Day 16 - At Last - Castaway Cay

After a stormy day at sea, we were excited to see the sunshine for our day at Castaway Cay.  The Disney Wonder had attempted to dock at Castaway Cay for the past two days, but the stormy weather had made it impossible.  The captain had warned us there was a chance the seas could still be too choppy,  but he would give it his best shot to get us into port.  And we got there three hours earlier than scheduled.  We would have a full day on the island.

Since Castaway Cay, Disney's private island, was our last stop, we wanted to enjoy it to its fullest.  After a quick breakfast at Topsiders, we headed out to the family beach to secure our spot for the day.  Ken had planned to treat the boys to a parasailing trip while I held our spot (and got a little more sun).  It was awesome seeing Ken and the boys high up above the island in the parachute.  We took lots of pictures both on the parasail and from the ground.  The menfolk returned to our base it was time for lunch.  Disney brings all the food to Cookie's BBQ and serves a huge buffet lunch.  They even had Mickey Ice Cream Bars; a real treat since they hadn't had them on board all summer in Europe).

After lunch, Ken took a nap while  Peter and I headed out to snorkel out in the lagoon.  Every trip to Castaway Cay, the snorkeling gets better.  This time there were lots of fish and many varieties.  Since it was later in the day, it took awhile to get out to the clear water (the murky water was due to all the sand kicked up through the day).  The beauty of seeing 30 feet below through blue emerald sea water never ceases to mystify me.   When we got back, Ken was off to ride bikes the boys were off to their club activities, and I just had to finish up working on my tan.

We were surprised when the lifeguards announced the beach would be closing in 15 minutes.  Kaleb and Peter came back and helped me pack up our gear, but Ken had just left for his bike trip.   We got everything together and decide to rinse off the sand before heading to the bike drop off to wait for Ken.  We waited and waited.  The beach was closed.  Families were coming in off the bike trail.  We only had about 30 minutes before the ship sailed and we were on the other side of the island waiting for Ken.  Finally, we asked one of the families and they said they hadn't seen anyone else on the trail.  So we let the bike tender know to tell Ken we were headed back to the ship.  Since I had his passport, I didn't think Ken could get back on without us.  Ken also had Peter's card to get back onto the ship!  We just couldn't wait any more.  We started the trek back to the ship.

We were amazed at the wildlife emerging as the crowds receded.  The cutest lizards were scurrying across our path with the curly q tails to follow.  You could smell the amazing fauna as we walked. How had I missed that lovely scent in the past?  We got to the end of the tram route and decided to wait there for Ken.  I sent Peter ahead to the ship just in case we had missed Ken.  At this point I was really concerned for his safety.  And there he was!  Ken was waiting at the ship for us wondering where WE were!  It was so good to find each other again (even though we were a bit grumbly)

Day 15 - Our Final At Sea Day

We were beginning to realize our trip was slowly coming to an end.  What our biggest concern was how to get everything BACK into the five bags we brought on the trip AND make sure we included everything we bought.  I do attempt to back lightly.  We wore pretty much all the close we brought plus I did laundry three times on the trip.

After being on board ship this long, you develop a routine.  It's funny how much we crave a routine, even on vacation.  I was still waking up early in the morning.  I decided to get up at 2:30 AM to do one last load of laundry so we'd have enough underwear until we got home.  As I was sitting in the hallway outside the laundry room (it was down the hallway from our room), one of the room hosts came out to check on me.  He wanted to make sure I was okay.  I told him I was doing laundry and there were no chairs in the laundry room.  He smiled and left me to my book and laundry.  A few minutes later, another room host came down the hall and asked if I was okay (maybe the other guy's boss??).  Again, I expressed I was just waiting for my laundry and their were no seats in the laundry room.  He nodded and continued on his way.  Then, a few minutes passed and an officer (they wear whites) came to check on me (the last guy's boss???).  She politely explained she had requested chairs for me so I could sit inside the laundry and wait.  She apologized for the missing bench as she didn't know it was missing!  After all this cruising time and many folks doing laundry (and missing the ole bench) we finally had something to sit on (besides the floor) while we waited for the laundry.  I got back to bed at 4 AM.  

