Hi Everyone! We just got back from a fantastic cruise aboard the Disney Magic. Now, like most everyone else that takes a Disney cruise, I am hooked! There were a couple things that didn't go exactly as planned, but we still had a great time and can't wait to do another. Unfortunately with the Disney Marathon next year, a trip to Disney next summer with my niece and possibly the Disneyland Half in 2013, I think another cruise will have to wait till 2014. Maybe prices will come down on the Fantasy by then! :lol: So without further delay...on with the trip report! :sohappy:
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Lessons Learned by a First Time Cruiser: Kids, Shuffleboard and Runners Don't Mix!
- Thread starter Kristia
- Start date
Our journey started on Wed, April 18th. For the first time ever, Dan (DH) and I (Kristi) decided to drive to Florida from NJ. We had a couple things that we wanted to do while there and figured it would be more cost effective than flying and renting a car. Before the cruise, we wanted to try to get to Kennedy Space Center and after we wanted to do Seaworld and Universal Studios. This would also be the first time that we would be in FL so close to WDW and not be visiting. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about that when we got down there but I ended up being ok with it.
I took Wed off work so I could rest up and get some things done around the house. Dan had to work till 5 pm. That day went so fast because I felt like I still had so much to get done. Sometimes it feels like more work to go on a vacation than not for me sometimes. I had a few different friends staying at the house to take care of our cats and horses. Our dogs were going to visit with their grandparents (Dan’s parents). There was still some house cleaning to do, instructions to write, dogs to drop off, last minute packing, running to the bank, bills to pay, etc. Seems like no matter how much I try to get done before the day we leave, I can never get it all done till its down to the wire! So much for sleeping in! Got up with Dan at 6 am and only took an hour nap around 2 pm.
Here is the gratuitous shot of our pups before going to Mom-mom and Pop-pop’s house where they will be spoiled to death! This is Ellie and Koda.
Dan got home around 6 pm and we hit the road at 6:30. It was a little later than I wanted to get started but oh well. We were on vacation now!! Yay!! Dan drove the first leg of the trip. We planned to take 3 hour shifts for driving which worked out pretty well.
We entered into Maryland by 8:10 pm and stopped for some dinner at the Maryland House Rest Center at 8:30. I love Roy Rogers and this rest stop has one but I found that at this late hour, the food was far from fresh. Yuck. The burger was dry and old and the fries were undercooked and old. Double yuck! Good thing we had packed lots of snacks for the road! I took over the driving at this point.
We made it into VA by 10:30 and hit no Washington DC traffic so that was nice. If there is one benefit of driving through the night it is no traffic! Unfortunately, the weather was kind of ugly and it was that misty rain that makes driving kind of annoying. It was tough to see and I was definitely ready to hand over the wheel at 11:30! We hit NC at 1 am! Yay! We stopped at the rest area so we could use the restrooms and I took a pic for posterity!
I took Wed off work so I could rest up and get some things done around the house. Dan had to work till 5 pm. That day went so fast because I felt like I still had so much to get done. Sometimes it feels like more work to go on a vacation than not for me sometimes. I had a few different friends staying at the house to take care of our cats and horses. Our dogs were going to visit with their grandparents (Dan’s parents). There was still some house cleaning to do, instructions to write, dogs to drop off, last minute packing, running to the bank, bills to pay, etc. Seems like no matter how much I try to get done before the day we leave, I can never get it all done till its down to the wire! So much for sleeping in! Got up with Dan at 6 am and only took an hour nap around 2 pm.
Here is the gratuitous shot of our pups before going to Mom-mom and Pop-pop’s house where they will be spoiled to death! This is Ellie and Koda.
Dan got home around 6 pm and we hit the road at 6:30. It was a little later than I wanted to get started but oh well. We were on vacation now!! Yay!! Dan drove the first leg of the trip. We planned to take 3 hour shifts for driving which worked out pretty well.
We entered into Maryland by 8:10 pm and stopped for some dinner at the Maryland House Rest Center at 8:30. I love Roy Rogers and this rest stop has one but I found that at this late hour, the food was far from fresh. Yuck. The burger was dry and old and the fries were undercooked and old. Double yuck! Good thing we had packed lots of snacks for the road! I took over the driving at this point.
