1/17 Magic Oceaneer Club and fruitflies

[Carbomommy]

We are DH, Linda, DS (5), DD (3) from Colorado. Also Grandma and Auntie from California. It took us 40 minutes for embartation. I left them all at Parrot Cay, and ran to Rockin Bar D for Palo reservations. I was able to get a 8:30pm reservation but not high tea! I was bummed. Then I got Wendy tea tickets for the kids at guest services. Eventually we registered the kids in the Oceaneer club, putting DS in DD 3-4 group so they could be together. I knew we were in trouble when she proclaimed, "I'm not staying in here!" It was dark and cavelike. They have windows, but they are covered up by the Mickey yellow colored lifeboats. We found out our dining had been changed from second seating to first, we were estatic! We missed the show that night, too tired etc.

In Key West, we decided to check the kids into "the club", and DH and I work out in the gym. I found the gym to be too warm, and preferred to walk around deck 4. After a quick shower, we picked up the kids and had to face what shall ever be referred to as the "bracelet meltdown of 2004." My kids wanted the white plastic ID bracelets cut off immediately. We were told they needed to wear them for the entire cruise, in case they got lost, they would be able to locate us. Crying ensued for about 1/2 hour, as we tried to market the fact that these were a good thing etc. etc. My daughter had two bandaids on her elbow, which no counselor told me anything about, and she told me it was from the slide.

The plan was to head into Key West for the sunset at Mallory square. Well when it started to pour buckets, the plan had to change. We like Bakorama enjoyed watching our fellow cruisers run back onto the ship. So, how was Key West, well I couldn't tell you! Looks nice from a distance! Enjoyed the Who wants to be a Mousekeer show, but the kids were restless after the 4th contestant, so I took them out.

On the day at sea, we did the wine tasting, and it was moved from Sessions to Lumiere's because "Jim" was filming in Sessions. The tasting was okay, but I was hoping for more of an interaction between tasters, not just a lecture. The finale is good though, I won't spoil it. More later, I promise!

 

[Carbomommy]

After the wine tasting, I got my first beep from the club. I quickly went there, and my DD was crying because she had drank water and spilled it on her shirt. I checked them out, and heard them complain they never wanted to go back there. I started to chat with other parents of the same age group, and heard similiar feedback. Many parents of 3-4's tried the club once, then stopped going. So on Grand Cayman day I did not check them in at all. I was determined to get off the boat, after not doing so in Key West. We took the tender in the new location on the other side of Grand Cayman (the original side was too rough). Only Celebrity Cruise lines was there. Carnival, Norweigan and two others did not unload, they continued at sea! We took a Disney arranged taxi to Royal Point-part of 7 mile beach. The beach charged $3 per person/ children were free. There was a open air bar that served food, showers, clean bathrooms etc. It was a quick 2 hours since we had to be back onboard by 4:00pm. DH and I did not enjoy the Hercules show, we thought it should be put out of its misery.

Thursday we did the tea with Wendy, and Jim Belushi and family were there. He did an English accent saying "Tea with Wendy" "Tea with Wendy" etc. and seemed in a jovial mood. His son who looked about 2, eventually started crying and Jim took him out. The tea was iced tea, and none of the kids liked it, but DD loved pouring it in everyone's glasses. She also loved opening sugar packets and pouring those in. Definitely for the younger set, but cute. Palo that night was wonderful, our food was excellent, and the view at 6:00 spectacular. I recommend the earlier times at 8:30pm it is just dark. I thought I saw something in my wine, but was having such I nice time I brushed it off as basil. Then DH said, "there is a fly in my wine!" I fished my fly out with my knife and called the server over. Having lived in Calif. for 30 years, I know a fruit fly when I see one or in this case two! The server took my knife and both glasses of wine. She returned with 2 new glassses of wine and no explaination.

 

[Carbomommy]

I questioned her further asking, what did the manager or wine steward think? She told us, sometimes when we are in port they leave the doors open and flies come in. Later, PJ the manager came over and apologized, and said that According to Jim had been filming the day before in Cozumel, and had rearranged the whole place and left all the doors open etc. We did not make a stink, but thought they would subtract something off our bill. They did not and we tipped, but not as much as we would have if it had been fly-free. I may write Disney about this.

Backtracking, in Cozumel, DH, myself, Grandma and Auntie did the Dolphin encounter. We all loved it, and our dolphin was Titan. It was like a personal dolphin show. Others in our group brought their kids and had to hold them the entire 1/2 hour, because the water is deep and would have been over their heads. I was paranoid we would be paged by the Club, and checked the beeper several times. It turns out we were paged, but didn't receive the page at Chakanaab park. DD had fell asleep during the Tigger movie and had a bladder problem! So when we arrived back at the ship, the kids were running around in Cinderella, Tinker Bell and Captain Hook outfits having the time of their life. Finally, something that looks like the cruise video! Under the Cinderella costume, she had a extremely large "I discovered the Magic t-shirt" they had given her and thats all. She didn't seem to care. So I think the trick with the club is to keep bringing them there, but select the activites very carefully. Make sure they are doing something like "hunt for Tinker Bell" and not just coloring. I even called the Club in advance to find out exactly what would be done, sometimes the brochure they give you is misleading. They liked the Dance with Snow White, but the Mousekeer training was boring. They had to sit on a piece of white tape in a square and listen to the counselors, Mickey was only there for about 5 min. ( I stayed and took pictures for this). The Pumba pJ party was cute, but again a lot of sitting. Goofy showed up in his pj's and pretended to fall asleep while the kids sang Twinkle Twinkle, (again I stayed for this one).