MsFst/H'moon/Annvrsry, Updated 1/27 FINISHED!!! About This Page:

[ripkensnana]

MOUSEFEST 2004
OUR WONDERFUL TRIP WITH THE MOUSE

I have to preface this report by letting everyone know that while DH Bob and I were married 10 years ago ,we never had a honeymoon , so we decided several months ago to celebrate our anniversary and have our much belated honeymoon at WDW in December so that we could enjoy the holiday decorations . I'd been reading some trip reports, and was interested in possibly doing our trip in conjunction with MouseFest. I contacted MouseEarVacations, and began talking with Annette (and she gets a Huge Thank You from us). I told Bob that there was a cruise being offered as part of the MouseFest package, and he was immediately all for it . I was a bit reluctant (I thought I'd be bored mindless on a cruise - after all, what could there be to do on a boat all day.... ), but went along with Bob because he wanted to do the cruise so badly (and told me I should visit a foreign country - He thinks Canada doesn't count! ). So we made our plans to do MouseFest, land and sea. We added a couple of days to our package, and so everything was all set. I can't say enough about Annette and how great she was - at one point, I called her about something or other, and she returned my call from her bathroom, where she was hiding out from one of the hurricanes!

So, here's part one of our trip report. Hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed living it!

Day One: December 2

Bob and I got up at about 7-ish, dressed, and loaded the van, then made a big breakfast to hold us on the road. Our friend Katie had arrived to begin her stint as babysitter for our 2-year-old grandson in our absence, so she joined us. We left the house shortly after 9 am, and headed south.

We'd decided about a month previously to not take our usual route so we could enjoy a visit with my youngest son, Race, and his family in Kentucky. There was a bit of snow on the ground when we left, but it quickly disappeared as we drove through northern Indiana. As we passed Indianapolis, I waved and said, "Hi, Marcie!"

We stopped for a lunch break just past Indy, at a Burger King. There was a huge inflatable Sponge Bob on the roof, and the manager told us that theirs was one of the few in the area that hadn't been "kidnapped" and held for ransom (the ransom demands consisted of food ...).

On through southern Indiana to Louisville, where there was a bit of traffic congestion , and into Kentucky. We reached Smiths Grove (where Race lives) at about 5:30 pm, and were greeted by Race and our grandson Ripken (and now you all know where I got Ripkensnana - I am Ripken's Nana!).

Race told us that he and Melissa (his wife) were taking us to dinner at Ryan's in Bowling Green, and that Susan (his mother-in-law) and one of my best friends, would be meeting us! I was thrilled! I don't get to see her very often, so this was an additional treat for me.

After an enjoyable meal, we parted company (reluctantly ), and pushed on. We'd stopped at the Kentucky Visitors' Center earlier, and picked up some motel coupons, and found a Day's Inn with rooms for $29.95 in Franklin, so that's where we spent the night. The room was very nice, probably the best we found on the road. It was very roomy, nicely appointed, and had a king-size bed! Excellent value for the money...

Day 2: December 3

We left Franklin at about 9 am, and drove into Tennessee, past Nashville....I'd wanted to stop and visit the Parthenon (a great place to go to, very interesting - a replica of the Parthenon in Athens, but not all ruined - more like it had been originally, including a huge statue of Athena), but Bob wanted to get as far as possible, and didn't want to take the time ....Oh, well, there'll be other trips...

We were starting to get into real mountains, so it was time to break out the chewing gum (to help keep the ears from popping! ). Into Chattanooga, and on to Georgia. There were more traffic backups in Atlanta and Acworth. In Atlanta, the trees were just getting their Autumn colors.

We found a Sonny's Barbecue in Tifton, GA. Sonny's has become a must for us, really good value for the money. We drove into Florida, and stopped at the Visitors' Center (it was closed, so no orange juice... ) to pick up some motel coupons. We stopped in Lakeland for the night at about 9:45. We chose an inexpensive spot, the A-1 Motel. While the rooms were inexpensive, there were problems with the first one ....This motel is advertised as being "non-smoking", but apparently the previous tenant hadn't paid any attention to this....the room reeked ! Also, some of the lights were burned out, and the toilet seat was completely broken off the toilet ! We promptly went to the manager and requested another room....he tried to tell us that the man who'd left that day hadn't mentioned any of the above....but he gave us another room anyway. The toilet in the second room was a bit wobbly, but bearable ....

Day 3: December 4

We left a rainy Lake City at about 7:45 am, and made our way to Cocoa Beach, where the weather had cleared up considerably. We went to Port Canaveral to get our bearings, and I caught sight of the Disney Magic from one of the bridges . That brief glimpse was really exciting!

We got a room at the Budget Inn at about 12:30 pm, settled in a bit, then drove to Fort Pierce to visit Bob's cousin Pam. She wasn't home (she hadn't been expecting us), but there were carpenters working on replacing her back room, kitchen, and roof ! It seems that she hadn't gotten through the hurricane season entirely unscathed!!

We took the "Scenic Route" along A1A back to Cocoa, and there were signs of devastation everywhere. Apparently, there aren't enough contractors to meet the demand for repairs. We saw huge heaps of rubble beside the road, waiting to be picked up, and several buildings had blue plastic tarps over their obviously damaged roofs. There were uprooted trees all along the way ....It makes a person wonder how bad it looked immediately after the storms, if things were still in this condition three months later.

When we hit Satellite Beach, Bob showed me the house he'd lived in growing up, and his old High School.

We returned to the motel, had dinner at the adjoining I-Hop, then settled in for the night, eagerly anticipating embarking on our cruise the next day!

[DopeyGirl]

Great start Carol!!! Looking forward to more!!!

[wdwlovers]

Great start!!! Can't wait to read all about the doings on this trip!!!!

[karmic]

Can't wait to read the rest! Great start and keep it coming!

[luvnwdwgal]

Keep it coming Carol!! Loving every word!!!

[ripkensnana]

MOUSEFEST 2004
OUR WONDERFUL TRIP WITH THE MOUSE


I have to preface this by mentioning something I forgot on my first post . As we were driving through Florida, we stopped at the WDW Welcome Center in Ocala. We took some pictures, and I inquired at the desk if there were any openings at a Value Resort for that night at an AP rate....the CM checked and found an opening at All Star Movies for $49 ....I told Bob, and asked if he wanted to stay at Disney for the night. His reply was that he'd rather stay closer to the ship ...Oh, well, I tried...

BTW, if you've ever driven to WDW along I-75 and haven't stopped at the Welcome Center, you're missing a bit of a treat. Lots of Disney decor, a gift shop, a small theatre where you can get previews of what you're going to be seeing at WDW, plus the cleanest restrooms you're likely to find all along the route (worth stopping for, if for no other reason! ). And you can make your resort reservations and PS arrangements right there if you need to - although I know that nobody on these boards needs to do this!

So, as Mickey used to say on the Mickey Mouse Club, "On with the show!"

Cruising on the Disney Wonder, Day 1:

The Big Day had finally come! We were going to set sail on the Disney Wonder!! Bob was extremely anxious to get aboard, so we left the motel at 7:40 am...I told him that we didn't need to get there so soon, but he was adamant about not being late...

The weather was just beautiful! Warm and sunny, very pleasurable. I caught a glimpse of the ship as we passed over a bridge. We entered the Port area at about 8:15, and the first ship we saw was a huge white beauty. Bob asked if that was our ship, but I said, "No, you can't mistake the Disney ships for any others." As we passed the stern of the Mariner of the Seas, the Wonder came into view ! I started to tear up (and not for the last time this day) from excitement and happiness.

We got to the terminal, and were told that we wouldn't be allowed to enter yet, as passengers were still disembarking. We could go ahead and park, and sit in the van until 10....Not ! So, we drove back into Cocoa Beach, found a McDonald's (right across the street from the Ron Jon Surf Shop), and had breakfast. My self-control was admirable, as I never once said, "I told you so..."

So, at about 9:15 Bob couldn't stand it anymore, and we headed back for the port. We pulled into the very secure parking lot, and found a space near the crosswalk. As I got out of the van, I saw someone getting out of his car right across the way from us....it looked suspiciously like Ray Sharpton, but I didn't say anything, because I wasn't sure.

We got our bags out of the van, and headed for the terminal. We were held on the sidewalk outside, as there were a few stragglers still leaving the ship. We were right next to the person I'd seen in the parking lot, so I asked, "Are you Ray?" "Yes," he replied. So I introduced ourselves and we chatted and took some pictures as we waited to be allowed into the terminal. The three of us were very excited , as it was the first cruise for all of us (Bob's stint on an aircraft carrier during the Viet Nam War doesn't count ).

