11/29/08 trip report with photos

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Howdy everyone,

Just got back from a great 7 day Western cruise and thought I would share some of it with you. Please be patient with my posting because I am going to include lots of photos, so it will take longer to post it.

 

This cruise was just Greg (DH) and myself, Kathy. No kids or grandkids this time.

We have cruised with a large group called the Bananas heads for 3 years now and they are a great group of people. We always have fun together and this year was no exception.

 

 

To start we live in Florida but are in our RV visiting in Oregon right now so we had to fly to Florida this time, so we decided to arrive a day ahead of time to rest up.

We spent Thursday night at my MIL's house since she lives close to PDX in Portland Oregon.

I called 2 days in advance for a cab to pick us up at 3:30 a.m. to go to the airport.

Of course NO cab showed up and we called them and they said we have NO record of your reservation. They sent a cab out but by the time it picked us up, we were suppose to be at the airport. Not a good way to start the trip.

 

We arrived just in time to catch our flight but no time to eat anything. 4 hours later we were landing at Dalles Texas for a 3 hour layover. We grabbed a bite to eat and had a good walk. Feeling a bit better that we didnt miss our flight.

 

It was time to board the plane but they didnt call anyone? We waited and waited until finally they announced the plane was broken. That was their exact wording.

After another 15 minutes they found a plane for us. However it was in a different concourse. If you've ever been to Dalles/ Fort Worth you know its a huge place!

About 15 minutes later we were at the new gate and boarded the plane, relieved all was well, or was it?

 

We sat and sat and sat there. Eventually the pilot announced they had a computer problem and couldnt take off until it was fixed. UGH!!!

Well to shorted a long boring start to our cruise, they did get it fixed and we arrived late at OIA. Thankfully we were staying at the Hyatt so it was quick to get to our room. However I didnt get to meet up with some new cruisers as I had hoped to do since we were late.

Sorry gang!

 

Our room at the Hyatt

 

view from our balcony into OIA lobby

 

 

continued:

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Off to eat, then to relax until morning when we check in for the DCL bus to ride to the port for a Magical cruise.

 

SATURDAY MORNING

 

At 9 a.m. i went to the Hyatt lobby to check in with Disney people and we got on the 9:15 bus. YEAH!!! They took the luggage from our room for us and we were off.

 

 

The ride to the port was nice and they played cartoons and a film about the cruise to help pass the time. Everyone was all excited and chatty along the way.

 

 

We arrived about 10:15 a.m.

 

Let the fun begin !!!!

 

The line moved quickly and we saw lots of Banaheads in line too. We all had matching shirts, designed by Bill (cruisemutt), so we could spot each other more easily.

 

This is the back of the shirt. See if you can find all the hidden Mickeys?

 

 

This is the front upper right side. One finger is for a first time nanahead cruisers, 2 fingers is 2 times nanahead crusiers and 3 fingers as shown here means you cruised all 3 nanahead cruises.

Soon the lobby was a sea of Nanaheads as we meet new friends and old friends.

 

a few nanahead friends

 

 

 

 

We had boarding pass #6 so it wasnt long before we were on the ship.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

We zipped to the buffet on deck 9 for a bite to eat, then walked around the ship getting photos of our friends.

 

1:30 we went to our room to unload the carry on stuff.

 

At 2:30 we had a meet in the Promenade Lounge. We did a regional gift exchange, chatted and had a Disney trivia contest. Guess who got the most right?

 

Yep, it was us and here was our prize.

 

 

Lastplace was a red plastic toilet, Okie got that.

We did a group photo too which zI posted in the first part of this report.

 

 

We had great weather for the Adventures away party.

 

We all had streamers to wave around, I did miss not having live music though.

As we pulled out we saw one dolphin and many pelicans. Lots of people along the shore waving at us too.

 

 

Off to a early 5:30 dining time. 25 of us were linked together, so we took up 3 tables.

 

Continued:

[mom x4,grandma x4]

After a nice dinner we headed to the Welcome Aboard show which was excellant as usual. Our wait staff was very good.

Besides the Disney performers there was Jason Bishop a Magician and a jugglers whose name escapes me at the moment. They were very funny and we were off to a great vacation.

Later they had their tree lighting ceremony which we always look forward to.

If you've never done this they usually pick a family to help light the tree and Santa goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto (with antlers) and Chip & Dale all dressed for the holidays lead 3 or 4 Christmas carols and then the family stands on the stairs with Santa Goofy and we all count down, they throw the Pixie dust on the tree and it lights up and snow falls in the atruim. It really sets the entire mood for the holiday season on board.

