May 20-27 Western Magic Report

[anty30]

Well, I am finally sitting down to start my report.

Cast:
Me
DH
DD8 (turned 9 on the 22nd)
DS5

FRIDAY MAY 19th:
Awoke at 5am. Left home at 6am in a rainstorm. Got to LaGuardia and took off on American at 8:45 am. Arrived in Orlando at 11:15 after a smooth plane ride. Picked up our car from Budget, hit the road to the coast and were in Cocoa Beach by 1:00pm. The whole process was very quick and easy. It is sad to see all the damage from the brush fires along the way. Coming over the bridge past the terminal was very exciting. We saw an RCL and Carnival ship. Our first stop was at Ron Jons Surf shop. It is huge. A great place to get last minute items. I picked up sunglasses since I had forgotten mine. The temp was approx. 90 degrees.

Next we went to Pizza Hut for lunch and then to the Radisson. We had done the express check-in and requested a room on the bottom floor and close to the pool. Well, they gave us a room high up and and far from the pool. We asked to be changed and they did it no problem. Spent about 3 hours at the pool and then turned in early. Met Timster and his family at the pool. (Would later find out that they really know how to have a good time!) Happy with the hotel. Would recommend it.

SAT. MAY 20th:
We woke up at 6:30am and were so excited that the day had finally arrived. Showered, had the buffet breakfast, walked around a bit, and packed up. We all wore our bathing suits under our clothes (thanks to the dis boards). Were on the 10am shuttle. Met Echoqueen and her family before leaving the hotel (Hi Marla, Will, Devon and Lukas). It was so exciting to meet another fellow Dis'er. Got the terminal quickly with a lot of very happy kids.

When the Magic comes into view, WOW, she is soooo beautiful. DCL workers were waiting for us on the sidewalk to take our bags and we showed our ID and walked in. I am really having a hard time explaining just how thrilling this whole experience was. Words cannot describe it. We received Boarding Number 2! Went upstairs, turned in our paperwork, checked the kids in and got our beeper. From there, all we had to do was wait. Met Nusechell, her DH, and DD. (Ava really misses Lauren). Our DS had bonded with Lukas and another little boy and they were running around having fun. The three of them went over to a table and were coloring for about 15 minutes. I walked over when I saw the DCL worker was talking to them. He told me they had to leave because that area with the coloring tables was for concierge guests only. He said he had been asking them to leave for awhile and they were ignoring him. It was actually funny to me that they were ignoring him. Three 5 year olds who decided they were on vacation and they were not going anywhere.

Goofy and Mickey came out for some photo ops. We boarded around 11:45 I think. It was spectacular to see it in person. The atrium is stunning. They directed us to Parrot Cay, but we decided to head up to Deck 9 (thanks to the Disers again). DH was worried we were breaking some rule by going up, but I assured him all you guys had said it was ok. We were the first ones on line at the buffet. Sat outside, ate and hit the Mickey pool. Definately the least crowded it would be all week long. DS and DD had the first of what would be numerous ice creams. More than any child should ever eat. The boarding process had been a breeze.

Went to the room at 1:30. Deck 2 cabin 2108. Near aft lifts. Loved the room. Would stay there again. No luggage there yet, back to the pool. OK, so at around 3pm some kid had an accident in the pool. They closed it, drained it and cleaned it. Took around 3 hours (it happened 2 other times during the trip that I knew about). Emergency drill at 4pm was fast and easy. DS kept asking if we were going to get in the lifeboats.

4:30pm Sail Away Celebration. Not to be missed. Watched from Deck 10 at DIS meet. Best view IMHO. Everybody was so nice and having fun and happy to be there. DD stayed on Deck 9 to dance with Lauren. We brought bubbles, but would not do it again. They spilled everywhere and it was very slippery. Hearing that horn was beautiful. Waved to people at terminal. Went to front of Deck 10, looked down near ship and saw dolphins and a manatee in the water.

