Saturday - Saving the Best for Last
From "facts about the Disney Magic" - 8,260 cups of coffee are served every day on board.
We had our share, courtesy of the morning coffee boy (that's me).
We were up before dawn again to see our arrival at Castaway Cay. Another dawn on the Disney Wonder, another gorgeous sunrise, yawn. ;) 
Captain Henry already had the Wonder docked and as the sun rose over Castaway Cay we could see the island was truly a tropical paradise. From the breakwater to the beach to the palm trees, this was a place to experience. 
O'Neil was already up and serving breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet 
and we opted to eat outside on such a gorgeous morning.
The island was waking up 
and time was a'wasting!
Disembarking, Suzie and I met Captain Henry, cruising around on his Segway. 
Now this guy just looks like he was born to be a captain. To quote Jaime Brockett, "he walks like a captain, talks like a captain, looks like a captain, acts like a captain, and does all sorts of captain things...". ;) 
Captain Henry also rides a Suzuki 1400 Intruder, my kind of guy! 
There were other captains about as well. 
We got to the family beach and weren't going to stay but it was pretty peaceful so we found a couple lounge chairs under a palm tree and decided we were home! 
Snorkeling was fun but the water was getting kinda' churned up and visibility was just OK. I still took some underwater photos anyway.
An ancient urn, obviously left by pirates 
a treasure chest 
and the mandatory photo of the Wonder. 
After a couple hours the family beach got too ...family... so we ate lunch (and talked to Luzanne a bit) then headed off to Serenity Bay. Ed and Candy had walked to SB, down the hot runway. We are older and wiser, we took the tram! Serenity Bay was all it should be, peaceful and relaxing. We floated around in the very clear water 
, snorkeled some, 
and just acted very lazy, very nice!
After a while the mid-afternoon sun was getting pretty hot so we packed it in and took the two trams back to the Wonder. 
Castaway Cay was all we had expected and then some, the tropical island paradise you wouldn't imagine ever really existed.
It does, thanks to Disney!
Some cast members were taking an after-hours banana boat cruise 
as we headed out to sea. 
After all we had heard about Palo our expectations were high. The setting and decor was very nice 
Unfortunately Palo did not meet our expectations and we would have to give Palo only a 4 out of 10. This is not quite as bad as it sounds, I'll explain. Two of our four meals were just not good. The filet mignon tasted like liver and did not sit well to those who ate it. Our server, while very friendly, was also very forgetful. It took three requests to get a cup of coffee. The other two meals (pumpkin raviolini and a pasta dish) were excellent, as were the souffles. Still, with half the meals not good and less than good service, Palo gets only a mediocre rating. Yes, we mentioned all this on the feedback card provided.
We missed the great service of our assigned servers, Dale and Luzanne. We might go back to Palo but it's not a must-do at this point. If we are lucky enough to find Dale and Luzanne again we will probably stay with them for the whole cruise, they're that good! :)
Presented in the fabulous Walt Disney Theatre 
The Best!!! Simply the best. This is the way to leave your customers, with a day at the most beautiful tropical island paradise possible, then completely *wow* them with an unforgettable show!
Ed & Candy had gone back to the ship earlier ( a bit sunburned) and taken in the matinee showing of "Disney Dreams" so they knew what we were in for. After leaving Palo we found our seats and listened to a short bit from the cruise director on disembarkation, then settled in for the show. Settling in to me means getting out my monopod, 70-200mm lens, and a fresh 128 MB memory card. ;) 128 almost wasn't enough.
Disney Dreams is a big surprise the first time, and a delight each time after, I'll bet. This was one of the best shows Disney has ever done, and certainly one of our favorites now. Disney Dreams features many of our favorite characters and songs, along with a few new ones. It wouldn't be too far a stretch to say this show alone is almost worth taking the cruise for.
Disney Dreams starts out with Anne Marie 
and ends with a large cast of Disney characters. In between is a funny, charming, touching, and heartwarming story about a young girl who loses her dreams but with the help of some very special friends, finds them again before the night is over. I wouldn't want to spoil it for those who have not seen it, so only a few of the 130 photos I took will be posted here. OK, one more... 
The final scene 
is very moving and the curtain calls were met with applause; loud, long, and richly deserved. 
If you didn't love this performance you probably went on the wrong cruise.
Alex pulled out all the stops tonight and left a towel sphinx (I think) guarding my sunglasses. 
;)
Our final night on our verandah was graced with a beautiful view of moon and clouds over a calm sea. This was a good day indeed!
