Disney Magic review from first time DCL cruiser

[Marla07860]

Marla, I kind of roll with the punches too and wouldn't have minded if they cancelled any other port. But when we have heard so much about Castaway Cay and it is our first Disney Cruise, that is the last port we wanted to miss! Everyone says it is the best port of all!!!! Of course, I'd rather we be safe, so it is what it is, but we were all bummed because we will probably never see it now!

 

Can totally see why you would be bummed about missing Castaway Cay since it was your first Disney Cruise, since it was my 10th disney cruise and I've made Castaway Cay 9 times all with great weather. It doesn't bum me out to miss it like the first timers, also I know I will be going to Castaway at least two times in 2011, back-2-back booked on the new ship which will be great. But this cruise was prob the best out of 10 cruises, great group for college club friends, great cruise staff, David, Mowgli, and Ponz were amazing and awesome to talk with and great food loved it:):)

[mong1114]

Ahh, yes Marla...David! He was very easy on the eyes...LOL! Made me wish I was a few years younger (and single) for a moment!!!

[Host Mick]

If there were any cons, it was the following:

 

When you initially arrive to "board" the ship, you must check in. While you are checking in, it is suggested that your spouse go check into the kids club. I couldn't understand for the life of me why there were so many agents to check you into your room, but only 5 or 6 to check you into the kids club. The line for this was atrocious and not too fun with hungry and tired kids. Seems like there could be a better way!!!!

 

I think that it's this way because while you MUST check in to be able to board the ship, you don't have to check into the kids' club right away. You can do this at any time, preferrably on the first day. If the line at the port kids' club check in is too long, just do it later in the day at the club.

[lilsalty]

Is it me or does it seem like DCL misses CC more lately than they used to? Perhaps it's the El Nino or something like that, or maybe they are just more cautious than they were in the past, I don't know.

 

It's too bad that they don't' have a tender based there so they could anchor the ship further out and tender people on and off when the weather isn't cooperative for the larger ships to dock. If they added $2 to each cruise fare it would easily pay for the cost of the tender in under two years. After the initial capital outlay they could reduce it to $1 per passenger to cover the cost of crew, fuel, and maintenance.

 

We are headed on the Dream next year, and while we would be disappointed to miss CC, we'd just enjoy the day at sea instead. We've learned to roll with the punches when traveling and we try to always have a backup plan if plans change for reasons beyond our control.

 

Dear Ducklite,

Think about this for a moment: If the seas are too rough for a large ship to navigate through a channel, what kind of a ride do you think you'll get on a tender? Personally, I enjoy a wild ride many others may not. I doubt fellow passengers would appreciate sitting with others hurling in an enclosed space.

I will be aboard the Magic for the transatlantic 9/18, hurricane season. I would be shocked if we had flat seas.

Last year I cruised around Cape Horn, legendary for severe weather. Our experience: bright blue skies and a flat sea. Go figure.

I wish you many happy years of cruising.

Rose-Ann

[ducklite]

It seems that the tenders wouldn't have to travel all that far--tendering in Grand Cayman for example is a two minute ride--I doubt most people would get seasick enough to be throwing up all over the place on such a short trip.

[justhappy]

I am very very sure DCL is as dissappointed as the guests when the ship cannot visit Castaway Cay. It is the last day of the cruise (in most cases), and Disney does not want that last day to leave a bad taste in your mouth - that is what you tend to remember most.

And after 11 DCL cruises-all of them visited Castaway Cay- I am sure the $$$$ spent on the island far exceeds the money spent if you had to stay on the ship. I know I drink twice as much on CC and just walking by the gift shop when heading back to the ship at 4pm is like trying to walk through a mall the week of Christmas!

 

Think about the money lost on float/bike/etc rentals and excursions that would usually happen.

DCL puts safety ahead of everything, even when it costs them.

 

It does seem that missing CC is happening more often, but then the winter weather at that lattitude seems to be changing too.

[truck1]

It seems that the tenders wouldn't have to travel all that far--tendering in Grand Cayman for example is a two minute ride--I doubt most people would get seasick enough to be throwing up all over the place on such a short trip.

 

 

Its not a question of someone getting sea sick on a tender ride.Its a question of,if a 88,000 ton ship cant get into a pier due to waves, wind currents or all of the above,

A, Will a guest potentially get hurt, trying to board a bobbing tender, that is lighter and smaller then the ship that cant come in,especially since both will be moving,and not in relation to each other.

B, Will the same guest be able to get off the tender on the island with the same issues, only this time the tender is the only thing moving,

C,Will the island (Ill use CC as an example) have anything available to use even if they managed to make it off the ship and to the island in 1 piece.

D. Will all of those guests be able to repeat the process this time in reverse, in potentially worse weather, and in possible darkness.

 

In the end safety will always win out.If the DCL ships cant make it to CC due to weather conditions, tenders definitely wont either.

 

I was on CC in Jan of 99 or 2000, and the ship made it in to port, though the weather at best was marginal.The wind was brutal and walking anywhere near the beach was like walking thru a giant sand blaster.The water was rough and cloudy and even if you managed to make it in the water, you couldnt see anything.All of the exursions had been canceled, and besides eating and shopping there really wasnt anything to do.In the end to me it really wasnt worth the effort to get on the island.

