Momeska
Go Irish!
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2005
- Messages
- 370
We, too, just returned from the May 7-14 Magic. Before we left, I read a very lengthy but wonderful journal on the boards and it got me so excited. 
For you future cruisers, I hereby "Pay It Forward"
Our First Magical Disney Cruise
May 7-14, 2005
Saturday, May 7th, 9:45 a.m. - Our plane took off from Newark International and our pilot wasted no time in getting us to Orlando as we arrived ½ hour ahead of schedule. We didnt even have to claim our luggage since the Disney tags send it straight through to the ship. All we had to do was meet a Disney Cruise Line representative and board the shuttle bus to the port. The bus ride took about an hour. We were amazed at how huge the ship was when we saw it. When we got off the bus, we entered the terminal and got our Key to the World cards and entered the Disney Magic. They took our pictures right before we boarded. Of course, being an avid scrapbooker, Im a sucker for all the pictures. As we entered the ship, a Disney rep asked our last name and announced our arrival. There was applause. Everything they do makes you feel special. We kind of wandered around aimlessly for a while because our stateroom wouldnt be ready until 1:30. It was a little cumbersome because we had to lug our carry-ons around with us and we had packed water and wine bottles. DS17 & DS13 took off to explore and DH decided we should make ressies for dinner at Palo. The line was a little long but we didnt have anything else to do at the time. DH and I couldnt find the boys so we decided to go up to Deck 9, Topsiders Buffet and have some lunch. Come to find out, the boys had been there and gone! At 3:00, we met some of the people from the DIS boards. At 3:30, we had to meet for our mandatory boat drill. The life jackets are big and hot. Fortunately, that went smoothly and was over with quickly. At 4:30, there was a Sail Away party on Deck 9. I bought a Bon Voyage in a souvenir DCL glass. It was half strawberry daquiri and half pina-colada and the server carried a bottle of Bacardi in his back pocket. Once we left port, we went to our stateroom and most of our luggage had arrived. I got a wee bit stressed out unpacking because I packed way too many clothes. TIP: Stow life vests and empty suitcases, one inside each other under the bed. It lifts up! The rooms are really tight and you have to use every available space. And...thank goodness I brought the over the door shoe holder. We hung it over the bathroom door and put ALL of our toiletries in it. It worked out beautifully. We dressed for dinner and at 6:30 went to see the Welcome Aboard Show in the Walt Disney Theatre. Since we had the later dinner seating, we saw the show, shopped and went to dinner at 8:30. The show was good. There was a comedian and a magician. Our dinner rotation was LAPLAPL (Lumieres, Animators Palate, Parrot Cay, etc.). So our dinner was at Lumieres. The restaurant is very elegant even though it was a casual night. Our server was Alvira from Jamaica and our assistant server was Teodore from Bulgaria. Lovely people! We found the food to be quite good, a little too fancy for DS13 but they let him order from the childrens menu. They are so accommodating when it comes to what you want to eat. Theyll give you two appetizers, two entrees, two desserts, whatever you want. DS13 had mini cheeseburgers for an appetizer and pizza for his entree! We ordered a lovely bottle of wine...Greg Norman Shiraz from Australia...very nice. After dinner, the boys took off for the Stack and we headed back for an early lights out. We dont know when the boys came in but their beds had been turned down by our very attentive stateroom host, Arye from Indonesia. Warning: The boys had some issues with the beds. DS17 slept in the couch/futon pullout and his feet hung off and DS13 slept in the upper pull-down bunk and his feet hung off. They are great for kids but not so for big guys. We had given our boys freedom on the ship, no curfew...where would they go??? We knew they would abide by the rules so this was an opportunity for them to have a little freedom as far as bedtime. DH and I found the gentle rocking of the ship to be very restful.
