September 3, 2005 - Eastern Trip Report
- Thread starter gdulaney
- Start date
September 7: Welcome to St Thomas
If you had to find anything negative about visiting St Thomas after leaving the US, it would have to be the pesky US Customs and Border Protection Inspection...which requires "that all guests must present themselves in person for immigration inspection at designated times upon arrival to St. Thomas." Luckily it's a pretty smooth process that can (if you'd like) involve little pastries, juice and coffee. We saw a lot of folks who decided to leave their tots in their pjs, which I thought was a great idea. The customs agent who "inspected" us (?!?) was very friendly.
The Disney Magic was docked at a little place called Crown Bay. Crown Bay is a sub base (that appears to be deserted). It was neither within walking distance of Charlotte Amalie nor did the Hello Kitty store have a shop there. It looks like they may be in the process of developing the area into something similar to Havensight...but until then, I hope Disney can reclaim their spot at Havensight. (For those who like to buy Hello Kitty stuff....there was a cute little HK store at Havensight...I hope it's still there
).
Shock number 2 (number 1 was the Crown Bay location)....the taxi drivers were a bit more aggressive than in past years. I'm not sure if it was the fact that we were the only ship at Crown Bay (thereby reducing their ability to combine fares from multiple ships) or the increase in gas prices...but our taxi fare increased twice from the time we approached the taxi until the guy pulled over to collect the fares. In true Disney fashion (no bloodshed was involved), we protested and were able to reduce our fares back to the first quote.
Okay --- we're finally off to hit the stores, drop off contest entries, pick up our free "gemstones" and buy some booze. The new John Hardy line at Diamonds International called to me, but I was strong.... I was able to resist temptation. We checked out the new tee shirts designs at Del Sol and somehow Andy was able to drag me out of the Bernard K Passman Black Coral Gallery. Bernard K Passman is an artist who works with black coral. His sculptures are amazing....and jewelry is called "wearable art." Beautiful. We reach AH RIISE, which is a great place to stock up on liquor and tobacco. In my opinion, the chicks who work the cosmetics area were pretty snooty. When I returned empty-handed, Andy was speechless -- but I'd rather stop at the Orlando Premium Outlet and buy at the Cosmetics Company Store where the folks are friendly! Andy prefers Upbeat on the Magic for his cologne. Back to AH RIISE, we did buy a couple of bottles of alcohol. Chocolate flavored rum (who knew?) and a bottle of Tia Maria for my parents.
We then found a friendly guy to give us a lift back (after some bargaining, we were able to get the same price as our outbound trip). After a light lunch, we headed back to the pool. A little quiet time with a good book and a frothy drink and I was all happy.
All aboard was 4:30pm and we were scheduled to depart at 4:45pm. Andy and I found a spot up on the deck overlooking the bridge (it's so cool to watch the departure process)...time passes and a cabin number is called, repeatedly. This is usually a sign that somebody isn't on board yet. A little while later, a lone taxi van pulls up and a family gets out and runs to board the ship. Moments later the gangway is pulled and we are leaving. We heard later that the taxi got caught in traffic. I felt horrible for the family (and for the crew who were having to stand and wait for them). Nothing is worse than having that much "attention". We've heard that folks have been left before...and were happy to see this family wasn't.
Then it's time for dinner and hanging out.
Random info for today:
Today's sailaway drink special -- flavored margaritas 2 for 1. Drink of the day...a rum runner. My favorites...the Konk Kooler (can't wait to order one on Castaway Cay) and the Bon Voyage.
Tonight is the Family 80's Dance Party, Herbie:Fully Loaded is playing at the Buena Vista Theatre, and folks can meet for Cognac and Cigars at the Cove Cafe.
Tomorrow is a day at sea....
Ginny
If you had to find anything negative about visiting St Thomas after leaving the US, it would have to be the pesky US Customs and Border Protection Inspection...which requires "that all guests must present themselves in person for immigration inspection at designated times upon arrival to St. Thomas." Luckily it's a pretty smooth process that can (if you'd like) involve little pastries, juice and coffee. We saw a lot of folks who decided to leave their tots in their pjs, which I thought was a great idea. The customs agent who "inspected" us (?!?) was very friendly.
