May 24-31, 2003 Western Magic Trip Report

[kstelzner]

Cast of Characters: Me, my husband, Mike and our daughter Elissa (18 months). In the other cabin is my mom (Meema), her husband, Mike (Papa), my nephew, Nathan (7) and my sister, Nik (30).

FRIDAY, May 23rd, 2003 –
We were startled out of bed by the alarm at 5am. Considering I was up until 11:45pm the night before finishing the final packing and then didn’t fall asleep right away from all the anticipation and excitement for about another hour, I was so tired. Adrenaline quickly set in and I finished the last minute items and we were off to the airport at 6am (via Pat). We arrived at the airport about 6:25am, let the porter take our bags (after transferring 10 lbs. out of the large suitcase) and headed up to the security checkpoint. Being on an US Government security alert orange issued a day prior to our departure, the line was LONG! But the very minute we got in line, we were whisked away by security personnel to the 1st class line with only about 10 people in it because we had Elissa with us. Yeah! We went through without a hitch and sat at the terminal for about an hour until we boarded. The flight took off on time and Elissa was a complete angel until we started our decent into Dallas. She was in obvious pain because of her ears and was quite upset. Off the plane, into the umbrella stroller and onto the tram and she was fast asleep. We ate lunch at Friday’s in the airport when Elissa woke up just as we finished. We found our connecting flight and were on board quickly. The flight was great and although Elissa was obviously tired, she refused to sleep because the TVs were on. Elissa had no problems this time with the decent. We landed in Orlando about 5 minutes late, made our way to baggage claim and waited for Meema, Papa, and Nathan to help us with the luggage (after Mike had already flagged down a porter so we had to terminate his services). They helped us make our way upstairs to the Hyatt (in the airport)… wow it was gorgeous and so convenient. We checked in and headed to room #7100 (Meema had #7105). We dropped off our stuff and Elissa and I headed to the outdoor pool and met up with Meema, Papa and Nathan. It was weird swimming with 757’s taking off and landing around us. After a quick swim, we all headed to dinner at Chili’s in the airport. We were keeping our eyes open for Mike’s brother, Charlie, who just happened to be coming in on a flight that night. But instead of seeing Mike’s brother, I spotted Nikki coming around the corner as we stepped off the elevator from dinner. It was about 10pm (7pm, our time) and she wasn’t due in for another hour from her 3rd leg flight (yes, mom booked her El Cheapo tickets!). But because she was going to miss that connection due to a delay in Atlanta, Delta finally (after 5 attempts because of the busy Memorial travel weekend) had a seat open up and got her on a flight straight from Atlanta in FIRST CLASS! We chatted and got caught up on the walk back to the Hyatt. When we got back to the room there was a message on our room phone from Charlie (he had called while we were at dinner) that he had lost Mike’s cell phone number.

 

[kstelzner]

SATURDAY, May 24th, 2003 –
7:00am – Hotel wake up call. We had so much to repack so we rushed around getting ready and had our bags set outside the door for Disney to pick up (though we hadn’t paid for their transportation services which included the pick up of luggage). We went downstairs in the airport to get a bite of breakfast. We met our driver, Bob, from Your Ride at 9:45am and we were off to the port (with a stop at the grocery store). Then, as Bob pointed out Cape Canaveral where the space shuttle launches, we looked over a little farther and there she was – The Disney Magic! I thought it would be heart skipping as it was for me when we first laid eyes on Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas back in 2000, but it wasn’t as dramatic. She was beautiful and cute in her Disney way, but not as grandiose. We paid Bob and then got in line to go through security and then into the terminal. My first priority was to get in line. We kept switching lines to shorter ones, and finally it was our turn. We got our KTTW (Key to the World) card and we were off to the next line to board the ship. It was noon and the crowd had just let out a big cheer, indicating to us that they had just opened the doors. We wrapped around and around until we were through the Mickey ears. They took our departure picture, we headed up the ramp and stepped onto the ship. We were greeted by staff who asked where we were from and our names and then they announced it over the loud speaker as we walked on board. Nice touch! The guys went with the luggage to find the rooms and the girls headed straight to the spa for reservations for Cabana massages on Castaway Cay. We got ‘em – the last time slot for the day at 2:30. We then went to our rooms – mom was in stateroom #6613 and we were directly across the hall in stateroom #6612 with a verandah. When I walked in, Mike was frantically trying to get things together – specifically emptying our leaking cooler of ice and trying to figure out how to get rid of a moldy smell (he’s highly allergic to mold). I had brought some odor remover and it seemed to help. I was surprised at how small the rooms felt. Even though the square footage was bigger than Royal Caribbean’s, it felt smaller. And I could see the wear-n-tear – definitely time for a dry dock. I found our room steward, Alejandro from Costa Rica, and asked for an extra bed sheet for the port-a-crib – nasty! I needed an extra layer of protection for my baby (in addition to the one we also brought). We then headed to lunch as Papa was cranky from starvation. Elissa was in meltdown mode from falling down and banging her eye against the side of the wall and Nathan was crying because Papa had set the chair down on his foot. So far, the vacation was not all cracked up to what it was suppose to be! We ate at Parrot Cay, an inside buffet style lunch down on deck 3. We then went back to our room where Mike stayed with Elissa for her nap (we took turns staying in the room while she took her afternoon nap). I went with Nik and found lounge chairs at the middle Goofy pool (it wasn’t until the next day that we discovered the adult-only pool (nice!)). It then came time for the lifeboat drill and I had purposely left my life-preserver in mom’s room knowing that Elissa would be asleep by then. We headed to deck 4 to our assigned station M and stood there laughing hysterically (we were recounting the Titanic movie, no disrespect intended). I don’t know if it was because we were coming down off the stress of everyday life or if it was those Bahama Mama drinks or if it was because we just looked plain ridiculous and uncomfortable in those lifevests. Anyway, the alarm/horns sounded and I knew I’d be seeing Mike and Elissa in just a couple of minutes (there’s no way she slept through that)! Sure enough, I soon saw my red, puffy-eyed little girl and her daddy making their way through the crowd. Oh well, so much for that nap. Mike mistakenly brought 2 child’s sized life-preservers so he didn’t have to wear one. After the drill, Mike took Elissa for a stroller ride to check out the ship, while I stayed behind to unpack and organize the room. Suddenly, I felt movement, heard the horn playing “When You Wish Upon A Star…”, looked outside and noticed we were pulling away from the dock, right on time at 5pm. I scrambled for the camcorder and got some footage. I then realized I was missing the sail away party up on the upper deck (and missed the DIS meet), but oh well, organizing the room was a priority before all hell broke loose. Nearing 6pm (early seating), we headed to Lumieres for dinner… we had rotation LAPLAPL. Our head server was Milan from Serbia and our assistant server was Adina from Romania. My first impression of Milan was okay (very reserved and professional), but as the nights went on, he relaxed and joked around with the rest of us (we are a weird, rambunctious family that brings it out in people). Adina was awesome! She was so spunky, funny and what a servant! I loved her accent and loved hearing her call Elissa, “Queen Elisabeth”. I had the Top Sirlion (okay) from the Lighter Fare menu and Mike had the Herb-Crusted Sea Bass. The seas were pretty rocky and we were cruising fast (my theory was they were trying to stay ahead of an approaching storm because later on in the evening I did see lightning in the distance), but the weather had been nice so far. I put Elissa down for the night and Mike went to the opening show, Welcome Aboard Variety Show. He thought it was okay. Then it was off to sleep and looking forward to more relaxing days ahead (this one being quite hectic).