 

I am so sorry to say they changed this. It was so disappointing. They had Mickey and one young boy who they crowned King Neptune with a robe, crown and a septor who walked over and a few kids standing on the stairs threw pixie dust on the tree to light it up and bubbles came down.

To me this had NOTHING to do with the lighting of a Christmas tree. You could tell who the repeat cruisers where who had seen the original ceremony before because they all looked disappointed a few others looked confused.. I think they were trying to figure out how this was related to the holidays??

Sorry but Disney blew it this time.

The tree was beautiful as usual.

 

 

 

We went back to our room which was a great room deck 6 verandah #6132 and I arranged some of my fish extender gifts, finished unpacking and went to bed around 11:00 P.M. as we were tired

 

 

My fish extender. A good friend made it for me. I think she did an awesome job. Thanks Dawn!!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

SUNDAY KEY WEST

 

We had a very leisurely morning since we didnt arrive until close to noon at Key West.

We had breakfast at the buffet.

 

We did the Art of Entertaining appetizer that morning before leaving the ship.

 

Our fish extender was filled with so much stuff all day long. It was like almost all the Nanaheads delivered their gifts the first day.

What great original things we had this time. Many things that were printed or engraved 11/29/08 Bananahead cruise, notebooks, book marks,picture holders, candies, glow bracelets, note pads and a few Banana flavored items I cant mention what they were on a family board. Lets just say they were geared for adults.

Some crazy gift ideas out there this trip.

 

 

 

KEY WEST

 

Key West from deck 10

 

The Magic from the dock area

 

 

 

We walked around many shops, saw the Pirates museum and just enjoyed the atmosphere there. The weather was great, probably 80 and humid.

We did see a few friends as we walked around which was fun.

 

This guy is made of sponges. Our group called him the original Square Bob Sponge Pants.

 

This was a monument garden dedicated to past Sea Captains from the area.

 

 

We returned to the ship just in time for dinner. They had an earlier all aboard time since a storm was coming into Florida and we wanted to miss it.

 

We saw Jason Bishop's magic show after dinner. Then we shopped a bit on board. I bought a t-shirt that was on sale. After 18 DCL cruises I really didnt need anything else.

 

We also enjoyed Family Karoake that day which we always enjoy watching.

 

I had to finish working on my FE gifts then turned in for the night. It was midnight by then,

 

The new flat screen TVs are really nice, so much better than the old ones although learing to navigate the new channels is a bit tricky. I caught on by the end of the cruise.

 

[mom x4,grandma x4]

MONDAY SEA DAY

 

We slept in and again found tons of gifts in our FE this day. Thankyou everyone for the awesome things you brought.

 

This morning the Castaway Club had their meet. It was fun and there were about 1000 repeat guests on board. Lots of snacks, pop, coffee available. Last time we won a drawing but this time no such luck, however 3 of othe Bananaheads did win a clock door prize.

We sat with friends and chatted with al ot of nice people. The film clips they show are fun and interesting. If your a repeat guest, dont miss this event. Be sure and mingle with everyone, its lots of fun.

 

Today the Art of Entertianing was Cake & Plate decorating which is always a favorite with me. Maybe if I watch him enough times I will catch on.

 

We did the matinee of The Golden Mickeys so the evening is more relaxed.

We tried out our camera with NO flash as they requested and got a couple of photos.

 

 

I love that show, its always excellant.

We often just strolled the decks and walked around the adult pool area ot see some of our friends.

 

After dinner we went ot the family cabaret show with Jeff Civillico show. He is the juggler I couldnt remember earlier. He was funny and a great juggler.

 

This was the night for family Karoake, so we watched some of that and then walked into Rock N Bar D to check out the music from Soul Drive for a bit.

 

We needed to be in bed at a descent hour since we needed to be up early for Grand Cayemn the next morning.

We had an early excursion booked with several friends on a private yacht.

 

 

heres a few pictures

 

tree by the movie theater

 

 

 

a towel dinosaur

 

 

Tomorrow Grand Caymen

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Grand Caymen

 

We were up at 6 a.m. so we could meet our group at 7:45 to get tender tickets for our Yacht excursion that was scheduled at 9;30 and it was a 20 minute taxi ride to the marina.

 

Shortly after we were eating breakfast they announced the waves were too rough at the pier for the tender boats to safely dock, so no Grand Caymen this trip.

 

Instead they sent out a special Navigator with extra activities for the sea day we were now going to have. We looked out on deck 10 towards the island and it really looked funny because there were 3 large cruise ships circling around and around like vultures looking for a place to roost. :D

Then one at a time we pulled away.

