Our Magical Westbound Transatlantic Voyage Sept 2010 DAY 15 & 16 ADDED PG 12 5/29/11

[TotallyAngelic]

Day 9 – Day at Sea:

We were up at 8am. This morning we had our character breakfast in Parrot Cay, so before breakfast I decided to go and do a spot of laundry, as we were getting a bit low on the unmentionables front.

Unfortunately laundry on board ship is not a quick process, and by the time I found the laundry room somewhere on Deck 6, there was already a wait for the machines. Two out of the six machines were not working which made it worse. Anyhow, I waited for as long as it took for a machine to become available, and then I loaded it up and headed out to join Tony for a quick coffee and stroll on the deck before breakfast. Before we were due to start breakfast, I whizzed down to the laundry room to see if my wash load had finished, but it was still going round. There was a lot of controversy going on in the laundry room as people were not taking their washing out once it had finished, and some other people had taken it upon themselves to remove the finished washing. I supposed that was fair enough, as people don't want to hang about in their all day.

I returned to Parrot Cay and ordered breakfast, then returned to the laundry room to transfer into the dryer, then back to breakfast. I ordered a Mickey waffle:

The characters had arrived so we took loads of photos with them.

At the end of the character photos I whizzed back down to the laundry room and my washing had finished, so I took it back to the room and then went back to Parrot Cay where everyone was sporting imaginative hats, made from napkins and other items from the table / kitchen. I was relieved I had missed out on the hats!!

After breakfast we decided to go and find somewhere to sit on Deck 6, as I wanted to relax and read a little, We grabbed two loungers close to the midships funnel and in the shade, as I don't like sitting in the sun. This was a lovely spot, until noon, when they blew the ship's whistle, and we realised we were mybe too close to the funnel for comfort. At 1pm we had arranged to meet Michael and Michele at the DVC social, although we were gatecrashing really as we don't own any DVC points. We played an interesting game matching people with things they had done or places they had visited, and had a very enjoyable Blue Hawaii cocktail. At the end of the session Michael disappeared and then reappeared with another tray of Blue Hawaii cocktails …

as I had not had any lunch yet, these were going to my head a little bit, but they were really very nice. Time to get some fresh air …..

The next thing on the agenda at 2:30pm was Tequila tasting for Tony, Len, Michael and Michele, but not for me, as I would have been under the table. I don't really like tequila so I just went along to watch. I did try a sip of a coffee tequila but it was gross. The others all got into the spirit of the session and seemed to enjoy the drinks...

and the hats ….

By now it was time for lunch so we went and grabbed some chicken strips / burgers and fries. Tony desperately needed to soak up all of that alcohol.

At about 3:30 pm we headed down to our room to prepare for the DIS room tour. This had been organised by Lynne and bascially involved us all meeting and wandering around the ship, checking out all the different categories of cabins. We were the CAT 11. I had decided I wanted to give out tradtionally British food samples and I managed to pick up a few bits in Gibraltar Morrisons, so I ended up with a selection of Bakewell Tart, Thorntons Toffee Cakes, Jelly Babies and After Eight Mints. Once it was all prepared we headed to Lynne and Len's cabin to meet up with the DIS group. It was incredibly crowded, so I popped back to our cabin to await the tour group.

Once everyone had been to our cabin in Steerage, we tagged along to see the other categories. I particularly liked the Navigator Vebrandah, the CAT 4 and the CAT 3 suite with the enormous balcony. After the room tour finished we all wandered along to Sue and Glenn's cabin where we chatted a while with some of the guys.

Before too long it was time to go and get changed for the show, which this evening was the comedy of Heath Hyche. To be honest we didn't get this at all and maybe this was just a cultural thing, but I really didn't think he was at all funny. The funniest thing was watching all the other guests who clearly thought he was hysterical.

Dinner was in Parrot Cay and the menu was entitled Flavours of the Mediterranean. I had the appetiser of Spanish Melon Cup, followed by Frisee Salad. Main Course was Herb Crusted Monkfish and I chose Barcelona Sundae for dessert, which was made with butterscotch ice cream and was delicious.

