texas disney mom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2015
Great report
For The First Time In, Well, Ever! - WBTA Sept. 19-30, 2015 (Updated/Complete 11/23/15)
- Thread starter mylael
- Start date
mylael
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 20, 2014
Day 10 - Monday, September 28th
Final Sea Day...
My original plan for the cruise had been to look at the navigators and decide on what to do. If something didn't sound interesting, I probably wouldn't bother.
However, each night at dinner my tablemates would talk about the things they'd done that day, and they made some events/activities sound really interesting. That inspired me to try some things I wouldn't have otherwise.
One of those things was "Anyone Can Cook." Today was the final segment, and it was a competition between two chefs and I think the cruise director and her assistant. They had 3 audience members go up and judge the food that the two teams made. I was a little distracted because... THEY GAVE US CHOCOLATE CAKE! They also served us cheese on a cracker with a little strawberry. Nice. If I had known you got to eat delicious food, I'd have gone to more of these events!
At 12:15, I went up to Deck 9 to watch the "Boat Building Bash." Individuals and families had built boats out of whatever they could find aboard... I saw plastic bottles, pirate bandannas, food cartons, even some pieces of clothing. The competition involved seeing if the boats could float (most of them did) and I believe there were awards for most creative, etc.
I stayed just long enough to watch the boats all float. It was starting to get too warm for me up on deck and besides, the Gavin Lee Q&A was starting in Fathoms at 1pm...
In my last post I mentioned that I had neglected to go to Gavin Lee's show the night before (sad), but I still wanted to hear him talk. It was an enjoyable hour of him talking about theater and dancing. People in the audience then asked questions.
At 2:00 I went to the "Friendship Rocks" show in the WD Theater. I didn't know any kids on board, I just wanted to see what it was all about. It was cute. They brought up the kids from the clubs, and they did a couple of numbers. They showed a montage of kid photos from throughout the cruise. One thing that surprised me -- there were a LOT of kids there! Where did they all come from? It never felt like there were THAT many kids on board. (And that didn't even include the toddlers, tweens, or teens.)
At 2:45 I went to the "Art Of The Theme Show Tour." This was recommended by one of my tablemates, and it recurred throughout the cruise (although I think this was the last opportunity.) It began in Palo...
A crew member took our small group around the ship, pointing out different design elements on the walls, floors, ceilings, doors... everything. I really enjoyed the tour, and I'm actually glad I waited till the near-end of my cruise to take it, because it made me realize how many things I'd walked past 30-40 times over the past 10 days and never really noticed or thought about! Like, I'd been in Keys, but I hadn't noticed that the piano keys near the ceiling are spaced incorrectly. We also saw some Hidden Mickeys.
I learned that there used to be 2 staircases in the atrium on the Magic, but they removed one of them.
Later that afternoon, I ordered room service for the third (and final) time. This time I got pizza, and let me just say, room service pizza is GOOD! (I didn't care for the pizza they serve at Pinocchio's Pizzeria.) I also got the cheese/fruit tray, which I put in the fridge and snacked on later.
At 6:15 I went to the show in the WD Theater, which was the Crew Talent Show. It was funny and entertaining.
Afterwards I went up to the vacation planning desk and put a deposit on a future cruise! Yes. It's crazy because the first few days of my cruise, when I was feeling so miserable, I thought, "Cruising isn't for me. Never again." And now here I was on Day 10 putting down a deposit! I hope to sail in 2017, either a Transatlantic again or maybe the Panama Canal.
Final Sea Day...
My original plan for the cruise had been to look at the navigators and decide on what to do. If something didn't sound interesting, I probably wouldn't bother.
However, each night at dinner my tablemates would talk about the things they'd done that day, and they made some events/activities sound really interesting. That inspired me to try some things I wouldn't have otherwise.
One of those things was "Anyone Can Cook." Today was the final segment, and it was a competition between two chefs and I think the cruise director and her assistant. They had 3 audience members go up and judge the food that the two teams made. I was a little distracted because... THEY GAVE US CHOCOLATE CAKE! They also served us cheese on a cracker with a little strawberry. Nice. If I had known you got to eat delicious food, I'd have gone to more of these events!
At 12:15, I went up to Deck 9 to watch the "Boat Building Bash." Individuals and families had built boats out of whatever they could find aboard... I saw plastic bottles, pirate bandannas, food cartons, even some pieces of clothing. The competition involved seeing if the boats could float (most of them did) and I believe there were awards for most creative, etc.
I stayed just long enough to watch the boats all float. It was starting to get too warm for me up on deck and besides, the Gavin Lee Q&A was starting in Fathoms at 1pm...
