March 29th, 2014 Fantasy Cruise

[swmal]

Hi there. A correction for us. Ds is 7 not 11! Thanks!

 

[klepton]

Gydell had moved her booking to a different cruise, so I'm not sure she's checking this thread anymore. I would just consider that list dead and we'll start a new one at some point.

Just as reminder to the new people, let me know if you'd like to be included in the FE group!

 

[agabean]

Hi I am not only brand new to DIS board but also to cruising. Never been on one and (I hope no one shoots me for saying this but) I never had a 'big' desire to do one. We did our first ever WDW vacation last year and it was THE most magical vacation of our lives. Since then our kids have been asking at least once a week "mommy? When are we going back to Disney Wahld again?". So, we decided to do what everyone has bragged about for years: Book a Disney Cruise! Reason for it being that I'll be turning the big 40 and my husband & I will also be celebrating our 10yr anniversary. SO... we decided to have our cake & eat it too!!!

it'll be me, DH, DS (4) and DD (7)...ages at cruise time. We're from Lexington KY and are already booked for cabin 5652. And Yes, please include us in the FE list. Sounds fun!!!

I'm totally new to the lingo so forgive me if I'm missing anything.

 

[jenTMV]

Hi I am not only brand new to DIS board but also to cruising. Never been on one and (I hope no one shoots me for saying this but) I never had a 'big' desire to do one. We did our first ever WDW vacation last year and it was THE most magical vacation of our lives. Since then our kids have been asking at least once a week "mommy? When are we going back to Disney Wahld again?". So, we decided to do what everyone has bragged about for years: Book a Disney Cruise! Reason for it being that I'll be turning the big 40 and my husband & I will also be celebrating our 10yr anniversary. SO... we decided to have our cake & eat it too!!!

it'll be me, DH, DS (4) and DD (7)...ages at cruise time. We're from Lexington KY and are already booked for cabin 5652. And Yes, please include us in the FE list. Sounds fun!!!

I'm totally new to the lingo so forgive me if I'm missing anything.

Hello and welcome to the group! I will share that I never had the desire to cruise either. Our first DCL experiences was a 4-night cruise because I thought that would be more then enough. Almost from the moment we got on the ship, I was hooked. We have now done longer cruises and love those even more because there is just so much to do, it is incredibly relaxing and Disney just knows how to do it right.

Sounds like you guys are going to be celebrating some great things onboard!

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I just had my TA book me this cruise tonight. The great TA that I have got me a corner room aft 8184!!! I am so excited! Looking forward to meeting everyone on this thread and the future planning! First cruise to the caribbean and on the Fantasy.

Hope & Marc (54,63)

 

[TeeVeeTD]

Welcome aboard. You will have a great time.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Hey fellow cruisers! I have been looking at excursions, both by Disney and private companies. What I am seeing is that Costa Maya looks like a "stay on the ship" port, Grand Cayman a possible city tour (adults only), and Cozumel a "Paradise Beach" day, taking a cab over.

Has anyone done any of these tours? Any other suggestions? A little info: we are not drink all day people. We don't snorkel. (Geese, I think we sound kind of boring! ) However, I do like bingo...

 

[klepton]

Hey fellow cruisers! I have been looking at excursions, both by Disney and private companies. What I am seeing is that Costa Maya looks like a "stay on the ship" port, Grand Cayman a possible city tour (adults only), and Cozumel a "Paradise Beach" day, taking a cab over.

Has anyone done any of these tours? Any other suggestions? A little info: we are not drink all day people. We don't snorkel. (Geese, I think we sound kind of boring! ) However, I do like bingo...

Obviously it's going to depend on everyone's personal tastes, but having been to all three places here's what I'd say:

Costa Maya - It has one of the most relaxed beaches I've ever been to. There are a number of places to rent kayaks, paddleboards, snorkel gear, etc. But I could spend the whole day, or even a whole week, just being a beach bum there. Very relaxed. Also, it's a very gradual entry into the water, and the reef protects pretty well so it's usually not very rough. This makes it great for young kids. Judging by your initial post it doesn't look like you have young kids, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. Costa Maya also has a very nice port facility with a huge pool and swim up bar. You could spend the day in port, but I'd definitely encourage you to get out and see the village of Mahahual (which is where the beach is, along with Malecon). It's only a $5 round trip cab fare, and well worth it to get out of the touristy port area and see the village.

Costa Maya also has some of the lesser known and less-excavated Mayan ruins, if you're in to that sort of history.

Grand Cayman - The biggest thing to know here is that most things will be much more expensive than other caribbean islands. The Cayman dollar is very strong against the US dollar right now, so there were some very surprised people getting the final bill at beach bars on our January cruise (hundreds of dollars). I know you said you don't snorkel, but I'd encourage you to do a sting ray encounter while in Grand Cayman, as that's a pretty cool experience. And of course, you could always visit Hell...

Cozumel - We've done Paradise Beach, which is nice and very fun for the kids. Without kids, I'd recommend you check out Chankannab as there's a little more to do there rather than just the beach/pool. Cozumel doesn't really have nice beaches that I've found, they're all a little on the rocky side.

Hope this gives you some more ideas...

