This was my 2nd Disney cruise and my 3rd time cruising. The last Disney cruise was to Alaska on the Wonder, and it was the best vacation ever! So I made a prepayment and couldn't wait to go on another Disney cruise again. Well, this latest cruise would only rate a 6 out of 10. Avoid rooms that have an adjoining interior door with the neighboring room, such as 1050 and 1052. My neighbors had an absolutely annoying kid who looked about 3 years old. Every single day and night, that cried and yelled, and coughed, usually around 7am, once in the afternoon as I tried to nap, and once at 11:30pm. The husband would yell at the kid, and even talking, they had to be loud. I complained to guest services but the lady said all the rooms were booked, so we could not be moved to another room. She told me I could dial 0 if they got too loud and mgt could talk to the family. We got 2 bags of popcorn and rice krispie treats as an apology for this lousy family being next door. I wouldn't say the cruise was ruined but this greatly diminished my enjoyment as every day I was cranky and sleep deprived. The other main negative was the extreme rockiness of the ship. The Alaskan cruise was very serene so I expected a similar seasick-free experience. Nope. Every night the ship swayed so much that you could see drinks shaking on the dinner tables and holiday wreaths swinging on the walls. It felt awful and gave me a headache one night. Weather was not warm enough. It rained on the day we stopped in the Bahamas and the water at castaway cay was very cold. It started raining that early afternoon and all the day's excursions were canceled due to wind. It only got hot enough for us to venture into a pool on the afternoon the day before leaving. However, soon after that, a kid defecated in the pool so everyone had to get out and it was unusable the rest of the day. The toilet in our room smelled mildly of old urine. I wiped down and tried washing all around the surfaces but could never get rid of the smell, but I didn't have the heart to tell the Filipino man who was our room attendant. Hair dryer was old and grimy from so many hands touching it-- gross. Pillows were lumpy and there was old grime in the corners of the bathroom; if I go again, I will only go on newer ships. Carpet in main areas, bench near theater were worn out. Cabanas seating was jam packed. Many food portions at dinner were so small it was laughable. Salmon one night tasted like burnt plastic, and the lemon pie seemed overbaked and tasted bad. My child had a hamburger that was dry and reminded me of cheap hamburgers from my public school cafeteria. All the cakes were dry and spongey. Cutlery is all big and heavy, not right for little kids to deal with. The coffee is watery, cheap drek in worn plastic mugs, unless you shell out more money for the cafe. I felt nickeled and dimed (or dollared?!) when we were charged for popcorn and a tiny cup of juice near the theaters, and of course you feel obligated to tip the poor 3rd world staff on top of it all. The photo package was something like $250 for the smallest package-- pass! I didn't get suckered into spa services but those prices are crazy too. Ok, good aspects: my kid loved the kid's club and kept wanting to go. Some if the food was excellent, like the soups and salads at dinner. Mashed potatoes, pizza, fries, soft serve ice cream are tasty. Service was mostly excellent although the servers kept taking our cutlery away as they cleared dishes. We wound up eating with soup spoons or even a knife. The shows were the best. Tangled and the John Cassidy show were surprisingly much better than I anticipated. Even my kid sat through them. Castaway Cay was beautiful and the lunch buffet was delicious. I wish we had 2 days there instead of the overly touristy/grimy Bahamas stop. Views from the ship were awesome. The tour of the ship for adults was interesting. Embarking and disembarking were pretty smooth. The cruise helps you check in your luggage and gives you boarding passes the night before, which was great so we didn't have to drag luggage around the next day. The Disney shuttle to the airport was nice and quick, with a video ad to make the time fly by. One other thing to keep in mind is that cruising during Xmas, a lot more people are sick. In addition to the constantly crying and coughing kid next door, everywhere we went on the ship, people were coughing. It's pretty off putting to be in a crowded theater as someone's hacking near you. So in the future, I will avoid cruising during cold and flu season. The last day, my obnoxious neighbors had their alarm clock going off at 5:40am for at least 10 minutes. I felt like throttling them. After a whole day at the airport, we returned tired, heavier, and still feeling like the rooms are swaying. It was an ok experience this time that I will not repeat. I don't recommend this particular time/itinerary/ship. Read Less

This was our 3rd Merrytime cruise, as cruising over Christmas has become our tradition, however this year might be our last. The quality of DCL is clearly slipping. The Magic is dated, showing many signs of wear from the room to the pool. The dining staff at dinner works so hard, they are in constant rapid motion. It seems they are short staffed, forced to cover more tables per server than should be humanly possible, so clearly over worked but rising nightly to the occasion. The chaos it creates is overwhelming and makes it difficult to catch the attention of your server at dinner because they are constantly dashing between their assigned tables, to the kitchen to grab food / give orders and back. Even if I could locate them, the clear stress they were under, and sense of overwhelm in the room made me feel guilty asking for anything. On other (not DCL) cruises I’ve been on the dinner time experience was calm, relaxing, and the servers were assigned a more reasonable number of tables. My children have special needs and the chaos / noise in the room was too much for them, so they were often agitated and upset at dinner, unable to eat. I did learn toward the end of the cruise that Cabanas (the buffet) was open for a sit down dinner outside of this assigned dining that was much calmer and more enjoyable - it also creates more flexibility in terms of timing if you need to eat earlier for the kids one day. I’d recommend that instead. Having the characters around the boat is always so much fun for the kids, this team of characters was the best of our 3 cruises, and most patient with my special needs kiddos. We love the nightly family dance parties as this is something we often do at home too, however they really should relocate the photographers so they are not in the middle of the dance floor getting frustrated with little dancers who have wandered toward the posed families in front of the backdrops. Being our third cruise, the same musicals are getting a bit old, I wish they would add some new ones or mix it up! The pirate party was magical, as was the tree lighting and goodbye ceremony - I wish they could be a bit earlier to accommodate the kiddos as a 10pm start is late for most kids! But the most shockingly terrible part was the spa. I regularly get messages and this was the absolute worst experience I’ve ever had. The massage ‘therapist’ could not have had ANY advanced training in massage. At first I laid there questioning myself, it can’t really be this bad right? Am I overreacting? Maybe it will get better? It didn’t. It kept getting worse and the experience was making me so anxious I was starting to itch and break into hives. She applied WAY too much oil, so much so that it was uncomfortable and made her rushed touch feel like a tickle - contributing to the overall feeling of the massage being rushed and sloppy. She was moving so fast that it was the opposite of relaxing. When I asked her slow down (twice!) she responded by using even less pressure like she was confused what I was asking. I did the hot stone massage... a few other highlights included her ramming the stones into my hip bones and attempting to rub the stones into my shoulder bones. I ended up leaving half way through because it was so awful and they still tried to charge me! No one ever followed up after the ordeal to see what happened. I’ve had regular massages at home and at various resorts over the years - I am pretty easy to please... never have I had an experience like this. As others have said, it goes seem that the quality of a Disney Cruise is slipping, they are cutting costs / corners and it’s very evident. It may no longer be worth a higher price for a DCL Cruise. Time to explore other options! Read Less

