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Sonia's land portion of her trip.
After 5 wonderful days in WDW we are heading towards Port Canaveral...
Thursday Feb 7th 2002
Mickey woke us up at 6am- not so bright and early, we didn't get out of bed until almost 7am. I still had some packing to do so DH tried
to get the girls ready but they were already wired. At exactly 8am there was a knock at the door, it was the CM to collect the luggage,
and to my embarrassment baby DD was running around the room naked- charming! We asked him to come back in a few minutes, and he said no
problem. We received our check out bill and everything was in order. We left the room- Boo Hoo!
Since the DCL bus was leaving at 12:45 we decided not to go to any parks, instead we wanted to explore the resort that we hadn't gotten
to enjoy yet. We walked down to the beach and the girls got a kick out of swinging in the hammocks. As we walked over the bridge,
Anjana (Baby DD) started chasing some ducks and geese. In fact they kind of surrounded her so that made for a cute picture. We went into
the food court and ordered those huge breakfasts. As we sat down I looked out the window and realized that it had started raining.
These were the first drops of rain we had seen the entire trip so far.
After breakfast Nikki and I got into line for the Hair Wraps while DH and Baby DD strolled through the shops for souvenirs. There were two
little girls in front of us, and they were going on the cruise also. Seems everyone still roaming around the resort was going on the
cruise. After 25 minutes it was our turn. Now remember that they charge $1.50 an inch and the beads are extra. Well, Nikki has
naturally curly hair (ringlets) and when you straighten out her hair it reaches to just above her bum. When the gentleman finished and
told me the cost was $32 I almost fainted (remember I'm from Canada – exchange rate! Exchange rate!) This was the most
expensive "souvenir" I had bought for the entire trip… But we were in Disney World- Happy! Happy! Happy!
I decided to get a few souvenirs also. I found a wonderful pin that has Minnie dressed up as a nurse, I quickly purchased it for my Best
Friend who is a nurse. I picked up a few post cards, keychains, frames, and mugs. Because it had started to rain we couldn't take
the girls to the playground as we had planned. So we just wandered around. At around 12:15 the DCL podium opened up and they signed
everyone in and asked them to wait in Captain's Tavern. By 12:30 they were randomly choosing tables to board the DCL bus.
These buses are very comfortable. Nikki sat with her father and Anjana fell asleep on Mom's lap before we even started on our
journey, which we were informed would take about an hour. After we were on the road for about 20 minutes the driver put on a video that
explained what we were in store for on the ship. DH fell asleep (do you see a pattern between DH and baby DD). We reached Port
Canaveral, and the ship was magnificent. You don't realize how "WONDER-ful" it is until you see it in person.
We checked in at the International Guests booth where they took our passports. And waited in line to get though the Mickey Ears tunnel
to the ship. We waited about 25 minutes, Nikki loved the model of the ship. We started talking to the couple in front of us who were
visiting from Tampa (LOL) with their 2 kids. We met often on the ship and even exchanged addresses at the end of the cruise. We
picked up the girls' KEY TO THE WORLD cards (they are both under 3 and didn't get ONE AT WDW), and headed towards the ship. As we
entered the Grand 3rd deck Atrium our name was announced and we were in heaven from that point on until we got off 3 days later.
We took the elevator to the 2nd Deck Aft as ouR stateroom number was 2605. Our luggage was waiting for us in front of the door. We
opened up the door and expected a small room that would be hard to move in, boy were we surprised. I have always heard that cruise ship
staterooms are very tiny. We had booked a Deluxe Inside Stateroom. We had a Queen Size bed, a cute armoire in the corner that looked
that a traveling trunk, a day bed that looked towards the TV and a vanity table, next to the vanity table was a little seating area and
next to the was a decent sized closet with a built in safe. The refrigerator was under the TV. The bathroom was split with a sink &
toilet in one and the sink and bathtub/shower in the next. We didn't know this we arrived, but there was a bunk bed in the ceiling of the
room. We would go to breakfast and the stateroom hostess would put the bunk back into the ceiling, while we were at dinner she would
lower it again. The room was a good size for our family (2 adults & 2 kids under 3).
After we settled in we hurried to get to the Beach Blanket Buffet, we were starving by now. Took the elevator to the 9th deck where they
had a huge buffet. It was raining and windy outside so we opted to eat inside. I found a booth (hard to find at that time) and sat down
with baby DD while Nikki and DH went to get some food. After we finished I told DH we should get ready for dinner before the
Mandatory Drill started at 4:30, so we would be free to roam the ship a little before dinner, we had 1st seating for dinner at Animator's
Palate. The drill went pretty smoothly, it very windy and raining buckets outside.
After the drill as DH finished getting ready for dinner, the girls were watching a Disney Movie on TV and I decided to go and get Nikki
signed up for the Oceaneer's Club. So I made my way up to Deck 5 Midship and followed the signs. I found it very easy to find my way
around the ship the entire trip. There were other parents waiting for the doors to open. Within 5 minutes we were escorted inside and
given instructions. I quickly filled out the form and collected the pager. Nikki would have to come back with me to get the wrist band.
As I was returning to the stateroom I realized that we had set sail.
Before we headed to dinner, we checked out the Sail Away Party in the Atrium on Deck 3. Wow what a crowd, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto,
Goofy, Chip `n' Dale and others were there partying with everyone. I found someone's used roll of film on the floor and turned it over to
a CM (I can't imagine loosing even one of my precious pictures, I hoped this person found his film).
We checked out the ship a little and then headed towards Animator's Palate. There was already a line up to get in, this was the only
time we encountered a line up at dinner time. I took some cute pictures of the daughters sitting in the porthole while we waited
(with the Animator's Palate sign in the reflection). Were seated at table #76 and our Server was Alun from Finland. Our Assistant Server
was Karen from France. They were wonderful. On our first night we informed them that we needed one high chair and one booster seat,
after that every night the booster and high chair were waiting in the exact spot (Nikki next to her dad and Anjana next to me).
Karen took our drink orders and Alun took our dinner orders. We ordered the Chicken Noodle soup for the girls (The noodles are
Mickey's head) for appetizers, I had the baked stuffed tomatoes and DH ordered the Duck and Goat Cheese Flatbread. We had delicious
French bread and banana read on the tables also. I decided to order dinner and dessert at the same time also. The girls were having
Chicken Strips with fries, I ordered the Roasted Chicken Breast and DH ordered Grilled Strip Loin. For dessert the girls had Mickey
Bars, I ordered the Strawberry Shortcake and DH wanted the Boston Cream Pie.
As we waited for our courses to be served, we were entertained by the pictures of Disney Characters changing from black and white to
color. In the middle of the restaurant there are 4 paintbrush "pillars", when they light up you know that there is a
little more color added to each picture. The girls had a fun time pointing out their favorite characters. Even the servers had black
and white vests on to blend in. When the dinner was server our waiter Alun made the Mickey sign with the ketchup on the girls'
plates. Nikki almost didn't eat the ketchup for fear of "losing" Mickey.
Just before dessert was served Alun informed us that the waiters and waitresses were going to leave for a few minutes to prepare for the
show. And when they came out in a parade they were all wearing colorful vests and the entire room burst into colors. It was a very
good show. Our desserts were served promptly after the show and we finished off our dinner experience and headed out after thanking our
wonderful "hosts".
We walked back to our stateroom as the kids were practically falling asleep. DH looked tired also and he offered to put the kids to bed
while I went to go the theatre production of Hercules, The Muse-ical (did I mention I am married to the most wonderful man on earth). I
got there a little early so I browsed the gift shops that line the corridor to the Walt Disney Theatre on Deck 4. I saw a beautiful
little replica of the ship that I liked and the CM informed me that the Captain has a signing session on the last night where he signs
the ship model. I made a mental note to come back and purchase it later as the show was about to start.
I loved every minute of the show. It was so funny, especially when Hades is acting like David Letterman and talking to the audience.
This is truly a wonderful production and I was so happy I hadn't missed it. I was almost sad to see it end.
As I made my way back to the stateroom I decided to go out on deck 4 and just watch the waves splashing against the boat. I don't think I
have had such a peaceful moment in a very long time (remember I have two kids, 15 months apart, ages almost 2 and 3). I didn't want to
leave, but I wanted to get some rest for the big tomorrow in Nassau, Bahamas. I couldn't believe it, I was sailing in the Caribbean.
Someone pinch me, is this real.
