Disney Magic Cruise a Magical Memory Review of Disney Magic Cruise Ship

Disney Magic Review

Holly's Rating of Disney Magic: 4.5 out of 5

In March 2012 my family and I took our first ever Disney cruise, we were thinking this is going to be for the kid’s turns out this is the perfect vacation for all ages. We took myself, my husband, our son, and daughter, my grandmother, and my brother to this trip to remember. We took the Disney Magic Seven day Caribbean cruise and I can tell you it was one of the best experiences in traveling we have had.

From the time you step on the ship you are instantly at peace, while waiting for our staterooms to be ready we enjoyed a lovely brunch at parrot clay, they had everything that any of us could desire. We got staterooms with verandas, my grandmother and husband both need to get fresh air often so we need a room with a veranda. A TIP if you have no real need for a veranda save yourself some money and stay in a noon veranda room there was plenty of space for our family of four in our stateroom, there is a pull down bunk hidden way in the ceiling and the couch pulls into a twin bed this sleeps four easily and comfortably. The best part of the Disney staterooms is the split bathrooms while I was in the shower or doing my hair the other bathroom was open for potty times, or when four people are trying to get ready for dinner or a show two people can change and primp at once as anyone with a teenager can tell you this is a valuable commodity. At night the housing staff leaves something special for the family.

The shows where different each night we were not at port and they were Broadway caliber shows with all the effect and wonder. We love Villains Tonight show; it was and is our top show we have seen. The Disney Magic Walt Disney theater had plenty of space and they serve drinks during the show just be careful that you don’t drop you mojito all over yourself and your son as I did. They do have cup holders in the seats but they do not always accommodate the drinks. We saw Twice charmed, Villains Tonight, and Disney dreams.

The children’s clubs also must be highlighted they allow the children to have their independent time in a safe environment. My daughter was in the Edge club pretty much our entire cruise we hardly saw her it seemed. I know you are thinking what kind of vacation is that you don’t see you kid, but she had so much fun with activities and spending time with kids her age. As our children grow they do not want to spend each minute with their parents.

My son was 8 at the time of our trip so he was able to go to and from his club Disney’s Oceaneer Lab and Disney’s Oceaneer Club as he wanted this is something that you can veto, I and my husband chose to let our son go from his club as he wanted with the mandate that he went to our state room. And we always saw our children at dinner and for shows or additional activities we want to do as a family. At the start of the trip my son was given a wrist band that allowed him the ability of entering and leaving the clubs, this also helps if your child is lost on the ship any crew member can scan the band and know what stateroom the child is in.

My son’s favorite thing on this cruise was Bingo it was played in the Rockin Bar D each day it and I will admit we spend a fair amount of cash on cards however we did not win. My son enjoyed trying and we made it a family event with my grandmother. The best part is everyone can play but to win an adult must claim the prize and they have some big ones one was for 10,000 dollars. Stephanie was the crew member who ran these and she was amazing and made it so much fun, I hope she is on our next cruise we even got a photo to remember the fun by.

With so much on the ships to do we did not get to everything but we tried my brothers favorite part was the Buena Vista theater at the time of our cruise the wizard of Oz was still in theaters but was playing on the cruise, this is the best part of Disney they own their movies so even if they are still playing at the movie theaters at home,  Disney is  able to show them for free on the ship. The in state room TV also has movies but they are geared mostly to children and teen, you also get Disney channel in your stateroom, however you are on a trip and are supposed to be out and about, not sitting around watching TV.

With each port they offer excursions you must book early or they will most likely sell out. We did two adventures one in each port and I will say that we do not plan on booking excursions on our next trip. My grandmother and I love to shop we were unable to fit this in with the time of the excursions and we found that there was so much to do when we disembark that we were sad we wasted our entire day on one activity finding we had to rush to get to the ship in time after our activity. We did enjoy out adventures but the travel and time that they took made it so we had not time for other options.

The best thing in my option of a Disney cruise is the meet and greets when you are in the park there are so many people you can stand in line for hours just to get one photo with Mickey Mouse; however on the ship we never waited more than 15 min. My daughter was able to get a photo with every Disney character on the ship some more than once, this alone made the trip worth it. The staff will take photos with your camera so you can be in the photos. 

