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A word of warning. Disembarkation from the Magic in San Juan was the worst disembarkation experience we've had on ANY cruise line. My family has said they would rather not cruise than go thru that again.

 

We were told that DCL had told the port that they'd need 12 Customs agents and only 6 or 8 (depending on what you choose to believe) showed up. What I saw with my own eyes was DCL holding us in lounges and halls on the ship setting up stations with water and orange juice' date=' etc. We were among the last off the ship feeling that we'd rather stay there and sit down than stand in line (it ultimately didn't matter). We left the ship about 10:15. At 12:00, we were still in line. At one point, the line split between US and non-US citizens, so our party had to separate. The US line did go faster--our EU friend was 30+ minutes later than we were. At another point, DCL sent up a call for anyone with a flight before 1:30, presumably to expedite those people. We had a 3:30 flight and I wasn't sure we'd make it!

 

About noon, I SAW the agents close 2 stations and take a lunch break. This with hundreds of people still waiting in line.

 

Note--none of this had anything to do with luggage--we kept our bags with us. It was all a Customs and Immigration issue. DCL had people out doing their best to expedite things, making sure we had all needed forms ready, etc.

 

I've been on DCL cruises where the big doors didn't open till after 9, and those situations ran smoother and faster than this one. I've heard from the people who got off at 7:30 that their situation was good. By the time we finished late breakfast, it was HORRIBLE.[/quote']

 

Were you on the Repo from the Med? We were on the other end of that. We were getting on that day and stood in the terminal with thousands of others for hours with no air conditioning. It was crazy.

 

I will say when we disembarked a week later it was smooth sailing and we were off the ship in minutes. That first day was a rough one for both those coming and going.

I think it makes a difference whether you are a day stop or you are embarking/disembarking there. Our September cruise terminated in San Juan and we were NOT in the old city area. We were at the newer terminal several miles away. We were told the we used the farther out dock because we were disembarking there.

You are correct. Cruises that start or end in San Juan are in the further away terminal. Cruises that are visiting San Juan for a day use the Old San Juan terminal.

Trying to plan our activities.

 

Thanks!

If you are visiting San Juan as a day port you will dock right in Old San Juan. Very easy to get around the city as there are free trolleys and you can also walk to many things. We stayed in Old San Juan before our September cruise (using a different dock since we were leaving out of OSJ) and we took the trolley over to El Morro (Fort). From there we took a free tram over to the other fort. A note on visiting the forts. If you have a US National Parks membership you get in free. If not it is (I think) $5 per adult and one admission gets you into both forts.

Somebody on the Facebook group mentioned DCL maybe more susceptible because of the amount of kids. I guess playing in kids club together.

That could be it, but having toured the kids club this trip (it was the first time we were on the Magic since it had been in the major dry dock) I was impressed by the hand washing stations they had for the kids.

Got off the first of the Southern Caribbean cruises on the Magic in late September and woke up the last morning to a sore throat. A number of us ending up getting sick (coughing, sneezing, etc). when we got home.

Unfortunately cruise ships are like floating petri dishes - germs everywhere.

The cruise line does it best to keep things clean and we did everything we could (hand washing, wipes, etc.), but it is bound to happen.

There is a thread that was on this page that had pictures of the current items - in Alaska people were getting the backpack and in the warm areas a beach bag.

The platinum experience tours were discontinued some time ago.

In September 2014 the perks were the beach bag filled with game stuff and a write on board. Platinum had a choice of a fruit plate or bottle of wine (all other food choices were discontinued' date=' at least for our cruise). The captain's reception is for gold and platinums, and any guest over 18 in your cabin gets one Palo experience.[/quote']

 

 

Just got back from the first cruise leaving out of San Juan. We got the slingback backpack. Not sure if it was because the cruise came from Europe or if that is what they are transitioning to all over.

 

Skipped the Captain's reception because it was the same day as Palo (we only had one full sea day) but also because there were so many Platinum's on board.

 

Also we had heard that the Palo experience was now only for dinner but they gave it to us for brunch without our asking. We had only booked brunch and were prepared to pay for it.

Thank you for the info. Has anyone stayed in one?

 

I guess it would still give you easy access to the ocean breeze and view when outside like a normal balcony but not sure it'd give me the normal balcony feel. Thoughts?

 

 

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We've stayed in them on the Magic and Wonder and love them. It is our favorite category. It has a cozy feel to it and I like the bench it has as a great place to read. Some complain they can't see the water from them and while you can't see the same as with a plexiglass verandah you can still see out quite well. Another benefit back from the days when smoking was allowed was we never seemed to get any coming in. Plus when we went to Alaska we didn't feel the chill as much.

I tend to spend more time in the room than others may but for me a verandah is a must. To me there is nothing better on a sea day than sitting on the verandah with a good book and just relaxing. I don't like the crowds up on the pool deck for that and prefer being in my own space.

