The Disney Magic: Dining

One of the best things about a cruise is the food. Buffets, restaurants, and all you can eat ice cream! On a Disney all your food is included (some adult exceptions) as well as all your drinks (specialities excluded). It's really all amazing. My tip? Take the stairs 90% of the time otherwise you WILL gain 10 pounds, the food is that good. Let's begin.

Quick Service Dining

Quick Service on the ships is very similar to the Quick Service in the parks. It's fast typical theme park food (hot-dogs, hamburgers, pizza, etc.) There are multiple options available on Deck 9. They include Pete's Boiler Bites, Daisy's De-Lites, Goofy's Galley, Pinocchio's Pizzeria, Eye Scream and Frozone Treats and Pluto's Dog House. 
Another quick service option is Preludes on Deck 4. It serves snacks and drinks (for an additional cost) for you drink the live stage shows that are displayed in the Walt Disney Theatre.
Room service is another quick option that's included in your cruise. Twenty-four hour snacks and meals, with soda costing extra. If you want a drink, I suggest running up the Deck 9 and use the drink stations. Remember tipping is recommended!

Casual Dining

Casual Dining is the buffet. On the Disney Magic, it's called Cabanas and its on Deck 9 in the aft. (Before the reimagination, it was called Topsider's) Cabanas is unique in that it is made up of different "stations" where guests can pick and choose what they want, rather than following a snaking line. Decorated like a beach boardwalk with Finding Nemo themes, it's a great place for easy breakfast and a more diverse lunch. My favourites are the Mickey waffles with chocolate syrup and fruit! It's also a more low-key table service restaurant in the evenings for dinner. 

Main Dining

The main dining on Disney Cruise Line is a little different than on other cruise ships. You are assigned a team of servers who follow you to each restaurant each night of the cruise. This helps the servers get to know you and what you like. The first night of our cruise, I asked for a Coke and the next night a Coke was already waiting for me at the table! It's a really great experience, and the servers are all awesome! 

There are three main dining venues aboard the Magic. 

Lumiere's

This is the French venue onboard. It is dedicated to the famous candlestick from Beauty and the Beast. (Menu Here)


ADDITIONS COMING SOON!!!

The Disney Magic: Staterooms

Next up in our inside look into the Disney Magic, we are going to look over the different kind of staterooms and what each stateroom includes. There are 9 main categories on the Magic. 

Concierge Royal Suite with Verandah: Approximately 1029 sq. ft. this is the most majestic you can get at sea. It has floor to ceiling windows and a huge private verandah . It's also got concierge service (no surprise). Gorgeous and if you've got cash it's the best money can buy. 

Concierge Two Bedroom Suite with Verandah:

Approx. 945 sq. ft. a two bedroom stateroom with concierge service, a separate living area. It's the glitz and glam of the Royal Suite on a smaller scale. 

Concierge One Bedroom Suite with Verandah: Approx. 614 sq. ft. a single bedroom suite has all the amenities of the other suites, except that it is smaller. 

* Of course, these staterooms are on the high end of the budget, so I recommend the equally comfortable and less expensive staterooms. 

Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah:

This 304 sq. ft. stateroom has a queen size bed as well as couch bed with a top bunk that pulls from the ceiling. All staterooms have the Disney first: a split bathroom. The one bathroom is a sink and shower/tub while the other is a sink and a toilet. 

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah/Navigator's Verandah: 

These two types of stateroom are identical in size and amenities at 268 sq. ft. The types of verandah are different. A navigator's verandah is enclosed with a large open air porthole to look out. 

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom:

This type of stateroom is similar to the verandah but it has a large porthole window or two small porthole windows instead of a verandah. It's also smaller at 214 sq. ft.

Deluxe Inside Stateroom: 

Approx. 214 sq. ft., an inside stateroom has a queen size bed as well as the convertible sofa bed. It has no exterior view. 

Standard Inside Stateroom

The smallest of all the staterooms (184 sq. ft.) this stateroom has a queen bed and a convertible sofa with an upper bunk in some. It is also the only stateroom that does not have a split bath.

The Disney Magic equips all staterooms with a mini fridge and an in room safe(found in the closet). The beds are raised for extra luggage storage. Be warned, the outlets are not plentiful, but there is one on the desk and one by the bed. 

There you have it! All the types of staterooms on the Disney Magic. More to come with entertainment, dining and ports of call. 

