May 9, 2012: 5 Night Bahamas Cruise on Disney Magic

[lzmom_of_twins]

Cindy that dress is GORGEOUS!!!!!

Kelly I really like the ebay dress too! I couldnt wear it but it is super cute!

Oh I keep meaning to ask you ladies this... my friend who just cruised on the Magic over spring break (5 day cruise) told me that they added a character breakfast last minute!!!!! I cant tell you how much Im hoping they do the same for us. What are your thoughts??? Think they would do this for us too???

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

Hi everybody! It's only 4 weeks and 1 day away!

I called DCL to see if I could find out what our dining rotaion is. We have requested 2nd seating. DCL couldn't tell me our rotation, but they could give me the rotations so that I could request one. Day 1 and 2 are cruise casual, Day 3 is dress-up, Day 4 is pirates night and Day 5 is cruise casual. The rotations are as follows:

Rotation 1 is LAPPL,

Rotation 2 is APLLA,

Rotation 3 is PLAAP.

L - Lumiere's, A - Animator's Palate, P - Parrot Cay

We requested Rotation 1 and we have a reservation for Palo's on Day 3.

I can't wait to start eating as I am in the starvation mode of my
diet! I have to lose enough weight so that all of my clothes will fit. We leave for the Polynesian on May 5 and then over to the Magic!!!

We have Palo reservations for Key West night. Which would be the best rest. to miss?? Parrot Cay?? If so, which rotation should I request..2???

 

[Britster18]

Ya know, I have to tell ya.... I'm glad this is our first cruise and we have no clue what we like and don't like. It makes planning SOOO much easier when you haven't an idea what anything is!

 

[PixieMom712]

I sent a link to the listing to my TA friend and asked if she thought the dress would be good for Palo. She said absolutely! Here's the link for y'all to see. Do you concur???

Awwww....I hope the pregnancy stuff resolves itself sooner rather than for the whole rest of the pregnancy. Man, these kiddies need to understand the misery we endure for them, huh???

The dress is fantastic! And I totally think you could wear it to either dressy night or Palo. Since it's short it doesn't seem overly formal to me.

Thanks about the pregnancy sympathy! I try not to whine too much, I'm happy to be having the little one and I'm not having near the problems of so many of you! But sometimes you need to whine a little .

Oh wow! Love, love, love the dress! The color is gorgeous!!! I usually stick with basic black, but the gown I just picked up is completely and totally island-y floral. It doesn't look the most flattering in this picture due to coloring (and I don't have the one side of it hanging quite right on the hanger), but you get the idea...

For us, Lumiere's and Parrot Cay are a toss-up as our favorite. We love, love, love the Caribbean theme of Parrot Cay, and adore the menu (although this will be the first time we are sailing since going vegetarian last fall!). However we love the ambience of Lumiere's as well (and their Creme Brulee...oy!). Animator's Palate has always been 'meh for us. Both on the Wonder and the Magic. I studied motion pictures in college, so you would think that would be the ultimate for me...oh well. I do see where everyone loves it though. Could be that we have always had less than stellar food there. (Except for that Double Fudge Cake with Orange Caramel Sauce for dessert...double oy!)

Ok, all this talk about food is making me hungry! Must go grab a Godiva Gem from my overhead cabinet...

LOVE this dress too! Mine is so dull in comparison, but it's as dressy as I've been able to find at a reasonable price. I wore it to Joel Robuchon's L'Atelier in Vegas so it should suffice. Still, this floral dress is gorgeous!

I feel like I am going to agree with you about the restaurants, based on what I've read and pictures I've seen and all that. We'll have to see!

Ya know, I have to tell ya.... I'm glad this is our first cruise and we have no clue what we like and don't like. It makes planning SOOO much easier when you haven't an idea what anything is!

I agree! In some ways. In others... I just keep trying to plan even though I don't know for sure and I go back and forth like a crazy person.

 

[Britster18]

I'm a CRAZY planner too but I've had to let it go (I even have MAJOR organizational OCD)

I'm going to just see what happens but I am totally bringing a journal/notebook to write down my thoughts and things I would/wouldn't do.

 

[jenf22]

I just called DCL and they had our dining rotation request correct (we requested rotation 1). I also asked them about our OBC and they don't show the credit from Dreams. Does that show up later? I'll email our TA in a bit, but I was wondering if anyone else had experience with this.

