7 Night MAGIC Western Caribbean Cruise (10/15/11) lots of pics - COMPLETED 2/13

[iloverags2]

Oh gosh...so sorry about your wedding band. It does sound like your day in Cozumel was incredible outside of that. And wonderful you were able to snag an excursion for your Costa Maya stop. Exhausting but fun day for you!!!

 

[rk33l4n]

Thank you so much for your amazing trip report...can't wait for more!! We are considering the buggy trip..would you recommend it for an adventurous 12 year old boy?!
How fast did they go?
Debsx

There were several kids around that age on the excursion. Of course they weren't able to drive, but they all seemed to have a really good time.

I just attached a video of the excursion to the end of the last update. It'll give you a better idea of how fast the vehicles go and how muddy the trail was.

 

[Ajsmom22]

Love your report! Makes me so excited to go on our cruise in April!

Go RAVENS. Hope our team is using this weekend off to get ready!!

Amber

 

[wrappedupindisney]

WOW!! love your trip report, along with the lovely photos.
I too will be "hopefully" taking my very first disney cruise
in late September, if certain family members would join me.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[AnnaS]

Thanks for coming back. Sorry about your wedding band. Saw the video - definitely a lot of water and very muddy.

 

[rk33l4n]

On Tuesday morning, we both woke up early again and hit the gym around 6:15am. We were showered, dressed & up to Topsiders for breakfast by 8:30am.

We still had some time before the ship reached Costa Maya, so we found a few recliners on Deck 11 and caught some rays. This was the 1st time we saw any substantial sun since leaving FL. I broke out the Nook and started the latest Patterson novel. Sayra just laid out and watched the ocean.

Here is the view of Costa Maya from Deck 11. It's not what I pictured it to be & was very different than Cozumel. Costa Maya is much more secluded and surrounded by miles and miles of jungle.

We weren't the only ship docking there that day.

We had booked the Beach Snorkel Adventure the previous evening, so we met the rest of our group in Sessions and were walked out to the port.

Right at the entrance to the shopping district we ran into the welcoming party - Mexican Federales. I'm not sure if they made me more or less nervous?? They were all carrying MP5s (recognized from Call of Duty) and had bomb/drug sniffing dogs. Welcome to Costa Maya.

We went through the shopping area to the back parking lot and boarded some really nice coach buses. First impressions of Costa Maya were much better than Cozumel. While the port/stores in Cozumel had a much more junk store/flea market feel, Costa Maya had a nicer more upscale feel to it.

The ride out to Ulvero Beach was about 30-40 minutes. The further we got out there, the more secluded & deserted these roads felt. Love the sign the bus driver had up. I gave him $5 for the effort.

The Jungle Beach Club at Ulvero Beach is very similar to the Nachi Cocum excursion that we missed in Cozumel. Basically it's an all-inclusive day resort with a private beach & offers all-you-can eat and drink. From the road it didn't look all that great.

Once inside though it was totally different. The resort really exceeded both our expectations.

The place was super clean and everything seemed to be 1st class. We were met at the front by Mario who escorted us to some tables to get us ready for the Snorkel Adventure. He gave us a brief introduction to the resort and gave us some history of the area. From there he walked us down to the beach and got us outfitted for snorkeling.

Each of the powerboats held 2 people. This time I drove 1st and Sayra drove back. These boats were a ton of fun!! I didn't take any pictures while driving, but I will post some video at the end.

We weaved in and out of circles for about 15 minutes - all the way out to a pier that they had set up by a reef.

From there they broke us up into 2 groups and we snorkeled through the reef. My snorkeling experience both starts and stops with a day at Discovery Cove. This was much different. At first there really wasn't much to see, but as we got further and further out, the coral reef started to appear below us.

The warned us not to touch anything and definitely not to stand up. We eventually got to the point where you would have to wind you way through an almost maze of reef. It was really neat. The guides broke their own rules and they dove down to the bottom and retrieved starfish and conch shells for us to touch.

The current seemed to be very strong and the swim was very tiring. We were out there for quite a while and we were both ready to get back and relax for the remainder of the day.

As we started driving back, the skies above the resort started turning almost black. It was surreal heading back into this storm with clear sunny skies behind us. Right as we docked the boat and reached the main building, the sky opened up and poured!!! Guess now would be a good time for lunch then.

Lunch was a served buffet consisting of Fajitas, beans, Mexican rice & chips. The guy running the buffet spoke ZERO English and wore a mask. Too cool.

The food was pretty good!!! I frequent quick-casual Mexican restaurants like Chipotle & Baja Fresh a lot & the quality here was similar. Maybe not as authentic as you'd get more inland, but still good.

It was also open bar so we both got a round of Dos XX (draft) and Bahama Mamas (watered down but who cares).

As we finished eating, the clouds seemed to miraculously part and the sun started shining again. Sayra went swimming while I found a hammock and got some rest.

Before we knew it, it was time to board the buses and head back to port. The next chapter will continue our Costa Maya day with a description of the shopping and Pirate Night aboard the Magic.

