Ok I'll do it ***Live from the July 2 Magic****

[jlawall]

Thx for sharing your trip with us!! Sorry it's over!!!

 

[DisneyTart]

Amy thanks for sharing info from your cruise! If you're still around or if someone from your cruise knows...can you tell me whuch night Twice Charmed was on? I have noticed it bouncing around on different nights the past copule weeks and I'm trying to figure what night it will be on our cruise. Thanks!

 

[AmyJ of Ca]

Amy thanks for sharing info from your cruise! If you're still around or if someone from your cruise knows...can you tell me whuch night Twice Charmed was on? I have noticed it bouncing around on different nights the past copule weeks and I'm trying to figure what night it will be on our cruise. Thanks!

Twice charmed was definitely on Wednesday night. I believe the times were 3:30 matinee, 6:30 and 8:30. My MIL took our 6 year old daughter but we didn't go as we had Palo dinner that night and we had our 2 youngest in Flounders for that time so they didn't go either. That was my one regret for this cruise. My daughter loved it, just wish we could have all enjoyed it. Amy

 

[Azptcruiser]

Just got home. We had to be at breakfast at 7:15 this AM and we were able to get off the ship as soon as we were done. We made it through customs (the birth certificate line) and were picking up our bags by 9:00 am. A noon flight should be no problem. We live about 20 minutes by freeway from the port and it's 12:15 right now and I'm on my 3rd load of laundry already.
We had a great time!! Very cold yesterday. It's already sunny here now but it never cleared on the ship yesterday.
Time to change laundry loads...Yuck!! Amy

You may get through the cruise side rather quickly when disembarking. But it is the airport that may become an issue. It took us about 1.5 hours to get our luggage check and get our boarding passes. So make certain to take that into consideration!

 

[Shacky]

We also ended up disembarking first with a breakfast at 6:30. We didn't quite get there on time and ended up arriving at just before 7:00 AM. We were through customs and getting ready for the shuttle by 8:30. We got to the airport around 9:30 and then waited leisurely in a very long line since our flight wasn't until 1:30.

--==Twiced Charmed==--
I was prepared for Twiced Charmed being on Wednesday because of these boards and planned Palo's for Monday. We had already setup these plans for Monday, then thought we would need to also book Wednesday when we heard Twiced Charmed was initially scheduled for Monday. When we saw two weeks of Twiced Charmed on Wednesday, we cancelled the Wednesday Palo's and went to the Monday one. That had to be the BEST food of the entire cruise for us! I tried to make it back from Mazatlan by 3:00 for the matinee, but ended up missing it. I did catch the 8:30 PM showing, but only took 284 photos of the show. I enjoyed the show though DW kept saying Aladdin at DL was better.

--==4th of July==--
There were several special events for the 4th of July. As AmyJ stated, no fireworks at sea because you can only carry so many pyrotechnics on board, but they started with a Star-Spangled Celebration at 2:30pm. They sang the National Anthem and had Disney characters out, but I missed that part. I did catch the Charles Marshall Band playing music on stage though. At 7:30pm, they dropped ballons in the Attrium and 11:15pm was the American Pub Night. We missed the ballon drop because we went to Palo's that night and took our time eating.

Well, I'll be sorting through nearly 6GB of pictures I took through this trip, so if any of you have any questions, ask away and I'll try to answer. I have all the navigators, most of the kid's menus, and DSeaU Navigator's for 3-7.

 

[DareTooDream]

We got home about 4:15. Ben and Vickie did you beat us by much? What about you Dave? We made good time even though I had to drive the last 3 hours so Alan could nap!

As for disembarking - we lined up on deck 4 about 8:50/8:55. Angie and her crew were a few familes ahead of us. They went to the birth certificate line, us to the passport line. We had our luggage and were at the curb by 9:25. When Angie gets a chance perhaps she can let us know how her line compared. The longest thing for us was waiting for Alan to get back from the Marina Hotel with our vehicle. I think it was 10:15 or so before we actually headed home.

We had a wonderful cruise! We met such wonderful people - made some great friends!!

A group of us did the Canopy Tour with Los Veranos in Puerto Vallarta and it was incredible!!! One family did the Canopy Tour through Disney and they loved it as well.

We were with Amy J's family riding with Randi's Happy Horses in Mazatlan. It was a great ride!

In Cabo a group of us went to Cabo Wabo's for some tequilla. Then we went on to Mango's - the restaraunt on the beach. We had lunch, a few beers , kids played in the water, and some of the bigger kids (some over 21 ) rented jet skis. It was a beautiful day and by far the nicest port.

