May 9, 2012: 5 Night Bahamas Cruise on Disney Magic

[magicbegins]

TO: izmon_of_twins

Wishing you a very happy anniversary and many more years of happiness together!!!

Welcome aboard pixiemon712!!!

Have a nice week!!!

 

[PixieMom712]

Cindy, thanks for your quick response! I told my husband, "Cindy already replied! She is my hero. And he just looked at me. "Do you know this person? Is she on our cruise?" And so then I had to explain again about the Meet thread and he just laughed at me. He is not into online social networking.

I was talking about embarking and disembarking on port days, but you answered the question just the same. I've read up quite a bit on the actual embarking and disembarking at Port Canaveral.

We are visiting DH's dad and wife in Sarasota, FL for a few days on either end of the trip. Our plan is to rent a car there, drive it to PC, leave it at Budget and shuttle to the port. Then the reverse on the way home. It is about a 3 hour drive so we'll just drive down the morning of departure, though we do plan on getting the rental car the night before.

Does anyone know if there is anything to do/sightseeing other than the Kennedy Center in PC? We might take a few hours to look around after we get off the Magic.

In my intro I forgot a big detail! I am pregnant, and will be almost 21 weeks we leave port. We didn't even realize we were cutting it close with their 24 week cut off until we booked. Phew. But that means I should be pretty easy to spot (I'll post a pic tomorrow too) - I'll be the one with the bump!

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

TO: izmon_of_twins

Wishing you a very happy anniversary and many more years of happiness together!!!

Awe thanks

In my intro I forgot a big detail! I am pregnant, and will be almost 21 weeks we leave port. We didn't even realize we were cutting it close with their 24 week cut off until we booked. Phew. But that means I should be pretty easy to spot (I'll post a pic tomorrow too) - I'll be the one with the bump!

Congratulations on the baby

 

[iloverags2]

TO: izmon_of_twins
Wishing you a very happy anniversary and many more years of happiness together!!!

Christina, I didn't realize it's your anniversary...Happy Anniversary!!!

Cindy, thanks for your quick response! I told my husband, "Cindy already replied! She is my hero. And he just looked at me. "Do you know this person? Is she on our cruise?" And so then I had to explain again about the Meet thread and he just laughed at me. He is not into online social networking.

I was talking about embarking and disembarking on port days, but you answered the question just the same. I've read up quite a bit on the actual embarking and disembarking at Port Canaveral.

We are visiting DH's dad and wife in Sarasota, FL for a few days on either end of the trip. Our plan is to rent a car there, drive it to PC, leave it at Budget and shuttle to the port. Then the reverse on the way home. It is about a 3 hour drive so we'll just drive down the morning of departure, though we do plan on getting the rental car the night before.

Does anyone know if there is anything to do/sightseeing other than the Kennedy Center in PC? We might take a few hours to look around after we get off the Magic.

In my intro I forgot a big detail! I am pregnant, and will be almost 21 weeks we leave port. We didn't even realize we were cutting it close with their 24 week cut off until we booked. Phew. But that means I should be pretty easy to spot (I'll post a pic tomorrow too) - I'll be the one with the bump!

Tiffany, congratulations on your upcoming arrival! Very exciting!

Yeah, my hubby is the same - who are these people? Do we know them???

Other than KSC and the beach, there's not a whole lot to do in Port Canaveral, but KSC will eat a good chunk of your time (at least it does for us). Kids/teens always love to visit Ron Jon Surf Shop. There are also a couple of places to take an airboat ride...we used to love doing this back in our college days in the Everglades. Not sure how the area around PC would compare, but it's still a fun experience regardless!

 

[wildforgoofy]

Hi everyone!

We booked our first cruise a few days ago and I feel like I did everything backwards! We don't know anyone who cruises regularly, or who has ever done DCL, so we just picked the dates and itinerary we liked best and PIF. Now I feel like I am running to catch up with alllll the research and planning I probably should have done FIRST .

I finally discovered disboards a few days ago, and just finished reading through this whole thread. Though I was hesitant to post at first (because my DH isn't the most social with strangers) now I feel like I am getting to know you all and I want in!

So I'm Tiffany, age 31. I'll be cruising with my DH, 34 and my DS, 4 (he'll be just short of 5 when we cruise).

We are SO EXCITED and I am not sure what I'll do when I have devoured every bit of info the internet offers. I know a lot of people sail 'blind' and do just fine, but I feel like I have learned so much in the last few days. I am so glad to join you all and hope we all have a magical time! <3

Hi Tiffany! Welcome! Welcome!
We're first time cruisers too, and trust me any question you have you'll get it answered here. I just skip calling DCL anymore and go straight to Cindy!
Congratulations on your pregnancy! You'll need to get lots of relaxation on the cruise before your days are spent like this.....

I can't believe it is just over 9 weeks away!

