Mike & Missy's Grand Adventure! 9/5/09 DCL Western & WDW TR w/ pics! COMPLETE!

[UGAFan0829]

After breakfast, we decided to split up for most of the day. Gayle and Brandi were heading to the pool for more sun, while Mike and I decided to explore the ship while we did some much needed laundry. We headed back to the room and gathered what we needed to wash then headed down to the laundry room on deck 7. There were several people waiting for a dryer when we arrived, but we managed to find an open washer. I’d always heard that sea days were the busiest times for doing laundry, and I believe that to be true. Before we left to go back exploring, I took a couple pics of the laundry facilities, just for informational purposes.

I believe that DCL had just recently changed the machines from being coin operated, to being operated by your KTTW card. I have to admit that using the KTTW was a lot easier and more convenient…no more hauling quarters around! As you can see, the vending machine is also KTTW operated as well…so no need for change at all!! We’d picked up a few individual packs of liquid Tide, but totally forgot about getting any fabric softener, so we ended up getting a couple packs from the machine, and it worked fine for us.

While our laundry was running, we mosied around the ship a little more. Since Ariel is my favorite princess, I really wanted to get a pic of the Sebastian light fixture in Parrot Cay. Even though no one was in the restaurant, I was too scared to go in, so Mike ran in and took a quick pic for me…

I took a shot from the door way as well…It was kind of neat seeing the restaurant all empty…

It was then time for our clothes to be finished washing, so we headed back down to the laundry to try and find a dryer. Thankfully there wasn’t a wait this time, so we tossed them in and left.


At 1:00 “Disney Innovations: Animation” was showing in the Buena Vista Theater, so we decided to check it out. It was a 30 minute show that featured clips from the different stages of innovation in Disney’s animated films. Now, I love Disney and it’s history, but I have to admit that this was a pretty boring show. There weren’t many people who showed up for it in the first place, and several ended up leaving before the end. We stayed for the whole thing, but were really glad that it was only 30 minutes!! It did offer a lot of good Disney tidbits and such though!

After the show, we decided that we were a little hungry, so we headed up to Topsider’s for lunch. After lunch, we decided that some of that yummy ice cream from Goofy’s Galley would be the perfect ending to our meal! After our ice cream, we found Gayle and Brandi up on deck 10, and chatted with them for a while before we headed back to the room around 4. I started to get ready for dinner, and Mike headed back down to the laundry to gather our stuff from the dryer.

Tonight was semi-formal night, and we were going back to Lumiere’s. The whole atmosphere and ambiance make this my favorite restaurant out of the 3, so I was happy to be going back again! We skipped any pictures that were going on in the lobby and headed straight to the dining room. To start our meal off, I had the Grilled Vegetables and Beef Prosciutto:

Mike had the Oysters Rockefeller on the Half Shell…

I am in no way a fan of oysters, but he LOVES them, and he said these were very good.
Next, we both had the Wild Forest Mushroom Soup:

My main course was the Fettuccine w/ Parmesan Crusted Chicken:

This was actually pretty good, even with the bone!
Mike decided to have the Sesame Seared Tuna Loin:

It looks totally gross to me, but once again he LOVED it!
Right after we ordered dessert, we were presented with our anniversary cake. We were actually a little puzzled about the timing since our anniversary wasn’t until the next day. But that was okay, we were still happy that they recognized our 10 years of love and happiness!!!

We decided to save our cake for later, so we went ahead and ordered some dessert as well. Again, there was nothing on the menu that I cared for, so I decided to go with a Mickey bar…can’t go wrong there!

Mike had the Amaretto Cheesecake:

Dinner turned out to be really good. We even managed a few bites of our cake, and it was very yummy!!!

As we headed back to the room, we stopped for a couple pics of us in our semi-formal wear.

Before we’d left dinner, we decided that we wanted to finish off the night with a nice soak in the hot tubs at the Quiet Cove Pool. We knew that with tomorrow being our last night, it was probably going to be busy, so we wanted to take the take advantage of some relaxation while we could.

We returned to our room, and once again found a sweet little creature awaiting us.

