Just back from Magic, random news update

[71jason]

Got a great deal on the final (for a while) Miami sailing of the Magic. As always, top notch service, lucked out with the nicest weather in weeks on Castaway Cay. Some minor news updates, new policies implemented, so I was told, in the past week or two:

• No more formal nights on cruises less than 7+ nights. Ditto Captains Party, which is sad, because this cruise made me gold! Pack (or don't pack) accordingly.
• Pirates Party/fireworks are now held between dinner seatings, not after, with fireworks around 8:05. Was told this was due to complaints of guests with children who didn't want to stay up so late.
• Tastings are now not charged until you attend. Good in that you can tip the bartender who hosts. Bad in that a LOT of people no-show. My tequila tasting had 15 reserved spots, 6 actually show. I will say the pre-mixed margaritas did not go to waste.

Also, guess this has been the case for months, but Cabanas no longer a buffet at dinner. Went on Pirate Night, was table service with same menu as the other restaurants.

 

[KCL]

Good to know.

 

[MarkTwain]

Ugh, disappointing news all around. We always love the formal nights, but we have noticed that on shorter cruises they seem to go largely unacknowledged.

And having the pirate party end at 8pm sort of takes away that "dance into the night" feeling for those of us who eat at 8:30… But obviously Disney's a little more concerned about the children these days.

 

[jaklgreen]

I don't think it was necessary to change the fireworks time. I remember taking my oldest on her first Disney cruise at 4 years old. I think everyone stays up longer on the cruise and we never had any issues with that, we just slept in a bit. Or if the kids are really tiny then just skip some stuff. After all, you cant expect to do everything with young kids. I think that is one thing many of the younger generation of parents do not seem to understand, you cant do everything with little kids and will need to sacrifice some things. The whole planet should not revolve around you child. Very young children make up a small percentage of cruisers, it is silly to change for a small percentage. I never would have dreamed of thinking, let alone complaining about them changing a time of one of their activities to suit my schedule. That's ridiculous.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Cruises less than 7 nights always had dress-up optional but not true formal. Our first real formal night we did the gown/tuxes......and were like 1 of 3 families dressed truly formal. Never again. LOL!

Cabanas dinner has always been a relaxed table-service affair. They train servers in this venue. The menu is typically a combination of things being served in the main dining rooms. It's a nice option for a low-key not-MDR production dinner. Cabanas dinner is never available on the first or last night so for the 3-night itineraries you only get 1 shot at it. Personally, I prefer the full buffet for dinner option if I'm not going for a full table service dinner. I would love to see Disney give it a shot.

The fireworks. That's interesting! I wonder if they'll do the pirate buffet later still. I like to go get a light snack and people-watch the feeding frenzy of folks who seem like they've had no food all day. LOL!

 

[jaklgreen]

Cruises less than 7 nights always had dress-up optional but not true formal. Our first real formal night we did the gown/tuxes......and were like 1 of 3 families dressed truly formal. Never again. LOL!

Cabanas dinner has always been a relaxed table-service affair. They train servers in this venue. The menu is typically a combination of things being served in the main dining rooms. It's a nice option for a low-key not-MDR production dinner. Cabanas dinner is never available on the first or last night so for the 3-night itineraries you only get 1 shot at it. Personally, I prefer the full buffet for dinner option if I'm not going for a full table service dinner. I would love to see Disney give it a shot.

The fireworks. That's interesting! I wonder if they'll do the pirate buffet later still. I like to go get a light snack and people-watch the feeding frenzy of folks who seem like they've had no food all day. LOL!

If they had crepes at breakfast or lunch at Cabanas then I don't think there would be so many rush to the pirates night buffet. The crepes is what we go for.

 

[EOD K9]

If they had crepes at breakfast or lunch at Cabanas then I don't think there would be so many rush to the pirates night buffet. The crepes is what we go for.

Were they still running Star Wars aboard the ship?

 

[DAKOTADISNEY]

Just got off the Magic last thursday and Star Wars was still running. Pirate party was at 7:30pm with fireworks starting at 8:05. The buffet was at 10:15pm. This was my 3rd cruise but first pirate buffet. We had to go for the turkey legs and crepes but really didn't need that much food at that time of the day so just sampled them. Couldn't believe the plates that were piled high with food!

 

[EOD K9]

Awesome news. Thanks @DAKOTADISNEY I realize you can eat what you want, and I do like my sweets and love to eat...however.... On my last cruise I saw a woman and her tenish old daughter with half a pizza on their plate, two HUGE, piles of mac and cheese, and other stuff. I mean wow, my stomach hurt just looking at it.

 

[DAKOTADISNEY]

I loved Tangled on the Magic! The vocals and the sets were awesome. We really enjoyed all of the stage productions but the one that was most impressive was "Dreams" on the last night of our cruise. Gave me goosebumps!

 

[No Name]

Ugh, disappointing news all around. We always love the formal nights, but we have noticed that on shorter cruises they seem to go largely unacknowledged.

And having the pirate party end at 8pm sort of takes away that "dance into the night" feeling for those of us who eat at 8:30… But obviously Disney's a little more concerned about the children these days.

I'm happy with all sorts of formal nights going away on shorter cruises. It's very uncomfortable and unenjoyable for children and they shouldn't feel that way on any night, especially not on a shorter cruise.

I'm happy with pirate nights being moved earlier. That way, the whole family can enjoy it. Really, you want a "dance into the night" feeling? You are on the wrong ship, my friend.

I understand your opinions but Disney does not cater to adults. They certainly don't cater to adult party trends and such. They cater to families. That's why DCL is so successful. There are things for adults to do and the cruise is designed for groups of all ages, but children are a big importance. Most adults are happy if their children are happy, so yes, Disney should be "a little more concerned with children these days."

 

[Phonedave]

I'm happy with all sorts of formal nights going away on shorter cruises. It's very uncomfortable and unenjoyable for children and they shouldn't feel that way on any night, especially not on a shorter cruise.

I, on the other hand, think it is great for kids. Why should formal wear be uncomfortable - it's not? Because parents complain, children pick up on it, and then you find them squirming and pulling at shirt collars. Get kids used to dressing up, and then they will be used to it later in life.

Note that my comment about formal wear not being uncomfortable does not apply to womens shoes. Not that I wear them, but I have been told many times that they are indeed uncomfortable. Mens clothes on the other hand, formal wear is not the least bit incomfortable.

 

[jaklgreen]

I, on the other hand, think it is great for kids. Why should formal wear be uncomfortable - it's not? Because parents complain, children pick up on it, and then you find them squirming and pulling at shirt collars. Get kids used to dressing up, and then they will be used to it later in life.

Note that my comment about formal wear not being uncomfortable does not apply to womens shoes. Not that I wear them, but I have been told many times that they are indeed uncomfortable. Mens clothes on the other hand, formal wear is not the least bit incomfortable.

Another issue, at least for us, is that we are 3 girls going on the cruise and all of that extra formal clothes, shoes and everything that goes with dressing up takes up so much more space in the suitcase. I don't want to have to pack another bag just for a couple of hours of formal night. Talking about heals, DCL shines their floors to perfection. On a couple of occasions I have slid a bit wearing heals on their perfect floors. It is especially scary on the Dream and Fantasy in the hallway by Animator's Palate that is on an incline.

 

[ChuckElias]

I'm happy with all sorts of formal nights going away on shorter cruises. It's very uncomfortable and unenjoyable for children and they shouldn't feel that way on any night, especially not on a shorter cruise.

I, on the other hand, think it is great for kids. Why should formal wear be uncomfortable - it's not? Because parents complain, children pick up on it, and then you find them squirming and pulling at shirt collars. Get kids used to dressing up, and then they will be used to it later in life.

I agree with Dave. What I was going to say is that it probably depends more on the kid than the clothes. My daughter ALWAYS liked dress-up nights on the cruise. She's been sailing DCL since she was 6 and we have always dressed up for Formal Night. And she loves it. She's 20 now and, as you can imagine, she doesn't dress up too much in her regular college life. But get her on a cruise and she LOVES getting dressed for Palo and Formal Night.

I really don't buy the argument about not having room to pack "all the extra clothes". It's one extra outfit, and shoes. I pack a full tux with black dress shoes. It's not that big a deal, unless you're hoping to get by with a carry-on sized bag for your whole cruise.

It comes down to "To each, his own". And I'm fine with that. If somebody doesn't like dressing up, I have no problem with that. Especially since DCL never enforces the dress code. So just say it's not your thing and go to dinner. But most of the complaints about it are not really a big deal, IMHO.

 

[NelleBelle]

My only concern with the change in schedule for pirate night. we have had/and like 2nd seating. Our kids are older and we like the eating at a later time. Now with the fire works happening right in-between dinner seatings, we will end up having to go to our dinner show already dressed. We always used that time between dinner seatings to get ready or miss out on the festivities. So, not really excited about that new change

 

[Nubs70]

I just did a 4 day on the Wonder.

My thought on the dress up dinners. Either you have them or not, no optional. My family goes through the effort to dress up and we are seated next to a table of 10 in jorts and baseball hats.

They also think it is cute to chant the name of their waiter. Real nice after a half a dozen other tables get into the trend.

What is the deal with birthday desserts? A bunch of waitstaff surround the table and do the sing and clap thing. I am having dinner on a Disney cruise not TGI Friday's. A nice dessert professionally delivered with a note as momento should suffice.

 

[EOD K9]

I think the dress code should be enforced. When the wife and I dine at Palo, I wear a suit and she a nice dinner dress. When we are at the MDRs, I usually just wear slacks, shoes, and a polo. While that is dressed down compared to formal night, I'd rather see people in there dressed like that than jeans and baseball hats. There needs to be a little decorum when dining.

 

[Sans Souci]

I think the dress code should be enforced. When the wife and I dine at Palo, I wear a suit and she a nice dinner dress. When we are at the MDRs, I usually just wear slacks, shoes, and a polo. While that is dressed down compared to formal night, I'd rather see people in there dressed like that than jeans and baseball hats. There needs to be a little decorum when dining.

We did a 7 night Med cruise in September and I was surprised at how casual other passengers were. My husband brought his dinner jacket and we rented one for my growing-like-a-weed son. I could count on one hand the number of men similarly dressed for Formal Night. I guess I was expecting "dressier" passengers since it left from a European port. But for dinner one night in the MDE, I saw someone wearing running shorts and Nikes, looking like she'd just jumped off a treadmill. I think that's pushing it.

 

[EOD K9]

We did a 7 night Med cruise in September and I was surprised at how casual other passengers were. My husband brought his dinner jacket and we rented one for my growing-like-a-weed son. I could count on one hand the number of men similarly dressed for Formal Night. I guess I was expecting "dressier" passengers since it left from a European port. But for dinner one night in the MDE, I saw someone wearing running shorts and Nikes, looking like she'd just jumped off a treadmill. I think that's pushing it.

Without a doubt!! I don't think a polo and slacks are too much to ask. I realize that some people don't have a lot of fancy clothes ( don't anyone give me the ,"if you can afford this cruise..." argument) but there should be an attempt made to look presentable.

 

[Phonedave]

I really don't buy the argument about not having room to pack "all the extra clothes". It's one extra outfit, and shoes. I pack a full tux with black dress shoes. It's not that big a deal, unless you're hoping to get by with a carry-on sized bag for your whole cruise.
.

I will say, I think men have it easier. While I have never packed my tux on a Disney cruise, I do pack a suit, and I have packed my tux on other cruise lines. My jacket and dress shoes take up a lot less space than when my wife packs heels and a dress. Still, though, it is not all that much extra. You just have to pack smart so you can mix and match outfits for the formal night(s). I think on the last cruise we did (not DCL) i packed a tux and a seperate sport coat and slacks (wore the same black shoes with each - I don't wear patent leather with a tux - thats just how I roll ).

-dave