The "I Broke My Toe but Still Had an Amazing Time" Trip Report-Magic October 10, 2009

[jajomo0118]

Great trip report so far Jac... Glad I get to read it...even if I couldn't be in it this time!!

 

[Alice_on_WONDERland]

I can't wait to read MORE!

 

[brittanyherndon]

I can't wait to read MORE!

neither can I

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Hi neighbor,

I just found your report. We were gone for fall break too.

I can't believe your story and what you went through just to get to Orlando. I don't think I could have been as "nice" about it. Persistence pays off. That is one reason I love to fly SWA! No surprise cancellations!

Anyway, what a great surprise about the tickets to the parks. Didn't you just love the Halloween Party?

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[praisehisname]

What a horrible start to your vacation! I'm glad you were able to enjoy some time in the parks, despite the humidity!

Can't wait to hear about your cruise!

Denise

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Loved your account of MNSSHP - brings back memories of this time last year when we were there the night before joining the Magic. Looking forward to reading more!

 

[JDBlair]

Saturday, October 10, 2009
Embarkation Day!!​

The big day had finally arrived but the family was a little less excited than expected. The humidity and long day in the parks the day before may have had something to do with it but nonetheless, we had a goal to be at the cruise terminal at 10 am and so, we were up early enough to make that happen.

On the way to the cruise terminal, we had to stop for bottled water and alcohol. One of the best tips I learned on the DIS was to bring our own bottled water onboard. We bring an empty duffel bag to Florida and use it to check the bottled water in with the porters. We also bring onboard a couple bottles of spirits-helps us save money on our bar tab on the ship!

During our last major family vacation in 2007, DH and were not prepared for tipping porters, room service and the like. We were always struggling to pull together tip money! On my to-do list for this vacation I added the chore of getting $1 bills from the bank. Right before the trip, I had received a $90 check and retained it for the purpose of using it to obtain my singles from the bank. When DD and I went to cash the check, the week before the cruise, the bank teller asked if I wanted the entire $90 in singles. With a million things running through my mind, I could not quickly think of a way to ask for the $90 so I told him 90 singles were fine. Have you ever seen 90 $1 bills? Well, in case you haven’t, it’s a thicker stack than one might expect. One thing that I don’t see mentioned very often on the boards is the toll roads in Orlando. I was very, very thankful for those 90 $1 bills every time we encountered a toll booth otherwise, we would have been in trouble as DH and I rarely have cash on us.

I mentioned at the beginning of this TR, I love to read TR’s and have learned a lot from the adventures of others. Another reason I love the DIS is it allows an opportunity to develop strategies and better game plans. This cruise vacation was different than our last cruise vacation in many different ways. For this vacation, we rented a car from Budget and had to drop the car off in Port Canaveral. After researching on the DIS, I asked DH to drop me, the kids and our luggage off at the terminal and sent him alone to return the car and use the shuttle to join us back at the terminal. It was about 10 am that DH dropped us at the curb of the terminal and we were immediately greeted by a porter, my tip money was already out and handy, and soon the kids and I were making our way to security.

Once inside the terminal, with my paperwork confirming our online check-in and Passports in hand, I was shown to the Castaway Club check-in line. Meanwhile, my children roamed inside the cruise terminal.

The wait in line actually took longer than last time but I wasn’t worried. We beat the buses to the terminal and had boarding pass #5 so I was cool, calm and collected.

After receiving our KTTW and Silver member lanyards, I proceeded to the kids club check-in. I had pre-registered DD online so I immediately got in line. There were plenty of families in the area but they didn’t seem to know the process so they were speaking with the CM standing at the entrance of the line and asking questions. There were about 5 CM’s for club check-in but they were all taking awhile. My check-in was smooth and easy, I am guessing it’s because I checked in online. Soon DD was tagged, I was weighed down with pager and we were on our way.

Shortly after kids club check-in was completed, DH appeared. He told me my idea to drop us off and return the car on his own was genius. He explained he rode the shuttle to the cruise terminals with another family and they asked him why he didn’t have any luggage or family members and he explained he had dropped us and the stuff off before taking the car to Budget. The family expressed they should have done the same thing – would have been so much easier! In the time it took DH to return the car to Budget and join us back at the cruise terminal, I was able to check us in for the cruise, check DD in for the club and all that was left to do was take our security photo. DH’s timing was perfect because nobody was in line for security photos and all 4 of us did that with no wait - easy-peasy!

