Trip Report for Disney Wonder during Hurricane Jeanne, Sept. 23 to 27, 2004:
Thursday, Sept. 23rd, Embarkation:
I had called the two days before to see if there was any change in the itinerary, and at that time there was not. However, when we checked in they handed us a letter saying we were definitely not going to Castaway Cay, and we might go to Key West instead of Nassau. We said we did not like the idea of Key West because we were just there. We live in Florida; so we can drive there anytime we want. The letter also said we may have to return to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, FL instead of Port Canaveral. We boarded and my husband asked if we could go ahead and make Palo and Spa reservations. The cast member said not until 1pm, but we asked another cast member and she said yes before 1pm. We ate at Parrot Cay first anyway, and then booked (in Studio Sea) Palo for 8:30pm on the night we were scheduled for Parrot Cay. We were the second reservation for that time on that night, and we ended up getting a nice table by the window. We knew what night we would be at Parrot Cay by the code (TAP) on our Key to the World (KTTW) card, but another couple in line next to us had checked in at Disney World first. So their KTTW card did not have their dining code on it, but I told them I had read that couples without children would probably have the TAP seating. They checked and sure enough had TAP. Then we went to the spa and actually did have to wait until 1pm for it to open. There was a short line of people waiting. They tried to get us to take the tour, but we said that we had been there before. So they took us right back to make reservations. We originally wanted to get the Cabana massages ($139), but since we were not going to Castaway Cay we reserved a couples Well-Being massage ($109 each or $242 per couple) onboard. By the way, the prices were a lot higher that I had read online. The couples massage costs more than two individual full body massages. So when I asked why, they said there is something extra in the couples massage. I still do not know what that could be, but the massage was great. It was nice that we were in the same room together, but you would think they would actually offer a discount for this since they now have another room available for another massage.
Next we toured the childrens' areas during the open house. It was fun to see them. After 1:30pm we went to our room, 7009, and my husband was surprised by the birthday decorations I had ordered for him. They are cute decorations, but they were big and in the way for the rest of the cruise. We only ate 1/4 of the cake. The rest would not fit in the fridge at first. We asked the room host, and he pulled the shelves out. Then the cake fit. The fridge never did feel cold to me. We also had the Castaway Club towel in our room when we arrived. We did not get the invitation to the Castaway Club Cocktail reception until Sunday. By that time we had already booked another 1-hour spa appointment for 4:30 pm. Since the reception was at 5:15 pm we could not make it. I called Guest Services to ask if it was casual. He said people normally wear their dinner attire. So we did not want to go in shorts and t-shirts. But later our tablemates said they went in casual clothes and so did others. Well, we will know this for next time.
QUESTION: Is the Castaway Club Cocktail reception always at the same time of the day, 5:15pm to 6:00pm, and do people wear shorts?
Our room (7009) was a category 11 on deck 7 forward. We wanted to be close to the spa, but we did not like the room. It is right next to the luggage loading area. If you look at a map, just forward of the elevators is a gray area. Stay away from this area. We heard glasses clanging every morning! For our next cruise we reserved a sideways cat. 11 room to try something different; room 6503.
QUESTION: Has anyone stayed in stateroom 6503, and was it quiet? Did you meet inside for the lifeboat drill?
The Shore Excursion Presentation, reservations for a Tour of the Bridge and the Shopping Presentation were all cancelled for today because of the uncertainty due to Hurricane Jeanne.
At 4pm we went to the lifeboat drill and had to stand outside in the hot weather for a while waiting on room 7007; they never showed. I heard and noticed that some of the drill meeting areas are inside instead of outside; I wish we could get one of these. Maybe they let you sit down inside.
QUESTION: For those lifeboat drill-meeting areas inside, do you get to sit down?
At 4:30pm we went to our couples message. It was great to have it at the beginning of our cruise. It got us relaxed right away. We went to the Rainforest afterward, and we were the only ones there! I guess everyone was at the Sail-Away Celebration, but it was great just to relax in the Rainforest! We even missed the Hercules show that night (we saw it last time) because we were enjoying the relaxation so much. We both took showers in the Spa showers and met back at the room to get ready for dinner. I love using the Spa showers as they seem bigger, have a better water spray, have pump dispensers with soap, shampoo and conditioner, and then you have plenty of big towels and space to dry off.
Dinner was fun and our tablemates were nice. They are part time cast members from California, and they got 35% off the cruise! The food was not as great as I remember, but it was still good. Our waiters were nice the first night. Judy, our drink waiter, was sweet. By the way, a lot of people seemed sick that night because of the waves from hurricane Jeanne. We went down to the medical center and got some free seasick pills. I took one seasick pill right before dinner and felt much better after dinner.
