Boarding the Disney Dream here.
Our first night aboard here.
Nassau and Pirate Night here.
Sunday was a big day, full of exciting things: Mother’s Day! Castaway Cay! And, of course, the Castaway Cay 5K!
I was so excited I couldn’t sleep and so I went out on the verandah to watch the ship pulling into its destination. From our side of the ship, we had a wonderful view.
Nana and Papa Bear were already awake and outside, and so we chatted for a bit in the lovely morning weather, before I had to start getting ready to run.
While I was in the shower, a surprise arrived: room service! Little man thought room service on Mother’s Day would be the perfect thing, especially since I wasn’t going to be able to attend a sit-down breakfast with the family, and it was nice to have a half a bagel and a banana.
Great thinking, little man!
We formulated a plan. I had a pre-race meeting at 8:15, and while I was running, the rest of the family would enjoy a real breakfast and then make their way out to the beach on Castaway Cay. I asked Mr PugRunner to take one of the wave phones so I could locate everyone after I showered and changed.
And with that, we said our goodbyes.
Had I been in the main part of the ship, I probably would have seen this duck, welcoming cruisers to paradise.
I will recap the race in a dedicated post, but it was fabulous. Hot as Hades, but I am so glad I had the opportunity to do it. As soon as I was finished, I started trekking back to the boat.
Coincidentally, I saw Nana and Papa Bear passing by on the tram to the beach, and was able to tell them I would be back shortly. I also saw a photo opp for Captain Jack Sparrow. We had missed him the night before, and I hopped in line. Unfortunately, there was no Shutters professional photographer on hand, and my camera phone wasn’t working (who’s got to make another trip to the Genius Bar? This girl! Womp womp), so I had to move along. Boo.
I was really hungry, but I didn’t have time to grab a snack onboard. I showered, got into my swim clothes and was back out on Castaway Cay in less than 30 minutes.
I’m a rockstar that way.
The tram line was pretty long, so I opted to walk back to the recreational areas of the island (I think this is the one day I wish I had a FitBit or similar activity tracker – I am willing to bet I did about nine miles on the island).
Unfortunately, Mr PugRunner hadn’t charged the second wave phone, so I was stuck weaving through beach chairs looking for them.
At least there were fun things to see along the way.
Mr PugRunner had set up camp on the farthest beach, but Nana, Papa Bear and little man were keeping an eye out for me. We found each other at the halfway point, and began to make our way to our seats.
But first, there was this guy!
He was standing quite randomly between the beaches, with no line! Probably looking for more rum! And I had my real camera! Joy!
I was so happy to settle into a lounge chair.
The beach wasn’t particularly crowded, especially at that point of the morning. I was surprised that there were still a bunch of empty lounge chairs. We had great positioning – right next to a tiki bar and quite close to Cookie’s Too, where lunch would be served.
We really hadn’t booked any excursions or tours on the island. Since it was our first time, we kind of wanted to kick back. Mr PugRunner got a big inner tube and little man did a lot of floating and spinning out in the water. Which was really, really, REALLY cold! We were right near Pelican Plunge, but little man wasn’t interested in the slides. I think he just wanted to hang out with his family.
The morning was nothing short of lovely. I didn’t spend all the much time in the water (I prefer more bathtub-like temperatures and the bottom was rocky), but I loved watching everyone while reading with a nice cocktail.
After a while, we got hungry, so we put on our flip flops and made our way to Cookie’s Too for the all-you-care-t0-eat BBQ buffet.
It was actually pretty good, and kind of fun to eat at the big picnic tables.
The crab races took place right near we were eating, after lunch, so we stuck around for that. Little man’s crab made it to the finals!
And then Mr PugRunner wanted to take little man to do something and we headed over to the water sports area,
where they settled on a paddle boat.
We took our time heading back to the beach, and stopped for ice cream along the way.
It was getting later in the day, and it was time to start thinking about packing up and heading back to the room.
We were scheduled for dinner in Animator’s Palate, and I was pretty excited about that.
All the moms were treated to a special strawberry mouse and chocolate dessert, too. Yum.
Dimarka and Keneisha gave us last minute-instructions about dining in the morning in preparation to leave the ship, and we took advantage of the fact that we were all kind of dressed up for some last family portraits.
Little man wanted to go back to the Oceaneer Club, so we dropped him off and headed back to the stateroom to finish packing our things, take care of extra gratuities and just relax before morning. By 10:00, we had left our suitcases out in the corridor for pickup, and we were all set to go.
It was a bittersweet evening.
We woke up with a 5:30 alarm to see that we were docked in Port Canaveral. It wasn’t quite the same as being at the dock of a tropical island. Not by a long shot. Sigh.
We had the option to go to Cabanas for a buffet breakfast, or back to Animator’s Palate to have a seated meal with our servers. We opted for the latter, simply because we didn’t have to lug our bags around with us, and it would be nice to say a final goodbye to our servers and our tablemates.
When we were finished eating, the Captain had already announced that it was time to go and that guests were free to disembark at their leisure (but quickly).
Goodbye, Disney Dream!
Until next time!
And so ended our cruise weekend. I owe you full reports of a certain 5K race, the staterooms and dining, and I will get to those next week. In the meantime, it’s almost summer, and I hope you all have great vacation plans of your own.
