March 29, 2013 8 Nights on the Magic

[disneymom13176]

We are driving from Michigan. Our plan was to leave right after school on Wed.
Christi

Christi- We might pass each other on the highway. We are driving from KY down to Galveston.

 

[urbkols]

>Is the Palo dinner worth it? I've heard the food on DCL is better than a lot of the other cruise lines... I want to spend time with the kids but I'm beginning to think a night away at the Palo doesn't sound too bad either? Is it like a steakhouse type thing? I guess what I'm getting at is what makes it better than the already paid for food?
>Also Im afraid my kids are going to love the kids clubs and want to be in there a lot if that is the case are there things for adults to do? Dont get me wrong this vacation is definitely for my kids BUT if they ditch us cuz "mickey is way cooler than mom and dad"... what do we do?
>Park hopper tickets... Which parks can you "hop" from and which places would be best for a 6 and 4 year old? Never been to WDW. From AZ so we just go to DL.
>Also I am thinking we need to be part of the meet and greet since we are probably not going to have any other friends end up coming with us... every other time we have cruised we have gone with a group of 50+ other people we knew, and no kids. So this is going to be quite a change for us. Excited though! I hear so much good about DCL!

I know Erik (BlueMarlin) touched on a bit of what you can do especially if the kids don't want to leave the club. I have 5 year old twins and this will be their 6th cruise, 3rd on DCL and then 4th time to WDW. Big thing to remember this is your vacation too so enjoy some me time as well. When we get the Navigator the night before we plan our day around the activities that are offered. DD likes to swim and see the princess. DS likes going to the Kid's club more than DD and watching the movies on board. If there is a cooking demo, kids' goto the kids club because that's my time! DH and I love going one night to the specialty restaurants on any cruise plus it gives us a peaceful dinner. We also try to spend a night or two in the adult area of the ship. Palo will not disappoint so give it a try!

I live 20 minutes from DL and have passes so we go there quite often. Since this is your first time to WDW MK is a must. Ya you will say it's just like DL just bigger but there is something seeing Cinderella's castle that makes it special. AK is also great for the little one's if they want to go on a Safari, plus the Finding Nemo show is so cute for the little ones. Epcot will have the Flower and Garden show which is also cool. Epcot makes it fun for the kids by giving out last time I was there a Duffy to color around the world. My kids like it also because there is a Nemo ride too. My son likes going to HS for the Cars Stunt show and DD likes the Ariel Show there too. On this trip we are sticking to MK and Epcot. Want to see the New Fantasyland plus these two parks are connected by the monorail system and we don't have to take the bus.

 

[disneycruising]

This is our first Disney Cruise and we would love to join the FE list...

Room#: 8536
Tiffany, Vaidy, Sabrina (15), Maya (12), Layla (7)

Thanks!

Welcome! You are going to love DCL!

 

[Trinity524]

We're at a hotel by the pier. Did prepaid port parking to avoid the shuttle buses and just walk off.

We promise not to stalk you, but what hotel is this? I asked the operator how close the hotel was to the pier and he said two blocks. I don't care about the actual hotel as we aren't going to get in until about 8 pm so I won't be able to enjoy any amenities. I'd love to walk off and avoid a shuttle.

TIA.

Annie

 

[Mistylynn526]

Christi- We might pass each other on the highway. We are driving from KY down to Galveston.

We might pass you both. We are leaving after school Wednesday from IL.

 

[Trinity524]

So glad you were able to get off!!! My son is 5 also! Glad there will be a few 5 yo on the ship.

I think we are almost neighbors on the boat! A few of us are in the same little area.

7620 Misty Mistylynn526
7621 Russell -
7622 Bernie -
7624 Annie Trinity524

 

[gerryswifehlt]

For those of you considering going to the parks while we are in Port Canaveral here is some helpful WDW information. The Magic Kingdom opens at 8am the day we are there for resort guests only (I am assuming it is not for cruise line guests?) and Epcot will be open later, until 11pm. While only resort guests can ride the rides that late at Epcot, you can still go around the world showcase after fireworks, which would make the Epcot dessert party a good deal, unless you've never seen the parade & fireworks at MK, then do that!!!

Please read up on FP and the all the new changes they are implementing at the parks with the wristbands and RFID tickets. I am hoping FP+ will be up and running by then so we can make the most of our one day there.

Also, it will be pretty crowded at the parks, so don't get your hearts set on doing everything. With young kids, MK is the place to be. The new Fantasyland is fun (especially Dumbo's new queue and the splash area where kids can get soaked-warning!!). Older thrill-seeking teens will like Hollywood Studios. Epcot is a good choice for shopping & eating. AK closes earlier than the other parks, but has some fun things for everyone, but is pretty far out compared to the other parks.

Also look into making a dining reservation with Disney Dining. They have good character meals, but most are already filled up. Realize if you use the Hopper option, it will take about a hour from the time you start leaving a park until you get into another.

