Magical Thanksgiving Cruise - 2009

[bigeskimodog]

Turkey Day Gang takes over the Magic. 7-day Eastern Nov 21-28 2009

 

[bigeskimodog]

This is my 1st attempt at a trip report after 6 DCL cruises. The reason? The last cruise has been the most memorable (both good and bad) and yet most magical.

 

[ICEMANPAD]

We're looking forward to reading your report!! We had an amazing time sailing with you!!

 

[bigeskimodog]

This all started when we got DS’s school schedule in late July. For the first time his school is shutting down for the entire Thanksgiving week! What are we to do??! Then DW remembered we had a DCL rebooking schedule for next year. Hmmm…. 2 seconds later the deal is done.

My family of 3 (myself, DW, DS 7) are no strangers to Disney cruises. DW and I had done the Eastern twice before so we are familiar with the ports and activities. Although DS has not seen the Eastern ports, his interest is not in sightseeing or any “thrilling” activities. So we decided to take it easy and not book any excursions in St. Martin. We also chose to visit Coral World in St. Thomas by taxi to maximize our freedom. We read about the sea lion swim and submarine tour available in Coral World and tried to email for reservations. But after three emails and no response, we decided to just go and try our luck. “Easy-going and flexible will be our motto for this trip”, I told DW. And boy, was I RIGHT!!!

DW and I have been DisBoards lurkers since 2001 but we seldom participate in discussions. For reasons unknown this time I jumped on the cruise meets board and started typing. Maybe I just couldn’t resist the name “Turkey Day Gang”!!!

As a late comer I was fairly hesitant to start. After all, these people have been talking for years. But I was completely overwhelmed by the warm welcomes and encouragements. So much so that I even joined my first ever Fish Extender list. (If you don’t know what FE is, look it up. It is a great way to enhance the cruise experience.) Soon we felt like part of a big family, although DW “trustingly” left all the postings to me. The gang arranged for t-shirts, name tags, cruise meets, and other activities on board. I volunteered for name tags as I am extremely bad with names. Sometimes I forget my cousins names if out of contact for more than a week. “How fitting”, thought to myself, “it’s like we’re going to a family reunion during Thanksgiving.”

Being the planner of the family, I took advantage of the Gold Castaway Club member privilege and booked Palo brunch and dinner at precisely 90 days out. However, 2 weeks later upon rechecking, the reservations were gone! A quick call to customer service solved the mystery. Apparently clicking the “Save” button does not complete the booking. One must also hit “Confirm” to ice the deal. The reservations are only good if they show as “confirmed”. Well, lessons learned but no help to the situation. While many dinner slots were available, all the Palo brunch ressies were gone. Strangely enough, a week of consistent checking found an opening for Monday brunch. Not the first choice but hey we’ll take it.

Booked the flight, rental cars to-from port, Radisson at Port Canaveral night before cruise, the countdown officially started. Just need to get all the FE stuff. This is going to be fun!!!

 

[bigeskimodog]

We're looking forward to reading your report!! We had an amazing time sailing with you!!

Thanks. We can all agree this has been an amazing experience.

Although this can take some time to finish.

 

[bigeskimodog]

Our flight leaves at 9am on Friday from LAX. We drove and parked the car and got to the airport at 7:10am thanks to minimal traffic. Unfortunately the good luck ended there.

American Airline should take a clue from SouthWest. Checking in bags took forever even though everyone was using electronic kiosks. The agents at the counter were running around but very little luggage got processed. After our bags were finally tagged, we had to take them over to TSA for screening. Usually this is just to drop off and leave. However the closest TSA luggage checkpoint was closed due to overloading. So we had to drag all our stuff to the other end of the terminal and dropped off there. At this point we were only 40 minutes from takeoff. We got in line at the nearest TSA security checkpoint, but were promptly told that the line was for Gold Crown members only! So we had to run back to the other side of the terminal and join the regular waiting line that was literally outside the building. I was going to have a nervous breakdown until I saw the line actually split into two and moved at a reasonable pace. Long story short, we got to the gate right when our section started boarding.

