First Cruise - January 17th - 24th Eastern (St. Maarten)

[TaniaU]

Trip Report – January 17th - 24th Eastern (St. Maarten)

Or,

How to turn a 6 hour flight into a 36 hour journey.

Our first cruise turned out to be a fabulous vacation, even though 24 hours before we sailed we seriously doubted if we would make it there on time.

Here's us; Tania (me), Jet and Adam.

I wanted to do a Disney Cruise for about five years, but didn’t get around to actually doing anything about it until mid 2007 when I found the Disboards.

I contacted Dreams Unlimited about two months before the 2009 dates were released for information on a late January Eastern sailing; my sisters choice because there were three at sea days and the rest of us didn’t want to be responsible for making a decision. Dreams Unlimited was very easy to deal with, they got back to me right away and I had two quotes within hours of the new dates being release (one for verandah rooms and one for category 12 rooms).

With very little hassle we were booked for three category 12 staterooms:

Room 1: Me (Tania), DH (Adam) and DS (Jet)
Room 2: My sister, who asked that there be no pictures of her
Room 3: My mom and dad

They did whatever they do to link up the reservations so that I didn’t ever have to call Disney and do it, which was helpful when it was 90 days out and I was making reservations for Palo and shore excursions.

And then we waited…for a year and a half. [As a side note, the strength of the Canadian dollar at the time was a big factor in our decision to go on the cruise. We’ll go again regardless, but I’m not sure we would have done it the first time if the dollar is what it’s at now]

I shared an office with an ex-airline employee for years and should have known to book our flight from Calgary to Orlando as soon as the flights were available, usually 10 – 12 months out because you will the best deal. I foolishly thought that I could do better than $350 pp, so I waited and procrastinated for six months and finally got us flying into Tampa for $650 pp (well, half of us did, but that story comes later). So much for finding a better deal.

Other pre-trip planning included finding a place to stay before and after the cruise, as well as transportation to the port and back from Tampa.

Pre-trip surprises were an email from Dreams Unlimited saying that the prices went down a bit and we got a refund, plus we were upgraded to a category 9.

More to come soon

 

[TaniaU]

Part two: Getting there, or Proof that you never want to fly in the day of your cruise.

(This parts long and has little to do with the actual cruise )

The week before we sail I have still not done anything in the way of packing or planning outside of what’s already been done. I also realize that I have no warm weather clothes that fit properly, virtually no dress up clothes and no clue if any of Jet’s summer stuff will still fit. What I did find was a surprising four pairs of shoes under my desk at work, which was cool because it was one less thing to buy.

Wednesday night I start packing which includes the obligatory fight between DH and myself. I don’t know what about packing makes us cranky but we don’t seem to be able to go on vacation without fighting over which suitcase to bring.

Thursday we go to work, drive home, finish the last of the packing, leave instructions for the house sitter (our good friend who DH and I both think should marry my sister, we talked it up to her the whole vacation ) get everything in the car and drove off to the hotel at the Calgary Airport. This is a tradition of sorts which evolved from too many early morning flights that required us to be at the airport at some unfashionable hour of the morning. Jet (and DH) look forward to it and it extends my vacation for an extra night so who am I to complain.

It important to point out that at this time I changed after work and am all fresh, Adam declined and will wear the same clothes (including undies) for the next 48 hours.

Friday is travel day!!!

We meet mom, dad and sister at the airport and quickly get rid of our suitcases, proceed through US immigration and security. [Calgary and other big Canadian airports will pre-clear US customs before your flight into the US, so that you can quickly make your connecting flights]

We grab something to eat and then wait for our flight.

And that’s where it all goes sideways.

Jet, being the very excited four year old he is, was playing tag with another boy at one of the gates. It’s futile to try and contain him and everyone on a plane with a small boy would rather he burn some fuel now and not run around while we’re in the air. Unfortunately, he tripped and fell and hit his face on the edge of a planter box.

Much blood, much crying and no one remotely helpful to be found in the airport. Thank you Calgary Airport Authority.

It is also now 15 minutes until boarding.

