Trip log, day four. Grand Cayman.
7-Night Western Caribbean Cruise on Disney Treasure
December 31, 2024

Guests Ashore: 10:30 am Guests Onboard: 5:30 pm
Personal Navigator – Day 4

Today, is a port day with the ship dropping anchor in Grand Cayman waters. However, the all ashore time is listed as 10:30 AM. We do not have any scheduled plans on land so this morning is going to be easy going.

I set off early to get some work done in my office at sea, Skipper Society, while Emily headed off to the gym. Just like clockwork, the background music started at 7:05 AM! As I labored away on my computer, I refined the track listing for the background music to make sure I had the songs in the correct order.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Captain Mickey making the rounds ensuring the ship was in ship shape while looking at the Disney Treasure cutaway mural. This was just one of those cool occurrences that can happen on a Disney Cruise. Minutes later a family walked by and the kids had an impromptu private meet and greet that will likely be a lifelong memory.

Eventually, the family joined me and started working on a 1000-piece Aladdin themed puzzle, which we purchased yesterday at the MEGA in Cozumel. Did we pick this puzzle specifically because of the Disney Treasure’s Grand Hall design? Absolutely!

Now you may be asking once again, why are you putting together a puzzle on a Disney Cruise? Well, simple there is not much else to do right now. Plus, it’s fun to work on a collaborative activity with you soon to be adult child who will be flying the coop soon. I’m just here treasuring the moments while they last! And, this isn’t the first time we have put a puzzle together on a Disney Cruise. This would have been a good cruise to finally try to play Disney Uncharted Adventure, but alas it was not show ready on the on this second revenue voyage of the Disney Treasure.

I wasn’t kidding – the morning was chill, and since it was nearing noon, we headed to the upper deck to grab some lunch from Marceline Market and Mickey and Friends Festival of Foods.

Add this to the book of why we cannot have nice things. The incredible Te Fiti artwork is becoming a touch and feel installation when it was not created to be a touch and feel installation on a cruise ship with thousands of passengers.

It has been about 90 minutes since the first tender announcement and now it is open tendering with no wait.

We boarded the tender and enjoyed the view of the Disney Treasure as we made our way to land. Even if you do not have plans ashore, at least take the tender ride back and forth for the unique views of your ship.

When going ashore, I prefer to head to the farthest point and work back to the ship. Like I said, we did not have a plan. Honestly, my only plan was to take the tender ride to take photos of the ship. The rest of the afternoon was spontaneous. In our previous visits to Grand Cayman, we usually had a port adventure, or hung out at Margaritaville (or both). Today, we decided to walk someplace new. We set out south on Harbor Drive towards Seafarers Way down to a parking lot with a view of the George Town Harbor. The parking lot provided a great view of the cruise ships in the harbor.

We casually walked through the shops in and around Bayshore Mall directly across the street as we worked our way back to the port area.

On our way back, we stopped at Sharkeez Bar for some beverages and to watch some of the Reliaquest Bowl. The restaurant is on the second floor with patio seating overlooking the harbor. Unfortunately, we arrived at a busy time so we were relegated to a table indoors. Staff was great, and potentially a place we may return for lunch on a future visit.

There was a lovely Christmas tree on Cardinall Avenue just down the street from Sharkeez.

During multiple past trips to Grand Cayman, we spent time at Margaritaville, where they had a pool and waterslide on the second floor. We would go up there, order lunch and some beverages while the kids in the group had a blast on the waterslide. During the day, it was always family-friendly and full of families doing the same thing. It was not a surprise to see Margaritaville in Grand Cayman shuttered, but I was disappointed to see no one else took over the space.

Don’t worry, left over Margaritaville merchandise was still available at one of the shops down the street across from the port. Yes, we did pick up some items for memory sake.

As we made our way back to the port, I stopped at the pavilion bar where I sat for about 10 minutes unserved while the family checked the shops within the port area. Emily mentioned the Tortuga Rum Company across the plaza sold single beers. Sure enough, there was a decent selection of beer and wine available if you are looking for provisions.

By the way, if you are bottle hunting on vacation, Tortuga Rum Company, had bottles of Blanton’s Gold, which is the first time running across a bottle in real life.

A port adventure recently returned resulting in a longer queue for the tender. We chose to hold back at a picnic table overlooking the harbor where I enjoyed the view and a local Tropical IPA.