 

[kstelzner]

SUNDAY, May 25th, 2003 –
We got up, got ready and headed up to breakfast by 8:30am. A church service was being held in Off Beat at 9:15am. The morning seemed to go as it did the day before, being rushed from one thing to another (later we were reassured by some staff that the first 1-2 days feel like this as you get acclimated with the ship and the cruising experience). Mike was trying to get Elissa to eat her oatmeal, but she didn’t want it (she wasn’t drinking her morning bottle either). To make a long story short, the guys ended up leaving breakfast for church frustrated while us girls calmly finished our breakfast (chewing every bite slowly… kidding) and met them at the service about 15 minutes late. It was led by a woman who was part of the Disney staff. Her message was on The Good Samaritan. We sang a hymn, lifted some prayer needs, and learned some ways we could be “good Samaritans” to those around us this week on the cruise (holding elevator doors, etc). Mike and I took Elissa to check out Flounder’s Nursery as it was “Toddler Time” from 9-11am where the parents can come in with the kids and all spend some time playing together for no charge. Mom went to drop off Nathan at Oceaneer’s Lab for an activity. We came back to the room where mom and Nik hung out / laid out on our balcony until we docked in Key West at about noon. We headed down to the Promenade Lounge for the meeting place for the Conch Train/Trolley Tour and Museum package. Nik went on a food run while we turned in forms, then we were on our way. It was HOT (90 degrees) and humid and we learned on our tour that it had rained the last 20 days straight and this was the first sunny day since. Yeah! Nice tour (no stops as we were on the train, not the trolley) and were dropped off by the museums. We went through the aquarium and then mom walked Elissa and I back near the ship (for her nap… my turn). On the way, we stopped by the store that had these adorable pants for $68. I told the cashier I’d be back after talking to my DH. Mom went back to join the others (they had climbed the tower in the pirate museum) for some shopping while we went back to the ship. Elissa was so riled up and didn’t fall asleep until 3:30pm. Mike eventually came back to the ship and gave me a half hour break (he wanted a nap too) so Nik and I headed to the adult pool. We spent some time talking and basking in the sun (well, me… partial shade). After an hour or so (nice half hour break, eh?), we came back to the rooms to get ready for dinner. Tonight was at Animator’s Palate. This was an awesome dining room! The room starts out in black and white and as you progress through dinner, the room slowly turns colors and the dinner courses are all timed with music. I had the Maple-Glazed Salmon and Mike had the Roasted Chicken Breast. After we already had eaten most of our dessert (I had the New York-style Cheesecake), Milan and Adina presented us an anniversary cake with a picture of the ship on top and sang to us. We all then headed up to deck 9 for a view of the sunset (since our verandah was on the starboard side and the sunset on the port side). Beautiful sunset, but a cloud was in the way just before the sun set, so we didn’t get to see it drop below the horizon. However, we did see a water spout form off in the distance. At one point it came down almost 3/4 of the way down and you could see the water being lifted off the ocean. A sight to behold, but a sign of weather to come. We came back to our room where we found the first of Alejandro’s towel creations, a lobster. Meema gave Elissa a bath and played with her and Nathan in our stateroom while Mike, Nik and I headed off the ship for some shopping in Key West. I passed by the store with the pants that I had fallen in love with, but Mike and Nik convinced me that $68 was too much for a pair of pants (Water Girl). So we moved on from store to store. I was looking for a particular shirt I saw on the train near the Fresh Produce store, but never found it. I did find this adorable Hawaiian dress/bloomer set for Elissa that matched the dress I have, but they wanted $29 for it. Nik, being the expert bargainer with experience in Uganda, went up to the manager and offered him $12 for the outfit. He thought we were insulting him so we left. We kept heading down the street from store to store when we noticed some girls flirting with some cops (who would come in handy later on). It was after 9:00pm (we had to be back on board by 9:45pm) and Mike was getting a little concerned that we weren’t seeing the ship as we went down the street. Nik and I went into a store while Mike went back to ask the cops for directions (a rare breed). We were headed the wrong way! We turned around and headed back to the ship (never found the shirt) and as I passed by the window displaying the pants I wanted, I regretted not getting them (they had closed). We reached the pier at 9:35pm and waved up to Meema, Nathan, and Elissa (yes she was still up!) as they were waiting and watching for us from the verandah. I believe we were the last ones back on the ship. Then as Nik opened our door to go to her cabin for bed, we heard a page over the loud speaker, “Would Nichol Francis from stateroom 6613, please contact guest services immediately!” They hadn’t registered her as being back on the ship . She called and reassured them she was aboard and then we all were quickly to bed.