Boarding was uneventful and the plane took off on time. Time to relax, or so I thought. In our rush to make the flight, we abandoned our plan of buying breakfast in the airport and planned to purchase something on the flight. Well the “food” cart came along and the only thing offered was a “Breakfast box” - consisted of a mouse size box of raisins, a small yogurt, and instant Oatmeal. DS does not like raisin or Oatmeal. When asked if anything else was available, the flight attendant replied that there were cookies but the last ones were just sold. Are you kidding me!??? They are only halfway through the plane! And this is a 5 hr+ flight!!! We reluctantly got the Breakfast box. Sure enough DS only ate the yogurt. I took care of the raisins and watery Oatmeal. DW got to keep her beauty diet for another day.

With DS playing his DS (Nintendo) and DW catching up on her beauty sleep, I watched both movies playing on the plane. At least American Airline doesn’t charge extra when you have your own headphone. Alien in the Attic was dumb as expected. Time Traveler’s wife was better than I thought. Never read the book and didn’t even plan to rent it. But it actually moved me quite a bit with its story. A recommend rental for mature audience.

Finally the pilot announced Orlando is in sight. Yes!!!! Food!!!!

We got off the plane and headed straight to McDonald at the airport for food-to-go. Our luggage could wait. It worked out well because all the food was gone before our bags came out. People around the baggage claim area were amazed at how fast this family finished off a whole bag of McDonald goodies.

Next was business as usual. Get the rental car, play the fit-da-luggage-n-da-car puzzle game while leaving enough room for the 3 of us to sit in, and off we go!!!

 

[bigeskimodog]

After a smooth drive to Canaveral, we checked in around 7:30pm at the Radisson by the port. A small pre-cruise meet was planned by some Turkey Day Gang (hereafter will be refer to TDG) members at 8pm there. But DW needed to buy some items before stores closing, in specific a Hawaiian shirt for DS to wear on Pirate night. So we headed right back out for dinner and some much needed last minute shopping.

We drove further south on A1A and hit Ron Jon. After all Hawaii and surfing goes together, right? Well apparently only for ladies. There were everything else but child size Hawaii shirts. In my opinion the stuff there were overpriced anyway. The other beachwear outlet also failed to yield any such thing. So DW finally gave up and we went to dinner. The other stuff can be bought at CVS afterward.

We went back to Florida Seafood Bar and Grill. The food was good the last time we dined here. Since it was late we were seated immediately. DW chose the blackened Scallops and I picked the steak/crab combo. DS wanted to try the kids mini krab cake. We also ordered a Clam Chowder in a Bread bowl to share. DS ended up finishing most of the soup and the bowl, while hardly touching his krab cake. I tried the krab cake and it tasted more like Corn dog, go figures. DW’s dish is actually a plateful of dime-sized scallops, but the portion’s hugh. We both found the sauce to be a bit too sweet and didn’t finish the whole thing. My steak was nothing special, should have known since this is a seafood place. But it’s still cook to order and edible. I split half my crab with DW as she loved to eat any type of shellfish, but still struggle to finish the rest of my plate. All in all it’s a good dinner, compare to our early meals, or lack-there-of.

After a quick stop at CVS and Pubix, we went back to the hotel at around 10pm. I figured the TDG meet was probably over so just went right back to the room. Since we were 3 hrs behind DS wanted to stay up a bit. DW and I also needed to do some last minute consolidation for our carry-on tomorrow. But I told DS to take a shower first in case he dozed off. As we were fixing our carry-on, DS came out of the bathroom asking for help. The toilet had backed up! At least Radisson maintenance was quick to respond. The crew came quickly, armed with a plunger, and it's "business" as usual. Then as DW was helping DS take his shower, I kept hearing strange noises from the bathroom. When DS finally came out, he was shivering and jumping up and down. Finally DW came out and told me there was no HOT WATER!!! How could that be! I went in and check, and sure enough, turning the dial to the hot water position only got you cold water. Went to the sink and found hot water is running. At this point it was late and I didn’t think Maintenance can do anything. The thought of changing room also sounded too much work as we have stuffs everywhere already. Don’t ask us why but both DW and I decided to just take really QUICK COLD Shower in the morning.

