Disney Magic 12 nt. British Isles Cruise 2017

[BadPinkTink]

As for taking the train to Disneyland Paris, that would have been a much better plan! We did the Disneyland Paris excursion from Le Havre, and I would categorically NOT recommend it. It was really our only disappointing day of the whole 12 day cruise. And not because of Disneyland Paris, of course, which was beautiful and fun! But because it took us almost 5 hours in the bus each way!!!! The tour guide said 3 when we got on the bus- the shore excursion description said 3, but it took us 5 hours both ways! Which meant we had about 5 hours by the time we got there, in 2 parks =(! AND we had to eat during that time. They had to hold the ship for us on our return. It was frustrating and not the best way to start our first shore excursion. A very, very long day! But we really did make the most of our 5 hours in Disneyland and loved being there! Live and learn!

oh gosh Im soo sorry this was your first experience of Disneyland Paris and your first shore excursion on Magic I did try to warn people in the cruise meets threads before hand, I knew it would be a nightmare transit wise, the distance involved added to the French traffic / motorway system. I usually get the shuttle bus from Charles de Gaulle airport. The advertised time is 40 minutes but it has taken 90 minutes. The last time I took the bus back to the airport from Disney, there was an accident on the motorway and the traffic was down to one lane. People on the bus who had not allowed for delays and traffic were getting anxious that they would miss their flight.

 

[poison ivy]

I too remember the joy seeing the Magic in Dover- and you are right, that joy stayed with us the whole cruise. I felt so lucky to be there the whole time - so blessed! The port sendoffs really reinforced that feeling of great blessings.

As for taking the train to Disneyland Paris, that would have been a much better plan! We did the Disneyland Paris excursion from Le Havre, and I would categorically NOT recommend it. It was really our only disappointing day of the whole 12 day cruise. And not because of Disneyland Paris, of course, which was beautiful and fun! But because it took us almost 5 hours in the bus each way!!!! The tour guide said 3 when we got on the bus- the shore excursion description said 3, but it took us 5 hours both ways! Which meant we had about 5 hours by the time we got there, in 2 parks =(! AND we had to eat during that time. They had to hold the ship for us on our return. It was frustrating and not the best way to start our first shore excursion. A very, very long day! But we really did make the most of our 5 hours in Disneyland and loved being there! Live and learn!

Glad to know you shared that feeling of happiness too. And yes! the port sendoffs really were the best. It was great to be a part of something so special.

I didn't realize you wound up with a 5 hr commute each way to DLP. This is a major issue IMO - not a minor one. Had they stated it could be 10hrs of your time wasted to get to and from the parks, for the price they charged - I suspect the signups would have dropped dramatically. A lot of cruisers headed to Paris that morning either to Disneyland or the city. We watched them all and took some video. It was amazing how many busses were lined up. You're so right. what a bad experience to have on your very first port arrival.

That bus ride must have been a nightmare to deal with. Especially with the many families involved - way too much on children.

They should have upgraded everyone to VIP access to all the rides at that point and refunded those that paid the VIP experience the difference. I hope your group was taken care of upon your return.

I'm so glad we're talking about this along with everything else. Incredible.

oh gosh Im soo sorry this was your first experience of Disneyland Paris and your first shore excursion on Magic I did try to warn people in the cruise meets threads before hand, I knew it would be a nightmare transit wise, the distance involved added to the French traffic / motorway system. I usually get the shuttle bus from Charles de Gaulle airport. The advertised time is 40 minutes but it has taken 90 minutes. The last time I took the bus back to the airport from Disney, there was an accident on the motorway and the traffic was down to one lane. People on the bus who had not allowed for delays and traffic were getting anxious that they would miss their flight.

French traffic seems worse than London traffic. It's a shame because with kids, I know this would have been one of the excursions families were really looking forward too. Disney in Paris! What a great way to kick off a vacation. They're really going to have to figure this out in the future. It's sounds like such a wonderful idea but logistics seem to be a major problem driving in and around the city. Another plus for that Eurostar! (you don't know how much we want to try that out)

 

[85glht]

I too remember the joy seeing the Magic in Dover- and you are right, that joy stayed with us the whole cruise. I felt so lucky to be there the whole time - so blessed! The port sendoffs really reinforced that feeling of great blessings.

