Disney Magic/WDW 17 Day Extravaganza PTR! Trip Report Started!

[AAshleySEG]

TRIP REPORT LINK IS HERE!!

Hi DisBoards!!
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It is great to finally be back in action with another PTR and eventual Trip Report! We have been on a few months hiatus and are now planning a very last minute trip! If you have read one of my TRs before, welcome back!! I hope this will be a fun one! If not, let me introduce myself!!​

My name is Andrea! My DH Jeremy and I love pretty much everything about Disney! We are Annual Passholders even though we live in North Carolina, DVC members since 2009, our home resort is Disney's Grand Californian! Here is a photo of us from Villain's Unleashed this past year!​

We go to Disney World a few times each year and occasionally are fortunate enough to go on a cruise! Our first Disney Cruise Line experience came back in 2012, when we were able to go on the Disney Wonder to Alaska, if you are interested in that please feel free to read our Trip Report (the link is in my signature). We had such an amazing time we headed out on another cruise later that year, this time a 5-night Bahamian with a Double Dip at Castaway Cay on the Disney Dream! It was a fantastic cruise and on that one we happened to make some friends who have turned into our best friends!! It was so amazing! We also have a few Disney World Trip Reports if you are interested in those as well!

My husband has a very crazy work schedule, so most of the time we end up doing last minute trips, and this time it is no different! Last week, his schedule opened up and I checked on the Disney Cruise Line website and noticed a really great GTY rate for the Disney Magic! We have wanted to go on the Magic since it has been overhauled and we have never been on a cruise to the Western Caribbean either, so it was a win-win situation!

Update: Today we booked a second cruise, the one right after this one, so now we will be on the Magic for a total of 14 nights! The second cruise itinerary goes to Jamaica instead of Key West, so we get a whole extra destination! Really super duper excited, I feel like I am in some sort of Magical dream land at the moment!

We booked them and are now in the VERY short planning phase of our cruise(s) which happen to be NEXT weekend!!! In this PTR, I hope to outline some of our plans for our trip and get you all excited to read my Trip Report! I hope you enjoy it and PLEASE feel free to comment or just say Hi! I love meeting new people and hearing from familiar friends! That is what Trip Reporting is all about!

Table of Contents

Introducing the Animal Family
*Day Zero - Drive to Jacksonville for the Night!
Day One Plans - Saturday, April 11th, 2015 (Night at WDW)
Day Two Plans - Sunday, April 12th, 2015 (Embarkation Day)
Day Three Plans - Monday, April 13th, 2015 (Key West)
Day Four Plans - Tuesday, April 14th, 2015 (Day At Sea)
Day Five Plans - Wednesday, April 15th, 2015 (Grand Cayman)
Day Six Plans - Thursday, April 16th, 2015 (Cozumel)
Day Seven Plans - Friday, April 17th, 2015 (Day At Sea)
Day Eight Plans - Saturday, April 18th, 2015 (Castaway Cay)
Day Nine Plans - Sunday, April 19th, 2015 (Port Canaveral)
Day 10 Plans - Monday, April 20th, 2015 (Day At Sea)
Day 11 Plans - Tuesday, April 21st, 2015 (Cozumel)
Day 12 Plans - Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015 (Grand Cayman)
Day 13 Plans - Thursday, April 23rd, 2015 (Jamaica)
Day 14 Plans - Friday, April 24th, 2015 (Day At Sea)
Day 15 Plans - Saturday, April 25th, 2015 (Castaway Cay)
Day 16 Plans - Sunday, April 26th, 2015 (Going Home...Sad Face)

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[AAshleySEG]

Friday, April 10th, 2015:

Each time we head out on an adventure, we have to leave some little babies at home!! We do not have any children, but we do LOVE animals!! We have 4 doggies and a bird! I wanted to introduce them to you all. My mom has kindly agreed to house-sit and watch them for us on this trip. She lives about 4 hours away and will be getting to our house on Friday, before we leave Saturday morning! I don't know what I would do without her or my dad who watches our fur babies also! Our first baby is Arya, the is a miniature schnauzer and the smallest of our pack!

Next up we have Quorra, she is also a Miniature Schnauzer, but a lot larger than Arya!

Next up, is Saghani, she will hardly ever let me take a photo of her where I can actually get her not being crazy. She is always moving, it is in her nature as she is an Alaskan Malamute! So sorry about this photo...it is definitely not my best photographic moment...LOL

Last of the Doggies is Baer, he is a Black Lab/Chow mix and a very big boy!