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and reading.  The kids were enjoying the activities in the kids clubs.  It was another excellent day at sea on the Disney Magic

Day 14 - Exploring Tortola

I couldn't sleep and rose early in the morning.  We were just approaching Tortola.  It was a lush island and lightly populated; only 25,000 people versus the 100,000 in Madeira.  There didn't seem to be a level spot on the whole island.  Mountains and rolling hills rose straight up from the sea.  The colorful homes peppered the hills side cantilevering out like they were trying to get a better view of the bay.  

It is fascinating to watch as the ship arrives at a new port.  Such a large vessels glides into place snuggled up to the dock.  I was excited we did not have to tender into Tortola.  It's always nice to get on and off the ship right on the dock.  Makes it easier to make more than one trip.

We hadn't be able to reserve an excursion, but we wanted to do some snorkeling.  After another lovely buffet breakfast at Parrot Cay (Peter was consuming a massive amount of Mickey pancakes with whipped cream every morning), we disembarked to see what adventure we could find.

[5741]Ken went to the tourist desk and we found a taxi that took us to a quiet beach for the day.  We were blessed to be with Ducky Williams (a famous Disney animator) and his family.   We did our best to let them enjoy their family time.     When we arrived, we realized we'd forgotten to bring towels from the ship.  Nice thing about the Caribbean, you really don't have to have a towel!    We swam and snorkeled (there weren't many fish close to shore) and generally enjoyed the day at Garden Bay [5708]  It was a relaxing day at the beach.  Ken enjoyed a special lunch of conk fritters and I managed to purchase the last beach towel available.

[5781]The ride to and from the beach was breathtaking and hair raising.  Our driver explained the road used to be a donkey trail!  It would have been tough even on the donkeys.  We basically drove straight up and the drove straight down including a few hairpin turns requiring honking to make sure no one was coming around the bend.  Did I mention they drive on the LEFT side of the rode (Tortola is part of the British Virgin Islands)?  I didn't realize how ingrained the directions we drive is in our psyche.  I hung on to the hand grip tightly and tried not to call out when we were swerving into the wrong lane. We found it amusing that most of the taxis were stick shifts, too.  

As we were driving through town, our driver was explaining about the protests going on.  The folks were protesting a conglomerate taking over the water distribution on the island.  Local folks want to keep the contact with a local company instead.  Amazing to find peaceful protests in such a small place as Tortola.

When we made it back to the ship, we were ready for showers and some time to relax before dinner.  Next we had our last day at sea.

Day 13 - Let's Shop in St. Maarten

After five days at sea, Ken and I were ready to put our feet on some dry ground.  St. Maarten was our day to shop.  There are great deals on jewelry and electronics to be had in the Caribbean and St. Maarten was one of the best locations.  We had been there previously, but just to shop.

We started the day early to take full advantage of all the available shops.  Kaleb and Peter volunteered to stay on board and enjoy the kid activities.

Our goal this trip was to trade up on my wedding band.  We had gotten a diamond ring for me (my first) five years ago, but I wanted to get something that was more everyday and something in white gold.   Ken was on the hunt for a new watch.  Now this might seem like an easy process.  We had researched costs for what we wanted in the states so we wouldn't get taken advantage of, but Ken's favorite part was all the bargaining.  We probably visited a dozen different watch stores before Ken found one that would give him close to the price he wanted to pay.  We're never concerned about walking out and did it quite a bit.

We also found electronics were reasonable there.  This was new from previous trips.   I had been wanting a small video camera to use for an upcoming conference.  I was happy to get a good deal on a Sony Bloggie.  AND I got a free 8 GB card with it, too (it's why I took the deal).

After we returned to the ship, we had to get ready for Pirate Night.  This is a huge celebration.  Folks dress up in elaborate pirate costumes (we had yet to follow that trend).  After a great show on deck, we enjoy the fireworks show at sea.  It's always a treat.

