We just returned yesterday - and after the 6th or 7th load of laundry!! - I need a break so thought I'd post a brief report.
This was our third trip on the Magic - and although my husband insists that we have to try something different next year - I find it hard to change when DCL offers such a fabulous family vacation.
It was myself (39) - DH also 39 - and DS 6 - and DD 4. We had a great time - as usual - and honestly - I think the trip gets better each time. I guess it is because we know the ship layout - etc - but it is just so easy to fall into "cruising" mode - and I think it helps that the kids are familiar with the clubs and routines.
We flew Southwest in on Friday 11/16 - nonstop - and the new boarding process has definitely helped. Far easier than the prior crowding at the gate.
We arrived late - 10:30pm or so - and crashed at the MCO Hyatt.
In the morning - I left husband and kids in the hotel room watching TV while I grabbed Starbucks and breakfast for them - then I dropped that off to the gang - and headed down to the lobby to check in for DCL transfers. (Can you tell who is the planner and chief logistics officer in this whole process??)
Last year we arrived earlier in the day pre-cruise so we rented a car. This year - I figured that with our late arrival we may as well do DCL transfers. I must say - although the cost is higher, I do prefer the DCL transfers. It is so much easier to let them handle all the headaches, luggage etc.
My only advice is - only send one person down to lobby for check in - I headed down at 8:20am - I was prob 3rd in line - and had us all checked in by 8:35am. (Be sure to bring all the passports, DCL docs, etc with you - some folks were running back upstaitrs to get them.)
The first bus did not set out until 9:30am - or so - so I just called my DH on his cell when they started calling everyone for Capt Mickey bus - and he and the kids headed down. Worked out great - only me waiting around in the lobby - and the kids were not too antsy by the time we boarded the bus.
We were at the port by 10:45am - Check in was a breeze with online stuff done. Definitely do the online thing - very easy.
We were on the Magic by noon. Unfortunately the Mickey Pool was closed for some reason - so the kids hit the Goofy pool - and we grabbed lunch from Goofy's Galley/Pluto's.
Sailaway party was great - This year my DD was WAY into the deck parties, shows,etc - my DS lessso - but we still had fun.
Our dinner was 6pm - LAPLAPL rotation. We had a table for 4 - with very nice families of 4 to either side of us. We did not make any special dining requests - but were very pleased with this arrangement. It allowed us to meet and converse with other adults - which we did a fair amount - but also did not subject others to our children - who were - at times - overtired and ill-mannered. We actually ended up missing one dinner as our kids both fell asleep at 4pm and did not wake up until 6:30pm.
Our servers were good - Dinners were overall quite good - IMO better than the previous years.
The only thing that was worse was the Character Breakfast. (Mickey's Breakfast Jam - or some such nonsense) Why DCL would choose to make this event even louder and more chaotic than it had been previously is a mystery to me. Having said that - I can tell you - my DD LOVED it - She nearly assaulted all the characters and was very outgoing - so she ended up holding Minnie's hand and dancing with every one of the characters. My son - who is less intrusive - sat at the table more and barely saw the characters. It was nearly impossible to get any pictures, and the scene is utter mayhem. Neither of my kids ate anything - and I would say to skip this - unless your child is very into the chracters - AND very outgoing.
We did Palo dinner and Brunch - both amazing. We did manage to workout nearly every day - so probably only gained 5 pounds this year!! The gym was more crowded this trip than previoulsy - but I think that was because the ship was so full. In the past - we have sailed at off-peak times (early December) and I must say - I did notice the difference. Everything seemed a lot busier - esp. on Sea days and at Casatway Cay.
Weather was nearly perfect - occasional rain at Cozumel - but otherwise very nice. Sailing conditions were very calm - as we have had in the past - so no problems there.
We did not book any excursions with DCL - we did stuff on our own - which I prefer. I like to go on our own timetable.
We did the Pirate Museum in KEY WEST - MY son loved it - I must say I enjoyed it as well. MY dd was a bit scared.
In GRAND CAYMAN -
We did Boatswains Beach/Turtle Farm. I had read mixed reviews - but I thought this was good for the kids. They got to hold the smaller turtles - which they loved - Plus see a tank with sharks,etc. They also have a swimming area with waterfall and a snorkeling area. This is not a real snorkeling place - more a synthetic type water park snorkel - but a nice starter place for kids and novices. Kind of like snorkeling in a big pool. The place was clean and had decent facilities. We spent several hours there - took a cab there and back with no problem.. My only advice is - bring your own snacks - We ate at the place there (I think it was caled Schooner's?) - Way overpriced food and not good qulaity . The drinks were good - including the frozen margaritas - Prob should have skipped the food and had more of those!
In COZUMEL _
We went to Nachi Cocum. We liked this - our kind of place - Quiet and low key. We spent all day there -from about 10am - 4pm. Price booked online includes all you can eat/drink , with beach chairs/palapas.etc. It was a bit pricey - but for us it was worth it as we wanted a quite place and I knew that there were supposed to be 6 ships in Coz that day. My DH and DS rented a jet ski for 30 minutes (I thnk $50 or $60) - and had a ball. Nachi has hammocks, swimming pool etc. Clearly not a big party scene - but perfect for us - and a great place for young kids (i.e. - NOT a big party scene) We got a cab each way for $15.
