Merrytime Magic - A December 2016 Trip Report!

[disneydaydreamer33]

Sounds like such a lovely cruise so far! I really hate having to leave my cabin for the safety drill, and getting snot blown on you will certainly make it more painful! I love that they turn that bar into the Snuggly Duckling!

 

[SarahDisney]

I love the Christmas decorations on the ship - it looks so festive!

I'm glad your dining worked out - I totally understand the hesitation about having to sit with new people at dinner, so I'm glad you got the private table (and early dining).

Of everything I've seen from the various Disney Cruise ships (I watch a lot of TV specials about Disney stuff), I think Animator's Palate is my favorite room. It looks so amazing and immersive and I'd really love to eat there one day (preferably without having to actually go on a cruise - not sure how that one would work). I didn't know that Sorcerer Mickey actually comes out into the dining room during the meal - that's so awesome!

 

[LindyWebb]

I love the pics. Heading to the Magic to tomorrow (board Friday). So cool to see it ahead of schedule!

Can't wait to read the rest when I get back. Hopefully it will inspire me to do my own tr.

 

[Ariel484]

Wonderful start to your cruise. I haven't cruised DCL before, but compared to the Carnival cruise ships I've been on, that Atrium does look really small - but very pretty. The decorations everywhere are awesome. I'm so glad you were able to get your dining changed to the time you wanted and to get a private table. SCORE!!

Okay, so here's a question - we have only cruised Disney. On other ships, is the table sharing a thing that happens?

The Atrium is VERY small. For comparison, here's a crappy picture of the Fantasy's atrium. This is what I was "used to" on a Disney ship, so the Magic's atrium was surprising!

I KNOW RIGHT.

Looks like a great embarkation! Although being snot on is definitely not fun.

I've always wished there was something like animators palate at WDW but it just gives me a reason to go on a Disney cruise.

Being snot on was the worst thing that happened to us during this trip (and really just about the worst thing that has happened to me on any Disney trip) so...I guess it could be worse?

Animator's would be awesome at WDW. I could see it going into Hollywood Studios by the new Mickey Mouse ride. Or if we still had Toontown...

Sounds like such a lovely cruise so far! I really hate having to leave my cabin for the safety drill, and getting snot blown on you will certainly make it more painful! I love that they turn that bar into the Snuggly Duckling!

The safety drill is always the worst part!! I know it's important, but arg!!

I love the Christmas decorations on the ship - it looks so festive!

It was so pretty! It was somehow thorough but totally overdone, if that makes sense.

I'm glad your dining worked out - I totally understand the hesitation about having to sit with new people at dinner, so I'm glad you got the private table (and early dining).

Me too!! We liked the early dining a lot, with late dining it was like we'd finish dinner and it would practically be time for bed (since we're old with early bedtimes). This freed up our evenings a lot!

IOf everything I've seen from the various Disney Cruise ships (I watch a lot of TV specials about Disney stuff), I think Animator's Palate is my favorite room. It looks so amazing and immersive and I'd really love to eat there one day (preferably without having to actually go on a cruise - not sure how that one would work). I didn't know that Sorcerer Mickey actually comes out into the dining room during the meal - that's so awesome!

I looooove Animator's Palate. It would be perfect in the parks! Any true Disney fan would love it.

At one point I knew that Sorcerer Mickey would come out but then forgot about it until right before it happened. I didn't tell Mr. A about it, so he was surprised. It started the trip off right!!

Hopefully this works...here's video!

I love the pics. Heading to the Magic to tomorrow (board Friday). So cool to see it ahead of schedule!

AHHH I am so jealous!! Have a wonderful cruise!! Will this be your first?

Can't wait to read the rest when I get back. Hopefully it will inspire me to do my own tr.

Thank you! I hope you do a TR and have an awesome trip!

 

[ZellyB]

Okay, so here's a question - we have only cruised Disney. On other ships, is the table sharing a thing that happens?

