December 24, 2011 Celebrating a Magical 6-Night Caribbean Christmas Cruise

[KaryCam]

MERRY CHRISTMAS
SEE Y'ALL TOMORROW​

Enjoy this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXtkhXb9HpA&feature=player_embedded

 

[charliez]

Had a fun day at Kennedy Space Center (perfect weather!), then great dinner at Kelsey's Pizza and a little shopping at Ron Jon. Heading to the cruise terninal around 11. Can't wait to be back on the Magic!!

 

[jlima]

Today's the day! We are at the Wilderness Lodge and need our luggage ready to go in ONE HOUR!!! See ya real soon!

 

[charliez]

Good to see everyone at the meet-up... time to set sail!

 

[KaryCam]

We had a wonderful time on the cruise - it was just Magical.

Had a good time meeting everyone and then seeing them around the ship. Got to know jenedpey and family a lot better as we were tablemates. (small world) Fun times. We really enjoyed your company.

Thanks all for the nice FE presents.

Jealous of elfinjojo as she and family are still on the Magic for the 8-night New Years cruise. It was so nice having breakfast with you that morning and as I said, your children are so sweet and have lovely manners.

Booked a dummy cruise on board and waiting "patiently" for the big announcement about Magic and Wonder. Crossing fingers for Alaska 2013.

If you could do me a favor, I'd appreciate it. DS is doing a science fair project on seasickness. If you could put your child's age (no names), whether they had any medicine or not, and if it worked.
for example:
12, OTC, worked
13, nothing, no problems
8, seabands, didn't work

Thanks for any help you can give us!

 

[jlima]

Back home!

So bummed I didn't make the meet-up! LOVED getting all the FE gifts & KaryCam - thank you for your help with my questions.

We had a terrific vacation . . . I'll make a trip report within the next few days but did anyone else have issues with mistakes in the Navigators? There was wrong information about Topsiders, wrong information about events in Diversions . . . We were going to watch Monday Night Football and the navigator said it started at 8:30 and DH said no way; it's 7:30 so we went at 7:30 and sure enough, there was Betty White saying how great it was to watch the Saints and Falcons on Monday night!! Then Wednesday night the navigator said the Lakers and Suns were playing and DH said, that's impossible; we checked ESPN from my phone (because we were in Key West and had a 3G signal and no, no Lakers/Sun games scheduled on Wednesday. We went to Diversions anyway to watch a bowl game and the entire evening people were coming in, looking at the TVs and leaving when the Lakers weren't on. And on Monday, the navigator said Topsiders had an Asian buffet and we went and no, no Chinese food to be found. Grrrrr . . . I put it on the comment card. Would have appreciated more attention to detail.

 

[Domer87]

What went on our comment card was the total disorganization of the US Customs check on the morning of Key West. We reported shortly after 7:30 AM and the line wrapped around the fourth floor atrium several times and not a crew member in site. People were getting upset; rightfully so, when the cluster of a line just melded into one.

Also, at least three people from our group got violently ill on debarkation morning. We're speculating towards something they ate at at the buffet at Promenade on Thursday night.

Other than that, great cruise, great weather, and real smooth sailing!!

 

[ros]

Now I understand why people are so fanatical about Disney cruises! It was so wonderful. And even though I did not meet any of you (that I know of!) I want to thank you for the information you shared and for voicing my own excitement! We had a fantastic time (all 14 of us)-- the ONLY criticisms I had were the Villians show--didn't like the political jokes or the use of "butt" and the scatalogical humor, but all the other shows were SO good! Oh, and I guess I would definitely skip the Palo tea if I was lucky enough to sail again!!

 

[TimmyTown]

We had a wonderful time on the cruise - it was just Magical.

Had a good time meeting everyone and then seeing them around the ship. Got to know jenedpey and family a lot better as we were tablemates. (small world) Fun times. We really enjoyed your company.

Thanks all for the nice FE presents.

