Magic's 10th Anniversary Cruise (07/27/08-08/03/08): Done w/pics (more pics later)

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

Wednesday July 30, 2008: Mazatlan

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAGIC

It’s a rainy day in Mazatlan. More later.

Around 10 am, even though there was a thunderstorm going on, we took the mandatory tram over to the terminal entrance hoping the rain would stop soon. It didn’t. We waited about half an hour then headed back to the ship to regroup. They added a few extra activities due to the pouring rain.

We hung out until 12:30 or so then gave it another try. Per instructions, we ignored everyone in the terminal building and went out to the street, made a left and walked to where the street ended, then headed down a dirt road to the blue hut. At the hut we grabbed a motorboat ($2 per person round trip) to Stone Island.

Once there, we walked over a small hill and then….paradise.

Stone Island was awesome. I think part of it was that some of the excursions had been cancelled, so there weren’t as many people there. We stopped about half way down the beach at a restaurant called Puesta De Sol. We grabbed a table, and the boys headed to the water. The water was a little sandy, but nice and warm.

We ordered 3 plates of nachos (cheese, beans, guacamole), a couple of plates of burritos, a plate of fish tacos, 2 plates of shrimp, 4 sodas and 32 beers. The bill (for the 11 of us) was $105 plus tip. We stayed about 2 1/2 hours, which was plenty for the boys.

Instead of walking back to the ship, we caught a "taxi".

We caught the last bit of Minnie's Fiesta Party, so I don't know if the anniversary was mentioned there. We did receive 10th Anniversary buttons from Alex & Carolyn (firsttimers), as did everyone on the ship!

Dinner tonight was at Parrot Cay. I had the Mixed Grill and the Pork Tenderloin. DS fell asleep before dinner came, but was able to wake up enough later to go to the glow party at the OC. For dessert, we all received a slice of the Magic's Anniversary cake.

DW needed to catch up on her sleep (and the time changes), so she hit the sack early. A few of us hung out at the pool for awhile. I picked up DS from the OC around 10, grabbed some pizza (since he missed dinner), then headed to bed.

Tomorrow: Dolphins

 

[DiaLady]

We ordered 3 plates of nachos (cheese, beans, guacamole), a couple of plates of burritos, a plate of fish tacos, 2 plates of shrimp, 4 sodas and 32 beers. The bill (for the 11 of us) was $105 plus tip. We stayed about 2 1/2 hours, which was plenty for the boys.

Ummm . . .32 divided by 11 (were the boys included in the 11?) almost 3 beers a piece. . . sounds like you had a great time! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[andriade]

Around 10 am, even though there was a thunderstorm going on, we took the mandatory tram over to the terminal entrance hoping the rain would stop soon. It didn’t. We waited about half an hour then headed back to the ship to regroup. They added a few extra activities due to the pouring rain.

We hung out until 12:30 or so then gave it another try. Per instructions, we ignored everyone in the terminal building and went out to the street, made a left and walked to where the street ended, then headed down a dirt road to the blue hut. At the hut we grabbed a motorboat ($2 per person round trip) to Stone Island.

Once there, we walked over a small hill and then….paradise. Stone Island was awesome. I think part of it was that some of the excursions had been cancelled, so there weren’t as many people there. We stopped about half way down the beach at a restaurant called Puesta De Sol. We grabbed a table, and the boys headed to the water. The water was a little sandy, but nice and warm.

We ordered 3 plates of nachos (cheese, beans, guacamole), a couple of plates of burritos, a plate of fish tacos, 2 plates of shrimp, 4 sodas and 32 beers. The bill (for the 11 of us) was $105 plus tip. We stayed about 2 1/2 hours, which was plenty for the boys.

We caught the last bit of Minnie's Fiesta Party, so I don't know if the anniversary was mentioned there. We did receive 10th Anniversary buttons from Alex & Carolyn (firsttimes), as did everyone on the ship!

Dinner tonight was at Parrot Cay. I had the Mixed Grill and the Pork Tenderloin. DS fell asleep before dinner came, but was able to wake up enough later to go to the glow party at the OC. For dessert, we all received a slice of the Magic's Anniversary cake.

DW needed to catch up on her sleep (and the time changes), so she hit the sack early. A few of us hung out at the pool for awhile. I picked up DS from the OC around 10, grabbed some pizza (since he missed dinner), then headed to bed.