Sunday, May 8,2005 - Upon awakening, we showered and headed up to Topsiders Buffet for breakfast. We shopped a bit more and watched as the ship pulled in to Key West. It was Mothers Day and DS17 went shopping for me at Mickeys Mates and bought me some scrapbooking stuff and a Mothers Day 2005 pin. About 12:15, we disembarked. We hadnt planned any excursions in Key West so we just walked around for hours. Theres extensive shopping. DS17 bought an Irish shirt to wear once hes off to Notre Dame. DH was thrilled to find Crazy Shirts. They are a chain of stores started in Hawaii and are the absolute best quality t-shirts weve ever found. We decided to tour Hemingways house and DS13 loved seeing all the cats. There are about 60 cats on the property and the unique thing about them is that they are all descendants of the cat Hemingway brought back from Cuba, with 6 toes. Almost all of the cats have 6 or more toes on each paw. The cats were very docile but had really big feet! We then walked to the most southerly point in the USA. It was a cool photo op. We called our moms on our cell phones since we knew it was the last time they would work. We went back to the ship around 5:00 and showered. The boys were MIA. They had to get back on the ship with us but disappeared immediately. DH and I went to watch Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer in the WD Theatre. It was cute. We went back to our room and left a note for the boys to meet us for dinner at Animators Palate. The restaurant was simply amazing. It starts out all black and white and as the dinner courses progress, the room comes alive with color. The servers even start out with black and white vests that reverse to color later in the evening. Our servers are become more friendly. Teodore was thrown a bit by the boys requesting Coke with Lime. Apparently that hasnt made its way to the ship yet so he just brought Cokes and lime wedges. Once again, dinner was quite good. The boys went to the Stack after dinner and DH and I went into Rockin Bar D to watch the comedian from last nights dinner show. The bars are for adults only after 9:00 so the shows are a little racier. We returned to our room with the beds all turned down, chocolates on the bed and towels shaped into swans. It was a long, but most enjoyable day.
Monday, May 9,2005 - Thank goodness, I brought along a light up alarm clock because with no windows in our stateroom, theres no concept of what time it is. We had a scheduled character breakfast in Parrot Cay at 9:45. (This is part of the meal rotation, we didnt schedule it) The restaurant was bright and colorful and there were characters everywhere, followed by photographers from Shutters. I left my camera lying on the table and the photographer just automatically picked it up and took pictures with it, also. DS17 and I wanted French Toast which was not on the menu so Alvira ran up to Topsiders and got it for us. Like I said, they are so accommodating! Chip and Dale did a song and dance routine. After breakfast, the boys went on their way and DH and I decided to soak up some sun on deck 10. It was a day at sea and the sun was very strong. They have a lot of planned activities aboard but we decided to just chill out. Lunch at Topsiders was an Asian buffet. Yummy! Late afternoon, we went back to our stateroom, showered and got ready for the Golden Mickeys show, the Captains Welcome reception and Formal Night at Parrot Cay. Of course, DS17 was missing. He showed up in time to shower for the show. The show was quite spectacular. After the show, we went into the lobby for photos. The lines were long but moved quickly. We had our picture taken with the captain. We spent quite a bit of time talking to Sheila, who is in charge of all the childrens activities, including the teens. She approached us commenting on the ties the boys were wearing. We started talking and found out shes from Indiana, not far from where DS17 will be going to college. Dinner was at Parrot Cay. It was excellent. Alvira and Teodore have become very friendly with us especially since the people at the next table speak very little English. The boys went up to the Stack after dinner and we went to see the magician from the first nights show. When we returned to our room, Arye had shaped a blanket into a crab complete with DS17's sunglasses perched atop.