I Belize in MAGIC! MITSUGIRLY revisits the Western Route. My Novel.

[mitsugirly]

 

Hubby always plays it safe too with "regular people food".

 

 

Thing 1 and Thing 2 are always the first to arrive.

 

 

I have noticed that they have gotten sillier over the years and to the point they are a little rowdy as well...especially this time.

 

 

Thing 1 was a little out of control playing with food and dishes and banging the forks on plates.

 

 

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[mitsugirly]

Feeding the hubby:

 

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And their pictures they took of us.

 

 

 

Odd ball picture they came around and took of just us.

 

 

Then the Cat in the Hat came out. His hat is always so tall that he can't fit under the ceiling where a lot of the tables are. So, they had the kids come out to him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Sam I Am is always the last to arrive and they make a big deal of it with a song and dance.

 

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The entire experience last maybe an hour and it cost $5 per person.

 

After we were done, we would decide to do a little more shopping (which is when I actually bought the tees for 2/$20) and we wanted to go get our folder of pictures and purchase them early so we didn't have to fight the battle of the lines for the last minute.

 

Coming out of the MDR from the Dr Seuss breakfast, Sakari would decide to leave another friendship rock at the bar in the center of the atrium. We had B with us this time and he thought it was going to be cute to try to go behind Sakari and keep the rocks. We moved them so many times trying to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't take them. I was ready to hand out spankings by the end of our rock "hiding".

 

 

 

I would end up going to the gift shop and buying one of our items Sakari collects on each ship...an official hanging ship ornament of the ship we were on.

 

 

She has quite a collection going on at this point. They are all proudly displayed on her dresser and at Christmas time, she hangs them all on her tree in her room.

 

Here's all the ships she has sailed on.

 

 

We came out of the gift shop and I noticed B was missing. Don't you know that I spotted him down the stairs and in the atrium trying to get the rock. I tell ya that boy! Some things never change. I can't ever imagine Sakari doing something like that.

 

 

[mitsugirly]

I ended up purchasing 14 pictures for $188 and ended up with several free gifts. I needed one more picture in order to get the free "scrapbook" gift. So, that meant waiting on the Dr Seuss pictures to get processed.

 

We took the kids to the kids club and Kam refused to go this time. We needed to find a computer in order to sign in Kendra and family for their air flight the following day.

 

We noticed this on the way down stairs.

 

 

 

Hmm, we'd have to check that out later and see what they were doing.

 

We hung out on lido for awhile and had a few drinks until it was time to pick up the kids. We had to pick them up early due to having to sign Kendra in on Southwest.

 

At 2:30 we picked them up, went to find a computer. We both got signed in and then at 3:00pm...this happened...ARE YOU SERIOUS?

 

 

Rebooting and system maintenance is happening now??? Like right this very moment? Her sign in time was 3:05pm. Oh geesh.

 

Please wait...

 

 

 

Thank goodness they came up 3 minutes later and we rushed to get back onto the Southwest website, signed on, entered confirmation numbers and ready to hit the check-in button. Whew! Accomplished.

 

Sakari would leave another friendship rock at the computers.

 

 

 

We headed back upstairs to check out the "balloon station".

 

You blow up your balloon and write something on it (such as what you enjoyed most about your cruise, favorite port or whatever).

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

We all had our own designs and of course Sakari wold draw a picture on hers.

 

 

Kam was busy with her own creation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Billy joined in on the fun.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

Then once you were done, you put your balloon over the railing and onto the net for a party tonight.

 

 

We (as in Kendra and I) decided the guys would take the munchkins to the pool while us girls would head back to the rooms to get some packing done.

 

 

I was almost done with packing when Kendra called to say that she was "over-heated" from all this packing and had to get out of the room for awhile and we needed to meet up at the shopping area because they were having some "sales".

 

We met up and did a little more shopping and then picked out our Seuss pictures, our free gifts, and then took them back to the room to finish packing.

 

Once we were done, we headed back up on deck to check in with the kids. There wasn't a lot of people left in the pool.

 

 

And it looked as if papaw was babysitting.

 

 

We hung out until around 5:30pm and decided we needed to eat lunch. We had been so busy that we hadn't even thought about eating until now. There were two choices that Billy and Kendra wanted. They did not get to eat at the Italian restaurant and Billy LOVES Italian. But, we had already ate there. The other choice was to go to Pig & Anchor to eat, which none of us had done yet. So, I made the executive decision that this is where we were going!

