This is a review of the Disney Magic from a trip in March 2010 for 7 days in the Western Caribbean with my two (then) preschoolers aged 3 and 5.  Since this trip, the Disney Magic has been re-imagined! See this post here on the new changes.

Day 1 – Port Canaveral.  Hurrah! Embarkation Day is here! My two small children, 3 and 5, can hardly contain themselves. We are dropped off at the port by my parents at 10:20 am and the process goes a lot more smoothly than imagined. Luggage handlers take our bags which are already labeled with the tags we received in the mail. A quick walk to the Disney Cruise Line Terminal and we are checked by security. An escalator brings you to a bright, glass building with rows of people waiting to check you in. We had absolutely no line and the process was smooth thanks to already filling out our forms online and having passports ready. Then, we go to another area with a short line to take security photos and that goes quickly as well. Next, we register our children for the kids club and get them fitted with wrist devices that keep track of them. This process is smooth too since we already pre-registered them online. Now comes the wait. We can’t board until about noon so we sit on the comfy couches scattered around televisions playing Disney films. Randomly, a new character emerges for pictures and autographs. The kids don’t seem to mind the wait as there is enough going on.

Finally, our number is called and we pass through the arches with our Key-to-the-world card. This card is your everything once you are on board and I notice the veteran cruises wear them in lanyards around their neck. The key is room key, id card, and credit card all rolled into one. A quick boarding photo of our family…and we are on the boat!

You are loaded into the main area of the ship and someone announces your family as you cross the threshold! You can’t get into your room until 1:30 so we were glad we brought a carry-on full of stuff. Lunch is served at a bunch of restaurants this first day. We had a buffet lunch in the Parrot Cay dining room. This is a colorful, casual room and the food is good. Then, over to the Oceaneer’s Club to check it out. You have to be 3 and potty trained to be at the Club and we planned the whole trip around our youngest being 3. This was a good move as they loved it!

By the time we finished, our room was ready and the kids were too excited to take a nap! We had to track down the room steward and ask him to get the bunk bed from the ceiling. We also requested he not put either of the children’s beds back to the day-time configuration (couch and bed in ceiling) for the rest of the cruise since our kids still nap. This turned out to be a smart idea so we don’t have to track down the room steward for every nap. Here is the picture of the room made up for day and night.

Day 2 – Key West.  Well Key West was a bust. The kids are grumpy from staying up late. They melted down at breakfast and again at Ron Jon’s in Key West. We had a sit down breakfast at Lumiere’s which we probably wouldn’t do again. The buffet is better and the sit down much too slow. Then we dropped the kids off at the Kids Club for a bit. We came to spy and found one crying, but I was very impressed with the nannies. Someone had scooped up the crying one and fixed it before I could even get to him. We stayed with them to watch the Do Si Do with Snow White.

Day 3 – At Sea.  Today was the first warm day of our trip. We chose a March trip because the cost was less expensive. However, we did get a bit chilled and the kids weren’t able to really use the pool until today.

 

First, a character breakfast at Parrot Cay. I think this was a highlight of the trip for our kids. Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, Peter Pan, and Alice all joined us one by one. They took more time with us than any other character dining I have been to at Disney World and the food was very good. Overall, I feel the Disney Cruise is a much more intimate Disney experience. You have a lot more opportunities to see the characters and the lines aren’t nearly as long.

 

Next, was the Mickey Pool. I was nervous for my little one going down the slide as he can’t swim. However, they designed the slide perfectly for little ones as it flattens out at the bottom and they walk off.

Then we dropped the kids off at the Oceaneer Club again so we could do a brunch at Palo – the adult only restaurant. It was VERY good and by far the best food on the boat. We came to pick up the kids after but they had just sat down for lunch with the other kids. After lunch, we napped and then to join Alice for tea. It was a very cute show and the kids loved the “tea” (apple juice) and cookies. Little tables were set all around the room and Alice and the Mad Hatter showed how to pour tea properly.

 

We then had a little downtime in our room and changed into our Sunday best for Formal night at Parrot Cay. The show this night was “Cinderella – Twice Charmed” which was not to be missed. The kids really loved this show and it was worth the late bedtime.

