Feb 24 - March 3 - 7-day Western - TR from 1st Time Cruiser!

[cdndizzylizzy]

Introduction

Having spent the last week in "reflection" mode after returning on Sunday from our first DCL cruise, in fact from our first cruise ever, I am "paying it forward" with this trip report. There is absolutely no question that the quality of our cruise doubled (at least) through the tips, hints and suggestions that I gained through the DIS in the weeks leading up to our cruise on the Magic! So, hopefully I can provide you DIS'ers out there that trip across this trip report with some memories (hi to my fellow Feb 24 DIS meet threaders!), advice (if, like me, you are a lucky traveler reading TRs in advance of your cruise and still have an upcoming cruise to look forward to!).

Cast of Characters:

DH(39) - DH is someone who likes to know what he is getting into on a vacation. This trip was something he could consider because a friend raved about it, so he knew it couldn't be all bad. The DIS helped a lot - I strategically shared TRs with him so that he could mentally prepare for the upcoming vacation. He might not have spent as many days on the DIS as me, but he lurked!

Me(39) - As in most families, I am the vacation planner. DH says - let's go on a vacation, and hundreds of hours later, the trip is booked, passports obtained, clothes/sunscreen/seasick pills/over-the-door shoe holder etc. purchased, laundry done, newspaper cancelled, bags are packed, and we finally get out the door! But it's all good - for me, the planning is half the fun - actually in this case it ended being 1/4 of the fun, based on the amount of fun we had in one week on the Magic!!!!

DD(10)
DD(5)

The Planning Stages

We booked our inaugural cruise in August 2006, having heard rave reviews from a friend and thinking that it was high time that we did something new for a family vacation. With DD(5) now safely into the era of her life where trips will be remembered, it was time to do something really special. For those of you whose kids are all at least 5 and up, do not for a moment think that they are "too old" for Disney. I would say that our youngest was the perfect age for the cruise - old enough to remember everything for years to come, old enough not to need a nap during the day and to make it through long days right through to the fireworks on Wednesday night at the Pirates of the Caribbean party and the "midnight" (11:15 pm) dessert buffet on Thursday night, able to swim in BOTH the Mickey Pool and the Goofy Pool, and yet young enough to BELIEVE she was hugging Cinderella, Belle, Princess Aurora, Mickey and Minnie! I was actually amazed at how much the characters were a draw for all ages - I saw teenaged girls waiting almost as impatiently as the little ones in their princess dresses, waiting for autographs and challenging each other to get the most signature. Anyways, don't misunderstand me - choosing when to cruise based on the age of your children is a personal choice for all families, and there were many families with younger children having a wonderful time, but for us, our timing worked out perfectly!!!! :thumbsup2

Based on our friend's recommendation, we spent a few days on Disney's website before booking. Our friend had done a 4-day on the Wonder, and then a 7-day Western on the Magic, and had already warned us that 3 or 4 days would not be enough. So we went straight to the 7-day, and then picked the Western because it had fewer days at sea - this was based on being first time cruisers and a concern re seasickness. As it turned out for us, we LOVED the at sea days, and seasickness was never a problem. I had brought almost every medicine I could find - bonine, dramamine, ginger, as well as non-medicinal option - seabands. I personally took 2 bonines a day in the morning and was fine. DD10 used the seabands a few times and that was it!

So we booked the 7-day Magic in August and then carried on with living until January, when the excitement really started to build! :hourglass
We were trapped indoors on weekends with the cold and snow of a Canadian winter, and one day I tripped across the DIS! Wow - talk about an eye-opener!

DIS Tips that Made Our Trip Better

Clear Over the Door Shoe Holder and Collapsible Laundry Hamper - we ended up hanging the clips on a coat hanger and then hung the hanger on the hook beside the bathroom door across from the closet in our Inside Stateroom. It was awesome! We stored sunscreen, our Key to the World Cards, our beer tasting tickets, the Oceaneer Club pager, Ipods, etc. etc. Even with it, the desktop was cluttered with everything else - Navigators, the constant letters they kept delivering, etc. What a mess it would have been without it! We also used the laundry hamper extensively - transferring dirty laundry back to empty suitcases every few days. Storing empty suitcases under the bed was also an excellent tip - all in all our stateroom stayed very organized for 4 people over 7 days!!!! Thanks DIS friends!

Digital Clock and Nightlight for our Inside Stateroom

It was really helpful to know the time when you woke up in the middle of the night in the inside stateroom - there is really no way of knowing the difference between 10 am, 2 am and 8 am - the nightlight was perfect for middle of the night trips to the washroom, and I would not have wanted DD5 to be up on the top bunk without a way to get down! We also brought an extension cord, so we could recharge our Ipods and video camera - all great DIS suggestions!

Photo Mattes for Character Signatures

As promised, Guest Services happily took my 2 5x7 photo mattes, and they were returned to our cabin by our cabin steward a few days later with all of the characters signatures. I did not provide Sharpies or anything - they came back with signatures in a variety of colours...

Treats for the Shows

I really debated this one - surely we will eat enough all day long, at dinner and after the show, that I did not need to bring treats for the Walt Disney Theatre. However, I did in the end bring some snacks - some Princess Jellybeans in snack-sized bags, some Werthers Originals, and some chocolates (again in snack-sized containers). Every night, we took a few with us to the shows, and they were a huge hit. Because we had snacks with us, we avoided "buying/charging" much larger bags of snacks to our KTTW cards, and we were able to satisfy the urge to snack during the shows. TIP - be VERY careful if you buy a drink from the servers during a show - I bought a beer one evening (couldn't resist the fun of having a beer while watching the premiere of Bridge to Terabithia) and then DD10 hit it with her elbow and half of it spilled on us.... Ooops!!! Anyways, treats were a good idea, believe it or not!! popcorn::

Ziploc Bags

These were a great idea - we used Ziplocs over and over all week - for fruit, for treats, to look after small items that we purchased (postcards, etc.) to pack shoes, wet bathing suits and various other "dirty" items in our suitcases at the end of the week. Great suggestion, and they take up no room and weigh next to nothing to bring - so no worries!

Multiple Coloured Highlighters for Navigators

Blue for me, Yellow for DH, Pink for DD5, Green for DD10 - we all have it memorized, and we even have all the marked up Navigators as souvenirs - we all enjoyed marking up the Navigators in the waning moments of each evening, planning what we might do the next day. Does anyone else wish that you could get your hands on a Navigator some time sooner than early evening the night before? Since we were carefully organizing parent alone time in tandem with time slots in the Club/Lab where structured activities were taking place (neither of our girls really liked the unstructured time), it would have been helpful to have a bit more time to plan - I think you should get the Navigator for the NEXT day after tomorrow in the evening - gives you a whole day extra to plan!!! Anyways, highlighters are a great thing, and again no biggie to pack! Post-it notes and tape were also a big help in the room. Didn't bring duct tape, and didn't miss it (OK, I did miss it once - our DD5's sandal was falling apart, and I was thinking to myself how this could have been a perfect time for duct tape!) Scissors are also important - just nail scissors or something like that....

Renuzit Air Freshener for the Bathroom

Our bathroom didn't really stink badly or anything, but we use a Vanilla Renuzit at home, and it was nice that the bathroom in our stateroom had the same familiar scent. We had a Cat 11 Stateroom, and therefore did not have the split bathroom. Even with 4 of us, we did not miss the split bathroom, and frankly I am glad that we had a "larger" (LOL) bathroom since it was not split.

Pirate Gear

I hunted and hunted for pirate gear at a costume store in February, but they were sold out of most things. Now that I am no longer a "newbie" to DCL, I know to watch at Halloween time for more pirate stuff for our next cruise. This time, we just brought eye patches. Note - little kids have a hard time walking in a straight line while wearing an eye patch, and will INSIST on keeping it on throughout the evening's festivities! On our cruise, I did not see too many people who REALLY dressed the part for Pirate Night, but there were many colorful skirts etc. and a few ruffly white shirts on the men. pirate:

Door Sign

We made a modest door sign before we left, and as posted by others, at the very least it helps you find your stateroom quickly on those long walks down long corridors when everything looks the same. Anyways, the kids had fun doing it, it packed flat and weighed nothing!

Thoughts about Other Tips

Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener - I brought it, but then we also brought enough clothes for the week, so next time I will either pack less clothes or leave the detergent behind. Note: I went out and spent $20 the week before we left to get more underwear for everyone, and that way avoided doing any laundry - best $20 spent in the month of Feb! Who cares how many loads I did when I got back, doesn't everyone re-wash everything when they get home anyways? :laundy:

Binoculars - Did not bring them and did not miss them - well, I suppose we may have liked to have had them, but really, who is going to think to bring their binoculars with them from Deck 6 up to Deck 10, and who is going to leave Deck 10 to go back down to Deck 6 to get them, and even if they did, whatever they wanted to look at would be gone by the time they got back.

Walkie Talkies - Did not bring them, and did not miss them - for us, this is because we did not give DD10 sign-out privileges from the club, and therefore there was always at least one parent with one child, and only so many places the other pair could be - see binoculars comment above as well - the few times I would have liked to know where DH had wandered off to, the WTs would not have been with him even if we had them on the trip.

Bottled Water - We thought the water served on the ship was fine. We brought a few bottles with us on board, and cleaned and refilled them from the beverage station on the odd occasion.

Anyways, that's a pretty long first post - I will write more later!!!!!

[Madisonznana]

As someone patiently:jumping1: waiting for our first Disney Cruise, your tips are great!! Looking forward to reading more!
Karen

[sejejoemmiev]

Wow! Thats quite a start! I sat down to write my trip report for the same voyage as you-but if the rest of your report is as impressive as your opening, I'll just leave it to you as I won't be able to compare.:confused3 Awe, who am I kidding, I couldn't get enough of these things in the months leading up to our cruise. Looking forward to comparing your experiences and views of the same cruise to ours!

[cdndizzylizzy]

Since we live in southwestern Ontario, the cheapest way to get to Orlando was out of the Buffalo airport flying Southwest. So we booked the flight for the Thursday, as we wanted to leave plenty of room for weather delays. I had also read that it is a good idea to have at least one full day of vacation prior to the cruise, so that you are already in "relaxation" mode when the trip begins. After an uneventful flight into Orlando, we were off to the Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista in our rental car.

This leg of our journey is a prime example of how I will do things differently next time. We had already booked the rental car and hotel as part of a package with the flights all through Southwest, and in retrospect I think the DIS suggestion to stay at the Hyatt at the airport would have been much better, and ultimately less expensive. We spent the day before the cruise enjoying the Florida sunshine (even though it was a bit cooler than normal for February), and doing some shopping at the Florida Mall. We also had a fun dinner experience at the Cafe Tu Tu Tango on International Drive in Orlando. I didn't just want to go to any old place for dinner, so I did some research in advance - it's a pretty neat place - there are artists painting there while you eat, and the menu is all tapas (i.e. appetizers). We ordered 5 different items and shared them for dinner, and then ordered 2 different dessert items - a fun and different dining experience!

The next morning we were up early, ready to get started on our first day with DCL, and armed with all of the tips and suggestions for arrival at the port, where to eat, where to book things, etc. From the DIS, I had tried my best to figure out how early to get to the port so that I could "for sure" obtain Palo reservations, etc. This leads me to my second example of what I will do differently next time. We were up at 7 am to take the rental car back to the airport, and to get on the ground transfers for DCL. This all went very smoothly, except for the fact that about 1,000 people return rental cars on Saturday morning, and we had to hunt for a luggage trolley first and then trek from the rental return area back to the area where DCL ground transfers are stationed. In any event, we were there and ready to board the 2nd ground transfer bus which left the airport at about 10 am. When I had called DCL before we left, they told me that the first bus did not leave the airport until 10:30, so I was there "hoping" that there would be earlier buses. In fact the first bus was full or we would have been on it - it left at about 9:45 am.

Our TA had told us that the video on the bus, and the general experience of being on the bus with fellow cruisers, is a fun way to kick-start the vacation. And I won't deny that it was a comfortable and entertaining way to get to the port. On the flip side, the movie and the ride on the way home the following Saturday was pretty subdued - people were konked out sleeping everywhere, and everyone was just so sad. It seemed like such a short period of time had passed since we had been on that bus. As we left the airport, there were a few people yelling "Move that Bus!" - it was a fun way to really know that we were on our way!!! I think that the next time we cruise, we will follow DIS advice and take a limo, or even rent a car and drop it at PC. I want the flexibility to get to the port a bit earlier on Sat am - for reasons which will become clear in a few moments....

We arrived at the port at about 10:45 am. I do agree that it is quite a sight to come over the bridge and see the ship - I had suspected that DD5 really did not understand the size of the ship that she was about to be on, and that was the case - she gasped when she saw it. "Wow!" was all she said.