I know!!! I'm so excited!!!

Christina Happy Anniversary a few days late. I hope you had a wonderful day.

 

[PixieMom712]

Thank you all for the welcome and congratulations! I am sure I will be wishing for a DOTD by the end of the cruise, but I keep telling my DH I will just eat more ice cream XD.

Congratulations on the anniversary, lzmom.

I am so glad I found this site. I am not sure how people do it otherwise!


Magicbeans, thanks for the trolley link (it won't let me quote you) Because we are a military family travelling with one child, booking this online saved us over $30! Plus we really want to use it as transportation around the island as much as for the tour.

So Key West:
We'll trolley around. We definitely want to get conch fritters and possibly do a little shopping at Mallory Square, but will probably do it at the end of the day.
Right now we're considering the aquarium, and we talked about the Shipwreck Museum but I think we are going to do the Pirate Museum in Nassau possibly instead. My DS is a huge pirate guy, but after reading some more on the Shipwreck Museum it doesn't look that great. I love Hemmingway and would like to go through the Hemmingway house but I know the boys would be bored to death so I will be satisfied with just taking pics.
Key lime pie! I gather there's a stop by Kermit's.
The southernmost point, though if the line for pics is outrageous we might just wave as we go by XD.
We'll probably ride the trolley through the whole tour just to get to see the island.
For those who have been, do you think we'll have time to do the aquarium and ride the 90 minute tour with a few stops? We're late seating but I am sure we'll want to be on the ship for the early show. It's hard to plan things, but we're pretty flexible and will probably just buy aquarium tickets there if we want to.

Nassau:
We talked about doing the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Experience. My DS loves animals and fish(underwater mammals) so much! But I worry that he's short enough that he'll have to be held and might freak out a little. Plus CC is a beach day and we'll visit the beach in Sarasota at least once on either end of the trip.
So instead we are planning to do the See and Sea Nassau tour with the underwater viewing boat, which means we won't have to walk to see the Fort or the Stairs. And then maybe a quick swing through the Straw Market. We aren't planning on staying on the island all day though - we'll probably head back to the boat early.

Castaway Cay:
I am sad that my DS is too young for the stingrays! We'll probably just take it easy most of the day. We may hook him up with the Oceaneer's Club and do some snorkeling though!

A few questions: Are there any sand toys? Buckets, pails, etc?
Is it ok to bring your own snorkeling equipment?

Those two things are making me consider shipping a box to the ship but now I need to find out how much that costs!

We aren't doing Palo this time around. We decided to have my FIL and his wife watch DS and go out for a date on land instead! We are planning to do dine and play though, assuming that's still available.

 

[Denine]

I am so out of the loop! I have not been able to get onto the boards lately. I finally am getting in today on AOL.

We changed our vacation a bit for May. We were only going to do the cruise, but now we are going to spend a couple days in Disney before the cruise. Yeah! Don't know where we are staying yet. We are staying by the port the night before though. We got a good deal. I just don't rmember the name of where we are staying. That is DH's department, to keep that stuff straight.

 

[iloverags2]

I just skip calling DCL anymore and go straight to Cindy!

OMG! The pressure!!!

Thank you all for the welcome and congratulations! I am sure I will be wishing for a DOTD by the end of the cruise, but I keep telling my DH I will just eat more ice cream XD.

Congratulations on the anniversary, lzmom.

I am so glad I found this site. I am not sure how people do it otherwise!


Magicbeans, thanks for the trolley link (it won't let me quote you) Because we are a military family travelling with one child, booking this online saved us over $30! Plus we really want to use it as transportation around the island as much as for the tour.

So Key West:
We'll trolley around. We definitely want to get conch fritters and possibly do a little shopping at Mallory Square, but will probably do it at the end of the day.
Right now we're considering the aquarium, and we talked about the Shipwreck Museum but I think we are going to do the Pirate Museum in Nassau possibly instead. My DS is a huge pirate guy, but after reading some more on the Shipwreck Museum it doesn't look that great. I love Hemmingway and would like to go through the Hemmingway house but I know the boys would be bored to death so I will be satisfied with just taking pics.
Key lime pie! I gather there's a stop by Kermit's.
The southernmost point, though if the line for pics is outrageous we might just wave as we go by XD.
We'll probably ride the trolley through the whole tour just to get to see the island.
For those who have been, do you think we'll have time to do the aquarium and ride the 90 minute tour with a few stops? We're late seating but I am sure we'll want to be on the ship for the early show. It's hard to plan things, but we're pretty flexible and will probably just buy aquarium tickets there if we want to.

Nassau:
We talked about doing the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Experience. My DS loves animals and fish(underwater mammals) so much! But I worry that he's short enough that he'll have to be held and might freak out a little. Plus CC is a beach day and we'll visit the beach in Sarasota at least once on either end of the trip.
So instead we are planning to do the See and Sea Nassau tour with the underwater viewing boat, which means we won't have to walk to see the Fort or the Stairs. And then maybe a quick swing through the Straw Market. We aren't planning on staying on the island all day though - we'll probably head back to the boat early.

