Share Your Cruise Experiences!

Cruise Views

*General*

Why Cruisin Easy?
You Can Cruise Free!
Join The Crew

*Specials*

Hot Cruise Deals
Cool Cruise Programs
Attention Single Cruisers!

*Free Services*

Get Information
SOS E-mail Specials
Bulletin Board and Chat
News & Postcards
Free Home Pages

Helpful *Cruise Planning*

Share Your Cruise
Currency Converter
World Time, Date Calculator
Cruise Line Links


Back to Home

---

30 July,1998 - The Disney Magic cruise was superb! The only real complaint I have is that is was entirely too short!
Saturday: Orlando International Airport - We had arrived the day before, so we had to meet the Disney shuttle bus at the airport the next morning for transportation to the port. We then left the airport for Port Canaveral, the ride took about 45 minutes. I might add that the buses were brand new and very comfortable, but no seat belts if you wanted to bring a car seat.

PORT CANAVERAL: When you arrive at the port you check in and receive your Disney Card for each person in your party. These cards are used for everything - money, opening your cabin door, etc. We were able to board the ship about an hour after we arrived at the port. (I do not know if this will be for each sailing, or just this media trip). While we waited to board Minnie and Mickey were happy to pose with all of the children and sign autograph books. Be sure to have your cameras with you and remember your autograph books. There are plenty of photographers from the ship available if you aren't quick enough. They always ask your cabin number after taking the photo so it is easily found later. We were told to check in at the children's center upon boarding to sign up our son in the program.

CABINS: The cabins are absolutely beautiful, and very large as compared to any other ship I have ever been on. Two separate bathroom areas: toilet and sink and then a bathtub-shower and sink (a bathtub is great when you are traveling with little children). A king size bed for the parents and separate sitting area with a couch, desk and television. Our cabin had a huge picture window, but the majority of the outside cabins have balconies. The inside cabins were just as nice. We requested a crib in our room and the couch converts to a twin bed with plenty of room for the crib beside it. There was also a pull down berth if needed. We could have easily had 5 to 6 people sleeping in our room. There is a safe in the closet for valuables. The attention to detail is incredible, just absolutely gorgeous. Shortly after arrival a "personal navigator" is brought to your room. One for each person in your party. My son thought that was great, he knew what activity was going on in the playroom, where we were going to eat dinner, when the shows started and what movies were playing!

DINING: The food was excellent. We had a buffet lunch upon boarding. Our "personal navigator" told us at what time we were to eat and at which restaurant. There are three main dining rooms that the whole family may attend and one adult-only dining room. Each night you eat in a different dinning room, but you have the same table number and same waiters. And I will add that the restaurant service is superb. The "Animators Palate" is a wonderful dining experience! The kids loved it. When you enter the dining room the walls and ceiling are black and white, and while the meal progresses the colors appear on the pictures on the walls. All of the disney movies and songs fill the room. The only "complaint" I have about the food would be that they did not have a separate children's menu. The children's food choices could have been a little more creative. (standard - hamburger, hotdog, grilled cheese, macaroni & cheese, etc.) On the second night we ate at Lumiere's. A french restaurant with excellent food. My suggestion would be to drop off the kids at the playroom for dinner and have a romantic evening with your spouse! This is a place where you would like to take your time, have a glass of wine with your meal and still want to take time to have coffee with dessert. Breakfast was either sit-down order from the very extensive menu, or a buffet breakfast at the snack restaurant areas.

CHILDREN'S PROGRAM: On to the children's playroom. Since there is no gambling on the ship all of the space that would normally be taken up with casinos Disney uses for children's activities. There are two huge rooms for all of the children's activities. (divided by age group starting at age 3-but must be potty trained) Registration only takes a few minutes and involves filing out emergency information, getting a beeper (that you keep with you anytime your child is in the program) and receiving a wrist band (this has the code to activate the beeper). You must also think of a password that only you and your child knows. This password is entered into the computer and is required each time you pick them up. My son absolutely loved the playroom! He thought it was the best part of the cruise. They play games, do crafts, everything. If your child is in the playroom during the dinner hour they are taken for a buffet style dinner. There is also a separate area for toddlers to explore and play as well, but only with a parent. I might add that if you have children under the age of 3 there is not a lot of play areas, unless you pay for babysitting or if you go to the toddler area with them. And there is plenty to do for the older kids as well. There is babysitting available for $11 per hour for the first child and $1 extra per child thereafter. We did not take advantage of this service so I do not have any comments.

ENTERTAINMENT: The shows on board are great. I loved "Disney Dreams". This is a must see for the kids, as well as adults. You will see many characters and hear several movie theme songs. My son was too busy in the playroom to see this show, but he would have loved it. The "Voyage of the Ghost Ship" was more like a play - and very good as well. We did not go to any of the clubs or movies, just not enough time!

