disney-magic8

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Tom Giusto
Email: giustot@mindspring.com
Age: 45
Occupation: Journalist
NumberOfCruises: 10
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Magic
SailingDate: November 5, 1999
Itinerary: Nassau & Castaway Cay
Cabin: 2641/Inside
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 50
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService: 85
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 70
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 16 Nov 1999
Time: 06:23:10
Remote Name: 204.128.192.59
Remote User:

Comments

Disney Magic, November 5, 1999, 3-night cruise. Reviewed by Tom Giusto. giustot@mindspring.com

My wife Mona and I set sail on the Disney Magic not knowing quite what to expect. From the reviews we had read
passengers either thought it was the best cruise they had ever taken or the worst. In fact, it’s a little of both. You really
can’t compare Disney to other cruise lines because it does so many things differently. Some things Disney does much
better than anyone else. Others fall short.

One thing you notice right away about a Disney cruise is the kids, lots of them. Unlike other cruises, where parents can
take their kids along, this is a cruise where children take their parents. If you’re traveling with kids, this is the greatest
cruise you could ever take. Don’t hesitate for a second. The activities for kids, from toddlers to teens, are excellent. If
you’re traveling without kids, you’ll only like this cruise if you like Disney and you have the patience to vacation with lots of
children.

The areas where Disney excels are embarkation and debarkation, stateroom comfort, activities for children,
entertainment, and its private beach island. We felt it came up short in cabin and dining room service, cabin noise, the
quality of food and the convenience of show times.

Embarkation is very smooth. New buses take you from the airport or the resorts to the ship in about an hour. Time goes
by quickly as you watch a video on what to expect on your cruise. Disney’s passenger terminal is new and modern and
check-in lines are short. We arrived at the airport at 11:30am. By noon our bus was leaving for the ship. And by 1pm we
were in our stateroom. The ship was an almost full, 2300 passengers.

The staterooms are relatively roomy, comfortable and well planned. Our steward never greeted us upon arrival, but
otherwise was friendly and did his job well. One of the great things Disney did was to put a bath-and-a-half in most rooms.
One has a sink and toilet. The other has a sink and shower/tub. Both bathrooms are tiled. There’s a bedroom area and a
sitting area with a couch that can turn into a bed. Plenty of storage space. Beware of cabins on deck two toward the rear
of the ship. I had read of mysterious engine noises in other reviews and wound up experiencing it myself. This was the
worst engine noise we had encountered in all our cruising. It was not constant and may have been related to the thrusters.
But when the noise occurred it was very loud and disturbing and you could not possibly sleep through it. Avoid these
cabins if you can.

The first thing most passengers do after arriving in their rooms is have lunch and make reservations for the adults only
restaurant, Paolo’s. The best item on the buffet lunch is the jumbo shrimp. Everything else is just ok. But you’re not taking
this cruise for the quality of the food.

Dining on Disney is different than on other ships. There are three main theme restaurants in which you and your serving
team rotate each evening. Animator’s Palate has a show about animation. The restaurant slowly turns from
black-and-white to color as you dine. Parrot Cay (pronounced Key) is a Caribbean restaurant. Lumiere’s is a more formal
French restaurant that’s the nicest of the three. Although our waitress said some passengers actually ask not to eat there
because they’ve never dined in a French restaurant and they think they won’t like French food. If you want to eat at
Paolo’s, and most people loved it, I would recommend you make your reservation for the night you would dine in Parrot
Cay. If you have to give up one restaurant I would make it Parrot Cay. You can have breakfast or lunch there one day to
see what it’s like. If you’re on the four-night cruise you can eat in Paolo’s on the night you would repeat dinner in one of
the three theme restaurants.

