Two Cruising Rookies Celebrate 15 Years with 4 Nights of MAGIC (Updated 6/6)

[HermanTriplets+1]

You know what part I liked the most in the last report? The part where your DH went back to work out and watch ESPN and you stayed in paradise! I'm all for "do what makes you happy", and sometimes that alone time is sublime! Looking forward to your next TR too when we get to see ... did she parasail? Did the kids enjoy the Mickey bars?......

 

[Pinkocto]

Loving the updates!

Dinner sounded fabulous and you got some fabulous pictures of CC

 

[mommy2mb]

Great update! Enjoying your report we are sailing the Magic in April 2013.

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

You know what part I liked the most in the last report? The part where your DH went back to work out and watch ESPN and you stayed in paradise! I'm all for "do what makes you happy", and sometimes that alone time is sublime! Looking forward to your next TR too when we get to see ... did she parasail? Did the kids enjoy the Mickey bars?......

That's one of the things that's great about having been married for 15 years--we're just comfortable. We want to be together, but we don't have to be together all the time, and it's okay that we have different interests!

Loving the updates!

Dinner sounded fabulous and you got some fabulous pictures of CC

Thanks! I didn't get as many of the beautiful plant life as you did--your pics were beautiful! I do think it would be difficult to get bad shots considering the location!

Great update! Enjoying your report we are sailing the Magic in April 2013.

Thanks for reading. I am sure you are already counting down. I can't wait to go back!

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

We got cleaned up from our day at Castaway Cay, and we headed to deck 9 so my husband could get a pre-show snack. He got a turkey panini, which was very good. It had turkey and cheese, but there was something else on it that gave it a little bit of a kick. We were both pleasantly surprised by how good it was.

I also took some pictures of Castaway Cay from the ship before we pulled out. I noticed a fake palm tree tower of some sort in my pictures (it's about 1/4 of the way over from the right side). I thought it was funny that I didn't notice it when I was on the island, especially since it is so much taller than everything else around it.

We had a choice of seeing John Cassidy, a balloon artist, in the Walt Disney Theatre, or the new movie, Chimpanzee, in the Buena Vista Theatre. We chose to see Chimpanzee, which was very cute. I was amazed at the extreme amount of close-up action the crew was able to capture for this film! It seemed that most in the audience enjoyed it. After our experience with no leg room in the last row the day before, we warned people as they sat down behind us, and everyone was appreciative. Once the movie started, however, we stopped warning people, so the latecomers had to sit with their knees in their chests for the entire movie. At least it was a much more enjoyable film (and shorter) than John Carter! I did hear other families talking about how much the enjoyed the John Cassidy show. If our kids had been with us, we probably would have gone to see it, but we were glad we chose the movie.

After the movie, we walked down to the shops. On the way through the atrium, we stopped to get a picture with Captain Jack.

Near the shops, we spotted Pirate Mickey and Minnie, so we got a picture with them as well. We had to wait about 20 minutes for Mickey and Minnie, but it was worth it to me. I did notice that one of the performers from the main stage shows was helping with the photographs. I guess they perform many tasks on the ship!

We decided to head up to Deck 10 for a few minutes before dinner. We just missed sunset. It was a beautiful evening!

Coming Up...Pirate Night, Part 2

 

[Dislaney4n6]

I also took some pictures of Castaway Cay from the ship before we pulled out. I noticed a fake palm tree tower of some sort in my pictures (it's about 1/4 of the way over from the right side). I thought it was funny that I didn't notice it when I was on the island, especially since it is so much taller than everything else around it.

This is strictly a guess, maybe a cell phone tower?? There are some that are 'hidden' as trees here in NJ. A tall palm tree at CC would make some sense.

 

[NJShoreDad]

This is strictly a guess, maybe a cell phone tower?? There are some that are 'hidden' as trees here in NJ. A tall palm tree at CC would make some sense.

I believe you are correct. I am not sure if you tried to use your Wave Phone from CC or not, but they do work there, which is where this tower comes in handy... We used our phones to confirm our Spa reservations and was happy to have it if we needed anything else.

I caught a photo of the tower as well from our Kayak excursion:

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

I believe you are correct. I am not sure if you tried to use your Wave Phone from CC or not, but they do work there, which is where this tower comes in handy... We used our phones to confirm our Spa reservations and was happy to have it if we needed anything else.

