CoolCanadian
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2009
- Messages
- 22
Overview
This was the 4th DCL cruise for DD and I. We did the 7-night Western on the Magic when DD was 15 (loved the teen club), a 4 night Dream when she was 18 (loved the College Club) immediately followed by a 7-night Eastern on the Magic (not quite a back-to-back as there was 3 days at WDW in between – even better College Club programming) and then this cruise where she was 22 (loved the College Club program and Singles Mingles). I have done Singles programming on all of the cruises and have always enjoyed the events. I have wished that the meets were highlighted in the Navigator or on the App. Inevitably I run into people throughout the cruise who have no idea that there was a group that they could meet for coffee or people to chat and sit with during the nightclub shows.
On this 7-night Western, here is how some things went. A longer day-by-day overview appears below.
Internet access: I needed to check emails a few times a day so signed up for the free 50MB on the first day. It allowed me to check and reply to emails every 12 hours until the end of day 3 of the cruise. No photos or attachments. On Day 3 I bought an additional 100 MB and by the end of day 4 it was all gone?!?!?!? I spoke to the great cast member at the connect@sea desk beside the promenade lounge and he checked my netbook (the only device connected to the internet), confirmed that I had turned off all automatic updates, and decided that the problem was at the DCL end and I had not used 100 MB in less than 24 hours. He then reloaded my account with another 100 MB at no charge. I walked off the ship with 30MB leftover. Great service.
Dining: We had LACLLAC. The food on this sailing was really good. I would say better than 4 years ago. I found Carioca’s food to be much better (in my opinion) than Parrot Cay ever was. The room service menu hasn’t changed in,… forever? It needs an update.
Normally we would skip Animator’s Palate for the second night because – no show. Now I am converted and say GO! The sketch that you draw before dinner they later animate in a pre-dessert show! It is super fun and we really enjoyed seeing our art (along with our names in the credit roll – which goes slowly enough to take a photo) displayed on the big screen.
I learned something very important this cruise,… NOTE TO COFFEE LOVERS… you can order Cove Café coffee to your cabin. Just call room service during the hours that Cove Café is open, and they will pick it up for you and deliver to your room and add the cost to your account. If you are ordering breakfast as a wake-up call, as I like to do, but don’t like the instant-tasting coffee, just ask for the beverage of your choice from Cove Café!
Spa: We had both used the gym before but never splurged on a spa treatment. This time we did both. Go to the spa tour and raffle as the odds of winning a free treatment are pretty good. We each purchased a Swedish massage before boarding the ship. The treatment was wonderful and the staff were very willing to listen to the type of massage we wanted (no deep tissue thanks – I don’t want to ache on vacation) but there was a sell at the end which we politely ignored. I was told I needed a follow-up massage, and advised to consider one of the 30-minute ones they offer in the open air on deck. I considered that to be another version of upselling.
Mid-week, the spa had a free hairstyle lesson. The lesson was pretty good and since someone in attendance was going to win a free haircut (consult, wash, cut, dry and style) and ONLY 3 people showed up, the odds were pretty good. Everyone who attended was given a free 15 minute consult. I used the free consult and was pretty happy with the advice. Of note, cabins now have a regular hairdryer in the dresser drawer. It is wonderful especially compared to the weak version which still hangs on the bathroom wall.
Bingo: We had never played before (frugal and don’t gamble) but we were given 4 free playing cards at the DVC presentation (see below) so went. Throughout the entire cruise, and several times a day, there was a lot of advertising and announcements for bingo.
DVC presentation: This was a first too. Not a bad way to spend an hour. Lots of free stuff, a free folio for everyone, lots of free drinks for everyone, lots of free flashdrives for answering questions (basically for participating), four free bingo cards for everyone, and a chance to win onboard credit. It was worth going.
Deals: Canadians love a deal and we were told that there were over 1,000 Canadians on this cruise – largely because of the 20% off offer on this sailing along with a free upgrade to an outside cabin. We booked IGT on Dec 19 and received our cabin assignment around two weeks before sailing. We got what we paid for in an 11B on deck 6 forward but were really happy with the cabin as it was in an isolated area just three decks below the adult only area- super quiet. The rooms are in good shape and we liked all of the refurbishments EXCEPT that the coffee table can no longer be raised or lowered. On previous sailings, we could use it as an in-room dining table and lower it to use as a coffee table which could be neatly tucked under the desk – but not anymore. High table only.
Post Office at Castaway Cay: I have gotten into the habit of buying postcards and using the writing paper from my cabin to write cards and notes to friends and family which I mail on Castaway Cay and which typically arrive by mail to Canada approximately 10 weeks (weeks – not days) later. Guest services will give you more notepaper and envelopes. They hesitate to give extra postcards because you can buy them cheaply in the stores on board. I planned to mail cards again this trip and walked off the ship with a handful ready to buy stamps. The Post Office was closed. No problem, I asked a cast member if it would be open later, they said yes, and I planned a return trip. On my second visit to the Post Office mid-day, same thing: closed but I found a cast member who said it would be open later and to come back in an hour or so. On my third visit to the closed Post Office, I found a cast member who said it hadn’t been open for several sailings and he wished they were allowed to just tell guests that.
