hazmat1212
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2002
- Messages
- 101
Just Two Adults (my DH 42 and myself 41)
DISNEY Magic-Western Itinerary 8/31/02 -9/7/02
Why are two 40-somethings going on a Disney Cruise?
We had not been to WDW since before we were married ('89) and my DH, a NJ professional firefighter, was entitled to participate in WDW American Heroes promotion because he worked at Ground Zero - his park tix were free, mine 50% 0ff and we stayed at POR for $89 a nite --- we were so impressed with Disney's effort to recognize the WTC Fire Fighters, Police and Rescue Workers, we felt it only right to do something else 'disney' this year.
So, since we had cruised Royal Caribbean and Celebrity before and enjoyed the ship-board experience, we thought it would be nice to see how DISNEY did the Sea-adventure!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Off We Go!
SAILAWAY DAY/Saturday:
We took the 7:05 a.m. flite out of EWR the morning of departure - i booked it myself (way cheaper than Disney Travel) we had absolutely no problems: from meeting the Disney cruise folks at MCO, to the Disney Bus (sadly the air didn't seem to work) to turning in our docs - - - and we were on line to board before noon. (not sure why there were't more crowd wrangling lanes - but everyone, including kids, were patient). Was disappointed that the 'embarkation' photo was in front of a sign --- pretty pathetic ... (duh, i bought it anyway $9.95 - cha ching)
We Headed to make Ressies For Palo for Thus nite 7:30 - went smoothly.
I had already booked our Dolphin Excursion for Cozumel before departure. We booked rafts for castaway cay (two @ $6.00 each)
Lunched outside at Topsiders ... by 2:30 all our luggage was in our room.
We had 6652 - a FABU room - solid verandah (we had 6134 - glad we moved) --- at the end of an incredibly quiet hallway (heaven help those of you in rooms near the laundry, elevators - or deck 2 -- eeek ) - it was a quickie exit up the stairs to topsiders! Sharon, our room stewardess was charming - from Nicaragua - took very good care of DH and I.
I unpacked (love the closet shoe hanger i brought - a great $7.00 investment for travel)
met Tomi (and the clan!!! Robert, are u real, LOL! ), Sheila+Bill , Diane Naomi+Tim+Aram + mom! and Dian (and the clan), from the boards over the week ... the rest of ya 8/31 DisBoarders--- never saw ya --- hope you picked up your Pins, i tossed out 15 ... no biggie.
Lifeboat drill --- our muster station was inside Animators --- was confusing to discover we were INSIDE --- was not well signed ... but was an efficient drill.
Enjoyed the fun sailaway character show on deck, had my bubbles (guess it was just me, no others to be seen) there were CM on the pier with MICKEY hands waving goodbye!
Dinner was @ Lumiere -- Marcos (brazil) (who had been on the ship from day one, was very charming) and Marvin (from honduras) were ok, not exceptionably memorable. our only tablemates were a single mom (widow in her 40's) and her 9 yr old son. she was adorable, he was a fabulous child, but not what we expected to dine with each evening --- at the large table behind us, at each meal, two women showed up progressively later and later each nite (we were already late seating) and caused the servers to shuffle back and forth to the kitchen additional times for them every nite. disrupted all of the tables. RUDE! they couldn't have cared less. we were still eating entrees when the baked alaska came out farewell nite (feh!) because of the delay to our servers. Enjoyed the cauliflower soup!!!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Port/Sunday: Key West - well, we're nascar winston cup fans (go Mark Martin!!!! #6) and had been to Key West before --- and sunday 9/1 was a race at Darlington --- so we found Billies Bar (thanks to Shirley) (no one under 18 allowed) and hung there the entire day - watching the race - with the the natives -- i don't find Key West terribly Family Friendly - and was surprised it was a stop along the way === The ESPN bar did not have the race scheduled to be shown, which is why we didn't go there, and, we discovered later on it was awfully smokey there, we would have been miserable ... so it worked out. How i LOVED Animator's Palate --- wish we had it for three nites instead of Lumiere ... just breathtakingly fun!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ship Day/Monday: Character Breakfast - WELL WORTH going --- chip and dale were great --- the 'professional' photographs done in Parrot Cay were AWFUL - the room is too dark and you could not see EARS on Minnie or Mickey. Took advantage of the Art of Entertaining program - it was fun ... (intended for grownups) Stayed at the adult pool - so y'all with kids are on your own. the noon Horn Blowing gave me a coronary -- be prepared - there's NO WARNING...it is cool though. Lounges are a real premium - but we knew we would have enuf sun at cayman and cozumel - so chairs and tables in shade were fine! Brave souls participated in belly flop contest - yikes! Parrot Cay for dinner -- Saw Gary Delena at Rock'n D --- funny - but not side splitting. Went to see SIGNS at 10:30. was surprised to see CM's SELLING popcorn --- for what popcorn costs i thought that was a little cheesy.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ports/Tuesday: Grand Cayman --- did 7-mile beach, took a cab on our own - $3.00 a head each way -- seen one carribbean beach, seen most --- nothing special. You will PAY for chairs, and umbrellas --- free shade? haha --- check with your cab driver to see what's in store where you're getting dropped off. 3 hrs was enough for us --- cab came back to pick us up as promised. Back to Lumiere. Went to see Lilo & Stitch before dinner, i cried like a baby. Went to Rock'n D for the magician/comedian --- very talented guy! Rich Purpura ....
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ports/Wednesday: Cozumel --- our favorite, we've stayed in cozumel for an entire week before - i was very apprehensive about the Dolphin Excursion - it was $105 a head --- but it was worth every penny !! --- (it's not recommended for small kids because we were chest high in water on a platform - and wear your swimmy feet - the platform was slimy!) photos were $14 for first one, $12 for second --- our disposable underwater camera took pics just as good as theirs --- sorry now i spent the $ on theirs (oh well-it's vacation)- but we didn't know how the disposable would come out ... LOVED smooching with TITAN - he was 10 yrs old, and darling --- spotless teeth and gums - (they brush them 3 x a day --- they seem very well cared for)
at Chakanaab National Park swimming isn't great -- (i'm not a big snorkel fan) - not a walk-into kinda beach like 7-mile in Cayman or Castaway cay --- bouncy water --- however, the BEST trails for lizard watching and flora ... if you rent a scooter you're nuts --- the natives are wreckless drivers - don't count on a seatbelt or a kiddie car-seat anywhere ... we LOVE the little bobble head animals made from Seed Pods ($2.00) shop around --- don't be tempted to buy cuban cigars to take home - the nice doggies @ customs will hunt u down (i know from prior experience "don't pet the doggie m'am, he's working")
we especially LOVE La Choza - great fishbowl margaritas - food like someones' mom would make for you --- (find it in Frommers or Fodors) - who needs the commerical tourist traps when you can eat with the REAL people!
there was a taxi 'work stoppage' - not really sure what that meant - we did see fewer cabs than our previous visit - but went to chakanaab and back with little problem. (was part of the excursion) We still made it to dinner at Animators, again --- with strolling mexican musicians --- we were tropically attired!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ship Day/Thursday: Went to the Art of Entertaining again - and the Capt and Staff Q & A - informative, even though sometimes the questions that were asked were'nt answered (partly language barrier? partly not wanting to answer?) Topsiders had a seafood/shellfish lunch (which i don't eat) - so i was stuck with either a corn dog from the kid's side or a burger or chicken fingers - i passed on all counts, expecting to leave room for PALO. Back at the Adult Pool, More suckers roped into pool games --- great fun for spectators ... i won't give anything away, just in case YOU are one of those suckers!!!
Be afraid, be very afraid!
Did the Galley Tour (lumiere and parrot cay kitchens) --- glad to see the kitchens so SPOTLESS and well organized (can't believe how many meals are served!!!) - we got a cookie right out of the oven, LOL! Jumped on that Pin Trading stuff --- i had brought along extra Mickey New Jersey pins i was willing to give up! ... was great fun!
Dinner @ Palo (instead of Parrot Cay) - sorry, everyone, i am definitely not a fan --- maybe because we're spoiled here across the river --- with "fine dining" in NYC (no, i'm not being snotty) - the portobello mushroom with polenta WAS lovely, as was my DH's lightly fried calamari - DH had salmon, i had the veal and it was chewy and our server CARITA assumed we'd want the souffle and poof, it appeared on our table for both of us (nothing to write home about, it's chocolate, not that big a deal) - we got no choice, saw no dessert menu, and then she told us she had to take care of a bigger table and dropped the check on our table and walked off --- she didn't have someone else look after us, never asked if we wanted coffee with dessert, never asked if i wanted to order an after dinner drink --- we walked out and no one even noticed ... the Mgr (who would never make it on land treating people like this) had re-assigned her to an "important" table in the back room and we were left out in the cold. I wrote a letter to the FOOD and BEV mgr on the Magic -- never heard from him --- ENTIRELY RUDE and UNACCEPTABLE. i should have eaten @ pluto's!
Back to Rock'n D - Michael Harrison (ventriloquest ----) very talented guy --- even with a tennis ball!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Port/Friday: Castaway Cay - Thought that piling up sand pails for sale was pretty smart marketing ploy for you forgetful parents (smart guy, that mouse is!) The Island is just lovely, we were at Serentiy Bay the entire day - love the water, love the beach -- better get there early or you're gonna HIKE for an umbrella and lounge --- and hike back to the bathroom or for food, and the tram transportation went well, even lunch @ serenity was ok. Imagine there would have been more choices back @ kid's side. The Castaway Cay pin portrayed in the Promo Page of the Navigator was not available (harumpf!) Someone got married on Castaway Cay, we saw a golf cart all gussied up for the occasion. Our Last supper (sounds so FINAL) @ Lumiere. The character farewell show was just CHARMING --- music, everything, so perfectly DISNEY. I did Mousekeeping envelopes (without 'Mousekeeping' where appropriate) and included phone cards for Marcos and Marvin and Sharon ...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Debarkation/Saturday: Big Hugs to Sharon, and we're off to a horribly rushed breakfast back @ Lumiere. never get to say 'bye to Marcos (he was running to take care of the LATE LADIES) Marvin thanks us for the phone card i included (yipee --- i did a good thing!)
we're off the ship and we found our luggage in a snap, CUSTOMS, what a joke ---
we discover that because non-passengers are picking us up, we have to drag the luggage across the street, into the far parking lot to wait --- worked out well that they had a tent, it was warm and would have been a bit uncomfortable to hover around. We spent the day with an old college buddy who lives in Cocoa --- and flew home on the 8:00 p.m. MCO to EWR --- the kids on the plane were the worst behaved monsters i had seen (had been @ WDW) --- parents let them race up and down the aisle --- and jump in and out of empty rows and seats (i was surprised i didn't squish one into the overhead bin) it was remarkable to note that as adults, we were never once in a place where we said ---- jeez, kids are all over! --- the ship programs were well organized to curtail the overwhelmingness of the small-set ---which we greatly appreciated.
Misc Stuff I have no-where to put:
(*) we did breakfast at topsiders most days except character breakfast day,castawaycay day and debarkation day. food was efficiently replaced when trays were empty, and table clearers on the deck were 'right there' to keep things tidy! nice job!
(*) we only saw DISNEY DREAMS and the FAREWELL stage shows -- they were outstanding!!!!
(*) movie times seldom worked for us, except SIGNS one nite, and an early Lilo showing -- wanted to see Lord of The Rings - but it started @ 10:30 pm (and it was 3 hrs) so we passed.
(*) The characters --- were available, gorgeous, charming and fun! take advantage of their availability --- SMILE!!!!
(*) the photographers were, well, frankly, annoying during meals --- especially @ palo when my DH was told, "well, get up and go over there" --- some nerve ... i'm EATING, hello!?!?! the photo package - $90 for 8 shots --- with kids i can imagine it's easy to do --- and that package does not include the FORMALS --- those are $20 a pop! the cast members took photos with my camera without a slip --- each pic came out great
(*) we brought wide mouthed water bottles, went to Scoops where there was a nice cooler set up with CUBES (vs the crushed ice @ topsiders) cubes kept water cooler much longer.
(*) we did not do brunch @ PALO, at this point i'm glad we didn't bother as the experience we had was dreadful.
(*) bought 3 5x7's and 2 8x10's --- $70 in photos --- yikes, how did THAT happen? had drinks a few nites at dinner, $20 for palo, $205 for dolphin, plus postcards and some pins --- but we did get a $50 REF ship-board credit - DCL golf shirts were $48, i passed.
(*) for giggles, i picked up the sheets for the price for booking on board - it was absolutely no different that what we paid, (it didn't include port charges - sneaky) but did include a $200 shipboard credit
(*) pillowcase --- word of wisdom - don't put anything on it before you have it signed, just in case you end up being told by the character wrangler that it can't be signed that way --- make any alterations AFTER you get it home.
(*) be on line early for portraits --- there was lots of rolling on the floor and whining when the lines got long (and no, that wasn't me!)
(*)gotta love the towel animals! get out your glue guns, girls!!!!
any questions?
cindy ....
DISNEY Magic-Western Itinerary 8/31/02 -9/7/02
Why are two 40-somethings going on a Disney Cruise?
We had not been to WDW since before we were married ('89) and my DH, a NJ professional firefighter, was entitled to participate in WDW American Heroes promotion because he worked at Ground Zero - his park tix were free, mine 50% 0ff and we stayed at POR for $89 a nite --- we were so impressed with Disney's effort to recognize the WTC Fire Fighters, Police and Rescue Workers, we felt it only right to do something else 'disney' this year.
So, since we had cruised Royal Caribbean and Celebrity before and enjoyed the ship-board experience, we thought it would be nice to see how DISNEY did the Sea-adventure!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Off We Go!
SAILAWAY DAY/Saturday:
We took the 7:05 a.m. flite out of EWR the morning of departure - i booked it myself (way cheaper than Disney Travel) we had absolutely no problems: from meeting the Disney cruise folks at MCO, to the Disney Bus (sadly the air didn't seem to work) to turning in our docs - - - and we were on line to board before noon. (not sure why there were't more crowd wrangling lanes - but everyone, including kids, were patient). Was disappointed that the 'embarkation' photo was in front of a sign --- pretty pathetic ... (duh, i bought it anyway $9.95 - cha ching)
We Headed to make Ressies For Palo for Thus nite 7:30 - went smoothly.
I had already booked our Dolphin Excursion for Cozumel before departure. We booked rafts for castaway cay (two @ $6.00 each)
Lunched outside at Topsiders ... by 2:30 all our luggage was in our room.
We had 6652 - a FABU room - solid verandah (we had 6134 - glad we moved) --- at the end of an incredibly quiet hallway (heaven help those of you in rooms near the laundry, elevators - or deck 2 -- eeek ) - it was a quickie exit up the stairs to topsiders! Sharon, our room stewardess was charming - from Nicaragua - took very good care of DH and I.
I unpacked (love the closet shoe hanger i brought - a great $7.00 investment for travel)
met Tomi (and the clan!!! Robert, are u real, LOL! ), Sheila+Bill , Diane Naomi+Tim+Aram + mom! and Dian (and the clan), from the boards over the week ... the rest of ya 8/31 DisBoarders--- never saw ya --- hope you picked up your Pins, i tossed out 15 ... no biggie.
Lifeboat drill --- our muster station was inside Animators --- was confusing to discover we were INSIDE --- was not well signed ... but was an efficient drill.
Enjoyed the fun sailaway character show on deck, had my bubbles (guess it was just me, no others to be seen) there were CM on the pier with MICKEY hands waving goodbye!
Dinner was @ Lumiere -- Marcos (brazil) (who had been on the ship from day one, was very charming) and Marvin (from honduras) were ok, not exceptionably memorable. our only tablemates were a single mom (widow in her 40's) and her 9 yr old son. she was adorable, he was a fabulous child, but not what we expected to dine with each evening --- at the large table behind us, at each meal, two women showed up progressively later and later each nite (we were already late seating) and caused the servers to shuffle back and forth to the kitchen additional times for them every nite. disrupted all of the tables. RUDE! they couldn't have cared less. we were still eating entrees when the baked alaska came out farewell nite (feh!) because of the delay to our servers. Enjoyed the cauliflower soup!!!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Port/Sunday: Key West - well, we're nascar winston cup fans (go Mark Martin!!!! #6) and had been to Key West before --- and sunday 9/1 was a race at Darlington --- so we found Billies Bar (thanks to Shirley) (no one under 18 allowed) and hung there the entire day - watching the race - with the the natives -- i don't find Key West terribly Family Friendly - and was surprised it was a stop along the way === The ESPN bar did not have the race scheduled to be shown, which is why we didn't go there, and, we discovered later on it was awfully smokey there, we would have been miserable ... so it worked out. How i LOVED Animator's Palate --- wish we had it for three nites instead of Lumiere ... just breathtakingly fun!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ship Day/Monday: Character Breakfast - WELL WORTH going --- chip and dale were great --- the 'professional' photographs done in Parrot Cay were AWFUL - the room is too dark and you could not see EARS on Minnie or Mickey. Took advantage of the Art of Entertaining program - it was fun ... (intended for grownups) Stayed at the adult pool - so y'all with kids are on your own. the noon Horn Blowing gave me a coronary -- be prepared - there's NO WARNING...it is cool though. Lounges are a real premium - but we knew we would have enuf sun at cayman and cozumel - so chairs and tables in shade were fine! Brave souls participated in belly flop contest - yikes! Parrot Cay for dinner -- Saw Gary Delena at Rock'n D --- funny - but not side splitting. Went to see SIGNS at 10:30. was surprised to see CM's SELLING popcorn --- for what popcorn costs i thought that was a little cheesy.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ports/Tuesday: Grand Cayman --- did 7-mile beach, took a cab on our own - $3.00 a head each way -- seen one carribbean beach, seen most --- nothing special. You will PAY for chairs, and umbrellas --- free shade? haha --- check with your cab driver to see what's in store where you're getting dropped off. 3 hrs was enough for us --- cab came back to pick us up as promised. Back to Lumiere. Went to see Lilo & Stitch before dinner, i cried like a baby. Went to Rock'n D for the magician/comedian --- very talented guy! Rich Purpura ....
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ports/Wednesday: Cozumel --- our favorite, we've stayed in cozumel for an entire week before - i was very apprehensive about the Dolphin Excursion - it was $105 a head --- but it was worth every penny !! --- (it's not recommended for small kids because we were chest high in water on a platform - and wear your swimmy feet - the platform was slimy!) photos were $14 for first one, $12 for second --- our disposable underwater camera took pics just as good as theirs --- sorry now i spent the $ on theirs (oh well-it's vacation)- but we didn't know how the disposable would come out ... LOVED smooching with TITAN - he was 10 yrs old, and darling --- spotless teeth and gums - (they brush them 3 x a day --- they seem very well cared for)
at Chakanaab National Park swimming isn't great -- (i'm not a big snorkel fan) - not a walk-into kinda beach like 7-mile in Cayman or Castaway cay --- bouncy water --- however, the BEST trails for lizard watching and flora ... if you rent a scooter you're nuts --- the natives are wreckless drivers - don't count on a seatbelt or a kiddie car-seat anywhere ... we LOVE the little bobble head animals made from Seed Pods ($2.00) shop around --- don't be tempted to buy cuban cigars to take home - the nice doggies @ customs will hunt u down (i know from prior experience "don't pet the doggie m'am, he's working")
we especially LOVE La Choza - great fishbowl margaritas - food like someones' mom would make for you --- (find it in Frommers or Fodors) - who needs the commerical tourist traps when you can eat with the REAL people!
there was a taxi 'work stoppage' - not really sure what that meant - we did see fewer cabs than our previous visit - but went to chakanaab and back with little problem. (was part of the excursion) We still made it to dinner at Animators, again --- with strolling mexican musicians --- we were tropically attired!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ship Day/Thursday: Went to the Art of Entertaining again - and the Capt and Staff Q & A - informative, even though sometimes the questions that were asked were'nt answered (partly language barrier? partly not wanting to answer?) Topsiders had a seafood/shellfish lunch (which i don't eat) - so i was stuck with either a corn dog from the kid's side or a burger or chicken fingers - i passed on all counts, expecting to leave room for PALO. Back at the Adult Pool, More suckers roped into pool games --- great fun for spectators ... i won't give anything away, just in case YOU are one of those suckers!!!
Be afraid, be very afraid!
Did the Galley Tour (lumiere and parrot cay kitchens) --- glad to see the kitchens so SPOTLESS and well organized (can't believe how many meals are served!!!) - we got a cookie right out of the oven, LOL! Jumped on that Pin Trading stuff --- i had brought along extra Mickey New Jersey pins i was willing to give up! ... was great fun!
Dinner @ Palo (instead of Parrot Cay) - sorry, everyone, i am definitely not a fan --- maybe because we're spoiled here across the river --- with "fine dining" in NYC (no, i'm not being snotty) - the portobello mushroom with polenta WAS lovely, as was my DH's lightly fried calamari - DH had salmon, i had the veal and it was chewy and our server CARITA assumed we'd want the souffle and poof, it appeared on our table for both of us (nothing to write home about, it's chocolate, not that big a deal) - we got no choice, saw no dessert menu, and then she told us she had to take care of a bigger table and dropped the check on our table and walked off --- she didn't have someone else look after us, never asked if we wanted coffee with dessert, never asked if i wanted to order an after dinner drink --- we walked out and no one even noticed ... the Mgr (who would never make it on land treating people like this) had re-assigned her to an "important" table in the back room and we were left out in the cold. I wrote a letter to the FOOD and BEV mgr on the Magic -- never heard from him --- ENTIRELY RUDE and UNACCEPTABLE. i should have eaten @ pluto's!
