Come Along with Bill & Mary Ann Going Full Circle on the 2015 World Cruise -114 days+

[ger_77]

"It may not be the fanciest, but it is the most convenient.

 

The hotel is located right across from the Bayside Marketplace on Biscayne Blvd"

 

I know the hotel you are referring to; we have stayed there several times pre and post cruise. It is a great location if you want to relax, enjoy some daiquiris, :D, and wander around the shopping kiosks. DH loves that there area ton of restaurants to choose from. It is also conveniently located to CVS and Walgreens, where we usually stock up on "room supplies" and snacks. Enjoy your down time before your next cruise.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[josumello]

Just love your narrative of your adventures. I feel like I am right there with you. I wish..... Again many thanks for sharing. Looking forward to your Disney adventure.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[donamae]

Hey Bill & Maryann - the Disney Wonder has just departed, woo hoo, still following you after the full circle world on Amsterdam (whew) and have loved every minute..mile.klm..meter, whatever. Enjoy your last 2 weeks, will for sure be a younger crowd you are with. Have fun!!! I know I will. Thanks so much again for sharing.

dm

[MMDown Under]

Welcome Back from your World Cruise Bill and Mary Ann.

 

Thank you for taking the time to share your enjoyable report on your world cruise.

 

Bon Voyage for your Disney cruise. I'm a fan of Disney World, so think you will enjoy the cruise, which will be so different from your world cruise experiences. I loved hearing the musical horn from one of their ships in Vancouver and thought how exciting it would be to cruise on her.

[JamesEM]

Looking forward to your reports since I have never been on Disney, have a great cruise and don't forget to say Hi to Mickey.

[BettyPC]

What a great trip - thanks for all the hard work going into taking us with you!

 

I enjoyed it all. Welcome back.

[dad son team]

Thank you once again for allowing us to vicariously sail around the world with you.

[WCB]

Report # 123 Sailing Towards Cozumel, Mexico May 1, 2015 Friday Sunny & 80 degrees

 

After a good night’s sleep, we started the day with a hearty breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant. They served a skillet breakfast that reminded us of one that was one of our favorites in Baker’s Square years ago. That is, until they closed their restaurants forever. It sure was good.

 

Not sure what to expect in the way of getting a taxi to the port, and checking into the Disney cruise, we decided to make our way over to the ship by 10am. Taxis were waiting in the center of the boulevard, and all we had to do was wave one over to us. At least we did not have a whole lot of luggage with us…..just two suitcases and our hand luggage. The ride to the ship took about 10 minutes.

 

Previous cruisers were still getting off of the ship, so we had to join a line, and wait until we were let inside the terminal. That ended up being 10:30am. However, it was pretty interesting watching what went on in the line of people waiting to board. Many of them were young couples with small children. These kids were antsy to get onboard and cavort with “Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy”. Other folks were busy stashing bottles of liquor or cans of beers in their kid’s diaper bags. Don’t they know that everything gets xrayed? This should be interesting to see what happens to the booze and beer. From what we read, you cannot bring any liquor onboard, but it appeared that it worked, because no one got anything confiscated.

 

Things moved slower at this point. We lined up and waited for a Disney rep to check us in. Since we had done nothing online, we expected some delays getting cleared. However, all we had to fill out besides the couple of pages in our document package, was a form for our health at the moment. Of course, a copy of our credit card was taken, and our passports scanned. We noticed that some folks were getting different color lanyards for their room keys. Since we were first-time sailors with Disney, we did not get one. What we did get was a card with a number 10 written on it. That was our group that would board the ship beginning sometimes around 12:30pm.

 

Good thing this terminal was big, because by noon, it was jammed with over 2500 passengers or more. By the way, the Disney Wonder is 83,000 gross tons, with a capacity for 2400 to 3000 passengers, all berths full. She has 875 rooms and was christened in 1999 by Tinkerbell, of all people. Their outside rooms are 214 square feet. The Wonder is much larger than the Amsterdam, which is 62,735 gross tons and holds up to 1400 passengers, and was christened in 2000 by Janet Lanterman, the former CEO’s wife. Our outside room on the Amsterdam was 182 square feet. We will describe the room layout later in another report.

