Sept 2002 Cruise - Disney Magic - East Caribbean

September 28 - October 5, 2002
This was planned as a Western Caribbean cruise, but Hurricane Lili was due to arrive at Grand Cayman on the same day that we were supposed to visit. Instead they gave us an eastern itinerary to San Juan and St Thomas, with two stops at Castway Cay, Disney's private island.

Our Room

This is our room, number 2105. This is a deluxe inside stateroom (cat 10, 214 sf). It was very roomy for the two of us, probably larger than the mini-suite that we had on our earlier NCL cruise. There were two separate bathroom areas (toilet and sink in one, shower and sink in the other). The closet was roomy, and there was tons of storage space. We unpacked everything and still had leftover drawers. This was also our first experience with a room on a lower floor. It worked out very well, it was quiet, and the rocking of the ship was much less noticable.

Towel Animals

Our room host, Clinton, left towel animals in our room every night when he turned down the bed.

Sail-away

Various pictures from Saturday afternoon, as we sailed away from Port Canaveral. At this point we weren't sure where they would take us because of the hurricane, but they had decided to start by going to Castaway Cay.

My Birthday

Sunday we arrived at Castaway Cay for the first visit. We went snorkeling and rented a hobie cat for a little sailing, before returning to the ship for an afternoon nap. By evening they had decided that we would be taking an eastern route to avoid hurricane Lili. Sunday was also my birthday, so they sang for me at dinner and gave me a cake.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Monday was an at-sea day. We had brunch at Palo's the fancy, adults- only restaurant. We spent the rest of the day sitting by the adult pool and doing a little swimming.

Tuesday we arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This was supposed to be our day in Grand Cayman, and we had planned to stay on the ship to relax and use the spa. Since we weren't too interested in San Juan, that's exactly what we did. Late in the afternoon we did decide to leave for a quick walk through the shops in town, but that was about it.

St. Thomas, USVI

Wednesday we arrived in St. Thomas. We started the day early with a snorkelling excursion to nearby St. John. The boat ride over was nice, and the snorkelling was great. Plus, our trip was back before noon, so we had time to catch lunch on the ship and go shopping in town. There were two other ships in port with us that day: the Grand Princess, and the RCI Explorer of the Seas.

Dinner Companions

Thursday was another at sea day. We relaxed by the pool with our books again. It was also a formal night, so I brought my camera to dinner. We were seated at a table for 8 with two other couples with children. Mike and Jodie with their daughter Alexis, were from Tennesee. Mary and Terry with their son Scotty were from Seattle, Washington. They were all very nice folks and we we're happy to meet them.

Castaway Cay

Friday we returned to Castaway Cay for a second visit. This time we went back to the adults-only beach for some swimming. The water was not as clean as in the sheltered coves, and it was very shallow for a long way out. We never did wade out past chest level. Shelley found a sand dollar in the water, but we didn't bring it back with us. Another couple out there showed us a live crab and a live starfish that they'd found. After lunch I sent out some postcards and we returned to the ship. This time I took a few pictures from the deck.

Formal Photos

Portaits that we purchased on this trip.