On My Own - Disney Magic 2/21-2/24

[laurabess]

Well friends, I am coming out of the shadows of lurkerville to share info and pics from my February cruise. Hopefully I can do this correctly - here are the pertinent details:
Party of 1 - just me, Laura. The cruise was business-related so my husband and 3 kids stayed at home.
Ship & Stateroom - Disney Magic, 7606
Itinerary - Port Canaveral, Nassau, Castaway Cay, Port Canaveral

Day 1: Around noon, I caught the DCL transfer bus from Coronado Springs Resort at WDW to the port. When we arrived (an hour or so later) there was no line and I was able to board immediately. My lovely stateroom was ready and I freshened up in there before exploring the ship. There was a big storm that day and the skies were ominous. I grabbed some pizza and watched a sudden downpour empty the pools. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the ship and snacking. I had a cold and am susceptible to motion sickness, so the storm wasn't making me feel too great. I was able to attend the show, though, and eat at Carioca's (late seating, few kids). Carioca's was my least favorite dining experience.
Here is where I was going to post some pics from day 1, but I have to have a post count of 10 or greater to post images, so I'll try to get to that number and try again.

 

[jenf22]

I'm eager to hear how you liked 7606. We're in 7600 and 7602 in October and they look too close to the stairwell for my liking (we were by the stairs on the Fantasy and the noise kept me up past midnight most nights).

 

[laurabess]

I was concerned about the noise potential too (I am a very light sleeper), but it only bothered me the last night. People seemed to be congregating around the elevators and I could hear loud talking until around midnight. Other than that, though, I only heard talking in the hall very occasionally.

 

[laurabess]

Ok, I think I'm good to post pics now. I'm afraid these may be kind of big. Anyway, below are some from the embarkation day...

Boarding the bus at Coronado Springs


7606




sports court


Me before the storm

 

[laurabess]

I have some time this morning so I'm going to try to work through this quickly. Day 2 was Nassau. I started the day at the Cove Cafe with a yummy latte and a dry croissant. I had meetings in the morning, but finished before lunch and grabbed some pizza. Then I got off the boat, walked around a couple of blocks, saw a couple impressive yachts and then got back on the ship. I agree with many others before me who said, "it isn't worth getting off the ship in Nassau unless you are on an excursion". I enjoyed the adult's pool the rest of the afternoon. It was pretty crowded. Day 2 evening was "Villain's Tonight" (I liked it ok, but probably would've avoided it for my youngest children) and Lumiere's for dinner - very good.

Beautiful morning


Cove Cafe


You get what you pay for


Atlantis


Nassau

 

[laurabess]

Day 3 - Castaway Cay

I started the day off with my visit to the Cove Cafe and watched the ship dock (we backed in) at gorgeous Castaway Cay. I had signed up for the 5k, so I met the group at 8:15 and we left the ship at 8:30. It was a hot morning, but the run was fun. It would've been nice if you didn't spend so much time on the airstrip, but I appreciate the effort to keep the island in a natural state.
After the run, I walked back to the ship. There were many characters along the way and the line was so short, I got my picture made with some of them. I changed quickly in the ship and set off to tour the island. The family beach wasn't crowded at all (but was by the end of the day). Serenity Bay never got crowded. I spend most of the day there. The water wasn't even that cold and I got in and saw some large starfish. That evening I watched "Dreams" and ate at Animator's Palace. Both were excellent.



5k start


5k route


After the race with Goofy - *everyone gets the "Winner" medals and I took mine off on the way to the ship because people kept congratulating me for winning (I didn't win). I hope Disney gets new "real" medals soon.


Play structure at the family beach

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[laurabess]

Disembarkation was extremely easy. I had late dining, so I ate dinner at Animator's Palace at 8 and then walked off, grabbed my luggage and hopped on the bus to the airport.
Thanks for reading - enjoy a couple more pictures of Castaway Cay!
Also, look for another trip report at the end of the month - the family and I are going on the Disney Wonder out of Miami for spring break!

Serenity Bay



Serenity Bay

 

[mtchurchmonica]

Thank you for posting the pictures of Serenity Bay. I am enchanted with the one that is empty beach (except for the two people), water and partly cloudy sky. Would you mind if I copied it?

 

[Volunteer]

Hello fellow Nashvillian! Sounds like you had a nice trip! I wish my job would send me on a cruise

 

[laurabess]

Feel free to copy the Serenity Bay pics. It really was pretty empty that day with lots of free chairs and open space.
Volunteer - hopefully we are done with the arctic blast! I'm looking forward to warmer weather this week.