Almost Live Land-Sea-Land 7/29 Magic

[hojolo]

Today (7/27) we (DH, DW, and 5 DDs) started our do-it-yourself Disney land/sea/land vacation. After being DVC members for almost 10yrs, and enjoying many fun trips to see The Mouse, we finally are on our way to cruise with Mickey. We will be on the July 29 7 night Western cruise, but first we will stay 2 days at OKW. Then, to ease our transition back to reality, we will stay 2 days after the cruise at VWL.

We started the day early this morning in Memphis as we woke at 6am to catch the early nonstop to MCO. Mom and Dad were up late with last minute packing, and the DDs were too excited to sleep, so we all started off a little tired. By the end of the day we were exhausted, but it was a good Disney kind of tired. The flight was uneventful, a big blessing traveling with 5 kids. With 7 total, Disney transportation is way too expensive, so for 6+ years we have used Tiffany Towncar for luggage assistance, a quick grocery stop and a direct ride to whatever resort we are booked into. This time, it’s a little more complex with MCO to OKW on 7/27, OKW to Port Canaveral on 7/29, PC back to VWL on 8/5 and finally VWL to MCO to finish things up. Things started off poorly when we didn’t have our usual driver, and the new driver was slow to handle the bags. When a party of 7 books a trip like this you’d think the car service would expect more than 2 or 3 bags. But after we explained to the driver that a big part of the reason we use a service is to avoid lugging the bags ourselves, and that the gratuity would suffer if they weren’t handled for us, things improved a great deal. We’ll see how legs 2-4 of the car service go.

No matter how many times I drive onto Disney property, I still feel tingly as I come through the gates and see Donald Duck, Mickey, and Minnie. I guess it’s the kid in me, but it’s a big deal to me, and to all of our family. It’s also great to drive up to the guard house at OKW and get a friendly “Welcome Home”. It really is like home to us. At least a second home. Our room was ready, on our favorite spot, Old Turtle Pond, so we dropped our bags, drove back to the Hospitality House with the bellman and proceeded to eat lunch at Olivia’s. A brief word about the bags…since we’re leaving for the cruise in 2 days we tried to pack 1 bag with all that we needed at OKW and left the other 4 bags untouched and unopened. So far, the strategy seems to be working. 1 empty suitcase in the corner along with the others just waiting to get the cruise luggage tags strapped on and carted onboard.

Olivia’s was good, but it seems like all the restaurants in Disney World are getting a little bit too fancy for a family. I loved my roast beef and blue cheese sandwich, prepared Panini style, and Dew’s burger was great, but we really had to search for something that wasn’t a little too gourmet for our 1st lunch.

After lunch, at around 2:30, it was off to the parks, and for us that means The Magic Kingdom. Guest Relations quickly and efficiently processed our annual pass activations and we were in the gates! Special thanks, also, to Guest Relations for DD #3’s Birthday Button. She just turned 8 and had the best day of her life with all of the cast member attention. Quick note about annual passes…the $100 discount for DVC really helps here. It makes the annual pass breakeven a couple days shorter, convinces us to visit more often, and feels like the best perk in the world to me.

With a light rain, many were leaving the park when we arrived. It was our good fortune to enter the park just as the parade hit the section of Main Street nearest to Town Hall. DD got much extra attention, with personalized birthday greetings from Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, and Prince Charming. Her head was spinning.

First ride for us was Buzz Lightyear, 2 times in a row. We grabbed a set of FastPasses then hit the standby line. By the time we rode, it was time for the FastPass ride, so it worked out well. By the way, DW spotted this nice hidden Mickey in the Buzz Lightyear waiting line.

Then it was off to ride Winnie the Pooh, the spinning tea cups and It’s a Small World. Vintage Disney at its best.

Also rode Tomorrowland Transit Authority. It’s hard to believe, but in all my trips to WDW, I’ve never ridden TTA before. A nice look inside a few other rides and a low-key way to rest for a few. It’s a favorite of my DDs.DW and the 2 oldest DDs rode Pirates of the Caribbean, all agreeing that Jack Sparrow was a great addition, while DH and the 3 youngest DDs rode the Flying Carpets and climbed the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.

A good time was had by all. While we waited in line for the Flying Carpets, we looked over at the Tiki Room and knew we just had to visit, but not yet.