After dinner we headed to see the premiere of the movie “You Again” in the Buena Vista Theatre, but we managed about half an hour before we started to nod off .. not that the movie was slow or anything, it was actually quite good, but we just had zero stamina. The seats were also a bit cramped for Tony's legs and he was quite uncomfortable sat at the back. We decided to call it quits and headed to the cabin to bed. These sea days were really taking it out of us, despite the extra hour each day.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I remember the Tequila tasting...I fell asleep after the first shot and Sue threw a lime at me!

 

[TotallyAngelic]

I remember the Tequila tasting...I fell asleep after the first shot and Sue threw a lime at me!

I would have definitely fallen asleep if I had been taking part in that class.

 

[anewmac]

my favorite day, character breakfast and tequilla tasting.. always fun! hmm Mickey waffels, now that i think of it I dont think Ive ever had one still. I always say next time and then next time I order something else LOL.

Looks like a lot of fun was held at breakfast too. oh the wash I can only imagine what it was like on a long cruise like that.

 

[mrp4352]

I'm almost caught up! I've been enjoying your story and cruising vicariously through you!

 

[LindaBabe]

Thank you SO much for continuing. You really are a charmer, Sarah! Learning SO much from you - & I totally agree with you about the music - a ball should have "ball" music - NOT the macarena!

 

[MandyGirl]

Thank you SO much for continuing. You really are a charmer, Sarah! Learning SO much from you - & I totally agree with you about the music - a ball should have "ball" music - NOT the macarena!

Ditto on everything Linda said! I keep re-reading your trip report, and my little Sarah keeps asking to see your pictures again!!

 

[TotallyAngelic]

my favorite day, character breakfast and tequilla tasting.. always fun! hmm Mickey waffels, now that i think of it I dont think Ive ever had one still. I always say next time and then next time I order something else LOL.

Mickey waffles are lovely ... I only remember to have them on Character Breakfast day generally as thats the only breakfast when I choose off a menu.

I'm almost caught up! I've been enjoying your story and cruising vicariously through you!

Thank you

Thank you SO much for continuing. You really are a charmer, Sarah! Learning SO much from you - & I totally agree with you about the music - a ball should have "ball" music - NOT the macarena!

Thank you The best thing is we get to do it all again REAL SOON ( and hopefully I will finish this report before we leave on the next trip !! )

Ditto on everything Linda said! I keep re-reading your trip report, and my little Sarah keeps asking to see your pictures again!!

Plenty more photos to come Mandy. I need to get on with writing it though.

 

[LindaBabe]

I need to get on with writing it though.

Yeah, you do! In order for it to do US any good, we need to have it in time to ACT on it

 

[orlandothebeagle]

I wish it was this year I was going...................................
But at least you guys are doing it again.

 

[TotallyAngelic]

I wish it was this year I was going...................................
But at least you guys are doing it again.

Wish you were coming too

but at least you will have Indy of the Seas and WDW in 2012 to occupy yourselves.

 

[orlandothebeagle]

Wish you were coming too

but at least you will have Indy of the Seas and WDW in 2012 to occupy yourselves.

You better get a move on with this or it will be time for this years!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gismo1554]

You better get a move on with this or it will be time for this years!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL I think that's her plan so she'll just change the date and claim its this years!

 

[TotallyAngelic]

LOL I think that's her plan so she'll just change the date and claim its this years!

Thanks for that great idea Sarah

I do need to get on with it though ....

 

[gismo1554]

Thanks for that great idea Sarah

I do need to get on with it though ....

You've got until August til we all start nagging you in person lol!

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Day 10 – Day at Sea:

We awoke to another wonderful day at sea on the Magic, and headed for breakfast at Topsiders where I indulged in my one and only healthy meal of the day:

We then wandered around the ship, and I may have spent some time delivering items to cabins for the candy swap, scrapbooking swap etc. I spent a lot of time doing this but can't really recall times and dates.

Following on from this we thought we would attend the session on Disney Innovations: Animation, and this was really good. Although we didn't really learn anything we didn't already know, it was very well presented and we got to see a lot of clips from Disney animations and also the entire film of Steamboat Willie. Who knew Mickey Mouse could indulge in such violence. I was shocked !! Who knew ????

We then wandered about aimlessly, no doubt finding our way into the shops at some point and then we were wandering down past the Promenade Lounge and we spotted Melodie, Amy and Dave who were waiting to play Cruising for Trivia, so we gatecrashed their team and actually managed to get the one UK based question right, so that was a relief. It was good fun, and although we didn't win, we did enjoy spending time with our lovely cruise mates.

By now it was time to indulge in yet more food, so we headed up to Topsiders and had a lovely lunch outside. After lunch we headed down to the cabin to change and then up to Deck 10 to relax in the shade and read a bit. I could certainly get used to these wonderful, relaxing sea days. We spent the afternoon just chilling, until it was time to go and get ready for the evening.

Once again we had a formal evening to look forward to, so we dressed up in our finest and headed for the show, which this evening was “ Once Upon a Song” - A selection of Disney music from across the years featuring the vocal talents of members from the Walt Disney Theatre cast.

As a person who gets very emotional at the very mention of Disney music, this show was amazing. It was very simply done, but very effective, and the singers who were involved had stunning voices. I spent most of the show in tears and had to dash to the cabin before dinner to sort out my make-up, as it wasn't a pretty sight when the house lights came up at the end.

Once I was sorted we headed back to the atrium where we mingled with our cruise mates in the atrium, where they had a band playing and free cocktails circulating, so it was all very pleasant.

Dinner this evening was in Lumiere's ..very fitting for formal night, and it was the Transatlantic Menu. I chose warm cheddar and applewood smoked bacon tartlet for appetiser, Iceberg lettuce salad, and Palo's Grilled Salmon for Main Course, all of which were delicious. And for dessert ….

We were given copies of the menus to keep which was nice as we plan to frame ours and hang it on the wall as a souvenir.

Warren and Abby:

DH and our wonderful server Leslie:

Beauty and the Beast were posing for photos in the lobby after dinner:

The late show was Ricky Kalmon the hypnotist but having not really found the first show to be that entertaining we decided to give it a miss. Insteead we decided to take a stroll around the ship and up on deck where it was a beautiful still night. I took a few photos around the ship before we decided to hit the sack.

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Day 11 – Day at Sea:

Once again another beautiful sunny morning dawned on the Magic, and once again we had a lovely breakfast at Topsiders. This was getting to be a very enjoyable and relaxing habit and I was not relishing the thought of returning to reality once the cruise was over... somehow miserable cold weather and Oats-so-Simple was not looking to be an attractive alternative to fresh fruit, delicious pastries, fresh orange juice and coffee served on the deck of the Magic, eaten in the sunshine with a view of the endless ocean. I appreciate that I harp on about this a lot, but it really is one of the highlights of my cruising experience.

For some reason after breakfast we decided to go along to the family crafts session on tile painting, but when we got there they only had enough tiles to give out one per group, so with DH and I working together lets just say the tile we painted wasn't going to be coming home with us and finding a place in our display cabinet. Still we passed a pleasant half an hour realising we had no artistic talent whatsoever, and wondering where on earth our offspring get it from.

Once we had filed the tile under “B” in our stateroom we returned to Rocking Bar D for the next session of Disney Inovations, and this time the focus was on the Theme Parks. Once again we didn't learn too much new stuff here, but we enjoyed the presentation. We then enjoyed Cruising for Trivia again with Melodie, Amy and Dave and once again we came close, but not close enough!

We had lunch once again at Topsiders, before settling down on the loungers on Deck 10 for a relaxing afternoon. Two views from where I was sitting:

There were some unusal weather and cloud effects going on this afternoon, so I took a few ( well more than a few ) photos of the horizon.

