BrettySpaghetti
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2008
- Messages
- 99
Just returned Sunday (6/1/08) from a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise on the Magic ship. It was my second Disney cruise, following a three-night Wonder cruise four years ago to Nassau and Castaway Cay.
Simply put, it was an astounding adventure, surpassing my expectations after the earlier trip. I seemed to be one of the very few aboard traveling solo. Cruise director Brent Davis, a friendly and extremely humorous Aussie, was Johnny on the Spot, spreading good cheer and information everywhere he went.
My three shore excursions, while OK, were very low on my list of favorite aspects of the vacation. Port of call #1 (Cabo) took me on a snorkeling trip. It was a beautiful day, the water was pretty clear and warm (78 degrees) and everything went off without a hitch. There wasn't THAT much to see, as compared to my Bahamas snorkeling adventure, which was loaded with sea life. All you got to see in Mexico was a few pretty fish; the ocean floor was nothing but sand. It was a relatively fun time, but unremarkable. (I find the technological engineering marvel of the Magic ship to be far more interesting than any fish.)
Port of call #2 was Mazatlan. I chose an off-road dune buggy shore excursion, pairing up with a guy who knew a lot more about cars than I do. Five of the buggies followed a guide through a very dusty back trail...until our car died 10 minutes into the trip, due to a distributor problem. We unfortunately had to ride with another driver, meaning that neither me or my companion could drive. (We were later reimbursed for the trouble, although I had to whine at Guest Services.) I wouldn't recommend this excursion simply because the cars weren't kept up particularly well.
Port of call #3 was Puerto Vallarta, and for this city I opted for a city tour. It was pleasant enough. I felt our guide kept taking us to places where we could shop at stores owned by his personal amigos, one jewelry shop in particular. Again, I happened to be largely unimpressed by the tour as opposed to all the ship had to offer, so you may take my observations with a grain of salt. There was some pretty scenery to be taken in, and some local authentic knicknacks to be purchased, but I had much more fun on the ship.
On board, the fun never stopped. Inexplicably, I won two games of bingo, raking in about $270 total (minus about $90 I'd invested in the games). Natalie handled the bingo emcee chores with grace and inventiveness; it would have been fun to attend even if you weren't playing, just to experience her showmanship. I learned how to do both paper and towel origami, which was endless fun. At night, I attended evening performances by Tim Moss, a jazz pianist who took requests at the Sessions nightclub. He was exceptionally friendly and genial. On his night off, we were treated to a terrific Billy Joel tribute show by Adam Stout, an absolutely wonderful singer who also did a number of great Broadway songs.
Of the live musical stage shows in the Walt Disney Theater, I skipped The Golden Mickeys (having seen it before on the Wonder), but took in Twice Charmed, which was a very delightful and tuneful sequel of sorts to Cinderella. It's the best show I've seen on Disney Cruise Lines; I can't recommend it highly enough. (Only debit: They've GOT to stop selling caramel popcorn in those cellophane bags, the incessant crinkling of which served as a major distraction.) I was far less enthralled by the extremely popular Disney Dreams show, walking out about halfway through. The final night brought us Remember the Magic, which was touching and well worth seeing. Two of the three comedians on board were highlighted in this show: Steve Morris (a corpulent guitar-playing goofball whose fart jokes made the crowd guffaw but made me gag) and Kevin Johnson, who is hands down the best ventriloquist I've ever seen, by a very wide margin. Alleged humorist Heath Hyche, from the same comedy neighborhood as Carrot Top, struck me as rather substandard, although he too proved to be a crowd pleaser, so again take my review with several grains of salt. I did not stay for the duration of his routine. They should have made Brent do double-duty as both cruise director and onboard comedian -- he was a hundred times funnier than Morris and Hyche, at one point earning roars of laughter from a routine about how some guests massacre the name of Lumiere's restaurant.
Even as a single guy traveling alone, it was very easy to make new friends among the many families aboard.
