Jessica Johnson - June 2006

Day 4 - June 25, 2006

Today we actually had to get up at a reasonable time- though we did get breakfast very early and then went back to bed. I think we got up around 10 am, but it could have been later. Chris had plans to go ride the banana boat with Kyle and Joe at 1 pm, so we made sure we were up, ready, and out in plenty of time for him to meet up with them.

On our last trip, I'd gotten horribly sunburned, and I'm really trying not to do that anymore. So, I made sure I doused myself well in sunblock before we left the ship. When we got off, we grabbed some towels and then walked out to the family beach, stopping for a few minutes in the shops, of course. We searched the beach and quickly spotted Annette who had grabbed some chairs and was soaking up the sun. Chris helped me drag another lounge chair over, and I parked it as far under the umbrella as I could. He set off to meet up with the boys, and I hung out with Annette, and then Steph when she joined us later. They went off to play in the water for a while, so I spent some time reading- and avoiding the sun. The boys came back, and Chris and I hung out for a while longer, while the others played in the ocean. Eventually they came back and we all went to grab some lunch. We were just in time- right after we'd gone through the line, they shut the doors for the day.

After lunch, Chris and I headed back to the chairs and grabbed our stuff- then headed off to collect our bikes. I'll be honest- I haven't ridden a bike (well, other than an exercise bike) in like 10 years. I'm pretty sure I know why- it turns out that I still don't really like to do it ;o) It was nice to see the trails, and I was really glad that Disney builds in water stops along the way- but, I think once was enough for me. After we did our lap (the Cast Members say it's 4 ½ miles and should take an hour, but I don't believe it), we returned the bikes, and walked back up to the tram to get back on the ship.

Back in the room, I found I was a lovely shade of beet red and was terrified I'd gotten sunburnt again. It turns out that the tip of my nose, my lips and the top of my shoulders were burned, but this was much better than last year, so I was happy for that at least.

Chris and I took turns getting showered and I just put on my dress for the evening. Carla stopped by while I was finishing up my hair and makeup, and together we all went to Wavebands for the Castaway Club reception. There was an enormous ice sculpture and lots of munchy sort of foods and some fruit set up, as well as servers walking around with trays of drinks. Carla and I found a table big enough to fit us all, and quickly ordered a Castaway for each of us (a green drink containing a lot of rum.) Tom and Chris joined us quickly after that, and then soon Steph, Joe and Annette were there as well. We hung out and talked for a while, listened to the speeches of the Captain, and chatted with some of the crew when they came around. They were all pleased to hear that we have more cruises already booked.

Eventually we decided it was time to head back to our staterooms to get ready for dinner. We were eating at Palo that evening and Chris had to get dressed, while I had to change into my heels. And, we had to get the luggage ready to be put out. We decided it would be fun for us all to have a group picture taken while dressed up, so after we changed, we were going to regroup in the Atrium. Chris and I got there first, and got in line for the portraits, which turned out to be a good thing as the line got really long, very quickly. Carla and Tom soon joined us, and Joe and Annette came after that. When it was our turn, we did a few pictures of just Chris and I, and then the rest of the group joined us, and we got a great group shot. After we all put our shoes back on, we headed back to the elevators to head up to Palo. Kyle was still with us, and when we came off the elevators we found a little arcade outside Aloft, and Chris and Kyle decided to try a game of Dance, Dance Revolution. We have this game, as does Kyle- and the arcade version is waaaay faster than the easy intro version we usually play, so the boys were quickly lost, and decided after one song they were through.

So, we all headed outside, Kyle went off to the arcade, and the adults made their way over to Palo. Steph was already waiting for us, and Linda, Mike and Linda had all arrived within just a few minutes. We were soon seated at a big table near the entrance. I ordered a bellini, and for an appetizer the prosciutto pizza. Our server also brought an antipasto plate for us as well. Chris got the calamari (blech!), but he insists it's some of the best he's had. For dinner I had the filet, and he had the shrimp scampi stuffed chicken. Both were wonderful.

Joe was feeling adventurous, and our server happened to be from Transylvania, so he told her to bring him a mixed drink. Chris piped up and said to bring one for him as well. This time they both liked their drinks, which were a 50/50 mix of red wine and coke. We spent the meal chatting and laughing- there were a lot of us, so there were usually a lot of conversations going on at once. For dessert we had the chocolate soufflé, of course. It's amazing- and I don't really like chocolate that much. Then, after we'd finished everything, we were given a drink to end the evening- a yummy mix of vodka, prosecco and lemon sorbet.

Though we were sad to say goodbye to everyone, we had to get back and make sure we got our luggage out, so we said our goodbyes and made our way downstairs. I ended up tossing Chris my heels and running off to Shutters to see how the portraits had turned out, and came back with one of us and the group picture. He'd gotten our luggage out, and then the phone rang. Annette, Joe and Steph decided they weren't ready for the evening to end, and wanted to know if we wanted to go to Wavebands for the 70s party. We figured what the hell, and quickly changed into the clothes we'd had laid out for the following day, and were just finished changing when they knocked on our door.

We headed up to Wavebands, and this time picked a table way off to one side, and not right on the dance floor. And, I made a barricade of chairs to hide behind too, as the club was relatively empty. We got there in time for the John Travolta contest, and just hung out watching people dance and have fun until sometime around 1 am.

Reluctantly, we headed back to our staterooms and got ready for bed. I was hungry again, so ordered my usual, and then settled in for the night, with an alarm set to go off waay to early!

To see my photos: Disney Wonder Cruise Photos
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