The Disney Magic was docked at a little place called Crown Bay. Crown Bay is a sub base (that appears to be deserted). It was neither within walking distance of Charlotte Amalie nor did the Hello Kitty store have a shop there. It looks like they may be in the process of developing the area into something similar to Havensight...but until then, I hope Disney can reclaim their spot at Havensight. (For those who like to buy Hello Kitty stuff....there was a cute little HK store at Havensight...I hope it's still there
).Shock number 2 (number 1 was the Crown Bay location)....the taxi drivers were a bit more aggressive than in past years. I'm not sure if it was the fact that we were the only ship at Crown Bay (thereby reducing their ability to combine fares from multiple ships) or the increase in gas prices...but our taxi fare increased twice from the time we approached the taxi until the guy pulled over to collect the fares. In true Disney fashion (no bloodshed was involved), we protested and were able to reduce our fares back to the first quote.
Okay --- we're finally off to hit the stores, drop off contest entries, pick up our free "gemstones" and buy some booze. The new John Hardy line at Diamonds International called to me, but I was strong.... I was able to resist temptation. We checked out the new tee shirts designs at Del Sol and somehow Andy was able to drag me out of the Bernard K Passman Black Coral Gallery. Bernard K Passman is an artist who works with black coral. His sculptures are amazing....and jewelry is called "wearable art." Beautiful. We reach AH RIISE, which is a great place to stock up on liquor and tobacco. In my opinion, the chicks who work the cosmetics area were pretty snooty. When I returned empty-handed, Andy was speechless -- but I'd rather stop at the Orlando Premium Outlet and buy at the Cosmetics Company Store where the folks are friendly! Andy prefers Upbeat on the Magic for his cologne. Back to AH RIISE, we did buy a couple of bottles of alcohol. Chocolate flavored rum (who knew?) and a bottle of Tia Maria for my parents.
We then found a friendly guy to give us a lift back (after some bargaining, we were able to get the same price as our outbound trip). After a light lunch, we headed back to the pool. A little quiet time with a good book and a frothy drink and I was all happy.
All aboard was 4:30pm and we were scheduled to depart at 4:45pm. Andy and I found a spot up on the deck overlooking the bridge (it's so cool to watch the departure process)...time passes and a cabin number is called, repeatedly. This is usually a sign that somebody isn't on board yet. A little while later, a lone taxi van pulls up and a family gets out and runs to board the ship. Moments later the gangway is pulled and we are leaving. We heard later that the taxi got caught in traffic. I felt horrible for the family (and for the crew who were having to stand and wait for them). Nothing is worse than having that much "attention". We've heard that folks have been left before...and were happy to see this family wasn't.
Then it's time for dinner and hanging out.
Random info for today:
Today's sailaway drink special -- flavored margaritas 2 for 1. Drink of the day...a rum runner. My favorites...the Konk Kooler (can't wait to order one on Castaway Cay) and the Bon Voyage.
Tonight is the Family 80's Dance Party, Herbie:Fully Loaded is playing at the Buena Vista Theatre, and folks can meet for Cognac and Cigars at the Cove Cafe.
Tomorrow is a day at sea....
Ginny
September 8: Enjoy a Day at Sea
Tonight is semi-formal and the show...Disney Dreams. If you only get to see one show, I recommend this one. We see it every cruise and it's always wonderful!!
After sleeping in a little, we decide to hit Topsiders for a light breakfast...then it's off to the pool. We love hanging out with friends at the pool!!! Chatting, reading, or just soaking up the sunshine....it's so relaxing.
The second Disney Vacation Club meeting is today and we decide to go. You wouldn't think that we'd hear anything new, but the Q&As are always great and we always hear something new. We're really, really leaning towards adding a few points. The onboard special is pretty sweet and we'd even get this year's points to bank. We could splurge and get a veranda next year. Melon, juice, cola (for me), coffee (for Andy), and the fresh salty air. What to do? I know...go watch the ice carving demonstration and eat a burger from Pluto's Dog House.
Time blurs (and seems to speed up)...or maybe I fell asleep in the sun. Who knows? I can barely remember what work feels like.
We head back to the room and get ready for dinner and the show --- or in our case, the show and then dinner. Luckily we're (I'm) able to fit in a little duty-free shopping and then it's off to get our seats. I remember to sneak in a couple of tissues...not because I'm going to get teary or anything...the tissues are in case Andy spills something. Yeah, that's it. (sniffle sniffle) I'm so glad that it's dark in here.
It's 10:30pm and the DVC folks are still hard at work. We meet with Mike (if you need a guide, he's great!) and our "quickie" meeting quickly turns into the "Mike and Ginny talk about DVC while Andy tries not to fall asleep" meeting. I should really, really apologize to Mike about keeping him so long. He later sees me in the hallway talking about -- you guessed it --- the Disney Vacation Club and remarks that every time he sees me, I'm talking it up...and he might have to start paying me wages. Working for the Disney Vacation Club. What a wonderful idea!!!! Again, for the record, I would love to start up the DVC Shop (either mortar & bricks or online)...but a nifty little shop that sells everything DVC. Come on DVC...I have retail, banking, and mgmt experience...plus, I know how to shuck corn & snap beans. I have no idea if those last two qualifications would be beneficial, but what the heck?
