Our Magical Journey....to Brent-land and Back..

[CastleCreations]

Hello Fellow Disney Lovers...I had been thinking about writing a trip report, even before I booked the trip..:lmao: but honestly didn't think anyone would read it. Well I'm taking the plunge...are you all still with me? and decided to give it a go..
I had been waiting to go on another Disney cruise since our last cruise on the Wonder... since I would be traveling alone with the girls, I decided to book the Wonder again for October 19th, 2008. I booked the trip 26 weeks out and we had a LOOOOONNNNNGGGG wait. As the time grew near the girls got really anxious....
I guess I should introduce all of us..
Me...Mommy,(Elisa) 32..nurse, seamstress and baggage packer and carrier
Girl #1 Ireland, age 7, socialite, wanna-be Disney employee
Girl #2 Alexis, age 5, going on 2, shy but talkative, thinks she's the boss

That's all of us..LOL not a long list huh? LOL:rotfl:

Anyhow, usually we travel with my mother, Ma-Ga to the girls, but this trip, she didn't want to go...:scared1: since it was only the 4 night, I decided what the heck...I can take them by myself and we'll make out okay. I only live about 40 minutes from the port so no flying is involved. I take them to Disney alone all the time and stay in the hotels, so I figured it would be pretty much the same. Well the good thing about living in Florida is the Florida resident rates for the cruise...so about a month before we were getting ready to sail....Florida resident rates opened up for the 7 night Western Cruise...and the price would be 500 dollars less than the 4 night that I booked. Well I didn't have to think twice...I did have to pay the penalty for cancelling so close to the cruise date, but who cares...we were now going on the Western for 7 nights!!!:cool1: :rotfl2:
Wait!!!! :eek: Stop the presses...:eek: WE...ARE....NOW..GOING..ON...THE...SEVEN NIGHT!!!! 7 nights? :scared1: ALONE!! WITH THE KIDS!!!:scared1: Okay...panic set in....I can do this, right? I'm their mother, surely nothing terrible could happen...wait...now I need to make more outfits, plan excursions, and I only have a month to do it....Panic, Panic.....:sad2:
I had bought the girls gifts that I planned to leave in the room each night, but as time grew closer I knew that they just wouldn't fit in the suitcases,
Well the night before the cruise was Halloween, so after the trick or treating and quick showers for the girls, I gave them one of their gifts. Ireland got her Tinkerbell that she wanted and Lexie got Belle.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture002.jpg

The loved them and slept with them that night.
Well the last cruise we took, we were the first ones at the terminal and had a very long wait, so this time we decided to leave around 10:30am and that would put us at the terminal at 11:30 or so, I knew we were going to stop for a snack and drink. I laid out their clothes, for the next day and headed to bed.
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We got up about 7:30 and got ready and after a quick photo
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture007.jpg
left right on time...
The ride to the port was uneventful, until we got to the little bridge where you can see the ship, and we all screamed!!:woohoo: It was finally here, it brings tears to my eyes now as I type this, all of the planning and packing, and getting ready, and it was finally here. All of the wishing time would go faster, I kept praying to myself for time to slow down so I could enjoy every minute...I couldn't believe we were finally here and it was finally happening..another dream vacation!!
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture011.jpg
Okay...where was I....okay, parking was a breeze, and when we got into the port...I was a little anxious...it was PACKED!! We got boarding card number 11. Last time we had 2. But we got into the castaway club member line and only had to wait a few minutes, we got all checked in and headed to the kids area to get them checked into the kids club, this is were I lost a little of the Disney magic....I got into the line and was rudely poked in the back, and heard EXCUSE ME! ARE YOU JUST GOING TO CUT ALL ( insert big, wavy, too dramatic hand gesture by the fat man, here) OF THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN WAITING? I was like...um...okay am I not at the back of the line...apparently I wasn't.....so sorry....not really :rotfl: but whatever, before I have never seen a line like that. We waited about 30 minutes to check in, if I had known how long it would have been, I would have checked them in at the kids club.
Anyway, they got their wristbands and we got our pager and it was time to board, but hey....there's Pluto...gotta get our first photo with a character...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture016.jpg
After the photo, we were headed onto the ship..
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture018.jpg
But when it came to announcing our names...we have a problem, we all have a different last name...Long story, but who's name should we use :confused3
Mine? the girls? and which girl :confused3
So did they even announce us at all? Stay tuned...:rotfl:

[Mom2PrincessesLinSy]

Anxiously awaiting pics of Brent.......popcorn:: :rolleyes1

Just kidding. Saw the girls alot on board, loved that they took the Castaway club challenge so seriously! ;)

Did you make all their clothes? You do beautiful work!

Let's hear some more baby!!!!!

[ms_mckenna]

Can't wait to read your TR! We are debating a cruise for 10 or 11! Course I want to see what all the girls wore too lol. I love the girls first day outfits!

[MouseTriper]

Great start to your TR....love the girls outfits for that 1st day!!! They are so darn cute (the girls, well the outfits too) LOL!!! Looking forward to reading more!!!! :goodvibes

[CastleCreations]

Yea...I have readers...thanks you guys...
About the Brent photos....good things come to those who wait...I will update later tonight...it was fab-u-lous!

[ibesue]

I love their outfits!!! So cute!! Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

Sue

[jessica52877]

I can't wait to hear more. The girls look great in their customs! You did a fabulous job!

[disneymomof1]

subbing, can't wait to read all about it. The girls look beautiful, and their outfits are perfection. :)

[FSUDisneyGirl]

I followed you over from the Disboutiquers board. The outfits are great, what a fun trip!!! :goodvibes

[mindelmouse]

enough to see all the outfits in person and they were wonderful. Elisa is very talented and her girls are lovely.

[sweetstitches]

Love the girls' first day customs! You did a great job. Can't wait to "see" more.

[jham]

I'm so glad you are writing a TR! I'm jealous of your cruise so it will be fun to follow along with you. Those are my favorite outfits for the girls! We want photos of you too!

[NaeNae]

subbing. Can't wait to read more.

[revrob]

WOO HOO! Can't wait to read more!

[Miscoehill]

How cute are those outfit! Can't wait to read more..and I can't wait to move to Florida to get the FLA rates! LOL

[jollytammy]

Keep up the good work!!!

[Cherlynn25]

Great pics so far, cant wait to read more!! =)

[snubie]

Can't wait for more.

[billwendy]

Woo Hoo - been thinking about you guys and your trip!! Cant wait to hear all the details!! This would be my dream trip!!! Maybe someday!!!

[CastleCreations]

