December 12 - 19, 2009 Western Magic

[CRSNDSNY]

Welcome back! That cruise sounds wonderful. Airfare is stopping us from a repo next year....I just can't swing that.

We stayed at SSR until the 27th and loved being there for Christmas....so did the kids. It was overall a fantastic vacation! So great in fact we're going to do it all over again next year.

 

[Scooby3x1y]

Did anyone else note that the Wonder sailing that would have been at CC the day after ours wasn't even able to dock!?! I read it it a post that they missed CC day.

Makes me REALLY glad for the lovely few hours on the island. (And for being docked when those high winds and tornados came through.)

That was my fourth trip to the island. and definately the worst weather wise. Still, it managed to be a nice day overall.

I'm with Sue Ellen...gotta figure out when my next trip is ...withdraw

I'm behind since the trip and just opened to this page, so if this has been covered, sorry.

We sat at the airport and met someone who was on the Eastern Carib. right after our sailing. They even had one of the rooms that our group had.

Anyway, they the winds and sea were so rough when the got to CC, they tried to dock 3 or 4 times, and said we're going to try one more time and if we don't get in, we're going to skip it. They did get in on the last time they tried. They said the wind was horrible, and the seas were very rough. A crew member told them that the docking area is very shallow and the sea was churning up so much sand and and was very turbulent.

 

[Scooby3x1y]

Being a first time cruiser on Disney, the thing that amazed me the most was how every single crew member treated the kids with such respect and care. I don't have kids and everybody who I told that I was going on a Disney cruise kept tellng me I would be sick of the kids onboard. Well, let me tell you guys that your kids were an absolute joy to be around. (Maybe not all the time ) I loved seeing the kids enjoy themselves. I loved seeing the servers interacting with the kids. It takes a special kind of person to work such long hours and still have the patience to deal with cranky adults and kids. I really did want to pack up some of those guys and take them home with me.

Here's a reminder for those still just getting home. I set up a Facebook page so we could share photos and videos a little easier than on the Disboards. It's a secret page so nobody but members can view it. Joining it is by invitation only so please private message me your email so I can invite you. We've got 4 members so far (that includes me!) and have a few photos up so far. I'm uploading a really badly shot video right now. LOL

Rats, I don't facebook. I'd love to see some of the photo highlights here, or on our existing yahoo site.

 

[MRAven]

Hi everyone, how do you get to join the Yahoo and/or facebook ?

 

[pxlbarrel]

Hi everyone, how do you get to join the Yahoo and/or facebook ?

If you're already on Facebook, just private message me the email you use on Facebook and I'll invite you to the group.

I had totally forgotten about the Yahoo group. I should have remembered.

 

[Floridasunshine]

Well we had a great time on the cruise but it was been difficult every since. My daughter got ill the day we got of the cruise and was treated for the flu. After 5 days she began to feel better and then became severly ill. Went to ER Wed. night and they admitted her with pneumonia and she was in isolation in the intensive care unit. They thought she had vegitation growing on her heart and a lesion. Very uncomfortable with the diagnosis so I had her moved to another hospital to find out she had pneumonia and nothing else. Her heart issue was cleared. Finally got her released and have her home today. What a New Year. We did book several other cruises while on board. - 12/4/2010 - Eastern Caribbean, 7/26/2011 Alaskan and the 7 day Mediterranean one 8/2011 going out of Barcelona which opened up while we were on board.
Sorry we did not meet Sue Ellen and her son - was looking forward to it. I am just releaved to be back home. Sleeping in a chair at the hospital for the last week has been horrible. I did have several dreams about our wonderful vacation - just needed more pixie dust I guess.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Wow! Thank goodness she is doing better! That must have been frightening!

 

[bevtoy]

I am glad you switched hospitals! Thankful to God shes better now!

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

UGH, Disney is killing me here! All this time they have offered the TAs Western Caribbean (Sept through Jan....alll of them), but now they are offering the Eastern one to us on Feb. 13th! I can't take my kids out of school again!, right?! haha

I sure wish I had known they would be offering it, as I would have taken that one over the one we went on.....since we have done Western 3 times and Eastern only once.

sigh!

 

[Orlando36]

This was my first time to Key West and I was totally unimpressed. NO offense to anyone who loves Key West as I'm sure it's a lovely port if you actually do more than walk around, but to me it looked like a cross between the Jersey Shore and Nassau. I'm just not into the commercialism and junk shops. We walked Duval, got the kids ice cream and then headed back due to the pleading of our kids. Next time we'll check them into the clubs and then head to one of my DH's fave restaurants, Red Fish Blue Fish.

Ahhh, Key West. I feel obligated to talk a bit about her here. Key West is not a city that lends itself well to "excursions" or blanket tours. Key West is an eclectic, fun, interesting city that must be experienced in a different way.