Well, it's off to bed...tomorrow is Castaway Cay and that means Konk Koolers!!!!
Ginny
Tonight is semi-formal and the show...Disney Dreams. If you only get to see one show, I recommend this one. We see it every cruise and it's always wonderful!!
After sleeping in a little, we decide to hit Topsiders for a light breakfast...then it's off to the pool. We love hanging out with friends at the pool!!! Chatting, reading, or just soaking up the sunshine....it's so relaxing.
The second Disney Vacation Club meeting is today and we decide to go. You wouldn't think that we'd hear anything new, but the Q&As are always great and we always hear something new. We're really, really leaning towards adding a few points. The onboard special is pretty sweet and we'd even get this year's points to bank. We could splurge and get a veranda next year. Melon, juice, cola (for me), coffee (for Andy), and the fresh salty air. What to do? I know...go watch the ice carving demonstration and eat a burger from Pluto's Dog House.
Time blurs (and seems to speed up)...or maybe I fell asleep in the sun. Who knows? I can barely remember what work feels like.
We head back to the room and get ready for dinner and the show --- or in our case, the show and then dinner. Luckily we're (I'm) able to fit in a little duty-free shopping and then it's off to get our seats. I remember to sneak in a couple of tissues...not because I'm going to get teary or anything...the tissues are in case Andy spills something. Yeah, that's it. (sniffle sniffle) I'm so glad that it's dark in here.
It's 10:30pm and the DVC folks are still hard at work. We meet with Mike (if you need a guide, he's great!) and our "quickie" meeting quickly turns into the "Mike and Ginny talk about DVC while Andy tries not to fall asleep" meeting. I should really, really apologize to Mike about keeping him so long. He later sees me in the hallway talking about -- you guessed it --- the Disney Vacation Club and remarks that every time he sees me, I'm talking it up...and he might have to start paying me wages. Working for the Disney Vacation Club. What a wonderful idea!!!! Again, for the record, I would love to start up the DVC Shop (either mortar & bricks or online)...but a nifty little shop that sells everything DVC. Come on DVC...I have retail, banking, and mgmt experience...plus, I know how to shuck corn & snap beans. I have no idea if those last two qualifications would be beneficial, but what the heck?
Well, it's off to bed...tomorrow is Castaway Cay and that means Konk Koolers!!!!
Ginny
September 9: Welcome to Castaway Cay
We wake up and look out the window....what is this foreign substance falling from the sky? What are those dark cloudy things in the sky? It's rain and those are clouds. crud. crud. crud. We'd already heard that the weather could be a bit bad and the seas a bit rough...but we really thought the weather gods had heard our prayers.
Good news --- we are at Castaway Cay.
Bad news --- all excursions are cancelled. Sorry Dave...no fishing this cruise.
We make it over to the lovely beach at Serenity Bay and the heavens begin to pore. Well, who cares...we'd get wet in the water anyway, so what's a little rain?
It's five o'clock somewhere and I'm happily drinking my Konk Kooler. Andy gets a BBC. I'm so happy that the rain that's filling up my umbrella doesn't bother me a bit. We hang out at Serenity Bay until almost lunch time. Then we head to She Sells Seashells and Everything Else, where Andy decides to get a new tee shirt.
We make it through the line to get our food, sit down and as we take our first bites...the skies seriously open up. We've got food, drink and shelter. Who cares?
Later we head back to the Ship -- we can watch a movie or if it clears up, we can hit the pool. On the way we see a beautiful sand sculpture...left over from the DVC cruise. Andy rushes back to the room to get his camera, gets back to the sand sculpture and is in the process of focusing the camera.....when some considerate mom lets her precious little boy climb up the sand sculpture and slide down the front. Now - we don't have kids. We're on a Disney Cruise. We understand that there might be a couple of kids on the ship... and we are totally fine with that. We know what to expect...been there, done that. BUT what kind of inconsiderate person allows their little angel to ruin a beautiful sand sculpture that somebody is fixin' to take a picture of?!?!? Okay...deep breath Ginny. Sorry about that. Pls, no flames. I'm fine now. Just a momentary lapse of reason. Seriously -- thanks Peg Bundy! Where's Mrs Brady or Ms Partridge when you nneed 'em?
The day clears up and we get a little more relaxation time at the pool. Then it's time to get ready for dinner.
At the end of dinner, our servers surprise us with a beautiful cake for our anniversary...unfortunately we have to get back to the room, pack, get our bags in the hall, and be at a show in about 30 minutes....so we don't get to linger over dinner.
We are almost out of our clothes before the cabin door is fully shut. The suitcases were almost done...so we throw our dinner clothes in the garment bag and get everything in the hallway in record time. We slide into Diversions with minutes to spare ----- only to find out that the show starts 30 minutes later than we'd been told.
If you are able to stay up --- I highly recommend attending "Pub Night" in Diversions. It's a lovely time with song and hilarious skits featuring the cruise staff. I'd love to tell everybody about it....but, I'm sworn to secrecy. What happens at Pub Night, stays at Pub Night.
We finally tottle off to bed. We tried to prolong sleep, in the hopes that our time on the ship wouldn't end......but it does.
Tomorrow we'll eat breakfast, hug our servers, hug our friends, and sadly drag ourselves off the ship.
Ginny
We wake up and look out the window....what is this foreign substance falling from the sky? What are those dark cloudy things in the sky? It's rain and those are clouds. crud. crud. crud. We'd already heard that the weather could be a bit bad and the seas a bit rough...but we really thought the weather gods had heard our prayers.
Good news --- we are at Castaway Cay.
Bad news --- all excursions are cancelled. Sorry Dave...no fishing this cruise.
We make it over to the lovely beach at Serenity Bay and the heavens begin to pore. Well, who cares...we'd get wet in the water anyway, so what's a little rain?
It's five o'clock somewhere and I'm happily drinking my Konk Kooler. Andy gets a BBC. I'm so happy that the rain that's filling up my umbrella doesn't bother me a bit. We hang out at Serenity Bay until almost lunch time. Then we head to She Sells Seashells and Everything Else, where Andy decides to get a new tee shirt.
We make it through the line to get our food, sit down and as we take our first bites...the skies seriously open up. We've got food, drink and shelter. Who cares?
Later we head back to the Ship -- we can watch a movie or if it clears up, we can hit the pool. On the way we see a beautiful sand sculpture...left over from the DVC cruise. Andy rushes back to the room to get his camera, gets back to the sand sculpture and is in the process of focusing the camera.....when some considerate mom lets her precious little boy climb up the sand sculpture and slide down the front. Now - we don't have kids. We're on a Disney Cruise. We understand that there might be a couple of kids on the ship... and we are totally fine with that. We know what to expect...been there, done that. BUT what kind of inconsiderate person allows their little angel to ruin a beautiful sand sculpture that somebody is fixin' to take a picture of?!?!? Okay...deep breath Ginny. Sorry about that. Pls, no flames. I'm fine now. Just a momentary lapse of reason. Seriously -- thanks Peg Bundy! Where's Mrs Brady or Ms Partridge when you nneed 'em?
The day clears up and we get a little more relaxation time at the pool. Then it's time to get ready for dinner.
At the end of dinner, our servers surprise us with a beautiful cake for our anniversary...unfortunately we have to get back to the room, pack, get our bags in the hall, and be at a show in about 30 minutes....so we don't get to linger over dinner.
We are almost out of our clothes before the cabin door is fully shut. The suitcases were almost done...so we throw our dinner clothes in the garment bag and get everything in the hallway in record time. We slide into Diversions with minutes to spare ----- only to find out that the show starts 30 minutes later than we'd been told.
If you are able to stay up --- I highly recommend attending "Pub Night" in Diversions. It's a lovely time with song and hilarious skits featuring the cruise staff. I'd love to tell everybody about it....but, I'm sworn to secrecy. What happens at Pub Night, stays at Pub Night.
We finally tottle off to bed. We tried to prolong sleep, in the hopes that our time on the ship wouldn't end......but it does.
Tomorrow we'll eat breakfast, hug our servers, hug our friends, and sadly drag ourselves off the ship.
Ginny
lisa702
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2004
- Messages
- 712
Ginny!
LOVED your trip report!!!! You made me feel like I was there............OH WAIT I was there..........at least on the ship anyways!
I never did get my Konk Cooler on CC BUT I did get this AWESOME souvenir.........A sunburn on my feet and legs! My legs are just now peeling! Guess I'll remember to apply sunscreen BELOW my knees NEXT time! 
It was great meeting you and Andy. 
LOVED your trip report!!!! You made me feel like I was there............OH WAIT I was there..........at least on the ship anyways!
