Obrin (RMNAAFA) 2001 Disney Cruise, Day 9
Day 9, Saturday, 3/24/01
I woke up at two in the morning, because the ship was moving, and I
wanted it to stop. But, then I was able to get back to sleep, and slept
until about 7 a.m. At that point, we were nearing the island, and we all
went out on the verandah to watch us come in.
Castaway Cay is a beautiful, pristine island. The waters are an unworldly
turquoise color, and the island is mostly covered with lush green trees.
Looking from our verandah, we could see several colorful sail craft afloat
in the bay. It was quite a sight. After staring in wonder for a while,
we went inside, showered, and dressed for breakfast.
Breakfast was basically the same buffet as the day before. It was very
nice. Afterwards, we hit the island.
Castaway Cay! The water is 75 degrees, and the air is 85 degrees. We
are surrounded by smooth sand and turquoise water. There are some puffy
clouds way off in the distance which pose no threat. The skies overhead
are a perfect blue. There are palm trees and tropical flowers as the path
strays away from the beach inland. The biggest structure on this side of
the island (we later learn that Disney houses some permanent help on the
other side) are the 1 story huts (covered, but open on all sides) where
lunch is served, or the little hut where the snorkels are rented. Other
than that, it is an undisturbed paradise. There was an almost indescribable
feeling of calm, and a little voice that kept saying "This place is amazing".
On the way to the snorkeling area, we left Nick in Scuttle's Cove. There
were games there, and he had some fun in the sand and playing games. But,
it was not near the ocean. There seems to be an issue if it's a supervised
play area with the water, unless all of the staff are certified for water
safety. In any event, after lunch, I went with Nick down to the kid's area
of the beach. There is a lifeguard on duty here, and Nick is actually a
pretty fair swimmer. I wanted him to be able to say that he had swum in
the ocean. I went out with him, but we only got about to his waist, and
he insisted on going back. What he had his mind set on was playing in the
sand and shallow water of the surf. He had borrowed some beach toys from
Scuttles Cove (the Disney people being more than accommodating, as usual).
I stayed with him for a little while there, and then went back to join
Debbie by the snorkeling area.
Debbie and I snorkeled for several hours before lunch, and again for
several hours in the afternoon. This experience was truly the highlight
of the entire cruise. The water was extremely warm. Now, Disney has a little
snorkeling course set out in the bay, with buoys set as markers every so
often. Kind of like one of the marked nature trails in the mountains. We
did both the long and short course, and then just did some kicking around
on our own. There are many very interesting things to look at in the water,
with some of them (like Nemo's sub or the ship's bow with Mickey as the
bow piece) being planted by Disney, and others being naturally there. Disney
has gone out of their way to make certain there are shelters and cubby
holes for small fish throughout this area, so the smaller fish were plentiful.
Here and there the bottom was intentionally strewn with masts, an old typewriter,
an electric fan, and other remnants of ship wreck. The ship's wheel and
bell, and (as I've mentioned) Nemo's sub are things that stick out in my
mind.
Also, every so often there was a plaque on the bottom, with some message
from the Disney folks. Very cool. Plenty to see down here.
The yellow tailed snapper, which is an electric blue fish with a bright
yellow tail, were the most common. But, there were several other varieties,
which made the glass bottom boat tour the day before look pretty pale by
comparison. There was one very large fish hiding by the bell, which Debbie
had to point out to me, because I had gone right by it. It was a reddish
brown fish, at least 5' long.
| The snorkeling equipment was moderately nice. Although the snorkel
and mask did not have valves, they were in fine condition and fit well.
Even though the mouthpiece of the snorkel was a good fit, I still gargled
quite a bit of salt water. Sure, I meant to, it was good for my sore throat
;^).
When you would pop your head up in the snorkeling area, you couldn't
miss the eerie presence of the Wonder floating at dock a short distance
away. It was, of course, the largest thing for miles around. It just gave
a little sparkle of Disney magic to the whole experience.
I can't say enough good things about our snorkeling experience. There
was eel grass growing all over the place, which was cool to look at, but
you'd do better to avoid swimming into. The bottom was actually very uneven
here. One moment, you'd be in eight feet of water, and the next you'd be
in two feet of water over a sand bar. In some places, it was like navigating
a maze. This day was perfect in every way.
