robbalvey Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 (edited) REGISTER for our forum to leave a comment! Day One of our Disney Magic Cruise! Day Two of our Disney Magic Cruise! Day Three of our Disney Magic Cruise! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day One Well, I guess all "epic trip reports" have to start at the beginning, so here goes... I'm sure as many of you have figured out by now, when we aren't at theme parks or riding roller coasters we like to go on Cruises as kind of a vacation from theme parks, but over the years we've seen a trend where cruise ships have become a lot more like "floating theme parks" (this isn't a complaint...in fact, it's a preference!) The same can be said for Disney Cruise Line! We recently returned from a 5-night sailing on the Disney Magic and our experience was absoultely "magical" on so many levels! This sailing included "Marvel Day at Sea" which exceeded all expectations, Kristen was introduced to the "tween club" for her first time, and there were may upgrades made to the ship as it had just returned from a dry dock refurbishment. We will cover all that and more as we post about our experience over several updates. Overall though, we simply cannot recommend enough the Disney offerings "outside of the parks" and this includes Disney Cruise and Adventures by Disney. (If you missed our epic report from our Adventures by Disney River Cruise last year, you can catch up on it HERE!) So let's begin our adventure on the Disney Magic! Good morning from Miami, Florida! We are about to board the Disney Magic! Super excited to be back on a Disney Cruise ship! We are ready to sail off on our next family adventure! One of my favorite moments on a Disney Cruise is when they “announce” you coming on board! This is always such a fun, cool, special moment! Watch below and Volume UP! [twitter] [/twitter] We have just walked into the ship but first let's take a quick little tour around to some of the different locations! Our first stop is going to be the pool deck...and of course get something to eat! (Because that's what you do on cruises!) I love all the wide variety of food options on Disney Cruise ships! You can get Chicken Shawarma at the Duck-In Diner on the pool deck! And yes it was fantastic! “Welcome on board! Have a plate of meat!!!” More reasons why I love Cruising! When you first board a Disney ship, we highly recommend doing your own "self-guided" tour and be sure to check out the Oceaneer Club as this may be one of the only times adults get to see it. It's the "kids club" on the Disney ships but it's absoultely magical! Have a look at the Marvel section: The area itself is themed much like what you'd expect from a Disney theme park! Yes, there was a complete Iron Man suit in here. Thor is probably going to need this at some point! Click play on the video below to get a nice little tour of this area: [twitter] [/twitter] All of the "kids areas" are highly themed and unlike anything you'll see on other ships. I love that they have animation classes in here! It's just such a "Disney" touch! And just like in the theme parks, there are rides! Even ones with a little bit of thrill! The Aqua-Dunk is a "trap door" water slide and it's not totally for the weak at heart. And YES, you slide through a transparent tube OVER THE SIDE of the ship!!! We'll get back to this later on in the report! Let's take a look at our stateroom, shall we? IMO Disney's ships have some of the most impressive staterooms as they manage to make the most out of the space they have. This is a pretty good overview of the room. Here's from the opposite side of the room. As you can see, it's pretty roomy considering you're on a cruise ship. This is pretty much your standard "balcony" cabin. That sofa will become another bed for Kristen later in the evening! There's also a desk with the TV, plenty of room for the laptop, and there is a good amount of storage all around the room. Disney is also one of the few cruise ships who does these "split bathrooms" which we love! Two separate rooms. This one has your shower and sink #1 This room has sink #2 and is for doing other business. And here's our balcony! Here is our stateroom number. Now that "fish" above it is actually quite important and is responsible for quite an interesting "subculture" of Disney cruising. Let me explain further... This is what is known as a "fish extender" and they come in all different shapes and sizes, most of them are home-made, but there are also people who sell them through their Etsy stores. This is an "un-official" activity that happens on the Disney ships where you sign up online through many different groups (usually there will be a Facebook Group for your sailing) and you will exchange gifts in a "Secret Santa" sort of way with other guests also on your sailing. It's probably my favorite "unofficial" activity of any cruise ships! The whole idea that complete strangers will band together and do nice things for each other in the spirit of fun is something I feel this world needs more of! And people who really get into the whole "fish extender" will also go all out and do the entire door! You can already see some of the gifts delivered and it's super cool that people do this! The fish extenders really do come in all different shapes and sizes... And we took many photos of some really impressive doors that we will post later on in the report! Taking a stroll around the pool deck you can see the other slide and more of the outdoor areas. Here's the big screen where you can watch Disney movies pretty much the entire cruise day and night while hanging out on the pool deck! I love the Disney Cruise Line logo on the ship's funnel. It's so iconic! It's the Sail Away party! Always a highlight of a Disney cruise as it signifies that your vacation has officially begun! You can see the re-cap of our live