Magical Memories of a Double Dip 9/27-10/4 - updated 10/16 w/pics

[colbybug]

Would you mind posting the latest navigators from the double dip? We are on the next one in October (only 21 days but whose counting, right? )
Also, can you tell us what entertainment is on the ship? Is Rich Purpura on? We think he is hilarious but he definitely needs to freshen up his act! He is a very sweet guy underneath that yellow SpongeBob shirt! One night, after a class he taught to kids about how to perform basic magic tricks, he gave away his magic wand. My son had his heart set on getting it but of course he didn't and proceeded to burst into tears!!! Apparently Rich noticed and to make a long story short, he went and got another one and gave it to my little guy. Priceless, I am telling you! That's the "Disney Magic" for you!

Thanks for the trip report and all of the info you are sharing!

Kathy

 

[RanCan]

Thank you so much for the report so far!!! We are leaving in just over a week for our first Disney cruise, and reading your report has gotten me even more excited.....if that's possible!!
Looking forward to reading more!

 

[Mushamagic]

Looking forward to the rest of your trip report. I have been checking a few times a day to see if you have your next day posted. Just trying to live my "not planned" cruise dreams through you!! So glad you have had a great week. Our friends are on that cruise with you and I liked reading your reports so I can imagine what a great time they are having. Thanks for sharing with us "land locked" folks!

 

[nenner1]

Hi Shell(y?) ...(sorry I always get the two of you confused!)

Love the great updates, it is nice to read how the cruise went for you.
I'm sorry we did not get to meet, it was strange how there were so many folks I never encountered but ran into the same ones over & over!

I'm actually suprised we did not meet since we had the same rotation and ate in Palo the same night!

We unfortunately had SERIOUS issues with our rooms. The room we were supposed to have 6022 is out of service (apparently for quite a while as they appeared to be making no attempts to get it into working order). So we had our kids room in 6019, where they were supposed to be, but our room got moved 50 feet down the hall. We were *not* happy. All they could do for us too was give us two adjoining Cat 11's down on 5 which would be a big downgrade for us since we had one Cat 8 and one Cat 11 (and it was the 8 that had the "problems"). So we opted to stay with what they gave us, even though it was a serious inconvenience having a 7 and 8 year old alone so far away. And 6022...it's problem was sewage related. You could SMELL it and the carpet outside of that room and one of ours (6019) was wet and NASTY all the time.
It was so bad that the people on the OTHER side of our far away room (6016) had a manager up there complaining about it. But we really tried not to let it bother us. What can you do, ya know.
(I did make sure to mention it on my comment card, though!)

That really funky dining rotation (and the messed up character brakfast change) that they threw on us was frustrating too, with all that hard work (and much calling) we did to make sure it was going to be what it was supposed to be (and of course wasn't). Ah, well...you know what they say, all the best laid plans go to waste!

I totally agree with the fantastic FE gifts we got. What wonderful, fun and useful stuff. That was so, so, so much fun! Oh and someone tried to take our FE! Thank goodness we had the zip tie! We came out one morning to find it dangling from the tie, all ripped off the fish!!!
Can't wait to hear about the rest of your adventures!

 

[mickeyluv]

Hey Jen!! So sorry to hear about your staterooms onboard. That is just so disappointing I'm sure. I hope you guys still had a good cruise! Can't wait for you TR!

 

[nenner1]

Hey Jen!! So sorry to hear about your staterooms onboard. That is just so disappointing I'm sure. I hope you guys still had a good cruise! Can't wait for you TR!

Thanks, the TR is coming soon. I'll have it started by the end of the week. As soon as I get these 20 pcs of luggage unloaded. (Okay, it wasn't 20. I exxagerated. It was 19!!)

The stateroom mess, well we made the best of it. Like I told someone onboard, we're here on the Magic, how much can I really complain!

We did have a truly magical time. I have over 1,000 pics to prove it!

 

[zweihund]

Okay, I will tell but you have to promise to let me share on my future cruises - I have two recommendations for servers - both are fantastic: Sameer and Angelina.

We had Sameer too this time, and he was AWESOME.

 

[alleluia5]

Nenner....I am the (y) ... Shelly I agree with you it was wild how many people I ran into over an over, like Buckeye Gal but others I never saw. Okay Erica....what time did you have Sameer? We were at the 8:30....I wonder if we were sitting right next to each other

Sorry to hear about your room, I wondered what happened when I delivered your F/E stuff and to be honest something smelled a bit...ummm... how should I say....."stinky"

So I am sitting in the Animal Kingdom - this is our one night before we fly back home tomorrow night. Now how is it I just finished vacation and am tired

Okay folks, I promise there is more TR to come - so much to tell you, just need to get this vacation wrapped up and get back home and you will get updates WITH pics. In the mean time, here are a few for you from the trip.

Here is the Magic the first day at Castaway (note - the first day she went straight in, the last day she was backed in so we have pictures in front of her both times (front/back)

And a cool shot (at least I think) from our night at MNSSHP

Okay - more to come soon!

 

[MrsJobba1]

Just wanted to say I'm really enjoying your trip report!

Thanks for taking the time to write it

 

[zweihund]

Shelly, we had the 8:30 too! We were pretty close to Amy's table, and I could usually see Jen's table AND Erik and Hadley's table from our spot. We were the four-top, RIGHT BEHIND the drink station at Lumiere's and smack against the wall under the screen at Animator's. At Parrot Cay we were in the aisle. Now where were YOU??? Were you guys the crazy dressed-up pirate-birthday table?

 

[alleluia5]

Shelly, we had the 8:30 too! We were pretty close to Amy's table, and I could usually see Jen's table AND Erik and Hadley's table from our spot. We were the four-top, RIGHT BEHIND the drink station at Lumiere's and smack against the wall under the screen at Animator's. At Parrot Cay we were in the aisle. Now where were YOU??? Were you guys the crazy dressed-up pirate-birthday table?

Okay we were table 62, in Lumiere's we were against the wall right below Lumiere and to the right of Belle and the Beast. In Animators, we were just opposite the aisle - there were 2 couples and a few single gentleman - only the 2 girls were dressed up - I had a pirate hat and tink shirt and the other gal had Jack Sparrow dreads and a princess crown. At Parrot Cay we were just kind of in the middle off an aisle. That is so crazy that we were seated so close and I never realized it was you!!! I was looking for nametags the whole time too! I am going to have to look in my pictures to see if you are in the background of any of them.

 

[alleluia5]

Day 4 – Tuesday
Tuesday was Grand Cayman day and any day off the ship equals shopping for me and dismay for DH (because he knows I love to take my time shopping!) After a quick breakfast up in Topsiders, we headed to the tender. Since we had slept in a little, we were able to get right on the tender and it wasn’t too crowded. It was a pretty smooth ride over and they have made some changes to the port since the last time were were there a year ago. You now get off in a different spot which is a little closer to some of the shopping (much to DH dismay).

DCB (dear cruising buddy) and I set off on our shopping mission with the two DHs trailing behind. We stopped in a few stores but really didn’t hit gold until we got to the mall with the fountain that had the “everything is $20” store. DCB went crazy, she had one of the store workers following behind her as she threw item after item into the basket. I somehow managed to escape without buying anything – I know, you are probably wondering if something was wrong!

By this time the DHs tired out and decided to head back to the ship. This was of course not a good idea, to leave the two of us alone on the town! Soon we found ourselves at Senor Frogs enjoying Mango Smoothies. As we headed out, we were attacked by a 20 foot frog (definitely not a Disney costume) which of course meant we had to get a pic with it. It was still a little creepy though.

By about 1pm it was really getting warm so we headed back to the ship for lunch at Topsiders – they had the most delicious snapper on the buffet….mmmmm. Then once again time for our daily cruise nap!

Now Tuesday night was pirate night – which meant tons of fun and food! I had picked up a pirate hat (which got tons of compliments by the way) for about $6 at Walmart and a very cool Tink shirt which lit up. So that was the majority of my costume. DH chose not to dress up (surprise, surpise) and DCB saw my hat and decided she must have one. Of course this meant scouring the ship shops (shopping again – you will notice this recurring theme). We found her two things that every pirate must have – a set of Jack Sparrow dreads and a sparkling pink princess crown. Put the two together and you have……well something that you probably can only get away with wearing at Disney.

Her DH’s face was priceless. Dinner that night was at Animators and since it was Pirate night, there was no show. After dinner we headed over to the pirate show which was good as always and then to the Pirate dessert. I just have to say, I am convinced the Turkey legs get bigger every year. But goodness, that was one good Turkey leg! After finishing up there, it was off to bed since tomorrow was Cozumel day and I knew we would be walking a ton!

 

[anc22]

Can't wait to read about your trip. It was nice to meet you, even though it was just in passing.

 

[cyndid]

I'm a first-time DCL cruiser. My TA sent me a schedule that shows pirate night as being Wednesday...Cozumel day. It looks from your trip report that pirate night is Tuesday...Grand Cayman day. Does anyone know if this is expected to continue to be the case? If so, that will make our excursions in Cozumel a little easier. I haven't booked them yet, but was worried about being able to shop, do the excursions and get back in time to dress as pirates for early dinner.

I appreciate your feedback.

Also, thanks for the great trip report. Would love to see Navigators.

 

[debster]

I'm a first-time DCL cruiser. My TA sent me a schedule that shows pirate night as being Wednesday...Cozumel day. It looks from your trip report that pirate night is Tuesday...Grand Cayman day. Does anyone know if this is expected to continue to be the case? If so, that will make our excursions in Cozumel a little easier. I haven't booked them yet, but was worried about being able to shop, do the excursions and get back in time to dress as pirates for early dinner.

I appreciate your feedback.

Also, thanks for the great trip report. Would love to see Navigators.

If you are on the Oct DD our itinerary is a bit different. We do Cozumel on Tuesday and GC on Wednesday and I too have confirmed Pirate night is on Wednesday our GC day>

Thanks for the trip report. Can't wait to hear more.

Did you happen to save the Navigators for the week?

 

[cyndid]

I'm not doing a double-dip...maybe that's the difference. I sail Oct 18-25. The DCL site has Cozumel as Wednesday, and the TA's schedule shows that as pirate night.

 

[nenner1]

I think our Pirate night change was unique to our cruise. It was due to DCL's decision to change our departure time from 6:00 PM in Cozumel to 1:00 AM. They have done this before in the past to give crew and cast members an opportunity for a little time off in port. Of course the Pirate party cannot go off when the boat is in port, so that was why the change in days for us.
We also had a shortened day in CC on Sunday which caused the character breakfast schedule to get changed, and as you may know our dinner rotations were weird also. Don't know if the rotation change was just for our cruise or will stay....

In fact several people called DCL numerous times to ask about the rotations and pirate night and even though they confirmed several times to different ppl it would stay the way it was, as it turns out it didn't. For sure now I will take everything they say on the phone with a grain of salt.

HTH a bit!

 

[alleluia5]

Okay, wanted to share a few pics from our fish extender fun. I have to say, this was an amazing experience. I am a grown woman and still found myself rushing back to the room to see what goodies I had found. We got everything from stickers and candy to incredible homemade frames and scrapbooks. Here is a picture I took on the final night, keep in mind we only had adults in our room - I saw awesome stuff in some of the kids F/E too!

I delivered my FE gifts over a period of 3 days. I think the next time I will wait to deliver until closer to the end as it seemed like a lot of people delivered at the beginning.

Here is my FE

Now here are a few tips I learned from my recent FE experience:

1) If you can ship your gifts ahead of time, do it - saves so much room in your luggage

2) Be sure you have room in your luggage for the goodies you will receive. I thought I would have so much room in my suitcase since I had given away the goodies I brought, however, I had just as much to take home!

3) If you are talented and can make your gifts - they are so appreciated. All gifts are awesome, and homemade ones are like icing on the cake!

4) Deliver your gifts a floor at a time - maybe one floor a day

5) Plan your delivery - either map them or organize by number - I could have saved some time by doing this

6) Trip personalized gifts are awesome - some of the coolest gifts were items that were personalized with our cruise dates or motto (pens, notepads, etc)

7) Fasten your F/E the fish with a zip tie - there was a report of a near F/E'napping on our cruise thread - I think personalizing the F/E helps too

8) Make delivering the gifts a family affair. At one point I could hear a cute family whispering outside my door as they had the kids put the goodies in the F/E

Remember, when you do a F/E you will be the envy of many on the ship! I was stopped a couple of times asking how we got one of those and how could they participate! Of course, those folks have now been informed of the Disboards!

Hope these tidbits help!

Coming soon, another installment of the TR and details on my incredible Secret Mickey!

 

[jollytammy]

Keep it coming! Just love your TR Love your pictures of you FE gifts.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Okay, wanted to share a few pics from our fish extender fun. I have to say, this was an amazing experience. I am a grown woman and still found myself rushing back to the room to see what goodies I had found. We got everything from stickers and candy to incredible homemade frames and scrapbooks. Here is a picture I took on the final night, keep in mind we only had adults in our room - I saw awesome stuff in some of the kids F/E too!

I delivered my FE gifts over a period of 3 days. I think the next time I will wait to deliver until closer to the end as it seemed like a lot of people delivered at the beginning.

Here is my FE

Now here are a few tips I learned from my recent FE experience:

1) If you can ship your gifts ahead of time, do it - saves so much room in your luggage

2) Be sure you have room in your luggage for the goodies you will receive. I thought I would have so much room in my suitcase since I had given away the goodies I brought, however, I had just as much to take home!

3) If you are talented and can make your gifts - they are so appreciated. All gifts are awesome, and homemade ones are like icing on the cake!

4) Deliver your gifts a floor at a time - maybe one floor a day

5) Plan your delivery - either map them or organize by number - I could have saved some time by doing this

6) Trip personalized gifts are awesome - some of the coolest gifts were items that were personalized with our cruise dates or motto (pens, notepads, etc)

7) Fasten your F/E the fish with a zip tie - there was a report of a near F/E'napping on our cruise thread - I think personalizing the F/E helps too

8) Make delivering the gifts a family affair. At one point I could hear a cute family whispering outside my door as they had the kids put the goodies in the F/E

Remember, when you do a F/E you will be the envy of many on the ship! I was stopped a couple of times asking how we got one of those and how could they participate! Of course, those folks have now been informed of the Disboards!

Hope these tidbits help!

Coming soon, another installment of the TR and details on my incredible Secret Mickey!

You're advice regarding the FE is VERY good! I tried with my future DMIL to deliver all of the floors at one time and it just didn't work! If I were you, I might even start a thread on the main cruise board with that information. It could really help first time cruisers.