3/24/07 MAGICal Western Trip Report - Finally updated 3/26/08

[Angie_Ohio]

We're booked for a 7 day Western at the end of Nov 08. It does seem really far away but I need all that time to save. When is your next one?
Angie_OH

 

[meegster]

We're going on the Thanksgiving Double Dip in 2008 - can't wait !!

 

[meegster]

Monday, March 26, 2007, Part Two:

We left off with getting ready for our couples spa treatment – the ER. We help DDad and DMom by getting DDs back to the room to change. My DDad will stay in the room with the DDs so they can get a nap. DS finally meets up with DFS and DF and DFW decide they’ll keep him for a bit and swim in the Goofy pool. My DMom hangs nearby in the shade and talking with DFMil. We run off to the spa.

Check in was quick and we are led to the treatment room. There’s a big shower to the left, a tile bench seat in front with all the products laid out and a sauna/shower room on the right. Won’t go into details here folks but let’s just say we had a very nice time.

We emerge at 3:15 and go looking for everyone. DS was still in the pool with DFS. DMom had taken the girls for a nap so they were sleeping. Yeah! We wandered around deck 9 for a while, retrieved our buddy JD from the cabin and made ourselves a drink. We sat with DF and DFW on deck for about an hour until it was time to clean up for dinner. Tonight was Formal Night – time to get fancy. Everyone was pretty cooperative getting ready. The kids were actually excited to dress up. DD2, my younger twin, doesn’t like dresses but enjoyed looking nice for this formal night since everyone else was dressed up too. We grabbed complimentary cocktails in the lobby as we waited for our portraits with the Mickey statue in front of Lumiere’s. Those turned out really nice. I’ll try to scan my DCL purchased pictures and add those in later. Here's the kids:

Again, sorry I dropped the ball on the food thing. I think most of you cruisers know what’s served. I never took a single food picture – not even at PALO – I got too excited to eat and just enjoy our tablemates and servers! But DDad did attempt to "pass" on dessert this night - not sure why - so this is what he got.

Everyone was excited to see The Golden Mickeys tonight. We started to get to the theater earlier and earlier to be sure we had seats – then just make trips to the bathroom before the show.

It was a great show. I really love the productions. Love the theater in general and was impressed with their productions! Show ended about 9:30 and there wasn’t much on the agenda we wanted to do so we walked around a bit and called it a night early. Enjoyed another surprise towel animal when we got back.

Next up - finally back on land - Grand Cayman

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Love the TR so far! Your pics are beautiful! You really have a lovely family.

 

[Kurby]

fantastic report.

my cousin's son just finished his flat stanley report - he sent his to my aunt in England and she didn't disappoint, taking him to the castle, the underground, the gardens. that project is wonderful.

shame on you for not taking pictures of the food - we haven't been on a cruise yet and i LOVE seeing what the serve and how they present it - BUT totally understandable, from what I hear, people just dive into their meals and forget about the camera.

can't wait to hear more.

 

[ILUVEVERYTHINGDISNEY]

Just as a reminder, as you get to know us:
Cast of characters:
Me, meegster, 38
DH, 37
DS, 7
DD1, 4
DD2, 4, yes twins
DMom, 65+
DDad, 65+

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Had a hard time going to sleep the night before because of last minute packing and house cleaning – to bed around midnight, alarm set for 3am. Yikes! We had a 4:15am car/van service pick up at my parents house.

I was up first – 3 hours of sleep but I didn’t care – I was heading to Florida! MAGIC here I come. Quick shower for me and then DH. Got everything packed and then woke the kids. Clothes had already been laid out so DH turned on the video camera and we woke each kid up with – “Are you ready for a Disney Cruise?!” I haven’t seen them be this cooperative that early in the AM, ever. We were out the door at 4am. Quick 10 minute drive to the folks’ house where the van was already waiting for us. Loaded up our 5 pcs of luggage and 1 carryon a piece plus folks and their stuff and we’re on the road.