Next Report: Day #2 at sea
Friday Feb 8th 2002
Today we got up leisurely, I had set the wake up time for 7am. By the time we all got and got ready it was almost 8:30. We had
breakfast at the Topsider's Beach Blanket Buffet on Deck 9. We looked out onto Nassau. It was a beautiful morning – getting to be
very hot. We choose a table overlooking the sea and in the distance you could see Atlantis. I had the yummiest cheese & ham omelet,
while the girls indulged in Mickey Waffles. The Princess Party was starting in the Atrium at 9:30 and I knew the girls would love this.
So we made our way to the Atrium. As we were waiting for 9:30 to roll around a CM informed where the line would be starting so we were
the 1st ones in line. And the line got long pretty quick after that.
Finally the Princesses arrived, Belle, Snow White, Alice and Wendy. Even though Alice & Wendy are not princesses I was happy they were
there as we had not seen them on our trip so far (except in parades). We got pictures, autographs and kisses. I made a mental
note to always come at least 15 minutes before the character greetings. There were a lot of cranky kids in line. Now we were off
to site see in Nassau.
We got off the ship and walked towards the port. When we looked back and saw the SHIP it looked so grand and majestic. We walked through
this little "walkway" that had a Caribbean band playing music and it really got me into a tropical mood. We had a lot of people trying to
get us to buy tours and hair braiding and stuff, but we politely declined and moved on. I wanted to take the carriage ride through
Nassau and decided to go to the souvenir shop before doing so. We bought the girls these little drum like instruments that make a lot
of noise (what was I thinking), we bought some postcards and t-shirts also. We made our way around the square and hopped onto a horse
drawn carriage.
Our "driver" was very pleasant and he navigated those streets expertly. We got the tour around the city which lasted about 30
minutes and cost us about $25. We didn't want to do a real excursion as the girls wouldn't sit through it. So we had a fun little horsey
ride around Nassau and then decided to head back to the ship and enjoy some of its amenities. All in all we had a fun time in
Nassau. As we were walking back to the ship there was a sudden downpour. Luckily we were underneath a shelter close to the ship
(actually we were almost aboard the ship), and we had a tough time trying to keep the girls from playing in the rain. We met our
Assistant Server Karen while we were waiting for the rain to let up, she chatted with us for a few minutes and then the rain stopped as
suddenly as it had started and we made our way back to the ship.
We decided to spend some time in the Mickey Pool. This place quickly became the girls' favorite attraction. Baby DD and I relaxed in
Mickey's Ears (heated baby pool), while Nikki and her Dad had fun in Mickey's face. Due to the rain it had cooled off a little but the
girls did not want to get out. So we swam for over an hour and I decided that it was time for lunch. They reluctantly got out of the
pool and we headed towards the Lunch Buffet around the corner. After lunch I decided to make the girls take a nap so they wouldn't
get so tired after dinner. Also I wanted them to see the Island Magic Performance at 15:30 at the Buena Vista Theatre.
We headed back to the stateroom and the girls took a quick shower before going to sleep. I though I could lie down for a few minutes
and ended up taking a 1.5 hour nap. We all woke up fresh and relaxed. But it was after 15:00 and the Island Magic show was
starting in 30 minutes. We quickly gave the girls a snack and set off towards the Buena Vista Theatre on Deck 5. When we got there, a
lot of kids were singing songs with Chip `N' Dale. They were keeping everyone entertained before the show started.
The show basically consisted of Captain Mickey making sure that Castaway Cay was being prepared for our arrival the next day.
Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Chip `N' Dale were all taking different tasks to prepare the island. However Captain Hook was on the lookout for
treasure, and he was following Pluto as the dog had found a treasure map. This production lasted almost an hour and was great fun to
watch. The audience participated by making various noises when certain people were on stage.
Afterwards we went to Pinocchio's on Deck 9 as Nikki was hungry and each kid ate a slice of pepperoni and cheese pizza. The Oceaneer's
Club was having a play date with Flounder at Studio Sea, so I took Nikki there and hubby and Baby DD amused themselves. We were going
to meet in the Atrium at 5:00 as there was a character greeting taking place there at 5:15. When we got there at 5:00 there were a
few other parents there also, I guess they came to the same decision as I after this mornings wait. DH and baby DD showed up and so did
Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Pluto. The girls loved interacting with the characters the entire trip, they never got bored if it (neither
did I for that matter). We returned to the stateroom to get dressed for dinner. Tonight we were dining in Parrot Cay.
