Disney Magic Review (forthcoming) Western Caribbean

[cocacola86]

Is it better to sail on the fantasy or magic?

[Tagong]

cocacola86 - can't say as I have only sailed Magic. I'd start your own thread and pose that question. Tons of Disney experts out there that have sailed all four ships. They are better to answer than I on this subject.

 

Thanks for reading my review.

[Tigerman4LSU]

Anything you did on the cruise that you wish you did not do?

 

Anything you did not do on the cruise that you wish you did?

 

Once I get back, I will post a review comparing it to the Disney Dream. My wife and I did the Dream last December without my daughter.

 

George

[Tagong]

Hi Tigerman4LSU - this is a great question I really had to think a lot about before answering.

 

There is honestly nothing I would choose not to do if we were on Magic again. That said, there are a few things I might do differently.

 

- our first day at sea was too busy for our daughter with the Disney Jr. Breakfast, Princess Gathering and Meet n Greet with Anna and Elsa: if we could do it again I would request that we do at least one of those on the second sea day to spread it out

- Cabanas is understandably packed on embarkation day: I believe one of Lumiere's or Carioca's is open as well so going there after boarding may be a better option if you want something a little less busy

 

Here are some things we didn't do that I can't wait to go back and do.

 

- we all got dressed up for pirate night but unfortunately our daughter couldn't stay awake for the fireworks: we heard them from our room and the show sounded like it was a blast

- we had every intention of catching a movie at the Buena Vista Theatre as our daughter has never been to the movies (she's 2.5) so we really wanted to take her especially knowing that there was no additional cost so if we left half way through a movie it would be no big deal

- we love room service, perhaps too much: because we got room service every morning we didn't venture to Cabanas much which really was great when we did venture there: good quality and quantity of offerings

- D-Lounge looked like it had a lot of great activities going on but given the age of my daughter we only got there once for a Wake Up with Disney Jr event (which was awesome)

- would have loved to have caught more shows in Walt Disney Theatre: extremely high quality productions but was only able to see Villains Tonight, Twice Charmed and the magic show with Mike Super (who was better than Super)

 

Honestly; you'll have a great time. You won't have the time to do everything which means you'll have to book again at the Future Cruise Desk...which I did.

 

Cheers

Edited February 14, 2015 by Tagong

[Tigerman4LSU]

How quickly do the meet and greet tickets go? Our port time is 12:30 pm. We are actually sending our bags from the Disney Resort for $25 total for all six bags. Should we arrive in port early to get checked in and board? I am concerned they will be gone when we board and my daughter will be really sad. Also, when is the tea party with Alice?

 

George

 

PS Would you bring a digital SLR if you had one?

Edited February 15, 2015 by Tigerman4LSU

[Tagong]

Someone more experienced with Disney can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe ticketing events is a way to best accommodate all on board. As an example I believe Anna and Elsa only do meet n greets on 7-nt or longer so everyone has a chance to meet them. Same for apply for Disney Jr Breakfast and Princess Gathering.

 

The Tea with Alice was not offered on our sailing but that event may go by different rules since it's more event than just meet n greet. Others on this board such as mokismom would one to ask for better clarification.

 

I would take your SLR for the scheduled meet n greets but perhaps wouldn't carry it all day everyday. The handlers do a great job helping take photos on guest cameras.

[Tagong]

Don't worry about your boarding time. We were 12 and didn't miss getting tickets to anything. I don't think many are aware you need tickets unless they read the navigator before they board. I didn't see many doing this while at the terminal.

[jwalk03]

Great review. Thank you for sharing. I have not made it on the Magic yet, but its onthe do list. Doing my first cruise on the Wonder later this year, so hopefully Magic next year.

[Tagong]

Thanks jwalk03. I'm booked on Wonder next year hope you can find the time to write a review for myself and others to enjoy.

 

Magic is a beautiful ship and I imagine the other three DCL ships are as well. I hope to one day experience them all.

[Tigerman4LSU]

Thanks jwalk03. I'm booked on Wonder next year hope you can find the time to write a review for myself and others to enjoy.

 

Magic is a beautiful ship and I imagine the other three DCL ships are as well. I hope to one day experience them all.

 

We did the Wonder last year. Loved it. It is a huge ship and it was only at 70% capacity. When I return from my trip, I will post a comparison.

 

George

[Tigerman4LSU]

Actually, it was the Disney Dream.

[Tagong]

Hi all,

 

Thought I would add some photos for your viewing pleasure. I apologize for the delay in getting these posted.

 

A surprise ending to dinner in Animator's Palate.

 

 

Our beach view in Grand Cayman.

 

 

Water Park at Hilton Rose Hall.

 

 

View from our balcony as we arrived at Castaway Cay.

 

 

Disney Magic in the distance from the observation tower at Castaway Cay.