As for taking the train to Disneyland Paris, that would have been a much better plan! We did the Disneyland Paris excursion from Le Havre, and I would categorically NOT recommend it. It was really our only disappointing day of the whole 12 day cruise. And not because of Disneyland Paris, of course, which was beautiful and fun! But because it took us almost 5 hours in the bus each way!!!! The tour guide said 3 when we got on the bus- the shore excursion description said 3, but it took us 5 hours both ways! Which meant we had about 5 hours by the time we got there, in 2 parks =(! AND we had to eat during that time. They had to hold the ship for us on our return. It was frustrating and not the best way to start our first shore excursion. A very, very long day! But we really did make the most of our 5 hours in Disneyland and loved being there! Live and learn!

This was the complaint of our table mates also... Too long of a bus ride to get to Disneyland Paris.... maybe DCL should offer the train to DLP instead of buses.

 

[JenTen1585]

When we got back, we did complain to the shore excursion desk, but surprisingly for Disney, they did not take ownership of the delay. They said they cannot account for traffic when we argued that the shore excursion was falsely advertised with regard to transportation times. I think I can say this was the only time Disney did not take care of a disappointing situation. And if it was only 5 hours one way, that would indicate to me we hit surprising traffic. But the fact that the trip took about the same both ways at different times of the day would indicate to me that they vastly underestimated the time to travel there, regardless of the traffic.

But I will say that the rest of the trip was fabulous and while I have one complaint (or caution really) on a shore excursion much later in the trip, I had many, many fabulous shore excursions through Disney. I would just caution people not to take the Disneyland Paris one from Le Havre.

I will also say that even though we only had 5 hours in the parks, if you asked my 8 year old daughter any time during the 12 day cruise what her favorite excursion was, she would answer Disneyland Paris. So to her, it was worth the bus ride.

Now if you ask her what her favorite part of the trip, other than the ship (which is actually her favorite) was, she will answer with Harry Potter Studios, which we did after we got off the ship on our last day in London.

 

[poison ivy]

This cruise has been on my bucket list since it was first announced a couple of years ago. However, both years it has completely booked on the first day of bookings for Gold and platinum CC levels. Some rooms seem to open up as final payment / last day to cancel dates hit, but in reading this I am thinking that is too late for all of the planning that needs to go into this cruise. As I am only at the silver CC level, I don’t think I will be able to get on this one until after I get higher on the CC levels to get first day booking.

JQ keeps checking the b2b and as much as we really want to go he keeps turning it down for a lot of reasons but the main one is the cabin availability. Only GTY left for cat 9B which is the only way we'd do this again. It's so much more affordable than a balcony. This is such a popular cruise, they weren't offering any port upgrades by the time we checked in either.

There are cabins available right now but they're not the best selection nor the most affordable for this type of commitment. I don't know what the opening day prices were. I know we booked early but I can't remember exactly when.

I hope Disney keeps sailing the British Isles and expands it with even more itineraries in the future. But even if you wait this one out, you'll get there. That's how we feel about going back.

This was the complaint of our table mates also... Too long of a bus ride to get to Disneyland Paris.... maybe DCL should offer the train to DLP instead of buses.

There must have been a ton of complaints. So many cruisers ventured into Paris that day. The train sounds like a great solution.

 

[poison ivy]

When we got back, we did complain to the shore excursion desk, but surprisingly for Disney, they did not take ownership of the delay. They said they cannot account for traffic when we argued that the shore excursion was falsely advertised with regard to transportation times. I think I can say this was the only time Disney did not take care of a disappointing situation. And if it was only 5 hours one way, that would indicate to me we hit surprising traffic. But the fact that the trip took about the same both ways at different times of the day would indicate to me that they vastly underestimated the time to travel there, regardless of the traffic.

But I will say that the rest of the trip was fabulous and while I have one complaint (or caution really) on a shore excursion much later in the trip, I had many, many fabulous shore excursions through Disney. I would just caution people not to take the Disneyland Paris one from Le Havre.

I will also say that even though we only had 5 hours in the parks, if you asked my 8 year old daughter any time during the 12 day cruise what her favorite excursion was, she would answer Disneyland Paris. So to her, it was worth the bus ride.

Now if you ask her what her favorite part of the trip, other than the ship (which is actually her favorite) was, she will answer with Harry Potter Studios, which we did after we got off the ship on our last day in London.

5 hrs both ways does seem to diffuse Disney's traffic delay argument. They really dropped the ball and should have taken care of this. I've read other situations where only with continuous complaints did the company finally step in and remedy a problem. This was such an obvious a failure on their part I don't know how far I would have taken issue with it.

