Going our separate ways

Before long we spot the tram on its way down the runway. When it arrives we hop on board, and then Bob notices that I’ve left my PassPorter (with all my trip notes) on the bench. Yikes! I hop off and retrieve it. That wouldn’t have been good!

On the way back down the runway, there’s a young boy, maybe 7 or 8 years old, riding a bicycle alongside us. The trams don’t go very fast, so he’s able to keep up with us easily, and even passes us at one point. He turns off onto another trail about halfway down the runway.

We’re back to the family beach at about a quarter past eleven. Becky and Benjamin are still on their chairs, and Brandon… Brandon is half buried in sand.

Brandon asks me about Serenity Bay: “How was it?” My reply: “Sereeeeeeeeene…”

Lunch will be served at Cookie’s BBQ nearby beginning at 11:30, but now we’re debating whether to stick around or head back to the ship. Again, we’re just not the types to laze around on a beach for unlimited hours – plus Benjamin really wants to swim, but in water that won’t freeze him. In other words, he wants to head back to the pools onboard, which are rarely busy when we’re at Castaway Cay.

Becky’s willing to go back with him. After some thought, I decide to head back, too. While I’ve never eaten at Cookie’s, the onboard lunch buffet on past trips was reported to have the same food served. Instead, I think I’d like to try eating from one of the counter service food places up on Deck 9, like Pluto’s Dog House or Pinocchio’s Pizzaria. These places have always been available for casual dining, but we’ve never skipped a restaurant meal or buffet to try them.

Bob and Linda will stay for lunch on the island, and Brandon… is still half-buried in sand, so I guess he’s staying. Actually, he can get himself out, but he chooses to stay behind also.

Becky, Benjamin and I gather our belongings, say goodbye to the others, and head to the walkway. A short walk later, we are back on the tram and watching the Flying Dutchman slip by again. Captain Jack is still out. I try to get a picture as we pass, but the slow shutter on my camera causes me to mis-time the shot.

We exit the tram and walk back to the dock. After tossing our used towels in the big bin set up to receive them, we head up the walkway. Once onboard, we show our i.d.’s, hand our KTTW cards over to be scanned, and pass through a metal detector before we are readmitted to the ship.

From there we pass into the aft elevator lobby, and… Uh oh. I was afraid of this. From past trips I learned that the Wonder conducts some sort of electrical testing on the morning we are docked at Castaway Cay, and during those tests the elevators are unavailable. I had hoped that the tests would be done by now, but the lifts are still out of commission.

Nothing to do but turn toward the stairs to get us to Deck 8. Just seven (!) decks to climb!

My still vacation-weary joints scream at me, and I pause once along the way to catch my breath before continuing. Sore and panting, we make it up to Deck 8 and head into the Suite, where I fall into a chair to recover.

Three minutes after we arrive, the PA system carries the announcement that the tests are complete and the elevators are back in service. Sigh.