Lisa F
is a very wise woman
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2000
- Messages
- 11,129
I will be doing a full trip report with photos etc. but after asking a zillion questions I wanted to do a quick "adults only" summary of what I learned in person that might help someone else.
It was me (castaway club gold) and my partner, his cousin and his cousin's wife (two separate staterooms) - I am the only one who has ever cruised on Disney before - 5 nights on the Magic with 2 sea days, a stop at Cozumel and CC.
pre-cruise:
We went out of Port Everglades and a friend of ours who lives in the area recommended Takato for dinner. The food was amazing, top 5 I've ever had. It was not inexpensive but every bite was exquisite. Not really a kid friendly place, if you want to indulge in an amazing meal before your cruise - highly recommend.
hotel: stayed at a holiday inn cruiseport - the reviews say the shuttle was terrible and it was. believe the reviews. $15 cab ride was well worth it. The room was fine, the breakfast was meh, it was paid for by traveling companion's points so can't complain but nothing to write home about. They had a shuttle to the port for $15/person - there were 4 of us and we got a lyft xl premium or somesuch for about $30 so definitely not worth the hassle of their cruise shuttle (which was also terrible judging by the complaints)
embarkation: we had an 11:15 PAT, traveling companions had a 12:30 PAT. We all arrived shortly after 11 and had no issue checking in, it was a breeze - in fact I think they were in before we were as we had a longer walk when directed as a returning cruiser (just by a few minutes). They did not seem to care at all about PAT but we did arrive by lyft, not sure if it's different for the garage.
they started boarding right around 11:30, and moved through the groups quickly (we were 7). We were on the ship by about 11:45 and went straight to try to add our companions to our Palo brunch (it was no problem getting all 4 of us for dinner). Even at 11:45 there was a small line (we were 3rd) and they really did not show up til right at noon, but it moved very quickly. Guy from Palo said "no problem" and I confirmed it was the same time and he said "yes, same time and table." So I would guess that they saw we had a table for 4 for dinner and anticipated us trying to add our companions and basically it was no issue whatsoever. This was basically my biggest worry.
Traveling companions were on the ship about 25 minutes after we were (with a PAT of 12:30 and boarding group of 17) so they really do move through them fast. We went up and had lunch at cabanas but did not try to find a table there, ate out on the pool deck by the family pool, but still pretty far aft - cabanas itself was bonkers.
First day: I had always read to bring your swimsuits with you but traveling with kids I never did because this is really a much bigger deal with kids than adults and I always feel like I spend my entire first day settling in, at sail away party, getting unpacked and ready for dinner, so I never bothered. Well this time we did and it was GLORIOUS. We finished lunch right at 1:30 when our rooms were ready and went to change.
First of all, my partner said that walking through those double frosted partitions was like entering heaven. Suddenly it was quiet and not crowded - he swore the sun came out right at that moment and the angels began to sing. But the pool was empty. Hot tubs were empty (overheard kid begging dad to go into hot tub at the kid pool and him saying "are you trying to poach me like a chicken???" lol), pool had like 3 or 4 people in it, our choice of loungers in the sun and the shade. Best part was that in summer when it gets dark late and with late dining, this is literally the first cruise I have ever taken when the first day felt like a vacation day rather than a rush from thing to thing to get situated. We were in the pool about 5 hours, from 2 to 7pm when we went to the room to shower and get ready for dinner and it was GLORIOUS. I will be using the word GLORIOUS many many many times. Pool + late seating really made the first day amazing.
Food: it was actually way better than any of us expected. I had remembered it being good but set my expectations pretty low based on recent reviews but it was excellent. I mean, not "$28 for 4 tiny bites of wagu on crispy rice" excellent but everything was tasty, hot, prepared well - highlights of MDR food include beef cooked to request (medium rare chateaubriand) and a runny over easy egg. The food was delicious honestly with a couple of exceptions (and photos to be provided) in the full review.
Palo was of course a highlight, we did both dinner and brunch and everything was excellent. Had a $125 bottle of wine to celebrate my 50th birthday and it was the best wine I've ever had. Was pleasantly surprised that it's still a $100 bottle of wine in the real world, I expected it to be like a $50 bottle with huge markup. The fireworks ended up being at 10:30 and we had a 8pm seating, it was a little tight for the 10pm deck party but Mili (who we had for dinner and requested for brunch) got us out of there without making it feel rushed.