We went through security with no incidents, and were handed Boarding Pass 7 - I was wondering since there were 2 escalators, and they were handing out Boarding passes at both sides, whether the other side was getting Boarding Pass 6, but I just moved along and took what I received....

As others who have come before me have posted, the port experience is good fun, and although busy and hectic, it is a beautiful space and DCL keeps things organized and structured. A note to Canadians - even though the video on the bus says that all "aliens" have to keep their family together for registration, that is only the case for folks from Europe, etc. Canadians use the same lineups as Americans for registration. I was actually sorry about that as it turned out, as there was no lineup for alien registration - it was even shorter than the Castaway Cay lineup! The lineup was quite long already, and they were lengthening the structure of the queue as we arrived. DH took the kids off to register them for Oceaneer Club/Lab, and I got in line with all of my paperwork.

Advice - Do the online registration and have everything ready, including passports - it will make things go very smoothly, and fast! Even though the lineup was long, there must have been many before me who also had registered online, as I was completely through the line by 11:20 am. Another note to Canadians and other non-Americans - they take your passports right there at registration, so be sure to bring other photo ID with you (driver's license) so that it's easy to get on and off the ship during port days. You get your passport back at an unearthly hour the following Saturday morning when you go through customs....

As noted in recent posts elsewhere, DCL is no longer requiring older children to wear wristbands. Instead they hand over their KTTW card when they check in, and receive it back when they check out. Since DD10 did not have check out privileges, she did not get her card back until I provided the password. Something that I did not realize about the clubs until I was on board was the fact that the kids are not always in the same place. I had thought that the "Club" was going to be for my DD5, and that DD10 would always be in the Lab. However, sometimes DD5 got to be in the Lab, and sometimes DD10 got to go to Ocean Quest, or elsewhere. The animation session was in Animator's Palate (makes sense....). The CMs did a good job of bringing the appropriate paperwork every time they were somewhere else, and everyone always knew where each age group was.

Boarding started at 11:50 am, and by 12:30 pm they were calling Boarding Group 7. We were handed our first sanitation wipe of the week, and we were on our way. And on that note, I can't believe that our hands weren't washed down to the bone by the end of the week - good thing it was humid in the Caribbean to offset the impact of frequent hand washing for our skin. I have to commend Disney on their commitment to cleanliness - I am sure that someone somewhere on our cruise unfortunately came down with something, but it was reassuring to use tongs at Topsiders knowing that everyone ahead of you in line had just "cleaned up".

We walked through the Mickey Ears, had our picture taken and were announced onto Deck 3 - what a set of thrilling moments. It's a good idea, by the way, to consider which pictures you think you will buy from Shutters and to have a game plan for that. Some have said to skip the embarkation photo opp - having seen the border that is printed, listing the ports of call, etc., I thought it would be a good keepsake so I made sure that we were at least relatively well dressed, and that we put down all our stuff. I saw lots of good pictures later in the week where someone was holding a soother or a bag and likely wished that item was not in the picture - anyways, planning is a good thing! We did end up buying our embarkation picture - it was one of a select few that we did buy, along with DD5 with Cinderella and our family photo from the semi-formal night (turned out better than formal night!). Ah yes, and then the photo people took a great shot of DD5 on Castaway Cay that I could not resist, so I ended up in line with all of the disorganized people on Friday night anyways, even though I had been so organized!!!!!

As soon as we boarded, we headed to Rockin Bar D for our Palo ressies. Some people were also changing their dining rotation. A note to DIS'ers planning their upcoming Western cruises. If I recall correctly, on some past cruises Pirate night was on Thursday, and I believe that some cruisers plan their dining rotation to be in Parrot Cay for pirate night on Wednesday. We had PLA - Parrot Cay, Lumieres, Animator's Palette, early seating (5:45), which would have historically put us in Lumieres for pirate night. However, on our cruise, we had pirate night on Tuesday night, after we had already sailed away from Grand Cayman. I don't know whether that was because of the fireworks mishap that happened a few weeks before our trip, or whether it was because they were planning to stay in port even longer than usual in Cozumel the next night (we didn't leave til 1 am - don't know why). But, if the new schedule is that pirate night is on Tuesday, be careful not to change your dining rotation until finding out when it is - as it turns out, we were in Parrot Cay for pirate night, which was fun! I personally didn't care which restaurant we were in for each night - even in Parrot Cay and Animator's it is nice to see others dressed up when you are, so it doesn't really matter.

So - we had tried to book Palo ressies online, but they were all taken up already. Next time, we will be Castaway Cay members and will be able to book 90 days before instead of 75. I have to admit that I did not understand at 75-days before (I had not yet joined the DIS) that the most important this was Palo. I was actually registered and online that day, but thought the big rush was for shore excursions!!!!!! So, by the time I wised up, it was too late. So off to Rockin Bar D, only to find out that everything was booked - I did end up 4th on the waiting list for Thursday brunch. The fellow I was talking to suggested that I put down that I would take anything. Unfortunately, they called me at 10 pm that night and offered the next morning at 10 am - the kids had not even been to the clubs yet, so I turned it down..... We did end up getting to Palo on Thursday for a 10:30 brunch, but only after I called the Palo dining room manager - don't wait for them to call you - call again if you don't have what you want. We had promised the kids that we would have dinner together every night as a family - our kids are used to eating in restaurants, and we had wonderful meals together every night. I have no regrets over missing a Palo dinner (I know, I know - shock and amazement). I am glad that we went for brunch - we had a good time....

Our second stop on board was at Guest Services for our beer tasting tickets. The sessions were held on Monday and Thursday - the 2 at-sea days. We went to the Monday session, as we didn't want to go to a beer tasting on the same day as our Palo brunch. We found out during the presentation on Monday that they feature 4 different beers at each of the 2 sessions. If we had known that, we would have booked both sessions. A note to beer fans - if you are signing up for the beer tasting, order yourself a pint before the presentation begins. They serve you your first glass, but you are not "supposed" to drink from it until the presenter discusses the beer. It took him 20 minutes to get to that, and all the while we were staring at the yummy-looking refreshing beer. The talk was excellent. A final note regarding beer - DH and I do enjoy drinking different beers, echoing the presenter's suggestion that North Americans are getting more discerning in their beer tastes. We like drinking different beers from different places. Being Canadian, we also are not familiar with many of the American beers. I was amazed that DCL did not have a beer list. In the restaurant on the first day, I asked our assistant server what kind of beer was on the ship. She asked me what kind I wanted. Can you imagine if that was the response when someone asked for a wine list? Anyways, after much trial and error I did find something to enjoy, but I do think that DCL should build a beer list and should expand their offering!!!!

As a well-educated DIS'er we headed up to Topsiders with our bathing suits safely underneath our boarding gear, had a GREAT first meal on board in the sunshine on the deck, and then headed straight to the pools. Far too many people are reading the DIS, as the Mickey Pool was already PACKED and it was barely 1 pm. So we went to the Goofy pool instead!

Trent and Pikey were at the Goofy pool doing dance prep for the Sail Away party later in the afternoon. We had a wonderful afternoon watching kids doing the Cha Cha Slide and "Hey Baby, Will you be my Girl - ooh, ah"). DD10 was "too cool" to ever get up and participate, but DD5 was right in there. The first of many priceless moments that were to come....

So - we completely missed checking out the clubs, and didn't worrry about even seeing our staterooms until it was after 3:30 and getting close to lifejacket drill time! By 3:45, 2 of 4 suitcases had arrived (nerve-wracking to have some, but not all). The other 2 had arrived by the time the drill was over, so we were able to go to the Sail Away party secure in the knowledge that we had clothes for all!

Note re Deck 4 - we found that DD5 was scared of Deck 4 - maybe it was because there is nothing but water below - she wasn't scared of the drill, and went happily enough for that, but on days when we were at sea and any time at night, she would NOT go onto Deck 4. I never did sit in a comfortable chair on Deck 4, but we did have a REALLY fun game of shuffleboard as a family on Wednesday afternoon while the ship was docked in Cozumel....

Next - Sail Away Party and the Rest of Day 1 - Hope you are enjoying my TR!!!

[RoyalVizier]

Hope you are enjoying my TR!!!

Heck yes! :banana:

You're doing a fantastic job. Great detail! Can't wait to read more!

[Disney owl]

Great tips thanks

[cdndizzylizzy]

It's funny how quickly the most organized planners lose sight of all of their notes and plans when on the Magic. I had dutifully noted to check out the clubs during the open house time frame on Saturday afternoon, and I even knew that Saturday evening was another prime opportunity - never happened! I also knew that the hair braiding team would be booking appointments during the sailing away party, but did I remember that then? No! Luckily, we were able to get the appointment time slot that we wanted when we checked in with them first thing the next morning. But they did get booked up....

Unpacking in the room was pretty quick - got the Over-the-Door holder set up and then stole every drawer, nook and cranny for clothes as they came out of the suitcases - we used the nightstands, the cupboard above the cooler unit/TV, and the 4 drawers in the desk, as well as any available shelf space in the closet - in the end, we got everything put somewhere! Note to Cat 11 cruisers out there - we did not have a storage trunk, that must be for Cat 10 with the split bathroom? Not sure....

We tried every day while on the cruise to pull together our room into some semblance of order before dinner - I think it helped our room steward to turn down everything and convert the couch to a bed, lower down the bed for DD5 out of the ceiling that he was not tripping over dirty laundry etc. etc. And it was nice to come back to a turned down room complete with towel animals each night. Our steward was friendly and accommodating, and would open our door for us if we happened to run into him in the hallway. We were "ships passing in the night" (LOL) for the most part though - he quietly kept us organized, and everything was always in order when we needed it. Truthfully, I never missed a larger cabin or a porthole or veranda. Given the ages of our kids, we were able to keep them up a bit later than home bedtime, and with the curtain we were able to stay up an hour or so more than them at night. But otherwise, we all just kept the same hours, kept the room clean and spent most of our time on the ship. If we can stick with our Cat11 stateroom, we can cruise more often!!!!!:thumbsup2 :cool1:

Maybe we are the epitome of boring, but I actually found the "Report from the Captain" on Channel 12 to be entertaining to review once a day or so. It's cool to know the number of nautical miles we have travelled, and how many more there are to the next port, and to get a sense of the roughness of the sea and the height of the waves currently being experienced. Although I have to admit that I was a bit worried by the phrase "gale". Sounds ominous, but it was nothing the Magi couldn't handle! Speaking of the Captain, it was neat that DD10 had an opportunity through the clubs during Thursday's at sea day to ask the captain anything she wanted. Wouldn't you know she decided to ask him about the infamous toilets. He must just shudder when it's time for the obligatory hour with the kids - what kind of nutty questions will they come up with this week! She wanted to know why they couldn't just use some of the desalinated water they created to provide flush toilets for everyone. A reasonable question. Not sure if he satisfied her with his answer or not!!!! :teacher:

Sail Away Party

There isn't much new that I can write about this awesome time. It's just so exciting - you have the whole week ahead of you, the sun is shining, your childrens' eyes are shining even brighter than the sun, the CMs are drumming up ever more excitement - what a memorable 1/2 hour..... We opted in the end not to try and bring bubbles, due to liquid restrictions in flight carryons and not wanting bubbles to explode in our packed luggage. I can see that it would be fun to do some time, but I don't think our two missed it this time. DD5 was too busy trying to get as close to the action as possible, and DD10 was too busy "looking cool" and standing back watching. :cool2: She taught me a lesson about ten-year-olds later that night when I asked why she didn't get out there and dance - she said, "Mom, I am NOT going to embarrass myself in front of people I am stuck on a boat with for the next 7 days".

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w59/duck56/IMG_6802.jpg

We were PLAPLAP

So, we were branded PLAPLAP on our KTTW card, with the 5:45 early seating. We arrived right on time (with everyone else - big lineup) at Parrot Cay for our first of seven awesome dining experiences with the Magic dining crew. We spent the week with Ivan from Croatia as our Main Server. Ivan went home the Saturday that we left - he said he had been working with DCL for 5 years! - and we would never have known that he was cruising towards his 2-month break - he even served us breakfast on Saturday morning and then slipped out for his own check-in with customs!!! Don't you think DCL could let someone not work on the day they are leaving? I guess that they wanted us to have our dedicated serving team for the whole week, and there must be someone out there who would have complained about having an alternate server for their departure day breakfast, but we would NOT have minded at all. So he worked right up to the last minute.... Our Assistant Server was Andrea from Chile. Both Ivan and Andrea were good servers - they worked quickly and efficiently together, and made a conscious effort to make our dining experience fun and friendly. They learned our names quickly, and remembered our drink orders from day to day.

