7/22/06 or The Oh-Seven Double-Deuce Double Dip Desperados,now updated trip report

[Bethipooh4]

Ahh I have been forgetting our towel animals....

We had(in no particular order)
A snake
A elephant
A lobster(funny story, our host had no idea how to make pinchers for it, and DH took our 2 washcloths and showed him..lol)
A dog(i think)
The dreaded hanging monkey/dead chicken
A stingray(my favorite, it took up half our bed) AND the leaning Towel of Pisa
And Godzilla

 

[Bethipooh4]

Ok Its sea day number 2...wow where did the time go?

Seas are still moderate 4-8 feet..John is still green....(poor baby)
And its our character breakfast morning @ 8:15

So up we get with Michael, DS 16 rolled in at 2(actually 3 with the time change so we let him sleep). Go to our table...and...we are the only ones there. Everyone else slept in(roodoll and hubby got there late). So of the 12 only 6 made it. It was fun....we had Palo brunch scheduled for later so all I wanted was my usual coffee and a chocolate danish....well then I spied the kids menu, and MICKEY WAFFLES!!! Ok, I had been eating them all week, but being served one is different. So I cracked Leo up yet again by ordering off the kids menu...(in previous nights, Michaels desserts looked so good, some of us would order off the kids menu) 1 Mickey waffle and bacon for me...

After breakfast, I stopped in to post (see page 1 or 2) and while I was sitting there, I hear the begginnings of the Mickey 200....yep, lets make a car out of vegetables....so I continue to type, and hear Team 3...the Marshall's..OH NO, they didn't...oh YES they did. My guys and Roodolls hubby got bored and entered. They were given a potato, a carrot, wheels, toothpicks, a butter knife and a cutting board. And had to use all of the above. They had 15 minutes to make a functioning car....well, words cannot do the description of the car justice so I will add a pic when I figure it all out. Anyway, first they won cleanest work area...(ok, they stuck the carrot on top of the potato...minimum mess) then the race...ok there were only 3 teams....but..SCORE one for my desperados...They WON the Mickey 200....WOOHOO.....pins and medals all around...

On to brunch....YUM.....Florencia was our server again since one of us is allergic to honey, and she knew from the previous dinner to watch for it. Brunch was delicious, but for once I preferred our dinner(must have been the Banfi). Oh we ate our fill, and even brave green John ate.

So down to the lab to check on DS and much to my dismay was my encounter with the dreaded counselor of my son. She is not a nice or happy person. I did not appreciate the way she spoke to me, or to the group of 6 boys she was with. I have never felt more unwelcome in the Lab in my life. Now I finally understood what my son was dealing with. Out of the club he came. (if I knew whether the Lab had a manager like stores do, I probably would have had a hissy fit right then and there)..

Ok guilt, Dh take Ds to Quartermasters for the first time in 3 cruises while I begin to pack....

Semi formal dinner is up next, and the mandate to eldest DS be in time to change, I want pictures tonight. Not only was he early, but we had some of the best pictures taken the entire cruise.

The show tonight was Disney Dreams, my all time favorite. It did not fail to disappointment me, and of course I had tears at the end. Then it was off to 70's night....my sole purpose was to get all 4 of the guys on stage for the YMCA....well, my plan didn't go as planned, Pikey only had 2 glow sticks to give out for it, but THANKFULLY chose 2 of our guys. Now thanks to Lampskies and his Turkey day cruisers thread, I knew what they were getting into....they didn't ..Oh yeah, down to nothing but the shorts and into Village people hats....score another for the desperados...OMG...our friend Vinny didn't speak to me the rest of the night...I had to buy him a Bahama Mamma to soothe his ruffled feathers...

We did miss the dessert buffet though, but the show they put on was so much more fun....

Mr beeper didn't go off till after the 70's show, so we all had a good night.

We never made it to the Castaway Members party the previous day, it was scheduled for 5 pm and we were busy getting ready for pirate night with dinner at 5:30. I heard there were over 900 returning cruisers on our cruise.

Well I am on my last load of laundry, and now have to go to the grocery store...will finish the report later today!!!

