Over the last few years the Disney Cruise Line has grown in popularity and has really come into its own in the cruise industry. One of the major changes from when the Disney Magic first sailed is that DCL has added the 7 night cruise. With the addition of the Eastern and Western cruises, DCL really threw themselves in league with the older and more established cruise lines; while at the same time taking a big bite from their business. The addition of these two cruise routes added many new ports of call. Let’s look now at the ports of call.

The three and four night cruises follow the same basic path, sharing the same ports of call. They each leave from Port Canaveral, with a stop at Nassau then a stop at Castaway Cay; where they differ is the extra day. The four night cruise spends a day at sea, which in my opinion is nice. The four night cruise used to make a stop at Freeport every other cruise, but DCL has stopped that. I think it is because there wasn’t too much to do at Freeport, and it wasn’t very nice – in a tourist friendly sort of way.

Nassau is a fairly nice port. There is quite a bit to do here, shopping, eating, and quite a few shore excursions; however, I will get to the shore excursions later in the article. Nassau is a very historical port, and you need only to look around a bit to be immersed in the history. This is a tax free port, so if you want to buy jewelry or anything this is a very good place to do so. You should be cautious with your money here, as with any place you vacation, there ARE unscrupulous people just looking for that opportunity. There are quite a bit of good people here though, and on our four visits there my wife and I have yet to meet anyone unfriendly.

Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island. Everything you see here was shipped in, and set up by the Disney Imagineers; this is a little piece of tropical paradise. Before the ships even set sail Disney bought a deserted island, reshaped and reformed it, and added that touch of Disney magic. The bay here has been deepened so that the ships can pull right up to the island, so when you disembark you step directly onto the island. The island is setup in a similar fashion to the ships, there is an adult’s only beach, a family beach, and a kids beach. One neat thing that you most likely will not see is that there are actually DCL employees that live here on the island. There is so much to do here that it’s a pity that there is only one day. Of course that gives you an excuse to take another cruise. As if you needed an excuse.

The Western Caribbean cruise has four ports of call, with two days at sea. I have not taken either the Western or Eastern cruises, so I will have to give you the information that Disney has on the website. You will embark from Port Canaveral on Saturday, and head for Key West. From there you will spend a day at sea, followed by a day at Grand Cayman. Your next leg of the journey takes you to Cozumel, followed by a day at sea, and finally a day at Castaway Cay.

• Key West is the continental United States southernmost point, and the place that Ernest Hemmingway called home. It is a historical and fun filled town, known for its key limes.

• Grand Cayman is the home of Seven Mile Beach, and famous blue waters. Hunt for buried treasure, or head to a local shop to buy treasure.

• Cozumel is one of the scuba diving capitals of the world. Its warm water and 20 mile reef is teeming with aquatic life just waiting to be discovered. It is also home to ancient (1000AD) Mayan ruins.

The Eastern Caribbean cruise has three ports of call with three days at sea. This cruise also leaves on a Saturday from Port Canaveral, followed by two days at sea. The first port of call is St. Maarten, followed by St. Thomas/St. John, and then a day at sea, and a day at Castaway Cay.

• St. Maarten is a one stop tropical paradise. It has pristine beaches, beautiful water for swimming, golfing, mountain climbing, and shopping galore.

• St. Thomas/St. John are two islands so close that you can hop from one to the other with just a short boat ride. St. Thomas has over 450 shops to satisfy your every whim and desire; it also has over 40 beaches. There are many excursions to St. John where the warm waters and underwater life wait for your exploration.

There are a few limited time cruises that I won’t list, but if you check the DCL website you can find them under “Cruises” > “Special Cruises.” These are cruises that are being planned as a one time only sort of thing; my guess is that Disney wants to try some market research with these, so if all goes well we may very well see some new cruises being offered in the near future.

Shore excursions are a great way to get out and see the islands that you visit, in a fun, safe, and controlled environment. There are quite a few excursions for each port of call, so I cannot realistically list each one in the space I have, I will try to get a good cross-sampling though. A good idea, besides checking the DCL site, is to attend the seminar once on the ship, where the cruise director will explain the ins and outs of excursions, and also how to ensure a safe and productive time at each port of call.

Nassau: There is quite a lot to do here as far as shore excursions; about 14 if I counted correct. Let’s take a look at 3 of them.

• Discover Atlantis – This excursion centers on the huge aquarium built within Nassau’s Atlantis resort. You start with a 20 minute bus tour of the historical section of Nassau, and then proceed to the aquarium at the resort. Once there you will have a guided tour of the facility and enjoy the more than 120,000 fish representing 150 species. This excursion is 3-5 hours and requires a lot of walking.

• Blue Lagoon Beach Day – Here you can enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches in the Bahamas. Beach games, water sports, and lunch are all included in this excursion (equipment rentals available at an extra cost). This is 5.5 - 7 hours, so plan accordingly.

• Sunshine Glass Bottom Boat Tour – This 1.5 - 2 hour boat ride is pretty neat if you enjoy tropical fish. My wife and I actually did this excursion and I must say that it was pretty nice. The boat we went on looked like it had been through a few years of service, but it didn’t sink, and we saw quite a few nice fish. One note, because you are looking though ‘glass’ in the bottom of the boat you may have trouble getting pictures to come out. We took about a roll of pictures and none of them came out, but then again we’re not too good with cameras. The coral and water life that you will see on this excursion is second to none; unless you scuba dive.

Key West: This port has about 10 shore excursions to choose from. This time we will look at just two.

• Catamaran Racing – This 2.5 - 3 hour sailing experience promises to be unlike anything you have probably ever done. This is a hand-on, no experience needed sailing opportunity. The captain will tell you what to do, and if you work as a team and do the right thing at the right time you just may win this race. Nonalcoholic drinks and a victory party (win or lose) is included with this excursion.

• Sail, Kayak & Snorkel Excursion – This 5 - 5.5 hour excursion gives you an opportunity to experience the area in three exciting ways. You will first set sail on a two-masted schooner, followed by an hour of kayaking on the calm pristine waters of the mangrove islands. To top off your experience, you will be provided with snorkeling equipment and instructions; then set loose to enjoy the underwater world. Upon your return there will be a luncheon of fruit, chips, salsa and beverages.