Magic In Paradise: 10/8-10/15 2011 All cruisers check in here

[MrsZ]

The weather is usually perfect! It is during hurricane season, but the temperatures are about the mid 80s and plenty of sunshine! It only rained once during our whole seven days.

It was raining earlier around here. But, for now it has stopped. But, it is still cloudy and there are huge piles of wet leaves everywhere. Since we live at the foot of a mountain, there was so much wind yesterday, it took all of the remain leaves off of the trees.

Awesome! I could use some of those temps right now.

Evening fellow cruisers

No pic tonight. Getting stuff done so we can hit the road up to my parents' house tomorrow right after work. I don't DIS when I'm up there so y'all chat away while I'm gone and I'll catch up next week.

Hope everybody has a great weekend

Have fun!!!

Wow, I finally figured it out! I just had to copy and paste the brackets but it worked. Yeah!!

Yay!!!! its in your siggie!

TGIF

Congrats on fixing your siggy.

Here is a pic of the Magic sailing into the St Thomas harbor.

Great Picture!

So I have another newbie to cruising question... How does it work booking a ressie for Palo and for shore excursions? I'm normally all about ADR's when we go to the world

 

[TIGGER/POOH4]

Good morning fellow cruisers. It is that time of the week again. Another week has gone by.
We now have only

weeks to go to the Magic.

 

[TIGGER/POOH4]

So I have another newbie to cruising question... How does it work booking a ressie for Palo and for shore excursions? I'm normally all about ADR's when we go to the world

Palo and shore excursion online booking works as follows:

First is depends on what level of cruiser you are as to when you can book online:
First time cruisers: 75 days before embarkation
Silver CC: 90 days before embarkation
Gold CC: 105 days before embarkation
Platinum and Concierge: 120 days before embarkation

You have to be paid in full before you can book online. That means say if you are a gold CC then you have to paid in full 105 days before even though the final cutoff date is 75 days.

The online system opens up at 12:01am. Be sure you do NOT signin to your id before this moment. You will be unable to access your booking. I would recommend anyone to be up late at night to get what you want. You can see ressie times disappear by the minute.

Since you are a first time cruiser you will have to wait until 75 days before embarkation. This means that the CC members will be first shot before you. If this was a cruise with a lot of DISsers you would most likely be out of luck for palo. Since this is a more lightly attended cruise you should be able to get some times. You may not get the times you want but take something. You can change times once on the ship. If nothing is available then get to the port early to get a early boarding number and head straight to Rockin Bar D (or where they are making ressie changes) once you board. As for shore excusions, you should not have any issues getting anything you want.

Hopefully this explanation was not too long or confusing. If you have any further questions, please post them and we'll get them answered for you.

 

[Bethshaya]

Hi guys

I'm checking back in after being away for a long time.

My fiancee (John) and I (Beth) will be on this cruise for our honeymoon. It will also be our very first cruise.

We are DVC members too, since '99.

Can't wait to meet everyone and have a great time! We've been waiting a long, long time for this! 10 long years!

OctoberBride, can you please remove Susie and Josh from our entry on the first post. Our in-laws will not be traveling with us. Poor Susie lost her job and they are not able to do the cruise this time!

Ok, so here is where I need your help guys! As total newbies, we're lost. Anyone have any Must see/do suggestions while on the cruise? Where is everyone going to meet? I have a lot to catch up on...I better get started reading from post one again!

 

[Lauralooneyfordisney]

Hello Beth! Congratulations on your wedding!! I am so happy for you celebrating your wedding and a first cruise. It is our first cruise too and everyone here is so helpful and nice.

 

[Octoberbride03]

Evening cruisers

Back from Rehoboth Beach. It was a really nice weekend. Got a little shopping done, family time in and some relaxing. Just wish I could have gone up for Thanksgiving.

Next year most definitely.

Welcome back Beth

I will go through and remove your in-laws from the post. I want to re-work that whole list anyhow.

Any questions ask away. I've done 1 cruise and TIGGER/POOH4 has done way more than me. So somebody here will know the answer to your questions

I had a question myself I thought of at work and then forgot it. Oh well it'll come up again. Always when I'm looking through the AVON books i think.

Gotta go heat the oven for supper tonight. Just a basic pizza here.

Have a good night everybody

 

[TIGGER/POOH4]

Ok, so here is where I need your help guys! As total newbies, we're lost. Anyone have any Must see/do suggestions while on the cruise? Where is everyone going to meet? I have a lot to catch up on...I better get started reading from post one again!

