First-time cruiser report: Magic Eastern Caribbean, Mar 26-Apr 2, 2011 (+navigators)

[jodie3134]

Awesome report! Thanks so much for posting this. We leave Saturday and your post made me even more excited!!

Jodie

 

[pixarmom]

By far, our favorite "extra" on the cruise was the seminars and autograph session with Lee Unkrich. We attended both seminars in the Buena Vista Theater, and he offered such a wealth of information. My DH was ready to quit his job and go to work for Pixar!!! What a cool addition to the cruise activities, and he is such a humble guy. I was so impressed with his concern for the morale of his Toy Story 3 team, and the ways they "boosted" the team members' morale. Everything he talked about was so interesting...I am so glad that we didn't miss this!!

Thanks to OP and 3MinnieMom for the reports. And wow - our family would have really enjoyed this! What an amazing treat - especially since Pixar Studios does not offer public tours, this is such a special "extra!" Do Lee or John Lasseter want to cruise on the 3-night Dream in August? Even our pre-schooler can recognize and identify both of them by name when he sees a photo or video!

 

[luvndizny]

Maybe it was just me, but from reading the DIS I got the idea that getting on board was a mad rush and getting to eat was chaos. In our experience, boarding was pretty relaxing. After being announced, a crew member greeted us personally and asked if we were cruising for the first time. It looked like she was going to direct us to Parrot Cay for lunch, but when we asked about using the pool, she led us to the elevator and gave us directions to deck 9.

I have to agree with Karajeboo also in that I agree with you too! I pictured chaos and "Oh man, where will we eat?!" It was soooo not worth the worry and perceived need to rush! Everything was so smooth from front-to-back....

I wished we'd made the 2nd Lee Unkrich presentation. We saw the first (just hubby and I) and really enjoyed ourselves...especially the part showing where Spanish Buzz got all his snazzy moves!! Oh and how they used the video of the drunk guy in the gas station to help create Mr. Tortilla-head...

Okay, so I will start my TR this weekend...LOL!!

And about Palo and the price PP, tipping, etc....Well, that explains why, after our dinner there, when we showed up for brunch a few days later, Claudia...when I pointed out where we were seated, recognized us and said Oh, you had Annie!! LMAO!! We had no idea that was the tip already...Yeah, Annie and Claudia love us....

Okay, so seriously...was that his REAL Oscar? I saw pics KristiMc posted on Facebook and was so thrilled/shocked that he'd let other people hold it!!! So cool!!

 

[KristiMc]

Okay, so I will start my TR this weekend...LOL!!

Okay, so seriously...was that his REAL Oscar? I saw pics KristiMc posted on Facebook and was so thrilled/shocked that he'd let other people hold it!!! So cool!!

Please do a TR. I am loving reading everyone's and enjoying writing my own.

We were sitting next to Lee's mom at the first presentation and she said it was the real Oscar. That thing was so heavy. Matt thought it was cool to get his picture with it.

 

[karajeboo]

I have Okay, so I will start my TR this weekend...LOL!!

And about Palo and the price PP, tipping, etc....Well, that explains why, after our dinner there, when we showed up for brunch a few days later, Claudia...when I pointed out where we were seated, recognized us and said Oh, you had Annie!! LMAO!! We had no idea that was the tip already...Yeah, Annie and Claudia love us....

Okay, so seriously...was that his REAL Oscar? I saw pics KristiMc posted on Facebook and was so thrilled/shocked that he'd let other people hold it!!! So cool!!

Yes, you need to do a TR, too!!!! We will have our whole FE group writing TRs! It is so much fun to write, it's like reliving the whole trip! I get depressed all over again when I finish mine.....

 

[jcarwash]

Thanks for such a great report! Our family of five was also on the 3/26 Eastern cruise...our second Disney cruise, and, for the most part, our favorite of the two.

Hi 3MinnieMom! Glad you liked the report, and I enjoyed reading yours here as well. Too bad you didn't join our FE exchange!

 

[jcarwash]

Awesome report! Thanks so much for posting this. We leave Saturday and your post made me even more excited!!

Jodie

Glad you liked it! I wish we were leaving Saturday (again) too!

 

[randomiam79]

yay...were leaving Saturday too. Sooo excited!

So we're going to Palo twice, we don't need to tip over the $20/person then?

 

[sdjen]

St. Maarten/St.Martin
We did the French Riviera Beach Rendezvous through DCL. It was an outstanding port adventure. We were bused to the Waikiki Beach restaurant with their private beach on Orient Bay. When we arrived each person got fruit punch and the adults could get rum added. Padded lounge chairs were available for everyone and you could rent an umbrella if you wanted. The beach was gorgeous. There were some big waves but the water was great despite that.

A sit-down lunch was included in the price. The food was simple but tasty -- choices were fish, chicken, or ribs, and the meal included a cocktail for a drink if you wanted. I had a Carib Lager.

The tour operators were always around and were very helpful. On the buses each way, the tour guides narrated about the island, the Dutch and French sides, and what it was like to live there.

St. Thomas
On St. Thomas we did the Magens Bay Beach Break. This tour was not nearly as well-run as the St. Maarten excursion. The open-air taxis were late, and the tour guides did nothing to help get everyone seated -- there was confusion about whether everyone would fit. Then the ride over to Magens Bay was wild -- people were joking about having a thrill ride as part of the Disney experience. Unlike on St. Maarten there was no narrated tour, although with the length of the ride, there could have been if the transportation allowed for it.

Once at Magens Bay, the beach itself was beautiful and the water was placid for swimming, but this is very much also a local beach AND cruise ship central, so it was very crowded. You had the DCL group, the Norweigan group, the Carnival group…all ships in port had excursions there. But unlike the St. Maarten excursion, the tour operators disappeared for the day. I assume they just dropped us off.

[

Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your TR. I am booked on this cruise in February (we loved our Western cruise we rebooked onboard

Can you comment on if there were bathroom/showers at either or both beach excursion? Also, at the St Martin one - did they have kid food for lunch?

Thanks so much!

 

[jcarwash]

So we're going to Palo twice, we don't need to tip over the $20/person then?

Based on the reading I did here on the DIS, the $20 is a tip, so if that's right then no, you don't need to tip on top of that. BUT the service is so impeccable there we couldn't help but add a bit more on top of that.

Also, if you order any wine at Palo there is an additional tip added there, just like at the other bars on the ship.

 

[jcarwash]

Can you comment on if there were bathroom/showers at either or both beach excursion? Also, at the St Martin one - did they have kid food for lunch?

On the St. Martin excursion, there were outdoor showers for rinsing off, similar to Castaway Cay. And the beach is part of a restaurant so there are bathrooms there next to the bar. Not really great for changing though -- we wore our swimming gear on both excursions so we didn't need to change.

On Magens Bay, there are large bathrooms with indoor showers. Not the greatest bathrooms in the world though -- not awful, but kind of icky. Definitely could change clothes in there though.

The lunch at Waikiki Beach restaurant did not have specific kids meals. We ordered one each of the choices (chicken, fish, and ribs) and shared among the three of us. The meals were more like a group function offering because there were so many people to feed. The staff was working very hard to keep up, and they did a nice job.

 

[Señor DonDuck]

You're welcome! I like your profile pic too. Donald Duck is our family favorite.

Who doesn't love Donald?

Loved the second half. Glad to hear that crowds and weather did not hamper your stay at CC.

 

[jcarwash]

I submitted the navigators for the week to the DIS.

You can find them on the DIS navigator page, plus here are the direct links for PDF download:

1. Day 1 Sat March 26 2011
2. Day 2 Sun March 27 2011 (sea day)
3. Day 3 Mon March 28 2011 (sea day)
4. Day 4 Tue March 29 2011 (St. Maarten)
5. Day 5 Wed March 30 2011 (St. Thomas)
6. Day 6 Thu March 31 2011 (sea day)
7. Day 7 Fri April 1 2011 (Castaway Cay)

• Week at a Glance sheet
• Buena Vista Theater Movie Schedule

 

[Griffith6]

Just wanted to give a big to Jcarwash for his detailed review and posting of the navigators. We are on the eastern route Apr 23-30 and so excited - fun to read about your experience and gear up for a great week.

Thanks again for taking so much time for all our benefit and enjoyment!

 

[wilma-bride]

I am very excited to read another Eastern trip report. Our cruise is in just over 6 months and so I am trying to soak up as much info as possible before then. thanks also for posting the navigators - I am going to print them off and do some early planning

 

[jcarwash]

Just wanted to give a big to Jcarwash for his detailed review and posting of the navigators. We are on the eastern route Apr 23-30 and so excited - fun to read about your experience and gear up for a great week.

Thanks again for taking so much time for all our benefit and enjoyment!

So glad you liked the report. I enjoyed putting it together, and I sure wish my family was on that April 23 cruise too. We're ready for more.

I am very excited to read another Eastern trip report. Our cruise is in just over 6 months and so I am trying to soak up as much info as possible before then. thanks also for posting the navigators - I am going to print them off and do some early planning

Glad you liked the report and I hope it does give you information you can use. Let me know if there's any other topics you're interested in. I'm thinking I didn't say anything about tipping, which before the cruise I was a little unsure about, but learned is super-easy.

Also glad to post the navigators -- I found that reading navigator examples ahead of time helped me to understand how things work. I made sure to have a good copy each day for scanning and posting.

 

[medicjch]

Thanks for the report, I'm considering this ininerary for our first cruise, so this has been very helpful. I guess the Fantasy is going to start making this trek when it is complete.

 

[jcarwash]

Thanks for the report, I'm considering this ininerary for our first cruise, so this has been very helpful. I guess the Fantasy is going to start making this trek when it is complete.

You're welcome! Yes, the Fantasy will be doing the eastern and western Caribbean routes when it comes on line.

 

[DeeCeeSW]

Great trip report! I especially appreciate seeing your porthole stateroom as we will also be on Deck 2!

So your son wore pants to dinner every night? Children are not allowed to wear shorts in the dining rooms on nights that are not semi-formal or formal?

 

[jcarwash]

So your son wore pants to dinner every night? Children are not allowed to wear shorts in the dining rooms on nights that are not semi-formal or formal?

No, we started out having him wear long pants to dinner to follow the dress requirements. But as the week went on and he was too hot wearing them, didn't want to change, or we just went from the kids club to dinner, we started letting him wear shorts. It wasn't a problem.