The Bahamian Rum Runners! May 18, 2012 - 5 Nights on the Magic!

[F&A]

The quintessential Key West Bar is Sloppy Joe's

Hi Everyone!

We'll probably walk down Duvall for a while, then head back to the ship.

Any recommendations for a nice bar? Just looking for a decent place to sit & have one (or two...or three) strawberry daiquiri's, and DH can have a few beers, and possibly a burger.

 

[alexturner74]

Hi Everyone!

We'll probably walk down Duvall for a while, then head back to the ship.

Any recommendations for a nice bar? Just looking for a decent place to sit & have one (or two...or three) strawberry daiquiri's, and DH can have a few beers, and possibly a burger.

One of our favorite places a block off of Duval and close to port is Kelly's. Great low key bar and food. www.kellyskeywest.com

 

[tikibirds]

Checking in!

We are really looking forward to this cruise! This will be my 6th DCL cruise - have been on the Wonder x4 and once on the Dream, but never the Magic. Have also never been to Key West.

Our traveling party consists of
Myself, Sandy - 49
DH Andy - 50
DS Craig - 31
DS Chrs - 28 and his GF Sophia, 25

Would like to be a part of the meet.

Also, saw hockey mentioned in the thread - we are Pittsburgh Penguin season ticket holders!

 

[F&A]

This will be our 6th cruise too! We go on our 5th on 2/2 on the Dream for the first time.

We sailed on the Magic for the 7 day Eastern Carribean cruise on 2010. That was our favorite cruise until we went to Alaska on the Wonder in May. Not sure if Christian is still the cruise director on the Magic but he is the guy you see on the travel channel show that is on netflix now. He was a trip. As I mentioned earlier, I think Tim will be the piano player at sessions and he is great. Last I heard heard was supposed to be on board but that is always so fluid.

Checking in!

We are really looking forward to this cruise! This will be my 6th DCL cruise - have been on the Wonder x4 and once on the Dream, but never the Magic. Have also never been to Key West.

Our traveling party consists of
Myself, Sandy - 49
DH Andy - 50
DS Craig - 31
DS Chrs - 28 and his GF Sophia, 25

Would like to be a part of the meet.

Also, saw hockey mentioned in the thread - we are Pittsburgh Penguin season ticket holders!

 

[starwarsdisney]

Okay we are a little late to the party, but my wife and I are checking in.

This will be our second cruise. We cruised on the Dream this past September and were going to go on the Dream again in February, until we saw the Key West itinerary. We both have wanted to go to Key West for a long time. So we switched our cruise. We are also toying with adding a land part to our trip on the back end.

I'll have to double check with my wife, but I think she may want to do the FE. I'll let you know for sure. Since we have a cruise under our belt we know know what to expect and can spend a little more time relaxing on this one.

I had a couple of questions for all of you that have been on the Magic before. First, will you feel the rocking of the ship more since it's smaller than the Dream? We really did not have a problem, except for the first night. It could have been all of the excitment, but we both started to not feel so good about 3/4 of the way through dinner. We both had to go up to the room to lie down and get some fresh air.

Second, is the Magic kept up as nice as the Dream. I know you can't do a Apples to Apples comparison since one ship is 1 year old and the other is 14 years old. I just want to know that it's as clean, friendly, and nice as the Dream.

Last, does anyone know of any phenomenal servers on the Magic. We LOVED our server on the Dream and requested him before we even cruised. He made our dining experience wonderful!

Looking forward to seeing everyone and exploring a new ship. If all goes well we will be on the Fantasy in 2013 to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. You can't beat seeing new ships and places every year!

 

[Sir William]

I had a couple of questions for all of you that have been on the Magic before. First, will you feel the rocking of the ship more since it's smaller than the Dream?

Second, is the Magic kept up as nice as the Dream. I know you can't do a Apples to Apples comparison since one ship is 1 year old and the other is 14 years old. I just want to know that it's as clean, friendly, and nice as the Dream.

First off, welcome!

We cruised on the Magic at this time last year and had a wonderful time. I thought the ship was well kept up, clean, and the CM just as friendly as they could be. Any ship starts to show a bit of wear and tear when its constantly at sea, but the crew did a fine job keeping the Magic clean, tidy, comfortable, and operational. We liked the Magic so much that we changed our Fantasy booking to the Magic and we'll be on the Magic again in September to NE/Canada.