Note of Caution about Drinks - It was our experience that our hard-working assistant server travelled a good many miles in her walking shoes to obtain drinks and bring them back to the table. I am a bit confused how other DIS'ers could describe drinks materializing on their tables within moments of their arrival. She would take drink orders for 3 tables and then disappear for quite a while, returning with a tray full of drinks for everyone. If you want a different drink with your main course, you would be wise to give your assistant server a good chunk of lead time. I think it's just the logistics of where the soda, juice, etc. is located in the kitchen. She certainly was trying hard to please!!! I was also pleased by the extra effort made throughout the week with our children. Ivan treated DD10 like a little grown-up and she had fun ordering and trying new meals from the adult menu. And Ivan organized the delivery of our favorite dessert from earlier in the week on our last meal on Friday, even though that dessert was not on the menu... DD5 was thrilled when her Chocolate Mint Sundae materialized...

A note about the PLA rotation - Lumieres would likely be the best first restaurant if you are prone to sea-sickness, as opposed to PC or AP. While I was safe due to my bonine dosage earlier in the day before embarking, with Parrot Cay being at the aft of the ship, I noticed a few people looking a bit queasy - I also took some extra precautions by sitting in the same direction as the ship was sailing - made a big difference...

All Aboard Show

I have to admit that I was not thrilled with the 5:45 dinner seating, but I knew that DD5 would never make it to 10 pm in the dining room, so it was the better of the 2 options. As it turned out, we loved our dinner time. It forces you to make the transition from day to night - we would get back to the room, get ourselves and the room cleaned up for night-time, and then head down to dinner. Dinner, even with 4 courses - appetizer, soup/salad, main course and dessert - would typically end by 7:15 or so, leaving us with an hour to take in an event, go for a walk or whatever before the show, and then after the show we would head up to Deck 9 for ice cream before hitting the hay for the night. It became a wonderful and comfortable routine very quickly.... sigh.....

I was not a huge fan throughout the week of the variety shows, and in the end it was the full productions - Twice Charmed and Disney Dreams - that were our favorites. Having said that, for any new cruiser any of the shows are definitely worth the hour of your time. This week, the All Aboard show included the Disney performers as well as Gary de Lena and Lynn Trefzger, a ventriloquist. We liked Gary de Lena. We LOVED Lynn Trefzger, and made a point of tracking her down later in the week for her encore performance at Rockin Bar Ds (which was PACKED - standing room only for her act). My daughters are still saying, "Orange... I like orange" and "studmuffin from Canada"- jokes which simply cannot be explained but have to be experienced. Definitely find her show.

I am curious - does anyone know what happens to these people when they are done performing? Do they get to spend the rest of the week in the spa, or are they flown by private or commercial jet back home, or what? They seem to materialize and then disappear, and they must want to get home to their family at some point????

Dessert on Deck 9

After the show, we headed up to Deck 9 for dessert #2, a glass of milk/coffee/tea and then we were off to bed! What a full and amazing day!


Up Next - Chapter 3 - Key West on Sunday!

[tamim]

Your report is awesome so far. Keep it up!:cool1:
I appreciate any "Canadian" prospective you can throw in as we will be cruising with Disney as first timers in September!:woohoo:

[michelle9343]

Excellent trip report.. Can not wait to read the rest!!

[LITTLEKID58]

Great Tr waiting for the rest

Liz

[professorandmom]

"Orange... I like orange" [/B]

Don't worry, there are LOTS of people who get this....on our cruise, this joke was done with a 13 year old boy....same age as my twin sons....this has been a joke in my house ever since

I had to laugh about your comment about ordering a beer before the beer tasting. I was one of only two women in the room and was sitting with several other DISer husbands at my beer tasting. When the talking was finally done we drank. I looked up - everyone had finished the first beer. OK, I knew I could do this for one or two beers but all four - I was in trouble....my kids have not stopped teasing me for being very RELAXED after my beer tasting....great fun

Thanks and keep up the great report!
Barb

[curlybop]

Thanks for such an excellent report so far! :thumbsup2 Reading the part about all the folks returning the cars on Sat. morning just confirmed to me we made a good choice getting a towncar that day. :cool2:

[LovableGluttons]

Your DD10 sounds like my DS10. I practically forced him to dance with me. I knew he was trying to look cool too.

Great trip report!!

[Downrivermama]

Hi! :wave:

We were on the same cruise with you! My dd8 loves the Oceaneer Lab. She has been signing "Hey, hey baby" since we got home and does the moves! I like the channel with the captain's report and channel 10 that tells you how far you have traveled and which way the wind is blowing across the deck. Sounds like you had a blast. We did too.

[praisehisname]

We LOVED Lynn Trefzger, and made a point of tracking her down later in the week for her encore performance at Rockin Bar Ds (which was PACKED - standing room only for her act). My daughters are still saying, "Orange... I like orange"

We saw and LOVED Lynn on both of our DCL cruises! Like you, we also went and saw the adult version in Rockin Bar D, and my hubby got picked to do the baby in a blanket trick. She is hilarious!!!

Denise

[cdndizzylizzy]

We woke up Sunday morning, eager to get started on our first full day on the Magic, with the first stop being Topsiders for breakfast. We LOVED Topsiders as a breakfast experience - food available immediately instead of having to wait for it to be served, lots of choice, the omelet station - all experienced in the sunshine out on deck. Topsiders provides different seating options for different strokes - but for us, we always had breakfast outside in the open air and sunshine. As the week progressed, we sought out the shade, but we always ate outside.

Also as the week progressed, we learned not to pile up our plates in the preliminary buffet line - for example, if you are an egg lover, you may prefer an omelet made to your own specifications as opposed to taking scrambled eggs from the buffet. On the second day, I found the berry bowl - be sure to check out the fresh fruit and muesli bar, which is located in between the two omelet stations closer to where everyone sits indoors and the exits to the outside seating. From Day 2 onwards, I only took a bit of bacon and melon, and perhaps a bagel and cream cheese from the first buffet line, and then got a bowl-full of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries to round off breakfast (after sneaking back to top it with the whipping cream near the Mickey waffles!). :love: The berries were fresh and wonderful all week, and it was only on Thurs/Fri that the blueberries and raspberries disappeared (I read somewhere that all of the food is loaded on board before we sail, so I was not surprised that the more delicate berries were gone by the end of the week)....

Another hint - at Topsiders they have traditional trays for adults and larger kids, and then segmented trays for the little set. By the middle of the week, DD10 had figured out that she also wanted a segmented tray - ultimately it means that your tray IS your plate, and there are 6 different sections for different foods. If you have kids that won't eat one food that has inadvertently touched another food, then ask for the kiddie trays. One CM handed ME their cutlery and napkin instead of using up one of the segments and giving them the task of having to handle that expectation - and that was also a very good idea! :thumbsup2

DH and DD10 had an omelet each morning, and really enjoyed them. You say what you want, they give you a number, and then a CM will deliver it to your table once it is ready.

The CMs in Topsiders work really hard at constantly cleaning up trays, plates and tables so that the prime seating areas are available as quickly as possible for the next guests - but be careful, one lady lost her breakfast when she went back inside to get her coffee while dining alone - a CM came along and scooped up her tray and full plate of food - I guess they are used to seeing left over food on plates, and didn't realize she hadn't even touched it yet! She had to start all over!

We only missed breakfast at Topsiders twice - once for the character breakfast (was on Thursday for our PLAPLAP early dinner rotation) and on the disembarkation day / Saturday.

After breakfast, we booked DD's hair braiding appointment for 2:30 pm that day. The two ladies who do the hair braiding are really great, and they work really hard. They are there on Deck 9 near the pools by 8:30 every morning, and work well into the early evening - basically a 12-hour day. Imagine braiding hair constantly all day long like that! Hair braiding on board cost $2 per braid. DD10 selected corn rows - which basically means that the braids go halfway back to the top of her head and then are sealed off with beads. The ladies have a book where you can select from various different styles. Her style required 12 braids, and took 1/2 hour to complete. She had to go back the next day and ask the ladies to take the braids out closest to her ears, as she had a painful evening and a lot of trouble sleeping due to the tightness of the braids at the side of her head and lying on the beads trying to sleep. This is apparently a common problem - they happily loosened the braids and removed the beads for her - and she went away happy. If you are considering hair braids for your DD(s), it's important to bring spray-on sunscreen and to apply it very carefully. DD burned her scalp in a few places despite the fact that we were really careful with the spray-on sunscreen. She wanted to have the braids for the cruise week, and it certainly made it easy for her to care for her hair, but all week long we had to spend more time applying sunscreen between her corn rows. Next time, I might consider saving the hair braiding until the middle of the week. As I compose this chapter, it is the Saturday 3 weeks after we embarked, so tomorrow she will have had the braids for 3 weeks. They are looking a bit ragged, so she is taking them out tomorrow night. All in all, she enjoyed the experience.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w59/duck56/IMG_6846.jpg

Mid-morning on Sunday, we decided it was time for the kids to discover the clubs. Both the 5-7 and 10-12 age groups had structured activities going on, so we asked the kids to check out the clubs just for an hour to "get their feet wet" and DH and I went to a digital camera seminar, which was reasonably educational.

DH and I spent almost an hour between 11 and 12 noon on Deck 10 watching the ship sail into Key West. There were MANY guests doing this - it was pretty hard to get a spot at the rail. We went to get the kids so that they could experience it as well. NOTE: It takes a LONG time to get from Deck 10 to the clubs and back - by the time I had visited 2 locations (Club, Lab), washed my hands, extricated kids from programs, and travelled back to Deck 10, the ship wasn't even moving any more and there wasn't much left to look at.

We headed down to Topsiders for lunch. I tried the pasta bar, which is kind of like the omelet station - i.e. "make your own" choosing your favorite ingredients. It was excellent - sun-dried tomatoes - mmmm - my favorite.

We had planned on going into Key West for only a short stroll, as I had already researched the port and had decided that as first-time cruisers, we were more interested in having a full day on board the Magic with fewer guests vying for its amenities! As it turned out, we had so much fun that we never ended up making it off the ship at all!! Later in the afternoon, we watched streams of people walking in the heat back from Duval Street to the ship - and we were confident that for us, we had made the best decision! As soon as Christiaan announced that guests were cleared to disembark, we watched hordes of people disappear, and went to get our bathing suits on.

We spent the entire afternoon by the pools. DD5 got her first chance to swim in the Mickey Pool and literally ran (as I repeatedly reminded her to walk quickly, but not run!) back and forth from the bottom of the slide back up the stairs to take the slide down again and again. With fewer guests around, there were no lineups for the slide, and you could actually see the Mickey ears at the bottom the pool. At 2:30, DD10 got her hair braided, and then came back for more sunbathing at the Goofy Pool.

We all really liked the quality and selection of pizza that was available poolside, and to her credit, DD10 often went for the healthier options of sliced melon or wraps. Of course, the ice cream was a draw as well! After a few mishaps with ice cream dripping right out of the small cups that are provided at the ice cream bar, we started getting coffee cups from the self-serve beverage station and using those for ice cream - we didn't actually take more ice cream, but it made it easier to continue eating the ice cream after it was melting in the heat!

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w59/duck56/IMG_6797.jpg


Later in the afternoon, it was time for our fair-haired DDs to get out of the sun for a while, so they agreed to check out the clubs again. DD5 went to "Picture This" and made a picture frame, and DD10 to Imagination Hour. DH and I went for a brisk walk on Deck 4 in what ended up being our last real example of committed exercise for the week. I am glad that we did get that walk in - it was a lot of fun - as long as CMs aren't actively working on maintenance activities it is wide open you can go right around the ship, and at one point you are seeing some of the inner workings of the ship itself (all cordoned off, of course).

Then we retrieved the kids, got cleaned up for the evening and headed off for our first dinner at Lumiere's. I really like the ambiance of Lumiere's, and I can see why adult cruise guests travelling without children or travelling with extended family who have other parents to care for them check out Lumieres for lunch as well. One of the disadvantages (if you are CM working at Lumieres) / advantages (if you are a guest with children) of Lumieres is that you can sneal out in the middle of dinner to obtain a character picture and autograph. In what was to become routine when we were eating at Lumieres, our DDs got Cinderella's, Belle's and Pocahantas' autographs in between dinner courses at Lumieres.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w59/duck56/IMG_6851.jpg

We were seated all week at our own table of 4, but there were 2 other families of 4 to the immediate left and right of us, which created opportunities for some interaction. It was fun to chat each night with the parents at the other two tables as to their families' exploits and memories from the day. It also helped me to understand how easily the same cruise generates a completely different experience for each family. To our left, there were 2 daughters who REFUSED to have dinner with their parents at least twice - they wanted to eat at the clubs, despite their parents actually inviting them to join them. They missed pirate night, for example, opting instead for the clubs. In contrast, at one point during the week we were a few minutes late picking up DD5 from the club, and the 5-7s were being prepared by the CMs to go to dinner - she was so upset that she was going to have to eat with the club instead of us that she burst into tears when she saw me (tears of relief, I think). :sad1: She was having a great time in the club, she just didn't want to eat there. Just goes to show you - every kid is different. Similarly, on our right, there were 3 kids who were the same approximate age as DD10. While they ate happily from the kids' menu all week long, focusing on chicken tenders, pizza and hamburgers, DD10 turned up her nose at that and focused on being "grown up" by ordering from the adult menu. And she did a good job, for the most part, at eating what she had ordered!

