Surviving a Trip to Disney

In our family, it is referred to as *The Look.* And this bleary, blank eyed stare and slow staggering gait, as though each of your feet has been set in a cement block, is acquired from a visit to Disney done wrong.

Having The Look is an indicator that you tried to do too much, and/or your time was not efficiently spent. The parks can be intense, but there are ways to spend time at Disney and still leave feeling as though you had a vacation-not like you are in desperate need of one.

Fast Pass popular attractions. Fast Pass is a free service offered by Disney which allows you to pick up a ticket and return for your attraction experience at an appointed time. This service is available for many of the parks’ most popular attractions and it is completely free!

Get an early start on your theme park day. Plan to arrive at the park as soon as it opens for the day. This is a great strategy for beating the crowds that will arrive by noon. If you're staying at a Disney resort, check for early park hours offered only to resort guests!

Take an afternoon break! Have lunch, take a nap, go for a swim! If you’re
Feeling up to it, do some shopping in Downtown Disney—just get away from the parks for a few hours during the most crowded time of the day!

Plan ahead! Familiarize yourself with the attractions, shows, and dining
experiences Disney has to offer. Ask your travel consultant for help in this
area; he/she should be able to design a custom itinerary for your family complete with dining reservations and confirmation for many special ticket events!

Wear comfortable shoes, drink plenty of water, eat properly, and plan to see shows when
the weather is warm or you’re feeling tired and need a rest. Often a 10 minute break can make a big difference in the way you feel!

Resist the temptation to do it all! First of all, this cannot be accomplished
in one trip, and second—walking around with The Look, which you are sure to acquire if you try to do too much, is no fun and it greatly diminishes our overall satisfaction with your Disney experience.

Build a hotel and/or resort day into your itinerary. Spend the morning sleeping in, then
go shopping, play some miniature golf, swim, go boating, relax, and
have a leisurely and fun lunch at one of the resorts many restaurants.
Do this mid-vacation…guaranteed to restore you to theme park readi-
ness!

Just as in the early morning, the hours just before closing can be lighter in
crowds; plan to make the most of this time.

Pace yourself, enjoy the time you are spending with your family, and remember; you are making Magical Memories!

Castaway Cay

On all of Disney’s Caribbean itineraries the last port of call is Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay (pronounced: Key). I have been there a total of four times. I live in California and am used to the occasional day on the beach. That having been said, the four times that I have been to Castaway Cay are, hands down, the best four beach days that I have ever had.

If you manage to roll out of bed early enough, you can watch as the ship as she pulls up to the pier on the island. Disney spared no expense to make the whole experience just as Magical as possible; this includes a dock for the ship. No tendering here, you are free to come and go as you please. If the Captain backs the ship in, you can even enjoy breakfast at Beach Blanket/Topsiders buffet while they park the boat. In any event, you want to eat a big breakfast; there is A LOT to do on the island.

As you exit the ship, there is a large bin of beach sized towels available. You can then climb aboard the short shuttle to the beach. If you prefer, you can walk. I usually like the walk in the morning (it is about eight to ten minutes) and ride back. I walk because I get a better look at the Flying Dutchman. When Disney was done filming the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, they had the brilliant idea of anchoring the Dutchman at one end of the bay. It is close enough to get great pictures, but you cannot board, or even swim out to her. It is really cool that the real movie prop is there at all and not in some warehouse somewhere collecting dust.

The tram drops you off right near the family beach. This is where I have spent the majority of my time. Castaway Cay has several beaches. There are plenty of lounges and sun umbrellas everywhere. As I stated before, there is lots to do. I usually rent snorkeling equipment and swim around watching the fish watch me. There are quite a few things that Disney has for you to swim around and explore. They even have a statue of Mickey Mouse and the movie prop of the Nautilus (from 20,000 leagues under the sea). The Mickey Mouse statue is tethered to a white buoy near the lifeguard station.