PRIVATE ISLAND: Castaway Cay, Disney's private island is wonderful. A tram takes you from the ship to the heart of the island. When you get off of the tram there are special "beach" strollers, carts and even beach wheel chairs for rent. There is a special play area for the kids at "Scuttles Cove" if you want to drop your children off for some free time. There are bicycle rentals, snorkeling, rafts, peddle boats JUST EVERYTHING! The beach areas are beautiful. Plenty of umbrellas and lounge chairs. There are life guards that walk the beach all day. And drink vendors with water, coke, island drinks, beer, etc. Lunch is served on the island buffet style and a band plays "island songs" all day. Everything is typical Disney - clean, beautiful and everyone is very friendly. We would have liked to have stayed two or three days just coming and going to Castaway Cay. Towels are provided by the ship, so no need to bring your own. Snorkeling is only allowed in the designated area and life vests must be worn. A welcomed experience compared to other ports and beaches visited on other cruise lines. You feel safe and you are not asked if you want your hair braided every five minutes! (but, you can have your hair braided for $1 a braid if you are missing that touch to your cruise experience!)

SIDE NOTE: There is a laundry room available to passengers! I think that is the greatest thing for family's on a long vacation. You can pack half the amount of clothes and wash mid trip. Especially those who will be going to Disney World before or after cruising.

DISEMBARKATION: All good things must come to an end - and this was no exception. You must have your luggage outside your cabin by 10:00 p.m. on the last night of your cruise. Remember to have a day bag with you for what you will need in the morning. You will not get your luggage until leaving the ship. The ship docs very early in the morning and by the time you are finished eating breakfast you are asked to leave the ship and go through customs. Your luggage is separated by color tags according to your deck number. You then board the bus back to the airport or on to Disney World. Everything went very smooth on the trip back to reality. However, our flight was not until 3:40 p.m. and we arrived at the airport at 10:30 a.m. What a long day with two little kids!

I would highly recommend the Disney Magic for anyone considering the trip. However, depending upon the age of your children I don't know if I personally could have gone to Disney World after getting off of the ship. We were exausted! As I probably would have been, going to Disney first, then cruising. And, if you don't have kids and would still like to consider Disney Magic - go for it. There are plenty of adult only areas - restaurant, pool, beaches, etc. There is so much to do and not a whole lot of time to do it in. We may consider going back when our daughter is over 3 years of age so that my husband and I might spend a little time together - or even alone! That makes everybody happy! *Submitted by - Jan Trauschke, Cary, NC

