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Sailing with the Gang, Disney Magic, Feb 7. 2016


jenseib
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Hi all!

For those that don’t know me, I am Jennifer, or as many of my friends call me, Jen! I like to travel, I like to take pictures and then I usually like to write about my adventures. I do that for 2 reasons. Number one is that I hope it helps others in their planning. I tell the good and the bad and even though my experience isn’t what others may find or even like, I hope to at least give people a little taste of things. I secondly write these for my own personal reasons. I tend to post this on a couple of message boards as well as my blog. If I want to go back and remember my trip, I can just go and read it. Or if there is something I can’t remember in a few years, like why I didn’t like this, or what made that so special, I can go and reread about it.

Of course even when I write it down now, I still can’t remember everything, but the pictures tend to jog my memory and I usually have it pretty close to how it happened.

I am going to do this trip report a little different this time....and thats what I do....a Trip Report...NOT a ship review. I write my story and review the ship, ports and everything else while telling my story.

I usually write my reports in chronological order. I go day by day and post what I did each day. This time I broke it up into sections. This section is actually the 3rd part of my trip. I started at Universal Studios, then on to Disney World and then I cruised on the Disney Magic….and then back to Disney World for another day, which I will include at the end of this one.

I wanted to write about the cruise portion first so here it is....I will not be writing about the Universal or first WDW segment in this report, but I do post on other forums (with the same user name) if you are interested in finding those. They won't be started till this one is done though.

A little quick intro…

I am a Mom to 3, but many of you who have read my past reports probably only know my youngest, Claire. Claire is 11 now…boy time flies. My other 2 are just as special but they are adults and rarely travel with me now so they just are not in my traveling reports.

22922589525_b09136f6a9_z.jpgskag35 by Jenseib, on Flickr

I am also a grandmother now. Yes…I know…I am WAY too young to be a grandmother. I know, I know….you make me blush with all your compliments! But yes I am! And little Gracie is now 1 ½ years old and just as cute as can be. And I get by being that young and hip grandma by having her call me Bop Bop. (Long story but my nieces have called me Aunt Bop Bop, so it has stuck and works as a Grandma replacement word as well)

24935958701_ea97ff7aab_z.jpgbaby4 by Jenseib, on Flickr

I am also married and if you have read my past reports you have probably seen Skip make appearances. He isn’t always a fan of traveling, and he is even less of a fan of me traveling without him, but sometimes I just have to go and he gripes a bit at first and then makes peace with it.

This trip was actually a work related trip. Back in Oct. of 2014, 2 of my co-workers and I were chatting like we do daily on facebook, and my co-worker Brook mentioned great cruise rates for Feb 2016. Wow! Of course, Deb and I go and take a look and there were several short sailings that were reasonable. We had been talking about doing a work related cruise for some time now, but no one was ever pulling the trigger. They elected me to post about it on our private business page to see if anyone would bite….and bite they did. Soon we were all talking about cruising and then it came down to picking a date and a ship. It was between the Dream and the Magic. I have been on both ships, twice each. I was game for either really. Some wanted one over the other, some it was more about price and in the end we priced out a few sailings and basically went with the cheapest option, which was on the Magic on Feb. 7, 2016.

Since cruise pricing can change at any moment we wanted to book right away. So we had to decide who was going to room with who. Brook said she would like to room with me, which was perfectly fine with me. We had traveled together a couple of times in the past and we had even roomed together before. Brook is a good roommate as she doesn’t mind if I do my own thing, nor do I mind if she does her, and yet we have fun together and can laugh about anything. Honestly, we have such a great bunch of co-workers that I wasn’t opposed to rooming with any of them, but it was nice to be with someone I knew I would get along with.

People started pairing up and some were even putting 3 in a room. I booked our cruise, in an ocean view room, which would be a first for me on DCL. Later that day Cass, another co-worker and friend messaged me that she would really like to room with me. Cass and I went on a work trip together in Feb. of 2014 and roomed together. We also got along fabulously. She is another person who is fine with doing stuff with or without me. The down side for Cass was that she could not commit to the cruise just yet. She has some health issues and it would really depend on how she was doing at that time. I told Cass that if Brook didn’t mind, she was more than welcome to be added to our room later when she could commit, and I even volunteered to take the top bunk bed…..I guess I was having a crazy moment!!! LOL.

We ended up changing our room number as some point to be sure we had a room that had a pull down bunk and also to a better location. Several of the girls (I work with almost all girls and the 1 guy who works with us could not make the trip) booked rooms. Some canceled in the end; some left our business, so of course they weren’t going to want to join us now. We also hired in some new people and they ended up booking later on, and one joined almost last minute.

