V's Bad Girl Guide to 15 Nights of Partying through Panama! Updated ~ 6/14!

[lillygator]

“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale…” nope, not unless we get stranded - on Castaway Cay that is.

“Love, exciting and new, come aboard, we’re expecting you…” nah, too ‘80’s.

“Ze Plane, Ze Plane!” too “fantasy”-ish.

“Here, on Temptation Island.” Um, this is a Disney Cruise trip report, right? Better ax that as well…..

“Yo Ho, Yo Ho a Pirate’s Life for V!” arrr, much better! Since my creative juices have been, well, juiced, I was going to steal my old trip report title as well as introductions ~ it is mine after all, so I am not really stealing.

Just…re-using.

Yeah, that’s it.

But then, that wouldn’t be very original would it?

*trip report title in the works*

So you probably want to know who is sailing, right? I know, in the back of your mind you are thinking "for the love of God, NO, I want pictures, details, details, more pictures and most importantly food porn!"

In case you haven’t read any of my unfinished trip reports I’ll do the introductions again.

Just.

For.

You.

Charming ~ 43 ~ what can I say about this guy? He’s wickedly handsome, willing to dress in just about any get up I put in front of him, deals with Diva behavior daily, deals with Bad Girl behavior on occasion, let’s me book trip after trip to WDW even though there are other vacation destinations he would rather see, can hit a mean homerun, doesn’t mind that he never sees his paycheck – nor gets an allowance, won the Sandals beer chugging contest drinking Red Stripe, doesn’t mind the endless time I spend on the DIS or Ebay for that matter:scared1: , loves his girls beyond imagination and is the best husband I could have ever conjured up for myself.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/IMG_0992.jpg

V ~ 33 ~ hmmm, Bad Girl Extraordinaire pretty much sums it up!
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/IMG_6285-1.jpg

Princess Numero uno ~ 5 ~ D~I~V~A! Samantha - really she is, I have created a monster. I am hoping before this trip she loses no more teeth and chooses not to cut any more of her hair, or her sister’s for that matter….I *think* I have hidden all cutting instruments.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/IMG_6310-1.jpg

Princess Numero dos ~ 3 ~ Haley Bug, she’s the baby, the laid back one, the wants to “hold you” one, the large chunk of hair less in the back one (thanks to Samantha), the can do a 25 piece puzzle “all myself” one, the graduated from Flounder's one!:thumbsup2
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/IMG_6323-1.jpg

A little bit about our clan, I’ve been going to Disney since I was born, pre ~ V, Charming had only been once, ONCE, can you believe it? What kind of parents did this guy have anyway? (he sure has made up for that!) We live in Florida and are fortunate to have annual passes and go to WDW quite often. We are also fortunate enough to have been on several Disney cruises prior to this one…that no airfare thing and Florida resident rates are pretty kickin’. Aside from Disney, we are huge Gator fans, and big sports fans in general. Charming plays softball two nights a week and my hobby – I’m a closet Rock Star! :rockband:

This will be the first trip report that I am going to finish….yes, you read that correctly, I did say finish.

And yes, before the August 2008 repo sets sail. Since I know there are probably some of the Captain’s sailing that wants to hear all about our Stealing of the Magic. (I know I sure went searching for the last repo trip reports and there were hardly any!)

So pour yourself a nice glass of wine, settle in with a cheese and cracker tray and start reading ~ and don’t worry if it’s 9am your time ~ be a Bad Girl! (it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere!) If wine and cheese aren’t your fancy, lord help you!

(*note – this will be long winded, full of detail, lots of pictures, off topic run on sentences and some useless trivia --- so feel free to bow out now, I won’t be offended)

On our quest to commandeer the Magic, we must begin at the beginning, as any grand adventure would.

Charming mentioned once, in passing, or maybe I dreamt it, that if DCL ever went through the Panama Canal again, we had to be on that boat – we missed the first one. Early January 2007, the 18th to be exact, Sue Ellen from Dreams Unlimited, emailed me the following:

15-Night Westbound Panama Canal Cruise

Explore sun-kissed lands brimming with beauty and steeped in history during a 15-Night westbound cruise through one of the world's most important trade routes, the Panama Canal. Travel from Port Canaveral to Los Angeles aboard the Disney Magic® and enjoy shops in picture-perfect Aruba, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Disney's very own Castaway Cay. And experience a full week at sea where delightful entertainment, delectable dining and fun-filled activities surround you at every turn -- available to book January 31, 2007!

2008 Departure Date: May 10.

Rates: From 1,699 USD per person* (pricing subject to change)

Ports of Call:
Port Canaveral, Castaway Cay, Aruba, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Los Angeles

Notes: Itinerary information (days, times and ports of call) subject to change.
* Please contact us for the more pricing information starting January 31, 2007.
** Last tender leaves shoreside at 4:00 p.m.

Cruise Itinerary
Day Port Ashore Onboard
Saturday Port Canaveral 4:00 PM
Sunday Castaway Cay 9:30 AM 4:30 PM
Monday At Sea
Tuesday At Sea
Wednesday Aruba 7:30 AM 4:30 PM
Thursday At Sea
Friday Panama Canal Crossing
Saturday At Sea
Sunday At Sea
Monday Acapulco 11:30 AM 7:30 PM
Tuesday At Sea
Wednesday Puerto Vallarta 7:30 AM 5:30 PM
Thursday Cabo San Lucas 7:00 AM 4:00 PM**
Friday At Sea
Saturday At Sea
Sunday Los Angeles 8:15 AM


YES, we hit the booty!

Now, we had an existing reservation for a December 2007 sailing. I struggled with the best course of action to take…try and book myself, or hand over our fate to Sue Ellen with Dreams Unlimited? Being the indecisive person I am, I questioned it on the DIS boards, consulted my trusty Pirate magic eight ball, flipped a coin, made it through all the green lights on the way home, lifted my feet going over railroad tracks and kissed the ceiling through yellow lights (yes, I am crazy like that!) before I officially emailed Sue Ellen to tell her the news.

Then - the wait was on.

Arrr…. a Ship of Thieves thread had already started and come 1/31/07, it was crazy. The phones to DCL were backed up, pricing was going up with each breath, I sat at work, on the DIS boards of course, not knowing if we had a reservation or not. And, if we did, I wondered if I would drop dead at the sight of the price.

so I waited and waited and waited, until a fellow Geek told me to simply look on the DCL site with my existing reservation number….GENIUS! (why didn’t I think of that?) So I frantically pulled it up and BAM, we hit the booty again! Category 10, cabin 2573, but I still didn’t know the price. But hey, for a second I did the Pirate Polka around my office, who cares who was watching, I am going through the Canal baby, with DCL and a mighty fine crew!

Finally Sue Ellen emailed me the particulars to log into the DU site, and there it was, officially, we were booked. Now for two adults, two children ages 5 and 3 at the time of sailing, our cost was $4956.96 for a category 10. I am not sure if this is a first tier price or not, but I could live with it and hopefully donate enough plasma between now and then to actually pay it off. For this sailing DCL was increasing the deposit to $500 per person. We had $1000 down already from rebooking onboard (or maybe it was $750) so we had to come up with the rest.

People on the boards – both West and East bound - were going nuts, some TA’s had messed up, some were on hold so long only to see the cost rise significantly and some crashed as they frantically tried to book on the website. I am very fortunate and thanks to Sue Ellen, did not have to suffer through anything other than a wait. I do hope DCL will try and figure out a better way to book these specialty cruises, I am not sure what it would be, but come on, they can Imagineer something up, can’t they?

So, as of 1/31/07, we were booked and now had 14 months for the planning and stressing and paying for the trip of a lifetime.

I started my cruise box that day, “a cruise box”, you say? Well, that is where my packing begins. And yes, I am freaky like that to start 14 months ahead of time. Hand sanitizers, nightlights, costumes, sewing repair kit, air freshener, clothespins, masking tape, binoculars, laundry detergent and softener, sunscreen, lotion, suction cups, aloe, band-aids, Bonine, corkscrew, glow necklaces, fish extender, Passporter, journal, pens, post it’s, quarters, beach toys and oh, the kitchen sink. Who knows what you'll need...I mean we could get stranded like Gilligan did!

and thus, it begins!

[Tigger1221]

Great start, can't wait to cruise with and meet you. I pack an entire medicine canbinet for the cruise so if we get stranded we can set up shop together.:rotfl:

[Micday]

WOW, I can't wait to hear more.

Born and raisied Florida girl here that now lives in NC. Whole family still lives in Florida so we have to go "visit" them A LOT !!

Michelle

[lillygator]

November 28th, 2007 ~ Pirate Law #45 ~ Cannoneers aboard a pirate vessel are not allowed to use hearing protection of any sort. No matter what the OSHA regulations say, if ye can't stand bleedin' from the ears, you have no business being a Pirate.

Well now, it’s November 28th….and we have exactly 163 days to go. Arrr! Still plenty of time for pillaging and pirating! While this trip begs to be the trip of a lifetime, I think it may have the expense of a lifetime too!

I am going to keep tabs on the expenses as they crop up, so you will have an idea of everything involved, I mean, there ARRR pirate costumes to buy, passports to purchase, tuxes to rent and tips to prepay! So that cost is already going up, up and up! :scared1:

At this point we are anxiously awaiting the excursion listings to come out. It’s torture I tell ya, especially for an OCD planner like me. I do have the info from the last PC cruise but I still want to be in the know, now. I am constantly surfing Cruise Critic seeking knowledge of the Mexican Riviera asking question upon question from seasoned travelers.

Back on July 2nd, 2007 I went ahead and booked airfare….here is my reasoning. The last time we flew was to Jamaica in the year 2000, we are not savvy on the booking of airfare and I am not one who likes to gamble with costs….or money for that matter. We had been originally booked on the 2007 May Med Repo and I canceled once I saw the prices of flying home!

I started checking around and after much discussion decided to book Frontier from the Orange County airport (SNA) coming home May 27th, 2008 to Tampa for $189.99 per person. So $759.96 spent bringing our cruise with air to $5,716.92. Oh my word! The good in this is our first leg of the flight would be with fellow Geek’s waltsgirl and JHalkias (incidently, spell check wants to change this to "hankies") and their DD Sophie!

Ok cruise and air done…now onto other matters such as getting to Port Canaveral, what to do in California, how to get to and from the airport….who knew there would be so much to plan? Vacations are supposed to be relaxing aren’t they?:confused3

In August --- the 3rd to be precise, I booked the Grand Californian for two nights after the cruise makes port. What swayed us there was, our DIS Geek friends. Personally, I wanted to stay where the Neverland Pool was and Charming was ready to just pitch a tent in Anaheim. They have quite a different policy than Walt Disney World, WDW requires a one night deposit for room only reservations. Disneyland takes your word, oh and credit card number…but no charges until you check in.

New total: $6,462.12 – The GC is almost as much as the airfare. That is horrendous!

The negative in this is being in California and not being able to spend more time touring. I have been to California twice, once on a cheerleading competition at UCLA and once to see my Grandparents in Pasadena. So I have been to Disneyland, Universal, Hard Rock, The Chinese Theatre, Jose Eber’s Salon….yes that, was somewhere I had to see! But, Charming, nor the girls had ever been….so Disneyland it is, well for now.

And to date our Geek friends The Halkias’ had secured the Grand Villa at Saratoga Springs for the Friday night before we sail….so it will be us, The Halkias Family (waltsgirl and JHalkias), The Larsen Family (kimerinc), Auntie PJ (PJPoohbear) and in an adjoining room The Morkett Family (MrsMork and DrHugs). This will be a third sailing with the Halkias and Mork family and second with the Larsen’s and PJ!

Told you I was a ROCK STAR!

Is it 2008 yet?

Today’s Bad Girl Affirmation: “Hot home cookin’, I’m good lookin’”

[fourmcds]

V...you must become a scrapbooker! If you saved the email from Sue about this cruise then you are already there you just didn't know it:lmao: (by the way, if I move there I will get you hooked on scrapping!)Can't wait to read more....but more importantly, can't wait to join in on the Bad Girl Adventures! Only 100 days!!!!:cool1:

[MrsMork]

Let the adventures begin! Got my wine glass and I'm ready! :woohoo:

[LiserAnn]

V-I think you TOTALLY missed your calling...ditch the hospital...time to become a WRITER! I'm hooked...looking to read more bad girl adventures...:rolleyes1 pirate:

[granmaz]

Plenty of us to nag you to keep with this thread V!!!!

Can't wait to meet you all.

[ibouncetoo]

Yeah! Another pre-trippie for our cruise. :thumbsup2

Yeah! Another BAD GIRL report.:thumbsup2

[lillygator]

Thursday January 31st, 2008 ~ Pirate Law #22 ~ "ARRRRRRRRRRR..." is a perfectly acceptable answer to any question. Today marks the 1 year Anniversary of booking this adventure!

I think only true DIS’ers know what I am going through. I want this vacation NOW.

RIGHT NOW.

Makes you want to break out into the High School Musical 2 dance number, doesn’t it?

What time is it?
Party time, it’s our vacation!

NOT!

Still many moons away.

Actually 99 days away, yes 99! Double digit polka time! Since I scrapped my weekly updates let’s get up to speed….
happenings so far:

went to Disney ~ Haley’s finally tall enough for Goofy’s Barnstormer
Christmas
Samantha lost two teeth
Tebow won the Heisman
DCL increased Canal Passage Fees
DU upped onboard credit
K-Fed deemed a better parent than Britney
DCL dropped additional fees
introduced our meets thread to Bobby Banana and bedazzled Spanx
New Year’s
the DIS went nutty and took away our original thread
chosen as a DCL House Party Host
excursion listing came out


That’s pretty much sums it up….. an EB cruiser boarded our thread to let us know that we will have a Mexican night, Tropical night and a Ball Room Under the Stars night in addition to the formal and semi formal and pirate nights. Doesn’t the ballroom night sound so romantic? Dancing under the stars is romantic all by itself, but dancing under the stars on a ship….that’s V style!

