Mickey + NYC = MAGIC - June 2, 2012 8-night - FINAL 2/23

[TopRowSeat]

Once we were dropped off at Atlantis we were given a tour of the resort. This seemed to last forever and we were all getting hot. I wish we had just taken off on our own. We finally were released and we set off to find a locker.

The walking tour was painful. There was nothing worthwhile except it gave me a shot at finding my way back to the bus. This place is huge.

The line to rent a locker was huge but I had brought our camera and I was not going to just leave it on a chair so Shawn and I waited in line while Matt and Steve went off to do the Leap of Faith slide.

The Leap of Faith was cool. The lines weren't too bad at this point. Within an hour the wait went up dramatically.

I wasn't too sure if Matt would chicken out or not but I have to give the dude credit. After riding everything at Cedar Point there is very little that he won't try. He didn't even blink, wanted to go first and was all smiles at the end.

The slide itself is fast and provides a lovely chlorine enema. However, you're going so fast and there is so much splash that you can't really see the sharks. I was looking, I think I saw a shadow but the sharks aren't really the point.

I noticed there is quite a crowd watching the end of the slide. I think it's because of the occasional wardrobe malfunction that occurs on your way down.

The lines were not too long on the slides at this point and they actually made it back to us before we had gotten a locker. After the long wait we headed off for the lazy river. Let me tell you that this is no lazy river. It has some major rapids and Shawn was actually thrown from his tube. Thankfully Steve was right there to grab him.

Yow! The lazy river thing is way scarier than the Leap of Faith.

I was with Shawn trying to keep one hand on his tube when we got to the big wave section.

A big wave came along and he went over. I reached to grab for him and I went over head first. When I first stood up he was still under so I went back down and picked him up off the bottom.

He's a decent swimmer but these waves were intense right at that part of the river and it was tough to get your bearings after getting dumped.

He was fine, I was a little rattled and many of the other people around us were concerned but no one from Atlantis even saw it happen as far as I know, or if they did they weren't concerned. There is definitely a huge difference in safety between here and home.

The resort is beautiful but it was very crowded.

I heard people saying that it was a lot better the day before but with four cruise ships in port it was a complete zoo.

I'd be more willing to return if I somehow knew it would be quieter. With these crowds it just wasn't worth it.

As we approached the ship the castmembers were passing out cold wash cloths for everyone. Very refreshing.

Oh yeah, those cold damp wash cloths were the highlight of the day. These alone were worth the extra price between Disney and those other lines.

After we got back to the room we all showered and I think we ordered some room service. We hung out on the deck and watched the late people running back to the ship across from us.

Ok, I take it back. Watching the runners from our veranda was the highlight of the day. On previous cruises I didn't have time or didn't think of it. Watching runners, and the fact that there WERE runners to watch made my day.

There as also a black out for a few minutes. I don't remember what they said caused it but it kept us in port for a little longer. The boys had went down to their clubs but Matt ended up coming back because they had closed the Edge.

I was out strolling the ship getting a beer for me and a DOTD for Sparky (today was the Sunken Treasure)

The emergency door between the Club and the Lab on deck 5 closed and there was an alarm going off. There were a bunch of cast members in the area but nobody was talking. They all had their jobs and it was all business at this point. They never did tell us what happened.

After the show Steve and I went to meet with the DVC lady again and this time we sealed the deal. 120 points at Animal Kingdom Villas. I'm not sure why it took us so long to do this.

Finally, after thinking about it for far too long we took the plunge. Welcome Home... and all that.

We've rented points in the past but I can't wait to stay at WDW on our own points. Our own little piece of the magic.

We were late for dinner by the time we were done signing stuff. Grabbed the dudes quick from their clubs and headed to Animators to see Laura.

I went with all her recommendations and she did not lead me astray. Pot Stickers, Conch Soup, Shrimp/Scallop Pasta. It was all excellent and the boys were much entertained that I took Laura's suggestions again.

Ok, wait, I forgot... THIS was the highlight of the day.....

After the main course Sant came by to scrape the crumbs and prepare for dessert. Matt said that the scraper thing was really cool and that he wanted one. Without hesitation Sant gave it to him.

So we now own one slightly used DCL crumb scraper. I'm not sure what he's going to do with it but It totally made Matt's night and is a unique souvenir.

 

[KristiMc]

Sorry for the delay in the update. My boys went back to school last week so it has been hectic.

I woke up on our Castaway Cay day just as we were approaching the island and watched the docking procedure out on the verandah.

We had a parasailing excursion booked for 3:30 and would be on the island the whole day so we decided that we were not going to rush right off the ship .