This restaurant is very tropical looking, when we got to our table it was ready with the high chair and the booster seats. Alun and Karen
greeted us and took our orders. The girls got the Mickey Chicken noodle soup again, I ordered the Coconut Shrimp (Very Yummy), and DH
indulged in Pot Stickers. For dinner the girls had Mickey shaped Ravioli, I ordered the Large Pasta Shells and DH had the Roasted
Chicken. For dessert the girls had Ice cream with sprinkles, I had the Kahlua Trifle and DH ordered the Key Lime Pie. Again after
dinner but before dessert they servers put on a show, and returned afterwards with our desserts.
Nikki got a wonderful surprise, just before our dessert was served, Karen, Alun and our Head Server came over to our table with a
birthday cake that had a square of white chocolate with an image of the ship in dark chocolate "painted" on it, it was beautiful. They
had sparklers and sang Happy Birthday. The head server gave Nikki a Pin that says Today is my birthday on the Wonder (or something like
that). It was really great, she loved the attention. We shared the cake with a little girl sitting at the table next to us.
After dinner we went to the Treasure Ketch to get some souvenirs, I picked up the model ship, postcards and some key chains.
We decided to take in a movie tonight as there was no Theatre Production, and the girls are too young for Who Wants to be a
Mouseketeer. So we watched the Princess Diaries in the Buenta Vista Theatre. I brought along a blanket for baby DD, there was no way she
was going stay awake through the movie. Nikki liked the movie and it actually made me laugh also. We were trying to keep Nikki up for the
Tropical Deck Party which was starting at 10:00. The movie finished a little after 10pm, so we made our way up to Deck 9 Midship where
the party was in full swing. Nikki wanted to go straight to the dance floor (remember the kid the danced behind the Mickey's Jungle
Jammin Parade in AK). The baby woke up and started boogying also. The characters did a tropical music number. We raided the dessert
buffet. Lots of desserts to choose from. Nikki loved the guava fruit, she really likes tropical fruits, and eats mangoes and
pineapples regularly at home also. The ship set sail again a little after 11pm and it was great watching the ship sail away from the
port. You could see Atlantis all lit up in the distance. It was very romantic. After a little more dancing we decided to call it a
night as we wanted to be well rested for Castaway Cay. I had read that it is a good idea to get off the ship early to ensure a prime
spot on the beach (umbrella/hammock).
Nikki fell asleep pretty quickly, the baby was ready to play after having a nice 2 hour nap. She finally fell asleep. I decided this
was a perfect time to write up my postcards to send from the post office at Castaway Cay. Before we had returned to the room we had
picked up some hot chocolates, I fell asleep before I even took a sip. Nighty Nighty.
Saturday Feb 9th 2002
I woke up early so that I could watch us docking into Castaway Cay. I rushed up to deck 4 and looked out, I could see Castaway Cay, we
were almost there. It was nice and breezy, fresh air all around. What a peaceful morning. After we docked I just reveled in how blue
the water was and how I couldn't wait to get there.
I rushed back to the stateroom, woke up everyone and started getting them ready. We had breakfast at Beach Blanket and headed towards the
island. The girls had their bathing suits on underneath the their clothing, and we picked up our bag from the stateroom and headed
out. As we exited the ship the CMs handed out towels for us use on the beach.
It was bight and sunny and warm, a beautiful day. I quickly went into the post office and mailed the postcards, I even sent one to my
daughters from Mickey, telling them to come back real soon (I wish! I wish! I wish!) We then took some pictures with the Fresh Catch Fish
& the ship. We waited about 5 minutes for the tram and it was a pleasant ride. When we got off Mickey was waving to the girls, so we
got a wonderful shot of them with Mickey and the beach in the background. Goofy was posing in front of Mount Rustmore, he was
acting "goofy" with the girls. Seems everyone was in a terrific mood today. We picked up some beach toys from Scuttles Cove.