The tender line moved fairly quickly and we were heading back to the Disney Treasure just before 4 beating any later rush as the last tender time was 5:30p.

Back onboard, we turned our attention to the clock as we officially started the New Year’s countdown. We called room service and ordered a bottle of Taittinger and a cheese plate to enjoy with the movie while getting ready for the evening’s events.

A long tradition for me is to watch The Poseidon Adventure on New Year’s Eve, well, I kept that tradition alive watching some of it in our stateroom before heading back out.

The stateroom door magnet I created for this cruise was inspired by the banner from an early scene of The Poseidon Adventure.

Tonight was ‘optional dress night’ giving us a second chance for photos in the Grand Hall. We arrived extra early compared to our previous attempt and still just managed to get to dinner on time.

The Disney photographers were not taking photos with the Christmas tree, but after photos on the stairs and in front of the statue, we found a fellow passenger to help us out.

In lieu of the Pirate Night dinner menu, we were served the Happy New Year Menu in Plaza de Coco. This is our first sailing over New Years therefore, this was our first time experiencing this particular menu offered once a year across the fleet.

It’s a special night so why not start dinner with specialty cocktails. The Mistletoe Fizz is a cocktail made with Ciroc Vodka, White Cranberry, Lemon Juice, and garnished with a sprig of Rosemary. The second drink is a zero-proof offering called Illuminations made with 1883 Blue Razz, Simply Lemonade, Raspberries, Blackberries, and Pop Rocks. We finally figured out what they put in the Prosecco on Captain’s Gala night – it had to be the 1883 Blue Razz!

For a one-off menu being served a just launched cruise ship, the dinner was enjoyable, but noting to write home about.

I was enthralled by the Pink Grapefruit Almond Cake, a dessert that was flavorful and not overly sweet.

After dinner, we headed to Scat Cat Lounge which was jam-packed. We settled into the only 2 open seats at the exterior bar in the walkway. I understand the accessibility reason for the seats, but regardless the reason, it is awkward for anyone sitting in these seats as you are eye level with the face of the bar and often bumped into by those passing by in the hallway, it is even difficult for the bartenders to communicate in the noisy environment. Plus, guests seem to use this area as a ‘walk-up’ area, congesting it a bit more.

I had a drink in mind that I wanted to order, but wasn’t feeling the vibe in these seats and the first event of the night was about to get underway in the Grand Hall. Emily did order the Strawberry Jam, a gin-based cocktail where you can adjust the sweetness by adding strawberry preserves.

The Grand Hall was filling up with guests ahead of the New Years Eve Celebration starting at 7:30. This is an early New Year’s dance party culminating in an early countdown allowing guests of all ages to enjoy the experience of ringing in the new year at a reasonable hour. Emily & Isabelle grabbed a Lavender Latte for a little caffeine boost.

The following is a highlight video from the event featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale plus a countdown with Cruise Director Darren.

Following the celebration in the Grand Hall, I stepped into Mickey’s Mainsail where I spotted a selection of games. We noticed a large family playing Monopoly a couple of days later on one of the deck 5 tables. It’s pay-to-play here on the Disney Treasure. 

During dinner, our stateroom was turned down for the evening complete with Happy New Year chocolates.

Additionally, a Happy New Year lithograph from Don “Ducky” Williams was left along with a note from Captain Marco.

More games and a lot more fun to be had in Periscope Pub as we continue the countdown from 12 to 1 in the College Football Playoff with the Fiesta Bowl.

With less than a half hour remaining in 2024, we made our way up to deck 12 for the New Year’s Eve deck party. There were tables setup with servers preparing to pass out 2025 stemless flutes for a midnight toast. There were non-alcoholic beverages available in the same flute with the addition of a straw and a good amount of visible security crew members walking around! We also saw servers walking around with trays of appetizers for the crowd as well.

The countdown to 2025 deck party started with the characters onstage for the final countdown culminating with midnight fireworks with a version of Michelle Zarlenga’s Shimmering Seas as the soundtrack.

Happy new year and goodnight; it’s well past our bedtime.

Complete Trip Log Index

• Day 1 – Port Canaveral, Florida
• Day 2 – At Sea
• Day 3 – Cozumel, Mexico
• Day 4 – Grand Cayman
• Day 5 – Falmouth, Jamaica
• Day 6 – At Sea
• Day 7 – Castaway Cay