- Joined
- Oct 19, 2004
Fun with Dick and Kaz - A Cruisin' Pre-Trip Report...
The Cast:
Me: Karen (a.k.a Kaz) 40-something. Loves a Kir Royale in Mizner's Lounge and spending Dick's $$$...
Him: Richard (a.k.a Dick) Slightly older 40-something. Loves a Kir Royale in any Lounge and the exchange rate...
Last September, after celebrating our 24th Wedding Anniversary with a wonderful meal in a great restaurant and a bottle or two of vintage champagne, DH and I decided that we really had to do something special for our next anniversary - the big silvery Two Five! We discussed various romantic options but the one we kept coming back to was the 7 night Western Caribbean DCL cruise - we'd recently returned from a wonderful WDW family vacation and were still high on pixiedust and Dole Whip. So, full of that and more than a little champagne cheer, we got online and (amongst other things) booked the 7 night DCL cruise that coincided with our momentous milestone. As someone who'd had several glasses of champagne once said, "If you can't push the cruise liner out then, when can you?" Wise words indeed...
Next day, I examined my inbox and found the DCL confirmation. So it was true! After cancelling the orders for a dozen hens with low maintenance urban coop and the entire back catalogue of Yes (oh the perils of late-night booze-fuelled internet shopping!), I retreated to the comparative safety of the DIS to see if a thread existed for the cruise. It did and I subscribed. We were official. At that point, I can't lie, I had misgivings. Big misgivings. Using advanced mathematical formulae and a very large calculator, I deduced that our combined cruise credentials weren't great. Sure, I had a May 2005 3 day DCL Wonder trip under my lifebelt but my man was (and still is) a 40-something cruise virgin! There was only one thing to do. Order an up-to-date PassPorter and hope for the best. My partner-in-life didn't seem so worried. A sample Palo menu and the prospect of regular margarita/martini tastings convinced him that tramps like us, baby, we were born to cruise! You've gotta love an optimist, I know I do...
Anyway, once the PassPorter arrived, I had a wealth of information at my fingertips. It turned out there were concierge levels of stateroom - who knew?! We had booked a Category 4 but I felt that "suite" sounded sooo much - er, sweeter and silver wedding-y. I emailed DCL about an upgrade and as luck and $$$ would have it, a Category 3 was available. I didn't hesitate and paid the extra non-refundable deposit as if my life depended on it. I am very good at spending. Gifted actually...
The idea for the Vow Renewal came later and, unlike most of our truly excellent decisions, it was rooted in sobriety. I was already familiar with the Fairytale Weddings website as I had hoped my beloved only daughter would want the whole Wedding Pavilion/Cinderella's Coach thing. Strangely, for someone who has been asked if she's sponsored by Disney and wears Mickey ears to work, she remains resolutely unmoved by the prospect. But I digress. Our original wedding was an early 80's fashion fiasco and the photos left a lot to be desired. Suddenly I saw a chance to, quite literally, redress the balance and before you could say "have a magical day, ma'am", a very pleasant wedding planner called Cathy had booked us in for the works! In case you're wondering, my groom-to-be-again didn't even flinch, but I swear I heard the sound of credit cards being shredded deep into the night...
With the Vow Renewal came something that can only be described as 'homework'! Now I wasn't that conscientious the first time around and TBH I find it perversely encouraging to note that I'm still an appalling shirker. The worksheets (cue eye-rolling/exaggerated sighing/derisive chortling and "I can sit here all lunchtime, 4B!") languished in my inbox for weeks before I could face filling them in. These were hard-core - not only requiring the usual name, address, shoe size sort of thing, but also an array of complex mind-boggling options such as musical choices for the different parts of the ceremony, cake flavouring/filling combinations and the tricky bouquet/buttonhole ballot! Like a rabbit caught in the headlights, everytime I attempted completion of the worksheets (cue eye-rolling/exaggerated sighing/derisive chortling etc) I froze! How could I possibly choose between burgundy or pink roses when I didn't have a clue what I'd be wearing!? Could Canon in D by Pachabel enhance the ceremony more than a rousing chorus of Bibbidee-Bobbidee-Boo!!?? What in the name of gateaux would 'yellow' cake taste like!!!???That's where the DIS came in. Obsessive board perusal ensured I made educated decisions and complete the forms within the deadline...
If the VR paperwork gave me brain freeze, I can honestly say that chatting with our fellow cruisers on the Cruise Meet thread has been nothing but a heart-melting pleasure! Even this reserved Brit (you should see my stiff upper lip - it makes for strange photos) cannot wait to meet up with everyone on the first day - it'll be so great to finally put faces to names. There's talk of us all storming the Margarita/Martini tasting sessions on our first 'at sea' day so I'm expecting high jinks on the high seas! We have been lucky enough to link our reservation with two other like-minded couples (thanks Eva, Steve, Penny and Bob!) so we know we'll be dining with convivial tablemates! I am mightily relieved about this as my DD and I had a few rather tricky dining experiences with a very young newly-wed couple on our 3 night cruise and I am anxious to avoid a repeat performance...
