March 10, 2012 - Eastern on the Magic

[papertraveller]

I seem to recall that last year I meant to book at around midnight, but couldn't stay awake! Ended up online at around 9 a.m. on the Sunday morning, and managed to get the Palo reservation. Let's see if I can stay awake this year!

But like some of you, I'm still stuck on the port excursions. What we'd really like to find is a beach where they have the tethered inflatable structures offshore. There were some on the beach at Cozumel last year, and I swear DD only set foot on shore when she got off the boat, and later when she was reluctantly dragged back on!

That means we're looking at Magens Bay and Orient Bay -- but I haven't seen anything that tells me if those "toys" even exist there. Do you know?

 

[son3disfan]

Hope everyone gets what they want tonight (for bookings!)



Good luck!



3 MONTHS!!!!! WOOHOO!

 

[3Goofy's]

Just a few more minutes to go!! Getting tired...

 

[son3disfan]

Any luck?

I got everything I wanted except the CABANA.
All gone. Oh well, DH thought it was too expensive anyway......

I will keep trying though.

 

[DundasDad]

Got our Palo bookings! That's all we wanted this time around.

 

[son3disfan]

Got our Palo bookings! That's all we wanted this time around.

 

[Starseeker1221]

Got our Palo bookings! That's all we wanted this time around.

So did we!!

We also got the excursions we were looking for... now we just have to hope we picked the right ones!

 

[son3disfan]

Palo ressies are a must for us!

Especially Brunch! We got all the times we were hoping for too.

And an early check in time too. Hoping to upgrade at the port. There seems to be some Cat.'s still available.......hoping our ship won't be sold out!

 

[3Goofy's]

We got everything we wanted too! Palo brunch and dinner, the 12m regatta in St Maarten and Turtle cove + Honeymoon Beach in St Thomas!
For now we even booked the exotic rasul, but we'll see about that one. Salts, massage and steam sound nice. Nothing too outrageous for us!!

 

[papertraveller]

Wow, I'm impressed. Not only were you guys all up at midnight making the bookings, but you were awake enough to come on here too!

I woke up at 12:16 a.m. and figured I'd creep downstairs to make the bookings ... got Palo, two excursions (Orient Beach, Magens Bay) and a spa date. What really surprised me is that at that hour, some excursions were already booked up!

I'm giving the St. Maarten beach bash serious second thoughts -- it doesn't leave until 1:30 p.m. that day, which is rather late. I'm thinking we should just hop a taxi first thing in the morning and go to Orient Beach on our own, and then head back to the ship at around 2 or so. I think it would be a bit more relaxing than arriving in the afternoon, and then worrying (as we would do) about making it back to the ship on time.

 

[3Goofy's]

I'm giving the St. Maarten beach bash serious second thoughts -- it doesn't leave until 1:30 p.m. that day, which is rather late. I'm thinking we should just hop a taxi first thing in the morning and go to Orient Beach on our own, and then head back to the ship at around 2 or so. I think it would be a bit more relaxing than arriving in the afternoon, and then worrying (as we would do) about making it back to the ship on time.

Wow, I'm surprised some excursions were already booked! Was there something you wanted but didn't get?

I agree that a departure of 1:30 sounds too late. Orient can be quite busy, so it would make sense to get there before the crowds.

It's great getting the bookings out of the way, isn't it?

 

[son3disfan]

I agree! I am so happy to have all the bookings done.

I do recommend that you reserve an excursion, if you are still deciding. You can cancel up to 3 days before the sail date if you change your mind.
They do fill up fairly quickly during March break. And remember how many ships are in port! I love to venture out on our own, but with the early departure from St. Thomas, ( 3 pm I believe) I just feel more comfortable booking through Disney.
We had a very close call in Cabo. We were on the last tender boat . Just made it back from a private excursion. We almost missed the tender. They did leave a man behind! He actually got on the tender boat with his young wife and baby, then for some strange reason, jumped back on to the dock, saying " i just have to find my parents." The Disney staff ( who were now on the tender boat with us as this was the last tender...) yelled " we need to leave! Please return to the boat!" He ran through the terminal, and the boat pulled away. The woman was screaming. It was just awful! When we boarded the ship she had No ID. At the security check area, they scurried her away behind the curtain / private area.
It was a terrible thing to witness, and I don't know what happened to them.
But it was a good lesson.....if you were wondering if the tender boats wait....THEY DO NOT.


We booked the Dubloon snorkel. Hoping for good weather!

 

[papertraveller]

Wow, I'm surprised some excursions were already booked! Was there something you wanted but didn't get?

I agree that a departure of 1:30 sounds too late. Orient can be quite busy, so it would make sense to get there before the crowds.

