fladogfan aka Gretchen 259 Posted July 2, 2016 Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 I'm in , will this be page 1 or 2? Page 2 it is and happy to be here! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caveat lector 181 Posted July 3, 2016 Report Share Posted July 3, 2016 Wow, cool stuff. Navy man retiring....that is just pure awesome Purple crayon appearance....always a welcome addition A TCD TR named after some shorts..........nope, no comment The point at which you realize a family event is coming together, and WHOLE family will be there.......priceless. seems to be happening for the TCD crew quite a bit. A tip of the hat my friend.......that is the piece de' resistance. I am just happy to get my crew together for a nice dinner. The logistics you have to compile for this kind of endeavor would make UPS shudder. Enjoy. I'm in! (Pics of departure are fantastic) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FEARtheEERS 18 Posted July 3, 2016 Report Share Posted July 3, 2016 On July 1, 2016 at 11:51 AM, Tri-Circle-D said: It was a rocket launch! We knew nothing about that. On July 1, 2016 at 11:51 AM, Tri-Circle-D said: It was about here that the captain sounded the horn for the first time. He went through the whole repertoire, and we got to hear the new Frozen inspired horn for the first time. There's Jetty Park. We've seen much bigger crowds here on previous cruises, but it was a really hot day, so maybe that kept the onlookers away: I was on the beach with my family when the rocket was launched. And in even more exciting news, if you zoom in just about center page on the white golf cart, you will see my crew watching the TCD crew sail away! We were camping at Jetty Park while you left. That was actually the first time I had heard the horn play the music and I was thrilled. We have decided not to renew our annual passes this year and do a cruise instead. Regretfully it will probably not be a Disney cruise. I'm so excited to finish reading! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fladogfan aka Gretchen 259 Posted July 3, 2016 Report Share Posted July 3, 2016 6 hours ago, FEARtheEERS said: I was on the beach with my family when the rocket was launched. And in even more exciting news, if you zoom in just about center page on the white golf cart, you will see my crew watching the TCD crew sail away! We were camping at Jetty Park while you left. That was actually the first time I had heard the horn play the music and I was thrilled. We have decided not to renew our annual passes this year and do a cruise instead. Regretfully it will probably not be a Disney cruise. I'm so excited to finish reading! I love being at Jetty Park when the Disney Cruise ships depart. The horn is fun! TDC and a rocket!! One time while camping we got up 'oh dark early' to watch a rocket take off. Very cool to be so close. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Starbuc71 162 Posted July 3, 2016 Report Share Posted July 3, 2016 All I can say is that it must be good to be TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Friend of a Fiend ... Pam 8 Posted July 3, 2016 Report Share Posted July 3, 2016 I'm in. My children are about the same age as the TCD gang so I know what a blessing it is to be able to get the whole family together for a trip. Isn't it fun to do a trip with adult children? It's a pleasure to read along! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2016 On 7/1/2016 at 0:14 PM, momof3kids-Yvonne said: I'm in! And apparently I am First! That's a beautiful family photo. Hoping that it was not the only one you had taken. Way to go! You are first. That is not the only group shot we have. But we don't have many. I have a group selfie to share in the next update. On 7/1/2016 at 0:31 PM, BigTom said: I am in too. We have a Dream cruise planned for the weekend before Thanksgiving so I will pay close attention. Awesome! That's great. I'll post some tips as we go along, and please feel free to ask any questions. One thing you should pay attention to is that they changed to way you sign up for the Princess meet and greets. If that's important to you, you can sign up for a time on-line. On 7/1/2016 at 1:05 PM, Beckers said: This sounded like the best way to start a cruise and totally gave me goosebumps thinking about experiencing it some day. What a let down that they didn't do it! Yes, it was a let down. It's a very cool moment to experience, and I always look forward to it. Like I said, I'm not sure if they changed things, or if this was just something that happened on this cruise. On 7/1/2016 at 1:06 PM, shoreline99 