I never did get my Konk Cooler on CC BUT I did get this AWESOME souvenir.........A sunburn on my feet and legs! My legs are just now peeling! Guess I'll remember to apply sunscreen BELOW my knees NEXT time! It was great meeting you and Andy. Hi Lisa 
It was great meeting you too!!! You can get that Konk Kooler next time....plus a couple of Mickey bars.
Hope your legs are better now. I have a friend who found out that sunburned ears are pretty stinky too.
Ginny
It was great meeting you too!!! You can get that Konk Kooler next time....plus a couple of Mickey bars.
Hope your legs are better now. I have a friend who found out that sunburned ears are pretty stinky too.
Ginny
.Hi Sally!! Tell Pete hello from us. We had a blast hanging out with ya'll !!!
Hey Muushka!!! My picks for 'dega are gonna be messed up. That darn Jimmie Johnson.
I can't believe he took out Sadler.
Ginny
Hey Muushka!!! My picks for 'dega are gonna be messed up. That darn Jimmie Johnson.
I can't believe he took out Sadler.Ginny
Well, I've been putting it off....posting the recap of the last morning...you know, when you're ripped from the bosoms of your caring server, assistant server and stateroom host. No more mickey bars, 
no more room service, and no more "Big Doin's Going On" (from the wake up call). It's a rough transition...from pampered and "PALOed" to $3.00/gallon gas prices, traffic jams, and work. 
I promise, I'll finish up soon.
Ginny
no more room service, and no more "Big Doin's Going On" (from the wake up call). It's a rough transition...from pampered and "PALOed" to $3.00/gallon gas prices, traffic jams, and work. I promise, I'll finish up soon.
Ginny
captaincrash
<font color=darkorchid>!!!Surrender over yer LOOT!
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2005
- Messages
- 10,508
Hello!!!
I was also wandering over to the cruise reports and was pleasantly surprised to find your wonderful posting! What a treat! I feel like I just relived our sailing more or less. Ya kno... on St Thomas I was sort of wacked and yet I satyed aboard the whole time fending for our kids while Alicia went ashore to powershop. FOr the most part she came back with mild grumping over being charged an exrta dollar by the taxis and at not finding much worth picking up... (darn, I WAS hoping she would have gotten ME that nice Tissot fro TOmb raider - it's actually called a T-Touch because it has a touch sensitive crystal to switch from thermometer to baromenter to altimiter and compass - plus tell time)... and Alicia knows I've always wanted one (but not for 800 clams).
At any rate, I keep second guessing whether I can got one of those T-touches on Ebay - or just get ripped off and scammed on eBay!
Rather, at any rate - I really loved reading your report - I have to admit we did a time share presentation in Orlando too - we went to a wyndham deal for 100 clams and the guy who presented to us was a REAL CHARACTER... entertaining for lack of any other terms. IF WE were in the market he would have sold us too. We would have considered the Westgate presentation you did except that we actually booked our stay at a Westgate property - got it on hotwiare pretty cheap so this sort of disqualified us from getting any promo moola. darn!
SO - we rebooked while aboard... we're sailng another eastern (yeah - another swing is not enough - we gotta go an' do it again) except we rebooked for a holloween sailng in 06. We have Julianna starting K-school so we don't want to miss her 1st weeks in class so she'll have an equal chance at making friends among her class mates. So we settled on the 29th Magic cruise... or was it the 28th? Heck it's so far off I con't recall WHEN it sails. Good thing I don't really HAVE to know now, eh?
At any rate, I noticed you did not mention our ice cream eating thing following the treasure hunt for the kids. Did you miss that or was it really less than memorable? I did manage to get the Captain's signature + altternating Minnie or Daisy signatures on the award certificates for every participant! OK... so the ice cream thing was one of my things... ok .... my tender feelin's are not bruised (snif, snif) over the exclusion. 
OK... so I gotta run for now. I've been a lurkin' at our new thread on the cruise meet forum for the Holloween magic sailing. We're fixin' to match or exceed the 2005 thread for Holloween on the Magic. The 2005 thread had some huge number of postings in the 1000s and maybe 10s of 1000s of hits. Amazing and intimiadating - to say the least - ..... I think casual banter about a toga party in the works will NOT suffice this time.
Safe travels to you and your friends - till we meet again! TTFN!