Got to John Wayne Airport in OC by 5am, if not sooner. Dropped off quick and hopped in Delta line to check bags – already pre-printed boarding passes. Line was short but wait seemed long since they opened late – around 5:20am. DH was a little confused with the kiosk to check bags but we got it sorted out and on through security. Kids thought it was funny to have to remove their shoes. Line was short and we breezed through but because they didn’t mark my boarding pass with a little highlighter mark, I had to go all the way back – with my kids on the other side. Rrrrr. TSA hustled and got it sorted out before shoes were back on so they didn’t get far.  Lines for Starbucks (for DH and DMom) and McD’s (for all the eats) were long and by the time we got our stuff, it was time to board! Scarf down the grub everyone!

The 7 of us were seated 3 in front of 3 with 1 across the aisle – plenty of options for mixing and matching with the kids. This was the first plane ride for my girls – officially. They claim the flight when they were in my tummy counted but we tried to explain this was the one they got to enjoy so this counts!

There were TVs in each seat – bummer I forgot all those headphones we already have around the house. $10 later everyone was set. Those plus some homework for DS (including a Flat Stanley project)

and coloring books for the DDs and the flight to Atlanta was a piece of cake.


My son did flat stanley last year at his school. Friends of ours took him to Italy. They brought back chocolates for the whole class when Jake got up and did a report.

I love your reprt. I'm subscribing. Keep them coming! Your kids are beautiful.

 

[meegster]

Thanks again everyone for the kind words!

We were so good to take Flat Stanley with us everywhere on the cruise but just forgot to take more pictures! Luckily my son's project was still one of the most involved ones in the class so he was pleased. We'll get to revisit Flat Stanley at Open House in a couple weeks.

 

[meegster]

Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - Grand Cayman

DH was a good boy and got up to work out again around 6am. I slept in for a little bit. But we would be docking in Grand Cayman today and wanted to be off the ship pretty early as we had a self-booked excursion at 9:30. We started getting ready for the day as DH returned. Went on our daily hunt for DDad reading up on Deck 9. Once found, we hit Topsiders for breakfast and checked out port from window seats. Lots of other cruise ships in port that day. We stocked up on cereal boxes for snacks before we left.

Headed to WD Theater to wait for a tender. Very short wait. We boarded with the next group and were ashore by 8:30.

We checked in with Atlantis Adventures right there by the dock and had an hour to kill. We decided to walk around a little to check out shops and such. We looked for a couple souvenirs for the kids – DS got a handmade wooden flute, DD1 got “log” crayons and DD2 got a little sting ray stuffed toy. We walked back to Atlantis and used the facilities one last time before it was time to go and took lots of silly pictures waiting for our boat.

Finally it was time. We boarded the boat that was going to take us out to meet up with the submarine. Maybe a 15 min ride away from the dock and we’re told to keep an eye out for the submarine that should be surfacing. Out of nowhere it appears. Neat. Riders from that trip were unloaded to the bottom of our boat and seated. Then we were allowed to get off and into the submarine. It was very clean and comfortable inside. I expected to get a little claustrophobic but never happened. Once everyone was seated we were on our way. The guide was entertaining and funny – filling us with information and trying to get us to be able to see as much as possible – which wasn’t a whole lot. We dove down 102 ft. We saw lots of fish, a sea turtle, a sting ray and an old tire! We also were taken to the edge of the reef that then drops down 1000 ft. into darkness – spooky. It was over before we knew it and followed the same steps back – offloaded to the bottom of the boat and returned to the dock. Nice for all of us to do together since littles weren’t old enough for a lot of the other excursions.

Now, DDad was on the hunt for turtle soup. We asked at the dock where to go and they sent us a ways over to Hammerheads. DDad was thrilled he would be getting his soup only to find out that they were just making the batch and it would be 30 mins to wait – he could have Conch Chowder now though. He settled. Kids were bored and hungry and we ran out of cereal boxes so the Grands took the kids back to the ship for lunch and more club time.

DH and I decided to get lunch ourselves at Breezes Café overlooking port. Ok food, nice view, ok service. We decided to shop a little since that’s what you’re supposed to do in Grand Cayman. He got a new leather wallet and I got some new pricey perfume. Then he found some shell/leather necklaces for him and DS – it’s a tradition that they get new ones on trips that match. It was getting time to return to the ship leaving at 4:30 so we did and caught up with DF’s in-laws for the tender back.