 

Our number 10 group was finally called to board around 1:10 pm. After each group number was announced, a huge cheer went out by the groups. It did not come from the kids, but the parents, some of whom were wearing Mickey Mouse ears already. Many of the younger kids were also dressed in Disney clothing, as we expected to see. Some were so excited they could not contain themselves. They were running, jumping, dancing doing cartwheels….you name it, they did it.

 

We were given a choice of whether to have a photo taken or bypass that line. We chose to bypass, as did many of the adults without children in tow. Hoping our room was ready, we went down to deck one, only to find that the hallway was cordoned off. The rooms would not be ready until 1:30ish, so we waited with some other folks who said they had to get to their meds in their luggage. Did not matter, as everyone was advised to carry those important items in your hand luggage.

 

Just as promised, we were let loose to find our room. Our stateroom attendant (we have only one) was Alfredo, and he was most helpful from the start. Whatever we needed, he promised to bring to us. We could not find the TV remote, because it was not there. What we did find were a set of phones to be used while on the ship. Called Wave Phones, they are useful for the parents of the young kids or for anyone who wants to get in touch with each other. Don’t lose them, however, or you will be charged $250 for them.

 

Good thing we had been given a copy of the daily newsletter by the name of Personal Navigator. Among other important information, we learned that the mandatory lifeboat drill would be held at 4pm. Our assignment was J station on the promenade deck # 4. Some folks were assigned to lounges instead, because there was not enough room for all guests on the outside deck.

 

We found the buffet lunch in the Beach Blanket Buffet (like the Lido) on deck 9. The assortment of food was basic, but good. We would say that the Amsterdam has a much nicer buffet with many more choices of food items. This venue is open only from noon until 3:15pm. What made us happy was the offerings of free soft drinks, including the one we like the best. And the drink glasses were not tiny, but medium sized. This will work fine for 2 weeks. The rest of the specialty cafes were located on the same deck, so we found the pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, and Goofy’s Galley with fresh fruit, some cold sandwiches, and greens salads to go. Nice idea.

 

By now, it was time for the drill, where we did not have to wear the lifevests. They lined us up, then compressed the group until we had little kids almost sitting on our feet. Actually, one of the two year olds was sitting on Bill’s feet, but behaving well. At least he was not untying Bill’s shoes. Now the staff has a great way to take roll call. Our room key cards were scanned with a hand-held computer by one of the staff members. So much better than yelling out names and room numbers. No way to cheat either. You have to be there with your card in person…….no hiding in the stateroom. It was fairly quickly done, but then also, repeated in Spanish.

 

Finding our 2 pieces of luggage outside our room, we finished the unpacking pretty quickly. Easy for two weeks. Sail away was supposed to be around 5pm, but we did not leave the dock until closer to 5:30pm. Before we left the harbor, we followed up with the offer of downloading a free WIFI package of 50MB of internet, which could only be done today before midnight. Instead of charging for minutes, they charge by megabytes….much better idea we think. Now we will have an idea of how long the MB will last, and will be able to choose a package that will fit our needs. The best deal was 1000 MB for $89, as opposed to by-the-MB at .25 for one MG.

 

The closest thing they had for an organized sail away was held at the Funnel Vision Deck Stage on deck 9. It was more of a performance by the Cruise Director, Clayton, and the Disney pals doing a skit for Adventures Away. We are so used to going to the aft deck, we sought out the closest place we could find aft, and watched from there. It was very warm today, so most people sought the shade. Good thing, because we have already seen some folks and their kids totally sunburned. Ahead of us were the Carnival Ecstasy, the Majesty of the Seas, and one other NCL ship. Some turned north, while we went south.

 

We had read that we could get water, soda, juices, or tea and coffee 24 hours around the clock. But where was it? We spotted people with disposable cups with lids and straws, but found the buffet area to be closed up tight. It worked when we asked at Goofy’s Galley where to find the drinks. It was at the Beverage Station, portside, on deck 9, the only place we had not strolled by. Very convenient and people-friendly. Perhaps with so many kids that are usually onboard, parents would get very tired of buying sodas all day. One of the staffers in the buffet mentioned that since this is a longer cruise of 2 weeks, way fewer kids were onboard. Compared to having a handful of occassional kids on the world cruise, this is still overwhelming for us.