That night they announced we were going to Cozumel and would return a day late. We were excited about the extra free day and going to Mexico instead of Key West. I was a little disappointed that I would miss getting to use the slides at Atlantis. We had reserved a room at Comfort suites, Paradise Island for the Nassau day. Since the ship was still near land (Miami I think), we used our cell phones to call Comfort suites, our cat sitter and my brother. The reservation center at Comfort Suites was closed for the night. So the next morning we used the phone at Guest Services to cancel our reservation. They were very understanding and said there would be no fee. I got the cancellation number and the person's name just in case.
Friday, Sept. 24, Day at Sea:
The next day we were supposed to be at Nassau, but we had a day at sea instead because of hurricane Jeanne. We slept in and enjoyed our day at sea. Lunch at Tritons was great, with the best part being the apple tart dessert. The woman next to me did not order dessert until she saw mine, and then she ate the entire thing it was so good! We used the second day of our 3-day Rainforest pass today. We tried to draw Mickey at the Family Animation, but it was not as cool as the lighted animator stations at MGM and Disney Quest. We also did a wine tasting, and it was very enjoyable. They said they had never seen so many people at the wine tasting before. We made reservations in advance, but I think if you got there a few minutes early they would be happy to set up a spot for you. The wine steward noticed us at Palos the next night, and helped us order two glasses of the Riesling we had tasted. The Golden Mickey's was tonight, and I really wanted to see it because of what I had read about it. We used the forward elevators to get down to the theater, but since I had read there was a read carpet, we walked back through the shops so that we could come down the red carpet. It was great fun even my husband enjoyed it! It was so cold in the theater that I wished I had brought a sweater. Next cruise I think I will wear warmer dinner clothes and bring more sweaters.
TIP: Bring plenty of sweaters and warm clothes for the theaters and dining rooms.
Speaking of clothes, I packed really light because of the tips I had read. I had to wear the same dress the first and last night at dinner. =(
TIP: Do not pack light during hurricane season. Bring extra clothes in case you get stuck at sea.
Tonight's dinner was in Animator's Palate. Our waiter, Joost, seemed very busy and distracted. He did not take our food order until 20 minutes after we sat down, and he did not want to talk at all that night. I was surprised by his reaction because our waiters on the last cruise were so great at all times.
We joined the group game Wonder Quest tonight in Wavebands. The two of us were a group. The game was fun. You had to find stuff quickly and bring it and your group number up to dance floor. Some of the stuff they asked for or you will need to have with you was: KTTW card, dollar bill, purse, lipstick, change, 2 belts, pantyhose, guy shoes, girl shoes, bra big enough to fit around your guy, make sure guy is wearing swim suit under pants, drivers license, diamond ring or a clean rock, tattoo, etc. The group who won only got cheap gold medals though, but it was fun.
Saturday, Sept. 25, Cozumel:
The next morning we woke up to Mickey's wakeup call and room service. The muffins were not very good. So we got ready quickly and ate breakfast at Triton's. Then we gathered in Wavebands for our excursion. We already had our water and our Disney Cruise water bottle strings, so we did not have to wait in the long line for that. We then went on the Cozumel Ruins & Beach Tour, which we did not like. The ruins were minor, it rained and there were mosquitoes everywhere. The bus ride was fun though because our tour guide, Moy, was very interesting to listen to. The beach at Playa Sol/Mia was entertaining, but we only had an hour there. We felt very rushed. The bathrooms were not great either. The snorkeling off the beach there was very similar to Castaway Cay in that they had placed fake ruins and things on the ocean floor to look at. We only brought our masks and snorkels on the excursion because we did not want to carry our fins all day, but we found out later we could have left them on the bus during the ruins tour. We really wished we had brought them because the current was very strong, we got tired quickly so we did not get to see it all, it was hard to dive down for underwater pictures and it was a major chore getting back to shore.
TIP: Do not plan on using your mask and snorkel without your fins. It is too much work, and dangerous if you are not a good swimmer. The currents can get strong unexpectedly.
TIP: Bring antibacterial hand wipes on excursions. Not all bathrooms had soap.
Next time I think we will plan our own excursion so we can take our time. This trip to Cozumel was unexpected so I did not have any research done about the island. After the excursion we ate at Ponchos Backyard for lunch per the recommendation of Moy. It was good but different from the Mexican food we are used to. They did not have ground beef! Then we did some shopping! I got an ESQ watch from Diamonds International.
