Beware of the cruise before dry dock! Third time was not a charm
Trip Report for Western Disney Magic, Sept. 24 to Oct. 1, 2005:
Friday, Sept. 23rd, Radisson Resort at the Port:
We decided to stay at the Radisson Resort at the Port the night before embarkation. We paid $109 plus tax at the Radisson and got to start our vacation one day early. The waterfall pool is very nice, and we parked for free during our cruise. This saved us the $75 port-parking fee.
Saturday, Sept. 24th, Embarkation:
We were on the 11am shuttle to the port, which left a little early. Any later and someone at the front desk said we might have had to stop off at another cruise port first. It was all very quick and easy. Once we loaded our luggage at the hotel, we didnt have to touch it again.
TIP: Call a few days in advance to get the shuttle time that you want, and ask if that time will have only Disney cruise guests.
TIP: Bring a case of bottled water ($4 at Sams Club versus $29 onboard) and put it in your laundry bag. Check it as luggage, and it will arrive in your room!
Once we got to the terminal around 11am, there were long lines everywhere. I think next year we will try to get there after noon. Maybe the lines will be shorter. I forgot how to fill out the Bahamas form, so we checked with a cast member. Later I noticed empty tables with an example of the form filled out. I will remember to use these next time to avoid a short wait for the cast member. My mom and her husband got in the regular line, and my husband got in the Castaway Club Member line. However, they both got to the counter at about the same time. While my husband waited in the check in line, I waited in the boarding line. We were glad we did this! We also found and used the little drink station at the end of the terminal. They charged our bottled sodas to our room. Their computer was down, but they had a list of guests and staterooms as back up in case you didnt know your stateroom number yet.
TIP: For embarkation, split up with one person in the check in line and one person in the boarding line.
After boarding we went right to Rockin Bar D to change our Palo reservation from 2 to 4 people. This was frustrating and confusing because there were two tables with two lines, but we did not know what the difference was. The cast members were not helpful at all, and there were no signs. We finally found out one was for changing your dinner rotation, etc. and the other was for Palo only. However, we could not book the wine tasting at the Palo table. We had to do it at guest services, and later found out that the wine tasting would not take place in Palo as it did last time.
Next we ate! They handed out hand wipes at the entrance to Parrot Cay. For the rest of the cruise, at any event with food, they handed out hand wipes. I also noticed new signs near sinks with hand washing instructions. I thought this was great, but my mom did not like the high alcohol content of the wipes.
Then we roamed the ship until our room was ready. We took the spa tour, and later I had wished I had gotten the information form at that time, as you will find out later.
TIP: If you have a spa appointment on embarkation day at 4:30pm, get the information form during the spa tour and have it filled out when you arrive at 4:30pm.
In our stateroom, we got a Castaway Club bag! It is very cute, and sells for about $45 in the store. We were also reminded of our $200 on-board credit from booking while on our last cruise.
We went to guest services to book the wine tasting, the galley tour and to get a $50 on-board credit for my mom. I thought they would send a nice little note to her stateroom telling her about her $50 on-board credit, just like the one we got for our $200, but they said they couldnt do that. (I think if I had bought it before the cruise, then maybe they could have.) So they gave us a card to fill out that they then delivered to my moms room.
TIP: If you want to give someone an on-board credit, do it before the cruise.
When it was time for the lifeboat drill, I didnt put my life jacket on right away because I remembered how uncomfortable they were. We also did not rush down to be the first ones there like last time (because we had to wait a while and it was hot). So the drill was much better for me this time.
Next we went to the spa at 4:15pm for our 4:30pm appointments (because they ask you to be there 15 minutes early), but the spa was not open yet. The navigator says everything is closed from 3:30pm to 4:30pm for the lifeboat drill, and they mean it! So, when the spa finally opened, I felt rushed to fill out the information form so that I would not cut my hot stone massage short. This is why I put the tip above about getting the form early. I wrote, No sales pitch please at the top of the form, and they respected that.
TIP: If you dont want a sales pitch at the end of your treatment, write a note on the information form that you fill out before the treatment.
The hot stone massage was great. I am usually cold all the time while inside the ship, but I was actually a little too hot at times during this massage. Only get this is you like hot things on you!