Right up front, my VERY FAVORITE thing to do in Key West. Every night, in a place called Mallory Square, right next to the cruise ship dock, there is a "sunset party". Twenty or so arts and crafts vendors (who must apply and be selected) display their wares. There are steet vendors and performers of all varieties. When we were there this time, we saw a man juggling fiery torches on an eight foot high unicycle, a man blowing thousands of bubbles with various contraptions, a man with performing cats, a living statue, a guitarist, and many others. One performer had a dog who collected his tips from the crowd and put them in a hat. This was literally the highlight of my son's trip! He thought it was great. There are face painters, balloon artists, henna tattooists, and so much more. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mallory Square at sunset, and I wouldn't have missed it! It starts up about an hour to forty five minutes before sundown. This trip, it was sorta 5:15 - 6:30. I'll post a few pics on facebook.

Visiting Key West from a cruise ship, with a limited schedule, is difficult. I will say, it's probably not a brilliant cruise ship stop for kids. Rather than try to dabble in it on foot from the cruise ship port, I would immediately hop in a cab and get away from the port area. As an adult, my favorite spot to visit quickly is Ernest Hemingway's house. It's a beautiful old home, and his is an interesting story. It's also great fun to see some of the six-toed cats wandering around. There is a very pretty lighthouse and museum right across the street from his house. Beyond that, it's not a long walk to the Southernmost Point in the US, a great photo op.

And, once you get into Key West proper, further south on Duval Street, there are a lot of shops with local art and color, and plenty of fabulous bars and restaurants. Not the tourist-trappy, cheap stuff near the port. In short, go about halfway down Duval street, and then walk from there to the Southernmost Point. Then, take a cab back to the ship.

However, near the port area, there is the Wreckers Museum and the Aquarium. I can't speak to the aquarium, as I've not seen it. However, this trip we did go to the Wreckers museum and found it very interesting. The kids were kinda bored, even with the guides doing some acting and hamming. But, I really found it told me a lot about the history and foundation of Key West. Key West was built on the wealth of legal salvaging of shipwrecks on the surrounding reefs. My seven year old son found it somewhat interesting, and he enjoyed trying to lift the real silver bar on display. I liked the crow's nest view of the city.

In short, I love Key West. It's an American city, not scary to venture out on your own. Don't write her off too soon!

 

[HallsofVA]

I think I "saw" some of you throughout the cruise. I have a picture of a family wearing green dancing next to the rope at the Sail Away party. I'll post that as I think it might have been a family here.

I hope you all enjoyed your cruise as well. I have three albums from our trip at my webshots site. You are all welcome to view them: http://community.webshots.com/user/mfpriebe

We're that family in green at the sail away party! (Not the lady with the long sleeves under her green shirt, but the 3 kids beside her and my DH and I behind the kids (2 of who are wearing green shirts). You also got a great picture of my daughter (aka Princess Sophia Snow White) at the Playhouse Disney party. I'll have to get those pictures from you!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Oh my goodness! How about that?! If you pm me your email address, I'll send you high resolution or low resolution versions of the pictures. I very much remember your daughter and her Snow White outfit. I remember seeing her throughout the cruise because everytime my husband and I'd see her we'd think she was so super cute - she has the cutest little face and always looked so happy!

We're that family in green at the sail away party! (Not the lady with the long sleeves under her green shirt, but the 3 kids beside her and my DH and I behind the kids (2 of who are wearing green shirts). You also got a great picture of my daughter (aka Princess Sophia Snow White) at the Playhouse Disney party. I'll have to get those pictures from you!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

We sat at the airport and met someone who was on the Eastern Carib. right after our sailing. They even had one of the rooms that our group had.

That's funny because we ran into a family at the Allentown airport on the 27th that had come off the Eastern Magic the day before. THey didn't mention their Castaway Cay troubles but said they had a wonderful cruise.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

No, I totally get what you're saying. I even mentioned that I don't think I saw the "true" Key West on our visit. We only walked up and down Duvall to be honest with you. My husband went there for a wedding several years back and was able to do more "sight-seeing" things and said there were some very beautiful aspects to Key West and I do believe him. If we were able to do something on water or even stop somewhere to eat I think I'd probably have had a much different experience.

When we go back at the end of the year, actually, we're planning to have our kids in the clubs while we treck out for a couple hours on our own. He loves the eatery "Red Fish, Blue Fish" and wants me to see Hemingway's House (love American literature). I'm still not sure I'd fall in love with the place because I do have a particular beach town style I prefer and Key West is just not it. I just think I might like it more to approach our visit a little differently than we had.

Ahhh, Key West. I feel obligated to talk a bit about her here. Key West is not a city that lends itself well to "excursions" or blanket tours. Key West is an eclectic, fun, interesting city that must be experienced in a different way.