 

Dinnertime snuck up on us. Earlier, we had run into the Atlantic City Boys rehearsing at the Funnel Vision Deck Stage. They are a group of four singers performing the tunes of the 60’s from the Drifters, Beach Boys, and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. They had the same sound as a popular group that we see on all of the HAL cruises. They did have a show at 7:30pm, but we missed it. Bet they will be on several times during this trip, as it appears that the acts do not leave the ship, like on HAL.

 

Now here is the dinner plan. We follow “TAP” in rotation every day. Those stand for Triton, Animator’s Palate, and Parrot Cay, dining rooms that remind us of summer camp. Casual dining at tables lined up picnic grounds. There are few oval tables for eight, but mostly rectangular ones for 6 to 12 folks. Family dining. Our waiters were Ema from Thailand, and Oka from Bali. The head waiter paid a visit and he was from Turkey.

 

The food was fine, but not gourmet, or served on fancy plates. We had plenty of choices of appetizers, salads, soups, and finally entrees. We ordered the sirloin strip with smashed garlic/cheese potatoes. Must have been hungry, because most all of us finished everything. Our tablemates across from us were from Seattle, while the others were from Massachusetts and New Jersey.

 

There had to have been at least 10 birthdays throughout the meal. The folks got a fancy cupcake and a loud song by the waiters. One lady near us got a nice-looking ice cream bar called a Mickey Bar on a stick. Really an Eskimo Pie made into Mickey with ears. Got to have one of those tonight, since it is on the kid’s menu.

 

We were wiped out by 10:15pm, so we said our good evenings and headed for bed. We did have an hour back on the clock tonight, so that helped. There are so many more things to report, but we do have two weeks to accomplish this task.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruz chic]

Looking forward to more.

[MMDown Under]

I feel like I'm experiencing the differences of being on board Disney World with you.

[carolyn22]

Bill and Mary Ann,

 

I thoroughly enjoyed your world voyage! Thank you so much for all of the work that you put into it so that we could live vicariously through you.

 

Regarding the Mickey ice cream bars, when I sailed with DCL in 2008, you could order them through room service. It wasn't on the room service menu, but if you asked they do you'd bring them to you. Having said this, this was 8 years ago so I'm not sure if you can still do that. Certainly worth a try!

[icat2000]

Loving hearing about Disney cruise.

[WCB]

Report # 124 Sailing Towards Cozumel, Mexico May 2, 2015 Saturday Sunny & 78 degrees

 

We learned today that the length of this ship is 964 feet, and is comparable to the height of the Eiffel Tower at 986 feet. The anchor of the ship weighs as much as three elephants……..34,250 pounds. There are over 50 nationalities of crew onboard. And finally, when a general announcement is made, it is preceded by the tune of “When You Wish Upon a Star”. When we left the Port of Miami yesterday, the ship’s horn blew that same tune. Quite amusing.

 

We found that a served breakfast was available in the Triton restaurant from 8 to 9:30am. Their menu had similar choices like we had on the Amsterdam. And we were able to get a table for two as well. This will work out just fine. Except for when we boarded the ship, we have seen NO Purell stations anywhere. What they do have are sanitized hand wipes, which are handed to each and every one of us as we enter a dining room or restaurant. They have disguised trashcans to throw them away. This should work better for the little ones, whose hands are always soiled. Hand sanitizers for the kids would just spread the dirt around.

 

The shops were open for business, so we checked out two of them. Everything in the store had something “Disney” on it, and nothing was inexpensive. The same Panama hats we got for gifts on the world cruise were being sold here for $40. A useful item would be the insulated drink bottles (about $25), but we think we can do better in Cozumel tomorrow. Sure would come in handy for the soda dispensing machine onboard. And there is no restriction for using our own containers. There is on HAL.

 

In keeping with our daily habits, we walked the promenade deck for a couple of miles. Three laps here equal one mile. The front and back of the promenade deck is done by walking through narrow tunnels….totally closed in from the elements. And surprisingly, jogging is allowed on the entire deck. The deck on this ship is much wider by half again compared to the Amsterdam. There were not a whole lot of teak lounges set up on this deck either.