After our treatments, my husband and I met at the Rainforest. We both had been noticing extra noise while in the spa. We asked about it and learned for the first time the words dry dock. It turned out that our cruise was the last cruise before the Magic went into dry dock. During dry dock they clean, fix, paint and renovate everything. It sounds like a good thing, except for us. They, for some un-Disney like reason, decided to start early on some of the work. So throughout our cruise we noticed many unpleasant dry dock preparations. (More about this on Friday.)
TIP: Do not take the last cruise before your ship goes into dry dock!
Sunday, Sept. 25th, Key West:
We went to the Palo brunch today, and it was the highlight of our trip. We had never done the brunch before. So we were pleasantly surprised with everything.
We have been to Key West many, many times. So we knew what we wanted to do. First, we stopped at the Kino Factory. They are not on the shopping list, but it is worth a visit. I have been wearing Kinos for the past 15 years. Kinos are very comfortable, leather sandals made in Key West that sell for about $8 for womens and $11 for mens. They are great for wearing to the pool, the spa, the Rainforest, the beach, etc. Anywhere they might get wet because they are made to get wet. They come in different colors, but you never know what color will be in stock until you get there. That is why we made this our first stop. Once they sell out of a color in your size, then you have to get another color or another size. The shop can become crowded, but it is fun. Check out their website at http://kinosandals.com/
Next we went to one of the Crazy Shirts stores. They make high quality t-shirts and shorts. I bought a cute outfit. I dont think they are on the shopping list either, but they are also worth a visit. Some of their shirts are unique in that they are dyed with coffee, beer, chocolate, wine, crater, money, etc. Check out their website at http://www.crazyshirts.com/
That was pretty much it for us at Key West. Normally we would rent mopeds, but we were too tired. Back on the ship we relaxed and ate.
Monday, Sept. 26th, Day at Sea:
Today we checked out the art auction. It was very interesting. They were auctioning fine art by Dali, Disney art and many other things. I really wanted to buy something, but I didnt, maybe next time.
My husband and my mom did the wine tasting at 2:15pm. I heard it was not as great as the one we did last year. This time it was in Sessions for some reason, there was no cheese, and there was less explanation about the wines.
Tonight was formal night! I love formal night. I wore a long black satin dress and carried a black feather boa. I rarely get to use the boa. So it was fun. We ate at Palo tonight, and it was amazing. The salmon was some of the best I had ever had. We requested our waiter, Annie-Marie, because we had her for the brunch and loved her.
Tuesday, Sept. 27th, Grand Cayman:
We had a snorkel scheduled from 10am to 1pm. When we found out there would be no bathrooms for at least three hours, we got a refund because of medical reasons that we could not go that long without a bathroom. We had actually tried to cancel the excursion the day before because we wanted to go shopping instead. We thought three and a half hours would not be enough time to shower and shop after the snorkel. We talked with someone later that had heard the shipwreck and reef snorkel was not that great as there were not a lot of fish. So it worked out.
We did not buy much in Grand Cayman after all. I did enjoy the linen store on the list. I bought two throw pillow cases that were crocheted for $7. My mom liked them so much, that we went back to the store together later that same day.
Wednesday, Sept. 28th, Cozumel:
In Cozumel we took the Jeep tour from about 10:30am to 3:30pm. It was great. I had read a report on in, and was not sure if I would like it. But we all loved it. We started out four to a jeep in the city. My husband drove the entire time. We stopped at the Pee Pee Station (real name) to pee and shop. Some women changed into their swim suites there as we were told there would be no bathroom on the beach. I didnt change. We then took the jeep off road onto this rocky path along the beach. It was ruff, but fun. We saw a wild iguana, and took lots of pictures. We then parked and went to a secluded beach for about one and a half hours. Each jeep got one beach umbrella and two Mexican blankets to lie on. They had cooked a local lunch of fajitas, quesadillas, chips, salsa, and guacamole for us. They also had fresh fruit and canned drinks. It was wonderful.
