3/24/07 MAGICal Western Trip Report - Finally updated 3/26/08

[meegster]

Love, love, love reading all the trip reports here so figured I should make my contribution to the library and hopefully pass on some good info.

Pre-trip
I want to first thank the DIS boards for all the info I’ve picked up. I’m a huge lurker and really found lots of great tips from the board – things to watch for, ask for, do, etc. It really made our trip special and we took advantage of as much as we could.

Cast of characters:
Me, meegster, 38
DH, 37
DS, 7
DD1, 4
DD2, 4, yes twins
DMom, 65+
DDad, 65+

The seven of us shared 2 adjoining category 5 rooms on deck 7. We also traveled with friends, a family of 4 in an inside room across the hall from us on deck 7 as well as their inlaws, mysteriously in some un-named room on deck 6 or 7 – they would never tell! :confused3

We booked this trip a year in advance so there was LOTS of time to plan – I think I over-planned, brought too much stuff, but knew a few insider tips that made me seem like a pro – thanks DIS!

I did send a box ahead to the ship via UPS – it was there waiting for us when we boarded – no problem. I had sent LOTS of coloring/activity books for during dinner and the trip home, over the door shoe holder, pop-up hamper, pirate night toys and accessories (Target), underwater disposable cameras, clothespins, pillowcases, sharpies and a magnetic dry erase board. I shouldn’t have sent all that activity stuff – the kids needed no entertainment during dinner, outside of what was provided with crayons & kids menus and our great servers. And they had TVs at each seat on the plane so they were very entertained!

We booked through my DMom's travel agent, full Disney package, flights on Delta, stay at Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney transfers.

Next up: Travel Day !!

[meegster]

Just as a reminder, as you get to know us:
Cast of characters:
Me, meegster, 38
DH, 37
DS, 7
DD1, 4
DD2, 4, yes twins
DMom, 65+
DDad, 65+

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Had a hard time going to sleep the night before because of last minute packing and house cleaning – to bed around midnight, alarm set for 3am. Yikes! We had a 4:15am car/van service pick up at my parents house.

I was up first – 3 hours of sleep but I didn’t care – I was heading to Florida! MAGIC here I come. Quick shower for me and then DH. Got everything packed and then woke the kids. Clothes had already been laid out so DH turned on the video camera and we woke each kid up with – “Are you ready for a Disney Cruise?!” I haven’t seen them be this cooperative that early in the AM, ever. We were out the door at 4am. Quick 10 minute drive to the folks’ house where the van was already waiting for us. Loaded up our 5 pcs of luggage and 1 carryon a piece plus folks and their stuff and we’re on the road.

Got to John Wayne Airport in OC by 5am, if not sooner. Dropped off quick and hopped in Delta line to check bags – already pre-printed boarding passes. Line was short but wait seemed long since they opened late – around 5:20am. DH was a little confused with the kiosk to check bags but we got it sorted out and on through security. Kids thought it was funny to have to remove their shoes. Line was short and we breezed through but because they didn’t mark my boarding pass with a little highlighter mark, I had to go all the way back – with my kids on the other side. Rrrrr. TSA hustled and got it sorted out before shoes were back on so they didn’t get far.  Lines for Starbucks (for DH and DMom) and McD’s (for all the eats) were long and by the time we got our stuff, it was time to board! Scarf down the grub everyone!

The 7 of us were seated 3 in front of 3 with 1 across the aisle – plenty of options for mixing and matching with the kids. This was the first plane ride for my girls – officially. They claim the flight when they were in my tummy counted but we tried to explain this was the one they got to enjoy so this counts!
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There were TVs in each seat – bummer I forgot all those headphones we already have around the house. $10 later everyone was set. Those plus some homework for DS (including a Flat Stanley project)
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and coloring books for the DDs and the flight to Atlanta was a piece of cake. Napping even took place. Yeah! Changed planes in Atlanta and then off to Orlando. Talk about short flight – they barely got drinks served through the whole cabin.

We got off in Orlando and were so excited ! Loved not having to worry about grabbing our bags thanks to Disney transfers. We immediately went down to baggage claim to find the Disney Express for our ride to the Caribbean Beach Resort. We sat up front on the bus to be the first off – not sure why but it sounded good. We got to the resort after a short drive and went in to check in. Line was relatively short but everyone was whining and complaining at each CM station so it just wasn’t moving. Lovely. We were glad we were only staying there to kill time before the cruise. We didn’t really care where our room was because we were more interested in our cabin onboard the Magic! We were next in line when a crew of high school ball players showed up to check-in. Whew, in line just in time. Check-in did take a while because for some reason our TA put us in one room in one area of the resort and my parents in a completely different section a bus ride away! Why?! So they worked to get us rooms next to each other and all was well. Cruise desk was closed so we’d have to check in tomorrow. No biggie.

Hopped on another bus to get to our section of the resort. It was walking off the bus that I noticed my DH didn’t have his carry-on rolling bag. So I asked, did he leave it on the bus? Nope, we left it on the plane in Atlanta ! Ahhhhhhhhh ! DH was fuming. I was bummed too but really glad it was him and not me that lost it, ya know? Anyway, couldn’t remember what was even in it – trying to remember – his golf shoes, snorkel gear for me, DH and DS, walkie-talkies & charger, DH & DS’s baseball gloves, underwater cameras (disposable), and maybe a couple other random things. It was mostly an extra bag for stuff to bring home. Not good. So straight to the room and we start calling Delta and file a lost bag claim. It hasn’t been reported found so unlikely they’ll find it and be able to get it to us before we sail. Darn!

We called our friends from Chicago who flew in the day before and they were in the same section, ironically. Cool. They were at the pool so we walked over to meet them. Hugs and cheers all around as we were finally here and going on the Magic! We share our lost bag story and instantly feel better when we hear their sleeping in the airport story – bad weather traveling from Chicago – they almost didn’t get to Florida! Ok, our missing stuff wasn’t so bad! We decided to head back to the rooms to get cleaned up and go to Downtown Disney to grab some food and walk around.

Again another fairly short bus ride to Downtown Disney and its packed! We got there around 7 or 7:30pm. Waits at the restaurants were over 2 hours so we hit Earl of Sandwich for some pretty great sandwiches. It was casual and easy – and it let the kids get acquainted with each other. DFS (friend’s son) is the same age as our DS
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DFD is 10, but loved “babysitting” our DDs. My parents got to meet everyone for the first time too.
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After a long travel day, we decided to call it a day. DH and DF (his Chicago friend) had an early tee time for golf at Lake Buena Vista Golf Course. The rest of my family was going to hit the pool for the day while their family was going to visit a Grandma that lived in the area, since they were there.