Opting for concierge meant that we could book our excursions at 105 days and made getting those all-important Palo ressies a breeze. Which leads us nicely to the details of our trip! So for those of you still reading, here's our itinerary:
September 21: The pampering starts here as we've booked an Upper Class flight from Gatwick to Orlando. Overnight in MCO Hyatt...
September 22: Drive to Port Canaveral. Board ship and meet our cruise mates! Have first (of many) Bahama Mamas. Sail away...
September 23: Key West. 25th Wedding Anniversary! Palo Brunch followed by a walking/staggering tour of the bars of Key West...
September 24: At Sea. Time to chill so nothing much planned here except the Margarita tastings (which we'll book onboard) and the prospect of glamming it up for Formal Night! Pass me my tiara...
September 25: Grand Cayman. Our first excursion. We're booked on something called the Thriller Sand and Sea Adventure - basically we race around the GC coast at 60mph before flopping on a beach somewhere. I can't remember why we decided to do this but I'm sure it'll be fab. Later we're back on the Magic, being pampered during the Couples Choice massage in the onboard Spa Villas. More champagne, please darling...
September 26: Cozumel. We've got the exhilarating Tulum Ruins excursion booked for today so there's a chance we'll be pretty pooped by the time evening rolls around. Tho' I'll wager not too pooped to wear a skull & crossbones t-shirt, a bandana and walk the plank for tis Pirates Night, me hearties!
September 27: At Sea. This is our big day and the one we've been waiting for! The Vow Renewal's pencilled in for around 4.45pm on Deck 7 - weather permitting. I'm hoping to book time with the hairdresser earlier in the day as I may want to vary my standard 'thro-a-hedge-backwards' look. We're opting for one of the photo packages too so will spend time posing around the ship before heading off to Palo's for our wedding night dinner...
September 28: Castaway Cay. The other day we've been waiting for! Tandem parasailing's booked in the morning (my kids reckon I'll bail - we'll see) and we're enjoying a massage on the beach in the Couples Cabana in the afternoon. Bliss! Tonight's our final night and we'll be bidding a fond farewell to our new friends - I'm sad about that already but fingers crossed we'll all still be talking and singing "We'll Meet Again"...
September 29: Disembarkation followed by a drive to DTD where we'll check-in for our flight later that day. Then we're planning a day at Universal/IOA to finish the vacation off properly...
So ladies and gentlemen, there we have it. Stay tuned for further fun with Dick and Kaz...
The Cast:
Me: Karen (a.k.a Kaz) 40-something. Loves a Kir Royale in Mizner's Lounge and spending Dick's $$$...
Him: Richard (a.k.a Dick) Slightly older 40-something. Loves a Kir Royale in any Lounge and the exchange rate...
Last September, after celebrating our 24th Wedding Anniversary with a wonderful meal in a great restaurant and a bottle or two of vintage champagne, DH and I decided that we really had to do something special for our next anniversary - the big silvery Two Five! We discussed various romantic options but the one we kept coming back to was the 7 night Western Caribbean DCL cruise - we'd recently returned from a wonderful WDW family vacation and were still high on pixiedust and Dole Whip. So, full of that and more than a little champagne cheer, we got online and (amongst other things) booked the 7 night DCL cruise that coincided with our momentous milestone. As someone who'd had several glasses of champagne once said, "If you can't push the cruise liner out then, when can you?" Wise words indeed...
Next day, I examined my inbox and found the DCL confirmation. So it was true! After cancelling the orders for a dozen hens with low maintenance urban coop and the entire back catalogue of Yes (oh the perils of late-night booze-fuelled internet shopping!), I retreated to the comparative safety of the DIS to see if a thread existed for the cruise. It did and I subscribed. We were official. At that point, I can't lie, I had misgivings. Big misgivings. Using advanced mathematical formulae and a very large calculator, I deduced that our combined cruise credentials weren't great. Sure, I had a May 2005 3 day DCL Wonder trip under my lifebelt but my man was (and still is) a 40-something cruise virgin! There was only one thing to do. Order an up-to-date PassPorter and hope for the best. My partner-in-life didn't seem so worried. A sample Palo menu and the prospect of regular margarita/martini tastings convinced him that tramps like us, baby, we were born to cruise! You've gotta love an optimist, I know I do...
Anyway, once the PassPorter arrived, I had a wealth of information at my fingertips. It turned out there were concierge levels of stateroom - who knew?! We had booked a Category 4 but I felt that "suite" sounded sooo much - er, sweeter
and silver wedding-y. I emailed DCL about an upgrade and as luck and $$$ would have it, a Category 3 was available. I didn't hesitate and paid the extra non-refundable deposit as if my life depended on it. I am very good at spending. Gifted actually... The idea for the Vow Renewal came later and, unlike most of our truly excellent decisions, it was rooted in sobriety. I was already familiar with the Fairytale Weddings website as I had hoped my beloved only daughter would want the whole Wedding Pavilion/Cinderella's Coach thing. Strangely, for someone who has been asked if she's sponsored by Disney and wears Mickey ears to work, she remains resolutely unmoved by the prospect. But I digress. Our original wedding was an early 80's fashion fiasco and the photos left a lot to be desired. Suddenly I saw a chance to, quite literally, redress the balance and before you could say "have a magical day, ma'am", a very pleasant wedding planner called Cathy had booked us in for the works! In case you're wondering, my groom-to-be-again didn't even flinch, but I swear I heard the sound of credit cards being shredded deep into the night...
