Sailing with the Gang...DCL magic, Feb. 2016

[mom2rtk]

OMG, Katie is growing up! I haven't read your TR's in a while, but she looks so grown up in your signature.

I know. I've tried to make her stop growing, but alas you know how that goes. Sigh.

I'm afraid my deadbeatitis extended to my own trip reports. I still have one from 2014 hanging in limbo!

I have deadbeatitis lately too.

If you find a cure, let me know will you?

I'm all caught up and hope this isn't the only time in this TR!

 

[CraftyMommy]

I'm still waiting to see what those cookies taste like! You're always raving about them.

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

Love me an "all girls" trip! Looking forward to living it with you via the DIS!

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm here must come back to read. Thanks for the link!

 

[jenseib]

Marking my spot. I will come back to read over the weekend.

Corinna

You are doing much better than me. I am behind on your one report and haven't even looked at your RCCL one yet. Eventually I will do it though. I keep saying I will on the weekends and then something comes up and I don't.

Haha! It's funny how you're saying how cold it got and I'm like, finally, it's perfect weather for me

You were the ONLY one who enjoyed it. hahaha

Okay, I will say that while we were waiting for the doors to open to get in the terminal, while we were outside, that it was very chilly indeed, even for me! And as I always say to Rob, "If I'm cold, you must be frozen!!!"

That guy was so funny though! Remember he came up to me in the port later and gave me a big hug and said "Remember me?" I was like...ummm yeah, you were the guy who said I was crazy for wearing shorts 30 minutes ago LOL! He became my stalker

That was such a weird moment

It was darn cold. At least I was so full of excitement that I had some adrenaline to keep me warm.
That guy was so funny. Did you see him on the ship ever? I am thinking you did, but I can't remember now for sure.

Oh my, yes she was!!! Very unDisney-like I have pics and I will be posting them

Good. She was just awful. I swear i attract the bad ones.

"I'll do you if you do me"

hahahahaha

Oh my dog, that was funny Reading your report brings back very clearly how much fun we had on the cruise and all of the laughs, I miss you

Little things like that are just so hilarious. I am glad you have my sense of humor!!!

Those are such good cookies!!!

And oh look, you can see my lower half I see a lot of my body parts in your pics

I am glad I can't make cookies that good or I would be even fatter.
You did well with not getting me in, but I was not good at all...and too lazy to cut you out. hahaha.

Joining the fun.

Welcome and thanks for coming!!!

 

[jenseib]

I'll be reading!!!

Like the Super Bowl ice sculpture photo, of course I am Broncos partial being from Colorado!!!!

It was a really nice sculpture. I couldn't even tell you who won. I think a few girls did go and watch part of it.

Enjoying every word. Can't wait for the rest.

Thanks so much!

Love me an "all girls" trip! Looking forward to living it with you via the DIS!

It was a lot of fun. And we are not a wild bunch. We were professional yet had a good time. I know some girls who go on girls trips and go crazy. Luckily none of us are like that.

I'm here must come back to read. Thanks for the link!

Welcome! Glad to see you here. It will take me a bit to get it all posted. I am working on it in word but I have only written the first day up, so I am not going to fast.

 

[jenseib]

I'm afraid my deadbeatitis extended to my own trip reports. I still have one from 2014 hanging in limbo!

Yes you never did finish that did you? I am assuming the 2015 one is not going to be started?

If you find a cure, let me know will you?

I'm all caught up and hope this isn't the only time in this TR!

I really am having a hard time reading other reports anymore and I feel so bad. I am trying to get where I don't work as much on the weekends so I can enjoy some things I used to.

I'm still waiting to see what those cookies taste like! You're always raving about them.

They are good. I think some times they are better than others. The Dreams seem to be a little better than the Magics, but I really like both.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yes you never did finish that did you? I am assuming the 2015 one is not going to be started?



I really am having a hard time reading other reports anymore and I feel so bad. I am trying to get where I don't work as much on the weekends so I can enjoy some things I used to.



They are good. I think some times they are better than others. The Dreams seem to be a little better than the Magics, but I really like both.

Maybe I'll do 2015 in 2017? It's a shame it's been such a crazy year. I really enjoy doing the trip reports.

I'm feel the same about the other TR's. I love reading them and I'm looking forward to catching up. Maybe when we go on vacation this summer?

