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10/14/00 
In bed at 12:30 after packing - up at 4am to make the 6:20 flight from Lansing to Chicago. We were dragging a bit at the Lansing airport, but excited!.

Cloudy, rainy and a tad bumpy on the EMB-120, we made O'Hare on time. A nifty 50 minute layover at O'Hare and off to Orlando in the back of a 767.  2.5 hours later, we landed and met the Disney Cruise Line staff. We boarded a motor coach and made the hour or so trip to Port Canaveral.

 

Check-in at Port Canaveral went very quickly and on to the ship. Their terminal is large and airy.  You walk through a set of Mickey ears to board the ship.

 

In the center of the terminal is a scale model of the ship.  Since the Magic and Wonder are identical, they only have one model.  Captain Mickey even showed up.

You arrive on board  with your name announced over the atrium loudspeaker, welcoming you to the Magic.  Crew singers entertain.  There was a really cool vase of flowers.  It was cool because the vase was carved from a block of ice.

We dropped off our stuff in stateroom 6118 and went to the buffet. We toured the ship, got the kids registered for their Oceaneer's Lab and attended the mandatory safety drill prior to sailing.

We waved at the folks on shore as we set sail at 5pm. We got the traditional white glove send off from the staff.

Our cabin, 6118, was identical to our cabin on the Wonder last year, 6058. We were even on the same side, port (left). As you enter the room, a double closet is on the right. A bathroom with a stool & sink is on the left, followed by another bathroom with a sink and tub/shower. After that, the wall extends to the left where a full-length mirror graces the wall. A queen-size bed extends from the left wall. A steamer trunk stands across from the foot of the bed. Just past the bed is a curtain that divides the room in two. On the other side of the curtain, an upper and lower berth sits on the left. A desk, fridge, TV and additional storage sits on the right. Finally, there is a sliding glass door that leads to the private veranda.

 

Dinner tonight was at Parrot Cay with a Caribbean flair. Dinner was made more interesting by the major swells left behind by a cold front a couple days ago. The ship was moving quite a bit side-to-side and Miranda didn't feel too good.

We stopped by Off Beat, a dueling piano bar and enjoyed some fun. We then went to the Walt Disney Theater for the Welcome Aboard Variety Show. Magic, juggling, comedy, dancing and song - made more interesting by the rocking of the ship.

After the show, the effects of a 4am start were beginning to show, so we retired to 6118 to be rocked - OK, maybe shook - asleep by the gentle - OK, violent - rocking - OK, heaving - of the ship. The Captain assured everyone that it will get better.

 

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This page last updated on Monday, January 13, 2003 09:22:13 PM