Quick Tips, Quick Report from 5 of The Ten - NOW WITH TRIP REPORT

[hsmom]

Wow! We got home late last night and are just settling back in to the real world today.

My sister has posted a detailed trip report from her family's perspective. Mine isn't going to be quite so extensive, but here are some tips and thoughts. Many of these ideas were posted here or written in the Passporter. I comment on those things that REALLY helped us.

The players:
My parents, Nana and Pappy, who funded the trip. They are in their 60s.
My sister, her dh, and their 6 yo dd, "D".
My husband, Ken our three kids and myself. Our kids are dd 8, dd 6, and ds 4.5.

The trip:
7-night Western on the Magic.
State room 8040, Category 4, sleeps 5.

Tips:

• Read these boards and buy a Passporter. These two things provided information that ended up proving invaluable!!
• Arrive one day before the ship sails. We did this and it saved TONS of stress. We boarded the ship well-rested and ready for vacation!
• Have as a goal to be packed 2 DAYS before you leave. For us, I was packed by Wednesday night so that Thursday, I could begin to relax. It also gave me all day Thursday to remember those "Oh yeah!" items that I had forgotten about.
• Have a wardrobe list and general wardrobe plan.
• Duct tape. We DID use it!
• Pack a room freshener! We had a veranda, but still appreciated having the freshener. We used the can of California scents. It smelled great and was easy to transport.
• We loved the over-the-door clear organizer. Get one of those!
• Arrive as early as you can on embarkation day so you can get on the ship as soon as possible. Take some card games or activities to do in the terminal. It was fun and built the excitement. The terminal is beautiful!
• Register your kids for programs while you're waiting in the terminal.
• Take the galley tour.
• Explore the ship some time during your stay. See the spa, fitness center, deck 7 aft lookout, art in the halls....you won't run out of things to see.
• Hang out on the promenade deck. (Deck 4) It was one of my favorite places.
• If you have young kids, swim right after you embark. Also swim on port days. The pools were nice and empty.
• Use highlighters to mark your Navigator.
• Make some kind of door decor. It made it fun for our kids and looked festive. I didn't see many doors with decorations, so it's fun to be unique!
• Use room service, especially in the mornings. We would get fresh fruit or cereal for our kids to eat while we were getting ready to head out for the day. We would still go by Topsiders to grab more breakfast.
• Be ready to give AT LEAST the standard tip, but probably more. The crew is WORTH it!! They are amazing!
• Plan, plan, plan, then be ready to ditch your plans.
• Enjoy time doing NOTHING. We loved letting the kids swim for 2 hours while we laid back in the sun watching Nemo on the Ariel View.
• Volunteer at the shows.
• Have plenty of cash ready for porters, car rental shuttles (if they carry your bags), and excursions. The boat drivers who ran our parasailing excursion said they appreciated tips. We had NO cash with us on Castaway Cay. So be prepared.)

We had great luck renting a car from Hertz. We got off the plane at MCO, hopped a shuttle to the car rental, then had a vehicle to cart around Cocoa Beach. (Coconuts on the Beach restaurant was a great place with beachfront patio seating. We went early (around 5) to beat the big bar crowds since we have young kids.) The next morning, we dropped off the car at Hertz and went right to the terminal. The Hertz porter and terminal porters took care of our bags the entire time. It's worth the tips!

Upon disembarkation, a Hertz shuttle was waiting for us. The transition to our rental car was seamless.

If you can, stay overnight nearby the day you disembark. We did NOT do this, but if we could do it again, we'd have gotten a hotel room either on the beach or around Orlando so we could take it easy and rest after disembarkation. We were VERY tired!

Other notes:
We didn't get seasick at all. However, now that we are home, my husband and I are feeling dizzy now and then. We feel like the house is moving. We don't feel sick at all, just weird. I'm sure the vertigo will wear off soon.

ABOUT THE FOOD and GETTING FAT(ter):
We enjoyed all three meals each day. We even had a snack in the afternoon some days. None of us gained weight. I think it's because we didn't eat every time there was food out. (My sister, Pappy and I went to the chocolate buffet and loaded our plates. BUT we saved it for in the morning! The crew doesn't mind a bit and will even give you silverware on your way out. It was much more enjoyable the next day when we were hungry. And the kids LOVED having chocolate for breakfast!!) We DID eat 4 courses each night and were FULL, but were careful not to make ourselves sick. We let the kids enjoy many more sweets than usual, but they regulated themselves. We all had much more fun NOT being sick! So my advice is enjoy the food, be active during the day (we almost always took the stairs), and don't eat so much that you feel anything past full.

About the interpreters:
My husband is Deaf, so we requested a sign language interpreter last year. If you are needing a sign language interpreter, request ASAP. They need at least 6 weeks, but I recommend doing it as soon as you book.
They were AWESOME! Wow! The agency DCL uses has several interpreters who are trained to do the cruises. They all rehearse the shows and know them by heart. Truly amazingl (Two interpreters will be on the ship.) The comedy acts enjoy teasing the interpreters. Honestly, that made it super funny for us. The interpreters are great sports and had fun with it.

