April 19th Western - the "Showers of Happiness" cruise

[MassDisLovers]

This is my own ( admittedly biased) recollection of the April 19th Western. I'm sure I won't prove to be as entertaining as King Charming and HyperMommy (our own version of Sonny and Cher ...or is that Lucy and Ricky??) but I'll give it a try.

Our little group consisted of me, a special ed. teacher, DH Jim, a school superintendent who desperately needed a vacation, our DD 18 , a senior in high school and our DD 15, a freshman in high school . We also have two older sons who were not with us on the trip , one works full time and the other one is in college. We were joined by our friend Jennifer and her DS7 and DD 11 and their family friend, Christine who joined them at the last minute when Jennifer's husband couldn't make it. It was the first Disney cruise for all of them, our 4th. We booked our cruise using our DVC points and took what we could get, a cabin on deck 2. Our previous 3 cruises on the Magic had us on Decks 5 and 7 so we weren't too sure about Deck 2. It ended up being a great location, and we all agreed that we'd go to deck 2 again in a heartbeat. Plus, as it turned out we were only a few cabins away from HyperMommy and that in itself was a lot of fun. We loved checking out her ever-changing magnet display on her door. We always knew what day it was by looking at her magnets!

We flew to Florida on Friday afternoon . We generally fly on Delta, but they were so high that I booked on United though Expedia . Our experience on United was less than we had hoped for. We had booked a non-stop from Boston to Orlando but about 3 months before we were to go they e-mailed and said that our flight was "removed from the system". They then re-booked us a flight leaving Boston 2 hours earlier with a connection through Chicago. Flying to Chicago from Boston to get to Orlando never made much sense to me. When they switched it I called to complain and said that I had purchased non-stop tickets. The lovely lady from United said that no, what I had purchased was airfare from Boston to Orlando and that was what I still had. Go figure. Anyway the day of the flights brought lots of delays both leaving Boston and leaving Chicago. By the time we landed in Orlando it was 2:07 AM and we had left home at 1:00 PM. We got the rental car and drove to the Country Inn and Suites. Our heads finally hit the pillows at about 3:30 AM. Up at 8:00 , took showers and headed downstairs to the "free" (or is that pre-paid???) breakfast. Once there I met my first Disboarder - Michelle AKA "Tinkified" . We recognized each other from our picture site.

We were very lucky to have a very active and fun pre-cruise thread, and one very entertaining pre-trip report to help us pass the time while waiting for our trip. Although I must say I was never a big fan of the "Showers of Happiness" nickname that our Cruise Meet thread decided upon, ( I just didn't want any reference to showers or rain or thunder and lightning , etc.) there sure ended up being a whole lot of happiness on that cruise!

After breakfast we went to ABC Liquor to buy some "stuff" to have in the room and then DH dropped off me and the girls (and the luggage - all 6 bags - those girls of mine sure do love shoes and brought different ones for each evening) at the port around 10:30. He went to return the rental car while we got the luggage taken care of and checked in. Once in the terminal we started to meet our "Showers of Happiness" cruisers and that was really a lot of fun. We got boarding number 5 but were still on the ship around noon. We headed up to Deck 9, got a table and a couple "Drinks of the Day" and just breathed a sigh of relief that we were finally THERE! The girls couldn't wait to get started on the chicken strips, Jim had a burger and I went to sample the offerings at Topsiders.

We enjoyed the sunshine for a while and then the cabins were ready. We went down to check it out and then got ready for our "DisMeet" in the Promenade Lounge at 2:00 PM. What a lot of fun! At one count there were over 100 people there. It was LOUD in the lounge with everyone talking and chatting. Passersby were clearly wondering what kind of a crazy activity was going on ! Michelle had made lime green Mickey head pins for everyone, and HyperMommy (Denise) served as the "Master of Ceremonies" for our gathering. Everyone introduced themselves and them some folks participated in a "Yankee Swap" activity. The gifts were varied - Florida souveniers, Disney items, beach items. etc. It seemed that everyone was happy with the "meet" and with their gift. We took a group photo before everyone went off to whatever was waiting for them. It was really nice to finally put faces with the online personalities that we had talked with for over a year!

Off to the safety drill, where I got stepped on in the crowd and dripped blood all over the deck from my foot. It turned out that most of my toenail was cut off (hence all the blood). For some reason it really didn't hurt all that much but it did look pretty grim all week! I bandaged it up the best I could and decided to hope for the best.