As for the rocking - depends greatly on the weather. Overall we had very little sense of movement most of the time. My wife, who is subject to motion sickness, did just fine. Most people only have a problem the first night anyway when they experience the movement of a ship at sea (even experienced sailors can have a problem if they been ashore quite a while). Getting lots of fresh air helps.

We did have a storm that blew in while we were in Cozumel and lasted for the night and most of the next day, though it got progressively calmer. The Captain did his best to skirt the storm but it covered a big front so we still had a rocky ride. However, I served aboard several Naval ships and based on the storm even the larger ships like the Dream and Fantasy, or even the mega-ships like the Norwegian Epic, would have felt the effects. Not much to be done except ride it out.

 

[F&A]

My experience is the seas to the Bahamas are not bad. The worst part is usually leave and returning to Florida along the coast. So that makes sense if you felt a little whoosey at dinner. They will deploy the stabs if needed. The rooms center of the ship are usually the least affected.

As far as upkeep, both the Wonder and Magic are kept up very well. When you first board you may see people painting or staining while in port to keep everything, well, ship shape. The one thing you may notice is since the ships are a little older there maybe more creaking noises in the state rooms with play in the walls as the ship waves. The have updated the Magic and Wonder with the wave phones in January of 2010 just like the Dream has. Neither ship had them prior. We used to bring walkie talkies if you can believe it. Also, all the rooms may not have been upgraded with the iPod docking station radios yet. Someone else may be able to confirm that. I know the Dream had them from day one. They also have updated all the TV's with LCD's and eliminated the old tube TV's they used to have. The movie theaters have also been updated to show 3-D movies like the Dream.

Not sure if I can think of anything else.....something else will pop into my head later.

Frank

I had a couple of questions for all of you that have been on the Magic before. First, will you feel the rocking of the ship more since it's smaller than the Dream? We really did not have a problem, except for the first night. It could have been all of the excitment, but we both started to not feel so good about 3/4 of the way through dinner. We both had to go up to the room to lie down and get some fresh air.

Second, is the Magic kept up as nice as the Dream. I know you can't do a Apples to Apples comparison since one ship is 1 year old and the other is 14 years old. I just want to know that it's as clean, friendly, and nice as the Dream.

Last, does anyone know of any phenomenal servers on the Magic. We LOVED our server on the Dream and requested him before we even cruised. He made our dining experience wonderful!

Looking forward to seeing everyone and exploring a new ship. If all goes well we will be on the Fantasy in 2013 to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. You can't beat seeing new ships and places every year!

 

[JMTStone]

Also, saw hockey mentioned in the thread - we are Pittsburgh Penguin season ticket holders!

Hey! We are also Pens fans! At the meet you may get to meet my DD19 who is a HUGE fan.

The last May trip in 2009 we were on the Magic during the Pens sweep in the playoffs. Poor Taylor was dying without constant information on the games (it was a 7 night cruise). But we got home to see them win. That was a great "Pittsburgh" year.

 

[JMTStone]

I had a couple of questions for all of you that have been on the Magic before. First, will you feel the rocking of the ship more since it's smaller than the Dream? We really did not have a problem, except for the first night. It could have been all of the excitment, but we both started to not feel so good about 3/4 of the way through dinner. We both had to go up to the room to lie down and get some fresh air.

Second, is the Magic kept up as nice as the Dream. I know you can't do a Apples to Apples comparison since one ship is 1 year old and the other is 14 years old. I just want to know that it's as clean, friendly, and nice as the Dream.

Last, does anyone know of any phenomenal servers on the Magic. We LOVED our server on the Dream and requested him before we even cruised. He made our dining experience wonderful!

1. My daughter (19 now) is prone to sea sickness. She did not get sick at all on the Dream (we gave her Bonine the first afternoon to head it off and none after that until we hit the hurricane that destroyed our second day at CC). We didn't encounter ANY bad weather on the Magic in 2009 and she didn't get sick once.

2. In 2009 the Magic was "Disney clean". No dust bunnies, no scratches, etc. Now I may be flogged for saying this but there were some parts of the Magic I liked better. The intimacy and the kids rooms. In the Dream our DD (9 at the time) got lost in the shuffle where on the Magic, the counselors would recognize us and know exactly where our daugher was. Once I spent 15 minutes looking for my kid in the rooms on the Dream.

3. We had Wilson and Gladys on the Magic and I've requested them again.

We are excited about the Fish Extenders! This will be our third time and each time, we get presents that give me even better ideas. We've started shipping the cruise things down to Orlando (we usually stay at Disney) so we don't have to check them with airlines...

