A Very Cruisin Christmas: December 18 - 29, 2010

[mickey squared]

OMG!! We were sitting right behind you on Castaway. I see my dh, 2 dd's and one of my ds's in your pix. Now I remember John running between us on the beach. Too funny!! Can't wait to show my kids...But wait, then they'll ask when are we going back?!!

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

I enjoyed your trip report very much. Thanks for sharing. We are going on our first Disney Cruise (on the Magic) in a couple of months. Can't wait!

You will love the Magic. I hope you have a fabulous time!

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

OMG!! We were sitting right behind you on Castaway. I see my dh, 2 dd's and one of my ds's in your pix. Now I remember John running between us on the beach. Too funny!! Can't wait to show my kids...But wait, then they'll ask when are we going back?!!

John is just the best! I get asked the same question: When are we going back? In fact I ask that question all the time

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

We received our last wake-up call from Mickey that morning at 6AM. I completed the survey. I know there has been scuttle on the DisBoards about the service on the Magic. Well, folks, it was fabulous! We gave high rankings and special recognition to our incredible dining room staff, Annie Marie, and John. Those people made our cruise just a bit more special.

We were up and dressed and off to our 6:30 AM breakfast. We met everybody at Animator’s Palate. Everybody appeared to be on his or her cell phone. Alajuela, we all finally have service! I was guilty. I was checking my Facebook and email. It was great to have the Wave Phone. I was able to send a few text messages to DD so I did not quit cold turkey.

Soon breakfast was done, and it was time to end all this fun.

We proceeded to the atrium to disembark. Crisis! There was a mob of people waiting to disembark. The announcement that signals the start of the disembarkation process started, then it quickly stopped. We waited for a few more minutes before the announcement started again. Now, it was for real. The mob finally moved. We made it off the ship almost to the computers for our last swipe of our KTTW card, and the computers crashed. Crisis. We waited and waited. Then they were up again, and we were soon boarding the Magical Express to the airport.

We arrived at the airport for a three-hour delay. Finally, it was good-bye Florida. Hello California.

When we arrived home, we noticed that my BIL’s beloved Tracker was GONE! It was stolen! Crisis! My sister wanted it to be gone but not like this! We later found out that is was towed because it exceeded the time limit in a parking stall at their complex. The Tracker was soon home again. So my sister, her husband, and the Tracker lived happily ever after.

This trip was full of magical memories. It was a wonderful Christmas. The Disney Magic will always be our favorite, but hello Fantasy!

Coming Soon...Final Thoughts and just a few more pictures

Good Morning Florida!

Even Grandma was on her cell phone...getting back in touch

Breakfast was over

One last look...

This was one of my least favorite signs!

 

[dvc4life]

Great Report!

But, oh, those waves. We have never had anything like that happen to us while we have cruised before. We have rocked a little but never great big waves like what you described. Scary!

Too bad it was so cold on CC. But it did look sunny so that was a plus.

Again, thanks for your report. It was great! Can't wait for our Christmas cruise this year.

 

[VickiHD]

I really enjoyed reading your trip report!! You have a lovely family.

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

Great Report!

But, oh, those waves. We have never had anything like that happen to us while we have cruised before. We have rocked a little but never great big waves like what you described. Scary!

Too bad it was so cold on CC. But it did look sunny so that was a plus.

Again, thanks for your report. It was great! Can't wait for our Christmas cruise this year.

You will have a wonderful time on our Christmas cruise. I cannot wait to read your trip report.

Remember I live in SoCal so I am spoiled. If the temp drops near 70, I am freezing. So, yes CC was cold for me, but there were plenty of people enjoying the water and running around in their swim suits. Weather is all relative.

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

I really enjoyed reading your trip report!! You have a lovely family.

I think my family is pretty lovely myself too.


Thank you!

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

Raven and her new friends were fooling around at the airport.

We were so excited to see him!

BIL and I were having a great time in the rain just before we boarded the Magic

They looked so cool with the Mickey ears behind them.

The port was decorated in its Christmas best!

The Thomas family loves Mickey!

The skies cleared just before the Sailaway Party.

Getting the Party started!

I love them so much. They are fabulous parents! Always my safety net!

Posing on our navigator verandah...Just before we sailaway for 11 days.

Using the wave phone to text at dinner. Somethings do not change even when on vacation.

Love this picture of DH and me...Too bad it's not focused, but the memory was priceless.

Snorkeling in Guadaloupe

We were trying to master the trail of wet and slippery and slippery and loose rocks.

What an attractive Family!

One more picture of Mr. BB...

Annie Marie and my dad at Palo's brunch

We all loved Wayne, our head server.

Celebrating Christmas on the Magic!

Santa Goofy...Loved it!

Or was this Santa Goofy...Love him more!

What a lovely group of young ladies

Handsome bunch!

Dressed in their Christmas Best!

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

Never too old for Mickey!

Raven and grandma looked so beautiful!

What a lovely picture!

My dad and his "King of the World" moment!

My dad and one more "King of the World" moment!

Posing with CC in the background

On CC with one of my favorite people

Isn't she lovely?!?!?

Even in the rain we had a fabulous time with Dad!

No Dessert

Just my favorite picture in Animator's...Love Beauty and the Beast

Beautiful!

Room Host was fabulous!

The best sight of all...

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

Just a few Final Thoughts at the End of My Cruise Report


1. If you are debating spending the extra money on a holiday cruise, I want to tell you it is so worth it. Disney decorates, cooks, and coordinates all your holiday fun. The family memories are priceless. I will do a holiday cruise in a heartbeat.
2. If you are going on a holiday cruise, you must decorate your stateroom. Those gel holiday window designs were a quick and easy way to decorate the stateroom with holiday cheer. We had them on our verandah’s sliding door and every mirror in our stateroom.
3. I recommend the Hyatt at MCO for your pre-cruise night. It is convenient especially after a long flight and just a quick walk away from the Magical Express Desk.
4. Must do on a holiday cruise is the gingerbread house making. It is so much fun, as well as very tasty.
5. I highly recommend High Tea at Palo’s. That was a new experience for us. It was fabulous. It was a great way to relax and enjoy some adult time in the middle of the day.
6. Spa Taster! Spa Tasters! It was an awesome way to experience a variety of treatments. First, you customize your package. It is fairly inexpensive, which is a bonus. The only thing is that it is not in a treatment room so if you are modest it might not be for you.
7. Enjoy the movies especially late night movies in your pj’s.
8. Wave Phones…Again, I cannot say enough of the phones. It is so much better than post-it messages.
9. I pad vs. old fashion books…this was my first vacation with my I pad. Hanging out at the Quiet Cove Pool with my I pad not so much. I brought it to the pool once, but I was worried about getting it wet and being stolen when I was in the pool. I guess that you cannot replace a good old paperback.
10. Wristbands for seasickness work like a charm! I got them in two colors to coordinate with my outfits.
11. Gym or walking deck 4…Deck 4 for sure! It is a wonderful workout, and you never get bored because the view is forever changing.
12. My experience with service on the Magic was fabulous! If there was a problem, it was fixed. Annie Marie in Palo’s is the best. You need to request her.
13. Take advantage of onboard airline check-in. Guest services took care of everything. Fabulous! You need to register a few nights before disembarkation so check your daily navigator.
14. After reading some negative postings of teens’ behaviors, I want to commend the teens on our cruise. They were polite and respectful.
15. Use the computers to select your photos. It is fast and very organized. Just slip your KTTW card into the slot, and you have access to your photos, as well as your family and friends’ pictures.
16. I missed the Golden Mickeys. I am happy to hear it is on the Dream. I hope it will be on Fantasy too.
17. Delivering FE's is a great way to burn off dinner. Our FE group was best that I have participated in. Great mementos.
18. Shipping a box to the port was a great way to ship all those FE’s. Our box was waiting in our stateroom when we arrived.
19. Do not forget a power strip. We forgot ours and with all our electronics we were in a crisis at times.
20. Best thing I did was to get my DH connected with other teens before the cruise. It made her experience so much more. The friendships that she made were priceless to her.
21. Try the DOTD. We had fun trying them each day. Some were good, and some were not so much. DOTD rocks!
22. I really enjoyed writing a trip report. I guess that I will have to wait for our Fantasy 2012 cruise to write my next one. Talk to you all real soon.