Ports and final thoughts:
The terminal in Port Canaveral is great. I thought security was excellent. They really handle people well. It is so exciting to see the Magic as you pull in. Goofy hanging off of the back of the ship is a site to behold! Taking the Disney transfers back to the airport worked out great. Just check your luggage in with your airline, get your boarding pass, get on the bus and enjoy a smooth ride to the airport including a short video. The lines at the airport were horrible! So glad we could take care of everything at the port.
Last time I was in St. Maarten there was no pier. It is a huge improvement to have one. I can't imagine tendering with so many kids and strollers. Since we had been into Philipsburg several times before we decided to take the Sea and See tour. Our driver was very informative and the bus very comfortable. We first went to the French capital of Marigot. They have a large open air market there which sells all sorts of crafts and tropical clothes. If you don't pack any for tropicalifragilisticexpialidocious night, you can get them here! No one bugs you and there is no bargaining which makes it more pleasant to shop. There's also a pretty fort in the harbor and an open air produce and fish market. They had huge live spiny lobsters for sale. I wish I could have taken one back to the ship to have it cooked! The French side of the island seems nicer than the Dutch side. We then went to the Atlantis semi-submarine in Grand Case. The "sub" is really a boat under which is a glass enclosed viewing area. If you are at all prone to motion sickness, this is NOT the trip for you. We saw a fair amount of sea life. It was great when the diver went into the water to feed the fish. Afterwards they gave everyone a glass of punch (with rum or not, your choice) then back on the bus. We made one final stop at a very pretty look out on the French side for photos then on to Philipsburg. You could get off in Philipsburg or continue on to the pier. It's not much of a walk back to the ship, or you could pay $3 for a taxi or $5 for the water taxi. We just went back to the pier, picked up some more beverages for the room at a small duty free store there and took a few pictures of the Magic next to the Golden Princess.
As I said before, the first big treat in St. Thomas was a little extra sleep! We docked at Havensight with the Golden Princess again. We opted to take a taxi to Coki Beach but our taxi driver suggested Sapphire beach instead. It was a great suggestion! Even though they quote you $8 per person for the trip, ask if kids are full price. He and the other taxi driver let DD ride for 1/2 price. The Sapphire beach is absolutely gorgeous. A great view of St. John and some of the British Virgin Islands. There is a resort there so food, chairs, bathrooms, snorkel equipment etc. is available. There's alot of shade on the beach too, good for pale skinned types like us. Pack a cooler with ice, snacks and drinks from the ship and you're set! Don't forget to take along towels too. There's decent shopping at the pier. The sailaway from St. Thomas is pretty.
The seas got pretty rough after leaving from St. Thomas, bring motion sickness remedies even if you've never had a problem before.
Our day in Castaway Cay was a bit of a let down, but only because of the weather (and who can control that?). It was gray, overcast, fairly breezy and cool. If you consider that the island isn't much further south than Miami, it isn't too surprising that some cooler weather can affect it. Pack a light sweatshirt or windbreaker and you'll be fine. The walk to the family beach was easy and short, no need for the tram. There were sand strollers and wheelchairs available. The family beach got pretty crowded since no one wanted to go in the water (it was COLD!) but the crowds thinned out early as I guess people went back to the ship early because of the weather. Cookies BBQ was a huge disappointment. The "grilled" burgers, hot dogs and lobster burgers hadn't seen a grill for hours, if ever. The (only) good part about lunch was the giant chocolate chip cookies. The island is pretty but I didn't think it was as pretty as either St. Maarten or St. Thomas. It did feel safe and clean but also lacked much character. Maybe it was the weather...
So did we have a good time? YES.
Would we do it again? Yes, in a few years when DD may enjoy the kid's clubs more.
Did it meet my expectations? Overall, yes. Some (many) things exceeded my expectations, but the food and service in the dining rooms at dinner and the food at Topsiders and Cookies at lunch fell far short.
I'd like to thank all of you who answered so many of my questions over the past several months. It improved our trip in numerous ways.
I hope this review has been of some help to others. I'm happy to answer any questions.
