Kind of a trip report, suggestions, etc. - enjoy.
Dear DCL,
My family of six had the pleasure of sailing on the Disney Magic cruise leaving Port Canaveral on April 6th. As you most likely know, we had some large sea swells for most of the voyage and some strong crosswinds over the deck (35+ mph). Despite the winds and seas, we had a wonderful experience on the ship. First of all, I cant say enough wonderful things about the crew. Our first experience started at the embarkation buffet in Topsiders. Our four year old daughter walked right into a pole and hurt her eye. Pietro (who wound up being our Head Server), was genuinely concerned for our daughter and did everything he could to alleviate her pain. Our daughter ended up bonding with Pietro for the remainder of the cruise. Pele and Darko were our server and asst. server and were amazing. Pele took time to discover our tastes and took it upon himself to bring over menu selections, appetizers, desserts, etc. that would appeal to my wife and me. Darko was wonderful with our 4 children, entertaining, and personal. Both worked extremely hard to please us and the fellow cruisers seated at nearby tables. Even better was how we became close to even more waitstaff (Zama and Andre?). I am well aware that tips are the main source of income for the waitstaff, but their concern for your enjoyment is genuine and in many cases not motivated by tips.
Our cabins were spacious (6140 & 6142), tastefully decorated, and kept immaculate. Lucio was our stateroom host and was personable, always working, and made some wonderful towel animals for our cabins. The ship in general is very regal as I am a fan of the wood and traditional nautical touches employed on the Magic. Many of the newer cruise ships constructed by competing lines are much too contemporarily decorated with neons and seafoam greens for my tastes. The ship was very spacious and did not seem too crowded despite the fact we were on a fully booked cruise. Our whole family enjoyed the shows Hercules, Disney Dreams, and even Morty the Magnificent. 70s night on Thursday was a ball for my wife and I, as was getting away to Palos one evening. I must comment that the food at Palos is far superior to the rest of the dining rooms. However, much of that is due to the fact that Palos is obviously preparing food for a much smaller number of diners each evening. The menus for the rest of the restaurants were well done (Id personally like more adventurous seafood options). Although, I did feel that the food tasted as if it had been in a warmer for a while and not necessarily prepared for each diner. I understand that feeding so many is a Herculean task and the logistics are daunting.
Our older two children 11 & 12 did not make much use of the Oceaneer Lab at all. Our 12 yr. old daughter considers herself a teenager and felt the Lab activities were too juvenile for her tastes. Our youngest two 4 & 8 had mixed emotions. Our 8 yr. old daughter loved any big event, but we were soon paged once the event was over. The staff at both the Lab and Club was wonderful. My wife and I are not the type who are looking to go on a family vacation and ditch the kids. We left that up to the children except for the one night when we chose to dine at Palos. My personal observation would be that the activities at Lab could use a refreshing. But the making of flubber, a DCL mousepad, and the Goofy Investigation were big hits with my 8 yr. old. Id also say it was a tough cruise to fully evaluate the activities because the rough seas and winds pushed more children inside than normal.
If I could make some recommendations, one would be to spend more time at Castaway Cay. I have heard the bugs can be a bit overwhelming in the evening, but what a great time it would be to have the ship docked there overnight. How about a big beach party, bonfire, and maybe even some sort of Luau type theme? Also, while I am speaking my mind, I enjoy the cruising traditions Disney uses for dining. Formal night is great and my family was really into the spirit of the evening. I wore my Tuxedo for both Sun. and Thurs. nights (and even own Mickey cufflinks) while my wife had some wonderful beaded gowns. I frequent www.disboards.com and see many people grousing about dressing up. Cmon people, we are all adults here, is it so hard? Also, I like placing the expectation on my children that for one meal a day, we can all get dressed/cleaned up and dine as a family isnt that what its about? Anyway, Ill get off my soapbox, but some traditions are best kept for a reason. After dong the seven day cruise, I dont see how you could do the 3 or 4 day. There are still many things we did not experience while on board. Disney does a wonderful job of filling the day with events for all ages.
Again, our family had a wonderful voyage and will be cruising with Disney again.