Soon we were allowed to enter the terminal. As we were just getting to the baggage inspection area, we were told that the bags we wanted to check through should be taken back outside to another door. So off we trudged, pulling our bags behind us . I don't know who invented wheels on luggage, but she was a genius (I'm assuming it must have been a woman ).

After checking our large baggage through, we went back into the terminal, through baggage check, and up the escalator to the main lobby, where we were told to fill out our Bahamian Immigration Forms . Then we were allowed to check in, and got our Keys to the Kingdom for the ship (just like the ones for the resorts at WDW) . We paid our deposit, and made our way out of check-in .

As we were exiting the area, I spotted Deb Wills , so introduced myself and Bob. I was wearing my Passporter "Ripkensnana" pin, and she recognized my name . We were introduced to Deb's friend, Linda, and wandered over to the coffee shop for the first of many MouseFest meets. Ray was already there, waiting patiently. We examined our Key cards more closely, and were trying to decipher some of the coding...Deb and Linda arrived at about this time, and helped us to discover that "S2 PTAP table 12" was our dining rotation assignment - Seating 2 (8:30 pm), Parrot Cay (tonight), Triton's (tomorrow), Animator's Palate (Tuesday), Parrot Cay(Wedensday) table 12 - the same as Ray's. We were going to be having our dinners together !

The Marx's had arrived by this time, so I introduced myself to Dave, as I felt that I already knew him a bit, as we'd chatted a time or two. Baby Alexander was taking it all in stride, as he was having several strange women make fusses over him - He's just adorable, so the fussing was well founded.

Deb and Dave were busily handing out MouseFest pins and booklets, and Bob and I hung out with Ray for a bit. I spoke with someone from MouseEarVacations, and discovered that Annette was already aboard the ship, getting things ready.

Soon, Bob and I made our way to the line that had been forming to board the ship. This wasn't happening yet, but we figured we might as well do it now. Linda went with us, and held a place in line for Deb, who joined us shortly thereafter.

As we stood in line, I spotted someone with a "Passporter Guide to the Disney Cruise Lines". I said, "Hey, I have a copy of that!" . He smiled, and said he thought it was a really good book. I agreed, and told him that the authors would be aboard the ship. He gave a startled look, and exclaimed, "No way!" I said, "Way...They're right over there," pointing in the general direction of Dave Marx (whose hat I could just glimpse over the crowd). Deb explained MouseFest to him, and gave him a copy of the booklet and the pin ....lots of other people were curious, so she was kept quite busy, passing out pins and booklets until we were able to board .

As we passed through the hallway leading to the gangway and the ship, we ran into Nikki (Poor Eeyore) and Allie....Oops ! Allison! We quickly discovered that she now prefers to be called by her proper name, so remember that, you guys....

As we got closer to the gangway, we heard the CM's announcing everyone's name as they boarded. Bob had told a CM at the Welcome Center about our Honeymoon/Anniversary trip, so she said that we should mention it when we boarded the ship, and see what happened. So (since Bob kept saying that the cruise was our honeymoon, and the stay at WDW was to celebrate our anniversary), we told the CM at the gangway as we boarded that it was our honeymoon. She announced, "Mr. and Mrs. Ray, who are on their honeymoon!" All the CM's sang "Here Comes the Bride" as we crossed the Main Lobby. It was really very funny and magical all at the same time.

Deb and Linda boarded right behind us, and took us in tow, leading us to Parrot Cay for a beautiful Italian buffet lunch. There was such a variety of food, it was difficult to make choices . So I did what I usually do....take a tiny bit of each thing that looks good....however, I still ended up with a huge plateful! I felt guilty about not being able to finish it all , but I was really stuffed!

Our server for lunch was named Typhoon....rather unusual, but thankfully not prophetic! He'd been Deb's server on one of her previous cruises, and so they enjoyed a nice chat.

After lunch, we wandered around the ship for a bit to get our bearings, then went to the MouseEarVacations Meet 'n' Greet to pick up our trip packet. I finally got to meet Annette! Yay!!

We wended our way to our stateroom to drop off our carry-on bags, looked around a bit, and discovered that the tickets for our snorkeling excursion in Nassau weren't there, as we'd been expecting . Back to Annette, who said she'd look into it, and slip the tickets under our door when she got them.

