November 7th Eastern Cruise

[mom x4 grandma x4]

November 7th 2009 Eastern Cruise,

Our home is in Florida but we are in Oregon right now so having to fly to Florida for 5 days at WDW then the cruise was quite different than just driving to the port. I now can sympathize with so many who start their vacation tired from a LONG plane ride.
We had a red eye flight, and couldn’t sleep at all. Just too excited!!
But thanks to The Magical Express it was so easy to just get off the plane and head for the bus to go to WDW. Disney took care of our luggage and it was delivered to our room 2 hours after we arrived.
We were pleasantly surprised to find our room was ready at 9:30 a.m. at The All Star Movies. So we were able to relax a bit before hitting the parks.

When we booked they were offering the free dining plan which was awesome!! We didn’t buy one meal or snack the entire time we were there and had extra snacks left at the end of the trip which we got and gave away as extra FE gifts on board with our cruise group. There were other perks that came along with the plan too. I used them all! We did however buy 1 sugar free milk shake at Magic Kingdom to see if it was good and it was excellent.

Since this is a cruise report site I won’t go into details about WDW part of the trip, but if anyone has any questions about any of the parks please ask and I will be happy to answer them for you if i can. We have been around 300 times over the years. I will include some WDW photos after the cruise report.

Saturday morning we grabbed a cab to take us and our luggage to Animal Kingdom to catch the DCL bus. Starting in 2010 the DCL buses will begin stopping at all the resorts so you won’t have the need to grab a taxi like we had to do. By 12:30 we were on the bus and on our way to the port. They play cartoons and a film about the cruise to entertain you on the way. Of course everyone on the bus is so excited that you become even more excited to be going on the cruise.

The Magic appearing as we get closer.

It was about an hour and 15 minutes ride to the port. We just stepped off the bus, walk through security and then to the Castaway check in where there was no line at all. Super fast boarding.
After checking in you have your photo taken, then you enter through those beautiful Mickey ears, swipe your card and take one more photo and finally you hear your name called as you step aboard the ship.
At last the Magic begins.

It was 2:00 by now so we went directly to our room #5640 (a Navigator verandah) to leave off our carry on luggage, then straight up to Topsiders buffet for a light lunch.
Our room

To be continued:

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

After that I have a cruise meet in the Promenade Lounge to meet all the new friends I had made on line. There were lots of great folks there to meet. We all had a good time putting faces to names and all the kids getting aquainted was so nice.

Our meet

After much chatting and a few random photos it was time to head back to the room to prepare for the safety drill. It was fairly quick and the new life jackets they got last year are so much easier than the old ones were to put on and off.

When we arrived back to the room to leave off the life jackets our luggage had arrived. I unpacked in record time so we could zip up to the Adventures away party. I mostly listened to it because I had been to so many before (cruise #20) that we went to deck 10 and mid ship to watch us pull out the channel.
There was a great livley crowd at the Adventures away party.

I had my white Mickey hand on and wave to many people along the way out to sea. Sorry to say we saw NO dolphins or turtles this time, just a few pelicans as we left the channel.

Beautiful sunset as we set sail.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

We were both exhausted so didn’t bother with going to dinner. We used room service and relaxed. I had come down with a cold and fell asleep sitting up on the bed. Next thing I knew it was morning and I hadn’t even changed my clothes or brushed my teeth. YUCKY!!

Our first 2 days were sea days and they were rocking and rolling. For us it was nothing, 13 foot waves . But unfortunately many were looking a bit green those days. We like the rocking feeling, so nice to sleep when it’s that way. 2 years ago it was 30 foot waves, so this was nothing for us.
The best part was watching the pools until they had to close them. They looked like wave pools sloshing over the top from one side to the other. The kids in the family pool were having a blast.

All the new perks for Castaway members were great. We are platinum and loved all the gifts.
If you want to be surprised by what they are doing then don’t read the next few paragraphs because I am going to list what we received.


First you have the special check in line.

Your given lanyards that say Gold, Silver or Platinum on them.

