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

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

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. 

 

Oh, so now you're a choirboy?

 

What about those Green Death beers you peddle at the Fort?

 

One of those, and you're seeing talking moose and other hallucinations all night.

 

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

 

 

:rofl2:

 

Good one.

 

TCD

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

I've never taken a cruise, but I think I'd be inclined to skip the shore and enjoy the empty pools while everyone else is off. Looks peaceful. 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

I'm sorry you didn't have a great day at Coco Cay.  I've been there several times and always had a great experience.  But I've never been there when there were two ships docked at the same time.  It looked awfully crowded.  And I've never been there in the rain either.

 

By the way, the BBQ lunch on the island is hot dogs, hamburgers, all the fixings, lots of great salads and desserts.  I don't remember them serving barbecue.

[we3peas 12]

The towel thing compared to Disney was probably that no one lives on this island. The ferry over the morning that the ships come in and leave when the ships leave. No one is there to do the laundry so you need to take the towels with you. Princess gives you specific towels for just the beach and pool in your cabin but RCCL seems to make you check them out.

 

We are probably the only people who would NEVER take another Disney cruise. Our dd (she was 5) hated the kids club so we didn't get the alone time e were looking for. Also they are always the most expensive of any cruises we price. Plus they don't go anywhere we want to go anymore.

 

Love having a teenager for cruising (dd is 16 now) she leaves us a note where she will be and we get our alone time. She really likes the Princess teen clubs but hated the RCCL because it got taken over by the Brazilian teenage girls. She's had enough of that at WDW itself.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

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. 

 

To be fair....the issues with our day on the island aren't RCCL's fault (other than the sub-par kids club).  They didn't order rain, most people enjoy a lunch like that, and not wanting to deal with Anna eating sand isn't there fault either.  I think most people enjoyed their time on the island. 

 

Oh, so now you're a choirboy?

 

What about those Green Death beers you peddle at the Fort?

 

One of those, and you're seeing talking moose and other hallucinations all night.

 

 

:rofl2:

 

Good one.

 

TCD

 

But I never drink more than one Green Death.  Never.  I'm not sure I'd survive it. 

 

 

I've never taken a cruise, but I think I'd be inclined to skip the shore and enjoy the empty pools while everyone else is off. Looks peaceful. 

 

It is really nice having the quiet ship on those days compared to the craziness of sea days. 

 

 

I'm sorry you didn't have a great day at Coco Cay.  I've been there several times and always had a great experience.  But I've never been there when there were two ships docked at the same time.  It looked awfully crowded.  And I've never been there in the rain either.

 

By the way, the BBQ lunch on the island is hot dogs, hamburgers, all the fixings, lots of great salads and desserts.  I don't remember them serving barbecue.

 

Yeah, I think that's right.....hot dogs, hamburgers and the like.  We don't eat them so it was better for us to eat back on the ship.  The cruise line refers to it as a BBQ lunch....but I think they are referring to the overall cooking method, and depending on what part of the country you are from you might call the process of grilling meat "barbequeing" as opposed to the Southern definition describing BBQ as the TYPE of meat and the process involving smoking, sauce, etc. 

 

That's interesting about the two ships thing....I had heard it's not unusual for 2 to be there at the same time.  It's nice for you that you never experienced it. 

 

The towel thing compared to Disney was probably that no one lives on this island. The ferry over the morning that the ships come in and leave when the ships leave. No one is there to do the laundry so you need to take the towels with you. Princess gives you specific towels for just the beach and pool in your cabin but RCCL seems to make you check them out.

 

We are probably the only people who would NEVER take another Disney cruise. Our dd (she was 5) hated the kids club so we didn't get the alone time e were looking for. Also they are always the most expensive of any cruises we price. Plus they don't go anywhere we want to go anymore.

 

Love having a teenager for cruising (dd is 16 now) she leaves us a note where she will be and we get our alone time. She really likes the Princess teen clubs but hated the RCCL because it got taken over by the Brazilian teenage girls. She's had enough of that at WDW itself.

 

The kids club was definitely one aspect of RCCL that worked better for us than Disney.  The Disney club was TOO big, TOO crowded and TOO overwhelming for Anna.  And Disney required her to be in her true age group, whereas RCCL has a policy of accomodating special needs children in their functional age group, so we were able to place her with the 3-5 year old kids and that worked well. 

[jmaul 65]

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. 

 

Cheap date.

