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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Tom Gould
Email: gouldst@yahoo.com
Age: 34
Occupation: Federal employee
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Magic
SailingDate: 28 June 1999
Itinerary: 3-day Bahamas
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 85
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 75
MedicalFacilities: 85
ShipCleanliness: 85
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace:
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 05 Jul 1999
Time: 09:47:49
Remote Name: pm2-114.ezf.infi.net
Remote User:
Comments
My wife and I took a seven day Disney vacation, with the first four days at Disney World.
The fifth day, we met in the lobby
of our hotel along with about 100 other cruise guests, and boarded buses for Port
Canaveral. All the bus drivers were
friendly, with our insisting we sing songs on the way. Unfortunately, he passed the
microphone to an annoying kid and let
him talk for 15 minutes.
Boarding the ship was very easy. We walked straight through the terminal, past a security
check, then right onto the ship
using the same key card that we had used at Disney World. This card was our stateroom key
and our pass on and off the
ship. It could also be used for charging expenses on the ship.
Our room was a category 9 stateroom with a large window but no veranda. We didn't miss it,
and the room was very nice,
with a king size bed, a sitting area, and two bathrooms (one with toilet and sink, the
other with shower and sink). Carlos,
our room attendent, introduced himself, and cleaned the room twice a day. One nice touch
was how Carlos would take a
towel and fold it into an animal shape each night. Silly, I know, but it was a cute touch.
We had second seating for dinner, so we saw our show each night at 6:00. The Walt Disney
Theater on the ship is
incredible, and the shows were very well done. They were of course total Disney, but
that's expected. Dinner followed at
8:30. We sat at a table for eight, and I have to say, I think we were somewhat mismatched.
We were hoping to be with
other couples without children, but instead we sat with one older couple from Texas, a
mother and her 7 or 8 year old
daughter from New York, and two college age young men from Oregon. As it turned out, we
enjoyed all their company, but I
think Disney could make a better effort to match people for dinner.
Our waiter, Pascal, was from France, and made a real effort to get to know us all. The
dinner service was always efficient
and pleasant, and we both thought the food was excellent. Since it was our anniversary, we
were brought a cake the
second night and the waiters all sang to us.
First day was in Nassau, where we had been before, so we signed up for a shore excursion,
the Island World Exuma
Adventure. It was quite pricey, $150 apiece, but a lot of fun. We went by powerboat to
Saddle Cay, about 40 miles
southeast of Nassau, and spent the day on a quiet beach, snorkeling, and feeding a sting
ray. That night, the ship had a
small fireworks display shot out of one of the stacks. Safety tip - stay upwind when the
fireworks are going off. Both of us
got some soot in our eyes, and my wife had to see the doctor the next day to get hers
washed out.
Second day was at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. We got a late start since we had
to see the doctor, but we
headed out to the adults beach by tram. While we were there, my wife got a massage in an
open air cabana, which she
really enjoyed. Other than that, we spent some time in the water, and just relaxed. One
very nice touch was the small
barbecue set up at the adult beach so we didn't have to hike back to the family beach to
eat.
That night, we had dinner in the adults only restaurant, Palo, which serves northern
Italian cuisine. (Note: you must make a
separate reservation to eat here. Do it first thing after you board!) The dinner was very
pleasant, and we had a nice bottle of
wine with it. Unfortunately, after the dessert was served, our waiter ignored us for an
extended period, never offering coffee
or after dinner drinks.
The next day, we pulled back into Port Canaveral. Those who had first dinner seating had
an early seating for breakfast,
about 6:45, then they had to wait around for the ship to clear customs before they could
debark. We ate breakfast at 8:00,
and by the time we were done, the ship was cleared for debarkation and we walked right
off.
Things we liked most: having to check in only once, and use the same key card the whole
vacation; luggage transfers - we
checked our luggage at the airport at the beginning and picked it up at the airport when
we got home; friendliness of the
crew, who were from 52 countries.
