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DISNEY MAGIC EASTERN ITINERY

7 NIGHT JULY 2001

07/05/2001 Tony left today to go get Timothy. This was our last chance to organize together before the trip. I hope I don’t forget anything! Have to work this afternoon yet, then I’m officially on vacation!! Should hear from Tony tonight about 8:30 p.m.

07/06/2001 Tony called last night at 9:30ish. He got to CA no problems. Slight delay in Phoenix (hope this is the only delay). Timothy sounded SO happy and excited. I think we’re pretty much ready. The only stuff to do today is:

1. Pack garment bag
2. Pack Connor’s backpack
3. Buy Connor’s books
4. Pack car.

I can barely wait to get there tomorrow! I’m going to get up at 3:00 a.m. to head out.

07/07/2001 EMBARKATION What a day!! Connor and I got up at 3:00 a.m. and hit the road for Manchester by 4:00 a.m. Our flight to D.C. went off without a hitch as did the flight from D.C. to Orlando. However, when we got to Orlando we couldn’t find Tony and Timothy anywhere. I thought he said they were going to meet us at the gate. Of course, the airport paging system was down and Tony wasn’t answering his cell phone. UGH!!!! Eventually, Connor and I went to the motor coach area. Eventually Tony and Timothy showed up. Turns out they were waiting at baggage claim. All in all, we only lost about 1/2 hour from our miscommunication. Next, it was time to get in line to get on the bus for Part Canaveral. Bus ride was great, they showed a video of what to expect on board that lasted the whole ride. It helped to pass the time. Pulling up to the ship was amazing!! The boys couldn’t stop oohing and aahing over it. We then entered the terminal to check in. This is the only place so far where I thought DCL does poorly. It’s a free-for-all to get into a line to check in and then you have to wait in a HUGE serpentine line to get on board. RCCL does a MUCH better job a checking in. After we got on board, we went to our stateroom. What an amazing large space with plenty of storage room!! The split bathroom is wonderful. From here Tony went to register the boys for the Lab and I went to make a ressie for the Surial Bath at the spa (Thurs. at 2:00 p.m.). Met back up with the boys at the Lab and we went to Topsiders to get some lunch. The buffet was nice not spectacular, but nice. After lunch we dropped off our shore excursion request at the box on deck 3. The boys wanted to go swimming so we came back to the room and since our luggage was here already (for once), I decided to stay behind and unpack. Next we had to go to the dreaded lifeboat drill (hot and yucky as always). After muster we went to the Sail Away Celebration, but we had to leave early to get ready for dinner. Got dressed in casual attire and headed out for Parrot Cay for supper. Marcus and Sean are our servers and we have a table to ourselves. After supper we just headed back to the room because poor Timothy couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore. The boys played gameboy and watched cartoons and we ordered pizza from room service. I think we were sound asleep by 9:00 p.m. Our hidden porthole room is amazing!! Our view out is spectacular, barely obstructed at all and the boys love to sit in the big windowsill and look out!

07/08/2001 DAY AT SEA Up at 6:15 a.m. and waiting for room service to bring THE COFFEE!!! Had coffee got dressed, and headed out for breakfast, sit-down breakfast at Lumiere’s. The boys had fantastic table manners, I’ve been very proud of them. They ate like champs. After breakfast we wandered around a bit, then dropped the boys off at the Lab. Tony and I took advantage of the alone time and took some ballroom dancing classes. We learned the Foxtrot and the Rumba. As an aside, we stink at dancing!!! Had a great time though. Tony and I definitely won’t be competing anytime soon. Next we did a little shopping and picked up a Christopher Radko ornament and a nice poster. Came back to the room and got changed into bathing suits. We went and picked up the boys, got them changed and headed out to the pool. Hung out there for about an hour, then went to Topsiders for some lunch. Connor ate like a fiend, I think the fresh air makes him hungry. Timothy is still picking at his food, but we’ll get him eating soon! After Topsiders Tony, Timothy, and Connor went to the arcade while I staked out a spot on deck 10. Tony and I laid out in the sun for a while and the boys went to the Mickey pool to swim. The breeze was nice on deck 10 and kept it from getting too hot. Came back to the room and relaxed for awhile. The boys watched part of Hercules then went to the gift shop with Tony. When they got back we all started to get our showers to get ready for formal night because they were starting to take pictures at 5:00 p.m. Everyone got dressed with a minimum of fuss and we were down to deck 3 by 5:05 p.m. We looked wonderful all dressed up, it was well worth the effort. I’m glad we got there early because by the time we were finished the lines were very long. Since we had about 45 minutes until supper, we took the boys for a before dinner cocktail. I had a seabreeze, Tony had a rum punch, and the boys had Shirley Temples. There was a band playing in the Promenade Lounge so we enjoyed a little dancing. Dinner was lovely again, we were in Lumiere’s tonight. For dessert Tony arranged for birthday cakes for the boys and we had pecan cheesecake. After dinner we came back and changed into comfy clothes and headed out for “Hercules the Muse-ical.” What a cute show, it was very funny, well worth seeing. After the show the boys wanted to go to the Lab for a bit so we dropped them off and headed off for an adult comedy show. Of course, the beeper went off 15 minutes into the show. I think we need to make sure the boys understand that we are usually doing stuff when they’re in the Lab. We came back, got into PJ’s and crawled into bed. The end of another beautiful day in paradise.

