Just back from our 2d Magic crusie and it was more magical than the first. Crusied with DW & 2 DD's (7&10). Had a blast! Here are some hightlights and a few surprises we encountered along the way:
Arrival - Fri 2/15
Arrived in Orlando Intl as scheduled around 10pm. Got a porter to grab our bags and wait with the family while I ran down to Avis to p/u our SUV. At Avis discovered about 50 other cutomers all waiting for service and soon discovered that Avis was completely out of cars! Having so closely focused on planning for our cruise I failed to factor in this minor NASCAR event up in Daytona. Apparently Avis way overbooked and gave all their cars to people driving up to Daytona for the big race. (Dollar was offering a subcompact for only $700 for the week - bloodsuckers!) No biggy - called our hotel (Amerisuite) who sent a shuttle to the airport and had everyone in bed by midnight. The next morning, the hotel arranged for a car company to take us to the port in a van (r/t $140) a lot less than renting a car and parking at the port.
Embarkation - Sat 2/16
From our last cruise we knew that the Disney would start letting people on between 12:30 and 12:45 and that prior to that there would be a huge line. Starting at about 1:15 or so the line to get on the ship would be virtually non-existent. So naturally we showed up at 12:15 just in time to get at the end of the long line. (I guess we just didn't care - we were too excited
)
Some post 9/11 changes included checking our luggage in the parking lot away from the terminal - no trouble really as long as your bags are tagged with your disney tags. Also, ids for adults were checked before approaching the terminal and all paper work was checked as soon as you got inside. We flew through having all our paperwork filled out ahead of time. I highly recommend taking the time to do it before arrival. Upon boarding at about 12:55pm we had the customary picture taken and our names and hometown announced and then we proceeded to our stateroom to put down our carry-ons before going to the sail away buffet. Disney will encourage you not to go to your stateroom to 1:30 pm which is when your room is officially scheduled to be ready by, but if your carryons are anything like ours, you'll want to stow them first. The buffet at Topsiders (Deck 9) was nice especially the shrimp!!
The kids wanted to swim right after so we all headed up to the Mickey pool. Suitcases had not yet arrived so having bathing suits packed in our carry-ons worked out great. (A suggestion I picked up on these boards) It truly was the only time all crusie that the Mickey pool was not crowded. The kids had a great time and I got some good pictures. Dinner was at Parrot Cay and our server Emmanuel (Phillipines) and his assistant Johnny (Ireland) were both professional and friendly. The food quality and quantity was consistently good, and unlike some suggestions I have seen on this board, there was no opportunity to go hungry. The first night variety show was just okay - two semi-ventriliquist/comedians who might do better playing to an adult only crowd as their G and PG material was a little lame. We enjoyed the show, but compared to what we enjoyed later in the cruise, the first night show was not a highlight. After the show I wandered up to the ESPN sky box only to confirm what I had already read on these boards - NO OLYMPIC COVERAGE!!! - So much for my late night plans for the cruise.
First Day at Sea - Sun 2/17
To our great surprise our kids, who tend to shy away from large group activities, decided they wanted to go with the Oceaneer Lab group for several activities. Because my 10 year old turned 10 only 3 months ago and my 7 year old turns 8 in 3 months, Disney let us put them both in the 8-9 year old group. They seemed to enjoy themselves greatly and the kids staff on board does a phenomenal job. The only problem they encountered was the goulash they were served for lunch. To make up for an uneaten lunch we grabbed burgers and hot dogs by the pool later on. DW and I hit the stores on deck 4 - alright she hit the stores and I followed along! It was a relaxing morning. In the afternoon we met up with DDs and hung out by the pool until it was time to get ready for dinner. Our first formal night had me unhappily in a coat and tie (I wear suits all week at work - I try to avoid dressing up on vacation). Honestly, I felt a little underdressed. We saw pleanty of tuxes and cocktail dresses. There were many dark suits and several guys like me in coats, ties adn slacks and a few, very few, not wearing coats and ties. Women wore everything from the aforementioned cocktail dresses to pant suits to skirts and blouses. There was no pressure from Disney to dress in any particualr way. We dined in Lumiere's and the menu presented dishes from each of the Epcot and other WDW showcase dining areas. We enjoyed the diversity of selections very much. After dinner, off to the Hercules - The Muse-ical. Same show as 2 years ago and we still enjoyed it as much. This is a great family show done only the way Disney can. If you go to only 2 shows, this should be one - (the other should be Disney Dreams).
