I Just Wanna See the Floating Lanterns Gleam! September 2023 Double Dip TR **COMPLETE** 2/25 x4

[ambula603]

We saw Eric Jones on our Disney cruise, and yes he was so cute! Hate that you missed the fireworks but it sounds like it might have been weather-related. Seeing the food is making me hungry! I love trying new things on a cruise, it is the best time to be adventurous since you know you will have more options if you don't enjoy it!

 

[khertz]

We saw Eric Jones on our Disney cruise, and yes he was so cute! Hate that you missed the fireworks but it sounds like it might have been weather-related. Seeing the food is making me hungry! I love trying new things on a cruise, it is the best time to be adventurous since you know you will have more options if you don't enjoy it!

We have been very impressed with the entertainment DCL brings on board! I remember on our one Viking cruise we were in hysterics over how awful the nighttime show was, but none of that on DCL!

I totally agree with you about being able to be more adventurous! I am that person that will always order the same thing at a restaurant because I am hesitant to try something new and not like it as much as my go-to dish. It's so nice getting to try new things on the cruise and knowing I can still order my favorite dish also!

 

[khertz]

Day 05: Thursday September 28th

Today was our second Castaway Cay stop! We were so looking forward to another beautiful relaxing day on this beautiful relaxing island! But we were not in a hurry, that’s for sure. We slept in until the 8:30 am announcement that we were cleared to exit the ship. We got our suits on, and went to breakfast at Cabanas.

IMG_3038 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3039 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3040 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We left the ship a little before 10 and decided to get a spot closer to Pelican Plunge this day, which meant a little more walking.

IMG_3041 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3043 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3044 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3045 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

As we were walking, I spotted a small box propped open on a sign and stopped to grab it.

IMG_3047 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

It was Lillian’s Pixie Dust! Her mom had posted in our cruise group that she would be sharing pixie dust throughout the cruise in memory of her daughter Lillian, who was born asleep at 36 weeks, to see how far her memory could be spread. I had been on the lookout around the ship for it, but I did not even think to be looking for it on CC and that is when I happened to spot it! It was a very sweet “Family Is Everything” Encanto necklace.

IMG_3048 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

I made sure to post these photos in her Lillian’s Pixie Dust Facebook group.

We got down to the beach by Pelican Plunge and it was definitely more crowded than the family beach but we still found some chairs and set up our stuff, then went into the water to cool off after that long walk from the ship.

Then we went over to do the slides! We have never done them before and always meant to, but never made it a priority so we’d run out of time. With 2 days on CC, this was the best time to do it.

P9280224 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

I decided to wear a life jacket because I was a little worried about being dropped into the water.

P9280228 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280230 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280231 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

The platform had a great view of the ship!

P9280233 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280237 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280241 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280243 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DH, DD and I decided to do the open slide, while DS went for the closed side. It was a lot of fun, but it goes really fast and it DROPS you into that water! After one time down, DD initially said she wanted to do it again but then changed her mind. DS did not like the closed slide at all. DH and I did the open slide again, then we each did the closed slide and could see why DS didn’t like it. The entire slide is closed until the very end, so there is absolutely no warning when you’ve made it to the bottom and it drops you into the water. Usually closed tube slides have some open slide at the bottom so you can see the sunlight coming and prepare yourself, but nothing like that on this one. We tried to convince DS to give the open one a try but he was not into it.

In the end, we decided after a full day of water slides the day before at Atlantis, Pelican Plunge was not our favorite thing ever and not worth the extra walking. I think in the future, we will just stick with the family beach, but we were glad we tried it.

P9280244 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280246 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280247 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

After the slides, DS disappeared to go hang out with his Edge friends. I decided to sit out and read while DH and DS sat in the water for a bit.

P9280251 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280252 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280253 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We had lunch again at Cookies Too and since it was our second day, they had different offerings. I got one of the spicy chicken sandwiches, some snapper, and they had jerk chicken in addition to the usual hot dogs and hamburgers. And of course we made another chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich!