While we waited for the boarding process to begin, we chatted with fellow DIS friends. Soon it was time to get on the ship and before we knew it, we were being welcomed back to the Magic and getting on the boat. I had scored Palo dinner and brunch reservations at the 90 day mark so I didn’t need to rush to Rockin’ Bar D but I did have to get in line at Guest Services for tickets to Tea with the Mad Hatter. The line at Guest Services took a little while but it wasn’t too bad.

We journeyed to Topsiders for lunch and chose to eat indoors; it was another hot and humid day in Florida! DH ordered us up some sail away drinks, yum-yum, and we enjoyed our lunch.

For the past 2 years, DD has talked about the Mickey slide and that she couldn’t wait to return and ride the slide. Just as I did for the last cruise, I packed DD’s swimsuit in our carry-on bag so she could enjoy the less-crowded pools on embarkation day. After lunch, she changed in to her swimsuit and we made our way to the Mickey pool. Except once we were at the Mickey pool, she wasn’t interested in that pool – oh no, she wanted to go to the Goofy pool. I had enrolled her in swim lessons at the beginning of summer and she no longer required the use of arm floaties. She was very excited to get in the Goofy pool and show off her mad swimming skills.

Did I mention it was another hot, humid Florida afternoon? Well, it was! Standing outside was really uncomfortable for all of us but DD! DH and I cannot simply move to the shade and allow her to swim without supervision so one of us was always on the side of the pool watching her at all times. It astonished me there weren’t more parents supervising their children. If you sit in the lounge chairs, you cannot see the water and the rule we have with our children is if they cannot see our eyes, they cannot be in the water. DH and I took turns baking in the sun but as soon as we were able to get in to our stateroom, we made our way there. This displeased DD but it’s no fun carrying around our day bags and it was hot!

We took some time to relax in the room a bit. I worked on putting the magnets on our door signs so we could properly decorate our door.

At 3 pm, we had a DIS meet in the promenade lounge and we attended that. We went to the mandatory lifeboat drill and I was mortified as I felt sweat dripping down the backs of my legs. Man, it was HOT!!! After the lifeboat drill, we returned to the stateroom and I was forced to make a decision about dilemma of the Sail Away party. I certainly didn’t want to be inside our room while we sailed away but I didn’t want to be up on Deck 9 or 10 either. I suggested we go to Deck 4 and let me just tell you, that was a fabulous idea!! We were shaded, it wasn’t crowded, and we had a great view of sailing out to sea.

The kids played DD’s version of shuffleboard.

We were all pretty happy and nobody seemed miserable or seemed to feel like we were missing out on the party up above.

Time for dinner and we started in Parrot Cay. Our assistant server was Jess, from Canada, and we all just loved her. Our server was Beethoven, we’ll chat more about him later. Prior to the cruise, I had called DCL and requested a 4 top per the request of DH and DS. We were pleased to see our request was honored. Although, we were sandwiched between two other 4 tops and our tables were close enough that we were able to chat with members at one of the tables next to us.

After dinner, DS bee-lined it to the Stack and DD asked to go to the club. DH and I went to the show but after the show, we picked DD up and made our way to bed. It was a long day, already had been a long trip and we were ready for some sleep. DD was very excited to call dibs on the top bunk for this trip and we ordered cookies and milk from room service to help settle us in for the night.

Not a bad start to our cruise and we were all happy to be back in our cabin away from home!

 

[JDBlair]

What a great surprise you got in that email!! You guys deserved it after the day you had flying to Orlando. Great pics!!!!
Can't wait for the rest!!!!

I was very touched by the offer to go to the World, it really meant a lot to me. The day at world helped chase the previous day away!!

All I can say is WOW!! What a crazy day!
I'm glad your family got to enjoy a nice day in the parks.

-nat

The day in the parks were very nice. My only wish is that it had been a little cooler but even still, we had a nice time and are SO thankful for the offer we had received.

Love the TR so far. What a terrible way to start out the trip but kuddos for you for finding a way there.

