Day at Sea – Disney Magic Panama Canal Cruise

Day 13. I’m feeling sad already, but there is still lots to look forward to! The first thing I did today was get out of bed in time to see the sunrise. Of course, my photo does not do it justice. I also decided I needed some exercise so I headed to deck 4 and walked for 3 miles. I also swore off the lifts (elevators) and took the stairs exclusively.

This is another sea day and it was our turn for a character breakfast this morning. We had Mickey’s Island Jam in Parrot Cay. It was fun to finally have a few moments with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Dale. (Chip missed our table.) I know I’ve talked about all of the wonderful meals we’ve had on board, but have you noticed none of them have been breakfast? This is definitely their weak point. If more than just the coffee were served hot, they’d improve by leaps and bounds. Cold waffles and toast just don’t cut it for me.

After breakfast, Aaron and I attended another bingo session. The big jackpot continues to grow. Neither of us won anything this morning.

I spent some time doing a few housekeeping things – sorting thru lots of papers like Navigators and other notes. I also took care of gratuities for our servers and room host. I finally decided to do the onboard airline check-in. Here’s hoping our luggage makes it all the way back to Portland with us and doesn’t make any long-term stop in Chicago. Fingers crossed.

Michael and I spent some time at the pool this afternoon reading, sunning, swimming, and drinking. It was very relaxing.

The show tonight was two-fold: crew talent show and “dancing with the officers”. Both were outstanding! One member of the activity staff that we’ve come to know – Ponz from the Philippines – sang and he was fabulous. The gal that is the art auctioneer started off the show with a juggling and balancing act. Then, some of the ships officers presented dances that they had been practicing with guests! They were really good! Don “Ducky” Williams even had a number with Nikki, the ship’s choreographer.

Tonight is the night for the big deck party: Pirates in the Caribbean!!! I must say that Disney Cruise Line sure knows how to through a party. Wow. We had a special dinner menu and the cast members were all dressed up along with most of the guests. Great fun. After the meal, but before dessert the serving staff started parading around the dining room with guests joining in on the celebration (and Limbo for the limber). On deck, there was much singing and dancing and, of course, the characters celebrated with us! Mickey flew in at the end to save the day and move the party to the sky above us. Disney Cruise Line is the only cruise line to have fireworks at sea, and they were awesome! (No comparison to our July 4th experience at Grand Coulee Dam in Washington!)

Lori.