October 11, 2014 7-Night Southern Caribbean Cruise on Disney Magic (San Juan)

[KathleenlovesMickey]

For anyone needing JetBlue flights to San Juan, they're now available to book up until 25 Oct 14. I've just booked our flight from Orlando.

I've been checking most days and it's only been up to 2 Sep 14. Missed yesterday so don't know if it changed yesterday or today.

It is so frustrating I really want to fly Jet Blue but we are leaving from Raleigh,NC the flights from there go to Boston for a 4 hour layover then to San Juan crazy! I think it will be Southwest for us.

 

[gometros]

A couple of items of interest that recently came up on the FB page:

Embarkation Info
Per DVC....
Ship docked at pier #4

Terminal opens 11 am
Embark 1:00
Be on ship by 9:30 pm
Sail away 10:30 pm

It's possible we will be able to leave the ship once we board, as long as we're back on by 9:30pm

Hotel Stays
They offer the Marriott for $239 inc tax.
Ground transfers from airport to marriott to pier are $40.00 per person.
Cruise day transfers airport to port $20.00 pp

Transportation
Just an FYI a cab from the airport to OSJ is under $30. They are divided into three zones with OSJ being the most expensive.

The airport- think of it as far right on a map.
OSJ, think far left
The port, think bottom middle between the two and then a bit south.

Within that area, max cab ride should be $30. It will be cheaper if your hotel is closer. (all hotels mentioned so far are in these zones)

 

[Pocahantas]

Thanks for the info!

Congrats to everyone who has purchased airfare already. We are still waiting for Southwest but the good thing is I think we will have enough Rapid Rewards points to cover both of our tickets.

Anyone else starting to think about excursions? I am anxious to see what excursions Disney will offer although I have a few things picked out to do on our own.

 

[NWmom]

It's only 243 days to go!!

Can't wait, we got snow today and it shut down flights in Seattle. Y'all can hit me when I tell you it already melted at my house though

To clarify on the cab fare.
ok, that is bigger than I wanted it to be

Cab fare covers the first 5 passengers, after that $2 each Max 7 passengers
Luggage is $1 each piece- not sure if this is what is in the trunk or includes carryons that they do not handle

Tip is not included
If your trip is from 10 pm - 6 am there is an extra $1 fee

This is flat cab fee, but includes the $2 fuel charge

airport to
Isla Verde $12
Condado $17
OSJ and pier $21

To port (or from port back to these places)
airport or Isla Verde $21
Condado $14
OSJ $12 (other source says $9, but I would rather over estimate than come up short)

For airport to hotel to port (plus your luggage fee and tip)
So if your hotel is in Isla Verde $33 cab
Condado $31
OSJ $33 (or $30)

So for those considering Disney transfers, it all depends on what service DCL gives for the extra money. It will be at least double unless you are travelling alone.

Me, I want to count my bag and make sure it gets there. Way too many lost luggage stories in this family. LOL.

 

[LV Disney Fan(atic)]

Thanks for the info!

Congrats to everyone who has purchased airfare already. We are still waiting for Southwest but the good thing is I think we will have enough Rapid Rewards points to cover both of our tickets.

Anyone else starting to think about excursions? I am anxious to see what excursions Disney will offer although I have a few things picked out to do on our own.

For those (including me) who are waiting for SW flights to open, they're scheduled to open through October 31 on Monday, March 3.

And not only have I already started thinking about excursions, I’ve spent way too many hours online researching all our ports (thank you, Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor) and have already made all our reservations! (We generally go with private excursions rather than DCL ones.) Yes, I know, it's early, but I’m a little bit of an overplanner.

We have an all-inclusive beach day planned for Antigua, island tours scheduled for St. Lucia and Grenada, and a catamaran trip with turtle swim reserved for Barbados. Only thing I’m not sure about yet is St. Kitts because it’s such a short port day. We’ll probably take the scenic train ride around the island or just wander about on our own.

Regarding our island tour on St. Lucia, we’ve reserved the Land & Sea Safari with Herod (http://www.herodstours.com/land_sea_safari.html). It’s pretty much the same all-day island tour offered by several other companies but the return from the far end of the island is via boat rather than bus so a nice change of scenery. He needs a minimum of 10 people for this tour and we were the first 2 so I thought I’d put it out here in case anyone else is interested. If he doesn’t get 10 reservations and cancels we’ll try Spencer Ambrose who does a similar Land/Sea Tour. The other popular private tour operator, Cosul, does only a land version of the tour, which is too much time in a bus for us.

Anyway, if anyone is interested in reserving the tour with Herod, he can be reached at sluherod@gmail.com; he responded very quickly to my inquiry. No deposit ahead of time, payment is cash on the day of the tour. Price includes lunch and drinks. Cost is adults: US$80 each; Kids: 1 - 5 yrs (free), 6 - 10 yrs (US$45 each), 11 yrs and over (US$80 each). Min: 10 adults; Max: 24 adults. Besides his website above, you can also get additional information about the tour on Trip Advisor (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...Tours-Castries_Castries_Quarter_St_Lucia.html)

Happy planning, everyone - only 8 months to go!

 

[phoenixleigh]

For those (including me) who are waiting for SW flights to open, they're scheduled to open through October 31 on Monday, March 3.

And not only have I already started thinking about excursions, I’ve spent way too many hours online researching all our ports (thank you, Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor) and have already made all our reservations! (We generally go with private excursions rather than DCL ones.) Yes, I know, it's early, but I’m a little bit of an overplanner.

We have an all-inclusive beach day planned for Antigua, island tours scheduled for St. Lucia and Grenada, and a catamaran trip with turtle swim reserved for Barbados. Only thing I’m not sure about yet is St. Kitts because it’s such a short port day. We’ll probably take the scenic train ride around the island or just wander about on our own.

Please give more details on this all-inclusive beach day on Antigua. How much? Where on Antigua is this? I am curious

 

[LV Disney Fan(atic)]

Please give more details on this all-inclusive beach day on Antigua. How much? Where on Antigua is this? I am curious

It's the Coconut Beach Club (http://www.coconutbeachclub.com/), on Yepton Beach about 15 min from the port. It's supposed to be a nice quiet place - beach, pool, bar, buffet. Not a lot of family activities for the kids so it's only recommended for adults or older kids. $50/pp plus the cab fare to the resort. Below is the email I received when I asked about a day pass:

Hi Dany,
We do not really have any restrictions on booking for Day passes as long as there is availability. We already have bookings made for next year and some date are full Months in advance so really, the earlier you book the better. You can always email us closer to the date if you would like to reconfirm.

We provide a day pass at a cost of US$ 50.00 per person beginning at 10:00 am. This price includes Buffet Lunch, all alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks at the bar by the glass during the day, use of the pool, beach, tennis facilities, all
local taxes and gratuities.

If you do choose Coconut Beach Club to spend your day in Antigua, you should confirm. Upon arrival at the resort you will just come to the front desk and pay the day pass fee.

If you have any further questions do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,
Cheyenne Williams
Coconut Beach Club
<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coconut-Beach-Club-Antigua/176713275674586>
Tel : (268) 462-3239
F: (268) 462-3240
http://www.coconutbeachclub.com/

 

[ssanders79]

The FE List has been updated.

 

[srauchbauer]

The FE List has been updated.

thank you for organizing

 

[twacht]

As we are joining you on the Southern trip in Oct. I am Tracy and my DH is Michael we are traveling with another couple who are already on the board. Im not well versed in Disboard, but am also on the FB page. Can't wait to see the excursions coming out of Disney. Do most of you use non Disney provided exursions due to cost????

TIA and only 234 days left
Tracy

 

[gometros]

As we are joining you on the Southern trip in Oct. I am Tracy and my DH is Michael we are traveling with another couple who are already on the board. Im not well versed in Disboard, but am also on the FB page. Can't wait to see the excursions coming out of Disney. Do most of you use non Disney provided exursions due to cost????

TIA and only 234 days left
Tracy

I can't speak for the rest, but I only use excursions through the cruise line when timing is a concern.

 

[disneydork3]

I've done lots of research on excursions and this is what we've decided to do. We wanted a mix of everything since it's such a port intensive cruise. Spending relaxing time on the ship doesn't bother us. Eating a gluten free diet helps keep my fibromyalgia pain at bay, so eating on the ship is better for me. On the other hand, we want to explore these beautiful islands so shorter tours are perfect for our family.

Antigua ~ there are several island tours but we've decided to make this a beach day for us. I'll wait and see what DCL offers, but we might just take a taxi to a nearby beach.

St. Lucia ~ there are several island tours here too, they last 5-6 hours and include many stops. COSOL and Real St. Lucia tours (about $75 pp, less for 12 and under) are good but don't offer a sea portion like Herod's (about $80 pp, less for 6-10 year olds) which many people like. In the end, we decided to book Treetop Canopy Adventure. It's a 4 hour zip line tour with 12 lines, $59 per person with transportation to/from the cruise dock. I did have to pay for this one, but they offer a full refund if canceled before 24 hours of tour date.