Bags were in the room when we got back – this time, DH’s bag isn’t there. Another bag down. He has no golf attire for his early tee time. Lovely. After a call to Guest Services, and since it was Disney being fully responsible for our bags once in Orlando, they gave DH $100 credit at the golf shop at the course for appropriate golf wear for in the AM if still no bag.

We pitch DD2 next door with the Grands and DS & DD1 share the other bed. Still too excited to sleep but I try.

[meegster]

Having trouble posting pics - will update once I get the hang of this.

Testing:

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos3085/2/75/34/2/26/7/726023475206_0_ALB.jpg

Aha! Its the Costco site - uploading from Ofoto worked here. I'll get busy moving pics!

Scratch that - still having issues. I'll try to work on that and add photos later.

[rick1138]

Meegster, sorry to hear your party had so much trouble with baggage.
We'll be taking the Western in Sept and I look forward to hearing about how it all turned out.:)

[LITTLEKID58]

Tfs

[eph94]

We were on this cruise too. I should get off my behind and work on a TR too before the details get a bit hazy. We ended up going on an Eastern a month later, but we liked this Western one better!

[meegster]

Friday, March 23, 2007

Early wake up call for the DH to get out for golf. Still no bag for him – can’t even shave and no clean underwear. Sorry honey! He takes his backpack as I sleepily agreed I shouldn’t need anything from it. We slept in a little more and then a knock on the door – 8:30am – DH’s bag is here. Whew. We get up and decide to get some breakfast at Old Port Royale food court at the resort. On the way over, we stop at the cruise desk in the lobby to check in. Oh, I need passports? Those are in DH’s backpack! Darn. My parents go ahead and check in – we’ll have to wait until the cruise terminal tomorrow since DH won’t be back from golf until 2pm – desk closes at noon. DARN! And, the bus to port leaves CBR at 12:15. 12:15?! I wanted to BE there by then. :sad2: Not going as planned.

Got to the food court, Mickey waffles for all the kids, of course. I got a ham & cheese omelette – can’t remember what the folks got. Decent enough, though pricey. But I’m over it now, we’re on vacation and those KTTW cards help me forget about cash. We walk back to change into swimsuits and get our pool gear. The main pool at the resort is great with a shallow kiddie section, castle and slide!
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And I love the lifevests for the littles. My DDs can swim but wouldn’t have done the slide into the big pool without having the vests on so they popped right up. Couldn’t keep them off the slide then! DDad even got in there with the kids. :yay:
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We lounged all day. No one wanted to get out for lunch and since we ate breakfast late, we just snacked on fruit, crackers, nuts & Uncrustables from the little store inside the food court. DH & DF returned from golf around 3pm. They changed and DF gathered his family to meet us at the pool. At 4:30, we decided to head back and try to get a little nap before our evening plans – Hoop Dee Review dinner show with the whole group! :cheer2: Cruise kickoff !

And nap we did. The kids went down pretty easy, DH was out immediately. I even snoozed for 20 mins – just enough for me. We were supposed to be ready by 6:15 to meet up with the group and bus it over to Wilderness Lodge. They call at 5:45 and say be ready by 6 – we hadn’t even woke the kids up yet. We rush to get ready and meet up with the group. Finally meet DF’s in-laws – my parents totally click with them right away. Yeah! :yay:

Bus to CBR lobby then bus to DTD then bus to Fort Wilderness Resort and then to the campground. Whew. Long trek – but got there just as things were starting. Got a great group shot of all 13 of us outside the show – that we got sucked into paying big bucks for – oh well, there were 4 families and 4 pics – we each got one and split it. Chow bell rang and it was time to head inside. We had a floor table off to the left side of the stage and pretty close up – perfect. Server was great for our large party. The show was fun, especially for the kids.
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We enjoyed the wine and beer included with dinner. And loved that everything was served it heavy metal buckets - fried chicken, ribs, corn on the cob, salad & cornbread. The glasses were mason jars. Tons of food, laughs and singing. DFFIL and DFMIL were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary on this trip so we drew attention to ourselves and they had to get up and dance in front of everyone. Nice moment. :love:
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After the show, we decided to take the water ferry back to WDW and then catch a bus to our resort. The ferry was fun – my kids considered that a ride in itself. Everyone was tired when we got back so it was straight to bed for the kids. We had packing to do – luggage pick up was 8am! We decided to skip bringing suits to swim onboard since we weren’t getting to port until after 1:30 at best plus had to check-in still, fix Palo reservations and had early dinner seating. So we packed and went to bed.

Next up - Finally getting to the MAGIC

Still working out the picture issues but will add lots when I can!

[Mickey'sfriend]

Love your story! Can't wait to hear more!popcorn::

[nenner1]

Great so far, subscribing!!!

popcorn::

[DreamCruiser100]

Loving your report, subscribing!!:goodvibes

[CRSNDSNY]

SUbscribing! :)

[meegster]

Thanks everyone for checking this out!

eph94: hope this encourages you to do your trip report. disneypoor was my motivation! She was on our cruise as well and did a great report!

More to come soon! And adding pictures ! :yay:

[meegster]

Saturday, March 24, 2007, Part One:

Woke up early to get showers and pack toiletries. We wanted to carry on as little as possible since we were getting on late. Bags were picked up promptly at 8am. Then we left for breakfast back at the food court at Old Port Royale. We didn’t need to rush so we took our time. We even ran into DF and his family there. We decided to meet up around 11:30 since we heard a line for the bus started early.

We went back to the room and cleared it out and went back to the Old Port Royale to just hang out in the courtyard by the pool. We bought snacks for the bus and got tattoos. DS got a pirate on his arm, to match DFS’s. DD1, my princess, got a little Minnie Cutie on her ankle. DD2, my tomboy, got a little Mickey cutie on her LEFT ankle as she’s a proud lefty. Now they matched DFD who got a fairy on her ankle. DFW and I decide to join in the fun too. I got a little Tink on my lower back – made me consider getting one for real!  DFW got one on her lower back too – of all seven dwarfs ! So funny. Forgot to take pics, darn.

We got an update on our missing bag – it was located in Phoenix but obviously wouldn’t get to Orlando in time so they were sending it back to our home airport, SNA, and would hold it until we came back. At least it was found.

Around noon, we moved inside the food court area where the bus check-in was supposed to be. DH and DF were ready to pounce on those nice DCL folks trying to get the first boarding numbers – think they were antsy to get there? DFFIL & DFMIL had rented a car and drove to port early. They called from on board already and we hadn’t even got on the bus from CBR yet! DARN! Not doing the bus next time – we’ll rent a car or get our own shuttle – will probably still check bags from the resort – heard you can do that. Will have to research that for next time.

