Our Magical "Celebration" Western Caribbean Cruise, March 7-14, 2009 ~ Completed 5/18

[anetnmike]

CC looks so wonderful...
that is my most favorite part of the trip
you sound like you had an awesome day there! your pictures from the aft deck are beautiful too!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Happy Easter! My DD was up bright and early to go hunt for eggs, but the Easter Bunny was up even earlier to go hide them!

Great update! Looking forward to the next! Love the pics of the dolphin encounter! Looks like alot of fun.

Thanks for reading! The dolphin adventure was amazing and a highlight of the week!

Nooooo, not goodbye already.

I know, that's the bad part about writing a trip report, you have to relive the sad parts too!

absolutely loving your report, especially the pics! I am already feeling the sadness of your cruise ending. What a spectacular day to end it on though, CC looked fabulous! And you fit so much in, both relaxing and seeing the fun stuff too! Thanks for letting us share!

Thank you! It was nice to just relax and not feel rushed with having to be somewhere at a specific time while on Castaway Cay. Glad your enjoying the report.

CC looks so wonderful...
that is my most favorite part of the trip
you sound like you had an awesome day there! your pictures from the aft deck are beautiful too!

Mine too, Castaway Cay is such a wonderful way to end the week and we couldn't have asked for more perfect weather.

 

[wilma-bride]

Wow, I am really loving this trip report. You have got me yearning to do a 7-night cruise now

 

[Granny Hawkins]

I have really enjoyed your trip report and all your wonderful pictures.

HURRY up July 11th.

 

[Disgirl83]

You've done such a great job on the trip report. DH and I are going in May and seeing your pictures makes it seem so much closer!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Wow, I am really loving this trip report. You have got me yearning to do a 7-night cruise now

Thank you. You would love a 7 day cruise!

I have really enjoyed your trip report and all your wonderful pictures.

HURRY up July 11th.

Thanks! Don't worry, July 11th will be here before your know it.

You've done such a great job on the trip report. DH and I are going in May and seeing your pictures makes it seem so much closer!

Thank you. Hope you have a great cruise in May!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Now that the fun and relaxing was over on Castaway Cay, stress began to set in. For some reason, we didn’t get our tips done on Thursday night and my DH had to go down to Guest Services and take care of them before dinner. Evidently, he had to wait in line as the drop box was removed from earlier in the week. We then started to get ready for dinner and clean out our stateroom a bit. For some reason, DD decided to be a booger and not get ready for dinner. DH went down ahead of us. I finally went down by myself and told her to meet us in Lumieres. I was starting to stress out again as the packing was not finished and I was starting not to feel well again. Anyway, tonight was the ‘Til we Meet Again dinner and Remember the Magic show. With the exception of running late for dinner, it was very good. Before dessert is served, all of the chefs come out holding flaming Baked Alaska. Then all of the servers come out carrying all of the flags of the countries that are represented onboard by the crew members to “It’s a Small World”. It is very cool.

Baked Alaska, yum!

Of course, I had to have a piece of baked Alaska for dessert. After dinner, DD got her picture taken one last time with Minnie and then we headed up to our stateroom to change clothes. It was a recommendation on the DISboard to wear the clothes you were going to get off the ship in after dinner on Friday night. We did this last year and it worked well. That way, all we had to stash in the morning was our PJs. We then headed down to the 8:30 PM Remember the Magic show at the WDW theater. During the second half of the cruise, they brought on new entertainment. Unfortunately, we never got to catch their shows at Rocking Bar D. They had this one juggler, Jeff Civillico, who said he could balance anything. He started out with a plunger, balanced a stool,

a DCL lounger,

and ended up with this ladder. He was very funny and unbelievable.

The end of the show always gets to me!

I always cry during this show. The “Remember the Magic” song is very moving. It is so sad to realize that we are going to be leaving the ship in the morning. After the show, we made one last stop at Shutters to upgrade and fill out our package. Boy, what a mad house! We were able to find all of the photos taken at Castaway Cay that day and the Minnie one DD took after dinner that evening. We then took our new photos up to the stateroom and headed immediately down to the atrium.