All our luggage had arrived during the drill so we unpacked and got ready for dinner. We had the 5:45 seating with a APPL rotation. It was fine except it put us in Parrot Cay for both formal and semi-formal nights - oh well.... We've always had late dining before and found that we really like both. It's nice to eat early (and not be still stuffed at bedtime) but having late dining gives you much more time in the late afternoon to nap, get ready, have a drink before dinner, etc. So, we could be happy with either on future cruises. Our servers were David from the Czech Republic and "Z" (can't remember where he was from). They were an excellent team - they really worked well together. They were both a little reserved on the first night but loosened up as the week went on and we really liked them. "Z" told us that the week before they had had really difficult people, so maybe they were still a little shell-shocked the first night. They never rushed us, we all like to try a little bit of every course so we were generally at dinner for 2 hours. The Head Waiter, Arnold, from Trinidad was the most personable head waiter we've ever had. Our previous experience had been that the head waiters were pretty elusive except on the last night. Arnold came by every night to chat and he also spoke to us wherever he saw us during the days. This was the first time on any cruise that we didn't mind tipping the head waiter, and in fact we gave him extra since he was so attentive and pleasant to talk with.

The first night we went to the "Welcome Aboard Variety Show" (very entertaining!), had a drink in the Promenade Lounge, where we met Bruno a brand-new DCL CM - much more about him later. We then strolled around deck 10 (DH's favorite thing to do). DD15 made herself right at home in the Stack, but we were all worn out from the crazy flight delays so we all turned in fairly early.

Next up - brunch at Palo and a day in Key West ~ or where can we buy lots of band- aids, antibiotic ointment and hydrogen peroxide???

 

[Googelibear]

Great start. I cannot wait to read what happens with Bruno the brand new CM and what on earth you needed band aids, peroxide and antibiotics for. Not that toe?

 

[imheather]

Great Report! Keep it coming

Heather

 

[MassDisLovers]

Sunday dawned bright and sunny, a truly beautiful day. We had a reservation at Palo for brunch at 10:30 , DH and I plus our older daughter who had turned 18 and was now eligible to go to Palo. Because of our dining rotation we also had the character breakfast "Mickey's Island Jam" in Parrot Cay that morning . I got up to go with our younger daughter and our friends, saying that I would "just have coffee" - but of course coffee turned into fruit and I had to use all my will power to not choose a lovely pastry as well. In spite of all the negative comments that have been on these boards about the breakfast, it was cute, lively and all the kids seemed to love it.

At 10:30 we went to Palo where we were seated at a beautiful window table. it was so sunny, though, we should have brought our sunglasses! The food was wonderful and ample, our server was Corinna who was quiet but very nice. Our Disboard friend Anty30 was there at the same time, and her server told her that DCL will be going to Alaska in the near future! All our server confided was that she was pregnant and leaving the ship!!!

After Palo we disembarked and headed into Key West. My first stop was the CVS where I had to load up on all the items I needed to "fix" my injured toe from yesterday. It was throbbing constantly, all dark red where the nail once was and very swollen. Once I got "the goods" I went in to ladies room in a bar and proceeded to disinfect and bandage the injured toe. Not pretty! Then we walked around Duval Street for a while and headed to the cemetary where we spent more than an hour. Back we walked (yup, with the aching throbbing, probably infected toe). We stopped at Margaritaville, had a snack and drink then went to the Lazy Gecko, the Red Sox bar on Key West to watch the game. The Sox won, so we headed to Kermits which is our favorite Key Lime pie stop and back to the ship.

Dinner was in Parrot Cay as usual the food was very good, then we went to the show which was the Comedy of Heath Hyche - very funny. Off to Studio Sea for Karaoke where a multi-generation family from New Jersey entertained us all. It was getting late , so time to go see our new friend, Bruno in the Promenade Lounge.

Bruno told us that he had boarded the ship on April 12th after 4 days of land training in Orlando. His assignment is to be a bar server, and like most employees , his contract is for 6 months. He is Portuguese but spent most of his growing up and college years in England which he calls home. Bruno is slim, very tall and VERY slow. It seems like he likes to talk much more than he likes to serve people . We aren't big drinkers and are happy with our one drink, but other folks were obviously very irritated with our friend Bruno. Nothing fazed Bruno, though. We learned early on that he had one speed and nothing could make him go faster but lots of things could make him go slower!

