newfamilyman
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For my 60th birthday, we splurged on a one-bedroom suite on the Magic out of Galveston. It was reasonably priced, especially since we booked it before they announced that it would be a Marvel at Sea cruise.
We flew in from LA two nights before the cruise to stay in Houston. As history buffs, we wanted to visit the George H.W. Bush library. DW and I really appreciated this presidential library, filled with fascinating information, all the more remarkable for a one-term President. I found the displays on his and Barbara’s upbringing especially compelling, such as the words of Barbara’s father, Marvin Pierce, on what a father should provide to his children: “a good example, an excellent education, and all the love in the world.” Words to live by. Any presidential history buff should well make the pilgrimage to this outstanding museum. Another plus: the café has delicious sandwiches, reasonably priced, and is, for those sharing the President’s dietary preferences, broccoli-free, in keeping with the Bush’s aversion to this vegetable.
When we arrived at the port the next day and completed check-in and security, group one was just starting to board. It was our first time on the Magic since dry dock, so it was fun to see the Soul Cat lounge for the first time. This location was also where the restaurant managers are stationed, and I approached the Palo manager to ask about the servers, since we were scheduled for two dinners and a brunch. I was delighted to learn that our favorite server, Sylvester (if you’ve had him, you know), was miraculously on the Magic and not the Wonder, where we enjoyed his hospitality on our last two cruises on that ship.
From reading the navigator, I got another piece of great news: our favorite performer, Josh Freilich, was on this cruise. He is a phenomenally talented pianist with the ability to play any song back after hearing it only once.
It was then time for the concierge lunch at Triton’s. The menu here is similar to the regular lunch menu except for the addition of an entrée with lobster medallions. Since we would be going to Palo for dinner that night, I asked for a Caesar salad with the lobster added. The portion size was closer to an appetizer to an entrée, but I didn’t mind leaving hungry. We met our outstanding concierge, Mariela from Hungary, whose friendly and skilled service enhanced our trip.
Another nice benefit of concierge is that you get access to your stateroom at 12:30, and for obvious reasons, we were very eager to get into ours. The best part of our one-bedroom suite, as far as I was concerned, was the bathroom, specifically the shower, though the elegant bathtub was quite a luxury to have on a cruise ship. The shower had the biggest rainfall shower head that I have ever seen, which created the fully immersive feeling of actually being in a rainstorm. I did think it was a little cheap of housekeeping to never replace the combination soap bar/loofa. The televisions were also oversized, which I appreciated, especially considering how small and outdated they are in the rest of the staterooms. There was the usual mini-fridge, but this one was stocked with water and Coke products. The verandah was oversized compared to a regular stateroom but the furniture unfortunately was the same, with no padding that one might hope for a suite (and which other cruise lines include with their suites). Finally, the doorbell was a nice touch.
After some rest, we reported to the muster drill. Many people complain about the in-person aspect to this drill which seems to be unique to DCL. However, as I’ve written before, a fun aspect is that usually the entertainment cast is assigned to the role of the person in charge of each section. While I didn’t talk to our assigned crew member, we did see her play Drusella in “Twice Charmed” and Anne-Marie in “Disney Dreams.”
Josh was scheduled to play the piano in the atrium from 5:15-6, but he arrived early for a longer set. I asked him between songs if he was taking requests, and in true Josh fashion, he replied, “No,” which quickly changed to, “Actually yes.” I requested initially something from “Pete’s Dragon,” and he dutifully complied with a nice rendition of “Candle on the Water,” and I followed up later with a request for “Santa Fe” from “Newsies.” He asked if I wanted the Broadway or movie version, and I chose the movie, and he apologized quite unnecessarily afterwards for segueing into the Broadway version. I wouldn’t have known the difference.