I had highlighted some activities to do this afternoon, but we didn't make it to any of them It was far too wonderful just chilling on the upper decks, with the occasional constitutional as far as the ice cream machine or the cocktail bar.

Before long it was time to get ready for dinner and the show, so we headed to the cabin to change.
The show was a magic and illusion show performed by Jason Bishop, which I found entertaining, but apparently the magic wasn't that impressive according to Warren who himself is a member of the Magic Circle back in the UK. I don't know much about magic myself, but I just liked the style of the show and the way he delivered everything in a laid back sort of way.

After the show we headed for a walk on deck and came across this beautiful sunset which necessitated a lot more camera action:

Dinner this evening was in Animator's Palate and the menu was Taste of the Caribbean. Now unfortunately I don't have a photo of this menu so I can't for the life of me remember what I had. Sorry.

After dinner we decided to give the late show a miss as it was Heath Hyche again and we hadn't really appreciated his humour the first time around, so instead we just wandered around and walked off some of those calories on the open deck.

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Day 12 – Day at Sea:

We woke up on our last Transatlantic Sea Day, and I was struck by how fast the sea days had flown by ( and how quickly the end of the cruise was approaching …. a fact I wanted my mind to stay well away from ). I think this was the one and only day I ventured to the gym, mainly out of curiosity, to see what the attraction was as DH was rushing off there every morning. It was quite good fun though, I had a ten minute fast walk on the treadmill, and a quick go on the bicycle, row machine, stair thing ( which half killed me ). Then I did a few things on the weight machine designed to improve your bust, although it will take more than a few minutes on a machine to make mine decide to relocate and point north instead of south. There was some refreshing flavoured water on offer in the gym, so I had a couple of glasses of that, and then I went back to the cabin to shower and change after all that exertion! Before long DH joined me and when we were both ready we headed off to breakfast at Topsiders.

This morning we just decided to chill and relax, as it was rude not to on your last sea day. Tony hit the hot tub …..

The morning passed quickly and soon it was time to go and support our friends Howard and Ann in the Boat Bash Finale. They had constructed a really cute boat …..

and it floated well, but some people had gone to so much effort and produced scale models of the Magic, and the winning boat was made out of coffee stirrers in the shape of a duck. Some people must have spent their entire cruise to date locked away in their cabins constructing sea-worthy vessels. Not exactly how I would plan to spend my cruise but hey ho !! Goofy and Max were hosting the event so it was quite good fun all round:

Following the boat finale we headed for lunch, mainly because it was lunch-time, but also we needed to line our stomachs in preparation for the DIS Mixology Class which was taking place after lunch. The Mixology class was great fun. We had all the ingredients and equipment set out to make a number of cocktails, and we were instructed in the process by a couple of lovely bartenders from Rocking Bar D.

Because I don't really like the taste of any spirits other than rum, and even that has to have a lot of fruit in it, it was a bit wasted on me because I just added mostly fruit juice and just a bit of rum and I gave Tony all my other drinks once I had sipped them and pulled countless weird faces !! Everone seemed to really enjoy this class ….

The highlight of the session was the Pina Coladas which were made for us by the bartenders …. WOW !!!!

Tony ended up helping out with the bartenders and made his own cocktail.

After the class we went up to the loungers as we needed to lie down, and we chilled out there until it was time to get ready for dinner. The show this evening was “Walt Disney, The Dream Lives On” and it was stunning …. another tear jerker for me. Straight after this show we headed up to Quiet Cove where David from the Cruise Staff was doing an acoustic show. This was really good, and I don't know why they don't do more of this type of thing. Sitting out on deck with a drink listening to a great musical performance was just fabulous.

It was also 2 for 1 drinks at the bar, so of course we had to grab a couple of drinks. Sarah was drinking a very strange blue concoction...

It was then time for dinner in Parrot Cay and the Around the World Menu …. again no menu and no memory of what I ate, sorry. I am slacking and I will make up for it on our next trip. Unless of course this inexcusable omission sees me cast out of the Guild of Trip Report Writers!