The kids were having such a good time swimming that we missed the first nights show. Went to room, unpacked, showered and changed for dinner. Had 8pm, APLAPLA rotation. Waiters were Leo from India and Collin from Trinidad. Sat with Lilo and her DH, and Jonette and her DH. We all became very good friends during our cruise. I miss them already. Lots of fun. I cant wait til Jonette and Leif come to NY to visit Lilo and I. Dinner does take a long time. Had the light show in AP. Very nice.
Kids never made it through one dinner the whole week. Always left right after eating to go to the club and lab. I know they say you cant leave the kids the first night, but we did. We went to see Match Your Mate. It was a lot of good fun (go Timster and DW! ). By the end of the cruise they did'nt even bother coming to dinner at all. Ate on Deck 9 and then went to the club and lab to have fun. It was fine with us. We just wanted them to have fun and it was actually nice for DH and myself to sit and have a nice adult meal with friends.
Hit the sack around 11pm.

For pics:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/...sWjZw2btmMY&auto=1&idx=-1&m=1&d=1148940808147

I will work on Day 2 later.

 

[eeyoregon]

Thanks for taking the time to write! Looking forward to day 2.

 

[tjeagle]

Thanks for the report! Looking forward to the rest!
We are debating between a town car or renting from Budget. Budget sounds smooth...any recommendations?

 

[MrsJobba1]

Thanks for your report. Iam looking forward to hearing the rest.

It is making me dizzy with excitement for our western cruise @ the end of july

 

[musicgirl]

How was the tendering at Cozumel?

 

[anty30]

Thanks for the report! Looking forward to the rest!
We are debating between a town car or renting from Budget. Budget sounds smooth...any recommendations?

Budget was really easy. While my husband waited for the luggage I ran downstairs to get on line for the car. It worked out well since the line just kept growing. Also, definately reserve early and print out the reservation confirmations. When I got there they had a sign up that said they were sold out of cars unless you had a ressie. When we returned from the cruise the woman in Cape Canaveral tried to charge us more. She said the airport prices are much cheaper and so I dug out my confirmation and we got it for the original price I had booked. I belive we paid approx. $35.00 each way for a 4 door midsize car. I also used our Costco card to get a discount. Good luck. Let me know if you have more ?'s.

 

[anty30]

How was the tendering at Cozumel?

The tendering went really smooth. We had the Fury Catamaran booked through DCL and got on a tender at 9am. We sat there for about 15 min. and did'nt know why until a large family came on. They were late and held us up so we quickly got going after that. Easy ride. Faster than in Grand Cayman I think. Coz. is devestated. It is really sad.

 

[Mishetta]

Great cruise report anty30! I am so sorry I never got to meet up with you guys. I'm so embarrassed to say that I forgot! There was so much going on & it wasn't until the ending of the sail away party that I remembered! I did get to meet the very beautiful DonMil though (Hi Donna! ) while waiting to getoff the ship at Castaway Cay.

I so understand what you meant by how thrilling the whole check in experience was & then actually boarding on the Magic. Couldn't you just die when they announced your name??!

You mentioned that your kids were coloring in the Concierge area ~ well, we were there too. Only we were there because we 'know someone' who let us in to wait there. We were not Concierge guests. So just think, we could have just been standing next to each other!

Regarding the tendering ~ which day was it when the tender was bouncing up & down more than Tigger? I almost lost it that day!

Did you witness the air rescue? That was something!

Can't wait to read the rest of your report!

Rose

 

[Pinky3]

We also have Budget reserved for our October cruise and staying at the Radisson on Friday night.

Did you return the car and use Radisson shuttle to port? Does Budget shuttle back to Radisson?

We are still debating on using town car service. Our only hesitation is that we have a 6:45pm flight back home and would like to have the rental car to explore instead of spending the day at the airport.

The town car service certainly is easier and someone else does the driving.

 

[JonetteA]

You go girl! I can't wait to here more about your FABULOUS dinner mates! They sound like the life of the party. And hot I am sure those girls were!!!

