Our Disney Cruise experience PART 2. Part 1 can be found in my blog.


So, we left off with Day 4 in Costa Maya. Day 5 found us in Cozumel, Mexico. If you have to get off the boat in Mexico, Cozumel is not a bad option. MUCH more developed and a lot less scary than Costa Maya. We decided on a Dune Buggy and beach snorkel excursion. I had never been snorkeling, and my parents were determined that I would try it. :) The dune buggy's were.. funny. Very old, and sometimes they work. They are little 4 person all metal seat cars. If you have back problems, or don't like bumpy noisy rides, these are not for you. They made me laugh. Our whole group divided into 4 people small groups and got in our buggys. Then we drove in caravan about 30 minutes to Playa del Sol. (the beach/park area.)

The little green one was ours. If we came to a complete stop.. the buggy stalled. LOL

 

The first stop in the park was the crocodile habitat. Let me tell you, it's cool to see a 17 foot long croc in the water below your walkway. That is.. Until you realize that the walkway is about 50 years old, hand made with little to no power tools, and each board sags dramatically if you only step on one. I'm a woodworker, and could tell this thing is NOT going to last many more years. Then add 40-50 tourists, and suddenly that wasn't as much fun. But, the swamp land was pretty, and seeing a Croc instead of our American Gators was cool and the surrounding territory was beautiful.

 

 

After we said hello to the Croc, we drove our buggies to the next stop, The Beach! They had a gift shop, a huge covered pavilion with the lunch buffet being set up and a shack where you could get your snorkeling gear. I would recommend bringing your own Snorkel and mask. Theirs were in various states of disrepair, and let's be honest, they have been in a whole lot of other peoples mouths before yours. You can get fins from them, but we brought our own. Besides, on Disney's private island, if you have your own snorkel and fins, you don't have to rent any, and believe you'll want them. More on that later. So, we all suited up and got ready to snorkel for the first time. The guide gives you brief lessons and teaches you how to use the equipment. I must say, I HATE breathing through my mouth. I know I'm weird, but just some little quirk about me. So, the snorkel was REALLY hard to get used to. I'd stick my face in the water and it was like my brain just couldn't comprehend OPEN YOUR MOUTH STUPID! So it took me a few tries to get used to it. Once I figured it out, it was so cool! The only problem was this particular tour was in a hurry to get groups through the water. There are SEVERAL cruise ships in port and they have many groups there at once. So the guide gets in the water and has you follow him. Let's just say, his pace was MUCH faster than ours and it was hard to keep up. We saw lots of coral and fish, but we had to keep moving so the really cool fish didn't come out from hiding. (you have to hold still to see them) Still, for a first time trying it, it was great! I was surprised how easy it was to float. I was a little nervous since I'm not a strong swimmer, but really, you don't need a life jacket to float. So you could just concentrate on breathing, swimming and watching the fish.

I recommend bringing and underwater camera. They are tons of fun!

 

After we snorkeled, we were served traditional Mexican fajitas. I must say, they were awesome! The chips were real fried tortillas, and the food was excellent. Not at all spicy like I thought it would be.

 

After lunch we all hopped into our dune buggies and headed to a light house. We were allowed to go inside and hike up to the top. Holy crow that was a hefty hike! You go inside this cement cylinder and start walking up the steps. There are only one or two windows the entire time, and the center is also cement. Feels like going up an spiral staircase inside an old castle. Got a bit claustrophobic, but the views from the top were awesome!

 

After that we drove the dune buggies back to the port. We had plenty of time before we were to set sail to go shopping. There are TONS of shops in the port area, so if you want souvenirs, this is a good place to get them! A word of warning, the shop keeps will haggle, and HOLY CROW are they pushy!! Be prepared to be followed, harassed and have merchandise SHOVED into your hands. LOL

 

Back on board the Fantasy it was time for Pirate night!!! We have a Pirate themed dinner, get dressed up and then have a huge party on deck. There is no theatre show that night. (Instead they showed the Avengers in 3D for those who didn't want to attend the pirate party.) Mom and I got all dressed up in our pirate outfits and headed to dinner at animators palate.