With the Vow Renewal came something that can only be described as 'homework'! Now I wasn't that conscientious the first time around and TBH I find it perversely encouraging to note that I'm still an appalling shirker. The worksheets (cue eye-rolling/exaggerated sighing/derisive chortling and "I can sit here all lunchtime, 4B!") languished in my inbox for weeks before I could face filling them in. These were hard-core - not only requiring the usual name, address, shoe size sort of thing, but also an array of complex mind-boggling options such as musical choices for the different parts of the ceremony, cake flavouring/filling combinations and the tricky bouquet/buttonhole ballot! Like a rabbit caught in the headlights, everytime I attempted completion of the worksheets (cue eye-rolling/exaggerated sighing/derisive chortling etc) I froze! How could I possibly choose between burgundy or pink roses when I didn't have a clue what I'd be wearing!? Could Canon in D by Pachabel enhance the ceremony more than a rousing chorus of Bibbidee-Bobbidee-Boo!!?? What in the name of gateaux would 'yellow' cake taste like!!!???That's where the DIS came in. Obsessive board perusal ensured I made educated decisions and complete the forms within the deadline...
If the VR paperwork gave me brain freeze, I can honestly say that chatting with our fellow cruisers on the Cruise Meet thread has been nothing but a heart-melting pleasure! Even this reserved Brit (you should see my stiff upper lip - it makes for strange photos) cannot wait to meet up with everyone on the first day - it'll be so great to finally put faces to names. There's talk of us all storming the Margarita/Martini tasting sessions on our first 'at sea' day so I'm expecting high jinks on the high seas! We have been lucky enough to link our reservation with two other like-minded couples (thanks Eva, Steve, Penny and Bob!) so we know we'll be dining with convivial tablemates! I am mightily relieved about this as my DD and I had a few rather tricky dining experiences with a very young newly-wed couple on our 3 night cruise and I am anxious to avoid a repeat performance...
Opting for concierge meant that we could book our excursions at 105 days and made getting those all-important Palo ressies a breeze. Which leads us nicely to the details of our trip! So for those of you still reading, here's our itinerary:
September 21: The pampering starts here as we've booked an Upper Class flight from Gatwick to Orlando. Overnight in MCO Hyatt...
September 22: Drive to Port Canaveral. Board ship and meet our cruise mates! Have first (of many) Bahama Mamas. Sail away...
September 23: Key West. 25th Wedding Anniversary! Palo Brunch followed by a walking/staggering tour of the bars of Key West...
September 24: At Sea. Time to chill so nothing much planned here except the Margarita tastings (which we'll book onboard) and the prospect of glamming it up for Formal Night! Pass me my tiara...
September 25: Grand Cayman. Our first excursion. We're booked on something called the Thriller Sand and Sea Adventure - basically we race around the GC coast at 60mph before flopping on a beach somewhere. I can't remember why we decided to do this but I'm sure it'll be fab. Later we're back on the Magic, being pampered during the Couples Choice massage in the onboard Spa Villas. More champagne, please darling...
September 26: Cozumel. We've got the exhilarating Tulum Ruins excursion booked for today so there's a chance we'll be pretty pooped by the time evening rolls around. Tho' I'll wager not too pooped to wear a skull & crossbones t-shirt, a bandana and walk the plank for tis Pirates Night, me hearties!
September 27: At Sea. This is our big day and the one we've been waiting for! The Vow Renewal's pencilled in for around 4.45pm on Deck 7 - weather permitting. I'm hoping to book time with the hairdresser earlier in the day as I may want to vary my standard 'thro-a-hedge-backwards' look. We're opting for one of the photo packages too so will spend time posing around the ship before heading off to Palo's for our wedding night dinner...
September 28: Castaway Cay. The other day we've been waiting for! Tandem parasailing's booked in the morning (my kids reckon I'll bail - we'll see) and we're enjoying a massage on the beach in the Couples Cabana in the afternoon. Bliss! Tonight's our final night and we'll be bidding a fond farewell to our new friends - I'm sad about that already but fingers crossed we'll all still be talking and singing "We'll Meet Again"...
September 29: Disembarkation followed by a drive to DTD where we'll check-in for our flight later that day. Then we're planning a day at Universal/IOA to finish the vacation off properly...
So ladies and gentlemen, there we have it. Stay tuned for further fun with Dick and Kaz...
HAVE A GREAT TIME 
I like to live vicariously through the cruising trippies as i'm too scared to go on one myself 