I went to a Shopping Seminar - presumably a session to let us know what to do while shopping in Nassau, but really a sales pitch for this booklet of coupons ....At any rate, in the beginning, the girl (I think her name was Julie, but could be mistaken about that) said that during the course of events, she'd be giving away some prizes, and that to get the prizes, you needed to get her attention. So she said, "How do you think you can get my attention?" I immediately waved and yelled, "Hi, there!", whereupon she tossed me a small box and said that the way to get her attention was to make some noise . Inside the box was a very slender silver bracelet, which is really long - it may even be an ankle bracelet!

A bit later, she interrupted the proceedings to ask how many grandmothers were in the audience...My hand went up again...Then she asked if anyone had more than 8 grandchildren...My hand stayed up....Since mine was the only hand still in the air, I won a set of "pearl" jewelry - necklace, earrings, and bracelet . BTW, I have 12 1/2 grandkids - the next is due on my birthday, and it's a boy! So that will make 9 boys and 4 girls....something's amiss here ....I returned to the stateroom to find Bob napping !

It was now time for the mandatory lifeboat drill. So we donned our lifejackets (and found that there was one belonging to another stateroom , which we gave to our Stateroom Host, Arman) and headed for Deck 4, portside (gee, don't I sound nautical?). The drill took several minutes, then we were released so that we could return the lifejackets to our staterooms and prepare to get under way. Our excursion tickets were in an envelope just inside the door! Thanks again, Annette !!!

We got up to Deck 9, and ran into Deb and Linda again ! What a small world (or at least, small ship.....not really, the ship is about 1/4 mile long and about 100 feet wide). They led us up to Deck 10, starboard, and we discovered that the MouseFest Sailaway Party was on the port side , so over we went . We found Ray again, and met lots of other MouseFesters (I agree with Dave, another word has to be found.... ). We met Steve Barrett (author of "Hidden Mickeys") and his delightful wife Vicki, and I showed him a photo I'd taken of a HM we found on the bow, just forward of the crew pool. He pretended to be suitably impressed....or maybe he wasn't pretending .

Bob and I looked aft, and saw some dolphins breaking water beside the ship! How cool that was!!! I'd never seen dolphins in the wild before .

Soon, the ship began to move, and as the ship's whistle played those seven notes, I started to tear up again (and I'm tearing up now, just remembering and writing about it ). Bubbles, streamers, and confetti filled the air, and the band was playing on Deck 9, where the Goofy Family Pool had been covered so the kids could dance. There were characters in nautical garb....Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale. What a great beginning to our cruise !

We returned to our stateroom and dressed for dinner, then went toward the Walt Disney Theatre to see "Hercules, the Muse-ical". On our way, we looked into the main lobby, and noticed that Lilo and Stitch were posing for pictures . There weren't many people around, so we took advantage of the situation and got some really cute photos of us with the characters, both individually and together ...there's a really cute one of Stitch giving me a kiss. As soon as I figure out how to post pictures, I'll add it to this report
.
We got to the theatre just before the show started, and were delighted with the performance ! The show was basically the same story as the movie, with a few twists to keep it fresh (including a male muse in drag - very funny!). As a theatre person, I'm really impressed with the great job that the cast did, not only for this show, but for the other two that we saw. I can't imagine keeping three separate and distinct scripts in your head without getting them mixed up ! And the energy!!! Wow!!!!

Our dinner this evening was at Parrot Cay, where we met the rest of our table mates - except for one. Ray was there, and we met Ann and George from Ohio, and Doris and Dennis from Indiana. There was an empty chair at our table, but we assumed that the person who was supposed to be there had gone to Palo for the first night. We met our servers, Danashri (from India) and her assistant, Niti (from Thailand). These two were just fantastic! Danna (as we came to know her) was very knowledgeable and made good recommendations for our meals, and Niti was always right there to make sure our beverage glasses were kept filled .

As we waited for our first course, I mentioned that I could feel the ship rocking. Ray said that he could feel it, too! It wasn't moving very much, just enough to be noticeable. I'd thought I'd felt something as we'd watched the show, but wasn't sure. Now I knew what it was. The liquid in the glasses wasn't moving much, but it could be seen. I heard later that some people got rather seasick that evening. At a couple of points, my stomach began to feel a bit queasy , but I spoke to it sharply, and told it that seasickness would not be tolerated nor allowed. It seemed to work !! The tiny bit of queasiness I felt immediately disappeared !!