Once back onboard, checked in with DDad & DMom to try to find the kids. They were in their clubs so we made cocktails via the drink station and made the rounds to pick them up. We wanted to help ready the kids for dinner since we and DF & DFW were bailing on the Grands for PALO dinner ! Once we got them out the door on the way to dinner at 6pm, it was so nice to get ready alone. We enjoyed another cocktail in-room and got dressed. We stepped out our door at 7pm just as DF & DFW opened their door two doors down – perfect timing. He headed on up to PALO and sat at the bar and orders drinks – we were fine waiting. As soon as the drinks arrived, they showed us to our table before our 7:30 reservation. And we got as requested – Ciao-Romano was again our server.

This night I can kind of remember what we had because it was all soo good. We shared some pizzas to start – sausage and maybe the chef selection. We also had the calamari which we really light and yummy. DH and I both had the filet but he really wanted to try the Linguine Carbonara so Ciao brought some for us all to share – that was my FAVORITE dish. So getting that next time! Best ever! We had the Panna Cotta and Chocolate Souffle for dessert and finished with the Limoncello. Wonderful dinner experience. I think we were finished around 9:30. We decided to walk around the ship a little – looking for some fun activity. I don’t have my Navigator from Tues so I can’t recall if we did anything. I think we popped our heads into the Production since our kids were there with the Grands. Otherwise, we just met up with them back at the cabin around 10pm and called it an early night.

Next up - Cozumel and my dream of dolphins !

 

[meegster]

Not that I had a ton of followers but I can't believe I never finished. I'll need to get this going again. Gets me excited for our next trip!

I had this much already written out so each of the next segments might take a little inbetween but I should finish what I started - major flaw of mine!

Hope someone will stop by and check in out and give me some DIS love.

 

[meegster]

Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - Cozumel

This morning we both woke up and went to the gym. It felt good to be running again with all the eating we’ve been doing. Granted, we did our share of walking and using the stairs but still. Since we had adjoining rooms, DMom just let us open up the connecting door and prop open with the deadbolt when we left so she got the kids up and going for breakfast. DH and I each got a good run in. I couldn’t use the treadmills right out front practically over the water – made me dizzy – so I was fine with the backrow. Then we went down to shower and meet up with everyone and head to Topsiders for breakfast.

We didn’t have to rush as much this morning since we couldn’t go ashore until around 10am. But I was very excited for this day. I was going to swim with dolphins – everyone was expecting I would cry at the sight of it. I get all teary just thinking about it. We were going to Chankanaab Park with our whole traveling party so we met up with DF and all his family and got off the ship. We grabbed a taxi and taxi van and for a quick $10/ taxi we headed to the park. This really was a wonderful day spot. It was well maintained. The dolphin facility was bigger than I expected. Our reservation was for 12 noon so we got there at about 10:30 and decided to park it at the beach for a while – since only 4 of the 13 of us were doing the Dolphin Swim.

DF and family prepped for snorkling, so did DS and DH. We rented vests for the girls and fins for the snorklers - pricing was ok. The currents were pretty rough where we were so the girls didn't swim too long. We brought bread & dinner rolls from the ship to feed the fish - DS & DFS got to see lots of fish with their dads - that was a great idea.

We were all in and out of the water until time for the swim. I'll get to that in my next post.

Do I cry at the sight of dolphins?

 

[Donnica]

It's a good thing you decided to finish this since I had read the entire thing already! lol

 

[BabyFavorite]

Where's the rest?! I was really enjoying this!

 

[daisy112878]

what happened? I was enjoying the TR.

 

[JDBlair]

I just found this today and was really in to it!!

 

[BabyFavorite]

I couldn't view the pictures from work, but I can view them from home. You have got the most gorgeous children!!!

Okay, so... we're waiting. More TR, please!

 

[meegster]

Sorry all - we just had 5 days of non-stop activity surrounding my husband's 20 yr high school reunion - he was quarterback so we spent hours, heck, days with the team and their spouses reliving the glory days - even pulled out an old VHS of a game - that got the boys all worked up. Work's gotten busy too but I will try to get something up soon. I'm excited to have readers!!
And thanks for the compliments on my kids BabyFavorite !