Overall we felt the food was good to very good, but inconsistent. We found the best way to order was follow our server’s
recommendations. When we didn’t we were disappointed. This is not the fine dining you’ll get on Princess or Celebrity. It’s
much less formal with fewer courses. On most menus the food is grouped into starters and main courses, leaving many
diners to believe you are expected to order one from each group. And most do. But you can order an appetizer, soup,
salad and main course if you want. In Animator’s Palate we liked the crab legs appetizer and veal chop entrée. In Parrot
Cay go for the shrimp cocktail and lobster. In Lumiere’s it’s the escargot and sea bass. You also can get simply prepared
steak and chicken or vegetarian dishes in each restaurant. For desert we had our server bring a variety of different
selections -- most good, nothing exceptional.

During the day there are hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza and ice cream available on the pool deck most of the time.
There are late-night snacks passed out by waiters in the lounges but no traditional midnight buffet. Some passengers
seemed to miss this.

One point about dining and entertainment times. Unlike anything we had encountered before on cruise ships, on Disney
when you have late seating dinner at 8:30pm, you go to your show before dinner at 6pm. So even if you have late seating
dinner you still start your evening at 6pm, the same time as early seating diners. The show runs about an hour so by
7:15pm you out of the show and still have one hour and 15 minutes before dinner. There are plenty of things to do during
that time but it seemed like an efficient schedule that defeated the purpose of late seating dinner.

The three entertainment productions shows are excellent and all the singing is done live. They all involve Disney themes.
The first night was a show about Hercules. The second night one about a ghost ship. The third night is Disney Dreams
which showcases Disney fairytales and which brought many people to tears.

Since I waited until now to talk about kids’ activities you probably realized we didn’t travel with them. But we did tour the
facilities on the ship for children and they are phenomenal. Kids are divided into three age groups, 3-8, 9-12 and teens.
Each group has areas of the ship reserved just for it. And the organized activities are not just fun but educational and
interactive, including using computers. Teens even have their own nightclub. And there are plenty of opportunities for
pictures with Disney characters.

Adults also have their own parts of the ship including a separate pool and lounge area, health spa, separate restaurant,
ESPN bar, piano bar, comedy club, special movies and a disco. And there’s a separate adults area at the private beach.

The Disney Magic is a beautiful well-appointed ship but it’s different from other cruise ships in its size and class. Some
ways better, some ways worse. Some very unique, like a ship’s horn that plays 'When You Wish Upon a Star.' With its two
smokestacks, long bow and black-and-white paint, it actually looks more like a ship than many of the newer cruise ships.
But you’ll have a hard time figuring out who, if anyone, is in charge. Neither the full names of the captain and cruise
director nor their pictures were ever printed in the daily newsletter. After awhile we learned out the captain’s name was
Hans and the cruise director was Rachel. The captain was very accessible during his cocktail party. But poor captain Hans
was walking around looking for people to talk to while captain Mickey Mouse had a line of people waiting to shake his hand
and get their picture taken with him.

A few more differences -- there are no deck chairs on the promenade deck and there is no casino. While the décor is
luxurious and creative, the lounges tend to be small and intimate rather than grand and striking. The main show room has
stadium-style seating and does not have drink service. If you want a drink you have to buy it yourself at the bar outside
and carry it in. There’s plenty to do at night and we never even made it into some of the lounges.

The ship only calls on two ports, Nassau and Castaway Cay (also pronounced Key), the private beach island. Several
tours are offered in Nassau or you could just walk off the ship and explore the town on your own. Many passengers
weren’t very impressed with the town. And Nassau is not a shopper’s paradise like St. Thomas. We took the all-day beach
trip to the new Atlantis Hotel and really enjoyed it. The Atlantis is large and dramatic with outdoor pools, a water slide and
beach area. Although it’s privately owned and operated it looks like the type of hotel Disney would have designed. It has a
walk-though underwater aquarium that’s definitely worth seeing. If you take the Disney tour to Atlantis you can use the
beach but not the pools and water slide.