So even though we got numbers 1-11 to board, they didn’t board in order. We were still kinda close to the front. The bus finally left around 12:30. The drive was long, or so it seemed. The nice DVD we were supposed to have to watch was broken so it was a long quiet ride. We were hoping DDs would nap but no good. Finally, over the hill, out on the horizon, there she was. More beautiful in person that one can imagine. So very excited at this point. DF and family had already checked in at the resort so they jammed on-board. We were in such a rush to get onboard we didn’t even check out the terminal. The shame ! We had issues checking my DS in since he was listed with my parents and they already checked in but he didn’t. DH worked that out while I ran to get kids checked into their respective Kids Clubs and get the pager. Done. Done. Let’s board!

Up next - getting ON the Magic !

[meegster]

Saturday, March 24, Part Two:

Embark photo was a downer – we were tired from the long boring bus ride and just wanted to get onboard ! They announced our name to a lobby with 2 CM’s in it – no one else. I don’t think anyone noticed how special that was supposed to be. I was on a mission. Had to change PALO ressies from 2 to 4 people. We called Disney 3 times before our online window was open and were told we could only book PALO for the adults in our cabin. We wanted to go with DF and DFW and our reservations were linked yet we were told no. DF couldn’t even get a PALO ressie online by the time he tried – he slept in. I got one for 7:30 on the night we wanted but only for party of 2 and after having no luck getting any help to change it prior to cruise even though I was so misguided by CMs over the phone, there in person it was a piece of cake. I was VERY worried about that whole thing – now I know how accommodating they are and won’t ever worry again. I cancelled the 9pm we were holding for DF since we got the change. Excellent. We also confirmed we got the LAP 6pm rotation we wanted – more excellence. :cool1:

We walked around a little bit, took the required porthole pictures
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and then headed to our cabins 7040 & 7042 – since it was getting close to the drill time. I popped up our door signs – nothing fancy but cute just the same. Made one for each family’s cabin. DFW thought the cruise line made hers – had to break the news to her it was me! The kids were totally cooperative and the drill was painless and quick. Can’t believe this picture-freak didn’t take the obligatory lifevest picture! We dropped the life jackets back off and headed up to the party. We loved our cabin location – deck 7 midship – easy to get to everything! We filled our plastic Diet Coke bottle with our buddy, Jack Daniels, that we brought onboard and headed to the drink station on deck 9 and were our own bartenders. We found our friends already up at the party with a table. Perfect. The dancing began. DD’s were interested in watching but wouldn’t dance! DS joined DFS and DF out on the dance floor. Then they asked for a volunteer to come be part of their boy band performance. DF got picked. He LOVES to dance. So he got right up there, learned the steps and busted out some major moves. He was up on the Dumbotron and everything. Where was my camera?! Luckily DFW got pics.
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We hung around up top for a little while as we finally left port. Saw the Mickey Hands waving us goodbye and headed back down to change for dinner.

Luggage was arriving but there was no time to unpack. We changed and headed to Lumiere’s for our first dinner aboard the Magic. I think we had the biggest table right in the middle of the restaurant each night. We met our server, Gabor, from Hungary, aka Zsa-Zsa, and his assistant, Evandro, from Brazil, aka Rambo. Polar opposites we’d learn but the BEST servers!! (right disneypoor?!) Dinner was a blur with all the excitement of being on the ship. The kids got the lecture about trying stuff from the adult menu and if they didn’t like it could use the kid menu as a back up – didn’t work too often. I don’t remember what any of us had that first night – sorry. Never took any food pics!

After dinner, we stopped into the clubs for a quick look around. DDs didn’t want to leave so I assured them they’d be there first thing in the AM due to PALO brunch with my parents. The Club seemed a little young for my DS so we checked out the Lab. Way more his speed so we had him bumped to the 8-9 group. He wanted to stay too but we explained the brunch thing to him too and he was ok to go. We headed to the Welcome Aboard show. We got a preview of the acts to come – really looking forward to Gary Delena’s shows. DF got called up on stage AGAIN during the Jeff Civillico portion of the show – DF helped with his unicycle/juggling act and was here-on-out nicknamed Chicagie. Strangers greeted him by that name the rest of the cruise! DD2 got sick toward the end of the show – seasick, lovely. So I had to leave early to get her back and cleaned up. She went straight to bed. Everyone met back up with us at the cabins and we called it a night – kinda early but ok, it was a long day. Had a really hard time falling asleep – but I was the only one.

Up next - Checking out Key West

[Lindy Loo]

what a great trippie!

Thank you, i love the detail and photos!

we go in Oct, so it would be great to get lots of info :thumbsup2

[Angie_Ohio]

Your kids are adorable. We have a 7 day Western booked for Nov 08. We were on the 7 day Eastern in 06 and had a great time. Anxious to hear about a Western thought.
Angie_OH

[meegster]

Sunday, March 25, 2007 - Key West

We woke up late, for us, maybe around 7:30. Wanted to get the kids to the clubs by 9am to make our PALO brunch at 10am. DD2 was fine and dandy in the AM. We headed up to Topsiders for quick buffet for the kids and dropped them at the club and lab. Barely got goodbyes out of them! DDs immediately got to know Heather from S. Africa and Meaghan from Canada – those counselors especially always greeted the girls and us with open arms, willing to talk about their time in the club and looked forward to the girls coming back. LOVED them. DS went into the Lab no problem. He met a couple counselors – Jean-Noel and Oliver from Australia, Brad from England, Roxanne from S. Africa and Drew from the United States. He met a few other boys in there and they’d exchange greetings when they saw each other around the ship.

DH, DDad, DMom and I headed to PALO brunch. It was just opening at 10am so we were promptly seated. Our server was Ciao-Romano from the Philippines. He was very gracious and proud to show us around. He made sure we tried anything and everything and insisted we order things even if it was just for a taste. The pizzas were excellent, Eggs Benedict (I’m loyal to this on a menu to a fault) was only ok – I was bummed. We ordered a veal something off the lunch menu and it was delish. My absolute favorites were the Stollen Bread with whipped cream and jam and the prosciutto wrapped asparagus with hollandaise sauce. Had many servings of that. DH loved the smoked salmon and tried the Eggs Julia – said it was ok. It was perfect timing too because we enjoyed watching the Magic pull into Key West all during our brunch at our window-seat table. We so enjoyed Chao-Romano that we told him we were planning to be back Tues night with friends and wanted him to be our server. Done.

We took our time walking to the club to get the kids – we took pictures of the little island near the port dreaming of buying a house on it. The kids of course didn’t want to leave their clubs so we told them they’d be back later and they finally agreed. They’d already eaten in the club so we just had to pack up for the day. Time to venture off the ship for the first time.
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We’d never been to Key West and I was drooling for some frozen key lime pie on a stick. We strolled around some souvenir shops – bought sunglasses for the DDs, DS had his collection of baseball hats with him so didn’t want any. We also popped into CVS for replacement snorkel gear since it was in our carry-on bag headed back home. We luckily found a Blonde Giraffe location rather quickly and got our treats.
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I wasn’t sure the kids would like it but with all the sour candy they like these days, they were fighting over my frozen one on a stick. Yummers!