 

[Lauralooneyfordisney]

subbing.

 

[mommyofthreeboys]

great updates! love the snorkeling picture!

 

[rk33l4n]

The buses dropped us off in the same place where they picked us up earlier in the day. Unlike in Cozumel, we were clean and able to do some shopping without having to go back to the Magic first.

Like I said in the earlier post, the shopping area in Costa Maya was better than in Cozumel. There were still the tourist souvenir shops, but everything seemed a little nicer.

There was a huge fountain probably 50X30 yards wide right in the center of the mall courtyard. What was weird was that there were people swimming in it.

As we walked further down, we realized that it wasn't a fountain at all, but a swim-up bar. How cool is that??

We went shopping in some of the stores and picked up a few souvenirs like a picture frame and a t-shirt. We also went browsing in a few jewelry stores. That's when it hit me ... I could probably buy a new wedding band here in Costa Maya!!!

I found one that was almost identical to the one I had, although my old one was white gold and this one was stainless steel.

The guy quoted me $100. Not too bad, and I probably would have paid that much, but Sayra shot me a look like she could do better.

The two of them did some haggling in Spanish (I have no idea what she said) and I ended up getting the ring for $65!!! Now I not only have a new wedding band, but I also have a great story to go along with it.

Sayra also wanted to buy a piece of hand painted Mexican Talavera pottery. She found one of the outdoor vendors that had a really nice selection.

The guy running the stand was named Ilario & they spent a lot of time talking. She picked out a cute set of coffee & sugar containers. I don't remember what she paid, but she claimed that she got him down substantially from his initial price. All negotiating was done is Spanish. so I'm not really sure what they talked about

As we headed back to the Magic, this huge black cloud started to settle right above us.

We got back on the ship seconds after the rain started to fall again. It was just a quick shower though because by the time we got back to our stateroom, the rain had already stopped.

We waived goodbye to the Federales from our Verandah as we sailed away from port.

When we originally booked the cruise, Pirate Night was scheduled for Wednesday. Since there was so many changes to the agenda, Pirate Night was now pushed up to Tuesday instead. The only Palo reservations that I could get were for Wednesday night, so we were going to have to miss all the festivities. Looks like we wouldn't be missing Pirate Night after all.

After relaxing in our room for a while, we showered and got dressed for dinner. Our rotation had us in Lumiere's that evening. Since we initially thought we would miss Pirate Night, we didn't bring any costumes or pirate clothes. What was great was that we had bandannas waiting for us at our table when we arrived. We also both purchases light-up pirate glasses. Ionna helped us both get our bandannas tied.

I had read on the boards that the Pirate menu was probably most people's least favorite. I have to agree. I got the short ribs and Sayra ordered a shrimp pasta. While both meals weren't bad, they also weren't as good as some of the other dinners we had on board. I forget what this desert was called, but it was not good.

After the meal, the serving staff put on a cute pirate show with a limbo line right by our table. Neither of us got up, but some of the families around us joined in.

After dinner we headed up to Deck 10 for the Pirate Party. Unlike the Sail-Away Party, we stood right by the stage this time. It was a whole different experience down there.

This was a really good time. There were characters out on the floor dancing along with everybody and a cute pirate stage show.

The party ended with Mickey Mouse on a zip line & a neat little fireworks show. After the party we stayed up on Deck 10 and watched Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl on the Funnel Vision screen. A great way to end another fun day.

Not everybody made it through the entire movie.

Here's our obligatory towel animal picture. Funny story - Sayra woke up in the middle of the night and this scared her half to death.

The next chapter will be a rough day at sea and our dinner at Palo.

Click here for a video highlight of our day In Costa Maya

 

[Poly-Anna]

Just wanted to say I'm enjoying it very much. We sail on a 5 night cruise on the Magic in April and then again on a 7 night in November and are hitting the ports you did this cruise, so this is very informative! Thanks for the awesome review!

P.S. we got the same towel animal you did above and thought it was a turkey since it was Thanksgiving week. Turns out it was a monkey! (I still think it looks like a turkey!). We put it away in the closet because it freaked me out also...

 

[nikkistevej]

Loving your trip report!!! Go Ravens!! We are huge fans from here in Baltimore!!

 

[D-Dreamer]

Thank you for your trip report! I have really enjoyed reading about your cruise. The pictures are also great! I would love to hear more. We are going on the same cruise this March for spring break.
I have a question for you... Did you ask for a private table for dining before the cruise or once you got on board at guest services? On previous cruises we have been seated with other families and have enjoyed that, but having a private table would probably be more relaxing.

 

[Goldeelox9]

Hi! Lisa from Baltimore here... GO RAVENS!

It looks like your weather on the western Caribbean cruise mirrored ours last January! I hope your Castaway Cay day is better then ours was!

Loving your trip report!

 

[Frebo5]

Love reading about your trip. Thank you!

 

[mlc1985]

This report is making anxious for april to come!!

