50 Years, 9 Nights, 5 Beds and 1 Big Fat Mistake

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Love Me Tender...NOT

 

It's Coco Cay day!!!!

 

Coco Cay is the private island used by Royal Caribbean.  We enjoyed our stop at Castaway Cay two years ago on our Disney cruise, so we figured this should be enjoyable.  Let's find out if it was!  

 

Now, unlike Castaway Cay, which has a deep water dock giving direct access to the island, Coco Cay is a tender port.  That means the ship anchors off shore and you take a small boat, or tender, to the island.  No big deal, right?  

 

Being a tender port means there is room to anchor more than one cruise ship.  And on this day, we had company.  

 

We first noticed the other ship while eating breakfast.  This joker thought I was taking HIS picture.  As if.  

 

 

 

 

I believe that is the Grandeur of the Seas....the ship Lynn posted about yesterday.  Grandeur is a sister ship to Enhancement.  

 

Here comes one of the tenders to bring folks to the island.  

 

 

We decided to head to the island.  We were told that they don't have towels on the island, so if you want them you need to take them from the ship.  And to do that, you need to check them out with your room card, and then return them upon your return to the ship or else you'd be charged.  That was honestly a bit of a pain, but we did it.  After getting our towels, we headed to catch a tender.  Only it wasn't that easy.  You disembark on Deck 1, but there was a line on the stairs.  It went all the way up to Deck 4.  Oy!  It seems a lot of people wanted to go to the island, and the tenders can only run so quickly.  An announcement onboard had said that the prime time to disembark was 10:00, and we were well ahead of that time, but I guess the announcement must have spurred a lot of people to go then.  So, it took awhile.  A long while.  But eventually, we were in position to see this.

 

 

And we got onboard, sitting on the bottom level.

 

 

Here are some shots of the ship as we were pulling away on our way to the island.  

 

 

 

There is the Grandeur again.

 

 

We proceeded toward the island, and then from behind the Grandeur we saw another ship.

 

 

What the Fort!  

 

Were there going to be THREE ships on our island today??

 

A closer look reveals this to be a Norwegian ship.  And NCL has a private island that is adjacent to Coco Cay.  Their's is called Great Stirrup Cay....and coincidentally, the original name for Coco Cay was Little Stirrup Cay.  Regardless, the NCL ship is at a different island.  

 

Another shot of the different ships.  

 

 

In just a few minutes, our tender was proceeding into the lagoon where we would be docking on Coco Cay.

 

 

Uh oh.  Did you notice those clouds in the last picture?  Those could spell trouble for us.  We'd better hurry and see the island while we can.  

 

 

We arrived and decided to check out the Adventure Ocean kids club.  I forgot to mention in an earlier update that Anna had visited Adventure Ocean on board the ship for a short time the afternoon before and had enjoyed herself.  During Coco Cay day, the AO staff moves to the island.  As Anna does NOT do well on beaches (remember the Poop Castle?), we thought we'd see if she wanted to play in the kids club.  So we set off following the signs.  It was quite a hike to the far side of the island, and all of a sudden the signs were no longer seen.  We figured we'd just missed it, so I asked someone.  He pointed us all the way back to the beginning where we left the tender.  So we hiked ALL the way back.  We get back to the village area near the dock and again ask someone....who points us ALL the back to where we had just come from!   :banghead:   We walked all the way back, and I still couldn't find it.  Finally, I saw a small fenced in area set back from the beach with a pavilion and a few picnic tables.  It wasn't much, but the staff members that Anna had liked the day before were there so she went to them.  They were doing a craft so we decided to leave her for a bit so we could check out the water.  

 

Here is the kids area....I didn't get a picture but this one was taken from beyondships.com.

 

 

 

We walked to the beach closest to the kids club, and the sky looked like this. 

 

 

I left INC on a lounge chair and took Stella and Izzy into the water.  And then the sky opened up!  And there was lightening hitting a bit too close by for comfort, so we got out of the water, and went to get Anna.  We decided this was just not working out, and that we'd enjoy ourselves better on the ship.  Remember....it's not like we are beach people anyways.  

 

But before leaving the island, we did want to get our older girls set up with snorkeling equipment so they could stay and enjoy themselves.  We met back up with Gwen and went to get equipment for her and Izzy, as well as two of their cousins.  We found the snorkel shack and there was a line of unhappy looking people.  It seems they had an issue with the equipment.  A lot of folks...even ones who has previously reserved equipment, weren't getting any.  This was not going to end well.  They said they did have some equipment rented out, and that people could check it out after it was returned.  There was a very long waiting list, but we put our name on just in case.  And INC had brought a pair of goggles from home that she left with the girls, so at that point we left them to stay and to eat the BBQ lunch on the island, and we headed back to the ship for lunch as BBQ isn't our thing.  

