Skittlesmom
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2013
- Messages
- 68
We just completed our 4th cruise with Disney...second time on the Magic. This trip was a 7-day cruise in the Western Carribean (Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, & Castaway Cay). Here are some notes in case you're interested in a similar cruise.
Port departure/return was in Miami on Sunday (Nov 20th)...great service and very quick processing and embarking. We started our cruise by boarding, had some lunch, and walked the ship. For the first time, we purchased a couples' Rainforest spa package for the week (VERY relaxing time there after a workout or long day at sea or in ports). We were fairly tired the first night, so we skipped the show ("All Aboard: Let the Magic Begin"...heard it was good though) and just relaxed.
On Monday, port was Key West. We didn't arrange for any excursions, but walked around the city and toured the Hemingway House ($13/person, cash only), then to the 'Southernmost Point', and enjoyed the city. Monday night featured a magic/illusionist show by Mike Super.
On Tuesday, we had a full day at sea. Between movies, working out, reading, and bingo, the day was entirely focused on relaxing. Recommended dinner attire was formal wear and the evening show was "Twice Charmed".
On Wednesday, port was Grand Cayman. Our family chose the 'Discover Native Cayman & the Saltwater Forest' excursion. This excursion included a stop at 'Hell', a brief visit to '7-mile beach', then a boat ride to see the mangrove saltwater forest and many iguanas which was both enjoyable and very educational. We had plenty of time to walk around downtown and visit shops. Disney's movie "Moana" premiered Wednesday evening (there were 2 shows of "Moana" that evening...5:15 and 8:30) and the 'Pirates in the Carribean Party' (7:30).
On Thursday, port was Cozumel. Our family chose the 'Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins' excursion. This was a fantastic tour, but wished we had more time. We literally exited the Magic and boarded a high-speed ferry to take us on a 30min ride to mainland Mexico (the waters were very choppy, so unfortunately some families had sick kids/family members...thankfully, we didn't have any problems). Upon arriving in Playa del Carmen, we took a 2hr bus ride to Chichen Itza. The ruins were absolutely spectacular and worth every minute we were there. That being said, we were only there for an hour, then had a 2hr drive back, and a very fast 30min high-speed ferry ride back to Cozumel and the ship. There wasn't much time to buy souvenirs at Chichen Itza, nor in Playa del Carmen, or Cozumel...we literally were on the last ride back to the ship. This was a fantastic excursion and a once in a lifetime experience, but it would be great if the ship spent more time in port, so we could have explored the city. Aboard the ship, the evening show was John Charles (music/comedy).
On Friday, we were at sea, so just a nice day of relaxing. Again, between movies, working out, reading, and bingo, the day was entirely focused on relaxing. Recommended dinner attire was semi-formal wear and the evening show was "Tangled: The Musical".
On Saturday, port was Castaway Cay. Our family chose to run the 5K run/walk, then spent the rest of the day snorkeling, relaxing in the kids sections, and at Serenity Bay. The evening show was "Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic".
On Sunday, we arrived in Miami and the debarkation process was very smooth. Just a note...there were 8 ships in port on Sunday (which is a lot), so taxi/shuttle rides took awhile to get through the traffic, but the organization at Disney's port went very well.
If you have any questions, post away!
Port departure/return was in Miami on Sunday (Nov 20th)...great service and very quick processing and embarking. We started our cruise by boarding, had some lunch, and walked the ship. For the first time, we purchased a couples' Rainforest spa package for the week (VERY relaxing time there after a workout or long day at sea or in ports). We were fairly tired the first night, so we skipped the show ("All Aboard: Let the Magic Begin"...heard it was good though) and just relaxed.
On Monday, port was Key West. We didn't arrange for any excursions, but walked around the city and toured the Hemingway House ($13/person, cash only), then to the 'Southernmost Point', and enjoyed the city. Monday night featured a magic/illusionist show by Mike Super.
On Tuesday, we had a full day at sea. Between movies, working out, reading, and bingo, the day was entirely focused on relaxing. Recommended dinner attire was formal wear and the evening show was "Twice Charmed".
On Wednesday, port was Grand Cayman. Our family chose the 'Discover Native Cayman & the Saltwater Forest' excursion. This excursion included a stop at 'Hell', a brief visit to '7-mile beach', then a boat ride to see the mangrove saltwater forest and many iguanas which was both enjoyable and very educational. We had plenty of time to walk around downtown and visit shops. Disney's movie "Moana" premiered Wednesday evening (there were 2 shows of "Moana" that evening...5:15 and 8:30) and the 'Pirates in the Carribean Party' (7:30).
On Thursday, port was Cozumel. Our family chose the 'Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins' excursion. This was a fantastic tour, but wished we had more time. We literally exited the Magic and boarded a high-speed ferry to take us on a 30min ride to mainland Mexico (the waters were very choppy, so unfortunately some families had sick kids/family members...thankfully, we didn't have any problems). Upon arriving in Playa del Carmen, we took a 2hr bus ride to Chichen Itza. The ruins were absolutely spectacular and worth every minute we were there. That being said, we were only there for an hour, then had a 2hr drive back, and a very fast 30min high-speed ferry ride back to Cozumel and the ship. There wasn't much time to buy souvenirs at Chichen Itza, nor in Playa del Carmen, or Cozumel...we literally were on the last ride back to the ship. This was a fantastic excursion and a once in a lifetime experience, but it would be great if the ship spent more time in port, so we could have explored the city. Aboard the ship, the evening show was John Charles (music/comedy).
On Friday, we were at sea, so just a nice day of relaxing. Again, between movies, working out, reading, and bingo, the day was entirely focused on relaxing. Recommended dinner attire was semi-formal wear and the evening show was "Tangled: The Musical".
On Saturday, port was Castaway Cay. Our family chose to run the 5K run/walk, then spent the rest of the day snorkeling, relaxing in the kids sections, and at Serenity Bay. The evening show was "Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic".
On Sunday, we arrived in Miami and the debarkation process was very smooth. Just a note...there were 8 ships in port on Sunday (which is a lot), so taxi/shuttle rides took awhile to get through the traffic, but the organization at Disney's port went very well.
If you have any questions, post away!