 

[kstelzner]

MONDAY, May 26th, 2003 –
Today was our first full day at sea. It was a beautiful day, clear skies, sunny and warm! Our Character breakfast was this morning at 8:15am in Parrot Cay. This was so cute. We got some great shots of Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Chip & Dale with Elissa and Nathan. After breakfast, mom and I checked out Bingo, but thought $20 and $35 minimum was a rip off (I never win anyway). The rest of the morning we finished exploring the rest of the ship while mom and Nik laid out at the adult pool. After lunch at Topsiders, Mike went with Elissa to the room for her nap, while I went to the Disney Behind The Scenes, Stage Works at the Walt Disney Theatre at 1pm. I learned some interesting tidbits like the cast are hired on contracts and their appearance is apart of it so if they eat too much cruise food and don’t work out enough, they can be fired for not looking like the character they were originally hired for. Also, they are trained and prepared to do shows even if the ship is in rough seas and learn that if they jump up in the air, they could come down in a completely different spot as before. After the talk, I went up to the 9th deck and found the hair braiders, but they were booked for the entire week already! I found mom and Nik still at the adult pool and since mom was feeling like she was getting sun sick (she was out there for like 5 hours!), we headed down to the shops. I didn’t get anything, but did see an adorable set of Nemo bath toys that mom eventually bought for Elissa. Eventually, I headed back to the room where Elissa was up from her nap. We got dressed for dinner and headed up to the Roy O. Disney Suite. We missed the DIS meet in the Walt Suite, but Chuck from All Seas Travel had a reception in the Roy Suite. What a stateroom! There is this gorgeous wood everywhere with a hallway, a sitting room, a dining room (with yummy appetizers), a bedroom with 2 single beds and it’s own bathroom. Then on the other side of the sitting room is another sitting room where a bed is hidden behind more of that gorgeous wood on the wall. The master bedroom has an unbelievable bathroom connected complete with a TV, Jacuzzi bath and marble floors. And let’s not forget the 2 walk-in closets! It’s hard to believe you were on a cruise ship. We headed straight to dinner at Parrot Cay and we both had the Pepper-seared Grouper. Hercules The Muse-ical was showing tonight in the Walt Disney Theatre at 8:30pm. Elissa only lasted about 20 minutes into the show, so I took her back to the room for bed where I wrote a bit in my travel journal. The towel animal tonight was an elephant… or was it a dog? We set the clocks back 1 hour so we got some extra sleep that night.

 

[kstelzner]