 

On our way to the tender we saw some chickens and roosters.

 

 

 

Now we know where the BBQ comes from.   :rofl3:

 

Also, Anna wanted to pose for some island pictures.  She was being goofy.

 

 

 

 

 

And with that, we boarded a tender.  Our oldest went back with us (me, INC, Stella and Anna).  We left the camera back with Gwen as it's an underwater one and she wanted to get some fish pictures....which I'll share in the next update.  

 

So, our trip to Coco Cay was pretty much a disaster.  But we weren't too disappointed....not our thing anyways.  INC loves spending time on the ships, especially when most people are off of it.  So we headed back, had lunch at the buffet and went to the pool.  The only problem there was, they were having laundry issues onboard and had no pool towels.  I guess most of them went to the island, and the rest couldn't be laundered.  I asked when they'd have some, and they said at least 2 hours.  So no drying ourselves off after using the pool.  But it was warm enough out that it wasn't a big deal.  Just annoying.  

 

So far, day 2 wasn't great.  If probably didn't help matters that I was tired from being awoken at 3am.  Could anything make this day better?  Was the entire cruise going to be this way??  

 

Stay tuned....

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Booo for bad weather. Yay for Anna liking the kids club.

We didn't have to check our towels. They were handing them out everywhere. Weird.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

Look at Anna working her modeling skills. You go Anna!

[GOBA Mom Lynn 18]

Yes, that's my ship.

I believe your cruise was a week after ours, and the Grandeur alternates itineraries.  We went to Bermuda, the other week it does the Bahamas, with stops in Port Canaveral, Nassau and CocoCay, I believe.

That NCL wasn't the Dawn, was it?  It was in Bermuda when we were there.

[LONE-STAR 370]

Just got caught up. Nice phone calls. Hope the trip gets better. If not I understand. Once your accustom to vacationing with Disney everything is compared to it and most fall short. I had a travel agent tell me if I wanted to take a cruise make sure Disney was your last one because the rest don't compare. I wish I had done a Disney cruise when they sailed out of Galveston last year but It didn't work out due to vacation time off. We had already spent 3 weeks at Disney because we had AP.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Booo for bad weather. Yay for Anna liking the kids club.

We didn't have to check our towels. They were handing them out everywhere. Weird.

 

The towel thing was weird, as on the DCL private island they have towels everywhere.  I am guessing it's because this was a tender port and they couldn't roll those huge bins of towels off the ship onto the island.  Was Labadee a tender?  If so, maybe they contract with a Haitian company to do it?

 

Look at Anna working her modeling skills. You go Anna!

 

She's a ham!

 

Yes, that's my ship.

I believe your cruise was a week after ours, and the Grandeur alternates itineraries.  We went to Bermuda, the other week it does the Bahamas, with stops in Port Canaveral, Nassau and CocoCay, I believe.

That NCL wasn't the Dawn, was it?  It was in Bermuda when we were there.

 

I think it was the Gem, which sails from NYC.  We saw it in Port Canaveral the day we boarded....the itineraries from New York include an Orlando stop at Canaveral, as well as Great Stirrup Cay.  And it had a bunch of tacky gem stickers on the hull.  (tacky IMO anyways).

 

Just got caught up. Nice phone calls. Hope the trip gets better. If not I understand. Once your accustom to vacationing with Disney everything is compared to it and most fall short. I had a travel agent tell me if I wanted to take a cruise make sure Disney was your last one because the rest don't compare. I wish I had done a Disney cruise when they sailed out of Galveston last year but It didn't work out due to vacation time off. We had already spent 3 weeks at Disney because we had AP.

 

My sister took a Disney cruise out of Galveston a couple Thanksgivings ago.  She really liked it.  

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

So far.....i think my first cruise (whenever that is) will have to be a DCL cruise.

I am not liking your experience thus far.

They could at least offer you a platter of warm cinnamon rolls.

The Anna pics are awesome however.

The club looked like a couple tables surrounded by colored fencing. Was there anything else to it?

[MinnieMom 4]

A quiet morning, a cup of coffee, a DIT trip report, and pictures of Anna. Is there a better way to get caught up with Fort Fiends? ( I think not.) And Dave, I am sending you a long distance high five for the phone prank! Awesome! Looking forward to more.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

So far.....i think my first cruise (whenever that is) will have to be a DCL cruise.

I am not liking your experience thus far.

They could at least offer you a platter of warm cinnamon rolls.

The Anna pics are awesome however.

The club looked like a couple tables surrounded by colored fencing. Was there anything else to it?