The other onboard highlights, for me, were as follows:
Dinner at Palo. Let me say that there is no adult more lowbrow than I am when it comes to cuisine, so I had absolutely zero interest in checking out this snobby eatery on Deck 10. Who wants to sit alone at a table in a fancy restaurant? But some new friends I'd made on board coerced me, basically against my will, to make a reservation. Man, was I glad they did! Even if the food was too posh for me, the beautiful and exquisite decor of Palo was worth the extra $15 it cost to eat there. The food, it turns out, was indeed a bit highbrow for me, but they made an absolutely FANTASTIC filet mignon with a scrumptious wine sauce, and the desserts were out of this world delicious -- I got to sample both the Italian gelato and the chocolate souffle, and both were outstanding. I ended up going to Palo twice this trip, and I can assure you I'll be going back.
Walking tour of the ship. Melita, a sprightly Aussie lass in pigtails, gave us a fascinating tour of the Magic, focusing on the thematic elements and styling on board. It was loaded with informational tidbits and my only complaint is that it didn't last twice as long as it did. I was completely mesmerized by all of the relevatory facts and trivia we learned, from the controversial yellow color of the lifeboats to the meaning behind the carpet designs and the coded flag symbols integrated in some of the signage.
Captain Q&A. Actually, there were three top-level crew members who participated on this final-sea-day event, including Brent (the cruise director), all taking questions from the passengers assembled in the Walt Disney Theater. I videotaped the entire session, which was full of intelligent questions and informative answers.
Outstanding service of the crew. I have never met more friendly and helpful people in my life. They REALLY take care of you on this ship. From the housekeepers on up to the captain, everybody is 100 percent professional. I told one of the professional portrait photographers on board, a cute Filipina named Ria, that she could guarantee a sale by posing with me for a photo. She called over another photographer and was happy to oblige. Now that's what I call dedication and commitment to the passenger!
The single unfortunate and soul-shattering occurrence on the Magic was having to say goodbye.
If you've got any questions about the cruise, I'd be happy to field them. I did save all of my daily Navigators.
Brett in L.A.
Simply put, it was an astounding adventure, surpassing my expectations after the earlier trip. I seemed to be one of the very few aboard traveling solo. Cruise director Brent Davis, a friendly and extremely humorous Aussie, was Johnny on the Spot, spreading good cheer and information everywhere he went.
My three shore excursions, while OK, were very low on my list of favorite aspects of the vacation. Port of call #1 (Cabo) took me on a snorkeling trip. It was a beautiful day, the water was pretty clear and warm (78 degrees) and everything went off without a hitch. There wasn't THAT much to see, as compared to my Bahamas snorkeling adventure, which was loaded with sea life. All you got to see in Mexico was a few pretty fish; the ocean floor was nothing but sand. It was a relatively fun time, but unremarkable. (I find the technological engineering marvel of the Magic ship to be far more interesting than any fish.)
Port of call #2 was Mazatlan. I chose an off-road dune buggy shore excursion, pairing up with a guy who knew a lot more about cars than I do. Five of the buggies followed a guide through a very dusty back trail...until our car died 10 minutes into the trip, due to a distributor problem. We unfortunately had to ride with another driver, meaning that neither me or my companion could drive. (We were later reimbursed for the trouble, although I had to whine at Guest Services.) I wouldn't recommend this excursion simply because the cars weren't kept up particularly well.
Port of call #3 was Puerto Vallarta, and for this city I opted for a city tour. It was pleasant enough. I felt our guide kept taking us to places where we could shop at stores owned by his personal amigos, one jewelry shop in particular. Again, I happened to be largely unimpressed by the tour as opposed to all the ship had to offer, so you may take my observations with a grain of salt. There was some pretty scenery to be taken in, and some local authentic knicknacks to be purchased, but I had much more fun on the ship.