Castaway Cay:
I am sad that my DS is too young for the stingrays! We'll probably just take it easy most of the day. We may hook him up with the Oceaneer's Club and do some snorkeling though!

A few questions: Are there any sand toys? Buckets, pails, etc?
Is it ok to bring your own snorkeling equipment?

Those two things are making me consider shipping a box to the ship but now I need to find out how much that costs!

We aren't doing Palo this time around. We decided to have my FIL and his wife watch DS and go out for a date on land instead! We are planning to do dine and play though, assuming that's still available.

Yeah, Hemingway House, while very cool to see, was a bit on the boring side...even for us adults. We went only because I love cats and just had to see and pet all the cats at the house.

I will say the Mel Fisher museum in Key West (which is the shipwreck museum I am guessing you are referring to) was very cool! I went begrudgingly only because my hubby wanted to do one thing and one thing only in Key West...and that was it. (Not to mention my uncle owns a stake in it, so I think he would have disowned me had I passed. ) I was simply amazed at all the "stuff" on display! Anchor, cannon, gold, emerald, etc etc etc. My Facebook page has a photo album devoted entirely to it (and that doesn't include even half of the pictures I took there!)...I'll post a link to it when I get home this evening. The nice thing about Key West museums are that they are relatively small...easy in/easy out.

Which brings me to the aquarium. My guess is you should have no problems at all visiting it along with the trolley tour. It's a lovely aquarium, but compared to large cities, it's quite small. As with all sites in Key West, worth it, but no worries on spending hours upon hours there.

As for Castaway Cay, we have never traveled with little ones, so I do not know for sure...but I believe you will need to bring your own sand toys (they do sell them at the shops on the island). You can bring your own snorkeling equipment though. We always take our own (I cannot for the life of me bring myself to use snorkeling equipment that is not mine!), and never have a problem using it. (The only place I had an issue was on Royal Caribbean's private island...they wanted me to "rent" theirs and when I refused, they charged me to use their water to snorkel in. )

A date on land sounds wonderful!

We changed our vacation a bit for May. We were only going to do the cruise, but now we are going to spend a couple days in Disney before the cruise. Yeah! Don't know where we are staying yet. We are staying by the port the night before though. We got a good deal. I just don't rmember the name of where we are staying. That is DH's department, to keep that stuff straight.

Woo-hoo! Any chance to spend time at WDW is a good thing!

 

[aseyrick]

Christina - happy belated anniversary! !

Tiffany - welcome aboard!! First of all, thanks to whomever in your family who is serving!! Our son is also 4, so he'll have a little buddy to play with. . Yes, Cindy is our resident pro, so I second everything she said. Re: CC - yes, you can bring your own snorkel equip, but I can't say it's the best snorkeling spot. You'll find better ones in Nassau for sure. As for sand toys, we did bring our own. Left it on the ship, and ended up buying theirs which was dirt cheap. In fact, we gave ours to another family when we went back to the ship. The hassle of bringing the bucket & shovel, etc., and the space it took in the luggage is def NOT worth it!! I think the entire kit cost $6 or so. I think it even came with a blowup beach ball. As for getting on/off the ship at ports, it does take some time, so if you're planning on buying excursions, you will def need to budget some time if you plan on returning to ship for meals, showers, etc. Lastly, you def will want to do the FE, Imo. Your DS will LOVE it!! Ok, I love it too. Again, welcome!

Annabel

 

[iloverags2]

As promised, the link to my Mel Fisher album on Facebook...

Mel Fisher Maritime Museum pics

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

As promised, the link to my Mel Fisher album on Facebook...

Mel Fisher Maritime Museum pics

Very cool pics Cindy! My DH would love that place

 

[PixieMom712]

I still can't quote - not enough posts!

Annabel -

Thanks for the tips and the welcome!
I can definitely do $6 or even $10 for sand toys, as we were planning on buying a set for around that much and leaving it there anyway. That way we would make extra room for souvenirs in our suitcase! As for snorkeling, it doesn't have to be world class, especially if we don't have to pay for it . DH isn't really comfortable leaving DS in the clubs while we are at port, and DS is too young (and not a confident swimmer) to snorkel with us, so I think CC is the only real option. For whatever reason, DH feels better about leaving DS with the club on CC. I guess because they can reach us with the Wave Phone, though not while we are in the water. Who knows!

Cindy -

Thanks for the pics! This looks really cool and now we are back to not being able to decide. XD

I am thinking of FE gift ideas and trying to figure out if I can make an FE or if I should just buy one, today. Cindy, I'll let you know for sure in the next day or two but you can probably count us in!