 

[NurseChell]

We got so used to seeing yall and EchoQueen everyday that I'm missing ya all ready!
Also, Had to cook dinner today for the 1st time in like 2 weeks. BOOHOO! I miss my meals onboard.
looking forward to more report.
talk to ya later, Michelle

 

[anty30]

We also have Budget reserved for our October cruise and staying at the Radisson on Friday night.

Did you return the car and use Radisson shuttle to port? Does Budget shuttle back to Radisson?

We are still debating on using town car service. Our only hesitation is that we have a 6:45pm flight back home and would like to have the rental car to explore instead of spending the day at the airport.

The town car service certainly is easier and someone else does the driving.

Dh returned the car at 8am Sat. before the cruise. Budget gave him a lift back to the Radisson. Took the 10 am shuttle from Radisson to the port. Upon our return, we took the Budget shuttle from the terminal to get the car. We were first in line because we had an 11:30am flight back to NY. Turns out, our flight was delayed until 2pm. Bummer. If your flight is that late, I would rent a car and go to Downtown Disney and sit and have a nice lunch. Our flight was at 2 and we sat for what seems forever waiting.

 

[anty30]

SUNDAY MAY 21:

I must say the beds are very comfy. More so than I thought they would be. Had a good nights sleep. Woke up around 7am when we had room service deliver a carafe of coffee to the cabin. This turned out to be one of the best things we did everyday. The night before we would hang out our order for coffee and juice and milk for the kids. It was our wake up call. Then we would head to breakfast refreshed. If we had any extra unopened milks we would put them in the fridge so the kids could have them later.

Went up to deck 9 to get DD hair braided. Did'nt have an appt., but they were empty since it was only 8:30am. It is $2 per braid, so we spent $28 plus tip. Finished by 9 and headed to our character breakfast in Parrot Cay. Got to see our lovely, beautiful, fun tablemates again. (Happy Jonette?!) The meet and greet with the characters is very fast. They come, take the pic, and leave in a whirlwind. Again, my kids did not make it through the whole meal. They wanted to eat and run to the club and lab and so DH left to take them quickly. They only missed Chip & Dale and Minnie. There are plenty of opportunities to see the characters all week. Plus, they have been to WDW every year so they are over it already.

We docked in Key West around around 11:30. It is exciting to watch. We went up to Deck 10 and looked over the starboard side to see the captain navigating into the pier. We did not have an excursion booked, just planned on exploring on our own without the kids. Got off the ship with Lilo and DH and Jonette and DH. Got to the end of the pier and heard the dreaded beeper. DH and I said goodbye to the gang and walked back to see what DS wanted. Well, he wanted to give me a necklace he made for me. Sweet, but not so sweet when you are walking far in 95 degree heat. I told him not to beep us again unless it was an emergency.

(The one complaint I had about the whole kids club was the fact that they beep you for every little thing. It does not seem as if they assess whether or not your child really needs you. If your child wants to see you for any reason, you get beeped. I think for my DS it became a game of "how fast will mom and dad get here." Sometimes they beep you and you go and your kid has forgotten they even beeped you. Other than that, the kids club and all the counselors were fabulous.)

Back to Key West. Walked to the Old Town Trolley. Had a buy one get one free coupon (thanks Disers) and bought a ticket for $25.00. The Trolley is the one you can get on and off at 9 different stops. It was a great way for us to see the island. Got off to eat at Sloppy Joes and got off to take a pic of the SouthernMost point. Also, if you get the chance, go to Kermits and have the Frozen Key Lime Pie dipped in chocolate on a stick. OMG, it is the best thing ever. Passed by the Hemingway House and all the other big sights. Very nice way to spend the day. Went back to the ship around 4 and had the Exotic Rasul booked for 5pm. Very fun for couples. Hot, hot, hot. I would highly recommend it if you dont want to spend alot, but want to do something in the spa.

