Disney Magic B2B Western Caribbeans, April 12-26, 2015 Trip Report, Navs & More!

Disneypeach · May 2, 2015

enjoying your TR! I'll be on the Magic in less than 2 weeks.
Just as info: the odor you noticed in Georgia near the Brunswick area is from the local pulp mill (wood pulp.) Depending on the breeze direction you could encounter it anywhere along that area of the state.

bafleyanne · May 2, 2015

AAshleySEG said:
We had the CLACCLA rotation as well!! We had to have seen each other at some point then When I saw our rotation originally, the let down thought crossed my mind, but actually it ended up being great! We did not have any problems with any of the restaurants and had a great time even on formal night in Animator's!

I thought Animator's was perfect for formal night actually!

Let's see. I think the most recognizable person at our table was my daughter. We were table 67 and she wore something cool almost every night. On formal night she had a purple ruffle dress, semiformal night she had a Minnie inspired dress and ears, Prince and Princess night she wore a Sofia the First dress, and the last night she had on a Cinderella costume. Her name is Isabella and she's almost 4.

ckj · May 2, 2015

bafleyanne said:
What did you think of having Carioca's three times? We thought we weren't going to like it, but it actually ended up being fine and I loved that we had Pirate Night there.

We didn't really have a preference for the dining rotation and we did enjoy Carioca's. We were at table 60, server was LeeRoy from Jamaica and Dharma from Indonesia was assistant. They were fantastic with the kids.

AAshleySEG · May 3, 2015

Flossbolna said:
We are sailing to Norway. Very excited about it! First time I am cruising a Disney ship back here in Europe (I am from Germany) and with my sister. I hope she likes cruising!! We are going to be on deck 6 as well, but all the way forward in one of the sideways 11B cabins. I will look out for your room host and tell him that I read about him on the DIS!

Norway! Awesome! I hope you write a trip report for that one, I want to read everything I can because we are booked for a 12-night next June! We still have like 400+ days until our trip but I am already trying to plan out some details for it! I think ours only has 2 stops in Norway though, Bergen and Stavanger? The rest are like England, Iceland, Scotland, and Denmark. I really hope your sister likes cruising too! Deck 6 is one of my favorites, it seems everything is really convenient and easy to get to from there, its either go down a few steps or go up a few! Our room host was Ebit from the Philippines, I know that he was about to go on vacation, I know that he has 2 weeks from today. So you might not be able to catch him this time around, sadly! I am really excited for you getting to cruise to Norway this year!!!

AAshleySEG · May 3, 2015

bafleyanne said:
I thought Animator's was perfect for formal night actually!

Let's see. I think the most recognizable person at our table was my daughter. We were table 67 and she wore something cool almost every night. On formal night she had a purple ruffle dress, semiformal night she had a Minnie inspired dress and ears, Prince and Princess night she wore a Sofia the First dress, and the last night she had on a Cinderella costume. Her name is Isabella and she's almost 4.

I am trying really hard to remember, I always feel like I was sitting faced away from everyone in the dining room. We were at Table 48. You are right about Animator's! I really enjoyed it for the formal nights! Her attire sounds awesome! I wish I would have seen them all!

AAshleySEG · May 3, 2015

Disneypeach said:
enjoying your TR! I'll be on the Magic in less than 2 weeks.
Just as info: the odor you noticed in Georgia near the Brunswick area is from the local pulp mill (wood pulp.) Depending on the breeze direction you could encounter it anywhere along that area of the state.

Thank you so much! I am glad you are enjoying it! Lucky, I hope you have a great time on the ship! I am wishing that we could be back on it sooner than next summer! We had such a great time, I am sure you will too! Ok, so it is a Pulp Mill!! We have driven that route probably 50 times or more and I always knew that it smelled I just never knew what it was exactly! Thanks!!

AAshleySEG · May 3, 2015

ckj said:
We didn't really have a preference for the dining rotation and we did enjoy Carioca's. We were at table 60, server was LeeRoy from Jamaica and Dharma from Indonesia was assistant. They were fantastic with the kids.

Haha! We remember seeing LeeRoy! We were at Table 48 with Victor and Yanupa, we must have seen you at some point!

AAshleySEG · May 3, 2015

Sunday, April 12th, 2015 - Part Three

A little after 3:30 we were walking to our Drill Station E, we were the first family that made it to our assembly station so we sat down on the Magic Bench and waited for everyone to arrive!

Our assembly leader Cole started asking lots of Disney and Marvel questions to pass the time during the drill. He also said he needed a Disney character that started with an E, so the first one that popped into my head was Esmeralda from Hunchback, then someone else shouted Eeyore, which was much more well known...then I felt pretty dumb that I hadn't thought of it before and I shouted "Elsa". Yeah, everyone knew who that was by now...lol! Our Key to the World cards were scanned along with everyone else in our assembly station then the drill was over! We stayed down on Deck 4 to let everyone clear out and then started watching everyone wave goodbye from the Cruise Terminal as we were about to set sail!