 

[Pinkocto]

Ok, all caught up. Your pictures are taking me right back, I'm ready to go on my next one First day of cruising is so exciting! and second day, and all days for that matter

Awesome that you have such fun with your co-workers, I couldn't imagine doing something like that. Well two of them I could and have actually been to WDW with but they are the exception.

Was Claire upset she couldn't go on this one?

Your granddaughter is precious! and yes, you do look too young to be a grandma

Boo on that horrible CM! they should never have let her have her own station if she was that inept...

 

[dizneeat]

Jen, I am sorry I am late to the party. But I am here now and not missing another update .......... now going back to read.

 

[dolphingirl47]

You are doing much better than me. I am behind on your one report and haven't even looked at your RCCL one yet.

They are not going anywhere. I am trying to get everything wrapped up before I embark on my next big adventure in three weeks time.

Eventually I will do it though. I keep saying I will on the weekends and then something comes up and I don't.

I keep saying this to myself, too, but at the end of the weekend there is always something left that I did not get around to.

That trip sounds like quite an undertaking. What a shame that it was so cold. Even though we have at least temporarily strayed from the Mouse Boats, seeing the Magic put a little lump in my throat.

Check in sounded like a complete pain, but good that it was finally all straightened out. Lunch looked nice. It is funny how we all seem to have a certain kind of food that signals for us that we are on a cruise. For you it is a chocolate cookie, for me it is the strawberry soup and for DH it is peel and eat shrimp.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

Maybe I'll do 2015 in 2017? It's a shame it's been such a crazy year. I really enjoy doing the trip reports.

I'm feel the same about the other TR's. I love reading them and I'm looking forward to catching up. Maybe when we go on vacation this summer?

It really is hard these days to do it all. I got on the computer for a little bit yesterday morning and then was busy the rest of the day and now 5 PM here on Sunday and I have just a little bit of time to do 200 things before I have to cook dinner and take care of some other things. Maybe I will have time after 9 to come back again. I can't believe the weekend is gone already.

Ok, all caught up. Your pictures are taking me right back, I'm ready to go on my next one First day of cruising is so exciting! and second day, and all days for that matter

I am so ready to go back too. I need to win the lottery or something so I can go more often. I sailed my first DCL about 5 years ago and I just did my 5th cruise on them, with hopefully # 6 this fall. I figure it probably will be another 5 before I get to 10, but I am hoping not. LOL.

Awesome that you have such fun with your co-workers, I couldn't imagine doing something like that. Well two of them I could and have actually been to WDW with but they are the exception.

We really have a good set of people that I work with. Do I like them all.....no. hahaha....but I liked everyone that sailed with us. And there are several who didn't that I like as well. And we all basically work from home online, so we don't have to be in the office environment together. I have met probably 5 or 6 of the girls before this trip, and the rest were 1st meetings but even the ones I wasn't sure about turned out to be great. I tried to mingle with all of them here and there, but of course I am closer to some than others. Obviously I know Cass and Brook fairly well, but I have hung out with some of the others a few times and some I just clicked better than others.

Was Claire upset she couldn't go on this one?

She actually was a little more this time than usual. She is getting antsy for WDW as it's been a while since she has gone. (2 years now). She also didn't realize I was cruising till about the week before, which I am not sure how she missed that one so she was mad. We may be doing a family cruise this fall/winter, but she actually is not excited about that. She wants to go to WDW. So if we do it I might have to arrange a day before and or after to hit the parks. If we time it right we can maybe do the Halloween party or Christmas party. I am not sure if that will satisfy her enough or not. I am going to work on saving up more southwest points too so that I can earn a some more free flights and then maybe I can take her down in the next year for a little trip.

Your granddaughter is precious! and yes, you do look too young to be a grandma

She is a sweety. She spent the night with us last night and she tired me out! Her parents are away for the weekend and me and her other grandma are watching her and you can tell she misses her mom and dad....she woke up at 2 AM for a few hours last night and needed some cuddle time and her other grandma said she woke up at 1 AM the night before. Thank goodness Paige comes home today. Gracie is used to having her mom and dad daily. She did well and never cried for them, but I know she knows this is not normal. She mentioned them this morning and I told her they will be home today and she just said ok. LOL.

Boo on that horrible CM! they should never have let her have her own station if she was that inept...

She needs some new training I think. I realize everyone has to start out new, but she was having way too many problems to be let out on the floor.