 

[Ker-Bear]

Thanks for posting. I have no idea whether the kids lab has a manager or not but you are much better than I. I would have been at guest services demanding the manager of the kids area (I'm sure they have one)

What a disappointment for a 9 year old boy. I hope the Wonder's lab doesn't have this problem. My DS is really looking forward to it.

 

[iggbees]

You too?? I sound like Barry White today. Must've been something on the ship - the boys were complaining about their throats on the plane ride home, and my niece was sick on Sunday.

I'm still working on trying to put my trip report together - maybe by the end of the week. Our vacation ended very abruptly - my younger boy got carsick on the way home from the airport (after not getting sick the whole trip w/o meds), the car got a check-engine light on the same trip home. Sunday, I got the sore throat, and my wife got a viral eye infection. Vacation - OVER. <sigh>

bethipooh- thanks for the get wells.

dbinmv- sorry to hear that you're all sick too! i'm finally almost over it. now i just have that post nasal drip cough that i know will go away in time. i think when i wake up in the morning is when the worst of it appears. hope you're all in tip top shape soon!

i'll start with the pictures, since i know how to add them all.

a nice picture of davy jones's ship.

my sister in costa maya, too bad the pool wasn't filled that day.

i thought this was funny because i took this picture to show my boyfriend's mom (who works for dunkin brands) and the people in the background posed for me!

my cousin with party (pirate) paul.

 

[roysbrew]

Bethipooh, Thanks for the great report. Keep it coming.

Iggeebees and DBinMV sorry you are sick, hope you feel better soon.

Iggeebees, we had to buy ice cream at that baskin robbins for our kids. I pride myself on eating local food in different places and tried to find a local ice cream shop with no luck. $7 for ice cream when they had it on the ship. Oh well.

Goofydisney I would love to see a picture of the waterspout from CC. By the time I got my camera it was gone.

 

[roysbrew]

Bethipooh, we saw your veggie car on our way to our CB.

A note about the clubs. I will cover some in my report later. We noticed how low the numbers were in the 3-4's. They said 3-4 numbers were down the past 6 wks. In May '05 on the wonder the 3-4's were crazy packed.

On both sea days we spent time with the kids in the lab. My kids wanted to make flubber and cookies and things their age couldn't do. It helped avoid the crowded mickey pool and was cool so we stayed in the lab. On day they asked us to move because they were moving in the 8-10 group. I heard them radio that there were 80 kids to be moved. And in they came, all yelling and screaming. I thanked god I only have twins.

Not to insult anyone, but even if it is 80 of the best children on the planet, 80 kids no matter what the ratio is is still hectic. I worked at our VBS at church for a week earlier this summer. I was shocked when the 3 -4 y-olds behaved better everyday then the 8 -9 y -olds. I would call out the name of a child was was 1 foot away and they wouldn't answer ( I thought only teenagers did that).

This does not in any way condone mean counselors, but everyone has a breaking point. DH pointed out a kid would he said was so bad during Flubber he made his partner cry ( 8-10). He said they finally kicked him out of the lab. I saw that kid many times with his family acting worse that my 4 y-olds.

I also noticed way more boys then girls. Some of the activities seemed too long. Unfortuately, these days everyone wants to be entertained fast or move on. I think the lab needs some work. Maybe that's why they added Ocean Quest.

One last thing, as parents sometimes I think we want our kids to participate in some activities more than they do. If they had fun watching TV instead of Dancing with Snow White or making Flubber isn't that what matters? They had fun. Maybe they were tired and needed a break. DD passed out almost every night in the club. She was so tired from all the other things she did with DH & me. I was a preschool teacher and some parents wanted me to force their children to do certain things (especially art). Some shy kids will find they can have fun, some active kids will settle down and enjoy a story or paint. The majority will be miserable because it isn't in their nature and we as teachers and parents need to accept it. Now flame me all if you must.

 

[Bethipooh4]

No flames from me at all....