The ship was in Coz until 1am -as a treat for the crew- I was told. DH and I went to Carlos and Charlies at night which was fun ...It was interesting to see the crew out having fun - I was happy for them. They work so darn hard.
SEA DAYS -
A bit busy - as ship was fully booked. Hard to find a deck chair on Deck 9 or 10 - I ended up sitting on some that had towels etc on them - but no one ever appeared to claim them. Mickey and Goofy pools were -as always - PACKED from 11am to 4pm on sea days. We know this - however - so had the kids get their fill of swimming by 10am -so it worked out fine.
CLUB/LAB:
Staff were great -kids had a blast - and felt very comfortable right off the bat, since they had been there last year. I brought candy and Walmart gift cards for the staff - but honestly - if I were to do it again - I would just bring cash and give them that. I DO know this is a controversial topic - but I feel a tip is not out of line - as they work very hard - and really go out of their way to be sure the kids are having fun.
PIRATE PARTY -
I thought was great - Better than last time- Both kids had a 2 -3 hour nap late in the day - so were good to go. MY DD danced up a storm - Music, fireworks etc were great. Buffet looked awesome - but I was way too stuffed to eat - as we had done Palo that night. Afterward - we watched POTC on the big screen for a bit - but we could not stay awake for the whole thing.
OVERALL --The trip was amazing - DCL never fails to impress me. As with the last year - the GLARING exception is SHUTTERS. I refuse to set foot in the place - Last year on my comment card - I wrote that they need to get PHOTOPASS or something like it - and this year I wrote the same. It is a nightmare in that place - trying to spot your kid's photo with Cinderella amongst the thousands of other photos - all the while people are jostling around - trying to spot their own kids' phots. All for the privelege of paying $10 for a picture you can't even find a frame to fit..OK - Rant over. DCL__GET PHOTPASS!!
I guess my only other complaint is the change in the character breakfast. And - of course - the cost of DCL cruise in general - but that is purely suplly and demand - The 2 new ships might help some . I also think that I would avoid a big holday/school break week if I could - but as the kids get older this will be harder. It was by no means crowded like the parks are - but I definitely noticed the difference between this cruise and the others.
I will upload some photos once I can figure out how - Yes - I am a dinosaur - and my DH is working on a multimedia presentation of our trip (That's his contribution , by the way)
Feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer. Sorry for the poor grammar and typos.
This was our third trip on the Magic - and although my husband insists that we have to try something different next year - I find it hard to change when DCL offers such a fabulous family vacation.
It was myself (39) - DH also 39 - and DS 6 - and DD 4. We had a great time - as usual - and honestly - I think the trip gets better each time. I guess it is because we know the ship layout - etc - but it is just so easy to fall into "cruising" mode - and I think it helps that the kids are familiar with the clubs and routines.
We flew Southwest in on Friday 11/16 - nonstop - and the new boarding process has definitely helped. Far easier than the prior crowding at the gate.
We arrived late - 10:30pm or so - and crashed at the MCO Hyatt.
In the morning - I left husband and kids in the hotel room watching TV while I grabbed Starbucks and breakfast for them - then I dropped that off to the gang - and headed down to the lobby to check in for DCL transfers. (Can you tell who is the planner and chief logistics officer in this whole process??)
Last year we arrived earlier in the day pre-cruise so we rented a car. This year - I figured that with our late arrival we may as well do DCL transfers. I must say - although the cost is higher, I do prefer the DCL transfers. It is so much easier to let them handle all the headaches, luggage etc.
My only advice is - only send one person down to lobby for check in - I headed down at 8:20am - I was prob 3rd in line - and had us all checked in by 8:35am. (Be sure to bring all the passports, DCL docs, etc with you - some folks were running back upstaitrs to get them.)
The first bus did not set out until 9:30am - or so - so I just called my DH on his cell when they started calling everyone for Capt Mickey bus - and he and the kids headed down. Worked out great - only me waiting around in the lobby - and the kids were not too antsy by the time we boarded the bus.
We were at the port by 10:45am - Check in was a breeze with online stuff done. Definitely do the online thing - very easy.
We were on the Magic by noon. Unfortunately the Mickey Pool was closed for some reason - so the kids hit the Goofy pool - and we grabbed lunch from Goofy's Galley/Pluto's.
Sailaway party was great - This year my DD was WAY into the deck parties, shows,etc - my DS lessso - but we still had fun.
Our dinner was 6pm - LAPLAPL rotation. We had a table for 4 - with very nice families of 4 to either side of us. We did not make any special dining requests - but were very pleased with this arrangement. It allowed us to meet and converse with other adults - which we did a fair amount - but also did not subject others to our children - who were - at times - overtired and ill-mannered. We actually ended up missing one dinner as our kids both fell asleep at 4pm and did not wake up until 6:30pm.