I wanted to see the Til We Meet Again show in the atrium at 10:15 PM with all of the performers and characters. Last year, we were fortunate enough to be invited for a private meet and greet before the show in Studio Sea. That was a once in a lifetime experience and wouldn’t be relived this year. Anyway, we got a place right next to the staircase and waited for Clayton to introduce the characters and show performers. The characters and performers then scatter throughout the 3rd and 4th floor atrium area for a final meet and greet. DD just wanted a picture with Donald Duck so we just waited for the characters to return to the staircase.

ACD Clayton!

They all wave good bye and then sing: “Now it’s time to say good bye to all our family, M – I – C – See ya real soon! K – E – Y, Why? Because we like you, M – O – U – S – E!! Watch out, here come the tears again! After they finish singing, tons of silver Mickey ear confetti falls from the rafters.

Immediately, all the kids in the audience fall to their knees, including our DD, and try to gather up as much of the confetti as their little hands can carry. It is quite the sight. Then each character leaves and waves good-bye.

Bye, Bye Donald!

So long Chip & Dale,

Gawrsh, see ya later Goofy!

Hugs & Kisses, Minnie!

Bye, Bye Mickey!

The aftermath.

Anyway, after the show, I started stressing out again as our suitcases were not out in the hall yet (they need to be out by 11:00 PM), so I instructed my DH to head back up to the stateroom and finish loading the suitcases and weigh them before we put them out in the hall. In the meantime, I headed to the Oceaneer’s Lab to request a Friendship Rocks t-shirt for DD since she didn’t get one the day before. We had returned the pager earlier in the evening. After a bit, they were able to locate one in DD’s size and I too headed back to the stateroom to supervise the packing and get the suitcases out on time. Whew!

I needed to relax a bit, (can't you tell) so we left DD in the room to watch TV while DH and I took one last stroll on Deck 10. There was a full moon earlier in the week, so the ocean looked very romantic under so much moonlight!

It was then time to say good night! Here was our last towel animal.

Thoughts: While we had a marvelous day on Castaway Cay and I actually didn’t think about what we had to do before getting off the next day, Friday night was very stressful and unrelaxing for me. Even though I started packing on Thursday, I still felt rushed at the end of the day. Although it can be avoided, going to Shutters on Friday night is very hectic. Everybody is there looking for pictures and finding any space to lay out photos and select the ones you want are at a premium. I loved the Remember the Magic show, even though I cry like a baby through it. I also like the character good bye, it is a great Disney touch. By the way, we are still finding silver Mickey confetti around the house.

Next: What do you mean we have to go home?

 

[mommyofthreeboys]

Great update!!!

I made several notes too! (about the packing!)

 

[msmith07101]

I love your trip report. Our first cruise is May 23rd on the Magic and I can't wait! I know that I am going to cry a lot too...I get teary eyed every time I hear "When you wish upon a star..." It's so crazy, but these things just get to me! I wonder if "Remember the Magic" is the same song that I remember from WDW a few years ago...maybe more than a few...can't remember.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Thank you so much for your magical trip report. We are going on our 1st Disney cruise very soon and your report has been so great to read and the pictures are awesome!

 

[anetnmike]

I'm tearing up just looking at your pictures!

 

[cakesnjammom]

oh wendy thanks so much for the GREAT TR I really enjoyed reading it ! And the pics....too awesome (hate to say it but a TR without pics takes too much imagination )

could you give me some advice about Chankanaab? Can you spend the day there on your own (no excursion) and d you know the cost? Looks beautful! man I cannot wait....sept we are doing a western caribbean!! Thanks

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Great update!!!

I made several notes too! (about the packing!)

Thanks! I definitely recommend packing as much as you can on Thursday. Since it's a sea day, it is easy to steal 30 minutes or so to do this.