I had to walk down the beach, away from everyone to change into my bathing suite. The water felt great, but it was rocky. We brought our aqua socks, which were very useful. They had taken pictures of us in our jeeps earlier and were selling the pictures in a festive holder for $12 after lunch. We bought ours, and my mom bought one too. On the drive back, we stopped at the Pee Pee Station again and I changed out of my wet bathing suite.
TIP: Wear you bathing suite and bring aqua socks on the Jeep tour in Cozumel.
Back near the port we all split a shrimp pizza from the Shrimp Bucket restaurant that was on the recommended food list. It was a really good pizza! My mom and husband both got cokes with ice, and they did not have a problem later, if you know what I mean.
We then started our shopping! I love the shopping in Cozumel. We shopped a little near the port, and then took a taxi to the farthest end of the shopping map. We walked back as we shopped. I bought a silver bracelet and some beach cover-ups. I also got a beautiful butterfly necklace and earrings from the famed local designer Tanya Moss. She just so happed to show up at the store while we were there, and she thanked us. My husband bought an ESQ watch from Diamonds international for 40% off the retail price and no tax. http://www.tanyamoss.com/
Thursday, Sept. 29th, Day at Sea:
At 2:45pm today, we had the galley tour. It started with a hand washing with the wipes, as all onboard food related events did. We went into the Lumiers kitchen and out the Parrot Cay side. The highlight was the pastry chef making a wedding cake and chocolate statues for the dessert buffet that night. They also had warm chocolate chip cookies (which were always a little over cooked for some reason) for us. I love icing on my cookies. So I asked to taste the icing he was putting on the cake. It was really good! I am hoping Disney will make icing cookies available next time! Maybe if more people ask for it.
TIP: Ask for icing on your cookie during the galley tour.
I asked about the water during the tour because I have been wondering for some time. They do put chlorine in the water after they take the salt out. Oh well, I guess I will have to stick to bottled water. They also do not put fluoride in the water. Another interesting fact is they can only get food from U.S. ports. So even on the 14-day Panama Canal cruise, they must get all the food on board the ship at the beginning. Wow, it is amazing that the fruit stays so fresh.
We had room service almost every afternoon because we had the late 8:30pm dinner. We liked the cookies, the cheese, cracker and grapes platter, the chili, and the apple juice. The chicken noodle soup had good broth, but the Mickey shaped noodles were undercooked. The chili was good, but it was more like a taco salad.
Friday, Sept. 30th, Castaway Cay:
We had cabana massages at 11am. So we left the boat a little after 10am, mailed our post cards, got a picture (that we ended up buying) taken in front of the boat, hopped on the tram, hopped on the second tram to the adult beach, and were at the cabanas 20 minutes early. I left to use the bathroom, and it was raining when I got back. The spa girls had to stand outside in the rain while we changed and got on the tables. The sound of the rain on the roof was very relaxing, and by the time we were done it had stopped raining. Perfect timing. The road back to the adult beach entrance was flooded a little, and the water was warm and slimy, yuck. Disney needs to plan for rain better by building up the road a little so the water wont pool there.
We ate at the adult beach and had steak sandwiches that were very good once you cut the fat off. I put pickles on mine. =) They also had hamburgers, hot dogs, salmon and grilled chicken sandwiches, soft serve cookie dough or strawberry ice cream, small bags of Lays or bar-b-q potato chips, potato salad, fresh fruit, and sodas. I was very happy with the food near Serenity bay. Last time we did not know about it, and had to eat the hamburgers over at Cookies.
The best beach in the world is Serenity bay, the adult only beach! We floated in the water; no need for an actual float. My husband pulled a hammock into the water.
I liked the new Bahamian stores on the island. I bought a cute shell and beaded bracelet. We bought drinks at the Heads Up bar, and found two empty hammocks nearby that overlooked the main swimming area. Around 4pm they started announcing the beach would be closing soon. We did some shopping at She Sells and took the tram back to the boat.
Here is where I learned to hate the words dry dock. Back on the boat I went to the pool for a fresh water swim, but they were cutting and laying plywood on the deck around the pool. There were no towels and no chairs. I stayed for a while, but the noise and the plywood dust was too annoying. I called guest services to ask why they were doing this now on my last vacation night. She said she didnt know and would call me back, but she never did. This was my first big Disney Cruise disappointment. My husband and I cant believe they started dry dock preparations during our cruise! We think Disney should warn people before they choose the cruise before dry dock if they are going to be doing construction during the cruise. We walked out on deck 5 later that night, and they had taped plywood and plastic all over that deck too. This was so un-Disney like! The magic of the last night was somewhat ruined.