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - We crossed over to a different time zone and had to set our clocks back one hour. We originally had a 7:30 a.m. excursion in Grand Cayman because DH is an early bird but DS17 pitched a fit about having to be up so early so I was able to reschedule it for 1:15. DH and I woke and dressed in our swimsuits and coverups and went to breakfast. The boys came later. We disembarked around 10:30-11:00. The ship cannot dock in Grand Cayman but must tender so we had to take a boat into town. We walked around town much to DS13's chagrin because almost every store is a jewelry store. I was looking for a ruby necklace and did find one that was just gorgeous. In the states it would have cost about $10,000 and there it was only $3,800 but still way out of our price range. It was beautiful and a great deal but realistically, I wouldnt have anywhere to wear it. We had a brief shower, typical in Grand Cayman. We boarded our small ferry boat to Stingray City. We headed out with a warning from our skipper that he was having some mechanical issues but he had it under control. About 20 minutes into our 40 minute trip to Stingray City, he told us the matter had worsened and hed have to take us back to switch boats. Once that was done and we made it out to the sandbar, we donned life vests and snorkel gear and got into the water with the stingrays. I was a little hesitant about this excursion but it was simply amazing. They are such gentle creatures. The little ones are the males and they remain on the bottom but the large (5' across) females come right to the surface and slide along your body. If you hold your arms out in front of you, they will slide right up onto your arms. The boys fed them squid. They suck little pieces right out of your hand. You just hold it underneath them. The suction was so hard that DS13 got a hickey on his wrist. Hmmm...wonder if it was his first? The stingrays feel like sandpaper on top but their underbellies are soft like velvet. It was an absolutely incredible experience. We were the last group to tender back to the ship due to the mechanical problems. Thankfully...we booked our excursions through Disney and they waited for us. It sure felt good to hit the shower when we returned. We ordered the All Hands on Deck cheese platter (You must try it!) from room service and had some wine that we brought before proceeding to the show. The show was two juggler/comedians. They were pretty good, a lot of audience participation. Dinner was at Lumieres. It was a Taste of California theme. The steaks were great. After dinner, the boys went to the Stack and DH and I turned in early. All that swimming with the stingrays did us in! Arye made us a towel bunny rabbit.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - We had a 9:45 excursion booked for snorkeling at Chankanaab National Park in Cozumel so we woke and went to breakfast, dressed in our swimsuits. We disembarked and our snorkeling rep met us and we took a taxi van to the park. Usually, the tour is 40-50 people. We had 8! We got our flippers, masks and snorkels and had a short lesson, then off we went. We saw all kinds of rays and fish and barracuda. The water was so clear and warm. The air was mighty hot! After our snorkeling excursion, we returned to the dock and DS13 bought a t-shirt and sombrero. We then returned to the ship as we werent too impressed with Cozumels shopping selection or Cozumel, in general. It was dirty, in my opinion. The boys did their own thing and DH went up on deck to read. We ate lunch at Topsiders Mexican Buffet. I went to the adult pool and spoke to a woman who has cruised with Disney 5 times and she keeps coming back for the service and cleanliness. I had a Tequila Sunrise, the drink of the day. Through some hectic scrambling, the boys decided to do the Fury Catamaran Teen Cruise. They hadnt booked it ahead of time. I was frantic that they wouldnt be back in time for Pirate Night and I had brought complete costumes for them. We blew off going to the show because it was just a movie being shown. I wore a black tulle and satin handkerchief hem skirt with a peasant blouse, black satin slippers, head scarf, large hoop earrings, waist scarf and necklace. DH wore a doorag, eyepatch, earring, skull t-shirt and sweatpants shredded at the bottom. Our Pirates Night dinner was in Animators Palate. (They dont do the color change thing any time other than the first night of your rotation) The boys came strolling in right as our appetizers were served. DS17 had on a muscle shirt, doorag and pajama bottoms shredded at the bottom. DS13 wore a skull t-shirt, doorag, pajama bottoms, a tri-corner hat and TWO eyepatches. I guess he was a blind pirate! He had everyone in stitches. After dinner there was a party on deck 9, complete with fireworks. We left Cozumel during the party. People on the other cruise ships were looking at us like we were having way more fun than they were! Arye made us a towel monkey.
