Just back from the Magic - a Review from an admitted 'Cruise Snob'

First - let me say (for Host Mick's sake ) that I will post this in the review section as well, but I thought that the forum allows for some back and forth, question asking/clarification etc, that the review section does not... I often read reviews, and would love to ask the reviewer a set of follow up questions, this will allow for that..

Ok - Disney Magic - Eastern Caribbean - Feb 11th - 18th, 2012.

General gestalt summary - we loved it.

We cannot report many negatives.

However - I think that it is important to be very clear and honest with yourselves about your expectations.

If you expect 5-star luxury, you will not find it here.

If you expect a magical experience for your child(ren) - you WILLNOT be disappointed.

Let me put this review into perspective.

The travellers - Myself (age 35), Wife (30), Daughter (turned 3 on board), and our Nanny.

My wife and I usually cruise alone - although we consider ourselves young, we travel twice per year - this was our 5th cruise - Previous experiences being Celebrity Millenium Aqua class x 2, Seabourn Legend, and the Azamara Journey.

We had the 1 bedroom Suite on the Magic.

We decided to bring the Nanny because , although our daughter goes to early childhood education, we weren't sure how the oceaneer's club would be for her - turns out to be a good call - the one day we dropped her off at the Oceaneer's club, we were paged after 1 hr to collect her as she was 'asking for us'...we don't know how much of an episode it may have been...

in any case, the Nanny allowed for a bit of a taste of, as the Disney advertisments state, "it's your vacation too..." (more on that later).

let's break this up in segments -

#1. the Boat - I've read reviews before stating that 'the Magic is Showing its Age'... well it didn't show it to us.

The boat was Gorgeous....some of the classic nautical design maybe construed as Dated to some, but we loved it. We thought that the ship was beautifully finished, and witnessed no chipped/peeling paint, no dirty carpets, no aesthetic deficiency whatsoever.

the layout was also very well done - the adult section was at the forward side so no children would have to pass through on their way to other venues.

the Gym was a good size with plenty of cardio equipment, free weights upto 65lbs (the highest on a cruise boat so far) and well chosen weight training machines.

( I am a bit of a gym rat - so this is important to me)...

we did not make use of the Spa services...

The pools were pretty much perfect. - the splash pool was perfect for our little girl - and the funnel vision pool was also not too deep or rowdy, I could easily go inthere with my daughter in my arms.

#2. Dining - again, we can't/won't complain.

This is where it is important to have realistic expectations.

Does it compare to Seabourne or Azamara? - don't be silly.

You just shouldn't compare the two -

I did find that dinner moved quickly, appetizer, entree dessert - bang,bang,bang - but in retrospect - it sort of had to - my daughter probably would have found it very hard to sit at the table for a long, drawn out, european style dinner.

although the food is not of the calibre of these luxury ines, it was still very very good, and in fact, one meal from the lumiere's regular menu ranked right up there with the 6 star lines - (seabass on risotto)

Palo was also quite good, but I think that as specialty restaurants go - all cruise lines could learn a thing or two from the Olympic on the Celebrity Millenium - still our favorite.

Breakfast was so-so, but unless you have a carving station and Champagne with breakfast, you can only offer so much...

lunch was a pleasant surprise and was usually terrific.

#3. Entertainment -

3a - Adult entertainment -

we made it to the piano lounge for an hour one night, and really really enjoyed it. - he played music from the Rat pack, and with a grey goose vodka martini on hand...I could have been on any of our previous boats...

However, that was the last bit of " it's your vacation too"

Don't kid yourself - this is all about the kids - and it really should be -

We wouldn't want to just drop our daughter off and not see her - afterall, what we're paying for is tha ability to vicariously live through her eyes, adn witness the wonder and awe in her face...

As far as the kid's entertainment goes - it is top notch.

# b. - "kids" entertainment

- it really isn't "kids" entertainment, but it does appeal to the kid in you - a specialty of Disney.

the shows - Dreams, Villains, Twice charmed - all broadway calibre in our opinions - and we saw Beauty and the Beast and Lion King on Broadway - so I hope that you can trust us when we say that this was Broadway class entertainment.

the Character events - worth the price of admission right there - not only was there an abundace of scheduled photo ops, but at the Dance party (do NOT miss) the characters came out into the crowd and actually tried to dance with everyone...

Same with the Pirate deck party.

The Character interaction was amazing, and really made cruising the better choice than the theme parks for us.

#4. Service - again - you have to have expectations in check -

There is no pampering and ultra attentiveness the way we got on SB or Az, but none of those waiters/attendants did magic tricks, or had to entertain any children either.