Jealous of elfinjojo as she and family are still on the Magic for the 8-night New Years cruise. It was so nice having breakfast with you that morning and as I said, your children are so sweet and have lovely manners.

Booked a dummy cruise on board and waiting "patiently" for the big announcement about Magic and Wonder. Crossing fingers for Alaska 2013.

If you could do me a favor, I'd appreciate it. DS is doing a science fair project on seasickness. If you could put your child's age (no names), whether they had any medicine or not, and if it worked.
for example:
12, OTC, worked
13, nothing, no problems
8, seabands, didn't work

Thanks for any help you can give us!

First, many thanks for organizing the FE gift exchange! We greatly appreciate you taking charge and ensuring a great exchange!

Second, many thanks to all the participants in the gift exchange for all of the wonderful and thoughtful gifts. We were thrilled throughout the cruise to receive so many surprises at our stateroom door.

Finally, our 12 y.o. son took no medicine (or seabands, etc.) and experienced no seasickness. He was violently ill one evening, but we're chalking that up to a dozen white chocolate truffles in one sitting, along with pizza, hot dogs, etc. He has a very sensitive stomach and knows his limits, but chose to ignore those limits completely. Lesson learned.

Thanks again to everyone!
Tim

 

[Cruella 66]

I'm sorry I totally missed the meet and didn't get to meet any of you...that I know of being disboarders.

We had a FABULOUS cruise. I didn't know about the Navigators inconsistency because we didn't try to watch the games and didn't go for the Asian buffet. I can see how that would be frustrating. Everything we did from the Navigator was accurate.

I didn't like the 'Tea with Alice'. A cookie on the botom of our pile looked like a bite had been taken out of it and there were white floaters in the cold apple juice. Totally turned me off...

I also got a little perturbed about pins. Every time we go to the parks (and tried on this cruise) we buy a pin that reminds us of something we did or saw with the year. I looked high and low on the ship, asked around, and held out hope for Castaway Cay. I made a bee line to the gift shops there and couldn't find any. I asked the cast member and was told "No, we marked those down 2 weeks ago and they sold out very fast!" I said "Are you kidding me? Did you not realize that DCL had cruises planned through the end of December and those pins would have sold just as fast then? And given those cruisers the option of buying one?" She just looked at me like I grew a green horn. And I was not angry, just making a statement. I was able to get generic Magic pins and a year magnet for DCL but was disappointed. 2012 merchandise was ALL over the place but they still had a week of 2011 to go!

I also learned a valuable lessons about lost and found and jewlery. My dad was in the Promenade Lounge Cozumel evening, having cocktails and mingling. After the band stopped, the place emptied out and it was just him and the 3 bartenders; NO other people. He happened to look down and saw a bracelet on the floor under the stool next to him. He picked it up and looked it over. He said he noticed how flimsy the clasp was and figured it came undone and fell off the and lady didn't realize it. The bartender that waited on him and that couple had left so he sat there a bit longer hoping the guy would come back so he could give it to him; thinking the bartender would remember the couple, pull the ticket, and know what room it belongs to. That person never came back so there were the two bartenders left and dad was ready to go back to his room. He told the one bartender where he found it, about the clasp, and looking the couple up. He said he'd turn it in and be sure they got it. Cut to the following evening. My husband and I are meeting up with my dad. He was sitting along the outer wall and we went into the lounge area together. He goes over to the couple and says "I'm glad you got your bracelet back, you really need to take that to a jeweler and get a better clasp and chain put on it." The lady looked at him dumbfounded and said "You found my bracelet?!" My dad said "Yes" and she asked him where it was. He was then dumbfounded and told her the above story and pointed out the 2 bartenders who were there and the one he actually gave the bracelet to. She said they had checked lost and found 3X during the day, it was never turned in, and were just then talking to the bartenders but they had just said they didn't know about it!!!! I was floored...so the lessons I learned are 1. take any lost and found items to the front desk YOURSELF and get a RECEIPT! and 2. check the clasp on any bracelets/necklaces I buy in the future.