Thursday, May 12, 2005 - Today was a day at sea. DH and I went to breakfast, DS17 eventually followed, DS13 slept in. It was a very laid back day. We sunbathed. As the day progressed, it got very windy. We had magnificent weather the entire week and calm seas. The only day with any weather issues was the wind on this day. There was a seafood buffet lunch. I went to a seminar on Disney towel folding. It was pretty cool. DS13 has been AWOL all day. Whenever we couldnt find him, we knew he was up in the Stack. They have constant things for the teens to do or they can just watch movies. The show was Disney Dreams. It was a really fun show, not quite Broadway but very professional. DH and I went to Palo for dinner. Its absolutely beautiful. We ordered another bottle of the Greg Norman Shiraz. Our server was Manuel, extremely personable. They bring you a pre-appetizer sampler, we ordered 3 appetizers, DH had lamb chops and I had chicken and shrimp, then 3 desserts. The chocolate souffle is to die for! Afterwards, we checked in at Parrot Cay. Our table was empty since it was late.DS17 had gone there for dinner as that was a regular rotation. DS13 went to Plutos Dog House because he didnt have to dress up. It was semi-formal night. DS17 dressed with shirt and tie and sat at our table. Alvira and Teodore clucked over him like hens. They said he dressed appropriately and commented on what a nice menu it was. A gentleman from another table introduced himself to us and said that his son had met DS17 during the week at the Stack and decided to join him at our table when he realized he was dining alone. Ill tell you, that Pixie Dust is contagious! Alvira said that DS17 had lobster and shrimp. As we were leaving, we thanked Alvira and Teodore and they hugged us. We felt so good about that whole experience. We went back to our stateroom and Arye had made a frog out of towels. Depression was starting to set in as I realized how quickly all of this would be ending.
Friday, May 13, 2005 - The boys had to be up and at em early to meet at the Stack at 9:00 to have breakfast together before heading off to participate in the Wild Side on Castaway Cay. DH and I ate breakfast and headed off the ship to spend the day on the beach. I had rented a tube for the day but the wind kept blowing me into the ropes. We ate lunch at Cookies Barbecue and rented snorkeling equipment. I snorkeled out to see the treasure chest and statue of sorcerer Mickey. I saw a lot of blue and yellow fish and at one point, a white stingray. At 3:30, we had booked a ride on the banana boats. All four of us went on it. The ride was not nearly as wild as I expected and our boys were trying to flip off it, unsuccessfully. Castaway Cay in beautiful and sadly, we had to return to the ship early. We had to meet at 4:30 to get the 411 on returning to Port Canaveral. Then...we had to pack. Our bags had to be out in the halls and tagged by 11:00 p.m. They got packed but not neatly! We went to see the Farewell Variety Show and dinner was at Lumieres. I had brought thank you notes and wrote out one for all of our servers and Arye. We just put cash in them for their tips even though you can charge it to your card. After dinner we gave Alvira, Teodore and Atilla (the Head server...what the heck he does, who knows!) their notes and tips. I cried and hugged them and Alvira just kept saying, I know, I know. Shes obviously experienced cruiser meltdown before. It was a sad, sad evening, leaving them. Little did I realize wed have breakfast with them in the morning. We headed back to our stateroom and Arye had made us a cute towel snake. We saw him in the hall and he couldnt thank us enough for the card and tip we had given him earlier.
Saturday, May 14, 2005 - I didnt realize earlier in the week that we had to be out of our stateroom and off the ship by 9:00 a.m. Breakfast was at 8:00 a.m. for late seating dinner guests in the restaurant we ate in the night before. So we had another opportunity to say goodbye to Alvira and Teodore. Then it was off the ship, find your luggage in the terminal, check it through to your flight and board the bus back to Orlando International. Had I known about the early disembarking, Id have booked an earlier flight home. We spent 6 hours in the airport. We felt like Tom Hanks in Terminal. We ate, shopped, ate, slept, ate. But, we finally got on our flight back to New Jersey and were home by 10:00 p.m.
All in all, I cant possibly say enough good things about this vacation. Everything was perfect. Disneys standards are so high. The cleanliness aboard the ship was unbelievable. The food was excellent. The service, impeccable. And we met some wonderful people. It was truly magical.