TIP: They offered $20 off Spa specials from 1pm to 8pm on this day while at Cozumel.
TIP: Guests renting vehicles in Mexico should review insurance coverage at the Shore Excursion Desk.
TIP: There is a discount Diamonds International store. Just look on the shopping map. We missed it but will look for it next time.
The show tonight was a comedian, Gary Delena, who flew in because of the hurricane. He had just gotten off the Disney Magic. He was pretty funny. I got hungry afterward and decided to try the bratwurst and fries from the deck 9 fast food counter, but it was horrible. After him we caught the end of Family Dueling Pianos, and liked it so much we planned to go back later for the Adult Dueling Pianos.
QUESTION: What "prize" do you win if you show up for Tropical Bingo in a tropical outfit or Pajama Bingo in pajamas?
Dinner on the ship at Palo this night was wonderful! Our waiter, Name, brought out some interesting foods (melon balls, olives, spread for the bread) before the appetizers. My favorite was the olive and caper spread. I had the lamb and it was fabulous. My husband said it was the best dining and food experience he has ever had.
We then went to the Adult Dueling Pianos where Chris lost his voice and it became a one-man show with Brad only. Later, the Tropical Deck Party was fun, and they had a nice buffet open. One minute the island was on the port (left) side and the next time I looked it was on the starboard side. Speaking of the Tropical Deck Party, when we were still scheduled to go to Nassau we received a letter in the mail from Disney stating that we would be leaving Nassau at 7:30pm instead of 11pm. It stated they wanted to be already at sea for the Tropical Deck Party. This seems inconsistent since we were not already at sea for the Tropical Deck Party at Cozumel. I actually thought it was pretty neat seeing the island get farther and farther away during the party. After I received the letter, I called to tell Disney that I did not like the early departure from Nassau, and the employee then told me it was Nassaus fault because they would not allow the ship to remain docked that late. So either way, I wish Disney would just be honest and stick to one reason.
Sunday, Sept. 26, Free Day at Sea:
We were supposed to be done with our cruise this morning, but because of hurricane Jeanne, we got an extra day. We slept in again and got to breakfast at Parrot Cay just before they changed the buffet to lunch. We then spent time at the Quiet Cove Adult only pool for the first time. The water was a little ruff so the pool was very fun with all the waves. They actually closed down the Mickey and Goofy pools for a while because it was too dangerous for the kids. We skipped the Debarkation Presentation, as we knew we had not bought more than the limit. We spent more time in the Rainforest and missed the Dreams (saw it last time) show that night because we did not want to leave. They did offer a matinee showing (2 or 2:15pm) of both shows on the sea days, but we did not go. We headed back out to the pool, which was empty during the 6:30pm show; so we were able to do some laps. It was great and empty in the Jacuzzi as well.
TIP: Adults only, the pool is the best place to be during ruff seas without rain. It is fun too!
TIP: You will have about one hour after the early show and before dinner.
TIP: Use the Rainforest, pool and Jacuzzi during early dinner/show and it will most likely be empty.
TIP: They offered $20 off Spa specials from 1pm to 8pm on this day while at sea.
We then booked our next Disney cruise for the 9/24/2005 Western. With the 10% discount it came to $ 840.40 per person with a $200 onboard credit. Since it is cheaper to go in September during hurricane season, we decided to give it a try again next year. We were able to pick the stateroom we wanted. I asked about staterooms 6002, 6004, 6502 and 6504 because they are on the outside of the ship but are cat. 11's, and she said they are a little smaller because there is a window there but you cannot see out. We decided on 6503 because we wanted to try the sideways layout and it is not against a gray area on the map. I was able to walk inside it the next day, and it actually seemed bigger. There is a staff door near it, but it said electrical room on the door. So unless there is a major problem, they probably do not go in that room. Hopefully it will be a good and quite cat. 11 room.
Dinner at Triton's this last night was the Best of menu. My fish was overcooked. They sang happy birthday to my husband, brought out a special cake, and gave him a birthday button, which is cute. We said goodbye to our tablemates, who had the cutest idea of giving Thank You Disney pins to our waiters. Both waiters seem really surprised and appreciative.
TIP: Bring/Buy a cute small gift such as a Thank You pin for the waiters to give them along with their tip.
Then we went to Wavebands to see the adult show with Gary Delena. It was really packed when we got there, but they brought in extra chairs to accommodate everyone.
TIP: If you do not like cussing, sexual references, adult themes, etc. then only go to the family friendly shows since the adult shows can get really bad.
Monday, Sept. 27, Debarkation:
After traveling 964 nautical miles on our extended hurricane cruise, we woke up in Fort Lauderdale. We had the late, 8am breakfast (early seating has to eat at 6:45am, yuck). Before breakfast I bought a picture at Shutters while my husband spoke to guest services about a charge we did not recognize and a shirt he bought that was to small. They reminded us that the charge was for the case of bottle Evian water we purchased on the first day of the cruise. It cost about $30 and they delivered it to our room. It was nice to have pure water available, but next time I will try to bring my own case of water. We did not have room this time as we were only allowed 2 suitcases each.
QUESTION: Do we get to bring more than 2 suitcases each on the 7-night cruise, I do not remember?
As for the small t-shirt, he went to the shop and they exchanged it for him, no problem. We hung out for a while after breakfast because there was a long line to get off the ship at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, FL. We did not get off the ship until after 9am. Since we were almost last off it was very easy finding our luggage. Then we boarded a bus to take us back to our car at Port Canaveral. They were going to put us on a non-Disney bus, but I did not know if they would have movies on it. So I asked to wait for the next Disney bus. They were fine with this. Unfortunately we picked seats at the front of the bus, in view of only the front most TV set. Well, it did not work.
TIP: Sit in view of at least two TVs on the bus in case one does not work.
We also sat next to a very annoying child. I am sure if he could have watched TV he would have been more quite, but in this case he was loud for the entire trip. The bathroom on the bus was disgusting. Then right before our exit off I-95, we got stuck behind an accident for a while. When we finally got to our car, we were both starving. Since many place near Cocoa beach were without power, we headed toward Orlando to find food.
TIP: Bring food on the bus if possible. Since you cannot bring fresh fruit, plant materials or meat off the ship it may be difficult. I had brought some pre-packaged breakfast bars that came in very handy.
I think Disney should have provided snacks and drinks on the busses. It would also be nice if they had adult only busses. By the way, for people with flights booked through Disney, Disney automatically changed their flights to leave out of Fort Lauderdale. For people who booked their own flights, they had to wait in a long line at Guest services to change their flights. Our tablemates thought early and were able to still use their cell phones. Overall we think Disney had a good hurricane contingency plan in place. We had plenty of food, fun and stress free days. We did hear that the 4-night cruise after us would be shortened to a 3-night cruise, but they would get a discount for the lost night. They would also get the opportunity to cancel as their cruise may only go to sea. By the way, I asked two different waiters about the Castaway Cay evacuation and the Castaway Kitty. First I was told that our ship stopped at Castaway Cay to get the resident cast members off, and then I was told that was impossible because the ship cannot dock there at night. I never heard from anyone about us stopping there during the day or early morning. Neither of them knew anything about the kitty.
Tips I found on this site that I used and found helpful:
- Brought highlighter for Navigator.
- Brought flashlight; it was helpful for night bathroom trips. Inside staterooms are very dark.
- Brought address labels for the new luggage tags on the last day.
- Brought a mesh laundry bag for dirty clothes.
- Brought suction cups to hang bathroom stuff.
- Brought $2 bills for tipping.
- Brought our own snorkel gear, and saved money.
- Brought personal business cards to give to our tablemates.
- Brought cash for the tips. Did not have to wait for tip vouchers and could change tip amount easily at any time.
- Made a door sign using the DIS green Mickey head and magnets.
- Purchased in advance an underwater camera to bring; this saved money and time.
Tips I found on this site that I did not use or found to be wrong:
- Brought clothes pins for the curtain but did not need them.
- Brought a soft-sided cooler, but "per Department of Agriculture regulations, no fresh fruit, vegetables, plant materials meats or animal products may be taken ashore." So we did not use it.
- Brought thank you notes and post it notes, but did not use them.
- I did not bring enough clothes and had to re-wear clothes because a read several time to pack light.
- The anchors on the carpet that are blue and red, the red side did not face the back of the ship!
Tips I found on this site, ignored, but now think are good ideas:
- A light up travel clock. We always wanted to know the time while in bed, but could not see the clock.
- Bring more warm clothes for inside areas. I thought, cruise = warm, but not inside!
Happy cruising until next time! =)
Snow Wht and her Prince
Magic 7-night Eastern, April 2001
Wonder 4-night hurricane Jeanne cruise to Cozumel, Sept 2004
Magic 7-night Western, September 2005
Thursday, Sept. 23rd, Embarkation:
I had called the two days before to see if there was any change in the itinerary, and at that time there was not. However, when we checked in they handed us a letter saying we were definitely not going to Castaway Cay, and we might go to Key West instead of Nassau. We said we did not like the idea of Key West because we were just there. We live in Florida; so we can drive there anytime we want. The letter also said we may have to return to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, FL instead of Port Canaveral. We boarded and my husband asked if we could go ahead and make Palo and Spa reservations. The cast member said not until 1pm, but we asked another cast member and she said yes before 1pm. We ate at Parrot Cay first anyway, and then booked (in Studio Sea) Palo for 8:30pm on the night we were scheduled for Parrot Cay. We were the second reservation for that time on that night, and we ended up getting a nice table by the window. We knew what night we would be at Parrot Cay by the code (TAP) on our Key to the World (KTTW) card, but another couple in line next to us had checked in at Disney World first. So their KTTW card did not have their dining code on it, but I told them I had read that couples without children would probably have the TAP seating. They checked and sure enough had TAP. Then we went to the spa and actually did have to wait until 1pm for it to open. There was a short line of people waiting. They tried to get us to take the tour, but we said that we had been there before. So they took us right back to make reservations. We originally wanted to get the Cabana massages ($139), but since we were not going to Castaway Cay we reserved a couples Well-Being massage ($109 each or $242 per couple) onboard. By the way, the prices were a lot higher that I had read online. The couples massage costs more than two individual full body massages. So when I asked why, they said there is something extra in the couples massage. I still do not know what that could be, but the massage was great. It was nice that we were in the same room together, but you would think they would actually offer a discount for this since they now have another room available for another massage.
Next we toured the childrens' areas during the open house. It was fun to see them. After 1:30pm we went to our room, 7009, and my husband was surprised by the birthday decorations I had ordered for him. They are cute decorations, but they were big and in the way for the rest of the cruise. We only ate 1/4 of the cake. The rest would not fit in the fridge at first. We asked the room host, and he pulled the shelves out. Then the cake fit. The fridge never did feel cold to me. We also had the Castaway Club towel in our room when we arrived. We did not get the invitation to the Castaway Club Cocktail reception until Sunday. By that time we had already booked another 1-hour spa appointment for 4:30 pm. Since the reception was at 5:15 pm we could not make it. I called Guest Services to ask if it was casual. He said people normally wear their dinner attire. So we did not want to go in shorts and t-shirts. But later our tablemates said they went in casual clothes and so did others. Well, we will know this for next time.
QUESTION: Is the Castaway Club Cocktail reception always at the same time of the day, 5:15pm to 6:00pm, and do people wear shorts?
Our room (7009) was a category 11 on deck 7 forward. We wanted to be close to the spa, but we did not like the room. It is right next to the luggage loading area. If you look at a map, just forward of the elevators is a gray area. Stay away from this area. We heard glasses clanging every morning! For our next cruise we reserved a sideways cat. 11 room to try something different; room 6503.
QUESTION: Has anyone stayed in stateroom 6503, and was it quiet? Did you meet inside for the lifeboat drill?
The Shore Excursion Presentation, reservations for a Tour of the Bridge and the Shopping Presentation were all cancelled for today because of the uncertainty due to Hurricane Jeanne.
At 4pm we went to the lifeboat drill and had to stand outside in the hot weather for a while waiting on room 7007; they never showed. I heard and noticed that some of the drill meeting areas are inside instead of outside; I wish we could get one of these. Maybe they let you sit down inside.
QUESTION: For those lifeboat drill-meeting areas inside, do you get to sit down?
At 4:30pm we went to our couples message. It was great to have it at the beginning of our cruise. It got us relaxed right away. We went to the Rainforest afterward, and we were the only ones there! I guess everyone was at the Sail-Away Celebration, but it was great just to relax in the Rainforest! We even missed the Hercules show that night (we saw it last time) because we were enjoying the relaxation so much. We both took showers in the Spa showers and met back at the room to get ready for dinner. I love using the Spa showers as they seem bigger, have a better water spray, have pump dispensers with soap, shampoo and conditioner, and then you have plenty of big towels and space to dry off.
Dinner was fun and our tablemates were nice. They are part time cast members from California, and they got 35% off the cruise! The food was not as great as I remember, but it was still good. Our waiters were nice the first night. Judy, our drink waiter, was sweet. By the way, a lot of people seemed sick that night because of the waves from hurricane Jeanne. We went down to the medical center and got some free seasick pills. I took one seasick pill right before dinner and felt much better after dinner.