IMG_3050 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3051 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

 

[khertz]

Day 05 Continued: Thursday September 28th

After lunch, DD wanted to go to Scuttle’s Cove and DH wanted to snorkel, so he took her to check her in before going to the snorkeling lagoon. I went back to our chairs to read for a bit and then sit in the water when the shade started disappearing.

Here are some of the photos DH took while snorkeling.

P9280260 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280262 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280265 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280271 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280276 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280286 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280288 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280290 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280295 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280302 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280305 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280313 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280322 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280328 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280337 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280341 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280344 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280351 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


P9280362 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

After he finished snorkeling, DH got DD from Scuttle’s Cove and came back to our chairs at the same time that DS made his way back over to us from Edge. We packed up our stuff and started working our way towards the ship, stopping at some of the shops on the way so that DH and I could each get a t-shirt we had seen that we wanted.

IMG_0478 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3052 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3054 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0481 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We decided to take the tram back to the ship to save our feet a little bit of walking.

IMG_3056 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3058 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0495 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3064 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

 

[khertz]

Day 05 Continued: Thursday September 28th

We went to the room around 3:30 to shower and relax until dinner, because there wasn’t anything going on before dinner that we really wanted to do. DD saw these princess bead art decorations we really liked while walking the hall.

IMG_3065 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DD decided to wear the necklace pixie dust to dinner that night.

IMG_3068 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Tonight, we were dining at Animator’s Palate.

IMG_0498 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0499 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0500 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0502 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0504 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0505 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0506 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3074 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3082 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

This restaurant has so many fun and interesting details! There are characters everywhere and from every era of Disney animation, and it was so hard to stop taking photos. I just wanted to capture everything!

IMG_3086 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3090 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

As we waited for our courses to begin, the screens around us would start drawing a character, and we really enjoyed trying to guess what character was being drawn.

IMG_0512 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0519 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DD got the macaroni & cheese with apple slices, and DS got pizza.

IMG_3095 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3100 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

I got an appetizer, one of my favorites on the cruise line menus. Still good, but not as good as the crab cake the night before. I also got the potato soup to try.

IMG_3099 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
BLACK TRUFFLE PASTA PURSEITTES
Pasta Purses filled with Truffle-scented Cheese and coated with a delicate Champagne Sauce

https://www.flickr.com/gp/100655747@N03/E6325UkJ36]IMG_3103[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/100655747@N03/]disneymom1024[/url], on Flickr
BAKED POTATO AND CHEDDAR CHEESE SOUP
with Bacon Bits and Chives​

For entrees, I had the pasta Bolognese and DH had the pork chop, but he was not a fan of his choice. The pasta was very good though.

IMG_3105 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
PENNETTE BOLOGNESE
Pennette Pasta mixed with a rich Bolognese Sauce Garnished with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano and Toasted Garlic Ciabatta


IMG_0522 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
HERB-CRUSTED PORK CHOP
Roast Pork Chop brushed with Dijon Mustard and crusted with Herbed Breadcrumbs served with Sun-dried Tomato Risotto and a Borolo Wine Sauce


IMG_3108 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Then, the animation show began! This was incredibly well done, and we really enjoyed it a lot, seeing all of the different characters come to life and clips from all of our favorites!

IMG_3109 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3113 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3115 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3117 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DH was taking this VIDEO of the animation show and caught the surprise guest coming out at the end!

IMG_0527 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We were on the same wavelength for dessert, so we each got the chocolate cheesecake, then we chose a sundae and the kids menu chocolate bread pudding to share.

IMG_0530 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
CHOCOLATE FUDGE CHEESECAKE
creamy Vanilla Cheesecake with a Chocolate Fudge base


IMG_0531 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
COOKIES ‘N CREAM SUNDAE
Cookies & Cream Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce and Chocolate Chip Cookies


IMG_0529 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

I couldn’t find the bread pudding on any of the menus I saw posted, so I am not totally sure how it was described, but it was delicious!