A TIP make sure you bring a good camera you will save money if you don’t purchase the photos from Disney, we chose to get ten photos on a disk at the cost of 150.00 dollars because they camera we mostly used was not very good.

There is always the joy of water and the Disney Magic tries to make sure you can enjoy the pool at the time of our trip there was one water slide located at Mickeys Pool, my son enjoyed it; however it never seemed to be open during our trip, we did get one chance at it and my son loved it I wish that they would have had this available more often.  My daughter and her friends spent a lot of time in Goofy’s Pool .The pool areas are filled with kids and this can make it difficult for your children to fully enjoy the pool areas, but it is a family cruise and not everything can be perfect although Disney came close.

Outside the kids pools there is the adult only area called Quiet Cove Pool this is also the smoking part of the ship my husband and I keep meaning to get to this area but we had so much going on we never got to try the hot tub or pool area. With so much there was a lot we did not do the adult only bar, and lounge, some of the family activities such as the sing along and family dance party among other that we hope to get to our next trip. One thing my husband and I made sure to do each night was to go to the adult only  Cove café and get a hot chocolate with liquor and take a walk on the deck, this was one of my top memories of this trip a time for us to enjoy each other and relax.

 A TIP the adult only Cove Cafe on Disney cruises have punch cards be sure to get one even if you do not use it all on the one trip you can take it to the next cruise.

Every Disney cruise has something magical that the other cruise lines just don’t at least one night weather permitting there a firework show and just like the park firework show it does not disappoint, and making this another must have part of the Disney vacation.

 A TIP try and get your spot a bit early if you want to sit this is something the entire ship shows up for and sometimes it can be hard to find a spot that you can sit and enjoy.

Besides the fireworks there was the pirates deck party and it was a blast my daughter’s favorite Disney characters is Stitch and along with Mickey and Jack Sparrow Disney makes this party fun for all ages. There is dancing and music and characters dressed as pirates and many of the guests get into the act, this was a memorable time and we cannot wait for the next one. 

A TIP your children will most likely want to dress up for this pirate party and the outfits on the ship are not cheap so bring your own most family’s know well in advance they will go so try and get a costume before you leave home and save some money.

We ate at all the dinning options besides the reservation and adult only Palo, and we loved all the food there was something for everyone and each night we were able to enjoy something new. Also pizza and all you can eat ice cream is available in the pool areas the pizza was so good that I ate more then I should. The pool side dining areas are what can be called counter service they are burgers fries and all the unhealthy food we should not eat. Goofys Galley offers lots of fruit and veggie options.  There is a 24 hour drink area on the pool deck my issue with this was they do not have juice options it is all soda, coffee, or tea I would have liked to see juice options .

 A TIP when you order a drink from a waiter, even soda you will be charged so if you want a soda go to the self-serve drink bar and get a free one, the cups are have covers and straws and are free.

This trip was worth the cost and we enjoyed each and every moment of it and we look forward to our next cruise with Disney. After our trip we heard that the Disney Magic was being renovated with all new clubs for children and a new waterside among much more we cannot wait until we get a chance to see if the new changes live up to the memories we already have of the Disney Magic. Our weight staff and room staff where amazing and made us feel magical and we cannot wait to board again.

This is the link to Disney Cruise Site:

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/

Additional notes and money saving tips:

Room service is 24 hours and they will bring you or your children a chocolate chip cookie at midnight we did this for my son each night it made him feel special and the cookies are free. Drinks just like when you order from waiter are not free so go to the pool deck and save some money.

There is a laundry service this is not a cheap option, instead bring your own detergent travel packs are inexpensive and use the self-operation machines.

You are able to bring your own alcohol on the ship be sure to check the amounts before you leave .My husband was able to bring his brandy for his nightcap and this saved on the cost of ordering something at the bar on the ship. They also sold beer mugs that you got a discount on beer if you used.

Every two days be sure to ask guest relation for a copy of stateroom charges things add up quickly all those little drinks and trinkets can add up fast.

There is no cash accepted on the cruise ship everything is done with your stateroom card.

I will be making a must see tip and tricks post for Disney cruise as well as the parks.