It’s always a pleasure to hear Josh play, but the atrium is truly the worst performance venue, especially on this cruise. The overwhelming number of preschool-aged children more than made up for the scarcity of school-aged children. It seemed that virtually every party on board included a child in this age range, and the grandparents tasked with watching them were performing the duties of grandparent and not parent. While we were watching Josh, for example, two young children were running around, standing on chairs, and almost destroying a photo backdrop while the designated grandparent sat across from us, doing and saying nothing. Luckily, as it got closer to 5:45, the crowds thinned out at least in the lobby (I’ve never seen such long character lines before), so we could enjoy the last 15 minutes of his set in peace.
It was a joy as always to return to Palo and seeing Sylvester again. He explained to us how he ended up on the Magic, and as the first night was especially sparsely attended, he gave us much of his time. With so many families with younger children, he explained that Palo was not crowded this cruise, obviously impacting their tips. Sylvester did his usual great job deboning my sole (no bones), my favorite entrée. For the last night, he recommended that I get the osso Bucco instead of a steak, since he correctly pointed out that I could get a steak elsewhere on the ship. The lamb ragu remains my favorite red sauce of all time, and the amaretto souffle was similarly delicious.
The first night of a cruise has not included a show as of late unfortunately, but this cruise started off with Tangled. While I missed the ASL interpreters, who are always a treat when they are onboard, it was an impressive show that we’ve only seen once before, since most of our cruises on the Magic included Villains Tonight!, one of my all-time favorite DCL shows.
The next day was the first sea day and the Marvel day at sea. Even though we are not Marvel fans, it was fun to see the characters around the ship. The day started off in my favorite way, jogging on deck 4. The lack of a proper jogging track on a Wish-class ships is certainly a major reason why after 14 cruises, we still haven’t sailed on any of them yet.
After a delightful shower and some rest, it was time for our only Palo brunch reservation of the trip. We took the first available time of 9:30, though my recollection, with which Sylvester disagreed, was that brunch service used to start at 10:30. I had all my favorite menu items, starting with their delicious almond croissant. I don’t know if it’s related to the open-kitchen layout on the smaller ships, but I’ve only gotten them hot on the Magic and Wonder. I submitted my request with Sylvester the night before for an off-menu salami pizza with a side of sambal, and he and the chef kindly obliged. I also love the Mickey waffle with apple compote, better than anywhere else on the ship. I took Sylvester’s suggestion of the lasagna without the bechamel sauce, which proved to be a solid choice, since I never loved the chicken parm. DW ordered the eggs benedict with spinach and asparagus, which is her all-time favorite egg dish. For dessert, we enjoyed the light panna cotta, whose popping pearls are so refreshing.
We then enjoyed some time in the concierge lounge. Surprisingly, the layout here is different from the Wonder, which has a wonderful, partially shaded outdoor deck. The equivalent on the Magic is a semi-enclosed room with views of the adult pool. The seating was very comfortable, but we missed the Wonder’s open-air experience.
There are no shows in the Walt Disney theatre on the Marvel day at sea, but there is a Captain America USO show in Fathoms. It featured two singers and three dancers, with a brief appearance by Captain America at the end. I enjoyed the 40’s standards (Begin the Beguine, Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree, etc.) and was pleasantly surprised when some very talented ballroom dancers from the audience took up the singers’ invitation to dance.
We had our only MDR dinner of the cruise that night at Rapunzel’s Royal Table. Because of the Marvel menu, unfortunately, there was no show. The difference in ambience between the subdued Palo and loud and chaotic MDR could not have been more extreme. The service did not start off strong, as our servers had an enormous table of at least 12 people and our table. We were an afterthought until the head server introduced himself and true to his word, stepped up in a true team effort to make sure that the service we received met Disney’s standards. Disappointingly, the Marvel menu wasn’t an improvement over the Pirate menu.
Originally, day three was supposed to be Cozumel and day four Progreso, but we were informed a week before the cruise that the port days were being reversed. We had booked a private tour of Uxmal through Tours by Locals. With the change, I had to scramble to find an alternate guide, since our original guide already had a tour booked that day. Luckily, I was able to find a fantastic guide in Raul, and because we were now docking much earlier than we would have under the original schedule, we would be able to see more of the ruins.
