Day 4: Grand Cayman
We had already been to Grand Cayman on several occasions so we decided to stay on the boat. The tendering process can take forever but on this cruise they actually got done with priority tendering a half an hour early! Had we gone ashore that would have been great!
First it was breakfast at Cabana's! Avery loves Finding Nemo so the decor here was always a big hit with him. I really liked it too!
I forget where Alex went but Avery and I were solo for a bit so we played Goofy Golf. We had the course all to ourselves. Avery took about a minute a hole since he doesn't really understand the concept of putt putt yet, he just likes to push the ball to the hole and celebrate that he did it
After that it was on to our first meet and greet. This was also the only Navigator mishap we had that I mentioned in an earlier post. We had planned on seeing Ariel at 5:15 that night but the printed navigator said she was out at 8:45 AM! I should stress that the printed Navigator said 5:15 on the schedule page but 8:45 AM on the little corner character recap spot. My phone was still reading 5:15. Needless to say we were a bit confused.
This was Avery's favorite character meet up so we knew we couldn't miss her. So before breakfast we checked with Guest Services. They said to always trust the little character blurb on the navigator and the Character board in the lobby next to their desk. So each day we checked there just to be sure we didn't miss anyone. After this day it didn't it happen again. Since we were focused on Ariel we caught it early and didn't mind HOWEVER a lot of guests were upset later in the day when Captain Hook and Smee didn't show and characters were in different places. I think the Character team could not have handled it better and even added a few surprises which are featured towards the end of the post.
They were going down every line that night making sure folks were in line for who they wanted to see and apologizing for the confusion. It was really great service recovery and we were sure to thank them for it!
Here's a shot of the character board, Avery loved calling out the characters as they flashed on the screen.
Avery was once again incredibly excited only to clam up when Ariel greeted him, she got such a kick out of that.
When we went downstairs we had a surprise visit from Tiana! She hugged Avery for quite some time, and he again greeted her with a ribbit ribbit
I really did love these character meet ups that were just around ship. It was so neat to see characters just walking around. Reminded me of when i was little in the parks before character meet ups became so huge.
We also saw Pluto again - he had a short line and Avery wanted to jump in
After that it was of course, time for more Nemo's Reef!
Side note, I forgot about. Avery fell the first day at Nemo's Reef near the stairs by the slide. He got a nice little chin scrape but wanted to keep going.
Such a trooper The lifeguard was very attentive to us within seconds and made sure he was okay. He obviously didn't wish to interrupt Avery's playtime but made sure we had a band aid.
We had lunch at Cabana's and I finally stopped by Flo's V8 cafe! The BBQ Chicken Pizza was soooo yummy. One of my favorite things was that the pizza changed each day in Cabana's. I loved the variety!
After lunch we headed down to the Oceaneer Club for Open House. Avery really enjoyed being here and surprisingly it was always completely quiet during these times. I was expecting things to be a bit busy but they never were. We were usually one of two families in there. The youth conselors were so nice and I really am looking forward to sending Avery there next year.
This was so cute, you laughed to power the ship and if you laughed in the places it was collected the power canisters actually lit up
Next up we attempted the Midship Detective Agency. We tried to find who stole the Muppets Props.
Pepe's door - i heard you could call him but we never did
Pros:
If you want a tour of the ship there is NO better way than through this game, it takes you everywhere!
It was great seeing the muppets!
Cons:
Avery lost interest after the second round so it was kind of hard to enjoy after that
I won't reveal who stole the goods but it was definitely a journey to find them! Not an easy game for sure! We went back to our room and rested with Disney on Demand movies for an hour or so.
Then it was off to yes, more characters. The great thing about the cruise is they meet in so many different outfits so you aren't getting the same picture each time. Again we found that the earlier you arrive before that main seating dinner starts the better the lines are.
We hoped in Donald's line twice because no one was in line after we were done which Donald loved! Avery loved meeting him!
In between photos Avery decided he would goof off while waiting for Goofy. Apparently he needed more rest? The camera lady was cracking up. Avery would pop his head up every time she laughed and give her a huge smile. Toddlers pretending to be tired....story of my life
Goofy came out!
Stich came up next and Avery was very excited to see him. He had just gotten into Lilo and Stich right before we left so it was good timing to meet him for the first time. We taught him Aloha and Stich was very pleased!
Tiana was due out in the balcony so we asked Avery and of course he said yes! Seriously we were the toddler character paparazi party! At first my husband was like, I hope they don't mind meeting us over and over but every time we greeted them they were ecstatic to see Avery and us. It was one of the coolest things and a memory I will cherish for a very long time!
At first, we were telling Avery say bye bye Tiana, we knew there were others in line but Tiana would not let him go! So we waited and caught this little moment!
