Disney Magic (March 2022)

We did a 5 night cruise on the Disney Magic and it was a fantastic experience for our 6 year old daughter. Our itinerary consisted of a day at Castaway Cay (Disney’s own island) and a stop at Cozumel, Mexico. There were sea days to go to Cozumel and back, so those were spent relaxing on the boat. While the ship is the oldest/smallest of the Disney Cruise Line, it was a great introduction to cruising.

Summary

While we can’t compare among cruise lines/ships, we could see ourselves doing another Disney Cruise. The adults might find better food/activities at a fancy tropical resort, however it’s hard to beat the entertainment and attention to detail towards small children. The closest thing we can compare is a nice all-inclusive resort in Mexico, which might be the better choice for adults, especially considering drinks and adventuring outside the resort. That being said, when your daughter says, “best vacation ever”, it’s hard to argue with that.

Highlights

• Great Broadway level shows for 2 nights in the main theater. The other nights had juggling/comedian, song and dance, and a recent Disney movie. These were the highlights of the evening and what makes Disney a bit more unique from other cruises.
• Service was top notch, including both the waiters and cabin attendants who did all they could to make our experience wonderful.
• Plenty of activities for our daughter, great kids club and fun character encounters. She dressed up as Elsa at the Bippity Boppity Boutique, which is a unique experience for her to be pampered during her princess make over.
• Kids like ice cream, there is lots of ice cream.

Covid Restrictions

• We had to take a PCR test before boarding and provide proof of vaccination.
• Vaccines and booster shots required for all eligible guests/crews. We felt safer with this requirement and wouldn’t otherwise go.
• Masks required in the theaters only and no food/drinks during the shows.
• Some limits to the number of people in the pools.
• I would guess that ship capacity was about 75% for passengers, which actually resulted in fewer lines and crowds.

Tips for next time

• Main dining actually serves better food, so take advantage of this for breakfast and lunch. The buffet selection felt repetitive and a bit lackluster in comparison, it felt just average while the food quality in the main dining was a step up. However, for foodies I wouldn’t expect too much in general.
• We didn’t get to try Palo. While we were interested in dinner, they don’t allow kids and we would miss some dinner shows in the rotating main dining rooms on some nights. Others seem to rave about it, and since you pay a bit extra I assume it must be a solid step up. Next time we’ll try to reserve earlier!
• Castaway Cay was fun for all, there is a play area for kids which we should have tried a bit earlier. We got the 3 activity bundle, which our daughter didn’t really get to do much with 2 of them. Inner-tubes were a bit big, snorkeling a bit challenging for a 6 year old, but the bikes were a blast.
• I thought about doing the 5k run on Castaway Cay, however the family wouldn’t/couldn’t participate so logistically it felt challenging. I could do it alone and then head back to the ship to shower? Probably need to plan like 2 hours alone to get to the starting line, run, back to ship, shower, and catch up with the fam. Next time, put the kid in the kids fun area, then run?
• Pool areas are small and due to Covid, there was limited capacity. We spent nearly no time in or laying out by the tiny pools, but our daughter loved the water slide and kids water play area. Adults can just plan to have a drink and nibble on snacks or claim some spots early on sea days.
• Cozumel tour of the ruins, chocolate making and beach area was okay. There isn’t much left of the ruins, so don’t expect Chichen Itza. Seeing it once is enough and the beach/chocolate maker area felt like a tourist trap. Next time we might just get some yummy tacos at the port, and rent scooters if we feel a need to hit a beach or explore.