I should disclose that DD was an ICP for 3 months one summer and confirms that this is a very Disney-style response: never tell a guest “no” if you can avoid it. Instead, direct them elsewhere or encourage them to try again later. As nice a trip as it is to take the tram from Serenity Bay to the Post Office, I would not have wanted to make a 4th trip. Know that you can mail your cards and letters at Guest Services. The Post Office on the Island is cute but not worth the hassle if it isn’t open when you happen to wander by, don’t make a special trip.
DAY BY DAY
Day 1 – Port Canaveral, Cruise Casual
We flew in the day before and stayed at an airport area hotel overnight, went back to the airport for 10:00 am, checked in quickly, dropped off luggage and walked straight onto a cruise bus holding our boarding group #12. We have raced before to get into group 2 but this vacation was all about the relaxing so we didn’t care about boarding.
After a short bit of time in the port terminal, and a photo with Minnie, we boarded easily walking straight past the looooong photo line (thank you DCL for creating the express line and for roping it off) and spent some time wandering the ship. I like the “re-imagined” Magic and didn’t miss the second staircase in the lobby. I felt that they doubled the seating space beside the quiet Cove Café near the pool area. We scoped out a few favourite loungers.
I have already mentioned the spa tour.
By 6pm, DD was already in the theatre enjoying watching Frozen while I enjoyed a glass of pre-dinner wine in the cabin. Our steward brought glasses and refreshed them throughout the cruise. We had late dining at 8:00 and planned on attending just 2 or 3 of the MDR meals. When we met our tablemates, we changed our minds. The 4 others at our table were all in their early to mid 20’s and were so much fun to visit with that we went to every dinner except the evening when we were at the spa.
DD went to the College program mixer at 10pm and met a bunch of folks her age. Important note here – the College Club program is called 18*21 but anyone in their early 20’s is welcome to attend, just don’t plan on drinking. There was a pretty good sized group the first evening (around 10 people) and throughout the week they met for lunches, games in the pubs, and every evening at around half an hour before the adult show in Fathoms, they would gather there and hang out in one of the large booths and stay for the show. The Singles group does the same but the first meet event wasn’t until lunch on Day 2.
The evening show with Michael Harrison was hilarious.
NOTE between 6:00 and 6:30 pm, O’Gills Pub puts out a buffet of finger food including vegetables and dips, nachos and salsa, sausage rolls, amazing wings. If you have late dinner seating, and are feeling a bit low on your servings of vegetables, visit O’Gills Pub.
Day 2- At Sea, Formal
The day started with room service for breakfast. Then it was off to the spa for the workshop on hair care and the chance to win a spa treatment. I didn’t win but did receive a 15 minute professional hairstyle consultation. It was kind of cool as my face shape was “analyzed” as was the thickness of my hair and its fullness. Lunch was back at Lumiere’s, this time for the first singles meet-up event or, as they call it “single, single parent or travelling alone”. It was fun and there was an interesting mix of singles and single parents in the group.
I went to the next single’s mingle at Cove Café lounge. We met at 4:30 all dressed for the Captain’s reception. It is so smart of Disney to do this as it meant that we didn’t have to walk into the party alone if we didn’t want to. The cruise staff who host the events are wonderful about it. Their job is to make everyone feel at ease and they do it well. They also like to tell stories so if you want to hear any behind-the-scenes tales, attend a singles mingle event.
Dinner was in Animator’s Palate and the show was the same as previous cruises. I had sampled one of each of the different cocktails served at the Reception so had a very, very light dinner. DD had her first Mickey bar of the trip for dessert. It was the second night that I couldn’t eat dessert – on the first night dinner was too good and I was too full. Now on the second night I was still full of fruity cocktails. The previous night the server had said “no problem, you can have two tomorrow night”. Tonight when I declined again, he said “you know what that means – 3 desserts tomorrow!” It’s fun to play along. The evening show was Buckets & Boards – a combination of tap and stomp and percussion. Hard to describe but very good.
Day 3 – Cozumel, Cruise Casual
This was our shopping leg of the trip. We wandered the port area a few hours. The vendors and shops near the port were only mildly aggressive. There were staff in the doorways inviting passersby to come in and pick up a “free gift”. We don’t know what they were handing out because we didn’t accept the offer. I found vanilla – we get poor extract versions in Canada and I struggle to find the pure stuff. You can get it at specialty stores but I have gotten into the habit of picking up several small bottles whenever I am in Mexico. It is the perfect gift to give friends when I return home. The shop lady had three different varieties in either light, medium or dark and had sample bottles opened. I didn’t know that you could tell so much about vanilla by smelling it so I sniffed and compared and finally decided. We enjoyed walking and wandering along the waterfront.
We went out early to avoid spending the hottest part of the day in the sun (it was 25 degrees) and returned to the ship in time for a late lunch outside on the Cabanas deck. It was our first time eating outside on the deck on this trip and it was wonderful.
The afternoon was spent reading on the deck before the DVC presentation at 4:45 am, and then I had a rest while DD met the College program folks.
This was my first time watching “Match Your Mate”. I probably wouldn’t have gone but one of our tablemates were newlyweds and we wanted to cheer for them so that they would be chosen the newest married but sadly, the newlywed couple from our table missed getting a chance to play by a technicality of being one day longer married than another couple on board who were married on the same weekend but on the Sunday rather than the Saturday so they were the newest of the newlyweds and were chosen. The show was hilarious and all 3 couples were celebrities for the rest of the trip - we all know a bit more about them than we probably should.
