Our Disney Magic Adventure 2/13/10 to 2/20/10 Operation Disney lines........

[Tea]

Day 3
Sea Day
2/16

Busy morning sunny day at sea. Many things to do this AM

Last eve we received a card in our room stating that early today was our Character breakfast. The kids got in late, & Angela & I have reservations for Palo's brunch at 11:30 AM. We passed, on the Character breakfast didn't want to go without the girls.

In the navigator there was an early scrap booking class given by Jaclyn (who is also Disney's on board travel agent) I went to the class, was given some materials to start off our scrap booking, with letters, Disney cruise paper frame about 8 by 10. I met lot's of ladies some new some I already met & enjoyed myself. We exchanged stories while working on scrapping.
I'm going to attempt to finish scrapbooking our trip in the months to come.

I am a gold member & received an invatation to the Captains party for Gold & Platinum Level members. They gave us a drink, poised with Daisy Duck for photos, watched a movie about the Dream and future cruises. Met people who cruised with Disney more than 25 times. I was expected more fun at this party. I think next time I will pass on this.

Off to Palo's

Our server from Palo brunch was Cecilia who just happens to be married to Ivo our Head server. The food quality service and selections were outstanding with a $15.00 cover charge plus tip and one free drink

Cecilia took us on a tour of the brunch offerings. Appetizers and Salads including olive salad,scallops wrapped in bacon, prosciutto wrapped melon, sun dried tomato salad, crabs legs & claws, jumbo shrimp, cheese Selection, Fresh Fruit, garden salad, caviar on spoons (I'm sure I have left some things out)

"Hot Orders" Eggs Benedict,Eggs Julia, Omelets Pancakes, chicken Parma, beef & so much more

Desserts:Tiramisu, Lemon Meringue Pie, Cappuccino Mousse, Fresh fruits and Berries with whipped cream berries sweet rolls German stolen cheese Danish, chocolate pudding and much more.

All I can say is EXCELLENT try to book brunch

After Polo Lunch we saw "America Most Funniest Video filming at the Pool" we went to guest service & I ran into Karen & Family(MassDisLovers) in the lounge near guest services. I loved hearing how she surprised her daughter on this Disney Cruise. Both of her daughters joined us, and they are simply sweet as well as beautiful. I enjoy her family & her friend Jody too.

Angela went to a cooking class & I went to the Adult pool, & swam some laps and enjoyed the hot sun on sea day.

Angela & I did the unthinkable today, we crashed the Stack. Our daughters were having a blast with there new friends. The Staff had everything under control. The girls, were not happy about us coming upstairs. Parents are not welcome in the Stack, but hay, we needed to see with our own eyes, that everything was ok with our children. We were impressed. The Staff was very friendly to us, & didn't seem to mind that Angela and I came to check the on the girls. We quickly left PHEW....

Later in the Day, Angela & I took a Diamond education class. We were told where the best shops are in St. Thomas. We also given maps of the Island. I learn a lot about Diamonds that day. They also had a drawing. Someone won a beautiful braclet.

Before we knew it, it was time for Dinner again with my family. Dinner again was superb, after dinner, Angela went to the Disney Theatre. I wasn't feeling that good and went to bed early.

Back in my cabin, Albert once again turned our beds down, with a handmade towel animal on our bed surrounded by chocolates. A huge fruit basket & a card from guest services awaited us, asking the family of the week if we were satisfied with our day & services. Quick tip, if going to the beach the next day, back your bag the night before. Next morning all you have to worry about is your shower & the kids, and early breakfast before you leave the ship. I packed the night before each night, when were on the Disney Med trip made mornings much easier.

Tomorrow St. Thomas

Love your report! How did you become family of the week? Sounds great!!!
Tea

 

[MassDisLovers]

Anybody liking my report?

I LOVE your report (especially the part about meeting us )

Keep it going Patricia!

 

[PURTYPAT1]

I LOVE your report (especially the part about meeting us )

Keep it going Patricia!

Thanks Karen, I enjoyed you Jody your stories, & especially your daughters. I wish we could have seen your daughter sing at the talent show.

I'm enjoying it. It's interesting to see the different things everyone does on the cruise. We're all in the same place, yet experiencing different things.

Linda, will you be posting a trip report? Would love to read your doings.

Love your report! How did you become family of the week? Sounds great!!!
Tea

Thanks Tea, I didn't want to continue with the report if no one is enjoying it. Not sure how or why we were picked, had lot's of perks to go with the title. The cruise was near perfect (wish we would have gone to St. Martin and skip the sea day)

 

[PURTYPAT1]

2/17
St. Thomas

Woke up early, & went to Lumerie's for breakfast with my family. Last night, I packed our bags, ready for our beach day. Had our swimsuits layed out, so all we had to do was shower eat breakfast & go. Ordered chicken strips from room service the night before. Placed them in baggies along with water & box cereal and we were ready for the beach.

Both families voted Magens Beach in St. Thomas we booked thru Disney. Our meet was 9 AM and off the boat about 9:10 We were lead off the Magic to a very sunny warm day. The tram like vehicles transported us to the Magens Beach. We had one beautiful scenic stop at the top of the cliff over looking the Island.

We proceeded to Magens Bay. There was an area set up with beach chairs for Disney guests. It was nice to be with other people from the ship. Magens Bay beach is just beautiful. The scenery including the houses built on the cliffs make for a great beach setting. The water was very warm, calm & beautiful. There are restroom/changing houses in several locations. There is also a bar and walk-up restaurant. Suggest bringing your own food as the restaurant is pretty Americanized with burgers, chicken sandwich, hot dogs, and even whole pizzas. Burgers and such were $10 The pizza $23.00 a pie was excellent.

The day went by to quickly. Transport to the ship was quick & easy. Once back to the port, the girls showered ate and went to the stack before dinner.

I went to the Quiet Cove pool and enjoyed some sun and swimming. Showered in the Spa
As the ship was ready to leave St. Thomas, I went to the back of the ship to "Secret Deck 7". I wanted to watch as the ship left the port. Next to SD7 is a handicap room. I met a young woman from Louisiana who was a travel agent. She was traveling with her husband and 2 children. She told me she booked last minute and received a great travel agent's discount, and ended up with this beautiful big handicap room with a huge verandah. Her husband joined us, & we enjoyed our talk overlooking the beauty of St. Thomas as the Magic set sail. I wish my husband was with me. Incidentally, while talking to this lovely couple the staff from the Magic was busy setting up around me for a private party for the Staff of American's most Funniest Video.

Had yet another perfect dinner. Last night we had requested chocolate souffle from Palo's for tonight's dessert. We were not let down, it came and was delicious.

After dinner the girls went to the Stack for Smoothie hour then Pump it up (fitness with music) followed by Hot tub hour and ending with teen choice. (21 teens fit in the hot tub for a group photo)

Angela and I went to Disney's Once upon a Song in the Walt Disney Theatre. We then went to see Alfred and Seymour in Rockin' Bar D. They were very funny. Lastly we went to Buena Vista Theatre to see When in Rome. Fun night.

Back in our cabin Albert had our beds turned down, a letter from the Disney staff, along with family of the week surprise treats. Long day today

 

[jessrose18]

That is a lot of activities for one day! Glad things were settled down by then for you after starting out so hectic.

 

[JOEYDIS]

2/17
St. Thomas

Woke up early, & went to Lumerie's for breakfast with my family. Last night, I packed our bags, ready for our beach day. Had our swimsuits layed out, so all we had to do was shower eat breakfast & go. Ordered chicken strips from room service the night before. Placed them in baggies along with water & box cereal and we were ready for the beach.

Both families voted Magens Beach in St. Thomas we booked thru Disney. Our meet was 9 AM and off the boat about 9:10 We were lead off the Magic to a very sunny warm day. The tram like vehicles transported us to the Magens Beach. We had one beautiful scenic stop at the top of the cliff over looking the Island.

We proceeded to Magens Bay. There was an area set up with beach chairs for Disney guests. It was nice to be with other people from the ship. Magens Bay beach is just beautiful. The scenery including the houses built on the cliffs make for a great beach setting. The water was very warm, calm & beautiful. There are restroom/changing houses in several locations. There is also a bar and walk-up restaurant. Suggest bringing your own food as the restaurant is pretty Americanized with burgers, chicken sandwich, hot dogs, and even whole pizzas. Burgers and such were $10 The pizza $23.00 a pie was excellent.

