Never Cruised before-Silly questions pt1

[jonso]

We are going on Disney Magic West Caribbean 7 day in April.
This is our first cruise so it is all new to us.
I have a few questions which I hope you can help with.
Mosquito's- any problems in Cozulmel, Grand Cayman, Key West and Castaway
Cay in April?
What about sea sickness? I imagine that with a boat that big,it should not
be much of an issue.
Snorkelling- my wife is a weak swimmer. Any opinions on where is the best
place to do this.
Anyone been on the underwater subs,or the semi sub-any opinions?
What about trip timings-we dock at 12 midday in Key West, the Key West trip
departs at 12!
How does that work then?
We are from UK,what sort of times do we wait to get through immigration at
each place?
Has anyone been on Cozulmel Teen tour-my kids want to do it.
Swimming with Dolphins- do we do Disneys trip or can we go alone?
I know- I am sorry for the amount of questions. If anyone can help ,i would
be grateful.
Thanks
Roy.

 

[AnnMorin]

Hi Roy,
We did the Western in December so I can only relate to you how it was then (as oppossed to April) but the climate seems to be fairly steady there so it may be compareable.

We had no problems whatsoever with mosquitos-never saw one never even thought about it.

Sea sickness-never been a problem for us. DS is very suseptable to motion sickness-gets car sick all the time but has never had a problem on the ship.

For snorkling have your wife wear a life vest. My husband is not the strongest swimmer either but does fine with a snorkle vest on. I would not miss the barrier reef/ stingray city package in Grand Cayman it is breathtaking. We used captain marvins.

Can't help with the other questions except I know on the day we get back into the U.S. you need to be up early for immagration if you are not a U.S. Citizen.

 

[>>^..^<<]

Being Canadian... I can help with the immigration part.

All of the American citizens are automatically cleared... but us foreigners have to bring our passports to see officials (ie) Mexican Officials...

It takes place at various locations and they will inform you on the ship..

Bad news is it's usually really early in the morning (6:00am-ish) and EVERY member of your family must attend with their passports - no exceptions. (As I drag my sleepy 6 year old out of bed kicking and screaming)

No one will be allowed to leave the ship unless everyone has cleared with officials.

Good news is they have a continental breakfast set up for us foreigners... with coffee, juices and pastries - probably because they feel sorry for us - or know we are angry about having to get up so early!


>>^..^<<

 

[SQUIGGLE]

Welcome joso!
We went on the Atlantis Sub in Cozumel. Don't dive and thought this was a way to see the undersea life. We ejoyed it a lot. Went to down to about 120 feet and skirted the wall (?) not sure that's what they called it; but it was a BIG drop. Saw a lot of pretty fish and even a few divers.

I sometimes have a bit of a problem with seasickness when we go over the Gulf Stream. Have used the Patch and SeaBands (wrist bands) both worked really well.

Hope this helps. Have a MAGICal cruise!

 

[northernmouse]

Hi, Cass. We are also Canadian, and on the 3-night Wonder cruise we took last year, Disney kept our passports. We were pre-cleared for the Bahamas. I was under the impression they did the same on the 7-day. Were you able to retain your passports on the 7 day Western? (I, personally feel much better when my passport is in my possession).

jonso -- you do have to be up before the sparrows as a foreigner, to check with immigration on the last day, and on other days where an immigration check is required. Usually, though, the immigration staff is very efficient, and the number of non-Americans is generally pretty small.

We went in early May last year and the weather was virtually perfect. It should be similar for April. You will *love* the cruise!

 

[Dopey & Grumpy]

Hi. Regarding your question about snorkeling. I think the best place would probably be Castaway Cay. You can walk in from the beach area and go out as far as you want. You can rent the equipment all day or bring your own.

When we went to the Western Caribbean, we tried to scuba dive in the Grand Caymens and snorkel in Cozumel. Unfortunately, we went at a time when we were following a tropical storm so the water was very choppy. At Cozumel, you have to drop into the water from a rocky ledge and it wasn't a pleasant experience. If your wife is a weak swimmer, walking in from the beach at CC would definitely be the way to go.

Hope you both have a wonderful time. We've been on 5 cruises so far and have enjoyed every single one of them.....

 

[jonso]

So how do I get one of those nice timers to say how long it is till we go on the cruise?
Roy.

 

[S. C.]

I think i read to go to the tech board to get a timer.

 

[Dopey & Grumpy]

Try this link for your timer.

http://psiklops.brinkster.net/CDTimers/CDTimerGen.htm

 

[>>^..^<<]

I northernmouse - my neighbour...

I did the 7 day Eastern and we had to be up early 2 mornings to have our documents inspected... I love what you say they did on the short cruise... I need my beauty sleep!

>>^..^<<

 

[KLondon]

Another Canadian here!! We just got back from the Feb 1 Western 7-day cruise. Some answers:

- no bugs of any kind were spotted

- sea sickness was never a problem for us (calm seas..)

- snorkelling is not a problem. My 7 year-old had never done it and is a weak swimmer. That said, we snorkelled in Grand cayman and Castaway Cay for hours. Just wear a lifevest or (better yet) use the standard inflatable vest that they hand out at ALL snorkelling excursions.

- never been on the subs, my friends tell me the fully submersibles are the best bet (Atlanis is the name I think)

- excursions are always in sync with the docking times. Never fear. Your excursion will meet in one of the ships lounges first, where you'll get instructions, a guide to follow, etc.

- Immigration was never an issue. You'll surrender your passports at cruise check-in. You'll be precleared for all ports-of-call. You'll need your "Key to the World" card (given to you at registration time) and some piece of photo-id (driver's license is good) to get on and off the ship. Typically, the photo-id is needed to get back onto the dock when heading back to the ship. On the final day of the cruise - disembarkation day - you'll need to drag to your family in front of US Immigration. This happens at 6am in obne of the lounges. The night before you'll be given a customs form to fiull out and bring with you to Immigration. There you'll answer a few questions (i.e. where are you headed when you leave the ship...) and then will be handed your passports. It's a 2-minute process. One tip.... make photocopies of your passports and keep them with you 'just in case'.

I must add....we departed Florida this past Saturday and really expected big delays since the Security Colour was changed. We were pleasantly surprised how efficient and downright courteous everyone was!!!!! And our luggage - with al lthe extra searching and handling - actually made it back home with us!!!

Whew... my fingers are tired!!!