I was very interested to see how this cruise line compares to Carnival. I knew that we could carry on as much alcohol as we wanted, so for the first cruise yet, the rum rummers remained neatly tucked into the "cruise box." I had also heard that the food is amazing, and that the private island is beautiful. I love Coco Cay (RC's island) and Half Moon Cay (Carnival's island), so I was really looking forward to experiencing Castaway Cay.
I couldn't help compare this ship to Royal and Carnival's 3-day cruise ships so I'm breaking my usual format to throw in some comparison tidbits.
Parking
We parked at the garage at port, which is different for us. There were a couple of check points before even getting to the luggage and passenger drop-off point. Drop off was easy, but it did take a while to get parked and walk back to the terminal. The walk back to the car after the cruise was pretty nice though. No shuttling back to the parking lot. We split the parking fee with another couple, but if it had just been me and the hubs, we'd have used Park Port Canaveral as usual.
The Ship
The Room
We had Ocean View Deluxe stateroom 6506. I was shocked at how big this room is. I'm not used to having that much space. From the looks of it, the couch pulls out into a bed, and there is a pullman over that. Also liked the divided bathroom, but each side was pretty darn tight. Good size mini fridge, and I really liked that I could flip through channels and watch Disney movies - some new, some old.
Each room comes with a couple of portable "wave phones," which make keeping in touch on-board and on Castaway Cay really easy, and you can text on them. Wish all cruise lines did this because walkie-talkies just don't do an adequate enough job.
The Food
The Disney Magic's food was really hit or miss. Here's my two cents:
Entertainment
The broadway-style shows are well-scripted and choreographed. They definitely have a step-up on Carnival and Royal.
One night we went to the movie theatre for a late showing of "Captain America - The Winter Soldier" in 3D. Comfortable theatre, free, and great to see a first-release movie in the middle of the ocean. We really enjoyed this option.
Public Space
The pools are small. We enjoyed the adult-only deck and pool area. Really comfortable, and clean towels are easy to come by. No need to sign out a clean towel with the towel nazis.
O'Gill's Pub became the unofficial meet-up spot for our group. During the day, it's very quiet and clean with lots of seating for a big group.
Cabana's (buffet area) is REALLY small. In the morning at Nassau, children and families were shoulder-to-shoulder. It was really hard to move around efficiently.
Castaway Cay
I like the umbrellas available on the beach. It was much more family-friendly than CocoCay and Half Moon Cay. Sand is a little rough with sea shells, and the snorkeling from the beach area isn't that great. We saw some fairly large fish, but the coral is non-existent. It's a heck of a swim, so do not attempt to snorkel out to the breaking wall unless you have fins and are a strong swimmer. I understand now why they have a few lifeguard stands in the water. We are both really strong swimmers and experienced snorkelers, but the swim back was exhausting.
The buffet lunch was really yummy!
We checked out the Serenity Bay adult-only area and found a little starfish. It was a little too quiet for us so we headed back to join up with our group after only about 30 minutes.
Overall Assessment
We will not be giving up Carnival as our go-to cruise line, but it sure was nice to experience some Disney hospitality and spend a terrific (though short) weekend with some really fun friends. We would definitely sail with Disney again.
I couldn't help compare this ship to Royal and Carnival's 3-day cruise ships so I'm breaking my usual format to throw in some comparison tidbits.
Parking
We parked at the garage at port, which is different for us. There were a couple of check points before even getting to the luggage and passenger drop-off point. Drop off was easy, but it did take a while to get parked and walk back to the terminal. The walk back to the car after the cruise was pretty nice though. No shuttling back to the parking lot. We split the parking fee with another couple, but if it had just been me and the hubs, we'd have used Park Port Canaveral as usual.
The Ship
The Room
We had Ocean View Deluxe stateroom 6506. I was shocked at how big this room is. I'm not used to having that much space. From the looks of it, the couch pulls out into a bed, and there is a pullman over that. Also liked the divided bathroom, but each side was pretty darn tight. Good size mini fridge, and I really liked that I could flip through channels and watch Disney movies - some new, some old.
Each room comes with a couple of portable "wave phones," which make keeping in touch on-board and on Castaway Cay really easy, and you can text on them. Wish all cruise lines did this because walkie-talkies just don't do an adequate enough job.
The Food
The Disney Magic's food was really hit or miss. Here's my two cents:
- Breakfast: Mediocre. Both the buffet and sitdown options are just OK. I like Carnival's breakfasts much better.
- Lunch: Really good. We only ate at the buffet. The food selection for lunch was really impressive. On embarkation day, I was really surprised to see lamb, shrimp, and crab claws. I definitely enjoyed all of the food we had for lunches.
- Dinner: Depends. Carioca's - didn't like it much. Animator's Palate - better than Carioca's. I like Carnival's food better overall, although Disney's dinner menus did have a few tasty options here and there. The dining room staff did a great job with our large group of 10 adults and 3 little ones.
- Specialty Dining: Palo - blew Carnival's steak house and Cucina and some the nicer restaurants in our area out of the water. Absolutely terrific, and the server's knowledge, charisma, and attentiveness were amazing!
- It was wonderful not having to take sodas on board with us. The Coke machines on board and on Castaway Cay were all in great working order and very convenient.
- The Pirates party buffet had some nice selections. I was astounded when I walked to the rear of the buffet in Cabana's and found freshly made crepes. I was really full from dinner, but that didn't stop me from indulging in my favorite food.
Entertainment
The broadway-style shows are well-scripted and choreographed. They definitely have a step-up on Carnival and Royal.
One night we went to the movie theatre for a late showing of "Captain America - The Winter Soldier" in 3D. Comfortable theatre, free, and great to see a first-release movie in the middle of the ocean. We really enjoyed this option.
Public Space
The pools are small. We enjoyed the adult-only deck and pool area. Really comfortable, and clean towels are easy to come by. No need to sign out a clean towel with the towel nazis.
O'Gill's Pub became the unofficial meet-up spot for our group. During the day, it's very quiet and clean with lots of seating for a big group.
Cabana's (buffet area) is REALLY small. In the morning at Nassau, children and families were shoulder-to-shoulder. It was really hard to move around efficiently.
Castaway Cay
I like the umbrellas available on the beach. It was much more family-friendly than CocoCay and Half Moon Cay. Sand is a little rough with sea shells, and the snorkeling from the beach area isn't that great. We saw some fairly large fish, but the coral is non-existent. It's a heck of a swim, so do not attempt to snorkel out to the breaking wall unless you have fins and are a strong swimmer. I understand now why they have a few lifeguard stands in the water. We are both really strong swimmers and experienced snorkelers, but the swim back was exhausting.
The buffet lunch was really yummy!
We checked out the Serenity Bay adult-only area and found a little starfish. It was a little too quiet for us so we headed back to join up with our group after only about 30 minutes.
Overall Assessment
We will not be giving up Carnival as our go-to cruise line, but it sure was nice to experience some Disney hospitality and spend a terrific (though short) weekend with some really fun friends. We would definitely sail with Disney again.
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