As soon as the show ended, Fathoms emptied out. On previous cruises there has been music and dancing that would go at least an hour or so after the show but not this trip and I don’t know why but it meant that evenings ended a bit early.
Day 4 – Cayman Islands, Cruise Casual
This was an extra sea day for us. Neither DD or I had any interest in going ashore. This was also our spa day and we timed our massages for the all aboard time. That meant that we enjoyed the ship while it was mostly empty all day and then when people were returning on board, we headed to the spa.
I have written above about the spa. Worth every penny. I do think that I would hold off pre-booking in advance unless I was very particular about what I wanted to when. All during the cruise there were daily specials and for less than the price of my one-hour massage, I could have had over 90 minutes of massage plus an additional treatment for less than I paid so consider value versus the convenience of pre-booking. To anyone who hasn’t used the spa, I highly recommend it.
On this day we saw Big Hero 6 at Buena Vista Theater, worked out, rested by the pool, and not much else. It was 26 degrees and coming from -30 and colder back home, this was the perfect day to rest and re-charge and enjoy sitting in the shade feeling a warm breeze. Did I mention that, with wind chill, -30 can feel closer to -40. A warm breeze was heavenly.
We had told our table mates and servers the day before that we wouldn’t be attending MDR dinner. DD had room service and left for her treatment and a bit later I went to Cabana’s for their table dinner service. This was another first for me – I have always done either MDR, room service or quick service on deck 9 for dinners. While Cabana’s at dinner is nowhere near as elegant as the main dining rooms, it is the same MDR food (assorted options from the restaurants) and the service is still excellent. I was not rushed in any way and was finished my meal in a little over an hour. For those who don’t like the sometimes slow pace of the MDRs, this is an option. After our massages, it was off to O’Gills Pub for the POP trivia game. I did a couple of the games in O’Gills during this cruise and it is an easy place to spend a bit of time.
Day 5 – Falmouth / Montego Bay Jamaica, Pirate or Cruise Casual
We had a rough time trying to dock in Jamaica and couldn’t dock at Falmouth. The Captain was able to dock at a port on Montego Bay. It looked like a shipping yard but there was a little marketplace just outside of the port gates that had some interesting tourist items and very cheap alcohol. If you are looking to bring a bottle home, this is the island to buy it.
Since we didn’t dock where we were supposed to, our excursion destination was further away which meant a longer bus ride and thus begins the saga of our excursion experience. We had booked High Tea at Good Hope. Read the description online and know that we experienced none of it.
We met in the lounge on board and then our group was walked out to a bus. We then sat on the bus on the dock for half an hour. No one told us that our destination was now more than 30 minutes further away than the original 30-45 minutes. A couple on the bus must have asked someone because we saw them walk to the door of the bus, turn around, and head back to the ship. Smart couple.
After the half hour sitting on the dock, we made our way out of the port and then turned around and went back through the gates and all the way back to the ship to pick someone up for another tour. After being on the bus now for almost an hour, we spent one hour and 25 minutes getting to our destination. The driver said he made a mistake and shouldn’t have taken us through downtown Montego Bay. We were supposed have a tour guide pointing out sights and landmarks. Our bus driver pointed out hotels and resorts.
When we got to Good Hope Estates we were very late and our hosts were not happy to see us. I think that we threw off their schedule. We insisted on being provided with a few minutes to use the restroom before they began our tour of the estate. The tour was just about half an hour and wasn’t too bad except that we were now two hours late for lunch and people were very, very hungry and a bit grumpy.
We then went to the patio for High Tea. We had to hurry so had about half an hour to sit before we were hurried back onto the bus for another hour and a half ride to get back to the ship.
I love High Tea so I am not going to comment on the experience. This wasn’t one that I can recommend but I encourage you to read online reviews and judge for yourself. We had read reviews and read enough positive ones to select the excursion. I think that the delays and the ratio of over 4 hours on a bus for an under 90 minute on-site experience skewed my perspective.
When we got back to the ship, we were worn out. We ordered room service: all hands on deck cheese platter, cake of the day and mickey ice cream bars, and relaxed. I spoke to Guest Services and a delightful staff member listened to me and gave me a comment sheet which I filled out and returned. That evening everyone at dinner was sharing their shore excursion stories and the folks at our table had already heard that our High Tea excursion was the worst of the day.
After dinner, it was time for the Pirates in the Caribbean Part and I spent it on deck 10 overlooking the deck party. It remains a fun show and afterwards, Cabanas is open for the Pirate Buffet. It was alright but on my last 7-night cruise, three years ago, the Magic had a midnight dessert buffet in Lumiere’s and it was spectacular. I am sorry to hear that they don’t do this anymore.
Kudos to Guest Services as they sent me a lovely note the next day. They expressed apologies for our excursion experience, and said that their third party tour operator had corroborated the “challenges experienced in your tour”. They also gave both DD and I a full refund and sent us two complimentary Castaway Cay Getaway Packages. While I don’t want to jump ahead in my report, I will tell you that our table mates had a good chuckle at the apology gift and we did too – all in good fun as we were very grateful – but if you read our guest records you would see room service, wine, spa treatments,…. just the kind of the guests who need an adventure package ?!?!? We decided “Why not” and looked forward to trying new things.