Jen, I am sorry I am late to the party. But I am here now and not missing another update .......... now going back to read.

You are not late at all. And don't worry about it. We all are busy these days.

They are not going anywhere. I am trying to get everything wrapped up before I embark on my next big adventure in three weeks time.

If I can get some stuff done over the next two days I might be caught up with work and can have myself a marathon read. Now because I am out of the loop...where is your next adventure?

I keep saying this to myself, too, but at the end of the weekend there is always something left that I did not get around to.

Soooo true!

That trip sounds like quite an undertaking. What a shame that it was so cold. Even though we have at least temporarily strayed from the Mouse Boats, seeing the Magic put a little lump in my throat.

I always worry about that when sailing another line and I have actually looked at the port schedules to see if another Disney ship will be there. So far I have lucked out, but in the last 5 years I have only sailed 2 cruises that were not DCL. However, the other lines are usually quite a bit less, so I may look at them here and there if we need a good cruising fix.

Check in sounded like a complete pain, but good that it was finally all straightened out. Lunch looked nice. It is funny how we all seem to have a certain kind of food that signals for us that we are on a cruise. For you it is a chocolate cookie, for me it is the strawberry soup and for DH it is peel and eat shrimp.

I do love the peel and eat shrimp too and I think I have that almost every time I board as well. I have done Cabanas 4 of the 5 DCL sailings I have been on and that really makes me feel more like the cruise is starting too. Not that the other option is bad, but something about eating either out on deck or overlooking the port just makes me so excited.

 

[jenseib]

After lunch we cleared out to open up our tables for others and took a walk. Some of us decided we should check out what Cove Café had to offer. It’s hard to remember who all went, but if I remember right, I think Cass went somewhere else.


They had some dessert options out, so we had a snack. LOL.





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I think a few got some coffee there as well.





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We walked around a little bit and I went to check out the new smoking area at one point. They had recently changed it on the Magic. It used to be over on the Starboard side next to the adult pool and also up a deck as well. They did away with both areas and it was now on the port side up at the front. I am not sure who decided to put it there but they obviously did not test it out while the ship was sailing. It is basically a wind tunnel. Smokers in a wind tunnel….not a good match. They need to put something to block the wind. It was cold at times, windy, and of course people had issues lighting up and then with sparks flying all over.


For those that are smokers (I know most hide that fact but I try to check these areas out when I can for those that do), there is a 2nd location on deck 4 from 6 PM to 6 AM. Again, that can be windy at times too and that deck can be closed off if seas are rough or if it is too windy.





The staterooms should now be open so I headed that way. I wanted to get rid of my rolling suitcase.





I’ll take a moment and comment on my new carryon bag. I LOVE it! A few weeks before my trip I decided I just needed to find some new functional luggage. I have bought a ton over the past 10 years. I have one really nice and durable set, but it is only a 2 wheel roller. About 2-3 years ago I bought my first spinner set. It was extremely cheap. It worked well…empty. Once it had some weight in it, it rolled a little less nicely and tended to tip forward. I bought a 2nd cheap set. Again, worked well…empty. Now both sets are not that bad, and we took them to Alaska last summer and they were fine, but not the best. Going solo I often get a little stressed rolling my suitcases and trying to juggle everything else and I tend to end up exhausted and sweaty at the airports. I asked some friends about luggage, etc. In the end I decided to buy Samantha Browns carryon set and then a larger bag of hers as well. The larger bag was on clearance, so it didn’t match my carryon set, but I didn’t really care. I figured I would test it out and if I liked it I would add to my collection at a later date. My carryon came with a bag that slide over the handle. That bag could be taken on the plane to put under the seat in front of you. This set is gorgeous and so functional, and though probably not the most perfect set, for me it made a huge difference and I highly recommend this luggage. Things worked out much better at the airport for me.


I did also take one smaller 4 wheel spinner from my old set as well…and let’s just call him tippy. He worked well if you only were rolling him, but he fell over at any given chance.





I rolled my beautiful bag to my room and I believe Cass was already in there and Brook was not too far behind me. Of course we all set out to take pictures of the room. This was my first time staying in an ocean view room on DCL. In the past I have always had a balcony room. I was a little worried about how I would like it. Honestly, for this short cruise it was fine.





port21 by Jenseib, on Flickr





Our Castaway Club gift.