Second Day at Sea - Mon 2/18
The day broke blue and beautiful. We knew we were hangin on deck this gloriuos day. After breakfasting at our favorite buffet at Topsiders (there are several breakfast choices, but this worked best for us) we went off to search for a spot on the deck around 10 am. This is not an easy task especially on such a beautiful day. We finally secured 2 chairs and a table on deck 10 overlooking the Goofy pool. All the lounge chairs out at that time on decks 9 and 10 had been claimed. I would suggest staking out your turf as early as possible and then getting something to eat. Eventually, some lounge chairs freed up and we relaxed in the sun as our kids splashed around in the Goofy pool with about forty other kids (the Goofy pool is about 20 ft by 12 ft). Of course they dragged me down to the pool and here is where I almost ended our cruise abruptly. If your kids drag you down to the Goofy pool know this - the smooth blue deck next to the pool is slippery when it gets wet. Okay - Okay you probably knew that , but I mean really slippery. Do not - I repeat - Do not think it is okay to get into the pool by stepping off the high wooden ledge on to the blue wet slippery death defying deck. Use the ladder - no one will call you grandma! I know this now because in my haste to wedge my large body into the throng of splashing youths already enoying feeling like a sardine caught in a net, I decided to look cool and not use the ladder. As my foot made contact with the wet blue deck (which was also by now probably lightly coated with suntan lotion) my foot slipped out from under me and all of my weight came down on my hip as it collided with the metal coping edge of the deck. I then gracefully and with as few facial contortions as possible slid into the pool and underwater thankfully not squashing some youngster under me. It was quite a refreshing dip. (I did get a "Hey Dad you okay?" from my 10 yo - it was refreshing to know that she was actually paying attention to something I was doing) After hobbling out of the pool (using the ladder this time!) I immediately sought out the most convenient therapy for my hip and ordered the drink of the day and rejoined my spouse who returned my soulful complaints of pain with a wry smile and a chuckle. I ordered another drink. Dinner that night was in Animator's Palate - our favorite restaurant - both for its menu and its decor. The servers put on a great show that I won't spoil here - just don't miss it! The show in the theatre that night was the "madcap" musical starring Morty the Magnificent. A cute and clever show, more comedy than magic, but still a lot of fun. After the show, my DDs talked us into a late night swim at the Goofy pool. I did not even try to get in this time!
St. Maarten - Tue 2/19
Prior to departure, I had booked the French Riviera excursion. We wanted to spend some time at the beach, but also leave enough time to shop. I was concerned that we would spend much of our limited time caught up with a large group and really wouldn't get to do things we wanted to. The cost of the excursion for our family was $170. The morning of the excursion we went down to Rockin Bar D as instructed at 9:45am to find the room full and the explanation of the excursion well underway. There were nearly 250 people signed up for the excursion and at the last minute we backed out. Disney policy is that excursion reservations are not refundable, but when I explained that we wished to cancel because the excursion seemed overcrowded, the cruise staff was extremely accomodating and credited us witht he full price of the trip. We hustled off the ship and asked for directions as to where to rent a car. I read a trip report on this board from a family who highly recommended seeing the island on your own and was inspired by it. As anticipated we walked only a few hundred yards before being approached by a representative of the Safari car rental agency. They told us they would put us in a Suzuki mini-SUV for $70 for the day. It sure beat $170 for the excursion, so we agreed. We waited a while for our ride to show up , but then suddenly a family of six decided they wanted to rent a van and gave up their Toyota Rav-4 to us. So we got a nicer ride (including A/C) for the same price. We left and I immediately noticed that we had less than a half of tank of gas, but hey, its a Toyota and gets pretty good gas mileage right? Anyway, I didn't want to waste time by stopping for anything including gas. My plan was to drive to the French side and go to Lounge Bay which I read was a nice beach and not often crowded. While the roads were narrow, I've certainly been on worse roads in the US, but the directional signs were confusing. Of course, I didn't want to waste time by stopping for anything - including asking for directions. After twice doubling back I found my way to the French capital of Marigot. The streets in Marigot were just wide enough for a small car to parrallel park and a small delivery truck to sneak past. (Most of the roads in