DS decided to skip dessert and went to Edge for the evening. After her Mickey bar, we took DD to the kids club and DH and I went to see the Eric Jones magic showcase. He actually showed us close up and taught us how to do some of the tricks he does in his show! He even encouraged taking video to take home and practice.

It was really cool, and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing him perform again, and even learning how to do some of the tricks!

Once that was done, we went to get DD from the club to go see the 8:30 pm Twice Charmed show.

IMG_3123 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We like Cinderella, but it is not one of our favorites so I was unsure how much we’d really enjoy this show. However, we absolutely LOVED it!! It was a great original story, basically showing what could have happened if the stepsisters had been able to thwart Cinderella in getting the prince. Vivienne Carlyle was back portraying Lady Tremaine, and she was again, absolutely fantastic!

DD was really tired, so she asked to go back to the room and go to bed. We had been hoping she’d go back to the kids club so DH and I could go to the adults-only Eric Jones show that night, but her asking to go to bed derailed that plan. I told DH he should still go because he’d been looking forward to it but he didn’t want to do it while I had to miss out.

IMG_3124 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Instead, while DD and I got ready for bed, he went to O’gill’s to watch Thursday Night Football. DS came back early saying he didn’t feel well, which he had been kind of complaining of feeling off ever since taking that big plunge off the slide in CC that morning. I thought maybe the late nights and busy days in the sun were just catching up to him so I thought an early night to bed would help. Shortly after that, DH came back too because by the time he’d gotten to the pub it was halftime, and he just gave up and came back and decided to stay in for the night.

 

[khertz]

Day 6: Friday September 29th

All too soon, it was our last day on board. Cue the tears! We had a day at sea to enjoy before we’d be leaving the next day, and it was our wedding anniversary! We were looking forward to a fun day of activities.

Unfortunately, DS still wasn’t feeling like himself. He wanted to stay in bed, so the rest of us went to Cabanas to eat and brought some food back with us for him while he hung around the room and took it slow getting up.

DD was excited when we went to leave the room and someone else had answered her poll question and drawn a little cat face on our board.

IMG_3125 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3126 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Maybe because it was a sea day more people were sleeping in or having breakfast in the restaurants, but Cabanas was much less busy than it had been every other morning.

After DS had eaten, he said he was feeling a little better so he and DH came with us while DD and I went to line up for our 10 am Royal Gathering in the Atrium.

IMG_3127 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0535 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We got to meet Ariel, Tiana, Cinderella, and Belle! I will go on a little tangent here and say I was pretty disappointed with the lack of character meets on this cruise, particularly the princesses! On our cruise group, people had been posting their disappointment at not getting Royal Gathering tickets, and I along with many others had reassured those people that there would be plenty of opportunities to meet princesses outside of the Gathering and the Royal Tea, and that was NOT the case at all! Aside from this morning, we did not see any princesses any other days of the cruise, and I didn’t see them listed in the Navigator app even on days we were off the ship in port. There were none wandering the atrium in the evenings before, between, or after dinner like we had seen on our previous Fantasy cruises. It was really disappointing, and I was lucky we had gotten the Royal Gathering!

Moving on with our morning, we got to see Ariel first! She was not available on our last cruise, so we were both excited to see her this time.

IMG_3129 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3136 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3141 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DH had spotted Rapunzel a floor up, so he got in her line which was pretty long to hold us a spot until we were done, so he was getting photos from above. This meet was not even listed in the app and had he not spotted her, DD and I would have missed out because we didn’t even notice her from where we were.

IMG_0538 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Next was one of my favorites, my hometown girl Tiana!

IMG_3145 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3151 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3154 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

One thing that cracks me up about cruises is seeing CMs doing literally everything. I spotted this CM helping organize guests through the Gathering line, and he looked a lot like Prince Charming from the show the night before

IMG_3155 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Then we saw Cinderella.

IMG_3157 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3165 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0541 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3169 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3174 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

I spotted DS waiting for us up above before we saw our final princess, Belle.