Tastings: we did chocolate and liquor (my 2nd time, partner's first), mixology and mojito tasting on CC.
All were amazing and I'd recommend all 3.
Chocolate and Liquor was done by the Palo sommelier (and we had this before dinner so chit chatted with him and asked for his recommendation at dinner.) It was super entertaining and informative and pretty much the same as I remembered from last time and I'd put it in last place this time but only because the other two were so good.
Mixology was done by N (I will find her full name spelled correctly from my papers at home) and it was MUCH MUCH MUCH better than the one I did solo on the dream. N is a true mixologist and takes her cocktails very seriously - sharing a ton of information not just about the cocktails she made and how she came up with them and why she paired the things she did but also others like martinis (the variations on the classics) and lots of advice like "if they don't serve your martini in a chilled glass send it back... but if you do that on this ship don't tell them I told you that." She was charming and super informative and takes her cocktails seriously - she is the bartender in Keys and we enjoyed her expertise later that night.
Mojitos and Caipirinha tasting on the island was amazing as well. Jarvis from Fathoms ran it and he was a lot of fun. This is also the only one that got me drunk and I paced myself over 2 hours finishing those drinks. The caipirinha is STRONG. They go through the tasting but you can take your time and linger at the bar til they close it up more like 4pm. If you're on the Magic go to Fathoms (where he bartends) and ask for the Jarvito which is what we called the coconut ginger lime mojito of his own invention. It was delicious and he graciously shared his ratios with us to make it at home. In fact we had more later that night.
As far as other cocktails go, no problem finding non juicy cocktails. DVC member drink is dreadful and not worth it for free. They had an afternoon thing in the cove where you could get the member drink again (no thank you) or the drink of the day which was the tequila sunrise (which we ended up getting but again no thank you, it was sooooo sweet and gross) or a coffee drink. I didn't feel bad not finishing any of the free drinks but they are not worth making an effort for and you get the swag by visiting the desk not in the member get together so that wasn't really worth it either. More on the swag in my full report.
We got cocktail before dinner every night - sometimes happy hour, sometimes not. The kentucky sour at signals was delicious, a little sweet but not too bad, it was my first amaretto sour. We had the smoked old fashioned at the Soul Cat Lounge and they were pretty good but the old fashioned at Keys was ALSO smoked and it was far far superior - Soul Cat does not do happy hour so it was $20 for theirs and $22.50 with 10% off happy hour for the Keys, well worth the extra couple bucks if you are going to treat yourself. See my full review for pictures and details. I found the drinks they served with dinner to be very weak and sweet - the key lime margarita and the double crowned barely seemed to have any booze in them which is why we switched to hitting the bars directly before and bringing a drink in with us.
I HIGHLY recommend second seating, it really really made our days feel longer (in a good way) as nothing was ever rushed and we even had some energy for some post dinner entertainment as the rest of the day was fairly relaxed. More detail on that in my full report.
Other than that my last pro-tip was that we got our breakfast in cabanas and ate it in a quiet airconditioned corner table at the Cove Cafe after ordering decent coffee. The only truly BAD things on the cruise was the coffee at cabanas (room service was decent) and the pizza at Pinocchios. So we did buy cold brew at the cove and enjoyed our breakfast in a nice quiet cool spot (photo of our spot in full report.) The only downside is it makes going for seconds harder (per my partner) but the plates are so big you can load up more than enough on the first round. He actually said it was a benefit to put the brakes on at least one meal and not have temptation so close at hand, lol.
The adult pool was a bit more crowded on sea days and chair saving was rampant. I almost gathered up everyone's things that were there ALL DAY by the afternoon the first sea day and turned them into lost and found but I was in too good of a mood to be spiteful. But the pool itself was still empty enough to have a nice big section of wall to hang onto without having anyone too close and there were chairs available up on deck 10 both days no problem which was close enough. The tables and chairs for eating always had tons of seating as did the couches and chairs by the cove cafe.
Serenity Bay was also very very empty with maybe 2/3 of the front section taken and the entire back section empty. It was heaven. Lunch there was very low key too - lots of tables, lots of quiet, the birds are no joke.
In short it was an amazing trip with great food, great cocktails, great entertainment (we did Trivia and Tangled and a few other things that will show up in my full report) and anywhere from very very low to moderate crowds in the adult areas. I would not hesitate to recommend the classic ships for an adult sailing and late dining is definitely the way to go. Food in detail, activities in detail and ports to be discussed in the full report as they are not super strictly adult related.
