4/17 Eastern Mom & Daughter Adventure!

[dianthus]

This was our 4th cruise on DCL & a truly memorable one. I’ve never posted a trip report before, but wanted to share our experience doing a cruise as a mother/daughter traveling without DH/Dad, which was different. We missed him as we have always cruised together, but our adventure was a lot of fun. I truly appreciate what Doug goes through schlepping our luggage when we travel now. We will certainly pack lighter from now on( and I thought we did for this trip!)!! I was the main schlepper & that was the hardest part of the trip- navigating the 3 bags + 2 carry ons in the airports! Thank god they had wheels! We did well, thanks to smart carts as well!

In January of this year, I asked my DD Taylor what she would like to do for her 13th birthday on 4/17, which was the start of her school vacation week. We had just returned from our 3rd DCL cruise -7 day Western in November, where we celebrated our 25th anniversary. Taylor said she would love to be on the ship again, but knew it wasn’t possible so soon after our last cruise…. My DH had an important meeting scheduled for the week of 4/17, so he would not be able to travel. He suggested a Mom/Daughter trip on the Magic as a surprise. He knew the Eastern itinerary & would feel comfortable with us being on the ship without him. I got a great rate on a CAT 7 Navigator Balcony, so I booked & the planning for our mom/daughter trip began!

We always have sailed CAT 5 or 6 midship, so the CAT 7, aft was going to be an adventure for us, as I was trying to save some money. Since we are used to a balcony, I knew it would be hard to sail without one. It was a pleasant surprise! It is very cozy- a bit more enclosed than the plexi one & more private. It has a bench & chair & is decorated in teak. The opening is a huge porthole, with a railing to lean on. You do have to stand to see out well, but it was not as windy as the regular balconies. We loved the aft of the ship. With all the rockin’ & rollin’ on Sat. & Sunday, we didn’t feel the motion any more back there than midship. It was very quiet & convenient to everything! We always sleep so well on the ship!!

I got a $39 rate on Priceline at the Hyatt MCO- $50 w/tax. We arrived on 4/16 early evening on Song from BDL, great flight. Grabbed a smart cart, got the luggage & up the elevator! How easy is that!The air was not working in the room they assigned us, so they moved us to a mini suite on the spa level with a huge terrace! We had dinner at Chili’s downstairs, shopped the promenade- the store “Women Rock” is really cute. Check it out when you are in the MCO Airport. We got some snacks, went up to the room & swam in the pool ( which is very nice) for a while & went to bed early. We ordered room service for a birthday breakfast celebration & had it on the terrace, as it was a picture perfect day!! It was so nice to escape the cold, dreary CT weather! It was fun to see the planes landing & taking off too! We were so excited to board the ship!Happy Limo picked us up at 9:30 AM sharp in the motor court downstairs. We were off in a nice towncar, made a quick stop at Publix for soda, water and some snacks. We brought a duffle bag & tagged it to put the groceries in – to check them at the Port. Then you don’t have to carry them around until your room is ready, which is at 1:30PM now.

Happy Limo dropped us off in the tent area in the parking lot, as it was before 10:30AM. The porter took our luggage & we walked across the street & got through security, check in was quick & we got on line. We had linked our dining ressies with Rae, Tom & Michael and Deb & Becky from the DIS boards. I felt like I knew Rae from the boards over the years & I was excited to meet my Dis board friend in person! Rae & I love Head Server Gaspare, so we had requested his rotation & Rae’s favorite server, Alex- who is definitely the most professional, accomodating and personable server on the ship. We met a couple of our previous servers that we loved as well upon embarking & when they heard we had Alex, they too (individually, in separate conversations) said Alex was the best server on the ship. High compliment, coming from peers!

Topsiders was very crowded, so we had a nice leisurely lunch at Parrot Cay. We checked out the Stack, did the spa tour, strolled around & by then our stateroom was ready to enter. Our Steward Maurice introduced himself & took great care of us all week long. He made combo towel/blanket animals- very creative! He was so cute- on Wednesday, he thanked us for keeping our room so clean! He said he cleaned our room in ½ the time it took to do the others & he really appreciated it. He gave Taylor extra chocolate mints! He was so nice to us- love ya Maurice! I didn’t think we were being that neat… BTW, they make you sign for your Castaway gifts now- first time we had to do that. It was our second beach towel & set of pins- got the same gift on the Western. He said it became necessary to do as some people say they didn’t get theirs, trying to get two or three sets… That’s not right, but that’s what happens when a freebie is involved for some people…DCL should change the gift annually so you receive a different gift, or give you a choice of 2 or 3 items to select from for repeat cruisers…. We love the bag we got in 2002 & use it all the time! Our luggage came quickly- we unpacked, got organized & headed up to Animators for the safety drill. We always were on deck 4 for it & it was nice not to stand in the hot sun with those dorky, bulky vests on. AP was not as organized as the deck drill people, but I suspect it’s the tables that cause the problems- very noisy, but nice to sit down. OK, on to the deck party to meet our DIS board friends! Taylor brought her Mickey Mitts she got as a gift two years ago to wave back at the DCL crew in their Mickey Mitts on the terminal balcony! She was truly having a magical birthday!!

I'll continue my report a little later... I'll post the rest as a reply to this thread so I don't have multiple threads going, as some posters requested in the consolidation thread that is going. Hope this helps! Just scroll down to see the rest if you are interested!

~ Linda

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Linda - I'm really enjoying your trip report so far! Thanks for taking the time to post it!

 

[staylor]

great report, cannot wait to read the rest.

 

[Masonpips]

love your report so far; keep them coming!

Also, how did you surprise your daughter and when?

 

[dianthus]

I’m glad you guys are enjoying my report! I’m trying to hit the highlights. I wanted to keep the cruise as a surprise, but her Soccer Team was going to a big tournament the weekend of 4/17. She overheard me telling her Coach in February that she wouldn’t be there. I didn’t realize she was standing behind me! When I turned around she had a big smile on her face, so I knew she heard me!! It worked out well, as we planned out our days and all the details together, something we couldn’t have done if it was a surprise. Taylor & Becky emailed before the cruise & got to know each other a bit, which was nice for both of them. She also had some time to save money for shopping in St. Maarten & St. Thomas, which we looked forward to. The last mother/daughter trip we took together was when she was 9. We went to Chicago & the American Girl Place. We had a blast there doing high tea in the Cafe ( pinkies up!) & the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier!

We met Rae with big hugs on Deck 10! It was great to finally put a face to her disboard name. She is truly a wonderful person, such as bundle of energy! She had her beaded shrimp necklace on. Janie presented her with a shrimp lei necklace & crowned her the Shrimp Queen! Rae’s husband Tom was cracking up. So cute & fitting for Rae! We met Deb & Becky, our other tablemates & quickly became fast friends too! It was a pleasure to meet Estelle, Ed, Janie & her husband and all the other DIS board people, too numerous to mention. We had a big group on board! We saw the welcome aboard variety show which was great as usual- ventriloquist & juggler. Went to Bingo with Rae- she won $52 and we all went to dinner – late seating. Had APL rotation. We love the late seating, as you don’t rush that much before hand. Taylor had a great birthday celebration- they presented her with a strawberry mousse cake, which we brought back to the room, as we were stuffed after the regular dessert! Rae, Deb & Becky brought her presents, which was so sweet! Taylor & Becky took off for the Stack after dinner and I explored for a while. We had the character breakfast the next morning at 9:45 AM. I was pooped from schlepping luggage & getting up early!

We woke up to a beautiful day, but it got gloomier & rockier as the day progressed. The Character breakfast was fun with Deb & Becky. This was their first cruise & it was fun to see them taking everything in for the first time! Rae opted out to sleep in, as she wasn’t feeling too well from the rocking. Sunday was the rockiest seas we ever experienced, so it was difficult walking around on the ship! We don’t get sea sick thank goodness, but we felt bad for those that do, as it was tough. The waves were 13 to 20 ft. & pounded the ship. They closed Deck 4 Port side, as the waves were crashing up that high! We were getting our pic taken for formal night upstairs on Deck 4 by the staircase & it was hard to stand still. We watched the huge chandelier swaying across from us in the atrium , it was pretty bad! Most didn’t make it to the planned DIS lunch, as many were sick. We were still full from breakfast. We did go to the DVC Members Meet & got our logo swag- red DVC hats, mousepads & water bottles- cool!

