NotSoLittleMermaid
DIS Veteran<br><br><a href="http://www.wdwinfo.com
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2004
- Messages
- 2,321
This was our second cruise; our first was last Aug. (Eastern). It was myself, my two sisters, and 6 yr. old nephew (sisters son). As it turned out, before our cruise, one sister and myself both broke bones in our feet! Instead of canceling, we rented wheelchair & scooter and carried on! We had a great time, despite broken bones and hurricane closing Orlando airport.
Upon returning, I decided we couldnt pass up the opportunity to sail on the Magic from the West coast (since were from AZ), so persuaded sister w/nephew to take the 6/11 West coast with me. Going to Mexico was neither here nor there for me, but sailing the Magic with 2 working feet was something I was really looking forward to! I checked prices on the internet, but ended up booking with AAA, who met the best internet price I could find, then discounted it by $100 and also included shipboard credit. (We did not rebook onboard in Aug.) I was very satisfied with their service.
To enhance my Disney experience, I traveled to Anaheim and went to DL on Wed., Thurs. & Fri. before we sailed. Stayed at Candy Cane Inn, and found it very nice. Had so much fun, decided to convert my 3 day park hopper to an annual pass (never had one before and looking forward to keeping the magic alive in the coming year!). Sis & child flew in Fri. afternoon and joined me at the park for parade, fireworks and shopping for Pirate hats/accessories for Pirate Night. We spent the night in Anaheim and drove in my car to San Pedro the next a.m. We took a few wrong turns and arrived later than wed planned--about 11:45 a.m.--but it turned out to be a good time, possibly between the throngs. Parking was easy, with a shuttle from parking lot to terminal. We waited about 10-15 min. to check in, were given boarding group 16, proceeded to other end of terminal for boarding. When we got there, group 15 was boarding, so we just fell into line. Waited about 25 min. to get through security, sis got son checked into kids club while I waited in line. Got our picture taken and boarded the ship, no crowd at all. Found out our stateroom was ready, so went to room to drop stuff, make a couple of calls, etc. and headed up to Topsiders for a great lunch (fresh shrimp!). Ate out by pool so nephew could swim, hung out until time for lifeboat drill. That went very smoothly; dropped off lifejackets and headed over to sailaway party. It all couldnt have gone more smoothly--not crowded or hectic at all. We had made Palo & shore excursion ressies online ahead of time, so that made it much more relaxed.
The Sailaway party is a great way to get into the fun and excitement of the trip. If you like to dance (or sway), be sure to go! After the party and watching us leave the port, I went to the room to relax for a while before the show.
We had late dinner seating, so we went to the shows at 6:30. Sat. show had juggler David DiMuzio and Michael Harrison (ventriloquist/comedian), along with show numbers w/characters, etc. Sun. show was Golden Mickeys, Mon. was Michael Harrison, Tues. no show (we were in PV until 9 p.m.), but Pirates deck party was at 9:45 p.m. That was a little late after a busy day, but dont miss it! The show on deck 9 is very splashy, followed by fireworks and a big buffet (which I was too full to partake of, but it was great to look at. It was probably good for those who stayed late shopping and didnt make dinner. Wed returned to the ship around 5:30, so went to the dining room for our regular dinner). Wed. show was Twice Charmed, Thurs. was Disney Dreams and Fri. was Remember the Magic (with Gary DeLena and Darren Strenblow, comedians). I know there have been some negative reviews of the comedians, but we enjoyed all the shows very much, as did the kids in our group (ages 7, 9 & 12).
Every night that it was available, we also went to the Cabaret Showtime shows with the comedians and enjoyed those as well.
In addition to the shows above, Thurs. at 10:00 p.m. there was the Happiest Celebration On Earth and balloon drop in the Atrium Lobby. It was a hoot, coinciding with the 70s celebration. The staff were dressed in 70s garb, including appropriate Afro wigs. After the balloon drop (and POP!), the party continued in the lounges. (There was also 80s night on Mon. and 60s on Wed. I didnt go, but heard they all were fun.)
We thoroughly enjoyed all the entertainment we saw. In reflecting back, I think one of the nicest things for me was that I always left the theater feeling uplifted, because of the upbeat themes of the shows (follow your dreams, you can do anything if you try, etc.). Maybe someone else would find it corny, but thats what I love about Disney--always positive! Theres already too much sarcasm & cynicism in the world out there.
As for shore excursions:
In PV, we did the Las Calitas Hideaway trip. It was great! Others have given this trip good reviews and I heartily agree. The boat to & from Las Calitas was great; very clean, fun staff, good eats and drinks. Las Calitas itself is a beautiful place, and the lunch was very good. Beaches were clean, no jellyfish. I did a scuba dive upon arrival (in a provided 3 mil wetsuit so I was comfortable; consequently, I had less beach time than others, but still enjoyed it.
In Mazatlan, we did the Folkloric Show & Beach Break. First of all, the weather that day was overcast, extremely windy at the beach and swimming in the ocean was closed due to jellyfish. We saw adults and children getting treated for stings they sustained just from letting the waves wash up around their feet! The hotel was advertised as having two pools, however one was closed and the other, though nice, wasnt heated so not much swimming was done. On the plus side, the lunch was good (ask for fresh tortillas and guacamole and they will bring some to you, no charge), there was a piñata party for the kids, and some people from the hotel were teaching the kids how to make a turtle sand sculpture, which my nephew enjoyed. He also enjoyed sitting on the sand and making a sand castle, even though it was pretty windy and chilly to us (adults). Prior to going to the hotel, we had a 45 min. tour of town. My impression of the city that we saw was that it looked like a bigger version of our AZ border towns. The folkloric show was nice, but I was feeling antsy by the time we got there since I didnt realize that we would have 45 min. of driving around town before the show. The people (tour guides, actors, hotel personnel) were all very nice. I left the beach and did a little shopping--nothing special.
In Cabo, we did the Chileno Bay Snorkel, which we really enjoyed. Cabo was our only really sunny, beautiful day so the catamaran ride was very enjoyable. The water, as others have said, was cold--78 degrees, we were told. Id taken my polar fleece dive skin & shirt (because Id read about the cold water) so was able to stay in the water about 45 min. The snorkeling was very good over by the rocks; lots of fish to see. Sis and son were only in the water about 5 min. before he got cold and wanted to get out. If you have some kind of exposure protection, Id advise bringing it if youre going on this trip. The only downside of this excursion is that we had to meet at 7:40 a.m.! Thats early for me on vacation, but others might not mind it. After returning to the dock, nephew & I returned to the ship (he wanted to swim in some warm water!), and sis went on her own to have lunch & do a little shopping, which she enjoyed (although it was pretty HOT--thats why I wanted to go back to the ship!). Took nephew to the pool, we were able to play some ping pong for the first time, then partook of a very nice poolside buffet lunch while he swam.
We felt all the food in our dining rooms was very good, even the desserts (Ive read some posts of those who were less satisfied). I do suggest that you go with the servers recommendations (which may be different that the recommendations on the menu). Thats what I did almost every night and I wasnt disappointed. Our servers were great about bringing whatever we wanted, substituting or adding dishes as necessary.
We had both dinner and brunch at Palo. We had our dinner on Wed. at 8:30 and brunch Fri. at 11:30. Both were fantastic; I especially recommend brunch for a couple of reasons. First, its daylight, so you can enjoy a lovely view. Second, the food choices at brunch are outstanding. If I couldnt do both, I think Id choose brunch over dinner (except for the chocolate soufflé, of course!)
I loved the sea days. The only downside of Palo brunch was that we missed the opportunity to do the galley tour. I especially enjoyed the talks on the building of the ship & what happens in drydock and also the talks by Stacia Martin (Disney artist and historian). Sis & kids got hooked on bingo the last couple of days! Nephew enjoyed the kids club, probably because he had a friend to go with. Sis enjoyed the workout room & spa. (I o.d.d on the spa on our first cruise, since it was one of the only things I could do, with my broken foot--I think I went 5 or 6 times! So this time I didnt go at all, just because I wanted to do all the things I missed the first time.)
As others have mentioned, the time changes were difficult. The good news was getting the time back at the end of the week when we were wearing down, so we had some extra resting up time the last couple of days.
We had a wonderful stateroom hostess, who went above and beyond for us. Her towel animals were the best! She was always cheerful. Our dining room staff was lots of fun and took good care of us. Everyone we had contact with was friendly and helpful.
Disembarking was easy. Go to breakfast as assigned, wait for your group to be called, get off the ship. There has been discussion whether or not it helps to have a passport. I had one, sis didnt. Her birth certificate line was much, much longer and slower that my passport line, but others have experienced the opposite.