I'm sure others will be chiming in. I hope everyone that went off to Disneyland has a great time!

The Pizza Hut delivery person should be here any moment!
Sherry

 

[jilljill]

DareTooDream, can you tell me how much the tequila was and what kind you bought at Cabo Wabo. Trying to budget the alcohol allowance
Thanks so much,

 

[jlawall]

Thx Sherry for the port updates...welcome home!!

 

[XLT800]

We got home at Midnight.....

Jilljill......The tequila at Cabo Wabo was $36 to $50 a bottle depending on the quality. Shots were about $5.50. We had a great time there. We had about 15 Dis'ers there.

We requested early debarktation tags because we had a noon flight. We were at LAX by 9:15am.

Dave

 

[rsjj]

Sherry/Amy...how was Randi's? did you see young children on the horses by themselves? (not sure if you had little ones...) we are riding w/her when we go, and have 2 DSs (3 & 6)...was a bit concerned about the 3 yo. (although he's a daredevil and would try anything!) if you recall seeing young ones, and how they did, i would really appreciate your input/thoughts...

Shacky, (or anyone else?)...since you mentioned you had all the navigators...can you post the schedules for the shows? i think i've got my palo on the wrong night now! yikes!! ugghh!! oh well...

thanx everyone for all your updates & info! can't wait to see/read your pix and/or trip report, if you do them!

 

[Shacky]

Show Schedule:

Saturday - All Aboard! Let The Magic Begin! (Rock 'n' Roll Comedy with Gary DeLena, Magic of Tom Ogden) - 6:30pm, 8:30pm
Sunday - The Golden Mickeys - 2:15pm Matinee, 6:30pm, 8:30pm
Monday - Rock 'n' Roll Comedy of Gary DeLena - 6:30pm, 8:30pm
Tuesday - Herbie Fully Loaded movie - 5:45pm, 8:00pm
Wednesday - Twiced Charmed - 3:30pm Matinee, 6:30pm, 8:30pm
Thursday - Disney Dreams - 3:30pm Matinee, 6:30pm, 8:30pm
Friday - Remember the Magic: A Final Farewell (Ventriloquism of Michael Harrison and Juggling of Randy Cabral) - 6:30pm, 8:30pm

There were other shows like Mickey Mania, Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer, and Cabaret Shows that were not held in the Walt Disney Theatre as well.

I don't think I can post pics yet since I'm new, but I have over 2000 pics from the cruise. Maybe after I build my post count a bit

 

[CruisingCA2005]

Sherry/Amy...how was Randi's? did you see young children on the horses by themselves? (not sure if you had little ones...) we are riding w/her when we go, and have 2 DSs (3 & 6)...was a bit concerned about the 3 yo. (although he's a daredevil and would try anything!) if you recall seeing young ones, and how they did, i would really appreciate your input/thoughts...

RSJJ: We rode with Randi on June 22nd. My 3 1/2 year old rode on her own horse. She was a little nervous at first but soon realized that horseback riding is fun. One of the guides will lead the horse. If you feel that he can't ride on his own, let Tony or Daniel know & they will let you ride tandem.

 

[4fosterkids]

We had a great trip and enjoyed meeting everyone in our Dis family.
We did not book any excursions ahead of time, mainly because we had a big group with different interests. Also my 12 y/o DS has medical disabilities that tend to throw a wrench in preplanned activities, thus losing prepaid monies. So we tend to fly by the seat of our pants most of the time, to be safe.

In Puerto Vallarta we took a (10min)taxi to the Crystol Hotel and spent the hot overcast day at their beach & pool area which were beautiful. No salesy talks or pushy people. They even golf carted our group to the beach area with no questions asked. You could walk there from the ship, but due to above DS and my mom who uses a walker, it was easier to get a taxi. We shopped a bit before returning to the ship for a late lunch and hitting the pools onboard.

In Mazatlan we took a taxi to El Cid and spent the morning at the pools and beach. They(El Cid) hit us up right off the ship to get a wristband for free food/rentals if we do their timeshare walkthru, but we told them no, not with kids and off we went on our own. We paid $12 bucks for the taxi each way, and it was about a 20 min ride. If you don't mind that kind of thing, they do offer free transportation/food/drink/beach rentals for the day visit. We watched alot of water sports from the beach and it was a beautiful area. Really nice cab drivers (although crazy drivers!) On our return trip our driver took us on a brief tour along the coast and then to the top of a hill where we could get great pics of the ships (Magic & Carnival together) and then back to the ship. We dropped the kids off on the ship for lunch and returned to do some shopping in the market area.