07/09/2001 DAY AT SEA The phone rang at 6:45 a.m. to let us know room service was on its way. Had coffee, and now we getting ready for the day. Had breakfast at Lumiere’s again this morning, then the boys went to the Lab while Tony and I hit the Serenity Pool for a little laying out in the sun. Picked the boys up for lunch. They had made commercials in the morning. Ate lunch at Lumiere’s as well, but I think we’d have enjoyed Topsider’s more. In the afternoon the boys went back to the Lab while we relaxed in the room. Picked them up at 2:15 p.m., had a snack and went to the matinee show of “C’est Magique.” What a cute show, glad we made it to the matinee. After that we took the boys to the pool until it was time to get ready for dinner. The boys really enjoyed the water slide because it wasn’t as crowded. Came back and got dressed for dinner. Tonight we were at Animator’s Palate, the black-and-white restaurant that changes to color, very cute effects, the boys were WILD for it!! After dinner the boys wanted to hit the Lab again to make Flubber, so we’ve got the whole evening to ourselves. Of course, we can’t find anything to do with all of this spare time. The next thing we want to do is at 10:15. I think we’ll go to check on the boys before we go to the dueling pianos just to make sure we won’t get a page in the middle of it. The boys were all set, so we went to the pianos, but Tony didn’t like it because it was all Beatles songs (he’s not a fan).

07/10/2001 ST. MARTIN Room service for breakfast this a.m. and off we went to wait for our Golden Eagle Catamaran trip. Took a water taxi to the town beach and walked to the pier with the catamaran. The entire front deck was black webbing. We were told that you would get wet if you sat out there. Well, let me tell you, wet does not even begin to describe the encounter. Once they opened up both sails we FLEW across the water, and huge waves were crashing over us. Luckily, the boys had life vests on and I could hang on to them. After awhile Tony and Timothy went inside and proceeded to get terribly seasick. Connor and I stayed outside and had a great time. When we got to the deserted island (can’t remember the name), it was a short swim to the beach. The water was beautiful and the boys and I had a great time swimming. Tony really didn’t get in much since he wasn’t feeling well yet. Connor learned to snorkel and had a great time. Tony and Timothy didn’t get sick on the way back, but I think it was touch and go some of the time. After we got back to the boat we showered, and took the kids to Topsiders for lunch. Then we dropped them off at the Lab, and headed back into town for shopping!! Went to Kay Jewelers (not the same ones) on the recommendation of Shelby (shopping CM). Boy did I have fun!!!! Got two blue topazes set for earrings to match my pendant. Also, got a sapphire and diamond pendant, sapphire stud earrings, an Omega chain, and a gold anklet since I had lost mine on the catamaran ride. Did some more shopping and headed back to the boat. Relaxed in the room and then got ready for tropical night in Parrot Cay. After dinner we went to see a showing of A”tlantis: the Lost Empire,” then it was time for bed, since we’ve got another long day ahead of us.

07/11/2001 ST. THOMAS Got up early this morning to see St. Thomas out of our window. What a glorious day. Missed room service since they didn’t call until 7:10, when we were heading out the door for Topsiders. Left the boat by 8:00 a.m. and hired a taxi to take us to Coral World. Cost was $7/person one way. Admission to Coral World was $18/adult and $9/child, but we got coupons from our driver and the total was $42. Coral World was nice with fish and coral exhibits with feeding tanks, etc. But even better was Cokki Beach next door. I just love swimming in the blue, blue waters. The boys had fun chasing the fish around trying to catch one. After we were finished at the beach we headed back to Havensight Mall with Christopher, a taxi driver that our first driver arranged for us. The ride back was in an open air taxi cab. What fun!!! Havensight is right next to the cruise ships so we did some souvenir shopping and I bought a tablecloth and napkins. We returned to the boat and ate lunch at Topsiders. After lunch the boys wanted to go to the arcade and I went and booked a spa treatment. I had a 30 minutes massage and a 30 minute facial while the boys and Tony hung out by the pool. Then they showered and went to the Lab for free time, dinner, and a movie with the other kids. Woo hoo, 5 hours of free time for Tony and I. We just hung out and wandered around, then had supper at Topsiders. It’s serve yourself for appetizers and desserts, but table service for entrees. Nice, but I prefer the dining room. After dinner we picked up the boys and headed off to see “Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer.” Cute, even though none of us were picked. Finally, we decided to head to bed early since we’re all tired and grumpy. Tomorrow is our character breakfast, and our last full day at sea.

07/12/2001 DAY AT SEA Our third relaxing day at sea. Woke up at 7:00 a.m. to room service coffee. Got ready at a nice relaxed pace and headed down to the character breakfast at Parrots Cay. Was pretty cool, Mickey, Minnie and Dale stopped by. Sean and Marcus served us..it was nice to see them in the a.m. After breakfast we got changed and headed out to the pools. It was incredibly hot today with no breeze so Tony and I set up in the shade at a table. After about an hour and a half we headed down to get cleaned up. On Marcus and Sean’s advice we went to Parrot Cay for the Seafood Buffet (vs. Topsiders). It was VERY good. They had shrimp, crablegs, sushi, mussels, fish fillets, etc. Then they had a whole other bar with regular entrees. After lunch we sent the boys to the Lab and were biding our time until our Surial Bath. About 15 minutes before our appointment they called and had to cancel because the hot water was broken. So we headed up o the spa to check out the Rainforest room. They left us use it for free today, I guess to make up for our disappointment. It was cool. There was a gentle steam room, an aromatic steam room and a gentle sauna. In the main room there are four chaise lounges with tile on them that are heated. When we finished in the Rainforest room we collected the boys from the Lab and went to see the show “Disney Dreams.” It was very good, I’ve enjoyed all of the stage shows. After the show it was time to get dressed up for semi-formal night. We went and got our pictures taken with Mickey then went to Studio Sea for a family dance party and some before dinner cocktails. Dinner tonight was at Animator’s Palate for the Captain’s Gala. Lobster tail and Beef tenderloin tonight, yummy!!! I also had grilled shrimp for an appetizer. After dinner we got changed and headed to the pool for a few hours. When we got back to the room, Tony and I ordered pizza for the boys and headed up to the Rainforest room for an hour. The end of another beautiful day on vacation.

07/14/2001 CASTAWAY CAY Last day of vacation, sigh. Got up and showered and went to Lumiere’s for breakfast. After breakfast we went to deck 10 to hang out and watch Castaway Cay come into view. About 9:00 a.m. we headed downstairs to get in line for debarkation. Of course we couldn’t get off until 9:50 a.m. so we were all hot and grumpy. Finally, we exited (they don’t check card) and headed off to find spots. We just walked to the family beach instead of taking the tram. It seemed faster. After a short walk we got to the almost empty beach (and beat the tram). We found a nice spot back from the water with an umbrella (very important), two lounge chairs and two sand chairs. I went and rented snorkel gear for Connor and I and three floats. I hadn’t pre-rented any of this stuff and I had no problems since I took care of it as soon as we got there. In fact, at both places, I waited less than most people who had pre-rented. I would recommend doing it early. Connor and I geared up and hit the snorkel trail. We did really well, even if we didn’t go all the way around. We saw a decent number of fish considering how many people there were, a treasure chest, and parts of a sunken ship. We snorkeled for a little over an hour. Then the boys went in swimming some and I relaxed on the chairs with Tony. At 11:30 we went to Cookie’s BBQ which was very nice. After lunch it was shopping then more swimming until 3:00 p.m. Then we headed back to the ship, got showers and started packing. It was about then that we learned there was a medical emergency and that we wouldn’t be leaving until after 8:00 pm since we were waiting for a helicopter. Went to dinner at Parrot Cay and had “It’s a Small World,” dinner. After dinner, we went to the Farewell Variety Show (excellent) and then back to the room.

03/07/2004 POSTSCRIPT For some reason, I never finished reviewing this trip. I probably got very busy cleaning up post-cruise and forgot all about it. As I recall, disembarkation was as chaotic as embarking. We got back late due to the medical emergency and got to the airport VERY late. Connor and I had to RUN through the terminal to make our flight home. Connor was a trooper and kept up with me (although now he could probably beat me to the gate), and we boarded the plane one minute before we were supposed to take off. Tony and Timothy had a more leisurely check in since they were flying out a few hours after us. There were things about the Disney cruise that Tony and I didn’t like. We found the ship layout to terrible compared to RCCL, and the pools to be way too small for the number of kids on board. I also felt that the character photos were poorly organized. There would be enormous lines of kids for photos, and when the time was up the character would leave whether or not all of the children in line had their pictures taken. This led to quite a few disappointments throughout our trip. A serpentine line with ropes would have kept the process organized and eliminated the many line jumpers. Also, then they’d have been able to close the line and finish taking photos of everyone left in line. We also felt that the nightlife for adults was a little lacking, however, some of this may have been due to us being caught up in juggling two boys on vacation for the first time. We ve gotten better at it since then. We haven’t sailed on Disney since, mostly because of the price, for much less money we can have as much fun on other ships. Although, I have to admit, typing up this review has made me feel like giving them another try.