Oh yes, it's pretty standard on all the cruise lines, I think. It's just an issue of space and staffing I would imagine. We've shared tables on some cruises although this last cruise with the six of us (our family plus my sister) we had a table to ourselves which was nice. Our previous cruise we were at like a 10 person table so there with another family of 4. I don't mind sharing a table. It's a lot like eating at Biergarten - you can engage as much or as little as you like. When we shared with that other family we would all exchange some pleasantries at the beginning of the meal, but then largely just talked within our own families.

I did forget to comment on the snot rocket kid - I would have been panicked with marathon weekend looming so close and my taper madness making me imagine I'm getting sick all the time. Drink Emergen-C!!!

 

[Ariel484]

Oh yes, it's pretty standard on all the cruise lines, I think. It's just an issue of space and staffing I would imagine. We've shared tables on some cruises although this last cruise with the six of us (our family plus my sister) we had a table to ourselves which was nice. Our previous cruise we were at like a 10 person table so there with another family of 4. I don't mind sharing a table. It's a lot like eating at Biergarten - you can engage as much or as little as you like. When we shared with that other family we would all exchange some pleasantries at the beginning of the meal, but then largely just talked within our own families.

And we have avoided Teppan Edo and Biergarten for the same reason. Maybe we ARE anti-social!

I am 50% understanding why they do table sharing, 50% thinking it's a totally bizarre thing.

I did forget to comment on the snot rocket kid - I would have been panicked with marathon weekend looming so close and my taper madness making me imagine I'm getting sick all the time. Drink Emergen-C!!!

RIGHT. Kid, could you not?? He and his mother (who did NOT apologize) were fully aware that I was not pleased. I am normally pretty anal about hand washing, especially so on cruises, and am sort of a germophobe so this totally grossed me out.

I AM drinking Emergen-C! The Blueberry-Acai flavor...sort of gross!

 

[Dis5150]

I AM drinking Emergen-C! The Blueberry-Acai flavor...sort of gross!

I can't stand the Emergen-C drink version, so I am taking the chewable kind. I hope it is the same, lol! They taste like chewable vitamin C tablets.

 

[Ariel484]

I can't stand the Emergen-C drink version, so I am taking the chewable kind. I hope it is the same, lol! They taste like chewable vitamin C tablets.

Gah! I did not know there was a chewable version!

And of course I have like 18 packets of the fizzy stuff because it was buy 1, get 1 half off...sigh. I guess I'll continue to chug it quickly and hope for the best!

 

[Ariel484]

Day 2: Monday, December 19, 2016 - Key West

A new day, and for us, a new port - our first-ever visit to Key West!

We woke up to find that we were docked!

We headed up to Cabanas for some breakfast!

LOVE DCL’s muesli! I make it at home (using a recipe on Disney Cruise Line blog - I use bananas, strawberries and blueberries in mine). It is not exactly health food (ingredients include 1 cup of honey and 1 cup of heavy cream...!!!), but it’s tasty!

We filled up our tumblers with water, headed down to the room to sunscreen up, and then headed off of the ship! We really liked how easy it was to get from the ship to Key West...there is no big port terminal area like some of the other stops DCL makes (looking at you, Nassau), and no big security screening process.

Panorama of the ship...I wish I’d just stepped back further for a more "normal" picture.

We hadn’t booked an excursion or made any big plans...I had a couple of things that I wanted to do, but for the mostpart we were just planning on walking around and casually checking things out. It was really nice that we were able to use the GPS on our phones here, and we felt totally safe/comfortable walking around on our own.

Curry Mansion on our way to our first top...apparently a well-known bed and breakfast.

Our first stop! This was a little less than a mile from where the ship was docked.

We love coffee, and I was really excited to try some Cuban coffee. An iced coffee sounded perfect on this hot hot hot day. Well, I cannot recommend this place based on our one visit - the coffee was watery and not very good at all. Should have stopped at the Starbucks we’d passed on the way instead!