Okay...everyone here we go again...
I left off with us getting on the ship...well when it came time for them to announce us..I just couldn't decide which name, so I decided that we used Ireland's last name last time, so this time it would be Alexis's turn...well we walked up the gangway onto the ship, the lady leaned over and announced us as the Ireland family...LOL..oh well. maybe next time.
We went onboard and the first place I headed was to Rockin Bar D....for a drink...nope, just kidding, I needed to change my dining reservation from the late seating to the early. No problem there...off to explore...
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We walked around the ship and I pointed out some places along the way to the girls that they might not remember
and we decided to have lunch at Pluto's Dog House and had our first of many plates of chicken fingers..
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture025.jpg
Just as we started eating...we saw a familiar face...another DISer...nope..it's the main man himself...BRENT!! Ha ha..just kidding...it's the other main man...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture027.jpg
After giving Mickey a few hugs, we went off to find our room. For this cruise, we were inside...Way Inside....ick..:sad2: never again...it was a nice room, but I really enjoy the veranda..anyhow, we found the room quite easily, we were on deck 6, midship. The room didn't have the bunkbeds that I hoped for but with the one bed being so huge, it wasn't a problem for me to share with the girls, the couch folded down with a bed on the backside, so each night they took turns sleeping with me.
This was our stateroom, and it was never that clean again...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture037.jpg
The picture above the bed, is the Dream is a wish your heart makes...
That's Lexie's favorite song...Well when I saw that...you guessed it, more tears...we were actually here, I know I must have said it to the girls over and over again, Can you believe that we're actually here?
Well the luggage started thudding against the door and with each one, it was like Christmas, I couldn't wait to unpack. Yup, I'm a dork, I have to be unpacked and settled in order to relax. Well it figures, it was the last bag that held my most precious items. My jewelry? Nope. All of those custom outfits with matching shoes? Nope. MY DOOR SIGNS WERE HERE!!! :rotfl2:
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After we were done with the door decorating, I knew it was time for the dreaded life jacket drill.
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I'm not sure why, but the crew didn't seem too concerned that the girls only had adult sized life jackets and not child sized...:confused3 I did see a little baby in hers, and it looks like an orange snow suit..it was adorable.
After the pain and humiliation and wearing that stupid thing, and no I contained my excitement and didn't blow my whistle, unlike my youngest child..:rolleyes1 , we headed back to the room to kick those things across the bed and RAN up the 9th deck to be in the FRONT for the sail away party.
At first, yawn...it was the traditional songs...Hey Baby, Celebration, etc...and then I saw the most beautiful sight....Was it my two gorgeous babies with their streamers?
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um....well although they are cuties...NOPE...I saw the figure in white...wearing the DCL name tag....I couldn't quite make it out across the dancing and flailing arms...did it read...B-R-E-....oh darn....it wasn't him...it was my other favorite person on the planet....
It was CHRISTIAAN!!
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture056.jpg
This will be the only awful picture of him..I sware, the rest are amazing...:lovestruc , okay, back on track...Christian was just the tease, because he was there to introduce ...YOU KNOW WHO! Say it with me now....Introducing the Cruise Director of the DISSSSSSNEY Magggggic...
MR. BRENT DAVIES.....and the crowd goes wild....:dance3:
This is Alexis saying hi to him...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture061.jpg
Right away I started snapping photos...but the darn sun was on the wrong side of the ship and blinding me...so after a few photos, I grabbed the girls by their pigtails and hot dogged it over to the other side, where we can see the show, (ahem) better...and boy did we ever
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture065.jpg
Brent was full of hugs, and he remembered us...:love: from our last cruise...okay okay, at least he remembered Ireland...he said that she was the only Ireland he's ever met...darn..
Okay, more Brent talk...the girls LOVED him and me too of course, and after talking to him for a few more minutes, he let the girls into the roped area so they can dance with him....
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture068.jpg
This was our first, of many magical moments...okay Ireland get your hand a little higher...LOL
After the dancing ended, we spotted our second favorite person again and he chatted up the girls for a while and posed for a photo with Brent and then again with the girls.
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http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture071.jpg
I discovered some interesting things about Christiaan...he always takes his glasses off for pictures, and that he lives near me in Florida, and that his wife is expecting a little boy, in January..the end of, and that he's off the Magic Jan 3rd, oh yeah and he and his wife are both dancers.
Okay, back on track...
after our Brent/ Christiaan fest, we went back to the room and dressed for our very first show.
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I should have written down the names of the shows, but it was a combination variety show that featured some of the performers that would be doing upcoming shows and a Welcome Aboard show. It was great of course but the ship was really rocking, so our man on his unicycle had a little trouble getting on there, but he made it.
After the show, we went to shutters and bought our first photo...we only took one in port, the one with Pluto, but I bought the package, for 160 dollars. It worked out well. They stapled this little card onto your reciept and I kept it with my Key to the World card, and each time you pick another photo they cross it off of your card, so no ringing up or signing anything. Just in and out. and the good thing is, if you don't buy all of the pictures in the package, they refund you the additional money back at the end of the cruise. After shutters, we ran into Brent again
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture078.jpg
...LOL and I took the kids to the kids club to look around, they wanted to stay, so I gladly left them and walked around a little and did some shopping. I went back after an hour and got the kids, it was after 9 and they were hungry...so after a Lexie meltdown, we headed back to Pluto's for more chicken fingers and we tried pizza this time as well.
Then it was uneventful...back to the room, I showered and our first towel animal was a cobra...he was really cute...
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Then the girls got sunggled into bed and I think we smiled in our sleep all night.
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http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture088.jpg
coming up...Does our Captain really know how to parallel park that ship? Is Key West just a party town? And what is a Blonde Giraffe anyway?

[jham]

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture065.jpg


So you totally need to have this one framed and placed by your bedside! :rotfl:

You are taking me down memory lane! Our cruise was a Western Carribean (get on facebook and you can see the pics) and our cruise director was Christiaan!:banana: :banana: :banana: (no idea where Brent was?) :confused3 although you probably know, Feb. 2007? :lmao: Loved Christiaan! I have a picture of Lily in that life jacket suit for babies.

[jessica52877]

Wow, so many pictures of Brent already!

We have always had Brent, atleast from what I remember. I am pretty sure all 3 7 day trips were Brent. Seems like a nice fellow. Do we know if he is married?

[mytwotinks]

I'm reading! Sounds great so far!!!!

[CastleCreations]

Wow, so many pictures of Brent already!

We have always had Brent, atleast from what I remember. I am pretty sure all 3 7 day trips were Brent. Seems like a nice fellow. Do we know if he is married?

Yup...he's taken. He's married to a girl named Yolanda. From what I understand they married in February of this year and make their home together in Australia. She does work for DCL and was on the Magic when we were...although she was nowhere to be found. I'm not sure if she's a dancer or something else..? :confused3 I didn't want to ask...egads...he might think I'm interested....LOL :lmao:

[revrob]

You're seriously making me want to book a cruise already!

[karamat]

Lovin' the trip report! Can't wait to read more.

[twob4him]

Hi Elisa.....love it already! The girls look so cute in their costumes!!! Can't wait to read more!!! Get some rest and then get to writin girl!!:thumbsup2 :goodvibes

[mindelmouse]

I know I was there.....but now I know why I didn't see Brent in person until day 5 of the cruise.....YOU WERE HOGGING HIM!!!! When I met him....I told him I was happy to meet the incredible Brent in person and he started laughing.....

Elisa - don't forget to talk about our trip to HELL and I can't possibly write a report as well as you so I'll just sit back enjoy yours and if I have anything to add...I'll do it...thanks for the good memories even if they are very fresh.

[MaryAz]

I think it so great that you went with just your girls. I will probably do that in a few years when they are older. The outfits are just beautiful. Looking forward to more!

[jns]

great start
looking forward to hearing more

[dvc4life]

Wow, so many pictures of Brent already!

We have always had Brent, atleast from what I remember. I am pretty sure all 3 7 day trips were Brent. Seems like a nice fellow. Do we know if he is married?

We have had Brent three times and have seen him on the travel network for a Disney Cruise Line program. All I have to do is hear his voice and I know who it is. As to the married question, we just sailed on the 10/25 cruise and we happened to ask him, and yes he is married and he said that his wife is a server on the ship. I didn't ask where, but it is nice to know that they are together on board.

Love reading your trip report. I even saw Oscar in one of your photos! Please keep them coming!!!!!

[minnie2]

Great TR so far!
The girls look great in their customs!
Reading how you got teary eye about certain things made me feel like I am not alone!!! Thank you! We leave for WDW on Friday ad just reading how you felt about wanting everything to go faster then once you got there wanting it to slow down is EXACTLY how I feel!
I am so nervous about crying as soon as i get to the park! My DH and my best friend are going to pick on me if they catch me with tears in my eyes! :lmao:

[lovesdumbo]

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture016.jpg
:

How cute!!!!! Loving your TR!

[MagicMe]

Love the pictures and outfits on the girls!!! I'm another Brent lover!!! I've been lucky that he's been my CD for my last two cruises (one on the Wonder in 2006 and the Magic just this past September). My first cruise was on the Wonder in 2000 and I couldn't even tell you who was my CD at that time - guess I could look it up in the old Navigators.