stream from the Sail Away Party here: [fbvideonew] [/fbvideonew] Kristen is ready for an amazing time over the next five days! Elissa's rodents made an appearance! See 'ya later Miami! There is no shortage of food on this ship! Everything from high-end dining to simple pizza! We will cover it all! Did we mention that soda is included on the Disney ships? That's important because it is not on most other cruise lines. Get it? Look who Kristen found! Daisy is one of her favorites! (Check out her shirt!) The PhotoPass photographer said “both of you give me some sass!” LOVE IT! Our first nights dinner will be at Lumiere's. There are 3 different themed dining rooms on the Disney Magic and we will visit each one of them at least once on this sailing, some of them twice! The dinning room "staff" follows you to each restaurant each night so you get to know your servers quite well. It's amazing! Each of the dinning rooms are uniquely different. Lumiere's, themed to Beauty & The Beast in case you couldn't tell, is more of a traditional "elegant" dinning room, but with a Disney touch! Here's the menu... See anything you like? And now we invite you to relax As the dining room proudly presents... Your dinner!" I started off with the French Onion Soup which did not disappoint at all! Wonderful! The Chateaubriand was cooked just how I like it, very pink in the middle! Kristen went for the Seared Ahi Tuna! Overall, the meals in the Disney dinning rooms are a step up from most other cruise lines. In fact, I'd put the "included" dinning rooms on Disney on par with some of the "up charge" restaurants on other cruise ships. And while the ship has some absoultely amazing desserts on the menu, it has been a tradition for me on every Disney cruise to end the meal with a Mickey Ice Cream bar...because, it's awesome!!! Remember those fish extenders I mentioned earlier? Well, when we got back to our room, look what we found! Guests have already started giving us stuff! And it’s amazing! I love this unique “hidden gem” about Disney Cruises! Just adds a whole other layer to the magic! We just got our picture with Tiana! Love her! So awesome that the ships have all the characters you would expect to see at the parks! (and then some!) There is just such an "elegance" about the Disney ships... Everywhere you go, everything just seems a bit more higher end and very polished... But without losing that "Disney touch." For example, do you see that drink in the middle of the After Hours logo? Turn it upside down and what do you see? Mickey's Sorcerer's hat! There are things all over the ship that, no matter how elegant and amazing it all feels, you're reminded "It was all started by a mouse!" Look what they have in the shop! Cruise line Duffy! Yes! He's amazing! The gifts we have been getting from our fish extender group are amazing! It’s so rare you see complete strangers doing things for each other that are so nice! I love this sub-culture and it's one of the many things that set doing a cruise on Disney apart from other lines. Look what was playing on the big pool deck screen tonight! Yessss! Love this so much! And if you're looking for more “adult” activities on a Disney Cruise, tonight there was a “Cognac Tasting” in the adults area! There is so much to do on these ships for all ages! Here's another one of the night clubs in the "After Hours" section of the ship, which is the "adults only" area. (We love this!) We also got to meet the man himself tonight... Captain Mickey!!! There is just something so meta about this picture! That wraps up the first part of the report! Goodnight from the Disney Magic! It’s been incredible already! Click HERE to read Part Two of this report! Oh yes, be sure to POST YOUR COMMENTS!!! (we took the time to write the report, the least you could do is say something nice about it!) Conveluted.nltrack Quatro_[R]_Real.nlpack Rebel_[R]_(Real).nlpack Edited May 11, 2018 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcrouse Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 This looks fantastic! Those fish extenders are crazy!! I love that people really get into that. I've always been a huge fan of Disney Cruises and these photos show why. The ship is gorgeous. Can't wait to see the next update and some of the Marvel stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disneyfan1313 Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 (edited) I got married on the Disney Wonder so DCL has a special place in my heart! Love seeing all the enhancements on the Disney Magic and I can’t wait to see all the Marvel Day at Sea photos! Edited April 10, 2018 by disneyfan1313 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbatboy Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 That boat is stunning!! Wow!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariAge Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Wow, that cruise looks like a ton of fun! The fish extenders subculture of the cruise is fascinating. Do people bring many of these gifts on board with them, or do they buy them on the cruise (or both?) I did see one of the gifts was professionally customized with your names, so I assume that was purchased on board. Look forward to more additions to this report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrs28330 Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 I love the Disney ships, and the upgrades during the dry dock for the Disney Magic look spectacular! Can't wait to see more from your trip, and more fish extender goodies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laqueefa Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Wow, I'm seriously considering doing one of these cruises as my first cruise vacation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 great start to the trip, and I have to go back to read thru the Menu snapshots and food pics when I'm