Things we liked least: You must pay for all drinks, and you really get nickeled and dimed
to death on this; very high prices
for merchandise, like Disney Cruise Line shirts - I know, it's expected, but $45 for a
lousy shirt? The worst thing about the
whole vacation was having to take Delta Airlines. US Airways has five nonstops a day from
our home airport to Orlando, but
we were forced to use Delta, which meant a stop in Atlanta. And to top it off, our first
flight was canceled because the 25
year old 727 was leaking fuel. So we missed half a day in the park. Come on, Disney, pick
a worthwhile airline for your
partner!
But overall, we really had a great time. We had heard some complaints that couples were
not catered to on Disney, but we
certainly didn't have that problem. We strongly recommend Disney Cruise Lines for families
and couples.
Name: Bill Yost
Email: bill0367@netscape.net
Age: 39
Occupation: trouble shooter for auto mfg.
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Magic
SailingDate: 11-27-98
Itinerary: Nassau, Castaway Cay
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 78
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 85
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService: 75
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 75
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess: 75
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 75
CruiseActivities: 75
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 70
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 83
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Jul 1999
Time: 17:23:35
Remote Name: spider-pa064.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
Hi there! I just found this site and I love it already. It's great to read about the ship
you are going on for your next vacation.
Like any review, whether it be movie, book, restaurant, or whatever, I'll take it with a
grain of salt, and you should too. The
ratings that I gave our ship, the Disney Magic, are higher than some of the other reviews
for a few reasons. This was my
2nd 'real' vacation in 18 years, I was with family that I only see every couple years, and
it was such a marvelous experience
that I was even able to make the few times we waited in line a great time.
I was part of a group of 14 that sailed on the Magic 11/27/98. We ranged in ages from my 2
yr. old niece and 16 yr old son
to my 80+ yr.old grandmother. Part of our group came from PA, part from WV and the others
from Phoenix. Our packages
included the air and ground transportation and everything went off without a hitch. We
took the Disney busses to the
Boardwalk, where they had my grandmothers 3 wheeled scooter ready for her. After 4 great
days at Disney, we boarded the
bus (my appologies to those who had to wait while we got the scooter on board) for our
hour or so trip to the Magic.
I first saw the ship from the road and knew that it was very appropriately named. Instead
of 39, I was 9 again on Christmas
morning. My niece was thrilled that 'Mickey' was there waiting for her. Our boarding was
delayed about 20 minutes because
of computer problems. Who cares? Just gave me more time to look around, and to talk to
people who were as excited as I.
I had heard many times about how small cabins on ships were, and was prepared for the
worst. My stepmother made the
arrangements for the vacation, and I should have known better. My brother, sister-in-law,
niece, my son and I stayed in a
family suite w/verandah on deck 8. The room seemed as big as our room at the Boardwalk. We
had a queen bed, a pull out
sofa, a 'murphy bed' that came out of the wall, and a pull down bunk. The split bath was
extra nice. Toilet and sink on one
side, shower and sink on the other. Made getting ready for 5 people a lot easier. The
fridge and safe (both operated with
your key cards) came in handy as well. We had a few beverages left from Disney. The
verandah was just another piece in
the perfect vacation puzzle. Was the extra cost for the verandah worth it? I couldn't tell
you. I did spend quite a bit of time
there, but I also spent a lot of time on the deck in the evenings/mornings. I think that
my brother and I averaged between 2
and 3 hours of sleep per night on the cruise. We definitely didn't want to miss anything
so we'd stay up until the ship left
port, and wake up before it docked that morning. Oh, by the way, coffee and tea is
available 24 hrs by topsiders buffet. I
really needed it. LOL
While by brother and son explored the ship, my sister-in-law and I hit Topsider's for the
welcome aboard buffet. For those of
you who thought the line was too long--you missed out. Folks, you can be through it in
10-15 minutes and the food was
worth it, especially if you like Huge shrimp!
My brother and I went up to the pool deck for a couple beverages, and the waitstaff was
great to us. Our first waitress was
from Indonesia. Believe it or not, on the third night of the cruise, after not seeing us
since the first afternoon, she recognized
us and addressed us by name--not an easy thing to do when there's a couple thousand people
on the boat!
I won't go through all the details of the restaurants, because you have probably read all
you can handle about the decor,
etc. Once again our waitstaff was fantastic. Our server, Lance, was from Canada, our
beverage person, Boris, was from I
believe Bulgaria? Boris seemed a little reserved at first, but loosened up when he found
what kind of group we were. That
took all of about 5 min. while he took the drink orders on the first night. After studying
the wine list, I looked up with a
straight face and ordered a bottle of Budweiser--1998, pointing at the list. Had him going
for a second. I know the highlight
for Lance came on the third night. He came in a few minutes late but with a very good
reason. He had just been told that he
was being promoted to a corporate training position, and we were the first people that he
had a chance to tell. Way to go
Lance!
The food was very good, and plentiful. I had crablegs as an appetiser one night and made a
joke about being able to eat
them all night, Lance immediately brought another plate without me asking. Dress code in
dining rooms? They just request
that you do not wear shorts. On formal night I wore a sport coat and slacks, others wore
golf shirts. No jeans that night,
although some didn't pay attention to that.
During the day my niece loved 'partying with Mickey and the gang' . The crew always seemed
to have something going on
for the kids. My son did what alot of kids did--got a video game card and did his thing,
whether it was play games, basket
ball, table tennis, swim, etc.
I couldn't tell you a whole lot about Nassau. I guess its ok after you get past the hair
braiders, and tee shirt shops. I didn't
do anything in particular--just walked and looked. What can I say? I was in the Bahamas in
Nov instead of WV!
Castaway Cay--simply the most beautiful place I've ever seen. Spent most of the day
snorkeling. Disney has 2 different
marked trails to snorkel. Both have things like man-made ship wrecks, etc.--kind of like
swimming in a big aquarium. Saw
hundreds of fish. Food at the cay was good too. If the lines get too long, just keep your
eyes open. They open other lines
pretty often. If somebody knows where you can get a whole week of an island like Castaway
Cay let me know.
I know I'm running really long but you can see I still get excited about my trip even
though it's been 8 mos.
Back on the ship for a couple more things. If you happen to get a crew member who doesn't
always seem to be always on
the ball--it may be their first cruise too. One waitress on deck told me that she was
extremely nervous, because it was her
first time with Disney. Crew members sign 6 mo. contracts and are off for 2 mos. I thought
it was great meeting people from
all over the world. Check out the improv comedy on beat street, take your kids to see a
movie (we saw Mulan when it first
came out), party with Mickey, and don't complain about what you don't have--enjoy what you
do.
Next stop--Carnival Imagination, 12-4-99, then, back to Disney 11-2000
Thanks for your time,
Bill
Name: Suzanne G
Email: suzanne_g@exch.deq.state.la.us
Age: 38
Occupation: chemist
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Magic
SailingDate: July 12 1999
Itinerary: Nassau/Castaway Cay/Day at Sea
Cabin: 6045
FoodDiningRoom: 79
CruiseDirector: 70
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 65
CabinQuietness: 75
FoodMidnightBuffets: 75
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 69
GoodForHoneymoon: 10
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 70
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 70
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark:
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace:
Stabilization: 75
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 20 Jul 1999
Time: 15:47:53
Remote Name: defiant2.deq.state.la.us
Remote User:
Comments
We just came off Disney Magic 4-day cruise and we wanted to let you know how it went.
My husband and I are a working couple with two children a boy 10 years old and a daughter
age 5.
We first went to the Magic Kingdom for a day, and stayed at the Dixie Landings hotel. We
did not purchase ground
transfers and were glad we didn't. The cruise line bus left much later in the day, hence
you did not get on the boat
until the afternoon. Luggage was no problem. We dropped off our luggage first as we drove
up, they are waiting
for you, and then we parked our car. We filled out the necessary paperwork beforehand,
plus we did our
homework- reading reviews etc. which made it much easier. I would suggest taking time
beforehand to read about
shore excursions and getting familiar with the ship's layout from the literature. There is
so little time and so much
to do when you get on the boat. We boarded the boat around 1:00 pm. By the time we found
cabin, requested
changing our dining room seating time from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, enrolled our two kids in the
Oceaneer Camp and
club it was time for the lifeboat drill at 4:00 pm.
