Our Magical "Mental Health" Western Cruise, March 8-15, 2008

[pixidustmom]

Still enjoying the read and the pictures. The sunrise was breath taking and I liked the one of the two ships with the plants in front.

 

[retiredkid]

Another fantastic update, Wendy!! I must get back to my TR.
I'm with you, it was a show all on its own with the crew and equipment on Castaway Cay!! I'm sorry to see this is near the end of your TR.

 

[mkmommy]

I wish we could be there today, it was so nice.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

When we got back to our room, we went out to our verandah and watched the crew dissemble the canopy and load the ship making it ready for sailing. We chatted with retiredkid (who had the same idea we had). Poor Lorne had sliced his foot at the beach and had to visit the medical center, retiredkid was telling us that the medical crew told her that 35 people lived on the island full time. Anyway, we were finally off and we enjoyed the crew waving to us with their big “Mickey” hands.

While we were dressing for dinner, we got a call inviting us to attend a private meeting with the performing cast and characters prior to the “Til we Meet Again” event at 10:00 PM. Of course we accepted and they invited our Dneighbors too. After getting cleaned up, we went to dinner at Lumiere’s. Dinner was excellent and I had Baked Alaska for dessert. I also ordered the Celebration Cake, which I had to share with DD. Everybody at the table exchanged email addresses and said their goodbyes. We also gave our tips to Ollie and May, which were very much deserved. It was so cute when our table companions’ 5 year old son came around the table to ask my DH for his phone number so he could call my DD. It was so adorable. We promised to write. When dinner was over, the chefs came out with Baked Alaska and the servers paraded around the room with all of the country’s flags representing the ship’s crew.

After dinner we went to Shutters one last time to get photos from Castaway Cay, and of course we met mkmommy and DD’s BFF in the portholes for one last time. Then off to our stateroom to finish packing and change clothes. We then headed down to the Remember the Magic, A Final Farewell at 8:30 PM. The two acts, Michael Harrison and John Charles, were incredible. Here’s the only picture I got of Christiaan.

I only wish I had caught their shows earlier in the week. Once again, my eyes started watering as Mickey and everybody came out to say goodbye.

After the show we headed up to our room to put our bags out and then down to Studio Sea for our meeting with the characters. There were maybe 4 other families there as well. The characters came out a few at a time and we got to speak with them and get pictures. They were all very accommodating and sweet.

That was truly the most magical moment we had all week. Afterwards, DH took DD to get ready for bed while I went out to the atrium to watch “Til We Meet Again.” Since I had already seen the characters I waited until they all lined up on the staircase and sang ‘Now its time to say good bye to all our company. M-I-C; See ya real soon! -K-E-Y; Why, because we like you!, M-O-U-S-E!”

Once again, those eyes started tearing. Then it was finally time for bed. Our last towel animal was an aardvark.

Next: The saddest day of all - debarkation

 

[retiredkid]

OMIGOSH, WENDY!! How cool that you got to meet with the performers!! I acan only imagine how magical that must have been . Lucky You!!!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Of course, they were all very professional and stayed in character, but it was very magical indeed and quite the surprise!

 

[mkmommy]

I guess I can add that to my list of "little things that impress", That is wonderful that you got to do something so special to end your special trip. I am sure your DD was thrilled.

Lisa

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Yes, she was. It was all she talked about during dinner.

 

[mrsksomeday]

Wow what a fantastic trip report, I followed you over here from retiredkids TR. The pictures are fantastic and I love the way you describe things.

We are taking a Disney cruise in Dec. 2009, your TR and retiredkids have made me so excited . Thank you so much for sharing your magical journey.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Wow what a fantastic trip report, I followed you over here from retiredkids TR. The pictures are fantastic and I love the way you describe things.

We are taking a Disney cruise in Dec. 2009, your TR and retiredkids have made me so excited . Thank you so much for sharing your magical journey.

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it. You will have a fabulous time.

P.S. Where in Southern Illinois are you? I have relatives in the Belleville area.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

This was the saddest day of all. We woke up to lights of another cruise ship just off our port and the sunrise as the Magic slid into Port Canaveral.