I'm so glad your daughter had fun despite the long drive. Harry Potter and Disneyland sounds great to me!

 

[tink1970]

They should have listened to you. I would have trusted the judgement of a well seasoned traveler. 2h 15 is nothing compared to the amount of travel time we spent each day getting around on this cruise.

I know, right? It's not like I'm a newbie

I'm serious about taking the Eurostar though. Prices were decent if you book early and research the schedule for express trains. This could easily be worked into any Dover cruise.

It's a very nice experience. Of course I have a tiny bladder and get restless so any conveyance that gets me from Point A to Point B with a potty and aisles to walk up and down I'm pretty fond of Plus my passport has cute trains next to the stamps. So there's that

 

[poison ivy]

Disney Magic
July 9, 2017
British Isles Embarkation Day continues
(weather – sunny high 77 °F / 25 °C)

Dame Vera, famous for her 1942 classic The White Cliffs of Dover, said: "Those iconic white cliffs mean a great deal to so many people. They were often the first sight of home for our brave boys as they returned from war, and they continue to represent important British ideals such as hope and resilience even in the most difficult of times.”

Welcome to Dover!

But don’t let those beautiful white cliffs and stately castle fool you.

Dover is a major port and critical thoroughfare between England and the rest of Europe.

stock photo 1


As one of the world’s busiest ports, with ferries serving destinations all over Europe, the southern England town of Dover is the first stop on many visitors’ itineraries. Those approaching from sea will spot the iconic White Cliffs of Dover long before they reach the shore and the towering 300-foot-tall sea cliffs are undoubtedly the town’s main attraction. Famous for their gleaming white rock, a natural chalk formed from crushed sea shell fragments over billions of years, walking atop the 10-mile-long cliffs affords spectacular views across the English channel.

The landmark cliffs aren’t Dover’s only point of interest – the town’s strategic position at the ‘Gateway to Europe’ has made it an important center for the British navy and the town nurtures a long military history. Along with the medieval stronghold of Dover Castle, other sights include a series of underground WWII tunnels, a National memorial to the Battle of Britain, the sprawling ruins of the ports’ 18th and 19th century fortification walls, and the Dover Museum, home to one of Britain’s last remaining Bronze Age boats.

So much history surrounded by so much grandeur.



We didn’t stay in Dover, nor did we do any sightseeing, so I can’t help much in that area.

But this link is a great resource for anyone planning a visit.
Tourism website: http://www.whitecliffscountry.org.uk/Home.aspx

There are a few hotels right at the harbor –



but none are in close enough proximity to the cruise pier to walk IMO.

stock photo 2


So here we are pulling into the western pier for the cruise terminals.

Looking back at terminal security gate



Not sure if these are cruisers but they were walking along the pier toward our terminal.



Disney uses Terminal 2



Again, it’s pretty far from everything.



much more to come.

 

[poison ivy]

Disney Magic
July 9, 2017
British Isles Embarkation Day
(weather – sunny high 77 °F / 25 °C)

It was easy and convenient to travel via a DCL chartered coach to the Dover cruise terminal.










But using DCL transfers can cut both ways.





The biggest pro is the Disney Guarantee.





The biggest con is the Port Arrival Time. (PAT)
(actual time we arrived)



If your goal is to board the ship early, this may not be the mode of transport for you. (with the exception of same day airport arrivals)
As you can see by that clock, our bus coming from a DCL airport hotel did not arrive until 1:45pm – well beyond 11:30am when they started calling numbers to board.

The problem with this setup wasn’t taking the bus. It was how late we got on the ship. 2+ hours behind the regular boarding is a lifetime if you’re hoping to resolve or reserve something onboard you weren’t able to book online.

The company does this intentionally. Their mission is to have the Disney hotel transfer guest arrive with no waiting involved.






continued in the next post

 

[Johnny Quest]

Next time we will take a train from London or probably spend the pre-cruise night in Dover. I would love to explore the castle and cliffs.

 

[poison ivy]

Disney Magic
July 9, 2017
British Isles Embarkation Day
(weather – sunny high 77 °F / 25 °C)

continued from last post..........

Disney intentionally coordinates their DCL transfer arrival times at Dover to minimize the wait inside the terminal and guarantee stateroom availability as soon as you board the ship.

Simply walk on in
(this was our group only)




and proceed right to check-in







Seemed like nobody was around.



until we entered the check-in area




security went pretty quick (this is where you complete the health questionnaire as well)




there were 3 screening stations set up



looking back toward that area (kids club signups next to the welcome to Kent banner on left)



Here's a better picture of the club signups. Café is straight ahead with ship entrance just beyond it.



