Our first 7 nighter

[ChocoKat]

To answer the other questions, I used a Canon Digital Rebel XSi with a few different lenses for most of the pictures, and the underwater pictures were from a Pentax Optio W60 (It was only about $225 if I remember right). The underwater pictures had a bit of a bluish tint coming straight off the camera, but I just hit "auto levels" in photoshop and it took the tint out and made them look the way you see there. That was the only post processing involved so I was happy with the camera.

Awesome!
I am so buying that Pentax, I had been looking for the right underwater camera for a while. The blueish tint I would expect from the underwater photos, but I have photoshop so I'll adjust the levels as well.
Thanks a million for the info!!!

 

[Donald_Quackers]

I loved the report! I'm going on this cruise in 2010 and can't wait. Just a taste of what's in store for me!

 

[TammyNC]

Great report...we are going on our first cruise March 2010 so I'm enjoying reading all the reports and getting more and more excited.

 

[mrstbalt]

Great report and wonderful pictures! I love the sea turtle, it's so clear. I hope we see some when we go.

 

[MMitchell29]

Great report and wonderful pictures! I love the sea turtle, it's so clear. I hope we see some when we go.

Yes I loved the sea turtles as well............Great report and pics

 

[MMitchell29]

The first picture is a variety of things from the Palo Brunch.

The second picture is a s'mores pie or something like that. It looks like a Parrot Cay plate so that would have been night 2.

The third picture looks like a Lumiere's plate so I think that was from Pirate Night. Some sort of chocolate cake.

The fourth picture was the best strawberry shortcake EVER at Animator's Palate, I believe on formal night.

The fifth picture looks like Parrot Cay again so that would have been the day before Castaway Cay.

The last 2 desserts were both mine from the same night. I could not decide between them so I ordered both LOL. One was some chocolately who knows what and the other was a strawberry type thing (yeah, I'm not good at remembering the names lol). I ordered them both on the last night of the cruise at Lumieres.

I don't know if that helps any!

This was a 7 day trip correct??

 

[PizzieDuster]

Wow! I'm sending my girlfriend to your site right now! She's thinking of booking..... Fantastic....bookmarking your site! Loved it!

The picture in your signature should sell many DCL cruises! That is just precious! A moment in time!

 

[Laura22]

This was a 7 day trip correct??

Yes, 7 night eastern cruise.

Wow! I'm sending my girlfriend to your site right now! She's thinking of booking..... Fantastic....bookmarking your site! Loved it!

The picture in your signature should sell many DCL cruises! That is just precious! A moment in time!

Aw thanks.

 

[sunburnin]

You're a bad influence. My wife just added 2 days for our family at WDW after the cruise!!!

..... I'm now off to the car to shake it down for loose change.

 

[Grandma Debby]

My family will board the Magic on June 6th and do the Eastern so your report was fantastic
Gave me some great ideas on beaches and excursions
Answered all my questions about when to book Palo for brunch & dinner
So glad to see your underwater pictures as I'm researching cameras this weekend
Glad your family had a great time, enjoy your move to California and thanks for serving our country because I feel it is the family not just the man or woman who is enlisted

 

[debsite]

Thanks for sharing - and for the underwater camera info. I looked at those when they first came out, but I was curious to see photos from one before buying. Thank you!!!!
Debbie

 

[ChocoKat]

Thanks for sharing - and for the underwater camera info. I looked at those when they first came out, but I was curious to see photos from one before buying. Thank you!!!!
Debbie

Right?
My DH ordered the Pentax and got it for $60 dollars less than retail!
Can't wait to use it.

 

[Mickey4me!]

Wonderful report and great pics! I'm excited because I just got the digital Rebel for Christmas and can't wait to try it out on our Nov cruise. What lenses do you use with it? I have a couple but am looking for reccommendations for more....

Good luck with the move!