In Cabo (our absolute favorite!!), we tendered off the ship about 9:00 and found a van size cab that took us to their beach spot to rent Wave Runners, they were right next door to the Mango Deck restaurant. We set up an area w/ their lounges & table/chairs, and they only asked that we buy our drinks/food from them. We rented 3 double waverunners for an hour at $75 each, and had a wonderful time. The kids played along the beach for hours, my DD 6 - finally got her hair braided and beaded. We could never get it booked on board the ship. I got a beautiful hand painted tile of the bay and the Magic, by a young man painting them along the docks. My favorite souvie of the trip. As far as shopping, we didn't do a whole lot. Got a pretty straw beach bag w/ leather handles, some silly toys for the kids, mexican jumping beans, a silver bracelet and thats about it. Not much that interested us and the same thing over and over at each market area. Every port and beach, we got hit with the walking sellers, but you learn quickly to say no and ignore them over and over. The only thing I didn't like is when they hand stuff to the kids to hold and then you have to rip it from their hands and tell them NO! Then deal with the kids whining that "they gave it to me".

Looking forward to reading what others did and taking notes for next time.
Jill

 

[needalatte]

We had a great trip and enjoyed meeting everyone. We rebooked for November 2006 (week after Thanksgiving) and it would be great if any of you who were with us will be on that sail, too.

Everything has been pretty much answered--weather between Cabo and LA, no matter which way you are traveling, is overcast and a bit chilly. We didn't need sweaters on Saturdaym but we did on Friday. Brrr! By day 2, though, it was hot, humid, just what you would expect.

As for excursions, we did the Disney canopy tour instead of the Los Veranos because I made a mistake by not cancelling a PV excursion in time. They were very nice about transferring it to another excursion, but adamantly refused to cancel us altogether. Our canopy tour was fantastic, though, and I don't think you can go wrong with either one. I haven't seen the video of the Los Veranos yet, so I can't campare them. We hung out at the Krystal after that for a while, too. I wish we had had more time there, as it was great!

In Mazatlan we went to Stone Island for the beach escape, or whatever it was called. The beach and water were great. We did see a few jellies, but washed up on the shore, not swarming in the water. There were a few stings along the beach, but no one in our group. If you go, bring extra money for rentals because although they include drinks and lunch, boogie boards, etc., are not included. And prepared to be accosted by vendors along the entrance to the beach. Everytime we went from our chairs to the water, we were hit up to buy everything--temporary tattoos, braids, swim cover ups (even if we were wearing one already!), jewelry, etc. The kids had a blast. It could have ended an hour or so earlier, but it was good.

Our kayak/snorkel excursion in Cabo was cancelled due to rough water, so we spent the day with others from our group at the Cabo Wabo and shopping. the vendors are out in force along the pier, too, as Jill said. And don't fall for this one: "Buy a ________ ? (Fill in whatever they are selling.) One dollar." That caught my attention. I started looking at what the girl had and repeated, "One dollar?" and she said, "One dollar LESS!" We walked away but she kept coming, saying, "Six dollars? Five dollars?..." The next guy we saw who said "One dollar," we knew what he meant and kept walking. I loved this one: "Almost free!" There was even a store in Cabo called "All Most Free." We ate lunch in an outdoor restaurant along the harbor and the vendors even came up to our table as we ate.

One of the highlights for me was getting up early every morning on port days and watching the ship pull into the harbor. PV was beautiful before sunrise, Mazatlan was surprisingly industrial but colorful and picturesque, and Cabo was definitely the tourist capital.

As for shows, Gary DeLena was good, but we loved Michael Harrison. We saw his adult show and were in tears from laughing so hard. We missed the final variety show on Friday (Palo night), but the kids went and loved him, too. He also did a family workshop on Friday in Rockin' Bar D and DS loved it. Of course, the production shows were of typical Disney quality. Next time we would probably skip the Welcome Variety Show on Saturday night, but it was okay, too.

Other things I would do differently: I will go to Palo earlier, probably on formal night unless it was Animator's Palate. Next time I will also spend more time lounging on those comfy loungers on Deck 4. I brought a book and never even opened it once and I could have used a few naps! I think I will do fewer pre-booked excursions and save some more time for exploring or being spontaneous.

All in all, great vacation. DISers, you were the best bunch to hang out with. I do hope to cruise with any of you again in the future (November 2006 anyone?)

 

[DisneyGirl421]

I want to be back there! Missing the ship so much!