We loved our cabin steward, our children would scream with delight over the various
"animals" we found when we
entered the room. We had an inside cabin and loved it. We slept good with no light
entering in. The cabin was
indeed larger than our previous cruise, but it was still cramped. I thought we were going
to have two separate sink
areas, we only had one. They did not upgrade our room even though we booked over a year in
advance. The
"mini" tub was nice it made showering easier and it was big enough for the
children to take their baths.
The ship rocked and moved more than I expected for such a large vessel. One night the
sliding door to the closet
banged from side to side, at 3:00 a.m. we bolted up in bed. My husband had to stuff a life
jacket on each door so
it wouldn't move. Disney forgot to put a latch on the door.
Well, exploring the ship was fun, it was indeed beautiful. Character appearances - day
activities- all were more
than you could do during the day. However, I found out that my children did not want to go
into the their clubs,
they wanted to stay with us all the time. This wasn't so bad during the day, however, at
night, all of the
entertainment is for adults only. Our evening entertainment show was scheduled for 6:00 pm
for the late dining
seating and dinner was scheduled for 8:30 pm rather than 8:00 pm as we were previously
told. We did not get out
of dinner until 10:00 or 10:30 pm sometimes, so we just went to bed with the kids since
there was adult only
entertainment and the kids didn't to go to the club. My son, went twice to his club, that
was about it. Movies on
board the ship were Tarzan and Instinct, and its a Bug's Life. My husband went with my son
to see Tarzan at
11:00 pm one night while I stayed in and slept with my daughter.
We wondered if we did the right thing by switching dining times. But if we had gone to the
early searing , we would
have gotten out of the evening show by 9:30 pm with nothing left to do with the children.
The children's clubs were fantastic I thought. Computers, playground areas that looked
like Captain Hook's ship
etc..Our children just didn't like staying in a strange place no matter how nice. We
talked to several other parents
on the trip, and they had the same experience with their small children. Only a few lucky
parents had children who
stayed. I didn't see more than fifty to sixty kids at one time at each club, considering
you had a boat full. Every
parent with small children like us agreed that this was a great "family
vacation"; however, not a "relaxing vacation".
You still had to contend with your children more than I thought.
I wouln't recommend the boat for newlyweds unless they truly adore having hundreds of kids
around them.
The shows were great, but I must admit they had technical difficulty during the Disney
Dreams Show and had to
stop the performance in the middle for about twenty minutes.
The food and the dining experience were a little dissappointing. We had an exceptionately
slow waiter and
assistant waiter. They did nothing dynamic, and I didn't even remember their names like I
did the the room
steward. We were constantly asking for more tea, water, etct. We sat with a couple and
their teenage daughter,
they were lovely. They went one night to Palo to eat and they said the food was fantastic.
On that particular night
we were scheduled to eat at Lumiere's and we consequently had the table to ourselves. The
food was excellent at
Lumiere's my favorite place on the ship to dine. The creme brulee was superb. I can't say
too much about the
other restaurants.
Dinner for the children in the restaurants included macoroni and cheese, hot dogs and a
peanut and jelly
sandwich one night. My young daughter ordered fish one night and they gave her smoked
salmon. Great for
adults but it didn't go over well with her. They need a little more variety such as mashed
potatoes corn carrots etc.
in the restaurants. The spaghetti the children ordered one night had strange looking
noodles I had seen
previously at lunch at Top Siders Buffet.
I noticed that breakfast hashbrowns turned into a potato cakes with leeks at night. You
keep seeing the same food
reappear from time to time. The food at the buffets not quite up to par. For instance,
Topsiders only served tea
and water for a beverage, that's it. The dessert bar was great, but the variety changed
little from night to night.
My husband personally asked the waiter to sing and present a birthday cake for me for my
birthday that night. She
assured him they would, needless to say they didn't. My children couldn't understand why
other people who had a
birthday on the boat had a cake and were sung to and I wasn't.
As for clothes- a nice dress for Lumieres and Palo, and casual dresses or slacks would be
fine for the evening. I
didn't see anyone in a long dress.
