March 15, 2015 MAGIC Cruise!! :)

[Madzac]

Thanks guys on your thoughts, much appreciated! Our trouble is we have kids in all age groups... youngest will be 3 almost 4 and then I will have a 7, 10 and 13 yr old. We really dont want to split up so I think we may lean towards stingray city.

Budamacdvcr- that picture looks just heavenly! Look how pretty the water is and the open air feel of that restaurant looks so lovely! Can we go today?
I was referring to the buffet cabanas that someone had mentioned, but I can only imagine how nice the CC ones much be.

The countdown on my phone says 358 days!!

 

[papertraveller]

Welcome all!

And I've got to say, that nice truly Caribbean shot of everyone at Rackem's was just what I needed today.

I've been reading some of the threads on excursion options, starting with Key West. I've got a stop at the Lilly Pulitzer store on my "Must Do" list!

Grand Cayman I'm thinking the stingray visit, since we'll have an eight-year-old with us.

Cozumel, still looking around!

 

[5Dreamers]

Great to see the thread is well on it's way!

We are booked on this cruise, but haven't told the kids yet.
We are waiting for the official school schedule to come out to be sure the kids will be on break. Probably won't tell the kids till after Christmas. We have been on one cruise, on the Fantasy, and just loved it.

I am not yet sure about participating in the FE. We did it on our last cruise and enjoyed it very much. However, there were over 100 people and it took more time/space than I had imagined. If the numbers are small, we will probably participate, but I will wait and see before I decide. I made our FE's (one for the 3 kids, one for DH and I) by attaching Disney pencil cases together, zipper upwards, and then attaching to a wooden rod at the top. Worked great!

This winter has been awful and I can't wait to be on a cruise again!

 

[Madzac]

Welcome 5Dreamers! I am hoping you will be able to stay with us!!! Will your DD be 13 or 14 when you would cruise? My oldest will be 13 and is desperately hoping to find a buddy!

I totally agree with you on the FE stuff. I am also hoping for a smaller group, or if it is large have the option to break it up. I cant imagine 100 cabins both in terms of space and time!

 

[papertraveller]

Welcome 5Dreamers! I totally agree with the sentiment of keeping the FE groups small. On our cruise this summer we capped each group at 12, and I found this soooo much more manageable. I'm embarrassed to say that I've almost finished my gifts already -- but it did inspire me to get a lot more creative! Let's see how the numbers go for this cruise, and we can decide in the fall just what kind of cap we want to put on the group.

We got an email today from DCL congratulating us on booking the cruise, and encouraging us to start planning. Only 11.5 months to go!

Oh, and anyone want to wager on just how long it takes my DB and DSIL to join in here? I sent them a long note last month with the subject line: How Crazy is Your Sister?

I'm also sending our niece a note each month from a different character, enclosing magnet that we picked up at Disney. There's Mickey's foot, his pants, ears, etc.

 

[5Dreamers]

Welcome 5Dreamers! I am hoping you will be able to stay with us!!! Will your DD be 13 or 14 when you would cruise? My oldest will be 13 and is desperately hoping to find a buddy!

I totally agree with you on the FE stuff. I am also hoping for a smaller group, or if it is large have the option to break it up. I cant imagine 100 cabins both in terms of space and time!

As long as the school break is as expected, we will be keeping this booking.

My kids all have their birthdays close together, oldest DD will have turned 14 just before the cruise, DS will be turning 11 during the cruise, and littlest DD is actually turning 7 in a few days and will still be 7 at the time of the cruise. I think DD14 will probably fit in at the Edge better than the Vibe; I just can't see her comfortable hanging out with 15-17 year olds who seem much more mature than she is right now. There is a definite chance they may become buddies.

 

[5Dreamers]

Welcome 5Dreamers! I totally agree with the sentiment of keeping the FE groups small. On our cruise this summer we capped each group at 12, and I found this soooo much more manageable. I'm embarrassed to say that I've almost finished my gifts already -- but it did inspire me to get a lot more creative! Let's see how the numbers go for this cruise, and we can decide in the fall just what kind of cap we want to put on the group.

We got an email today from DCL congratulating us on booking the cruise, and encouraging us to start planning. Only 11.5 months to go!

Oh, and anyone want to wager on just how long it takes my DB and DSIL to join in here? I sent them a long note last month with the subject line: How Crazy is Your Sister?

I'm also sending our niece a note each month from a different character, enclosing magnet that we picked up at Disney. There's Mickey's foot, his pants, ears, etc.

If the FE is broken into smaller groups, we will participate because it would make things manageable.

I am desperately trying not to start the planning till we know for sure (darn the school board for taking so long!), but I couldn't help myself today and checked out the Port Adventures!

 

[Madzac]

A cap at 12 sounds just perfect! That would totally be up my alley and much easier!

I love that you guys are starting some planning and dreaming too! I have researched excursions like crazy already! I think I look at something about this cruise every day just about. So excited! I will be glad when plane tickets are released so that can be booked. My family thinks I am crazy with all the planning ahead too, but they are always thankful for it when we do eventually travel. For me the plannng is a huge part of the fun of a trip.

Papertraveler, how cute what you are doing for your niece. Are your brother and SIL planners?

5Dreamers, you will have to keep me posted on your DD. Mine would be thrilled to find a buddy! She will turn 13 two days before we set sail. I bet you are going crazy waiting for the school schedule. I know I would be!

Are you guys planning to come down ahead of time or stay after the cruise at all? We will probably fly in day before and depending on how late either stay near the airport or the beach the night before. We will then stay one more night after the cruise and go visit my aunt that lives an hour north of the port. No WDW, just too expensive for a day for our bigger family

 

[Nike4000]

We were just at Stingray City a couple of weeks ago, can't recommend it enough. The boat ride out to the sandbar was extremely comfortable and they had steps down to the ocean floor. I will recommend saving the trip until kids are older, the water was pretty deep. Our visit was plagued by a great deal of wind, making for rough seas. Our 10 year old decided against getting in the rough water, but my 14yo thought it was amazing. The crew on the excursion was very knowledgeable about Stingrays and did a good job of teaching us about the beautiful creatures. Feeding the stingrays was a highlight of the trip.

Our prior cruise included a trip to the turtle farm. Kids absolutely loved it. We are considering it for 2015 trip. However, on this most recent cruise we heard that the high winds had shut down the turtle farm excursion. We didn't have any friends signed up for it, so we were never able to confirm.

Also, we were in a "last minute" FE group that had 12 total cabins, including ours. It was great - definitely did not feel overwhelming and we didn't need a separate suitcase for the awesome FE swag. For our next group, we will definitely request limiting it to about a dozen total cabins and create separate groups.

 

[papertraveller]

Consensus rules! FE groups of 12 cabins maximum, and we'll just keep creating as many groups as need be. I've updated the post on the first page.

Was the Stingray City excursion the Disney one? How long did it take and did you go anywhere else? Wondering also if there's any time to wander around in town.

 

[Nike4000]

Was the Stingray City excursion the Disney one? How long did it take and did you go anywhere else? Wondering also if there's any time to wander around in town.

For our Stingray City excursion, we booked via Disney online. We had about an hour or two to explore the city after the excursion. I'll have to confirm timing with my wife, but the bus ride to the boat was fairly short, maybe 10 minutes. Then a 45 minute boat ride to the sandbar. The ride out was occupied with instructions, gear, etc., so it flew by. Big plus was that the boat had 2 bathrooms that were fairly nice (for a boat). We were at the sandbar for a long time, to the point my wife and I were ready to go, which was when the crew announced it was time to load up for the return.

Also, if you have smaller kids and really want to see stingrays, look at the Castaway Cay stingray activity. There is a very nice viewing/interaction area that is in calm water! The water at Stingray City is somewhat deep, my 14-yo daughter had a tough time with it and she's over 5' tall. We did have rough seas, but I wouldn't want to be much shorter than that, even on a calm day.

For Cozumel, if you want a fun time and don't mind getting wet, check out the Twister Boat to Passion Island. We had a BLAST on the boat and then got to soak up the sun and relax on Passion Island. Google "Cozumel Twister Boat" to see the boat ride and why it's so fun. Passion Island was great, very relaxing. One of our favorite parts was that the Twister Boat left directly from the dock by the Ship - no long car ride around Cozumel to get to an excursion. We had a bad experience on a prior cruise - I DO NOT recommend the submarine tour of the reefs.

Consensus rules! FE groups of 12 cabins maximum, and we'll just keep creating as many groups as need be. I've updated the post on the first page.

The wife will be very, very happy!!!

 

[Nike4000]

From Stingray City:

From the Turtle Farm:

The kids loved picking up the turtles. Stingrays are intimidating and mysterious. We enjoyed both excursions immensely and are torn on which one to pick next year.

 

[Madzac]

Nike4000 thank you so much for the pictures and your comments. I had been leaning towards stingray city since we have both older and younger kids but with your discussion of the rough water, and thinking more, Im not sure it is the best idea for our three year old! I think we will do a dolphin/turtle farm thing instead. We have lots of disney reward dollars saved up so we will probably do our excursions through disney since it will be convenient and we can use our rewards.

Anyone with experience with the Cozumel beach break at Playa Mia or the stingray excurison at Castaway Cay? Our littlest couldnt do stingrays there but we could split up and take the older kiddos.

Cant we go tomorrow? I cant wait! 11 months seems so far away still.

Not sure anyone answered this question yet, but what are your plans pre/post cruise? Anyone decided yet? Ours will depend a little on air prices and what days are best to fly in/out.

 

[Nike4000]

Nike4000 thank you so much for the pictures and your comments.

You are welcome, I'm happy to help! My son was 9 in the turtle photo, the tanks are very shallow and easy to get in and out of.

FYI - the guy with the sunglasses in the stingray picture, sitting low in the water, gave an outstanding talk about Stingrays. He was extremely knowledgeable and made sure everyone was comfortable being around them.

Not sure anyone answered this question yet, but what are your plans pre/post cruise? Anyone decided yet? Ours will depend a little on air prices and what days are best to fly in/out.

We will likely fly in the night before, stay at or near the airport, then take the DCL Express to the Port. As for the return, we'll head right back to the airport. No WDW time for us!

 

[5Dreamers]

We will probably fly in on the Friday because I don't want to worry if flights get delayed due to weather. Probably stay at WDW, but not go into the parks, just hang out at the resort, Downtown Disney, and I'd really like to check out the Boardwalk area, I've only seen it from the boat that takes you from Epcot to Hollywood Studios.

Depending on the prices of airfare, we may fly back Monday. On our first cruise, tears were shed when we had to get off the boat, so staying in Florida the extra night afterwards really helped to ease us back to reality. (although it took about a week to get my 'land legs' back)

Nike4000 - Thanks for all the info. So many choices, it's hard to know what to pick, so hearing about your experiences helps.

 

[budamacdvcr]

Anyone with experience with the Cozumel beach break at Playa Mia or the stingray excurison at Castaway Cay? Our littlest couldnt do stingrays there but we could split up and take the older kiddos.

Cant we go tomorrow? I cant wait! 11 months seems so far away still.

Not sure anyone answered this question yet, but what are your plans pre/post cruise? Anyone decided yet? Ours will depend a little on air prices and what days are best to fly in/out.

We did Beach Break at Playa Mia, booked through DCL, last summer and enjoyed it. All inclusive, minimal bus ride to and from, clean, couple of different pools or sit on a nice sandy beach. Decent water slides and great bouncy stuff (climbing, slides, etc) in the ocean for the kids, life vests available and some kayaks to use. Food was buffet and good for a lunch including for younger ones. Mixed drinks and beer included as well. We found it to be a fun, relaxing, uncrowded day at beach with things to do for the kids. Let me know if any specific questions.

We will fly in Saturday before embarkation and will likely just stay at airport Hyatt and have a car service take us to the port. We have always flown in the day before embarkation as I just do not want to risk flight dealys. Car service for 4 is just a little more than DCL transportation plus it allows us to leave and arrive when we want. Plus, car service will make a 15 minute stop for us to pick up some adult beverages to bring on the ship rather than risking in luggage. We will then head back home Sunday 3/22. We did WDW a couple of weeks ago me, DW & DS, are going back along with DD the end of July and gonna do DL between Christmas and New Years so our "park fix" will be covered and we will be more than ready for a DIS cruise.

 

[Madzac]

We did Beach Break at Playa Mia, booked through DCL, last summer and enjoyed it. All inclusive, minimal bus ride to and from, clean, couple of different pools or sit on a nice sandy beach. Decent water slides and great bouncy stuff (climbing, slides, etc) in the ocean for the kids, life vests available and some kayaks to use. Food was buffet and good for a lunch including for younger ones. Mixed drinks and beer included as well. We found it to be a fun, relaxing, uncrowded day at beach with things to do for the kids. Let me know if any specific questions..

Thank you, that sounds great! Just what we are looking for!!

Sounds like several of us will be at or near the airport that Sat night

And 5Dreamers, we had massive tears last year too. My oldest DD who was 11 at the time just sobbed through the last evening! I am hoping with having a night in FL still and the beach that will help the shock of returning to the real world!

 

[budamacdvcr]

And 5Dreamers, we had massive tears last year too. My oldest DD who was 11 at the time just sobbed through the last evening! I am hoping with having a night in FL still and the beach that will help the shock of returning to the real world!

We have yet to concur the shock of returning to the real world after a DIS cruise. If any of you figure it out please let me know as I hate to cry in front of the kids.

 

[Madzac]

We have yet to concur the shock of returning to the real world after a DIS cruise. If any of you figure it out please let me know as I hate to cry in front of the kids.

It wont be me! I always cry at Wishes, at leaving the MK for the last time... and certainly the cruise. I get horrible PDD (post disney depression)!

 

[5Dreamers]

It wont be me! I always cry at Wishes, at leaving the MK for the last time... and certainly the cruise. I get horrible PDD (post disney depression)!

I have to say that I had the worst PDD after our cruise!

It was my DD who was 11 at the time that just cried the whole way off the ship and in the car till we got to the gates at WDW. It didn't hit me till we were home, and I had to cook, clean, work, etc. and get back to reality.
For some reason, the kids seem to get along with each other much better when we are on vacation.
We had no seasickness at all, but I had a hard time adjusting back to being on land. And I can't even swim!
I had the best sleep of my life on that cruise.

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that we will probably rent a car to drive to the port, just as we did last time. About 1-2 months before the cruise, we got a van for $40 US and a car back (that got upgraded to an SUV) for $70 US. The tolls were not very expensive, just a few dollars from what I remember. For a family of 5, we couldn't find anything cheaper. I check prices once a week. If I see anything good, I'll post here.

Hubby dropped the kids and I off with the luggage, we checked the luggage and then checked ourselves in while he returned the car and got the shuttle to the terminal. He then checked in and we boarded not long after.