the city were one way) After winding around the city for twenty enjoyable minutes during which we had time to really communicate as a family (as we were passing the shopping district DW says "You know I really want to do more today than just look at the shopping"; while coming to a dead-end parking lot at a neighborhood school I suggested " Hey kids if we can't find the beach maybe you can join the kids at the school playground"; and of course DDs asked numerous times "Dad are we getting to the beach soon" which translates to "Dad are you an idiot and will I become one at your age?") I finally asked directions to the beach. (Well we were stopped in traffic anyway so I just leaned out my window and asked the guy in the car next to me six inches away.) Soon thereafter we arrived at Lounge Bay to find it virtually deserted. The beach is a beautiful stretch of white sand and there were about five other people on the beach (and only one of them was nude!) There are rocks along the coast, but they are not jagged and not everywhere. We had a great time and collected lots of fabulous shells. We then got back in our car and with remarkable alacrity I found our way swiftly back to Phillipburg where we spent the balance of the day shopping. The girls got their hair braided in town for $1 a braid and it was done very well by Camielle. We returned our vehicle which still showed the same half empty tank and returned to the ship for our Tropicalifragelisticexpealidocious dinner at Parrot Cay. The meal was nice and, unfortunately the kids went to the ladies room just before the servers put on their big show. After dinner entertainment feautered the disney cruise ship Prem-ear of Return to Neverland. It was a very good movie that we all enjoyed. When you enter the theatre do not be fooled by the dropped screens on the sides, the movie is shown on a lrage screen centered on the stage.
St. Thomas - Weds - 2/20
I really wanted to go to Megan's Bay, but all the taxi drivers said the surf was too rough for kids that day because of strong winds. Instead we took a cab to Morningstar beach which is relatively close to where the ships dock. It is located at the Marriot hotel and is a very nice resort beach. We arranged for our dirver to pick us up at a specific time and he charged us $3 per person each way. We ate lunch at the Marriot on the beach and went in to town to shop. Try going down the side streets that run off of Main Street, we found the shops off the main drag to be much more interesting. Back on board we dined at Lumiere's again and this time enjoyed the regular Lumiere's menu. Upon departing St. Thomas the seas began getting a little rough and by the time dinner was over we were rockin in 15-20 ft seas. We were safe enough, but that big ship was sure moving around. My 10 yo and I tried to go to the show "Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer/" but the rocking of the ship was worse forward where the theatre was so we returned to our stateroom and were eventually rocked to sleep. As an aside, I had read on these boards some concerns about rooms on deck 8 (where we were) being a bit noisy. Other than the occasional person running on deck overhead, we heard nothing. We loved being on deck 8 - it was extremely convenient to get to the pools and Topsiders, and being near mid ship I think lessened the rocking of the ship for us.
Day at Sea - Thurs 2/21
This was another glorious day by the pools. We got out early and staked out 4 nice lounge chairs on deck 9 by the Goofy pool. By 1 pm we were roasting, so we gave up our chairs and went inside to cool down. My wife went for a manicure while I went up to the sports deck with the kids and played around with a basketball. We all later met up for a galley tour. Disney had "Behind the Scenes" events everyday that all seemed interesting but this is the only one we did. We were taken through the huge kitchen by the head chef for Lumiere's and then got chocolate chip cookies at the end. It was very nice. After the tour we went out to deck 4 outside where my children discovered the game of shuffleboard. We had a blast playing, but watch out for the runners. Deck 4 is used as a jogging track and lord help you if you get in their way. The joggers have about 4 feet to pass by the shuffleboard court and my 7 yo almost got trampled by a jogger as she stepped off to the side of the shuffleboard court. Another jogger just kept running down the middle of the shuffleboard court even as we were playing until he tripped on my carlessly placed stick. Despite the traffic hazards we still had a lot of fun. For dinner we were back in our dress clothes for dinner at Animator's Palate. No show, but the menu was great - the theme was "its a small world" and the dishes were from many different countries. The after dinner show in the theatre was Disney Dreams - another repeat from our last cruise - bu for good reason. This is the best show on the ship - Don't miss it! Lots of Disney charaacters, good songs, good dancing and a good message.
Castaway Cay - Fri 2/22 - Our Last Day
We could not have prayed for better weather. I had reserved the full activity pakage including floats, snorkel equipment and bikes for the kids. DW staked out a great location and chairs and an umbrella right in front of the big playground in the water. We did our snorkeling early as we wanted to get in before the water got too stirred up. The water was cooler than it was in St. Thomas and St. Maarten and my 7 yo did not stay in long snorkeling. My 10 yo and I stayed out maybe 20 minutes, but she too got cold. We saw a decent number of fish, but nothing terribly remarkable. I'm certain the snorkeling in St. thomas and St. Maarten is much better, but this was my kids first time and the Castaway Cay environment is safe and friendly. We chose to eat a little early (11:45) and were pleased we did. Last trip we waited until about 12:30 and stood on a long line. This time we walked up without any wait. The food, like last time, was only so-so. After lunch the kids picked up there bikes and went off riding on the paths. DW and I walked along the path and stayed in radio contact. We had not walked the path before and fopund it very nice. We went over to Serenity beach (the adults only area) and found it to be very nice. Also, we were surprised to se a slightly different menu offered including what look to be grilled shrimp or lobster tails. Alas we were not hungry. We all met up and went back to the family beach for more sun and fun until they cleared the water at about 3:30 pm. Back on board we cleaned up and I went to the disembarkation talk. Don't waste your time going! Everything you need to know is on the flyer they leave in your room and if you really want to see the presentation they play it over and over again on Channel 16 on your stateroom TV. We dined at Parrot Cay and then went to the farewell variety show. Two acts that were okay interspersed with the Disney cast member dancers and singers who are great! Back to the stateroom to pack. Bags have to be out in the hallway by 11 pm.
Disembarkation - Sat 2/23
Breakfast at 6:45 am. Said goodbye to our servers and stateroom host Austin - who was also great. We had a lot of fun guessing what his towel animals weere that he left us each night. We were off the ship by 8:00 am butt were still glowing with the thrill and pleasure of our disney cruise.
HAPPY CRUISING TO ALL OF YOU. WE'LL BE JOINING YOU AGAIN!
Arrival - Fri 2/15
Arrived in Orlando Intl as scheduled around 10pm. Got a porter to grab our bags and wait with the family while I ran down to Avis to p/u our SUV. At Avis discovered about 50 other cutomers all waiting for service and soon discovered that Avis was completely out of cars! Having so closely focused on planning for our cruise I failed to factor in this minor NASCAR event up in Daytona. Apparently Avis way overbooked and gave all their cars to people driving up to Daytona for the big race. (Dollar was offering a subcompact for only $700 for the week - bloodsuckers!) No biggy - called our hotel (Amerisuite) who sent a shuttle to the airport and had everyone in bed by midnight. The next morning, the hotel arranged for a car company to take us to the port in a van (r/t $140) a lot less than renting a car and parking at the port.
Embarkation - Sat 2/16
From our last cruise we knew that the Disney would start letting people on between 12:30 and 12:45 and that prior to that there would be a huge line. Starting at about 1:15 or so the line to get on the ship would be virtually non-existent. So naturally we showed up at 12:15 just in time to get at the end of the long line. (I guess we just didn't care - we were too excited
)Some post 9/11 changes included checking our luggage in the parking lot away from the terminal - no trouble really as long as your bags are tagged with your disney tags. Also, ids for adults were checked before approaching the terminal and all paper work was checked as soon as you got inside. We flew through having all our paperwork filled out ahead of time. I highly recommend taking the time to do it before arrival. Upon boarding at about 12:55pm we had the customary picture taken and our names and hometown announced and then we proceeded to our stateroom to put down our carry-ons before going to the sail away buffet. Disney will encourage you not to go to your stateroom to 1:30 pm which is when your room is officially scheduled to be ready by, but if your carryons are anything like ours, you'll want to stow them first. The buffet at Topsiders (Deck 9) was nice especially the shrimp!!
The kids wanted to swim right after so we all headed up to the Mickey pool. Suitcases had not yet arrived so having bathing suits packed in our carry-ons worked out great. (A suggestion I picked up on these boards) It truly was the only time all crusie that the Mickey pool was not crowded. The kids had a great time and I got some good pictures. Dinner was at Parrot Cay and our server Emmanuel (Phillipines) and his assistant Johnny (Ireland) were both professional and friendly. The food quality and quantity was consistently good, and unlike some suggestions I have seen on this board, there was no opportunity to go hungry. The first night variety show was just okay - two semi-ventriliquist/comedians who might do better playing to an adult only crowd as their G and PG material was a little lame. We enjoyed the show, but compared to what we enjoyed later in the cruise, the first night show was not a highlight. After the show I wandered up to the ESPN sky box only to confirm what I had already read on these boards - NO OLYMPIC COVERAGE!!! - So much for my late night plans for the cruise.First Day at Sea - Sun 2/17
To our great surprise our kids, who tend to shy away from large group activities, decided they wanted to go with the Oceaneer Lab group for several activities. Because my 10 year old turned 10 only 3 months ago and my 7 year old turns 8 in 3 months, Disney let us put them both in the 8-9 year old group. They seemed to enjoy themselves greatly and the kids staff on board does a phenomenal job. The only problem they encountered was the goulash they were served for lunch. To make up for an uneaten lunch we grabbed burgers and hot dogs by the pool later on. DW and I hit the stores on deck 4 - alright she hit the stores and I followed along! It was a relaxing morning. In the afternoon we met up with DDs and hung out by the pool until it was time to get ready for dinner. Our first formal night had me unhappily in a coat and tie (I wear suits all week at work - I try to avoid dressing up on vacation). Honestly, I felt a little underdressed. We saw pleanty of tuxes and cocktail dresses. There were many dark suits and several guys like me in coats, ties adn slacks and a few, very few, not wearing coats and ties. Women wore everything from the aforementioned cocktail dresses to pant suits to skirts and blouses. There was no pressure from Disney to dress in any particualr way. We dined in Lumiere's and the menu presented dishes from each of the Epcot and other WDW showcase dining areas. We enjoyed the diversity of selections very much. After dinner, off to the Hercules - The Muse-ical. Same show as 2 years ago and we still enjoyed it as much. This is a great family show done only the way Disney can. If you go to only 2 shows, this should be one - (the other should be Disney Dreams).
Second Day at Sea - Mon 2/18
The day broke blue and beautiful. We knew we were hangin on deck this gloriuos day. After breakfasting at our favorite buffet at Topsiders (there are several breakfast choices, but this worked best for us) we went off to search for a spot on the deck around 10 am. This is not an easy task especially on such a beautiful day. We finally secured 2 chairs and a table on deck 10 overlooking the Goofy pool. All the lounge chairs out at that time on decks 9 and 10 had been claimed. I would suggest staking out your turf as early as possible and then getting something to eat. Eventually, some lounge chairs freed up and we relaxed in the sun as our kids splashed around in the Goofy pool with about forty other kids (the Goofy pool is about 20 ft by 12 ft). Of course they dragged me down to the pool and here is where I almost ended our cruise abruptly. If your kids drag you down to the Goofy pool know this - the smooth blue deck next to the pool is slippery when it gets wet. Okay - Okay you probably knew that , but I mean really slippery. Do not - I repeat - Do not think it is okay to get into the pool by stepping off the high wooden ledge on to the blue wet slippery death defying deck. Use the ladder - no one will call you grandma! I know this now because in my haste to wedge my large body into the throng of splashing youths already enoying feeling like a sardine caught in a net, I decided to look cool and not use the ladder. As my foot made contact with the wet blue deck (which was also by now probably lightly coated with suntan lotion) my foot slipped out from under me and all of my weight came down on my hip as it collided with the metal coping edge of the deck. I then gracefully and with as few facial contortions as possible slid into the pool and underwater thankfully not squashing some youngster under me. It was quite a refreshing dip. (I did get a "Hey Dad you okay?" from my 10 yo - it was refreshing to know that she was actually paying attention to something I was doing) After hobbling out of the pool (using the ladder this time!) I immediately sought out the most convenient therapy for my hip and ordered the drink of the day and rejoined my spouse who returned my soulful complaints of pain with a wry smile and a chuckle. I ordered another drink. Dinner that night was in Animator's Palate - our favorite restaurant - both for its menu and its decor. The servers put on a great show that I won't spoil here - just don't miss it! The show in the theatre that night was the "madcap" musical starring Morty the Magnificent. A cute and clever show, more comedy than magic, but still a lot of fun. After the show, my DDs talked us into a late night swim at the Goofy pool. I did not even try to get in this time!
St. Maarten - Tue 2/19
Prior to departure, I had booked the French Riviera excursion. We wanted to spend some time at the beach, but also leave enough time to shop. I was concerned that we would spend much of our limited time caught up with a large group and really wouldn't get to do things we wanted to. The cost of the excursion for our family was $170. The morning of the excursion we went down to Rockin Bar D as instructed at 9:45am to find the room full and the explanation of the excursion well underway. There were nearly 250 people signed up for the excursion and at the last minute we backed out. Disney policy is that excursion reservations are not refundable, but when I explained that we wished to cancel because the excursion seemed overcrowded, the cruise staff was extremely accomodating and credited us witht he full price of the trip. We hustled off the ship and asked for directions as to where to rent a car. I read a trip report on this board from a family who highly recommended seeing the island on your own and was inspired by it. As anticipated we walked only a few hundred yards before being approached by a representative of the Safari car rental agency. They told us they would put us in a Suzuki mini-SUV for $70 for the day. It sure beat $170 for the excursion, so we agreed. We waited a while for our ride to show up , but then suddenly a family of six decided they wanted to rent a van and gave up their Toyota Rav-4 to us. So we got a nicer ride (including A/C) for the same price. We left and I immediately noticed that we had less than a half of tank of gas, but hey, its a Toyota and gets pretty good gas mileage right? Anyway, I didn't want to waste time by stopping for anything including gas. My plan was to drive to the French side and go to Lounge Bay which I read was a nice beach and not often crowded. While the roads were narrow, I've certainly been on worse roads in the US, but the directional signs were confusing. Of course, I didn't want to waste time by stopping for anything - including asking for directions. After twice doubling back I found my way to the French capital of Marigot. The streets in Marigot were just wide enough for a small car to parrallel park and a small delivery truck to sneak past. (Most of the roads in the city were one way) After winding around the city for twenty enjoyable minutes during which we had time to really communicate as a family (as we were passing the shopping district DW says "You know I really want to do more today than just look at the shopping"; while coming to a dead-end parking lot at a neighborhood school I suggested " Hey kids if we can't find the beach maybe you can join the kids at the school playground"; and of course DDs asked numerous times "Dad are we getting to the beach soon" which translates to "Dad are you an idiot and will I become one at your age?") I finally asked directions to the beach. (Well we were stopped in traffic anyway so I just leaned out my window and asked the guy in the car next to me six inches away.) Soon thereafter we arrived at Lounge Bay to find it virtually deserted. The beach is a beautiful stretch of white sand and there were about five other people on the beach (and only one of them was nude!) There are rocks along the coast, but they are not jagged and not everywhere. We had a great time and collected lots of fabulous shells. We then got back in our car and with remarkable alacrity I found our way swiftly back to Phillipburg where we spent the balance of the day shopping. The girls got their hair braided in town for $1 a braid and it was done very well by Camielle. We returned our vehicle which still showed the same half empty tank and returned to the ship for our Tropicalifragelisticexpealidocious dinner at Parrot Cay. The meal was nice and, unfortunately the kids went to the ladies room just before the servers put on their big show. After dinner entertainment feautered the disney cruise ship Prem-ear of Return to Neverland. It was a very good movie that we all enjoyed. When you enter the theatre do not be fooled by the dropped screens on the sides, the movie is shown on a lrage screen centered on the stage.