Adam, who has more First Aid training than I thought a person could remember, takes Jet into the bathroom, disinfects the cut on his cheek and patches him up using the kit he made and forced me to carry around on every trip. Sometimes he’s a smart cat, but don’t tell him I said that. There are no real icepacks to be found and Jet refuses to put an ice cube near his head, but the bandages are holding and it’s time to board so we all cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Here’s where I give kudos to United Airlines, even though they are down at the bottom of my list of air carriers. During the two hour flight we asked the attendant if there was a medical facility in the Denver airport (where we were making our connection), she said there was and we chatted a bit about what happened. What I didn’t know was that she told the pilot what happened and he stepped on the gas and got us into Denver a half hour early. They also called in a paramedic who was waiting for us when we landed.

He looked over the cut and said that it would require stitches because Jet was so young and he didn’t want it to scar. The airport medical center couldn’t do it because they are not comfortable doing pediatrics so we’d have to go the hospital. Lucky for us the Denver Children’s Hospital was right near the airport, so there was a glimmer of hope for us to catch our connecting flight. (Not really, but it was nice to have that hope. I told Adam that this must be what it feels like to be on the Amazing Race, rushing around hoping that you can make the next flight).

Again the United Airlines rep was super good, because it was a medical emergency they would rebook us on another flight in case we didn’t make it back on time. However, because our ticket was to Tampa they only had to get us to Tampa. And that’s what they did. Through Chicago the next morning. Mom, Dad and my sister would go on to Tampa that night whether or not we made it.

Kudos also to the hospital staff who rushed us through everything as fast as they could so that we had a hope of making that flight to Tampa. They did a CAT scan because the swelling was getting worse around Jet’s eye and then stitched him up within an hour. You could never get that in Calgary. I’m curious to see the bill for all of it because we don’t pay for medical stuff like this in Canada (we have travel insurance that will cover the out of country stuff, plus the airline said they have a fund for it).

We didn’t make the flight. But we didn’t miss it by much.

Here’s where panic (such as it is with us, we’re not the panic sort for us it’s more of a moderate increase in concern) starts to set in. The flight they have us on it to Chicago and then to Tampa the next day, arriving at 11:45, plus the drive to port we figured that was pushing things. There’s a reason why you fly in the day before, what if the flight is delayed or cancelled or any number of things. We actually started talking about Plan C’s; what happens if we don’t make it at all? [The answer was spend the week at Disney World and meet up with the family after]

Now back through security (we only have a carry on, our luggage will go to Tampa and the family will pick it up for us) and to the United desk to somehow get to the boat. I don’t know what was going on with United but it seemed like every person in that terminal had missed a flight or was on stand-by. I personally blame the checked bag cost, which encourages people to push the limit with carry-on and therefore delays the flight by a couple minutes.

On the next leg of our journey (Denver to Chicago) I regain some sense and realize that all is not lost because I know that power of Expedia, and then I kick myself for not remembering sooner. Check into the hotel at the airport (thumbs up, $139 per night no strange looks at weary travelers at midnight with no bags. Thumbs down for minus 30 degree weather), open the computer I’ve been lugging around all day and get us a 7am flight to Orlando arriving at 10:30. Things are looking up. [Looking up costs $900, we will save the receipt and present it to the boy at his wedding]

Next morning I find all sorts of conveniences in my trusty backpack. Toothbrush and toothpaste from a trip to the dentist the previous month, a hairband and eye drops. Through security again and wait in a very nice terminal for an uneventful flight to Orlando. Very hard to find a car in Orlando airport without a reservation, just sayin’.

So, very long story over. At noon we finally arrive at the port, two disheveled adults and one little boy with a very bruised and swollen eye. Once more through security and we were all together again.

 

[frdeb1999]

So sorry about his eye!! Hope things started looking up once you boarded! And hopefully his eye and cheek are back to normal! What a way to start a vacation!! Looking forward to hearing more!

 

[Palmfam]

I can't wait to hear more, I certainly hope things got better for the little one.
Many blessings to him for being so brave.
Props to mommy and daddy for not giving up!

 

[hopelea]

I am ready to hear more......please. We are cruising March 14 - 21 Eastern.

