Day 17, 18, 19 - Princesses, Potions etc etc.

[BevS97]

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19


Holiday is nearly over, and time is running short, so I'm not reposting this in here just now, they are all on my blog.

[brummymummy]

Thanks for posting Bev it looked like you had a fab trip and ive really enjoyed reading it all

xx

[princess sally]

Just found your last few days! So glad your cruise went ahead, what with Irene being around, looks fab I think a Disney Cruise is definatley going on my holiday wish list for the future although my youngest suffers terrible travel sickness so it might be a good few years yet!

[BevS97]

Day 17


Day 17

So, todays the day we are due to venture out to sea, and really noone is sure what's going to happen. Many other cruise lines have cancelled or rescheduled due to Irene, but we've had no news from Disney.

We pack up and head along to the pier for about 10:20. When we get there the port officials won't let us in, they tell us we must leave the dock area and return after 11. We drive off towards Grills (where we had eaten a previous evening) to wait. At Grills we had spotted a sign 'Decorate with Fish', which we found amusing, so the Spencer's want to search for it. We find the sign, and sit and wonder for a while if we are going to get on our cruise, and then we decide to head back to the port. We get there about 10:45 and this time we are let in, and there are loads of people already there. What's that all about? We are confused but we don't let it worry us too much. We check in, and sign Molly up for the kids club, and then fairly quickly we are on board.

The atrium is really impressive, and it's a great way to board, from fairly boring terminal, straight into this amazing space.

We are directed down to the Enchanted Garden for lunch, and we have a couple of fun waiters who entertain us during our first meal. There is a lively atmosphere, everyone is relieved to be on board, as I think all the cruisers have been quite nervous about the weather. The buffet is good, and the desserts are particularly good. Dave wants to try a few so he has a waiter help him carry them back!

After lunch we have a little wander around the decks, and go and look at the kids clubs. They are really cool looking. I think the bigger kids are disappointed that they won't be hanging out here too!

It's not long until it's time to find our room, which is on Deck 2, very close to the Enchanted Garden. Whilst we are waiting to get in, a little girl on her second cruise is really excited telling the kids all about what they can do and how great it's going to be. It's really cute.

We go to the DVC presentation to try and score some free gifts. We do get a bag and a nice hat on the way in, but we don't manage to win anything interesting at all which is pretty disappointing. Katie and James are bored, so they head off to find the Edge and then meet us at the lifeboat check. When they meet up with us, it turns out the Edge was closed so they played some mini golf instead.

We start to unpack, and the kids go off to watch the Sailaway party. Due to the weather, it's being held in the main atrium. They come back waving streamers and banners, they have really enjoyed themselves. I'm quite impressed with the cabin, it's not huge but there is loads of storage more than at the Boardwalk which is quite impressive for a room half the size.

We get changed for dinner, and head around the corner to the Enchanted Garden. This is very pretty, it's based on Versailles and it changes from day to evening throughout the meal, although it has to be said this effect is so subtle we didn't notice until we left and then returned.

Dinner -

Molly has some soup to start, and then she decides she's full and doesn't want anything else, so I take her up to the kids club whilst we finish our dinner.
it's starting to get quite rough, and we are all over the corridors walking up there. Talking to some of the crew, some are quite blase, saying it's not at all bad, and others think it's quite rough.

After our meal, we take a look at the shops before heading into the theatre, and the general consensus is that it is indeed pretty rough. Sick Bags start appearing in strategic locations, and everyone is holding onto railings as they walk. We sit in the theatre waiting for the show to start, and the theatre curtain is swaying madly. I don't feel too bad, but Katie is feeling very green and eventually decides she wants to go lie down. We leave Phil in the theatre, and Katie and I go back down to our cabin. Our cabin is quite low down and she sits in the porthole and watches the waves and feels much better. The waves are quite impressive from the porthole. I don't think this is a particularly bad storm, but it's definitely not a millpond. Whilst we are in the cabin, we watch the show on the TV.

When the show ends, James comes down to the cabin looking for Katie, and Phil returns and suggests we meet up with Dave and Bev in a comedy bar. Katie is feeling better, so they go off to check out the Edge, and Phil and I head up to the bar area. On the way, we get a text to say Molly would like to be picked up, so I collect Molly and Phil goes to find the bar.

Molly and I decide to deliver our Fish Extender Gifts, so we set off around the ship looking for cabins. Molly is really into it, and dashes off ahead looking for each cabin and checking out all the fish extenders and magnets on the doors. We pass lots of other people doing the same which is quite funny. At one point we bump into Phil who reports the comedy show hadn't started yet, and so he joins us in his travels.