The day started off with my morning jog being disrupted by the track being closed at the stern for mooring. This only happens on the Magic and Wonder. I had hoped that I was getting an early enough start, but they really do close off the area hours before arrival at the port. Luckily, I could still get my run in on the top deck, since it wasn’t crowded this early.
We were planning on leaving the ship at 8, which meant that the special hot breakfast room service menu was unavailable to us, as the earliest delivery time is 8. Therefore, we ordered from the regular breakfast room service menu.
If you don’t have a port adventure, leaving the ship in Progreso is challenging because you have to take a bus to town, which drops you off in the bus station. The bus doesn’t leave until it is reasonably full, which took a half-hour. The delay didn’t stop the driver from expecting a tip.
Raul met us easily just outside the bus station. I exchanged some money at an ATM near where he parked which surprisingly did not have an option for English, and from there it was a long drive to Uxmal. Luis was an excellent tour guide, and for anyone with an interest in the Mayan civilization, I highly recommend him. We also visited a much less crowded temple nearby after Uxmal.
On the way back to the port, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant where a couple of tour buses had also stopped. Luis assured us that this was a good indicator that it would be a safe place to eat, and they even took credit cards. I left with no health issues, even having consumed a couple of glasses of their delicious jamaica punch. DW, unfortunately, chose the pudding instead of the fruit of dessert, and she did have G/I distress as a result for the next day. Since the only food item that we didn’t both eat was the pudding, we figured that that was the likely culprit.
One of the benefits of the one-bedroom suites is that you can order room service from the MDRs. It was our night at Triton’s, though we didn’t necessarily have to order from that restaurant, but we did. The food had to be delivered at 6:30, which was fine with us. DW really enjoyed the experience, but I found it frustrating. Because all of the courses are served at the same time, I felt that I had to rush through the hot items, which meant eating the French onion soup, escargot, and duck entrée quicker than I would have preferred. I had deliberately chosen a cold dessert, crème brulée, as opposed to the souffle, so I wouldn’t further have that issue. While I enjoyed being in the suite after the long day away, it was our only room service dinner, and I was OK with that.
My favorite venue for live music on the Magic is Keys, and there was a pianist doing a Billy Joel set. By the time that we got there, the room was full, so we went to the Soul Cat lounge for a set of Irish music from a trio. The music was relaxing but did not make me want to hear them again.
There was a magician in the Walt Disney Theatre that night. Concierge guests meet 45 minutes before the show in the pub for a special entrance to the theatre with popcorn. We didn’t arrive to the pub until after 8. We decided to still use the special entrance, which involves using a crew corridor. We later learned that this special entrance was only used for the three main theatrical performances, but it worked out well for us, and nobody questioned why we used that entrance. The magician was one that we hadn’t seen before, and he put on a great show, even if we had seen many of his tricks performed before by others.
The next day was Cozumel. Luckily, since the ship wasn’t docking until 11, the jogging track was wide open. We lost an hour, so even though I started running at the same time, I had the deck to myself for most of the hour, save for the usual crewman that I would see every morning, cleaning and polishing the deck. We were also able to enjoy the special suite hot menu breakfast for the first time. I ordered my own version of a grand slam, with pancakes and an American breakfast along with two plates of fruit. Everything was delicious and tasted better than what you would get from either Cabanas or the usual sit-down breakfast. We then enjoyed some quiet time in our suite and the lounge.
We were originally going to go to Cozumel for lunch, and we did exit the ship. However, I’ve never been in a port before we so many other cruise ships; there were five including ours that I could see. The area near the port was so touristy and filled with cruise ship passengers that we decided to skip a meal and returned to the ship. DW was also still feeling G/I distress from our lunch yesterday. I really enjoy the gyro station with all its delicious sauces, so I was well-satisfied with my chicken gyro lunch with fries.