 

[jenf22]

Welcome Tiffany!

Our little guy is turning 5 a couple of days before we sail, so we'll have a bunch of kids around the same age. We're not planning to put our son in the clubs at all though. Grandma and Grandpa are coming on the cruise too, so we'll have plenty of babysitting opportunities

We ordered an FE from gradysmom on eBay. I'm hoping it turns out well!

 

[Denine]

Our DD, 9, would be really upset if she didn't get to go to the clubs. She loves them and has for years, starting with Flounder's. We never left her in the clubs though if we went on shore. I was more concerned if something happened to us and she was stuck on the ship than the other way around.

Still working on where to stay for those 2 days. OKW doesn't have any studios available and we only have 21 points left. So, do we borrow and stay at Saratoga, or stay off property? Decisions, decisions.

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

We ordered an FE from gradysmom on eBay. I'm hoping it turns out well!

I ordered from gradysmom too. Ii havent received it yet, but so far she has been really nice to work with.

Our DD, 9, would be really upset if she didn't get to go to the clubs. She loves them and has for years, starting with Flounder's. We never left her in the clubs though if we went on shore. I was more concerned if something happened to us and she was stuck on the ship than the other way around.

Still working on where to stay for those 2 days. OKW doesn't have any studios available and we only have 21 points left. So, do we borrow and stay at Saratoga, or stay off property? Decisions, decisions.

We are staying at Bonnet Creek before the cruise. Havent stayed there before but it looks awesome and is on property. We rented thru an owner so it was cheaper than staying at POP Century.. and looks a lot nicer.. and is a full 2 bedroom condo

 

[PixieMom712]

Jenf22 - I am excited to see so many around DS's age group. It has convinced me to do the FE and make sure at least DS and I go to the meetup in the Promenade, assuming that's still on!

DS will definitely love the club - Pirate Ship themed? HE'S IN! I am not sure how much we'll take advantage of it and like I mentioned DH is not at all comfy with him staying on board without us either. We're fine with that though, as it's our first /real/ family vacation. We did a few sightseeing things while we were visiting DH in Korea, and we visit family a lot (always with a zoo or aquarium trip) but for the three of us to do something this awesome - a first!

ETA: I need 2 more posts before I can PM you, Cindy, but please add us to the list in your head and I'll send that PM in the next day or two when I have 10 posts! Thanks.

 

[Britster18]

Hey guys!

I'm about to switch from the Jan/2013 Fantasy to this cruise (and then rebook the Fantasy on board)
We are saving 1300.00 now with this one... I NEED a Disney trip!
Of coarse I did all my research on Fantasy... now I need to spend some time on the magic.
This is all of our families first disney cruise (DH, Me, DS#1- 8, DS#2-6, DD 2)

 

[jenf22]

Hey guys!

I'm about to switch from the Jan/2013 Fantasy to this cruise (and then rebook the Fantasy on board)
We are saving 1300.00 now with this one... I NEED a Disney trip!
Of coarse I did all my research on Fantasy... now I need to spend some time on the magic.
This is all of our families first disney cruise (DH, Me, DS#1- 8, DS#2-6, DD 2)

Welcome aboard!

 

[PixieMom712]

Hey guys!

I'm about to switch from the Jan/2013 Fantasy to this cruise (and then rebook the Fantasy on board)
We are saving 1300.00 now with this one... I NEED a Disney trip!
Of coarse I did all my research on Fantasy... now I need to spend some time on the magic.
This is all of our families first disney cruise (DH, Me, DS#1- 8, DS#2-6, DD 2)

Welcome! We just booked our cruise a week ago, and I didn't do ANY research beforehand. Looks like I lucked out because I get more excited the more I read. There are a few veterans in our group, and they seem willing to answer all sorts of silly questions. Great to have you aboard!

 

[DVCTigger]

Still working on where to stay for those 2 days. OKW doesn't have any studios available and we only have 21 points left. So, do we borrow and stay at Saratoga, or stay off property? Decisions, decisions.

Borrow!! ;-) Are you staying before or after the cruise? I noticed that Boardwalk is available for a studio for 2 nights pre-cruise for 28 pts, or AKL Jambo for 26! Thats not too bad if you have 21 to use. Also you can buy points from DVC for I think $15/point to fill what you need without borrowing! We are staying at Kidani post cruise . . . our absolute favorite resort!!!

We are staying at Bonnet Creek before the cruise. Havent stayed there before but it looks awesome and is on property. We rented thru an owner so it was cheaper than staying at POP Century.. and looks a lot nicer.. and is a full 2 bedroom condo

We stayed at Bonnet Creek (in laws points) over New Years a couple years back. It is really nice! We were also in a 2BR unit, and it was great. The resort has a mini golf course, shuffle board and great pools . . . enjoy!!
Oh, And . . . Happy belated Anniversary!!