luv2tvl
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2002
- Messages
- 437
Here is my short (ok, not so short) report for the 12/14 Magic cruise!
Me (Emily) 29
DH Mike 37
Little history about Mike and I:
We are semi-newlyweds (married 9-1-01) and we are addicted to cruising. "Hi my name is Emily and I'm addicted to cruising" "Hello Emily" We've been on 6 (3 of the were on the Disney Wonder). I work in the cruise industry (for another cruise line - not Disney) but we are very loyal and very much in love with the Disney Cruise line! I believe they are one of the best in the industry . JMHO!!
I'm not going to do the report day by day I'm just going to take it by category and give you the highs and a few lows of each .
1nt Pre at the Hyatt:
I didn't book this as a pre hotel package with DCL, but when we arrived to check in at the Hyatt on the 13th I informed the girl that I had the transfers in my package and we were with DCL so she gave me the info and we were all set! We just had to put the luggage outside the room by 8am and meet downstairs around 10am. From there we got on Disney busses in the back of the hotel just for us Hyatt guests! I will stay in this hotel from now on for the Disney cruises because it was just so simple and well organized.
Embarkation:
Since we stayed at the Hyatt and we left MCO pretty early, we were one of the first busses to arrive at the Disney terminal. I knew we wouldn't be able to board until close to 12:30, but I figured an hour wait wouldn't be that bad. The anticipation of getting on board is half the fun! They made an announcement around noon that the coast guard was doing a special test of some sort (ok, I really didn't listen that closely so I don't remember the details) so we wouldn't start the boarding process until close to 1pm. Fine. No biggie .
After we got on the ship (it's just so breathtaking, that first look at all the decorations in the atrium when getting on board) around 1:15 I ran to Rockin Bar D for the Palo reservations, and got the time I wanted. Monday at 8pm. YEAH! Now I could relax and enjoy the ship. In all our past Disney cruises we have never eaten at Palo (amazing I know!), so that is why it was so important to me to be able to eat there without missing a different fun dinner!
Cabin:
We were in a cat 5 stateroom 7092. Loved the room, everything was great. We have had a category 6 the other 3 times we've been on the Disney Wonder and I actually like that category, location wise, better than the cat 5. Mike and I would find ourselves VERY out of breath going from deck 3 or 4 all the way to our deck 7 cabin. I know it's not that much farther, maybe it was all the food we ate
I did notice that all our bed linens with the exception of our comforter were brand spankin' new. The sheets and pillow cases were new to the point of almost "rough" and you could tell they hadn't been washed a million times they were so crisp.
Our room attendant is one of the few beefs that I had during the whole cruise. Her name was Maureen and we just got off to the wrong foot from the get go. You are supposedly allowed to go to your stateroom around 1:30pm. After the delayed boarding and then the Palo reservations it was maybe 1:35 when Mike and I headed up to our room. The door was closed and there wasn't anyone around and it looked perfectly put together. I put my carry on down on the bed and started to put a couple of things away. In the middle of doing so Maureen walked into our cabin, with no "hello" or anything. She said "you have to get out, it's not time yet." I was stunned and didn't even know what to say, so Mike and I kind of hid the bag in the corner and just walked around for the next 1/2 hour thinking that would give her plenty of time to finish up. Around 2pm we headed back down to try it again with our stateroom. The door was closed again and again she wasn't anywhere around, so I figured it was ok to enter and we did. We hung out on the balcony and one of our suitcases had actually arrived in the meantime so we started putting clothes away. Around 4:15 while getting ready for the muster she walked in again without even knocking!! I don't even remember what she said was the reason, but at that point I knew we were going to have to double lock that door any time we needed a little privacy. It happened one other time really early one morning when foolishly I hadn't locked that other lock. Mike and I were getting ready for something and we were both in our skivveys and in she walked right in again! Uggg . She just wasn't the friendliest person and I didn't even get my towel monkey that I'd been anxiously awaiting to see . I still tipped her the suggested amount because she kept our room in great shape, just not with the Disney charm that I am used to!
Our servers:
For our dinners we were on the LAP late dining rotation at table #19.
Our Head Server was Sudama with the Asst. Server being Gerry. They were both really good, but not great. I have a feeling Sudama was very new. Just a hunch. He just seemed timid or scared for the first couple of nights and we all joked that about the 5th night he finally did start to lighten up! Our head waiter was Stephanie and she is now my favorite! I realize that the Head Waiters (I do love PJ on the Wonder) are there to supervise and make sure things are running smoothly, and 9 times out of 10 you only see them a couple of times during the cruise for the "schmooze moment". With Stephanie we saw her actually bussing tables and serving quite a bit, and then she would always come over to just chat and say HI! She was just great and I was glad to have had her.