By this time, it was 7:30, so we left MK, took our 1st monorail trip to the Polynesian, had dinner at the Kona Café and called it a night. I had the vegetable rice bowl and it was awesome. A serving bowl made of wonton filled with sticky rice, stir fried veggies and asparagus, all with a hint of soy sauce. A good and filling choice. Ready to go and DD scored another birthday coup as the server brought a special birthday dessert treat of cotton candy and m&ms served on a plate inscribed “Happy Birthday” in chocolate sauce. Oh to be 8 and receive all of this sweet attention!

Monorail back to MK, bus ride to OKW and soon all were tucked in. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow, and the rest of our trip, has in store for us.

 

[hojolo]

Day 2: Divide and Conquer

After a late night last night, we slept in today. Or, at least we tried to. At 8:55am DW and I were awakened by the twin DDs aged 6. They were concerned that the park opened in 5 minutes, that we were late, and that everyone knew that the 1st 2 hours of the day accounted for about 75% of all the rides you’d get to take that day. It’s really surprising that some much rubs off on the little ones from hanging around with DD at WDW! So, we decided to split up. I took DDs 6, 6, and 10 for a quick bite and a mad dash to MK while DW and DDs 12 and 8 followed up at a slower pace.

Let no one ever accuse DD of not knowing a nutritious meal when he sees it. We had rice krispies with milk for breakfast…a WDW rice krispie treat with a carton of chocolate milk. It’s vacation after all. Then, it was off to ToonTown to ride Goofy’s rollercoaster.

After that is was a train ride around MK with some of the friendliest conductors ever to ride the rails.

Later we rode Peter Pan and another trip on It’s a Small World. I saw a sign as we entered IASW that captured my feelings exactly about this cruise.

We met up with the rest of the family and had a late lunch at the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and friends. We hadn’t been to CP since it was renovated and it looked great. Food was good too. DDs all loved to see the characters.

DD left the park with DDs 6, 6, and 8 for a late afternoon session of swimming back at OKW. We had the pool to ourselves and relaxed in anticipation of a big day tomorrow traveling to Port Canaveral. I’m feeling just like that Disney commercial where the parents lie in bed and the W asks the H “are you asleep yet?” and he replies “no, I’m too excited to sleep”. I just can’t wait to start the cruise.

DW and older DDs spent the afternoon riding “the mountains” in MK. They had a blast. Also, they had a chance to participate with Captain Jack in the Pirate Tutorial. Basically, Captain Jack selects and trains a crew from the audience. Both DDs were picked to be part of the show. They, and DW, were very excited. They also got a scroll attesting to their training and experience as pirates. Check out these pictures.

An early night tonight, with a little repacking, before we meet the car service for the ride to PC and our 1st look at the Magic.

 

[debster]

Keep the report coming! I love live reports and your pictures are great!

Can't wait to hear about tomorrow when you board the magic

 

[suzannef]

More More

 

[Babs417]

Great pics

 

[Verandah Man]

Enjoying your report!!! Have a MAGICal cruise!!!

Here you go>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[hojolo]

Day 3: The Magic Begins

Saturday started easy enough, as the packing was all done, and the carry-ons were ready to go. All we had to do was get up, call bell services, eat, and get to the port. On our last trip to OKW we ran into a delay with bell services, so we were ready to call early this time. Sure enough, we were quoted a 20 minute wait time. Imagine our surprise when 5 minutes later the bellman arrived to give us, and the luggage, a ride to the Hospitality House.

Breakfast at Olivia’s was great. I really love a sit-down breakfast. I travel a lot for business and am always grabbing a bite on the run. Or, if home, it’s a quick bowl of cereal to get me going. It just seems like one of life’s little luxuries to have a relaxed breakfast with full table service. I had an omelet, which was very good and filling. The girls mainly had Mickey waffles, pancakes, or eggs. Two things deserve special mention here about Disney. First, DW and DD both had Olivia’s French toast, made with chocolate papaya bread. It was so good and sweet that neither even bothered to use any syrup at all. If my girls pass on syrup, you know the dish is really good. Second, and more importantly, DD aged 8 has severe, life-threatening food allergies to eggs and nuts. Disney is by far the very BEST place in the world to go if you have special dietary needs. At every meal, the chef would personally come and discuss ingredients and options with us. We never really are comfortable with dining out, but at Disney the level of attention to this issue is outstanding. The chef even managed to make DD egg-free pancakes using a flax-based mix. How’s that for the famed Disney service? It’s why we feel good about paying a little more for Disney.