Since treats were now over, the kids were whining to go back to the ship. We tried to radio our friends and they were just getting off the ship. We took the “long” way back to the dock and by then, DDad & DMom were ready to go back too. It was pretty hot that day – probably the hottest day of the trip. They offered to take the kids back to the ship and check them into the clubs. They wanted to have some quiet reading time anyway. So DH and I ventured back out into Key West. We walked along Duval St. and stocked up on Crazy Shirts – DH’s favorite. I think he bought 3 or 4, I got a tank top from there too. We tried DF on the radio again, they were taking their kids back already too. We told them to call us when they were ready for a drink. We stumbled upon Sloppy Joe’s which seemed like a great place to park it for drinks. Low and behold, sitting at a corner table were DFW’s parents – they were having a drink after their Walking Tour excursion – which they really enjoyed. So we pulled up a couple chairs and radioed DF to let them know where we were. They quickly joined us and the 6 of us had some drinks, people watched (since our table was in the doorway by the street corner) and laughed !
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Saw Key West’s version of Elvis, we think. DH got a picture – never did find out the story about him – anyone know?

Only because we had 6pm dinner did we finally head back about 5pm. After grabbing the kids, who thoroughly enjoyed themselves in the club that afternoon but couldn’t remember what they did, we changed for dinner. It was Animator’s Palate. We were all excited for the color-change show. It was very subtle and didn’t get as vibrant as I would have expected but the kids thought it was cool. Here's our wonderful servers - Gabor & Evandro!
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Again, didn’t keep track of what any of us ate – no pictures either. Except for mmmmm, Mickey Bars :mickeybar
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But it was nice this night, I remember that. DCL photographers got a great picture of all 13 of us that night at dinner. (need to scan to post) Then we went outside and took Key West Sunset pictures
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The DDs wanted to go back to the club and not go to the Gary Delena show which was fine. On the way to the club we stopped for a number of character greeting pictures.
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DD1 wanted to see everyone – Wendy, Belle, Fairy Godmother – she even went right up to the Cruise Director, Christiaan, to greet him and get a picture. So cute!
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DD2 only likes Belle and Mulan so we luckily got to see Belle.
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DS and DFS wanted to go with the Lab to see The Shaggy Dog. DFD decided to go to her Lab group too. Grown-up time! The 8 of us grown-ups went to the Gary Delena show which we all loved and were counting the minutes until his “adult” show later in the week. My DDad & DMom picked up my DDs and met up at the cabin for goodnights around 10pm. DS & DSF wanted to stay for Sports Deck time until after our show. DH and I headed back out to Rockin’ D Bar where we found DF, DFW and her parents already at a table. Jeff Civillico’s adult show was at 10:15 – funny, entertaining. We left as they were rounding people up for Match Your Mate – I wanted to see it but no one else did. After the show, we walked around looking for something to do but it seemed the ship was asleep. We finally got the boys our of the Lab from the Sports Deck around 11:30. We grabbed a late night snack of pizza at Goofy’s eating on Deck 9 at night – that was fun. The boys played a little ping-pong while we hung out. We called it a night since it was a sea day the next day and DH wanted to get up to work out.

Up next - Day at Sea - Whoopee !

[mormadsmom]

Now those are some really cute kids! Can't wait to read more. Did the eastern last month, would like to do western next.

[meegster]

Thanks everyone - I think they're pretty cute too! :love:

All this reminiscing is making me want to go back - Nov 2008 seems so far away!

[meegster]

Monday, March 26, 2007, Part One: Dukin’ it out over deckchairs

Ah, a day at sea. I’ve been looking forward to this since we boarded. Little did I know the craziness of the pools!

The day started with DH working out while I got everyone up and ready for breakfast and the pool. DDad was gone to go read a book. This became a morning ritual. He’s an early riser so he’d roll out of bed, get dressed, grab his book and head up to Deck 9 to get coffee and read. He was never in the same place so we always had to go searching for him. Got old after a couple of days! Once DH returned, we went looking for DDad and headed to Topsiders for a quick breakfast. As we walked around looking for DDad we noticed how many chairs were already “saved” – ALL of them. Lovely. :mad:

So we ate and went straight for the Mickey pool – around 9:30. It would be the first time the kiddos could check out the Mickey slide. We couldn’t find a single lounger so we grabbed the first table and chairs we could to park our stuff. DDad just sat there reading guarding our stuff. DMom wandered around and peeked in on the kids. She stays out of the sun if at all possible. DH and I took turns watching the kids in the pool and looking for loungers to open up. No luck. Stuff spread everyone and no bodies for over 1.5 hours!

Along one of the back rows of loungers there was 1 man laying there sunning and 10 loungers saved – 5 or so on each side of him. It had been that way the whole time we’d been up at the pool. So I asked some adults further down from him if anyone was using those chairs and they said they weren’t theirs. These 4 adults were crammed on 2 chairs and rolling their eyes too. Great, had to approach the man. I ask if all the chairs were saved and he said yes.

Me: But I’ve been out here for over an hour and no one has sat in them.
Man: I have a big family coming.
Me: Do you really need ALL of them? Can you spare one?
Man: No, early bird gets the worm.
Me (as I walk away but loud enough for him to hear): Nice, that’s real considerate of you to all the rest of us. :furious:

I march back over to the edge of the Mickey pool and report to DH about the man encounter. We grumble about it and decide we need our friend Jack (Jack Daniels, that is). I ran to the room to get some and we pour drinks from the Drink Station. It’s about 11:30 now. We start chatting up a guy from the Midwest who’s on the pool edge too, chairless. His DS is playing with our DDs. Nice conversation. Then the cocktail waitress comes up and says to me, there’s a man back there who said you can use some of his chairs. AH-HA! Guilt won! I walk over and he offers me a few chairs. I thank him profusely, trying to be the bigger person, “you’re my hero” and such. He says I made him feel guilty and he got tired of waiting for his family. We exchange niceties, shake hands and all is well. So I take up one chair. Haven’t seen much of DF and his family – where are they?

30 minutes later, I’m bored. No one to talk to, can’t see my kids, and it’s starting to get shady from the sun moving across the sky. Darn. Now I feel guilty that I should stay in the chair since I kinda pitched a fit over it. I call the kids over to eat so that kills some time. They loved eating at Pluto’s Doghouse – and the food was pretty good to for what it was – chicken strips, burgers, etc. We grabbed wraps and fruit at Goofy's. Nice alternative. But it was getting time to get ready for our spa treatment – DH and I were going to enjoy the infamous “ER” – Exotic Rasul. :rolleyes1

Next up - At Sea Part Two

[Angie_Ohio]

We're booked for a 7 day Western at the end of Nov 08. It does seem really far away but I need all that time to save. When is your next one? princess:
Angie_OH

[meegster]

We're going on the Thanksgiving Double Dip in 2008 - can't wait !!