 

The line was HUGE as you walk out the door. However, someone that had their food and was coming our way whispered "the other side has a very short line" and walked away. I went over to check and sure enough, the line on the other side only had a few people in it. We all raced to that side and was up at the counter in no time.

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

We ate here on our Breeze cruise (before it was called Pig & Anchor) and it was so yummy.

 

There wasn't many places to sit down outside so we opted to go inside and there was plenty of seating in Ocean Plaza (I think is the name).

 

 

So here is where the excitement of a bbq meal ended. Like seriously...it was NOT good. The mac and cheese was cold. The chicken was cold and the sausage was a little tough. I'm not too picky of an eater (other than steak and chocolate) but this was just not satisfying. This was also the census of those around us at other tables. I overheard a family at another table say their food was cold and didn't taste good. I had the family next to us say "Is your meal cold too?". I seen several people get up and walk away from their uneaten food. What the heck has happened to this great food they had on the Breeze? We were really disappointed and wishing that we would have just went back to the Italian restaurant because we knew it was good. The only problem was, they were closed now.

 

I thought the sun setting made the clouds such a beautiful pink color on the tips.

 

 

 

So we were still hungry since we really didn't eat our bbq and decided a few hours later to head up to the buffet for dinner.

 

 

I think I over compensated for no lunch.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Sakari would leave another friendship rock.

 

 

We decided that we would hang out on the pool deck and watch movies tonight. They were playing a version of CARS that I had never seen (nor did I even know they had another version).

 

 

I went to get the movie blankets and some popcorn.

 

 

 

We tried to pick a spot with the least amount of air blowing. It was pretty chilly out tonight.

 

I also went and got my free drink from the bar. Yummy!

 

 

Kendra decided to forgo the movies and try again for family pictures. We had passed by one of the areas that had a beach scene and they had a cute little dock and she thought maybe this would entice Kam to cooperate for pictures.

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

At first it was a go! She was liking it.

 

 

 

The lady kept trying to place Kam's hand over top of her arm...to cover up her kids club bracelet. Well, that didn't go over well with her. Kendra jumped in to save the day.

 

 

 

 

I think they pulled off some pretty good pictures for Kendra saying Kam just wouldn't cooperate.

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Meanwhile our movie was ending and we raced to get to the atrium for the party. Everyone was gathered.

 

 

The captain of the ship made an announcement and also informed us that no one was driving the ship at this time.

 

Then the music started playing and the balloons started falling...

 

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We eventually found our balloons we had made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Shortly after the balloons fell, this crazy lady sat on the floor with a pen and just frantically stabbed all the balloons she could find as people looked on like she was nuts. Either she had a lot of frustration to get out, seen her final Sail & Sign bill, or in a former life was an ax murderer. Look at the guy on the bar stool. LOL

 

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The dance floor was left with a lot of empty balloons.

 

 

We danced and danced and had a great time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

The party was over shortly after it began and we raced back to the room to put our luggage out. I learned my lesson on the last cruise and didn't make it back to the room to put everything out in time and I wasn't about to drag my luggage around with me all morning again.

 

 

We then headed back out to the pool deck for the second movie...MINIONS! (Despicable Me 3)

 

 

 

Kendra reminded me that if I had any money left on my casino card, I needed to have it cashed out tonight. I was pretty sure that I didn't and the more I thought about it, the more I thought there was a slight chance that I had won a jackpot and completely forgot about it. I just had to know so I raced off to the casino to check it. Yep, big winner I was this cruise...there was an entire .36 left on there. Hmm, I think I'll be generous and donate it. Keep the change.

 

We all headed back to the room and then we would discover that when the hubby changed out of his shorts and into his pants...he forgot to pull his s&s card out of the pocket. Guess where that pocket was? It was packed in the luggage that was taken away hours ago. Guess who's going down to customer service to stand in the long line of people who want to remove their daily service charges the night before the cruise ends? I'll give you a hint...it wasn't me!

 

Our towel ?animal? for the night...

 

 

 

Sakari was really missing her dog and decided that was the picture of the night.

 

 

 

We ate some pringles, or should I say we wore some pringles, and off to bed we went around midnight.

 

 

 

 

[4ptjo]

Hi Kim, Thank you for all you do! I’m a huge fan!

[mitsugirly]

Hi Kim, Thank you for all you do! I’m a huge fan!

 

Thanks so much for the comment. I appreciate it.

