1/15/2005

[karebear1]

Meshee or Houzer.... did you sign up for the 1 pm Stingray City Snorkle Tour?

 

[Meshee]

Karebear1:

We booked the 7:30 a.m. Stingray City Snorkle Tour. I hope that isn't to early for you. Our kids are early risers.....

 

[karebear1]

It's not too early- just wondering about what the water temp will be! Did you happen to do any research on that?

 

[pershing]

Originally posted by karebear1
It's not too early- just wondering about what the water temp will be! Did you happen to do any research on that?

I only found this info on a destination. ky site:

The Cayman Islands lay in the far Western Caribbean, closer to the equator then a lot of people realise, lying between latitudes 19° and 20° North. They are nicely cooled by prevailing trade winds, but the sun is HOT and we advise always to wear sun cream, a shady hat and sunglasses. Please take the sun in small doses to avoid sunburn.

As a guide, the following outlines our range of temperature through winter and summer.

Winter - November to April
72°F to 86°F during the day.
64°F to 72°F at night
Water temperature ranges between 78°F and 82°F

Summer - May to October
85°F to 90°F during the day.
73°F to 85°F at night
Water temperature ranges between 82°F to 86°F
Relative humidity varies from 68% to 92%.

The rainy season starts in May and lasts through October, the two rainiest months being May and October and March and April are usually the driest months.

The average annual rainfall is about 46 inches.

You can call the Cayman Islands National Meteorological Service in George Town, Grand Cayman for a current weather report at (345) 949-4528.

What to Wear
Visitors should remember that the Cayman Islands remains a "proper" British Crown Colony and our people are conservative by nature. Also note that the Cayman Islands Government strictly prohibits all forms of public nudity so please do not wear bathing suits or scanty beach wear beyond the beach or cruise ship - and cover up when in public areas elsewhere.As we say in Cayman, Please keep your shell on!

Neat, casual and comfortable tropical attire are appropriate throughout the Cayman Islands. Visitors will want to bring smart casual wear for evenings out at our restaurants. When attending church services, "Sunday dress" is appropriate - shorts and T-shirts are not considered acceptable, especially for ladies. However, ties are not expected!

Doesn't sound too bad to me, but I'm sure its like anywhere. Days can be warmer or colder than the average.

 

[Meshee]

pershing:

Thanks for the info!

 

[mark & sandra]

Found this on Grand Cayman from another thread:

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2004/cayman.shtml

This site is still keeping update info, it still sounds like a mess down there.

Also read on a post here a few days back that said that Disney wasn't realistically looking at going back till Jan or Feb.

Just need to scroll down a bit more to see the post titled 'Grand Cayman' that's right here: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=668785


You might want to check and see if we're stopping there or not...Mark

 

[pershing]

OK!

The only constant in life is...change.


So, what do we know about Costa Maya???


Wait, I saw a thread a little while ago. I will go look for it, since I don't even know where in the Carribbean Costa Maya is.

 

[allears]

We stopped at Costa Maya on our shortened 9/27 cruise. It is actually very nice. The excursions are a little more rugged, my family went to see some ruins which from the photos looked pretty cool. I stayed on the ship that day. The port is very new and is pretty much a fake Mexican village, not unlike a land you might see in Disney World. Lots of shops, a huge salt water pool, and different demonstrations of local culture. Much of the area is uninhabited so it was pretty. It is about 100 miles south of Cozumel, near Belize.

I wouldn't mind if we stopped there in January. Though we really don't care where we go as long as we get 7 full days on the ship.

 

[pershing]

I read about the Salt water pool on other threads. Apparently, only three feet deep all around. My little swimmers will be bummed about that. But there's a horseback riding excursion to replace stingrays.

However, I also read that after trying to book a direct excursion on Costa Maya, Dec. Cruisers were told by the excursion people that the Magic wouldn't be stopping at Costa Maya. So we'll see what happens in December.

 

[Steve & Shirley]

Shirley and I are a little concerned about how the tipping is figured........really not sure how to figure it i guess anyone have any ideas?