I sent a complaint letter about this after getting back. Here is what they said.
Thank you for your e-mail regarding your recent voyage aboard the Disney Magic.
I regret if any refurbishments interfered with your having an enjoyable cruise. It is necessary to continually perform maintenance to our cruise ships in order to preserve their appearance or make necessary improvements. We realize the importance of keeping our existing facilities up to the quality standards our guests have come to expect from Disney. However, I apologize if these projects hindered the comfort of your vacation. Your comments have been shared with the appropriate management teams.
Again, I truly regret any disappointment and hope that this will not affect your regard for Disney Cruise Line. We look forward to sailing with you again next year.
I truly regret your continued disappointment with your cruise vacation. As previously stated, it is necessary to continually perform maintenance to our cruise ships. We are not able to complete all maintenance during the two-week dry dock period, therefore, it is necessary to continually perform maintenance improvements during every sailing.
While we understand that certain disappointments diminished the enjoyment of your cruise, unfortunately, we are unable to offer special consideration for these circumstances. Please know that your remarks will be evaluated along with those comments that we may receive from our other guests, and this data will help us determine where future changes in our procedures might be necessary.
We hope to have the opportunity to sail with you again in the future. If not, we wish you well on your travel endeavors.
Sincerely,
Disney Cruise Line Guest Communications
As you can read, they were trying to say this was normal maintenance that could have been done on any cruise, not just the cruise before dry dock. I completely disagree with that reasoning. This was our third Disney cruise, and we had never seen maintenance like this done on the first two. They were clearly preparing the ship for dry dock maintenance, such as painting. Our waiter told us they go to dry dock every other year.
TIP: Avoid the cruises before and after dry dock. Check to make sure there is another cruise immediately after or before yours on the same ship!
Saturday, Oct. 1st, Debarkation:
Overall our waiters were not the best. Our headwaiter was in the process of getting promoted from assistant waiter. Our assistant waiter did not really like his job, but he actually went out of his way to bring some banana bread to our stateroom the night we were at Palo. I had requested a table of eight to ten people, but it ended up just the four of us. We mentioned it to our headwaiter the first night, but decided not to request a change. Our table, 14, was a little too close to the kitchen door as well. I think next time I will request specific waiters that others have recommended on this site.
Debarkation day went smoothly. We went to the last breakfast at 8:15am at Lumiers. We ate quickly, got off, found our luggage, and used a porter to help us to the Radisson shuttle. We gave him our customs form. The porter said, Stay close behind me and we flew through the customs check. Best way to go!
TIP: Get a porter to help you with your luggage. They know the fastest way through customs.
Tips I found on this site that I used and found helpful:
- Brought highlighter for Navigator.
- Brought flashlight; it was helpful for night bathroom trips.
- Brought address labels for the new luggage tags on the last day.
- Brought a laundry bag for dirty clothes, which made room for purchases later.
- Brought suction cups to hang bathroom stuff, but needed more.
- Brought $1 bills for tipping.
- Made a door sign welcoming my mom and her husband on their first Disney cruise and one for my husbands birthday.
- Brought clothespins for the curtain. Also used them to keep the shower curtain from sticking to us.
- Brought a light up travel clock that was very handy.
- Brought warmer clothes for dinners and a light jacket for other inside activities.
- Saw movies onboard (Flight Plan, Robots, Madagascar).
Tips I found on this site that I did not use or found to be wrong:
- The anchors on the carpet that are blue and red, the red side does not always face the back of the ship. So you can not rely on these to determine which way is forward or aft.
