Excursion question!!

[pfccruising]

Hi All,

We are new to cruising and are booking our first cruise tomorrow!! I can't wait. I have been looking at the excursions that are available at the different ports. My question is, some the outings are three hours. I'm uncertain what we would do with our time before and or afterwards. Are there beaches that are near by that are free? I'm worried that we will be so overwhelmed with all there is to do and I want to have things planned out so we can just enjoy our trip and not have to do any last minute planning while we're there. Any tips all you experienced cruisers can give me is much appreciated!! Love this message board.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi, I would love to help you but I need to know which itenary you are going on? Eastern or Western or a 3 day to Nassau. I have been to all of these many times so I may be able to help you after I know where you are going??

 

 

 

mom x4 grandma x4

[pfccruising]

Hi!!

I was hoping that you would respond! We are going on the 7 night Eastern. Any info you can give me is very much appreciated. Looking forward to hearing from you.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi,

I would of repsonded sooner but I have grandkids visiting from oregon so I have been busy and pooped out a lot. For some strange reason I cant keep up with teenagers as well as I did 30 years ago:D

 

Ok, on to your questions of what to do with a short period of time while on the islands.

 

If you want a beach where you have to leave your clothes on at St. Maartin there is a small beach right by the main shopping area. You can even see the ship from there. What you can do it at the end of the pier is a large sign on the left that says water taxi, it will cost you $5 per person round trip, this is about a 5 to 7 minute ride and at the pier where they let you off there is a nice small sandy beach to the left and right of the sidewalk. The water is nice there and many play in the water

The beach is free, but they do rent the chairs and umbrellas. They are cheap and yours for the day. Every beach will charge you for chairs unless you are on an excursion. This is easy to do with a short amount of time because it is so close.

You can walk to this too but it takes 30 minutes to do and not a great area to walk in. There are public restrooms not far and drinks and food right there if you want it.

 

 

Other beaches there are nice but much farther away and I wouldnt want to chance it with so little time and they are clothing optional.

 

 

St.Thomas :

I cant think of any close beach but there is a tram ride up the side of the mountain. If you dock, NOT tender the tram is just past the shops by the pier, about a 6 to 8 minute walk. I dont remember what it cost but it wasnt much and the view is AWESOME. They do have a bird show at the top a few times a day. There are nature trails you can hike and a restaurant and bar along with a few gift shops. So that wouldnt take much time and would keep you close to the ship.

 

If your late they will NOT wait for you. If your on a disney excursion and are late they will wait, but NOT if your on your own.

 

Both places have lots of shopping by the port and casinos too if you like to gamble. I dont gamble but they have the cleanest restrooms in the casinos. Take your own bottled water from the ship and that will save you a lot of $$ . water is like GOLD on the islands, very little of it so it costs a lot. Plus you wont see water drinking fountains anywhere either.

 

Be warned some public restrooms will have an attendant wanting a tip to use the bathroom. I never tip for 2 reasons, 1, I think it is rediculous to ask for a tip in a public restroom, that is low. 2nd the batrooms are usually dirty and not well stocked. I have learned to go to wal mart and get travel size toilet paper and toilet seat covers and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. I keep them in my bag while walking on the islands along with my water. That has saved me many times!!!

If they were spotless and well stocked I may give 50 cents, but they usually arnt.

 

St. Thomas also has a free tram by the pier to take you to another shopping area on the other side of the bay. If you tender in there the tender boat will take you to this other area. it is more crowded and tons of cars there, however just off the main street is a candy shop with free samples. These chocolates are out of this world!!! They even have some sugar free candies. I dont remember the name but if you go to that side to shop just ask where the candy store is and someone will point you the right way. It is the only one there.

It may even be on the shopping map you will get in your Navigator.

 

 

St, Maartin also has a lot of benches at the end of the pier with a few shops where you can sit and relax and people watch if you want, they often have alive calypso band by the pier in the afternoon too.

Sometimes we will sit there and just watch people and listen to the music and look at the ships docked there. It makes a great photo there too.

 

 

At St.Thomas you can take a taxi to Croal world to explore. I havnt been yet but there is a small underwater observatory there and a nice beach off to the side, they do charge admission to corla world, not sur ehow much. we are going there next November. Also Blackbreards castle or Fort Christian or the Governors house by Taxi. all are easy to get to and fun to explore.

Sorry I cant think of more to do with a 3 hour window. I am afraid to send you too far from the ship, because if you run late your in big trouble!

 

Even a traffic jam can mess you up. we were late a few times and the ship had to wait 30 minutes but we were on a disney excursion so they waited. I have also been on board when we have left people on the island to find their own way home or out to the ship. If the ship hasnt gone to far you can pay for a boat to take you out to the ship. I hear tha tis really expensive too.

 

oops time to take the g kids to the movies, I will add more to St. Maartin after we get back, I'm sure there are a couple more places there i havnt mentioned.

 

gotta run for now,

 

kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Ok,

I am back again, the other place on St. Maartin you can go and see on your own is Fort St. Louis I think that is how it is spelled. of course it iwll take a taxi to get there. All cabs will tell you up front how much per person and about how long it will take to get there before you get in the cab. ALWAYS get the price bewfore you get in the cab!! Or they will stick it to you. They will quote per person prices most of the time. Their cabs are mini vans most of the time, so be prepared to sit for a bit so they can fill it before taking you where you want to go. Most are 10 passenger vans.

 

well I hope my 2 posts have helped you some, if I think of any other ideas I will post them when I remember them.

 

When is your cruise?? Ours is 11/24, wish you were booking then too, we have a great bunch of people coming along,and your welcome to join us.

 

If you have any questions about the ship please feel free to ask and i will try to answer for you. The First cruise is always extra exciting, so much to learn about!!

I'll be in touch,

 

kathy

[pfccruising]

Kathy,

You have been so helpful, thank you so very much. I always look forward to reading your thorough responses to questions and since this was my question I really appreciate your feedback.

We booked our cruise this morning for October 11/08. Still quite far away!! The ship is already filling up quickly and we are on the wait list for the first supper sitting. I don't know what all the accronyms are that people use when describing who they are travelling with so I will write it out long form. Myself (of course!) my husband, my son who will be 15 and my daughter will turn 12 the second day we are on the ship!! My parents are coming and each of them will celebrate a birthday on the ship as well. My one sister and her two girls are booking this week and I'm hopefull that my other sister and her husband and two kids are coming as well. My husband's parents and sisters and their families have also expressed an interest. It may be quite a big group of us and should be fun fun fun!!! I appreciate any and all feedback you can give me as I am very new at this and want to have the best trip possible!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

wow, that is quite a group you have there.

Be sure and tell who ever you booked with that you are celebrating a birthday on board and verify with the dining room manager the first evening about it, because he is in charge of such things. They will bring out a free cake for the birthday person. A small one but very nice.. Your wait staff will sing happy birthday too and sometimes they give out a birthday pin.

The people you booked through are suppose to notify your dining room manager of all celebrations, but once in awhile it does get over looked, dont be afraid to ask if the info was passed on to him or her. One of ours was a day late but we got it. EVERYONE should tell their TA or disney , just whom ever they book with. If a birthday or anniversary is within 30 days of your cruise date they will celebrate it.

 

Another tip is ALWAYS take your camera to dinner with you because things happen all the time and you will be wishing you had your camera. I promise you wont be the only one with a camera. Many have cameras and cam corders both with them.

We ALWAYS carry our camera with us all day around the ship too, so many times you step out on deck and there will be a character walking around.

 

When your relatives book they need to tell the people they book with to link their dinner reservations with yours so you can sit together, unless you dont want to sit together. Ha Ha!! But if everyone tells them that you will all be in one area together at dinner each night. Much easier to do now instead of on the ship with that large of a group. They might need your reservation # too as well as your name.

 

There is a cruise meets thread on this site, You need to go and see if your cruise date has a thread there, if not go ahead and start one. Then others who are on your cruise will post there along with you and you can get aquainted with others before your cruise.

This is especially nice for the kids to have a friend waiting for them on board. Most people arrange to have a meet the first afternoon so everyone can meet. This is alot of fun for you too. I love meeting the people and then you see them all week around the ship. It is really fun to see a familair face too.

 

On the Disney cruise line web site you can send off for a free DVD about the cruise too. It is fun and informative to watch. It will really get everyone more excited for the trip.

 

well I am off to loose at monopoly with my grandson,I will add more tips later and hopefully help you to have a more magical crusie if I can.

 

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Just a couple of questons for you.

Are you local or are you flying in?

If flying ar eyou coming the day ahead of time?

Do you know where your staying yet?

Are you driving to the port from OIA or using Disney transportation?

 

 

This will help me to give you more tips if I know these things.

 

kathy

[firefly333]

We did a excursion in St. Thomas then had lunch to sample the local fare downtown and then we went to Coki Beach. It has very clear water compared to Megan's Bay and is free (Megan's Bay costs $10 to get in). The taxi did charge us $10 pp there and $11 back to the ship.

 

It only costs $10 to snorkle including the fish food and they didnt charge us to use the chairs. We thought it was the nicest place of any port, just regular locals who we got to know for a few hours and they really took good care of us.