We decided to skip the Castaway Club line and lined up with the new cruisers in the "guest check-in" section.




Next up: check-in takes our passports

 

[tink1970]

Our experience was so different...swarms of people; an employee was limiting how many could go up the stairs at once; I didn't realize there were places to sit. It was chaotic and full in the terminal. Funny the difference 12 days makes

I suspect 3 DCL buses arriving (sans comfort stop) simultaneously didn't help the situation.

The terminal looks very nice not overflowing with people. I honestly didn't see the purple benches for seating-that's how packed the place was.

 

[JenTen1585]

My experience was that we arrived at the terminal around 10:45 am (we took the train from St. Pancreas which as I said earlier in the thread was easy and fantastic)! Even arriving at 10:45, I didn't experience hardly any wait at all. The terminal seemed busy, but not packed. We checked in in about 5 minutes, gave them our passports (we were prepared that was going to happen and had color copies in our luggage and carry ons). Then we got my daughter's wristband for the kid's club in another 5 minutes. Next, we waited in the line to get the Mickey and Minney embarkation photo (about 10 minutes I would say). You can take the photo on the way on the ship - they separate you into two lines - those who want a photo and those who do not. Since we already took a photo, we saved time and went in the those who do not line.

So now it's a little after 11am, so we went to a little snack bar in the terminal and we got two blueberry muffins to share. We knew we would be eating soon on the ship, but we were hungry and it was a great way to relax and kill time. We sat at a little table and ate our muffins and people watched. I love to look at people's clothes and luggage! Anyways, around 11:30, they started calling groups. We were only 2nd time cruisers and not staying in any fancy room (just an interior room), so we were just general boarding. We had a slip that told us our group. It didn't take long though. By 11:45am, our group was called and we were walking on board!

Ahhh..... nothing better than the feeling at the start of an amazing vacation! It makes me sad and nostalgic to think about it! I can't wait to have that feeling again! I need to plan another trip soon!!!

 

[poison ivy]

It's a very nice experience. Of course I have a tiny bladder and get restless so any conveyance that gets me from Point A to Point B with a potty and aisles to walk up and down I'm pretty fond of Plus my passport has cute trains next to the stamps. So there's that

Sounds perfect. I just love the whole idea of taking an express train between London and Paris in less than 2 1/2 hrs. I really hope we get to do this someday.

Next time we will take a train from London or probably spend the pre-cruise night in Dover. I would love to explore the castle and cliffs.

I'm in. Let's go!

 

[mmmears]

Please hurry up and get to the ship! I can't wait any longer! (I hope you understand that I'm joking - I am really looking forward to the rest of your trip report and also enjoying your posts so far! )

 

[85glht]

When we arrived, the port was busy but as soon as all our checking in was done, we were able to board the ship and go get lunch at Cabanas. Can’t wait to see the rest of your photos to see if we just happened to be in them, lol.

 

[poison ivy]

Our experience was so different...swarms of people; an employee was limiting how many could go up the stairs at once; I didn't realize there were places to sit. It was chaotic and full in the terminal. Funny the difference 12 days makes

I suspect 3 DCL buses arriving (sans comfort stop) simultaneously didn't help the situation.

The terminal looks very nice not overflowing with people. I honestly didn't see the purple benches for seating-that's how packed the place was.

That's amazing how different your DCL transfer experience was from the Grosvenor compared to ours from the Sofitel. It shouldn't have mattered that you cruised right after ours. Do you remember what time you arrived at the port? I'm wondering if that whole not stopping at the rest area situation, put you in the middle of the peak entry times at the terminal. They should have a standard operating procedure for this.

They staggered our 3 busses to arrive within 10-15 mins of one another. The orange Goofy bus #1 - had just finished up with the luggage and was pulling away as our bus #2 group was just starting walk in.

But we seemed to be at the tail end of a large amount of people when we checked in. A lot more than those 55 people from bus #1 weaving through the queues. Not sure where they all came from but you'll see what I'm talking about when I show the pics. It may have been what remained of all the London busses getting dropped off ahead of us.

They seem to be bringing us all in around 1pm and later.

 

[tink1970]

That's amazing how different your DCL transfer experience was from the Grosvenor compared to ours from the Sofitel. It shouldn't have mattered that you cruised right after ours. Do you remember what time you arrived at the port? I'm wondering if that whole not stopping at the rest area situation, put you in the middle of the peak entry times at the terminal. They should have a standard operating procedure for this.