At our level you have a free dinner at Palos. DCL called us before the cruise to book this for us.
We got to choose one gift, either a cheese platter, fruit basket, shrimp cocktails, or sparkling wine to be delivered when we chose it. We did the fruit basket. It had 2 green apples, 2 red apples, 3 bananas, 4 Kiwi already cut, grapes and strawberries

Then we got to choose between a special behind the scenes tour of The WD Theater or an Animal encounter at Castaway Cay.
We did the WD theater tour. We had done one in the past but this was much more detailed and really worth doing. We got to try on costumes and go down on one of the stage lifts to deck 2 to see how props were stored to be placed on the lifts with the actors who come up onto the stage during the shows. It was an excellent tour.

This is the princess gown they let the ladies try on. It was opened in the back so all sizes could try it on. It was very heavy.

I still can't believe my husband actually put on a Prince's jacket.
Of course he didnt know I was going to share it with everyone.
It looked great with his flowered shorts on.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Then there was the Castaway party in Studio Sea. They served lots of snacks and the Captain talked, then we saw a short film clip about future ships and Captain Mickey was there for photos. This was so much nicer than the old meets. Everyone received a tall plastic wine glass with the DCL logo on it as they left. That was much nicer than drawing for a few clocks and then the rest got nothing like it used to be.
Sorry I dont have a photo fo the glasses.


We also were given a leather document holder which is quite nice.

Plus the red and black tote bag on the bed with metal drink cups inside.


Also 4 chocolate truffles and cute rice krispy treats shaped like red and blue sandals. They were very cute! Very tasty too!!

If you spend $100.00 or more in ONE transaction you get $25.00 credit back on your account. You can combine items from both stores but you must tell the clerk so they will take it all to one store to be rung up together or you won’t get the credit. They will not void a previous purchase to add it another one either. It must be done all at once.

They did give us a paper with all our perks on it, however it was 3 days into the cruise when it arrived. So we didn’t get our discount. That was ok because we didn’t really spend much this time anyway.


DH bought a half priced sweatshirt and I got a few pins.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

All the shows were excellent as usual. Disney has very talented performers.
We also had the comedy music of John Charles which we have seen any times before. But always enjoy his performance. They had a new high energy comedy duo called Alfred & Seymour. I really didn’t care for them. They had a couple good lines but that was all. They spent a lot of their time embarrassing people who had to get up to leave, usually with a child. Some laughed others looked embarrassed. I am sure many loved them, but they wern’t my kind of entertainers. Just my opinion though. Please go and see them and judge for yourself.
Ricky Kalmon was a hypnotist and was very good and funny too. Micheal Harrison also performed. He was a ventriloquist and very good too. These performers do a family and adult show. Don’t miss them, they are well worth going to see.

Soul Drive was the house band.Midtown was the duo in the Promenade lounge. We really enjoyed the duo. They were very good and enteracted very well with the kids. Plus they did a wide variety of music.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

St. Croix was our first stop. We had never been there and decided to do the Christiansted walking tour.
It was hot and sticky but an excellent tour. Our guide Heavenly, was great. Her assistants were really nice too. We toured a weigh station at the port, a fort, the governor’s house, a very old church and some shopping. This woman really knew her history.
I loved the ball room in the Governor’s mansion. It was very beautiful. She even had her assistant bow to a seated lady and he asked her to dance like they did a long time ago. She blushed something fierce, but was a good sport about it. Good thing he didn’t pick me or his feet would have got stepped on. I am a terrible dancer.


This is our tour guide Heavenly. We are about to enter the Governors ballroom up the stairs behind her.

Governors courtyard.

The Ballroom. Pictures dont do it justice. It was beautiful.
They still use it for dances for non profit organizations.

Then we took turns standing at the Governors podium for photos. When it was our turn the young man said “smile” and I said NO, we are from Disney. Our photographers always say, Mickey Mouse!!
He laughed and turned all red in the face. Everyone applauded and after that he said, say Mickey Mouse as everyone smiled for their photos. Afterwards he came up to me and said he had never heard of that before but he sure would never forget it. He was prepared for the next time Disney came there

Us at the Governors Podium. He still does all his speaches from there.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

The historic church we toured.