[CastleCreations]

When I left off, we had just had our first Wonderful...or should I say Magical day at sea...
Sunday...Key West Day!
We awoke to Mickey's wake up call, one thing I wish I would have brought was a digital alarm clock that I could see at night, having an inside room, I never new what time it was, and I had to keep getting up at night to see what time it was. Anywho, Mickey called us bright and early, one thing I didn't remember is the wake up call calls you two times...kind of a pain. I was like, okay, okay, I'm up already! LOL :confused3
Since we weren't getting to the keys unitl around noon, I decided to enjoy room service for breakfast and the girls had some cereal and fruit and I had a bagel with cream cheese.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture089.jpg
I took the girls swimming in the Mickey pool, and sadly.....I'm a terrible Mommy, the Mickey slide wasn't open yet. Poor Alexis had a total breakdown. She had been waiting since the last cruise to use the slide, last cruise she was too little and too afraid.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture093.jpg
This year she was determined that she was going to use it. The whole first day I kept promising, that first thing after breakfast she would get to go on the Mickey slide....well we were there at about 8am, and I think the slide didn't open until 9. So needless to say, she had to get over it, with the promise she would come back later.
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http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture091.jpg
After swimming we all took showers and got dressed.
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I stopped and checked out shutters again and let the girls eat lunch. Then we hurried up to the front of the ship for the view as we pulled into the keys.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture110.jpg

It was so WINDY!! I couldn't take many good photos, because my hands couldn't hold the camera still. One thing that was a little un-nerving was the port police, guys...the coast guard guys...with the machine guns that ride along us in their little boats...I was surprised at that.
Anyway....to answer the question, can Captain Thord parallel park that ship....sure can...We parked next to the Holland America- Veendam and BOY did we get close to it. On board, it looked like we would hit them because we were so close.
We got off the ship and headed into the beautiful port area. It was so nice not being asked if you wanted your hair braided, or for a tour or something...the port area was beautiful and near an airport...we had some great view of planes.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture113.jpg
We found our way around town quite easily and I didn't even need the map that I brought. Our first stop was Pirate Soul, it's a really cute pirate museum with a knowledgable staff that was very friendly.
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After the pirate museum....we headed to this place
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and we ate only the best thing on earth....FROZEN KEY LIME PIE----ON A STICK... LOL, it was heavenly, but the kids didn't care for it...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture121.jpg
After eating our frozen treats, we wandered around and did some shopping. The stores are fun and you can really find just about anything here. I had a lovely view of the ship while walking back.
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When you get back on board, it really is like coming home. I'm always so much more at ease when I get back to the comfort and pampering that is Disney...LOL
The girls weren't tired yet, and since it was only about 3pm, I let them go the the kids club. I had brought a book with me, and I parked my butt on a chair that faced the ocean and read a little. I also had my first adult beverage of the trip. Sadly it wasn't the best. It was some kind of fruity green thing...oh well. After I finished my drink, I decided I needed to wash it down with some ice cream...no I'm not kidding...LOL and sat on the port side and read some more.
I went up to pick up the kids about 4:30 and we went back to the room to take a little nap. We wanted to watch the sunset but missed it by just a few minutes.
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The girls played ping pong for a few minutes and we watched the Holland America pull out. Now this is where my vacation could have totally been ruined. I was wearing flip flops that are slick on the bottom and must have stepped in water and I fell on the deck. HARD. Landed on my left knee. OWIE! I got up quick but it was throbbing. I was hoping that it would soon pass and I wouldn't have to go to the medical center.
We watched the other ship leave.
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In this photo, you can see how close we were to it. eeek!!
The kids decided they wanted to eat again, so I got them a tuna sandwich, and Lex wanted chicken fingers (again), I decided to have a turkey and cranberry sandwich...let's just say, it's in the Disney cruise line landfill somewhere...egads...that was gross.
The kids later went back to the Goofy slumber party and had a great time, but wouldn't tell me too much of what happened. :confused3
I picked them up around 10:30 and we all went to bed a little early...LOL
If you notice a pattern....we have skipped the dining rooms so far....
Will we ever make it to dinner like a normal family? or will I feed my girls so many chicken fingers they grow feathers? And what magical moment did the girls have with Captain Thord? Stay tuned....
oh..almost forgot...our towel animal of the day....
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture138.jpg
I guess it's a dog...??? it's cute anyways...LOL

[Im_A_Princess]

*SIGH*

SO many pics of Christiaan and Brent! :lovestruc
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........... You are so Lucky!!!!
They are 2 of the greatest guys! :woohoo:
Thanks for posting! :goodvibes

If you have a chance please tell Christiaan "The Weiss Family says "Hello!" :)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y270/newchrissy/radar04.jpg

[CastleCreations]

*SIGH*

SO many pics of Christiaan and Brent! :lovestruc
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........... You are so Lucky!!!!
They are 2 of the greatest guys! :woohoo:
Thanks for posting! :goodvibes

If you have a chance please tell Christiaan "The Weiss Family says "Hello!" :)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y270/newchrissy/radar04.jpg

Christiaan is the sweetest guy...just wait. I have lots of more photos. Christiaan danced with Ireland on pirate night for about 30 minutes. It was sooooo adorable. She still loves Brent more though...:love:

[Im_A_Princess]

Christiaan is the sweetest guy...just wait. I have lots of more photos. Christiaan danced with Ireland on pirate night for about 30 minutes. It was sooooo adorable. She still loves Brent more though...:love:


He IS such a sweetie!!! We just LOVE him!:lovestruc
Spending 15 days on the EB Repo Panama Canal trip with him, Daniel (Food & Bev Mgr) and so many more of the crew we adore & know was so COOL!

Only having Brent and Christiann at the same time for the EB Repo would have been cooler! I can not imagine how much FUN that would be!

You are so lucky to be on the ship right now! pirate:

[MaryAz]

Great update. Hope your knee was ok. Can't wait for more!

[Im_A_Princess]

Going through Brent & Christiaan withdrawl waiting for the next update :lovestruc

Do you know if Daniel Cowan (Food and Bev. Mgr.) is still on board? If you do not know who he is his pic/bio are on the officers annimated screen near the Excusions end of the atrium. You must get to know him if you do not already. He is from the UK and a blast!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y270/newchrissy/IMGP0641-1.jpg
Daniel and the Weiss Family Girls

[jham]

Great update Elisa! I may have to stop reading your TR, it has me DYING for another cruise! I can still even spot "my" verandah on the photo you took of the ship docked at Key West. We went to the Pirate Soul museum. The kids loved it. We also ate Key Lime Pie at the Blond Giraffe! It was my birthday so that was my birthday cake. Thanks for taking me back!

[ldg1146]

Actually Yolanda (?), Brent's wife, was on the ship. She is a head server in the dining room--not sure which rotation except it wasn't mine (APL). She was short with dark hair and very friendly--is that a surprise? We were on the #12 Disney Cruise that week.

[CastleCreations]

Hello...thanks everyone for staying with me this far...it's been fun to remember all of the events while they are so fresh in my mind.
Well I left off after our fun filled day in Key West...well now it's Monday and it's our day at sea.
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I got the girls up around 7:30 with another Mickey wake up call, and we got dressed and headed off to eat at Topsiders Buffet. Their breakfast is the general breakfast stuff, eggs, toast, sausage, fruit..that sort of thing. The girls like picking whatever they want to eat.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture139.jpg
After that I had to get the girls ready for the Castaway Club Member get together. I had made the girls halter tops out of official DCL officers jackets...and they were a huge hit. We didn't even get a few doors down and people were stopping us, asking were I got them from.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture145.jpg
The Castaway club thing was cute, it's held in Rockin Bar D,
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture149.jpg
and they have a mini buffet set up, so you can get a drink or a cookie or something on the way in. I let the girls eat chocolate chip cookies and then the man of the hour appeared....Mr. Brent...we watched some videos on the history of DCL and were given little questionaires to fill out and we had to go and mingle with the other guests. Since there was room over by the bar, we mingled over there and the captain came over to speak to us.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture152.jpg
He said he noticed the girls outfits and wanted to tell me how much he liked them. He also asked me if I would dress the girls in those outfits for a photo with him later in the evening. I was like...um...okay. I'm glad he liked them, but the girls had formal wear that they would be wearing.
Well when the captain was talking on stage, Christiaan and Brent
came over to say hello.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture153.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture151.jpg
LOL. So of course I asked them for another photo. They are both soooo sweet. The girls loved them. I also took the girls around the ship and took some more photos...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture155.jpg
After the event, the girls wanted to go swimming, I just spent an hour doing their hair and didn't really want them to, but I let them anyway.
After a quick swim, I got them showerered and dressed and we went shopping for more gifts for our family. The kids went to the kids club for a little while and I watched a little bit of the art auction.
I picked the girls up, and since it was formal night, I had like no time, and I mean ZERO time to get every one ready for the photos and to get to the show...the Golden Mickey's.
I hurried and got the girls back in their blue and white outfits. The captain came rushing over and quickly got a group of his officers together for the photo. Of course Brent was in the photo too. I did sneak in for one, and teased Brent that now with my heels on, I was taller than him. He started to laugh and then stood on his tip toes for the photo. It was very sweet of the Captain to make a fuss over them, and a man on the ship, named Shane...he's from south Africa and gorgeous...anyway, he said the Captain wanted to give us the photo and that it would be sent to our stateroom. That was really nice of him, and he was true to his word.
After the pictures with the Captain, I hurried and got the girls dressed in their black formal dresses and headed down to the atrium for more photos.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture159.jpg
I will try to scan our formal pictures so you all can see how lovely they came out. We even got one with just Christiaan and Brent. It was really cute. After the quick photo with Brent and Christiaan Ireland asked Brent if he would walk her to the show. I felt bad, because I knew he was busy...but he actually said, sure!!!! We went up the elevator together....and my heart was going thump, thump...LOL Brent was very chatty and friendly the whole time...is this a good time to mention that he has amazing eyes...I guess they are hazel, but seem to be a different color each time I look at him.
Okay off the the Golden Mickey's...Brent took each girl, one on each arm, and walked them down the red carpet...it was such an amazing moment. I will never forget it. I am kicking myself for not pulling out the camera and getting a photo. He stood the girls near the spot where the lady interviews everyone for the preshow and she interviewed the girls.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture163.jpg
The girls loved the show and got picked to be the dwarfs with snow white...well Lexie, being the Diva tha she is, wouldn't wear the hat and beard and fell up the stairs to get on the stage. She didn't get hurt...but it was sor of funny, and each show has something special that falls from the ceiling...like confetti, snow, bubbles...all sorts of things. This is their favorite time of the show.
After the show, I really didn't know what to do with the girls...so I took them to the after party at Studio Sea. The girls had fun dancing and made new friends...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture164.jpg
They did the conga and a bunch of other dances and they gave us free drinks...gee that's my favorite kind...
We headed back to the room and ordered room service for dinner, I can't remember what we got, but I think it was crustables for the kids and a BLT for me. Then I got the girls dressed more casually, and took them to the kids club for the Royal Ball. They had a great time, and while they were gone, I vegged and watched Hancock on TV. After the royal ball, I picked up the girls and took them to Studio Sea again for the Family Karoke...it was fun to hear all the kids, try to, sing. After a few minutes, Lexie fell asleep on the table, so we decided to call it a night and after a quick stop at shutters, we headed back to the room and went to bed...
Animal for the day....
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture166.jpg
I think it's an elephant...LOL
coming up next...Just what the Hell is this place? and do turtles bite?