We continued on towards the family beach. We passed She Sells Seashells, and I made a note to come back later. We found a
wonderful spot that had palm trees for shade, a hammock and beach chairs. It was the best location and not far from the water. DH
just wanted to crash out on the hammock, the girls couldn't get their clothes off fast enough to get to into the water. I finally
persuaded DH to come along.
The water was COLD – brrrrr. I mentioned to the girls that maybe we could make a sand castle while the water warmed up. So we set our
minds into making a huge sand castle. DH got into making a huge pit and the girls enjoyed themselves playing with sand. I suggested we
bury DAD in the sand and everyone got a kick out of that. The girls wanted to be buried in the sand next, these made for the cutest
pictures. We made a little pillow out of sand so their heads would be elevated, they actually didn't want to come out.
Once everyone was out of the sand we went back tot he water to clean the sand off. The water was still very cold. Baby DD looked like
she was ready for a nap, so I "volunteered" to take her back to the hammock for a nap. DH and Nikki played in the water while. Needless
to say, baby DD did not fall asleep, she made friends with a neighboring baby boy.
At around 12:30 I dragged Nikki and her dad out of the water for some food. We found a nice picnic bench with an umbrella next to some
nice bushes and enjoyed Cookies Bar-B-Q. As we were eating, a cat sauntered by and made herself comfortable near the bushes. Quite a
few kids saw her and wanted to play with her, but only a few got close. I later asked a CM where the cat came from and she informed
that the cat lived on the island. Apparently about 25 people actually live on the island and they feed her, but she roams around
free, probably wondering what all these people are doing on "her" island. She was a source of entertainment while we were eating.
After we finished, I took the girls on a potty run. I decided to walk around a bit. They had announced that Pluto was dancing near
where the Bahamian Band was playing and we decided to check it out. But there was a huge line up and I didn't feel like waiting so we
retreated before the girls could see him. We went back to our spot on the beach and just "chilled" for a while. DH commented that since
the water was too cold, we could take the girls back to the ship and to the Mickey Pool, this would be their last chance, and we wanted to
avoid the rush when everyone headed back. It was close to 2pm when we were walking back to the ship. There was a cute sign that stated
the Captain Henry didn't like sand on his beautiful ship, and there were showers situated here, luckily we had showered neat the beach
already. We threw our towels into the bin and made our way inside.
When we got to the Mickey Pool I quickly took baby DD and sat in the heated pool- AHHHHHH! Nikki and her dad continued to splash around in
the regular pool. The place was nearly deserted. Just a few people around, it seemed like we had the entire place to ourselves. After
awhile I suggested we take a dip in the Whirl Pool- Oh heaven!!!! DH had to practically drag me out of here. I looked out over the side
of the ship and realized that there was a lineup to get back on the ship, boy was I glad we had come back early. We quickly picked up
some hot chocolate and headed towards the stateroom. The girls took a nap on our bed, the bunk hadn't been lowered yet. I started to
pack some things, I didn't want to waste time later doing this. DH went to the Disembarkation Talk that they requested one person from
each family attend.
There was going to be a character greeting from 5:30-5:50pm, so I woke up the girls just as DH was returning from the briefing. We got
ready for dinner, tonight we were eating at Triton's. And the character greeting was in the Atrium also. I also wanted to take a
professional family portrait with the ship in the background. Luckily everything was happening in the Atrium.
We got there at 5:20 and got into line. To my surprise Dopey was accompanying Snow White, I hadn't seen him our entire trip and here
he was on our last night- "Dreams do Come True", he is my favorite. Belle was dressed in her famous gold Ballroom Dress, Donald and Pluto
were visiting also. We got or pictures and autographs and headed towards the line for our Portrait Picture. We took a couple with
different backgrounds. Once we were done, we walked into Triton's, I almost skipped into the dining room I was so light hearted.
We had set sail at approximately 5pm, and you could tell that the ship was going very fast. I was feeling a little queasy, nothing
drastic though. The girls ordered their now famous Mickey Shaped Chicken Noodle Soup, I had the Cauliflower Soup and DD ordered the
Deep Fried Camembert. For dinner the girls had Macaroni & Cheese, I ordered the Herb-crusted Sea Bass, while DH had the Garlic-roasted
Beef Tenderloin. For dessert the girls had the ice cream with sprinkles, I ordered the Chocolate Mousse Cake, and DH had the Grand
Marnier Souffle.