We went out into the Lobby to kill some time before dinner and a Character Greeter came up to me and Avery saying "Hey Avery if you want to meet Cinderella she'll be upstairs in five minutes" This was not on the calendar or navigator, they simply brought her out as a surprise! Again a testament to that team as they knew we would totally be up for it! They got to know us quickly and always made it a point to talk to us whenever we saw them. Since no one was in line we were able to spend a lot of time with her. It was so great! She taught Avery some princely manners and they talked about the pumpkins on the Halloween Tree. She's my favorite princess so I loved seeing her interact with Avery!
Did not get emotional at all. Thank you pregnancy hormones!
Dinner tonight was the Pirate and Princess Menu at Enchanted Garden. This was our last night at Enchanted Garden which felt a little strange since we were only halfway through the cruise. I really tried to soak it in, such a beautiful restaurant!
A side note on service. The table next to us had a lot of kids, my husband looked over and was like "OMG look at that" It was the entire serving staff cutting up the kids chicken breast! We couldn't believe it! Had to take a picture!
Our serving team was really great, here's our head waiter showing Avery a magic trick!
Menu reviews:
Alex
- Smoked Salmon - thought it was good
- Coronation Greens Salad - liked it
- Turkey and Stuffing - loved the potatoes and stuffing in particular. I had a bite of it, really creamy and tasty!
- Aurora Sundae - correction, he loved this way more than the Cookies N Cream from the night before. And I quote, "Rocky Road always wins"
Ashley
- Princess Tiana Shrimp and Rice - Shrimp was great, the jambalaya rice was okay
- Coronation Greens - liked it
- Kids Menu Broccoli and Cheddar Soup - yes, i got a kids menu dish and it was really good
- NY Strip Steak - i couldn't get my typical medium rare so i was sad
- Aurora Sundae - I preferred the Cookies N Cream Sundae, not a huge Rocky Road fan
Avery
- Pasta
- Salad
- They brought him fries without us asking for them
- Chocolate ice cream sundae
So after dinner we went up to the fourth floor balcony to see Ariel again. While we were waiting Cinderella appeared and greeted Avery saying Ariel would be out soon (he always told the other characters he was waiting for Ariel) Cinderella was leading a few select girls in a really cool event. I'm not sure what you needed to do to participate in this (maybe the Royal Tea package?) All the new little princesses joined Cinderella on the balcony and walked down the staircase waved for a picture and then danced with their dads. It was really sweet.
During the event Ariel came up behind Avery and surprised him. They watched it together. It was so cute! Avery started getting over his starstruck past with her at this point so he talked to her more which she loved!
A little blurry but he tried to show her what Cinderella taught him earlier
On our way back to the elevators we saw Cinderella again!
After that Avery and Alex headed to bed and I headed to Wishes. You aren't allowed to take pictures in the Walt Disney Theater but I did capture this, so pretty in there.
Wishes was good but not my favorite show that I saw. I loved the Mulan duet. the actors were so talented! I also loved that they incorporated one of my favorite Little Mermaid songs (I won't spoil it by saying which one)
Outside the theater on the fourth floor (i sat on the main level)
Heading back up the stairs, I had to snap this too, I loved the huge paintings on each deck!
Now here's a little pixie dust surprise. Before the show, a lot of officers were standing around greeting people (I think it was a pin trading event actually) I saw the Assistant Cruise Director Michelle and stopped by to let her know how much we were enjoying our cruise and especially how much we loved the Character Team. This was maybe a five minute conversation, and I mentioned my son's name was Avery so the team would know which guest paid them a compliment if it was passed along.
When I got back to my room this was hanging on my door! It included a note from our Cruise Director Darren saying that Michelle had passed along my feedback, they were so happy to hear we were having a good time, and wished us a magical cruise the rest of the week! Alex and I were stunned. I mean seriously this was the result of a five minute conversation where i did not give my stateroom or name! In addition I just wanted to ensure the character team was recognized cause wow, were they making our trip. We certainly weren't expecting this. Inside there was a lovely
DCL journal, Mickey pirate tattoos (which we wore on pirate night) juggling balls for Avery, and a character autograph from the Fab 5! Talk about Pixie Dust. No one does it like Disney! (I will continue this again in my overall recap at the end of this TR)
After that awesome surprise, Alex was awake so he went to see Avengers in 3-D and I went to bed.
Next up: Day 5: Jamaica and Pirates in the Caribbean
I just couldn't believe we were actually there. 
I'm a huge character fan so I certainly didn't mind. We didn't do autographs this time since he doesn't really get that just yet, he just loves giving hugs! We also tried to teach him a word to say to the characters each time. Hook and Smee got tick tock, Donald and Daisy got quack quack. It really made for a cute interaction. 
So excited about the awesome kids club as I think my dd will love it!
And they were the same at Cabanas so we had them every day. 
I think there was one lifeguard who very clearly did not want that shift so things got a bit out of hand but usually I can happily report that they were all over it. It's a slightly dangerous area since it can be really slippery but man, we loved it.