Entertainment:
As usual this is where Disney excels! Disney Dreams of course is my favorite and I still get a little (ok a lot!) teary eyed when I see it! "Who Wants to be a Mousekateer" was fun because we got to see SuAnne from the DIS and her daughter Hailey win $175.00! They did a great job!
We also went to all the different kick off parties and the Farewell Show on the last night. We saw a couple of the comedians in the Rockin Bar D who were great and of course the theme nights were a blast! I also did Keroke one night (I love to sing). I sang the first song on the first night of adult Keroke "I will survive" if anyone was there
Mike and I loved the Charles Marshall band, they just kept getting better every night! We had cruised in Feb of 2002 on the Wonder and they were on that sailing, so if they are a new fixture to the Magic I hope they stay because they are awesome to watch and listen to!
St Maartin:
We did the "Under 2 Flags" bus tour and that was a great chance to see the two different sides of the island. Dutch and French. It took us to a gorgeous photo spot overlooking the Dutch side of the island and we then made an hour pit stop on the French side for some shopping. After dropping us back on the Dutch side we did a little more shopping and then just wondered around before heading back to the ship. All in all it was an okay island, not a favorite of mine, but not as bad as going to the Bahamas.
St Thomas/St John:
This is our new favorite "happy place". Pulling into this island in the morning was amazing. I don't think I've seen a prettier place, ever. Disney was able to secure a berth at the dock (previously we were going to have to tender) and arriving early in the morning was just gorgeous. After getting ready we walked back out to our balcony and there were 7 other ships in port that day!!! Princess Golden, RCI Explorer (one of their mega ships - it's HUGE) a Costa ship, 3 Holland America ships, and one more that I can't remember the name of. It was really busy in port, needless to say, but it was pretty cool to see all those ships in the water. Since I work where I do, I love to look at other ships and be able to put a ship to a name that I know so well.
We did the 5 Star St John snorkel and it was a wonderful excursion. After a 30 minute boat ride on the Leylon Sneed we ended up in Trunk Bay and snorkeled for a good 60 minutes. Some people saw a good sized sting ray, and I saw tons of exotic fish around the coral reefs were we were snorkeling. I also had the pleasure of being stung by a baby jellyfish and the crew of the Leylon Sneed was kind enough to give me some Vinegar to soothe the stinging . They said the babies are nothing to worry about when they sting, but it still hurt!
After the excursion we took one the pickups with a cart on the back into town (I guess it's a taxi, but it was funny looking to me) and we did some shopping. We ended up with a "steal" from Tanzanite International. One of the employees misquoted us on a ring that I loved and let us purchase it at price!! The color of the Tanzanite is gorgeous and deep. I can't wait to get it appraised here and see what it is really worth Merry Christmas to me!
Castaway Cay:
As usual this is the highlight of the trip for us. Every other cruise with Disney we have ended backed into the dock and this time we went in front first! Our balcony had an amazing view of the entire island and we got some great pictures.
Mike and I were bound and determined to get hammocks on the adult beach, so we were some of the first people off the ship. Sure enough when we got over to Serenity Bay we got two next to each other and napped and relaxed for most of the morning. We had all intentions of snorkeling, but we ended up so relaxed and content that we never went back over to pick up the equipment. I also got freaked out because there were some rather LARGE stingrays (4 that we saw) that were making themselves quite comfortable in the water by where we were. I didn't want to get in a step on one of them. We got some cool pictures since the water is so clear from just standing on the beach. Some other people that did go snorkeling saw an octopus and some sea urchins, so the Serenity bay beach area was really hopping with wild life that day!
After our lunch and some more shopping we headed back to relax. Another perfect day on Castaway Cay!
Other miscellaneous information:
One small detail that Mike noticed and was very sad about .before they make announcements on the Wonder we remember hearing "when you wish" chimes. On the Magic, there was no warning that someone was going to talk. Just talk. At times it made me jump out of my skin! He loved that "when you wish upon a star chime" before an announcement.
We noticed that the ship was very clean and DCL was doing a great job keeping it that way at all times. I liked that they were passing out sanitizer wipes before meals from the buffet and the little reminder notes in our staterooms.
My heart goes out to people that got sick or were confined to staterooms, but I still believe that Disney did everything and is still doing everything to keep their ships Norwalk free and safe for everyone that travels on them. I have some knowledge about quite a few other cruise lines because of my work, and I can guarantee that people aren't being treated with the same care and consideration that Disney is giving is customers. I know it doesn't seem that way for some, but that is just my humble opinion.
Now that I'm off my soapbox
We had an amazing time and again Disney made this the best vacation ever for Mike and I. We will continue to go again and again.