 

Our room was done by the time we got back around 11am. Caught up on pictures and reports for a while. The selection on the room TV is huge. We counted about 50 channels that offered many Disney selections like movies and cartoons, 8 recent movie channels, news, and even one network channel……ABC. Doubt that there are reruns on this trip, except that it appears that the 8 movie channels are the same every day so far.

 

The sun was out and it had warmed up a lot. So we put on our swimsuits and went up to deck 10. The pool areas were crammed with too many people and kids, all eating lunch by now. With pizza and hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken tenders being served right in the pool areas, you can bet that every seat was taken with diners.

 

We found a good spot to relax in the sun near the sports court with extra wide lounges. All of the pool lounges are good size, some padded, others just woven. But sturdy, well-built. Towels were inside large wooden closets on every deck. Great time to read our books, while watching the organized games with the younger set and the staff members. They competed with basketball and hula hoops. Fun to see kids having fun. Disney picks their employees with great care for every department from what we have seen.

 

Lunch was simple, since we missed the dining room and even the buffet. The “lido” version of the lunch buffet only stays open until 2pm. So we ended up with some finger sandwiches at Goofy’s Galley, then a hot dog and some crispy chicken tenders at Pluto’s Dog House. With the chicken tenders, they serve a really tasty BBQ sauce. Hands down, the chicken was the best. And it is very convenient to have the soda fountain drinks nearby as well. Disposable cups with plastic covers and straws are used for these drinks.

 

We cooled off in our room while watching a cute Disney movie about a little dog named Bolt. Good chance for us to catch up on these “feel good” movies for a change. Also wanting to find out about the tours offered onboard, we picked up a flyer by the shore ex desk. Would you believe there are 43 tours in Cozumel tomorrow? Many of them are short in duration, but reasonably priced we think. Like with HAL, these tours are independently conducted, and are not Disney tours, so to speak. We have not booked anything for this cruise, since we have done most of them already.

 

It was interesting to see how the folks dressed for dinner tonight. It is understandable on the first night of a cruise, people do not like to change for dinner. And last night, many did not. The fellows wore shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops. Hate to sound snobby, but we report what we see. On the Amsterdam, we never saw that type of clothing at dinner. Perhaps a few men wore nice jeans, but never shorts at dinner. We know that they would have been sent back to dress properly.

 

Dinner ended well after 10pm. Our tablemates are very nice, and we sat in different seats tonight. Wanting to see what was happening around the ship at night, we went to the main atrium lobby to find the Disney characters posing for photos with the little ones and their parents. Hugs from Mickey and Minnie were freely shared with everyone. Before a photo was snapped, each passenger handed over their room key. Were they expected to pay ahead for these pictures without seeing them first? Didn’t make sense until we strolled over to Shutters Photo Gallery. Here was technology-meets-modern cruise ship. Instead of displaying the photos on panels, where you have to search to find yours, everything is on large TV screens. Looks like you tap your room card, and your photos come up to view. From there, we assume you choose what you want, and pick them up at the desk and pay for them. So much easier.

 

Tonight was a bit better for the dress code being followed in the main dining rooms. Should be really interesting to see how people dress for a formal night. The first one will be on Monday. One observation we had regarding the kids, is that they get bored sitting for 2 hours during the meal service. There were a few of them that were let loose to roam, with the waiters dodging them carefully. Dangerous situation. And by the time the clock hit 10pm, many little ones were sound asleep, spanning two chairs to sleep besides their parents or grandparents. Probably the early dining time was full, and these folks had to make the best with the 8:15pm time slot.

 

The ship should arrive to Cozumel at 7am tomorrow morning. It has been almost 20 years since we have been here. Wonder if we will remember it?

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruz chic]

Love to hear your comparisons between hal and Disney. Thx for the update. Have a great time today.

[ger_77]

"we strolled over to Shutters Photo Gallery. Here was technology-meets-modern cruise ship. Instead of displaying the photos on panels, where you have to search to find yours, everything is on large TV screens. Looks like you tap your room card, and your photos come up to view. From there, we assume you choose what you want, and pick them up at the desk and pay for them. So much easier."

 

I'd love to see this used on HAL - it is way easier than going through everyone else's pictures to find yours. We never did find our embarkation photo on our last cruise.

