February 23, 2008 Magic Western

[cdndizzylizzy]

Hi all,

Very happy to join this thread. We will also be sailing (just booked) on these dates to the Western Caribbean. We've actually never been on a cruise OR to the Caribbean, so we're looking forward to it.

We are:
misslissa - Melissa (23) - I'm the same age as some of your kids!
Cesar (27) - DH
No kids
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Deck 6, Inside Catagory 11, Stateroom: 6585

Since we haven't done this before, I'm just wondering (other than excursions) what do you suggest we should plan out before we go? And, do you suggest doing our own excursions instead of ones provided by Disney?

My DH hasn't gotten his passport yet, I keep bugging him about it... but it will be done soon. And, we aren't able to do excursions until Dec. 10 right?

Hi Melissa,

Sorry I took so long to add you to the official cruise listing (post #50) - busy getting kids back to school, etc.!!!!

I definitely suggest that you plan your Palo reservations - in the short term I think that is even more important than excursions when you are able to go online. It will save you having to high-tail it to Rockin Bar Ds to get a reservation when you board. I was there by 12:30 pm to get a reservation, and still ended up on a waiting list...

 

[cdndizzylizzy]

I just read all of your trip report!!! It was awesome!!!!!!!!

Thanks! It was a lot of fun writing it - I have to get back to it and print myself a colour copy, as it will be fun to refer to it 10 years from now!

We booked our flights the other day with Southwest - we got a great deal and are flying out of Buffalo arriving the evening of the 21st. For the moment, we are booked at the Hyatt, but I think I will look at other hotels in and around the airport (as long as they have a free shuttle), as the Hyatt is very $$ ($250/night - ouch!).

Now that Autumn is coming, it will be fun to see more folks join us on our planning thread!!!!

 

[FF/MEDIC MEL]

Hello Fellow Cruiser's,


Myself, my DW, DD 11, DD 7 and DD 5 will be joining you on the 2/23/08 Magic cruise. This is our first cruise with Disney. All the children are excited and can't wait. We are flying in on Friday 2/22 and staying at the Country Inn & Suites in Port Canaveral. February is a screwy weather month here in the Mid Atlantic thus the reason in flying in early. On our last cruise we just got out of the region before a blizzard hit.


We have 2 category 6 rooms, one outside with a verandah and one inside directly across the hall. It was cheaper this way then a family suite. I plan on hibernating in the inside cabin and let the kids run amok in the other one. LOL


Counting the days to relaxation.

Mel

I dont think we are category 6, I know our room numbers begin with 6.

 

[cdndizzylizzy]

Hello Fellow Cruiser's,


Myself, my DW, DD 11, DD 7 and DD 5 will be joining you on the 2/23/08 Magic cruise. This is our first cruise with Disney. All the children are excited and can't wait. We are flying in on Friday 2/22 and staying at the Country Inn & Suites in Port Canaveral. February is a screwy weather month here in the Mid Atlantic thus the reason in flying in early. On our last cruise we just got out of the region before a blizzard hit.


We have 2 category 6 rooms, one outside with a verandah and one inside directly across the hall. It was cheaper this way then a family suite. I plan on hibernating in the inside cabin and let the kids run amok in the other one. LOL


Counting the days to relaxation.

Mel

I dont think we are category 6, I know our room numbers begin with 6.

Hi Mel and Family!

Welcome to the group! I have added your family to our official listing on post #50! Hopefully our daughters can chat on the thread in Jan/Feb leading up to the cruise!

 

[hjensen]

Hi Mel and welcome!! We are also staying at the Country Inn and Suites. Maybe we can plan a mini DIS meet down by the pool or something before the cruise. I know what you mean about weather and leaving early. The same thing almost happened to us in 06. So this time we're choosing to leave 2 days early!!

 

[disneytraceyl]

Welcome to the thread.
We finally put in our applications for our passports last Tuesday. Hopefully everything goes well. That is another big "to do" off of my list. Now I just need to get my husband a planes ticket....

 

[cdndizzylizzy]

Hi all,

Just found a cool thread on the main board with a link to a week's worth of nicely-scanned DCL Navigators for the Western Itinerary:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1581869

If you prefer surprises, ignore this post. But if you are a crazy planner like me, it's fun to see the Navigators as the Magic starts up again on its Western itinerary - I doubt there will be significant changes between now and Feb!!!!

Cheers!

 

[FF/MEDIC MEL]

We did the Western Route on RCCL in 2006. Did the Dunns River Falls in Jamaica, StingRay City in GC and Xcaret in Cozumel. Anyone doing anything exciting on this cruise? I think we are just going to enjoy the beaches this time through. Word of caution, Myself and DW's nicknames are Schlepprock when it comes to weather. If it can be unusual its because of us. Rained the entire cruise in 2006. When we went to Labadee they said it was the most rain they have had in the past 5 years. When we went to Bermuda in 1996 through the Bermuda Triangle nearly everyone was in their rooms due to rough seas. Dramamine was being given out like candy. Waves were crashing over the stern of the ship hitting the dining room windows. It was the Captains dinner night. Myself and about 5 other passengers were feasting on lobster while everyone else was getting rid of thiers. After dinner I went topside to the hot tub while it was raining and about 30 minutes later the skies cleared and it was a beautiful star filled night on the Atlantic. Nothing else in sight as far as you could see. Spectacular! Anyway lets hear your plans.

Mel

 

[hjensen]

Hi Mel, I think in Key West this time around we are just going to stay onboard and enjoy the empty ship. If theres anything we need like soda or water then we might walk around for a bit. In Grand Cayman we are planning to do the Island tour...or rent a day room from the Westin Regina. They are along 7 mile beach I think. You can enjoy their private beach and their pool and the rest of their facility. Cozumel...there is a private beach called Nachi Cocom. I have heard nothing but good things about this place from fellow DISers. They only allow a limited number of people so you have to contact them and make ressies. Try Googling it. It looks nice. Castaway Cay we will probably feed the Sting Rays. My husband and son did the fishing excursion last time and loved it.

And lets hope your wonderful luck with bad weather has run out before our cruise!!!

 

[misslissa]

I have two questions...

First of all, how long do you guys save for your vacations? We are trying to save for this one and with our final payment due in December, things aren't going so well! Things keep coming up like a sick dog, and new brakes. We also just bought a house. So, before when we could just put aside two paycheques and cover the entire trip, we're having a hard time pulling a little here and a little there

Second of all, for those of you that have visited these ports, what is there to do within walking distance of each of the ports? I get the impression at Key West you are kind of dropped off in the middle of all the "action". I am a doer. I wouldn't mind a public beach to plunk down on, but I want to do new and interesting things. I also don't want to have to get to an excursion when I'd rather explore and shop!

Any advice to a new cruiser?!

 

[hjensen]

Well this time around I will be guilty of having to put some of the trip on the credit card. We rebooked onboard almost 2 years ago so the deposit is paid for and we have been paying some off here and there. But my husbands work was real slow this summer.... I think the shopping is within walking distance at every port..if I remember correctly. In Grand Cayman there are some things to do right there. Submarine...Nautilus semi submarine....we did the semi submarine last time. My son was only 3 so we were limited on excursions. But that was really neat. And we visited Costa Maya last time and not Cozumel,because of the hurricane damage.

Well I feel like I didnt really help you out too much!! But I tried!

 

[FF/MEDIC MEL]

Kids Inheritence = Disney Cruise

 

[hjensen]

Kids Inheritence = Disney Cruise

That was good!!!

 

[tennisgirl24]

Hey, I'm glad I found this thread! We are booked on this cruise too!
This is our second Western cruise on the Magic. Last time was Nov 2004, so we are ready! It is me, 42, DH 42, DD 13 (but will turn 14 on the cruise), and DD 10. We have 2 cat 11 cabins booked on Level 5. We are flying in on Friday and staying at the Residence Inn at Port Canaveral. We just got our passports- it took less than a month! I was thrilled because I had heard some real horror stories.

 

[cdndizzylizzy]

Hey, I'm glad I found this thread! We are booked on this cruise too!
This is our second Western cruise on the Magic. Last time was Nov 2004, so we are ready! It is me, 42, DH 42, DD 13 (but will turn 14 on the cruise), and DD 10. We have 2 cat 11 cabins booked on Level 5. We are flying in on Friday and staying at the Residence Inn at Port Canaveral. We just got our passports- it took less than a month! I was thrilled because I had heard some real horror stories.

Hi tennisgirl! I have added your info to Post #50!

Look forward to chatting with you!

 

[cdndizzylizzy]

I have two questions...

First of all, how long do you guys save for your vacations? We are trying to save for this one and with our final payment due in December, things aren't going so well! Things keep coming up like a sick dog, and new brakes. We also just bought a house. So, before when we could just put aside two paycheques and cover the entire trip, we're having a hard time pulling a little here and a little there

Second of all, for those of you that have visited these ports, what is there to do within walking distance of each of the ports? I get the impression at Key West you are kind of dropped off in the middle of all the "action". I am a doer. I wouldn't mind a public beach to plunk down on, but I want to do new and interesting things. I also don't want to have to get to an excursion when I'd rather explore and shop!

Any advice to a new cruiser?!

Hi!

In terms of saving for the cruise, I am setting a little bit aside every paycheque. This time, I am really hoping to have it all paid for before we leave. I just finished paying for the last one!!! It is tricky, I know. In a way it's good that the cost comes in chunks - the deposit, then the flights, then the balance of the cruise, then your expenses while you are there (tips, hotel night before, etc.). We are trying to get the chunks paid for as they happen!

At Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Key West you are in the middle of things as soon as you are off the ship. In Cozumel, there is an open-air "mall" with various stores and vendor stands that is fun to do for an hour if you are just wanting to browse / buy a few trinkets / barter with the jewellery merchants. When we were there, there was a band playing, you could buy coffee and sit in the square, etc. At Grand Cayman, you arrive in the thick of the main town so there are stores, restaurants, etc. Last year, at GC we first took a taxi to get to Sea Grapes beach along 7 Mile beach - the sand, water and cleanliness were excellent, but the beach is fairly narrow due to the hurricane a few years ago, and we found by mid-day that it was pretty crowded.

I am thinking that our primary excursion this year may be the Dolphin Discovery in Cozumel at Chakanaab. I heard great feedback about it last year from other cruisers who went, and it is highly regarded on the DIS as well. It may have to be the kids' Christmas present this year, though, because it's not a cheap excursion. I think we will likely stay on board in Key West again this year...

 

[misslissa]

That sounds wonderful! I didn't hear about any dolphin excursions... where do I find this info if it isn't through Disney? I definitely want to do the ruins in Conzumel but would like to do something in the water at GC.

Also, I just booked our hotel room at the Hyatt at the airport for the night before the cruise!

 

[hjensen]

Welcome tennisgirl!!!

 

[disneytraceyl]

Welcome. The trip is coming sooner than we think.

 

[FF/MEDIC MEL]

Welcome Aboard!