TUESDAY, May 27th, 2003 –
Grand Cayman day!. After an early breakfast at Topsiders, we all proceeded to the Buena Vista Theatre for tender tickets to disembark, since we had booked an independent Stingray tour through Nativeway (not Disney’s). When we got to the theatre, mom realized that Nathan’s KTTW card was missing. She ran back to the room, but didn’t find the card, so she was off to Guest Services for a replacement card. After she returned, we all were directed downstairs to the deck 1 lobby and boarded the tender. There were 2 other ships anchored near us, Celebrity and Carnival’s. The water was very choppy and it was quite overcast. As our tender approached the dock, we had heard that Disney canceled all stingray and snorkel tours because of the weather and rough seas. We found the guy with the Nativeway sign and asked if the tour was still on and he reassured us that it would be safe. We had an 8:15am check in and after waiting under the gazebo for a good 45 minutes (met David and his family from the DIS boards), we were directed to a waiting van where they drove us (they drive on the opposite side of the car/roads) over to their dock. There had been a problem with one of the boats not starting up, but it had been fixed by the time we arrived at the dock. Mom, Papa, and Nathan climbed up the top of the boat, while Mike, Nik, Elissa and I stayed below. We got a lifevest for Elissa and put it on her. The ride out (well, actually the entire time) was awful! She hated the vest, the engine was loud and the exhaust was overpowering. The worst part was the rough boat ride (dejavu to when I was pregnant with her on our Kauai boat tour… I think Elissa and small boats just don’t mix!) The boat was rocking, but supposedly, Nathan up top was having a blast with a couple of other boys sitting at the bow getting drenched with every wave we hit. Meanwhile we tried everything to calm Elissa, but she just wanted to be done with this experience. By the time we arrived at Stingray City, Elissa had fallen asleep in my arms by shear exhaustion. That meant I had to stay put while the boat was in 5 ft. swells (ugh). A lot of people (there were about 20 people on board) opted not to go in. Those that did were fighting the waves. Papa went in with Nathan, then got out because it was quite tiring. Then, Mom, Nik and Mike got in and braved the swells. You couldn’t stand because of the swells. After Mike returned to the boat, I carefully transferred Elissa to his lap, while I got in (I wasn’t going to go in, but I needed to if I was going to make the trip without throwing up). I quickly got my snorkel equipment on and jumped in. Now I’m a pretty experienced diver and swimmer, but this was tough. A stingray quickly came over and I remembered what the guide had told us…. If one comes towards you, turn in a circle with him. I did that, but he kept circling at me and on top of fighting the swells, I wasn’t in control. I started screaming and then there were 3 all around me and brushing up against me. I didn’t care that they were touching me, but knowing that they had stingers that could snap at any wrong move I made, just did me in. Nik was laughing and the guide came to my rescue (he thought I had been stung). He dragged me over to a better spot (not that I could tell it was a better spot) and he picked one up where I got to touch it. Okay, I had had my stingray experience and the guide helped me back to the boat. Soon everyone was back in (I hoped, they didn’t even count) and we were off. We all took a vote and decided we’d head back to shore instead of going to the snorkel spot. The ride back was a bit more pleasant as Mom, Papa and Nathan stayed down below with us and kept Elissa preoccupied. Once back on shore, Nativeway offered to take us to Hell, the city (though we felt like we had just been there and back…J) since we didn’t go to the snorkel spot, but Elissa was tired and we weren’t that interested. So Sharon (the owner) took us back in her Forerunner. She dropped mom, Nik and Nathan along the Seven Mile Beach at the Treasure Island hotel where they thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the day (I was bummed I couldn’t join them… it was my turn to put Elissa down for her nap). Papa, Mike and I went back to the pier to an awaiting tender and back to the ship. We headed up to Topsiders for lunch and then Mike went to see Holes at 1:30pm while I put Elissa down for her nap. They were doing work below us on the lifeboats and it was loud, constant and annoying, but Elissa slept right through it. Mike came back from the movie at about 3:30 and he wanted to take a nap. So I quickly got my things together and headed down to board a tender. There were only 3 of us as most people were coming back on board, not going out. I had about 45 minutes to shop along the pier! I went in a few shops and then as I was walking along the street, I looked in a passing taxi and there was mom, Nik and Nathan! They got out and joined me on my shopping spree. They had such a glow on their faces as they explained their wonderful time at the beach (so awesome!). They even mentioned that the sun popped through the clouds for awhile (though I never saw it). We bought some shirts and we caught the last tender back at 4:30pm, though we waited at the dock until about 4:45pm for the stragglers (not fair, I could’ve had a little more shopping time). Even after waiting overtime, when we were back to the ship, I heard over the boat radio that some people had just shown up at the pier (not sure if they went back to get them). We headed up and got ready for the “Around the World” dinner in Lumieres. We both had the Fillet of Salmon (Scotland), the Lobster Bisque was tasty and the Tiramisu was to die for! Mike went back to the room and waited until Elissa fell asleep for the night. The towel animal waiting was a snake, which Elissa loved the best maybe because it stayed intact… she carried it around for awhile. After Elissa was asleep, Meema came to the room to watch her while Mike met me at the theatre to see “Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer” (a knockoff of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire). We never found each other and neither of us was picked, but it was still great to see (though the host totally helps the contestants to the answer if you read into his comments). We found each other in the hall after the show and walked to deck 4 where we played 3 games of shuffleboard (I won all 3!) It was nice to have a break together. We were pretty exhausted from this eventful day, so we went back to the room, relieved Meema and retired for the night.

 

[kstelzner]

WEDNESDAY, May 28th, 2003 –
Cozumel was our port today! We weren’t due to dock until 9:30am so we slept in a little. We went up to Topsiders for breakfast (again) and Mom, Papa, Nathan and Nik sat outside on the patio while we chose inside because Elissa or I weren’t lathered up with sun block yet. What a sight as we pulled into port! The water was so turquoise and clear as a swimming pool… ah, the famous Caribbean water I’ve been longing to see again for 3 years! Papa, Nathan and I were doing the Dolphin Discovery at Chankanaab Park while mom, Nik, Mike and Elissa were to meet us over there via their own taxi and entrance fee of $10 into the park. The 3 of us went to the Walt Disney Theatre at 10:20am, turned in our waiver forms and soon were led off the ship by our guide. We walked the long pier, up the escalator, over the road and into an awaiting cab. It was a hot, humid morning and I remembered thinking the Mexican military men standing guard with machine guns (that made me a little nervous) had to be dying of heat with all that garb on them. The driver didn’t say 2 words to us, but probably because Papa and Nathan were playing Punch Bunny Gotcha the whole way there. There were a ton of Punch Bunnies (VW Beatles) and I finally had to stop them after awhile knowing that if this cab driver didn’t speak English (or even if he did) that we must have sounded like crazy people! We made it to the park where the tour guide lead us in and gave us a “how to” talk near the lockers. We stuffed everything into a locker and were on our way over to the dolphin “pools” (fenced off sections of the ocean). They took about 15 or so in a group to each “pool” where we were lead down some steps and onto a slimy platform about waist high (to Nathan it was neck high). Our dolphin was eagerly waiting for us (okay, for the food, not us). The trainer and the dolphin moved up and down the line of us and we got to touch the dolphin many times up close and personal. The trainer taught us the hand signals for a kiss and a fin shake and they took pictures of us while the dolphin came by and did this to each of us. Then on command, the dolphin sang “La Cucaracha” and then did jumps in the air right in front of us. Amazing mammal! It was about 12:30 when we finished and we got rinsed off (didn’t want any sea lice rashes) and went in search for the rest of the gang. We didn’t predetermine a meeting place (big mistake)! We walked all the way up to the snorkel rental hut, but didn’t see them. Figuring that Mike didn’t go that far in a stroller, we turned around and sort of stalled around the lockers and stores. We all agreed that they must not have come. At 1:30, we took the first of the taxis for the Disney excursion that was heading back to the ship. We had another party in the taxi van with us from Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas… they were dropped off where all the other ships dock (there were 4 there that day) and then the driver continued down to where Disney was docked. We boarded the ship and went to our room and there was Mike and Elissa getting ready to go to a last minute lunch at Topsiders. What had happened was Elissa ended up having a meltdown (in hindsight she was sick). Only mom and Nik went to Chankanaab, but Mike stayed on the ship and put her down for a nap… she slept from 11am-2pm. So why hadn’t we found mom and Nik at Chankanaab? They were past the snorkel rental hut!! Go figure! Nik had rented some equipment and snorkeled and said it was the best she had ever seen. Later, they also told us about some pineapple drink story (the lounge chairs are pre molded into a sort of “s” shape and mom couldn’t get out of the chair and spilled it all over her)! I was so bummed I didn’t hook up with them because 1) I already missed lounging with them in Grand Cayman at Treasure Island 2) I was back on the ship when I could’ve been out on a gorgeous island 3) we had planned to check out another beach like Mr. Sanchos, and 4) it was my afternoon break from the baby. Oh well. We grabbed some lunch at Topsiders just before they closed and sat down to eat when we looked out the windows… my oh my! We saw it coming from a distance… a huge dark cloud covered the entire horizon and it was headed towards us. You could see the displaced water in the ocean from the rain as it approached. The sun was still shining over The Magic so after lunch we headed to the pools. There was hardly anyone around. Nathan went down the Mickey slide 23 times straight in a row. I took Elissa in the baby pool (this is when I noticed her cough). Seeing we were getting cold (there’s only about 1” of water) and it was starting to sprinkle, we got out, I wrapped her in a warm towel and handed her to Mike while I went to the Goofy Jacuzzi. I was in there maybe a minute and the downpour came. What a perfect place to be, but eventually I had to get out and the rain wasn’t stopping. We went back to the room to get dried off and the rain had stopped (for now). I still wanted to head to the shops for some T-shirts and needed some new sunglasses as I had left mine in the taxi. So we headed off the ship and over to the shops. Mike got a T-shirt for $5 and then I found a kiosk where people were doing hair braiding. I bargained them down to $15 from $20 (my, what a bargainer!) and they did the whole top of my head with neat angles and everything. After they finished my hair, we came around the corner and there was mom and Nik! They felt so bad about not hooking up. They went back to get ready for dinner… we should have done the same. But I still needed a pair of sunglasses. Finally I found some (rip off, but I was desperate and they weren’t coming down in price) and we headed back towards the pier. Just before we stepped off the escalator, a downpour ensued. We stood there under an awning dumbfounded about what to do as we had Elissa and the stroller with us and couldn’t possibly get her wet (like she might melt... we are so from San Diego). Then Mike reminded me we had a towel inside the backpack. So we draped the towel over the stroller covering Elissa the best we could and RAN! The pier was a good 1/4 of a mile (at least) and when we boarded the ship we were out of breath and soaked to the bone (at least I wasn’t wearing a white shirt). Elissa was good… her legs were wet, but her clothes were just a little damp. We went to our room, got dried off again and into our Mexican (though ours were more Hawaiian) attire. Dinner was in Animator’s Palate. I had the vegetarian enchiladas and Mike had the Fruit Stuffed Pork Loin. And of course I had the cheesecake again (Hazelnut cheesecake) with the usual cup of coffee! We went back to the room where a Stingray towel creation was waiting. I needed some evening time exercise, so Nik and I walked a few laps around the ship on deck 4. When I got back to the room, Mike was already in bed and Elissa was sound asleep. Mike had already set the clock forward one hour, but there was still an hour or so before the big MEXICALIfragilisticexpialidocious Deck Party at 10pm. I got in bed, wrote a few things in my travel journal and before I knew it, I was fast asleep and missed it. Nik and mom went and said it was so much fun!