 

Maybe I missed something on your world cruise blog, but why did you decide to do a Disney cruise?

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[cruz chic]

I think they decided to do the Disney cruise to avoid flying from Fort lauderdale. The Amsterdam went into dry dock after the world cruise so no option to do it on that ship.

[MMDown Under]

"Wanting to see what was happening around the ship at night, we went to the main atrium lobby to find the Disney characters posing for photos with the little ones and their parents. Hugs from Mickey and Minnie were freely shared with everyone. Before a photo was snapped, each passenger handed over their room key. Were they expected to pay ahead for these pictures without seeing them first? Didn’t make sense until we strolled over to Shutters Photo Gallery. Here was technology-meets-modern cruise ship. Instead of displaying the photos on panels, where you have to search to find yours, everything is on large TV screens. Looks like you tap your room card, and your photos come up to view. From there, we assume you choose what you want, and pick them up at the desk and pay for them. So much easier."

 

What an excellent idea. I always thought the display of so many photos was a waste of resources and money. Were the prices less expensive as a result? I'm sure more people would buy them, as a momento of their cruise, if they were less expensive.

 

I hope you had an enjoyable visit to Cozumel. It would be interesting to see the charges made since your last visit 20 years ago.

[clueless2]

Disney owns ABC (as well as ESPN). I'm sure that's why it's on the ship.

[IndyDenise]

I'd like to thank you for your world blog, and now the Disney one.

 

I know that much effort goes into your postings and I appreciate every moment you have spent on them.

 

Thanks for taking me on your amazing journey with you.

 

Can you just keep cruising forever so that the blog never ends?

[ellie1145]

Have really enjoyed 'sailing' along with you on your world cruise! Am now riveted by your Disney experience.

 

I just wondered if there is anywhere to see your photos from your travels?

[donamae]

Hi Bill and Maryann - So glad you are doing the Disney cruise following your awesome World and sharing with us. I checked the Disney Wonder site and surprised to see it offers so many 'adult only' dining areas and pools, and of course bars. We are anxious to hear if you take advantage of them and your impressions. Once again thanks a million for doing this, love, love it. And you.

xx from dm

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Just caught up on your final week of the World Cruise and the beginning of your Disney Cruise. I always enjoy your narratives and thank you so much for doing them.

[WCB]

Report # 125 Cozumel, Mexico May 3, 2015 Sunday Sunny & 76 degrees Part # 1

 

Our port of call today was Cozumel, Mexico, an island that is 33 miles long and 11 miles wide. It is situated off of the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, and is considered part of the Western Caribbean. In order to get to the mainland 12 miles away, ferries are used. This channel is 3000 feet deep and also very rough. Some of the tours would require this ferry ride, and there was a warning that the ride may cause seasickness. Better to know this ahead of time, so you can choose your tours wisely.

 

We began the day once again, going to the Triton Restaurant for breakfast around 8:30am. It was open today from 7:30 to 9:30am, because it was a port day. Some of the buffet places opened up as early as 6:30am for those who were taking early tours. Since we were not booked on anything, we took our sweet time eating. The coffee in here has been very good, as were the muffins and pastries. This could start another bad habit. We tried keeping breakfast light, because we intended to go out to lunch onshore.

 

Actually, this would be a good time to check out the laundry room, since most folks would be off of the ship. Located on deck two (also 6 & 7), we found the room to be empty. There is a bank of over and under washers and dryers…..about five or six of them. It is how they work that pleased us. Instead of using coins, these machines run by scanning your cruise card. Detergent and fabric softener sheets are available in a dispenser, also paid by your cruise card. Each machine cost $1, as does the soap and softener sheets. Of course, there is nothing like having “free” laundry like on the Amsterdam, but at least we do get our stuff back on the same day. Specifically, the washer took 21 minutes, while the dryer worked well at 45 minutes. Had a little ironing to do, and there were two boards and irons for that job.

 

Our granddaughter had written for Grandpa to do an ancestry questionnaire and personal history starting from early childhood. By the time he finished with the questions, the laundry was done. Sure brought back cherished memories recalling simple things like what he wore as a kid, his favorite foods, best gift ever, and school recollections.