[mitsugirly]

LAST DAY: Debarkation, delays, delays and more delays...

 

I set my alarm for 7:30am but I was wide awake at 7am...with feathers in my mouth. (I assume from the pillow). I have no idea what type of demon pillows attacked me but small minuscule white feathers were floating in the air.

 

I went up to see what the weather was like and yep, we were "parked" already. Boo!

 

 

 

 

We headed up to the buffet for our last meal around 8am...this is always the meal that I dread. The significance of this meal means I would no longer have someone cooking me a made to order breakfast. I would no longer have a maid coming to clean my suite. I would no longer be able to frolic in the water because I was going home to cold weather and closed pools for the season. I would no longer be able to swim with my own kind (I'm a Pisces therefore I am fish!). It's always a sad day.

 

I would get the "norm" for breakfast...

 

 

 

Except WHERE ARE MY DANISHES? They didn't have them this morning. How could they? What type of send off is this? I tried the cinnamon danishes but they just didn't compare.

 

 

Kendra and family showed up to breakfast right as we were finishing up.

 

We were in no hurry to get off the ship. Our flights were not until 3:05pm. We hung out here and there. We hung out everywhere.

 

By 8:30am, they were calling the last of the self-assist people and would start calling by floors after that.

 

We hung out some more and around 9:30am, they were going around telling everyone to get off the ship at the same time and there was no line.

 

We headed down to the lobby and found that there was a line wrapping around the atrium bar and out the door.

 

 

 

The line was moving extremely fast and we were at the door, dinging out and off the ship at 9:34am. Wow that was pretty quick.

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

Kendra was sad as you can tell:

 

 

After making it to the terminal, we collected our bags at 9:39am.

 

 

Customs was pretty darn easy and the lines were constantly moving.

 

We were outside by 10am. Not too shabby...not that I cared because I really didn't have anywhere to go quickly.

 

 

We went across the street to the shuttle area and found the Cocoa Beach shuttle.

 

 

Only the line we were standing in told us that we needed to check in at the desk. We checked in with a guy who told us that shuttle was for local only and ours would be coming shortly. They told us to go over by that shuttle and stand in front of it for the next to arrive.

 

So we waited and waited and waited.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

At one point I went over and spoke with another lady who said all the shuttles coming in were for locals. Honestly, does this make sense? The locals are...well local. It doesn't take them long to get home or to the hotel or where they are going. Those that are not local usually have some place to get to...catching a flight. But, still we wait.

 

 

 

We are going home. We are headed north. We have cold weather. We are in long pants and some had long sleeves with our jackets. IT IS HOT! We were standing out in the middle of the parking lot with the sun beating down on us. We decided to sit down behind one of the traffic barriers for a little bit of shade. There was a family down from us and I kid you not, if any of you have ever seen the show with Honey Boo Boo...this was them. One of the kids decided she would change into her bikini bathing suit right there in the parking lot. #1 she shouldn't have been in a bikini, even at her age #2 In the middle of the parking lot? Really?

 

And....we wait.

 

 

 

I would check the weather back home and it was a high of 61. Not too shabby I guess.

 

 

At one point I received a phone call from Cocoa Beach shuttle. A gentleman said "Hi Kimberly, have you made it out of the terminal yet?" Me "Yes, I've been out of the terminal for over an hour". He said "You need to walk across the street and check in with our staff". Me "Um, I AM across the street and I have already checked in with the staff and I was told to wait where I currently am". I looked over at the check-in desk and I see the guy that we checked in with, you know, the guy that told us to walk over in front of the shuttle that was parked there and wait? Well, I see that he's on the phone. I then notice that his mouth was moving at the same time the gentleman on the phone was talking. I caught on...he was this guy! I said "Um, excuse me sir, but I do believe YOU are the one that we checked in with and YOU are the one that told us to have a seat where we are at and we have been having a seat for over an hour now. Please turn around". He turned around and we waved. Embarrassment was the new look on his face and he immediately walked over and told us our shuttle was on the way.

 

While getting off the ship and out of the terminal was super easy and quick, the parking lot and pick up was a nightmare. The drivers trying to get around in front of the building and into the lot were sitting in line for over an hour at certain points. It was crazy. He pointed out 3 shuttles currently in line. He said "that, is your shuttle" and it was the third one back.

 

By 11:14am, we were piling in the shuttle and ready to head to the airport in Orlando. We arrived at the airport at 11:55am and checked our luggage in.

