Eating our words – the UnDisney family back on DCL – 4-night Dream – May 2014 - with Bonus TR !

[Conorama]

The Secret 3rd Disney Cruise - Magic 7-night Western Caribbean - Mini-report- January 25 to Feb 1st, 2015 - from planning to embarkation

Now that I have admitted to the 3rd cruise, I will provide a short review.

Planning

MUCH simpler this time. Because of the 10% off deal for we maple-leaf loving folk, I booked it myself so as not to miss the deal, and then transferred to our agent. I picked a 4A again (Deluxe Family Oceanview with Verandah) , but we couldn't get one that didn't connect, and of course, being a classic ship, you can't do 4A and not be below the main pool deck- but careful research led me to 8024 as a quiet, forward-based room. Check!

The planning was basically simple - in this case, flying out of Ottawa was better for us (and is 1 hour closer), so we planned that (with the usual back-up plan of driving up the night before if needed due to bad Ontario weather), fly to MCO, stay at MCO Hyatt, take DCL ground transport to port to take advantage of the magically disappearing/reappearing bags. Booked all this - and check!

On the return end of things- learned from before and booked Happy Limo (modest car this time - no limo!) to avoid waiting on a sad bus, MCO to YOW (Ottawa if you're wondering), then stay overnight if needed in Ottawa. Booked all this - and check!

Excursions

Being (embarrassingly) experienced cruisers, we decided to proceed without DCL for one excursion- Nachi Cocom in Couzumel seemed just about perfect for us (beach, lunch, max of 100 people - our kind of day-trip). Disboards assured us this would be fine. I went on-line and paid the deposit.

Otherwise- we picked:

• Grand Cayman: DH really wanted to hang with Dolphins. Conor definitely did NOT want to (he's very funny around animals- even our 16 year old cats get treated very carefully by our sometimes-cautious boy) - so we picked one where he and I could visit with turtles at a Turtle Farm first, and then we'd watch DH be all brave with a dolphin. DH did NOT go all Dolphin Extreme on us - this was really a gentle get-to-know-a-Dolphin kind of thing. Dolphin un-extreme? Dolphin mellow? Dolphin beige?
  
• Falmouth, Jamaica: We had trouble here, but picked the Green Grotto caves excursion- which included some beach time. Caves and bats are cool. Beaches are good. Short bus rides reduce the risk of pukage.
  
• Castaway Cay: I committed to the 5K. Let's be clear. I don't like running ... but it's efficient, and it's convenient, so I do it. And I figured I might as well try my first 5K away from anyone who knew me, for "free" (minus the cost of the cruise - minor point).

Excursions- check!

Miscellaneous planning

When our Silver booking window opened, DH was Mr. "I know how to do this" now, so he was on that site like snow in April in Ontario (yep - we had some - right up until 2 weeks ago). He nabbed us the earliest PAT and our excursions.

He booked 1 Palo brunch, and 1 Palo supper. The Rainforest room day pass was obtained, as was the snotty beer package for DH, and a wine package for dinner.

And- check on the check-in!

Sadly, just as we were gearing up to order a basket from the lovely Shirley again, we learned that she was no longer able to provide baskets. We sulked and got annoyed with Uncle Walt, but he didn't care. It's almost like he was acting all parent-like. Having gifted us with the return of the poster, he was now punishing us for being demanding. Sheesh.

So, that was done. Packing was much simpler as there was no pesky conference to mess about with. Fortunately, 6 year-olds grow less quickly than 4 year-olds, so I had enough summer stuff to chose from for Conor without having to desperately order new clothes off-season. Even his sandals fit well enough to get us through one week.

I had discovered accidentally (don't ask) that you can order a lot of 50 DCL pins for not a whole lot of money on Etsy- DCL Queen and I agreed to go halvsies - so Conor picked out his favourite 15 to keep, and 10 to trade ... (the ones with princesses and things) ... so I thought he might actually get a hang of the whole trading thing. B1 and B2 shared the other 25 pins.

And... in a moment of weakness, I signed up for a Fish Extender group- because the rules were wonderfully low-key, and well, I had a moment. We prepped our gifts (Conor helped) and that was reasonably painless too.

Other than my usual work-a-thon before leaving on vacation, we were good. I did my magical packing plan (including ensuring 2-3 outfits for all family members in each bag in case any get lost). A spreadsheet was employed to ensure that we did not forget any bags. Yes, we are still experiencing flashbacks on that front.

Getting to MCO

Happily, I can report this was beautifully uneventful. Conor LOVES his skating lessons (though despite his maple-leafedness, he is not a hockey fan- duck!) so we worked it out he could go to skating on Saturday morning at 10:25 (seriously), and we left right after for Ottawa. The weather gods were kind, so it was an easy trip. The whole YOW experience was uneventful, and we boarded on time, and took off on time .. and landed on time. Amazing! Conor slept (Gravol) and did not throw up (happiness). Our bags arrived as they were supposed to (no pesky poster this time - yippee!) and the MCO Hyatt had our room ready. We ate, did our bath, books, bed deal and slept well.

Unexciting to report on, but delightful nonetheless.

Getting to port and onto the ship

Equally uneventful ... Our bags magically disappeared from our room in the morning as we nabbed breakfast in the restaurant. We magically got on the DCL bus. We magically ended up at PC, and we boarded early, knowing now that we could skip the family photo at boarding.... ha! We are experts now... (cue the evil laughter here).

Much to our surprise, Conor WANTED them to announce us, as the blankety-blank family (no, I'm not swearing- but it's his last name and my last name that he decided to hyphenate). Amusingly, he then wanted to use that as his new last name at school when we got back, much to his teacher's confusion.