We had to be at breakfast at 6:45 AM with all of our carry ons in tow. Our Dneighbors were there, but our other tablemates were not. Good thing we had said our goodbyes the night before. Breakfast was sad. After breakfast we headed to the Promenade Lounge to wait for clearance to disembark. There was quite a line to get off the ship. I didn’t want to leave and my eyes started tearing as I saw the “See Ya Real Soon” banner hanging in the atrium.

I was crying as we were waved off the boat with crew members wearing white Mickey gloves. The line for customs was long, but we got a porter to get our bags and made it a breeze actually getting cleared through customs. Once outside, our porter took us directly to the Hertz shuttle waiting at the curb and our magical cruise was over, but not our vacation.

Next: Kennedy Space Center

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Getting off the ship was so easy that we were at the Hertz counter in Cape Canaveral to pick up our car by about 8:30 AM. Nobody else was there and we had the shuttle all to ourselves. It was our original intent to check out Cocoa Beach, visit the pier, get some lunch and drive to the airport. Or as DH puts it, our "I Dream of Jeanie" tour. Since it was so early, we decided to go ahead and drive to the Kennedy Space Center, since they opened at 9:00 AM, and check out the visitor’s center.

We didn’t realize what the center consisted of and what your admission purchased, but we got not only the visitor’s center, but also a tour of the grounds. After checking out the shuttle and the rocket garden,

we decided to check out the Apollo/Saturn display on the tour and then head back to Cocoa Beach to explore. We got on the tour bus and passed the huge assembly building where they attach the booster rockets to the space shuttle and get it ready for transport to the launching pad. This building is huge. We then stopped at the observation gantry to the 2 large launch platforms. DH climbed up the tower and took some pictures.

By this time, he was really getting into the center. By the time we got to the Apollo/Saturn center and saw the original control center, he was hooked.

We decided that we would just spend the couple of hours we had remaining at the Center and not drive back to Cocoa Beach. We had enough of touristy beach front stores anyway. Anyway, we fed DD lunch and went on to the International Space Station Assembly facility. This is where DD finally started getting interested. This is where they are building all the modules to add to the International Space Station form all over the world. They had mock ups that you could walk through.

It was actually very interesting. We even saw Elvis. No not him, an alligator that lived in a pond next to the facility that the employees had named Elvis. Gives a whole new meaning to the saying, “Elvis has left the building.”

On the way back to the visitor's center we saw a huge eagle's nest that had been on the property for 40 years. A large portion of the land at Cape Canaveral is set aside as a wildlife refuge. Evidently, all the launches don't bother the animals as they thrive in this environment.

When our visit was over, we headed to the airport. We actually got there 3 hours earlier than our flight. We had heard of and anticipated horrendous lines for security. When we got there, we were pleased to see that there were no lines. So, we got our last fix of Disney at the Disney Store in the airport. When we were done shopping, it took us a whopping 5 minutes to get through security. We arrived at our gate to find our friends from back home who had spent the week at the parks. It was nice for DD to have somebody to pass the time with. Anyway, our flight ended up being delayed for an hour. It was a long flight home, but we made it. Needless to say, losing three hours on the flight back took its toll and we were all very tired. Good night!

Next: Final Thoughts

 

[retiredkid]

Wendy, sweet that you got the car so quickly. Thanks for posting about the Space Centre. We were there years and years ago. Looks like big changes there. So glad security was easy for you. It always sucks when there are huge lineups.....WDW, OIA...anywhere.
Anxious to read your final thoughts.

 

[JerseyBelle]

So that is what Grand Cayman looks like. We couldn't tender. The port was closed due to high winds and rough seas.

Great report. Best wishes to you in fighting the cancer.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Wendy, sweet that you got the car so quickly. Thanks for posting about the Space Centre. We were there years and years ago. Looks like big changes there. So glad security was easy for you. It always sucks when there are huge lineups.....WDW, OIA...anywhere.
Anxious to read your final thoughts.

Yes, it was very easy and convenient. We enjoyed KSC and was glad to be able to visit it.

So that is what Grand Cayman looks like. We couldn't tender. The port was closed due to high winds and rough seas.

Great report. Best wishes to you in fighting the cancer.