[meegster]

Monday, March 26, 2007, Part Two:

We left off with getting ready for our couples spa treatment – the ER. We help DDad and DMom by getting DDs back to the room to change. My DDad will stay in the room with the DDs so they can get a nap. DS finally meets up with DFS and DF and DFW decide they’ll keep him for a bit and swim in the Goofy pool. My DMom hangs nearby in the shade and talking with DFMil. We run off to the spa.

Check in was quick and we are led to the treatment room. There’s a big shower to the left, a tile bench seat in front with all the products laid out and a sauna/shower room on the right. Won’t go into details here folks but let’s just say we had a very nice time.

We emerge at 3:15 and go looking for everyone. DS was still in the pool with DFS. DMom had taken the girls for a nap so they were sleeping. Yeah! We wandered around deck 9 for a while, retrieved our buddy JD from the cabin and made ourselves a drink. We sat with DF and DFW on deck for about an hour until it was time to clean up for dinner. Tonight was Formal Night – time to get fancy. Everyone was pretty cooperative getting ready. The kids were actually excited to dress up. DD2, my younger twin, doesn’t like dresses but enjoyed looking nice for this formal night since everyone else was dressed up too. We grabbed complimentary cocktails in the lobby as we waited for our portraits with the Mickey statue in front of Lumiere’s. Those turned out really nice. I’ll try to scan my DCL purchased pictures and add those in later. Here's the kids:
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Again, sorry I dropped the ball on the food thing. I think most of you cruisers know what’s served. I never took a single food picture – not even at PALO – I got too excited to eat and just enjoy our tablemates and servers! But DDad did attempt to "pass" on dessert this night - not sure why - so this is what he got.
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Everyone was excited to see The Golden Mickeys tonight. We started to get to the theater earlier and earlier to be sure we had seats – then just make trips to the bathroom before the show.
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It was a great show. I really love the productions. Love the theater in general and was impressed with their productions! Show ended about 9:30 and there wasn’t much on the agenda we wanted to do so we walked around a bit and called it a night early. Enjoyed another surprise towel animal when we got back.
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Next up - finally back on land - Grand Cayman

[CRSNDSNY]

popcorn:: :thumbsup2

Love the TR so far! Your pics are beautiful! You really have a lovely family. :goodvibes

[Kurby]

fantastic report.

my cousin's son just finished his flat stanley report - he sent his to my aunt in England and she didn't disappoint, taking him to the castle, the underground, the gardens. that project is wonderful.

shame on you for not taking pictures of the food - we haven't been on a cruise yet and i LOVE seeing what the serve and how they present it - BUT totally understandable, from what I hear, people just dive into their meals and forget about the camera.

can't wait to hear more.

[ILUVEVERYTHINGDISNEY]

[QUOTE=meegster;18546101]Just as a reminder, as you get to know us:
Cast of characters:
Me, meegster, 38
DH, 37
DS, 7
DD1, 4
DD2, 4, yes twins
DMom, 65+
DDad, 65+

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Had a hard time going to sleep the night before because of last minute packing and house cleaning – to bed around midnight, alarm set for 3am. Yikes! We had a 4:15am car/van service pick up at my parents house.

I was up first – 3 hours of sleep but I didn’t care – I was heading to Florida! MAGIC here I come. Quick shower for me and then DH. Got everything packed and then woke the kids. Clothes had already been laid out so DH turned on the video camera and we woke each kid up with – “Are you ready for a Disney Cruise?!” I haven’t seen them be this cooperative that early in the AM, ever. We were out the door at 4am. Quick 10 minute drive to the folks’ house where the van was already waiting for us. Loaded up our 5 pcs of luggage and 1 carryon a piece plus folks and their stuff and we’re on the road.

Got to John Wayne Airport in OC by 5am, if not sooner. Dropped off quick and hopped in Delta line to check bags – already pre-printed boarding passes. Line was short but wait seemed long since they opened late – around 5:20am. DH was a little confused with the kiosk to check bags but we got it sorted out and on through security. Kids thought it was funny to have to remove their shoes. Line was short and we breezed through but because they didn’t mark my boarding pass with a little highlighter mark, I had to go all the way back – with my kids on the other side. Rrrrr. TSA hustled and got it sorted out before shoes were back on so they didn’t get far.  Lines for Starbucks (for DH and DMom) and McD’s (for all the eats) were long and by the time we got our stuff, it was time to board! Scarf down the grub everyone!

The 7 of us were seated 3 in front of 3 with 1 across the aisle – plenty of options for mixing and matching with the kids. This was the first plane ride for my girls – officially. They claim the flight when they were in my tummy counted but we tried to explain this was the one they got to enjoy so this counts!
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There were TVs in each seat – bummer I forgot all those headphones we already have around the house. $10 later everyone was set. Those plus some homework for DS (including a Flat Stanley project)
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and coloring books for the DDs and the flight to Atlanta was a piece of cake.


My son did flat stanley last year at his school. Friends of ours took him to Italy. They brought back chocolates for the whole class when Jake got up and did a report.

I love your reprt. I'm subscribing. Keep them coming! Your kids are beautiful.

pirate:

[meegster]

Thanks again everyone for the kind words! :flower3:

We were so good to take Flat Stanley with us everywhere on the cruise but just forgot to take more pictures! Luckily my son's project was still one of the most involved ones in the class so he was pleased. We'll get to revisit Flat Stanley at Open House in a couple weeks.

[meegster]

Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - Grand Cayman

DH was a good boy and got up to work out again around 6am. I slept in for a little bit. But we would be docking in Grand Cayman today and wanted to be off the ship pretty early as we had a self-booked excursion at 9:30. We started getting ready for the day as DH returned. Went on our daily hunt for DDad reading up on Deck 9. Once found, we hit Topsiders for breakfast and checked out port from window seats. Lots of other cruise ships in port that day. We stocked up on cereal boxes for snacks before we left.

