Just back from 4/16-4/22/11 Western Caribbean 7 night

[TitaTink]

Just back from a wonderful 7 night Western. We previously did the 7 night Eastern and found the Western equally wonderful. There were 14 of us total in 4 staterooms. In my stateroom (2536) were my DH, DS (14) and
DS (18).

We flew in on direct Airtran flights from upstate NY. The flight left 15 min early and arrived early and was smooth. We grabbed our luggage and checked into the Hyatt at the Orlando Airport on Friday afternoon, it could not have been easier. We had purchased DCL transfers so they gave us the luggage pick up instructions and cruise check in instructions, very simple. our rooms were great, they gave us 4 rooms side by side which were roomy, comfortable and clean. We all had balcony's which overlooked the Airtran and Southwest runways...cool. That evening we ate at the Macaroni Grill in the Airport which was very good.

The next morning we tagged our luggages with the DCL tags, and left them just inside of the door as instructed. We grabbed our day bag at around 8:00 a.m. and headed down to the Magical Express and Cruise check in area of the terminal. We were the first ones in line and they checked us in completely in about 10 minutes, gave us the key to the world, took our photos and said we would be on bus #1 (red Mickey) at 9:30, we also received....boarding #2!!!!

This give us a little time to go back in the terminal and have breakfast. We grabbed a quick Mcdonalds breakfast and came back to the cruise bus area and shortly they called the Mickey bus

 

[TiggerDeb]

Ok, I am hooked... Cannot wait to read more...

 

[luvs2cruise]

Sounds like you're off to a great start. Can't wait to hear more!

 

[TitaTink]

We boarded the bus and in a quick 45 minutes we were at Port Canaveral. We arrived around 10:30ish. 4 lines were opened for security so it went very quickly. Once inside since we were already checked in, my family with young children checked in for the kids club. They had all preregistered online, so they just needed to get their id bracelets. After that family members who had not sailed before explored the terminal. At about 11:45 they announced the family of the day (lucky). About noon they announced boarding group #2 and we boarded the beautiful Magic. Family Announcements were made upon our boarding which never gets old. Since we were among some of the first to board we were able to go to Parrot Cay for lunch. This was the first time we went there upon boarding and I liked it because it was very warm on deck about 90, so the air conditioning was very nice. Same food as up at Top Siders just more comfy and less madness.

 

[TitaTink]

After lunch we went up on deck 10 to check out Port Canaveral and my younger nieces (3,5,7,9 years) enjoyed the almost empty Mickey Pool. It got pretty hot on deck 10 and for some reason it was nice and breezy near the Mickey Pool so we grabbed a fruity drink and watched the little ones go down the slide and splash around. So nice to be on board early and not feel rushed. At around 1:30 we went down to our stateroom and since we had booked through AAA we received A fruit basked and some champagne. My siblings and I had made door magnets and dry erase boards (hung on the fish outside the door) so we posted all our magnets. The magnets and dry erase boards were a great way to identify our rooms for us after a late night and for our kids as well. We used the dry erase boards to leave eachother messages some nice and some teasing We had rooms 2532, 2534, 2536 and 2620 (outside staterooms). I found the rooms to be in good condition. Although the shower was missing the plastic piece to disburse water properly for the first couple of days. Eventually the replaced the shower head completely and we were in great shape.

 

[TitaTink]

Our rooms were very close to the forward and mid elevators. Most of the time we used the forward elevators since they were not as busy. Or used the stairs for dinner, the theaters, and Rockin D Bar. I heard a few noises at night from the clubs but very faint and it got quiet quickly when the clubs closed. Additionally, I did hear on occaision something that sounded like a drilling sound at night, I am sure some normal mechanical noises and was not enough to really disturb us.

Once our luggage arrived around 3ish, I quickly unpacked and stored the empty luggage under the bed. We are a family of 4 with teenage "men" but I still felt like there was plenty of storage to empty our luggage and I am a self professed over packer so we had tons of clothes and shoes

P.S. I love the new wave phones they worked great and was a excellent tool for catching up with other family members or the kids thoughout the day and when we were meeting in the theater for shows.

After packing we got ready for the safety drill. it is sooo nice not having to wear the life jackets anymore. Our drill was in the Walt Disney Theater so we were quite comfortable. We checked in, sat down, got instuctions and were out of there within 15 minutes.