The thought of how to use the sink’s hot water to take shower never escaped my head as we finished consolidating our luggage. “Maybe I can use the ice bucket, or even the trash can to carry the water.” You see, when faced with an ice cold shower in the morning, strange thoughts surfaced. Suddenly, something clicked in my head! I went into the shower, turned the dial to the cold position and waited. BAM! Hot water started coming out. The positions were reversed. Well actually it was only opposite to our house since it’s not really labeled here. But we are so used to turning the dial all the way for hot water at home. Anyway, DS held Mom responsible for making him take cold shower, and DM in turn blamed Dad for not finding that out earlier.
Lesson learned: should have kept my mouth shut and just enjoy a hot bath secretly.

Everyone finally went to bed at 1am. Set the alarm for 9am and - Disney Magic, here we come!!!

 

[Tinkerbell 99 Mom]

Chun:

We are hanging on your every word. It is a great trip report....

2011 is way to far away....

wendy

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Chun,

Remind me to tell you the odd story about our bathroom remodel and how our shower works now! Hint....it's very similar to the Radisson!

Can't wait to read the rest. This was in fact a magical group!

Karen

 

[ICEMANPAD]

Chun-
I am really enjoying your trip report!! Thanks for sharing!!

Lisa

 

[The LK 4]

Great start to your trip report!

 

[Mickeyhugger]

great job so far

Rob

 

[sherreis]

I'm in!

Looking forward to hearing more and hoping you're going to be doing pictures as well.

 

[lck33]

This is good.... Let me get a glass of wine and settle in.....

Elsie

 

[alwayslisad]

:: pulls up a computer chair ::

we are here

Let's get this party started

 

[praisehisname]

Great start!

 

[IrishCowboy]

Thanks for sharing...looking forward to more

 

[bigeskimodog]

Want to get this posted before boarding the plane to HK. Sorry I couldn't even finish day 1. Will try to work on the TR on the plane.

Chun

 

[bigeskimodog]

Well the alarm didn’t wake me up. I woke up at 7am due to some loud talking out at the hallway. Take notes: the walls at Radisson ARE paper thin!!! Apparently, my next door neighbors decided to sit outside their room to chat and catch a smoke at 7am in the morning. (we were at the motel style building) I kept thinking they would stop but it just kept going. Luckily it didn’t bother my wife and kid as I am the only light sleeper in the family. I decided to get up and catch up on the disboards, only to find out the free Wi-fi at Radisson was completely useless. It showed connected but could not surf to any webpages. Oh well, so I got cleanup, loaded the luggage in the car, and patiently waited for family to wake up.

Borrow from the web as I didn't have my camera, but the feelings the same.

I dropped off DW and DS at the port right before 10am. The sight of the Magic driving up to the port always bring us a sense of excitement and relaxation. The porters were extremely helpful and they took our luggage right the way. Our plan was for DW and DS to check in and also see if paid upgrades were available. I would return the rental and take the shuttle back.

When I returned the car something completely coincidental happened. I never disclosed to anyone during the trip, nor did I think much of it until after the cruise. I would have probably done something if I was aware of it before returning the car. To my friends from the ship, please don’t blame me. So when I took the key to the return counter, the lady went outside and got the mileage. She came back and her first words were, “OMG, couldn’t you have driven another mile or something?” Apparently, I returned the car with the odometer reading exactly “666”. At the time, I saw no significance to that. Well, I still think it’s a coincidence. But undeniably, there were elements in the trip that this could have been the fitting “Omen”.

Crusie ship model in the middle of terminal. Too bad I was too busy passing out name tags and didn't take picture of our sea of blues.

