The ship is old, so you do need to overlook the wear and tear, but the smaller size is nice. First the bad-- 1) Embarkation was the biggest mess I have ever seen-- all the tour buses came at the same time, there was no plan and we stood outside in the cold for several hours A HUGE mess. Started the trip on a bad note. 2) The food is so-so, watery eggs in the morning, dried out hamburger buns, and a limited selection of dinner entrees. I expected more and better 3) The staff must be under a lot of pressure to get very high marks on the satisfaction survey as we had staff begging us to give an excellent score. 4) Stateroom walls are very thin, we could hear every conversation our neighbors were having 5) If you do not use the phone app you will be lost, as many staff do not answer questions and direct you to the app. The Good: 1) The entertainment is outstanding-- the best I have ever seen on a cruise 2) The staff works well with the passengers regarding character opportunities and photos 3) For the most part the staff went out of their way to meet our needs ( which were few) 4) Unlimited soft drinks on deck 9 were great. 5) Nice variety of activities 6) Shore excursions were organized and well executed, escorting guests to the buses helped in many ways. Would I do a Disney Cruise again, probably but I would check to make sure the entertainment had been updated and was fresh. Read Less

This was our 22nd Disney cruise. We have been on all ships but I think the Magic is our favorite. We reserved this cruise for the itinerary but we love the ship. We have an adult disabled daughter who still loves all the characters and we always bring her best friend, also disabled. They have the freedom to roam around on their own. The staff and crew are wonderful to them. We had four of us on second level in an ocean view. Lots of room. Our room steward, Eddy, was terrific. He worked so hard on our room every day. And our servers, Thatra and Debora, were the best we have ever had. Charming, funny, sweet, accommodating...everything you could hope for. Even the head server, Steven, was always available and helped out his teams a lot. The food was good, with only a couple misses, The entertainment was top notch. We loved it from beginning to end, Read Less

This was our 22nd Disney Cruise. We have been on all the ships but the Magic is still the most magical. We were on the transatlantic cruise that left Dover on Sept 9 and arrived in NY on Sept 20. We had four days at sea to cross the Atlantic. The staff, entertainment, food was all top notch. There was lots to do during the day when at sea. Cooking class, cocktail tasting, movies, workshops with a Disney executive, q and a session with Broadway stars, character breakfast, frozen character meets, princess gathering, characters everywhere, the lists go on and on. We had the second seating which means dinner was st 830. Fine with us. Our servers were Bianca from South Africa and MerthA from Indonesia. Lovely hardworking. We were very pleased. We had dinner In the main dining room every night except for one dinner at Palo. We always love Palo! I could eat nothing but their antipasto and be fine. The new Rapunzel dining experience was terrific. Great singing and music and character interaction. We stopped in Portland England and took excursion to Salisbury cathedral. It was excellent. And in Cork Ireland to see Blarney Castle. When we got across to Canada we had two stops in Nova Scotia snd one in New Brunswick. Tours we took were good and the weather wAs perfect. In fact the entire crossing was very good. Mainly sunny although chilly. But there were lots of swimmers because the adult pool was quite warm. We brought our disabled adult daughter and her best friend. And they had the usual great time tracking characters and watching movies. We came into NY about 5 am. We like hundreds others got up to see the statute of liberty. Another magical moment. . We were in an ocean view on 6, 6010. Perfect for us. Close to elevator. Read Less

After being blown away with the service provided by Disney cruise lines last year, we opted to book another cruise during our trip. We picked British Isles with the same Disney Magic that we sailed last year. Let's recap from my last review, everything was perfect except for the food. I had to go out of my way to truly rate that food as below average. It was not enjoyable at all. I wrote about it here and I wrote to Disney about it. I also included my concern in the survey they ask you to fill out on the last day. I was quite happy to see that Disney Magic was dry docked a few months before our cruise which means during our cruise, the ship was already refreshed and cleaned. The biggest change we noticed was changing Cariocas dining to Tangled-themed dining. For my family and I, it was a welcomed change. Rapunzel's table now offers live entertainment for the diners where Rapunzel goes around singing and taking pictures with the guest. A nice addition compared to the dull and dark Cariocas dining experience. Food, now I'm sure many wants to know how the food is, I am happy to say that the kitchen has improved 180 degrees. The food offering was great! Dinners was spectacular and enjoyable. Everything was seasoned well and executed very well. They erased my worse fear of a poor dining experience. Foodies can now rejoice! Service. As always, 100% on point. Our main steward Esther (table 15) provided the best experience possible. Her skills match those of Michelin-rated restaurant servers. Disney should be pleased to have her on-board. Her skill-set and attention to detail is top-notch. She deserves to be moved up to management. It would be a shame and a disservice to her skills and knowledge if she stays as a steward. She was very attentive, quick, and caring. She really took care of our table 15. Her assistant Irena was also good but not as good as Esther. She had her challenges as the days went on but proved herself on the last day that she can hang. Our room steward Jojo has always been spectacular ensuring our room is always clean and stocked up with items that are always needed. His attention to detail is also appreciated. Little things that he did that other guest may not have notice doesn't go unnoticed with me. For example, we have very long iphone charging cables. We used the USB ports on the clock right bedside the bed, I guess he noticed that it was always hanging to the floor, one day I came back to notice that he wrapped it with Velcro to keep it clean and tight. He arranges our papers on the table for us and bathroom has always kept clean and hair free. Spa. This was such a treat. Our 3 year old daughter gifted us a couple's massage spa by going to the Oceaneer's club for 2 hours. Our 75 min couple's hot stone spa was amazing. Disney employs very good masseuse who has "the touch". My wife and I feel asleep and felt relaxed & recharged after the treatment. It was very pricey at $400+ for 75 minutes but well worth it. Oceaneer's club. This is probably my only qualm with Disney's offering. The oceaneer's club caters to kids between 3 to 12 years old. I feel that the gap is too big. We were able to use it twice for my 3 year old. one for 1 hour and the other one for 2 hours when we went to the spa. Both times, I saw my daughter just on the ipad playing alone. At home, she does not get any ipad time unless we're on vacation which we allow her unlimited time with the ipad/iphone except on bus rides and dining. There was very little interaction for the staff to push kids to do activities that are more mentally and physically challenging. I know they cannot force kids to do what they want but, offering a structured activities will allow the kids to do things as a group...like school. The ratio of staff to kids is pretty good so I did not understand why this is not done. After the 2nd time our daughter was there, we decided as a family to just stay together and we're fortunate that our daughter loves to be with us. Because of these little to big improvements and continued high level of service, we put a open deposit down for a possible 2020 cruise again. Read Less

My family thoroughly enjoyed our Disney cruise on the Magic. We flew from the US to London and used Disney transportation to get to the departure port of Dover. Disney employs local people to do the ground work such as greeting and driving as well as leading tour groups in each destination. Because these are people who live in the destination areas, they are able to provide more interesting and varied commentary on the locations and Disney seems to do well with vetting and training to ensure that they live up to the Disney standards for customer service. As an example, we had a guide in Cobh, Ireland who serenaded us with Irish folk songs as our bus meandered back to the ship from Blarney Castle after making us all laugh with his dry humor. Our cabin was an outside room with a balcony. At about 300 square feet, it never seemed crowded, even with four adult sized occupants (mom, dad, and two teens) in it. We arranged with our cabin host to have the kids' bunks kept open all week. There was still plenty of space to walk back and forth between the desk and the lower bunk to access the balcony and the part of the room closest to it. We did not have any issues with noise, though we were located on deck 8. The food on the ship varied from just ok to truly scrumptious. The fast service places on deck were decent but not memorable. The buffet at Cabanas was constantly changing and we did find that they quality of the food there was hit or miss. Nothing was inedible, but some dishes were quite bland or seemed to have too many ingredients thrown in to "elevate" them. My husband loved the eggs benedict. I had a curry dish one lunch that was fantastic. The kids always found something they liked. I had informed the staff in advance that I am gluten intolerent. My server went above and beyond to make sure that I always had something palatable to eat. Each night she showed me the dinner menus for the next evening, and took my order in advance. She also went as far as to preorder gluten free Mickey waffles for my breakfast at cabanas and a gluten free pizza from Pinnochio's for my lunch. The three main dining rooms on the Magic are Rapunzel's, Lumiere's, and the Animator's Palate. The food is equally good at all three. What makes these places different from one another is the theme and entertainment. The Animator's Palate is my favorite. The sketches on the wall screens change and light up along with accompanying music. The waitstaff become part of the show as dinner ends. Because our cruise was in England, Ireland, and Scotland in September, we did not take much advantage of the pools on board, despite the fact that they were heated. Mainly these were utilized by younger children and their parents. I felt bad for the lifeguards on duty, who wore winter jackets with their shorts and had few charges to watch. I have heard about people fighting for deck chairs on other cruises, but this was certainly not an issue for us! The live shows (I saw three different musicals in my week on board) were Broadway quality. Each was just an hour long and over too soon for me, though perhaps a better length for younger audience members. These shows feature familiar music and characters along with some very cool special effects and actors frequently run up and down the aisles as part of the performance. I have saved the best for last. The most memorable part of this cruise for my family: the Disney cast members. Many Disney employees went above and beyond to make the week a great one for us. Mariya and Anto, our servers, were so fun and helpful. Davisson the photographer always went the extra mile to make my shy teen smile. Our host, Ferdie, was efficient and accommodating. Some people may hesitate to choose the older ships in the Disney fleet because they are smaller and older. Disney has done a great job of updating the Magic and I think it is a perfect size. The magic and the Wonder can carry 2,400 passengers. The Dream and Fantasy have a capacity of 4,000 passengers each! I am not sure that we would get the same feeling of knowing our cast members or fellow passengers if there were twice as many people on board. Read Less

We chose this Disney Cruise because of the itinerary and the opportunity to take advantage of a seldom-offered good rate by this company. Traveling as two adults, we were not overly interested in the character greetings etc. but it was charming nonetheless. Disney does make a great effort to provide adult-only areas, which was appreciated. We arrived at London Heathrow two days prior to embarkation day. We took the tube to Kings Cross/St. Pancras tube station, where we picked up prebooked train tickets to Canterbury using the ticket machines. At the same time, we picked up our prebooked tickets for the onward journey Canterbury to Dover (for embarkation day) and Dover back to St. Pancras for our trip home. The tube fare each way (using previously purchased Oyster Cards which we topped up using the ticket machines at Heathrow) was about 3GBP. The fares London to Canterbury and Dover to London were around 13 GBP when booked in advance. Certainly we were taking a chance that we might miss our train from London to Canterbury if our flight was late, but it all worked out smoothly. We chose to stay the 2 nights ahead of the cruise in Canterbury as it seemed quainter than Dover and was only a 20 minute train ride away on embarkation day. We've been to London before so we decided to skip the hustle and bustle. At the Canterbury West train station, we took a taxi to our hotel (8 GBP.) We had prebooked the Premier Inn for around 54 GBP per night. Well worth it as it was a short, pleasant stroll to the pedestrian area of town and conveniently has a Tesco Express for food, sundries and wine/beer (great prices we thought) and also a Pizza Hut next door. As Disney allows 2 bottles of wine per person/per port, we bought 4 bottles to take on board with us. On embarkation day, we took the train from Canterbury East train station (walking distance from hotel if you don't have a lot of luggage) to Dover Priory station, then a taxi to the port (10 GBP I think.) The lines were quite long at 1pm but we were soon through security and went on to the ship. We made our way to our room, an inside cabin on deck 6. Our bags arrived a few hours later. The muster drill was pain-free, and the sail away quite lovely with the white cliffs of Dover as background. Unfortunately it was cool and cloudy so we didn't linger outside too long. The ship itself is lovely. However, with the majority of days having cold, cloudy weather (even in July) there seemed to be very little public space for sitting, reading or just hanging out unless you were in a bar or restaurant (the buffet restaurant did not usually remain open between meals.) As a result, adults without kids were jammed into the adults only Cove Cafe, resulting in standing-room only a lot of the time. We certainly spent most of our leisure time in there. Coffees in the morning, wine etc. the rest of the day. This is the best place on the ship in our opinion. Croissants served in the morning, pastries in the afternoon, charcuterie in the evening. Although I would say that the quality of food on the ship is good, it unfortunately wasn't to my taste. The dining room menu was overly fancy, to say the least. So many sauces and strange (to me) pairings of main food and accompaniments. I'm used to less fussy, West Coast menus I guess. The breakfast buffet had many great choices of fried foods, tasteless omelettes (maybe made with liquid egg substitute or dried eggs??). I ended up eating Raisin Bran or making the odd bacon sandwich. Lunch was the best offering of the day, with an ethnic food choices as well as the expected food. Lots of macaroni and cheese for some reason. Desserts were okay to good. Definitely try the sticky toffee pudding. In the evening, you could attend your assigned dining room sitting (rotating through 3 different dining rooms) or go to Cabanas (buffet by day, waiter service from a limited menu by night.) Because we had been assigned the late seating of 830pm, which is quite late for us, we chose to go to Cabanas several times (open 630- 830.) The head waiter from the dining room left not 1 but 2 messages on our cabin voicemail, concerned that we hadn't chosen to eat in the dining room for a few meals. We prefer to choose where and when we eat. You can get chicken strips and pizza on deck as usual. Our inside cabin was the lowest category, so it did not have the separate toilet/bathtub that other categories have. It was just fine, still one of the biggest, nicest bathrooms I've had on a ship (and still had a bathtub, not just a shower.) There is a queen bed and daybed, which was made up every evening by housekeeping. The housekeeping was great. The TV had Disney tv shows. Or, for variety, Disney movies. You get the drift. The clock radio has 2 usb ports (how civilized!!!) and available outlets next to the bed and above the dresser. There were 2 hair dryers, a mini-fridge, safe etc. All fine for 2 people. We went to all the Disney-type production shows (all excellent) but skipped the magician and violinist kind of shows. The shows are held in the very large Walt Disney Theatre - come at least 15 minutes early if you have a large group, as many people tend to have. We also attended all the port-lecturer talks, which were given by a college professor who delivers interesting material with deadpan humour. The service was excellent everywhere. The only exception being Cabanas restaurant in the evening, which seems to be a training ground. For example, instead of "what would you like to order?" we were asked, "ready?" Just make it a limited buffet in the evening, please. The ports were exceptional, all places I've never been before: Stavanger, Alesund, Akureyri, Reykjavik, Invergordon (for Inverness.) We booked no ships tours, preferring to make private arrangements. Stavanger: we walked around to the other side of the port and booked the Lysefjord tour for 490 Norwegian Kroner each. The trip lasted about 3 hours and was beautiful. Stay outside on the deck for the best views, obviously. While waiting for the trip to start (10 am) we used the free wifi at the most beautiful Starbucks (sorry) I've ever been in. Afterwards, we strolled around the old town, had coffee and skol brot at a lovely cafe, and then walked around the pedestrian shopping area behind the Starbucks. It was one of very few warm sunny days. Alesund: we bought tickets for the little train, and went for coffee while waiting for our assigned time. The train goes on a lovely tour around town and up to a lookout ( I don't remember the exact price but it was expensive.) The lovely art nouveau buildings are so interesting. Afterwards, we went to a brewpub at the pier and had the best hamburger I've ever had (not very Norwegian, I know, but remember I didn't really enjoy the food on the ship but I loved this hamburger!). A cool, cloudy day. Day at sea: Cove Cafe, the Irish Pub with the Gothard Sisters playing Celtic music, the odd trivia game. Akureyri: I got up at 2 am hoping to see the sunrise but I was too late, It was already up although it was grey and cloudy too. The sail in/out of the fjord at Akureyri is not to be missed - it's stunning, and is the best opportunity to view wildlife such as whales and dolphins. We had prebooked a tour through Fab Travel (discounted as we booked with them for both Akureyri and Reykjavik.) It is the same tour you can book through the ship at substantially less cost. They were waiting at the pier in both ports. I highly recommend them. We went to a geothermal area, a crater, a lookout, a waterfall and the Myvan nature baths (you can go in this hot spring if you want but we were saving ourselves for the Blue Lagoon.) Several people on our tour did go in the water here (at a cost) but it is really nothing compared to the Blue Lagoon imho. A long day on the bus, but the spectacular scenery is worth it. Nothing to see in the little town itself, book a tour. Other passengers on the ship booked whale watching tours at the port. Free wifi in the port gift shop. Reykjavik: again we had the prebooked tour (the Golden Circle) with Fab Travel. Do not hesitate to book them. It certainly is a long day on the bus, but with spectacular scenery again. We went to the geyser area, the place where the 2 continental plates meet, a spectacular waterfall, a lovely rest stop, a farm. Our ship docked around noon, so after the tour we just went back to the ship and rested up for day 2 and our Blue Lagoon adventure. We booked through Reykjavik Excursions for the first entry of the day (7am.) They were waiting for us at the pier at 530am as promised. We were driven to the central bus station where we boarded a larger bus at 6am to take us on the 45 minute drive to the lagoon. They opened promptly at 7. We were the first ones in the lagoon, and the first ones at the bar. We had to have our iconic Blue Lagoon photo with a glass of prosecco (well it's 5 oclock pm somewhere, right?) At that hour there were few people in the lagoon and we paddled about happily for an hour. The hordes of buses were just pulling in as we got out. The only hiccup was that the first bus back to town wasn't leaving for an hour or so later so we had excellent coffee in the cafe. We took the Reykjavik Excursion bus back to the main tourist area of town (they will drop you where you want) and then took the free port shuttle back to the port for departure. Free wifi at the port and in most cafes. Day at sea: as above. Too cold for the pool Invergordon: Took the local bus to Inverness for the day as we had already done Loch Ness etc. on previous trips. If you want to see the highlands, battle fields, Loch Ness etc. book a tour maybe through the ship for this port. We just shopped in Inverness and had a great lunch. Free wifi in Marks and Spencers. Day at sea: as above Read Less