 

[princesslillybug]

Thanks so much for sharing your trip. The pictures have really made us so excited about our upcoming cruise. My children really enjoyed seeing your kids in action on the ship. I think seeing kids their own age made them much more comfortable about the trip.

Thanks again!!!

 

[anetnmike]

Thank you for sharing your excellent trip report! I am so glad that you were able to swim at CC! Every report I have read recently has said it was way too cold! It looks like you and your family had a great time! Your pictures are really beautiful! We leave on the Wonder next week for 4 days and really want to snorkel and visit with the stingrays. Riverside is my all time favorite resort. For me it is like coming home.

 

[Laura22]

Wonderful report and great pics! I'm excited because I just got the digital Rebel for Christmas and can't wait to try it out on our Nov cruise. What lenses do you use with it? I have a couple but am looking for reccommendations for more....

Good luck with the move!

I use the one that came with it, and also a 75-300 telephoto and an f/1.8 50 mm (cheapie, but goodie!)

Thank you for sharing your excellent trip report! I am so glad that you were able to swim at CC! Every report I have read recently has said it was way too cold! It looks like you and your family had a great time! Your pictures are really beautiful! We leave on the Wonder next week for 4 days and really want to snorkel and visit with the stingrays. Riverside is my all time favorite resort. For me it is like coming home.

Don't get me wrong. Swimming at CC was like swimming in ice cubes! You just had to suck it up and dive in. I was shivering to death when I finished snorkeling for an hour, but it was so worth it.

 

[WDBRDWLK]

What a great TR...we were on that same cruise a year ago today! Oh how I miss it...but we do have a 3 nighter coming up the end of February on the Wonder!

There are so many wonderful memories from that cruise and looking through your TR and pics feels like I am back on the Magic.

BTW I love your website, very talented indeed!

Thanks for sharing..

 

[skiingwife]

Great report and great pictures. Thanks for sharing them. Could you tell me more about jet skiing in St. Martin? I see you were at Great Bay Beach. Is that where you rented the jetskis? Did you reserve the jetskis ahead of time or just walk up? Do you remember the cost? Great Bay Beach is walking distance from the ship, isn't it? Thank you!

 

[Laura22]

Great report and great pictures. Thanks for sharing them. Could you tell me more about jet skiing in St. Martin? I see you were at Great Bay Beach. Is that where you rented the jetskis? Did you reserve the jetskis ahead of time or just walk up? Do you remember the cost? Great Bay Beach is walking distance from the ship, isn't it? Thank you!

This is exactly what we did...

We walked off the ship and straight over to the water taxi and bought 4 all day wrist bands ($6 each = $24). Took the water taxi to the beach (Great Bay). It is walking distance, but not any sort of a hike I would wanna do with 2 little kids. When we got off the water taxi there were people asking left and right if we wanted to rent some chairs or jet skis. We went up to one of them and said "sure!" as that was what we had planned to do. He brought us over to a pair of chairs with an umbrella and said it would be $10 to rent those so we handed him $10 and told him we'd also like a jet ski for half an hour. He said that would be $55 so my husband and son headed over to get on the jet ski with the cash. I then looked and saw that I still had $35 leftover and I really wanted to ride the jet ski at the same time as my husband so I worked out a deal with them. I showed them "I just have $35 left...is there anyway my daughter and I can take a second jet ski?" They said we could, but that we'd only have it for 20 minutes instead of 30. So I said "how bought instead of giving us 30 minutes on one jet ski and 20 minutes on the other that we split it 25-25". He considered it a minute, saw that I really had no other cash on me, and said sure why not. So we got 2 chairs with umbrella, and 2 jet skis for 25 minutes for a total of $100.

By the way, I noticed that when you walk off the water taxi pier if you head to the RIGHT the chairs and things were more expensive than if you head to the LEFT (which is the way we went).

 

[skiingwife]

Thanks for the quick reply. I think we'll do just as you did and rent jet skis at Great Bay. The sand and water and Great Bay look very nice. Was it really nice? Was it crowded?