April 16, 2013 - Disney Magic out of Galveston

[wallawallakids]

Sounds like we have fun little group going!! And lots of us are on our first sailing!!

[Ana~n~Joseph]

Originally Posted by Karissa

I am going to be on the April 16 cruise with my 2 year old and husband. My brother, sis in law, and their 2 kids (age 4 and 1) are also coming...it's our first cruise!! Super excited...been reading these boards like crazy to get tips.

I am considering doing the Nachi Cocom All Inclusive Beach Break also!

Have you booked it yet?

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.

[Ana~n~Joseph]

Originally Posted by txblondie99

We are on this cruise too and its my first! I love reading everyone's comments. I just booked it this past week. Honestly pretty overwhelmed!

Woohoo!! Welcome! Don't feel overwhelmed....if you have any questions, post them here and I'm sure there will be plenty of people willing to help answer them.

[jarudinski]

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 =).

[Ksmith1]

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

[Ana~n~Joseph]

Originally Posted by Ksmith1

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]

Originally Posted by jarudinski

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]

Originally Posted by Ana~n~Joseph

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]

Originally Posted by Ksmith1

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]

Originally Posted by jarudinski

* 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]

Originally Posted by Ana~n~Joseph

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]

Originally Posted by Karissa

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]

Originally Posted by Karissa

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.