 

Then the news came at 12:28pm...."SWA Flight 2252 from MCO has changed. New estimated departure is 4:05PM". Geesh. What the heck. I can't imagine why it would be delayed.

 

Hanging out at the airport...

 

 

 

1:39pm...ding, a message was on my phone "SWA Flight 2252 from MCO has changed. New estimated departure is 4:40PM"

 

Seriously?

 

 

This airport is very neat and pretty with a lot of shopping. It's like a mega mall. It's also VERY crowded and it's very hard to find a seat no matter where you are at.

 

We decided to grab a bite to eat and attempt to find seats. We found a 2 person table and started collecting chairs from every location we could find for people to sit down to eat.

 

We would hang out and do next to nothing but yell at B to "stop", "don't do that", "get up off the floor", "people are trying to walk there", "don't throw that". UGH.

 

Sakari would of course be doing her normal thing...

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

It was time to catch the monorail and head over to the actual terminal.

 

Once we arrived at the terminal...ding, another message "SWA Flight 2252 from MCO has changed. New estimated departure is 5:10PM" It's going to be a looooong day!

 

Kendra decided to go buy some playing cards and candy and we (meaning me, her and the kids) sat down on the floor (because there wasn't any other place to sit) and played go-fish.

 

 

Then she explained how to play screw your neighbor (which we had played at the airport during a delay in the past).

 

 

The stakes were high and we were bidding with Kendra's candy.

 

 

I think the game was rigged because Kendra won the game and managed to get all of her candy back.

 

Our plane finally arrived and it was time to board.

 

 

The sun was going down and it was getting dark. I had planned on being home before dark and now we would be arriving at home after dark and there would be rain and a temp change. Blah

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

We were finally in the air and headed home. There were no explanations as to why our plane was late x3 but I was just glad to be headed home finally.

 

 

 

All these delays and this time all we would receive were some roasted peanuts. Usually you get peanuts and some type of crackers or chips. Nope, not this time.

 

 

 

We did have a little bit of bumpiness along the way and our funny flight attendant came on and said "As a courtesy to other passengers on the plane, please do not shake the plane while we are in flight. Thank you". He was pretty funny and his safety drill reminded me of Dr E's on the ship. It kept your attention and kept you laughing.

 

 

FINALLY ARRIVED!

 

 

 

 

[adam3313]

Excellent review as always! Can't wait for the next adventure? Have you booked yet?

[mitsugirly]

Always sad to see your reviews winding down. When's your next cruise? What ship?

 

I know. It's like a constant reminder that my cruise is over. :(

 

Next cruise is in April and back on NCL.

 

 

Excellent review as always! Can't wait for the next adventure? Have you booked yet?

 

 

Yep, booked for Spring Break in April on NCL to Mexican Riviera. :D

[tropicaledrink]

I am so sad to see the end. Thank you so much for taking the time to complete this review and for sharing your family with us! I'll have to keep an eye on the NCL boards in April for your next one! We have only done Carnival, and I used to think NCL would not be to our liking, but your reviews have about convinced me to give them a shot!

[Marie83]

We were finally in the air and headed home. There were no explanations as to why our plane was late x3 but I was just glad to be headed home finally.

 

 

 

All these delays and this time all we would receive were some roasted peanuts. Usually you get peanuts and some type of crackers or chips. Nope, not this time.

 

 

 

We did have a little bit of bumpiness along the way and our funny flight attendant came on and said "As a courtesy to other passengers on the plane, please do not shake the plane while we are in flight. Thank you". He was pretty funny and his safety drill reminded me of Dr E's on the ship. It kept your attention and kept you laughing.

 

 

FINALLY ARRIVED!

 

 

 

I really enjoy your reviews. The pics you have are truly beautiful! So glad you have such a good time with family when you cruise!

[Beachiekeen]

I just did my first cruise with NCL and really enjoyed it -- probably the most fun I've ever had on a cruise ship. I will be glad to see your take on the Mexican Rivieria as that is one we have considered and it would be an easy one for us to do at some point. Thanks again as always for such an informative review and letting us see all the fun your family had!

[buddylover]

THANK YOU for such an in depth and WONDERFUL review!! We were on this sailing on the Magic with you and you didn't miss a 'beat'!! I relived our cruise through your and it was a wonderful trip down memory lane!!! THANK YOU again for doing such an incredible review for us all!!!! :D