That rounds out the doggies, and lastly we have Rojo, who is our Mexican Red Head. I have had him for a very long time, he is sort of a family heirloom if you will...LOL!

So on Friday, we will be finished packing, double checking everything to make sure we didn't forget anything, even though I usually do! Getting my mom settled in, loading up the car at around 2:00 in the afternoon, start our drive down to Jacksonville, FL. We booked a hotel there right across the street from our usual Panera Bread location where we eat breakfast. Normally we stop in Brunswick, GA, but the hotel we usually stay at was completely booked up, so we figured we would just drive the extra hour and stop over in Jacksonville, that way we can sleep in a little longer if we want and then just head to Walt Disney World after breakfast at Panera!

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[AAshleySEG]

Saturday, April 11th, 2015

This is the day we drive from Jacksonville towards Walt Disney World! It will take about 3 hours to drive to the gates of the Walt Disney World Resort! So if we leave around 9:00am, we should get there right around Lunch! We are thinking of heading to Downtown Disney to the LEGO store and some lunch before checking in! And where are we checking in to, you may ask?? We were very fortunate to be able to use our points to get a Deluxe Studio at the Villas at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort! Yay!! I am so excited, we have only ever stayed at the Polynesian one time before, and it will be fun to stay there again, as DVC members, even if it is for only one night!

At 4:00 Jeremy has an appointment over at the Grand Floridian, so he can run in and up to Ivy Trellis to get a hair cut! It is one of his little pleasures in life to be able to get his hair cut at the Grand Floridian. He is sort of addicted to it actually. So each time we make our way down there, he makes an appointment for himself. So while he is getting his hair cut, I am going to walk around the GFL shops and such.

After his haircut we are going to head back over to the Poly, we are meeting some friends for dinner at Kona Cafe!

After dinner, I would love to be able to pop into the Magic Kingdom to grab some popcorn! It may actually be doable too since it is open until 1:00am!!

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[AAshleySEG]

Sunday, April 12th, 2015! Cruise Day!!

This morning we will be waking up at our Studio Villa at the Polynesian!! So where better to have breakfast than at the resort, right? I made us a nice little breakfast ADR for Kona Cafe, we have eaten there lots of times before, but only for dinner, never for breakfast, so this time we thought we would try it out! So I am looking forward to trying some of the yummy sounding food on that menu!

Our friends who live in the area are kindly driving us to the port and letting us leave our beloved King Candy at their house so we don't have to pay for parking!! Woohoo HUGE savings!! Funnily enough we actually met these great friends on our last Disney cruise, they were our tablemates on the 5-Night Dream!

Our port arrival time is at 12:00, so we decided we wanted to leave Walt Disney World at around 10:30am and head towards Port Canaveral.

I'm sure we will be perusing the Navigator as soon as we are waiting to board the ship!

I can't wait to get checked in, and get onto the ship. I am also excited to see whether we will be seated alone like on our Alaskan Cruise, or with other couples like on our Bahamian Cruise. It will also be fun to find out which dining rotation we have and meet our wait staff for the two weeks at sea! We are not sure whether we will be attending the Cruise Meet-Up or not, we want to keep our options open for this trip to explore the ship, I know Jeremy wants to go and see the kids clubs while they are in open house because he wants some Avengers area photos!

We went on one of the Walking Ship Tours on the Wonder as well, it might be fun to do it again on the Magic! I think they are usually on the first day at around 1:45 or 2:30, also at 2:30, we may or may not attend the Disney Vacation Club Celebration possibly in the D Lounge? I have been reading over the Navigator for the January Western Caribbean Magic Cruises (Itinerary A, Key West), so I am sure some things may change, but at least we will have a little bit of an idea before we get there!

Mandatory Life Boat Drill is at 4:00, so we will definitely not be missing that, I think from where our room is located we may be in Animator's Palate, will of course check when we arrive and find out for sure!

At 6:15 the All Aboard Show in the theater will begin and I am pretty sure we will be up for that!

We will of course eat something for lunch considering we won't have a dinner time until after 8:00! Most importantly, we will have to go to the Sail Away Party at 4:30! I always look forward to hearing the ship horn as we leave, I remember the first time I heard it on the Wonder, and I can't wait to hear it again now! After that, we may have a little relaxation time before we need to get ready for the show and dinner!

Not sure how tired we will be after dinner, at 10:15 and 10:45 there will be some Adult activities, I guess we will see how tired we are! That sounds like a pretty busy first day on the ship! Tomorrow we will be docking in Key West! It should be lots of fun, and definitely somewhere neither of us have ever been before! Stay tuned for the plans!​

 

[AAshleySEG]

Monday, April 13th, 2015 - Key West!

*Everything is still tentative based on recent Navigators that we have looked over!

We are really excited about this day! Neither Jeremy or I have ever been to Key West before and we are really looking forward to it! We have quite a few things planned for today, as well as some things we want to do, both on the ship and off! We are thinking about starting out the morning with a small Room Service Breakfast, you will find out why in just a minute!

At 9:00am we want to check out the Art of The Theme Show Tour, we went on this tour on the Wonder and absolutely loved it, so we are really thinking about doing it again on the Disney Magic!

At 10:00, we were lucky enough to get a brunch reservation at Palo! Yum, yum, yum!! We really LOVE Palo Brunch and I keep remembering how amazing it was when we had it before, it will also be really cool to check out the redesign of Palo on the Magic! I hear such great things, and I am looking forward to tasting and checking out all of the new details for myself!

For Key West, we are planning on taking one of the Disney Contracted Excursions! The President's, Pirates, and Pioneers Walking Tour to be exact! When we have never been to a destination before, we really like to get out and walk around and see the sights! This is how the tour is described on the Disney Website!

• Meet your guide for an approximate 2 hour walking tour of the historical and famous sights of Key West.
• Step back in time during this tour of picture-perfect Key West and discover the stories behind some of the city's most famous places, including the Harry S. Truman Little White House, the original site of Pan-American Airways and the Shipwreck Treasure Museum.
• Surrender to a sparkling panorama of ocean views and endless sunshine as you embark on a delightful walk from the ship through Key West's famous Old Town to the scenic courtyard of the former U.S. Naval Base. Upon your arrival, snap a picture of the nearby, late 19th-century Harry S. Truman Little White House, the only Presidential Museum in the State of Florida, before officially beginning your guided tour of Key West.
• As you set forth along the beautiful shady streets and lanes, discover the storied history of Key West, from early Spanish and Native American settlement to famous tourist destination. With the help of your courteous tour guide, a native of the city, you'll take in the lovely colonial-style architecture that surrounds you everywhere you look.
• Travel to the birthplace of Pan American World Airways, which began when a single-engine aircraft flew from Key West to Havana in 1927, and learn about the fascinating history of Pan Am's founder, Juan T. Trippe, from your guide.
• Continue your guided walk past lush, tropical foliage and stroll through Key West's Old Town, making your way to Mallory Square where complimentary conch fritters, a favorite delicacy of the city, and bottled water await your arrival.
• Then, immerse yourself in the days of old during a self-guided tour of the famous Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum, where movies, laser technology and a plethora of artifacts tell the fascinating story of the age-old scalawags who used to pillage the waters off Key West in search of treasure. Wander this fascinating museum and climb the 60-foot tower where you are invited to snap a picture of the white sands and glistening sea in the distance.
• Finally, after your visit, embark on a five-minute walk back to the ship, with the option of stopping to shop at some of the many small boutiques and vendors along the way.

I think they had me at COMPLIMENTARY CONCH FRITTERS!!! Uh...Yes Please! It will be nice to get a lay of the land before we start exploring on our own for a bit! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Key Lime Pie, and have been reading tons of reviews and have narrowed down my selection of where to try some from! If anyone has any suggestions please let me know! I am leaning toward getting a slice from Kermit's Original Key West Key Lime Shoppe! Nonetheless wherever I choose, I am pretty sure I am going to like it!

Another place we might want to venture for a little beach vista and toes in the sand kind of thing is Fort Zachary Taylor. I have heard nice things about it's natural beach and we love a good historical site! The ship leaves at 7:30pm, so we will need to be back in time for that! It gives us a little less than 4 hours to explore on our own after the tour, which I think is great!

All I hear about Key West is SUNSET SUNSET SUNSET! We will be back on the ship at 7:30 and the Sun is supposed to set at 7:48PM, I checked already...lol. We potentially wanted to do Ultimate Disney Trivia...however, not sure when we are going to get back to Key West, and watching the sunset as we leave port...that seems like it might be pretty awesome!