Most people agree Castaway Cay is the nicest private beach of any cruise line. The ship docks at the island and a tram
takes you to the beach. There are more than enough beach chairs and umbrellas. There’s a snorkeling trail and water
play area for the kids. We picked out a nice double hammock overlooking the water. My only complaint would be the 20
minutes it took waiting in line for lunch. But I suspect much of the slowness was due to people taking a long time to decide
what they wanted to eat. There were about six buffet lines and all seemed to be well supplied.

Three nights is too short for a cruise. The morning after our great day at the beach it was time to leave. Debarkation on
the Disney Magic was the best we had ever encountered. There was no hanging around in lounges waiting for your color
to be called. If you have early seating dinner, breakfast will be early, 6:45am. But by the time early seating breakfast
ended the ship was cleared. When late seating breakfast began at 8am the early folks were walking off the ship. When
our late breakfast ended about 8:45am we simply walked out the door of Lumiere’s turned right and in 50 feet we were off
the ship. The luggage was color coded and easily retrievable. By 9am our bus to the airport was on its way.

All things considered we enjoyed the cruise. Disney has worked out many of the problems that occurred in its initial
months. We’d definitely take it again with kids but probably not on our own. Disney might want to consider running some
seven-day cruises; changing some ports of call, or having its two ships run different itineraries. Otherwise, once you’ve
taken this cruise you have a reduced incentive to take it again because the next one will be just the same.

I hope this will be of some help if you’re considering a Disney cruise or about to sail on one. Please e-mail me with any
questions or comments. Tom Giusto giustot@mindspring.com

Name: Paul Miller
Email: pmiller@peddie.org
Age: 42
Occupation: Security & Safety management
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Magic
SailingDate: 11/8/99 - 11/12/99
Itinerary: 7 day land/sea Disney World/Nassau
Cabin: 2075
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 89
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 82
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 91
DeckService: 75
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 89
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 98
GoodForFamilies: 98
LoungeService: 89
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 70
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess: 70
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 100
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 96
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 89
SpaceRatio: 91
OverallCruiseValue: 96
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 16 Nov 1999
Time: 23:37:22
Remote Name: s20.peddie.k12.nj.us
Remote User:

Comments

My wife and I took along our four children, ages 3, 14, 16 and 18. The two things that made my wife and I very happy were
the quality of the teen programs and Oceaneers Club for our little one. Just as many three year olds are reluctant to let go
when it's time to drop them off somewhere, ours was usually just as reluctant to come back to us several hours later, since
he was having a great time. I thank the staff for that, namely a staff member named Luke. I want to point out that this is not
a baby sitting service as much as it's an activity center. Parents are issued pagers and can be contacted anytime by the
staff when there children are at the Oceaneers Club. As for Nassau, we only spent about an hour off of the ship and this
was due in part to being hounded by the hair braiders and taxi drivers for business immediately after exiting the ship. We
really didn't have any intention of going on any of the excursions offered. On a positive note Castaway Cay was excellent I
thought with a great lunch, good laying-out-in-the-sun weather and as always, a great staff. My only regret at Castaway
Key was that our stay there wasn't long enough. As for food, no one goes hungry on a cruise as there are options really
any time of the day or night. For shut-ins there is room service which is included in the price you pay to sail - you just have
to tip the waiter. Everyone got two formal ocassions to meet the Captain of the ship, one of which I took advantage of, to
ask those questions you've always been curious about. All in all we were very happy with this trip and thought it a great
way to spend our vacation following three days at Disney World. We're planning on another Disney cruise but think we will
plan it in the summer next time in 2001. The reason for that is we did find the water temperature a little on the cool side at
Castaway Cay. In closing I think Disney has for the most part figured out what people want and enjoy on a cruise even
though they are new to this business. I welcome your comments if I haven't touched upon something of interest to you.