Bleh.

Cute "tree" by the marina.

From here, we just walked around...there was a Diamonds International, of course.

We ended up checking out a fun-looking resort...

...and were actually unexpectedly back at the ship.

The sun here was INSANE. We hadn’t seen the sun in Ohio in months (possible exaggeration) so the Key West sun was tough to handle. But I figured we should probably walk up and down Duval Street before calling it a day.

We stopped in a little French Bakery for some Macaroons. I got a 6-pack and chose gingerbread, pistachio, white chocolate mint, belgian chocolate, vanilla and caramel sea salt. I didn’t have any of the pistachio or the white mint chocolate (those were for Mr. A and he liked them). Of the 4 I did try, gingerbread was far and away the best. The other 3 tasted almost exactly the same.

From here, we found our final stop of the day.

Full disclosure: I had never tried Key Lime Pie before. I am not a huge fan of lime flavor, but we WERE in Key West...when in Rome?

We put in our order for the traditional Key Lime Pie - not chocolate-covered/flavored or on a stick. I wanted the real deal. The lady working there took a pie out of the fridge and piped whipped cream on it (from a bag, not a can - so they likely whip/make it there in-house)...

Y’all...I WANT ANOTHER PIECE OF THAT PIE. OH MY GOD IT WAS SO GOOD. It was so creamy and the lime flavor was very subtle...and very cold since it had just been taken out of the fridge, so it was incredibly refreshing on a hot day. AND THE CRUST. It was crumbly and buttery...it just had a homemade taste about it that was phenomenal. I am not joking when I say this was the highlight of our Key West visit.

3 pictures because it was just that good (the Macaroons less so, but there they are):

After pie, we decided to head back to the ship around 11:30. Overall, we liked Key West and would go back on a cruise port day, but I don’t think we liked it as much as we expected, and I think that’s our fault for mostly sticking to Duval Street - which had the same tacky, tourist-y, not very Disney stuff you’d see in any other beachside town gift shop (some of those t-shirts...MAN!).

If/when we go back, we’ll do more research and try different stuff. And probably get an entire pie (or at least each get our own piece).

Continued...

 

[Ariel484]

Back we go!

Today we decided to try lunch at Lumiere’s...

...which is, not surprisingly, Be Our Guest-themed!

The “equivalent” dining room on the Dream/Fantasy is Royal Palace/Royal Court, both of which take the themeing a little further than Lumiere’s.

We both skipped appetizers, soup and salad and ordered the panini with potato chips. Nothing earth-shattering, but pretty good.

We also skipped dessert. Quick lunch!

After lunch, we briefly split up. Mr. A headed back to the room for a short nap, while I had something else in mind...the AquaDunk!

This is the Magic’s “big” slide - you start out standing in a tube and then the floor drops out from under you. I was simultaneously excited and terrified to try this, and figured the best time to do so would be on a port day. The slide wasn’t due to open until about 1PM. There were a few people queuing up around 12:45…once the slide officially opened, I joined them.

I had read that a person really needs to ride this thing twice, because the first time you’re so freaked out that you don’t fully enjoy it. The line ended up being longer than I expected, and I think I waited about 30 minutes to get on this thing! And I was just getting more and more nervous the entire time. By the time it was my turn, I was pretty freaked out and almost got out of line! But I got in, the floor dropped...and it was TERRIFYING! And short!

The lifeguard at the end told me I needed to go on again, that it would be better the second time, and I responded with an emphatic “NO!!!” Did I stick to that?

I headed back to the room (still shaking from the AquaDunk ride!), showered, and then Mr. A and I headed to the Buena Vista theater for a 3:15 PM showing of Moana!

This picture is us in the back row...tiny theater!

