We just returned from the July 1st western on the Magic and it was wonderful.
We flew down on Friday and stayed at the Embassy Suites. Definitely a good idea to arrive a day ahead. We were picked up at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday by FL Tours. The driver came early for us and even had Disney dvd's for the kids to watch during the ride. We Would use this company again.
Arrived at the port just before 10:00. Check-in was a breeze with no lines because of early arrival. We recieved boarding #2. It was great hearing our names announced as we boarded!
We immediately went to Rockin Bar D to change our Palo reservation with no problem. If you can't get a reservation online, you can get one when you get on the ship. We were also able to change our dining rotation. This is why it's good to arrive early if possible. We were told our room would be ready at 1:30, so we had lunch at Topsiders, explored the ship, and let the kids explore the oceaneer lab for a while. We found a great spot on deck to watch the shuttle launch, but it was scrubbed. I guess some things are out of Disney's control.
The room was ready right on schedule, and the luggage followed shortly after. We had the early dinner seating at 5:45. It was good for the kids, but a little later would have been better. Our dining rotation was PLA. Our servers were Sachin and Gigi. They were fantastic! Very attentive and doting over the kids. They knew us by name by the end of our first seating. Sachin would personally greet us at the restaurant entrance and escort us to our table. By the end of the week we felt like we were leaving good friends. The food was very good, some things better than others. Sachin was always bringing extra entree's and desserts whether we ordered them or not. While on board, it was my neice's birthday and they brought her a beautiful cake, had her stand on the chair and serenaded her with happy birthday. Dinner on some nights also came with entertainment from the servers! Pirate night was fun, with the servers and guests doing the limbo in the dining room! They provide bandanas at dinner for Pirate night, but I would suggest bringing additional pirate garb at least for the kids(adults too) because they do take pictures before dinner. The Animator's Palate dinner show was wonderful. It included characters, music and the famous "color change". It was fun to dress up on formal night. Mostly everyone we saw got into the spirit of the evening, including many in tuxedo's and gowns. Pictures were taken before dinner. I would recommend arriving at least 1/2 hour early for this. The farewell dinner was sad, as we had to say goodbye to our serving team. All of the servers paraded around the dining room with flags of the world to "It's a small world". The guests stood and cheered for their servers. It was a lot of fun.
Do not miss dining at Palo! It is an amazing experience. If possible, ask for Marco as your server. There is no one better. He brought 7 entrees and 7 desserts for only 4 of us. Dining was 2&1/2 hours and we enjoyed every minute of it. Our travel agent from AAA sent us a bottle of Merlot and we enjoyed it with dinner. The best meal of the week by far!
Our room host Benny, kept our room spotless and our kids entertained with his amazing towel animals. Anything we needed he provided. No matter what time we were coming in and out, we saw him close-by. We don't know if he ever slept?
Night time entertainment shows were good and not to be missed. Michael Harrison the ventriloquist was hilarious, my kids loved him. We all laughed so hard. We also saw Rich Purpura do the family show and adult comedy show. Both were hilarious. The Golden Mickey's, Twice Charmed, and the farewell show were all great too. There were always character greets all around the ship from morning to night. There was also a character breakfast where they came to each and every table for pictures and autographs. The pirate night party was okay with a 45 minute dance party out on deck, followed by
fireworks and a late night buffet.
Key West was brutally hot, humid and over crowded. We decided not to book an excursion but just walk around on our own. It was hard for the kids to walk around in the heat. The dads did make it to the southern most point on foot, but it was a much longer walk than the locals would have you believe. Stick to Duval street for good shopping.
Next was Grand Cayman. This is the place for more high end shopping. We booked the seven-mile beach break excursion and really enjoyed it. You are provided by Disney with chairs , umbrellas, and towels, on a private beach area. Lunch was not included , but there was an outdoor eatery just steps away, right on the beach. Sandwiches, hot dogs, sodas for 4, ran us $50. Ouch! The beach was beautiful ,though. It was a 3 hour excursion.
We decided to do Cozumel on our own, just some shopping and walking. We did not like it. Very aggressive vendors. You couldn't even stop to look at something without being constantly harrassed to buy. A sightseeing excursion probably would have been better time spent.
Castaway Cay was great. Beautiful beach, and a great lunch provided by Cookies. We rented floats and lounged in the water for hours. Be sure to re-apply your sunscreen as we all burned a little. My kids loved seeing the Flying Dutchman.
The kids spent very little time in the clubs as there was a little too much "free time". Although, they did enjoy making flubber and going on a scavenger hunt. I think they enjoyed the pools and slide the best.
There was always something going on throughout the day and night. A lot of activities for everyone. The navigator is very valuable to help you plan your day. We carried it with us and highlighted what we wanted to do that day.
Disney made July 4th fun with a special menu and the Captain coming into the dining room to lead a champagne toast. There was also a 4th of July deck party featuring the characters in patriotic costumes. It put us in the spirit of the day. Overall, the entire staff made us feel like v.i.p.s. The ship was spotless. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. This trip exceeded all of our expectations as Disney always does. Can't wait to go back!
We flew down on Friday and stayed at the Embassy Suites. Definitely a good idea to arrive a day ahead. We were picked up at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday by FL Tours. The driver came early for us and even had Disney dvd's for the kids to watch during the ride. We Would use this company again.
