BODICERIPPER

Hi, Crazzzielady , you may have already heard that TCM resumed their cruise. 

The TCM Classic Cruise sails again Oct. 22-27, 2019, round trip NYC - Bermuda, on the Disney Magic.

This cruise sold out in record time, but you can join a waiting list if you are interested (via the TCM Classic Cruise website).

I was lucky enough to book a cabin for this cruise; it will be my 5th TCM Classic Cruise. They are great cruises!

The cruise stopped after the 2016 TCM Classic Cruise (it was the sixth), because (as TCM stated) they were working on changes to the many, expanded TCM offerings, and planning the cruise took a very large amount of their staff away from working on these new endeavours.    

We were told during the last cruise that TCM would try to resume their cruise if it was at all possible, and it seems that it was! YAY!

Hi, Foghorn: :D

The Nov. 2015 TCM Classic Cruise will be my second on the Disney Magic. I must be honest and admit that I had been a tad worried when TCM switched to the Disney cruise lines after having such a great time on my first TCM cruise which took place onboard a Celebrity ship, which is generally known for being a rather "adult" cruise line. But I was worried over nothing, as it turns out.

There's nothing wrong with a "real" Disney-themed cruise, nor with good old family fun. But, let's just say that most of the classic movie fans that I met on the TCM cruises seemed to want few distractions from their enjoyment of the classic movie theme (me included). And I don't want to call us "old", but the majority of the folks on the TCM cruises are...well...let's just say "of a certain age". LOL. :D

During the TCM cruise, the typical Disney "theme park" stuff was no where to be seen, other than within the confines of the children's areas which are located on the lower decks. You'd really have to be looking for these areas to find them. I heard that one Disney character was at the sail-away party. I only counted eleven children on the cruise (I heard that there were a couple of dozen or so), and the kids I met were all very well behaved, and they also stayed out of the adults-only areas.

There were no Disney shows during the TCM cruises (other than what may have gone on in the children's areas?). The TCM cruise list of daily events is already packed full; so full that one would have to be super speedy to see and do it all.

One of the dining rooms, "Animators", came closest to being a real "Disney" event, but it was a lot of fun, and the kind of fun that fit in with the cruise's movie theme. (I won't ruin the surprise if you don't already know about "Animators". :) ) I also liked the way that Disney rotates the passengers through the three different main dining rooms as the days go by.

My first TCM cruise sailed from Miami, and TCM offered good discounts at a very nice hotel that also provided very convenient shuttle service right to the ship's dock and luggage porters. I'd be surprised if they don't use that same hotel, but they will notify you of their suggested hotel(s) as the time of the cruise approaches.

TCM, Sixthman, and Disney all do a great job of sending you all of the info that you need before you sail. I would read everything that they send to you and use the links that they send as they are helpful, if not a tad repetitive.

And when the time comes, I would encourage you to log onto the Disney site (they will send you a link), where you will be able to complete your on-line booking and embarkation info. If you fully complete the on-line booking, it really speeds things during the embarkation process. But don't worry about any of this as TCM, Sixthman, and Disney will make everything very clear nearer to embarkation time.

I am SO curious as to who the onboard guests will be this year! Each TCM cruise has had a special on-deck, "theme" party, so I'm also curious as to what this year's theme will be. Last year, the theme was Film Noir.

It was my experience that the Disney crew members were all very polite and efficient, and they all smiled...a lot!

I am positive that you will have a wonderful time, Leghorn! :)

:)

Thank you for the replies. I was thinking that I just might have to take a cab from either the airport hotel or the port itself to the nearest liquor store/convenience store.

Unless...do they allow hotel restaurant/bar "off sales" in Florida? Even if they do, it would likely be a pricey way to obtain alcohol. :)

:cool:

We will be flying into Orlando, staying overnight at the airport hotel, and then taking the shuttle to Port Cape Canaveral the next morning, in time to board the Disney ship.

Does anyone know if there are any convenient places to purchase alcohol either around the airport in Orlando, or around the cruise ship port itself? We plan to take a couple of bottles of alcohol on board the ship (in our carry on luggage).

Neither one of us wants to attempt to fly into Orlando with alcohol in our luggage. :D

Thanks! :)

:D

All sounds good, djsmith773!

It sounds as though the upcoming Castaway Cay experience in October is going to be as close to having my own, private island as I am ever going to get!