We then proceeded to deck 9 for the Sail Away Party. Normally we are on Deck 10 directly across from Ariel Vision, but others had the same idea so we did not get our spot. My family members with young children wanted to be in front of the stage and that was not a problem at all. So I joined them while my husband and my teen boys stayed on the fringes not interested at all in dancing near the stage on deck 9. I must say my little nieces and my mom had the best time dancing and parting and it was a joy to see their faces and there was plenty of space for everyone to dance.

 

[TitaTink]

After the sailaway and all that dancing we went down to our rooms to refresh for dinner. Our first night was a Parrot Cay. We had the PLAAPLA rotation. Our servers were Marco (from Chili) and Tiago (from Portugal). Which was perfect since my mother prefers to speak spanish to english and was able to do all her ordering in Spanish. They were wonderful, kind, efficient. We were in and out of dinner within 1 1/2 hours and that is 14 people with 6 kids starting at age 3 so that was quite a feat and the did a great job! What I will say about the menu and food throughout the cruise it was much better then last time we sailed and I really did enjoy all of our selections and meals and my little family of four love to dine out and really enjoy trying new things (so not picky). I was pleased by all the food and selections over the entire cruise. After dinner my DS 14 and younger nieces were all anxious to try to clubs. So first I will say my son who really enjoyed OceanQuest (now Edge), I was concerned would not have as great of an experience in the Vibe (formerally Stack). Well..he had a fabulous time!!! We saw him at breakfast, dinner, and excursions other then that he was with his new friends and love the new teens he met and the counselers. He said this time was even better then the last time (phew). My younger nieces in the Oceaneer Club and Labs also really enjoyed their time there especially my 9 year old niece. The activities they had scheduled all week were great and held there interest.

 

[TitaTink]

The adults all went to the All Aboard Show 8:30 (we had early seating) which give you a nice little snipet of what the entertainment will be for the week. So I suggest going since it really starts things off. We then went at 10:45 to Rockin Bar D for the Match your Mate show. Hysterical!!! I suggest if you are able go to this. I believe they only had it 1x on our cruise so I was glad we caught it.

By the way Trent was the gentlemen who introduced most of the shows in Rockin Bar D and also led the dancing during the Sail Away party. He was outstanding, fun and energetic and a little sarcastic (love). Great fun, he was from Australia (good day mate)

Oh yes and Peter was the cruise director. I love Brent, but did enjoy Peter he was very nice and all over the ship interacting and had a really warm spirit, so we grew to like him quickly.

That ends our first day and night. Next day Key West!

 

[TitaTink]

Next morning we had breakfast buffet in Parrot Cay. Again, less busy then Top Siders and all the same food. It was a relaxing morning. We went up to deck 10 to watch us port into Key West. The weather was around 85 and pure sunshine. Around 12:30 we were allowed to disembark. We did not have any excursions planned we thought we would just walk around Key West and do some shopping.

Well I was disappointed as most of the shops (we walked around forever) were just the typical tourist tee's, hats, towels etc. And it was very hot. We stayed until around 3 and decided it was time to head back to the boat and refresh in the pool. That was the best thing we decided to do. Most people were still in port so the Adult pool was EMPTY! My DH, DS (18) all enjoyed the adult pool while my DS (14) quicky dumped us as soon as we boarded for his new friends in the Vibe.

We enjoyed the pool until it was time to get ready for dinner. it was still cruise casual so on with a quick sundress and off to Lumieres. Sorry i did not keep track of everything we ate but I do know it was good.

We went to see the show in the Walt Disney Theater at 8:30 which was comedian Taylor Mason. He does comedy with puppets and without them. We LOVED him, very funny! I recommend!

After the family show our kids ditched us again and we went to Rock Bar D for the show with Freddy Fusion. He does comedy with magic tricks and science. We loved him also very much and ended up seeing him a total of 3 times between the adult and family shows he did. I recommend!

After this off to bed. Next up Sea Day...Ahhhh!

 

[TitaTink]

Today is a Sea Day, which I LOVE! I really enjoy the Sea and I love relaxing on board. This morning we had breakfast at Lumieres which was quite good. Afterward DS (14) took off to the Vibe, little kids went to the clubs so the adults relaxed in the adult pool chatting and reading. At around 11:45 my sister and I had a couples massage (LOL my husband wouldn't go it freaks him out). I had never used the Spa onboard before and LOVED the experience. It was relaxing and the pressure used was perfect. The only downside is the sales pitch they give you about products but we politely said no and they did not put additional pressure. I will for sure book another massage on my next cruise.