 

Nope....that was pretty much all there was to it.  But, I'll say our experience onboard the ship with the kids club was MUCH better.  I'll talk about that at some point.  

 

 

A quiet morning, a cup of coffee, a DIT trip report, and pictures of Anna. Is there a better way to get caught up with Fort Fiends? ( I think not.) And Dave, I am sending you a long distance high five for the phone prank! Awesome! Looking forward to more.

 

Thanks!  Glad you are reading along, and thanks for commenting.  

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Love the Anna pics!

 

That's really weird about the towels.  We always have beach towels in the cabin that we can take to the pool or the islands.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Love the Anna pics!

 

That's really weird about the towels.  We always have beach towels in the cabin that we can take to the pool or the islands.

 

They had a table set up on Deck 3 where you had to sign out towels for the island.  And then when you returned them they counted them and scanned your room key to make sure you had brought them all back.  Was kind of a pain.  For the pool, they had a counter on the pool deck where you could get towels.  No issue there....other than the afternoon they didn't have any.  

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

No, Labadee isn't a tender port. It used to be, but they built a dock a few years ago.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

No, Labadee isn't a tender port. It used to be, but they built a dock a few years ago.

 

That's right....I remember that from your report now.  I bet that's why they have towels there.  

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

Boy that sand must be pretty potent...Anna looks even bigger in those last pictures! What a cutie!

 

I have to say I'd be pretty peeved if I had the day you guys had. Hoping it gets better. 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Boy that sand must be pretty potent...Anna looks even bigger in those last pictures! What a cutie!

 

I have to say I'd be pretty peeved if I had the day you guys had. Hoping it gets better. 

 

I know...she does look big in some of these pics.  She's certainly sprouting....but compared to kids her age is still a peanut.  

 

While our Coco Cay day didn't start out too well....I have a foolproof method for fixing bad days, so all is going to end well.  

[DaveInTN 3,247]

When we last left off, INC and I had brought Stella and Anna (and our oldest) back to the ship, and I'd left my camera with Gwen, our 16 year old.  It's an underwater camera, which I'd actually bought for our last cruise on the Dream.  So, this next batch of pictures is courtesy of her.  If you don't like pictures of fish....well, scroll quickly.

 

Underwater Selfie

 

 

Some fish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's enough fish pictures.  Without snorkeling equipment it wasn't easy to see too much.  

 

Fortunately, they had a much better snorkeling experience the next day and saw tons of cool critters.  Unfortunately, she didn't have the underwater camera with her for that.   :banghead:

 

In any case, they enjoyed themselves on the island without the adults getting in the way. 

 

The classic Sandy Foot shot.

 

 

More storm clouds approaching.  

 

 

It did rain again on and off throughout the day.  

 

Kind of a cool picture showing the beach and a row of palms, with a ship in the background.  

 

 

 

I think that was the Grandeur in those last shots.  And here is the Norwegian ship again.

 

 

They ended up not staying on the island for the BBQ lunch either....my kids don't really eat BBQ either so they headed back to the ship to hit the buffet.     

 

 

 

They arrived back on the ship and joined us on the pool deck.  We almost had the place to ourselves!

 

 

The sky was still threatening.

 

 

Check it out.....empty pools!

 

 

Well, not empty any longer.

 

 

So as I mentioned earlier, the morning had not gone as well as hoped.  But we were back on the ship, had a nice lunch at Windjammer, and were enjoying a nearly empty pool deck.  But there was still something missing.  

 

Oh yes...a trip to the bar!  

 

I went to get INC a frozen concoction, and a beer for myself.  We don't drink a lot of alcohol, and don't drink any soda, so a drink package didn't make sense for us.  But I did want to enjoy a beer now and then, and the prices weren't terrible.  I ordered a Blue Moon, and then saw that they have buckets of 5 beers for $20.  $4/beer ain't half bad!  And they leave the caps on so you can drink them at your own pace.  This bucket lasted me 2 days.  

 

 

The bartender even gave me a cup of orange slices for the beers, and replenished my ice whenever I needed it.  Can't complain about that!  And you know what?  My day got a whole lot better.   :rofl2:

 

I sat in a lounge chair for a bit watching the big screen.  They played the most unusual entertainment on their big screen during the daytime.  On this day, they were tuned into a strange Canadian reality show.

 

 

Yes, the show was as bad as that picture makes it seem.  And it was surprisingly risque for daytime on a family cruise ship.  I'm glad Stella was paying no attention.  

 

A few more people were trickling onto the pool deck by early afternoon.  Check out the hair on this lady.

 

 

And this pair caught my eye.....not so much the woman in the floral skirt but the individual to her right.  Check out that tramp stamp!  