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Brook and Cass are both gold and I was turning gold this cruise. They let me have the bag. Cass didn’t want it and Brook was sailing again after this cruise so she said she would get one then. Score for me!





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I looked out the window and had to laugh. I am pretty sure they were pumping out sewage.





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You can see my beautiful luggage in the next shot.





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I LOVE these products!!!





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Hi Brook!





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And we displayed the Castaway Club gifts to get a shot.





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This next picture is Cass’. But I wanted to show the nice space under the bed. You can store your luggage under it easily. In fact I can even crawl under (and I had to at one point) and I am not a small person at all.





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And the mini fridge.





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Another look out the window. Still pumping!





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Our bags were starting to arrive so we did some unpacking….each of us claiming a section of the room with drawers to have for our stuff. Things really worked well. I was little worried about getting in each other’s way with a small room but we seemed to flow together fairly well. Also in my quest for new luggage I decided to try packing cubes out. In the past I always pack everything in zip lock bags and squish the air out of them to make everything fit well in my suitcases. I wasn’t sure how I would like the cubes. Well I loved them as well. I have never been so dang organized as I was this trip. I packed certain things in each cube and unpacking basically meant putting the cubes in the drawer or shelf. When I needed something, I just pulled out the appropriate cube, unzipped it, grabbed what I needed and zipped it back up and popped it right back on the shelf. I also got this amazing toiletry bag with my carryon set. I had everything in there and when unzipped it could hang on a hook. So as I needed it I would just carry it to the bathroom or where ever and I had everything with me and then zipped it right back up and set it with my things. Again, I felt so organized and on vacation I tend to NOT be organized with my belongings.





We each had some magnets, so we put those out on the door.





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I loved our room location. Cass had actually told me which room to pick, knowing that she may be rooming with us when I booked the original reservation. We were very near the aft staircase and elevators. This is actually the area I tend to pick as well when booking cruises for my own family.





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After that we kind of did our own thing for a bit. I found many of the girls up near the pool and we worked at adding the chat feature to our phones and connecting to each other and then it was time to meet up as a group. After all this was a work trip. We decided to meet in Keys and get some group pictures.


port63 by Jenseib, on Flickr





I love the furniture in here.





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We all were playing with the app on the phone and getting connected. We could add each other and then text using the app throughout the cruise. So we were mingling with each other and asking for each other’s numbered code to get things set up.





Of course many of us were also using the last bits of data before we were out of range, making calls, surfing the web, and checking emails.





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And then we all gathered for a picture. I did not want to be in the front and I am not sure how I managed to do that.





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Evidently someone said something funny.





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Once we had 5 hundred and 73 pictures taken, (thanks to Michelle’s husband and Kelly’s friend Charlotte), it was now just about time for the Muster Drill and we all started making our way to our stations.





Our rooms were scattered all over the ship so our stations were all different. It was funny as they had us line up shortest to tallest and according to our room number in our station. Brook was in the back and I was in the front, though I am not shorter than Cass…actually I think I am taller, or at least the same height, but that’s the way they put us. And if people got out of line they were scolding them….so we behaved. Brook was on her phone because she was behind us. I was on mine a bit, but then got in trouble. LOL.





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Up Next. Bye Bye Port Canaveral.

 

[chamberlain]

Enjoying your trip report, as always Jen! I was going to ask you if that was a Samantha Brown bag that was on a chair when you were eating in Cabanas. Glad they are as good as they look on QVC. Great seeing all of your picture of the Magic. We loved our Magic cruise a few weeks after you and brings back great memories. Can't wait to read more!

 

[Pinkocto]

LOVE the color of your bag!!! Great room pictures. We've had ocean view several cruises now and I quite like them.

We never made it into Keys, there was always something going on when we went past. Those chairs are really neat.

 

[cheermom2four]

Brook was on her phone because she was behind us. I was on mine a bit, but then got in trouble. LOL.

LOL oh good, I wasnt the only one that got in trouble for being on their phone

 

[jedijill]

Joining in! What a fun way to meet up with all your co-workers and I know you had a blast with Cass and Brooke!

Jill in CO

 

[dolphingirl47]

Now because I am out of the loop...where is your next adventure?