not ready to go to bed and will get hungry! i've never been on a Disney ship, but I'm glad to see how comparable the size of the cabin is to those on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. And honestly, I'm incredibly impressed by the bathroom - not only the idea of the split bathroom (which is brilliant), but the tile is lovely as well. can't wait to see more on this report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Wow, that cruise looks like a ton of fun! The fish extenders subculture of the cruise is fascinating. Do people bring many of these gifts on board with them, or do they buy them on the cruise (or both?) I did see one of the gifts was professionally customized with your names, so I assume that was purchased on board. Look forward to more additions to this report! Most of the customized gifts are actually done before the cruise! People that are talented enough do it themselves, people like me buy customized stuff on Etsy! Most people bring gifts on board, but some buy stuff once on board or at port, especially if you see something awesome or get to know the people you're buying for a bit better. We had a great Facebook group with a super organized woman with many excel spreadsheets and word documents (note - it actually wasn't me for once!) so people really got great stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viper423 Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Nice report. So with that, I will ask the experts. We were planning on going on a Disney Cruise for the first time. I have a 5 year old and at the time of the cruise, 1 year old twins. Would you recommend taking the twins on the cruise? Would having the twins with us prevent us from enjoying all there is that is offered? Looking for any thoughts and opinions on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThemeParkJunkie51290 Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Amazing report! I've never been on a cruise before, and I definitely should try one. There's plenty to do, and many activities to keep you busy. Maybe it's time I try something different! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 This is an awesome start to what I know will be an incredible trip report throughout! You really do get what you pay for when it comes to these cruises--not having to think about paying extra for soda, knowing that your dining room is different each night, there's always space for you in the main shows and there's a ton to do throughout the ship always makes the value clear for me. I've sailed with Disney quite a few times now but the Disney Magic is the only ship I've not sailed on yet, so it is great to see so many awesome, unique features on the Disney Magic through your eyes. We're hoping to sail on the Disney Magic in Europe this Summer, so this is only raising my hype levels immensely! And I'm also super eager to see more of your experience during Marvel Day at Sea--it looks like a really fantastic addition to an already incredible cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted April 10, 2018 Author Share Posted April 10, 2018 Nice report. So with that, I will ask the experts. We were planning on going on a Disney Cruise for the first time. I have a 5 year old and at the time of the cruise, 1 year old twins. Would you recommend taking the twins on the cruise? Would having the twins with us prevent us from enjoying all there is that is offered? Looking for any thoughts and opinions on this. I will give you the same advice I tell people when going to parks who ask this question... At that young of an age, they most likely aren't going to remember any of their trip when they are older. So them being there are more for you and your memories, the photos you take, and the enjoyment you have with them being there. Keep in mind the ship does have many activities and facilities for even toddlers (we'll get into some of that on our future installments) but really I think the decision is more up to you and how important it is to you for them to be there. If this trip is more to focus on the 5 year old because this will be their first cruise and something they will more likely to remember, that's is something to consider as well. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeykaise Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 I think the rotating wait staff is an awesome idea as this allows your server to get to know your likes and dislikes quickly. I was just curious if you get put into a group that rotates through the restaurants or is it just where one server is assigned to you personally? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Nice report. So with that, I will ask the experts. We were planning on going on a Disney Cruise for the first time. I have a 5 year old and at the time of the cruise, 1 year old twins. Would you recommend taking the twins on the cruise? Would having the twins with us prevent us from enjoying all there is that is offered? Looking for any thoughts and opinions on this. I will also chime in on this as I have traveled with KT since she was an infant. I think it's important to travel with babies and children. Mess with their routine, show them new spaces, expose them to a whole new everything. I don't see anything bad with that! Plus you're in a place where they will bend over backwards for the babies, pick up after them, clean up their messy eating, no cleaning or laundry for you guys for the week, again, all great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted April 10, 2018 Author Share Posted April 10, 2018 (edited) I was just curious if you get put into a group that rotates through the restaurants or is it just where one server is assigned to you personally? Well, it's both. You are given your rotation schedule at the start of the cruise, and since all the restaurants seat 1/3 of the ship's guests