 

Since the all aboard time was 4:45pm, we decided we better get going. It was already 11:30am, and getting hotter outside the longer we waited. The gangway was located on deck one forward, so it was very close to our room.

 

The port shopping guide, Ana, had mentioned in her talk yesterday that once we left the cruise terminal, Hard Rock Café would be directly across the street. But when we got off of the ship this morning, we found that in order to get to the Punta Langosta Shopping Center was by getting on an escalator where we came out on the top floor of a very nice two-story shopping mall. Well, we looked for the Hard Rock, but could not locate it, even by following the map of the mall. Finally, we decided to ask someone, and we were told it had moved up the road a piece. That is scary, because no one we talked to, had a clue as to how far the café was. One young girl said it was 7 minutes by taxi from here, but advised us that it was too far to walk there.

 

We never believe that, because most folks would not walk that far……it was way too hot and sticky for the locals. So we began our walk first by stopping by the local food market, a place called Mega. We checked out their insulated bottles and also their sodas in small bottles. They had some nice large bottles, but way too big for either of us. But their small bottles of soda were only 10 pesos. Good deal, but we did not know if they took US dollars. We asked about that later on, and were told that they gladly accepted US dollars, as well as credit cards. Not wanting to carrying heavy purchases all day, we decided to come back here after we found lunch.

 

Instead of turning left and going to where all the jewelry stores were located, we went right towards Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. Next door to them was a smaller Mexican restaurant by the name of Jeanie’s, which had exactly what we liked on the menu. Even though it was a bit early, the day would end too fast, so we decided to eat first.

 

We were led by a nice lady who seated us on a patio with a wonderful breeze and a view to die for. The waters surrounding this island are a mix of deep blue to pale turquoise green, and apparently full of fish. Many tours here were all about water sports…..snorkeling, kayaking, scuba, and helmet diving. We would probably never try the helmet diving, since our tablemates had a chilling story after doing one last year. Can you imagine someone stepping on your tether, and pulling you over, where your helmet fills with water? It is a “help, I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up” type of story. But it all happens underwater. Scary………

 

Anyway, we ordered two Dos Equis beers and a shared quesadilla with chips and avocado dip. Our waitress also brought a moat of freshly-chopped pico de gallo…..excellent. Since we were off of the beaten path, not many other passengers were here yet. But we did see groups of them going out on the snorkel boats.

 

We continued on, knowing we would eventually run into the Hard Rock Café. Passing some condos and resorts, we asked a security guard how far we had to walk to the Café. He wasn’t even sure where it was, but said maybe it was near the International Cruise Terminal.

 

Noticing several places where tours were sold, we passed by the dolphin exhibit, and the sting ray complex. A series of dive shops lined the coral-laden beach along this coastline. There were no tourists here, except those from the hotels, who were mixing with local families. This was nice for us to see people coming to the tiny beaches with their families for a Sunday afternoon picnic. Music was playing loudly, and the folks were having a fine time.

 

We finally spotted a long pier, and what looked like a cruise terminal, now closed up tight. This was where we docked the last time we were here. And we found the Hard Rock, right across the road from the terminal. It looked fairly new, because they had recently moved from the mall we just came from. What a relief to sit in the air-conditioned restaurant, while sharing a complimentary plate of cheese nachos. We had purchased a city t-shirt and a shotglass, and got the freebie. Adding two bottles of light soda, we were happy campers.

 

All too soon, we had to start back, knowing all aboard was 4:45pm. The good news was that the breeze was blowing in our faces all the way back. We estimated that the walk was over 3 miles one way. We had intended on stopping at the Mega Store, but with little time left to reach the ship, we made a stop in the nearest store at the pier. We found bottles of soda for our room for $1 each…..good deal. And we did not have to pack them too far. We did notice that on Sunday, liquor sales were only between 11am and 3pm. Then all of the shelves were taped off. Think it is like this all throughout Mexico.

 

There was no designated “sail away” like we are used to. Movies were going on in the Buena Vista Theater, while the Funnel Vision, the outdoor screen, had another movie playing at the same time. So there was no band playing Anchors Aweigh……only the horn sounding the Disney tune once again.

 

We sort of missed the fact that the evening show in the big theater was at 6:15pm for our group of late dining guests. So we did not see the magic and illusion of Lyle Knight and Mistie. Honestly, we will get to one of these shows eventually, but probably on a sea day.