Our driver was exactly on time for our 9:30 am pickup to PC. We were all excited to start the new leg of our trip. It was just about exactly 1 hour to the port, although I suspect we may have driven a little faster than the posted limit from time to time. The driver handled us, and our bags, in a wonderfully professional manner. It’s good to shake that nagging concern about our good friends at Tiffany Towncars. I’ll gladly attribute any concern about our airport pickup simply to getting used to a new driver.

If you have ever heard 5 girls scream at the top of their lungs inside a van, you might have some idea of what it sounded like when we got our first glimpse of the Magic. We were all very thrilled.

We arrived at the port around 10:45 and went through the initial checks, including the security screening, quickly. We got #4 boarding passes, and were surprised how many people had made it to the port before we did. Up the escalators and to the welcome desk. DH took the forms and passports to the check-in line while DW and DDs got in the line for the Kids’ Club and Lab check-in. The online check-in at the DCL site worked like a charm, as everything we needed except the Bahamas declaration was done online. The Bahamas forms were completed during the few days before our trip, so the sum total of all of our paperwork was simply a passport review, creating our KTTW cards, and reviewing the required disclosures about illness and tendering. In and out of line within 10 minutes. DW and DDs took slightly longer to get the pager and wristbands for the children’s’ activities, but we were 100% completely done by 11 am.

The model of the ship in the waiting area is very interesting, and makes a good backdrop for photos with the characters.

We saw Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy, and had pictures made with Minnie. The next hour passed quickly, and soon after 12 noon the initial boarding call for cards #1 and #2 went out over the loudspeakers. A few minutes later, our #4 was called and we headed toward the mouse-shaped boarding door. Another quick passport/ID check and we were on our way to the 1st swipe of our new KTTW cards to officially board the ship. Then, our 1st official act as Disney cruisers….posing for the photo even before we made it across the boarding gantry.

Once across, we were immediately welcomed by several CMs, including one with a microphone who announced us as we entered the lobby atrium. An observation…as much as the photos of the ship fails to prepare you for the massive size and grandeur of the actual ship, the opposite was true to me about the lobby atrium. While it is beautiful, and spacious compared to other spaces on the ship, it somehow failed to inspire the awe that photos of it had prepared me for. First stop was Guest Services to obtain a Navigator and sign up DDs for Tea with Wendy. All along as we planned our trip we counted on an initial lunch in Parrot Cay, but since we got a PLA dining rotation, and would be eating in Parrot Cay for dinner, we changed on the fly and headed for Topsiders. The buffet was fine, with a high point for both DW and DH of the cold mango soup. That stuff is so unbelievably good that I just wanted to put it in a glass and drink it down as a beverage. We not big buffet fans (juggling 5 kids and buffet trays is NOT the key to relaxation) but the meal was fine.

Our staterooms were available at 1:30 and DDs immediately changed into swimsuits and we hit the Mickey pool on deck 9. While the girls frolicked in the pool, mom & dad sat poolside with a couple diet cokes, the Navigator and our Passporter and proceded to plan a few activities. Coming from OKW I was a little concerned when I saw the small size of the pools and the shallow depths, but the girls loved them at first sight. None of them even had a desire to hit the Goofy (family) pool with its 4ft depth. Instead, all they wanted was a continuous stream of trips up and down the Mickey waterslide.

We left the pool area around 3:15 and returned to our rooms. To our surprise, the luggage had already been delivered. It was news to me, but delivered means it was lined up in the hallway outside the room. The girls started to change into clothes for dinner (5:45 seating) while DW and DH began emptying suitcases and putting clothes away. Our rooms faced directly across from the terminal and we were surprised to look across through the terminal windows and still see so many people lined up waiting to come onboard. Getting to PC early and getting on the ship quickly was a wonderful strategy and tip.