Thanks Disney and thanks to all the dis friends for all the great suggestions and hints to make the trip even more magical!
Me (Emily) 29
DH Mike 37
Little history about Mike and I:
We are semi-newlyweds (married 9-1-01) and we are addicted to cruising. "Hi my name is Emily and I'm addicted to cruising" "Hello Emily" We've been on 6 (3 of the were on the Disney Wonder). I work in the cruise industry (for another cruise line - not Disney) but we are very loyal and very much in love with the Disney Cruise line! I believe they are one of the best in the industry . JMHO!!
I'm not going to do the report day by day I'm just going to take it by category and give you the highs and a few lows of each .
1nt Pre at the Hyatt:
I didn't book this as a pre hotel package with DCL, but when we arrived to check in at the Hyatt on the 13th I informed the girl that I had the transfers in my package and we were with DCL so she gave me the info and we were all set! We just had to put the luggage outside the room by 8am and meet downstairs around 10am. From there we got on Disney busses in the back of the hotel just for us Hyatt guests! I will stay in this hotel from now on for the Disney cruises because it was just so simple and well organized.
Embarkation:
Since we stayed at the Hyatt and we left MCO pretty early, we were one of the first busses to arrive at the Disney terminal. I knew we wouldn't be able to board until close to 12:30, but I figured an hour wait wouldn't be that bad. The anticipation of getting on board is half the fun! They made an announcement around noon that the coast guard was doing a special test of some sort (ok, I really didn't listen that closely so I don't remember the details) so we wouldn't start the boarding process until close to 1pm. Fine. No biggie .
After we got on the ship (it's just so breathtaking, that first look at all the decorations in the atrium when getting on board) around 1:15 I ran to Rockin Bar D for the Palo reservations, and got the time I wanted. Monday at 8pm. YEAH! Now I could relax and enjoy the ship. In all our past Disney cruises we have never eaten at Palo (amazing I know!), so that is why it was so important to me to be able to eat there without missing a different fun dinner!
Cabin:
We were in a cat 5 stateroom 7092. Loved the room, everything was great. We have had a category 6 the other 3 times we've been on the Disney Wonder and I actually like that category, location wise, better than the cat 5. Mike and I would find ourselves VERY out of breath going from deck 3 or 4 all the way to our deck 7 cabin. I know it's not that much farther, maybe it was all the food we ate
I did notice that all our bed linens with the exception of our comforter were brand spankin' new. The sheets and pillow cases were new to the point of almost "rough" and you could tell they hadn't been washed a million times they were so crisp.
Our room attendant is one of the few beefs that I had during the whole cruise. Her name was Maureen and we just got off to the wrong foot from the get go. You are supposedly allowed to go to your stateroom around 1:30pm. After the delayed boarding and then the Palo reservations it was maybe 1:35 when Mike and I headed up to our room. The door was closed and there wasn't anyone around and it looked perfectly put together. I put my carry on down on the bed and started to put a couple of things away. In the middle of doing so Maureen walked into our cabin, with no "hello" or anything. She said "you have to get out, it's not time yet." I was stunned and didn't even know what to say, so Mike and I kind of hid the bag in the corner and just walked around for the next 1/2 hour thinking that would give her plenty of time to finish up. Around 2pm we headed back down to try it again with our stateroom. The door was closed again and again she wasn't anywhere around, so I figured it was ok to enter and we did. We hung out on the balcony and one of our suitcases had actually arrived in the meantime so we started putting clothes away. Around 4:15 while getting ready for the muster she walked in again without even knocking!! I don't even remember what she said was the reason, but at that point I knew we were going to have to double lock that door any time we needed a little privacy. It happened one other time really early one morning when foolishly I hadn't locked that other lock. Mike and I were getting ready for something and we were both in our skivveys and in she walked right in again! Uggg . She just wasn't the friendliest person and I didn't even get my towel monkey that I'd been anxiously awaiting to see . I still tipped her the suggested amount because she kept our room in great shape, just not with the Disney charm that I am used to!
Our servers:
For our dinners we were on the LAP late dining rotation at table #19.
Our Head Server was Sudama with the Asst. Server being Gerry. They were both really good, but not great. I have a feeling Sudama was very new. Just a hunch. He just seemed timid or scared for the first couple of nights and we all joked that about the 5th night he finally did start to lighten up! Our head waiter was Stephanie and she is now my favorite! I realize that the Head Waiters (I do love PJ on the Wonder) are there to supervise and make sure things are running smoothly, and 9 times out of 10 you only see them a couple of times during the cruise for the "schmooze moment". With Stephanie we saw her actually bussing tables and serving quite a bit, and then she would always come over to just chat and say HI! She was just great and I was glad to have had her.
