Jan. 22- 29 , 2011 Western Caribean Cruise on the Disney Magic!!!

[dizzi]

Just posted on the cabana thread!!!

Hey you could have slipped off in the middle of the night to rebook!!!


IF your serious I AM THERE!!!!!!!!

I can go for another Western Itenerary!!!

 

[threewilmingtonwalls]

Just posted on the cabana thread!!!

Hey you could have slipped off in the middle of the night to rebook!!!


IF your serious I AM THERE!!!!!!!!

I can go for another Western Itenerary!!!

Sweeeeet!! I texted my TA a little while ago to get him to put together some pricing for me. I know you're back to work this week and have a special houseguest . I'll text you some dates we're thinking of, and you and Mike can let us know what you're thinking and we'll start making some plans!

 

[Lisa46xx]

Did anyone re-book while onboard?

We are doing a trip to the parks next Jan and rebooked a 3 day on the Dream immediately following our week at the parks. We had a wonderful time -- even better than last year despite the cooler weather -- and thank you all for the great FE gifts! God bless.

 

[Royfam]

Sad to be home, what a great trip! Am I the only one who feels the ground moving? I'm still taking dramamine. I know I didn't get to meet a lot of you, but those of you I did were so sweet and I loved talking with you.

Loved all the FE gifts. Thanks everyone, We had a blast with it!

Yes, we rebooked for may of 2012 on the fantasy, not sure if we'll keep that date or not but we'll defiantly go again. i know we also planning on going to the new disney resort in Hawaii with our DVC point, again not sure when.

 

[Kayleebug]

BTW, did anyone else get sick? I caught the stomach bug the last night we were there and am still icky! Yuck!

 

[Lisa46xx]

Sad to be home, what a great trip! Am I the only one who feels the ground moving? I'm still taking dramamine. I know I didn't get to meet a lot of you, but those of you I did were so sweet and I loved talking with you.

We felt the ground moving for several days after our cruise last year. The seas on this one felt MUCH calmer to us. Kayleebug, so sorry you got sick. Did you forget to take a sanitizing wipe before one of your meals?

 

[Lisa46xx]

And yes, I have already made a new ticker.

 

[threewilmingtonwalls]

And yes, I have already made a new ticker.

Yes, but have you started a new cruise meet thread?? You can be the Kelli of your 3-day Dream cruise!

 

[Lokkabear]

Home at last! Thank you to all those who participated in the FE exchange. We loved each and every gift we received! The kids said it was like Christmas everyday!
We had an amazing and BUSY cruise! Sorry I did not make any of the meets after the first one. It was a challenge trying to keep track of the kids(mostly Brooke) and making sure Brooke ate. Kayle was easy to find though, Sports deck.... Brian and I had a great time!
My favorite times were dinner with the kids! I love spending that time hearing all the random thoughts that pop out because they are too excited to stay on topic...lol. Thank you to my table mates for the times we did get to eat together and chat. I enjoyed it.
I have to run to work but I am sure while there I will be researching when to take our next cruise. Maybe see some of you then if not, it was my pleasure to meet those of you I had the chance to meet. I hope everyone had an amazing time!

 

[Tinkerkell123]

We had an awesome time on our cruise! We were so sad to leave 70 degrees yesterday to come home to 30's and snow. Can't wait to plan another trip! Thanks to all for the FE gifts and magnets. You've given me lots of great ideas for our next cruise. Although I didn't get to meet all of you, I did see a lot of you around the ship. Did anyone rebook on board? My husband decided we'd be better off waiting for another "kids sail free" deal, so hopefully they'll offer another one for next year! We got lucky and the kids only missed one day of school because of the snow we had while we were gone. (They were scheduled off last Monday and Tuesday and the rest of the week was snow days.) With all this crazy weather this year, I'm not looking forward to my husband leaving for Phoenix in a few weeks. He'd better give me a lesson on how to use the snow blower!

We didn't rebook. The DH says he wants to wait 2 or 3 years before we cruise again...

Yeah, right! Like I would rebook without trying to talk you into coming with us. No WAY!! (Plus, we were together practically the entire time, so I think you would have noticed if I had trotted off the the future cruise desk! )

I am checking 2012 rates, though, and am planning another cruise already. I need one more Magic Western Caribbean before that route is taken over by the Fantasy. Come with!

By the way, check out the message I posted on the Castaway Cabana thread.

Going to check that out now! It better be at least 37.50 worth of post!!

BTW, did anyone else get sick? I caught the stomach bug the last night we were there and am still icky! Yuck!