Right up front, my VERY FAVORITE thing to do in Key West. Every night, in a place called Mallory Square, right next to the cruise ship dock, there is a "sunset party". Twenty or so arts and crafts vendors (who must apply and be selected) display their wares. There are steet vendors and performers of all varieties. When we were there this time, we saw a man juggling fiery torches on an eight foot high unicycle, a man blowing thousands of bubbles with various contraptions, a man with performing cats, a living statue, a guitarist, and many others. One performer had a dog who collected his tips from the crowd and put them in a hat. This was literally the highlight of my son's trip! He thought it was great. There are face painters, balloon artists, henna tattooists, and so much more. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mallory Square at sunset, and I wouldn't have missed it! It starts up about an hour to forty five minutes before sundown. This trip, it was sorta 5:15 - 6:30. I'll post a few pics on facebook.

Visiting Key West from a cruise ship, with a limited schedule, is difficult. I will say, it's probably not a brilliant cruise ship stop for kids. Rather than try to dabble in it on foot from the cruise ship port, I would immediately hop in a cab and get away from the port area. As an adult, my favorite spot to visit quickly is Ernest Hemingway's house. It's a beautiful old home, and his is an interesting story. It's also great fun to see some of the six-toed cats wandering around. There is a very pretty lighthouse and museum right across the street from his house. Beyond that, it's not a long walk to the Southernmost Point in the US, a great photo op.

And, once you get into Key West proper, further south on Duval Street, there are a lot of shops with local art and color, and plenty of fabulous bars and restaurants. Not the tourist-trappy, cheap stuff near the port. In short, go about halfway down Duval street, and then walk from there to the Southernmost Point. Then, take a cab back to the ship.

However, near the port area, there is the Wreckers Museum and the Aquarium. I can't speak to the aquarium, as I've not seen it. However, this trip we did go to the Wreckers museum and found it very interesting. The kids were kinda bored, even with the guides doing some acting and hamming. But, I really found it told me a lot about the history and foundation of Key West. Key West was built on the wealth of legal salvaging of shipwrecks on the surrounding reefs. My seven year old son found it somewhat interesting, and he enjoyed trying to lift the real silver bar on display. I liked the crow's nest view of the city.

In short, I love Key West. It's an American city, not scary to venture out on your own. Don't write her off too soon!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Yes, we love to eat....that was my downfall this cruise! I ate too many sweets!

Ooooh, I love it when people take photos of their food. I have a huge Disney Food collection of photos myself. LOL

We weren't too impressed with Key West either. We took the little train tour and it was ok... but it didn't wow us. I suppose if we did more than wander around Duval Street and gone into some of the "attractions" we might have gotten more out of it.

Yes, that's how we feel. I'm sure I was missing a lot as we only walked around. Next time we'll do things a bit differently.

 

[Shelebeen]

Ahhh, Key West. I feel obligated to talk a bit about her here. Key West is not a city that lends itself well to "excursions" or blanket tours. Key West is an eclectic, fun, interesting city that must be experienced in a different way.

Right up front, my VERY FAVORITE thing to do in Key West. Every night, in a place called Mallory Square, right next to the cruise ship dock, there is a "sunset party". Twenty or so arts and crafts vendors (who must apply and be selected) display their wares. There are steet vendors and performers of all varieties. When we were there this time, we saw a man juggling fiery torches on an eight foot high unicycle, a man blowing thousands of bubbles with various contraptions, a man with performing cats, a living statue, a guitarist, and many others. One performer had a dog who collected his tips from the crowd and put them in a hat. This was literally the highlight of my son's trip! He thought it was great. There are face painters, balloon artists, henna tattooists, and so much more. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mallory Square at sunset, and I wouldn't have missed it! It starts up about an hour to forty five minutes before sundown. This trip, it was sorta 5:15 - 6:30. I'll post a few pics on facebook.

Visiting Key West from a cruise ship, with a limited schedule, is difficult. I will say, it's probably not a brilliant cruise ship stop for kids. Rather than try to dabble in it on foot from the cruise ship port, I would immediately hop in a cab and get away from the port area. As an adult, my favorite spot to visit quickly is Ernest Hemingway's house. It's a beautiful old home, and his is an interesting story. It's also great fun to see some of the six-toed cats wandering around. There is a very pretty lighthouse and museum right across the street from his house. Beyond that, it's not a long walk to the Southernmost Point in the US, a great photo op.

And, once you get into Key West proper, further south on Duval Street, there are a lot of shops with local art and color, and plenty of fabulous bars and restaurants. Not the tourist-trappy, cheap stuff near the port. In short, go about halfway down Duval street, and then walk from there to the Southernmost Point. Then, take a cab back to the ship.

