Answers:
When I got ill, I went to Health Services on Deck 1 to get some meds. (not this trip, for those who haven't read the entire thread).
DCL contacted me by letter a few weeks after the cruise offering me a free 4 day or 1/2 off a 7 day. I was very grateful since I got sick the last day (really, no faking) and got to enjoy the whole cruise. I didn't blame DCL or anyone; I was being careful but slipped up somewhere. We had an interesting drive drive back to Orlando....multiple unscheduled stops. I think they had so many folk sick that trip, that they were reaching out. A very classy move, but that's Disney.
Parasailing was $75 tandem, $35 single, and those prices included the water taxi shuttle. The waverunner was $45 for half an hour.
Jennsbabysky, you're scary, but what you say makes sense.
So, today was our last sea day. I woke up and went for a workout, then went to breakfast and ate more than I had just burned. Go figure. At 10:30 we went to a presentation about the last time the Magic was in dry dock. Amazing how choreographed everything has to be, and how they made the changes for The Stack, the Quiet Cove Cafe, Diversions and the Promenade Lounge. Afterwards, the Chief Engineer and Staff Sargeant did a Q&A. I asked the chief about the anchor. I think he was downplaying it a bit, but he explained that the anchor was not lost and did not get hung up. When it is automatically hoisted the links are supposed to be layed out in neat rows in the containment area. This didn't happen and essentially the chain fouled. They had to lower it and take special steps to get it hoisted and stowed properly. No further details. He didn't want to talk about it, and I didn't press. As for the changes for the upcoming dry dock in October, we couldn't get them to comment at all. DW said earlier in the week that one of the imagineering sessions was about cruise ships. While they didn't say that #3 was being built yet, they did say that there were detailed plans ready for it. Among other things it included removing the crew pool from the front area and extending several decks forward into that area. That's all they'd comment on. Anyway, the talk today was very fascinating. Then we went to an imagineering seminar that was less interesting - the presenter was pretty much reading to us.
At noon we played "so you think you know your family" and DD and I came in first place, despite a few missed questions. I learned that DW is the boss of the family, not I, and that DD's favorite character is Jak-Jak from the Incredibles (which she had commented on two days ago!). The game was a hoot. Then we ate lunch in PC which had a seafood buffet. Lousy clam chowder, don't bother with it. On the upside, they were freshly stir frying incredients that you selected, sorta like getting a custom omlet. Delicious.
After that we watched a bit of the art auction, but DW forbid me to bid, as I had already bought my quota for this cruise.
At 2pm we went to Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer. While I'm glad it's not an evening show anymore, I'm very happy it is still around because it's a blast. The MC really worked the crowd which was big and noisy. Lots of fun.
After that, DW and I caught the end of Ice Princess, then played Nintendo in the room for awhile. On the 6th try, I beat her in Mario Tennis.
At 6:30 we went to the Farewell show. It featured a juggler, a ventriloquist (very funny), and a few singing and dancing numbers. This is much better than former farewell shows I've seen and I really enjoyed it. Especially the Disney parts, with songs and a parade of characters at the end. Another very good show, with warm fuzzies all around.
Dinner was uneventful. I had maxxed out on seafood, so I opted for beef tenderloin and a baked potato. We said goodbye to our waitstaff and tablemates. I know everyone loves their servers and thinks they're the best, but we thought ours were just ordinary this time. They did everything we asked, but just weren't as personable as past teams. Still, we tipped them fully and gave them top marks. These people work extremely hard for their money and I do not want to threaten their livelihood because my soda didn't show up fast enough. I am disappointed in a cruise system, where anything less than perfect can have consequences. How is one supposed to make commentary for improvement without it being at someone's expense? From what i've read, this is true on all cruise lines, not just DCL. There are thousands who would gladly jump in and take these jobs. Our stateroom attendant, Maricar, was simply the best we've ever had on a cruise. She got extra in her envelope, and a hug from each of us.
I bought a Riviera shirt and DW took it to guest services to have all the characters sign it. It looks great!
So, we got back to our room at 10:05 and hadn't packed a thing. And the luggage was supposed to be out at 10! We had it all packed and in the hall in twenty minutes.
At 10:45 I went to the pub show in diversions and had a few final brews. This was a great 45 minutes. A few singalongs, a few silly songs, and one great skit. The skit is not to be missed, and is performed by the cruise staff who looked to be truly having a very good time. Even if you aren't a pub person, you should take the time to catch this quaint little farewell.
I took my final farewell walk up on deck 10 after the show. It's incredibly windy right now, even moreso than earilier. It's been windy all day, a bit of rain, and chilly. The pools were empty nearly the whole day, but you'll notice I staid pretty busy anyway. The seas were rougher today than any previous day.
In the morning, the early seating has breakfast at 7:30 (I think), and the late seating is at 8:15 at the restaurant you ate at the night before. At that meal, you get a ticket which determines when you'll get off the ship. Like a lottery. So, DCL has less control of things here than they do in FL; this is considerably more like other cruises where you just wait to be called. If you have an early flight, you can make arrangements to get off earlier if you show your itinerary. We'll see how that goes tomorrow. We're headed over to DL for a few days on our own, then Universal, then San Diego.
So, cheers to everyone coming aboard soon. Enjoy your cruise. The Magic is still grand, and there are new ports and shows to experience, so what's not to like. If one or two things don't work out (jellyfish, the odd bad shore excursion, the rude person in the theater), there are plenty more great moments that make you smile. And a week with loved ones anywhere is always great. Ask me about my DW and DD sometime...if you've gotta a few hours to listen. That's a wrap. The next time you hear from me, I'll be on land.