First we are taking a train trip from our home town Manchester in the north west of England to Barcelona taking in the Harry Potter Studio Tour near London, Disneyland Paris, the Languedoc with Unesco World Heritage Site Carcossonne. We then spend a couple of days in Barcelona before getting on the brand new Ovation of the seas (her maiden voyage is later than week and we will be on her 5th cruise) for a 16 night cruise from Barcelona to Dubai. I am so excited about this trip. All in all we will be gone just short of 4 weeks.

in the last 5 years I have only sailed 2 cruises that were not DCL.

We did a back to back on NCL in 2009, which was not really our thing. We then tried Royal Caribbean in December and fell for them hook, line and sinker. I can't wait to get on our next cruise.

I have done Cabanas 4 of the 5 DCL sailings I have been on and that really makes me feel more like the cruise is starting too.

On our 13 Disney cruises, we only tried the buffet once and that was on the Wonder in 2011. It was so crowded that the first table we could get was near the adult pool. Balancing trays and carry ons was not a great deal of joy so we went back to eating at Parrot Cay the next cruise.

It is basically a wind tunnel. Smokers in a wind tunnel….not a good match. They need to put something to block the wind. It was cold at times, windy, and of course people had issues lighting up and then with sparks flying all over.

That sounds like spectacularly bad planning.

I like the sound of your luggage set and the packing cubes sound like a fantastic idea. Keys looks like an amazing space. On our only cruise on the Magic since she was re-imagined, I never manage to check this out. The group photos are nice.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

Enjoying your trip report, as always Jen! I was going to ask you if that was a Samantha Brown bag that was on a chair when you were eating in Cabanas. Glad they are as good as they look on QVC. Great seeing all of your picture of the Magic. We loved our Magic cruise a few weeks after you and brings back great memories. Can't wait to read more!

I have been eyeing them on HSN for a couple of years. I love the colors. I will say when i got them, it was VERY cold out and they were not rolling well and I was worried. Once they warmed up they rolled and I also oiled the wheels which I do to all rolling suitcases to help them move better. I have since bought the 28 in matching blue full size case and it rolled well the day I got it and it was warmer out too. I haven't officially used it yet though.

LOVE the color of your bag!!! Great room pictures. We've had ocean view several cruises now and I quite like them.

We never made it into Keys, there was always something going on when we went past. Those chairs are really neat.

I have a thing for turquoise blue so I loved it when i saw the color.
I did go to keys one other time, but honestly it's not my kind of place to just hang out in.

LOL oh good, I wasnt the only one that got in trouble for being on their phone

hahaha

Joining in! What a fun way to meet up with all your co-workers and I know you had a blast with Cass and Brooke!

Jill in CO

Yay!!!
They are both great fun.

irst we are taking a train trip from our home town Manchester in the north west of England to Barcelona taking in the Harry Potter Studio Tour near London, Disneyland Paris, the Languedoc with Unesco World Heritage Site Carcossonne. We then spend a couple of days in Barcelona before getting on the brand new Ovation of the seas (her maiden voyage is later than week and we will be on her 5th cruise) for a 16 night cruise from Barcelona to Dubai. I am so excited about this trip. All in all we will be gone just short of 4 weeks.

Well that sounds fabulous.

We did a back to back on NCL in 2009, which was not really our thing. We then tried Royal Caribbean in December and fell for them hook, line and sinker. I can't wait to get on our next cruise.

I have heard good and bad about RCCL. I hear a lot of people complain of the nickle and diming, but I think that is true for all cruise lines really. Disney includes a bit more, but of course their prices are higher.

On our 13 Disney cruises, we only tried the buffet once and that was on the Wonder in 2011. It was so crowded that the first table we could get was near the adult pool. Balancing trays and carry ons was not a great deal of joy so we went back to eating at Parrot Cay the next cruise.

Ugh, that would suck. So far I have never had an issue getting a table.

That sounds like spectacularly bad planning.

It was. And then they would shut it down without warning a few times for fueling. Which is fine, but you need to warn people about this. When they shut it down, it's not 10 minutes...it's hours.

I like the sound of your luggage set and the packing cubes sound like a fantastic idea. Keys looks like an amazing space. On our only cruise on the Magic since she was re-imagined, I never manage to check this out. The group photos are nice.

My luggage worked very well for me. I will not travel without cubes now. So much easier for me.