Did any of you see Don Friesen and/or Ron Pearson's acts? I have never laughed so hard as I did at Don's shows. The family and adult shows were awesome! At Ron Pearson's show, he picked my dad to come on stage. My dad was so tickled...he didn't show it but he was!

I wouldn't recommend the Castaway Boat tour in the future...kind of uninteresting. We had Cesar as a guide at Cozumel and he was fabulous. Key West was just okay.

We did book another cruise for the end of June 2013 on the Fantasy. I will be paying close attention to the tropics this year to see if I really want to go during hurricane season or not.

Here's my kid count: DD16, DD9, DS10-all no sea sickness or meds.

Cindy

 

[scaldwel]

I am also sorry I didn't get to meet any of you at the meet and greet. It was a real pleasure receiving the FE gifts. Thanks so much everyone!

Re sea sickness
No one one felt ill on the ship. My son and I did take some medication preventatively for the ferry from Cozumel to Playa Del Carta and were glad we did. It's not reassuring when the staff hand out barf bags to everyone at the beginning of the journey! We were fine though.

Re Navigator
We did the 2nd princess event but noticed that the navigator said there would be a repeat the next day, which was apparently wrong. I hope there weren't any disappointed cruisers as a result of the error.

Re illness debarkation day
My mom and brother took violently ill the day of debarkation as well. DS and DH also felt off in the digestive system, as did I, but nothing major.

Port Adventures
Anyway, we had a blast. Loved Castaway Cay. It was our favorite. Parasailing was amazing. Our Key West adventure was a catamaran sail and snorkel which was a bit of a bust. DS and I got stung by a Portuguese man o' war, but it gives us a great story. The waves were pretty choppy and not many of our group made it out to the reef. Between the waves and constant traffic trying to get in or out of the water, it was difficult to explore during the time frame given. Our cave adventure in Playa Del Carmen was fantastic. Great tour!

Farewell!

 

[Elfinjojo]

Good evening everyone, we arrived home this morning at 7 am uk time after leaving the magic yesterday morning at 8 am Florida time

What a wonderful set of cruises. I shall comment on the christmas cruise first.

We had a good 9hr flight into Orlando on the Friday and settled into the hotel meridian For a good sleep before going back to the airport saturday morning to get the DCL transportation to the port. We arrived at the port before 11am and were checked in quickly, with a boarding number of 16. But within minutes of receiving the number we were taken aside by CM Michael who had chosen us as family of the day how exciting, we put it down to the crazy hats we were all wearing, my dh Got several compliments for his stitch hat.

So as family of the day, we got a picture taken with both Mickey and Minnie(everyone else only got one or the other) and then we were taken thru concierge lounge and into the tunnel to have our cards swiped as first official passengers ( they then let the concierge guests board the ship, so we didn't actually get to be the first to step aboard) we then were brought to the front in the Mickeyears to be presented to everyone and start the general boarding. It was great, as we have never been on the ship so early before.

Ooops this is turning into a trip report!

Promenade lounge meet up, it was great to meet karynne and Cameron, Sarah, Jason,Tyler and Ian(Evan was also pleased to meet them) and Tim too, whom I bumped into in a elevator later in the week.

Karynne it was a pleasure to share our breakfast table with you and thank you for the compliments regarding the children.
Sarah and Jason,wine tasting was a pleasure, and the sabering went better this week

To all in the FE, thank you for the gifts, all were a treat to receive .
We enjoyed the weather, and the company, and visiting the ports on our own. Christmas day was the strangest day I have ever spent, one never to be forgotten.

How did you all get on with your servers? We had Damir from Croatia and Nurma from Indonesia, and found the servos friendly but somewhat slow, they had two big tables in their section and we seemed to be tagged onto the end of them, so things often got forgotten. But after a word from HS Sorin, we were able to change our servers and table for the second cruise to Okim from Indonesia(an old favourite from the med last 2010) and his server assistant Martin from jamaica .