 

[mcmckuf]

Hi Gang,

We will be joining you and plan to do the FE....

Cabin: 5013

DH: Matt (40) - 10th cruise, 5 on Disney if you count one Big Red Boat back in 87
DW: Jodi (not tellin for my safety) - 7th Cruise, 4th on Disney
DD: Maddie (10) - 4th cruise, all on Disney
DD: Joci (3) - second cruise, first year potty trained so we are sooo looking forward to kids club this time around!

Maddie is very interested in communicating with other girls going. If you are open to it, please let me know.

Can't wait!

 

[mcmckuf]

We are from Roswell, GA though originally from Florida.

 

[starwarsdisney]

1. My daughter (19 now) is prone to sea sickness. She did not get sick at all on the Dream (we gave her Bonine the first afternoon to head it off and none after that until we hit the hurricane that destroyed our second day at CC). We didn't encounter ANY bad weather on the Magic in 2009 and she didn't get sick once.

2. In 2009 the Magic was "Disney clean". No dust bunnies, no scratches, etc. Now I may be flogged for saying this but there were some parts of the Magic I liked better. The intimacy and the kids rooms. In the Dream our DD (9 at the time) got lost in the shuffle where on the Magic, the counselors would recognize us and know exactly where our daugher was. Once I spent 15 minutes looking for my kid in the rooms on the Dream.

3. We had Wilson and Gladys on the Magic and I've requested them again.

We are excited about the Fish Extenders! This will be our third time and each time, we get presents that give me even better ideas. We've started shipping the cruise things down to Orlando (we usually stay at Disney) so we don't have to check them with airlines...

JMTStone don't worry I love the kool-aid!! I've heard from people that have done both the Magic (or Wonder) and the Dream that they prefer the smaller ship because it's more intimate. I have to say that even the adult pool on the Dream was crowded a lot of the time. It sounds like it's going to be a good trip!

Wilson and Gladys's huh. I'll keep them in mind! We had Constantin on the Dream and he was awesome!!!!!!!!!

 

[JMTStone]

DD: Maddie (10) - 4th cruise, all on Disney
Maddie is very interested in communicating with other girls going. If you are open to it, please let me know.

Perfect! Mackenzie DD (10) is also interested in pre-friending. We've done that on our last 2 crusies and she's still "friends" with the girls we met here. Kids club is so much more fun when there's someone there you kinda know!

I'll IM you our email address and we can get the girls together chatting.

Mel

 

[mcmckuf]

Perfect! Mackenzie DD (10) is also interested in pre-friending. We've done that on our last 2 crusies and she's still "friends" with the girls we met here. Kids club is so much more fun when there's someone there you kinda know!

I'll IM you our email address and we can get the girls together chatting.

Mel

She will be ecstatic. She's into making things with a sewing machine so I may work with her on the FE....

 

[mcmckuf]

how funny, we're hoping to go there next week!

we have looked up and called and researched soooooo many cruise lines.. everyone says start out with the cruise line that has a name similar to a fair, but then i've also heard it's just a party ship, and even though my DH and I are "young" (or at least we like to think so) we don't do all that... corny, maybe, but we just don't! Plus I'm obsessed with Toy Story (although the woman on DCL told me this ship doesn't really offer anything pertaining to that) so I figured it would be a great start and hopefully we can try some of the other ships within DCL later.

So, is everyone driving or flying, or what?

We decided to drive (and are considering renting a car since it's quite a drive) curious to know any tips/advice ya'll have for drivers from my neck of the woods

Another question (geez i'm full of them!! ) what kind of rooms did everyone get? We had a hard time deciding what kind to get.. we are the type of people who go somewhere and only use their room to sleep in, so we figured that an inside cabin would be just fine (or at least we're hoping) So with that said, I've got a dumb ? ... do they have the fish things to be able to exchange FE gifts? I've seen some pictures of doors that didn't seem to have one (or maybe just the picture didn't catch it) but I was hoping someone could enlighten me... I've already began thinking of FE gifts, and don't want to get all excited if I can't even participate with my own FE! lol

We will be driving from Atlanta, with a stopover in Jax to drop the pups off with my parents.

A few tips: By your last tank of gas passing out of Ga before you enter FL. Exit 5 is pretty decent. Florida has higher taxes on fuel then FL.

We don't park at the terminal. We use a service nearby where you drop your car at the lot, and they take you to the terminal. Cuts your parking fee in half. You just call whenever you are exiting the terminal and they are usually there in under 10 minutes. Happy to share info if anyone is interested.