Side question - our Palo dinner is on night 1. I know a lot of people don't recommend that, but that was all we could get. Our ressie is at 6:30pm, do we need to keep our dress clothes in a carry-on or will our luggage make it to the room on time?

 

[DVCTigger]

Oh I keep meaning to ask you ladies this... my friend who just cruised on the Magic over spring break (5 day cruise) told me that they added a character breakfast last minute!!!!! I cant tell you how much Im hoping they do the same for us. What are your thoughts??? Think they would do this for us too???

I would be VERY suprised if they added a character breakfast to our cruise. They need three sea days, or very late arrival times, in order to have the CBs. These are done similar to dinners, but only use one resturant. So they need three mornings to get through all three rotations, with the early and late seating at each. Our cruise has a late arrival at Key West, followed by a sea day. Then Nassau and CC, so no 3rd day available for that last rotation. So I'm thinking our chances are slim to none!

 

[iloverags2]

I love how colorful your dress is, Cindy! Gorgeous! It looks like it'd be a very flattering style, too. You could do so much for shoes with that. That's where I'm torn. I wanna do the pretty multi-color glittery shoes with my dress but then maybe a basic black would be better. I'm not sure! I live in shorts, flip flops, and pajamas. Sometimes I feel like I have no clue how to dress myself for anything different. LOL!

Thanks! Yeah, I kept going back and forth between purple, fuchsia, or coral color shoes. I ended up with hot pink! LOL (And I am still looking in case something else catches my eye!) I am so there with you though on dressing up. I live in jeans, tees, and flips (with pj's when I am at home). So not a girly-girl, and very low maintenance. Now, to somehow manage not to fall while walking in the 4 inch heels...

Cindy that dress is GORGEOUS!!!!!

Kelly I really like the ebay dress too! I couldnt wear it but it is super cute!

Oh I keep meaning to ask you ladies this... my friend who just cruised on the Magic over spring break (5 day cruise) told me that they added a character breakfast last minute!!!!! I cant tell you how much Im hoping they do the same for us. What are your thoughts??? Think they would do this for us too???

Thanks!

I'm with DVCTigger on this one. I would be very surprised if we have a character breakfast (thrilled, but surprised). Maybe just look at it as it won't happen, but if it does what a nice extra bit of magic!

We have Palo reservations for Key West night. Which would be the best rest. to miss?? Parrot Cay?? If so, which rotation should I request..2???

I would miss AP. But that's me, although I do agree it is definitely something to see and since it's your first cruise maybe that isn't good advice. You should request APLLA if Parrot Cay is the one you don't mind missing. Actually, when we cruised the Wonder in 2008 during the AEP, we did not want to miss Triton (our scheduled dining room the night we booked Palo) so my fellow TA and I ate dinner at 6:00 p.m. at Palo. Then we went to our 8:15 regular dining seating and had an appetizer and dessert. We were able to enjoy the restaurant, visit with our table mates, and try a few bites of a couple of things.

Ya know, I have to tell ya.... I'm glad this is our first cruise and we have no clue what we like and don't like. It makes planning SOOO much easier when you haven't an idea what anything is!

Yeah, sometimes I would like to go back to my first cruise and not have a clue about anything!

The dress is fantastic! And I totally think you could wear it to either dressy night or Palo. Since it's short it doesn't seem overly formal to me.

Thanks about the pregnancy sympathy! I try not to whine too much, I'm happy to be having the little one and I'm not having near the problems of so many of you! But sometimes you need to whine a little .

LOVE this dress too! Mine is so dull in comparison, but it's as dressy as I've been able to find at a reasonable price. I wore it to Joel Robuchon's L'Atelier in Vegas so it should suffice. Still, this floral dress is gorgeous!

Whine all you want! Pregnancy, while beautiful, is certainly not the most fun experience during the entire nine months!

Thanks on the dress. Not something I would normally buy or wear, but when I saw it at Dillard's, my immediate reaction was, "I have to have that dress!" Not something I normally do, so that was that.

I just called DCL and they had our dining rotation request correct (we requested rotation 1). I also asked them about our OBC and they don't show the credit from Dreams. Does that show up later? I'll email our TA in a bit, but I was wondering if anyone else had experience with this.

Side question - our Palo dinner is on night 1. I know a lot of people don't recommend that, but that was all we could get. Our ressie is at 6:30pm, do we need to keep our dress clothes in a carry-on or will our luggage make it to the room on time?

Sometimes it does take longer for the agency OBC to show up on your reservation. Depending on the cruise line, agencies have up until a few days before calling in the OBC. (I am totally guilty of that, and probably drive people nuts. )

To be honest, I would take your dress up clothes you plan on wearing to Palo in your carry-on. Most of the time your luggage will arrive at your stateroom in plenty of time. But, I would so kick myself if I didn't pack it in my carry-on, and then have my luggage arrive late that one time.

I would be VERY suprised if they added a character breakfast to our cruise. They need three sea days, or very late arrival times, in order to have the CBs. These are done similar to dinners, but only use one resturant. So they need three mornings to get through all three rotations, with the early and late seating at each. Our cruise has a late arrival at Key West, followed by a sea day. Then Nassau and CC, so no 3rd day available for that last rotation. So I'm thinking our chances are slim to none!

Agreed. The only thing I can imagine that happened was they either arrived at Nassau late and knew ahead of time that was going to happen, or the ship sailed far from full and they knew they could accommodate everyone somehow within the two days. Again, if it happens for us, great! Not expecting it though.


You guys, I am soooooooo unprepared for this cruise. Not to mention I have my conference in Orlando that begins the morning we return, and my mom will be coming down to visit and arriving exactly one week after I get home. Where has time gone???

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Thanks! Yeah, I kept going back and forth between purple, fuchsia, or coral color shoes. I ended up with hot pink! LOL (And I am still looking in case something else catches my eye!) I am so there with you though on dressing up. I live in jeans, tees, and flips (with pj's when I am at home). So not a girly-girl, and very low maintenance. Now, to somehow manage not to fall while walking in the 4 inch heels...

OMG! I know! I so look like a horse trying to walk on heels! It ain't very lady-like at all. I think I have a pair around here I could be practicing with. Still, very unnerving to think about.

 

[iloverags2]

OMG! I know! I so look like a horse trying to walk on heels! It ain't very lady-like at all. I think I have a pair around here I could be practicing with. Still, very unnerving to think about.

Oh! Practicing...that's a good idea! I always just pray I don't fall!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

This is totally not cruise-related but quite shocking. I gotta vent. I just called our car insurance company (Progressive) to see how much it was going to cost to add Chandler on our policy once he gets his operator's license at the beginning of June. When the guy told me I almost yacked. Seriously. He generates another $181 ever MONTH. Per month!!! O.M.G. That's the most insane thing I've ever heard in my life! Either he's going to get a job and pay no less than half the increase or there's no license in his future. I never thought I'd have to go back to work to pay for my stinkin' kids to drive. Thank God we only had 2.

 

[Lainey321]

Originally Posted by Britster18
Ya know, I have to tell ya.... I'm glad this is our first cruise and we have no clue what we like and don't like. It makes planning SOOO much easier when you haven't an idea what anything is!

I know, right?

I am a very casual person (jeans and running shoes) but since I work in an office I go as casual as possible and still be acceptable. So when I have to really dress up I am lost I wore heels all day yesterday and my back was killing me And I NEVER wear dresses. My mom bought me a maxi dress for my birthday but I'm not so sure

 

[Lainey321]

This is totally not cruise-related but quite shocking. I gotta vent. I just called our car insurance company (Progressive) to see how much it was going to cost to add Chandler on our policy once he gets his operator's license at the beginning of June. When the guy told me I almost yacked. Seriously. He generates another $181 ever MONTH. Per month!!! O.M.G. That's the most insane thing I've ever heard in my life! Either he's going to get a job and pay no less than half the increase or there's no license in his future. I never thought I'd have to go back to work to pay for my stinkin' kids to drive. Thank God we only had 2.

Geeeez. I don't even want to think about it My girls are spaced apart 4.5 years so hopefully it won't be as bad.

I had a friend complaining about the gas expenses too. She said she was making her 16 y/o get a job.

 

[Lainey321]

Oh funny story I just thought of (I am very post-y today )

My dh got the mail Tuesday night but didn't bring it in the house. When we were leaving to go to the funeral home he grabs it out of his car. I am looking through it and notice something addressed to him from the court house. I open and he has a notice to serve on jury duty. He has NEVER served jury duty before. And can you guess the 2 week time period he has to be available.........wait for it.............May 7-May 18

He called his aunt, who is married to a judge in another district, and they advised him to request it be deferred to another time. They said the judge will have to approve it. Camille told him we'd have fun without him

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Geeeez. I don't even want to think about it My girls are spaced apart 4.5 years so hopefully it won't be as bad.