Days 8 – 12 Days at Sea full of Rest and Relaxing

Instead of going into the mundane details of each day, i thought I’d list some of the fun things we got to do while relaxing and eat great meals:

Brunch at Palos – always a special treat for Ken and I to enjoy the adult restaurant for their special brunch

Lots of Dodgeball and Basketball – The boys have been playing on the top deck.   It’s quite a challenge with the winds blowing the ship motion.

Enjoying the clubs – Kaleb is in the teen “The Stack” and Peter is in the “Ocean Quest” (for the last time).  Both groups have lots of activities, video games, and parties.  The group of kids on board is much, much smaller than normal.  Kaleb has about 36 teens (and only 4 boys).  Peter has a bigger group and a really nice set of guys to hang out with this trip.

Movies – We have a movie theater on board.   We’ve seen  Toy Story 3 in 3D, Prince of Persia and Sorceror’s Apprendice.  DCL even debut a new movie, but we didn’t get to it.  If a new Disney movie comes out while onboard, you can see it at the theater.

Ladies Tea – Palos offers another special treat – Afternoon Tea.  Since I’m surrounded by men, I’m thankful for the DISboard ladies who planned a large group tea for us (otherwise I’d have to go by myself).  It’s a great time to get to know some of the other ladies on board and enjoy the lovely scones and tea sandwiches with a big pot of tea.

Reading time – One luxury with so many sea days is time to read a FEW books.  Ken and I have both gotten through a number of books on this trip.  We chose different location.  I spent my time on deck getting sun while Ken would be in the cool of the coffee shop.  It’s nice to get through some of the books I’ve been wanting to read.  Love having the Nook this trip.


Anniversary Celebration at Palos and more - Disney does a great job making your special days even more special.  Kaleb and Peter managed some great surprises.  First, we had HAPPY ANNIVERSARY on our door.  Our room steward, "P," made a lovely towel cake.  Both boys did lovely cards for us as well.  We celebrated with the singing of Happy Anniversary at dinner with the boys the night before.  On our Anniversary (26th), Ken and I went to Palos for dinner.   Dinner was off to a great start with some warm bread that turned out to be a box containing a beautiful necklace (way to go, Ken!!).  Probably the best wedding anniversary celebration ever.


Daily dips in the hot tub - Ken enjoyed getting into the not-so-hot stainless steel hot tubs each evening after the adult areas cleared out for the first dinner rotation.  It's become a tradition of sorts from past Disney cruises.  Ken likes to wait until he can have a hot tub to himself (or maybe with just me).  


Ralaxing in the Rainforest - With a long cruise, it's worth it to purchase a cruise pass to the Rainforest room.  Located in the spa area of the ship, the Rainforest Rooms offer multiple wet and dry saunas,  aromatherapy, and amazing heated, tiled stone chairs.  Since I was sharing the room with all men, it also offered me a refuge to change and get ready for dinner each night.  By choosing 2nd seating for dinner, I would often have the place to myself.  What a luxury.


Ping-pong with Dad - Ken and the boys daily played quite a bit of ping-pong and fooze ball.  The tables are on the deck with the pools.  Between the wind and the rocking to the waves, playing these games offers a unique challenge on board.  Ken and Kaleb also palyed a bunch of basketball, too.

Character Breakfast - There is no lack of getting great pictures with ANY Disney character while onboard.  The character breakfast is a special breakfast where all the classic characters (Mickey, Minnie, etc.) are brought around to each table for family photos.  AND you get to where a napkin on your head.


Fabulous shows and adult entertainment - Disney out does itself with entertainment on these long voyages.  In addition to the regular broadway style shows, they bring in variety acts throughout the trip.  The nice thing about the variety acts is they would also do a late night adult show, too.  We went to the new Villians broadway show which was a treat.   Ken and I had a great time at number of variety acts.  We loved the comedy, but my favorite was the Musician/Comedian.  His show was taking request from the audience for songs they'd like him to play.  From Lady Gagga to Jimmy Buffett, it was great to see his intrepretation.  Even better was the audience sing-a-longs.  Amazing how many songs we all knew the words to . . . LOL.