 

The 3 beer a day thing comes in at Defeated Creek, huh?

[lklasing 16]

Good updates, but bad partial day at the beach.  Good thing y'all aren't big beach people, or else that would have been a real disappointment.

 

The so-called kids club on the beach really did look kind of lame.  But the runaround that you got while trying to find it is what would have sent me over the edge - back and forth and back again, only to find what you found. 

 

But happily y'all were wise enough to head on back to the ship.  Things look remarkably better once y'all got back.

 

Very interesting about how RCCL accommodated Anna so much better than DCL.  So gtlad they were able/willing to place her with her real peers.  I'm somewhat surprised that DCL doesn't accommodate better than that.

 

Looking forward to more!

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

I'm loving this report...  Anne pics....   Dave's beautiful family..   plus in laws....  and a wealth of information on the comparisons of the different cruise companies and policies.   Bravo to RCCL for their special needs policies...   You would think a major corporation in children's marketing would have that figured out.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Cheap date.

 

The 3 beer a day thing comes in at Defeated Creek, huh?

 

You know it.  Defeated Creek is definitely a 3 beer campground. 

 

Good updates, but bad partial day at the beach.  Good thing y'all aren't big beach people, or else that would have been a real disappointment.

 

The so-called kids club on the beach really did look kind of lame.  But the runaround that you got while trying to find it is what would have sent me over the edge - back and forth and back again, only to find what you found. 

 

But happily y'all were wise enough to head on back to the ship.  Things look remarkably better once y'all got back.

 

Very interesting about how RCCL accommodated Anna so much better than DCL.  So gtlad they were able/willing to place her with her real peers.  I'm somewhat surprised that DCL doesn't accommodate better than that.

 

Looking forward to more!

 

I'm surprised about DCL's accomodations (or lack of) too.  I've sometimes wondered if we just talked to the wrong people on our cruise.  But I think part of the difference is that DCL's clubs on the Dream (and the Fantasy) are HUGE and kids of different ages flow back and forth throughout the club.  The club on our RCCL ship was small and had separate spaces for the younger and older kids.  And a very accessible bathroom which made it easy for Anna to use that.  

 

I'm loving this report...  Anne pics....   Dave's beautiful family..   plus in laws....  and a wealth of information on the comparisons of the different cruise companies and policies.   Bravo to RCCL for their special needs policies...   You would think a major corporation in children's marketing would have that figured out.

 

Thanks John!  

[DaveInTN 3,247]

RV On The High Seas!  

 

This will be a very quick update regarding something that made me laugh while showering.  

 

No, not THAT.  

 

I was standing in the TINY little shower, trying to rinse without spraying water all over the bathroom or falling over and taking the curtain with me.  And it occurred to me.  The showers on our ship were just like the shower in our RV.

 

Does this look familiar?

 

 

 

Tiny, right?  

 

And on this ship, they didn't provide bottles of shampoo.  They have a dispenser on the wall.  

 

 

You're probably thinking "hey, that's convenient!".  

 

I was thinking that too.  Until I tried to wash my hair with the shampoo.  I pressed the button, and the shampoo ran out like water, right through my fingers and down the drain.  So I cupped my hand and captured some, and then quickly slapped my hand up to the top of my head.  The shampoo quickly ran down off my head and over my face.  Thankfully I closed my eyes quickly, or it would have gone right in.  I'm not sure it would have hurt any, as I'm pretty sure it was pure water.  I tried again, slapping the shampoo on top of my head and immediately started scrubbing.  I think I scrubbed hard enough to develop one bubble.  That was good enough for me.  I considered myself clean.  

 

As I was standing in the shower trying to get my hair clean, it occured to me that Royal Caribbean shampoo should probably go on the DIT Scale when version 3.0 is released.  It's not SMB, but it's definitely worse than a Lou.  

 

Coming up....it's dinner time again!  Including Anna dancing pics!    

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Who's ready for dinner??  

 

We've reached that point in every cruise day when people have some drinks, loosen their pants and strap on the feedbags.  It's dinner time!  

 

We got cleaned up and headed back to the atrium (I haven't brought myself to calling it a Centrum yet) for some music and to meet up with INC's family.  The nice thing about cruising with a large group is that everyone can do their own thing during the day depending on their interests, but then we all came together every evening for dinner and shared a meal.  It was very nice.  

 

Me, INC, Stella and Anna were usually the first to arrive to hear some music.  Anna loves to dance.

