allears
"If I were not upon the sea..." I'd want to be!
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2002
- Messages
- 2,864
1/15/05: Hurricane Jeanne Cruise, Part II or Second Honeymoon Cruise
Disclaimer, this will most likely turn into a really long report, but Ill try to keep it moving and not go into too much detail. But I still tend to be wordy.
Also we are avid, some say rabid, Disney Fans. We love almost all things Disney and very much appreciate all that they do to create and sustain an overall experience. This has been especially true of our experience with the cruise line. So you wont find too many negative comments. Even with some of the challenges on this trip, we look through a heavy cloud of pixie dust when it comes to our ship.
Background: We were on the delayed 9/25 (9/27) Hurricane Jeanne cruise. At that time it was my DW, three kids, an Aunt, cousin and our best friends, (a family of 5). Because our cruise was delayed departing by close to three days, Disney gave everyone a 40% refund on that cruise and a 25% discount voucher for a future cruise. We chose to take that refund and discount and plow it back into another cruise, this time for just my DW and me! Thats why were calling it part II or Second Honeymoon cruise. This was our first time away for this long together since our oldest was born 17 ½ years ago. So we were really looking forward to this special get away.
So here it goes. We flew down on Friday the 14th and had a room reserved at the airport Hyatt. We had a really early flight down and were checked in by 10 am. We took a cab over to the Magic Kingdom to spend the day. It was a kind of dreary day; with a light rain falling most of the time. But warmer than New Jersey and the park was very uncrowded, so we walked on to all of the attractions! We stayed to see the fire works, which always bring a tear to our eyes and back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
A very nice breakfast buffet at the hotel was included in our AAA booking. Checked in with the cruise line reps there at the hotel and on to the bus to the port. We arrived at the terminal around 10:30 or 10:45. Quick check in and in a pretty short line. By 11:45 when we started boarding, the line snaked all of the way to the end of the terminal. It was nice being back in the Disney terminal since in September we had to board in Port Everglades and that terminal wasnt anywhere near as nice. We talked with some very nice folks in line, and enjoyed meeting Kellimomo3
and her family.
We excitedly boarded, stopped for our photo and crossed the gangway to that beautiful ship. It is just amazing how excited we still get boarding the ship for the first time. This was our 5th cruise and the 4th on the Magic. Even without our kids we were just beaming as our name was announced.
Off to Rock n Bar D to get Palo reservations and check to make sure we were seated in our favorite head servers (John Cunningham) station. We werent, so they made that change for us. That put us on what we think is the best rotation for the Western cruise, APL. So we were in Lumieres for formal nights and Parrot Cay for Pirate night. We also got to say hi to Jeff, who was our head server on our last cruise. Then to lunch at Parrot Cay! Everything was great as usual.
Went to check out the stateroom, 6511, a cat 11. This was our first experience with an inside cabin and we were very pleasantly surprised how comfortable it was for us. 6511 is one of the sideways inside cabins and seems a little more spacious than the other cat 11s we peaked into. Our stateroom host was Donovan, who was by far the most engaging host weve yet had. Everyone has always been very competent, but he was the first one we got to talk to a lot.
Rainy and overcast the rest of the day. The sail a way celebration was moved inside, though we watched our departure from a covered spot on deck 9. It was cool to watch the port side cast members come out with their Mickey hands on and wave us away. We hadnt seen that before because were usually dancing with our kids on the Goofy pool.
We unpacked and got ready for the Welcome Aboard show. We really enjoy all of the shows and the talented cast members. We were excited to see that Gary Delena was the entertainer for the first half of the week. We think he is hysterical! The Welcome Aboard Show has been changed to incorporate a story and more production numbers. We very much enjoyed it.
The ship was rocking a bit this first night, which we rather enjoy. We have found this to be the case on the first night as the ship crosses the Gulf Stream. In my personal opinion, I want to feel at least some movement to know Im on a ship at sea. If I dont want the place to move, Ill choose a hotel.
First dinner was in Animators. Since our rotation was changed, we ended up at a romantic table for two. Very excited to see our friend and head server John Cunningham once again. We have been in his station or on his rotation on all four of our 7 night cruises. Hes just the best. Our server was Densak and our assistant was Martin. Both very capable, warm, friendly and excellent. We enjoyed the first night in Animators a lot. We love Disney music and like to watch the changes in the room. We still get big smiles on our faces when the whole place gets colorized. We ended up hanging out talking with John until the dinning room was devoid of guests. We decided it would be a good time to head out.
Sunday, January 16th, Key West
We got up and attended the worship service at the Buena Vista Theatre. This is always a special way for us to keep in perspective how blessed we are to have the means to be on that beautiful ship and enjoying the splendor of Gods world. It is a very simple service that can be enjoyed by most people just looking to keep their focus even while on vacation.
Then brunch at Palo! Anne-Marie from South Africa was our server. She was also our server for dinner on our September trip, so she recognized us. She is very nice and we enjoyed spending time with her. The food was incredible as always and it is nice to enjoy the meal while pulling into Key West. I have a new favorite thing, which is the stollen bread, with raspberry jam and whipped cream (an Anne-Marie recommendation). The only unfortunate thing about brunch is there is so much to choose from, you wish you could go back later and finish what you couldnt fit the first time.
