We sailed on the Disney Magic on November 17, 2012- November 24, 2012. This was our first Disney Cruise. We went with my brother's family which included his four children and our four children. The age range for the kids was 23-8. His family lives in Southern California and has season passes to Disneyland, so they are Disney geeks.
We flew via Southwest Airlines into Houston Hobby and caught two 6 passenger taxis to Galveston. With tip it was $120 per taxi and only took 45 minutes. Much better value than booking the shuttle via Disney and having to wait forever for a bus load of people to get from the airport to Galveston.
The embarkation was the easiest we have ever had (mind you this was our 10th cruise- first with Disney). We went up to the Topsider Buffet and it was small, but good. It amazed us how small the Topsider Buffet is, but they are very efficient and the service was nice- you can eat indoor or out on the deck.
Great cabin. Love the split restroom and the split sleeping/couch area. Flat screen TV with lots of channels was nice! I think you will be very surprised.