The day went by to quickly. Transport to the ship was quick & easy. Once back to the port, the girls showered ate and went to the stack before dinner.

I went to the Quiet Cove pool and enjoyed some sun and swimming. Showered in the Spa
As the ship was ready to leave St. Thomas, I went to the back of the ship to "Secret Deck 7". I wanted to watch as the ship left the port. Next to SD7 is a handicap room. I met a young woman from Louisiana who was a travel agent. She was traveling with her husband and 2 children. She told me she booked last minute and received a great travel agent's discount, and ended up with this beautiful big handicap room with a huge verandah. Her husband joined us, & we enjoyed our talk overlooking the beauty of St. Thomas as the Magic set sail. I wish my husband was with me. Incidentally, while talking to this lovely couple the staff from the Magic was busy setting up around me for a private party for the Staff of American's most Funniest Video.

Had yet another perfect dinner. Last night we had requested chocolate souffle from Palo's for tonight's dessert. We were not let down, it came and was delicious.

After dinner the girls went to the Stack for Smoothie hour then Pump it up (fitness with music) followed by Hot tub hour and ending with teen choice. (21 teens fit in the hot tub for a group photo)

Angela and I went to Disney's Once upon a Song in the Walt Disney Theatre. We then went to see Alfred and Seymour in Rockin' Bar D. They were very funny. Lastly we went to Buena Vista Theatre to see When in Rome. Fun night.

Back in our cabin Albert had our beds turned down, a letter from the Disney staff, along with family of the week surprise treats. Long day today

That was me you talked to on the back of the ship. I enjoyed meeting you and hope you had a great trip back home. I can't wait to sail again. My kids had the best time. I think I want to try the 5 night two stop at Castaway. I think it would be great.

 

[DisFamily10]

Glad to read your trip is getting better then it began. You said you took cereal with you to St. Thomas? Was is from the ship or did you bring it on?
We are packing for out trip and trying to decide what snacks to bring along and what we can acquire on board. Thanks

 

[PURTYPAT1]

That was me you talked to on the back of the ship. I enjoyed meeting you and hope you had a great trip back home. I can't wait to sail again. My kids had the best time. I think I want to try the 5 night two stop at Castaway. I think it would be great.

Oh my goodness, Joey, what a small world. I enjoyed you and your wife very much. Thank you for sharing a part of your life with me. You have a lovely family. Your wife gave me her card, and I misplaced it. It will turn up, I'm still unpacking. It's hard to believe that last week, we had sun, & this week we are snowed in blizzard. We had the best time too. My husband daughter and I are going to Alaska next year on the Wonder we have something to look forward too.

Glad to read your trip is getting better then it began. You said you took cereal with you to St. Thomas? Was is from the ship or did you bring it on?
We are packing for out trip and trying to decide what snacks to bring along and what we can acquire on board. Thanks

In Topsiders restaurant they have small boxes of Kellogg cereal. We took cereal, yogurt chicken strips and water to the beach. Rumor has it, your not supposed to take food. We did nobody searched our bags as we left the ship. I saw a few Disney people with bananas and bags of chips from the ship. We bought chicken strips last year to the beach as well. We saved lot's of money. Don't forget to bring an extension cord, light up clock radio, and small flash light. The ship pretty much has everything you need or want as far as food is concerned. I did see lot's of families bringing there own water on board. Hope this helps

 

[JOEYDIS]

It stinks that you are snowed in. JOEYDIS is me Laure. My DH does not read the Dis but I surely do. I hope you have warm sunny days real soon.

 

[Tea]

Thanks Karen, I enjoyed you Jody your stories, & especially your daughters. I wish we could have seen your daughter sing at the talent show.


Linda, will you be posting a trip report? Would love to read your doings.


Thanks Tea, I didn't want to continue with the report if no one is enjoying it. Not sure how or why we were picked, had lot's of perks to go with the title. The cruise was near perfect (wish we would have gone to St. Martin and skip the sea day)

I love to hear about extra special magical happenings We were on that cruise too!!! Sorry about St. Marteen however I had a blast and can not wait to cruise again. This was our first of many cruises to come. We are hooked.