 

[rk33l4n]

Thank you for your trip report! I have really enjoyed reading about your cruise. The pictures are also great! I would love to hear more. We are going on the same cruise this March for spring break.
I have a question for you... Did you ask for a private table for dining before the cruise or once you got on board at guest services? On previous cruises we have been seated with other families and have enjoyed that, but having a private table would probably be more relaxing.

About 30 days before leaving I called DCL and requested a private table. They told me that they couldn't guarantee the request, but that it would be notated. We wouldn't have been upset had we been seated with other people, but it is more relaxing having your own table.

We had the later seating & our cruise was not even close to 100% capacity, so I'm sure that played a huge factor in honoring our request.

Quick side note - Since we requested a table of our own, causing 2 seats at our table to be unoccupied, at the end of the cruise we tipped Hart & Ionna more than double the suggested amount. We slipped additional cash into the envelopes with the pre-paid tip tickets that DCL provided.

 

[rk33l4n]

Due to all the agenda changes, Wednesday was now going to be a day at sea. The theme for this day was weather, meaning it was bad. The seas were extremely rough. We got up early and hit the gym, but the ship was rocking so much, we left after only a few minutes due to feeling unsafe.

After showering and changing, we went to Topsiders for breakfast. It was overcast and windy outside, so we decided to eat inside this time. That was when we discovered that Topsiders had an omelette station.

This was our third straight morning eating at Topsiders and we just noticed it now??

With the exception of the one show, we hadn't really done any shipboard activities so far. I noticed in the navigator that there was a presentation of "Disney Innovations: Theme Park & Resorts" that morning in Rockin' Bar D. We didn't have any other plans and the weather was too bad to be outside, so we decided to give it a go.

It was a fun presentation and I learned some neat trivia about the theme parks. It ran about 30 minutes ... it was now around 9:45.

During the tour on our first day, we checked out the Rainforest Room at the Vista Spa. We figured today would be a great day to kill some time there. We got changed into our swimsuits & bought our day passes ($15/each I think).

I thought that the Rainforest Room was going to be packed, but to my surprise we were initially the only ones in there. During our time there, I saw maybe a total of 10 people all day.

I didn't get any pictures, but here's a borrowed pic I found on Flickr that gives a pretty good idea of the room's setup.

There's 4 heated tile lounge chairs surrounding a fountain. The room has very soft lighting and there's relaxing music playing in the background. The chairs may look uncomfortable, but I was surprised at how comfortable they really are.

Surrounding the fountain are different sub-rooms. There was a sauna room, an aromatherapy room, a dry heat room & 2 different showers. The sauna and aromatherapy room were so hot, it was almost impossible to spend more than 5 minutes in them.

At this point, the motion of the ship was getting really bad. Being in a fully enclosed room with no windows was making it even worse ... to the point where Sayra needed to leave for a bit. I grabbed one of the tile loungers and took a nap.

Eventually we both headed back to the room and changed. The motion was really starting to get to her. We had both taken Dramamine & while I was getting a little queasy, it was nothing like how she was feeling. We thought maybe if she got some food in her, she would feel better. We went up to Deck 10 and got some chicken fingers from Pluto's.

I also found the soft-serve machine!!

You ever noticed how the pools on Deck 10 have those built up sides. It's like you have to step down into a landing and then you step down again into the pool. I now realize why it's built like that.

Click here for a wave pool video

After a bit of reading and relaxing, we started getting ready for the evening's activities. Not only was it formal night, but it was also our Palo night!! It seemed to take Sayra forever to get ready, but eventually we headed to the Walt Disney Theatre for Villains Tonight.

Of the major productions, this one was my favorite. The songs were good and the performances were great. Once again, that boat was really swaying & I have no idea how those performers did it. I have to give them a ton of credit. Side note .. I thought I'd seen most of the Disney animated movies, but I have no idea who Yzma is???

After the show, we went down to get our picture taken with Captain John ...

and a formal shot.

Our reservation for Palo was at 8:30 and we arrived there on the dot.

We were given a nice table right by the window.

I don't remember much about the details of the dinner because this was when Sayra finally started to melt down due to seasickness. Doesn't she look soooo happy in this picture??

Here we are 3 months later and she still talks about how she wishes she could have enjoyed that meal more. I do remember that we started off with a Margharita Pizza & an Antipasto platter. For an entree I got the Tenderloin and Sayra got a seafood pasta. We left the dessert choice in the hands of our server. I think he brought us 1 of everything!!

By the time we got back to our room it was almost 11:00. Time to get to sleep because on Thursday we had our long awaited day in Key West.

 

[AnnaS]

The seas were rough - I can hear how bad the wind was too. It stinks when you get sick on the ship -

Thank you again for taking the time and telling us all about it.

 

[Ajsmom22]

Thank you for doing this awesome review! It is helping me get over the shock and heartbreak of our devastating loss. Still love my Ravens.

Amber

 

[aberrydisneygirl]

Love this review. Thanks for posting!!! Me and DH will be on the Magic in just over a month and I can't wait.