Gary de Lena's Rock n Roll Comedy was the show on Sunday evening, and it was competing with the Academy Awards which was being shown in the Promenade Lounge as well as on the Ariel View television near the Goofy Pool on Deck 9. After taking in Gary's show (can't have been particularly remarkable, as I honestly don't remember much about it) we spent some time up on Deck 9 watching the Academy Awards. I have noticed that some other cruise lines emphasize "movies under the stars" and DCL was also taking full advantage of the Ariel projection screen to provide alternate entertainment at night at various times throughout the week. It was exciting to watch the Academy Awards while at sea somewhere off Florida, particularly when the segment on movie songs was playing. We also took in the full-length movie CARS later in the week up on Deck 9. We snuggled together to keep warm under towels (it gets damp later in the evening when you are sitting still on Deck 9, even if it's not cold), ate ice cream and watched Cars for the ??th time.

I have no idea how some parents manage to take in the late-night activities after their kids go to sleep - they have more stamina than I. :confused3 After a full day of sunshine, sunbathing, swimming, brisk walk on Deck 4, shows, Academy Awards, meals, running up and down from Deck 10 to Deck 3 to Deck 6, to Deck 4, to Deck 9, to Deck 6 etc. (we tried to take the stairs as much as possible), we were ready to go to bed by 10 pm, along with the DDs. We got back to our room, glanced through the Navigator for Monday, and then it was off to dreamland.

:cloud9:

Next Chapter - Monday at Sea - Cinderella, Beer, and a Temper Tantrum of Sorts

[Madisonznana]

Thanks Elizabeth! This wa a great installment. Did your younger DD get her braided too? Rumor has it that it is slightly painful and we are taking our DGD age 5 in May. I want to know all I can in case I have to talk her out of it!:rotfl:
Karen

[cdndizzylizzy]

Thanks Elizabeth! This wa a great installment. Did your younger DD get her braided too? Rumor has it that it is slightly painful and we are taking our DGD age 5 in May. I want to know all I can in case I have to talk her out of it!:rotfl:
Karen

Hi Karen!

DD5 has really short hair, so it was not an option. I saw many girls of various ages getting their hair braided. I also saw a girl weeping openly while getting the braids done, but at the same time insisting to her mom that she wanted to see it through to the end. You might want to work on convincing your DGD to get a style that does not require braiding near the delicate parts near the ears on the side of her head - apparently that is where it hurts the most. The other thing I would recommend is that she stand and watch it being done for others and then make up her mind. There is lots of room around the braiding area to stand and watch, and lots of girls were watching others get it done - ultimately, it was an excellent form of marketing!

Hope that helps!

[mom_of_2_princesses]

Sorry to step on OP Report but my DD got her hair done is September she had just turned 4 and this was the style we selected. It came out cute and no tears. http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l219/mom_of_2_princesses/DisneyWorld2006214.jpg By the way Great Report.

[Madisonznana]

Sorry to step on OP Report but my DD got her hair done is September she had just turned 4 and this was the style we selected. It cam out cute and not tears. http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l219/mom_of_2_princesses/DisneyWorld2006214.jpg By the way Great Report.

That is cute and DGD has hair slightly longer than you DD, but I would love to have something to keep the hair out of her face for a few days!;) Maybe she would be okay for just that much. But I will have her watch to see if she would still want it!
Karen

[DISNEYMOMTO1]

Am really loving your trip report. It is bringing back so many memories of our MAGICal cruise last September. I had to laugh at your watching channel 12 because at times when I couldn't sleep, I watched that too. I liked the fact it showed the nautical miles. Can't wait for the next installment!

[mbw12]

I am LOVING your trip report....we will be on the Magic starting May 5th......so your trip report is getting me into the mood!!!!!

[Mr. Moose51]

Excellent report, and you even missed some winter weather. What's not to like about that!

[cdndizzylizzy]

Knowing that the "at sea" day would bring a draw of kids to the pools, we went to Topsiders with bathing suits on underneath. By 9 am as we wrapped up breakfast, the Mickey Pool was already pretty crazy! So off to the Goofy Pool we went - with DH and I enjoying our second cup of coffee and the kids enjoying the hot tub and the pool. What a great way to start the day.

Temper Tantrum - of Sorts

At 10 am, DH announces to DD10 that she is going to the clubs for the next 4 hours!!! "What!" she says. Hint to other parents - it may be easier to convince kids of protracted stays in the clubs if you hand over the Navigator and help them think that it's actually THEIR idea! We had actually looked at the Navigator, and with the pools getting busier by the minute, the Culture Shock (learning about the world's cultures), Pathfinders and Animation at Animator's Palate (learn animation techniques and then draw some Disney characters) seemed interesting to us (as we thought to ourselves, Cove Cafe and Quiet Cove Pool - here we come...).... At the same time, the 5-7s were doing Monstropolis, Circle Games, Flubber and lunch in the club. DH insisted, and ultimately DDs complied, secure in the knowledge that they could page us if they were truly miserable. DD10 marched to the club, while DD5 danced to the club. Go figure!

Ah, freedom..... had a Cookies and Cream iced cappucino with DH and just sat and watched the world go by for a while. Then we took a dip in the Quiet Cove pool and experienced life on the Magic for those without children. The pace, the solitude, everything seemed almost surreal - it's amazing how just a few hundred yards away there is mayhem, and then you can retreat to the adult area. It seems to me that the adult area of the Magic must be even quieter than most pools, bars, coffee/Internet cafes, etc. on other cruise liners. With so many parents down ship with their children, it was like an oasis in the dessert to walk into Cove Cafe....

After swimming for a while, we decided that we really wanted a burger for lunch - why we didn't go for an adult lunch at Lumiere's during our child-free hours escapes me, but a yummy burger pool-side seemed like a phenomenal idea at the time. And truthfully, any meal that you can eat while it's still hot because you haven't had to first organize a child's meal, cut it into bite sized pieces, get them a drink, get them a fork, get them a napkin, help them clean up the spills, etc. - is ultimately heavenly... :cool1:

Making of the Disney Magic

DH wanted some educational programming, so headed off to the Making of the Disney Magic presentation at 1 pm. I took my first trip to Shutters and tracked down our embarkation photo and purchased it so that it didn't have to get moved over and over again as the picture racks filled up with character photos etc. Even on our cruise, which ended before the official announcement of the two new ships, DCL was starting to allude to the imminent announcement, which was exciting to hear first hand. DH was intrigued that the ship was built in 2 halves and then brought together later.

As the clock marched towards 2 pm, we went to retrieve the kids from the club. DD5 danced on out again, with Flubber in hand (we HAVE to go to the fridge immediately, as it has to stay cold!). DD10 sent me away - Mom, go away, we aren't DONE YET! Well OK then. Strange reaction, isn't it, from someone who simply could not BEAR the thought of going to this club a few hours ago. Ten minutes later, when she really was willing to leave, she announced - I don't want to hear I told you so...... Yay, DD10 will maybe agree to go the club again, even after DH's edict from the morning. :woohoo:


Cinderella

We had planned earlier to get the kids out in time to head to the Walt Disney Theatre for the matinee performance of Twice Charmed. On our cruise, on the "at sea" days the shows were on as a matinee in addition to the 2 evening performances, and given our desire to stay out of the sun in the hottest part of the day, the show seemed like a great way to spend the next hour!

The entire family thoroughly enjoyed Twice Charmed. For me, it was my favorite production of the entire week. Perhaps it was because I had just as much fun watching DD5 watching the show as I did watching the show itself. :) Cinderella is her favorite Disney movie (although she is a bit scared of the previews she has seen at Walmart for Cinderella 3). She has a Princess-themed bedroom, a Cinderella backpack, a Cinderella bedside clock, and went out for Halloween last year as Cinderella. So it was not a big surprise that she settled into her chair and was mesmerized with a glowy expression on her face as she watched the story of Franco and the exploits of the evil stepmother as she attempts to undo the happy ending of the Cinderella story. The actors were very good - I particularly liked the actor portraying Franco. He was out for character greet and photo ops later in the week on the Friday night, and she got her picture taken with Franco, the evil stepsisters and the Fairy Godmother! She was in heaven! :cloud9:

Beer

After the show, DD5 went back to the club as DH and I were heading off to our beer tasting session at 4 pm in Diversions. Despite the interesting activity in the 10-12 age group, DD10 asked if she could spend the hour in the room (she spends some time at home alone now too, since she is 10), and we figured - what could go wrong in a locked room, so we let her do this. Stay tuned to find out what can go wrong.

The beer tasting was excellent. We tried 4 different beers - and other than having to wait at least 20 minutes for the privilege of trying our first taste, it was excellent. Next time, I am ordering a pint to see me through until he finishes talking about beer. We had the good fortune of having a bartender who really knew his beer and the history of beer-making. I think he could have talked forever! If I had known that they would be show-casing 4 different beers on Thursday's "at-sea" day, I would have signed up for that too! In Canada, we buy our beer at "The Beer Store". At least a few dozen gentlemen come in and out picking out their favorite brand, standing in line to pay and leaving, while DH and I wander the aisles looking for an interesting micro-brew to try this time. So beer tasting was a great outing for us!!!!

As we sauntered back to the room feeling pleasantly relaxed after 4 half-pints in a one-hour time span, all seemed well as DD10 was relaxed and watching That's So Raven on the TV. Turns out that 5 minutes after we left, a CM slid a letter under the door. The letter was not for our stateroom. So she leaves the stateroom to chase after the CM - without her KTTW card. :eek: Clever DD now goes down to Deck 3 (barefoot) to Guest Services, and seeks out a new KTTW card, goes back up to Deck 6 and lets herself back into the cabin. Sigh. She certainly likes to seek out adventure. When she is 18, I will give her check-out privileges in the clubs.:rotfl2:

With the beer tasting not ending until 5 pm, we still had to get DD5 and get cleaned up for dinner, and it was Formal Night! We completely missed getting our formal shot taken before dinner, so we headed into Animator's Palate for the show, with strict instructions to the kids NOT to spill on their formal dresses until we could a family photo taken!

I have read many, many posts on the boards that the Animator's Palate show is disappointing if you let yourself get too hyped from all of the advance reading. So, ironically, I was well-positioned to be underwhelmed. So, I ended up impressed - if that makes any sense. I went in to the experience expecting not to see major light displays on the walls - I found the wall changing pictures to be entertaining and low-key - and enjoyable. What I did enjoy about AP is the sheer uniqueness of the space - with everything starting out black and white and then the changes that occur throughout the meal. I liked the other touches that happen at the "finale" of the show during the first rotation - the servers changing their vests, the surprise arrival of a special character - all of it! Anyways, we liked AP!

Since we had seen Twice Charmed in the afternoon, we were able to take in Lynn Trefzger's ventriloquism follow-up show for kids in Rockin Bar D at 7:30. Then we finally squeezed in our formal picture at 8:30, headed up to Deck 9 for some dessert, and then fell into bed and fell fast asleep - all 4 of us - at 9:30 pm.

Maybe DCL put something into my beer???? :laughing:

And now, I can see why everyone loves being at sea...

Up Next - Tuesday and Grand Cayman - our First Exposure to Tendering and Sea Grapes Beach

[cdndizzylizzy]

Sorry to step on OP Report but my DD got her hair done is September she had just turned 4 and this was the style we selected. It cam out cute and not tears. By the way Great Report.


Thanks! And no worries about adding in the picture! A picture speaks a thousand words! I will add some of my own as soon as we get them off the digital camera and on to the Internet!

[cdndizzylizzy]

Excellent report, and you even missed some winter weather. What's not to like about that!

You are so right, we missed the March 1 ice storm entirely! We met up with a couple in Buffalo whose luggage was somewhere in the Midwest. They had taken so many flights trying to get home that they despaired of ever finding out what airport their luggage would end up in...

All in all, we picked a great week for weather.

And now, it's warming up here in Ontario and it's officially Spring - we saw a robin yesterday!

[cdndizzylizzy]

I am LOVING your trip report....we will be on the Magic starting May 5th......so your trip report is getting me into the mood!!!!!


