6-8-08 Magic & Mickey to Mexico...MORE Pictures Added!!

[justmestace]

Oh, sorry, miscommunication. Our transport did give us a time for pickup to go back to airport factoring in traffic conditions etc...to meet our flight in time. What I meant was how did you know what time to tell them to pick you up when getting off the ship? Because who knows when DCL will let us off since we don't have a flight to catch that day.

Do you know your dining time yet? If you have early dining, you'll be off the ship no later than 8:00 or 8:15. If you have the later dining, you'll be off the ship at 9:30 at the latest. I had told them 9:00 a.m....but they wanted me to call them when we got in to port, so I called them just before breakfast to tell them that it would be 9:30. They'd had a limo waiting for us since 8:30 or so anyway.

 

[vossjemi]

We are early dining, but don't know yet if it'll be 5:30, 5:45, or 6:00. Right now, we are tenatively set for a 9:00 am pick up. It looks like that sounds about right from your experience. They have my cell & I theirs too in case something changes up. Thanks! Great rpt! I can hardly believe I'll be going in 6 weeks since I've been planning this since Jan07!

 

[Sophia37]

Hi Stace, thank you for your report My husband and I are leaving on the June 29th cruise. I would love to go on the Randi's Happy Horse tour, but I cannot get ahold of them. I sent an e-mail, and I keep trying to call, but ALWAYS get a busy signal. Am I doing something wrong? Did it take a long time for them to get back to your friends?( I cannot remember the relation) I would really appreciate any help

 

[aseal]

Do you know your dining time yet? If you have early dining, you'll be off the ship no later than 8:00 or 8:15. If you have the later dining, you'll be off the ship at 9:30 at the latest. I had told them 9:00 a.m....but they wanted me to call them when we got in to port, so I called them just before breakfast to tell them that it would be 9:30. They'd had a limo waiting for us since 8:30 or so anyway.

Hi Stace,

It was nice to meet you on the ship. I just wanted to comment that we had the latest breakfast 8:45 and we barely made our 10:30 driver that we had reserved to pick us up. I hope this helps someone. Thanks Alana

 

[justmestace]

Hi Stace, thank you for your report My husband and I are leaving on the June 29th cruise. I would love to go on the Randi's Happy Horse tour, but I cannot get ahold of them. I sent an e-mail, and I keep trying to call, but ALWAYS get a busy signal. Am I doing something wrong? Did it take a long time for them to get back to your friends?( I cannot remember the relation) I would really appreciate any help

I e-mailed her about 3 or 4 times before she did finally answer. She's out with the horses and riders every day and comes home to a family...so I know she gets really busy. It was my daughter and son-in-law, and they raved about Randi and the good time they had.

 

[Sophia37]

I e-mailed her about 3 or 4 times before she did finally answer. She's out with the horses and riders every day and comes home to a family...so I know she gets really busy. It was my daughter and son-in-law, and they raved about Randi and the good time they had.

Do you think that I still have a chance to get a spot...it is a little late Thank you so much for your advice. I will keep e-mailing her I like the whole (small bills) in the add. Maybe I should put 100 one dollar bills in a suitcase Thanks again!!!!

 

[justmestace]

Do you think that I still have a chance to get a spot...it is a little late Thank you so much for your advice. I will keep e-mailing her I like the whole (small bills) in the add. Maybe I should put 100 one dollar bills in a suitcase Thanks again!!!!

Since Megan and Dave were the only two that day, I'd say you still have a good chance. They took all fives and ones!! Oh...Randi told them that she would KILL for pickle relish....tell her in your e-mail that you know the "Honeymooners" and will bring her a jar of relish. That should get her attention!!

 

[justmestace]

Here is the last of the report...finally...will add pictures tonight or tomorrow.


Finally getting this thing finished…..

