(Used to be) Live from the Magic - Christmas Cruise 2008 - now with pictures pg4

[nzdisneymom]

I decided to get some internet minutes and post our trip report "live" as a Christmas present to myself.

Cast:
Cindy D. (me)
Gary (DH)
Nathan (DS12)
Zachary (DS11)
from north Florida.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We booked this trip in February 2007 and decided to keep it as a surprise from the boys. Twenty-two and a half months later, we told the boys that we were going on a Disney Cruise TOMORROW!

We live in north Florida, so we drove down to Port Canaveral on Friday afternoon, arriving around 8 p.m. We stayed at the Country Inn and Suites. When we checked in, we asked about a roll-away and ended up being upgraded (for free) to a suite, which was fabulous since we had so much luggage for the cruise and figured we were about to spend 7 nights in a shoebox. We really enjoyed the hotel, finding it clean and comfortable.

Saturday:
We woke up Saturday morning around 7 a.m. It’s cruise day! We could see the Carnival Glory from our hotel room. We had breakfast and were back in the room around 8:15, with plenty of time until our 10:30 shuttle time. It was the longest time to wait! But finally it was time to get a luggage cart – about 9:50 a.m. We went outside with our luggage to wait, but the shuttle driver asked if we were going to the Disney ship and if we were ready, she could take us right then. There was another couple ready to go, too, so she took us and dropped us off at the Port.

Drop off was easy; she dropped us in front, a porter came to help with our luggage, and pointed us in the direction of the terminal entrance. While we were waiting in line to enter the terminal, we met DianaLyn and her two girls; her DH had dropped them off and went to park their car. After we got into the terminal, I raced for the Castaway Cay line, failing to get my boarding card because the CMs were talking to someone else and I didn’t remember that I needed to get something from them. While waiting in line, we met dbxad, xsjackson and her family, and alikat and her family. It was fun to meet fellow-DISers that we’ve been getting to know via the Meet thread.

Check-in was a breeze. The CM told me to “find a friend” to board with, but I went back to get a boarding card just-in-case (we got #6). While I was putting my papers and such away, Tinkerbell_29 saw us, so she came over with her mom and brother (ChefMickeyMousse) and we got reacquainted. They had boarding card #4 so they adopted us for boarding purposes. We passed the time catching up and also some of us getting our pictures made with Mickey and Minnie.

We boarded around noon and went straight for Deck 9 where DS11 was first-in-line at Pluto’s for his traditional first-lunch hot dog. I joined him by getting a hamburger, while DS12 went straight for the ice-cream machine. DH went through the buffet line at Topsiders where it was not busy at all. We got a table inside, and I saw the salad station so I got a delicious freshly made Caesar salad. Mmm…. When the boys finished lunch, they went to get a Navigator for us so we could see what programming there was today.

One of the things I wanted to see on the ship was the area where the captain and crew can stand out to the side of the ship to see for docking, so DH took me to see it. Then we took the boys to check out Ocean Quest. It is a perfect solution for my 11 and 12 year old boys and they both spent quite a bit of time there already. We talked with Darren, one of the counselors, who explained how OQ works, and then we went to the Lab and picked up a pager.

We all went our own way and met back up just in time to enter the cabin at 1:30. Our luggage came pretty quickly so we were able to get unpacked without any effort. I read the navigator and accompanying papers in great detail, noting some things I wanted to do like the gingerbread house decorating class on Thursday. I was fortunate to get tickets to the 2:00 session, so we have something else to look forward to.

3:00 and time for the DIS Meet. Nearly everyone from the thread who had been active was there, full of travel-tales that made us remark several times how glad we are that we live in north Florida and didn’t have to worry with travel woes. Thankfully everyone made it to the ship (we think). It was great fun to put names and faces together.

Time for the safety drill, so off we went with life preservers and sunglasses – only we didn’t need them because we’re port-side and had the shade! Yay! Safety drill went pretty quickly, and then the boys got their Dramamine. I remembered to give it early because on our last trip, I didn’t give it til dinner and we were already a bit past gone. by taking it early, that has seemed to help tremendously. The boys skidaddled back to OQ with instructions to meet us at the Adventures Away party or at dinner.

The Adventures Away party was fun, and everyone there that we saw was in good spirits and not crowding, pushing, trying to be in front. It was really nice. DS11 and I went on the deck 9 floor and enjoyed being a part of the crowd. Then we met DH up on Deck 10 and crossed over to starboard side to watch what the captain and crew were going to do. But it was about 5:15 and we still hadn’t cast off, so I went back to the cabin to get ready for dinner. DS11 went back to OQ.

I had read a recent thread about a duo Calypso Magic performing, so when I saw they were playing tonight before dinner, I made sure to go to the Promenade Lounge early. I left instructions with DH to meet me there in time for our dinner at 6:00. I really enjoyed them and went up to tell them that I had read about them on DIS Boards and had also enjoyed reading their blog.

I saw Tinkerbell_29 without her family, so she sat with me in the Promenade Lounge until they got there. Her mother is celebrating her birthday this trip. so they had given her a pink feathered hat which she graciously brought with her. I pointed out to the Calypso Magic duo that it was her birthday, so they sang a song especially for her that he made up on the fly. And she took a picture. It was fun. They gave a good shout-out to the DISBoards, too!

Our dinner rotation is PLALAPL which is nice because that means we had 6 p.m. seating rather than 5:30 or 5:45. And it also means that first night is crème brulee cheesecake for dessert! The boys met us in time for dinner, and we were shown to our table. We are at a 4-top, so we are by ourselves which is really how we prefer it (or should I say how I prefer it because it means that DH will eat with me in the dining rooms so I won’t have to eat alone). DS12 didn’t stay long at all (two bites of a roll and off he went to OQ), but DS11 stayed for a quick dinner of mac-and-cheese. Our servers are Fernando and Gary (assistant server) and Fitz (head server). Our service tonight was quick and attentive which we really appreciated. Fernando said that they try especially hard on the first night to get things out quickly because everyone is tired and cranky and ready to eat and go. LOL. We are not planning to go to the dining room for formal night which is tomorrow, so we made sure to let them know that. Dessert was the yummy crème brulee cheesecake which was as good as I remembered. Mmmm…..

After dinner, we went to King Triton’s tree lighting which was sweet, and now the decorated ship is all it up. We saw the gingerbread house earlier which was phenomenal even though some of it has been broken off, probably by the busy-hands of children.

DCL is offering special pins that are “free with purchase” so after the tree lighting, we went to Mickey’s Mates where I found two mugs for $5 each (on sale). The boys have been drinking hot chocolate at home so I figured that they will enjoy the mugs. And I got my free pin. It was busy in there, though – we should’ve waited til the evening show started.

I delivered a few FE gifts and then DH and I went for a walk to the ice cream machine to see if DS12 had left anything there. He had – so we got some ice cream. DS11 was doing the Guitar Hero in OQ which was an organized event. DS12 came back to the cabin to order a Mickey Ice Cream bar, so we had him get cookies and milk while he was at it for later.

I’m typing this trip report as we go, but as often happens on vacation, I don’t remember everything chronologically.

The flat screen tvs in the rooms are really nice.

(if you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I'll try to answer or find out.)

[Sophie_2003]

Lucky you!!!

Can you find out if there is any kind of baking/crafting with food that replaces gingerbread houses in January, like cookie decorating or something? DD loves that stuff!
tks!

[giljr]

When you go to Palo, can you find out if Marco is still there? My wife is asking me every day if I have heard anything about him from the DISboards.

Thanks!

[CastleCreations]

Who is your cruise director....is Christiaan still on board, or did Brent come back?

[STLDisney_Freak]

Who is your cruise director....is Christiaan still on board, or did Brent come back?

Just got off the ship today and Christian was there with us all week.

[frdeb1999]

So glad that you are enjoying your trip! Our dd loved the gingerbread making!! It was one of the biggest highlights for her! :)

[DMMarla07860]

hope you enjoy your trip, what cruise staff is on the cruise? if David is find out when he is getting off the ship if you have time if not no big deal, wish I could go this time of year:goodvibes

[anetnmike]

can't wait to follow along with you!

[orlandothebeagle]

Who is your cruise director....is Christiaan still on board, or did Brent come back?

:rotfl:
you really do have a one track mind:rotfl: :rotfl:

[nzdisneymom]

Lucky you!!!

We really are! And we realize how lucky we are and are so thankful that we have been able to make this trip!


Can you find out if there is any kind of baking/crafting with food that replaces gingerbread houses in January, like cookie decorating or something? DD loves that stuff!
tks!

I will definitely ask.


When you go to Palo, can you find out if Marco is still there? My wife is asking me every day if I have heard anything about him from the DISboards.


We don't have Palo reservations, but I will see if I can find out. Several other DISers are going to Palo throughout the week.

Who is your cruise director....is Christiaan still on board, or did Brent come back?

Christiaan is our cruise director.

hope you enjoy your trip, what cruise staff is on the cruise? if David is find out when he is getting off the ship if you have time if not no big deal, wish I could go this time of year:goodvibes

So far I know Jen and Marc as cruise staff that I can remember their names. And DJ Mike. I am trying to remember CM names this trip so I can put them on the comment forms. Oh, Jay is also on - DH ran into him (LOL - pun intended) at this morning's 5K.