We were sorry to miss a day with our friends but didnt let it bother our day. In all our cruises this was the first time we missed a port.

 

We decided to check our e-mail then I did Origami and made a frog. Boy that was harder than it looked. I didnt stick around for the bird. I knew I would never get it right after all the trouble I had with the frog.

I also did a family craft time and made a mouse, mouse pad.

 

 

 

They had 3 free bingo games in the Promenade and you could keep your card and use it for one free bingo game later that evening.

We loved sitting out on deck 4 and relaxing for a bit too.

Later on decks 9 & 10 we ran into lots of friends for short visits which we both enjoyed a lot.

This was pirate night.

My costume was packed with our furniture in Atlanta so I just wore a pirate t-shirt but many friends did dress up. They all looked so great.

 

some of our tablemates

Marie and family

 

 

About 1/2 way through the party we had a cloud burst. People ducked for cover everywhere. I was on deck 10 and got soaked, so I figured why bother looking for shelter. I just stood there looking at the crowds huddled together.

Then they announced the Captain said in 10 minutes he would have us out of the rain and the party would go on.

 

He received a loud cheer and round of applause from the crowd. Then as the rain let up to a sprinkle the CM's did dance on stage in the showers to entertain us I guess?

It was almost exactly 10 minutes and the rain was gone and they finished the party. Mickey didnt repell as usual, due to the danger with the wet weather but the fireworks were spectacular as usual.

 

The buffet was under cover on deck 9, so all was well for that part and many stayed to watch the POC movie on the big outdoor screen.

 

My husband had retreated when it rained and I went to find where he said he would be, but he was gone. So I walked aroudn a bit then changed out of my wet clothes and bundled up in the blanket and watched the Jungle book on TV.

Greg soon called and he was at Karoake. I told him NO way was I going to get out of my warm blanket and get dressed again to go out.

So it was off to bed after a nice sea day.

 

Tomorrow is Cozumel

[mom x4,grandma x4]

COZUMEL

 

We arrived fairly early. Our all aboard time was 1:00 a.m. on Thursday morning. So many stayed late in the bars since that was all that was open at that hour.

 

We had booked a 10:45 Jeep excursion.

 

It was beautiful weather, maybe 75 . The jeeps are all rag tops with the tops off so the sun came in on us. There are 4 to a jeep and we shared ours with a nice couple from Florida who happened to be cast members at Hollywood Studios. Hi Walter & Barbara if your reading this. We had a good time together and the men shared the driving since it was a stick shift.

 

 

The tour was a little over 4 hours and we drove mostly along the coast which was beautiful and we almost drove around the entire island by the time we finished.

 

We had a few stops.

First was a historical replica of the Mayan church next to the Catholic church after the Spanish invaded the Mayans. There was a large thatched roof meeting area with horses, a donkey and a dog roaming around. Inside the area the ceiling had colored material hanging there.

 

 

They had a few shops there if you wanted to shop, then off for more beach driving.

We stopped at the Pee Pee station, which isnt what it sounds like. It was a large gift shop.

 

 

 

We were furnished a nice mexican lunch with chicken fajitas, chips and salsa, some rice dish and beverages.

 

 

One surprize we didnt plan on as we drove the narrow road along the beach was another jeep heading towards us at a fairly high speed. As the jeep approached we could clearly see there was a young lady standing up waving her arms around yelling something like WOO HOO!!! She was topless!!

 

That got a good laugh out of everyone. Luckily no one drove off the road as they watched her pass by.Believe me there was Plenty of her to see !! My husband asked why I didnt get a picture since I had taken photos of everything else that we saw, but the camera was put away at that time. Ha Ha!!

Charles asked our guide if she was part of the tour? He of course said No, but my husband said she was worth $10 of the price.

We all got a good chuckle out of it and went on with the tour.

 

 

 

One tip about this excursion. Just as your about to pull out they have you sign a waiver but no time to really read it all.

It states that if you have an accident your insurance will pay all costs or YOU will pay all costs. Now our insurance is like most peoples, it wont cover us out of the country unless we call and tell them we are going to be driving out of the country and they will charge you extra for it. Since we didnt even book this until the day before we arrived at Cozumel we ddint have insurance coverage. Plus when you share the driving if the other guy had an accident you are responsible since you are the one who signed the paper.

 

We didn't read the paper until after the excusrion was over because they rush you just enough you dont have time to read before hand. So watch out for that one.

 

 

After the excursion we did alot of shopping although we bought very little. We did see friends from the ship though.