Monday was a sea day and we had massages booked - hot stone for me and well-being for DH. We both loved them. We lounged by the pool for most of the day and then retired to read on Deck 4 with the wonderful chairs when we had enough sun. We went to the Martini tasting ($15.00 each) at 4 PM but didn't really think it was all that great. Neither of us really liked the martinis ('classic', chocolate, lemon and one other , can't remember what it was) . I had to go do one of the dissers' hair for formal night so off I went to do that. Dinner was very good and the evening's show was the always wonderful Golden Mickeys.

After that we went to Diversions to hear Doug Ross on the piano for a Elton John and Billy Joel hour (am I showing my age here?) then it was up to the Promenade Lounge to have a drink with some friends and see how our Bruno was making out. He told us that he had a very hard day - because of formal night too many people were asking for drinks and he is just not used to all that. He told us that he really missed his Mom and wasn't sure if this was a good idea after all. We started to think that maybe Bruno just wasn't cut out for cruise ship life. Listening to him gave us a very different impression of cruising. For us it's all about being on vacation, for him it was about doing a job he felt he wasn't good at, being "spoken to" several times a night by his bar manager and being homesick. Poor Bruno!

Coming ~ Earth Day at Sea, Jeeps in Cozumel , Pirates in the Caribbean and another day at sea

 

[nzdisneymom]

Can't wait to read more! Sorry 'bout the toe! I'm glad your server-team explained about having difficult people the week before - I know their job is to serve but geez, some folks just make it really hard to be served. Sounds like you all had a great week and I'm looking forward to reading more.

 

[TotallyAngelic]

really enjoying your trip report! Sounds like you're having an amazing time!

 

[Hypermommy]

Heya girl! I didn't know about your toe. You sure were hoofing it around the boat (I know, I know... it's a ship, not a boat). Thanks for doing such a great job with my hair on formal night! I can't wait for you to see how the pictures turned out but I have to leave a surprise or two for my own trippie. I can't wait to read more about your trip. I think I'm going to almost love reading these post-trip reports more than being onboard (almost) becuase it's interesting to see how many different vacations can be had on one big boat (yeah, right... ship, not a boat ).

 

[MeggyMagic]

For the record Mom, i only brought necessary shoes! I mean how could i wear a pink dress with black shoes? I needed sneakers to run on deck 4 (i had to work off all those mickey bars!) My formal dress required my black high heels and my birks are a necessity for cruisin' life!

but i do thank you for carrying all that

and the whole, you know, taking me on 4 cruises thing

 

[MassDisLovers]

For the record Mom, i only brought necessary shoes! I mean how could i wear a pink dress with black shoes? I needed sneakers to run on deck 4 (i had to work off all those mickey bars!) My formal dress required my black high heels and my birks are a necessity for cruisin' life!

but i do thank you for carrying all that

and the whole, you know, taking me on 4 cruises thing

If my count is correct, Miss MeggyMagic, you 've been on 4 Disney cruises but you've been on 3 others as well. Plus all those vacations to WDW, California, AGP and more!

 

[Hypermommy]

If my count is correct, Miss MeggyMagic, you 've been on 4 Disney cruises but you've been on 3 others as well. Plus all those vacations to WDW, California, AGP and more!

Yeah, but we all know those other cruise lines pale in comparison, right? I know that and I've only ever been on the April Showers of Happiness cruise. In fact... I took a picture of one of those other ugly boats becuase I'm going to put it alongside the Magic in my scrapbook. The page will be titled "Ugly Ship.... Pretty Ship".

Meg, I'm with you girl!!

 

[MassDisLovers]

We were at the airport on Sunday having lunch and discussing our vacation. All 4 of us agreed that while we have really enjoyed all our other trips and even the cruises on other lines, Disney is absolutely THE BEST. We didn't rebook onboard, but as soon as those DVC points are replenished, I'll be right back on the phone with Member Services to schedule another!

 

[MassDisLovers]

Let's see, in the trip report (before I got sidetracked by my daughter and her cohort HyperMommy) we were just about to get to Grand Cayman. Another absolutely beautiful day - we were so lucky with the weather all week! Tendering was easy and sort of fun, we were on the island by 9:30 or so. We got a cab quickly ($5.00 per person to get there but only $4.00 pp to get back with the same company ) and went to Seven Mile Beach, like most everyone else, I guess. We rented chairs and umbrellas for the day, and stayed until nearly 3:00, probably too long, because the kids (who were in the water most of the day) got burned . We walked around the shops, but nothing called out to us, so we headed back to the ship, ordered a couple "All Hands on Deck" platters and some nice cold drinks and enjoyed them on Deck 4. The adults went to Palo at 6:30 that evening where our server was Sasha , a Palo veteran. It was an exquisite meal and by the time we finally left it was 9:30! We couldn't beleive it! We were supposed to meet the kids to see "Twice Charmed" at 8:30 - ooops!

We went to Rockin' Bar D to see Max Winfrey's adult comedy act, and witnessed an irate parent and teen being asked to leave. Go Disney! Up to the Promenade Lounge to see what the late night snacks were and to check in with Bruno. In spite of eating a obscene amount of food at Palo, we still had to sample the veggies and dip, fruit and tiny sandwiches. Bruno seemed to be himself - S-L-O-W but talkative. His day was better because he'd been able to go on a snorkeling excursion which made him happy. He was unclear as to if he would be charged for it, and didn't seem to care.

On Wednesday we were in Cozumel, My husband and older daughter went on a Disney Jeep excursion which they really enjoyed. They shared a jeep with a very nice young couple from Ontario who were traveling with 29 family members. My younger DD and I walked around, looked in shops, paid $2.00 to have her picture taken (with my camera) while she held an ugly iguana, and bought some trinkets, but it was really, really hot (96 degrees) so before long we were heading back to the ship. She was off to the Stack, me to Deck 4 with my book and a frozen margarita.

This night was the Pirates IN the Caribbean Party which starts at dinner with pirate bandanas for all. The menu was fun and the atmosphere was exciting - it seemed that the servers enjoyed this night as well. We went up on deck 9 falrly early to get a good viewing spot for the party and fireworks. As always the pirate party was outstanding.

After the party we went to "Krazy Karaoke" in Rockin' Bar D where my DD and DH entertained as did HyperMommy and many others. It was a great crowd, so they extended it way beyond the posted ending time . After Karaoke we had to take the regular evening walk on the top deck to see the stars and the moon (full moon!) then off to bed for most of us. DD15 of course was in the Stack and was very much enjoying her very late nights - something that would never happen at home!

I've realized that I've never mentioned our cabin attendant. He has almost like a ghost - coming in when we were not there, leaving huge blanket animals (sometimes twice a day) and keeping everything beautiful. Although we rarely saw him, we appreciated everything he did and tipped him accordingly at the end of the week.

Next - the last day at sea

 

[MeggyMagic]

Meg, I'm with you girl!!

Thanks s o much Hypermommy- us Karaoke girls have to stick together!

 

[Hypermommy]

Thanks s o much Hypermommy- us Karaoke girls have to stick together!

Yep... even if mom does blame us for sidetracking her trippie

I wish I could have hung with you guys longer. Sounds like the night was a lot of fun. I should have napped in the afternoon like I'd planned but there was so much fun to be had all the time I just couldn't bring myself to miss any of it until my eyes threatened to shut wherever I was.

I wanna see the picture with the iguana! Yes, it was very hot at Cozumel even for this Florida girl. And those iguanas were everywhere, weren't they? At least they were out at Tulum. $2 to get a picture taken with your own camera ... now that's gotta be some good marketing!

Can't wait to hear more.

 

[MassDisLovers]

There's nothing like a day at sea to remind you of why you took a cruise in the first place. I do love going to the islands, but sometimes it seems that they all look the same. Staying on the ship is so peaceful. The sea looks endless and there is so much to do it's hard to decide where to begin. DD18 and I went to the "Performers Q & A" in Sessions at 10:00. The group was 4 brand new young performers (started on the same day as our favorite waiter, Bruno) and one 9 year veteran. The session was really interesting, they talked about how they had spent about 3 months in Toronto rehearsing before they ever even set foot onboard. My daughter is a dancer/actress/singer so she really enjoyed talking with them. They told us what parts they played in the shows so that evening and the next we were able to pick them out in Disney Dreams and the Farewell Show.

