Thanks for sharing the pics!! Looks like a really nice ship!
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Thanks for sharing the pics!! Looks like a really nice ship!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
To be quite honest, the "major" cruise lines I've sailed on in recent years were a 4-night Carnival cruise in 2012 and a 14-night Holland America cruise in 2013. My other recent cruisesOriginally Posted by seemoreroyals
weren't on major cruise lines. I'll try and break it down for you:
Entertainment -
I rarely attend the shows in the main show rooms. I did attend one on the Holland America cruise as it was a tribute to Broadway shows and none on the Carnival cruise.
I spend my evenings in the Piano Lounge on pretty much all my cruises. I did the same on the Disney Cruise (Keys) too with Lita.
The Disney ships have an "Adults-Only" entertainment area (18 and over) from 9pm which consists of the Keys Piano lounge, an Irish Pub and a show room called "Fathoms" (a comedy show).
The main family show room - had a production show each evening and I did attend one with my daughter. Disney has beautiful sets, effects, costumes etc..but the particular show we saw wasn't very good - story was silly and far too loud (children around us were covering their ears). There was a duo (singer and a guitarist)that performed in the Atrium and the family Promenade Lounge at
different times during the day and evening.
Where Disney shines - the evening Pirate Party out on deck (which takes place one evening, only on Caribbean cruises) with the fireworks showWe all had a blast!
They also have a proper movie theatre which is absolutely beautiful. Lita, my daughter and I watched the film "Cinderella" there, one afternoon. They showed trailers of upcoming
Disney Co. films including "Tomorrowland". Few cruise ships have dedicated movie theaters (Crystal does!).
Activities-
Trivia, family group games such as Pictionary etc..., Arts & Crafts (I think completely gone from the major cruise lines now), baby crawling races (really!!), Bingo, "port shopping" talks etc...
I went to the last Bingo session with Lita. She played, I kept her company. It was loud, and the cast members were annoying (hyper!). The prize amounts were lousy $100-$250 approx. per set (there were
four sets) and I think she paid $40 for the basic set of paper cards.
Pretty much one deck of the ship is devoted to the Children's Programs (I didn't like that they had very large screens promoting their new films in every room though). My grandson hung out with us.
Characters - You didn't ask but it goes with the territory - the photo sessions are listed on the app or the paper daily program and there were long lines. If you were lucky, you might
see one "unscheduled" - I spotted "Belle" in her blue dress sitting alone, reading a book on the steps in front of Lumiere's Restaurant and there was no one around lol Mickey Mouse
wandered by while I was reading in the Promenade Lounge and said hello to the surprised Arts and Crafts group
on shore in Nassau and Castaway Cay (Disney's private island and fabulous).
Dining -
There is an adults-only restaurant "Palo" on the DISNEY MAGIC for an additional charge. We didn't eat there. There are three family restaurants, which you eat at a different one, each evening,
and your waitstaff follows you and you sit at the same numbered table. The food was very good and quite a few choices. We had the early dining due to my grandson and the noise level
was loud (toddler melt-downs and crying babies) but I'm sure the later dining time would have fewer young children. Again, Disney has a nice surprise during one of those dinners
buffet had basic offerings except for the crab claws and peel and eat shrimp at lunch every day. Around the pool area, self-serve ice cream cones, pizza, hamburgers etc...and a nice little
sandwich/wrap/salad place that served pastries, smoothies and fruit/yoghurt parfaits in the mornings. One 24-hour self-serve beverage station which offered soda, juice, coffee and hot chocolate.
The included coffee was the syrup stuff so I bought coffee every day from the Cove Cafe place (in my photos). Worth it to me especially as it was "Illy" coffee like at Palazzo in Las Vegas.
Sorry, perhaps too much info!
Disney is known for their "pixie dust" and my daughter got some during the cruise (or maybe they do this for all first-time Disney cruisers??)
The first evening, they found a scroll with a bow in their room stating to expect special surprises each day
The first day, they found chocolate covered strawberries, the second day, a plate of artisan cheeses and crackers, and one day
a stuffed dinosaur (from Toy Story!) my grandson's latest favorite film! I can't remember the other things she got.
Absolutely not. Great trip report and pictures. Looks like a real fun time. Glad you got to go. Thanks for sharing Monica.To be quite honest, the "major" cruise lines I've sailed on in recent years were a 4-night Carnival cruise in 2012 and a 14-night Holland America cruise in 2013. My other recent cruises
weren't on major cruise lines. I'll try and break it down for you:
Entertainment -
I rarely attend the shows in the main show rooms. I did attend one on the Holland America cruise as it was a tribute to Broadway shows and none on the Carnival cruise.
I spend my evenings in the Piano Lounge on pretty much all my cruises. I did the same on the Disney Cruise (Keys) too with Lita.
The Disney ships have an "Adults-Only" entertainment area (18 and over) from 9pm which consists of the Keys Piano lounge, an Irish Pub and a show room called "Fathoms" (a comedy show).
The main family show room - had a production show each evening and I did attend one with my daughter. Disney has beautiful sets, effects, costumes etc..but the particular show we saw wasn't very good - story was silly and far too loud (children around us were covering their ears). There was a duo (singer and a guitarist)that performed in the Atrium and the family Promenade Lounge at
different times during the day and evening.
Where Disney shines - the evening Pirate Party out on deck (which takes place one evening, only on Caribbean cruises) with the fireworks show
They also have a proper movie theatre which is absolutely beautiful. Lita, my daughter and I watched the film "Cinderella" there, one afternoon. They showed trailers of upcoming
Disney Co. films including "Tomorrowland". Few cruise ships have dedicated movie theaters (Crystal does!).