Aside from being addicted to my cruise meets thread, I have researched the ports to the point the keyboard might as well be an appendage. The DCL offerings seem on the high side when compared to doing them on your own, they also usually are pretty restrictive when it comes to the five and under age group. I am sure it is due to liability issues but goodness, they think a 3 year old would love a four hour sightseeing tour over say a day of snorkeling and playing on the beach. For us, if we want to include the girls we pretty much have to do excursions on our own.


So over the course of several weeks, this is what Charming and I ~ ok, I, decided on.

Castaway Cay ~ beach and maybe bike rental
Aruba ~ Renting a jeep, touring the island and ending the day at the beach
Acapulco ~ Cliff divers and beach
Puerto Vallarta ~ Either jeep rental to Chico’s Paradise or Pirate snorkel adventure
Cabo San Lucas ~ Land’s End, Sea Lion colony, and Medano Beach, maybe a stop at Cabo Wabo

My cruise box has now become plural and my dining room has become the packing area. I really can’t wait for this cruise! To date, I have Charming’s 70’s costume (including an afro, which we now no longer need…it’s been said, no more theme nights! There goes my halter top, body glitter, platform shoes, fringe suede bag and my Solid Gold dance moves!), the girls are fully outfitted in mainly all new clothes and I have a new swimsuit that is three sizes too small! Can anyone say South Beach? Or Atkins? Or Alli?

Scratch the last one, I don’t want to be walking around with a spare pair of pants. Maybe lipo would be the way to go. I just won’t eat for the next three months.

Today cruisers, planners and readers, I made my jeep reservations in Aruba…..there is a group of us that will be participating in the Bad Girl Focus Group on this lovely island. Upon completion of the course participants will know things to do with post it notes, the passed out person, a locked bathroom and lemon wedges. Successful members will receive Bad Girl Merit Badges at the end of the course providing they have memorized the 13 Bad Girl Commandments and completed all other requirements as necessary.

I had been researching Cruise Critic (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/index.php) to death and have found it to be a wealth of knowledge on many ports of call. I scoured the DIS but not many posts were found on Mexican Rivera ports, nor, much on the previous Panama Canal sailing…which is why I am committed to giving you – the reader – the ultimate details!

Aruba is a small island and with the help of several people I have devised, or rather, copied a nice touring plan for the day. There are several rental companies that are available but many do not have large fleets with which to handle group bookings. I chose to go with Aruba Royal (http://www.arubaroyal.com/) who offered us a bit of a price break and are also located right at the cruise terminal…that’s what I call Rock Star Parking!

[LiserAnn]

Can't wait to earn my Bag Girl badge......:cutie:

[mishoe01]

V - you crack me up! I love the details!

[nanatink]

It's going to be great cruising with you in May. ROCK ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :woohoo:

[TADsMommy]

"For those about to ROCK ... we salute you!!"

Cannot wait to see you onboard!!

:tinker: Karen

[scottishwee35]

thank for sharing :thumbsup2

Scottishwee35

[Tink rules]

V!!!!

I've got the name for your Trippie!!!



V WANT'S THE REDHEAD!!!! The Bad Girl's Guide to the Panama Canal!!!

(and if they don't get the POTC reference...then they don't deserve to read!!!)

[lillygator]

Tuesday February 5th, 2008 ~ Pirate Law #25 Real pirates have chest hair. If you cannot grow chest hair, you may be a cabin boy. (does this mean the more chest hair you have the more pirate-y you are?? And what about back hair, what does that mean?)

94 days until the cruise, 94! How will I ever get through?
:confused3

2/10/08 marks our booking date for the kid’s clubs and excursions…..and of course the spa. It’s also Haley’s birthday and she will be that magical number that gains you access into the CLUB! No more Flounders for her! She’s moving up!

Booking dates, you don’t know about those? Well, for concierge level guests (categories 1-3) as well as guests who reserve the Romance at Sea package can book 105 days prior to sailing. Castaway Cay members (prior DCL cruisers) can book 90 days prior to sailing, and the rest of you get in at 75 days prior to sailing….why is this important?

PALO.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/Disney%20Magic%202005/IMG_0291.jpg

PALO.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/Disney%20Magic%202005/IMG_0294.jpg

PALO.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/IMG_3506.jpg

PALO.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/IMG_3493.jpg

PALO.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/IMG_3494.jpg

PALO.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/IMG_3495.jpg

For brunch and dinner! Oh and, some of those popular excursions do book up quick….you know, the bike rental on Castaway Cay, I mean come one, everyone loves to exercise on vacation! It used to be set up so us East Coast Rock Stars would have to be up at 3am and on the computer to book….and yes, you need to be on the DCL as soon as booking opens for Palo reservations. Now, DCL is so kind to have moved the time to midnight.

Goodie for me!


Where did we last leave off? Ahh, yes, researching.

The.

Cruise.

Excursions.

For $75 I am booked for an 8am to 6pm jeep rental on the lovely island of Aruba. We have 11 jeeps rented in our group, which must be the maximum amount they have as I received a nice email stating that our group had reached the limit! (or else they got wind of who was renting them!)

So we’ll saunter off the cruise ship right down to the kind folks at Aruba Royal, pick up ours jeeps and be on our merry way.

One thing crossed off.

I also booked my one way car rental with National. For $65 I have an SUV with all trip insurance and everything included. I used a code I pirated off the DIS – 8572987. The price before I used the code was $73 before taxes and not including insurance….so it saved me a little. Why do we need a one way rental?

Well, we live in Florida. On the opposite coast of Port Canaveral. We will not be returning to Port Canaveral thus no need for our vehicle to have a two week vacation there. So we need a rental to get us to WDW the night before. We then plan on hitching a ride to the Port.

Hopefully someone will think my kids are too cute to leave stranded at Saratoga Springs…..and with a bit of luck, they’ll let us accompany them!

see, they are cute!:lovestruc
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/IMG_5907.jpg

especially like this!
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/IMG_6065.jpg

And I purchased my Fish Extender….don’t know what that is? Go here Fish Extenders (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1706435)

I had to deviate from the group (sorry Carol!). I found a cute Tinkerbell one on Ebay!
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/6b97_11.jpg
$25 so people I don’t know can leave me lots of goodies!! Well ok, I know some of them.


You don’t want to know all the other things I have purchased on Ebay for the trip. We’ll keep it a secret so Charming doesn’t find out either.

Now I have to make a few of those tacky, low rent magnets for our door!

I’ll leave you with the Chocolate Souffle recipe…it’s served in Palo and everyone RAVES about it….me, as a woman who does not really care for chocolate, would not be upset if I never had it again.

Chocolate Souffle
Ingredients:
3 tbls butter
6 tbls sugar
1 cup milk
3 tbls flour
3 tbls Dutch Processed Cocoa (huh?)
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted
4 eggs separated

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350. Set a full kettle of water to boil.
Butter 6 4oz soufflé cups and coat with sugar, set aside.
Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Meanwhile melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cocoa to the butter and beat with a whisk until it has a smooth, pastelike consistency.
Reduce heat and cook for 1 minute.
Slowly add the hot milk, whisking until smooth, then blend in melted chocolate. Let cool for five minutes then stir in egg yolks.

Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until frothy. Slowly add sugar, 1 tbls at a time, until stiff, glossy peaks form. Stir a heaping spoonful of egg whites into the chocolate, then fold in the remaining whites just until combined.

Pour the batter into prepared soufflé cups. Place cups in prepared baking dish and add enough boiling water to reach halfway up the side of the soufflé cups.

Bake for 20 minutes, serve immediately.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/IMG_3503.jpg
Vanilla Sauce
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
¼ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3 tbls sugar
2 small egg yolks

Preparation:
Bring cream and vanilla bean to a low boil in saucepan over medium heat. Combine sugar and egg yolks. Add 2 spoonfuls of boiling cream to egg mixture and stir well, then pour back into remaining cream and continue to cook over low heat stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes.

Sounds like too much work to me!

[granmaz]

Fantastic V!!! We couldn't get in on the brunch on our 4 day so MUST do so this time! Just love those pictures.:love:

5am for me to get up to book in the UK.:scared1:

[CBJHockeyNut]

V-

I am enjoying your pre-trip report very much. Could you please tell me a bit more about your discount with enterprise. When they asked me if I had any discounts I told them AAA. They told me they don't give discounts for AAA members. I did sign up for their e-mails and am hoping for a discount coupon between now and August.

Thanks!

[lillygator]

V-

I am enjoying your pre-trip report very much. Could you please tell me a bit more about your discount with enterprise. When they asked me if I had any discounts I told them AAA. They told me they don't give discounts for AAA members. I did sign up for their e-mails and am hoping for a discount coupon between now and August.

Thanks!


WHOOOPS! I just looked at my confirmation and it's National that I rented from. Sorry about that. I did it online and just entered the above code for the discount.

[scottishwee35]

Hi

About Palo, I must show it to my friend Alison and David as their first time on Disney Cruise. Lovely photos!!:thumbsup2

However, about Rock on, I think I booked the last Jeep!:rolleyes1 :woohoo:

Scottishwee35:thumbsup2

[MK2thcleaner]

Thanks for the info. I just used the National code for our rental in LA and saved a bundle, got a bigger car, and insurance! Can't wait to hear more about the May Repo. Hopefully I'll finally follow through an write my own trippie:thumbsup2

[pjpoohbear]

So, v when will you add the section on the Booking night party, eh?

Pj

[lillygator]

So, v when will you add the section on the Booking night party, eh?

Pj

when I recover!! I am still loopy tired from all that craziness!:rotfl:

[LiserAnn]

So, v when will you add the section on the Booking night party, eh?

Pj

That's what I was waiting for. She probably needs to recover, since she was up all night trying to get....get....I don't know, V, DID YOU EVEN GET TO BOOK ANYTHING?!?!?!

I just can't wait to read that installment of her trip report.....:scared1:

[anewmac]

sounds great so far. Cant wait to read more! And I hear you on the cruise box's... I have a few already filled with stuff!

[TotallyAngelic]

hi - just subscribing to this amazing trip report - I am embarking on my first Disney Cruise in October and reading this is really firing things up! I shall look forward to reading all your adventures in anticipation of my own! :woohoo:

[fourmcds]

when I recover!! I am still loopy tired from all that craziness!:rotfl:

Have you recovered yet? :lmao: :lmao: I can't wait to read the bad girls' take on Saturday night!!!!

[MrsMork]

Have you recovered yet? :lmao: :lmao: I can't wait to read the bad girls' take on Saturday night!!!!

I'm still lying in the corner in a fetal position! It will take us all awhile to get over that night! Maybe like 87 days!! :woohoo:

[podsnel]

I absolutely LOVE your attitude and i am subscribing! What a dream to go on this cruise!!! Lucky all of you! Thanks for all that info on the 105 days, etc making ressies- I am a 1st timer on dcl and had decided to book the romance package for just the reason you were talking about- PALO!!!!!:thumbsup2 (plus the rose petals and nice breakfast one morning and rainforest room).

Man, those stone crab claws look sooo good- do they have the mustard sauce that goes with them so well?

[lillygator]

Saturday February 9th and Sunday February 10th 2008 ~ Pirate Law #68 ~ Pirates do not "IM". The only instant message allowed is a sword through the chest.



FINALLY! Three months to go – meaning - the famous BOOKING NIGHT. My day – well year - was not really going as planned. Ever feel like your life should be a sitcom? Just which one? Depends on the day here! I bet I could give those writers on strike some fantastic storylines!!!

Within the week both my car and Charming’s had had issues. His is ok for now, mine is pretty major. Transmission major. There was a fleeting glimpse of canceling but luckily my husband quickly squelched any momentary thought I may have had. See, he really is Charming!

There was a hint of excitement in the air all day. Does it matter that I was the only one feeling it? At least in my household. Tomorrow was my baby’s birthday so we did the birthday and 90 day celebration all rolled in one!

My plan was --- I was going to stay up, simple as that. Midnight, piece of cake! Plus, I had insurance….DIS insurance. Four families who were going to ensure that at least ONE would give me a wake up call! No worries in the Carlin Castle…..except….

As the day progressed I started doing that thing I do….worry, fret, over analyze, over think and just plain FREAK OUT about “the plans”. There are so many choices…which day was the optimum to book Palo, what excursion to take, you know, really important issues. I decided to sit down with Charming and go over what we had already decided to book, just for some reinforcement.

BIG MISTAKE…..huge!

He’s wanting all different things now…I was about to go over the edge…I can’t handle any last minute changes. This man is going to drive me to drink! I tried to hold down my frustrations as I fed the family and watched the clock. Haley was begging me to “come sit a me” and watch High School Musical 2 for the 2,749th time. “come on Mommy” as her little hand grabbed mine. I couldn’t resist. Charming and Samantha were watching something on the couch so off I toddled with my soon to be “free” year old.

I settled into the bottom bunk and Haley and I proceeded to belt out the tunes at the top of our lungs. Musical stylings a la V are always sure to please! Somewhere in between Sharpay introducing her Daddy to Troy and convincing Fulton to not let employees in the talent show the unthinkable happened.

I FELL ASLEEP!

I woke up, all was dark, Haley nestled in my arms and HSM2 was on the menu screen. In a state of panic, I probably said something inappropriate as I threw my sleeping baby along with the covers off me. Hitting my head in my frantic escape, I tore out of the bedroom yelling at John, who was sound asleep snuggling with Samantha. I got to the computer and it was 12:45am – OMG, 45 minutes late, I knew without a doubt Palo was gone.