IMG_3176 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3177 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0548 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3180 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3186 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3187 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3192 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

After a great Royal Gathering, DD and I hurried upstairs to join DH in line where he was just about to the front of Rapunzel’s line, and lucky for us, she looked a lot like our friend Becca!

IMG_3194 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3199 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3210 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0569 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Rapunzel is just so cute and chatty and full of energy!! Definitely still up there as my all time favorite princess!

We went up one more floor to see Donald Duck because not only is he DH’s favorite, he was also in his superhero costume!

IMG_0570 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3218 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3224 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0581 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0587 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

 

[missjackiemcg]

I'm so glad I found this TR!! I have definitely read some of your others, and can't believe how grown your kids have gotten!

My Mom and I are sailing out of NOLA in March, and are so excited to be on the Magic! New Orleans is my Mom's most favorite place, so we actually just spent a week there for Christmas with our whole family. We're really looking forward to getting another bonus day there before we set sail. And the Magic is the last of the four original ships for me--I'll turn Gold on this cruise. yay!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

princess bead art decorations we really liked while walking the hall.

Wow! That is so cool!

However, we absolutely LOVED it!! It was a great original story, basically showing what could have happened if the stepsisters had been able to thwart Cinderella in getting the prince

I couldn't agree more with you. We loved Twice Charmed too! The original story was so refreshing as opposed to just a retelling of a classic Disney story. It's characters that you know and love but don't know what's going to happen. I wish they created more shows like that!

 

[khertz]

I'm so glad I found this TR!! I have definitely read some of your others, and can't believe how grown your kids have gotten!

My Mom and I are sailing out of NOLA in March, and are so excited to be on the Magic! New Orleans is my Mom's most favorite place, so we actually just spent a week there for Christmas with our whole family. We're really looking forward to getting another bonus day there before we set sail. And the Magic is the last of the four original ships for me--I'll turn Gold on this cruise. yay!

Can't wait to read more!

Aww, thanks, I'm so glad you found it!! Crazy how much time has passed since I started writing these trip reports. I started before I even had my oldest!

I hope you have the BEST cruise!! Surprisingly, we have never actually sailed out of New Orleans ourselves despite how easy that would be!! lol We love spending time in the city I hope you had an amazing time at Christmas and got to eat lots of good food!!

Wow! That is so cool!

I couldn't agree more with you. We loved Twice Charmed too! The original story was so refreshing as opposed to just a retelling of a classic Disney story. It's characters that you know and love but don't know what's going to happen. I wish they created more shows like that!

I totally agree about Twice Charmed, I'd LOVE to see more like that! Of the 3, it was the one I was least excited about but it ended up being my favorite! It was such a great story!

 

[khertz]

Day 6 Continued: Friday September 29th

After some fun time with the characters, we wanted to go to Sidekick Trivia at the Soul Cat Lounge. We arrived a little early so we did some coloring first while we waited for trivia to begin.

IMG_3225 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3229 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We enjoyed trivia again, but definitely did not come close to winning. Sidekick trivia was something new for us too, so it was fun trying something different. Right after trivia was a craft making door hangers so we stuck around to do that.

IMG_0589 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3230 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3233 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3235 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We wanted to go to a 12:45 game show, so we went to Cabanas for a quick lunch before that. Since DS was not feeling well, we didn’t let him go up to the buffet and made a plate for him just in case he had something.

The game show was called Heard That? and it was a ton of fun!

IMG_3239 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3241 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

People would go up head to head for a few sounds and have to guess first what it was after only hearing a small clip. Sometimes it was movie themes like Jurassic Park, or tv themes like American Idol, and even random sounds like the Disney+ opening tone. It was really funny to watch, especially when they had kids competing and some of the sounds were things that older people in the crowd recognized but they didn’t at all. One of the clues was even a Hanson song! Luckily a woman my age was competing in that round and she got it immediately!!

After the game show, DD wanted to go to the kids club so we brought her to check in, but DS said he was tired and wanted to lay down for a little while. DH and I went back to the room with him and that “little while” turned into a 2 hour nap. He definitely wasn’t himself! I napped too for a little while, and DH started packing as much as possible.

