Five days on a cruise ship, can it get any more relaxing than this? Yes. Today is day six at sea with the Disney Magic and a there are a variety of ship based activities scheduled that include; art at sea, comedy performances, stage shows, movies, lectures, dancing and jackpot bingo, not to mention all the food you can eat, lounging around the pool and visiting the ice cream machine on deck 9.
We left Cozumel yesterday evening and will travel all day and night to reach Disney's private island tomorrow morning. There are a number of activities to choose from on a cruise ship and our Personal Navigator lists them all by starting time. As I have mentioned in an earlier story, the teenagers have their own private area on deck 11 in the stack. This exclusive area is in the forward smoke stack, one of two smoke stacks that give Disney ships the classic look of a 1930's ocean liner. They have dedicated counselors and activities planned throughout the day culminating in a "homecoming" dance at midnight.
For younger kids there are age appropriate activities. Parents get a pager so they can be reached anywhere on the ship. Family activities for today include Pajama Jackpot Bingo, where you get extra bingo cards for wearing your pajamas, now that could be interesting. Later in the day Final Jackpot Bingo will held in the large Walt Disney Theater with a jackpot of over $7,000. A few days ago a young man won a trip for two on a future Disney Cruise.
Before the Bingo games I signed up for Gordon Wilson's art talk "cave art to pop art" Gordon is the art auctioneer for West End Gallery, Inc. on Disney Cruise Lines. He could be your favorite art history teacher or professor. His knowledge is vast and interesting and he has a dry sense of humor that enhances his story telling. What I learned from his lecture included: the artist Erte who, as one of the most prolific artist of the twentieth century, may be responsible for the idea of the thin model. His contemporary fashion designs feature stick figure thin models in gorgeous gowns and fashions. Another fact I never learned in history was that Michelangelo signed only one piece of his artwork and sculpture in his lifetime. According to early biographers, a young Michelangelo was thought by some to be a front person for the real artist who created the Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica. To make it clear who the real artist was he returned at night and carved the words "Michelangelo Buonoratti, Florentine, made this" in a prominent place on the sash across Mary's chest. He never again signed any of his work. There were a number of other fascinating details he had on well known and not so well known artists.
Lunch or Dinner can be taken by adults in the reservation only Palo restaurant. This formal dining is an extra cost but has its own kitchen and master chef in an elegant dining area on deck 10. So while the kids are enjoying an activity you can slip away for a romantic getaway.
Two different comedy headliners, Kevin Johnson and John Charles, were on tap in the Rockin Bar D for an evening of laughter. First up was the comedy and ventriloquism of Kevin Johnson, he is the guy from "America's Got Talent" tv show who would do the "Godzilla Theater" with his two birds, where his mouth moves in a delayed non-synchronized way than the words he was saying. John Charles does a different act, as a singer comedian. He warms quickly to the audience, setting up a rapport that has the audience singing along in some of his zany songs. Being on the ship a few days his comedy was tied into what everyone could relate too. For example one of the health features Disney has incorporated very successfully is to have staff hand out disinfectant hand wipes to each passenger at every place food is served, and before leaving or entering the ship. He had everyone swaying their hands above their head singing, "we've got the cleanest hands in the world" to the tune of "He's got the whole world in His hands". He had a number of other songs that kept everyone wanting more.
Also this evening was the theater performance of Disney Dreams, a play about a little girl who discovers the power of her dreams. Peter Pan and other Disney characters let viewers in on the secret of happiness; "with a little faith, trust, and pixie dust, you'll see that your dreams can come true."
Well I didn't win the Final Jackpot Bingo, but was happy for the person who did (isn't that what I'm supposed to say on a Disney Cruise?). A little about the bingo that I'm not sold on, literally and figuratively. They offered electronic bingo cards that would play 96 cards at one time and let you know when you were one away from winning. You could also opt for the real punch out cards and watch frantically to make sure you had the right numbers punched. I have to say, I enjoyed the interactive punching out and watching, although the big winner had his electronic machine blinking all the way to the bank.
Well I'm off for a gentle rocking to sleep to get ready for the last full day at Castaway Cay, and perhaps a bit of parasailing. Until tomorrow pixie dust and all that stuff to you.
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