After brunch we got changed and went ashore to explore a little bit of Key West. Very windy and over cast. Even rained a little. We went to the Shipwreck Historium, which we thought was very interesting. They had actors doing interpretation and telling about Key Wests days as a wrecking community. We also went to a new attraction, The Pirate Soul Museum. It was pretty cool too. Did a little shopping, bought some provisions like water and a few munchies at CVS; I like a stop in a US port for this reason. Back to the ship and time for a nap.
The evening show was Who Wants to be a Mousketeer. We think this is a fun show and like to see how we do with the questions. However, this time my DW was the third contestant picked. She did so well! She was two questions away from the 7-night cruise but alas answered it wrong. However, she won $175.00 shipboard credit, got a pin and a hug back stage from Mickey. Very exciting!
We went and watched us sail away from Key West from deck 9 aft, then off to dinner at Parrot Cay. Another great meal and a lot of fun with our serving team.
60s Night party in Rockin Bar D. We dont always get to these theme dances when our children are with us, but we get a big kick out of them. We especially love the cruise staff, who get all dressed up in bizarre period clothes and wigs. We like the music and danced to most every song. Yes, if you were there, were that couple who was always on the dance floor. We have no illusions that we are great or even good dancers. We simply enjoy music and figure, what the heck, there is usually someone who looks more foolish than we do, so why not have a good time. And we certainly did that!
After that we spent some time on deck four, where we ran into a couple we know from home. This is the third time weve been on a cruise and met people we know from home. At the risk of being totally cliché, it really is a small world!
Off to bed, well fed, worked out and happy.
Monday, 1/16, Day at Sea
We love sea days, our primary destination is the ship, so we dont much care where it goes and being at sea is the best.
Slept in then up on deck for some sun. Though the weather was spotty through the week, there was sun to be found. I lounged on deck 10 for an hour or so. There was a bit of a breeze and the seas were moderate. DW headed for deck four a comfy chair and a good book. She cant be in the sun for long periods and deck 4 and its padded lounge chairs is one of her favorite spots on the ship. Two books were finished onboard something that rarely happens at home with all the running around.
Later on we went to the wine tasting program. Were really ignorant when it comes to wine and we learned a few things. However, we mostly learned that we prefer sweet cheap wines. But we found it to be totally worth the experience and the staff always make it fun.
The Golden Mickeys was the show for this night, which is fun on formal night. So we dressed up before the show. We like this show a lot; again, we love Disney music and really appreciate the talents of the cast and crew on these big production shows. You really can forget youre not in theatre on land, but on a ship.
Meet and greet with Captain Tom. Then a formal photo. We caught Gary Delenas family show. He just cracks us up.
Dinner at Lumieres, a great place for formal night! This is our favorite dining room, elegant yet where else would you be in a fine dining room where a mural featuring cartoon characters doesnt look out of place. Before we left the dining room we spent some time catching up with Adrian, our server on a previous cruise. We also caught up with Opie, our Assistant Server from September.
Went to Garys adult show, which was packed out. We ended up in Diversions where they simul-cast the show. This was our first experience with the adult cabaret show, as we usually are doing things with our kids. We were very pleasantly surprised to find that Garys humor, while definitely more adult focused didnt translate into raunchy. Then to the dance party, The Golden Mickeys Backstage Pass After Party, where we danced till midnight.
Again this night there was a fair amount of movement on the ship. As I said before, we rather enjoy that rocking to sleep feeling and after all we are on a ship. Weve actually wished in the past wed feel a little more movement, and we got our wish this trip. We were also way further forward than we usually are and I dont know if that contributes to feeling more motion or not. And through the night I woke up a couple of times and judging by the way we were moving, I had my doubts about going ashore in Grand Cayman.
Tuesday, 1/18
Well my suspicion was correct. After getting to Grand Cayman, the sea conditions were too rough for the tender companies to work. No tenders, no going ashore. This was disappointing, as this was our third western cruise and weve yet to go to Grand Cayman. The first time we chose to stay on board at that port, the next time GC had been ravaged by Ivan and this time no go. Not much you can do about this. The GC port authority essentially closed the port; the captain had very little choice but to spend the day at sea enroute to Cozumel.
Some previous posts have talked about rumors of other ships being able to dock at GC, causing speculation that the captain wasnt being truthful about our situation. This seems highly unlikely and a far-fetched. There would be nothing gained by Disney by keeping us on the ship, and the people of GC depend on this traffic as a major source of income. They have been through a tremendous disaster and certainly would have preferred to have the passengers from several ships on their island rather than tooling around the ocean. I respectively submit that there has either been a misunderstanding as to when these other ships docked at Grand Cayman or perhaps there are a couple of ships that carry their own tender boats, and felt they could use those. But that is total speculation on my part. To my knowledge no one has contacted the GC port authority to get verification of any ships tendering in when we were supposed to.
We enjoyed the day at sea. The seas were a little rough, in fact the Mickey pool was closed much of the day due to the rocking of the boat. Standing next to the pool you could see why. Small kids would have easily been hurt by the sweeping water if not down right chucked out onto the deck. Im glad DCL thinks of the safety of the passengers where they see fit. Sure it was a bummer for kids and parents but it would be far worse if someone got hurt.