 

Before dinner, we took a walk to watch the sun go down. By now, the seas and winds had picked up, and the skies were full of clouds. The sunset sort of disappeared behind the gray clouds.

 

Not being able to find suitable insulated drink mugs on shore, we ended up buying two of them on the ship. A little pricey, we learned from a fellow guest that they were made in the USA and guaranteed for life. She said not to put them in the dishwasher, and they would last forever.

 

Dinner was in Parrot Cay this evening. The setting was very Caribbean, with the waiters dressed in wild colors. And the menu followed suit, with many Caribbean specialties. There were only six of us tonight, since one couple went to the nice restaurant Palo, with a $25 per person charge. All of us ordered the prime rib entrée, and we were all pleased with our choice. Instead of the desserts offered, we both had the Mickey Bar…..sooooo good.

 

Will definitely sleep good tonight. Looking forward to a couple of days at sea now.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[jbhcw]

Enjoying your reporting from a Disney ship:) You all walked a long way to go to the Hard Rock...you are my heroes!!

[WCB]

Report # 126 Sailing Towards Cartagena, Colombia May 4, 2015 Monday Partly cloudy, windy & 80 degrees

 

Today was one of those almost perfect days at sea as we head towards Cartagena, Colombia. The weather has stayed warm and humid, but not unbearable. There seemed to be a breeze blowing all day, and getting stronger towards the evening. We have been lucky so far with no rain showers.

 

We slept later than usual….like 8:30am. Except for occasional waves hitting the side of the ship, we are getting a pretty smooth ride where we are located. In the center and low. We have access to the forward and midship elevators, but we are finding that the midship ones are very slow in coming. Obviously, more people are using them. You would expect that these elevators (four of them ) would be large, but they are not. They are the nice ones that are clear glass when you reach the three story atrium. The problem is that they are small and you can only fit perhaps six people. Another problem is that the four elevators are spread across one wall. You have to watch the directional light, then run to get in. There is a bell that dings, but it is very muted.

 

So we have found the forward elevators work much better. If we are headed to the top decks, most times we get an express ride.

 

It has taken three days for us to figure out the Personal Navigator, their daily newsletter. The main newsletter always has a few tidbits of trivia on the front page. Today’s facts included info about food served onboard. Such as 8260 cups of coffee are served daily, and 5000 eggs are consumed. The ship weighs 90 million pounds, and even more with well-fed people onboard. Finally, there are 5390 pillows on this ship.

 

One very good people-friendly thing they have here are some automatic doors to go on the promenade deck. What a big help that is for those with walkers, in wheelchairs, or driving scooters. And with so many babies, moms and dads with strollers find these doors useful.

 

During the day, we tried to make visits to some of the activities onboard. There is so much going on, it’s overwhelming. That gets us back to the daily newsletter. The foldable version is the best way to find out what is happening. It is split into sections for the theaters, and characters (Disney favorites…..Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, the Chipmunks, etc.). Fun for all ages, adults, and finally age appropriate activities are listed. There are three time zones…..morning, afternoon, and evening. Each time zone is divided by 15 minute increments starting at 8:30am until midnight. To make life simpler, there is no casino or library. But there are bars and lounges only for adults, so this is not all about the little ones.

 

We spent a relaxing day in two lounges on deck ten, above the bustling family pool area and the Quiet Cove Pool. It was fun watching four sets of kids playing movie challenge bingo at the Funnel Vision movie screen. They had to guess the Disney movie being shown, then put the magnet on their board. The group that got the first bingo, got to pick the next movie to be shown on the big screen. So we got to watch or listen to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Boy, did that bring back memories of when we were little. We have always wondered how you could possibly hear a movie with the noise of the engines. Then we noticed that there were at least seven speakers on each side of deck ten, and probably more under cover of wooden boxes.

 

After the movie ended, piped in music continued with tunes from our teen years. Really enjoyable to listen to music outside. You can still read books while sunbathing, since the sound was not overwhelming. Then around 3:30pm, we had live guitar with Bernie Griffith on the deck stage. He played until 5:15pm. There just seems never to be a lull in entertainment compared to the Amsterdam.

