April 1 - 8, 2006 - Magic - Eastern

[TeresaBelle]

Hi! Is anyone else going to be on this cruise? Me and DD7 will be. It's our first cruise ever and we are so excited!!

 

[nursegan]

We are also going on April Fools Day!!! We are family of 4 -myself, DH, Dd will be 7, DS will be 4. Last cruised the Magic 2/04. Looking forward to another great cruise!! We are also going with 4 - 5 other families with kids,so it will be great!

We need to get more fellow cruisers to post here.

 

[TeresaBelle]

I agree we need more posters to this thread. I was beginning to think I'd have the whole ship to myself!

 

[Mom24Princesses]

We'll be on that trip. OUR FIRST EVER CRUISE TOO!
DH ME and 4 girls (14,12,8,&6)

It is all I think about!!and it is a year away. WELL actually this time next year it will be OVER

Happy Planning and Dreaming
Melanie

 

[TeresaBelle]

Melanie...hey! Tell me about it. This cruise is all I think about too! I can't wait!!

 

[pacercolt]

Hi! We will be on that cruise. We just got off of the same cruise Saturday. All of you first timers will not believe it. It is incredible. Which of course,is why I rebooked for next year. If you have any questions over the next 11 months , let me know. I will be with my DH,DD(will be 7 then) and DD(will be 14 then) I can't wait. It will be fun talking to all of you until we go.

 

[TeresaBelle]

Pacercolt, hi!! How exciting, you just sailed! Was it your first time? My DD will be 7 when we sail next year too. We are both looking so forward to it. She is most excited about Goofy's Giggle Gala (pajama party). Did your DD attend that? Did you do any excursions?

 

[pacercolt]

Yes, she went to Goofy's party. She loved it! We went to the French Riviera Beach Rendevous(sp) in St. Maarten. It was absolutely beautiful. Then we took an open air bus tour at St. Thomas. We saw some beautiful sights, however next year we are doing only beach or water excursions. Just because we love to sun and tan. Our only disappointment was that it poured down rain when we went to Cast a Way Cay. So we saw it and that was about it. Very dissappointing.
Your seven year old will have the time of her life. The characters are out all the time. Just make sure you save alot of money for all the pictures they will take of her and you. I spent a fortune!!!

 

[TeresaBelle]

I think we're going to visit the butterfly farm on St. Maarten then maybe a beach. Then we'll probably just do a beach on St. Thomas.

DD loves to meet all the characters and get autographs. Hopefully we won't break the bank on pics! We went to WDW for the first time last May and that was her favorite part...meeting the characters!

 

[goofydadeo]

Hi gang! I just booked this cruise for our family today -- right now it's just my secret -- noone knows except me, not even DW.

This will be DCL cruise #8 for us -- we love it every time. It's also spring break for the our schools.

So, it'll be me, DW, DS12 and DD8 (ages at time of sailing).

Now I have to figure out how to spring this little surprise on everyone!

 

[TeresaBelle]

Welcome to the thread goofydadeo! Wow, DCL cruise #8. That's awesome!! I think it's great that you are going to surprise your family with it. Looks like you've done both. Is the Eastern your favorite?

 

[goofydadeo]

Welcome to the thread goofydadeo! Wow, DCL cruise #8. That's awesome!! I think it's great that you are going to surprise your family with it. Looks like you've done both. Is the Eastern your favorite?

TeresaBelle - yes Eastern is our favorite. We love the extra day at sea that you get. It is sooooo relaxing. Of course we have our favorite places to go in St. Maarten and St. Thomas (St. John). All in all its a great vacation EVERY single time! Your DD7 is going to have the time of her life!

 

[pacercolt]

What are your favorite things to do at port goofy?

 

[goofydadeo]

What are your favorite things to do at port goofy?

In St. Thomas we usually trek over to St. John for a day at one of their beautiful beaches where you can snorkel. Trunk Bay is great and so is Cinnamon Bay. Both have snorkel gear for rent and lots of beautiful beach to enjoy. Trunk Bay has lifeguards and an underwater snorkeling trail which is great for kids and first time snorkelers. There are several excursions which take you to Trunk Bay but it is also easy to take a taxi to Red Hook and then the Ferry over to St. John. We usually leave St. John around 2pm and head to Charlotte Amalie for some shopping before returning to the ship. Another option on St. Thomas is Magens Bay, an abosolutely beautiful beach (not very good for snorkeling). One other thing on St. Thomas that is fun is a visit to Coral World (an open air marine center). On our very first DCL trip we did the Island Tour/Coral World combo excursion which was great.

On St. Maarten we always head over to Orient Bay. It is a really beautiful beach with quite a few nice places to eat lunch right on the beach -- the food is excellent. Orient Bay is on the French side of the island so we usually rent a jeep or take a taxi, both as easy and convenient. Our kids enjoy the body surfing and we just relax at a cafe called Kakao Beach. Let me also mention that in my opinion St. Maarten (Philipsburg to be exact) is probably the best place in the Caribbean to buy jewelry. You can take a ferry from the cruise ship dock to downtown Philipsburg, do your shopping, and return to the ship to store your purchases. Then we usually head out for our day at the beach.

I really can do justice writing about Castaway Cay, you just have to experience it. It's an amazing place.

 

[jclark3]

Hi all,
I'm in the process of making reservations. DU has a good deal but so does Travelocity. AAA, who I usually book with, can't match them so far.
Jocelyn

 

[goofydadeo]

Hi all,
I'm in the process of making reservations. DU has a good deal but so does Travelocity. AAA, who I usually book with, can't match them so far.
Jocelyn

Hi Jocelyn,

Give Costco a try, they have been very competitive! Glad to have you join us. We also live in the Atlanta (Cobb Co.) area. I assume you're taking advantage of Spring Break just like us? Good luck!

John

 

[jclark3]

Thanks, I will! Do you have to be a member of Costco to use their travel agency? By the way, I work in Cobb Co. (Southern Polytechnic State U)

 

[nursegan]

I cannot believe we have to wait a little more than 10 mos.!!!!

I am starting to think about extending our trip a few days for a short wdw fix.
I need to sit on the beach on castaway!!!

 

[goofydadeo]

Thanks, I will! Do you have to be a member of Costco to use their travel agency? By the way, I work in Cobb Co. (Southern Polytechnic State U)

jclark3 - I think you do have to be a member of Costco to use their travel discounts. I live in the Marietta/Kennesaw area and am familiar with SPSU. Glad you will be joining us. Good luck with your reservations!

 

[goofydadeo]

I cannot believe we have to wait a little more than 10 mos.!!!!

I am starting to think about extending our trip a few days for a short wdw fix.
I need to sit on the beach on castaway!!!

nursegan - I know what you're saying, I'm looking forward to this cruise too. 10 months is not long. We waited 1-1/2 years for our last cruise but it was worth it!