It's great getting the bookings out of the way, isn't it?

I got everything we wanted, which was great. The excursions that were already gone were along the lines of city tours ... still a bit of a surprise.

And as to St. Maarten, I've spent so much time fretting about this I can't believe it! I do think I'll cancel the excursion. That time is just too late -- I know DD wouldn't do anything without constantly asking us to check the time. She is always very concerned about getting back on the ship in time. And we've never cut it anywhere near as close at the family described above! Ouch.

A colleague was just on St. Maarten on Saturday, and he said it was moderately busy at Orient Bay. They walked off their cruise ship (Princess) and grabbed a taxi for $6 a person. They just found a spot to lay their towels on the beach and enjoyed some great weather.

 

[3Goofy's]

I got everything we wanted, which was great. The excursions that were already gone were along the lines of city tours ... still a bit of a surprise.

And as to St. Maarten, I've spent so much time fretting about this I can't believe it! I do think I'll cancel the excursion. That time is just too late -- I know DD wouldn't do anything without constantly asking us to check the time. She is always very concerned about getting back on the ship in time. And we've never cut it anywhere near as close at the family described above! Ouch.

A colleague was just on St. Maarten on Saturday, and he said it was moderately busy at Orient Bay. They walked off their cruise ship (Princess) and grabbed a taxi for $6 a person. They just found a spot to lay their towels on the beach and enjoyed some great weather.

Now, if you do an excursion through Disney, you are guaranteed that the ship won't leave without you, right? Maybe that would give you extra reassurance? But it isn't an early start, for sure.

We are doing the 12m Regatta and will be done by 11:30. I want to find a beach to go to afterwards, but I too am worried about cutting it too short getting back onboard. That story up above is horrific! A very, very awful thing to experience, personally or as a bystander.

Any idea what time we should leave the beaches, say by Orient, in order to get back to the ship, with an hour or so leeway? I do worry about all the traffic with so many ships in port.

 

[Polarone]

Got a Palo brunch, a spa treatment for my DW and the Doubloon Snorkel excursion - everything I was hoping for!


88 days to go - Can't wait!!!

 

[papertraveller]

For everyone in the Fish Extender group, I will be starting a spreadsheet with names, ages of kids, and stateroom numbers (if you know them). I will work to have a first draft ready by mid-January.

Please PM me with your info, and I will email the draft to everyone.

I am proposing a 30-day cut-off for joining the group, which would make the deadline Feb. 10, 2012. Does everyone concur?

Happy last week before Christmas! DH has taken DD out to skate this afternoon. The ice on the outdoor rink is actually pretty good, given the mild weather we've had so far this winter! I'm still thinking warm weather thoughts, though!

 

[papertraveller]

Hi everyone,
Please include your email address when you PM me with your info. I will not be sharing it with anyone, unless I have your permission. Otherwise, the entire mailout will be bcc.

Also, if you wish, I will include hometowns for those who volunteer -- just in case someone knows a cousin-in-law's former colleague's niece who once went to college in your town! A talking point for the DISmeet before we sail away.

Cheers

 

[sgpmaxx66]

For everyone in the Fish Extender group, I will be starting a spreadsheet with names, ages of kids, and stateroom numbers (if you know them). I will work to have a first draft ready by mid-January.

Please PM me with your info, and I will email the draft to everyone.

I am proposing a 30-day cut-off for joining the group, which would make the deadline Feb. 10, 2012. Does everyone concur?

Happy last week before Christmas! DH has taken DD out to skate this afternoon. The ice on the outdoor rink is actually pretty good, given the mild weather we've had so far this winter! I'm still thinking warm weather thoughts, though!

This is a dumb question but since I don't mind embarrasing myself, I'm going to ask it. This is my first time participating in a fish extender group. Do we give out gifts to every participant each night of the cruise or is each family/participant assigned a specific day to give out gifts?

 

[MammaC]

I will send you a PM as soon as I get my post count up... Turns out you have to have posted more than 10 times to send a PM.

 

[papertraveller]

This is a dumb question but since I don't mind embarrasing myself, I'm going to ask it. This is my first time participating in a fish extender group. Do we give out gifts to every participant each night of the cruise or is each family/participant assigned a specific day to give out gifts?

Not embarrassing at all! You can prepare a gift for the whole stateroom, or for individuals in the stateroom (your choice!) and just one night. You can deliver when you wish! We try to do it early in the cruise, all the better to clear out the stuff from our room! Gives us a great tour of the ship.

I will send you a PM as soon as I get my post count up... Turns out you have to have posted more than 10 times to send a PM.

Sure thing. We're in for a green Christmas! How about you?