Just back from Magic May 20-27!!

[NurseChell]

Day 4: Grand Cayman

Again woke up with Mickey wake up call and room service. So Nice!
We had the 11:15a Island tour and Snorkle with stingrays booked through DCL. Tendered to GC early at about 8:30ish. Did all our exploring and shopping. So you go to a exotic island and where do you eat? KFC of course. Hate we missed the restaurant overlooking the ocean. found it later while exploring. Our tour guide was pretty cool. very informative. Wierd driving on the wrong side of the road. We drove by the 7 mile beach,

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the governors house, and the gingerbread house. Made a stop at The turtle farm. Didnt stay long enough for DD. She LOVES turtles.

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Then we stopped in Hell. So funny saying that!

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they told us that between 1-3pm there was the hottest time there. I looked at my watch. 1:00pm oh yeah!! Can you say Stifeling hot. The heat coming off the coral was unbearable. Mailed some postcards home from the post office and off we went to the snorkeling boat. Once on the boat we drove out about 6 miles to the sandbar. We were the only boat at that time. The stingrays were awesome!! I kissed one. No good luck yet!! Still waiting. This was my 1st experience at snorkeling. Not so good, but I learned.
DD got scared because the stingrays started swarming to her when she was feeding them, so she hopped in the Boat quickly. yep, thats my little scardy cat. This was a really nice experience. would definetly do it again.

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If it is your 1st time on GC I would recommend the tour/snorkeling... but next time we go I will do the turtles on our own and find a tour for snorkeling. People everywhere at the boat dock with tours. we got back to the ship just as the last tender was leaving. thank you for not leaving us!!
Back to the ship. Nap for DD then went to Cinderella show:twice charmed. LOVED IT! again not a show to be missed!
Dinner was at parrot cay tonight. food was really good. cant complain.
after dinner, dropped DD off at the lab for the kids camp out night.
Exhausting day, but had the best time! asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
will write more later, must put DD to bed

 

[Babs417]

I was their also love reliving the trip. Didnt it go by fast.Good pictures and report.

 

[pppiglet]

Love the picture of your daughter on the butterfly! She's a cutie!

 

[NurseChell]

Day 5: Cozumel/Pirate Night

Woke up with Mickey. Ate breakfast at Topsider's. Had to meet at AP at 8:30a for our excursion to Xcaret. Boarded the ferry straight to Playa De Carmen. Was about a 30 minute ferry ride. OH MY GOSH! Tip of the day: ride on the top level towards the back... Here's me SEA SICK for the 1st time.

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I even took my Bonine this morning. It was bad. People pucking everywhere. They pass out bags in the beginning of the ride. I wonder why!
the ferry is a great place to buy t'shirts and jewelry though. Bought a $5 tshirt and bargained for a beautiful silver necklace (see photos of it on semi-formal night) Never take the 1st offer in Mexico!! They will bargain with you until you pay virtually nothing for it.
Got off the ferry finally. Feeling better now, not so green anymore. Playa De Carmen was nice. We walked through the marketplace with the guide to the bus.

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There was a man selling hats at the bus'es. He said $5 and put in on DD head. DH went to pay him and another man came up and started a heated conversation in spanish with him. Apparently the man selling them had stole them from the other man. Anyways, the one man snatched the hats, and took off running and the other man ran after him. We never saw either again. So free souviner For DD.

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Our tour guide to Xcaret was informative. He took us inside and showed us a few things of interest then turned us loose to explore on our own.

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This place is Perfect Paradise!
You have so many choices: you can relax all day, or do what we did...and stay very busy.
We saw almost all the animals they have, we snorkeled in the underground river. We took the LONG route. Next tip: take the short way!! and take your own snorkel equipment!!! Took a long time waiting in 3 different lines to get equipment. We snorkeled for 1 and half hours!!! Took One underwater camera and when We got to the end, I was out of film. All the fish are at the end!! Hint. Hint. After snorkeling we went to the one of the restaurants to eat and listened to the Mariachi band.

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Seen lots of Mayan ruins and some Mayan cemetaries
Beautiful and peaceful place!

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Had to be back on the bus at 3pm. We took the shortcut back to the ferry. Sat uptop on the way back... No sickness
We got back to the ship about 4:30 and dropped off stuff, put DD down for nap and hopped on tender to Cozumel. There was so much visible destruction still. Construction going on everywhere

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The Most beautiful sapphire water I have ever seen

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The vendors are very pushy. Taxi's everywhere. 3 other ships in the area besides us. Felt very eary being here. purchased DD her authentic Mexican sombrero she wanted to go on her wall along with some other items. Tendered back to ship on last ferry at 6pm.
went back to room, got ready for pirate night! AWESOME from dinner to the pirate party to the fireworks and dessert bar.

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can you see why I gained 6 pounds? this was my dessert plate!!
Took our dessert back to room to eat and went to bed. Too much excitement for me plus had to turn clock up an hour. so lost an hour of sleep.
That's all for now. Day at Sea tomorrow!

 

[pyramid2000]

Do you have a picture of Tony from Palo?

Loving your report! What an exciting trip!

 

[cinderella_mom]

Great report. Great pictures. Still trying to figure out our excursions for August, but your report is helping me decide.

Thanks.

 

[curlybop]

What a great report! I love the bonus of photos too. Makes it even more real!

 

[NurseChell]

Day 6: 2nd Day at Sea/ Semi-Formal Night

Started with our character breakfast at Parrot Cay. Wonderful
The characters: Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale, Pluto, and Goofy
Came by every table BRIEFLY for autographs and pictures. The characters at Disney World lunches stay longer than they did.

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After breakfast, DD couldnt wait to get to the Pool so her and DH headed off for a little while for the pool and arcade. While I the Shopaholic I have become went to the Gift shops for like the 6th or 7th time.
At noon, had our photo/autograph op with the captain. Can you tell by the photo how thrilled he seemed to be???

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He did not seem all that attentive, as I noticed him starring into space with other people also.
Went back to room and changed. Went to the 2pm showing of Disney Dreams. TRULY LOVED IT!!
DD went back to the room for her afternoon nap! Woke up wonderfully today!
Got ready for Semi-formal night. Another tip: Get dressed early and take advantage of the MANY different backgrounds with NO WAIT! Seen Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy all dressed in there formals. How cute!
Dont know if you can tell in this photo, but this is my necklace purchased on the ferry in Mexico.

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Finished with the photos in perfect timing. Went to see the 6:15 showing of The Wild. Really good movie
Had time to go to the Studio Sea for Who Wants to be a Mouseketter. Good game show!! DD didnt want to go in at first, but then loved it and didnt want to leave! She was getting mad when they didnt call her # So funny!
Saw my 1st and only sunset of the cruise tonight!

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Dinner at AP tonight. Svet very accomodating and got DD her much loved fettuchini. Skipped the dessert part, because they told us about the dessert bar at the Captains Gala at 11:15

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After dinner, dropped DD off in the lab, and we went to The Rockin D Bar. DJ Hollywood and Asst Cruise Dir Christian are so Hillarious. Rich Purpura came out and did one of the funniest comedy shows I have ever seen. Then stayed for a while for the 70's party. Tip: Go to this bar at least once during your cruise, dont skip it!!
11:15p was when the Captains Gala dessert's started. We got there at 11:30. THE LINE WAS A MILE LONG!!!!! No way we were gonna stand in line for an hour for dessert So went back to room and ordered 3 mickey bars from room service. Which took 45 minutes to get there!!! DD and DH fell asleep waiting for them, so Of course I couldnt let them go to waste No, I didnt eat all 3... only 2! haha
Head hit the pillow, and was out like a light!!
Our towel animal tonight...