Dinner will be at 8:15 as per usual, Cruise Casual, just not sure which Restaurant we will be in as of yet. After dinner, there are a few things we are interested in doing, 9:45-10:15 is Pub Quiz at O'Gill's and then at 10:30, Match Your Mate! We have watched it on both cruises and are looking forward to it yet again! After Match Your Mate, I am pretty sure we will be ready for bed...it seems like it is going to be a long day!

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[AAshleySEG]

Tuesday, April 14th, 2015

This is our first At Sea Day on the ship and I hope there are lots of activities we will be able to do, today is also Formal night! Here is a photo of us from Formal Night on our Alaskan Cruise back in 2012! Yes, I know my hair is MUCH longer now! I am so happy to have it back long again! Then another photo of Jeremy on our Dream Cruise on Formal Night!

So this morning, we are hoping to be up early enough to check out Lumiere's for Breakfast. We want to be able to eat at every location while we are on board the ship. At around 9:45am or so there is an Ultimate Disney Trivia, so if we missed the one the day before, we should be able to try this one out! At 10:30, there is another Anyone Can Cook, which I really want to go and do! The first one would have been yesterday on the Key West Day, but since we had Palo Brunch, we were going to have to miss it. So with this being an at sea day, we will keep our fingers crossed that it won't be too crowded!

At 1:15 there is a Movie Quotes Trivia. We seem to be planning to do lots of trivia, we had a bunch of fun doing them on our last cruise so we are going to try and hit as many of them as we can this time around. When Trivia is over we are going to decide on something to eat for lunch at one of the quick services, Pete's, Daisy's, or Pinocchio's!

Not sure what the afternoon will bring, we might hit the pool, watch a movie, play some shuffleboard, ping pong, rest on Deck 4 lounges...who really knows. We will figure out what we are in the mood for and do it!

By 7:30 there is yet another trivia, this time it is Villains Quote Trivia, not sure how good I will do at that, but we will see how it goes. Welcome Reception after that and then time for our Formal Dinner! After dinner tonight, there is a Pub Quiz at 9:45, so depending on how tired we are after that, we might go to bed, or find out what else is happening on the ship!

With 8 Days to Go from today, I have started to lay out outfits for each of us, to make sure everything we need is clean, once I get all of them sorted out and folded, I may even start to put some things in the suitcases!! It is getting so close, tomorrow it will be one week until we leave!
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[Teetah]

So glad to see you back on here! Wow - what an incredible sounding adventure! We just got back from 2 weeks in the Western Caribbean. We have actually been to all of your ports before, so if you have any questions, feel free! For Key West, I am bummed that you aren't visiting the 6-toed cats at Hemingway's House, but your plans sound spectacular!!! We have been to Jamaica a couple of times, and while it is a 3rd world country, it is also a beautiful and unique place! Cozumel is MY FAVORITE port!!!! Grand Cayman is pretty amazing too - last time we were there, we chartered a private boat with friends (I can give you their contact info if you want it) and they took us to a few snorkeling places, Stingray City and Starfish Island. You will LOVE all of those places!!!

 

[AAshleySEG]

So glad to see you back on here! Wow - what an incredible sounding adventure! We just got back from 2 weeks in the Western Caribbean. We have actually been to all of your ports before, so if you have any questions, feel free! For Key West, I am bummed that you aren't visiting the 6-toed cats at Hemingway's House, but your plans sound spectacular!!! We have been to Jamaica a couple of times, and while it is a 3rd world country, it is also a beautiful and unique place! Cozumel is MY FAVORITE port!!!! Grand Cayman is pretty amazing too - last time we were there, we chartered a private boat with friends (I can give you their contact info if you want it) and they took us to a few snorkeling places, Stingray City and Starfish Island. You will LOVE all of those places!!!

Hey!!! It is good to see you too! Yeah, we have been really busy with loads of stuff going on! How awesome that you just got back, Im sure you had an amazing time! Jeremy is allergic to cats, which is why we decided against going there...maybe someday. I can't wait, my trip report is running out of time because of how last minute we booked everything, but I am going to try and fill it in a little more before Friday! We have excursions planned to go to Stingray City, which sounds like so much fun! I have been watching loads of videos on it! In Jamaica, we are doing a horseback ride and swim, so we are really looking forward to that too! It is so close and I feel so unprepared, usually I have all of my ducks in a row and for such a long trip, I feel like I am forgetting to do things...YIKES!!