said: Woot! First page rights! A Disney cruise is on our wish list. Some day! I highly recommend a Disney Cruise. I hope that you get to do one. On 7/1/2016 at 1:52 PM, bhall said: Oops ghost post. Sorry. That water still looks amazing. We were blessed with smooth seas and sunny days. The smoothest and sunniest of any cruise we have ever taken- including all the non DCL ones. On 7/1/2016 at 1:53 PM, Mrs.TN22 said: I am in! I have been looking forward to this report!! A Disney Cruise in on my wish list! Thanks for reading. Move the cruise to the top of the wish list! On 7/1/2016 at 2:02 PM, daddyphat808 - Eric said: Awesome as always! Thanks. Glad you're reading along. On 7/1/2016 at 2:03 PM, Memphis said: I'm in. Glad to see you aboard, Harold. On 7/1/2016 at 2:03 PM, dieseldave said: I'm in too! Good job. On 7/1/2016 at 3:52 PM, Momof6....aka Marty said: In! Go ahead and get a pile of laundry to fold- an update is coming. On 7/1/2016 at 5:12 PM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said: I'm in too! Yay. Glad to have you aboard. On 7/1/2016 at 5:25 PM, Grumpy and Grandma said: Except when put into "covert" wine bottles. Covert wine bottles? You sly dog. You could get a lot of something in a covert wine bottle. On 7/1/2016 at 5:52 PM, Duane said: Page 1? Yes! Congrats! On 7/1/2016 at 7:17 PM, Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM said: OMG, I think I made it on page 1!!!! That's NEVER happened!!! WOOHOO!!!! Hey- it's great to see a post from you, Heidi. I hope all is well with you and the family. On 7/2/2016 at 8:53 PM, Helmsey......Todd said: In. Good to see you got to sneak in a few extra beers. Page 1?? Yes, page one. For the record, I did not sneak anything. With my 18 beers and two bottles of champagne, I was under the allowance for five adults. I could have brought another six pack or two more bottles of wine! On 7/2/2016 at 9:24 PM, Total Joker ... TJ said: Where Am I? I don't know where you are, but I'm glad to see a post from you, brother. Welcome. On 7/2/2016 at 11:18 PM, AC in A2 said: Page 1? I guess i should go back and read now. Yeah- go back and read. And you need to take your kids on a cruise! On 7/2/2016 at 11:47 PM, Beckers said: Cheater read then post You tell 'em! On 7/2/2016 at 8:19 AM, wdwpoohbear...Jennifer said: Disney Cruise - I would love to go on another one. Can't wait to read more! Page 1! I would love to go on another one too! We want to make Platinum status. Just three more cruises to go! On 7/2/2016 at 8:36 AM, Dalspot ... Karen said: I'm in. Would love to do another cruise. Me too. On 7/2/2016 at 9:06 AM, mouseketab.....Carol said: Looks like fun! Oh, it was. The fun is just getting started. On 7/2/2016 at 10:29 AM, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said: So exciting you got to do another cruise! A couple things... They did the streamers on our cruise, so it was either a good, malfunction, or a new cut back. Love the family pic! And the lifeguards... Disney started those when a near drowning happened on one of their ships. None of the other lines followed. There was another near drowning on a RCCL ship this week. I would like to see the lifeguards go industry-wide. Hmmm- good to know that there are still streamers. I wonder why we didn't get those? It doesn't surprise me that there are drownings on cruise ships- the pools are crowed, and parents are distracted. Good for Disney for having life guards. On 7/2/2016 at 11:40 AM, lightbikes said: Reading along - we've only done 1 Disney Cruise - in 1999 - looks like they've changed a lot! Wow, that must have been fun back in the early days! Were you on the Magic or the Wonder? On 7/2/2016 at 1:09 PM, sherryberry said: Great start to the report! And that Pixar shirt you're wearing is awesome! Good eye! Thanks for noticing my shirt. It was my Christmas gift from Twin #2. When she gave it to me, she told me that she thought it would be perfect to wear on a cruise. That girl's a genius. By the way- it's not a Pixar shirt- it's a John Lasseter shirt- so it has Pixar characters on it, but it also had Bold and Frozen characters on it, which are films he worked on for Disney. I got several compliments on it, and it was the perfect thing to wear in the Animator's Palate restaurant. On 7/2/2016 at 5:56 PM, fladogfan aka Gretchen said: I'm in , will this be page 1 or 2? Page 2 it is and happy to be here! Top of page 2 bragging rights for Gretchen! On 7/3/2016 at 8:01 PM, caveat lector said: Wow, cool stuff. Navy man retiring....that is just pure awesome Purple crayon appearance....always a welcome addition A TCD TR named after