On board, the fun never stopped. Inexplicably, I won two games of bingo, raking in about $270 total (minus about $90 I'd invested in the games). Natalie handled the bingo emcee chores with grace and inventiveness; it would have been fun to attend even if you weren't playing, just to experience her showmanship. I learned how to do both paper and towel origami, which was endless fun. At night, I attended evening performances by Tim Moss, a jazz pianist who took requests at the Sessions nightclub. He was exceptionally friendly and genial. On his night off, we were treated to a terrific Billy Joel tribute show by Adam Stout, an absolutely wonderful singer who also did a number of great Broadway songs.
Of the live musical stage shows in the Walt Disney Theater, I skipped The Golden Mickeys (having seen it before on the Wonder), but took in Twice Charmed, which was a very delightful and tuneful sequel of sorts to Cinderella. It's the best show I've seen on Disney Cruise Lines; I can't recommend it highly enough. (Only debit: They've GOT to stop selling caramel popcorn in those cellophane bags, the incessant crinkling of which served as a major distraction.) I was far less enthralled by the extremely popular Disney Dreams show, walking out about halfway through. The final night brought us Remember the Magic, which was touching and well worth seeing. Two of the three comedians on board were highlighted in this show: Steve Morris (a corpulent guitar-playing goofball whose fart jokes made the crowd guffaw but made me gag) and Kevin Johnson, who is hands down the best ventriloquist I've ever seen, by a very wide margin. Alleged humorist Heath Hyche, from the same comedy neighborhood as Carrot Top, struck me as rather substandard, although he too proved to be a crowd pleaser, so again take my review with several grains of salt. I did not stay for the duration of his routine. They should have made Brent do double-duty as both cruise director and onboard comedian -- he was a hundred times funnier than Morris and Hyche, at one point earning roars of laughter from a routine about how some guests massacre the name of Lumiere's restaurant.
Even as a single guy traveling alone, it was very easy to make new friends among the many families aboard.
The other onboard highlights, for me, were as follows:
Dinner at Palo. Let me say that there is no adult more lowbrow than I am when it comes to cuisine, so I had absolutely zero interest in checking out this snobby eatery on Deck 10. Who wants to sit alone at a table in a fancy restaurant? But some new friends I'd made on board coerced me, basically against my will, to make a reservation. Man, was I glad they did! Even if the food was too posh for me, the beautiful and exquisite decor of Palo was worth the extra $15 it cost to eat there. The food, it turns out, was indeed a bit highbrow for me, but they made an absolutely FANTASTIC filet mignon with a scrumptious wine sauce, and the desserts were out of this world delicious -- I got to sample both the Italian gelato and the chocolate souffle, and both were outstanding. I ended up going to Palo twice this trip, and I can assure you I'll be going back.
Walking tour of the ship. Melita, a sprightly Aussie lass in pigtails, gave us a fascinating tour of the Magic, focusing on the thematic elements and styling on board. It was loaded with informational tidbits and my only complaint is that it didn't last twice as long as it did. I was completely mesmerized by all of the relevatory facts and trivia we learned, from the controversial yellow color of the lifeboats to the meaning behind the carpet designs and the coded flag symbols integrated in some of the signage.
Captain Q&A. Actually, there were three top-level crew members who participated on this final-sea-day event, including Brent (the cruise director), all taking questions from the passengers assembled in the Walt Disney Theater. I videotaped the entire session, which was full of intelligent questions and informative answers.
Outstanding service of the crew. I have never met more friendly and helpful people in my life. They REALLY take care of you on this ship. From the housekeepers on up to the captain, everybody is 100 percent professional. I told one of the professional portrait photographers on board, a cute Filipina named Ria, that she could guarantee a sale by posing with me for a photo. She called over another photographer and was happy to oblige. Now that's what I call dedication and commitment to the passenger!
The single unfortunate and soul-shattering occurrence on the Magic was having to say goodbye.
If you've got any questions about the cruise, I'd be happy to field them. I did save all of my daily Navigators.
Brett in L.A.