After everyone was up and ready we went to Topsiders for breakfast and then headed off to the Pelican Plunge area.

We found an umbrella right in front the of the slides.

This area was pretty crowded but it was a good location since the boys wanted to to do the slides and there was a bar close for those wonderful Konk Koolers .

After a bit of swimming we decided to go on a bike ride before it got any hotter.

On our last cruise we had brought our GPS to find a geocache that is located on the island. We were searching for it when it started to pour. We gave up so we decided to look for it again. This time we had success with Shawn finding the cache.

It was getting pretty hot by now and I so wanted to stop off at the adult beach for a drink - but we had the boys in tow so we headed back to our spot by the slides. The boys did some more swimming - lots of little fish in the water with them. I enjoyed my first Konk Kooler of the day.

Next we all went on the Pelican Plunge slides. I love these. The covered one is really fast!

After some sliding we headed over to Cookies Too for some lunch and then packed up our stuff and went over to the other family beach area. The boys wanted to play on the play structure that is out in the water. We found that this area was much less crowded than the Pelican Plunge area.

We relaxed in this area for a couple of hours - had a few more Konk Koolers - until it was time to head back to go parasailing.

We had skipped the picture in front of the ship this morning because the line was huge. By the time we got back - there were no photographers. Someone passing by offered to take our picture.

We walked over to Marge's Barges for our excursion. This was the last time slot for the day and there were a couple groups of people. They took us all out on 2 boats and we had a boat for just our family.

Steve and Matt went up first.

Then Shawn and I went up.

It was so cool! Neat to see the ship and island from the sky. I thought I would be scared but it was very relaxing. The time goes by so fast though.

After we were back in the boat and heading back to the dock I started to feel a little queasy. I think it was a combination of the boat rocking and the long day in the sun.

We were back at the dock in no time and headed back on to the ship.

 

[eandesmom]

Ok the Atlantis "lazy" river sounds a bit scary, feeling even better about not doing it now.

What a perfect sounding day! We had a similar experience with lack of photographers, kind of made me wish I'd forced the group in the morning but I know they'd have balked.

The parasailing looks like a lot of fun! It was cancelled on our day, due to wind, but it would be something I'd consider in the future.

Congrats on DVC by the way, we just purchased last Jan and went "home" for the first time this July/Aug. A GREAT purchase! It is fun having that magnet on your door.

 

[TopRowSeat]

After a bit of swimming we decided to go on a bike ride before it got any hotter.

Really enjoyed watching the 5k runners finish. As an old, fat guy I'm not sure I could ever do it myself but I'd really like to try. Maybe I'll have to look into the Couch Potato to 5K thing before we return to Castaway Cay and make this my one and only 5K just to prove that I can.

This area was pretty crowded but it was a good location since the boys wanted to to do the slides and there was a bar close for those wonderful Konk Koolers .

We ended up right next to Jason Surrell from Walt Disney Imagineering. Very nice to meet him and talk about Stephen King (and other things) with him. Nice guy, nice family and a nice bonus for our Castaway Cay day.

Next we all went on the Pelican Plunge slides. I love these. The covered one is really fast!

Ok, I don't mean to ruffle anyone here but this was our one "New Yorker" moment.

Before the cruise there was some speculation on one of the DIS threads about whether or not the NYC cruises would have a different vibe since they would be full of New Yorkers.

Of course, this was not the case 90% of the time. Pelican Plunge was the one exception.

While waiting in line there was one guy with a thick NYC accent Yelling "Come on! Send him! Hurry up! What's the hold up! Let's go!" It was so stereotypical New Yorker. This guy was a living, breathing caricature.

Then we get to the top and the little girl in front of us was having second thoughts. We were next in line with NYC-guy behind us. The muttering from behind us got louder and louder as every second ticked by. This was definitely not helping this poor little girl get brave enough to go and she eventually backed out and walked back down the stairs.

So, one NYC jerk out of 2,500 passengers. I'll take those odds.

We relaxed in this area for a couple of hours - had a few more Konk Koolers - until it was time to head back to go parasailing.

We weren't going to have another round but the server told us that it was twofer time! So we went from no thank you to a tray with 4 drinks on it in short order. None of it was wasted.

It was so cool! Neat to see the ship and island from the sky. I thought I would be scared but it was very relaxing. The time goes by so fast though.

This was very cool. We were way up there looking down on the Magic and across the entire island. Awesome and highly recommended.

As for "time goes by so fast." I'm not sure we actually got our "5-7 minutes" as advertised. Reviewing the video after the fact shows it was less than 5. That may be a side effect of being the last run of the day.

