MAGICal Christmas 2008 - December 20, 2008

[Az Pirates]

Yikes, we were really buried!

On another meet thread I posted on we did a question of the week early on when things were pretty quiet and there was not a lot of planning chatter going on yet.

Are you guys game?

My feelings won't be hurt at all if no one is interested, but I thought it might keep our thread moving a bit if you wanted to try.

It worked something like this...

I'll start and post a question; everyone answers it whenever they check in during the week.
But that means you do have to check in at least once a week.

The first person to respond to my question needs to remember to come back and post a new question next Sunday.


I'll go ahead and start in case anyone is interested. If my question gets ignored, I'll know y'all don't want to play.



3/02/08
1st Question

For repeat cruisers: tell us about one of your favorite excursions.
If this is your first cruise: what excursion are you most looking forward to?

 

[dee47]

OK, I'll bite, though if my DS doesn't shape up soon we're not going on this cruise...long story!

Anyhow, my favorite excursion was the Pirate Extravaganza in St Lucia. We did on twice (04 and 06 10-Night Xmas Cruises). We sailed to Pigeon Island (off of St Lucia) in the ship that was used as the Brig Unicorn in the POTC movies. The crew..er...pirates were great with the adults and esp. the kids. When we got to the island, I relaxed on the beach and rented a kayak, while DS stayed with some DIS kids and they built sandcastles and went in the water with some DIS parents. We all sort of took turns looking after the kids in a community fashion, so everyone had a chance to relax that day. It was beautiful. When we did it in 04, we did the Treasure Hunt part first, but it was kinda cheesy so we skipped that part in 06.

The way to the island was GREAT -- beautiful sailing. In 06, this speed boat was trying to race us and the pirates shot their "canons" at the boat...we cracked up. The kids also got to steer the boat on the way there and back. I could do this excursion again in a heartbeat, many many times over!

Next?

 

[dee47]

DS steering the boat

The race boat we "shot"

Pirates at work

On the beach -- Pigeon Island

The Brig Unicorn

 

[nzdisneymom]

Fun. We're repeat-cruising, too, and even repeating the Western Carib. but our itinerary is different

Our favorite excursions were the ones we did in the Med. but thinking about the Carib, I'd have to say our favorite day was Castaway Cay... it was so relaxing and enjoyable. We rented bikes and had a great time getting a bit of exercise. I think DH is planning to get a long run in on CC when we go - especially since we'll be double-dipping!

 

[minnie1]

This is our first cruise other then Nassau where we didn't do any excursions and our last cruise which was to Bermuda. We also didn't do excursions there either. We just found our way to some wonderful beaches. Dh does not like to book excursions because he doesn't like to be locked into something specific.

If I can talk him into it I really want to see the ruins in Costa Maya. Other than that I am really looking forward to renting bikes and snorkel gear at Castaway Cay.

Angie

 

[ShannonR]

Good morning! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Question #1: I would have to say our best excursion was the Atlantis Submarine ride in Grand Cayman. Not because it was an exceptional and/or memorable experience, but rather it allowed me and DH to travel down memory lane when WDW still had 20,000 leagues under the sea ride. We miss that attraction something fierce and any chance we get to remember, we take it!

We had wanted to do the parasailing excursion at Castaway Cay, but at the time we went on our cruise in 3/07, they were not offering it d/t some difficulty with the vender. Hopefully we will have better luck this time!

Well , it is finally March which means spring is right around the corner for all you northeners who are suffering with the cold right now! Down here in Texas, it is already 80-90 degrees each day, but with winds at 40-50 miles per hour each day. I guess you have to take the good with the bad, right?

Have a great day!!!
Shannon

 

[Diana Lyn]

I'll answer the question in a backwards sort of way!

The one excursion I personally will never do again is the Eco Tour on CC. My DH LOVED it but I was never so terrified in my life. I was afraid to go fast and the entire tour group, including DH had already rounded the back of the island, so there I was, all by myself in the middle of the ocean. I look down and there's a SHARK swimming underneath me!!! Albeit it a nurse shark, I was terrified!!! It's funny now, but I will not be going on that again, Bruce will be going solo on this cruise!!


My personal favorite excursion was probably the Banana Boat. That was so much fun, but mostly because the banana was all filled with our DIS friends. I also enjoyed the Dolphin Encounter in Nassau.

 

[alikat99]

I'll go next! I'm with Diana that the Banana Boat on CC was a lot of fun, but it was all of our DISboard friends. We had one boat full of girls, and one boat full of the guys. It was too, too funny. The one thing that I would recommend (which I forgot) was goggles. The water spray was a bit to take on the eyes, but we were all laughing so much, that it didn't put a damper on my ride too much.

My other favorite excursion has to be Capt. Marvin's stingray city tour on Grand Cayman. We've been on it twice, and both times had such a great time. Those stingrays are so cool up close!