For you future cruisers, I hereby "Pay It Forward"Our First Magical Disney Cruise
May 7-14, 2005
Saturday, May 7th, 9:45 a.m. - Our plane took off from Newark International and our pilot wasted no time in getting us to Orlando as we arrived ½ hour ahead of schedule. We didnt even have to claim our luggage since the Disney tags send it straight through to the ship. All we had to do was meet a Disney Cruise Line representative and board the shuttle bus to the port. The bus ride took about an hour. We were amazed at how huge the ship was when we saw it. When we got off the bus, we entered the terminal and got our Key to the World cards and entered the Disney Magic. They took our pictures right before we boarded. Of course, being an avid scrapbooker, Im a sucker for all the pictures. As we entered the ship, a Disney rep asked our last name and announced our arrival. There was applause. Everything they do makes you feel special. We kind of wandered around aimlessly for a while because our stateroom wouldnt be ready until 1:30. It was a little cumbersome because we had to lug our carry-ons around with us and we had packed water and wine bottles. DS17 & DS13 took off to explore and DH decided we should make ressies for dinner at Palo. The line was a little long but we didnt have anything else to do at the time. DH and I couldnt find the boys so we decided to go up to Deck 9, Topsiders Buffet and have some lunch. Come to find out, the boys had been there and gone! At 3:00, we met some of the people from the DIS boards. At 3:30, we had to meet for our mandatory boat drill. The life jackets are big and hot. Fortunately, that went smoothly and was over with quickly. At 4:30, there was a Sail Away party on Deck 9. I bought a Bon Voyage in a souvenir DCL glass. It was half strawberry daquiri and half pina-colada and the server carried a bottle of Bacardi in his back pocket. Once we left port, we went to our stateroom and most of our luggage had arrived. I got a wee bit stressed out unpacking because I packed way too many clothes. TIP: Stow life vests and empty suitcases, one inside each other under the bed. It lifts up! The rooms are really tight and you have to use every available space. And...thank goodness I brought the over the door shoe holder. We hung it over the bathroom door and put ALL of our toiletries in it. It worked out beautifully. We dressed for dinner and at 6:30 went to see the Welcome Aboard Show in the Walt Disney Theatre. Since we had the later dinner seating, we saw the show, shopped and went to dinner at 8:30. The show was good. There was a comedian and a magician. Our dinner rotation was LAPLAPL (Lumieres, Animators Palate, Parrot Cay, etc.). So our dinner was at Lumieres. The restaurant is very elegant even though it was a casual night. Our server was Alvira from Jamaica and our assistant server was Teodore from Bulgaria. Lovely people! We found the food to be quite good, a little too fancy for DS13 but they let him order from the childrens menu. They are so accommodating when it comes to what you want to eat. Theyll give you two appetizers, two entrees, two desserts, whatever you want. DS13 had mini cheeseburgers for an appetizer and pizza for his entree! We ordered a lovely bottle of wine...Greg Norman Shiraz from Australia...very nice. After dinner, the boys took off for the Stack and we headed back for an early lights out. We dont know when the boys came in but their beds had been turned down by our very attentive stateroom host, Arye from Indonesia. Warning: The boys had some issues with the beds. DS17 slept in the couch/futon pullout and his feet hung off and DS13 slept in the upper pull-down bunk and his feet hung off. They are great for kids but not so for big guys. We had given our boys freedom on the ship, no curfew...where would they go??? We knew they would abide by the rules so this was an opportunity for them to have a little freedom as far as bedtime. DH and I found the gentle rocking of the ship to be very restful.
Sunday, May 8,2005 - Upon awakening, we showered and headed up to Topsiders Buffet for breakfast. We shopped a bit more and watched as the ship pulled in to Key West. It was Mothers Day and DS17 went shopping for me at Mickeys Mates and bought me some scrapbooking stuff and a Mothers Day 2005 pin. About 12:15, we disembarked. We hadnt planned any excursions in Key West so we just walked around for hours. Theres extensive shopping. DS17 bought an Irish shirt to wear once hes off to Notre Dame. DH was thrilled to find Crazy Shirts. They are a chain of stores started in Hawaii and are the absolute best quality t-shirts weve ever found. We decided to tour Hemingways house and DS13 loved seeing all the cats. There are about 60 cats on the property and the unique thing about them is that they are all descendants of the cat Hemingway brought back from Cuba, with 6 toes. Almost all of the cats have 6 or more toes on each paw. The cats were very docile but had really big feet! We then walked to the most southerly point in the USA. It was a cool photo op. We called our moms on our cell phones since we knew it was the last time they would work. We went back to the ship around 5:00 and showered. The boys were MIA. They had to get back on the ship with us but disappeared immediately. DH and I went to watch Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer in the WD Theatre. It was cute. We went back to our room and left a note for the boys to meet us for dinner at Animators Palate. The restaurant was simply amazing. It starts out all black and white and as the dinner courses progress, the room comes alive with color. The servers even start out with black and white vests that reverse to color later in the evening. Our servers are become more friendly. Teodore was thrown a bit by the boys requesting Coke with Lime. Apparently that hasnt made its way to the ship yet so he just brought Cokes and lime wedges. Once again, dinner was quite good. The boys went to the Stack after dinner and DH and I went into Rockin Bar D to watch the comedian from last nights dinner show. The bars are for adults only after 9:00 so the shows are a little racier. We returned to our room with the beds all turned down, chocolates on the bed and towels shaped into swans. It was a long, but most enjoyable day.
