February 16, 2008 - 7 night Eastern

[Little Miss Liberty]

Welcome!
We were on a 4 day cruise in Feb of 06 and the weather was beautiful. How was it last year?
I'm sure you and your sister will have a great time. My husband and I went on the Med cruise this summer without the kids and had a wonderful time (although we did miss the children). THe ship has so much to offer to adults. Sometimes I think it's the best kept secret. So many people come with kids that the adult areas never seem busy or crowded.

Sandra

The cruise in February was great we had fantastic sunshine the whole time the only thing is that it's a little chilly to swim in Castaway Cay. Your right about the adult entertainment it's great. And the adult pool is never crowded. I'm sure everyone will have a great time.

 

[Sandaneli]

My renewed passport and our travel pack both arrived yesterday--hooray. It's nice to feel that it is getting closer.

We've done at least 8 February cruises...on DCL and before DCL existed. We had 2 years of less than lovely weather (like in the 60s and too cool to swim). However, that has to be kept in perspective. Those years it was frigid at home and 40-50 in Florida. We've also had many days on Castaway where it was in the high 70s and we had a delightful time. I'd just plan on it being beautiful. Do bring a light sweater or jacket for the deck at night (you might need it in the theatre and restaurants too.)

And...the school quarter ends next week (a long weekend where no one has any homework!)

Congratulations on getting the passports. We renewed the kids passports in June and they came in August so the wait wasn't too bad. Even so it's a relief to have that done.

I always bring a sweater to any indoor venue. I find the ship is kept very cool.

We also received our travel packs. It just makes it seem so much closer. Also we booked two rooms so received two travel packs. Now I know what we can wrap up for the kids for Christmas. I'll be so glad when they know.

We've been on the Eastern Caribbean twice but have not been to St. Martin, does any one have excursion suggestions? We're considering just not getting off the ship but I wouldn't want to miss something if it's good.
In Puerto Rico we did a Rain Forest Hike. We really enjoyed that and it's not something we can do around Boston. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Wachsdds]

Last year we surprised the kids with a cruise. The boys didn't even know where the plane was landing. When we landed in Orlando the thought they figured it out, Disney World. They fell asleep in the car driving to Port Canaveral. Our older son woke up while we were crossing the bridge to the Port and saw the ship. He was so excited he woke up his little brother with hugs. It was a awesome sight to watch but dangerous while driving. So my recommendation is to keep the trip destination a secret until your at the port and keep your eyes on the road while driving!!!

 

[kcashner]

Oh what fun! DD fell asleep on the way to our first cruise. She knew where we were going, but it was still fun to have her wake up and see the ship.

As to St. Maarten excursions....don't do anything that goes to Orient Beach with kids. The beach is "clothing optional" which my DD learned means that fat old men don't wear anything. It was a bit of a shock--I expected topless women! We will stay on the ship this time. We've done the town, done the driving tour, etc. The beaches are lovely if you want a beach day....but avoid that one!

 

[Sandaneli]

Oh what fun! DD fell asleep on the way to our first cruise. She knew where we were going, but it was still fun to have her wake up and see the ship.

As to St. Maarten excursions....don't do anything that goes to Orient Beach with kids. The beach is "clothing optional" which my DD learned means that fat old men don't wear anything. It was a bit of a shock--I expected topless women! We will stay on the ship this time. We've done the town, done the driving tour, etc. The beaches are lovely if you want a beach day....but avoid that one!

Thanks for the information about Orient beach. We were leaning toward staying on the ship. It is so relaxing!! The excursions just don't look that interesting, especially after the Med cruise last summer. But on the Med Cruise we never really had a chance to just relax on the ship so we'll be looking forward to that.

Has anyone been to Castaway Cay lately? When we went in 06 there was a problem with sea lice and DD had hundreds of tiny bites. Now she doesn't want anything to do with CC. I was hoping to assure her that the problem is gone.

 

[kcashner]

Sea lice appear to be a seasonal thing. We had no problem in Feb. 07.

 

[VesTrace]

Oh what fun! DD fell asleep on the way to our first cruise. She knew where we were going, but it was still fun to have her wake up and see the ship.

As to St. Maarten excursions....don't do anything that goes to Orient Beach with kids. The beach is "clothing optional" which my DD learned means that fat old men don't wear anything. It was a bit of a shock--I expected topless women! We will stay on the ship this time. We've done the town, done the driving tour, etc. The beaches are lovely if you want a beach day....but avoid that one!

We are still trying to decide what to do in St. Maarten. I'm not too worried about a little nudity....and if it's all fat old men I not too worried about my wife either . I read that there is a more family area at Orient Beach. Have you guys experienced that area? And I also read that the nudity is more common in the morning (before 11:00 AM).
Is there shopping close to the dock like there is in St. Thomas?

What are you guys doing about transportation? I have to figure out a way to get six bodies to the port. I guess I'm going to rent a mini van but I'm scared all six plus luggage will be tight. Any ideas?

 

[Wachsdds]

I am not sure that there is a family (non topless) part of the beach. I actually remember as a teenager being at Orient Beach and seeing a family with little kids playing volleyball in the nude. At the time, it was quite a site.

Now, as a father of 4 (DS8, DS5, DS2, DD9months) and my wife also are trying to figure out ground transportation. We will be staying at Animal Kingdom for two night before the cruise. I have made reservations to rent a minivan for a the two days and the take the Disney Bus or a limo to the cruise. I haven't quite settle on exactly how!!! What are your ideas?

 

[VesTrace]

I am not sure that there is a family (non topless) part of the beach. I actually remember as a teenager being at Orient Beach and seeing a family with little kids playing volleyball in the nude. At the time, it was quite a site.

Now, as a father of 4 (DS8, DS5, DS2, DD9months) and my wife also are trying to figure out ground transportation. We will be staying at Animal Kingdom for two night before the cruise. I have made reservations to rent a minivan for a the two days and the take the Disney Bus or a limo to the cruise. I haven't quite settle on exactly how!!! What are your ideas?

I would love to see the beach at St. Maartin.....we've been to St. Thomas, St. John, and Puerto Rico and would like to compare. We will probably go to Orient....my mom is going who has never been out of the US....so it should be very interesting!

We are arriving at MCO Friday early afternoon (1 from Chicago and 5 from Birmingham). I have a mini van rented through Budget which I'm turning in Saturday morning in Port Canaveral. They say it has seven seats and room for luggage....I hope the 5 women pack light! Then pick up another van when return and drive to the airport to drop the Chicagoian off for a Saturday departure. Then spend Sat and Sun at Sea World....but that got vetoed. So, now we all leave on Saturday and I'm debating on cancelling the rental and going on Happy Limo. It is actually about the same price and if we're not going to Sea World then I don't need a car. Option three keep the car for the MCO to Port Canaveral but take Happy from PC to MCO (depending on the one-way cost).

The only thing I've heard about the Disney Buses is you don't really know when they leave. I guess it's more of go get in line and wait.....but you're in the same situation I am....I don't want to wait in lines with kids (two daughters 4 - 5)! But that was at the airport going to Port Canaveral. You may be better off leaving from the parks. They (the buses) sounded nice....playing movies and such. I did read that the Disney Buses will have you back at the park by 10:30 AM Saturday from Port Canaveral.

If you have a rental.....what are you going to do with it Saturday? When we were at DW in April we stayed at the Doubletree close to Downtown Disney. They had a car rental place there. Not sure who the rental company was but it would be easy to find out. That way you could just take the free shuttle back to Animal Kingdom.
We didn't have a car and we weren't staying on the property.....is there a specific reason your renting a car?

 

[Sandaneli]

We have always used the car service because you arrive on your own at the port and not with a large group. This keeps you from standing in long lines.

We are staying in Orlando and may go to a park on Friday, on Sat. we're using the car service again to get to the port.

And we are so excited!!!

 

[kcashner]

VesTrace, I'm not sure I know what you mean by not knowing when the DCL buses leave. We've done many different ways of getting to/from the port. The first DCL bus supposedly leaves MCO about 9:45am. In actuality, we've had it leave a little earlier than that. It leaves when it is basically full. Each successive bus leaves as it fills up. The next one is sitting there as the current one is fulling.

Many people on the disboards freak because they don't find out what time their bus will leave WDW until they check in at their resort. All the buses leave WDW between 11:15 - 12:45. You will be given a specific time that your bus will leave your resort. They tell you when you check in, they put an info sheet under your door on the last night, and there is a cruise desk at the resort should you have questions.

On the way home, the buses are arranged by airline and by WDW resort. You check in with the CM and are directed to the right bus for your location. Again, they leave as soon as they are full. If you are on a participating airline, you check in for your flight and check your luggage right at the port--board the bus, and your luggage goes on a truck. If you are on a non-participating airline your luggage will go in the baggage compartment of the bus and you will retrieve it at the airport. These buses start leaving as soon as people start coming off the ship. We have never waited more than maybe 10 minutes for one to leave. They try to arrange the buses by which airline or resort you are using so that you don't have to make a lot of stops to reach your destination.

We've never had much of a wait at the port. We did have a bit of a wait when our flight got in at 9 and the bus didn't leave till about 9:35. We really prefer to fly in the night before, but on one trip that wasn't possible.

If you plan to take the bus to PC, they take your flight info when you book the transfers. THat way, DCL has a good idea of how many buses will be needed in each time period, and knows where to find your luggage.

We've also used rental cars and our own car. The shuttle to get to the rental place is usually already there when you get off the ship. If it's not, just call them.

I've heard that there is a family friendly portion of Orient beach---I've never seen it. There is shopping near the dock area at St. Maarten. If I'm not mistaken, that's also where they have the water taxi to another shopping area--it was like $5 for a wristband that was good all day or $3 for a 1 way ride. I won't swear that was St. Maarten, but I think it was.

 

[kcashner]

I can't believe we're back on page 4....gotta move up!

I called DCL last week to ask about the price for the Hyatt for the night before--wasn't planning to stay there initially, but DCL does have excellent deals with them, so worth pricing. Bottom line, they are sold out of the DCL rooms for our date. No big deal to me--back to my original plan.

I packed away the last of my summer things today (since it's 50 here....) in my suitcase all ready for February.

 

[Jodijo]

Hi everyone! We (me, DD 12, DS 10, and DH) are also going on the Feb. 16th Magic cruise. We will be flying in on Friday morning and doing one day at the parks. We are staying at POR.
I would like to do a half day on Saturday at Disney's Hollywood Studios! It is EMH in the morning. We will be using a town-car service. Is this advisable? What time should we leave to get to the ship?

Also, what excursions are not to be missed? We have a few days left until we can book and I am looking for any recommendations.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[Jodijo]

Anyone?

Please help to plan excursions. (see above post)

 

[Mumph39]

Hi! We are two families (me, dh, ds17, ds10, 2 Friends and their ds17 and dd12). This is my families 4th Magic Cruise and their 3rd. We lucked out and got 2 adjoining Cat.3 rooms. Looking forward to booking our spa, Palo and excursions in a few days!

Jodijo: This will be our 3rd Eastern Magic Cruise, so 3rd time to St. Maarten. We never have done an excursion on that island. First time (2002), we rented a car and drove to Dawn Beach on the Dutch side of the island, then to Orient Beach for lunch. The last time, we cabbed it to Orient Beach and spent the entire day. Orient Beach is beautiful, there are some topless bathers there though. The further to the left you go (when looking at the water) the more "family friendly" the beaches get. We plan on doing the same thing this time too. The beach we went to was KaKao. I'm sure there are some great excursions, we just haven't done them.

On St. Thomas I have been to Megan's Bay, it's gorgeous, but gets crowded. Went to Sapphire Beach last time. Would go back in a heartbeat, great snorkeling a restaurant and a pool. We did all of these on our own as well. We are going to try a snorkeling excursion to St. John this time. If not, back to Sapphire. I also recall that people who did excursions through DCL on St. Thomas also got through immigration a lot faster. Don't know if that's still true.

I don't know if doing a 1/2 day at the parks is advisable. It takes about an hour to get to the Port from Orlando. It might be too hectic. It's great to get on the ship a little early. I'm guessing you're in a Cat. 1, 2 or 3 since you're talking about booking excursions in a few days. Concierge guests are also able to board the ship earlier.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[kcashner]

As to 1/2 day at the parks--I'd rather be at the ship sooner. You can board about 11:45 and go to lunch...then hit the pools. They are rather uncrowded then. You can't get to your cabin until 1:30, but you can explore your new home--check out the public areas, etc. I usually go down and unpack when the cabin is available. That way, everything is finished (including pressing anything that needed it), and after the safety drill I'll have no more work for the week.

It is an hour driving from WDW to port. My preference is to arrive at port before 11:30. I shoot for 10:30 if I need to make ressies, but 11:30 is fine if I've done everything in advance. That really doesn't allow for a park trip in the morning. However....I will do laundry the morning that we leave for the ship if I've spent the week before in the parks. That way everything is clean, etc....again, no worries while cruising.

No idea how many Easterns we've done. We have 15 sailings on the Magic, but I can't keep track of how many of what. We now schedule by dates (off school time) rather than where the ship is going.

We've done Coral World and the island tour--this is much easier and cheaper to do on your own. You can get discount admission coupons on line or in the tourist info book at the port. That way, you can stay at Coral World as long as you/kids want to. There is a lovely family beach right across the parking lot--if you wear swimsuits under your clothes, you can enjoy that too. It is very easy to get a cab back. Sorry, I can't quote current cab fare. Coral World has underwater viewing, aquarium, hiking trails, animal touching area, snack bar and gift shop. Good for ages 3-???.

Butterfly farm--again, do this on your own--cheaper and no crowds. The butterflies are much more active when the crowds leave. Again, good for all ages.

My favorite beach on St. Maarten is Little Bay. It is lovely, not as written up in tourist mags as some of the others, so much less crowded. With kids 10 and 12, avoid Orient Beach. There is supposedly a family friendly area, but there is definitely an area where "fat old men" walk around nude. Description is from my DD.

If you do shopping--or just walk around the shopping areas...don't miss a shop called "That Yoda Guy" or something similar....at least if your kids are into Star Wars. One of the original artists sells art work, movie misc., etc. He's friendly and it's a great fun place to just look.

There's great snorkeling and scuba available if the kids are adventurous..... I generally don't book excursions thru DCL, but we've been there enough that I'm totally comfortable doing it on my own. It's easy, and never more than the DCL price. Everyone speaks English, the currency is dollars. You'll need cash for the taxi fare, all else can be plastic. Just be sure to be back at the ship on time.

 

[Jodijo]

Thanks for all the help! I think we will skip the parks on the morning of Feb.16. I much rather relax and enjoy the day.

 

[Skylarr29]

Just wanted to chime in, my boyfriend and I just booked this cruise! It will be my first on DCL and his first ever! Can't wait.

 

[Sandaneli]

Skylarr29 Welcome. You will both love DCL I think just about everyone does!

I agree with Kcashner, I'd rather be on the ship sooner. We go to Parrot Cay for lunch and then the kids go to the pool and I get to the rooms asap and unpack etc... then after the boat drill we're ready to go and all the work is done.

Does anyone have a DD13? Our daughter is 13 and hasn't been to the teen club yet. DS15 has been but they have very different interests and personalities. She was never very interested in the Kids programs but we're hoping she'll like the teen club better.

We're getting excited it's only a bit more than 3 months away and we can't wait to tell the kids, it's their Christmas Present for this year so they'll find out on Christmas Day.

Sandra

 

[kcashner]

My DD will turn 17 (ouch, that's scary) the week before the cruise. She's been in The Stack at least once each year since she celebrated her 13th birthday there-she loves it. One key is to do some e-mail correspondence with other teens before boarding. The kids who are good buddies before cruising are rarely best friends on the cruise, but just knowing someone in advance and looking forward to meeting them in person adds a lot to the cruise.

The groups are somewhat segregated 13-14 and 15-17, but there is a lot of free "just hanging out" time that is totally together. If you want to private message me, I'll tell DD to look for your daughter--mine has never met a stranger and is an "alumni counselor" with our middle school choir.