Monday, June 16: Castaway Cay day. We have breakfast at the buffet then off to the beach. We all played in the water for awhile, and relaxed on beach chairs. The kids were not very interested in the kids activities, so we just hung out together. After a tasty barbeque lunch on the island, DD2 wanted to go back to the ship. I walked back with her (when we got to the tram stop, we decided to just walk the rest of the way, because it wasnt far. We got to the stop near the ship just as the same people were getting off the tram). DH and DD1 stayed at the beach for awhile. DD2 and I went up to Deck 9 and played in the pool. That evening, we all saw the show, then went to dinner, which was a Pirates in the Caribbean them. We were eating at Animators Palate, but they did not turn on all the effects that night. That evening, there was a Pirate deck party, and I know they have to do the disco thing, but Jack Sparrow doing The Safety Dance was not in character! It was cool, however, when Mickey slid down the zip line from the tall smokestack, on a moving ship, and the fireworks were also neat. Disney is the only cruise line that can and does shoot fireworks off the ship.
Tuesday, June 17: Nassau. We did the Dolphin Encounter excursion, which was not inexpensive, but was a highlight of the trip. We were in the morning group, and took a smaller boat to another part of the island, where there is a small reserve, with dolphins, sea lions, etc. We had a brief orientation, about how to interact with the dolphin. The group split into a couple of smaller groups, and we left our stuff on the deck and walked around smaller squared-off areas in the water. The dolphins were able to swim in and out of the area. The dolphins were highly-trained, and the trainers were quite personable. She directed the dolphin in sort of a private mini-Sea World performance. We all sat on the sides, and were called, by family groups onto a platform. While standing on the platform, the water was only 3 feet deep. The dolphin posed with each family, then went back and forth, so we could pet him on his back and belly, then he stopped with each person, for a hug, a kiss, and a dance. At times, he was directed to blow a raspberry or similar humorous reaction. Each person fed him a fish, and we could touch his teeth. He was very gentle and well-trained, and even my younger daughter was not at all intimidated. In fact, she was absolutely delighted. We bought the picture and video package, walked around to view the sea lions, washed our hands really well, and got the kids a snack. My older daughter had expressed a wish to shop, but by the time we got back to the terminal, was tired, and all she wanted was one pair of earrings, which we bought at the terminal for $10. Back on board, we had lunch around 2, and just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. The evening show was the Toy Story show, and it was really good. That evening was dress-up night, and we knew that it did not have to be especially formal, but I was surprised at how many people just wore shorts in the dining room. I wore black slacks with various tops most nights, which was easy enough to pack, and my girls had cute sundresses. We went through the photos at Shutters, and had enough pictures we wanted to buy a package. I pretty well had figured we would be spending money on pictures, but I'll be working a lot of Saturday OT this summer, to pay off the extras on the cruise. It was worth it, though.
Wednesday, June 18. Another day at Castaway Cay. We wake to a thunderstorm, and were not allowed off the boat, until the weather cleared. The staff just treated the morning like a day at sea, and opened up the kids clubs early, and had other activities. I went to the movie theatre for the 10:30 showing of Prince Caspian, with both my kids. The movie was rated PG, but there was a great deal of sword fighting, which got rather intense. You only saw blood from minor injuries, and there was no swearing, or sexual activity shown, but it was more violent than I expected. My younger daughter wanted to leave, so I took her to the Oceanears Club, where she happily spent the rest of the afternoon. I came back to the theatre, and saw the rest of the movie with my older daughter. We had lunch with my husband, and, he decided to take a walk on the island, since the weather had cleared. Most people, by that time, were not in the mood for the beach, and we also decided to just stay on board. Turns out, my husband just wanted to take pictures of the Flying Dutchman, because he wants to recreate it in our yard for Halloween (we already had boat parts from last year, which he had fashioned from a broken bookcase, among other things). He returned, and took my older daughter to see College Road Trip, while I relaxed and read in the stateroom, and also packed, since it was our last night. We picked up my younger daughter, and all went to see the 6:15 show, at the end of which my older daughter complained that she was feeling really cold. She felt clammy to me and was not looking well. I took her back to the stateroom, and she said she was hungry, but did not want to go to dinner. I offered to order from room service, but the menu did not appeal to her. My husband and DD2 went to dinner, and he called from the house phone to recite the menu at Parrot Cay. I asked for an appetizer, and what he described as a salad (which turned out to be a cold soup, but it was good), and she wanted a steak. A waiter came from the restaurant to our stateroom to deliver our dinner, which was impressive because they were really busy at the restaurant, and this was not a room service meal. My husband said that the server and asst. server expressed their concern about her, and wanted to make sure she ate what she wanted. I told my husband to just pick out our fourth bottle of wine from the package we had already paid for, and we could take it with us. I gave my daughter some Tylenol, but I suspected that she might have a strep infection, since she had them before, and her presentation was much the same. She was feverish and had a bad night, and we did too.