Kevin got sick on Tuesday evening but felt fine by Wednesday thank goodness. By Thursday he was eating pretty normally...

 

[Tinkerkell123]

Thanks everyone for the wonderful FE gifts!! They were all fantastic and the kids (and DH & I) enjoyed them all!! Also loved all the magnets from the exchange. They were all so great. I felt kind of weird about giving a "bought" rather than "created" one! Oh, well, at least I did finally get them delivered on Friday!

I so enjoyed meeting everyone I got to meet in person!!!

Kelli

 

[threewilmingtonwalls]

Going to check that out now! It better be at least 37.50 worth of post!!

 

[Tinkerkell123]

Oh, and Bruno, my kids are still desolated that they didn't get to meet you in person!

 

[Melissa&Shawn]

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been on since the cruise. A HUGE thank you to everyone for the wonderful FE gifts and magnets! Taylor still asks if there are any "presents" at the door. It was so much fun to see what mail we got and to see her face as she opened up her gifts. I have some great pictures of her enjoying them that I hope to post when I can find my camera in the unpacking that is still waiting for me. Hehe!

We had such a great time on the cruise. The weather was awful but it was the most relaxing Disney vacation we've ever taken. I was happily surprised at some of things on the boat that I wasnt' expecting - Taylor LOVING the Kids Club (although she couldn't quite go alone yet), all the characters, meeting so many nice people, etc. We had such a blast in Cozumel and feel bad we had to leave so fast as naptime really crept up on us and T was fighting her nap all week so we really needed to try to get her down that afternoon (and she napped over 3 hours!!!). I apologize for anyone who saw a little blonde girl running up to all the characters during any dance party and hogging the dance floor....for coming from two quiet parents, Taylor LOVED the attention and danced with whoever would dance with her!

Unfortunately we had some low points of the cruise, although I still think this was one of the best vacations ever. Taylor fell into the pool the day we were in Grand Cayman. Granted it probably was only 5 seconds that I got to her but it is one of my hugest fears. Just as I was telling DH that she was getting too close to the edge, she stepped right off Mickey's nose and fell. Of course within 5 minutes she was back in the pool like nothing happened. The scariest thing that happened occured on the last night. We were loving Castaway Cay and I figured since Taylor wasn't really napping much, we could skip the nap this last day to enjoy more of the beach and finally the sun. BAD MOVE! We got back to the boat after 3pm and she was really tired. We get back to the room and there is a note on our door for an "exclusive" invitation for 9:55pm that night! Her naptime is 7:30....but this cruise she has gone to bed from 8-9pm. We figure we'll just push it a little more since we think it has something to do with the characters since we were asked a few times for her name and cabin number when with a few characters. Anyway, we keep her up and by dinner she is exhausted. After dinner we keep her busy but she doesn't want to see the show so I get her a cookie and we go to sit outside the theater (hoping she'll change her mind!). She sits down in a chair and kicks her feet up and falls backwards in the chair. Somehow she ends up wedged under the chair behind her and is hysterical. Should have been my first thought we should just go to bed...but NO! We get her some ice, she plays with one of our tablemates, etc. Finally we get to 9:30pm and we decide to wait outside Studio Sea where it says to meet. Turns out that the characters and dancers all came out for around 15-20 kids. I mean every character (except Pluto). Taylor made a special impression on Peter Pan and he picked her up and took her to everyone in the group and introduced her as Princess Taylor! It was only 20 min or so but truly amazing! Then the group left outside of Studio Sea to do the final farewell in the lobby. Taylor literally fell asleep on me as we left Studio Sea. I kept her in her Minnie dress and just put her in bed. Around midnight she wakes up screaming...not crying...screaming bloody murder like something hurts her. I grab her put her on my bed and her arms and legs are flailing and she isn't responding to me at all. Her eyes are bulging and still screaming. After around 5 minutes of this her breathing gets labored and she doesn't seem to be holding up her head so DH calls the medical center and we rush her down. I apologize to my poor cabin neighbors (Betsy and family!!!) and all those on deck 7 port side for the screaming so late at night. The doctor saw her and she did fall back asleep but whenever we would wake her up she would cry (not scream anymore). He did a full checkup on her and nothing was wrong...her heart was fine, not allergic to anything, able to walk, etc. So he thinks it could be just a bad dream. I thought it was a seizure since she just hit her head a few hours prior. I spend the rest of the night with her in our bed just staring at her and making sure she is breathing. I called our ped at the airport and she explained it was probably night terrors. After finally getting internet access, it sounds like thats what it was. She was asleep the whole time which was why she wasn't responding to us. It happens when kids are overtired and overstimulated....lesson learned...no more skipping nap if she is tired!!! Thankfully all seems back to normal here even if I still jump if I hear her in the middle of the night.