Monday, May 9,2005 - Thank goodness, I brought along a light up alarm clock because with no windows in our stateroom, theres no concept of what time it is. We had a scheduled character breakfast in Parrot Cay at 9:45. (This is part of the meal rotation, we didnt schedule it) The restaurant was bright and colorful and there were characters everywhere, followed by photographers from Shutters. I left my camera lying on the table and the photographer just automatically picked it up and took pictures with it, also. DS17 and I wanted French Toast which was not on the menu so Alvira ran up to Topsiders and got it for us. Like I said, they are so accommodating! Chip and Dale did a song and dance routine. After breakfast, the boys went on their way and DH and I decided to soak up some sun on deck 10. It was a day at sea and the sun was very strong. They have a lot of planned activities aboard but we decided to just chill out. Lunch at Topsiders was an Asian buffet. Yummy! Late afternoon, we went back to our stateroom, showered and got ready for the Golden Mickeys show, the Captains Welcome reception and Formal Night at Parrot Cay. Of course, DS17 was missing. He showed up in time to shower for the show. The show was quite spectacular. After the show, we went into the lobby for photos. The lines were long but moved quickly. We had our picture taken with the captain. We spent quite a bit of time talking to Sheila, who is in charge of all the childrens activities, including the teens. She approached us commenting on the ties the boys were wearing. We started talking and found out shes from Indiana, not far from where DS17 will be going to college. Dinner was at Parrot Cay. It was excellent. Alvira and Teodore have become very friendly with us especially since the people at the next table speak very little English. The boys went up to the Stack after dinner and we went to see the magician from the first nights show. When we returned to our room, Arye had shaped a blanket into a crab complete with DS17's sunglasses perched atop.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - We crossed over to a different time zone and had to set our clocks back one hour. We originally had a 7:30 a.m. excursion in Grand Cayman because DH is an early bird but DS17 pitched a fit about having to be up so early so I was able to reschedule it for 1:15. DH and I woke and dressed in our swimsuits and coverups and went to breakfast. The boys came later. We disembarked around 10:30-11:00. The ship cannot dock in Grand Cayman but must tender so we had to take a boat into town. We walked around town much to DS13's chagrin because almost every store is a jewelry store. I was looking for a ruby necklace and did find one that was just gorgeous. In the states it would have cost about $10,000 and there it was only $3,800 but still way out of our price range. It was beautiful and a great deal but realistically, I wouldnt have anywhere to wear it. We had a brief shower, typical in Grand Cayman. We boarded our small ferry boat to Stingray City. We headed out with a warning from our skipper that he was having some mechanical issues but he had it under control. About 20 minutes into our 40 minute trip to Stingray City, he told us the matter had worsened and hed have to take us back to switch boats. Once that was done and we made it out to the sandbar, we donned life vests and snorkel gear and got into the water with the stingrays. I was a little hesitant about this excursion but it was simply amazing. They are such gentle creatures. The little ones are the males and they remain on the bottom but the large (5' across) females come right to the surface and slide along your body. If you hold your arms out in front of you, they will slide right up onto your arms. The boys fed them squid. They suck little pieces right out of your hand. You just hold it underneath them. The suction was so hard that DS13 got a hickey on his wrist. Hmmm...wonder if it was his first? The stingrays feel like sandpaper on top but their underbellies are soft like velvet. It was an absolutely incredible experience. We were the last group to tender back to the ship due to the mechanical problems. Thankfully...we booked our excursions through Disney and they waited for us. It sure felt good to hit the shower when we returned. We ordered the All Hands on Deck cheese platter (You must try it!) from room service and had some wine that we brought before proceeding to the show. The show was two juggler/comedians. They were pretty good, a lot of audience participation. Dinner was at Lumieres. It was a Taste of California theme. The steaks were great. After dinner, the boys went to the Stack and DH and I turned in early. All that swimming with the stingrays did us in! Arye made us a towel bunny rabbit.