We started getting ready for dinner and DH went to get DD from the kids club so she could also change for dinner, but they took a detour on the way back to the room.

IMG_0591 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

That night, we were headed back to Rapunzel’s Royal Table for dinner, and we would be celebrating Rapunzel’s birthday! Hook Hand was there to greet us as we entered.

IMG_0594 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0596 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0599 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3250 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3251 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3252 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

The kids menus could be folded into floating lanterns!

IMG_3253 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

What a surprise, DD had macaroni & cheese while DS had pizza! They are nothing if not consistent.

IMG_3255 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3256 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

The show this night was absolutely fantastic! There were a pair of musicians that entertained us throughout, and the thuggos led us in a fun rendition of I’ve Got a Dream.

IMG_6656 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6665 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6668 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6673 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6679 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6682 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Rapunzel came around to every table to visit, and we were very excited to see her again!

IMG_0605 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

None of the appetizers were really speaking to me, but I decided to get a soup. It wasn’t great, so I only ate a little bit of it.

IMG_3259 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
POTATO CREAM SOUP
with Carrots, Leeks, Celery, and Knockwurst​

The performers were going around the restaurant and ended up playing right beside our tables.

IMG_6686 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3261 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

For entrees, I chose the prime rib and DH got the steak from the Lighter Fare options and requested it with steak fries instead of rice or a baked potato.

IMG_3264 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
CAPTAIN OF THE GUARDS ROASTED PRIME RIB OF BEEF
with a Double Baked Potato, Broccoli, Sweet Roasted Carrots, and a Red Wine-Veal Sauce


IMG_0612 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Flynn & Rapunzel took the stage so we could all sing Happy Birthday to her and to everyone celebrating a birthday!

IMG_6697 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6699 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Then we got a visit from Flynn Rider!

IMG_6710 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6712 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0615 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

 

[khertz]

Day 6 Continued: Friday September 29th

It was time for dessert! DD got the sundae instead of her normal Mickey bar.

IMG_3273 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
BIRTHDAY CUPCAKE SUNDAE
Butter Cupcake with Strawberry Compote, Birthday Ice Cream, Dipped Cream, and topped with Celebration Confetti​

DH went for 3 desserts, the sundae, the chocolate cake, and the brownie with ice cream from the kids menu.

IMG_3275 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0617 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
GOTHEL BLACKFOREST TOWER
Rich Chocolate Crème, Cherry Compote, and Chocolate Cake Tower


IMG_0619 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0616 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
RICH CHOCOLATE FUDGE CELEBRATION CAKE
with Vanilla Ice Cream​

I went with the apple strudel and the sweet bread for my options. Both were delicious!

IMG_3274 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
WARM BRAIDED APPLE STRUDEL
served with Vanilla Sauce and Butter Pecan Ice Cream


IMG_3280 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
RAPUNZEL’S FRY PAN SWEET BREAD
Fry Bread dusted with Powdered Sugar, Chocolate-Hazelnut Sauce, and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream served in Rapunzel’s Fry Pan​

Next was probably the best part of the entire dinner. The lights went down and the lanterns lit up as we were serenaded with I See the Light and the assistant servers walked through the restaurant with lanterns.

IMG_6721 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6724 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6727 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6729 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6731 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6733 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6736 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

It was a fantastic dinner show, and really the absolute perfect last dinner on board to end our cruise!

DD took some photos of me & DH together since it was our 16th wedding anniversary!

IMG_3293 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3298 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Once dinner and the show were over, we went over to the mural to take some photos.

IMG_3303 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0620 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0625 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Right after dinner, we went to see Vivienne Carlyle performing a little set called Songs for Everafter!

IMG_3307 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_6740 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

She is an absolutely stunning performer, and it was great getting to hear her showcase her talent with lots of different songs from the Disney catalogue.

IMG_3310 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

The songs I jotted down that she performed were Poor Unfortunate Souls, Spoonful of Sugar, Baby Mine, I Won’t Say That I’m in Love, and Mother Knows Best. She has an incredible voice!