Name: Jeffrey Velez
Email: jeffreyvelez@hotmail.com
Age: 22
Occupation: Information System Specialist
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Magic
SailingDate: 12/28/98 - 1/1/99
Itinerary: Nassau, Bahamas
Cabin: 6622/Deluxe Stateroom With Verandah
FoodDiningRoom: 75
CruiseDirector: 50
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 60
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 40
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 0
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 25
FoodVariety: 75
DeckService: 75
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 75
EntertShowLounge: 100
OverallPortsofCall: 60
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 40
CruiseActivities: 5
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 25
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 5
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 60
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 18 Nov 1999
Time: 15:05:56
Remote Name: 12.62.25.6
Remote User:

Comments

First, I'd like to say that I wish I found this website sooner because I would have given my review much sooner. Also, I'm
glad I found this website because I just booked a cruise with the NCL Norway but after reviewing your website, I decided to
switch to the RCL Enchantment!! Thank you VERY MUCH!!!!!!

How do I begin? I've been on 5 previous cruises: 4 on the Big Red Boats (2 on the Oceanic & 2 on the Atlantic) I've also
been on the NCL Leeward so I think I have some experience on cruises and can give a valid opinion on what I thought
about the Disney Magic. I was very excited to go on this cruise especially welcoming the new year on the Magic, but I also
wanted to keep my expectations low so that I would not allow myself to be disappointed with whatever happened.

And as it turned out, my expectations were still too high!!

I'll start with every moment from the plane landing in Orlando till the moment we got off the ship.

The vacation started out great. We quickly met up with a representative from Disney Cruise Lines (DCL) and we were
brought to a very comfortable bus that brought us over to the Magic. It was a 45 minute bus drive from Orlando, but the
time went by quickly because they put on a movie about the ship and it helped pass the time.

Finally, we arrived at the port and checking in was not too bad, we were given our keys which double as methods of
payment for everything on the ship, and it's really convenient but be careful not to get too comfortable using it because
you do get a bill on the last day!!

I was a little disappointed that when we were walking to get on the ship, there were no photographers taking our picture as
we boarded the ship. Oh well!! Anyway, as I took that first step into the ship, it looked great inside, there was a huge area
with glass elevators and nice lighting, and it looked very fancy!!

Then we went to our room (6622) which was also very nice! It was a nice sized room for 4, it had a queen-sized bed, a
couch which turned into a bed, a pull out bed in the wall, and a TV. It also had a verandah which was great to have!!!

So, things were still going very well at this point!!! So we headed to the buffet on the pool deck. The buffet was pretty
good, but the thing that made the buffet out of this world was the ALL YOU CAN EAT COCKTAIL SHRIMP that they had!!!!
That was very exciting because I was in the mood for shrimp so I just piled it on my plate. But that was really the only good
item on the buffet, there was not a wide variety of desserts, but the shrimp made up for that!!!

Basically, after that, there was not much to do except eat and walk around!! There was an activity later on in which we
were given a tour of the ship, but it was very amusing to listen to this person and she was not very informed about what
she was showing us!!

So, eventually, it was dinner time and our first night was at Leumier's--the fancy dining room!! We had to get all dressed
up which was not a problem because we got all our luggage long before dinner time. The only thing was it was too hot to
wear a suit to dinner, but I still enjoyed it!

The food was very good in this dining room, but there could have been a few more choices for entrees! The service was
terrible!!! We had a French waiter (Chrisoph) and he really made our dining experience an awful one!! I'm sorry, but he
was that bad!!! Every night, we got there on time and every night, we were the last ones to get our orders taken, (I can
understand going last maybe 1 or 2 nights but every night????) He even went so far on the first night to blame the kitchen
for our orders taking so long!!! He was not very friendly, and he never talked to us much except to get our orders! It was
very disappointing to see other waiters and waitresses treating their tables nicely and doing fun things with them and we
got nothing!!!! Well, dinner finally ended late because of his slow, slow service and we didn't have time for dessert if we
wanted to make the show.

Let me just say that the shows that Disney put on were great, the first one was Hercules and it was a very funny show, and
after that show it was close to midnight, and there was no buffet at midnight. Instead, a few of the waiters passed around
trays with food on it that I did not want to touch because I had no idea what it was!!!!!

After that, I went to the Comedy show a little after midnight, and it was an impromptu comedy show and it was hilarious.
Very clean humor too which is always nice!!!!

After that, it was close to 1:00am so I went to bed, the bed was comfortable, but the room had a squeaking noise coming
from somewhere in it which made it a little difficult falling asleep, but other than that, the ship is very quiet!!!!

Day Two was supposed to be at sea, but they switched that till the last day because they were having fireworks at New
Year's so they wanted to be way out at sea for the last day!!

Here is a free bit of advise when going to Nassau, Bahamas--STAY ON THE SHIP AND NEVER GET OFF TO GET TO
NASSAU!!! I've found it very crowded, and I personally don't feel as safe as I would on the ship. We got off the ship and
attempted to go to the Atlantis Resort & Casino, and we took a taxi over there!! I thought we were going to die!! The
person driving I think was blind because she was going around 35 mph and there was a speed bump coming up and it
took her till the last moment to slow down!! She then said she had trouble seeing the speed bump while the rest of us saw
it coming!! Anyway, the Atlantis is beautiful, but if you want to use their beach or anything there, it will cost you $25/person
and that's a bit steep when there's 6 of you!!!!!

Well, finally we got back on the ship, and I decided to go to the customer service and ask them if I could have a bottle of
wine brought to us at dinner for my parents and as I was talking to Wendy, I just knew that she was not going to do this for
me no matter how much I asked!! But of course, she said that it would be taken care of, and guess what--IT WASN'T!!!

For dinner on day 2, we had dinner in the Animator's Palat and it was a pretty nice dining room. The food wasn't that bad,
the variety was ok! I arrived at the dining room first to see if the waiters knew anything about my wine order and they did
not!!! BIG SURPRISE THERE!! Finally, the head waiter immediately came over when he heard that I had a problem, and
he took immediate action! I was very disappointed because it was supposed to be a little surprise for my parents, but it
wasn't, but my parents still acted surprised!!!! The head waiter finally took care of things and not only gave us our bottle
of wine, but he also gave us another FREE bottle of wine for the next evening!! That was a good way to make up for their
mistake and I enjoyed the FREE wine, but was upset about the surprise that didn't happen!!!

At least tonight, we made it to the show on time!! Again, the shows were great and the comedy show after midnight was
hilarious too!!!

Day Three we were supposed to be at Disney's private island, but due to weather problems we couldn't dock there so we
spent the day at sea!! This day was rather uneventful, there are barely any activities planned for anyone over 18 so there
was not much to do!!! I was very disappointed and very bored at the same time. Now, some may say that it is what you
make of it, but I tried to make the most of it and I guess I failed at it!!!! There was barely anything to do on the ship that
was that exciting!! Also, there is no casino on the ship which gives you less to do!! That's probably a good thing because I
would have ended up in there for the whole day and either become a millionaire or bet my whole family on a game of
roulette!! (Just kidding!!)

The third and fourth night, we ate at the Parrot Cay dining room and the food was ok and the service had no signs of
improvement!!! At least we had our free wine to enjoy!!! The shows were good again and the comedy show was still
funny!

Our last day, we went to the private island finally, it was seriously the most beautiful beach I have ever seen!! There was
only one problem, there wasn't much to do!! We rented bikes which was ok, but the cruise directors didn't even schedule
a game of volleyball or anything!! Very disappointed!!

Oh well, this was the first time I was ever ready to get back to Port and get off the ship!!! The cruise was long enough
since there wasn't much to do!!!

A few other notes:

Make sure you keep track of your receipts when you pay for things with your key to the world because I was charged $33
for someone else's wine!! Which I made sure I took care of before leaving!!! But people can easily put someone else's
room number without it being checked!!

If you're looking for lots of activities, choose a different cruise line.

If you're looking for the Disney characters to show up ever, they don't!! I was hoping to see Mickey or someone during all
our meals on the ship, but we didn't see one!!