 

[jenseib]

After the drill everyone scatters. I worked my way to the front of the ship in the smoking section where I found Deb. We sat and chatted away. We weren’t paying attention to the time at all and all of a sudden we heard the horn go. We knew that meant the sail away party was at least half way through or more. And then we started moving.


I got a few messages about where the other girls were, so I went up to find them. I didn’t at first, but took some pictures and waved.





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I texted Claire ( who got a phone for her b-day in Dec.) and told her to watch the port cam and waved, but she never replied and I think she didn’t get them till later that day.





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I did move on and find many of the girls and we all waved and took pictures.





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And we headed out to the open seas!





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Brook, Cass and I went to the front of the ship to watch us go out.





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Every cruise is an exciting adventure and we were all pumped up for this one.





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It was going to be so fun to have 13 other co-workers with us.





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After that we went to the shops. They open up once you are at sea. I had something I wanted and I could hardly wait to get there. I had spotted the cutest Dooney and Burke purse on facebook. It’s white and has a port hole and Mickey and Minnie on it. Ever since I saw it online I knew I was buying this purse. I had saved up for it (and also had extra spending money for the cruise as well) and that baby was coming home with me.


We went in and shopped around and I found the purse. LOVE!! I grabbed it and looked around some more. I found another pattern of Dooney I have never seen before and fell in love with that as well. I looked them over. There was a cross over and I had actually been using a cheap Walmart cross over purse for the whole trip so far. I usually carry my big SLR camera around with me everywhere on vacation, so I carry a back pack to store it in when not used. This trip I decided to free myself up and use it less and brought my point and shoot for many days or partial days. The cross over was working out well and my plan was if I liked it I would buy a Dooney Cross over….however in the parks I had not found one that I was in love with to justify the cost. I really loved this other pattern and threw it over my shoulder and we picked out the best placement and I said yes!!!!


Cass went off and shopped a bit and Brook and I browsed around some more. So I chatted away about both purses and how much I loved them. Brook asked me which one I was going to get….my answer…BOTH! I think her jaw fell off her face. Hahaha. Now I don’t buy a lot for myself normally but at Disney is when I tend to buy the things I want. In real life it’s things for the house or for my kids. I had been saving up for more than a year with Disney gift cards so that I could purchase the things I wanted without feeling guilty. So even though these were 2 large purchases, I had more than enough in gift cards to cover the costs. I went and paid for them and was one happy camper. I then later switched out the Walmart purse to the new DCL cross over and never looked back! I also bought something else that night, but for the life of me I can’t remember what. Maybe a shirt? Magnet? I don’t remember now, but I know I had 2 separate transactions. I know I did go back on another night and did buy a couple of shirts, ornaments, etc.





Cass and I wanted to go to the show, but Brook was going to skip it.


Tonight was Twice Charmed. I have seen it twice already but I really loved this show.


Cass and I found seats and really enjoyed it. This one is really magical to me.


Photos are no longer allowed at the shows but at the end I took a couple with my phone.





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Obviously not the best, but I got some. LOL!





port108 by Jenseib, on Flickr





At some point in time we spruced ourselves up and got ready for dinner. We were to be in Cariocas tonight. This is my least favorite restaurant on the Magic. The food is ok, but I only like a few of the choices really. I was glad it was our first night and I had better places to look forward to after this.





port46 by Jenseib, on Flickr





port47 by Jenseib, on Flickr





Cass had a love affair with the bread basket.





port48 by Jenseib, on Flickr








I think it was banana bread and she was devouring it. It was good, but I was almost afraid to touch any because she might bite my hand off. LOL!!





port49 by Jenseib, on Flickr





port50 by Jenseib, on Flickr





Because we were such a large group, we had 2 tables next to each other. The first night most of us sat at our assigned table but each night we kind of moved around so we could talk with different people easier. We had requested Jason as our server. This was my first experience with Jason, but many of the other girls have had him before and he is just fabulous. The assistant server was Amp. They were a fabulous team and he was one of the best servers I have ever had. He was attentive, learned our names fast, remembered some of the other girls from past cruises and was just so nice. He has been with Disney for many many years. I want to say over 10, so he probably has this server thing down pat.





I got the Empanda for an appetizer





port51 by Jenseib, on Flickr





It was very good and really I should order 2 of these as I do really like them.