That night they announced we were going to Cozumel and would return a day late. We were excited about the extra free day and going to Mexico instead of Key West. I was a little disappointed that I would miss getting to use the slides at Atlantis. We had reserved a room at Comfort suites, Paradise Island for the Nassau day. Since the ship was still near land (Miami I think), we used our cell phones to call Comfort suites, our cat sitter and my brother. The reservation center at Comfort Suites was closed for the night. So the next morning we used the phone at Guest Services to cancel our reservation. They were very understanding and said there would be no fee. I got the cancellation number and the person's name just in case.
Friday, Sept. 24, Day at Sea:
The next day we were supposed to be at Nassau, but we had a day at sea instead because of hurricane Jeanne. We slept in and enjoyed our day at sea. Lunch at Tritons was great, with the best part being the apple tart dessert. The woman next to me did not order dessert until she saw mine, and then she ate the entire thing it was so good! We used the second day of our 3-day Rainforest pass today. We tried to draw Mickey at the Family Animation, but it was not as cool as the lighted animator stations at MGM and Disney Quest. We also did a wine tasting, and it was very enjoyable. They said they had never seen so many people at the wine tasting before. We made reservations in advance, but I think if you got there a few minutes early they would be happy to set up a spot for you. The wine steward noticed us at Palos the next night, and helped us order two glasses of the Riesling we had tasted. The Golden Mickey's was tonight, and I really wanted to see it because of what I had read about it. We used the forward elevators to get down to the theater, but since I had read there was a read carpet, we walked back through the shops so that we could come down the red carpet. It was great fun even my husband enjoyed it! It was so cold in the theater that I wished I had brought a sweater. Next cruise I think I will wear warmer dinner clothes and bring more sweaters.
TIP: Bring plenty of sweaters and warm clothes for the theaters and dining rooms.
Speaking of clothes, I packed really light because of the tips I had read. I had to wear the same dress the first and last night at dinner. =(
TIP: Do not pack light during hurricane season. Bring extra clothes in case you get stuck at sea.
Tonight's dinner was in Animator's Palate. Our waiter, Joost, seemed very busy and distracted. He did not take our food order until 20 minutes after we sat down, and he did not want to talk at all that night. I was surprised by his reaction because our waiters on the last cruise were so great at all times.
We joined the group game Wonder Quest tonight in Wavebands. The two of us were a group. The game was fun. You had to find stuff quickly and bring it and your group number up to dance floor. Some of the stuff they asked for or you will need to have with you was: KTTW card, dollar bill, purse, lipstick, change, 2 belts, pantyhose, guy shoes, girl shoes, bra big enough to fit around your guy, make sure guy is wearing swim suit under pants, drivers license, diamond ring or a clean rock, tattoo, etc. The group who won only got cheap gold medals though, but it was fun.
Saturday, Sept. 25, Cozumel:
The next morning we woke up to Mickey's wakeup call and room service. The muffins were not very good. So we got ready quickly and ate breakfast at Triton's. Then we gathered in Wavebands for our excursion. We already had our water and our Disney Cruise water bottle strings, so we did not have to wait in the long line for that. We then went on the Cozumel Ruins & Beach Tour, which we did not like. The ruins were minor, it rained and there were mosquitoes everywhere. The bus ride was fun though because our tour guide, Moy, was very interesting to listen to. The beach at Playa Sol/Mia was entertaining, but we only had an hour there. We felt very rushed. The bathrooms were not great either. The snorkeling off the beach there was very similar to Castaway Cay in that they had placed fake ruins and things on the ocean floor to look at. We only brought our masks and snorkels on the excursion because we did not want to carry our fins all day, but we found out later we could have left them on the bus during the ruins tour. We really wished we had brought them because the current was very strong, we got tired quickly so we did not get to see it all, it was hard to dive down for underwater pictures and it was a major chore getting back to shore.
TIP: Do not plan on using your mask and snorkel without your fins. It is too much work, and dangerous if you are not a good swimmer. The currents can get strong unexpectedly.
TIP: Bring antibacterial hand wipes on excursions. Not all bathrooms had soap.
Next time I think we will plan our own excursion so we can take our time. This trip to Cozumel was unexpected so I did not have any research done about the island. After the excursion we ate at Ponchos Backyard for lunch per the recommendation of Moy. It was good but different from the Mexican food we are used to. They did not have ground beef! Then we did some shopping! I got an ESQ watch from Diamonds International.