[nzdisneymom]

Saturday evening:

The boys wanted to see Mickey Mania in Studio Sea at 9:45, so I told them I would meet them there. There weren’t many guests there when I arrived about 9:35, so I got a nice spot up-front. The boys each came in from OQ and we got situated for the game. DS12 and DS11 both really wanted to play, so when they were choosing teams for the game, I had to pick one to try to play with. I picked DS12 with a promise to DS11 that next game onboard that I would choose him. We were selected last to be the Purple Plutos. Mickey Mania was hosted by Jen from the Cruise Staff who did a great job. The game is a series of questions where the contestants answer one question and the audience answers the next question with the option to give their points to whichever team they wanted to. We had a great time playing, and when we got to round three, DS12 really rocked by answering nearly all of the “Name that Toon” questions. We won the game and got a Mickey Mania button with a red champion ribbon on it! One of the audience members, a sweet little girl named Anastasia, had answered an audience question and given us her 50 points, which is how much we won by. She wanted to meet us after the game so we made a really big deal about her helping us so much! She was so sweet.

DS11 and I walked through Shutters to see our Mickey and Minnie pictures and then up to Pinnochio’s so he could get some late-night pizza. Back to the room for showers, and then off to bed. DH was watching Fred Claus on the television. I fell asleep before it was over, but not before I read Sunday’s Navigator from cover-to-cover, making our list of things to do. Because when we wake up on Sunday morning, we’ll be at the first of two stops at Castaway Cay!

[nzdisneymom]

Sunday:

I woke up around 4:30 a.m. wondering where we were. I looked out and saw lights on nearby land, so I checked out the television for the channel where it shows where we are – we were just sailing by Freeport, Nassau. Back to sleep until I woke up at 8:15 to the sound of DH heading out the door to run.

DH said he saw the CM Jay who organizes runs on the ship and on Castaway Cay, so he talked to him about a run on Friday on the island which they are going to do. The boys and I got up and had breakfast at Topsiders. It was busy, but not too bad, so we found a table and the boys ate quickly and headed out to Ocean Quest for the early morning time. I told them to be back in the Cabin by 9:30 so we could be ready to go to Castaway Cay.

DH got back from running around 9:15 so he still had to have breakfast and get ready to go, but the boys wanted to do the Search for Atlantis with OQ at 10:15, so I took them and one of our walkie-talkies so that DH could call me when he got onto the island.

I took the boys to Grouper’s Pavilion where they met CM Jacyln who is one of the OQ staff. I loved that she said hi to them by name! DS11 was wearing his D-Sea-U shirt from a previous cruise, so she told me how the shirts have changed and said she might be able to hook us up with the new ones for the boys if they want them. I left the boys with instructions to meet me on the Sports Beach, found a chair, and had got situated, waiting for DH.

DH called on the walkie-talkie; I told him where to meet me, and about 15 minutes he was there. Aaahhh… it was so nice to be kid-free and in one of my favorite places! We saw Tinksmom and her DD who had just finished Castaway Ray’s Stingray Adventure and were getting floats for the day.

The OQ group came by and DS12 decided to stay with us while DS11 went to finish their adventure and have lunch. Tinksmom let DS12 try out the float while they were not using it which was so sweet. DS12 enjoyed it, and we ended up with our chairs at the edge of the water just enjoying the sun and water. Our DHs met out in the water and were talking for quite a while before they came back to shore around noon. Then DH, DS12, and I went up to Grouper Pavilion to wait for DS11. While there, DS12 played foosball with one of the cruise staff Marc, and DH shot pool and basketball. I just relaxed under the shade and enjoyed the cool breeze.

Lunch was at Cookies’ BBQ – same fare as usual – ribs, chicken, burgers, hot dogs, pineapple upside down cake. Today they also had vanilla snickers ice cream, so I had a cone of it for dessert.

We stopped by First Aid to take DS11 in because on each of our other stops at Castaway Cay, he has needed First Aid attention, so we knew it would not be a complete trip to Castaway Cay without at least saying hello to the First Aid staff 

On our last trip to CC, the boys and DH had rented a paddleboat and had a great time, so I had told them that on our next trip, I would do it with them. It was a beautiful afternoon to do it, without much water movement – unlike the choppy water they had previously. We were able to get pretty close to the Flying Dutchman which was so very cool to see. The boys did all the work, too, as DH and I enjoyed a leisurely boat-ride around the area. We told them if the weather is cooperative on Friday that we’ll do the work and let them ride. That’s fair enough, don’t you think?

We have several more things we want to do today, including a nap for DH, so we headed back on board, ready for a shower. It’s been a beautiful day at Castaway Cay, and as I’m writing this, I hear the joyful sounds of guests who are coming in from a full day on the island!

[DMMarla07860]

Oh, Jay is also on - DH ran into him (LOL - pun intended) at this morning's 5K.

glad to hear that

and from reading sound like a great trip so far

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Loving your live TR!!!! Wish I were on the Magic right now too!!! :)

[nzdisneymom]

Sunday continued:

After DH’s nap, we delivered a few more FE gifts on our way to the DVC Members Celebrations where we saw several DISers. Unfortunately none of us had our names drawn for either a prize or the $200 on-board credit. But DISer Deb T. gave me a tip on a previous cruise – be sure to attend the Group Presentations to increase your chances of winning something. And the DVC lady today said to be sure to come because they always like to have Members there. The on-board incentives are pretty good, but as much as we’d like to add on, we can’t right now. DH was glad to get his DVC cap since we forgot to pack a cap for him, and as he says “I’m not 20 any more – I have way less hair than before.”

Next we went to the Promenade Lounge to get some chips and salsa (they put them out every afternoon at 5 p.m.) and listen to Calypso Magic. By the way, they said “hello” to the CT gang! They remembered us from yesterday which was really fun and even made up a song for us. It’s a nice way to relax before dinner and just enjoy some fun tunes. They are really good and we have enjoyed them. Tinkerbell_29 and her family came by all decked out in their formalwear, so we hung out for bit til it was time for their dinner.

Tonight is formal night, but DH didn’t want to get dressed up, and I’ve always wanted to try Topsiders for dinner, so this was a great opportunity to make everyone happy  Because they don’t open until 6:30 for dinner, we walked through the shops. They are having a special where on Saturday, Monday, and Thursday you can get a free collectible pin if you purchase anything in the shops onboard. So I was making my list for tomorrow morning when they open at 9 a.m. They have t-shirts at 40% off and all 2008 DCL stuff is 50% off. Time to get the boys a new DCL t-shirt – they have the 10th anniversary ones that are nice.

Dinner at Topsiders was enjoyable. It was not very busy as I guess most folks either went to formal night or Palo or room service or Pluto’s or…. We had a table by the window. We ordered Caesar salad (are you seeing a theme here?), and then DH got the jumbo shrimp and pasta while I had the Porterhouse Steak (something I’ve never had before). Our server was Allan from the Philippines and he was really great. The boys ate dinner in the room from Deck 9 and then went back to Ocean Quest. DS11 said he was the two-time champ of the Disney Wii game “Think Fast” which we nearly bought them for Christmas. Their uncle asked what to get them, so maybe we’ll suggest that!

We stopped by the launderette on Deck 6 to see if there was any availability of a washer / dryer. Nearly all of them were empty, so we raced back to the cabin to get our laundry. It was a perfect time to do it. The washers are new since we last sailed on the Magic. Wash is 25 minutes for $1.00, and drying is 45 minutes for $1. We checked the time to see when to return to change the laundry out and then just enjoyed the peace and quiet while the boys were still out.

[podsnel]

Oh, I'm so happy for you- it sounds like you're having a magical time!:goodvibes I just posted pics of Fitz in my TR- he was our head server, too- he really is ALL THAT in his pirate hat on pirate night!!

Thanks for taking the time to post for us!

Ellen

[nzdisneymom]

Sunday, continued.

Our laundry finished up quickly, and it was nice to not have anyone else in the launderette, so I was able to get everything folded *and* ironed what needed ironing all at the same time!

We ordered room service for a BLT and some cookies. We got both oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip, plus milk for the kids. I like the oatmeal raisin cookies the best, so I think we’ll be getting a plate of those each evening.

DS11 wanted to go to Disney Karaoke at 10:15, so he met me in the cabin at 10 and we walked down together. By the time we got there, he decided he wanted to just go back to OQ, so I went to meet Tinkerbell_29 in Rockin’ Bar D for the cabaret performance by Ricky Kalmon, hypnotist. He’s doing the main show on Monday night. I enjoyed the show that he did, but will skip the Walt Disney Theater performance as I want to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua in the Buena Vista. Because we were surprising the boys with this trip, we had not gone to see several Disney movies that have been recently released because we knew we’d be able to see them onboard!