I love your trip report. Our first cruise is May 23rd on the Magic and I can't wait! I know that I am going to cry a lot too...I get teary eyed every time I hear "When you wish upon a star..." It's so crazy, but these things just get to me! I wonder if "Remember the Magic" is the same song that I remember from WDW a few years ago...maybe more than a few...can't remember.

Thank you. I'm glad your enjoying it. The song sounded familiar when I first heard it. It might be the same, either way, it makes me cry.

Thank you so much for your magical trip report. We are going on our 1st Disney cruise very soon and your report has been so great to read and the pictures are awesome!

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it.

I'm tearing up just looking at your pictures!

I started crying while writing it. It is hard to relive again.

oh wendy thanks so much for the GREAT TR I really enjoyed reading it ! And the pics....too awesome (hate to say it but a TR without pics takes too much imagination )

could you give me some advice about Chankanaab? Can you spend the day there on your own (no excursion) and d you know the cost? Looks beautful! man I cannot wait....sept we are doing a western caribbean!! Thanks

Thanks for reading. Glad you're enjoying it.

Chankanaab is beautiful and very easy to get to on your own. When you get off of the ship, it is very easy to catch a cab to the park. It will cost $10 for 1-4 people each way. Admission to the park is about $12 per person. If you book a dolphin encounter, admission is included. Once there, you can pay your admission and enjoy the park as long as you want. There are restaurants as well as snorkeling, scuba diving or Snuba, a snorkeling lagoon, playground, and swimming pool. Or you can just sit on the beach and look at the beautiful blue water. Cabs are readily available at the end of the afternoon to get back to the ship in plenty of time for All Aboard.

Here is Chankanaab' website:

http://www.cozumelparks.com/eng/parks-chankanaab.asp

 

[elderfam]

I REALLY enjoyed your trip report and look forward to reading your future reports!

 

[anetnmike]

when you are done I may have to go thru it from the start and get happy all over again!
Thanx for the info on the Chankanaab park! We did the dolphin excursion thru Disney and had a great time but we would really love to do the one you did.
I showed DH your report and pictures and he loved it! There is so much more to that park than what we saw on our excursion!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

i RElALLY enjoyed your trip report and look forward reading your about your future reports!

Thanks! I don't have any Disney trips planned right now. Shocking, I know! Anyway, our next trip is to Yosemite and I am thinking about writing a TR for it. Stay tuned!

when you are done I may have to go thru it from the start and get happy all over again!
Thanx for the info on the Chankanaab park! We did the dolphin excursion thru Disney and had a great time but we would really love to do the one you did.
I showed DH your report and pictures and he loved it! There is so much more to that park than what we saw on our excursion!

I keep rereading it too! It takes me to a happy place when things get hectic!

When we went in 2008, we booked through DCL but our time was relatively early so after our excursion, we had lunch and wandered around the park. It really is beautiful. I hope you get a chance to see more of it.

The next installment is the saddest of all, and this is a pretty busy week, but I hope to have it up soon. Stay tuned!

 

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

Hi Wendy

I'm home sick today. But reading your TR has brought me such joy - and a few tears! I LOVE yout TR. It brings back such WONDERful and MAGICal memories of our recent cruise.

Thanks for making my day a bit brighter!

 

[SplashMountainManiac]

Awesome trip report, I always hate reading and writing endings, makes you feel like your cruise is ending. You are way, way ahead of me, great job. I don't know how you do it. But I have really been enjoying your report. The Dolphin Discovery sounds really cool, I hope to try that someday.

 

[DisneyFan72]

Great trip report. I love all the pictures.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Well the day had finally arrived that we were dreading most! How could they do this to us? Don’t they know that we plan and dream for months, sometimes years, for this cruise? I mean, they spoil us all week long, lulling us into a relaxing, fun-filled vacation, and then WHAM, see ya later, now get off the ship!

As I had mentioned before, the stabilizers weren’t working the entire week of the cruise. While we were gently rocked to sleep each night, on the last night we were almost rolled out of bed. Several times during the night, both DH and I were woken up with some pretty strong ship movements. We really felt not having the stabilizers as we approached Port Canaveral. Our breakfast was scheduled at 7:00 AM. When I woke up at 6:00 AM it was to the bright lights of the port. We had docked.