That brings me onto the next cruise our 10th! Disembarking and re-embarking went smoothly if some what less eventful than last week. We left the ship at 10ish and were back on board around 11am.

Sail away was beautiful, and very busy, many more folk on this cruise than last week! We enjoyed two sea days ending in the NYE celebration and then three port days, with gorgeous weather for all but one day. It rained persistently when we were in Saint John, then that night and into sea day we had huge swells that really rocked the boat - thankfully no sickness from our side. We enjoyed a brunch and two dinners in Palos this week after getting on the right side of Francesco the matrie D'. That was after a high tea and dinner the week before Castaway Cay was much nicer than last week, and the nicest they had had in the last month! On the sail out back to port canaveral we passed the dream all lit up in the darkness heading towards the cay, she looked stunning and got us all excited for the Fantasy MV in march

Sometime between Friday morning and Friday evening the gingerbread house had been taken down, it was done in such a way that you would never have believed there had been one there if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes!

Saturday morning was a sad day, having to actually get off the ship and not get back on again.

Now back to reality and back to work tomorrow.

 

[tinkerbell_29]

Finally back home. Thank you everyone for the great FE gifts. I hate that i missed the meet and greet not sure how but time just slipped away from me. We really enjoyed both cruises not sure now how we are ever going to be able to do just a 7 night cruise again those 14 nights really spoiled us. It is now back to reality of work and paying bills.

Melissa

 

[KaryCam]

does anyone else have any more information about their children and seasickness for my son's science project?

We need ages, if they took medicine/seabands and if it worked.
If they took nothing and were just fine let me know that too.

Thanks.

 

[KaryCam]

Friends,
Hard to believe that it has been a month today since we stepped on the Magic for our Christmas cruise. What a wonderful time we had on our first cruise.
We booked a dummy cruise on board and it looks like we will be able to move the date in a couple days. I am hopeful to get the June 17, 2013 cruise to Alaska. We will be cruising on DS's birthday.
Has anyone else booked another cruise yet?

 

[Cruella 66]

What is a dummy cruise? And yes, we booked a June 2013 but to other Caribbean Islands.

 

[KaryCam]

A dummy cruise is a place holder. When we are on board, they offer us specials to book right then. A dummy cruise locks in those specials but we use a date we know we won't use.
For example, I knew I was waiting for the 2013 cruises to come out, hoping for Alaska. I told the guy and they were using a Dec. 1, 2012 cruise as the dummy cruise and then when the cruise I want comes out, I just move my reservation to the date wanted and my specials come with it.
I hope this makes sense.

 

[Bursley2010]

Friends,
Hard to believe that it has been a month today since we stepped on the Magic for our Christmas cruise. What a wonderful time we had on our first cruise.
We booked a dummy cruise on board and it looks like we will be able to move the date in a couple days. I am hopeful to get the June 17, 2013 cruise to Alaska. We will be cruising on DS's birthday.
Has anyone else booked another cruise yet?

We also booked a dummy cruise, but will likely not be sailing again until 2015 (our 5-year anniversary!). We are hoping for Hawaii, Mexican Riviera, or Mediterranean. Did a 7-night Greek Isles Mediterranean (on Norwegian; never again) for our honeymoon, so we'll see what we end up with. I really like the more tropical climates and my husband appreciates more of the historical sights.

 

[CanyonRider]

Friends,
Hard to believe that it has been a month today since we stepped on the Magic for our Christmas cruise. What a wonderful time we had on our first cruise.
We booked a dummy cruise on board and it looks like we will be able to move the date in a couple days. I am hopeful to get the June 17, 2013 cruise to Alaska. We will be cruising on DS's birthday.
Has anyone else booked another cruise yet?

We had a great time also. We booked two more cruises: NYE 2012 and Easter 2013. Sadly, a long time to wait.