 

[Tagong]

Hi again,

 

Thought I'd add a few more photos for everyone's viewing pleasure. We traveled with two other families and these are some photos I didn't have up until the other day.

 

This is a great overhead view of the AquaLab. You can see the Nephew Splash Area to the far left which is a fully covered area for little ones still in diapers.

 

 

Goofy Pool, AquaDunk on left side of funnel and of course Funnel Vision. Funnel Vision has always got some Disney movie or Disney Junior show being played.

 

 

Another view of Goofy Pool from a different angle looking back towards the bar and Pinocchio's Pizzeria. Great pizza by the way.

 

 

These next two are shot of the AquaDunk which was a lot of fun. It is also really fast. The second best part of the AquaDunk is the view from high up on the funnel.

 

 

 

Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time (a lot of time) to read my review and to those who have asked questions or made comments. It's because of all of you that I take the time to write these reviews so that I may help others the way I have been helped on these boards.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Tagong

[meatloafsfan]

What beverages did you order in the morning that you were charged for? Regular coffee, tea, juice and milk have generally been included for no cost.

[Tagong]

meatloafsfan - your cruising experience is far greater than mine especially with Disney so I would differ to you as the expert in this area. However; my understanding (and I could be wrong) is that those beverages you list above are included in the cost of your cruise if you're consuming in public spaces such as Cabanas. If you're consuming in your room through room service they come with a charge.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Tagong

[meatloafsfan]

meatloafsfan - your cruising experience is far greater than mine especially with Disney so I would differ to you as the expert in this area. However; my understanding (and I could be wrong) is that those beverages you list above are included in the cost of your cruise if you're consuming in public spaces such as Cabanas. If you're consuming in your room through room service they come with a charge.

 

No, usually it's soda or bottled water where there is a cost.

 

Orange juice, apple juice or grapefruit juice plus coffee, tea, hot chocolate, white milk (whole, skim, low fat), and chocolate milk are all no charge.

 

Here's a copy of the hanger. The only thing would be if you ordered a specialty beverage (alcoholic or maybe a smoothie that's not listed).

 

http://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus/room-service-breakfast/

 

Otherwise, there's a been a (very) recent change or you got hosed.

[vinotinto]

No, usually it's soda or bottled water where there is a cost.

 

Orange juice, apple juice or grapefruit juice plus coffee, tea, hot chocolate, white milk (whole, skim, low fat), and chocolate milk are all no charge.

 

Here's a copy of the hanger. The only thing would be if you ordered a specialty beverage (alcoholic or maybe a smoothie that's not listed).

 

http://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus/room-service-breakfast/

 

Otherwise, there's a been a (very) recent change or you got hosed.

 

I was thinking the same thing. Or, perhaps, they are only included in the morning? Does anyone know if I order juice, coffee, hot chocolate, milk later through room service is it complimentary?

[Tagong]

I just reviewed my account summary and can confirm I was mistaken. We were not charged for our juices etc with room service. I apologize for the error. Thanks to those who pointed out my possible error which prompted me to review the account.

[Tigerman4LSU]

Any recommendations on where to eat on Sea Days? I really did not care for Cabanas on the Dream. Yes, I am a picky eater.

 

George

[Tagong]

Our family enjoyed a variety of items from Daisy's De-Lites, Pinocchio's Pizzeria and Pete's Boiler Bites during pool breaks. We're not foodies though. You may want to give one of the dining rooms a try during breakfast and lunch.

[BullDawg91]

One of the MDR will have sit down service at breakfast and lunch.

[trevette1981]

Good review! We'll be onthe eastern one next April.

 

The 3 to 12 yr old kids club is starting to bother me. My daughter is 4, I'm a little worried about her being around 5th and 6th graders. Maybe it isn't as bad as I imagine. I chose Disney thinking it'd be better on the kids club aspect....

[Tigerman4LSU]

How close do you sail to Cuba? Can you see it? I ask because we did a cruise where we could see Cuba on the horizon.

 

George

[BullDawg91]

Good review! We'll be onthe eastern one next April.

 

 

 

The 3 to 12 yr old kids club is starting to bother me. My daughter is 4, I'm a little worried about her being around 5th and 6th graders. Maybe it isn't as bad as I imagine. I chose Disney thinking it'd be better on the kids club aspect....

 

 

The younger kids tend to gather in the club while the older kids will be in the lab. Hopefully, they will naturally segregate themselves so you won't have to worry.

[BullDawg91]

How close do you sail to Cuba? Can you see it? I ask because we did a cruise where we could see Cuba on the horizon.

 

 

 

George

 

 

Don't know how close we were to Cuba, but it was close enough that I was fascinated by how close we were on our way to Cozumel. What we saw was very densely forested. It also seemed quite large.

Edited March 2, 2015 by BullDawg91