 

[AAshleySEG]

We are running out of time for me to do this PTR, so I am going to try and cram some more info on here!! Since we are going to be gone for such a long time, it is going to be a little difficult to do it, but I am going to try!!

Wednesday, April 15th, 2015 - 1st Stop at Grand Cayman
Today we are doing a Walking Food Tour through this company (Cayman Food Tours)
The tour we are doing is called Taste of Georgetown, here is the description!

Join us on our 3-hour food tasting and cultural walking tour to eat the flavourful foods, explore the rich history, and experience the true culture of the Cayman Islands. This off-the-beaten track tour gives you a different and delicious perspective of the local community as we stroll through the streets of the capital.

We had such a great time on the Food Tours we went on in Seattle for our Alaska Cruise, we wanted to do more Food related things while we are on this trip too...and if you know us, or have ready any of our Trip Reports before...you know we LOVE us some FOOD!!!!

Thursday, April 16th, 2015 - 1st Stop in Cozumel, Mexico
We don't have any excursions planned for the first time in Cozumel, have no idea whether we are going to get off the ship, or just stay on and do some activities with a less crowded ship? If anyone has any suggestions of something to do, not on an excursion, let me know! I am not sure if there are things to do right off the port or actually anything at all about Cozumel, I know we generally don't go to beaches and such since we are going to have 2 Castaway Cay days, and also we live at the beach...so it is not too high of a priority, but as far as anything food related, or something not too touristy, let me know!!

I have emailed the Cozumel Chef to see if they have a food tour available, but have yet to hear back...will see if this works out or not...

Update: We did hear back from The Cozumel Chef! We will be taking a fun food tour, very excited about it the info is as follows!

Take your taste buds for a tour! Welcome to Cozumel and Cozumel Chef’s Food Tours of Mexican cuisine. Mexican cuisine is known for its varied flavors, vibrant colors and variety of spices and ingredients. The cuisine is a blend of indigenous (Mayan/Aztec) and European elements (mainly Spanish); on this tiny island you will be sure to find it all! On our food tours you will get an opportunity to taste a variety of dishes, ranging from traditional street fare to the regional cuisine of the Yucatán. You will visit Cozumel’s local restaurants that are far from the tourist main-stays. Tours are all-inclusive and intimate. Be sure to bring an empty stomach, even though these are tastings you will leave quite full. Cruise ship passengers and tourist staying on the island are highly encouraged to see and taste Cozumel on one or all of these unique food tour excursions. Come, eat and find out what makes Mexican food so great!

Here is the link to the website if anyone is interested! The Cozumel Chef

Friday, April 17th, 2015 - Day At Sea
Another day at sea, we are pretty much just gonna check the Navigators the night before or in the morning when we get up to see what is happening and then go from there! More of a wing it type deal!!

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[AAshleySEG]

Saturday, April 18th, 2015 - 1st Stop at Castaway Cay!!
Our plan for Castaway Cay is very simple and easy...Tram to Serenity bay, relax...swim...relax...swim...relax...swim...eat lunch...relax...swim....relax...swim...and in between each of those swim and relax...add in a REAPPLY SUNSCREEN! I thought I did a good enough job last time we went to Castaway Cay...but this is what I looked like that night...

I absolutely, DO NOT want this to happen to me again...so I am going to make sure I have on so much sun screen that if I was standing on the surface of the sun itself...that I would not get burnt! I felt like I tried so hard. I had the spray sunscreen, so this time, I am going to be taking the lotion and make sure every piece of me is covered. As well as checking the dates on all of the sunscreen I have, as well as the ones I purchase to make sure that it is not expired. It is very rare that I actually get burned...I have had really fair skin and freckles my entire life, so I know all about sunscreen, but for some reason on this particular day at Serenity bay...it just did not work! I pledge to not let this happen at any time during this trip! We will see how that works out for me! Lucky Jeremy, he never burns...just tans...ugh!!

Sunday, April 19th, 2015 - Disembark and then Embark on our Second Voyage!
From what I have read and what the DCL guy told us on the phone, we will leave the ship around 9, go through security, back up to the concierge lounge for some reason, and then be among the first to get back onto the ship. We don't know our stateroom number for the second cruise yet, so if it is the same, we can leave our luggage in the room, if not they are supposed to re-tag and then re-deliver it to our new room...we will see how that goes?

We are still planning on going to the Sail Away party, but not the All Aboard show this time, and then everything else is the same, Second Seating dinner and then we get a different port this time around!!