Hercules was that nights show. We love this one. Again we love the music. We also enjoy the comedy of Pain and Panic as well as Hades.
Dinner at Palo! Anne-Marie was once again our server. We had another fabulous meal there. We both got the fillet, which was simply excellent. I love the chocolate soufflé, which is to me almost worth the price of the cruise. And my wife very much enjoys the panacotta.
This was 80s night, again a blast and we danced, danced, danced.
Wednesday, 1/19, Cozumel
Docked at Cozumel early in the morning. I had a spa treatment booked for 9:15, so a quick breakfast and off to the spa. DW was off to; you got it, deck 4. The morning was kind of cloudy with a passing shower. However, by the time I got out of the spa, it was getting mostly sunny. Then off for second breakfast. I love the life of a Hobbit that you can lead on board.
DW and I caught up and went to lunch at Lumieres. Our server was Toto who was our dining room server on our last cruise. Lunch in Lumieres is a nice relaxed, elegant affair. And just to show Im not a total glutton, I just had a salad. We spent some time chatting with Toto and got to know him a lot better. I really admire the folks on the ship and what they are willing to do to provide for their families. He has a little boy at home, who was born while he was on the ship, and hes only seen him during his last vacation.
Went onto the island and did a little shopping right there at the mall. It is interesting to note that Disney has only one ship that calls on Cozumel every other week. Yet, she docks right there at the newer dock in the center of town. A Carnival and NCL ship were docked with us. I think about 5 other ships were docked at the old pier, several miles from the center of town. At least two of which were Carnival, and they had one ship in the harbor tendering in. As DCL passengers we tend to take these prime docking sports for granted, but they have to cost more, especially for a line with one ship who calls at a port. Of course these costs are passed on to us, but it is one of the reasons Disney cruises tend to be a little more expensive. We just dont think about it when were stepping off the ship into the heart of the ports of call.
Back to the ship and some rain forest room time. This is hands down our favorite place on the ship. And on port days it is virtually deserted. We were the only ones in there and we stayed about an hour. Then I caught some time in the sun.
Movie night this night, The Incredibles. We hadnt see this yet and it was good. Then the Family Cabaret show, a juggler named Randy Cabrall. We havent seen him before and totally enjoyed him.
Pirates night in Parrot Cay. The bandanas are different since September, they are red and say Pirates in the Caribbean. They also have glow in the dark skull and cross bones on them. We think the Pirates night menu is awesome and its so fun that you get to take the menu with you. Another great meal and Den showed us some cool magic tricks. One of which we couldnt wait to try on our kids.
Off to the deck party, which was unbelievably, cool. You just cant beat Disney for themeing and story telling. There are banners and special lighting, a big buffet with some cool decorations. Things start out fun with the cruise staff leading the dancing, when Captain Hook comes to take over the party. Pirates swing down from the stacks, theres lightening and thunder, and the lighting changes cause changes to the big banner. A cannon shoots the dancers with big cotton cannon balls. Then Captain Mickey comes to save the day. The lighting changes again and then the fireworks start! That was soooo cool! They were really pretty darn good and went off just off the side of the ship, perfectly framed over the deck! As of that week the Magic was still the only cruise ship in the world to have fireworks. The Wonder should by now. We continued to dance until the end of the party. The cruise staff really does work hard at playing to get us all in the spirit.
Thursday, 1/20, Day at Sea
Breakfast at Lumieres, then a Q & A session with four of the main stage cast members. It is always interesting to hear about how they got the jobs, what theatre life is like and what it is like living on the ship. They were a nice group of kids. They told us that they are the last Magic cast to be performing Hercules. When the new cast comes on in May they will be replacing the show with a new production show called (they thought at this time anyway) Cinder-celebration. An obvious tie in to the big Disneyland celebration and a new show to look forward to.
Also went to the captains corner with the senior officers. Always learn something new and cool about the ship. Out on deck for some time in the sun. Like I said it was spotty, but I managed to find some time in the sun each day, and get some color to make the folks back home a little envious! True, some days were breezy, especially when the sun was behind the clouds. But back home in NJ it was 10 degrees, I was happy.
We took in the matinee of Disney Dreams. Weve seen this show on every trip and never grow tired of it, especially the end. And for some reason the theme of the show really resonated with us this time, just because we grow up, it doesnt mean we stop dreaming or stop believing. It is really a big part of what makes life fun rather than just bearable. And in fact we both still get teary eyed at the end.
High tea at Palo. This is always such a nice quiet and elegant time. We enjoy talking to the staff, sipping real tea while soaking in the sun at the windows and eating too many scones.
We had time to play in the arcade (with no kids! How unusual), relax and catch a little nap. Semi-formal night this evening and lobster! We got dressed up and yes went once again to Disney Dreams. Cant get enough of that one! Took in the Family Cabaret show, a ventoliquist, Lynn Tretzger, whom we had not seen before and was extremely talented and funny. Then a wonderful lobster dinner at Lumieres. Man I wished I had had room for seconds.
Went to Sessions to listen to the piano music, the Best of Broadway with Mark Farris. Then off to 70s night at Rockin Bar D, again loads of fun and we dance the night away.