Our servers were good - Dinners were overall quite good - IMO better than the previous years.
The only thing that was worse was the Character Breakfast. (Mickey's Breakfast Jam - or some such nonsense) Why DCL would choose to make this event even louder and more chaotic than it had been previously is a mystery to me. Having said that - I can tell you - my DD LOVED it - She nearly assaulted all the characters and was very outgoing - so she ended up holding Minnie's hand and dancing with every one of the characters. My son - who is less intrusive - sat at the table more and barely saw the characters. It was nearly impossible to get any pictures, and the scene is utter mayhem. Neither of my kids ate anything - and I would say to skip this - unless your child is very into the chracters - AND very outgoing.
We did Palo dinner and Brunch - both amazing. We did manage to workout nearly every day - so probably only gained 5 pounds this year!! The gym was more crowded this trip than previoulsy - but I think that was because the ship was so full. In the past - we have sailed at off-peak times (early December) and I must say - I did notice the difference. Everything seemed a lot busier - esp. on Sea days and at Casatway Cay.
Weather was nearly perfect - occasional rain at Cozumel - but otherwise very nice. Sailing conditions were very calm - as we have had in the past - so no problems there.
We did not book any excursions with DCL - we did stuff on our own - which I prefer. I like to go on our own timetable.
We did the Pirate Museum in KEY WEST - MY son loved it - I must say I enjoyed it as well. MY dd was a bit scared.
In GRAND CAYMAN -
We did Boatswains Beach/Turtle Farm. I had read mixed reviews - but I thought this was good for the kids. They got to hold the smaller turtles - which they loved - Plus see a tank with sharks,etc. They also have a swimming area with waterfall and a snorkeling area. This is not a real snorkeling place - more a synthetic type water park snorkel - but a nice starter place for kids and novices. Kind of like snorkeling in a big pool. The place was clean and had decent facilities. We spent several hours there - took a cab there and back with no problem.. My only advice is - bring your own snacks - We ate at the place there (I think it was caled Schooner's?) - Way overpriced food and not good qulaity . The drinks were good - including the frozen margaritas - Prob should have skipped the food and had more of those!
In COZUMEL _
We went to Nachi Cocum. We liked this - our kind of place - Quiet and low key. We spent all day there -from about 10am - 4pm. Price booked online includes all you can eat/drink , with beach chairs/palapas.etc. It was a bit pricey - but for us it was worth it as we wanted a quite place and I knew that there were supposed to be 6 ships in Coz that day. My DH and DS rented a jet ski for 30 minutes (I thnk $50 or $60) - and had a ball. Nachi has hammocks, swimming pool etc. Clearly not a big party scene - but perfect for us - and a great place for young kids (i.e. - NOT a big party scene) We got a cab each way for $15.
The ship was in Coz until 1am -as a treat for the crew- I was told. DH and I went to Carlos and Charlies at night which was fun ...It was interesting to see the crew out having fun - I was happy for them. They work so darn hard.
SEA DAYS -
A bit busy - as ship was fully booked. Hard to find a deck chair on Deck 9 or 10 - I ended up sitting on some that had towels etc on them - but no one ever appeared to claim them. Mickey and Goofy pools were -as always - PACKED from 11am to 4pm on sea days. We know this - however - so had the kids get their fill of swimming by 10am -so it worked out fine.
CLUB/LAB:
Staff were great -kids had a blast - and felt very comfortable right off the bat, since they had been there last year. I brought candy and Walmart gift cards for the staff - but honestly - if I were to do it again - I would just bring cash and give them that. I DO know this is a controversial topic - but I feel a tip is not out of line - as they work very hard - and really go out of their way to be sure the kids are having fun.
PIRATE PARTY -
I thought was great - Better than last time- Both kids had a 2 -3 hour nap late in the day - so were good to go. MY DD danced up a storm - Music, fireworks etc were great. Buffet looked awesome - but I was way too stuffed to eat - as we had done Palo that night. Afterward - we watched POTC on the big screen for a bit - but we could not stay awake for the whole thing.
OVERALL --The trip was amazing - DCL never fails to impress me. As with the last year - the GLARING exception is SHUTTERS. I refuse to set foot in the place - Last year on my comment card - I wrote that they need to get PHOTOPASS or something like it - and this year I wrote the same. It is a nightmare in that place - trying to spot your kid's photo with Cinderella amongst the thousands of other photos - all the while people are jostling around - trying to spot their own kids' phots. All for the privelege of paying $10 for a picture you can't even find a frame to fit..OK - Rant over. DCL__GET PHOTPASS!!
I guess my only other complaint is the change in the character breakfast. And - of course - the cost of DCL cruise in general - but that is purely suplly and demand - The 2 new ships might help some . I also think that I would avoid a big holday/school break week if I could - but as the kids get older this will be harder. It was by no means crowded like the parks are - but I definitely noticed the difference between this cruise and the others.
I will upload some photos once I can figure out how - Yes - I am a dinosaur - and my DH is working on a multimedia presentation of our trip (That's his contribution , by the way)
Feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer. Sorry for the poor grammar and typos.
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