Disney Cruise Line
Day 4 - December 29, 1999
We got up early the following morning and skipped breakfast to catch the monorail to Epcot. For the Millennium Celebration, all Disney parks were opening early for their guests. Epcot was opening at 7:30am, so we wanted to have one last try at Test Track before we caught the towncar to the Disney Wonder. The monorail was not traveling from the Transportation and Ticket Center to Epcot because of some problem on the track, so we didn't reach Epcot until around 8am. And once we did arrive, we were saddened to hear that Test Track was once again closed. By the time we reached the attraction, the FastPass passes they were giving out were for 10:30 and 11:00. That was too late for us, since we would be catching our towncar at 11:00am. We waited around for a while, hoping the attraction would open, but we were finally told it wouldn't benefit us. The ride wouldn't open for a long long time. We were very disappointed.
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Tip: If you make arrangements for a towncar, don't expect the driver to come into the lobby looking for you.
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We returned to the hotel and finished packing. We were out of our room by 10:30am (check-out was 11am). We had arranged for a car from Tiffany Towncar to pick us up at the hotel at 11:00am to take us to the ship. We knew that boarding started around noon and we wanted to beat the lines to get on board, as well as the lines for reservations at the spa, and the line for the welcome aboard lunch (we had missed the lunch entirely on our last sailing). We waited for the car a while in the lobby and I finally ventured out front to see if maybe the driver had decided not to come inside, which was indeed the case. The drive out to Port Canaveral was about 90 minutes long. We had to wait about 5 minutes to unload the car. After exiting the car, we tagged our luggage and had it taken away.
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Tip: Even if you're not using Disney Cruise Line bus transportation to reach the port, tag your suitcases with the provided tags before loading them into the car. Otherwise, you'll have to do it curbside.
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Once inside, I got in line to hand over my passport (all non-US residents have to turn over their passports before boarding - the cruise line holds your passport hostage until the last day of the voyage to make certain you show up for immigration before debarkation). That went quickly. I then picked up my tuxedo from Mitchell's formal wear, which had a contract with Disney to provide tuxedos for the Millennium Cruise. Agents from Mitchell's were handing out the tuxedos from what seemed to be a coat-check room in the cruise terminal. I quickly tried it on in the men's washroom, took a few pictures of the lobby, including one with Mickey and Minnie Mouse in front of the ship model, and boarded.
Upon boarding, a DCL cast member asked our name and where we came from, and then announced our arrival over a loud speaker across the lobby. They were doing this for everyone who came on board. If they did this during our last sailing, we arrived too late for it. There was also a staff photograph there to take our picture by a placard that announced that this was the Millennium Cruise. We were too early to drop off our carry-on bags in the room (room service would only be done by about 1:30pm), so a cast member escorted us to Parrot Cay for the welcome aboard lunch, but Parrot Cay had too much of a line, so we went to deck 9 and the Beach Blanket Buffet, which was also serving lunch.
While I had lunch, Annie hurried across the deck to see if the Vista Spa was already open and taking appointments. It wasn't. It would only open at 2:00pm. By the time Annie returned, I was done with lunch so I went to stand in line at the spa (I was only 4th or 5th in line). When Annie joined me in line, I took all the carry-on bags and went to the room to drop them off. That's where I found the first two of many surprises.
The first was the wonderful Millennium gift that Disney had left us. Disney Cruise Line had left in our room a unique - not available in stores - photo album/memory box with 5 unique - not available in stores - Disney Cruise Line/Millennium pins in the memory box. If was beautiful! We also discovered that our travel agent, Bill Walsh of Vacation Cruise Outlet, had managed to get us booked on the American Express White Glove package even though we hadn't paid for 100% of our voyage on the American Express card (Bill suspected that even though you only have to pay for a majority of your trip on an American Express card to get White Glove treatment at Walt Disney World, you have to pay 100% of your trip on an American Express card to get White Glove treatment aboard ship - we had paid only 80% of our trip on our American Express card). Nonetheless, we had a document telling us all the benefits we'd be getting because of White Glove treatment, including a free tour of the bridge (more in depth than the basic "overlook tour", 10% discount on snorkeling, float, non-motorized watercraft and bicycling rentals on Castaway Cay, and an 10% discount off purchases over $75 at Treasure Ketch, the ship's "fancy" store (thank you, Bill!). As return visitors to the Disney Cruise Line, we were automatically made members of the cruise line's "Castaway Club", and we thus also had the famous complementary tote bag waiting for us in the room. I hurried to the line at the spa to tell Annie about the White Glove package, but I decided that I would let her find out about the special gift on her own.
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Tip: The Vista Spa will not take appointments for anyone under the age of 18. Not even for a haircut.
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At 2:00pm, the Vista Spa opened. We were informed that we would be given a tour of the spa and then be given the opportunity to sign up for whatever we wanted. Annie just wanted a hair appointment and manicure for New Year's Eve, so we skipped the tour and immediately went to the counter to get her appointment. Annie was only second and line and she got an appointment at 6:00pm, which was perfect, as we were eating dinner during the second seating, which was at 8:30pm.
On the way back to the room, we stopped off at Mickey's Mates and Treasure Ketch, and it was all I could do to dissuade Annie from buying a photo album (you see, on our first sailing, the Disney Cruise Line photo albums were not yet ready, so we never got one, and Annie was anxious to get one on this sailing, and get it right away!). Annie did buy some pins, including an exclusive Disney Cruise Line 2000 pin available only on board.
Upon arriving at the room we discovered that our luggage had not yet arrived, while many other rooms already had their bags by the door, waiting to be let in. We concluded that bags that were dropped off at curbside would be brought onto the ship last since people drive up to the terminal until the last minute.
In the room, Annie discovered the wonderful millennium photo album and we then examined our documentation. Our Navigator was much better than the one we'd gotten on our first cruise. It was substantially longer, contained much more information, many more activities, and this one only covered the first day! Our original Navigator, from our previous cruise, was much shorter and covered the full length of the cruise.
We decided to visit Guest Services to make arrangements for our shore excursion in Nassau, a well as the complementary bridge tour, which took place the same day. We wanted to make sure the two would not conflict, so we wanted to get to Guest Services early. Although still early, the first "Discover Atlantis" shore excursion in Nassau was already booked solid. We booked the second one, which took place in the afternoon, giving us only an hour after the tour to return to the ship in time for the last bridge tour of the day. The "Discover Atlantis" excursion, which takes you on a tour of the Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island, as well as the giant aquarium, was $30 a head, but would discover the next day that it was well worth it.
We then chose to visit the Cadillac Lounge, where the ship's maitre-d's were making arrangements to shift seating assignments for passengers, if they so desired. Annie and I wanted to be sure we'd be sitting with other couples this time. On our last cruise, we - a couple on our honeymoon - were seated with families and children. We found it awkward, especially since the Disney Cruise Line claimed to sit people with others of the same demographic.
While waiting to see a maitre-d' we spoke with a cast member staffing the line, who explained to us that our seating assignment (late seating at Triton's on the first night) was the "adult seating". That means it was highly likely we'd be sitting with other couples and not with children. The maitre d' we met confirmed this for us.
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Tip: To save money on drinks, buy soft drinks before board the ship. Even if you get them at a vending machine for $1 a piece, the drinks will still be cheaper than buying them on board.
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We returned to our room for a rest, having awoken early that day in our fruitless attempt to ride the Test Track at Epcot. We explored the channels on the room's mini TV (it seems that CBS had been added to the line-up, but NBC was still missing), put away our cans of Coke in the mini-fridge, and took some pictures from the verandah. From the verandah, we got pictures of the cruise terminal, as well as crews loading crates onto the ship. We saw several baskets full of luggage waiting to be loaded, and we assumed our luggage was in one of those baskets.
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Tip: A stateroom with verandah is no larger than an outside stateroom. The only difference is that you get a balcony to step out onto. Unless you're a smoker, it's unlikely you'll use the verandah, since smoking isn't permitted in the staterooms, proper. The only advantage of having a stateroom with verandah is the prestige of being on a higher deck than those who stay in staterooms without verandahs. Note that your stateroom level corresponds to the resort you choose at Walt Disney World.
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After a while, the noise across the hall from our stateroom, an off-limits area from which the luggage was being distributed, faded and the door was closed. But the baskets of luggage on the dock were still there, waiting to be loaded. Thankfully, a little while later, the baskets were loaded onto the ship, and the noise of luggage being distributed to staterooms resumed. Shortly thereafter, Deck 9 hosted a Bon Voyage party with a band. We danced and partied as the ship sailed out of port. As the party faded, we ventured to the Buena Vista Theater to watch Toy Story 2. We'd already seen the movie, but it was good enough that we decided to see it again. By the time we arrived, the theater was already fairly full, but we did find two seats together.
After the movie, Annie and I returned to our cabin to discover our luggage waiting for us. We quickly dressed for dinner. While dressing, there was a knock at the door. I answered to discover a young lady offering me a package. "This is from my dad," she informed me. Believing I didn't know anyone on the cruise, I asked her if she was sure. She checked the label on the package, and indeed it said our stateroom number and name on it. I asked her who her dad was. "Bill Walsh," she informed me. I was very surprised to discover that Bill Walsh, our travel agent, was on the cruise. I thanked her for the package and extended my thanks to her father. The package contained another photo album, just as wonderful as the first! I must say that Bill Walsh is, by far, the best travel agent I've ever had, and I would recommend that anyone considering booking a Disney Cruise do so through Bill Walsh's Cruise Vacation Outlet. You won't regret it.
Annie and I finished dressing and headed out to Triton's. At dinner we met our wonderful tablemates. There was Ben and Debby from our hour outside of San Diego, traveling with their teddy bears, Rudy and Joyful, as well as Lee, her husband Tom, and his mother, all from the Clearwater/Tampa area. They'd decided to take the whole family, grandkids and all, on the Disney Cruise for the Millennium. The grandkids had dinner with their parents during the early seating. They were all great and very friendly.
Our server for dinner was Chad (originally from the Kitchner/Waterloo area of Ontario, although he'd spent some time in Montreal), and our drink server was Jonas, from Manila, in the Philippines. Our head server, David, whom we saw very little of, was from a small town in France near the Alps which Lee and Tom had just happened to have visited not too long ago.
After dinner we tried to catch the Mickey Mania Disney trivia game show but there was no one in Studio Sea to play the game, so instead we went to the improv comedy club, Barrel of Laughs.
After the show, we returned to our room to discover our Navigator for the following day waiting for us. On the Navigator Annie discovered that they were doing pin trading in the morning (where you could get an ultra-exclusive - Millennium only? - Steamboat Willie pin, similar to the Steamboat Willie image on the bow of the Disney Wonder), followed by a walk around the ship, were you were awarded another pin.
Before turning in, we stepped out onto the balcony and gazed out into the darkness, only to spot the Disney Magic heading the other way, back towards port. Even at such a great distance, we could determine it was the Disney Magic, with the black hull and red smokestacks. It was most impressive.
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