But still... excellent excursion and a great way to cap off another awesome day at Castaway Cay.

 

[KristiMc]

Ok the Atlantis "lazy" river sounds a bit scary, feeling even better about not doing it now.

It was pretty scary.

What a perfect sounding day! We had a similar experience with lack of photographers, kind of made me wish I'd forced the group in the morning but I know they'd have balked.

It was a great day. I had tried to get a cabana because we had one on our last cruise and we loved it. I was bummed when I didn't get one, but we had as great of a day without the big price tag.

The parasailing looks like a lot of fun! It was cancelled on our day, due to wind, but it would be something I'd consider in the future.

I was afraid that ours would get cancelled because it looked stormy most of the day - but we got it in.

Congrats on DVC by the way, we just purchased last Jan and went "home" for the first time this July/Aug. A GREAT purchase! It is fun having that magnet on your door.

Thanks! I just wish we had done it in 2008!

 

[disney debi]

Looks like you had an awesome day at castaway cay. Loved that island. Definitely understand why people are crazy for the double dip!!!

 

[disney debi]

Congrats on the DVC plunge. Welcome Home. AKV is our home as well!

 

[princess aleya]

I'm really enjoying your review.

 

[KristiMc]

Looks like you had an awesome day at castaway cay. Loved that island. Definitely understand why people are crazy for the double dip!!!

I would love to do a double dip someday.

Congrats on the DVC plunge. Welcome Home. AKV is our home as well!

Thanks - we can't wait to stay there.

I'm really enjoying your review.

Thanks!

 

[KristiMc]

After our wonderful day on Castaway Cay we headed back to the room to clean up. We ordered some room service and just chilled in the room for a bit. A full day in the sun knocks me out.

Steve and I had a appointment with the DVC people to sign our paperwork so we headed there while the boys went to their clubs for a bit.

We all met back at the room to change for dinner and then we were off to the show. The show this evening was a new one - Walt Disney The Dream Goes On. I really liked the premise of the show and all of the Walt footage but there were a few singing/dancing numbers that I could have skipped.

After the show we all went to the Promenade Lounge for Bingo. We didn't win anything but it filled the time before dinner. Bingo ran a little over and we were a little late getting to Parrot Cay for dinner.

Dinner was good but we were all tired from the long day. We were going to have another big day tomorrow so we all headed back to the room and were in bed by 10:30.

Next up: Our day at WDW!

 

[KristiMc]

I had booked us on the 6:30 bus to Magic Kingdom so we were up and going at 5:30. We were down in the Atrium by 6:15. We had a little bit of a wait but before we knew it we were through customs and on the first bus of the day to Magic Kingdom. As we were getting closer to Orlando it began to pour. It did let up a bit as we pulled up to MK.

Matt sometimes gets a little car sick and right after we got off of the bus he puked all over the sidewalk - oh no. He said he felt ok and that he just thought it was from the bus. Sorry to anyone reading that was also on that bus Today was an EMH morning at MK and we arrived at 7:45 right before opening. After we got through the gates we took a bathroom break to clean Matt up a bit. He was feeling much better so we continued on.

Our last trip to the parks had been in February 2010 and Shawn was not quite 44 inches then so our main ride that we had to accomplish at MK was Space Mountain. Matt was bummed that we were no longer going to be able to the child swap option and that he would not get to ride all the cool stuff 2 times. I was very excited that we were all going to be able to go on everything.

We headed over to Future Land and got a Fastpass for SM. Our first ride of the day ended up being Buzz. We love Buzz. Next we headed over to Pooh - another one of our favorites. We had not seen the new queue yet so it was nice to see it.

We then hit Peter Pan, Small World and Haunted Mansion. We then grabbed FP's for Big Thunder Mtn and took the train back around to go on SM. Shawn loved it. We stopped at the DVC kiosk and picked up our fastpasses that we got for joining and then rode the TTA.

We headed over to Adventure Land and did Pirates and used our BTM fastpasses. By this time it was close to noon so we decided to head out -

Next stop: Animal Kingdom.

 

[KristiMc]

We took the Monorail to the TTC and then hopped on the bus to AK. We only had plans to do two rides at AK - Dinosaur and Expedition Everest. Shawn had been waiting to ride EE for a long time and once again it was nice that we were able to go on as a family finally.

We got to AK in no time and headed to Dinosaur and grabbed FP's. We then headed over to EE and used our DVC instant FP's and were on the ride in no time. Shawn loved it.

We then headed back to Dinosaur as it was almost time for our FP's. On our last trip, Shawn had rode Dinosaur but Matt chickened out so this would be a new ride for him. Everyone enjoyed it.