The reason we are in the back row - the handicap accessible row - is because when we initially sat up further, we discovered that the seat rows are weirdly close together. Neither of us are very tall (I am 5’5”, Mr. A is 5’8”) and our knees were pressed up against the seats in front of us when we sat down. It was so weird! So we ended up in the back row, fully planning to move the second we saw someone who *actually* needed the seats enter the theater (which did not end up happening).

After Moana (which we both liked), we got cleaned up for dinner and headed up to Deck 10 to watch the sunset.

Continued...

 

[Ariel484]

Dinner tonight was at Carioca’s!

The bread was banana bread with mint-mango something or other...I didn’t like the dip, but the banana bread was so good!

We both started off with the beef empanada, which was really tasty!

Mr. A also ordered the black bean soup, which he really liked. He said it was very filling!

I ordered the beef dish with the twice-baked potato. This was just okay...the potato was good, the beef was alright. Of the 3 main rotational dining menus, this was my least-favorite entree.

I don’t have a picture of Mr. A’s entree, but he got the chicken dish...don’t remember what he thought of it. He also asked for a side of the fava bean risotto that was listed with one of the other entrees...we recognized this as the risotto that is served in Enchanted Garden on the newer ships and it is SO GOOD. Along with the pasta pursettes, this was the best thing we had in the main dining rooms.

Mr. A was pretty full after this meal...he said he thought the black bean soup did him in, so he passed on dessert. But our server brought dessert out for him anyway - she said this one (the coconut tres leches - “moist Coconut cake soaked in three milks served with light coconut cream”) was one of her favorites. It was weird but good!

I ordered the sundae! Dulce de Leche ice cream, caramelized apples and a churro.

This was so good, but I only ate the top ice cream portion. I was starting to hit the food wall already, and it was only day 2. That’s not good!

And we got some awesome hats before we left.

We headed out of Carioca’s and made our way back to the room. Mickey must’ve just finished tonight’s Animator’s show!

I was really excited to get to O’Gills...since Tangled: The Musical was being performed tonight, O’Gills was transforming into the Snuggly Duckling at 7:30!

So...I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting, but this was LAME. There were signs put up and the entertainment CMs were dressed as “thugs” and led everyone in a game of “thug-o” (aka BINGO with the thugs from Tangled on the BINGO card). Then everyone sang “T-H-U-G-O” (again, the BINGO song) and that was pretty much it.

My pictures are all super dark, but here’s an example of the re-themeing.

I think I thought the CMs would be running around all thug-like? Acting more like thugs beyond just putting on the costumes? Or something? Meh.

Thug life.

Well, my curiosity is satisfied! Back to Keys! We were boring and got our same drinks as the night before. The CMs and piano player recognized us. This was something that really struck me about the Magic compared to the Dream and Fantasy...I felt like the CMs were way more personable here. Not that they aren’t on the bigger ships, but on the Magic we had more CM conversations, more of them remembered us (and really quickly!)...it was just a different feel.

And tonight’s show!

Walt Disney Theater details...

This show was pretty good. Definitely one of the best I have seen on a Disney Cruise ship. I kept thinking the actors/actresses were going to trip over Rapunzel’s hair, but no one did...so that was good.

Back to the room! Tonight’s towel animal and Navigator...on our first day we got the multi-page Navigator in Port of Miami, but after that it changed to the one-page version. I didn’t think it was a huge deal (I’d never really read the entire Navigator when we got the multi-page version anyway), but I do feel like there were times that I missed info just because I didn’t know where to find it and it was typed so small...like the dress code for dinner the next day, etc. But I get why they did it...I’m sure it saves them a ton of paper/money. Plus, we like the Navigator app quite a bit.

We watched movies and then headed to bed! Up next - our one and only At Sea day!

 

[ZellyB]

I've never been to Key West and would like to make a trip there someday. Maybe a DCL cruise is the perfect answer to that.

Key Lime Pie!!! I love it. Can't believe you'd never had it before, but sounds like that place was a great spot to try it for the first time.