Time to get back it was 5:00 P.M. and dinner was 5:30 for us.

 

After dinner we enjoyed John Charles cabaret show,. He is always great and very talented.

 

 

 

We then went to Rock n Bar D to listen to Soul Drive until about 11:30, then off to bed for us.

I never felt us pull out at 1:00 a.m. but someone said it was rainy by then.

 

Tomorrow another sea day

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Thursday Sea Day

 

After a leisurely breakfast we decided to pass out our FE gifts which took quite awhile to do since there were so many this year. I loved seeing all the door signs and different extenders people had.

 

It was a leisurely day.

We did the Art of Entertaining for the Entree which was a stuffed chicken dish. Just happened we ran into our Jeep partners, Walter and Barbara in there and sat together.

 

I stayed for the napkin folding while Greg went out to enjoy the outer decks, which probably means he took a nap on deck 4. Ha Ha!!

 

I believe lunch was next, then was our time to make a gingerbread house.

 

 

inside the gingerbread house

They only had gumdrops to decorate with. Last year it was assorted candies but it was fun anyway. If you want to do this, please sign up as soon as you board the ship.

We went to sign up ar 4 p.m. the first day and both sessions were filled up and we were put on a waiting list. Luckily they sent us a ticket saying we could do it on thursday.

so sign up early for this one.

 

Then I dashed up on deck 9 to catch ice carving. He was 1/2 done by the time I got there but I did get to see him finish.

It was so beautiful.

 

 

 

They had live music on deck 9 Goofy pool area but they were running late, so I moved on to the next event.

On to towel folding but I was too late. Of course i have done it before so no big deal to miss it.

 

We did sign up for the galley tour which was very nice. I especially enjoyed it since I use to be a cook in different restaurants and could appreciate what I saw.

 

 

all the items in the background are cakes too and to the left you can see the edge of a piano cake.

 

 

Dinner was semi formal and I really dont enjoy dressing up so we skipped it like we did on formal night. We got room service and ate in the room.

 

Then off to the John Charles family show which was great. I recognise him from the Magic Kingdom years ago when he was the singing Sat the Diamond Horse Shoe Revue.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Disney Dreams was this evening. It is always a favorite with us.

We again turned off the flash and tried a few photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did enjoy Soul drive so we decided to go and watch them some more late that evening and the adult show was Lynn Trefzger who is a comedian and ventriloquist. Dont miss her shows, she is really funny.

The Calypso duo in the Promenade lounge were very good. They actually had a large variety of music and we also enjoyed stopping and listening to them late at night before bed. They were a nice stop for us while having a late night snack which they offer each night at 11:00 p.m.

 

 

This was the 11:15 p.m. Dessert buffet too. Sorry I dont have any photos, it was pretty well tore into by the time we arrived. I wish they would open it for pictures one hour prior to the normal opening time so we could get shots before it gets cut into. The chocolate fountain is alwasy so impressive.

 

Well now that we are full of sugar it was time to go to bed because tomorrow is Castaway Cay

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Castaway Cay.

 

It was cloudy and cool early morning.

We had breakfast and i changed back to my jeans before going ashore.

That was a mistake. 30 minutes later it was nice and warm.

these snwmen are on the dock and blow snow

 

decorations along the walkway to the beach

 

 

We took a few photos with characters along the way, mailed a few post cards too.We rented bikes and rode all over both bike paths and saw more firends and kids of friends.

The observation tower had a great view as always.

teens on their teens only excursion from our group.

 

These whimsical storks can be seen from the observation tower

After returning bikes we had lunch, sat on the beach. Greg decided the water was a bit too cool to snorkel this time, although the water was filled with people having a blast.

Then we decided to shop and I found a cute shirt I hadnt seen before. The front has a mad Donald duck who is mad at Chip & Dale who are also on the front, then on the back of the shirt it has all 3 of their bottoms showing. It was so cute and I have never seen one like that. I bought one for each of us.

 

If your at the adult beach around lunch time, you might like to eat there. They often have delicious steaks as well as burgers where Cookies BBQ wont have steak.

 

We retuned to the ship around 3 p.m. so I can pack almost everything. Sad to think the week is almost over already.

 

Our final dinner was at Lumieres where we said See Ya Later to our table mates.

Then to the final show, Remember the Magic.

I finally managed after 18 cruises to see the Til We Meet Again Show in the atrium at 10:15 P.M.

It was nice and a last chance to greet many characters and performers.

 

 

 

 

 

.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

 

 

Before heading off to bed we went to Diversions to say See Ya Later to a few of our friends.