Thanks
Steve

 

[mark & sandra]

I copied this from another site to remain nameless(Thanks Barb)
This is per person,not per staeroom

Position----------------------------3 day 4 day 7 day
Resturant Server-----------------$11.00 $14.75 $25.75
Resturant Assistant Server------ $8.00 $10.75 $18.75
Head Server ----------------------$2.75 $3.75 $6.50
Stateroom Host(ess) ------------$10.75 $14.50 $25.25

Room Service At your discretion At your discretion At your disrection
For room service, you will want to tip a couple of dollars, or more depending on the size of your order. If you order drinks, a gratuity is automatically added. I add a bit more for exceptional service, like if they bring me my drink on the beach on Castaway Cay. You will also want to tip the porters a dollar or two per bag, especially if they carry your bags all the way across the street to the parking lot.

ADDITIONAL HINTS FOR TIPPING
Charge your tips early. The line can get quite crowded at Guest Services if you wait till the last day of your cruise. We tip the recommended amount early and then add some extra cash for anyone who gives us exceptional service.
Be creative. In addition to tips, little items such as phone cards are appreciated. This should be given in addition to the suggested cash amount, not in place of it. We pick up a batch of phone cards at Sam's Club prior to our cruises. They also make a nice thank-you for persons in positions that aren't traditionally tipped, such as kids counselors, cruise staff and guest services. I bring a supply, of thank-you cards, too, and insert the little gift. Another fun item is Florida lottery tickets, which can be purchased at the airport or at gas stations, grocery stores, and convenience stores.

 

[Steve & Shirley]

thats seems real reasonable......it almost seems kinda low if that is for the whole trip or is that daily.....either way I can't wait

Thank
Steve

 

[mark & sandra]

Those prices are for their specified trip. Going by that chart, which I did on our last cruise, my family of 4 put a total of 305.00 into 4 tip envelopes. For 2 it would be half. I did tip our room steward more for some above and beyond service. I lost a crown the first night out and placed it into a plastic bag for safe keeping. My wife tossed it into garbage can. When we returned to the room, which was cleaned, I asked if she saw the bag and told me she threw it out. She asked the steward to check the garbage and he dumpster dived and found it. Saved me 600.00 bucks and earned him a nicer tip and a letter complimenting him to DCL...Mark

 

[Steve & Shirley]

If only my friends would read that post Mark and they would know why my family trust disney for outstanding service and why we would take our first cruise with them.....thanks agin Mark.

Steve

 

[karebear1]

Does DCL have envelopes to put the tips in, or do we need to bring them?

AND

When do we give these tips and how do we give them? I don't want to feel awkward about this.

 

[mark & sandra]

Yes they have envelopes and you can pay the tips at the front desk with you KTTW card. They will give you a receipt to put into the evelope to hand out.

At the last nights dinner, the waitstaff does a performance during dessert,(a congo line with music), you'll find the Head Waiter a bit more friendly then he's been. This is when they receive their tip envelopes. You'll be surprised how many people do not go to the final dinner. I wonder if they all stiff the waiters??

You can tip the room steward when you put your luggage outside the last night. You won't see him/her again...Mark

 

[bigcat2000]

well hello every one

is any body getting happy yet.

well from my last count, we have about 35 to 40 people coming to the "meet and greet".

i called Disney, to see if we could get a room for our meeting, i was told i had to fax over the dates, we are sailing and the day we want to get together, all of that has been taken care of. we are meeting in Sessions. (if you have been on the Wonder b4 it is the same place as the cadallic lounge) we have it resevered on sun the 16th for 10:00 to 11:00. this will be b4 we dock at key west i also asked about drinks and food. but i thought it was expensive, it was 10.00 dollars a person and that has to be paid in advance. if any one else has any ideas i would love to hear them.

p.s.
hey karebear do i need to send you my name for my name badge?
thanks again

Bill"bigcat Smith

 

[karebear1]

ALRIGHT!!! Now we have a time and a place.....


Now all I need is for Bill to pm me his name!

 

[mark & sandra]

Hey Bill- Our meet is right after breakfast, and if we need some food, it's free up on deck 9. (burgers and chicken strips, fries and pizza) Bring some with if anyone's hungry. How'd you get the room? I'd like to set something like that up for my other cruise in August. Only problem is that we have 450 Dis members so far...Mark

 

[kellimomo3]

Hello all!!!


What's the verdict on bringing the kids to the DIS meet?? Like I said before, if most people are doing it, we will but if most are not we would probably prefer not to. I'm sure they will want to be in the Club!! I can't believe our trip is right around the corner!! I am so excited!! It is SOOOOOOO hard not to tell the kids but it will be worth it at Christmas!!


Kelli