Arrived at the port just before 10:00. Check-in was a breeze with no lines because of early arrival. We recieved boarding #2. It was great hearing our names announced as we boarded!
We immediately went to Rockin Bar D to change our Palo reservation with no problem. If you can't get a reservation online, you can get one when you get on the ship. We were also able to change our dining rotation. This is why it's good to arrive early if possible. We were told our room would be ready at 1:30, so we had lunch at Topsiders, explored the ship, and let the kids explore the oceaneer lab for a while. We found a great spot on deck to watch the shuttle launch, but it was scrubbed. I guess some things are out of Disney's control.
The room was ready right on schedule, and the luggage followed shortly after. We had the early dinner seating at 5:45. It was good for the kids, but a little later would have been better. Our dining rotation was PLA. Our servers were Sachin and Gigi. They were fantastic! Very attentive and doting over the kids. They knew us by name by the end of our first seating. Sachin would personally greet us at the restaurant entrance and escort us to our table. By the end of the week we felt like we were leaving good friends. The food was very good, some things better than others. Sachin was always bringing extra entree's and desserts whether we ordered them or not. While on board, it was my neice's birthday and they brought her a beautiful cake, had her stand on the chair and serenaded her with happy birthday. Dinner on some nights also came with entertainment from the servers! Pirate night was fun, with the servers and guests doing the limbo in the dining room! They provide bandanas at dinner for Pirate night, but I would suggest bringing additional pirate garb at least for the kids(adults too) because they do take pictures before dinner. The Animator's Palate dinner show was wonderful. It included characters, music and the famous "color change". It was fun to dress up on formal night. Mostly everyone we saw got into the spirit of the evening, including many in tuxedo's and gowns. Pictures were taken before dinner. I would recommend arriving at least 1/2 hour early for this. The farewell dinner was sad, as we had to say goodbye to our serving team. All of the servers paraded around the dining room with flags of the world to "It's a small world". The guests stood and cheered for their servers. It was a lot of fun.
Do not miss dining at Palo! It is an amazing experience. If possible, ask for Marco as your server. There is no one better. He brought 7 entrees and 7 desserts for only 4 of us. Dining was 2&1/2 hours and we enjoyed every minute of it. Our travel agent from AAA sent us a bottle of Merlot and we enjoyed it with dinner. The best meal of the week by far!
Our room host Benny, kept our room spotless and our kids entertained with his amazing towel animals. Anything we needed he provided. No matter what time we were coming in and out, we saw him close-by. We don't know if he ever slept?
Night time entertainment shows were good and not to be missed. Michael Harrison the ventriloquist was hilarious, my kids loved him. We all laughed so hard. We also saw Rich Purpura do the family show and adult comedy show. Both were hilarious. The Golden Mickey's, Twice Charmed, and the farewell show were all great too. There were always character greets all around the ship from morning to night. There was also a character breakfast where they came to each and every table for pictures and autographs. The pirate night party was okay with a 45 minute dance party out on deck, followed by
fireworks and a late night buffet.
Key West was brutally hot, humid and over crowded. We decided not to book an excursion but just walk around on our own. It was hard for the kids to walk around in the heat. The dads did make it to the southern most point on foot, but it was a much longer walk than the locals would have you believe. Stick to Duval street for good shopping.
Next was Grand Cayman. This is the place for more high end shopping. We booked the seven-mile beach break excursion and really enjoyed it. You are provided by Disney with chairs , umbrellas, and towels, on a private beach area. Lunch was not included , but there was an outdoor eatery just steps away, right on the beach. Sandwiches, hot dogs, sodas for 4, ran us $50. Ouch! The beach was beautiful ,though. It was a 3 hour excursion.
We decided to do Cozumel on our own, just some shopping and walking. We did not like it. Very aggressive vendors. You couldn't even stop to look at something without being constantly harrassed to buy. A sightseeing excursion probably would have been better time spent.
Castaway Cay was great. Beautiful beach, and a great lunch provided by Cookies. We rented floats and lounged in the water for hours. Be sure to re-apply your sunscreen as we all burned a little. My kids loved seeing the Flying Dutchman.
The kids spent very little time in the clubs as there was a little too much "free time". Although, they did enjoy making flubber and going on a scavenger hunt. I think they enjoyed the pools and slide the best.
There was always something going on throughout the day and night. A lot of activities for everyone. The navigator is very valuable to help you plan your day. We carried it with us and highlighted what we wanted to do that day.
Disney made July 4th fun with a special menu and the Captain coming into the dining room to lead a champagne toast. There was also a 4th of July deck party featuring the characters in patriotic costumes. It put us in the spirit of the day. Overall, the entire staff made us feel like v.i.p.s. The ship was spotless. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. This trip exceeded all of our expectations as Disney always does. Can't wait to go back!
Oh well, back to the dirty real world 
the Flying Dutchman, and the weather. 
pun intented
We went there for the 12:01 showing, and it was just so awesome! It was very dark and totally left you hanging. We were going to get a seat at about 1130, and my dad went up to just check it out at about 1100 and it was already about 3/4 full! So we hurried up there and got good seats. It was just amazing to see that as not only one of the first people in the world, but also for free! 
