Dodie
<font color=green>Survived the big crash<br><font
- Joined
- Nov 10, 1999
Recap:
DH and I are 40-years-old with no children. We have been to WDW multiple times in the past 9 years and were ready for something different. We decided on the 7-night Disney cruise and were not disappointed. However, I will try to be honest in my report sharing the good and the bad.
**I certainly hope Im not boring anyone at this point!!! I just enjoyed everyone elses reports as I was preparing for my trip. I thought I should return the favor. I didnt intend to be this windy though!**
Part 6: St. Thomas and the Champagne Catamaran Sail
Purely venting:This was the morning where we all had to report to the Walt Disney Theater at the ungodly hour of 6:30 a.m. (or was it 6:15? Ive obviously tried to block it from my memory.) I will add my two-cents to everyone elses about the ridiculousness of this little adventure. I am all for increased security and understand the need to be cautious. I tried to remain open minded about awakening at 5:45 a.m., dressing, and stumbling down to the theater. I would have been supportive of the entire process if it had been worthwhile, but it was kind of a joke. They herded you all into the theater, appeasing you with juice, coffee and pastries, and made you sit in rows until the immigration folks showed up. All the while, classic Disney cartoons were playing on screens above at least that part was okay. Once immigration arrived, they funneled you through a line past an immigration officer according to your row of arrival (early arrivers in the front). The immigration person barely (if even) looked at your photo ID and passport or birth certificate as you walked by. Then you got your hand stamped with some invisible ink. For THIS I got up at the crack of dawn on my vacation?!!!
We headed straight to Parrot Cay to wait for their 7:00 a.m. opening and had our only big buffet breakfast of the trip. It was very good but odd to be seated with strangers before Id even had my second cup of coffee. After breakfast we headed back to the stateroom to get ready for our excursion, the Champagne Catamaran Sail.
We met in the Off Beat Club at 9:00 a.m. to leave for our excursion. Again the weather was beautiful. Very warm, slight seas, nice breeze. We disembarked and walked the length of the dock to board our catamaran, the Dancing Dolphin. We were asked to take off our shoes, and we boarded with about 35 other people and found a comfy spot for our departure.
I cannot say enough about this excursion. It was admittedly costly at $90 per person, but, in my opinion, it was worth it. The captain used the engine to get us out of the harbor and then the crew hoisted the sails and we were off on a 1 ½ hour trip to St. John. It was a little bouncy going against the wind and over the waves, but the sun was beautiful and the views were awesome. The crew began serving non-alcoholic drinks and snacks as soon as we had boarded and they continued to serve during the cruise to the island.
We arrived at the beautiful beach on St. John which was the equivalent of a State Park. The captain dropped anchor about 50 feet from the shore and we were given a quick snorkeling lesson and the equipment came out. DH had never snorkeled before and was anxious to try. I am a non-swimmer, so I opted for the dinghy trip to the beach. We had a total of about 1 ½ hours to relax, snorkel, and eat while anchored. And EAT we did! They spread a lavish buffet of coldcuts, salads, snacks and drinks (non-alcoholic and alcoholic) on the boat shortly after the first snorkelers started to return. There were mixed drinks, soda, champagne, wine and beer available. The food and drink continued to flow after we lifted anchor and sailed back to St. Thomas. We arrived back at the port at about 3:30 p.m., providing an hour to stroll through the mall shops near the ship.
As I said earlier, I cannot say enough about how lovely this little trip was. I would highly recommend it and I am not even a swimmer, LOL! I would note that when we originally booked this excursion, all of the paperwork indicated that this excursion was limited to adults 18 and over. Somewhere along the line they lowered this requirement to 5 years old (or something like that). There were several children on our trip, but they were very well-behaved. It was not a problem.
Back on the ship, we changed quickly and went topside to watch the sailaway. It was very beautiful. As we left port, we sailed fairly near an aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington. That was very interesting for several people on board. Lots of photos were snapped.
Tired from our day we napped until it was time to for "Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer?" This was a very enjoyable show and very well done. Unfortunately, no one won big money, and our seat number didn't get called, but it was very entertaining nonetheless!
Our dinner was in Animators Palette that night and we got the show! It was AMAZING! After dinner, it was straight to bed! After all we had started the day off WAY too early with immigration, LOL!
