MAGICal Time in Canada :)

[musicman85]

Just got back today from the Disney Magic cruise to Canada. Will have a full report coming soon, but a few little things first.

Embarkation: Arrived around 11:30 and didn't get on until about 1 -- we originally had a 2:30 arrival time.

Ship: The ship is in great shape and there were always crew working on it: painting, cleaning, power washing, etc.

Dining: Love the rotational dining, but we didn't like the dinner menu for Animator's so we ate in Topsider's which at night is a sit down and it just so happened to have the same menu as Lumierie's did the previous night which we really enjoyed.

Room: We had the verandah and it was a lot of room for three people. Love the half bathroom, made getting ready much more easier.

Activities: Did a lot of the ship: food class, origami, movies.

Ports: Loved the two cities of Halifax and Saint John's. We did the Peggy's Cove and Hop on and off Bus, and then St. Martin and the Bay of Fundy. Will explain later on about these -- there were some pro's and a lot of con's with these tours.

De-Embarkation: Had a late breakfast around 8:30 and got off the ship around 9:30. There was A LOT of walking from the ship to the actual car we drove in and a lot of chaos, but it wasn't anything that wasn't easily fixable.

Overall had a great time and am already missing the Magic as I type this at home, but the Disney music I'm listening to is helping

 

[lorimay]

Welcome back!

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.
Looking foward to your full report.

We head out on the last cruise north next month.

Can't wait to hear about your excursions.

 

[musicman85]

Leaving New York

The embarkation process started for us at 11:30 when we arrived to the cruise ship terminal from NJ. We arrived and were given a ticket we would hold on for as proof of payment. We were then told to pull up and have a dog sniff our car -- luckily we were OK, but I couldn't say the same for an elderly couple right behind us!!! They were asked to get out of their car and by that point, we were already on the elevator going into the cruise terminal.

Since we were DVC (Disney Vacation Club) members and second time cruisers we literally breezed through check-in and sat down and waited till boarding started. During this time some characters came out for photos and an hour later, the embarkation process began, we were group 32 so we had a LONG time to go. At about 1ish we were finally called and we walked up to the ship where they announce our names.

We were told that Parrot Cay was the only restaurant that wasn't a mob scene at the moment, (Parrot Cay AND Topsider's serve the same welcome lunch). We finished lunch around 2 and were told at 2:30 the rooms would be ready so we toured around the ship.

At 2:30 the ropes came down and we were ready for our room. We had the verandah and the room came with a full bed and a pull out couch bed. We then had the lifeboat drill which took about 35 minutes BUT we didn't have to even bring the life vests We had a 8:15 dinner so we would have gone to the early show, but decided to stay on deck and take pictures of NYC and stuff. We had dinner and then went to bed because by that point we were exhausted.

Sea Day 1 coming up tomorrow

 

[jilljill]

Not sure if you know the answer or not, but have the cabins not been opening up until 2:30 on the NYC cruises or was there a problem with the ship the morning you embarked that delayed things?

 

[ddixon1]

Our cabin was ready at 1:15 pm...

 

[FriscoTexasMom]

On our 8/5 sailing to Canada, our cabin was ready at 1:30.

 

[musicman85]

I put the wrong time, sorry

Yes, the cabins were open at 1:30 and not 2:30

 

[musicman85]

Sea Day 1

On our first sea day we decided to sleep in late and had the buffet breakfast at Topsiders. The menu is very good: fresh fruit, eggs, mickey waffles, pancakes, sausage, bacon, salmon lox, meat, cheeses. Then there would be special items each day like baked beans, tortilla breakfast sandwiches. There was also cereal, donuts, and muffins everyday.

After breakfast we went to a Disney Vacation Club Celebration and they gave us a free bag and portfolio with notepad and pen. We then went to make origami flowers with Di, she's really good at it and was great at explaining the steps to everyone.

We went to lunch at Topsiders and then we went back and did more origami, this time it was a paper frog and it was much harder then the origami flowers.

We also saw the show Twice Charmed which is a take off of Cinderella and the plot is about what happens if Cinderella didn't have a happily ever after ending, and the prince never found her? It was a really good show!

We went to bed pretty early because our excursion in Halifax left at 8:15!!

Halifax is Next

 

[musicman85]

Halifax

In Halifax we did the Peggy's Cove with the Hop On & Off Bus. We had a meeting time of 8:15 and around 8:30ish we were off the ship and ready to board the bus. The bus to Peggy's Cove was about 60 mins. long and the tour guide gave us an in depth history about Halifax and the Titanic and the explosion in the harbor in 1917.

When we got to Peggy's cove we had a good amount of time to look at the lighthouse, take pictures, and walk down the road into the town. It looks like a little quaint fishing village. I can't remember how much time we had, but it was enough that we weren't running all over to take pictures -- I wanna say about 45 minutes or maybe a little less. After that it was an hour back to the port for our hop on & off bus.

When we got back we had some lunch at Topsiders which has salads, sandwiches, soups, meat dishes, pasta. We left lunch around 1:30 and took the bus to the public gardens.

The thing about the bus is that there are 3 different routes -- Route A, Route B, and Route C, some of the routes have transfer points, but if they don't you have to ride the rest of the buses route until it gets back to the port. I thought this was a real time waster.

The gardens were in Route A and by the time we were finished we wanted to go to Route C and see the Citadel. We had to ride the rest of Route A which took a good 30 mins with traffic and by the time we got back it was 3:15. We didn't get to the Citadel until about 3:45ish and had to pay to get in. We literally ran around and took photos and read some of the history and by the time the bus came it was about 4:10 -- we were really cutting it close, but it only took us 5 mins. to get back to the port.