Monday, April 20th, 2015 - A Day At Sea!
Another Day At Sea to explore the ship, watch a movie, relax by the pool, or really whatever we want to do, checking the Navigator the night before will be what we do!

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[Teetah]

Hey!!! It is good to see you too! Yeah, we have been really busy with loads of stuff going on! How awesome that you just got back, Im sure you had an amazing time! Jeremy is allergic to cats, which is why we decided against going there...maybe someday. I can't wait, my trip report is running out of time because of how last minute we booked everything, but I am going to try and fill it in a little more before Friday! We have excursions planned to go to Stingray City, which sounds like so much fun! I have been watching loads of videos on it! In Jamaica, we are doing a horseback ride and swim, so we are really looking forward to that too! It is so close and I feel so unprepared, usually I have all of my ducks in a row and for such a long trip, I feel like I am forgetting to do things...YIKES!!

Ah yes, a cat allergy would probably keep you away...they do stay outdoors - none are allowed inside. BUT, there are about 50 of them roaming around, so that may not matter! Stingray City freaked me out - but our friends loved it! I called them sea monsters and would only pet them, haha. The waves were choppy that day and I am not the best in the water, so stepping on one worried me. Needless worries I know, as thousands of people go through there every month. But, I am chicken! I usually need a few days in the ocean to get used to it...

You will LOVE horseback riding in the ocean in Jamaica! We did that our first trip there and it was amazing. Probably my favorite photos ever of my husband and I.

Our first trip to Cozumel and what made me fall in love with the place was because we had no excursions planned when we went. We walked through the port town (which is one of the best places for authentic souvenirs in WC IMHO) and found a cab driver who drove us around the entire island and stopped at several spots for us for $40. You can also rent buggys and UTVs and drive yourself! Our driver gave us a tour and stopped at his favorite spots. If you are up for it, pick a random beach side cafe for food. We have done that several times and were NEVER disappointed. We are very adventurous on that island and have always felt very safe.

HAVE FUN!!!!!!!

 

[AAshleySEG]

Tuesday, April 21st, 2015 - 2nd Day in Cozumel
Our excursion for today is the Mexican Cuisine Workshop & Tasting! We are really excited about doing this, I have seen some videos and it looks pretty fun! So here is the info from the Disney Cruise Line Website on this excursion!

Embark on an approximate 25-minute ride aboard an air-conditioned motor coach to Playa Mia Grand Beach and Water Park.
Savor the flavor of Mexico! An expert chef will introduce you to the delectable art of authentic Mexican cooking.
Learn the scrumptious secrets of cuisine creation as you prepare a mouthwatering full-course feast from start to finish, before sitting back and enjoying your meal with a glass of fine Mexican wine. Domestic open bar is also included throughout your visit.
Conclude your approximate 2.5-hour cooking and dining experience and get ready to do as much or as little as you'd like at the beautiful beach park.
Choose to lounge in a beach chair under an umbrella on the sand by the ocean, or by the pool. Guests will splash at the Buccaneers Bay Swimming Pool, Oasis Island Pool and the Twin Twister Waterslide. Note: see restrictions in the section below.
Enjoy many included activities such as an aquatic floating sports center, kayaks, water trampolines, aquatic iceberg, paddle boats, floating mats, water bicycles, ping pong tables, volleyball and soccer courts and an entertainment team.
Conclude your approximate 1.5 hours by the beach and take the transportation back to the pier.

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015 - 2nd Day in Grand Cayman
We are doing another Port Adventure today, watching tons of videos and this seems to be the only place to really do this in the world and that would be the Deluxe Stingray City Sandbar Snorkel!

Meet your guide and step aboard a unique trolley bus, designed specifically for you, for an approximate 20-minute transfer to the Barcadere Marina.
Board the unique Cayman Explorer, a state-of-the-art vesseldesigned for comfort, stability and 360-degree viewing in mind.
Take the relaxing 25 minute boat ride from the Barcadere Marina to Stingray City, while admiring the panoramic views of Grand Cayman. Relax in the comfort of tables and chairs on the lower deck or make your way to the observation deck to admire the sweeping views.
Once at Stingray City, you will receive a safety briefing and snorkel gear fitting and demonstration. Enter the shallow water with easy access, via a one-of-a-kind, lowering platform, stair system.
For approximately 50 minutes you will snorkel, swim and admire thenumerous friendly stingrays and tropical fish.
You then journey back to Barcadere Marina to board the trolley bus for transportation back to the pier.

