POLY, BLT & THE DREAM, WITH A TEEN AND A TWEEN…APRIL 2016***COMPLETED 8/15****

[buzzrelly]

I just realized I never responded after your previous update! I've seen the Animators Palate on TV on shows about Disney cruise ships and it looks like a neat restaurant The table-mate thing seems like it would always be a hit or miss. One of my good friends has been on tons of cruises (not Disney) and has usually had table-mates and she's had both real positive and "eh" experiences. It would worry me until I met them for the first time, I'd be constantly wondering how they were going to be!

I like the pictures of Atlantis I think if I ever went on a cruise I'd be seeing a show every night, sounds like my kind of thing.

Yeah, that was a one and done. I am REALLY hoping our request for our own table will be met on our next cruise. Especially since DH will be coming and he's even LESS social than I am!

A couple of the shows were AWESOME! There was one about Villains that I actually ended up falling asleep in…don't think I would go see that one again. There's a new Tangled show on the Magic that I am DYING to see…I wish they would rotate the shows through the different ships so we could see them all!

We had 30 to 40 min wait times at the aquaduck than morning. I figured for our next trip, I would like to try the Aquaduck at night during one of the shows. They put lights on the tube. It looked so cool! We will be going on the Dream again so unless they change all the shows we would just pick 1 that we werent fond of to miss. Which 1 show would be difficult to pick. I didnt care for Hades, but my sons absolutely loved that show.

Wow, 189pp is expensive! Did that include any alcoholic drink at least? I wonder if Costco would have a better deal?

Loving your trip report... i am reliving our cruise through your eyes....

I never did get on the Aquaduck at night. It's definitely on my bucket list for next trip!

No drinks of any kind were included at Atlantis

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 12, 2016: PICTURES? WHAT PICTURES?



Here's what I look like walking into work in the morning…someone's not having a good day!


After visiting the fish tanks, we went back to the front of Atlantis and caught the bus back to the ship. There's a little market you walk through on the way back, but we didn't stop to do any shopping.

I love seeing the ship from these different angles…








There was a nice water station waiting for us outside the ship…nice touch DCL




Forgive me, but I don't have many more pics from this day which is SOOO unlike me. I know we changed for dinner and ate at Enchanted Garden this night but I don't remember what we actually ate for dinner. This was the night of the now infamous "Roll Incident," so maybe I just wasn't feeling much like taking pictures! Anyway, I did get a picture of my dessert


After dinner we went back to our room…


DM and I went to a show and then up to Deck 10…they were showing one of my favorite movies on Tunnelvision


And that's the LAST pic I have from this day

Don't worry…I'll MORE than make up for my lack of pictures tomorrow on our Castaway Cay day!!

 

[oceanmarina]

APRIL 11, 2016 GOOD-BYE POLY, HELLO DREAM!!


OMG!! It's finally time to board our Dream cruise! This is what I woke up to...
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I think I started at 500 days or something!

But first, we had to say good-bye to the Poly…
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Of course, it was another beautiful morning.
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I sat on the balcony and had my coffee and just enjoyed the scene so much…
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We took our time packing up, and called Bell Services around 9 to come take our bags. I also packed up all of our extra non-perishable food and put it into our Owner's Locker and BS sent it over to BLT so that it would be waiting for us after the cruise. How awesome is that!? I had just signed up for OL this trip and I am so glad I did! Otherwise, I would have had to give away or throw out all of our extra food!

By 9:30 or so, we made our way out to the front of the Poly to wait for our car service. It was then that I remembered that I hadn't taken any pics of the front of the Poly, though I had always meant to come back to do that. We had about 30 minutes to wait so I started snapping away…
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We had arranged to have FL Tours pick us up to bring us to the port. I had asked around on the Cruise Boards and this was recommended because if we took the Disney Transfers, we would be getting to the ship MUCH later, like in the afternoon. Since I had gotten an early Port-Arrival-Time (10:30), I wanted to get on and start enjoying the ship as early as possible.