Day 6 – Day at sea, Semi Formal
This was our last day at sea and it was another peaceful one. Just wonderful. We got up early for breakfast, did a little walking around the ship, took care of some paperwork, visited the computer help centre (very helpful) and then lounged until lunchtime. For lunch I went to the Singles Mingle and DD went to the College Club. Both groups met in Lumiere’s and there were 6-8 people in each group. Afterwards DD and I went to O’Gill’s Pub and played a movie quote game. We did really well and were just one answer away from winning the competition.
We went straight to the 1:45 showing of Into the Woods. After the movie I had a rest and DD spent time with friends she made at the 18*21 Club. Before dinner there was another Singles Mingle at Cove Cafe at 5:00 and I was surprised that we were still meeting new folks who had just heard about the group. DCL puts the College Club programs into the “Adult Activity Highlights” section of the Navigator but only puts the singles activities into the daily schedule. I recommended on my comment card that they list both in the highlights section.
After dinner it was off to Fathoms for the Magic and Illusion of Mike Super. It was very entertaining.
Day 7 – Castaway Cay, Cruise Casual
Like many DCL fans, a day at Disney’s private island is THE BEST part of a Disney cruise. We had our complimentary “adventure package” to use. We started with a tour of the island by bicycle. It was really fun and a great way to see parts of the island we had never visited before. The observation tower was wonderful. A cast member is stationed at the start of the loop that leads to the tower and will take family photos while you bike past. Just send someone up with a camera and get some great action shots. On our way back, a different cast member took photos of us biking on the airstrip with the beauty of the island and the road to Serenity Bay in the background. We rode for around an hour and a half and except for a few stops and starts and some pretty shaky steering, we did not too bad. My only advice to Disney is to put cubbies at the bike area – the big “bin” where everyone dumps their back packs and bags isn’t reflective of the neat clean and organized image DCL maintains.
We spent the rest of the morning on the beach at Serenity Bay and then had a great BBQ lunch. Then it was supposed to be off on adventure number 2: snorkeling. However, the wind picked up and it got cold and was too cold for me to venture into the water beyond strolling the beach and walking in the surf. It was disappointing as neither of us have tried that before and I think it could have been fun. The same cold that canceled our snorkeling also knocked tubing off of the schedule so our adventure package wasn’t as adventurous as we had planned. We stayed at Serenity Bay for the afternoon. It is exactly as the name implies – peaceful, beautiful, quiet and serene. DD and I walked the beaches and spent time just lounging. It was windy but the sun shone the entire afternoon so a day well spent.
We left the island, dropped off postcards at Guest Services, and returned to our cabin to the unhappy documents about how to disembark in the morning. Packing was quick and easy as we didn’t have to plan to go through airport screening the next day as we had one night at WDW before returning to Canada. It makes a huge difference as I could put whatever I wanted into a carry-on bag. Dinner was casual and everyone shared how they spent the day and we all talked about our vacations and plans for trips home. The show in Fathoms was Matt Baker and he was great. A really good way to end a vacation. The 18*21 met again half an hour before the show and then had their own farewell party after the show ended.
Day 8 - Debarkation and WDW
We skipped the MDR breakfast and went to Cabanas instead. It was rushed and hectic and there was very little in the fruit and pastry sections and I think that is the price you pay for eating at the buffet. The advantage of Cabanas is the flexibility to arrive when you want and to eat at your own pace. I think that next time, if there is a next time, I would try the MDR instead to have a better meal. When we left the ship we went straight to the WDW hotel buses and after around a 15 minute wait, we were on our way.
We had taken advantage of a discount code to book a one night stay at the Contemporary Resort. I cannot say enough good things about the hotel and cast members. They checked us in as soon as we arrived and found us a room that was ready so that we could get into the room right away. It was wonderful. We were on the second floor with a balcony looking over Bay Lake. We had a rest and then wrote the monorail and snacked our way around the MK hotels: we started at the Polynesian where we had sushi and steamed pork buns and ended our snack with a Dole Whip – awesome. Note: they have moved the Dole Whip stand out of the quick service restaurant to a patio. Then it was another monorail ride to EPCOT just to look around before heading back to the MK where we walked back to our hotel. We got ready for dinner and headed back to MK to take a ferry to the Wilderness Lodge. When DD was an ICP, I went to visit her half way through her term and stayed at WL. It is a lovely hotel and our plans for the evening were to meet a couple she had worked with on her internship who recently got married. Our plans were to meet at the Roaring Fork Lounge in WL – we hadn’t factored in Superbowl Sunday. While we are aware of this in Canada, in the U.S. this is AN EVENT so lounge space was at a premium.
After a bit of a wait, we got a table and enjoyed the beer cheese fondue (highly, highly recommend it) and the pulled pork nachos (not as good). The evening was great, DD got caught up with her friends, and then we took the ferry back to Contemporary. We got on the ferry at WL along with two other people who got off the boat at Fort Wilderness Campground. We had the boat to ourselves from FWC back to the Contemporary and our Captain toured around a bit because the Electrical Water Pageant was about to begin. He “parked” the ferry in a great spot just off the docks at the Contemporary so that we could view the pageant. It was a wonderful way to end our vacation.
The next day we slept in, checked out, stored our bags, and headed to Downtown Disney to shop and take in the sights. Lunch was at the Earl of Sandwich, where I highly recommend the Mac & Cheese. Then it was back to the hotel, hop onto the Magic Express, and back to Canada.
If you have any questions about any of the above, please let me know and I will do my best to answer.
This trip report is my thank you to every Dis post I have read that helped me plan my own best vacations and I appreciate the advice and guidance received over the years.