As I was logging into the Disney Cruise Line site, which was taking forever to load, I ventured over to the DIS to exclaim all my frustrations and to see what everyone else reserved….here is my DIS posting on the infamous night:

1:06am omg, I fell asleep and woke up at 12:45! Now I can't get in!
At this point I am freaking!
1:10am this is terrible!!!!
1:14am oh my....deep breaths! I am having a wine! Where is John1?
Thought the wine would help calm my nerves.
1:16am quit counting fish people!
1:22am ARE YOU KIDDING??? DCL kicked me out and then offered me a survey!
DCL so not wants to hear what I think about their website right now.
1:23am I am wine-ing too!
Here's a way too expensive thing on Ebay that maybe someone will love!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Boutique-Bottega...QQcmdZViewItem
Hey, I am a gal who knows how to multitask.
1:25am CRAP I didn't confirm brunch.....
Charming is so going to kill me if he doesn’t get brunch.
1:32am someone needs to help me before I throw my PC in the pool!
1:34am omg, I need an intervention here...
1:38am my red headed temper is COMING OUT!
1:42am I can hear John snoring...the girls are sound asleep.....I could be enjoying this glass of wine and a lifetime movie - BUT NO....Why am I doing this again? Oh right, I am nominated for wife of the year…
1:43am are you kidding the pirate ship is booked?
1:49am I put on the Holiday
So now I am refreshing the DCL site, drinking, scouring Ebay and watching a movie….
1:53am I am so over these freaky fish.
If I never see that darn Mickey head made out of blue fish I will be a happy gal.
2:01am po'ed!
2:28am this sucks!
I do not want to do the ressie rush onboard to get Palo.................
2:34am I cannot even get on the site at this point. I am soooooo upset.
4:44am now watcihng the Da Vinci Code....I am going to be hurting tomorrow.
I think the bottle is empty by now.
4:52am 5am....I am hurting already
5:10am no one call me tomorrow! I am going to bed....5:17am!
6:01am it's funny - all the lurkers and non posters are now out!! Iam on, did not go o bed yet!

3:01pm 23 pages today alone! What a fiasco last night, DCL needs to do better than this!

Between 6:30 and 7 I crawled into bed and told John he would have to handle the girls when they awoke from the fantastic night of sleep I am sure they had. I didn’t get up until after 11am and luckily no nightmares of the freaky fish.

I called for Haley to come into my room – she did and I snuggled her and sang her Happy Birthday…then, just as quick, sent her off and I logged onto the DCL site to see if I had booked anything or what was going on…in my wine-o state of mine these were my bookings:

Castaway Cay – Stingrays
Castaway Cay – Couples Cabana Massage
5/17 Palo Dinner
5/18 Stone Therapy
5/19 Acapulco City Tour
5/20 Exotic Rasul
5/21 PV Las Caletas
5/23 Palo Brunch
5/24 High Tea

What was I thinking? I must have just clicked confirm on anything I could! I even included someone else on the high tea reservation! Basically, what it comes down to…..Palo brunch and dinner and the Acapulco City Tour. They entire time I am checking our reservation Charming is breathing down my neck wanting to know if I got Palo. Ahh yes, he can now rest easy. I am just thankful that I don’t have to make the mad dash to Rockin’ Bar D, I mean there is a buffet to get to!

The entire online booking for excursions was an absolute nightmare. Disney needs to do something about this. Many fellow cruisers were locked out saying they had not paid in full, when in fact, they had. Others were unable to book their children on excursions even though the children were within the age group specified. It was just terrible. I feel lucky that I have the Palo reservations because that is pretty much all I wanted.

Now the party can begin!
Time to mix up a batch of those Bad Girl Cocktails:
1 1/2 Absolut Madrin
1/4 oz Peach Schnapps
1 oz Sweet and Sour
1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
Mix in shaker with ice, serve straight up in a martini glass with a lightly sugared rim.

or do as I do, get one of those HUGE martini glasses from Michaels and just dump all contents and grab a straw!:thumbsup2

V~tip ~ on the night of your booking, set an alarm!

[scottishwee35]

Saturday February 9th and Sunday February 10th 2008 ~ Pirate Law #68 ~ Pirates do not "IM". The only instant message allowed is a sword through the chest.
was 12:45am – OMG, 45 minutes late, I knew without a doubt Palo was gone.


1:06am omg, I fell asleep and woke up at 12:45! Now I can't get in!
At this point I am freaking!
1:10am this is terrible!!!!
1:14am oh my....deep breaths! I am having a wine! Where is John1?
Thought the wine would help calm my nerves.
1:16am quit counting fish people!
1:22am ARE YOU KIDDING??? DCL kicked me out and then offered me a survey!
DCL so not wants to hear what I think about their website right now.
1:23am I am wine-ing too!
Here's a way too expensive thing on Ebay that maybe someone will love!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Boutique-Bottega...QQcmdZViewItem
Hey, I am a gal who knows how to multitask.
1:25am CRAP I didn't confirm brunch.....
Charming is so going to kill me if he doesn’t get brunch.
1:32am someone needs to help me before I throw my PC in the pool!
1:34am omg, I need an intervention here...
1:38am my red headed temper is COMING OUT!
1:42am I can hear John snoring...the girls are sound asleep.....I could be enjoying this glass of wine and a lifetime movie - BUT NO....Why am I doing this again? Oh right, I am nominated for wife of the year…
1:43am are you kidding the pirate ship is booked?
1:49am I put on the Holiday
So now I am refreshing the DCL site, drinking, scouring Ebay and watching a movie….
1:53am I am so over these freaky fish.
If I never see that darn Mickey head made out of blue fish I will be a happy gal.
2:01am po'ed!
2:28am this sucks!
I do not want to do the ressie rush onboard to get Palo.................
2:34am I cannot even get on the site at this point. I am soooooo upset.
4:44am now watcihng the Da Vinci Code....I am going to be hurting tomorrow.
I think the bottle is empty by now.
4:52am 5am....I am hurting already
5:10am no one call me tomorrow! I am going to bed....5:17am!
6:01am it's funny - all the lurkers and non posters are now out!! Iam on, did not go o bed yet!

3:01pm 23 pages today alone! What a fiasco last night, DCL needs to do better than this!



I was not surprised that (1:38am my red headed temper is COMING OUT!) I don't blame you for that!!

For me, I was very upset and very frustrated.

It was worst nightmare I ever see it. All I see the little fish and mickey head made me really frustrated, One Palo I put the dates down then waiting waiting waiting only see Mickey Head!!:headache: It took me 4.30 hours for one booking Palo Brunch!!

Now I am glad it is over now

Scottishwee35

[granmaz]

You've just reminded me of the whole night's fiasco! I'm trembling and in a cold sweat. I need counselling.:scared1:

[LiserAnn]

I have anxiety all over again....I'm twitching now....

[Mozart]

What I find interesting is that you were all nervous and exhausted by the end of this process, and feeling sorry for each other.

But, in a way, weren't you all competing with one another? ;)

[granmaz]

What I find interesting is that you were all nervous and exhausted by the end of this process, and feeling sorry for each other.

But, in a way, weren't you all competing with one another? ;)

Do you know? I never even thought about that at all.:confused3

[ibouncetoo]

What I find interesting is that you were all nervous and exhausted by the end of this process, and feeling sorry for each other.

But, in a way, weren't you all competing with one another? ;)

...and all the repeat cruisers who aren't DISers. HOWEVER the issue was the web site and the response time. It should have only taken a half hour, max, to find out your cruise mates beat you to the punch....not FOUR HOURS (that's how long I was on). :sad2:

[granmaz]

I was on for 6 hours.:eek: I can't believe it now - almost a workday!

[MrsMork]

You've just reminded me of the whole night's fiasco! I'm trembling and in a cold sweat. I need counselling.:scared1:

I'm in a fetal position over in the corner! Please someone just throw a blanket over me.:scared:

[MrsMork]

...and all the repeat cruisers who aren't DISers. HOWEVER the issue was the web site and the response time. It should have only taken a half hour, max, to find out your cruise mates beat you to the punch....not FOUR HOURS (that's how long I was on). :sad2:

I was still trying at 8 am PST - 11 am EST and STILL was not able to get on. Luckily sometime between 4 am and 8 am when I slept a DIS friend signed us up for 2 excursions. No Palo for us. This website is inadequate for the traffic it gets. With the resources Disney has, that is inexcusable. We have also decided that we have done our last Palo. It is very good, the service is good, but there is no eating establishment, in my opinion, worth the stress we all went thru that night. I have spoken with Tom McAlpin's office and they have assured me they are aware of the problem and are looking for solutions, but those changes will not likely be in place before the East Bound Canal Cruise, loaded with DCL loyal, repeat customers has their "Hassle Free Booking Date".

[MrsMork]

What I find interesting is that you were all nervous and exhausted by the end of this process, and feeling sorry for each other.

But, in a way, weren't you all competing with one another? ;)

Not the way I see it. Disney Cruise Line sent letters to all of us saying we could use "Hassle Free" booking on their website and I expect they have a website that is able to handle our bookings in a reasonable amount of time and that it be at least somewhat "Hassle Free" as advertised. If it is intended to be a rush like the Oklahoma Land Rush back in the 1800s where we are all competing to get on the site, then they should advertise it as such.

[Disney owl]

great reports

[g-twn toothfairy]

:cheer2: Just finished watching our 10 yr old daughter and her cheering squad win their division at Nationals...:cheer2: and now we can start the countdown to the cruise! Our 12 yr old son will also be sailing with us. This is our fifth Disney cruise!!! We've booked all of our excursions, etc. It's a bit early to "formally" pack...so...to help the kids...I am looking for others their age. Anyone?

[fourmcds]

:cheer2: Just finished watching our 10 yr old daughter and her cheering squad win their division at Nationals...:cheer2: and now we can start the countdown to the cruise! Our 12 yr old son will also be sailing with us. This is our fifth Disney cruise!!! We've booked all of our excursions, etc. It's a bit early to "formally" pack...so...to help the kids...I am looking for others their age. Anyone?

You should head over to the meets board and join in the westbound group. My DD will be 10 in June and will be on board. I think we have about 10 9-10 year old girls in that group, but I can't remember about boys (I only have 2 girls). That group is at....http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1724970
And congrats to your DD!

[ibouncetoo]

Kaylee, you beat me....I was just about to post a link to our thread!

g-twn toothfairy.....Come On Over!

.

[fourmcds]

V....thanks for allowing me to relive the night of fun! :lmao: Although I still have no Palo:sad2: ressies, I am no longer having fish mickey head nightmares!:scared1:

[HollyTyler]

V....thanks for allowing me to relive the night of fun! :lmao: Although I still have no Palo:sad2: ressies, I am no longer having fish mickey head nightmares!:scared1:
Yes, it was DIS therapy! Either that or reliving that mess will give me nightmares tonight! :rotfl:

[g-twn toothfairy]

Thanks! Will do the cruise meet immediately!

[granmaz]

C'mon V. Stop packing and start typing!!:rotfl:

[lillygator]

Monday April 21, 2008 ~ I dub this, Blame Someone Else Day!

Monday’s, who likes Monday’s? People who don’t work on Monday’s – that’s who! I struggled through the day continuously thinking that we only have 18 more days to go and that the UPS site said my cruise docs were out for DELIVERY!

Yippee!

I arrived home to find a small white padded envelope snuggled up next to my front door. “Mom, we got a package!” Yes, dear, I have been following its whereabouts all day long.

I scoop it up and race to get inside so I can tear it open. Two seconds later all three of us are on the couch full of anticipation while I pull the contents out. “oh” Samantha says, not too exciting for her…but for me I am thrilled! Although, my airline pages are ripped out….?

I was 20 counts in to the cruise doc shuffle when Charming comes walking in. No, he doesn’t look at me like I am nuts either, he is used to it. I jump up and down – the docs are here honey….he wants to see them.

Well, we are officially going, V.

Ya think?

Didn’t the suitcases strewn about the dining room give you any indication? As if that isn’t enough, what about the drained bank account?

Now it’s crunch time. I already know I am over packing. That’s ok. I was trying not to be anal but I had to put together a spreadsheet for daily outfits. I know, I know.

As I am cruising through the days on the sheet…there are not enough clothes!

My mom agreed with all my blank spaces and took me shopping on Saturday! Macy’s had a great sale and I got several capri’s, tops, shoes and a formal dress.

What else has been going on with cruise planning?

Charming’s tux has been ordered. $139 for the black and white jacket combo and dress shoes. Now I only have to remember dress socks!

There was a bit of a hiccup in our Aruba plans. Seems the jeep rental company we have reservations with has gotten some bad reviews on Cruise Critic. I informed our group and we all decided to go ahead and keep our reservations and hope for the best, if something is amiss we will at least all be together and can cause Bad Girl havoc all over the island!

Frontier announced that they were filing bankruptcy. I can only hope that they will still be in business once we hit land in LA.


Not much else aside from chatting and in general freaking out that it is getting so close to sail away! It’s kind of like waiting for your wedding day to get here and now it seems too quick! Do we have everything? Pirate costumes, tropical outfits, Mexican outfits, formal wear?

I better check that spreadsheet!

[littleaussie]

Hey V,
Looking forward to meeting you soon! You have a great writing style, I've enjoyed it so far!!
Keep up the good work :thumbsup2

[Hypermommy]

Great report!!! I just love your writing style!!!! Can't wait to read more.

[scottishwee35]

Hey V,
Looking forward to meeting you soon! You have a great writing style, I've enjoyed it so far!!
Keep up the good work :thumbsup2

Hi both of you

I enjoyed reading it and looking forward to meeting you all soon:thumbsup2

Scottishwee35

[jship210]

Arrrrr, ya gotta fill us in on your trip when you get back, booked on the EB in Aug. The excitment is growing.


Smooth Seas!
pirate:

[lillygator]

no worries, I will!! I can't believe it is almost here! I am sooooo excited!

[Googelibear]

Charming ~ 43 ~ what can I say about this guy? He’s wickedly handsome, willing to dress in just about any get up I put in front of him, deals with Diva behavior daily, deals with Bad Girl behavior on occasion, let’s me book trip after trip to WDW even though there are other vacation destinations he would rather see, can hit a mean homerun, doesn’t mind that he never sees his paycheck – nor gets an allowance, won the Sandals beer chugging contest drinking Red Stripe, doesn’t mind the endless time I spend on the DIS or Ebay for that matter:scared1: , loves his girls beyond imagination and is the best husband I could have ever conjured up for myself.