Headed to WD Theater to wait for a tender. Very short wait. We boarded with the next group and were ashore by 8:30.
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We checked in with Atlantis Adventures right there by the dock and had an hour to kill. We decided to walk around a little to check out shops and such. We looked for a couple souvenirs for the kids – DS got a handmade wooden flute, DD1 got “log” crayons and DD2 got a little sting ray stuffed toy. We walked back to Atlantis and used the facilities one last time before it was time to go and took lots of silly pictures waiting for our boat.
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Finally it was time. We boarded the boat that was going to take us out to meet up with the submarine. Maybe a 15 min ride away from the dock and we’re told to keep an eye out for the submarine that should be surfacing. Out of nowhere it appears. Neat. Riders from that trip were unloaded to the bottom of our boat and seated. Then we were allowed to get off and into the submarine. It was very clean and comfortable inside. I expected to get a little claustrophobic but never happened. Once everyone was seated we were on our way. The guide was entertaining and funny – filling us with information and trying to get us to be able to see as much as possible – which wasn’t a whole lot. We dove down 102 ft. We saw lots of fish, a sea turtle, a sting ray and an old tire! We also were taken to the edge of the reef that then drops down 1000 ft. into darkness – spooky. It was over before we knew it and followed the same steps back – offloaded to the bottom of the boat and returned to the dock. Nice for all of us to do together since littles weren’t old enough for a lot of the other excursions.

Now, DDad was on the hunt for turtle soup. We asked at the dock where to go and they sent us a ways over to Hammerheads. DDad was thrilled he would be getting his soup only to find out that they were just making the batch and it would be 30 mins to wait – he could have Conch Chowder now though. He settled. Kids were bored and hungry and we ran out of cereal boxes so the Grands took the kids back to the ship for lunch and more club time.
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DH and I decided to get lunch ourselves at Breezes Café overlooking port. Ok food, nice view, ok service. We decided to shop a little since that’s what you’re supposed to do in Grand Cayman. He got a new leather wallet and I got some new pricey perfume. Then he found some shell/leather necklaces for him and DS – it’s a tradition that they get new ones on trips that match. It was getting time to return to the ship leaving at 4:30 so we did and caught up with DF’s in-laws for the tender back.
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Once back onboard, checked in with DDad & DMom to try to find the kids. They were in their clubs so we made cocktails via the drink station and made the rounds to pick them up. We wanted to help ready the kids for dinner since we and DF & DFW were bailing on the Grands for PALO dinner ! Once we got them out the door on the way to dinner at 6pm, it was so nice to get ready alone. We enjoyed another cocktail in-room and got dressed. We stepped out our door at 7pm just as DF & DFW opened their door two doors down – perfect timing. He headed on up to PALO and sat at the bar and orders drinks – we were fine waiting. As soon as the drinks arrived, they showed us to our table before our 7:30 reservation. And we got as requested – Ciao-Romano was again our server.
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This night I can kind of remember what we had because it was all soo good. We shared some pizzas to start – sausage and maybe the chef selection. We also had the calamari which we really light and yummy. DH and I both had the filet but he really wanted to try the Linguine Carbonara so Ciao brought some for us all to share – that was my FAVORITE dish. So getting that next time! Best ever! We had the Panna Cotta and Chocolate Souffle for dessert and finished with the Limoncello. Wonderful dinner experience. I think we were finished around 9:30. We decided to walk around the ship a little – looking for some fun activity. I don’t have my Navigator from Tues so I can’t recall if we did anything. I think we popped our heads into the Production since our kids were there with the Grands. Otherwise, we just met up with them back at the cabin around 10pm and called it an early night.

Next up - Cozumel and my dream of dolphins !

[meegster]

Not that I had a ton of followers but I can't believe I never finished. I'll need to get this going again. Gets me excited for our next trip!

I had this much already written out so each of the next segments might take a little inbetween but I should finish what I started - major flaw of mine!

Hope someone will stop by and check in out and give me some DIS love. :love:

[meegster]

Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - Cozumel

This morning we both woke up and went to the gym. It felt good to be running again with all the eating we’ve been doing. Granted, we did our share of walking and using the stairs but still. Since we had adjoining rooms, DMom just let us open up the connecting door and prop open with the deadbolt when we left so she got the kids up and going for breakfast. DH and I each got a good run in. I couldn’t use the treadmills right out front practically over the water – made me dizzy – so I was fine with the backrow. Then we went down to shower and meet up with everyone and head to Topsiders for breakfast.

We didn’t have to rush as much this morning since we couldn’t go ashore until around 10am. But I was very excited for this day. I was going to swim with dolphins – everyone was expecting I would cry at the sight of it. I get all teary just thinking about it. We were going to Chankanaab Park with our whole traveling party so we met up with DF and all his family and got off the ship. We grabbed a taxi and taxi van and for a quick $10/ taxi we headed to the park. This really was a wonderful day spot. It was well maintained. The dolphin facility was bigger than I expected. Our reservation was for 12 noon so we got there at about 10:30 and decided to park it at the beach for a while – since only 4 of the 13 of us were doing the Dolphin Swim.

DF and family prepped for snorkling, so did DS and DH. We rented vests for the girls and fins for the snorklers - pricing was ok. The currents were pretty rough where we were so the girls didn't swim too long. We brought bread & dinner rolls from the ship to feed the fish - DS & DFS got to see lots of fish with their dads - that was a great idea.
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We were all in and out of the water until time for the swim. I'll get to that in my next post.

Do I cry at the sight of dolphins?

[Donnica]

It's a good thing you decided to finish this since I had read the entire thing already! lol

[BabyFavorite]

Where's the rest?! I was really enjoying this!

[daisy112878]

what happened? I was enjoying the TR.

[JDBlair]

I just found this today and was really in to it!! :surfweb:

[BabyFavorite]

I couldn't view the pictures from work, but I can view them from home. You have got the most gorgeous children!!!

Okay, so... we're waiting. More TR, please! :rolleyes1

[meegster]

Sorry all - we just had 5 days of non-stop activity surrounding my husband's 20 yr high school reunion - he was quarterback so we spent hours, heck, days with the team and their spouses reliving the glory days - even pulled out an old VHS of a game - that got the boys all worked up. Work's gotten busy too but I will try to get something up soon. I'm excited to have readers!! :woohoo:
And thanks for the compliments on my kids BabyFavorite !:cloud9:

[chepic]

Subscribing....although I am going on an Eastern, love to read all I can on any disney TR.....and I too concur, your children are adorable.

che

[meegster]

Sorry for the VERY long delay but figured I still had written record of our trip so I'm posting it for any readers still hanging on . . . I still don't have all my pictures up but will add them in later.

Yes, so today was my dream come true. I was going to be swimming with dolphins. I tear up just thinking about it. I was going to be a marine biologist as a kid, memorized Island of the Blue Dolphins and I wear a necklace with 3 dolphins on it to represent my 3 kids. I’m in heaven.

Our whole travel party has decided to just spend the whole day at Chankanaab Park – a short 10-15 min cab ride from port. This is where the Dolphin Discovery complex was and the park was packed with other things to do – it’s on the beach for snorkeling with gear rental available, there are pools for swimming and sunning, bars and food service. It’s a great place to spend the day. We booked this on our own, there was an online coupon for a couple dollars off each person for Park Admission so we used that as well.