It took every ounce of my being to not go completely ballistic on the airlines but I knew the moment I started losing control, they would shut down and not help me in the slightest. I think my ability to stay as calm as I could only helped us get to Orlando.

Wow! You're inspiring me to do a trip report too!!

You totally should!! Trip Reports are awesome!!

Jac, I am loving this trip report! I also went back and read part of the Sept. 2007 trip report of the cruise that we were on with you. It brought back some great memories. Whenever I see one of your posts the first thing I think of is "big scary guy".

Hello there!!! That's right, big scary guy! LOL

WOW...awesome report!!! Your first day of travel entitles you to the most wonderful rest of your vacation!!! Can't wait to read the rest!!

I have to admit, that first day really set the rest of the vacation up to be less relaxing than I had hoped it would. I kept waiting for the other shoe to fall. I had a hard time getting excited about things because I was worried something would go wrong. Stupid airlines!

Rats - can't believe I'm at the end of the report (to date). Really enjoying your trip report. What a way to start your vacation. Can't wait for more updates!!!

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get another posting done. I know the feeling of getting to the end of a TR, it does stink!

I love your trip report!

Thank you!

Great trip report!! How awesome that you got to spend the day at the parks. Love the pics, can't wait to read more!

Thank you!! It was an awesome day in the parks.

Great trip report so far Jac... Glad I get to read it...even if I couldn't be in it this time!!

I can't wait to read MORE!

Thank you!

neither can I

Thank you, too!

Hi neighbor,

I just found your report. We were gone for fall break too.

I can't believe your story and what you went through just to get to Orlando. I don't think I could have been as "nice" about it. Persistence pays off. That is one reason I love to fly SWA! No surprise cancellations!

Anyway, what a great surprise about the tickets to the parks. Didn't you just love the Halloween Party?

Can't wait to hear more!

I couldn't believe it either. I just kept shaking my head thinking, "Is this really happening??" I did love the Halloween party. It was awesome. I just wish we hadn't been so drained by that point. That Florida humidity really zaps it out of us. We kept saying, "Where is our dry heat??"

What a horrible start to your vacation! I'm glad you were able to enjoy some time in the parks, despite the humidity!

Can't wait to hear about your cruise!

Denise

LOL We are a big bunch of whiners, aren't we? LOL After that beer in Epcot, DH and I whined a lot less. Maybe we should have drank some more?

Loved your account of MNSSHP - brings back memories of this time last year when we were there the night before joining the Magic. Looking forward to reading more!

I read your TR and loved it. I'm so excited and honored you're reading mine! I did love MNSSHP. To be honest, your TR is what inspired me to buy tickets to MNSSHP!! How ironic is that?

 

[JDBlair]

Monday, October 11, 2009
1st Day at Sea Part 1 of 2​

Although there were many differences between this cruise and our cruise in 2007, some things stayed the same. Day 1 and I am up early and out of the room to leave my sleeping beauties to continue their snore orchestra. I grab some coffee from Deck 9 and head to Quiet Cove to watch the world sail by.

Such a beautiful moment and relaxing. I felt so blessed and fortunate to be in that moment, on that ship and in this place in my life. A tear or two escaped down my cheek as I thought of my blessings and the blessing to have this time on board to unwind. I kept my vacation ADD at bay a little more this cruise and sat on the comfy blue lounger for awhile before I made my way to Deck 10 to get some pictures.

Whoa! It was way windy!!! Self portrait!

Deck 10 was empty, as was much of Deck 9.

When I left the room, I told DH when I’d return. Before heading back to the room, I went through Topsiders and picked up some breakfast for the family.

I figured they’d be more apt to rise and shine if food was presented. The food didn’t necessarily jump them out of bed so I opened the curtains!

That worked and soon, everyone was snacking on what I brought for them.
As a foursome, we made our way to the portholes by Rockin’ Bar D. I love the photos taken in the portholes and wanted to get some from this trip.

I had already resigned myself to the fact that we would not pose for professional photos this trip. Although I loved the pictures we got in 2007, it wasn’t worth the hassle of getting everyone to cooperate and then to stand in line. No, thank you! So, lots of casual photos would be in order!

If you read my last TR, you know my DD has a thing for bathrooms. This hasn’t changed in 2 years! While near Rockin’ Bar D, I wanted to show her the bathroom in that area because she would appreciate it. Sure enough, she did. She thought it was very cool.

It was Palo Brunch day for us so DD went to her club, DS took the pager for his pager-duty and DH and I spent some time relaxing in Quiet Cove before our reservation.

I loved Palo Brunch on our last cruise and have been so eager to have more salmon mousse. I don’t know what it is about that mousse but I just love it. YUM!!

1 thing has changed from 2007 in that I have started eating healthier and limiting my portions but somehow, I was going to make brunch work for me. Another thing that has changed is I have been more open to trying new foods. There were things on my plate at Palo I would have never tried before but am so glad I did. The grape and blue cheese pizza was devine! It was delicious. When it came time to order hot food, DH and I were so full and didn’t want to waste food so we ordered the chicken parmesan and risotto to split. O..M..G!!! The risotto melted in my mouth, it was just absolutely amazing. Palo Brunch did not disappoint!

When we returned to the room, we found DS and DD inside, eating ice cream. We were pleased and amazed they weren’t at each other’s throats but instead, sitting quietly, eating and watching TV. DS quickly tossed the pager our way and made his way to reconnect with friends. DD changed in to her suit and we made our way to the pool!

Can you see me in her sunglasses?

We spent a few hours at the pool with DD and fellow DIS friends. It was a nice day, DH and I were drinking cocktails and Nemo was on the big screen. Score!!

While we were enjoying our afternoon by the Goofy pool, we noticed DS and his group of friends get in line for a picture with Pluto! What? DS hates to have his picture taken with characters. Armed with camera and as slyly as I could, I snuck over to the area and snapped away while DS and gang posed for pictures. He never saw me until the picture taking time was over and I grabbed his arm. Surprise!!!

We had tickets for Tea with the Mad Hatter at 3 pm and DD and I attended the event with DIS friends. Good times! It was a fun time, the girls really seemed to enjoy it and I know I enjoyed it!! I give mad props to the CM that plays the Mad Hatter. His voice is spot on to the real deal!

 

[JDBlair]

Monday, October 11, 2009
1st Day at Sea Part 2 of 2​

Tonight was Formal night and Captain’s Reception. DH and I enjoyed a cocktail or two, maybe 3 or 4, courtesy of the captain, but they weren’t strong so no worries. Dinner was lovely and the food was good. My opinion on the food this cruise: I was impressed and was never disappointed. Last cruise it was simply “okay” but this time, I thought it was quite tasty! I had such a beautiful day and thought my family looked so lovely at dinner, it was a beautiful night.

Mickey Ears!!

After dinner, DH, DD and I joined our DIS friends at the Golden Mickey’s. I can’t help but look at this picture and think my baby is growing in to a lovely little girl. My sister has expressed she doesn’t like this dress on DD because it makes her look too grown-up. I think the reality is simple-she is growing up!

I think this was the night we had quite a few drink spills. Whoops! I can't remember how the first drink spilt but I do remember there were 2 drinks that met an early demise. DH had to leave the Golden Mickey’s show before it began because DD spilt my drink on him. So, let this be a warning to you-hold on to your drink in the Walt Disney Theater!

After the show, DD went to the club and DH and I joined our DIS friends in Rockin’ Bar D for some adult time. We watched Root Berry, they are funny!

After Root Berry's show, we then enjoyed some fun dancing. One of the theme songs for our cruise meets has been, “I’m on a Boat.” The DJ played the song for us and we danced our booties off. It was a lot of fun but soon the pager announced it was time to pick up DD, the club was closing. It was an awesome day followed by an awesome evening. It was great to be on vacation!

 

[JDBlair]

This picture got a lot of reaction from my friends before the cruise. As mentioned about my tip money, here is the 90 $1 bills I got for our vacation to handle tolls, tips, baggage carts in airports and the like. One might think $90 for the trip would have been too much, I certainly thought so, but it wasn't. It was almost just right. So..carefully plan and arrange to have $1 bills with you on your vacations, especially if you'll be driving from Orlando to the port!

 

[praisehisname]

Great updates; you're on a roll! Your first two days onboard sound like they have gone well. I love Palo brunch!!!