 

We only made it back to the ship with 30 minutes to spare though, you might not want to call it so close, but we were having the best time.

 

We did a excursion called Views of St. Thomas which included the tram and Mountaintop, the highest area. They pretty much rushed us on the tram, we barely had time to look around and pee and make it back down in the time they allowed us. It might be more fun on your own but it was fine for a first time there.

[pfccruising]

Hi,

Thank you so much firefly for your feedback, it is very much appreciated!

We are flying in from Canada. I'm embarassed to say this but...I'm not sure when we're flying in. I'm assuming the day of but I'm not certain. We had thought about driving to Syracuse and flying from there but it seemed that it would end up being more stressful so we're just flying direct to Orlando and using Disney transportation. I have a million more questions for you Kathy, but one I can think of right now is what are the excursions that you and or your family feel are the "must do"? I know it's a personal choice and depends on interests but I do respect your knowledge and I know you travel with children as well. Really enjoyed viewing your trip photos that you posted recently.

P.S. Hope you didn't get beaten too badly at monopoly!! You sound like a fantastic grandma!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hello again,

 

Well if you are swimmers I would say the snorkeling excursing at St. Maartin that takes you to Pinel Island. I think that is how it is spelled.

If you have never snorkeled they will help you and they were great with the grandkids who had never snorkeled before. There are restrooms there and a small open air hut that sold pops, water and chips, light snakcs. They have a beginners area and an advanced area.

For beginners the instructor stays in the water with you. Tons of beauriful fish.

 

On St. Johns we did an eco hike, we really enjoyed it. It wasnt a hard hike or i couldnt of done it but our guide had lots of historical information to share as well as the foilage and cruitters there. Plus there was a stop at an old sugar mill wher ehe toldus all about it and about 30 minutes to swim at a secluded beach before returning to the dock to get the boat back. It was a long ride from St. thomas, I think 40 minutes??? That wa salso narrated.

It is such a beautiful island to see.

 

We also have done an island tour there. This is not exciting but you see a lot of beautiful views of the islands and beaches from up above. The guide narrates most of the trip and you stop at a camp ground place where you can use a bathroom and buy a light snack if you want. So if you like to see a view this is a good one. Open air bus.

 

 

It is so hard to say a must see excursion because everyone likes something different. For young kids the Butterfly farm at St.Maartin is really great.

 

The semi submarine is awesome if you want to see the underwater beauty without snorkeling. It has a glass bottom and doesnt submerge all the way under neath the water. This is easy for all ages to enjoy and the fish are AWESOME!!

There is a sub that goes down under the sea like 90 or 100 feet but I have never done that, I would be claustrophobic (sp?) but friends have said it is great too. But i like to be where i can step out for fresh air anytime.

 

My daughter swears the best excursion if your physically able is the 12 Meter Regatta at St.Maartin. You do get a work out.

 

Hope this gives you a few ideas, just so much to think about because everone like something different.

 

The island tours are nice for an over all idea of the islands, we have done them and liked them, but kids and teens will probably be bored because it is all sitting and riding and a couple of stops to get out and see a view.

But I will say the drivers are a bit crazy sometimes and that can be an adventure in itself:D .

 

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

I just wanted to say, PLEASE come in the day before the cruise.

So many imes things get delayed by a few hours and people miss their cruise due to a flight delay.

Dont take the chance of missing a trip of a lifetime by coming the day of your cruise.

 

Our cruise earlier this month, Cassandra got an 8 hour delay at the airport, not sure why, maybe mechancial difficulties but they ran across the gangplank at 4 p.m. as they raised the gangplank. They were the last ones on and boarded after they are NOT suppose to let anybody on.

5 more minutes and they would of missed the ship. She was so nervous and I dont blame her.

 

I do not know the price but right at the airport is the Hyatt hotel and if you want you can spend the night there and then catch Disney bus to the port the next morning or rent a car or shuttle, what ever you want to do with plenty of time to do it. NO worries!!

They have a nice pool and there is plenty of food at the airport to eat. It is actually a quiet hotel which is amazing considering the planes there.

 

Or you can go down to Cocoa Beach when you arrive and stay at a hotel at the port. Many are 5 minutes from the port and Radisson has a shuttle you can take from the hotel to the port. Or is you rent a car, nit sur ewhich olace off hand you can return it at cocoa beach and they will shuttle you to the port and pick you up after the cruise for you to rent the car again to get back to the airport.

 

we like to stay at the Radisson because it is so close. We live about 90 minutes drive from the port, but it makes saturday so much more relaxing to already be near the port on morning of our cruise.