Nassau was great, we did not take any arranged shore excursions offered on the boat. We
shopped in the
morning during the few times the children were in their clubs. They are within walking
distance. We headed back
to the boat for lunch, picked up the children and headed by taxi to Paradise Island. That
afternoon was the most
memorable of all. The sand at Paradise Beach was beautiful, no shells like Castaway Cay,
the water a beautiful
emerald green, also unlike Castaway Cay which was a milky white. We toured Atlantis,
"The Dig", and headed for
the beach. My husband para-sailed for the first time. There were jet skis to rent and a
few other options of things
to do.
On Disney's Castaway Cay, the sand was full of shells so be sure and wear water shoes.
There are no waves
since they enclosed much of the area with a stone wall in the water. Be sure and get there
early around 8, unlike
us, who were too tired by the end of the week, otherwise you will have difficulty finding
an umbrella or lounge
chair.
Again, since the children were uncomfortable with their clubs, we were stuck on the family
beach and couldn't go
on the Adult's only beach. It looked nice and quiet though when we peeked as went for a
bike ride later that
afternoon with the children. Perhaps bringing along a babysitter , maybe even grandma and
grandpa would have
given us some time to be by ourselves. But if there was any ship I would bring the kids on
it would definitely be
Disney.
We loved the Mickey pool and the pool for kids and adults. With so many kids though I
wished they were larger.
The poolside service was great. The people were lovely. We had a good time. Like going to
Disney World I am
glad we went.
Name: Kenneth Kirtley
Email: klkrlk@prodigy.net
Age: 36
Occupation: Financial Manager
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Magic
SailingDate: 07-26-99
Itinerary: Bahamas
Cabin: 6612/6
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 80
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 50
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 75
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 50
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 04 Aug 1999
Time: 00:44:10
Remote Name: phnxb109-36.splitrock.net
Remote User:
Comments
We sailed on the Disney Magic on 26 Jul 99 and we were very impressed!
Let me start from the beginning...I travel with my wife and 2 sons (ages 9 & 11) from
Phoenix, AZ. We left Phoenix
via Delta, on the red-eye and arrived in Orlando the next morning at 8 am. We were staying
at the Walt Disney
World Swan hotel and check-in time was 3 pm. To our delight, we were able to check in at 8
am! We went
immediately to the Disney Cruise Line rep at the front desk and received our passes to all
Disney World
attractions and checked in for our cruise--one stop 'shopping'.
We added on 3 nights (to the 3 nights already included) via our travel agent, directly
through Disney, and the
extra days made our exploration of Walt Disney World (WDW)facilities extensive. After
talking to other families on
the cruise, we were certainly happy we had the extra time. The other families commented
they did not have
enough time to check out all the WDW facilities (to include Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM
Studios, Boardwalk,
Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, River Country, Downtown Disney, Pleasure Island, and
Animal Kingdom) and
they felt rushed to see just 2 or 3 parks. We were able to see all the parks and go back
to certain attractions
multiple times. Something definitely worth thinking about if you intend to go on the
land/sea cruise package.
The Swan/Dolphin hotels were fantastic and offered everything we needed--huge pool with
water slide, complete
fitness center, 8 restaurants, laundry facilities, and easy access to all WDW attractions.
The hotels offered free
meals for our children with each adult meal purchase--a huge money saver! I would
definitely recommend an
Epcot area resort (Swan/Dolphin, Yacht/Beach Club, or Boardwalk) for your stay at WDW. You
could easily take a
free WDW bus or boat and get to all the parks within 20 minutes. While talking to other
families, I found out other
WDW resorts made you take the tram/bus/boat combinations to get to various parks and they
were not as
centrally located as the Epcot Center resorts.
On Monday morning we had to have our bags packed by 8 am for transportation from the
resort to the Magic. At
11:30 am we met our cruise agent and boarded the Disney Cruise Line bus for Port
Canaveral; a 1.5 hour ride.
We went directly to Disney's own embarkation port and were aboard the magic within 30
minutes. Compared to
our other cruise experience (in Los Angeles with Carnival Cruise Lines), which was a
minimum of 2 hours waiting
in a 'immigration' type facility, this was awesome!