Happy cruising until next time! =)
Snow Wht and her Prince
2001 Magic 7-night Eastern, April 7th
2004 Wonder 4-night hurricane Jeanne cruise to Cozumel, September 23rd
2005 Magic 7-night Western, September 24th
2006 Wonder 10-night Southern, September 7th (Maybe, we are thinking about Atlantis instead.)
Trip Report for Western Disney Magic, Sept. 24 to Oct. 1, 2005:
Friday, Sept. 23rd, Radisson Resort at the Port:
We decided to stay at the Radisson Resort at the Port the night before embarkation. We paid $109 plus tax at the Radisson and got to start our vacation one day early. The waterfall pool is very nice, and we parked for free during our cruise. This saved us the $75 port-parking fee.
Saturday, Sept. 24th, Embarkation:
We were on the 11am shuttle to the port, which left a little early. Any later and someone at the front desk said we might have had to stop off at another cruise port first. It was all very quick and easy. Once we loaded our luggage at the hotel, we didnt have to touch it again.
TIP: Call a few days in advance to get the shuttle time that you want, and ask if that time will have only Disney cruise guests.
TIP: Bring a case of bottled water ($4 at Sams Club versus $29 onboard) and put it in your laundry bag. Check it as luggage, and it will arrive in your room!
Once we got to the terminal around 11am, there were long lines everywhere. I think next year we will try to get there after noon. Maybe the lines will be shorter. I forgot how to fill out the Bahamas form, so we checked with a cast member. Later I noticed empty tables with an example of the form filled out. I will remember to use these next time to avoid a short wait for the cast member. My mom and her husband got in the regular line, and my husband got in the Castaway Club Member line. However, they both got to the counter at about the same time. While my husband waited in the check in line, I waited in the boarding line. We were glad we did this! We also found and used the little drink station at the end of the terminal. They charged our bottled sodas to our room. Their computer was down, but they had a list of guests and staterooms as back up in case you didnt know your stateroom number yet.
TIP: For embarkation, split up with one person in the check in line and one person in the boarding line.
After boarding we went right to Rockin Bar D to change our Palo reservation from 2 to 4 people. This was frustrating and confusing because there were two tables with two lines, but we did not know what the difference was. The cast members were not helpful at all, and there were no signs. We finally found out one was for changing your dinner rotation, etc. and the other was for Palo only. However, we could not book the wine tasting at the Palo table. We had to do it at guest services, and later found out that the wine tasting would not take place in Palo as it did last time.
Next we ate! They handed out hand wipes at the entrance to Parrot Cay. For the rest of the cruise, at any event with food, they handed out hand wipes. I also noticed new signs near sinks with hand washing instructions. I thought this was great, but my mom did not like the high alcohol content of the wipes.
Then we roamed the ship until our room was ready. We took the spa tour, and later I had wished I had gotten the information form at that time, as you will find out later.
TIP: If you have a spa appointment on embarkation day at 4:30pm, get the information form during the spa tour and have it filled out when you arrive at 4:30pm.
In our stateroom, we got a Castaway Club bag! It is very cute, and sells for about $45 in the store. We were also reminded of our $200 on-board credit from booking while on our last cruise.
We went to guest services to book the wine tasting, the galley tour and to get a $50 on-board credit for my mom. I thought they would send a nice little note to her stateroom telling her about her $50 on-board credit, just like the one we got for our $200, but they said they couldnt do that. (I think if I had bought it before the cruise, then maybe they could have.) So they gave us a card to fill out that they then delivered to my moms room.
TIP: If you want to give someone an on-board credit, do it before the cruise.
When it was time for the lifeboat drill, I didnt put my life jacket on right away because I remembered how uncomfortable they were. We also did not rush down to be the first ones there like last time (because we had to wait a while and it was hot). So the drill was much better for me this time.
Next we went to the spa at 4:15pm for our 4:30pm appointments (because they ask you to be there 15 minutes early), but the spa was not open yet. The navigator says everything is closed from 3:30pm to 4:30pm for the lifeboat drill, and they mean it! So, when the spa finally opened, I felt rushed to fill out the information form so that I would not cut my hot stone massage short. This is why I put the tip above about getting the form early. I wrote, No sales pitch please at the top of the form, and they respected that.
TIP: If you dont want a sales pitch at the end of your treatment, write a note on the information form that you fill out before the treatment.
The hot stone massage was great. I am usually cold all the time while inside the ship, but I was actually a little too hot at times during this massage. Only get this is you like hot things on you!