We decided to eat with DS at Topsiders that night at 7pm instead of going to our regular dinner at 8. It is the same menu, but faster service. DD wanted to stay in the Lab and eat with them. Our server was a doll. She spent a lot of time playing with our DS. (If you are not going to be eating at your regular time, call down to the rest. and let your servers know. They waited for us and I felt bad. The crew at Topsiders said they would notify our servers, but I guess they did not.) After dinner we brought DS back to the Club and went to see Gary DeLena's 8:30 show. Very funny. Afterwards, we took a stroll on deck 4 and laid down on the lounge chairs. The most comfortable on the whole ship without a doubt. We both fell asleep and were awoken by Goofy and the Genie being silly. Goofy was doing cartwheels and they were running up and down the deck. Lots of fun antics. Picked up the kids and hit the sack.

 

[cinderella_mom]

SUNDAY MAY 21:

Walked to the Old Town Trolley. Had a buy one get one free coupon (thanks Disers) and bought a ticket for $25.00. The Trolley is the one you can get on and off at 9 different stops.

How far a walk is it from the dock to the Trolley? Did you have to wait very long when you got off to get on again? I'm thinking we'll be doing Key West on our own as well.

 

[anty30]

Not far at all. Just follow the crowd and head for the Shipwreck Historium. It is a big tower you can see from the ship. Everything is right there. Really, just a 5 minute walk. Whatever you do, dont try and walk to the Southernmost Point on your own. It is a really far walk in the heat. Our 4 tablemates did it and practically had heat stroke. We laughed at them the rest of the trip.

 

[anty30]

MONDAY MAY 22:

Day at Sea. Woke up early, put on our swimsuits and were at the Mickey pool by 8:30 am. It was already hot. Ate buffet at Topsiders. While DH was with the kids I ran to guest services to check on bill. I highly recommend doing this at least every other day. They will give you a printout of your charges and you can pay towards them with cash. Everytime it reaches $400. they automatically charge your credit card. So I gave them my rewards dollars ($235.00) and made sure my $50 stateroom credit was applied. The kids went into the club and lab around 11am. I spent the day at the Goofy pool with Lilo baking in the sun. DH got DD and went to play Bingo ($35.00). Then DD came up and went into the arcade for awhile ($40.00). So you can see how your charges add up quickly.

At 2pm they showed High School Musical on the big screen outside. That was a lot of fun. All the kids were singing and dancing. DD thought it was the best thing ever. DS had now been in the club for most of the day and didnt beep us yet, so I went to the room to get ready for formal night while he was still there and DH and DD finished watching High School Musical.

We were all ready by 5 and decided to go to the atrium for the captains reception at 5:15. I am glad we got there early. Got all our formal pics done early. Had a pic with Captain Tom. No lines. Then we walked around enjoying the free cocktails for awhile. (It is the only time you can get free drinks, so take advantage of it .) Went to the 6:15 Golden Mickeys show. By far, my favorite show all week. The kids loved it too. Went back to the atrium around 7:30 for the 2nd captains reception, which had started at 7:15, and got another free cocktail. Then we went to Lumieres for formal night dinner. Once again, the kids ate and ran. Made it about a quarter a way through dinner.

After dinner our tablemates were all going to see Gary Delenas adult show. We were all headed there when we got the dreaded beep for DS. It was around 10:15. I went to get him and went back to the room because he was tired. DH went with the gang to see the show. He said it was ok. Afterwards he picked up DD at the lab and came back to the room. DS and I were already asleep.

 

[JonetteA]

Thanks for the mention! Very happy that we are in your trip report. Leif and I miss you and Ed and the kids alot. It is weird not having dinner together!

 

[lilo62]

Not far at all. Just follow the crowd and head for the Shipwreck Historium. It is a big tower you can see from the ship. Everything is right there. Really, just a 5 minute walk. Whatever you do, dont try and walk to the Southernmost Point on your own. It is a really far walk in the heat. Our 4 tablemates did it and practically had heat stroke. We laughed at them the rest of the trip.

Yeah Ant - that's real funny!!!! I miss ya! You need to call me!