Overall the cruise was great, a few improvements could be made, I'll get to that later. Disney truly goes above and beyond with customer service! It was my granddaughter's first cruise and her first trip out of Canada without her mother (my daughter) due to severe food allergies. To put things in context, she's unable to have restaurant or take-out experiences back home for fear of cross-contamination and a trip to the ER. This is where Dumitri comes in, who made the entire trip magical for us. He convinced me the first time we sat down for a meal that Disney does understand food allergies and takes them very seriously. Due to his diligence, attention to detail, and overall desire to make this an incredible experience, my 6 year old granddaughter was able to eat every meal without fear of becoming sick. She was so impressed that she's decided we should either move onto the ship or we should take Dumitru home with us! Thank you Dumitru; as a result of your dedication, this will be the first of many trips with the Disney brand. Items that could use improvement: 1) My granddaughter and I were disappointed the Disney characters weren't more available/accessible to kids. If you wanted to see any of them, you had to line-up at designated times and areas...which meant the line-ups were long. I've gone to Disney World a few times and I was expecting characters to be walking around on the ship for kids to interact with. 2) The waiting time to be served in the restaurants was way too long for kids. I thought the wait was due to our particular situation with food allergies, but when I spoke to other families on board, they expressed the same comment. Read Less

As expected from Disney we experienced top notch guest service. A very clean well maintained ship. No bad experiences with staff. Great service from our dining team which you keep throughout the rotation of dining rooms. Our experience was during holiday season and ship was beautifully decorated for Christmas. Nightly shows are high caliber entertainment along with first run movies available in a theater. Our port stops were good Key West, Castaway Cay and Nassau, Bahamas. We did not use any port excursions as we just explored on our own. Honestly at Castaway Cay you don't need any port excursions just enjoy the beautiful island. 1st time embarking at Miami and it was not as pretty as port Canaveral but Disney made it mostly seamless process. The smaller ship was nice as we have previously been on Disney's larger ships, it was quicker to navigate around and up to pool deck on the Magic. Read Less

Our very first time on a cruise. We were family of 6, adjoining rooms with daughter, son in law , 4 yr old and 6 yr old. Rooms were immaculate and the veranda views were beautiful. Disney app made scheduling character sessions, shows, activities and messaging between family members easy and convenient. Food at cabanas was very good and varied. Shows were fantastic and magical for both the children and adults. Kids enjoyed the kids club and attended 3 out of 5 days for 2 hours each day which was a little nice break for both them and the adults. Prices at clubs for drinks and food were comparable to city eateries. Kids were able to see each character because we kept an eye on timing and made sure we were early for each activity plus set alerts on the app which were very useful and we took our own pictures , no need for photo package. Since it was a repositioning cruise our port stop was Antigua, took a brief walk to see some local sites, church and people then headed early back to ship for some pool/slide time in a calmer atmosphere. Pools are small so one needs to be flexible with when to attend. Every single Disney employee was friendly, helpful and pleasant. The dance party’s in the atrium were crowded yet they were short enough that kids enjoyed without getting overwhelmed. Servers in restaurants were like friends and attentive to children and their wishes. Overall it was a wonderful experience for the little ones and priceless to watch their excitement. Few suggestions for Disney would be to figure out the WiFi difficulties and charges, to add more some comedians for adults and to have the characters Moving around ship more to make surprise sightings opposed to only scheduled ones. Thank you Disney for our magical cruise! Read Less

Save your money Crew and ship Appearance was very good. Pool deck Breakfast and lunch on the back of the boat. Lousy pizza and ice cream cones on pool deck midship. The restaurants were nice. Free text though disney app was excellent to communicate to other family members on the boat, castaway Cay, and Magic Kingdom. BUT... SHIP WAS ROCKING SIDE TO SIDE all the time. MANY were very motion sick. No characters roaming The ship, only 40 minute wait lines to see or take a pic with them. Hot and humid slimey water Castaway Cay island water with sea lice was nasty. You'll know it when you feel like your being bitten on top of your shoulders when you exit the water. Excursions cancelled, unknown why. Magic kingdom was 90 plus degrees with limited benches and shade. Many had to vacate the park back to the buses (1 hour ride back to the boat) the next day we all froze all the way back to New York. Nothing for adults or a 10 year to do. 10 year old told he had to be 13 to play on 3 lousy XBox games in the ships game room. That's all they had in there. It's Disneys schedule, not yours. Your just along for the ride. 4x12 shift TSA screeners are nasty to get back on the boat at the dock of Port Canaveral. Shopping from $25 coffee mug tmmmqo $13500 3 inch tall quartz figures. Be prepared to walk for miles and miles and be dizzy while your at it. All 8 of us hated the cruise. Even the 10 year old. NEVER EVER AGAIN. Read Less