And, voila, we were on the Magic.

Up next - Classical impressions after Dream class ships. But, before that a few photos to liven up this post.

First- Dude rocking his new "2-hat" look - AKA - my Starbucks secret morning date. Jealous?



Next - the Key chain/backpack/purse charm things that the boy and I created for FE gifts - we topped up with a number of other goodies. (And yes, he actually helped.)




Night flight - with Sockie. (Technically - this was about at 6:00 p.m. Yep- gotta love winter in Canada.)




Conor amusing himself before our room service arrived at MCO - the inadvertent selfie.



The 2-hatted look continues at the MCO Hyatt elevator. Yes he wanted Mickey ears. No, he hasn't worn them since.




Magical impressions (or something like them) will follow.

 

[Conorama]

The Secret 3rd Disney Cruise - Magic 7-night Western Caribbean - Mini-report- January 25 to Feb 1st, 2015 - What we thought about the re-imagined Magic

First, we will note that the Magic has a really big problem ... there are NO MYSTERIES. Being an astute researcher, I knew this, so we warned the boy. He was not impressed, but being 6-and-a-half, he decided he would cope. He was less than thrilled about the lack of mini-golf too- but again, Mr. I Am A Big Boy coped.

Second, the boy's parents noted that there was no Remy. Being an astute researcher, I knew this, so I warned DH. He was not impressed, but being a very mature dad-guy, he decided he would cope. The fact there was no Meridian was also an issue, but again, coping happened. (OK, I will admit I missed Remy too. I too, found coping strategies.)

However, after that- no biggie. I'll summarize our observations below:

General & Cabins

• We didn't find it old, or small, or run down.
• We didn't notice any significant difference in the cabin now that there are real fridges and new beds (I didn't experience the old ones, but it meant there was really no difference).
• DH (at 6'6'') DID notice that the shower was squishier. I told him he could shower at the Fitness Centre and he was one happy, clean, camper after that discovery. Conor found the bath fine. I agreed.
• It was kind of neat to peak into the suites on Deck 8 (just being honest!). Our cabin steward was also assigned to the WD suite, and so he was kind of amazing. The best we've had, ever.
• Laundry was done. It was exciting.

Food & beverage

• I missed my Vista Café when I was hangin' with the boy, until I found out that Cove Café iced lattés are available in the Promenade Lounge. Turned into a great place for us to get a quiet break, do some grade one journal-work (his homework for the trip).
  
• Animator's Palate felt similar to the Dream/Fantasy - though Crush didn't appear. The pirate parade with pirate Mickey was here on pirate night (3 times in 1 sentence) and that was cool. Lots of cool pirate animation- we saw that on the Fantasy too.
  
• Cabanas is just exactly the same. Exactly. Weirdly so.
  
• Lumiere's is a lot like Royal Court in feeling, to us anyway- we were only there once, as we had Palo on one of our "L" nights.
• Carioca's - well - we didn't really like it. Partly this was because our table was sandwiched between 2 serving stations, but partly because it just didn't inspire - decor-wise, menu-wise, ambiance-wise. It was totally fine, but I could easily skip it. If I was someone who cared about these things... I might aim to have a Palo night on a Carioca's night.... but I'm not someone who cares about these things, so we'll just leave it at that.
  
• The coffee at the drinks station is just as vile as it is on the Dream/Fantasy. UGH.
• DH reports that while Meridian is missing - he found many other good options- particularly Keys (piano bar).
• Our servers were pretty good- way better than the Dream, not as good as the Fantasy- but it was more of a personality clicking thing. They tried very hard, though - and we appreciated that.
• The food was, well, exactly the same.
• Palo's - food was the same; I'm torn as to which layout I prefer - some of both, I guess. Brunch was yummy, but, (sorry) over-hyped - or I was spoiled by doing Remy brunch first. Dinner was better.
• DH reports his "booze & chocolate" tasting was really good (it has another name). A bartender from one of the other ships knew him, so he modified the scotch tasting to bring out some more unusual stuff. DH has a new friend, it seems.
• Room service was the same.
  

Entertainment

• There was more room in the pools, but it was also colder - but definitely a difference (in a good way) there.
• The new Mickey slide was loved by Conor - and he was thrilled that grown-ups could use it too. No one tried the AquaDunk. EEK!
• There was less variety at the shops, but it didn't affect us as we are not big Disney shoppers. They had what we needed: Pins, small toys, t-shirt (mandatory souvenir), post cards, and stuff to look at. Also- they had cortisone cream - key since Conor did his insta-rash thing after I mistakenly put a new shirt on him without washing it first.

Miscellaneous

• The new Oceaneer's Club/Lab are nicely done- but really- I don't think it matters to Conor. There is stuff. There are nice people. There are kids. He's happy. He won't do most of the organized activities, because he is ON VACATION and organized activities are too much like school (which he loves).
• I finally did the spa (facial). It was nice, and obscenely overpriced - just like just about any spa, but I have my rare moments of girliness - or rather, I like the forced relaxation, so I didn't mind.
• The Rainforest room is disappointing after the Dream/Fantasy- no hot tubs overlooking the ocean. The hot loungers are just as lovely, though.
• DH did movies in the theatre (he loved them) and on Deck 9 (Ditto). Conor and I did not.
• WiFi was the same.