Before we changed for the hot tub, I took a quick peek over the Navigator for the next day and found that the spa was offering some pretty good deals on treatments for tomorrow morning. I told Mike about them, then we headed off to the Quiet Cove for some relaxing time. It was so nice to just sit there and soak, but the water got hot pretty quickly. As we sat there, we talked about the spa specials that I’d seen listed. I’d never been to the spa before, but really wanted to go. I’ve always been too intimidated and scared. For one, I’ve always thought massages and things like that were for people with lots of money, and Lord knows that doesn’t include me. Secondly, I’m a very modest person, so the though of exposing skin was a little scary to me as well. We soaked for about an hour before we decided that we were ready to head back to the room. Once we got back, Mike told me that he really wanted me to try the spa out, but I was still too scared. Before, I was always able to use the price as an excuse, but these really were good deals that they were offering. I don’t have my Navigator in front of me, but you could choose 3 different treatments for $55 or $60…I can’t remember the exact price. Either way, it wasn’t bad for getting 3 different treatments. So, he finally talked me into it, and he called and made me the appointment for 8:00 the next morning. As soon as he hung up, I regretted letting him talk me into it. I didn’t want to make everyone late getting off the ship, so he worked it out so that he would go with Brandi and Gayle to get breakfast, and then they would go ahead and get off the ship and head over to Serenity Bay and get a spot for all of us. I really hated to ask them to do this, but I didn’t have any excuses left…he’d covered everything. So all that was left was to go to bed and get up and go to my appointment…

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Great character pictures from the breakfast and you all looked great in your napkin hats.

I too have always been too much of a chicken to get a massage. It is entirely due to my discomfort with getting disrobed and letting a stranger rub my naked body.

 

[Julie*]

Subscribing- this is a great trip report!

 

[Jennifer48]

DH and I had our first massages on the DCL. We did the Spa Villa on our honeymoon. Man, I never knew how great a massage was! I, like you, was very reluctant to having a stranger touch me and I'm way too modest to think about going naked so I wore my bathing suit bottoms. It was great and I'll get another massage again! I can't wait to hear about your experience!

 

[nashville_minnie]

Hi there- I have read your TR, just wanted to say hello. My DH and I are headed out on a Western next month & I am trying to "study" navigators & get a game plan going. It has been fun reading about your trip & getting some hands on perspective!

Thanks for sharing all of the pics!!

-Melissa

 

[UGAFan0829]

Does anyone know why my pictures are suddenly not showing? I have them all in PhotoBucket, and it show's that I've only used 23% of my usage limit. Anyone know how I can fix this???

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Weird, no idea. It says you have exceeded your monthly bandwidth, lots of people must be looking at your photos!

 

[Timon]

Hey Missy!

Photobucket only allows so much bandwidth for each month...since your trip report is very popular and a lot of people have viewed your photos, you have now exceeded your monthly bandwidth

You can do two things...

1. Wait till your month rolls over (should be able to find out which day this is exactly, look for an email they would have sent you) and your photos will be available again.

2. Ugrade to pro and your bandwidth will be much larger. This is what I did because I was close to exceeding my bandwidth too and I was only on Day 3 of my report

Or you can choose another photo account and post your pics there, but you will eventually run into the same problems.

Can't wait to see the rest of your trip photos, I think I only got half way through before I left on my trip.

 

[UGAFan0829]

Cass-Thank you SO much for that info! I'm gonna try and upgrade to Pro tomorrow, so I should be back on track with updates. I apologize to everyone who's been reading, but I had no idea how to fix it. Thanks again, Cass!!

 

[praisehisname]

Great updates! I love the picture of Chip (or was it Dale?) trying to order breakfast!!!

 

[podsnel]

Just wanted to say thanks for writing about your cruise- we're on next Halloween's western, and it's great to see what you did in the ports- also love the food porn!! This will be our second DCL western, we went in '08, and i was wondering what might have changed. Thanks!

 

[UGAFan0829]

Great updates! I love the picture of Chip (or was it Dale?) trying to order breakfast!!!

Thanks for sticking around, Denise! I thought Chip was cute too-we got a good laugh out of it!

Just wanted to say thanks for writing about your cruise- we're on next Halloween's western, and it's great to see what you did in the ports- also love the food porn!! This will be our second DCL western, we went in '08, and i was wondering what might have changed. Thanks!

Thanks, Ellen! It's great to have you as a reader. I've definitely followed several of your reports-especially the HHI one with all the great info. I can't wait to take my Mom there in May. I booked our stay just last week!!