We're married to the same man :scared1:

[lillygator]

We're married to the same man :scared1:

scary thought!! :rotfl:

[lillygator]

Wednesday May 7, 2008 ~ Pirate Law #69 ~ Dental hygiene for Pirates is not a priority. Should there be occasion, however, strong rum or salt water can be used as mouthwash. Anything "mint-y fresh" is strictly forbidden.

OMG, omg, that is about all I can type right now….me, the planner, the packer, the ~ everything (except bringing all the cash in)…is FREAKING out….I have way too may bags, all well overweight and ugh, just in general flippin’ out!!

My pirate costume finally came in yesterday, I prepaid my tips at 8:55 PM tonight with a deadline of 9 PM…..talk about coming in under the gun!!

Can I give a shout out to Dreams Unlimited??

I emailed AFTER 8pm tonight…and before 9pm, all was taken care of.

Everything.

That is some service.

And boy, DCL couldn’t get the money out of my bank account fast enough!

The HIDDEN COSTS of cruising keep going up. Tonight I bought a new 2GB card for the camera, a 6 pack of Mini DVD’s for the camcorder, a bag for my laptop, cases of water, liquor……hmmmm, what else.

No one really tells you about these costs...you think you are getting a great deal on a cruise and then, not so much by the time you add up everything you need to purchase.

So, candy for the CM’s in the clubs, prepaying tips, trying to work out a hotel in CA. I so would love to stay at the Grand Californian like we planned, but I cannot stomach the price, I could rebook onboard for that…..pay 2 months light bill, buy one and one half Coach’s purse, and yes, it is 10:57pm tonight and Charming and I are STILL discussing.

STILL.

DISCUSSING.

THE GC.

UPDATE, cancelled HoJo’s (which I had made over a year ago), booked the Candy Cane Inn……they do have their own shuttle to the parks………

A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Right? It just means that on our next trip to Disneyland, we’ll have to try out one of the DL resorts. I’ll start saving for it now.

And so the countdown continues….

[m&m's mom]

I don't blame you. Focus on the wonderful cruise you just had and that way also if you find something you just have to have on the cruise you don't have to feel so guilty getting it.

[LiserAnn]

Hey V! Our adventure is about to begin! We ended up with too many bags (try five!!!) and a few were overweight but oh well, we made it here to FL without a problem!!!

See you tomorrow, stress free, on the ship!!!!!

LET THE BAD GIRLS ADVENTURE BEGIN!!!!

[miztigg]

hope you are having a awesome time!!!

[lillygator]

Friday May 9th, 2008 ~ Pirate Law #20 ~ No pirate shall attend a movie with less than an Arrrr rating.

I’ll make a confession. Since the end of November I have not been able to concentrate on anything, except the cruise. I have researched the ports until my keyboard actually felt like an appendage. Now, the time has come for the journey to get underway. Will it live up to the hype? Arrr, I do believe it will.

The day started as any other. Charming, giving me a quick kiss and a “goodbye beautiful”, was gone by 5:30 am. I had to cattle prod the girls from their slumber and argue with Samantha about what she was going to wear and then off to school and work, early for a change. Yes, I had to work today…see I am an accountant and we have this pesky thing called month end close that I can never seem to get out of.

Do employers really think employees about to go on vacation are productive? I mean, really, what am I thinking about today?

CRUISE, CRUISE, CRUISE!

Never the less, I went about my day. I called Charming so often I think he was starting to get annoyed with me. What was wrong with him? We are going on VACATION soon…!


I was calm in the fact that the bags were packed and we would be leaving soon, very soon. Although, it doesn’t seem soon enough. All the plans were in place. The car to WDW, over night stay at Saratoga Springs, car to the port, car to Disneyland, two night stay at the Candy Cane Inn, flight back to Florida and a pick up and ride home from the airport. Can it really be that simple? Will everything go as planned?

I moved through the day as any soon to be vacationer would….clock watching. It taunted me with every tick….almost gleefully knowing that I could not yet escape the confines of my office. After what seemed to be a torturously long day, I shut down my PC, locked the door and floated out of the office with a grin that would rival the Cheshire Cat….

I convinced Charming to get the girls and since my long day at the office was really only until noon, I went to Walgreens to pick up my color print cartridge.....you know, so I could print my magnets that I have had 462 days to be working on. So I walk into to the store and my shoe breaks....not the heel of the high heel, the front strap making it impossible to even cover my foot....luckily this is Walgreens and Florida, there were $1.99 flip flops right by the register.

So if the camers guy wasn't already laughing enough, once I told him my name, he was shaking his head, "Lady, you've refilled this one too many times." Who knew print cartridges had a shelf life?

Rather dejected, I took my recyclable cartridge and new designer flops over to Office Depot to purchase a new one. $32.99 later I am on my way home to print magnets....so $15.99 for magnet sheets, $32.99 for a cartridge, you do the math!

Finally Charming arrived home and then all we had to do was sit and wait....wait, wait, wait for my mom to pick us up.

“Mom, are we going to the cruise now?” Yes girls, this is it – really I promise. I have been talking about this cruise for over a year so I am sure they think it is some pipe dream. They have dutifully stayed out of the cruise box and away from the surprises. And Samantha has even managed to keep her fashion loving fingers off her new clothes for the better part of a year! That’s some kind of feat I tell you.

My mom arrives and here's what has to fit in her car...
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/001-1.jpg

After 62 “are we there yet”’s, 2 rounds of 99 bottles of beer on the wall, finding the alphabet on license plates, and a few pokes and pinches later we drive passed the big Mickey ears, which always signals our arrival to the World, and right up to Goodings. We had to get breakfast stuff....OMG, there is nothing under $3.79 in the whole place - a 1/2 gallon of ice cream was $6.89!

Yowzer, after a small forture we were finished and heading over to Saratoga Springs.

This is our first time staying here, and boy were we stylin’, Bad Girls dream about the Grand Villa!

John and Sophie are outside waiting for us and then starts the luggage train.

We finally made it!

Our Geek friends were there and we sat and chatted and waited for more Geek friends to arrive. I finally hit the hay around 1, not sure about the rest of the crew!

Tomorrow, the boat awaits!

[TiggersPal]

Have a great time!!! please extend a huge hello to all from me, sitting at my desk awaiting some on-line reports while you are all gone and having a great time!!!! Remember me??? TiggersPal - ????


HAVE AN AWESOME SAFE TRIP!!!:thumbsup2 :grouphug:

[SplashMountainManiac]

I just found this thread today and became hooked the moment you mentioned the Gators :cool1: , my school starting in the fall. We're on the june 1st mexico cruise, so take good care of the Magic for us. Hope you have an awesome trip.

[Verandah Man]

Some pics of the Magic today from Port Canaveral to sailing past the Two Palms cam............Bon Voyage have a MAGICal time.......:wave2:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a118/VerandahMan/Magic5-10-08radcam.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a118/VerandahMan/magrd002.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a118/VerandahMan/Magjp5-10-08.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a118/VerandahMan/Magictp5-10-08.jpg

[Michelle2]

How exciting! Have a magical time!! Can't wait to hear about your adventures. :goodvibes

[Marypoppinsiam]

I can't wait to hear more. Have a great trip!!:thumbsup2

[lbgraves]

from the eastbound thread...I got some nice shots of the Magic.We got there at 4:30 and she blew her horn at 4:45. didn't as she sailed past us :sad1: I spoke to Laura while the ship started out and she told me she and Steve were wearing Green and on the 10th deck by the basketball cts. Well if you look reallly closely, you can see 2 figures in green and 1 has the camera fixed to her face :lmao: We then drove out to the beach to catch her sailing out to sea. If the video comes out ok, I will post the youtube link. Enjoy.BYW, the timestamp is an hour behind:sad2:

The port was crazy with small boats trying to get out of the water. There had to be over 30 waiting. The Coast Guard came thru blowing their siren to get them to move over. I don't know. If I saw a very very large ship heading straight for me, I wouldn't need a siren..............


We stopped by the terminal
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff113/arlenesp/DSC01004.jpg

Here she comes........
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff113/arlenesp/DSC01010.jpg

Deck 10. See those in green?? It is much clearer on my computer. Here let me blow it up a bit

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff113/arlenesp/DSC01012.jpg

If you look closely, you will see the camera in Lauras face.:goodvibes Would be funny if it wasn't them...........:lmao:

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff113/arlenesp/closeupDSC01012.jpg


going
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff113/arlenesp/DSC01013.jpg

Out to sea. Bon Voyage......................

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff113/arlenesp/DSC01024.jpg

[Verandah Man]

Nice pics Arlene!!! :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2

[CRSNDSNY]

Awesome Pics!!!

[Joan1]

I would love to know how it goes with the car rental in Aruba as we are looking on doing the same thing

Hope you are having a MAGICAL time

[TiggersPal]

Hey Miss V - how did the DIS meet go on Sail day???? How is it going??? Who is posting live??? ENJOY EACH AND EVERY MOMENT@!!! TPLEASE IF YOU SEE HER - TELL MY SIS I SAID HELLO!!!

[lillygator]

not much time to post having a balst though! Panama tomorrow! I had fun in Aruba, not sure about the rest of the group! Hope to post more soon!

[TiggersPal]

Glad you are having a good time. How could you not? Your on the MAGIC!!!

Safe trip thru the canal...:thumbsup2

[lillygator]

I missed the meet and just about everything I signed up for.....too much stuff going on! Prince Caspien is on tonight and we are going thru the canal right now. DH has probably taken 400+ pictures today.
East meets West dinner tonight. I think we are going to hit match your mate.....

[DMMarla07860]

who are some of the cruise staff members on board? can you find out who will be CD in July?

Hope the cruise is going great and stays great

[brack]

Glad to see you're having fun V! :thumbsup2 Tell the other Geeks that Annette and I send our love. :grouphug:

[lillygator]

Acapulco today, we pick up the boat pilot at 10:30....Palo brunch yesterday, dinner the night before, yum!
They played the Cavs game on the Ariel tv yesterday, too bad they lost, I have been keeping a written journal daily as well as getting menus daily so I will have lots of detail when I update my report!
I have to say, DCL needs more longer cruises, I can't go back to a 7 day after this!

[UKANGEL]

Loving your report V :) Wish we hadn't had to cancel :guilty: Looking forward to all the reports from you :)

[jns]

really enjoying your pre trip report
Hope you are having a ball
looking forward to hearing all about it

thanks for sharing

[lillygator]

Now we are in CA......having a blast - the cruise was GREAT! Such a fabulous time!

[lillygator]

Saturday May 10th, 2008 ~ EMBARKATION DAY! ~ how many days have we been waiting for this? Too many…..but now the time had finally come for us to depart on our journey! I am so excited that I have almost exhausted myself out. Really. This cruise has been a long time coming.

YES!

Everyone seemed to straggle down to the kitchen at some point to get breakfast. We had picked up a variety of things, juice, cereal, croissants, etc. I think we ended up leaving quite a bit of it there. I went out on the verandah and had a bowl of Special K. The view was great.

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We even made new friends….
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The car was scheduled for after 9 am I believe and I sat with the girls outside while the strapping men lugged down the baggage, poor Charming, I made a mental note to pack less in the future ~ for his sake.

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The girls (my two) were more than ancy….they were HYPER!

The Hummer arrived as well as the “baggage car” ---- and boy did we need that! Who knew we all traveled so heavy? At least we were traveling like Rock Stars!


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Then, there she WAS!

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The girls were more than thrilled…..!

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What a beautiful sight, our home for the next – well, lifetime! I can dream big!

The Hummer ride was very cool – we had 13 in ours and I thought was a perfect fit for us. It was SHORT though (top to bottom), I have never been in a Hummer limo and it’s been a while for a regular limo, so this was pretty interesting. Thanks so much to Kim and Steve for all the transportation.

[fourmcds]

V...glad to hear you are having a great time in Cali....can't wait to read more of your report! Quick question.....what did you say to Taylor?! :goodvibes She was crying last night telling me we had to go visit Haley and Samantha really soon!!!!!!:lmao: :lmao: I think you were scheming with her:thumbsup2

[Sleeping*Beauty]

Can't wait to hear about your cruise!

[anc22]

Excited to hear about your adventure!

[Googelibear]

Wednesday May 7, 2008 ~ Pirate Law #69 ~ Dental hygiene for Pirates is not a priority. Should there be occasion, however, strong rum or salt water can be used as mouthwash. Anything "mint-y fresh" is strictly forbidden.

OMG, omg, that is about all I can type right now….me, the planner, the packer, the ~ everything (except bringing all the cash in)…is FREAKING out….I have way too may bags, all well overweight and ugh, just in general flippin’ out!!

My pirate costume finally came in yesterday, I prepaid my tips at 8:55 PM tonight with a deadline of 9 PM…..talk about coming in under the gun!!

Can I give a shout out to Dreams Unlimited??

I emailed AFTER 8pm tonight…and before 9pm, all was taken care of.

Everything.

That is some service.

And boy, DCL couldn’t get the money out of my bank account fast enough!

The HIDDEN COSTS of cruising keep going up. Tonight I bought a new 2GB card for the camera, a 6 pack of Mini DVD’s for the camcorder, a bag for my laptop, cases of water, liquor……hmmmm, what else.

No one really tells you about these costs...you think you are getting a great deal on a cruise and then, not so much by the time you add up everything you need to purchase.

So, candy for the CM’s in the clubs, prepaying tips, trying to work out a hotel in CA. I so would love to stay at the Grand Californian like we planned, but I cannot stomach the price, I could rebook onboard for that…..pay 2 months light bill, buy one and one half Coach’s purse, and yes, it is 10:57pm tonight and Charming and I are STILL discussing.

STILL.

DISCUSSING.

THE GC.

UPDATE, cancelled HoJo’s (which I had made over a year ago), booked the Candy Cane Inn……they do have their own shuttle to the parks………

A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Right? It just means that on our next trip to Disneyland, we’ll have to try out one of the DL resorts. I’ll start saving for it now.

And so the countdown continues….

We love the Candy Cane Inn - you will too:)

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

Hi V,
I'm enjoying reading your report. I wish there had been more time to visit and get to know you and your family but like you said, there was so much going on!