some shorts..........nope, no comment The point at which you realize a family event is coming together, and WHOLE family will be there.......priceless. seems to be happening for the TCD crew quite a bit. A tip of the hat my friend.......that is the piece de' resistance. I am just happy to get my crew together for a nice dinner. The logistics you have to compile for this kind of endeavor would make UPS shudder. Enjoy. I'm in! (Pics of departure are fantastic) Thanks. Good to have you along. I know that you know what it's like having kids off at college and stuff. Life gets complicated. On 7/3/2016 at 0:58 AM, FEARtheEERS said: I was on the beach with my family when the rocket was launched. And in even more exciting news, if you zoom in just about center page on the white golf cart, you will see my crew watching the TCD crew sail away! We were camping at Jetty Park while you left. That was actually the first time I had heard the horn play the music and I was thrilled. We have decided not to renew our annual passes this year and do a cruise instead. Regretfully it will probably not be a Disney cruise. I'm so excited to finish reading! Wow! That is cool! Had you camped in Jetty Park before? How did you like it. Those sites that are out there in the direct sunlight scare me, but it looks like there are shady spots in the back part of the park. Do you have any photos of the Dream from that day? Let me know, and I can PM you my phone number or email address and you can send them to me to include in this report. On 7/3/2016 at 7:32 AM, fladogfan aka Gretchen said: I love being at Jetty Park when the Disney Cruise ships depart. The horn is fun! TDC and a rocket!! One time while camping we got up 'oh dark early' to watch a rocket take off. Very cool to be so close. I would love to see a rocket launch from Jetty Park- especially in the dark. That would be cool. On 7/3/2016 at 2:54 PM, Starbuc71 said: All I can say is that it must be good to be TCD It is good to be TCD. Hey, that has a nice ring to it. Maybe I'll start using that phrase. On 7/3/2016 at 6:08 PM, Friend of a Fiend ... Pam said: I'm in. My children are about the same age as the TCD gang so I know what a blessing it is to be able to get the whole family together for a trip. Isn't it fun to do a trip with adult children? It's a pleasure to read along! Yes, it really is fun to travel with all adults. I didn't think that would be the case, but it was. Even though this cruise was short, I think we all really appreciated the chance to be together with uninterrupted blocks of time to reconnect. I'm not sure there's any other kind of trip where that's possible. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Seals 111 Posted July 6, 2016 Report Share Posted July 6, 2016 I agree that everyone who says a Disney cruise is on their wish list should take one. I'm fairly cheap but I don't regret any of the money we spent on the two we've been on. So many great memories and family time. I noticed that the List of Fun says "Turkey Leg Mom Only". This would be on my family's list of fun if someone other than me wrote the list. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2016 Here's an interesting development- Twin #1 was able to "air drop" me some photos from the cruise. I'll include her photos as we go forward, but I need to backtrack for a moment to post the photos she shared from day one. Here's Twin #1 on the observation platform at Port Canaveral from right before our boarding of the ship-she put the ribbon on that sun hat she's holding: Here's a selfie Twin #1 took of us out on the observation deck. I could have used some sunglasses: After we had lunch, we stopped and checked out the new Vanellope's Sweets and Treats shop. They have a replica of Vanellope's car in there, and the twins hopped on for a photo: Then they had a contest to see who could make the best King Candy face: Like always, I declared it a tie. But, now that I look at the photos- I am impressed with Twin #2's eye work. That is really something. Mrs. TCD always tells her that her eyes will get stuck like that. So far, they haven't. Knock on wood. Here's all three TCD DD's on Vanellope's car: Twin #1 modeled her hat on Deck 12: While Mrs. TCD and I were sunning, the girls explored the ship. The twins found the new Millennium Falcon prop in one of the kids' clubs, and texted me this photo of them at the Dejarik table which makes an appearance in the Force Awakens: In case you're worrying about me- I did not know that that game is called Dejarik- I was going to call it a space checkerboard, but I decided to Google it to find out if it had another name. It does. The only other thing I know about it is that if you're playing with a wookie, let the wookie win. The girls also found this prop from the Midship Detective Agency game. They have a door like this on the Fantasy, but this one is new on the Dream: Twin #1 took a family selife during the sail away party- not too bad: Here are some family shots from dinner: And, here's a selfie I took with Twin #1's phone during the late night milk and cookies from room service session that night: Good to see I haven't lost my selfie taking touch, huh? I think that's all I have from our boarding day. We will pick up with our Nassau day next. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fladogfan aka Gretchen 259 Posted July 6, 2016 Report Share Posted July 6, 2016 "I would love to see a rocket launch from Jetty Park- especially in the dark. That would be cool. " It is cool and very loud too. Don't think we would have slept through the take off noise. We didn't know there was one scheduled to lift off and were told about it at check in, made sure we got up to watch. The camp sites that are near the water are for overflow and I think they only have electricity. Back in the shaded areas is the main camp ground. Some with full hookups. Some with shade too. They have some cabins also. Here is info about Jetty park. http://www.jettyparkbeachandcampground.com/camp_index Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momof6....aka Marty 769 Posted July 6, 2016 Report Share Posted July 6, 2016 I had to go back and check out the John Lasseter shirt. Very cool! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2016 2 hours ago, Seals said: I agree that everyone who says a Disney cruise is on their wish list should take one. I'm fairly cheap but I don't regret any of the money we spent on the two we've been on. So many great memories and family time. I noticed that the List of Fun says "Turkey Leg Mom Only". This would be on my family's list of fun if someone other than me wrote the list. I agree 100% with your statement about the Disney cruise being worth it. We have created many great memories on these cruises, and I can't think of any other vacation we could have taken that would have compared. We are very lucky that we can drive to the port and not have to pay for airfare on top of the cruise charges. Remember that turkey leg item. We will get to that. I'm sure I've told the story of why it's on the List of Fun, but I'll retell it when we get to that part of the report. 1 hour ago, fladogfan aka Gretchen said: "I would love to see a rocket launch from Jetty Park- especially in the dark. That would be cool. " It is cool and very loud too. Don't think we would have slept through the take off noise. We didn't know there was one scheduled to lift off and were told about it at check in, made sure we got up to watch. The camp sites that are near the water are for overflow and I think they only have electricity. Back in the shaded areas is the main camp ground. Some with full hookups. Some with shade too. They have some cabins also. Here is info about Jetty park. http://www.jettyparkbeachandcampground.com/camp_index Thanks. I've looked at the Jetty Park website before. I know that Grumpy/Dave has camped there, and there used to be a billboard on 75 advertising the cabins. It looks like a great place to stay. We can and have done Cocoa Beach as a day trip from home, so I've never had a reason to want to stay overnight in the area, but one day I might! 1 hour ago, Momof6....aka Marty said: I had to go back and check out the John Lasseter shirt. Very cool! I went back to look at the shirt too- I really like it. I forgot that it was first unveiled and sold at the D23 convention last August. And we were there! These things are currently going for $250 on Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Disney-Parks-D23-Pixar-John-Lasseter-Reyn-Spooner-Men-Hawaiian-Camp-Shirt-S-2XL/272119454461?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131003132420%26meid%3D6ed87486d1de4b56bc48d67345f5734a%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D301851382908 Here's a photo of John Lasseter modeling it: Mine was new with the tags on it. Twin #2 found it for sale at the Castmember store at Disneyland. What a great find! We have already decided that it will go on every cruise with me. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lightbikes 73 Posted July 6, 2016 Report Share Posted July 6, 2016 On July 2, 2016 at 10:40 AM, lightbikes said: Reading along - we've only done 1 Disney Cruise - in 1999 - looks like they've changed a lot! Wow, that must have been fun back in the early days! Were you on the Magic or the Wonder? It was great fun - we were on the Magic - it was really neat at Castaway Cay because they had just installed the steel domes that were supposed to eventually become nurseries for fish and the start of "coral" reefs - we often wondered if those had worked out the way they intended? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momof6....aka Marty 769 Posted July 6, 2016 Report Share Posted July 6, 2016 I just got very sad thinking that since today is Friday, there will be no updates for a few days. Then I remembered that today is Tuesday, so that should be fine. Except today is Wednesday. These holiday weeks really mess me up. Hoping for an update tomorrow! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fladogfan aka Gretchen 259 Posted July 7, 2016 Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 MARTY! You made me laugh and go look at a calendar yup, today is Thursday Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 16 hours ago, lightbikes said: Wow, that must have been fun back in the early days! Were you on the Magic or the Wonder? It was great fun - we were on the Magic - it was really neat at Castaway Cay because they had just installed the steel domes that were supposed to eventually become nurseries for fish and the start of "coral" reefs - we often wondered if those had worked out the way they intended? I think you need to go back to Castaway Cay and see how much has changed there! We never made it out into the snorkeling lagoon on this trip, but those steel domes were still in place the last time we snorkeled there, and are covered with barnacles and loaded with fish. We first visited Castaway Cay in 2004, and again in 2005. It had been badly battered by hurricanes in that time frame, and a lot of the foliage on the island was hit hard. Since then, it has all grown back and then some. It's really beautiful! 15 hours ago, Momof6....aka Marty said: I just got very sad thinking that since today is Friday, there will be no updates for a few days. Then I remembered that today is Tuesday, so that should be fine. Except today is Wednesday. These holiday weeks really mess me up. Hoping for an update tomorrow! You're not alone. Except for me, since I took a long weekend, today feels like a Tuesday! No worries about an update being posted today. I'm working on it! 1 hour ago, fladogfan aka Gretchen said: MARTY! You made me laugh and go look at a calendar yup, today is Thursday LOL. The good news is that the weekend is coming! TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 739 Posted July 7, 2016 Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 21 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said: Covert wine bottles? You sly dog. You could get a lot of something in a covert wine bottle. TCD Yep, our 4 bottle allotment got us across the Panama Canal in OCT. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 Alright, let's get to that update. It's now Saturday, June 25. The second day of our cruise. Yesterday, the day we got on the ship, was our first day. These three day cruises fly by. Normally, I like to be up to watch the sunrise on the first morning of a cruise. I figured that 6:30 am would be a good time for me to get up and have time to get out on the balcony for that. But, this is what I saw at 6:32 am: Dang. I missed it. It had just been the summer solstice a few days earlier, so this was one of the longest days of the year, and the sun beat me today! It was hot and humid out already. So much so that my camera lens promptly fogged over, mercifully ending the sunrise photo taking: The plan for today was for us to all get up kind of early and hit the breakfast buffet. Then head down to the atrium to meet a bunch of princesses. It was weird for us to be way up on Deck 10, and at the back of the ship. We have been on Deck 2 for our two previous Dream cruises, and in the front of the ship. Our location for this cruise was one deck under Cabana's, which is where the buffets are served. That was ridiculously convenient. I could run upstairs and be back with a cup of coffee in a matter of minutes. From Deck 2, it's an excursion to go for a coffee run. While we waited for the girls to get up and get themselves together, I made a coffee run, and Mrs. TCD and I sat out and enjoyed our verandah. Just before we headed up for breakfast, we could spot land on the horizon: There was a Carnival ship which seemed to be following us to Nassau: It was shaping up to be a beautiful, sunny day: Last night, after the show in