Tuesday…June 17th…..Early Entry

I would have bet money that we wouldn’t ALL be up and ready to be at the gates at 7 am….but we did it. So did about 50 million other people. Wow.
And of course, my grand plan of hitting Finding Nemo was the same grand plan of at least 35 million of the rest of the crowd. Lol I’m the only one from our group that cared enough to try Nemo. I think the rest of them hit the Matterhorn. Once I saw the Nemo line, I wanted to cry. I couldn’t believe it. For me, it’s a nostalgia thing again. I’ve really missed the submarines. Luckily, they have a separate viewing room for the handicapped. It isn’t quite the same as actually being in the sub, but at least I did get to see what it was all about. I realized that I probably couldn’t have managed the spiral stairway down into the sub anyway. I was the only one in the viewing room, had a nice bench and air conditioning. They have it done up “Disney style” so that it feels & looks like you’re in a sub.
When I was done, I found the gang had gone on the Matterhorn, and also Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters and they were hopping right back on, so I joined them there. Again, the “boys” in the group really enjoy the competition of this type of attraction. Go figure.
We made our way around Fantasyland, again enjoying all the rides of our childhoods, and were able to enter Adventureland as soon as it hit 8:00 and the main gates opened for everyone. Got on Pirates, Indy and Haunted Mansion right away, and then used my pass to do Splash Mountain. By the time we finished there, the crowds had gotten thick. We made one tour of the Jungle Cruise, and everyone decided to go their separate ways. It’s tough to manuever with 10 people in a group.
Megan, Dave and I did another favorite…we had Mickey pancakes at the River Belle Terrace...a 1955 original. We then went through the Haunted Mansion one more time, and took the train from New Orleans Square to Main street. I left them after that…the crowds again were just too much for me. I went back to the hotel and hit the pool again. I found Frances already there, and shortly after, Jared, Lauren, Emily and Megan & Dave joined us.
Thank heavens we’d had the foresight to make priority seating arrangements at Storyteller’s (at the Grand Californian) the night before. We didn’t want to have to wander for hours again looking for someplace to eat.
We all decided on the buffet, and it was really, really good.
After dinner, we went back in to California Adventure. Things had quieted down some since the grand opening of Toy Story Mania earlier that day. SIX HOUR waits for that ride!! Unbelievable that anyone would stand in line that long for anything. And then it broke down!! I think some people really need to prioritize. But then…I am the one who HAD to see the Nemo ride…..
Speaking of people needing to prioritize…..I can’t tell you how many newborns we saw in the parks. New, new, new babies! I asked one Mom, and her baby was 2 weeks old. Crazy. And it was HOT. Not to mention, I don’t know how these gals can give birth and say “Let’s go to Disneyland during the most crowded time of year!”. They are obviously much younger than I was when I had my last kid.

Anyway…..we had a blast, even though we didn’t go on one ride. We went to Disney Animation and spent forever in there. We took a quick class with a Disney animator and learned how to draw Tigger, we found out what character we are…..I’m Ariel.
They have a carousel that demonstrates how animation works, that is just astonishing. I’ve been in there before, but this must be something new. I can’t even begin to describe it, but I hope everyone who goes takes time to go in and see all that there is to see in this “attraction”.
We did get in line for the Monster’s Inc ride, and just before we got in to the car, the ride broke. I guess this had happened to some in our group the other day also, but Frances and I had ridden it yesterday with no problem.
The Electrical Parade was getting ready to start, so most of the group headed over to Disneyland. Jared, Megan and Dave wanted to ride Grizzly Peak, because it’s right at the private GC entrance, and easy to get to your room to change clothes after you get wet on it. They did that while I tried to take some shots of the full moon against Grizzly Peak, but it was too cloudy.
We went up to the rooms, they all changed clothes, and we went over to Disneyland too. The fireworks had already gone off, so we were again “swimming upstream” on Main Street. Megan & Dave stopped to have their profiles cut out…I have my kids’ framed since they were little.
We started to head for Indiana Jones and the other rides in Adventureland, when we found out that Fantasmic was just starting. BONUS! We actually found a bench to sit on just as it started. I really, really miss the VIP balcony seating at Walt’s apartment in New Orleans Square (it is now the Dream Suite) but we lucked out and got a great spot for free. This was Dave’s first visit, so he was fascinated.