[lillygator]

Saturday May 10th, 2008 ~ continued ~ Pirate Law #65 ~ No pirate may do the arm movements for "YMCA", or engage in country-western line-dancing. (even on the Disney boat?)

So there she awaits. Our floating hotel for the next fifteen – 15 – nights! The whole arrival process was new to me as Charming usually drops me off and then parks the car. The Hummer pulled up and we all tumbled out and they proceeded to unload our bags. We had 8 plus like 4 carry on’s and that was just for four of the thirteen of us! We had a boatload of luggage, literally!

We also had cases of water which the porters tagged and threw in the bin. We weren’t the only ones, I peeked in the bin and there were quite a few in there! As I was peeking, Mr. Holder of Dog Sniffer Extraordinare was checking our bags….one of my garment bags Tebow had lounged on and I am sure that was the cause for the wet nose going up and down it. Yeah, that’s it. Nothing to see here folks.

We stopped for a picture in front of the Hummer….
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(there is a group one, but someone needs to email it to me)

After our rock star shot we all gathered our carry on’s and headed towards the terminal. I carried on – ok Charming carried on – my laptop, camera, camcorder, case of wine, rolling cooler with rum and vodka and I had my purse/day bag thingie with a folder that contained all our passports, cruise docs, etc.

As we gathered these carry on’s we were shuffled through the passport (or id) checkpoint and then played follow the leader to the terminal. I lost Samantha for a second but she was up front of our group with her old pal, John1. All our stuff cleared the x-ray machines (thankfully) and up the escalator we trooped.

I had all my forms done online but we still had to fill out a form that said what type of transport and where we were headed after the cruise. I was given boarding number 11 – WHAT? Did they not know who I was?

Oh well, the terminal was already pretty packed. People and stuff strewn everywhere.

I mean, everywhere!

Jumped in the Castaway Club line and waited – it was quite long but moved rather quickly. In the meantime, the men of our group took the kids over and got them registered at the clubs. Of course, when it was my turn, I got a CM Earning Her Ears. While she was checking me in Kaylee and Lisa ran up to say Hi. (kaylee and Liserann) It was great to finally meet Lisa!

I finished up checking in, got all my papers, my CC lanyards and quietly asked if they had any other boarding numbers. Miss Earning her Ears earned some points with me as she dug up a #8!

I know, still pretty low on the pole but better than 11. So now the Geeks could all board at 8!

After checking in, we did what most everyone else was doing, sitting and checking everyone else out. Charming came over to me and said, “V, all these people keep talking to me and I have no clue who they are, what have you done?”
The magic of the DIS dear.

Auntie PJ and Haley.
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The madness.
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So we sat, we waited, I went over to the only drink stand and got some Sprites for the girls. I had cash as I would have bet my life that in 2004 they took cash only, but they were adamant they only have ever taken the ships card….oh well. There was the first $12!

So a few bathroom breaks, DCL s-l-o-w-l-y calling groups 1-7, we finally hear the magic 8!

Bad Girl tip ~ An enlightened Bad Girl always makes time for a daily practice of self-worship!

[TanaL]

V, just wanted to wave hello and let you know I'm enjoying your trip report so far! :wave2: Keep up the good work, I can't wait to read about the rest of the trip!:goodvibes

[poffles]

Another fan. Can't wait to folllow the journey.

[lillygator]

Saturday May 10th, 2008 ~ continued ~

Our number is called and we can proceed through the Ears to begin the trip of a lifetime.

~ note ~ trying to hear what number they were announcing in the terminal was pretty difficult. The announcements ren’t terribly loud to begin with but then to try and hear over top of a zillion excited vacationers about to embark made it much worse ~

The Key to the World cards swiped, hands wiped and CHEESE! Smile for the embarkation photo. As we walk over the gangplank to the ship I am thinking of what I want to have them announce.

“Her Royal Highness, Queen V”

“Queen of all the Land, V” (I used to make my sister call me queen of all the land when we were kids)

Eh, I just stuck with the Family Name to be fair to everyone.

As they announced us, that is when I truly felt the vacation had arrived. All the months of planning and waiting were finally happening and I was overjoyed. We were greeted with a lovely ice sculpture of the Magic.
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Our group headed to Parrot Cay for the lunch buffet.
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see – contrary to what you may have heard, we were not running to the buffet!

I am a bit spoiled, I like that they bring your drinks to you, if I could only get them to run to the buffet, it would be perfect. We lined up at the door and there was some mumblings that they were full but our group of 13 got in fine and we actually sat at our table which would be our dinner table as well. This was of course after going through a complete sanitation procedure. Thus beginning my baby’s love of the “rob your hands of any moisture” hand wipes.

Without thinking, I grabbed the girls and took them to the buffet to get them some food. I got back to the table and everyone was placing drink orders – Bad Manners on the first day V?

What can I say?

The kids buffet had corn dogs, mac and cheese and spaghetti –what are they thinking with SPAGHETTI? Hello DCL are you trying to drum up laundry business? I got the girls settled with shrimp and bread and butter for Haley and a corn dog for Samantha….now launches Haley’s obsession with butter packets.

When it was my turn to hit the buffet I whipped through and had quite a smorgasbord on my plate. They had various salads, antipasto, fruit, pita sandwiches with cucumber salad, sliced flank steak, peel and eat shrimp, various rolls and bread as well as a CM mixing fresh Caesar salad with your choice of parmesan, croutons and bacon bits. I got the works and it was delish! Sorry – I think this was the only time I didn’t take pictures of the food. Desserts were – well DCL desserts. I am not really a sweets gal, give me a glass of wine and a slice of cheesecake and I am in Chippendale heaven.

This would not happen often on our journey.

I was like a bee in the bonnet waiting to get to the room, so we finished up – well for my family – the girls finished up and we left Charming to munch his way around the buffet yet again. He had his card and he could meet us in the cabin. This was right around 1:30 pm.

The girls and I quickly headed down a deck to deck 2 to see our new home.
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Yes, the cards worked and wow….I was pleasantly surprised at the room – this being our first time in an inside cabin. There were Castaway Club gifts, gift baskets from Shirley, gifts from friends (THANK YOU) and also the Panama Map and pin order form. I did not see any notes/cards re the OBC, which kind of worried me for a spell.

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The girls wanted to tear into all the gifts, but I wanted Charming there to see them open the sand pails so we waited and waited and waited – surely the buffet must be closed by now.

I am having Palo flashbacks…..what is he doing?

Finally I hear the door click and poor Charming – he didn’t know our room number and it isn’t on the cards – he had been up and down the wrong side and luckily I had the magnets on the door already or he would have had no clue what cabin!
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CLUNK!

BAM!

Luggage started arriving so we stayed in the cabin until the safety drill. Charming snoozed a bit and the girls watched TV while I got down to business. In between unpacking I finally had a chance to scour the papers the CM had given me in the terminal. I was too busy people watching before.




The movies for week one were:
Enchanted
Dan in Real Life
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Ratatouille
Toy Story 2
The Incredibles
The Heartbreak Kid
The Mexican
College Road Trip
Step Up 2
Finding Nemo
Mask of Zorro

The welcome aboard paper was quite informative:
Staterooms ready at 1:30 pm
Luggage delivered until 6:30 pm
Flounder’s open house 12:30-3:15 pm
Club and Lab open for Registration 12:30-3:15 pm and yes, they were open to drop off children the first night
Ocean Quest open house 12:30-3:15 pm
The Stack open house 12:30-3:15 pm


Soon it was time for the drill and out come the life vests. What a fiasco! We had three adult and one child vest so Haley was the lucky one with no vest on. Of course the elevators are out of commission during the drill so this was workout number one!

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Up to station K we trouped and here’s where the problems start. I am a bad mother; both the girls have seen Titanic. In Haley’s mind, we were actually getting into the boats, and all she kept saying was no, I don’t want to do this; I don’t want to get into a boat. She cried the entire time. And we had NO BINKY – must have lost it at Saratoga Springs.

I now have no clue what to do in case the ship goes down. Hopefully Charming could hear over the cries. My apologies out to everyone including the dogs of Port Canaveral – I am sure they could hear the shrieks too! It was terrible and there was nothing I could do, it wasn’t like we could leave or anything. I guess I could have tossed her overboard, but aside from the screams…she is too cute and loveable for that.

Now back down to the cabin to toss the life vests back into their hiding spots. We decided to go on up, grab a drink and boogie down at the sail away, excuse me – Adventures Away at the Goofy Pool.


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Starting off right!
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Red shimmering streamers were given out as we walked through the doors to the Goofy Pool. We couldn’t find our group so we went up to deck 11 – right where the characters come out!

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Hung out for a bit and then ran back to the cabin to get ready for dinner!

[lillygator]

Saturday May 10th, 2008 ~ continued ~

So I lied, we hung out more than a bit…
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We had the APL 6 pm rotation which was great – I would, however love a V rotation at 7:30…that is prime dinner time!
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There was no “show” this night!!

So night one was Let The Magic Begin - menu I did not steal…but I had tuna and tuna. Plain vanilla for dessert.

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I do have the dessert menu which consisted of:

Kahlua Chocolate Crème Brulee
Kona Coffee & Pistachio Pyramid on a Toffee Crunch
Florentine Baskets with Maraschino Bavarois
Apple Tart-Tatin
Banana Caramel Bliss


We decided – no show for us – took the princesses to the club and headed to Diversions. We began enjoying our moment and sipping our big girl and boy drinks and


WOW



The pager goes off.

Good thing Charming had it – I would have thrown it over overboard. “What? We never got a page!”

Off we toddled to get the gals and headed back to the room.

We were greeted with:

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Night night!!




Thoughts on Day 1: really overwhelming, so many people, so much going on. I think the anticipation helped build in to that as well. Had I known there were upgrades available I would have camped out over night at PC. I bet Kim would have stayed with me as well.

I am a closet claustrophobic (maybe not – I can be ALONE in a small space but when lots of people invade my space I freak). I hide my fears well but being in the port so close to everyone was getting to me. Really. I was ancy. Charming didn’t want me going anywhere but I was needing air.

Breathe, breathe, breathe….I made it through.

[kpros]

Great report V. I'm looking forward to each update. I'm glad I got the chance to meet the “Queen of all the Land, V” at DL.

Ken

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

I'm loving reading your report, V--especially since I didn't get to see you or your family much on the ship. Thanks!:goodvibes

[lillygator]

Great report V. I'm looking forward to each update. I'm glad I got the chance to meet the “Queen of all the Land, V” at DL.

Ken

KEN!

I just want to thank you so much again. as does my husband John --- and both of us fell in love with DL compared to MK. I didn't recall all the detail or intimacy before, and people have posted about it but we both really love Disneyland.

[lillygator]

I'm loving reading your report, V--especially since I didn't get to see you or your family much on the ship. Thanks!:goodvibes

you know....that was the worst thing for me. I "met" all these people online - spoke with them for over a year and them BAM....there is so much going on and I rarely saw the late diners....

Next cruise DCL needs to consult me prior to printing the Nav's!

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

you know....that was the worst thing for me. I "met" all these people online - spoke with them for over a year and them BAM....there is so much going on and I rarely saw the late diners....

Next cruise DCL needs to consult me prior to printing the Nav's!

Yes, we needed some kind of rotational dining within our own group so we could get a chance to eat and chat with lots of other people!:rotfl:

[fourmcds]

Saturday May 10th, 2008 ~ continued ~
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/PC/PC070.jpg
!

Great report so far V, I am going to snag all those little details for my scrapbook since I totally forgot to journal the whole time!!!!

Look....you got us smack in the middle of this pic! :goodvibes

By the way, I had to laugh when I read the part about Charming having all these people say hi to him.....Scott thought the same thing!

[fourmcds]

Yes, we needed some kind of rotational dining within our own group so we could get a chance to eat and chat with lots of other people!:rotfl:

That would have been a great idea!

[MyLove4Disney]

popcorn::

[tksbaskets]

Great report V. I'm looking forward to each update. I'm glad I got the chance to meet the “Queen of all the Land, V” at DL.

Ken

I love the graphics in your signature. Did you do them yourself?
T

[tksbaskets]

I'm enjoying the heck out of your trip report! Love the pictures. Can't wait for more.....:surfweb: Thank you so much for taking the time to share :goodvibes

[kpros]

I love the graphics in your signature. Did you do them yourself?
T

Thanks - yes I did these. Nothing major, just fun stuff.

Ken

[lillygator]

Sunday May 11th, 2008 ~ Castaway Cay ~ these were the news headlines slipped under our door ----titled USA Times, we received one daily. I guess DCL didn’t want us to forget about the real world.
“Tornados hit Central US”
“Jenna Bush’s wedding is low-key affair”
“Five bodies found in Houston”

AND THE Devil Rays are rocking!

(up to date…they are offering free concerts after the games and still – EVEN with the best record in baseball no one is coming out!!)

Port: Castaway Cay
Size: 3.1 miles by 2.2 miles
Population: 40
Language: English
Time Zone: Island
Temperatures: 70 – 90 degrees
Money: Key to the World Card


Mother’s Day – Castaway Cay – what could be better? This is my happy place. I love the island, it is gorgeous. Gorgeous.


Not much could be better in my book –toes in the sand and a drink in my hand.….there are those that love the beach and those that hate….I am a lover. If I could make a living being a lifeguard I would be all over that….my Hooters career is sooooo out the window!

The girls and I slept in – Charming was up at 6 – YES 6 AM and went to work out shortly afterward. After he came back we all cleaned up and went to Topsiders for breakfast.

It wasn’t too busy and people were already getting off the ship. We could see Donald and Daisy from the deck and this made the girls ready to go NOW.

According to the Castaway Cay-vents there was quite a bit going on. We had no excursions planned, nor anything rented for the day. We were winging it. I had planned on doing the Pirate Scavenger Hunt, but of course, I forgot to get that from Guest Services.

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Getting off the ship we ran into PJ, Lisa and her son Daniel. We opted to walk and I am sure PJ later regretted not catching that tram!