 

[chepic]

Subscribing....although I am going on an Eastern, love to read all I can on any disney TR.....and I too concur, your children are adorable.

che

 

[meegster]

Sorry for the VERY long delay but figured I still had written record of our trip so I'm posting it for any readers still hanging on . . . I still don't have all my pictures up but will add them in later.

Yes, so today was my dream come true. I was going to be swimming with dolphins. I tear up just thinking about it. I was going to be a marine biologist as a kid, memorized Island of the Blue Dolphins and I wear a necklace with 3 dolphins on it to represent my 3 kids. I’m in heaven.

Our whole travel party has decided to just spend the whole day at Chankanaab Park – a short 10-15 min cab ride from port. This is where the Dolphin Discovery complex was and the park was packed with other things to do – it’s on the beach for snorkeling with gear rental available, there are pools for swimming and sunning, bars and food service. It’s a great place to spend the day. We booked this on our own, there was an online coupon for a couple dollars off each person for Park Admission so we used that as well.

Our excursion time is 12 noon so myself, DH, DFW & DFD head over the check in. We wait for over half an hour in the heat because the staff is running late. That was a drag. We start really complaining about being late and we all get the brush off as its Mexican time – relax. They finally call our group in to watch the introductory DVD showing us what we’ll encounter and how to behave around the dolphins. Finally it’s time to get suited up in lifevests and venture into the water. DF, DMom & DDad were going to try to come take pictures and video but got stopped at the dock. DF paid the security guard to allow them to come in and bingo – they’re in. Don’t remember our trainer’s name, she was lively though. And I’d have to check the video for the dolphins’ names – I was just so overwhelmed. I think they were overbooked or something because most of the swim groups went into the biggest middle pool but we were escorted into one of the side small pools – I was disappointed about that. Anyway, we head into the water and stand on metal grates off to the side as we’re introduced. We have about 8-10 people in our group.

We get to pet the dolphins, “hug” them and kiss them for photos, do the dorsal fin pull with the 2 dolphins and then the foot push up out of the water – that was the coolest!

We also then swam out in the middle, watch them jump and dance for us and we got to touch them more.

It felt really short and rushed and hard to do in the small pool but it was an experience of a lifetime!

After the swim, we rejoin our group back on the beach. DF’s in-laws watched all the kids – so thankful for that! We ate a little since we were starving from waiting so long passed lunch for our swim. Food was ok but pricey. We should have just left for the ship as the rest of the day wouldn’t work out so great. DS was running around in the sand playing baseball with himself, as he often does, when he came over bawling – he has sliced the whole bottom of his toe open on something in the sand – we never found what. Blood everywhere and kids freaking out, we get him calm and bandaged up with napkins, can’t remember if we located band-aids or not. Luckily, DH is a Paramedic Firefighter so he takes care of it but TIME TO GO!

This was a cute one of my kiddos with my DMom waiting for the taxis.

We hop in a van and car taxi combo to take the 13 of us back to the ship. The kids are losing it, long day of sun and swimming – everyone’s tired – I look back to check on DS and I can see in his face he’s going to puke! Lovely! I get the other kids out of the way and my DH is closest and is in time to get most of it in his hands. Talk about love. Luckily we had lots of towels from the ship to clean up and try to contain the illness. My poor DS is just skin and bones so when he gets stomach sick, he just doesn’t have any reserves of energy by the time we walk back to the ship, he’s vomiting again and has to be carried. Poor guy. We figure it’s from the excitement of the day and too much sugar – he doesn’t do well with too much. We get him back to the cabin and he goes right to sleep.

The rest of the afternoon is a little hazy now that DS is sick. I think my DD’s go swimming with the Grands – not sure what our DF & family did. DS is still throwing up and running a fever. Its getting close to first seating so I ready the DDs for Pirate Night to go to dinner with DDad and DMom as we all had great costumes.