Entertainment:
As usual this is where Disney excels! Disney Dreams of course is my favorite and I still get a little (ok a lot!) teary eyed when I see it! "Who Wants to be a Mousekateer" was fun because we got to see SuAnne from the DIS and her daughter Hailey win $175.00! They did a great job!
We also went to all the different kick off parties and the Farewell Show on the last night. We saw a couple of the comedians in the Rockin Bar D who were great and of course the theme nights were a blast! I also did Keroke one night (I love to sing). I sang the first song on the first night of adult Keroke "I will survive" if anyone was there
Mike and I loved the Charles Marshall band, they just kept getting better every night! We had cruised in Feb of 2002 on the Wonder and they were on that sailing, so if they are a new fixture to the Magic I hope they stay because they are awesome to watch and listen to!
St Maartin:
We did the "Under 2 Flags" bus tour and that was a great chance to see the two different sides of the island. Dutch and French. It took us to a gorgeous photo spot overlooking the Dutch side of the island and we then made an hour pit stop on the French side for some shopping. After dropping us back on the Dutch side we did a little more shopping and then just wondered around before heading back to the ship. All in all it was an okay island, not a favorite of mine, but not as bad as going to the Bahamas.
St Thomas/St John:
This is our new favorite "happy place". Pulling into this island in the morning was amazing. I don't think I've seen a prettier place, ever. Disney was able to secure a berth at the dock (previously we were going to have to tender) and arriving early in the morning was just gorgeous. After getting ready we walked back out to our balcony and there were 7 other ships in port that day!!! Princess Golden, RCI Explorer (one of their mega ships - it's HUGE) a Costa ship, 3 Holland America ships, and one more that I can't remember the name of. It was really busy in port, needless to say, but it was pretty cool to see all those ships in the water. Since I work where I do, I love to look at other ships and be able to put a ship to a name that I know so well.
We did the 5 Star St John snorkel and it was a wonderful excursion. After a 30 minute boat ride on the Leylon Sneed we ended up in Trunk Bay and snorkeled for a good 60 minutes. Some people saw a good sized sting ray, and I saw tons of exotic fish around the coral reefs were we were snorkeling. I also had the pleasure of being stung by a baby jellyfish and the crew of the Leylon Sneed was kind enough to give me some Vinegar to soothe the stinging . They said the babies are nothing to worry about when they sting, but it still hurt!
After the excursion we took one the pickups with a cart on the back into town (I guess it's a taxi, but it was funny looking to me) and we did some shopping. We ended up with a "steal" from Tanzanite International. One of the employees misquoted us on a ring that I loved and let us purchase it at price!! The color of the Tanzanite is gorgeous and deep. I can't wait to get it appraised here and see what it is really worth Merry Christmas to me!
Castaway Cay:
As usual this is the highlight of the trip for us. Every other cruise with Disney we have ended backed into the dock and this time we went in front first! Our balcony had an amazing view of the entire island and we got some great pictures.
Mike and I were bound and determined to get hammocks on the adult beach, so we were some of the first people off the ship. Sure enough when we got over to Serenity Bay we got two next to each other and napped and relaxed for most of the morning. We had all intentions of snorkeling, but we ended up so relaxed and content that we never went back over to pick up the equipment. I also got freaked out because there were some rather LARGE stingrays (4 that we saw) that were making themselves quite comfortable in the water by where we were. I didn't want to get in a step on one of them. We got some cool pictures since the water is so clear from just standing on the beach. Some other people that did go snorkeling saw an octopus and some sea urchins, so the Serenity bay beach area was really hopping with wild life that day!
After our lunch and some more shopping we headed back to relax. Another perfect day on Castaway Cay!
Other miscellaneous information:
One small detail that Mike noticed and was very sad about .before they make announcements on the Wonder we remember hearing "when you wish" chimes. On the Magic, there was no warning that someone was going to talk. Just talk. At times it made me jump out of my skin! He loved that "when you wish upon a star chime" before an announcement.
We noticed that the ship was very clean and DCL was doing a great job keeping it that way at all times. I liked that they were passing out sanitizer wipes before meals from the buffet and the little reminder notes in our staterooms.
My heart goes out to people that got sick or were confined to staterooms, but I still believe that Disney did everything and is still doing everything to keep their ships Norwalk free and safe for everyone that travels on them. I have some knowledge about quite a few other cruise lines because of my work, and I can guarantee that people aren't being treated with the same care and consideration that Disney is giving is customers. I know it doesn't seem that way for some, but that is just my humble opinion.
Now that I'm off my soapbox
We had an amazing time and again Disney made this the best vacation ever for Mike and I. We will continue to go again and again.
Thanks Disney and thanks to all the dis friends for all the great suggestions and hints to make the trip even more magical!