About the kids' programs:
I loved 'em. My 6 yo dd and 4 yo ds loved them. The program workers are great. They wanted to go often and several times, didn't want to leave when I went in to pick them up.
My 8 yo dd didn't click with her group, so on day 2, moved to the 5-7 group with her sister and cousin. She didn't seem keen on that either. She said, "They tell us what to do all the time and I just want to play." She also complained that they were loud. (It WAS loud when there were lots of kids there. The leaders use microphones and have the kids yell a lot. My 8 yo didn't like the noise levels.)
I explained that they need to have organized activities or the kids would be totally out of hand. An 8 year old doesn't care about that. Anyway, I think most kids will love the clubs, just be mentally prepared in case they DON'T. We made her stay a time or two and she was fine. She even asked to go back to do a particular program, so she didn't HATE it, obviously.

About our stateroom:
Wow! Wow! Wow! Our steward was amazing. Our room is considered a "noisy" room, according to Passporter. We weren't bothered by the noise. Only one night did we hear the thumping music from the deck party, but those are normally quiet by 11pm. My husband is Deaf, my kids sleep through anything, and I had ear plugs. I only used them that one evening. We did hear deck chairs moving about pretty early in the morning. I only heard those when I was already awake, though, so they didn't ever wake me up.
It was great to be midship, near elevators, and just a flight of stairs away from the pool!

I may think of more, but that's it for now.

If you can't tell by my tips, the trip was FABULOUS and we'd do it again in a heartbeat!

 

[cmom]

We are going for the First time in Nov so thanks for the tips. Now its going to be even harder to wait.

 

[RLccweems]

Welcome home...and I can't wait to hear more about your cruise.

lettie

 

[hsmom]

We are going for the First time in Nov so thanks for the tips. Now its going to be even harder to wait.

November will be here more quickly than you can imagine! Start preparing now, little by little.

I'm glad the tips are helpful...That's what helped ME have a great cruise!

 

[hsmom]

Where to even begin? Every one I see asks, “How was it?” Well, just let me tell ya!

I wanna go back now!! Pictures are here.

Our trip over to Florida was uneventful. We spent NO time waiting around for shuttles or in lines. Everything went smoothly. The room in our beachfront hotel room provided a beautiful view of the ocean. (Doubletree, Cocoa Beach.) As soon as we arrived, we ate our warm cookies, then set out to find D, who still didn’t know the Brownies were going to be on the cruise. When they met on the beach, it was like they had run in to each other at Wal-Mart back home. Later, though, I heard Hannah say something about the cruise, to which D asked with much excitement, “YOU’re going on a Disney cruise, TOO??!!”

That evening, we met Pappy and Nana for dinner at Coconuts on the Beach. It was nice to sit out on the deck overlooking the ocean. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at Ron Jon’s Surf Shop and bought some goggles and other items we needed. The prices weren’t horrible and the store was fun to see.

The next morning, Saturday (embarkation day), I awoke at 5:15, unable to go back to sleep. I decided to sit out on our patio and listen to the ocean. I grabbed the binoculars and took a look at the city. I was reading the “Hampton Inn” sign (where my parents were sleeping) when in my peripheral vision, I noticed lights moving. After focusing in on the moving lights, I could see the little Mickey icon on the stack! Our ship had truly come in!!

After the family was awake, we got dressed, tagged our luggage, then went up to (free) breakfast with my sister's family. On our way to the terminal, we stopped at Walgreen’s for a few last-minute items. We drove to the terminal so that Ken could drop the kids and me off, but we were so early, we would have had to wait across the street. Since Hertz was right down the road, we decided to stick together. We had another seamless transition as we dropped off our rental car, hopped on board the waiting shuttle, then into the Disney terminal. We hardly had to touch a bag, as the porters took care of everything. Our cruise vacation had begun!

We were one of the first families in the terminal, plus we had filled out all of our papers, so we breezed through check-in. The two hours passed quickly until our group number was called. We spent the time hugging Mickey, registering the kids for the programs, looking at the ship model, playing cards and watching cartoons. We were welcomed aboard the Disney Magic by the crew clapping while we were announced by last name. Classy!

We Browns headed up to Topsiders to get some lunch. We sat out on the deck and watched the activity at the port. After a bit of exploring, we learned that our rooms were ready. (see pictures) The kids met Daphne out at the Goofy pool for a swim. It was the first of many times they made up the majority in the pool.

I spent some time unpacking our bags while the kids rested and prepared for the sail-away party. It was a thrill to hear the horns for the first time! For those who don’t know, instead of the standard ship horn, the Disney ships’ horns blast the first 7 notes of “When You Wish Upon A Star”.

The food and service was excellent our first night in Lumiere’s. We met the interpreters, too. They ended up being FABULOUS! I’ll blog about them later.