I had Crab Martinique as an appetizer, which Bob also ordered along with a fruit salad. Bob followed with Prime Rib, and I had the Mixed Grill - lamb, beef, and chicken with veggies. For dessert, we both ordered lemon meringue pie. Everything was just delicious !

At one point, I'd noticed Annette whispering something to Danna, and pointing to us....I soon found out what was up when Danna presented us with a special anniversary dessert - a sort of strawberry gelatin concoction with a white chocolate banner atop with a picture of the ship and the words "Happy Anniversary". This thing was huge, so we shared it with the others at our table. Thanks to Annette, again.

After dinner, we were both rather tired, so decided to call it a night, and returned to our stateroom and bed. We found a dog made of towels that Arman had left for us, and our bed was turned down, ready to be crawled into. Nassau would be waiting in the morning....

[bsblady01]

souds like you has a great trip

[Caldercup]

[ QUOTE ]
My self-control was admirable, as I never once said, "I told you so..."

[/ QUOTE ]



Your trip report is fantastic -- I love all the details. You make me want to try a cruise!

I can't wait for more.
Eileen

[Colexis Mom]

What a great start Carol I can't wait for more, hurry back! I hope you figure out how to post the pictures, because you sound like you have some great ones

[ripkensnana]

MOUSEFEST 2004
OUR WONDERFUL TRIP WITH THE MOUSE


Day 3, Nassau:

Bob and I got up at 6:30, and went up on deck to see where we were. We went forward where we could see Nassau and the Atlantis Casino in the distance . We watched for a while, then went aft to have breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet. The selection was quite good, and we stuffed ourselves as we sat at our outdoor table on the stern of the ship . The weather was just perfect, nice and warm, and sunny, if a bit breezy due to the speed of the ship !

After breakfast, we went to Deck 10, starboard, and found that we were entering Nassau Harbor . We watched the ship pull into port, then went below decks to get ready for Dave Marx's "Around Nassau Town Walking Tour" .

We gathered in the small lobby at the Walt Disney Theatre, and went to Deck One, where we disembarked. There was a bit of a walk along the pier to get to Nassau customs (which took all of about 10 seconds), then through the building to an area where we were literally bombarded with:

"Missy want hair braided?"
"I got taxi!"
"Missy want hair braided?"
"Horse and buggy ride through town?"
"Missy want hair braided?"
"I got taxi, it runs!"
"Missy want hair braided? I do for half price" (If I got my hair braided, honey, I'd look like Buckwheat from the Little Rascals)

We managed to get through all this unscathed (just keep walking, say "No thank you", and DON'T MAKE EYE CONTACT!!! ), and waited a bit to make sure that everyone was finished using the washrooms. Nassau is like Canada, they don't have restrooms, just washrooms

Dave led us through the green gate, onto the streets of Nassau Town. We quickly discovered that traffic signs are merely suggestions ....We made our way through the shopping district into a more quiet area, where Dave took us to Christ Church (Episcopal). There is a really beautiful stained glass window, but what I found interesting were the memorial plaques in the rear of the church. One in particular caught my eye, which read:

Sacred
to the memory of
LOUISA,
youngest daughter of
W.J.P. Johnson Esq.
who died 6th June 1856
in the 23rd year
of her age
Leaving a fond Father
and
several Sisters and Brothers
to lament their loss
_______________
"Thy will O! Lord be done
____________________

If you're wondering how I could remember all that....I took a picture! And that's word for word, and line by line. It was about 2 1/2 by 4 feet, as I remember it.

Dave then led us to Government House, a huge pink and white building, which has a statue of Christopher Columbus in front. He told us that this is where Queen Elizabeth stays when she's in town.

We saw some other government buildings, then Bob began to have trouble with his knee ....we decided to head back to the ship for lunch before our snorkeling excursion.

We had lunch at Triton's, because we'd asked Danna where she and Niti would be serving. We requested her table, and they put us next to their area (since all their tables were full) so that they could take care of us. Just a small example of how the crew of the Wonder bends over backwards to make your trip more enjoyable ! Bob had meat loaf, and I had broiled tilapia (a type of fish). Again, our food was really yummy, and the service impeccable !