The Concierge was very good, and trained in hospitality in Europe.

But again, you quickly submit to the fact that it's not about you.

the wait staff in the restaurants - agian I think that they do the absolute best they possibly could given the venue.

I will say, that I only once had to mention that I would like an Artisanal cheese tray on the menu, and it became a nightly staple.

What did I leave out? - not sure, hopefully your questions - should you have any - will fill in the gaps, but it's late now, so I'm off to bed.

In summary - the trip was absolutely magical. you can argue up and down whether or not a 3 yr old will lay down the memories to a significant degree, but I and my Wife will never forget some of those moments - and I am sure that enough of them had a significant emotional impact for her that they will be ingrained somewhere in her memory.

you cannot put a price on her seeing belle on the floor above her, her waving to Belle, and Belle in return running down the stairs for a hug...

I'll trade that for someone brushing the crumbs off of my table any day...

It would be interesting to re-experience the cruise with a pre-teen who would want to be away from us as much as possible - this allowing us to see if it can be an adult cruise... but I think that Disney works best as a family with young kids...

of course, we are looking forward to our next trip alone...as this really wasn't a 'Vacation'...

So overall - great great trip - zero complaints - highly recommended.

I'll be checking back in, so ask any questions you'd like...

If you expect 5-star luxury, you will not find it here.

If you expect a magical experience for your child(ren) - you WILLNOT be disappointed.

In summary - the trip was absolutely magical. you can argue up and down whether or not a 3 yr old will lay down the memories to a significant degree, but I and my Wife will never forget some of those moments - and I am sure that enough of them had a significant emotional impact for her that they will be ingrained somewhere in her memory.

Bang on! Congratulations, you get it!

Actually it was also a magical experience for me and DW too. :D

 

 

I will say, that I only once had to mention that I would like an Artisanal cheese tray on the menu, and it became a nightly staple.

 

 

 

...

We had a similar experience. The first night at dinner, our daughter wished aloud that she could have some fresh strawberries, which were not on the menue. Magically, she received a bowl every night at dinner.

having belle running down the stairs to give your daughter a hug now that was priceless. you will probaly remember that for the rest of your life.

i liked your review very honest. you didnt expect the food to be top notch thats not why you chose disney you chose it for the disney experience.

Good review - thanks! What did you think of the staterooms?

Thanks for the review.

In re: to dining, how do you compare it to Celeb - we recently cruised AQ aboard the Silhouette. I know that it definitely will not be on par as Blu ... ;)

DW and I are under no illusions about what type of demographic that Disney caters to, as the only "kids" in our family is us ... and our DLD (Dear Little Doggie) ... but we love the magic of Disney and we love cruising!

Good review - thanks! What did you think of the staterooms?

the 2 bedroom suites were sold out, so we had a 1 bedroom suite -

It was incredible - much bigger than we thought it would be, and more than enough space for all of us.

we saw some of the rooms through open doors as we walked the hall, and have to say that even the inside cabins looked bigger than most of what we have seen.

the suite was the best room we've had so far, and definitely has spoiled us...

it is funny though - if you crunch the numbers - sometimes spending more means paying less -

compared to getting 2 rooms - the suite was, on paper a few pesos more, however, there was a larger on board credit, and an upgrade into concierge class which brought with it some amenities - like luggage transfer to the airport, and 2 private parties (drinks included) - which would have cost alot more to add in afterwards (heck, my bar tab at the concierge party would have added to the bill quite a bit) - there was also an appearance by Goofy at the concierge party that made for an intimate character encounter..

By the way it does get better. My DD was 4 on out first Disney cruise,she'll be almost 14 on our next one. She LOVES the tween programming. I can't comment on the teen programming as we haven't gotten there yet. My DS is almost 11 also loves it. We see our kids on the AM for breakfast and at dinner. Sometimes we will run into them, but for the most part is an adult vacation for DH and I. We've looked at other lines due to DCL's pricing but always come back. Since for our kids to be so well entertained its worth it to us!!!!!

Thanks for the review.

 

In re: to dining, how do you compare it to Celeb - we recently cruised AQ aboard the Silhouette. I know that it definitely will not be on par as Blu ... ;)

 

DW and I are under no illusions about what type of demographic that Disney caters to, as the only "kids" in our family is us ... and our DLD (Dear Little Doggie) ... but we love the magic of Disney and we love cruising!

The food issue is very subjective, but I think that you just can't really compare the two - a meal for me goes beyond just what is on the plate, and I think that if given the exact same dish I would probably enjoy it more when surrounded by candel light and old world art and soft music, than in a room with kids running around (yes, there will be kids who you will be tempted to throw overboard) and a picture of Ursula the sea witch looking at me...

that having been said - when I ordered Beef - it was cooked to perfection.

a thick generous cut.

The ahi Tuna was great, and the seabass on Mushroom risotto was one of the best I've ever had...

so much so, that we asked the waiter to bring the chef to the table afterward just so that we could commend and thank him for a spectacular meal...

We did specify in advance that we prefer low sodium, and I think that for us, this helped tremendously.

As I stated - Palo was good, but the food wasn't overly special.

the venue, the adult only atmosphere, and enforcement of dress code was worth the price of admission.

Celebrity Dining was more of an experience I'd say.

Hi I was on the same trip this past week with my wife, my mom, and two kids. Canuckdoc was having so much fun he didn't notice the lousy weather for the first couple of days (the 2nd sea day was particularly cool and windy), but that's what makes Disney special - there's so much to do besides just sit in the sun. I thought the food was very good, we only saw one show (Dreams) that had a hiccup toward the end when the stage lights went out but was otherwise a lot of fun. The "cruise staff" were great, esp. Tesa.

Two negatives for me: First my son got "acute gastroenteritis", so was on lockdown in the stateroom for 24 hours, missing Castaway Cay. Obviously they're hesitant to throw around Norovirus but I'm pretty sure it was food borne, and our assistant server was also quarantined for 48 hours after coming down with something similar.

Second concern I had was the chaos during check in/check out of the Oceaneer Club. It was very hectic getting in and out, seemed understaffed (or possibly undertrained), and I couldn't get 10 seconds of anyone's attention to ask questions about the safety of my epileptic daughter. As a result we chose not to send her back, which was just as well because we enjoyed doing more things with her. No harm no foul.

Rooms were great, Castaway Cay was outstanding, and overall the ship is really beautiful with tons to do and a great staff.

Great review, thanks! My children were 10, 11, and 13 when we went on the Wonder and they all loved it. They enjoyed the ship, even though only the youngest was interested in the characters. They liked the clubs, except the middle child who can't be forced into kids programs regardless of the cruise line.

DH and I are celebrating our anniversary on the Fantasy in May. The kids are being left at home. :D Reservations are already made for Palo and Remy. Can't wait!

I agree with you about the Olympic on Millennium. Fabulous. I can't wait to compare it to Remy.

the 2 bedroom suites were sold out, so we had a 1 bedroom suite -

 

It was incredible - much bigger than we thought it would be, and more than enough space for all of us.

Just curious - - which suite did you have?

We had # 8102 - - all the way aft on the port side - - on Magic in '09; for a 1-bedroom suite, it was HUGE, and our verandah was enormous! And the concierge service was top notch. We still smile every time we think about that cruise.

Just curious - - which suite did you have?

we had 8600 - which was the wheelchair accessible one -

we didn't need or request that - the bonus was a bigger veranda, and more space - allowed us to wheel the stroller around.

the negative - no bathtub (more of a negative for the females than for me) - however we learned that my little girl can actually shower! this will make things easier at home!

Ours was also wheelchair accessible, and we didn't need that either. The bathroom off the bedroom was shower-only, but there was a second full bathroom with tub off the living/dining room area.

The food issue is very subjective, but I think that you just can't really compare the two - a meal for me goes beyond just what is on the plate, and I think that if given the exact same dish I would probably enjoy it more when surrounded by candel light and old world art and soft music, than in a room with kids running around (yes, there will be kids who you will be tempted to throw overboard) and a picture of Ursula the sea witch looking at me... ... R ... O ... T... F .... L ... !!! ...

 

that having been said - when I ordered Beef - it was cooked to perfection.

a thick generous cut.

 

The ahi Tuna was great, and the seabass on Mushroom risotto was one of the best I've ever had...

so much so, that we asked the waiter to bring the chef to the table afterward just so that we could commend and thank him for a spectacular meal...

 

We did specify in advance that we prefer low sodium, and I think that for us, this helped tremendously.

 

As I stated - Palo was good, but the food wasn't overly special.

the venue, the adult only atmosphere, and enforcement of dress code was worth the price of admission.

 

Celebrity Dining was more of an experience I'd say.

DW is more of a "meat and potatoes" type of girl and I do look forward to a good-old-fashioned-loaded-to-the-hilt-hot-dog, a nice hamburger with fries AND gravy or a wonderful MEDIUM-RARE steak ... but then nothing like a nice lobster, escargot, sushi etc ... :)

Great review! How was rotational dining? Is the menu the same when you rotate back to a restaurant you have already eaten at? Thanks! :)

Great review! How was rotational dining? Is the menu the same when you rotate back to a restaurant you have already eaten at? Thanks! :)

There are as many menus as there are nights on the cruise.