The Disney Magic is an awe-inspiring, magnificent, vessel. We were docked next to the Big
Red Boat, which was
approximately 60% the size of the Magic. Being only 1 year old, the ship is in outstanding
condition, and is
impeccably maintained. We walked on board and were immediately met by an awaiting crew
member who walked
us to the aft elevators and explained exactly where our room was located. We checked out
our room and within 15
minutes our bags arrived. We had a room with a balcony, a sofa which folded into a twin
bed, a twin pull down
bunk, a king size bed, and 2 bathrooms. This room was at least twice as large as the room
we occupied on the
Carnival Jubilee, 2 years ago.
The ship was impressive, with a complete movie theater playing Disney's current movies, a
huge 5 story live
theater for nightly shows, 3 night clubs, 2 kid's clubs, a teen club, 4 dining rooms, 3
lido deck eating facilities,
arcade room, complete gym/spa, kid's pool, family pool, and private adult pool; everything
you could want on in a
floating 'town.'
We arrived in Nassau on Tuesday morning and explored the beaches and the Atlantic Casino.
The 'duty free'
shopping in Nassau is OK, the prices are similar or greater than stateside retail prices,
and the atmosphere is
poor, smelly, and rundown. We were going to snorkel a Nassau, but due to the rain we
headed back to the ship
early.
We arrived at Castaway Cay(pronounced Key) the next morning and we were immediately
impressed with the
sparkling blue water and cleanliness of this private island. Disney definitely did this
right--with a separate
snorkeling area, family beach, adult beach, teen beach, aqua cycling area, and eating
facilities. Since cruise
families are the only people allowed on the island, we could leave our valuables at our
lounge chair and not have
to worry. We could also let our children go play and have a little peace and quiet to
ourselves. This experience is
worth the cruise price, a must see!
The next day was our day at sea and was relaxing. We were able to enjoy the pools and take
in a few movies in
the theater. I played a few games of volleyball and had a great time. The kids made
'flubber' and played with the
new friends they met in the Oceanier's Club and my wife just relaxed.
Disembarkation was a breeze. We had to have our bags ready by midnight on Thursday. We
arrived at Port
Canaveral at about 7 am and we ate breakfast and exited the ship. At Disney's private port
our bags were waiting
in our color coordinated area and checkout through customs was a breeze (done in 15
minutes). Outside,
representatives from all the major airlines were waiting with trucks to check in our
baggage for our outgoing flight.
We took a 45 minute bus ride to the Orlando airport and were on our way home.
Although this was by no means an inexpensive vacation, it was a memorable, once in a
lifetime experience. We
are now spoiled by the Magic and will not be happy with another ship unless we have a
balcony and the ship is
new or near new condition.
Name: Susan Morris
Email: SMorris102@aol.com
Age: 35
Occupation: High school teacher
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Magic
SailingDate: 7-23-99
Itinerary: Bahamas
Cabin: 6020/8
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 70
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 85
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 70
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess: 75
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 24 Aug 1999
Time: 19:12:17
Remote Name: spider-tq072.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
My family and I had a wonderful cruise on the Disney Magic. My husband had cruised before
and said the Magic was
a far superior ship to the one he had been on. The ship was spotless. Every area including
the many public
bathrooms were clean at all hours of the day and night. Embarkation and debarkation were
very smooth. There was
even a quaratet of staff who sang in a barbershop quartet manner to entertain us as we
waited for embarkation. We
had stayed at Disney World for 4 days prior to boarading the Magic and the same key to the
world card got us on/off
the boat and was are room/safe key.
My sons, ages 11 and 8 both enjoyed the two differnt children's clubs during
the cruise. My older son was allowed to check himself in and out and we received a beeper
for my younger son. I
would estimate they spent about 1/3 of their time on ship in the clubs. The staff was very
friendly and polite. They did
physical play, art, science as well as computer games. The show the kids put on the last
night was only 8 minutes
long and fantastic. They showed a collage of slides of almost every child on board at play
in the club. The kids
enjoyed seeing their huge faces.
Dining overall was a pleasant experience. Both Lumiere's and Parrot Cay were
both beautiful. I was disappointed at Animator's in that the color changes on the walls
and pictures did not work
correcly near our table. Our main server was fine, but our assitant server was very poor.