 

[kstelzner]

THURSDAY, May 29th, 2003 –
Today was our second and last full day at sea. The weather was awful all day. It rained, was gloomy, rained some more and was gloomy. Mike got up before Elissa and I did, showered and got ready and whispered to me that he was going to go have breakfast. In the meantime, Elissa woke up, I gave her a bottle and when Mike came back, I went to breakfast with the others. Adina was working and got us a table at a very crowded Topsiders. We just milled around in the morning and walked the ship. We didn’t go up to the pools as the weather was awful. After a small lunch (I don’t care for Asian food), I decided to do some laundry (ya right, on a sea day when everyone else is trying to do the same). We had so many things that were still wet from the day before. The washer was no problem getting and I threw a load in. Mom stayed with Elissa in our room and got her down for her nap. Nik, Mike and I went to Disney Behind The Scenes, Galley/Kitchen Tour at 2:45pm. There were a ton of people, but eventually found out they were giving out tickets with specific times to go in by 10-15 people at a time. We got in at 3:05pm and made our way through. Nice tour and got to see the pastry chef decorating a wedding cake. We even got warm-right-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. We loved the little tidbits like they serve about 2,900 lobsters on that night and go thru 5,000 eggs a day. After the tour ended, I went to the laundry room to check on my clothes. There were 2 women waiting for dryers and my wet clothes stacked on the table (I didn’t mind though) Nik, Mike and I planned on seeing the movie “Bringing Down the House” showing in the Buena Vista Threatre at 3:30pm. I told them I’d meet them there after I got my laundry in the dryer. I was prepared to wait as I really didn’t have a clue what the movie was about anyway. One woman got her clothes in a dryer rather quickly. Then after a short while, the other woman left as all the dryers still had at least 30+ minutes on them. Soon a man came in and took his clothes out of the dryer that still said had 45 minutes left. Good for me…. the woman in front of me left and I was next and the dryer still had time on it. I threw the clothes in, found Mike and Nik in the theatre and watched the movie laughing my butt off. I love Steve Martin. That was such a funny flick. Though I was appalled at how many parents were there with their very young children. So much adult content and they were taking it all in. People wonder why kids have so many problems today. We got back to our room, opened the door and there was Meema doing the monkey dance with Elissa (so funny)! Tonight was formal night in Parrot Cay. We all got dressed up… I don’t think I wore nylons nor Mike worn a suit since the last cruise 3 years ago. I had the lobster (2 of them) and Mike had the pan-fried Halibut. Guess what I had for dessert? Amaretto Cheescake! So I needed to exercise again, but first we all went to see “Disney Dreams” in the Walt Disney Theatre. Elissa was fidgety, but loved the under the sea part. She made it through the whole show! We came back to the room where Nathan’s favorite towel animal was hanging from a coat hanger, a monkey. Mike stayed with Elissa in the room and put her to bed while Nik and I walked a few laps. This time Nik powered walked… and caught up with me again about the 4th lap when I was about done! I headed back to the room to grab the camera and camcorder for the Midnight Buffet (really it’s 11:15pm) and boy was I glad I was 3rd in line. On the Royal Caribbean, everyone gets a chance to go through the buffet to take pictures first, then they open the doors a second time for the eating of it. I felt bad for the people in the back of the line (or even in the middle) as they only got to see the display half eaten. But then again, the display wasn’t that impressive. It looked like a school bake sale -- a ton of round cakes… beautiful, yes and tasty, I’m sure (I didn’t end up having any). There was one huge and beautiful ice sculpture, but the rest of the decorations were Styrofoam. Headed up to the room and was soon out like a light.

 

[kstelzner]