So sorry you missed Grand Cayman. The water was the most beautiful blue I had ever seen. I guess you'll just have to plan another cruise so you can visit there!

Thank you for your well wishes.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I was bound and determined to get the most out of this cruise. Never know when I’m going to be able to this again. Anyway, I feel that I accomplished my goal. I knew I couldn’t do everything, but I did a few things every day that were a lot of fun and relaxing. I’m really glad I did brunch at Palo. The time alone with my husband was precious and, indeed, rare for the week. I wish my DD had wanted to spend more time at the Oceaneer’s Club and have more character interaction, but she did what she wanted, which was fine. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinners and sharing our day with our tablemates. Also, our servers, Ollie and May were phenomenal. We loved our day at Castaway Cay and were thankful for the perfect weather. I was very fortunate to be able to enjoy a couple of beautiful sunrises during the cruise. But most importantly, I was thankful to be able to spend the week with my family!

Regarding tips from the DISboards.

1) We were a family of 3 and found counter space within the cabin to be sufficient for our needs. We each had a hanging toiletry bag which worked nicely in the bathrooms, therefore, we didn’t find it necessary to use an over the door shoe hanger.

2) We arranged for a wake-up call from Mickey. DD loved it. It was very cute. Only had to do it once though.

3) We purchased a travel alarm clock from L.L. Bean. Worth every penny. I woke up at least once every night and it was nice to be able to see what time it was.

4) We stowed our luggage under the bed. We nested the smaller ones into the bigger ones and they slid right under. You do have to lift the corners a bit, but it was great not having to trip over luggage all week.

5) We brought along an 11” x 14” photo matte to be autographed by the characters. It turned out great and it was very easy to do. We dropped it off at Guest Services on our way to dinner on the first night and Rodolfo delivered it to our stateroom Friday evening.

6) I brought a “Stick-Up” air freshener for the bathroom. It was very light weight and I didn’t have to plug it in. Worked like a charm.

7) Here’s a Shutters tip: Pick a photo package at Shutters and then buy the one above it. We ended up having to upgrade our package because the photos were truly irresistible.

8) It was absolutely wonderful having a verandah with a plexiglass wall and being able to look out from your bed in the morning and see the ocean. We kept the curtains partially open every night for natural moon light.

9) Get to know some DISer’s on the Cruise Meet Thread before you sail. It was so nice to meet them in person and see a familiar face around the ship or next door on the verandah, from time to time. Or, in my DD’s case, make a new BFF and pen pal.

Overall, I was very impressed with the level of service that DCL provided, they never disappoint. Nobody does it better than Disney, in my humble opinion. I truly enjoyed my first cruising experience and hope to do it again sooner than later.

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading my trip report as much as I enjoyed writing and sharing it with you. Thank you for all your kind comments and encouragement.

Until next time: See ya real soon!

 

[dvanhazel]

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us. I really enjoyed peaking in every few days to see if an update was posted. Best wishes for you and your health.

 

[Kim in TN]

Great trip report, thank you for taking the time to share it.
The photos were excellent

 

[mkmommy]

Wendy

I am sad to see the end of your report. You did a great job, and your pictures were great, I will have to find a way to catch a sunrise.

I think it is great that you did not let your treatments dictate your life, and that your got to enjoy the cruise.

It as a pleasure to meet you and your family. DD7 wants to have a playdate with your daughter sometime soon. .

All the best.

Lisa

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us. I really enjoyed peaking in every few days to see if an update was posted. Best wishes for you and your health.

You're welcome and thanks for the good wishes.

Great trip report, thank you for taking the time to share it.
The photos were excellent

Thank you!

Wendy

I am sad to see the end of your report. You did a great job, and your pictures were great, I will have to find a way to catch a sunrise.

I think it is great that you did not let your treatments dictate your life, and that your got to enjoy the cruise.

It as a pleasure to meet you and your family. DD7 wants to have a playdate with your daughter sometime soon. .

All the best.

Lisa

You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I too am sad that it had to end. It was a pleasure to meet you as well.

I know what you mean, DD wants us to get on a plane and visit you next week! We got DD7's letter. I'm trying to get DD to sit down long enough to write back.