The show tonight was a parade and the waiters and waitresses were holding flags representing their country. This was a wonderful
spectacle and everyone waved to their server. It kind of hit everyone that this was our last night on the ship. I felt like I was
saying good-bye to friends (I'm getting teary eyed just writing about it).
When dessert was served, I took a bite and didn't like my Chocolate Mousse Cake. I asked Alun if I could get the Crème Brulee instead,
and he brought it for me right away. This was the best Crème Brulee I have ever had. I had gotten the tip envelopes ready early on in
the cruise to avoid line ups at Guest Services. We presented each of them with their envelope and Alun and Karen hugged us all goodbye.
Nikki Hugged Karen but wouldn't hug Alun and he told Nikki he was hurt. We left the dining hall and I suggested that we go out on deck
and just relax for a few minutes. It was dark outside by now and you could tell we were going very fast, we didn't stay there long.
We made a quick trip back to our stateroom to retrieve the ship model for Captain Henry to sign later on. We decided to go to Shutters and
check out some of our pictures. All the pictures of the girls with the various characters were there, but I had taken the same pictures
and didn't want to spend money on these, I'm glad I didn't- my pictures were just as good and they fit in my album. It was close to
7:30, the designated time for the Captain to sign the models. We got him to sign the ship model, and our autograph book, we also got a
group photo with the Captain. We quickly returned to the stateroom to drop off the ship and pick up a blanket for baby DD before we
headed off to the Walt Disney Theatre for the production of "Disney Dreams".
We got wonderful seats in the middle. The Cruise Director came out first and spoke to everyone. He informed everyone that the weather
was suppose to be rainy and cold all day and he didn't know where this wonderful whether had come from. The Magic had docked there the
day before us and they had bad weather. After some more instructions (like luggage being ready outside of staterooms by 11pm) the
production began.
I have one word for this show- Magnificent. It was so good. I don't want to ruin it for anyone taking the trip, but I have to share this
one part. Tinkerbell is shown on a screen sprinkling Pixie Dust on the Ship and suddenly the entire Theatre lights up with "Pixie Dust",
my daughter Nikki turns to me and says "Mom. Look what Tinkerbell did for us"…I almost started crying. She actually believed that
Tinkerbell has dusted her (She still believes in Magic). Anyone going on the cruise SHOULD NOT MISS THIS SHOW. I loved every minute
and Nikki almost forgot to blink. I was sad when it ended.
After the show we made a quick trip to Shutters to get the Family Portraits that we had taken earlier. The place was packed. We found
our Pictures, picked one we liked with the four us and the Wonder ship behind us. After paying for it we made our way back to the
stateroom, as I had a little packing left to do. I wanted the kids in bed as we had to be at Immigration by 6am to pick up our passports
and the girls had to come also.
I gave the girls their bath and settled them down. We locked up the luggage and had it in the corridor by 11:10 (not bad). I made some
notes about day and decided to call it a night. I set the wake up call for 5:15 and nestled next to my already snoring DH.
I didn't even remember dozing off to sleep, the next thing I know the wake up call comes and I reluctantly get out of bed a few minutes
later to freshen up before waking the gang. We left baby DD sleeping and put her in the stroller (hadn't seen that thing throughout the
cruise). When my DH picked up Nikki she woke up. By the time we made it to Immigration (Wave Bands), both kids were up. We went in,
picked up our passports and walked out. This is the only complaint I have about the cruise. Why wakeup so early for something that takes
only minutes to do. Probably to ensure that most people are up and off the ship as early as possible.
We head back to the stateroom to get ready and take our stuff with us to Breakfast at Triton's. It is quite early and no one is really
hungry (I've lost my appetite because we are going home today). The girls both have cereal, DH orders pancakes (nothing makes him loose
his appetite) and I have a croissant with my tea.
We say good bye to Alun & Karen for the last time and head outside. Since we are exiting from the Deck 3, we stand in line as we wait for
them to open the doors. We get on the DCL bus and head towards the Airport. On the plane Nikki asks we are going now, when I inform her
that we are going home, she starts crying and says she wants to go back to the Hotel (Me to baby, me to)….Well this was the end of our
trip. I won't bore you with the trip home …
The vacation is over but the memories will last a lifetime....
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