Activities-
Trivia, family group games such as Pictionary etc..., Arts & Crafts (I think completely gone from the major cruise lines now), baby crawling races (really!!), Bingo, "port shopping" talks etc...
I went to the last Bingo session with Lita. She played, I kept her company. It was loud, and the cast members were annoying (hyper!). The prize amounts were lousy $100-$250 approx. per set (there were
four sets) and I think she paid $40 for the basic set of paper cards.
Pretty much one deck of the ship is devoted to the Children's Programs (I didn't like that they had very large screens promoting their new films in every room though). My grandson hung out with us.
Characters - You didn't ask but it goes with the territory - the photo sessions are listed on the app or the paper daily program and there were long lines. If you were lucky, you might
see one "unscheduled" - I spotted "Belle" in her blue dress sitting alone, reading a book on the steps in front of Lumiere's Restaurant and there was no one around lol Mickey Mouse
wandered by while I was reading in the Promenade Lounge and said hello to the surprised Arts and Crafts group
on shore in Nassau and Castaway Cay (Disney's private island and fabulous).
Dining -
There is an adults-only restaurant "Palo" on the DISNEY MAGIC for an additional charge. We didn't eat there. There are three family restaurants, which you eat at a different one, each evening,
and your waitstaff follows you and you sit at the same numbered table. The food was very good and quite a few choices. We had the early dining due to my grandson and the noise level
was loud (toddler melt-downs and crying babies) but I'm sure the later dining time would have fewer young children. Again, Disney has a nice surprise during one of those dinners
buffet had basic offerings except for the crab claws and peel and eat shrimp at lunch every day. Around the pool area, self-serve ice cream cones, pizza, hamburgers etc...and a nice little
sandwich/wrap/salad place that served pastries, smoothies and fruit/yoghurt parfaits in the mornings. One 24-hour self-serve beverage station which offered soda, juice, coffee and hot chocolate.
The included coffee was the syrup stuff so I bought coffee every day from the Cove Cafe place (in my photos). Worth it to me especially as it was "Illy" coffee like at Palazzo in Las Vegas.
Sorry, perhaps too much info!
Thank you so much for the pics and descriptions Monica! My friend is going with her DH, 19 year old son, and 9 yr old son and they are huge Disney fans but she's trying to get as much info as she can because this will be their first cruise ever. She's prone to motion sickness, did you find that to be a problem with any of your group or others you noticed on the ship?
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Hey, thanks for posting those pics. What a ship!
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Fair dinkum legend
Ida, Our group had cruised in the past (except for my Grandson) and none of us have ever been seasick. Grandson was fine too. I did notice some passengers with the "patches" behind their ears.
Your friend should do an online search for what might work for her. I know some prefer the wristbands. She should also check out the Disney Cruise Line forum on Disboards.com though sometimes
it can be too much information lol
tee2green,
Here is a great tip to pass on to your friend:
Disney Cruise Line has a free app "Navigator" which they can download to their cell phones BEFORE they leave home. It also has a free text feature which they can use on the ship. I think they
may be able to keep their cell phones in "Airplane Mode" to not incur roaming charges. I had roaming as I had to work a few hours per day.
It includes updates on weather, shows, port info, menus etc... Of course my crew never downloaded the app because they are "fly by the seat of the pants" kind of people which drove me crazy!
I'm an "Organizer" and my family is not! I did the envelope thing, as I do for my Las Vegas visits.
I did an envelope for each day.
My first day envelope included the prepaid print-out car/driver transfer from the Orlando Airport to the Disney Cruise Terminal and the gratuity in cash. Same with the last day envelope.
I used "Happy Limo" and they were prompt and had the car seat requested for my Grandson. Both drivers, in each direction, were great about texting me a confirmation the night before.
Here was our itinerary:
Monday, May 11
1/2 day (afternoon) in Key West, FL
Lita and I walked to the Hemingway Home and found the shortest walk to the Aquarium from the ship. Went back to the ship picked up the rest of the crew and spent some time at the Aquarium.
I had pre-purchased the Aquarium tickets for my group online, with a slight discount.
Tuesday, May 12
Sea Day
Wednesday, May 13
Full day in Nassau, Bahamas
Ardastra Gardens and Zoo.
Todays' envelope includes taxi cash (I hate bartering with those taxi drivers in touristy areas!), and the exact amount for the entrance fees to the Gardens.
Our group took a taxi to Ardastra Gardens and Zoo. We arrived shortly after it opened and pretty much had the place to ourselves - perfect for my Grandson to run around and there was plenty of
shade from the lovely gardens. It's mainly a zoo for birds, flamingos a few reptiles, monkeys, lemurs, a petting goats and rabbits area and a couple of big cats. The girl at the ticket window, arranged for a taxi to take us back to the ship. If it had only been myself and my husband we would have gone to check out the new Baha Mar resort area and casino! lol
Thursday, May 14
Castaway Cay
The ship docks here, at Disney's Private Island. Lovely, quiet beach area and we all splashed around in the protected ocean area. Plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas. They have a barbecue lunch buffet,
with plenty of shaded picnic tables, self-serve ice cream cone machine and beverage station. A couple of open air bars with alcoholic/non-alcoholic fancy drinks and smoothies for purchase. My daughter bought Castaway Cay-specific items from the gift shop that are only available on the island including pages for her "Disney Cruise Scrapbook". They have a shuttle train-bus (just like the ones at the Disney parks, to take you to different points on the island.
Friday, May 15th
Off the ship early to meet the car/driver and our flight from Orlando left on time at 11:40am.
I just finished your trip report with my Sunday morning coffee. Thank you so much for sharing as I'm not a cruiser and this will be the closest I'll get. (besides watching Dream Cruises on the AWE chamnel. I thoroughly enjoyed the read, definitely not too much!
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