It was me (castaway club gold) and my partner, his cousin and his cousin's wife (two separate staterooms) - I am the only one who has ever cruised on Disney before - 5 nights on the Magic with 2 sea days, a stop at Cozumel and CC.
pre-cruise:
We went out of Port Everglades and a friend of ours who lives in the area recommended Takato for dinner. The food was amazing, top 5 I've ever had. It was not inexpensive but every bite was exquisite. Not really a kid friendly place, if you want to indulge in an amazing meal before your cruise - highly recommend.
hotel: stayed at a holiday inn cruiseport - the reviews say the shuttle was terrible and it was. believe the reviews. $15 cab ride was well worth it. The room was fine, the breakfast was meh, it was paid for by traveling companion's points so can't complain but nothing to write home about. They had a shuttle to the port for $15/person - there were 4 of us and we got a lyft xl premium or somesuch for about $30 so definitely not worth the hassle of their cruise shuttle (which was also terrible judging by the complaints)
embarkation: we had an 11:15 PAT, traveling companions had a 12:30 PAT. We all arrived shortly after 11 and had no issue checking in, it was a breeze - in fact I think they were in before we were as we had a longer walk when directed as a returning cruiser (just by a few minutes). They did not seem to care at all about PAT but we did arrive by lyft, not sure if it's different for the garage.
they started boarding right around 11:30, and moved through the groups quickly (we were 7). We were on the ship by about 11:45 and went straight to try to add our companions to our Palo brunch (it was no problem getting all 4 of us for dinner). Even at 11:45 there was a small line (we were 3rd) and they really did not show up til right at noon, but it moved very quickly. Guy from Palo said "no problem" and I confirmed it was the same time and he said "yes, same time and table." So I would guess that they saw we had a table for 4 for dinner and anticipated us trying to add our companions and basically it was no issue whatsoever. This was basically my biggest worry.
Traveling companions were on the ship about 25 minutes after we were (with a PAT of 12:30 and boarding group of 17) so they really do move through them fast. We went up and had lunch at cabanas but did not try to find a table there, ate out on the pool deck by the family pool, but still pretty far aft - cabanas itself was bonkers.
First day: I had always read to bring your swimsuits with you but traveling with kids I never did because this is really a much bigger deal with kids than adults and I always feel like I spend my entire first day settling in, at sail away party, getting unpacked and ready for dinner, so I never bothered. Well this time we did and it was GLORIOUS. We finished lunch right at 1:30 when our rooms were ready and went to change.
First of all, my partner said that walking through those double frosted partitions was like entering heaven. Suddenly it was quiet and not crowded - he swore the sun came out right at that moment and the angels began to sing. But the pool was empty. Hot tubs were empty (overheard kid begging dad to go into hot tub at the kid pool and him saying "are you trying to poach me like a chicken???" lol), pool had like 3 or 4 people in it, our choice of loungers in the sun and the shade. Best part was that in summer when it gets dark late and with late dining, this is literally the first cruise I have ever taken when the first day felt like a vacation day rather than a rush from thing to thing to get situated. We were in the pool about 5 hours, from 2 to 7pm when we went to the room to shower and get ready for dinner and it was GLORIOUS. I will be using the word GLORIOUS many many many times. Pool + late seating really made the first day amazing.
Food: it was actually way better than any of us expected. I had remembered it being good but set my expectations pretty low based on recent reviews but it was excellent. I mean, not "$28 for 4 tiny bites of wagu on crispy rice" excellent but everything was tasty, hot, prepared well - highlights of MDR food include beef cooked to request (medium rare chateaubriand) and a runny over easy egg. The food was delicious honestly with a couple of exceptions (and photos to be provided) in the full review.
Palo was of course a highlight, we did both dinner and brunch and everything was excellent. Had a $125 bottle of wine to celebrate my 50th birthday and it was the best wine I've ever had. Was pleasantly surprised that it's still a $100 bottle of wine in the real world, I expected it to be like a $50 bottle with huge markup. The fireworks ended up being at 10:30 and we had a 8pm seating, it was a little tight for the 10pm deck party but Mili (who we had for dinner and requested for brunch) got us out of there without making it feel rushed.
Tastings: we did chocolate and liquor (my 2nd time, partner's first), mixology and mojito tasting on CC.
All were amazing and I'd recommend all 3.
Chocolate and Liquor was done by the Palo sommelier (and we had this before dinner so chit chatted with him and asked for his recommendation at dinner.) It was super entertaining and informative and pretty much the same as I remembered from last time and I'd put it in last place this time but only because the other two were so good.
Mixology was done by N (I will find her full name spelled correctly from my papers at home) and it was MUCH MUCH MUCH better than the one I did solo on the dream. N is a true mixologist and takes her cocktails very seriously - sharing a ton of information not just about the cocktails she made and how she came up with them and why she paired the things she did but also others like martinis (the variations on the classics) and lots of advice like "if they don't serve your martini in a chilled glass send it back... but if you do that on this ship don't tell them I told you that." She was charming and super informative and takes her cocktails seriously - she is the bartender in Keys and we enjoyed her expertise later that night.
Mojitos and Caipirinha tasting on the island was amazing as well. Jarvis from Fathoms ran it and he was a lot of fun. This is also the only one that got me drunk and I paced myself over 2 hours finishing those drinks. The caipirinha is STRONG. They go through the tasting but you can take your time and linger at the bar til they close it up more like 4pm. If you're on the Magic go to Fathoms (where he bartends) and ask for the Jarvito which is what we called the coconut ginger lime mojito of his own invention. It was delicious and he graciously shared his ratios with us to make it at home. In fact we had more later that night.
As far as other cocktails go, no problem finding non juicy cocktails. DVC member drink is dreadful and not worth it for free. They had an afternoon thing in the cove where you could get the member drink again (no thank you) or the drink of the day which was the tequila sunrise (which we ended up getting but again no thank you, it was sooooo sweet and gross) or a coffee drink. I didn't feel bad not finishing any of the free drinks but they are not worth making an effort for and you get the swag by visiting the desk not in the member get together so that wasn't really worth it either. More on the swag in my full report.
We got cocktail before dinner every night - sometimes happy hour, sometimes not. The kentucky sour at signals was delicious, a little sweet but not too bad, it was my first amaretto sour. We had the smoked old fashioned at the Soul Cat Lounge and they were pretty good but the old fashioned at Keys was ALSO smoked and it was far far superior - Soul Cat does not do happy hour so it was $20 for theirs and $22.50 with 10% off happy hour for the Keys, well worth the extra couple bucks if you are going to treat yourself. See my full review for pictures and details. I found the drinks they served with dinner to be very weak and sweet - the key lime margarita and the double crowned barely seemed to have any booze in them which is why we switched to hitting the bars directly before and bringing a drink in with us.
I HIGHLY recommend second seating, it really really made our days feel longer (in a good way) as nothing was ever rushed and we even had some energy for some post dinner entertainment as the rest of the day was fairly relaxed. More detail on that in my full report.
Other than that my last pro-tip was that we got our breakfast in cabanas and ate it in a quiet airconditioned corner table at the Cove Cafe after ordering decent coffee. The only truly BAD things on the cruise was the coffee at cabanas (room service was decent) and the pizza at Pinocchios. So we did buy cold brew at the cove and enjoyed our breakfast in a nice quiet cool spot (photo of our spot in full report.) The only downside is it makes going for seconds harder (per my partner) but the plates are so big you can load up more than enough on the first round. He actually said it was a benefit to put the brakes on at least one meal and not have temptation so close at hand, lol.
The adult pool was a bit more crowded on sea days and chair saving was rampant. I almost gathered up everyone's things that were there ALL DAY by the afternoon the first sea day and turned them into lost and found but I was in too good of a mood to be spiteful. But the pool itself was still empty enough to have a nice big section of wall to hang onto without having anyone too close and there were chairs available up on deck 10 both days no problem which was close enough. The tables and chairs for eating always had tons of seating as did the couches and chairs by the cove cafe.
Serenity Bay was also very very empty with maybe 2/3 of the front section taken and the entire back section empty. It was heaven. Lunch there was very low key too - lots of tables, lots of quiet, the birds are no joke.
In short it was an amazing trip with great food, great cocktails, great entertainment (we did Trivia and Tangled and a few other things that will show up in my full report) and anywhere from very very low to moderate crowds in the adult areas. I would not hesitate to recommend the classic ships for an adult sailing and late dining is definitely the way to go. Food in detail, activities in detail and ports to be discussed in the full report as they are not super strictly adult related.
Last edited:
