Just Back from the Magic

[LuvtoPlan]

We just returned yesterday from our 7 Night Eastern Carribean Disney Magic Cruise and it was awesome. This was our second cruise on the Magic for most of us and it was just as wonderful as the first if not better. This was our second cruise to the Eastern Caribbean the first one was on another cruise line. There were 10 in our party which included my DH & me, DM, DS, 2 DD’s, DSIL, DSIL to be and our 2 DGD’s.


Top Ten of Cruise
(In order)

1) Spa Villa Treatment (We surprised everyone with a treatment and they are still talking about it.)
2) Megan’s Bay (St. Thomas)
3) Serenity Bay (Disney Island)
4) Palo Dinner
5) Suite & extras that come with it (i.e. Concierge)
6) Service especially in Dining Rooms
7) Palo Brunch
8) Time on Balcony
9) Pirate Party
10) Walking on Deck 10 in morning

Pre Cruise: First you should know we get very into our Disney Vacations. We had been counting down to the cruise for over 200 plus days. One month prior to the cruise, we had a cruise party with Caribbean decorations, Island drinks and music. We played the Disney DVD and my DD made everyone a CD with music to get them ready for the cruise. We also got t-shirts made up and listed everyone’s name going on the 2009 Cruise on the back of the shirt.

We had booked the cruise over a year ago and since my DH and I had booked a Category 3 Suite, we were able to make most of our reservations in advance. Prior to the trip we booked Spa Appointments, Palo Brunch and Palo Dining Reservations. We booked the wine package and also prepaid our gratuities. I like to have everything out of the way so I can really enjoy my vacation when it starts.

Day Prior to Cruise:
We left early Friday morning on Southwest Airlines. We did our online check-in 24 hours in advance so we all got in the A Seating and were able to get seats together. We arrived at the Orlando airport at 9:00AM and had arranged for transportation by ********* round trip. ***********. The price was reasonable for our large group. They were on time and friendly. They picked us up at baggage claims for our arrival and picked us up at the Cruise Terminal for our flight home.

We stayed at the Hilton Hotel in Cocoa Beach and I would recommend it to those looking to arrive the day prior to the flight. The Hotel had great access to the beach, restaurant had decent food and compared to the other hotels in the area it seemed to be one of the nicer properties. We spent the day at the beach and in the evening my brother who was in town and staying at the Double Tree planned a dinner for us on the beach. He rented tables and chairs and had Double Tree cater the dinner with pizza and some appetizers. We had some beer and wine and it was a very nice way to kickoff our vacation. Speaking of beer and wine, we followed another tip from the boards which was to purchase beer and water prior to the cruise and to take it on in our carry-on. We took 2 cases of beer and 1 case of water and it was really nice having the beer in the cabin for a drink on the deck or before dinner. Although signs at the terminal say no alcohol, as long as it is in your carryon they allow you to go on with it. This is a really nice savings that other cruise ships do not allow you do have.

Day of Cruise
We were all up by 8:00AM and went to breakfast at the Hilton. They give you a free complimentary continental breakfast or you can upgrade to a full hot buffet for $5 or $6.
We had arranged for a shuttle through the hotel to take us to the port for $5 per person. It was about a 10 - 15 minute ride. We left for the ship at 10:30AM.

The check-in process was very smooth. Of course, we did our pre-registration paperwork online prior to the cruise. You need to do this at least 3 days prior to the cruise date. We did have one issue and that was with our forms from the internet not having a space for signatures so the person at registration had to reprint the signature page for us to sign. I am not sure if I missed printing it or what but it wasn‘t a big deal. They took our pictures, got us our keys and since we were Castaway Key members we received lanyards for our IDS. We were on the ship by 11:15AM.

It was so nice being announced when entering the ship. Another special touch by Disney. I need to share that out of the 10 people traveling with us, 5 of them are twenty something and still pick Disney over any other cruise line. We have sailed with both Royal Caribbean and Carnival twice and they just have not come close to Disney for us.

We first went to the Concierge Reception to meet our concierge team and check on our reservations. We were also able to book the galley tour, beer and wine tasting, and Tea with Alice here. You can also meet with representatives from the Spa and Kids Club at this time.
This is a very nice perk of having a Suite. The reception was very nice with drinks and appetizers being complimentary.

After meeting our Concierge Team and making our additional reservations, we went to lunch at Topsiders. I think the food at Topsiders has improved over our last cruise.
Most of us were at Topsiders only a couple of times throughout the cruise but the times that we did stop, we found the food to be decent.

We were able to get in our staterooms around 1:30PM. We had a Category 3 with an adjoining Category 4 and a Category 5 on the deck below us. It was really nice to have the space in the suite as a get together spot. We were able to have the deck divider between the Category 3 and Category 4 open so we had one very long deck.

As a Castaway Key member we got a gift in each of the staterooms. It was a tote bag with a draw string bag and water bottles. The first thing we did was call room service and order the cheese platter to snack on while we unpacked another disboard tip. The cheese platter has a nice selection of cheeses including Brie which is my favorite.

The muster drill was some time after 4:00PM and was very quick. We then went to our state room to return the life jackets and proceeded to the Sail Away Party which was great. The music and atmosphere was really awesome. We had Sail Away Drinks and stayed until almost 5:30. We then quickly changed and went to dinner. We had the early dining at 5:45 and requested the APLA rotation which we got. We like this rotation because we wanted to do a dinner at Palo and wanted to do it on a night we were scheduled for Parrot Cay without missing Formal Night, Pirate Night, Golden Mickey or Farewell in the dining rooms.

The dinners were fabulous and our servers were awesome. We had Alex (Main Waiter), Sergio (Asst Waiter) and Simone (Head Waiter/Manager) who were terrific. The recommendations that Alex made were all excellent. We felt so special. I could not believe how they had identified each of us from the first night on and remembered our likes and dislikes. The food was definitely an improvement over prior cruises. I will say the group felt that the desserts were not very good. They were pretty but not much of a taste.
We did not record what we ate every night but I will list some of the favorites from the week.

Room Service - We really took advantage of snacking with room service.
Favorites: Chips & Salsa which came with sour cream and guacamole; cheese burger and fries; BLT; Ham & Cheese Sandwich; Mickey Ice Cream Bars; Cheese Plate; Fresh Fruit Plate

Breakfast - Some of us went to Lumiere’s each morning and had a full breakfast; others took advantage of the suite perk and ordered full breakfast in the room from Lumiere’s menu.
Favorites: Strawberry fruit drink, waffles and pancakes; eggs easy over and eggs benedict

Lunch - We actually only made it to lunch at Lumiere’s a few times
Favorites: Cheeseburger, Fish and Mushroom Risoto
Lunch/Snacking - Plutos, Pinnochios & Misc. Snack Spots
Favorites: Bacon, Tomato & Brie Wrap; Fresh Fruit at the place next to Pluto’s
Cheeseburgers and Fries at Pluto’s; Evening Appetizers outside bars in the evening (Tuna Salad Puff, Cheeses and Wings were really good)

Brunch (Palos) - The complimentary champagne is a very nice touch.
Favorites: Flat Bread pizza, Chicken Parmesan, Snow Crab Legs, the wonderful cheeses and salads.

Dinner (Palos) - Lobster Ravioli was fabulous; lasagna was also wonderful; flat bread pizzas as starters were all very good.
Chocolate Soufflé was really good. One of the few desserts that were worth mentioning.

Dinner (Dining Rooms) - We ate in the dining rooms each night with the exception of Wednesday when we dined at Palos.
Favorites: All the beef dishes seemed to be a hit but in particular the last evenings Beef Tenderloin was wonderful and melted in your mouth. Other entrees that received rave reviews included: Orange Roughy; Lobster, Seafood Alfredo and Sesame Crusted Tuna. The appetizers that were big hits included: the fabulous Mushroom Risotto, Tuna, Potatoes Leek Soup, French Onion soup, Shrimp dishes

Dessert: In addition to the chocolate soufflé at Palos, the only dessert that received great reviews from our group was the Apple Cobbler Pie which I think was also served on the last night.

Disappointments: Macaroni Lobster, we were really looking forward to this since it is usually one of our favorites but it was not very good at all. The other as I mentioned earlier was the desserts which were pretty but not very good to eat.

Entertainment - Again Disney scores high marks with us.
The shows were great as usual. The wine tasting was fun and we would recommend it. However, the Galley Tour was a waste of time. They really need to put more into this tour.
We would also not recommend the beer tasting. The beers that they served were common and it really wasn’t anything different.

Spas - As I said my husband and I surprised everyone with Villa Treatments including ourselves and they were awesome. I know they are expensive but I am a Spa lover and I must say it was the best spa experience I ever had. They start with a foot ritual which is heaven. You then get some alone or couple time in the Jacuzzi out on your private verandah which looks out to the ocean. It is breathtaking. You then go into the connecting room for your treatments. My husband and I had the Hot Stone Massage and it was heaven. After the massage you are then shown back out to the verandah and you are served Tea, Fruit with chocolate strawberries and get time to relax on the lounge bed. If you are debating on doing this, I would recommend you go ahead and book it because it is wonderful. This is one thing to book in advance of the cruise which we did. I heard several people trying to get appointments while on board and could not especially on Sea Days.

Bingo was fun. We played 3 times with no winners but still enjoyed it. We went to see G Force which was really cute and they had it in the main theatre since the crowd was so large. We also went to see The Proposal in the movie theatre one night and it was very good.

The movies showing on deck are a nice touch while relaxing in the evening. The Pirate Show was awesome with the music and fireworks.
The buffet was not announced at the Pirate Show but we remembered that they had one last time so we knew to look for it. The ham off the bone at the buffet was exceptional.