For the most part after the initial booking, things were quiet. After a few months we started talking about pre or post cruise. Some of us wanted to do other things as well. Some wanted before and some wanted after. In the end not everyone could agree or commit fully to everything so we narrowed it down to the official arrival date of Feb. 5. We decided we would do a few dinners together and of course getting a group that large, which ended up being 14 of us, was not the easiest, but we found a couple of places, one for the evening of the 5th and one for the evening of the 6th.

If memory serves me right, it was fall of 2015 when Cass committed and we added her to our room. I kind of always thought Cass would be coming. Even though she does have health issues, she doesn’t let it get her down too much and I knew how much she wanted to come. In fact over the year we had discussed what we wanted to do and had a game plan made. I had bought my flights in the summer (free with air points) for an arrival date of Feb. 2, assuming Cass would arrive that early as well and we would spend a few days at Universal Studios before heading over to Disney World to meet up with the rest of the gang.

Luckily Cass was well and she actually planned her trip to arrive a few days earlier than me and she did a few days at Disney and then moved over to Universal on Feb. 1 and I joined her on Feb. 2. To make a long story short…yes it’s even longer than this….hahaha….we did Universal for a few days and then headed over to the Polynesian on Feb 4. Brook joined us on Feb. 5. In the meantime we did meet up with others and spent some time together and then all got together for our dinners and some park fun and a few other business related things.

Our Gang. I am not going to introduce all of them as you would never remember who is who. But if you can pick me out, Brook is on the right looking at the picture and Cass is 3 in from the left side in the back row.

25243748533_35ce6fc226_z.jpganimal45 by Jenseib, on Flickr

We actually had a few extras that came along with some of the girls....a husband, child, and friend. So a few extra than 14, but they did not join us on the work related ventures.

This report is now starting officially on Feb. 7....cruise day.

Brook, Cass and I had spent a few nights at the Polynesian and had a wonderful time. The room was big and we really enjoyed the experience there. The price was affordable because there were 3 of us.

Now on to the report!...

Which I will start tomorrow! ;)

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I never did finish your last one, well the last one I was reading, you had Clair with you. There was swimming. And food, I'm sure there was more, but my mind is fog of my own life, forget keeping up with Internet strangers.

 

I look forward to your report.

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Friday, Feb. 7, 2016

I always wake early on vacation and today was no different….and even better yet, we were boarding a ship today. I am pretty sure I was the first up, and I got ready. Even though I am up early, I am always the last one ready in the end in most cases. I only get half way ready and then head out and when I come back I need to finish up and today was no different. The plus side was that since I had been moving from hotel to hotel over this trip, I really hadn’t unpacked anything for the most part so it wasn’t too hard to get packed back up for the next move.[/color]

I made a call home to let them know I would be heading the ship soon and that I would call again this afternoon.

I am one of those people who needs to eat in the morning. I get hangry if I don’t. Cass doesn’t need to eat till later. Brook, well she loves breakfast. I made a dash over to Ceremonial House to get Brook and I something quick.

Let me tell you about the weather. It was cold, drizzly at times and miserable. My trip started off beautifully in the 80s and plummeted to the 50s and 60s after that. The temps weren’t that bad but there was a north wind that would chill you to the bone. Many days the temp differences between Orlando and Ohio was only 6 degrees. Yeah, my husband laughed about that one a lot!

I made my way to get us each something to drink, milk for me and coffee for Brook and a pastry of some sort for each of us. Since I didn’t take a picture, I no longer remember. It was cold, rainy and there was construction at the Poly. The most direct route to and from was blocked. I found that by weaving in and out of buildings, while not direct, it kept me a little more comfortable. I also was loaded down so it made it a bit awkward but I managed not to spill or drop anything.

My only Poly shot this morning…our hallway.

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After gobbling our food we made sure we had everything and headed out with our bags. Brook’s mom lives in FL and was letting us use her car for the week. We headed out to the car and started packing it up. I am an over packer, well honestly I am not, I wore almost everything I brought, I just don’t know how to condense it down to be practical, so I had to go back to the room for a second trip as I couldn’t carry it all easily in one trip. The room wasn’t too far away so that was no big deal.

Everyone had different ways of getting to the port. Some were using a car service, some had rented a car and some had a car with them. We had no set time to arrive or meet up, but being the cruising crazy girls we are, we wanted to get there early.

Off we go. As you can see we are loaded to the max. But we all had long stays. Mine was the shortest of the 3 and I was down in Florida for 11 days.

25117518132_1f93885f46_z.jpgluggage by Jenseib, on Flickr

We chatted as we drove along. Brook’s Mom has a Sun Pass thingy so we didn’t even have to stop for tolls. That was nice.

After a while we spotted the Magic in the distance.

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Wooohooo!!!!!!!!

My phone pictures were terrible.

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Brook was going to drop Cass and I off and she was going to park at an offsite parking facility.