We headed up to Deck 10 and by the time we arrived of course the entire thing was full, we did manage to get a view for a bit until the Funnel Vision and Music cut out! Oh No!! It wasn't too long and they had it up and running again to get on with the Sail Away Party! We headed to the Aft of the ship to take some photos of us sailing away! It seemed like we left a bit late though so at this particular moment, we had not yet left. It was definitely starting to cloud up a bit now!

Around 5:00 we started heading back to the room to freshen up and start getting ready for the show and dinner. Once we had gotten ready we walked down to Deck 4 to the Promenade Deck to see where we had made it. We had definitely left now, and I was starting to get that familiar ship movement feeling and decided that I was pretty much going to have to take some Dramamine even though I didn't really want to.

Next we walked over to the Atrium and started watching some live music by The Dreamers before it was time to head to the show, we really enjoyed watching them, and we had a great view from where we were one deck above them. The show was scheduled to start at 6:15 so around 6:00 we headed into the theater to find us some seats! Walking into the theater...that popcorn smell...is just heavenly! It reminds me of walking into the Magic Kingdom! I just had to have some!! So once we were seated we ordered a popcorn and bottled water so I could take the Dramamine. I was a VERY HAPPY girl when I got my popcorn...Disney knows how to do it!

Our cruise director was Brent Davies, I was so excited, almost every single Disney Cruise Line video I have seen had him in it, so it was a real treat to actually have him as our Cruise Director for the first time! The All Aboard show was great as usual. Our plan was to watch the All Aboard show on the first cruise, then on the second cruise watch the Farewell show, and skip the two in the middle! I always make fun of my hubby since the character in the show is named Jeremy too! Once the show was over we made our way down to O'Gills Pub for the first trivia session of the cruise! Disney Tunes Trivia!

We managed to get 21 out of 31 points, I was pretty disappointed with us...it was so crazy because the ones that we missed, I knew what they were, I apparently just needed one or two more notes than they gave us! Oh well, there are plenty more opportunities to go to trivia! Our second seating dinner rotation was CLACCLA. So our first restaurant was going to be the newest on the Magic, Carioca's! By this point I think I was both exhausted and my head was swimming with the motion of the ocean, so this was not my favorite dinner. (Having been to Carioca's a lot more through the cruises, I am pretty positive it was because of how I felt, not the restaurant itself).

We met our Server, Victor from Indonesia and Assistant Server, Yanupa from Thailand! We were given the menus and funnily enough when I took a photo of Jeremy, I ended up getting Victor in the background, the face he is making is really funny to me! (Victor, not Jeremy, although Jeremy is making a pretty funny face too!)

Victor knew right away that we were back to back cruisers. He started going over his suggestions for the meal, for some reason I decided to choose something he did not suggest...I don't know why I did that. I should know better after being on 2 Disney cruises, you always eat what they recommend! It could have been the way I was feeling, but this was the ONLY meal of the entire two weeks that I chose my meal, the rest of the time I let Victor do it for me!

My Dinner Selections:
Ahi Tuna & Avocado Tower
with Red Pepper Wasabi, Chopped Patacones (Double Fried Crushed Plantains) and Caviar

Grilled Rum Marinated Swordfish
with Black Bean Muneta (Cooked and Pureed Black Beans with Garlic, Cumin, Onions, & Oregano), Roasted Corn and Boniato Fries

For dessert: Tres Leches Cake

Jeremy's Dinner Selections:

Deep Fried Lobster Crochette
with a Banana-Lentil Salad and Creamed Horseradish

Sopa de Frijoles Negros Habanera:
Havana Style Black Bean Soup with Olive Oil

Garlic Rubbed Roasted Beef Rib-Eye
Carved and Served with Jack Cheese Double Baked Potato, Roasted Vegetables and a Red Win Jus

For Dessert: Sweet Temptations

Being our own fault entirely, these were probably the worst meal selections we have ever chosen on a cruise. It was probably also the combination of the way we were feeling and the fact that we did not eat the recommended items. The ship seemed to be moving a lot to me, but looking around the restaurant it seemed like it wasn't affecting anyone else. Luckily, we were going to have another chance to try food from Carioca's! After dinner we were so tired that we just headed back to the room. We had a long day, and it was seeming like there were going to be a lot more of those in the next 2 weeks!

Once we arrived back in the room we were greeted with our first Towel Animal of the cruise, as well as our Navigator for tomorrow! We were going to be in Key West in the afternoon and we also had Palo Brunch in the morning, so we were really looking forward to it!!

Once we got in bed we read over the Navigator for a little to see what activities were in store for us tomorrow and then we turned on the tv! We fell asleep watching Wreck-It-Ralph, rather quickly if I remember correctly...

Next Up: Key West Day!

Franklin family · May 3, 2015

Enjoying your report! We are from NC also and are heading out on our first Disney Cruise in July! Where did you get your sun hat? Haven't been able to find one I like.

AAshleySEG · May 3, 2015

Franklin family said:
Enjoying your report! We are from NC also and are heading out on our first Disney Cruise in July! Where did you get your sun hat? Haven't been able to find one I like.

Hi! I am so glad you are enjoying the TR! Yay NC! I hope you have a fantastic time on your first Disney Cruise! I got my sun hat in Charleston, SC at The Charleston Hat Man, it is in the city market. I was so lucky to have found that place, actually it was on one of our Disney trips, we stopped in Charleston on our way to Disney World and I happened to find it! I don't think I have seen a hat like that anywhere else we have shopped. Good luck finding one!!

Franklin family · May 3, 2015

Thanks! Yep, haven't found one I like in the Charlotte area yet. I'm going to Charleston in September...won't help for this cruise, but I am sure there will be another

AAshleySEG · May 3, 2015

Franklin family said:
Thanks! Yep, haven't found one I like in the Charlotte area yet. I'm going to Charleston in September...won't help for this cruise, but I am sure there will be another

Hey you are from the Charlotte area? That is where we are originally from! We just moved to the coast in 2013. Me and my husband both grew up in Stanley, NC. Don't know if you are familiar with that or not, but it is definitely in that same area! I did want to let you know that if you are comfortable shopping online, there is an online source for my hat, as well as some other ones as well if you are interested! Village Hat Shop, here is the link to my hat, that way if you wanted you could get it before your cruise!

Disneypeach · May 3, 2015

AAshleySEG said:
Thank you so much! I am glad you are enjoying it! Lucky, I hope you have a great time on the ship! I am wishing that we could be back on it sooner than next summer! We had such a great time, I am sure you will too! Ok, so it is a Pulp Mill!! We have driven that route probably 50 times or more and I always knew that it smelled I just never knew what it was exactly! Thanks!!

Thanks.
a pulp mill chops up logs to create a wood mush that will eventually be turned into paper. Smelly work! That mill has been there for decades...lots of trees in S. Ga and N. Fla!

Franklin family · May 3, 2015

AAshleySEG said:
Hey you are from the Charlotte area? That is where we are originally from! We just moved to the coast in 2013. Me and my husband both grew up in Stanley, NC. Don't know if you are familiar with that or not, but it is definitely in that same area! I did want to let you know that if you are comfortable shopping online, there is an online source for my hat, as well as some other ones as well if you are interested! Village Hat Shop, here is the link to my hat, that way if you wanted you could get it before your cruise!

Of course I know where Stanley is! We are in Huntersville, I am originally from there. Thanks for the hat info! I will certainly look online!

AAshleySEG · May 4, 2015

Monday, April 13th, 2015 - Part One

Finally, we were able to sleep in! I don't know if it was the ship rocking me to sleep, the less drowsy Dramamine, the long day before, or the combination of all of them, but I was happy! We slept until 8:00!! I had set an alarm so that we could get up, get showers and dressed because at 10:00 we had a Brunch reservation at Palo. We took our sweet time getting ready, kind of just relaxing in the room during different points. At 8:53 were still hadn't quite made it to Key West. We weren't scheduled to arrive until the afternoon anyway!

I am pretty sure we turned on a movie on the television so we would put on a shoe and then watch some more, I would curl a bit of my hair, then watch some more. It went on like that until it was time for us to head up that way! We walked up to Palo and were among the first people to be seated for brunch.

We didn't have to wait long at all and were then lead to our table, our server for Brunch was Brendon from South Africa. We were brought our choice of beverage, we chose Mimosas and were then walked around all of the areas for the explanation of the food stations.

*These Palo photos are from a previous experience, I forgot to take photos this time around...oopsie!

First, we grabbed a plate of fruit and pastries. There are so many things to eat at Palo, it is such a culinary overload. When plates and dishes as so small, it makes me happy because I never feel like I am eating too much...only after does that happen!

We went ahead and ordered our hot dishes, I had the Eggs Julia, and Jeremy the Eggs Benedict. While we were waiting for our hot dishes to be delivered we both went and chose another plate of goodies for us to share in the center of the table. We knew our eggs would be coming soon so we didn't want to fill the table up. Sure enough, as soon as we got back to the table, the egg dishes were arriving! The last thing was to go and have some desserts! They are all so lovely, it is really hard to choose! We were getting much closer to land and port, so we were enjoying the wonderful view as we sat there completely stuffed! We did have an excursion today, the meeting time was at 12:45, so we didn't linger too long. We headed back to the room to change before we had to meet in the Promenade Lounge.