Friday, 1/21, Cast Away Cay Day/Sea Day
We woke up to an announcement that we had not been able to dock at CC. The only disadvantage to our inside cabin is not knowing where we were and what the outside conditions are, because we thought we were docked. The captain sailed off the island a bit and told us they would try again in an hour. Off to breakfast at Topsiders, I love the breakfast buffet there. We ate on deck, though it was a bit windy. After breakfast is was time for the captain to try again. We went to the front of the ship, but then they decided to try and back in, so we went aft.
From deck 9 we could see waves crashing off and over the jetty, which is the first time weve seen that. The current was running very, very fast perpendicular to the dock and the channel. They tried to get us in, but the currents were just too swift. The ship could have been swept aground outside of the channel or could have hit the dock. We were all disappointed, though I was surprised by some of the really intense reactions. A number of people, whom Im sure never went to a maritime academy or captained a 964 foot cruise ship, were sure that we should have been able to make it. We really felt bad for those folks who had never been to the island and may not get back, but we have to make the best out of a situation. Things happen in life beyond our control. What we do have control over is how we react and how we let the circumstances affect our attitude. We overheard one father tell his two small children, Take a good look, thats where you would have had fun today. So now they cant have any fun? Oh well. I just hope things got better as the disappointment wore off.
New activities were quickly added as they had been on Tuesday. The captain found a nice pocket of sun and slowly followed that around all day. So we spent some time in the sun, played in the arcade and went to the added matinee of The Golden Mickeys, then went to watch Mickey Mania. We get a big kick out of the cruise staff and we like to test our growing wealth of (if not useless) Disney trivia. We spent the afternoon relaxing together, talking, enjoying time without other demands. We watched the sun set while we played Yahtzee on deck 9. We were also able to finish all of our packing in an unhurried fashion; so that we didnt get stressed later on like usually happens on the last night.
Off to the Farewell Variety show, which is always good but a little sad. Can it really be almost over? It doesnt seem possible. The juggler, Randy and the ventriloquist, Lynn were excellent. She was really, really good and did some stuff we havent seen done before. Then we watched the family talent show. Mostly younger kids did stuff, and one adult. I have to give those kids a lot of credit; they were really pretty good and had the gumption to stand up in front of a bunch of strangers.
Off to our last dinner. Animators tonight. We enjoyed the meal once again and spent time chatting with our team. Once again we managed to be the last ones to leave the dining room. This seems to be our pattern when weve cruised before, but we thought surely with just the two of us wed not hang out as long; wrong! We hate to leave a party!
Caught the last little bit of Til We Meet Again, in the atrium. Say it isnt so, we have to leave our ship on the morning. Next, Diversions and Pub Night. A lot of singing along with a guitar and piano player. Chatted with a couple of the cruise staff, Que in particular. He recognized us from the dance parties. Then the cruise staff put on a skit, called If I Were Not Upon the Sea. This was simply hysterical and could not be done justice in the written word. We laughed till we cried.
Strolled around the ship, trying to make pretend we werent leaving. Stopped to say good-bye to Anna at guest services. She had been part of our concierge team last time and is just as nice as can be. Then off to the cabin for our last sleep on board.
Saturday, 1/22, Back to the real world.
Finished last minute packing, off to breakfast at 8, another reason we like late seating. Enjoyed our very last meal on board and said our goodbyes to our new and old friends. Slowly walked off the ship, not because of any line, there are none at this point, but because we didnt want to leave. Down to the terminal, found our luggage, secured a porter and off to the buses.
Once on board the bus, called the airline to check on flights. According to the news the northeast was starting to get hit with a major snowstorm. Sure enough, our flights were already cancelled and re-scheduled for Sunday. We had been scheduled to fly out at 6:30 pm, with a connection in DC then on to Philly landing at 10:30pm. The DC airport was already closed. We had arranged a day room at the airport Hyatt, so I called them and they were able to switch it to an overnight room.
Once at the airport we tried to find an earlier direct flight that we could buy tickets on in hopes of beating the storm to Philly, but no go. We checked in at the Hyatt and decided to go to Epcot to spend the day. What the heck, were stuck in Florida, might as well make the best of it. We were disappointed that we werent getting home to see our kids when we wanted, but not much we could do about it except enjoy another day together. And we had purchased insurance for the flights, so it should pay for the extra days expenses. We love travel insurance!
It was overcast but not a bad day and we enjoyed the time at Epcot. Had the chance to ride Mission Space, awesome.
Spent a nice restful night at the hotel, checked out in the morning and headed to the ticket counter. Checked in with our flights and all went smoothly, much to our surprise. Arrived home about 3:00 pm and back to real life. It was great to see our babies and share the fun of the trip.
Final thoughts: This was another awesome DCL experience. It had been a long time since my wife and I had spent over 10 days all by ourselves and we loved it. Sure a few things didnt go quite as planned, but what in life does. One of the reasons weve chosen to spend our money with Disney is that we are sure well be happy with the product and they always meet or exceed our expectations. We are now planning our next cruise, which will hopefully be February 25, 2006 with the whole family.
We appreciate your patience with such a long report. If anyone has any specific questions, wed be happy to help you with them.
