Disney Magic - Nov 10, 2012 - Western Caribbean from Galveston - Sun, Fun & Beaches!

[Heard02]

Pretty sure we are booking this cruise tomorrow!!! If so, I'll let you know to add us to the list! Super excited!

 

[Brooke3L]

Booked on Friday! Will be doing a back to back. Cant wait!

 

[Tower]

Pretty sure we are booking this cruise tomorrow!!! If so, I'll let you know to add us to the list! Super excited!

Sounds great Heard! Let us know your details when you do for sure and I'll add you to 'the list'.

Booked on Friday! Will be doing a back to back. Cant wait!

Congratulations Brooke! Let us know your details and I'll add you too!

 

[dolphingirl47]

Just a quick update for our group, my step-father has decided he can't come along on the trip, so it will be just 5 of us in our cabin. (Me, DH, DM, DS (7), DD (almost 2))

We do want to do the FE, although we're not currently on the list.

I'm happy to send whomever ends up organizing our names and cabin info, I just didn't want to post private info on a public board.

This is our first Disney cruise, and we're really excited. I've actually bought a costume for pirate night for me and my daughter... And a couple of pieces I'm hoping to talk my mom into wearing. DS already has a pirate costume, bought for Halloween, which he refuses to wear since he's decided pirates are bad. I'm trying to talk him into it for pictures, but so far, he's uninterested. Hmm, more like flat out rebellious. DH has surprised me by asking what I'm getting him to wear.

I can understand your misgivings about not wanting to post the info on the board. I tend to collect the info through Google Forms and then edit this as a Google Spreadsheets when I organize the FE exchange. I have previously always posted the link to this on the thread, but I could just as easily send the link by PM.

I do not have a chance to get DH into a pirate costume, but I have one. The closest he comes is wearing a pirate shirt that he bought in St. Maarten when we were last on the Magic in 2010. Neither of us is very keen on Pirate Night, but I love the photo opportunities. I am still hoping that Pirate Night is on my birthday (night 5) as we have a reservation for Palo that night.

Ok guys! The top of page 5 has been updated yet again! Let me know if there are any other changes. 10 weeks from right now, we'll be on our day at sea and sipping ummmmm 'refreshments'

Thanks for keeping the list up to date. I could do with some "refreshments" around now.

Just curious, don't mean to pry but -- gratuities are included in interline rates?? Wow!

I can't complain about the rate we got (military). This is the first time we have been able to take advantage of a military rate while cruising, but Disney has been very kind to us w/ticket and resort discounts. This rate was just too incredible for us to pass up (as you said, it would have been downright rude not to take this cruise!). And this will be our first time EVER in a verandah!

We are also going to the ruins at Costa Maya, but my mom has somewhat limited mobility (not in a wheelchair yet, thankfully), so I went ahead and booked with a local company that got really good reviews on Cruise Critic/Tripadvisor and they said they would even bring a chair for us just in case.

We may leave her on board in GC bc she has been there before and we are thinking of going snorkeling w the rays and it would be no fun for her to sit in the boat and wait for us. And probably no fun to deal w the tender, either.

Yes, I was quite surprised about this, but it stated pre-paid gratuities included.

We narrowly missed out on a Veranda, but as we normally cruise in inside cabins, DH is pretty happy and I don't care where I sleep as long as I am on the ship. He is on probation though. We had an ocean view on our second cabin and he woke me up one night at 2:00 AM to show me that there was another ship nearby and on another morning he complaint that the sunrise was 10 minutes late. At that point I swore that he would never get a view again when we are cruising. I have decided to give him another chance.

I think it is smart for your mom to stay on the ship at Grand Cayman. The tendering there is the most difficult I have encountered.

Pretty sure we are booking this cruise tomorrow!!! If so, I'll let you know to add us to the list! Super excited!

I hope that you get this booked.

Booked on Friday! Will be doing a back to back. Cant wait!

Welcome on board.

Corinna

 

[UCFALUM]

Hi Tower! DSIL is not interested in the FE, not really her thing but I've talked DC into it by making the FE for her. She said as long as the cousins are in, they are in!

Also, is Hayden (9) a boy or a girl? Working on some stuff right now and want to get it right.

Corinna, I have seen your goodies on the FE thread and was so excited to see you land on our Cruise. FE didn't exist the last time we were on a Disney Cruise, it was so long ago! Thanks for organizing it as well. Should I PM you our names?

So 9 cabins, 14 kiddies in the FE so far? Still seems manageable so farhttp://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/cool1.gif

 

[dolphingirl47]

Hi Tower! DSIL is not interested in the FE, not really her thing but I've talked DC into it by making the FE for her. She said as long as the cousins are in, they are in!

Also, is Hayden (9) a boy or a girl? Working on some stuff right now and want to get it right.

Corinna, I have seen your goodies on the FE thread and was so excited to see you land on our Cruise. FE didn't exist the last time we were on a Disney Cruise, it was so long ago! Thanks for organizing it as well. Should I PM you our names?

So 9 cabins, 14 kiddies in the FE so far? Still seems manageable so farhttp://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/cool1.gif

I did not want to tread on anybody's toes as I only just joined the cruise, but looks like nobody is objecting. I will put a Google Form together and will post the link later.

I won't actually be taking part in the Fish Extender exchange as such. Graham has banned me from participating in future Fish Extender exchanges. On the Hawaii cruise, we had to pay to check an extra bag on the way back as we had 50 Pounds of just Fish Extender gifts!!! However, I love organizing things. This makes cruising much for real for me. The planning is part of the fun for me. On our Hawaii cruise I co-organized Secret Mickey, did the Group Navigator, did different versions of the Fish Extender list as we had broken it down into groups and people were doing different numbers of groups, organized a Scavenger Hunt and hosted a number of jewellery making classes. I may still spread some Pixie Dust as I cannot imagine not making anything for a cruise, but I won't be on the list.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

If you would like to participate in the Fish Extender exchange, please fill out this form:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFhWMTdZYnRVQmFBSWxWdWJzQ0JZdlE6MQ

When should we have the cut off date for this. Does 4 weeks prior to sailing work for everybody?

Corinna

 

[roobug]

Gah looks like we may have to move our trip to a week earlier DS has a specialist appointment that is scheduled during our cruise and it looks like we are going to be unable to change the appointment and it appears we can switch our cruise dates. At least I hope that goes through as I really would like to still go on the cruise but health comes first.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Gah looks like we may have to move our trip to a week earlier DS has a specialist appointment that is scheduled during our cruise and it looks like we are going to be unable to change the appointment and it appears we can switch our cruise dates. At least I hope that goes through as I really would like to still go on the cruise but health comes first.

I am sorry that you probably have to jump ship. I absolutely agree that health comes first. I hope that you can switch to an alternative cruise.

Corinna

 

[Heard02]

Please add us to the FE list.
We have a GTY, so not sure of our cabin as of yet.

Our travel party includes:
Nicole (me)-36
Sean (DH)-43
Aileen (DD)-7

Thanks for organizing! These are so much fun!

 

[dolphingirl47]

Please add us to the FE list.
We have a GTY, so not sure of our cabin as of yet.

Our travel party includes:
Nicole (me)-36
Sean (DH)-43
Aileen (DD)-7

Thanks for organizing! These are so much fun!

Thanks, I have your details. Once you have you stateroom number, can you please send me a PM? There is plenty of time yet as I will not distribute the list until about 4 weeks before sailing.

Corinna

 

[Brooke3L]

Sounds great Heard! Let us know your details when you do for sure and I'll add you to 'the list'.
Congratulations Brooke! Let us know your details and I'll add you too!

No FE for me.

 

[llqool]

I do not have a chance to get DH into a pirate costume, but I have one.

DH has a VERY elaborate costume that he will tell you I "forced" him to wear (my mom and sis made the costume, and he has an authentic tricorn from colonial Williamsburg). He was very upset with me when he wore it on the magic this summer, but quickly got into it when he was complimented many times, even by castmembers who were in the show.

We narrowly missed out on a Veranda, but as we normally cruise in inside cabins, DH is pretty happy and I don't care where I sleep as long as I am on the ship. He is on probation though. We had an ocean view on our second cabin and he woke me up one night at 2:00 AM to show me that there was another ship nearby and on another morning he complaint that the sunrise was 10 minutes late. At that point I swore that he would never get a view again when we are cruising. I have decided to give him another chance.

That is hysterical! I am a little nervous about the kids and the verandah, but I am hoping they are old enough to not have to worry about (hah! Who am I kidding? I won't be leaving them to their own devices, needless to say)

I think it is smart for your mom to stay on the ship at Grand Cayman. The tendering there is the most difficult I have encountered.

Any tips for Cozumel? We aren't booking an excursion there, but hope to get off the ship and look around a little bit.

 

[vmedisneymom]

Hi Tower! DSIL is not interested in the FE, not really her thing but I've talked DC into it by making the FE for her. She said as long as the cousins are in, they are in!

Also, is Hayden (9) a boy or a girl? Working on some stuff right now and want to get it right.

Corinna, I have seen your goodies on the FE thread and was so excited to see you land on our Cruise. FE didn't exist the last time we were on a Disney Cruise, it was so long ago! Thanks for organizing it as well. Should I PM you our names?

So 9 cabins, 14 kiddies in the FE so far? Still seems manageable so farhttp://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/cool1.gif

Hello! Hayden is a boy

 

[dolphingirl47]

Any tips for Cozumel? We aren't booking an excursion there, but hope to get off the ship and look around a little bit.

We have only been to Cozumel once when we did a Western Caribbean in 2009 on the Magic. I did a dolphin swim at Dolphin Discovery at Chankanaab Park then through DCL and Graham came along as an observer. Once I had done my swim, we just swam in the sea and admired the tropical fish. We were absolutely surrounded by them. We both had our wetsuits and we learned later that they feed the fish at Chankanaab Park and the people doing this wear very similar wetsuits to ours. At that stage, we did not know how to snorkel, but we do now and I was always hoping to get back. We are just going to take a taxi and the admission to the park is $21 per adult (and I think $14 per child). I am really tempted by the Manatee Encounter that Dolphin Discoveries offers now and I may see if it is still available on the day. DCL does not offer this and Dolphin Discovery won't let you book direct in advance if you are cruising with DCL.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

I had the day off yesterday and worked some more on the planning for this cruise. We are flying into George Bush Intercontinental on November 8th. The best deal we could get was from Manchester to Frankfurt with Lufthansa and then with United to Houston. After the cruise, we fly with United to Orlando and then we are flying back home on November 27th with Lufthansa via Frankfurt. We got a very good price for this and as technically we are doing a return Manchester Houston with a stopover in Orlando, we get the international baggage allowance for the Houston Orlando flight, too.

Our original plan had been to just stay near the airport for the two days and explore Houston on the Friday. However, neither of us could really find anything that interested us in Houston. Galveston however is a different matter. So we have decided to head straight to Galveston when we arrive. I have booked two nights at the Holiday Inn on the Beach. On Friday, we are going to check out Moody Gardens. I also spotted that there is Bubba Gump Shrimp Company not to far from the hotel and I always wanted to try this.

The day we get off the ship, we are not flying out until 19:45 so we may head for the Houston Galleria Shopping Mall for a few hours.

So everything is coming together. We still have to figure out what we are going to do in Grand Cayman and I have to sort out Supershuttle next payday, but other than that we are ready to go.

Corinna

 

[disneydad123]

Hi Everyone!!

We are so excited to be joining you all on this cruise. We will not be participating in a FE, but DolphinGirl, I am all in to participate in Secret Mickey's, jewelry making classes, scavenger hunts, ect. Theses ideas sound great! There are 5 of us in 2 GTY staterooms, hoping that we are not waiting until the last minute for room assignments.

Our Cast of Characters:

Emily(me) 41
Mark(DH) 38
Madison(DD) 16
McKenna(DD) 11
Drew(my Dad) 64, loves singing the Beatles song "When I'm 64"!


We will be celebrating our DD's Super Sweet 16, her birthday is on 11/10! We have lots of things planned but if anyone has any ideas to make this extra special please share.

-Emily

 

[Golden Rose]

We did the Dolphin Push, Pull, and Swim encounter at Chankanaab in February and loved it. At the time, they were including a mini version of the Manatee Encounter with that level of the dolphin encounter. We really enjoyed both. The manatees are very friendly, but they are covered in algae, so touching them is surprisingly slimy.

We were thinking about doing either the sea lion encounter or the manatee encounter this trip. We're definitely going to Chankanaab, probably just getting a taxi and heading over, but we may try to just see what encounters are available for purchase once we're there

Every cruise ship that leaves from Galveston goes to Cozumel, it must be a cruise ship law , so we've been often. We used to go do things on the mainland before we had kids, but rather than inflict the often rough ferry ride on them, we've stayed on the island and found things to do there. Chankanaab is our favorite at this point, and we like the little beach near the tidal pool, which our son can wade and swim and follow fish in, and we can relax and chase the almost 2 year old.

 

[Cruisingbuddy3]

Hi! My name is Jenny -age 24, and I'm traveling with my boyfriend -age 30. We are from SoCal and we are huge Disney fans...soooo excited that we get to experience the Magic! This is our 2nd Disney Cruise, we had a blast on our first one (Disney Wonder 7- night, Mexican Riviera).

We got lucky on our first cruise and met some seasoned cruisers w/o kids- ended up purchasing a few shore excursions off the ship (some exact companies that were offered on the ship) for much less with them in Mexico and had a lot of fun.

***Please reply if you'd like to do some off-shore excursions together (trying to be safe and travel with a group without having to pay for outrageous cruise excursion prices)!

Although there are some excursions DCL offers on ship that aren't too expensive. We're nature lovers and my BF is a great navigator so we are thinking about doing some of the following on-own or buy off-ship excursions:

Grand Cayman Day
Seven mile beach (snorkeling or renting fun floaties)
Diving @Kittiwake Shipwreck & Artificial Reef
Spirt of the West(Horseback riding)
The World-Famous Stingray City
Butterfly Farm
Boatswain’s Beach
If we cab it to the north side:
Rum Point
Go To Hell gift-shop
....and definitely indulge in some Cayman cuisine!

Costa Maya Day
Visit Chacchoben, Dzibanché and Kohunlich Mayan
Ruins.
Cab to Mahahual ($20 massages, cheap snorkeling, and hair braiding)
Do a "Beach Break"
Possibly do some of this:
"Stroll along "The Malecon" of Mahahual and enjoy the variety of restaurants, Bars & Shops.

Discover Bacalar, magic lagoon of Seven Colors.

Get intouch with one of the greatest biodiversities in the world on the BiosphereReserve of Sian Ka'an.

Observemarine turtles laying the eggs along Puerto Angel's beach."

Cozumel Day (I noticed this stop is very similar to Costa Maya)
paradise beach and mr sanchos: fun beach
Nachi Cocom: relaxing beach
chankanaab

 

[Cruisingbuddy3]

Thanks, I have your details. Once you have you stateroom number, can you please send me a PM? There is plenty of time yet as I will not distribute the list until about 4 weeks before sailing.

Corinna

Hi Corrina!

My BF and I saw this on our first cruise and thought that it was super fun! This will be our second Disney Cruise and we're curious if this is more of a family with kids activity? Are there other fun group activities that couples can participate in as well?

Thanks!