Thursday, June 19. We wake early, and I told my husband that DD1 needed to get a strep culture done. The Health Center was not open, and I was not sure this was an emergency, but I thought we might get the information for the Urgent Care Center near Disney World, and perhaps our driver would drop me off with her there. Guest Services told us they would page the doctor, and, at 7, the nurse called and told us to come down. I got my daughter down there within a few minutes, and we saw the doctor shortly thereafter. My daughter got examined, cultured (negative, but the doctor still thought she had a bacterial infection), and, bonus, they gave us the bottle of amoxicillin there in the office, so I did not have to worry about getting to a pharmacy. The total cost was a little less than $120, and they gave me a bunch of receipts so that I can get reimbursed from my own insurance. We were out of there in well less than an hour, and were in line for our 8AM breakfast seating. We left the ship, had no problems finding our luggage, breezed through Customs, and our driver was waiting for us. We were back at the World, by 10AM, and our studio at the Animal Kingdom villas was ready for us. Bell Services had only just taken our luggage, but brought it, and our Owners Locker to our room within minutes. We had a 2:30 lunch ressie for Le Cellier, and the girls were excited to get going to Epcot. DD1 was looking somewhat better, and was not feverish, but I told her we would come back for a rest later in the afternoon. I did not know about her, but I sure was feeling tired, after our restless night. The main attraction they hoped to see at Epcot was their two BFFs from preschool, sisters who were vacationing with their parents. Our kids are all out of preschool now, of course, and in different school districts, but they still get together for playdates, birthday parties, and even go to the same summer day camp. We had recently had both kids for a sleepover. The parents are fun and interesting people, and we planned an adult dinner out the next night, with the kids to go to one of the kids clubs. Pete, the dad, had taken up scuba diving, and was scheduled to do the tank at the Seas, and we thought the rest of the family would be there to see him dive. We took the bus to Epcot, and the first thing we did was to check out the refurbished Spaceship Earth. We did not get to it the previous weekend, because we were coming and going from the International Gateway, and were determined not to rent a stroller, since they raised the prices, and my younger daughter had been too tired to walk that far, after using so much energy at Stormalong Bay. The line looked long, but really moved, and we were in the ride within 20 minutes. Not to spoil anything, but it was really much more fun, and my kids loved the surprises at the end of the ride. The kids were hot and tired by the time we got to the World Showcase, so we went to the restaurant a little early, not minding the wait in the air conditioning. Lunch was good, and my younger daughter just wanted plain pasta, my older daughter wanted the kids steak, DH had the prime rib sandwich, which was OK, but he likes his meat rare, and its heated in the au jus which made it overcooked to his taste. I had the salmon BLT, which was yummy. DH and I each had a beer. I knew DD1 was under the weather because she bypassed the crme brulee, her favorite dessert. We went over to the Seas, and did the Nemo ride, and just hung around the pavilion. I stepped out to buy a scrapbook, for all our cruise pictures, because I was able to buy cruise-themed paper and stickers on-board, but not the album. When I got back, I saw Pete, and greeted him, and he said the kids would be coming later. It turned out that they were not coming to see the dive, but for their dinner at the Coral Reef, which would not be for another couple of hours. We watched the dive, and then I went back to the hotel with DD1, and DH and DD2 stayed at Epcot awhile. DD1 and I took a long nap, and woke up at 9PM, when DH and DD2 came back to the room. After they left Epcot, they had played at the hotel arcade, and had dinner at the Mara. DD1 was hungry (I should note that, despite being an eating machine, she is very thin), so we both went down to the Mara for a light dinner. The food there was quite good. We went back to the room, and, officially went to bed. The next day, would be quite an adventure, more than we expected (but in a good way).
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