Our excursion time is 12 noon so myself, DH, DFW & DFD head over the check in. We wait for over half an hour in the heat because the staff is running late. That was a drag. We start really complaining about being late and we all get the brush off as its Mexican time – relax. They finally call our group in to watch the introductory DVD showing us what we’ll encounter and how to behave around the dolphins. Finally it’s time to get suited up in lifevests and venture into the water. DF, DMom & DDad were going to try to come take pictures and video but got stopped at the dock. DF paid the security guard to allow them to come in and bingo – they’re in. Don’t remember our trainer’s name, she was lively though. And I’d have to check the video for the dolphins’ names – I was just so overwhelmed. I think they were overbooked or something because most of the swim groups went into the biggest middle pool but we were escorted into one of the side small pools – I was disappointed about that. Anyway, we head into the water and stand on metal grates off to the side as we’re introduced. We have about 8-10 people in our group.
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We get to pet the dolphins, “hug” them and kiss them for photos, do the dorsal fin pull with the 2 dolphins and then the foot push up out of the water – that was the coolest!
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We also then swam out in the middle, watch them jump and dance for us and we got to touch them more.
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It felt really short and rushed and hard to do in the small pool but it was an experience of a lifetime!

After the swim, we rejoin our group back on the beach. DF’s in-laws watched all the kids – so thankful for that! We ate a little since we were starving from waiting so long passed lunch for our swim. Food was ok but pricey. We should have just left for the ship as the rest of the day wouldn’t work out so great. DS was running around in the sand playing baseball with himself, as he often does, when he came over bawling – he has sliced the whole bottom of his toe open on something in the sand – we never found what. Blood everywhere and kids freaking out, we get him calm and bandaged up with napkins, can’t remember if we located band-aids or not. Luckily, DH is a Paramedic Firefighter so he takes care of it but TIME TO GO!

This was a cute one of my kiddos with my DMom waiting for the taxis.
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We hop in a van and car taxi combo to take the 13 of us back to the ship. The kids are losing it, long day of sun and swimming – everyone’s tired – I look back to check on DS and I can see in his face he’s going to puke! Lovely! I get the other kids out of the way and my DH is closest and is in time to get most of it in his hands. Talk about love. Luckily we had lots of towels from the ship to clean up and try to contain the illness. My poor DS is just skin and bones so when he gets stomach sick, he just doesn’t have any reserves of energy by the time we walk back to the ship, he’s vomiting again and has to be carried. Poor guy. We figure it’s from the excitement of the day and too much sugar – he doesn’t do well with too much. We get him back to the cabin and he goes right to sleep.

The rest of the afternoon is a little hazy now that DS is sick. I think my DD’s go swimming with the Grands – not sure what our DF & family did. DS is still throwing up and running a fever. Its getting close to first seating so I ready the DDs for Pirate Night to go to dinner with DDad and DMom as we all had great costumes.
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DH offers to miss dinner to stay with DS so I get ready in costume and head down to dinner. It was in Animators tonight. Our great wait staff insists I order for DH and DS to send stuff to the cabin – which we do. By the time I return from dinner, DH is considering the medical center as DS keep throwing up any medicine we give him to get his fever down. We keep the girls away with my parents or in the club. It was lucky we had those adjoining cabins because we could close the doors and keep the girls over there and have them sleep there to avoid exposure. As the Pirate Party approaches, DH takes DS to the medical center, which is now closed. Luckily the very nice ship doctor comes up to check out DS and give him an IV. I took the girls to the Pirate Party but they were cranky and tired from trying to stay up so late.
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And this is DD2 learning to make a hook from her finger from Christiaan - he was the best interacting with the kids!
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We enjoyed a little dancing but it was pretty windy. They stuck it out until the fireworks and then we booked it to bed in the Grands cabin. I went back out in search of DH and DS. Find them leaving the medical center. DS is quarantined to the room. Concierge is now involved to keep us as comfortable as possible with DS stuck in the room. They send lots of pedialite pops and powerade to the room, menus for the next day and a flat screen with DVD player with 100’s a movies for DS to choose from should he wake up as well as a contact from the club for any activities or toys he might want. The vomiting finally stopped at the medical center so he just came back to the cabin with me and DH and slept. Fever was up and down through the night but no more sickness.

Luckily a day at sea was up next . . .

[meegster]

DH woke up to go for a run, I was on DS illness watch. When DH returned, I ventured out to do the same. Since it was a sea day there was no where to be first thing. The DDs went to breakfast with the Grands – do I have the best parents in the world?!!!! I know I do. I met up with them after my run then we went back to the cabins to figure out what to do. DH and I had couples massages booked for 10:30 so after taking the DDs swimming for a bit, we took them to the club while DMom watched the ill boy from the adjoining cabin. He seemed to be doing ok, just sleeping – the whole time. But no more sickness. Whew. The couples massages were squeezed into one room without any ambiance. If it costs extra since it’s a couples package, just skip it. Or maybe do a spa villa – maybe we’ll do that next time. Massages were ok – nice just the same but not the best ever and certainly not romantic like we’d had with other couples massages.

Felt a little pressed for time, we checked on the girls still enjoying the club and having lunch. We went down to check on the boy who had been awake for about 30 mins and drinking some fluids. Good thing. He chose a couple DVD’s to watch but was asleep by the time they arrived – and no, it wasn’t because they took long, he was just out of energy. By now, DDad was back in his cabin to read so he offered to stay with DS so we grabbed some lunch, DDad had already eaten. We just ate by the pool I think. Can’t recall. We pulled the girls back out for a bit to see if they wanted to swim while they could. So they did for a bit and all the grown-ups took turns staying with DS throughout the afternoon and going back and forth to the pool.

Early seating was fast approaching – need to do early with our young kids but man, it seems to cut into the day. Tonight was semi-formal night. DMom offered to stay back with DS this time as he was still just tired and weak and not really eating much anyway. By now he’s more awake and keeping fluids and crackers down. We go to the Captain’s Gala for the free cocktails but don’t do any pictures since our whole family wasn’t together. This would be Lobster night, I believe, in Parrot Cay, which DMom was wanting to eat. We had the menus already so we just let her pick and we ordered for them both from the dining room, DS got rolls, soup crackers, Cheerios and maybe some chicken tenders – pretty mellow since we weren’t sure what would stay down. The fish smell bugged him so much though that DMom had to eat in her cabin with the door closed and the verandah doors open. He was so sensitive and never threw up again.

I’d forgotten to mention that throughout the day, we were getting calls from Concierge staff checking on DS as well as an afternoon check from the doctor on DS. Since he’d stopped vomiting since last night things were looking up – outside of him having nothing in his system and just exhausted.

