Ayeegit
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2010
- Messages
- 103
Kevin, Ginger, Kayleigh (10), & Gillian (7)
After all the planning the waiting the anticipating and the packing we were finally about to go on our first cruise! We pulled the girls out of school a few hours early Friday afternoon in order to make our early evening flight out of DIA to start our Magical week. No problems getting to the airport, getting checked in, or getting on the flight so far so good. We all sat on the right side of the plane, hoping to get a glimpse of Disneyworld or one of the other parks as we descended into Orlando International, but we never managed to pick it out in the late-night darkness. Obviously the parks are typically lit up like a Christmas tree, but so is the rest of Orlando
As we were arriving into Orlando so late, we had decided to stay at a hotel close to the airport, knowing we had plenty of time in the morning to make the drive out to Port Canaveral. We found a great deal on a very nice hotel, the Crowne Plaza wouldnt be a great Park hotel for a typical Disney trip, being so far from the various Disney properties, but for what we needed it was perfect. It was tough getting to sleep that night, with the excitement of the cruise now only hours away but everyone finally managed to get some shut-eye and soon the wake-up call told us it was time to get on the road for the final push to the port.
We had decided to use a rental car (got a good rate with Budget) rather than the Disney transportation options primarily due to the cost difference, but also because we knew if we got to the Disney terminal early enough on Saturday morning, we would stand a better chance of getting on the ship as early as possible. The drive from Orlando to Port Canaveral went by very quickly, and after cresting one of the drawbridges leading into the port, we were able to catch our first glimpse of the Disney Magic. While it looked like a *very* large ship, it was somewhat dwarfed by the Carnival Dream docked right next to it. Both ships continued to get even larger as we pulled up next to them to drop off Ginger, the girls, and the luggage while I went to return the rental car. The only downside to the process was waiting in line behind people who were getting cars (probably just off either the Magic or the Dream) to return ours no quick drop off for returning a car. But I was quickly on the shuttle bus back to the port, and I met back up with the rest of the family inside the terminal. Once we were all together again, we were able to check in (boarding group 3 getting up early and beating the Disney buses had paid off!) and get the girls registered for the Kids Clubs. Disney obviously has all of these process pieces down pat quick and painless. After about an hour and a half (which seemed to go by quickly due to pictures with a few characters, looking at the model of the Magic/Wonder, people watching, and stepping outside to watch all of the cargo loading activity on the near-by dock), folks were allowed to start getting on the ship. Soon it was our turn, and we finally experienced walking through the gangway, having the group about to board picture taken, and then walking into the atrium while having our family announced.
A Disney crew member approached us and mentioned where the restaurants were, but we wanted to let the girls hop into one of the pools before too many other folks were on board, so we headed for the elevators to get top-side. Walking onto deck 9 we really started to get a good feel for how much fun we were going to be in for the pools, the hot tubs, the bars and restaurants deck 9 alone was overwhelming, and we hadnt even seen much else of the ship yet. Unfortunately, we were on board so early, the pools werent open yet so a quick change of plans took us into Topsiders Buffet for a bite to eat. Everyone found something that they would enjoy, and we got to sit outside and watch all of the activity over in the terminal and on the roads and areas just off the ship. The food was off to a good start the strawberry soup was really yummy, and the fresh fruit seemed to be everywhere (which would continue for the whole week), so we all took advantage of that.
By the time we were done eating, the pools had opened so the girls got changed into their suits, and jumped into the Mickey Pool (just for kids). After watching for a bit to make sure they were going to be comfortable in this brand new environment, Ginger and I went for a stroll around the rest of decks 9 and 10 to get our bearings. After reading about the tradition on some of the DIS boards, I had made magnets for our cabin door for our trip knowing it would make it easier for the girls to find their cabin (those hallways on deck 6 were LONG, and they all looked the same!) as well as just adding a little fun to our trip. So once we were able to get into the cabin areas, we stopped by our door to put the magnets up but as we had promised the girls we wouldnt go into the room without them, we didnt open the door. That came just a little while later, after we had gotten the girls (a bit begrudgingly they were already having too much fun!) out of the pool and took them back down to find our cabin. They were surprised when, after finding 6549, they saw the magnets on the door with their names on them.
We had a good idea of what to expect from our particular class of cabin from having seen pictures on-line, but it was still a lot of fun to see our cabin for the first time. Ive heard the inside staterooms on the Disney ships are a tad larger than most other cruise lines, but no one would ever claim theyre roomy. But it was perfect for the four of us we had a double bed for Ginger and I, a couch that converted to a bed for Kayleigh, and a pull-down berth for Gillian. We had decided that we really didnt need a stateroom with a window, or a veranda, as we didnt expect to spend much time in the room during the trip except to sleep and I think if we cruise again wed make the same choice. Just didnt seem to be worth the extra money to be able to look (or sit) outside right from our room, at least for us. Especially when cruising with Disney, and paying that premium (which is well worth it!) - we were looking for ways to cut costs out where we could.
After getting a bit settled in, we decided to go take the 2:30 walking tour to get a feel for the layout of the ship and figure out where everything below deck 9 was located. Sadly, that put us in the Promenade Lounge a few minutes late for the meet & greet that we wanted to attend (meeting up with the folks that had participated in our cruise thread on DIS), but we got to meet a couple of families before that broke up around 3:15. Back to our cabin to start unpacking our checked luggage which had started to show up by then, and soon it was time for the safety drill @ 4. They had to pack us in pretty tight in front of our lifeboat, but yet again Disney has this stuff down to a science, and even something as mundane as a safety drill was fun and taken care of as quickly as possible. We hurried back up to deck 9 for the sail-away party with some of the characters and staff (I even danced I was on vacation! I think my wife and kids were surprised), and soon the ship was pulling out of the port. As we had the early dinning seating @ 5:45, we couldnt stay up on the deck too long, but we stayed as long as we could to watch the marinas, restaurants, and everything else alongside of Port Canaveral slip by as we headed out to sea.
Eventually, we made our way to our first dinner, in Animators Palate. We walked into the dinning area, and a gentleman asked us what table number we were sitting at - I looked at my Key To The World card, and said "27 please!". He mentioned that he knew the waiter that worked that table, and said "He's a good guy". Turned out it was the very person seating us, just through a crazy coincidence. Zeljko (and his assistant server Jessy) were awesome with us and our girls at every meal, even though they had plenty to keep them busy they both made all of us feel like we were their only table (and I'm sure the other groups they served probably felt the same way!). The food and the atmosphere in AP was just as great as we had heard it would be - the slow color change over the course of the meal was fun to watch unfold.
After dinner, it was off to the opening night show (after a quick look outside to see how far we had gone - it was crazy that we couldn't even see land at that point already - but of course it was pretty dark, and we couldn't see very far). Very entertaining little bits of what was to come - there was a great ventriloquist on board (Taylor Mason), as well as a hypnotist (Dale K) - each were going to have "full" shows later in the week, both aimed at families as well as just the adults later in the evenings. And of course some of the classic Disney characters took the stage and promised everyone that they were in for a great week - and they weren't kidding! But for now, it was time to turn in and call it a day...
After all the planning the waiting the anticipating and the packing we were finally about to go on our first cruise! We pulled the girls out of school a few hours early Friday afternoon in order to make our early evening flight out of DIA to start our Magical week. No problems getting to the airport, getting checked in, or getting on the flight so far so good. We all sat on the right side of the plane, hoping to get a glimpse of Disneyworld or one of the other parks as we descended into Orlando International, but we never managed to pick it out in the late-night darkness. Obviously the parks are typically lit up like a Christmas tree, but so is the rest of Orlando
As we were arriving into Orlando so late, we had decided to stay at a hotel close to the airport, knowing we had plenty of time in the morning to make the drive out to Port Canaveral. We found a great deal on a very nice hotel, the Crowne Plaza wouldnt be a great Park hotel for a typical Disney trip, being so far from the various Disney properties, but for what we needed it was perfect. It was tough getting to sleep that night, with the excitement of the cruise now only hours away but everyone finally managed to get some shut-eye and soon the wake-up call told us it was time to get on the road for the final push to the port.