 

[anty30]

TUESDAY MAY 23:
DD birthday
Awoke early, had breakfast at Topsiders and got on the first tender into Grand Cayman. 7:30 am. Had a tour booked through NativeWay. Island Tour and Stingray City. They were wonderful. Air-conditioned bus with about 12 others and we saw: Governors House, Gingerbread house, Turtle Farm, Tortuga Rum Factory, and Hell. Stopped at the Turtle Farm (great fun), and stopped by the Rum Cake Store and Hell to send a postcard. The "devil" who runs the place is hilarious. Everything he says has the word hell in it, "where the hell you from?", "what the hell do you want?", etc. Very entertaining.
Then we went and boarded a boat to go to Stingray City. It was a highlight in our trip. The most beautiful water you will ever see. When I look at our photos it looks like we were standing in a pool. The stingrays are huge. The water was only around 3 ft. deep. The kids were a little freaked out, but they got in for awhile. We saw a conch and the guide said we could keep it if there was nothing living in it, but there was, so we left it. We also saw some kind of long needlenose fish. We stayed there for approx. 45 min.
On the way back in our guide told us that 2 weeks earlier they had seen a 14ft. hammerhead shark swimming near the stingrays. Thank God he didnt tell us that before we got there. I would not have gone in.

Got back to town, shopped a bit, and were back on the ship by 3:30. When we returned to our cabin we got a wonderful surprise. Our darling tablemates had arranged for our cabin to be decorated for DD birthday. It was so nice. She was thrilled. It was such a nice gesture. I could not thank them enough.

We all showered and the kids went to the clubs for awhile. DH and I went to Shutters to check on the many pics we had been taking. We ended up buying 2 packages. An 8x10 and a 6x8 package. Total cost: $160.00.
At the end of the trip we hadnt used all of the 6x8, so we got a credit and used it to get our xmas cards. It worked out well, and the cards came out beautiful.

Picked up the kids and went to see Twice Charmed with our good friends "the tablemates". It was a nice show.

Dinner in AP. Had a cake for DD bday The servers made it very special for her. Afterwards the kids went back to the clubs and we went to 80's night. You have to go this. It is so much fun. DH and I are products of the 80's and it was so much fun to relive those years. Lots of laughs.

Still to come: Cozumel, day at sea, and Castaway Cay.

 

[anty30]

WED. MAY 24:

Cozumel. I woke up with a little rocking going on around 5am. I guess going in and out of Coz can be rough. We had booked an excursion through DCL.

The Fury Catamaran, Sail, Snorkle, and Beach Party.

Met at 9am and headed onto the tender with the group. Sat on the tender waiting for a large group that was missing. They finally showed up and we took off. It was a quick ride. You can see all of the destruction that was caused by the hurricane. Very sad. Off the tender and right onto the catamaran. Got snorkling directions and after a short ride arrived at our destination. It was very deep, approx. 30 ft. DD was really scared. She thought we would be in a contained area, but we were really just in the middle of the sea. Finally got her in and had a good time. Lots to see. Got back on and headed for the beach. Margaritas, beer, and soda were included in the price. The beach was very nice. Free kayaks. Tables and chairs set up and a hut with some food. The food you had to pay for, but we did'nt have any. Just enjoyed the swimming and sunbathing. It was a little overcast, which was a nice break from all the sun we had been having.

Headed back to the pier after an hour on the beach. That was really fun. The crew did all kinds of line dancing with the kids and the adults were in a party mood after a few cocktails. When we reached the pier we actually got right back onto the tender to go back to the Magic. We were all exhausted. So, we didnt get to see any of the island. Next time.

We all showered and the kids got into their pirate garb. Went down to the atrium for pictures with Pirate Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. Then we went to Pirate Trivia (DD won). Had dinner in Parrot Cay. They gave out bandanas and once again, the kids left halfway through to go to the clubs. This was the only night I felt queesy. Parrot Cay is in the back of the ship and getting out of Coz is rocky.

Do not miss the Pirate party. It was really fun. If you are late, dont freak out. The end is the best part. Hit the sack around 11:30.