In my last post I mentioned that I had neglected to go to Gavin Lee's show the night before (sad), but I still wanted to hear him talk. It was an enjoyable hour of him talking about theater and dancing. People in the audience then asked questions.
At 2:00 I went to the "Friendship Rocks" show in the WD Theater. I didn't know any kids on board, I just wanted to see what it was all about. It was cute. They brought up the kids from the clubs, and they did a couple of numbers. They showed a montage of kid photos from throughout the cruise. One thing that surprised me -- there were a LOT of kids there! Where did they all come from? It never felt like there were THAT many kids on board. (And that didn't even include the toddlers, tweens, or teens.)
At 2:45 I went to the "Art Of The Theme Show Tour." This was recommended by one of my tablemates, and it recurred throughout the cruise (although I think this was the last opportunity.) It began in Palo...
A crew member took our small group around the ship, pointing out different design elements on the walls, floors, ceilings, doors... everything. I really enjoyed the tour, and I'm actually glad I waited till the near-end of my cruise to take it, because it made me realize how many things I'd walked past 30-40 times over the past 10 days and never really noticed or thought about! Like, I'd been in Keys, but I hadn't noticed that the piano keys near the ceiling are spaced incorrectly. We also saw some Hidden Mickeys.
I learned that there used to be 2 staircases in the atrium on the Magic, but they removed one of them.
Later that afternoon, I ordered room service for the third (and final) time. This time I got pizza, and let me just say, room service pizza is GOOD! (I didn't care for the pizza they serve at Pinocchio's Pizzeria.) I also got the cheese/fruit tray, which I put in the fridge and snacked on later.
At 6:15 I went to the show in the WD Theater, which was the Crew Talent Show. It was funny and entertaining.
Afterwards I went up to the vacation planning desk and put a deposit on a future cruise! Yes. It's crazy because the first few days of my cruise, when I was feeling so miserable, I thought, "Cruising isn't for me. Never again." And now here I was on Day 10 putting down a deposit! I hope to sail in 2017, either a Transatlantic again or maybe the Panama Canal.
mylael
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 20, 2014
Dinner at Carioca's. I ordered fried eggplant & risotto, which was good.
For dessert, chocolate lava cake. Mmmm, one of my favorites!
That night, our server gave us a speech about how important it was for us to give the dining rooms/staff/whatever perfect scores on our comment cards. My tablemates and I just sort of smiled and nodded, but I was thinking, are you kidding me? I'll put what I want on my comment card! Awkward.
Next event of the night: Avengers' Academy in the Oceaneer Club. I think it was the second segment in a two-part Avengers storyline. I'd missed the first event, but one of my tablemates had gone. He was planning to go to the second. However, Magic Dave was doing a show at the same time, and it seems like a lot of adults went to that (my tablemate included). So the Avengers Academy had only a handful of potential Avengers present... maybe half a dozen adults and half a dozen kids.
I thought it was a fun event... well-written/performed, with enough "audience" participation to make us feel like we were part of the story.
At the end, "Captain America" appeared. I will say this: maybe it's the Disney Kool-aid I'd been drinking for 10 days, or maybe this Avengers event was just THAT convincing/entertaining, but I was half expecting Chris Evans to come out that Oceaneer Club door. Alas, it was not him.
Still, a fun event.Time for bed....
Tomorrow: Castaway Cay!
mylael
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 20, 2014
Day 11 - Tuesday, September 29th
Last full day of the cruise... and Castaway Cay Day!
I had never been to CC before, but I'd read about it and knew a little bit about what to expect. I'm not a huge beach person, but I do like to swim. Also, I have terribly sensitive skin, so nearly the whole time I was at the island, I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, sunglasses, hat, etc.
I woke up when they made a ship-wide announcement over the PA at 8:30. I had some breakfast and watched a The Jungle Book on TV before getting ready to go. As I was heading off the boat (around 10am) they were making an announcement that they'd be doing a test of the emergency generators in a few minutes. I'm leaving, I'm leaving!
I got off the boat and walked down the gangway to the island. It was so pretty! The water was turquoise. One of the workers was handing out towels. I asked if we could get towels at the beach, too, but he said no, just here. So I took one even though I wasn't planning on needing it for a while.
I ended up walking (not riding the tram) to Pelican Point. Once there, I caught the tram to Serenity Bay. I only stayed there about 5 minutes, though, because Serenity Bay was packed! Barely a beach chair to be had, and besides, Pelican Point had a ton of chairs. Back on the tram, back to the family beaches....
Last full day of the cruise... and Castaway Cay Day!
