Trip Report Going for platinum, a Pro9het surf story.

Hello again! I debated a while if this TR would even happen but you see how that turned out. My TRs started having me feel like I was stuck in a strange version of Ground Hog Day. “Oh look there’s a DCL ship”, “Lets welcome the McGillicutty family”, “There’s Palo again”, “Castaway Cay”, and “#tonyfromspain”. All that said, I figured there were enough firsts on this trip to justify another TR. Some of those firsts include a new departure port, new port of call, and #tonyfromspain is on vacation so we have a new entertainment personality. If you need a small glimpse at some back story, here are a few: 20/40 Trip, Surf 'n' Turf 2018, and Bermuda,

So lets get some details out of the way first.
WHO: The cast includes my better half, @imahistorygeek, and myself.

WHAT: Disney Magic 5-night itinerary
WHEN: This trip took place between January 3-9
WHERE: Port of Miami with stops at Grand Cayman and Castaway Cay.
WHY: Why not?

As the title suggests, this was our 10th DCL trip pushing us into their "Platinum Castaway Club". All this really means is we get to book earlier and eat at Palo for free, but hey, free Palo is free Palo! The trip does include another beer exchange and dinner at Palo but also includes a new beverage seminar, new port, and a glimpse of Cuba.

So there are the details. Up next we will leave a cold and rainy Georgia for warm and sunny Florida.

 

[lostpro9het]

Day 2: Embarkation

We had a cozy little veranda too.

 

[Darstarr]

I googled La Fin du Monde. 9%There ya go!!!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Have you had their Trois Pistoles? Its a solid Belgian dark ale.

I haven't not tried that but I would like to. That brand isn't easily found in my area, there are few places that carry it though. I'll keep an eye out for it.

 

[Rista1313]

Day 2: Embarkation

So around 1:45 the announcement was made that staterooms were ready for guests. We fished our drinks, dried off and made our way aft and towards deck 6. Our room was just two doors away from our room in October. This area of the ship receives almost no foot traffic and stays very quite. When we made it to 6150 we noticed DVC has updated their door magnets. This one was pretty unique as it was actually nine different magnets in one.
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The room was perfect.
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How many of these do you have now? Do you give them away as presents?

 

[MinnieM123]

We had a cozy little veranda too.

Never been on a cruise, but I love having an outdoor porch (or veranda, as the case may be here). They're just an awesome extension of a regular guest room. I especially like them in the early morning, or any time in the evening when the sun has gone down.

 

[lostpro9het]

I googled La Fin du Monde. 9%There ya go!!!

Go big or go home! La Fin is a great balance of ABV and flavor. It drinks like a 6% and will knock you on your butt if you're not careful.

I haven't not tried that but I would like to. That brand isn't easily found in my area, there are few places that carry it though. I'll keep an eye out for it.

We've got a few package stores down here that carry about a half dozen of their beers. Thankfully La fin and Pistoles are two of them.

How many of these do you have now? Do you give them away as presents?

We have more than we know what to do with. We've talked about giving them away.

Never been on a cruise, but I love having an outdoor porch (or veranda, as the case may be here). They're just an awesome extension of a regular guest room. I especially like them in the early morning, or any time in the evening when the sun has gone down.

Dawn and dusk are great times. The colors really comes out and it seems so calm out.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Sean, Can you really call that a veranda? We've all seen your verandas. Frankly, I'm disappointed.

 

[imahistorygeek]

A note on our stateroom:

I guess I just missed it the last time we were on the Magic and definitely don't remember it on the Wonder, but both split bath doors opened in instead of out. I believe they open out on the Dream and Fantasy. The doors opening in create very tight space in the split bathrooms.

 

[lostpro9het]

Day 2: Embarkation

After checking out the our room I grabbed my beer exchange contribution and we headed forward to explore the adult district, After Hours. Along the way we passed some wall art we missed before.

After Hours is made up of three different venues; Keys, Fathoms, and O'Gills Pub. They are all connected by one hallway.

 

[lostpro9het]

Day 2: Embarkation

Here's a little walk through of O'Gills.

 

[amjt660]

Quick question from a land lover

the state room size and level
How does it compare to wdw or Dlr rooms?

ie size of all star but appointed like wilderness lodge?

Max

 

[lostpro9het]

Quick question from a land lover

the state room size and level
How does it compare to wdw or Dlr rooms?

ie size of all star but appointed like wilderness lodge?

Max

This room approx: 223 sq ft
Veranda adds approx: 45 sq ft

The internets state that an All Star room is approx: 260 sq ft.

 

[amjt660]

This room approx: 223 sq ft
Veranda adds approx: 45 sq ft

The internets state that an All Star room is approx: 260 sq ft.

Ok - makes sense
What about level?
Sim to moderate or deluxe at wdw?

Max

 

[imahistorygeek]

Ok - makes sense
What about level?
Sim to moderate or deluxe at wdw?

Max

That's a tough question. Room size value, but I'd say everything else (i.e. bedding, mattress, toiletries, things to do around the ship) is deluxe. However, if you get a 1-bedroom suite or above, it's better than deluxe resorts.

 

[krisri18]

Don't forget to look west! Some nice looking itineraries out of Vancouver and San Diego. We're testing out the Vancouver waters in September with visit to DLR.

Warm, sunny, and don't forget The Beer!


You've seen some of said ride on Untappd ;-)

You may be surprised to hear that The Magic is now in a dead heat for my favorite ship with The Fantasy. I was teetering during the Bermuda trip but this trip elevated it.

Thanks! Always leery about post too much "non-Disney" content in a TR but this hotel was really nice. IMO, I didn't really notice the planes but I'm also a pretty heavy sleeper.


You cant go wrong, you'll be so happy regardless of direction or ship! Do you have an itinerary in mind?

Very much looking forward to hearing about the Vancouver cruise! P wants to do a cruise for our honeymoon and I insisted it needed to be on DCL, the Vancouver itinerary is one we are considering!

 

[LadyBelle]

I'm curious about boarding groups/time. I understand that Concierge, Platinum, etc get priority boarding, but does the time you arrive impact your boarding group? Or are you pre-assigned?

 

[imahistorygeek]

I'm curious about boarding groups/time. I understand that Concierge, Platinum, etc get priority boarding, but does the time you arrive impact your boarding group? Or are you pre-assigned?

I'm not sure if the time you arrive to port affects your boarding time. When you check-in online, you'll be able to select port arrival time. We've always selected the earliest we can, but have received several different boarding groups which are not pre-assigned before you get to port. The times we've used Disney transportation, we arrived later and I think were able to pretty much walk or close to it.

 

[lostpro9het]

Day 2: Embarkation

After leaving O'Gills it was coming close to Beer Exchange time so I popped into Fathoms to take some pics and set up. Fathoms is the location of where most all the evening entertainment for adults takes place. Its fairly large and has plenty of cush seating. The ceiling and walls were designed to give the impression of being under water.

Leading up to the exchange I had a moment of panic. About 10 minutes before the exchange a CM walked in with a large tour group and sat them all down and began talking about the After Hours district. I checked my watch about twenty times fearing we were about to have a beer exchange in front of a large tour group. Thankfully a few minutes before time the CM wished the group a happy cruise and released them. With that, I made use of a table that was out on the dance floor and set up my beers while folks trickled in for the exchange. At about five minutes after time we started pulling. I neglected to get a pic of the table before the start, this is a few rounds into the draft.

The variety was excellent with craft beers from as far as California. Another cool first for this exchange were the CMs. A bartender from O'Gills and one from Fathoms came over to investigate what was going on. They were actually very excited about all the different beers and started picking them up and asking questions about the brews. They said they wish they were playing along. A couple days later I'd bump into one of the CMs to continue the discussion. As always, the draft goes by fast and roughly ten minutes later all beers were picked. I was very pleased with my draft:

My draft included:
Battle Born Lager by Battle Born Beer Company out of Reno Nevada
La Colada Coffee Porter by Biscayne Bay Brewing out of Doral Florida
Chocolate Coconut Blonde by Dry Dock Brewing Company out of Aurora Colorado
Sad Panda Coffee Stout by Horse & Dragon Brewing Company out of Fort Collins Colorado
Truth IPA by Rhinegeist Brewer out of Cincinnati Ohio
Cowcatcher Milk Stout by Smartmouth Brewing Company out of Norfolk Virginia.

 

[Katiekitten]

I’m late but I am here!!

 

[MickeyCB]

Just the different cans and bottles are really cool!