The days at sea crossing the Atlantic were amazing.  We traveled about 25 miles per hour the entire time.  I thought the trip would be rougher with higher seas, but it was nearly calm the entire way across.  Each day would start a bit cloudy and they brighten up with sunshine.  It was odd not seeing land for five days.   It made me wonder how Christopher Columbus had done it.

Day 7 – A Toast to Madiera

First of all, I thought Madiera was a tiny island off the coast of Portucal.  It is not.  It is a series of rather large islands (think Hawaii and Cuba) off the western coast of Africa.  Northeast of it is the Azores and southeast is the Cape Verdes.  Madiera was discovered by Henry the Navigator in the 1400’s!!  It was beautiful, but very packed in at Funchal, the capitol city.

The boys had no desire to get off the ship and since I hadn’t done a good job of planning for each stop,  Ken and I agreed to let them stay on the ship while we explored the island.  We were sad we did this later.  We got off the ship (again fortunately docked without tenders . .yeah).  We picked up a taxi into town instead of walking about 2 miles or so JUST to get to town.  It was a lovely old world and compact town.  One of the interesting things about these island shopping areas in Europe is that they’re not just geared to tourists.  In fact, it can be difficult to find quality t-shirts at all.  These are the downtowns used by the residents mostly with the occasional ship making port.  Quite a bit different then the ports in the Carribean. 

After walking through town, we discovered the cable car up the mountain I’d read about (now I said I didn’t do MUCH research, but I did do some . . ..)  The cable cars here are nearly brand new.  We rode up the mountain looking into backyards and front yards along the way.  We were struck by how many shiny solar panels with stainless steel  tanks were posed on top of the terracotta roofs.  We also saw lots of cisterns; a common sight in an island home.   Madiera had some severe mudslides in the spring.  There was signficant evidence of washed our roads and reconstruction along the way. 

At the top Ken and I took a break to enjoy the view.  Sometimes it’s just nice to sit with a cup of coffee or tea and just soak it all in.   It was a bit cloudy.  What amazed me was how far out to sea we could see.  You could see the different waves far out, but you couldn’t tell where the sea ended and the sky began.  We spent a little time walking around, but decided not to do the garden tour.  We did finally find a touristy shop so we could buy a few things (like Madiera wine).  After about an hour, we took the cable car back down the mountain.

We wandered around town a bit longer,took a walk in a park,  and then took a cab back to the ship.  The rest of our day was spent relaxing on the ship and eating another wonderful dinner.  We’d be doing a lot of this for our next FIVE sea days!

Day 6 – Day at Sea

Even though we were at sea, this was to be a busy day.  I particpate in the DISboards prior to our cruise.   DISBoards (www.disboards.com) is a forum for all things Disney.  We had a specific thread going (actually turned into about 10 threads over 2 years) to chat about the cruise.  Our group setup a number of private activites onboard.  The first was a wine tasting.  I enjoy learning all the different aspects to quality wine.  It was a fun group, too.  We tried three white, three reds and a champagne.  The class flew quicly as I had another activity right after- jewelery making.   I’ve always wanted to learn how to make those beautiful necklaces and earrings.  Corrine brought the tools and we had purchased the pieces from her prior to the cruise.  I made a couple of cool dangles with Tinkerbell and Mickey Mouse.  Then I got started on my necklace.  We ran out of time quickly.  Guess I’ll have to finish my necklace at home.  It was a terrific introduction to jewelry making.  Next it was time for the boys to do their first online Latin class onboard.   Internet service on satellite can be hit or miss.  We were blessed to get through most of the class before things got spotty again.  Doing schoolwork was not a top priorty for the kids, but we were thankful they only had to do one class.  Many other children were spending a lot more time doing school work.

The rest of the day was prety much the same . . . relax, read, sun, eat a good dinner, enjoy a good show.