I had never been to CC before, but I'd read about it and knew a little bit about what to expect. I'm not a huge beach person, but I do like to swim. Also, I have terribly sensitive skin, so nearly the whole time I was at the island, I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, sunglasses, hat, etc.
I woke up when they made a ship-wide announcement over the PA at 8:30. I had some breakfast and watched a The Jungle Book on TV before getting ready to go. As I was heading off the boat (around 10am) they were making an announcement that they'd be doing a test of the emergency generators in a few minutes. I'm leaving, I'm leaving!
I got off the boat and walked down the gangway to the island. It was so pretty! The water was turquoise. One of the workers was handing out towels. I asked if we could get towels at the beach, too, but he said no, just here. So I took one even though I wasn't planning on needing it for a while.
I ended up walking (not riding the tram) to Pelican Point. Once there, I caught the tram to Serenity Bay. I only stayed there about 5 minutes, though, because Serenity Bay was packed! Barely a beach chair to be had, and besides, Pelican Point had a ton of chairs. Back on the tram, back to the family beaches....
mylael
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 20, 2014
At the family beaches, I put my stuff on an empty beach chair and went toward the water. I swam a bit, then I went down one of the 2 waterslides twice (I did the open one, as opposed to the enclosed slide.)
It had been many years since I'd swam in warm, calm saltwater. One thing I didn't like about the CC beaches, though, was the sand. It's different from the soft sand we have here in Oregon. It's really course and parts were poky, like there was glass in it. Next time I will bring sandals or water socks.
At lunchtime, I went to get lunch from the BBQ. I was impressed by the variety! Fruits, burgers, veggie burgers, cake, corn on the cob, chips, salads, coleslaw, drinks, and ice-cream. I had been a little worried that there wouldn't be enough that I could eat, but there was more than enough.
After eating, I relaxed in a beach chair, and then headed back to the ship around 2pm. I went straight up to deck 9 and found the kids' area empty. "Frozen" was playing in the big screen. I rinsed off, then got in one of the hot tubs, and had it to myself. Nice!
At 4pm, I went to "Anyone Can Cook" at the Oceaneer Lab's Open House. They were going to "make" chocolate chip cookies. I had caught the tail end of this same event a night or two before, and I wanted to do it. Sure, you can get those cookies other places on the ship, but hey. The event was cute. It was the counselors ("chefs"), me, about five kids, and a dad.
The counselors had us mix various ingredients... sugar, flour, water....
We didn't do exact measurements, and there's no way ^THAT could make THIS...
but I'm not complaining, because it was delicious! They told us some story about how they were going to take the ingredients to a kitchen via crazy path that included going up the Aquadunk. Okay, sure! That would be some serious Disney magic!
At lunchtime, I went to get lunch from the BBQ. I was impressed by the variety! Fruits, burgers, veggie burgers, cake, corn on the cob, chips, salads, coleslaw, drinks, and ice-cream. I had been a little worried that there wouldn't be enough that I could eat, but there was more than enough.
After eating, I relaxed in a beach chair, and then headed back to the ship around 2pm. I went straight up to deck 9 and found the kids' area empty. "Frozen" was playing in the big screen. I rinsed off, then got in one of the hot tubs, and had it to myself. Nice!
At 4pm, I went to "Anyone Can Cook" at the Oceaneer Lab's Open House. They were going to "make" chocolate chip cookies. I had caught the tail end of this same event a night or two before, and I wanted to do it. Sure, you can get those cookies other places on the ship, but hey. The event was cute. It was the counselors ("chefs"), me, about five kids, and a dad.
The counselors had us mix various ingredients... sugar, flour, water....
We didn't do exact measurements, and there's no way ^THAT could make THIS...
but I'm not complaining, because it was delicious! They told us some story about how they were going to take the ingredients to a kitchen via crazy path that included going up the Aquadunk. Okay, sure! That would be some serious Disney magic!
mylael
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 20, 2014
After leaving "Anyone Can Cook," I went up to Deck 9 to get a beverage, and I saw that it was now raining! People were coming back from the island sopping wet. The morning and early afternoon had been lovely, but dark clouds had now come in. The ship pulled away from CC in the rain.
This being our last day on the ship, I was taking a lot of pictures. I went into the shops, and it was then that I suddenly remembered I had a Disney gift card! A year or two before, my cousin had given me this $25 card, and I'd brought it on my trip fully intending to spend it in the shops. Only I had forgotten about it till tonight. So I went and got it, then bought a couple more pins, as well as a postcard.