Tomorrow: Dolphins

I am glad to hear your day wasn't a loss! We are planning to hit Stone Island in a little over a week! Thanks for the great report!

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

Thursday, July 31, 2008: Puerto Vallarta

We woke up sleepy after losing another hour of sleep due to a time change and headed to Topsiders for breakfast.

We were running low on cash, so I left the ship and went to the terminal to find an ATM while DW met everyone. Dang ATM only gave out Pesos. Oh, well, we’re gonna have to pay for transportation anyway.

At the terminal I arranged for a shuttle driver to take us to Sea Life Park, wait for us while we did our Dolphin Encounter, played in the water park, and then take us back to the ship. There were 9 adults & 3 kids. He charged us $120 round trip. Considering we would have had to take 3 cabs, it wasn’t a bad price.

The van driver told us that there had been an accident last week on the waterslides, so they were probably still closed. He was right.

The dolphin & sea lion experiences were still working as well as the kids’ water area and the lazy river, but the large water slides were closed. We were a little disappointed, but considering we only paid around $65 each for the Dolphin Encounter and the water park was free, you couldn’t complain too much.

Our dolphin’s name was Aurora. DS4 would have nothing to do with her, but the other boys had a great time. We got to pet her a few times, plus give her a kiss and shake hands/dance with her.

After the Dolphin encounter, we spent about an hour and a half having snacks & drinks and playing in the water area.

They we bought our pictures ($14 each) and headed to our waiting shuttle, around 2pm.

Dinner was at Lumiere’s and was the Pirate Menu. I had the Shrimp & Scallop Pasta and the Pork Shank.

Since we had early dinner, we were still in port after dinner was done. So, we all arranged to meet out behind Topsiders with a bottle of champagne and watch the Magic sail away. We forget to find out what mother nature had in mind, cause her plans didn’t align well with ours. Gotta love those tropical thunderstorms.

Plan B. We met out by Goofy’s Galley under the cover on Deck 9, enjoyed the lightning show and toasted the Magic sailing from Puerto Vallarta.

We figured there was no way they were having a pirate show, but by 9:15 the rain had slowed down, so they started the party with all the guests under the awnings and the cruise staff dancing in the rain. Around 9:30 the rain stopped, so the maintenance guys went into high gear with squeegees and towels and got the whole area somewhat dry and the show went on without a hitch, included all the characters and fireworks!! Thanks Captain Tom & staff for saving the day.

 

[anewmac]

Glad you guys still got the pirate show! Awesome!

 

[LITTLEKID58]

Glad you enjoyed the pirate show...

 

[DMMarla07860]

glad you guys got to see fireworks, on my cruise I got to dance in the rain before they moved the party inside

 

[DisneyMom92]

Welcome home!

Just watched the Magic pull into port...It actually sailed past my window. Super cool I have enjoyed reading your live report so much I decided to do one myself. Can't wait to see how the end of your trip was and see pictures.

Have a safe journey home or whever your travels take you next. Thanks for taking the time to post this so that we could live vicariously through you until it was our turn. It definately made the passing of time better.

 

[MagicMe]

Welcome Home! Quick week - right?! I hope the rest of your trip was a blast and that everyone had a great time! Wow - can't believe the Magic leaves to come home in one week!

 

[andriade]

Welcome home!

Just watched the Magic pull into port...It actually sailed past my window. Super cool I have enjoyed reading your live report so much I decided to do one myself. Can't wait to see how the end of your trip was and see pictures.

Have a safe journey home or whever your travels take you next. Thanks for taking the time to post this so that we could live vicariously through you until it was our turn. It definately made the passing of time better.

I will be reading your report!

 

[ktnryansmom]

Tom has been providing a fantastic report...we were on the Magic as well and just returned home.
DAY 1-
We arrived at 10:30 and somehow ended up in boarding group 10--people arriving after us were boarding first. Not sure how that happened but it didn't hamper anything--the whole process is seamless and quick. We ate lunch at the buffet in Parrot Cay that was really good.

We were in our rooms by 2, strolled around the ship and headed to deck 10 for the sail away party--which was so much fun! After that we headed to dinner (early 5:45) and the evening shows. Ordered mickey ice cream bars and went to bed.

I did not drink on the cruise and on the first two nights I also got sick--middle of the night sick. On night 3 I took dramamine before going to bed and never had another problem.