This was a specialty cruise put on for Turner Classic Movies with Sixthman as intermediary. Embarkation and Disembarkation went smoothly. I was so excited knowing that not only would there be some great classic movie screenings, being a DISNEY ship they would go the extra mile with service and quality - if the parks were any indication. Turner Classic Movies "undisneyfied" the ship to go with the classic movie specialty theme, which was not a problem, they did a lovely job adding those special little touches to the decor and I loved hearing the 30s and 40s music being piped throughout the ship in the common areas. It would have been nice to have Karaoke offered every night in the lounges as it was only offered twice. The staff were very nice and you could see they were trying their best to please us. The only disappointment I had was the comparison to other cruises I've been on - mostly Royal Caribbean - where the Dining Room in the evening is such an event to look forward to, the food and service being so outstanding. On the Disney Magic the tastes seemed very geared to typical American processed fare - burgers, spaghetti, chicken fingers and mac and cheese, that when they had to step it up for a gourmet meal in the dining room it fell far short every time. On other cruises, once the staff know your preferences you never have to repeat yourself as they remember everything. On this cruise though we had the same staff we found ourselves repeating everything multiple times, even during the same meal ie. no pepper I'm allergic. After the third evening in the dining room, where all six of the dining guests at our table laughed hysterically at what the food was trying to look like or be, I gave up and just did the buffet on the 9th deck. That was my only disappointment, I really expected more of the food. The bed was extremely comfy and I slept like a baby. I was really happy to see they provided shampoo, bath gel and conditioner in the bathroom and that they even had a small bathtub so you could choose a shower or tub bath. The ship's decor is a lovely art deco meets Mickey Mouse. A feast for the eyes. I was excited that room service items, though a limited menu, is still complimentary and I took advantage of having decaf coffee, cookies, and a mickey ice cream bar one night. Read Less

We love DCL and especially the "classic" (smaller) Magic & Wonder as much for their intimacy as their more interesting itineraries. So when we saw they were offering some "VGT" (they pick your stateroom, with a "V"erandah) rates a month or so before departure . . . from New York City to Bermuda - an island I have been to approx. 10 times when I was younger . . .it was hard to resist. The incentive rate, which was approx. $500 less than the listed rate, and the Disney Gift Cards I had earned at work were burning a hole in my pocket, so myself and Devoted Wife were booked into our 10th and 15th Disney Cruise respectively. 5 days total incl 2 sea days to & from and 2 3/4 days in Bermuda in the middle of the trip. Better than a 3-day'er from Florida, but not the 8~12 day'ers we've done in Europe. Leaving from the Manhattan Cruise terminal intrigued me as we live 1 1/2 hours away in Central NJ. So no flying or hotel the night before. Wow, this would be different . . . and it was. As I am familiar/comfortable with public transportation options from many years of commuting to NYC, I chose wisely. We parked at the NJ Transit station in NJ and took trains to/from NY Penn Station. Embarking, we had more luggage (as I take lots of my favorite soft drinks, and my wife brings candy for the "Fish Extenders"), so we did a taxi from the 8th Ave side of Penn Station, which let us off at the queue on the Northbound side of 12th Ave across from the pedestrian entrance of Pier 88. Perfect. We checked our bags by 11am and waited in the mass of folks who all seemed to get there early as we did. Disembarking, even though we exited directly with our luggage, it appeared that several hundred of our shipmates preceded us and grabbed the queue of taxi's available at the commuting hour of 7~8am. After declining the special "out-of-town" rate of $35+tip to Penn Station, we wheeled our luggage south on the West Side pedestrian trail approx. 9 blocks to the NYC Waterway Terminal and took the free bus across 34th St and got off right by Penn Station. A little unwieldy with the big bags, but no waiting for taxi's to eventually show up and the price ($0) was right! The cruise itself was typically fantastic with great service by so many, great food (perhaps I ate too much at Palo!?), amazing entertainment (headed by the wonderful Lisa Karlin as Ms. Gothel and Elsa), and a secure, if a bit bumpy ride out and back to Bermuda. We also enjoyed the trivia games hosted by #tonyfromspain who is a hoot and a half. We eschew the cruise-line-sponsored excursions for the $$$'s but more so because they are tourism-with-training-wheels. They are typically made for the typical American tourist who eats and shops and wants the world delivered to them via the outside of a bus. I took the beach and public buses to/from HorseShoe Bay one day and the nearby Fairmont Princess Tennis Center the next day to play tennis with the pro from MTM Tennis, Gavin Manders. I had a blast and got some good exercise in. My wife walked around the Dockyards and enjoyed the museum and the little shops. It was great. It was the first time I've been to Bermuda by sea and, while the location of the Dockyard berths are quite a bit away from the rest of Bermuda (Hamilton, the Caves, the Zoo/Aquarium, St. George, and even the Southend beaches), with a little planning, one can have a nice visit to this terrific place. Read Less

