Disney Magic Review
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Disney Magic Mediterranean Cruise Barcelona-Barcelona July 26, 2014
This was our first Disney Cruise, but far from our first cruise. Many of our shipmates expressed surprise that we were on our first Disney cruise, they were all veterans of several. My wife and I had invited our thirteen-year-old granddaughter to choose a spot to visit, anywhere in the world, with us. When she chose either Italy or Greece, we explored intergenerational tours of Italy and Greece. The Disney Mediterranean Cruise popped up on both searches, and proved to be an economic option. Reading reviews of Disney on Cruise Critic convinced me it was OK. It was ideal because it was intergenerational - the cabin was intergenerational, the meals were intergenerational, the excursions were intergenerational, the entertainment was intergenerational, even the television channels were intergenerational. Her cousin and her cousin’s grandmother joined us. Her cousin had a fear of sailing as a result of the Costa sinking.
We flew to Barcelona, captured a jumbo taxi for the ride from the airport to the hotel (then booked her for the next day to the ship). We spent a quiet day in a hotel off the Ramblas, dining on tapas for dinner, then boarded the Magic the next day. We returned to Barcelona and spent four days sightseeing on our return, so there was little pressure and jet lag to recover from. Boarding was uneventful, with Disney efficiency in managing queues. We boarded, went to lunch and were welcomed by crew everywhere we went. After lunch our cabins were ready so we went to unpack. The girls explored the ship, including checking out the lounge for 11-14-year-olds. As we had a late seating, we had a wait for dinner until 8:45. At dinner we met our table mates (a family of five from Connecticut who were all six-time Disney cruisers, including a girl about our kids’ age. We also met our waiter, assistant waiter and head waiter. Their interest in our granddaughter’s gluten-free requirement was heart-warming. In Disney tradition, they followed us for the entire cruise, changing restaurants nightly.
Cabin Review
Our cabin was ideal for a family tour, with a curtain separating the space into two rooms, one for our granddaughter and one for us. There was plenty of storage space. The bathroom was also divided in two, a room with toilet and sink, another room with bathtub and sink. Cabin service was friendly and efficient, and the towel animals were delightful.