We relaxed in the afternoon and were excited to have dinner in Animator’s Palate. We haven’t seen the initial show since our last time in the Magic so many years ago. We were initially disappointed to learn that the manufacturer of the jackets, which were black-and-white on one side and color on the other, went out of business during COVID, so the servers don’t change their uniforms when the room goes from black-and-white to color. We also weren’t sitting near any of the screens. However, it was still fun as the Fantasmic music begins, Mickey comes out, and the servers do their parade with Mickey as the dining room goes to color.
After dinner, we went early to Keys for Josh’s only set in this lounge. He didn’t seem to be taking requests this time, but it was fun as always to hear his performance. I was sad to leave a little early for Twice Charmed, since this would be the last performance of his we’d be watching, for this cruise at least. We were early enough to be escorted to the concierge entrance. The show has had some technical improvements since we first saw it, which I was glad to see, and I enjoy the songs from this show by the talented composers Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, who also wrote the songs for the musicals “First Date” and “Seventeen Again.”
The last day of the cruise was my 60th birthday. We gained the hour back, but my last jog on deck four was also mostly alone, which was fun. The room service breakfast this time was a Mickey waffle and the French omelet, with gruyere cheese and sauteed mushrooms. This was the best omelet I have ever eaten in my life. DW agreed, so it wasn’t just me. The Mickey waffle also tasted hot and made-to-order, like it is at Palo, minus the compote.
We then made our way to the only Anyone Can Cook of the cruise, and the first time I’ve attended one hosted by one of the ship’s chefs. He prepared apple strudel, and I learned more than I expected to from his presentation. The biggest surprise, given the cost-cutting that I’ve observed over the years, was learning that Disney only uses vanilla paste, never extract. The chef taught us that when working with dough, you can use a cotton tablecloth instead of a table which makes clean-up easier, and if you have to roll the dough, such as when you are making strudel or babka, then you can lift the tablecloth instead of the dough for easier rolling. The chef’s demonstration indicated that he was a master at it. Samples of the strudel were provided but not with any wine pairings, which was a first for one of these that I’ve attended.
Since our service team informed us that they would be working Rapunzel’s for lunch, we decided to eat there. They assisted our designated servers based on our table to ensure that we had excellent service. Especially on longer cruises, I like to follow our MDR servers with their breakfast and/or lunchtime assignments for a better experience. I got the southern burger which came out extremely well-done. The server told me that I should have asked for medium-rare, and I will going forward. I’ve never had a server ask how I wanted a burger cooked before, so I incorrectly assumed that it wasn’t an option. No matter how many DCL cruises you go on, you can still learn something.
Next we had a mid-afternoon couples’ massage. We’ve done couples’ villa massages before, but since we had a bath in our suite, and since you can’t really get much use out of the outdoor deck when the weather isn’t cooperating, we booked a couples’ massage in a regular treatment room. The masseuses were excellent and followed my instructions, which wasn’t the case in the past. If only the post-massage product sales pitch could have been avoided.
After a nap, it was time for my much-anticipated birthday dinner at Palo. Everything was delicious, including the osso Bucco and chocolate souffle. This photo nicely captures the memory of an outstanding evening:
It was then time for Disney Dreams, with our original muster drill captain playing Anne-Marie. We were approaching showtime and again used the secret entrance from the pub even though the concierge staff had left by then. Luckily we were able to find seats without having to argue with another concierge guest who was ignoring the repeating instructions not to save seats by saving three for his family.
We had a nice final breakfast in Rapunzel’s and then returned to the lounge, where they were using two elevators to shuttle guests to deck 3 and then off the ship.
We used Galveston Limousine to get back to the airport. I was initially concerned about missing the flight if the van waited too long to leave after picking up other passengers, but even with dropping off someone at Hobby first, we were still more than two hours early for our 12:30 departure back to Los Angeles, and Galveston Limousine was much cheaper than Disney’s transfer, a taxi, or rideshare.