We just returned from a 5 night cruise on the Disney Magic out of New York, calling on Bar Harbor Maine and St. John New Brunswick. Many of the features that attract us to Disney remain - the amazing dining room staff and cabin stewards, the entertainment (many levels above other lines) and the attention to detail. However, we were quite disappointed to experience several areas where service cutbacks had been imposed very recently, and I thought that I would share them with the forum. Like many of you, I have multiple Disney cruises on multiple ships, so I know what has been delivered in the past. Some cutbacks were obvious, and some were more subtle, but the overall combination produces the unavoidable conclusion that budget consciousness has hit Disney Cruises. Given the price of the product, this news is really sad. It started at embarkation. Disney had cut out the gold and silver express line, and 95% of the passengers were forced into a single line with a wait of some 75 minutes. Given the technology available to companies today, this is simply unacceptable. Disney's "system" of allotted check in times was a complete shambles. It seems that the system has a giant hole - no one checks the boarding time until the passenger checks in, and then it is only used to determine actual boarding group. We had an 11 am to 11:30 boarding time and had to wait endlessly behind passengers with 2 or 3 pm check in times. Disney needs a better system and they need to restore the gold express check in. The Castaway Club loyalty tiers already provide very little value. Taking away one of the biggest benefits is no way to build loyalty. When we finally did board, the next cutback was presented. We were seated for lunch (I don't do buffets), and as usual were presented with a bread basket (and I am a fan of Disney breads). That's it. No butter at all. I asked my helpful server for butter, and after a while he brought butter, but just two tiny pats for a table of four. I am usually successful at suppressing my sarcasm, particularly when it comes to dining room staff, but I asked: "is there a butter shortage that I have not read about?" The surprising response was "no sir, this is the new standard we just started". I guess I laughed, because a minute or two later the head server came over and said the same thing. He was very embarrassed and suggested that I comment about it. I noticed many similar small cutbacks throughout the food service during the cruise, and found myself having to ask for many items that in the past were simply brought and offered. I understand trying to reduce waste, but at the very premium price point charged by Disney, further inflating already industry leading profit levels by cutting back on such items as butter is a disservice to the Disney cruising community. Yes, butter is a small thing, and many of you are probably thinking that I am making a big thing our of nothing, but having been affiliated with major corporation for many years, I know what happens to a company where finance rules everything. I believe that it is starting to happen here. I also saw Disney cancelling a large number of excursions this journey. I personally had 3 excursions that I had signed up for cancelled after I booked them. Bottom line - I will probably still go on another Disney Cruise at some point, but am not sure that I would recommend the line to others now. Read Less

My mom and I took my 4.5 year old nephew on a 5 night cruise to Bermuda. This was my third Disney cruise and my third time on the Magic sailing out of NYC. This was my second Halloween on the High Seas. My nephew loved meeting all of the characters; it was probably his favorite thing to do. Bermuda was a great port of call and we really enjoyed Horseshoe Bay beach. The Disney movies in the room were also a godsend as my nephew is an early riser and we put movies on for him to watch so we could get some extra sleep in the morning. EMBARKATION: Always seems to take forever on Disney compared to other cruise lines. The characters coming out helps, but it still is a very slow process. And there is never enough seating in the NYC cruise terminal. DINING: Our waiters were amazing with my nephew and brought him chicken nuggets, french fries, and apple slices every night because he is an incredibly picky eater. I found the gluten free options very lacking. Other cruise lines give you an option of ordering off menu or will try to make non gluten free items gluten free for you. That is not the case on Disney. Some nights there wasn't even a gluten free appetizer option. Really enjoyed getting gluten free mickey waffles everyday for breakfast in the buffet though. Lumiere's now seems very boring and outdated compared to the other two restaurants as well. HALLOWEEN ACTIVITIES: Were way too late for our 4.5 year old. We had the early dinner seating so had to stay up until 8:15 for trick or treating to start. We also found the party and trick or treating to not be well organized. KIDS CLUB: We could not get my nephew to attend the kids club on his own. We had him try it once for 45mins and when I went to pick him up he was standing in the room by himself not doing anything. He begged us not to have him go back by himself. He's a very shy kid so we suspected this may happen before the start of cruise. We attended the Zootopia and Sloppy Science activities during an open house and loved them. The Zootopia activity was especially cute. SERVICE: Amazing as always. Read Less

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

1. Room 8040 was terrible we keep hearing super loud thumping sounds from somewhere, my four year old who always sleeps like a baby woke up so many times and said it’s just too noisy 2. Food service was terrible, they ask you how you want the meat cooked but it’s never cooked to our preference and most things are cold when they reach us. We weren’t very happy that there were many times when we were hungry but there wasn’t any food available to us other than soggy fries and pizza that tasted like plastic. The dining rotations were so bad by day 3 we wanted to skip it and just go to the buffet but only to realize there is no dinner buffet! Desserts were unbearable! Breakfast buffet was so 1980’s. No gluten free options and it’s just a bunch of flour and sugary foods but are not even considered real food. We could choose either cheap waffle pancake or donut, with lots of sugary dressings, or we go for boxed cereal that aren’t even real food but synthesized. The butter wasn't even real butter it was margarine! People who care about their bodies and health and watch what they eat don’t eat these packaged processed foods. My daughters are gluten/corn/soy sensitive, they ended up having no appetite for breakfast. I am not sure about you but from where I live everyone is aware that eating like that causes obesity and diabetes. But I don’t mind eating that stuff if it’s good but it wasn’t even good! 3. Most of us were so seasick we couldn’t really enjoy it, and I have never been seasick at all on any cruise ship, not to mention one time I was on a cruise when I was in between first and second trimester. But this time I felt so sick I was lying down one time for 36 hours straight and one of the kids threw up right in the middle of the show that’s how bad the ship was moving and swaying. 4. The Club House was terrible, they just hand my 4&6 year olds iPads! For the money we pay we would think the people there would have been giving them some more interesting things to do but our kids come back and say they are bored because they just get an iPad which my 4 year old never got any instruction and isn’t even fluent in English, so she had no idea what she was doing and was utterly bored! 5. The UK customs clearance was unbelievable, we were in line for almost two hours only to have to give up because we didn’t want to miss the Lion King premier and then had to go back in the line again after the movie! That’s just really poor coordination, we wasted so much time and it’s quite obvious that people were pissed too. They even asked us if we had any intentions to work in the UK! As if anyone would pay 17000 USD just to sneak in and find illegal work? 6. Laundry was so frustrating when half of the machines would always be broken at any time! So the functional machines were scarce and people ended up having to bite or fight each other to use them. It just reminded me of my college dorms! And people were taking my stuff out of dryer even before I got the message from Disney Cruise app! I had semi dry clothing lying all over when I got there a few minutes before my dryer time is up! 7. When we got to Dover, the shuttle bus to Dover train station actually cost 10 USD per person including our small children, that’s 40 USD in total while local taxi which we ended up taking only costs 10 pounds! 8. For all the coffee at our dining rotations, it actually costs money! For a coffee to go with the dessert after our meal, it costs 2-3 dollars I think that’s just too obvious Disney is trying to charge for whatever they could. We paid 17000 USD for 7 days and we couldn’t get a coffee to go with our dessert? 9. The Disney Cruise wasn’t even very Disney, I thought it would give us the feeling when we walk into Disney Orlando but it was nowhere near. Other than the shows and occasional characters posing for photographs (which again costs money), nothing was Disney! No Disney Music, no Disney decor, no Disney colors, not even the famous Disney parade....which we actually had even at non Disney Cruise Ship one time, the Oasis. For 17000 USD I think we definitely have many other options. Read Less

We were on the Magic with a total of ten family members...my husband became ill, near death, the second day. We went to the ship hospital and were cared for by Dr. Nick. He was so comforting and helpful. My husband and I were removed from the ship and taken by ambulance to a hospital in La Spezia. Dr Nick checked in with me daily and also checked on my family helping them deal with the trauma and keeping us all up to date on the hospital care ( I need to add, NO ONE spoke English in the town or hospital). Disney has Corey in Orlando, he helped me find someone who could help me navigate the hospital and care. Nicoletta was a dock worker who took great care of us both thanks to Disney. Corey checked in on me daily even after we left the hospital. I felt the support from Dr Nick, Corey, and Nicolette got us both thru a total nightmare. Disney really looked after my husband and me as well as the family left on the ship! GOOD JOB DISNEY! Read Less

This was our first time cruising Disney alone without kids and our 3rd Disney cruise overall. We had an amazing time. I love spending time with the adults only activities, the alcohol tastings, hanging out in the adult sections etc. I have never been on another cruise line for fear of missing the magic, service and cleanliness that Disney brings. We like to see characters in passing, but don't need pictures with them. We like seeing all the cute kids enjoying the magic. We always do first dining because we don't like to be full when we go to bed. I keep hearing first dining is louder or has more kids, which makes sense but we have never been affected by that. I love Disney songs in the hallways, I love Disney shows, the service, the overall atmosphere of Disney. I was worried it wouldn't be as fun without the kids (our kids are late teen's early 20's now). I did miss them, because we love hanging out with them, but it was perfectly fine just the 2 of us. We enjoyed the spa for the first time on this trip. I can't think of a bad thing to say about it. We plan to go again in May 2020. Read Less

I chose this cruise because it was something I always wanted to experience and so I took my 9 yr old grandson during Spring break from school. We love the Disney Parks and wanted to try to cruise. My husband, 23 yr old son, my grandson and myself were in stateroom 7536. My brother, sis in law and 18 yr old nephew were in 7520. We had a nice time all in all. There was a mishap on first night dinner in AP. We ordered steaks and my bro got a one inch piece of metal in his. He was chewing and after feeling it, he spit it out - thank goodness. The wait staff, chef and head waiter were very apologetic and I felt bad for the chef. He looked so upset and puzzled. It was a piece of metal from a wire brush that would be used to clean a grill. This could have ruined entire cruise if it had been swallowed. Like I said, they were very upset that this happened and I hope they do whatever they need to do to ensure this never happens again. Swallowing that could be fatal. At the very least would require surgery. We received Magical Memories certificates for our troubles. The ports were fine. Key West was nice. Nassau - been there, done that. Unless your doing a day at Atlantis, might be best to stay on the ship. Castaway Cay, was beautiful. The weather was great. The shows were awesome. Saw every one of them. They released END GAME on the ship and that was so fun. Disney details were the best. We enjoyed some late night trivia and juggling entertainment. The food was okay but nothing over the top. We didn't do Palo. We were very disappointed that Lumiere's did not offer any entertainment for dinner. AP and the Tangled restaurants did have lovely entertainment, but not Lumiere's. It was our last night's restaurant so we looked forward to some fun, but there was none to be had. The wait staff said they removed the Beauty and the Beast entertainment because it was frightening to the little ones. This is Disney and they could have done something else rather than nothing. So yeah that was disappointing. Would I do another Disney Cruise, possibly but not 100% yet. Read Less

Embarkation in Miami a bit rocky, the check in was not well staffed in addition to enormous amount of first time cruisers, everyone confused & slow, slow, slow. Stateroom needed much attention lots of patchwork, shower loose and sprayed water from neck, missing caulking to messy over caulked area's and the noise, you could not get away from it on the 8th deck, do not book an stateroom with a connecting door and stay away from deck 8. Chair dragging, running, jumping quiet about 0100hrs. The ship is showing her age, deck 4 very narrow for running track. Dining same as the Dream class yet no one dressed for dinner on this ship but a handful of us. Minimum activities, everything everywhere trivia! Our stateroom host was on his phone almost always, left trash bins ajar never refilled soap, had to ask for it and shampoo etc. He smiled and always apologized, just off putting & we are neat freaks so he never had much to do. The movie theater had zero leg room, it was very uncomfortable if you are over 5'6". The sail away party was awful, I can go hear a DJ anywhere, if you have a choice skip this one. (Unless you enjoy really small elevators packed with people and stairs that are so narrow they are hard to navigate especially when there are children running up & down them with no parents in sight. No Magic on the Magic in our opinion, pretty bad when you are Okay with disembarkation day! Read Less

This was are ninth cruise with DCL. Have sailed on all 4 ships. Had not sailed on the Magic or Wonder in a long time and I had forgotten how nice they are! The Magic was in great shape, has a new water slide and a new restaurant. Rapunzel's. The food and service was excellent in all 3 dining rooms. Rapunzel's has an interactive dinner show that was fun. The Dining rooms on the classic ships are less crowded then on the Dream class. In fact it did not seem crowded in any of the public areas. Entertainment from shows to trivia in pubs was all excellent. Did not do any excursions, did are own walking tours of Key West and Nassau. Castaway Cay as usual was great and again less crowded with the smaller ship. Would not hesitate to book on the Magic! I also booked a placeholder on board for a future cruise that will give us 10% off plus 100.00 credit. Read Less

This cruise was nothing but amazing! Beyond our expectations. We came well prepared with lots of U-tube videos and FB groups so we knew what to expect. Even if you don't do that the staff was super helpful. The wait staff took care of all our dietary restrictions with no issues. Our kids enjoyed that they knew exactly what they wanted every night. My kids love d the unlimited ice cream! The food was fantastic! We went on a couple of excursions through Disney. We felt well taken care of and safe. The private island was not crowded and we had lots to do and nothing to do at the same time. Our room was clean and set up so nicely every night. Our room attendant was over the top with taking care of us. We ordered too service once and really enjoyed it! Food was hot and us parents enjoyed that we could have a glass of wine on the deck in our room at night! The entertainment was mind blowing. Every night!!! It was like going to a live theatre all the time! My kids were screaming with delight at the end of each show. There was lots to do and nothing to do at the same time. The balance and options were endless! I would totally go again! Best way to do Disney!! Character meet and greets were better than Disney World! Read Less

We chose this cruise because we wanted to take our grandchildren with us. The crew stood out from the time we stepped on board. Our family was announced as we walked on board and cheered as we walked past. An issue was resolved with grace and humor by the Guest Services people. Every member of the crew actually seemed happy to be there and doing what they were hired to do. I caught a crew member dancing to herself when no one else was looking. Especially accommodating were our dinner wait staff. Our main waiter, Ralph, and his assistant, Deddy, were quick, efficient and fun to be around. Our youngest, who is 9, ordered a lemonade at dinner the first night at dinner. She was shocked when she was brought a lemonade every night before she had a chance to ask. They showed some magic tricks as well as some mind-benders using crayons. They went with us each night even as we went to different dining rooms. This was a great idea as well. We had dinner in each of the 3 dining rooms. Each had something different to offer. Animator's Palate was adorned with screens on all the walls which had pencil drawings. As the night went on the screens changed to show how the characters were drawn. Finally, they went to color and became fully animated as Mickey entered the dining room. Rapunzel's Table was decorated as you might expect from the time period depicted in that fairy tale. A live show during dinner was also great for the kids. The number of children was much higher than on other cruises I've taken. This did cause some lines when characters came out to sign autographs. The outdoor evening events were when the number of children really was evident. The pool deck was wall to wall kids! The evening productions seemed to have just a little higher level of talent than most cruises I've been on. The changes in scenery along with the animation made the productions really stand out. Our grandkids really enjoyed the whole experience, especially the day in Castaway Cay. It was a great time for all. However, I would not go on it just as a couple. Read Less

To be with grandkids I am disappointed with overcharging under gratuities and 30 minute massage. 63.29 tip for every activity including for a 6 dollars spent at laundry. Sand bar charge of 11.43 has a 53.28 tip. Oslo glass wine charge of 109.78 is excessive. This is all in addition to maximum tip I gave to server staff of three and to host who took care of our room. Unless I am mistaken, the charges are excessive compared to other cruise I have travelled with. Certainly makes me think twice before considering Disney cruise in fu. I cannot figure out why you want minimum of 150 words, perhaps a control issue. Kids enjoyed their interaction with Mickey and others. Food was good , staff appear to be happier compared to other cruises I have travelled with, perhaps a real feeling or good training. Some of the staff at guest services were not good at proper communication. Read Less

Traveled with family group of 8 (4 adults, 4 kids aged 5-9). Same group traveled to Disney World last October. No issues with embarking from Port of Miami. Cabin rooms were fine, as we knew we would not be spending much time in the rooms. Statesroom attendant (Calvin) was fantastic. Super-friendly - the kids loved the towel creatures he created each day. He also rotated the sheets on the kids beds, when we informed him they would be sharing bottom/top bunk duties. Bought the beer package with cooler bag upon boarding. For 80$ (including tax, tip, delivery to room), got 12 beers and the good sized cooler bag. Would recommend this, if you don't have a chance to buy beers prior to boarding. Note - Disney will confiscate 16oz beers - the 12oz size is a strict rule. they will confiscate magnum sized wine bottles as well. Drinks of the day all ran on the sweet side, but this is where you get the bang for your buck. Dining - started great at Lumieres on the 1st night, but then it went downhill after that. Our food / beverage servers were not in synch. we were constantly served food, prior to beverages - in some cases, we finished our desserts before the coffee ever arrived. We were pretty predictable with our orders, yet everything seemed to surprise our servers. Most troubling was the fact that members in our party had nut/shellfish allergies which were declared prior to boarding. But, each evening we had to ask our server which meals to avoid, and every night, he had to go ask the head server, and kitchen staff. Kids menu was not impressive - typical choices. Animators palate was ok at best, Rapunzels table was very good. Palo was great, but the reservation racket that Disney operates boggles the mind. We almost had to pay for a cancellation at Palo, then were put on a waiting list. When we did dine at Palo, there were empty tables throughout the restaurant! Why are there so many empty tables, if there is a waiting list? Very antiquated ordering system in the restaurants. If you have food service industry experience, you would quickly notice a lot of inefficiencies. Cabanas for breakfast/lunch was solid. Daisy Delights was the best option on the pool deck as there was actually healthy food choices. Room Service - small, limited menu, but timely delivery. The infamous cheese was plate was comical. Don't understand why items like powerade is a premium charge on room service, but unlimited at Cabanas. Popcorn at the movie theater was also a charged item. I can get as many steaks as I want in the restaurant, but Disney charges for popcorn? Pool Deck - Pools were smaller than expected. The kids enjoyed the slides, but with only 2 of them, the lines got long...40 minutes at times. Extremely windy on the deck during the days at sea - made impossible to play basketball. younger kids enjoyed the Discovery club, especially when characters visited. The older girls weren't too impressed. Was hoping not to see iPads, but its Disney - they invented screen-time!! Again, don't understand why the kids wristbands are a charge - 14$. Yes, they refund upon return, but if they break upon return, Disney chucks them in the garbage. Got some pictures with characters - however, the length of the lines got crazy at times. you are better off grabbing a pic with them after the scheduled event is over. Marvel Day was cool. It balanced the "princess culture" of Disney, allowing the boys to enjoy something geared toward them. The Pirate show on the deck was fun, nothing exceptional. Supposedly Disney is the only cruise line allowed to launch fireworks. adult activities were on the cheesy side. tequila tasting was great - would recommend going to those type of events. The majority of activities for adults, were more along the lines of trivia, name that song, bingo, etc. Wives got massages in the Spa - they were irked that they were pushed to buy products. musicians playing in the lounges, bars were very good. Michael Harrison, a ventriloquist, was fantastic - kids loved him. he also did an adult show later in the trip. The theater productions of Charmed, Cinderella were excellent. Dr. Strange show was ok. Cozumel port day was great- went swimming with dolphins. it was good to get off of the ship. Castaway day was probably the best day. Kids loved the beach. However, we don't understand why we have to pay to rent snorkel and raft gear on an island that Disney operates. Getting off the boat was fine - recommend the luggage pick up the night before. beats dragging all of your stuff to breakfast. the picture package was extremely overpriced. worse, they shut down the kiosks early, giving you little time to order before disembarking. no issues getting luggage. wouldn't go again. kids had a good time, but they preferred the Disney parks. Disney Magic unfortunately is a little dated, and small. would try an all-inclusive family resort in mexico next time. I didn't see the value. would consider a newer, larger boat. we were moored next to the NCL Breakaway in Cozumel - that ship looked fun. Read Less

I travelled with two children 5 and 6. Accessibility to characters was great! We waited several hours to onboard ship which was difficult for kids, but we did get to meet characters. The ship was very clean. Wait staff and housekeeping were exceptional and extremely pleasant. We did one port adventure which was expensive and not a good experience. I called on phone and asked if my excursion included access to water park at Atlantis. I was told yes, and I clearly said port adventure number N47. At orientation for adventure, we were told we can’t go to water park. When I spoke to attendant,she rudely kept insulting my intelligence stating, “It clearly says not include,” (it did not). I was told I could spend $300 per person to upgrade. No Thanks! That’s where the nickel and dining started. This ship is money hungry! I tried to return my childrens’ bracelets during disembarkment. I was told I was already charged for them. Another cruise member said she would return th for me. I was then CHASED with them and told to take them, I own them now. Literally squeezing every last cent out of me. Also, charged $22 to use their lab top for 5 min to check banking. The extra expenses they snuck out of me really took away from all the great service. Also, left at port adventure without guide. Driver kept asking ME itinerary and where we were going?!? Not worth the money. Left lost in Atlantis asking everyone where we should be. Read Less

This is our first Disney experience and first cruise with your 3 year old daughter. It was a 5 day Bahamian cruise with one Marvel day at sea. CHECK IN: we were picked up easily in baggage check by a Disney agent holding a sign with our name. She quickly got our bags and whisked us away to the Four Seasons Miami in a very comfortable SUV. The transportation (Disney) to the cruise ship was not so easy. We were in a huge bus and had to wait for everyone to get on. When we got to the port, it was very crowded and we were not sure where to go. There was a very long line although we were in concierge level. We are not familiar with cruising so we expected a private check in. But, maybe that's not how concierge cruises go? ROOM: Our room was absolutely gorgeous with a long balcony (not deep though). It was a one bedroom suite with two bathrooms and two showers. The bed and pillows were very comfortable. The rocking of the ship made it very easy to sleep. Our room was kept tidy and we had special treats every night by Ferdie. He was great and very friendly and eager to please. The mini bar was convenient as we always had sparkling water and other drinks available. Concierge made sure we had the drinks we specifically wanted. We put the baby in a crib and she fit nicely next to our room and we still had our own space. CONCIERGE: I cannot imagine what this first experience would have been like without the concierge team: Emanuela, Kamesha and Amanda and help from staff, Hikmet, Nicholas and Jermain. We needed a lot of "hand holding" as we had not had any cruise experience on a ship this big. I expressed my concerns to Emanuela the first day and although I was a bit tired and frustrated after a long day of travel and some confusion, she was very, very patient and understanding and put me at ease and guided me through everything I needed to know. Every day, one of the team members would go through the itinerary with me and I greatly appreciated it. Kamesha and Amanda made Jacqueline my 3 year old feel very welcome and comfortable. They were able to get her the non dairy milk that I had requested and also the sparkling mineral water. We were able to get a last minute reservation at Palo which was absolutely incredible. FOOD: We ate at Lumiere's, Animator's Palate, and Rapunzel's Table. Our servers were Munir, Steve and Gerardo. Gerardo is very good at magic tricks and kept Jacqueline entertained. The dinner was great and food was very good with lots of choices. I only eat seafood but always found something I liked. On the Disney Magic, dinner is not just food, it's a show, a whole production. This was the first time, 5 days in a row our daughter sat at dinner and did not want to watch the ipad. The first night, she was very tired and crying though..Munir was so sympathetic and ran to get her a stuffed puppy. It cheered her up right away. Steve was always there to help us make great choices on dishes and he quickly learned our likes and dislikes. PALO: Palo is the adults only italian restaurant. It is a must do. Mehmet was our server and he had me almost in tears laughing. Dinner was so great. We had the Osso Bucco and the Dover Sole. CABANAS: this is the buffet option which we chose for breakfast and most lunches. It is excellent with a wide variety of choices and something different every day. The staff is excellent. Alexandru was so caring one morning when my daughter insisted on strawberry ice cream. He went out of his way to get it for her. Bee was so helpful and helped me carry my plate as I had my daughter in both arms. CASTAWAY CAY: This is Disney's private island and it is absolutely spectacular. It is so beautiful and serene. We stayed in cabana 14 and this is a perfect location right across from the washrooms. The beach was calm with no waves and white sand. the water was crystal clear. It is almost like a dream. The only place more beautiful than this was our trip to Bora Bora. I do have to mention that some of the staff i.e. the driver of the train and one of the golf cart drivers were not representative of Disney standard. not friendly. not helpful. short. gruff. SHOWS: We were only able to stay up for one show which was Dreams. This was the first time she ever watched a show from beginning to end with no coaxing. She was completely enthralled with her eyes glued to the stage. CHARACTERS: The character meet and greets come with long lines but I realized that this is going to be unavoidable on a cruise..lines....lines to get out...lines to get on the ship, lines to see characters, lines to go to eat. lines. but, it was worth the wait for the memories. Jacqueline had several unforgettable memories. On two separate occasions, she ran into Ariel and Sophia. They were both so endearing and played with her and held her hand and walked around the ship with her for quite a while. It really made her trip. These are memories she will keep with her. We took videos. OCEANEER'S CLUB: This is the part I was the most disappointed in. Although, it turned out well on the last try. We tried 3 times to get our daughter to go to the club, but she just would not go the first two times. The first time was not a good first impression. When we walked in, the girl at the check in was not very friendly or welcoming and seemed like she just didn't want to be there and had already had too long of a day and just wanted us to go away. I asked if I could walk my daughter in and this was not allowed. I came by 20 minutes after i dropped her off and she was wandering around by herself. The second time we tried, she cried again. The third time, luckily, we met Sophy. She was very helpful, patient and understanding. She let me walk Jacqueline around and get her acquainted. She requested for someone to come to her to help her get comfortable and we got Nic. She asked Jacqueline if she wanted to do face painting and she quickly went to her. That's all it took. I wish we had met Sophy and Nic on the first day. Other friends have said that their kids did not want to leave kids club, but our experience was totally the opposite. I did not see the big hype here. Hopefully, we have a better experience on our next cruise. CHECK OUT: We had to get on a big bus again. I sat in the back because they fill the bus up so that there are absolutely no seats empty. I had motion sickness. My only suggestion would be to have an option for private transportation. I really enjoyed the bags checked through from ship to destination. That was very helpful. We will definitely try this again. We will stick to the one bedroom suite. It is a perfect location in midship room 8022. It is one floor below all the action at the pool and just below concierge lounge. Read Less

This is not a vacation...there's a lot of planning and stress each day to try and force memories. To see all the characters you will spend most of your cruise standing in line. Tickets to see popular characters sell out fast, and even with a ticket you will stand in line for an hour or could even still miss out. You will not get to see/meet all the Marvel characters on Marvel day...it's a huge mess of running around on a crowded boat trying to find the characters or stand in 1-2 hour long lines to try and meet Captain America, Thor, or Captain Marvel. Everything is Marvel thu including random announcements on the speakers but it's heard to hear. If you are handicapped or have dietary restrictions...avoid this ship! Elevators are tiny and slow. We used the narrow stairs the whole time...the stairways are small and covered with kids laying across the floors. The kids pool and water area was broken and closed most of the cruise (including sea day) and their family pool fits like 5 people. Plus, the pool is hard to get into. The tiny pool is unlike anything I've seen and makes no sense. Most of the ship doesn't make sense, poorly laid out and impractical. There's also chairs around the pool, not loungers. The adult pool is normal and twice the size of the family pool but you will see kids walking thru often cause the adult area is in between elevators/stairs and activities...instead of being isolated at the front like on most cruise ships. The soda isn't really "free", only at dinner Service and at the only drink station on the boat located on the top deck in the back. Yes even if you just want a water, you have to go to the top back deck. I literally was dehydrated and starving the whole cruise. Food is horrible...like out of a freezer and microwaved. I had hair in my food, shells on seafood, and food was often raw. The servers definetly need better training. Service each meal was rediculously slow. We waited 10 minutes after seating each meal just to get water and bread. And orders were often wrong. Also, their are very limited food options. If you miss breakfast at 8am in the dinning room, your screwed. There's no food options until 11:30. Dinning rooms are only open for an hour for breakfast and lunch. Room service literally consists of like 3 options: salad, tomato soup and cheese burger. It's not real room service like on any other cruise. Not enough bathrooms. There's one 2 stall bathroom that's hard to get to in between 2 dining rooms, and it flooded during dinner. Seriously, how do you not have bathrooms next to restaurants? Oh and the pool deck had one single stall bathroom inside by the elevators which was hard for kids to get to. The pirate show is not as cool as it was on the Dream. No Jack Sparrow. It's kinda lame actually. The shows put my kids to sleep or we left from boredom. The diner show at Animators Palate and Rapunzales restaurant were amazing...but that's the only entertainment we enjoyed. The characters try to interact but my kids just didn't want to stand in long lines all day, very boring. And the pool and weird hot tubes were impossible to enjoy. The ship is small, overcrowded, filled with unsupervised whiny children running every where and snobby adults fighting to get spots in line or block the view for kids at shows. The deck shows are very hard to see with so many adults pushing to the front and not enough deck space. If your kids not on your shoulders, they won't be able to see anything. The Marvel deck show is cool if your lucky enough to see it. Definetly not nearly worth the price or headaches. My kids also got sick for most the cruise. They have been on 8 cruises and this was the first time ever getting sick. Guest services was not helpful, dining rooms were slow, room service was useless. Not a single person tried to help my sick kids, couldn't even get clean sheets and the beds down for my kids to rest after calling all day for assistance. Needless to say we will stick with Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruises. There's too many restrictions, rules, and procedures...not enough options, flexibility and not relaxing. You can't just go and enjoy. Oh and our excursion was cancelled the day of with little other options or things to do. Read Less