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Day 7: Castaway Cay tomorrow... Will try to finish up report later tonight or tomorrow. Hope I can get underwater camera's developed tomorrow. Bye for now.

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Tip of the day: ride on the top level towards the back...

Chell,

Thank you so much for the report on Xcaret, I have this scheduled for our upcomming cruise. I do have a question is the underground river fresh or salt water?

You stated that you took the LONG route. Next tip: take the short way!! We snorkeled for 1 and half hours. How long would we be snorkeling if we take the short route. (How deep is the water)

Also did you have lunch using the lunch coupon that comes with the tour or pick another restaurant? I read that the coupons are only good for hamburgers. :confused 3

Thanks
Beckie

 

[NurseChell]

Magicinmyheart:
To answer your questions... Not sure how much shorter the short way is, but we noticed lots more people taking it. When you only have a short time in Excaret, every minute counts.
The water is salt-water, and in some areas was pretty deep, others waist deep.
and we used the coupon provided. Choices were: hamburger, hotdog(more like sausage dog), and salad. french fries, and a drink. also, gave us coupons for a free ice cream/popsicle.
They said you could trade them in for different restaurants/choices, but we were satisfied with our restaurant.

 

[michelle9343]

I have reaaly enjoyed reading your trip report. Sounds like a wonderful vaction. Can't wait to read the rest.

 

[NurseChell]

Sorry pyramid2000 no pictures of Tony from Palo. Never thought about the camera that night.

 

[NurseChell]

Day 7: Castaway Cay

Woke up, Ate at Topsiders while watching the ship back into Castaway Cay. Pretty cool. Got off the ship about 9:20a. Beautiful Place!

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Had photo ops at the post office with chip and Dale: who were enjoying DD's sand toys. Before leaving home bought sand pails and shovels, and a float at Walmart. Tip of the day: Sand toys on the ship about $10 and up, Floats on Castaway Cay $6...Walmart sand toys $3 and float $1 We just left them on the beach when we were done with them. saved money and suitcase space. Walmart also put underwater cameras on clearance a few days before we left, so bought 5 for $5 each. Good deal!

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Also had photos with Mickey and Minnie

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Another tip: wait for the trolley. Its not a long walk, but by the end of the week your feet are HURTING! and the trolley comes around every couple minutes
Had a 10am Banana boat ride. Really fun. Dont sit in the front, unless you want to get REALLY wet, I sat behind a young boy also from GA, and used him as a shield! I think we were out there for 10-15 minutes. DD loved it!

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Then rented 1 snorkel set for $25. I snorkeled for 2 hours while DD and DH played in the sand and swam. Another tip: take 2 underwater cameras and the best fish are out a ways!!! I found out the hard way. Took one camera and ended up coming all the way back for another one and its a long way... A LONG WAY!! I found the hidden Mickey statue, some submarines, a boat, anchors and other stuff. By far the best snorkeling the entire trip!!! Will post some photos when I get my underwater cameras developed.
Almost lost track of time... Had a 12:30 Parasaling with DD scheduled. We literally ran the entire way...like I said before...wait for a trolley! We ended up sitting there for like 20minutes before boarding the boat. This was ssoooo much fun! Churchlady was on with us, and she took some photos of me and DD. Will post them later too once developed. I have no Idea how long we were in the air, because we were having so much fun. It was peaceful up there. When you come down, they dunk you a bit or let your feet touch the water. That was cool. Towards the end of the ride, the sun came out. I felt myself cooking then suddenly remembered that I had NOT put on any sunscreen today!!! The entire week I had been SLATHERING SPF 50 on like 5-6 times a day, and I forget today. Can you say STUPID!! Especially if you've seen my picture...I'm a fair complected redhead.. who avoids the sun. Plus I'm a Nurse, so I know better. So now I am suffering from a Horrible sunburn complete with blisters!!! So not good!!
So by the time the boat dropped us off it was almost 2pm. I put sunscreen on and a shirt, but damage was already done. DH had been snorkeling the whole time we were gone. Cookies BBQ had just closed, so we missed the food! Churchlady offered us some of hers, but we opted for some icecream, then a good meal onboard later. We just walked around for a while, shopped, and then rented a tricycle with big wheels. We had it for 30 mins, so we traded out after 15. DD wanted to see what was playing on the Jumbotron on the boat, so they pedaled out there! WOW!! Until they seen it was Honey I shrunk the kids

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Got back on the boat at 4:30 DD ran up to Captain Hook who was on the pier and "tick tock"ed him then ran like crazy. So funny.
Put DD to bed for nap, and Me and DH went for our Exotic Rasul Ressie. The steam room is HOT HOT HOT. I wish I would have booked this earlier in the week when I wasnt so Sunburned!!! But it was fun! Stopped off at the gift shops AGAIN for the last time. Several Marked down t-shirts tonight!
DD went to the lab for~ Make Up what U missed~She made some flubber and a painting of Lilo. I tryed to pack as quickly as I could. due to luggage had to be out by 11pm. Picked up DD who was distraught that we missed the last show, so this bummed her out the rest of the night. Guest Services delivered our pillowcase. One of the markers tops came off, so there was ink splotches over Mickey's signature. I freaked out!!!! but due to Very quick thinking Happened to spot stitches signature above it and said...That stitch, look what he did...he made a mess! DD loves stitch, so she thought it was funny, and said...Stitch must of had a glitch. Well then! Disaster avoided!

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Last dinner was at PC. Its a small world dinner with a little show. Sad that we had to go home!! After dinner went by shutters to pick between the MANY photos we had taken during the week. 15 6x8s and 15 8x10s. Hate I could not afford all of them. this photo of course is not as good as the original. I used my camera and took a picture of it.

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DD didnt want to attend the Til We Meet Again party, so we went back to the room and Crammed a weeks worth of stuff up QUICKLY. Had luggage out at 11:10 a bit late, but they still took it. Yeah!! Missed the disembarking speech, but thankyou DISers for the tip. We watched it in our stateroom after we finished packing.
Have no Idea what time we actually went to bed, but This day just flew by.
Ok... Enough for now... Stay tuned for tomorrow...Disembarking Day

 

[Babs417]

Your pictures are great what kind of camera do you have?

 

[NurseChell]

Babs417:
Thankyou!
I have a 3.2 mega pixel Fujifilm s3000 digital camera with 6x optical zoom.
DH bought it for me as a christmas present about 3 or 4 years ago.
I love this camera, my only complaint is that the shutter speed is a little slow...meaning it takes longer for the photo to actually take.
I took 1200 pictures this trip! Can you tell that I love to take them?!

 

[curlybop]

Great report!
I'd love to see even more photos. What can I say, I love pictures!

 

[Aquagirl]

Day 3 Day at Sea/Formal Night

towel animal was but it was cute!

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I think it's a walrus.

 

[majeda]

ddddsss

I was just wondering if you could tell me the exact travel time from when you arrived at Cozumel to Xcaret (your tender time, ferry time and bus time) as I would love to do this excursion but most posts are saying the travel time is about 3.5 - 4.0 hours.

Thank you from Canada

 

[NurseChell]

majeda:
I believe the ferry ride was 30min, 5min meeting up with the guide, 10min walk through market to bus, 15min bus ride with guide talking about things to do at Xcaret. So approx 1 hour to park, didnt take quite that long to get back as the bus took a short cut, then a shorter walk through town. Hope this helps. It DIDNOT take 3.5- 4 hours by no means.

 

[NurseChell]

I'm suprised how well these turned out.
These 1st one's are from Stingray sandbar:

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These are from Xcaret:

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Here's DD FINALLY trying to snorkel! Yeah! Short lived though.

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This is the fish that kept following me, nibbling on me that is.

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