 

[PURTYPAT1]

I love to hear about extra special magical happenings We were on that cruise too!!! Sorry about St. Marteen however I had a blast and can not wait to cruise again. This was our first of many cruises to come. We are hooked.

We were treated like VIP & received some of the Concierge Extra's. Yes we are hooked on Disney as well. This was my 7th cruise

It stinks that you are snowed in. JOEYDIS is me Laure. My DH does not read the Dis but I surely do. I hope you have warm sunny days real soon.

Hi Laure Yesterday, all of the buses in NJ going to New York city were canceled due to snow. Therfore, all of the commuters including my husband in our town (most of our town is commuters) had the day off. This is a first.

 

[jessica52877]

Joining along! I gotta catch up. I only read about your first day. It all sounded like fun (we were ON the ship) vs being on the ship but I see now it wasn't really a fun day where you could wander around WDW.

Hi,

I have some photos I'll try and post tomorrow. I also did a two min video of the Wonder passing the Magic at port. I just used my regular camera so the video will probably be pretty small, but will see.

We also boarded on deck 1, so no name announcement or greeting. As silly as it sounds I was looking forward to that since I saw it on all the Disney Cruise Ads and marketing materials.

My wife Lisa made the bags and towel, but I never thought to take a photo of it.

Best,
Steve

I am dying to see what these bags looked like!

I copied and pasted this from another thread.

HOW TO POST PICTURES
Method 1
1. Upload the pic of your choice to photobucket
2. Resize the pic in photobucket click on the thumbnail of the picture, it will open up, then click (above the pic)> resize > 15" screen- it will make you verify that you would like to resize the pic (I like the 800X600 size pictures instead of the message board setting, it shows lots more detail)
3. After the pic has resized, go to your album, below the pic that you would like to post, there are 4 different codes (email & IM, direct link, html code & IMG code) Click in the box that has the has the IMG code. It will look something like this http: xxxxxxxxxxxxx
When you click on that box, it will light up in yellow, and say "Copied"
4. In the thread on the Dis (in another open window), click on "post reply". When you are ready to post the pic, right click - a box will open, click on paste. This will paste the link that you copied from your photobucket account.
5. Post reply. The pic should show up!
[/color]

Method 2
You can also post pictures directly from Facebook and most any other website you have your pictures posted too already:

Right click on you picture,
If you are using Firefox: click, on the option that says "copy picture location"
If you are using Inernet Explorer click: Properties, then copy the image location information
Then, for either one, paste that into the little picture linkie thing up there at the top of your reply box (her on the Disboards).

 

[PURTYPAT1]

2/18
Thursday
Sea day

Woke up a bit late this am. Nice to oversleep. Hard with the changing of the clocks. Angela & I met at Lumiere's for breakfast. I just can't get enough of those eggs Benedict.

Afterwards, I decided to re-book my next cruise. All week Jaclyn (the Disney cruise travel agent) seemed to have a long lines waiting to re-book there cruise. Sat down and waited. Met lot's of families while waiting. Disney Cruise offered our sailing 20% off any future cruises. My family was booked on the Alaska 2011, Jaclyn canceled my current booking, and rebooked us again. Big savings with the 20% off and OBC.

I ran into Barbara from our Disneycruise meet, she bought for her daughter a Dooney and Bourke Mickey bag . In the navagator there was a special sale $20.00 off $100.00 in the Treasure Ketch which made this bag very afforable.

Lot's of activies going on today on the ship. Towel folding looked pretty interesting. Angela booked a tour of the ship, for later in the afternoon.

12:30 today was our Ladies Disney meet lunch. On our meet thread, about a month ago, the ladies decided to do, a "Yankee exchange" being from the New York area, I thought why are we exchanging a New York Yankee gift. I felt like a fool, when I found out it wasn't the NY Yankee Grab bag it's a gift grab-bag with a twist.
We all bought gifts that were wrapped. We all picked a number when it was your turn to pick the gift you have the right to exchange & trade your gift with anyone else who all ready opened theres. The twist is if you picked #1 at the end of the game you can switch again and be the last to switch. Number 1 has the advantage. One of the gifts was a magnificent embroidered Disney Cruise towel, made by Lisa http://www.impressionswear.com/disney
We all wanted that towel MassDisneylovers, daughter had number 1, being the good daughter she was, she picked the towel for her mom. I had such a great time with the ladies. Thank you Karen, Barbara and anyone else I missed for setting this up. It was truly one of the highlights of our cruise