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Had to stop and see Jack..
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After stopping at the store and buying a shirt and postcards and Nemo floaties, we finally made it to the family beach. We found the pirate flag! Most of the Geeks were there already and we joined up and claimed a spot.

A friendly (not) CC inhabitant.
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Most people got out of the way when they saw the Barracuda. One lady however was standing there looking at it smiling – I said that it wasn’t a friendly fish – she kept standing there. Guess she had a death wish.

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Samantha almost made it to the very end. Charming was dying to do this as well and I saw him start climbing the ladder – very quickly the lifeguard whistled at him and made him get down.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/lillygator/new/PC/PC155.jpgOur group did have a hammock and the girls all enjoyed playing on it.
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At 11:30 there were crab races – this is always been something I wanted to see. Grabbed the girls and went to the pavilion to see that Team Geek had a crab! It was a mammoth too!
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Team Geek with the Hannah Montana Crab – was not a winner.

~note~ the pavement is HOT, be sure and wear flops or shoes when going anywhere on the sidewalks


After the defeat we headed over to Cookies BBQ – they had a variety of things on the buffet, mahi sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, ribs, cole slaw, corn on the cob, potato salad, chips, cookies, brownies, etc.

After lunch and some ice cream, all four girls decided to go to Scuttles Cove. Kim took them down there and the adults got to sit in quiet for a moment.

Probably 10 minutes later we get paged. I head down to get them.

~note~ if you are picking up someone else’s child be sure you know the password!

We leave and I decide to grab a wagon and pull them back to the picnic area.

BIG mistake. It’s uphill.

We make it back to the beach and hang out for a while.
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The Barracuda came back and the lifeguard was letting the adults up on the play area at the family beach. Of course Charming gets up there and wouldn't you know, I look up and he is doing the rope crawl. I just shook my head. He is a determined fellow.

Towards three or three thirty I am ready to head back to the ship. Another BIG mistake.

Samantha had a ROYAL fit.

People were now looking at us like we were heathens. She was kicking and screaming and wanting to stay with her friends. Charming had to pick her up like a sack of potatoes and throw her over his shoulder.

I was mortified. I couldn’t get ahead of them fast enough.

I could have let her stay. I am sure the Geeks would have returned her safely to the ship, but here she was throwing a fit and I was not about to give in to that. Even if we were on vacation.

We screamed our way back to the ship, I was pretending I didn’t know them and still taking pictures.
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We passed Jill, a DIS’er and I could see the OMG look on her face. I am so sorry you had to witness that!

We got to the tram and I see Charming heading over there….my head is screaming NO, I don’t want to subject these innocent people to this and I certainly didn’t want to be written about on the DIS!

He was determined and we boarded. Thanks so much to the kind man who started talking to Samantha about Davey Jones and getting back to the ship. She actually quieted down. I was too terrified to turn around so I didn’t get to see what he looked like as I would have gladly bought him a drink! I would be willing to bet all the people on the tram were ready to give him a standing ovation.

DCL had cold wet washcloths and water available as we headed back to the ship. It was a refreshing treat.

Got back to the cabin and then I was ready to have a melt down!

~note~ the post office on the island is closed on Sunday’s. I also missed have Guest Services mail our postcards because I forgot to get them down there early.

[TotallyAngelic]

Brilliant trip report and amazing photos! I love your girls' outfits - they are really cute! Looking forward to lots more!

[Michelle2]

I love reading your report and seeing all the pics! I loved being in Castaway Cay for mother's day last year. You are right, what could be better?
Your report is getting me so excited for the EB! Thanks for sharing!

[Tigger1221]

Hey V- I still think your kids are adorable!!! Be glad you didn't do the Pirate Scananger Hunt. It was way to complicated and long, and the prize was not great. We won't do it again.

[PizzieDuster]

[QUOTE=lillygator;25404679][I]Sunday May 11th, 2008 ~ Castaway Cay
We passed Jill, a [B]DIS’er and I could see the OMG look on her face. I am so sorry you had to witness that!

We got to the tram and I see Charming heading over there….my head is screaming NO, I don’t want to subject these innocent people to this and I certainly didn’t want to be written about on the DIS!

He was determined and we boarded. Thanks so much to the kind man who started talking to Samantha about Davey Jones and getting back to the ship. She actually quieted down. I was too terrified to turn around so I didn’t get to see what he looked like as I would have gladly bought him a drink! I would be willing to bet all the people on the tram were ready to give him a standing ovation.

__________________________________________________ _______
I LOVE YOUR PICTURES! KEEP THEM COMING!

I just love how you described what all of us have experienced many times with our kids. On our first DCL cruise, DD then 4 :confused3 had a melt down because after a long day of excursion, we had to give her a bath and we had Palo ressies. After she was dressed and cranky (you KNOW what cranky means) DH took her down to the club and a CM came to him and DH said 3 words "We have Palo" and they just knew and took her and was like the man on the tram! :worship: :lovestruc She was just probably tired of me fussing with her hair or looking at my face. Who knows. :rotfl2: We had the best dinner at Palo. ::yes::

[lillygator]

Sunday May 11th, 2008 ~ continued ~ Happy Mother’s Day to me.

Back in the cabin I decided it was time to open a bottle of wine. I was feeling like such a bad mom and just a loser all around. I ran a tub for the girls and got them all cleaned up for dinner. Since we were on the 6pm rotation I really wanted to keep them awake as I knew trying to wake them up would be worse.

Samantha actually fell asleep while I was drying her hair. I guess all that screaming wore her out.

We headed up to dinner and ran into some characters.
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Tonight’s dinner was in Parrot Cay and was cruise casual. The menu was Island Dinner. Drink of the day was High Tide.

Oops, yet again I forgot the food porn. My bad.

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I had the crab dip, Cesar salad and grouper. Charming had 2 apps, 2 entrees and 2 desserts – though I could not tell you what they were.

Haley confiscated the butter on arrival to the table and I was able to use the restrooms three times. Such fun.

The show for tonight was T-H-E Ricky Kalmon Hypnosis Show. We opted out. The movies for tonight were Enchanted and Dan in Real Life. We opted out of those as well.

We were finished after 8 and we dropped the girls at the clubs. Shots around the Ship was scheduled for tonight and we were already tired. We headed to Diversions and played cards while watching the Spurs game.

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John had a rum and Coke and I had a Chardonnay.

Soon it was time to scoot down to the Promenade Lounge for Shots. We were greeted with…..

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So the wig talk was true!!

John grabbed another drink and I wasn't feeling any love so we were out of there pretty quickly.


We ran into Kaylee and Lisa in Shutters and they strong armed us into having a drink with them. All was a go until that damn pager went off again. Charming CLEARLY did not understand how to remove the batteries – I will give him detailed instructions upon retiring to the cabin.

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Charming did run into his favorite – Belle – on the way out.

We got the girls and Haley was in no mood to go back to the cabin, she wanted to “party”….we went to deck 9 and grabbed a drink and a slice of pizza. Then back to the room.


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So this Bad Girl was in the room by midnight and everyone (except me) was asleep within minutes.

We did have an animal and my OBC slips were in the cabin this night. I had already checked with Guest Services, but seeing it printed out reassured me.

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Thoughts on Day 2: So this trip I vowed to get to the adult beach, etc. Did not happen and really – it didn’t bother me. I heard through several CM’s that this was the most crowded the adult beach had been. There were not that many children on the ship. This would become more evident later on.

I also messed up the Pirate Scavenger Hunt, didn’t get it, also messed up the postcards. Make sure to wear shoes on the concrete if you are not used to the heat. In FL, everything is that hot all the time, but many people were not used to it at all. Also - Shots Around the Ship - even though one was scheduled later - a port day was not good I think, many people were worn out from the beach. If you are not used to it, a day at the beach is tiresome.

I love Castaway Cay – the beauty of visiting is there are so many things to do, yet the ability to do nothing at all. My desire to live on an island is becoming more and more strong.

This day was gorgeous. Really – a typical FL day – the kind of day that when I have to go to work makes me wish for rain. The ending wasn’t so great and really, Samantha has never had such a fit. Sure, she has been bad, but I have never seen her act like this. Never. Charming and I discussed it in the cabin worried that something was wrong with her. Do kids really do this? Kick, scream, demand? Where did we go wrong?

Oh well, I needed to not stress….and go to sleep.

Happy Mother’s Day!

[kpros]

Hey V - you better watch out for Belle. I think she was trying to move in on Charming. :lmao:

And I've never heard of "Shot around the ship" - can you describe it please?

Ken

[lillygator]

Hey V - you better watch out for Belle. I think she was trying to move in on Charming. :lmao:

And I've never heard of "Shot around the ship" - can you describe it please?

Ken
Hey some days I would gladly fork him over!!! Belle was pretty though~!

Ian - on our thread organized Shots Around the Ship.....meaning we hit all the bars on the ship and get a shot or drink of pleasure....we didn't make it passed the Promenade Lounge....pesky kids (and tired adults)!

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

V, I don't think you should worry about your daughter. If you think about it, she (and your whole family) had had a couple of very full, highly emotional, physically draining days. She was probably just worn out!

Loving your trip report!

[UKANGEL]

great reports thanks V :) wishing again we'd made it to the cruise with you all :(

[MouseFaninQueue]

Great trip report, so far, V.

It sure was great meeting you and your family.

Even though we were on late dinner, we seemed to keep bumping into you guys.

[lillygator]

Monday May 12th, 2008 ~ Day At Sea ~ Limerick Day!

Sunrise: 6:45am
Sunset: 5:57pm
Evening Attire: Formal
Dinner Menu: Golden Mickey’s
Drink of the Day: Golden Start

Events Throughout the Day:
Panama Presentation 1 pm
Captain’s Welcome Reception 5:15, 7:15 m
John Charles Cabaret 7:30 pm Rockin’ Bar D
The Golden Mickey’s 6:15, 8:30 pm
Atrium After Party 10:30 pm
Ricky Calmon Cabaret 11 pm Rockin’ Bar D

So we begin day 3…Charming is off his rocker and up before 8 and off to the gym, more power to you sweetie.

We all finally roused and headed up to breakfast first stopping at Guest Services, wanted to sign up for a wine tasting. The girls found Sophie and Savannah outside Lumiere’s at Mr. Toad’s Wild Race. We all had to stop and do it.

Silly me, I thought they would use real frogs like at the crab races.

Not so.

“I see sumpfing mom.”
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Those suckers are hard to hop! We finished up, grabbed our participant ribbons and headed to Lumiere’s for brunch. Several days DCL had brunch in there which was much better than Topsiders in my opinion.

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I had the grouper with potatoes and a Bellini, Charming had the hamburger and the girls had Mickey Waffles and an express breakfast….we were seated with another family (who turned out to be hawkeye) so I felt silly taking pictures of the food, so no food porn at this meal.

After brunch we took the girls to the clubs and we hit Shutters. Charming has no concept of picking the pictures….he wants them all even if say one person’s eyes are closed or has their back to the camera. He also doesn’t care about the cost….me, knowing that most all of our previous DCL Shutters photos are in the dining room china cabinet drawer, makes it a little easier to discard them. We end up leaving with none.

Hurried up as we had a wine tasting to get to at 1 pm. We had run into gaylean and she had said they were coming so we saved the seat across from us. Bubba also made an appearance.

Each table was adorned with….
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Before we could toss one back we had to be schooled a little…..torture, let’s drink already!

We held the wines against the white tablecloth to assess the color, stuck our nose in the glass to take a whiff, swirled to test the legs or tears – which is the hardest for me, I can’t seem to get the swirling right….I get my wine going and wow, I start losing some out the top! We also learned to SLURP, yes folks, our wine god s-l-u-r-p-e-d.

The first wine was a Selbach Riesling, 2006, 9% alcohol.
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Charming really enjoyed this one but the only Riesling I really like is Jekel. This was too sweet for me. I managed to choke it down though.


Vino numero dos was Beringer White Zinfandel, 2007 and yuck…if it’s pink I can already tell you I don’t like it. Half a nostril in and I felt like I was drowning in a bottle of Sea Breeze. Yuck!

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I couldn’t shove that one out of the way fast enough.

Wine number 3 was a Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, 2006 from Italy. This was clear, pale and dry. I liked it.

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On to the last of the whites….number 4 was the Alice White Chardonnay which DCL offers on the menu for $5.25 per glass.
This was bright gold and since I like Chardonnay, I thought this was ok…

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Now onto the reds…not my favorites in the least. Wine number 5 was a Santa Carolina, 2006 from Chile. This was dark purple, bitter and had a bit of a spice flavor to it.

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Lastly, wine number 6 was Kiara Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This was deep red and very woody.

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So – our DCL first wine tasting…in between tastes we drank water and ate bread to clear the palate. Several different presenters were there. The sommelier from Palo, etc. I was disappointed in the wine selections. All those wines are around $10 a bottle and I could sample them at home, I wanted to try more of the higher end wines – oh well.


We were finished by 2 pm, even though the Nav says it’s a ½ hr deal. Off we headed to find some food!!

[taysmom]

You're doing such a great job with your trip report. I did not take enough pictures this trip....

[SDHoneymooner]

After reading from beginning to end, your TR has made me really excited for our EB cruise in August.

I've never cruised before. This one is supposed to be a surprise (guys are really bad at giving "subtle" clues). And I'll be on my honeymoon :bride:! If that wasn't enough to be excited for, we're on a Disney cruise and now I've read all the fun you had with your family.

Thanks for such a great trip report. Now my excitement is really building!!!
Do you have any advice for a frist time cruiser?

[MrsMork]

After reading from beginning to end, your TR has made me really excited for our EB cruise in August.

I've never cruised before. This one is supposed to be a surprise (guys are really bad at giving "subtle" clues). And I'll be on my honeymoon :bride:! If that wasn't enough to be excited for, we're on a Disney cruise and now I've read all the fun you had with your family.

Thanks for such a great trip report. Now my excitement is really building!!!
Do you have any advice for a frist time cruiser?

Congratulations and congratulations!! (wedding and first cruise!):thumbsup2

[scottishwee35]

Hi V and John

How are you? It was good to meet you both and the girls too.