After the show in RBD, there were snacks set up, so we got a few things and went to the Promenade Lounge to eat and relax a few minutes. Calypso Magic was finishing up their last set for the night. They, and all the bands on board, work hard as well as all the cruise staff to keep us entertained. Oh yeah, someone had asked if David is on board – he sure is! He is the host for the RBD this voyage.

~~~~~
Thanks so much for following along with us! If you have any questions or whatever, please be sure to ask. The internet connection has not been bad at all. I'm working wirelessly from our stateroom.

[nzdisneymom]

Monday – a Day at Sea

I woke up around 6:30 which is my usual time to get up on a weekday. I hate how my body didn’t realize it was on vacation, so I was awake for a bit. The sun had not yet risen, but I sat out on the verandah for a bit as we sailed along. The water was smooth and peaceful. Then I got smart and went back to sleep 

I woke up at 8:45, and as I got up, so did the rest of my family. The boys were out the door to OQ by 9 a.m. I went for a walk on Deck 9 to the Cove Café where I had a small pastry with my Diet Coke for breakfast. Cove Café is a really nice, quiet area. There was a woman who had headphones on watching CNN. She started to tell me something that she had just seen but I really didn’t want to know – I’m on vacation, don’t you know?

Our DIS-Meet group was having an ornament exchange at 9:30 in the Promenade Lounge. Oops – it was already booked with Disney Playhouse activity for the little kids. But we took over one end of the lounge. We had 17 DISers participating. Each of us brought an ornament, and then BearFan (who coordinated it) put a sticky-note on each one as it came in, and then when it was time for the exchange, we each got to draw a number. It turned out we were one ornament short at the end, but when BearFan called to find out if someone had gotten one that hadn’t brought one, another guest sheepishly brought hers back -- she wasn’t part of the group. oops. What was funny was that Tinkerbell_29 drew the number for the ornament we brought, and I drew the number for the ornament she brought!

Then BearFan passed out the Digital Scavenger Hunt list. She and her DH put together a list of 30 items to get a picture of from around the ship. Some are pretty easy, some are open to interpretation, and some are a bit more of a challenge. The bonus is adorable – a little girls in a princess outfit getting an autograph from the same princess.

We got a group photo done in the atrium. Tinkerbell_29’s brother took it from Deck 4’s lookover as we were on the steps by Lumiere’s. It looks like it turned out really well. Many of us wore our Meet shirts today. Someone said they heard a comment about how many of us there were in that family (LOL).

I went back to the cabin just as DH was heading to breakfast, so I joined him for a light breakfast at Topsiders. I always like to have fresh pineapple at breakfast on the ship… mmmmm….

The Castaway Club meeting was at 11:00. There are between 1,100 and 1,200 returning guests this cruise. Captain Tom was there and talked about the 2010 itineraries. I found out that our assistant cruise director is Darren. I also found that I can carry four bottles of Evian and four Mickey-shaped rice krispie treats up three floors and down the length of the ship without dropping them!

Today was another day to get a free collectible pin with purchase, so I went by Mickey’s Mates and got another mug for DH and t-shirts for the boys (Tenth Anniversary ones). Then off to the DVC Group presentation to take a chance on winning an onboard credit (didn’t happen).

Back to the cabin around 1:40 where I met DH on his way out to lunch. Good thing he went when he did as they stopped serving at 2 p.m. We went to Topsiders where they were having Italian buffet. I skipped the Italian buffet in favor of chicken tenders from Plutos. Here’s a trivia question… how many chicken tenders are cooked each day onboard the Magic? Answer: All of them – they don’t serve raw chicken (LOL). But for those wanting numbers, it’s about 3,500.

One of the things I wanted to do this trip was do some things I’ve not done before, so I took my invitation and went to the Art Auction. It was really interesting to see how it worked, and the woman next to me bought something. Actually several people did. They were all out of my league, but it was an enjoyable hour and I learned some things. (oh no – learning on a vacation!) They had a raffle at the end and I won a free stock picture of the Magic from Shutters, so I chose the one with the Mickey and Goofy shaped clouds. We also each got to pick up a free art-work, and we can get $30 off the iso-something treatment in the spa (the thing that makes you lose inches without effort).

I went back to the cabin and found DH and DS12 watching Kung Fu Panda. DS11 was in OQ still, although I had seen him earlier with some friends doing the Ultimate Scavenger Hunt that they had in OQ. We noticed that the ship had started rocking a bit more – we haven’t had much until today. We are going slowly by Cuba as we have been for much of the day.

We had a knock at the door, and Tinkerbell_29 and her mom and brother greeted us with a plate of desserts from their Tea at Palo. They said it was really good and were so sweet to share some of the desserts with us.

Tonight is Pirate night which makes DH happy because it means jeans in the dining room. It makes me happy because it means fajitas and crepes on Deck 9 tonight!

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Monday – a Day at Sea

I woke up around 6:30 which is my usual time to get up on a weekday. I hate how my body didn’t realize it was on vacation, so I was awake for a bit. The sun had not yet risen, but I sat out on the verandah for a bit as we sailed along. The water was smooth and peaceful. Then I got smart and went back to sleep 

I woke up at 8:45, and as I got up, so did the rest of my family. The boys were out the door to OQ by 9 a.m. I went for a walk on Deck 9 to the Cove Café where I had a small pastry with my Diet Coke for breakfast. Cove Café is a really nice, quiet area. There was a woman who had headphones on watching CNN. She started to tell me something that she had just seen but I really didn’t want to know – I’m on vacation, don’t you know?

Our DIS-Meet group was having an ornament exchange at 9:30 in the Promenade Lounge. Oops – it was already booked with Disney Playhouse activity for the little kids. But we took over one end of the lounge. We had 17 DISers participating. Each of us brought an ornament, and then BearFan (who coordinated it) put a sticky-note on each one as it came in, and then when it was time for the exchange, we each got to draw a number. It turned out we were one ornament short at the end, but when BearFan called to find out if someone had gotten one that hadn’t brought one, another guest sheepishly brought hers back -- she wasn’t part of the group. oops. What was funny was that Tinkerbell_29 drew the number for the ornament we brought, and I drew the number for the ornament she brought!

Then BearFan passed out the Digital Scavenger Hunt list. She and her DH put together a list of 30 items to get a picture of from around the ship. Some are pretty easy, some are open to interpretation, and some are a bit more of a challenge. The bonus is adorable – a little girls in a princess outfit getting an autograph from the same princess.

We got a group photo done in the atrium. Tinkerbell_29’s brother took it from Deck 4’s lookover as we were on the steps by Lumiere’s. It looks like it turned out really well. Many of us wore our Meet shirts today. Someone said they heard a comment about how many of us there were in that family (LOL).

I went back to the cabin just as DH was heading to breakfast, so I joined him for a light breakfast at Topsiders. I always like to have fresh pineapple at breakfast on the ship… mmmmm….

The Castaway Club meeting was at 11:00. There are between 1,100 and 1,200 returning guests this cruise. Captain Tom was there and talked about the 2010 itineraries. I found out that our assistant cruise director is Darren. I also found that I can carry four bottles of Evian and four Mickey-shaped rice krispie treats up three floors and down the length of the ship without dropping them!

Today was another day to get a free collectible pin with purchase, so I went by Mickey’s Mates and got another mug for DH and t-shirts for the boys (Tenth Anniversary ones). Then off to the DVC Group presentation to take a chance on winning an onboard credit (didn’t happen).

Back to the cabin around 1:40 where I met DH on his way out to lunch. Good thing he went when he did as they stopped serving at 2 p.m. We went to Topsiders where they were having Italian buffet. I skipped the Italian buffet in favor of chicken tenders from Plutos. Here’s a trivia question… how many chicken tenders are cooked each day onboard the Magic? Answer: All of them – they don’t serve raw chicken (LOL). But for those wanting numbers, it’s about 3,500.

One of the things I wanted to do this trip was do some things I’ve not done before, so I took my invitation and went to the Art Auction. It was really interesting to see how it worked, and the woman next to me bought something. Actually several people did. They were all out of my league, but it was an enjoyable hour and I learned some things. (oh no – learning on a vacation!) They had a raffle at the end and I won a free stock picture of the Magic from Shutters, so I chose the one with the Mickey and Goofy shaped clouds. We also each got to pick up a free art-work, and we can get $30 off the iso-something treatment in the spa (the thing that makes you lose inches without effort).

I went back to the cabin and found DH and DS12 watching Kung Fu Panda. DS11 was in OQ still, although I had seen him earlier with some friends doing the Ultimate Scavenger Hunt that they had in OQ. We noticed that the ship had started rocking a bit more – we haven’t had much until today. We are going slowly by Cuba as we have been for much of the day.

We had a knock at the door, and Tinkerbell_29 and her mom and brother greeted us with a plate of desserts from their Tea at Palo. They said it was really good and were so sweet to share some of the desserts with us.

Tonight is Pirate night which makes DH happy because it means jeans in the dining room. It makes me happy because it means fajitas and crepes on Deck 9 tonight!

Sounds like you are having a wonderful sea day! Enjoy your evening!

[Queenofthecastle]

Thanks for letting us vacation vicariously through your live trip report! We are stuck here in 10" of snow in Portland, Oregon without any relief in sight, so thank you! Looking forward to reading more soon! Enjoy the Magic!

[WDWLVR]

Thanks for sharing your trip report live! We did a Christmas cruise back in 2004 and loved it. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

[podsnel]

It is so cold and icy here- I am so envious of your family!! We saw Beverly Hills Chihuaha when we were on our cruise in Nov- it played in the Walt disney Theatre, DS9 & I loved it! :thumbsup2

[nzdisneymom]

Monday night, continued:

Dinner tonight was in Animator’s Palate. The seas were rough, 8 – 13 ft., so quite a few people were feeling the sea. But it’s pirate night, so we must press on! I brought costumes for the boys, but neither were feeling well. In fact, DS11 took a short nap after taking some Dramamine, and then he went off to OQ. DS12 wouldn’t take anything and he continued feeling poorly. He tried to go to dinner with us, but as our server mentioned, AP is the worst when the seas are high. DS12 went back to the cabin to lie down again.