25149958431_d43da76421_z.jpgport81 by Jenseib, on Flickr

24947517990_97cee00128_z.jpgport82 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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24947517640_2cbe979d48_z.jpgport83 by Jenseib, on Flickr

Brook made the loop and we unloaded our bags and Cass and I made our way towards the entrance. We were told that they were not letting people in quite yet and we could go up to the cross walk above to wait. We really didn’t want to do that, but it was darn cold outside and even Cass who runs warm was a little chilly. We headed to the elevator in the parking garage and an older guy was staring Cass up and down for wearing shorts and a tee. It was funny. He made some comments to her about basically being crazy. Hahaha.

We didn’t have to wait too long and we were let across the walk and into the building.

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And we got right up to check in.

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And had the WORST CM ever. She basically had no clue what she was doing. She couldn’t grasp that Brook wasn’t standing there with us to check in. She kept telling us how she had to do things differently and if she didn’t follow the rules she would get in trouble. I am pretty sure she was making her own rules up. She kept trying to take Brook off the reservation basically. Honestly I have no clue what she was doing and we were getting annoyed because we had wanted to check and see if an upgrade was available, which needed to be done after check in. Finally, after fiddling around a bit I said could Cass please have her card as she wants to check for upgrades and she handed it over. She then realized we were to get lanyards, so she handed me my silver lanyard. (This cruise was turning me gold). Cass and Brook are gold and she never handed those out but said something about Brook coming to get hers when she got there. Cass never got one, but Cass didn’t care because she doesn’t use them too often.

I don’t remember all that happened at the desk but I left frustrated and she told us to have Brook come up when she arrived. Brook, on the other hand was having good luck and caught a shuttle immediately and was already heading over to the port. We also saw Michelle checking in. (Michelle is our boss). So we gathered off to the side and chatted.

24933017212_801e691c5f_z.jpgport5 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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24683455389_9348a63c08_z.jpgport6 by Jenseib, on Flickr

24933016192_cef2cc4bc4_z.jpgport7 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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Brook had arrived and headed over to check in. There were issues and Cass ran over to help out with the explanation of the crappy CM. She did something totally wrong and they basically had to recheck us all in, but since I had already given my info I didn’t have to walk back over there. I think in the end Brook’s CM had to go talk with ours to get things straightened out. Brook did get a lanyard though.

To pass the time we headed outside to take a look at our home for the next few days. I look tired and rough here. LOL.

25124849562_4c5a1d2c3b_z.jpgport84 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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And a crazy pano from my phone.

24947516880_c326829d42_z.jpgport85 by Jenseib, on Flickr

One of my co-workers, Deb, came out and we chatted a bit and then headed back inside.

We gathered with the gang and talked some more and a had a celebrity sighting…walked right by us and I was not fast enough.

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And after a bit there was another sighting.

25146895562_c51e47d44b_z.jpgport87 by Jenseib, on Flickr

Soon we heard the boarding start. I don’t remember our exact number and the card is put away, but I want to say it was 3 or 4. We made our way up close but not too close as to block others. Sadly many people don’t seem to get this. They stand right at the entry way and WILL NOT MOVE! Please don’t do this. It’s so annoying and if you get pushed, it’s on your own head. Sure enough, when our number was called, the people blocking the entrance were still not in that group and did not move…and we said excuse me as we pushed through them.

We were all excited. I will say I was walking a bit fast and kept losing some of the group behind me. We scanned our cards and also decided to forgo the boarding picture. Not everyone was there yet so we didn’t want to get a group picture with only a partial group.

We had them announce our companies name as we boarded. We walked on and looked back and saw we had become separated from half the group who now were coming in the other doors. And once again we heard our companies name being announced.

The super bowl was this day. I don’t follow sports and never really even had a thought about it, but Disney was prepared.

24897496819_2590abc81f_z.jpgport88 by Jenseib, on Flickr

We stood around and got some pictures of the display.

25265163045_661ee12170_z.jpgport89 by Jenseib, on Flickr

Ok, that’s nice and all…but I am ready to EAT! Cass and I went ahead while the rest finished up pictures to save tables in Cabanas. We found an open area and started putting something at each table to show they were occupied.

24781698340_fd19928b02_z.jpgport15 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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After we did that, we realized, the Michelle’s (our boss) husband was sitting at a table next to us and had a couple saved as well. So we condensed down to the right amount and got settled in and took turns getting food.

24709649889_2ae3af9a81_z.jpgport16 by Jenseib, on Flickr

Cass and I laughed at the name of the beef.

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I didn’t get any but a few others did and they all said it was super tough.

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I got a plate of some of my favorites and settled into my seat.

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If you know me, no Disney cruise can be officially started till I have a chocolate chip cookie.

25081049396_c0a4e7b22b_z.jpgport19 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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And dessert!