This was the 4th DCL cruise for DD and I. We did the 7-night Western on the Magic when DD was 15 (loved the teen club), a 4 night Dream when she was 18 (loved the College Club) immediately followed by a 7-night Eastern on the Magic (not quite a back-to-back as there was 3 days at WDW in between – even better College Club programming) and then this cruise where she was 22 (loved the College Club program and Singles Mingles). I have done Singles programming on all of the cruises and have always enjoyed the events. I have wished that the meets were highlighted in the Navigator or on the App. Inevitably I run into people throughout the cruise who have no idea that there was a group that they could meet for coffee or people to chat and sit with during the nightclub shows.
On this 7-night Western, here is how some things went. A longer day-by-day overview appears below.
Internet access: I needed to check emails a few times a day so signed up for the free 50MB on the first day. It allowed me to check and reply to emails every 12 hours until the end of day 3 of the cruise. No photos or attachments. On Day 3 I bought an additional 100 MB and by the end of day 4 it was all gone?!?!?!? I spoke to the great cast member at the connect@sea desk beside the promenade lounge and he checked my netbook (the only device connected to the internet), confirmed that I had turned off all automatic updates, and decided that the problem was at the DCL end and I had not used 100 MB in less than 24 hours. He then reloaded my account with another 100 MB at no charge. I walked off the ship with 30MB leftover. Great service.
Dining: We had LACLLAC. The food on this sailing was really good. I would say better than 4 years ago. I found Carioca’s food to be much better (in my opinion) than Parrot Cay ever was. The room service menu hasn’t changed in,… forever? It needs an update.
Normally we would skip Animator’s Palate for the second night because – no show. Now I am converted and say GO! The sketch that you draw before dinner they later animate in a pre-dessert show! It is super fun and we really enjoyed seeing our art (along with our names in the credit roll – which goes slowly enough to take a photo) displayed on the big screen.
I learned something very important this cruise,… NOTE TO COFFEE LOVERS… you can order Cove Café coffee to your cabin. Just call room service during the hours that Cove Café is open, and they will pick it up for you and deliver to your room and add the cost to your account. If you are ordering breakfast as a wake-up call, as I like to do, but don’t like the instant-tasting coffee, just ask for the beverage of your choice from Cove Café!
Spa: We had both used the gym before but never splurged on a spa treatment. This time we did both. Go to the spa tour and raffle as the odds of winning a free treatment are pretty good. We each purchased a Swedish massage before boarding the ship. The treatment was wonderful and the staff were very willing to listen to the type of massage we wanted (no deep tissue thanks – I don’t want to ache on vacation) but there was a sell at the end which we politely ignored. I was told I needed a follow-up massage, and advised to consider one of the 30-minute ones they offer in the open air on deck. I considered that to be another version of upselling.
Mid-week, the spa had a free hairstyle lesson. The lesson was pretty good and since someone in attendance was going to win a free haircut (consult, wash, cut, dry and style) and ONLY 3 people showed up, the odds were pretty good. Everyone who attended was given a free 15 minute consult. I used the free consult and was pretty happy with the advice. Of note, cabins now have a regular hairdryer in the dresser drawer. It is wonderful especially compared to the weak version which still hangs on the bathroom wall.
Bingo: We had never played before (frugal and don’t gamble) but we were given 4 free playing cards at the DVC presentation (see below) so went. Throughout the entire cruise, and several times a day, there was a lot of advertising and announcements for bingo.
DVC presentation: This was a first too. Not a bad way to spend an hour. Lots of free stuff, a free folio for everyone, lots of free drinks for everyone, lots of free flashdrives for answering questions (basically for participating), four free bingo cards for everyone, and a chance to win onboard credit. It was worth going.
Deals: Canadians love a deal and we were told that there were over 1,000 Canadians on this cruise – largely because of the 20% off offer on this sailing along with a free upgrade to an outside cabin. We booked IGT on Dec 19 and received our cabin assignment around two weeks before sailing. We got what we paid for in an 11B on deck 6 forward but were really happy with the cabin as it was in an isolated area just three decks below the adult only area- super quiet. The rooms are in good shape and we liked all of the refurbishments EXCEPT that the coffee table can no longer be raised or lowered. On previous sailings, we could use it as an in-room dining table and lower it to use as a coffee table which could be neatly tucked under the desk – but not anymore. High table only.
Post Office at Castaway Cay: I have gotten into the habit of buying postcards and using the writing paper from my cabin to write cards and notes to friends and family which I mail on Castaway Cay and which typically arrive by mail to Canada approximately 10 weeks (weeks – not days) later. Guest services will give you more notepaper and envelopes. They hesitate to give extra postcards because you can buy them cheaply in the stores on board. I planned to mail cards again this trip and walked off the ship with a handful ready to buy stamps. The Post Office was closed. No problem, I asked a cast member if it would be open later, they said yes, and I planned a return trip. On my second visit to the Post Office mid-day, same thing: closed but I found a cast member who said it would be open later and to come back in an hour or so. On my third visit to the closed Post Office, I found a cast member who said it hadn’t been open for several sailings and he wished they were allowed to just tell guests that.
