Day 1: APLAPLA to PLAPLAP and DIS Friends
It was 10:00 am and we were off. This is a drive we have taken three times previously, and it never loses its luster. The reward at the end of that 45 minute drive is just so amazingly awesome that the time just flies by in anticipation of seeing that beautiful ship waiting for us as we cross over that bridge to Port Canaveral. You'd think that it'd be the other way around and that it'd drag by and the scenery would just agonizingly creep by, but it's not for us. By 10:50 am we were driving through the twisting roads leading to the drop off area at the terminal, and all passengers in the car were ogling out of the windows at the Disney Magic.
There's a lot of construction around the terminal area around the parking lot and around the entrance. There were giant signs asking our pardon for the dust because they are preparing room for the Dream and the Fantasy. Hey, no problem there... if two new gorgeous Disney ships are at the end of the construction, then fine by me!
So we were dropped at the curb, we said our goodbyes to my dad, the porter took our luggage (only three full size bags this time), and we headed through all security points and ended up at check-in upstairs in the terminal. Check-in was flawless. Wed done all of the necessary paperwork and filled out the appropriate forms online prior to arrival so we had everything we needed. We were also using birth certificates which are still an acceptable form of I.D. (for now) so we were pretty much good to go.
Check it out... I haven't even boarded yet and I already have my wallet out.
We were given room 2540 on Deck 2 (Category 9) which is about halfway between Midship and Forward on the Starboard side, and we also received the 8:15 pm APLAPLA dining rotation at table #7. Now, on our previous two 7 night
DCL cruises we have had the PLAPLAP dining rotation which we are huge fans of, so it was decided very quickly upon receiving our Key To The World cards that although there was nothing wrong with the APLAPLA rotation, we would see if there was any possibility of switching in Rockin Bar D upon boarding. I think this probably falls into my wifes and my category of liking the first version of what you experience. If you read a book and then go see the film version of that book than most likely you like the book better. If you see a play with one actor, and then see the play several years later with another actor you may like the first one better. Weve just always had PLAPLAP on 7 night cruises so that is what we enjoy. Plus Parrot Cay is our favorite dining room and that rotation places you there the most and also formal night falls at Lumieres which also just seems right to us. Just our opinion and preferences.
Something new to us with this cruise is the additional process of getting your pictures taken for added security. There are now banks of cast member manned computers over to the right hand side of check in next to the Mickey Head gangway entrance where you get your picture taken. The pictures dont appear on your Key To The World card, but when your KTTW card is scanned upon leaving and returning to the ship on port days, your photo appears on the screen along with all of the other usual information. Its a good extra security measure, and it only took 2 minutes tops for all three of us to have our pictures taken. No problem at all. Although on second thought, it may be more accurate if they take your picture when youre a sweaty mess with sunglasses on and your hair plastered to your head. Thatd be a more accurate representation when youre coming back on board from adventures in port.
During this process a fellow Diser, RLccweems, came up and introduced herself having spotted my wifes Dapplebeans button. The button was already paying off as an attention-grabber! Wed actually had a bit of interaction with her over the last few weeks prior to seeing her in the terminal so she was fully aware to be watching for my wife and her button. She was so sweet. Knowing my wifes love for her baby pup, RL made her a miniature Ollie scrapbook to put some photos in! So cute.
In turn, my wife handed out Dapplebeans buttons to them while we visited with them so they could help to spread the weenie love all over the sea.
We spend a lot of time doing the usual terminal thing: wandering around, gawking at the floor and just enjoying the lead up to boarding.
At about 11:45 am they started boarding, and by about 12:20 am they called boarding pass #9 so we were all set. We took that magical walk over the gangway and were announced in that glorious atrium. Then a beeline for the elevators to get up top to Deck 9 and have lunch at Topsiders.
Just a sampling of what I had personally
Sweet & Sour Pork, Fried Rice, Mac & Cheese, Corn Dog Nuggets, Ham & Cheese Salad, Peach Cobbler, Apple Cake
and probably a bit more. I notice theres no chocolate substance on that list so I have to be missing something.