We flew in from LA two nights before the cruise to stay in Houston. As history buffs, we wanted to visit the George H.W. Bush library. DW and I really appreciated this presidential library, filled with fascinating information, all the more remarkable for a one-term President. I found the displays on his and Barbara’s upbringing especially compelling, such as the words of Barbara’s father, Marvin Pierce, on what a father should provide to his children: “a good example, an excellent education, and all the love in the world.” Words to live by. Any presidential history buff should well make the pilgrimage to this outstanding museum. Another plus: the café has delicious sandwiches, reasonably priced, and is, for those sharing the President’s dietary preferences, broccoli-free, in keeping with the Bush’s aversion to this vegetable.
When we arrived at the port the next day and completed check-in and security, group one was just starting to board. It was our first time on the Magic since dry dock, so it was fun to see the Soul Cat lounge for the first time. This location was also where the restaurant managers are stationed, and I approached the Palo manager to ask about the servers, since we were scheduled for two dinners and a brunch. I was delighted to learn that our favorite server, Sylvester (if you’ve had him, you know), was miraculously on the Magic and not the Wonder, where we enjoyed his hospitality on our last two cruises on that ship.
From reading the navigator, I got another piece of great news: our favorite performer, Josh Freilich, was on this cruise. He is a phenomenally talented pianist with the ability to play any song back after hearing it only once.
It was then time for the concierge lunch at Triton’s. The menu here is similar to the regular lunch menu except for the addition of an entrée with lobster medallions. Since we would be going to Palo for dinner that night, I asked for a Caesar salad with the lobster added. The portion size was closer to an appetizer to an entrée, but I didn’t mind leaving hungry. We met our outstanding concierge, Mariela from Hungary, whose friendly and skilled service enhanced our trip.
Another nice benefit of concierge is that you get access to your stateroom at 12:30, and for obvious reasons, we were very eager to get into ours. The best part of our one-bedroom suite, as far as I was concerned, was the bathroom, specifically the shower, though the elegant bathtub was quite a luxury to have on a cruise ship. The shower had the biggest rainfall shower head that I have ever seen, which created the fully immersive feeling of actually being in a rainstorm. I did think it was a little cheap of housekeeping to never replace the combination soap bar/loofa. The televisions were also oversized, which I appreciated, especially considering how small and outdated they are in the rest of the staterooms. There was the usual mini-fridge, but this one was stocked with water and Coke products. The verandah was oversized compared to a regular stateroom but the furniture unfortunately was the same, with no padding that one might hope for a suite (and which other cruise lines include with their suites). Finally, the doorbell was a nice touch.
After some rest, we reported to the muster drill. Many people complain about the in-person aspect to this drill which seems to be unique to DCL. However, as I’ve written before, a fun aspect is that usually the entertainment cast is assigned to the role of the person in charge of each section. While I didn’t talk to our assigned crew member, we did see her play Drusella in “Twice Charmed” and Anne-Marie in “Disney Dreams.”
Josh was scheduled to play the piano in the atrium from 5:15-6, but he arrived early for a longer set. I asked him between songs if he was taking requests, and in true Josh fashion, he replied, “No,” which quickly changed to, “Actually yes.” I requested initially something from “Pete’s Dragon,” and he dutifully complied with a nice rendition of “Candle on the Water,” and I followed up later with a request for “Santa Fe” from “Newsies.” He asked if I wanted the Broadway or movie version, and I chose the movie, and he apologized quite unnecessarily afterwards for segueing into the Broadway version. I wouldn’t have known the difference.