Our driver arrived just about 10am and it was just perfect timing. If I did this again, I would plan it exactly the same way. We got to the port early, checked-in, and boarded the ship fairly quickly. But…I'm getting ahead of myself. One last thing, I would like to give a shout out to FL Tours…I would definitely use their car service again. Clean van, professional driver, arrived right on time, overall just a great experience.

The driver loaded up the van and soon we were on our way!!View attachment 180323

I think the ride was 45-60 minutes. It wasn't long before we got our first glimpse of THIS BEAUTY!!
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To Be Continued...

Joining in here! Just binge read your fantastic trip report! Your kids are so cute and it's so nice to take your Mom with you. I would love to take my Mom but we go in August and she feels the heat would be too much for her.

We sailed the dream in 2011, and loved it. Yep we always request our own table too and never have had a problem getting it.

Quick question, I loved the cruise wake up alarm and fast pass pictures you included in your trip report. Was it from an app. How did you include those cute pictures of your phone screen?

Also it was interesting to read about the horns at the Poly (I also heard that from a friend who stayed at the bungalows over the water. He said the horns kept him up and were very annoying.). We stayed at the poly at Tuvalu building years ago. I don't remember hearing horns but we did not have a water view.

Looking foward to reading more
Marina

 

[buzzrelly]

Joining in here! Just binge read your fantastic trip report! Your kids are so cute and it's so nice to take your Mom with you. I would love to take my Mom but we go in August and she feels the heat would be too much for her.

We sailed the dream in 2011, and loved it. Yep we always request our own table too and never have had a problem getting it.

Quick question, I loved the cruise wake up alarm and fast pass pictures you included in your trip report. Was it from an app. How did you include those cute pictures of your phone screen?

Also it was interesting to read about the horns at the Poly (I also heard that from a friend who stayed at the bungalows over the water. He said the horns kept him up and were very annoying.). We stayed at the poly at Tuvalu building years ago. I don't remember hearing horns but we did not have a water view.

Looking foward to reading more
Marina

Aw, Thanks!

Good to know that our request for our own table should be met for next time!

The FastPass pics were just screen shots I took on my iPhone on DME. The cruise one was a screen shot of my DCL countdown calculator on their App. For example, I just took one from today…



The Poly horns would really be a problem for people who like to sleep in. For us, we were up pretty early anyway so it wasn't a big deal. I would definitely stay again!

Thanks for reading along

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 13, 2016: WELCOME TO CASTAWAY CAY!!!





Good Morning, Castaway Cay!!








This is the one day I was MOST looking forward to on the whole trip! In 2012, we visited CC on the Magic, but there were storms in the area and it kind of rained off and on all day. Our day was cut short when thunderstorms rolled in in the afternoon while we were waiting on deck to go on Pelican Plunge, so we never even got to go on that This time I was determined to go on that, and also to try something else I had never done before…


The Castaway Cay 5K. I've been running on and off since my 20s, and I really enjoy it, though I am slow as molasses. I'm happy to hit a 12 minute mile . I have heard lots of people talk about this race and I was determined to run it. I asked DS if he wanted to go, but since he was out late again the night before, he wasn't interested. So I headed down to the meeting spot early and went by myself…

It was a gorgeous day, and fairly early when we started running, I think around 8:30-9am, but HOLY MOLY, was it ever HOT!! Coming from CT, I wasn't used to running in that kind of heat, but I think I did okay. I finished in about 39 minutes which is slow, even for me, but did I mention…it was HOT??!!.

I stopped to take a gross, sweaty selfie on the runway where you just run down and back. Get used to seeing these ugly selfies of me because when we get back to WDW, I did the Dark Side 10K and those selfies were just as attractive

You can see, I had also strapped on my GoPro, but honestly, where we were running there wasn't a whole lot to capture on video. A lot of green shrubs and island plants, so I didn't really bother.

Here's some of what I was seeing along the way…




View attachment 182704

Finish Line!! Yay!!



It felt GREAT to finish! Here I am with my rubber medal, and boy, did I earn it!


By the way, if you look closely, you can see my "Running Buddy." It's a pouch that clips onto your shorts with a magnet. Someone on the DisBoards recommended it and it works great! I still use it and it holds my iPhone and glasses while I run.
How did I even function before I found these boards??

