Our First Ever Disney Cruise Was Magical, Marvel-ous, and Magnificent! (Disney Magic out of Miami with MDAS) Completed 2/19

Very good synopsis of the Dolphin Encounter at Blue Lagoon. We did it last April with our 5 grandkids, ages 9-13, and they all LOVED it! Definitely worth it for us.
 
The dolphin encounter looks like it was really fun. I wanted to do this so badly with my kids, but they're a little on the young side. Didn't want to spend all the time and money to get there only to have them say they were too scared. Maybe in a few years for us.
Definitely worth waiting to ensure they enjoy it. I felt really bad for the families that had kids who didn’t want to enjoy it. I suppose there is never a guarantee with kids but age probably helps.

You might also check out some of the other places that offer them. I saw for our next cruise (spoiler we got hooked on cruising), Grand Cayman offers dolphin encounters for like half the price. I have no idea if the quality compares but you might be able to find a review. I’m sure there are others too.
 
Hi, enjoying your TR. My dh and I did our first cruise on the Magic 19 yrs ago. We've been on the Wonder twice and the Fantasy 3 times since then. We're doing the same cruise that you did in 2021. I've been wanting to go on the Magic again and am so excited!! We did a dolphin swim at Chankanaab Nat. Park in Cozumel. It was wonderful. If you decide to do a dolphin swim in a few years, I would recommend doing it there. Once you are done with the dolphins, you get to enjoy everything else they have--a pool, beach, restaurant, sealion show, replicates of Mayan ruins, and more. My dd was 8 yrs old when we did it and she loved it. Don't think I would have done it when she was any younger. We've done 2 cruises to Grand Caymans and both times weather prevented us from being able to tender. We were on the Jan 18 cruise a few weeks ago that had GC turned into a sea day because the port was closed due to weather. I had heard GC has a greater chance of being missed since you have to tender, so I wouldn't book a "must do" excursion there if you can do it elsewhere. Glad you liked the Marriott in Miami, that's one of the hotels I'm looking at. We've never cruised from Miami before, so looking for all the advice I can get from others.
 
Pirate Night

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This is one of my favorite pictures from the cruise. We were really excited about pirate night ever since we learned about it shortly after booking our cruise. I really wanted to go all in on my costume but wasn't sure if my DW would be onboard. Fortunately for me shortly after we booked she called that she found a deal on the Pirate Red dress from the ShopDisney site and really wanted it. She ended up having to watch because it was out of stock for a bit which is a whole other story but got it eventually. Meanwhile it opened the door for me to get my costume. There is an annual comic convention that I often go to and I figured I could pick up some good costume pieces from the cosplay/costume vendors. It was really fun to go and get my costume there. I ended up wearing it for International Talk Like a Pirate Day (yes it is a real thing if you haven't heard about it) as well as my wife and I used our pirate costumes for Halloween. We lucked out that our oldest DD needed a new costume this year and we convinced her to go as a pirate. My kids didn't know about the cruise still at that point. We found Halloween clearance costumes for the others. I know dressing up isn't for everyone but we really enjoyed it.

Back to the cruise itself when I last reported we had rushed back on board because our kids had appointments for the Pirates League. This is basically the pirate takeover of the Bippity Boppity Boutique on pirate night. You have to book an appointment and can do so in advance. We thought our kids might like it and so we booked them as soon as our booking window opened knowing we could cancel after the kids found out about the cruise if they weren't interested, of course they all wanted to do it. Unfortunately we found it was actually hard to get all 4 an appointment. We got a decent time for the first two but even booking right when our window opened the others had a later time. We watched as the cruise got closer though and were able to adjust times until we were happy with all but one time. When we boarded we went and checked if we could move our last appointment to a closer time to the others and they were able to help us. Unfortunately we underestimated the time it would take to get back from our dolphin encounter so we were in a rush but it all worked out. We just had both our DS go first since they can shower and get ready faster. I actually think if we had been a bit late it wouldn't have been that big of a deal but we were pretty close to on time.

When you arrive at the Pirate's League you go through a little activity to get your pirate name. These are hand written on some pretty cool pirate certificates.