[billwendy]

WOW - your trip sounds so awesome!!!! The girls looked so beautiful!!

[mkmommy]

I am enjoying your report. I did a girls only trip last March with my 2 girls and it was the best trip yet. I wish that I was like you and skipped dinners, they took too long and we could have used the time in a better way, next March I will skip some dinners. I was toying with the idea of saving money and doing a RCCL cruise next March , but I recently decided that I would do one more DCL cruise and your report is making me glad that I made the decision, the staff do make you feel special and safe.

You daughters dresses are amazing.:worship: my youngest daughter would be in heaven with dresses like that.

Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

Lisa

[minnie2]

Looks like you are having so much fun!

Love the Petti's!

[Morgan's Mommy]

Wow, my dd 7 and I are headed for our first cruise 11/09. I enjoy reading this report so much.

Your sewing talent is awesome. Ever consider selling any of this gorgeous outfits?? E-bay would LOVE U!

[Im_A_Princess]

Do you have a picture of the photo with the captain????
That is the sweetiest thing I have ever heard!

The dresses are so B-E-A-UTIFUL (as Christiaan would say)!:thumbsup2
WOW! what a talent you have!:worship:

[podsnel]

hi! I hated that DOTD in Key West, too- I think it was a key lime margarita? Does that sound right? It was :crazy2:

You're going to laugh at me, but I really need to tell you this! You know, this was our first Disney cruise- and whenever I would see your avatar here on these boards, I'd always think, "oh, I guess her husband/boyfriend/brother is in the navy- that's nice.":) Then we go on the cruise last week, and everytime I see Brent i think, "He looks REALLY familiar!". Still, nothing clicks! Until I started reading your TR-

DUH, ELLEN!!!!!!!!:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Anyway.....

Your girls are adorable, they looked beautiful on Formal night! Are you ever gonna post a photo of YOU with them?

Ellen

[mindelmouse]

hi! I hated that DOTD in Key West, too- I think it was a key lime margarita? Does that sound right? It was :crazy2:

You're going to laugh at me, but I really need to tell you this! You know, this was our first Disney cruise- and whenever I would see your avatar here on these boards, I'd always think, "oh, I guess her husband/boyfriend/brother is in the navy- that's nice.":) Then we go on the cruise last week, and everytime I see Brent i think, "He looks REALLY familiar!". Still, nothing clicks! Until I started reading your TR-

DUH, ELLEN!!!!!!!!:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Anyway.....

Your girls are adorable, they looked beautiful on Formal night! Are you ever gonna post a photo of YOU with them?

Ellen

Don't feel bad. Until I met Elisa I thought the poster was this guy in the navy. Then when I met them all I thought it was her husband and finally on the cruise when I saw Brent it clicked....so you're not the only one that was confused. I'm sorry I never really got to meet you. I think I saw you pass by at the MNSSHP, but the time I realized it, you were gone.

[nobodycares]

Saw your girls dancing at the Sail Away party. Cute outfits.

Hope you enjoyed your trip as much as we did.

[mrsklamc]

Love reading your trip report!

Is it a secret how you got the jackets? Or is that a natural side effect of your special relationship with Brent?:rotfl:

[CastleCreations]

Love reading your trip report!

Is it a secret how you got the jackets? Or is that a natural side effect of your special relationship with Brent?:rotfl:

:lmao: :lmao: I got one of the jackets from DCL and the other from Ebay, I was sewing right up until we left for the trip....

thanks for reading along everyone...I will scan some photos later, and yes...egads...I will include one of myself.
Thanks again....and I found out that I have a secret reader...who can it be......


Hi Dad!!!

[ThePhantomsGirl]

I LOVE the outfits for the girls! (they are really very pretty and cute - the girls I mean)

Sounds like you had a fantastic, magical cruise.

Smiles,
Holly

[lvstitch]

Loving your report and pictures. The girls outfits are amazing:thumbsup2.

[CastleCreations]

