Maybe this lack of participation in the cruise meet forum means the ship will be empty and we'll all get upgrades!!
delta0413, any advice or recommendations on the western cruise? Did you do any cool excursions? This is my first cruise ever and we're all really excited (especially b/c it's Disney!).
We'd also like to do dinner one night at Palo. Any advice on which night to do it?
Thanks!
Hey Newt and Karen. Sorry for the delayed response. There has been such little activity on this thread that I haven't been checking it on a regular basis.
It would be awesome if upgrades were available especially during a period that is normally sold out, i.e. summer. We last cruised the Magic in October, 2007. Since schools were in session, the ship was not full and we could have upgraded from an Outside cabin to a Balcony for a relatively cheap price. I guess we'll see.
As for recommendations for excursions to do on the Western Caribbean itinerary... where do I start???
Key West - We've only been to Key West once... on the last
Disney cruise. We chose to walk around and do our own thing. We (mostly me) decided to walk down to the southernmost point. It seemed like a good idea, but it was a long hot walk. When we finally made it there and turned the corner and got our first glimpse of it, we all paused in dumbfounded silence. We had visions of cute shops and restaurants surrounding the area.... NOPE! Just the concrete column that nearly everone has seen on TV that says "Southernmost Point in the US". My oldest daughter broke the silence and summed up all our feelings by saying, "Is this it?" The subsequent laughter momentarily masked our realization that we had to walk all the way back. We still laugh about it to this day. Priceless! We won't be doing that again! However, there is a shop that sells the best Key Lime pie we have ever had. I don't remember the name of it, but it's on Duval Street.
Grand Cayman - This is BY FAR our favorite place in the Caribbean. The excursion I would recommend here is a snorkling excusion to Stingray City. We purchased this through the cruise line the first time we were there, but won't do that again. I strongly recommend Captain Marvins and particularly the 3 hour version. This is the excursion we have done twice. If you select this one, you will have 3 stops that all offer something a little different. The last stop is Stingray City itself. BIG FUN!
Cozumel - We haven't done an excursion here either. In the 3 times we have been there we have always just shopped on the main drag there. One big recommendation I have for you in Cozumel is lunch (or snack) at Pancho's Backyard. The food is great! If you are so inclined, I would also recommend the Margaritas. They are very good and very strong. 1, 2, 3, Floor!
We will probably break with tradition a bit and do an excusion this time. We are taking a hard look at the Dolphin encounter.
Castaway Cay - We LOVE this private island even though DW and I aren't big beach people. (Weird since I was born and raised in Orlando, Florida) The mere fact that Disney spent the money to build a pier so we can dock is huge. We been to several other cruise lines' private islands and don't care for the tendering to and from. DD20 and I have done the Parasailing and will this time too. DW wants to join us this time. You get an incredible view of the island from this altitude. Otherwise, just enjoy the island on what will hopefully be a sunny day.
Sorry this response was so long and I hope this helps. Please feel free to ask me any questions you want.
Lou
Xmas away from home (we will be at Boardwalk Villas for two weeks) and our first cruise. 
The last Disney cruise we took the discussion board was on its 6th page when we were 5 months away from sail away.
happy to be your translator as I speak fluent spanish, like they won't know we are from the States if you hang with me!