So the big question, now that I've done the CC 5K, would I do it again? The answer…I don't know, or it depends. Like I said, it was REALLY hot and the next time we cruise will be in June which will be MUCH hotter, so I don't think I could stand it. Plus, I kind of missed breakfast because I got off the ship early, and Cookie's BBQ wasn't open until much later. I saw a guy just setting up all this fruit and then covering it, so I asked him if I could steal an apple and he let me. Maybe I should have just planned better, but I can't really eat before I run because it would give me a stomach ache. The other not so great thing was that even though I was up and out super early, the rest of the Fam wasn't. By the time I finished and met up with them, a lot of the better seats were taken. Totally ended up not being a big deal, but we didn't get to sit where I had wanted to sit. So, I don't know…I guess I'll have to wait and see how I'm feeling when I go next time. I might have to stick to running in the air-conditioned gym on a treadmill !


More Castaway Cay up next...

 

[bpadair32]

Just found this TR and I am loving it. Following along.

 

[oceanmarina]

APRIL 13, 2016: CASTAWAY CAY!!!


Good Morning, Castaway Cay!!
View attachment 182697

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View attachment 182699

This is the one day I was MOST looking forward to on the whole trip! In 2012, we visited CC on the Magic, but there were storms in the area and it kind of rained off and on all day. Our day was cut short when thunderstorms rolled in in the afternoon while we were waiting on deck to go on Pelican Plunge, so we never even got to go on that This time I was determined to go on that, and also to try something else I had never done before…
View attachment 182700

The Castaway Cay 5K. I've been running on and off since my 20s, and I really enjoy it, though I am slow as molasses. I'm happy to hit a 12 minute mile . I have heard lots of people talk about this race and I was determined to run it. I asked DS if he wanted to go, but since he was out late again the night before, he wasn't interested. So I headed down to the meeting spot early and went by myself…

It was a gorgeous day, and fairly early when we started running, I think around 8:30-9am, but HOLY MOLY, was it ever HOT!! Coming from CT, I wasn't used to running in that kind of heat, but I think I did okay. I finished in about 39 minutes which is slow, even for me, but did I mention…it was HOT??!!.

I stopped to take a gross, sweaty selfie on the runway where you just run down and back. Get used to seeing these ugly selfies of me because when we get back to WDW, I did the Dark Side 10K and those selfies were just as attractive
View attachment 182701
You can see, I had also strapped on my GoPro, but honestly, where we were running there wasn't a whole lot to capture on video. A lot of green shrubs and island plants, so I didn't really bother.

Here's some of what I was seeing along the way…
View attachment 182702

View attachment 182703

View attachment 182704

Finish Line!! Yay!!
View attachment 182705


It felt GREAT to finish! Here I am with my rubber medal, and boy, did I earn it!
View attachment 182706

By the way, if you look closely, you can see my "Running Buddy." It's a pouch that clips onto your shorts with a magnet. Someone on the DisBoards recommended it and it works great! I still use it and it holds my iPhone and glasses while I run.
How did I even function before I found these boards??

So the big question, now that I've done the CC 5K, would I do it again? The answer…I don't know, or it depends. Like I said, it was REALLY hot and the next time we cruise will be in June which will be MUCH hotter, so I don't think I could stand it. Plus, I kind of missed breakfast because I got off the ship early, and Cookie's BBQ wasn't open until much later. I saw a guy just setting up all this fruit and then covering it, so I asked him if I could steal an apple and he let me. Maybe I should have just planned better, but I can't really eat before I run because it would give me a stomach ache. The other not so great thing was that even though I was up and out super early, the rest of the Fam wasn't. By the time I finished and met up with them, a lot of the better seats were taken. Totally ended up not being a big deal, but we didn't get to sit where I had wanted to sit. So, I don't know…I guess I'll have to wait and see how I'm feeling when I go next time. I might have to stick to running in the air-conditioned gym on a treadmill !


More Castaway Cay up next...