We were almost done when we heard the initial announcement prepping us for the emergency drill. So we dropped everything, got everyone suited up in the life preservers and waited for the final call to begin the drill. As the horn sounded we made our way down to our appointed spot on deck 4 and began lining up. This was the biggest surprise of the day for me. I had in mind a nice orderly walk out to the rail on deck 4 and then the “all-clear” to send us back to the room, just like fire drills in school. Instead, imagine packing sardines about 4 deep in 90 degree heat for about 15 minutes, accompanied by constant calls to “Take 1 more step to your right”. You needed a shower after this thing was done. To me, the whole idea is a little ludicrous. It’s as if before your plane could takeoff they made everyone slide down the inflatable over the wing and then climb back into the plane. I’m sure the intent is good, and safety is always very important, but it struck me as a little bit of governmental overkill.

Back in the stateroom, we cleaned up and got ready for the Sail Away Party. This was fantastic.

The band did a good job of getting everyone involved, and the Disney characters added that special touch to the whole thing. The party was just the right length too, allowing you time to get excited as we cast off, but also allowing us to make the early dinner seating. We headed to the drink station and relaxed on deck 9 aft awaiting the actual voyage to begin. Soon enough, the horizon started to move ever so slightly as we got underway. The DDs loved seeing the Disney ground-based crew at PC waving the big Mickey hands as we pulled away.

Dinner in Parrot Cay was nice, but a little long for our taste. The décor reminds me of the Pizzafari in AK, with the pastel painted posts and beams. Our servers were introduced and we spent almost 2 hours starting to get to know each other. With a party of 7, we have our own table. The girls had standard kids menu fare, with the addition of a melon boat appetizer, and it was just what they needed. Mom & Dad both had the recommended rib eye, although DH likes his medium rare, as opposed to DW’s well done end cut. Both were happy with the taste. DH started with the trio of salmon and the tropical fruit salad (very good) while DW had a Parrot Cay salad. The DDs all had Mickey ice cream bars for dessert while DW had the lemon meringue pie. DH helped her finish the last few bites.

After dinner we visited the Kids’ Club and Lab. I was very impressed with the level of security, requiring each child to wear an ID bracelet all week, only granting access to predetermined adults, requiring KTTW for adult ID, and finally requiring a secret verbal password. I was also impressed with the attention and energy of the staff. Staff members introduced themselves and the overwhelming majority was from US, Canada, Australia, UK, and South Africa. DW and I are very picky about who watches our girls and we will allow them limited free time in the Club/Lab, where we won’t allow them use of the pool or other facilities without direct parental supervision.

Finally, we capped off our night with the Beginning the Magic show, which was very funny and entertaining, both for the kids and adults. It’s a sampler of things to come with the magician/comedian and ventriloquist/comedian both doing a short act around a musical that both describes a young man’s dream to captain the Magic and captures a few familiar moments from the day. The finale was a “Be Our Guest” number with Lumiere (but of course) and a full Disney character review.

By the time we made it back to the room to sleep it was after 10 pm, a long day for all of us.

 

[Verandah Man]

Excellent job, looking forward to the next installment!!!

 

[Hygiene99]

AWESOME JOB
Thanks

Peter

 

[Babs417]

Love reading and looking at your pictures of your trip thank you

 

[discruiselovers97]

Loving your report! I was on the ship too and am loving reliving the memories!

 

[mrstbalt]

Sounds like a good time! When you went to the pool after you boarded, was it fairly empty? From what I have read that is one of the best times to go.

 

[debster]

Sounds like you had fun!!

Can't wait to read more

 

[hojolo]

Day 4: Crash and Burn

I guess that it was inevitable, given 5 young children, 3 late nights and a literal boatload of fun and excitement. Today the fun hit the fan and my youngest DDs erupted into sleep deprived tantrums. The good news is that a short nap helped considerably.

The day started well enough, with room service breakfast followed by an early worship service. No matter where we are, Sundays mean organized worship to us, and we’re glad that Disney provides the means on the boat. The service was led by Timothy, who explained that he was an entertainer on the ship, and was filling in for the regular worship leader. He did a fine job. I think that being at sea is a very spiritual experience. I struggle with the vastness of an infinite God, but somehow being afloat in the midst of the vastness of the finite sea helps me conceptually understand this.

We had 3 things on our schedule for today…1) visit Key West, 2) get in some pool time, and 3) have DH check out the wireless internet service for work on Monday. We started with pool time, and by lunch the little ones showed all the signs of being way too tired. So, it was off to the stateroom for a nap while DW and 3 DDs hit the ground running in Key West. Key West was the port that I was least interested in visiting, so it was fine by me to spend some quality downtime with the girls. So today I have some pictures of our stateroom to share.