Dinner was quick. Fernando and Gary are doing a decent job with our dinners, and we appreciate the timely service. I ordered off the lighter fare menu for dinner. But it is pirate night and I’ve been waiting several months to try fajitas and crepes at the pirate buffet, so I needed to save room!

We opted to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua in the Buena Vista Theater, so we went back to the cabin for a bit and got DS12 to take some Dramamine. Then we stopped by the shore excursions desk to get information about going into Cozumel on our own, dropped off some fish extender gifts, and then met DS12 for the movie. By the time the movie was over, the seas had settled a bit, or else the Dramamine we had taken was still in effect.

The Pirate Party was underway when the movie let out, so DH and I went up to our favorite Pirate Party spot on Deck 10 – just off the starboard stairs coming up from by Pinnochio’s. There weren’t many people on Deck 10 yet, and Deck 9 didn’t seem overly full, either. Even when it was time for fireworks (spectacular!), Deck 10 wasn’t jammed with people… but that’s probably because they were all already in line for the buffet! I was able to get my fajitas, and then we walked down to the Quiet Cove to get a table to sit at as they had not yet opened the deck on starboard side by Mickey’s pool. By the time we were ready for crepes, though, that area was open so we were able to enjoy a bit of dessert. The boys didn’t go to the party, but I brought them back a few marshmallows.

When we got back to the room, DS12 was heading to bed, and DS11 was crashed on our bed, so we woke him up so he could get his bath. We set the clocks back an hour tonight, so it didn’t seem quite so late going to bed. I did a terrible thing, though – I checked my work email after posting / checking the DISBoards, and sure enough, I wish I hadn’t. I burned up the rest of my internet time so I will have to get some more to continue posting our trip report Live. Off to sleep – tomorrow is Cozumel.

[scottishwee35]

Hi Cindy

Good to heard from you and sorry about big wave and hope your boys are feeling better today?

looking forward to read more story :thumbsup2

Is there any interpreter??

Have a lovely Xmas

and take care

Scottishwee35

[jd99]

Great trip report! Thanks for sharing.

When you go to Palo, can you find out if Marco is still there? My wife is asking me every day if I have heard anything about him from the DISboards.

Thanks!

I'm not the OP but I can tell you what we found out on our Nov. sailing. We were told that Marco was promoted to Palo Manager on the Wonder. He was our server a couple of cruises ago and he was serving as Manager at Palo on the Magic during our Mexican Riviera sailing. In Nov. our server told us that he was now on the Wonder. I'm betting he is going to be the manager on whatever ship DCL ultimately places in the Med. Just a guess...

[lbgraves]

:( While I am happy for Marco's success...we will miss him terribly on The Magic.

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Thank you so much for posting!!!! Sounds like you're having a great trip!!!!

[nzdisneymom]

Tuesday – Cozumel

When we planned this trip, we decided to keep it a surprise from our children. Because of that, we were not able to ask them what they might or might not want to do for our Port days. I didn’t want to schedule much because I wanted this vacation to be a vacation, not a tour of the Caribbean. But when one of the DISers asked about putting a group together to do a Dolphin Encounter at Chankanaab Park, I jumped at the chance because DS11 has loved dolphins since he was a wee one.

We set our clocks back an hour, so when I woke up at 7 a.m., it was really 6 a.m. which was nice for me to go back to sleep! We were awakened at 7:30 or so by Christiaan making the announcement that as soon as the Mexican authorities had cleared the ship, folks could start disembarking. We were to meet our DIS group at 9:30 to go over together for our 1 p.m. Dolphin Encounter.

We had breakfast at Topsiders (as usual) and then took a short walk on Deck 4 to show DS12 how we would go when we got off the ship and caught a cab. We got ready for the day, wearing our swimsuits and taking our water shoes with us. We met our group and then left the ship together. We were able to fit our group of 18 into two taxis at $22 per cab.

We checked in at Chankanaab Park, got our wristbands, then checked in again at the Dolphin Encounter desk and got our wristbands for that as well. We then had 2 1/2 hours until our encounter would begin. The use of lockers was included in our group rate, so we were able to put our stuff in the lockers and then explore the park. There is not a lot to see there, or do, unless you want to just enjoy the beach, but they do have a pretty good pool, only it was cold (but that didn’t stop DS11 from getting in, but DS12 only got in to his knees). We walked through the Mayan house and the botanical gardens trail which were nice enough.

Oh – when we first arrived at the park, there were a few men with parrots and iguanas (iguani?). One of them put a parrot on one of the little girl’s head, but then he wanted $5 to take a picture of it. Oops – someone had already gotten a photo! Oh well. While we were walking through the gardens, there was an iguana, so we made a game of trying to get our picture with the iguana for free  It didn’t really work, but it was fun.

The kids were hungry, so we got them each a pack of Cheetos. Here’s a lesson – when in a foreign country, be sure to read the label for words like chiles… these were spicy! One of the other DISers had gotten some cheese nachos and shared with DS11.

It was finally time for our encounter. We met up in a designated area and then were divided into groups. Because we were a group of 18, we were on a platform by ourselves. We had an educational / instructional talk, got our life vests, and then went out to get into the water. The Encounter is conducted on a platform that is about three feet wide and the water is about 3-feet deep until a current hits which can make the water a bit higher and harder to stand on the platform. But there is a chain link fence right behind you, so you can hold onto it to help with balance.

The water was cold getting in, but warmed up pretty quickly. The trainer introduced us to Pakal, our dolphin for the day. He is 16 months old, the youngest of their dolphins. We got to touch him on the back and belly, and then we started the best part – where we each had a turn to kiss the dolphin and have him shake hands with us. It was really amazing to watch the delight on the children’s faces as they interacted with the dolphin.

One thing I really liked is that they checked the pictures on the dock and if someone’s didn’t turn out well, they let that person have another go so they could get a good photo.

After we finished our interaction time, we were taken to a room to watch the video which was pretty good. While we were glad to have seen it, we weren’t interested in purchasing it. We were taken to the area where we could see our pictures and order which ones we wanted.

Then a quick change and out to find a taxi to bring us back. One of the families left quicker than the rest of us, so we got a taxi for 13 and headed back to the port. We made it back around 3:45 p.m., plenty of time before all-aboard at 4:45.

[PBF199]

This is totaly insane! I'm getting overhyped for this trip! we sail on 1/10/09 so please give as many up to date tips as you can!!
Dude!! You are so flirting with my happiness right now.
Living vicariously through you is perfect for being 2 weeks out from our sail date.

ROCKIN!!!

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Oh – when we first arrived at the park, there were a few men with parrots and iguanas (iguani?). One of them put a parrot on one of the little girl’s head, but then he wanted $5 to take a picture of it. Oops – someone had already gotten a photo! Oh well. While we were walking through the gardens, there was an iguana, so we made a game of trying to get our picture with the iguana for free  It didn’t really work, but it was fun.


OMG! I had my picture taken with that parrot and iguana! I didn't know it was $5.00!!!! :)

[MagicMe]

OMG! I had my picture taken with that parrot and iguana! I didn't know it was $5.00!!!! :)

Yup! $5 for you and $5 for Nana!!! But it was so worth it!!! Between that and the Dolphin Encounter - all things she's never done before (and she's 76 - at the time of our cruise).

We loved the DE! My Mom (the aforementioned 76 year old) had a lot of trouble on the platform. The waves kept threatening to push her off the platform. She held on to a rope off the pier just to keep from inadvertantly swimming with Regina (our dolphin).

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Yup! $5 for you and $5 for Nana!!! But it was so worth it!!! Between that and the Dolphin Encounter - all things she's never done before (and she's 76 - at the time of our cruise).

We loved the DE! My Mom (the aforementioned 76 year old) had a lot of trouble on the platform. The waves kept threatening to push her off the platform. She held on to a rope off the pier just to keep from inadvertantly swimming with Regina (our dolphin).

It was worth it! :thumbsup2 That picture is priceless! :)

[nzdisneymom]

Tuesday, Continued

We opted to not do any shopping in Cozumel, so we had reboarded a bit earlier than we had expected, which gave us time to get our laundry done before dinner. Deck 6 had several washers that were done but just sitting there, and a few dryers were open. I waited to see if anyone would come change them while DH went to Deck 7 to see what the situation was up there. There were three empty washers there, so we went to Deck 7 for this round of laundry.

While the laundry was going, we enjoyed watching people reboard not just the Magic, but also the Carnival Holiday. The two ships got into a bit of a horn-war with the Magic obviously winning  Time came for all-aboard and we had the general announcement for a few folks to hurry up and get back. We watched as a couple came up being carried on one of those bicycle things, and then another guy came running. Folks were cheering from both the Magic and the Holiday. Carnival’s ship left first, and they had arrived after us. DH enjoyed watching the activity for leaving, and then he went up to Deck 10 to watch the Magic pull out of dock.

The laundry finally got done, I had a quick shower, and we were off to dinner in Lumiere’s for theme night. The boys both joined us; DS12 loves the bread of French dinner night. DH and I ordered the rigatoni from the vegetarian selection which was delicious, but filling. I’ll be posting food pictures over on the food-picture thread.

After dinner, DH and I walked around Deck 4 in the Atrium for a bit. He took his DVC hat to get a pin, and we also collected our Captain’s Log as we had not gotten one earlier in the cruise. While we were there, we looked for the opportunity to take our “bonus” photo for the digital scavenger hunt – a little girl in a princess costume getting an autograph from the same princess. Cinderella was down for a long time and I felt like I was stalking her  Snow White came out on Deck 4 and was just hanging out. A few folks approached her and soon there was a short line. I got my picture made with her, and told her how much I enjoyed how she interacted with the young guests. She said she had lots of experience from talking to the Dwarves.