After our treatments, my husband and I met at the Rainforest. We both had been noticing extra noise while in the spa. We asked about it and learned for the first time the words dry dock. It turned out that our cruise was the last cruise before the Magic went into dry dock. During dry dock they clean, fix, paint and renovate everything. It sounds like a good thing, except for us. They, for some un-Disney like reason, decided to start early on some of the work. So throughout our cruise we noticed many unpleasant dry dock preparations. (More about this on Friday.)
TIP: Do not take the last cruise before your ship goes into dry dock!
Sunday, Sept. 25th, Key West:
We went to the Palo brunch today, and it was the highlight of our trip. We had never done the brunch before. So we were pleasantly surprised with everything.
We have been to Key West many, many times. So we knew what we wanted to do. First, we stopped at the Kino Factory. They are not on the shopping list, but it is worth a visit. I have been wearing Kinos for the past 15 years. Kinos are very comfortable, leather sandals made in Key West that sell for about $8 for womens and $11 for mens. They are great for wearing to the pool, the spa, the Rainforest, the beach, etc. Anywhere they might get wet because they are made to get wet. They come in different colors, but you never know what color will be in stock until you get there. That is why we made this our first stop. Once they sell out of a color in your size, then you have to get another color or another size. The shop can become crowded, but it is fun. Check out their website at http://kinosandals.com/
Next we went to one of the Crazy Shirts stores. They make high quality t-shirts and shorts. I bought a cute outfit. I dont think they are on the shopping list either, but they are also worth a visit. Some of their shirts are unique in that they are dyed with coffee, beer, chocolate, wine, crater, money, etc. Check out their website at http://www.crazyshirts.com/
That was pretty much it for us at Key West. Normally we would rent mopeds, but we were too tired. Back on the ship we relaxed and ate.
Monday, Sept. 26th, Day at Sea:
Today we checked out the art auction. It was very interesting. They were auctioning fine art by Dali, Disney art and many other things. I really wanted to buy something, but I didnt, maybe next time.
My husband and my mom did the wine tasting at 2:15pm. I heard it was not as great as the one we did last year. This time it was in Sessions for some reason, there was no cheese, and there was less explanation about the wines.
Tonight was formal night! I love formal night. I wore a long black satin dress and carried a black feather boa. I rarely get to use the boa. So it was fun. We ate at Palo tonight, and it was amazing. The salmon was some of the best I had ever had. We requested our waiter, Annie-Marie, because we had her for the brunch and loved her.
Tuesday, Sept. 27th, Grand Cayman:
We had a snorkel scheduled from 10am to 1pm. When we found out there would be no bathrooms for at least three hours, we got a refund because of medical reasons that we could not go that long without a bathroom. We had actually tried to cancel the excursion the day before because we wanted to go shopping instead. We thought three and a half hours would not be enough time to shower and shop after the snorkel. We talked with someone later that had heard the shipwreck and reef snorkel was not that great as there were not a lot of fish. So it worked out.
We did not buy much in Grand Cayman after all. I did enjoy the linen store on the list. I bought two throw pillow cases that were crocheted for $7. My mom liked them so much, that we went back to the store together later that same day.
Wednesday, Sept. 28th, Cozumel:
In Cozumel we took the Jeep tour from about 10:30am to 3:30pm. It was great. I had read a report on in, and was not sure if I would like it. But we all loved it. We started out four to a jeep in the city. My husband drove the entire time. We stopped at the Pee Pee Station (real name) to pee and shop. Some women changed into their swim suites there as we were told there would be no bathroom on the beach. I didnt change. We then took the jeep off road onto this rocky path along the beach. It was ruff, but fun. We saw a wild iguana, and took lots of pictures. We then parked and went to a secluded beach for about one and a half hours. Each jeep got one beach umbrella and two Mexican blankets to lie on. They had cooked a local lunch of fajitas, quesadillas, chips, salsa, and guacamole for us. They also had fresh fruit and canned drinks. It was wonderful.