 

Kathy

[pfccruising]

I sure do appreciate all of the info. You're right, flying in the day before is much less stressful. That's what we'll do.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Another tip you may already have read you can bring a couple of pillowcases or a picture frame like a Matte style that can be written on.

 

Bring them in a zip lock baggie with some colored water proof markers with a card with your room number and name on it. Bring them all to Guest Services desk the first day and ask to have them autographed. Then on the last evening of the cruise it will be returned to your room all signed and it makes for a great free souvenir!!

 

I would suggest doing each of the 3 dining rooms once , on the first roataion through them because that is the only time they do the light show in Animators Palate and something in each restaurant usually.

 

Then if you want a nice quiet dinner for adults only make a reservaton at Palos, or even a brunch which is great. there is a small fee for this, I think it is $10 per person, that is not for the food, but for the gratuity.

 

Another nice experience for dining is one many never do. The buffet is open from 6 to 8:30 I believe all BUT the first and last night of the cruise. This is NOT a buffet at night accept for the salad bar. They put nice table clothes on the tables and dim the lighting and you are seated and served.

 

It is casual dress and only takes about 1/2 the time of the main dining rooms. It is much quieter and more relaxing atmosphere. This wait staff are the ones in training for the main dining rooms so they try extra hard to please you!! The menu was very good, just like in the main restaurants.

 

So you may want to try this one evening too. You can have a nice quiet conversation there too. We really enjoy it for a change.

 

kathy

Kathy

[pfccruising]

Hi,

Not sure if I should have started a new thread for this as it is off topic! However, we are wait listed for the first sitting as it is booked! Have you ever heard of people getting bumped to their desired sitting. We will go with the mind set that we will be eating at 8:00 and if we get the early sitting that's great. We will likely be travelling with my niece and nephew who will be 3&5 so eating at 8 is abit late.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

We have had our dining time changed a few times from late to early.

It never happened because we were on the wait list, but it happened after we boarded the ship.

 

Upon check in you will be given a paper that tells you where lunch is beign served and when you can go to your room etc...

Also on that paper it will name a place and time, usually a club upon boarding where you need to go to make dining reservations and to change your time for dining.

Go there right at the appointed time!!!

 

Sometimes you will get changed right then and there. Other times they will call you later and leave you a massage if they can get you changed. Many people go there for changes ,so as soon as they can sort them all out they will change everyone they possibly can.

 

We have got our changes all but one time. The more people in your party the harder it is to get changed, but it can still happen.

 

If it doeant get changed:

Remember if the kids want to they can eat dinner with the kids club and stay there while you are having a later dinner. Many kids love to do that so they dont have to sit for 90 minutes for dinner,it is so hard on the kids.

 

Or you can feed them at food places arounfdthe pool or use room service to feed them, then leave them in the club while you eat. You will have a beeper so they can get a hold of you if needed.

 

or do the dinner in the buffet.

 

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Did you find th eroll call board ok?

 

Was there a thread for your cruise date?

 

If not, be sure and start one, it is easy to do, just like you started posting here.

I will be looking to see it next time I go there. :D I have 2 threads going there ond one on the Wonder site.

 

Good night,

 

kathy

[pfccruising]

Hi Kathy,

Thanks for asking!! I'm so embarassed and confused! I found the roll call and I think I signed up?? I saw my user name in the list along with how many more days until we cruise. There was nobody else with the same cruise date and I'm not sure about the thread thing, if that makes sense? Cruising and this message board thing is very new to me!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Don't be embarassed,

I still goof up at lot expecially when it comes to posting photos.

 

I did go to the roll call for Disney Magic and didnt see you there??

I may of missed you but you may want to check and see if your there, if not dont worry just try again.

 

Once you get to the Disney roll call, click on the Magic section then scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and click on NEW THREAD.

Then in the title bar announce your date and name of ship or some kind of title so people looking at it will know when your going. That way they can find you easily if your on the same cruise.

 

Then write what ever introduction you want in the body of the letter area and sign your name. I still dont know your name??

 

Then scroll down farther and make sure the little box says instant e-mail notification or someone could answer you and you wont know it unless you check it everyday.

Then scroll back up a couple of inches and click on submit and you should be all set.

 

If you have trouble let me know and i will try to figure out what you did wrong so you can get it posted ok.

 

Please don't be shy about this. We are all new at one time and needed help getting started with things.

here is my e-mail address if you need help and dont want to post it on this thread since it is not the original topic. Just put something on the subject line so I know it is you and I wont delete it. Magic cruise or your cruise date will do judt fine. sixtoedfrog@yahoo.com

 

 

Good luck with your posting, you can do it!!!

I will be checking back soon to see how you did,

 

Kathy