We still had a little time to spare before our excursion meeting time, so we went out to the Promenade on Deck 4 to watch as we arrived in the port of Key West! The water was gorgeous!

We were still so full, it was good that we were going to be walking it off on a walking tour! For the moment though, it was making us tired, so we lounged on some deck chairs and enjoyed the great weather!

At about 12:40 we started making our way over to the Promenade Lounge, we checked in and got our sticker! We were in the Pongo group. We sat down and waited for our group to be called so we could head out for our Presidents, Pirates, and Pioneers Walking Tour! Our group was finally called and together we got off the ship and met our tour guide Thomas! Our original group was really large so they split it in half. We walked a little ways and started our tour over at the old Customs House, which is now the Key West Museum of Art & History!

He told us a great story of how the original Customs House was barely noticeable and ships coming in would say that they couldn't find it, that way they didn't have to register their goods! So they made this huge red brick one, so people would be sure to see it as soon as they came into port! About 10 minutes or so after we started the tour, about half of our tour group told the guide that they were going to leave, so our group got even smaller! Key West was gorgeous, I was getting caught up in all of the amazing house and vegetation that at some points I forgot to take photos! I was just trying to take it all in, since I knew we wouldn't be here too long. Another stop on our tour was what is known to most people as the Truman Little White House.

I really hope that we can get back to Key West at some point and stay there for longer than a few hours. There seems to be so much to see and do in the area! Lots of fantastic history! The sort of thing that stood out to me the most were the amazing trees and flowering shrubs and plants in the area!

We were learning so many things, we were on Key West history overload! Another really cool place is the original home of Pan American Airways! It has long since been converted to a restaurant owned by Kelly McGillis, you know Charlie from Top Gun!

At the end of the tour we were given complimentary Conch Fritters and Bottled Water! They were so good! We have a great little place where we live that has Conch Fritters, and we really love them, so the fact that we get free ones, made us pretty happy!

Once we finished eating, I made it a point to reapply sunscreen and finish our waters to stay hydrated before we set out to explore a little bit on our own! There were a few places that I wanted to see, and one of the first ones was to a Little Key Lime Pie shop I read about online!

Next Up: Key Lime Pie, Chickens, and Stormtroopers!

cheermom2four · May 4, 2015

I'm so enjoying reading this so far!!! My husband and I go on our first cruise ever (and without our two kids) on the Disney Magic in February for our anniversary. Our kids will have their chance in Sept 2016 on the Fantasy

Linda67 · May 4, 2015

Really enjoying your TR!
We are doing a B2B on The Magic in a few weeks so I am particularly looking forward to hearing if it was a simple process, getting off the ship and checking in again. Never done a B2B and don't have a clue!
Great photos by the way

marciemouse · May 4, 2015

I'm enjoying your trip report! Your Alaska report was great, too. We've only ever been on the Wonder, so I'm enjoying hearing more and seeing pics of another ship.

AAshleySEG · May 5, 2015

cheermom2four said:
I'm so enjoying reading this so far!!! My husband and I go on our first cruise ever (and without our two kids) on the Disney Magic in February for our anniversary. Our kids will have their chance in Sept 2016 on the Fantasy

Awesome! I am glad you like it! I hope you have a great time in February! I'm sure the two of you will, I wish I could get back on it sooner! Fantasy sounds great too, one day we will make it on that ship! Thanks for reading along!

AAshleySEG · May 5, 2015

Linda67 said:
Really enjoying your TR!
We are doing a B2B on The Magic in a few weeks so I am particularly looking forward to hearing if it was a simple process, getting off the ship and checking in again. Never done a B2B and don't have a clue!
Great photos by the way

Hi!! It's good to see you again on another TR!! I just now remembered that when you were reading my Alaska TR you were going on that cruise the next year?? How was it?? I hope you had a great time!! I am so glad you are enjoying this one too, and B2B was pretty cool! So are you doing a back to back in Europe?? That is so exciting, which itineraries are you doing?? (If you don't mind me asking) Jeremy and I are in the process of planning a trip for next summer on a 12-Night Iceland and Norway, which we are stoked about! So for us in Port Canaveral, back to back was really easy since we had the same room, we didn't have to pack our things, they sent us a green early boarding card the night before the switch, at 9:30 or so we walked out through customs, back around, checked in, then sat in the concierge lounge until the called us to get on, which was before the first family of the day, but I will get more into that later

So glad you could join me on another adventure!

Disney Magic B2B Western Caribbeans, April 12-26, 2015 Trip Report, Navs & More!

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