When I left off, we had just finished up a fab-u-lous day at sea...and with our Mickey wake up call at 7am we started our Sunday at Grand Cayman. Since we have an inside room, I can never tell if it's day or night. I knew we wouldn't be docking at Grand Cayman, because there is no dock...you have to tender. So the girls and I had a quick room service breakfast of cereal and OJ and we decided to get dressed early and walk around the ship and took some photos.
To tender in, you have to meet at a location, for us it was in the theater where you watch the movies. On our way there we ran into Mickey...yea Mickey...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture168.jpg
At the theater, you get a ticket and have a seat in the theater and then when an empty boat is there at the side of the ship, you walk down the 10 or so flights of stairs and get onto the little boat. Well I have to tell you, the tender was my least favorite part of the whole cruise. The way into Grand cayman, the skies were dark and threatening to rain...boo hiss... and by the time we got off the tender from Hell, it was raining, just drizzly.
After we got off the tender, we had about 2 hours to kill.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture169.jpg
We rain in between the raindrops and did some shopping.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture170.jpg
I had an excursion planned so we had a time limit... After I looked in the shops, I decided to have a quick lunch with the girls to kill time. We found a great little spot called Breezes and had a seat. It was on the second floor, and had a view of the ship. Well it would have been a great view but for all the rain, I could barely see it. And to make matters worse, I sat under a air conditioning vent that was dripping water on me, so I had to move to another seat..grr...The staff was very friendly
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture174.jpg
and the food was okay. The girls totally wasted their meals. Lex had grilled cheese and fries and a chocolate smoothie and Ireland had fish and chips (fries) and a mango smoothie,
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture172.jpg
I had coconut shrimp, steamed veggies and some kind of rice with stuff in it. Yeah I know...great description..but I can't remember what it even tasted like. LOL.
Well 68 dollars later...yup I said it. almost 70 dollars for that stupid lunch and NO ONE even at anything. Oh well, we're on vacation right...
Well about the time we were done, we headed back to the little port area to meet our group for the Island Tour. We checked in and chatted with some friends...you all know who you are (waving hello) and we got on line to walk through the rain to our bus that would take us around the island.
Our driver was nice and he pointed out different houses, like the govenor's house and the oldes house in Grand Cayman, and all of the expensive time shares and condos. Well I can't remember where we went first, but I think it was the turtle farm.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture177.jpg
It was a really cute place that I would have loved to spend the day at. They had turtles of all ages, that they raised to replenish the ocean and to sell for meat. Nice huh? But the girls got to each hold a turtle that I estimate to weigh about 8 pounds. They were heavy little suckers and as soon as you pick one up, they started flapping their flippers. I honestly don't know how the girls hung on to them at all without dropping them.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture183.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture184.jpg
Now this is where the nurse in me comes out, I forgot to bring the sanitizer...eeeekkk!!!!! thankfully someone let me use theirs, all I kept thinking of was Salmonella...and we didn't need that. Well after we saw the little turtles, we were let around to where the BIG turtles lived. HUGE!! That's all I have to say. I have never seen one that big before. Well this whole time it had been drizzling and we were trying to make the best of it. Well while trying to film Ireland petting the turtles, I told her to just pet their backs, because they might bite, just as it said it, Mr. Turtle must have been craving some McDonald's french fries, because he chomped Ireland's little finger. It wasn't that deep, but bled pretty good. Poor girl. Someone gave her a sanitizing wipe, but it had alcohol in it and burned. She sure had a story to tell later.
Well in the gift shop, Ireland picked out a little green glass and marble turtle and Lex had a fit, because there were no stuffed turtles to be found. She pitched such a fit, I told her to go wait in the lobby and wait until I was finished. I bought Ireland's turtle and found a little stuffed on for the brat, I mean Alexis..LOL.
We got back on the bus and I surprised her with the turtle
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture185.jpg
and she still sleeps with it...anyway, we headed to a place that, let's just say, if this is all Grand Cayman has to offer, I never have to come back.
It looks like an old house that someone remade into a tourist trap. The place is called Hell.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture187.jpg
I guess someone called it that because of some bird story...I think it just looks like Hell would look.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture188.jpg
All it is, is a boggy area that is under a few inches of water and a rare form of black coral grow there.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture190.jpg
The coral is interesting...too bad they didn't sell the coral in the gift shop. Anyway, during our lecture about Hell, the kids thought it was funny to start saying hell and one of them...it could have been mine...hee hee...walks up to the tour guide and says...WHAT THE HELL IS THIS PLACE?...it kind of funny...
Our tour guide also pointed out a local hanging out in the tree...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture189.jpg
After our trip to Hell was over, we headed back to the ship.
In the little port building, Disney was so nice to have dry towels for us beacuse we were soaked. It was terrible, and to make matters worse our tender back wasn't as nice as the first one. As if they could get any worse...this one was soaked and we used our dry towels to dry off seats for us, and it made this horrible sound, like when you accidently restart your engine of the car. It was terrible. But the girls did meet some Disney employees on the ride back. They were 3 girls who all looked about 20. They were from different parts of the US. They were very nice.
After we got back on board and changed our clothes, the girls wanted a snack, so we ordered room service and ate in the room. Then we all headed to the lounge area to play Bingo, I didn't win, but got a cute keychain...and for all you DCL Bingo players...let's do it together....B-11, B-11...oiy! LOL
After Bingo, I noticed they had a cute beach scene set up in the atrium for photos, so I dressed up the girls and got their photos taken. These are my favorite photos of the whole trip. Then we made a run for it and just caught the beginning of the show for the evening..Twice Charmed. It's like the Cinderella story but with a twist. It's a wonderful show and we were right in the front!
After the show..we saw you know who again...LOL....He's everywhere!!
We went up to the deck so the kids could eat again..this time more chicken fingers and then the kids went to the kids club for a while for a glow party. They all got glow necklaces and danced in the dark.
That's pretty much what Mommy does after a couple of Long Island Ice Teas...LOL..Just kidding (ahem)
Then I picked up the kids after their party ended and we headed off to bed, after some quick showers.
The animal of the day was a stingray, but our Mousekeeper decided to get creative...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture195.jpg
He made them a stingray...sorry no photo, and two turtles and two duckies. It was nice of him.
Coming up next...How much soda can Lexie drink before she blows...sorry..sick huh? And do Monkey's really have gold teeth?

[CastleCreations]

Hi All...Because I'm limited on the amount of photos in each post, here are the professional photos that were taken of us on the ship. There are more, but these are the ones I scanned today.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/IrelandandLexbeach.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/IrelandandLexpinkpettis.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/formalnightCaptainThordandcrew.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/formalnightcaptainThordandgirls.jpg
Can someone PLEASE teach this man how to smile???
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Formalnight.jpg
Enjoy...and one last time everyone...B-11, B-B-11...hee hee

[TotallyAngelic]

WOW - those are amazing outfits - your girls look really cute? Do you make them all yourself - they are really impressive and you have some stunning photographs there too!

[Im_A_Princess]

:goodvibes Thanks SO MUCH for sharing all of this!:goodvibes
I looked forward to it EVERY day!

[mindelmouse]

"...it could have been mine...hee hee...walks up to the tour guide and says...WHAT THE HELL IS THIS PLACE?...it kind of funny..."


The jokester that made the comment above was none other than my little comedic son.....he's the one with the girls under the Hell sign.....he's very much like his father...he couldn't let a "good" line go unspoken:rotfl2:

[dvc4life]

What a wonderful TR. I am loving reading it. Your girls are absolutely adorable. princess: And the outfits, are just beautiful. You are so lucky to be able to do that.

Please keep up the great job. And soon.

[LivingtheWDWdream]

Your sewing skills are awesome your girls outfits are all amazing and LOVE the ones made from the jackets!

Sorry about the rain in GC.

can't wait for more!

[shasess]

Great TR!!! Your girls are so adorable. I love their outfits!!!
I have a Lexi too and everytime I see a picture of your Ireland she reminds me of my Lexi when she was younger.

[LindaBabe]

Wonderful photos - fabulous outfits! I hope you made some for yourself and that we get to see them!

[sweetstitches]

Your girls are adorable. I love the captain dresses and the red & white ones. I really like that photo of your DD in the window too.

[CastleCreations]

Hi My Disboard friends..
When I last left you, we had finished up a day in Grand Cayman...well now it's Wednesday and we are headed to Cozumel.
We got up early that day, and ate breakfast in the room. We didn't watch the docking because we got there early.
Once the girls were ready for the day, we went off the ship. There was another ship there that day.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture197.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture199.jpg
and into the port area.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture201.jpg
I have to say. The water in Cozumel is AMAZING!
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture200.jpg
It is so beautiful, that if I could have looked at it all day, I would be happy. If I had done nothing else the entire trip but see the water, my trip would have been worthwhile. It truly is something to see.
Okay, after I got done staring at the water, we ventured in the port area. The first store we came to was a pharmacy...I just had to check it out. I had heard stories about all of the medication you can buy with no prescription. It was something...a whole store filled with what usually requires the dreaded dr visit, paying out the nose, and going to the pharmacy, and waiting an hour and then paying some more...see where I'm going with this. I was amazed...it kind of felt wrong to me though..I was tempted to pick up a couple of things but what are the FDA regulations in Mexico...hmm...that antibiotic might just be sugar pills...LOL
The port area was very upscale and clean and pretty. Tons of shops and tons of people trying to get you into them. We just said, not thanks and they moved on to the next group of people. There are some interesting characters there...I'm not going to spoil it for anyone going, but it was really neat and scared Lexie to death..LOL
From the port area, we headed down the escalator to the taxis. For a 10 dollar cab ride, we arrived at Chankanaab.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture214.jpg
It'a a beautiful park where you can swim with the dolphins, swim in the pools, and they have lots of sand to play in. It was a good choice for us for the day.
When we first got there, Ireland wanted to meet some locals...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture203.jpg
Since the girls don't swim, I was nervous about doing the dolphin excursion, so we decided just to spend a lazy day on the beach.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture206.jpg
It was really beautiful there. We swam in the pool and then headed to the little lagoon area. In the lagoon, it had a rocky bottom and we really needed those beach shoes,
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture208.jpg
but the girls loved looking for the little fish and building sandcastles with their new friends.
Then we headed over to the backside where you can snorkel if you wanted. I knew we would be doing that at Castaway Cay, so we opted not to do it. We did enjoy a lunch of grilled chicken and shrimp cocktail on the beach.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture209.jpg
Then we decided to head back to the pool area to take a dip. We were just going to sit down and we informed that the pool area was just for the dolphin excursion people. I was like...ummm, okay. We paid to get in, we swam there all morning and NOW we have to leave....okay, whatever. Our day was over anyway, and since there showers didn't work, the girls washed the sand off of their feet in the bathroom and we got dressed and headed out to the taxi area to head back to the ship. Back near the port area we did a little shopping. The sales people inside the stores are very helpful and not pushy, but the people trying to get you in the store are slightly annoying. Even after you are headed into the store, they are still hounding you, I was like...um..okay already we are already going in...
Anyway, after we were done shopping we got back on the ship. We were still a little hungry, so we ordered room service and ate in the room. I had cut the girls off from any more soda. Lexie likes Sprite but the night before she had a cup of coke. Well she drank the whole thing and in the middle of the night, I heard her calling me....Mommmmmmyyyyyy...my tummmmmyyyyy hurts. Well you can guess what followed. Thankfully she made it to the bathroom...icky. So now the girls are only having milk, juice and water. Same as at home. Their soda vacation has come to an end. LOL. Mean mommy...LOL
After lunch we were tired, so we took a nap from 4pm to 6. It was heavenly!
Tonight was a very important night...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture219.jpg
It's Pirate NIGHT!!!
I got the girls dressed in their pirate outfits and we went off to find Captain Jack for a photo.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture216.jpg
Last cruise Captain Jack was great. He was such a good likeness that my mother got in line twice. LOL. This one wasn't the best and the kids were not thrilled. Who cares! We have more pirates to find...and we found the cutest pirate of all..up on deck 9.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture217.jpg
Christiaan spent some time with the girls and Ireland danced with him. It was so cute.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture223.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture224.jpg

