halloween cruise/ Magic: October 28th-nov..4th 2006

[kritter]

when are you going??

 

[joksten2000]

NOV 4,5,6,7 can't book till Dec but i'm really looking forward to the great pool with the sandy bottom and the seafood buffet. I also understand that espn on the boardwalk has the greatest ribs

 

[kritter]

this year...

 

[kritter]

Hoping that we can keep this thread going for the next year..
Also hoping that we will be able to meet one another on the cruise and plan some activities that we can do...
Let hope we get some more people before we cruise or we will have the ship all to our selves....

 

[kab407]

Let's give this a little kick up to page 1.

To those of you in TX, LA, MS an AL, I hope you are safe and doing well.

 

[kritter]

sounds great tooo me...
hope everyone is safe as well..

 

[buckifan]

 

[kritter]

I'm new to message boards....I was looking around to get info about our first cruise. My family and I will be on the 2006 Halloween cruise also. Forgive me, I'm not even familiar with the abbreviations you all use! I'll be cruising with my husband, my son (age 11 at time of cruise), and my daughter (nearly 7 at time of cruise). My husband and I have decided to keep it a secret from our kids. They think were planning a trip to Washington DC. Which I'm sure would be a lovely vacation, but nothing compared to this!

I was wondering what special things Disney does for Halloween on the ship....does anyone know?

We have been to WDW twice before, but as I said this is our first cruise EVER! We are so excited...don't know how I'll keep this giant secret for a year!

First off welcome welcome....I am new to the boards as well and am also learning the ropes..
I am excited to meet you..
I have read on other boards for the cruise that people who meet on these boards have done ice cream eating cotnests, etc.. with others on the boards while on the cruise..I am hoping as we get more people and it gets closer we can organize some type of activity for all of us...
this will be our first cruise as well
good to meet you and welcome.....

 

[buckifan]

This is probably a dumb question, but I was wondering in DCL supplies towels at the pools, or do you have to bring your own? We were planning on hitting the pool as soon as we board, so I need to know if I should plan on packing towels in our carry on as well. Thanks!

 

[mommykeg]

There's no such thing as a dumb question! DCL does supply towels at the pools...they are white, bath-sized towels and are stocked in large bins near each pool. If you like beach-sized towels, you'll need to bring your own.

 

[buckifan]

Thanks! I think I'll pack some beach towels in our luggage, but I'll keep our carry on as light as possible, and use the DCL towels when we first board.

 

[kritter]

sooo not a dumb question it was great to ask and now others will also know...

 

[XLT800]

Welcome to the DIS Buckifan.......Please ask all the questions you want, it gives us something to talk about and you never know what others might learn. This will be our 7th cruise and I know there are others here that have cruised DCL before also. It will be me, DW ( also known as tchrmom), DS (14) and DD (11)

Dave

 

[kritter]

Dave,
Hey I read on the boards that there is a DCL catolog to purchase merchandise is this true??

Also what else can you share with us about the cruise??

 

[XLT800]

Kritter.....I do not know of a DCL catalog, I think that the only place to purchase DCL stuff is actually on the ship. There is a place to buy DIS Board stuff though.

Tip for the day for those that are new to DCL: Get to the port early on Saturday. You will want to spend some time in the terminal and Saturday is day 1 of your cruise so make the most of it. Last 2 cruises we were the 2nd family in the terminal.

Dave

 

[kritter]

Dave,
thanks what time do you recommend to get there we are staying in WDW the week before and it would not be a problem to get there early but how early and what do you recommend to do first when you board...
also have you ever gotten an upgrade when you get there...
what type of cabin do you get too...

 

[captaincrash]

Hello folks...

... we're back on .... an welcome aboard Buckifan! You're gonna have a great time on the Magic! If the upcoming Holloween thread for the 2005 sailing is any indication we'll have several thousand postings from 50-100 families. We recently returned from our 3rd Magic sailing on Sept 10 and we had 104 folks from the DIS aboard. We had a really nice time this sailing since we had so many other folks we sort of knew (compared to the prior 2 sailings where we only knew our table mates).

So - at the "get to know" DIS meeting on embatrkation day we had about 65 -70 of the 104 folks from the board show up. We orgainized semi-private "extra" activites... like the recently mentioned ice cream eating contest (organized by yours' truly) for the kids and adults; a treasure hunting gig and side meetings on "secret verandas". Throughout the cruise we found ourselves bumping into other folks we had been chatting with from the DIS and from the DIS meet. Many late evenings we sat down with DIS folks and just shared stories and opinions on all manner of things.

ONE thing I'll throw out now just for kicks.... is anyone intersted in joining us on an unusual foray at St Thomas/ St John? We are planning (thinking about) catching a ferry from the port in St Thomas at 9AM (1st boat) for St John.... then renting either a 10 or 14 foot zodiac to run around the secluded beaches at St John. Turlock Beach (is that what it was called? this is an exceptionally exptic and unspoiled beach) is on our hit list. The 10 footer costs $75 for a half day and $140 for full day and handles about 6 people. The 14 footer has a center counsel driving station and will seat 8+ people.... cost unknown.

This was cited as an unusual and relatively cheap activity which ranks up there among the rare adventures which stand out as extraordinary. Renting a power boat is usually several hundred as opposed to under $100. Plus... compareed to shore excursions sold by DCL.... this ranks at probably 40-75% cheaper than a comparable DCL excursion. IE... the thumbnail estimate for cost is under $120 for four persons on a ferry + 1/2 day 10' Zodiac + taxi (depending on where we dock in St Thomas).... versus an assumption that a venture of this magnitude would run easily $50+ up to 120 per person if it were a DCL excursion. Of course - it would differ in being escorted while ours is in effect unescorted.

So, in support of this venture we were gonna pack picnic style lunches from room service (not officially encouraged y DCL but widely exercised by experienced castaway folks) and we'll try and hit 2 or 3 (or more) beaches in our exploration. Plus we'll have time to shop in town on St John before catching the return ferry. I had a link to a site with photos of the boats from the rental company. Later I'll dig it up and post it here.

With this deal we expect that we will experience truly exotic and secluded vistas from a very unusual perspective... and we'll visit beaches which other folks would otherwise never visit if they were coming from the Magic. So, the company of another 1 - 2 or 3 families either sharing a 14 footer or following or leading in their own 10 or 14 boat is quite welcome.

Some might consider this a bit too adventurous.... but it has been posted on the DIS by others. Also, my spouse and I have chartered aircraft for touring, buses, SUVs and Taxis for touring... so this is not that much out of line.

On St Marteen 3-4 weeks ago we rented a large van (split it with another DIS family) and we drove a complete circuit of St Marteen ... stopping at 3 beaches and more or less exploring all over the island at OUR pace. The next time in 2006 we'll probably do more shopping there since my spouse had little opportunity to shop there - and instead she did all sorts of shopping on St Thomas. That's why we're thinking of flip flopping the agenda in 2006 and do the adventurous exploration of St John. We've stayed on St Thomas before - renting a car and wandering about at length.... So St John and it's secluded beaches are a hit point on our potential hit list.

OK... gotta go...

Warmest welcome again to the Buckifan famiily!

If you're interested... here's a couple hundred photos of the DIS activites we had on this past Sept 3-10 sailing. The DIS meet is 1st, followed by treasure hunt then the ice cream challenge at the end. I managed to get the Captain of the Magic to sign our "award certificates" which I sort of made up!

Here is the link: http://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=nm...E=Y&ILD=1248290

 

[buckifan]

Thanks for all of the "welcomes" everyone. What a nice group!

After all I've been reading, I'm starting to feel like I've got a good understanding of how things run on the ship. And it sounds like our daily navigator will help us to decide our daily activities.....but I'm still feeling VERY overwhelmed about what to do on excursion days. So many choices! I'm wondering what would be the most enjoyable, least stressful, cost effective excursions for first-timers? Laying on a beach is not a big priority....we do love to sight see & shop, but I don't want to miss a really great experience either. I guess I'm looking for the biggest bang for our buck! Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[kritter]

hey captain crash,
can you tell us all more about these picinic lunches,, you are talking about..

How far is the beach when you get off the boat in st.john..

your adventure in st.thomas sounds amazing and I know that my Dh would be soo into that except the fact that we have been on vacation twice to st. sthomas and we are planning on going and hanging out on the beach and the resort that we have stayed at when there before.. We still keep in touch with the director of the resort and she is welcoming us to come with the kids to spend the day on theri private beach...

 

[captaincrash]

Buckifan...

... the beauty of the Cruise in my humble opinion (otherwise abbreviated IMHO)... is that you travel from port to port in comfort - free of a certain number of variables making easy days ashore to explore or engage in ventures. Now - as for economizing without sacrificing an experience... that will vary with your personal tastes and tolerances. Some folks would like nothing more than a massage on th beach in a quiet cabanna... drinks, comfortable shade and nice book. On some days that would be me. While on other occasions - lets get out and see something few others from ship are likely to see or do. That's a little harder to pull off ... especially while economizing. Odd to think here we are trying to save a few dollars when we all parted with plenty of moola to fly out and sail on DCL, eh? But I am certainly no different on this issue - as a few hundred saved on the next 5 cruises adds up to another FREE trip on the 6th outing!