She could not keep up with
drink orders and had no idea how to open a wine bottle. One nice feature was that the
waiter would recork your
bottle of wine and move it with you to your next evenin's meal if you did not finish it in
one sitting. I gave up on getting
more that one iced tea by the last night. There was a good selection of main dishes at all
the restaurants, including
beef, chicken, fish, seafood, and pasta. The children's menu was also varied. My son got a
taste for filets on board
which he hasn't given up.
Food elsewhere on the ship (Topsider's, midnight buffet) was fine for buffet type food
and
there was a great variety there also,(roast beef, carved ham, and lots of fruit). By the
way children were served
quickly at the sit down restaurants so they did not have to wait through all the adult
courses. Our cabin was spacious
and the split bathroom wonderful. My sons loved the lower and pull down upper bunk above.
There was ample
storage. Our room hostess did a nice job and added touches such as towel animals to our
nightly turndown. I did
have to ask for washclothes, but only once, thereafter she remembered them. We only went
to one live production in
the theatre. It was okay but not up to the Disney standards at Disney World. The 70's
party at the Rockin'Bar D was
fabulous. The audience participation was great and everyone there was having a ball.
Another night we attended the
improv comedy club which was first rate also.
They were as good as Drew Carey's crew in my opinion. Again the
audience was thrilled with the show. There was also a quieter piano bar. I would rate the
adult entertainment as
fantastic. They also had a work-out facility, sports bar, wine tastings, game shows etc.
for adults. There were also 3
differnt pools, shuffle board, ping pong etc. Many chances to meet Disney characters were
available but my boys
were too old for that. The Bahamas were okay for about 1/2 day of shopping. I would have
much rather spent 2 days
on Catsaway Cay. It was a fabulous island. My kids swam all day, I sunned in the hammock
and my husband
explored. I was impressed at the cleanliness and safety on the island. We left our
articles while we ate lunch and
nothing was touched. A boy had to be rescued in the water after hitting his head of the
diving area and the event
was handled quickly quietly and professionally in my opinion. The lifeguard was very quick
to do her job. For the kids
there was a seperate taco bar, pizza bar and ice cream area called Scoops on the ship.
There was also a club for
teens only and a video arcade which would sap too much of your money. There were many
photo opportunities and
Shutters (where you viewed and purchased the photos) was always busy. We enjoyed a
champaign meet the
captains reception one evening (one captian being Mickey Mouse the other the real captain
of the ship). The
onboard shops were very nice however open at odd hours. I had read about 25 reviews before
we sailed and I would
say most of the problems and bugs that others mentioned have been fixed. We, as a family
would be ready to sail on
the Magic again in a heartbeat.
Name: Kelly Bangs
Email: kabangs@mailcity.com
Age: 25
Occupation: analyst
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Magic
SailingDate: 4/16/99
Itinerary: 3 day Bahamas
Cabin: cat 11
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 75
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 10
CabinAmenities: 75
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 5
CabinSteward: 5
ShoreExcVariety: 60
FoodVariety: 5
DeckService: 5
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon: 0
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 80
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 30
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 50
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 70
CruiseActivities: 60
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 50
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 20
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 25 Aug 1999
Time: 13:19:30
Remote Name: 198.176.156.35
Remote User:
Comments
We sailed the Disney Magic as part of our honeymoon package and for the most part I have
never been so
dissatisfied before. The cruise wasn't all bad - we had a great dinner server and Castaway
Cay was great. I found
the attitude of most employees to be very poor.
The ship was pretty dead at night and when we wanted a drink at 12:30 we went to Studio
Sea (our personal
navigator stated Studio Sea was open until 1:30.) Studio Sea was empty when we went to the
bar to order a drink the
bartender left and another employee yelled at me because he wanted to close. This is only
one example of many
problems I had. I spoke to a manager and her response was 'this is a new ship we're
working out kinks.' Upon writing
to the president of Disney Cruise Lines I received a letter from him stating that he hopes
that I will still continue to be
faithful to the Disney name regardless of my cruise experience. It seems nobody at Disney
Cruise Line really cares
about the complaints they receive. It all boils down to this - as long as it is Disney
owned they will make the money.
So future honeymooners please don't make the same mistake my husband and I did - if I had
to do it over I would
have stayed at The Grand Floridian all week!
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