Loved the report so far. Sorry to hear about your son's accident. I completely understand about an active toddler. When mine was little she was that way and at the age of 12, she broke her arm, twice in five months, same arm different place.

 

[TaniaU]

Thanks for the comments Jet was back to normal around day 4 the bruise is almost gone now (over 2 weeks later!)

The family says that the Residence Inn is a very nice place, but the breakfast was lacking. They dropped the rental car off and took the shuttle to the port without any hassle. Check all our bags and got boarding number six for their trouble. They tried to check us all in, but obviously couldn’t because we weren’t even close to there yet, but it wasn’t a problem to check the three of them in.

Our check in was equally painless; I had filled out all of the forms online before we left. Got our Key to the World Cards pointed out our dining rotation to the family (APLAPLA) and then waited a grand total of five minutes before they called boarding number six. Adam, Jet and I went along with them instead of waiting for number 14. Hit a snag with the new pictures that they do, since the family was there earlier they got their pics done and their card was stamped, since we were jumping the queue we didn’t have them yet and (shamelessly) used Jet as an excuse got the pics and travelled through the mouse ears.

I was impressed by the speed of the embarkation photos. They had four areas setup so it made the line move fast. They took our KTTW card so that it was linked to the room and we could use the kiosk to view the pictures. [It worked pretty well the whole cruise, and because our rooms were all linked it didn’t matter which card we gave them all the pictures were grouped together. The kiosks worked about half the time, and were shut down the last day] Our name was announced and everyone cheered, it was pretty cool.

After they announce you someone will come over to offer you guidance and let you know where to eat. They suggested Parrot Cay, so we promptly got lost and found ourselves in Beat Street,

Which I thought was sadly out of place compared to the look of the rest of the Magic. Since we were here we took pics in the portholes, and it was the first time Jet perked up since the airport at Calgary.

Jet and Papa

Also since we were here we went to Rockin’ D and switched up some Palo reservations, made reservation for Tea, switched some spa stuff and ordered the beer and water package. We pretty much had the place to ourselves, no waiting at all. [If everything had gone to plan we would have stopped and bought beverages before boarding.]

Found our way back to Parrot Cay, only to be directed to Topsiders because they were full. Had a nice lunch, Adam was impressed by the hand wipes that were always given out near food, and then we explored a bit before the rooms were ready.

Jet and Donald Duck

Around two we went to our rooms, 2542, 44, 46 all in a nice row close to the mid ship stairs and directly underneath Rockin’ D bar. We didn’t hear a thing (2546) over Adams snoring but my sister did (2544), however it must be noted that she’s a very light sleeper and is used to sleeping in silence or with white noise. No bags yet, can’t have a shower or get changed which is all we wanted out of life at that moment.

Muster drill was in the Walt Disney Theater, one of two places I would rather not be if there is an emergency that requires the use of life boats. Went quickly and we were soon back to our room with visions of clean clothes. Except the only bag to show up was Jet’s. Part of the bag packing fight was my desire to spread the clothes into all three bags, just in case. So Jet had clothes, I had toiletries and an extra shirt and Adam had nothing.

I had a shower and felt very refreshed.

Next up: Sail away party and dinner!

 

[Futurist]

I travel a lot on business, and it never gets easier, but you really had a day, and my hat's off to you all, especially your husband for dealing with the first aid emergency. I'm also surprised that United did so well for you, but very glad to hear.

My DW and I were on the same cruise, but didn't see you. We were on a different dinner rotation (LAPLAPL), and didn't have kids with us, so wouldn't have been in many of the same places at the same times. We were also on the later dinner seating, and I suspect you were on the earlier one. It's wild that there can be so many people on one (actually rather small) ship, and still not interact!

Anyway, I'm so glad you made it, despite all of your troubles. And, BTW, we live in Toronto, so know how cold it was in Calgary (in the -30's ) before you left! We sat out by the pool on one of the sea days when it was overcast, and couldn't believe the people who thought it was COLD!

Looking forward to more of your TR!