As I returned to the port and entered the cruise terminal area, the line to enter the building had grown substantially. I quickly lined up and called DW on where she was. She told me there was hardly anyone when they went in, and she was successful at getting an upgrade from CAT 8 to CAT5 for $400. Hey a perfect start!!! As I scanned the line, there were quite a few TDG members proudly showcasing our t-shirts. Some even started waving at me. Then I found Charlie and Judi and Tudie right in front of me, happily donning our blue TDG t-shirt. We have a nice quick chat while the line moved briskly. Soon we were inside the terminal and I could see a sea of blue shirts. Can it be?!!! The start to our dream vacation?!!! It was like jumping from reality into the wonderful (emm,.. Magical) world of Disney. I felt relief and all my troubles were left behind.

I found DW and DS at one of the sofa. And I immediately spotted Chuck (aka IcemanPad) talking to them. True as advertised, he is tall. And Chuck proved extremely useful during the cruise whenever we had to locate where the groups are over a sea of people. Just kidding man. Anyway Chuck is the guy who started the cruise meet thread on Disboards and also helped link several of our dinner reservations together. Then his other twin tower came by – Larry, who is the husband of our TDG resident Magnet queen, Wendy. A third tower approached, which would be Steve, and his wife Karen (aka t-shirt lady). It is so wonderful to finally meet people you have been talking to, and we hit it off like old friends. DS was already playing his DS side-by-side with Garrett, TDG member Lynn’s son. Isn’t Nintendo DS the greatest Ice Breaker ever invented between kids? My normally reserved son has no trouble linking his DS with another newly met kid and talking games. Wished there were something like that when I first started dating!

There was a long line in the middle of the terminal that we hadn’t seen in past cruises. Then I was told by Chuck that’s the picture line. We decided to wait out the line knowing Disney usually handled these things well. I also took the opportunity to walk around and handing off TDG Name Tags to anyone with the blue t-shirt on. Gradually I got to meet most of the TDG folks along with their family. It was a pleasure to see everyone and their family. Oh and I was wearing this Captain Mickey hat that we got from the 2005 maiden Magic Voyage to the Mexican Rivera. Because of this some people actually thought I was a DCL employee passing out name tags to all passengers. This was especially funny when I approached a group also wearing blue t-shirts but with a different design. I overlooked the difference and only saw the blue. As I asked for their names they kept giving me funny looks, but they gave me their names anyway!!! Guess they also thought I worked for DCL. Anyway we all laughed when the confusion finally cleared. I did suggest they could join the DisBoards thread next time.

Name Tags design

At this point I checked back with DW and DS. We noticed the long line had not moved at all. Then Wendy came over and told us the ID picture machine was down. DCL was getting their IT folks to address the situation. I was curious as to whether I could help, but since I left my IT hat at home and being on vacation, it’s better left to the DCL professionals. It was at his point that I got to meet Andrew - Karen and Steve’s 11 yr old son. Again, every bit as advertised by his parents. He is already my size and built! Have to say, Andrew showed surprising maturity beyond his years but yet maintained his innocence. I joked we actually looked like brothers even though we were a few decade apart in age. Well he chose to call me an uncle. Whatever!!!

We kept talking with our new friends while patiently waiting for the machine to be fixed. Then suddenly Chuck bought back news that the problem was beyond repair and we would board the ship without the ID pictures. So now the picture line turned into the boarding line. Well this is a first on all my DCL cruises! And apparently not the last on this cruise. As we head over to line up, Karen and Wendy invited us to join their group, which were already in line. I felt a little guilty but was easily persuaded. Actually their whole segments were loaded with TDG members so we kind of fit in. And after all, we did feel like a big family; abide a dysfunctional one with different ethnic’s makeup.

OK remember I said Andrew is the same built as me? As we inched our way to the boarding gate, DW actually rested her head onto Andrew’s back! I supposed she lost track and thinking that was my back! Humm… did we really look that much alike? I thought that was kind of creepy yet funny. Karen, I’ll pay for psychological counsel if Andrew needs help after that.

We took our Bon Voyage pictures and finally boarded the ship. This will be our home for the next 7 days!!! But it felt more like coming home!

DS with his Captain Mickey Hat

 

[sherreis]

Chun - great start to day #1.

Hope you have a great (even though long) flight to Hong Kong. Enjoy the wedding (I think that's why you're going)