SHIPWRECKED! The historic "8 night" Feb 2010 Magic

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This trip report is an account of the DCL Magic's historic "8 night" cruise, where the ship was "stuck" at Castaway Cay for an extra 24 hours per gale-force winds.

Cast:
Gayle (me)
BFF Kara

This was my 22nd? Disney trip and 4th DCL.

Stay tuned for our TR with photos!
Gayle

 

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Day 0 - Our strategy to outrun the snow

Hi again! We're Kara and Gayle. We blog together when we travel together. Generally what you'll get is a conversation between the two of us recapping each day of our trip - so with that, here we go with ... day 0 of our Disney Cruise!

Kara: So...I just got back from Iowa yesterday (business trip) and now - hopefully - we're leaving the four to eight forecasted inches of snow (here in Indiana) that are to begin blanketing most of Indiana early tomorrow morning through Saturday. My dad was going to come over and get us and take us to the airport but we've decided just to drive over and park at the airport so that he doesn't have that long ride. I'll feel much better when we get to 30,000 feet and we're on our way to Orlando. I want to wake up Saturday morning with zebras out my window and a cruise ship just down the road.

Gayle: Work (at university) has been a break-neck pace for me the past three weeks. Although there have been some entertaining moments, it also caused a continuous case of insomnia. Sometimes you've just got to take a step back and say, "Enough!" I'm very grateful we booked this trip back in Oct. (which was actually quite late for us). This escape couldn't come at a better time. I realized tonight the office will remain a bit crazy, but it will still be crazy when I get back.

So to get you intrigued for this, here's the overall schedule:

Friday - Fly to Orlando (MCO), transfer to AKL-Kidani Village, dinner with family
Saturday - Transfer to Disney Cruise ship, Magic
Sunday - Key West and watching the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl!
Monday - Lazy day at sea
Tuesday - Cozumel, Mexico
Wednesday - Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Thursday - Lazy day at sea
Friday - Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line's private island and operning of the Olympics
Saturday - (sadly) return to MCO and Indy

Neither of us will be checking emails or texts! That's tough for the first 24 hours, but then remember why we needed a vacation & just enjoy being "unplugged".

 

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Day 1 - Get us outta here!

Kara: Good evening - is it really still the same day? As all of you back in Indiana know, the forecast as of about 11:00 p.m. last night was for 4 - 8 inches of snow through Saturday morning. That was to begin with freezing rain/ice/snow falling at around 3 a.m., and then changing over to snow with a one inch accumulation forecast for 8 a.m. We went to bed last night with the plan that we'd get up this morning, drive to the airport at 8 a.m., leave the car at Indy Park and Ride and then go to the airport. I think both of us just hoped to be there by 10. We got up and got moving around 6:30 and left the house by 7:45. There was not a fleck of snow or a drop of moisture yet. We got to the Park and Ride without incident and then on to the airport. Just as we got off the shuttle bus at the airport, the first flakes of snow began to fall. It came down in a sort of snow globe manner for a while and didn't really get going until about 11.

We had a nice breakfast in Cafe Patachou at IND - my favorite restaurant! We also ate lunch at Champs. We boarded our flight without problem and I think this is where I'll let Gayle take over...

Gayle: Yep - you guessed it, I was lucky to get 5 hours of sleep again. Ugh. So I feel like roadkill. Our flight left late due to de-icing. I hoped to sleep, as I often can on planes, but on the other side of me was "Noisy Newspaper Norman", who was constantly crinkling his newspaper. Grrr. Kara & I gave up & watched an episode of NCIS on the iPod Touch. We landed over a half hour late.

Being on a mission, we proceeded to Disney's Magical Express for our free transfers to the resort hotel. Normally there is a line of people at least 20 deep. In peak season this line can be closer to 100. Today? We were directed to skip the desk entirely and proceed directly to our bus!

It was in the mid-70s, 120% humidity (just ask our crazy hair) and pouring. And by pouring, I mean forget cats & dogs, it was all 101 Dalmations plus some!

Kara: We took the bus ride (not one of the better bus rides I've ever had - the guy wasn't a great driver) over to the resorts and realized we were going to be late meeting my aunt Idris and uncle Ron. We exchanged several texts with them to set up a plan and they said it was no problem - they'd just wait for us at Animal Kingdom Lodge. So, about an hour after we left the airport (maybe longer - I'm a bad judge of these things) we arrived at the lodge. And here - let me say it for Ron and Gayle - it's very "dark". Lots of dark woods, low light, etc. Just like I like it - not like they like it. Oh well.