We returned to our stateroom and dressed for our snorkeling excursion (swimsuits under clothing) and joined the rest of the people who were doing the "Caribbean Queen Snorkeling Tour". We were led along the jetty ("Missy want hair braided? I braid your hair when you get back. ") to the boat (which was supposed to be a catamaran - a type of sailboat - but which turned out to be a double-hulled motorboat). It was nice and roomy, and as we boarded, the masks, fins, and vests were distributed. Bob's first pair of fins were damaged, so he got another pair. The vests were a bit grubby-looking, and the masks didn't fit very well .

The trip to the dive site wasn't too long, but it seemed that way because it was a bit chilly (!) A crewman gave a running commentary of what we were seeing, which consisted mainly of "That's where Richard Harris used to live....That's the house that Oprah Winfrey is building....There's Michael Jordan's house...."

We finally got to the "reef" and were given the rules - where to swim, where not to swim, how to inflate our life vests (which we had to keep inflated, which precluded doing any serious diving), what not to touch, how to treat the starfish, (ummmm, if we can't really get very far underwater, how come you're telling us what we can't touch - since we won't be able to reach it anyway??? Just thought I'd ask... ), not to walk on the deck in our fins, etc.

Everyone (except me) jumped right into the water....we'd been told that the water temperature was 78 degrees....but it didn't feel that warm ! I have this problem with cold - if everyone else is comfy, I'm chilly ! So it took me quite a while to get into the water - at one point, a crewman asked if I was okay, so I reassured him .

I finally got into the water, and began swimming around. The "reef" wasn't as colorful as I'd expected, but there were lots of fish - mostly blue and yellow. I got the distinct feeling that the preponderance of fish might have had something to do with the fact that you can purchase fish food on the boat to lure them with. I could be mistaken here....

There were some purple sea fans, and some brain coral, and a few starfish. Bob and I had purchased some disposable underwater cameras, so took some pictures - haven't had them developed yet. I'm not sure how they'll come out, since the water wasn't as clear as I'd thought it would be. Oh, well. We'll just have to see.

I paddled about for a bit, then I saw a small jellyfish right in front of me. Now, I know that the problem with jellyfish is that they have these really long tentacles, which you don't necessarily see, and which can sting the bejeepers out of you, so I booked away from there ! I kept remembering Dory in "Finding Nemo" (which was appropriate, since I was wearing my Dory T-shirt) finding a baby jellyfish and naming it "Squishy". I mean, I kept thinking, "I will call him Squishy, and he will be my Squishy...."

This was just about enough snorkeling for me, so I got out of the water and dried off as best I could - fortunately Bob and I had brought our beach towels, because towels weren't provided (which I'd been led, somehow, to believe). Bob got out shortly thereafter. We talked about what we'd seen and discussed the problems we'd had with the equipment. We both had trouble with our masks sealing properly. I got a snootful of sea water - salt water can really clear up your sinuses!!!

On the subject of sea water - I'd had no idea how salty it really was ! I'd expected a little salty, but this was extremely major!!! Like, gag me salty!!!! Yuck!!!!! Good thing we'd brought our own water from the ship!

So, little by little, the other snorkelers gave up and boarded the boat, and finally everyone was aboard, and we returned to Nassau Town. The trip back didn't take nearly as long as the trip out, and for some odd reason wasn't as chilly...

After we got back to port, Bob and I did a bit of shopping. I'd wanted to go to Del Sol, where all the merchandise consists of items which have the unique quality of changing color in the sunlight ! Then we found some inexpensive T-shirts, and were finished with our shopping trip.

Actually, I think I should mention that I had a sarong on, so I wasn't walking along the street barelegged! And we both had T-shirts on, which we'd worn to prevent sunburn while snorkeling. So we were relatively presentable.

As we wandered the streets, we saw several teenage girls dressed in what had to be school uniforms - white short-sleeved blouses, neckties, pleated skirts (which stopped just above the knees), knee socks, and black oxfords. But instead of the typical navy blue, black, or gray, the matching skirts, ties, and socks were brightly colorful - red, green, royal blue, etc. This was something that I really enjoyed seeing.