More to come
Part 7: Our final sea day
DH and I are 40-years-old with no children. We have been to WDW multiple times in the past 9 years and were ready for something different. We decided on the 7-night Disney cruise and were not disappointed. However, I will try to be honest in my report sharing the good and the bad.
**I certainly hope Im not boring anyone at this point!!! I just enjoyed everyone elses reports as I was preparing for my trip. I thought I should return the favor. I didnt intend to be this windy though!**
Part 6: St. Thomas and the Champagne Catamaran Sail
Purely venting:This was the morning where we all had to report to the Walt Disney Theater at the ungodly hour of 6:30 a.m. (or was it 6:15? Ive obviously tried to block it from my memory.) I will add my two-cents to everyone elses about the ridiculousness of this little adventure. I am all for increased security and understand the need to be cautious. I tried to remain open minded about awakening at 5:45 a.m., dressing, and stumbling down to the theater. I would have been supportive of the entire process if it had been worthwhile, but it was kind of a joke. They herded you all into the theater, appeasing you with juice, coffee and pastries, and made you sit in rows until the immigration folks showed up. All the while, classic Disney cartoons were playing on screens above at least that part was okay. Once immigration arrived, they funneled you through a line past an immigration officer according to your row of arrival (early arrivers in the front). The immigration person barely (if even) looked at your photo ID and passport or birth certificate as you walked by. Then you got your hand stamped with some invisible ink. For THIS I got up at the crack of dawn on my vacation?!!!
We headed straight to Parrot Cay to wait for their 7:00 a.m. opening and had our only big buffet breakfast of the trip. It was very good but odd to be seated with strangers before Id even had my second cup of coffee. After breakfast we headed back to the stateroom to get ready for our excursion, the Champagne Catamaran Sail.
We met in the Off Beat Club at 9:00 a.m. to leave for our excursion. Again the weather was beautiful. Very warm, slight seas, nice breeze. We disembarked and walked the length of the dock to board our catamaran, the Dancing Dolphin. We were asked to take off our shoes, and we boarded with about 35 other people and found a comfy spot for our departure.
I cannot say enough about this excursion. It was admittedly costly at $90 per person, but, in my opinion, it was worth it. The captain used the engine to get us out of the harbor and then the crew hoisted the sails and we were off on a 1 ½ hour trip to St. John. It was a little bouncy going against the wind and over the waves, but the sun was beautiful and the views were awesome. The crew began serving non-alcoholic drinks and snacks as soon as we had boarded and they continued to serve during the cruise to the island.
We arrived at the beautiful beach on St. John which was the equivalent of a State Park. The captain dropped anchor about 50 feet from the shore and we were given a quick snorkeling lesson and the equipment came out. DH had never snorkeled before and was anxious to try. I am a non-swimmer, so I opted for the dinghy trip to the beach. We had a total of about 1 ½ hours to relax, snorkel, and eat while anchored. And EAT we did! They spread a lavish buffet of coldcuts, salads, snacks and drinks (non-alcoholic and alcoholic) on the boat shortly after the first snorkelers started to return. There were mixed drinks, soda, champagne, wine and beer available. The food and drink continued to flow after we lifted anchor and sailed back to St. Thomas. We arrived back at the port at about 3:30 p.m., providing an hour to stroll through the mall shops near the ship.
As I said earlier, I cannot say enough about how lovely this little trip was. I would highly recommend it and I am not even a swimmer, LOL! I would note that when we originally booked this excursion, all of the paperwork indicated that this excursion was limited to adults 18 and over. Somewhere along the line they lowered this requirement to 5 years old (or something like that). There were several children on our trip, but they were very well-behaved. It was not a problem.
Back on the ship, we changed quickly and went topside to watch the sailaway. It was very beautiful. As we left port, we sailed fairly near an aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington. That was very interesting for several people on board. Lots of photos were snapped.
Tired from our day we napped until it was time to for "Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer?" This was a very enjoyable show and very well done. Unfortunately, no one won big money, and our seat number didn't get called, but it was very entertaining nonetheless!
Our dinner was in Animators Palette that night and we got the show! It was AMAZING! After dinner, it was straight to bed! After all we had started the day off WAY too early with immigration, LOL!
More to come
Part 7: Our final sea day
This is one of the best reports I've read. We are not going until August and I feel like I've been already.
