September 3, 2005 - Eastern Trip Report

[gdulaney]

First, let me warn you...I'm chatty and type the way I talk.

It's just hubby (Andy) and myself (Ginny)...we have two ferrets, but unfortunately the cruise line doesn't allow pets. aw: Although I think we need a DCL Pet Boarding Center, Andy had already assured me that us, our luggage, the ferrets and all their stuff (litter, food, toys, mini condo) would never fit in the car.

It's been a long, long 12 months since our last vacation. We've worked hard, planned for months, read countless posts, and replied to countless more. Finally, our vacation has arrived...and we're conflicted. On one hand, we're excited, thrilled and full of anticipation. We can't wait to meet our dining companions and to attend the onboard DISmeet. On the other hand, we've been watching the news and praying for the folks in Mississippi and Louisiana, so we're feeling guilty about being so excited.

That said, I hope everybody enjoys our trip report. I'll try to post it on a day-by-day basis.

August 30: Pre-Trip Tuesday
We're not at work today, so I'm counting today as vacation (the boss sure does ). Our list of things to do is rapidly approaching the size of the menu at Palo (Palo=Yum!). We both have eye appts, Andy has a dr's appt and I'm getting my hair cut.

We have to drop the ferrets off at their grandparent's house (my mom and dad) and then head home to pack. I wonder what we'll forget this year? Last year it was the hair dryer.

Ginny

 

[gdulaney]

August 31st: We're off!!

Our vacation "officially" starts today. It's o'dark thirty and some idiot decided we should leave while it's still dark outside. Oh, yeah...that was my bright idea. Andy set the alarm for 4:30am. I guess he knew I'd hit the snooze a couple of times.

Since we live outside Atlanta, we're driving down to Orlando for several days, then heading over to the Port. My Escape is packed, gassed (ouch!), and we're ready to go.

Nothing exciting happens for several hundred miles...until we start seeing signs for the outlet malls. I love outlet malls!! It takes a while, but by the time we reach Lake Park, Georgia, Andy's resistance is down. We're stopping! Yippee!!! Let's hit the bargains. The Gap Outlet had tees for under $3. Andy got a pair of cute Polo swim trunks for under $10 and I got Polo tees for $7.99. We get a little gas and then we're back on the road.

As part of my absolutely free navigational and driver's assistance service, my husband also gets the bonus "billboard reading service". He doesn't tell me, but I know he appreciates it. The "billboard reading" comes in handy as we approach Ocala, FL. With my 'freebie radar' turned on high, I start spotting the See Disney FREE signs. We know it isn't really free, but rather a ploy to get you to tour a timeshare....still we stop to see what they are offering.

--- 2 Disney one-day tickets for $50
or
--- 2 Sea World tickets for $20
or
--- $80 CASH
plus with any offer, we can add the 2 tickets to the Pirate Dinner for $23 pp.

Hmm.... $80 CASH?!? That would pay for our parking at the Port. We're so in. We fork over our $20 (refundable) reservation fee and out the door we go.

Andy calls a co-worker to ask where she owns (it's a different place), but while they're talking, she asks if we've been listening to the news. Nope, we've got the XM radio hooked up and have been listening to NASCAR and all kinds of music...no news. She starts telling us about the HUGE lines at all the gas stations. She said it looked like something from the '70s. What's going on in Atlanta?!? Gosh, we're glad to be in Florida.

I try to call my parents, but they aren't home. They have a cell phone, but only turn it on, when they need to use it. Darn...I'll try them later.

We check out the Disney outlets and make our annual Wal-Mart stop (mid-day on a Wednesday is the perfect time to stop!!). After buying soda, beer, tanning oil, and the other stuff that we need, we head off to Saratoga Springs. We check in and the wonderful cast member at the front desk gives us a room on the second floor -- we're facing the House of Blues and Disney Quest....and best of all, she's told us that we'll be able to see the nightly fireworks display from Pleasure Island.

For dinner we decide to head over to the NASCAR Cafe. Andy says that the NASCAR Cafe has the best ribs that he has ever eaten in his entire life!!!! I think the ribs are pricey, but we're on vacation, so I decide to try them too. When our server brings our food, I can only stare at the sheer volume of food. It's 2-2.5 lbs of ribs plusfries, coleslaw and beans. We could have shared a plate ---- well, I think we could have shared a plate. Andy reassures me that if I can't eat everything, he'll be happy to take some of my ribs.

Yum! These ribs are great! The fries and beans are also pretty tasty. Andy gave the coleslaw a thumbs up (I am not touching the slaw). He's practically finished his ribs before I really dig in.

Then we waddle back to the car and head back to SSR, where we log on to the DISboards and learn that Atlanta gas prices have hit $6/gallon. I pull up a local Atlanta news website and the homepage is full of stories about gas shortages, high prices and stations that are running out of gas.

A couple of weeks ago, Andy watched a movie on FX about a big storm that affected the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico...high prices ($7/gallon), riots, etc. all followed. Andy is freaking out!!!

I call my parents and my mom answers (which was great, since I was freaking out too!!). My mom and dad are calming influences and they reassure us that everything is fine...they bought gas for a tad over $3. We're feeling calmer (thanks mom & dad!!!) and we're really glad to be in Orlando.

We can't stay awake for the fireworks..we're asleep by 10pm

Ginny

 

[Dreamer04]

Great start-can't wait for more!

 

[Verandah Man]

Come on Ginny, you can't leave us hanging like this!!!

 

[ufcabear]

Alright,so far it sounds good. What is next?

 

[JanDave]

Ginny: Can't wait to hear you describe the rest of the Magic stories. All I know fellow DISers is that my jaws still ache from laughing so hard with Ginny and her SPECIAL husband, Andy.

Jan

 

[gdulaney]

September 1: Timeshares, Beer, and Bahamaritas....it's 5 o'clock somewhere!

We're up and out the door by 6:50am and headed over to Westgate Lakes for our 7:15am breakfast/timeshare presentation. We get the nicest non-DVC salesperson ever ... if we'd been in the market, he would have probably made a sale. The breakfast buffet was nothing to write home to mom about (it was a buffet and we left hungry... ). We get our reward and then we're off to do a little sightseeing.

Lunch finds us at the Boardwalk and we visit the Big River Grille (a Gordon Biersch restaurant). Andy & I joined the Gordon Biersch rewards program earlier this year. The normal price to join is $20, but we'd been signed up for their emails and had received an email to join for half-price. The cool thing about their reward program is that you get a $20 certificate after you use it the first time (after that you have to work up to rewards). We're excited because we're going to use our $20 reward for lunch. I get the chicken sandwich and a coke and Andy gets the Mahi Mahi sandwich and tries a couple of different beers. The food is really good and apparently the sauce for Andy's sandwich is really, really good (he asks for extra and I thought he was going to get some to go). Even though this is a brewery, it's very kid and family-friendly. We see the server at the next table entertaining the kids.

We head back to SSR and walk over to Downtown Disney. We don't buy anything, but we alot of window shopping and spend way too long in the new Lego store. If you've not visited the new store, I highly recommend it. Make sure to check out all the displays...and hang around the dino out front...it does something (I don't want to give away the surprise).

We head back to SSR to relax for a little while (and check the DISboards).
All the walking has made us hungry and we've decided on Bahama Breeze for dinner.

The Bahama Breeze in Atlanta is not anywhere close to our house, so we really only eat there when we're on vacation. It's kinda pricey, but we love the food and try to eat there at least one night while we're on vacation. You do get alot of food, so go hungry!! We always eat at the restaurant on Vineland (it's at 8735 Vineland Ave) and the folks there are wonderful!!! They have call ahead seating (if they have a wait) and if you'd like to give it a try, their phone number is 407-938-9010. They are super friendly and we've always gotten top-notch service and food. I have the Beef Kabobs and Andy has the Ahi Tuna. We both have Bahamaritas I do alot of couponing, surveys, etc and save my Darden gift cards for vacation...so dinner doesn't cost us anything (well, it costs the time needed for internet surveys, etc...but nothing out of pocket). I have to give a big thank you to all of the folks on the DIS Rewards boards for all the help they give in helping folks understand the various rewards programs...and a big thank you to Becky who runs www.comparerewards.com for all the help she gives folks too!! Without them, I'd never have done so well!!

Then we head back to SSR to relax a bit and we finally get to see the midnight fireworks (well, I don't know about Andy, but I had one eye open and I heard the fireworks).

Ginny

 

[gdulaney]

Ginny: Can't wait to hear you describe the rest of the Magic stories. All I know fellow DISers is that my jaws still ache from laughing so hard with Ginny and her SPECIAL husband, Andy.

Jan

Hi Jan!!! We had such a good time with you guys!! We had some special Andy moments on the way home from the Port.

Ginny

 

[tekmnky]

Ginny, gimme more of the MAGIC tale! You're keeping us all in suspense!

 

[Alicnwondrln]

fabulous trip report!!!!
cant wait to hear more!!!

 

[gdulaney]

September 2: More Bahamaritas...

It's Friday morning and we sleep in a bit. After a day full of searching for locking gas caps (this won't be the end of that story), we do a little follow-up outlet shopping (it's the big Labor Day sidewalk sale) and then head to the HUGE McDonalds on I-Drive. For those of you who've been to the Gourmet Bistro McDonalds, this is no big news.....for everybody else, this is one jazzy Mickey D's. You walk in and they give you a menu, you place your order then approach the counter to get your meal. They have pasta, paninis (sp??), gourmet fancy sandwiches, huge speciality desserts, ice cream, and regular Mickey D's food. They even have a gift shop. I've never seen a McDonalds like this one.

After a light lunch, we head back to SSR to relax and make sure everything is ready for tomorrow morning. We double check all of our forms and spend a little time surfing the DISboards. We watch the news and see that gas prices are rising in Orlando, so we decide to head back over to Costco to top off. We're also going to stop off at Barnes and Noble to pick up a couple of extra books. I've finished the new Harry Potter and I'm worried that I might run out of reading material. Thanks to the rewards boards, I have two $10 gift cards and they are burning a hole in my pocket.

I'm on the phone with my mom and all of a sudden there is a bit of a situation developing. It seems that before we can shop, we have to get into Barnes & Noble. This requires the crazy lunatic woman in front of us to move her car. Andy is freaking out (yes Jan - this is one of those special moments that would remind you of Dave ). I hang up with mom in order to prevent total chaos and I realize that the poor woman doesn't know that she can turn left with a green light....she thinks she needs a green arrow (there is NO red arrow). She sits through an entire green light and the yellow light and the red light....finally she gets the green arrow. She starts to pull into Barnes & Noble, but she must have seen the sign that states "Random braking is appreciated by the people behind you" - cause she brakes in the middle of the intersection. No cars. No stop signs. No oncoming traffic. She just brakes. Woosh - we finally get into the bookstore and it's time to find a good book or two.

Then we stop at Costco to top off and decide that it's time for another Bahamarita (or two). It's back to Bahama Breeze for more Ahi Tuna and another helping of Beef Kabobs. Again...thanks to the rewards board, we use more gift cards and nothing out of pocket. Yippee!!!

Finally it's back to SSR to go to sleep. We want to get an early start over to the Port. This might be the Saturday that they let folks in really early. Okay --- the truth --- we like making friends with all of the other excited cruisers who are in the parking lot. It's like a tailgate party or something. We all bond over a breakfast full of anticipation, pixie dust, and MAGIC!

Ginny

 

[ufcabear]

I am curious. What are reward boards?

 

[gdulaney]

I am curious. What are reward boards?

Hi ufcabear,

If you go to the main DISboards page and scroll down (it took me a while to venture anyplace other than the cruise boards), you'll see the Rewards board. Here's the link: http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35

I'd recommend reading the thread titled "Reward Programs How To" as it gives alot of good info.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Ginny

 

[gdulaney]

September 3: Boarding Day!!

We're up and out the door really, really early. We want to get over to the coast in time to drive through Cocoa Beach and see what's changed. We'd also like to stop and see Shirley at the Perfect Gift.

It doesn't matter how many times we've cruised -- whether it's the first time or the seventh time...once we top that last bridge before the Port and can see the Magic, I get the GOOFY-est grin on my face and a rumbly in my tummy (not the bad, I have to go to the bathroom kind...but the happy good rumbly). The Magic is home, where she belongs. When we last saw her, it was a rainy morning and we were on a bus leaving Port Everglades. This is so much better!!!

We drive by a ton of new construction...hotels and more hotels. Our secret is out, Brevard County ROCKS! Then it's down through Cocoa Beach... we stop at the local Napa Auto Parts Store to see if we can find a locking gas cap. We wait until the store opens and find out that there are no locking gas caps to be had (according to the super nice Napa dude, there probably aren't any in Brevard County.

We pass by the Perfect Gift and there are several cars in the parking lot...looks like Shirley has company. We'd called earlier and said hello, so we'll head straight up to the Port. We pull around and pull in to the short term parking lot. There are three cars ahead of us. Andy gets out to walk around and I call my parents to update them on all the changes (they lived in Brevard County years ago and got married in Cocoa Beach...Andy & I got married in Melbourne, but haven't had the opportunity to live there). Mom & Dad are know that I'm really calling to check on the ferrets...doesn't everybody miss their furry family while on vacation? aw:

By now Andy has already met several families and I hop out to say hello too. The folks directly in front of us are Willie and his family. Willie is stationed in Savannah and this is his retirement present (he's in the military, but doesn't look old enough to retire). They are having a Family Gathering (is that the right term for the Disney family reunion?) and some of their family hasn't arrived yet. Willie tells us that he has a huge surprise for his wife (Odie). He has secretly upgraded their cabin from a Outside Deluxe to a cabin with a veranda! She's going to be so surprised!!!!

After a couple of false starts, it's finally time to pull out our IDs and proceed in an orderly fashion to the terminal. We drive through the gates and I grab our carry-on stuff and head through the security check. As I reach the top of the escalator, I am amazed a the number of folks who are already in line.

DCL has several folks who are standing in front of the lines and checking documents before people get in line. This is a great time-saving idea...since alot of folks used to wait until they got up to the counter to fill out their documents. I bypass the line and drop the carry-ons in the line to board the ship. Once Andy gets in, I'll go over and get us checked in.

Andy finally arrives and I'm standing in line when I hear somebody mention the DIS... it turns out that there are three DIS families standing in a row. We've all been posting on the DIS meet thread, but haven't met until now!

We get checked in and it's finally time to board and we're crossing the gangway and they've announced our names! We're back on the Magic!! We try to sneak down to our room and drop off some stuff, when I get busted. We promise, promise, promise that we're not leaving any valuables (unless you count beer as valuable) and he allows us to drop it off. Now we're off for a little light lunch at Parrot Cay. Andy hits the shrimp pretty hard and then we head back down to our room. It's available and we quickly unpack. It's time to head to the DIS meet and see all the folks we been talking with.

This is the best DISmeet! As Bill posted, we each get really nice name tags and all the kids get photo albums. We meet Jan & Dave, Bill, Capt Crash, Frank, Suzanne, Julia, Aubrey, Lisa, and a number of other folks. Whoops, it's time for the fire drill, so we run back to get our lovely orange life preservers. We finally find a space to stand and the drill quickly ends. Then we drop the preservers off at the room and head to the secret deck 7 to have a quiet sail away. Jan & Dave join us and we stand there and watch the Magic pull away from the Port. We all see the sign at the same time...the DCL folks have hung a huge sign on the side of the terminal, welcoming the Magic home!

We skip the show and each buy a beer mug and enjoy an icy beer while hanging out in Diversions. After a quick change of clothes, we head to Lumiere for dinner. Yum!! And surprise, our server - Deepak - was our assistant server a couple of years ago. It's a small world!

The night ends fairly early (it's been a long day). We set a wake up call and head off to sleep.

Good night!
Ginny

 

[tekmnky]

Hi Ginny,

Keep the memories coming!!! Did you see the CM's on the verandah of the terminal building as we sailed away? They were waving goodbye with their big, white Mickey hands on.

I don't know if they do that everytime, but it's the first time I noticed them and thought it was pretty cool!

 

[JanDave]

Bill: I've seen the CMs wave every cruise we've been on as we often are on deck 4 as we leave port. The CMs on CC also wave as we are leaving.

Check out my new signature line ....

Jan

 

[Verandah Man]

Great TR Ginny, I'm sitting hear in my room at the Pop Century getting updated!!! Looking forward to the coming days of your report!!!

 

[gdulaney]

September 4: Enjoy a Day at Sea

Thanks Mickey, we will! Andy heads to the pool and I head to meet the DIS folks at the Promenade Lounge to help stuff gift bags for the kids. They DIS moms (informally lead by Lisa) organized a Pirate treasure hunt for all the kids. It was fun helping stuff the bags and seeing all the excited kids return from the hunt ready to dive into their loot. Alot of the parents had brought stuff and one DIS mom (Suzanne) even made tie-dyed tee shirts for all the kids.

Andy and I meet up at the room to change -- it's time for the DVC member celebration and then we have brunch at Palo. We have a great time at the member celebration and are excited to hear about the onboard offer to add on points.

We rush up to Palo and are seated with Jan & Dave and Sally (SalbytheSea) and Pete. Our server is Anne Marie, who is wonderful. We see Louise (who remembered us -- how do they do that?) and Alain, who is filling in for PJ. Brunch is delicious. I don't want to leave, but the Discover St Maarten & St Thomas Shopping Show starts at 12:30 and we don't want to be late.

The shopping person (Melanie) is very cheerful. She's pushing "Passport to Savings" books for $20. We buy one, knowing that it's probably not a great deal, but at least we'll get a cool Del Sol tote. The best part of the passport is that they have taken all the various drawing tickets (you know the "Win a ten billion carat diamond bracelet") and all the little "coupons" for freebies (come in to Diamonds R Us for a free pair of diamond earrings, etc) into one book. I felt it was more of a convenience item than anything of significant value. It's a great way to pick up a ton of stocking stuffers and free gemstones. Who knows...somebody has to win the Hummer, why not me? It comes with a year of free gas....so I could see the Hummer and have enough for two years of gas.

Andy heads back to the pool and I head to the Art of Entertaining -- Fruit Carving and Fabulous Cocktail Making Demos. The guy who does the fruit carving is amazing!!! And the cocktail demo is fun and informative. We all get a taste of a Bahama Mama (yum!!). After the demos, I head to the pool to read and hang out.

Tonight is the Captain's Welcome Reception and The Golden Mickeys. We decide to skip the show and hang out in the Promenade Lounge with Jan & Dave.

Dinner is delicious and since we're in AP, we get the show!! I love the show!

Then we relax a while (I'm reading and Andy watches a little tv) and fall asleep.

Ginny

 

[gdulaney]

September 5: Enjoy a Day at Sea

We start out the day with a quick trip to Topsiders for a light breakfast and then we roam the ship. Our final destination is Diversions for the DVC Presentation. We always try to attend (and not just to try to win a prize) since we always learn something new. They have a new video and I recommend that folks who get teary when hearing the Magic's horn (or watching Disney Dreams or anything like that)...take a tissue or invent an eye issue. A young Walt explains that it started with a dad wanting to take his two daughters someplace.... parts are in black & white and parts are in color. It's a really good video!

It's POOL Day!!

Tonight is the Castaway Club celebration and we're eating dinner in Palo. The repeat cruiser celebration is so big that it takes both the Rocking Bar D and Diversions to hold everybody. Jan, Dave, Sally, Pete, Andy & I sit together. We can't stay too long....the souffle' awaits!

Our server at Palo is Marco and he is from Italy. Marco is excellent and he takes great care of us. Our table is next to the window and the 6pm reservation is perfect for us --- we watch the sun setting on the horizon. Beautiful. Romantic. Perfect. We are happily munching on starters when he brings us his favorite pizza... then salads...Filets and finally dessert. We've each ordered a souffle', but Marco brings a panna cotta and a tiramisu (sp??). Just when we are wondering how we're going to haul our heinies out of the chairs, Marco brings us the after dinner drink...it's a lemony champagne slushie drink in a teeny tiny glass. It's the perfect end to the a wonderful meal.

We waddle out, giving a wave to Alain and groan as we get on the elevator and head to the Walt Disney Theatre for the brand new show.... Twice Charmed. It's a cute show (but I miss Hercules the Muse-ical).

After the show, we check email and then head off to bed. I don't know about Andy, but I'm so relaxed!!

Ginny

 

[gdulaney]

September 6: Welcome to St. Maarten

I love St. Maarten! I've come a long, long way since my first visit to St. Maarten. We did the "Under 2 Flags" tour that year and I was convinced that St. Maaten was a stop designed to torture me. Since then we've done the exciting "12-Metre Regatta", which I highly recommend. It's a once in a lifetime experience that leaves you breathless. Then we did the "Rhino Rider" excursion, which was similar to an oversized jetski that you ride on the ocean. Very, very cool!!! And we've just walked around town, shopped and headed back to the ship. Any way you slice it, I look forward to the stop in St. Maarten.

This year we decided to stroll through town, pick up our "freebies" from the Shoppers Guide, and hang out with Jan & Dave. It was pretty relaxing...well, except for the part where Andy started looking at a Tissot watch. At a mere $800 or 900, Andy is convinced that the watch will transform him into a character from Tomb Raider (Angelina Jolie wore a Tissot in the Lara Croft/Cradle of Life movie). When he mentions that the watch has a built in thermometer, he isn't very amused at my response on how one would take one's temperature. It was a logical question...but I suppose I could have phrased it a bit more gently. We finally drag him out of the store and he continues to talk about needing a new watch. We do get him a new watch....but it was not a Tissot and it did not cost $800 (who wears an $800 watch?!?).

Jan picks up a beautiful pair of gold earrings....an anniversary gift from her hubby. We love Diamonds International!!! Dave gets a free beer.

Ginny gets free earrings (the "starter" diamond earrings that will hopefully grow up one day to be real diamond earrings). Andy gets a free beer.

Jan looks at rings. Dave gets a free beer.

Ginny looks at bracelets. Andy gets a free beer.

Do we see a pattern?

We wander into one of my very favorite stores.... Last Mango in Paradise. This is the store for Parrotheads and for folks who want a well-made tee shirt that will last longer than one wearing. And directly across the street is my second favorite store.....the Guavaberry store. After a couple of tasting, I decide that I must get the recipe for the slushy/smoothy drink. Haven't made them yet, but I will....trust me, I will!!!

Then, the unbelievable... I WIN a scratch off drawing!! Woo Hoo! I'm getting a digital camcorder or a huge $1000 shopping spree or a free vacation. All I have to do is go up the street. And Andy gets $100 for going with me...me, the winner girl!

We drag our rears up the street and wave goodbye to Jan & Dave. Jan is headed to the spa....and I'm headed to get my fabulous prize!

Okay. First it isn't fabulous. It's a time share presentation. We sit through it and politely decline. As we head out to get my fabulous prize & Andy's cash....we run into MAJOR attitude. The girl keeps telling Andy that he doesn't get it. We say yes...that's what we were promised. She makes a big show of taking out her purse, removing a hundred dollar bill and flinging (yes flinging) it at Andy. We calmly pick it up and leave. Have a great day timeshare folks. Hmm...think anybody bought into their show after seeing how they treated us? I'm gonna go with a big stinky NO.

Anyway...it's back to the ship and I have a date with a nice Vista Spa lady named Pavi. Simply put, she is amazing!! This little bitty 90 lb chick put the massage hurt on me. It was wonderful....all those little knots that keep me running --- gone. Even the huge knot at the base of my neck --- gone. And the Anti-Cellulite Leg Massage....well, I wouldn't say the cellulite is gone, but that was a terrific leg massage with a lovely lemon and juniper oil. Three cheers for Pavi !!

After my trip to the spa, it's time for a big bottle of water and some relaxing pool time (and a brief nap). We decide not to go to the movie tonight... it's Valiant and we're pretty sure that it will be packed.

Dinner tonight is one of my favorite menus.... Pirates IN the Caribbean! We have a wonderful meal and then head up to Deck 10 to stake out a spot for the deck party. We know that the fireworks will be easily seen from up here and we'll be able to watch the festivities. I have one piece of advice...don't miss the fireworks. I don't think there are any other ships that do fireworks at sea. It's not a huge display (we are at sea!), but it's very well done. Kudos Disney Cruise Line!!!

Now it's time to head off to bed....we have an early morning, since Customs has to clear the ship before anybody can go ashore.

Ginny