the big theater, the Cruise Director introduced the ship's Captain. The Captain told us that he's not supposed to comment about the weather, but that it looked like we would have perfect weather for the entire cruise. That's awesome! We've certainly had less than ideal weather on some of our cruises. It was nice to hear that things would be nice and calm on this trip. One more look at the approaching land: Right after we had booked this cruise, I got an email from Disney that told me about the opportunity to sign up for princess meet and greets online. This is something brand new. On our last cruise, they had a princess meet and greet on Nassau day, and it was first come-first served. The line was murder, but we had arrived on the early side, so it wasn't too bad for us. Apparently, at some point after that, Disney implemented a policy where guests had to pick up tickets for reserved times to meet the princesses, and that had to be done on the ship during the cruise. From what I've heard, that led to long lines right after boarding, and unhappy guests. We missed all of that, and I got to reserve our spots on-line. As a Gold Castaway Club member, I got tipped off about this early: When I logged on to do this, I had my choice of all timeslots, and I took the first one on our Nassau morning, which was at 9 am. We headed down for that a bit prior to 9, and the girls were second in line! Awesome. While the girls waited in line, I popped over to Guest Services to sign up for the 5K run on Castaway Cay. Twin #1 was going to do it with me, and the other girls considered it as well. But, when it came to signing up, the girls said they'd sit this one out. I wasn't 100% sure I'd do it, but I at least wanted to sign up. This cool mural is on the wall behind the Guest Services counter- each of the castles signifies the location of a Disney Park, and they also have ships that they move around on the map to show the location of the Disney Cruise fleet. They even have the Shanghai park represented: Note that they also have a symbol noting the location of the DVC resort in Hawaii. Here's the other half of the mural, showing the US parks, and the Dream and Fantasy's locations. Note how they even show the Magic there off the coast of England: While we were waiting, it felt like the ship was slowing down to dock. Sure enough, we had reached Nassau: Then it was time to meet some princesses. This was quick and efficient: We were done with that in just a few minutes. When I had reserved this princess meet and greet, I was also given the opportunity to sign up for the Frozen meet and greet. The first time for that was 9:15, and it was letting me sign up for that time. I chose 9:30 instead, as I thought there was no way we would be done in time for the 9:15 slot. Well, we were, and now we had almost 25 minutes to wait for the Frozen meet and greet. The twins said they wanted to skip it. The plan for today was to get to the Aqua Duck early and ride it until the line got too long. The twins wanted to do that now. And they did. Mrs. TCD and our oldest DD went to meet the Frozen sisters. Even though we were early, they let us in They keep this meet and greet hidden in the Animator's Palate restaurant. They have all the screens in there showing Frozen stuff: I don't have the photos from the Frozen meet and greet- they are my oldest DD's phone. I'll add those if I ever get them from her. After this last meet and greet, we headed back to the cabins and got ready for a day up on Deck 11. None of us wanted to go into Nassau. Which was fine with me. I've been to Nassau enough. On a short cruise like this, this was the only time we had to hang out and enjoy the ship. And, that's what we intended to do today. This was the view from our verandah while we were in port- we had the town view: Which would soon be obstructed by that Carnival Ship that was following us here: It was about 9:23 when I took those two photos. If you look on the walkway down there, you can see that there are some folks already heading down the dock and into town: Nassau looks really nice from this distance. And that was good enough for me: Here's a photo of our cabin- I had meant to take one on our arrival day, but that isn't a great time to try to get a photo. This is the room that Mrs. TCD and I stayed in. To the right of this photo, there was a connecting door that opened to an identical cabin, which is where the girls stayed. Behind me in this photo is a short hall with doors to the spilt bathroom and a closet: Disney gives gifts to returning guests. There are 3 Castaway Club levels- Silver, Gold and Platinum. We got one Gold level gift in each of our cabins. The gift for this cruise was this beach bag, which was pretty nice: Each of those bags had two of these metal tumblers in them: Not too shabby. I headed up top and found the twins camped out on Deck 12, in chairs under the Aqua Duck, with a good view of the Funnel Vision. This is kind of our spot: You can see that Hercules is playing up there. Tonight's show is Villains themed, and it is hosted by the character Hades from Hercules, with big roles played by the characters Pain and Panic.. It's smart of them to play the movie today- some guests may not be familiar with it. The twins had already taken a couple of Aqua Duck rides, and the line was still short. Twin #1 and I headed up for my first ride. Mrs. TCD showed up about then, and we all hung out and enjoyed the beautiful day. It was really hot, though. And with the ship not moving, there was no breeze. I took several breaks to hit the pool, or walk around the top deck. Our plan was to move up to the Satellite Falls area after lunch, but for now, everyone wanted to sun a bit. Here are some photos I took during one of my walking breaks. This is what was on the starboard side of the ship- a NCL ship and another Carnival ship: I thought this NCL ship was nice looking, but it must have been kind of boring, as there were very few guests out enjoying the day: I am biased, but I really like the look of the Disney ships: This is a new little area that they created on the Dream during its last dry dock this past October- it's a little kiddie pool that they call the Funnel Puddle. It's small, but a nice calm place for little kids to cool off and splash around: Here's a look down at the adult pool. It was around noon when I took this photo- not to busy down there: Now we are looking at the port side of the ship- there's now a Royal Caribbean ship that has pulled in to the spot between the Dream and that Carnival Ship that we saw pulling in in that earlier photo, above: If you're paying attention, that means there are 5 massive cruise ships, with thousands of passengers each, visiting here on tiny Nassau at the same time. That enough would be a good reason to not want to head into town today. This is the Currents Bar located in the front of the ship- there are some nice tables and chairs on either side of this, and it's a nice place to hang out- we got our drinks from here yesterday: Here's one more look over at the Royal Caribbean ship- they have a big screen on their top deck too. But, instead of Disney movies, they were playing a soccer match: No wonder no one is up there! I'll stop this update here, and we will continue with some more Nassau day photos in the next update. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmaul 65 Posted July 7, 2016 Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 Sunrise Fail. Amateur...... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 4 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said: Yep, our 4 bottle allotment got us across the Panama Canal in OCT. Good job. On a long cruise like that, you don't get a chance to reload. I'll have to think about that wine bottle trick if we go on a longer cruise. 3 hours ago, jmaul said: Sunrise Fail. Amateur...... I know. A half hour earlier would have done the trick! TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fladogfan aka Gretchen 259 Posted July 7, 2016 Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 I think the fogging is a pretty cool effect. I like getting up to see the sunrises also. You didn't miss it by much though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 Hey- it looks like I can squeeze in another short update today, so here goes. We left off looking at things from the top deck of the Dream. Here we are looking at the main part of town from the front port side of the ship. That's the infamous Senor Frogs there on the left, and that property to the right of it is the Nassau Hilton. A lot of people choose to take advantage of their day passes. I never had, but it doesn't look like too bad of a place to hang out. If you really feel like you need to get off the ship, that might be a good option: Here's another look at the Carnival Fantasy. That ship was put into service in 1990, and is the oldest ship in the Carnival fleet. Fun fact, before there was a Disney Cruise Line, the TCD gang sailed on the Carnival Fantasy. That was probably in 1997 or 1998. It wasn't so bad. Note how different it looks from today's cruise ships- no verandah rooms: The Royal Caribbean ship closest to us is the Majesty of the Seas. It was first put