I enjoyed reading your trip report and sorry to heard that Samatha got fit at Castaway which I didn't know about it.

I hope she is fine now.

I love to see the photos and you both look lovely couple:thumbsup2

Forgot tell you that we had so much fun with Jeep at Aruba, as start off we got lost and end up circle for half hour, what a laugh. It was good fun day.

Scottishwee35:thumbsup2

[MrsMork]

Hi V and John

How are you? It was good to meet you both and the girls too.

I enjoyed reading your trip report and sorry to heard that Samatha got fit at Castaway which I didn't know about it.

I hope she is fine now.


Scottishwee35:thumbsup2


And it was a FINE fit too! ::yes:: :lmao: :rotfl: This Grandma and Grandpa just smiled. :) Been there, done that with kids and grandkids. :rolleyes1

[Joy2theWorld]

Great report!! Thank you for sharing... Also, thanks for mentioning about the CC post office being closed on Sunday. We'll be there on a Sunday too on the EB. I guess no special stamps or postmarks for us...

[lillygator]

Great report!! Thank you for sharing... Also, thanks for mentioning about the CC post office being closed on Sunday. We'll be there on a Sunday too on the EB. I guess no special stamps or postmarks for us...

you can still do it - but be sure to go to guest services on the ship prior to getting to Castaway Cay. I waited until we left which was a mistake!

[lillygator]

Monday May 12th, 2008 ~ Day At Sea ~ continued….

So off to find food were we….ended up at Goofy’s Galley. They have a really nice selection of wraps, salads, sandwiches, fruit and boy it was something when most days the lines were longer for Goofy’s than Pluto’s!

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Nothing but sea….
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We went and picked up the girls and I remembered the DIS group photo…oops, missed that along with the Scrapbooking class that I paid for. Oh well, it’s vacation.

Headed back to the room and gave the girls a tub, attempted to curl their hair for formal night and have a quick nap.

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We were a few minutes late to dinner, Charming stopped at the store to get a binky as ours went missing!

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Tonight was the Golden Mickey’s Menu –

Freshly Baked Rosemary Potato Loaf

Appetizers:
Prosciutto with Chilled Honeydew
Double Baked Aged Reggiano Parmesan Cheese Souffle
Spiced Asparagus and Citrus Delight
Grilled Bay Scallops with Pink Grapefruit Glaze

Soups and Salads:
Broccoli and Maytag Blue Cheese Soup
Sangria Bisque
Scottish Smoked Salmon and Pear Salad
Salad of Mixed Baby Greens

Main Course:
Grilled Ginger Lime Swordfish Steak
Jumbo Shrimp and Porcini Mushroom Tagliatelle
Oven Roasted Duckling with a Dark Cherry Glaze
Rack of New Zealand Lamb with a Dijon Mustard Crust
Roasted Fillet of Beef Wellington

Lighter Fare:
Roasted Chicken Breast
Grilled Sirloin Steak
Baked Salmon Steak

Vegetarian Selections:
Roast Turnips with Leeks and Pumpkins
Sweet and Sour Tofu

Desserts:
Ricotta Crème Brulee
Baked Apple and Blueberry Pithiviers
The Golden Chocolate Chocolate Award
Passion Fruit Napoleon
Strawberry Sundae

No Sugar Added:
Cream Puff
Assorted sugar free ice cream
Raspberry Cheese Cake

None of the appetizers really appealed to me so I think I passed. I did have the Beef Wellington for dinner.

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It was ok, of course I wasn’t feeling like I could enjoy dinner to much as I was dealing with butter, bathroom and babies!

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The kids menu really seemed to repeat itself. Nothing much was new. Pretty bland if you ask me. Samantha was good at eating her veggies though!

Dessert – Mickey Ice Cream Bars for the girls….
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Since I am not a chocolate lover, I went with the sugar free cheesecake. Big mistake, it tasted like the no bake Jello gimmick!
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Somehow we got strong armed into going to the Golden Mickey’s. This would be our first DCL show.
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The interpreters were awesome! Great to watch!
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The show was good, I think Charming was falling asleep and dying in his tux….we left to change clothes and got a few pictures on the way.

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Got back to the room to find…
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We took the girls to the clubs, they were doing The Royal Ball tonight, and Charming and I decided to go say Hello to Benita at Cove Café.

V busted the Geezer’s Party!
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We had a drink or two and then headed out to the Goofy pool. Narnia was on and some of the Geek gang was out there watching. It just happened to be at Charming’s favorite part, so we sat and I was soon paged.

Went to fetch the girls and came back to the Goofy pool. After Narnia we headed back to the cabin via the drink station on deck 9 and a nice man gave all 4 girls a Tinkerbell pin, made their night!

As we got to deck 2 Haley started her “want to have a party” fit. The whole let’s order room service gimmick worked so that is what we did!

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I sat and worked on my post cards waiting for everyone to fall asleep.

Thoughts on day 3: ok, according to my, mini-navigator I have missed – the scrapbooking, the DIS photo and a vow renewal. Honestly even though this stuff is in print it is hard to keep up. Sometimes it brings an element of not feeling like you are on vacation.

Also, there were things in the regular Navigator that we missed and wanted to do, chip it golf, the PC presentation, the Captain’s welcome reception and the atrium after party. Honestly – unless you commando your day, you are not going to be getting to everything!

[DiaLady]

HI V --

Can't wait to read the rest!! You're trip report is a great reverse preview of our WB in August! Thanks for taking the time to share you amazing family!

[ibouncetoo]

Loving it V! And you're doing a great job providing some of the details that the EB folks will be glad to see!

SDHoneymooner, the best advice...remember that you can't do it all...even with fifteen days! The best thing about the long cruise is you don't begrudge those times you just grab a lounger and sit and veg though.

.

[gaylean93]

Sorry you didn't feel the love at Shots Around the Ship.

I liked the chardonnay at the wine tasting too, we have pictures but I didn't know if you wanted us to post them.

Brooke always asked for a party too, since she gets them at home. Ethan always wanted room service.

[SDHoneymooner]

Loving it V! And you're doing a great job providing some of the details that the EB folks will be glad to see!

SDHoneymooner, the best advice...remember that you can't do it all...even with fifteen days! The best thing about the long cruise is you don't begrudge those times you just grab a lounger and sit and veg though.

.

My FI just emerged from his room to ask if I wanted to do something "active" or "relaxing" on our last day before we head home. He doesn't realize I know what we're doing! It's so cute. :) I think he's booked us for massages at Castaway Cays, but we'll see. I'm going to be surprised on all that he has planned for us. He's so happy to be surprising me with this! I plan to relax as much as he lets me. Reading all the TR gets me even more excited for August to come!

[poffles]

I am so loving this report. The girls looked good with all their curls. I am wishing the next few months away I am so anxious for my trip!!!

Such torture.

[cmash95]

absolutely love the report, and the girls are adorable. adding my two cents in, we ended up checking the navigator the night before and picking out two or three not to be missed things to do the next day and then just filled in the rest. especially on sea days, thank heavens they repeated several of the activities later on in the cruise. there is no way I could have gone full tilt for two weeks and enjoyed myself. the only time i really had a hard time was castaway cay but that was because it was so hot and i was pooped.

[MrsMork]

absolutely love the report, and the girls are adorable. adding my two cents in, we ended up checking the navigator the night before and picking out two or three not to be missed things to do the next day and then just filled in the rest. especially on sea days, thank heavens they repeated several of the activities later on in the cruise. there is no way I could have gone full tilt for two weeks and enjoyed myself. the only time i really had a hard time was castaway cay but that was because it was so hot and i was pooped.

We missed a few things on sea days that we wanted to do because we napped. :cloud9: :goodvibes ::yes::

[ChrisLei]

Just found your report. Loving it so far!

[LITTLEKID58]

Subscribing....TFS.. luv it...

[fluffy bunny]

subscribing...great so far:rotfl2:

[mruhaak]

popcorn:: Enjoying your report!

Don't worry about the temper tantrum. I found that the kids are just so exhausted with all of the traveling and 1st day activities.
On our second DCL cruise I tried really hard to not push them too hard traveling to get there (you live in florida so not your problem I'm sure!) and to try to get them to bed early the first night. But even doing that it's just an awful lot of excitement for them to take in and I think it's bound to happen!

[LisaG520]

We missed a few things on sea days that we wanted to do because we napped. :cloud9: :goodvibes ::yes::

Naps are great ::yes::

[lillygator]

Tuesday May 13th, 2008 ~ Day At Sea ~ Library Legislative Day! ~ Stevie Wonder’s Birthday!

Sunrise: 6:25am
Sunset: 7:06pm
Evening Attire: Cruise Casual
Dinner Menu: Show Dinner AP (6pm rotation)
Drink of the Day: True Colors (is Cyndi Lauper around?)

Events Throughout the Day:
Disney’s Behind the Scenes 11am & 3 pm
Castaway Club Party 4:45pm
John Charles Cabaret 7:30 pm Rockin’ Bar D
When Mickey Dreams 6:30, 8:30 pm
Cabaret John Charles 10:30 pm Rockin’ Bar D

Mini-Nav Events:
Geocaching 1:30 pm
Poker 2:30 pm
Bunco 3:30 pm

Ahhhhh, another sea day and another day in the cave. We all slept soundly until around 9am. Charming skipped the gym today.

I must say – the cabin’s really only downfall was the fact no natural light woke you up, I really could have slept all day.

We donned our bathing attire and headed up to Topsiders, heaven forbid Charming miss a meal. To be truthful I really didn’t like breakfast at Topsider’s, they changed the mixing’s in the eggs – but overall it was pretty bland. But then again – this is coming from someone who would rather have a glass of champagne and a croissant to kick off the day.

After the bland breakfast, Mickey pool became the destination of choice. Wasn’t too crowded and soon John1 showed up and let us know they were at the Goofy pool….so we went back and forth.

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The Mickey pool really never seemed that crowded to me, the Goofy pool and adult pool were always pretty full.

After several trips to get ice cream, it was soon lunch time. Tacos, hotdogs, blt Panini, turkey, tomato and brie – big tip here:

DON’T GET THE TACOS!

All I am gonna say.

All the fun ended around 2:30 when we headed back to the cave for naps!

What a life!

~so yes, I missed the Bunco - there was even a note on my door to remind me.

[ga9497]

Looking forward to reading more

[wilma-bride]

Wow, really enjoying your report. I can't think of anything beter than being on a Disney cruise for 15 whole days :)

[podsnel]

Love reading all of your tips- you have such great advice, V! I hope I remember it when we're on our cruise in Nov.
Oh, and I LOVE your idea of a good breakfast!:thumbsup2

[Joy2theWorld]

Uh oh, now I'm worried about the tacos. They were my DH's favorite treat last time. However, they had a taco bar set up on the opposite side where you could make your own tacos, nachos, etc... I guess I'll stick to chicken fingers!

[MrsMork]

Uh oh, now I'm worried about the tacos. They were my DH's favorite treat last time. However, they had a taco bar set up on the opposite side where you could make your own tacos, nachos, etc... I guess I'll stick to chicken fingers!

This is a matter of taste. DrHug and I loved the tacos! Same cruise as V and we agree with V on most everything! The tacos are very messy, drip in your plate messy. Lots of sour cream and guacamole. YUMMY!!! ::yes:: Try them. If you don't like it you can toss it and get something else. No additional charge! :thumbsup2

[lbgraves]

Come on V...I am waiting to get the rest of your scoop before we bring the Magic home in almost two months. :)

[dh chrisva]

Come on V...GO GO GO:cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

[Michelle2]

Come on V...I am waiting to get the rest of your scoop before we bring the Magic home in almost two months. :)

I totally agree! Can't wait to hear/see the rest. :thumbsup2

[3NJDisneyDivas]

Hi V!
I am a HUGE fan of your other "bad girl" trip reports & am so happy to have found this one.
I have never read, or even ventured over to, the cruise part of the DIS. I can't wait to read more.
You should consider writing for Cosmo instead of crunching numbers. You are so talented with the keyboard.
Lisa

[lillygator]

Tuesday May 13th, 2008 ~ continued ~ Arrr!

So V strikes again, naps are not welcome to anyone except Charming. Truthfully I would definitely rather hang out all day until dinner and then go party, BUT, the big BUT….

No one in my family would make it through dinner.

I started getting ready around 5 and then began prodding and poking the troops. Honestly – it’s worse than waking a bear in hibernation.

Much to my dismay – Charming wore shorts to dinner, again. He was quickly becoming a hero to the men at our table. From the glances and the journal note taking, I am assured that he will be written about somewhere on the DIS….not in a good light I am sure.

Back in Animator’s Palate tonight. It was the “show” dinner. Personally, the show does nothing for me. Sorcerer Mickey parading around, eh, bring me Tarzan any day.

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The pictures change colors but truthfully, I think unless you are sitting alone with just your family – there is so much going on at your table you can’t really enjoy the entire process.

The menus tonight were a black cover with a holographic picture in the middle. Aladdin and Jasmine on the magic carpet adorned mine. There was also Ariel and other princesses.

Themba was around to take drink orders and Charming has ditched Budweiser for New Castle and I was on to Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. The girls – what else? Sprite.

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The bread selection was Garlic and Herb Focaccia with roasted Garlic Dip. (no pricing tonight!)

Cocktails:
True Colors
Paint Brush Stroke
Artist’s Impression

Appetizers:
Seafood and Avocado Wrapper
Wild Mushroom Risotto and Porcini Wafer
Smoked Black Forest Ham and Vegetable Salad Terrine
Roma Tomato and Portabello Mushrooms on polenta Cake

Soups and Salads:
Chilled Gazpacho
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Confetti Tomato Salad
Smoked Salmon and Trout with Goat Cheese Salad

The Feature Selection:
Penette Alfredo
Grilled Salmon with Creamy Risotto and a Barolo Wine Sauce
Pan Seared Veal Chop with Medjool Date, Sultana Raisin and Veal Farcis
Lemon Peppered Over baked Stuffed Chicken
Grilled Filet Mignon, Seared Scallops with Port Wine Demi Glaze

Lighter Fare:
Grilled Grain Fed Sirloin Steak
Slow Roasted Breast of Chicken
Oven Baked Fillet of Salmon

Vegetarian Selections:
Vegetable Korma
Farfalle All ‘Ortolana

I started with the Seafood and Avocado Wrapper….
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These were good, nice and light.