Richard

 

[DVCconvert]

Hey Futurist (Richard),

What are you doing posting?
a) STTNG is on!! and, b) You and Jacky have to fly home tomorrow!!!

You two didn't stay too long at SB...I think you stayed longer at the Concerige reception! The goodies and drinks were good weren't they!

I'm glad you enjoyed your first DCL experience! I have a "white" badge, but wasn't wearing on board. I thought your attire was very "nautical" on embarkation day.

Wishing you and Jacky a safe journey home!!

 

[Futurist]

Hey Futurist (Richard),

What are you doing posting?
a) STTNG is on!! and, b) You and Jacky have to fly home tomorrow!!!

You two didn't stay too long at SB...I think you stayed longer at the Concerige reception! The goodies and drinks were good weren't they!

I'm glad you enjoyed your first DCL experience! I have a "white" badge, but wasn't wearing on board. I thought your attire was very "nautical" on embarkation day.

Wishing you and Jacky a safe journey home!!

Tina? I can't think of many people who know that much about our itinerary. If you're not Tina, I can't think who you are....

That's a hint, BTW.

R

 

[TaniaU]

I travel a lot on business, and it never gets easier, but you really had a day, and my hat's off to you all, especially your husband for dealing with the first aid emergency. I'm also surprised that United did so well for you, but very glad to hear.

My DW and I were on the same cruise, but didn't see you. We were on a different dinner rotation (LAPLAPL), and didn't have kids with us, so wouldn't have been in many of the same places at the same times. We were also on the later dinner seating, and I suspect you were on the earlier one. It's wild that there can be so many people on one (actually rather small) ship, and still not interact!

Anyway, I'm so glad you made it, despite all of your troubles. And, BTW, we live in Toronto, so know how cold it was in Calgary (in the -30's ) before you left! We sat out by the pool on one of the sea days when it was overcast, and couldn't believe the people who thought it was COLD!

Looking forward to more of your TR!

Richard

Thanks,

We were on the earlier seating It was funny how we saw the same people over and over, but didn't see others once.

If I had known how warm the pools were I would have been in there the first couple of days while it wasn't too busy. Oh well, I'll know for next time.

 

[TaniaU]

We went to the sail away party, but left before it really got going because it was too much for Jet. Mom and dad said it was a good time.

Me, my mommy and Jet

My sister took it. I don't know.

By this time another bag showed up so Adam could change for dinner. We had the 5:45 seating which seemed like a good idea at the time, but was a little early when you’re eating pretty much all day. We had wonderful servers; Boo (who has a real name was Agus) and Auke. It takes us a while to get used to new people so the first couple of days were reserved but by the end we were all laughing and joking together.

I left it up to my sister and/or mom to contact Disney and request a separate table for us if they wanted. They never got around to it but when we got to AP we found a table for six (table 15) which was what most everyone wanted.

I got the premium wine package which may or may not be worth the $279 plus 15% gratuity, but we got to try a bunch of wines that I wouldn’t have tried otherwise, plus its vacation and I deserve it.

You could tell when we got moving because the boat was a rocking. I am a newbie but there was a lot of motion and being in AP with no windows was not a good feeling. I gave everyone Ginger Gravol at lunch because I knew that it would be a bit rough that evening and it seemed to help (or it was all in my head, wouldn’t be the first time)

The motion of the boat was an interesting experience, I could “feel” the motion of the ship and was anxious because I thought that I should be feeling worse. The first two and a half days were pretty bad for me, I didn’t get sick but I didn’t like being in enclosed spaces, the shops and Walt Disney theater were out. It either got better later in the cruise or I got used to it. Either way, after the 3rd day I didn’t need the ginger stuff (I kept taking the regular Gravol at night because it put me to sleep).

[Gravol is what we've got in Calgary for motion sickness, I asked it there was an alternative and the lady said Ginger Gravol. Helpful .]

We were all exhausted so after dinner we went back to the room unpacked the last suitcase, got a wakeup call for the next morning and went to bed.

Next, Breakfast with the Characters and a day at sea.

 

[ontariomonkey]

Enjoying the report, looking forward to more. BTW, ginger gravol is just ginger (no medication) so I find it cheaper to get ginger capsuls from a health food store.

 

[Sophie_2003]

Enjoying your report. We were on the ship the following week. My almost-5-year-old also thought sailaway was too much!

 

[TammyNC]

Great report so far...will be back for more.

 

[Frankiesmom]

Great report so far! I'm so sorry that your baby had to go thru all of that before your cruise. We had pretty much the same thing happen-only it was my DS's lip-and it happened while on board the Wonder before the ship even left! If anyone's kids are into being super excited while using the water slide-remind them to watch out for that pole at the end! DCL was SUPER GREAT about the whole thing-never even billed us. It all worked out-but not a nice way to start a trip! Glad it all worked out for you!
We're sailing the Magic eastern in Sept-soo looking forward to it!

 

[binky1]

Aww, poor Jet (and poor Mom too!!) Glad to hear that it didn't ruin your cruise but what a way to start!! Looking forward to reading more!!

 

[TaniaU]

Enjoying the report, looking forward to more. BTW, ginger gravol is just ginger (no medication) so I find it cheaper to get ginger capsuls from a health food store.

Never thought of that, thanks I'm surprised at how well the ginger works, I use it for travel and when my tummy doesn't feel too good (usually after too much )

Enjoying your report. We were on the ship the following week. My almost-5-year-old also thought sailaway was too much!

There were a lot of people, we were on Deck 10 and I don't think I could have been in the middle of them all on Deck 9.

Great report so far...will be back for more.

Thank you

Great report so far! I'm so sorry that your baby had to go thru all of that before your cruise. We had pretty much the same thing happen-only it was my DS's lip-and it happened while on board the Wonder before the ship even left! If anyone's kids are into being super excited while using the water slide-remind them to watch out for that pole at the end! DCL was SUPER GREAT about the whole thing-never even billed us. It all worked out-but not a nice way to start a trip! Glad it all worked out for you!
We're sailing the Magic eastern in Sept-soo looking forward to it!

Thanks I'm glad that DCL was so good, I wouldn't expect less from them.

Aww, poor Jet (and poor Mom too!!) Glad to hear that it didn't ruin your cruise but what a way to start!! Looking forward to reading more!!

Thanks, the only think that could have ruined our cruise was not making it!

 

[TaniaU]

Day Two: At sea. The cold cold sea.

Mickey calls to tell us it’s time to get up. We’ve got the character breakfast to go to at 8:15 (6:15 Calgary time our bodies tell us). I really liked Parrot Cay, the atmosphere was fun and it was easy to get to from our rooms One of the reasons we will come back to DCL is because Jet missed out on the first couple of days because he wasn’t his usual self; He didn’t want his picture taken at all because of his eye, but he loved meeting the characters.

Loves Mickey so much

After breakfast we explored some more, but mostly hung out on deck 9. It was chilly on deck, cooler than I expected but I guess in January you shouldn't expect balmy all the time Got okay coffee from the Cove Café, and sat on the loungers and read while my dad, Adam and Jet played in the arcade. Adam spent quite a bit of time there because they had a Golden Tee machine that was only $1 for 18 holes, apparently it’s quite the deal.

Lunch at Topsiders over the week was consistently just okay, not great but not bad. However, they had a separate line for kids where all the good food was. Dad was not impressed that they wouldn’t let him line up there for himself So for all appearances Jet ate quite a bit at lunch everyday.

Formal night had the nerve to be on the same day as the football games, so Adam would be a no-show for dinner. This does not bother me at all, because it’s his vacation too and he likes football more than dressing up for dinner. I like dressing up for dinner but don’t like to be around a pouty husband so it worked out good for all of us. Adam plunked himself down on deck 9 by the Arial View tv and made friends with John the server from India for the rest of the night.

Golden Mickey Menu didn’t have a lot of choice for me, but I enjoyed the Iron Horse champagne from the wine package so all was good. Jet fell asleep two minutes after we sat down. I have a picture of it that needs to be scanned.

Mom and Dad took Jet to their room so my sister and I joined Adam on deck 9 with the other football faithful. Eventually we picked up the boy and went to bed.