We were the Magical Family! + report - p.2

[joseph'smom]

talk about luck! Just back from our Wonder 3 night cruise..and we were picked to be the Magical Family! We were treated like royalty! I will post all the details, tell you tips on how to get FREE stuff- yes FREE- and give you some advice. Also , things I wish I had known ahead of time. I am still floating on clouds right now...will post tomorrow

 

[tjbaggott]

Can't wait! I'll be watching!

 

[bobbie0253]

I have no idea what that means... I'm new...LOL But it sounds super exciting! Can't wait to read all about it.

 

[joseph'smom]

It means that out of 2,700 people, we were chosen to get tons of free surprises for the entire trip. It was unbelievable.

I can't wait to share some great tips...although I haven't a clue how we got picked, other than they said we were such a "cute family." And NO, we did NOT wear matching t-shirts or anything...speaking of t-shirts, your children can get FREE ones even if they do not participate in the kid's club- just ask guest services for one. That's one of many tips to follow...including how to get really cheap cute souvenirs!

 

[stsomewhere]

excited to hear the tips... we are sailing in a few weeks

 

[ChrisMouse]

 

[disneynewbee]

Congrats!!!! Can't wait to hear all about your perks.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Congrats on being picked! That is very cool. Can't wait to hear about all of your perks.

 

[tink too]

Congratulations! Can't wait to read more.

 

[WishingMom]

Ohhh...exciting.

 

[nicki.momof3]

Subscribing

 

[joseph'smom]

Okay- details on being Magical Family- On the first night, around 7:00, we went into our room and there was a letter congratuating us on being selected to be the Magical Family of the cruise. The letter was from guest services. It said to expect prizes and personalized service during the cruise. And there was a plate of chocolate dipped strawberries.

So I couldn't stand it- I had to know more- so I went up to guest services and played dumb....I asked if the letter was a trick- and was told that 2 families are picked each cruise at random...but then they said tey picked us because we were cute. So I have no idea why we were picked. Later I'll post pics- you'll be able to see how ordinary we look although my 6 yr old son is a knock out .

Okay, back to perks...we rec'd lots of food gifts twice a day. My son rec'd a stuffed Mickey, autographed pics of all the characters, a pin for trading. We rec'd a nice certificate, tickets to use at Castawy Cay - we were able to snorkel, get floats and use the boats free.

The best part was the reception they had for us- the Disney stars were there (although these stars were SNOBBY except for the teen band All Star). The reception was for all conceirge guests and the Magical Family. It was very cool.

The whole experience was amazing. It was a great cruise- even without being selected. I'd love to know what made us stick out- maybe it was when I jumped up and down when I saw Mickey for the first time (in my life.) Maybe someone saw my son run behind a lady who had lost her pin lanyard and give it back to her. I just don't know...but I am so appreciative. Okay later I'll post tips on how to save some $$$.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

How cool, glad you enjoyed your trip.

 

[wcw57]

You guys must be pretttttyyyyyyy cuuuuuute!

How exciting for you! I look forward to detailed reports and be sure to tell us more about the snobby stars (names...must have names) and what made them snobby. I can't imagine wanting to become famous and then treating your fans rotten.....makes no sense to me.

I would post pics of my family to see if you guys think we're Magical Family qualifiers, but, with the exception of my little ZuZu (the cutest little girl in the world), you can just recall the Addams Family and get an idea......

 

[woody73]

Congratulations.

Woody

 

[joseph'smom]

There were not many neg. things but let me get them over with:
1) The Disney "stars"- Jason Dolley- wore his sunglasses even at night- traveled with an entourage and was always "roped" off and untouchable- at least I thought so. Chelsea Staub- saw her mom a lot- never saw Chelsea or Nicole Anderson. the Band "All Star"- sweet, gracious and pleasant- happy to be there and happy to mingle- awesome kids!

2) Teenagers- played on the elevators all night and basically just tried to impress each other with their obnoxiousness. There were only a dozen or so like this though...

3) Okay- this will not make some of you happy with me- but I wasn't all that impressed with the food- some things were amazing, but I liked Carnaval's food better. My son LOVED the chicken strips, and all the fried unhealthy food. The Cookies BBQ was good.. Shrimp cocktail at Tritons awesome. My steak at Parrot Cay- way OVERcooked. Asked for medium, got well done. But that's okay- I ate it anyway...Most desserts were good...

4) The weather - no one could control that- but, alas, Castaway Cay beach was closed except for about 2 hrs. We did get to snorkel, float and play, but it was over way too soon. It rained almost the entire time we were docked at CC.

5) Light up JUNK at Pirate Night- the things they sell break so quickly. We exchanged two things that quit working within 5 min of purchasing. The 3rd thing quit so I asked for a credit. Save yourself $ and buy some light up sticks for the kids ahead of time...

That is really all I can think of. The good stuff- and there is a lot of that- is coming soon...

 

[joseph'smom]

1) Kid's program t-shirt- my son didn't participate but I asked guess services on last night and they gave me one and even let me pick out the color. It says "Friendship Rocks" with the boat.
2) At Mickey's Mates you can buy a 3 piece pin set that makes up the boat. It is $6 for all 3 pins. Then your kids can either keep them or trade them on the last night with the officers and get pins they like better. We bought 2 sets, kept one set and traded the other. Pins are normally $7-$11 EACH!
3) The lotions and shampoos- I asked our stateroom host a a couple more and he brought me 4 of each- I bought little basket from dollar store and put the lotion, shampoo, conditioner in basket along with a small trinket. This is our gift to grandmas.
4) If you spend $30 at Mickey's Mates, ask for the free keychain- it is really really nice...
5) I am not sure if this is because we were the Magical Family, but they have rice crispy treats on a stick in the shape of Mickey's head. They were out at the concierge reception that we were invited to- see if you can get those- they are packaged and make nice gifts for kids...
6) Take the stationary in your room and wrap it around a water bottle for a cute souvenir. Give someone that and a small gift...cheap but cute.
7) Don't forget the Mickey Ice cream bars.
8) Deck 4- Disny Vacation Club- ask them for the button and kid tatoos. I asked for 2 and they gave me 5.
8) Character pics- ask the person assisting to take a pic with YOUR camera- they take really good pics!!!!
That is all for now- more to come

 

[Narnia_girl]

Congratulations on your special trip and the perks. How exciting!! I guess Magical family of the cruise is different from Family of the day who boards first?

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip. And sorry about your CC day.

 

[tink too]

Glad your negatives list was quite short.

Looking forward to reading about your special treats.

 

[joseph'smom]

We were not the Family of the Day...this is something different; I was told 2 families are selected for the Magical Family. The cruise was great fun - even without the extra...but so glad we got to get the snorkeling gear free because we had not planned to do that and it ended up being my son's favorite part of the trip...