I should disclose that DD was an ICP for 3 months one summer and confirms that this is a very Disney-style response: never tell a guest “no” if you can avoid it. Instead, direct them elsewhere or encourage them to try again later. As nice a trip as it is to take the tram from Serenity Bay to the Post Office, I would not have wanted to make a 4th trip. Know that you can mail your cards and letters at Guest Services. The Post Office on the Island is cute but not worth the hassle if it isn’t open when you happen to wander by, don’t make a special trip.
DAY BY DAY
Day 1 – Port Canaveral, Cruise Casual
We flew in the day before and stayed at an airport area hotel overnight, went back to the airport for 10:00 am, checked in quickly, dropped off luggage and walked straight onto a cruise bus holding our boarding group #12. We have raced before to get into group 2 but this vacation was all about the relaxing so we didn’t care about boarding.
After a short bit of time in the port terminal, and a photo with Minnie, we boarded easily walking straight past the looooong photo line (thank you DCL for creating the express line and for roping it off) and spent some time wandering the ship. I like the “re-imagined” Magic and didn’t miss the second staircase in the lobby. I felt that they doubled the seating space beside the quiet Cove Café near the pool area. We scoped out a few favourite loungers.
I have already mentioned the spa tour.
By 6pm, DD was already in the theatre enjoying watching Frozen while I enjoyed a glass of pre-dinner wine in the cabin. Our steward brought glasses and refreshed them throughout the cruise. We had late dining at 8:00 and planned on attending just 2 or 3 of the MDR meals. When we met our tablemates, we changed our minds. The 4 others at our table were all in their early to mid 20’s and were so much fun to visit with that we went to every dinner except the evening when we were at the spa.
DD went to the College program mixer at 10pm and met a bunch of folks her age. Important note here – the College Club program is called 18*21 but anyone in their early 20’s is welcome to attend, just don’t plan on drinking. There was a pretty good sized group the first evening (around 10 people) and throughout the week they met for lunches, games in the pubs, and every evening at around half an hour before the adult show in Fathoms, they would gather there and hang out in one of the large booths and stay for the show. The Singles group does the same but the first meet event wasn’t until lunch on Day 2.
The evening show with Michael Harrison was hilarious.
NOTE between 6:00 and 6:30 pm, O’Gills Pub puts out a buffet of finger food including vegetables and dips, nachos and salsa, sausage rolls, amazing wings. If you have late dinner seating, and are feeling a bit low on your servings of vegetables, visit O’Gills Pub.
Day 2- At Sea, Formal
The day started with room service for breakfast. Then it was off to the spa for the workshop on hair care and the chance to win a spa treatment. I didn’t win but did receive a 15 minute professional hairstyle consultation. It was kind of cool as my face shape was “analyzed” as was the thickness of my hair and its fullness. Lunch was back at Lumiere’s, this time for the first singles meet-up event or, as they call it “single, single parent or travelling alone”. It was fun and there was an interesting mix of singles and single parents in the group.
I went to the next single’s mingle at Cove Café lounge. We met at 4:30 all dressed for the Captain’s reception. It is so smart of Disney to do this as it meant that we didn’t have to walk into the party alone if we didn’t want to. The cruise staff who host the events are wonderful about it. Their job is to make everyone feel at ease and they do it well. They also like to tell stories so if you want to hear any behind-the-scenes tales, attend a singles mingle event.
Dinner was in Animator’s Palate and the show was the same as previous cruises. I had sampled one of each of the different cocktails served at the Reception so had a very, very light dinner. DD had her first Mickey bar of the trip for dessert. It was the second night that I couldn’t eat dessert – on the first night dinner was too good and I was too full. Now on the second night I was still full of fruity cocktails. The previous night the server had said “no problem, you can have two tomorrow night”. Tonight when I declined again, he said “you know what that means – 3 desserts tomorrow!” It’s fun to play along. The evening show was Buckets & Boards – a combination of tap and stomp and percussion. Hard to describe but very good.
Day 3 – Cozumel, Cruise Casual
This was our shopping leg of the trip. We wandered the port area a few hours. The vendors and shops near the port were only mildly aggressive. There were staff in the doorways inviting passersby to come in and pick up a “free gift”. We don’t know what they were handing out because we didn’t accept the offer. I found vanilla – we get poor extract versions in Canada and I struggle to find the pure stuff. You can get it at specialty stores but I have gotten into the habit of picking up several small bottles whenever I am in Mexico. It is the perfect gift to give friends when I return home. The shop lady had three different varieties in either light, medium or dark and had sample bottles opened. I didn’t know that you could tell so much about vanilla by smelling it so I sniffed and compared and finally decided. We enjoyed walking and wandering along the waterfront.
We went out early to avoid spending the hottest part of the day in the sun (it was 25 degrees) and returned to the ship in time for a late lunch outside on the Cabanas deck. It was our first time eating outside on the deck on this trip and it was wonderful.
The afternoon was spent reading on the deck before the DVC presentation at 4:45 am, and then I had a rest while DD met the College program folks.
This was my first time watching “Match Your Mate”. I probably wouldn’t have gone but one of our tablemates were newlyweds and we wanted to cheer for them so that they would be chosen the newest married but sadly, the newlywed couple from our table missed getting a chance to play by a technicality of being one day longer married than another couple on board who were married on the same weekend but on the Sunday rather than the Saturday so they were the newest of the newlyweds and were chosen. The show was hilarious and all 3 couples were celebrities for the rest of the trip - we all know a bit more about them than we probably should.
As soon as the show ended, Fathoms emptied out. On previous cruises there has been music and dancing that would go at least an hour or so after the show but not this trip and I don’t know why but it meant that evenings ended a bit early.