 

[UGAFan0829]

A Total Day In Paradise!!​

The day began somewhat early as I was up at 6. Today was our 10th anniversary, so we started out with an exchange of cards. Because we'd spent so much money on this vacation, we decided not to get one another anything, which was just fine with me. Spending a week aboard the Disney Magic with my wonderful husband was about the best thing I could have ever asked for, for an anniversary! We had dreamed of taking this cruise for so long, and we were just so happy that it was finally a reality!

My spa appointment was at 8, so I was showered and ready to go by 7:30. Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about fixing my hair or putting on makeup, so it was a pretty easy morning. I wasn't nearly as nervous or scared about the appointment as I had been the night before. I guess sleeping on it was a good thing. Believe it or not, I was actually excited about it!

I headed off to the spa around 7:50, and Mike was getting ready to go have breakfast with Gayle and Brandi at Topsider's. Since I wasn't sure just how long I would be in the spa, we made a little game plan for the day. After Mike had breakfast, he was going to wait for me before getting off the ship. But Gayle and Brandi were getting off as soon as possible and were heading over to Serenity Bay to find chairs for all of us.

I arrived at the Salon and checked in. I was asked to fill out a little questionaire, and thanks to the good advice from some awesome DIS'ers, I wrote "No sales pitch, please" at the bottom of my form. I had read that if you do this, they won't give you the push to try and sell the products that they use on you during the treatment. It wasn't long after I'd finished the form that I was greeted by my therapist for the day. She gave me a robe and showed me to the ladies locker room/changing area. She told me to take off only what I was comfortable with, then put on the robe. There was another lady in the locker room with me, and I was a little shy about changing in front of her, so I crossed the hall to the restrooms where I'd have a little more privacy. I left my undies on underneath my robe, just because that's what I felt most comfy in. As I was storing my things in a locker, the therapist came back to get me. We made our way to the treatment room, and I was relaxed already. Something about the room was just so calming. She then presented me with a list of treatments that I could chose from, and then asked a couple of questions to try and get a feel of which might be best for me. The choices that were are available were: Scalp massage, Neck and shoulder massage, European facial, Conditioning hair treatment, Eye collagen treatment, Hand treatment, Foot and ankle massage, and Sunglow Makeover. The price for three of these was only $69, or you could choose five for $89. Since I wasn't sure how much I'd like it, I decided to just try three this time. I seem to carry most of my stress in my neck and shoulders, so the Neck and Shoulder massage was a no-brainer. I'd also never had a facial and really wanted to try it, so that was my second choice. Lastly, I decided to go with the Foot and ankle massage. After I made my selection of treatments, she told me that she was going to step out of the room, and she asked that I remove my robe and get under the sheet. I was still feeling comfortable at this point since it wasn't just one sheet, it was actually more like getting in to bed since there was a sheet and a blanket, so I was well covered. She gave me a few minutes to get situated, then came back in. First she started on my feet and ankles, and oh my gosh...that was pure heaven. I knew that for the price of all three treatments, that more than likely they were going to be short and sweet. It sure didn't seem that way though. Next, she started working on my neck and back. Now, I will tell you, I'm not normally a person who can fall asleep in publin places, but there were a couple of times that I cuaght myself dozing. Laying there in the warm blankets with the sounds that were playing the room was absolute bliss. At this point I was so glad that Mike had talked me into this. Next, was the facial, which I had to turn over for. She came to the side of the table, lifted the sheets way up and asked me to turn over. I felt very comfortable during this process. Lastly, the facial began-again-pure bliss!! Honestly, I don't think I have ever felt more relaxed in my life! After what seemed like a good while, she was finally finished and my treatments were over. Again, she stepped out of the room and gave me time to put my robe back on while she went to get my bill. She came back and asked me if I had any questions about anything that she'd used. She then gave me my bill, asked me to sign, and that was it. Needless to say, I left her a generous tip as she was awesome. I really wish that I could remember her name, but I guess my brain was to relaxed to remember anything during that time! As I walked back to the changing area, I felt like a new person. I changed back into my clothes, then headed down to the stateroom to get ready for our day in Castaway!!

It was a little after 9 by the time I had made it back, and Gayle and Brandi were already heading off the ship. Mike wasn't in the room, but he soon returned with a huge tray from Topsider's just for me. I really didn't expect him to bring me anything, but he'd made a special trip back up just to bring me something to eat before we got off the ship. This really made my morning! And it worked out to almost perfect timing, as he got back to the room just a few minutes after I did. Of course I thanked him for being so thoughtful and briing me breakfast, but also for talking me into the spa appointment!

