10 Years of Marriage, 8 nights of Magic-tale of an Eastern-with Pirate photos! [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

PaDisneyCouple

11-05-2007, 04:44 PM

10 Years of Marriage, 8 nights of Magic

And so it begins...
Prologue
We were married 10 years ago, in October 1997. Christine (DW) created a Disney Monster when she insisted we vacation there the year before our marriage. I was hooked, and we both became big fans. Fast-forward now to early 2006. Our 10th anniversary was still 18 months away, but I was already in full planning mode. I get more vacation time than Christine, so I plotted out 3 scenarios to maximize our plans, while minimizing her vacation time usage. We chose the plan that included a 4-night Disney cruise and a Walt Disney World stay of undetermined length. Our first ever cruise was in October 2005, and we wanted another cruise to be a part of the celebration. So, we booked passage on the Disney Wonder for the 4-night departing on 10/28/07. We talked about our plans during our summer 2006 trips to my family’s cottage in the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York. In September 2006, we decided to change to a 7-night cruise. Christine really wanted to see Key West, while I was interested in an itinerary that had more days at sea. On 9/22/06, we changed our reservation to the 7-night Eastern Caribbean on the Disney Magic. In short order, we found a thread on the DIS boards cruise meets section about the “Cruising Around the Moon, A Magical All Hallows Eve” cruise.

Our plans developed, and we made new friends, over the course of the next year. First, we added the Romantic Escape at Sea package (REAS). We’d added this to our first cruise, and felt at the time that once was enough. But the advantages tipped the scales in favor of getting it again. It included: Palo dinner, romantic turn-down service, champagne breakfast in bed, gift basket with DCL robes, Tropical Rainforest Room passes, a bottle of wine with dinner, and the ability to book excursions/etc. at 105 days in advance. By this time, I’d plotted out our work schedules, and discovered that we’d both be off on Thursday and Friday before the cruise. One day to finish packing and preparation, one day to get an early flight to Orlando-perfect!

Next up was the selection of lodging for the night before the cruise. We knew that the best plan was to fly in the day before embarkation, so that became the plan. Every hotel possibility went onto a list. There were 3 categories: in the tournament, bubble player, and out of the tournament. Nostalgia won out, as we chose Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge in late March. Prior to our 2005 cruise, we stayed at AKL in the cheapest room we could get. This time, however, would be different. We wanted animals, and we wanted them outside our room. So, savannah view it was.

Time passed. Transfers were booked with a limousine service. Nothing fancy, just a car and driver to whisk us to our destinations. Excursions, Palo dining, and Spa experiences were booked first thing in the morning at T-105. Our Moonie friends counted down the final weeks, then days, together. Finally, it was time for all the planning and chatting to come to fruition.

Babs417

11-05-2007, 11:13 PM

More More More:thumbsup2 :cutie:

frdeb1999

11-06-2007, 07:46 AM

Looking forward to hearing more! popcorn::

chepic

11-06-2007, 02:39 PM

popcorn:: popcorn:: popcorn::

subscribing

PaDisneyCouple

11-06-2007, 06:52 PM

10/26/07
The alarms were set for 0400 on 10/26. I knew we wouldn’t need them. I awoke around 0330, Christine about 10 minutes later. Subscribing to the “if we’re up early, lets get going early” philosophy, we got ready to head to BWI. The bags were packed and placed in the car the night before, so we only needed to get dressed, have some food, and tell our DIS-mates we were on our way. By 0440, we were on the road.

There was a misty-type rain falling as we headed down I-83 to Baltimore. No traffic issues to impede us, we arrived at the Blue Lot of Airport Fastpark slightly before 0600. A bus followed us to our parking spot, which was so convenient, and whisked us to the terminal. The check-in line for Southwest was almost non-existent, and before we knew it, we were at the gate passing time until our flight.

There was some turbulence on the flight down. Nothing too bad, but the captain kept the seatbelt sign on for most of the flight. He announced that they’d been trying several different altitudes, but to no avail. Upon landing at the gate Sean predicted (I’d been tracking the on-time performance of our flight for a few days), we quickly headed to baggage claim A. A driver from the transfer service met us at the bottom of the escalators holding a sign with our names. Both checked bags appeared quickly, and we were on our way to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

We arrived at AKL slightly after 11am, and proceeded to the check-in line. A Cast Member came over to greet us and chatted with us about the amenities of the resort. The wait wasn’t long, but both times we’ve been at AKL, the check-in process has taken longer than at either the Beach Club or Contemporary. Since we were so early, a room wasn’t available for us yet. The CM at the desk said she’d found a particularly nice room on the zebra trail for us, and that we could check back with them in a couple of hours to confirm the exact location.

By now, we were hungry, so we headed to the QSL at AKL, The Mara. As we approached the door, Christine called out, “Hello!” to an approaching family. It was Kim, Brian, and Daniel, from our part of Pennsylvania. Christine knows them from work. She’d exchanged cell phone numbers with them before her last day of work. They were on the Southwest flight before ours, and were spending a week at AKL. We had a nice talk with them, and parted company. They were headed out to the parks, while we were after browse (for ourselves).

Based upon their recommendations, Christine had the African Stew. It contains chunks of meat, and is served in a bread bowl. We both commented on the spices used in it, which reminded us of Marrakesh at Epcot. It was different, yet tasty. Alas, no photos were taken. I dined on macaroni and cheese. Unbeknownst to me, this was a children’s dish, so the portions were smaller. Oh, well, we had ADR’s at Boma, so no worries. It was cute in its Mickey shaped serving container. The mac and cheese was in the head, while an applesauce and fries occupied the ears.

Caloric needs satisfied, we indulged in some retail therapy at Zawadi Marketplace. Then we explored the pool area and adjoining savannah. One of the helpful guides obtained a chart we could use to help identify the animals we were viewing. Upon checking back with guest services, we were informed that our room was most likely ready. It was on the 2nd floor of the Zebra trail, about half way down.

A Mickey towel creation greeted us as we entered the room. After taking a photo of it, we quickly headed to the balcony. A large crane was on the opposite side of Arusha savannah, so all the animals were as far away as they could get. Our view at this point consisted mostly of ****-sapiens. A call to bell services, and our luggage arrived. We decided to explore some more, and visited all the other public viewing areas. By the time this was done, the crane was departing, and the real animals were returning. Both of us agreed that the room this time was nicer, and worth the extra money, even if the animals were hiding for a couple of hours.

Babs417

11-06-2007, 09:16 PM

You all know how slow I am what is****-sapiens?

birkner

11-06-2007, 10:28 PM

You all know how slow I am what is****-sapiens?

human beings as oppposed to viewing animals. part of the word was removed because it is considered derogatory.

PaDisneyCouple

11-07-2007, 04:40 PM

How unfortunate. We were using a scientific term to describe what we saw. It was a way to lighten our moods, when we saw none of the expected animals on the savannah at that time. We were afraid we'd paid extra, only to be denied the creatures we expected. Instead, we had 2 trucks, a 4-axel crane, etc.

Used in our context, it refers to the genus of the family Hominidae, of which the only species is the aforementioned term. (according to Webster's, I erred by hyphenating the word)

Later, I'll try to return to post more of our report. Next up: animals, we finally get to see the animals! :banana: Plus, eating at Boma.