Our head server was Pirom. The assistant was Vally. My kids looked forward to seeing them every night. In fact, when they didn't want to wake up Saturday morning, what got them out of bed was my saying, "If you don't get up, you won't get to see Pirom one last time."

When we got home, I asked the kids what was their favorite part of the cruise. Mackenzie said "The characters and the servers." Hannah said, "The servers and the pool."

Can you imagine? For the servers to be ranked up there with characters and swimming...you know they gotta be great!

Pirom did magic tricks with crayons and had several riddles that stumped even the adults at the table. He tied on the kids' bandannas on Pirate Night and gave them special attention during their 2 staff "parades" in the dining room. The kids liked that he smiled and waved at them when he was up in front of the entire dining room.

The kids enjoyed Vally, too, but he was truly the assistant server. He let Pirom take the lead while he quietly brought us our drinks and other items. He was friendly, called TJ by name each night, and always brought us whatever we needed, including our beverages just like we liked them. After the first night, he learned that Ken likes his tea with lots of sugar. So he would bring the tea hot, along with an empty glass of ice, so that Ken could mix the sugar to his liking, then ice it. Nice.

Rodolfo was our room steward. The kids loved the nightly towel animals. For the first 2 nights, I let them believe what they had decided...that Mickey himself had come and made the animals and left the chocolates. By the 3rd night, I decided to give credit where it was due and told them Rodolfo was Mickey's special helper and HE was the talent making the cool animals. From then on, they were thrilled to see him in the halls (almost always he was out there).

Back to our first hours on board....
Each of the kids tried out their clubs. The Club and Lab are amazing in their design. TJ (4) and Mackenzie (6) loved going to the Oceaneer Club.

Over the course of the cruise, Hannah (8) had a harder time connecting with her group, but still enjoyed the activities. Sunday night, she went to see a movie “all by herself” with her group. That was one of her favorite things. Monday, I switched her into the 5-7 group so she could be with Kenzie and D. This actually made things worse. She didn’t like the noise level of the younger class.

Monday, Ken and I had brunch at Palos, the adult-only restaurant. The food was WOW and the atmosphere delightful. We docked at Key West soon after lunch, but only toured the area a bit, then were ready to get back on the ship. The kids swam in a nearly-empty pool while we adults relaxed on the loungers.

Tuesday morning, Ken had a 75-minute massage, his first ever. He discovered he likes his head and feet rubbed best of all.

The rest of the week was filled with yummy food, amazing service, family dance parties, crafts (Kenzie made Flubber and a pillowcase, all the kids made memory books, kites, and and a race car made from veggies.), swimming, relaxing on deck in a lounger, watching high-quality shows, and just watching the ocean pass by. The kids especially enjoyed the High School Musical dance party.

Ken and I enjoyed being able to see a comedian together. It’s impossible to get someone to interpret for a comedian, then you may get a lousy interpreter. Of course, the interpreters on the ship were fab! One evening, just Pappy and I went to see the illusionist Mike Super. Pap got called out to be involved in an illusion. We have no idea how he did what he did, even with Pap being a part of it. Pappy freaked out Mike by acting like he was tripping up the stage. It was hilarious. Anyway, his illusions were astounding.

Our favorite port was, of course, Castaway Cay. My husband already wants to find a double-dip cruise! We headed down to the far side of the beach where it remained practically empty the entire day. If you look at my pictures from CC, you’ll see the difference! Ken and I snorkeled and (finally) parasailed. We had wanted to while in Hawaii a few years ago, but just didn’t do it. Being on the speedboat was fun in itself, then the parasailing provided amazing views!

We got a special treat by seeing the cast members and characters sign (and sing) the Mickey Mouse song on the last night. Evidently, the interpreters had taught them the signs. Too bad KEN was sleeping!!!

Disembarking the next morning was a little sad, but went amazingly smooth. We drove to Downtown Disney to keep the Magic going a little longer, but it was eventually time to fly home. That trip went off without a hitch and here we are.

Ken and I agree (as do the kids) that we want to cruise again. Who knows when we’ll save the cash to do it, but it’s in our sights! I can’t imagine going on another ship, especially while we have kids.

(As a post script, we picked up Jack Sparrow (our beagle), and he jumped out the SUV window while I was driving about 25 or 30 mph. Luckily, he’s fine, but....crazy dog!!)

 

[dreamtorealty]

Hi thank you for all the great tips. Enjoyed it immensely! I was wondering what is the duct tape for? Thank you in advance.

 

[plutospup]

I saw where you had a can of room freshener. Recently on a business trip TSA at our local airport confiscated my tiny can of room freshener. They said it was a "haz-mat". They went as far as having me show them my drivers license, and writing my name and address down. I have carried that in my bag for over the past year and it was ok in the past. Maybe it's ok, maybe not, or this TSA guy was putting on a show. Anyway, with cans of freshener, beware!