Stuff I can't comment on:

• Any other bars/lounges/etc.
• Bingo.
• Arcade.
• Princess anything.
• Frozen anything.
• Adult activities.
• OK- really ANY organized activities except for DH's tastings
  
• Shows (yep, we skipped'em again)
• The sports court
• As noted, the AquaDunk
  
• Pirate party. Yep - you read that correctly- the boy was way too tired and asked to go to the club and then to bed, so we missed it.

I'm sure more musings will creep into the rest of the report.

For now, I'll introduce Conor's journal -which was his homework for the trip - every day, he had to do one drawing and write 2 sentences. He could also use it as a scrapbook, etc. I'll share them here to summarize some key moments in our trip.

Day 1: Here we see a view from our verandah as we avoided sail away. Yes, that is a pelican flying with a fish in its beak (not poison in its beak - grade 1 spelling is hard - the rule is - if he asks, I tell him, but if he doesn't ask - it stands). Conor is noting we're on a Magic Boat (he's in French school).



Before we escaped to our verandah:



My celebration of the true beginning of the vacation:



Next up: Couzumel

 

[perditax]

Very happy you are writing again, especially as I am insomniac tonight.

 

[Benchley]

Thank you for this report. We are sailing on The Fantasy next year and sailed on The Dream two years ago. I would so love to achieve the Grand Slam. I'll have to start the persuasion thing now on my DH!

 

[Conorama]

Very happy you are writing again, especially as I am insomniac tonight.

Oh dear - sorry about the insomnia, but if my writing helps put you to sleep, I'll take it as a compliment!

Thank you for this report. We are sailing on The Fantasy next year and sailed on The Dream two years ago. I would so love to achieve the Grand Slam. I'll have to start the persuasion thing now on my DH!

You're welcome! I am still in disbelief about the Grand Slam - have fun on the Fantasy. It's definitely Conor's favourite because of the Mystery game and mini-golf.

 

[Conorama]

The Secret 3rd Disney Cruise - Magic 7-night Western Caribbean - Mini-report- January 25 to Feb 1st, 2015 - Day at Sea & Day at Couzumel

Day 2 - At Sea & Formal Night

Many of our Magic observations were made on the first day at sea. We did, well, nothing very exciting. Here is Conor's journal - he notes that it was windy (and blowing in all of our faces) and that it's a day at sea. It was windy and a bit cool as a result (despite the forecast noted in the journal) so we didn't attempt the pools.



Basically - we explored the ship, ate at Cabanas, did homework down by Preludes (the goal was to find a different place to do homework each day - this makes homework much more palatable), and fed ourselves when needed. We avoided the Princess gathering. Conor tried out the newly refurbished ... I mean, re-imagined club some more. I walked Deck 4 a few times, and read my Kobo. DH tasted different types of alcohol somewhere or other. We took very few photos, it seems.

Finally- we dressed up for formal night, and went to meet up with Formal Mickey.



And is it for highlights for our day at sea. We truly just chilled out.


Day 3- Couzumel - Nachi Cocum - or breakin' free of DCL

The next morning, having mellowed out so well the day before that he woke up early, Conor decided to join me on my morning quiet/reading time. Deck 9 was on the cool side, so after a bit, we retreated to the lobby to chill. Some of us were more chill than others at 6:30 a.m.



This was our big day of NOT going on a DCL excursion. We had chosen Nachi Cocom based on Disboards reviews. Our plan was to get off the ship, find a taxi WITH a seat belt (actually- 3 would be good), and plunk ourselves on a beach.

Nachi Cocom

I'll be a bit more detailed here in case others are considering Nachi Cocum. You pay a deposit ahead of time on-line to reserve your spot (max of 100 people per day), and you pay the balance when you arrive. It's basically a private, small, beach resort, and that's it.

It was nice to not have to sit around in a lounge waiting for the paddle of power thing - just get our stuff and get off the ship, except for the part where we did not know they use dogs as you get to the Couzumel port- just to sniff, but Conor is terrified of dogs he doesn't know - for good reason, since 2 of them have tried to bite him, and one huge one knocked him over on his way to the bus stop - hard to argue. Once we got through that gauntlet, we just followed the signs, walked through the port mall type thing, wondered why a man had painted himself gold and was pretending to be a statue, and found the line up of taxis. (This is easy, if you're considering it.) We were off the ship by 9:00, if I remember correctly.

DH wandered along until we found a taxi with functioning seat belts (functioning is a key word). None of the other drivers who were politely passed over appeared to care. It was about a 15-20 minute trip through Couzumel and on a small highway, and we paid in American cash.

At Nachi Cocum, we went through the mandatory (it seems) photo with the sombreros, and then found the people who took the rest of our money (we used a credit card) and got our bracelets. Then, we were escorted to a nice spot on the beach that met our requirements - it was quiet, there was shade, and there was of course sand.

Overall, it was still a bit on the cool side, and the waves were high, but as always, Conor didn't care.

There were waves to be jumped over- and note the beautiful water:



There were sand castles to be built (we bring our own sand toys- and yes it's worth the luggage space in our case):



And cool macro photography to explore (well, OK, this was DH's gig). You can see the sand is somewhat coarse, but it still made some nifty castles.



We spent a leisurely morning at this. I read my Kobo and played in the sand with Conor. DH did some playing, some reading, some napping. Our nice waiter brought us drinks and snacks, including really good salsa (I am a salsa fanatic).

There were other activities- but we didn't want much more.

Just before lunch, DH and Conor went to check out the pool. DH reports it was cold and small, but Conor thought it was totally fine ... until he stepped on a bee or wasp, and got stung - his first sting. It was understandable that the world came to a bit of an end at this point. Fortunately, I Am Mom stepped in, and, when ice was applied to the affected area, things got much better. We had lots of cuddles on my lounger, and some snacks and drinks, and things got much better.

DH and I viewed this as a bit of a sign that our planned half-day at the beach was nearing an end. We wrangled the boy to get changed out of wet and cold swim wear and to use the bathroom, and then sat down for lunch, which was really quite yummy. Since it ended with ice cream, Conor decided he was feeling much better. We declined to buy the sombrero photos, and no one hassled us. By now, it was about 2:00 p.m., so we asked for a taxi, and headed back to port.

We had lots of time, so we wandered around the weird port mall a bit, and Conor picked out a souvenir turtle (bit of a theme for him), and a few post cards (he loves the ones with maps) to put in his journal. I had spotted Starbucks, so I cleverly engineered us to to end up there - hey- I didn't have a mystery game to help me out ... so this worked.

We all felt better after a nice cold drinks, yogurt for Conor, and people watching, and were ready to head back to the ship. The dogs were not in evidence (apparently they don't care what you take OUT of Couzumel?) and Conor wanted a photo with the ship for his journal.



And thus, we had completed our first non-DCL excursion. We felt very adventurous and slightly, well, chuffed, for having accomplished such a feat (we are WILD, I tell you). And you know what - we preferred it immensely - this was mostly because I could research it well in advance, we did NOT have to waste time standing around waiting in line at multiple spots, and we had the flexibility to leave when we wanted. We saved a lot of money too compared to similar excursions through DCL. I didn't find the transportation any less safe than many DCL transports I've been on. I don't think we would have done it had it been any more complicated than "get off ship, find taxi, arrive at destination ... then reverse", but overall, it got a major thumbs up for all of us. Plus, we enjoyed not being part of a sheep herd for the day.

Back on board

When we got back to the Magic, after I was incredibly annoying and made Conor put on proper sandals (Crocs are only OK for the beach in my universe), we saw that Chip & Dale were due to be ready to give autographs, and Conor was keen.



Otherwise, he politely asked to go to the club for a bit, so we dropped him there, and found a quite place to relax, until we fetched him for supper, more club time, bath, books, and bed.

The creative juices were not flowing particularly well for the Couzumel entry in the journal - perhaps it was the location we chose (the stateroom). He found a rock, and a coral, it seems, and provided, um, "artistic" renderings of the same. (Black stuff is the rock. Orange stuff is the coral - which is not at all what he found, but with Sir Grump A Lot, I wasn't arguing).




Next up- Grand Cayman, Turtles, Dolphins and general DCL Excursion rebellion starts to develop.

 

[pillow]

I can relate to the anti-DCL excursion feelings. We love doing our own thing. It tends to cost less, and you have freedom! Glad you enjoyed your trip.

Jodie

 

[Conorama]

The Secret 3rd Disney Cruise - Magic 7-night Western Caribbean - Mini-report- January 25 to Feb 1st, 2015 - Day 4 - Grand Cayman

This was a planned, DCL-patented, wear-your-character-sticker excursion day - to the Turtle Farm and Dolphin swimming/observing.

The short version? While DH really enjoyed his Dolphin bonding (of a mellow, non-Extreme variety), Conor and I would agree it wasn't the best excursion. It was fine, but for the first time, fell under the heading of "not really worth the time/money". Being resilient folk, we were able to enjoy ourselves anyway, mostly.

Before we went to wherever we had to meet up for the excursion, we had a request to visit Stitch, who was new to Conor. Apparently he watched part (not all, he was clear) of the movie at the club, and he liked Stitch. We were somewhat unprepared for this, so there was a mad dash back to the stateroom to find the autograph book, and I nabbed a pen that was a gift in the FE. Unfortunately, this pen didn't work... but kudos to Stitch for trying hard to make it so... (Not a great photo, but I was impressed with Stitch's dedication to the task.



After waiting for seemingly forever in a lounge (it was at least 45 minutes) , we marched off the ship in our required lines. Grand Cayman is a tendered port- so we tendered with Mr. Cool.



After untendering, we then stood in line, again, for about 30 minutes, as we waited in the port area. We got more stickers. We finally walked a few blocks to a small bus. We waited more, until we finally left on our 20-30 minute drive. Conor nattered on, so the folks near us on the bus were amused to learn he had been to Newfoundland, as that is where they were from (so is DH), so there was some interesting conversation anyway.

The Turtle Farm is across the street from the Dolphin place. We were told to go around the turtle farm for 45 minutes and then to meet back to go across the street to Dolphins.

In retrospect, there was absolutely no reason why the Dolphin observers (Conor and me) could not have spent more time at the Turtle farm, while the Dolphin swimmers got ready. However, we are nothing if not obedient, and because of lines, etc., we didn't get to do a lot except see a lot of turtles swimming around, and then Conor and DH were keen to hold some baby turtles.








And then, there was a WHOLE LOT of waiting. Fortunately Conor and I were able to find a bench in the shade. We sat and waited for about 30 minutes or more for the Dolphineers to actually get in the water. Then, we couldn't see DH. Fortunately, we could watch some of the Extreme Dolphineers swim with Dolphins- which was good until kids who really didn't want to be there were being forced to hold onto Dolphin fins by their parents. This was upsetting, and the staff stopped it (because the kids were terrified and their parents wanted them to "get over it" and participate), but it was not pleasant.

At this point, I decided that Ice Cream fixes everything, so we found some. It fixed everything.

And then- it was another 30 minutes after that when DH was done. And then, there were photos, etc., and he had to get changed, and this was not a simple process ... so another 20-30 minutes had to pass. Somewhere in there I realized that Conor was going to pass out from hunger (ice cream was not quite enough), so we ordered some food (not included) that was meh, and from there made our way to a bus to return back to the port.

All in all - this was about 30 minutes of actively looking/doing things at the Turtle farm (and nature boy could have stayed much longer there), and about 2 hours of sitting around, granted some of it while watching dolphins.

By the time we got back to port, Conor was super-grumpy and, to be honest, so was I.

In summary- unless everyone is going to get in with Dolphins, we're not giving the world's biggest endorsement to this excursion. All the lines, etc., meant that it was a very long day, with not much activity.

Once on board, we nabbed some cold drinks, and found a quiet corner (Deck 4, near the re-booking desk) to do homework. The nice re-booking lady also gave Conor some extra crayons and a colouring book, and this improved the mood a lot.



And what did we journal about today? The boy reported on holding a sea turtle, and seeing Dolphins and ... "youpi!"
(I enjoyed the turtles in the water.)



The day wrapped up with Officer Pin Trading over near Preludes. This was much less zoo-like than on the Dream - and it was really quite nice. The officers are just great with the kiddos, and Conor took his trading very seriously.

Here he is trading with the very lovely Captain John.



I think this was just after supper, and based on the day we had, we just went straight back to the room for an early-ish night, with bath, books, & bed.

Up next: Jamaica - and all our are, well, gone with the wind...

 

[Conorama]

I can relate to the anti-DCL excursion feelings. We love doing our own thing. It tends to cost less, and you have freedom! Glad you enjoyed your trip.

Jodie

Yes- we got some good advice. If it is complicated - like juggling 2 or 3 places on one trip - the DCL thing is more likely to be worth it. But if it's simple, and you're not planning on pushing your luck on the time-front, you may well want to go on your own. For us, it's often (we admit!) about control...

And, if you read my latest post, you can see that we then had not-so-very good luck with a DCL excursion, so we're even more convinced of the role of going on our own for certain attractions.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Conorama]

The Secret 3rd Disney Cruise - Magic 7-night Western Caribbean - Mini-report- January 25 to Feb 1st, 2015 - Day 5 - Jamaica & Pirate night

Day 5 was supposed to be Falmouth, Jamaica, but shortly after we got up, there was an announcement from Captain John saying that due to high winds and/or waves, we could not dock in Falmouth, so we would be docking in Montego Bay.

We immediately got out my laptop and started looking into what info we could find about what this meant for our excursion. It did not bode well. We were docking 20-40 minutes (depending on who you believed) in the wrong direction from the Green Grotto caves. Additionally, we were already pushing out limits of how long we wanted to spend in a bus, driving in Jamaica, especially after our not-so-perfect excursion the day before. We decided to forgo the excursion (they were still running them). Instead, we decided based on our reading of ... well ... other cruising forums which shall remain nameless to just go into Montego Bay and find a straw market for a short outing.

The port at Montego bay is a much more industrial, un-fancy port, so we needed to take a shuttle to get from the ship to the port building. Once there, we agreed to share a small bus with a bunch of other passengers. On a good note, there were non DCL cruise passengers who were clearly missing their grand-kids, so Conor got a lot of attention, and was pleased to chat everyone up.

We were offered a few options- a couple of beaches (we decided against this as the weather seemed a bit dodgy and we weren't sure how to get back to the ship reliably), or shopping. Shopping turned out to be at a store that clearly had some deal with our driver - not our style. We quickly left, and convinced our driver to take us to the market we had read about, with an agreement he would return to get us in an hour- and we had his card.

This turned out to be a fascinating experience ... we were basically the only customers there, which meant that every person wanted us to look at their wares. Although they were pushier than I like (I prefer sales people to not speak to me, so you have an idea of my baseline tolerance!), they did not follow us or anything when we moved on.

The best part was finding a lovely man who carved beautiful things, including some really nice turtle bowls. He was unlike the other merchants- quiet, laid-back, and not pushy at all. Conor loved him, and his things, and we spent quite a bit of time there. In the end, DH and I were happy to pick up a real Jamaican souvenir (vs. the tacky fan that Conor picked out!) and we are now the owners of a turtle bowl.

Here is Conor employing his hard negotiation strategies...



Showing off his fancy fan (it was hot- what can I say?)



Just after we finished buying our turtle, and Conor returned to one booth as promised to buy a pencil (big spender), a van came back to get us, with proof it was from our driver (his cousin, we were told), and we had a smoother, shorter trip back to port.

The whole trip took less than 2.5 hours, so we had lots of time on-board, to relax, which was much needed after our last 1.5 days.

After lunch, Conor and I made our way to the Promenade lounge for him to work on his journal ... and map-boy drew our ship at port. He is reporting on the bowl his dad bought that is shaped like a turtle. (Note that the corner of the Navigator we cut out and pasted still reported we would be in Falmouth.)



While we were at the Promenade lounge (he with his milk and his journal, and me with my iced latté and my Kobo), a CM came in and started setting up for a scrap-booking event. Now, please note we generally avoid any and all organized activities, but I thought this might actually go along well with the journal part of things, so we decided to stick around. I figured he could get some stuff to decorate his journal with, and we'd be done. I sent him up to get some supplies ... and then I noticed he was there for quite a while and I wasn't sure why. I headed over to investigate.

Let's just say that apparently I have no appreciation whatsoever for what is important in the lives of some DCL folk. It was somewhere between hilarious and embarrassing to watch. Grown adults were practically fighting over the old Navigators from earlier in the cruise. There were near- arguments breaking out over colours, and don't get in the way of a scrap-booker who needs a glue stick. Oh my. Poor Conor was just standing to one side, having patiently stood in line and been essentially cut off from the supplies.

Do not mess with a mom who is helping her kid do her homework. I nimbly scrambled in, got what he wanted, and got out, unscathed. We returned to our table (where we had OUR OWN glue stick and scissors, because I am Prepared Mom). He was fortunately fairly oblivious to it all, but I was embarrassed on behalf of the human race.

DH joined us, and we headed to Keys ... not to drink, but for Conor to practice piano. Yep - I read on the boards that if you ask at Guest Services, you can see if a piano is free during the day. Conor is taking his first year of piano lessons, and we thought it would be neat (rather than thinking it was essential) if he could show a video to his teacher of him practicing at sea. A nice CM came and opened things up for us, and we had a private room for 30 minutes. Piano was played for maybe 10 minutes of that, but it did the trick, and he was pleased with himself.

He was rewarded with time at the club, until we needed to get ready for pirate night. This we did, and again, we took longer prepping than we would normally do for formal night.

Then, we headed off for photo opportunities - with some fine pirates.



The sword, by the way, is a glow-stick sword from our FE gifts- as in, it was from those we gave out ... but I knew I had to have an extra one. Captain Jack made some funny comments about swords when he was meeting our fierce pirate. Conor was pleased his bandana matched that of Captain Jack's.



As noted previously, Animator's Palate is a great place to be on Pirate night- lots of cool music, animation, and of course Captain Pirate Mickey. The boy was tired out, though, and he decided he didn't want to go to the Pirate party, so we headed back for bath, books & bed ... which always looked like this, about 3 minutes after lights out. (That's Squirt on the pillow - the one that is clearly not Sockie. No, not named for that Squirt, believe it or not. He is a light-up sea turtle - like a portable night-light. We never travel without him - so I don't have to worry about night lights being available or not... Squirt saves the day. Or night, as it were...)



And that is exactly what I'm going to do now (minus the Sockie & Squirt). Good night! We only have a day at sea and CC to go.

 

[Conorama]

The Secret 3rd Disney Cruise - Magic 7-night Western Caribbean - Mini-report- January 25 to Feb 1st, 2015 - Days 6 & 7 - at sea, and Castaway Cay

Day at Sea

After 3 port days in a row, we were more than ready for a day at sea - aka - a day with no plans.

Just to make sure we had no plans, I checked my calendar:



We somehow filled the day - generally by doing our usual things- eating breakfast at an MDR (peaceful), dropping the boy off at the club, and, in my case, heading to the Rainforest room, where I reacquainted myself with the heated loungers, and missed my ocean-view hot tubs. DH found a few tastings. We did a lot of walks. We hit up the shops for final decisions on souvenirs, as I know how packed they are on the last night (voice of experience) - Conor's choices were very sound - with his $25 (US) DCL gift card he got a small Stitch race car and a stuffed Stitch - and he had change left over - not bad for Disney pricing! I had a spa appointment for facial, as did DH for a super-fancy shave (otherwise known as a facial, but with men, we call it a shave... with product ... and exfoliation ... and moisturizing...)

There was some verandah time:



Conor bonded with the new slide:



Conor did his homework at the Promenade lounge (again, his choice) - he did a bit of music theory, so he got a break from his journal. When I dropped him off back at the club after lunch, the CMs asked if he wanted to be in the show - much to my astonishment, he said yes. The CMs explained they would send a Wave Phone message if he was attending. I went back to the room to get some packing done, assuming that the show would never happen, and I got the text - and, of course, I couldn't get a hold of Spa-dad.

Anyhow- I made sure I was there, ready, and dressed for semi-formal night, ready to capture this event with bad photography... the theatrical debut of Conor with Mickey. Note that my kid is the one doing the *right* things with his arms. Spa-dad showed up in time to witness the grand event.



It was reported in the journal too.



I was purposefully eating light due to the 5K the next day ... and our servers were most upset with this, and it was annoying enough that after I finished my 2nd appetizer that I was treating as my main (in my world, salad and soup are actually perfectly reasonable as a meal, and dessert is not essential), I escaped the MDR back to the room to pack, and get ready for CC - separate bag for me for my 5K, and ones for the men (I didn't know if would be up for walking back to the ship after the 5K, so I planned accordingly).

Super-cabin-steward had already been in (he was truly awesome) and this guy greeted me - always a favourite for us. He stayed intact, per Conor's request, until we left on Saturday morning.



And then ... well, you know ... bath, books and bed.

Day 7 - Castaway Cay

I had actually planned the morning for CC because of the 5K. Much to my delight, the Navigator said it would be a bit chilly on CC day- much better for running (I think the high was 19 degrees Celcius?) Basically- I needed to eat a light breakfast early enough for me to be able to run sometime around 9:00 a.m. I succeeded, and having made sure the men were up and organized, headed off to some lounge or other to register. (You actually sign up earlier in the week, if possible - but you come in and get your Bib, etc.) The CMs showed us the route.

We headed off the ship and over to the starting area, where we dropped our bags in a trunk-like thing ... and then we were off.

All I will say about it is that I finished, and I didn't skip any parts.


Happily- my men were at the end, cheering me on. They led me to our loungers, and there I lounged. Here is the proof I finished:



I am told I then napped for about 30 minutes. I woke up to this rough day:



At some point, I could finally walk properly (ish)- so I sought out a beverage- a rare alcoholic one for me - I believe it was the famed Konk Cooler, but I was so tired, I honestly can't remember.

The men said it was too cold to swim right away, so Conor wanted to try out the club on the island for the first time- they were digging for whale bones, so he was a happy man. By then, it had warmed up, so they swam for a bit.

We dragged him out at lunch to eat, much to his chagrin, and made our way back to the ship. He did have to do his homework:



And this was produced (I swam in the ocean with papa; I dug up whale bones) - another map motif this day.



Having done his work, he was keen to go to the club (which was the lab as that was all that was available for secure programming). This worked, as DH and I had a lot of packing to do.

Our last supper was, ironically, our best. The servers were on their best behaviour. They had the grand finale march thing that Conor enjoyed. DH asked if he could have some extra Mickey sprinkles to have later, and they brought him an entire huge bowl of them... the contents of which were, ahem, smuggled back to Canada, and to this day, 3 months later, we haven't used them all. We had already prepped their tip envelopes (by going to guest services to ask them to adjust the tips up - so we saved using our last US cash as we had used more than we expected in port in Jamaica).

Conor went back to the club for one last kick at the can... while we packed some more. After some discussion, he agreed to a) leave the club, and b) let them take his magic band back. Upon return to the room, we did our secret "order breakfast food from room service the night before" trick. Conor was plunked in the bath while we did more packing, and after books & bed, he crashed in about 3 minutes... leaving us to finish up the last of the packing. We set a record of having our bags out before 9:00 p.m. (OK - a record for us), and at the same time, tipped our most awesome cabin steward.

With that - DH headed out for a last drink, and I fell asleep in about 3 nanoseconds.

Up next: Minor excitement with our trip home, and final thoughts.

 

[marciemouse]

I love this! It's like a buy one, get one free trip report!

About Nachi Cocom... before travel, did you compare it to other beach clubs like Mr. Sanchos? I am debating a surprise trip for my husband's birthday, and with Cozumel as a possible port, I was looking into it. Just curious if you had compared, because I know you'd have a pros/cons list if you did.

 

[Conorama]

I love this! It's like a buy one, get one free trip report!

About Nachi Cocom... before travel, did you compare it to other beach clubs like Mr. Sanchos? I am debating a surprise trip for my husband's birthday, and with Cozumel as a possible port, I was looking into it. Just curious if you had compared, because I know you'd have a pros/cons list if you did.

I'm all about the deals. Just seemed easier than doing a separate one - or I'm lazy. Entirely possible!

I did look at Mr. Sanchos, but I think that was it. I don't think they put a limit on how many people are there, which was the main concern, since there were a lot of ships in port the day we were going to be there, and we like peace & quiet. It does have a lot more activities to choose from, but since we are essentially pure beach bums, we don't need activities. The pool(s?) are nicer, for sure. And, since we passed it on our taxi ride out to Nachi Cocom, I know it's about 5 minutes closer to town.

Everything was included in our day, though you could pay for extras (snorkeling) - but food and drink, including alcohol, was all in.

Really- we pay for peace. I can cope with the crowds on the cruises if I know I have some way to get apart at some point. This worked!

Overall - we liked Couzumel more than many people do - but we don't pretend we really got to see anything much. It was certainly better than Montego Bay (which was, granted, not supposed to be a port of call). I think that Grand Cayman is probably really, really nice- and if we went back, we'd do something other than dolphins- either another beach day, or Turtle farm and beach, which would have been totally manageable - and I think that would have been easily done without DCL.

I'm glad you're enjoying it! I'm aiming to finish tonight or tomorrow, but we're recovering from the 7 year old birthday party yesterday, so I may crash before I finish.

 

[Conorama]

The Secret 3rd Disney Cruise - Magic 7-night Western Caribbean - Mini-report- January 25 to Feb 1st, 2015 - Homeward bound

The Trip Home

In the grand scheme of things, our trip home was totally fine, though fraught with sundry nuisances - a whole lot of little annoying things happened.

Fortunately, it started well with our usual quiet morning in the stateroom, with our cleverly-ordered-the-night-before breakfast of cereal, fruit, cheese, and yogurt ... and, of course, Cove Café coffee, and, for me, a final shower. We did a final sweep of the room, leaving only some small extra bags of garbage, and prominently displayed things you can get dinged for if they think you took them- laundry bag, wave phones, etc. The freshly charged electronics were carefully packed, and we were good to go.

What we had underestimated was how much faster it is to get off a classic ship than a Dream-class. We were at our usual time of about 7:45, and we zoomed through lines, baggage, and customs, and found ourselves outside waiting at about 7:55. Seriously. The only problem with this was that we had booked our Happy Limo people at 8:30. No worries- DH had the number ... which led us to a voicemail message saying they weren't in until later that morning. Hmmm. We had no choice but to wait and watch everyone else being picked up. DH nabbed another Happy Limo driver to see if they would send a message for us, and they agreed to- but no nice.

Our driver arrived, apologizing, at 8:29. He was on time, but we never got a text saying he was coming. I gather this is unusual for Happy Limo, but it was still annoying.

At MCO, we were not allowed to check in, either, because Air Canada. (Yes, that is a reason. Because Air Canada). So, we trucked our bags over to the area near the Hyatt, because then at least Conor could spend the last of his Disney money (no use for a US dollar Disney card at home). Deep pondering later .. . he picked out a pen that looks like a sword. Hmmm - well, probably best that we still had our bags that were going to be checked, since I didn't want to risk bringing that puppy through security...

Since we were just sitting around (drinking Starbucks, so not all was lost), DH decided he needed Lush products (why he wanted to buy stuff at US branch of Canadian store that we have in our medium-sized city I have no idea) so he did. We still had an hour before check-in, so we convinced Conor to finish his homework so as to not have to wrangle with it on the plane.

Finally- we could check in, and thanks to my clever packing of the luggage scales so that we could still find them, the extra purchases did not tip us into overweight. We got in the security line, and made it into one of the newer, faster lines for special people. This turned out to be not-so-helpful, as we were rushed past the signs explaining what we did and did not have to do (no need to take out the baggie? no need to take off jackets? ) I honestly don't know because the staff gave us conflicting directives, and the woman behind us felt the need to point out everything we were doing wrong in her opinion. I will confess to losing my patience with her and asking her to please mind her own business, as I was trying to get my child through security without freaking him out. She was all huffy after that, but at least she stopped nagging.

We finally made it through security, nabbed the tram over to the gates, and had some lunch. While DH was investigating Duty Free options, I managed to leave a bag at the restaurant, but Conor and I went back to get it. Exhausted with all this, we collapsed at the gate.

The flight back was OK, except for landing, in which Conor's ears were really hurting him (not sure why this happens once in a while for him) and our usual solutions (raisins, etc.) didn't work. Being upset, tired, and flying led to throwing up, inevitably, but just before landing, so we managed it all fine, and he is a champion puker- always gets it in the bag. That's my boy!

As soon as we were allowed to after landing, we checked the weather on our phones, because that morning there was a hint of a massive storm coming ... and it was clear that if we wanted to beat it home, we needed to abandon our plans for our lovely, warm, comfortable hotel room we had booked in Ottawa, and hit the road. We found a light supper somewhere in suburban Ottawa (it was not memorable!) and started home on the 2-hour drive.

The Next Few Days

We did arrive that night, with no more puking, and we beat the storm by only a few hours, to be greeted by very grumpy elderly kitties. I had the next day off as vacation, so we had grand plans to have Conor go to school, while DH and I organize our lives, and I got through the masses of email that would have accumulated (I have a no-work-email while on vacation rule. Turns out the world continues to revolve on its axis).

Of course, when I woke up at 6:00 a.m. I checked various social media sources to learn that the bleepin' school buses were cancelled. Normally, I just drop Conor off on my way to work in these circumstances, but the roads were truly bad, and I couldn't justify being on the road just for that - especially as the storm was continuing and we'd have to get him again at the end of the day- they frown if you try to leave them there overnight.


So, we had a far less productive day than planned. We did unpack, and do 357 loads of laundry, and we noticed we seemed to have misplaced a random assortment of stuff. I figured it would all turn up, and was just filed wrong, so to speak, due to our disrupted unpacking process (nothing like a bored 6-year old to mess up unpacking). He was upset he was missing his dictation that he had diligently prepared for, so I had to rig up a mock dictation sheet (seriously???? why wasn't this in the parenting manual?) and give him his words so he could take it to school. I even had to make up the sounds part of the dictation that they don't prepare for, the numbers, and the basic sums. HONESTLY. He really doesn't like school this much - but I think he felt like he worked on vacation so he deserved to show off how virtuous he was...

I headed back to work bright and early the next morning and Conor went to school, where he spent parts of the next 2 days presenting his journal and his souvenirs ... and yes, I mean it took him 2 days to get through his talk. The boy has a lot to say. His teacher is great, though and she said he did a fabulous job.

When I returned, DH let me know that "my friend" had called and "he" had my stuff. What stuff? What friend?

Yep. Uncle Walt had called. One of those bags of garbage actually held, oh, a lot of stuff - and I had just misfiled it. Things like the long cable for my laptop, some winter stuff, some papers, and my pager. (Freudian slip??? ) Nothing was critical, but it all would have been an expensive pain to replace.

And yes, Uncle Walt sent it back, for free. Thank you Big Mouse!

Final thoughts will have to wait until tomorrow. The weekend has done a number on the house, so organization must be sought.

 

[EskiLvr]

And now you're setting up for your Grand Slam! Sounds like you had a terrific trip on the Magic. I love your writing style, by the way. Your "voice" comes through very clearly.

(And I can't do math, apparently... which sailing are you on for Alaska?)

 

[Conorama]

And now you're setting up for your Grand Slam! Sounds like you had a terrific trip on the Magic. I love your writing style, by the way. Your "voice" comes through very clearly.

(And I can't do math, apparently... which sailing are you on for Alaska?)

Thanks! Once I get going, I enjoy writing them.

We are on the July 27th cruise for Alaska ... so 74 days, according to my app - so I think you get off as we get on? I hope you have a great trip.

 

[Flossbolna]

Thanks for finishing the one trip report and for adding on the bonus one! I really enjoyed your perspective!

I hope you have a wonderful cruise in Alaska! The Wonder is my first DCL ship and I love her adult areas. Make sure to take a trip down Route 66 on the hallway carpet!

 

[Conorama]

Thanks for finishing the one trip report and for adding on the bonus one! I really enjoyed your perspective!

I hope you have a wonderful cruise in Alaska! The Wonder is my first DCL ship and I love her adult areas. Make sure to take a trip down Route 66 on the hallway carpet!

Thanks! I am going to do my final thoughts tonight.

I shall make a point of exploring Route 66.

 

[EskiLvr]

Yes, we're the cruise before you. We'll do our best to leave the lights on when we head for the airport...

 

[Conorama]

Yes, we're the cruise before you. We'll do our best to leave the lights on when we head for the airport...

Much appreciated!