The room is easily big enough for 2 adults and 2 children. And 2 connecting rooms (with a total of 4 split bath mini-rooms, is almost spacious for the 7 of us. At any rate, a nap did us all wonders.

DW and DDs had little better luck in Key West. The report back after 2 hours was that Key West was hot, crowded, and that everywhere you turned someone was aggressively selling something. After a less than satisfying visit they returned to the ship early and we got ready for dinner.

Dinner in Lumiere’s was fantastic. I think it was a combination of the servers knowing us a little better, the food on the menu, and the girls being better rested that made the meal so enjoyable. The youngest DDs had standard kid’s menu stuff, but the 2 older DDs enjoyed a steak and vegetable lasagna. DW and DH both had a rigatoni dish from the vegetarian menu based upon the server’s recommendation and we also shared some scallops Coquille St. Jacques. The girls had the obligatory round of Mickey ice cream bars for dessert, while DW had some mounds of white chocolate with a raspberry sauce while DH had the standard crème Brule. All was good.

After dinner, another change of pace. First we watched as we left port in Key West.

We skipped the show and instead saw a movie in the theatre. It made for an early night for all, except the 3 oldest DDs, who enjoyed a girl’s night out pajama party in the Kid’s Lab.

 

[hojolo]

We all loved the day at sea. After a refreshing overnight rest, gently rocked by the waves, we awoke renewed and ready to enjoy all the Magic had to offer. We split up, with DW taking the older 2 DDs to have their hair braided, while DH took the younger girls to breakfast at Lumiere’s. I have to say that I just LOVE Lumiere’s. The food and service are fantastic, while the décor is also beautiful. The girls had various fresh fruit, while DH had eggs with banana pancakes. I’m a total fan of banana pancakes and these were very good. Instead of mashing the banana into the batter, the batter has slices of banana fried into it. Very tasty. Also, we had a first for our family. DD age 8 had her 1st ever Mickey Waffle. She has severe egg allergies and has never before in her life tasted a waffle, let alone a Mickey Waffle. But, thanks to Stephan and the crew at Lumiere’s she ate Mickey waffles for breakfast. It seems that they have a special egg-free mix that they use on the ship, but not at WDW.

After breakfast we hit the pool for a bit of relaxation. Then, we switched, with DW taking the younger DDs for hair braiding while DH watched over the older DDs at the pool. No schedule, no fuss, no complaints….just fun in the sun Disney Magic style.

In the afternoon we saw the Golden Mickey’s. It was a great show for the whole family and we loved seeing so many references to our Disney favorites.

Also, the DDs in the Kids Club had a special Luau Party visitor.

Later, we split again for another reason. DW and 5 DDs went to have Tea With Wendy Darling, while DD got out the laptop and worked for a while. Tea With Wendy was great, and the DDs were all very excited.

DH’s work however was not so exciting. Here comes my BDC (Big Disney Complaint): How come when you pay up for wireless access the ISP blocks access to Skype? I am working on the ship and counted on access via VOIP through Skype yet the URL is blocked. I can’t believe trying to force people to use $6.95 per minute phone calls is really what Disney wants to accomplish. Rest assured that my comment card will be FILLED WITH UNCOMPLIMENTARY COMMENTS about this.

Dinner was Animator’s Palate and the actual event more than lived up to the promise. We had seen the Travel Channel special a couple days before we left so we understood “how” they did the black&white to color effects, but actually seeing it was fantastic. Our table was near the wall so we could actually see the “behind the wall”. Wiser from the events of the past few days, we got to bed early again. Here's our towel animal tonight.

 

[discruiselovers97]

you know whats funny? I immediatly saw the 7/29 and assumed you were on my cruise but you were actually getting on when i was getting off! Lucky you, you are still on the cruise!

 

[hojolo]

Day 6: Grand Cayman Beach Day

After another refreshing night’s sleep we awoke early today to Mickey’s wakeup call at 6:30. Room service breakfast @ 7am was just the quick but filling thing we needed before our big day on the beach. We tender in from slightly offshore, and our excursion tender met at 7:50am for a briefing and ticket/document check. Towels are provided on the ship, with a drop off on the dock in George Town, so if you want to shop or look around after the excursion you can ditch the wet dirty towels.