What was your most memorable vacation?
Are you racing this weekend?
What a great vacation! Now I’m longing to be able to lay on the beach and relax 🙂
Ange @ Cowgirl Runs recently posted…Friday Favourites
It’s nice to do from time to time.
The picture of your Little Man and Mr. Pug Runner paddling away with the Disney Dream in the backdrop is post card worthy. I wish I was at Castaway Cay right now. And I live in a tropical island! lol
Frank@The Fat Runner recently posted…Major Kitchen Makeover
The water was just so clear! I wish I had a picture of the whole family in front of the ship, but somehow, that didn’t happen. NEXT TIME!!!
Great photos! Whenever we go on cruises the private islands are always my favorite spot!
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner recently posted…Summer Hair Care Tips & Giveaway
It was so quiet and away from everything!
What an awesome trip! Isn’t it always so sad when vacation ends … just want to stay forever!
Nicole @ Fitful Focus recently posted…What to Wear to Summer BBQs
Especially in this case. It’s so jarring that they just kind of boot you off and you go from this decadent, luxurious ship back to… a terminal. Sigh.
Sounds amazing!! It’s been so warm here lately, I love it. Sorry you froze in the water! I can only last about 30 minutes in the water, no matter the temperature (less if it’s colder)! Even here in the Bahamas!
Rachel @ Undercover Diva: A Sitcom recently posted…A Week Back At It
The weather outside was scorching! No breeze or anything. But yeah. I couldn’t get any higher than right above my knees. I admit to being a sissy!
Looks like an amazing trip! We had a memorable family trip to WDW about 5 years ago, when I ran the half marathon. Disney does it well.
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…My other love
I have to say that Disney, as a corporation, is on point. The trip was amazing. I am hoping to do my third runDisney event in 2016, so we will see how it goes!
How sweet of your son to plan a nice room service breakfast for you. Beach time looked heavenly!
Sandra Laflamme recently posted…Fresh Five. Five Triathlon Race Day Worries.
The boy loves his room service. I think it was a little more for him than for me, but that’s ok 🙂 We had fun with it anyway.
Looks like a lot of fun!!! I hope to run Castaway Cay after one of my future Disney races. Little man is too cute! Looks you all had a blast! Great photos!
Artney @ My Pretty Brown recently posted…Super Shred Week 3: Shape It Up!
Oh man, sounds like you had the best time ever. I absolutely love Disney World. I went on a cruise a few years ago and we went to Castaway Cay too. Such a great time.
Jen recently posted…TOP 8 MOVES FOR A STRONG CORE
It really was so great!
You had the greatest vacation! Definitely too short 😉
I’m with you on the bathwater. I won’t go in the pool unless it’s 84 or warmer.
I’m super excited for the tour, food, and 5K posts!
Stacie recently posted…Influenster Bella Vox Box Review
Sissies, unite! It’s funny because so many people must have been from colder areas and it was no big deal to them. Me? I’m sticking in a big toe and saying NOPE!
I can’t believe how many posts this has turned into! But I want to be thorough because it’s an overwhelming vacation (no Target in the middle of the ocean if you forget something and so many cool little things of which to take advantage).
What fun and based on all the smiles I’m sure you guys would agree!
jill conyers recently posted…Fitness Health and Happiness
Absolutely! It was a blast!
Looks like an amazing adventure!! I love cruising and now I definitely want to a Disney cruise!!!
Toni recently posted…New Challenges #SummerStrong #KFit6Challenge
It is definitely something to try, if you haven’t!
How fun!!!! Sounds like you had an awesome time with the family!
Katie @ Huff ‘n Puff to Buff ‘n Tough recently posted…TheFitExpo Chicago 2015 Recap
It was wonderful! I’m so glad we decided to do it!
runswithpugs recently posted…a holiday weekend spartan race giveaway
Castaway Cay looks like such a relaxing lace to spend the day!
Kathryn @ Dancing to Running recently posted…Friday Five – Favorite Summer Food and Recipes
It was incredibly relaxing. I don’t relax well, but I managed this time.
Wow, what an amazing way to spend Mother’s Day with your family.
Abby @ BackAtSquareZero recently posted…My Memorial Day Weekend
It was pretty darn fantastic!
Oh wow I just love the idea of a disney cruise – i just love the disney characters – even as an adult I love them!
Sam @ PancakeWarriors recently posted…Chocolate Avocado Pudding
So many adults do! There were just as many adults as kids waiting in line for the characters. No shame in that game!
Looks like you all had an amazing time. I’ve never been on a cruise but I think I may have to treat myself (and the fam) to one for my 40th bday, next year!
Safari @ Tri-ing To Run Boston recently posted…Smarter Kitchen – Healthier Eating
Sounds like a great reason to celebrate, to me! Enjoy it!
My most memorable vacation was Disney as well. Not a cruise but just the parks in Florida. Always fun at any age 😀
GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth recently posted…Nut Free Coconut Date Energy Balls
The parks are a whole different world. We used to go pretty frequently, and there is always something new and magical, no matter what. We’ve taken a little break to spend some time in Universal, but we will be back.