I don't smoke but my Sister Donna does. Cigarettes in New Jersey are up to $80.00 a carton. Angela & I went down stairs to the Duty Free Liquor store to purchase cigarettes. Only $25.00 a carton with no tax. (Donna, if your reading this, oh well you know what your birthday gift is)
They also were selling,"Alice in Wonder tea pot set" They were simply magnificent and not expensive. Under $20.00 I saw the same tea pot on ebay for $40.00 plus. If you have a chance take a walk thur this store.

Afterwards I went to the Quiet cove for some sun & swimming. I enjoyed the afternoon. We stopped by Bingo and deceided against playing and just watched. Deck 2 had some open wash machines. I took this opportunity to do a load of laundry. The laundry room no longer takes quarters. You swipe your room card. This is progress, no need for quarters anymore.

Angela and I went to guest services and fill out our tip forms & received enevelopes for the staff. IMOP all of our staff, deserved extra than the given amount. We deceided to tip extra. Our service all week was outstanding.

Before you know it we were rushing for dinner, it's semi formal tonight. Lobster night. We were not disappointed. Our servers had our wants down to a science. After dinner, met our Disney Board friends for a group photo.

The girls went to the stack. Every night, they had something planned for the teens. Our girls couldn't wait, they loved every awaking hour there. Tonight Boardgame Challenge followed by Pump it up and ending it with Mickey mania homecoming

Angela and I went to Walt Disney Theater to see, "Dreams" great show about a young girl that discovers the power of her dreams. A little Disney theater tip we learned is, when you enter the Theater, stay all the way to the far left & go down the stairs on the left. Same thing when you leave the Theater. Everyone seems to leave in the middle making it mass confusing. Exit all the way to the right on the side and you will not have the crowds.

Before you know it, was time for bed, with dreams of Castaway Cay.

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Joining along! I gotta catch up. I only read about your first day. It all sounded like fun (we were ON the ship) vs being on the ship but I see now it wasn't really a fun day where you could wander around WDW.



I am dying to see what these bags looked like!

I copied and pasted this from another thread.

HOW TO POST PICTURES
Method 1
1. Upload the pic of your choice to photobucket
2. Resize the pic in photobucket click on the thumbnail of the picture, it will open up, then click (above the pic)> resize > 15" screen- it will make you verify that you would like to resize the pic (I like the 800X600 size pictures instead of the message board setting, it shows lots more detail)
3. After the pic has resized, go to your album, below the pic that you would like to post, there are 4 different codes (email & IM, direct link, html code & IMG code) Click in the box that has the has the IMG code. It will look something like this http: xxxxxxxxxxxxx
When you click on that box, it will light up in yellow, and say "Copied"
4. In the thread on the Dis (in another open window), click on "post reply". When you are ready to post the pic, right click - a box will open, click on paste. This will paste the link that you copied from your photobucket account.
5. Post reply. The pic should show up!
[/color]

Method 2
You can also post pictures directly from Facebook and most any other website you have your pictures posted too already:

Right click on you picture,
If you are using Firefox: click, on the option that says "copy picture location"
If you are using Inernet Explorer click: Properties, then copy the image location information
Then, for either one, paste that into the little picture linkie thing up there at the top of your reply box (her on the Disboards).[/QUOTE]

Hi jessica52877:wave2: thanks for the tip above. I will upload my photo tonight,& try to post them tomorrow.

I am enjoying your trip report as well. I want to see your $86.00 haircut.

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Friday
2/19
Castaway Cay

We all overslept this AM. It felt great to sleep late. We went upstairs for a buffet breakfast this AM I like having the option of sit down or buffet.

It was a sunny day at Castaway Cay. We docked the ship without any problems.

I did a load of laundry since there were many washers available today. Needed to go to guest services AAA told us that we were given floaters on Castaway Cay. You need to get your AAA tickets at guest services.

By time everyone was ready to leave the ship my clothes were ready for the dryer.