DAY 2--
We had PALO reservations for dinner on night 4 and were able to book brunch when we got on board - brunch was Monday. For us it was okay--tons of food; nothing really wowed us. Since brunch was nothing spectacular we cancelled our dinner reservation. It's not that it was bad--just kind of blah for us. Maybe it's because we got ready for it and others came in sweats/shorts/t-shirts?? Oh well...no biggie. We can say we were there

DAY 3--Cabo
We didn't book any excursions but did tender off the boat. The driver even let my daughter drive the tender boat for awhile! We mainly walked around --it was incredibly hot and dry so we decided to go back to the ship and spend the day at the pool. It was perfect--hardly anyone there! At this point I discovered the yummy panini's at Goofy's Galley right next to the kids pool!

Our dinners were good, but the meals took a very long time to arrive. Our servers, Alicia and Robert were great. They went above and beyond to have milk on the table before we arrived everynight, gave special mickey ketchup to my son for his fries etc.. - just overall excellent attention to detail. We did find it was best to ask for the kids meals early (with our appetizers) so we could get them to the kids club activities that often started at 7-7:15. We rarely got out of dinner in under 2 hours. Once we did take our dessert to go--and took it to the bingo game

Day 4--Mazatlan--RAIN
We had planned to go horseback riding with Randi's Happy Horses. We debated back and forth on what to do as it would rain for 5 minutes and then stop. We decided to go for it--but by the time we were on the shuttle to get to the terminal it was pouring. We asked the kids what they wanted to do and they wanted to go back to the ship. They spend a few hours in the Oceaneers Lab (which had great activities & counselors) while hubby and I went to the cove cafe and read books. That's when we heard about the earthquake in Chino Hills (about 30 minutes from us). The MAGIC staff added activities to the day like family bingo, trivia, etc.. so there was plenty to do, even in the rain. I have to admit it was very cool to see the lightening and hear loud thunder! I think this was the day of fiesta party on deck in the afternoon--it was fun. My kids even got picked to be a part of the show.

Day 5--P. Vallarta--Dolphin Signature Swim

This was amazing!!! After spending about 45 minutes waiting to board an "air conditioned shuttle" that ended up being a small boat (without enough seats for everyone in the blazing sun) we finally arrived to the dolphin center. I wish I had known we were going by boat because we needed to take meds and would have applied sunscreen. (can't wear sunscreen w/dolphins).
We quickly got in the "pool" with the dolphins and had an incredible time. We spent a ton of money on photos and a CD --we got the CD because the photos seem a bit washed out. At least with the CD we can edit and enhance the colors. Everyone was very friendly too. I would do this again in a heartbeat. I didn't have time to eat the lunch that was provided (I think there were so many people going on this excursion that it took forever to check in on the ship, get wristbands, towels etc..) It put us at the dolphin cove later than expected.

I did write up an evaluation and left it with the shore excursion desk about the bus/boat issue. It wasn't major, but it would be helpful for future cruisers to know they may be going by boat.

Pirate Night was amazing and I'm so glad the weather cooperated!! I was next to Christiaan when he was on the phone calling the bridge about how long it would take to clear the rain--5 minutes..woo hoo!! We danced, ate, the kids went to bed and I sat up on deck 10 and watched Pirates of the Caribbean--Black Pearl on the big-screen above the pool. I loved it.


Day 6--Sea Day--very lazy day at the pool, kids club, playing bingo (I'll let TOM tell you the big news about the Jackpot bingo!!!) I watched the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie--Dead Man's Chest this night.

Day 7--Sea Day--again a lazy day indoors packing, kids club, etc...The Til We Meet Again show and meet up with the characters this night was wonderful.

All of the shows were amazing. I loved the Dreams show and if you have kids, the celebrate the journey event was very cool!! They all got a mickey graduation cap and t-shirt!

All cruise specific merchandise (except t-shirts and pins) were at 40% off on the 3rd day of the cruise...

Biggest tip: take your own photos with your cameras at the character meet & greets. Because I did this I saved hundreds of dollars at shutters (the 6x8 photos are $10 each) I was very happy with the family photos I did get on the cruise (about 6) Be sure to go to shutters each morning to find out the backgrounds that will be available each evening so you can plan if you want them done or not. I wish I had known this early on in the cruise. Overall--I was very happy with the photos/photographers on the ship.

I did book a facial and massage at the Vista spa--with Terryn. It was heaven and on $99!

I'm sure I'll have more to post later as others do to!

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

Home safe. More later.