Wow great update! We love castaway cay. When we were on the dream in 2011 it was a 5 night cruise. 2 sea days, 1 stop at Bahamas and 2 stops at castaway cay. It was the best cruise because it stopped there twice! And since we had been to the Atlantis on 3 trips, we hung out on the amazing boat on Nassau day. I'm in awe of anyone who works out on vacation, let alone runs a 5K. You were glistening, not sweating! And yes I agree June will be a lot more humid. I also prefer to work out when its cooler.

Thanks for the tip, i'll have to put MDE on my phone.

Can't wait to read more

 

[buzzrelly]

Just found this TR and I am loving it. Following along.

Thanks for joining in!

Wow great update! We love castaway cay. When we were on the dream in 2011 it was a 5 night cruise. 2 sea days, 1 stop at Bahamas and 2 stops at castaway cay. It was the best cruise because it stopped there twice! And since we had been to the Atlantis on 3 trips, we hung out on the amazing boat on Nassau day. I'm in awe of anyone who works out on vacation, let alone runs a 5K. You were glistening, not sweating! And yes I agree June will be a lot more humid. I also prefer to work out when its cooler.

Thanks for the tip, i'll have to put MDE on my phone.

Can't wait to read more

That's the cruise we are doing next June! I cannot wait! I was wondering how the 5 night will be compared to the 4 night. Do they add new shows? Are there 2 Pirate Nights? I had originally booked a cruise for next April, but when I saw the CC double-dip, I immediately changed it to that! Hoping to have two amazing CC days next time!

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 13, 2016: IN SUMMER



After the run, I went and looked for a spot on the beach NEAR Pelican Plunge but most of those chairs were taken. I ended up setting up on this beach...





I had signed DS up for the teen adventure a while back. I wasn't sure he would even go, but it was only $50 so if he decided he didn't want to go, I wouldn't have lost too much. He ended up going and LOVING it. He made some really good friends in the VIBE, which I was kind of surprised (but totally happy) about. They went biking, and snorkeling (I think)…and he had a great time.

I met up with DM and DD around 10:30 or so. DD was aggravated that Grammy took so long at the buffet

She got over it quickly.


I took a lot of video footage of when we were in the water, which was absolutely AMAZING! Nice and warm, but not TOO warm. DD and I were waiting in line to rent a couple of tubes and the man in front of us turned around and asked what were were getting because he had pre-paid for some and didn't need them all. So we ended up getting ours for free. That was so nice of him, and we thanked him profusely! I guess it's not technically , but it felt like it



We finally got to do Pelican Plunge (see video) and it was super fun, though a little smelly. The water you plunge into had a distinct fishy smell . But the view from the top of the platform out there is so pretty I still would have gone a second time but DD didn't want to.

We ended up walking over to get DD a smoothie, and saw this guy…


Oddly, I had seen the REAL Olaf earlier,right after my run before DD and DM got here. He was completely by himself and it would have been a GREAT photo op. I was kind of sad about DD not meeting him because he is her favorite character

While DD and I were on Pelican Plunge and getting smoothies, Grammy took a nap…


Just some more ship/island photos. I just cannot say enough how truly wonderful this place is...



My Artsy attempt...



It was soon time for lunch and I was literally starving by then, so we headed over as early as we could...






Up next, Lunch at Cookies BBQ...

 

[oceanmarina]

Thanks for joining in!



That's the cruise we are doing next June! I cannot wait! I was wondering how the 5 night will be compared to the 4 night. Do they add new shows? Are there 2 Pirate Nights? I had originally booked a cruise for next April, but when I saw the CC double-dip, I immediately changed it to that! Hoping to have two amazing CC days next time!

It was a great cruise. It may be different now but when we sailed in 2011, there was one pirate night, there were a few shows (golden mickeys, and another two I believe). If you want Atlantis at a cheaper cost go to the nassau/paradise island forum on trip advisor, they have a lot of information there. Since we had been to the Bahamas a lot we opted to stay on the boat. We felt like we had the boat to ourselves since it wasn't crowded with so many people getting off at Nassau. Saw your cruise countdown on another post - congrats!!

All is not right in my world if I don't have a vacation ticker countdown.
Ps - another Nassau option I remember people were talking about was the blue lagoon dolphin encounter.