Grenada ~ again, there are plenty of island tours, JNJ Tours sounds good. It's a 2 1/2 - 3 hour tour with a waterfall, spice shop and rainforest stops. We decided that since the cruise ship docks right in the downtown area, our daughter would like to see some little shops and just take it easy on our own.

Barbados ~ Well, Barbados is known for swimming with turtles, so we couldn't go there without trying it. Calabaza is a very popular tour, but at $110 per person, it was more than we wanted to spend. I booked through Action Charters for the 3 hour tour which doesn't include lunch. Transportation to/from dock for $60 adult $30 12 and under. I had to call with cc info, but they old hold reservation. Will only charge 15% of total if you don't cancel 24 hours before tour date.

St. Kitts ~ A lot of people rave about the train tour. Since this is a short stop, we are thinking that we'll just explore on our own close to the dock.

We are SOOOOO looking forward to October!!!

 

[gometros]

Finally booked our flights today. Flying into Orlando the Tuesday before to spend some time at the F&W Festival. Flying to San Juan Friday night. Flying home when we disembark.

Here's the question. I opted for a 3:10pm flight home instead of an 11:21am flight so as not to be rushed. Obviously that means a lot of time to kill if we go straight to the airport. Is there anything to do around the port to kill a few hours before heading to the airport? The good thing about an early afternoon flight midweek us that security lines shouldn't be that long.

 

[ceperson]

Hello All. Cruising with 12 others including family and friends! Counting down until we leave MN and head to Puerto Rico! Trying to get a hotel reservation in Puerto Rico for Friday night has been a challenge. Ended up at Embassy Suites about 5 miles from port. Turns out a cab will cost $21.oo for a family of 4 and 1$ per suitcase. Pretty cheap compared to the cost of Disney transportation from their recommended hotels and a free breakfast.

It is my understanding we can start to check in at 11:00 and then on the ship at 1:00. Has anyone else heard that?

Also read about the Pirates party on the last night. Big bummer as that is usually a hectic night getting luggage out and all.

Anyone heard of any great excursions?

Would love to be on the FE list but we won't get our room assigned to us for awhile. Suggestions?

 

[cwdefouw]

Ended up at Embassy Suites about 5 miles from port. Turns out a cab will cost $21.oo for a family of 4 and 1$ per suitcase. Pretty cheap compared to the cost of Disney transportation from their recommended hotels and a free breakfast.

There are quite a few of us staying at the Embassy Suites. We booked our room last week using AMX points. I am wondering if we have to prearrange or call for cabs on Saturday morning or if they have cabs lined up outside like they do at more upscale hotels.

 

[ethanash1]

Hello All. Cruising with 12 others including family and friends! Counting down until we leave MN and head to Puerto Rico! Trying to get a hotel reservation in Puerto Rico for Friday night has been a challenge. Ended up at Embassy Suites about 5 miles from port. Turns out a cab will cost $21.oo for a family of 4 and 1$ per suitcase. Pretty cheap compared to the cost of Disney transportation from their recommended hotels and a free breakfast. It is my understanding we can start to check in at 11:00 and then on the ship at 1:00. Has anyone else heard that? Also read about the Pirates party on the last night. Big bummer as that is usually a hectic night getting luggage out and all. Anyone heard of any great excursions? Would love to be on the FE list but we won't get our room assigned to us for awhile. Suggestions?

Welcome! You can sign up for FE regardless of your cabin status at this point. We are all
Signed up and we have a GTY cabin and won't have ours assigned for a while as we'll. As it gets closer and we get our cabin assignments, we can update our list.

 

[Docklobster]

Docklobster- I'm planning on diving one day on the cruise. Looking at St. Lucia.

I haven't looked at operators yet. Not sure if we will book through Disney or private. Would be great to get a small group together.

 

[tatianasuv]

Wow it's been almost 3 months since I last replied to this group Well, I'm back!! I think I joined the FE group but if I haven't may I join the FE group?

 

[Silverfox97]

Scott booked our Southwest one way airfare bright & early this AM!! Woo hoo!!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[TifffanyD]

Scott booked our Southwest one way airfare bright & early this AM!! Woo hoo!!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

We did too! We are taking the 1pm on Thursday - which one did you pick?