Well, we returned home a couple of days ago from our first Disney Cruise and we're exhausted. My kids are 4 & 7 and were probably up until around midnight every night. My 7-yr-old daughter wanted to go to Karaoke every night in Studio Sea and so my 4-yr-old so would request to go back to the Oceaneer Club from 10:30 - 11:45 (no we're no irresponsible parents, everyone was just having too much fun). I'll give a quick report to my highs and lows on the cruise (BTW, we've been on a RCL and a Carnival in the past and there were 17 in our group - my husband's entire family).
Highs:
- My kids loved the kids program. The 5-7s were separated during the day and were all over the ship in organized activities (be sure to check the Navigator regularly so you're not an a wild goose chase to find them).
- I felt very comfortable with the counselors who checked the wrist bands before and after as well as our KWW cards and checked our passwords against the computer. Sometimes a long wait to check in or out because they were being very thorough and I can get more inpatient than the kids.
- Cristian, our cruise director was wonderful. Very funny, informative and while he didn't get a chance to learn all of our names he new exactly which family we were with.
- Michelle who was the head waiter during our dinner rotation went above and beyond for us. Every night, she had a grilled cheese sandwich (without crust) brought up from another kitchen (which she picked up herself on several occasions) and she would come by our tables a few times each night to check on us and shmooze for a few minutes. Our waiters Raphael and Sladjana were very friendly and took care of the kids for us. If there was a menu item that I didn't care for - a new item was on the table for me within the matter of minutes (BTW - the best lamb I've ever had!). Service wasn't the fastest but we were a big group and it was nice not feeling rushed and gave us a chance to relax after everyone's busy days.
- Disney Dreams was by far the best show. Everyone in our group enjoyed it. We also like the hypnotist and the comedian (went to both the family and adult shows for them and I was hypnotized on stage - it was fun and yes, I remember everything).
- Palo was by far the best experiences we had on the ship. We had dinner on the 3rd night, brunch, and high tea. The food was excellent but the staff was even better. We love PJ (the manager) and he even had souffles made for us to go on our last night (when we weren't dining at Palo). The waiters were very knowledgeable and friendly and made everyone feel like they were regulars at the restaurant. Don't miss the blue cheese and pear pizza or the Lobster ravioli (pass on the risotto - it wasn't the best I've had and there was so many other items that stood out.
- In terms of excursions, we booked the Dolphin Swim in Cabo through Disney. Had a great time and it was VERY organized and the group leaders made sure that everyone had a chance to participate in everything they wanted to. Pictures were very expensive ($25 a piece). Would have been nice if you got one free photo with the price we spent on the excursion. We walked around Cabo after and took the kids to Cabo Wabo Cantina - live band, good food, great drinks - we had a blast (even the kids). In Mazatlan, we booked horseback riding with Randi's Happy Horses based on several recommendations. We had a great time and she even takes kids as young as 3 which were led by their own guides. In Puerto Vallarta, we went to the Krystal Hotel on our own and had some incredible massages (very inexpensive compared to LA prices). We found out that a lot of the staff from the Magic goes to the Krystal during their time off.
As for the negatives:
- We did the Rasul in the Vista Spa and it was TOO HOT (at least 120 or more) plus a pipe had broken so we had barely enough water to rinse the mud off ourselves. Because we didn't say anything until the end of the hour, they refunded us for half of the price and gave us free rainforest passes to come back the next day which was nice.
- Room service took about an hour one day with our food so our kids had to eat on the run while we were trying to make our Palo brunch reservation (my husband suggested that I call 20 minutes earlier so it was also my fault that we were rushed)
- I didn't win the $12,600 in Bingo (but three other people slip it so that would be on their positive list not mine)
- There were a few menu items that I didn't care for either because they had cream sauce or were a little too salty. But as I mentioned earlier, Raphael insisted on bringing me another entree that suited me better (and he did catch on to my likes and dislikes). so, I guess I can't complain to much about the food. While it wasn't the highest quality, it was a million times better than the food we had on Carnival.
- And when you're at the Character Breakfast, just remember that you're there for the kids and not the food (boring and cold). we were nervous because it was our first breakfast on the Magic but the other ones definitely raised the par.
Also, someone mentioned a problem at the Mickey pool the week before. At all times, we saw two staff members at the slide (one on top and one at the bottom) and they were very careful to not let anything happen this last week (my husband leaned over to take a photo of the kids coming down and was quickly asked to move aside to keep himself safe and not encourage the younger kids to copy). I heard that there was an accident in the Mickey pool and it was closed for several hours for cleaning. Someone said that they emptied it and thoroughly cleaned it out. By the way, they should not shoot streamers over the Goofy Pool when the deck is off. It turned the water different colors and my daughter had little pieces stuck to her when she got out (she thought that it was funny).
Well, that was my brief report. Just imagine what I could write if I had more time (we were gone for a week and was busy every day).
FYI - We made t-shirts for all 17 of us before the cruise through a web site called Custom Ink. They came out awesome and everyone was asking us about them.
And thank you to everyone that posted tips on this site they came in very handy. I actually bought a magnetic locker organizer from Staples for the back of our door which helped keep our cards and sunglasses in one place.