By this time it was a little after 2:00 and we had an ADR at Via Napoli for 4:30 so we headed out of AK and onto Epcot.

The rain had been holding off pretty good - a little sprinkling here and there but it really started coming down after we got to Epcot. We rode Spaceship Earth and Figment and then made our way around the countries to Italy. We had never eaten at Via Napoli before and we really enjoyed it.

The pizza was very good and compared to John's Pizzeria in NYC. We decided that we liked the traditional pepperoni better at Via Napoli, but John's Margherita pizza was better.

We headed back out into the rain and our next stop was the Caramel Shop in Germany - very good. The rain was really coming down now and the radar did not look good.

We went into Mexico to get out of the rain and rode the ride. I love this ride and the Pavilion.

We really wanted to ride Soarin when we were here but all of the fastpasses were gone before we got to Epcot and we could not use our instant ones either. We went over to Mission Space and rode the tame side.

It was close to 7:00 and we were all tired and by the radar it did not look like the rain was going to stop so we decided to skip going back to MK for Wishes and headed to the bus area. There was a almost full bus when we reached the parking lot so we did not have long to wait before we were back on our way to the ship.

Our bus driver was a maniac though and I felt like I was not going to make it back in one piece.

After we got back to the wonderful Magic we stopped in the room to change shoes (they were all soaking) and went down to Parrot Cay for a little bit to eat. I don't remember being hungry - but when you are on a cruise ship you seem to eat a little more .

Shawn went to the Lab for a bit but we were all back in the room and out by 10:30 - it had been a long day.

I talked with some friends on the ship the next day and the rain did let up and the rides at MK were basically walk-on's. I wish we had toughened it out - but all in all we had a great day and hit 3 parks. Not too bad.

 

[podsnel]

Thanks for describing your day at WDW- I really wondered how they were working that- especially because I am hoping we will be able to take this cruise in 2014. Fingers are crossed for the Magic coming back to NYC...

So what were the instant passes?

 

[KristiMc]

Ellen - we received 6 fast pass cards that were each good for 3 instant fast passes (the return time being immediate). We got these from DVC for becoming members on the cruise.

 

[brookelizabeth]

I finally caught up! It's so fun reading about the cruise from someone else's perspective.

We toughed it out ALL day at WDW, it was just pouring at times, we were soaked!!!!

I PMed you on Facebook about something I saw here...

 

[jgura]

After we entered that beautiful atrium and heard our name, I headed to guest services to get our name put on the wait list for a cabana. We had a cabana on our last cruise and loved it. The plan was to share one this year with Brook and her family. They were all reserved by 90 days out and I checked every day but was not able to get one. I got our name on the list but never did get one. We had a great time on CC without the cabana though.

After guest services we were off to Parrot Cay for our first meal!

After a great lunch we decided to go check out the Edge. This was Matt's first time in the Tween club so we wanted to see what it was all about. The Edge is pretty neat with video games, chairs and couches to hang out and the ship simulator. We hung out there for a bit and then up to deck 5 to see the Lab. Shawn hung out in the Lab on the last cruise and loved it so I knew he would have a great time.

It still was not time to head to our stateroom so we went up to deck 10 to check out the skyline.

I love this building. Does anyone know what it is? I'm assuming it's apartments.

Around 1:30 we went to check out our stateroom 6042. I loved the location of this room. In between the mid and forward stairs. It was easy to get everywhere.

Once we got to our room, I noticed that our character breakfast was scheduled for the next day (Sunday). We had Palo brunch scheduled for this day so I went down to Rockin Bar D and changed brunch to Monday. We wanted to have brunch early on in the week before we got too full .

I also booked a spa treatment 20-20-20 for Sunday morning.

By the time I got back to the room our luggage had arrived so I got that all put away in time to head to our DISmeet.

Steve enjoying his first beer of the cruise

Darlene and Jill

It was great to talk to everyone. I am bummed that I didn't get my picture taken with any of the ladies.

Up next: Sailaway!

Just came across this and there I am! Looks like I woke up early too! Great New York pictures! Next time you go to Nassau get a day pass to the Sheraton. Quiet beach day. They have some floating water slides out in the beach. Bring some food though, there's is pricey. I have always wanted to para-sail on the cruise too. Do you think the combo of it all made you wheezy? I am sensitive to the land/ship transition. Jill

 

[KristiMc]

I finally caught up! It's so fun reading about the cruise from someone else's perspective.

We toughed it out ALL day at WDW, it was just pouring at times, we were soaked!!!!