At 6:15 I went to the final show of the cruise, "Disney Dreams." I sat in the 2nd row (I had never sat so close to the stage before) and was in the perfect position to be showered upon by confetti, glitter, and snow-bubbles. I don't know if this particular show was designed to make the audience feel emotional about leaving the ship, or if that was just a byproduct of it being the last day, but I was pretty emotional/nostalgic by the time it was over.
This was waiting for me back in my stateroom!
I was so excited about this! I had no idea we'd get a special transatlantic lithograph. (Side note: I then had to figure out a way to get this home without destroying it, as I still had a week or so left in my travels. I ended up finding a post office (later) and mailing it home. It arrived unscathed! Now I need to get a frame for it.)
Dinnertime -- our last night at Lumiere's. I hadn't had a great experience my last 2 times there. Would I at least get what I ordered tonight? I wondered.
For my appetizer I ordered the "Grilled Potato and Goat Cheese Napoleon"
or... NapoleAn?
...and for my main course, "Sweet And Sour Tofu." Annnd... yes, I got what I ordered. No, I didn't really like it.
I did like my dessert, though. I chose the sampler, with different kinds of cakes....
The "Celebration Cake" was especially delicious.
This being our last day on the ship, I was taking a lot of pictures. I went into the shops, and it was then that I suddenly remembered I had a Disney gift card! A year or two before, my cousin had given me this $25 card, and I'd brought it on my trip fully intending to spend it in the shops. Only I had forgotten about it till tonight. So I went and got it, then bought a couple more pins, as well as a postcard.
At 6:15 I went to the final show of the cruise, "Disney Dreams." I sat in the 2nd row (I had never sat so close to the stage before) and was in the perfect position to be showered upon by confetti, glitter, and snow-bubbles. I don't know if this particular show was designed to make the audience feel emotional about leaving the ship, or if that was just a byproduct of it being the last day, but I was pretty emotional/nostalgic by the time it was over.
This was waiting for me back in my stateroom!
I was so excited about this! I had no idea we'd get a special transatlantic lithograph. (Side note: I then had to figure out a way to get this home without destroying it, as I still had a week or so left in my travels. I ended up finding a post office (later) and mailing it home. It arrived unscathed! Now I need to get a frame for it.)
Dinnertime -- our last night at Lumiere's. I hadn't had a great experience my last 2 times there. Would I at least get what I ordered tonight? I wondered.
For my appetizer I ordered the "Grilled Potato and Goat Cheese Napoleon"
or... NapoleAn?
...and for my main course, "Sweet And Sour Tofu." Annnd... yes, I got what I ordered. No, I didn't really like it.
I did like my dessert, though. I chose the sampler, with different kinds of cakes....
The "Celebration Cake" was especially delicious.
Last edited:
mylael
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 20, 2014
I was feeling pretty sad about having to pack up and get off the ship the next morning. Also, I was going to do the "walk-off" option the next morning (since I could carry my own bags), so I'd be getting up early and would miss breakfast at Lumiere's with my tablemates. And did I mention I really didn't want to leave the ship? 
Oh, by the way, this (September 29th) was the day I ran out of internet. I had gotten the free 50mb package on day one, and that lasted a couple of days. Then I got the $19/100mb package, and that lasted me until the very last full day of the cruise. I decided I could live without it for the last day, though, rather than buy another package or pay by the MB.
SO... the final night. Time for some magical goodbyes... "'Til We Meet Again"....
I played with some settings on my camera again...
And while I was standing here on deck 5, I realized, for the first time on this whole cruise, those Oceaneer Lab/Club kids have their own secret passageway that runs between the clubs.
See, now, that's the kind of thing they should point out on the ship's tours!
Oh, by the way, this (September 29th) was the day I ran out of internet.
I had gotten the free 50mb package on day one, and that lasted a couple of days. Then I got the $19/100mb package, and that lasted me until the very last full day of the cruise. I decided I could live without it for the last day, though, rather than buy another package or pay by the MB.SO... the final night. Time for some magical goodbyes... "'Til We Meet Again"....
I played with some settings on my camera again...
And while I was standing here on deck 5, I realized, for the first time on this whole cruise, those Oceaneer Lab/Club kids have their own secret passageway that runs between the clubs.
See, now, that's the kind of thing they should point out on the ship's tours!
mylael
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 20, 2014
Day 12 - Wednesday, September 30th
Departure...
Alarm at 6:15... made coffee, went to Cabanas for breakfast. Back to the room to finish packing. 7:30, time to depart. I showed my KTTW card for the last time. Bypassed the baggage claim area (I was carrying all mine). Went through customs pretty quickly. Then I was out in the real world.