We went to the room quickly after that so DD could change into pajamas because there was a 9 pm pajama party at the kids club that she didn’t want to miss even though it meant she wouldn’t be able to see the final Broadway show, Disney Dreams. I know she had fun at the party, but watching the show without her, I think she really would have loved it a lot!

IMG_3312 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3313 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

 

[khertz]

Day 6 Continued: Friday September 29th

After the show, DH and I had to go back to the room and hurry to finish packing everything we wanted to put out into the hallway for pickup before the 10 pm deadline. We just made it! Then we went to get DD from the Club for the last time and turn in her band so we could make it to the atrium for the Until We Meet Again gathering at 10:45 pm. It was already pretty packed, so we tried watching from up top.

IMG_0628 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

They brought out the characters, and some of the performers from the nighttime shows.

IMG_3315 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3320 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3322 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We had never done this before on previous cruises, so we didn’t really know what to expect. But then the captain announced that all the characters would be available for one last meet and greet! So we went downstairs because I had really been wanting to see Minnie in her Captain outfit and we had not gotten a photo with Goofy yet. He said that we might only have time for one character because they were only going to be available for about 15 minutes, so we went to Minnie first.

IMG_0631 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

I got this cute video of DD going up first and showing Minnie that her earrings were red hearts with Minnie’s name in them!

VIDEO:

IMG_3335 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3326 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0635 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3338 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Since we still had time and Goofy’s line was not long, we went over to him next.

IMG_0641 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0642 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3346 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

It worked out perfectly!! It was pretty chaotic down there, but since we really timed it right to see these two back to back in the short time we had available. People trying to see the princesses or Mickey were probably not as lucky. So I wouldn’t leave this as the only opportunity to see a character if it is really important to you! We had already seen Minnie in other outfits, so seeing her in her Captain outfit was nice to have but not a must, and I was ok with missing Goofy if we had not seen him.

After the 15 minute meet & greet time, the characters had to go back to the stage to say farewell for the last time.

IMG_3350 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3352 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3353 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3360 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3364 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Ugh, I got the final moments on video, and it was super emotional!

VIDEO:


IMG_3373 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3375 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3394 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3401 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DD was a big ball of emotion as we headed back to the room! She really took it hard this time that the cruise was ending! We were all pretty sad going to bed.

DH said he wanted to go see the final farewell at Edge happening that night. But as he went up there, DS must have been on his way back to the room. Since he was up on the pool deck, he caught this photo (and had a last ice cream cone).

IMG_0648 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We got to bed for our last night of the waves rocking us to sleep.

 

[khertz]

Day 7: Saturday September 30th

All too soon, it was time to go home. I always have every intention of going to the early breakfast, but it is just TOO early. Instead, we were up at 7 to get dressed and pack up our toiletries and pajamas to leave the room for the last time and head to Cabanas for breakfast.

IMG_0649 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0650 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3403 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3404 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_3409 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

After breakfast, we took our time heading to the exit. Our flight was not until later in the afternoon so we were not in a hurry to get off the ship.

IMG_0651 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0652 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0653 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0654 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We made it to the atrium and got a couple of photos on the way out.

IMG_0656 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0659 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We were off the ship around 8:15. Getting our luggage and going through customs didn’t take too long, and we were in an Uber and on the way to the airport by 9 am. We got there so early, we couldn’t even check bags yet so we had to wait near the Southwest counter until 11:05 before we could do that. DD got the rest of her homework done so that she didn’t have to do any more on the plane.

We got lunch after we went through security at Budweiser Brew House. Then we had a long time to wait at the gate. Then a long time to depart because of some weather. Overall, it was a lot of waiting!! But finally we were on a plane and heading home.

IMG_3519 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

And that's a wrap on our 3rd Disney Cruise vacation! Thank you if you've stuck with me this long, it always takes me longer than I realize it will to get these things posted. Life and all that jazz. But we just spend the kids' Mardi Gras break from school in California visiting Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Hollywood, and of course, Disneyland! I look forward to getting that ready to share hopefully soon!

 

[cgersic1]

Such a great trip report - thank you for taking the time to do them! I can't wait to see you all in the Disneyland report!

 

[rdkeim]

Wow - what a fantastic trip! It seems like your kids were at a great age for this. Your DS could be with his family but also do his own thing at the club. Your DD was still excited to see the characters which is fun. Such beautiful pictures - love the ones on the island with the ship in the background. I can see why there was disappointment in the lack of princess meets. I feel bad for those not able to get a spot to see them. 15 minutes for the last character meet and greet - yikes. That must have been somewhat chaotic. It seems like it was a wonderful experience - thank you for taking the time to let us all follow along. I'll watch for your next TR!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I have SO enjoyed reading this TR!! My Mom and I leave tomorrow for NOLA and our cruise leaves on Friday. Thanks for sharing all the details that make the Magic so special. I can't wait! I hope you'll share the link to your new TR here, so I don't miss it

 

[ambula603]

Sounds like a perfect ending to a great trip!

We are headed to DL for the first time ever and then the Wonder from San Diego, so I look forward to reading about those places!!

 

[khertz]

Such a great trip report - thank you for taking the time to do them! I can't wait to see you all in the Disneyland report!

Thanks so much for reading along! I am starting to work on the DL report and will hopefully have it going soon!!

Wow - what a fantastic trip! It seems like your kids were at a great age for this. Your DS could be with his family but also do his own thing at the club. Your DD was still excited to see the characters which is fun. Such beautiful pictures - love the ones on the island with the ship in the background. I can see why there was disappointment in the lack of princess meets. I feel bad for those not able to get a spot to see them. 15 minutes for the last character meet and greet - yikes. That must have been somewhat chaotic. It seems like it was a wonderful experience - thank you for taking the time to let us all follow along. I'll watch for your next TR!

Yes, it was really great having them both a little older so we didn't have to stress about naptimes or early bedtimes, but still had lots of fun meeting characters, doing crafts, etc. My son definitely enjoyed having more freedom this time too. He even said this morning that he loved Edge being on the same deck as the ice cream so he could run out and get a cone whenever he was hanging out in there!

I really couldn't believe the lack of princesses on this cruise. It was so different from our experiences on the Fantasy where we met all of them multiple times!! The last meet on the final night was SUPER chaotic, but it worked out well that we got to see the two we really wanted to see.

Thanks so much for following!

I have SO enjoyed reading this TR!! My Mom and I leave tomorrow for NOLA and our cruise leaves on Friday. Thanks for sharing all the details that make the Magic so special. I can't wait! I hope you'll share the link to your new TR here, so I don't miss it

I hope you had a GREAT cruise!!

I am getting all of the pictures organized and ready, I will definitely share here once I get it going!

Sounds like a perfect ending to a great trip!

We are headed to DL for the first time ever and then the Wonder from San Diego, so I look forward to reading about those places!!

That will be such a great trip combining DL with a DCL vacation!!! I hope you have the best time!!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I would definitely echo your character experience from this past weekend on the Magic! I was SO surprised how few characters were out meeting throughout our cruise, and it was really just the same ones it seemed. The lines were very long and chaotic. It seemed we had A LOT of first time cruisers sailing, too, so the waiting in line etiquette was really lacking as well. I was glad to be a Disney adult and not have an impatient little one with me because those lines were brutal!

 

[khertz]

I would definitely echo your character experience from this past weekend on the Magic! I was SO surprised how few characters were out meeting throughout our cruise, and it was really just the same ones it seemed. The lines were very long and chaotic. It seemed we had A LOT of first time cruisers sailing, too, so the waiting in line etiquette was really lacking as well. I was glad to be a Disney adult and not have an impatient little one with me because those lines were brutal!

The character experience on the Magic was definitely a disappointment compared to the Fantasy! Such a bummer, since that's one of our favorite parts of cruising with DCL. People not knowing how cruise line etiquette works is also very disappointing. Yeesh.