Nothing exciting to report after dinner …. we just had our usual walk about and then went to bed.

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Day 13 – St Maarten

Woke up this morning feeling very excited. After 5 wonderful and relaxing days at sea we were arriving on the far side of the Atlantic in St Maarten. The last time I had been in St Maarten was in 1989 / 1990, 20 years earlier, when I was working for Princess Cruises, so I was interested to see how much it had changed. We got up quickly, got ready and rushed up to see if we could shout “Land Ahoy!” and there it was before us:

We spotted this ugly ship along side:

We had an excursion planned for this morning …. the 12 Metre Regatta, which I had booked because DH has always loved sailing and I will try almost anything once. So we quickly grabbed some breakfast from Topsiders. I thought it might be nice to show a comparison of my breakfast vs DH's breakfast, so here it is:

Sarah's Breakfast:

Tony's Breakfast:

You can make your own minds up on who has the most healthy breakfast and lets just say it isn't ….

Once we had finished breakfast we returned to the cabin to pick up our bits and pieces for the say, and then we headed to the Promenade Lounge where we were meeting with our excursion group.

We were led off the ship and I was mortified to have to follow behind a CM holding up a Mickey head on a stick for us to follow, as we have always had a secret giggle at cruise tours following behind things held up in the air during our travels. Our only redemption was that it was a Mickey head and that is clearly acceptable. When the Mickey head holding CM was replced by a chap holding up a board with a 12 on it, I was less than impressed.

We were led out onto the dockside where we were introduced to our tour guide and taken to a small boat which was going to transfer us to the sailing yachts. There was a steel band playing on the dockside which really enhanced that Caribbean atmosphere, like the clear blue sea, sunshine and beautiful colourful architecture wasn't enough:

The ugly ship turned out to be the Norwegian Epic ….. I like to give this photo the title “Beauty and the Beast”

We set off in the small boat …. and the sea was an incredible shade of blue ….

Once we were out on the boat the guide instructed us on safety and what would be required of us during the adventure. We were given jobs to perform on board the yachts and these could be active or less active which ever you preferred. Both DH and I selected active (well there has to be a first time for everything) . Because I was concentrating so hard and because of the flying spray and didn't manage to take any photos on baord the yachts so I apologise for that.

We were transferred onto the 2 yachts, which involved climbing rather unceremoniously up the side, and placed in our positions. I had to wind up some gear type thing which would change the direction of the sails. Didn't really have a clue what I was doing but I just wound the thing when I was told to. At one point my hand flew off the gear and I hit another poor woman in the chin … whoops. I was mortified and she was far from impressed. But I couldn't really do much about it. I was concentrating so hard on doing the job that I didn't have time to enjoy the view, or the whole experience of sailing, but it was a good experience, particularly when all the spray flew up over the boat.

We were apparently having a race with another yacht and I don't even know if we won or not …. I was just pre-occupied with winding that gear. When it was all over we clambered back onto the tender boat and returned to the dock, where we were given a rather weak attempt at rum punch and directed into a gift shop.....

DH bought a T-shirt with the ship's name and “CREW” on it. I think he enjoyed it all a bit more than I did. We were then offered a ride into Phillipsburg in the tender boat, so we decided to jump on board and go and check out the town.

to be continued .......

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Philipsburg was still as I remembered it, only a lot bigger and with a lot more tourist tat shops and duty free shops. We wandered about the streets and the beach area

From the beach we could see the yachts we had just been sailing on out in the bay:

I basically took photos of the amazing Caribbean architecture, and anything that grabbed my attention really. It is a really photogenic town.

At one point we started to hear the strains of the Star Wars theme, which seemed a little bit out of place here, but then we realised we had come across a little Star Wars memorabilia museum run by the chap who created Yoda in Star Wars. He also sells a lot of his art work and some of it was very nice, but we realised it wouldn't travel well and so we restrained ourselves. The artist himself was very much in evidence in the shop / museum and quite happy to chat about his life.

to be continued .....