I've read people talk about the AquaDunk but did not realize it was one of those kind that the floor drops out from under you. YIKES!! Our local water park has one of those and last summer I got up the nerve to try it (I have issues with heights and falling) and I totally hear you about wanting to chicken out while in line. I kept watching the people ahead of me standing there and then WHOOSH disappearing and I was completely panicked (I like to think I hid it well) and while I survived it, no way was I doing it a second time. Nope.

Sorry to hear the Snuggly Duckling was a bit of a dud. Sure sounded like a cute idea but not very well executed.

 

[SarahDisney]

Key West looks nice! I'm sorry the coffee was disappointing, but I'm glad the pie lived up to the hype!

I love that rose at Lumiere's!! (I would have been very upset if there was no rose in a Beauty and the Beast themed dining room)

30 minute wait for the AquaDunk ... wow. That much waiting would definitely scare me off (and I happen to love water slides). 30 minutes of worrying about that drop? I'm impressed that you actually went on it!

I love your hats from dinner. Dorks!

Oh man, I'm sorry that the Snuggly Duckling makeover was disappointing. Not cool, DCL! That's such a fun opportunity, and it definitely would be cool if they could have more thug-like.

 

[rteetz]

Key west looks great! I've never had key lime pie either. If I ever get to key west I'll have to try it and maybe try the pie on a stick. I find things better when on a stick lol.

I've never been one for drop type water slides like the Aquadunk but I'd probably have to try it just to say I did if I went on the ship. I can't wait to hear if you did it again.

Awesome hats at dinner!

That sucks that the snugly duckling wasn't good.

I've heard so many good things about the shows on DCL, glad Tangled was good.

 

[Ariel484]

I've never been to Key West and would like to make a trip there someday. Maybe a DCL cruise is the perfect answer to that.

I think it is! If/when you go, I would recommend NOT doing what we did by just sticking to Duval Street. We'll do things differently next time!

Key Lime Pie!!! I love it. Can't believe you'd never had it before, but sounds like that place was a great spot to try it for the first time.

Maybe all this time I was just waiting for the "right" Key Lime Pie to try!!

I've read people talk about the AquaDunk but did not realize it was one of those kind that the floor drops out from under you. YIKES!! Our local water park has one of those and last summer I got up the nerve to try it (I have issues with heights and falling) and I totally hear you about wanting to chicken out while in line. I kept watching the people ahead of me standing there and then WHOOSH disappearing and I was completely panicked (I like to think I hid it well) and while I survived it, no way was I doing it a second time. Nope.

Yes! You sort of climb in and they close this tube over you, which is a little freaky. It's pretty wild...the slide itself as whole is very short though, something like 7 seconds. And they make a big deal about how it juts out over the edge of the ship but I never noticed that because my eyes were shut pretty tightly!

Sorry to hear the Snuggly Duckling was a bit of a dud. Sure sounded like a cute idea but not very well executed.

Yeah, I'd read a report from someone who was there the first time they did it and it just sounded more lively, I guess? Oh well! Still a cute idea.

Key West looks nice! I'm sorry the coffee was disappointing, but I'm glad the pie lived up to the hype!

The pie more than made up for it. OMG.

I love that rose at Lumiere's!! (I would have been very upset if there was no rose in a Beauty and the Beast themed dining room)

that would have been a giant fail! I'm glad Disney did the right thing.

30 minute wait for the AquaDunk ... wow. That much waiting would definitely scare me off (and I happen to love water slides). 30 minutes of worrying about that drop? I'm impressed that you actually went on it!

I think the thought of being embarrassed at people seeing me get out of line is the only thing that made me actually follow through with it!

I love your hats from dinner. Dorks!

Um, I happen to think we look quite fetching!

Oh man, I'm sorry that the Snuggly Duckling makeover was disappointing. Not cool, DCL! That's such a fun opportunity, and it definitely would be cool if they could have more thug-like.

Yeah, i definitely think it's a great idea and a cool tie-in with having Tangled being that night's musical. Just seems like they could do a little more with it.