However, near the port area, there is the Wreckers Museum and the Aquarium. I can't speak to the aquarium, as I've not seen it. However, this trip we did go to the Wreckers museum and found it very interesting. The kids were kinda bored, even with the guides doing some acting and hamming. But, I really found it told me a lot about the history and foundation of Key West. Key West was built on the wealth of legal salvaging of shipwrecks on the surrounding reefs. My seven year old son found it somewhat interesting, and he enjoyed trying to lift the real silver bar on display. I liked the crow's nest view of the city.

In short, I love Key West. It's an American city, not scary to venture out on your own. Don't write her off too soon!

We actually really enjoyed our excursion at Key West.We did a dolphin watch (did see 2 dolphins), then snorkelling (not bad, no real reef, but grasses and a wide variety of fish), then we kayaked around some mangroves.. that was very cool! It is hard to find a place to allow kids under 10 to kayak so that was a real bonus. The kayaking was one of our highlights!

Afterwards we walked around the port area hoping to find somewhere to have dinner, but did not have much luck with that - we should have looked harder as I heard there were some good spots. We did enjoy seeing the Magic at night (all lit up) - something you don't get to do very often...

 

[pxlbarrel]

We actually really enjoyed our excursion at Key West.We did a dolphin watch (did see 2 dolphins), then snorkelling (not bad, no real reef, but grasses and a wide variety of fish), then we kayaked around some mangroves.. that was very cool! It is hard to find a place to allow kids under 10 to kayak so that was a real bonus. The kayaking was one of our highlights!

Afterwards we walked around the port area hoping to find somewhere to have dinner, but did not have much luck with that - we should have looked harder as I heard there were some good spots. We did enjoy seeing the Magic at night (all lit up) - something you don't get to do very often...

Ohhh... I thought about going off the ship again after dinner so I could see the Magic all lit up but I got lazy. yeah, stupid me. I should have... and I really regret it now. But I gotta say, that was the first day of really hot weather in a while that it sucked the life energy out of me.

I'm considering another cruise this year. I'm hooked.

 

[MRAven]

If you're already on Facebook, just private message me the email you use on Facebook and I'll invite you to the group.

I had totally forgotten about the Yahoo group. I should have remembered.

Thank you, I'll be PM you.

 

[MRAven]

Well we had a great time on the cruise but it was been difficult every since. My daughter got ill the day we got of the cruise and was treated for the flu. After 5 days she began to feel better and then became severly ill. Went to ER Wed. night and they admitted her with pneumonia and she was in isolation in the intensive care unit. They thought she had vegitation growing on her heart and a lesion. Very uncomfortable with the diagnosis so I had her moved to another hospital to find out she had pneumonia and nothing else. Her heart issue was cleared. Finally got her released and have her home today. What a New Year. We did book several other cruises while on board. - 12/4/2010 - Eastern Caribbean, 7/26/2011 Alaskan and the 7 day Mediterranean one 8/2011 going out of Barcelona which opened up while we were on board.
Sorry we did not meet Sue Ellen and her son - was looking forward to it. I am just releaved to be back home. Sleeping in a chair at the hospital for the last week has been horrible. I did have several dreams about our wonderful vacation - just needed more pixie dust I guess.

Glad your DD is ok.

We also booked the 7 Night European-Barcelona Cruise. Our's sails on the
20th - 27th Aug, 2011. We're planning to celebrate my DD 18th birhday on the ship. (Shuush, it's a surprise !).

 

[Orlando36]

No, I totally get what you're saying. I even mentioned that I don't think I saw the "true" Key West on our visit. We only walked up and down Duvall to be honest with you. My husband went there for a wedding several years back and was able to do more "sight-seeing" things and said there were some very beautiful aspects to Key West and I do believe him. If we were able to do something on water or even stop somewhere to eat I think I'd probably have had a much different experience.

When we go back at the end of the year, actually, we're planning to have our kids in the clubs while we treck out for a couple hours on our own. He loves the eatery "Red Fish, Blue Fish" and wants me to see Hemingway's House (love American literature). I'm still not sure I'd fall in love with the place because I do have a particular beach town style I prefer and Key West is just not it. I just think I might like it more to approach our visit a little differently than we had.

I think you've got the right idea. As I said, it's not a brilliant place for kids. But if you leave them behind and you love literature, I do think you will enjoy the Hemingway House. I feel like the area near the port is pretty run down and ugly, and the shops have mostly junk. But in my previous visit, we were midway down Duval or maybe Whitehead street, and saw many shops which featured local artists and more interesting things to look at.

It is definitely a more "Jimmy Buffett casual beach town", and not very pretty and tropical and neat. Think flip flops and beer. But, it's a fun slice of life. I hope you enjoy your next visit more!