Welcome back to the thread. As for suggestions I would say the most important one is to have a good time and go with the flow. As for the DIS meet we have not discussed yet but I am sure we will before the cruise. If you have a questions in a specific area (ie dining, excursions, characters or whatever) please ask away and we'll do our best to help out. Have a great night as we only have 320 days to the Magic (but who's counting )

 

[Octoberbride03]

Ok, so i remembered my question.

I can't remember what the inside of the tub/shower area looks like in the cabin I took pics of the bath and sink area but I want to know if there were shelves or something to place toiletries on while we're showering. AVON has a great shower hanger available if I need it, but i just can't remember.

So if somebody could refresh my memory that'd be great

 

[Octoberbride03]

 

[TIGGER/POOH4]

Ok, so i remembered my question.

I can't remember what the inside of the tub/shower area looks like in the cabin I took pics of the bath and sink area but I want to know if there were shelves or something to place toiletries on while we're showering. AVON has a great shower hanger available if I need it, but i just can't remember.

So if somebody could refresh my memory that'd be great

From what I remember the only "shelf" was a wired soap bar sized shelf mounted on the wall. There was also a bar to hang onto in case of rough seas (Hurricane Omar flash back ). I would recommend bringing your own.
I just realized it's hump day on this shorten work week.

 

[Lauralooneyfordisney]

I was looking at my passporter and the picture shows no shelves or anything in there. My plan is to buy the shoe organizer and use that along with my Mary Kay bag and hang both of them up. That should be plenty of space and taking up not much room.

 

[MandMLUVMMandDVC]

Hi all. DH & I decided last night to definitely take this cruise instead of the Mexican Riviera. We are now booked on Deck 6.

In answer to the bathroom questions.....the tub only has that one wire rack that only holds a bar of soap, and nothing else. I take with me a wire rack from Wal-Mart that has suction cups on it. It has a soap holder too, with a place to hang your razor below it, and a large basket on the left with lots of room for smaller shampoos (enough room for shampoos & conditioners for 2 people). This works very well. Don't plan on hanging the organizers on the back of either bathroom door.....the doorways are narrow & in order to get in/out of the bathroom you need the door to be against the wall to fit past it. This leaves no room to hang things. Each bathroom does have a glass shelf above the sink & a shelf below. The bottom shelf holds the extra toilet paper & still leaves room for some other items (it's about 24 to 30 inches long). In the side that has the toilet, there are 3 small triangle-shaped shelves in the corner. The 2 short sides are about 10"deep with the front about 14 inches across. Now, I might be a little ocd, but I like to keep my toiletries/make up/perfumes, etc all organized. Last month the room attendant kept moving things around to dust the first couple of days. Before the trip I had bought a few plastic rectangular boxes that I took with me. I used one of them to organize the glass shelf & this kept the cabin steward from rearranging everything. (I used another of these on the 'end table' near the closet/door. This was used as a place to store room key, sunglasses, hat, comb, etc so they wouldn't get lost & I'd remember to take things with me when I left the room) Carry a toothbrush/paste holder too, with suction cups on it.

Another great organizing tool.....take one or two closet over-the-rack shoe holders. Use them for shoes, miscellaneous stuff (umbrella, sunscreen, binoculars, spare camera, etc.), sorting belts, purses, and some clothes (undies, bras, socks, etc.)

 

[Octoberbride03]

MandMLUVMMandDVC

Glad you decided to set sail with us Thus far we are a small but lovely group. We're going to have a wonderful time. And you posted just as I was working on the group list and updating the Roll call for the first post. So you have great timing

 

[Octoberbride03]

From what I remember the only "shelf" was a wired soap bar sized shelf mounted on the wall. There was also a bar to hang onto in case of rough seas (Hurricane Omar flash back ). I would recommend bringing your own.
I just realized it's hump day on this shorten work week.

OMG Please tell me you were not in the shower when we were leaving St. Martin Dh & I were sitting in the hot tub. Although in retrospect that was not the best idea due to my cochlear implant Ah well 1 of life's little lessons

 

[Octoberbride03]

Hi all. DH & I decided last night to definitely take this cruise instead of the Mexican Riviera. We are now booked on Deck 6.

In answer to the bathroom questions.....the tub only has that one wire rack that only holds a bar of soap, and nothing else. I take with me a wire rack from Wal-Mart that has suction cups on it. It has a soap holder too, with a place to hang your razor below it, and a large basket on the left with lots of room for smaller shampoos (enough room for shampoos & conditioners for 2 people). This works very well. Don't plan on hanging the organizers on the back of either bathroom door.....the doorways are narrow & in order to get in/out of the bathroom you need the door to be against the wall to fit past it. This leaves no room to hang things. Each bathroom does have a glass shelf above the sink & a shelf below. The bottom shelf holds the extra toilet paper & still leaves room for some other items (it's about 24 to 30 inches long). In the side that has the toilet, there are 3 small triangle-shaped shelves in the corner. The 2 short sides are about 10"deep with the front about 14 inches across. Now, I might be a little ocd, but I like to keep my toiletries/make up/perfumes, etc all organized. Last month the room attendant kept moving things around to dust the first couple of days. Before the trip I had bought a few plastic rectangular boxes that I took with me. I used one of them to organize the glass shelf & this kept the cabin steward from rearranging everything. (I used another of these on the 'end table' near the closet/door. This was used as a place to store room key, sunglasses, hat, comb, etc so they wouldn't get lost & I'd remember to take things with me when I left the room) Carry a toothbrush/paste holder too, with suction cups on it.

Another great organizing tool.....take one or two closet over-the-rack shoe holders. Use them for shoes, miscellaneous stuff (umbrella, sunscreen, binoculars, spare camera, etc.), sorting belts, purses, and some clothes (undies, bras, socks, etc.)

Ok, between this post and TIGGER/POOH4's I think I'm decided on getting the bag that I am selling through AVON. It looks like it would be just what I need for the shower. I guess I just stuck everything in the corner on the last cruise. I really don't remember But as long as i can hang it over the shower nozzle it should work great.

I'm going to skip the shoe holders. The last time we went we found that between the desk/bureau and the closet we actually had enough space for everything we brought, and amazingly for my first cruise I packed just right except for undies. It amazes me how I CANNOT pack for a trip to my parents' house in DE for 3-4 days. But I have no trouble packing for a 7 night cruise plus drive time from VA

I believe i will take your advice for some small bins to organize the desk though. I never minded when our steward re-arranged the items on the sink shelf as long as they were all there. I did keep losing stuff on the desk though

 

[Octoberbride03]

 

[TIGGER/POOH4]

OMG Please tell me you were not in the shower when we were leaving St. Martin Dh & I were sitting in the hot tub. Although in retrospect that was not the best idea due to my cochlear implant Ah well 1 of life's little lessons

We were actually out on the verandah as we were pulling out. It is amazing how DCL does it. This is the second time they announced we are leaving early and the ship is pullling out just as the bad weather is hitting. Their timing is amazing. We pulled out of CC as Hurricance Noel in 2007 was just about to hit. The fog bank was a coming.

We use the over the door shoe organizer and it has worked great for us. We hang it off the bathroom door. You do not have much room in these bathroom. Sorry no sunken tub with jets here.

Bathroom

Showerroom

 

[TIGGER/POOH4]

Hi all. DH & I decided last night to definitely take this cruise instead of the Mexican Riviera. We are now booked on Deck 6.

aboard the Magic in Paradise cruise. Deck 6 is getting a bunch of DISsers at this rate. Hope you had a great time last month on the Western. Now it is time to set sail for the East Caribbean in 318 days.

 

[Octoberbride03]

Good morning cruisers

Day 1 of 2 days off for me, then I go in to work the hell that is Black Friday at 2am I really have no idea how I am going to pull that 1 off. I have to last for 10 hours in the backroom at work before i can come home and drop dead until Sat. If I ever had a mind to begin with I have completely lost it to go to work at that hour

TIGGER/POOH4: DCL has some kind of Magic doesn't it(pun intended). I do remember that it was raining while we were sitting in the hot tub as we pulled out of St. Martin. We had come back even earlier than the announcement said to just so we wouldn't get caught in the weather.

Thanks for the pics of the bath. Since we are cat. 11 we don't get the split bath. But its still nice I think, even though it is small Still I can't imagine an actual adult trying to take a bath in 1 of those tubs, but i remember a really rocking trip report where someone did just that Oh and I can see Dan's reflection in the mirror taking the pic of the sink

I think that since we are only 2 people in the cabin is the reason why we don't need a shoe organizer for stuff. Plus we really didn't bring a lot of stuff with us other than clothes to begin with. The bulkiest thing we brought were actually my cowboy boots, and I am not planning on bringing them on the next trip even though I love them. Also I am not a purse person. I have 4 total purses and will only be bringing 1(if that) on the ship. I like using a tote bag in ports for souvenir shopping and it can roll up nice and tight.

I can't wait to get some more of the toiletries, I almost cried when I finally ran out of the body butter. That stuff is Awesome

 

[Octoberbride03]

aboard the Magic in Paradise cruise. Deck 6 is getting a bunch of DISsers at this rate. Hope you had a great time last month on the Western. Now it is time to set sail for the East Caribbean in 318 days.

Deck 6 is the party deck. I think by my count you make the 6th cabin of DISsers on the deck. And some of us are in really close proximity to each other. I hope our stewards can handle us