 

[mcmckuf]

Hi all! This will be our first cruise! My DH and my 2 DD (ages 7 and 2) will be cruiseing along with my sister, her DH, DD (9), and DS (10) and my mom and her DH. We are super excited!!!

Hi TinkMT! Is your Sisters Daughter interested in chatting with my DD10?

She has proposed that the DD9's and DD10's meet on the first day and hang out for the cruise. Email me if interested. matt.mckinley at troutmansanders then dot com (silly 10 post count rule is annoying)

 

[mcmckuf]

Welcome!! Glad to have you both with our group!! So, being a newbie, I've got a question for you (and anyone else) who is a seasoned disney cruiser.. what's the one, absolute thing you cannot/will not miss once you board? There is soooo much to do, and so many choices, and I love hearing what everyone's "favorite" thing is! So please, share away!

Depends who you ask in the family...

My wife and I: The food and the rainforest....we don't have many babysitting opps in ATL so that is a favorite getaway.

My daughter just loves the Pirate party and the midnight desert buffet. Don't forget shoes though! They won't let you in. Learned that the hard way one time.

 

[mcmckuf]

Kim and Chris - welcome!

We have been on one other cruise but it's been so long I feel like a newbie myself.

I have a question about the Rainforest room - what exactly is it and or can you do in there? I would love to hear all about - good things and the not so great.

Initially we went here just to get away and relax. We then figured out that the wife could get ready here while the rest of us steamed up the bathroom getting ready for the shows. The heated reclining chairs are my fav. My back loves them. There are toiletries in the changing rooms in case you forgot something like a razor, comb etc. My wife likes the tea selection just outside the room. Sometimes they will come into the room and offer discounted or even free spa treatments like facial massages, etc.

Can you tell we are parents to a 2 year old...?

 

[mcmckuf]

I will have a 2 year old as well. Has anyone taken a 2 yo on the cruise before? Is there lots for them to do? I don't think they can swim in the main pools if they are not potty trained right???

We had our 2 year old daughter on the Wonder last year. It was both good and bad. She was not much fun at dinner time so we started dropping her off in Flounders Reef and that was the best thing we ever did. She actually seem to eat more in there than with us anyway and sometimes didn't want to leave. Of course dropping her off was always drama. Later we learned they would let her go in the kids club as long as we were in there and she went crazy for the indoor play sets. The pools are rough. The area for non-potty trained kids doesn't have a lot to do after you've done it once or twice. The Private island was awesome. Just make sure you pack plenty of sunscreen. It's pricey on the stops and even on board, though not as bad. We always go through a ton.
If your 2 year old is at the point where she (assuming a girl?) is interested in princesses, then sign up the first day for the princess breakfast. It's free but you need tickets. One cruise they didn't have it, so YMMV.
The main shows actually held her attention quite well and she really loved the kids comedy shows earlier in the evening. They are pretty tame. They made me a prop at one point and I think my daughters loved that the most.

If you have any specific questions, just ask. The Wonder and the Magic are nearly identical.

 

[mcmckuf]

so a couple questions (yes i'm a newbie, and yes i'm a planner, and no, i can't stop talking about the cruise!)

1. do you have any shore excursions that you are planning on doing on this trip? and/or have you done any in the past that you highly recommend?

2. first or second dinner seating? (2nd for us)

Yay, we are down to 7 months and 3 weeks!!!

For Nassau: Don't go to the zoo....you have to travel through a bad section of the island. We were waiting at a bus stop and priest there warned us about gangs. This isn't near the main area so just FYI. Other than the initial shops for a trinket, I wouldn't even go. It's not how it used to be.

Key West: Rent Bikes and ride down the point, go to THE original Key Lime Pie shop on the corner of Kermit and Green. It has a Koi pool for kids and is better than the knockoffs. Don't miss the butterfly conservatory as well...

Castaway island: Walk, don't take the tram and you'll see Captain Jack along the way. The ship from the movies was gone last year.....take a bike ride to the tower. it's a pretty view and we always need the exercise before the food anyway. The new(ish) slide platform in the lagoon is fun...cold in March but should be fine in May. Bring your own snorkeling gear if you want to do this. Best spot on the trip and usually a lot of fish. Rental is $25 otherwise. Bring sandcastle stuff if you want it. You can buy it there and it's not that bad. Wwe rarely have to rent tubes. by lunchtime they are usually all over the place unused by earlier renters.

1st Seating for us...with young kids, it's a must. Never had a problem changing to earlier if we were unlucky in getting this before we sail.