See y'all in October!

:)

:)

Thank you, for all of the great replies!

Our stateroom will also be AFT Deck 7, so maybe my friend and I could take turns fetching breakfast.

And I'll be sure to try out those coffee thermoses. Maybe I'll pack a small bubble wrap, insulating "blanket" for it, which might keep the thermos even warmer through the night.

Great tips, guys and gals!

Gotta LOVE this site!

:D

:)

I'm going to check out those individual wine shipper containers for my carry-on luggage. They sound like a great invention! Thank you for the tip!

:D

:)

Thank you for all of your replies!

There's nothing like experience, and I appreciate all of your input.

:D

:)

This is likely a silly question, but are any of the main dining rooms open for lunch on the Magic?

:o

:)

My friend and I would prefer to have breakfast on our stateroom balcony during our upcoming cruise on the Magic.

I know that room service is available 24 hours a day, but can a room service breakfast be ordered the night before, to be delivered to the stateroom at a determined time? Is this a satisfactory way to go? I've heard conflicting reports on the quality/accuracy of room service food.

Some cruise lines have a "continental breakfast card" that you can fill out and place on your stateroom door the night before, and the time that the breakfast is to be delivered can also be requested. Does the Magic have anything similar?

I've read that the passengers on the Magic can obtain a large thermos of hot coffee the night before, and that the coffee will remain hot until the morning. Sounds miraculous, but it sure would come in handy if it's possible. :)

I suppose another possibility would be for a passenger to obtain suitable cold breakfast items the night before, to have them available for the morning, if the stateroom fridge is indeed cold enough.

Any tips or suggestions? :)

.

:)

Thank you for your replies!

Would the best way to ensure that vegan selections be available for my friend at the main dining rooms be, to contact Disney Cruise Lines 2 or 3 weeks prior to sailing to discuss the matter?

I've heard that the "serving team" that a passenger has in their first night MDR, stays with that passenger during their MDR rotation through the three dining rooms for the entire time they are on the ship. So, I would imagine that also discussing vegan choices with the assigned head waiter would be a good idea as well?

It sounds like Disney is out to please. :)

 

...p.s. Cedric and Sophie are my dogs names...corgis. Very regal!:)

Yes! They sound British somehow, and very posh! Maybe they're related to the Queen's corgis. :D

Thank you again for the great information!

:)

:)

I've read that it's easy to find vegetarian food on the Disney ships, but has anyone had experience finding/requesting vegan food among the many food service areas located on the ships?

.

:)

Thank you, Cedricandsophie (I love your names, BTW!), for the reply! That's exactly the sort of thing that I wanted to know.

I'm taking from your reply that only one ship docks at Castaway Cay at a time? Therefore, most of the visitors at Castaway Cay at any given time are from the one cruise ship that is docked at the island?

I am pea-green with envy regarding your Greek Isles cruise. Have a wonderful time! :D

BTW, I tried to start a 2014 TCM Classic Cruise "Roll Call" thread. I hope it worked.

:)

Thanks to all! I was able to snag what appears to be a nice stateroom with the aid of all of you helpful Disney cruisers!

:)

:)

Now that you mention it, it seems that we will be sailing during the tail-end of hurricane season. :D

:)

Thanks for all of the info! Disney cruisers know their stuff!

I've been searching the Disney cruise site, and I'm not seeing any limits on how much alcohol each passenger is allowed to bring on board at embarkation.

- I would think that the amount would be limited to one bottle of alcohol or a 6-pack of beer?

- OR is the amount of alcohol that one person is allowed to bring on board limited only by how much alcohol each person wants to place into their carry-on luggage, as long as that luggage is within the allowable dimensions?

- And are the numbers of how many pieces of carry-on luggage determined only by how many pieces that one person can carry?

Jeepers...I'm sounding a tad alcohol obsessed with all of these questions! I'm really not...really! :D

.

:)

I've noticed that the Disney cruises don't offer alcohol packages as such. For instance, other cruise lines give passengers large name tags that most folks wear on lanyards around their necks, and the different types/colours of the name tags indicate the extra packages that the individual passengers have purchased prior to boarding. For my last cruise I had purchased a rather "generous" alcohol package, and my name tag reflected that by its design. So whenever I ordered alcohol, the server just "swiped" my badge, and voila, no charge...sort of. It was very (too!) convenient. :D

Am I correct in assuming that Disney does not offer similar alcohol packages? If not, can you pay for alcohol beverages by using your name tag as you can on some other cruise lines? Can it be "swiped" and the charge just shows up on your final bill when the cruise is over?