Lunch was great. barbecue chicken, ribs, burgers, and hot dogs, all
very well prepared. You went into one of the roofed huts to stand in a
serving line, then made your way to an informal picnic area. The eating
and serving areas were covered. For us, this meant a brief respite from
the sun, as there was not a cloud in the sky. The informal picnic atmosphere
was perfect for the unspoiled setting.
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When it was time to return to the ship, Debbie went off to play bingo,
and Nick went to the lab. I took a walk around the ship, snapping pictures
with the digital camera. I think I got some nice shots of us pulling away
from the island at 5 p.m. I was up on deck 9 snapping photos. It is both
a majestic and a peaceful site, this enormous ship pulling away slowly
from this pristine island. I had a good vantage point to watch the wake
created by the thrusters which we so marveled at earlier in the cruise.
As the stern of the ship pulled past the dock, there were six or seven
CMs standing on the dock, waving with enormous Mickey hands like the ones
Nick had bought at Fantasmic! It was a perfect end to a day in paradise.
Again, walking around and taking pictures, I was struck by how beautiful
this ship really is. I was dazzled by the huge portals, the open feeling
even on the lower decks, the ornate Disney touches (and, of course, the
hidden Mickeys). There is beautiful attention to detail everywhere you
turn.
Passing by the Buena Vista Theater, where we had once poked in our heads,
I smiled at the fact that they are able to show first run movies and Disney
classic, and the playbill had a couple of interesting shows, but there
was by no means any time to go to the movies.
I went down to get Nick out of the lab for supper, and found they were
already over at the buffet. I went over and tried to talk him into having
supper with us, but he was very insistent on eating with his shipboard
friends one last time. I gave up, figuring he was on vacation, and went
on without him. I insisted, however, that he was going to the play tonight.
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We ate at Parrot Cay for supper this night. It is a very colorful,
happy themed restaurant. The main course was the best I'd had all cruise,
and the food overall was tasty and imaginative. I had a kind of seafood
stew, and a coconut shrimp appetizer. Both were very good. We sat by a
huge portal with the sun setting on the water. It was a great experience.
Everyone was snapping pictures, as it was our last night together. I think
one of my best pictures of the trip came out of this dinner, with table
29, including the waiters, all together. Steven has given Debbie a nice
pair of mouse ears with a couple of colorful plates. Wesley and Steven
both asked about Nick. (Gave gratuities to them tonight?) The gratuities
were charged back to our room with a form provided by Disney, but a stub
let them know how much we had chosen, and we made sure to tell them how
much their fabulous service had meant to us. They both gave the impression
that they loved doing this job.
Patti told us about a tram driver who she had talked to for a while
on Castaway Cay. Patti had gone to the adult beach, while Jan had accompanied
Nick, Debbie, and I to the family beach and snorkeling area. The tram driver
Patti spoke to said that Disney was paying him about $500 a week, and almost
all of that was going into his savings. Disney provided housing on the
island, food, and uniforms which he wore to work. So, about his only expense
was when he took a boat into town for a night out. Most of the people working
the island and the ship seem to feel they are getting a really good deal
out of Disney.
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Looking back at the shipboard restaurants, Animator's Palette wins for
themeing, Parrot Cay wins for food, and there is something nice and elegant
about Triton's. There is really a mix of three distinct dining experiences
here. I was not disappointed in any of these restaurants. And the service,
of course, was wonderful each night.
We had one more wonderful play. I had to laugh at Nick beforehand, because
he felt he had to chase down the specific waitress who had brought us that
smoothie the night before.
Disney Dreams was a whimsical fantasy and tour de force of Disney classic
music and stories. There were a lot of memories welling up of Nick's early
childhood and my own. There were some great performances and special effects.
The effects spread through the whole theater. Again, I couldn't believe
for a moment that a non-Disney ship could match this!
After the play, we were all too tired for words. Nick and Debbie wanted
to go to bed, so there was no lab or clubbing tonight. I did one last deck
walk in the dark, steaming across the ocean, admiring the power of the
ship.