[Host Mick]

It seems that the tenders wouldn't have to travel all that far--tendering in Grand Cayman for example is a two minute ride--I doubt most people would get seasick enough to be throwing up all over the place on such a short trip.

 

At castaway cay, the ship would have to anchor or hold position about a half-mile from the small boat docks. At 4 knots, that's about a seven minute ride. What would worry me would be loading all of those people into the launches and then getting them all back aboard later. Even if you could get the gangway in the lee, any bouncing of the launches in the chop would make loading the boats very dangerous. We're dealing with people of all ages, shapes, sizes, fitness, levels of intoxication, carrying bags, etc. I can't see it.

[mong1114]

I am sure the $$$$ spent on the island far exceeds the money spent if you had to stay on the ship. I know I drink twice as much on CC and just walking by the gift shop when heading back to the ship at 4pm is like trying to walk through a mall the week of Christmas!

 

Think about the money lost on float/bike/etc rentals and excursions that would usually happen.

 

I don't know about that...my friend and I ended up hitting the spa for massages and the rainforest room, my husband dropped a bunch of money on Bingo, we paid for internet access to send emails and we had lots of drinks to pass the time...LOL! A lot more $ than we were planning to spend on the island!!! Seriously though, I don't actually think they cancel Castaway Cay for no reason!

[cde48]

We are just off the Magic this weekend and here is my long, but honest, review. I can say that my family (son 8, daughter 5 and hubby) were in desperate need of some quality family time and this cruise provided that. We also got the trip for a steal. Between the good "recession" prices, a kids cruise free promotion and a free upgrade, we snagged a verandah room on deck 6 for $3300 total for the four of us. However, I think if I paid full price, I would not have been thrilled. From the beginning...

 

I highly recommend staying at the Hyatt Orlando Airport if you are not staying at a Disney resort. Service was impeccable, hotel was beautiful and convenient. Additionally, it is in the airport and there are many family friendly dining options if you don't want to eat at the hotel. Also, lots of cute shops (Disney, Sea World) to keep the kids entertained if you have to kill some time.

 

Disney transportation was convenient, but I think next time I would rent a car. It's far cheaper and I found the whole process to be disorganized, chaotic and frustrating. Tensions were running high as nobody knew where to go, there was really nobody directing people and many people missed their bus. They give you a color and character (i.e., red mickey) and you have to wait for them to call yours. Unfortunately, there is no PA system that they announce it over, just a person that waves a sign with the character on it. We had to wait for an hour before they called our character and we were there early (by 10am).

 

The ride is comfortable and the terminal is very nice and we walked right on the ship. Note, be sure to wear something decent because they do take pictures upon arrival and there are some characters milling around for photo ops. Additionally, it is very cute how they welcome you on board and announce your family name...my kids loved it!

 

The staterooms are a comfortable size and we found that the storage space is more than adequate. They have a pretty large closet (with a safe) and we were able to fit our large suitcase on the floor. Our small suitcases and garment bag fit nicely under the bed. There is a large steamer trunk that we fit all of the kids clothing in and many drawers and shelves as well. We didn't pack light and had more than enough room to spare. The split bathroom is a great idea and allowed us to get ready quickly. The hairdryer is basically useless; fortunately, I had read a post that recommended bringing your own. I definitely recommend this as well, but found it odd that the outlets in both bathrooms accommodate low voltage shavers only. I had to dry my hair in the main cabin. Additionally, we (my family and the family we were travelling with) found the rooms to be a bit on the warm side. Even at the coolest setting, when we were all in the room getting ready we ended up sweating before we made it out of the room. The only time we were truly comfortable temperature-wise was when we were sleeping.

 

We were extremely disappointed in the dining. The food was just awful on this ship and I couldn't wait to get home today to get a good meal!!! I don't have a lot of cruising experience, but I can tell you that when we cruised on RCL Voyager of the Seas 7 years ago, the food was much better. DCLs food was very greasy and mediocre at best. We tried most of the options, including all of the dining rooms, Topsiders, and the options on Deck 9. I will say that our dinner at Palo's was terrific and I highly recommend it. It's a shame all of their dinners can't be that good! We had a good meal one night (short ribs) but other than that I hated it and my husband (who is very easy to please) was not impressed. Certain "kid foods" such as the macaroni and cheese were deemed inedible by the kids. Breakfast was particularly disappointing...the "Belgian" waffles were soggy Aunt Jemima type waffles that appeared to be microwaved, French toast was chewy, etc. We quickly learned to request special order omelets from the omelet station (oh, and they do have Krispy Kreme donuts which we can no longer get here in NY!!!). The selection of fresh fruit was also pretty good.

