Cruise Report - Disney Magic Western Caribbean 4 - 11 Oct About This Page:

[CAVA Magic]

I wish I had the time to write the long reviews as some have but it is back to the real world and I am writing this review from work. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone!

Needless to say, our cruise, our week, our vacation was wonderful! Here are some of the highlights and my thoughts and tips. I hope this helps future travelers.

To provide a little background...there was 7 in our group. My family of 4 and my
mother, stepdad, and a family friend.

Getting to the cruise ship...

1. Arrived at Orlando Airport and proceeded to Budget Car Rental to get our 12 passenger van. They didn't have one and jerked us around for almost an hour. Luckily the Disney counter was right next door. We went and talked with them and within 5 min we had cancelled with Budget and were on the bus to the Polynesian where we met the rest of our group and stayed for the evening before the cruise.

2. Character breakfast at O'Hana. The tropical, family theme is a great kick-off to the cruise. I would highly recommend.

3. Took the Disney shuttle over to the ship. I balked at the price at first - now I am an avid believer. Sure a rental car might be a little cheaper but will they do all the work with the luggage? Nope! TAKE THE DISNEY SHUTTLE!

On board activities....

4. Sign up early for the beer and wine tasting events.

5. We had late dinner seating so we would typically go to the 6:15 show, then run down to Diversions for the family comedy act at 7:30 which ended right before dinner.

Staterooms...

6. Rooms have inadequate power outlets if you are going to need to recharge more than one camera, cell phone, laptop, etc. Pack a power strip.

7. Take a clear plastic shoe holder for over the bathroom door. Next time I am taking two. This was a big help.

Excursions...

8. Get a clear plastic backpack. It makes it so easy to spot what you need out of your bag. I had several people ask me where I got mine so I am including the link.
Clear Backpacks | Clear Bags | Quality Vinyl Backpacks and Rolling Wheeled Bags | Clear School Policy | Race Events

9. If you are snorkeling - take a couple of dinner or breakfast rolls with you to feed the fish.

10. Kayaking Adventure (Key West) - huge fun but more work than Passporters book let on due to some stormy seas. Need to be in good physical shape. Guides were good.

11. Aquaboats (Grand Cayman) - don't miss! This was a blast! Take extra disposable underwater cameras. Definitely worth the money and I would do it again!!!

12. Dolphinaris (Cozumel) - Getting to the place is a goat rope. Getting into the water is another one. Once in the water though, the place has a great program set up. The pictures afterwards are another goat rope. This place would definitely benefit by asking Disney to come in and address some of their logistical issues before and after. Expensive but you get a full hour and it is a beautiful setting with good interaction with the dolphins.

13. Parasailing (Castaway Cay) - I wouldn't do this again. They said the winds were bad so we would have to ride tandem. Okay, but we didn't get double the time up there. Hooked up and sent up, about 5 min., up in the air about 5 min. Winched back in about 5 min. Very short for $75 pp. The dunking was nice and the guides were pleasant and knew what they were doing. Safety was well handled.

WOW Moments!

Out of respect for the family mentioned here, I will only say that a very serious medical emergency occured on Castaway Cay with a toddler about 18 months. I was WOW'd by how quickly the lifeguard responded, how quickly another lifeguard came, and how quickly medical personnel responded. All within about 3 min. I was also wow'd by the guest on the beach that formed a prayer circle. I am still a little shaken by it but also moved by everyones response!

Dining - every meal was a pleasure and the highlight of our day. Our servers - Jozsef from Hungary and Sel from Turkey were the best. If you get them, please sit back and enjoy! You are in good hands!

Jake at Guest Services. I went to ask a question about something and he asked what room I was in. I told him but also mentioned that the last digit (4) was missing off the door. He seemed stunned but I laughed and told him it was okay with me. It helped me spot my door easier. By the time I came back from excursion that day, the door was fixed. Darn you Jake! LOL!

Next cruise - 2010. Can't wait! If you are going soon - have fun!

[Colexis Mom]

Thanks for the review!! Glad you had a great time!

I too had the same problem with the parasailing in 2006. I think they overbook the boat...as there was no way that everyone who had signed up to go single would have been able to in the time frame Going tandem with a stranger is not all that fun

[iamgrumpy]

Thanks for the reviews Sounds like a good trip overall but I agree going tandem is not as fun!

[jenpink]

Thanks for the cruise review. Very informative.

Jennifer

[CAVA Magic]

My daughter and I went together so it wasn't too bad. She was yelling at them to dunk us and I was yelling at them not to. In the end, they dunked our feet. We both were happy!

[DyanKJ130]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time! for the tips!