Charming had the same, I think, then moved on to the Smoked Salmon and Trout with Goat Cheese Salad….
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And the Creamy Butternut Squash Soup…
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I enjoyed this but it wasn’t hot – it was lukewarm.

And the Grilled Filet Mignon….
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This was the best part of the meal tonight – but then, I am a beef lover.

The kids menu was not so adventurous.
Appetizers:
Cream of Chicken Soup
Watermelon Slices

Entrees:
Mickey’s Mac and Cheese
Minnie’s Mini Burger
Crusty Cheese Pizza
Golden Fried Chicken Strips with BBQ Sauce

Chef’s Entrée Selection of the Day:
Pasta Shells with a Mushroom Cream Sauce
Breaded Fish Nuggets with Tartar Mayonnaise
Roasted Breast of Turkey with Gravy

Do they really deal a lot of soup to kids? I wonder.

The girls were into the nugget gimmick, so they had chicken – again. Samantha was pretty good about eating her veggies again but Haley was full on butter – until dessert of course.

I don’t have a dessert menu from tonight, but so far I have been less than thrilled with the desserts. I don’t like chocolate so that puts me at a definite disadvantage on this ship. Gimme a good cheesecake and a glass of wine and I am in dessert heaven.

Tonight there was a White Chocolate Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce on the kids menu….that is what I had….
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I carefully swept my fork through the cheesecake and as I lifted it to my mouth, I was full of anticipation. I envisioned a rich and thick creamy bite of bliss.

I was so disenchanted. It was worse then last nights.

So wine would have to do.

Charming had…
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After twelve potty breaks, two dishes of butter, and four games of ring around the table dinner was over…When Mickey Dreams was the show tonight and yes, we got roped into going…PJ wanted to change and she very bravely (or really crazily, depending on how you look at it)
took all four girls with her.

We stopped in Shutters to look at some pictures, of course we ended up with some so Charming flitted back to the room to drop off our very overly priced 8x10’s and the dinner menu.

Bring on the Photopass DCL!

The rest of us marched over to the Walt Disney Theatre, PJ was there and had gotten in trouble for seat saving. Yes, we wear shorts to dinner, save seats in the theatre – stay tuned – there will be more I am sure!

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The show was Cirque-ish, which is what I had read and also what the buzz was. Kids were given a paper to write what their dreams were and during the show Dream Catchers came and scooped them up. Of course, there was a box out front in case you were missed during the show.

Another potty break…
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Yes, my Haley thought these were for drying your hair, not your hands.

And everyone went their separate ways – we took the kids to the club and then headed to Diversions.

Unfortunately, no NBA games were on. DCL staff gave us several different answers as to why. We had a drink and then on the big screen they were showing Rockin’ Bar D as they thought there would be an overflow since John Charles was going to perform.

Charming looked at me and said, no way, no cabaret for me. I said, come on, let’s go and have one drink.

Had.

To.

Pull.

Teeth.

For.

That.

Rockin’ Bar D was ROCKIN’! We are talking jammed…my kind of scene. We went over to the very end of the bar by the sound booth.

I ordered a wine and Charming had a beer. Trent came out for a spell and then out came John Charles. I was feeling a bit like a Bad Girl, so I hopped up on the bar to sit. As he passed us, we asked him to do Panama by Van Halen.

I have to admit – we loved his show – he was great fun and could really do anything. Some Enimen, Dave Matthews Band – he took suggestions from the audience. Never did our request.

After the show we went and got the girls and headed back to the cabin. We were greeted with…
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An invitation to the Princess at Sea Party….and a…
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Pretty tired were we and we all were in bed though not asleep around midnight.

Thoughts on Day 4….I love sea days, really love them – and even though it seems like there is plenty of time to do things – it really isn’t the case. I am not sure we have made it to any pictures before dinner. They need a 7:30 V seating. Just. For. Me. We also were already kind of in a routine, even on vacation….

[chip&dale&fun]

Great report so far V, I am going to snag all those little details for my scrapbook since I totally forgot to journal the whole time!!!!

******************

Thanks for posting the pics - I grabbed one for my scrapbook as mine did not print.....

Gee - we had lots of fun didn't we....

[chip&dale&fun]

Thanks for the trip report - I admit it, I am "borrowing" some ideas for my scrapbook - for which I am behind on completing...No trip report yet for me...

edited to say - gee - I did not recall posting a thank you yesterday - silly me...

[Credit Man]

Really enjoying your report. Thanks for posting.

[tink,too]

Great report so far V! :thumbsup2 Reading about your adventures is bringing back memories for me already - like getting ice cream from deck 9 EVERY DAY and of course the melt-downs! :rotfl2:

[averill94]

Wow loving this report! It has been a while for you:goodvibes and the girls are getting so big and beautiful (as always!)

Thank you for sharing- just might need to look into cruising!

[Michelle2]

Can't wait to hear more!
pretty please?

[fourmcds]

V....come back.....finish the adventures! :) we are all waiting to hear what happens next:goodvibes

[ibouncetoo]

Where's the 'drumming fingers' smilie?


:goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes

.

[DCLgal]

V, I love the report.

On a side note, DH and I were at Typhoon Lagoon today. There was a UF Alumni Hometown Party. It made me thing of you! GO GATORS!!!!;) SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!:thumbsup2

[mrp4352]

I've delurked to beg you to PLEASE COME BACK!!!! Miss you!!

[lillygator]

I am going to try this week, I promise. My DD started K and I started my MBA classes so things have been quite hectic...and now we just got through a TS.

[granmaz]

Excuses, excuses, excuses!!!;) :lmao:

[alwayslisad]

Love this cruise report!

[snowbell]

I have enjoyed reading your trip report. I cannot wait to hear more!!

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale…” nope, not unless we get stranded - on Castaway Cay that is.

“Love, exciting and new, come aboard, we’re expecting you…” nah, too ‘80’s.

“Ze Plane, Ze Plane!” too “fantasy”-ish.

“Here, on Temptation Island.” Um, this is a Disney Cruise trip report, right? Better ax that as well…..

“Yo Ho, Yo Ho a Pirate’s Life for V!” arrr, much better! Since my creative juices have been, well, juiced, I was going to steal my old trip report title as well as introductions ~ it is mine after all, so I am not really stealing.

Just…re-using.

Yeah, that’s it.

But then, that wouldn’t be very original would it?

*trip report title in the works*

So you probably want to know who is sailing, right? I know, in the back of your mind you are thinking "for the love of God, NO, I want pictures, details, details, more pictures and most importantly food porn!"

In case you haven’t read any of my unfinished trip reports I’ll do the introductions again.

Just.

For.

You.

Charming ~ 43 ~ what can I say about this guy? He’s wickedly handsome, willing to dress in just about any get up I put in front of him, deals with Diva behavior daily, deals with Bad Girl behavior on occasion, let’s me book trip after trip to WDW even though there are other vacation destinations he would rather see, can hit a mean homerun, doesn’t mind that he never sees his paycheck – nor gets an allowance, won the Sandals beer chugging contest drinking Red Stripe, doesn’t mind the endless time I spend on the DIS or Ebay for that matter:scared1: , loves his girls beyond imagination and is the best husband I could have ever conjured up for myself.
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V ~ 33 ~ hmmm, Bad Girl Extraordinaire pretty much sums it up!
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Princess Numero uno ~ 5 ~ D~I~V~A! Samantha - really she is, I have created a monster. I am hoping before this trip she loses no more teeth and chooses not to cut any more of her hair, or her sister’s for that matter….I *think* I have hidden all cutting instruments.
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Princess Numero dos ~ 3 ~ Haley Bug, she’s the baby, the laid back one, the wants to “hold you” one, the large chunk of hair less in the back one (thanks to Samantha), the can do a 25 piece puzzle “all myself” one, the graduated from Flounder's one!:thumbsup2
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A little bit about our clan, I’ve been going to Disney since I was born, pre ~ V, Charming had only been once, ONCE, can you believe it? What kind of parents did this guy have anyway? (he sure has made up for that!) We live in Florida and are fortunate to have annual passes and go to WDW quite often. We are also fortunate enough to have been on several Disney cruises prior to this one…that no airfare thing and Florida resident rates are pretty kickin’. Aside from Disney, we are huge Gator fans, and big sports fans in general. Charming plays softball two nights a week and my hobby – I’m a closet Rock Star! :rockband:

This will be the first trip report that I am going to finish….yes, you read that correctly, I did say finish.

And yes, before the August 2008 repo sets sail. Since I know there are probably some of the Captain’s sailing that wants to hear all about our Stealing of the Magic. (I know I sure went searching for the last repo trip reports and there were hardly any!)

So pour yourself a nice glass of wine, settle in with a cheese and cracker tray and start reading ~ and don’t worry if it’s 9am your time ~ be a Bad Girl! (it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere!) If wine and cheese aren’t your fancy, lord help you!

(*note – this will be long winded, full of detail, lots of pictures, off topic run on sentences and some useless trivia --- so feel free to bow out now, I won’t be offended)

On our quest to commandeer the Magic, we must begin at the beginning, as any grand adventure would.

Charming mentioned once, in passing, or maybe I dreamt it, that if DCL ever went through the Panama Canal again, we had to be on that boat – we missed the first one. Early January 2007, the 18th to be exact, Sue Ellen from Dreams Unlimited, emailed me the following:

15-Night Westbound Panama Canal Cruise

Explore sun-kissed lands brimming with beauty and steeped in history during a 15-Night westbound cruise through one of the world's most important trade routes, the Panama Canal. Travel from Port Canaveral to Los Angeles aboard the Disney Magic® and enjoy shops in picture-perfect Aruba, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Disney's very own Castaway Cay. And experience a full week at sea where delightful entertainment, delectable dining and fun-filled activities surround you at every turn -- available to book January 31, 2007!

2008 Departure Date: May 10.

Rates: From 1,699 USD per person* (pricing subject to change)

Ports of Call:
Port Canaveral, Castaway Cay, Aruba, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Los Angeles

Notes: Itinerary information (days, times and ports of call) subject to change.
* Please contact us for the more pricing information starting January 31, 2007.
** Last tender leaves shoreside at 4:00 p.m.

Cruise Itinerary
Day Port Ashore Onboard
Saturday Port Canaveral 4:00 PM
Sunday Castaway Cay 9:30 AM 4:30 PM
Monday At Sea
Tuesday At Sea
Wednesday Aruba 7:30 AM 4:30 PM
Thursday At Sea
Friday Panama Canal Crossing
Saturday At Sea
Sunday At Sea
Monday Acapulco 11:30 AM 7:30 PM
Tuesday At Sea
Wednesday Puerto Vallarta 7:30 AM 5:30 PM
Thursday Cabo San Lucas 7:00 AM 4:00 PM**
Friday At Sea
Saturday At Sea
Sunday Los Angeles 8:15 AM


YES, we hit the booty!

Now, we had an existing reservation for a December 2007 sailing. I struggled with the best course of action to take…try and book myself, or hand over our fate to Sue Ellen with Dreams Unlimited? Being the indecisive person I am, I questioned it on the DIS boards, consulted my trusty Pirate magic eight ball, flipped a coin, made it through all the green lights on the way home, lifted my feet going over railroad tracks and kissed the ceiling through yellow lights (yes, I am crazy like that!) before I officially emailed Sue Ellen to tell her the news.

Then - the wait was on.

Arrr…. a Ship of Thieves thread had already started and come 1/31/07, it was crazy. The phones to DCL were backed up, pricing was going up with each breath, I sat at work, on the DIS boards of course, not knowing if we had a reservation or not. And, if we did, I wondered if I would drop dead at the sight of the price.

so I waited and waited and waited, until a fellow Geek told me to simply look on the DCL site with my existing reservation number….GENIUS! (why didn’t I think of that?) So I frantically pulled it up and BAM, we hit the booty again! Category 10, cabin 2573, but I still didn’t know the price. But hey, for a second I did the Pirate Polka around my office, who cares who was watching, I am going through the Canal baby, with DCL and a mighty fine crew!

Finally Sue Ellen emailed me the particulars to log into the DU site, and there it was, officially, we were booked. Now for two adults, two children ages 5 and 3 at the time of sailing, our cost was $4956.96 for a category 10. I am not sure if this is a first tier price or not, but I could live with it and hopefully donate enough plasma between now and then to actually pay it off. For this sailing DCL was increasing the deposit to $500 per person. We had $1000 down already from rebooking onboard (or maybe it was $750) so we had to come up with the rest.

People on the boards – both West and East bound - were going nuts, some TA’s had messed up, some were on hold so long only to see the cost rise significantly and some crashed as they frantically tried to book on the website. I am very fortunate and thanks to Sue Ellen, did not have to suffer through anything other than a wait. I do hope DCL will try and figure out a better way to book these specialty cruises, I am not sure what it would be, but come on, they can Imagineer something up, can’t they?

So, as of 1/31/07, we were booked and now had 14 months for the planning and stressing and paying for the trip of a lifetime.

I started my cruise box that day, “a cruise box”, you say? Well, that is where my packing begins. And yes, I am freaky like that to start 14 months ahead of time. Hand sanitizers, nightlights, costumes, sewing repair kit, air freshener, clothespins, masking tape, binoculars, laundry detergent and softener, sunscreen, lotion, suction cups, aloe, band-aids, Bonine, corkscrew, glow necklaces, fish extender, Passporter, journal, pens, post it’s, quarters, beach toys and oh, the kitchen sink. Who knows what you'll need...I mean we could get stranded like Gilligan did!

and thus, it begins!
I'm having EB withdrawals and from the first post of your thread- I think I'm in for the long haul of reading about your trip! So far the first post is very entertaining... I think I like you. ;)

[lillygator]

I found my journal from the trip! amazing, just re-read.....great times!!!!