I will say I was disappointed in the food onboard. I am a picky eater and DH is allergic to seafood so we were very limited. Our waiter and asst. waiter didn't have a great grasp of the english language so every meal we had issues...our whole table did. Food was only OK compared to other cruise lines. It seemed like they were tryign to be too fancy. We never had our drinks ready for us. Our kids ordered the same thing every night to drink and still had to wait 30+ minutes for their apple juices. Mine wasn't too bad, but we had a 1 yr old and 2 yr old at the table and by then they were upset. One of our tablemates had a birthday onboard and they forgot the cake 3 days in a row. When we mentioned it to the head waiter, he started yelling at our waiter right in front of us. Our kids would get their meal and then their appetizer. Or they would get their Mickey bars before we would get our appetizers. Really bad timing. But they tried...just frustrating as it was a large table of toddlers. Every night after dinner we ended up at the pool deck for pizza or Plutos. I didn't like the no buffet for dinner. One night I had a really bad dessert...wasn't in the mood to do room service so I headed over to Topsiders. Pulled the whole pregnancy card and all....please I just want to grab a dessert to go....promise, I'll go around the side...."no sorry, you need to sit down for a dinner here". It's OK...ended up with a Mickey bar through room service....just frustrating. With that said, I, nor this baby, got hungry....just frustrated. I am a bit surprised on how some toddlers were treated. I often got dirty looks from people if Taylor would walk out of line and I would call her back. Or if she tried to dart to the elevator and I would hold her back and tell her we need to wait in line. Shocked...she is not even 3....and excited....and it's not like I let her go, I held her back! We went to the future sales desk one night and there was a line of people waiting in chairs. I was just walking around for a while and was wearing a visibly pregnant shirt....in fact I think it said "embrace your bump"! There were 6 chairs and 6 people waiting....4 men....NOT ONE offered me a chair as we waited for 15 minutes. Someone got up and another man took the seat as I was wobbling over. DH got pissed and insisted we left after mumbling something nasty. I'm just surprised....I'm from NJ, one of the rudest places ever, and just expected people on a Disney cruise to be a little more tolerant of toddlers and/or an uncomfortable mom. I will say that is probably the minority, but I was surprised how many people were like this. Anyone else experience this?

OK I'm off to figure out dinner.....wow, cooking sucks! Thinking about the double dip in April 2012....but the little one won't be 1 yet so not sure that is smart.

 

[Melissa&Shawn]

Oh and Alexis and Lynn, saw your posts about the cabanas....wow!!!!! I'm so sorry you had a bad experience. We were right at the end of Pelican Point so right by you guys....but didn't know it. That is a huge disappointment as I know you were looking forward to it.

 

[shellannv]

Hello everyone! We had a wonderful cuise. We had a blast and the kids did not want to leave the boat. Thank you so much for all your FE gifts. I kept the FE's a surprise from my kids and they were so excited to go back to the room or open the door to see if something was there. The kids are asking when we are going on our next cuise. I know I only met few of you , but I hope you all had a great cruise, also. Michelle

 

[Tinkerkell123]

Around midnight she wakes up screaming...not crying...screaming bloody murder like something hurts her. I grab her put her on my bed and her arms and legs are flailing and she isn't responding to me at all. Her eyes are bulging and still screaming. After around 5 minutes of this her breathing gets labored and she doesn't seem to be holding up her head so DH calls the medical center and we rush her down. I apologize to my poor cabin neighbors (Betsy and family!!!) and all those on deck 7 port side for the screaming so late at night. I called our ped at the airport and she explained it was probably night terrors.

We went to the future sales desk one night and there was a line of people waiting in chairs. I was just walking around for a while and was wearing a visibly pregnant shirt....in fact I think it said "embrace your bump"! There were 6 chairs and 6 people waiting....4 men....NOT ONE offered me a chair as we waited for 15 minutes. Someone got up and another man took the seat as I was wobbling over.

Hi Melissa!!

Night terrors just suck. Kevin had them for a year or 2 and while I hope Taylor doesn't get anymore, she probably will. All you can really do is try to hold her to calm her down (which won't work) and just wait them out. Kev never remembered a thing about it when he would have them. Usually lasted anywhere from 10 -20 minutes. It really bites because you feel like a horrible parent since you can't calm you child down or help them at all. They look like they are totally awake, but they aren't... Good luck and I hope you don't have any more of them!

RE: men in chairs. Appalling, but somehow I am not surprised. When I was pregnant with Kevin I had to ride a shuttle to work from where I parked my car. I was HUGE and would sometimes have to stand up on the bus since there was no other room. Only 1 time did someone offer to get up and give me their seat. It got to the point that when I was standing I would just stare at all the guys (especially the young ones) just to see if they be shamed into offering me a seat. Nope... But it was fun because it made them REALLY uncomfortable.

 

[Melissa&Shawn]

Thanks Kelli! I'm glad to know someone knows my pain! I've never seen Taylor just not respond to me at all. If she didn't hit her head that night, I probably wouldn't have been as worried, but I thought for sure it was a seizure. Makes a lot more sense now. And dreading another one but at least I know she is OK and it really is just a dream. I wonder why it happens.

And yikes, I'm sorry it happened to you late in your pregnancy. I'm usually pretty good about those things but I couldn't believe someone actually raced me to a seat. I was just holding Taylor (40 lbs!) after her fall for a while so I was quite tired. But anytime I see even someone with a young child I give up my seat. I was shocked on a "family" cruise to be battling a middle aged man for a seat. It wasn't expected....I was just surprised. I remember some of my first Disney vacations with DH (2001ish) where it seemed everyone was in a Disney mood and super accomodating (except for a few, which is always the case). It was one of the things that sets Disney apart from other vacation destinations. Now it just seems different...maybe I am just getting less naive and older.

Taylor asked today when we can go back on Mickey's boat. I told her to ask Daddy. Of course we got a huge ice storm today and school is cancelled...it's been a long day here in Jersey. Wonder who is sitting in our room now....and at our dinner table....

 

[Lisa46xx]

Thanks Kelli! I'm glad to know someone knows my pain! I've never seen Taylor just not respond to me at all. If she didn't hit her head that night, I probably wouldn't have been as worried, but I thought for sure it was a seizure. Makes a lot more sense now. And dreading another one but at least I know she is OK and it really is just a dream. I wonder why it happens.

You're definitely not alone on that one. My younger son (6) had them for a solid year, at least 3 or 4 nights per week, and is now starting to grow out of them. Once you know what it is, it's more of a nuisance than anything else. Bummer that the first one had to happen on your trip!

Sounds like your dining team was rocky. I have to say ours was great, and DH and I actually enjoyed the food more this time than last. We had a great head server who made excellent recommendations. When we tried to go against her, she would warn us, and we quickly learned to just do what she said.

 

[Spokavegas]

Hadnt realized we were racing.........
Sent you a PM

Congrats on the room you saved me well over $1000 i truly didnt need to spend!!!!!

WE had a blast without it!!!!

Haha! Someone else suggested "who would get there first"- I'd posted asking if you were there b/c I was hoping you were in front of me so that I could take your verandah off your hands!

Great cruise! We lucked out and had great servers, weren't as impressed with the food this trip, but it was still nice!! So glad to have met so many of you, and sad that I missed others! Bruno.....still not sure how you survived that day full of tastings, too bad I didn't know that was you in line behind me out in front of the terminal!....Alexis.....kudos for spotting me while just walking by.....Nachi Cocom crew- LOVED that day! Chrisse....thanks for sharing an early van ride back!.....Alexis, Kelli, Beau and Melissa, and Kristen (who left us in the dust....go girl!)- we are BADASS for completing the Castaway Cay 5K! Seeing the island that way was pretty cool, even with sore shins the next day.

We rebooked a dummy date onboard and are planning to cruise to ALASKA (r we crazy?) next summer with DH's entire extended family, my Mom, and possibly even my BF's entire family. Could be a crazy cruise!!! (IF we don't freeze to death.)

I escaped the stomach flu.......but that sore throat I was kicking around on the 5K turned into a NASTY cold that I still have, and I'm heading to bed yet again at 8:30pm. Bummer dude.

HOWEVER!!! We took our boys to Universal for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on Sunday.....and GOT TO OPEN THE PARK! We were the "Honorary Family of the Day"---freaking nuts! My oldest DS got to announce that the park was opening, we got a free 5X7 and a certificate-it was SO cool! But... then we had to stand and wait for everyone to come in from the turnstiles before we could head to Harry Potter within the stampede of everyone else......it was seriously dangerous in that rushing crowd.....Universal has SUCH a long way to go in the world of logistics to actually compete with Disney- although we had THREE different Universal employees literally refer to their parks as "Disney's biggest rivals"----WTH? As if you'd ever even hear a Disney CM mention the word Universal. Weird. Talk about an inferiority complex.

Safe future travels, DIS friends!!!