FRIDAY, May 30th, 2003 –
I guess I’ll start this day off at 12:01am…. really, we all were asleep, but many folks were not. The premiere of “Finding Nemo” was at 12:01am (technically today so I’ll put it under the Friday section). There was no way I was staying up that late and then getting off the ship early for Castaway Cay. Though at one point during the night, Elissa woke up screaming. We tried everything… taking her in bed with us, giving her water, giving her Mylecon drops for her tummy, bringing her out on the balcony (the fresh air usually works), and then finally we gave her an animal cookie and she was back to sleep. While I was out on the balcony, I was praising God that the sky was perfectly clear. I could see every star in the sky, yet it was extremely windy. He had answered our prayers for stopping the rain. I said a quick prayer for the wind to die down (because I had heard wind can be a problem for docking more than rain can be). I woke up at 7:30am and got ready by 8am to meet the family for breakfast down in Lumieres (since we had breakfast every other morning up at Topsiders). Elissa and Mike were still sleeping and just before leaving, I let Mike know that I was heading to breakfast while he stayed with Elissa until she woke up (as he had done the morning before). We headed to Lumieres and were directed to our table, and lo and behold, Milan was our server! We had a light breakfast (haha). Mom said to Milan, “I’m cutting back, I’ll have the pancakes!” [Funny] I came back to the room to lather Elissa and myself up on the sun block while Mike went to breakfast. We disembarked around 9:30am (the weather was gorgeous!) and as we headed over to the family beach, we got a family picture with the ship in the background, a picture of Elissa with Mickey, and a picture of Elissa & I with Pluto. The details Disney put into this island were amazing. We got to the family beach and it was packed! I was having dejavu about trying to find mom and Nik again. Mike went to go search the beach for them (like trying to find a needle in a haystack) while I stayed with Elissa up on the sidewalk (I couldn’t push the stroller in the sand). Then, about 10 minutes later, Nik walked up (she was heading to the bathroom, again!). She helped carry the stroller, showed us where they were and then Mike saw me and called out to me. We were right near the float rental place. While Mike took Nathan to the water gym, Mom took Elissa down to the water to introduce her to the ocean. Slowly, but surely she warmed up to it all, though she still hates sand (like Papa). For the first time on this vacation was I truly in heaven in total relaxation. I was sitting in a chair, with my feet in the sand, looking out at his beautiful water, watching my daughter and her Meema experiencing the beach for the first time together and silence from everyone who knew me. AH!! Mike was out snorkeling with Nik (frying his back). Mom, Elissa and I then headed up to the store where I bought Elissa this adorable “I love Castaway Cay” shirt and a pair of Mickey sunglasses. Mom got some shirts and souvenirs for the family. We then all headed up to “Cookies BBQ” for lunch and then afterwards Mike was going to take Elissa back to the ship for a nap. We strapped her in the stroller, said our goodbyes and the rest of us headed back to the family beach where I snorkeled out to the underwater Mickey to use up the last of the underwater camera shots. I was out and back in 20 minutes as we had a Cabana Massage appointment at 2:30pm. [btw, don’t pre-book snorkel and float equipment, there are plenty and I ended up not using the float rental and had paid for it] I was startled to see Mike sitting in a lounge chair, but soon figured that Elissa had fallen asleep in the stroller on the way to the ship. So somehow he managed to push the stroller in the sand to where we were without waking her up. Mike covered the stroller in towels making a makeshift room for Elissa as it was still windy. Mom, Nik (who was just getting off a kayak/paddle boat with Nathan), and I headed to the tram station to head over to Serenity Bay (adults only). I had forgotten my KTTW card on the chair at the family beach so I ran all the way back to get it and made it before the tram showed up. We were about 10 minutes late for our Cabana Massage… okay, so we were following Bahamian time! Nik went with one masseuse to her own cabana while mom and I were in another cabana together each with our own masseuse also. We had the 50 minute Spa Taster and my oh my, I was in la-la-land. She started with my legs, then my feet, then my back, then my neck and shoulders, then I turned over (gracefully, not!) for a facial. Wow! I walked out of there like jello! The masseuses told us we still had time to catch the last tram back to the family beach. The last tram? It was only 3:45pm. We didn’t have to be back on the ship until 4:30pm. We headed down to the beach and oh my, it was gorgeous! We spent our last 10 minutes or so frolicking in the ocean and taking pictures of the beautiful scenery. The beach was deserted… only a crew member who was trying to get us out of there and into the last tram (I’m telling you there were about 3 or 4 “last” trams). Finally, we did board the REAL last tram and were back to the family beach at 4:00pm. Where was everyone? We still had a half hour! We felt like that movie, “Left Behind.” There were about 10 crew members cleaning up items that people had left on the beach and that was it. So, instead of risking being the Castaway Cay stowaways, we headed back to the ship via the other tram. In the meantime, the guys attended the disembarkation presentation at 4:15pm. We met up with them in our room. I took Elissa up to the top deck for a dip in the Mickey ear pool (btw, one ear is designated for non potty trained kids with swim diapers). Eventually, the clan met up with us and mom and I had a drink as the ship sailed away from Castaway Cay. This was the best day! We then got ready for dinner and headed to Lumieres for the “Best Of” dinner where they did a “It’s a Small World” show. Mike and I both had Roasted Red Snapper. We handed our tips to our well deserved servers and said our goodbyes. Adina made a speech and even got teary-eyed (us too). It was coming to an end and it was sad. After dinner, I went back to the room to put Elissa down for the evening and to start the daunting task of packing, while the rest of them went to see “Finding Nemo” at the 8:15pm showing. When Mike came back from the show, there was still a lot of packing to do. I left him with the rest (the bags had to be out in the hall by 11pm for them to pick up) while I went with Nik to the 10:30pm showing. A great movie and how appropriate to see it on board a ship in the middle of the ocean! Then it was back to the room (no luggage so I assumed he got it packed and out in time) and fast to sleep.

 

[kstelzner]