Seriously, bring a pirate costume. It's just so much more fun if you do. Throw out your inhibitions and just have fun with it. Besides how often do you get to be a Pirate IN THE CARIBBEAN??

 

Dinner was fun. It's the same menu no matter which restaurant you were schedule to be in. Animators palate was fun because all the screens which had Crush on them before, now had pictures of pirates from every Disney movie you have ever seen with a pirate. After dinner, we all headed up to the top deck for a live show, dance party and fireworks! Captain Jack Sparrow was there and they had a whole show about him stealing a piece of treasure and hiding it from the other pirates. He even repelled down from the highest point on the ship.. the top of the smoke stack! I recommend being up on the upper deck above the pools but as close to the main stage as you can. Then, after the show is over, they shoot off the fire works! They fire them from the ship and up out over the ocean. That's why being on the upper deck is great because then you have a completely clear view of the fireworks. After the fireworks finish, head down to the main floor for an epic dance party! You'll get to dance with Disney Characters, cast members, lots of kids and all the adults. It's really a great time if you let yourself be silly and have fun.

 

 

Before bed we decided to play shuffle board on Deck 4. I really think it's a law that you must play shuffle board at least once when you are on a cruise ship. :)

 

 

The next day was another day at Sea. These were truly my favorite days! The ship has so much to offer, and there is so much to do that the Sea days are awesome. We slept in, since we had stayed up so late with pirate night. Then we played the midship detective game a couple of times and rode the Aqua Duck. The Aqua Duck is this water roller coaster that circles the ship and even juts out over the side. you are in a mostly enclosed water tube slide. It curls around and then all of a sudden the water kicks up speed and you get pushed UP HILL and over a big bump. (Also the only part of the slide without a ceiling.)  It's a whole lot of fun. Make sure you ride it at least once during the day, and once at night. the night time ride is a new experience with the darkness, and all kinds of cool lights.

 

We played mini golf a couple of times, had a casual lunch in the buffet and just had a nice, fun relaxing day! We enjoyed the deck chairs in the "adults only" side of the ship. It's just a big upper deck with a couple of bars, but the chairs are never crowded, and no one is crying for their mommy. :) Dinner that night was at Animators Palate again. This time there was a new show! They had us each draw a little stick figure character on special placemats. Then they scanned them all in and animated them. They had this dance video and all our characters danced to the music. It was cute and surprisingly funny. After dinner we went to the show "Believe". A really fun show about trying to convince this scientist guy that Magic is real. Lots of Disney Characters and of course, Genie from Aladdin was back and funnier than ever! Great show! After the show we started packing. SIGH. We still had one full day aboard the ship, but we knew the last night was going to be crazy. They want all your checked luggage to be placed in the hallway the night before you leave the ship. That way it will be all unloaded in the port terminal when you leave the ship. We knew that the next day was going to be fun and busy, so we got a jump on the packing.

 

The next day was the best day of the entire cruise. We stopped at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay! Can I just say.. If the cruise spent 7 days JUST on Castaway Cay I'd book the trip once a month. SUCH a gorgeous island! Crystal clear water, beautiful white sandy beaches, all the food you could want and amazing snorkeling! We knew this was going to be an amazing place to stop, so we were in line the MOMENT they let us to get off the ship. The ship actually docks on the island, so you can come and go as you please. They also serve a free lunch on the island so you don't have to leave until you want to!

 

Pulling up to the dock.

 

Our first stop was Serenity Bay. The adults only beach. One tip.. take the transportation bus, don't walk. It's a MUCH longer walk than you think! We got to the beach and just LOVED the thick sand, and the mile or so of beach with beach chairs waiting.

