Judging by the number of views and comments I'm thinking I was a bit too long winded 
So here's the short version
We sailed on the Disney Magic, February 3rd-10th, with myself, DH, DD3 and DS2(almost).
I thought the ship was beautiful and very much what I had expected. I loved the Disney touches including the mouse motif, the disney music playing in the hallways (I had that Parent Trap "Let's get together" song in my head for most of the trip!), the Mickey waffles and ice cream bars etc etc.
I was really impressed with the number and availability of the characters - I was really only expecting a few and I think we must have met over 20. The line ups were reasonable and other than the character breakfast which cwas really rushed, most had time to snap a few shots.
We all enjoyed the shows, with Disney Dreams being my favourite, my DD and I saw both the matinee and evening performance. They were the perfect length for the children to sit through - although my youngest did get quite fidgety and was playing in the aisles by the end of the each show.
The ports of call were fine, I had been on two eastern cruises so we decided not to do any excursions. In St. Martin we took a cab to the closest beach, rented a couple chairs and the kids played in the sand. We had lunch at a nearby restaurant (The Greenhouse???). The food there was good, we shared a plate of natchos and fries and the some fried plantains for dessert. I also picked up a couple tropical outfits for the kids at a nearby shop for $5 each. We stayed on the boat in St. Thomas as DH was not feeling well. Castaway Cay was everything I had hoped for - the weather was absolutely perfect, the BBQ was great, the kids loved dancing to the music - we all agree that was the best day of the trip. I tried the banana boat ride which was alright - wasn't as "thrilling" as I had hoped - I felt like I was trying to keep sea water out of my contacts and mouth for 15 minutes - I definitely recommend goggles!
The dining experience - I enjoyed the rotation dining, with Parrot Cay being my favourite of the restaurants (I had thought I would like the others more but I just felt this one the most comfortable). I particularily enjoyed out assistant server who went out of her way to keep the kids happy. Her name was Anastasia. The food was my main problem on the trip. I was seriously disappointed. I had read reviews on here and was a bit worried. I love to eat, and I love food, I wouldn't call myself particularily picky by any means. I just felt the food was bland. I'm also a big vegetable eater and I felt those were an after thought - brocolli that had been steamed/boiled for about 20 seconds and thrown on a plate. The salads I tried (3 in total) were dry and uninspired. The beef wasn't tender, the sauces were boring, the lobster was overcooked. There closest I got to taste was the jerk chicken on pirate night and even that was toned down. I understand they need to please 3000 people but one or two more exotic dishes each night would have been nice. The things that were good, the bread, fruit and desserts I barely ate. We had to stop bringing the bread after the first night when my son ate four buns before the main course and wanted to get down, the desserts I only got to try two because the kids were going crazy before the end of the meal. After three days of us skipping dessert and me barely touching my entree I would have expected the server to say something but they didn't. I finally asked one evening when DH didn't join me if they could speed up the meal so that the kids wouldn't be too restless. All they did was bring the kids meal at the very beginning, when before they had brought it with the adult's appetizer. So then I had kids finished before I even had my appetizer. There were a few meals I enjoyed including the burger in Lumiere's at lunch one day and the sirloin one evening at dinner. The topsider's lunch buffet which we went to twice was again disappointing, I made it through the line one day and didn't have anything on my plate. This was just a stark contrast to the RCCL cruise I went on a few years ago which was like eating at a 5 star restaurant nightly. I know part of the problem was dining with toddlers is never relaxing but even so, it just wasn't what I had hoped for.
I also didn't realize there was going to be a big buffet after the pirate party, had I known I would have saved an appetite as the food there looked quite good. Speaking of the pirate party, my DD and I went and we both enjoyed it and I thought the fireworks etc were really well done.
Before I forget, I ordered baskets from Shirley for both my kids and they were a real treat when we got to our rooms. They were big sandpails with toys and a few small treats as well as Disney themed beach towels. The kids used the toys both at the beaches we went to as well as nightly in their baths. I would most certainly recommend her.
Due to the fact that the kids weren't potty trained they were not allowed in the clubs by themselves, but we usually took them down daily for an hour or so to play on the slides etc. My kids are a bit shy about joining the group. They did love being in the club though.
Anyways, I hope my review wasn't too negative, we all had a good time and I think the main thing I will take away if I do it again is to wait a bit until the kids are older and can enjoy a 2 hour meal or be able to spend that time in the club.