SATURDAY, May 31st, 2003 –
I woke up early when the ship was still moving (I think pulling into port or something), but soon dozed back to sleep until the alarm went off at 6:00am. The ship was docked and being unloaded. We were to be downstairs in Lumieres for breakfast by 6:45am. We ate and said our last goodbyes to Milan and Adina. We noticed the line getting longer and longer outside Lumieres for disembarkation, but decided that sitting at the table was better than standing in line. Eventually we had to leave so that late seating could eat breakfast (didn’t realize another wave of people would be eating and disembarking after us). We got in line all the way in aft near Parrot Cay, but the line went relatively quickly. We made our way to where our luggage was waiting. I was very impressed at how fast this went… all the luggage was waiting and grouped by a series of cabin numbers so it was easy to locate (at Royal Caribbean it was like the airport where it just comes around on the moving ramp and that takes forever). However, one of our pieces of luggage was broken… the handle was stuck. Thinking it wasn’t moving because we overstuffed the bag, we opened it up and started pulling stuff out, but the handle still wasn’t moving… it had been bent. We packed it back up, wheeled it as best we could without the handle and went through customs. What a breeze. We got outside where the others were waiting for us. Mike decided to check our luggage at the American desk outside by the buses. While we were waiting for him to come back, mom mentioned that we should make a claim for the damaged luggage. I went inside to inquire and had to go through security procedures again. They informed me they needed the luggage to take a picture to process the claim. So I had go back outside, find Mike over at American check in and take the bag back over to be photographed. Went back through security with the bag, got it photographed and filled out the necessary paperwork and lugged it back over to American. By then, the others decided to check their luggage in with Delta. The Delta line was longer than all the others! I was concerned about Your Ride knowing that they were waiting for us across the street under the white tent. After waiting for the others, we decided to head over to the van. Our driver, Bryan, had been waiting there for about an hour. I felt so bad. Mike went back to get status on the others and a few minutes later, I saw them all coming across the street. Bryan was so nice about the wait, and after talking with him for a few minutes learned that he had lived in the same town as us a few years back so we reminisced about that. The ride was a quiet one (except Bryan asking about how the town has change… like I wanted to think about home)… much different than the ride to the port where we were talking a mile a minute. We all were in ”vacation let down.” We got to the airport and had about 3 hours to kill before our flight out at 1:29pm (the others had an even longer wait as their flight wasn’t until 6:10pm). We went through some shops, bought some mugs for some gifts, and then said our goodbyes (though we’d see them soon… we live in the same town!) We got in this humongous line to get through security. Security was tight and they even checked our underwater camera at the bomb check machine. We ate a quick bite in the terminal and then soon boarded the plane (all flights were on time). The first leg to Dallas was relatively manageable with Elissa as she fell asleep for a short time while I filled in my journal of the trip. But the second leg to San Diego was to be the worst. I knew she was tired of traveling, not feeling well and the last thing she wanted was to sit again for another 3+ hours. From the moment we were in the air, she wanted nothing to do with this flight. We tried everything…. food, books, toys, distraction. They each worked for awhile, but then it was crying spats again. Finally, right before descending into San Diego (thank goodness it was before the decent… I don’t think she could have handled the ear pain on top of it all) she was out like a light in Mike’s arms. [Remind me to book direct flights whenever possible… who cares if the price is double!] We landed and tried transferring her asleep off the plane, however she woke up, but was calm. We found Pat, loaded the car and were on our way to the house. Ah… we walked in and though we had an awesome trip, it was good to be home. Elissa went berserk over her toys she missed and kept feeling the carpet… guess she missed the fuzzy carpet. Mike went to the store and got some food while I gave Elissa a bath and fed her dinner and then put her straight to bed. We read email and started unpacking, but didn’t finish and crawled into bed about 9pm (midnight to us now). Elissa ended up waking 2 or 3 times during the night with the start of a bad cough. Yep, she caught a cold!

Overall, despite the weather and minor inconveniences of traveling with a small child, we had a blast on the trip and would highly recommend a Disney cruise to any family!

 

[jlawall]

Wow, I'm exhausted reading that report! You brought back memories of traveling with a little girl. It's always so tough when there are people of different ages traveling with you. It sounds like you did really well making it all work. That massage on the last day sounded amazing! I know if I do the stingray experience I will scream too! Thx for a great report. Welcome home!

 

[kstelzner]

BTW, so sorry it's so long! I wrote it with my family in mind and with great details when I get around to doing my scrapbooking. I didn't want to spend even more time making a scaled down version for the board.... so forgive me for all the details you all already know about!!

Also, we really did have fun, though parts of it sounded pretty troublesome. We knew going in that because we had an 18 month old that our vacation wouldn't be the care free ones we had before we had her. That's part of parenthood!! Wouldn't change it for the world!

 

[jlawall]

Really, your details were terrific! I have 3 teenaged daughters but I still remember vacations with them when they were babies. It takes a TON of patience and cooperation. You sound like you really did a great job.

 

[Eggleboo]

Hi, Whew!!!!!!!! I think you need a vacation after your vacation! I haven't traveled with little ones for so many years that I forget how much your schedule revolves around them! I give you the "Good Parenting Award" for enjoying yourself while making sure your daughter's needs were met. I remember doing WDW with a 2 year old and a four year old but not sure I would have the guts to take a little one on a cruise. Sounds like everyone had a good time and hopefully next time your little one will be old enough to enjoy much more of her trip! Ahhhhh the ears on the airplane....memories! I remember them well!

 

[hopelea]

Wow!! What a great Post. I skimmed through it while my two DD's 9 & 7 were hovering over my shoulder. I read it more closely when I am ALONE!! Thanks for all you have shared. We are going on our first DC in October and can't wait!!!

Thanks again for the great trip report!

Hope

 

[4myguys]

Very detailed. Thought I would just skim over but started reading and couldn't stop. Great report.

 

[sstucush]

Thanks for the great report. We are in 6606 on our cruise in March 2004. Could you hear any noise from the theatre below?

 

[Credit Man]

Great report. Thanks for posting.

 

[kstelzner]

sstucush - We did hear rumblings (loud base) from the theatre, but I think unless you were in the room a lot like we were (for naps and 8-9pm bedtimes) then it probably won't bother you. Have a great time! Wish we could go back!!!

 

[tchoney]

I noticed while reading your post that you met with Chuck from All Seasons Travel. Did you book your cruise through them? I Have considered using them for our next cruise but have yet to find anyone for a recommendation. Thanks!

 

[kstelzner]

All Seas is great... highly recommend! No problems at all and the best price.... can't beat it!!