Only you can know if it is worth it for you or not.

I agree with doing the trolley tour on your own. We rode it down to the Southernmost Point (around the far side of the island) and then walked back from there. Did the lighthouse, Hemmingway's House, Butterfly exhibit. Stopped in some shops and had a great time.

Since we like to be sure that we are near the ship before the sailing date I vote for the parks first. Worked well for us both sailing out of Port Canaveral and last year out of the port of Los Angeles (where we did Disneyland first). Since we are DVC we haven't done the parks commando style in years so we still get that vacation feel without being tired like Host Mick talked about.

We stayed there a number of years ago. Very nice rooms and as DF said nice soundproofing. Never knew we were in the airport. Not sure what we paid or what deals we had but I know it seemed reasonable to us.

Weather does play a big part in it. We did a double dip (two visits to CC) back in 2005. Our first day was beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky, the water crystal clear, a perfect day on the island. Two days later we were back right after Hurricane Ophelia had gone through (but not directly over the island). The island itself was great but the day was cloudy and the water was all really churned up with sand. Where I stood only two days before on the adult beach up to my waist was on the second day up to my neck.

Hopefully you'll have a day like the first.

Can't address the excursions because I've never sailed to Hawaii, but I have stayed at Aulani and it is beautiful. If you are doing a Hawaii cruise with DCL I highly recommend staying at Aulani a few days before or after your cruise (depending on which way you are sailing). Beautiful resort away from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu and Waikiki.

The DVC Member Cruises usually have a lot less children than the regular cruises. I know the first one we went on (back in 2003) the family beach wasn't crowded at all but I heard Serenity Bay was packed. Also we had late dining on that cruise and 1/2 of our restaurant was empty. Many of the cabins only had two occupants.

I've cruised inside on other lines and cruised just once with an ocean view on DCL. For all my other DCL cruises we've had a verandah and now I don't think I'd cruise without one. My favorite is the Navigator Verandahs on the classic ships. Partially enclosed and a little more private but you still get views and fresh air. Love sitting out there to read and it is a great place to escape the crowds. I'm not one to spend a lot of time up by the pools.

We've done it on a number of cruises including the Dream in 2012. We drove that trip and managed to be one of the first cars out of the parking garage. It worked great for us. Did it last year in Vancouver and we were staying in town a few days. So as others have said it is available to everyone.

The Brig Unicorn welcoming the Disney Magic to St. Lucia - December 2004.

We sailed on the Brig Unicorn back in 2004 while on the 10 day cruise with Disney. Great ship and crew. Sad to hear she was sunk.

For Hawaii I'd rather fly in and spend my time at Aulani. Waikiki is way too crowded and too many tourists. Good for a few hour visit but not to stay. Aulani on the other hand is on the other side of the island and is truly beautiful. If money and time were no object I'd do a week at Aulani either before or after the cruise. Since both time and money are limited I'll stick with our plans to fly out and enjoy Aulani with the cruise.

I believe they have the "lifestyle" backdrops (all while or sometimes all black) out a number of nights. Those make for great family photos as they get you on the ground and in lots of poses.

Or just have someone take your photo. We've had great group shots taken on Castaway Cay.

If you love Disney and love the classic lines of the ships (from what you've seen) then yes I think you will enjoy it.

I've been cruising since the late 70's but my DH has only done Disney. We are middle-aged with no children and our 18th Disney cruise is coming up. :)

A Mickey Bar!

I haven't been on the Fantasy, but have sailed on the Dream which is the same size. Personally I prefer the smaller classic ships of Magic/Wonder. I would book one of them over the larger ships if going to the same area. Having said that only you know your own tastes and if you would be disappointed in a smaller/older ship.

7a is a navigator veranda, 6a is a balcony with solid white wall. 7a is more mid ship than the 6a which is Aft. There is about £20 difference

thanks:)

I wouldn't consider the 7a's to be mid-ship. They are aft as well. Having said that we prefer the 7a (navigator veranda) over the regular verandas even the ones with the plexi. Everyone is different but we like the cozy feel of them.

"The adult only dessert experience will treat your taste buds to a sweet selection of delectable desserts. The experience will feature a 5-course dessert menu, coffee and an in-depth discussion with the Executive Chef and Executive Pastry Chef of Remy. As each dessert is presented, they’ll explain the history and evolution of the dessert. The Remy dessert experience is $50.00 per person. Guests may also select to add a Champagne Pairing to their dining experience for $25.00 per person."

 

Every Thursday afternoon, day at sea between 3:30 and 4:30pm.

 

 

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Sounds like it is more of a dessert experience than a high tea (especially since they mention coffee not tea). No current plans to cruise on Fantasy but if they still have it when we do I might check it out. Thanks for the update.