 

 

A close up of my babies. 

 

 

You may notice a short bottle peeking out from behind the right side of the bucket.  That's a Red Stripe.  I actually asked the bartender to give me 4 Blue Moons and 1 Red Stripe, and to pop the top on the Red Stripe for me to drink right away as they aren't twist offs.  Sounds like a brilliant plan, don't you think?

 

Here is an artistic shot down the side of the ship.  I hope you appreciate that I had to lean slightly out the window the get this.  Keep in mind I hate boats and wouldn't normally get anywhere near a railing or open window.  Guess the beer gave me some bravery. 

 

 

And looking down.  The water color was spectacular.

 

 

I have to be at or near the picture limit, so let's stop here.  

 

Coming up....RV On The High Seas!!

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

A bucket of beers makes every day better. Brilliant!

Looks like everyone had a good day.

[LONE-STAR 370]

So you don't like the beach or boats and you took a cruise. Well I bet your having the time of your life. But keep the updates coming.

[disney4dan 68]

Just caught up on this - great TR so far.  Too bad about the early morning wake up call by the neighbors, but I like your idea of revenge.  Did it escalate?  Did they get tossed from the ship?  Enquiring minds need to know!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

A bucket of beers makes every day better. Brilliant!

Looks like everyone had a good day.

 

Yep, I enjoyed myself.  

 

So you don't like the beach or boats and you took a cruise. Well I bet your having the time of your life. But keep the updates coming.

 

I was waiting for someone to point that out.  If Lou read trip reports I'd have expected it from him.  But well done!  LOL.  

 

Just caught up on this - great TR so far.  Too bad about the early morning wake up call by the neighbors, but I like your idea of revenge.  Did it escalate?  Did they get tossed from the ship?  Enquiring minds need to know!

 

It did not escalate....but their asshattery did not exactly end either.  The last night of the cruise they were in the halls yelling in the middle of the night.  It woke up INC's family, but I slept through it as it was a bit further down the hall from me.  Funny things is, as we were leaving our cabins at the end of the cruise they were in theirs with the Do Not Disturb sign on the door.  Yeah, I'm sure Royal Caribbean won't mind you sleeping your hangover off while they are trying to get the ship prepped for the next guests.  Idiots.  

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Just got caught up with the updates you posted over the weekend.

 

Sorry about the weather on Coco Cay.  I don't like the whole towel thing you described- what a pain.  I wonder how much you get clipped if you don't bring a towel back? 

 

That's a great deal on the bucket of beers, and I like how they don't open them all.  That definitely makes things better.

 

Gwen did a good job with the underwater camera.

 

I don't think asshattery is a word.  Or I need a more advanced spell check.  One or the other.  If it's not a word, it should be.  It conveys the meaning you intended perfectly.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Nice job on the bucket of beers and empty pool!

[jmaul 65]

Nice update.

 

Empty pools for the win.

 

Two beer related comments.  That bucket would have lasted me 20 minutes and always carry a church key.....

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Just got caught up with the updates you posted over the weekend.

 

Sorry about the weather on Coco Cay.  I don't like the whole towel thing you described- what a pain.  I wonder how much you get clipped if you don't bring a towel back? 

 

That's a great deal on the bucket of beers, and I like how they don't open them all.  That definitely makes things better.

 

Gwen did a good job with the underwater camera.

 

I don't think asshattery is a word.  Or I need a more advanced spell check.  One or the other.  If it's not a word, it should be.  It conveys the meaning you intended perfectly.

 

TCD

 

The towel thing was definitely a pain.  It's odd that they have different procedures on their various ships.  I understand there being a difference on Labadee as they dock there, but Gwen described a different thing altogether where they left towels in the cabins.  Strange. 

 

And yes, asshattery is definitely a word.  Whether it passes muster with Mrs TCD is another matter.

 

Nice job on the bucket of beers and empty pool!

 

Even when it rains, it's good to be DIT.

 

 

Nice update.

 

Empty pools for the win.

 

Two beer related comments.  That bucket would have lasted me 20 minutes and always carry a church key.....

 

I'm not a big drinker, so 5 beers was plenty for me for a couple days.  As long as I have an ample supply of water, I'm good to go.  On a rare occassion when we're camping I might have 3 beers in a day.  But then I'm too tired to do much that evening. 

[Helmsey......Todd 134]

 

 

I sat in a lounge chair for a bit watching the big screen.  They played the most unusual entertainment on their big screen during the daytime.  On this day, they were tuned into a strange Canadian reality show.

 

 

 

 

At first glance I thought that was Gary Busey in drag...

 

 

 

That stinks that the island left a little to be desired, but I think the bucket of beer and pools to yourself more than made up for it.