 

Since we had bought the insulated drink bottles, we tested them out today with ice and soda. They worked really well, because they are large and you don’t have to make numerous trips to the soda fountain. What is also nice here is you can get light lemonade and a pomegranite lemonade. Quite tasty.

 

Since we might have made a mistake in the laundry room trying to get soap and dryer sheets, we checked our shipboard credit at the front desk. Explaining that we were first time Disney sailors, she found that an extra dollar was spent by accident. Happens all the time she said, and gladly credited the money back. We also asked about a pocket-size ship map, which they did have a copy of the deck layout. It will help to locate all of the venues which are spread out all over the ship. Our only other question was about the Disney tier plan for doing several cruises. She explained the silver, gold, and platinum lanyards for the room keys, but said there was no printed program. We would need to go online for that.

 

By now, it was time for the first Captain’s reception in the lobby atrium. We went to deck four and watched to see the activity below us. The large majority of the first dining guests were dressed formally, as were their kids. We have never seen so many tattoos….and they were not on the guys. It was the moms that sported them. Lots of little Princes and Princesses out there. Even the little boys had on vests, ties, and slacks. So cute. It was nice to find that the “formal” dress code was being followed. We have to add we noticed some older folks wearing Mickey Mouse short sleeve shirts with jeans. We did not say anything, but one of our tablemates did remark, she could not believe they would dress that way on a formal night. Just to clarify the suggested rules, we looked up the requirements in our cruise book. Formal was described as tuxedo or suit for the men, and gowns or dresses for women. Going back to the “cruise casual attire”, the rules state no swimwear or tank tops. Guess that leaves it open for daily cruise wear. We did see some folks coming into the dining room for dinner in printed swimsuits with a t-shirt a few nights ago. And for the Palo restaurant, the dress code gets more specific. A shirt and jacket and dress pants are required for the men , and the ladies are asked to wear a dress or pantsuits. No jeans, shorts, Capri pants, flip flops, or tennis shoes are allowed. Hope this clears up the code. And remember, we just report what we see, and compare it to what we know on the HAL ships. No doubt about it, things are different here……not worse, not better, but different.

 

We couldn’t help but notice that when we went to the second Captain’s reception, some of the same folks were here once again. Could be that the free cocktails enticed some to “double-dip” as we call it. In fact, we could have been accused of doing it, since at least two waiters offered us drinks at the first party. We tried to stay out of the activity, but the waiters, knowing we were not dressed for dinner, still offered the drinks. Thought that was pretty nice of them. When our time came, we went late at 8pm, although it began at 7:15pm. One of us had a white wine, but since there was no whiskey, except scotch, the other had nothing. No JD offered here for free.

 

There were two long lines for photo-taking….one on the spiral staircase, and the other posing with Minnie dressed in a formal gown. Goofy showed up dressed in a tuxedo. Judging by the lines at both parties, we would say they make killing on selling the photos. Compared to the weak sales on HAL, family travel warrants many more photo ops. Kids grow up way too fast, so getting these pictures are priceless. So we picked up the price list and found that a 6 x 8 photo cost $14.95, while an 8 x 10 cost $20.95. Ten digital files or 10 prints will run $149.95 and 20 will cost $249.95. All inclusive digital or prints cost $399.95 or $499.95 for all of them. A personalized photobook will set you back $149.95.

 

The show this evening was at 6:15pm, so we ducked into the Disney Theater to watch some of it. There was at least double the dancers we usually have on the Amsterdam. The show was primarily targeted to the younger group. However, the Captain and his head officers were introduced on the stage by the Cruse Director, Clayton. He seems to be very popular.

 

Dinner was good, although we were not terribly hungry. We both ordered the fried cheese raviolis and the turkey entrée, all very good. Dessert was a strawberry sundae and one jello with diced fruit. Since the jello was not on the menu, we asked for it, and they had it. One thing we learned today was not to eat lunch at 4pm. We ordered the chicken tenders with BBQ sauce, and then discovered pretzels were served at the pizza window. Oh, they were so good. One was a typical salted pretzel, but the other was coated with cinnamon sugar and filled with cream cheese. Both were served piping hot and put in a paper wrapper. Another bad habit in the making here…………….

 

Bill & Mary Ann