Needless to say we are really excited about this one! The water looks so beautiful and the Sting Rays are such amazing creatures! I can't wait to break out the waterproof camera for this one, I think Jeremy will probably take the GoPro as well and do some filming! I am always more interested in taking photos! All though, this will be a really long trip video if I do decide to make one!

Thursday, April 23rd, 2015 - Jamaica and Pirate Night!
Today we are planning on doing the Chukka Horseback Ride & Swim! I have not ridden a horse in like 12 years or something, but I used to ride them a lot, and so I am really excited to not only be able to get back on a horse, but ride it in the caribbean waters! It sounds pretty amazing to me and we are super excited about this one!

Travel approximately 45 minutes along the scenic coastline in an air-conditioned mini bus to the Chukka Cove Farm, the startup location of your adventure.
Saddle up for the horseback ride and swim! During your approximate 45-minute ride, the experienced guides will educate you on the rich history, culture, flora and fauna.
Be caressed by the refreshing breeze of the Caribbean Sea as the trail takes you along the charming coastline overlooking the ocean to Chukka Beach. This is Chukka's signature tour which has stood the test of time for over 27 years as one of the most popular experiences in Jamaica.
Enjoy cold bottled water while your experienced guides unsaddle the mounts and prepare you for the amazing ride in the Caribbean Sea. Guests will be divided into small groups and take turns on an approximate 10-minute ride in the sea.
Enjoy some free time to peruse the gift shop for unique Jamaican treasures or purchase additional beverages or specialties, such as jerk chicken, which are available at the Chukka Bar & Grill.
Reboard your transportation and relax on the trip back to the pier.

Only 3 days left of the trip!


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[AAshleySEG]

We just got an awesome email!! We booked IGT rates for both cruises and they had already assigned our room for the first one, the second one remained GTY. Well just a few minutes ago I got an email for the first cruise and they had changed our stateroom?? Well, I opened up my Castaway Club cruise list and they gave us the same stateroom for both cruises so we don't even have to pack and then unpack again!! It will be so awesome just to be able to leave our stuff in the room!! I was really happy before, but now I am even more happy!! We can just walk back on the ship and even go back to our stateroom if we want!!! Yay Yay Yay!!!!! Woohoo!! ​

 

[AAshleySEG]

Thank you to all of you who read my PTR! I can't wait to start our trip tomorrow! As soon as we get back I hope to be able to start the Trip Report right away! I know it will be a LONG one! 17 Days is the longest vacation we have ever taken! We are really looking forward to everything!

Our bags are packed and in the car, we have charged all of our cameras, have cruise documents and hotel confirmation numbers ready. My mom is on her way down to stay at our house and watch our doggies! We have made our budget, planned our outfits, tried to think of any possible things we could have forgotten. I am sure we will think of something once we get on board or leave! Our great friends are driving us to the Cruise Terminal which is AWESOME, we get to save all of that money on parking! We have our excursions planned and reserved, some set up through DCL, some not. We have a brunch reservation at Palo, hair cut appointments at Grand Floridian, restaurant reservations at the Polynesian. I hope we have done everything since we only had less than 2 weeks to plan!

I am finally in the stress free portion (hopefully) of the vacation, everything is planned, now all we have to do is ENJOY it! Tomorrow we start our drive from North Carolina to Florida...so in the words of Mickey...See Ya Real Soon!!!​

 

[sager1969]

Bon Voyage! You sure are detailed for a quick planning. I am very impressed. I love your puppies! They all look pretty adorable. I am happy for you to get to stay in the same room! You will love having a great time for that long. FYi, we loved the snorkeling in Grand Cayman. It was calm water and lots of fun. Hope you have a great time. I am in.

 

[AAshleySEG]

Bon Voyage! You sure are detailed for a quick planning. I am very impressed. I love your puppies! They all look pretty adorable. I am happy for you to get to stay in the same room! You will love having a great time for that long. FYi, we loved the snorkeling in Grand Cayman. It was calm water and lots of fun. Hope you have a great time. I am in.

Thanks! I am so happy to be home to my little puppies! Staying in the same room for both cruises was definitely the way to go! You are so right about the water in Grand Cayman! I am finally able to start the trip report today!! I am so excited to relive it again!

 

[AAshleySEG]

Trip Report Link!​