I was also wandering over to the cruise reports and was pleasantly surprised to find your wonderful posting! What a treat! I feel like I just relived our sailing more or less. Ya kno... on St Thomas I was sort of wacked and yet I satyed aboard the whole time fending for our kids while Alicia went ashore to powershop. FOr the most part she came back with mild grumping over being charged an exrta dollar by the taxis and at not finding much worth picking up... (darn, I WAS hoping she would have gotten ME that nice Tissot fro TOmb raider - it's actually called a T-Touch because it has a touch sensitive crystal to switch from thermometer to baromenter to altimiter and compass - plus tell time)... and Alicia knows I've always wanted one (but not for 800 clams).
At any rate, I keep second guessing whether I can got one of those T-touches on Ebay - or just get ripped off and scammed on eBay!
Rather, at any rate - I really loved reading your report - I have to admit we did a time share presentation in Orlando too - we went to a wyndham deal for 100 clams and the guy who presented to us was a REAL CHARACTER... entertaining for lack of any other terms. IF WE were in the market he would have sold us too. We would have considered the Westgate presentation you did except that we actually booked our stay at a Westgate property - got it on hotwiare pretty cheap so this sort of disqualified us from getting any promo moola. darn!
SO - we rebooked while aboard... we're sailng another eastern (yeah - another swing is not enough - we gotta go an' do it again) except we rebooked for a holloween sailng in 06. We have Julianna starting K-school so we don't want to miss her 1st weeks in class so she'll have an equal chance at making friends among her class mates. So we settled on the 29th Magic cruise... or was it the 28th? Heck it's so far off I con't recall WHEN it sails. Good thing I don't really HAVE to know now, eh?
At any rate, I noticed you did not mention our ice cream eating thing following the treasure hunt for the kids. Did you miss that or was it really less than memorable? I did manage to get the Captain's signature + altternating Minnie or Daisy signatures on the award certificates for every participant!
OK... so the ice cream thing was one of my things... ok .... my tender feelin's are not bruised (snif, snif) over the exclusion. OK... so I gotta run for now. I've been a lurkin' at our new thread on the cruise meet forum for the Holloween magic sailing. We're fixin' to match or exceed the 2005 thread for Holloween on the Magic. The 2005 thread had some huge number of postings in the 1000s and maybe 10s of 1000s of hits. Amazing and intimiadating - to say the least - ..... I think casual banter about a toga party in the works will NOT suffice this time.
Safe travels to you and your friends - till we meet again! TTFN!
EEEEKKKK, did I leave out the mickey bar eating contest? I didn't mean to...in fact, I've already posted about it on our thread for next yr's cruise. It was truly an oversight -- I guess I was blinded by the sheer volume of loot (and the shiny beads).
Sorry you didn't get the Tomb Raider Tissot...maybe next year it will be slightly less expensive.
One advantage of the Halloween cruise is that you guys will get to dress up for Pirate
night and for Halloween too!!! Just think of all the great costumes that are available.... 
and of course 
Ginny
mickey bar eating contest? I didn't mean to...in fact, I've already posted about it on our thread for next yr's cruise. It was truly an oversight -- I guess I was blinded by the sheer volume of loot (and the shiny beads). Sorry you didn't get the Tomb Raider Tissot...maybe next year it will be slightly less expensive.
One advantage of the Halloween cruise is that you guys will get to dress up for Pirate
night and for Halloween too!!! Just think of all the great costumes that are available.... and of course Ginny
captaincrash
<font color=darkorchid>!!!Surrender over yer LOOT!
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2005
- Messages
- 10,508
Frankly,
... the costume thing is snowballing 'round here. We're hosting a holloween party with 80 souls and I have 2 costumes that I'll switch between for the party. ANd just last nite Julianna got the notion that she would like a Jedi knight costume with me as Darth Vader "as the Daddy" - so we're gonna start trolling through ebay and such for suitable outfits. I figure her outfit will be easy - it's the Darth Vader one that may involve more than pocket change. Frankly, I would rather spend the big ucks on a nice storm trooper outfit. I've seen some really beautiful imported costumes - but now I'm sort of fantasizing. Bottom line is my daughter just wants to have a light sber duel with me as Darth Vader. She is gonna be Luke even though she would make a better Yoda being pint sized!
And -: I was not dissappointed about the I-cream exclusion (sniff- sniff) - I just barely mentioned it cuz it sort of "flowed" into the conversation... (sniff- sniff). 
LOL!
At any rate, just so you know - who-ever makes the certificates for your cruise should choose the wording carefully since the ships' staff gave me a lot of difficulty since it looked ... dare I say... commercial. And as such they did not want the characters to sign it. And as such =they kept telling me the characters cannot sign it as it was - but I got it anyway and they sort of hushed it a bit when I picked it up. So... odd as it may sound - try to come up with language which does not say "official" or "Disney" on it (for starters) and then the characters may sign it without complication or hesitation. And then leave the disney stickers for application AFTER they sign (like I did).