TIP: They offered $20 off Spa specials from 1pm to 8pm on this day while at Cozumel.
TIP: Guests renting vehicles in Mexico should review insurance coverage at the Shore Excursion Desk.
TIP: There is a discount Diamonds International store. Just look on the shopping map. We missed it but will look for it next time.
The show tonight was a comedian, Gary Delena, who flew in because of the hurricane. He had just gotten off the Disney Magic. He was pretty funny. I got hungry afterward and decided to try the bratwurst and fries from the deck 9 fast food counter, but it was horrible. After him we caught the end of Family Dueling Pianos, and liked it so much we planned to go back later for the Adult Dueling Pianos.
QUESTION: What "prize" do you win if you show up for Tropical Bingo in a tropical outfit or Pajama Bingo in pajamas?
Dinner on the ship at Palo this night was wonderful! Our waiter, Name, brought out some interesting foods (melon balls, olives, spread for the bread) before the appetizers. My favorite was the olive and caper spread. I had the lamb and it was fabulous. My husband said it was the best dining and food experience he has ever had.
We then went to the Adult Dueling Pianos where Chris lost his voice and it became a one-man show with Brad only. Later, the Tropical Deck Party was fun, and they had a nice buffet open. One minute the island was on the port (left) side and the next time I looked it was on the starboard side. Speaking of the Tropical Deck Party, when we were still scheduled to go to Nassau we received a letter in the mail from Disney stating that we would be leaving Nassau at 7:30pm instead of 11pm. It stated they wanted to be already at sea for the Tropical Deck Party. This seems inconsistent since we were not already at sea for the Tropical Deck Party at Cozumel. I actually thought it was pretty neat seeing the island get farther and farther away during the party. After I received the letter, I called to tell Disney that I did not like the early departure from Nassau, and the employee then told me it was Nassaus fault because they would not allow the ship to remain docked that late. So either way, I wish Disney would just be honest and stick to one reason.
Sunday, Sept. 26, Free Day at Sea:
We were supposed to be done with our cruise this morning, but because of hurricane Jeanne, we got an extra day. We slept in again and got to breakfast at Parrot Cay just before they changed the buffet to lunch. We then spent time at the Quiet Cove Adult only pool for the first time. The water was a little ruff so the pool was very fun with all the waves. They actually closed down the Mickey and Goofy pools for a while because it was too dangerous for the kids. We skipped the Debarkation Presentation, as we knew we had not bought more than the limit. We spent more time in the Rainforest and missed the Dreams (saw it last time) show that night because we did not want to leave. They did offer a matinee showing (2 or 2:15pm) of both shows on the sea days, but we did not go. We headed back out to the pool, which was empty during the 6:30pm show; so we were able to do some laps. It was great and empty in the Jacuzzi as well.
TIP: Adults only, the pool is the best place to be during ruff seas without rain. It is fun too!
TIP: You will have about one hour after the early show and before dinner.
TIP: Use the Rainforest, pool and Jacuzzi during early dinner/show and it will most likely be empty.
TIP: They offered $20 off Spa specials from 1pm to 8pm on this day while at sea.
We then booked our next Disney cruise for the 9/24/2005 Western. With the 10% discount it came to $ 840.40 per person with a $200 onboard credit. Since it is cheaper to go in September during hurricane season, we decided to give it a try again next year. We were able to pick the stateroom we wanted. I asked about staterooms 6002, 6004, 6502 and 6504 because they are on the outside of the ship but are cat. 11's, and she said they are a little smaller because there is a window there but you cannot see out. We decided on 6503 because we wanted to try the sideways layout and it is not against a gray area on the map. I was able to walk inside it the next day, and it actually seemed bigger. There is a staff door near it, but it said electrical room on the door. So unless there is a major problem, they probably do not go in that room. Hopefully it will be a good and quite cat. 11 room.
Dinner at Triton's this last night was the Best of menu. My fish was overcooked. They sang happy birthday to my husband, brought out a special cake, and gave him a birthday button, which is cute. We said goodbye to our tablemates, who had the cutest idea of giving Thank You Disney pins to our waiters. Both waiters seem really surprised and appreciative.
TIP: Bring/Buy a cute small gift such as a Thank You pin for the waiters to give them along with their tip.
Then we went to Wavebands to see the adult show with Gary Delena. It was really packed when we got there, but they brought in extra chairs to accommodate everyone.
TIP: If you do not like cussing, sexual references, adult themes, etc. then only go to the family friendly shows since the adult shows can get really bad.