 

[Valencia Joe]

All cruise specific merchandise (except t-shirts and pins) were at 40% off on the 3rd day of the cruise..

BTW, the sale/discount started from day one of the cruise, not on the 3rd day. We bought all our items the first day we were on the boat. I think the hats were sold out that first day (or perhaps early on the 2nd).

I have to agree on you on the meal service on this particular cruise. It seemed it took longer compared with the other cruises we took in the past. This morning's breakfast took forever! We were in the late seating in Parrot Cay (8:15) and noticed that there were some tables already leaving before we even received our breakfast (and they were seated after we did.. at least 15 minutes after we seated).

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

Friday, August 1, 2008: Day at Sea

We woke up this morning to a very windy day. We were having brunch at Palo, so we grabbed DS a plate of food from Topsiders. He wanted to sit out by the Goofy Pool and watch Arielvision while he ate his breakfast. His breakfast nearly blew away.

Off to the OC for the boys, and off to the private room at Palo for the 12 adults. Our server was Fernando. It seemed like, for a large party like ours, that Fernando needed an assistant server. He struggled to keep up with the drink orders and my water glass often sat empty.

Instead of ordering individual pizzas, we asked Fernando to bring out a couple of each for all of us to share, that way we could try them all.

What can I say about the food that hasn’t already been said? The Chicken Parmesan was excellent. My other favorites were the Grape & Blue Cheese Pizza and, of course, the Stollen Bread.

We picked up DS and went to the matinee show of Disney Dreams, because there was a lot going on in the Club tonight.

Dinner was at AP. LOBSTER NIGHT!!! I stopped after two.

After dinner, we went to Diversions for The Wheel game show, then went to the adult cabaret performance of Heath Hyche in Rockin Bar D.

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

Saturday, August 2, 2008: Day at Sea

This morning was our character breakfast. It was nice that they had all the characters come to the tables again. The thing that makes it work now is that all of the characters have handlers that ensure everything moves quickly. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale.

There wasn’t much going on in the morning, so we shopped a little & finalized our Shutters package. Ouch.

For lunch we met a few of our group at Lumiere’s.

After lunch, we were going to swim, but the Mickey Pool was closed, so the kids went off to the Club, and we went to beer tasting. The gentleman staying in the Roy Disney Suite that I met the first night, was at beer tasting and gave us a tour of his suite.

A couple of the group went to the final bingo. DW & I did a little packing.

We arrived early for Celebrate The Journey (the kids graduation), and sat near my Mom & cousin’s daughter & her boyfriend, who were finishing up the last couple games of bingo. Since it was the last bingo session of the cruise the Jackpot had to go. Long story short, Melissa & Josh hit three numbers in a row that they needed and won the Final Jackpot, over $13,700!!!!!!!

After that, Celebrate The Journey was kinda anticlimactic, but we had to stay cause the boys were gonna be in it.

Final dinner was at Parrot Cay, then we went to the final show, caught a little of the Til We Meet Again celebration in the Atrium, then dropped the boys at the Club and headed to Pub Night. (Josh bought drinks.) If you are an adult on a Disney Cruise, you MUST attend Pub Night in Diversions. It’s great watching the cruise staff let their hair down.

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

Sunday, August 03, 2008: Home

Breakfast was at 7am. zzzzzzzzzz

We were off the ship just after 8am, and on our way by 9am.

 

[anewmac]

Sunday, August 03, 2008: Home

Breakfast was at 7am. zzzzzzzzzz

We were off the ship just after 8am, and on our way by 9am.

awww so sorry it ended so quickly for you.. cant wait to see pics though!

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

I've got my pictures uploaded to the computer, I just need to compress the size of them and upload them to the web so that I can share them. I should be able to do that tomorrow night.

 

[mickeyluv]

Looks like everyone got home safe and sound. Glad to hear you had a great cruise!! Thanks so much for posting while onboard. Hope I get a chance to do that when we cruise in November . I don't know if you saw my post or not, but did you happen to find out from Christiaan or any of the other CM's who the CD might be at the end of November? Don't a big deal but just wondering. We had Christiaan on our 1st cruise last November on the Wonder and absolutely loved him! Our DD got several pictures with him. Can't wait to see your pictures!!

 

[MagicMe]

Long story short, Melissa & Josh hit three numbers in a row that they needed and won the Final Jackpot, over $13,700!!!!!!!

After winning that much, I would expect drinks to be on him!!!! Wow, that's a huge win!