Totally agree! I think we left around 10 and arrived at 12:30 or so. Maybe they try to stagger busses but since traffic out of the city was bad it threw them off-which can happen, I understand!

Did you enjoy the 12 day length? I think I'd love a longer cruise whereas DH is more reluctant.

 

[poison ivy]

My experience was that we arrived at the terminal around 10:45 am (we took the train from St. Pancreas which as I said earlier in the thread was easy and fantastic)! Even arriving at 10:45, I didn't experience hardly any wait at all. The terminal seemed busy, but not packed. We checked in in about 5 minutes, gave them our passports (we were prepared that was going to happen and had color copies in our luggage and carry ons). Then we got my daughter's wristband for the kid's club in another 5 minutes. Next, we waited in the line to get the Mickey and Minney embarkation photo (about 10 minutes I would say). You can take the photo on the way on the ship - they separate you into two lines - those who want a photo and those who do not. Since we already took a photo, we saved time and went in the those who do not line.

So now it's a little after 11am, so we went to a little snack bar in the terminal and we got two blueberry muffins to share. We knew we would be eating soon on the ship, but we were hungry and it was a great way to relax and kill time. We sat at a little table and ate our muffins and people watched. I love to look at people's clothes and luggage! Anyways, around 11:30, they started calling groups. We were only 2nd time cruisers and not staying in any fancy room (just an interior room), so we were just general boarding. We had a slip that told us our group. It didn't take long though. By 11:45am, our group was called and we were walking on board!

Ahhh..... nothing better than the feeling at the start of an amazing vacation! It makes me sad and nostalgic to think about it! I can't wait to have that feeling again! I need to plan another trip soon!!!

You really planned well. Can't beat the timing with that express train on the St. Pancras line in getting to the port early.
Rail or private hire seem to be the only way to arrive ahead of time from the London area hotels. Your morning at the terminal is exactly what I'd want if we get to cruise from here again.

What a beautiful photo! You guys look really great and so happy and carefree. I'll have to find ours. It's a mess but I kept it. All this rush rush rush with JQ and IM. Too funny.

Mickey was not out in the terminal area for pics while we were there - you could only pose with him for the embarkation photo as you proceeded to the ship.
Wonder if this was something unique they do during that wait between the terminal opening and just prior to calling the passenger numbers.

To be given the option of a character photo op right before you board is one of the many things to love about this cruise.

You were on that ship more than 2 hrs ahead of us. so jealous! It was all aboard by the time we got there.

 

[poison ivy]

Please hurry up and get to the ship! I can't wait any longer! (I hope you understand that I'm joking - I am really looking forward to the rest of your trip report and also enjoying your posts so far! )

Too funny! Love it. We're finally here. So happy you are too. Ship is coming right up. What a cruise!

When we arrived, the port was busy but as soon as all our checking in was done, we were able to board the ship and go get lunch at Cabanas. Can’t wait to see the rest of your photos to see if we just happened to be in them, lol.

With all the stuff we did, it would be so great to have you in a photo somewhere. I'll keep them coming! You guys were among the earliest via DCL to get there. I think we were way behind almost every bus when we finally got onboard.

Totally agree! I think we left around 10 and arrived at 12:30 or so. Maybe they try to stagger busses but since traffic out of the city was bad it threw them off-which can happen, I understand!

Did you enjoy the 12 day length? I think I'd love a longer cruise whereas DH is more reluctant.

They may have been timing you to walk on right at 1pm when the rooms opened up but got caught in a wave of arrivals and anxious cruisers all trying to board at the same time.
You were well ahead of us in getting there.

I was hesitant about the 12 day length. We had never cruised beyond a 7nt and this was a big uncertainty going in. Well that concern was completely unfounded. This cruise flew by. No kidding. It's so full with that itinerary, I felt like we had less time than any other cruise we'd been on if that makes sense. (and this was our 8th Disney cruise)

We've never done Europe. We did a 7nt Alaskan, a 4nt NE cruise out of NYC, 1 western and 1 eastern Caribbean and 3 4nt Bahamian cruises.

This was the best one so far. We really loved it. Never felt the 12nts except as they were dwindling down since we hated for this cruise to end.
We won't hesitate to book a longer European cruise again. They are a great choice if you can manage it.

The hardest part for us is the dining room routine. Sometimes you just want to mix it up more and eat wherever whatever but of course not everything can be open or available at all times.