rail. That's weird:

A lot of the Carnival guests were up top on their Dream to watch their sail away from Nassau:

And, there they go:

Them clearing out gave us a better view of the other two ships on this side of us:

The ship closest to us is the NCL Norwegian Sky, and the bigger one next to it is the RCCL Oasis of the Seas. Does the Oasis of the Seas look big to you? It should- it's the largest cruise ship in the world. How large? Well, the Dream holds 4000 passengers. The Oasis holds 6000.

We have seen the Oasis before on some of our previous cruises. It's a really nice ship, but I think the design is too boxy.

The other Dream's leaving also opened up our view of the Atlantis resort. Those big buildings over there are it. If you like gaudy casinos, that's your place. Otherwise, don't bother:

This NCL ship is interesting. It's small, but it has a nice paint job:

You see how it says "Freestyle Cruising" there on the side? :

That's NCL's thing. No dining seatings or assigments. You just eat when you want. I am not sure how that works, but that's their thing.

The afternoon passed quickly.

After a while, Mrs. TCD and I headed back to our cabin.

We found our pirate night supplies had been delivered:

The twins (and I) wanted to check out one of the activities on the ship that we had not yet checked out.

It's called the Midship Detective Agency.

It's a lot like the new Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom game at WDW. But, you just get one card. You are supposed to travel around the ship, and they have special paintings called Enchanted Artwork which interact with the card. There are two games, and a lot of clues. Once you gather enough clues, you solve the mystery.

This is where you pick up your cards:

We played one round of the game after picking up the cards. This is much more complex that the SOTMK game. There is actually some skill required. The plan was to check on the other stations later in the cruise, but we ran out of time, and never got to play again. I consider that a good thing- that we had too much to do on this cruise.

Tonight's "show" was a movie in the big theater. They were showing the new movie Brave. In 3-D. On a cruise ship. The twins and I had already seen it. My oldest DD and the rest of the gang had not. Twin #2 wanted to see it again. I saw that there was a game show going on in the family lounge, and it sounded like one that we had won on a previous cruise and been awarded a medal, so I said I wanted to go and try that. Twin #1 agreed to go with me to that. So, while the rest of the gang went to the movie, Twin #1 and I headed to Studio D.

This game was called A Pirate's Life for Me, and it was played the same way as on the Wonder.

Here we are in Studio D:

I got recruited to be the first mate. My captain is the girl next to me in the Cap'n Crunch hat:

This game is a lot of work. The captain and I had to lead our gang through a number of challenges such as a relay race with a mop, and we finished up with one where I had to try to catch gold coins in a bucket as they were tossed to me from our team. I happen to be good at this, and kicked butt on our last cruise with my mad coin catching skills.

But, it ended up that this game was rigged. I saw this coming a mile away. My counterpart on the other team was a 4 or 5 year old boy. He couldn't catch a thing in his bucket. So, the castmembers let him move closer to his team. Not a problem, I would still beat him. But then the castmembers started picking up the coins he missed and putting them in his bucket. So, we lost. Here I am taking my bows like a good sport, but I wasn't happy about this:

It ended up being no big deal, though, as they did not award anything to the winners here, either.

Geez, what does a guy have to do to win a medal on this ship?

Did you know that there is some kind of quick funny video at the end of the credits of Brave? Neither did I, so we had missed it when we went. Twin #1 got the bright idea of heading to the theater just to see the end of Brave. So that's what she did. I went back to the cabin to fetch Mrs. TCD, as we were supposed to meet everyone up on the top deck after the movie for some kind of pirate event.

On our other DCL cruises, all the Pirate Night stuff on deck happened after the last dinner seating. That is late. So, they now have something before dinner, and then the rest of it after dinner.

The before dinner thing is kind of lame, but we didn't know that at the time, so we went.

I was jealous that all those kids over there had swords, and I didn't:

This pre-dinner thing had some dancing. That was cool with the twins:

Mrs. TCD's bandana made her look like the ragedy Cinderella:

A lot of this show was projected up on the Funnel Vision. So we did a lot of watching:

At some point, we saw that Mr. Smee had bound up the whole crew and taken over the ship:

On the other DCL ships, Mickey shows up around now and saves the day. On the Magic and Wonder he arrives via zip line. He didn't on the Dream.

In fact, I don't remember how the captain got loose.

To tell you the truth, I didn't care. If they were so dumb that Mr. Smee was able to capture them, then they didn't deserve to drive the ship. Let Captain Hook do it, for all I care.

Bottom line is don't break your neck to see this early show.

Oh yeah, something else I remember- while this was all going on, people were zipping by on the Aqua Duck. We had been told it would be closed during this show until after the fireworks. We got bad info. Because it was open. And there was no line. Fail. Hopefully someone reading this can take advantage of this tidbit, because this would be an awesome time to ride the Aqua Duck.

So, with that strange deck party out of the way, it was time to go to our pirate night dinner in the Enchanted Garden restaurant. We are heading there next.

TCD

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

I will remember the tidbits about the Aqua Duck....

Sorry you were robbed of winning the game.. but at least they didn't give out medals.

I want to see Brave again... and I will not be getting up too early!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I am really looking forward to your Enchanted Garden pics. Hope you have plenty to share.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I agree, good call on the Nassau bit. We were there some years ago on the RCCL Sovereign of the Seas, looks a lot like the one in your photo.

We got to the open air market, and it was so packed, we turned around to head back to the ship.

We were stopped by all manner of panhandlers, telling my wife "braid your hair pretty lady?", one kid said he'd sing a song for a dollar, we got a half a verse of Happy Birthday To You!

We headed to the pool where they had a live reggae band and no people. Now I know for next time!

Wait, you went on Sovereign of the Seas?

So did we!

In fact, that was our first cruise.

In 1988! For our first anniversary.

It was brand new then, and the biggest and nicest cruise ship ever!

We sailed it again for our 10th anniversary. By then, it was doing three night cruises out of Port Canaveral.

We even sailed it again a couple of times after that.

I loved that ship.

Now, this kid who offered to sing for a dollar, is he one of these kids? :

We ran into them back in 2009. They offered to sing for us for $1 also. Each. I told them no thanks. Then they said, "But, it's Jesus Loves Me." I couldn't very well turn that down. So they sang. I gave them $2 each. Since I paid double I asked them to pose for a photo. The girls told them to make peace signs, and they didn't know how.

This all reminds me how much I love Nassau.

I should have gotten off the ship.

I know that skit - the girls nailed it! huh-freakin-larious! :rofl2:

Good, I'm glad you know the skit.

I LOL'd at those photos when I saw them.

They did nail it.

I will remember the tidbits about the Aqua Duck....

Sorry you were robbed of winning the game.. but at least they didn't give out medals.

I want to see Brave again... and I will not be getting up too early!

Good. Maybe you can ride it 20 times.

By the way, one of the lifeguards told us that the record was 110 rides on a four night cruise.

That is really something.

I am really looking forward to your Enchanted Garden pics. Hope you have plenty to share.

What's that supposed to mean?

Since when have I not had plenty of photos to share?

TCD

[Southern Blessings 4]

Okay, you talked me into registering and commenting too! ;D I have been lurking for a couple months because I don't have a camper and haven't been tent camping in quite some time, so currently I'm not even a camper. But reading all these trip reports has really got me wanting to go to FW, even if it's just in a tent. I miss Disney! It's been 3 years since we've been and I'm trying to save up so we can go in a few months. Not sure if we'll be able to stay at the Fort or not.

I am enjoying your trip report of your cruise! You have a great looking family and y'all are so fun! DCL sounds like a blast! I have only been on Carnival.