The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line 2018
440
The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line 2018
440eBook2018 Edition (2018 Edition)
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Overview
The Unofficial Guide to the Disney Cruise Line by Len Testa with Erin Foster, Laurel Stewart, and Ritchey Halphen describes the best of Disney's ships and itineraries.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781628090802 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Unofficial Guides |
| Publication date: | 12/12/2017 |
| Series: | Unofficial Guides Series |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 440 |
| File size: | 34 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
As a charter member of the official Walt Disney Parks Moms Panel, Erin Foster has researched and written answers to more than 10,000 guest questions about Disney travel. She lives in New York City.
Laurel Stewart manages operations and does business development for TouringPlans.com. She is also a contributing writer to the Unofficial Guide series. Before making the move to the travel industry, Laurel worked for a large Redmond, Washington-based software company. She lives in Orlando, FL.
Ritchey Halphen is a project editor at AdventureKEEN. His two decades of publishing experience include editing stints at Cooking Light, Southern Living, and Health magazines. He lives in Birmingham, AL.
Read an Excerpt
PART 12 PORT ADVENTURES ON CASTAWAY CAY
PARASAILING
Guests looking for a bird's-eye view of paradise should check out this excursion. Floating hundreds of feet in the air, you’re master of all you survey, or at least it seems that way for several minutes. You board a speedboat and travel several hundred yards away from land. Then, in singles or pairs, you stand at the back of the boat and are harnessed to a line-bound parachute that is slowly let out until you and the parachute are 600–1,000 feet above the water. Enjoy panoramic views of your ship, Castaway Cay, and beyond.
Each excursion takes about 10 people onto the boat. There are no ride-alongs; every guest on the boat must pay. Your actual parasail event will last about 5–7 minutes. Depending on the number of other guests, the entire experience lasts 45 minutes–1 hour. Open to guests age 8 and up, parasailing excursions cost $102.25 for both adults and kids. Guests must weigh between 90 and 375 pounds; those who weigh less than 90 pounds may be able to ride if they y in tandem with another guest, but their combined weight may not exceed 375 pounds. Determination of single or tandem rides is fully at the discretion of the staff.
Kids under age 13 must be accompanied by a paying adult age 18 or older. Guests ages 13–17 may go on the excursion unaccompanied but must be escorted to the Marge’s Barges excursion meeting site by an adult age 18 or older. All guests must sign a safety waiver.
You must leave your shoes on the dock and are strongly discouraged from wearing a hat or glasses during your sail; there is a storage area on the boat for your personal belongings. Wheelchairs and other wheeled mobility devices cannot be accommodated. No photography service is provided during the excursion—you’re welcome to bring cameras onto the boat, but you assume all liability for the loss of anything you bring up with you. Understandably, anything dropped into the ocean can’t be retrieved.
SNORKELING
This is one of the least expensive, most rewarding shore excursions offered on a Disney cruise. We recommend it for every family. Cost is $15.05 for kids ages 5-9 for one day, $19.35 for two days; $31.18 for age 10 and up for one day, $38.70 for two days.
First, find some chairs on the family beach, where you can store your stuff while you’re in the water. If possible, choose something near a vertical landmark such as a tree; it will be easier to find when you come back to shore.
Next, pick up your snorkeling gear at Gil’s Fins and Boats, a short walk from Scuttle’s Cove, the island’s first tram stop. You’ll be given a mask, snorkel, ns, and an inflatable buoyancy vest to make swimming easier. Also pick up a blue-mesh gear bag, which makes it easier to haul your stuff back to your beach chairs.
Put on your vest before you get in the water, but don’t inflate it just yet. Wait until you’re in hip-high water to put on your flippers because it’s impossible to walk in them on shore (and they’ll get sandy). Keep your mask off until you get into the water.
If you’re snorkeling with younger children, plan on spending 10–15 minutes adjusting the t of masks and vests. Inflate their vests by blowing into the vertical tube on the left side of the vest, adding just enough air to keep the top of their heads above water. (If you over inflate the vests, they’ll have trouble getting their masks below the surface.) Also, practice using the flippers, which work best with slow, deliberate leg movements.
Once everyone’s gear is working, take one last look at the lagoon to get your bearings. Disney has placed orange-and-white buoys above the underwater sites, so head for those. There usually aren’t a lot of fish in the first 30–40 yards nearest the shore, though it’s possible to see almost anything once you’re in the water. Fish species in the lagoon include yellowtail snapper, sergeant major, banded buttery fish, blue tang, and barracuda. Obviously, you shouldn’t try to catch any of these fish with your hands.