At any rate, see ya 'round down the road somewhere - or more likely we'll see ya on the DIS down the road!
TTFN!!!
... the costume thing is snowballing 'round here. We're hosting a holloween party with 80 souls and I have 2 costumes that I'll switch between for the party. ANd just last nite Julianna got the notion that she would like a Jedi knight costume with me as Darth Vader "as the Daddy" - so we're gonna start trolling through ebay and such for suitable outfits. I figure her outfit will be easy - it's the Darth Vader one that may involve more than pocket change. Frankly, I would rather spend the big ucks on a nice storm trooper outfit. I've seen some really beautiful imported costumes - but now I'm sort of fantasizing. Bottom line is my daughter just wants to have a light sber duel with me as Darth Vader. She is gonna be Luke even though she would make a better Yoda being pint sized!
And -
: I was not dissappointed about the I-cream exclusion (sniff- sniff) - I just barely mentioned it cuz it sort of "flowed" into the conversation... (sniff- sniff). LOL!At any rate, just so you know - who-ever makes the certificates for your cruise should choose the wording carefully since the ships' staff gave me a lot of difficulty since it looked ... dare I say... commercial. And as such they did not want the characters to sign it. And as such =they kept telling me the characters cannot sign it as it was - but I got it anyway and they sort of hushed it a bit when I picked it up. So... odd as it may sound - try to come up with language which does not say "official" or "Disney" on it (for starters) and then the characters may sign it without complication or hesitation. And then leave the disney stickers for application AFTER they sign (like I did).
At any rate, see ya 'round down the road somewhere - or more likely we'll see ya on the DIS down the road!
TTFN!!!
Hi Capt Crash --- or should I say Darth Crash/Capt Vader?
Trust me....should anybody ever ask me to make a certificate, nobody would ever mistake it for "official" or professional. I would compare my artistic ability to that of Huey, Dewy, Louie or Goofy.
aw:
Happy eBaying!!
Ginny
Trust me....should anybody ever ask me to make a certificate, nobody would ever mistake it for "official" or professional. I would compare my artistic ability to that of Huey, Dewy, Louie or Goofy.
aw: Happy eBaying!!
Ginny
September 10: Get Off the Ship!!! 
Okay, I've put it off...but like packing in time to get your luggage in the hall (or remembering to leave out something to wear -- including shoes)....there comes a point where they just want you to get off the ship. Oh yeah, they feed you first. Give you some juice, another chocolate pastry, and even some eggs...but the shops are closed and that means no more duty-free shopping.
It also means that you get your "final" bill, which is usually slid under the door...but in the case of some of us, all the tugging, pushing and shoving won't get those 42 pages of paper under your door. It's usually not a pretty sight.
Sometimes you can hear the screams echoing through the halls ---- "Just how many Konk Koolers did you drink?" or "Oh Lord, did I pass out at the computer? Who can be online that long?!?" or "You bought what?!?" We were very excited that our bill wasn't too high this year. Thank goodness for Disney dollars and gift cards!!
You also have to say goodbye to your servers, stateroom host, and all of your dining companions (as well as all the fun DIS-folks that you met on board). It's pretty traumatic and I, for one, believe that immediately after disembarking, you should get a coupon for several weeks of therapy! Do you guys know how many times I tried to dial room service from my work telephone? Let me just say -- my boss is nice, but she's not gonna be making me a souffle'.
So -- we, reluctantly, get up and head to breakfast. The mood is slightly more joyful than a funeral. The worse part is that once we exit the ship....we.....I dunno if I can write it. Okay, I'll just get it out...wehavetofacethegaspumpsanddrivehome. Here's a picture of us thinking about gas prices --->
Okay...we hug our servers, hug our friends and head to find ourselves the best thing since sliced bread....a porter. Now, for folks who've always carted off everything by themselves, let me just give a big shout out to all the wonderful porters!!!! These wonderful guys and gals will cheerfully transport all your crap out to your car and help you load up. It's not too pricey...a good healthy tip and you are happily in your car and on your way.
We leave the port and yes, one of us was very sad and tearfully waving to the ship and one of us is switching on the radar detector/xm radio/and ensuring we have cell phone service. Want to guess which of us was which?
We make a brief stop in Daytona to pay homage at Daytona USA (and stock up on a couple of new tees) and then continue north. Stopping only in St. Augustine to look for locking gas caps, to hit a Disney outlet sale, and attend a timeshare presentation (which pays in Red Lobster gift cards, a visa gift card and two IMAX tickets).
