April 16, 2013 - Disney Magic out of Galveston

[Ana~n~Joseph]

Me and my family will be going also. I have a 3 1/2 yr old son and a 1 yr old daughter. This will be our first Disney cruise any tips are greatly appreciated! Thanks

Wooohoo! You guys are going to have a blast! My son is 3 1/2 too and he loves sailing....he asks to go on the "Disney Ship" on a daily basis!

 

[Ana~n~Joseph]

We are on this sailing, was starting to wonder if anyone else was on it. It will be myself, my husband, my father and our 2 daughters (14 & 8). This is not our first cruise, actually most of the cruises we have been on have been on the Magic. I will be gladto help out with any questions that I can =). It should be a nice trip. Everyone here is looking forward to having a relaxing vacation =).

So I have to ask, do you prefer the Magic over the Dream? I've only sailed on the Dream so I'm really curious as to how this will differ.

 

[Karissa]

Yay!!! Another first time cruiser - that's awesome!! You guys are going to love it, I"m sure!!!

I haven't booked Nachi Cocom yet.....I just can't make up my mind!! I should probably do that soon - I think there are 4 ships docking that day in Cozumel.

Yeah...have you heard comparison of Nachi vs Paradise Beach?? With 4 ships docking...i should probably book soon!

 

[jarudinski]

Me and my family will be going also. I have a 3 1/2 yr old son and a 1 yr old daughter. This will be our first Disney cruise any tips are greatly appreciated! Thanks

* One fun tip is to take an item, pillow case, picture frame, etc to guest services during your first day of the cruise and request the characters to sign the item, it will be returned to your state room on the last night of the cruise. While this is a free service for now as long as they do not get overwhelmed with requests, it is always nice to bring candy for the "characters" for this service.

* Room Service is free, some people like to order cookies for the stateroom for late night snacks.

* Drinks from the top deck are free, but sodas from the "bars" or not. So make sure to get soda before going to the theater for the live shows or the movies, Will save you the fee from buying them from the theater concessions.

 

[Karissa]

* One fun tip is to take an item, pillow case, picture frame, etc to guest services during your first day of the cruise and request the characters to sign the item, it will be returned to your state room on the last night of the cruise. While this is a free service for now as long as they do not get overwhelmed with requests, it is always nice to bring candy for the "characters" for this service.

* Room Service is free, some people like to order cookies for the stateroom for late night snacks.

* Drinks from the top deck are free, but sodas from the "bars" or not. So make sure to get soda before going to the theater for the live shows or the movies, Will save you the fee from buying them from the theater concessions.

It we bring an item for autographs....do we provide sharpies also? I've seen some mention of that??

 

[jarudinski]

So I have to ask, do you prefer the Magic over the Dream? I've only sailed on the Dream so I'm really curious as to how this will differ.

I love the Dream ship, everythin there is high tech and fun. The kids love the animated paintings and the water slide. But with that being said. I prefer the magic. I found the dream to be too large and very crowded. I like the smaller ship. While the lines for such things as characters and pictures can be lon at times, they were completely unbearable on the Dream, my kids wanted to skip all that. There were a lot of things I really liked on the Dream, things I hope they one day bring to the older ships. There are good and not so good things about both ships. Maybe my preference is just from being on the Magic so many times, it almost feels like a second home, where the Dream just didn't feel quite so homey.

No matter what ship you are on you will have a good time and ship preference will just depend on your personal tastes.

 

[jarudinski]

It we bring an item for autographs....do we provide sharpies also? I've seen some mention of that??

I always have brought either sharpies or fabric markers depending on the item. Not sure what will happen if you don't. I imagine you will just end up with waht they have. But I would bring them just to be on the safe side.

 

[Ana~n~Joseph]

Yeah...have you heard comparison of Nachi vs Paradise Beach?? With 4 ships docking...i should probably book soon!

I've read a lot about both of them. I like that Nachi controls the amount of people that go in during the day (I believe their max is 100) and it sounds like Nachi is a lot quieter and just more relaxing. Paradise Beach sounds like it may have more water toys, etc but I'll take peace and quiet over water toys any day. Nachi (apparently) doesn't allow a "Spring Break atmosphere" which I like since I'll have my 3 yr old and my 70 yr old mom. And of course, food and all drinks are included in the package for Nachi.

 

[Ksmith1]

Hey guys I need some help! When I log on to book activities (nursery, excursions) it is not allowing me to do so. Is it too early or am I doin something wrong?

 

[wallawallakids]

Is this your first DCL cruise? If so I think you can only book 75 days out. Unless you are staying concierge, which is 120 days out. So you would have to wait for that window. Also you have to be paid in full. If none of those apply to you then just keep trying. Some times the website can be wonky. I tried SEVERAL times to book and it kept kicking me out. Seems like some times during the day are busier than others. I found working at off times I had better luck. HTH.

 

[Ksmith1]

Is this your first DCL cruise? If so I think you can only book 75 days out. Unless you are staying concierge, which is 120 days out. So you would have to wait for that window. Also you have to be paid in full. If none of those apply to you then just keep trying. Some times the website can be wonky. I tried SEVERAL times to book and it kept kicking me out. Seems like some times during the day are busier than others. I found working at off times I had better luck. HTH.