I can't even imagine what the counselors go through on a daily basis. I have all the respect in the world for them. With the exception of the one my son and I dealt with, he had a fabulous time, and loved all of the others that worked in the Lab. In part I think that is why I never complained to anyone and told him to kill her with kindness, or just stay out of her way. No one knows what she may have had going on in her personal life. I did note that she did not seem to like it in the lab, and could maybe be better utilized somewhere else on the ship.

I know DH told me about the little boy who acted up in the lab, at one point they had to call a ships officer to remove him and to find his parents. Apparently they weren't answering their pager or their phone. YIKES...

I did relent a little, and if he found himself getting bored, he could either go with us, or even watch tv in the room, with us checking in on him every half hour or so(that made me a nervous wreck, thankfully it only happened twice)
Too funny, I called him once and he answered, hello, who is this, cause if I don't know you Mom says I can't talk to you. At least I knew I got through to him. There was no way he was going to wander the ship alone like I saw tons of kids doing.
There was only 2 times he HAD(in his words) to go to the Lab, both were Palo times. When we went to the spa his other momma had the beeper, but he was having a blast at the pinata party.

I think (just me) that in the lab there was way to much free time(one day there was close to 6 hours of it) and that can cause some unruly kids. Thankfully the times we were in there with him, I didn;t witness anything like it.

I know on the last night he wanted to go to the final farewell party. I asked him how it went, and he told me he even gave her a hug. I said how did she handle it? He said she was surprised and told him thank you. Maybe she just needs some TLC.
Boys, they never fail to surprise you.

 

[Bethipooh4]

OK, its here, the end of the cruise.

I can't believe the week flew by the way it did, non stop. And we barely did anything it seemed to me.

So CC x2 starts out beautiful. I actually slept till 7, then off for my usual coffee and chocolate danish(hindsight, I should have gotten one for Saturday) and watched us pull into CC. Still breathtaking.

We had no plans except for our stingray snorkle at noon, a nice lazy day. I didn't even care if we went to the beach before hand, I was enjoying my view. Well, out on the verandah at 9 Am pops DS(Crash) the non existent one...
HI MOM....I made plans with a group of kids to meet at the teen beach, I'm late..OK....sooooooo......So mom, I need you to sign a form so I can go off the ship without you....ummm...PLEASE MOM....ok..where is he gonna go right?

So..thanks to Diana at room service, I had danish and fruit and juice so the hoover could eat really quick. He's like, OK, lets go mom...I am like WHAT??GO WHERE?? (instantly I became the whiny one, I don't want to move off my verandah) he is like mom, you have to sign a form..mom is whining can't you bring me the form???oh no....so there I am, trying to keep up with a 6'3 beanpole sprinter....off the ship he goes, with me threatening we have a noon stingray you had better be there...no hug, no love you...NO SUNSCREEN....hence THE CRASH is now called at home CRASH AND BURN...cause he fried....by the time he got to the stingray hut at noon, he looked like a boiled lobster. But to give him credit he was waiting on us to get there.

So we left the ship around 10:30, took some pictures and found a spot wayyyyy down on the family beach. Spent some time in the water with DS and next thing we know, time to snorkle with the rays. The highlight of the trip. I cannot recommend it enough...ok...here is my small complaint..I saw all these awesome pictures taken by shutters on the first stop during the ray encounter....I was looking forward to this part(and I HATE getting my picture taken)...There was not 1 photographer to be seen. Thankfully we had our water cameras. I justified it as it being our last day and they wouldn't be able to process the film in time(yeah that worked till I saw lifestyle pics being taken that night). But its ok, we should have some cool pictures we took ourselves. So we pack up and head to lunch, that is when the storms move in, so we leave for the ship. (cool more time to pack). Dh takes Michael to the pool while I pack. Crash is back on the ship, cheese plate and sprite delivered to me, what a way to spend the day. UH OH....I unpack the beach tote and there is only 1 underwater camera....OH NO....ok, check out the bags with the 3 sets of snorkle gear....uhhhh nope...check the cooler...nope....call all 3 other rooms, nope no one has it.....in walks DH and DS....what, the horn.....noooooo we can't be leaving we have to go to the ray hut and see if its there.....NOOOOOOO......
YEP....gone is the camera and pics.....

Off to dinner, sad, and DH feels terrible since he left it...so I suggest we go to guest services and see if they can call or radio the island and tell them to be on the lookout, we will gladly pay postage to have it returned if anyone found it....so we leave dinner to run off and...
MAGICAL MOMENT...there are 2 cameras that had been turned in from Rays..... oh no...they are identical....... but wait....the CM notices one is used up and one has 7 shots left...OMG we used ours all up!!!!! ITS OURS!!!(i hope, still needs to be developed) I dissolve into tears of thanks and back to dinner we go, waving the camera....

So if it was anyone who is reading this who turned in the camera THANK YOU!!!

gasp, time to cook, don't they know I have to finish this?? OK BRB

 

[roysbrew]

Bethipooh, I'm cracking up with Crash and Burn. So glad you found your camera. We wrote our name and stateroom on ours with a black grease pen (waterproof) just in case. Now I konw how you were finished packing when I saw your DH arouns 10 pm. We finished at 10:59.

 

[michpoit]

Hi everyone. I just wanted to chime in and say how much I am enjoying reading everyone's trip reports. It is great being able to relive it all with you again. Thanks so much for the magnets and pins. They came out great! Minnie33, we are really enjoying the Maple Syrup and the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters coffee. We were certainly thinking of you both as we had our breakfast this morning. I'll be on the look out for you when I go to Target! GoofyDisney, wow, what a riot about the pictures. I would be interested in seeing the picture of the funnel cloud too. We were out on a paddle boat when that storm rolled in. Needless to say, we came back in rather quickly when it started to rain.

DD is in Girl Scout Camp this week and she came home with a headache and a sore throat today. I am hoping that she can make it through the last day of camp but I have a sneaking suspicion that it might be something worst than just a cold.

7 out of the 11 in our party rebooked. I can't wait to see what the iteneraries are going to be in 2008. We are thinking about going in August next time. It would be great if the Magic did a Double Dip Cruise with the Eastern Caribbean itenerary!

Michelle

 

[Bethipooh4]

I know we should have rebooked while onboard for 2008...but that is the year Crash and Burn graduates, so I am not sure if he would want to go on a Disney cruise or not(or if we could even afford it). I am also curious if there will be anything special for the 10 yr anniversary.

 

[Bethipooh4]

OK, now that dinner is a memory and FINALLY laundry is done,

Where do I continue??? Ahhhh camera is back, on to dessert....CHOCOLATE....plus stuff we didn't order as usual...what...no being fed my dessert by Leo??? It truly is the end of the cruise....OH NO....A CAKE...no ....no singing.....yep, after 2 desserts here is a bday cake for me AND one for Roodoll....lord where do I put it all?

All the good byes are said, its so sad....DS hugs Leo and tells him he is the best, I thought the man was going to cry. He is truly awesome and we miss him.

Roysbrew, I never thought of marking our name on the cameras...next time trust me I will!!! AND THANK YOU for the candy, it was a true lifesaver...more on that on the drive home post....you are truly a sweetie!!!

So, off to the room to do the last few items and fill out the luggage tags...done....first time in 3 cruises I am packed and done by 8 pm. So off to the farewell show, also a first in 3 cruises....



After the show, DH runs to the cabin to put out the bags, and off to Shutters I go to pick up our Christmas cards we had made and look at any pics I didn't buy. I should have known better....OMG....Disney really needs to do something about this mess they call Shutters....I grabbed all our pics and sat in the hallway sorting them..Now here is what I witnessed....several women were across from me, with a stack of pics I swear at least 3 inches thick. And their piles grew, I heard them remark they were tired of the crowds and the bull**** in there....and guess what they did? They took ALL their pictures and left. Without paying....OMG....apparently they weren;t the only ones to do that. I know I had to look through plastic boxes of pictures to find our CB pics. People were just taking them and leaving. The ships really need a photo pass system.

DH was in the atrium with the characters, and after that we went off to see the crew show, another first for us....HILARIOUS!!!!