24, July, 1998 - Our cruise was wonderful! It was our first cruise experience and I did a lot of research before I bought. I wanted to get as far away from the US as I could afford, preferably south, not be surrounded by children, and not be on a cruise ship that I was just one of 3,000. We picked perfect. The Seawind Crown was great for us.
MY VIEWS
Yes the ship was old but I knew that when I bought my tickets. The rooms are good size, everything in our room worked great. Our cabin steward was like a ghost. Every time we went out it seemed like he went in and did whatever we needed doing without our asking. What luxury. Our sheets were clean the floor was an older carpet but so are a lot of hotel. I have never gone on vacation based on the hotel I will be staying at and did not pick my cruise solely because of the ship. Yes the dancers in the shows did other duties and we loved seeing them throughout the cruise. They helped with bingo, the newlywed game, etc.... They also performed two night, different shows but same people. I bet the chorus line on the big ships perform more than one night! We got to know these people and they us. The outside decks were like ships of several years ago and were not walled in. You could hang over the rail and look at the sea and smell the salt air and relax. Yes, it rained one day and was cloudy on another. But we sailed in the hurricane season and I knew that. That was one reason that the price was so reasonable. Travel agents might be well advised to make sure that their customers know when hurricane season is. I agree the pursers desk didn't care about a lot of things but they were the only ones on the ship with that attitude. In short this is not a mega luxury liner but a very nice close knit family.
Our shore excursions...........
We were in Aruba on Sunday and all the shops were closed but we took a tour we found on our own that was in a min van. Our tour guide was great. He knew his island well, was willing to share any information he could and was very proud of his island. We paid for a 3 hour tour and got every minute of it.
Monday was Curacao, N.A. We went shopping in the town in the morning and took a snorkeling tour in the afternoon. Shopping was wonderful! I wasn't looking for diamonds and pearls but looking to see a different lifestyle and I did. We bought the liqueur that they are famous for, some Dutch chocolate and a wooden bowl. Wish now that I had bought the wooden salad bowl set but at the time couldn't figure out how to get it home. Snorkeling was a first for both my husband and myself. We felt very safe even if we were anchored way out. We snorkeled over a sunken submarine and the under water sea life was fantastic. We came prepared from home and bought an underwater camera before we left. They cost about twice as much on ship and took wonderful pictures. The snorkeling boat provided free rum punch and soft drinks so the ride home was very pleasant for all. Even the lady who got a little sick on the way to the sight.
Tuesday was a day at sea. If you are going on a cruise to relax, forget it! They have to much going on and I wanted to do it all. We had very little time to even lay by the pool and sunbathe! We took a tour of the Navigational Bridge, went to a talk on the next to ports, a seminar on diamonds, a shipboard horserace, and that night was the captain's cocktail party! Bedtime came very late. There were SEVERAL activities that we didn't go to so believe me there was something for everyone.
Wednesday was Castries, St... Lucia. If I have to complain about any of the shore excursions this was the one. It was scheduled as a 3 hour tour that lasted 2 1/2 hours. Our tour guides were knowledgeable and nice but seemed to be in a hurry. I would advice hiring a taxi and going on your own if you have any idea of what to see. The perfume factory was very interesting in the fact that they called it a factory at all. But the smells that they can make are exquisite. I bought several. Now my favorite place was Caribelle Batik factory. If you like this kind of clothing you will love this place and the prices are very reasonable. Again rum punch was provided on the tour and the weather was very pleasant.
Thursday was Bridgetown, Barbados. I am not a person who is into jewelry but even I succumbed to their diamonds and gold. The prices are super and the quality some of the best I have seen, and with duty free shopping you can't go wrong. This was the day that it rained and we took an open air jeep safari in the afternoon and had a wonderful time. None of us in our jeep were too concerned about appearance so the rain didn't bother us and we saw some of the island that very few of our fellow passengers saw. Our guide offered twice to turn around and refund our price if we didn't want to get wet but no one took him up. If I could move this is the island I would go to. Very educated peopled and a very diverse population. The shopping is good for the more expensive items, I didn't see many items other than gold, diamonds, emeralds, fine china and crystal, etc... except t shirts. Trafalger square is here as well as in London and well worth a look see. We ended our day wet, not soaked, and as happy as idiot tourist could be. One of our best days out!
Friday. El guamache, Margarita, Venezuela. This was a deviation from there original brochure itinerary because of civil unrest on the mainland of Venezuela. We were advised not to try to hire a taxi and go off on our own but would be safe in any public place. This is not a tourist town for Americans. They speak very little English if any. I loved it. I wanted to get away from America and this was it. We took a bus tour on the nicest bus I have ever been on. Our tour guide was the most pleasant of any we had had and was very willing to be of any assistance. Shopping on this tour was better if you could speak Spanish but was still pretty good. We stopped at several historical landmarks, saw a lot of residential areas in passing, and visited a great outdoor market. This village is in a remote village in the Mountains and the shopkeepers had the best prices and had a pretty good understanding of English. Cultured pearls from Margarita and t shirts were the thing of the day but the price of rum was the best of the entire cruise. Coffee was also available for purchase but I haven't found anyone here who can drink it. Very strong. We had a little time in Porlamar District which is the downtown area and if you could manage to communicate you could find some nice bargains. We were there on the day that Brazil won a soccer game and there was an impromptu parade down the main street. Everyone was very kind and cordial to us and we felt very welcome. I would love to go back and spend more time. No, I don't speak fluent Spanish.
Saturday at Sea. This was the warmest day of our cruise and we sat by the pool for a little while, our first time to sunbathe. We should have started our packing hours earlier than we did but saying goodbye to our new friends lasted into the wee hours of the morning. Oh well, we can rest at home. At one of our stops I bought some fresh spices but can't remember where. My complaints about my cruise? Too short, not enough time to see and do all I wanted to. I wanted to take each and every shore excursions. I do recommend that anyone be careful about letting Premier Cruises book their flights! We had 5 and 6 HOUR layovers both going and coming at EACH stop. Horrible!!!!! We left the ship at 6AM Sunday morning to come home and arrived at our house at 1AM Monday morning! Poor hubby had to get up and go to work at 4:30. I slept. Air Aruba is iffy. If they get there and haven't changed their schedule the flight will be wonderful. You will get a hot meal on each flight and evening flights have free cocktails. I have rambled on forever and realize I haven't mentioned our wonderful meals on board, running into the cruise ship employees in port and being recognized and spoken to, or the 3 bottle of champagne we won! See why my friends are running from us. I do have a couple of observations for the first time cruisers like we were. 1. Pack an empty suitcase or maybe two. 2. Bring lots of bubble wrap to wrap breakable souvenirs up in to take home. I wrapped my shoes in it on the way out. 3. Keep your ship credit card/boarding pass with you when you depart. They asked for it at the Aruba airport so we wouldn't have to pay a departure tax. No one told us about it in advance. 4. Go on a diet before you sail!!!!!!!!! Nothing will fit on the way home. We are now hooked on cruising and are arguing over our next itinerary. I want to cruise to Brazil and hubby wants Alaska. We are definitely going to try to sail on another small ship. *Submitted by - Mary Carter, AR

22 July, 1998 - We went on the Norwegian Wind and had a very excellent cruise. We had a lower catagory of room in the B catagory outside room but it was wonderful because your window was right on the water and you had a seating area in front of the window. The food was good and the service was excellent. Our only problem was we were put at a table for 10 at dinner with a party of eight and then they moved to another table because our table was too near the ktichen. We were left with a table for ten with only two but they did move us to a table for two in another dinning room. I liked the open seating at lunch and breakfast because that gave us a chance to meet other people. The tours were a little expensive but then we were in Alaska. The weather was good a little cold but that was to be expected. And the show for the late sitting was held before dinner rather then after dinner which was rather annoying because you had to miss the piano bar music before dinner and that was relaxing. And if you wanted a cocktail before dinner it was hard to do both. Over all the experience was very good. And we did enjoy our cruise to Alaska. *Submitted by Kathi Greene

9 July 1998 - I had a lovely time on my one-week Rembrandt cruise from Barcelona. This was my first real cruise experience and I was not disappointed. Especially recommended by friends, the Rembrandt (ex-Rotterdam) turned out to be a well-appointed ship that constantly brought forth reminders of a long-lost world of transatlantic ocean crossings. Sailing on this ship was like a time warp of the 1950's. Although the food and on-board service do not meet Holland America standards, there was nothing I personnaly would have to complain about. I especially liked the itinerary (the main reason I chose this cruise): Barcelona, Villefranche, Civitavecchia, Messina, Naples, and Palma de Mallorca. For the amazingly low price (under $800) I'd consider doing this cruise again sometime in the future. *Submitted by Pierre Pelmont Washington DC

14 June 98 - Hi my name is Kendra Hunter I am 12 years old I have been on 2 Carnival cruises with my mom and dad. I am going on a 3rd Carnival cruise ship in November the ship is Destiny. The things I most like about a cruise are that you can have fun and do many activites of you choice like on the 2 cruises that I have been on Carnival has a kids activites for the whole time you are on the boat. Another the food is GREAT!! And I am not joking you can order more and more stuff but if you don't like it you don't have to eat it and from past experience the waiters and bus boys are VERY NICE!!! The pools and water slides are fun and neat but a word a warning don't drink the water it is saltwater yuck!!! I love going to port and seeing what other people live like and go snorkling it is AWSOME if you go to a good place you can see so many different kinds of fish and reef it is cool. Well I love to cruise It is cool if you are thinking about going on a cruise i would recommend it you would or will have a SUPER DE DUPER time!!! Well that is my experience info. to you. My mom and dad sure like them to because they are such a good deal and price. See ya !! :-) *Submitted by: Kendra Hunter Ankeny, Iowa

09 Feb. 98 - We returned on 2/7/98 from a seven day cruise of the Carribean on the not yet one-year old Dawn Princess of the Princess Cruise Line. It was our first cruise, and probably the best vacation we have taken in our seventeen years together. Our ports of call were San Juan, PR, Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique, St. Barthelemy, and St. Thomas. We liked them all. The food, the exercise onboard (and onshore), the personalities of the passengers, and the absolutely beautiful weather during our icy, boring, stressful winter all contributed to a very delightful experience. When we arrived back in San Juan for disembarkation, we opted for the "Ocean Resort Tour" which for $39 bought us a full day at the Grand San Juan Hotel, which included access to the beach, a wonderful pool (with continuous water volleyball game), buffet lunch, changing rooms, towels and comfortable lobby and casino and transportation to the airport (5 minutes away). It was a great way to pass the time between leaving the ship and flying back to the icy cold north. Today starts our preparation for our next cruise. I understand from experienced cruisers that deals for returnees can be very enticing. Thanks for the opportunity to share our experience. Best wishes to all cruisers. * Submitted by Dave & Phyllis Gubanc Reynoldsburg, OH

29 Dec 97 - Kudos to Royal Olympic Cruises -Just got home from 21 day Exotica Trans-Atlantic Cruise, was nice to get a passenger listing booklet. I met two previously unknown couples from my hometown that I probably would not have met otherwise. They also put passenger's name in daily bulletin who were celebrating a birthday or anniversary on that day! Nice touch! * Submitted by Dorothy De Savino - Santa Maria, California

Cruisin Easy
Santa Maria, California
Call or Fax Toll Free: (888) 732-EASY Email: cruisineasy@thegrid.net
Copyright©1998 All Rights Reserved.