We signed up for the Seven Mile Beach Break, which is a 4 hour visit to a private beach. The excursion includes transportation to/from the pier area, a lounge chair on the beach, an umbrella for every 2 chairs, and 1 free soft drink/bottle of water. The beach had a set of outdoor showers, restrooms and a bar/grill with about a dozen picnic tables under a tent. They also offer other ocean sports activities for an additional fee. This excursion is offered twice, leaving at both 7:50 am and 11:50am.

The beach was nice and sandy with only an occasional piece of rock or coral. The water is both calm and shallow. The absolute number 1 thing that impressed us was just how blue the water was. It was as if bright blue dye had been poured out into the entire ocean. If I had not seen the actual color myself I wouldn’t have believed that it could be so blue. The beach is not crowded, and if you look closely you can see the Magic anchored in the background.

This excursion is perfect for those with younger children. It’s a very calm piece of ocean. No waves, soft sand and shallow. The 4 hour time frame (3 hours actually at the beach, 1 hr roundtrip transit) is also perfect. We are very careful with sunscreen, applying it before we left the ship and reapplying after about 2 hrs at the beach, and still we ended up with marginally red complexions. Any more time in the powerful Caribbean sun and we would have all burned.

On the way to/from the ship on the tender we passed some sailing ships,
1 flying pirate colors. Also, this is a good spot to get some pics of the Magic.

Best part of the day was that we were back onboard by 12:45, had lunch on the ship and we had the pool absolutely to ourselves all afternoon. By way of comparison, an average at sea day means mega crowds at the pools, long lines for the waterslide, and fight for a chair. Much better was early on Saturday after boarding the ship before many guests were onboard. Then the chairs were available, the waterslide and pools were both active but not crowded, and the crowds built throughout the day until right before the emergency drill. After returning from George Town, however, the pools were absolutely empty and stayed that way up until we left to dress for dinner.

One fun thing that we did along the way is that some of the DDs attended the Piñata Party to celebrate Donald Duck’s birthday. That is one crazy duck!

One lesson we have learned is that in some ways the ship is similar to going to the parks. For us, if we ignore the signs of cumulative exhaustion, we end up paying the price with fussy family members. If, on the other hand, we make sure we get our rest, plan the truly “must do” things, and not worry about the other stuff we have a much better time. So, in that spirit, we called it an early night and got some well needed sleep.

 

[hojolo]

Day 8: Cozumel or Stay on Ship?
*pics to come soon*
After a long day yesterday we decided to sleep in a little and enjoy a full service breakfast in Lumiere’s. As always, the food, service, and attention to detail were unsurpassed. As we sat eating breakfast we watched the tender lines forming for the excursions and debated what to do. We originally had planned a do-it-yourself trip to Paradise Beach, but after a great beach day in the Caymans decided to skip it.

After breakfast we went upstairs to the pool deck, #9, just to look around. Here we discovered the greatest secret of all DCL….the ship is absolutely and completely empty on a port day.

Seeing this made up our mind for us and we immediately changed into our swimwear and hit the pools. There was literally no other guest in the Mickey pool when we first got there.

Throughout the day, the crowd varied, but there was never a time all day prior to around 3pm when you couldn’t get a deck chair and/or table close to the pool. Best of all, the girls hit the waterslide nonstop without any line at all.

If you’re looking to enjoy the pools, do yourself a favor and consider just staying on the ship in port. I know many people travel just to see the ports, but we had been in this area of Mexico in March and didn’t feel the need to run the gauntlet and go into Cozumel. For us, the Mickey poll was just more appealing. Also, there were no lines for dining or for the drink stations.

All Kids’ Club/Lab activities were wide open for your use. I even managed to sneak a picture of the rumored “secret passageway” used solely by the kids to travel between the Club and Lab.

The DDs and I even managed to play some shuffleboard! Later we happened upon Donald Duck and joined him for an ice cream. Even the characters are more laid back on port days.

I know this will disappoint many of you, as in some sense it did us also, but we mostly took a pass on the Pirate Party. Given our need for a good nights rest and the early wakeup call for tomorrow’s character breakfast we decided to enjoy the pirate dinner but skip the party.

I’ll rely on others to describe it properly. Even though we missed the port and the Pirate Party, I’d call it our favorite day on the ship overall. It really is amazing to have the whole ship to yourself!

.

 

[discruiselovers97]

great report how long was your cruise?

 

[curlybop]

Great report so far! Keep on going.