Information from wdwinfo.com/staterooms

History Tuesday

Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean:

• There is a real human skull hidden in the ride.

• It was the inspiration for the movie, which then inspired additions to the ride.

• Johnny Depp is rumoured to dress up like Jack Sparrow and hide in the ride. If you count four Jacks, one was the real deal!

• There is a second floor of the ride, containing an unfinished apartment meant to be used by Walt and Roy.

The Disney Magic: Itineraries

Returning to the Disney Magic, this post will focus on where The Magic sails. All of this information is from disneycruise.disney.go.com . Check here for availability. 

The Disney Magic is the most diverse ship when it comes to where it sails. When I sailed on it, I sailed the 7 night Western Caribbean in January. We stopped at Cozumel Island, Grand Cayman Island, Jamaica, and Castaway Cay. 

January to April: Sails from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas (4 nights) and Caribbean (7 nights). 

May: Early May sailings are 7 night Caribbean cruises. Then we have the Eastbound Transatlantic Repositioning (14 nights) ending in Dover, England. Here the Norwegian Fjords cruises begin. 

June to July: Sails from Dover or Copenhagen Denmark with Northern European sailings (7-13 nights). 

August to September: Sails from Barcelona on Mediterranean cruises (7-13 nights) for all of August.

Then it sails for two weeks in September before its repositioning Transatlantic (11 nights) back to New York. This is the home port for the Canada and New England sailings (4 nights).

October to November: Only a limited number of Canada sailings before New York becomes the 7-8 night Bahamian home port. This is all of October. Then we reposition to San Juan in a 6 night sailing to the Eastern Caribbean. From San Juan, we have Southern Caribbean sailings(5 nights) before the Disney Magic ends up in Miami.

Miami is the home port for the Disney Magic's Caribbean sailings (5-7 nights)

December: To finish off the year, the Magic sails to the Bahamas and the Caribbean from Miami. 

Packing the Park Bag

The ever-important park bag. It carries everything to enjoy your day at the park, without the constant hassle of running back and forth between the hotel room/car. But what do you pack? 

Pinterest has so many posts about the park bag it's insane. I really liked WDW Prep School's list, so I'm going to use it. 

Weather:

• Rain Ponchos
• Sunglasses
• Light Jacket for cooler days

Health:

• First Aid Kit (mini for ease)
• Sunscreen 
• Hand Sanitizer
• Wet Wipes
• Kleenex

Tech:

• Cell-phone
• Charger and cords (I recommend a portable battery, so you can throw it back in your bag and go)

Touring:

• Magic Bands/Theme Park Tickets
• Maps
• Autograph Books
• Pen
• Credit Card/Cash
• Photo I.D. 

Food:

• Bottled Water
• Snacks
• Gum

Other:

• Coins for pressing
• Spare clothes (for little kids)
• Games (for little kids in the lines)
• Ziploc Bags

Post anything I might have missed in the comments!

The Disney Magic

The latest Disney fix I got was my January West Caribbean cruise on the Disney Magic. Since it's the freshest in my mind, that's the first ship that I am going to post about. Also, today is the 17th anniversary of its launch!! 

The Disney Magic was the first ship in the Disney Cruise Line (DCL) fleet. It was built at TWO different Italian shipyards, 100 miles away from each other! After six months of construction one of the halves sailed towards the other. Imagineers and construction workers were all worried that it wouldn't fit. Would they fit?! The fear! The tense situation! I’ll spare you that experience and tell you that with everything Disney does, it was practically perfect in every way.  On July 30, 1998, the Disney Magic embarked on it's maiden voyage. 
It's godmother is Roy E. Disney's ex-wife Patty Disney. 

Disney Magic at its christening ceremony in 1998 (courtesy of Disney Parks Blog)

More about the Disney Magic (specifically what it offers and what it looks like today) coming soon! 

Sites used:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/vintagedisneycruiseline 

Tangled: The Musical

Coming to the Disney Magic this November, cruise fans can look forward to stage re-creation of the movie Tangled! If you haven't seen Tangled, go and see it. Tangled premiered in 2010 (has it really been that long?!) with Mandy Moore voicing Rapunzel and famous Disney Legend Alan Menken providing the music. In the Tangled musical, Alan Menken will be creating three new exclusive songs.
Read full article here:
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/tangledthemusical