May 30-June 6, 2009
Western Carribbean aboard the Disney Magic
Ports of Call:
Key West, FL
Cozumel
Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Castaway Cay, Bahamas
Needless to say, when mom and dad suggested we go on another family cruise... but a longer one, there wasn't a complaint to be heard. We were all excited for another awesome Disney Cruise vacation... so we anxiously awaited details.
This time, mom insisted we have rooms with verandahs. The nice thing about a verandah is you get to sit outside from time to time... without having to go up on deck. A private place to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning... or a glass of wine before bed. Nice.
So, we all got ready. I think most of us were packed months in advance.
Embarkation day - of course, we were welcomed aboard enthusiastically by the cast members. It was like coming home... even though we were on a different ship. There are differences between the Wonder and the Magic - different venues and such... but it's still like coming home.
Key West - we enjoyed some of the best nachos I have ever had at Jimmy Buffet's. Walked to the southern most point of the United States - which was surreal. And then walked around. I saw Hemmingway's house - but we didn't go in as not everyone wanted to join in the fun.
Cozumel - I loved Cozumel. It was a beautiful part of Mexico. I got to hold a tiny spider monkey - so cute! We enjoyed walking and looking around. We then took a van tour of the island. Most of the pristine white sands were devastated in Hurricane Wilma in 2005. The areas are poor and had not had an opportunity to repair and build back up. We went to the Mayan Ruins... which was awesome. I really enjoyed walking through and seeing a part of the island's history. Of course, Debbie tipped over on her scooter on the way back to the port, and the scooter rental guy wanted to charge them for the bike... somehow they managed to get out of that fiasco. We were back on board after an eventful afternoon... and enjoying a wonderful dinner after relaxing on deck for a while.
Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands - It was hot. Very, very hot. In the Caymans. We chose to walk to 7-mile beach. Holy hannah... it seemed like a 14-mile walk to get to 7-mile beach. But the water was amazingly clear and cool. We had fun playing in the water, then started our trek back to the ship. We were so beat by the time we got near port, we didn't want to shop or anything. But we did take the time to get a couple of small gifts and souvenirs. Then, back on the ship to swim in the cool, clean water, and wait for dinner time. We just hung out for a while and marveled at mom's horrible sunburn. Then went to lobster night. Yum.
Castaway Cay, Bahamas - Ah... back to Disney's private island. I love our days on the island. It's so pristine... and you just chill and enjoy your time. We ate bbq for lunch, hung out on the beach, and swam in the ocean. Life really doesn't get much better than that! However, the day on Castaway Cay is usually bittersweet... because you know you will wake to disembarkation and Port Canaveral in the morning, and your vacation in paradise will be over. :(
Disembarkation Day: sadly, we departed again. It's always so hard to leave. This time, there were some tears. Our servers, Maria and Ronald, were wonderful.. and we really will miss their banter.
We have chosen to spend a few extra days in Orlando, and another trip to the Magic Kingdom is always in order. We're all tired from the heat still... but we have a great time anyway.
When we left home, it was cold. Hubby and I had hoped that we'd be returning from temperatures over 90 degrees to temperatures over 40 degrees... and that didn't happen. What a shock to the system!! Here we are, it's June... and it's cold in Rochester. Bum deal. But, as sad as it is we had to leave, it's nice to be home. Now it's time to plan our next trip. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment