Eastern Magic 4-17 for 3 of us - DAY 5 Wednesday at St. Thomas
DH and I again watched the Magic dock in St. Thomas. We pulled into the harbor past the Marriott hotel that stood on a point of land overlooking the ocean. It looked like a beautiful place to stay. DH had been to St. Thomas on business and he pointed out the hotel he stayed at which overlooked the harbor and the cruise ships docked there. He was happy to be back and actually be on one of those cruise ships. We saw the Golden Princess docked there already, we docked right behind them (and they pull right up behind it almost touching!). The Explorer of the Seas docked behind us. I had been reading on these boards about the Customs check in St. Thomas, it went very quickly. They sit you row by row as you come in to the Walt Disney theater and they call you row by row to have your id and proof of citizenship checked. They check off your stateroom number so they know they have seen everyone.
We again took our time getting off the ship, we had planned on going to the beach but it was overcast that day and some sprinkles were happening. We left the ship around 10am and there were taxis waiting right outside the gangway to fill up with people going downtown or to Megans Bay. They were pickup trucks with rows of seats where the bed would be. There were 4 or 5 rows for five people each. We got on with another couple, then had to wait a bit for them to get more people. Some people got impatient waiting but we were in no rush and understood that they needed to make the trip worth their while financially. The man trying to recruit passengers talked to us to be sure we werent too impatient, I thought he did a good job. It was really only 8 minutes or so and a group wanting to go to Megans Bay got on. The drive was very pretty, you can see the ships over and over again as you go up the winding roads over the mountain. We made a stop downtown for the shoppers to get off and got stuck in traffic. There would be other taxis that stopped to let people on or off and they would block the streets. Still, we were determined to go with the flow on this vacation so we just looked at it as an opportunity to see St. Thomas as it really is in this area. It wasnt as bad as rush hour traffic in Hartford and there were people to watch and stores to look at.
We finally got to the top of the mountain and the driver pausing briefly for us to look down on Megans Bay from above. Even though it was cloudy, it was still impressive and that blue green water is gorgeous even without the sun. On the downhill trip over the other side, it was a bit scary. The speed limit posted at one point was 10 miles per hour and we were going a lot faster! At intersections with another road, they honk the horn to warn them, but there is no slowing down.
The taxi was $6 per person (my husband gave him $20 for the 3 of us), and it was $3 each to get into Megans Bay for anyone over 12 years old. The tickets had a photo of the beach which you can keep. We were collecting a bit of sand for someone at work so we gave her the ticket with the sand so she could see how beautiful it was.
The beach was wonderful; white soft sand and clear water. There were outdoor showers, a faucet to rinse feet and bathrooms with separate changing stalls. You could rent floaters, lounge chairs and regular chairs. You needed money for a deposit that you get back when you return them. There was a grill were you could get chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, salad or pizza (whole or by the slice). It was a bit expensive, but again we expected it and we were on vacation. We had a wonderful relaxing day. When you are ready to leave, there are taxis waiting to fill up. I am not sure how long you would wait if you left early (or if they would leave with less people), but we left around 2pm (all aboard was at 4:30pm) and it filled up quickly. The ride back was similar except we went straight to the peer since everyone was heading back to the ships.
Back on the Magic, we showered and dressed for dinner (casual). DD12 and I went to see the show before our late dinner Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer. It was fun, it was just like the TV show with Regis Philbin. They had the music and the lights and all! People from the audience were selected to be a contestant by a random computer generation of row and seat numbers. If a child was selected, their parent went up and stood with them to help with answers. If no one was in that seat, they went to the right until they found someone.
DAY 6 Thursday at sea
Today we relaxed and attended various classes onboard the ship. It is nice to be at sea and not have to worry about what to do. DH and I went to a sit down breakfast and they sat an older couple with us. It was interesting talking to them about their retirement home, prior vacations, and how they spent their time on this cruise. The husband had his planned day written out and he was going to all kinds of seminars and tours onboard the ship. My DH ended up going to a cooking seminar that he mentioned to us. I attended the napkin folding seminar, then DH and I watched the ice carving demonstration on Deck 9. I also made sure I met with the woman at the Cruise desk on Deck 4 about rebooking another cruise. They offered a 10% discount and $200 on board credit. It is not as bad when you have to leave if you have another cruise booked. We wanted to do the Western itinerary next time, but they are doing the Eastern itinerary during both of DDs school vacations next year. We may change later to another week to do a different itinerary.
DD12 and I went to see the show Disney Dreams before dinner and it was the best of the week! We both loved it. Afterwards she went to Deck 9 to get chicken and fries for dinner in the room. It turns out she went to see the 2nd show at 8:30pm while we ate dinner and thought it was even better. There were more kids at the 2nd show since they had early dinner and she loved watching their reactions to things.
Dinner was semi-formal and afterwards DH and I went to hear Kenne sing Nat King Cole songs in Sessions (after stopping in the cabin to check on DD12 who was settling in to read and watch movies). She was having a great time in her way.
DAY 7 Friday at
Castaway Cay
We had heard so much about Castaway Cay and I hoped it wouldnt be disappointing (and it wasnt!). DH watched as we docked and he was amazed at what he saw. Suddenly, the crew kicked in to motion and unloaded everything for the day at the island. There were forklifts and crew heading out in various uniforms. There was the barbeque food and towels being taken off. It was all done in about ½ hour. Before we knew it they were letting passengers off. Here again I had read about people lining up to run and reserve chairs or hammocks. We decided to again take the laid back approach and just see what happened. We had no excursions planned. When we got off I went to the Post Office to get stamps and mail the postcards. They only take cash there so I had brought a $20 bill. Luckily I was one of the first because quickly thereafter they had no change and others had to wait. Next time I will bring small change there.
We walked to the family beach because the tram was full and had pulled out. We quickly found three loungers under a palm tree which would provide shade later. It was in the back row which was okay for us having no small children. All of the umbrellas were taken, so if that is important to you maybe you do have to rush off the ship. DH and DD went back to get floats while I stayed with the loungers. We had sunscreened ourselves well so when they got back DD12 and I decided to try out the water. It was much colder than I expected, but once you were in it was warmer. Maybe it was because of the storm to the north? The beach was white sand, but there were tons of shells and sticks in it which I didnt like. Megans Bay had better sand. The sand at Castaway Cay was courser, even in the water. I have sensitive feet so I wore my water shoes the rest of the day. It didnt seem to bother anyone else so I guess that is just me.
At 1pm we were hungry for the lunch so we got in line for the barbeque. They had everything ready so it went quickly. They had a lot to choose from! There were plenty of tables in the shade to eat at. They had ice cream machines for soft serve, but we were too full and they closed at 2pm.
We did more floating and reading after lunch, DD and I shopped and got some tee shirts. They had showers and bathrooms here too, but as I have come to expect with Disney, it was extremely clean! It was also good quality as far as the stalls and sinks in the bathroom. We did get the tram to get back on the ship around 3pm, later there was a line to get back on so I was glad we went early.
This was packing day, so we all showered and got ready for dinner. We had to lay out clothes for bed and to go home in. I packed while DH and DD went to the Farewell show which they said was good and very funny. Packing to leave is never as fun as packing to go away on vacation. I had those bags that you squeeze the air out of, so now I was putting laundry in them to condense it. At dinner we gave our tip envelopes to Danny and Noel. I havent mentioned them much here, but every night we enjoyed their service and I tipped them both over the recommended amount (as well as Georgia our hostess). I only tipped the Head server the recommended amount, but the last night he seemed to do a lot more for us (it figures). It is hard to do much after dinner when you have to pack your outfits before 11pm. I put the bags in the hall and Georgia took them as I did (wearing my shorts and tee shirt to sleep in).
Day 8 Time to go home
At the final breakfast, Danny had to be at immigration at Port Canaveral so the head waiter served us. He was very good, asking if we wanted bacon or muffins and such. We had to leave the ship after that. I was impressed at how Disney makes things simple and smooth. The bags are in the terminal by color tag (they had given us to put on them) and by stateroom. They also had people there to lead you right to them. There were tons of porters with carts so it was easy to grab one. They brought us out to lines to check our bags right with airlines who were there. They put your bags up front so you dont have to lug them in the line at least. Unfortunately, the Delta line was slow and long; but that wasnt Disneys fault, it was spring break in New England and Delta flies there. Our flight wasnt until 6pm though so we knew we had time. We checked our bags and boarded the bus to MCO (Orlando airport). We had 7 hours to kill at the airport, but it went by fairly fast. We sat in some secluded chairs to read for awhile, then we ate lunch in the food court. Next we did some shopping and then more sitting and reading. At 4pm we took the tram to the gate area after going through security. Then we read some more at the gate before we boarded Delta Song again. We got to watch TV on the plane which was good since we had been reading all day.
Overall, it was a wonderful week and I am looking forward to going back again. It even helped to be able to write this trip report and to read others from our week. Thank you everyone on these boards for all your tips and suggestions.
Cathy
