To all the past DCL Eastern caribbean cruisers --

I just booked a 7 night cruise on the Magic for June 26th. There are 4 of us going! I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for shore excursions and/or special experiences I should be sure not to miss. I've heard great things about St. John, but I'm not sure which tours/excursions are the best. Any ideas?

It depends on what kind of trips your family enjoys: land or water (I remember doing a regatta boat race in St. Maarteen years ago that was fabulous. However, they can add up $$-wise. So you might want to pick one excursion island and do sight-seeing on your own.

well, we decided to pre-book the Rhino Island Adventure (at the bottom of the excursions page on the DCL website) while we are visiting St. Maarten. We figured that after 2 full days at sea we'll want to get out and strectch out a bit. So far we have nothing booked for St. Thomas/St. John. I've heard its a breeze to grab a charter water taxi to St. Thomas for cheap, so we'll probably just hang out at Trunk Bay and snorkel on our own. Thanks for the info Shoshana. Love you column! :)

My understanding is that the champagne brunch/snorkel catamaran is supposed to be a great excursion. I have also heard very good things about the hike/trip to capital/shopping in St. Maarten.

On board, try to take in the wine tasting and/or Sunday brunch at Palo. A little $$ but well worth it.

Traveling with three other adults (no kids) helping celebrate my best friend's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Should be loads of fun. Look for us in the adult pool on board wearing (I'm not making this up) black pirate bandanas. (Don't ask me to explain, it's a long story and inside joke.)

Have fun!

will do! Although I might think twice before running up to you...crazy...pirate...guys. ;) I am planning on booking brunch AND dinner at least once each, and I want to do the wine tasting too! Unfortunately the "rhino" excursion was already booked up when I called last week...but hopefully I'll be able to get it onboard. LESS THAN ONE MONTH AWAY!!! :)

We had booked a dinner at Palo but ended up loving our wait staff so much (it was just the five of us at out table) that we canceled it.

Hang at the adult pool -- upper deck is very nice, but be careful if you position yourself near the horn around noon (VERY LOUD).

I guess we got very lucky with our shore excursions. I made our reservations a couple of weeks ago and got everything (including "rhino"). Last year when we were on the Western cruise, we were able to book an excursion when we were on-board that had been sold out before debarkation. I think that they set aside some slots for on-board bookings and cancellations.

As to the pirate hats, absolutely introduce yourself to us if you see us. We're friendly pirates! :) We'll even buy you a drink! (Actually, our wives are usually too embarrassed to be seen with us when we're donning our pirate headgear. They keep telling us it's time to "grow up." But what the heck, I'm only 41 (my buddy's 52) and we're at Disney. What could be better!? (Although, admittedly, wearing the pirate hats to the black tie formal dinner was a bit over-the-top on last year's cruise.) We'll be hanging out at the adult pool.

The wine tasting is a blast. Not only do you get to try five or six varieties, but you actually learn something and can impress your friends for months afterward. I would definitely sign up quickly for that - we got shut out last year because it fills up fast and there's limited seating.

Can't wait to see the "remodeled" Disney Magic. Since last July when we cruised, they've made the dueling piano bar into an Irish pub and added a coffee bar.

I know what you mean about counting down the time. My wife and I have been counting down the weeks for the last few months. Only four more to go from Saturday! I really can't wait. (The pirate bandana is already packed.) :p

Alright, you've convinced me. ;) I'll look for you guys. My group and I will be at the adult pool most of the time on deck as well, we're 22, 22, 22, and 21 respectively...although my brother and I will be turning 23 on the cruise. :D I have a sneaking suspicion that the fact that I am a cast member crusing at a discount had something to do with the excursions being booked already...they tend to let the full-paying guests book first, and they ALWAYS know who isn't "full-paying." It's plastered all over my reservation file. :rolleyes:

We went on the E. Crbn cruise in March. We have a little one so I had to book excursions that would include her as I didn't feel comfortable leaving her on the ship. We took a taxi to St. John from St.Thomas. That was INSANE! If you have any kind of motion sickness I highly discourage it. We were there during calm seas too. Both of my kids just laid down on one of the inside benches and went to sleep. I don't get motion sickness at all so I was fine, but there were a lot of people getting sick on the ferry. We just took a bus ride around the island and to the old sugar mill and it was enjoyable. The island is quiet and the beaches are EMPTY! On our same ferry people took the trip to go over to St. John to snorkel and from what I heard it was wonderful. The beaches are much less crowded in St. John. The water is beautiful. If we went again with just my husband or older kids, I would do that snorkeling trip in a heartbeat. St. Thomas was MUCH more commercial and there were a lot of people lurking around trying to sell things. I didn't see any of that at St. John.