Even though we are Castaway Cub members and DVC members, we skipped both presentations this time. We never wore the red hats we got the first few times and our luck is such that we really doubted we'd win one of the drawings so we opted for some time on the sun loungers on deck 10 instead. Unfortunately, it was SO windy that it was kind of hard to enjoy it. The wind took my reading glasses which were quickly scooped up by two little girls, according got the lady a few chairs away. About a half hour later DH was able to get them back at Guest Serices. They first told him that he'd have to check back in the evening but, as it turned out the two girls were behind him in the line, and heard him asking for lost glasses. So, I was back in business with Jodi Picot for awhile anyways!

DD18 wanted to try the Rainforest and got her father to agree to go with her, so off they went. They both loved it, but I'm not a fan of saunas or otherwise hot places, (At this point in my life I am hot enough on my own!) so I stayed on deck reading. While they were gone I went to lunch in Lumiere's with a friend. Lunch in the dining room is so much nicer than grabbing a quick lunch at Topsiders!

We had tickets to the Margarita tasting, the friend who got them said it was at 4:00, so we all enjoyed the afternoon in the windy but warm sun. DD and I went to Tea at palo at 3:00 PM. What a lovely mother-daughter activity! The tea sandwiches, scones and other desserts were outstanding - we couldn't even finish them all. At $5.00 per person this is the biggest bargain on the ship! After tea I headed down to Beat Stret to meet DH and the others for the Margarita Tasting. Alas, we were 2 hours late, as it was actually at 2:00! $60.00 wasted for the 4 of us! Our friends DS and DD were in the special children's "graduation" program so she headed off there and we went to the Promenade Lounge to see Bruno. We had also gotten friendly with the couple who play the music there, Danielle and Chuy. They were quite good, and we enjoyed talking with them every day between sets. They, too had noticed that Bruno was having a hard time of it. Bruno was exhausted and was already worrying about what his assignment would be tomorrow, Castaway Cay day. As he explained to us , he was "much more of an inside lounge guy", and wasn't looking forward to a day outside on the island.

Tonight was the semi-formal night, the Captain's Gala. As usual this is the night that the lobster tails are served. After dinner we went to "Disney Dreams" then we decided to go up on deck to sit in the hot tub for awhile. When we got kicked out around 10:20 we walked around and enjoyed the beautiful evening. DD15 was all excited about going to the "Homecoming Dance" in the Stack, which ended at 2:00 AM ! We were all so tired that we didn't even have the energy to even go look at the Chocolate Buffet set up in Lumiere's!

 

[MassDisLovers]

Last full day of the cruise- Castaway Cay. After reading all the recent reports of the ship not being able to dock, I was a bit nervous that the same fate would befall us. Alas, our beautiful weather continued and the ship was able to dock without incident. The tip envelopes had been delivered the night before so there was a sense of "it's almost over" that couldn't be shaken even knowing that we were going to spend the day in paradise.

Before disembarking, I went back to the spa for my second treatment of the week. When I was there on Monday for my massage the "therapist" said that I was "so tight and had 4 large knots in my back" that she wanted me to come back for another treatment later in the week. Sure she did, and she wanted me to pay another $175.00 too. However, she told me that it would be a "special" and that I would get not only the full body massage but a seaweed wrap, facial and foot massage for $99.00. I made the appointment right then and there (too good to pass up) and figured that if I didn't want to spend the money by Friday I could always cancel. DH however, insisted that I go back, and being the ever-obediant wife, I didn't want to go against his wishes, so a little before 8:00 I presented myself at the spa, ready for some Heaven. I was waiting for just a minute or two when a very athletic gentleman called out "Karen?" My immediate thought was "Oh no, a guy for a massage???" But I figured I'm a grown up, very close to 50 years old, I can DO this.... and I followed him. We started down the hall and he said "So are you ready for your personal training?" Huh??? No, I'm ready to be wrapped in seweed and massaged from head to my pathetic injured toe. I thought he was kidding, but as we continued I realized he wasn't. It may have been rude, but what popped out of my mouth was "DO I LOOK LIKE I'm here for personal training?" As it turned out, there was another Karen waiting for her personal training - and for the record, she really didn't look like she was ready for it either. Soon my lovely, female therapist came along and collected me and before too long I WAS wrapped in some sort of seaweed gunk and was in a pleasant state of mush. The treatment was heavenly and lasted nearly 2 hours! It really did cost $99.00, plus a good tip and was worth every penny.