I've read that individual passengers are otherwise allowed to bring a limited amount of alcohol on board, best kept in their carry-on luggage upon embarkation, to be drank in their stateroom only ;), and no large coolers are allowed (just small medicine coolers).

Have I got the correct information so far? Anything I should be aware of?

:)

:)

Thank you, moki'smommy! That's good info. I now see how much of Deck 5 is dedicated to children's activities. :) It's nice that there is a separate, adults' pool as well.

On the last TCM cruise I attended, I saw one young boy boarding the Celebrity ship, and I never saw him or another child during the entire rest of the cruse. As you say, any little ones on that cruise might have been off enjoying the children's events in other areas of the ship.

It's difficult to say how many TCM cruise passengers would bring children with them. I've heard that the prices are higher than the usual Magic fees for the TCM cruise, but I don't know about that for sure ($1970 for a "Deluxe Ocean View with Verandah", plus $300 for additional fees, plus any optional insurance, or special "packages").

I very much enjoyed the first TCM Cruise I attended, and would recommend a TCM cruise to any classic movie fan. :)

:)

For anyone who attended the TCM ("Turner Classic Movies") Classic Cruise in December 2013, aboard the Disney Magic:

I have attended a TCM Classic Cruise aboard a Celebrity ship, and I was interested to find out if the Disney ship experience differed much from what I had experienced on the Celebrity ship (all good). There is another TCM cruise aboard the Disney Magic coming up this October, and I'd like to attend.

As one would expect, the strongly-classic-movie-themed, TCM cruises naturally attract a generally more "senior" crowd over all, so I'm wondering if the Magic tailors its approach somewhat to serve the interests of these more "mature" passengers. (Honestly, I'm really trying not to say "old" here! :D ) The Celebrity ship seemed to be a good fit for this type of cruise, as Celebrity seems to be known as a cruise line that suits a more adult passenger list.

I doubt that the non-stop, TCM-themed presentations, entertainment, and activities would be of interest to children, so I would think that the Magic might forego some of its more traditionally, child-centered events during this cruise? Not that there's anything wrong with those fun events on a regular Disney cruise where it's more about the children! :)

I've heard that the Disney Magic is a very nice ship, and I'm looking forward to the chance to join this cruise!

I know that it's unlikely that I'll find someone who has been on both a Celebrity ship TCM cruise, and a Disney ship TCM cruise, but it's worth a try at least! :D

.

Don't see where anyone called the tender boats "small"? :) They were larger than I had imagined they would be when we decided to go to shore that day, so that was a pleasant surprise.

I must admit that my friend who doesn't become sea sick easily, did start to feel a bit woozy while we waited on the tender boat until it was fully loaded and ready to go from ship to shore. But we were among the first people to board the tender ship, and there were many folks with limited mobility boarding, so loading did seem to take quite a while. After my friend remembered to not close her eyes, and to look away from the side of the cruise ship (looking at that seemed to intensify her sense of motion) and look out to sea instead, she felt much better. She was totally fine by the time the tender boat started to head for shore, and she was fine on the trip back to the ship as the seas had become calmer by that time. :)

moki'smommy is right; they will not use the tender boats if the seas are too rough. I think that they might have not used them the day we visited Grand Cayman if the seas had been much more "choppier" (is that a word? :) ) than they were during our trip to shore.

.

:)

Lovedisneycruise - I found photos (not mine) of the tender boats at Grand Cayman. The boats look the way I remember them from my trip in 2013. Just click on photos to enlarge.

The photos show one level and two level boats. I think the boat that took us from the ship had two levels, and the one that took us back to the ship only had one level.

Hope these are helpful.

.

:)

Thank you for the replies!

:)

I've heard that the forward and mid-ship elevators on a ship are usually busier than the aft, but I would think that would vary according to the ship itself, depending on the location of the various features of the individual ship?

Did anyone find one set of elevators on the Magic less or more busy than others?

Forgot to say that the tender boat was about 40 feet long? It was an open-air boat, but there was a "roof" over our heads which might have been a second deck above us, but I can't really recall that detail exactly.