I PMed you on Facebook about something I saw here...

Thanks! I hope you are having a great time at WDW.

Just came across this and there I am! Looks like I woke up early too! Great New York pictures! Next time you go to Nassau get a day pass to the Sheraton. Quiet beach day. They have some floating water slides out in the beach. Bring some food though, there's is pricey. I have always wanted to para-sail on the cruise too. Do you think the combo of it all made you wheezy? I am sensitive to the land/ship transition. Jill

Hi Jill! I think if we do ever go back to Nassau I will just stay on the ship or do the beach pass. The para-sailing was great. I think it might have been being up in the air and then back on to the rocking boat. The feeling passed after I got back on the ship and rested for a few minutes.

 

[Crecia27]

After my left turn we waiting again a couple of lights to turn back into the port. This time we made the lovely right turn at the top of the ramp towards parking. I was prepared for the bill but still choked a little on the $280 parking charge.

.

Holy heck, I'll never complain about $50 at Port of Galveston again!

I'm enjoying the he said / she said. I wonder if I can talk my husband into doing one!

 

[TopRowSeat]

We took the Monorail to the TTC and then hopped on the bus to AK....

Not a whole lot to add here. We had one kid that had never been on Everest and one that had never been on Dinosaur. Both of those very important problems have now been resolved.

A burst of adrenaline from each dude and our quick cruise through AK was a success.

By this time it was a little after 2:00 and we had an ADR at Via Napoli for 4:30 so we headed out of AK and onto Epcot.

Ahh.. Spaceship Earth! I like Soarin'. I like Test Track. But Spaceship Earth has to be my favorite attraction at EPCOT (unless I have to count Le Cellier).

Still upset that the paperboy is turned around and facing the wall. Nobody puts paperboy in a corner!

The pizza was very good and compared to John's Pizzeria in NYC. We decided that we liked the traditional pepperoni better at Via Napoli, but John's Margherita pizza was better.

By this point I was long overdue for a beer. Solved that... twice.. at least...

We really wanted to ride Soarin when we were here but all of the fastpasses were gone before we got to Epcot and we could not use our instant ones either.

Ok, this may have been a bit naive. I know it's Sparky's favorite ride but by the time we got over there to check the FP machine we were pretty sure it was a longshot. Overheard one woman say that she got her FP at 10:30am and her return time was 6:00pm.

The higher crowd level was a shock for us. We have been spoiled by our February and October crowds. Now that the boys are older those plans will have to wait another ten years. Then it's back for Food and Wine!

It was close to 7:00 and we were all tired and by the radar it did not look like the rain was going to stop so we decided to skip going back to MK for Wishes and headed to the bus area.

If the weather had been nice we would have gone the full day but everyone was wet and running out of gas. The idea of dry clothes and some cruise-style pampering sounded much better than slogging through the rain some more.

Our bus driver was a maniac though and I felt like I was not going to make it back in one piece.

Holy Cow.. this lady was insane. I sat in the very front seat with Matt. Since he hurled after the first bus trip I thought a front seat might help him not get sick again. I'd have rather been in the back where I couldn't witness this maniac.

She was tailgating, high-beaming and blowing her horn at people who wouldn't get out of her way. This came to a sudden halt when finally somebody got sick of her and brake-checked her.

She planted the brakes and scared the crap out of everyone on the bus who could see what was going on. After an uproar from the passengers she backed off and drove like a human for the last 20 minutes or so of the trip.

I don't remember being hungry - but when you are on a cruise ship you seem to eat a little more .

Definitely an understatement here... a little more? I just about exploded and here we are months later and I'm still not back to my pre-cruise weight.

Although it's tough to blame the cruise entirely for this gluttonous summer. The cruise was just the start of a fun season of traveling. Now that Great American Beer Fest is behind me it's time to be good again.. although there's my birthday coming up.. and Thanksgiving.... and then it's holiday season...

So I think the overall impression of our whirlwind dash and splash day at the parks was that it reminded us that it has been far too long since we spent time at the parks. Too much cruising instead. We will have to fix that someday soon.

 

[eandesmom]

I don't know how I missed the update, but I did! My goodness you packed a lot into that day, I'd have been ready to head back and get out of the rain as well.

Well done on the commando tour of 3 parks and still fitting in an ADR!

We had a little boy who did the same thing on a bus ride last week. It happens, and has happened to us. I'm just glad that's all it was!

That bus ride back sounds like a nightmare!

If your ADR was at 4:30, at some point that evening I'd have been hungry (or starving by the next am) so it was probably good that you ate. Cruises are death to the diet but what a way to go!