DH offers to miss dinner to stay with DS so I get ready in costume and head down to dinner. It was in Animators tonight. Our great wait staff insists I order for DH and DS to send stuff to the cabin – which we do. By the time I return from dinner, DH is considering the medical center as DS keep throwing up any medicine we give him to get his fever down. We keep the girls away with my parents or in the club. It was lucky we had those adjoining cabins because we could close the doors and keep the girls over there and have them sleep there to avoid exposure. As the Pirate Party approaches, DH takes DS to the medical center, which is now closed. Luckily the very nice ship doctor comes up to check out DS and give him an IV. I took the girls to the Pirate Party but they were cranky and tired from trying to stay up so late.

And this is DD2 learning to make a hook from her finger from Christiaan - he was the best interacting with the kids!

We enjoyed a little dancing but it was pretty windy. They stuck it out until the fireworks and then we booked it to bed in the Grands cabin. I went back out in search of DH and DS. Find them leaving the medical center. DS is quarantined to the room. Concierge is now involved to keep us as comfortable as possible with DS stuck in the room. They send lots of pedialite pops and powerade to the room, menus for the next day and a flat screen with DVD player with 100’s a movies for DS to choose from should he wake up as well as a contact from the club for any activities or toys he might want. The vomiting finally stopped at the medical center so he just came back to the cabin with me and DH and slept. Fever was up and down through the night but no more sickness.

Luckily a day at sea was up next . . .

 

[meegster]

DH woke up to go for a run, I was on DS illness watch. When DH returned, I ventured out to do the same. Since it was a sea day there was no where to be first thing. The DDs went to breakfast with the Grands – do I have the best parents in the world?!!!! I know I do. I met up with them after my run then we went back to the cabins to figure out what to do. DH and I had couples massages booked for 10:30 so after taking the DDs swimming for a bit, we took them to the club while DMom watched the ill boy from the adjoining cabin. He seemed to be doing ok, just sleeping – the whole time. But no more sickness. Whew. The couples massages were squeezed into one room without any ambiance. If it costs extra since it’s a couples package, just skip it. Or maybe do a spa villa – maybe we’ll do that next time. Massages were ok – nice just the same but not the best ever and certainly not romantic like we’d had with other couples massages.

Felt a little pressed for time, we checked on the girls still enjoying the club and having lunch. We went down to check on the boy who had been awake for about 30 mins and drinking some fluids. Good thing. He chose a couple DVD’s to watch but was asleep by the time they arrived – and no, it wasn’t because they took long, he was just out of energy. By now, DDad was back in his cabin to read so he offered to stay with DS so we grabbed some lunch, DDad had already eaten. We just ate by the pool I think. Can’t recall. We pulled the girls back out for a bit to see if they wanted to swim while they could. So they did for a bit and all the grown-ups took turns staying with DS throughout the afternoon and going back and forth to the pool.

Early seating was fast approaching – need to do early with our young kids but man, it seems to cut into the day. Tonight was semi-formal night. DMom offered to stay back with DS this time as he was still just tired and weak and not really eating much anyway. By now he’s more awake and keeping fluids and crackers down. We go to the Captain’s Gala for the free cocktails but don’t do any pictures since our whole family wasn’t together. This would be Lobster night, I believe, in Parrot Cay, which DMom was wanting to eat. We had the menus already so we just let her pick and we ordered for them both from the dining room, DS got rolls, soup crackers, Cheerios and maybe some chicken tenders – pretty mellow since we weren’t sure what would stay down. The fish smell bugged him so much though that DMom had to eat in her cabin with the door closed and the verandah doors open. He was so sensitive and never threw up again.

I’d forgotten to mention that throughout the day, we were getting calls from Concierge staff checking on DS as well as an afternoon check from the doctor on DS. Since he’d stopped vomiting since last night things were looking up – outside of him having nothing in his system and just exhausted.

After we eat, we trade with DMom so she can take the DDs to the production of Disney Dreams. DH and I head back to hang out with DS who is MUCH better and has been awake since the afternoon. He’s kept some food down and finished off all his fluids. About 9pm, we get a call that if he’s better, he’s cleared from quarantine. YEAH ! He wants out of the cabin! We peeked into the Disney Dreams show but didn’t see our family. DS wanted to hit the arcade, which we had been able to avoid the whole cruise so far! So in celebration of his health, we did. On the way, we checked in with the Club. The kids missed the Graduation ceremony from the club with all the sickness chaos. They still gave all 3 kids their shirts and graduation ears – thought that was really nice!! We walked around a little, taking some pictures of DS since he’s been missing from any activity for over 24 hours. At the arcade, he plays his favorite golf game and maybe an NFL one too. I run down to catch my mom after the show to see what’s up. The girls want to go to the club for a bit so we do that and the Grands turn in. I head back up to the arcade and once the game card is empty, the three of us roam around a bit more. Then about 10:30 we pick up the girls from the Club and all head to bed. The girls still sleeping with the Grands just to be safe.

Next up - Dream Beach Day - Castaway Cay !

 

[meegster]

I’ve been looking forward to this day as my 2nd favorite thing after the Dolphin Swim. Can’t remember if either DH or I hit the gym but not matter. We do awake to DD1 being hot and saying she needs to be sick. YOU’RE KIDDING ME !! She does get sick once and is running a fever so we pile on the meds. I stay with her during breakfast while the rest go up to Topsiders – DS is finally starving! DD1 and I check out our view of the island and wonder if she’ll make it ashore. By the time we’re ready to venture ashore, her fever is gone and she’s not gotten sick again so we attempt. Everyone is very excited but DD1 is a little mellow for her usual perky self. We decide to grab chairs on the family beach and figure we’ll hook up with DF and his family when they come ashore. We take a few pictures with characters and ride the tram to the family beach. The kids run to the water and play for a good hour. Then DD1 poops out. She sleeps most of the rest of the afternoon in the shade – no sickies, just sleep. DH and DS try to snorkel when DF and DFS show up – they don’t go out for long and couldn’t find Mickey because DS was nervous to go out that far. Once back, DH starts in – he’s got a tummy ache and falls asleep next to DD1 for most of the mid-day. The rest of us play in the water and ate lunch at Cookies BBQ by family beach. Ok food. Kept the menu mellow for the kids just in case. DD1 did eat a little but was still sleepy and was getting warm again. DDad & DMom had had enough sun so they offered take DD1 back to the ship. She got sick once more back in the room but then just slept the rest of the afternoon. I played with DS and DD2 for the afternoon and around 3pm, DH had had enough and wanted to go back too. We head back to the ship, taking photos along the way.

Once back on the ship, we checked in on DD1 who was just resting in the cabin with the Grands. DS and DD2 had a little pool time until it was time for dinner. Since it was our last night and DD1 wasn’t hot or throwing up, we all ventured to dinner for our last night. We brought our tips for our servers – they were just wonderful and we so hope we see them again on our next trip. DD1 was asleep at the table and DH didn’t eat so went back to the cabin. We needed to pack up and get our suitcases out. DS and DD2 wanted to go their clubs while I packed – no problem. DS went straight there and DD2 went to the last show with DMom and then brought her back to the cabin to check in. DD1 was still out so DD2 would go to the club alone. After I dropped DD2 at the club, I returned to the cabin. Within 5 mins, there was a knock on the door and when I opened it, all that was there was a huge bag of goodies and a Get Well card for DD1. With DD2 being a twin, you notice when one is missing but the Club staff went above and beyond – there were pictures and crayons to color, bouncy balls, sunglasses, puzzles, a Disney “Brave” award button and a hand written card from her favorite counselors – guess they liked her too. I couldn’t believe it and I stood there and cried, probably from the stress of everyone being sick and all but it still tugged at my heart. DH rolls over and says, “We’ll be back, hon, they just won us all over”. So there, he said it! This had no longer become a once in a lifetime trip – we would come back, someday! I ran right up to the club and thanked them all as I bawled. What a special experience for my kids.

Then it was back to packing. I also had to be sure I got the last of my pictures at Shutters, cuz I knew they took some cute ones at Castaway Cay that day. Man, that place was crazy!! Remind me not to wait until the last minute there again. Back to the cabin and finished packing. I think I was done just about 11pm and went to get DD2 and DS who were just enjoying their time showing no signs of being tired. Oh well, time for bed – since they were the well ones, they slept with the Grands.

Next up - See Ya Real Soon !