Sorry that this one is blurry, I wish it would have come out okay. They had a great time together...LOL
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture226.jpg
Now where is Mommy's favorite pirate you might ask...Good question...Brent...WHERE WERE YOU?...LOL. I saw him for about a minute and then when I looked he was gone again. I was hoping for another picture of him in his pirate gear. Oh well. After the pirate party had ended, we sayed outside to watch the fireworks and the Pirates movie on the big screen. We got some pizza and ran to our room and put on our jeans and grabbed blankets. It was soooooo windy and cold on the deck, I'm glad we brought blankets from home.
After the movie was about half way through, I took the girls back to the room and got them washed up and dressed in their jammies. I was watching some tv, and the girls discovered the Patty Duke show...we stayed up watching that for a few minutes and we were in bed around 2am...eek.
Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I hear a little voice in the dark....Mommy? Mommmmyyyy....I was thinking, here we go again...she's gonna be sick...as I start to climb out of bed, I hear, Do ALL monkeys have gold teeth? I'm like, huh? Come again? and she repeats her question. Well...she's insisting that OUR monkey had a gold tooth....I have no idea what she's talking about. A monkey? Did one escape from the zoo and hide away in our stateroom? No clue...I had to get up and turn on the light because she wouldn't let it go...then I discovered we had a new friend hanging from our curtain and he did indeed have a "gold tooth". Our mousekeeper, had made us a little monkey and put the gold pirate coin in his mouth. I was so tired from the long day that we had that I hadn't even seen the monkey. I'm sorry that I don't have a photo of it....he was really cute though...
Up next...another day at sea....Friendship rocks...even though your child is the ONLY one that refused to wear the colorful tee shirt....and just how many appetizers can Ireland eat? You'll have to wait and see...

[disneymomof1]

Loving your trip report, I check everyday for a new update, can't wait to see what gorgeous outfits the girls will have on. Your report has seriously made me think a cruise would be pretty awesome. Can't wait to read more !!!:)

[CastleCreations]

Hi Everyone..Me again...
When I left off we were happily going to bed dreaming of fireworks and the fantastic (windy) pirate party. Since the next day would be a day at sea for us, we decided to have a lazy day. Since I was traveling alone with the girls I didn't get much chance to realx. It's a lot of washing, dressing, hair-dos, and running around. Today I wanted to relax!
We slept in until 8:30!! Wahoo!! We ate breakfast in the room, and a little while later headed off to watch the Tink movie. It was really cute. Ireland's Ma-Ga (Grandma) bought her the movie the day before we left, and we hadn't even watched it at home yet.
After the movie, we headed off to Topsiders for some lunch, I did a little shopping and dropped the girls off at the kids club. I then headed off to Bingo. This was the big game...Someone would win 7,000 dollars!! :banana:
I sat near some friends I made from Scotland! Very sweet girls. Well when the end of Bingo came, I was one number away from the 7,000. It was all very exciting. After Bingo I stayed in the big theater for the Friendship Rocks show. It was really cute. Then introduced the kids from the kids club, by age group. When I saw Lexie walk in, I noticed she was smiling, but she wasn't wearing the friendship rocks tee shirt like everyone else. :mad: She didn't want to wear it...go figure. Now she decides to become a Diva...we're setting a trend here...she was on stage with Snow white and wouldn't wear the beard and hat...and now she wouldn't wear the tee shirt...go figure..she spent all summer in a NEON orange shirt for summer camp and never complained. The show was really cute. I got teary eyed sitting there thinking that our wonderful vacation was coming to an end. I knew I'd be a wreck on the last night.
After the show was over I picked up the girls and we headed off to dinner at Topsiders. They had a sit down meal and it was really good!! This is our first sit down meal of the cruise and it's almost the last day..LOL
Alexis had a really yummy fruit cocktail with mango and papaya and pineapple. Ireland had the same, but wanted something else, so on to appetizer number 2...the mushrooom soup...this was to die for....well after the soup, you guessed it....she had a salad...then she moved on to the main course....chicken fingers and french fries...:laughing: Alexis had some kind of pasta with grilled chicken and I had steak. It was all very good.
After dinner....it was a sad time for all....I began packing...I knew our Castaway Cay day would be very busy, so I actually got 3 of our 6 bags packed. It was sad but sort of a relief that it was done.
We went to bed early and couldn't wait for the next day!
Coming up.. Can you really scream while wearing a snorkel and Mommy loses it in paradise....LOL

[podsnel]

We were in Chaankanaab, too! It was beautiful there, I agree! None of us could get over that water!!!:worship: Yesterday I had a friend telling me she felt the same way about the water in Grand Cayman- she said you looked at it, and just couldn't believe that color existed on earth. I think having a rainy day made us think otherwise- we were out in the water on a private boat for the day, and when we were heading out to Stingray City, we were getting pelted with rain- the boys kept asking, "Is that HAIL?":rotfl: Actually, the capt. (of our charter) said we got the nicest day they had had in 2 weeks. And you know it only got worse when we left! Poor Grand Cayman!!

And can I say again, your daughters in their dresses are adorable!!!

[nzdisneymom]

I am thoroughly enjoying your trip report - yay for Florida resident discounts that let you go for the week for less than a 4-night. Love your pictures, your girls are adorable, their outfits are so sweet. Can't wait to read the rest. We're sailing in December on the Western and plan to go to Chanakaab in Cozumel so I was interested to see the pics from there.

[Melissa R]

I'm enjoying your report - we just got off our first 4 night, and we've got a 7 night booked but I'm trying to finalize our plans whether we're doing an Eastern or Western next time, so I like reading about your experiences.

The part that I'm most interested in is your choice to skip the dinners. As I said, the 4 night cruise we just finished was our first cruise ever, and I told my husband just before dinner on the last night that the one thing I'd learned that I didn't like about cruising was the dinners. Every day, we were stopping the fun to get cleaned up and dressed to get to dinner, and the meals went on for sooooo long. I was so surprised when his response was "so let's skip dinner!" It was our best night on the ship - the kids had the Goofy pool to themselves, and we ate really good cheeseburgers while watching movies on the Arielvision. But I did feel guilty about skipping the meal. I went to the dining room that night to tell our serving team that we'd be skipping dinner and to give them their tips, and I swear, they looked at me like I'd lost my mind because we weren't coming to dinner. They made me feel pretty guilty about our choice.

So my question to you is this - do you regret skipping those meals? Did you ever speak to your servers so they knew that you weren't planning to come to dinner? I'm asking because I'm thinking that if we do a 7 night, I'd like to skip some dinners and only go to a few, and I'm wondering the best way to handle it. (I guess we could go to the first dinner and then explain to the servers what our plans will be.)

Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip!

[CastleCreations]

I'm enjoying your report - we just got off our first 4 night, and we've got a 7 night booked but I'm trying to finalize our plans whether we're doing an Eastern or Western next time, so I like reading about your experiences.

