ThreeCircles
<font color=blue>Stays up past 3:00 am (have you s
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2002
- Messages
- 2,679
August 16th Disney Magic Trip Report
August 19th Welcome to Grand Cayman
Travis and I both woke up fairly early on Tuesday as we had the Stingray City excursion booked with the other Dis members and we didnt want to be late for our meet at the forward of the ship. The previous night we had run into Steve (Buckaroos Dad), Linda, Ed, and Debra (Hannosmom) in Off Beat at the conclusion of another spectacular Dueling Pianos. Steve suggested that we all meet in the morning so that we could attempt to find Captain Marvins together. (This was also suggested by Disney3144 (Jennifer) prior to the sailing of our cruise.) As it turns out, the facility is really easy to find and didnt pose any problems. And no, we didnt hold hands and walk in a single-file line.
We showered and decided to grab breakfast at Parrot Cay. Although I would have preferred to eat at Topsiders due to the great view and the fact that we had had breakfast in Parrot Cay yesterday, my love of coffee drove me back to Deck 3, Aft. (I dont care for the coffee served at Topsiders.) We were seated at a large rectangular table with a family of three near the windows. We really didnt get much of a chance to talk with them as they didnt seem to speak much English and, although I took four years of Honors French in high school, I dont remember squat! They were also quite far into their meal when we were seated and soon took leave of us. Anton from Bulgaria acted as our server and we spoke with him for quite some time. He is exceptionally nice and spoke of many friends that he had in the Tampa Bay area and of a large community of individuals from Bulgaria that live in Tampa. He also mentioned that the Bulgarian community was a small one, consisting of only 50 or so individuals. He had previously worked on another cruise line but reported that he had come to Disney because it is much nicer. He gave us a few tips on beaches and such and soon we were off.
We stopped by our stateroom, slathered on the sunscreen, grabbed our towels and backpacks and headed out. Several of the Stingray City Dis members were waiting near the Walt Disney Theater and we chatted briefly as we waited to see if more would show up. Twenty minutes later the group decided to head down to the tendering area and get a start on the day. The tender over to the shallow dock was quite nice. One of the best things about the short trip is the fact that you are presented with numerous photo opportunities of the Magic and the island. The Disney Magic looks awesome looming up out of the turquoise water or the Caribbean and puts those other ships to shame! Two other cruise ships were visiting the island as well; a Celebrity (I think) and a Carnival (I think again)!
After reaching land we regrouped and started walking the short distance to Captain Marvins. We ran into Kennett (husband of Maleficent59) and he decided to join us on the excursion. Although the walk to Marvins was not a long one, I think most of us were exceptionally hot by the time we arrived and we all could appreciate the cool air conditioning of the shop. Travis and I paid for our tickets and were told that the vans that would transfer us to the Captain Marvin dock would be there in about fifteen minutes. We looked around the shop and then headed outside to wait in the shade of the store for the vans to arrive. The total group (Dis Board members and non-Dis members) seemed to number about 35 or so and it took two full vans to transport us all to the boat and dock. During the drive over the driver pointed out several sites and talked a little bit about the history and politics of the island.
The boat that took us out to the snorkel site and the Stingray City sandbar appeared to be well kept and the equipment was in good shape as well. On the way out we were introduced to a young woman who said that she would be taping the expedition. Afterwards, you would have the opportunity to purchase the video either on VHS or DVD.
We decided to sit in the front of the boat and were joined by Linda (Linda1) and her daughter Ashley. This was the first opportunity we had to meet Linda and she is wonderful! Lots to talk about and a very positive person! We chatted a great deal about the cruise, past cruises, and, of course, future cruises!
The first stop was a snorkel area and it was quite beautiful. Although it wasnt a full-blown reef, there was some coral and a plentitude of brightly-colored fish. During the half-hour that we were there we saw a very large barracuda, some large stingrays, and other tropical fish that I couldnt identify. Everyone seemed to enjoy this area quite a bit. As I recall, the boat from Captain Marvins was the only one in the area and this fact gave us all plenty of room to spread out.
Our next stop was the sandbar. The experience encountered here proved to be a bit more difficult for some! Many screams could be heard as the individuals lowered themselves into the water and they felt the first brush of the rays. The depth of the water near the sandbar is pretty shallow, about waist to mid chest high, and you dont really need a snorkel or mask unless you want to swim under the water and look at the rays that way. The stingrays are really amazing animals and, although Ive seen them here in the waters of Clearwater, the whole experience was unbelievable. They are really gentle creatures and move with a lot of elegance. The staff from Captain Marvins instructed us on touching the creatures and on feeding them although it proved to be quite a difficult task to locate the food with which to feed the rays.
Now As I stated earlier, touching the rays and having them swim around you proved to be difficult for some. Perhaps this was the most difficult for Debra. I just happened to be doing the Stingray Shuffle, minding my own business, and all of a sudden I hear this screaming. I quickly turn toward the yelps and Debra leaps from the stingray-filled churning waters into my arms! It seems that the rays especially like her winning personality and friendliness as they swarm past us. As it turns out, Debra and I are now engaged after that little incident at the sandbar. (Sorry Momma-Rae, I should have told you sooner!)
Soon the staff from the boat were calling us back and telling us we had to head back to the dock. I heard many sighs uttered from the group and several people stated that they could have spent much longer on this excursion. I agree! It was really a great deal for the cost and the waters and animals were beautiful. The company was outstanding as well! I wouldnt hesitate to do the half-day excursion rather than the 2 hour excursion next time. Because of travel to and from the sites, by boat and by van, the actual time in the water was probably closer to an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. Maybe less.
On the way back to the dock Travis and I had the pleasure of talking with Ed (Hannosmoms husband) and Tom (DisneyDadInFL). Topics of discussion ranger from Disney Cruise Line (of course!) to Walt Disney World to lawn cutting in Floridas summer heat! We also got the chance to meet Jake and Taylor (son and daughter of Tom).
After reaching the dock we all loaded back into the vans for the short trip to Captain Marvins shop. We purchased a few keep-sakes (a magnet with the Captain Marvin logo on it) and were given free little Blackbeards Rum Cakes. These cakes are really outstanding and I which I would have purchased a regular sized one to bring back home! Yummy!
Scott and Don (Marcotta) were in the van with us on the way back to the shop and Travis and I decided to join them in exploring the shopping district near the tending site. Many of the shops were the same as we remembered from our Western Magic cruise in November but they are fun none-the-less. We didnt really end up buying anything major, although we did find this cool little store that sold soap products made from natural ingredients. We purchased a chunk of soap in Grand Cayman! We also headed to the post office to mail some funny joke postcards to friends and family back in the States (how easily we amuse ourselves!) and went on a scavenger hunt for FREE sapphires!
We caught the 3:30 tended back to the Magic and headed to the shower once onboard. We threw on some shorts and t-shirts (pack extra heavy on these items) and headed up to Deck 10 to watch us cast off. The Cruise Staff and DJ were there playing some Mexican style games (think musical chairs but with huge sombreros instead of chairs) and music. Travis grabbed a plateful of fries from Plutos Dog House and a couple slices of cheese pizza from Pinocchios Pizzeria and I had some fries and the drink of the day, a Cayman Schooner. The fries are excellent from Plutos and the Cayman drink was pretty good too!
The Magic sounded her horn and we were off on our 331 nautical miles to Cozumel! We stayed up on deck for awhile and watched as Grand Cayman slowly disappeared on the horizon. Its always somewhat sad to leave a port of call on the Magic because that means one more is behind you and one less is in front of you. Still, it was only Tuesday and we still had three more full days on the Magic!
At 5:10 or so we headed down to the Castaway Club reception and grabbed a table. We had the free drinks that they offer (Rum Punch) and listened to Jacqui and Captain Tom speak about the growing number of repeat cruisers on Disney Cruise Lines. Its really nice that they offer this to Castaway Club Members and it seems that they are sincere about the importance of those who choose to sail with DCL over and over.
After the reception we ran back up to our room to change for the show and dinner. We watched Who Wants to be a Mousketeer but were less than impressed with the entertainer who was acting as the host of the show. We actually ended up leaving the show a little bit early, something we had never done before. Dinner was enjoyable as always with Scott, Don, Philip, and Shantol. We couldnt believe we were already back in Lumieres and were enjoying the Its a Small World menu. Whats the saying on the t-shirts at Castaway Cay, Live Fast, Cruise Slow. Doesnt always seem to work that way!
We had really hoped to catch the Adult Magic Quest show in Beat Street at 10:15 but didnt end up making it. Instead we headed back into Off Beat and watched the end of Dueling Pianos. We also caught the tail end of the 80s Time Warp and some of the music by Spirit. Afterwards we made our nightly rounds around Decks 4, 9, and 10.
August 19th Welcome to Grand Cayman
Travis and I both woke up fairly early on Tuesday as we had the Stingray City excursion booked with the other Dis members and we didnt want to be late for our meet at the forward of the ship. The previous night we had run into Steve (Buckaroos Dad), Linda, Ed, and Debra (Hannosmom) in Off Beat at the conclusion of another spectacular Dueling Pianos. Steve suggested that we all meet in the morning so that we could attempt to find Captain Marvins together. (This was also suggested by Disney3144 (Jennifer) prior to the sailing of our cruise.) As it turns out, the facility is really easy to find and didnt pose any problems. And no, we didnt hold hands and walk in a single-file line.
We showered and decided to grab breakfast at Parrot Cay. Although I would have preferred to eat at Topsiders due to the great view and the fact that we had had breakfast in Parrot Cay yesterday, my love of coffee drove me back to Deck 3, Aft. (I dont care for the coffee served at Topsiders.) We were seated at a large rectangular table with a family of three near the windows. We really didnt get much of a chance to talk with them as they didnt seem to speak much English and, although I took four years of Honors French in high school, I dont remember squat! They were also quite far into their meal when we were seated and soon took leave of us. Anton from Bulgaria acted as our server and we spoke with him for quite some time. He is exceptionally nice and spoke of many friends that he had in the Tampa Bay area and of a large community of individuals from Bulgaria that live in Tampa. He also mentioned that the Bulgarian community was a small one, consisting of only 50 or so individuals. He had previously worked on another cruise line but reported that he had come to Disney because it is much nicer. He gave us a few tips on beaches and such and soon we were off.
We stopped by our stateroom, slathered on the sunscreen, grabbed our towels and backpacks and headed out. Several of the Stingray City Dis members were waiting near the Walt Disney Theater and we chatted briefly as we waited to see if more would show up. Twenty minutes later the group decided to head down to the tendering area and get a start on the day. The tender over to the shallow dock was quite nice. One of the best things about the short trip is the fact that you are presented with numerous photo opportunities of the Magic and the island. The Disney Magic looks awesome looming up out of the turquoise water or the Caribbean and puts those other ships to shame! Two other cruise ships were visiting the island as well; a Celebrity (I think) and a Carnival (I think again)!
After reaching land we regrouped and started walking the short distance to Captain Marvins. We ran into Kennett (husband of Maleficent59) and he decided to join us on the excursion. Although the walk to Marvins was not a long one, I think most of us were exceptionally hot by the time we arrived and we all could appreciate the cool air conditioning of the shop. Travis and I paid for our tickets and were told that the vans that would transfer us to the Captain Marvin dock would be there in about fifteen minutes. We looked around the shop and then headed outside to wait in the shade of the store for the vans to arrive. The total group (Dis Board members and non-Dis members) seemed to number about 35 or so and it took two full vans to transport us all to the boat and dock. During the drive over the driver pointed out several sites and talked a little bit about the history and politics of the island.
The boat that took us out to the snorkel site and the Stingray City sandbar appeared to be well kept and the equipment was in good shape as well. On the way out we were introduced to a young woman who said that she would be taping the expedition. Afterwards, you would have the opportunity to purchase the video either on VHS or DVD.
We decided to sit in the front of the boat and were joined by Linda (Linda1) and her daughter Ashley. This was the first opportunity we had to meet Linda and she is wonderful! Lots to talk about and a very positive person! We chatted a great deal about the cruise, past cruises, and, of course, future cruises!
The first stop was a snorkel area and it was quite beautiful. Although it wasnt a full-blown reef, there was some coral and a plentitude of brightly-colored fish. During the half-hour that we were there we saw a very large barracuda, some large stingrays, and other tropical fish that I couldnt identify. Everyone seemed to enjoy this area quite a bit. As I recall, the boat from Captain Marvins was the only one in the area and this fact gave us all plenty of room to spread out.
Our next stop was the sandbar. The experience encountered here proved to be a bit more difficult for some! Many screams could be heard as the individuals lowered themselves into the water and they felt the first brush of the rays. The depth of the water near the sandbar is pretty shallow, about waist to mid chest high, and you dont really need a snorkel or mask unless you want to swim under the water and look at the rays that way. The stingrays are really amazing animals and, although Ive seen them here in the waters of Clearwater, the whole experience was unbelievable. They are really gentle creatures and move with a lot of elegance. The staff from Captain Marvins instructed us on touching the creatures and on feeding them although it proved to be quite a difficult task to locate the food with which to feed the rays.
Now As I stated earlier, touching the rays and having them swim around you proved to be difficult for some. Perhaps this was the most difficult for Debra. I just happened to be doing the Stingray Shuffle, minding my own business, and all of a sudden I hear this screaming. I quickly turn toward the yelps and Debra leaps from the stingray-filled churning waters into my arms! It seems that the rays especially like her winning personality and friendliness as they swarm past us. As it turns out, Debra and I are now engaged after that little incident at the sandbar. (Sorry Momma-Rae, I should have told you sooner!)
Soon the staff from the boat were calling us back and telling us we had to head back to the dock. I heard many sighs uttered from the group and several people stated that they could have spent much longer on this excursion. I agree! It was really a great deal for the cost and the waters and animals were beautiful. The company was outstanding as well! I wouldnt hesitate to do the half-day excursion rather than the 2 hour excursion next time. Because of travel to and from the sites, by boat and by van, the actual time in the water was probably closer to an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. Maybe less.
On the way back to the dock Travis and I had the pleasure of talking with Ed (Hannosmoms husband) and Tom (DisneyDadInFL). Topics of discussion ranger from Disney Cruise Line (of course!) to Walt Disney World to lawn cutting in Floridas summer heat! We also got the chance to meet Jake and Taylor (son and daughter of Tom).
After reaching the dock we all loaded back into the vans for the short trip to Captain Marvins shop. We purchased a few keep-sakes (a magnet with the Captain Marvin logo on it) and were given free little Blackbeards Rum Cakes. These cakes are really outstanding and I which I would have purchased a regular sized one to bring back home! Yummy!
Scott and Don (Marcotta) were in the van with us on the way back to the shop and Travis and I decided to join them in exploring the shopping district near the tending site. Many of the shops were the same as we remembered from our Western Magic cruise in November but they are fun none-the-less. We didnt really end up buying anything major, although we did find this cool little store that sold soap products made from natural ingredients. We purchased a chunk of soap in Grand Cayman! We also headed to the post office to mail some funny joke postcards to friends and family back in the States (how easily we amuse ourselves!) and went on a scavenger hunt for FREE sapphires!
We caught the 3:30 tended back to the Magic and headed to the shower once onboard. We threw on some shorts and t-shirts (pack extra heavy on these items) and headed up to Deck 10 to watch us cast off. The Cruise Staff and DJ were there playing some Mexican style games (think musical chairs but with huge sombreros instead of chairs) and music. Travis grabbed a plateful of fries from Plutos Dog House and a couple slices of cheese pizza from Pinocchios Pizzeria and I had some fries and the drink of the day, a Cayman Schooner. The fries are excellent from Plutos and the Cayman drink was pretty good too!
The Magic sounded her horn and we were off on our 331 nautical miles to Cozumel! We stayed up on deck for awhile and watched as Grand Cayman slowly disappeared on the horizon. Its always somewhat sad to leave a port of call on the Magic because that means one more is behind you and one less is in front of you. Still, it was only Tuesday and we still had three more full days on the Magic!
At 5:10 or so we headed down to the Castaway Club reception and grabbed a table. We had the free drinks that they offer (Rum Punch) and listened to Jacqui and Captain Tom speak about the growing number of repeat cruisers on Disney Cruise Lines. Its really nice that they offer this to Castaway Club Members and it seems that they are sincere about the importance of those who choose to sail with DCL over and over.
After the reception we ran back up to our room to change for the show and dinner. We watched Who Wants to be a Mousketeer but were less than impressed with the entertainer who was acting as the host of the show. We actually ended up leaving the show a little bit early, something we had never done before. Dinner was enjoyable as always with Scott, Don, Philip, and Shantol. We couldnt believe we were already back in Lumieres and were enjoying the Its a Small World menu. Whats the saying on the t-shirts at Castaway Cay, Live Fast, Cruise Slow. Doesnt always seem to work that way!
We had really hoped to catch the Adult Magic Quest show in Beat Street at 10:15 but didnt end up making it. Instead we headed back into Off Beat and watched the end of Dueling Pianos. We also caught the tail end of the 80s Time Warp and some of the music by Spirit. Afterwards we made our nightly rounds around Decks 4, 9, and 10.
Ocean creatures being one of them. So glad you were there to catch her. (Better you than me, I was still trying to recover from the "almost drowning" incident at the snorkel area). 
BTW - they had a great time on the excursion and a <font color=blue>fabulous</font> time with you all.
It was a pleasure being on the same cruise as them.