I caught a photo of the tower as well from our Kayak excursion:

I figured it was a cell tower, but I hadn't thought about its usefulness with the wave phones. We didn't use ours this trip, but I am sure we will when we have the kids with us.

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

After the photo ops and a stroll on Deck 10, we headed to Parrot Cay for the Pirate Menu. We liked the food better from the regular PC menu, but we thoroughly enjoyed the food and evening on this night as well.

We got to the table and found our bandanas.

We took advantage of this time and got a shot of our servers, Sipho and Aida.

As usual, the bread came first. The featured selection on Pirate Night is Johnny Cake. It was good, but not the best (I am partial to cornbread from Cracker Barrel). The white stuff on top is butter. I LOVE butter.

(These pictures are the worst food pics from the trip. I apologize for my sloppy photo skills.)

For appetizers, I ordered the Blackbeard’s Jumbo Crab Cake with a Fruit Salsa and Honey-Lime Tropical Coleslaw and my DH ordered Pirates Golden Pot Stickers with a Tamarind-Ginger Soy Sauce and Pickled Vegetables (no photo). I enjoyed the crab cake, but I thought DH's pot stickers were the better appetizer of the two.

For the second course, I chose the Jerk Chicken Salad: chicken strips over fresh crispy greens with a citrus dressing and plantain chips. I can't remember what DH ordered, but we may have gotten the same thing. It was good but I wasn't crazy about the citrus dressing.

For the main course, I ordered The Dutchmen's Roasted Dijon-Crusted Sirloin of Beef: thick cut of beef with roasted sweet potatoes and a black spot tomato with a deep red wine glaze. It was very good. I can't remember what DH had.

For dessert, I had this:

I am using an online cruise menu website to describe our choices, and the choices on the website don't match up with this dessert. I think this may have been some kind of rum cake, and it was very good--one of my favorites from the week.

After dinner, the servers started the Limbo (if I am remembering correctly). We were invited to participate, but we headed out around this time to head up for the Pirate party.

We shouldn't have hurried out--we could have missed some of the party. It was cute, but arriving 5 or 10 minutes before Mickey's grand entrance and the fireworks would have been enough for us. We grabbed a spot on Deck 10 on the side where they shoot the fireworks (starboard, I think), and enjoyed the view. It was a beautiful night.

After the fireworks, we quickly headed to the dessert buffet. It hadn't been long since dinner, and we were stuffed, but we filled a plate of things to share/sample.

The last cake I put on the plate (the far left) was my favorite. It was yummy! Everything was delicious, but we were WAY to full when we finished. We rolled ourselves back down to deck one and found this fellow waiting for us.

Coming Up..Day at Sea!

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

We slept in on Thursday, and then went to Parrot Cay for breakfast. The food was pretty much the same as Topsiders, but I liked being seated and having my drink brought to the table. Although I liked the idea of eating at Topsiders because I envisioned myself enjoying the outdoor seating, the two times we ate at Topsiders, we couldn't find a table outside. So of the buffet choices, Parrot Cay ended up being our favorite.

I forgot to take my camera to breakfast, so I'll move on...

After breakfast, I went up to deck 9 to read by the pool. I sat by the Quiet Cove pool for a while, and then my DH joined me, and we moved up to Deck 10. I did consider attending the towel folding class and the Art of the Theme ship tour, but I didn't make it to either. I know when the kids sail with us in December, we will participate in more scheduled activities, but doing nothing all day was SO nice. Reading all day in the sunshine is a dream day for me!

For lunch, Topsiders and Parrot Cay were serving a seafood buffet. First, my DH wanted another turkey panini, and we wanted to try the pineapple and ham pizza. The pizza was a little bland, and the turkey panini wasn't nearly as good as the one we had enjoyed previously (the cheese wasn't melted enough).

So, we headed to the seafood buffet. My DH enjoyed the food, but as I am not a huge seafood fan, this was not my favorite meal. I did have some pasta with a seafood-y sauce, some cheeses, and some other foods that I can't remember or identify, and I sampled a few desserts (the pink stuff was good), but my favorite part was the ice cream sundae bar!