While Mike had been waiting on me, he went up top and took a few pics of the island.

After I'd finished my yummy breakfast, and got changed, we were ready to disembark for our day in Disney Paradise! As we were making our way, we noticed that Jack Sparrow was out for pictures, and since the line wasn't long, we decided to jump in.

Jack is definitely an interesting guy, to say the least. After a few minutes of walking and waiting on the tram, we finally arrived at Serenity Bay! I was surprised that it wasn't any more crowded than it was. Gayle and Brandi had managed to find 4 chairs together, right near the entrance of the beach. After getting ourselves and all our belongings settled, we decided to rent some floats and just have some fun lounging in the water. It was amazing how we could lay on the float and look down into the water and see everything. The water was crystal clear, and being able to see all the sea life was just incredible!
After we'd spent quite a while floating around, we decided to lounge under the umbrellas for a bit before trying to find some lunch. I snapped quite a few shots of the beautiful view that we had from our chairs:

With our tummies growling, we finally decided to pack up and head out for some lunch. We'd planned to eat at Serenity Bay, but it was really crowded, and there was nowhere for us to sit, so we headed over to Cookie's. I think we all ended up with hambugers, which were just okay. As we were in line to get our food, a storm came up that seemed to have cleared out a lot of people.

After our just so-so lunch at Cookie's, we headed over to browse at the island merchandise. I had really hoped to find a shirt or something, but nothing really jumped out at me. So, with our shopping over, we finally decided to call it a day and head back to the ship. Of course, I had to snap a couple photos along our way...

It had been a great day, probably one of the best of the whole cruise...but it was bittersweet knowing that we were getting back on the ship for the last time.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Glad you enjoyed your spa treatments.

Looks like a lovely day on Castaway Cay, I can't wait to go back there.

 

[scottishwee35]

hi

i would like to saying many thanks for your trip reports and lovely photos apart from SNAKE!!!! I jumped when I see it as I am really phobia of it...

I love your photos of sunset awww beautiful...

Scottishwee35

 

[shellfish_mickfish]

Wondering when you made your reservation, what service you booked under? I looked at the Spa services on the website and nothing looked comparable to what you were offered. It was a great package at a great price!

 

[UGAFan0829]

Glad you enjoyed your spa treatments.

Looks like a lovely day on Castaway Cay, I can't wait to go back there.

The spa was wonderful. Much different than I had expected. I know you're a lot like I was before I went, but I think you should give it a try next time!!

hi

i would like to saying many thanks for your trip reports and lovely photos apart from SNAKE!!!! I jumped when I see it as I am really phobia of it...

I love your photos of sunset awww beautiful...

Scottishwee35

Sorry that I scared you with the picture of the snake. I don't care for them either!

Wondering when you made your reservation, what service you booked under? I looked at the Spa services on the website and nothing looked comparable to what you were offered. It was a great package at a great price!

What I actually booked was called the "Spa Sampler". I think the reason that you're not seeing it is because it was a special that was offered for that day. Each day there was something different offered, as the special, but it seemed that the prices were a little cheaper towards the end of the week. I hope that helps.

 

[Mickey's Goofy Gal]

Sounds like a great day and I got relaxed just reading about your spa treatment experience!!!! So glad you chose to have the treatment. What a sweet gesture from Mike - that was so sweet to bring you breakfast - but he is a sweet guy to say the least. I am so happy that my great friends could share such a special trip for their 10th anniversary!

 

[Jennifer48]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your massage!

You're right, Castaway Cay day is bittersweet. Best day of the cruise and you have to leave the next day!

 

[UGAFan0829]

Sounds like a great day and I got relaxed just reading about your spa treatment experience!!!! So glad you chose to have the treatment. What a sweet gesture from Mike - that was so sweet to bring you breakfast - but he is a sweet guy to say the least. I am so happy that my great friends could share such a special trip for their 10th anniversary!

Thank you, Kim. I agree, Mike is a very sweet guy. I am very blessed to call him my husband. It was definitely the best anniversary that I could have ever hoped for. I can't wait til we've been married as long as you and Robin!!

Glad to hear you enjoyed your massage!

You're right, Castaway Cay day is bittersweet. Best day of the cruise and you have to leave the next day!

The Spa was definitely heaven! I want to cruise again, just so that I can do the spa again!!

Disney definitely saves the best day for last!