I had to walk down the beach, away from everyone to change into my bathing suite. The water felt great, but it was rocky. We brought our aqua socks, which were very useful. They had taken pictures of us in our jeeps earlier and were selling the pictures in a festive holder for $12 after lunch. We bought ours, and my mom bought one too. On the drive back, we stopped at the Pee Pee Station again and I changed out of my wet bathing suite.
TIP: Wear you bathing suite and bring aqua socks on the Jeep tour in Cozumel.
Back near the port we all split a shrimp pizza from the Shrimp Bucket restaurant that was on the recommended food list. It was a really good pizza! My mom and husband both got cokes with ice, and they did not have a problem later, if you know what I mean.
We then started our shopping! I love the shopping in Cozumel. We shopped a little near the port, and then took a taxi to the farthest end of the shopping map. We walked back as we shopped. I bought a silver bracelet and some beach cover-ups. I also got a beautiful butterfly necklace and earrings from the famed local designer Tanya Moss. She just so happed to show up at the store while we were there, and she thanked us. My husband bought an ESQ watch from Diamonds international for 40% off the retail price and no tax. http://www.tanyamoss.com/
Thursday, Sept. 29th, Day at Sea:
At 2:45pm today, we had the galley tour. It started with a hand washing with the wipes, as all onboard food related events did. We went into the Lumiers kitchen and out the Parrot Cay side. The highlight was the pastry chef making a wedding cake and chocolate statues for the dessert buffet that night. They also had warm chocolate chip cookies (which were always a little over cooked for some reason) for us. I love icing on my cookies. So I asked to taste the icing he was putting on the cake. It was really good! I am hoping Disney will make icing cookies available next time! Maybe if more people ask for it.
TIP: Ask for icing on your cookie during the galley tour.
I asked about the water during the tour because I have been wondering for some time. They do put chlorine in the water after they take the salt out. Oh well, I guess I will have to stick to bottled water. They also do not put fluoride in the water. Another interesting fact is they can only get food from U.S. ports. So even on the 14-day Panama Canal cruise, they must get all the food on board the ship at the beginning. Wow, it is amazing that the fruit stays so fresh.
We had room service almost every afternoon because we had the late 8:30pm dinner. We liked the cookies, the cheese, cracker and grapes platter, the chili, and the apple juice. The chicken noodle soup had good broth, but the Mickey shaped noodles were undercooked. The chili was good, but it was more like a taco salad.
Friday, Sept. 30th, Castaway Cay:
We had cabana massages at 11am. So we left the boat a little after 10am, mailed our post cards, got a picture (that we ended up buying) taken in front of the boat, hopped on the tram, hopped on the second tram to the adult beach, and were at the cabanas 20 minutes early. I left to use the bathroom, and it was raining when I got back. The spa girls had to stand outside in the rain while we changed and got on the tables. The sound of the rain on the roof was very relaxing, and by the time we were done it had stopped raining. Perfect timing. The road back to the adult beach entrance was flooded a little, and the water was warm and slimy, yuck. Disney needs to plan for rain better by building up the road a little so the water wont pool there.
We ate at the adult beach and had steak sandwiches that were very good once you cut the fat off. I put pickles on mine. =) They also had hamburgers, hot dogs, salmon and grilled chicken sandwiches, soft serve cookie dough or strawberry ice cream, small bags of Lays or bar-b-q potato chips, potato salad, fresh fruit, and sodas. I was very happy with the food near Serenity bay. Last time we did not know about it, and had to eat the hamburgers over at Cookies.
The best beach in the world is Serenity bay, the adult only beach! We floated in the water; no need for an actual float. My husband pulled a hammock into the water.
I liked the new Bahamian stores on the island. I bought a cute shell and beaded bracelet. We bought drinks at the Heads Up bar, and found two empty hammocks nearby that overlooked the main swimming area. Around 4pm they started announcing the beach would be closing soon. We did some shopping at She Sells and took the tram back to the boat.
Here is where I learned to hate the words dry dock. Back on the boat I went to the pool for a fresh water swim, but they were cutting and laying plywood on the deck around the pool. There were no towels and no chairs. I stayed for a while, but the noise and the plywood dust was too annoying. I called guest services to ask why they were doing this now on my last vacation night. She said she didnt know and would call me back, but she never did. This was my first big Disney Cruise disappointment. My husband and I cant believe they started dry dock preparations during our cruise! We think Disney should warn people before they choose the cruise before dry dock if they are going to be doing construction during the cruise. We walked out on deck 5 later that night, and they had taped plywood and plastic all over that deck too. This was so un-Disney like! The magic of the last night was somewhat ruined.