Hi - I am SO envious. I wish we were going in May again already! We are working with our TA to get going on a booking for next February! Same itinerary, same week, and (if the DDs get their way), same cabin. I told them they may not get the same servers!

[mom_of_2_princesses]

I am loving your report. I can totally relate to your DD 10 and the card issue. Our DD did the same exact thing. She is 10 also.:rotfl:

[Tink rules]

Gotta hand it to those two girls...they are resourcefull!!

Of course my mother let me roam the halls and ride the elevators when I was nine... I also used to check the pay phones for cash... another lifetime ago!!!

[cdndizzylizzy]

Hi everyone,

Quick post just to tell you that we received our Castaway Cay postcard that we mailed to ourselves this week some time (just checked the mailbox). So that makes it 3 weeks or less to get a postcard from Castaway Cay, as we mailed it on Friday, March 2, and it would have arrived on Friday March 23 or earlier this week some time.

I have to admit that I thought it was a somewhat strange idea to mail ourselves a postcard, but I wrote on it to "close your eyes and remember the day when you mailed this postcard", and since it is drizzling and miserable here today, it was a wonderful thing to do just that!

So - TIP - mail yourself a postcard from C Cay - it's worth the $1.50 for the postcard and the stamp, and the postcard will make it into our scrapbook for sure!

:thumbsup2

[Tink rules]

So how much is postage from CC?

It's a great idea to send yourself a card!!!

I guess they have to go back to the Bahamas before they can mail it?

[B&B Mom]

I am really enjoying your trip report. It sounds like you had a wonderful vacation.
We are getting ready for our upcoming cruise April 21, 7 night Western, so I'm especially interested to learn about the kind of things you did during your cruise. It's funny how one trip can be enjoyed so many different ways!
There is just so much to do...Thanks again, can't wait to read the next part.

[cdndizzylizzy]

So how much is postage from CC?

It's a great idea to send yourself a card!!!

I guess they have to go back to the Bahamas before they can mail it?

Hi,

I can't recall the EXACT amount, but I think it was about 50 or 60 cents per postcard. It depended on the size of the postcard, but it was definitely well under a dollar each. There is a small post office right on Castaway Cay, and I believe that the worker at the post office is actually a Bahamian postal worker, not a DCL employee. Note - they sell stamps, but not postcards - you have to buy your Castaway Cay postcard on the Magic in one of the shops, then buy the stamp (with US cash) at CC, and then they take it away and mail it for you!

[becca_n_wa]

Hi cdndizzylizzy!

I came across your TR last night. I enjoyed reading it and cant wait for more! I have not been online much since the trip. We are still in Army Lodging after our move to Savannah. That will all change soon..we bought a house and move into it on Friday (my b-day!) So, maybe I can do a short report oneday (hopefully I can remember everything) ;)

You were talking about the sail away party and Riley being so excited. Destiny was right in the front the WHOLE time! She loved it and had a BLAST!

We mailed postcards also. :thumbsup2 One more tip: mail one to your child's classroom! Our kids were in the middle of moving to another state so we mailed thier old classmates a postcard.:thumbsup2

Waiting for more.......

[cdndizzylizzy]

Hi cdndizzylizzy!

I came across your TR last night. I enjoyed reading it and cant wait for more! I have not been online much since the trip. We are still in Army Lodging after our move to Savannah. That will all change soon..we bought a house and move into it on Friday (my b-day!) So, maybe I can do a short report oneday (hopefully I can remember everything) ;)


Waiting for more.......


Nice to hear from you Becca! Good luck with your moving - second time in 2 months!

[cdndizzylizzy]

We set our alarms to have an early breakfast, and were done our daily dose of Topsiders omelets and berries by 9 am. We were also entertained at breakfast by a "pirate ship" which was sailing around the bay firing at us. I think some cruisers had excursions on that ship later in the day. We headed down to the Buena Vista Theatre ready to tackle the tendering process.

Tender Experience

There were about 4 rows full of people ahead of us, and I was all set to while away the time waiting to be called for our tender by putting on the DDs sunscreen, especially since I know that people on excursions get "first dibs" at tenders. As luck would have it, just as we sat down the CMs said that the next tender was ready and it was time for us to file out row by row, walk down the hall, down the stairs all the way to Deck 1 and get on to the tender. I have no idea how long the first 4 rows had been waiting, and I can only hope that on all future cruises we are that lucky again - I think we were in the Buena Vista Theatre for about 1 minute - hardly long enough to even sit down!

The tenders they were using were quite a bit larger than others that I saw for other cruise ships, and was in excellent shape. It was very stable, with a first and second level, and there was plenty of room to sit either in the sun (which we did in the a.m.) or in the shade (which we did in the p.m.). Some of the best views of the Magic were about to come our way, as we motored away from the ship which was moored off Grand Cayman. DH went up to the top level and snapped away. The only downside was that there was another cruise ship further out from the Magic which prevented him from getting a postcard-perfect shot of the Magic in the Mediterranean waters.

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It was fun to try the tendering process, but I am really glad that GC is the only stop where this is necessary. It was very convenient to walk off and on the Magic at Cozumel the next day, and again at Castaway Cay on Friday.

Sea Grapes Beach on Seven Mile

After a short ride into the village of Georgetown, we disembarked from the tender and were ready to start our adventure to Sea Grapes Beach. I had read up on the beaches of Grand Cayman, particularly Seven Mile Beach, on the Internet before we left, and felt like I had the whole thing under control. So we took up one of the dozens of offers we received for a cab ride, and we were instantly on our way to the beach. This is a very lucrative business - being a taxi driver in Georgetown on a cruise ship day. For a 10 or 15-minute cab ride (which was thankfully air-conditioned on the way there, but not so on the way back to Georgetown which is when we REALLY needed it), he made $5 per person. There were 9 of us in the cab - several were dropped off at the Royal Palms (at least I think that is what it was called) and then he took the 4 of us to Sea Grapes.

Perhaps we are spoiled by all of the wonderful sandy beaches in Ontario on Lake Huron and Lake Erie, and past trips to Cape Cod, Mass where there is room to stretch, play a game of beach volleyball, and perhaps even fly a stunt kite without having to worry at all about bumping into people around you. Sea Grapes was great, it really was, but WOW did it get crowded. I think I have read that all of Cayman's beaches used to be wider (i.e. more beach between where the beach starts and the water meets it) before the hurricanes a few years ago. When we arrived, it was already very hot (about 10:00 am by now), and DDs had NO sunscreen yet. So we took the time to get that done, then rented chairs and an umbrella ($21 US - package deal) and settled in. DDs started making a sand castle a few feet away from where we were sitting, and then we went for a swim. Again, we are used to having more than 15 or 20 feet before it gets over your head, so it took some getting used to. The water was great - clean, beautiful blue, and with a soft, sandy bottom. We had lugged our water shoes, but didn't find that we needed them. The sand on the beach was also great for sandcastles. All around us, people were parasailing, renting jetskis, and generally enjoying themselves. Behind us was Calico Jack's, selling drinks, lunch, etc. There were also showers for rinsing off the sand and clean public washrooms. I had planned for us to have lunch there, but it just kept getting more and more crowded. Eventually, another group put their chairs and umbrellas between us and the kids and their sandcastle.

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HINT - if you go to the beach at Seven Mile at Grand Cayman and rent a chair, put your chair RIGHT at the water's edge - that way, no-one can take your view away! ;)

Now being a seasoned cruiser (LOL), the next time I plan a beach excursion I will not plan on a 4 or 5 hour experience, especially if it's Day 1 in the hot Caribbean with my fair-haired DDs. DD5 was getting very pink, very quickly, despite the 50 SPF sunscreen, T-shirt and hat. I think that 2 hours for the first day is all our DDs needed or wanted, especially since there was so little room to spread out. Sandcastle - check, several dips in the Caribbean - check, snack on pilfered melon from Topsiders (don't do this at Cozumel, but no one checks at GC) - check, and it was time to go. Even with the $60 US investment, I think it was well worth the trip. $15 each for 2 glorious hours on one of the best stretches of beach in the world? Sounds reasonable to me! So, we skipped Calico Jacks and went back to Georgetown. And I was glad to be able to leave when WE decided it was time to go, so I am glad I did the beach excursion on our own as opposed to through a DCL excursion.

The cabs were waiting at Sea Grapes, and it was not a problem to get back to Georgetown immediately. On the way back to town, there were 10 passengers in the mini-van. Quick math: $50 for the driver for 10 minutes work...

By now, it was 12:30 and we were HUNGRY! Faint with hunger (said DD10), we succumbed to the tourist trap of the Breezes Restaurant that was located immediately across the street from the tender dock, and in the heart of Georgetown, wishing that I had researched a Plan B so that I could have had a list of awesome restaurants, frequented by the locals, on the side streets to choose from. Regardless, Breezes ended up being a decent, if somewhat expensive, stop and we had good quesadillas and ribs, and some COLD GC-brewed microbrewery beer (yum!) with the DDs having smoothies. We opted to sit outside (in the shade) as the indoor sitting in the AC was full to the brim.

After lunch, we took in the shops and followed through on the research that we HAD done in advance to satisfy DD10s insatiable need to shop. We eventually found some neat souvenirs at Del Sol (where you too can purchase nail polish that changes colours in the sun - who knew we needed that...) and at the Blue Iguana, which I thought had a great selection of T-shirts. DD5 bought a stuffed Grand Cayman turtle to be friends with the stuffed Nemo she had bought at the Disney store before we left Orlando (remember the turtles that accompany Dory and Nemo on their journey? - she had it all figured out!). Stuffed Nemo and Grand Cayman turtle later were to find a place of honour alongside the cool, sunglass-wearing, towel-animal shark one evening in our state room!

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Returning to the ship was a breeze (and thankfully there WAS a breeze!). The tenders were moving regularly, and again we walked right on and it filled quickly.

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We were back on board by 3:45 pm, and by 4 pm we were swimming in the pools until we headed back to the room to get ready for - pirate night! pirate:

Pirate Night

Pirate Night was a day early on our cruise. I found out after we returned through the DIS that this was because there was a plan for the next night at Cozumel to leave later than usual (1 am) and allow CMs some (much-deserved) time off the ship. So, the fireworks would be on Tuesday night after we set sail from GC on our way to Cozumel. This worked out PERFECTLY as far as we were concerned, as our PLAPLAP rotation had us in Parrot Cay for dinner on Tuesday, so we had the optimum decor for the bandannas and pirate festivities. Not all of the organized activities were successfully moved to Tuesday however, as Captain Jack Sparrow was out for character greet on Wednesday evening, not Tuesday. I noticed several guests who must have re-donned their pirate gear for their picture with Captain Jack on Wednesday. As an aside, I thought the CM who played the part of Jack did an awesome job. Either he really WAS drunk (unlikely) or he had really practised the part! :laughing:

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The Pirate Night menu is the only one that made it home with us as a souvenir. It was a fun night, with DDs wearing festive skirts and the whole room getting into the spirit of the evening with bandannas aplenty. I felt sorry for our tablemates, whose kids had abandoned them for the clubs. It's so much easier to pretend to be a kid again when you are actually WITH your kids....

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After dinner we took in Rich Purpura the Magician :wizard: for a while, and then headed off to the Golden Mickeys. I have read many posts on the DIS about which show is the favorite, and why, and the Golden Mickeys seems to be up there for many DIS'ers. For us, the Golden Mickeys didn't capture our attention - perhaps it was because it was already WELL into a very long day. Up early, quick breakfast, tender, cab, build sandcastle, swelter, hot cab ride, wait for lunch, walk around hot village, walk back to tender, swim in pools, excitement of pirate dinner. Phew! Nap time anyone? No time! Perhaps the other reason that I didn't like the Mickeys is that I am a sucker for a storyline, which is not what the Golden Mickeys is trying to do at all. So, don't listen to me - see it for yourself and be the judge! And even after having said it was not my favorite, it was still very good, and I am certain that I will end up settled into a good seat in the Walt Disney Theatre next February to see the Golden Mickeys once again (and maybe I will get DH to go ahead and try to get DDs interviewed on the red carpet - that was fun to watch!).

The Pirates in the Caribbean night got into full swing at about 9:45 pm, and the fireworks were at 10:30. We watched the party for a while while snacking on our ice creams, but DD5 was wilting - fast. So we wandered further up on Deck 10 where it was cool, dark, and quiet - as I have read elsewhere on the DIS there was a band trying valiantly to be entertaining at the Quiet Cove. Tough gig. We enjoyed some quiet family time further up Deck 10 talking quietly about our day and all that it had delivered, and then resolved to head off to bed as DD5 announced that she no longer cared whether she saw the fireworks. :sad2: Just as we headed off, we walked back into the melee as Mickey slid down the line and the fireworks began! :cheer2: Talk about impeccable timing! DD5 got her (11th) wind and we stayed to watch them go off - with a perfect vantage point! What fun!