 

 

We were eager to go snorkeling again. (see the advantage of having your own gear?) So we suited up and got in the water. I must say, I LOVE to snorkel! Much more relaxed here without having to follow a guide. We saw a huge sting ray within minutes of entering the water. One fun thing about the island, Disney has put up barrier reefs, so there are little to no waves. They also have sunk MANY cool props from movies, or fun Disney themed things that are now being used by hundreds of fish as their homes. There are several you can walk up to and see the fish in no more than waist deep water. Then they have a set that are farther out that you need to swim to. This is just in the adult area. There are a WHOLE lot more in the snorkeling area, but more on that later. We spent a couple of hours just enjoying all the different fish, and the beautiful water. When we got hungry we headed in and there was a BBQ place right next to the beach. Really good food! And free! (well, part of the price of your cruise.) The only thing you need to pay for is alcohol, and since we don't drink that wasn't an issue.

 

My husband was great and making sure I didn't get left behind or get nervous!

 

After lunch we decided to explore the other beaches. They have a family beach for everyone, a teens only beach for 13-19 year olds, and then the have the snorkeling area. Only problem with this area is they make you wear a bright yellow vest that tends to get in the way, but that's minor. This area was so completely cool! There were Mickey and Minnie statues, a submarine, various ship parts and all kinds of stuff sunk. The fish LOVE those things so you can see tons of them. You can dive down and hold Mickey's hand. He is the masthead of a sunken ship. Keep in mind, this was only my second time snorkeling, and I loved EVERY second of it. My dad was more experienced and he had fun going deeper than I could so, think this area is great for all levels of snorklers.

 

 

They have some fun gift shops on the island where you can buy exclusive merchandise. If you see something you like that says "Castaway Cay" buy it because it's the only place you can get it. After that we reluctantly headed back to the ship. It was such an amazing day. I still dream about that beautiful island and cannot wait to go back.

 

 

Our final dinner on the cruise was at Enchanted Garden. This is when you tip your two servers. Disney gives you envelopes in your stateroom with a paper to fill out for the tip. It's then charged to your room. You can pay cash if you want to, but it's easier to just add to your bill. You leave the tip for your room attendant in your room when you leave.

 

After dinner we had one more show... and we could have skipped it. It was good, but seriously, it's just one big advertisement for the photography service. you can pony up the $400 to get  CD of all your pictures if you want, or you can go pay high prices for the one or two prints you want a copy of. Or.. Skip it and hope you gave your camera to the pros each time they took their own pics of you. :) If you want to skip a stage show, this one is a good choice for skipping! After that, we roamed the ship and bought stuff in the gift shops. We DID NOT want to go to bed knowing that we would wake up back in Port Canaveral. 7 nights just isn't long enough!

 

The final morning they assign you breakfast in the last place you had dinner. So we were back to Enchanted Garden. Sadly it was set for 6:45am. When we woke up, we were already at the dock. I'm not a morning person, so asking me to eat before 7am was not exactly thrilling. Right after breakfast, it's time to get off the ship and head back to the real world. Sigh. We were not ready to go yet!

 

After you leave the ship, you are taken to a huge room with everyone's luggage. Make sure you go to the area with the same Disney character that was on the luggage tags they gave you on board. There will be a cast member there to point you to the general area where your bags will be. They will help you dig for them if you dont' find them quickly. Then you go through customs. Simple process, just make sure you have your passport out and ready.

 

We caught a ride back to the airport with happy limos again. However, instead of bringing a suburban, they brought a sedan... uh... nope. That wont' work. 4 adults and all our luggage had to fit in the trunk?? nope! They had to scramble and send half our bags with a bus, and drive us in the car to the airport. Oops. Next time I'll make sure to pay for the larger car or take the Disney bus.

 

so, that is it! Seriously the best trip I have ever taken. We now have a 3 month old and plan to take another cruise in May 2014. He will be 1 year and 1 month old at that time, so that should be a fun experience. I know it will be a completely different cruise. We can't wait! That's what inspired me to write this blog. I know I am searching for as much information as I can about traveling with an infant, and tips for cruising so I thought I better write my own account for those traveling with just adults. I'll make sure I post again after our next trip to help those with little kids! I'm looking forward to the next magical adventure!