Day 4 – Cayman Islands, Cruise Casual
This was an extra sea day for us. Neither DD or I had any interest in going ashore. This was also our spa day and we timed our massages for the all aboard time. That meant that we enjoyed the ship while it was mostly empty all day and then when people were returning on board, we headed to the spa.
I have written above about the spa. Worth every penny. I do think that I would hold off pre-booking in advance unless I was very particular about what I wanted to when. All during the cruise there were daily specials and for less than the price of my one-hour massage, I could have had over 90 minutes of massage plus an additional treatment for less than I paid so consider value versus the convenience of pre-booking. To anyone who hasn’t used the spa, I highly recommend it.
On this day we saw Big Hero 6 at Buena Vista Theater, worked out, rested by the pool, and not much else. It was 26 degrees and coming from -30 and colder back home, this was the perfect day to rest and re-charge and enjoy sitting in the shade feeling a warm breeze. Did I mention that, with wind chill, -30 can feel closer to -40. A warm breeze was heavenly.
We had told our table mates and servers the day before that we wouldn’t be attending MDR dinner. DD had room service and left for her treatment and a bit later I went to Cabana’s for their table dinner service. This was another first for me – I have always done either MDR, room service or quick service on deck 9 for dinners. While Cabana’s at dinner is nowhere near as elegant as the main dining rooms, it is the same MDR food (assorted options from the restaurants) and the service is still excellent. I was not rushed in any way and was finished my meal in a little over an hour. For those who don’t like the sometimes slow pace of the MDRs, this is an option. After our massages, it was off to O’Gills Pub for the POP trivia game. I did a couple of the games in O’Gills during this cruise and it is an easy place to spend a bit of time.
Day 5 – Falmouth / Montego Bay Jamaica, Pirate or Cruise Casual
We had a rough time trying to dock in Jamaica and couldn’t dock at Falmouth. The Captain was able to dock at a port on Montego Bay. It looked like a shipping yard but there was a little marketplace just outside of the port gates that had some interesting tourist items and very cheap alcohol. If you are looking to bring a bottle home, this is the island to buy it.
Since we didn’t dock where we were supposed to, our excursion destination was further away which meant a longer bus ride and thus begins the saga of our excursion experience. We had booked High Tea at Good Hope. Read the description online and know that we experienced none of it.
We met in the lounge on board and then our group was walked out to a bus. We then sat on the bus on the dock for half an hour. No one told us that our destination was now more than 30 minutes further away than the original 30-45 minutes. A couple on the bus must have asked someone because we saw them walk to the door of the bus, turn around, and head back to the ship. Smart couple.
After the half hour sitting on the dock, we made our way out of the port and then turned around and went back through the gates and all the way back to the ship to pick someone up for another tour. After being on the bus now for almost an hour, we spent one hour and 25 minutes getting to our destination. The driver said he made a mistake and shouldn’t have taken us through downtown Montego Bay. We were supposed have a tour guide pointing out sights and landmarks. Our bus driver pointed out hotels and resorts.
When we got to Good Hope Estates we were very late and our hosts were not happy to see us. I think that we threw off their schedule. We insisted on being provided with a few minutes to use the restroom before they began our tour of the estate. The tour was just about half an hour and wasn’t too bad except that we were now two hours late for lunch and people were very, very hungry and a bit grumpy.
We then went to the patio for High Tea. We had to hurry so had about half an hour to sit before we were hurried back onto the bus for another hour and a half ride to get back to the ship.
I love High Tea so I am not going to comment on the experience. This wasn’t one that I can recommend but I encourage you to read online reviews and judge for yourself. We had read reviews and read enough positive ones to select the excursion. I think that the delays and the ratio of over 4 hours on a bus for an under 90 minute on-site experience skewed my perspective.
When we got back to the ship, we were worn out. We ordered room service: all hands on deck cheese platter, cake of the day and mickey ice cream bars, and relaxed. I spoke to Guest Services and a delightful staff member listened to me and gave me a comment sheet which I filled out and returned. That evening everyone at dinner was sharing their shore excursion stories and the folks at our table had already heard that our High Tea excursion was the worst of the day.
After dinner, it was time for the Pirates in the Caribbean Part and I spent it on deck 10 overlooking the deck party. It remains a fun show and afterwards, Cabanas is open for the Pirate Buffet. It was alright but on my last 7-night cruise, three years ago, the Magic had a midnight dessert buffet in Lumiere’s and it was spectacular. I am sorry to hear that they don’t do this anymore.
Kudos to Guest Services as they sent me a lovely note the next day. They expressed apologies for our excursion experience, and said that their third party tour operator had corroborated the “challenges experienced in your tour”. They also gave both DD and I a full refund and sent us two complimentary Castaway Cay Getaway Packages. While I don’t want to jump ahead in my report, I will tell you that our table mates had a good chuckle at the apology gift and we did too – all in good fun as we were very grateful – but if you read our guest records you would see room service, wine, spa treatments,…. just the kind of the guests who need an adventure package ?!?!? We decided “Why not” and looked forward to trying new things.
Day 6 – Day at sea, Semi Formal
This was our last day at sea and it was another peaceful one. Just wonderful. We got up early for breakfast, did a little walking around the ship, took care of some paperwork, visited the computer help centre (very helpful) and then lounged until lunchtime. For lunch I went to the Singles Mingle and DD went to the College Club. Both groups met in Lumiere’s and there were 6-8 people in each group. Afterwards DD and I went to O’Gill’s Pub and played a movie quote game. We did really well and were just one answer away from winning the competition.