Monday, Sept. 27, Debarkation:
After traveling 964 nautical miles on our extended hurricane cruise, we woke up in Fort Lauderdale. We had the late, 8am breakfast (early seating has to eat at 6:45am, yuck). Before breakfast I bought a picture at Shutters while my husband spoke to guest services about a charge we did not recognize and a shirt he bought that was to small. They reminded us that the charge was for the case of bottle Evian water we purchased on the first day of the cruise. It cost about $30 and they delivered it to our room. It was nice to have pure water available, but next time I will try to bring my own case of water. We did not have room this time as we were only allowed 2 suitcases each.
QUESTION: Do we get to bring more than 2 suitcases each on the 7-night cruise, I do not remember?
As for the small t-shirt, he went to the shop and they exchanged it for him, no problem. We hung out for a while after breakfast because there was a long line to get off the ship at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, FL. We did not get off the ship until after 9am. Since we were almost last off it was very easy finding our luggage. Then we boarded a bus to take us back to our car at Port Canaveral. They were going to put us on a non-Disney bus, but I did not know if they would have movies on it. So I asked to wait for the next Disney bus. They were fine with this. Unfortunately we picked seats at the front of the bus, in view of only the front most TV set. Well, it did not work.
TIP: Sit in view of at least two TVs on the bus in case one does not work.
We also sat next to a very annoying child. I am sure if he could have watched TV he would have been more quite, but in this case he was loud for the entire trip. The bathroom on the bus was disgusting. Then right before our exit off I-95, we got stuck behind an accident for a while. When we finally got to our car, we were both starving. Since many place near Cocoa beach were without power, we headed toward Orlando to find food.
TIP: Bring food on the bus if possible. Since you cannot bring fresh fruit, plant materials or meat off the ship it may be difficult. I had brought some pre-packaged breakfast bars that came in very handy.
I think Disney should have provided snacks and drinks on the busses. It would also be nice if they had adult only busses. By the way, for people with flights booked through Disney, Disney automatically changed their flights to leave out of Fort Lauderdale. For people who booked their own flights, they had to wait in a long line at Guest services to change their flights. Our tablemates thought early and were able to still use their cell phones. Overall we think Disney had a good hurricane contingency plan in place. We had plenty of food, fun and stress free days. We did hear that the 4-night cruise after us would be shortened to a 3-night cruise, but they would get a discount for the lost night. They would also get the opportunity to cancel as their cruise may only go to sea. By the way, I asked two different waiters about the Castaway Cay evacuation and the Castaway Kitty. First I was told that our ship stopped at Castaway Cay to get the resident cast members off, and then I was told that was impossible because the ship cannot dock there at night. I never heard from anyone about us stopping there during the day or early morning. Neither of them knew anything about the kitty.
Tips I found on this site that I used and found helpful:
- Brought highlighter for Navigator.
- Brought flashlight; it was helpful for night bathroom trips. Inside staterooms are very dark.
- Brought address labels for the new luggage tags on the last day.
- Brought a mesh laundry bag for dirty clothes.
- Brought suction cups to hang bathroom stuff.
- Brought $2 bills for tipping.
- Brought our own snorkel gear, and saved money.
- Brought personal business cards to give to our tablemates.
- Brought cash for the tips. Did not have to wait for tip vouchers and could change tip amount easily at any time.
- Made a door sign using the DIS green Mickey head and magnets.
- Purchased in advance an underwater camera to bring; this saved money and time.
Tips I found on this site that I did not use or found to be wrong:
- Brought clothes pins for the curtain but did not need them.
- Brought a soft-sided cooler, but "per Department of Agriculture regulations, no fresh fruit, vegetables, plant materials meats or animal products may be taken ashore." So we did not use it.
- Brought thank you notes and post it notes, but did not use them.
- I did not bring enough clothes and had to re-wear clothes because a read several time to pack light.
- The anchors on the carpet that are blue and red, the red side did not face the back of the ship!
Tips I found on this site, ignored, but now think are good ideas:
- A light up travel clock. We always wanted to know the time while in bed, but could not see the clock.
- Bring more warm clothes for inside areas. I thought, cruise = warm, but not inside!
Happy cruising until next time! =)
Snow Wht and her Prince
Magic 7-night Eastern, April 2001
Wonder 4-night hurricane Jeanne cruise to Cozumel, Sept 2004
Magic 7-night Western, September 2005
Your comments on the Cozumel beach and ruins tour is giving me something to think about it.
