So much for that theory...

The tram ride gives us an even more impressive view of the Flying Dutchman. I almost expect Davy Jones to suddenly appear on the tram with us and ask, “Do ye fear death???”

As we pass the closest point on the walkway to the Dutchman, we see that Disney has made it a photo spot, with an official ship photographer on hand and – who else? – Captain Jack Sparrow ready to pose with you. Pretty cool, although I’m still glad we took the tram.

The ride takes only a couple of minutes and we are deposited near the family beach. We continue down the pathway a bit and encounter Pluto and Mickey going the other way, taking a break from greeting people. They return our waves, and Mickey high-fives me as we pass.

We take a short, sandy path onto the beach itself. It is not overly crowded, which is nice. We grab a few adjacent lounge chairs and hang a towel from the overhead umbrella – a trick I learned from Bob on our first cruise. It’s a great way to find your own stuff in a sea of identical chairs and umbrellas.

I settle onto a beach chair and remove my flip flops. Brandon, of course, takes off straight for the water. After a short while, Bob, Linda and I follow, leaving Becky and Benjamin at the chairs – neither are too enthused about getting in the water.

Finding Brandon out a ways in the water, I ask him how it is. “Cold!” he yells in reply!

I cautiously wade out. Dang, he’s not kidding – the water is ice cold! So much for my theory about the water being slightly warmer earlier in the winter.

I make it out into the water far enough that it’s up to my ankles, and… that’s enough for me!

I can do with out the cold water, sure, but the rest of the experience is still amazing. It’s cool outside but not cold, with a slight breeze, and when you’re in the sunlight it’s just about perfect. And the sun’s still relatively low – it should warm up as the day goes on.

Becky and Benjamin are lounging on the beach chairs when I return, looking pretty relaxed. I tell them about the water temperature, and each seems pretty content that they made the right call about not going into the water.

So, I’m not going to swim. We’re planning on eating lunch on the island, so we should be here at least another hour and a half. What to do, what to do…

Okay, it’s not a huge mystery what to do. I plop down on one of the lounge chairs, lean back, close my eyes, and relaaaaaaaaaax…