The part that I'm most interested in is your choice to skip the dinners. As I said, the 4 night cruise we just finished was our first cruise ever, and I told my husband just before dinner on the last night that the one thing I'd learned that I didn't like about cruising was the dinners. Every day, we were stopping the fun to get cleaned up and dressed to get to dinner, and the meals went on for sooooo long. I was so surprised when his response was "so let's skip dinner!" It was our best night on the ship - the kids had the Goofy pool to themselves, and we ate really good cheeseburgers while watching movies on the Arielvision. But I did feel guilty about skipping the meal. I went to the dining room that night to tell our serving team that we'd be skipping dinner and to give them their tips, and I swear, they looked at me like I'd lost my mind because we weren't coming to dinner. They made me feel pretty guilty about our choice.

So my question to you is this - do you regret skipping those meals? Did you ever speak to your servers so they knew that you weren't planning to come to dinner? I'm asking because I'm thinking that if we do a 7 night, I'd like to skip some dinners and only go to a few, and I'm wondering the best way to handle it. (I guess we could go to the first dinner and then explain to the servers what our plans will be.)

Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip!

HI..I don't regret skipping the dinners. I knew the girls wouldn't enjoy it and on our last cruise, I felt the same as you. I hated dressing up the girls and expecting them to be on their best behavior for so long during dinner. It's just not our style. I contacted our waitstaff through guest services and they were very understanding. I also spoke with guest services about tipping. Now I know this is a sore subject with some folks, but I just wanted another opinion. Should I tip someone who hasn't served me? I know they rely on their tips, so we came up with something we both could live with.
Whatever you decide...be sure to have fun!

[Melissa R]

HI..I don't regret skipping the dinners. I knew the girls wouldn't enjoy it and on our last cruise, I felt the same as you. I hated dressing up the girls and expecting them to be on their best behavior for so long during dinner. It's just not our style. I contacted our waitstaff through guest services and they were very understanding. I also spoke with guest services about tipping. Now I know this is a sore subject with some folks, but I just wanted another opinion. Should I tip someone who hasn't served me? I know they rely on their tips, so we came up with something we both could live with.
Whatever you decide...be sure to have fun!

Haha - you notice I didn't ask how you handled the tips? :cutie:

But I never would have thought of speaking to guest services about it. It sounds like they were able to give you some input on how to handle it, and I'm glad to know that.

[dismom73]

I just found you TR and I am loving it! Your girls are adorable!

[CastleCreations]

Hi Everyone! I'm back. It's taken me longer than I thought to write this report. But sadly we are at our last day...Castaway Cay here we come!
This day we got up very early, I think before 7am and I got the girls dressed in their swimsuits with cover ups and packed our beach bag.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture266.jpg
We hit topsiders for some breakfast and watched Castaway Cay come into view.
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I took some photos around the ship and I suddenly began to get sad. In that stillness before everyone gets up in the morning, when the ship is very quiet, I felt my heart grow heavy. The vacation that I planned for, for so long, is suddenly coming to an end. I almost wanted to cry, but refused to let it ruin our last day.
We got off the ship around 9am,
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and walked to the tram. Yes, I took the tram. Lexie isn't known for walking very far without complaining, so I try not to push the issue.
We enjoyed the tram ride and we all piled out.
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I found a spot that was good for us and the girls got undressed. I took some photos and I really wanted to go snorkeling before it got crowded. I took Lexie to the kids club and Ireland and I walked up to the little shack to get our snorkel stuff.
I made a big mistake at this point. I didn't try the flippers on, while I was standing there, and decided they look like they should fit.
We walked back to our chairs, put on our gear and I found out the flippers were too small. Oh well, I will just go without them. BIG MISTAKE!!
We got into the water and I gave Ireland a quick snorkel lesson. She picked it up right away. Now I think I may have told you all in the past, she doesn't know how to swim, so under her yellow vest, she had on her swimmy bathingsuit with the foam inserts. With that on, she can swim for miles.
Of course, I brought my underwater camera so we can capture photos of all of those fish.
I guess something I never thought of, is that we would actually be swimming WITH the fish...hmmm...now why didn't this occur to me before. At first it was okay, we were kind of floating there...because MOM didn't wear her flippers...LOL, and we saw a little silver fish go by..I was like cool!! look at the little fishy...just then, a HUGE black fish went by that had TEETH!! I was like...okay...BIG MISTAKE...I'm getting out now!! Just then, someone saw a stingray, so I followed them, trying to get over my fear, and saw the little stingray...good thing he stayed on the bottom.
Well it wasn't too bad at this point so we continued to swim around. One thing I didn't think of, is with Ireland with her flippers on, she just took off! She can really move with those things on, so she swam and I hung on to her flipper and she towed me through the water. LOL.
We found some really cute things hidden under the water and saw lots of little fish. Then I decided to swim near the grasses, here is where things go very wrong. I thought it was Ireland's flipper hitting me in the leg over and over and when I turned to yell at her to move over, I saw the horror. There were thousands of little fish surrounding my legs and they were all swimming into me. I screamed and began kicking at the fish to get away, at this point we were near the lifeguard stand and he stood up to look at us. I got a little ways away and waved that we were okay. I decided that this was enough, Mommy's nerves were shot and when I looked up, I saw that we were VERY far from the shore. We swam and swam and swam and finally we got to the shore. My legs were tired and wrist had a red mark from the lanyard on the camera. I know Ireland was beat too.
I told Ireland to return the snorkel stuff for me, and after she returned we left to find Alexis. I walked down where the kids club is...now if your squeamish, don't read this part..TMI coming your way...I'm not a little girl by any means, and big legs combined with salt water and nylon swim shorts results in some chaffing...owie! so on the way to get Lex, I'm thinking, boy I should have dried off better..I went all the way to the kids area and guess what...she was on the other side...well I followed the directions that led us back the way we came and I couldn't find her. Well by this time my legs are screaming and Mommy is getting mad. I went back around to the original drop off and asked if they could just get her, because I can't find her!
NOPE! Walk back around and someone will help me. Okay..here's where MOMMY LOSES IT!!! My legs are on fire, my shorts are wet, I'm getting a chill and CAN'T FIND ALEXIS!!! I layed into the first employee that I saw and basically told them to find her in a not nice way. Now it isn't that she was lost, it's just that the signs showing you the back enterance of kids area are wrong, they point you in the wrong direction.
Well finally I got her and took the long, sore leg, walk back to the beach.
I swam with the girls for a while, and on thing I have to mention that kind of annoyed me, is that everyone takes the little beach chairs and puts them at the waters edge, so there is no shorline for the kids to play in, they are either in the water or on the sand. It's also hard to find an area to even get in the water. But we played for while and then it was time for lunch.
Mommy wasn't happy, because of her leg...but I made the treck up the sand for some grub. The girls were hungry again.
Lexie had tons of ribs, and Ireland and I had hot dogs. We all had an ice cream and decided to call it a day. We headed back to the beach and packed up. A quick stop at the gift shop and the bathrooms, and we were back on the tram at 1pm.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture290.jpg
It was funny, on the way back to the ship, we saw Brent on the golf cart, and they stopped to say hello. Ireland had written Brent a letter and gave him a gift the day before and he wanted to thank her for it. All I'm thinking is, okay make it quick, I'm in my swimsuit and not looking too hot here! LOL
We headed back to the room and took showers.
Then while the girls were all fresh and clean we went outside to take some more photos around the ship and of the sunset.
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We watched the show that night, and it was really great. We sat in the front and I have to say, the confetti cannons, scared us and later I found confetti in some places that it shouldn't have been.
On the way out of the show, we saw Brent again
and I thanked him for being so special and showing so much attention to the girls and I also thanked him for our special gifts he sent to the girls and the invitation to the special event.
I don't remember what day it was, but he sent them a letter and each a gift bag with cheerleading costumes, pompoms, hats, pins and all sorts of things, and an invitation to a special event the last night of the cruise...
He posed for another photo,
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture317.jpg
and we headed off to shutters to pick up our last photos. I have to say the shutters staff is great. They really put up with all of our special requests and did fantastic. They also treated the girls like princesses and let them go behind the counter to help them ring up people. It was fun for them.
After shutters we ate our famous chicken finger dinner again, and
I decided to let the kids go to the kids club while I packed some more, I still wasn't ready and our luggage had to be outside our door by 10 or 11 pm.
I picked up the girls and headed off to our special event.
Brent told us to be in Studio Sea at a certain time, but when we went in there no one was there. We waited for about 5 minutes and I'm sure glad we did. Just then, a performer from the show, the one from the golden mickey's that hosts in the blue jumpsuit came out and greeted us. We found out then, that we were going to meet ALL of the characters right now. Just then one by one all of the characters came out and the girls screamed with each one. I didn't know where to go first. The girls kept hugging them and laughing, and it was so much fun to see Mickey goofing around with Cinderella and Stitch with Belle. There must have been about 20 characters and performers.
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and just when I though it couldn't get any better, I felt a hand on my shoulder and when I turned Brent had come too!!
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture344.jpg
I wanted to give him a big hug, but restrained myself. Throught my tears I told him thank you agin...words were not enough for all he and the staff did for the girls on the trip. He turned me around just in time to see Pluto do a backflip!
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture336.jpg
It was so much fun. I can't even explain.
Brent took each girl and walked them out, behind the performers.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/ElisaCanning/Picture345.jpg
They were going to the farewell party on the stairs in the atrium. I missed the whole show because I still couldn't get over it all. The girls found Brent again and told him goodbye and he said he'd see them in the morning. I knew we'd be off the ship early, and we wouldn't see him again this trip, but we had a friendly goodbye and I took the girls back to the kids club for the LAST time. Boo hoo. I hate Last things.
Well I ran off to meet up with a friend and we were headed to PUB NIGHT!!! This is my favorite event of the cruise. If you haven't seen it. You must. That's all I will say. I laughed so hard, I was crying and took someone's bar napkin to wipe my eyes.
After pub night, I headed to one of the clubs to have a drink with a friend and then it was time to return to the kids club and return my pager. It was after midnight at this point and what a LONG day we had.
We went right to bed....and sadly knew tomorrow we would be heading home.
Coming up...did we see Brent again?...and who ever heard of land sickness.....

