Western 7-night excursion??

[EmmaRae]

First time cruiser...the excursions are overwhelming!! How do I know which to choose? With husband and 7-yr-old b/g twins. Should we always get off the ship? Someone suggested staying on the ship during the Keys.

 

Do I need to sign up for the kid's club before the cruise begins (or can I)? Are there evening events for the kids only? If so, until what time?

 

So many questions...

 

Thanks!

[NCmom]

Good luck with your planning--it can be so much fun. Our Disney Western cruise was modified due to the hurricane, so I can't help much with the excursions. The only regular port we made it to was Cozumel--we grabbed a taxi to Paradise Beach and had an excellent day.

 

You can now sign kids up online before you board. I haven't done so, but feel as though it would certainly speed up the process so that the only thing left for you to do at the port or on board is get the wristbands on the twins and pick up your pager.

 

The DCL kids programs run generally from 9 am to 12 or 1 in the morning (so about 15 hours of programming a day). Some is organized and some is free time in the lab. Your kids will receive a kids navigator showing all the activities for the week in advance so that you can do some planning. If you go to dcltribute.com under navigators, you'll see a listing of past cruises and activities. Be sure that your kids participate in the last day show for kids--thye get free T-shirts and it is soooo cute.

 

The kids will love the Disney shows--lots of singing and characters. There are also 2 or 3 movies shown during the day in the theater on Deck 5.

 

Good luck planning--try to see if you and your DH can't get to Palo one evening or for brunch--it is excellent. Also, if you haven't already check out the disboards.com--tons of info on the cruise over there.

[TheWog]

Staying on or getting off is up to you. If you have never been to a place before you may as well get off and take a look. If you don't like it you can head back and have the ship and pools essentially to yourselves. Excursions are great.

 

Grand Cayman you should try the Stingray City tour. If you book it on your own you can save some money. If you go over to the ports of call boards you will find many reputable companies enjoyed by CC members and choose one from there. You will swim with stingrays and get to feed and pet them. Anyone who has gone says it is the time of their lives.

 

Cozumel I want to try the dune buggy excursion with my son. He loves cars and the beach and driving on the beach so this should be perfect. There are ruins, snorkeling, lunch and drinks provided. www.cozumelhomes.com is the site.

 

The kids program is for kids only and they have many activities outlined in the kids navigator. You can sign them up at any time, but they available during embarkation if you like to do it then. You get a pager for you and the kids wear a bracelet that idenitifies them. They can stay as late as you or they want (until I believe 1 a.m.). You can't retrieve them during certain "transition" times, such as going from one place to another or beginning of dinner.

[cinderella7104]

Hi,

 

 

My Dh and I were on the Magic last July for our Honeymoon and had a great time. You are going to have a blast!

We did not book any shore excursions thru the ship and actually saved time and money. In KEy West we did the Conch Tour on our own and rented an electric car to go back to some of the interesting spots....it was fun but hot (most of Key West is not AC). We did go back onto the ship to drop off packages and "hang out" foor a while. We actually watched teh infamous sunset from our balcony because the pier was so crowded. We ate at Sloppy Joes which was fun...they have live entertainment there too. Key West has a lot of cute little shops as well.

In Grand Cayman we did the Stingray City Tour with Capt. Marvins. They were great! We basically had a private charter with only 5 other people on board (7 total) They took us to Stingray City and had all the "food" we needed. We stayed about a 1/2 hour. They also had people in the water with us to take pictures and help if you need it. Then we went to another snorkel spot and they provided us with gear and had another 1/2 hour there. They were so helpful and knowledgable. When you are done with the excursion you can either get dropped off at the 7 mile beach or the main office by the pier. We saved about 20.00 each by using Capt Marvins as opposed to Disney. We heard from our table mates that Disney's boats were very crowded and they did not get to feed the stingrays like we did.

In cozumel we took a cab to Paradise Beach and had a great time! The beach was clean, quiet and everyone had a chair and umbrella. You can rent a float or snorkel equip for 5.00 for the day and the kids can play on the water trampoline or iceberg. They have waiter serice on the beach and the drinks are made from purified water. The cab ride R/T was about 25.00-30.00 with tip.

Castaway Cay was the BEST island in our opinion! It is beautiful and so well run. They have a lagoon where it is family friendly to snorkel and they even have hidden mickeys on the ocean floor.

You are going to have a great time. We cant wait to go back. Also, dont forget to bring something special for the kids to get autographed....like a pillow case. Characters are all over during varios parts of the day. Teh photographers are also great on board. They always had the cuteset pictures of kids in the pool or on deck....so make sure you check it out each night. Lastly, many children get dressed up as their favotite characters n the formal or semi formal night.....they all looked very cute. If I can bte of any help to you, please let me know.

 

Heather

 

www.captainmarvns.com

 

http://www.paradise-beach-cozumel.net/home_pbeach.php

[cinderella7104]

Hi Again,

 

 

I just tried the capt. mrvins link and it was not working so I am going to try to post it again for you.

 

Heather

http://www.captainmarvins.com/