 

[nenglim]

The Castaway Cay 5K. I've been running on and off since my 20s, and I really enjoy it, though I am slow as molasses. I'm happy to hit a 12 minute mile . I have heard lots of people talk about this race and I was determined to run it. I asked DS if he wanted to go, but since he was out late again the night before, he wasn't interested. So I headed down to the meeting spot early and went by myself…

It was a gorgeous day, and fairly early when we started running, I think around 8:30-9am, but HOLY MOLY, was it ever HOT!! Coming from CT, I wasn't used to running in that kind of heat, but I think I did okay. I finished in about 39 minutes which is slow, even for me, but did I mention…it was HOT??!!.

we don't sweat, we sparkle! i so wanted to do this during our cruise. My DH and I planned to do it together. My son who is the varsity track runner, bailed out. Then on the very last minute, my DH was advised by his MD not to run it. It was his first time on blood pressure pills. So I was going back and forth if i wanted to do it alone. I even brought my running outfit just in case. Well, i didnt! I don't run per se. But i would love to have that bling around my neck. We are currently signed up for the Princess 5K in Feb. I hope no one bails out this time, especially cause this one is not free. We are also thinking about doing the 5K at CC also but we will be doing the Double Dip in July. I don't know if my running powers can do it in that heat.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Great updates, I have been on two cruises, neither were Disney. Disney looks like they do it right. I love that you can meet characters and the private island looks so nice. Your mom looks like she was enjoying her relaxing time. It's nice your son had a good time, it is hard to please the teens sometimes to that is great!

 

[buzzrelly]

It was a great cruise. It may be different now but when we sailed in 2011, there was one pirate night, there were a few shows (golden mickeys, and another two I believe). If you want Atlantis at a cheaper cost go to the nassau/paradise island forum on trip advisor, they have a lot of information there. Since we had been to the Bahamas a lot we opted to stay on the boat. We felt like we had the boat to ourselves since it wasn't crowded with so many people getting off at Nassau. Saw your cruise countdown on another post - congrats!!

All is not right in my world if I don't have a vacation ticker countdown.
Ps - another Nassau option I remember people were talking about was the blue lagoon dolphin encounter.

I can't wait! I go back and forth about going back to Atlantis. I think DH wants to go but we are going to Universal before the cruise and if their new water park is open by then we will hit that. Then I don't see the point in spending a ton on another water park, but we'll see

We did the Blue Lagoon dolphin encounter in 2012, so I don't think we'd do that again. Staying on the ship is a very real possibility!

we don't sweat, we sparkle! i so wanted to do this during our cruise. My DH and I planned to do it together. My son who is the varsity track runner, bailed out. Then on the very last minute, my DH was advised by his MD not to run it. It was his first time on blood pressure pills. So I was going back and forth if i wanted to do it alone. I even brought my running outfit just in case. Well, i didnt! I don't run per se. But i would love to have that bling around my neck. We are currently signed up for the Princess 5K in Feb. I hope no one bails out this time, especially cause this one is not free. We are also thinking about doing the 5K at CC also but we will be doing the Double Dip in July. I don't know if my running powers can do it in that heat.

Aw! You should have gone by yourself! I didn't feel weird at all, in fact, I'd be surprised if anyone noticed. You'll have to keep reading for what happened at the Dark Side 10K that DS and I had signed up for…foreshadowing…dun, dun, dun!!

Great updates, I have been on two cruises, neither were Disney. Disney looks like they do it right. I love that you can meet characters and the private island looks so nice. Your mom looks like she was enjoying her relaxing time. It's nice your son had a good time, it is hard to please the teens sometimes to that is great!

Thanks! I am learning the best way to please my teen is to leave him alone as much as I can!

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 13, 2016: COOKIE'S



Yes, they even find reasons to be on their phones on an island…ugh! She must've been texting friends from the EDGE using the DisneyNavigator app since we didn't have international data. It was nice that that app worked on CC because that's how I found dd and DM earlier...



We had an early lunch at Cookie's…this pic was from our trip in 2012. In my hunger delirium, I must've forgotten to take one.



