Disney Magic Departure

During the summer of 2021, with many ships still restricted as to where they could sail, numerous cruise lines offered 3 & 4 night taster sailings around the British Isles to the UK market. Having never sailed with Disney Cruise Line before, it is one I really wanted to research and in particular the adult only side of the ship. If you are sailing out of Newcastle and want to ensure early arrival, I highly recommend staying in Whitley Bay which is only half an hour from the port and having a pre-cruise meal and drink in the fabulous Spanish City!

Following our strict pre-testing prior to boarding Disney Magic, we were welcomed aboard the beautiful Art Deco styled ship by a song and dance from Mickey and Minnie. Designed with families in mind, our Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony was very spacious for 3 adults but can sleep up to 5 people. It had a large queen bed, single sleeper sofa and wall or upper berth pull down bed too. This area could be separated by a curtain. A decent size balcony with table and 2 small chairs, i-pod docking station, ample wardrobe space, safe, hairdryer, premium towels and bathroom products. There was actually a small bath with shower over which is unusual in cruise staterooms, along with separate WC. Plug sockets are US but there are USB ports. We disembarked from Newcastle on time and the weather was incredible!

The dining experience on board is amazing – the 3 main restaurants; Lumiere’s, Rapunzel and Animator’s Palate, are all themed and the food is fabulous. Your waiter is assigned to you from the off so gets to know your personal preferences whichever restaurant you are allocated to. We chose to dine a bit later, as most families would have eaten and be at a show by then, making the restaurants a little quieter. The ‘Disney Dreams’ main theatre show is very professional and Broadway standard. No reservation required and they repeat this 3 times a day. Character meets can be pre-booked, however the Mickey ‘team’ plus Marvel and Toy Story characters can be seen by chance around the ship.

So, for the adult only areas… there is a separate pool with hot tubs, bar and coffee lounge on Deck 9 to enjoy the sunshine as well as areas on Deck 3 for drinks tastings and evening entertainment. There is also the spa, gym and adult only restaurant ‘Palo’. Via the DCL app, we pre-booked a mixology class, wine tasting and took part in the evening quiz show in the adult only nightclub. The app is a great way to find out what’s going on each day and restaurant / bar opening times, character meets and most importantly (TIP) the ‘drink of the day’ which is amazing value! Food and soft drinks are included on the cruise but you do have to pay for alcohol. You can also sit on the pool deck watching some iconic Disney films on the big screen! They show movies here after dinner too, so you can snuggle up under a blanket with a hot chocolate for a ‘Movies under the Stars’ evening!

The ‘water park’ is fabulous and I can imagine how wonderful for children when you are sailing in the Caribbean. There are 2 slides – a relaxing kid-friendly waterslide and a thrilling body slide that extends over the side of the ship! Plus, a pool with a ‘beach’ area with geysers spraying jets of water and a splash zone for the younger ones. As with most ships, it operates a cashless system and you can charge drinks or gifts to your stateroom card. The prices are in dollars just to be aware.

Normal sailings on Disney’s 4 ships have now resumed in the Bahamas, Mexico and the Caribbean and you can visit Disney’s own Castaway Cay with itineraries on sale now up to 2023! Why not twin a stay in Orlando with a Disney cruise?

Contact me to arrange your next magical family Disney experience!