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - We had a 9:45 excursion booked for snorkeling at Chankanaab National Park in Cozumel so we woke and went to breakfast, dressed in our swimsuits. We disembarked and our snorkeling rep met us and we took a taxi van to the park. Usually, the tour is 40-50 people. We had 8! We got our flippers, masks and snorkels and had a short lesson, then off we went. We saw all kinds of rays and fish and barracuda. The water was so clear and warm. The air was mighty hot! After our snorkeling excursion, we returned to the dock and DS13 bought a t-shirt and sombrero. We then returned to the ship as we werent too impressed with Cozumels shopping selection or Cozumel, in general. It was dirty, in my opinion. The boys did their own thing and DH went up on deck to read. We ate lunch at Topsiders Mexican Buffet. I went to the adult pool and spoke to a woman who has cruised with Disney 5 times and she keeps coming back for the service and cleanliness. I had a Tequila Sunrise, the drink of the day. Through some hectic scrambling, the boys decided to do the Fury Catamaran Teen Cruise. They hadnt booked it ahead of time. I was frantic that they wouldnt be back in time for Pirate Night and I had brought complete costumes for them. We blew off going to the show because it was just a movie being shown. I wore a black tulle and satin handkerchief hem skirt with a peasant blouse, black satin slippers, head scarf, large hoop earrings, waist scarf and necklace. DH wore a doorag, eyepatch, earring, skull t-shirt and sweatpants shredded at the bottom. Our Pirates Night dinner was in Animators Palate. (They dont do the color change thing any time other than the first night of your rotation) The boys came strolling in right as our appetizers were served. DS17 had on a muscle shirt, doorag and pajama bottoms shredded at the bottom. DS13 wore a skull t-shirt, doorag, pajama bottoms, a tri-corner hat and TWO eyepatches. I guess he was a blind pirate! He had everyone in stitches. After dinner there was a party on deck 9, complete with fireworks. We left Cozumel during the party. People on the other cruise ships were looking at us like we were having way more fun than they were! Arye made us a towel monkey.
Thursday, May 12, 2005 - Today was a day at sea. DH and I went to breakfast, DS17 eventually followed, DS13 slept in. It was a very laid back day. We sunbathed. As the day progressed, it got very windy. We had magnificent weather the entire week and calm seas. The only day with any weather issues was the wind on this day. There was a seafood buffet lunch. I went to a seminar on Disney towel folding. It was pretty cool. DS13 has been AWOL all day. Whenever we couldnt find him, we knew he was up in the Stack. They have constant things for the teens to do or they can just watch movies. The show was Disney Dreams. It was a really fun show, not quite Broadway but very professional. DH and I went to Palo for dinner. Its absolutely beautiful. We ordered another bottle of the Greg Norman Shiraz. Our server was Manuel, extremely personable. They bring you a pre-appetizer sampler, we ordered 3 appetizers, DH had lamb chops and I had chicken and shrimp, then 3 desserts. The chocolate souffle is to die for! Afterwards, we checked in at Parrot Cay. Our table was empty since it was late.DS17 had gone there for dinner as that was a regular rotation. DS13 went to Plutos Dog House because he didnt have to dress up. It was semi-formal night. DS17 dressed with shirt and tie and sat at our table. Alvira and Teodore clucked over him like hens. They said he dressed appropriately and commented on what a nice menu it was. A gentleman from another table introduced himself to us and said that his son had met DS17 during the week at the Stack and decided to join him at our table when he realized he was dining alone. Ill tell you, that Pixie Dust is contagious! Alvira said that DS17 had lobster and shrimp. As we were leaving, we thanked Alvira and Teodore and they hugged us. We felt so good about that whole experience. We went back to our stateroom and Arye had made a frog out of towels. Depression was starting to set in as I realized how quickly all of this would be ending.