I sent a complaint letter about this after getting back. Here is what they said.
Thank you for your e-mail regarding your recent voyage aboard the Disney Magic.
I regret if any refurbishments interfered with your having an enjoyable cruise. It is necessary to continually perform maintenance to our cruise ships in order to preserve their appearance or make necessary improvements. We realize the importance of keeping our existing facilities up to the quality standards our guests have come to expect from Disney. However, I apologize if these projects hindered the comfort of your vacation. Your comments have been shared with the appropriate management teams.
Again, I truly regret any disappointment and hope that this will not affect your regard for Disney Cruise Line. We look forward to sailing with you again next year.
I truly regret your continued disappointment with your cruise vacation. As previously stated, it is necessary to continually perform maintenance to our cruise ships. We are not able to complete all maintenance during the two-week dry dock period, therefore, it is necessary to continually perform maintenance improvements during every sailing.
While we understand that certain disappointments diminished the enjoyment of your cruise, unfortunately, we are unable to offer special consideration for these circumstances. Please know that your remarks will be evaluated along with those comments that we may receive from our other guests, and this data will help us determine where future changes in our procedures might be necessary.
We hope to have the opportunity to sail with you again in the future. If not, we wish you well on your travel endeavors.
Sincerely,
Disney Cruise Line Guest Communications
As you can read, they were trying to say this was normal maintenance that could have been done on any cruise, not just the cruise before dry dock. I completely disagree with that reasoning. This was our third Disney cruise, and we had never seen maintenance like this done on the first two. They were clearly preparing the ship for dry dock maintenance, such as painting. Our waiter told us they go to dry dock every other year.
TIP: Avoid the cruises before and after dry dock. Check to make sure there is another cruise immediately after or before yours on the same ship!
Saturday, Oct. 1st, Debarkation:
Overall our waiters were not the best. Our headwaiter was in the process of getting promoted from assistant waiter. Our assistant waiter did not really like his job, but he actually went out of his way to bring some banana bread to our stateroom the night we were at Palo. I had requested a table of eight to ten people, but it ended up just the four of us. We mentioned it to our headwaiter the first night, but decided not to request a change. Our table, 14, was a little too close to the kitchen door as well. I think next time I will request specific waiters that others have recommended on this site.
Debarkation day went smoothly. We went to the last breakfast at 8:15am at Lumiers. We ate quickly, got off, found our luggage, and used a porter to help us to the Radisson shuttle. We gave him our customs form. The porter said, Stay close behind me and we flew through the customs check. Best way to go!
TIP: Get a porter to help you with your luggage. They know the fastest way through customs.
Tips I found on this site that I used and found helpful:
- Brought highlighter for Navigator.
- Brought flashlight; it was helpful for night bathroom trips.
- Brought address labels for the new luggage tags on the last day.
- Brought a laundry bag for dirty clothes, which made room for purchases later.
- Brought suction cups to hang bathroom stuff, but needed more.
- Brought $1 bills for tipping.
- Made a door sign welcoming my mom and her husband on their first Disney cruise and one for my husbands birthday.
- Brought clothespins for the curtain. Also used them to keep the shower curtain from sticking to us.
- Brought a light up travel clock that was very handy.
- Brought warmer clothes for dinners and a light jacket for other inside activities.
- Saw movies onboard (Flight Plan, Robots, Madagascar).
Tips I found on this site that I did not use or found to be wrong:
- The anchors on the carpet that are blue and red, the red side does not always face the back of the ship. So you can not rely on these to determine which way is forward or aft.
Happy cruising until next time! =)
Snow Wht and her Prince
2001 Magic 7-night Eastern, April 7th
2004 Wonder 4-night hurricane Jeanne cruise to Cozumel, September 23rd
2005 Magic 7-night Western, September 24th
2006 Wonder 10-night Southern, September 7th (Maybe, we are thinking about Atlantis instead.)