When I returned form the spa we got right off the ship. DD 15 had gone off earlier with the teens on an excursion called "The Wild Side" - biking, kayaking etc. She had done it the last time and loved it so she was anxious to go again. We headed for the adult beach and set ourselves up in a nice spot. Who should we see dragging himself across the sand, but Bruno! Oh no! This had to be his nightmare assignment - he had just told us that he hated the outdoors and saw himself as a "lounge guy" the day before. Poor Bruno was delivering drinks to folks on the adult beach - that is until he spied us and felt a break coming on. He plopped himself down on the chair and proceeded to tell us how hard this was and how he was in need of a break very soon. The lady at the next chair asked him for a Konk Kooler and he told her that he needed to go eat his lunch, that she should share the one her friend had, and then they could share another one after his lunch! Remarkably, she didn't seem to mind! Bruno then took himself back to the bar and we never saw him again!

After a good lunch (no lobster tails on Castawy this time ) DH and DD rented bikes for their usual "father-daughter" bike ride. I made my way to the family beach to catch up with DD15 as her excursion was over by then. She wanted to get her hair braided so off she went with her KTTW card and $54.00 later she was happily sporting cornrows. We got some hammocks and drinks and spent a nice hour resting . Around 3:30 we started back to the ship but not before buying CC shirts and a messenger bag.

The last dinner was in Lumiere's but it was actually our first time there because we had missed it on Tuesday to go to Palo. David and Z brought all kinds of desserts including Baked Alaska and Mickey bars for everyone at the end of the meal. I'm embarrassed to say that all were eaten. We went to the "Farewell Show" and did some more shopping . I had purchased Mickey "crocs" earlier in the week due to the "bad toe". I only brought sandals on the trip but my toe was so gruesome to look at, even bandaged, that I wanted it hidden! The strap on the crocs had broken, so I wanted to exchange them for new ones. I had the receipt, but even so the CM was pretty rude about it. In the end, I got my new ones - same size, same color so it wasn't like I was trying to pull a fast one. I never quite figured out what her problem was. We went to the adorable "'Til We Meet Again" character greeting/show , bought a few photos at Shutters and walked around for the final time, feeling a little sad. We realized that we hadn't seen any movies onboard - but it was too late for that now. We went to say goodbye to Bruno - I really wish we had thought to get his e-mail address (if that's allowed). I'll always wonder if he made it as a Disney CM or not! We turned in around midnight . DD15 was really mad that we made her come in.....in her mind she was already missing great stuff in the "Stack" but we figured enough was enough!

Saturday morning and the alarm went off at 6:00. I could feel that we were already docked, which was kind of depressing. Trying to rouse two teenage girls at that hour on a school day is bad enough, on vacation when the vacation is just about over...miserable! None of us were hungry but we went to breakfast anyways, mostly because we had told David and Z the night before that we would. If we hadn't shown up, they probably wouldn't have cared..they were probably already thinking about the next cruise and all they had to do to get ready for their new people. We were off the ship by 8:30 and DH had the rental car and was back to pick us up by 9:00. Another wonderful week on the Disney Magic was over. As exciting as it is to anticiapte the 2 new ships, the Magic is very special to us, and I will miss it if it is taken from Canaveral. I couldn't help but wonder if I'd get on her again.

In retrospect - things that make DCL so special:

The DisMeet - although this may seem corny, we made some real friends in the months leading up to our trip, and spending time with them on the ship was really fun. There was an added sense of excitement that first day when we all met in the terminal and at the meet that made the trip special.

The Castawy Club gift - It may be a small thing, but it's nice to know they appreciate repeat business. Since so many people are now repeaters, they could have stopped that gift a long time ago but they didn't, and it's very nice.

Chocolate chip cookies from room service - heck- anything from room service! We ordered cookies and "uncrustables" the evening before we went to the beach at Grand Cayman. It was great to have them to snack on at the beach.

The ship is CLEAN! Recent postings suggested that it wasn't, and that it had fallen into a state of disrepair - neither is true. Yes, it needs some work during the upcoming drydock in the fall, but it does not show it's age. We've been on other ships that don't come close to the Magic.

Finally, you can't beat Disney for friendliness of the CMs. Even if it's just a cheery "Good Morning", they address you, and make you fell like they're glad you're there. This is not always true on other lines.

Best thing about this trip - time with our family. Our lives are very busy and we often don't get to spend time together the way we'd like to. To paraphrase a popular commercial - Cost of the cruise- a lot. Being together for a week on a beautiful ship - PRICELESS.