My plate…everything was very good. There were also burgers and hotdogs, etc., but I prefer the carbs and salads. The ribs were pretty good, but messy!



They have ice cream stations on the island too



Afterwards, we headed back to the beach and swam. I really wanted to go snorkeling to see all the hidden treasures and maybe see a StarFish, but DD is afraid of seeing fish in the water and didn't want to go. That was also why she didn't want to go back on Pelican Plunge…I guess she didn't believe me when I told her they had nets that kept the fish out








We couldn't leave CC without doing a little shopping



We started heading back to the ship around 3:30pm. I was in awe of this view so DM and DD took the tram but I kept walking so I could savor this and take more pics...




Up next, saying Good-Bye to Castaway Cay

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 13, 2016: SEE YA LATER, MON!

Just a bunch of pics of what I was seeing on my way back to the ship




















I finally caught up with DD and DM near the tram stop...


To be continued...

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 13, 2016: SPOTTING AN ENDANGERED SPECIES




As we were walking, I spotted the rarest, most endangered species on the island…….
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A TEENAGER!

This was the one and ONLY time I saw DS on Castaway Cay! He was just returning from his teen excursion and was with a bunch of friends from the VIBE. I lured him away for a moment so I could snap a quick pic, and he was in a GREAT mood, so he indulged me it didn't last long, this rare creature quickly headed back to his flock and that was the last I saw of him (on the island)!!


We were back in our room by around 4pm and started to get ready for dinner. We were so sad to say good-bye to CC, but Disney must've figured out how sad this makes everyone so they gave us something FUN to look forward to…Pirate Night…Arrgggghhhhh!!

 

[PumpkinKingGB]

Wait, what... where's pirate night!!!
Damn, I'm all caught up now.

 

[oceanmarina]

What a great update, your beautiful pictures remind me what an amazing time we had on Castaway Cay. We used to take a lot of cruises before we had out kids, now DH is not into taking another cruise. So I don't know when i'll see that beautiful island again. It was our favorite port of call, so convenient to walk right off the boat and onto the beautiful island!

Glad you got a smiling picture of your son! My DS 11, already gives me a hard time (for over a year now) when I want to take pictures....sigh

Can't wait to read about pirate night!

 

[buzzrelly]

Wait, what... where's pirate night!!!
Damn, I'm all caught up now.

and

What a great update, your beautiful pictures remind me what an amazing time we had on Castaway Cay. We used to take a lot of cruises before we had out kids, now DH is not into taking another cruise. So I don't know when i'll see that beautiful island again. It was our favorite port of call, so convenient to walk right off the boat and onto the beautiful island!

Glad you got a smiling picture of your son! My DS 11, already gives me a hard time (for over a year now) when I want to take pictures....sigh

Can't wait to read about pirate night!
View attachment 183080

Tell your DH that a cruise is a great way to get lots of adult time ! That's why I am making DH go next year…as much as I LOVE my mom, hanging out with her at night wasn't very romantic!

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 13, 2016: PIRATES IN THE CARIBBEAN


So, lots of people bring cute costumes and dress up for Pirate Night. But just as I didn't want to lug FE gifts across the country, I didn't feel like lugging costumes either . But we showered and changed and honestly, it wasn't a big deal. There were just as many people dressed in costumes as not. We definitely didn't feel out of place.



Before dinner, we came across my girl, Minnie



The outside of the menu…wish I had remembered to take a pic of the inside





DS graced us with his presence at dinner…he was trying to demonstrate something that had happened that day on CC, but DD isn't sure what the heck he's doing. It's just nice to see them laughing together and I'm glad I had my phone out to get the pic


This was an appetizer. I don't remember what it was but it was delicious! I could have eaten a second one of these and frankly, skip the main meal which wasn't that good. I don't even remember what it was and I didn't take any pictures of it.



The kids got smoothies in these cute, light-up mugs. DH put them in the dishwasher and the bottom ended up leaking out this metallic looking stuff so we threw them out. So if you get these, heed the warning on the bottom and don't put them in the dishwasher



My dessert trio that I may have already taken a bit of...



As we walked back to our room, Funnelvision was already getting set up for the party...


Pirate Night, to be continued...