fairly equally, everyone in that rotation will pretty much rotate together to the next restaurant and your staff goes with you. And it's not like the entire group is sitting at one table or anything it's just an entire restaurant full of people. I hope I'm answering you correctly, the question was worded a bit confusing, sorry. Edited April 10, 2018 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viper423 Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Nice report. So with that, I will ask the experts. We were planning on going on a Disney Cruise for the first time. I have a 5 year old and at the time of the cruise, 1 year old twins. Would you recommend taking the twins on the cruise? Would having the twins with us prevent us from enjoying all there is that is offered? Looking for any thoughts and opinions on this. I will give you the same advice I tell people when going to parks who ask this question... At that young of an age, they most likely aren't going to remember any of their trip when they are older. So them being there are more for you and your memories, the photos you take, and the enjoyment you have with them being there. Keep in mind the ship does have many activities and facilities for even toddlers (we'll get into some of that on our future installments) but really I think the decision is more up to you and how important it is to you for them to be there. If this trip is more to focus on the 5 year old because this will be their first cruise and something they will more likely to remember, that's is something to consider as well. Hope this helps! Thanks for the advice. The twins have already been to Disneyworld. However, the only difference there is that we have been there numerous times before so we knew what to expect. For the cruise, being our first time, we don't want to miss doing anything because what I am seeing from your reports, there is a lot to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 ^Did we mention there's also a nursery where you can dump them off for a bit to have some adult or 'older kid' time!?!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted April 10, 2018 Author Share Posted April 10, 2018 (edited) ^Did we mention there's also a nursery where you can dump them off for a bit to have some adult or 'older kid' time!?!?!? Not yet. That's coming in part 2 of this report I believe. Edited April 10, 2018 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElvisLuv Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 I think the rotating wait staff is an awesome idea as this allows your server to get to know your likes and dislikes quickly. I was just curious if you get put into a group that rotates through the restaurants or is it just where one server is assigned to you personally? On our recent criise I had to excuse myself from dinner for a business issue. My meal, along with my server nearly beat me to my room. I'm watching this thread because this is the ship we put a deposit down of for Europe 2019. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCo Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Fantastic report! That whole "fish extenders" thing is such a fun reminder that there are genuinely good people out there still. So awesomely Disney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeykaise Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 I was just curious if you get put into a group that rotates through the restaurants or is it just where one server is assigned to you personally? Well, it's both. You are given your rotation schedule at the start of the cruise, and since all the restaurants seat 1/3 of the ship's guests fairly equally, everyone in that rotation will pretty much rotate together to the next restaurant and your staff goes with you. And it's not like the entire group is sitting at one table or anything it's just an entire restaurant full of people. I hope I'm answering you correctly, the question was worded a bit confusing, sorry. Thanks Rob, that's an awesome idea and a cool way of doing it. You caught my drift, I just couldn't put the question into the right words in my head. I would love to take my family on a Disney cruise one of these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viking86 Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Awesome report! Disney Magic sure seems to capture plenty of the "Disney magic". I have never been a proper cruise myself (only overnight ferries), but it looks like something that I would enjoy very much. I love heading down to the harbour to have a look when there is a Disney ship in town. As a huge Disney fan, there's just something special about seeing the ship with the Disney logo on the side. Standing there wanting to go on the ship makes me feel like a child again! Disney Magic in Bergen, Norway in July 2016. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Fantastic report! That whole "fish extenders" thing is such a fun reminder that there are genuinely good people out there still. So awesomely Disney. I love the idea of the fish extenders and people being so giving to each other. Awesome idea! By the way, once you've booked your cruise, how soon do you start planning for this Secret Santa thing? And how far in advance is that, usually, on the average? Just curious about this, as I know how long it takes me to organize and do gift-giving in other situations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 ^When we joined the group we were about two months from the cruise and they happily let us join. They let people join until about 4 weeks out as we all needed time to shop and make for those in our group. Some of the people had been in that group and had been planning for over a year as soon as the cruise was open for booking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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