I had a friend complaining about the gas expenses too. She said she was making her 16 y/o get a job.

Yeah, I'm sooo looking forward to having Brian's increase in another 2 years.

Chandler mows grass! He does a friend of our's yard for $40 a whack. He does his Mimi's yard for $30 & mine for $25. Grass has really started growing again so he's back to doing each yard once a week. $380/month isn't bad at all, I guess. Last summer he paid off his half of the price of the '99 Yukon we bought for him ($1800, his half was $900). We were really proud. It's funny, tho, because now he's seeing the cost to actually drive the thing. His registration renewal is sitting here. His half is $36. Then we're discussing him paying half that insurance increase. At first he was in shock. I thought he was gonna cry. Then he got mad. He said, "I guess you and dad were right. I'm really not going to be able to save up and buy a Corvette." Uh...no. Then I showed him our bank account register for today. Today is payday. The beginning number looks like but then when you subtract all the bills that have to be paid it's like . His reaction? "Wow. I bet that really blows, huh?" Growing up isn't always fun. I wish my parents had shown me these things and made me aware. I think I might've been less startled/terrified/angry when I got married at 19, moved out, and had ((gasp)) bills. I certainly would've appreciated what they did for me more if I had understood.

 

[iloverags2]

This is totally not cruise-related but quite shocking. I gotta vent. I just called our car insurance company (Progressive) to see how much it was going to cost to add Chandler on our policy once he gets his operator's license at the beginning of June. When the guy told me I almost yacked. Seriously. He generates another $181 ever MONTH. Per month!!! O.M.G. That's the most insane thing I've ever heard in my life! Either he's going to get a job and pay no less than half the increase or there's no license in his future. I never thought I'd have to go back to work to pay for my stinkin' kids to drive. Thank God we only had 2.

Been there, done that. And DH's daughter had an affinity for causing wrecks. We finally had to tell her she needed her own policy and to pay for it herself (even if she paid the premium added to our policy, we would have still been responsible for her; meaning if she had an accident, they could still come after us and our assets. What a nightmare!

In short, before we kicked her off our policy we asked about all kinds of discounts, and were able to get the numbers dropped somewhat. This article helps identify what some of those things are.

We also finally put all our insurance (auto, home, etc.) under one umbrella policy with one company. Amazing what the cost difference was when we did that. Hated to lose Geico (they have always been great), but they do not offer a homeowners policy here in Florida (the joy of needing hurricane insurance).

Hope you can find a way to bring the premiums down.

I know, right?

I am a very casual person (jeans and running shoes) but since I work in an office I go as casual as possible and still be acceptable. So when I have to really dress up I am lost I wore heels all day yesterday and my back was killing me And I NEVER wear dresses. My mom bought me a maxi dress for my birthday but I'm not so sure

Hello! I don't believe I have ever worn a dress to work. And I live for Friday (jeans day)!

Oh funny story I just thought of (I am very post-y today )

My dh got the mail Tuesday night but didn't bring it in the house. When we were leaving to go to the funeral home he grabs it out of his car. I am looking through it and notice something addressed to him from the court house. I open and he has a notice to serve on jury duty. He has NEVER served jury duty before. And can you guess the 2 week time period he has to be available.........wait for it.............May 7-May 18

He called his aunt, who is married to a judge in another district, and they advised him to request it be deferred to another time. They said the judge will have to approve it. Camille told him we'd have fun without him

Oh no! Hopefully he can get a date deferrment. I'm hard of hearing (basically no speech hearing in either ear), so thankfully I don't have to worry about those things. But I sympathize with anyone who does receive jury duty. It was like jumping through hoops to get myself removed from the jury pool list.


I'm going to start packing this evening! I know we still have over three weeks to go, but I am packing anyway. Hello Overpackers Anonymous!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Been there, done that. And DH's daughter had an affinity for causing wrecks. We finally had to tell her she needed her own policy and to pay for it herself (even if she paid the premium added to our policy, we would have still been responsible for her; meaning if she had an accident, they could still come after us and our assets. What a nightmare!

In short, before we kicked her off our policy we asked about all kinds of discounts, and were able to get the numbers dropped somewhat. This article helps identify what some of those things are.