After lunch, I headed to the shops to purchase a few souvenirs. I never found a shirt that I couldn't live without, but I did pick up a Christmas ornament and some trinkets for my DS (I had purchased stuff for my DD in Nassau). After shopping, I spent more time reading on deck 9, and then my DH and I ran/walked a few miles on deck 4. I loved using the track instead of the fitness center because I enjoyed being outside and feeling the breeze.

We went back to the cabin to pack, shower, and get ready for dinner and the final show, which was Dreams. Although this was a fantastic show, it was probably my least favorite because I felt is was more of a revue than a story with an original plot. It had many songs from Disney classics, it was well performed, and the ending was especially heartwarming and nostalgic--it just wasn't my favorite of the three stage shows. DH was such a trooper with the shows. He doesn't enjoy that type of thing, but he did think they were well done, and he attended them all with a smile to make me happy.

Coming Up...Dinner at Lumiere's.

 

[Pinkocto]

I have absolutely no idea how I missed your last update, I'm sorry. How fun that they did the limbo after dinner I don't think I could have moved my body after eating as much as I did though.

The doing nothing all day sounds like bliss!

 

[vleeth]

Did I read that right??? Did you say there is an ice cream sundae bar??? That sounds awesome!

 

[ATLMinnie]

We were on this cruise too. Thanks for posting a re-cap. It was a great trip!

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

Did I read that right??? Did you say there is an ice cream sundae bar??? That sounds awesome!

It was more like an ice cream table. There were a couple of flavors and toppings. Since I prefer hand-dipped ice cream to soft-serve, I was excited, but it would have been even better with more ice cream choices.

We were on this cruise too. Thanks for posting a re-cap. It was a great trip!

Thanks for reading! I hope to finish up the report in the next few updates.

 

[lynj808]

I am certainly enjoying your trip report. Love all your pictures. We will be sailing on the Magic this August, and can't wait!

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

I am certainly enjoying your trip report. Love all your pictures. We will be sailing on the Magic this August, and can't wait!

Thank you! I know you will have a wonderful time!

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

After the show, I wanted to see the sunset, but I also realized that I hadn't taken any pictures of my DD's Flat Stanley. Flat Stanley is a children's book, and the main character travels the world by mail because he is flat. My DD was participating in Flat Stanley, the Musical at a local children's theater, and she needed a picture of Flat Stanley in an exciting location. I planned to take the pic at Castaway Cay, but I completely forgot. I think Stanley enjoyed the sunset on deck 10 (and I was able to get an even better picture with him later).

We walked down to deck four to sit outside before dinner. On the way, we passed Chip and Dale and Mickey in their tuxes.

We enjoyed relaxing in the padded lounge chairs until dinner time.

Our final dinner was at Lumiere's. When I first looked over the menus in our Passporter book, I thought Lumiere's would be one of my least favorite meals (I'm more of a southern down-home cooking kind of girl than a fine dining girl), but this turned out to be a wonderful dining experience.

First, we got the warm French Country Bread. This was my least favorite bread of the four dinners--it wasn't bad, but I don't care much for crusty, hard breads.

For my appetizer, I decided to be brave and try the escargot. It was very garlicy and buttery, and it wasn't bad, but I didn't love it. They were similar to mushrooms, which I love, but a little thicker and mushier. I ate two of them. What I did like was dipping the breadstick into the garlic/butter sauce. YUM! DH had the chilled shrimp (no picture).

For our second course, DH had the Mrs. Potts' French Onion Soup, which he said was very good. I had the Market Green Salad.

For our main course, I think DH had the Seared Sea Bass, which is in the forefront of this photo. In the only mistake our servers made the entire trip, Sipho gave me DH's entree. I took a picture, and then we swapped. I had the Aged Angus Grilled Beef Tenderloin on Olive-Oil Smashed Potatoes, Bacon-wrapped Green Beans, and Mustard Madeira Sauce. It was very good. We also got the Three-Cheese Lobster Macaroni to share. We devoured that.

For dessert, I had the Grand Marnier Souffle with Vanilla Sauce, and DH had the Creme Brulee. I thought the souffle was okay (it would have been better if it had been chocolate, which I know they have at Palo). DH liked his Creme Brulee, but it wasn't hot, and this was surprising to him. We also split the Lumiere's Sweet Temptations: A Trio of Crème Brûlée, Chocolate Mousse and Praline Petite Choux. I liked the Chocolate Mousse best of the desserts.

After dinner, the servers paraded through the dining room and represented their countries with flags. This was fun, and a nice way to finish the week by applauding our wonderful dining room team.