So - I prefer to say I am not ashamed to have a nice trip where we pay a little more for certian things while saving some moola on other things.

So - I'd say there are lots of ways to shave savings without sacrificing anything of significance. Generally - any DCL shore excursion can almost be duplicated more or less at a meaningful savings... so refer to the list of shore excursions and activities sold for an idea of things to do. I don't have older kids - ours are 1.75 and 4.5 currently so I cannot say what might appeal to them - can you suggest a few leanings or preferences - then I might propose some ideas?

One thing I will say that is held out the scare folks into paying more for the shore excursions - is that the DCL excursions GUARANTEE to get you back to ship before it departs otherwise DCL is responsible for taking care of you. So on this you have to say exercise common sense and generally stay sober if you're gonna do anything ashore. AND... I have seen folks going nuts as the ship pulls away from a port because some of their party did not return to the ship. It was somewhat comical since they were being told that DCL had people ashore (on the pier and inland) who were alerted to the missing passengers - and once the late returning folks hooked up with the DCL representatives they would be assisted with hotel and transportation to the next port stop to meet the ship.

Now - missing the ship is more of an issue if you also miss a few sea days - or a return to home port! But - DCL and any cruise line has contingency plans for missing passengers - and it's just a little extra money if it happens. Aside from that... the extra charge for DCL excursions is really only worth it for the sheer convenience offerred. Any fro some folks it is the best choice. I and my spouse are extremely comfortable on our own anywhere we have traveled to. So, we actually prefer the independence of being on our own... among other things like saving 50% all the time!

And KITTER....

As for the picnic thing... it's nothing more than this... bring some zip lock bags (a few large and small) and order room service the nite before. Stuff like the turkey or club sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pizza and such. Then zip lock it up and throw it all in your fridge for use as a picnic snack the next day. The ship really does not encourage this if you mention this idea o any of the staff but it is a popular thing among those in the know who also want to 1) save a few bucks, 2) eat safely prepared institutional grade food, and 3) want to save time not scavenging for a place that looks safe enough to dine fro on the island. As I recall things usually cost quite a bit for common foods on the islands... and the food aboard ship is equal or better then the best... excepting maybe the Breakfasts in room or the seafood dinner buffets we've had at the Ritz Carlton on St Thomas.

So - we typically just pack heavy snacks - and we generally arrive with a fair appetite for dinner - but we are not sufferring from malnourishment ashore! Of course, it makes perfect sense to sample a few things ashore too while picnicing the balance of lunch needs from the ship.

Oh... On towels... you will only need towels or beach mats on St Thomas or St Martin if you hit the sand there. Castaway Caye has towels right there as you step off the ship for your use. And - generally - the castaway caye stop is a really nice experience if not somewhat "packaged" in nature. Food concessions for a Beach BBQ are right there adjacent to the beach (all free of course - except liquor and souveneers).

And - now tht I'm considering it a little - BUCKIFAN - do you suppose your kids would like water craft like peddle boats or driving a zodiac powered by a modest outboard engine? The Zodiac thing was a thing we were considering for ST Thomas / St John. Driving from port to beach to beach is a 2-2.5 hour thing so it is not really involved... nor is it expected to be really dangerous. Everyone gets a life jacket, video training on safe boating practices and my spouse used to be a life guard about 25 years ago when she was in High school! Not that she wants to be official life guard - but she can jump in should it become an issue. I for one cannot swim.

At any rate - swig by a library and get a nice tour book for the carribean and dream up some ideas ... as I am extremely open minded on things to do which sound like fun or things that we have not done before.

Consider... I was the one who joked about making the DIS meet a toga party on our last Disney cruise. After that line of conversation I was officially branded a rebel rouser of sorts (and I enjoied the role!).

Gotta run.... wwe're traveling on business and I'm watching the reports of wild fires in Thousand Oaks/OakPark and SImi Valley... and we live in Wetlake Village which is between Oakpark and Thousand Oaks. They are evacuating some folks and we don't really know exactly whats going on down there other than the little bit they show on the news here.

I'm sure everyting is under control - and if not ... then that's what insurance is for.... but otherwise we prefer to be back home to salvage irreplacible things if fire becomes a legitimate threat!

TTFN (Ta Ta for now!)