It’s always a pleasure to hear Josh play, but the atrium is truly the worst performance venue, especially on this cruise. The overwhelming number of preschool-aged children more than made up for the scarcity of school-aged children. It seemed that virtually every party on board included a child in this age range, and the grandparents tasked with watching them were performing the duties of grandparent and not parent. While we were watching Josh, for example, two young children were running around, standing on chairs, and almost destroying a photo backdrop while the designated grandparent sat across from us, doing and saying nothing. Luckily, as it got closer to 5:45, the crowds thinned out at least in the lobby (I’ve never seen such long character lines before), so we could enjoy the last 15 minutes of his set in peace.
It was a joy as always to return to Palo and seeing Sylvester again. He explained to us how he ended up on the Magic, and as the first night was especially sparsely attended, he gave us much of his time. With so many families with younger children, he explained that Palo was not crowded this cruise, obviously impacting their tips. Sylvester did his usual great job deboning my sole (no bones), my favorite entrée. For the last night, he recommended that I get the osso Bucco instead of a steak, since he correctly pointed out that I could get a steak elsewhere on the ship. The lamb ragu remains my favorite red sauce of all time, and the amaretto souffle was similarly delicious.
The first night of a cruise has not included a show as of late unfortunately, but this cruise started off with Tangled. While I missed the ASL interpreters, who are always a treat when they are onboard, it was an impressive show that we’ve only seen once before, since most of our cruises on the Magic included Villains Tonight!, one of my all-time favorite DCL shows.
The next day was the first sea day and the Marvel day at sea. Even though we are not Marvel fans, it was fun to see the characters around the ship. The day started off in my favorite way, jogging on deck 4. The lack of a proper jogging track on a Wish-class ships is certainly a major reason why after 14 cruises, we still haven’t sailed on any of them yet.
After a delightful shower and some rest, it was time for our only Palo brunch reservation of the trip. We took the first available time of 9:30, though my recollection, with which Sylvester disagreed, was that brunch service used to start at 10:30. I had all my favorite menu items, starting with their delicious almond croissant. I don’t know if it’s related to the open-kitchen layout on the smaller ships, but I’ve only gotten them hot on the Magic and Wonder. I submitted my request with Sylvester the night before for an off-menu salami pizza with a side of sambal, and he and the chef kindly obliged. I also love the Mickey waffle with apple compote, better than anywhere else on the ship. I took Sylvester’s suggestion of the lasagna without the bechamel sauce, which proved to be a solid choice, since I never loved the chicken parm. DW ordered the eggs benedict with spinach and asparagus, which is her all-time favorite egg dish. For dessert, we enjoyed the light panna cotta, whose popping pearls are so refreshing.
We then enjoyed some time in the concierge lounge. Surprisingly, the layout here is different from the Wonder, which has a wonderful, partially shaded outdoor deck. The equivalent on the Magic is a semi-enclosed room with views of the adult pool. The seating was very comfortable, but we missed the Wonder’s open-air experience.
There are no shows in the Walt Disney theatre on the Marvel day at sea, but there is a Captain America USO show in Fathoms. It featured two singers and three dancers, with a brief appearance by Captain America at the end. I enjoyed the 40’s standards (Begin the Beguine, Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree, etc.) and was pleasantly surprised when some very talented ballroom dancers from the audience took up the singers’ invitation to dance.
We had our only MDR dinner of the cruise that night at Rapunzel’s Royal Table. Because of the Marvel menu, unfortunately, there was no show. The difference in ambience between the subdued Palo and loud and chaotic MDR could not have been more extreme. The service did not start off strong, as our servers had an enormous table of at least 12 people and our table. We were an afterthought until the head server introduced himself and true to his word, stepped up in a true team effort to make sure that the service we received met Disney’s standards. Disappointingly, the Marvel menu wasn’t an improvement over the Pirate menu.
Originally, day three was supposed to be Cozumel and day four Progreso, but we were informed a week before the cruise that the port days were being reversed. We had booked a private tour of Uxmal through Tours by Locals. With the change, I had to scramble to find an alternate guide, since our original guide already had a tour booked that day. Luckily, I was able to find a fantastic guide in Raul, and because we were now docking much earlier than we would have under the original schedule, we would be able to see more of the ruins.