I'll try to explain. Each dining room has it's own Signature Menu. These menus are different in each dining room. During your rotation, you will get the Signature menu (generally the first time you are in each dining room).

There are also Themed Menus that DCL uses to fill out other nights, if you are on a cruise longer than 3 nights. Some of these are: Pirate; Golden Mickeys (formal night); Captain's Gala (semi-formal night); Til We Meet Again; See You Real Soon.

If your first visit to a specific dining room is a theme night, you will have the Theme Menu and your next visit will be the Signature Menu. On theme nights all the dining rooms serve the same menu.

:)

There are as many menus as there are nights on the cruise.

 

I'll try to explain. Each dining room has it's own Signature Menu. These menus are different in each dining room. During your rotation, you will get the Signature menu (generally the first time you are in each dining room).

 

There are also Themed Menus that DCL uses to fill out other nights, if you are on a cruise longer than 3 nights. Some of these are: Pirate; Golden Mickeys (formal night); Captain's Gala (semi-formal night); Til We Meet Again; See You Real Soon.

 

If your first visit to a specific dining room is a theme night, you will have the Theme Menu and your next visit will be the Signature Menu. On theme nights all the dining rooms serve the same menu.

 

:)

Thanks so much! We are considering a Disney cruise this summer out of NY. I have been on a Royal Caribbean cruise where you are in the same dining room every night but with a different menu each night and didn't have any idea on how rotational dining works. Thanks again for clearing things up! :)

I was a bit unsure about the rotational dining at first, but it was actually pretty neat...

It is great that your wait staff follows you.

As Smoo stated there are 4 theme nights so even though you eat in the same restaurant more than once, you don't get the repeat menu

we had the 'princess and princes menu' - formal night

Pirate night menu

Captain's gala (semi-formal)

and the 'till we meet again - final night menu

We actually never did get the Animator palatte regular menu because we went to Palo that night...

However in Concierge class you can order room service from any restaurant's menu...

interesting side note - We wanted Lumiere's for my daughter's birthday - as we were scheduled for parrot cay that night and wanted a ' nicer venue'

Our request was honored, but after 10 minutes of sitting down, we ran back to Parrot Cay just so that we could be with our regular waiters..

Great review. Thanks.

Spot on review! I love your honesty but you put it all in perspective and I couldn't agree more with every aspect of your review. Especially the character interraction. The intimacy of the characters was second to none, and after multiple trips to WDW, this was what set it apart for me!

Spot on review! I love your honesty but you put it all in perspective and I couldn't agree more with every aspect of your review. Especially the character interraction. The intimacy of the characters was second to none, and after multiple trips to WDW, this was what set it apart for me!

Thanks - I have to admit I 'clicked' on your review - it was strange to see some of the photos you had taken, as they so closely resemble some of my own pics - it makes you realize how good these people are at their jobs -- they go through the same repetetive routine countless times...but I always leave feeling as though I am the only guest they've ever had! ---

Thank you for your review. We're heading out on April 13 and am counting the days. The last time we sailed Disney (Wonder) we were on a four night cruise and it really was not long enough - once we got enchanted by the whole Disney magic, we didn't want to get off! Our son was 5 years old when we went on the Wonder and one of my best memories was Snow White greeting him and saying "Hello My Prince". My little guy just took her hand and blushed. It was so magical.

Sounds like a great trip - thanks for the review! We love cruising with DCL and have been sailing with them since 2005. The Magic is our favorite ship.

We took our sons to Disney World when they were 2 1/2 and 16 mo old and people thought we were crazy. While they have no memories of being there at that age (they are now 15 1/2 and 14), I *still* remember the looks on their faces when we first walked in; Those memories were for me. While your DD may or may not have any long-term memories of the cruise, YOU and your DW will - and she will have memories for now.

About character interaction, I spoke to one of the Cast Members who works with the entertainment on the ships and commented about how much I love the character interaction on DCL - that it really feels like the characters are other guests on board just like you. Running into a Princess just walking around the atrium and having an experience like you all did with Belle - that's priceless - you certainly wouldn't get that at one of the theme parks. The CM told me that character interaction at a more personal level is definitely something they work on with DCL and it's a "plus" factor!

I remember on our first DCL cruise (on the Magic) that I was walking on Deck 5 at the Atrium when Peter Pan came up, looked over the railing, then turned to me and said, "I'm looking for some mischief." Fun!

Reading such a well written review with honest yet understanding points it makes me want to take a Disney cruise more than ever. Thank you so much!

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