A few hours swimming around will build quite an appetite. Time for lunch and arguably the best burger my wife and I have ever had. After a week of fancy gourmet food three times a day, this barbequed burger really hits the spot. If you still need something a little on the fancy side, there are lobster burgers at the adult beach, Serenity Bay. They often have other good stuff too, ribs, chicken, hot dogs. Try the potato salad. If you are anything like me, I don’t really care for the stuff, but I eat it there. It tastes like a baked potato with sour cream and all the trimmings. Finish it all off with a Mickey ice cream bar and they may have to force you to get back on that ship.

By early afternoon I am usually too tired to do much else on the island. Not that there isn’t a lot more to do. There is some shopping at She Sells Sea Shells and Everything Else. There are a few other little merchants along the walk from the family beach to the teen beach. Ask any cast member, they will point you in the right direction. There are bicycles and jet-skis and all manor of water toy available. Resist the temptation to try to do everything. It simply can’t be done. My kids tried to talk me into parasailing. I said “Yea, right. I’ll wait right here for you”. One thing that they did talk me into was the banana boat ride. That was a blast! A banana boat is a long yellow inflatable raft that you sit on, two abreast, while being towed behind a ski boat, real bumpy, lots of fun, not too much money. One banana boat ride solidifies the requirement of a shower, a beer, a lounge chair on deck nine and contemplation of just how to manage to afford to do it all again next year.

Mexican Riviera

First, let me say that this cruise was no less Magical than any other sailing with Disney. However, that said, Mexico itself didn't jazz this cruiser. I know, probably just a personal thing; I know a lot of people who love Mexico as a vacation destination, but I, sadly, cannot be counted among them.

The ship was, as She always is, spectacular...and I love seeing Her in different places throughtout the world. In fact, when we arrived at the port of Los Angeles it dawned on me that the last time I saw Her we were in Spain! Gives new meaning to the idea of it really being a Small World after all!

The food on this cruise was the best I have ever had on any Disney sailing! From the dining rooms to Palo the food was simply exceptional! Now I've never been disappointed when dining with DCL, but I must say that on this sailing the chefs were truly on their mark!

There were some changes to the children's programming, namely for the "tweens." Those 11-13 have taken over the Quest area of the ship. This seemed to work well-providing the children a little more freedom-and should it provide for a nice, smooth transition between the Oceaneer's Lab and The Stack. Rachael loved Quest and Stephanie and Edson, her counselors for the week, provided a wonderful atmosphere for the kids. This is our second experience with Stephanie; last year she had been assigned to the Stack and Nicholas, our youngest son, really enjoyed getting to know her! In our experience, Disney's youth counselors are amazing people and we are so thankful that our children have had the privilege of getting to know some of them.

Our dining room server was, again, Orlan Acquino. Orlan is the epitome of a Disney cast member; friendly, attentive, engaging, outgoing, professional, and just plain fun to be with! We first met Orlan on our Transatlantic Crossing in May of 2007 and so enjoyed the experience that we requested to have him as our server in Mexico. Our next cruise embarks on November 29th of this year and I cannot imagine dinner without Orlan!

The shows were first rate Disney...everything, and more, that we have come to expect. Our family is divided, our children love The Golden Mickeys and say it is the best show afloat, I adore Disney Dreams...in fact, on this cruise, I saw it twice--one matinee performance, and our regularly scheduled performance! This is Disney at its absolute best!

A word about the Magic's cast and crew; spectacular! It is difficult for me to imagine that any cruise ship, other than the Disney Wonder, can compare in this area--any area really--but here especially. DCL takes Guest Services to a whole new level. Perfection is in the details, and no detail is too small for Disney to consider unworthy of attention.

Is a Disney cruise expensive? Yes. Is a Disney cruise a good value? Absolutely! In our opinion there simply isn't a finer vacation product to be had anywhere at any price! A Disney cruise is unique, and it can be complicated to plan...so, as always, we advise you to work with a Disney expert--one who has personally, and recently, sailed with DCL. Without exception, everyone I have ever met who was disappointed in their DCL experience booked and planned their cruise without the services of an experienced Disney Travel Consultant. I don't want to sound like a salesman, and whether you book with us, or someone else, make sure you're working with an agent who can answer all of your questions and help you plan right down to the nith detail!

Port reports to come..