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Jack Backscratcher Roger Dockcrumbs and joined my crew. Both boys got to pick which pirate makeup they wanted. One picked Captain Hook and the other Blackbeard. They then get to sit in a chair and have their makeup done. Afterwards they do the pirate oath. I thought it was pretty cool as it was but they also got a bunch of pirate loot to take with them. Each got a sword, pirate hook, treasure necklace, sash, and special bandana. The total price for the package we did, which was the least expensive option, was $49. Thinking about the price of the items if you bought similar ones in Disneyland plus the makeup and whole experience we felt the value was there. We really loved how it enhanced our pirate night pictures. We did get them as early as we could before the makeup got messed up. I'm not sure we will do it again but it was fun to let the kids try it once and get cool makeup for our pictures.

I took my son's back to the room to rest and get some food after their appointment. My wife took my DD up for their experience so I didn't see it. They got to be pirate princesses. I'm not sure how many options they had for makeup but it also included a little hair braid. They also got certificates with their pirate names as well, Meghan Hullbiter and Emily Sternspinner rounded out our crew. Their package was the same price and included the same items as the boys as well.

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I loved the skull and crossbones on the mirror, total Disney touch.

Anyhow the boys and I went back to the room, my kids were pretty tired from the dolphin encounter and hungry. We hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Our excursion didn't include food. So we gave room service a try for the only time on the cruise. I thought it was really cool it was included and imagined we'd use it more than we did. I got the cheese platter and some wings. One of my DS got a burger and fries, the other his signature mac and cheese which was actually really good from room service. It was fancier than what they serve the kids in the MDR which can be an issue with kids but he still liked it. We were all happy with our food and to have a bit of down time. I do wish we hadn't packed so much in because we were a bit tired for pirate night. We rested in the room as long as we could but really wanted the formal pictures while everyone's makeup still looked good.

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I'm not normally a big fan of formal family pictures. My DW likes to do them and I go along. These though are some of my all time favorite family pictures! Moral of the story is dress me up like a pirate and let me say argh and I'll stand in front of the camera all night :-). Surprisingly our normal technique of going down to get pictures early worked and there really wasn't a wait. I think if you check their schedule and go when it isn't right before one of the dinner seatings you have pretty good luck.

I debated if we really cared to watch the pirate deck show at all. I wanted to see the fireworks but figured we could just go anywhere on deck 10 and watch those. Our oldest DD though was doing a flashmob dance thing with her friends from Edge and wanted us to see it. I should probably call out the pirate show for this cruise I think because it was a Marvel cruise was at 7:30 PM between dinner rather than the normal late night time. We decided to skip the show for the night which was the percussion comedy group JunNK and just find a place for the pirate party. We just weren't up for running from the show and finding standing room in the crowd.

There are some tables on deck 9 that are up a bit towards the back of the pool area where you have a clear view of the deck. We decided to just camp out and watch the deck show from there. Before it started there was funnel vision for the kids to just relax and watch and everyone could get a snack and of course ice cream. It wasn't a bad spot to see the show from but several people came in last minute and tried to stand right in front of us on the stairs down which was annoying. One person who had seen us there for a long time pointed it out to one of the people and they moved which I appreciated.

I will say after the Marvel deck parties the pirate one was really disappointing. I don't think it is bad but just very different and not anywhere near what the Marvel one was so we had the wrong expectations. I kind of suspected as much but we wanted to see our DD. Then the fireworks started and we realized we had to walk out to see them because our position blocked the view. Fortunately that wasn't an issue, we were able to get in a position to watch them without interfering with anyone else though our spot clearly wasn't the best for the fireworks. After the fireworks it appeared to be over and we still hadn't seen our DD do her thing. We wondered if maybe there weren't enough others in Edge wanting to participate and it was cancelled. Kids were hungry and everyone was leaving so we headed to dinner in Rapunzel's. I was so excited for this night! Unfortunately we would later find out we missed our DD, it wasn't really over and her part was at the very end. Parent fail there but we really thought it was over as everyone was leaving. Oh well.

We were really excited for Rapunzel's. It was the normal menu/show not a pirate theme because we had already had the special Marvel night menu. So this was our chance to meet the thugs, see the lantern, and try the fry bread in the frying pan. The thugs do come around for pictures and interaction.

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We both have such great taste in hats! Also be sure to ask the thugs about their dreams. Vladamir here really wants to find a real live unicorn but in the meantime he collects porcelain ones. If you haven't watched the movie in a while this comes directly from Tangled and of course he had some to show me in his pockets as we talked. The interaction here was absolutely incredible! You didn't feel rushed and the thugs were fun to talk to. I only got pictures from my wife's phone of Vladmir but they all make the rounds.

There is a little show with Rapunzel, the thugs and Flynn. Rapunzel does sing during the show and she was good. She also comes around of course.

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It was a super entertaining night. I've done all the character dining at Disneyland and this was far superior. I felt like we had good fun interaction with the characters that wasn't rushed.

The food was also really good. I tried the ravioli appetizer and liked it. For my main course I was torn between the sea scallops which I heard were really good and the prime rib. I haven't really had sea scallops on their own that I can recall, just part of a seafood stew or something. I wasn't sure if I'd really enjoy them. At this point in the cruise I should have realized if I struggled to decide I'd be brought both. The sea scallops really were delicious I'm glad I got them. One of the great things about a cruise is the chance to try new foods risk free. The prime rib was good though pretty standard for good prime rib, nothing too special.

The most memorable course for me was dessert. I really wanted to try the apple streudal and the fry bread so of course Steve brought me both along with his favorite dessert, the creme brulee cheesecake which he said I had to try. I will say the apple streudal was my favorite followed by the fry bread. I wasn't a fan of the cheesecake though my wife liked it.

The only con to the evening is we had packed a lot in and my kids were tired. My oldest DS begged to be taken back to our room and didn't even want dessert. So I ran him back and let him head to bed before dessert. We had a ton of fun this day but did fit a lot in. I'm looking forward to trying Rapunzel's again when not so tired. I also will allow for a longer gap after a short excursion.

The next day was our last and one we were also super excited for Castaway Cay. We all headed right to bed after dinner as we wanted an early start since we were doing the 5K.
 


Final Day - Castaway Cay

All good things must come to an end and I think Disney likes them to go out with a bang. Castaway Cay was something we had really been looking forward to and it started with a busy morning. We hadn't been able to get Frozen meet and greet tickets ahead of time but when boarding they had some for first thing on our Castaway Cay day. So my DW took our DDs and youngest DS to see Anna and Elsa while I had a more relaxed breakfast with our DS who was too cool for Frozen.

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We then wanted to head right off the ship because we were going to run in the Castaway Cay 5K. I will pause right here and say that neither my DW or I are runners. I love to hike and during the winters will occasionally run some but nothing serious. My wife on the other hand admits to hating running to the point she'd take the failing grade in high school gym vs run. She loves to exercise and gets up at 4:30 AM almost every morning to go to Jazzercise but no running for her.

All that being said when we learned about the Castaway Cay 5K we both decided that running on a private island in the Bahamas was something worth running for. We got the Coach to 5K app on our phones and began training. I fell in love with running in the process. My wife not so much but she did train and run multiple practice 5Ks leading up to the trip. We even signed up for and completed a virtual Santa 5K to stay motivated through the holidays. We tried to get our older two kids to train but since the trip was a surprise getting them motivated was a lot harder. They both ended doing it but they hadn't trained too much.

With that aside we were all decked out in custom Castaway Cay 5K T shirts my wife made as we went ashore for our first experience at Castaway Cay.

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We paused for that picture but otherwise I was just taking it all in and didn't get as many pictures as I should have though I don't know that pictures do it justice. For someone who doesn't get to see beaches often it was incredible. We wanted to get over to the 5K start quickly because we hadn't been able to attend the prep meeting they had the day before. So we knew we had to still fill out waivers and get our bibs. We didn't really know where we were going but waiting for the tram didn't appeal so we just walked. It was a bit of a walk but with the ocean and scenery we didn't mind plus it got our legs warmed up.

Our first stop was Scuttle's Cove to drop off our youngest two. The official age limit for the 5K is 10 but they have a kids club on the island called Scuttle's Cove and it is open first thing for families wanting to run. Like the other kids clubs it is supervised and you can check your kids in and safely leave them. I don't think they were super excited being left but they were good sports and had a good time playing in the sand.

One of the big things we weren't sure about as first timers was what to do with our stuff as we ran. We knew we didn't really want to have to run all the way back to the ship after the race. We had read you can just leave your stuff at the beach and we decided to do that. We grabbed towels as we left the ship and had backpacks. When we got to the race start area I ran our stuff over to some beach chairs by Pelican Plunge. Before we left my wife got one of the personal locking cases on Amazon which we locked around the legs of the lounger. We didn't bring anything super valuable with us as we ran with our phones but it held our underwater camera and marked our spot.

We did have to fill out waivers and get race bibs. It was a bit chaotic and crowded but we got it done before they signaled the start. There were a lot of people and this was my first real race experience. All my training and practice runs had been on the indoor track at our local rec center. I started training when it was cold enough that outdoor running wasn't for me. It was a bit crowded but I run at a decent pace and eventually the crowds thinned as I ran. We had agreed in advance that my DW and I could really compete and the kids would take it at their own pace. This isn't really a very serious race and there are no timing chips or anything but we had trained hard and wanted to really go for it. It is definitely welcoming for people who want to walk and aren't really runners.

That being said I wanted to put in a good show for myself. I quickly discovered though some pretty significant differences between my training and running in the Bahamas. The altitude difference meant the air was much thicker which is a good thing. Unfortunately it was also hot and humid. Very different from heading to the gym when it is 20 degrees outside and running on an indoor track in the 60s. Fortunately there were plenty of water stops along the way. I did have to stop and walk to hydrate and deal with the heat a couple times. The runway they have you run down and back is pretty brutal in the sun. I ended up running it just a little over 32 minutes per the clock at the finish. That was a worse time than my practice runs but I was still super excited I did that well considering the heat and water stops.

One pro and con about the course is they have you do one loop twice. It was a little confusing for me given it was my first run and repeating a loop isn't super fun. On the plus side though I got to run past my DW, DD, DS on my second loop and make sure they were all doing well. My DS managed to keep up with my wife and beat her to the finish line. My DD though ended up just walking it.

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After the run I got our younger ones from Scuttle's Cove and we headed to our beach spot. All our stuff was still there and I was anxious to get in the water. Just like we experienced at Blue Lagoon the water felt cool when you got in but you quickly got used to it. We swam out to Pelican Plunge first thing to do the water slides. My younger ones took advantage of the plentiful life jackets they had around. I think they had to wear them given their height to do the water slides. It is pretty deep out there. Riding a water slide into the ocean was really cool, I enjoyed the slides a couple times throughout the day and give them a big thumbs up.

We quickly realized though that the beach area in front of the slides was pretty busy and just to the side over by the snorkel area was not. So we moved our stuff and had no trouble finding an even better less busy spot over on the family beach near the snorkel area. At this point I decided I'd head back to the ship to get our snorkel gear. That was one thing we didn't bring with us that morning, we just didn't want to haul it all and worried about leaving it unattended while we ran. It probably would have been fine. I made the trek back to get the snorkel gear and return as I was anxious to try it out.

My three older kids were ready to go snorkeling when I returned. Now we had them practice in the pool during the summer just in case we ever had a chance to take them snorkeling (remember this cruise was a Christmas surprise). This was that chance and they did pretty well considering it was their first real snorkel experience. The big problem is that you have to swim a pretty decent ways out to see the real cool stuff. They had life jackets but it still took a lot of energy. They thought it was cool to see the fish but my DS struggled with his gear and headed back before making it to Mickey. The girls lasted that long but only barely. As they got tired they all struggled with their gear. I had to tow my youngest DD back and she was really done. We didn't want to put our youngest back in Scuttle's Cove so my DW stayed with him but I think a 3 kids to one adult ratio wasn't ideal. I didn't feel it was ever unsafe and Disney does have lifeguards observing but it was exhausting and hard trying to ensure all three had a good experience. Still it was a unique experience for my kids, they did get to see fish, and they were glad they did it.

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When we got back to shore we were all starving. My DW was gone but I decided we just needed to go get food. Turns out that was where she was already, she hadn't been able to wait for us. Our breakfast had been light and then after the run and our swim we needed fuel. Cookies BBQ was as good as I hoped. I didn't take any pictures but we loaded up and had a great lunch. We also got to visit with our server who was working the area by where we sat. I have to say Disney really takes care of you at Castaway Cay. Aside from all the food there was of course ice cream!

After lunch the kids just had a blast playing on the beach. I don't recall exactly how the afternoon went it was just paradise. We browsed in the shops some, kids played in the water and sand a ton. I dozed in a lounger for a bit. The perfect beach day. At one point my wife headed out to do snorkeling. The kids didn't want to venture out again which was too bad because she found this guy.

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When she got back and told me she got to swim with a sea turtle I was super jealous. I went back out snorkeling on my own hoping to find him but he was gone. I did enjoy snorkeling on my own though. When I went back out it was low tide and I could have walked a fair ways out given how shallow it was. It probably would have been better to take the kids then. I do think it is worth snorkeling at Castaway Cay but be prepared for a bit of a swim especially if you have kids going with you.

One thing I loved was that they had photographers on the beach. At some point in the afternoon we got these fun photos.

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There were some minor rain showers that sent a lot of people back to the ship. I was out snorkeling apparently during the worse one. However it was still warm for us and we weren't going to let a little rain ruin our day in paradise. We actually tried to miss the ship and be marooned on the island. Well not quite that bad but we were one of the last families off the beach and took an empty tram back to the ship.

I can't say enough good things about Castaway Cay, we just loved it!

When we got back to the ship we had to do that unfortunate thing called packing. I wish they didn't do Castaway Cay at the end because packing after the beach day isn't so fun. We did make it to see Dreams that night and it was my oldest DD's favorite show. I didn't enjoy the plot as well as Twice Charmed but I thought they had some really cool effects and scenes. I loved Olaf in the Frozen segment and seeing it snow in the theater. I thought the Lion King section had awesome music and loved the project mapping type stuff they did with it.

After the show there was a kids club activity my older DS really wanted to do. He loves Stitch and we got him some food on deck so he could miss dinner and do Stitch's Great Adventure in the club which he ended up loving. My oldest DD had something she wanted to do in Edge during dinner so we ended up with a smaller group at dinner. My youngest two almost went to Pluto's Pajama party but decided not to at the last minute. It would have meant I dinner alone with my DW but oh well. Our last night was back in Lumiere's and it was the Til We Meet Again menu. My wife and I got the chicken schnitzel and loved it.

After dinner we had more packing to do. I went and checked on our pictures at one point and noticed a few were missing but they were able to find them. Actually maybe I noticed the night before and just confirmed they were found. I also took the chance after the kids were in bed to do a final walk around the ship at night for the last time. In 5 short nights the ship had come to feel like home.

Our oldest DD really wanted to see a late night showing of Frozen 2 that night. She had a group of friends going from Edge so we agreed to let her go. I checked in with her before they headed down and had her chat she got there fine. We made it clear she had to come right back to the room after and wake us up to let us know she was in safe. My wife set an alarm to wake up if she wasn't back on time. I would have just stayed up myself but we had to drive back to Orlando to catch our flight and I was exhausted. One great thing though about this cruise was it was a fairly safe environment to give our DD some freedom. She is very confident and responsible and she loved the chance she had to be on her own a bit. Every parent will have to figure out what is right for their children. I know you can't just let down your guard because you are on a Disney ship but we felt with a few basic safety rules it was a place we could allow our older kids to have a bit more independence.

I feel asleep that last night dreading that morning would mean leaving but also really satisfied we'd had such an incredible family vacation.

Up next is Disembarkation and Final Thoughts
 
Thanks for all the details! I have a 5k question- my 9yo is a runner. Will he be allowed to run the 5k? I know he can't officially register/get a medal, but can he run the course? Or is is blocked off for only registered runners? I was hoping he could run it and I could give him my medal (after I finish 20 min after him, lol).
 


Thanks for all the details! I have a 5k question- my 9yo is a runner. Will he be allowed to run the 5k? I know he can't officially register/get a medal, but can he run the course? Or is is blocked off for only registered runners? I was hoping he could run it and I could give him my medal (after I finish 20 min after him, lol).
I have heard others say their younger kids ran with them. It was organized chaos at the start of the race I don’t think they’d stop you. I didn’t see anyone checking bibs along the race course. When I finished I went back to check on the rest of my family and there wasn’t anyone controlling access to the course. I think you’d be okay but don’t know what the official stance is and if a cast member might say something or not.
 
Disembarkation and Return Home

Our final morning was upon us. We were really sad to be done though I think the kids were kind of ready to be done with vacation. We were all getting a little tired. We had second seating for dinner which meant second breakfast seating. We did go to the formal sit down breakfast that morning and were really glad we did. The food was good, the only real decent eggs I'd had on the cruise. Sorry but Cabanas eggs just were not good aside from the omelettes which were okay. The main thing though was a final chance to see our servers who were incredible.

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I'm glad we got to say goodbye to them. I heard it before the cruise but until I experienced it I just didn't get how much they feel a part of your cruise and family while you are onboard. I will also say after the madness of getting packed and feeling a little unsure how everything would go it was nice to just sit for a minute.

After breakfast we made sure we had everything from our room and looked around for a bit. The line to get off didn't seem too bad so we just got in it to leave the ship. I don't think they had technically called our luggage tags yet but they had called lots of them so we figured we'd be safe and we were.

At this point I need to point out something really important we did not do. I totally forgot in the craziness of our first disembarkation to pick up our photo package USB. We had pre purchased the full digital photo package which comes on a USB drive you pick up the morning you leave the ship. Of course you see we got all the pictures I included in this TR. I didn't remember however until we were well outside of Miami and then I totally freaked out worried I had just lost all our memories from the cruise. Fortunately my DW figured this has to happen all the time, she found the support number online and we called. We were assured we could open an online support case and they could get us the photos via a download link. That is what we ended up doing, it took a day or two but not long. So it all worked out but lesson learned, set an alarm to go get your photos before you leave the ship!!!

Once we got off the ship we found a porter who offered to help us get our luggage through customs and to our car. It wasn't hard to find our luggage but we did have a lot. I wonder if the porter regretted offering to help us :-). Customs was smooth and he took us all the way to our rental car in the parking garage. I gave him a decent tip and we got loaded up for our drive back to Orlando. We had a flight at 4:45 PM. We were leaving the garage sometime between 9:30 - 10:00 AM IIRC.

Driving back from Miami was uneventful aside from the stress of the photo situation. It took less time then it did coming presumably due to less traffic. We did have to stop for restrooms a couple times and to get some gas. I had prepaid our gas so I could show up with an empty tank but didn't quite think we could make it back without adding a little gas. The kids were definitely tired and not really happy to be leaving but the drive was fine thanks to our audiobook they could listen to. I think at one point they were all tired so we just let them rest for a bit.

We made it back to the Orlando airport a little before 2pm I believe. We wanted plenty of time to eat before our flight. The rental car return went smoothly enough and baggage check was much quicker than we had leaving the SLC airport on our way out. The security line though ended up being rather long. Marathon weekend has just finished and lots of people had WDW marathon attire on in the lines. I wasn't worried about making our flight or anything but the kids were not happy with the long security lines.

We made it through and looked for a place to eat settling on Bahama Breeze. It's a nationwide chain I discovered on my first trip to Orlando years ago and we don't have any near us at home. I personally think the quality has changed over the years and some locations are better than others. They also have changed their menu a few times and not for the better in my book. We had good service though and the food was fine so it did the job.

We had some time to wait at the gate but not too long. The whole thing felt relaxed which is how I prefer it versus feeling rushed. Before we knew it we were on our flight home which was nice and uneventful just a bit long. I think it is the jetstream that makes flying west always take longer. We made it and got hit with the uncomfortable reality the weather was much colder at home than where we'd been. The kids were not happy as we had to wait for our parking shuttle to come get us. It was hard to believe this trip my DW and I had kept a surprise for so long was finally over and it had been such an awesome vacation!

Final Thoughts

As a first time cruiser of any sort I thought I'd share my thoughts about cruising, DCL, this itinerary and driving from Orlando to Miami. These are all my opinions and I recognize there will be others and other experiences out there. So none of this is right or wrong just my thoughts for what they are worth.

Cruising
We loved taking a cruise! I have had a complete attitude change about cruising and am so glad we tried this out! I loved staring out at the ocean especially at night. I loved the all inclusive nature and not worrying about planning where/when we'd eat and what if the kids didn't eat good. There was always food available. I loved that everyone could have their own vacation and do their own thing at different times yet we also could all be together. We also had the chance to be with just one or two of our kids at a time which is always hard to do on a family vacation. It was also just really relaxing unlike theme park vacations which while fun seem much more exhausting. I also loved that we got to expose our kids to new places and unique experiences. It was fun doing something we'd never done before like the dolphin encounter. One final surprise is I got to see more of the world than I thought as I interacted with cast members from all over the globe, that was really cool!

Cruising on DCL
Much of what we liked from a cruising perspective could be found on other cruise lines. I definitely think having options is a good thing. For us though I know it took a Disney cruise to get me to try cruising. Right or wrong I have a certain trust for the Disney brand. Looking at it now though there were also several things that will probably keep us on DCL for now. I totally acknowledge we haven't tried anything else yet so this is one sided but in case it helps anyone here is my list for why we liked DCL.
  • Entertainment - We loved the evening shows. They were family friendly and engaging for my kids along with being really high quality. I think the quality might be present elsewhere but being good for my kids would be more of a challenge.
  • Atmosphere - We really liked how there wasn't a casino and the ship just had a very family friendly vibe. I think Disney fans tend to get along well with each other and have a similar vibe. Even in my late night wanderings of the adult only areas I didn't run across anything I found uncomfortable. I don't drink and while there was definitely alcohol around for those who wanted it, I liked that it didn't seem to be the focus for anyone being there.
  • Kids Clubs -- I loved the hours and availability of the kids clubs and the theming/activities that my kids enjoyed. I can't compare personally to anything else and I have heard of positive experiences on other cruise lines but I definitely think this is something DCL does well and we liked it.
  • Characters -- We did enjoy meeting the characters especially seeing them wander around. We ran into Captain Hook wandering a couple times which was really cool. For a Disney fan you just can't beat the character interactions on a cruise. I thought they were much better than park experiences.
  • Inclusions -- I really liked that Disney included soda with the cruise. We aren't huge soda drinkers and neither are our kids. However it was really nice we could get something besides water without thinking about paying for it. I know it is a little thing but my understanding is it isn't included on most cruises. We also really liked how there weren't any kids activities on board that cost additional aside from really the Pirate League/Bippity Boppity Boutique. I know other cruise lines have the go carts, laser tag, etc but from what I've heard that usually incurs an additional cost for each visit and that would have been more stress with the kids. I liked we didn't have to navigate that.
  • Castaway Cay -- It was just awesome and we can't wait to return.
  • Fish Extender -- This is uniquely Disney and I talk about it below but it really was a fun thing
  • Theming -- There were so many Disney touches around the ship. If you are a Disney fan it is awesome but they are also subtle enough to not be in your face if you aren't. I loved the posters from classic Disney animation/cartoons. The background music is also an awesome touch. Aside from the Disney elements I also just thought the ship was beautiful and really well done and well maintained.
Marvel Day at Sea
I loved the Marvel theme on this cruise. I won't repeat what I wrote earlier but the bottom line is I think doing a Marvel cruise is worth it. The deck show alone is worth experiencing. I'm not in a hurry to do one again but if it worked out I certainly would, I think it is cool enough to repeat.

Itinerary
I loved our dolphin encounter but agree with the general vibe I've gotten that Nassau isn't the best port to visit. I'm not in a hurry to return with my kids at least. WIth just me and my wife I might be more interested in exploring and seeing more of the city but for family excursions there wasn't something else I really want to go back and try right away.