Back to Rock'n D - Michael Harrison (ventriloquest ----) very talented guy --- even with a tennis ball!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Port/Friday: Castaway Cay - Thought that piling up sand pails for sale was pretty smart marketing ploy for you forgetful parents (smart guy, that mouse is!) The Island is just lovely, we were at Serentiy Bay the entire day - love the water, love the beach -- better get there early or you're gonna HIKE for an umbrella and lounge --- and hike back to the bathroom or for food, and the tram transportation went well, even lunch @ serenity was ok. Imagine there would have been more choices back @ kid's side. The Castaway Cay pin portrayed in the Promo Page of the Navigator was not available (harumpf!) Someone got married on Castaway Cay, we saw a golf cart all gussied up for the occasion. Our Last supper (sounds so FINAL) @ Lumiere. The character farewell show was just CHARMING --- music, everything, so perfectly DISNEY. I did Mousekeeping envelopes (without 'Mousekeeping' where appropriate) and included phone cards for Marcos and Marvin and Sharon ...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Debarkation/Saturday: Big Hugs to Sharon, and we're off to a horribly rushed breakfast back @ Lumiere. never get to say 'bye to Marcos (he was running to take care of the LATE LADIES) Marvin thanks us for the phone card i included (yipee --- i did a good thing!)
we're off the ship and we found our luggage in a snap, CUSTOMS, what a joke ---
we discover that because non-passengers are picking us up, we have to drag the luggage across the street, into the far parking lot to wait --- worked out well that they had a tent, it was warm and would have been a bit uncomfortable to hover around. We spent the day with an old college buddy who lives in Cocoa --- and flew home on the 8:00 p.m. MCO to EWR --- the kids on the plane were the worst behaved monsters i had seen (had been @ WDW) --- parents let them race up and down the aisle --- and jump in and out of empty rows and seats (i was surprised i didn't squish one into the overhead bin) it was remarkable to note that as adults, we were never once in a place where we said ---- jeez, kids are all over! --- the ship programs were well organized to curtail the overwhelmingness of the small-set ---which we greatly appreciated.
Misc Stuff I have no-where to put:
(*) we did breakfast at topsiders most days except character breakfast day,castawaycay day and debarkation day. food was efficiently replaced when trays were empty, and table clearers on the deck were 'right there' to keep things tidy! nice job!
(*) we only saw DISNEY DREAMS and the FAREWELL stage shows -- they were outstanding!!!!
(*) movie times seldom worked for us, except SIGNS one nite, and an early Lilo showing -- wanted to see Lord of The Rings - but it started @ 10:30 pm (and it was 3 hrs) so we passed.
(*) The characters --- were available, gorgeous, charming and fun! take advantage of their availability --- SMILE!!!!
(*) the photographers were, well, frankly, annoying during meals --- especially @ palo when my DH was told, "well, get up and go over there" --- some nerve ... i'm EATING, hello!?!?! the photo package - $90 for 8 shots --- with kids i can imagine it's easy to do --- and that package does not include the FORMALS --- those are $20 a pop! the cast members took photos with my camera without a slip --- each pic came out great
(*) we brought wide mouthed water bottles, went to Scoops where there was a nice cooler set up with CUBES (vs the crushed ice @ topsiders) cubes kept water cooler much longer.
(*) we did not do brunch @ PALO, at this point i'm glad we didn't bother as the experience we had was dreadful.
(*) bought 3 5x7's and 2 8x10's --- $70 in photos --- yikes, how did THAT happen? had drinks a few nites at dinner, $20 for palo, $205 for dolphin, plus postcards and some pins --- but we did get a $50 REF ship-board credit - DCL golf shirts were $48, i passed.
(*) for giggles, i picked up the sheets for the price for booking on board - it was absolutely no different that what we paid, (it didn't include port charges - sneaky) but did include a $200 shipboard credit
(*) pillowcase --- word of wisdom - don't put anything on it before you have it signed, just in case you end up being told by the character wrangler that it can't be signed that way --- make any alterations AFTER you get it home.
(*) be on line early for portraits --- there was lots of rolling on the floor and whining when the lines got long (and no, that wasn't me!)
(*)gotta love the towel animals! get out your glue guns, girls!!!!
any questions?
cindy ....
Many thanks to your DH and his colleagues for all their efforts. Good show!