We went to the Shopping in Paradise seminar. Clyde was good, but Arno from our last cruise was better, more informative-imho! For all you shoppers out there- They have a new program since we cruised in November for Disney, Royal Carribean & Princess cruise lines called the Passporter. It’s a book chock packed with coupons and freebies for visiting stores. It’s good for all the Caribbean islands, including the Western cruise too. You have to go to Del Sol & purchase it for $20, which includes a free shopping tote that changes colors in the sun. With all the freebies, discounts & tote bag which is very nice, you make your $20 back easily! They were also raffling them off at Bingo for prizes. Diamonds International has a program too. Give them a coupon you get in the shopping talk for a free charm bracelet, with a starfish charm, with a tiny diamond chip on it. Wear it in a DI store in St. Thomas & get another charm. You can collect charms in all the ports they have stores. 12 in all through the caribbean. They aren’t the best quality, but it’s a fun thing to do as a keepsake!

We saw the Golden Mickeys for the first time Sunday. It was great, but we still think Disney Dreams is the best one. In November, we had Darren Romeo, an illusionist from Sigfreid & Roy show while they were getting the Golden Mickeys production together. Taylor loves Bingo on the ship, so that was a daily event. We won several times in the past, but not on this trip. The jackpot was over $6500.00 the last day. Que from South Africa is the Bingo Meister now. Andy was promoted to Assistant Cruise Director. It was his first cruise back in his new position. He said She-She would be back in 2 weeks & she was going to an entertainer! We love her & wish her well. Keeley, Dimitrius & Manon did bingo. Karen was onboard, but was doing the latin dance lessons, not bingo anymore. Que & crew were very good, but we missed Andy, She-She & Karen. They were always too funny! We missed “nugget love”! Rae didn’t make it to dinner for a few nights after the high seas. Tom said she was in bad shape! She slept most of the sea day, which was pretty good for her recovery. We felt so bad! We had our happy little group back together for dinner by Tuesday night.

Monday, on the 2nd sea day the sun came out and the weather was much calmer. We laid out in the sun, I did the rain forest & Taylor went to the Stack for a bit. We did the Behind the Scenes Stage tour, which was quite good. The stage manager talked about how technical the Golden Mickeys are & how much can go wrong if they are off in the timing. One of the cast members has a 21 second quick change- hard to do. They use all 30 of their performers in this show, as opposed to 20 for Hercules. After a great dinner, Deb & I had drinks in Sessions and chatted. The Girls went exploring. They didn’t spend too much time in the Stack. They found it boring and some of the activities ( and teens) a bit immature. Taylor was excited to be able to go in the Stack, as she was 13, but once she got there was unimpressed. Becky felt the same way. I think they just expected better… The two sea days were fun & relaxing, despite the turbulent weather we had Sunday. On to St. Martin, where we did the French Riviera Beach excursion & some great shopping!

~ Linda

More to come…

 

[dianthus]

We did the DCL Beach excursion to Orient Beach in St. Maarten. It was a beautiful day & we love that beach-water is clear, waves were good. The DCL excursion goes to Waikiki. Good lunch & they provide padded loungers- very nice. It’s at the left end of the beach, not near Club Orient. Not much nudity on that side, just topless, which to me is no big deal. Not very noticeable unless you were looking for it…We left at 9:45 AM. By 1:30PM, we felt like we didn’t want anymore sun, as we didn’t want to be fried to a crisp. As the buses weren’t due to leave until 2:45PM, we took a taxi back with a really nice DCL cruiser Liz & her two young sons Nick & Stephen. They were little dare devils in the waves & Liz was concerned…The taxi fare was $6 per person + a tip. We showered, changed & hopped onto the water taxi & went into town shopping for a while. Taylor found a great “Little Louie” mini speedy knock off for $30.00. Looks just like my big Speedy, which is old, but real. So we call them Mama Louie & Baby Louie now. She bought a nice knock off Louie Murakami watch for $20, a prada mini wallet too for $20.00 & a great caribbean hook bracelet with a heart clasp. I bought DH a Philip Stein watch in Joe’s Jewelry, as I felt so bad he wasn’t there. They gave me a great price- about 40% off US price, if you can find them here. Apparently Oprah has made them very popular recently as she got one as a gift. Ann Morin has recommended Joe’s & I agree they are great to deal with! He saw them in a Grand Cayman store in November, but forgot to go back & buy it, so I did this time around for him! Philip Stein is the watch that protects you from the harmful effects of excess herz electricity gives off. It’s pretty cool technology. It has a chip inside that neutralizes it’s effects. Looks nice too! Doug loved it! We did a lot of shopping in 2 hours & Taylor was so pleased with her purchases! Went back to the ship, had dinner, went to the Deck party which is always fun & saw the Lady Killers at 11PM.

