Got back on Friday after a 4-night Caribbean cruise. This was my first ever cruise, so went in with eyes wide open. We had a great time. Sorta (kiddingly) mad at my wife. I wanted to do a 7-nighter but she talked me out of it because she was worried I would get bored or antsy on the boat, so we did the 4-nighter. Wished we had done the 7-nighter!
Here are some bullet thoughts:
– Food was much better than I anticipated. Loved the rotational dining and the menus each night. We didn’t splurge for Remy or Palo, but may on our next cruise.
– DS6 loved the Oceaneer Club and Lab and we had to almost drag him out each time. DS10 wasn’t as impressed and thought it was crowded in there. He was disappointed that the basketball court was only open until 6 pm each evening.
– All the shows were really good. Caught the end of Golden Mickeys, a comedian/magician and Beauty and the Beast.
– Castaway Cay was very nice. The food there was a bit disappointing, and I was very disappointed in the snorkeling. Water wasn’t very deep and the few fish that were out there were not super colorful and were hard to spot. But it served the purpose of teaching DS10 how to snorkel for a hopefully future trip to St. Thomas or somewhere with better snorkeling.
– Was pleasantly surprised with the cost of alcohol. They didn’t gouge you as much as I thought they would. And drinks were sufficiently strong and not watered down.
– Took us awhile to figure out how to turn lights on in the cabin. That was funny. Didn’t know you had to leave the room card in there at first.
– Wish there was at least 1-2 more electrical outlets for charging phones at night.
All in all, was a great trip, albeit a bit short. Already looking at another one for next year. Wanted to go on an Alaskan cruise in the summer, but man those prices are high. We spent about $6400 for the four nighter last week and saw a 7-nighter that would have been about $8k. The Alaskan ones I saw for a comparable room were closer to $11k! I can afford it, but not sure I want to spend that much for the cruise, when I’d have flights and other expenses on top of that. May do another spring break trip next year instead.
I must agree on the 7-night cruise vs the 4-night option. On our first (and only cruise so far), we had to reschedule, and ended up switching from a 4-night to a 7-night due to a family medical issue, and we got the postponed 7-night cruise for about the same total original cost. Once we did it, we were so glad that we were not packing up on night #4.
We had luck with snorkeling at castaway cay. Even saw 2 sea turtles! Sorry you were disappointed. Sounds like you had a great time. Agree about the costs of Alaska cruise.
Thanks for the info! We are leaving soon on our first ever cruise. It’s just a three night one, so I hope we won’t be too upset it’s not longer too! Can you confirm if this blog post is still correct in that you get 50Mb/day of data?
Our family of 4 cruised the Disney Magic twice in 2006 and 2007. Then our kids aged out of the Disney character-driven cruises. (On to Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Princess Cruise lines) I thought the Magic was absolutely beautiful in a classical sense. The service from housekeeping, front desk, bartenders, to wait staff was very very friendly and professional. Our only gripe with our waiter kept pushing extra appetizers, meals, and desserts on us, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I am glad Disney still does the dining rotation with the three dining venues. The ship was very well-maintained. We did Mexico and the Eastern Caribbean, and I agree that the snorkeling at Castaway Cay is only good as an introduction for beginners. There are hardly any fish visible in the often cloudy waters but it good because it’s right off the shore. Once you have snorkeled off BoraBora as we did as a family in 2014, most other snorkeling sites are disappointing except I’d say the fish and sea turtles near Capt. Cook’s Monument on the Big island of Hawaii is amazing, but I digress. In 2007 & 08, I thought the prices were high then but what you quoted is insane, but the ships are always full, aren’t they?! Yes, alcoholic drinks are cheaper than expected. Princess Cruises are like that also. I see Disney still has an issue with having enough outlets on its ships and in its resort rooms. Planning on taking an extension cord to my trip to POR this May. Glad you had a good time and save up for a 7 day cruise!
Can you confirm if this blog post is still correct in that you get 50Mb/day of data?