Key west looks great! I've never had key lime pie either. If I ever get to key west I'll have to try it and maybe try the pie on a stick. I find things better when on a stick lol.

At this point you may as well wait and get the real stuff some day!

It's on a stick AND covered in chocolate. I probably should have tried that..

I've never been one for drop type water slides like the Aquadunk but I'd probably have to try it just to say I did if I went on the ship. I can't wait to hear if you did it again.

I definitely had to try it at least once! The other ships don't have a slide like that so I wanted to go for it.

Awesome hats at dinner!

Thanks

That sucks that the snugly duckling wasn't good.

Great idea, so-so follow-through, I think.

I've heard so many good things about the shows on DCL, glad Tangled was good.

It was good! I'm always impressed at the effects they use on the DCL stage shows and how they use the small space that they have.

 

[Ariel484]

Day 3: Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - At Sea

An At Sea day! These days are (per our cruise director Leslie) supposed to be all about sleeping in and lounging around, but for us, this day was pretty jam-packed...relatively speaking.

My day started off pretty early in the gym...5 miles on the treadmill at 7AM.

There were some things I liked better about the Magic compared to the larger ships - the gym definitely was not one of them. There is ZERO ventilation in this room, and it is awful. I was in there for quite awhile (I am not a speed demon) and it was SO hot and stuffy and humid in there. Would it kill them to put a freaking fan in the corner or something? It bugged me so much that I made sure to mention it on my comment card at the end of the cruise (ditto for the stateroom bathrooms...no ventilation!). It was stifling!

After the run, I headed to Cove Cafe...somehow I had made it 2 days without buying a specialty coffee drink, and that was about to end!

I was armed and ready with old, incomplete coffee cards from previous cruises (buy 5, get the 6th free!) - I’d kept meaning to bring them with me on past cruises and had forgotten. In the past, DCL has allowed people to bring incomplete coffee cards from previous cruises and just keep using them……

….until now. They wouldn’t take my old coffee cards! Apparently they switched to a new version, which...I get that I wasn’t guaranteed to be able to use these old coffee cards - I was sure that this would end at some point - but the new version is the SAME EXACT DEAL - buy 5, get the 6th free - except that the card just looks different. It’s green with a picture of a latte on it. I didn’t say anything to the CM at the time (because obviously it’s not like he initiated the policy change), but I thought this was lame.

Goodbye, my friends…

Then I got my iced latte, and it basically just tasted like milk. I was not impressed. Cove Cafe is one of my favorite areas on the newer ships, along with Vista Cafe (which is in the atrium on the Dream/Fantasy - the equivalent is the Promenade Lounge on the Magic, but it’s not in the atrium, so no people watching. Wahhh!), and I really missed both of those areas on the Magic. The Cove Cafe here just wasn’t as good, and Promenade Lounge wasn’t as appealing to us as Vista Cafe or Bon Voyage (the bar in the atrium on the Dream/Fantasy) because it wasn’t located in the atrium. So that is definitely something I did not like as much on the Magic.

I grabbed a croissant from Cove Cafe and had that, along with my sub-par latte, for breakfast. I headed back to the room to shower, and Mr. A and I then went downstairs to Carioca’s for gingerbread house making! We were welcomed by CM Jamesy from England, who called us all his “magical Christmas bunnies.” I loved him.

Yes, all of the ingredients were pre-packed. No, it did not affect our enjoyment of the experience.

CM Jamesy!

The Executive Pastry Chef of the Magic came out (his name escapes me) and took us step-by-step through construction!

Such focus.

This is the one the chef made…

...and this is ours. A little hap-hazard and plain!

We were kicked out after about 35 minutes so they could start setting up for the next group. This was pretty fun...not a must-do for future cruises (and a bad idea to have this sitting in our room for the rest of the trip, because we would just mindlessly eat pieces), but fun to do once!