Highs:
- My kids loved the kids program. The 5-7s were separated during the day and were all over the ship in organized activities (be sure to check the Navigator regularly so you're not an a wild goose chase to find them).
- I felt very comfortable with the counselors who checked the wrist bands before and after as well as our KWW cards and checked our passwords against the computer. Sometimes a long wait to check in or out because they were being very thorough and I can get more inpatient than the kids.
- Cristian, our cruise director was wonderful. Very funny, informative and while he didn't get a chance to learn all of our names he new exactly which family we were with.
- Michelle who was the head waiter during our dinner rotation went above and beyond for us. Every night, she had a grilled cheese sandwich (without crust) brought up from another kitchen (which she picked up herself on several occasions) and she would come by our tables a few times each night to check on us and shmooze for a few minutes. Our waiters Raphael and Sladjana were very friendly and took care of the kids for us. If there was a menu item that I didn't care for - a new item was on the table for me within the matter of minutes (BTW - the best lamb I've ever had!). Service wasn't the fastest but we were a big group and it was nice not feeling rushed and gave us a chance to relax after everyone's busy days.
- Disney Dreams was by far the best show. Everyone in our group enjoyed it. We also like the hypnotist and the comedian (went to both the family and adult shows for them and I was hypnotized on stage - it was fun and yes, I remember everything).
- Palo was by far the best experiences we had on the ship. We had dinner on the 3rd night, brunch, and high tea. The food was excellent but the staff was even better. We love PJ (the manager) and he even had souffles made for us to go on our last night (when we weren't dining at Palo). The waiters were very knowledgeable and friendly and made everyone feel like they were regulars at the restaurant. Don't miss the blue cheese and pear pizza or the Lobster ravioli (pass on the risotto - it wasn't the best I've had and there was so many other items that stood out.
- In terms of excursions, we booked the Dolphin Swim in Cabo through Disney. Had a great time and it was VERY organized and the group leaders made sure that everyone had a chance to participate in everything they wanted to. Pictures were very expensive ($25 a piece). Would have been nice if you got one free photo with the price we spent on the excursion. We walked around Cabo after and took the kids to Cabo Wabo Cantina - live band, good food, great drinks - we had a blast (even the kids). In Mazatlan, we booked horseback riding with Randi's Happy Horses based on several recommendations. We had a great time and she even takes kids as young as 3 which were led by their own guides. In Puerto Vallarta, we went to the Krystal Hotel on our own and had some incredible massages (very inexpensive compared to LA prices). We found out that a lot of the staff from the Magic goes to the Krystal during their time off.
As for the negatives:
- We did the Rasul in the Vista Spa and it was TOO HOT (at least 120 or more) plus a pipe had broken so we had barely enough water to rinse the mud off ourselves. Because we didn't say anything until the end of the hour, they refunded us for half of the price and gave us free rainforest passes to come back the next day which was nice.
- Room service took about an hour one day with our food so our kids had to eat on the run while we were trying to make our Palo brunch reservation (my husband suggested that I call 20 minutes earlier so it was also my fault that we were rushed)
- I didn't win the $12,600 in Bingo (but three other people slip it so that would be on their positive list not mine)
- There were a few menu items that I didn't care for either because they had cream sauce or were a little too salty. But as I mentioned earlier, Raphael insisted on bringing me another entree that suited me better (and he did catch on to my likes and dislikes). so, I guess I can't complain to much about the food. While it wasn't the highest quality, it was a million times better than the food we had on Carnival.
- And when you're at the Character Breakfast, just remember that you're there for the kids and not the food (boring and cold). we were nervous because it was our first breakfast on the Magic but the other ones definitely raised the par.
Also, someone mentioned a problem at the Mickey pool the week before. At all times, we saw two staff members at the slide (one on top and one at the bottom) and they were very careful to not let anything happen this last week (my husband leaned over to take a photo of the kids coming down and was quickly asked to move aside to keep himself safe and not encourage the younger kids to copy). I heard that there was an accident in the Mickey pool and it was closed for several hours for cleaning. Someone said that they emptied it and thoroughly cleaned it out. By the way, they should not shoot streamers over the Goofy Pool when the deck is off. It turned the water different colors and my daughter had little pieces stuck to her when she got out (she thought that it was funny).
Well, that was my brief report. Just imagine what I could write if I had more time (we were gone for a week and was busy every day).
FYI - We made t-shirts for all 17 of us before the cruise through a web site called Custom Ink. They came out awesome and everyone was asking us about them.
And thank you to everyone that posted tips on this site they came in very handy. I actually bought a magnetic locker organizer from Staples for the back of our door which helped keep our cards and sunglasses in one place.
but it was way to hot in the steam room. 
.
But if this helps at all....when we got off the ship this past Sunday at around 8:30, there were already people going into the port on the opposite side....now I'm not sure if they were able to check in yet or not, or if 
The people who were getting on the ship were indeed crew members...they had imigration checks that morning. We didn't get to see one of our servers the last morning because she was one getting checked. 
But, the people I was talking about were actually going into the terminal building from the entrance, so I'm thinking those were families with kids who were really excited and wanting to get there early 