Back to the adult pool (love) and in time we needed to get ready for formal night dinner at Animators Palate. We enjoy getting dressed up so it was not a struggle to get everyone going. We got in line to take formal portraits which always come out great (how do they do it) it seems like the only time I can get my boys to pose with us.

After dinner we went to see Twice Charmed (such a nice show) and then went to see Taylor Mason from the previous Theater show in the Rockin Bar D. at 10:15. We enjoyed him just as much and laughed until we cried. Great fun!
C

 

[TitaTink]

Grand Cayman is today. We had breakfast at Top Siders today. We had booked the Extreme Dolphin Swim as did my sister and her DD (9). We met in Diversions and were quickly signed in and on our way. We had to tender here and were tendered and on our way to the Island. Once we got to the Island the excursion company gave us 2 bracelets. One for our group (B) and one for our type of swim encounter vs extreme swim. We had the extreme swim. They then walked us a bit to an area were small buses were waiting to take us to the location where our swim would occur on the opposite end of the island.

The island is not very big and our bus driver was very informative about the island etc. it was a very nice and comfortable drive. We arrived at the Dolphin Encounter and Turtle Farm and that is where things got confusing. There was one Dolphin rep giving instructions and the buses were unloaded we could not hear anything or understand what was going on it was frustrating and everyone around us seemed equally confused. They first walked us across the street to the Turtle Farm which seems to be a hatchery. It was very interesting, but we did not receive maps to explore and our guide sort of disappeared. After a little time my husband located her and she said just to go to the Dolpin building across the street around 11 if I recall. It was hot, we were not allowed to wear sunscreen because of the Dolphins and we were confused. This did not start off too good. Which is sad because the Turtle Farm could have been more enjoyable.

We made our way across the street to do our dolphin swim and there was no one giving us clear instruction they said to get a locker (free) and line up on benches, except there were tons of benches. Everyone was equally confused and frustrated. Finally we found someone who knew what they were talking about, got us in the right place and we had a quick orientation and were divided in groups as noted on our bracelets.

Once that happened it was AMAZING. We got into the tank with the Dolphins, first we got to pet them, then in groups we swam out to the center of the tank and had 2 swims a piece with the dolphins. One was a pull by the fins and one was a push as you were on a boogie board they pushed you by your feet. We got to kiss them, and they kissed us and dance with them. It was a wonderful experience, such amazing animals. After that they put us in a shallow pool with debarbed sting rays. That was pretty cool as well.

There were a photographer assigned to each group and after we finished our swim we checked out the photos on a kiosk. the photos were great, but you needed an attendant to help you check out and there were so many people and not enough attendants that we never got our photos. You could have gotten a CD which i would have done, but again no one to help. Disappointing for us, but also a revenue loss for them. Thankfully they let you use water proof underwater cameras so my so husband has some decent shots of us in the water with the Dolphins. Over all a great experience but the company needs to get better organized and give loud and clear instructions to each bus group as they are unloading. It will be less stressful and would give more time for people to enjoy the turtle farm as well.

 

[TitaTink]

The trip back to the Tender boats was in the same comfy buses so that was no problem. Many cruise ships were tendered there and the lines to get on the Carnival and Norwegian tender boats was crazy, but we had no line and no problem getting on. Before you know it we were back on board. We got some lunch at Topsiders and hung our in the quiet cove padded chairs a bit.

My husband and I had 6:00 reservations at Palo so eventually we got ready. We had never done Palo before and were very excited. At this point we were out to sea. We were seated promptly and had Nick as our server. He was excellent. We were seated at a table for 2 near the window and the sea and then the sunset was amazing. The meal was incredible. I had a shrimp appetizer, lobster ravioli, filet and the lava cake....YUMMY!!!! We left there full and happy. Well worth the surcharge and very romantic. I will do this again.

We joined up with the rest of the family except DS (14 long gone with his new friends) and went to see Villians tonight, which we had not seen before. I know many people have different opinions but we loved it, we thought it was witty and funny. its not the typical sweet story with pixie dust and princess (which I also love) but it was a nice change or funny comedy and sarcasim. I say give it a try!