Which reminds me, they have new buttons available at City Hall. They have ones that say “First Time” and “Honeymoon” & another one or two. I thought that was a nice new touch.

Megan and Dave stayed for one last round of the Jungle Cruise, Jared had told them how fun it is in the dark, and I went back to the hotel. Virgil & Frances and their family are leaving early tomorrow, as are Megan and Dave, but Jared & I and Nick & Kristin are staying. We leave the hotel at 5 pm tomorrow, while Nick & Kristin have a couple more days.

Wednesday….June 18.….
After seeing most of the group off, Jared and I walked through Downtown Disney, not really wanting to fight any crowds in the parks. I noticed that DTD wasn’t as crowded. We decided to ride the Monorail into Tomorrowland. What a surprise!! There was NO waiting for Autopia (boy did I get tired of hearing people call it Auto-topia) and very little wait for Nemo! I did the accessible part again while Jared rode in the sub.
Then we basically walked on to Buzz Lightyear. If I’d known the crowd was so light, we would have packed up sooner and gone in earlier! Jared had fun watching the kids do the experience with Darth Vader. I think he wished he were younger so he could learn to use a light saber. ;
We then made a last, slow walk down Main Street on our way back to the hotel to wait for our car.
All too soon, we were at the airport, on the plane, and back in Phoenix, where it was still 106 outside!! I’d gotten used to 85 during the day and in the 60’s at night!

I’ll be adding pictures tonight or tomorrow..stay tuned!

A few random tidbits & observations:

Disembarkation goes SO MUCH faster if you have passports. We were in line behind a couple of families still using birth certificates and it took forever for them to clear customs.

It is very easy in all of the ports to get off the ship and arrange a tour, either by boat or taxi…and much cheaper and more personalized. Also very safe. I have done this in many, many places and wished I’d done it again here, like we did in ‘05.

Some of the group were annoyed at all of the peddlers, on the beach and at the piers, but they don’t bother me. I just say “no thanks” and keep walking.

Take your drivers’ license to use as your photo I.D. to get back on the ship. Don’t take your passport.

Use a waterproof pouch in a fanny pack on all water tours. I got mine at www.magellans.com

One of the most valuable “extras” that I took on the ship were some “s” shaped hooks that I hung on the light fixture on the verandah to dry our swimsuits. I have visions of being choked by the laundry line in the shower on late night potty runs. Lol
The second most valuable was the multiple outlet plug, to charge camera batteries and use my curling iron at the same time…..also an extension cord for those hard-to-reach outlets.


In the parks…..USE FAST PASS. And at Disneyland, use the train to go from one land that is further away…such as Main Street to Toon Town.

You can save your Fast Passes to use after the listed time. They are good for the same day, at any time after the one on the ticket.

Try to find out ahead of time if you are going during a grand opening, or on the last two days for Annual Passholders (like we did)….not that we could have changed our dates….but I’ll know better next time.
If I think of anything else, I’ll post it as I do the pictures.

 

[Sophia37]

Since Megan and Dave were the only two that day, I'd say you still have a good chance. They took all fives and ones!! Oh...Randi told them that she would KILL for pickle relish....tell her in your e-mail that you know the "Honeymooners" and will bring her a jar of relish. That should get her attention!!

Stace...you are amazing!!!! Relish???? Thats easy!!!!

 

[justmestace]

PICTURES!!!!



Magic coming in to port, Sunday, June 8, 2008

Megan & Dave at Match Your Mate

Cabo San Lucas

Los Arcos in Cabo

Medano Beach

Pirate Ship in Cabo

Rock climbing at Lover's Beach in Cabo

 

[justmestace]

And more....Mazatlan

Mazatlan

Terminal area in Maz

Trams to the terminal/Maz

Mazatlan Beach Escape (with DCL) resort...pool #3 of 4

People of Mazatlan saying goodbye as we sail out of port. They did this the last time we were in Maz also.