[mytwotinks]

What an awesome last day! I am enjoying your report so much!!!

[mindelmouse]

Great post....you got your own private character show...how wonderful for you. don't worry about the "bad" behavior we all have our moments and you were in pain...I can understand that one. You are marvelous with your girls and they are wonderful because of it.

[CastleCreations]

What an awesome last day! I am enjoying your report so much!!!

Thanks! It's so hard to express what you feel in each moment, but I have to tell you how special each moment was. Writing this report is great because I get to relive each day. What special people work on those ships! I have never, ever walked by one without a friendly hello or a kind word. It's amazing. I can't ever imagine using another cruise line, even after the kids grow up!

[twob4him]

Wow I am absolutely amazed!!! I love all the things you managed to do on the trip. Glad you skipped the script-less meds at the pharmacy...as you said....who knows what was in them. Sorry you didn't have flippers...I can't believe you swam without them...weren't you so exhausted?? I remember my dad trying to take me snorkling when I was around 10 but I was afraid there would be sharks so I didn't go...he was furious with me...so I can completely relate. And the special meeting with the characters made me cry....look how much fun!!!!!! I am sure you all will never forget that!!! Wow! No wonder everyone loves Brent so much! I am sooo happy for you all! Great report Lisa! :goodvibes

[disneymomof1]

What a great last day, I also would have been screaming my head off with lots of fishies poking around. I have enjoyed reading your report and am glad you all had such a great trip. We leave in 9 days for a week at WDW and today my husband said, you know how sad it will be when the trip is over. A whole year of planning, scheduling ADR's, reading guide books, making calendars and then it will be over. It really is heartbreaking when the vacation is over, and the real world is calling. Now you will have to start planning the next one. !!:banana: :banana: :banana:

[SweetSpot]

Thanks! It's so hard to express what you feel in each moment, but I have to tell you how special each moment was. Writing this report is great because I get to relive each day. What special people work on those ships! I have never, ever walked by one without a friendly hello or a kind word. It's amazing. I can't ever imagine using another cruise line, even after the kids grow up!

I agree, I have never met such amazing people, with such huge hearts as the CM's I've met aboard the Magic. I cruise for the people on the ship because they have made memories for my family beyond what I could have imagined.

I totally understood your Castaway snorkling experience. We tried the snorkeling with our own masks and snorkles the first time and were so exhausted. I couldn't believe how hard and long it was to get back to the beach. I was in pain for days.

[podsnel]

WOWWOWWOW!!!!! What an awesome end of the day!!!! And ouch! I was chaffed, too, on CC- walking and walking to explore- OUCH!!! I truly felt your pain.:rotfl: And mine. (Thruthfully, I felt my pain more than yours...no offense.)

And you still need to show us YOU with your daughters...PLEASE?:flower3: Or did I miss it?

[CastleCreations]

I just saw that I never posted what happened on our last day... I will do that soon...I promise..

[Flametamr]

Hey Elisa, I finally found your TR. But unfortunately I havn't seen a pic of you yet. You DD's are too cute so I know their Mom must be georgeous. So don't hold out on us here.

Anyway all kidding aside I too am impressed with your level of planning. I always over plan too to try to get the most out of our Disney trips.

Talk to ya soon, Joe

[lucyddr]

I really enjoyed your trip report and your girls are beautiful!

Just one question though (mainly because this shows up on tons on threads)... Why did you change to early dinner seating? (Did you initially plan to eat in the dining room?) My husband and I always get the late dining and leave it in place in order to be considerate to those with children who are unhappy with that assignment. (We'd prefer the earlier dining for sure.)

I just know the early spots are coveted items and hopefully some family on the cruise was able to enjoy your table...

Again, an amazing review. You are definitely a talented and wonderful Mom!

[Weedy]

We are still waiting for the last days report.
Hope you had a Merry Christmas.

[Laneychris]

Love the dresses!

[CastleCreations]

We are still waiting for the last days report.
Hope you had a Merry Christmas.

groan...I know...there isn't much to write..but need to get it done before we leave on our next cruise...LOL

[JenBill5]

I can't wait to hear the rest and see a pic of you with your girls.

[billwendy]

wow - next cruise??? do you have something planned????

[crusinpooh]

Christiaan is the sweetest guy...just wait. I have lots of more photos. Christiaan danced with Ireland on pirate night for about 30 minutes. It was sooooo adorable. She still loves Brent more though...:love:



Do you have pics of Clayton or Darren?

[jeniamt]

My mom read your TR and was telling me about the beautiful customs your girls wore. I had to come see for myself and of course I recognized you from the Boutiquers board! Wow, my mom was not exagerating... you did an amazing job. We are sailing this Thanksgiving on the Magic and I had been wondering if my kids would be the only kids wearing customs. Did you see many other children wearing customs? Your report was a lot of fun to read, thanks for sharing!! -- Jen

[goofysbud]

Yup...he's taken. He's married to a girl named Yolanda. From what I understand they married in February of this year and make their home together in Australia. She does work for DCL and was on the Magic when we were...although she was nowhere to be found. I'm not sure if she's a dancer or something else..? :confused3 I didn't want to ask...egads...he might think I'm interested....LOL :lmao:

How old is he? 30s? 40s? I noticed some gray hair :goodvibes

[CastleCreations]

My mom read your TR and was telling me about the beautiful customs your girls wore. I had to come see for myself and of course I recognized you from the Boutiquers board! Wow, my mom was not exagerating... you did an amazing job. We are sailing this Thanksgiving on the Magic and I had been wondering if my kids would be the only kids wearing customs. Did you see many other children wearing customs? Your report was a lot of fun to read, thanks for sharing!! -- Jen

Hi Jen, I didn't see any other children in customs...I want to say, Maybe one or two on pirate night but I'm not certain. I really enjoyed making the outfits, even though it was tough...but I love all of the wonderful memories that we created, and captured with photos, and the outfits just added to it.

[CastleCreations]

How old is he? 30s? 40s? I noticed some gray hair :goodvibes

You know...I'm not sure. He does have some gray hair, as does his twin brother. I'd like to say late 30s, early 40s. He's so young at heart, and energetic that it's hard to pinpoint an age. I'll have to ask him...that should get a rise out of him...I bet he won't even tell me....:rotfl:

[TammyNC]

Loved all the photos and your TR, your girls are so pretty and loved their outfits.

[frdeb1999]

Loved all the photo's and the your dd's outfits were absolutely beautiful!! We were lucky enough to get to do as you did on the last night of the cruise and get to be alone with all the characters....it was amazing and something we'll always remember!! Glad you were able to do it also!! :)

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Really enjoying your report!:thumbsup2