After the little ones left us again, the adults went to see the new performer Bronkar Lee. Well he does beat boxing and comedy. I could only take about 15 minutes as did everyone except for my older (yes older) brother and DS (18). They claim it got better as it went on but did say many people did end up leaving early. I felt a little bad for the performer but I just could not do it.

I decided to stay up and do laundery tonight since the laundry rooms were empty...HOORAY. I relaxed on deck 4 watching the ocean and moonlight in between loads. Next up Cozumel.

 

[TitaTink]

Cozumel: Today we had breakfast at Parrot Cay again. I could get used to this lifestyle!! Most of my family were doing the Fury Catamaran today. Our meet was in Rockin Bar D. After everyone checked in we were on our way. We were on Catamaran #5. After sailing a bit, they give us instruction and we jumped in and snorkeled in the amazing turquoise waters. We saw some amazing tropical fish and coral. I wish our time here had been longer but I was greatful to experience such an amazing snorkal site. We then headed to a beach which had blow up water slides and trampolines etc. They also gave you free floats. We LOVED it. My teens immediatly swam out to expereince all the water "toys" and had a blast. After about an hour they called us back and we sailed back to the ship. The had a ship photographer which took some great pics of family while the snorked under water shots and all, and of course bought them. it was 30.00 for 4 5x7 photos.

We got back to the ship around 5:15 which was crazy because we all needed showers before our dinner. Thankfully it was cruise casual again, so we raced our showers and headed down to dinner 20 minutes late. Tonight was pirate night and was great fun in the dining room we were in Parrot Cay again. The little kids all danced in did the Limbo with the servers and really enjoyed it. Despite our late arrival to dinner incredibly our servers still got us served and out of there in record time without us feeling rushed so we were able to see Mars vs Moms in the Walt Disney Theater at 8:15. I wasn't sure if I would like it or not but I really did like the story which was basically appreciate your moms because you never know what can happen. As a Mom I loved that life lesson especially as the mom of teen boys

After the movie we made our way to deck 9 and the pirate party. We had a great spot right on the dance floor as it seems that most people headed to deck 10 so we did not feel crowded at all.

It was really cute the teen group came out and my son had no idea we were behind him and they were all dancing up a storm with the counselers in there group. We snuck a bunch of pictures of him dancing with his group (he is still not aware). Mickey ziplined and saved the day and the fireworks all went off without a hitch. After the party I needed to do more laundry and again the laundry room was empty. A great day on land and sea!!

 

[TitaTink]

Today is a day at Sea We did not have much planned for the day. We had breakfast at Topsiders, and then after DS (14) left us, DH, DS (18) and various other family members enjoyed our time at the adult pool. Today Trent (Cast Member) organized some pool games which consisted of a girls and boys team and various relays. it was quite fun to watch and the girls won all the races, even with Trent jumping in the pool with his full outfit on to try and stop the girls from winning. I enjoyed being a spectator. We had lunch again at Top Siders. My younger brother and his wife enjoyed a martini tasting, my mom took a towel folding glass and I think she may have caught a matinee of Tangled too. Its so nice for everyone to just be able to do their own thing so easily. Before dinner my husband and i stopped by shutters to check out our photos in the kiosk...uh oh, loving all of them how to choose. Well, I will tell you how, we bought the CD which is crazy expensive but I didn't know how to leave all the great photos behind.

Tonight is semi formal night, so we got ready and headed off to dinner. After dinner everyone went to see Disney Dreams. i love this show and my nieces 3 and 5 were motionless watching. it was so sweet to see, those two little ones LOVED as did we. At some point we also went to Mickey Mania, we love Disney Trivia and even the smallest family member is pretty good, but when we got there everyone chickened out and did not want to go on stage and play. We played from our seats and answered questions and gave our points to a few different familys. it was great fun. some of the family went to go see John Charles at Rockin D Bar. I missed this one but they all loved it. Musical Comedy stuff. I ended up seeing a little of him at Remember the magic and enjoyed it so I was disappointed I did not see him at the adult show.