DS was finally having a good night in the Lab, and when we went to pick him up at 11:30, he BEGGED to stay till closing...WOW....

Off to the cabin for a half hour..people were still putting bags out at 11:45...
I think Crash and Burn came in at about 3AM....depressed he was leaving his newfound friends

And that ends Friday, our last night on the ship....

 

[Bethipooh4]

Ok have a question for everyone before I post on the main cruise thread. Right before we cruised I purched a new set of luggage from DisneyDirect. Yep, cute with Mickey on it ...never used it till the trip.

Well Saturday when we got our luggage off the ship, the large suitcase was destroyed. The wheel and thing it sets in was totally snapped off from the base..

So...do I contact DCL with a picture and a copy of the invoice in the hope of getting it repared? Or suck up the loss?

 

[Peggy Jean]

Hi All, is it as hard for everyone else to be home as it is for me? Can't believe that just one week ago we were on our second sea day and it was semi-formal night. Well most of the laundry is done and things are getting back to order. Have a few moments here and I'd like to say thanks to all who made our DIS meet fun. Thanks for the buttons, magnets, thanks to Dee for the PA cooler with lots of fun things (the Tastykakes were somewhat consumed on the ship!) Why, I'll never know with all there is to eat, but we do like them. Karen, hope you enjoy the Old Bay, it's a staple around here.

I wanted to talk about the great folks who took care of us while aboard the Magic.

First there was Tri, our stateroom host. We were in 2601 (by the way we liked it well enough to book that room and 2603 on our next cruise, on the Wonder) Anyway he was sooooooo polite. We managed to see him daily, he remembered each of us by name as he greeted us. If one of us was missing, he'd ask how we were, by name nonetheless. Always inquiring about our day and if there was anything we needed.

Then there were our dining room servers. We were 6pm seating with LAPLAPL rotation. Stephane was the head server and managed to greet us or come to our table nightly, even at the character breakfast. If we engaged him in conversation, he never seemed rushed and always took time to talk.

Martin from the Czech Republic was really sweet. He has been with DCL for just 2 months and I must say on the first night he really looked tired, though he did not act tired. I only say that because on day 2 he really looked alot more rested. He was very attentive, remembered daily our drinks, but always checked with us. Each evening, my DH's tea was waiting with cream and sugar. It was there before us. He was a bit soft spoken, but he really lit up when talking about home. I have a foster sister from Czechoslovakia and when I told him of the places I had been there, he really sparkled. I think he may have been a little homesick, his partner Philip was on his way home after we docked. We got the nicest hug from him on the last night.

Philip, from Croatia was our server and he was fabulous. I've got 2 older teens, 18 and 19, and he really connected with them. He gave us great info, like the best place to stand on deck 10 for the fireworks, that there should be lobster and steak at the Serenity Bay food area on the second CC day and stuff like that. He had a memory like a sponge. I was really taken aback when I was at lunch on CC at Serenity Bay on day 2. Here I was, looking nothing like I did the day before at dinner at Lumiere's, (you know what I mean, windswept and sweaty hair, no make up, etc) and I went to get a hamburger bun when the CM addressed me by name and when I looked up it was Philip. I was really surprised he knew me after just one meeting. He was a wonderful server and he is coming back in 9 weeks after a visit home. I'd definitely request him again.

So you see I am really missing my towel animals, mints, and all that fun attentive stuff that set DCL apart.

 

[Bethipooh4]

 

[Bethipooh4]

ok does everyone want me to post all the DIS meet shots I have downloaded so far till the film ones come in?

 

[Bethipooh4]

Well, since no one answered...don't say I didn't warn you....

 

[Bethipooh4]

Yep, there are more....

 

[Bethipooh4]

A few more,

Looking back, I feel like I started with my stalking og PJ53,DBinMV and roysbrew at the terminal and sailaway....lol

My bag from Disney?Again?

And I made sure to leave out most of the ones with me in them...

 

[iggbees]

those look great! i don't think we got too many pictures of the dis meet on our cameras. i know we have one though, i'll post that when i get it from my dad.