 

[minnie1]

Good morning! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Question #1: I would have to say our best excursion was the Atlantis Submarine ride in Grand Cayman. Not because it was an exceptional and/or memorable experience, but rather it allowed me and DH to travel down memory lane when WDW still had 20,000 leagues under the sea ride. We miss that attraction something fierce and any chance we get to remember, we take it!

Shannon, My dh and I also both loved 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. As a matter of fact that is where we met. My dh was a cast member at 20,000 and I was a cast member at Mr. Toads Wild Ride (another reason to be sad. )

The one excursion I personally will never do again is the Eco Tour on CC. My DH LOVED it but I was never so terrified in my life. I was afraid to go fast and the entire tour group, including DH had already rounded the back of the island, so there I was, all by myself in the middle of the ocean. I look down and there's a SHARK swimming underneath me!!!

Diana Lyn, my dh and I were wondering about this excursion. Do you do the Eco Tour on jet skis? If so how many people on each one? Thanks for any info.


In other news. It is 64 degrees here today. First day in many months I have not had to wear a coat. I am sure the temp will go down again but I am loving this weather.

Angie

 

[tinkerbell_29]

We are also repeat cruisers but our first cruise was to the med so we have no knowledge of the Caribbean excursions offered. We are looking forward to seeing Castaway cay though and the banana boat thing sounds like so much fun.

We are also in the 60's today It's nice to be warm though we know it won't last.

Lissa

 

[Diana Lyn]

Shannon, My dh and I also both loved 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. As a matter of fact that is where we met. My dh was a cast member at 20,000 and I was a cast member at Mr. Toads Wild Ride (another reason to be sad. )



Diana Lyn, my dh and I were wondering about this excursion. Do you do the Eco Tour on jet skis? If so how many people on each one? Thanks for any info.


In other news. It is 64 degrees here today. First day in many months I have not had to wear a coat. I am sure the temp will go down again but I am loving this weather.

Angie

Yes, you do the eco tour on jet skis. You can either ride a couple on a jet ski or a single. We had 2 couples on our tour, one was a dad with his younger DD. The price difference for couple vs single is like $10-$20, not that big.

You basically ride the jet skis completely around the island. You stop on the "deserted" side and the guide tells you about the history of the island, about what kind of creatures are in the water, the plantlife. And our guide was like---you should have stopped us, that shark is always in that area and we all would have loved to see him. I was like---uh, I wanted away from the shark thank you very much. It was a lot of fun, like I said DH LOVED it and would totally do it again. Me---I'll save a hammock for y'all and sip my konk koolers thank you very much!!

 

[Diana Lyn]

We're at 83 here now. It is sunny and gorgeous. A perfect March day! We definitely didn't have days like this back in NY!!

 

[ShannonR]

Diana: I second that! (about the weather, of course, isn't that we are constantly traveling down memory lane about?) It was at least the middle of May before we saw the likes of 50-60 degrees outside while living in Michigan.

Angie: What a GREAT experience to have worked at WDW!!! My sister went to college for hotel management and interned at the Caribbean Beach Resort. She had the opportunity to stay on there full time and she turned it down! She was too far away from my mother, so she says. I thought she was CRAZY!!! I told her of the millions of people who would have given their right arm for a chance like that, and she gave it because of MY MOTHER! I always hope that maybe Morgan will one day work at WDW or DCL (am I selfish or what? ).

It is 88 degrees out with a wind of 50mph right now. I feel like I'm in the movie "Twister". Every time I walk outside I have to hold on to something in order to stay on the ground!

Shannon

 

[Az Pirates]

The Pirate Extravaganza sounds like a lot of fun!
Thanks for sharing those great pictures.
That handsome young man steering the boat doesn't look like he could cause enough trouble to cancel a cruise... but being a mom I know even the best of kids can make you crazy sometimes.
Here's to smooth sailing with him real soon.


Too funny about the Eco Tour. DH & DS talked me into booking that once (against my better judgement I might add) As it turned out a Dis friend and his son wanted to go, but weren't able to get a reservation, so I graciously gave up my spot and let all the guys go together. Whew, I'm thinking that was a good call.



We love CC too and really enjoyed Castaway Rays, parasailing, snorkeling, biking and just plain relaxing on the beach. Oh, and DH & DS had a great time on the eco tour. We've never tried the banana boats... maybe in December; if I don't wimp out and decide the water is too cold that is. We've never cruised in the winter, so not sure what to expect where that's concerned.
I can't wait to go back though!


But I think one of my favorite excursions was in Mazatlan, so another non-Caribbean rebel here. We booked Randi's Happy Horses. Sounds cheesy I know, but we had a great day!



Weather report for today here: 78 degrees

 

[cgcw]

We've had a beautiful day in Chicago. High was about 40 this morning. We can actually see brown patches of grass. Spring is on it's way!! Tomorrow is a whole different story but hey, we have to live for today, right.

We love CC too and really enjoyed Castaway Rays, parasailing, snorkeling, biking and just plain relaxing on the beach. Oh, and DH & DS had a great time on the eco tour. We've never tried the banana boats... maybe in December; if I don't wimp out and decide the water is too cold that is. We've never cruised in the winter, so not sure what to expect where that's concerned.

I'll also say that the banana boat was a blast. Several of us almost backed out as one of our friends did it the month before and she had us all in a panic that it was going to be a rough ride. Fortunately for us, it was a very calm day when we were there. When we stopped out in the middle of the area on the far side of the ship, you could see the bottom.

Good thing there weren't any shark around or I would have been in a panic. I remember when Diana came back from the eco tour and said she saw one....I think she was still shaking. I also agree with Amy, wearing goggles is the way to go as salt water breeze is not a pleasant experience in your eyes. Here's another secret - having a konk kooler or 3 before your scheduled time makes the experience a whole lot less scary.

We haven't been too very many ports, but we did do the turtle farm on Grand Cayman. I think the kids could have stayed there all day picking up the various sizes of turtles. We used Native Way for our tour last November and while it was not that pleasant of an experience, we will give them a try again in the future. Their customer service when I emailed them with a comment when we got back about our boat driver and how he treated another family with his less than polite comments prompted Sharon to offer us a partial refund as well as a tour of our choice on another trip. I didn't ask, she insisted, so we will give them a try again. I'm fairly certain it will be a better experience the second time around. I've always read very good comments about them and the friends we traveled with on that cruise actually suggested I contact them about our experience. Looks like it worked to our advantage.

 

[minnie1]

Angie: What a GREAT experience to have worked at WDW!!! My sister went to college for hotel management and interned at the Caribbean Beach Resort.

Shannon

Shannon, Working at WDW was my dream. I got a chance to go work at WDW on the college program. While I was there I met dh and never went back to college. That is why I am in college now. Finally finishing my degree. Working there was an amazing experience and dh and I have decided we are going back to work there sometime after our kids are grown up.


I have a question for everyone that has done a Disney cruise before. When we went on RCCL we paid for our excursions ahead of time when we signed up for them. Does Disney have you pay ahead for the excursions or do you pay once you are on the ship? I was just wondering because I am planning our budget. Thanks for any info.

Angie

 

[Diana Lyn]

I have a question for everyone that has done a Disney cruise before. When we went on RCCL we paid for our excursions ahead of time when we signed up for them. Does Disney have you pay ahead for the excursions or do you pay once you are on the ship? I was just wondering because I am planning our budget. Thanks for any info.

Angie

I believe, even though you book ahead, you don't actually get charged until you get onboard. They just appear on your stateroom account.

 

[ShannonR]

Hi everybody! I see no one has posted in a while so I just had to drop a line and see how everyone was doing!

Today is a nostalgic day for us: 1 year ago today, we were sailing off on the Disney Magic! I can't believe that a year has already passed by.

Is the weather starting to warm for all you northener's? I sure hope so! It's miserable to be so cold! When does spring break start for everyone? Our's is 3/17 to 3/25 (because of Easter).

9 months a counting, people!!!! I was looking back in my Disney travel journal (I have kept a writing journal of every Disney trip we have ever made) and by 9 months out on our last cruise we were already ordering clothes off Disneyshopping.com. Talk about OCD and over zealous people, right?

Basketball is officially over and Mitchell's team placed 3rd in the league. We would have done better if our star player hadn't has his arm dislocate two weeks ago. He's doing so much better and will be up and raring to go by summer league time!!!

I hope everyone is doing well!
Shannon

 

[pogopossum]

howdy shannon and everybody else,

i know it is going to be real tropical for ya'll in the valley this week, we are headed for 80 degrees and beyond by the weekend. woo hoo, after snow and ice and hail last week i can't wait.

i'll have to start checking disney.com and disneystore for the latest tropical wear for the family so that we have our matching outfits for family cruise photo.

i also need to restock the pirate gear for pirate night, wondering what special christmas dinner will replace on this cruise, if it was international night that would be ok with me.

ds is getting ready to start soccer this week, if the fields dry out, games start after easter, so they hope to get in two practices before then. it's our church's version of the upward program, so it's a good way for him to learn the game. last year he played tee ball, but he wanted to go back to soccer this year. hopefully he'll score a goal this year.

 

[Diana Lyn]

ds is getting ready to start soccer this week, if the fields dry out, games start after easter, so they hope to get in two practices before then. it's our church's version of the upward program, so it's a good way for him to learn the game. last year he played tee ball, but he wanted to go back to soccer this year. hopefully he'll score a goal this year.

We do Upward Soccer too. We're practicing thursday for the first time. We just finished up the Cheerleading, I was the coach and it was a lot of fun. Someone how I swindled into being a coach for soccer, 10 4 year olds---what in the world was I thinking!!!