When we've completed our circuit, we return to our cabin and find we've got loads of little pressies too. It's great fun opening everything and we've got some lovely things. We also get some Castaway club presents, so we are amassing presents at a great rate.

I'd read a little tip about ordering milk and cookies to your room, so we decide to order some late night coffee and cookies, and just as it arrives Katie and James return. They've been to the Edge which was a bit quiet, so they went for Pizza and Ice Cream and some more mini golf. They have had a really good night and are full of excitement. We all sit and chat a while, and have some coffee and cookies, and eventually its time for bed.

Another one of those days where we've done nothing much but somehow never really stopped.

[BevS97]

Day 18.

I am rudely awoken by my phone informing me that it's fully charged. I don't know why it decided to ring to tell me this, but it did, and I wasn't best pleased!

I manage to get back to sleep, and the next thing I know the phone is ringing and the Spencers want to know if we are ready for breakfast. Umm no, we are all unconscious. We manage to rouse everybody and Molly is desperate to go swimming, so we put on our costumes and head up to Cabana's for some breakfast. We find a table near the pool and have some breakfast outside. Molly had 2 bites and declares herself done and ready to swim so she goes into the Nemo kids area which is lots of squirty water jets. Our table is right next to this area so she keeps appearing and waving at us periodically.

After breakfast we try and find a chair with a view of the pool so the kids can swim. in typical holiday fashion all sun-loungers are occupied by a pair of flip-flops or a towel, but no-one is actually sitting on them. Whilst we are looking we see Dave and Bev on the upper deck. We head upstairs to see them and when we get there, they've vanished. We're a little confused until we see them on the lower deck! We'd gone up one set of stairs as they came down the other!

We end up sat at a table without a view of the pool, and the kids finally get to go in the water. They have a turn down the Mickey slide and a bit of a splash. We are right near the drinks dispensers, so we have a drink in the sunshine and then the kids (and Phil) have a go on the Aqua Duck. This is extremely popular, so there's quite a long wait for each ride. They all come back and report that it's brilliant.

We are still heading for Nassau, but all Port excursions have been cancelled. We can see land ahead, and we watch the pilot ship pull along side and the pilot jump across! We decide to go up to the front of the ship and watch it dock. As the land gets closer, we aren't really sure what state we will find Nassau in. For the most part it doesn't look too badly damaged, but the Straw Market is completely destroyed. It is a fairly temporary structure and it looks like it has just been blown away.

After we dock, it's nearly time for lunch, so we drag the kids out of the pool and dress for lunch in the Royal Palace restaurant.
After lunch, Dave, Bev & Nicola decide to walk into Nassau and see if there are any stalls left, the kids go up to play minigolf, and we watch them for a while. When they are finished, they do a detective quiz around the ship, and Phil and I go for a coffee in the Cove Cafe. For a 'quiet' adult area, it's rather noisy as we are just through the screen from the pizza counter.

After we finish our coffee, we get a text from the kids to say they have done the detective thing. Dave and Bev are back from Nassau, so James goes off to find them, and we go back down to the room. We've got a couple of hours until dinner, so Katie decides to go up to the Edge and see w hat's happening, and we have a much needed nap.

We wake up from our nap, and get ready for Pirate night. By this point the presents are coming in thick and fast, and we've got loads of piratey loot to embellish our outfits. We get ready and head into the Royal Palace for dinner. This restaurant is for the Princesses and the waiters look very smart in their outfits.

During Dinner it is announced that we will not be going to Castaway Cay tomorrow, but will instead be returning to Nassau for the morning.

Molly has dinner and then declares herself tired and that she must go to bed. She's not going to be happy with the kids club or any alternative she wants her bed, so I take her back to the cabin whilst Phil watches the show and Katie and James go to see Pirates of the Caribbean. Molly puts the telly on, and we sit in bed watching Narnia. She doesn't appear to be remotely tired but she's quite happy to be chilled out in bed, and if I am honest, so am I. After an hour or so, Katie and James return, declaring their film boring, and then Phil returns from the Villains show. We all get ready and head up to Deck 12 for the fireworks. Molly has had a second wind and is now full of energy!

The fireworks are good, and the stage show with Captain Jack Sparrow is pretty impressive too. Captain Jack is really good!
After the show, I realise I am starving so we head into Cabana's for a late night snack. I have a jacket potato and a steak wrap and it just hits the spot.
After our 'nearly' midnight feast, it's time for bed.

[BevS97]

Day 19

The final day of our cruise, and we are getting worryingly close to the end of our holiday.