St. Thomas - Weds - 2/20
I really wanted to go to Megan's Bay, but all the taxi drivers said the surf was too rough for kids that day because of strong winds. Instead we took a cab to Morningstar beach which is relatively close to where the ships dock. It is located at the Marriot hotel and is a very nice resort beach. We arranged for our dirver to pick us up at a specific time and he charged us $3 per person each way. We ate lunch at the Marriot on the beach and went in to town to shop. Try going down the side streets that run off of Main Street, we found the shops off the main drag to be much more interesting. Back on board we dined at Lumiere's again and this time enjoyed the regular Lumiere's menu. Upon departing St. Thomas the seas began getting a little rough and by the time dinner was over we were rockin in 15-20 ft seas. We were safe enough, but that big ship was sure moving around. My 10 yo and I tried to go to the show "Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer/" but the rocking of the ship was worse forward where the theatre was so we returned to our stateroom and were eventually rocked to sleep. As an aside, I had read on these boards some concerns about rooms on deck 8 (where we were) being a bit noisy. Other than the occasional person running on deck overhead, we heard nothing. We loved being on deck 8 - it was extremely convenient to get to the pools and Topsiders, and being near mid ship I think lessened the rocking of the ship for us.
Day at Sea - Thurs 2/21
This was another glorious day by the pools. We got out early and staked out 4 nice lounge chairs on deck 9 by the Goofy pool. By 1 pm we were roasting, so we gave up our chairs and went inside to cool down. My wife went for a manicure while I went up to the sports deck with the kids and played around with a basketball. We all later met up for a galley tour. Disney had "Behind the Scenes" events everyday that all seemed interesting but this is the only one we did. We were taken through the huge kitchen by the head chef for Lumiere's and then got chocolate chip cookies at the end. It was very nice. After the tour we went out to deck 4 outside where my children discovered the game of shuffleboard. We had a blast playing, but watch out for the runners. Deck 4 is used as a jogging track and lord help you if you get in their way. The joggers have about 4 feet to pass by the shuffleboard court and my 7 yo almost got trampled by a jogger as she stepped off to the side of the shuffleboard court. Another jogger just kept running down the middle of the shuffleboard court even as we were playing until he tripped on my carlessly placed stick. Despite the traffic hazards we still had a lot of fun. For dinner we were back in our dress clothes for dinner at Animator's Palate. No show, but the menu was great - the theme was "its a small world" and the dishes were from many different countries. The after dinner show in the theatre was Disney Dreams - another repeat from our last cruise - bu for good reason. This is the best show on the ship - Don't miss it! Lots of Disney charaacters, good songs, good dancing and a good message.
Castaway Cay - Fri 2/22 - Our Last Day
We could not have prayed for better weather. I had reserved the full activity pakage including floats, snorkel equipment and bikes for the kids. DW staked out a great location and chairs and an umbrella right in front of the big playground in the water. We did our snorkeling early as we wanted to get in before the water got too stirred up. The water was cooler than it was in St. Thomas and St. Maarten and my 7 yo did not stay in long snorkeling. My 10 yo and I stayed out maybe 20 minutes, but she too got cold. We saw a decent number of fish, but nothing terribly remarkable. I'm certain the snorkeling in St. thomas and St. Maarten is much better, but this was my kids first time and the Castaway Cay environment is safe and friendly. We chose to eat a little early (11:45) and were pleased we did. Last trip we waited until about 12:30 and stood on a long line. This time we walked up without any wait. The food, like last time, was only so-so. After lunch the kids picked up there bikes and went off riding on the paths. DW and I walked along the path and stayed in radio contact. We had not walked the path before and fopund it very nice. We went over to Serenity beach (the adults only area) and found it to be very nice. Also, we were surprised to se a slightly different menu offered including what look to be grilled shrimp or lobster tails. Alas we were not hungry. We all met up and went back to the family beach for more sun and fun until they cleared the water at about 3:30 pm. Back on board we cleaned up and I went to the disembarkation talk. Don't waste your time going! Everything you need to know is on the flyer they leave in your room and if you really want to see the presentation they play it over and over again on Channel 16 on your stateroom TV. We dined at Parrot Cay and then went to the farewell variety show. Two acts that were okay interspersed with the Disney cast member dancers and singers who are great! Back to the stateroom to pack. Bags have to be out in the hallway by 11 pm.
Disembarkation - Sat 2/23
Breakfast at 6:45 am. Said goodbye to our servers and stateroom host Austin - who was also great. We had a lot of fun guessing what his towel animals weere that he left us each night. We were off the ship by 8:00 am butt were still glowing with the thrill and pleasure of our disney cruise.
HAPPY CRUISING TO ALL OF YOU. WE'LL BE JOINING YOU AGAIN!