An ice sculpture of any kind never fails to amaze me.
Look how happy I get in front of food.
Look at this cut of meat!
It was labeled Smoked Steamship, which Id never even heard of before, but the trusty Wikipedia says that its pretty much the whole rear of the animal. Yowza! I never saw this poor lady again after this first day. I hope the Steamship didnt fall on her.
And of course the staple Mac & Cheese which my daughter has been waiting two years for because dont you know DCL has the worlds greatest Mac & Cheese.
We sat outside and ate, but it was HOT! Sweltering HOT! I can say now having returned that it is hotter here in Florida than anywhere we were in the Caribbean. I have to say again that the weather was absolute perfection. High 80s on sea days with that wonderful breeze, and it seemed a tad hotter on port days, but not too unbearable. We sat in the shade out on deck outside of Topsiders and enjoyed our food and basked in the fact that we were on the Disney Magic on vacation, and that it had begun! I cant possibly express the feeling. After the utter crap of the year to be sitting there on the ship knowing that there was nothing but an ocean of fun lying in front of us
unbelievable joy!
After we stuffed our faces, my daughter and I decided to go ahead and see if we could get our dining rotation changed, so my wife decided to stay put where she was while we went down to Rockin Bar D to see what we could do. This was at about 1:05 pm and there wasnt a soul there. There was no line. Actually there was literally not a single guest there aside from the crew members manning the request desks. So we visited the dining table first where we met Yolande. I asked her if there happened to be any availability for the PLAPLAP rotation.
By the way
completely off topic: every time I say PLAPLAP out loud I think of the Aflac commercials.
Anyway
She asked if there was any particular reason I wanted to switch and I just explained what I said above, that it was simply a preference. She said that it just so happened that she was the Restaurant Manager of that dining rotation and she would be happy to switch us over. Yay! She said to just show up at Parrot Cay that evening instead of Animators Palette and ask for her and shed take care of everything. Yay!
So we thanked her profusely and went a few steps to the next table to see about Palo reservations for my wife and I. First choice was Thursday evening around 7:00 pm. We chose that because it was our last sea day with Castaway Cay the next morning and it was also an Animators Palette night which is our least favorite of the three dining rooms. Well Thursday at 7:00 pm was available so
Yay again!
We went back up top to meet up with my wife. She was right where wed left her at the Topsiders table, and I have to admit I was a bit surprised. I kind of expected to find her passed out on the deck with about a dozen empty cups with melted chocolate ice cream oozing out in a pool around her head, lips stained black as if shed gone face first into a vat of Hersheys syrup, but no
I guess her will is stronger than I realize.
Although it hadn't happened yet, this was a scene that played out over the week frequently.
So anyway... I sat down next to her and told her that she was going to love me forever, and I told her about our good fortune down in Rockin Bar D. She was so glad that wed gotten everything we wanted. What a way to start off the week! PLAPLAP and Palo. A winning combo! So exciting! Well, she was burning hot (probably because there wasnt any ice cream in her system) so we had to get in out of the sun so we went inside on Deck 9 and found that it was about 1:20 pm so we wanted to head down to Deck 2 to see about getting into our room.
Up Next: Sailing Away and The First Dinner
Boy, I wish I could have been in line behind Olliesmamma at the ice cream station! That is one of our favorite places on the ship!
in so many different ways. I think our little DIS group became closer 
as the week went on. We seemed to run into each other EVERYWHERE....to the point where we became the stalkers. 
She went to live on a llama farm though & was much happier. I too appreciate that Ollie is part of your family. I broke up w/ a boyfriend in college b/c he didn't get it when my dog Shannon of 9 years died. He really couldn't understand why I was breaking up w/ him. I told him if you don't get why I'm upset about my dog--you'll never get it.
Naturally the buttons, having genuine Magic pixie dust actually ON them, will be worth every penny of that $325 a piece. Don't forget the Ollie World Tour which, now RV could accompany,being a celebrity himself