Fortunately, except for stashing our PJs into our carry ons, there wasn’t much left to pack. We finally rolled out of bed at about 6:30 AM, got dressed, gathered all of our stuff and vacated our stateroom for the last time. We had breakfast in Lumiere’s. Fortunately, we found a place to put all of stuff near our table and sat down for one last time. We gave Joyce and Ivan their tips and thanked them for taking such good care of us. While I didn’t feel much like eating, I ordered the pancakes. They were better than last year. Our DNeighbors were getting of the ship and visiting relatives for a couple of days, while we had rented a car and were planning on catching up with our friends from last year’s cruise, who were about to board the Magic, touring Cape Canaveral and doing DH’s “I Dream of Jeannie” tour of Cocoa Beach.

During breakfast we noticed that they were allowing passengers to disembark. After breakfast we didn’t want to get off of the ship quite yet and headed towards the Promenade Lounge to sit and have some place to put all of our stuff. We didn’t sit for long; we were all a little cranky, and decided to get off the ship at around 8:00 AM. We made our way to the atrium and found the dreaded sign hanging from the rail and the CM waving those infamous white gloves.

Before we knew it we were going the opposite way through the doors than we wanted, which would be off! After we got off we made our way down the gang plank and into the terminal where our KTTW cards were swiped and our pictures popped up on the screen. So much for stowing away! Getting through customs was a breeze. We were in the Tinkerbell (green) section this year and we got a porter to help with the luggage. After we found our luggage we went right up to the customs agent, gave him our customs form, flashed our passports and walked out of the terminal. Literally, no questions asked!

Bon Voyage, Magic!

The porter took us to the Budget rental car shuttle. It was a short drive to the rental office. Once we had our car, and stuffed all of our luggage in it, it was just a short drive down to the Radisson, where our friend, mkmommy and her DDs were staying. DD had fun seeing her BFF from last year and exchanging gifts. I made some magnets for their door, she gave DD a book. We visited by the pool for about an hour before we headed out and they got ready to board their shuttle and start their “Magical” voyage.

The first place we headed was the pier in Cocoa Beach. We were very early and nothing was open. Other than fishing, the pier was just one big restaurant. We paid a minimal fee in order to walk out onto the end the pier. We watched some surfers for awhile and decided to do some more exploring of the area.

Resident pelicans.

We drove down to Historic Cocoa Beach, but they were setting up for some festival and had fences around everything. DD was falling asleep in the car, so we decided to head towards the airport, let her sleep, grab some lunch and return the car. We ended up eating lunch at TGI Fridays near the airport exit. We arrived at the airport at about 1:00 PM. Our flight didn’t leave until 4:00 PM, but we know that the lines through security in Orlando can be long. We waited quite awhile to check our bags. When we finally got to the ticket counter we were thrilled to find that my mother had secured us the coveted “A” boarding passes. Way to go Mom! However, we were not thrilled to hear that 2 of our bags were overweight. What! We weighed them! So much for that scale! Anyway, a little reshuffling of our possessions and we were within the limit. We then ran into some friends from back home who had spent the week in WDW, but they were on a different flight. DD and I made one last shopping trip to the Disney Store in the airport and then we headed through security. Before we knew it, we were sitting on the plane and heading back to Phoenix. DD watched HSM3 on her DVD player and then slept the rest of the way. I tried closing my eyes as well to no avail. DH noticed that CapeCodRob was on our flight. He was heading to Las Vegas for a convention of some sort. The flight home was very smooth and we arrived home on time. As we debarked the plane we said our last goodbyes to our DIS friend. My parents picked us up and dropped us at home. I really was not feeling well now and exhausted so I went straight to bed as did DD. DH was not far behind after he went through all of the mail.

And that wraps up our magical “Celebration” cruise.

Next: Some final thoughts.