We thoroughly enjoyed the trip and booked onboard for next June. Our cousin will be coming with us, as will another family. Im already looking forward to it!
Upon returning, I decided we couldnt pass up the opportunity to sail on the Magic from the West coast (since were from AZ), so persuaded sister w/nephew to take the 6/11 West coast with me. Going to Mexico was neither here nor there for me, but sailing the Magic with 2 working feet was something I was really looking forward to! I checked prices on the internet, but ended up booking with AAA, who met the best internet price I could find, then discounted it by $100 and also included shipboard credit. (We did not rebook onboard in Aug.) I was very satisfied with their service.
To enhance my Disney experience, I traveled to Anaheim and went to DL on Wed., Thurs. & Fri. before we sailed. Stayed at Candy Cane Inn, and found it very nice. Had so much fun, decided to convert my 3 day park hopper to an annual pass (never had one before and looking forward to keeping the magic alive in the coming year!). Sis & child flew in Fri. afternoon and joined me at the park for parade, fireworks and shopping for Pirate hats/accessories for Pirate Night. We spent the night in Anaheim and drove in my car to San Pedro the next a.m. We took a few wrong turns and arrived later than wed planned--about 11:45 a.m.--but it turned out to be a good time, possibly between the throngs. Parking was easy, with a shuttle from parking lot to terminal. We waited about 10-15 min. to check in, were given boarding group 16, proceeded to other end of terminal for boarding. When we got there, group 15 was boarding, so we just fell into line. Waited about 25 min. to get through security, sis got son checked into kids club while I waited in line. Got our picture taken and boarded the ship, no crowd at all. Found out our stateroom was ready, so went to room to drop stuff, make a couple of calls, etc. and headed up to Topsiders for a great lunch (fresh shrimp!). Ate out by pool so nephew could swim, hung out until time for lifeboat drill. That went very smoothly; dropped off lifejackets and headed over to sailaway party. It all couldnt have gone more smoothly--not crowded or hectic at all. We had made Palo & shore excursion ressies online ahead of time, so that made it much more relaxed.
The Sailaway party is a great way to get into the fun and excitement of the trip. If you like to dance (or sway), be sure to go! After the party and watching us leave the port, I went to the room to relax for a while before the show.
We had late dinner seating, so we went to the shows at 6:30. Sat. show had juggler David DiMuzio and Michael Harrison (ventriloquist/comedian), along with show numbers w/characters, etc. Sun. show was Golden Mickeys, Mon. was Michael Harrison, Tues. no show (we were in PV until 9 p.m.), but Pirates deck party was at 9:45 p.m. That was a little late after a busy day, but dont miss it! The show on deck 9 is very splashy, followed by fireworks and a big buffet (which I was too full to partake of, but it was great to look at. It was probably good for those who stayed late shopping and didnt make dinner. Wed returned to the ship around 5:30, so went to the dining room for our regular dinner). Wed. show was Twice Charmed, Thurs. was Disney Dreams and Fri. was Remember the Magic (with Gary DeLena and Darren Strenblow, comedians). I know there have been some negative reviews of the comedians, but we enjoyed all the shows very much, as did the kids in our group (ages 7, 9 & 12).
Every night that it was available, we also went to the Cabaret Showtime shows with the comedians and enjoyed those as well.
In addition to the shows above, Thurs. at 10:00 p.m. there was the Happiest Celebration On Earth and balloon drop in the Atrium Lobby. It was a hoot, coinciding with the 70s celebration. The staff were dressed in 70s garb, including appropriate Afro wigs. After the balloon drop (and POP!), the party continued in the lounges. (There was also 80s night on Mon. and 60s on Wed. I didnt go, but heard they all were fun.)
We thoroughly enjoyed all the entertainment we saw. In reflecting back, I think one of the nicest things for me was that I always left the theater feeling uplifted, because of the upbeat themes of the shows (follow your dreams, you can do anything if you try, etc.). Maybe someone else would find it corny, but thats what I love about Disney--always positive! Theres already too much sarcasm & cynicism in the world out there.