The day started off with my morning jog being disrupted by the track being closed at the stern for mooring. This only happens on the Magic and Wonder. I had hoped that I was getting an early enough start, but they really do close off the area hours before arrival at the port. Luckily, I could still get my run in on the top deck, since it wasn’t crowded this early.
We were planning on leaving the ship at 8, which meant that the special hot breakfast room service menu was unavailable to us, as the earliest delivery time is 8. Therefore, we ordered from the regular breakfast room service menu.
If you don’t have a port adventure, leaving the ship in Progreso is challenging because you have to take a bus to town, which drops you off in the bus station. The bus doesn’t leave until it is reasonably full, which took a half-hour. The delay didn’t stop the driver from expecting a tip.
Raul met us easily just outside the bus station. I exchanged some money at an ATM near where he parked which surprisingly did not have an option for English, and from there it was a long drive to Uxmal. Luis was an excellent tour guide, and for anyone with an interest in the Mayan civilization, I highly recommend him. We also visited a much less crowded temple nearby after Uxmal.
On the way back to the port, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant where a couple of tour buses had also stopped. Luis assured us that this was a good indicator that it would be a safe place to eat, and they even took credit cards. I left with no health issues, even having consumed a couple of glasses of their delicious jamaica punch. DW, unfortunately, chose the pudding instead of the fruit of dessert, and she did have G/I distress as a result for the next day. Since the only food item that we didn’t both eat was the pudding, we figured that that was the likely culprit.
One of the benefits of the one-bedroom suites is that you can order room service from the MDRs. It was our night at Triton’s, though we didn’t necessarily have to order from that restaurant, but we did. The food had to be delivered at 6:30, which was fine with us. DW really enjoyed the experience, but I found it frustrating. Because all of the courses are served at the same time, I felt that I had to rush through the hot items, which meant eating the French onion soup, escargot, and duck entrée quicker than I would have preferred. I had deliberately chosen a cold dessert, crème brulée, as opposed to the souffle, so I wouldn’t further have that issue. While I enjoyed being in the suite after the long day away, it was our only room service dinner, and I was OK with that.
My favorite venue for live music on the Magic is Keys, and there was a pianist doing a Billy Joel set. By the time that we got there, the room was full, so we went to the Soul Cat lounge for a set of Irish music from a trio. The music was relaxing but did not make me want to hear them again.
There was a magician in the Walt Disney Theatre that night. Concierge guests meet 45 minutes before the show in the pub for a special entrance to the theatre with popcorn. We didn’t arrive to the pub until after 8. We decided to still use the special entrance, which involves using a crew corridor. We later learned that this special entrance was only used for the three main theatrical performances, but it worked out well for us, and nobody questioned why we used that entrance. The magician was one that we hadn’t seen before, and he put on a great show, even if we had seen many of his tricks performed before by others.
The next day was Cozumel. Luckily, since the ship wasn’t docking until 11, the jogging track was wide open. We lost an hour, so even though I started running at the same time, I had the deck to myself for most of the hour, save for the usual crewman that I would see every morning, cleaning and polishing the deck. We were also able to enjoy the special suite hot menu breakfast for the first time. I ordered my own version of a grand slam, with pancakes and an American breakfast along with two plates of fruit. Everything was delicious and tasted better than what you would get from either Cabanas or the usual sit-down breakfast. We then enjoyed some quiet time in our suite and the lounge.
We were originally going to go to Cozumel for lunch, and we did exit the ship. However, I’ve never been in a port before we so many other cruise ships; there were five including ours that I could see. The area near the port was so touristy and filled with cruise ship passengers that we decided to skip a meal and returned to the ship. DW was also still feeling G/I distress from our lunch yesterday. I really enjoy the gyro station with all its delicious sauces, so I was well-satisfied with my chicken gyro lunch with fries.