We left the Magic & took the tram to the beach. There were lot's of options at Castaway Cay. We could rent snorkel equipment, rent bikes and check out observation tower trail, a cabana massages at Serenity Bay beach, rent jet skiis into the open ocean. Last choice was just to lay out in our beach chairs and enjoy the sunny day. We chose the last. We did use our AAA coupons and received our floats for day. By the way we were told, that the stingrays escaped during the storm and are no longer at Castaway Cay. Does anyone know if this is true?

The sun and beach was magnificent. I think we made the right choice. Finding a beach chair on the family beach was a bit of a challenge. We actually dragged beach chairs to our favorite spot, with the help of some friends.

After a few hours we decided to go to Cookie's BBQ for lunch excellent. Our girls went to the teen beach had lot's of plans. At noon we were lucky and ran into the girls and able to eat lunch with them.

Time flies, when your having fun, before you knew it was time to board the ship.

Started to pack a bit getting all of papers ready for the AM. Took a nice long shower, while we set sail for our last voyage to port Canaveral.

Went to our final dinner in Animators Palate then to the Walt Disney Theatre to see, "Remember the Magic"
and saw the movie in 3 d UP. Afterwards, we needed to pack our clothes and leave them outside our rooms by 10:30 or 11:00 PM. Lot's to do in very little time. We did the impossible, left our bags outside for Albert and went to guest service to straighten out our bill.

Went to bed very sad, our vacation is almost over.

 

[MassDisLovers]

Enjoying your report, Patricia. Was it really 3 weeks ago already ?

 

[Imaginationsetfree]

We then went to see Alfred and Seymour in Rockin' Bar D. They were very funny.

Alfred and Seymour were on my cruise too - they were hilarious!!!!!!

 

[OwnaBoxer]

Disney Adventure 2/13 to 2/20 Operation Disney lines........

We had a real Disney Adventure last week & made the best of crazy situation.

There were 4 of us booked our rooms Cat 9 2146 & 2148
Husbands couldn't take off from work so 2 friends & 2 Moms made this our Mother Daughter cruise

Our cast:

Myself Patricia
DD Jenna 15
Angela
DD Mary 15

Today Friday 2/12 we left Newark airport for Orlando; uneventful flight. TIP: pack a light snack or breakfast in your carry on luggage. Continental gave us a cupcake for breakfast with a beverage. I bought bagels with cream cheese the night before and froze them. Early before our flight, I took them out of the freezer. By time we boarded and received our beverages, our bagels were room temperature & yummy.

On Friday we arrived in Orlando; cold and 35 degrees, raining. We booked the Hyatt using the Hyatt prepaid certificate, for $130.00 for the night. We requested the Polar room which is equal to 2 rooms in one. No beds in the polar room, only 2 Queen Couches that turn into beds on each side of room. In the middle of this huge room is dining room table, surrounded by chairs, and a bar on the side. There is a huge bathroom, vanity room and a big TV. I requested a cot for myself (the 4 of us slept in this paradise for the evening). After check in at the hotel, we had rented a car downstairs from Alamo for the day. We headed to ABC Liquor store and our favorite, dinner at the Olive Garden. We did some last minute shopping. We had plans for Disney world, but due to severe cold & heavy rain down pours, we passed. Later that evening we returned our car & enjoyed our room at the Hyatt.

Saturday morning at 6:30 AM I went down stairs to check in with Disney Cruise Line at the bottom of the airport (near the rent a cars).

I am officially a gold member, which was exciting for my perks. I was able to check in for the 4 of us (Angela & Mary were first timers). We received our key to the world and got our bus numbers, and even our ticket number to board the boat (# 2, YES!!!!). I was then told the Magic was detained at Castaway Cay due to weather & we would not board the Magic till 3 pm. At this point I ran into Rosa, from Westchester NY. Rosa & her family was to take the Amtrak train from NY to Orlando on Friday, only to find out that Amtrak canceled there train due to snow. Rosa, her husband & 2 small children rented a car and drove straight thru, and just arrived at 6:30 am. We were both told we were boarding the Magic at about 3pm.

