August 12, 2006-DIS DREAMS DO COME TRUE-Magical Western Cruise

[MAGICinMYHEART]

As for THE NATIVE CHOICE ... I'm not sure : surely their first tour could be quite interesting ... though I don't like that talking of bugs and jungle
(remember my "poor" legs last Summer ?).
My most important concern however is this : living in Italy, having visited many times Greece or Spain I know how "natives" can be friendly - but if something goes wrong they may not be able to give you what they promised . They would just apologize and repeat : Tomorrow ...
In Greece our taxi had problems as its brakes were no more working ; we could not find another way to get back to Athens till next morning ... Not a real scare, but still annoying ...
We know that DCL will hold the ship if one of their excursions is late -but should any problem arise with our own tour / transportation or whatever in Costa Maya the Magic will NOT wait for us to arrive ...
I'm not sure Marco wishes to take a taxi to a small village and go
search for The native choice office ...
I don't know : a small group could be fine ... but I'm not sure we will feel happy meeting annoying street vendors or little sad kids asking for chiclets ...
a sad reality I see every day in Milan !!! coming home from my school !
I understand this should be more "native" - and maybe BEAUTIFUL , but IMHO I would stick to DCL tours in Mexico ...
THOUGH I promise to think about it ...

I understand...the only reservation I have is the Ship leaving us. It was after reading so many great reports about this tour group I really wanted to use them. But you know me I love an adventure. I haven't been able to find any excursions on the DCL for Costa Maya and I wanted to be prepaired.

I just wish we knew about Cozumel I don't want to go on vacation and see hurricane damage. I usually see it every year anyway, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Jeanne said they are going to block off all the rooms in each wing as they work, they have estimated that it should take a week for each section. Oh they are also going to replace the sinks and countertops in the bath area.

Another question have you and Marco ever seen the Hoop-Dee-Doo
Musical Revue @ Pioneer Hall?

Beckie

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

I haven't been able to find any excursions on the DCL for Costa Maya and I wanted to be prepaired.

I just wish we knew about Cozumel ...

Jeanne said they are going to block off all the rooms in each wing

Another question have you and Marco ever seen the Hoop-Dee-Doo
Musical Revue @ Pioneer Hall?

Beckie

CIAO !!!
Yes , I know you don't want to see damages from hurricane ... as much as I would not like to see the "sad side" of Mexico - I meet sad poor people coming from all the Mediterranean area every day in Milan ...
That "Native" tour looked very good itself ... maybe it will become one of the best DCL tours in the future ?
Anyway ... of course I don't want to go ashore at Cozumel - but if i'm correct they will stop and tender us to Costa Maya : from there I think they will still run the TULUM ruins excursion (which we could do again ) and also on the mainland the visit to Xcaret ecoarcheological park .
I have lots of tests from my students to "see" these days - but will ask Marco to look for these excursions ... if they are still available .

AWWWW !!!! As I said we would love a ALL-NEW - WL !!!!! We are very lucky , aren't we ???

Yes, we have been twice at Hoop Dee Doo: it's one of our favourite shows !!!

Were you thinking of visiting with Jeanne and Marcel ? Marco and I too are thinking of going back this year ...

More later .
Laura

 

[DGH]

I haven't been able to find any excursions on the DCL for Costa Maya and I wanted to be prepaired.

WHAT ABOUT THIS ?
Tulum Ruins
Explore these remnants of a proud and fascinating civilization as a guide reveals the complex history of this sacred city. After your tour, enjoy some fun-in-the-sun at a nearby beach.

Port: Cozumel
Activity Type:: Sightseeing
Activity Level: Moderate
Ages: 5 And Up

Additional Information


Not recommended for children under 8 years of age.
Late 3:00 p.m. lunch and beverages provided.
An additional fee will be charged for those wishing to bring a video camera.
There are areas of rough terrain; strollers are not allowed.
Ferry transportation may cause motion sickness.

OR THIS ?

Xcaret Eco Archeological Park
Set off on a journey to enjoy the unspoiled beauty of nature. Snorkel in an underground river, explore ancient ruins, visit lush botanical gardens or soak in the scenery on the beautiful beaches.

Port: Cozumel
Activity Type:: Nature
Activity Level: Mild
Ages: All Ages

Additional Information


Travel to the park included.
Lunch provided.
Ferry transportation may cause motion sickness.

For more info : http://www.xcaret.com/index.php
http://www.locogringo.com/past_spotlights/aug2002.html

 

[ReggieB]

Just saying hi! My family are coming on this cruise with you! It'll be me, DH and DS...who bless him is turning 6 on departure day..I have a feeling he will be super easy to spot as he will be telling anyone who he meets that it's his birthday! Also we are from the UK originally, and our accents have still yet to fade 10 years on.

So if you see a little English kid on departure day with a birthday pin or t-shirt please say Happy Birthday to him.

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

Hi, ReggieB !!!
Nice to meet you !!!
Hi to your dear son !!!!
AND ... let's start to wish him :

VERY GLAD you "jumped" in !!! we are a small "group" ... slowly growing as time goes by ... YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO COME IN AND TAKE PART IN OUR PLANNING AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN !!!!!
Myself, Laura , and DH Marco are Italians - we live in Milan but try and go every Summer to visit a Disney park (WDW or California ) ; our last LOVE is Disney cruising !!!
You will also meet my best friend , a very marvellous person , Beckie !! This will be our second cruise together !!!!!
In our small "family" you'll meet Michelle , who has already cruised in the past and is going back this Summer with her lovely family !!!
And there will be also Donna with her son - maybe same age as yours !!!

If you like ... spend some time with us ... reading past posts and ... writing when you want / what you want !!!

Hope you come back to us SOOOOOOON !!!!!
Laura
WHERE in UK are you from ?? We have many good friends overthere !!!
Have you thought about a Bday decoration in your stateroom ???I think DS would love that surprise !!! and , if I recall right, they also deliver a cake to your stateroom or maybe cookies ??

 

[ReggieB]

Thanks for the lovely welcome. My son loved the Happy Birthday message by the way. Thanks for the birthday tip, I had a look and they do seem to include a cake in the stateroom celebration thing.

Had a read of all your other posts, and the speculation as to where we would end up (obviously I hope back at Port Canaveral, but I mean if we end up going to Cozumel or not!!) I imagine whatever excursion you do book, they will try to offer an similar alternate if we end up at Costa Maya. It's interesting to hear that some of the excursions might stay the same...it didn't really occur to me that the two places are that close!! I didn't get very good grades in Geography!

Our last home in UK was London, we actually lived one street down from Tower Bridge (on the south side of the Thames) My Mum lives in Greenwich, which isn't all that far. I was born in Oxfordshire (Henley On Thames) and was in that area for a bit (around the city of Reading) then Mum moved to Norfolk before finally following me down to London when I went to college (I did try to escape the apron strings but she followed, can you believe it..I've outfoxed her this time by moving to USA!!) My husband is from the Northampton area, which is sort of the midlands. We met in London.

Went last year on the Wonder, which just was not long enough for me to get relaxed! Though some of those cocktails sure did try and help! We have been going to WDW every year since DS (Ben) was 3, lucky boy.

My DH liked the idea of a bridge tour too, perhaps we should all turn up one day at the bridge and see if they cave in to the pressure!!

Anyhoo, nice to meet you all!

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

Check here!

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/dcl/en_US/ports/spDetail?name=CostaMayaLandingPage

BECKIE
just got this info about COSTA MAYA excursions ... should we go there...

GUESS WHAT ????
They do Chaccoben and others excursions !!!!
Off to read more !!!

Laura

 

[DGH]

My DH liked the idea of a bridge tour

Pictures of the Bridge (grump)

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

It's interesting to hear that some of the excursions might stay the same...it didn't really occur to me that the two places are that close!!
Our last home in UK was London..........

To be honest ... I too messed up Mayan riviera with Costa maya ,
Puerto del carmen and Tulum being at North ... Costa Maya at South.

When we visited this part of Mexico with RCCL they stopped the ship in front of the mainland and tendered us ashore for the Tulum excursion ; then the ship docked at Cozumel island .
We had to take a tender to get back to our ship at Cozumel ...

I thought the Magic could stop somewhere FAR FROM COZUMEL and tender us to mainland a bit more South of Mayan riviera . that is at Costa Maya ...

All in all I guess we have to wait and see where our cruise will stop ...

I wonder : if I try to book an excursion in Mexico ...what choices DCL will give me ??

Laura

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

then Mum moved to Norfolk before finally following me down to London when I went to college (I did try to escape the apron strings but she followed, can you believe it..I've outfoxed her this time by moving to USA!!)

You made me laugh !!! maybe your dear Mum is from ... Italy ???
Our own ITALIAN Mums are like that !!!
To my ( very loved indeed !!!) Mom I'm still her "baby" ; she would ... almost every day ... ask me: Did you behave properly ? have you been good to Marco ? (husband !) are you sure you did eat some meat today ?

We have good friends living in Exeter, Nottingham,Mansfield Notts, Chester,plus a couple of people in Northern Ireland; we met through Disboards for Disneyland Paris and now manage to have nice funny Dismeets at DLP as often as we can !!!

Where do you live in US ? what is your name ? Regina ?
CIAO ; Laura

Oh ... that GRUMP guy is my own husband !!! as you might have already noticed he is (pretends to be ) always grumpy !!! that is why he did spend most of yesterday evening looking for bridge pics from our previous visit !!!

 

[mgbagley]

Reggie, I have a daughter who will turn 14 the next day on August 13. She is so excited to have a birthday on a cruise ship!
My DH had a double knee replacement in December and was doing so well, then developed a staph infection in his left leg. Quite a nasty bug and he had to have more surgery. He is so looking forward to this vacation!
We booked our dolphin royal swim with shoretrips. Very nice and helpful. It is quite a bit of money, but this is once in a lifetime opportunity.
Still hoping we get some more people who are going. I would love for my daughters to know someone before we board. I know how nice it is for me that I have met you all and am looking forward to meeting you in person.
Especially for my 13, almost 14 year old, who is a shy.
Hope you all are well.
Michelle

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Just saying hi! My family are coming on this cruise with you! It'll be me, DH and DS...who bless him is turning 6 on departure day..I have a feeling he will be super easy to spot as he will be telling anyone who he meets that it's his birthday! Also we are from the UK originally, and our accents have still yet to fade 10 years on.
So if you see a little English kid on departure day with a birthday pin or t-shirt please say Happy Birthday to him.

ReggieB

WELCOME ABOARD...

WOW our group is growing, we are up to 15 so far. I had read your post the otherday about your son's Birthday being on your departure date, just didn't know it was on August 12th...COOL
Michelle's daughters is August 13th:
Laura's Birthday is August 15th:

I see alot of singing and CAKE on our cruise

Can't wait to meet you and your family.

I'm Beckie my DH is Terry I have been retired for a few years now, work kept getting in the way of my vacations. We live in a small town located in North Florida about 2 hours 15 minutes from WDW. I visit Orlando several times a year usually with my many nieces, nephews, Sisters and BIL's.

On one of our many trips we were able to meet Laura and Marco, we had a great visit and decided to take a cruise last year together. I never knew taking a cruise could be so relaxing so now we are hooked. We are looking forward to cruising but more then that seeing Laura and Marco again.

Marco aka DGH aka GRUMP is so sweet don't let all his Grumping fool ya.

Beckie

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Laura
I guess we will just have to wait and see were we go...I'll be happy wherever we go.

Michelle
Which port is your Dolphin Royal Swim at?

Beckie

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Laura

On the thread you posted over on the Disney Cruise Line Forum, I went to Cruise Ship Calendar the following information is from that site:
Line: Ship: Port Date: Arrive: Depart:

Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-Port Canaveral, Florida-8/12/2006-7:35 AM 4:00 PM
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-Key West, Florida 8/13/2006-12:30 PM 7:00 PM
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-At Sea-8/14/2006
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-Georgetown, Grand Cayman-8/15/2006-7:30 AM-4:30 PM
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-Costa Maya (Majahual)-8/16/2006-10:30 AM-10:30 PM
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-At Sea-8/17/2006
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-Castaway Cay, Bahamas-8/18/2006-9:30 AM-4:30 PM
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-Port Canaveral, Florida-8/19/2006-7:35 AM- 4:00 PM

 

[mgbagley]

We have scheduled our dolphin swim for Cozumel on 8/16, but I see in the list posted that might have changed.
I will have to check on that and see if it is offered at the new site.
Will we know for sure anytime soon?
Michelle

 

[ReggieB]

Laura

On the thread you posted over on the Disney Cruise Line Forum, I went to Cruise Ship Calendar the following information is from that site:
Line: Ship: Port Date: Arrive: Depart:

Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-Port Canaveral, Florida-8/12/2006-7:35 AM 4:00 PM
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-Key West, Florida 8/13/2006-12:30 PM 7:00 PM
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-At Sea-8/14/2006
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-Georgetown, Grand Cayman-8/15/2006-7:30 AM-4:30 PM
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-Costa Maya (Majahual)-8/16/2006-10:30 AM-10:30 PM
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-At Sea-8/17/2006
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-Castaway Cay, Bahamas-8/18/2006-9:30 AM-4:30 PM
Disney Cruise Line-Disney Magic-Port Canaveral, Florida-8/19/2006-7:35 AM- 4:00 PM

I saw that too. I guess only info from Disney is going to be the right info. I wonder where the website gets it's info from? Thanks for the welcome too. Isn't that crazy about the birthdays? Funnily enough I have three other family members (Sister, Aunt & Grandpa) whose birthdays are around my son's date. So major cake events need to be going on!!

mgbagley - I would like Disney to confirm where we will be heading too. Not that I am as adventurous as all of you and booking excursions independently, but I would like to be able to know where I am going!!

 

[ReggieB]

I forgot...my name isn't actually Reggie!! That would be my Dad, I am Louise. DH is Tim and DS is Ben.

Loved the bridge photo's by the way Marco My DS gets such a kick out of the Disney horn thing, I' such a sappy thing it always brings a tear to my eye.

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

I saw that too. I guess only info from Disney is going to be the right info. I wonder where the website gets it's info from? Thanks for the welcome too. Isn't that crazy about the birthdays? Funnily enough I have three other family members (Sister, Aunt & Grandpa) whose birthdays are around my son's date. So major cake events need to be going on!!

Louise

Right...until Disney says Costa Maya it's Cozumel we just have to wait.

But the Cruise Ship Calendar gets their information from the actual schedules that the cruise lines have to reserve for the docking or tendering births at the ports. (Schedules can always change) SO WE WAIT.

I can't wait to meet Ben the Birthday Boy.

Beckie

 

[indimini]

Just found the DISBoards, so this is my first post here. I'll be traveling with my wife and two children - this will be our first first cruise although we've been going to WDW every year for the past 12 years.

Our daughter is 14 and our son will be 8. It would be great to meet some other families/kids before the cruise.

We have two cabins on deck 6: 6520 and 6521.

 

[firstmickey]

Just found the DISBoards, so this is my first post here. I'll be traveling with my wife and two children - this will be our first first cruise although we've been going to WDW every year for the past 12 years.

Our daughter is 14 and our son will be 8. It would be great to meet some other families/kids before the cruise.

We have two cabins on deck 6: 6520 and 6521.

Welcome!

You sound like us! Going to Disney and love it....and this is our first cruise too.

My daughter is 12 1/2 and my son will be 9! It would be great if they can have some friends there!

We are on deck 6 also...balcony....but I have to go look up our cabin number!


to everyone else too....sorry I have been MIA...I have been working alot lately! (have to pay for that cruise somehow!)