After that it was truly bedtime - we tucked the DDs in, and then DH snuck back up to the pirate feast and brought me back some treats. Mmmm. Ended the night with chocolate-covered strawberries. Another day full of fun memories...:thumbsup2

Up Next - Chapter Wednesday - Cozumel

[cdndizzylizzy]

Thanks Elizabeth! This wa a great installment. Did your younger DD get her braided too? Rumor has it that it is slightly painful and we are taking our DGD age 5 in May. I want to know all I can in case I have to talk her out of it!:rotfl:
Karen

Hey Madisonznana - check out my earlier post - I have added a picture of DD10 with her hair braided (and some other pictures too!). That should help you to compare what she had done to other pictures!

[mom_of_2_princesses]

I thought I was crazy! I just read your installment and there were no pictures and then I go to post and there are pictures.:rotfl: Great report and I love the pictures. Tell your girls they are beautiful since you said they are reading.

[cdndizzylizzy]

I am really enjoying your trip report. It sounds like you had a wonderful vacation.
We are getting ready for our upcoming cruise April 21, 7 night Western, so I'm especially interested to learn about the kind of things you did during your cruise. It's funny how one trip can be enjoyed so many different ways!
There is just so much to do...Thanks again, can't wait to read the next part.


Hi! Glad you are enjoying my TR! They are lots of fun to write, as you re-live the day as you write about it... The kids are enjoying reading the posts after they are up on the DIS. I am so envious that you are going in a few weeks. Being from PEI, you may also find the beaches more crowded than you are accustomed to! Hope you have a great trip!

Elizabeth

[Madisonznana]

Hey Madisonznana - check out my earlier post - I have added a picture of DD10 with her hair braided (and some other pictures too!). That should help you to compare what she had done to other pictures!

That does look really cute. But that would be an all day job with long hair and she doesn't have near the patience!! Thanks for adding the pictures! I am so excited about our trip when I read really great TR's. And yours is wonderful!
Karen

[becca_n_wa]

Nice to hear from you Becca! Good luck with your moving - second time in 2 months!

No, actually all the same move....YEP...gotta love the Army family life.

We moved out of our on post house at Ft Campbell. Move into a Army lodge at Ft Campbell. We went on vacation. Then moved into Army Lodging at Ft Stewart. Then move into Lodging at Hunter Army Airfield. Now, finally, we move into our house! YEAH About time...huh? But yes, its all one move.

Loving the report and will keep checking for more!

[cdndizzylizzy]

That does look really cute. But that would be an all day job with long hair and she doesn't have near the patience!! Thanks for adding the pictures! I am so excited about our trip when I read really great TR's. And yours is wonderful!
Karen

Hi Karen,

If you look carefully at the picture again - look for the beads at the top of her head - that is where the braids ended, but she did ask for 1 extra braid on each side that went all the way down. The whole exercise took 30 minutes total. While we were there, someone asked about a whole head of long hair and they said "several hours"....

[becca_n_wa]

Hi Karen,

If you look carefully at the picture again - look for the beads at the top of her head - that is where the braids ended, but she did ask for 1 extra braid on each side that went all the way down. The whole exercise took 30 minutes total. While we were there, someone asked about a whole head of long hair and they said "several hours"....

Sorry to interrupt. Just thought I would add. My daughter has very thick and long hair (butt length). She got the crown corn row braids also. It did not take as long as I thought. But, my advice is that if your child has curly hair, skip the beads. When I cut out the rubber bands everything was ok but, her hair had tangled around the beads. Not a good thing! Next time, no beads for us!

[mormadsmom]

What a great Trip report. We will be sailing April 28 on the eastern. We will also be traveling with 2 girls ages 5 and 11.

Do you get separate navigators for the oceaneers club/lab? I'd like to look through those and see which activity time I'd like to drop the kids off at. 5 yr old is not looking forward to going in the kids club right now. Hopefully once she sees it she will change her mind.
Great photos!

Michelle in south florida

[Angie_Ohio]

Thanks for bringing back all the memories from our June06 cruise. We too found so much to do and were ready to sleep at 10:30 most nights. We have rebooked a 7 day Western so I'm back lurking on the DIS. We ate at the buffet every morning too except character breakfast and last day. I loved sitting outside in the sun watching the water. Sooo relaxing. Looking forward to beer, wine or martini tasting next time. Would like to tour the galley also. We never went to the adult pool together since the boys were always with us. Next time we will "send them" to the clubs for at least an hour or two so we can have some alone time. :grouphug:
Angie_OH

[cdndizzylizzy]

What a great Trip report. We will be sailing April 28 on the eastern. We will also be traveling with 2 girls ages 5 and 11.

Do you get separate navigators for the oceaneers club/lab? I'd like to look through those and see which activity time I'd like to drop the kids off at. 5 yr old is not looking forward to going in the kids club right now. Hopefully once she sees it she will change her mind.
Great photos!

Michelle in south florida

Hi Michelle,

Unfortunately the Oceaneer Club and Lab activities are embedded into the daily Navigator that describes all of the activities. I don't know if the activities are at the same time every week or not? I think you can find recent Navigators online (I know at least one poster uploaded a week's worth of Western navigators in January), but they may not help much if the activity times change from day to day. The other factor is that you kind of have to assess the weather, the movie schedule etc.

With DD5, I went into the Lab with her the first time she went, and we found a little girl that was the same age. I helped my daughter introduce herself to the other girl, and then they went off holding hands together to play. I know that if DD5 has a friend, she is all set, so that worked well! :wizard:

[1sttimecruz]

Elizabeth - Thanks for the trip report. I am enjoying it! We recently did the 3-nt (our 1st cruise) and it's fun to read what the longer cruises are like. Maybe someday we'll try one out. Key West, GC, and Cozumel sound like great stops. :) That's definitely the itinerary that interests us.

[plutospup]

After lunch, we took in the shops and followed through on the research that we HAD done in advance to satisfy DD10s insatiable need to shop. We eventually found some neat souvenirs at Del Sol (where you too can purchase nail polish that changes colours in the sun - who knew we needed that...) ]

:rotfl: :lmao:
Ahh yes, what DDs can teach us! DD9 tells me she NEEDS things, too. When I ask why, she rolls her eyes, and simply moans "DADDY!", afterwhich DW tells me to "give it up", and the girls have a nice giggle together.

[Madisonznana]

Thanks Elizabeth, I did take a closer look and that is a great idea! And her hair is extremely straight!
Karen

[cdndizzylizzy]

On Wednesday morning, we were up and to Topsiders for breakfast at 8:00 am (really 9, but 8 with the 1-hour time zone change).

This was followed by a family debate about the best way to spend our time in Cozumel. With all of my planning before we set sail, I had a full day organized that was a replica of the day before - take a cab to the beach, obtain chairs and umbrella, build sandcastles, have lunch, take a cab back to the town and reboard the ship. Sadly, no-one, me included, really wanted to do this after all. While no-one was sunburnt, DD5 still had her sun rash from the day before. Besides, we had learned on Sunday how great the Magic is when there are fewer guests on board. :thumbsup2

And yet, DD10 had that insatiable need to shop..... :cloud9:

So we disembarked and simply walked across the street to the Punta Lagosta mall for some friendly bartering with the locals. We started by purchasing some inexpensive jewelry (DD10 bought a ring, as well as a gift for grandma back home). DH was disdainful about the jewelry - "everything is next to worthless", he said, "and they are trying to see how much $$ they can get you to spend". "Now, now", I said - "let's see this as a teachable moment for DD10!" She was at first a bit taken aback by the whole bartering thing - she found the ring she liked, but the first quote was $65 (she had $20 to spend). As she sadly decided to leave the shop, the salesman says - "young lady, $40 dollars!". She says, "No, that's too much". He says, "30$", and she says, "sorry, but no" (pouting, by the way), and he says (getting frustrated, thinking to himself, "don't you get it, you are supposed to be suggesting prices too!") - "how much do you have to spend?". She says, "$20" and he says "OK, then I sell it to you for $20". DH says to me quietly - it's probably worth 5 bucks tops, but I can only see the big smile of DD's face - she thinks she has an awesome deal - a $65 ring that she is getting for $20! That NEVER happens in Canada! :cool1:

On the way back, she says to me, I should have told him I only had $10! "Good girl", I said, "now you're learning how to shop next time we come to Cozumel!" :teacher:

Both DDs purchased personalized bracelets - these are a neat thing, and several vendors in the mall offer these items. The bracelets are made with the colorful string that the Mayans/Mexicans use to make purses and blankets. You pick your string colours and write down your name for them, and they wind the strings around the bracelet form accordingly - in 10 minutes, voila you have your own bracelet! Talk about a fun and inexpensive souvenir, personal, you get to watch it being made, etc. The fellow making our bracelet kept saying we could go shop and come back when they were done - we couldn't get him to understand that watching it being made was half the fun! DH and I were also able to find a souvenir at Cinco Soles - a metal sun wall hanging for our backyard garden.

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For what we were looking for - a quick shopping trip and exposure to some Mexican trinkets - the mall was great. At the same time, I explained to DDs that they really didn't "see" Cozumel, because we immediately returned to the Magic. Next year, I will research something different to do at Cozumel and GC. If we don't do the GC beach trip and instead tour the island, then perhaps we will attempt our beach day at Coz. Half the fun is having 10+ mos to decide! One thing for sure - from now on I will always have a few plans in my back pocket for each excursion day.

Wednesday was the day we had lunch in Lumieres as a family. It was an interesting meal. First of all, the restaurants are really QUIET at lunch time - there were only a half dozen or so tables in use, likely at least partly due to the fact that so many people were somewhere in Cozumel. There were some ship's officers enjoying a meal nearby, which was neat for the kids to see - (yes, DDs, the CMs actually EAT like we do at some point). :laughing: And we were able to sit somewhere else (i.e. not Table 68), so we sat near the windows that look out to the promenade area.

After a relaxing lunch (a beer and AC after a hot trip to the mall was refreshing), the kids decided to go to the clubs for a while. DD5's 5-7 group was going to be playing Bingo, and the 10-12s were creating radio ads in Studio Sea. Both had a great time with these activities for just over an hour, and DH and I had time for an iced cappucino from the Cove Cafe and a stroll on Deck 4 in the shade. We ended up picking up the shuffleboard game pieces and figuring out how it works, and decided that I would go get the DDs and get them to join in on the fun.

Shuffleboard as a Family was a very fun time, and a reminder that sometimes even low-tech can be good - kind of like re-visiting game night! We let DD5 stand in the middle of the game board, and she got the hang of it pretty quickly! DD10 is quite competitive, and she picked up the concept quickly. We played a couple of ends together as a family, enjoying the ambiance of being on Deck 4 in the shade at the port of Cozumel - my only wish is that we were not right beside another cruise ship, as that was the view - however, it was also interesting to have such a good view of another ship. I think it was Carnival. We, of course, spent time critiquing it and talking about how we liked OUR ship much better.

From 3:30 to 5, we headed up to Deck 9 for ice cream, fruit, and some hot-tubbing and swimming in the Goofy Pool. I have read several posts over the past few months about the SHUB (shower tub) and suck-o-vac toilets in the stateroom. But, I have never heard anyone say anything about the vacuum suck noise that the hot tub makes near the Goofy Pool. There you are, sitting and enjoying the surroundings, and then the hot tub decides it has too much water in it, and whoosh - right by your ear, it starts sucking water out!!! Why can't water just lap gently out of the hot tub?!

Dinner on Wednesday night was the Master Chef menu, which apparently is normally on Tuesday. On our cruise, Master Chef and Pirate Night were just reversed. We enjoyed our second stop at Lumieres, and had no regrets about having been at Lumieres twice in the same day.

The big event for Wednesday evening was the 8 pm - 9:30 pm premiere of the movie - Bridge to Terabithia. We loaded up our camera bag with snacks and treats and went early to the Walt Disney Theatre to see the show (the show was playing the next day as well at the Buena Vista movie theatre, but given the fact that it was a premiere, and likely an assumption that most families would take it up as the evening's entertainment, it was also on in the WD Theatre on Wed). The theatre was very full - not quite as full as for the shows, but full.