Hope I'm not insulting anyone's intelligence, but while not being overly knowledgable about DCL, I am in the vacation club and an annual pass holder, so I have a lot of the ins and outs of WDW down. Just, try and go with a plan .

 

[Trinity524]

Perhaps someone can say when the last motorcoach leaves?


Walt Disney World Resort (Port Canaveral, FL) 6:15 a.m. 12:45 a.m.

It's about an hour and 30 minutes back to port. What time do we have to be back on the ship? Is there a return schedule for each park?


Here is the park schedule for the day we are there. It appears that Magic Kingdom opens at 8am for the general public.

 

[glittergurl]

Hi,

We are thinking about doing the VIP tour on our stop at Port Canaveral in order to avoid lines. It would be myself, my husband, and our 2 boys, ages 8 and 9. Problem is it is wayyyy to expensive for just the four of us, so we want to know if any of you would be interested in joining us.

The cost is approximately $1,770 for 6 hours. We would need 6 more people for a total of 10 people, so the price would be approximately $177 per person.

We are pretty much interested in hitting all the thrill rides at all of the parks (maybe not Animal Kingdom if we run out of time). I was told we would be brought to the rear of each fastpass line on each ride and go from there.

Please let me know if anyone is interested! We only need 6 more people!

 

[gerryswifehlt]

You are totally right! MK opens at 7 am for resort guests and 8am for everyone. They've recently changed that, yeah?

That just means that by even by 8-9am MK will be pretty crowded and they must be expecting very large crowds that day.

 

[gerryswifehlt]

Hi,

We are thinking about doing the VIP tour on our stop at Port Canaveral in order to avoid lines. It would be myself, my husband, and our 2 boys, ages 8 and 9. Problem is it is wayyyy to expensive for just the four of us, so we want to know if any of you would be interested in joining us.

The cost is approximately $1,770 for 6 hours. We would need 6 more people for a total of 10 people, so the price would be approximately $177 per person.

We are pretty much interested in hitting all the thrill rides at all of the parks (maybe not Animal Kingdom if we run out of time). I was told we would be brought to the rear of each fastpass line on each ride and go from there.

Please let me know if anyone is interested! We only need 6 more people!

I hope I am doing this right!!

Is transportation provided from the ship? What parks are included? And is lunch included?

I am very interested in the VIP package!! There are 4 of us and we like the thrill rides, too.

Who would we pay and when?

I'd have to check with my husband first.

 

[FrogMBA]

My Daughter and I are going to be on the Magic 3/29-4/7. It is our first cruise.
I see Christi is driving from Michigan, so am I . I live in Port Huron.
Can we be added to the meet with you guys. But not the FE's. I still am unsure of this.

DD- Sydney 16 (2 weeks shy of 17)
MOM - Kim Single


I am very nervous going as a single person but I see a singles lunch. I hope I will make new friends.

Any tips will be apprecieated.

Kim

 

[stsomewhere]

My Daughter and I are going to be on the Magic 3/29-4/7. It is our first cruise.
I see Christi is driving from Michigan, so am I . I live in Port Huron.
Can we be added to the meet with you guys. But not the FE's. I still am unsure of this.

DD- Sydney 16 (2 weeks shy of 17)
MOM - Kim Single


I am very nervous going as a single person but I see a singles lunch. I hope I will make new friends.

Any tips will be apprecieated.

Kim

Kim,
Don't worry you will have a great time! I went on a 14 night Disney cruise by myself (no kids, husband or friends). I made friends with people on the Dis. I went to the cruise meet and put a face with the names. I hung out with them if I wanted. Other times I enjoyed time by myself. I never felt out of place. It was nice to see a friendly face around the ship.

We have friends that live in Port Huron and Lakeport. I believe that the high school band will be at WDW the week we are there.

We live just South of Detroit in Lincoln Park.

Christi

 

[stsomewhere]

>Is the Palo dinner worth it? I've heard the food on DCL is better than a lot of the other cruise lines... I want to spend time with the kids but I'm beginning to think a night away at the Palo doesn't sound too bad either? Is it like a steakhouse type thing? I guess what I'm getting at is what makes it better than the already paid for food?
>Also Im afraid my kids are going to love the kids clubs and want to be in there a lot if that is the case are there things for adults to do? Dont get me wrong this vacation is definitely for my kids BUT if they ditch us cuz "mickey is way cooler than mom and dad"... what do we do?
>Park hopper tickets... Which parks can you "hop" from and which places would be best for a 6 and 4 year old? Never been to WDW. From AZ so we just go to DL.
>Also I am thinking we need to be part of the meet and greet since we are probably not going to have any other friends end up coming with us... every other time we have cruised we have gone with a group of 50+ other people we knew, and no kids. So this is going to be quite a change for us. Excited though! I hear so much good about DCL!

1. Palo is worth the dinner. You could do brunch and still have a quiet meal without kids. Brunch is my fav. For brunch , there is a buffet with Fruits, sweet rolls, seafood, antipasto, etc. Plus, you get an entree or two. Maybe a pizza appetizer, plus desserts. It is $20 per person. You will need to make a reservation. Each night the main dining room will have a different menu. There will be 3 rotational dinners,1 formal,1 semi formal, 1 pirate, and others.