Continued...

 

[Ariel484]

Our next activity for the day was BRUNCH!!! YASSSSSSSS

We had a 10:30 reservation at Palo, the adults-only restaurant. SOOOO EXCITED.

The way brunch works is that it is an extra $30 per person - you get access to a buffet and a menu with hot entrees that are made-to-order. You also get a drink included (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). Palo brunch is ALWAYS a highlight of our cruises.

The hot stuff menu.

Our server was Mehmet from Turkey, and we loved him! He seemed like he was thrilled to be there with us that morning.

Our options for our drink were champagne, mimosas, peach bellinis or royal kir. We both chose the royal kir, which has a blackberry/currant flavor. Yum!

Then we got a tour of the buffet...omg.

This parmesan was incredible.

Seafood table.

Dessert table...HELLO LOVELIES!

And pastries.

After that, we were invited to load up our own plates. Interesting difference here between the Magic and the newer ships - on the Dream this summer and the Fantasy last summer, we each got a CM “assigned” to us who would load up our plates for us at the buffet. Here on the Magic, we just did it ourselves. I’ve read many theories as to why the CMs load up the plates, and at this point I think every theory is wrong and I have no idea why this is different. If it was a money-saving move by DCL (as in, you don’t gorge yourself to the extreme if a CM is getting the food for you because you’re too embarrassed for them to see how much food you really want), then why not do it across the entire fleet? And if it’s a health thing (like a noro outbreak on the ship or whatever), why did this JUST happen in Palo on our previous cruises - when you could go into Cabanas and still serve yourself? And if it’s because they want it to be a more upscale experience and have the CMs serve the guests...again, why is it not done across the fleet? Who knows.

Anyway...food!!

The only thing I didn’t finish was the arancini ball...that was pretty meh. The best thing was the caprese salad...OMG. The mozzarella was awesome and it was topped with balsamic vinegar that had been aged 8 years or something. So good!

Second plate! Along with Mr. A’s hot item, eggs benedict (which he said was the best eggs benedict he’d ever had):

My hot item - chicken parm with risotto. Incredible!! The chicken was super thin and light...it was so good.

And finally, dessert…

Food is good and fun, y’all. Palo brunch is always a must-do for us!

We settled our bill, added a tip for Mehmet, and left to walk it off. Whew!

Continued...

 

[Ariel484]

I don’t know what we did right after brunch...likely just walked for a bit and then returned to the room to lie in bed, clutch our stomachs and moan. But before long, it was on to our next activity...Mixology in Keys! This was a 2PM class and the only Mixology class that was offered during our sailing ($25 per person).

We said hi to Ana and Tajma (another Keys CM) and took our seats.

This was another thing that was different on the Magic compared to the Dream/Fantasy. On the newer ships, we got to go behind the bar and make the drinks ourselves...and the classes were smaller. Here we were in a larger class and didn’t get to go behind the bar...we got to muddle a drink, but that was it. Basically the class was us sitting there sipping on our drinks and listening to the CM who was leading the discussion (cannot remember her name).

The first drink brought out to us was a “blue margarita,” which had blue caricao. We both liked this one, I think I liked it a little better than Mr. A.

Next up was the one moment of our participation in the class...muddling:

...and then adding a shot of Jameson. This was an “Irish mojito” - instead of rum, it had Irish whiskey. And instead of club soda to top it off, it had apple juice.

The finished product...we had poured in the shot and the CMs had topped off our glasses with apple juice.

UTTERLY UNDRINKABLE. Blech! Mr. A liked it but prefers regular mojitos.

Up next: some sort of champagne drink. I don’t remember what this was called but it had Limoncello, Prosecco, mint and a blackberry. I thought this one was okay, Mr. A wasn’t a fan.

Drink #4 was a martini, and it was the worst of the class. It was Frangellico + Chambord, which, when combined, taste exactly like a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. This thing was crazy sweet and having the taste of PB&J with alcohol was just weird. We both took sips of this one and that was it!

Last up was a shot. I don’t remember what was in this one...Kaluha and something minty I think? But it was good!

And that was it!

Mixology has been something we have enjoyed on the Dream and Fantasy, but I would say that while we enjoyed this class on the Magic, it was probably our least favorite Mixology we have done. We missed the interactive component (which we sort of knew wouldn’t be part of this class going in, based on reports I had read) and this was by far our least favorite drink line-up we’ve ever had - I think we each finished 1 or 2 drinks and took sips of the others, but there wasn’t a standout drink that either of us really loved. Always a risk with Mixology, but whatever. In the future I think we’ll likely skip Mixology on the Wonder and Magic, but still sign up for a class on the Dream and Fantasy, where we would get to participate a little more.

We headed back to the room and ordered a cheese place from room service to help soak up the booze. Always a great snack!

The next thing we wanted to do was watch Jack-Jack’s Incredible Diaper Dash in the atrium (baby racing!).

We met Minnie in her Christmas Finery while waiting for the race to begin! She did like 5-6 girly poses, which I think is what I’m laughing at in this picture.

Everyone wants to watch the Diaper Dash!

Basically this is a “race” for crawling-age babies - no walkers allowed. There were 8-10 babies participating, so there were multiple heats before the finals. It was hilarious! I didn’t take any pictures because they aren’t my kids, so use your imagination. But I highly recommend watching the Dash on your next Disney cruise!

After the race, we met Mickey…

...and then headed out to Deck 4 to hang out for a bit.

Continued...

 

[Ariel484]

Tonight, dinner was in Lumiere’s. In looking at the menu ahead of time, this was the rotational menu I was least excited for.

I ordered the duck confit. I’d ordered this before expecting it to be a hot dish, and when it came out cold I was totally thrown and didn’t really enjoy the dish all that much...so I wanted to get it again and see if I’d like it better knowing ahead of time that it was a cold dish, if that makes sense.

The verdict is no, I don’t really like this dish. It’s just sort of weird...it’s duck but with a canned tuna consistency. Will be skipping in the future!

Mr. A didn’t get any appetizers or anything (still full from Mixology, cheese, brunch, etc.), so onto the main course!

He went with the lamb dish…

...I went with the steak.

We both liked our meals! I liked this steak a LOT better than what I’d had the previous night at Carioca’s. But, again, food wall! I had one of the pieces of beef and not much of the potatoes and green beans.

Because it was dessert time!

Husband got creme brulee.

I got the strawberry shortcake sundae. 3-for-3 on main dining room sundaes!

Yum! We headed back to the room to relax a bit.

And then it was back to the Walt Disney Theater for tonight’s show, Twice Charmed.

This was supposed to be a “twist on Cinderella.” It was okay - Cindy is not a movie that really holds a special place in my heart though. If you’re a Cindy fan (or a Tremaine fan) you’d probably like it - I like Tangled way more than Cinderella, so of the two shows we saw I think I was bound to like Tangled more. The same actress who played Mother Gothel the night before played Lady Tremaine and she was really good.

After dinner, we headed to O’Gills for some Irish music. Mr A had a Corona and I just stuck with water.

I think my early day was catching up to me because we didn’t last long in O’Gills...it was back to the room for a room service Mickey premium bar (because I always need ice cream), movies (we caught Big Hero 6 when it was just beginning, so we watched that) and bed!

Up next: Nassau day! Or for us, a bonus at sea day!

 

[rteetz]

That was a jam packed day! That sucks that the gym had no ventilation. That sounds like my high school weight room.

The gingerbread house making looks like so much fun! You guys did pretty good too.

I've heard so many things about Palo on the ships. Glad you had a nice meal there.

That sucks that the mixology class wasn't very good. The baby racing looks like a lot of fun to watch!

Looks like you finished the night off with a decent meal. The strawberry shortcake sundae looks really good.