24739708239_6d08f37b42_z.jpgport20 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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One thing we were all doing while eating was setting up our DCL aps. You can get a small free wifi package if you sign in on the first day, so we all were checking it out. We thought it was so much per room, but we found out that as long as we all had our own emails then we could each sign in and get this package. SWEET! Of course that sounds wonderful, but the wifi is pretty whacked, especially from your phone. If you don’t have basically everything that could possibly run in the background turned off when you connect, it can eat all of your time in seconds. Those who used it on their computers had little to no problems at all. I never ran out of mine, but I only turned it on a few times. Cass and Brook both bought packages as well as some of the other gals and many had to go to the wifi desk and have it adjusted or reset because the whole package would be used in 5 minutes time.

24608983743_bdd8e78e84_z.jpgport77 by Jenseib, on Flickr

Up next….My first DCL Ocean View room

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I never did finish your last one, well the last one I was reading, you had Clair with you. There was swimming. And food, I'm sure there was more, but my mind is fog of my own life, forget keeping up with Internet strangers.

 

I look forward to your report.

 

Thanks for joining.

I have done a few with Claire...she is my cruising buddy. Last summer we went on NCL to Alaska and Skip came too. That was such an amazing cruise too. Disney is still my favorite line, but to get to some destinations or cruise more often, sometimes I have to look at cheaper options.

 

Great review so far, looking forward to the rest!

 

Thanks for joining in!

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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.

24897494509_0fbe7d3aef_z.jpgport92 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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I think a few got some coffee there as well.

25146891782_0e41d48ae8_z.jpgport94 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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.

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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!

24994019272_f867826e20_z.jpgport23 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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Hi Brook!

24527566444_e3e3a1dfd2_z.jpgport36 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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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.

25209498536_f844f16c6b_z.jpgcass'under the bed by Jenseib, on Flickr

And the mini fridge.

25278888805_712c8099c9_z.jpgport97 (2) by Jenseib, on Flickr

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Another look out the window. Still pumping!

25209497756_42b3b2890f_z.jpgport61 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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.

24868097209_9c5ff207da_z.jpgport62 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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.

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I love the furniture in here.

24605116194_8ee88def6c_z.jpgport64 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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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.

25185738791_4098f47cc6_z.jpgport100 by Jenseib, on Flickr

Up Next. Bye Bye Port Canaveral.

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Great review so far! I really enjoyed your Alaska review, so I'm sure this one won't be any different.

 

Thanks for joining in again!

 

See, I take a picture of the toilet and then get home and uh, that's a toilet. You take a picture, add boarders and I'm ready to cruise again.

 

hahaha!!! I swear a border makes the ugliest picture look good! :cool:

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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.

24648260084_9cc7c5cc82_z.jpgport101 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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.

24648259294_139f10a777_z.jpgport102 by Jenseib, on Flickr

25158248745_3af6f8b0c8_z.jpgport37 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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

24527565574_c16e9dd214_z.jpgport38 by Jenseib, on Flickr

25252630406_7705ede96f_z.jpgport103 by Jenseib, on Flickr

25132241646_ae0ef42052_z.jpgport41 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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And we headed out to the open seas!

24983284850_282e6741fa_z.jpgport104 by Jenseib, on Flickr

24790884679_f3a0276af3_z.jpgport42 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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

25065325701_676665fae9_z.jpgport43 by Jenseib, on Flickr

25065325261_5d3ef6ccfd_z.jpgport44 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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

25185735611_c8de85de7a_z.jpgport105 by Jenseib, on Flickr

24652101903_911b569ea0_z.jpgport106 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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

24531744523_b16c3ed964_z.jpgport45 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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.

25185734551_b8fd4d52ca_z.jpgport107 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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

25185733931_48f3028fed_z.jpgport108 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.

25040323872_975d3f08a5_z.jpgport46 by Jenseib, on Flickr

25132239086_ac1a65dc25_z.jpgport47 by Jenseib, on Flickr

Cass had a love affair with the bread basket.

24790882159_3d781f8aba_z.jpgport48 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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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!!

24862928810_5576dd967b_z.jpgport49 by Jenseib, on Flickr

25065322771_3f19b67e3b_z.jpgport50 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

25054085332_a66c4eceb6_z.jpgport51 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.

24545511133_e5fd302935_z.jpgport52 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.

25054084482_c1b817c06d_z.jpgport53 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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

25146010476_7a711d98c3_z.jpgport54 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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

24804640299_103a6ba1cd_z.jpgport55 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.

25199104496_375956755e_z.jpgport56 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.

24857699329_a8faeed171_z.jpgport57 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!

25199103366_04f7914f6c_z.jpgport58 by Jenseib, on Flickr

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

24594730024_8d4b1b30cf_z.jpgport59 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.

24594729414_d8262dace7_z.jpgport60 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.

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

25462076121_0a99e86458_z.jpgsleepy 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.

24911207849_cc7cf16b7d_z.jpgport109 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.

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