 

[TitaTink]

Castaway Cay. Today is Castaway Cay. I am excited but very sad as I know the trip is quickly coming to an end


My husband and sons and myself and booked the parasailing excursion which last time had been canceled due to high winds. So we were excited to see it was still on. Prior to meeting at Marges Barges we found a nice spot on the beach for all 14 of us. There were plenty of chairs, umbrellas and hammocks to go around and we did not feel crowded at all. It was very relaxed atmosphere.

We then proceeded to Marges Barges for our parasail and were off. they had us do tandem because it was a little windy which was fine with us. My DH and DS (18) were together and myself and DS (14) were together. My husband and DS asked to be dunked on their way back in over their heads...OMG scary but they LOVED it. My DS and I just had our toes dunked. I was shocked at how high you actually get. You could see the entire island and the water was so clear you could actually see some plant life and a stingray. It was quite an experience.

We then went to cookies for lunch which is always enjoyable and then many of the family members went to Pelican Plundge. I went back to our spot to relax, but they said it was great fun and that the slides are very fast.

while I floated in the water on the family beach my husband snorkeled and got some great underwater pics including barry the barracuda. Before long it was time to go back to the ship, begin packing and go to our last dinner and last show. Boo Hoo!!

 

[TitaTink]

Castaway Cay. Today is Castaway Cay. I am excited but very sad as I know the trip is quickly coming to an end

My husband and sons and myself and booked the parasailing excursion which last time had been canceled due to high winds. So we were excited to see it was still on. Prior to meeting at Marges Barges we found a nice spot on the beach for all 14 of us. There were plenty of chairs, umbrellas and hammocks to go around and we did not feel crowded at all. It was very relaxed atmosphere.

We then proceeded to Marges Barges for our parasail and were off. they had us do tandem because it was a little windy which was fine with us. My DH and DS (18) were together and myself and DS (14) were together. My husband and DS asked to be dunked on their way back in over their heads...OMG scary but they LOVED it. My DS and I just had our toes dunked. I was shocked at how high you actually get. You could see the entire island and the water was so clear you could actually see some plant life and a stingray. It was quite an experience.

We then went to cookies for lunch which is always enjoyable and then many of the family members went to Pelican Plundge. I went back to our spot to relax, but they said it was great fun and that the slides are very fast.

while I floated in the water on the family beach my husband snorkeled and got some great underwater pics including barry the barracuda. Before long it was time to go back to the ship, begin packing and go to our last dinner and last show. Boo Hoo!!

 

[TitaTink]

Tonight is our final dinner at Animators Palate. Before dinner I got most of our luggage packed and tagged so that after the show we could put it outside of our room for collections. We received a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and such from AAA on this last night as well. Dinner was great and sad all the same. After dinner DS (14) went to the club to spend his last night with his new friends. The rest of us went to see the Remember the Magic show was is always hard to say goodbye. After the show I went to finalize my shutters purchase (CD ouch) took a look at my final bill (double ouch) and then went to the lobby for the Til we Meet Again good night of the characters.

We spent some time on deck 9 and 10 wanting to stretch out our night. Eventually it was bed time. Our breakfast was at Animators at 6:45, it was very good. We collected our day bags from our room before 8 and was off the ship sooner than we would have liked, no lines! A porter found our luggage quickly, we had no issues with customs (literally 1 minute) and before you know it we were on our way back to the airport. We were staying overnight at the Hyatt again and had early check in priveledges. Most of us were exhausted from the late night and early morning so it was pretty quiet on the bus. both of my brothers and their families were flying out on Saturday so they had checked their bags through disney and just had a day bag and hung in our hotel room until their flight home later that day.

We swam a bit and then had a nice dinner before they headed out. The rest of us flying out on Sunday just walked the Airport (or Mall) and even did a little more shopping. We had a great night sleep and got to sleep in the next morning and then were on our way on Sunday (Easter). Our flight was smooth again and we got in a few minutes early.

 

[TitaTink]

So a few final thoughts. The movies playing were Mars vs Moms, Tangled, Gnomeo & Juliet, Tron, I am Number Four, Toy Story 3 and African Cats (like the Disney Earth series).

There had been many comments about the state of the Magic. I can say that I thought it looked great and I will say that all day and night long there were workers constantly painting, refurbishing etc. So they are really on top of things. I thought the ship looked as great as I expected it to. So those going on the magic soon do not fear.

Overall a wonderful journey with many memories made!!! Can't wait for my next vacation!!!