Originally posted by jlawall
We need details!!!!!!!! How was the weather? What did you do on the ship!!!!!!!!!!Welcome home!!!!!!!!!!
Jlawall--
Interesting that you should be among the first to post on this thread! Why? Well, I attempted to log onto the Dis Boards from the Magic on Tuesday and I discovered that you were still logged in on the computer that I was using. I tried several times to log you out but was very unsucsessful!
Everyone--
The weather was absolutely gorgeous the entire trip. It was very hot and humid in Key West, exceptionally hot in Grand Cayman, and equally as hot in Cozumel. We only saw rain once, during our stay at
Castaway Cay. The rain was coming down pretty hard for about 45 minutes to an hour but there was no lightning or thunder. So, we just got in the water and played! Jacqui, the Cruise Director on our cruise, referred to this as Liquid Sunshine and I think she was right! (BTW, Jacqui informed us that she will be on the Magic for quite some time to come. Which is absolutely GREAT because I think she's the BEST!)
Some highlights from the Disney Magic:
* We saw the adult Dueling Pianos on several occasions and I can now appreciate Rae's ranting and raving about Fidelio and Anton. I had encountered Dueling Pianos on my other Disney Magic cruises and was not at all impressed but these two performers did an outstanding job! I only hope that Disney doesn't do away with them and their show. However, from comments made by the two performers and others on the ship, it seems that my wish might not come true.
* The new menu at Palo's is really outstanding. Excellent variety and everything that I tasted was outstanding!!!
* On Monday we attended Disney's Navigator Series "Art of the Ship Tour." Our host was Que and he did an outstanding job of highlighting some of the little-known facts about the Disney Magic and
Disney Cruise Lines. He also stated that at this time plans for a third ship had been finalized although no information concerning a name, itinerary, time frame were known. However, he did make mention that "Disney Dreams" would be a good fit for a third vessel. (As a note to this: Later on in the week, during the
Castaway Club Reception, Captain Tom said that no plans for fleet expansion had been made at this time.)
* It is hereby CONFIRMED that the "Beverage Coolers" in the staterooms are indeed mini-refrigerators! On Friday evening I witnessed four of these units being taken down our deck hall. The backs of the units were facing out and they have fans, condensation coils, and cooling units.
* As has been mentioned, the 24-Hour Beverage Station is no more! It is regularly closed off each night. I'm not sure of what time this takes place but it was always closed by midnight.
* The 50's Sock Hop has been replaced with a 60's Dance Party. They hang up a huge UK flag in Rockin' Bar D and hand out those glow-cords for people to wear on their heads. They said this was only the third week for the replacement.
* Our service team (Server: Philip, Assistant Server: Shantol, and Stateroom Host: Elmer) were all fantastic, as was the cast as a whole.
* The $400.00 onboard credit IS in effect for only the new Eastern Itineraries. We booked the September 4th, 2004 Eastern with ports of call of San Juan and St. Thomas. This was $799.00 for category 11 on deck 7. We hope to book the week before or the week after this date when they release the Florida Resident rates so that we can sail on back-to-backs.
Some highlights from the ports of call:
* In Key West we visited the Hemingway House and the Key West Historical Museum. Both were great. We also strolled along Duval Street which seemed to be especially dirty, smelly, and obnoxious this time around.
* Stingray City is a must. Great fun to watch everyone scream and thrash around in the water.
* Chankanaab seems like a nice place to visit. However, you can probably do this on your own rather than through Disney. Admission is $20 per adult and a taxi to the park from the ship was $13 (with $3 tip) for 3 people. We got there rather late and would have enjoyed spending more time at the facility. They have quite a bit to do (most of it at additional cost) such as miniature golf, shows, scuba and snorkeling equipment for rent, lots of bars, lost of loungers, nature trails, botanical gardens, etc. One thing to note: We didn't realize that their are no "sand" beaches here. Just rocky cliff. If you are looking for someplace to wade or walk along the shore, forget it. Once you're in the water the depth drops off very quickly and you either tread water or stand on the not-so-comfortable rocks.
* Many people were complaining about the weather at Castaway Cay. I really enjoyed the rain shower that we experienced and it didn't negatively affect my visit in any way. I heard some people demand a refund due to the rain on the island. Thankfully, the Cast Members at Guest Services smiled and said, um, "no."
I'll post more soon. (Including info on our Dis Meets!) Any questions?
The August 16th Dis group was GREAT and made the cruise that much more Magical!!! 