This man was weaving baskets and hats from leaves. He didnt try to sell them. But showed us how he was making them.

This is a replica of the original scle used ot weigh goods shipped to St. Croix 2 hundred years ago.

Fort Christiansted

Main entrance to the fort.

This is a guards post outside the fort. One of our guides is standing in it. Its very small.

Continued:

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

This fort is in great shape and very interesting to go through.

One of the jail cells in the fort.
Many had dirt floors.

This was the dungeon area were only the worst people were put.
It was so low you cant stand up straight and no windows.

Enlisted men slept here and were locked in at night.

Powder house where the amo was kept. Low ceilings in there too.

Guns were kept here below the soldiers rooms.

The officer in charge of the fort lived upstairs in this building. He had an ocean view and windows for a nice breeze.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

ok trying again to post the commanders home upstairs in this building.

a few cannons

We finished the tour and were back to the ship by 1:20 and headed to Topsiders for lunch. There really are not many shops by the port so we didn’t bother with getting back off again. It was a long pier so they did have a free tram to take you back and forth if you wanted.
We just relaxed and saw a movie. Not sure which one it was.
During the course of the cruise we saw A Christmas Story, G-Force, Up, and Surrogates. I liked the 3D effects but their glasses don’t fit comfortably over regular glasses, which was akward.


To be continued in a bit: Got to take my pups out for a much needed break!!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

The next day was St. Thomas where we have been many times before. We had debated about going over to St. Johns but we have also been there many times. So we decided to see what Coral world was like and do the Semi sub tour. Coral World is quite small. They had lots of nice looking fish and turtles and birds to see but if you’ve ever been to some place like Sea World or Atlantis you won’t be impressed.


It is very good for younger kids. Everything is easy to see, not too far apart too.
If you see the shark tank, be sure and walk down behind it for a much better view in the tank.
The underwater observatory was nice but the 2nd level was under construction so the stairs were closed off with plastic a bit and dusty. Be warned the stairs are narrow and windy, like a light house would be, so watch your kids carefully. Of course there is a hand rail but those stairs are tricky.
It is well worth going down to see the fish though. Just watch your step

Thisis the underwater observatory

Lots of turtles in several places.

Manta Rays and the building is a snack place.

Side view of shark tank.

Indoor aquarium photo

Iguanas in a tree. There were 8 of them.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

The semi sub was really good. We saw a lot of fish, a pirate ship wreck and a sunken plane. The water was a bit cloudy in places but mostly a great view. Everyone has their own window and they do turn around and return the same route so you will get to see both sides. They also have a diver who holds things like Hermit crabs up to each and every window. Then he will feed the fish, again being careful to go by each and every window so everyone can see.

Diver outside our window ready to feed the fish.

This is the semi sub.

The area is large too so you don’t feel closed in. Colors change while you are there too. Your tongue looks purple and teeth turn green. Photos look greenish too. She explained why but it’s too detailed to explain again. I don’t have that great of a memory. LOL! But I do recommend a semi sub ride to anyone, especially with young kids.
Of course since you are out in the ocean you do take chances with rough currents making the waters foggy or some days the fish may move out of range. There are no guarantees. Although we had a young shark right on the side of the ship the whole trip. The guide said he showed up about a week ago and knows food is coming, so he has been staying with them every tour.

Inside of the semi sub. Lady in the green shirt is our guide.

Hereis our baby shark that followed us on the tour.

You can see how green we all looked.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

We had one quick shower which was welcome because it was a hot humid day. The driver’s thermometer in his van said 85. It was more humid than last November.
Then it was back in time for lunch on the ship. I believe we did Parrot Cay this time and then back off the ship to browse the shops. This was one of the few times we actually docked instead of tendering at St. Thomas, which was so much easier to get on and off. Plus no early customs check like they use to have. YEAH!


We went shopping near the port for a couple of hours then back on board to watch people run for the ship when they heard the horn blow. It happens every time, there are always stragglers.
Soul Drive was playing at the family pool as we left port, next was the pirate party.
.

Due to my cold I didnt go to the party I was exhausted but I did catch the fireworks.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

NEXT IS CASTAWAY CAY:


We almost didn’t make it to CC. The seas kicked up again and we watched for almost an hour while Captain Tom tried to get us docked. We did make it but it was touch and go for awhile.
We stayed on deck 10 to look at all the new construction on the island and take some photos while others scurried away to get ready to get off the ship

Construction

Here's the new double slide. It is where the teen beach use to be.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

We watched the cruise staff in double time getting off the ship and setting things up. It was almost like watching a movie and hitting fast forward on it. They were doing their best to get it all ready so people wouldn’t lose one more minute after being so late getting docked. I applaud the crew!! And Captain Tom for getting us docked.

Then after the first mass exit was done we went down and got ready to get off. I couldn’t believe how many people were actually running to the beach. I guess they wanted a hammock or something but at least 20 people were running as fast as they could towards the beach.

I like this close up because it shows all the faces on the side of the ship. I never saw them in the movie but they are there.

We leisurely walked onto the island and had plenty of shady chairs still on the beach. Soon we were renting bikes and riding both trails. We did the observation tower too. It was a bit cool early but soon warmed up. I love to ride bikes around the island.

We ran into some of our new cruise friends as they were about to start their ride as we ended ours.

If you go up the observation tower, be sure and look down to see these whimsical birds.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Then we went to the adult beach for lunch but it was lined up about 30 deep and all the tables were full. I guess everyone knew about those t-bone steaks they were serving. We waited about an hour and still no place to sit although the line was shorter.
So we decided to go back to the family beach for lunch. It was almost 2 p.m. by then. The hot dogs and burgers were cold, not hot at all which was disappointing to us but I guess that’s what happens when they get down to the end of the pan. It is not over a steam table to keep things hot. They just cook them and put in the pan to serve so if it sits a few minutes it will get cold. We didn’t complain, because everyone else seemed to be enjoying it, so maybe we were too fussy about wanting a hot burger?

Then we did some browsing in the shops and sat and listened to the duo playing in the Gazebo which was fun. We both love live music.

We went back to the ship early, around 3:00 p.m. so I could do early packing so the evening would be free for other things. We filled out the tips envelopes, and customs form and the questionaire they always leave for you to fill out about your experience on board. We only had one complaint. It is the same every cruise. Eggs on the buffet steam table are too runny. I know they under cook them because the steam table and heat lamps will continue to cook them but everyone was turning up their noses at them. Yes there is a cook making omelets and he will fix eggs any way you want but by them your bacon and hash browns are cold. I have cooked many years in restaurants and they way under cooked those eggs and of course the day they have biscuits and gravy the biscuits are like Hockey pucks. Hard as a rock. Biscuits are suppose to be light and flaky. It has been that way the last 5 cruises. When a server asked us I did tell him the truth how we felt about those 2 items, hoping someday they will improve on that, but we also said everything else was great. 2 badly cooked foods certainly don’t ruin a cruise but they asked so I told them the truth.

I had so many FE gifts it was tricky to pack them safely but I did manage ok. Thank you to all my ship mates who gave gifts. You were all so creative and lots of yummy snacks too. I have lots of ideas for next year’s cruise thanks to your gifts. I loved meeting each and every one of you.

Some of our FE gifts.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

And to Joel and family and Metrowon and his wife I am sorry we never connected on board. Hopefully we will have another chance in the future.

If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask and I will try to answer them for you.
I have included assorted WDW and cruise photos after this report, hope you enjoy them.
Next Magical adventure is 9/18/2010. WOO HOO !!!


Kathy

More photos to follow:

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Seafood buffet

Ice Carving

Blanket turtle

Whales tale

wild flower on CC

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Cactus on CC

waving goodbye as we leave CC

Next few photos are all off the Block Party Bash Parade at Hollywood studios

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

It's past my bedtime, so will add more photos tomorrow,