We relaxed in the afternoon and were excited to have dinner in Animator’s Palate. We haven’t seen the initial show since our last time in the Magic so many years ago. We were initially disappointed to learn that the manufacturer of the jackets, which were black-and-white on one side and color on the other, went out of business during COVID, so the servers don’t change their uniforms when the room goes from black-and-white to color. We also weren’t sitting near any of the screens. However, it was still fun as the Fantasmic music begins, Mickey comes out, and the servers do their parade with Mickey as the dining room goes to color.
After dinner, we went early to Keys for Josh’s only set in this lounge. He didn’t seem to be taking requests this time, but it was fun as always to hear his performance. I was sad to leave a little early for Twice Charmed, since this would be the last performance of his we’d be watching, for this cruise at least. We were early enough to be escorted to the concierge entrance. The show has had some technical improvements since we first saw it, which I was glad to see, and I enjoy the songs from this show by the talented composers Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, who also wrote the songs for the musicals “First Date” and “Seventeen Again.”
The last day of the cruise was my 60th birthday. We gained the hour back, but my last jog on deck four was also mostly alone, which was fun. The room service breakfast this time was a Mickey waffle and the French omelet, with gruyere cheese and sauteed mushrooms. This was the best omelet I have ever eaten in my life. DW agreed, so it wasn’t just me. The Mickey waffle also tasted hot and made-to-order, like it is at Palo, minus the compote.
We then made our way to the only Anyone Can Cook of the cruise, and the first time I’ve attended one hosted by one of the ship’s chefs. He prepared apple strudel, and I learned more than I expected to from his presentation. The biggest surprise, given the cost-cutting that I’ve observed over the years, was learning that Disney only uses vanilla paste, never extract. The chef taught us that when working with dough, you can use a cotton tablecloth instead of a table which makes clean-up easier, and if you have to roll the dough, such as when you are making strudel or babka, then you can lift the tablecloth instead of the dough for easier rolling. The chef’s demonstration indicated that he was a master at it. Samples of the strudel were provided but not with any wine pairings, which was a first for one of these that I’ve attended.
Since our service team informed us that they would be working Rapunzel’s for lunch, we decided to eat there. They assisted our designated servers based on our table to ensure that we had excellent service. Especially on longer cruises, I like to follow our MDR servers with their breakfast and/or lunchtime assignments for a better experience. I got the southern burger which came out extremely well-done. The server told me that I should have asked for medium-rare, and I will going forward. I’ve never had a server ask how I wanted a burger cooked before, so I incorrectly assumed that it wasn’t an option. No matter how many DCL cruises you go on, you can still learn something.
Next we had a mid-afternoon couples’ massage. We’ve done couples’ villa massages before, but since we had a bath in our suite, and since you can’t really get much use out of the outdoor deck when the weather isn’t cooperating, we booked a couples’ massage in a regular treatment room. The masseuses were excellent and followed my instructions, which wasn’t the case in the past. If only the post-massage product sales pitch could have been avoided.
After a nap, it was time for my much-anticipated birthday dinner at Palo. Everything was delicious, including the osso Bucco and chocolate souffle. This photo nicely captures the memory of an outstanding evening:
It was then time for Disney Dreams, with our original muster drill captain playing Anne-Marie. We were approaching showtime and again used the secret entrance from the pub even though the concierge staff had left by then. Luckily we were able to find seats without having to argue with another concierge guest who was ignoring the repeating instructions not to save seats by saving three for his family.
We had a nice final breakfast in Rapunzel’s and then returned to the lounge, where they were using two elevators to shuttle guests to deck 3 and then off the ship.
We used Galveston Limousine to get back to the airport. I was initially concerned about missing the flight if the van waited too long to leave after picking up other passengers, but even with dropping off someone at Hobby first, we were still more than two hours early for our 12:30 departure back to Los Angeles, and Galveston Limousine was much cheaper than Disney’s transfer, a taxi, or rideshare.
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