April 2, 2005 Magic-First DCL cruise-anyone going?

[BriarfoxinWA]

We were able to go right to our stateroom. I think that they would prefer that you didn't. We just checked with our stateroom-steward. He was finishing cleaning up the room and we asked if we could just change and leave our carryon bags there. He was o.k. with that.

I can't remember if there is a published time that your staterooms will be ready or not...

 

[RachelTori]

They don't promise to have them ready when you board, but most staterooms seem to be. Advice we found on these boards was to bring a carry-on with us that had a change of clothes, or a swimsuit because your luggage may not get to your stateroom for a little while. Especially important: If you want Palos or spa ressies, that's where you should head first, then to either Parrot Cay (one of the restaurants on deck 4) or Topsiders (up on deck 9) for the buffet - they're world renown for the shrimp!! By the time you're finished with that, your room should for sure be ready!

 

[anlashokna]

Gotcha...Palo reservations...Spa Reservations then see about dumping stuff off in the room

April is far too long to wait! I even went to see what pricing would be at WDW to stay for a few days afterwards and you can't even book rooms yet!

 

[RachelTori]

Anlashokna, I have a question for you since I see that you've stayed at Wilderness Lodge. That's where we're booked this July on the 5 plus 2 DreamMaker. What did you think of it? We've stayed in many of the properties but never WL. Animal Kingdom Lodge was a favorite of our's and we've heard they're pretty comparable. Any thoughts or advice? As far as your booking several days at WDW after the cruise, I think that's a great idea. The only thing missing from our Disney vacation after last year's Magic cruise, was a stopover at the World. Unfortunately, with a 10 year old, we had to get home for school.

 

[anlashokna]

I liked the Wilderness Lodge. Very nice. I think the only inconvienent part is if you want to use disney transportation you have to bus or boat. I ended up just driving to the different parks myself. Boated to the Contemporary..road the monorail to MK and boated back at park closing. You can get creative getting around that way.

The rooms are a bit smaller than the normal deluxe resorts..of course my family got spoiled when we stayed at the Grand Floridian, unfortunately that will forever be a one time thing. Too pricey.

Biggest recommendation...get a room that is NOT off the lobby. The only bad thing on the whole trip was the night they put up the christmas decorations. The cranes they were using in the lobby woke me up several times and I sleep with earplugs!! But July you won't have that problem. However Whispering Canyon Cafe can get rather loud and the lobby echoes. So if the young one needs to be asleep before 10:30 this could be an issue.

I know the hotel received a Best Themed award by the travel channel. It does feel like you're walking into one of the great lodges at Yellowstone. You'll stare in awe at the huge lobby, totems and fireplace

Plus the music piping throughout the lobby and corridors comes from some of the best western soundtracks..aka dances with wolves..silverado..many more you'll know or will be humming by the time you check out

If you eat at the Whispering Canyon you will all have fun. Just remember it might be at your expense, so be willing to play along Just check pricing if you're on a budget. Roaring Folks is good place to grab a quick bite for breakfast before you head out for the parks.

There are two pools. One off the WL and a quieter one around past the bike rentals. It's location suggests it's more for the Wilderness Villas but it tends to be far less crowded.

Onsite you'll find a geyser that goes off on the hour. It's on the way to the boat dock.

I would recommend it. I think this time out I'm going to try one of the Epcot resorts if I can afford. Otherwise I would have no qualm about staying at the Wilderness again. The week after the cruise is classified as peak time So everything costs more. If you have specific questions ask away

 

[RachelTori]

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! I appreciate your insights and advice. What resort are you hoping to book after the cruise? There's always a chance they'll have some sort of special pricing - even during "peak". Do you have the Disney Visa? If not, you should consider because they offer deals from time to time. It's not the Disney Club (miss that like crazy), but it's better than nothing! Also, if you're traveling solo or with one other person, the Pop Century Resort is fun! My DD(10) and I stayed there in January. We really enjoyed it. There's a terrific thread on the Disney Resorts disboards devoted to Pop Century; check it out if you get the chance - it's pretty active so it's usually listed on the current page.

Back to the cruise - April can't get here fast enough!!!

Laura

 

[anlashokna]

Actually was looking at the Beach Club Villas. Studio. If I want a longer stay probably the Port Orleans French Quarter. Had stayed in the Bayou section before when it was the Dixie Landings (didn't care for that part of the resort). When I stayed at the Wilderness I was on the Dreamaker plan that included all your meals and tours, etc. Wanted to see and do everything and quickly ran out of time

One recommendation I would throw out there is the program at Epcots Living Seas, Dolphins in Depth. That was the highlight of my last trip. I also did the tour at Animal Kingdom "Wild by Design" which was very interesting. Have a better appreciation of the park after that one.

Cruise first....resort later Do the internet computers onboard allow to upload images from disks to email?

 

[RachelTori]

I'm not sure about the computers on board. All I was aware of was the email capability. If you don't get an answer from someone on this thread, post a new thread and surely the experts will get back to you!! Have you checked out Dave from Marietta's website for some great cruise info? www.dcltribute.com P.S. Thanks for the info on the WDW tours; we'll definitely look into those!

