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Old 2 Jan 22, 07:06 PM  
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Gill H
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All at Sea: DCL UK Staycation Day 4 - 23 Aug 2021

<<Day 3

Last days are never as fun to write as first days. They aren’t even as much fun to read sometimes. But hang in there, I promise to round things off with my final thoughts on the trip, and a bit on what happened next – call it a trailer for my next trippie.

We were up at 6am this morning to get ready, and the ship had already docked at Southampton. As we were on the early dinner seating, we were also on the early breakfast seating at 7.30am, and we had been told we were in Animator’s Palate again. On the way we picked up our photo package USB and took a couple of last pics on my phone.





We took some time to give the gratuity envelopes to our server and head server, and to thank them for all their hard work. It had been such a hard year for them, we know how thankful they were to be able to work again, but my goodness, they really do work hard.

Breakfast soon arrived – a much reduced menu for the last day, but everything was fine and much hotter than yesterday.



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DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14

Edited at 07:10 PM.
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Old 2 Jan 22, 07:07 PM  
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Gill H
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By 8am the announcements started coming over the tannoy that people in the first few groups could start to disembark. We weren’t included in the first announcement, but by the second, our group (the Minnie group) was mentioned. So we said our goodbyes to the crew and to the Magic, and were soon walking off the ship and back into the Horizons terminal.



Our luggage was in the Minnie section (we knew this because of the luggage tags we had been given) and was easy to find.



We hadn’t booked a taxi but flagged one down outside the terminal and were soon at the railway station. We went straight through the gates and arrived with about 20 minutes to spare before the next train.

It felt so strange to be back in the ‘normal’ world again, where you had to get your own drinks, carry your own luggage and random strangers didn’t strike up conversations with you! Even the train felt odd when we got on – most people weren’t wearing masks as we were still in England. We put ours on anyway as they were recommended on the train and would be mandatory once we got into Wales.

The journey to Cardiff was less than 2 hours, quick and easy, and from there we changed on to the next train home. The rest of the day was spent cuddling with Cookie, who soon forgave us for going away, and being with my Mum and Dad, who were really glad to see us again.

Peter was back at work the next day, whereas I had a couple of days off which were mostly spent shopping, doing laundry and all the boring stuff involved in real life. Oh, and sorting through our photos – we discovered we had a rogue one of a family we’d spoken to several times on board, so we managed to contact them through the Facebook cruise group and get it to them. (Remember this – they may make a cameo appearance in a future trippie!)

So that’s the end of our cruise adventure, and as promised here are my final thoughts.

Was it worth it? Absolutely, yes. True, the cost for 3 nights was almost as much as we’d spent in 2017 for 7 nights; and even more expensive than some of the shorter European cruises would normally be, not to mention the US ones which are much cheaper by comparison. However, since travel outside the UK wasn’t really feasible for us at that time, it was a wonderful way to have a holiday and get a much-needed dose of Disney. The ship was as beautiful as ever, and even though the restrictions meant that a lot of the usual activities weren’t offered, there was still plenty to do. The weather was pretty good – in our Facebook group, they referred to the ship’s Captain Fabian as ‘Captain Sunshine’ as he always managed to find the sun! Here’s a picture from the FB group of the route we took. Sadly we didn’t see any dolphins but many others did.



The restaurants were up to their usual great standard (just need them to get the food good and hot!) And even without the buffet, Palo brunch was amazing.

Throughout the voyage, every single crew member went above and beyond to ensure we all had a great time.

I know the DCL itinerary is already planned for next year and they don’t expect to be offering the staycations again – but if they did, I would be there like a shot. Our future plans mean that a cruise in 2022 is unlikely, but we do have that placeholder, so you never know!

Meanwhile, you can check out our videos here:

Box Set

As for what happened next – well, the cruise wasn’t our only dose of Disney in 2021. We managed to make it to Disneyland Paris, and stay in the new Hotel New York: Art of Marvel. So keep an eye out for my next trippie “The Tri-City Tour” coming to the Dibb soon.


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DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14

Edited at 07:13 PM.
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Old 2 Jan 22, 07:23 PM  
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Cutiepie
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That was a lovely trip Gill. Thanks for sharing glad you enjoyed it. It was my one regret last year not booking the staycation cruise
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Old 2 Jan 22, 07:32 PM  
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2point
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Thanks for the trippie.
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Old 2 Jan 22, 09:27 PM  
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P&S
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So glad you enjoyed the cruise and time to unwind, thank you for writing this I have enjoyed reading it so much
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Old 2 Jan 22, 10:16 PM  
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tigger48
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Really lovely to read your trip report and vicariously get my Disney fix, thank you! Congratulations too on your special wedding anniversary. Palo looked divine despite the covid changes. Looking forward to reading about your further adventures.
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Old 3 Jan 22, 08:31 PM  
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MrsBC
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Thanks, I've enjoyed reading along. Looking forward to your DLP report - as you know we went just after you.
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Old 4 Jan 22, 08:37 PM  
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Rachaelwoolly
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Join Date: Jan 12
Thanks so much for posting your wonderful trip report Gill Perfectly timed release for early January

Ive never been on a Disney Cruise but its been added to my wish list this last few weeks
I've really enjoyed watching Adam and Gary on Youtube too

Love your dress BTW !

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