Disney Cruise Line Caribbean Cruise - Part 6
Page 4 of 4
That night, we returned to Lumiere’s for the final time, to celebrate it’s a small world, with a menu featuring foods from the far furthest corners of the planet (and some a little closer). The servers wore waistcoats emblazoned with national flags as we celebrated our final night onboard. The offerings were often unusual and it was amusing to see most guests sticking firmly to the food they knew!
After we had packed and left our luggage in the hallway for overnight collection and debarkation, we spent the last few hours drinking with our friends from the Disney Vacation Club desk onboard, like Travis and Marti. At 1am, we walked the Disney Magic for the last time. Most of the ship was deserted as guests took early nights in preparation for a breakfast at dawn and disembarkation. I was shaking like a leaf with tears welling in my eyes, as we saw the ship in a whole new light. The DCL is the pinnacle of Disney imagineering as the vessel is the only opportunity to experience the magic 24 hours a day for a week. If you choose, you might never leave the ship during the week. Every second of the day, guests are part of the Disney experience, often without even realising it. The cast members are the finest I have ever encountered, often working 18 hours a day for little thanks. DCL guests can be demanding but the crews’ devotion to exceeding guests’ expectation is tireless.
That night, I cried myself to sleep as I finally realised that the cruise was nearing its inevitable conclusion; a return to Port Canaveral. Despite the fact that we still had several days at Disney’s Old Key West Resort ahead of us, my desire was to remain on the ship. As we left Port Canaveral onboard the Mears service back to Walt Disney World, we saw several guests arriving for the next cruise; the seven-day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. The cast would see another 2000 new faces and suffer the same extended hours for another week on the Caribbean seas. For me, I would have to wait until May 2003 when I will be sailing with the DCL again, this time on the Disney Wonder for the Celebration of Walt Disney Art Classics convention. It may only be a three-night cruise but I am relishing that next day at Disney’s island ultimate playground in the sun; Castaway Cay. An interesting point is that DVC members will shortly be taking over the Disney Wonder for a special 4 day cruise that will feature two whole days at Castaway Cay. I am green with envy.
Lee and Lindsay, a right motley crew!
Click here for a much larger version of this picture
(1024 X 768, 230,267 bytes)
In the final part of this series, I intend to cover some important points, and some handy tips that may aid future guests in planning their cruises.
Discuss It
Related Links
- Part One of this series
- Part Two of this series
- Part Three of this series
- Part Four of this series
- Part Five of this series
-- Posted September 20, 2002
-- Story and Pictures by Lee MacDonald and Lindsay Cave