The terminal in Port Canaveral is great. I thought security was excellent. They really handle people well. It is so exciting to see the Magic as you pull in. Goofy hanging off of the back of the ship is a site to behold! Taking the Disney transfers back to the airport worked out great. Just check your luggage in with your airline, get your boarding pass, get on the bus and enjoy a smooth ride to the airport including a short video. The lines at the airport were horrible! So glad we could take care of everything at the port.
Last time I was in St. Maarten there was no pier. It is a huge improvement to have one. I can't imagine tendering with so many kids and strollers. Since we had been into Philipsburg several times before we decided to take the Sea and See tour. Our driver was very informative and the bus very comfortable. We first went to the French capital of Marigot. They have a large open air market there which sells all sorts of crafts and tropical clothes. If you don't pack any for tropicalifragilisticexpialidocious night, you can get them here! No one bugs you and there is no bargaining which makes it more pleasant to shop. There's also a pretty fort in the harbor and an open air produce and fish market. They had huge live spiny lobsters for sale. I wish I could have taken one back to the ship to have it cooked! The French side of the island seems nicer than the Dutch side. We then went to the Atlantis semi-submarine in Grand Case. The "sub" is really a boat under which is a glass enclosed viewing area. If you are at all prone to motion sickness, this is NOT the trip for you. We saw a fair amount of sea life. It was great when the diver went into the water to feed the fish. Afterwards they gave everyone a glass of punch (with rum or not, your choice) then back on the bus. We made one final stop at a very pretty look out on the French side for photos then on to Philipsburg. You could get off in Philipsburg or continue on to the pier. It's not much of a walk back to the ship, or you could pay $3 for a taxi or $5 for the water taxi. We just went back to the pier, picked up some more beverages for the room at a small duty free store there and took a few pictures of the Magic next to the Golden Princess.
As I said before, the first big treat in St. Thomas was a little extra sleep! We docked at Havensight with the Golden Princess again. We opted to take a taxi to Coki Beach but our taxi driver suggested Sapphire beach instead. It was a great suggestion! Even though they quote you $8 per person for the trip, ask if kids are full price. He and the other taxi driver let DD ride for 1/2 price. The Sapphire beach is absolutely gorgeous. A great view of St. John and some of the British Virgin Islands. There is a resort there so food, chairs, bathrooms, snorkel equipment etc. is available. There's alot of shade on the beach too, good for pale skinned types like us. Pack a cooler with ice, snacks and drinks from the ship and you're set! Don't forget to take along towels too. There's decent shopping at the pier. The sailaway from St. Thomas is pretty.
The seas got pretty rough after leaving from St. Thomas, bring motion sickness remedies even if you've never had a problem before.
Our day in Castaway Cay was a bit of a let down, but only because of the weather (and who can control that?). It was gray, overcast, fairly breezy and cool. If you consider that the island isn't much further south than Miami, it isn't too surprising that some cooler weather can affect it. Pack a light sweatshirt or windbreaker and you'll be fine. The walk to the family beach was easy and short, no need for the tram. There were sand strollers and wheelchairs available. The family beach got pretty crowded since no one wanted to go in the water (it was COLD!) but the crowds thinned out early as I guess people went back to the ship early because of the weather. Cookies BBQ was a huge disappointment. The "grilled" burgers, hot dogs and lobster burgers hadn't seen a grill for hours, if ever. The (only) good part about lunch was the giant chocolate chip cookies. The island is pretty but I didn't think it was as pretty as either St. Maarten or St. Thomas. It did feel safe and clean but also lacked much character. Maybe it was the weather...
So did we have a good time? YES.
Would we do it again? Yes, in a few years when DD may enjoy the kid's clubs more.
Did it meet my expectations? Overall, yes. Some (many) things exceeded my expectations, but the food and service in the dining rooms at dinner and the food at Topsiders and Cookies at lunch fell far short.
I'd like to thank all of you who answered so many of my questions over the past several months. It improved our trip in numerous ways.
I hope this review has been of some help to others. I'm happy to answer any questions.