The ship was rocking, but I was in search of a slice of crème brulee cheesecake that I knew they were serving in Parrot Cay. I didn’t ask for one at dinner because I wanted the crème brulee, and I figured I could just get some at Topsiders. Nope, no crème brulee cheesecake in Topsiders. So I went down to Ocean Quest to see what DS11 was up to and ended up staying for a while talking to Sharon (usually works Oceaneers Lab) and Jaclyn. Then I wandered through the shops for a bit while the rest of the ship was either eating dinner, watching Bolt 3-D (which reports say was a bit tough in the sea conditions we had) or had already retired to their rooms from the sea motion.

I went by Parrot Cay to see if I could beg a slice of the cheesecake. Sure enough – success! only they didn’t give me a fork, so I was off in search of a fork. I came up with one in Topsiders, and went back to the cabin where I enjoyed every bit of that hard-earned dessert while sitting on the verandah!

It wasn’t long until the motion of the ship was making me overly sleepy, so I got ready for bed and was zzz’ing in no time. DS12 and DH also went to bed, but it was just 10:30 and DS11 had a midnight curfew. What to do? What to do?? I finally roused myself enough at 11:30 to just go down and fetch him even though it was early still. I just didn’t want to sleep without him successfully into the cabin.

There were a lot of kids in OQ, so I figured the counselors would be glad to have one less. He wasn’t doing anything anyway, so I had him just come on back to the cabin and go to bed.

Wednesday is Grand Cayman day, but the seas are slowing us down so we won’t arrive until later.

[nzdisneymom]

Thanks for all the interest in our trip! If there is anything you want to know, just ask and I'll try to find out.

I'm also hopeful that I'll be able to upload some pictures later today or tomorrow - the internet connection has been great for us, so we'll see how it continues.

We're just pulling into Grand Cayman now so we're off to get tendering tickets.

Merry Christmas Eve to all who celebrate!

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Thanks for all the interest in our trip! If there is anything you want to know, just ask and I'll try to find out.

I'm also hopeful that I'll be able to upload some pictures later today or tomorrow - the internet connection has been great for us, so we'll see how it continues.

We're just pulling into Grand Cayman now so we're off to get tendering tickets.

Merry Christmas Eve to all who celebrate!

Can't wait to see the pictures!!!!

Enjoy Grand Cayman!!!

Merry Christmas to you and your family! :)

[nzdisneymom]

Wednesday – Grand Cayman day

The seas kept us from arriving at Grand Cayman on schedule, so I made a spa appointment for Wednesday morning to get the iontherme treatment. The art auction offered $30 off the treatment which I mentioned when I scheduled. My appointment was for 9:15 a.m. which would give me time to do that and still be ready to get off the ship in plenty of time. Of course I slept til Mickey called at 8:45 this morning which made me rush a bit to wake up and get out the door. DH went to run while the boys went off to Ocean Quest for a bit. As it has turned out, DS11 has spent the whole day in OQ while DS12 has spent most of the day watching classic animated movies in the cabin.

After my spa treatment, I met up with Tinkerbell_29 and her family in the Quiet Cove. We chatted about our Tuesday evening experiences, and then I went in search of a late breakfast. DH had made his way to Topsiders around the same time; inside was packed solid, so we found a table outside. The wind was strong and kept blowing our food around our trays.

We arrived in Grand Cayman around 11:15 and tendering started at 11:30. The Walt Disney Theater was packed. DH and I waited about 45 minutes and then decided to bag the day in Grand Cayman. We were only planning to do some shopping, but not for anything in particular. So instead, we had a nice lunch in Lumiere’s which is something we were wanting to do anyway. Our server for the meal was celebrating his birthday today so we sang happy birthday to him along with our tablemates.

Shortly after lunch, they announced all-ashore without any waiting, so we debated going or not. We finally decided to go since they were loading a tender right below our cabin and we were still packed up for the trip out. So with no waiting, we boarded the tender and went over to the island. We talked with BearFan who we saw at the WDT while we were waiting for tendering and she said they got to go about 15 minutes after we had left. There were so many folks waiting to tender but we think DCL did a good job of handling it; there were “resource allocation” issues since we had arrived late and there were five other cruise ships in port today.

We exited the tender and followed the crowds just to see what there was to see. We found a Cayman Islands souvenir shop and got a thimble and spoon for our boys as they collect those, and then we went in search of the Del Sol store. Of course we didn’t have our shopping guide map with us, but we saw another passenger who had a Del Sol bag so I asked her where it was. We found it and DH got a new shirt, and then we headed back to the ship.

There was a tender waiting for us, so we didn’t have to wait long for the ride back to the ship.

[Sophie_2003]

Enjoying the TR very much. Merry xmas to all Disers on board!

[frdeb1999]

Loving your report!! So glad your having a wonderful time! :)

[MN Dis Fans]

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!
Have been reading your trip report with a bit of jealousy. I wish it was us! :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :worship:
Oh well, we are scheduled to do it next X-Mas (2009).
What exciting activities are you doing today?

By the way, we're scheduled to cruise with you folks on the Baltic Summer 2010 :cool1: It seems so far away, it's hard to get to excited about this one just yet.

Anyway, if you run into Pubmaster Jay, can you tell him Paul from MN says hello. (The guy that gave him a real hard time about the lack of Olympics coverage in Diversions last August!) My DW & I also saw him last month on the Wonder.
Thx.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise; can't wait to read more about it! :surfweb:

[nzdisneymom]

Wednesday did not seem like Christmas Eve, yet there were plenty of holiday happenings beginning around the ship, and I had some things to tend to in the cabin without the prying eyes of children. Yet DS12 was firmly planted on the couch watching animated classics, so I figured I would wait until later to take care of what I needed to do.

I had plans to attend the art auction again, or at least to check out the preview. But along the way, I went into the DVC presentation to see if the folks we’d been talking to at lunch had gone in. I didn’t see them but there were other DISers there and of course I wanted my chance to win some onboard credit. Didn’t work out, but I don’t mind doing the presentation because I learn new stuff about our DVC membership every time. One of the other DISers that was waiting in the Walt Disney Theater for tendering said they were called about 15 minutes after we had left.

I did a bit of wandering around the ship, a bit aimlessly, something I used to do for much of the cruise, but this time I’ve been busy with various activities. Then time to get ready for dinner – it was in Animator’s Palette for theme night. I got ready a bit early and went down to the Promenade Lounge to listen to Calypso Magic with their pre-dinner music. I’m telling you – this duo is entertaining and has the right blend of songs in their sets. They definitely fit well with the Magic. Tinkerbell_29 and her family came down where we caught up on the day.

DS12 and DH were already at our table when I got to Animator’s Palette. Our table is right by one of the main screens so it was nice to be able to see the changes of the various characters. We enjoyed our dinner but got done before time for the show, so we went ahead and left. I wanted to go to the family cabaret – John Charles, musical comedy – at 7:30 and then to see Bolt at 8:15, so we didn’t want to be delayed from dinner. I have to say again that Gary and Fernando did a great job on getting us in and out at dinners. Last night was probably the longest at 1:10 for the whole thing.

I was a bit surprised that DH wanted to go to the comedy show with me, but we had a great time. John Charles plays a variety of songs, mostly requests from the audience, and also makes up songs according to the guests. He did a hilarious impression of Hannah Montana. He ended with The Flintstones, Spongebob Squarepants, and the Mickey Mouse Club.

We made it to Bolt a few minutes early, found DS12 was there keeping a spot for us. We got our 3-D glasses and got situated. The movie was great! I’m not sure I’m going to be keen on 3-D, so I hope that the digital 3-D will still be shown in “regular.” We saw preview for Pixar’s UP which looks fun, too.

When the movie was over, I locked everyone out of the cabin while I took care of what I needed to do. Then I left a note for DH to meet me in Promenade Lounge. I checked on DS11 in the OQ and gave him an 11:15 curfew. He wanted later but I knew I needed him to get some rest tonight.

We did a Secret Santa with our DIS Meet thread, so I delivered our gifts, and gifts were delivered for the boys.

I got my first cup of hot chocolate for this trip, and it felt appropriate for Christmas Eve. The restaurants were handing out cookies and milk (for Santa) but I sure saw a lot of Dads (and some moms) eating them! They were sugar cookies and yummy. Calypso Magic was just about to start their last set for the night when we got there, so I chatted with Lynley for a few minutes until they were ready to play. DH came down, and then Tinkerbell_29 and family joined us. Calypso Magic made up songs about us and where we’re from, etc., which was so fun and entertaining. BearFan and her DH stopped by for a bit, too.

And before we knew it, it was 11:15 and time to head for zzzz’land. After all, Santa won’t stop if you’re awake! The boys were in the room on time and getting ready for bed (yay!) and soon we were asleep, all snug in our beds, with visions of Mickey dancin’ in our heads.

[nzdisneymom]

What’s that? It’s Christmas morning and the children are still all snug in their beds and it’s 9 a.m.???? We’ll have none of that! There’s lots to do today, so we’ve gotta get started. Or maybe not!

Santa left stockings filled for the boys just inside our stateroom door. I’m not sure if he spent the night on the Magic after finishing deliveries all over the world, but he was onboard this morning beginning at 8:30 to have the children visit and get another gift. Of course for those children who might be a bit busy and / or not want to wait in a line, their parents could visit Shore Excursions desk to pick up their gifts. The gifts this year were a Disney/Pixar calendar. Good thing I hadn’t already gotten calendars for the boys! They also opened their Secret Santa gifts and enjoyed seeing what another DISer left for them. Our Fish Extender has also had a lot of action today.