Back to the ship, again hearing about getting hair braided - these people just don't give up ! We were dismayed by the fact that our cameras got x-rayed ! We went to Guest Services to complain. The CM called Shutters, and the CM there said that the cameras hadn't been exposed to the x-rays nearly as long as they would have been at an airline terminal, so should be okay. They offered to develop them for us for free, but they were only about half used. We'll see how they turn out....

We showered and dressed for dinner. Bob wanted to wear our matching Mickey and Minnie tropical garb we'd found at the Disney Store last summer, so that's what we did. We then wandered the ship for a while, ending up at Wavebands. We were early for Bingo, so, as we were the only guests there at the time, we enjoyed a chat with one of the waiters, Glenn . As it happens, he was from Kent (where Cheryl - chezp - and her husband Mark live ). He said that he comes from the next town over (from Maidstone), and told us about his fiancee, who comes from Brazil. They'd met on the ship, and had visited each others' homes and met the parents.

I didn't win at Bingo, but there was a drawing for passes to the spa, and I won two of them ! They turned out to be for the Tropical Rainforest room, which was something that I'd wanted to try, but didn't want to spend the money on . The drawback was that they both had to be used the next day . Bob wasn't interested, so what to do? Not to fear, I came up with a solution!

At dinner (in Triton's this evening), Bob and I told everyone at our table about my winnings. I asked him again if he wanted to go with me, and he said no, so I offered my second pass to Ann and Doris. Doris said that she had to work the next day (she's a MouseEarVacation agent, in case I hadn't mentioned it earlier), so Ann jumped at the chance to join me. We settled on a 3 pm meeting time, and Bob and George decided to do the hot tub near the Quiet Cove pool (adults only!) while we women indulged ourselves.

As we had dinner, we three women decided that our assistant server, Niti, was a real cutie (and let him know it....Danna got quite a kick out of it). Doris even offered to take him home to "take care of him". He took all the kidding in good humor. He is a cutie patootie, though (as Doris dubbed him).

After dinner, we returned to WaveBands, where a game of "Match Your Mate" was to be held. I was hoping that Bob and I would be chosen to play, because I thought it would be lots of fun!

The game is similar to the "Newlywed Game", but the couples are chosen for being married for varying lengths of time. 0-5 years, 6-15 years, and the couple married the longest. Bob and I were the only couple in our "age bracket", so were in automatically....Hooray for us!!!

The questions were mostly funny, and at the mid-point, Bob and I had a perfect score . Then the wives were led out of the room, where we waited with this really cute CM, Brad. He started taking his jacket and tie off, so we girls got a bit rowdy. The whole idea was that we'd re-enter WaveBands looking as if the three women had "taken advantage" of him . I wore his jacket, another woman had his cummerband, and the third had his tie (which she twirled over head). We walked in arm in arm, and as I returned his jacket, I gave him a big hug, then pretended to notice the audience for the first time (and acted as if I'd been doing something naughty) . It was good for a laugh .

Then came the second half, which was much rougher. At the end, though, Bob and I came out the winners, and received a bottle of champagne in a bucket with ice and two glasses, plus a couple of ribbons with medals attached sporting the Disney Cruise Line logo and the words, "I'm a Winner!" The MC made a comment about us knowing each other so well that we even dressed alike (Bob's wanting to wear our matching outfits turned out to be a good idea!) Annette came to our table and took our picture with our winnings....which reminds me - I have to email her to get a copy.

We stayed around for a bit, discussing what we were going to do with the champagne, since neither of us is a big drinker. We decided that the best thing to do would be to take it to dinner with us the next night and share it with our tablemates . I'd remembered that Ray had told us that he would be in Diversion (right next door) watching Monday Night Football - what is it about most men and sports??? I'm so thankful that Bob isn't interested at all. At any rate, I went to Diversions, found Ray, and told him that we'd be having champagne with dinner the next night. He was pleasantly surprised, and congratulated us on our winning the game .

By this time, people began teasing us about all our winnings, but it wasn't to end here - more prizes were yet to come!

At about midnight, we retired to our stateroom to find our bed again turned down, but this time a towel elephant awaited us! I neglected to mention that each evening there were also two chocolates accompanying the towel animals, little squares of chocolate emblazoned with Cinderella's castle and wrapped in gold foil . Such a little thing, but it made us feel so pampered ! The champagne was put into the refrigerator, and so to bed, and to Castaway Cay in the morning.