natebenma
Beach Club Dee
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2008
Disney Fantasy, September 30-October 6
Halloween on the High Seas
I am a Disney cruise newbie. I have done a handful of other cruises- 1 Royal Caribbean Bahamas, 2 RC Caribbean and 1 Carnival Alaska.
For my first Disney cruise, I was travelling with my dear friend Teena, who is a Disney Platinum cruiser. Her style is to stay on the ship and relax, mostly in the adult pool area. She has been to each of the cruise destinations numerous times and only gets off the ship at Castaway. I have trouble sitting still and my style is to get off the boat and into the ocean. Both of us were content to do our own things during the day and then meet for meals and nighttime entertainment. We were perfect travel companions!
One of my favorite things to do in the whole world is snorkeling. I had snorkeling excursions planned for Cozumel, Grand Cayman and I planned to do a lot of snorkeling on Castaway Cay (which I did and it was awesome).
The morning we arrived in Cozumel, the weather was horrible.
I went to the theatre to meet up with my excursion group, where I learned the trip was cancelled due to the conditions. I really wanted to get off the ship and spend some time in the water, so I visited the excursion desk to see what trips were still available that included some beach time.
I selected:
Mexican Halloween and Beach Adventure (CZ91)-
See how Cozumel celebrates one of the most important holidays in Mexican culture- then chill at a beach club. Learn about Dia de los Muertos and visit a Mayan hut to see the symbol of the celebration, el Altar. Paint the famous La Calavera Catrina skull mask to take home as a souvenir (a little magnet). Then spend approximately 2 hours at Playa Mia Grand Beach and Water Park.
$59 Adult, $49 ages 3-9
It was raining as we left the ship.
Our tour guide was dressed and made up in a Day of the Dead themed costume.
On the bus ride over to the tour location, he explained the background of the Dia de los Muertos celebration which honors ancestors who have passed away. He explained some of the ancient Mayan roots of the celebration and the influence of the Catholic All Saints Day.
The organized tour part of our excursion took place at the chocolate company in the plaza connected to Playa Mia beach.
We walked through a small museum which had exhibits about the history and significance of chocolate to the Mexican people. We then watched a presentation explaining more of the history and described the process of making chocolate. At the end of this, we were able to sample pieces of chocolate with different sweetness levels.
The next part of our tour took place in an activity room. Here, we were placed on teams and had a competition where we needed to construct an altar that honored our “ancestors”
My team did not win.
Next up was decorating a small skull with markers. There are two magnets on the back of the skull so you can hang your masterpieces on the fridge.
I worked on mine for a little while, but never finished it.
After we worked on our skulls (or while, I can’t remember), we were introduced to a few traditional Mexican food dishes and we were able to sample the offerings. There was also some Mexican hot chocolate (YUM!) to try.
I am not sure why I don’t have more pictures of this or a recollection of what there was to try.
Then, as all tours do, this one concluded in the gift shop.
There were samples of all of the different flavors that you could try.
I purchased a banana and cardamom chocolate bar to bring home to my family.
We met back up with our tour guide who gave us wristbands for the beach and instructions about what time we needed to meet back at the bus.
Here are the pictures of the beach that I posted in a previous message:
I believe one adult drink was included with our beach pass and I presume a soft drink for anyone who wanted that instead. There was also a buffet of food for an additional fee if you wanted some lunch while you were at the beach. I think there was also a snack shack.
OMG- I don’t remember if towels were provided or if I brought one from the ship. I think I brought one.
Chairs were plentiful, but I have no idea if that was because of the weather or if this is always the case here.
I tried the slide and a couple of the other inflatable structures. If you are going to use any of these, you are required to wear a safety vest.
Halloween on the High Seas
I am a Disney cruise newbie. I have done a handful of other cruises- 1 Royal Caribbean Bahamas, 2 RC Caribbean and 1 Carnival Alaska.
For my first Disney cruise, I was travelling with my dear friend Teena, who is a Disney Platinum cruiser. Her style is to stay on the ship and relax, mostly in the adult pool area. She has been to each of the cruise destinations numerous times and only gets off the ship at Castaway. I have trouble sitting still and my style is to get off the boat and into the ocean. Both of us were content to do our own things during the day and then meet for meals and nighttime entertainment. We were perfect travel companions!
One of my favorite things to do in the whole world is snorkeling. I had snorkeling excursions planned for Cozumel, Grand Cayman and I planned to do a lot of snorkeling on Castaway Cay (which I did and it was awesome).
The morning we arrived in Cozumel, the weather was horrible.
I went to the theatre to meet up with my excursion group, where I learned the trip was cancelled due to the conditions. I really wanted to get off the ship and spend some time in the water, so I visited the excursion desk to see what trips were still available that included some beach time.
I selected:
Mexican Halloween and Beach Adventure (CZ91)-
See how Cozumel celebrates one of the most important holidays in Mexican culture- then chill at a beach club. Learn about Dia de los Muertos and visit a Mayan hut to see the symbol of the celebration, el Altar. Paint the famous La Calavera Catrina skull mask to take home as a souvenir (a little magnet). Then spend approximately 2 hours at Playa Mia Grand Beach and Water Park.
$59 Adult, $49 ages 3-9
It was raining as we left the ship.
Our tour guide was dressed and made up in a Day of the Dead themed costume.
On the bus ride over to the tour location, he explained the background of the Dia de los Muertos celebration which honors ancestors who have passed away. He explained some of the ancient Mayan roots of the celebration and the influence of the Catholic All Saints Day.
The organized tour part of our excursion took place at the chocolate company in the plaza connected to Playa Mia beach.
We walked through a small museum which had exhibits about the history and significance of chocolate to the Mexican people. We then watched a presentation explaining more of the history and described the process of making chocolate. At the end of this, we were able to sample pieces of chocolate with different sweetness levels.
The next part of our tour took place in an activity room. Here, we were placed on teams and had a competition where we needed to construct an altar that honored our “ancestors”
My team did not win.
Next up was decorating a small skull with markers. There are two magnets on the back of the skull so you can hang your masterpieces on the fridge.
I worked on mine for a little while, but never finished it.
After we worked on our skulls (or while, I can’t remember), we were introduced to a few traditional Mexican food dishes and we were able to sample the offerings. There was also some Mexican hot chocolate (YUM!) to try.
I am not sure why I don’t have more pictures of this or a recollection of what there was to try.
Then, as all tours do, this one concluded in the gift shop.
There were samples of all of the different flavors that you could try.
I purchased a banana and cardamom chocolate bar to bring home to my family.
We met back up with our tour guide who gave us wristbands for the beach and instructions about what time we needed to meet back at the bus.
Here are the pictures of the beach that I posted in a previous message:
I believe one adult drink was included with our beach pass and I presume a soft drink for anyone who wanted that instead. There was also a buffet of food for an additional fee if you wanted some lunch while you were at the beach. I think there was also a snack shack.
OMG- I don’t remember if towels were provided or if I brought one from the ship. I think I brought one.
Chairs were plentiful, but I have no idea if that was because of the weather or if this is always the case here.
I tried the slide and a couple of the other inflatable structures. If you are going to use any of these, you are required to wear a safety vest.
I didn’t spend any time at the pools that were available.
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