 

 

 

Up early and looked at my verandah and saw this sad, sad sight.

 

The DCL bus waiting to take us to the airport and back home again.

 

 

 

 

At least we did book the 9/18.2010 Transatlantic cruise, so we have something to look forward to. That helps ease the pain and we will try to do next years Bananahead cruise if at all possible.

 

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them.

 

mom x4,grandma x4 aka Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Here are few photos not in the report since you can only do 6 per post.

CC pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

more after I walk my dogs,

 

kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

 

 

tram on CC decorated as a reindeer

 

duo from Soul Drive playing on deck 9

 

a cooking demonstration

 

deck 10

[lucyddr]

Nice review! We did the Western in 2005 and are hopefully going again this May! The photos certainly help us "waiters..."

[Decembercruise]

Thanks for the terrific report! We are taking the same cruise leaving on the 27th and I just cannot wait! We have never cruised before, so our three kids really don't know what to expect. I'm going to show them your report with the photos to get them fired up! :D

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Thanks for the terrific report! We are taking the same cruise leaving on the 27th and I just cannot wait! We have never cruised before, so our three kids really don't know what to expect. I'm going to show them your report with the photos to get them fired up! :D

 

 

Hope you have a magical crusie. If you havnt done it already, you might like to read the helpful thread at the top of this forum. It has helpful hints and tips for a Disney cruise. There si a lot of great information there.

 

Kathy

[BucksFamily]

Hey, thanks so much for the trip report and the photos! I am glad you had a great time (although I am a bit jealous!).

 

Seems to me that what made the cruise so great was the community that you've established. Of course, a great ship, disney service, and great weather all help, but in the end, what I took away from your report and the photos was a feeling of community, friendship and comraderie.

 

Thanks again for sharing.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hey, thanks so much for the trip report and the photos! I am glad you had a great time (although I am a bit jealous!).

 

Seems to me that what made the cruise so great was the community that you've established. Of course, a great ship, disney service, and great weather all help, but in the end, what I took away from your report and the photos was a feeling of community, friendship and comraderie.

 

Thanks again for sharing.

 

 

Your right about the friends.

The highlight of our cruises has always been seeing old friends and making new friends. My husband took over 100 photos in the terminal with our friends and another 25 at our meet. So you really hit the nail on the head with your comments.

The roll call boards here are just a great way to make new friends.:)

 

Kathy

[Host Mick]

Thanks for all of those photos. I cruise vicariously through these photos.

[aspen36]

Thanks for taking the time to do this review! Also thanks for all the photos.:)

[Cameroon]

Enjoyed the report and photos of your cruise. You always give such helpful information. I have printed out so many of your helpful hints, I am going to be carrying a small book with me on our cruise. :) Just one quick question about dining. Could you tell me the restaurants you were assigned to each night? We are doing the western 7-night cruise in June and would like to plan on a night in Palo, etc. Many thanks.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Your dining rooms will vary according to what ever time and rotation your given. We started in Lumiere's, then Parrot Cay, Animators palate,

then to Lumiers, then back to Animators, Parrot cay, then Lumieres, and that was 5:30 dining.

 

so knowing my rotation wont help you any for making a decision.

 

Tuesday night was Pirate night, so you might not want to book for that night.

 

 

Monday was formal night and thursday night was semi formal night.

 

Hope that helps you some,

 

Kathy

[mchiasson]

Tuesday night was Pirate night, so you might not want to book for that night.

 

Hello,

We are doing the 7 night Western in February - thanks for the great review of your trip! Just a quick question - I thought that Pirate Night was on Wednesday night (Cozumel)? My Passporter seems to indicate that, as do other threads I have read on the board. Did they change the night because of the issues in Grand Cayman, or do you know if this is a new change to the schedule? Just trying to figure out when to book the nursery - have it booked for night #5 at the moment, but sounds like it happened on night #4 on your cruise? Any info/clarification you could offer would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hello,

We are doing the 7 night Western in February - thanks for the great review of your trip! Just a quick question - I thought that Pirate Night was on Wednesday night (Cozumel)? My Passporter seems to indicate that, as do other threads I have read on the board. Did they change the night because of the issues in Grand Cayman, or do you know if this is a new change to the schedule? Just trying to figure out when to book the nursery - have it booked for night #5 at the moment, but sounds like it happened on night #4 on your cruise? Any info/clarification you could offer would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

 

 

my hubby insisted it was Grand Caymen..

I am sure he is right.

 

I will get back to you ASAP.

 

Kathy