Dear DCL,
My family of six had the pleasure of sailing on the Disney Magic cruise leaving Port Canaveral on April 6th. As you most likely know, we had some large sea swells for most of the voyage and some strong crosswinds over the deck (35+ mph). Despite the winds and seas, we had a wonderful experience on the ship. First of all, I cant say enough wonderful things about the crew. Our first experience started at the embarkation buffet in Topsiders. Our four year old daughter walked right into a pole and hurt her eye. Pietro (who wound up being our Head Server), was genuinely concerned for our daughter and did everything he could to alleviate her pain. Our daughter ended up bonding with Pietro for the remainder of the cruise. Pele and Darko were our server and asst. server and were amazing. Pele took time to discover our tastes and took it upon himself to bring over menu selections, appetizers, desserts, etc. that would appeal to my wife and me. Darko was wonderful with our 4 children, entertaining, and personal. Both worked extremely hard to please us and the fellow cruisers seated at nearby tables. Even better was how we became close to even more waitstaff (Zama and Andre?). I am well aware that tips are the main source of income for the waitstaff, but their concern for your enjoyment is genuine and in many cases not motivated by tips.
Our cabins were spacious (6140 & 6142), tastefully decorated, and kept immaculate. Lucio was our stateroom host and was personable, always working, and made some wonderful towel animals for our cabins. The ship in general is very regal as I am a fan of the wood and traditional nautical touches employed on the Magic. Many of the newer cruise ships constructed by competing lines are much too contemporarily decorated with neons and seafoam greens for my tastes. The ship was very spacious and did not seem too crowded despite the fact we were on a fully booked cruise. Our whole family enjoyed the shows Hercules, Disney Dreams, and even Morty the Magnificent. 70s night on Thursday was a ball for my wife and I, as was getting away to Palos one evening. I must comment that the food at Palos is far superior to the rest of the dining rooms. However, much of that is due to the fact that Palos is obviously preparing food for a much smaller number of diners each evening. The menus for the rest of the restaurants were well done (Id personally like more adventurous seafood options). Although, I did feel that the food tasted as if it had been in a warmer for a while and not necessarily prepared for each diner. I understand that feeding so many is a Herculean task and the logistics are daunting.
Our older two children 11 & 12 did not make much use of the Oceaneer Lab at all. Our 12 yr. old daughter considers herself a teenager and felt the Lab activities were too juvenile for her tastes. Our youngest two 4 & 8 had mixed emotions. Our 8 yr. old daughter loved any big event, but we were soon paged once the event was over. The staff at both the Lab and Club was wonderful. My wife and I are not the type who are looking to go on a family vacation and ditch the kids. We left that up to the children except for the one night when we chose to dine at Palos. My personal observation would be that the activities at Lab could use a refreshing. But the making of flubber, a DCL mousepad, and the Goofy Investigation were big hits with my 8 yr. old. Id also say it was a tough cruise to fully evaluate the activities because the rough seas and winds pushed more children inside than normal.
If I could make some recommendations, one would be to spend more time at Castaway Cay. I have heard the bugs can be a bit overwhelming in the evening, but what a great time it would be to have the ship docked there overnight. How about a big beach party, bonfire, and maybe even some sort of Luau type theme? Also, while I am speaking my mind, I enjoy the cruising traditions Disney uses for dining. Formal night is great and my family was really into the spirit of the evening. I wore my Tuxedo for both Sun. and Thurs. nights (and even own Mickey cufflinks) while my wife had some wonderful beaded gowns. I frequent www.disboards.com and see many people grousing about dressing up. Cmon people, we are all adults here, is it so hard? Also, I like placing the expectation on my children that for one meal a day, we can all get dressed/cleaned up and dine as a family isnt that what its about? Anyway, Ill get off my soapbox, but some traditions are best kept for a reason. After dong the seven day cruise, I dont see how you could do the 3 or 4 day. There are still many things we did not experience while on board. Disney does a wonderful job of filling the day with events for all ages.
Again, our family had a wonderful voyage and will be cruising with Disney again.