 

 

 

Sometimes when she dances, she reminds me of how the kids on the Peanut cartoons dance.  

 

 

She made a friend this night.  These two became dancing buddies.

 

 

They look like they are plotting something.

 

 

I soon figured out what it was.  Anna bolted for the stage and went right up the stairs to join the singer.  

 

I don't have a picture of that because I was too busy running over to get her.  The singer didn't seem too amused...probably afraid the distraction would make her mess up the words.   

 

I blame that little girl.  I think she is evil incarnate.  

 

Soon, it was time to enter the dining room for dinner!  

 

Anna got her usual appetizer.

 

 

Don't know if you can read this, but here is an example of what the main dining room menus looked like.

 

 

Anna's entree....mac n cheese and fries.  

 

 

I think this was Stella's entree.

 

 

Someone had ordered the bisque....I had a taste.  I usually like bisque but this one was pretty heavy with the sherry.  

 

 

My appetizer....a chilled banana soup.  Tasted somewhat like a smoothie but was pretty good.  

 

 

For my entree, nothing on the menu was hitting my fancy.  I had read on cruisecritic before sailing that RCCL really caters to Indian travelers, and always has Indian entrees available during meals.  I asked our server, who himself was from India, and he broke into a smile and asked "you want an Indian meal?".  I asked for whatever vegetarian Indian meal they had that night, and this is what he brought me.

 

 

OMG!  Without a doubt, this was my favorite meal of the cruise.  The green curry and vegetables was so tasty, and the naan was perfect for sopping up the sauce.  I practically licked my plate clean.  Our server asked how I liked it and I told him.  He loved hearing that.  He told me that, on average, there are 300 Indian cruisers on every RCCL cruise.  They really cater to them.  I noticed that, in Windjammer, they had a special section set aside for "Indian Flavors" at every meal.  So I was able to get a few more tastes throughout the cruise.  

 

INC went with the pasta with pomodoro sauce from the main menu.  She loved this dish....I had it later in the cruise and really liked it too.  

 

 

Extra fries for Anna....note what kind they are.

 

 

Soon it was dessert time.  I passed on dessert, but got some decaf.  Here are some of the selections that other people tried.  

 

 

This was a lemon meringue tart.  

 

 

Some cheesecake and something else.

 

 

It was a great meal!  

 

After dinner, we walked off our dinner up on Deck 10 for a bit.  I had seen the sun rise up here this morning, and now I was being treated to the sunset.  

 

It's good to be DIT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INC and I donated another small amount of money to the slot machines, and then everyone met up at the Orpheum Theater for that evening's entertainment....which IIRC was a guy who juggles weird items and tells jokes.  He was actually pretty entertaining!  After the show, it was getting kind of late so we needed to get Anna to bed.  Our oldest was ready to turn in, so we went to put Anna in bed and Emma would watch her so we could stay out a bit longer.  

 

This was waiting for us in our cabin.

 

 

 

I'm not sure what that is, but it was cute.  

 

Our cabin steward was quite good.  You rarely saw him, but everything was always put together nicely, stuffed animals were laid out on pillows, he put fresh ice in my bucket of leftover beers....overall very good service.  

 

INC and I checked out the Latin nightclub for a little bit, went back to the casino briefly and had a walk on deck.  Before long I was tired though, especially since I'd been awake since 3am due to the asshats 4 doors down.  So we turned in.  

 

The next day was our stop at Nassau.  When we stopped there on our DCL cruise, we opted to stay on the ship to enjoy the AquaDuck in peace.  Would we get off the ship this time?  If so, would we be robbed in broad daylight??  Stay tuned!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Anna Dancing

Yummy Dinner

Sunset

Boleros (the Latin club)

I approve.

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

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

 

 

 

That made me laugh so loudly i scared my dh!  

Oh, so now you're a choirboy?

 

What about those Green Death beers you peddle at the Fort?

 

One of those, and you're seeing talking moose and other hallucinations all night.

 

 

:rofl2:

 

Good one.

 

TCD

Do you see the flying squirrel as well?  After all, what Bullwinkle without Rocky?  That's like Costello without Abbott!

[LONE-STAR 370]

Try the dessert you can't wait for MSB cinnamon rolls they are gone. You need to find a new sweet treat.

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

Great update.

Anna on stage and no pics? Fail

The sunset pics were gorgeous

[alexwyattmommy 181]

The Indian meal looks good.  I would have preferred that to the other photos so far.

That girl sure does look like she is egging Anna on.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Anna Dancing

Yummy Dinner

Sunset

Boleros (the Latin club)

I approve.

 

It was a good evening.  

 

That made me laugh so loudly i scared my dh!  

Do you see the flying squirrel as well?  After all, what Bullwinkle without Rocky?  That's like Costello without Abbott!

 

To be fair, the moose is not a hallucination.  Andrew should be backing me up....he saw it with his own eyes. 

 

Try the dessert you can't wait for MSB cinnamon rolls they are gone. You need to find a new sweet treat.

 

I guess you're right.  I'll try dessert the next night. 

 

 

Great update.

Anna on stage and no pics? Fail

The sunset pics were gorgeous

 

Oh yeah?  I think you have failed in that you didn't ask to see a pic of me scrambling to get to that stage and pluck her off.  

 

The Indian meal looks good.  I would have preferred that to the other photos so far.

That girl sure does look like she is egging Anna on.

 

It was SO good.  I haven't taken pics of the selections of the inlaws and INC's other family....they thought it was odd enough that I was taking pictures of my own food.  But their selections didn't vary much each night....shrimp cocktail and steak.  Night after night.  LOL.  

[jmaul 65]

Anna dance.  Steak fries.  Sunset.  Not bad....

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Anna dance.  Steak fries.  Sunset.  Not bad....

 

And the cutest picture of Anna EVER is still to come.  

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

To be fair, the moose is not a hallucination.  Andrew should be backing me up....he saw it with his own eyes. 

 

Full disclosure- I did see the talking moose.  Well, it was just a moose head.  Not a whole moose.  But, as I look back on this, I'm not sure it wasn't a hallucination.  That Green Death is some heavy duty stuff, man.

 

Oh, and I have some comments:

 

-among other things, my daughters have compared my dancing to that of Peanuts characters as well.  So next time I see Anna, we're dancing.  If I have a Green Death, I may go Full Snoopy and dance on top of the piano.

 

-great sunset photos!

 

-Steak Fries!!! 

 

I can't remember anything else after the steak fries.

 

TCD

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Full disclosure- I did see the talking moose.  Well, it was just a moose head.  Not a whole moose.  But, as I look back on this, I'm not sure it wasn't a hallucination.  That Green Death is some heavy duty stuff, man.

 

Oh, and I have some comments:

 

-among other things, my daughters have compared my dancing to that of Peanuts characters as well.  So next time I see Anna, we're dancing.  If I have a Green Death, I may go Full Snoopy and dance on top of the piano.

 

-great sunset photos!

 

-Steak Fries!!! 

 

I can't remember anything else after the steak fries.

 

TCD

FHF fund raiser!  I want to see video of TCD dancing with Anna.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

  I want to see video of TCD dancing with Anna.

 

Trust me, you don't.

 

TCD

[lklasing 16]

And the cutest picture of Anna EVER is still to come.  

 

Must.see.this.picture.  And soon.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Sounds like a great evening for all.  Your sunset pictures are beautiful!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Sorry for the posting delay....work has been unbelievably taxing this week.  I finally got a small breather now to catch up on comments.  I'm a bit disappointed in y'all though....a trip report sits over 24 hours without a single hijack?  You people need to brush up on your skills.  :rofl3:

 

 

Full disclosure- I did see the talking moose.  Well, it was just a moose head.  Not a whole moose.  But, as I look back on this, I'm not sure it wasn't a hallucination.  That Green Death is some heavy duty stuff, man.

 

Oh, and I have some comments:

 

-among other things, my daughters have compared my dancing to that of Peanuts characters as well.  So next time I see Anna, we're dancing.  If I have a Green Death, I may go Full Snoopy and dance on top of the piano.

 

-great sunset photos!

 

-Steak Fries!!! 

 

I can't remember anything else after the steak fries.

 

TCD

 

I hope we get the opportunity later this year to get you and Anna together for some dancing. 

 

FHF fund raiser!  I want to see video of TCD dancing with Anna.

 

Great idea!

 

 

Trust me, you don't.

 

TCD

 

Oh yes we do. 

 

Must.see.this.picture.  And soon.

 

I'm not sure how much further down it is in my stack....but it will come eventually.

 

Sounds like a great evening for all.  Your sunset pictures are beautiful!

 

Thanks!