 

I was most surprised by the quality of service in the dining rooms, or lack thereof. Let me preface this by saying our servers were very nice and that is the reason we did not complain. The assistant server was relatively new (4th cruise) and he was so sweet and trying hard, so we didn't want to be too hard on him. He was also terrific with our children. However, the main server (also nice) has made a career of this and had over a dozen years experience in the cruise industry. Most of the time, I felt like I was at Friendly's, with the meals all arriving at wildly different times. Never did the meals arrive at once. I'm not talking about minutes here...most of the times the kids were completely done eating before we had started. When we complained and requested they be served at the same time, they accommodated this request for one night and then it was back to the kids being finished before we had even been served. Another example...one night the kids all ordered fruit appetizers. The server came out with 2 (instead of 4) plates and never returned with the others. I could maybe see if we ordered 2 fruits and 2 soups, but they all ordered the same thing!!! This is just one example, but there were dozens. Very disjointed and chaotic and we didn't really understand why since they only had 2 tables of 8.

 

Also, what is up with the fake butter and whipped cream?!?!

 

But...we ALL (children and adults alike) loved the Mickey Bars!!! Also nice was the free cheese platter we had delivered by room service that we enjoyed with a glass of wine while getting ready. BTW...Disney posts signs "No Alcohol" when embarking the ship, but we had 3 bottles (on the recommendation of other posters) and they never said a word.

 

Pools were very crowded and dirty too (with the exception of the Adults only area). It was a few days into the cruise before I realized there was an image of Mickey at the bottom of the family pool...the water was so murky you could barely make it out! As my friend pointed out, if we were staying at a local hotel, we probably wouldn't have even let our kids swim in it! I was also surprised that there was no lifeguard.

 

Evening entertainment was terrific and some of it was Broadway caliber. We particularly enjoyed the Disney Dreams and the show on the last night (can't recall the name). Unfortunately, we didn't really get to enjoy the adult shows as our kids are younger and we were in the room with them late night. The Pirates In the Caribbean party was fantastic and the kids had a blast! It was also nice that my children got to enjoy Alice In Wonderland. Character meets are well organized and plentiful...the kids got most of the signatures they wanted. Tip: Be sure to bring a mat for a frame and leave at guest services when you board the ship. They will have the characters sign it and it will be delivered to your stateroom on your last night. This is a tip I picked up on this board and one that it seems not a lot of people are aware of.

 

The staff was wonderful and very helpful. When we booked Palos, we were only able to get a reservation for 2 at 6 and another at 8:30 for the couple we were travelling with. With everything going on, I forgot to request a change when we got on the ship and only remembered Sunday night. When we called (thinking we'd be told we were too late), they eagerly accommodated our party of 4 at 7pm on the same night we originally booked it (Tue). We also had a great experience with Dawn in the gift shop. When my daughter excitedly told her she lost her first tooth at dinner but expressed concern at the tooth fairy finding her on the ship, Dawn reassured her and sent a Magical Moments certificate to the room with a Tinkerbell pin.

 

My biggest disappointment was the Oceaneer's Lab and Club. I had heard so many great things about it and was told by many that my kids would love it so much they wouldn't want to leave. Of course, I assumed it would be terrific because, after all, it is Disney! My children are extremely easy to please and are pretty much happy with anything, as long as they are doing something. We dropped them off for a Magic Show and to make Flubber while we grabbed brunch and were extremely surprised when we were beeped during our meal because the kids wanted to be picked up after a little more than an hour. All four kids complained it was boring and begged us not to send them back. We actually had to bribe them to go back so we could eat at Palo. We also had an extra day at sea (Castaway Cay was cancelled...bummer!) and the weather was not good, so we put them in the club for an hour and a half while we visited the spa. They didn't really do much more than color while they were there. My friend and I poked our heads in a few times while we were about the ship and it always seemed very low key, with kids playing board games and coloring or using the computers on their own.

 

All in all, the trip was worth it because we had some down time and overall we did enjoy ourselves. Of course, my kids had a blast and that is what is most important. However, I wouldn't rush to do another Disney cruise; for my family, the Disney parks are probably a better option.

 

We did the 7 Nt. Western on the Magic in 2007, and had a great time. We payed $299 a person for the cruise, outside cabin. It was a last minute booking, and I don't think that we would have done DCL if the prices were crazy, as they usually are. The kids loved it, but I think you hit it on the nail when you said how the food was. The shows were great, the staff was good, Castaway Cay is the best private island that we have been to, but it is definetly not worth spending $4-$5,000 for a family!

[Imalismom]

Just a note about dinner service.

 

It is my understanding that they will try to serve the children first which a majority appreciate. I know I am that kind of person. I would rather my son to be served before I am. That way we can enjoy our family time, I know what he has eaten and, if we desire, he can go to kids club for an hour or so so that my husband and I can have some time together.

 

 

I do not have small children, but do remember reading somewhere that DCL is now offering that children will be taken to the club when they are finished with dinner so the adults can enjoy adult time. Perhaps this is why they are feeding the children before everyone's meal is brought out?

[mong1114]

I do not have small children, but do remember reading somewhere that DCL is now offering that children will be taken to the club when they are finished with dinner so the adults can enjoy adult time. Perhaps this is why they are feeding the children before everyone's meal is brought out?

 

I was told that they will only do that for the late seating; we had early! I think that is a great feature though!