Magical Double Dip Cruise - Aug 19-26, 2006 - LONG!!!

[O'BWV]

Hi Jen!

I am really enjoying reliving our cruise through your report! Great job!

Thanks,
Mary Rose

 

[bahogg]

We are going on the 9/16 double dip and I was wondering if there was a movie in the Walt Disney Theatre, what is was and what day was it on?

Thanks,

Brian

 

[PoohJen]

Hi MR! I can't believe two years of planning were over in a flash!

Brian, on Pirate Nite (Day 5 Cozumel, I believe) they showed Cars. Several times during the week they also showed Pirates of the Caribbean II in that theater (morning of Day 3 and late at night at other times; I'll check my Navigators tonite).

 

[Dsnylndlvrs]

Hi Jen,
Still enjoying your trip report.
We did go to the magic/ventriloquism workshop that you missed. Here's some feedback you can pass onto your twins: The whole things was more of a sales pitch than anything else. Although it was entertaining, there really wasn't anything taught. Most of it went along the lines of: have a child come up and be on the receiving end of a trick and then Michael Harrison saying if you want to buy that trick and learn how it's done, you can buy it at the end of the presentation. Same thing with the ventriloquism, these are the letters that are easier to make, say them with me. These are the letters that are really hard to make, you can buy my DVD if you want to learn how to do those.
Kris

 

[curlybop]

Still loving the report!

Where in Virginia are you? We're at the southwestern edge, near the NC line.

 

[PoohJen]

Kris:

Curlybop, we're in Va Beach, right near the NC line too!

 

[PoohJen]

Day 4 Costa Maya

Day 4?!! Wow, time seems to be flying all of a sudden. Must…slow…down…this…vacation. Today we docked in Costa Maya. We had no excursions planned for today, as we wanted to take in the ship’s offerings. I would have enjoyed the ruins tour, but the long long bus ride to and from really didn’t appeal to me.

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast outside at Topsiders. The twins were really enjoying the Lab this week, and asked to go every time we had a free moment. They checked in after breakfast, and Mom, Dad, DH and DS13 decided to check out the little port at Costa Maya. If you aren’t familiar with this port, the ship docks at a long pier, at the end of which is a self-contained outdoor “mall”, with a restaurant and wading pool. The ship is just a few hundred yards away.
Here's a picture of the Magic taken from the tower in the middle of the outdoor mall.

We were the only ship in town. If you don’t wish to take the long walk down the pier, there is a free tram. There is certainly life beyond the mall, but it seems you really need to take a cab to any destination.

As you walk down the pier, and in Cozumel as well, you are aware of the armed soldiers milling about. I even noticed some posing with tourists. At the entrance to the mall there were people in Aztec (Mayan?) costumes also available for posing.

The Magic docked at Costa Maya

I was concerned about going through the mall/market, recalling the stories on the Dis about constant hounding by sellers. Happily, I really didn’t experience that at all. We browsed all the shops; DH and I enjoyed some free tequila samples at the tequilaria; apparently after we tipped the salesman (and I then moved on), did he bring out the good stuff for DH! I priced vanilla, which came in various sized bottles, but as I hadn’t “researched” the buying of vanilla in Mexico, I decided against it. (First off, I noticed “water” and corn syrup were part of the ingredients. I didn’t realize until I checked at home that “pure” vanilla extract does indeed contain these ingredients!).

When planning the trip, I was very concerned that Mexico in August would be too hot for my family to enjoy (I don’t mind the heat!), but it was actually nice. Most of the days, like today, were overcast, with some rain which always passed quickly. I don’t know the temperatures, but no one complained about the heat. It did get noticeably warmer with each day, and CC on Friday was quite hot.

At the mall there is a large fountain area where people actually swim; it getsa bit deeper near the beach/mall-side restaurant. I think the “pool” is affiliated with the restaurant. There were lounges all around. The restaurant had lounges and another pool on the beach, as well as beach volleyball.

DH, DS and I climbed the stairs of a small tower; beautiful views from there.

A pleasant outing for us all. I don’t pretend to have gotten ANY culture out of this stop, but we enjoyed our day.

We checked on the twins, but their schedule at the Lab was full for the afternoon! We ran into them doing an “ABC Scavenger Hunt” with a CM around the ship; this involved taking digital pictures of items beginning w/ each letter of the alphabet. When I found them, they had just taken a picture of their group in front of “E” – Elevator. Later they did a trivia show in Studio Sea, and had a Pinata Party – they were having a blast this trip!

I had saved all my summer movies for viewing on the ship. Today’s offerings were Eight Below and The Wild and The Shaggy Dog. Alas, I saw none of them! I just couldn’t bring myself to spend my precious cruise time inside the movie theatre. Doh! Instead, this afternoon I did find my way to the gym and put in a brief workout on the machines. There weren’t many people in there at all that afternoon. Afterward, I enjoyed a nice hot shower in the spa locker room.

The Castaway Club reception was held down in Rockin Bar D at about 5pm. Very informal, all the officers on hand, free drinks and a nice appetizer spread. Yummy coconut shrimp. Very crowded! I believe the majority of cruisers onboard were CC members!

Dinner tonight was “Master Chef” menu in Animator’s Palate. Our friends did not show up for dinner again! Our server was disappointed, as he planned to surprise DF with a fruit platter (she had been ordering fruit each night, and was disappointed in the papaya). They had done the long Chacchoben Mayan Ruins tour and gotten back late. He said he would send the platter to their room, but DS13 volunteered to run it up. He found them and persuaded them to join us for dessert. I’m pleased to report that they really enjoyed the ruins tour and found it very worthwhile.

I should report that DDad took the cue from my kids and started ordering Mickey bars for dessert every night! Our server was great about always bringing extra dishes for us all to try. We were really so stuffed every day that we would barely take a taste of those dishes; I really hate wasting food though. I did make sure, however, to finish every extra dessert he placed on the table…

Twice Charmed was tonight’s show; new for us! A great production, of course, but…I had more fun with Hercules! Nonetheless, between Twice Charmed (a spin on Cindarella) and the Cinderella cartoon playing all week on the cabin tv, I had Cinderella songs bippity-boppity-booing in my head for the next two weeks!

We took in Mickey Mania at Studio Sea after the show. DSs jumped and cheered to be selected, but not this time. We all still enjoyed this trivia show, and it goes by quickly. Okay, the trip seemed to be going along nicely thus far….but now it is more than half over! Yikes, the cruise is slipping by so fast…

 

[faireygod mother]

Great report so far. I look forward to reading more.

 

[jcchicago]

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Poohjen,

You're killing me with these pictures. I miss our cruise so much.

The weather at CM was so changeable. It was cloudy early on with the seas a bit rough. But it cleared up later and we ended up with our worst sun burn of the week. Then it started raining again in the afternoon.

But I'm glad it wasn't overly hot.

I've never made a Castaway Cay reception, always was doing something else, but always wanted to go. But hearing that it was crowded in Rocking Bar D made me feel better.

Costa Maya turned out to be our surprise hit of the trip. We definitely want to go back and rent waverunners and check out the reefs off Majahual.

 

[PoohJen]

Hi S&S,
Yes, the CC reception was held from 5-6 and was crowded; standing room only. I recommend getting there early or maybe after the early dinner folks leave (assuming they are cleaning up and restocking the appetizer buffet through the hour). I think it is a great idea, but as soooo many are repeat cruisers, it's too crowded to really just mingle and chat with fellow cruisers.

You can see how dark the CM pics were (due in part bc I think I had my polarizer on, but mostly due to the overcast conditions); the 2d pic was artificially lightened.

CM was a day off for us, but I do feel a little guilty for not taking advantage of all it had to offer! hmmm, reason #143 to go back again...

 

[PoohJen]

Day 5 – Cozumel and Pirate Night!

Today would be jam-packed with fun! We started out meeting our Fury Catamaran snorkel group at 8:45 in Rockin’ Bar D. Pikey guided the check in process, where everyone was provided towels for the excursion. While he was giving his speech, Pikey joked that if you see a shark on this excursion, don’t panic. You’ll know if the shark is in a bad mood, b/c you’ll hear…and he played the warning music from Jaws. But if the shark is in a good mood, you’ll hear…and before he could play his joke song, the “When You Wish Upon A Star” music came on for Cruise Director Andy’s morning announcement. Perfect timing; so funny!

We all boarded the tender over to the pier. The tender is simply a two-level ferry with bench seating. Cozumel suffered a lot of hurricane damage in Wilma last year, and is still rebuilding. There were so many Disney cruisers taking this excursion that they boarded us on two catamarans. SeaSpray stood to the side and invited all Dis’ers getting off the tender to group together if they wanted to be on the same catamaran; great idea, Terry!

In order to move this trip report along, here’s my cut’n’paste from a prior post, regarding the Fury Cat trip on Cozumel:
Overall, we had a great time. The trip was well run, and fun, but here's a few thing to know:

1. I had read lots of reviews, and knew to set low expectations for the snorkeling. I must say, I was still underwhelmed by the snorkeling. The catamaran docked not 50 yards from a graffiti-strewn breaker wall; I expected that we'd be well offshore somewhere. The equipment was old and worn, but it did work fine (and in the end, we didn't snorkel that much, so it beat hauling my own gear around with me). The water was murky. There were fish to be seen, but don't expect a tropical aquarium. There were at least 3 Fury Cats anchored where we snorkeled (one was from a Carnival cruise docked nearby). Each Cat group had its own little area so snorkel around in. That’s not unusual with snorkeling excursions.