See on the high seas again, real soon!
Disclaimer, this will most likely turn into a really long report, but Ill try to keep it moving and not go into too much detail. But I still tend to be wordy.
Also we are avid, some say rabid, Disney Fans. We love almost all things Disney and very much appreciate all that they do to create and sustain an overall experience. This has been especially true of our experience with the cruise line. So you wont find too many negative comments. Even with some of the challenges on this trip, we look through a heavy cloud of pixie dust when it comes to our ship.
Background: We were on the delayed 9/25 (9/27) Hurricane Jeanne cruise. At that time it was my DW, three kids, an Aunt, cousin and our best friends, (a family of 5). Because our cruise was delayed departing by close to three days, Disney gave everyone a 40% refund on that cruise and a 25% discount voucher for a future cruise. We chose to take that refund and discount and plow it back into another cruise, this time for just my DW and me! Thats why were calling it part II or Second Honeymoon cruise. This was our first time away for this long together since our oldest was born 17 ½ years ago. So we were really looking forward to this special get away.
So here it goes. We flew down on Friday the 14th and had a room reserved at the airport Hyatt. We had a really early flight down and were checked in by 10 am. We took a cab over to the Magic Kingdom to spend the day. It was a kind of dreary day; with a light rain falling most of the time. But warmer than New Jersey and the park was very uncrowded, so we walked on to all of the attractions! We stayed to see the fire works, which always bring a tear to our eyes and back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
A very nice breakfast buffet at the hotel was included in our AAA booking. Checked in with the cruise line reps there at the hotel and on to the bus to the port. We arrived at the terminal around 10:30 or 10:45. Quick check in and in a pretty short line. By 11:45 when we started boarding, the line snaked all of the way to the end of the terminal. It was nice being back in the Disney terminal since in September we had to board in Port Everglades and that terminal wasnt anywhere near as nice. We talked with some very nice folks in line, and enjoyed meeting Kellimomo3
and her family.
We excitedly boarded, stopped for our photo and crossed the gangway to that beautiful ship. It is just amazing how excited we still get boarding the ship for the first time. This was our 5th cruise and the 4th on the Magic. Even without our kids we were just beaming as our name was announced.
Off to Rock n Bar D to get Palo reservations and check to make sure we were seated in our favorite head servers (John Cunningham) station. We werent, so they made that change for us. That put us on what we think is the best rotation for the Western cruise, APL. So we were in Lumieres for formal nights and Parrot Cay for Pirate night. We also got to say hi to Jeff, who was our head server on our last cruise. Then to lunch at Parrot Cay! Everything was great as usual.
Went to check out the stateroom, 6511, a cat 11. This was our first experience with an inside cabin and we were very pleasantly surprised how comfortable it was for us. 6511 is one of the sideways inside cabins and seems a little more spacious than the other cat 11s we peaked into. Our stateroom host was Donovan, who was by far the most engaging host weve yet had. Everyone has always been very competent, but he was the first one we got to talk to a lot.
Rainy and overcast the rest of the day. The sail a way celebration was moved inside, though we watched our departure from a covered spot on deck 9. It was cool to watch the port side cast members come out with their Mickey hands on and wave us away. We hadnt seen that before because were usually dancing with our kids on the Goofy pool.
We unpacked and got ready for the Welcome Aboard show. We really enjoy all of the shows and the talented cast members. We were excited to see that Gary Delena was the entertainer for the first half of the week. We think he is hysterical! The Welcome Aboard Show has been changed to incorporate a story and more production numbers. We very much enjoyed it.
The ship was rocking a bit this first night, which we rather enjoy. We have found this to be the case on the first night as the ship crosses the Gulf Stream. In my personal opinion, I want to feel at least some movement to know Im on a ship at sea. If I dont want the place to move, Ill choose a hotel.
First dinner was in Animators. Since our rotation was changed, we ended up at a romantic table for two. Very excited to see our friend and head server John Cunningham once again. We have been in his station or on his rotation on all four of our 7 night cruises. Hes just the best. Our server was Densak and our assistant was Martin. Both very capable, warm, friendly and excellent. We enjoyed the first night in Animators a lot. We love Disney music and like to watch the changes in the room. We still get big smiles on our faces when the whole place gets colorized. We ended up hanging out talking with John until the dinning room was devoid of guests. We decided it would be a good time to head out.
Sunday, January 16th, Key West
We got up and attended the worship service at the Buena Vista Theatre. This is always a special way for us to keep in perspective how blessed we are to have the means to be on that beautiful ship and enjoying the splendor of Gods world. It is a very simple service that can be enjoyed by most people just looking to keep their focus even while on vacation.
Then brunch at Palo! Anne-Marie from South Africa was our server. She was also our server for dinner on our September trip, so she recognized us. She is very nice and we enjoyed spending time with her. The food was incredible as always and it is nice to enjoy the meal while pulling into Key West. I have a new favorite thing, which is the stollen bread, with raspberry jam and whipped cream (an Anne-Marie recommendation). The only unfortunate thing about brunch is there is so much to choose from, you wish you could go back later and finish what you couldnt fit the first time.