Thanks for reading!
Karen

 

[Princess_Gracie]

There's nothing like a day at sea to remind you of why you took a cruise in the first place. I do love going to the islands, but sometimes it seems that they all look the same. Staying on the ship is so peaceful. The sea looks endless and there is so much to do it's hard to decide where to begin. DD18 and I went to the "Performers Q & A" in Sessions at 10:00. The group was 4 brand new young performers (started on the same day as our favorite waiter, Bruno) and one 9 year veteran. The session was really interesting, they talked about how they had spent about 3 months in Toronto rehearsing before they ever even set foot onboard. My daughter is a dancer/actress/singer so she really enjoyed talking with them. They told us what parts they played in the shows so that evening and the next we were able to pick them out in Disney Dreams and the Farewell Show.

Even though we are Castaway Cub members and DVC members, we skipped both presentations this time. We never wore the red hats we got the first few times and our luck is such that we really doubted we'd win one of the drawings so we opted for some time on the sun loungers on deck 10 instead. Unfortunately, it was SO windy that it was kind of hard to enjoy it. The wind took my reading glasses which were quickly scooped up by two little girls, according got the lady a few chairs away. About a half hour later DH was able to get them back at Guest Serices. They first told him that he'd have to check back in the evening but, as it turned out the two girls were behind him in the line, and heard him asking for lost glasses. So, I was back in business with Jodi Picot for awhile anyways!

DD18 wanted to try the Rainforest and got her father to agree to go with her, so off they went. They both loved it, but I'm not a fan of saunas or otherwise hot places, (At this point in my life I am hot enough on my own!) so I stayed on deck reading. While they were gone I went to lunch in Lumiere's with a friend. Lunch in the dining room is so much nicer than grabbing a quick lunch at Topsiders!

We had tickets to the Margarita tasting, the friend who got them said it was at 4:00, so we all enjoyed the afternoon in the windy but warm sun. DD and I went to Tea at palo at 3:00 PM. What a lovely mother-daughter activity! The tea sandwiches, scones and other desserts were outstanding - we couldn't even finish them all. At $5.00 per person this is the biggest bargain on the ship! After tea I headed down to Beat Stret to meet DH and the others for the Margarita Tasting. Alas, we were 2 hours late, as it was actually at 2:00! $60.00 wasted for the 4 of us! Our friends DS and DD were in the special children's "graduation" program so she headed off there and we went to the Promenade Lounge to see Bruno. We had also gotten friendly with the couple who play the music there, Danielle and Chuy. They were quite good, and we enjoyed talking with them every day between sets. They, too had noticed that Bruno was having a hard time of it. Bruno was exhausted and was already worrying about what his assignment would be tomorrow, Castaway Cay day. As he explained to us , he was "much more of an inside lounge guy", and wasn't looking forward to a day outside on the island.

Tonight was the semi-formal night, the Captain's Gala. As usual this is the night that the lobster tails are served. After dinner we went to "Disney Dreams" then we decided to go up on deck to sit in the hot tub for awhile. When we got kicked out around 10:20 we walked around and enjoyed the beautiful evening. DD15 was all excited about going to the "Homecoming Dance" in the Stack, which ended at 2:00 AM ! We were all so tired that we didn't even have the energy to even go look at the Chocolate Buffet set up in Lumiere's!

Hi MassDisLover! I think I sat next to you and your daughter at the Actors Q and A! We were such a small group that it made the Q and A much more interesting. When Matthew asked the group to guess which roles he played, I was the one who quipped in "The Prince!!" which of course he didn't. But I did end up getting to know him after that

 

[bdwk1997]

Thanks for writing it....

 

[Jillpie]

A fellow Ma. Diser here! While you were enjoying the Magic, we were at DW for 11 days, so we both had a fantastic break from New England. I loved your report. We did the Western in 06', but did the two days at Castaway Cay, so it was a little different. I loved that you had fun with Disers, thats what made our cruise the BEST time ever too. Now you all have us wondering about poor Bruno, hmm, maybe other posters will talk about him in the future. Really great report, thanks for taking me back on the Magic!

 

[Hypermommy]

Great TR! Enjoyed reading every bit of it. Nice to know they didn't have lobster at Serenity Bay... now I don't feel so much that DH missed out. We never did make it over there because DS12 lost his wallet and we had to deal with that. But that's okay... just another reason that we have to go cruising again. Thanks for such a wonderful TR. How's your toe?