We also finally put all our insurance (auto, home, etc.) under one umbrella policy with one company. Amazing what the cost difference was when we did that. Hated to lose Geico (they have always been great), but they do not offer a homeowners policy here in Florida (the joy of needing hurricane insurance).

Hope you can find a way to bring the premiums down.

Yeah, while Chandler was still reeling from the bombshell I was explaining the importance of no accidents or tickets because that will also cause the already big number to grow. Tracey got a ticket racing the day he got his license when he was 16. Insuring him caused his parent's policy to increase by $275/month and that was 24 years ago! His parents had to exclude him from their policy and put him on a policy on his own that he had to pay for himself 100%. His other option was to not drive. I had no clue. I didn't know how much my parent's policies went up. They never said.

Tracey did mention getting the Yukon put in Chandler's name and get him his own policy once he was old enough that a company would write him to seperate the legal responsibility.

I'm so glad you said that about the umbrella policy! I know about them a little. I briefly wrote insurance before the boys were born. Mostly I dealt in auto & property. And umbrella might just be the way to go. We also live in a coastal area, as the crow flies we're 7-10 miles from the Gulf coast. There's a levee with flood gates less than 3 miles from us. I was just reading an article saying how overall people are paying so much more for insurance but receiving so much less in the way of claims response and policy limitations. The article also stated that the ONLY state that was more expensive for property insurance is Texas. Don't I know this!!!! We were affected by Katrina in '05 but it was nothing like what we went thru with Ike in '08. We had just bought our house 2 months prior and had about $15k in damage. Every contractor we got quotes from to repair everything back to the way it was came in at around $30k. How much did Farmer's pay? About $12k. I thank God we've built houses, have the knowledge, experience, & ability to do our own work. We made that $12k work and only ended up shelling out maybe $2k-$3k of our own $$. But just think of all the people who don't have that advantage??? How would they manage??? Last year Farmer's decided to stop lumping windstorm into their policies. Our homeowners was going up by like $500/year then we were going to have to buy a seperate windstorm policy. Yikes! Literally half of our house payment was already escrows. It was going to sky-rocket! I was so mad! I did some calling around and gathering other quotes. I ended up getting us better coverage in homeowners + the windstorm for so much less than I was paying Farmer's that my house payment went down by $400/month. Speaks volumes about the shafting Farmer's is giving people in the state of Texas, huh? I hate insurance. That's why I don't work with it anymore. Nobody likes insurance. Everyone you talk to is not happy. LOL!

I'll also mention the umbrella option to my grandmother in Pensacola. She's had the worst time even finding coverage at all. Bless her heart.

 

[Lainey321]

His reaction? "Wow. I bet that really blows, huh?" Growing up isn't always fun. I wish my parents had shown me these things and made me aware. I think I might've been less startled/terrified/angry when I got married at 19, moved out, and had ((gasp)) bills. I certainly would've appreciated what they did for me more if I had understood.

I know. I share this stuff with Camille all the time and Steve says I shouldn't. That is total BS. They have to know money doesn't grow on trees and you can't spend the same $$ several times over (which has always been my problem )

We have an umbrella policy with Pekin for about 15 years and they have been excellent, even with my dh trying to control the deer population ....with his car

 

[jenf22]

I know. I share this stuff with Camille all the time and Steve says I shouldn't. That is total BS. They have to know money doesn't grow on trees and you can't spend the same $$ several times over (which has always been my problem )

I think what you and Kelly are doing is great. My dad used to let me pay all the bills. He would give me his paycheck, the check book, and all the bills. I would write the checks and he would sign them. I remember how it went from to in a matter of minutes. I honestly think him doing that is one of the reasons I'm so great with money (I hate to blow my own horn, but I am a budgeting genius! )

 

[iloverags2]

I'll also mention the umbrella option to my grandmother in Pensacola. She's had the worst time even finding coverage at all. Bless her heart.

Yeah, we had a go of it too trying to find decent coverage in Florida. Do you know who we ended up with? AAA. Yup, they now have their own insurance in the state of Florida, and it covers homeowners. I was quite surprised in discovering this last year since AAA never wrote their own policies before. I believe their office is located on the Gulf Coast. Let me know if you want the info and I will dig it out.

We have an umbrella policy with Pekin for about 15 years and they have been excellent, even with my dh trying to control the deer population ....with his car

Poor deer!