 

[anlashokna]

I think I have their site bookmarked. Scoured the web for anything I could find on DCL and then some Probably tackle the bookstore again this weekend. Caribbean Magazines etc.

 

[RachelTori]

You should "google" the islands we'll visit - you'll find lots of info that way too! If you find any sites you think are worthy, please pass the info along - we'll do the same!

 

[greytlady]

Hello everyone!

We are currently on the Disney Wonder - our Day at Sea and having a wonderful time. The weather has been beautiful and I cannot feel the ship moving at all today. I had no problems the first night either with the ship's movement. I could feel it a little bit but nothing to cause me any problems.

Our rooms were ready at 1:30p on the day we arrived. They had the corridors roped off before that to allow the host/hostess to finish cleaning rooms. They were prompt in removing the rope at 1:30p to allow folks into their room. I don't know if the Magic will be different in that respect from the Wonder.

The computers in Internet cafe are only a monitor, keyboard and mouse. No place I see to upload pictures to email. But the response isn't too bad. Better than dial up but a little slower than DSL or cable. There have always been terminals available whenever I've visited.

Hope that helps! I am looking forward to our 7-Days next year.


Nena

 

[RachelTori]

Hey, Greytlady! Glad to hear you're enjoying the ship!! Thanks for getting in touch. I believe the Magic and Wonder are run very similarly -- what I've heard from people who've experienced the
Wonder is "wished we could have stayed longer!" We'll have to introduce our children since my DD will be 11 when we cruise next April. Enjoy the rest of your cruise. Hot & humid here in Georgia!

 

[anlashokna]

Great info Thanks. Hope you're enjoying yourself. We're still waiting for summer here. Cool and wet most of the last week.
Now i just have to get my countdown clock working on this site.

 

[RachelTori]

Just "bumping" this up! We've been inactive for a month now. I know everyone's busy, but we need to keep our thread going!! Do we have any other dissers taking this cruise who haven't introduced themselves yet? BriarfoxinWA, are you back from Hawaii?

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

Yep - just got back Saturday morning - 3 a.m. too early!

Had a great time - but of course it wasn't Disney...

DH was convinced that it would be cheaper than the cruise...wait till he sees the final bill... Maybe he'll be a little more cooperative when it comes to booking more cruises on DCL!

 

[mousecrazy]

Hi There.
You can count us in! My crew will consist of me, DH, DD who will be 7 at cruise time and DS who will be almost 4. This will be our first cruise. We've been to WDW once as a family (three times before kids) and visit Disneyland at least twice a year.

BriarfoxinWA, We're practically neighbors, we live down the road in Spokane.

Now the fun begins...

 

[cwf1028]

mousecrazy-Great to "meet" you. Your oldest will be the same age as my DD on the cruise! Also have another DD who will be 4 1/2. This is our first DCL cruise, and first cruise for the kids. DH and I haven't been since we were married 9 years ago, so seems like we are due! I've done so much research that I feel like I've been on at least 10 cruises with DCL! Good to hear from everyone. Hopefully we will get some more folks on board!

 

[RachelTori]

Welcome home, BriarfoxinWA!! I'm glad you enjoyed Hawaii. Are you back into the routine yet, or still catching up?! I've had all sorts of computer problems (lightning started it all!) and lost all my email addresses! We're leaving for Disney World 7/11. Will stay at Wilderness Lodge this time. Can't wait!

Welcome "Mousecrazy"! 277 days sounds like a lot, but it'll be here before any of us know it!!

We'll have to keep this thread active so any new dissers find us without much trouble! It's really fun to get to know families on-line and then meet - either the night before at the Radisson or on the "Magic"!!

I found these boards invaluable before our 1st DCL cruise 4/2003. Anytime you have a question, don't be shy about asking!

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

We are still in the "catching up" mode! The day we left the lawn sprinkler installers managed to cut our phone line, computer fiber optic line, and our electrical At least they had it all back together when we came home!

We also had a lovey mouse infestation - which we have NEVER had problems with before! So we are busy cleaning and putting out mouse traps - 1 down ??? many more to go!

We had a great time snorkling Molokini Crater so now I'm looking for options to do snorkling excursions while on our cruise!

 

[RachelTori]

Eeeek! If you don't have cats, you should borrow one - that'll get rid of the mice!! We've had bats in our attic (ick!) but no mice! Oh, and a woodpecker got injured and stuck in our heat ducts once!!

There's some great snorkeling at St. Thomas & St. John. We went to Magan's Bay (bet I spelled that wrong!) and there was some great snorkeling there. A bunch of us did it on our own; we found a "local" who took us to the perfect spot; then picked us up at the scheduled time. We used those underwater, disposable cameras and have some awesome pictures!!

Uh, oh - storming here again. We're not having a very nice summer so far in Atlanta. We'll "talk" soon!

Laura