We went straight to the 1:45 showing of Into the Woods. After the movie I had a rest and DD spent time with friends she made at the 18*21 Club. Before dinner there was another Singles Mingle at Cove Cafe at 5:00 and I was surprised that we were still meeting new folks who had just heard about the group. DCL puts the College Club programs into the “Adult Activity Highlights” section of the Navigator but only puts the singles activities into the daily schedule. I recommended on my comment card that they list both in the highlights section.
After dinner it was off to Fathoms for the Magic and Illusion of Mike Super. It was very entertaining.
Day 7 – Castaway Cay, Cruise Casual
Like many DCL fans, a day at Disney’s private island is THE BEST part of a Disney cruise. We had our complimentary “adventure package” to use. We started with a tour of the island by bicycle. It was really fun and a great way to see parts of the island we had never visited before. The observation tower was wonderful. A cast member is stationed at the start of the loop that leads to the tower and will take family photos while you bike past. Just send someone up with a camera and get some great action shots. On our way back, a different cast member took photos of us biking on the airstrip with the beauty of the island and the road to Serenity Bay in the background. We rode for around an hour and a half and except for a few stops and starts and some pretty shaky steering, we did not too bad. My only advice to Disney is to put cubbies at the bike area – the big “bin” where everyone dumps their back packs and bags isn’t reflective of the neat clean and organized image DCL maintains.
We spent the rest of the morning on the beach at Serenity Bay and then had a great BBQ lunch. Then it was supposed to be off on adventure number 2: snorkeling. However, the wind picked up and it got cold and was too cold for me to venture into the water beyond strolling the beach and walking in the surf. It was disappointing as neither of us have tried that before and I think it could have been fun. The same cold that canceled our snorkeling also knocked tubing off of the schedule so our adventure package wasn’t as adventurous as we had planned. We stayed at Serenity Bay for the afternoon. It is exactly as the name implies – peaceful, beautiful, quiet and serene. DD and I walked the beaches and spent time just lounging. It was windy but the sun shone the entire afternoon so a day well spent.
We left the island, dropped off postcards at Guest Services, and returned to our cabin to the unhappy documents about how to disembark in the morning. Packing was quick and easy as we didn’t have to plan to go through airport screening the next day as we had one night at WDW before returning to Canada. It makes a huge difference as I could put whatever I wanted into a carry-on bag. Dinner was casual and everyone shared how they spent the day and we all talked about our vacations and plans for trips home. The show in Fathoms was Matt Baker and he was great. A really good way to end a vacation. The 18*21 met again half an hour before the show and then had their own farewell party after the show ended.
Day 8 - Debarkation and WDW
We skipped the MDR breakfast and went to Cabanas instead. It was rushed and hectic and there was very little in the fruit and pastry sections and I think that is the price you pay for eating at the buffet. The advantage of Cabanas is the flexibility to arrive when you want and to eat at your own pace. I think that next time, if there is a next time, I would try the MDR instead to have a better meal. When we left the ship we went straight to the WDW hotel buses and after around a 15 minute wait, we were on our way.
We had taken advantage of a discount code to book a one night stay at the Contemporary Resort. I cannot say enough good things about the hotel and cast members. They checked us in as soon as we arrived and found us a room that was ready so that we could get into the room right away. It was wonderful. We were on the second floor with a balcony looking over Bay Lake. We had a rest and then wrote the monorail and snacked our way around the MK hotels: we started at the Polynesian where we had sushi and steamed pork buns and ended our snack with a Dole Whip – awesome. Note: they have moved the Dole Whip stand out of the quick service restaurant to a patio. Then it was another monorail ride to EPCOT just to look around before heading back to the MK where we walked back to our hotel. We got ready for dinner and headed back to MK to take a ferry to the Wilderness Lodge. When DD was an ICP, I went to visit her half way through her term and stayed at WL. It is a lovely hotel and our plans for the evening were to meet a couple she had worked with on her internship who recently got married. Our plans were to meet at the Roaring Fork Lounge in WL – we hadn’t factored in Superbowl Sunday. While we are aware of this in Canada, in the U.S. this is AN EVENT so lounge space was at a premium.
After a bit of a wait, we got a table and enjoyed the beer cheese fondue (highly, highly recommend it) and the pulled pork nachos (not as good). The evening was great, DD got caught up with her friends, and then we took the ferry back to Contemporary. We got on the ferry at WL along with two other people who got off the boat at Fort Wilderness Campground. We had the boat to ourselves from FWC back to the Contemporary and our Captain toured around a bit because the Electrical Water Pageant was about to begin. He “parked” the ferry in a great spot just off the docks at the Contemporary so that we could view the pageant. It was a wonderful way to end our vacation.
The next day we slept in, checked out, stored our bags, and headed to Downtown Disney to shop and take in the sights. Lunch was at the Earl of Sandwich, where I highly recommend the Mac & Cheese. Then it was back to the hotel, hop onto the Magic Express, and back to Canada.
If you have any questions about any of the above, please let me know and I will do my best to answer.
This trip report is my thank you to every Dis post I have read that helped me plan my own best vacations and I appreciate the advice and guidance received over the years.
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