Bedtime Stories was premiering today at 10:30 in the Buena Vista Theater, so after a quick stop in Mickey’s Mates for a t-shirt (40% off) and to collect the third in the series of free pins, I did the DCL thing and went to the theater and – gosh – are you ready for this? I saved seats for my family. Whew – good thing I did as the theater ended up being full. But my guys got there in plenty of time so it didn’t get hairy with the whole seat-saving thing. I wear bi-focals so I find that if I sit on row H, that works best for me. We really enjoyed the movie and will likely see it again.

After the movie, we checked the laundry room and found there were a few empty washers, so we got our laundry and did our last laundry for the trip. We waited until our clothes were in the dryer and then had lunch. DH had the seafood buffet in Topsiders while I got something from Pluto’s. While I was taking care of our laundry, someone wanted to know where we had gotten our shirts as we are wearing our Café Press shirts that our Meet group designed.

On Saturday, we had thought it would be great fun to make a Gingerbread House, so we had gotten tickets for 2 p.m. Today we weren’t so sure, but the boys and I went anyway and enjoyed it. Of course now we have a Gingerbread House that we can’t take offboard with us and will end up putting it in the trash tonight or tomorrow. But it was fun making it together, and I did my best to not offer advice or suggestions and let the boys do the house on their own.

Our DISBoards Digital Scavenger hunt coordinator set 4:30 to be our time to regather for those who wanted to, but we still had a few items we had yet to take a picture of, so I got a new list (I washed our old one – oops). I went in search of the last items, the toughest one being the ship’s compass which I didn’t find – but BearFan’s DH took pity on me and told me where to find it on Deck 10. I had searched Deck 10 from midship forward, but it’s more aft. It was so windy across the ship this afternoon that I thought I was going to be blown off the ship!

Several of us met up and shared pictures and just talked about the cruise and how things are going. It’s funny how different our experiences have been, but the common theme is that this has been an amazing week and we’re not looking forward to it ending. The beginning of the trip seemed to go by slowly with each day feeling like multiple days but now it seems like the days are zooming by.

Oh yeah - our towel animal last night was an angel.

[TheDisneyGirl02]

An angel towel animal! How cool is that!

I hope you had a magical Christmas on the Magic! :)

[nzdisneymom]

Thursday – Christmas Day, continued

Christmas Day is “semi-formal” night, but we decided to skip it. We had pretty much decided before we left home that we wouldn’t be doing formal or semi-formal nights because DH just didn’t want to have to dress up. I brought some nice clothes but honestly, by Thursday night, I had zero interest in getting dressed for dinner. Relaxation has totally set in.

I had some chips and salsa in the Promenade Lounge as we were not going to eat dinner until after High School Musical 3 which was at 5:30. We had seen the other two movies, so I wanted to see HSM3. An yeah, I admit it, I like HSM-series! We enjoyed the movie as a family.

We had our Christmas Dinner at Topsiders. DS12 didn’t join us, but DS11 did. We had the turkey dinner, but they also had ham and some other things. I remarked to DH afterwards that I think this was the best dinner of the whole week.

After dinner, I walked around the ship a bit, running into DISers at nearly every turn. It was so nice to have so many familiar faces and talk about how much we’re enjoying the trip. I finally wandered back to Diversions where I found that they have chicken wings out on their snack bar. I had just been talking to Hinsok about it; her kids had been looking forward to getting some from the Outlook Bar but it hasn’t been open all week where any of us have noticed. Too bad I didn’t see her again after that so I could tell her that her kids could find their wings in Diversions!

DS11 was firmly planted in OQ for the evening while DH and DS12 retired to the cabin. I ordered room service for DS12 and then headed down to listen to Calypso Magic before catching John Charles’ adult cabaret. Soul Drive was still playing when we got there (I met up with Tinkerbell_29 and family) and they are really good. John Charles was entertaining and played an hour rather than the 45 minutes he was scheduled for. It was a good crowd which made it fun for him, too.

When the show was over, the midnight dessert bar, complete with chocolate fountain, was already open. There was not much of a line, so we went through and took our plates down to the Promenade Lounge. DS11 came by then, so I sent him to get his own chocolate fountain fruit. He thought that was the best thing ever!

When we got back to the cabin, DH and DS12 were already asleep, but we didn’t care if we woke them up or not – it was our next to the last night onboard. And we weren’t going to dock at Castaway Cay til 9 a.m., so we knew we could sleep in for a bit.

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Sounds like you had a lovely Christmas day! The Christmas dinner at Topsider's sounds really nice! I love HSM also...I cried at the end of it!

I hope you had a great day at CC! Can't wait to read about it! :)

[nzdisneymom]

Friday – Double Dip at Castaway Cay day including a sail-by of the Disney Wonder.

Our last full day onboard and we get to spend the (quoting Christiaan) B-E-A-Utiful day on Castaway Cay. We docked around 9 a.m. and folks were disembarking before 9:30. Our cabin is just above the Aft door, so we get to watch folks coming and going.

Jay the PubMaster was coordinating a 5K run beginning at 9:30, so DH went to meet the group while the kids and I took some time getting ready to go out. DH said the run was nice and he went a bit further as he usually does a long run on the weekends. He said it was a bit awkward running on land after running on the ship all week.

The boys and I made our way down to the sports beach where DH was to meet us. We rented floats but it was really too windy to use them, so we mostly just hung out on the beach til DH got done with his run. DS11 played a few games at Grouper’s Pavilion.

We headed up to the main area for lunch just around noon, and we heard the announcement that the Wonder would be here soon. DH and DS12 went to get some lunch while DS11 and I not only were waiting for the Wonder, we were waiting for the Characters to come by in their golf carts. The Wonder sailed by and it was so cool. We did not get a picture of the Wonder and Magic together, but others from the DIS were able to.

The characters came by and I was able to get them on video, and then we got a bite to eat from Cookies BBQ. Same fare as on Sunday, but no pineapple upside down cake.

We had promised the boys on Sunday that we would rent a paddle boat again but that this time we would paddle them around for half-an-hour. We had a great time and got close to both the Flying Dutchman and the Magic before turning back.

The boys wanted to see Bolt as DS11 hadn’t seen it yet. It was at 3 p.m. which was perfect for us to have time to get back onboard, shower, and then send them to the movie. Only DH and both boys ended up falling asleep about 2:15. I woke DH up before I got in the shower so that they wouldn’t sleep through the movie as I really needed them out of the room so I could pack this afternoon.

Packing is the hardest thing to do on a cruise because it means you’re busy doing “chores” when you want to maximize the last moments onboard. But we were able to get it done in a reasonable amount of time and didn’t have to buy a new piece of luggage (whew – good thing I brought along the DVC bag!). I had to get some extra luggage tags from Guest Services, but whew – the packing was done except for what we’ll have in the morning. I remembered to keep out clothes and spares for Saturday morning.

One of my favorite things to do this week has been to hang out in the Promenade Lounge before dinner (and later in the evening) listening to Calypso Magic. Today was no different. We have enjoyed talking to them and listening to their sets. It’s a great way to relax before dinner and meet up with friends. This was definitely my favorite “new” thing for me as a cruise passenger.

Dinner was in Lumiere’s for the Til We Meet Again dinner. Our server and assistant server did another great job. They were definitely quick but not rushing us, so we were able to enjoy dinner and get out in a reasonable amount of time. We stayed for the flag ceremony and made sure to handle our gratuities with them. We did let them know that we will not be attending breakfast on Saturday morning as we’re opting for Topsiders for an easier time of things (and a later wake-up time for us).

Time for our last evening.

[podsnel]

Hope you had fun on your last night! It is the fastest week of all, the week onboard the Magic- isn't it?

What was the spa treatment like?

[frdeb1999]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time!! Thanks for sharing them! :)

[goofygal1975]

What a magical Christmas Cruise! Thank you for sharing your trip with us!!

I'm glad to hear that the wireless internet worked good in your room! I plan on bringing my laptop on our cruise in May.

[Sophie_2003]

Tks for the live reports, hope your disembarkation was painless!

[FIREFIGHTERMICKEY]

Im sure you guys had a great time. MERRY CHRISTMAS:santa:

[Deb T.]

Sunday continued: After DH’s nap, we delivered a few more FE gifts on our way to the DVC Members Celebrations where we saw several DISers. Unfortunately none of us had our names drawn for either a prize or the $200 on-board credit. But DISer Deb T. gave me a tip on a previous cruise – be sure to attend the Group Presentations to increase your chances of winning something. And the DVC lady today said to be sure to come because they always like to have Members there.

Thanks for the shout out! :laughing:

I really enjoyed reading your TR! It sparked lots of great memories from our cruise together last April!!! I sure wish I could have been on this cruise, too, with you and your awesome family! Please tell the boys and your DH that I said "Hi!". :) Just think, *only* 19 more months before we cruise together again! :goodvibes

[DMMarla07860]

sounds like your trip was great:goodvibes

[nzdisneymom]

Hope you had fun on your last night! It is the fastest week of all, the week onboard the Magic- isn't it?

What was the spa treatment like?

It sure does go by fast, but each day feels like multiple days! I could look back and think we'd been onboard for 28 days!

The spa treatment was interesting. It was kinda cool but I'm not sure I buy into that it really works, although I think the science behind what happens with toxins in your body is believable enough - just not sure I agree with how to "crack them" by using red algae to penetrate. The treatment itself was the application of several products including the red algae and then a lotion of some sort. Then you lie down on a bed of thermal clay that is used as a conductor (the clay is covered with a paper towelette so you don't get it on you). Then the electrodes are hooked up and they turn it up til you feel a squeezing sensation which is kinda cool and a bit relaxing. The therapist talks to you about what's going on with your body and gives you tips about stuff we all already know.


I'm glad to hear that the wireless internet worked good in your room! I plan on bringing my laptop on our cruise in May.

I was really surprised at how well the internet was from our cabin. I don't know if it's because of our location or because they have increased bandwidth (I heard the crew members get free internet access???). We were in Cabin 6116 which is just forward of the aft elevators.

Thanks for the shout out! :laughing:

I really enjoyed reading your TR! It sparked lots of great memories from our cruise together last April!!! I sure wish I could have been on this cruise, too, with you and your awesome family! Please tell the boys and your DH that I said "Hi!". :) Just think, *only* 19 more months before we cruise together again! :goodvibes

Thanks for reading, Deb, and I passed on your hello's to my family. We had a great time and sharing it with other DISers just added to the enjoyment!


sounds like your trip was great:goodvibes

It was really great. I got a chance to talk to Jay for just a minute and mentioned that I had read about him on the DIS and mentioned you by name. He did coordinate the 5-K which DH enjoyed.

[nzdisneymom]

Friday night, continued

This week just went by so fast, yet I can barely remember last Saturday. It’s a good thing I wrote this trip report as we went because I would never be able to reconstruct our week otherwise.

After dinner, DH and I walked around the ship for a bit, checking out the shops and running into even more DISers as many of us were taking care of those last details. We got DH a shirt to match my new DCL one as the t-shirts were still 40% off!

We got back to the room before 8 p.m., and Maricar came by shortly after to give us our comment card. I knew I had a long list of people I wanted to list by name and there wasn’t enough space, so I asked her what I should do. She got me some DCL stationery so I could write all I wanted! My list included not just those who took care of us all week, but other individuals that I noticed working throughout the week that we saw regularly, as well as those who just brought a smile to our faces.

We finished packing, including undecorating our door, and got the suitcases out into the hallway on time. I asked Maricar for an extra bottle of lotion; she hooked me up with a handful. I had room in one bag to put it!

DH and DS12 went out for a final foosball tournament while DS11 was hanging out in Ocean Quest for the night. I checked on him around 9:30 and he was making t-shirts and pillowcases for a souvenir. I wanted to see if we could score a “friendship rocks” t-shirt for the boys but didn’t see the Oceaneer’s Lab counselor that I wanted to ask about it. She had been at the pager-return desk but I had missed her.

I went to the Til We Meet Again in the Atrium and met two DDs of a DISer who were waiting for the show to start. One was very excited about getting to stay up late and get pictures and such with the cast of characters; the younger was ready for bed, I think. The characters came down the staircases and out into the audience for those final picture opportunities. Then they did the farewell show and it snowed! I was on port side of deck 4, just below the snowmaker and right near the Christmas tree – it was so cool to see it snowing on the ship!

I ran upstairs quickly to be sure that DH had gotten the last of the suitcases out in the hallway (he had) and then I went back for Calypso Magic’s final show of the cruise and to say goodbye to fellow-DISers who met me there. It wasn’t hard to say goodbye because we’ll be sailing together again in 2010… and of course seeing each other on the boards. Just as we were saying goodbye to Robbie and Lynley, DS11 came by from the OQ – he said he figured that’s where he would find me 

Then up to the cabin to get ready for bed. Because we were doing Topsiders, we didn’t have to get up until 7 a.m. to still have time to be out of the room prior to 8 a.m. We watched the Bridge channel for a few minutes and drifted off to sleep for our final night onboard.

[nzdisneymom]

Saturday – Time to say Goodbye

We all slept soundly through the night, I think a bit in denial that the trip was over, yet I think we are all about ready to be home. The boys have Christmas presents to open still, and they don’t know what Santa might have left them.

I woke up at 6:10, peeked out the window and saw that we had, indeed, made it back to Port Canaveral. I went back to bed but didn’t really fall back asleep, so I got up about 6:45 to get ready. The boys got up just before the wake-up call at 7. DS12 was ready first, so he and I headed up to breakfast at Topsiders. DS11 followed, and then DH came after DS12 had already gone back to the cabin. I have to say that this has been one of the best DIS tips – to have breakfast at Topsiders on the last morning. It works for us because we can have a quick breakfast, coming in shifts if we need to, and we don’t have to lug all our carry-off stuff with us. By timing it right, we can be back at the cabin and have time to brush our teeth, double-check the cabin and safe, and still be out before 8 a.m. I had let our stateroom hostess know that we would be eating at Topsiders for breakfast so she would know we hadn’t left for our scheduled 7 a.m. breakfast.

DCL had delivered a beautiful lithograph with Aurora that was designed specifically for the holiday cruise. We had it ready to go and I asked DS12 to be responsible for carrying it off the ship. But somehow in the process of leaving the cabin, he fell backwards into the closet (don’t ask… I think it’s just a 12 yr old thing) and it got bent. We ended up just leaving it because I know I wouldn’t frame it, and with it being bent, it was not of value to anyone any more. Darn – there goes my ebay sale (LOL).

We walked down to Deck 5 and then crossed from Aft to Midship there before heading down. We saw a few DISers in the lobby saying goodbye, and then off we went to the terminal. The porters were all busy when we came off the escalator, but by the time we headed to our luggage area (Purple Minnie), I saw one and he saw me at the same time and bam, we were set.

He whisked us through customs (they didn’t even look at our passports) and out to the hotel shuttle pick-up area where we called for the Country Inn and Suites shuttle to pick us up. They arrived within 10 minutes, we loaded up along with the others who were waiting, and were back at the hotel in less than 20 minutes from the time we disembarked the ship.

We stayed over in Cape Canaveral so we could go to Kennedy Space Center for the day. We enjoyed it, but we were also tired from the week. We did comment about how nice it was to not have to drive home today.

Thanks for reading along with us all week. I’ll have a few more odds and ends that I missed along the way, and I have uploaded our pictures to Photobucket so I’ll be adding those, too.

[nzdisneymom]

I'll post a few pictures at a time. We didn't take a lot of pictures, but I know how much I like to look at everyone else's trip with pictures.

DS11 and I with Mickey in the Terminal:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-1026.jpg

and with Minnie:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-1027.jpg

[nzdisneymom]

Sunrise at Sea on Monday:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-1138.jpg

Sunset at Cozumel on Tuesday:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-2058.jpg

[nzdisneymom]

DS11 at the Adventures Away party:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-1064.jpg


DS12 at Castaway Cay:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-1105.jpg

[DMMarla07860]

It was really great. I got a chance to talk to Jay for just a minute and mentioned that I had read about him on the DIS and mentioned you by name. He did coordinate the 5-K which DH enjoyed.

glad your DH enjoyed the 5-K, I wouldn't be caught dead running on vacation so people who do love to see that, I just use the stairs and walk up them:lmao:

[scottishwee35]

Hi Cindy

Many thanks for your trip report and I enjoyed to read it.

thanks for showing the photos...

Looking forward to meet you in 2010

Scottishwee35

[minnie1]

Hi Cindy,
I enjoyed reading your trip report and meeting you on the ship. I would like to try a trip report but trying to remember everything we did over the 7 days would be crazy for me. I guess I should write it down as we go. Maybe I'll go back to the 3 hours of video we took and see if I can construct one from that.

Anyway, it sounds like you and your family had a wonderful time. We really had a great time on our first disney cruise. Thanks for answering all my questions over the last few months.

Angie

[nzdisneymom]

Hi Cindy,
I enjoyed reading your trip report and meeting you on the ship. I would like to try a trip report but trying to remember everything we did over the 7 days would be crazy for me. I guess I should write it down as we go. Maybe I'll go back to the 3 hours of video we took and see if I can construct one from that.

Anyway, it sounds like you and your family had a wonderful time. We really had a great time on our first disney cruise. Thanks for answering all my questions over the last few months.

Angie

Angie - it was great to meet you, too! I can't wait to see the group picture, but I know Lissa is at WDW for a few days before heading home, so we'll have to wait!

If I hadn't typed up my trip report as we went, I would never be able to put it back together. As it is, if I got more than half-a-day off, I had trouble remembering. It was so amazing - I was busy a lot but only because I wanted to be!

[MaryAz]

Thanks for a great trip report. Glad you had such a fun time!

[Bytor01]

Great Report! We will be sailing in three weeks from today so its nice to see how everything is going. Just a question: Did the fix the gangway yet? I heard that due to it collapsing a month ago they changed the way people boarded. They were actually boarding people through the lower decks and then taking them up through the elevators to the atrium. Just wondering if everything is fixed and they are boarding the usual way.

Tim

[CarolAnnC]

Thanks for the trip report Cindy! It sounds like you all had a fabulous cruise. It must have been so nice on the ship with the holiday decorations..welcome home!

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Thank you so much for writing your TR! I'm glad you posted pictures too! I hope you had a magical cruise! :)

[nzdisneymom]

Great Report! We will be sailing in three weeks from today so its nice to see how everything is going. Just a question: Did the fix the gangway yet? I heard that due to it collapsing a month ago they changed the way people boarded. They were actually boarding people through the lower decks and then taking them up through the elevators to the atrium. Just wondering if everything is fixed and they are boarding the usual way.

Tim


Tim - they had half the gangway open - just one side was open for going in, but we did, indeed, enter through Deck 3 into the Atrium. It makes for a bit slower boarding but not a lot - and it means that each family is really and truly entering one-by-one.

[Bytor01]

Good to know...Jan 17th can't come fast enough...

[alikat99]

Hey Cindy - What a MAGICal trip report!!! I'm SO glad that we met you guys, and it truly was a MAGICal Christmas cruise!!! We haven't booked it yet (we're sailing again in April on a 3-night), but we're even considering the 11-night Christmas cruise for 2010.

[anetnmike]

Hi! I loved your TR. It was great to follow you along! We leave for our land/sea in 38 days. Thanks for getting us ready for the magic!

[dvc4life]

Cindy - thanks for sharing your trip with us. I really enjoyed reading it. The only thing is though, it makes me wish I was back there and not here at home all the more! Great Job!!!!!

[nzdisneymom]

Angel towel left on Christmas Eve:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-2075.jpg

Gingerbread House we made on Christmas Day:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-2094.jpg

We had to throw it away, though, because we could not take it off the ship when we got home. I wouldn't have wanted to, anyway, but it was fun to make. We've never done one before as a family, so it was fun to spend that time together. DH stayed out on the verandah reading while the boys and I made the gingerbread house.

[nzdisneymom]

The three ships of Castaway Cay.

The Flying Dutchman:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-1099.jpg

The Magic:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-3030.jpg

and the Wonder:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-3048.jpg

I didn't get a shot of them together, but I know some others did and will likely be posting them elsewhere.

[nzdisneymom]

Now that you all have read through the narrative, I thought I'd post some odds and ends that I thought might be of interest.

The new tv's are good - they pull out pretty far and you can angle them to see them from a good bit of the stateroom. Also you can plug something in behind the tv when it is pulled out -- I charged our camera battery there. We also checked for input spots - you can definitely plug in a portable DVD player or other such accessory. The slots are on the back of the tv.

The safe was new - 4-digit locking to it that you reset each time you lock the safe. Much easier to use as a family than the old card-swipe method. The size inside seemed to be about the same.

Creme brulee cheesecake is still my favorite DCL dessert, but the warm apple cranberry pie dessert that is on the Til We Meet Again menu is a very close second.

If you have bifocals, row H is the best place to watch a movie in the Buena Vista Theater.

The dryers on Deck 6 are more efficient than the ones on Deck 7. The machines are newer so that might be why.

Deck 10 starboard is the best place to view the fireworks on Pirate night.

To get only one cup at a time from Deck 9, follow the directions... turn and pull rather than just pulling which usually results in multiple cups coming out.

Sunscreen really does protect you from getting a sunburn.

[BearFan]

Cindy,
What an awesome job on your TR! Paul and I were happy that we got to meet and get to know you and Gary. I hope we get a chance to cruise together in the future because that would be an absolute blast!!!
I'll PM you a picture of the two ships together after we get home on Jan 1.
Lisa Marie

[ktmetke]

Thanks for sharing!!!

What kind of gifts did you give/receive for the Fish Extenders?

[Desi]

Thanks for your great TR. We have 10 months to go:cool1:

[nikkistevej]

Nice trip reports and pics!! Looks like you had a great time!!

[nzdisneymom]

Thanks for sharing!!!

What kind of gifts did you give/receive for the Fish Extenders?

Being the holidays, we got a lot of candy, including some homemade! Other things were eye patches, wristbands, luggage tags, pens and pencils (which we loved because the kids will use them for school!), note pads, bookmarks (which was great because DH forgot to bring one and was using a tissue for his bookmark), magnets, holiday ornaments, and quite a few other things.

I found some lime-green key chains that were made from the kind of stuff that those wristbands are made of, only they are shaped like Mickey heads. We put at least one in each baggie along with skittles, taffy, smarties, and a few other things like stickers or playdoh depending on the makeup of the cabin. It was interesting to get them because the stores at WDW only had one or two lime green ones out at a time. We were finally about to get a CM at the Emporium who went in the back and brought out several bags of the key chains so we could pick out the 30+ we needed. I loved that they were lime green because it's the universal DIS color.

[dbxazd]

Cindy -
Thanks for posting your trip report. I had all intentions of doing so, but only made it up to the 3 days we did in WDW before the cruise. :lmao:

It was great meeting you in line on embarkation day - I was at the adult John Charles night in Rocking Bar D too - it was funny.

Some other tips & answers for all reading:

David from Canada was there - in fact he did most of the EMCeeing. For those of us 18 and over - you MUST go to the Pub Night in Diversions on the last night......the cruise staff does a skit that was F'n HILARIOUS :lmao: It was so funny - and I did take photos, but not sure they are appropriate for a "family" website. DJ Mike was there too - and Oscar (both of whom I remember from our December 2007 cruise). Christiaan was funny in person - he was at Pub Night and was really personable - but I missed Brent (he was the Cruise Director for us in Dec. 07).

We had cabin 7035 and sometimes the WiFi was S-L-O-W....and sometimes it was fast. I just chalked it up to too many people trying to link on at once. :confused3

The inside cabins are nice, but small (we had a verandah last year). And it got humid in there......the TVs are nice and a good upgrade from the previous ones. I like the new 4 digit safe too.

Our dining rotation was LAPAPLA. We had the 5:30pm seating. Our servers were Panya (Thailand) and Marius (South Africa). Our head server was Cedomir (Croatia). They were all very good, but Marius was excellent (and Cedomir made it a point to high-5 DS and DD several times throughout each night - and talk to them by name).

:goodvibes

Robin

[Laneychris]

Great report

[nzdisneymom]

It was great meeting you in line on embarkation day

That was crazy how many DISers were in line together to check in at the same time!

We had cabin 7035 and sometimes the WiFi was S-L-O-W....and sometimes it was fast. I just chalked it up to too many people trying to link on at once. :confused3

It's probably a matter of several things - i think I'll post on the main board and maybe we can construct some sort of map of Cabins with fast wi-fi and those that aren't.

[DisneyZell]

Hi Cindy...I loved the lime green mickey head key chains...I put it on my key ring as soon as I got home! Hopefully it will help me find my keys in my purse just a little easier now! Glad you had such a good time on the cruise. We had a blast. Right now we are booked for the April 24 Med. cruise, but we may switch it...I was looking at the July 6 Northern Europe cruise...we could be cruising with you again!

Deanna

[OurDogCisco]

Hi Cindy... I didn't know you were doing a live report and I missed it. Sounds like you had a FABALOUS time. Can't wait to meet in you in 2010. Tina

[nzdisneymom]

a few more pictures:

The Friday morning Castaway Cay 5Kers getting ready to go:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-3026.jpg

The N and Z that make me a Disney Mom:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-3036.jpg

[DMMarla07860]

a few more pictures:

The Friday morning Castaway Cay 5Kers getting ready to go:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-3026.jpg

The N and Z that make me a Disney Mom:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/nzmommy/dcl%20dec2008/DCL2008-3036.jpg

I spot Jay, lol:goodvibes

[nzdisneymom]

I spot Jay, lol:goodvibes

You know, it was funny because all week long, he was in his yellow Diversions Pub Master shirt, so when I saw them all gathering (I was up on our verandah), I was looking for his yellow shirt :)

[DMMarla07860]

You know, it was funny because all week long, he was in his yellow Diversions Pub Master shirt, so when I saw them all gathering (I was up on our verandah), I was looking for his yellow shirt :)

yeah I hear you, I would have prob done the same thing, haha

[SnowWhite2]

Hi Cindy! Wonderful trip report. I love reading TRs from those on the same cruise. Glad you had a great time.

I was sorry I missed the meet on Saturday. Time got away from us and before I knew it, it was time for the lifeboat drill. I do remember seeing you at RBD for something. I was there quite a bit usually in my seat just behind the railing in the middle with my nachos!

You might have been on the bus from CI&S with my parents. They were supposed to be on the 10:30 bus but caught it earlier as they were waiting in anticipation with nothing to do also!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi Cindy, I really enjoyed your report and photos. The boys have grown a foot since we cruised together. We will miss you by a couple of months in 2010.

we have the 9/18 TA cruise booked.:thumbsup2

I still remember how you tried to do everything you could on your first cruise and to learn your way around the ship.
Now you are the expert and others can ask you for help.

I am so happy you had such a great cruise and got to surprize the boys.

Hope we can cruise together again in the future , it would be fun to see you guys again.:goodvibes

Kathy

[TammyNC]

Loved reading your report, can't wait for our first cruise 3/2010.

[cyndik1111]

thank you for all the extra info on Jay the pubmaster/marathon runner/cc5k organizer.(the picture of the runners on CC got me so excited) Somehow this has become my most anticipated event of the cruise. Ask your husband where he met up with Jay on the 1st day of the cruise. What shifts does he work in the bar/ which bar etc. I want to pump him for advise on improving my running. I figure I'd sit at the bar, order a drink, tip him well, then pump him for advise.

[nzdisneymom]

thank you for all the extra info on Jay the pubmaster/marathon runner/cc5k organizer.(the picture of the runners on CC got me so excited) Somehow this has become my most anticipated event of the cruise. Ask your husband where he met up with Jay on the 1st day of the cruise. What shifts does he work in the bar/ which bar etc. I want to pump him for advise on improving my running. I figure I'd sit at the bar, order a drink, tip him well, then pump him for advise.

Hiya. Jay was everywhere on the first day - easy to spot in his Yellow Diversions shirt. The Navigator had "running with Jay" or something like that in the special events area (we didn't keep copies of the Navigators this time) - DH was already running when the "group" started running on deck. I also saw Jay at the Castaway Club meeting - he was manning the table where you turn in your cards for the drawings - and I talked to him then. DH said there were quite a few people running on deck with the organized group.

[tinkerbell_29]

Hi Cindy loved your TR. I already miss sitting in the promenade lounge listening to Calypso Magic. Can't wait for 2010 though it may be sooner for us as we are looking at booking the July 18th 2009 cruise using points.

Lissa

[CalypsoNut]

It was great getting to meet you, and your support was awesome.
Thanks bunches,
Robbie and Lynley
(CalypsoMagic) now home with the cats

[nzdisneymom]

It was great getting to meet you, and your support was awesome.
Thanks bunches,
Robbie and Lynley
(CalypsoMagic) now home with the cats

I was just thinking of you guys yesterday and wondering if you made it off the Magic or not. You guys are definitely highlights of our trip!

[pogopossum]

just posting for a sub and to get you back to page 1. hope your new year is going good so far.

[nzdisneymom]

just posting for a sub and to get you back to page 1. hope your new year is going good so far.

Wish we had a DCL booked for 2009, but alas we'll have to wait til 2010.

[pogopossum]

we are booked into bcv and akv kidani for summer, next year nyc, then blt in 11, dvc ko olino in 12, so it will be 2013 before we hit the seas again.