Friday, May 13, 2005 - The boys had to be up and at em early to meet at the Stack at 9:00 to have breakfast together before heading off to participate in the Wild Side on Castaway Cay. DH and I ate breakfast and headed off the ship to spend the day on the beach. I had rented a tube for the day but the wind kept blowing me into the ropes. We ate lunch at Cookies Barbecue and rented snorkeling equipment. I snorkeled out to see the treasure chest and statue of sorcerer Mickey. I saw a lot of blue and yellow fish and at one point, a white stingray. At 3:30, we had booked a ride on the banana boats. All four of us went on it. The ride was not nearly as wild as I expected and our boys were trying to flip off it, unsuccessfully. Castaway Cay in beautiful and sadly, we had to return to the ship early. We had to meet at 4:30 to get the 411 on returning to Port Canaveral. Then...we had to pack. Our bags had to be out in the halls and tagged by 11:00 p.m. They got packed but not neatly! We went to see the Farewell Variety Show and dinner was at Lumieres. I had brought thank you notes and wrote out one for all of our servers and Arye. We just put cash in them for their tips even though you can charge it to your card. After dinner we gave Alvira, Teodore and Atilla (the Head server...what the heck he does, who knows!) their notes and tips. I cried and hugged them and Alvira just kept saying, I know, I know. Shes obviously experienced cruiser meltdown before. It was a sad, sad evening, leaving them. Little did I realize wed have breakfast with them in the morning. We headed back to our stateroom and Arye had made us a cute towel snake. We saw him in the hall and he couldnt thank us enough for the card and tip we had given him earlier.
Saturday, May 14, 2005 - I didnt realize earlier in the week that we had to be out of our stateroom and off the ship by 9:00 a.m. Breakfast was at 8:00 a.m. for late seating dinner guests in the restaurant we ate in the night before. So we had another opportunity to say goodbye to Alvira and Teodore. Then it was off the ship, find your luggage in the terminal, check it through to your flight and board the bus back to Orlando International. Had I known about the early disembarking, Id have booked an earlier flight home. We spent 6 hours in the airport. We felt like Tom Hanks in Terminal. We ate, shopped, ate, slept, ate. But, we finally got on our flight back to New Jersey and were home by 10:00 p.m.
All in all, I cant possibly say enough good things about this vacation. Everything was perfect. Disneys standards are so high. The cleanliness aboard the ship was unbelievable. The food was excellent. The service, impeccable. And we met some wonderful people. It was truly magical.
Hi Claudine,
There are four outside staterooms on deck 6 forward that have no portholes or verandahs. Supposedly, Disney's staterooms are larger than any other cruise lines. Well, the other lines must have you in closets! Just kidding...the room was fine for the four of us other than the bunk and couch/futon being too short for my long-legged teenage boys. You shower and sleep in the room...that's it!
so I bought him seabands before we left and he wore one the whole time. They work by pressure points on your wrist. I took Bonine with us and the only time it was used was on one of our excursions where we had to go out on a small boat. We had very calm seas, though...not one rough day. There's no guarantee with the weather. Best to be prepared. The Bonine is non-drowsy as opposed to regular Dramamine. My DSs had no issues whatsoever with any kind of motion sickness. The kids are too busy.
...wish we were planning another trip. ENJOY!
Apparently, he sustained some damage from the hurricanes and had to undergo a facelift, of sorts. I heard that he was returned just the week before we were there. He's about 50 yards straight out from the huge lifeguard stand, beyond the boat mast that sticks out of the water. There's also a treasure chest about 20 yards before you get to him.
I felt when I was writing it that nobody would possibly take the time to read it because it was so long.
I must say that your trip report was absolutely one of the best I have ever read. I loved all the details! It got me all excited knowing I don't have all that long too go before we set sail. I want to Thank you for taking time out and letting us , never been but soon to be 
Disney cruisers what to expect and how things will go. Good luck with DS17 going to Notre Dame....Go fighting Irish 