I can only hope that every time we are on a Disney cruise there is a Disney movie as good as Bridge to Terabithia premiering while we are at sea. We all completely lost ourselves in the plot, and I, for one, temporarily completely forgot that I was in port in Cozumel on a cruise. Isn't that the sign of a really good movie, anyways, when you completely forget who and where you are for that short time. popcorn::

Knowing that we were actually an hour behind all day and that we were losing an hour by setting it back forward tonight, we took a stroll through Shutters, headed up to Deck 9 for our snack, and then back to our rooms for our review of the Thursday Navigator in preparation for our last full day at sea. Then it was off to bed. And just like that, our cruise was well past the half way mark. I have no idea how people bring themselves to disembark on a three or four-day cruise. We could not believe how full the days had been, and how quickly the week was flying by! DCL is so SMART to put CC on the last day - it is something to look forward to even when you don't really know what you are looking forward to yet!

[tamim]

Your report is great and the pictures are fantastic!
Thanks!:)

[cdndizzylizzy]

Thursday was our day for special meals - Character Breakfast for the girls, and Palo Brunch for the grownups. I have read on some posts that some like to avoid scheduling these on the same day, but it worked out well for us. I am not a big fan of ordering breakfast from a menu anyways, since so many breakfast items are egg-based which I need to avoid, so I was easily able to have some pastries and a plate of fruit and hold off for my brunch later that morning. DH also just had a few things for breakfast, and the kids ordered the Breakfast Special or whatever it was called on the Kids' Character Breakfast menu that brought a little bit of everything for them.

Character Breakfast

8:15 am was our time slot at Parrot Cay - this was a bit earlier than we had been getting up etc. in terms of being dressed and presentable and ready for breakfast by then. And our servers had told us that we really needed to be there RIGHT on time. There was actually a lineup to get in to the restaurant, but it moved quickly.

In my opinion, as long as you know what to expect of it going in, the character breakfast is fun.

For one, it's not about the food. The kids barely ate their breakfast, because they were too excited to watch the characters moving around the room, and then the dance by Chip and Dale, etc. Long before Mickey or Minnie actually got to our table, the kids were figuring out their navigation path - 3 more tables, 2 more tables, our table is next! Since food is always available somewhere on the Magic, we figured - who cares if they really eat much!

Secondly, the kids are not going to be able to have a heart-to-heart with the characters. They do have to move quickly to get all around Parrot Cay in about an hour. BUT - your kids can get autographs AND pictures from each of the Big 6 - Mikey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale. The way I see it, that would take at least an hour if we had to stand in line 6 times to get the same thing - and some of those characters are not regularly part of the Atrium character meets anyways.

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I am glad that our character breakfast was later in the week, as part of the fun for all of us was watching the kids at the table to the left and the table to the right also have fun and get excited. We enjoyed watching them all interact with the characters, and the kids were moving between tables talking about the show, the characters, etc. Also, the room servers get involved with table napkin hats etc.

So as long as you realize that breakfast is just the excuse to get everyone in the room, and you have kids who want autographs and to see the characters up close, I say go and have fun with it.

Brunch at Palo

Breakfast was over at about 9:30 so we all had time to go for a stroll on Deck 9 before it was time to get the kids safely secured in the clubs so that we could go for brunch.

Luckily, both DDs were excited about the programs that were going on in the Clubs. DD5 was going to "Detective School" to solve a mystery in the Lab, and DD10 was going to Captain's Corner, where they got to interview the captain on any question they wanted (this was the time when she asked the captain about the flush toilets and why there couldn't be water in the toilets - no questions about nautical miles from OUR DD! :lmao: ). So they wished us fun at OUR special breakfast, and went happily to the clubs. We had agreed to pick them up no later than 12:30 so that we could pop into the Treasure Ketch to get Captain Tom's autograph at the Captain's Signing session.

Palo

We settled into our table for 2 at Palo, and remarked to each other about how big of a difference an hour makes - an hour ago there were several hundred people twirling napkins while high-pitched chipmunks danced and sang, and we assisted DDs in their quest for pictures and signatures. Now, you could hear a fork accidentally knock a glass, and relax and watch the Magic head east towards our next destination. Ahhhhhh. Time to relax.

We met Tony, our server, who walked us through the buffet - this is the first of many interesting gestures - nice to be told what everything is and what to wait for, ask for, plan for, etc. He was very helpful and attentive, but not overly so, throughout our meal. I can see why CMs have to EARN their spot at Palo. But I did see him working elsewhere on board, so it's not like they get to breathe the esteemed air of Palo and no longer have to swab the decks with their colleagues!

We sampled the cheeses, the appetizers, etc. and DH tried one of the 3 types of eggs benny - can't remember which one he had, but it was one of the unique ones. It got a :thumbsup2 from him, and ironically he is an egg afficionado, and eats enough eggs at home for both of us!

I special ordered a pizza - Tony and I walked through the buffet and I selected extra ingredients to put on my basic cheese and tomato pizza - I added sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, some feta cheese, some olives and also asked for chicken. And an AWESOME pizza came out 10 minutes later. DH tried the chicken and risotto dish and enjoyed it, but was pacing himself to maintain room for dessert.

For dessert, I again went off-buffet and asked for berries and ice cream. I was able to select my preferred ice cream from the 3 flavours that had been prepared that morning for Palo dinner that evening. So I had freshly-made raspberry ice cream with fresh berries and whipped cream. Have I mentioned yet in this trip report that I REALLY like berries??? :rotfl: I was in heaven! :cloud9: DH sampled several desserts from the buffet, and then went back to get more of the ones he liked the best. It was neat that the servings were smaller, sort of like a big taste, so you could sample several...

We settled in to enjoy some good cups of coffee - definitely not the same brand that is available 24/7 on Deck 9 (which is adequate, but nothing special). We both could have had a final cup of java, but then the pager rang. It was DD10, asking to be picked up.

Now DD10 likes structure, and the time was rapidly approaching 12:30 and there was no sign of us to pick her up. Life would come to an end as she knew it if she was not able to get Captain Tom's signature. And we were not there to remind her that we had a full 1/2 hour to get to Treasure Ketch ON THE SAME DECK, and that it doesn't take him more than 5 seconds to sign his name. So we were pretty sure that there wasn't really anything wrong, but nonetheless we decided we would go as we were pretty much done anyways.

We picked up the DDs, and headed down to see Captain Tom at Treasure Ketch. By the way, he is a man of few words. As I watched him sign the girls books, I was thinking to myself - this guy can hardly wait to get back to his bridge and his big steering wheel and other neat stuff that he uses to keep us informed on TV as to where we've been and where we're going next... Christiaan the cruise director, he's not, but then I guess that's why DCL has Christiaan!!!! :thumbsup2

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It was pretty quiet in the shop, so after we got his signature we looked around a bought a few T-shirts, as we knew it would likely get busy later in the day and then Friday would be crazy. DH barely tolerates our NEED to shop anyways, but at this time he wanted his own t-shirt, so we had some fun looking around for souvenirs.

Neither DD had eaten, so we got them some munchies up on Deck 9 and then headed down to the WD Theatre for the afternoon matinee of Disney Dreams. This was an excellent production, and we enjoyed it immensely. We have not seen ALL of the Disney movies that were highlighted (no flaming please, remember DD5 is a Cinderella fan, and we do own Cars and various other Disney movies, she just hasn't seen the Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, or Peter Pan). So, it was probably harder for us to really relate to each of the movies that were highlighted. For example, DD10 in the middle of the show leans over and says, "NOW I understand why the restaurant is called Lumiere's!!!" :teacher:

After the show, we went up to Deck 9 to relax, swim, hot tub, etc. until dinner. Since a ton of kids were doing the DCL University graduation, the deck and pools were nice and empty, and DD5 took the opportunity to do some Mickey sliding. For us, the clubs were incidental to our family holiday, and not the destination. We gave the kids the chance to go, but to sit on a stage for an hour in a sea of kids just for a free t-shirt? I'll take an empty pool with no problem getting a deck chair!:thumbsup2

Thursday night was Semi-Formal, and I had already relegated our formal picture to the trash in Shutters (we just didn't look right - fake smiles, not "ourselves", if you know what I mean). So a semi-formal shot was important to me. Regardless, we were not quite organized enough to get downstairs fast enough for pictures before dinner, so we waited until after dinner for our pictures. Dinner this night was in Animator's Palate, and Captain's Gala was the theme.

Our semi-formal picture turned out great! We chose the background with Mickey's profile as the sun setting behind us with the Magic also in the background. Of course, this picture is still in its special folder in my "Disney Cruise memorabilia bag" along with copies of the Navigators, KTTW cards and various other miscellaneous and sundry "stuff" that we collected along the way. Hopefully it will eventually get into a frame and up on a wall somewhere.

After dinner and pictures, we took an hour or so to organize the room and do a little bit of packing. I didn't want everything to have to happen on Friday night.

Later, we headed back up to Deck 9, and settled down in a row of 4 with towels and soft drinks to watch CARS on the big screen. What fun! Since the DDs watch Cars on their portable DVDs every time we go on a road trip, we knew it wouldn't matter whether we stayed until the end or not. By 11 pm, they were tired, but it was still a lot of fun. I do think, though, that DCL could have perhaps played it from 9 til 10:30, instead of 10 to ?? But I am really only quietly complaining - it's really not a big deal, just an observation, and it was still one of our family highlights. In fact, it's one of the things the DDs talk about. DD5 was watching Cars (again!) the other day, and sighed and said, "I wish we were on the Magic right now, watching this in the dark by the Goofy pool, eating ice cream and snuggling under warm towels...". And I am thinking to myself, I don't care how much DCL costs, it rocks! :woohoo:

At 11, we left Deck 9 and headed downstairs to check out Lumiere's (famous?) dessert buffet. All I can say is 1) WOW and 2) you may not want to have dinner at Palo if you want to do the Lumiere's dessert buffet!

The table of desserts stretches from the entrance of Lumiere's to the back. There are ice sculptures, tiers of plates - just WOW. The kids were falling down tired, but they perked up a bit as they stood in line waiting to get in and were offered chocolate-covered strawberries. (they like berries too!). At the end of the dessert table, there was a chocolate fountain with strawberries, pineapple and (bananas?) for dipping. That's where I headed. We each took a plate of goodies and headed off to our stateroom for our bedtime snack. Mmmmmm. Don't miss Lumiere's dessert buffet. We would not have known about it if our servers at dinner hadn't said - be sure to come to the dessert buffet tonight, but when I looked at the Navigator it is definitely listed under Late Night Snacks on Page 1 for Thursday, so you can definitely find it if you are looking for it. Perhaps there are also buffets late at night on other nights? We only found the pirate buffet and this one....

Next Up - Friday and Family Day at the Beach on Castaway Cay

[pppiglet]

Great report! Can't wait for our trip now!

[cdndizzylizzy]

Great report! Can't wait for our trip now!

Thanks - I WISH we were going when you were going - 10 months seems like such a long time to wait. I am totally hooked, and only have gone once so far!!! Have a great time!

[cdndizzylizzy]

Friday Already!

Whoever is responsible at Disney for organizing Castaway Cay as the last full day of the cruise is a genius! Even though you know that the week is rapidly coming to an end, it's ultimately impossible to be depressed on Thursday night with the anticipation of Friday and Castaway Cay on your mind! With this being our first trip to Castaway Cay, all I had to go on was the input from the DIS - the comments about Castaway Cay from trip reports, the obvious fame and attraction of the infamous "double dip" cruises, and so on. I was working overtime mentally to make sure that the reality was not a letdown from all that I had read before we cruised. And not to spoil my chapter, but I must say that on future trips, the anticipation will only be greater now that I know what to expect!!!!!

So, in a nutshell, surprise, surprise, we LOVED Castaway Cay!!!!

We disembarked just after 9 am, after our regular stop at Topsiders for breakfast.

Our first stop after leaving the Magic was at the post office. As a proud DIS-Boarder, I was organized! I had bought post cards at Treasure Ketch, and had my US $$s to buy stamps. We stepped in and bought stamps with no problems, and were back on our way to the beach in just a few minutes. We did mail ourselves a post card, and as posted earlier, it arrived about 3 weeks after we got home. The grandparents and great-grandpa reported similar timelines - they were just thrilled to get our postcard, even though we had already been home, visited, shown the pictures and the video, etc. etc. I can't say that the Bahamian postal worker was performing at the same level of enthusiasm as the DCL CMs, but he was competent and apparently got the job done!

We followed the DIS advice to walk further away from the ship to the quieter side of the family beach - and here are two pictures that show the merits of this plan - the first looks back to the first half of the family beach closest to the Magic, and the second looks to the right of where we settled - definitely much more room to stretch!!!!

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Having said this, I don't think there really is a bad place to sit on the family beach! Here is where we settled ourselves for the day...

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We could have had a hammock, but didn't go for it - although we did make sure that we had an umbrella.