PaDisneyCouple

11-07-2007, 06:49 PM

One item on our list of things to bring to enhance our experience was binoculars. Christine has a small pair that was easy to pack, so we brought them. As the stars of the show returned to the Arusha savannah stage, Christine could be found on the balcony taking it all in. In all, we saw (or think we saw): eland, Grant’s gazelle, giraffe, kudu, zebra, Griffon vultures, crowned cranes, and flamingos. A plastic bin, which held food, was placed high upon some poles about 50-75 yards out. The giraffe stopped by to take their fill, but once they left, one of the kudu came by. He jostled the bucket with his long horns, ultimately achieving the goal of spilling out the food. The problem was, 90% of what he spilled fell onto his back, where he couldn’t get to it. He aggressively chased away the zebra that dared to intrude, but finally had to yield himself. You see, a giraffe was approaching. Arriving at the now empty bin, he looked in, and came out with this, “what happened?” expression.

Inspired by our grazing friends, we got ready and headed down to Boma. By the time we got there, Boma had been open for about 45 minutes. We were handed a beeper, and told it would likely be a short wait for a table. Christine had barely accepted the pager when it activated. Our server explained the map that we were provided with, and welcomed us to join the line. One thing we didn’t like: the buffet isn’t in the order that we usually eat a meal in. The map had the sequence, but it just seemed disjointed. For example: the hot carving station was right next to the start of the queue, while the salads were over half way down the line. I tried the roast pork loin, and it was very tender and tasty. We finally had the chance to indulge in the magical, mystical zebra domes. Think of a Cadbury Easter Egg, but with a nougat center (like a 3 Musketeers bar). Christine ate one, and I believe I had 2, 3 at the most.

What have we learned?
Boma is very good, but familiarize yourself with the order that the food is presented in. Seeing friends from home is a nice surprise (we thought we wouldn’t see them at all). The extra money for the savannah was worth it. And, finally, AKL can be a destination in its own right, and quite educational (we stopped by several of the photos and displays to read and learn).

10/27/07
Maestro, may I please have the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
All the planning, all the packing, all the DISsing, it all came down to today. We awoke to find a giraffe nearby, quietly standing alone in the dark. After breakfast and packing, we headed down to await our transfer. Christine’s friends appeared with a, “Hello Pa Disney!” greeting. They chatted with us for a little while, which we appreciated, as they were heading to the parks. Typically, nothing can slow us down when that is our goal. Our driver showed up a little after 0900, and we were on our way. I shall not bore everyone with the details of the trip, but here in the State of Independence, the speed limit is 65, tops. On some of the roads we took to Port Canaveral, it was 70. No problems yet. When I saw 85+ on the digital speedometer, I had confirmation that we were a little outside our comfort zone.

We arrived at the Port shortly after 10am, checked in our bags, and processed through security. A greeter at the top of the stairs politely asked if we had all of our forms completed. Kind soul, she didn’t know us very well. That on-line check-in is great. As Castaway Club members, we get the special line, but it was much longer than the new cruiser line so we were directed there. As we settled into line, Christine was handed boarding pass #3. Next, we had our first DIS encounter of the vacation: Dizzi and the family were 1 group behind us. At the same time, I spotted DreamCruiser100 and family at the far right check-in station. We chatted with Dizzi and the gang until it was our time to process in. This went smoothly, except for a printer that appeared to be possessed by an unclean spirit. The first 2 times they attempted to print our KTTW, it printed multiple names over top of ours. After some pixie reboot dust, the problem was solved.

DreamCruiser100 had taken up a position over by the windows, and we headed over to help establish DIS base camp. Her husband was in the process of upgrading them (from a 9 to a 4, I believe). 101 Dalmation Fan and her husband were seated right there, and we got the opportunity to admire her fish extender skills first-hand. Christine spent many hours making one, which she finished just before bed Thursday evening. Moonies, Moonies overload! Chatting for over a year with many of them, now they were trickling into the terminal. I feel bad for those poor souls not DIS-affiliated who wore lime green that day. We got our bracelets from Melanie (DisneyGirl36), and provided PJPoohbear with the DIS green shirts we’d bought and brought (to save shipping charges to Canada). Babs 417 surprised everyone with homemade bracelets. There was so much happiness.

Next: Board the ship, will you!

TotallyAngelic

11-09-2007, 03:54 PM

This is great - look forward to more!

PaDisneyCouple

11-09-2007, 07:33 PM

Before we knew it, the boarding process started. Group 1 quickly became group 2. There go DC100 and Dizzi. Then, they called group 3. By this point, a cluster of hundreds had gathered around the entrance to the queue. Inspired by the giraffe, we stretched our necks to find the end of the line. A wave of the precious group 3 card, and we were suddenly past the herd, and into the area. In 2005, we weren’t too pleased with our embarkation photo, and the odds were running in favor of skipping this years. Once through the Mickey silhouette, the line came to a halt. It was the first of many opportunities to sanitize. Next came the embarkation photo. A quick glance, and the decision was made. I asked a Cast Member if we could skip the photo. She barely got to say, “Yes,” before we were rocketing up the vacant center lane and onto the gangway. We actually passed several group 2 parties who’d stopped for pictures. Christine definitely had her Disney gear engaged.

We savored the trip from land to sea. This was the moment we’d been waiting for, after all. A Crew Member inquired as to, and announced, our name. Suddenly, we noticed Dizzi’s family was just ahead of us, videotaping people coming on the ship. Having broken free of land, we throttled back, and strolled to Parrot Cay on deck 3 aft. It was our hope to eat our first meal here, as it was the first place we ate at on the Wonder in 2005. Along the way, we encountered several Crew Members, all eager to sell us a wine package or other beverage deal. Sanitized once again, we entered PC, and were immediately seated. Sean enjoyed a nice salad, chilled shrimp, prime rib, some cheese, and a tall glass of milk. Christine went straight for the fresh fruit and some bread.

Hunger now satisfied, we ventured to the Vista Spa and Salon. The fitness center, a popular haunt for us, was double the size of our previous cruise, and we wanted to see it. Andre, one of the fitness instructors, gave us a tour of the facilities including the new villas, expanded fitness center, and rainforest room. Now armed with a list of the week’s fitness classes, we began the journey to our room. Along the way, we passed by the kingdom of A Fat English Gent, one of our Moonie friends. This gave me verandah envy, as well as a sense that our own stateroom was somehow smaller than it was on the last cruise.

It was now 13:30, and the staterooms were ready. We arrived before any of the luggage did, and entered our new home. It was as though Santa had visited the room. There were gifts from our Travel Agent, our Castaway Club gift, excursion tickets, and all the amenities of the Romantic Escape at Sea package. Pictures, of course pictures had to be taken at this moment. And, there are the H2O Sea bath products, in 3-ounce tubes! Next, the verandah was explored, at which point we found an inch or more of water covering most of it. Crates of provisions were still being loaded onto the ship several decks below our room, including many large pumpkins. It is the Halloween cruise, don’t you know.

A soft knock at the door signaled the start of luggage delivery. Our 4 pieces arrived one at a time, as we prepared for the 3pm Moonie meet up on deck 9 at the Goofy pool. More Moonie friends were met at the meet: Gizimoto, JNS, Twicks, Howleyfamily, Jordgrubbin, and more. About 3 dozen of us were able to gather in the gazebo for a series of photos to commemorate the occasion. Oh, the looks on the non-DIS-ers faces, “Who are these loud, happy, green people? And how could they be having so much fun already?”

Next: fateful sea condition predictions, sign-please, and we get the party started.

PaDisneyCouple

11-10-2007, 01:05 PM

We returned to our stateroom, to continue the unpacking process. Moving everything from the suitcases to the room dressers and closet really does give one a sense of home. Almost 4pm! You know what that means: Muster Stations! Unfortunately, there was another soft knock at the door. It was Orlando, our stateroom host. He asked if all our baggage had arrived, which it had. Next, he needed me to sign for all the items on the bed and more. I’m standing there, pfd at the ready, trying to sign about a dozen receipts. Done with that, we headed to our assigned muster location: Animator’s Palate. There were only a few dozen people already there, and most were crew members. It was slightly before 4pm, but only a few minutes earlier than we were last time, I think. The drill was painless and brief. Most at our station were paying attention to the instructions, which was good. Otherwise, we were going to trade them to another station. “All those here to goof off, and ignore this potentially life-saving exercise, right over here…” One small note, dear reader: please keep the young ones away from the whistles. It doesn’t take much to get them going, and they turn out the decibels in abundance. Ear pain not enough incentive? How about the germs from all the children of cruises past, lurking there?

Confident in our ability to survive, we returned to the stateroom, where the unpacking process continued. Items were already being moved into new and improved locations. Remembering the magic of our first cruise, we headed up to deck 10, starboard side, to view the activities. We overheard some older couples behind us talking about the predicted seas. I inquired as to what the forecast was, and was told 1-4 feet. Better than our last cruise, I thought. How wrong he was! Time to be turnin’ around! Interestingly, I don’t remember seeing any of them again on the cruise. Holy cow! Its 20 minutes until dinner, and we’re barely halfway down the channel. We need to get dressed for dinner!

With the knowledge and assistance of PJPoohbear, we linked dining with several other DISers who had main dining. This also allowed us to score the coveted PLAPLAP rotation. Why is this so important? Formal night in Lumiere’s, Parrot Cay for Pirate Night, and Animator’s for semi-formal night. Quite simply, the perfect rotation. Ahhh, savory enhancements!

We knew we’d be with friends, we just weren’t sure if it was a table for 8 or 16. Arriving at table number 3, we saw that 8 would be the magic number. Table 2 was another grouping of 8 DIS friends. Our mates for the week would be: PJ and her Mom, Paula (Vital) and son Ethan, and Kimmielee and son Noah. 2 for 2! We’ve been with other DIS-ers for both our cruises. Now, a disclaimer must follow: if you’re looking for saucy tales of jocularity, frivolity, and debauchery…that’s not what happened at the dinners. Food based dinner highlights include: Banana bread pudding for Christine, mixed grill (filet, lamb, shrimp) for Sean, and banana bread for the entire table. The kids enjoyed it so much; a request was made to have it every night. Oh, who are we kidding, the adults were kind enough to help the kids finish it, every night.

It was a little bumpy as we headed out to explore after dinner. Signs of things to come, I’m afraid. The stores were very crowded, and based upon our shopping experiences later in the week, we’d recommend skipping the stores the first night. A towel cobra greeted us as we returned to our room. It was carried with great care over to the table, where it could keep watch over us as we slept.

Next up: we've got an entire week ahead of us, now what do we do? And, "Look honey, horizon...no horizon"

PaDisneyCouple

11-10-2007, 02:39 PM

Among the many items we picked up during embarkation day were sheets about the Vista Spa services, fitness classes, and the Voyage Navigator. Over the course of the day, we took turns reviewing each, and marking those things we wanted to experience. The world was our oyster. There were no wrong answers. Anything that looked interesting got marked. This didn’t mean we were committed to the marked items, or wouldn’t consider those passed over. We quickly eliminated the Spa services, especially the Spa villas, as they were a little pricey for us. Christine was considering the package deal for 3 personal training sessions, while Sean highlighted ballroom dancing lessons, of all things!

Mickey’s voice greeted us at our 0620 Sunday morning wake up call. In fact, Mickey really wanted us to get off to an early start, as he called back 5 minutes later to remind us of all the activities planned on the ship that day. Our plan was to start the day with something new: yoga. There was a class scheduled for 0730, at the secret deck 7 aft area. Needing some food, we set out in search of sustenance. In what would be the start of a cruise tradition, we found ourselves at Goofy’s Galley. Christine got some fresh fruit, Stollen bread, and milk (her request for juice was denied, and she was directed to the beverage station). Sean met his new best friend: cherry lattice. It’s basically a cherry Danish, in rectangular form. But, the size was just right for a morning snack.

Gazing out to the distant horizon, Sean observed the pitching of the starboard side of the Magic, relative to the horizon. It was a pretty good travel distance from peak to trough. The seas had risen to 4-8 feet, according to the TV, and the winds were about 15 knots. Deck 7 has this nice little lounge area at the stern of the ship, and that’s where the yoga/stretch class was scheduled to be held. Alone at first, we were then joined by a woman, Andre (the instructor), and finally, a man. Andre had us roll out our mats in a bow-stern direction, and we began. Christine has more Pilates and yoga experience than I do, but we both enjoyed it. The biggest challenges were keeping your mat from flying away or hitting you and not falling over. The port/starboard movement wasn’t alone, we had the up and down movement at the stern, too. Class was dismissed 5 minutes early, due to rain.

Our Palo brunch reservation was for 10:30, and now it was 08:10. Time to break out those Rainforest Room passes!

Uncleromulus

11-11-2007, 12:04 PM

Looking for the next installment!!!

Illuminations_Rocks

11-12-2007, 01:41 AM

great tr so far - can't wait to follow along for the rest! popcorn::

LovableGluttons

11-12-2007, 09:13 AM

Wow! I didn't know they offered yoga or ballroom dancing classes!

More please!!

fairfax

11-12-2007, 09:41 AM

Great report! I'm looking forward to reading more.

PaDisneyCouple

11-12-2007, 06:49 PM

Our Palo brunch reservation was for 10:30, and now it was 08:10. Time to break out those Rainforest Room passes! We got our locker keys at the desk, and quickly got changed. There was but one other couple in the room when we arrived. Sean quickly discovered his “inner lizard”. (This moniker originates, we believe, with Oybolshoi.) The gentle rocking of the ship. The soothing warm chair. Bliss. No worries. No job stress. Just be. Being the inquisitive sort, Christine strolled around the room, examining all the facilities. Her first stop was the aromatic spa, followed by the steam room. Sean tried the aromatic, which we both felt had no discernable aroma. Upon entering the steam sauna, Sean felt as though his eyes themselves fogged up. It was painful to the sinuses, and you couldn’t see a darned thing. Oh, well, back to that nice warm lounge. A little while later, Christine beckoned to join her in the gentle heat room. This was enjoyable: no steam, just a nice, hot room. Together time. We stayed for about 10 minutes, and then decided it was time to get ready for brunch. After all, we’d been in the Rainforest Room for about an hour now.

A suggestion from the DIS, which we whole-heartedly endorse, is showering at the Spa. There is more vertical clearance (helpful to anybody taller than, say, 68”), more water pressure, and a nicer showerhead. A downside is that the product containers (shampoo, conditioner, bath gel) could be empty. We reconvened back at the stateroom, where Christine discovered that she’d left her swimsuit at the Spa. So, back she went. It took some work, but the suit was located. (The efficient staff had already been by, and emptied the laundry hampers).

Now, it was Palo brunch time. Our reservation was for 10:30, and of course, we were slightly early. At the check-in station, we saw several DIS friends, who were booked in the private room. Soon, we were seated at a window table, starboard side, just off the ship’s centerline. On our way to the table, we selected our champagne. I don’t recall too many specifics, but I believe it had a taste of raspberry. It was here that we had our first met Fabio. Fabio, from Sao Palo, Brazil, was our server. He quickly took our beverage orders, and requested that we wait a moment, and he’d give us a tour of the food stations.

The Palo brunch has several stations: seafood, cheese and crackers, breakfast pastry, pizza, special hot items, and desert. Fabio advised us to use the little desert spoons, as they would “make things last longer”. Christine ordered a sausage pizza, while Sean selected pepperoni. Sean decided to order one of the new chef’s items: pasta in a smoky cream sauce with smoked salmon. It was excellent. Shrimp, crab legs, crab claws, cinnamon danishes worthy of Cinnabon, shrimp and tuna v-8 shooters, stollen bread, tiramisu, cheese…gluttony and excess. Yet, I don’t recall either of us being particularly stuffed. I believe it was because we tried small amounts of many things, rather than loading up large servings. At one point, Christine was up hunting and gathering, when Fabio came by to talk with Sean. Fabio had recommended a particular cheese, one with just a hint of regular pepper in it that proved quite tasty. We discussed the cheeses available, and Fabio offered to get a sample of several for Sean. All of them were very good. Though I must say, the Gorgonzola was described as mild, and it was especially so. But, it was the first time I’d had a course devoted to cheese, and I really enjoyed it. Everything was good. In fact, the service was so good that we asked Fabio if we could be seated in his section the next evening for dinner.

Brunch completed and dinner plans enhanced by seating in Fabio’s section, we set forth in search of things to do. Our next stop: the shopping presentation.

...which might be titled: I'll have what he's having...

PaDisneyCouple

11-14-2007, 07:30 PM

Our next stop: the shopping presentation. Being the first cruise where we intended to get off the ship at a port of call other than Castaway Cay, we thought this would be a good way to get to know the areas around where the ships docked. Perhaps we’d learn about the mall right near by at St Thomas. Mr. Happy bounded out onto the stage of the Buena Vista Theater a few minutes late. Obviously a fan of caffeine, he launched into his presentation. Rum cakes were flying into the audience, with the promise that if you fell asleep, one would be headed your way. It is worth noting that even when Christine’s head uncontrollably dropped forward into her lap, no cake came whizzing by. DIAMONDS! TANZANITE! WATCHES! (well, at least that seems interesting) COLOR CHANGING NAIL POLISH! PRIZES AT THE END! GOOD TIMES! He reviewed every store on the “official” shopping guide for both ports in about an hour. We won nothing, and we’d like that hour of our lives back, please. Just add it onto the duration of our next cruise. Our shipmates will thank us. “GOOD TIMES!” became a catch phrase for Christine and I for the remainder of the cruise.

The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully, and soon it was time for formal night, in Lumiere’s. PJ and her Mom were enjoying Palo this evening, and the boys (Noah and Ethan) were eating with the other kids, so it was just Kim, Paula, and the two of us. We exchanged stories about our respective days. Kim and Paula both had this, “you poor people” look on their face when we talked about the shopping presentation. (Later, PJ and her Mom, too, and A Fat English Gent, too) Ok, so the presentation might be right for some, but not for us. Chris (A Fat English Gent) discussed the finer points of island shopping with us later in the trip: know what you want, know how much it costs back home, and don’t be afraid to walk away. We knew that jewelry wasn’t on our shopping list, but thought we’d look. Electronics were of some interest, but we didn’t see that many stores. I think our, “When in doubt, don’t buy it” philosophy served us well.

10/29/07
Monday began with the now traditional trip to Goofy’s Galley for a small snack. We arrived at the fitness center around 07:30, and got to exercising. Today was Christine’s personal training session, and she was really looking forward to it. She continued to limber up for it, while Sean headed to the Rainforest Room again. Ah, yes, the chair! After about 45 minutes of chair, gentle sauna, fog shower, and regular shower, Sean changed and headed to Topsiders for breakfast. Memo to self: do not go to Topsiders at 09:30 on a gray, windy day. Nobody in his or her right mind is going to sit outside on such a day, and it was hard to find space for just a single person to eat. Meanwhile, back at the Spa…Christine had her session, with a focus on Pilates. She felt that Chris, the male instructor, wasn’t as good as Melissa was on the Wonder in 2005. Thus, she resolved not to schedule any more personal training sessions during this cruise.

Coming soon...a Club, a Duck, and will we ever get to posting photos!

PaDisneyCouple

11-15-2007, 12:22 PM

The Castaway Club reception was scheduled for 11am, and we wanted to be there early. Upon arrival, we found the line short, the Mickey shaped rice treats tasty, and the water necessary. Hundreds of people were already there, and we were about 10 minutes early. In summary: Brent spoke, we watched brief but interesting video clips, the Captain spoke, and they gave away CC clocks. Jackie’s husband won one, and it was nice to see one of the group win. The Captain did a verbal survey of the crowd regarding what new itineraries we’d like to see. In our estimation, Alaska got an 8 out of 10, Hawaii 10 out of 10, and the Baltic/Mediterranean 2 out of 10. I think I heard crickets when he announced that last option.

Turning left when others turn right, we headed forward, out of the Rockin’ Bar D towards Diversions. Next, we went up the forward stairs to deck 4, and headed aft. Down the stairs by Shutters, and we were ahead of the surge. Our lunch destination was Parrot Cay. Today’s buffet theme was Asian foods. We were pleased with the great variety of choices. Pot stickers, stir-fry, spring rolls, and all the other items you’d expect.
We do get better sushi at our local favorite spot, as they use better rice and more main ingredients per piece. Sean observed a young girl enjoying a strawberry smoothie at a near-by table, and indulged in one as his dessert. So as to avoid brain-freeze, Christine was kind enough to help finish it so that we could head to our next experience.

Next came one of, if not the, highlights of the cruise: Donald “Ducky” Williams. I believe his title is something along the lines of: Senior Animator for Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line. Crew Members handed a ticket to each attendee as they entered the Buena Vista Theater. We took seats in the 4th row, out towards the right side. Several Moonies were already present. Ducky was on the stage next to several examples of his work, and he was already drawing. From his Tomorrowland bowling shirt, Sean now knew he’d seen Ducky at breakfast earlier that morning. We sat spellbound for the next hour, listening to Ducky’s tale of coming to work for Disney. He had just enough time for a couple of questions, and then it was raffle time. Ducky had 18 pencil sketches completed, and was giving to the holders of the lucky tickets. The enthusiasm of the crowd built as the raffle went on, aided by Keyon, the Crew Member announcing the numbers. 727! Well, all quickly figured out that the tickets all began with 727! Then came shouts and groans as each number was announced. It was a great time, and we got some pretty nice pictures, but won no Ducky drawings.

The seas were rough enough that the pools all resembled something at Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon. This kept the crowds down, so we enjoyed some time at the Quiet Cove pool during the late afternoon just bobbing and floating.

Soon, it was time for our 1800 reservations at Palo. Dressed for success, we were greeted warmly upon our arrival. As this dinner was part of our Romantic Escape at Sea package (REAS), Christine was presented with a single red rose by the host as we were escorted to our table. A nice table for 2, slightly to starboard off the centerline of the ship, we were one row back from the window tables. Fabio greeted us warmly, and immediately replaced the white napkins with black ones.

Next: Palo dinner, romance, and land ho!

Mr. Moose51

11-16-2007, 02:37 PM

We are planning an Eastern trip next winter, so this is a great help. Keep up the wonderful story, you are making me wish it was this winter.

Disneygrl36

11-16-2007, 11:27 PM

I'm here you guys......didn't know you had started a trippie.
I'll be back to read tomorrow.
Just wanted to say hi........:wave:

Disneygrl36

11-17-2007, 10:37 AM

Wonderful!!!!!!!!!!
Great writing you guys.
It is nice to hear how others spent their time.
Bring on the pictures.

PaDisneyCouple

11-17-2007, 06:56 PM

Soon, it was time for our 1800 reservations at Palo. Dressed for success, we were greeted warmly upon our arrival. As this dinner was part of our Romantic Escape at Sea package (REAS), Christine was presented with a single red rose by the host as we were escorted to our table. A nice table for 2, slightly to starboard off the centerline of the ship, we were one row back from the window tables. Fabio greeted us warmly, and immediately replaced the white napkins with black ones. He then proceeded to tell us about the recommended selections. We decided to each have an appetizer and 1.5 entrees. The REAS comes with a bottle of wine, up to a value of $50, so Sean looked over the wine list. We didn’t see any Rieslings, so Sean selected an Italian Chardonnay (its Palo, after all!). Both of us chose the Filet done medium-rare as one of our entrees: Christine’s was with the red wine sauce, while Sean chose the Gorgonzola sauce. Christine added a half order of pumpkin gnocchi, while Sean had a half of the lobster ravioli. For something different, Sean started with the salmon carpaccio. At least, that’s what I think it was called. Tissue-paper thin medallions of salmon, drizzled with oil, and flavored with lemon sauce that Fabio squeezed tableside. It was very good, and very light. Christine had, I believe, a salad, which she enjoyed. After some sorbet to cleanse the palate, the entrees arrived. The side of lobster ravioli had 2 nicely sized pieces. Christine’s gnocchi was well portioned, also. The filets were in the 6-8 ounce range. In the end, we both agreed that the beef was definitely on the rare side. Perhaps this should have been communicated to Fabio, but instead, we chose to just leave the rare centers and eat all the outer portions. Plus, we had dessert coming! Sean had the chocolate cake puck-shaped dessert with vanilla cream pressed into the center by Fabio. Christine had tiramisu. Prior to leaving, we asked Fabio if there were any open slots for 2 remaining. He promised to look into it, and get back to us later. Suitably stuffed, we walked around the ship for a while, and then retired for the evening. Upon returning to the room, we found that Orlando had prepared the romantic turndown service (another part of the REAS). Rose petals covered the bed. In the center, towels had been fashioned into a large heart. S and C, our initials, flanked the heart. Above the heart was the number 10, and in the heart were 2 kissing swans. We took several photos, carefully attempted to preserve the swans, cleaned off the rose petals, and promptly fell asleep. Bliss was abruptly terminated at 23:10 by the telephone ringing. Based upon our normal phone habits, I knew this couldn’t be good. How wrong I was. It was the super excited Fabio, announcing that he’d found us 2 Palo dinner options to choose from. He was so energetic; I could hear him through the earplugs I was wearing. We selected 18:30 on Halloween, wished him goodnight, and returned to our slumber.

10/30/07
Tuesday dawned with the promise of land. We awoke at 0600, and Christine ventured out to take photos of the distant land. Upon returning to the stateroom, she started to sort laundry. Learning from the DIS, we thought this would be a good time to run a load through without any laundry traffic jams. While she did that, Sean went to Goofy’s Galley, for a pre-workout snack. His request for 1 cherry lattice and a carton of milk was met with a smile. The plate he was handed contained 2 lattices, with a comment, “they’re small, you’ll enjoy them!” Upon finishing everything, I nodded my approval to the Crew Member as I headed back to the stateroom. I thought Christine would like to be together to watch the docking process, and she appreciated the surprise. We watched from our verandah for a few minutes, and then left for Topsiders. Sean chose a table outside on the starboard side, since we were backing in. This afforded us a nice view of the Sea Princess as she docked bow first on the other side of the pier from the Magic. Breakfast consisted of omelets for both, with various other sides. Christine headed back to take care of the laundry, while Sean put in 4 laps around the deck 4 jogging track.

Next up: we finally get off the ship and explore.

jns

11-17-2007, 07:55 PM

I'm here too
great report looking forward to hearing more

PaDisneyCouple

11-20-2007, 07:28 PM

Around 10am, we got off the ship and headed to Philipsburg. By this time, 2 more ships had docked: the massive Liberty of the Seas, and Explorer of the Seas. The line for the water taxi was very short, so we bought all day passes. We puttered over to the other dock to the tunes of Abba done ragge style. Debarking the taxi, we were greeted with almost constant requests for our attention: “Need a taxi?” “Want to go to the beach?” It didn’t let up as we headed into town: “Need some diamonds for the lady?” “How about a nice new purse?” The requests weren’t constant, but quite regular. We trekked up and down Front and Back streets, visiting several of the stores recommended by Mr. Enthusiastic. The closest we came to anything was a Tissot watch that Sean actually tried on. We bought one thing: topical antibiotic ointment. Spotting a pharmacy during our travels, we had to stop in to see how it compared to things in the states. After a few minutes of chatting with the staff, we were on our way. Some interesting things about the ointment: no NDC number, a born on date, and 3 languages on the labeling.

Upon returning to the ship, around 12:30, we headed to Lumiere’s for lunch. There were very few guests eating there, and it made for a really nice lunch. We both had the salad with caramelized walnuts. It was fabulous. Sean’s entrée was baked salmon, steamed assortment of vegetables, and French fries. Christine dined on oven-roasted chicken, steamed veggies, and a baked potato. For dessert, we both enjoyed crepes with apple filling. Surely, better than anything we thought we could find in Phillipsburg. Plus, it cost us nothing. It was a really nice lunch.

After an uneventful afternoon, we prepared for Pirate Night. After we saw Pirates of the Caribbean-At World’s End, Sean commented to Christine about a dress he saw Elizabeth wearing. This led to sketches from memory, another trip to the movie theater, and consultation with a local seamstress. After much research and work, the dress worn by Elizabeth in the final scene was created for Christine, while the Will Turner outfit from the same scene was crafted for Sean. Now properly attired, we hurried to Deck 4 forward, and had our pictures taken with Captain Jack Sparrow. Dinner was in Parrot Cay, the perfect restaurant for the night’s theme. One of the DISer’s husbands was dressed up like Jack, and was seated at the table next to us. He looked better than the DCL one we’d been with earlier in the evening. We roamed the ship after dinner, taking pictures with some of the characters. We ran into howleyfamily again, and took turns taking each other’s pictures. It was fun to keep running into DISers, especially our other Pennsylvania friends. The towel animal of the evening was a ray, with chocolate gold coins for eyes. We tried to stay up for pirate night, but ended up falling asleep right as the festivities began.

Disneygrl36

11-20-2007, 09:34 PM

You guys have to post a picture of those costumes........they sound great. Wish we had seen you guys all decked out.

Disney owl

11-21-2007, 03:00 PM

thanks for sharing

PaDisneyCouple

11-21-2007, 07:31 PM

10/31/07
Wednesday dawned bright and early for the entire ship, as we were docking at St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since we had a morning excursion, we were supposed to present ourselves to Border Security in the Walt Disney Theater by 06:45. We were a little early, and ended up in the second row. Once started, the process went smoothly, and we were among the first to be processed. Officer Fitzgerald (think Barry White) even informed Sean, “you’re OK, my man,” as he cleared him. Breakfast was Parrot Cay, and then back to the stateroom to prepare for the kayak, hike, and snorkel of Cas Cay. After meeting in the Promenade Lounge, our group trekked to the bow gangway, and then to 2 waiting taxi trucks. A 20-minute ride later, and we were there. VI Ecotours provided a locked area for anything we wanted to leave behind, so we lightened our load. The kayaks were all 2 person sit on top style. First to launch, we paddled around the launch area while everybody else got going. Some of the things we noticed were: the current was stronger than the Susquehanna River we normally paddle, the boats were harder to get going than our personal ones at home, and several in the group thought that they were part of some sort of race. Content to enjoy the journey, we stayed in the middle of the pack throughout the excursion.

Our first stop was a hurricane hole, where our guide educated us about the history of the mangrove forest we were in. From there, we paddled out to Cas Cay, where we beached our boats and began the hike. After just a short distance, we were told to begin looking for hermit crabs. At first, we didn’t think there were any, but we rapidly began to spot them everywhere. Lively little critters, they didn’t like to be held. The crab would extend as far out of the shell as possible, and try to pinch you. All the crabs were grouped in the center of a circle under a canopy. Then, the race was on. We were confident in Christine’s crab, but he seemed more interested in fighting the other crabs than racing to the finish line. From here, we hiked through the forest, where we learned about the local plant life. At the end, we came upon a blowhole. The area was some sort of old lava tube, and it contained many unique rock formations. Christine got to hold a small sea urchin, and we had our pictures taken near the rocks. We hiked back to the boats, and prepared for the snorkel portion of the excursion. All were required to wear their pfd’s, so as to not dive down and disturb the bottom or fragile tree roots. Many tropical fish, and even a small shipwreck, were sighted during the half hour swim. Next, we paddled back to VI Ecotours, where we chose to purchase the photo CD of the excursion, along with the “best of” photo CD.

Upon returning to the Magic, we headed straight to Topsider’s for lunch. Then, we lounged at the Quiet Cove pool for a while. Finally, we headed up to deck 10 to get some pictures. There, we ran into Chris, Hazel, Jess, and Rosie. We talked with them a little, and continued on our lap of the ship, taking more photos as we went. Our final destination was the Rainforest Room. After about a half-hour of bliss, we returned to our stateroom to prepare for our second Palo dinner. As we got ready, the ships started leaving the Havensight terminal. We were one of 4 in that particular location that day: RCCL Explorer of the Seas and RCCL Mariner of the Seas were at the pier with us, while NCL Norwegian Dawn was moored in the harbor. Out on our Navigator’s Verandah, we observed the delicate dance of the behemoths as we took turns leaving the harbor. The harbor pilot departed the ship from a location just forward of our stateroom, providing us with several nice action photos.

Normally, each stateroom is allowed one of each type of Palo dining experience: brunch, tea, and dinner. Fabio had located an open slot for 2 people the other night; and as it was our 10th anniversary cruise, we decided to indulge. To begin, we shared the shrimp and asparagus pizza. Christine then dined on grilled eggplant, rack of lamb, penne pasta, and panna cotta. Sean began with the arugula salad with special Palo dressing, followed by a full portion of the lobster ravioli, and ending with the chocolate amaretto dessert. It was another very nice dinner. Little did we know, it would not be our last Fabio encounter of the cruise.

PaDisneyCouple

11-22-2007, 08:58 AM

Happy Thanksgiving to all. We hope you're enjoying the report. It is still our goal to begin posting photos, hopefully this weekend.

S&C

jns

11-22-2007, 01:12 PM

Happy Thanksgiving to all. We hope you're enjoying the report. It is still our goal to begin posting photos, hopefully this weekend.

S&C
Here I can give you a hand with some photos
we were on the kayak too , really enjoyed it
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f182/jackiesharkey/amkhs331.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f182/jackiesharkey/amkhs277.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f182/jackiesharkey/amkhs137.jpg

Disneygrl36

11-22-2007, 05:13 PM

Those are awesome picture Jackie......
That excursion looks like a lot of fun!!!!!!!!
I can't wait to see the pirate costumes!!!!

Babs417

11-22-2007, 11:01 PM

I was woundering what was the circle and shell, I forgot hermit crabss

PaDisneyCouple

11-27-2007, 04:27 PM

Thanks to Jackie for posting the photos!

S&C

PaDisneyCouple

11-27-2007, 04:30 PM

11/1/07
Our last day at sea dawned with very rough seas. They had grown to the 12-20 foot range. This made our morning exercising a little more challenging. Breakfast was at Topsiders, our usual plan. At 11, Donald “Ducky” Williams was scheduled to do another presentation in the Buena Vista Theater. When we showed up 15 minutes early, he was already at work. The story was pretty much the same as Monday’s talk, but there were some differences. It didn’t matter, as we enjoyed hearing it a second time. Around noon, Ducky’s microphone suddenly cut out. He asked first if he could be heard, then told the control booth that there was a problem. But the problem wasn’t him or the equipment: we heard the announcement tones. Captain Tom gave us the news: Noel hadn’t moved away as thought earlier in the week. Castaway Cay had high winds and waves, and they would jeopardize our Friday plans. He read verbatim from the Weather Service statement on the subject. As he did, a collective groan came from the audience at the presentation. Ducky stopped counting drawings and turned to a fresh page, where he quickly sketched a very sad Eeyore. All in all, he completed 22 drawings during this presentation. For fun, Sean timed him for a few. Most were completed in about 3 minutes. A movie was scheduled for 12:30, so things moved quickly at this point. About two-thirds of the way through the raffle, Pluto came up. “727”…”5”…”1”…”1”…pause…”YES! WHOO-WHO!!!” It was Christine’s ticket number. I believe that she was the most outwardly excited recipient of both sessions. Her spirits were certainly lifted from minutes before, when doubt was cast upon our Castaway Cay prospects. As the theater quickly changed over for the movie, we had our picture taken with Ducky. Christine was still beaming.

Lunch today was from Goofy’s Galley. We both had wraps. Sean’s was chicken Caesar. After some walking, we found a table inside, and out of the wind, at Topsiders. Our afternoon began with shopping (had to get a sturdy tube to carry home Pluto!) and the art auction. Some of Ducky’s art was up for bid. I believe that there were 6 of his pieces, which went for $600-$1200. Then we enjoyed Typhoon Lagoon, err, the Quiet Cove pool. One of the others in the pool commented how it was similar to swimming in a dishwasher. After this, it was time for some more Rainforest Room indulgence. Next came something Christine just HAD to do: Goofy Fitness. We got photos taken with Lilo and Stitch while waiting for Goofy. A pack of children ascended to the stage to greet the fitness-attired Goofy. After a few minutes, one child at heart joined them: Christine. Sean raced to deck 10 to get a photo, but it was all over too quickly. Fortunately, one of our DIS friends was quick on the draw, and preserved the moment. We relaxed with some of our Moon Cruise friends on deck 10 and observed an ice carving demonstration. A large block was transformed into a soaring eagle in what seemed like 10 minutes or less.

During the afternoon, we stopped by Guest Services, to inquire about something we read about in the Passporter book: The Art of the Disney Magic Self-Guided Tour Book. Unfortunately, the Guest Services staff had no idea what we were talking about. As Sean sat in a deck 3 window, we discussed our quest. Christine also mentioned that her plastic Castaway Club ID holder was ripping down the side seam. At this time, Sean spotted an officer coming by. It was Brent, the Magic’s cruise director. “Brent, could we ask you something?” “Sure!” he replied. We described the book, and he commented that he knew what we were talking about. But, alas, it hadn’t been distributed for several years. Yet, he said he knew where could find one, and took down our stateroom number.

Dinner’s theme was the Captain’s Gala. To quote Christine’s notes, it was an “awesome menu”. Sean enjoyed the shrimp appetizer, while Christine really liked the mushroom soup. The lobster tails, about 6 ounces, were very good. Jeff, our head server, came around to the lobster diners and carefully removed the meat from the shell for them. Thinking back now, my only regret is that I didn’t order 2 of them. Sometime during the late afternoon or evening, a follow-up announcement was made about Friday’s plans. Brent, the cruise director, introduced the idea of Nassau as an option. He continued to stress, as Captain Tom had, that safety was the first priority. Brent stated that he’d announce the final plan over our stateroom speakers at 0700 on Friday. Upon returning to our stateroom, we had a voicemail from Brent, stating that he hadn’t forgotten us and was still searching for the book.

Disneygrl36

11-27-2007, 05:29 PM

Funny that you should mention that art tour.......we asked at guest services twice & they had no clue what we were talking about either. :confused3
Cool that you asked Brent about it...wonder if he found one for you. We kinda did our own tour & walked up & down stairwells & halls to look at art.

So glad you guys won a Ducky too!!!!!!!!!!

Now where are the pictures?????????

ILUVEVERYTHINGDISNEY

11-30-2007, 01:59 PM

I love reading your report. I just started today. I miss DCL. Did you two gets sea sickness? Did you see any of it on the cruise? Can't wait to hear if you made it to CC.

PaDisneyCouple

11-30-2007, 06:32 PM

11/2/07
Friday. The last full day. Castaway Cay day…or was it? We woke early, and checked the Report from the Bridge TV channel. Both of us noticed that there was this strange dot on the screen. It was Southwest of the line on the screen that marked our planned path, and it seemed to be headed away from the line. After watching a complete cycle of the data, we thought we knew what was going on. You see, when we went to bed the night before, the ship was at a heading of 311 degrees or so. Now, our heading was somewhere around 240 degrees (give-or-take). A quick sketch, and we theorized that Nassau would be our Friday destination. But were we right?

After the traditional cherry lattice and fresh fruit, we headed to the Fitness Center. It was still before 7am when we got on the bikes, so the announcement from Brent was still pending. Around 7, Christine left the gym to go borrow some headphones. As she headed into the hallway, she could hear Brent finishing his announcement. We had missed it. They never piped it into the Fitness Center. Chris didn’t hear enough to get a definitive answer. Just then, a ship’s officer appeared. We reported that the announcement couldn’t be heard in the Fitness Center, and she confirmed what we’d known but didn’t want to be right about: we were going to Nassau. She said the decision was made around 6am. It is our suspicion that it was made before then, because we were up at 6, and the ship was already well off the normal path to Castaway Cay.

After burning off some more calories, we returned to the stateroom. Today was our REAS Champagne Breakfast in Bed morning. The food arrived promptly at 8am. It consisted of: Mimosas, apple juice, orange juice, pancakes, an omelet, hot tea, and fresh fruit. Towards the end of the meal, an announcement was made that the Disney Wonder, our sister ship, could be seen by those looking aft. We raced to the aft stairs and up to the secret deck 7 viewing area. And there in the distance, she was. After a few minutes, we went back to our room and finished our meal. Then, we went up to deck 10, where we watched Captain Tom dock the Magic. With each passing minute, the Wonder was creeping closer…

Next, when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade...
S&C

PaDisneyCouple

12-01-2007, 11:51 AM

After spending an hour or more watching this process, we returned to our stateroom. Upon arriving at our door, we noticed an envelope in our fish. It was from Brent! He’d located an actual copy of the book we’d asked about. Originally, we thought if he found one, we’d be getting a photocopy. But this was the actual booklet. Plus, he’d heard us discussing Christine’s tearing plastic ID holder, and placed a new one in the envelope too! Once changed, we headed off the ship. As we walked down the pier next to the Magic, Christine noticed a familiar face coming up behind us. Three crewmembers dressed in blue Topsiders uniforms were closing quickly. In the lead was Fabio, our server from Palo. We knew from our meals with him that his girlfriend had transferred to the Wonder, and he was speed walking over to see her. During the whole docking process and indeed, entire day, you could see such joy on the faces of the Crews. Several commented that it was the first time in about 6 years that the 2 ships had been in the same port of call on the same day. Fabio and his friends quickly left us in their dust, and we continued our leisurely stroll. The initial crowds had thinned, so we were able to get several shots of both ships together, and us with both ships.

Once back on the Magic (we were warned several times to remember where we’d parked, and which ship was ours!), we went to the Quiet Cove pool. Our lunches were various snacks from the eateries, including the fabled chicken fingers and fries from Pluto’s Dog House. The adult pool area was quite empty when we arrived, but the crowds grew as the day went on. Captain Tom strode up on the port side, headed towards the bridge, no doubt. A few minutes later Captain John of the Wonder, followed with his wife. It was brilliantly sunny, with temperatures in the mid to upper 80’s. Many cruisers were trying to catch up on their tanning, including us.

Up to deck 10 we went again, to get some photos and breeze. We chatted with Melanie and Eric, and then headed down the port side, which faced the Wonder. It was here that we ran into Fabio again. He was on duty now, but was bursting with happiness. Fabio posed for photos with us, then we all continued on our respective ways. Chris, Hazel, their family, and some other DIS friends had taken up their usual positions on deck 10 above the Goofy pool, so we spent some time there with them. We indulged in a buy one, get one free, drink special. Who could pass up such a thing?!!

All aboard was 3pm, and Christine wanted to get a quick shower first. Looking down on the pier below our stateroom, it was apparent that we’d be getting under way without delay. The process went so quickly Christine missed it. By the time Sean raced up to deck 10, we were halfway down the length of the Wonder. After several pictures, Sean returned to the room. A sad dinner was had that evening in Parrot Cay, where we both enjoyed the beef tenderloin entrée. Sean asked Ivan for just a shrimp cocktail appetizer, but got the regular appetizer he’d ordered with double the shrimp. To quote Christine, “it was a very good meal”.

The evening passed quickly as we finished packing. Christine purchased a Pirate Pluto stuffed animal at Mickey’s Mates. His purpose in life is to end up with a child at the Hershey Medical Center or another charitable organization. Each season, the Hershey Bears hold a teddy bear toss night at one of their hockey games. We go to 12 games a year with our ticket package, and always try to pick that as one of our games. When the Bears score their first goal of the game, all present throw their “teddy bears” out onto the ice to celebrate. The several thousand tossed critters are then quickly gathered by volunteers and taken off the ice. Pluto will be placed into a plastic bag to keep him clean, and launched on December 9th.