2.My kids love the clubs. We make them eat dinner with us. Other than that we don't see them. There are drink tastings, trivia, spa services, animation classes, movies, or just relaxing on deck with a book. There is always stuff to do. Each night you will get a Navigator in your stateroom with the next days activities. It will list kids, family and adult activities. Remember you can not do everything!

3. You will be able to hop to all the parks. Magic Kingdom and Epcot are attached to the monorail. You would take that between those to parks. Buses run to the other parks about every 20 minutes. You may have to wait for another bus. It can take about 15-20 to travel to the different park.I recommend that you look at the parks and determine what your kids will enjoy the most. My kids favorite is Epcot. Least fav-Animal Kingdom.

4. It is great to go to the meet and greet. You can put a face with the names on the Dis. It is great to see a friendly face around the ship.

Christi

 

[FrogMBA]

Sorry I left out that I don't have a room number yet.
I am a little lost on here I cannot find the location for the meet.
I know I read it.
Deck 3 3 pm


looking forward to it

Thanks to all for the great tips.

 

[Trinity524]

You are totally right! MK opens at 7 am for resort guests and 8am for everyone. They've recently changed that, yeah?

That just means that by even by 8-9am MK will be pretty crowded and they must be expecting very large crowds that day.

Unfortunately you will be right. 4/2 is, at the very least, Catholic School spring break in Florida. I am having my parents meet me in WDW and I am sure it will be packed all day. I don't have a desire to hop to Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. I am most worried about the fact that we will not have a room to go to in the middle of the day to rest. I may just get a hotel room at Pop Century for the day. I think it's the 30% off time period. It might be worth it to us to be able to have somewhere to go to make it through till the later buses.

 

[BlueMarlin]

We promise not to stalk you, but what hotel is this? I asked the operator how close the hotel was to the pier and he said two blocks. I don't care about the actual hotel as we aren't going to get in until about 8 pm so I won't be able to enjoy any amenities. I'd love to walk off and avoid a shuttle.

TIA.

Annie

As for the hotel, we are staying at the Country Inn and Suites Galveston Beach. It is 1/4 Mile from the Galveston Historic Pleasure Pier. Hope you did not mistake my saying pier for the ship pier, sorry. According to Goggle Maps, the Tremont is about 2 - 3 blocks from the Cruise Pier.

To be clear, we are parking at the port. Here is their site Galveston Port Parking. According to the maps it is about 1/2 to 1 mile from the parking garage to the port facility. So there may be some transport involved, or a hike by the best runner in your family. The difference in distance is due to where you park specifically, and if you can cross the train tracks that terminate right there, and if we are at the near building or far building. Here is a map, and I will be checking the cruise reports of the soon to be returning first trip to see what they might be saying.

 

[BlueMarlin]

My Daughter and I are going to be on the Magic 3/29-4/7. It is our first cruise.
I see Christi is driving from Michigan, so am I . I live in Port Huron.
Can we be added to the meet with you guys. But not the FE's. I still am unsure of this.

DD- Sydney 16 (2 weeks shy of 17)
MOM - Kim Single


I am very nervous going as a single person but I see a singles lunch. I hope I will make new friends.

Any tips will be apprecieated.

Kim

I will get an update out with the additions to the second FE list, and Meet only list. We will get you on there Kim, and welcome to the boards and cruise.

My DSIL is also a single mom on this cruise. Also, with so much to do, couples often get split up to attend conflicting events, so you might see "singles" from our Dis-Meet all over the ship in the coffee shop, at tastings, in the club. More often than not it is easy to find a friendly face in the crowd.

 

[BlueMarlin]

Perhaps someone can say when the last motorcoach leaves? Walt Disney World Resort (Port Canaveral, FL) 6:15 a.m. 12:45 a.m. It's about an hour and 30 minutes back to port. What time do we have to be back on the ship? Is there a return schedule for each park?

Here is the park schedule for the day we are there. It appears that Magic Kingdom opens at 8am for the general public.

We randomly met friends from a previous Dis-Meet at the turnstyles of Magic Kingdom this summer. They were doing the Cruise Excursion, and told us that at that time, the last bus back was 10pm, even though the parks may be open later. May be different now. They did all four parks in one day, but that was literally during a hurricane and ultra-low season. They also regretted pushing so hard the next morning.

The buses start returning to the ship every 30 minutes starting at 3:30 from all the parks at the Bus Stop marked for the Cruise Ship. Look on the big board, just like you were going to the resort. Also easier to tell the cruise buses because they are painted the distinctive pattern.

 

[BlueMarlin]

I am a little lost on here I cannot find the location for the meet. I know I read it. Deck 3 at 3 pm

Just in case, we are meeting at the Promenade Lounge. If memory serves, it is the traditional Dis-Meet location on Magic & Wonder.