After brunch we got changed and went ashore to explore a little bit of Key West. Very windy and over cast. Even rained a little. We went to the Shipwreck Historium, which we thought was very interesting. They had actors doing interpretation and telling about Key Wests days as a wrecking community. We also went to a new attraction, The Pirate Soul Museum. It was pretty cool too. Did a little shopping, bought some provisions like water and a few munchies at CVS; I like a stop in a US port for this reason. Back to the ship and time for a nap.
The evening show was Who Wants to be a Mousketeer. We think this is a fun show and like to see how we do with the questions. However, this time my DW was the third contestant picked. She did so well! She was two questions away from the 7-night cruise but alas answered it wrong. However, she won $175.00 shipboard credit, got a pin and a hug back stage from Mickey. Very exciting!
We went and watched us sail away from Key West from deck 9 aft, then off to dinner at Parrot Cay. Another great meal and a lot of fun with our serving team.
60s Night party in Rockin Bar D. We dont always get to these theme dances when our children are with us, but we get a big kick out of them. We especially love the cruise staff, who get all dressed up in bizarre period clothes and wigs. We like the music and danced to most every song. Yes, if you were there, were that couple who was always on the dance floor. We have no illusions that we are great or even good dancers. We simply enjoy music and figure, what the heck, there is usually someone who looks more foolish than we do, so why not have a good time. And we certainly did that!
After that we spent some time on deck four, where we ran into a couple we know from home. This is the third time weve been on a cruise and met people we know from home. At the risk of being totally cliché, it really is a small world!
Off to bed, well fed, worked out and happy.
Monday, 1/16, Day at Sea
We love sea days, our primary destination is the ship, so we dont much care where it goes and being at sea is the best.
Slept in then up on deck for some sun. Though the weather was spotty through the week, there was sun to be found. I lounged on deck 10 for an hour or so. There was a bit of a breeze and the seas were moderate. DW headed for deck four a comfy chair and a good book. She cant be in the sun for long periods and deck 4 and its padded lounge chairs is one of her favorite spots on the ship. Two books were finished onboard something that rarely happens at home with all the running around.
Later on we went to the wine tasting program. Were really ignorant when it comes to wine and we learned a few things. However, we mostly learned that we prefer sweet cheap wines. But we found it to be totally worth the experience and the staff always make it fun.
The Golden Mickeys was the show for this night, which is fun on formal night. So we dressed up before the show. We like this show a lot; again, we love Disney music and really appreciate the talents of the cast and crew on these big production shows. You really can forget youre not in theatre on land, but on a ship.
Meet and greet with Captain Tom. Then a formal photo. We caught Gary Delenas family show. He just cracks us up.
Dinner at Lumieres, a great place for formal night! This is our favorite dining room, elegant yet where else would you be in a fine dining room where a mural featuring cartoon characters doesnt look out of place. Before we left the dining room we spent some time catching up with Adrian, our server on a previous cruise. We also caught up with Opie, our Assistant Server from September.
Went to Garys adult show, which was packed out. We ended up in Diversions where they simul-cast the show. This was our first experience with the adult cabaret show, as we usually are doing things with our kids. We were very pleasantly surprised to find that Garys humor, while definitely more adult focused didnt translate into raunchy. Then to the dance party, The Golden Mickeys Backstage Pass After Party, where we danced till midnight.
Again this night there was a fair amount of movement on the ship. As I said before, we rather enjoy that rocking to sleep feeling and after all we are on a ship. Weve actually wished in the past wed feel a little more movement, and we got our wish this trip. We were also way further forward than we usually are and I dont know if that contributes to feeling more motion or not. And through the night I woke up a couple of times and judging by the way we were moving, I had my doubts about going ashore in Grand Cayman.
Tuesday, 1/18
Well my suspicion was correct. After getting to Grand Cayman, the sea conditions were too rough for the tender companies to work. No tenders, no going ashore. This was disappointing, as this was our third western cruise and weve yet to go to Grand Cayman. The first time we chose to stay on board at that port, the next time GC had been ravaged by Ivan and this time no go. Not much you can do about this. The GC port authority essentially closed the port; the captain had very little choice but to spend the day at sea enroute to Cozumel.
Some previous posts have talked about rumors of other ships being able to dock at GC, causing speculation that the captain wasnt being truthful about our situation. This seems highly unlikely and a far-fetched. There would be nothing gained by Disney by keeping us on the ship, and the people of GC depend on this traffic as a major source of income. They have been through a tremendous disaster and certainly would have preferred to have the passengers from several ships on their island rather than tooling around the ocean. I respectively submit that there has either been a misunderstanding as to when these other ships docked at Grand Cayman or perhaps there are a couple of ships that carry their own tender boats, and felt they could use those. But that is total speculation on my part. To my knowledge no one has contacted the GC port authority to get verification of any ships tendering in when we were supposed to.
We enjoyed the day at sea. The seas were a little rough, in fact the Mickey pool was closed much of the day due to the rocking of the boat. Standing next to the pool you could see why. Small kids would have easily been hurt by the sweeping water if not down right chucked out onto the deck. Im glad DCL thinks of the safety of the passengers where they see fit. Sure it was a bummer for kids and parents but it would be far worse if someone got hurt.
Hercules was that nights show. We love this one. Again we love the music. We also enjoy the comedy of Pain and Panic as well as Hades.