Christine and I spent some time on our verandah that evening, watching the lights of Freeport get closer as we sailed by. Another ship could be seen off our starboard side. It appeared to be a Carnival ship (it turned out to be the Glory). Neither of us slept well that night. It wasn’t due to the sadness that it was almost over, but rather the 12-20 foot seas. Neither of us got sick during this cruise, but the pitching and rolling got concerning at times. Borrowing a thought from a DIS friend, Christine stated that she was tempted to get out the PFD’s, just in case.

Next: 11/3. Debarkation day. It all ends.

RebeccaLovesDisney

12-01-2007, 01:21 PM

Love reading your trip reports! Fabio was our Palo server for both brunch and dinner on our Thanksgiving cruise. He was awesome!:thumbsup2

PaDisneyCouple

12-01-2007, 01:26 PM

11/3/07
Our wakeup call was set for 0530, but we didn’t make it. Both of us were wide awake and up by 5am. The Magic was just entering the channel to Port Canaveral. The passage back seemed to take much longer than leaving did the previous Saturday. After turning, the ship used its thrusters to inch towards the pier. We could see the deck team preparing for the pink ball and rope that would soon be thrown to them. Around the billet it went, and was then tied to the bumper of a pickup truck. As the truck drove away, it pulled the larger mooring rope out of the Magic and towards the pier. As this occurred, the forklifts were preparing for their dance. One began to unload the first tractor-trailer that had arrived, placing the pallets on the pier. Another began to take baskets of luggage off the ship. We watched this process with great interest as we continued to get ready. One of the trailers even had Disney characters on it. It said to follow them to Walt Disney World. We wished we could.

Shutters was scheduled to open at 0730. It was rumored that Disney took photos of the two ships docked together at Nassau, and we wanted to see what they looked like. Christine and I arrived as Shutters opened, and took one last look around at the photos. A last-minute decision was made to trade in one of our previously selected photos for a different one. And, of course, we bought one of the ships together. Back to the stateroom one last time to finish packing, and we were ready to go.

Orlando, our stateroom host, was already cleaning out the empty rooms up the hall. Sadly, we said good-bye, and boarded the elevators. Topsiders would be the location for our final meal. PJPoohbear and her Mom were several tables away, finishing their meals before heading to the airport. Christine visited with them, and then returned to our table. We dined on hash browns, fruit, a muffin, Mickey waffles, and some eggs. On our way out of the restaurant, we saw Kim, Noah, Paula, Ethan, and Fat English Gent and his family. Fabio was there, too.

Down to deck 3 we went. Sean slid our survey into the box, and we were on the gangway and off the ship. Learning from the DIS, we summoned a porter, who helped us locate our 5 bags. He sped us through customs, and before we knew it, we were waiting on the curb for our ride to Orlando International Airport. Christine snapped a few, final photos of the ship as he headed West.

The trip to the airport was uneventful, and we arrived a little after 9. We inquired about changing to an earlier Southwest flight, but it would have cost more to do that than we’d spend on airfare so far this trip. With hours to kill, we wandered the airport mall, then made base camp near security. Christine went into the Disney store, while Sean called his Dad. Then, it was Sean’s turn to get one last Disney fix. Security was a breeze, and as a bonus, we saw Melanie and Eric again while getting ourselves put back together. After the monorail to our terminal, we grabbed an early lunch of wraps and a strawberry smoothie. As we sat at our gate, we wondered if any of our many DIS friends were on each plane that took off.

The flight to BWI was uneventful, and the baggage came up quickly. In just over an hour, on the uncrowded Saturday roads, we were home. On our way into town, we stopped at our usual local grocery store to get milk and essentials. The air was much cooler than it had been the week before, and we were glad we’d bought DCL mid-weight jackets. The store felt downright foreign after our week-plus away. It felt especially strange to go into, through, and out of the store, and not run into anybody we knew. Nobody was wearing lime green anything.

Once home, the unpacking and laundry process began. Even though we were home by 6pm, we were still able to process 2 loads through Saturday evening. Of course, we started up the computer and checked the DIS Moonie cruise thread. Several of our friends were already home, and we each checked back in. Sean removed the countdown timer from our signature, which moved up the ticker for our 2008 Double-dip DCL cruise. We’d booked the 2008 cruise in February, and it gave us some comfort to know it was already less than a year away. And, as a savory enhancement, several of our DIS friends decided to rebook on it while on-board. With all these memories fresh in our heads, we nestled into our nice immobile bed.

Next up: Epilogue, and what have we learned?

PaDisneyCouple

12-01-2007, 01:27 PM

Love reading your trip reports! Fabio was our Palo server for both brunch and dinner on our Thanksgiving cruise. He was awesome!:thumbsup2

I wonder if he was still beaming from seeing his girlfriend.

Sean

PaDisneyCouple

12-01-2007, 01:58 PM

Epilogue
Christine and I are planners. Ok, I am more than she is, but she sure can hold her own. But, this vacation was the most planned thing since our wedding and honeymoon, I think. It all started back in January of 2006, with me plotting out my projected schedule and days off. Then, I had to figure out how to get the most for her with the fewest vacation days used, since she gets fewer per year than I do. All this planning, along with the Passporter, on-line copies of Navigators, and DIS friends, gave us a good skeleton start. We branched out each new day, and tried to do new things we don’t normally do at home: personal training, yoga together, and even thinking of a dance class.

I’m glad we spent Friday at AKL. It brought back memories of our 2005 first cruise. The view was really worth it. We really do like the category 7 staterooms, especially on deck 5. While wandering the other decks to deliver fish extender treats, we were amazed at the vast line of doors. Next fall, we’re trying a starboard side aft category 6. It will be interesting to see what a full verandah is like, as well as a deck with so many more cabins. I don’t know if we’ll stay at AKL before every cruise. It does add expense to the night before embarkation hotel bill, as well as the three-legged trip with the transfer service (MCO-AKL, AKL-PC, PC-MCO).

Flight-wise, it’s hard to beat Southwest out of BWI. They have something like 8 direct flights each day to MCO. What I will try to do is be more patient. They seemed to lower their prices about 3 weeks after each booking period opened. We fly about once per year. I learned that rebooking is easy with SWA, but now we’ve got a credit that will most likely expire before we can use it. Unless vacation time is in short supply, I see us always booking one of the earliest flights down. For the trip back, we’d love to see a flight around 1pm, but I won’t chance our luck and book anything before noon. Our porter informed us that the Magic was at least a half-hour late in docking on 11/3, due to a security issue at one of the other terminals at Port Canaveral.

Part of what made this vacation so special was our group of DIS-Boards friends: The Moonies. We got to know each other over the course of a year or more, in most cases. From the 10/27 terminal first meetings, to the 3pm party, to our tablemates, to random meetings all over the ship, and to stateroom doors bursting with personalized decorations, this was a great group of friends. We didn’t get to spend as much time with them as we would’ve liked, mostly due to our early to bed habits. But they really did make this vacation special, every one of them. It is our hope that we did at least some small thing to make theirs special, too.

Several Cast Members also helped to make this vacation special. Orlando quickly learned our habits, and made us some great towel animals, which we usually tried to carefully preserve. Ivan and Raphael were always friendly and helpful at dinner. Brent really came through with the booklet and ID holder. Phillipa (I think that was her name) rescued Christine’s swimsuit, with help from Andre. Ducky Williams gave 2 great presentations. And surely, when driving to the Finger Lakes, we’ll add Fabio to our discussion of best servers ever.

This cruise was our way to celebrate 10 years of marriage. Like any marriage, and any cruise, there were both ups and downs. But, in the end, both have been a great time.