As for shore excursions:
In PV, we did the Las Calitas Hideaway trip. It was great! Others have given this trip good reviews and I heartily agree. The boat to & from Las Calitas was great; very clean, fun staff, good eats and drinks. Las Calitas itself is a beautiful place, and the lunch was very good. Beaches were clean, no jellyfish. I did a scuba dive upon arrival (in a provided 3 mil wetsuit so I was comfortable; consequently, I had less beach time than others, but still enjoyed it.
In Mazatlan, we did the Folkloric Show & Beach Break. First of all, the weather that day was overcast, extremely windy at the beach and swimming in the ocean was closed due to jellyfish. We saw adults and children getting treated for stings they sustained just from letting the waves wash up around their feet! The hotel was advertised as having two pools, however one was closed and the other, though nice, wasnt heated so not much swimming was done. On the plus side, the lunch was good (ask for fresh tortillas and guacamole and they will bring some to you, no charge), there was a piñata party for the kids, and some people from the hotel were teaching the kids how to make a turtle sand sculpture, which my nephew enjoyed. He also enjoyed sitting on the sand and making a sand castle, even though it was pretty windy and chilly to us (adults). Prior to going to the hotel, we had a 45 min. tour of town. My impression of the city that we saw was that it looked like a bigger version of our AZ border towns. The folkloric show was nice, but I was feeling antsy by the time we got there since I didnt realize that we would have 45 min. of driving around town before the show. The people (tour guides, actors, hotel personnel) were all very nice. I left the beach and did a little shopping--nothing special.
In Cabo, we did the Chileno Bay Snorkel, which we really enjoyed. Cabo was our only really sunny, beautiful day so the catamaran ride was very enjoyable. The water, as others have said, was cold--78 degrees, we were told. Id taken my polar fleece dive skin & shirt (because Id read about the cold water) so was able to stay in the water about 45 min. The snorkeling was very good over by the rocks; lots of fish to see. Sis and son were only in the water about 5 min. before he got cold and wanted to get out. If you have some kind of exposure protection, Id advise bringing it if youre going on this trip. The only downside of this excursion is that we had to meet at 7:40 a.m.! Thats early for me on vacation, but others might not mind it. After returning to the dock, nephew & I returned to the ship (he wanted to swim in some warm water!), and sis went on her own to have lunch & do a little shopping, which she enjoyed (although it was pretty HOT--thats why I wanted to go back to the ship!). Took nephew to the pool, we were able to play some ping pong for the first time, then partook of a very nice poolside buffet lunch while he swam.
We felt all the food in our dining rooms was very good, even the desserts (Ive read some posts of those who were less satisfied). I do suggest that you go with the servers recommendations (which may be different that the recommendations on the menu). Thats what I did almost every night and I wasnt disappointed. Our servers were great about bringing whatever we wanted, substituting or adding dishes as necessary.
We had both dinner and brunch at Palo. We had our dinner on Wed. at 8:30 and brunch Fri. at 11:30. Both were fantastic; I especially recommend brunch for a couple of reasons. First, its daylight, so you can enjoy a lovely view. Second, the food choices at brunch are outstanding. If I couldnt do both, I think Id choose brunch over dinner (except for the chocolate soufflé, of course!)
I loved the sea days. The only downside of Palo brunch was that we missed the opportunity to do the galley tour. I especially enjoyed the talks on the building of the ship & what happens in drydock and also the talks by Stacia Martin (Disney artist and historian). Sis & kids got hooked on bingo the last couple of days! Nephew enjoyed the kids club, probably because he had a friend to go with. Sis enjoyed the workout room & spa. (I o.d.d on the spa on our first cruise, since it was one of the only things I could do, with my broken foot--I think I went 5 or 6 times! So this time I didnt go at all, just because I wanted to do all the things I missed the first time.)
As others have mentioned, the time changes were difficult. The good news was getting the time back at the end of the week when we were wearing down, so we had some extra resting up time the last couple of days.
We had a wonderful stateroom hostess, who went above and beyond for us. Her towel animals were the best! She was always cheerful. Our dining room staff was lots of fun and took good care of us. Everyone we had contact with was friendly and helpful.
Disembarking was easy. Go to breakfast as assigned, wait for your group to be called, get off the ship. There has been discussion whether or not it helps to have a passport. I had one, sis didnt. Her birth certificate line was much, much longer and slower that my passport line, but others have experienced the opposite.
We thoroughly enjoyed the trip and booked onboard for next June. Our cousin will be coming with us, as will another family. Im already looking forward to it!
