This was our 1st Disney cruise and the staff of the Disney Magic just made it all spectacular. This itinerary is port intensive but still enjoyable. The app is very good and the only suggestion would be for it to allow you to add extra bookings. The food quality is very good and provided a lot of variety. We booked a Placeholder before we left. We will definitely return and even with the +- 2,386 guests it never felt crowded.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation in Barcelona. Easy access to staff to finalize paperwork. A lot of seating was available and it was easy to see the group number that was being allowed to embark as at least 2 people was walking around showing the boarding group number. Mickey Mouse greeted us ad it allowed for the 1st photo opportunity. The welcome and announcement on board was very nice and a bit overwhelming for 1st timers.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We started off in Animator's Palate, then Carioca's and ended in Lumiere's. Te process was started again in Animators with our final night ending in Animator's with the show. Wide variety of food available to cater for most guests. We usually ordered at least 2 different desserts! The buffet in Cabanas was again made up of a wide variety for breakfast and lunch. We did not eat dinner at Cabanas as we made the most of the main dining restaurants. Overall the food quality was excellent and the servers tried to make each service the best possible. Recommendations by servers were made if requested. Portion sizes usually sufficient. If not, then a 2nd portion or different item was ordered. Desert menu allowed for several tastes. The kids menu was sometimes a bit 'boring', but limited replacements was allowed to cater for my kid's taste. We did not attend Palo and thus can't supply any feedback.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The pools were great to cool down and the slides were used to their full benefit during our stay on board. Watched a few snippets of movies when enjoying a quick bite around the pool. Did not attempt Deck 4 running and only went to see where the gim was located (clothes stayed in the suitcase ...) There was always something to do. Character meet and greets, character breakfast and princess meet and greets is plenty. This added to the enjoyment of the cruise. Using the app to communicate and co-ordinate helped getting us in time to all the planned activities with a reminder of 15 min before the start. Of course you have to shop in Mainsail. Be prepared to kiss some Dollars goodbye.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The Disney stage shows are truly a must and we attended all of them. Due to certain constrains we did not attend all the variety acts. The musicians was very entertaining and variety of music was enjoyed. They performed in the Lobby and Promenade Lounge. My daughter enjoyed dancing and the musicians was very supportive of all the kids dancing.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
My daughter enjoyed the Oceaneer Lab & Club, although she never stayed longer than 30 minutes at a time. She enjoyed when the characters joined them and especially the crazy scientist. The open houses were sometimes attended and she was always proud to show us her art work or experiment. The CM's was always helpful and friendly and locating her when it was time was easy with the band. They do have food available but do not force the kids to eat. We choose to collect her for lunch etc to make sure she ate.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We were attended by a head and assistant server. The head server made it very enjoyable and even did some magic tricks ... The assistant was just OK, but nothing special. I nearly asked the room steward to get in my suitcase to take him home. Each day the room was cleaned (I think he attended to the room each time we left it ...) and at night we received an animal on our bed, while he used my daughter's soft toys and arranged them differently each day. On the other cast members. All I can say is WOW! The friendliness, helpfulness and of course their memory is astounding. We experienced at least 2 CM's that made our day, by interacting with my daughter each time they saw her and we even received some Pixie Dust as they were impressed with her dancing ... On Pirate night, we 'lost' our daughter for a moment during the dance party. Immediately she was brought to us by a CM. Everybody greeted you every time and addressed my daughter as 'princess' and enquired how her day was and complemented her on her different princess dresses. The characters enjoyed interacting with a soft toy she brought to each signing. Dale even slept on the Stitch pillow ...My daughter scared Captain Hook during her first contact with him and when he saw her a few days later hid behind the CM when he saw her. Was very funny and she enjoyed mimicking the tick tock croc when Hook was in the area.
Shutters can get pretty busy at the end of the trip. The staff was still helpful
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
It took a day or so to find all the places that we needed to go to, but sometimes still got a bit 'lost' ... But it was overall easy to get to any place on the ship. There is a lot of signs to direct you. The public areas was always clean, but sometimes it took some time to clean the plates etc around the pool area. The public bathrooms was well maintained and always clean. There was always someone sweeping the decks or vacuuming the carpets. When a guest dropped her glass of red wine it took a few moments for a cleaning crew to clean up the mess and replace her glass. Loved the movie theater with the sound and good screen quality.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was always clean, dustbins cleared. All surfaces was wiped cleaned on a daily if not hourly basis. The room steward really impressed us. It was sufficient for the 3 of us. Space under the bed made it easy to stash the suitcases. There was enough hangers available for the princess dresses and our formal wear. The port window was great as it lit up the room and made it look roomier. The split bathroom is great and helped when we were pressed for time and all 3 had to get ready at the same time. The fridge was able to hold at least 8-10 bottles of water.
Ship tip
Download the App. I was easier to track the activities, character times etc. It even showed the menu's for the rest of the week. So it was possible to inform our server to have a different pizza available the next night. Dress up for Pirate and Formal night and definitely pre-purchase the photo package. And lastly remember the Placeholder for the next trip
We stayed 2 days in Barcelona before the trip and did our own excursions. Get ready to walk a lot ... If you are on your own get a pass to access the metro and buses. This was a life saver as a 5 year old can only do so much walking. It is a wonderful place to experience art and design. Many areas to visit and do take some time to see a Flamenco show. I think at least 4 days is necessary to be able to see all. We did it in 2 days, but were pushing the threshold of tiredness.
Our Disney excursion was cancelled due to weather so we decided not to take another excursion and made it a day on the ship. This allowed for more time with characters and some pool time.
It is a very busy port day. The bus ride took +- 1 hour and included a lot of walking through crowded streets. I think that you need at least 3 days to fully enjoy Rome. The Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum were visited during our trip. Very early start to get breakfast and be ready at 7:30 to disembark. Tour guide was informative. During the trip we had about 2 hours free time and used this to visit the Spanish Steps. Just be prepared for a lot of tourists everywhere and getting lost as the map provided did not feature all the street names .. Be very careful of pick pockets in all the cities.
We did a private tour to Pisa, but spend the majority of the day in beautiful Florence. The tour guide was such a treat and showed great passion for her city. Hit the tower 1st to avoid the tourist and to get a nice pic of you holding the tower. With the free time we had in Florence we spend time on a Carousel and of course the Disney shop ...
We had 2nd seating and the process was easy, even for us 1st timers. The bags were waiting for us, but it took some time to get a taxi. If you have an early flight consider express walk off. A lot of High fours by CM's till we left the building.
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