Let me know if you have any questions.
So here's the short version
We sailed on the Disney Magic, February 3rd-10th, with myself, DH, DD3 and DS2(almost).
I thought the ship was beautiful and very much what I had expected. I loved the Disney touches including the mouse motif, the disney music playing in the hallways (I had that Parent Trap "Let's get together" song in my head for most of the trip!), the Mickey waffles and ice cream bars etc etc.
I was really impressed with the number and availability of the characters - I was really only expecting a few and I think we must have met over 20. The line ups were reasonable and other than the character breakfast which cwas really rushed, most had time to snap a few shots.
We all enjoyed the shows, with Disney Dreams being my favourite, my DD and I saw both the matinee and evening performance. They were the perfect length for the children to sit through - although my youngest did get quite fidgety and was playing in the aisles by the end of the each show.
The ports of call were fine, I had been on two eastern cruises so we decided not to do any excursions. In St. Martin we took a cab to the closest beach, rented a couple chairs and the kids played in the sand. We had lunch at a nearby restaurant (The Greenhouse???). The food there was good, we shared a plate of natchos and fries and the some fried plantains for dessert. I also picked up a couple tropical outfits for the kids at a nearby shop for $5 each. We stayed on the boat in St. Thomas as DH was not feeling well. Castaway Cay was everything I had hoped for - the weather was absolutely perfect, the BBQ was great, the kids loved dancing to the music - we all agree that was the best day of the trip. I tried the banana boat ride which was alright - wasn't as "thrilling" as I had hoped - I felt like I was trying to keep sea water out of my contacts and mouth for 15 minutes - I definitely recommend goggles!
The dining experience - I enjoyed the rotation dining, with Parrot Cay being my favourite of the restaurants (I had thought I would like the others more but I just felt this one the most comfortable). I particularily enjoyed out assistant server who went out of her way to keep the kids happy. Her name was Anastasia. The food was my main problem on the trip. I was seriously disappointed. I had read reviews on here and was a bit worried. I love to eat, and I love food, I wouldn't call myself particularily picky by any means. I just felt the food was bland. I'm also a big vegetable eater and I felt those were an after thought - brocolli that had been steamed/boiled for about 20 seconds and thrown on a plate. The salads I tried (3 in total) were dry and uninspired. The beef wasn't tender, the sauces were boring, the lobster was overcooked. There closest I got to taste was the jerk chicken on pirate night and even that was toned down. I understand they need to please 3000 people but one or two more exotic dishes each night would have been nice. The things that were good, the bread, fruit and desserts I barely ate. We had to stop bringing the bread after the first night when my son ate four buns before the main course and wanted to get down, the desserts I only got to try two because the kids were going crazy before the end of the meal. After three days of us skipping dessert and me barely touching my entree I would have expected the server to say something but they didn't. I finally asked one evening when DH didn't join me if they could speed up the meal so that the kids wouldn't be too restless. All they did was bring the kids meal at the very beginning, when before they had brought it with the adult's appetizer. So then I had kids finished before I even had my appetizer. There were a few meals I enjoyed including the burger in Lumiere's at lunch one day and the sirloin one evening at dinner. The topsider's lunch buffet which we went to twice was again disappointing, I made it through the line one day and didn't have anything on my plate. This was just a stark contrast to the RCCL cruise I went on a few years ago which was like eating at a 5 star restaurant nightly. I know part of the problem was dining with toddlers is never relaxing but even so, it just wasn't what I had hoped for.
I also didn't realize there was going to be a big buffet after the pirate party, had I known I would have saved an appetite as the food there looked quite good. Speaking of the pirate party, my DD and I went and we both enjoyed it and I thought the fireworks etc were really well done.
Before I forget, I ordered baskets from Shirley for both my kids and they were a real treat when we got to our rooms. They were big sandpails with toys and a few small treats as well as Disney themed beach towels. The kids used the toys both at the beaches we went to as well as nightly in their baths. I would most certainly recommend her.
Due to the fact that the kids weren't potty trained they were not allowed in the clubs by themselves, but we usually took them down daily for an hour or so to play on the slides etc. My kids are a bit shy about joining the group. They did love being in the club though.
Anyways, I hope my review wasn't too negative, we all had a good time and I think the main thing I will take away if I do it again is to wait a bit until the kids are older and can enjoy a 2 hour meal or be able to spend that time in the club.
Let me know if you have any questions.
I dont think you would of been so tired