I asked the DC agents if I could take the Magical bus to Animal Kingdom (I had DW hopper passes) I would keep in touch with DC by phone, & take the bus from Animal kingdom to the port. I was told no stay put. I went upstairs, & told the family. We went for breakfast and killed about 5 hours in the airport. Nobody from Disney seemed to know what was going on. They all had different stories. 12:00 check out at the Hyatt lobby was a zoo. There were very angry men from our cruise, yelling at their wives and yelling at Disney personal staff. It was very uncomfortable to see all of this. The lobby of the Hyatt was crazy.

The Plan:
At the Hyatt lobby Disney personal asked all of us (lot's of people) to gather, he told us we were not able to get on board till Sunday. We need to go down stairs wait in another line to check in & get our keys. (Phew we had our keys) He told us, if we had our keys, just to board the bus to Epcot. He said the plan was leave at noon to Epcot get a hopper pass and at 2pm go to "Wonders of Life Building" and Disney would give us the name of the hotel we were to stay at. They gave us all $15.00 each for a food card, and left our luggage at the Wonders of Life until we were ready to leave the park. We then were instructed to get our luggage & bring them to the bus & off to the hotel.

We were told Disney was offering

Free hotel stay Saturday and a free day at Epcot for their entire party
$20 per person on board credit for the meal they would have gotten Saturday night. The credit can be used on the ship when they board.
$100 per stateroom on board credit
a 20% refund
Option to cancel cruise without penalty and with full refund

What Happened
We went downstairs at 12:00, had our keys to the world & were checked in. We were told just hop on the bus, but that was wrong. We had to wait in a really long line and get the letter to board the bus to Epcot even though we were already check in. (made no sense)

We got to Epcot and thought we could have fun in the park with our hopper pass, and we are hungry & we wanted to eat lunch. Wrong again, LOL. We waited in a really long line to get our hopper passes. We entered the park & it was time to check in at the Wonder of Life (2pm). I waited in line for almost 3 hours. The park was really crowded. My family went to test track while I stayed in line for our hotel. Inside there was lot's of entertainment for the young kids, not much for teens. They had a lot of junk food. Popcorn, ice-cream, chips, cookies, cotton candy, m&m's and soda. After an hour my family met me in the building. By then it was mass confusion. We were very hungry; my family left and went to guest services. They waited in a really long line, to find a restaurant in Epcot for dinner (we didn't have a car to leave the park to eat). While they waited in one line (guest services) I was still in Wonder of Life line for the hotel.


By almost 5 PM, we received our room assignments Caribe Royale Hotel. I asked a Disney personal if we could go to Magic Kingdom with the hopper pass after we ate dinner, and could they ship our luggage to the hotel (from Epcot). I waited a while, while they made arrangements for a luggage transfer to the hotel. No problem, all arrangements were made. At this time my family came back to the Wonders of Life from the Epcot guest services building, the only Epcot restaurant left to eat in was Morocco for 5:15 pm. Not happy with our only choice, we were very hungry& took it. My daughter only eats chicken strips, and it was on the kids menu (thank god), got to keep the kids happy. I was not happy with the adult choices or the prices. 2 kids meals, & 2 adult meals kids got ice cream on the kids menu came to over $100.00 with tip about 125.00 Our card took care of $60.00 I don't think I will eat there again heart burn all night. Thankfully I had Tums in my suitcase.

We then hopped over to the magic kingdom. It was really cold, 39 degrees & windy. We left the MK Park at 10:30 and were told the bus would be in the lot for the Caribe Royale Hotel. No bus until 11:45. We were cold tired, so we called the Disney people, who told us to take a cab and we were to be reimbursed (e were never reimbursed). The cab was only $25.00 plus a $5.00 tip, $30.00

At 11:00 PM, we checked in at the Caribe Royale Hotel. It's a beautiful hotel and very big. We were told at the lobby desk our luggage never came. So we asked for tee shirts or bathrobes to sleep in. They promised us Robes & tooth brushes but nobody ever came. We slept in our clothes. I called Disney at 1 am asking if they found my suitcases. I am glad I did, for they didn't know they were missing. They were very kind, they instructed me to call the front desk again and tell them to send up robes ASAP along with tooth brushes & paste. Disney said the next day that they would dry clean our dirty clothes on the ship. Gosh, how nice. I was glad I called, I was running on empty & they gave me the zest back.

I slept the rest of night in my robe, couldn't wake up DD. Next AM we went to the front Desk to try to locate our bags. The front desk told me to call all the hotels that have Disney people from the cruise and maybe I could locate the bags. I was shocked. How would I know which hotels? I called AAA since I had insurance with them. I couldn't find anybody. The Caribe Royale Hotel store sold no undergarments or anything in case of lost luggage. The front desk was no help.

No Disney personal anywhere. In all fairness it was Sunday morning. We were told Disney would give us breakfast in the ball room down stairs. Our children wanted cereal but the breakfast wasn't that great: Danishes, cookies, juice, tea bowls of fresh bananas, apples and oranges. I was happy about the fruit, but the kids weren’t. I was afraid to leave the area to buy breakfast in a restaurant, fearful we would miss the bus, or any information about the ship.

After about one hour later, a Disney rep finally came by. He was so nice & very sympathetic about our luggage. He knew just how to handle us & make us feel better. He said he would try to locate it. What a gentleman. I wish I new his name. I would love to write to Disney about him. We met many nice people in the many lines we were on.

After a few hours of waiting in the breakfast ball room, 1 person from each family waited in line to check in (yet another long line) for a number bus to the port.

We finally made it to the port only to find we were located in another terminal (I really wanted to see the model of the Disney Dream). The Wonder was at the port, so we had to go to another location.
Guess what??? Another long, really long, line to get onto the boat. I learned that being a gold member means nothing on this trip. LOL! Finally on board the ship. And there was no name announcement? After all we went through to go on the ship, to be on the ship. (I wanted to show off to Angela how they announce our names).

Today was Valentines Day, and it was supposed to be our Palo Brunch, had to go to make new reservations at Palo for a new Brunch date. There was no line.

Next Guest services, Operation suitcases. Our guest service helper was Libo. All I can say is, he did his best to find our suitcases. What a worker, and he was so kind. He was on a mission to find our suitcases before the boat sailed. At this point 2 days in the same clothes we felt very dirty. We missed out Disney boards meet because we were with Libo trying to locate our luggage. We ate upstairs at Topsiders.

Because it was Valentines Day, my husband called & asked if I got the gift from him in the room. I didn't, I called Guest service and told them that my husband said he bought me a surprise it should be in my room. Was it flowers or wine? Guest services told us they would look into it.

The sail away party was sensational. Towards the end of the party there was an announcement that the "Wonder" was coming & going to pass us. I wish you all could have experienced what we did. Everyone, including the crew members, ran to the side of the deck & watched the Wonder sail pass us. The DJ played "Come sail away". It was very quiet at first, except the music; all of a sudden the Wonder was next to the Magic. Everyone was waving crying, & just the energy. Can I confess, I was standing on top of group of stack chairs and I was so tall. I could see everything & everybody, waving my Burberry scarf. I was about 8 feet tall. I had tears in my eyes as I was waving. I took lots of photos. If only I knew how to post I would show you all the photos. Both horns were blasting. It was truly a magical moment. I get goose bumps just thinking about it. The Wonder left us, but we all were still talking about it.

It was then time for Dinner our servers were Dwight and Steve. Dinner was suburb. I felt a little funny dinning in our jeans & sneakers.

Our luggage was delivered about 9PM

I had a stateroom attendant that was awful, after 2 days, I complained & was able to change him & then had a "Magical host name Albert".

The kids went to the Stack and made many new friends. They loved the Stack. We were exhausted but went to the theater that night for the show. We had a great time. What a long day.

Wow Patricia: I found your story to be fascinating! You seem to be the type of person that just goes along with the agenda, yet it appears every 'mishap' that could have possibly happened, happened to you. I sure do hope that Disney recognizes your over the top patience and apparent frequent traveler and Park attendee.

For sure, you've certainly left me with a very positive outlook. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and your fellow travelers that Disney makes things right for you! Best of luck to you and thanks for the fascinating read!

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Enjoying your report, Patricia. Was it really 3 weeks ago already ?

Thanks Can't believe it's been 3 weeks. How did you make out with the insurance? I put a claim in today, not sure if I am going to get anything, will let you know. Have you heard from Barb?

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Alfred and Seymour were on my cruise too - they were hilarious!!!!!!

Last year they were on the boat too. They are really funny