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Thanks! Now I have too research that "C" word you mentioned. Would you recommend Disney for that excursion our a private company? I'll have to look at the beaches again at Costa Maya. Thanks for the heads up on the money at Grand Cayman.

 

[klepton]

Thanks! Now I have too research that "C" word you mentioned. Would you recommend Disney for that excursion our a private company? I'll have to look at the beaches again at Costa Maya. Thanks for the heads up on the money at Grand Cayman.

I'd definitely do Chankannab on my own. Taxis are very easy to come by in Cozumel, and it will be easy getting back too. Then you have the flexibility to stay as long as you want and aren't herded like animals like the ship excursions.

If you were doing the Mayan Ruins in Costa Maya, I'd probably go through DCL for those. They're a good driving distance away, and I'd want the assurance that I'll be back to the ship in time. If you're just going to the beach in Costa Maya, you can safely do that on your own.

Also thought I'd mention, DW and I did a cycle/kayak excursion in Costa Maya that was kind of interesting. We got to ride bikes from the port to the beach, all the way down the Malecon, and got to see the residential areas of Mahahual village. Then the glass-bottom kayaks gave a good view of the reef. That was with NCL, so not sure if Disney offers it, but it's a nice half day excursion.

Best of luck!

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I think we will do the Tropicante when in Costa Maya. Their website is very informative, http://www.sandalsandskis.com/Tropicante.html and one can reserve beach chairs through it.

I think now we will stay on the ship at Grand Cayman. Hopefully I can schedule that chocolate wrap session at the spa on that day and ride Aqua Duck with no lines

 

[jenTMV]

We loved the ruins in Costa Maya, but I agree that you really should do the Disney excursion if you do this. It is a long ways and a tight schedule. I wanted to be sure that we did not miss the ship. If we were ever to do it again, I would not do the walking tour with the guide that goes with....I would walk around on my own. Our guide was so boring and went so slow. We would have much rather walked around, explored a bit and then had more time in the water (the beach was incredible).

After surfing in Hawaii this week, I am going to be doing a bit of investigating to see if we can surf at any of the stops.

We also know that we are looking for a day sail experience. I don't want to get on a boat with hundreds of other people so we are looking for a more private experience.

Hard to say what we will end up booking though as we are in full savings mode...DD is applying to the University of Hawaii and if she goes there, next summer we will be going back to Hawaii for a couple of weeks.

 

[klepton]

I think we will do the Tropicante when in Costa Maya. Their website is very informative, http://www.sandalsandskis.com/Tropicante.html and one can reserve beach chairs through it.

I think now we will stay on the ship at Grand Cayman. Hopefully I can schedule that chocolate wrap session at the spa on that day and ride Aqua Duck with no lines

That's where we would have gone in Jan if our Costa Maya stop hadn't been cancelled... looks like a great place to spend the afternoon!

 

[klepton]

***FISH EXTENDER UPDATE***

After a few people were asking about it, I wanted to update everyone on where we stand with the FE group. Here is a list of everyone who is signed up:

https://skydrive.live.com/embed?cid...False&wdHideGridlines=True&wdHideHeaders=True

I took out all real names and email addresses. But please check to make sure your Disboard screenname is listed if you want to participate. As of right now, every family has two adults as well.

If you are not included, but want to be, please let me know ASAP either via FB private message (Nathan Pond) or Disboard private message (klepton). Include the following info:

Stateroom #
DisBoard Name
Family name (Last Name)
First Names
Ages of Children
Email address (if you want the list emailed to you)

As we get more families signed up, we'll talk about how to manage the groups for those who only want to be a part of a smaller group.

Any questions, let me know!

 

[jdemwe]

Hello everyone.

My family will also be on this sailing. It will be my wife and me; our daughter who will be 4 and our twins (one boy and one girl) who will be 2.

We have been on several cruises, Disney and others, and are really looking forward to being back on the Fantasy for a week. My wife and I just got off the Dream a couple weeks ago and already have withdrawals!

 

[FASKIRU]

My DW, DD, (then 4) DS, (then 20 months) and I will be coming over from Tasmania, Australia for this one!

Backing it up with a Oasis of the Seas Cruise on April 5.

Looking forward to a fantastic time!

 

[klepton]

Welcome to the new arrivals!

Nice to see some younger kids joining. Our DS will be 19 months when we sail.

FASKIRU - I've cruised with Aussies before... looking forward to it this time to! They were quite the party crowd...

 

[FASKIRU]

Welcome to the new arrivals!

Nice to see some younger kids joining. Our DS will be 19 months when we sail.

FASKIRU - I've cruised with Aussies before... looking forward to it this time to! They were quite the party crowd...

Yep! We love a party and snag on the barby! I'm also super excited for some great family time too!

Did you get my FB message regarding joining the FE group, we are looking forward to that too!

 

[gabellalex]

Hi!
We are excited to be cruising with everyone here! I've requested to join the Facebook page and would also like to join the FE list! I will pm person in charge next! We are 2nd time DCL cruisers... our 1st was to Alaska on the Wonder in 2012!

 

[gabellalex]

Oh! Should also mention that we are from the far northern burbs of Chicago!