Dinner at Palo! Anne-Marie was once again our server. We had another fabulous meal there. We both got the fillet, which was simply excellent. I love the chocolate soufflé, which is to me almost worth the price of the cruise. And my wife very much enjoys the panacotta.
This was 80s night, again a blast and we danced, danced, danced.
Wednesday, 1/19, Cozumel
Docked at Cozumel early in the morning. I had a spa treatment booked for 9:15, so a quick breakfast and off to the spa. DW was off to; you got it, deck 4. The morning was kind of cloudy with a passing shower. However, by the time I got out of the spa, it was getting mostly sunny. Then off for second breakfast. I love the life of a Hobbit that you can lead on board.
DW and I caught up and went to lunch at Lumieres. Our server was Toto who was our dining room server on our last cruise. Lunch in Lumieres is a nice relaxed, elegant affair. And just to show Im not a total glutton, I just had a salad. We spent some time chatting with Toto and got to know him a lot better. I really admire the folks on the ship and what they are willing to do to provide for their families. He has a little boy at home, who was born while he was on the ship, and hes only seen him during his last vacation.
Went onto the island and did a little shopping right there at the mall. It is interesting to note that Disney has only one ship that calls on Cozumel every other week. Yet, she docks right there at the newer dock in the center of town. A Carnival and NCL ship were docked with us. I think about 5 other ships were docked at the old pier, several miles from the center of town. At least two of which were Carnival, and they had one ship in the harbor tendering in. As DCL passengers we tend to take these prime docking sports for granted, but they have to cost more, especially for a line with one ship who calls at a port. Of course these costs are passed on to us, but it is one of the reasons Disney cruises tend to be a little more expensive. We just dont think about it when were stepping off the ship into the heart of the ports of call.
Back to the ship and some rain forest room time. This is hands down our favorite place on the ship. And on port days it is virtually deserted. We were the only ones in there and we stayed about an hour. Then I caught some time in the sun.
Movie night this night, The Incredibles. We hadnt see this yet and it was good. Then the Family Cabaret show, a juggler named Randy Cabrall. We havent seen him before and totally enjoyed him.
Pirates night in Parrot Cay. The bandanas are different since September, they are red and say Pirates in the Caribbean. They also have glow in the dark skull and cross bones on them. We think the Pirates night menu is awesome and its so fun that you get to take the menu with you. Another great meal and Den showed us some cool magic tricks. One of which we couldnt wait to try on our kids.
Off to the deck party, which was unbelievably, cool. You just cant beat Disney for themeing and story telling. There are banners and special lighting, a big buffet with some cool decorations. Things start out fun with the cruise staff leading the dancing, when Captain Hook comes to take over the party. Pirates swing down from the stacks, theres lightening and thunder, and the lighting changes cause changes to the big banner. A cannon shoots the dancers with big cotton cannon balls. Then Captain Mickey comes to save the day. The lighting changes again and then the fireworks start! That was soooo cool! They were really pretty darn good and went off just off the side of the ship, perfectly framed over the deck! As of that week the Magic was still the only cruise ship in the world to have fireworks. The Wonder should by now. We continued to dance until the end of the party. The cruise staff really does work hard at playing to get us all in the spirit.
Thursday, 1/20, Day at Sea
Breakfast at Lumieres, then a Q & A session with four of the main stage cast members. It is always interesting to hear about how they got the jobs, what theatre life is like and what it is like living on the ship. They were a nice group of kids. They told us that they are the last Magic cast to be performing Hercules. When the new cast comes on in May they will be replacing the show with a new production show called (they thought at this time anyway) Cinder-celebration. An obvious tie in to the big Disneyland celebration and a new show to look forward to.
Also went to the captains corner with the senior officers. Always learn something new and cool about the ship. Out on deck for some time in the sun. Like I said it was spotty, but I managed to find some time in the sun each day, and get some color to make the folks back home a little envious! True, some days were breezy, especially when the sun was behind the clouds. But back home in NJ it was 10 degrees, I was happy.
We took in the matinee of Disney Dreams. Weve seen this show on every trip and never grow tired of it, especially the end. And for some reason the theme of the show really resonated with us this time, just because we grow up, it doesnt mean we stop dreaming or stop believing. It is really a big part of what makes life fun rather than just bearable. And in fact we both still get teary eyed at the end.
High tea at Palo. This is always such a nice quiet and elegant time. We enjoy talking to the staff, sipping real tea while soaking in the sun at the windows and eating too many scones.
We had time to play in the arcade (with no kids! How unusual), relax and catch a little nap. Semi-formal night this evening and lobster! We got dressed up and yes went once again to Disney Dreams. Cant get enough of that one! Took in the Family Cabaret show, a ventoliquist, Lynn Tretzger, whom we had not seen before and was extremely talented and funny. Then a wonderful lobster dinner at Lumieres. Man I wished I had had room for seconds.
Went to Sessions to listen to the piano music, the Best of Broadway with Mark Farris. Then off to 70s night at Rockin Bar D, again loads of fun and we dance the night away.