Also, get a room with a verandah because we got to watch the sunset one night, and it was the most amazing sight to
behold!!!!!!

Don't try ordering bottles of wine through the customer service desks because they do not follow through very well!!!!!

If you have a lousy waiter on the first night, request to be moved because if you don't you'll be stuck with him for the whole
cruise!!!

Thank you for reading this and email me if you have any more questions!!!!!

Name: Raymond Wong
Email: rwongrmc@aol.com
Age: 33
Occupation: VP of Finance
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Magic
SailingDate: November 15, 1999
Itinerary: 4 Nights Bahamas/Castaway Cay
Cabin: #6546/6547
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 70
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 80
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon: 85
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Nov 1999
Time: 02:15:26
Remote Name: 165.newhaven-01-02rs16rt.ct.dial-access.att.net
Remote User:

Comments

My wife and I took this vacation with our children ages 15 months and 2 1/2 years old, and we brought along our nanny
after reading several negative reviews indicating the lack of baby-sitting service on board.

Instead of focusing on the usual aspects of a cruise ship review, we would concentrate our review on some tips to make
your journey enjoyable, and make it a memorable experience based on the humor, insight and kindness of the crew
members and newly acquainted friends we met on the Disney Magic.

Tip#1: Contrary to what most cruise review books recommended, my wife and I decided to book our flight on-line and
arrived at Orlando airport after a 2 hours direct flight from LaGuardia airport, New York. I would encourage people who
knew how to make their travel arrangement to 'book their flight on-line' because we managed to find special deal for $138
round-trip ticket/pp on the internet (compared to $279/pp average you pay using air/sea package.)

Tip#2: We were booked on a return flight leaving Orlando at 11:13am on the date of debarkation. After getting off the
cruise line bus at 9:30 am, we forgot a hand-carrying bag with my son's medicine inside. We noticed the missing bag
around 10:30 am and frentically, I hurried to the Lost-and-Found in the airport (located next to the Disney Store). There I
was told to find a Disney cruise line staff in the airport to help us locate the bag. There were plenty of Disney staffs
available to offer help. I applauded Disney's staffs for retrieving the bag and delivered to the plane 2 minutes before the
plane took off. I've never exprienced customer service as good as Disney's, especially when we made air arrangement
ourselves and Disney's obligation could have ended at the airport terminal.

So here is tip#2: 'If possible, book a flight leaving after noon.' Although it was nice to check in luggages at Port Canaveral
after debarkation, and Disney Cruise Line made an effort to deliver luggages to the airport to catch early flight, leaving the
airport earlier than noon gave Disnet Cruise Line too little time to react to lost luggage, and one of our check-in baggages
did not arrived New York until late that evening (It was nice that our airline delivered the late-arrival baggage to our home
in Stamford, Connecticut the following morning)

Tip#3: Tip your stateroom hostess and dining room waiters a few dollars each the first night you stay regardless of their
service. Whether this kind gesture would improve the overall quality of service depends on your servers, however it would
definitely help building a stronger rapport throughtout the entire trip. Even if you were a good tipper, tipping a lot on the
last night would be too late to establish a memorable friendship with your servers. We are all human and we all work for
money to afford the Disney cruise. You'll definitely work harder for your new boss if he/she pays you a 'signing' bonus
(applicable to most MBAs). Same applies to the crew memebers on board since Disney is paying them very little base
salary and they have family to support back home/dream to fulfill (saving for college).

Tip#4: If you have more than 5 people in your party, it's cheaper to book an inside stateroom and an outside room with
porthole or veranda, than booking a family suite or 1 bedroom suite. With 2 rooms, you have total living space of 364 sq.
ft, paying about same price as a suite and get more space, 21/2bathrooms, etc. Furthermore, if anyone in your party is
prone to seasickness, those people can stay in the inside stateroom as you feel less movement in rooms closer to the
center of the ship. Likewise if plumbing, A/C, etc is malfunctioning in one room, your family has a second room to stay
before crew members fix the problems.

Tip#5: If you have children and prefer buffet breakfast/lunch, dine at Parrot Cay instead of Topsider on the 9th floor. You
get lox & bagel for breakfast and better quality food for lunch at Parrot Cay.

Tip#6: For family bringing along kids under 3, your kids will have more fun playing at the Oceaneer Club under your
supervision (This is allowed if your asked staffs at Oceaneer Club and given a visitors' stickers to stay there. My kids were
having a blast with the slide and movie there.) We would never drop them off at the nursery. The facilities at the Nursery
for infants did not get my wife and my approval, as the nursery seemed to be added as an afterthought and needed
improvement.

Tip#7: Please do not complain about food quality and wine selection on a Disney Cruise. You'll be happier about food and
beverages by not complaining. I'm fortunate enough to have eaten at top notch restaurants around the world such as La
Tante Claire in London, Le Bernadin in NY, Grissini in Hong Kong and Trois Marche in Versaille, France.I've tasted fine
wine such as 1970 Margaux and 1966 Leoville Las Cases. Nevertheless, I found food/wine in general above my
expectation on the Disney Cruise Line. My family enjoyed nice seafood appetizers at Animator's Palate and Parrot Cay,
and delicious Garoupa at Lumiere's and Chocolate Souffle at the Palo's. Our server from Hungary also recommended a
dessert wine from his native country called Tokaji (Must try, $188/bottle, make a few new freinds and share the cost of this
wine to enjoy) and my newly acquainted friends recommended a nice bottle of Merlot ($28/bottle)from Long Island, NY !!
Having a good attitude and learn how to select from a limited menu/wine list would make dining experience very enjoyable.
My family never felt hungry after dinner and there was no need for midnight snacks nor midnight buffet. What one should
enjoy instead is the morning sunrise and lox and bagels at breakfast.

Tip#8: Read lots of reviews of the Disney Cruises before booking the vacation. Expect all the unanticipated
disappointments due to weather, poor service, etc. I have to admit that reading the negative reviews actually made my trip
seemed extremely enjoyable as my family felt fortunate enough to spend time at Castaway Cay, enjoy the Disney Dreams
performance (Having watched Phantoms, Cats, Beauty & the Beast, Titanic, etc on Broadway, one has to enjoy these
shows on the Cruise Line with a different perspective. Afterall, you're not paying $90/ticket to attend these well presented
shows albeit a few scenes showing amateurism), and have the best Maitre'd (Stephan from France), the entertaining
Server (Janos from Hungary - my family wishes him best of luck as we were honored to be served by him on his last cruise
with Disney),hard working assistant server (Rus from Lithuania)and the most pleasant stateroom hostess (Andrea from
Hungary) taking care of our family. Other dining room servers, although only serving us lunch, were also notable such as
Natasha from Croatia, Thierry from France and Mario from the Phillipines. I hope if anyone from Disney Cruise Line ever
read my review, they would consider promoting some of these crew members my family enjoyed their company throughout
this cruise.

Tip#9: Make new acquaintance on the first day of the cruise. Believe me or not, the best place to make new friends is the
laundry room. I was washing my young kids' clothings and met the nicest people whom we shared this special cruise. Cliff
and Terry and their family from NY, Mike and Melissa from Denver (Toronto), and thru them my family met other new
friends and by the end of the trip, the entire group shared the 'magical' happy ending that Pinocchio, Snow White, and
Cinderalla all experienced in their fairy tales.

Tip#10: Kindness, Humor, Wisdom, Insight, Sharing and Friendship were all the quality of life that Walt Disney bestowed to
everyone aboard this 'magical' cruise regardless of adversity or happiness. If only everyone has learnt the lesson from
Walt Disney, the physical appearance of the ship, the quality of food and service and the quality of shore excursions
would all become secondary.

New Friendship and Real Appreciation of this unique experience that only a handful of the most fortunates could enjoy is
what Disney Cruise is all about.

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