St. Thomas Day was overcast, but warm. We went into town for shopping. We browsed all the high end stuff, which is so much fun to look at. The selection there is awesome. Taylor & I picked out all the jewelry we want to buy if we hit the Lotto someday – LOL! The quality of the knock offs were not as good in St. Thomas- really cheap looking, so she was glad she did her shopping in St. Maarten. The Philip Steins were $100 more in St. Thomas, so I was glad I shopped at Joe’s! I had Verizon cell service in St. Thomas, so we called Dad & talked to him. It was better than sending emails & a nice surprise for him! Verizon & AT & T seemed to be the 2 that worked down there after talking to some people on the ship. We went back early & relaxed onboard. The ship was empty until about 4PM. We had the pools to ourselves. Since I was solo, I hadn’t made brunch ressies at Palo’s, which is my favorite. I asked Deb if she was interested, if they had room-, which she was. I stopped by Palo’s about 5PM & inquired. They just had a cancellation for 10:30 on Thursday, so we were in for the next day. I was so pleased!

The third sea day was terrific, weather was sunny & warm- no rocking! We did the Palo brunch- terrific, did the kitchen tour- fun & played the big bingo in WD theatre- 1 winner from Mass! About 75% of the ship was from Mass- primarily Boston & many from Connecticut. Says alot about our weather, doesn’t it? It was spring break for New England. No one was left up there, but my husband I think! He was lonely! Don “Ducky” Williams, the chief illustrator for Disney was onboard doing talks & was in our dinner rotation. He did some sketches for the kids in our rotation, as there were so few of them. Taylor got a personalized Ariel sketch from him & Becky got a Tinkerbelle one, both their favorites! What a treasure! Gaspare- The Head Server & Alex, our server made that happen. Thanks guys! You are the best of the best!

Castaway Cay weather was perfect! In 4 sailings, we have had the good fortune of great weather each time! Love that place. A dark cloud loomed in the late afternoon that looked threatening. We got back on ship around 3:30. It started to rain after the all aboard was over around 4:30. How’s that for timing? We packed up early & went to the farewell show, shutters to buy some pics & our last dinner together. We said our good byes at breakfast & bid the Magic farewell. See you again soon! We got a Porter quickly. It was his birthday, so we gave him a big tip! Avis shuttle was quick. I reserved a convertible for us, but quickly realized the luggage wasn’t going to fit- it was too small. It was comical to see us trying to stuff the bags in the car! We were bummed, but we got a nice full size car & went to Boardwalk for 2 extra days. The weather was beautiful. Epcot had the Flower & Garden show going on – love that show! We rode Rockin’ Roller Coaster 3 times, did most of the big rides except Mission Space & Test Track. No fast passes left & waits were too long. We flew home Monday and was greeted by rain! What a surprise! It was good to see DH/Dad, as we were missing him a great deal! But we did have a fantastic time together! I am so proud and fortunate to have such a wonderful daughter! She is blossoming into a great, self assured, caring young woman. This was a great way for us to celebrate her coming of age- into her teen years. The best is yet to come… I guess we’ll have to do this again sometime in the not too distant future. Girls just wanna have fun!

If you have any questions on the cruise, please ask. I’m happy to answer them for you!

~ Linda

 

[disneydreamer1970]

Thank you for a great trip report!!!

I can't wait to do something like this for my DD as well!!!! She is only 3 right now!!!