And I forgot this one of the ship and the tenders in Cabo:

 

[justmestace]

Pirate Mickey and Minnie!

Being Goofy at the character breakfast

The proposal:

 

[Diznyfan68]

I got shivers just looking at these pic's - can't wait to be on her and seeing these places for myself. I have to say, though, that the tenders in Cabo have me feeling just looking at them.

 

[justmestace]

Puerto Vallarta:

PV Terminal Area

Las Caletas (with DCL)

Las Caletas

Malecon/Shopping area in PV

Sand Sculpture at the Malecon

 

[justmestace]

Coming in to port....you can see that it's an industrial port

New display at the entrance to Disneyland:

Main Street crowds:

Animation Carousel (sorry this isn't a very good picture..it was thru glass)

Monorail going past the Grand Californian...taken from our balcony:

Disneyland Electrical Parade...with California Screamin' (Blue Mickey) in the background:

Our dessert/snack box with the VIP seating at the ELP:

 

[justmestace]

I got shivers just looking at these pic's - can't wait to be on her and seeing these places for myself. I have to say, though, that the tenders in Cabo have me feeling just looking at them.

You know that if I could do it with my leg, anyone can! They aren't so bad, here's Frances in one:

 

[Diznyfan68]

I'm holding you to that Stace!

Actually, the pic with Frances gives me more realistic idea of the size of the tenders - next to the Magic they remind me of Matchbox cars!

 

[justmestace]

I'm holding you to that Stace!

Actually, the pic with Frances gives me more realistic idea of the size of the tenders - next to the Magic they remind me of Matchbox cars!

They DO look small next to the ship, but they really are roomy, and they really don't rock as much as you would think they do. I loved it because I was in the front and got my first "sea spray".

 

[justmestace]

Monico the sea lion....I'm being really brave by showing pics of me soaking wet, no makeup, in a swimsuit and looking really crappy.....

Monico kisses:

Stick out your tongues:

Who knew sea lions did this like dolphins do?? And they can also wave goodbye with their fins...

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

..well i'll ..be a cpt. jack's monkee!...sooo this is where you been?

..living the "high~life".


...& here...i was just thinking.....of you...being the prefect ariel,

oh?... where's our picture...with you "perched"..on the rocks? hymmm?

...isn't that fishy? ( he/ha...a' lil ? )


bonus baby?
are you going..to surprise..everyone & wear..your "tails"..on formal night?



..my hiney!!! that's one lucky..fella, ...now..i am begining to
see..why..cast members...call it "thee character "out to have fun" brakfast.


* here's a travel channel secret.....[ my & crash too~ ].....

....oh....sorry..this is a family .......board..but let's justm...the "happy
thought".....around...that pluto & goofy aren't the only hounds,

...liking petted. by ..or johnny b. good..ringing a bell.

* someone who used..to be a cpt. 's ..talked..about how
"bothersome"...it was to have young,sss~creaming girls...always
wanting extra-extra...i guess...we have no ..idea.....who that could've
been? ms...teenager, . fyi, i don't think...."bothersome"

was much of a defense..for jack's be nimble....unless...i missed the mark,
jack..wasn't jumping ..candle sticks?



..i bet...that lil'sea lion..went home "roaring"...about how much he scored

..getting his picture taken, ..with a real..disney princess, huh?

{ don't tell...my lil'cutie..or princess....but i would 've }



....hey! interesting..very, pattern...of anywhere..you go.....there's all

kinds..of ..to be had!


...no kidding,,,no vowels or nouns.."that one being..naughty"..don't need

...this is one honey~doll, ..of a report!

made me feel like.... ,


zeekos, ..did you forget....to get me something? now..that's

a fishy~extender, by hook!



ps..i am going..to show & bark [ a lil'] ...why haven't my mother-in-law
given...me a cruise? { ain't i worth it? } , * when sleeping.




oh, beware..of guys..offering..rings, they are expecting...