We hopped in Ron and Idris's van and they drove us over to the Yacht and Beach Club for our dinner reservation. Gayle was disappointed in the shopping and this - her favorite of all resorts. They had no BC specific apparel so she was unhappy but her credit card left unscathed. We went to dinner at the Cape May Buffet - a seafood buffet - which was very good. We enjoyed good food and good fellowship.

Ron and Idris brought us back to Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We said our good byes and headed in to check in. We got to our room right after 8:30. Both of us have showered, arranged our bags for tomorrow so we can hopefully sleep in a little late while the Disney elves work their magic and make our bags magically disappear from this room and reappear in our stateroom on the ship.

Since we arrived after dark we can only see what we think are outlines of some of the animals on the savannah (we paid a bit extra so I could get the savannah view room). Hopefully we'll see more tomorrow morning before we check out and get on with our cruise.

Gayle: Yep the resort is dark, but this one was her pick. I still can't believe there was no new Beach Club gear for me to buy! Guess I'll just have to hold out hope for our return trip next month. We're super tired, so we're settling in to watch NUMB3RS and do some last minute prep for tomorrow.

Bell Service will pick up our bags from our room around 8am & we can stay in bed! They'll then take them straight to our stateroom on the ship, just like they did from IND to our hotel room tonight! Say what you want, this is CERTAINLY worth the Disney cost!

Hopefully we'll have some good photos to post tomorrow (Sat) or Sunday, when we arrive in Key West - better known as SUPER BOWL SUNDAY! Go Colts!

 

[Perdie]

Can't wait to read more!!

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Hi~

I'm enjoying your report. My family was suppose to board the Magic 2/13/10Our report http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2403413

Intersting to hear what happend on the ship

Looking forward to reading more

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Tell us more please?????

 

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Sorry for the extended delay! My laptop has been overtaken with various viruses & highjacked files for the past two weeks. I have all but one part cleaned up, which just won't budge. As such, it looks like I will probably be completely reformatting my hard drive tomorrow! EEK! Luckily, my TR is saved to an external hard drive. I have every intention of adding more posts next weekend - I hope!

P.S. I look forward to reading about the other altered cruise (2/13) very soon!
Gayle

 

[kellyb2000]

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Looking foward to it!!!!!

 

[Tink rules]

I'm in...

 

[Señor DonDuck]

Joining in. Sorry to hear about your laptop. That just plain sucks.

 

[kellyb2000]

Hi~

I'm enjoying your report. My family was suppose to board the Magic 2/13/10Our report http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2403413

i read yours...how crazy! it'll be interesting to hear the other side.

 

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Day 2 – Oops – this is Port & Key West post!

My laptop was completely reformatted and I'm back! YAY!

Gayle: Greetings from Key West! Since our last post...

Bell Service came to get the bags around 8:20am yesterday, while we were still asleep. And by sleep, I use that term loosely. I was up AGAIN at 2:30, 4:30, & 6:30am. Crazy. We slowly got ready, headed next door to the Jambo House section of Animal Kingdom Lodge, where we would catch our bus. We bought a couple of small things in the gift shop & basically ate breakfast out of our stash of snacks.

It was a boring wait for our bus to come by at noon to get us, except for the giraffes Kara photographed. There were quite a few of us, but we still had to make other stops (Boardwalk & Saratoga Springs Resorts, other Vacation Club properties). I really didn't sleep on the bus, which is usually guaranteed.

Arrived at the ship about 1:40pm, quickly checked-in, had our photos taken, boarded the ship, changed our dining located, dropped the carry-ons in the room (verandah room) and headed for lunch. It was too late for Parrot Cay, so we had lunch at Topsiders. As you can imagine it was packed inside, as it was too cool & windy to sit outside.

Too soon it was time for the Safety Drill, so we donned our life jackets & headed to our outside assembly station. By this time I was DONE. Lack of sleep, standing our in the "cold", moderate wind, etc. I had completely run out of any energy or motivation I might have had. Thus, in a shocking turn of events, I sent Kara to the Sail Away party & I stayed in the room.

I further nixed going to the opening night show, which Kara agreed with. We never intended to go to the assigned dining (Parrot Cay), so we just stayed in all night. I know - totally boring. But both of us were completely exhausted after our respective prior month at work. Kara also cancelled her shore excursion to the Ruins outside of Cozumel.

We ordered room service - a lovely mix of soup, macaroni & cheese, lasagna, burger, & cookies. So healthy, eh?

I just couldn't take anymore, so I took a whole Dramamine to try to help me sleep. Luckily, Harry Potter 1 was on. This was the movie I wrote nearly all of my dissertation to, so it can put me to sleep in a heartbeat. (See, I warned everyone how boring this might be! But we'll try to be more entertaining in the coming days!)

So, now to today - Sunday, Key West day!
This morning we woke up between 6:30 & 7:30am because we went to sleep so early. We hadn't yet arrived at Key West (all ashore time was 12:30pm), so we headed to brunch at Lumiere's. We had underwhelming service, which is rare with Disney. Breakfast was eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, waffles, & apple beignets.

Back in the room by 10am. We tried to watch NCIS off the iPod Touch through the TV, but the cables would only give us sound. In the spirit of a true vacation, we then napped until noon! LOL!

Grabbed a quick American buffet in Parrot Cay and headed off the ship to Key West.

Last time we took a lovely train tour of the city, but this time we didn't book anything. Our favorite place in Key West? The CVS! No joke, as we can grab so we can grab some "beverages". Get your brain out of the gutter; we got water, Diet Sunkist, & of course, Mt. Dew (Disney is a Coke company.) Other than room service all of the non-alcoholic beverages are free, but sometimes you just want what you want in your own room. Sounds like college, eh?!

Back on the ship I engaged in a losing battle with Facebook. I CANNOT get my mobile photos to upload, about which I am still furious! While fighting the tech, I sent Kara to the Trivia session, which she WON! Ask to see her “WINNER” hat & DCL flashlight/keychain!

We then turned in our re-booking forms for the next cruises. If you do this on the cruise, you get a % off the cost and an onboard credit (for the 7 nights, it’s 10% & $200)! We’re already booked for Alaska, May 2011, but I added a trip for my mom and Kara & I added one with a fake date (=3 bookings!). We always just like to have one in the hopper! Crazy, & economically stupid, I know!

So right now Kara’s trying to nap while we listen/watch more NCIS. We’re waiting on SUPER BOWL time (as we're from Indy), as it will be televised on the jumbo screen above the pool, the bar, and the sports lounge! We were hoping for the pool to view, but it’s still quite chilly & windy, so I guess it’s off to the sports bar/lounge for us!

Sadly we’ll have to duck out of the game to get to our dinner (French menu in Lumiere’s tonight). I’ll likely have Lobster Macaroni & two (yes, two!) of my favorite desserts – Crème Brulee & Grand Marnier Souffle!

Then we’ll go racing back to the room to change back into our Colts shirts to finish watching the game!!!

Tomorrow is a Day at Sea, so there will be no blog update. Stay tuned for an update on Tues. from Cozumel. Wishing everyone warm & safe wishes, as we hear another winter storm is on the horizon. Never has the timing of a trip been more perfect!

Kara says “Well done! Post it”

Stay tuned for MUCH more this weekend!
Gayle

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Loving your report!!!

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Hi I'm enjoying your report. My family was suppose to board the Magic 2/13/10Our report http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2403413

.

i read yours...how crazy! it'll be interesting to hear the other side.

Thanks Kellyb2000 it really was an adventure, we met so......many nice people that I probably wouldn't have met due to the delay. It was fun running into them on the ship all week.

 

[MassDisLovers]

Another one here from the 2/13 turned 2/14 trip signing on..... (hi Patricia!!)
Can't wait to read more

 

[GuardMusic]

Hi~

I'm enjoying your report. My family was suppose to board the Magic 2/13/10Our report http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2403413

Intersting to hear what happend on the ship

Looking forward to reading more

I just read your TR. When we heard about everything Disney was giving you all on the 2/13 cruise, we thought, "Wow. Wonder if we'd be happier being in that group vs. stuck on the ship now?" Sounds like your ordeal during the delay was a bit of a circus. If it had been me, I'm sure I would have had a total meltdown!

Most postings this weekend - promise!
Gayle

 

[PURTYPAT1]

I just read your TR. When we heard about everything Disney was giving you all on the 2/13 cruise, we thought, "Wow. Wonder if we'd be happier being in that group vs. stuck on the ship now?" Sounds like your ordeal during the delay was a bit of a circus. If it had been me, I'm sure I would have had a total meltdown!

Most postings this weekend - promise!
Gayle

My only meltdown was at 2/14 at 1:00 am in the Hotel with lost luggage, we had nothing. I called Disney, & they calmed me down, telling me, "The Magic is on it's way to the port" You will be on the boat some time today & we will find your luggage. Those words gave me the ZEST.......to go on. LOL
PS
We were on the Magic that day, they did find our luggage, & it was a great vacation!!!

 

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Monday – Cruise Day 3 – Day at Sea

Gayle – Our day was so exciting (ha!) I didn’t get to write this until Tues. This is also the point we discovered Verizon set us up for International CALLING, instead of the International DATA plan, which is why we couldn’t post updated during the trip.

Continuing from Sunday night… we went to the Diversions Sports Lounge to watch the game (Superbowl). Sadly, it was too cold for us to view it on the outdoor jumbo screen. Let’s just say the Colts fans were certainly the minority in this crowd. And yes, I publicly did a booty dance when the Colts scored their first TD! We had to leave for dinner at halftime. However, we were in shock Sunday night when returning from supper to see our mighty Colts had somehow lost?! Glad we went to dinner instead of staying to watch the end of the game.)

So… back to Monday. We lazily arose to have buffet breakfast at Topsiders. Then we returned to do some relaxed reading on our verandah, as it was FINALLY warm! As is typical on a cruise, we were soon off to Lumiere’s for an a la carte lunch. Kara had pasta and I had a burger. For dessert, I tried the strawberry crème choux, which was quite tasty, and Kara had the Peach Melba Sundae.

After lunch we each had a session to go to. Kara headed for wine tasting, while I headed to a seminar on innovations in Disney animation.

The Disney animation session mirrored a lot of a book I am currently reading – very cool. Kara learned many things about ordering, evaluating, & choosing various wines – very informative! We then returned to the room considering a nap – lol! “Fame” was on one of the movie channels; Kara hadn’t seen it, so we just “rested” through it.

So remember Kara went to Trivia the day before & won? Well, my competitive spirit kicked in and we went to Trivia again today. Kara & I are a force to be reckoned with, so we of course WON! LOL! And no, it wasn’t all Disney-related questions.

On the way back to our room, we finalized re-booking future cruises, which had the additional benefit of requiring only 50% of the regular deposit. I booked a trip for my mom and Kara booked a “dummy date” for us that we will probably convert to a 2012 trip (hopefully Hawaii!). And yes, we are already booked for Alaska, May 2011. LOL!

Sunday was also our first night in one of the formal dining rooms (Lumiere’s), as we had room service on our first night. On these cruises you are always seated with one or more other families, thus we were concerned about getting “caught up” with our tablemates. Well, our missing the first night had a surprise benefit: we were assigned a table all to ourselves! As certified introverts, this was much appreciated. Our server was Wemick from India and Marcos from Chile; both were wonderful! Kara ordered sea bass that was simply wonderful – wished I’d ordered it. Theme night in Lumiere’s was one of my favorites, as I get two (yes two!) desserts: crème brulee and Grand Marnier Souffle! The Grand Marnier Souffle was far better than I had even remembered! (& I thought better than the Palo chocolate souffle - GASP!)

But anyway… back to Monday - again! We skipped the main stage show again. Tonight was formal night, and we had a reservation at the adult-only restaurant, Palo. In our sparkly dresses & wraps, we met our server, Tomas, from the Czech Republic.

We were brought a variety of breads and dips. Kara ordered a shrimp & asparagus appetizer pizza, while I ordered one of the margarita-variety. We traded pieces and loved both. Next was a wonderful lime sorbet to cleanse the palette. For the main entrée Kara had basil-pesto shrimp salad and orange-roasted halibut w/ saffron risotto. I ordered my usual: lobster & mascarpone ravioli. Yum! For dessert, Kara ordered something, but it wasn’t to her liking, so they brought her fruit w/ a chocolate dipping sauce, which she proclaimed was her best dessert of the trip! I had my usual & favorite, chocolate soufflé!

Although I would admit I thought the Grand Marnier one was better this time – gasp! As a finale, we were brought our dessert beverage – Kara’s favorite – limoncello. I don’t think I tried it last time, but this time – wow! I could have had a FEW of those! Looks like we might be making our own this summer & even playing with the flavors!

And with that – Monday was done!

 

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Tuesday – Cruise Day 4 – Cozumel, Mexico

As we often do on port days, we stay on the ship, as it’s so much less busy. So arose, had breakfast, and headed for the adult-only pool. We were there all morning and had lunch pool-side. Kara also decided to get an hour-long message at the spa (most expensive of her life)! By early afternoon we were hot, tired, & dehydrated, so after showers, we relaxed by watching “G.I. Joe” (ugh). There was more reading & relaxing before getting ready for dinner.

Tonight we were off to Animator’s Palette. This dining room includes a “show” where the dining room gradually changes from black & white to color with various movie scenes and a musical video montage.

I ordered pasta. Kara wasn’t feeling well, so she didn’t eat her salmon and was in/out of the dining room to get air. I ordered the sampler dessert plate; I need to look up the menu online, because all three pieces were great! Kara took her apple crumble a la mode back to the room, but I don’t think she really ate it.

Sorry this day & post were so boring! But stay tuned!