If you’ve snorkeled before and you enjoy it, Castaway Cay offers another snorkeling excursion in the waters off the island. You board a 28-foot Zodiac rigid-hull inflatable boat and head 30 minutes offshore for a 90-minute open-water snorkeling session. Cost is $113.50 for adults, $102 for kids ages 6–9.
WALKING AND K AYAK NATURE ADVENTURE
This port adventure begins at Marge’s Barges, where everyone boards a tram to the Serenity Bay adult beach. Next you walk behind the adult beach cabanas to a nature trail, which leads to the beach beyond. During the walk, your guide will point out interesting plants and animals and talk about the history of the Bahamas.
Upon reaching the beach, participants don their life jackets and head out in their kayaks. This is the part where you’re at Mother Nature’s whim. We took this tour after a friend raved about it. She headed out in the morning and was able to kayak to the interior of the island. Our own tour was later in the afternoon as the tide was going out. The interior of the island was inaccessible by kayak, and the tides made piloting our single kayak very difficult. We wouldn’t book this adventure in the afternoon again, even if it were the only time available.
Even if you’re able to book this in the morning, however, the tour is 3–31/2 hours long—time you could spend snorkeling, biking, or lazing on the beach. Ideally, you would book this on the morning of the second stop of a five-night Castaway Cay cruise.
Be sure to bring walking shoes, sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen, and an underwater or water-resistant camera; consider gloves for paddling to avoid blisters. Wear a swimsuit under your clothes for swimming. You must stow your belongings on the beach for the kayaking, so leave the doubloons in the cabin. Water is provided. Cost is $67 for guests age 10 and up.
Table of Contents
List of Maps and DiagramsAbout the Authors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
About This Guide
Disney Cruise Line: An Overview
How to Contact the Authors
PART ONE Dollars and Sense
What’s Included in Your Disney Cruise Fare
Cruising with Kids
Cruising Without Kids
Where to Find More Information
PART TWO Planning Your Cruise
Choosing an Itinerary
Saving Money
Surf and Turf, Disney-Style
Back-to-Back Cruising
The Booking Process
Other Prep Work
Castaway Club
PART THREE Staterooms
How Your Stateroom Category Affects the Price of Your Disney Cruise
Our Stateroom Recommendations
Concierge Level—What You Need to Know, and If It’s Worth It
PART FOUR Arriving, Getting Your Sea Legs, and Departing
Transportation to Your Cruise
The Day Before Your Cruise
Get in the Boat, Men (and Women and Kids)!
Bare Necessities
Checkout and Departure
PART FIVE Special Tips for Special People
DCL for Singles
DCL “At Large”
DCL for Expectant Moms
DCL for Younger Children
DCL for Older Children
DCL for Seniors
Guests with Disabilities
Dietary Restrictions
Smoking On Board
Traveling with Medication
Friends of Bill W.
Friends of Dorothy
PART S I X The Ships at a Glance
Overview and Our Recommendations
The Disney Magic
The Disney Wonder
The Disney Dream
The Disney Fantasy
On Deck: New Ships
PART SEVEN Dining
Noshes, Noshes Everywhere
Disney Magic Dining
Disney Wonder Dining
Disney Dream Dining
Disney Fantasy Dining
PART EIGHT Entertainment and Nightlife
Live Theater on the Ships
Other Live Performances
Movies
Live Sports
Themed Events and Holiday Entertainment
Nightclubs, Bars, Cafés, and Lounges
PART NINE Activities, Recreation, and Shopping
Family Activities
Children’s Programs and Activities
Pools and Water-Play Areas
Onboard Seminars
Sports and Fitness
Spas
Shopping
Religious Services
PART TEN Castaway Cay
What to Bring
What to Do
Where to Relax
PART ELEVEN Ports
Alaska
Atlantic Canada
California Coast
Caribbean and Bahamas
Hawaii
Mediterranean
Mexico
Northern Europe, British Isles, and Norway
Panama Canal
Transatlantic
PART TWELVE Port Adventures
Finding Port Adventures
Port Adventures on Castaway Cay
Nassau
Our Suggestions Beyond Castaway Cay
PART THIRTEEN River Cruising River Cruising for Families
Excursions on an AbD River Cruise
More Differences Between AbD River Cruising and DCL Ocean Cruising
Traveling with Adventures by Disney
Cost Considerations
What’s Next for Disney and River Cruising?
Glossary
Itineraries Index
Subject Index