TIP to SELF and Others - We moved after settling once in order to be closer to the jungle gym in the water. As we arrived, kids were swimming all around it, jumping off, swinging on the ladders as far as they could manage and then falling into the ocean below, etc. and it looked like the DDs would spend a lot of time there, so we moved to be closer so that we could watch from the beach. This seemed like a great strategy, except for about an hour after we got there they closed it as the tide was low and it was therefore too shallow for kids to be on the gym. Low tide was likely an hour or so later, as there was definitely more beach than when we first arrived, and then of course it took a few hours more after the tide turned for water levels to rise again, so the kids only got back onto the jungle gym in the hour before we left. So, next time I will try to figure out the tide schedule at Castaway Cay before situating ourselves so close to the gym!!!

Having skipped our planned beach excursion at Cozumel, and with almost a week of sun exposure as a base, the DDs were ready for a full day at the beach, so that's what we did!!! We built a sandcastle of the Magic - check out the Mickey Pool made out of CC seashells - I thought that was pretty ingenious of DD5 to figure out all on her own!!!!

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Lunch at Cookies was fine. Certainly the setting is great - breeze blowing, and simply admiring the excellent outcome of what much be a logistical nightmare - feeding over 2,000 people and then cleaning up and making it seem like we were never there! I remembered reading before leaving (Ashman's TR I think) to find the fresh fruit, and at first I couldn't find it but eventually we did! MMMM - papaya, etc. Good stuff!

After lunch, we decided to head over to She Sells Seashells - what a great little spot! We were able to find a t-shirt for everyone as a souvenir, and arranged to have the bag delivered back to the ship. I had thought it would be delivered to our stateroom, but eventually figured out that you have to retrieve it from the store where they sell liquor - didn't get there til almost 11 pm, as I scrambled to finish packing our bags by the 11 pm deadline for bag pickup!

After our shopping expedition, we headed back to our spot on the beach, and DH and DD10 went off to check out snorkelling. I was hesitant at first for them to invest in the rental expense, as I was concerned DD10 would try it, not like it, and then not be willing to go back. Instead, they snorkelled TWICE - for about an hour each time, and on the second trip they found the sunken Mickey!!! Then, we really wished that we had brought an underwater camera with us. DD10 says that I should tell everyone on the DIS that Mickey is about 4 feet away from one of the white markers - perhaps that's even why the marker is there! They also thought the airplane pieces were interesting - Castaway Cay must have some interesting stories from its less-Disneyesque past.

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As the afternoon waned, it became clear that the CMs were more interested in cleaning up the beach than delivering drinks, which was too bad because I would have DEFINITELY invested in one more beer for the road. But I did learn that you don't need to bring the towel that you picked up for the beach on the way off the boat all the way back - CMs were wandering around and were more than willing to look after picking up the used beach towels - great! one less thing to carry back!

With regret, we handed in our beach towels and snorkel gear at 3:30 or so, and meandered back towards the Magic.

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I wonder if it's just too long a trip from Castaway Cay to Grand Cayman? It would be wonderful for there to more double dips where they skip Key West and bookend the cruise with stops at Castaway Cay. We just don't need to get away that much from southern Ontario in the Fall when the double dips are scheduled - February is when we really need a break!!!

Up Next and Last - The Final Night On Board, and Flying Home

[cdndizzylizzy]

Your report is great and the pictures are fantastic!
Thanks!:)


Hi Tamim! Have fun on your Western trip! We live only 1/2 hour apart as we are just down the 401 in Woodstock! There were literally hundreds of Canadians on our Feb cruise, and DD10 met a girl her own age from Brantford in the clubs! Travel thousands of miles to make a new friend who lives 15 minutes away!!!!

[sherrie]

Thanks so much for posting, fabulous report and pics, Please tell me what are the photo mattes that you had autographed. I haven't heard of this yet/ TIA Have a great day.:rockband:

[tamim]

Hi Elizabeth: Your report has been great!:thumbsup2 It's true that Canadians always seem to find each other in other parts of the world!
We have had that happen whenever we travel! It's nice to meet people who know where you are from and don't ask how close you are to Toronto or Vancouver in Canada.:rotfl2:
Hope my kids find some new friends too!

[cdndizzylizzy]

Thanks so much for posting, fabulous report and pics, Please tell me what are the photo mattes that you had autographed. I haven't heard of this yet/ TIA Have a great day.:rockband:


Hi Sherrie,

We went to a photo store and bought an 8x10 matte, like you would put in an 8x10 frame around a 5x7 picture. It only cost about $5 for each one. We kept them wrapped in plastic to protect them, and dropped them off at Guest Services. They came back with signatures all over them, so now we can frame a 5x7 picture for each DD from some time during the cruise, and they will be surrounded by signatures! I will try to post a picture of the matte - don't have one so will have to take one!

[nenner1]

Thank you for sharing!
Excellent report!

[cdndizzylizzy]

It's sad to write about the final night on board the Magic - I guess that's why I have procrastinated from finishing my Trip Report.

After our amazing day at Castaway Cay, it was time to clean up and enjoy the "Til We Meet Again" dinner and the show afterwards. The show was a fun bookend to the week, as it brought out the same characters as the All Aboard show just a short 6 days earlier...

The dinner was a bittersweet one. We had our tip envelopes ready for Andrea and Ivan, and the girls enjoyed hand-delivering these to them. We received excellent service from them, as always, and in particular Ivan had gone out of his way for our dessert. The night before, we had asked for flambeed bananas for me, and for the chocolate mint ice cream sundae for DD5. Even though neither were on the menu for this day, he made sure they arrived when it was time for dessert. I was pleased that he had made this effort. Over dinner we also reminisced with our table neighbors to the left and the right - over the course of the week we had enjoyed idle conversation - how was your day, where are your kids, so-and-so looks a bit sunburned... And now, we were saying goodbye, hope you have a nice life. It was the beginning of the sadness....

After the show, we braved Shutters - it was PACKED full of people. In the end, I found a great pic of DD5 taken that afternoon on the beach at Castaway Cay. It captured her spirit so fully that I simply could not resist! All in all, we spent less than $100 on pictures from Shutters - we brought home the Embarkation photo, semi-formal photo, 2 pictures with Cinderella (1 for each daughter) and the picture of DD5 mentioned above. I am glad that I did not buy a larger package, and have no regrets 2 months later about pictures that I recycled during the week (although I must admit that it is certainly painful to drop pictures into that slot!).

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I was also waiting to speak to the booking agent to try to book while still on board. I now know that the night before disembarking is NOT a good time to do this. There were several families wanting to talk to her, and we really did not feel like she was in a position to sit down with us and really talk about our options. We ended up rebooking anyways, 3 weeks later, and I am down about $300 (from the loss of the 10% discount) plus my OB SR credits. So, note to self for next time, be prepared and see them midweek, or right away and get it over with, if you want to book again while on board!

Our main server had tipped us about the final farewell with all of the characters, so we made sure that we were in the Atrium for that special time. Sadly, DD10 was completely done - I mean exhausted. If you think about it - a week of activity, and particularly on this Friday in question - a full day in the sun and fresh air, 2 hours of snorkeling, a large-ish, yummy meal and 2 desserts, and it was already past her bedtime. She sat on the couch and sulked for a while, but we know when to let her be, so we did. DD5 was in her glory - she flitted from Peter Pan and Wendy, to getting her picture taken with Franco and the evil stepsisters and then on to the Fairy Godmother. At the end, we watched the grand finale on the staircase, and then we knew it really was time to head back to the room and get packing...

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Back in the room, the frenzy of packing began. Exactly how DID we fit all of these shoes and things into these suitcases? Dirty laundry, even if folded, never fits into suitcases like it would if it was clean! The girls were desperate to go to sleep, but we kept them up and packing until 11 pm, including the last minute trip to get our souvenirs from She Sells Seashells, spoke to our room steward and made sure that he knew that we had a few more bags to get outside our door, and got everything done at about 11:30 pm. Sadly, we settled down for our last night and fell asleep quickly.

Saturday Morning

We were up just before 6 am, in order to get down to the Walt Disney Theatre for customs on time. This was handled very smoothly, and we were out of there with our passports back in our possession by about 6:10 am. Since there was some time before our breakfast time slot of 6:45, we went out to Deck 4 for a while (as we were already docked at Port Canaveral, DD5 was OK with Deck 4) and we watched the unloading of empties and the re-stocking going on. WOW - lots of beer kegs, LOTS of milk, and that was just in the 5 to 10 minutes that we were watching - truly a marvel that they turn the whole thing around so quickly, as it occurred to me that next week's cruisers were having breakfast somewhere and counting the minutes until it was time for them to arrive at the port!

We headed down to breakfast with Andrea and Ivan, and had a restful, relaxing breakfast with them catering to our every need - none of their other assigned families had come to Parrot Cay, so for once they were able to relax a bit and chat with us. Certainly in our case I did not notice any decline whatsoever in the level of service we received - I guess our tip was considered appropriate...:thumbsup2

Begrudgingly, we headed out of Parrot Cay shortly before 8 am, and went for one more walkabout the Magic. We took some pictures with Mickey at the wheel in the Atrium, and contemplated whether we should just get going. It was difficult to drag ourselves to leave. Eventually, we headed out through the gates to the well wishes of the CMs, and headed down to get our luggage.

As posted on other TRs, the disembarkation process, especially if you are ready to pay a few dollars for the porters, is smooth and seamless. We went down the escalators, and gave the nod to one of the porters waiting at the bottom. He led us to our area where our luggage was stored, based on our stateroom number, and all 4 of our suitcases were right where they should have been. He loaded them up on his carrier, and walked us straight to the waiting bus for ground transfers back to MCO. Before we could blink we were no longer on the Magic, and we were settled into seats on the bus for the 45 minute trip back to the airport.

For the most part, the vast majority of the bus passengers quietly snoozed, or slept outright, for the trip. Gone was the excitement and anticipation, replaced by the bittersweet emotions of just having had the best vacation of our lives.

We were at MCO some time between 9:30 and 10:00 am, giving us loads of time to check luggage, shop, have lunch, etc. before our 12:30 flight. We did those things, and DD10 settled into a chair to finish writing in her journal (her school assignment) about her adventures on board. She told me it helped make it easier to leave to write about the good times she had - I know how that feels - that's why so many of us write Trip Reports!

A few hours later, we were safely in Buffalo, and were home a few hours after that.

Afterword

I am finding it hard, 2 months later, to stop talking to my friends and co-workers about our adventures on board the Magic. I am sure that they are bored to tears now, and they are thinking to themselves that it's time for me to leave my vacation in the past. Soon, I suppose, we will stop thinking about our last cruise, as it will time to start the dreaming and planning process for our NEXT one!!! :cool1:

A month or so ago, the girls spent the evening with their Nana reliving their holiday through creating their own special scrapbooks. Now, I am NOT a scrapbooker - kudos to all of you who are, but I just don't have the patience most of the time. But this was a really fun activity. I printed 15 or so of the best pictures (many of which are also in this TR), and they added these to their scrapbooks along with items purchased from a scrapbooking store, as well as cutouts from various DCL marketing literature (obtained before and during the cruise). They also put their KTTW cards, their airline tickets, and various other memorabilia into their scrapbooks. The luggage tickets are also prime items for a scrapbook! DD10 also has her ticket from her hair braiding appointment, and she stole my Boarding Pass as well - at least we will always know that we had #7 for our first voyage on the Magic!

So for now, this is the end of our adventure. I still find myself lurking the DIS, and have already joined my fellow cruisers on the Feb 24 2008 Meet Board!

Happy sailing everyone!:boat:

[plutospup]

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise! It was a great trip:)

[cdndizzylizzy]

That does look really cute. But that would be an all day job with long hair and she doesn't have near the patience!! Thanks for adding the pictures! I am so excited about our trip when I read really great TR's. And yours is wonderful!
Karen

Hi Madisonznana - have you been on your cruise yet???? How did the hair braiding turn out????

[Madisonznana]

Hi Madisonznana - have you been on your cruise yet???? How did the hair braiding turn out????
We just got home last night. I will start my TR soon! Madison never did get her hair braided though. And she never asked about it after the 3rd day!! This trip was quite rough on Madison, she was whipped by last night! How did your younger dd make it?
Karen

[cdndizzylizzy]

Actually, it was my older daughter that had "had it" by Friday night. We were at the Til We Meet Again event and she refused to participate - no temper tantrum, or anything - just "tell me when it's over, I'll be over here sleeping on the couch!". I think our younger daughter was living on adrenaline or something - they slept a lot when they got home, that's for sure...

[Madisonznana]

Madison also had a meltdown on the Pirate Party night. My dh brought her back to the room and they had room service and watched the fireworks from the room. That was after a nap that day too. She has been absolutely wonderful since waking up Thursday morning. In a great mood both days. She did have a wonderful time.
Oh, I started my TR! Part one is up.
Karen

[disneytraceyl]

Great trip report... :)
I can't wait for February.... :cheer2: