sue
love my DVC
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2005
- Messages
- 594
We got to the port around 10:30 am from our previous nights stay at the Radisson at the Port in Port Canaveral ( 5 minutes from the port). That morning we watched the Carnival Glory come into port ( around 5:30 am). We watched from the room we had at the Radisson. We hoped to see the Magic come in as well, but later found out that it made it into port around 4:45 am !!!
Well, we took the free shuttle serviced to the pier around 10:15 and after loading a bunch of other people, and their luggage, it was off to the pier !!
Upon arrival, we were met by security, who checked our tickets for the ship and also our picture ID's. We then entered the building and were given a number for group boarding. Our number was #2 !! Each group of people was approx. 25 or so. We waited inside the terminal building for about 1 hour, when we heard them start to call groups for boarding. Then, it was off to the ship we went ! Before entering the ships atrium, we had our family picture taken. They announced our family name while entering the ship and said that the Disney Magic welcomed us.
We were greeted by a host and told that lunch was being served in the Parrot Cay restaurant and that our staterooms were not ready until about 2pm. Feel free to have some lunch and then wonder the ship until then. So, we ate the buffet style lunch and then made it to our stateroom. We had #6564 midship. We also sailed with my parent's and nephew who had the room right across the hallway #6567 and also some friends who had #6581 down the hall from us. We have sailed with Disney 3 times, but my parent's, nephew and our friends have never sailed with Disney before. We arrived at our cabins and found them to be very comfortable. We had a castaway souvenier waiting for us since we have sailed with them before. My parent's found their room to be very nice. We booked this room for them on purpose because my Mom had hip replacement surgery a few years ago and wanted to be close to the elevators and stairs.
We showed the ship to my parent's , nephew and friends and then went upstairs for the sail away party. I should also mention that my Brother (who belongs to my nephew on our ship) sailed the same time as us only with the remainder of his family and on the Carnival Glory docked right next to us in Port Canaveral. More about their experience later. We watched the Glory take off around 4:30 (late). We then took off around 5:15 pm. A bit late due to us waiting for some delivery. It was a beautiful sail away. There was a party going on mid-ship, but we decided to go as far forward and take in the whole thing.
We had early seating and ate in Parrot Cay the first night. Wonderful food and the service was great. Our head server's name was Romeo and Asst. server was Paola from Mexico City. The went above and beyond to make our dining room experience wonderful ! We had rotational dining every night. Our server's moved with us, so we really got a chance to know them well. We also ate from time to time at the topsider buffet ( top deck) and had pizza and also room service. We enjoyed all the food on board.
Formal night for everyone on board was Sunday and Semi formal night was Thursday. Lot's of pictures were being taken by ship photographer's as well as passenger's. Also during the cruise, there were lots of times to take photo's with the disney character's.
We saw lot's of Disney shows in the Walt Disney Theater. We saw the sail away show, variety show, twiced charmed, golden mickey's and also disney dreams ( don't miss this). All the show's were wonderful. We played lots of Bingo on the ship. We got to know the Bingo callers too . Pikey and Amy were their names and Pikey was a real favorite with my two daughter's! He is from London and is such a complete goof ball ! He has such a great personality and Disney has such a great person to have working for them. My daughter's won $ 65 one afternoon and that same night won another $210. All for playing B I N G O !!
We stopped in St Maarten on this cruise. The island is small. We were a bit saddened by the poverty on the island. Dogs and cows roaming free. The homes on the island were more like shacks, I feel sorry for them, if they are riding out a hurricane. We took a tour of the island and later shopped near the pier.
St Thomas was next. We took the Coral World and island tour. They took us up to the top most peak of the island 1400 feet up. All switch back roads and at a 45 degree angle the entire way up. St Thomas drives on the left side of the road and very little guiderails !! Yikes !! The view from the top is incredible !! We took lots of pictures, but like they say..... what goes up, must come down!! The driver was driving both up and down around 40 miles per hour in a 10 mile per hour zone. Made us all a bit nervous to say the least. They honk their horns, basically to say hello or get out of my way !!
We also took the Paridise Tramway located about 2 blocks from the peir. This is beautiful. The ride is very smooth and slow. You arrive in about 5 minutes to the top and there is a restaurant you can have lunch at along with a few gift shops and some parrots you can have your pictures taken with. My daughter's had this done. Pretty good deal. She would take your picture with her poloroid camera for $ 10 or you could take as many pictures with your own camera, but then buy a frame from her. The frames were from about 8 bucks up to about 25 dollars. Really cute too.
We had a few days at sea during this cruise and the weather was incredible ! The waves were between 8-16 feet. A few people complained, but I personally loved it. I have gotten sea sick before, however I tried the patches this time and they work wonderful. I never felt uneasy at all. Children can use them as well as adults. Next stop.... Castaway Cay !!
We arrived around 9 am at the island. Beautiful day. Sunny and warm. Temp's all this week were from about 85-95 degreee's. A bit humid too.
We rented tube's $6 and my husband parasailed with my nephew. They enjoyed themselves a lot. There was a huge BBQ on the island. They had BBQ chicken, ribs, hamburgers, hotdogs, salmon, salads, fresh fruit, chips cookies regular salad and also unlimited beverages ! The food was incredible .
They had a DJ playing music the entire day as well as celebrating Mickey's Birthday with a conga line which included of course, some of the other character's and guests as well. We spent much of the day on the island. There are some small fish that swim in the beach area. The largest that ran across, was about 8 inches long. They are not bother-some though. Bring sunblock !! I applied a 45 three times during the time we were on the island, and I still got sunburned. Also make sure you go for a area to sit that has beach umbrella's. This really helps. The island is set up just like the ship for spending money. You just bring your key to the world card to buy anything you may want.
The last night on the ship...... What can I say, a very sad time. You know this is your last time to this and your last time to that. We had final pictures taken with waiter's etc. They have a final farewell of the disney character's around 10pm in the main atrium. You can have your photo's taken with them all. Then they all line up on the grand staircase for one final photo opprotunity. We made it back to our stateroom and had our luggage out in the hallway for pick up by 11pm. One Note: Pack all your bags and have them ready to go BEFORE you get to Castawy Cay. That way you can enjoy your whole day and not have to worry about coming back and doing so many last minute things.
We arrived back in Port Canaveral around 4:45 am. I know, because I was out on our veranda watching us dock ! I also saw my brother's ship ( Glory) dock. They arrived around 5:15am. We ate breakfast in the main dining room at 6:45 ( early seating). Then it was off the ship until the next time we meet again. The crew was all lined up near the doorway and said good-bye to us all. They had music playing etc. I felt like crying, I was so sad to be leaving. We took Disney transfers to the Orlando International for our flight
back home (MPLS). We met up with my brother and the rest of his family. He mentioned to NOT take your family on a carnival ship , if you have kids. There were only 15 kids on their entire cruise. The kids hated it ! They never were offered even a kids menu. His kids were 12 and 13 years old. He also mentioned that their were a lot of drunk passengers and lots of noise in the hallways, well after midnight.
His son ( my nephew) who went on our cruise had nothing but GOOD comments to say about the Disney Magic. There were I guess close to 1000 kids on our ship. To tell you the honest truth, I would have though maybe 200 at the most. This is because Disney has areas and kids clubs for your kids to go to. They have so many activities planned for your kids of all ages, so you don't see a lot of them wondering around.
Both my parent's, nephew and also our friends have said since we have returned, If they ever sail again, it will definetely be DISNEY !!!
I think that speaks volumes!! They have experienced a wonderful cruise and lots of lasting memories.
Please consider Disney, it is so worth the money. You will have memories that will last a lifetime.
Well, we took the free shuttle serviced to the pier around 10:15 and after loading a bunch of other people, and their luggage, it was off to the pier !!
Upon arrival, we were met by security, who checked our tickets for the ship and also our picture ID's. We then entered the building and were given a number for group boarding. Our number was #2 !! Each group of people was approx. 25 or so. We waited inside the terminal building for about 1 hour, when we heard them start to call groups for boarding. Then, it was off to the ship we went ! Before entering the ships atrium, we had our family picture taken. They announced our family name while entering the ship and said that the Disney Magic welcomed us.
We were greeted by a host and told that lunch was being served in the Parrot Cay restaurant and that our staterooms were not ready until about 2pm. Feel free to have some lunch and then wonder the ship until then. So, we ate the buffet style lunch and then made it to our stateroom. We had #6564 midship. We also sailed with my parent's and nephew who had the room right across the hallway #6567 and also some friends who had #6581 down the hall from us. We have sailed with Disney 3 times, but my parent's, nephew and our friends have never sailed with Disney before. We arrived at our cabins and found them to be very comfortable. We had a castaway souvenier waiting for us since we have sailed with them before. My parent's found their room to be very nice. We booked this room for them on purpose because my Mom had hip replacement surgery a few years ago and wanted to be close to the elevators and stairs.
We showed the ship to my parent's , nephew and friends and then went upstairs for the sail away party. I should also mention that my Brother (who belongs to my nephew on our ship) sailed the same time as us only with the remainder of his family and on the Carnival Glory docked right next to us in Port Canaveral. More about their experience later. We watched the Glory take off around 4:30 (late). We then took off around 5:15 pm. A bit late due to us waiting for some delivery. It was a beautiful sail away. There was a party going on mid-ship, but we decided to go as far forward and take in the whole thing.
We had early seating and ate in Parrot Cay the first night. Wonderful food and the service was great. Our head server's name was Romeo and Asst. server was Paola from Mexico City. The went above and beyond to make our dining room experience wonderful ! We had rotational dining every night. Our server's moved with us, so we really got a chance to know them well. We also ate from time to time at the topsider buffet ( top deck) and had pizza and also room service. We enjoyed all the food on board.
Formal night for everyone on board was Sunday and Semi formal night was Thursday. Lot's of pictures were being taken by ship photographer's as well as passenger's. Also during the cruise, there were lots of times to take photo's with the disney character's.
We saw lot's of Disney shows in the Walt Disney Theater. We saw the sail away show, variety show, twiced charmed, golden mickey's and also disney dreams ( don't miss this). All the show's were wonderful. We played lots of Bingo on the ship. We got to know the Bingo callers too . Pikey and Amy were their names and Pikey was a real favorite with my two daughter's! He is from London and is such a complete goof ball ! He has such a great personality and Disney has such a great person to have working for them. My daughter's won $ 65 one afternoon and that same night won another $210. All for playing B I N G O !!
We stopped in St Maarten on this cruise. The island is small. We were a bit saddened by the poverty on the island. Dogs and cows roaming free. The homes on the island were more like shacks, I feel sorry for them, if they are riding out a hurricane. We took a tour of the island and later shopped near the pier.
St Thomas was next. We took the Coral World and island tour. They took us up to the top most peak of the island 1400 feet up. All switch back roads and at a 45 degree angle the entire way up. St Thomas drives on the left side of the road and very little guiderails !! Yikes !! The view from the top is incredible !! We took lots of pictures, but like they say..... what goes up, must come down!! The driver was driving both up and down around 40 miles per hour in a 10 mile per hour zone. Made us all a bit nervous to say the least. They honk their horns, basically to say hello or get out of my way !!
We also took the Paridise Tramway located about 2 blocks from the peir. This is beautiful. The ride is very smooth and slow. You arrive in about 5 minutes to the top and there is a restaurant you can have lunch at along with a few gift shops and some parrots you can have your pictures taken with. My daughter's had this done. Pretty good deal. She would take your picture with her poloroid camera for $ 10 or you could take as many pictures with your own camera, but then buy a frame from her. The frames were from about 8 bucks up to about 25 dollars. Really cute too.
We had a few days at sea during this cruise and the weather was incredible ! The waves were between 8-16 feet. A few people complained, but I personally loved it. I have gotten sea sick before, however I tried the patches this time and they work wonderful. I never felt uneasy at all. Children can use them as well as adults. Next stop.... Castaway Cay !!
We arrived around 9 am at the island. Beautiful day. Sunny and warm. Temp's all this week were from about 85-95 degreee's. A bit humid too.
We rented tube's $6 and my husband parasailed with my nephew. They enjoyed themselves a lot. There was a huge BBQ on the island. They had BBQ chicken, ribs, hamburgers, hotdogs, salmon, salads, fresh fruit, chips cookies regular salad and also unlimited beverages ! The food was incredible .
They had a DJ playing music the entire day as well as celebrating Mickey's Birthday with a conga line which included of course, some of the other character's and guests as well. We spent much of the day on the island. There are some small fish that swim in the beach area. The largest that ran across, was about 8 inches long. They are not bother-some though. Bring sunblock !! I applied a 45 three times during the time we were on the island, and I still got sunburned. Also make sure you go for a area to sit that has beach umbrella's. This really helps. The island is set up just like the ship for spending money. You just bring your key to the world card to buy anything you may want.
The last night on the ship...... What can I say, a very sad time. You know this is your last time to this and your last time to that. We had final pictures taken with waiter's etc. They have a final farewell of the disney character's around 10pm in the main atrium. You can have your photo's taken with them all. Then they all line up on the grand staircase for one final photo opprotunity. We made it back to our stateroom and had our luggage out in the hallway for pick up by 11pm. One Note: Pack all your bags and have them ready to go BEFORE you get to Castawy Cay. That way you can enjoy your whole day and not have to worry about coming back and doing so many last minute things.
We arrived back in Port Canaveral around 4:45 am. I know, because I was out on our veranda watching us dock ! I also saw my brother's ship ( Glory) dock. They arrived around 5:15am. We ate breakfast in the main dining room at 6:45 ( early seating). Then it was off the ship until the next time we meet again. The crew was all lined up near the doorway and said good-bye to us all. They had music playing etc. I felt like crying, I was so sad to be leaving. We took Disney transfers to the Orlando International for our flight
back home (MPLS). We met up with my brother and the rest of his family. He mentioned to NOT take your family on a carnival ship , if you have kids. There were only 15 kids on their entire cruise. The kids hated it ! They never were offered even a kids menu. His kids were 12 and 13 years old. He also mentioned that their were a lot of drunk passengers and lots of noise in the hallways, well after midnight.
His son ( my nephew) who went on our cruise had nothing but GOOD comments to say about the Disney Magic. There were I guess close to 1000 kids on our ship. To tell you the honest truth, I would have though maybe 200 at the most. This is because Disney has areas and kids clubs for your kids to go to. They have so many activities planned for your kids of all ages, so you don't see a lot of them wondering around.
Both my parent's, nephew and also our friends have said since we have returned, If they ever sail again, it will definetely be DISNEY !!!
I think that speaks volumes!! They have experienced a wonderful cruise and lots of lasting memories.
Please consider Disney, it is so worth the money. You will have memories that will last a lifetime.