We made it into VA by 10:30 and hit no Washington DC traffic so that was nice. If there is one benefit of driving through the night it is no traffic! Unfortunately, the weather was kind of ugly and it was that misty rain that makes driving kind of annoying. It was tough to see and I was definitely ready to hand over the wheel at 11:30! We hit NC at 1 am! Yay! We stopped at the rest area so we could use the restrooms and I took a pic for posterity!
Disneyfalcon
Well-Known Member
Yay! A cruise trip report! I can't wait! 
LeCellier.Lover
Well-Known Member
Is it possible to already be hooked to this TR before the big stuff is even up?! Can't wait to read more! 
:sohappy:
:sohappy:
We finally made it into SC at 3:40 am. We were making really good time but we were both getting pretty tired.
I forgot to mention that to keep us awake during the drive I bought The Hunger Games audio book. 9 CDs for a total of 11 hours of story! Both Dan and I wanted to see the movie but wanted to read the book first. We listen to that off and on. Whenever the passenger wanted to take a nap we had to stop it so that one of us wouldn’t miss any of the story.
I think it was about 5 am when I decided we needed to stop for a little rest. We were both exhausted. We pulled into a rest stop somewhere in SC and took an hour nap. We both woke up and felt much better. I drove for another couple hours and we finally stopped in…..
After the rest stop, we decided we could use some breakfast. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for a yummy breakfast!
Around 10 am, the FL Welcome Center appeared! We stopped for some free OJ and changed into some shorts as it was much warmer than it had been when we left Jersey.
Finally around 1 pm we arrived at the Kennedy Space Center. We spent a few hours there.
After Kennedy Space Center, we drove over to our hotel. We stayed at Country Inn and Suites right near the port. I think it was only about a mile from the cruise terminal. Our room was great. Nice and clean with a king size bed. The ceilings must have been 20 ft high! Although the room itself was not huge, those high ceilings made it feel really large. It was a handicap accessible room but we didn’t mind. We were only staying overnight.
After checking in, we wanted some dinner. We found a small restaurant called Zachary’s practically right next to the hotel. The food was really good although we ended up being there a little longer than we wanted. The waitress has lost her key card somewhere in the restaurant and couldn’t access our bill. She had to wait for the owner to come to the restaurant to bypass the system so she could get into it. We were paying cash. Come on! You can’t just total what we had by hand and let us pay?! We were probably in there about 20 min to half an hour just waiting for our bill. At least give us a free dessert or something while we are waiting. We weren’t the only ones getting irritated. Anyway, we were finally allowed to pay our bill and leave. We went back to the hotel and crashed! Finally, time to lay down in a bed and sleep! Tomorrow is the big day! We set sail on the Disney Magic!
I forgot to mention that to keep us awake during the drive I bought The Hunger Games audio book. 9 CDs for a total of 11 hours of story! Both Dan and I wanted to see the movie but wanted to read the book first. We listen to that off and on. Whenever the passenger wanted to take a nap we had to stop it so that one of us wouldn’t miss any of the story.
I think it was about 5 am when I decided we needed to stop for a little rest. We were both exhausted. We pulled into a rest stop somewhere in SC and took an hour nap. We both woke up and felt much better. I drove for another couple hours and we finally stopped in…..
After the rest stop, we decided we could use some breakfast. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for a yummy breakfast!
Around 10 am, the FL Welcome Center appeared! We stopped for some free OJ and changed into some shorts as it was much warmer than it had been when we left Jersey.
Finally around 1 pm we arrived at the Kennedy Space Center. We spent a few hours there.
After Kennedy Space Center, we drove over to our hotel. We stayed at Country Inn and Suites right near the port. I think it was only about a mile from the cruise terminal. Our room was great. Nice and clean with a king size bed. The ceilings must have been 20 ft high! Although the room itself was not huge, those high ceilings made it feel really large. It was a handicap accessible room but we didn’t mind. We were only staying overnight.
After checking in, we wanted some dinner. We found a small restaurant called Zachary’s practically right next to the hotel. The food was really good although we ended up being there a little longer than we wanted. The waitress has lost her key card somewhere in the restaurant and couldn’t access our bill. She had to wait for the owner to come to the restaurant to bypass the system so she could get into it. We were paying cash. Come on! You can’t just total what we had by hand and let us pay?! We were probably in there about 20 min to half an hour just waiting for our bill. At least give us a free dessert or something while we are waiting. We weren’t the only ones getting irritated. Anyway, we were finally allowed to pay our bill and leave. We went back to the hotel and crashed! Finally, time to lay down in a bed and sleep! Tomorrow is the big day! We set sail on the Disney Magic!
Yay! A cruise trip report! I can't wait!
I partially blame you and your trip reports for making me try a cruise! But I also have to thank you because it was great!!!
Is it possible to already be hooked to this TR before the big stuff is even up?! Can't wait to read more!
Glad you are enjoying it! :sohappy:
We were able to sleep in a little because our port arrival time was 11 am! Yay! We got the earliest port arrival time we could! The hotel has a free breakfast that was pretty good although a little crowded. They had eggs, bacon, make-your-own waffle station, muffins, bagels, Danish, cereal, juices, tea, and coffee. It appeared that everyone in that hotel was going on the Disney cruise that day. There were Disney shirts and suitcases everywhere! They only serve breakfast till 9:30 so we just got in before they stopped serving.
Country Inn and Suites has a shuttle that goes from the hotel to the terminal. I think there is a low charge for the service but you can park for free at the hotel. We didn’t use this service because we wanted to be right on our way when we got back into port and didn’t want to wait for a shuttle. We sucked it up and just paid the $90 port parking fee.
We left the hotel about 10:30 and were at the terminal in minutes. The let us right in to park. Before we parked in the garage, we were directed to an area where we could unload our luggage and the porters took it to load on the ship.
There she is!!
We got a spot in the garage grabbed our gazillion carry-ons (ok, maybe that is a slight exaggeration) and made it easily through security. So much easier than an airport! Our carry-ons included my laptop, my camera backpack, my messenger bag and a duffel bag with some other necessities.
Terminal from the parking garage
We filled out the little health questionaire certifying that no one had flu-like symptoms and went to the check in desk. There was no line. We had finished our check-in by 11 am. Yay! When we checked in, the cast member told us they would begin boarding about 11:45. We were boarding group number 5! Me likey :sohappy:
I now had some time to wander around and take some photos.
**Edited -Was just looking at my notes and I thought we boarded at 12:45 but it was really 11:45.
Country Inn and Suites has a shuttle that goes from the hotel to the terminal. I think there is a low charge for the service but you can park for free at the hotel. We didn’t use this service because we wanted to be right on our way when we got back into port and didn’t want to wait for a shuttle. We sucked it up and just paid the $90 port parking fee.
We left the hotel about 10:30 and were at the terminal in minutes. The let us right in to park. Before we parked in the garage, we were directed to an area where we could unload our luggage and the porters took it to load on the ship.
There she is!!
We got a spot in the garage grabbed our gazillion carry-ons (ok, maybe that is a slight exaggeration) and made it easily through security. So much easier than an airport! Our carry-ons included my laptop, my camera backpack, my messenger bag and a duffel bag with some other necessities.
Terminal from the parking garage
We filled out the little health questionaire certifying that no one had flu-like symptoms and went to the check in desk. There was no line. We had finished our check-in by 11 am. Yay! When we checked in, the cast member told us they would begin boarding about 11:45. We were boarding group number 5! Me likey :sohappy:
I now had some time to wander around and take some photos.
**Edited -Was just looking at my notes and I thought we boarded at 12:45 but it was really 11:45.
Experienced cruisers had already begun lining up for the character appearance. Boy that line got long fast! As I was wandering around I happened to catch Mickey coming from the ship! Too bad I had my fisheye lens on and wasn't able to get a great pic!
Can't wait to walk through those ears!
I went outside to observation area.
Can't wait to walk through those ears!
I went outside to observation area.
Some more pics from the observation area
Load her up!
Goofy had replaced Mickey and the line was still forever long! They had just started boarding so we should be getting on in no time!
After they started boarding, they called our number in about 5 minutes. It wasn't long at all!
Unfortunately, once we stepped through those ears it took a little longer to actually get on the ship. They scan your KTTW card and then you wait in lines for your group boarding photo. I think we were waiting in that area for about 15 min. I wish I had a better smile on for this pic! I look a little goofy :ROFLOL:
Load her up!
Goofy had replaced Mickey and the line was still forever long! They had just started boarding so we should be getting on in no time!
After they started boarding, they called our number in about 5 minutes. It wasn't long at all!
Unfortunately, once we stepped through those ears it took a little longer to actually get on the ship. They scan your KTTW card and then you wait in lines for your group boarding photo. I think we were waiting in that area for about 15 min. I wish I had a better smile on for this pic! I look a little goofy :ROFLOL:
:lol::lol::lol:
Disneyfalcon
Well-Known Member
Well then you are welcome!!
:lol:I could feel the excitement while you were waiting! I love that first day!
sweetpee_1993
Well-Known Member
More more more! We'll be on the Magic in just 9 days now! I can't wait to see her!!!!
Hopefully I will be able to do some more this afternoon! Woke up this morning to no water. Went to work for a couple hours and then back home to wait for the well service. Ugh. Welcome home to us!
I guess at least it didn't happen while we were gone when my friends had to take care of the animals.
We went right up to Topsiders to get some lunch before the crowds hit. Seemed like everyone had that idea! I was so excited about being there that I forgot all about taking food pics till I started on my dessert. Oops!
The strawberry soup was to die for!!!
Yay! First day on the Magic!
Dan soaking up some rays at the adult pool.
The strawberry soup was to die for!!!
Yay! First day on the Magic!
Dan soaking up some rays at the adult pool.
Shortly before 1:30, there was an announcement that our staterooms were ready. Yay! We made a beeline to check out our room. We had a Navigator's Verandah room. The navigator's verandah is not a full open verandah. It has a large open porthole with an enclosed deck with a little bench and table. I think there was also a chair also. We didn't get to use the verandah as much as we would have liked but I will elaborate on that later. 
I know other people have commented on this too but I did love the bathroom set up with the shower and sink in one section and a seperate sink and toilet in the other room.
The pictures on the verandah were taken on a different day obviously since we were not out to sea yet.
I know other people have commented on this too but I did love the bathroom set up with the shower and sink in one section and a seperate sink and toilet in the other room.
The pictures on the verandah were taken on a different day obviously since we were not out to sea yet.
Our luggage hadn't arrived yet so we just hung out and relaxed for a little in the room. We then headed up to deck 9 for the Sail Away deck party.
It was very crowded on deck 9, so we went up to deck 10 for a bird's eye view. The weather was starting to look a little threatening and there was thunder and lightning in the distance. The entertainment staff was doing some singing and dancing but the characters hadn't come out yet.
Dan turned to me and I took a quick shot. Doesn't he look like he is having a grand time!
He cracked up when I showed him how horrible he looked! He made me take another.
That's better!
My turn!
It's getting a little dark! Let's get this show on the road!
Here they are! The best part of the show.
It was very crowded on deck 9, so we went up to deck 10 for a bird's eye view. The weather was starting to look a little threatening and there was thunder and lightning in the distance. The entertainment staff was doing some singing and dancing but the characters hadn't come out yet.
Dan turned to me and I took a quick shot. Doesn't he look like he is having a grand time!
He cracked up when I showed him how horrible he looked! He made me take another.
That's better!
My turn!
It's getting a little dark! Let's get this show on the road!
Here they are! The best part of the show.
More from the Sail Away party.
Tada!
I thought this was a neat shot with the lone last Disney cruise bus sitting in the lot.
While the characters they did a countdown to sail away. 5...4...3...2...1 and the ship's horn blew. And then we didn't leave. Boy build me up lol! I think it was another half hour before we actually left.
We went back to the room and our luggage had arrived. We unpacked and got ready for the show. We had a late dinner seating so we had an early show.
Tada!
I thought this was a neat shot with the lone last Disney cruise bus sitting in the lot.
While the characters they did a countdown to sail away. 5...4...3...2...1 and the ship's horn blew. And then we didn't leave. Boy build me up lol! I think it was another half hour before we actually left.
We went back to the room and our luggage had arrived. We unpacked and got ready for the show. We had a late dinner seating so we had an early show.
We noticed out our window that we were beginning to pull away from the terminal. It was starting to rain about that time too.
Here is a pic I took of the theater when we first got onboard. I knew I wouldn't be allowed any pics of the shows, so I didn't bother bringing my camera.
The show tonight was All Aboard! Let the Magic Begin! It was a cute little show. They also had two comedians. Peter Gossamer was a comedic magician and he was pretty good, but the second was Max Winfrey who was awesome! He did physical comedy and was also a juggler. He was hilarious. If he is ever on one of your cruises, go see him! They would be doing shows during the cruise and I definitely wanted to go see him.
After the show, we went back to the room to shower and get ready for dinner. Our first dinner was at Lumieres. I forgot to mention that when we first got on the ship, we went straight to Rockin' Bar D to see if we could get a table for two. We are both people that find the thought of eating with strangers a bit scary. I know we would probably be fine, but we would rather it just be the two of us. They put us down for a table for 2 and said it shouldn't be a problem since we were the late seating. For anyone that wants to eat with their family or partner only, we were able to get a two-top pretty easily especially with the second seating.
When we got to Lumieres, we saw George who took our earlier request and he found us a table. We met our servers for the cruise, Oksana our head server and Mike, our assistant server.
Dinner was SOOOOOOO GOOOOODDDDD! The portion size was good, not huge so I felt like I could try a appetizer, soup, entree and dessert and not feel sick because I was so full.
My food pics aren't the greatest as I had to use the flash but here goes the yummies!
Appetizers-
Me - Bacon Mushroom Tart - I am not crazy about mushrooms but this was awesome.
Dan - Forget the exact name but it was something like Duck Confit which was like a pate. Very good also!
Soups -
Me- French Onion - for me the soup was ok. I have had better.
Dan - A Tomato Basil soup which he said was excellent. Notice we forgot to take a picture before he was half done :lol:
Entrees -
Me - Lobster Macaroni
Dan - Beef tenderloin with potatoes and bacon-wrapped green beans
Both entrees were excellent. For dessert, I had orange bread pudding with toffee sauce and Dan had Lumieres trio which had creme brulee, chocolate mousse and something else. I forgot to take pics of dessert before we demolished them. I know, I know. Believe me, I was kicking myself!
Here is a pic I took of the theater when we first got onboard. I knew I wouldn't be allowed any pics of the shows, so I didn't bother bringing my camera.
The show tonight was All Aboard! Let the Magic Begin! It was a cute little show. They also had two comedians. Peter Gossamer was a comedic magician and he was pretty good, but the second was Max Winfrey who was awesome! He did physical comedy and was also a juggler. He was hilarious. If he is ever on one of your cruises, go see him! They would be doing shows during the cruise and I definitely wanted to go see him.
After the show, we went back to the room to shower and get ready for dinner. Our first dinner was at Lumieres. I forgot to mention that when we first got on the ship, we went straight to Rockin' Bar D to see if we could get a table for two. We are both people that find the thought of eating with strangers a bit scary. I know we would probably be fine, but we would rather it just be the two of us. They put us down for a table for 2 and said it shouldn't be a problem since we were the late seating. For anyone that wants to eat with their family or partner only, we were able to get a two-top pretty easily especially with the second seating.
When we got to Lumieres, we saw George who took our earlier request and he found us a table. We met our servers for the cruise, Oksana our head server and Mike, our assistant server.
Dinner was SOOOOOOO GOOOOODDDDD! The portion size was good, not huge so I felt like I could try a appetizer, soup, entree and dessert and not feel sick because I was so full.
My food pics aren't the greatest as I had to use the flash but here goes the yummies!
Appetizers-
Me - Bacon Mushroom Tart - I am not crazy about mushrooms but this was awesome.
Dan - Forget the exact name but it was something like Duck Confit which was like a pate. Very good also!
Soups -
Me- French Onion - for me the soup was ok. I have had better.
Dan - A Tomato Basil soup which he said was excellent. Notice we forgot to take a picture before he was half done :lol:
Entrees -
Me - Lobster Macaroni
Dan - Beef tenderloin with potatoes and bacon-wrapped green beans
Both entrees were excellent. For dessert, I had orange bread pudding with toffee sauce and Dan had Lumieres trio which had creme brulee, chocolate mousse and something else. I forgot to take pics of dessert before we demolished them. I know, I know. Believe me, I was kicking myself!
Thanks so much for reading! I am not sure I would want to do a non-Disney cruise but I might try it if I find one that goes somewhere Disney doesn't. I have always wanted to try one of the Scandanavian cruises and I haven't seen any Disney cruises going there yet. One can hope!