Thanks! Yes this is our first with DCL and we still have a balance so that explains a lot.

 

[teamadco]

Excited to be first time cruisers!

Ok not sure if I did this right, this is my first post ever and our first cruise as well! The KSF deal was too good to pass up. My husband, 3 yr old daughter and I look forward to some Dsiney fun!
I wanted to know about recommended excursions for toddlers? So thanks for post about Nachi Cocom, i will definitely look into that. I only saw the Playa Mia excursion thru DCL, which had great reviews on tripadvisor but feel odd about paying $70 for my daughter, so we were considering taking a cab there as she would probably be ready togo before the tour bus returned. I must say I am excited to see other families with toddlers going as well!
I was planning on packing a couple of my daughters princess costumes for dinner, is that something other kids do? Also I see we have a pirate night instead of a formal night, awesome! So getting our costumes together already...any other fun themes or things we need to bring along?
Counting down to April...

 

[wallawallakids]

Excited to be first time cruisers!

Ok not sure if I did this right, this is my first post ever and our first cruise as well! The KSF deal was too good to pass up. My husband, 3 yr old daughter and I look forward to some Dsiney fun!
I wanted to know about recommended excursions for toddlers? So thanks for post about Nachi Cocom, i will definitely look into that. I only saw the Playa Mia excursion thru DCL, which had great reviews on tripadvisor but feel odd about paying $70 for my daughter, so we were considering taking a cab there as she would probably be ready togo before the tour bus returned. I must say I am excited to see other families with toddlers going as well!
I was planning on packing a couple of my daughters princess costumes for dinner, is that something other kids do? Also I see we have a pirate night instead of a formal night, awesome! So getting our costumes together already...any other fun themes or things we need to bring along?
Counting down to April...

Welcome!!

 

[Ana~n~Joseph]

Well, I'm off this cruise We are now on the April 12th cruise.... with my in laws I hope you all have a great time!!!!

 

[wallawallakids]

Well, I'm off this cruise We are now on the April 12th cruise.... with my in laws I hope you all have a great time!!!!

Oh! Sorry to hear that! But at least you are still cruising! AND you have less time to wait now~

 

[teamadco]

We are on this sailing, was starting to wonder if anyone else was on it. It will be myself, my husband, my father and our 2 daughters (14 & 8). This is not our first cruise, actually most of the cruises we have been on have been on the Magic. I will be gladto help out with any questions that I can =). It should be a nice trip. Everyone here is looking forward to having a relaxing vacation =).

I am so glad you love the Magic! I am wondering if there is a bippity bopidi boutique on board? Do you know by any chance?

 

[wallawallakids]

I am so glad you love the Magic! I am wondering if there is a bippity bopidi boutique on board? Do you know by any chance?

No. There isn't one on the magic. Sorry.

 

[teamadco]

We went ahead and put our deposit on Nachi Como Beach Club. It was only $11 per person to reserve so worse case we change our mind and just lose $22. But based on Trip Advisor and Disboards it sounds pretty great. We have a 3 yr old so if your group ends up going we can have a toddler party!
Since you are a first time cruiser also, do you know whats going on with these fish extender things?

 

[MAD4EEYORE]

Just wanted to comment on the Nachi Colcum beach club. It was the best beach day ever. They provide you with a thatched umbrella, chairs, lunch and all you can drink.they also have water toys like the water trampoline. The pool and hot tubs was great as well. For lunch we got an app, entree, and dessert. Can't remember what all we had but the chips, salsa, and guacamole was outstanding. It was peaceful and relaxing. They only allow 50 or 100 ppl per day. They have hair braiding, massages, and motor sports that you can pay extra for. It's 5.00 per person plus tip for cab it was very accessible and when you are ready to return to the ship let nachi know youre ready to go and they will call a cab for you. They even gave us a bottle of water for the ride back. It was very easy and we felt safe. It was just 2 women and an 11 yo girl. We were never bothered or felt unsafe. I plan on booking there when we hit the western again. If you have any questions just ask. Have a great cruise. We are on the 3/29 on the Magic. Wish I was headed to Cozumel with ya.

 

[teamadco]

Just wanted to comment on the Nachi Colcum beach club. It was the best beach day ever. They provide you with a thatched umbrella, chairs, lunch and all you can drink.they also have water toys like the water trampoline. The pool and hot tubs was great as well. For lunch we got an app, entree, and dessert. Can't remember what all we had but the chips, salsa, and guacamole was outstanding. It was peaceful and relaxing. They only allow 50 or 100 ppl per day. They have hair braiding, massages, and motor sports that you can pay extra for. It's 5.00 per person plus tip for cab it was very accessible and when you are ready to return to the ship let nachi know youre ready to go and they will call a cab for you. They even gave us a bottle of water for the ride back. It was very easy and we felt safe. It was just 2 women and an 11 yo girl. We were never bothered or felt unsafe. I plan on booking there when we hit the western again. If you have any questions just ask. Have a great cruise. We are on the 3/29 on the Magic. Wish I was headed to Cozumel with ya.

Thank you for the info! I am loving this forum!
On your past cruises has your daughter ever dressed up as a princess? I was thinking of packing my 3 yo favorite princess outfits.