Islands - St Martin’s
We went to the public beach near the dock for a couple of hours and then shopped around. This is one stop that I don’t need to do again. My DM went to the casino for ten minutes and won $160. We also purchased chocolates from a candy boutique that delivers to the ship. They were delicious. I wished I had purchased more. They were gone after 30 minutes.
St. Thomas - Megan’s Bay was awesome. We got an open air taxi for $8.00 per person each way. Our driver stayed with us for 2 ½ hours at the beach and even made two stops for us to take pictures. This was a beautiful time. We rented chairs at the beach and I will say that the folks that worked at the beach were not extremely friendly or helpful. However, this is a must do in St Thomas.

Castaway Cay - Disney’s Private Island is truly beautiful. We spent the first part of the day at the family beach and then a few of us made our way over to Serenity Bay which was really really beautiful. The buffet at the Family Beach was very good. It is definitely a fun time.

We all had such a wonderful time and are so sad it is over but on to planning the next trip!!!

[OurOhana]

Sounds like a great trip. Thank you for the detailed trip report.

[jmaya]

I am so happy I found your post. I am going to take the same cruise Aug 29th. I really wanted to go to Megan's Bay but could not seem to fit it into my budget because the shore excursion would cost my family close to $200.00 I saw that you wrote that you took an open air taxi for $8.00 per person. I am a bit scared about not getting back to the ship because of the lack to find a taxi. Could you please tell me how I would go about this. What the costs are (admission to the beach, chair rental, etc) I would love the help. I really wanted to go.
Thanks
Jane

[My4PhillyGirls]

Originally Posted by jmaya

I am so happy I found your post. I am going to take the same cruise Aug 29th. I really wanted to go to Megan's Bay but could not seem to fit it into my budget because the shore excursion would cost my family close to $200.00 I saw that you wrote that you took an open air taxi for $8.00 per person. I am a bit scared about not getting back to the ship because of the lack to find a taxi. Could you please tell me how I would go about this. What the costs are (admission to the beach, chair rental, etc) I would love the help. I really wanted to go.
Thanks
Jane

Come join us over at the Aug. 29th meet thread. A few of the cruisers have been on the Eastern Itinerary before and have shared valuable info

Joe

[jmaya]

Ok, I have done so. Not to sure how to work these boards. I am on page 122, is there another way to post ?

[LuvtoPlan]

Yes, do go to Meghan's Bay. I believe it was $4.00 per person to enter the beach. I believe the chairs were $5.00 to rent plus a deposit which you get back when you return the chairs. If you put it on a credit card, they will not process the deposit and just give you back the charge form when you return the chairs. To get the taxi, you will see the drivers as soon as you get off the ship and you can just ask for one that will take you to Meghan's Bay. If your driver does not want to stay, I would not worry because there was a person getting taxis for folks at the beach.

[jmaya]

Thanks for your help, I have cancelled my excursion to see the butterflies and now I am going to venture out with my family to the beach. Thanks for the help and your postings, it was just what I was looking for.

[Waltworshiper]

Sounds like you had a great time, we will be on in a little over 2 weeks with our stepson and 3 other boys, first ever full family vacation and we can't wait. Loved reading your trip report, glad you and your family had a great time!

[disneymum2]

Hi there-

we were on the same cruise and agree it was the best one we've been on!

[mickeyluv]

I read your TR and noticed that you said you had Alex as your Main waiter. We had a waiter named Alex on our cruise last year and are going to request him again this year. I know there could be two people named Alex but I was wondering if it was the same "Alex" we had...(see picture)



So is this the same waiter you had? He said he thought he would be on the Magic this Oct. when we cruise and I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!

[LuvtoPlan]

Yes, that is him and he was awesome. You should request him and his assistant Sergio was also great. Have a good time.

[Summer91]

Can you tell me a little bit about Tea Time with Alice? What day/days does it take place, did your little ones dress up in costumes, does it usually book fast? I would like to do this with my DD's on our cruise and trying to get some info. about it!
Thanks!

[LuvtoPlan]

Our Tea with Alice was on Thursday and I would recommend it. I am not sure if they have more than one during the week. I would book it when you get on the ship. It was in the Studio Club where they have the family dance parties. They served a cold drink and had cookies on the table. We sat near the front and my granddaughter was picked to have tea with Alice. It was so cute. You dance around your table and it is entertaining and not too long. I would say it lasted no longer than 45 minutes. The kids can have their pictures taken afterwards with Alice and the other characters.

[disneychic]

Do you have any Navigators you can share.....pretty please....

[LuvtoPlan]

Sorry, I did not save them but if you have any particular questions don't hesitate to ask. They were useful and we did look for them each night for the previous days activities. They now have them organized like the TV guide so you can quickly see what is going on at each time and for what age group.