Do I have the best hubby ever? That makes the third timeshare presentation in a week!
We have a quick dinner at Cracker Barrel and it's back on the road. We finally back into the garage at o'dark thirty in the morning. Weren't we just pulling out in the dark? We grab our mail (apparently the post office lost our "hold mail" card) and unpack our toothbrushes. Thank goodness, we're home!
Until next time, thanks everybody for sharing our trip report!!
Ginny
Okay, I've put it off...but like packing in time to get your luggage in the hall (or remembering to leave out something to wear -- including shoes)....there comes a point where they just want you to get off the ship. Oh yeah, they feed you first. Give you some juice, another chocolate pastry, and even some eggs...but the shops are closed and that means no more duty-free shopping.
It also means that you get your "final" bill, which is usually slid under the door...but in the case of some of us, all the tugging, pushing and shoving won't get those 42 pages of paper under your door. It's usually not a pretty sight.
Sometimes you can hear the screams echoing through the halls ---- "Just how many Konk Koolers did you drink?" or "Oh Lord, did I pass out at the computer? Who can be online that long?!?" or "You bought what?!?" We were very excited that our bill wasn't too high this year. Thank goodness for Disney dollars and gift cards!! You also have to say goodbye to your servers, stateroom host, and all of your dining companions (as well as all the fun DIS-folks that you met on board).
It's pretty traumatic and I, for one, believe that immediately after disembarking, you should get a coupon for several weeks of therapy! Do you guys know how many times I tried to dial room service from my work telephone? Let me just say -- my boss is nice, but she's not gonna be making me a souffle'.So -- we, reluctantly, get up and head to breakfast. The mood is slightly more joyful than a funeral. The worse part is that once we exit the ship....we.....I dunno if I can write it. Okay, I'll just get it out...wehavetofacethegaspumpsanddrivehome. Here's a picture of us thinking about gas prices --->
Okay...we hug our servers, hug our friends and head to find ourselves the best thing since sliced bread....a porter. Now, for folks who've always carted off everything by themselves, let me just give a big shout out to all the wonderful porters!!!! These wonderful guys and gals will cheerfully transport all your crap out to your car and help you load up. It's not too pricey...a good healthy tip and you are happily in your car and on your way.
We leave the port and yes, one of us was very sad and tearfully waving to the ship and one of us is switching on the radar detector/xm radio/and ensuring we have cell phone service. Want to guess which of us was which?
We make a brief stop in Daytona to pay homage at Daytona USA (and stock up on a couple of new tees) and then continue north. Stopping only in St. Augustine to look for locking gas caps, to hit a Disney outlet sale, and attend a timeshare presentation (which pays in Red Lobster gift cards, a visa gift card and two IMAX tickets).
Do I have the best hubby ever? That makes the third timeshare presentation in a week!We have a quick dinner at Cracker Barrel and it's back on the road. We finally back into the garage at o'dark thirty in the morning. Weren't we just pulling out in the dark? We grab our mail (apparently the post office lost our "hold mail" card) and unpack our toothbrushes. Thank goodness, we're home!
Until next time, thanks everybody for sharing our trip report!!
Ginny
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2003
- Messages
- 28,801
Loved your report Ginny, you have a way with words!!! Hopefully, next time you leave, Andy will be able to hold back the tears, as "YOU" turn on the radar detector/XM radio/and check for cell phone service.
Verandah Man said:Loved your report Ginny, you have a way with words!!! Hopefully, next time you leave, Andy will be able to hold back the tears, as "YOU" turn on the radar detector/XM radio/and check for cell phone service.
You nailed it!
Ginny
-
2025 Destination D23 Schedule Unveiled With No Disney Parks Panel
-
New Disney Loungefly The Nightmare Before Christmas Sally
-
Menus Revealed for 2025 Swan & Dolphin Food and Wine Classic
-
Disneyland Shares the FIRST LOOK at Oogie Boogie Bash Merch
-
4 Questions to Ask Before Picking a Disney Resort
-
Live Video Podcast: Disney 2025 Q3 Earnings, Imagineering Update & More
-
Disney Cruise Line to Exit Australia, Is This Why?
- Walt Disney World News
- Walt Disney World Articles
- Disney Cruise Line News
- Disneyland News
- General Disney News
- Universal Orlando News
GET UP TO A $1000 SHIPBOARD CREDIT AND AN EXCLUSIVE GIFT!
If you make your Disney Cruise Line reservation with Dreams Unlimited Travel you’ll receive these incredible shipboard credits to spend on your cruise!
Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE
