Mr Niwel and I really would love to send the ship off on it's maiden voyage from San Pedro on the 25th....

Anyone else planning to watch from the port? Any tips for a good spot to see/hear the ship?

we watched from the Ports O Call restaurant--there is outside seating and she sails RIGHT BY--you can wave at everyone and it is wonderful to watch them wave back. would LOVE to do this if I am not working


PM me:)

You'll see me crying to be let back on. ;)

The best place to see the ship sail is from the Ports-O-Call restaurant. Due to security issues you will not get too close to the ship if you try to see her at the pier. It is also going to be a mad house as you will have passengers disembarking and embarking at the same time and it is better to go over to the restaurant, relax, have some food and a beverage, and watch the ship sail. As of right now, the scheduled sailing time is 5:00 p.m. but allow some additional time for the ship to actually leave port and then make her way down the channel.

Ted

Since we have booked our trip last January, Laura and I make occasional trips to watch cruise ships leave.

There is a parking lot right across from the berth the Magic will be using on the 25th (Berth 93) which is within 200 yards of the ship, maybe closer. (Laura and I can hear the ship announcements to the passengers when we're in our car!)

Take Highway 110 south like your going to the World Cruise Terminal. Take the HARBOR BLVD exit and go straight. And then, instead of turning right like you are heading to the ship, go straight. The parking lot is free for one hour and then $2 per hour after that. It is the same parking lot for the Lane Victory, a World War II supply ship which is now a floating museum, and the Catalina Express.

Put this in Yahoo! or Google maps and this is the parking lot I'm talking about:

33.749384,-118.276561

And check this site to see the cruise ship calender of which ships will be in port (with berth number) on a specific day. There will be another ship at the port with the Magic on May 25 and on May 11 there will be three ships in port, the maximum it can handle:

http://www.sanpedro.com/spcom/cruiscal.htm

We plan on being there for its final trip back in August, as I assume many others will be as well.

After you watch it leave the berth, then head into San Pedro and head up Gaffey Street to the overlook near Angels Gate Park to watch the ship head past the jetty and into open waters.

GPS location for Yahoo!, Google maps:
33.71248,-118.292182

Mr and Mrs Niwel and mor motomickey and I had dinner at Ports O Call last nite and waved as the Magic glided through the Harbor. She played the horn right as she passed our table--what a thrill. however, there was no fanfare as the last time--no fireboats, kites, fireworks, kind of surprised and disappointed but the ship was still beautiful and we could hear the deck party going full blast!

There was a fire boat as we arrived Sunday morning doing its water show for us. And a group of what appeared to be CMs on the port side on the shore with a sign saying "Welcome Back Disney Magic" and waving at us with Mickey mitts.

we looked for CMs passing out the hands that we got last time to wave but could not find any. i guess there were some given out that morning for your ship but not for us to wave byebye to the outbound cruisers--but we jumped shouted cheered and waved our napkins!

Most of the folks I saw on Sunday from the ship did not have Mickey mitts but rather Mickey hand cutouts on sticks. Some at the end of the pier nearest the lighthouse had mitts, but most of the folks across from Berth 93 (where I mentioned we go in a previous post) had the cutouts. TV camera was there as well (and I think doing a live broadcast), but I never saw the footage that night as something on Mars was more important.

The funniest part was after hearing the DCL horn (which Mr. Niwel LOVED).

The Vision of the Seas went out about 20 minutes later. Mr. Niwel shouted: blow the horn!

And they did:

It sounded like bagpipes with a stomach ache :D
MKY4ME and I cracked up :)

Most of the folks I saw on Sunday from the ship did not have Mickey mitts but rather Mickey hand cutouts on sticks. Some at the end of the pier nearest the lighthouse had mitts, but most of the folks across from Berth 93 (where I mentioned we go in a previous post) had the cutouts.

You are right, JohnGar, they were the cutouts, but the were the cutouts of the mitts, so that was just as good, IMO.

Yeah, from a distance it's just as good. But when it goes back in August, the wife and I will be there with REAL mitts just to show how much we care.

We get to do our first gift basket deliveries to the ship on week, and I know it's going to be tough to be *that close* and NOT be able to get onboard. :crying: I'm thrilled that we got the opportunity to do this, but it's also going to be a bummer every Sunday when we make the deliveries.

AVP

We get to do our first gift basket deliveries to the ship on week, and I know it's going to be tough to be *that close* and NOT be able to get onboard. :crying: I'm thrilled that we got the opportunity to do this, but it's also going to be a bummer every Sunday when we make the deliveries.

AVP

You don't get to go onboard, AVP? I guess whenever I pictured you making those deliveries I thought you'd be going on and putting them in the staterooms yourself, making sure they got to the right ones. I'm so sorry... I guess that might be harder in the end. Being onboard and having to leave before it does...

What time will you be making those deliveries? We're thinking of going out some Sunday from the restaurant Niwel and MKY4ME were at and watching it depart. Want to join us?

You don't get to go onboard, AVP? I guess whenever I pictured you making those deliveries I thought you'd be going on and putting them in the staterooms yourself, making sure they got to the right ones. I'm so sorry... I guess that might be harder in the end. Being onboard and having to leave before it does... Oh no no no no no. I understand in WDW the approved vendor does board the ship, but only on deck 1/2 and only to hand off the baskets. She doesn't go to the staterooms. That's why Disney charges a $15 delivery fee for outside "ammenities" delivered to the ship.

What time will you be making those deliveries? We're thinking of going out some Sunday from the restaurant Niwel and MKY4ME were at and watching it depart. Want to join us? 7am - are you sure you want to join us? :p Seriously, we have to be there before the inbound passengers even go down to breakfast.

AVP

7am - are you sure you want to join us? :p Seriously, we have to be there before the inbound passengers even go down to breakfast.

AVP

Ah, no, thanks. Besides, if the ship doesn't leave til 5 pm, I guess we'll go around then. Maybe if there's some Sunday you don't have any god awful early delivery down there and you want to go down for dinner...

My parents and I watch the boat go out from Acapulco Mexican Restaurant next the the Maritime Museum. It's just before you head in to Ports O'Call itself. On the 25th we sat inside for dinner and I went out to the patio when it went by. I misted up a little bit as that was the sailing I was supposed to be on until I had to cancel the trip.

One thing the ship left about 4:30 that day.

Anytime anyone wants to meet up at Acapulco for appetizers and to watch the Disney Magic leave on a Sunday I'm up for going.

Carolyn

Niwel and MKY4ME, how was the food at Ports O'Call? I've read differing opinions online...

Niwel and MKY4ME, how was the food at Ports O'Call? I've read differing opinions online...

Mr. Niwel and I had 50-item the salad bar -- which was great!
I know Moto had the surf n turf, MKY -- did you have that, too?
The four of us split the appetizer sampler (which was super yummy).

Sunday mornings is the buffet, sunday afternoon is dinner. So the prices are higher than at lunch.

We had a nice Saturday lunch on the patio last year. The prices were reasonable for a touristy location and the food was good.