After we eat, we trade with DMom so she can take the DDs to the production of Disney Dreams. DH and I head back to hang out with DS who is MUCH better and has been awake since the afternoon. He’s kept some food down and finished off all his fluids. About 9pm, we get a call that if he’s better, he’s cleared from quarantine. YEAH ! He wants out of the cabin! We peeked into the Disney Dreams show but didn’t see our family. DS wanted to hit the arcade, which we had been able to avoid the whole cruise so far! So in celebration of his health, we did. On the way, we checked in with the Club. The kids missed the Graduation ceremony from the club with all the sickness chaos. They still gave all 3 kids their shirts and graduation ears – thought that was really nice!! We walked around a little, taking some pictures of DS since he’s been missing from any activity for over 24 hours. At the arcade, he plays his favorite golf game and maybe an NFL one too. I run down to catch my mom after the show to see what’s up. The girls want to go to the club for a bit so we do that and the Grands turn in. I head back up to the arcade and once the game card is empty, the three of us roam around a bit more. Then about 10:30 we pick up the girls from the Club and all head to bed. The girls still sleeping with the Grands just to be safe.

Next up - Dream Beach Day - Castaway Cay !

[meegster]

I’ve been looking forward to this day as my 2nd favorite thing after the Dolphin Swim. Can’t remember if either DH or I hit the gym but not matter. We do awake to DD1 being hot and saying she needs to be sick. YOU’RE KIDDING ME !! She does get sick once and is running a fever so we pile on the meds. I stay with her during breakfast while the rest go up to Topsiders – DS is finally starving! DD1 and I check out our view of the island and wonder if she’ll make it ashore. By the time we’re ready to venture ashore, her fever is gone and she’s not gotten sick again so we attempt. Everyone is very excited but DD1 is a little mellow for her usual perky self. We decide to grab chairs on the family beach and figure we’ll hook up with DF and his family when they come ashore. We take a few pictures with characters and ride the tram to the family beach. The kids run to the water and play for a good hour. Then DD1 poops out. She sleeps most of the rest of the afternoon in the shade – no sickies, just sleep. DH and DS try to snorkel when DF and DFS show up – they don’t go out for long and couldn’t find Mickey because DS was nervous to go out that far. Once back, DH starts in – he’s got a tummy ache and falls asleep next to DD1 for most of the mid-day. The rest of us play in the water and ate lunch at Cookies BBQ by family beach. Ok food. Kept the menu mellow for the kids just in case. DD1 did eat a little but was still sleepy and was getting warm again. DDad & DMom had had enough sun so they offered take DD1 back to the ship. She got sick once more back in the room but then just slept the rest of the afternoon. I played with DS and DD2 for the afternoon and around 3pm, DH had had enough and wanted to go back too. We head back to the ship, taking photos along the way.

Once back on the ship, we checked in on DD1 who was just resting in the cabin with the Grands. DS and DD2 had a little pool time until it was time for dinner. Since it was our last night and DD1 wasn’t hot or throwing up, we all ventured to dinner for our last night. We brought our tips for our servers – they were just wonderful and we so hope we see them again on our next trip. DD1 was asleep at the table and DH didn’t eat so went back to the cabin. We needed to pack up and get our suitcases out. DS and DD2 wanted to go their clubs while I packed – no problem. DS went straight there and DD2 went to the last show with DMom and then brought her back to the cabin to check in. DD1 was still out so DD2 would go to the club alone. After I dropped DD2 at the club, I returned to the cabin. Within 5 mins, there was a knock on the door and when I opened it, all that was there was a huge bag of goodies and a Get Well card for DD1. With DD2 being a twin, you notice when one is missing but the Club staff went above and beyond – there were pictures and crayons to color, bouncy balls, sunglasses, puzzles, a Disney “Brave” award button and a hand written card from her favorite counselors – guess they liked her too. I couldn’t believe it and I stood there and cried, probably from the stress of everyone being sick and all but it still tugged at my heart. DH rolls over and says, “We’ll be back, hon, they just won us all over”. So there, he said it! This had no longer become a once in a lifetime trip – we would come back, someday! I ran right up to the club and thanked them all as I bawled. What a special experience for my kids.

Then it was back to packing. I also had to be sure I got the last of my pictures at Shutters, cuz I knew they took some cute ones at Castaway Cay that day. Man, that place was crazy!! Remind me not to wait until the last minute there again. Back to the cabin and finished packing. I think I was done just about 11pm and went to get DD2 and DS who were just enjoying their time showing no signs of being tired. Oh well, time for bed – since they were the well ones, they slept with the Grands.

Next up - See Ya Real Soon !

[lucky978]

Just read your trip report - LOVED IT!!! Your children are adorable. How scary to have your son sick on the cruise, but glad that they took great care of him and he was feeling better in no time!

[beansf]

Thanks for the great trip report. I really enjoyed reading it.

[Disney owl]

great report & photos

[MAJ RN]

Your report has been wonderful to read. You have a beautiful family. Sorry to hear your kids were sick, that will put a damper on the most perfect vacation. Can't wait to read your last day. Your report has really put me in the mood for our cruise in October!!

Melissa

[meegster]

Our last day - what a bummer. But due to the illness, which now struck me in the night, we were ready to get out of dodge, can you even fathom that?! We rose and went to our designated breakfast time per our early dining rotation - forget what time that was now. All of our travel party was there to say our last goodbyes to each other and our waitstaff. We got right off the ship afterwards and each found porters and got through customs in a flash! That is so the way to go. My DMom & DDad were just a Godsend this day since hubby was still a little ill and I was full blown ICK ! Not fun for a travel day. We checked in for our flight while in line for Disney Express for the trip back to the airport. We even took a picture with our town paper of the kids in front of the ship. Hopped on the bus and just went about our way home. Our flight wasn't until 2pm so we had a long wait at the airport. DH and I just laid around and tried to hold it together. The kids had activity items in their backpacks and the Grands walked them around and they got to finish their Disney shopping but it was a long wait. And we had a wait while in Atlanta for our layover - really just ready to get home now!

Nothing exciting to report on the flight home. The illness just made it hard but luckily we had others to help out and the kids were VERY understanding having each been sick at one point.

But I tell ya, we still had a blast and can't wait to go back. Our return trip is Thanksgiving 2008, booked just 2 weeks after we returned. I'm kicking myself for not booking on the ship!! Oh well. We're still going!!

I'm still hoping to add some more pics, especially our Shutters ones, if I ever get them scanned in.

Thanks for everyone's kind comments - hope you enjoyed it. Figured I'm paying it forward for everyone's great reports that helped us make this a great trip!!

[johns107]

It was great to read your trip report. we just got back from a cruise on the Magic. You seemed to handle all of the sickness in stride - glad you still had a good time. I think I would have had a meltdown!