I thought Peggy's Cove was beautiful, but the bus ride was really long, especially for young kids. The hop on & hop off is a good excursion if you only pick that one.

I recommend for older teens and adults the Peggy's Cove and Hop on & Off Bus. For younger kids, stick to the Hop On & Off Bus, that way if the kids get tired, you can get right off and head back to the ship.

Saint John's Coming Up Next

 

[musicman85]

Saint John's

Saint John's is today, don't abbreviate Saint as St. because it isn't the same city as there is a St. John's in Newfoundland.

We did the Reversing Falls and St. Martin tour. We had a late tour which started at 10:15 so we got to sleep in. We got off the ship and then boarded the bus (the bus was not very cool throughout the entire day, and we had to keep asking the tour guide to make it cooler. I guess she wasn't hot in her period type dress and hat)

First stop was the Reversing Falls where we had 10 mins. to look at it. I thought it was really interesting but the falls itself are right by this paper mill which takes away from the atmosphere and the falls are behind people's houses too.

Next we had a 70 minute bus ride which took us to St. Martin. The ride was really long and I fell asleep for half of it. The tour guide did pass around some things for us to look at: photos and also we all got a sample of Dulse which is a seaweed. It's very salty and fishy, but I loved it. If you didn't want it, you could have a mint she gave as well.

The ride was foggy and by the time we got to St. Martin the fog wasn't as thick. We had about an hour to explore the Sea Caves and the beach and to have a fish chowder lunch which included biscuits, soda, and cookies. We ate for 15 mins. and had 45 mins. left to explore. Since there was high tide, the sea caves were under partially water and we could not explore them. However some people were swimming and or walking to the caves that weren't completely underwater and were only blocked by about 3 or 4 feet of water. Some people on the bus were upset and complained why have a tour if you can't explore the caves. Although the guidebook does say high tides may affect the tour, no one actually thought the entrance would be blocked.

After that we went into the small town of St. Martin and saw the two covered bridges, the only place in the world where you can photograph two covered bridges in the same picture. We had about 20 mins to take pictures.

After that it was back on the bus for the City Market. I thought this was a real waste of time going to the market as it was all fruit, cheese, meat, dairy, etc all products you can't bring on the ship and we had about 15 mins. We could of spent that time somewhere else.

After that we went back to the reversing falls because it was low tide and the reversing water was gone and it was a really strong stream now, you couldn't row boats anymore because the current was really strong.

We finally went back to the dock and had about 35 mins. left before we were expected back on the ship.

I thought the city was nice, but this tour had a lot of wasted time on the bus! The tour was from 10:15 to 3:45. I would not recommend this tour for young kids due to the almost 2.5 hours on the bus. I was disappointed the sea caves were blocked, but enjoyed the beach and the town.

Also, look for the wishing stones on the beach. They are rocks with a circle around the stone and I found 4.

 

[musicman85]

Disney Magic

Shops on Magic

Pulling out of NYC

Origami Flowers

Peggy's Cove

Lighthouse At Peggy's Cove

Peggy's Cove

Citadel

Clock Tower

Reversing Falls

Sea Caves

Two Covered Bridges

 

[ScooterL]

Thank you for the report - looking forward to the rest! We will be on the Canada cruise on September 12 so I'm trying to get ideas and recommendations for the ports.

 

[musicman85]

If anyone has any questions on the ports of anything, message me and I'll get back to you.

I had a really great time and am missing it SOOOO much -- it really like being away from reality and in a magical land.

I just have to report on the last sea day and embarkation and arrival back into NYC

 

[jonesm117]

Thanks for the report. We are leaving on 9/7 for the same cruise. Can't wait. Was there anything you thought you should have done in retrospect?

 

[musicman85]

In Halifax, I wish we would have done just Peggy's Cove and not the option with the Hop On & Hop Off included because it was a real time waster waiting to transfer back. With only about 3 hours left once we got back from the Peggy's Cove tour, we were really running all over the place and never got to fully experience anything from the Hop On & Off Bus.

Pick either tour, but don't do the one with both included.

Peggy's Cove is amazing and something everyone should see if you're into small fishing villages and that quint feel -- also great for photographers!

 

[BethC1952]

I have to agree about Peggy's Cove. I'm very fortunate that I'm getting a second chance to head there in two weeks. I spend so much time taking pictures of the lighthouse that I never got any pictures of the rest of the village!

I also liked the Dulse. I wonder if I can find some in one of the markets that I can bring back home with me?

Beth

 

[UVAWahoo]

Thank you for your post. Peggy's Cove at Halifax and the sea caves at Saint Martin are on my list to do, however, I have rented a car at Halifax and at Saint John for my family of 5 (much cheaper than the excursion). I know it is a long drive out there and I was wondering if you can tell me what sort of traffic you saw from the tour bus. Were there any areas of bad or questionable traffic at either port that would cause me to worry about getting back to port in time before the Disney Magic leaves? Thanks!

 

[katrinka]

Thank you all for the great information! We are going to be on the Canada cruise that leaves NYC 9/7. We're reluctant to book excursions due to cost and having young children who may not be so happy on the buses. I am not familiar with the Halifax and Saint John ports. Does anyone know if it's possible to easily get from the ports to any of the tourist areas? Walking? Public transport?

 

[jilljill]

Thank you all for the great information! We are going to be on the Canada cruise that leaves NYC 9/7. We're reluctant to book excursions due to cost and having young children who may not be so happy on the buses. I am not familiar with the Halifax and Saint John ports. Does anyone know if it's possible to easily get from the ports to any of the tourist areas? Walking? Public transport?

Have a look at this thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2757016 Tons of info on both ports. Many things are close to the port, within walking distance or a short cab ride away.

 

[tortoni]

thanks for the report. We leave on Sunday. Looking forward to your next installment.