So today is our Castaway Cay day, and we want to be up bright and early so we can get off the ship as early as possible. This is easy for me, as I am up before dawn, sitting on my balcony, enjoying the quiet from inside the room and the ocean sounds from outside. It’s a beautiful thing.
Once we are all up and dressed, we head to the dining room for breakfast. We are standing behind another group of people, waiting to be seated, and we start talking about how similar the Magic and the Wonder are.
Now, you’ve read my blog. You know that I am certainly no rocket scientist (although I do know a NASA engineer – that’s close enough), but I can hold my own in a conversation, as long as the conversation doesn’t involve algebraic equations. So as we’re standing there talking about how everything is laid out in a familiar manner, and we are having no trouble finding anything because of the similarities between the two ships, the gentleman in front of us turns around, and says, “You are so mistaken. There is nothing about these ships that is similar. One is art deco, the other is art nouveau – there are dramatic differences just right there!” Well. Then. There you have it. We are complete idiots. This man looked down his nose at us as if we had just farted in front of the Queen, and we feel like the Cracker Clan for not appreciating the subtle nuances that make the Wonder the Wonderful and the Magic the Magical. We instead were just glad we could find the buffet.
Castaway Cay, as you know if you’ve been there, is one of the most perfect ways to relax. I am not an ocean/lake/pond type person, as I do not generally like to swim where one of God’s creatures goes to the bathroom, but I made all my kids go before we left the ship, so I feel comfortable moving one of the lower chairs to the edge of the water to watch Granuaile and Eilis play. The water is so crystal clear, my fear of being surprise attacked by a Great White Shark (yes, I saw Jaws 6 times in the movie theater and was afraid to pee for fear of a shark attack through the toilet for months) seemed unlikely. The water is a little cool, though. I prefer my water bath water temperature, but I brave the cold and enjoy the cooling effect of sitting on the beach. This is by far the kids’ favorite day.
As this is our last night on board, we have to pack and get ready to leave, which generally entails prying our children off of the legs of the children’s club counselors as they scream all of those warning things you tell your children to scream when they are being carted off by strangers. We enjoy a wonderful last dinner together, let the kids enjoy their final few hours in the club, and prepare our bags for departure the next morning.