While I was underwhelmed w/ the snorkeling, my kids 9 yo twins and mom were having a blast, swimming here and there, chasing after the fish! My 13 yo snorkeled a little, but wasn't too into that part.

2. We began to get stung a bit (itty bitty jellyfish?), but I found if we just swam out of the area where the stinging occurred, it stopped. Something bit DH on the butt; 2 weeks later, he still had the mark. (No big deal, and can certainly happen on ANY snorkeling/swimming outing).

3. Snorkeling was about 45 minutes (really, it didn't need to be longer than that). You could walk off a ramp right into the water to snorkel, or jump over the side. After snorkeling, you could hose off on the boat w/ fresh water. Sodas, water, beer and margaritas were served for the sail over to the beach, music playing, everyone in good spirits.

4. At the beach, there were PLENTY of rafts and kayaks to go around. There are mini-excursions you can walk up and do at that beach (horseback riding, jetski, parasailing) for added fee. The parasailng was cheaper than CC I think, but I'd be careful to make sure the timing worked out w/ the return time for the Fury. There was beach volleyball for anyone interested. DH and DS13 rented a jetski for $40 for 30 minutes (that is pretty typical; I think the guy said 20 minutes, but gave them 30); they had a blast! The twins just loved playing on the rafts and picking up shells and coral (all were left where found). Mom and I took turns kayaking; be careful not to go out too far!

5. We had an hour and 10 minutes on the beach (a rain storm came thru and quickly left, didn't stop the party). We didn't get the available barbque ($8 pp). We snacked briefly on some cookies we had brought w/ us from the ship (pack ziplock bags! ) On the ride back, more beverages and music; lots of people - especially the kids! - enjoyed line dancing on the deck. It was fun watching the kids have fun!

Bottom line, an experienced snorkeler would be disappointed in the snorkeling, but my younger kids and mom really enjoyed it. DH felt the excursion was well run, and was impressed with the friendliness of the crew. At the end of the day, we all (adults and kids) had a lot of fun, which made the excursion well worth it!

Btw, I had checked Fury's website to see if cheaper to book by yourself, and that didn't seem to be an option. It worked out just fine w/ DCL, Fury was right there waiting for us at the tender dock.

We got back to the pier around 2; DH took the kids back to the ship to clean up and find DDad, while Mom and I did a little souvenir shopping near the pier. We even ventured a few blocks, but it was all your standard city shops. It began to pour as we head back to the pier. We got on a tender that looked almost full, but we still sat there for at least 20 minutes it seemed. So, if you HAVE to be somewhere at a specific time, be careful to factor in tendering.

I changed and head for the gym once again to shower. I was so icky sticky, and the water pressure in there is GREAT! Um, I mean, it stinks. Never, ever, ever go in there. Tell all your cruising friends to avoid showering there… And don’t think of drying off and relaxing in the sauna either!

Here we go, time for Pirate Nite!!! We didn’t have much in the way of costumes, but were all in a festive mood getting ready for dinner. One twin had a sword/parrot/eye patch set he got at Blizzard Beach. I had bright yellow pants and a white linen shirt over a tshirt, tied with a colorful sash. Mom used a colorful sash too. DH had a striped shirt and the rest of our party decked out in tropical shirts. And we all sported the pirate bandanas they gave us at dinner.

Now, because I kept the souvenir treasure map menu, I can tell you all the sumptuous treats we had at dinner….I started with the chilled Honeydew Melon and Mango Soup and was pleased to see they still served my favorite appetizer: fresh pineapple with a coconut-covered banana and orange glaze. Yum! DH13 enjoyed that too. Mom tried the jerk chicken salad (spicy!) and Dad enjoyed the crab cakes. I enjoyed the Beef Tenderloin…or maybe it was the Smoked Pork Shank…it’s killing me to read this menu over – I’m salivating!!! I’m fairly sure I had at least a taste of every dessert = white chocolate cheesecake with macadamia crust…tropical fruit and berries on meringue with vanilla sauce…banana with caramel rum sauce and vanilla ice cream… and several other offerings… I think I skipped the triple decked chocolate cake, because I had to save some room for the Pirate Night buffet later…

The festivities started in the dining room with the servers all leading a pirate parade, all decked out in their pirate garb. My kids and I joined the parade as it came by, and we all went under the limbo stick. Everyone left in great spirits, and we had fun walking through the atrium watching all the guests and characters dressed in pirate costumes.

Tonight we watched Cars (yes, I forbade my children from seeing it in the movies this summer, so we could see it for “free” on the Magic! ). Cute, but my favorite part was as the credits ran, and the old sarge was running an SUV boot camp…whined the Hummer sheepishly, “But I’ve never been offroad before!”

FINALLY! Time for “Pirates In the Caribbean” Deck Party! More music, dancing and characters up by the Goofy pool. Very festive. Mickey comes to save the day and the fireworks go off – Hooray! How cool is that, to be sailing on the Magic in tropical waters, watching fireworks!

My twins preferred to watch the party from the sidelines, and this had us at the front of the line for the dessert buffet. There was also a dinner buffet, but we were just too stuffed, and it was so close to bed time.

We each took a little plate of dessert back to the room and the twins got ready for bed. Last time we sailed we missed most of the deck party, as we were so tired. I was glad we rested a bit this afternoon and that the kids were old enough now to stay out later and enjoy it! It helps to remember you can’t do everything, and to plan ahead for the activities you know you want to do! And tomorrow, another day at sea, a chance to sleep in!

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Jen,

Us DISers that went on Eagle Ray Diver's snorkeling trip sailed 90 minutes to some of Cozumel's best reefs and we still didn't see that many fish.

It was neat to see sea turtles and other tropical fish but I think its going to be several years for the fish to repopulate.

I think my kids enjoyed snorkeling in the deep waters and being able to dive down to swim with the fish. We adults tried doing it and found the pressure on our ears to be too great.

Oh I am glad I missed the Castaway Club reception. Standing room only doesn't appeal to me. I don't know why DCL doesn't have two Cataway Club meets during the week. I'll know for next time to show up at the end.

Great trip report.

 

[PoohJen]

Wow - I never did finish my Trip Report - sacrilege! Well, let me just right that wrong right now! As I'm preparing for our next Magical cruise in August, it is so much fun to go back and re-read my old trip reports - a wonderful journal of sorts!

So....the next day was a sea day...more sun, fun and food! I expect Disney Dreams was the evening's show, which DMom thoroughly enjoyed!

I still revisit all the pictures I took on that wonderful vacation, that I do recall alot of the details from Friday, the second stop at Castaway Cay. This day the weather was much more cooperative than the first stop earlier in the week. DMom and DS9 went parasailing - tandem - while I ran back to the ship to catch them on camera.

Mom and DS loved their ride!

It was a hot, hot day on Castaway Cay! I finally got a chance to check out Serenity Bay with Mom and Dad - I hadn't been there before on my two prior stops at CC! It was fairly empty! They were just setting up lunch when we got there - we walked it to take in the scenery - a little hike (we took the tram back!). DDad enjoyed the steak and...I'm fairly certain...lobster (or maybe lobster burgers?). We enjoyed the quiet and, truly, the serenity of the area.

Later, back at the main beach, DMom's taste for thrill-seeking still hadn't been quenched! So we all took a ride on the banana boats! Quite fun, a little hard to hold onto!

Another perfect day on Castaway Cay! I would jump at the chance to do another double dip at Castaway Cay itinerary!

Ahhh, now that I think of it, I do remember a bit of unpleasantry as we stood in line to get back on the ship. A certain rock star was there with his family, standing in front of me as we waited to reboard. He wore his baseball cap backwards, which proudly proclaimed "F***!" and wore a t-shirt from a strip joint (use your imagination). It was so hot, and we were all standing there in bare feet as he flicked his cigarettes on the pavement around us. I do recall his wife/female companion, was a bit embarrassed by his F'em! attitude. Dude, you're on a Disney cruise. Yes, lots of families with children, lots of Disney fans. A little common respect, please.

Isn't the last day on the Magic hard? Packing up after dinner, you can't believe how quickly it's gone! Saying goodbye to the wonderful wait staff. Sniff! The kids enjoyed the last few hours in the Club/Stack. I was determined this cruise to go to the famous Pub Nite down at the night clubs. It was a fun romp led by Pikey and cruise staff. We gathered up the kids after that, as breakfast would come way too soon, and the long drive back to Virginia....

So, it only took me 2 1/2 years to finish that trip report! At least I finished it before my 2009 cruise!!! Maybe I should just call this a "pre-trip-report"? Stay tuned for August sailing to Tortola!!!

 

[caitlinsdad]

Better late than never , Yes the 2nd trip to CC was much better. My parasail was also cancelled on the first trip to cc. I went back on the ship and made a reservation for the 2nd stop. That day we did go up and it was great