We had decided to use a rental car (got a good rate with Budget) rather than the Disney transportation options primarily due to the cost difference, but also because we knew if we got to the Disney terminal early enough on Saturday morning, we would stand a better chance of getting on the ship as early as possible. The drive from Orlando to Port Canaveral went by very quickly, and after cresting one of the drawbridges leading into the port, we were able to catch our first glimpse of the Disney Magic. While it looked like a *very* large ship, it was somewhat dwarfed by the Carnival Dream docked right next to it. Both ships continued to get even larger as we pulled up next to them to drop off Ginger, the girls, and the luggage while I went to return the rental car. The only downside to the process was waiting in line behind people who were getting cars (probably just off either the Magic or the Dream) to return ours no quick drop off for returning a car. But I was quickly on the shuttle bus back to the port, and I met back up with the rest of the family inside the terminal. Once we were all together again, we were able to check in (boarding group 3 getting up early and beating the Disney buses had paid off!) and get the girls registered for the Kids Clubs. Disney obviously has all of these process pieces down pat quick and painless. After about an hour and a half (which seemed to go by quickly due to pictures with a few characters, looking at the model of the Magic/Wonder, people watching, and stepping outside to watch all of the cargo loading activity on the near-by dock), folks were allowed to start getting on the ship. Soon it was our turn, and we finally experienced walking through the gangway, having the group about to board picture taken, and then walking into the atrium while having our family announced.