Friday, 1/21, Cast Away Cay Day/Sea Day
We woke up to an announcement that we had not been able to dock at CC. The only disadvantage to our inside cabin is not knowing where we were and what the outside conditions are, because we thought we were docked. The captain sailed off the island a bit and told us they would try again in an hour. Off to breakfast at Topsiders, I love the breakfast buffet there. We ate on deck, though it was a bit windy. After breakfast is was time for the captain to try again. We went to the front of the ship, but then they decided to try and back in, so we went aft.
From deck 9 we could see waves crashing off and over the jetty, which is the first time weve seen that. The current was running very, very fast perpendicular to the dock and the channel. They tried to get us in, but the currents were just too swift. The ship could have been swept aground outside of the channel or could have hit the dock. We were all disappointed, though I was surprised by some of the really intense reactions. A number of people, whom Im sure never went to a maritime academy or captained a 964 foot cruise ship, were sure that we should have been able to make it. We really felt bad for those folks who had never been to the island and may not get back, but we have to make the best out of a situation. Things happen in life beyond our control. What we do have control over is how we react and how we let the circumstances affect our attitude. We overheard one father tell his two small children, Take a good look, thats where you would have had fun today. So now they cant have any fun? Oh well. I just hope things got better as the disappointment wore off.
New activities were quickly added as they had been on Tuesday. The captain found a nice pocket of sun and slowly followed that around all day. So we spent some time in the sun, played in the arcade and went to the added matinee of The Golden Mickeys, then went to watch Mickey Mania. We get a big kick out of the cruise staff and we like to test our growing wealth of (if not useless) Disney trivia. We spent the afternoon relaxing together, talking, enjoying time without other demands. We watched the sun set while we played Yahtzee on deck 9. We were also able to finish all of our packing in an unhurried fashion; so that we didnt get stressed later on like usually happens on the last night.
Off to the Farewell Variety show, which is always good but a little sad. Can it really be almost over? It doesnt seem possible. The juggler, Randy and the ventriloquist, Lynn were excellent. She was really, really good and did some stuff we havent seen done before. Then we watched the family talent show. Mostly younger kids did stuff, and one adult. I have to give those kids a lot of credit; they were really pretty good and had the gumption to stand up in front of a bunch of strangers.
Off to our last dinner. Animators tonight. We enjoyed the meal once again and spent time chatting with our team. Once again we managed to be the last ones to leave the dining room. This seems to be our pattern when weve cruised before, but we thought surely with just the two of us wed not hang out as long; wrong! We hate to leave a party!
Caught the last little bit of Til We Meet Again, in the atrium. Say it isnt so, we have to leave our ship on the morning. Next, Diversions and Pub Night. A lot of singing along with a guitar and piano player. Chatted with a couple of the cruise staff, Que in particular. He recognized us from the dance parties. Then the cruise staff put on a skit, called If I Were Not Upon the Sea. This was simply hysterical and could not be done justice in the written word. We laughed till we cried.
Strolled around the ship, trying to make pretend we werent leaving. Stopped to say good-bye to Anna at guest services. She had been part of our concierge team last time and is just as nice as can be. Then off to the cabin for our last sleep on board.
Saturday, 1/22, Back to the real world.
Finished last minute packing, off to breakfast at 8, another reason we like late seating. Enjoyed our very last meal on board and said our goodbyes to our new and old friends. Slowly walked off the ship, not because of any line, there are none at this point, but because we didnt want to leave. Down to the terminal, found our luggage, secured a porter and off to the buses.
Once on board the bus, called the airline to check on flights. According to the news the northeast was starting to get hit with a major snowstorm. Sure enough, our flights were already cancelled and re-scheduled for Sunday. We had been scheduled to fly out at 6:30 pm, with a connection in DC then on to Philly landing at 10:30pm. The DC airport was already closed. We had arranged a day room at the airport Hyatt, so I called them and they were able to switch it to an overnight room.
Once at the airport we tried to find an earlier direct flight that we could buy tickets on in hopes of beating the storm to Philly, but no go. We checked in at the Hyatt and decided to go to Epcot to spend the day. What the heck, were stuck in Florida, might as well make the best of it. We were disappointed that we werent getting home to see our kids when we wanted, but not much we could do about it except enjoy another day together. And we had purchased insurance for the flights, so it should pay for the extra days expenses. We love travel insurance!
It was overcast but not a bad day and we enjoyed the time at Epcot. Had the chance to ride Mission Space, awesome.
Spent a nice restful night at the hotel, checked out in the morning and headed to the ticket counter. Checked in with our flights and all went smoothly, much to our surprise. Arrived home about 3:00 pm and back to real life. It was great to see our babies and share the fun of the trip.
Final thoughts: This was another awesome DCL experience. It had been a long time since my wife and I had spent over 10 days all by ourselves and we loved it. Sure a few things didnt go quite as planned, but what in life does. One of the reasons weve chosen to spend our money with Disney is that we are sure well be happy with the product and they always meet or exceed our expectations. We are now planning our next cruise, which will hopefully be February 25, 2006 with the whole family.
We appreciate your patience with such a long report. If anyone has any specific questions, wed be happy to help you with them.
See on the high seas again, real soon!
I can only imagine the peace with only yourselves to be concerned over! I'll have to suggest it to DH and see if it flies (or sails!)