We are all really tired, this has been a good holiday but definitely not a relaxing one. Even with three weeks, we seem to have been on the go all the time. We all wake up slowly and make our way up to Cabanas for breakfast. I prefer the relaxed buffet for breakfast, rather than the formal dining room. There's loads to choose from, and it doesn't seem to be too crowded, probably because we are running late.

We decide to go into Nassau for a walk around. The kids aren't interested so Molly goes to the kids club, and Katie & James go off and do whatever it is 13 year olds do. I think they watch Cars 2.

We head off the dock and it's really quiet, we are the only cruise ship in and since we were in dock yesterday I don't think many people have left the ship. There are quite a few people offering taxis etc but they aren't too pushy. We wander along towards the Straw Market and it's quite sad. It's just devastated, it looks like they were already building a more permanent structure, so we suspect this one is just going to be demolished rather than rebuilt. The high street is very quiet, and we take in a few t-shirt shops, but really nothing takes my fancy. We end up in a small bar and I have a virgin Strawberry Daiquiri which is basically a Smoothie, the others have Beer. It is really hot in Nassau, particularly after the air-conditioned ship, so I decide to head back to the ship. Phil and I leave Dave, Bev and Nicola and walk back. We are almost back when the heavens open and we get drowned! It only rains for about 5 minutes, but we timed it just wrong so we got soaked!
We are on Deck 2, so it's very handy to get back to the cabin and get changed. Phil is talking about lunch but I am suddenly exhausted and can barely lift my head off the pillow, so he goes to pick up Molly from the kids club whilst I have a nap. I can't really nap as I am aware the host is likely to come in and do the room, but I rest a while and then decide to go and find Phil and see what's happening. I find Katie and James having some pizza on Deck 5 and whilst I am talking to them, I spot Molly and Phil across the atrium, they are doing a Detective game around the ship. Phil and I decide to go and get some lunch, so Katie and James take Molly to finish her Detective game. We go up to Cabanas and get some lunch. We are quite pleased to find Chicken Pie on the menu , we've all been craving a pie for a few days We take our food outside and sit on the deck in the sunshine, and it's all rather lovely. Pie and Chips, a cold drink, a gorgeous view. What more could you really want ?

After lunch, I text the kids and they are all watching the tv in our room, so we go down and retrieve them. We decide to go to an Animation class, and we all learn to draw Mickey and then Phineas and Ferb, The class is quite good, but the animators at MGM are definitely better artists, although I am not at all sure it makes any difference to my finished piece of artwork!

The big kids head off again, and we go back down to the cabin to pack. We have to be all packed by 10pm, and on our last cruise that caused a bit of a panic, so we want to be more prepared this time.
We manage to get mostly packed and Molly and I decide to go to the early showing of the evening show, as she has been finding the late show to late for her to enjoy.
The show is called Believe, and it's quite good. it's got lots of snippets from various shows in it, and of course a happy ending. I might even have had a tear in my eye by the end

It's getting late now, so we go back to the cabin and get dressed up for Formal night, then head into the atrium for a photograph. I'd really like a full family photo, and a Mickey photo, and a Minnie one, but we don't have time, so we opt for a photo with Mickey. We don't seem to have had many photos taken this time, which is a blessing for the bank balance, but also a little bit disappointing. On our last cruise we really struggled to choose which ones to buy , and we have the ones we chose on display at home. This time I think there will only be the one to choose from.
After the photo it's down into Animators Palate for dinner. They have this restaurant on the Wonder, but although the name is the same, the theme is quite different. This version has screens that come to life and characters speak to the guests. Crush asks us where we are from, and how we would say 'hello' in England. Dave tells him 'Good Afternoon, Sir', and Crush swims around the restaurant telling people that in England we say 'Good Afternoon, Sir' It's quite funny.
Molly heads off to the kids club after she's eaten, this routine seems to work well, she has her dinner whilst we have our starters, and then she goes to the kids club whilst we finish her meal.
The rest of the group go to watch the show, but having seen it earlier with Molly I decide to take some time out. I have a wander around the shops, but worryingly, I can't find anything I want to buy. I think I must be ill! After I've scoured the shops unsuccessfully, I pop up to see if Molly wants to leave the kids club. She's watching a movie and wants to stay there, so I leave her too it and return to the cabin for a break. Which is where I am now. In about half an hour, the show will be over and I will meet up with everyone, and then later tonight there is a goodbye party which we will all be going too.

[ThumperThistle]

The cruise sounds fantastic and your photos are lovely. I'd love to go on a Disney cruise

[Milner]

Cruise sounds fantastic lovely photos.

[disney owl]

the cruise sounds wonderful

[LDISNEYFOX]

Really enjoyed your cruise report, the photos are fantastic. I am so glad I booked for next year!