My family and I had such a great time on the cruise. They never saw me (except for the ports, dinner, and the shows) because I was up in The Stack the whole time, and when I wasn't, I was around the ship with friends I made. And I stayed out until 2ish every night as well! lol

Puerto Vallerta was good, except the weather was iffy and overcast. We went to the Kyrstal Resort and swam in the pool, and went back to the ship around 1 because it started misting. Did the Teen Sunset Cruise excursion, but alas, there wasn't really a sunset because of the weather.
We went to Los Sabalos (i think) in Mazatlan. The water was really nice, but the vendors were so annoying, and constantly were bugging you. Again, we went back to the ship early, for the vendors got to us. We just relaxed by the Quiet Cove Pool until dinner.
Cabo was the best port. We went to Medano Beach. Water was FREEZING, but it gorgeous.

Our servers were excellent as well. We had the late seating, and had LAP for a rotaion. Alesandra from the Netherlands was our head waiter, Cornwall from St. Vincet our waiter, and Joseph from the Phillipines was our assisant waiter. All three of them were so nice and had great service. We saw our waiter from two years ago, Fitz, around the boat at Topsiders and Pluto's, and he recognized us as well!

Since my family had two rooms, we had two different room stewards. Maracar was my parents, and Walter was me and my sister's. Both were extremely nice as well.

Saw all the shows (loved Twice Charmed!), saw the behind the scenes thing with Tom Robbins (Pumbaa in NYC's Lion King), and Mousekeeter. I won the Mickey Mouse plush! lol

And for the teens, I LOVED the Stack. Jerrica, Mary, and Ariel were great counselors. I made so many great friends there, and I miss them already!

Overall, the best cruise I've gone on. True, I missed Castaway Cay, but I loved the three sea days. My parents even took advantage of the discount and rebooked another cruise! Right now it's booked for next summer, but we want to go summer '07. So once the announce the plans for them, we will change!

I had such a great time and wish I was still on the cruise instead of in Jersey!

 

[4fosterkids]

I brought a book and never opened it too.

Also laughed from hearing "Hey Lady" over and over from the venders.

We want to go to Cabo for a few days and check it out more, now I wish I had checked out hotels while we were there. There were a few huge resorts as we came into the harbor, but I don't know there names. Anyone know of good hotels in cabo?

We saw Gary DeLena's adult show and laughed so hard. He is very funny.

Our servers were Leisa and Simon, and Alexzandra. They were great, although Simon seemed very frazzled the last few nights and very forgetful. I felt like we were having to keep on him for refills and extras. But they were fun.

My 21 DS got mistaken for Travis all week. We got a great picture of them together...he would always say "Hey, its my twin" when they ran into each other. It was very funny.

I'm curious what is the one thing you wanted to do but didn't have a chance?

Jill

 

[DisneyTart]

DisneyGirl421/Laura - Loved your trip report!!! I'm on next week with my daughters 13 & 16. It is great to hear from a teen that had a good time. Thanks a bunch!

~Bethany

 

[mokehil]

If you have an early flight then you must go to Guest Services to request the FIRST GROUP disembarking. Show your plane tickets (or other proof) and they set you up. We took Disney transfer and were at LAX by 9:00. I was glad we were that early because I did not know what to expect at airport due to the heighten security as a result of London Bombings.

 

[needalatte]

I'm curious what is the one thing you wanted to do but didn't have a chance?

Jill

Bridge and galley tours.

Some of these things I've already mentioned, but one thing I would do differently: I would cancel my unwanted excursion more than 48 hours before embarking!! (But we did truly love the excursion we ended up on, so it all turned out good.)

Other things I would do differently:

I would take a nap on the Deck 4 loungers, and maybe start that brand new Janet Evanovich hard back book I lugged in my carry-on through Topsiders at 1:00 in the afternoon trying to find an empty table before our cabins were ready! Seriously, I would bring less in my carry-on.

I would definitely go to Palo earlier in the cruise and do brunch and tea if I get the chance.

I would go to the good-bye party on the last night--we were too exhausted. I was already in my PJs before I realized we were missing it.

I would not have my nails done at the spa--it was nice, but it took up two hours I could have been doing something else that I could not have done before the trip at home. I might have gotten a massage, though.

I would have given DS a card for the arcade--we both forgot about it and it would have brightened up his last day when he was starting to feel homesick.

I would have spent more time in the Cove Cafe. I loved it up there!

I missed a few shows, talks, family games and events, but that's why we rebooked, to do all those things we didn't have time for on this cruise.