Overall, we felt Lumiere's was very good, and we were glad to end the cruise with this meal. There were some food items I enjoyed more in the other restaurants, but we thought this was a great meal.

Coming Up...'Til We Meet Again.

 

[chrissypatl]

Great pictures and trip journal. We sail in two weeks. I have been obsessed with packing the "right" clothes I am a rule follower as well. My husband will be thrilled to not wear a jacket! I will be glad to not have to pack so much. I was also concerned about how chilly the ship maybe at night and how hot during the day. Any thoughts there?

Thanks for posting!!

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

Great pictures and trip journal. We sail in two weeks. I have been obsessed with packing the "right" clothes I am a rule follower as well. My husband will be thrilled to not wear a jacket! I will be glad to not have to pack so much. I was also concerned about how chilly the ship maybe at night and how hot during the day. Any thoughts there?

Thanks for posting!!

I did take a denim jacket and a light sweater. The first afternoon and evening, I was chilly inside the ship, but I was fine the rest of the time. I would have one just in case.

Typically, I don't overpack, but I did have more than I needed on the trip. I had a casual outfit (shorts/shirt) and a dinner outfit (skirt/dress/capris for Pirate Night) for every day plus an extra outfit or two. On Castaway Day and our at-sea day, I wore my bathing suit and a cover-up most of the time, so I had more outfits than I needed. I also could have repeated some of the more casual dinner clothes (from pirate night and the other non-dressy night) during the day because I only had them on for a few hours. I will take fewer clothes next time.

I think I already mentioned this, but there are people who do not follow the suggestions for dress at dinner. We were not the most dressed up people there, but we did follow the rules, and I enjoyed feeling a little dressed up for a nice meal.

Hope this helps!

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

After dinner, we needed to go back to the room to pack a few more things before setting our bags out. They were supposed to be in the hallway at 10:30. But, I wanted to see the 'Til We Meet Again show in the atrium. DH didn't really care that much about it, so he went back to the room to pack. I didn't really know what to expect, so I was surprised that after the characters came out, they dispersed into different areas around the atrium for pictures. I am a Disney dork who likes to get character pics, especially when the characters are wearing different outfits than they normally wear in the parks, so I set off to get as many as possible. Most of the lines were very short--lines for the princesses and Mickey were longer than other lines. I got all of these pictures in less than 10 minutes.

At this point, I realized that I could get a picture of Flat Stanley with Captain Mickey, so I ran down the room to get Stanley. When I made it back up, there were about 8 minutes left for the characters to interact, and I was a little worried about making it to Mickey. Thankfully, because there was little time remaining, the character handler announced that each party could only take one picture so that everyone would have a turn. So, I let Stanley be the star of my one picture.

At this point, it was 10:20. I had to get a few more things into my bags, so I left before the actual show. I guess I will look forward to seeing it with the kids on the Dream in December!

Our towel animals were waiting for me when I returned to the room. The elephant and dinosaur were from previous evenings--the snake was a new addition.

After setting our bags out, we decided to turn in. I am sure many people on the cruise were up well into the night because the Avengers was being released at midnight, and they were showing it at 12:01. I imagine that the theater was full, but we decided we were too old to stay up until 2:30 or 3:00 for a movie. We had a busy weekend waiting for us, and we needed the energy to hit the ground running when we got home. Rest was best.

Because we had late seating at dinner, we didn't have to be at breakfast until 8:15 the next morning. I was very thankful for that. Our flight wasn't until 2:30 (and it ended up being delayed by an hour), so we were able to enjoy a leisurely breakfast before taking the Magical Express back to the airport. Breakfast was in Lumiere's, and we ordered a plate with hash browns, sausage, and bacon, as well as a plate with pancakes, waffles, etc... It was all fine, but breakfast was definitely my least favorite meal on the cruise as a whole.

I loved the convenience of the Magical Express, but I doubt we will use it when we are a party of four. I'm guessing we will do one-way car rentals. If the ME was priced a little less, I would take advantage of it for sure, but the value decreases as the party size increases.

Overall, we had a fantastic first cruise. I didn't want to leave the ship! It was so nice to get away as a couple, and now I can't wait to take the kids as well. I know they are going to love it!

If anyone has questions, feel free to ask. Thanks for reading!