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The Great This may take a while. There were so many great things to mention. Disney is great with details. From the "Mickey" shaped face for my daughters ketchup, to the Disney themed menu each night, they really do a great job at providing those little extras in everything they do. The Oceaneer Lab and Club are exceptional. I could barely get my daughter to leave. The staff was friendly and courteous. The actual area was awesome. I wanted to go in in play! I also loved their security features. I never worried about my daughter while she was there. The cabin in clean and large. We actually stayed in a room with just a porthole and never felt like we were missing out or that the room was too tight. It was actually perfect for the three of us. I also LOVED that they had two interpreters for the hearing impaired at every show. We didn't need the services but there was a family there that did. I can tell you- they did an amazing job considering the length of each show. It must have taken a ton of preparation on their part. I am sure they don't receive enough credit so I wanted to mention. Dining in the 3 restaurants was always fun. I loved the Animators Palate. The food was pretty good although it wasn't amazing. The service, however was spectacular and my daughter could always get whatever she wanted even if it wasn't on the menu. The Bad The ports were just okay. We stopped in Newcastle, England (meh), Kirkwall, Scotland (huge disappointment!), Iceland and Norway (which were fab.) I really would recommend that Disney rethink the first two stops. They just weren't that great. Another downside- if you are a first time cruiser with Disney, you don't get on the "special" email about events going on. We overheard someone talking about the character breakfast or we would have never known. We also found out about the princess meet and greet after it was over. Sorry Disney but if I am paying 10k for a vacation, I should have the option to participate in these things. After speaking to numerous cruisers, there is definately a sense that the Castaway Club members are treated better. I get it to an extent, you have to give them perks but when the cruise director walks past your table to focus on those with gold or black lanyards (that they get when boarding), you feel slighted. The Ugly... The spa is a huge letdown. I enjoyed my massage and facial but they are obviously incentivized to sell you on items and they are super pushy. I can't tell you how many times I stated that I did not was facial cream, massage oil, etc. It really was uncomfortable. Overall, I really enjoyed this cruise and will use Disney again. We had a great time and my daughter was in heaven. Well worth the extra money. Just be aware of the downsides. Read Less

The cruise took us from Dover, England to Newcastle, England to Kirkwall, Scotland, to Reykjavik and Akureyri, Iceland, to Bergen and Stavanger, Norway and ended up at Copenhagen, Denmark, We did three days pre-cruise in London and three days post-cruise in Copenhagen. The ship was immaculate, service attentive, food excellent and captain and crew accessible, friendly and knowledgeable. The ports were magnificent. The history and culture in each city was amazing. The scenery, from the snowcapped mountains, to the lush greenery and the small villages was outstanding. While the weather was chilly, rainy and/or damp for most of the trip, it did not impede any of our plans. We were prepared with jackets and rainwear. It did clear up several times during our port adventures. While sailing in the North Sea, the captain alerted us to potential rough seas predicted for the evening/night. There were twenty foot swells, but ironically, that night we slept our best - perhaps it was the rocking like a cradle that kept us sleeping so well. We crossed into the Arctic Circle enroute to Iceland and since it was the summer solstice, there was no sunrise or sunset time - it was light for 24 hours. The locals in the port cities were friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable. We were able to enjoy delicious local fare in many of the ports. People in Newcastle lined the countryside across from our port and waved good-bye to our ship as we left. At Kirkwall, a Scottish bagpipe band serenaded our ship at port and a troupe of Scottish dancers put on a show for us at port. While all the countries/ports were magnificent, our favorites were both ports in Iceland and Stavanger, Norway. We would highly recommend this cruise and the ports. Read Less

Br.oadway style shows are the best. The new show "Tangled: the Musical" is phenominal. The crew are so caring to make sure all your needs are met. The officers are always willing to help. The excursions were awesome. The service is 5 stars! I have sailed on many cruise lines, but Disney is my favorite. Our whole group even travels without children. There are many adult areas where no children are allowed. Plenty of activities on the ship at all times whether you want adult only, family, or children activities. Even though my kids are adults, the children's clubs are the best I've ever seen. The regional menus each night have items from each port that we visited to give us a taste of the area. I loved that addition. I will be sailing on Disney again. I am so pleased with the ship and service. I highly recommend to anyone considering the cruise. Read Less

We chose this cruise as we have always wanted to go to the Fjords and with this being a special "Frozen"-themed cruise to Norway, we couldn't resist! The challenge in researching the cruise was that there was very little information about it out in the web and so mostly we went on faith and Disney's reputation. We have sailed with Disney once prior to this sailing in the Caribbean on the Dream, the larger ship. The Magic has had a major overhaul within the past 3 years... but I will discuss that later. Onto the experience itself... The ship was mostly Brits and Americans... there were more Americans than I had anticipated and many of us had pulled our kids out of school early for the opportunity to take this cruise. We flew in a few days prior and stayed with family in the area. I highly recommend traveling in early to get rid of the jet lag. It takes us about 3 days to get our bodies in a 5 hour time change difference, so I was glad we did. On the return we took the Disney transportation back to London Heathrow airport (LHR) and it was very smooth - especially for a Sunday morning. Check-in went smooth and we had taken advantage of pre-booking everything online, so we needed to handle little paperwork prior to boarding. The check-in area was very similar to Florida, and the procedure was the same. We were given credentials with badges and lanyards as a Silver Castaway Club member. That was a nice surprise as it was our second cruise. We boarded the ship with no issues and just needed to wait about 20 minutes before we could access our cabin. We had two adjoining cabins, starboard, with balconies on Deck 7. The connecting door was easy to unlatch and we had access between both cabins for the duration of the cruise without having to go into the hallway. On both beds were Castaway Club backpacks... a welcome surprise! We left port late as I believe they held the ship for late arrivals and last minute cargo loading. We missed the spillway party as my daughter is 5-1/2 and we just needed to slow everything down a bit as she was bouncing off the walls in excitement. We also didn't have our baggage. For arriving at 1PM, right on time, we didn't get a single piece of luggage until almost 6PM. As we were assigned the early dinner seating, we had to just go "as is". We were very disappointed it arrived so late. The English Channel is usually pretty rough coming out of port, but the only time I really felt it was standing up after dinner. With rotational dining, we ate in Caricoas and then moved onto Animators Palate and then Luminere's for the duration of the cruise. We also switched after the first night to the second seating as frankly, the smaller children are at that service time and it was filled with small children. We are used to a pretty quiet dining environment, so we opted to ask for our own table at the 8:30pm seating. It was the best decision for our family and we ended up with fantastic service team including Plamen from Bulgaria (our main waiter), Vincent (our assistant waiter) and Cindy (our head waiter)... they were all fantastic and went out of their way to provide us with consistent, personalized service. They as a team exceeded our expectations. A shout out to Silvio, from Italy, our Sous Chef.... can't say enough about the special cannoli's that he made us. The cruise itself went from Dover to Stavanger to Alesund to Geiranger to Bergen and back to Dover. We were on sea days from Dover to Stavanger and Bergen to Dover. The seas were unusually calm and I was very thankful that except for the wait time sailing into the Geiranger Fjord (we couldn't access the Fjord until past 3AM due to traffic), the weather and the sailing was very smooth. We truly lucked out with the seas and weather. I have been in the Med during rough seas, and it is not fun.... I was truly thankful and it just heightened the enjoyment of the experience. The Oceaneers Club and Lab were both great options for my daughter. The kids crew did a great job of keeping the kids entertained and having a good time. The cruise ended with a performance with the kids on the Walt Disney Stage with Mickey and Minnie singing and dancing along. My daughter received a moment t-shirt and loved the experience. The Oceaneers Club and Lab is one of the main reasons we choose Disney - it is time for my daughter to have with other kids and also for my husband and I to have some time alone together. We appreciate what a good job they do. We took a number of excursions off of the ship and two of the three were specifically designed for the kids. In Stavanger we took the Maritime Museum tour... the main reason was that our daughter would learn about the Viking experience, but also got to build and decorate her own boat that she got to bring home. The Alesund excursion was a "once in a lifetime" as we went to Sunnmore Village (outdoor Norwegian historical site that showcases their way of life) which included a meet and greet with Anna, Elsa and Kristoff from FROZEN. It was a bit of a mad crush, but the Disney folks did an excellent job of managing to keep themselves engaged from the first person in line all the way to the last person over an hour an a half. It had rained in the morning, but managed to stop within an hour and we had a really enjoyable time learning about the historical Norwegian way of life. My daughter was interested in the obvious... a very special meet and greet with the FROZEN characters. As we departed we were all given a special Norwegian cookie/cake and also a Disney pin in the shape of a Norwegian flag. Very special.... The Geiranger excursion was equally special, but in a very different way. We took a motor coach into the mountains and had excellent views of the major sites including the seven sisters waterfalls from a high vista lookout. From there we went deeper into the area and ended at a local farm, The Gjaera Farm, run by Martin and his wife. Disney Youth Counselors accompanied us as well and the children went off and learned about stamping with antique wooden stamps from Norway and other countries. The children each made their own pillowcase souvenir with their own stamps. The adults, on the other hand, hung out with Martin and enjoyed is fabulous hand-crafted beer, cheese and other dried meats. We had an incredible view of the fjord below... a slice of Heaven, truly. It was a great couple of hours to watch his sheep and other farm animals graze in the area and then the children came back out and showed us their crafts. They then got to feed the animals... what a perfect morning/early afternoon excursion to have taken. In Bergen and the rest of the cities that we visited, there was always time to do a little shopping. We docked very close to the city center, if not right in the middle of it! At most, there was a 10 minute walk into Bergen, the docking was ideal. As for the shopping, there is the usual tourist souvenirs, but if you look hard enough, you were able to find some really special artisan shops with local flair. I found that Stavanger had the best clothing and Bergen the best artisans in the historic wharf area. Many of the shop owners participated in the tax refund program, so I was able to get my VAT tax (approx. 20 percent on base price) equivalent refunded to me at the airport when I departed. It is worth taking the time and the hassle at the airport to do the paperwork. As for the Disney shows, they were pretty spectacular... even on a moving ship. We saw a new production of Tangled... about an hour and a half production on the stage. The performers were fantastic and the staging for a cruise ship was incredibly well done. This was the best one that we saw... but I know that they are all good and well worth planning to see whether before or after your dinner time. The character meet and greets were not well run. Many of them bumped up on either side of dinner seating times and we had to leave the line after 40 minutes to go to dinner and miss one of the few Minnie/Mickey dual meet and greets, for example. We said something to the crew member running the meet and greet and was met with canned explanations that we did not receive well. We gave up after that. Room service was run well and was efficient. I wish there were more selections including breakfast (having the option to select in the morning and not just the night before). We did get to Palo one evening. The surcharge is $30 per person, and the experience was excellent... especially sailing out of the Geiranger Fjord. Most of all, it was a very quiet dining experience, which my husband and I appreciated. My daughter happily enjoyed dinner in the kids club. Is it worth $30 per person? I am not so sure, from a food quality standpoint... but you are also paying for the location/view and the exclusivity. The culinary teams in the rotational dining rooms do an amazing job of preparing the food and adjusting to your personal dietary needs as much as possible. For a 7 day cruise, there were a few bumps in the road, but nothing major for me to speak of beyond what I have mentioned. I will say that the only negative was the condition of the staterooms. They have had a refurbishment, but the deck chairs were old, had tape on the tops and bottom of the feet, rust was exposed in many areas and the shower was not the greatest. Our beds in both cabins were lumpy and not comfortable... both need new mattresses. The towels and linens were fresh and clean... the towels were cleaned every day, but the bedding could have been changed out, but wasn't when we had a spill by my daughter. But that was it for the most part. All in all, the Disney consistency shown through... we had a wonderful time in a magical place and look forward to another European adventure again soon! Read Less

This is our 4 Disney cruise. All on the Magic. This is the first time we cruised since the refurbishment. Had a wonderful time. We stayed in London the week before. We made our own air and hotel reservations in London and Disney was not helpful in providing transportation to the port so we did that on our own also. My kids are 10, 12 and 14 and only the 10 year old enjoyed the Edge (we were able to have him get into the Edge since his brother and sister were there). I think it was more that the kids were tired after the ports and mine just wanted to watch a movie or read in the evenings. It was mostly a loud group of boys playing video games in there. Prior cruises I had to pry my kids out of the kids club so it was probably just my kids ages and the amount of time we were traveling. We did not go to many of the shows but enjoyed watching the movies. Our cabin was fantastic. We booked a one bedroom concierge suite this time and it was well worth it. It was sometimes loud with the neighbor children and I once had to ask them to keep it down so we could get enough sleep to make our early port excursion meeting. We had fantastic service and we all enjoyed all the concierge level perks. My children really enjoyed the food. They mostly ordered off of the adult menu. We had the early dining and that worked perfectly for us. Enjoyed our ports and most of all of shore excursions. All of our tour guides were great. In Copenhagen we did the City Highlights and Open Air Museum the first day. It was fun but too long at the open air museum. Second day we did all inclusive to Tivoli and that was a blast. In Stockholm we went to the Vasa museum which was really neat and then the food hall. Not enough time in the food hall to eat. In Helsinki we went to the nature center and reindeer feeding which was fun. St Petersburg day one we had a private car which was a great way to see many of the sights. The second day we did the Catherine's palace and Hermitage museum tour. Very long day and the kids were ready to have some sea days after that but I would do it again. Actually, I would not change a thing about our shore excursions except shorten day one in Copenhagen. I had a massage the last day of the cruise and I was really disappointed. The massage was fine but i was not impressed with the spa. I cruised right before the refurbishment and was told by the staff that the spa would be all redone. It looked the same as before. Maybe a little worst. I just felt like it was dirty and falling apart.Robes were huge and so were the shoes. Much worst than the spa in the strip mall at home and 4 times as much. I have no problem paying for a premium experience but this spa was not that. All of the staff we excellent. We really liked our assistant waiter and cabin steward and the concierge staff. The diner show at Animators palate the last night was very cool and entertaining. Read Less

This was my husband and mine third Disney Magic cruise but the first for our two daughters and their families. This cruise came about due to my mother leaving us a legacy when she died earlier this year and i couldn't think of anything more special than spending family time on a magical holiday Our first Tinkerbell sprinkling was our three cabins were upgraded from 3 gty Cat 12 cabins to 3 Cat 7 Navigator Veranda's - absolutely out of this world. Second Tinkerbell sprinkling was when we became Disney's family of the day and we were announced and we got to go through everything and be first on the ship - a very special event for all of us. The whole family just loved the cruise - both daughters are now blaming me for a new addiction - cruises!!! We loved the sail away party, us grandparents loved using Cove Cafe this time (we always do way but it was nice to get away and have some quiet time!!), the kids loved the kids clubs and the youngest grandson seemed to really enjoy the nursery. Our servers were fantastic and couldn't do enough for us - whatever we requested they went out of their way to deliver - the kids loved them and they seemed to love the kids. Our room steward was a star and he had an extra big tip for the way he looked after our three cabins so well. The shows that we went to were brilliant - the daughters really loved the nightclubs. Cherbourg was our first stop - didn't get off Vigo was second stop - see review Lisbon was third stop - see review Cadiz was fourth stop - I just LOVE Cadiz - its my favourite and my husbands too. love the back streets, the cathedral (don't miss going up into the tower for 4 Euros - the views are 360 and are incredible), the gardens, - just love it. This time we visited the beach as it was the first time any of the kids had been to the seaside - very hot but we had a lovely time. We were going to use the HOHO bus but there were other ships in port that day and the lines and wait time were stupid as there is no shade and we had three small children with us - so we got our money back and used taxis which worked out half the cost of the HOHO bus! Gibraltar was our final stop - see review Read Less

From embarkation to disembarkation this was such a successful holiday. The whole atmosphere aboard the ship was relaxed and friendly. The ports of call were fantastic. The children made friends, enjoyed numerous activities and said they had their best ever holiday. As adults we participated in a few activities but usually sat on desk 4 watching the world literally pass by. The scenery was phenomenal, from fjords to islands and cities besides. We booked this trip 18 months ago and had high hopes for it, these were exceeded. Having already visited Oslo and wanting to go gain and to explore more of Scandinavia we were delighted when we saw Disney were cruising the Baltics. Our children love Disney World and we had though a cruise would be nice some time in our future. This option seemed to please us all. City itineraries, food and the Disney Characters and children's activities. We had a drive of 3 hours from home to reach the ship. We did not see the ship until we were practically upon it in Dover. It looked beautiful, the sun was shining and the port looked quiet. Embarkation could not have been smoother, we drove right up to the port, there were 2-3 cars in front of us. A porter helped us unload our cases from the boot of the car and said we would see then next in our cabin. The children and I waited at the terminal building while my partner parked the car and was escorted back to the building by minibus. This process took about 5 minutes, we were then given the daily Navigator, the ships newspaper with all the activities and information while we waited in line to be 'processed'. The prerequisite photo's were taken and we registered our youngest child for his ID wristband and received our pager and awaited our boarding call. The ship had around 2000 guests on board compared to 2400 usually in the Caribbean. Having never been on this or any cruise ship we did not know whether this would still feel crowded or not, but we soon realised we had plenty of space, to swim, rest on desk 4 , 9 or 10. the restaurants often had empty seats and although they were never quiet there was plenty of space, staff and attention. Both children loved their activities, Activities originally our eldest thought she could go in the Stack the 14-17 year old space, but as she was only 13 she was supposed to attend Teen Quest. She had made a couple of online friends 10 days prior to embarkation so asked if she could 'swap' up to the other group. the counsellors were kind, respectful and empowering to our 13 year old. They said she could but would she try out the area designed for her first for a couple of hours, if she did not like it or still wanted t meet her 'online' friends that would be fine. Needless to say once she visited the Quest and met a few 12 and 13 year olds she was sold. Disney obviously know children well, once she thought it was her decision entirely and once she interacted in the area designed for her age group she felt she belonged and no longer wished to join the older activities. As for our 8 year old, we hardly saw him, which to be honest was strange and took some getting used to. But he too thoroughly enjoyed his Oceaneers Lab. Although Disney say the 3- 10 year old children can chose the activity they would like to join in with regardless of its location, in the club or lab, our son felt the club was too young for him. But he thoroughly enjoyed the experiments, making flubber, cooking, crafts and games offered in the lab, so much so that the only time our pager went off was him asking us to attend to take a photo of him playing with Peter Pan. The Service on board the ship was fantastic, our stateroom host made our holiday by his attention, the cleanliness of our room and his jokes and chatter, he opened our door whenever we walked down the hall and we thought he was great. Our room was great, we had a ocean view room on level 2 with a large porthole. The porthole had condensation that we mentioned to our stateroom host, Disney offered to move us and upgrade us for our inconvenience but we declined, so they gave us on board credit as a gesture. Our room was perfect for our needs which were few, chill a bottle of wine, as Disney allow guests to bring alcohol on board and a fridge was provided and to get showered, changed and sleep. Occasionally we adults spent an hour or two relaxing in the room while at sea but the children were only in the room to sleep. The food was fantastic, of course there was way too much temptation and we ate far too much, the second week we had fewer afternoon snacks and deserts as we really did not need them but the first week we managed 4 meals a day. There was a buffet reflecting the port of call most days, so German offerings in Warnemunde, Pickled fish in Copenhagen and meatballs in Sweden for example, it was great. Lumieres was our favourite restaurant, the menus were varied and the food always beautifully presented. Our only complaint was it was sometimes rather rushed in the evening, although it suited our 8 year old who wanted to participate in the play and dine service where children's counsellors collect the children during second dinner sitting after 3/4 hour. This worked to our advantage as he is a fussy eater and was encouraged to eat or he would not be able to play. The service at lunch was more leisurely. We only booked on two shore excursions or port adventures as Disney call them. We only booked these as it was easier to have ship excursions in St. Petersburg than it was to arrange our own visa's and taxis. The rest of the ports we preferred to tour ourselves with guide books. Disembarkation came too soon after 12 nights we would have happily stayed on the ship. Only the knowledge that we have booked for next year kept everyone's spirits up. The children had made such good friends and there were many activities they wanted to do but did not have time to participate in. Breakfast was at 8am, this was the only time there was a queue to get into the dining room, we were fed and left the ship in our own time around 9:15 am. We found our bags as directed easily and were taken by minibus to our car, the whole process was so smooth we were loaded up and on our way home by 9:30am. Read Less

On June 12, 2010, my husband and I embarked on a long-awaited 12-day Disney Magic cruise to the Northern European capitals. We had cruised three times previously on Disney Cruise lines, including a 10-day Mediterranean cruise on Magic in 2007 (thoroughly delightful) and two four-day cruises on Disney Wonder, in combination with Disney World packages. We are also Disney Vacation Club members, although we did not use any points for this cruise. We are veteran cruisers, having cruised on RCCL, Princess, Holland America, American Hawaii, Oceania, Delta Queen/Majestic America, and Cunard in addition to Disney (we ended our trip after this recent cruise with our first transatlantic voyage on the QM2). We do not have children, but had found Disney Cruise Lines to be quite amenable in the past to cruisers without children; my elderly father came with us on the Mediterranean cruise and one of the four-day cruises and he really enjoyed it. He was also a veteran cruiser, with 44 cruises under his belt. We boarded the ship in Dover and immediately had an issue. Our assigned cabin was 6588, mid-ships on Deck 6 (balcony cabin). This cabin was located directly across from a self-service laundromat open 24 hours; our room was filled with the smell of bleach and laundry detergent and we could hear people congregating in the laundromat and the hallway, talking loudly (why people were doing their laundry on the first day of the cruise was a mystery). I have severe asthma and could not stand to be around the smell of the chemicals, so we immediately went up to Guest Services to get our room assignment changed. This was a very expensive cruise, costing upwards of $11,000 for two people for a category six cabin, not to mention a one-night hotel stay in London booked through DCL that was nearly $600 and included a lovely view of huge HVAC equipment. We were extremely disappointed that DCL chose to assign us this cabin on the ship in this poor location. The laundromat does NOT show up on the on-line deck plans or on the deck maps that were available at Guest Services, so we did not know about this problem in advance. We were told that any move to another cabin would have to wait until we sailed, due to issues with loading any last-minute travelers. We found out from staff members, while waiting in the public areas, that the cruise was only at 60% capacity and we knew it was highly unlikely that anyone would shell out thousands of dollars on the day of sailing to embark. We finally had to force the issue at 6:30 pm by being extremely emphatic and emotional about not accepting this room (this was ninety minutes after sailing, giving us very little time to unpack). The Guest Services folks finally reacted to my "hissy fit" and moved us to another balcony cabin in a much better location on Deck 7. This issue with the assigned cabin was a negative start to our cruise adventure, but we were happy that it had been resolved, although it took a significant amount of time. On the QM2 transatlantic, we also had an issue with our assigned room due to extreme engine vibration and noise from the Queen's Room, but the staff reacted immediately and offered to move us in the middle of the night. And that cruise was near capacity! In addition to the room assignment problem, we found the ship to be in poor repair (and it was supposedly in dry dock in 2009). This was very surprising, considering how meticulous Disney is about their facilities. There were broken chairs in Animator's Palate, our balcony in our new cabin had big rust spots in several locations, our bedspread looked like it was an original item from the inaugural sailing in 1998, our bathroom floors looked worn out, the plastic deck chairs by the pools were faded and worn out, there were stains in carpets in several locations, lights were not working in Animator's Palate, etc. Once you start seeing flaws, then you see more and more evidence of neglect. The third issue was the quality of the food in the dining rooms, which was wildly variable, veering from almost inedible to above-average in a few cases. The food in Palo was excellent, as usual. Our server could see that we were not happy with the food on the second night, in Lumiere's, when three of us at our table of four had Beef Wellington that was mediocre at best. After that evening, our assigned table-mates disappeared from the dining room for several nights, preferring the Topsider Buffet! Unfortunately, the Disney response to this issue was to be overly solicitous to the point that we were completely annoyed. One evening in Animator's Palate, we had a very decent shrimp and pasta dish, but at the end of the meal our server brought us (without asking) a pork chop dish that we had praised from a previous dinner in Parrot Cay. We were full, but she stood there looking hurt until we ate several bites of the pork chop, treating us like recalcitrant children. My meal the last night (a seafood pasta) was indeed inedible, so this was very disappointing. In contrast, the very low key dining room service on Oceania and Cunard is wonderful and they would never dream of intruding in this manner. The Animator's Palate first-night "show" was also trimmed down in its effects and seemed almost ludicrous. The fourth issue had to do with the incompetence of the shore excursion staff. I have some recent disabilities and use a cane or travel wheelchair, depending on the circumstances. I carefully researched every shore excursion that we booked in advance of this cruise and determined which ones were accessible or would not require much walking. Because of these issues, I would prefer to be near the front of the bus if at all possible so I don't have to try and walk down the narrow aisles. At our first port, we asked one of the staff about getting access to a seat near the front of the bus. He shrugged and told my husband "to run" to the bus pushing me in the wheelchair! At other ports, they were more aware of the need for handicapped seating and helped us get to the bus, but it was always a stressful situation and the rudeness of some of the able-bodied passengers didn't help, as they ran to the bus to get the front rows. This issue culminated in a shore excursion in Saint Petersburg that was advertised as "accessible" but required me to inform the shore excursion staff in advance. I did inform the staff (twice), but was almost forced to walk through the Hermitage, including navigating over 200 steps (I don't do steps well at all). The tour company, at the last minute, brought in a second guide to help us through the Hermitage using the single elevator. The fifth issue: Unruly and uncontrolled children. We have "talked up" Disney to disbelieving adults without children that they can enjoy the experiences on the ship without having issues with the kids. Unfortunately, on this cruise, children were running down hallways and through lounges, cutting in front of disabled persons and making a lot of noise, rivaling the worst we have seen on other family cruise ships. Not sure what happened to the vaunted children's activities. The sixth issue: This was our fourth cruise on Disney, totaling 30 days at sea, but we are still at the "silver" level in the Castaway Club, while someone who has done five 3-day cruises has reached the gold level. The levels do not take into account the cost and length of the cruise at all. After one cruise on Cunard, we are at silver level. Not sure it matters - Disney rarely gives discounts on cruise bookings anyway. The seventh issue: We brought two Bluetooth keyboards with us to use with our iPads on this trip. We put them on the desk in our room and ended up not using them during the cruise. We did not remember seeing the keyboards the day we packed prior to debarkation the next day and they were not in our luggage when we got home. DCL has not yet contacted us about the left items. (We arrived home on July 1 and will contact them after the holiday weekend). Eighth issue: The internet connection was extremely slow and unreliable on Disney Magic. As we had a similar experience on Regatta in March this year, we didn't think much of the situation, until we got on the QM2 and had the same MTN service, but it was very quick and reliable. Interesting... Not all of our experiences on Disney Magic were negative. We thoroughly enjoyed the friendliness of the bar staff, loved hanging out in Cove Cafe (great staff), had terrific character interactions, and the entertainment was good (as always). We do plan to cruise on Disney again next year, a 3-day cruise to check out Disney Dream booked using our DVC points, but we believe they need to resolve some issues that were quite disappointing on this cruise. Being long-time Disney fans, we hope that this was an aberration and not what we can expect in the future.   Read Less

Who would have guessed Disney would be going to Russia this summer with 4 sailings of 12 days, seeing 6 Countries, plus London and our departure town of Dover? Sent an inquiry to family members, and consensus was quickly decided that we need to jump on this ship with their good pricing incentives. With less than 45 days to get our US passport renewed (must be valid 6 months after Russia entry), then get our letter of invitation, & Russian Visa. We hustled and could finally breathe when we received our Russian Visa 10 days after application. We were ready in plenty of time. Ultimately, we very much enjoyed this first Disney cruise. I personally felt that the Public Areas were somewhat outdated, and it was amusing the the 'Artwork' all over the ship, were Posters of vintage movies, photos of Walt, or other Disney features, which where probably produced (by Disney) for very little. Yet, our room was very comfortable, the food good, and the service was excellent. I found all staff friendly, but none were over the top 'Goofy' to meet you. It's still a job, which they do very well. We are actually looking into the Sept. Med & Transatlantic cruises, since they again seem to be so well priced. Maybe. It was a great cruise to bring our kids, young & older. We began our England portion, giving ourselves 6 days extra by arriving LHR and spending a couple days to see Windsor & London, then a couple days in the Cotswolds staying at a B&B, which was one of our highlights. (Whalley Farms, Whittingham, Cheltenham, Glou.) Rented a Avis for this portion, with a drop in Dover, and we were glad to have an automatic & GPS, for we might never have found the Avis drop Office, at the ferry docks. Embarkation was smooth, lunch was waiting, luggage was prompt...and all was good. We did had several notarized letters of permission to travel with our Granddarlin without her mother being present (For Disney, for Airline, For Russia; and as sole/single parent with no father's permission needed, which again we had to prove by notarized documents), but no documents were ask for and we assume they must have thought that my other daughter was her mother. It was a party-like atmosphere, and Disney must not have had any notations of an absent parent/s, or at this point it was moot. A lot of preparation for nothing. (Same for Russian entry requirements...copy of this & that, which were never required) Debarkation was even smoother...with a early departure we breakfasted early, and dragging our own bags we gathered with other guests for the all clear. 8:45a all-clear received, and with no immigration check, we were at the Taxi stand at 9a, and at the Dover Priory train station by 9:15a (Taxi-9GBP for 4 pps & luggage), for a 9:44a high-speed train (1 hr) to St. Pancras/London station. Bought train tickets at Southeastern Rail website, prepaid, but couldn't get actual tickets until we got to Dover. There they required your confirmation letter, & the actual credit card it was purchased with. Done. We were in London by 11a, hotel by 11:30 and out touring London before Noon. Dover: Spent the night before the cruise at the Hubert Guesthouse (125GBP 4pps, bfst.-Tripadvisor review) to give us a easy morning to sight-see. We choose the Dover Castle & Tunnels and we enjoyed this informative tour, and wander of King Henry II castle. The Avis representative told us, Dover Castle was not bombed by the Germans and ordered to keep it intact, so Hitler could make her headquarters there! Bit of history for you. Sail-away was pretty, with grand view of the White Cliff...I can understand the heart stirring of Brits to see their homeland again. If you're looking for a great dinner place in Dover...the Light of India, on the Seawall Road, see Tripadvisor review. Read Less