 

Day 4 – Cozumel.  Ahhhh the kids decided to sleep today until 8! Any preschooler parent’s dream! We did bring a noise machine to help block out hallway noise. It seems to be helping. We had breakfast at Parrot Cay and decided this is where we will do breakfast from now on. It is the fastest and the best selection. The excursion this day is on the Ocean View Explorer Tour, which is one of the only ones for our kid’s ages. I wish Disney would offer a few more excursions for those with younger kids who only have small pockets of time to do things between naps. We were placed in taxis from the port which raced us seatbelt-less across town to a semi-submarine. The kids loved this even though there wasn’t much to see except some picked over coral reefs and a few colorful fish. It was perfect for the kids, but wasn’t something I would do without the kids.

Then, we raced back in time for a lunch at Topsiders (good!) and naps again. We overslept our naps and were late for dinner by 15 minutes, but no one chastised us. After dinner, we took the kids to the Oceaneer Club and we went to the show (a more adult show). The kids made pillowcases with Goofy and played carnival style games complete with prizes. They really love the Club, but this particular night, they were ready to see us and we got a page in the middle of the show. We came and picked them up early and then were off to bed.

Day 5 – Grand Cayman.  Today felt busy from the get go. We had a quick breakfast at Parrot Cay. Grand Cayman does not have a dock big enough for the cruise ships, so you have to take a tender in. This makes coming and going from the ship a little less easy. However, we had a Pirate Encounter excursion which arranged the tender for us early at 10:00 am. Then, a long walk to another boat which took us to a our final destination – an old wooden pirate ship called the Valhalla. The pirate ship was beautiful – just like you see in the movies.

However, I am not sure I would recommend this excursion for preschoolers. After setting sail, they rounded up all the kids and lined them up. Then, they threatened to shave their heads with swords. This is where my 3 year old lost it and left the group. My 5 year old hung in there and went with the show. Then, they gave each child a brush to scrub the deck and they poured cold water on all of them. Finally, they captured one unsuspecting mom and tied her up and pour cold water on her. The ship sailed around a bit and finally stopped in the middle of the ocean so everyone could jump off the boat from various places and swim a bit. The currents were strong and it was hard to keep track of my little ones in the water. We didn’t have much time to swim before they called us back to the boat and took us back. It was a cute experience, but it was a little too intense for younger ones.

Later, we walked around Grand Cayman and had lunch at Margaritaville. It was ridiculously expensive and a very college atmosphere, but still fun and nice to eat off the boat for a meal.

Day 6 – At Sea.  It is another day at sea and it is terrible weather. The wind is blowing and I had a rough night of seasickness. We can’t wait for Castaway Cay – the best stop! We put the kids in the Oceaneer Club and we go to the Spa. A very nice spa that we both enjoyed. I got a pedicure and my husband got a massage. The kids put on a farewell show with the Oceaneer Club that they really enjoy. They get to go on stage with Mickey and Minnie! Later, there is a pirate party with fireworks off the deck. This was also a highlight of the trip.

Day 7 – Castaway Cay? Tough day. We were in our bathing suits packing a bag for the beach when we get an announcement that they have cancelled Castaway Cay. This was the day we were all looking forward to the most, but the weather was so awful that they couldn’t make it into the port. They quickly rearranged all the day’s activities. I tried to get the kids into the new activities and my daughter got an appointment to have her hair braided in cornrows on board. Disney made the best of a rotten situation, but it is always a good thing to remember that when at sea, you have to roll with the punches!

Day 8 – Conclusions.

Overall, I think my kids felt this was the best trip they have ever taken, including Disney World. For my husband and I, it was incredibly relaxing. It was a treat to have some adult-only time while the kids were looked after in a safe environment. Some thoughts to leave you with:

• Would we go again? YES! However, I think I would try a cruise in the summer. I think the weather was too unpredictable in the winter (March) and missing a port was hard.
• Would we choose the same room? I loved having a room with a porthole and I don’t recommend doing a balcony with young children. However, we were upgraded to that room and did not pay for it! We payed for a guaranteed interior stateroom which means you don’t get to choose your room and in exchange for flexibility in rooms and you MIGHT be upgraded.
• Did we think it was worth it to take preschoolers? I do think it was worth it. It gives preschooler parents a much needed break. I do think it helps if they are at least 3 years old though so they can go to the Oceaneer Club.

 

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