I also got the Deep Fried Lobster Croquettes. Again, I do love these as well.





port52 by Jenseib, on Flickr





For an entrée I got fish. I want to say it was the Pan-seared halibut, but I could be wrong. It was good though.





port53 by Jenseib, on Flickr





Cass obviously got some sort of steak, which looks darn good to me.





port54 by Jenseib, on Flickr





I also got some skewers but I only asked for the kind with the meats I like.





port55 by Jenseib, on Flickr





Sadly most of it was pretty dry, which was my experience last time I got them as well. I think I am done with the skewers and probably won’t order them again.





For dessert I went with the no sugar option of strawberry cheesecake.





port56 by Jenseib, on Flickr





It was ok, but nothing to write home about really…after all it had no sugar. Hahaha.





I think I liked the food a little better this time over the last time I was here overall, but still I feel like limited choices. However they keep changing this menu a bit, so it seemed like I had better choices this time. Dessert wise though, this is a dud to me. Most of the things were not really something I would eat. I certainly didn’t go hungry and if I really need something sweet, I could find something else somewhere else for sure.





After dinner, many of the girls were going to Fathoms to play a game. Cass was not interested and I went up top for a bit. The ship was a little rocky tonight and I got to talking to some people who had first dining and they said many people couldn’t make it through dinner and were getting sick. It did feel rocky but I have had much worse and I tend to feel sick easier than some and so far I was doing pretty darn good. Of course I was taking bonine daily to help with any motion sickness.





I did end up going and catching up with the others at Fathoms after a bit.


They were all about the competition and it was pretty funny.





port57 by Jenseib, on Flickr





They would have to run up to the stage with items and at one point Pam pulled a muscle in her calf. And not just a tiny pull. She was hurting for the rest of the cruise. But she said she is competitive and it was worth it to try and win. LOL!





port58 by Jenseib, on Flickr





There was some dancing involved in the game as well and it was pretty darn funny.





port59 by Jenseib, on Flickr





I have to commit on the MC, Matt. In the past 2 Magic cruises we have had Andy. We LOVE Andy. I think Skip has a man crush on Andy. I had heard Andy left and went to the Wonder last summer…not sure if he is still there or not….so I was sad not to have my buddy Andy with us this cruise. Matt was the MC this time. (I really have no clue what the title is but he takes care of a lot of the games and adult activities). Matt was pretty darn nice on the eyes and he was great fun. I approved!





After the game show, the DJ came out. Some left and I stayed. I rarely dance anymore. I just never go anywhere where there is dancing…and let’s face it…I am not always super coordinated. But I felt the music lift me tonight and I went out and boogied my rear off with Kelly and Charlotte…and I think Brook and Patty too? I can’t remember, but a couple of us danced and we had so much fun. I still do not have any “moves” but I didn’t care and I am sure it was great exercise to work off some of the food I had devoured today.





Cass was still up when I returned. This was our towel animal.





port60 by Jenseib, on Flickr





And now for the moment we all had been waiting for. I was going to climb into the bunk bed. Yep…remember I had volunteered to do this if Cass was going to join us. Cass was worried about comfort so she did ask for egg crate mattress pads for each of the beds.


So I attempt to climb the ladder. This ladder is made for someone with strong feet. Teeny Tiny rails to climb up and I could not put pressure on with my bare feet without major pain. It didn’t help that I had a huge blister the size of the Empire State Building (and I should know, I visited it in Nov.) on the ball of my left foot. How the heck am I going to get up there?


I decided I would put my shoes on and climb….mind you we were both laughing about the whole ordeal, which didn’t make things any easier……The shoes worked. I got up and was perfectly fine. But my shoes stink. Yes, I have sweaty feet and had been wearing them off and on for about 5 or 6 days now, and I was not about to keep those babies up in the bed with me. So I tossed them down and to the side.





Cass had to get a picture of me all tucked in the bed.





sleepy by Jenseib, on Flickr





In the meantime, Brook came back in and started getting ready for bed. She was going to sleep under me…and I prayed this bed would hold all my weight or we would have a smashed Brook.





I took a picture of my view from way up there.





port109 by Jenseib, on Flickr





There was a little light switch up there and a light. Something I never knew before. That was a nice touch. However the light switch lit up green and was driving me nuts, so Brook and Cass handed me some post it notes and I cleverly applied them around the switch so it would block out the glow.





And then we all feel asleep…rocking along the way. Sleeping on a ship is always the best.





Up Next……My early morning walk as we pull into Nassau.