10/26/02 Fantasies and pirates and goblins, Oh my!

[aks22]

For those traveling with us on the 10/26/02 Magic cruise, we should have LOTS of extra fun! In addition to the usual excursions, you may want to consider these events:

Key West Fantasy Festival (a cross between Mardi Gras and, um, Mardi Gras) takes place 10/18 - 10/27. We are scheduled to be in port on the 27th. While a parade of half-naked drunk people isn't exactly Disney-style entertainment, the Children's Day is usually on the closing day, from noon- 5 pm in the park.

The Cayman Islands national festival, Pirates Week, is going on when we dock in Grand Cayman on Tuesday. We'll miss the arrival of the pirates, but I understand there is a lot going on in George Town and the North Side while we are in port.

Then Thursday is, of course, Halloween.

A cabana massage at Castaway Cay is exactly what I'll need on Friday.


More info as I learn it, or check out
fantasyfest.net
piratesweekfestival.com

Andrea

 

[thefatman]

WOW thanks for that Andrea.

In all the excitment of booking our secong MAGIC cruise and making sure it was the Western itinery, I totally forgot about it being Halloween. My kids (5&7) are going to be so thrilled (and us of course )
Not too sure bout Key West for the kids ( got diverted there last cruise ) but the Pirate week should be fun.

 

[bbump]

It was GREAT! The ship was decked out in Halloween decorations, stateroom doors were even decorated. They plan lots of fun things for Halloween. (A TRICK-or-TREAT Sailaway Party was so much fun!) The charachters were even dressed in their costumes... there are many great "one of a kind" Halloween photo opportunities too. There were many families dressed up... it was like being invited to the best Halloween Party of all!

 

[aks22]

I got this this morning from the Pirates Week organizers:

"Northside is at the other side of the island it is approximately 45 minutes drive from the George Town Port. The Heritage Day does not start until 12 .00 noon it is day of exploring the Northside culture. Arts & crafts will be on display, Caymanian food will be on sale and the Pirates will be there to greet the children.

If you decide Northside is too far away then trips to the Turtle Farm or stingray city are a must see in Cayman."


We are considering hiring a car for the day, doing the stingrays early and then heading to the Northside for a couple of hours before going back to the ship (I say "we" but I mean "I", as my husband is considering having me committed for devoting far too much time planning our cruise days 8 months prior to sailing )

Knowing the kids (DD9, DS6 at cruise time) can't fully APPRECIATE Key West like we can, our itinerary there includes returning them to the ship's clubs so that we can spend a few hours hanging out on Duvall street.

 

[pallamb]

I'll be on the Halloween cruise too. I knew about the fantasy fest in Key West but did not know about the Pirate Festival in Grand Cayman. Thanks for posting the websites. My husbands loves pirates. We want to do the snorkling excursion with the sunken ship and coral reefs. I wonder if we will be able to get to the Pirate Festival too. Tell your husband that I've been planning my Halloween cruise since last June. I just love these boards! Patty

 

[aks22]

I got this resonse from a person on Gr. Cayman who answered on the cruisecritic board:
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Hi Andrea,

Pirates Week is more of a heritage display than a pirate extravaganza these days, which is good as it focuses more on our culture than it used to.

At the District Heritage Day events crafts are on display that have been made by the district residents and are made by the same process that they had been made many years ago.

Food stalls are erected and you can purchase some of every local dish from the different stalls. The food will vary from stall to stall and the average cost per dish is about $10.00 US.

Games and other fun activities are also planned for the day.

There are displays of rope making, net making (these were used to capture turtles by the men of the country who had no alternative but leave their wives and children to seafare to make a living as we did not have anything for financial sustenance).

People will be dressed in garments descriptive of our history (including straw hats and sometimes wampers, a shoe made for men who worked on plantations on the island and for some reason had to eke a living from the land and not go to sea and our local dialect will be widely on display as the occasions are attended mostly by local people.

If you choose to spend your day this way with your family it will be a day well spent.

To get there is about a one hour drive and you'll have to drive through 2 (3 districts if you include East End in your drive) including George Town and Bodden Town.

I can make your transportation arrangements for you if you'd like and if you require any additional information or assistance.

Kindest Regards,
Katina.
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AKS