A Disney crew member approached us and mentioned where the restaurants were, but we wanted to let the girls hop into one of the pools before too many other folks were on board, so we headed for the elevators to get top-side. Walking onto deck 9 we really started to get a good feel for how much fun we were going to be in for the pools, the hot tubs, the bars and restaurants deck 9 alone was overwhelming, and we hadnt even seen much else of the ship yet. Unfortunately, we were on board so early, the pools werent open yet so a quick change of plans took us into Topsiders Buffet for a bite to eat. Everyone found something that they would enjoy, and we got to sit outside and watch all of the activity over in the terminal and on the roads and areas just off the ship. The food was off to a good start the strawberry soup was really yummy, and the fresh fruit seemed to be everywhere (which would continue for the whole week), so we all took advantage of that.

By the time we were done eating, the pools had opened so the girls got changed into their suits, and jumped into the Mickey Pool (just for kids). After watching for a bit to make sure they were going to be comfortable in this brand new environment, Ginger and I went for a stroll around the rest of decks 9 and 10 to get our bearings. After reading about the tradition on some of the DIS boards, I had made magnets for our cabin door for our trip knowing it would make it easier for the girls to find their cabin (those hallways on deck 6 were LONG, and they all looked the same!) as well as just adding a little fun to our trip. So once we were able to get into the cabin areas, we stopped by our door to put the magnets up but as we had promised the girls we wouldnt go into the room without them, we didnt open the door. That came just a little while later, after we had gotten the girls (a bit begrudgingly they were already having too much fun!) out of the pool and took them back down to find our cabin. They were surprised when, after finding 6549, they saw the magnets on the door with their names on them.


We had a good idea of what to expect from our particular class of cabin from having seen pictures on-line, but it was still a lot of fun to see our cabin for the first time. Ive heard the inside staterooms on the Disney ships are a tad larger than most other cruise lines, but no one would ever claim theyre roomy. But it was perfect for the four of us we had a double bed for Ginger and I, a couch that converted to a bed for Kayleigh, and a pull-down berth for Gillian. We had decided that we really didnt need a stateroom with a window, or a veranda, as we didnt expect to spend much time in the room during the trip except to sleep and I think if we cruise again wed make the same choice. Just didnt seem to be worth the extra money to be able to look (or sit) outside right from our room, at least for us. Especially when cruising with Disney, and paying that premium (which is well worth it!) - we were looking for ways to cut costs out where we could.

After getting a bit settled in, we decided to go take the 2:30 walking tour to get a feel for the layout of the ship and figure out where everything below deck 9 was located. Sadly, that put us in the Promenade Lounge a few minutes late for the meet & greet that we wanted to attend (meeting up with the folks that had participated in our cruise thread on DIS), but we got to meet a couple of families before that broke up around 3:15. Back to our cabin to start unpacking our checked luggage which had started to show up by then, and soon it was time for the safety drill @ 4. They had to pack us in pretty tight in front of our lifeboat, but yet again Disney has this stuff down to a science, and even something as mundane as a safety drill was fun and taken care of as quickly as possible. We hurried back up to deck 9 for the sail-away party with some of the characters and staff (I even danced I was on vacation! I think my wife and kids were surprised), and soon the ship was pulling out of the port. As we had the early dinning seating @ 5:45, we couldnt stay up on the deck too long, but we stayed as long as we could to watch the marinas, restaurants, and everything else alongside of Port Canaveral slip by as we headed out to sea.

Eventually, we made our way to our first dinner, in Animators Palate. We walked into the dinning area, and a gentleman asked us what table number we were sitting at - I looked at my Key To The World card, and said "27 please!". He mentioned that he knew the waiter that worked that table, and said "He's a good guy". Turned out it was the very person seating us, just through a crazy coincidence. Zeljko (and his assistant server Jessy) were awesome with us and our girls at every meal, even though they had plenty to keep them busy they both made all of us feel like we were their only table (and I'm sure the other groups they served probably felt the same way!). The food and the atmosphere in AP was just as great as we had heard it would be - the slow color change over the course of the meal was fun to watch unfold.


After dinner, it was off to the opening night show (after a quick look outside to see how far we had gone - it was crazy that we couldn't even see land at that point already - but of course it was pretty dark, and we couldn't see very far). Very entertaining little bits of what was to come - there was a great ventriloquist on board (Taylor Mason), as well as a hypnotist (Dale K) - each were going to have "full" shows later in the week, both aimed at families as well as just the adults later in the evenings. And of course some of the classic Disney characters took the stage and promised everyone that they were in for a great week - and they weren't kidding! But for now, it was time to turn in and call it a day...