My trip didn't end here (read all about my month-long adventure, here), but everything seemed darker once off the boat. The first time I encountered a cashier who didn't greet me in a super pleasant manner, I found I was a bit stunned. The real world left me going, "but... but... why aren't you magical?" It took about a day and a half to get used to the outside, non-Disney world again.
For weeks after cruising, I thought about my time aboard, and wished I could go back. What things would I do this time? What would I eat this time? Hey, I'd eat bread and water if it meant I could get back on the boat.
But, like I said in a previous post, I have put down a deposit on another cruise, and I hope to go on one in 2017.
Until then... thank you for reading!
Departure... Alarm at 6:15... made coffee, went to Cabanas for breakfast. Back to the room to finish packing. 7:30, time to depart. I showed my KTTW card for the last time. Bypassed the baggage claim area (I was carrying all mine). Went through customs pretty quickly. Then I was out in the real world.
My trip didn't end here (read all about my month-long adventure, here), but everything seemed darker once off the boat. The first time I encountered a cashier who didn't greet me in a super pleasant manner, I found I was a bit stunned. The real world left me going, "but... but... why aren't you magical?" It took about a day and a half to get used to the outside, non-Disney world again.
For weeks after cruising, I thought about my time aboard, and wished I could go back. What things would I do this time? What would I eat this time? Hey, I'd eat bread and water if it meant I could get back on the boat.
But, like I said in a previous post, I have put down a deposit on another cruise, and I hope to go on one in 2017.
Until then... thank you for reading!
Attachments
liesbeth1012
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 8, 2011
Also here again thanks for sharing your trip report. Great photo's. All brings back the memories of the cruise.
Flossbolna
Sea days are just so relaxing!
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2006
Thank you for your lovely trip report! I enjoyed following along and hope to get to do a Disney TA cruise some time in the future!
joanne.sear
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2010
Wonderful report! Brought back great memories. Thank you for taking the time to share.
Jo xx
Jo xx
cruisehopeful
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2015
Sorry you started off with the sea sickness. I have learned to bring Bonine with me even if I have been feeling great.
Did you ever get bored? I always fear many sea days because I think I'll get bored.
Did you ever get bored? I always fear many sea days because I think I'll get bored.
mylael
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 20, 2014
There were times when there wasn't anything on the itinerary that interested me. But there were plenty of other things I could do. Some examples of things I did when there was nothing else really going on:
*Sitting in a porthole/bench on deck 3 & listening to an audiobook I'd brought (very peaceful!)
*Shooting baskets on the sports deck
*Taking photos around the ship
*Checking out the activities in the kids' clubs during open house (they had craft supplies as well as tablets with lots of apps)
*Snacking
People traveling in couples or groups could also partake in shuffleboard, ping pong, or chess/checkers at O'Gill's.
I think as long as you're someone who can entertain yourself when necessary, boredom won't happen.
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mylael
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 20, 2014
I got a Fujifilm Finepix XP80 (blue). It turned out to be a good travel camera... compact, waterproof, shock proof (which is good, because I'm clumsy), and also has wifi capabilities so you can take pics with it and send them to your phone to be put online. Takes good indoor photos, too. The only bad thing is that it has no optical zoom.
Futurist
REAL magic is when you can make people WANT to bel
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
Hey Molly / mylael!
Great trip report – I'm enjoying immensely, can't wait for more.
My DW and I did the 2010 WBTA, also stopping at Funchal, which we enjoyed 'way more than we thought. We're going to repeat this year (2016), which will also be an 11-day, so I will look forward to your future posts!
I appreciate your comments about going through the Straits, for instance. In 2010 we stopped at Gibraltar (a disappointment), this time we'll go strait through (sorry – couldn't resist the pun), and it's very helpful to know what the timing will be. Last time, we couldn't see Africa because of the mist. Hopefully it will be better this time!
Many thanks – and please add any suggestions about things you would / wouldn't do again!
Much appreciated!
Richard
Great trip report – I'm enjoying immensely, can't wait for more.
My DW and I did the 2010 WBTA, also stopping at Funchal, which we enjoyed 'way more than we thought. We're going to repeat this year (2016), which will also be an 11-day, so I will look forward to your future posts!
I appreciate your comments about going through the Straits, for instance. In 2010 we stopped at Gibraltar (a disappointment), this time we'll go strait through (sorry – couldn't resist the pun), and it's very helpful to know what the timing will be. Last time, we couldn't see Africa because of the mist. Hopefully it will be better this time!
Many thanks – and please add any suggestions about things you would / wouldn't do again!
Much appreciated!
Richard
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