into use in 1992. Note that it only has one deck with verandah rooms: The front of the Dream has a deck that is reserved for use by the teen club on board. I've never seen anyone out on that deck: This is the channel that we sailed in through, and will be sailing out of later today: There's a little lighthouse at the end of that spit of land you see over there. There are also houses along that narrow strip. Can you imagine living in one of them? Look how pretty the water is: You can see a house over there- it looks pretty nice: We are now back over to the starboard side of the ship, where we can see our other two port neighbors, the NCL Norwegian Sky and the Carnival Elation: It was somewhere in here that we took our lunch break. We ended up going in to Cabanas for lunch and enjoying the buffet. We all ate together. On previous cruises, we ate out on deck from the quick serve windows they have. But, it was hot out, and we all wanted a nice air conditioned break. The buffet was really good- it had everything, including sushi. The sushi was not real fresh, so that was a downer, but not too surprising considering they have to feed so many guests. There was a mixology class being conducted in the Skyline Lounge after lunch, and I tried to convince someone in the group to go with me. When we had our drink there the night before, our bartender invited us to come to the class, and said we wouldn't have to pre-register. For a small fee, you get to make (and consume) several drinks at the bar. It sounded like fun, but I had no takers, so I skipped it too. Instead, we headed up to Satellite Falls, where we hung out on those nice tile benches behind the wall of water: Mrs. TCD and I stuck to our beers, but the girls enjoyed some drinks of the day in their souvenir DCL glasses: Some more views from the top deck: Time flew in the afternoon, and one by one, the girls headed back to our rooms to start getting ready for our evening. Mrs. TCD and I finally headed down, and we sat out on the verandah for a while. All aboard time was 5:15, and we were hoping that we would get to see some guests running to make the ship. We had a front row view of the gangways for both our ship and the Royal Caribbean ship next to us: We also had a nice view of a dumpster below us: It looked like there was some kind of child's toy tossed in there: Sadly, the boarding process for our ship was uneventful. There were very few guests returning this close to the all aboard time: There are a few stragglers down there, but they had 10 minutes to spare: I thought the Royal Caribbean ship looked pretty good, considering its age, but on closer look, the side looked pretty beat up: At 5:15 sharp, they broke down the blue canopy that was covering the gangway entrance, and loaded the security stuff onto the ship: The very back, bottom deck, on the Royal Caribbean ship was apparently a break area for their crew- it was funny looking over there and seeing their crew members, in uniform, taking smoke breaks: From 5:15 on, we watched the crews untie the ship, and at just past 5:30, they fired up the side thrusters, and we pushed away from the dock: We were heading out before the Royal Caribbean ship and the Carnival Fantasy: We headed out slowly. On the way out, we saw something odd. I'll share that and our evening activities in the next update. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caveat lector 181 Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 As the one who drives the family in whatever mode of transportation is needed, I might have a tough time leaving the verandah. It sounds pretty cool to have someone drive me around while I enjoy the sights.......and eat room service Mickey Ice cream and drink suitcase liquor. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 4 hours ago, caveat lector said: As the one who drives the family in whatever mode of transportation is needed, I might have a tough time leaving the verandah. It sounds pretty cool to have someone drive me around while I enjoy the sights.......and eat room service Mickey Ice cream and drink suitcase liquor. We had a rather large verandah on our Dream Cruise, and I spent a LOT of time there! caveat lector 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 I can't remember if I shared that we'll be Dreaming next year... 14 long months away... With my parents. It's too bad you didn't do mixology. It's a lot of fun. I'm not sure we'll get off in Nassau either. I hate that though because I've never been there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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