Key West on the other hand was a super fun port and I'd love to return again. Even though it is still in the US it was a unique place and I'd love more time there.

I already mentioned I love Castaway Cay. It is a requirement for our next cruise.

The other big surprise was how much we loved our sea day. Given it was a Marvel Day it wasn't really a sea day but we saw enough to know we like sea days which we weren't sure about going in. Definitely would recommend a sea day.

Now I do want to say here I'm so glad we switched from our original 3 day to a 5 day cruise. Three days would be too short for a first time in my opinion. Now a cruise is better than no cruise but if you can, my feeling is a 5 day was perfect for our first experience. While we were sad to get off we were also getting a bit tired and the kids were starting to be ready to be done with vacation. I think for a first cruise it was perfect. Not to say more days would be bad but I prefer to leave wanting a bit more.

Orlando to Miami
As I explained in my intro we didn't really have a choice but to fly into Orlando and drive to Miami because we had booked airfare for a different cruise originally. However we are looking at a future Miami cruise and I wouldn't be opposed to driving from Orlando again. If you get a killer airfare deal that makes the cost of renting a car worth it and/or you want some time in Orlando the drive really isn't too bad. I would definitely plan to drive in the night before your cruise. However driving right to the Orlando airport from Miami after wasn't at all stressful or uncomfortable for our 4:45 PM flight. I know things can happen to delay you so you need to consider the worse case scenarios but it should be fine. We had travel insurance and I think the trip delay coverage could have helped in the worse case but we didn't have to find out.

The Ship
We loved the Magic! It may be the first and therefore older but it was in great shape, just absolutely beautiful, clean and everything we hoped. I wondered if we'd feel bad we weren't on a newer/bigger ship. We didn't though to be fair we don't know what we are missing. Rapunzel's Royal Table was incredible, the Aquadunk was a blast though a bit intense for my older DS and my younger DD and DS were too short to ride. We loved how Castaway Cay didn't feel crowded and I'm unsure how it would be on a bigger ship. It was also nice that it was easy to get around the ship and even go from deck 2 to top deck via the stairs. Bottom line is I wouldn't hesitate to sail on the Magic again (and hint we are)

Photo Package
I see this asked a lot on these forums, we totally thought the photo package was worth it. I shared a lot of the photos in this trip report because quite honestly we didn't take a ton of photos with our cameras when their were photographers around. It was just easier to let them do it. We had a lot more photos I didn't share here that I also liked. It was often hard to decide what to post. The key though to getting the value I think was we made it a point to get pictures at the formal stations each night around dinner time. We also did a number of character greets. Finally anytime we saw roaming photographers like on Castaway Cay or even on deck we stopped for a picture. The photo package is not cheap but I think the value can be there and it can be worth it if you want to make getting photos a priority. I will say with the exception of the formal photo shots (not the characters they will at characters) cast members are happy to take a photo with your camera. Quality may vary but it certainly is an option.

Fish Extender
I didn't talk about it much in this TR but we had an awesome experience with fish extenders and with our pre cruise social media group. It was a ton of fun to get to know fellow cruisers in advance. The big thing though was we really enjoyed both giving FE gifts and receiving them. You do need to go in I think more about having fun with it then what you will get. In our case we got a lot of cool gifts but I've heard that isn't always the case. Aside from our formal FE group there was a ton of less formal pixie dusting happening. For me though I think the process of making and giving was more of the fun. We did an ornament exchange as well and that we really liked because we always collect ornaments from our travels. We didn't get anything from the shipboard shops because we had such cool ornaments from our exchange to remind us of the trip.

What is next for us
We did put down a placeholder onboard. We were able to do it right through the app and get a confirmation so we didn't have to wait in line to talk to anyone. For those unfamiliar you can put down a deposit for a future cruise without specifying a specific one. This gives you a 10% discount on that future cruise. I don't recall all the details but it is totally refundable and just has to be used I believe within 2 years. You can find more detailed write ups out there. We knew we wanted to cruise again and so it made sense for us. The experience doing it in the app was great, we just did it our last night to make sure it went through.

Upon returning I couldn't make it a full week without looking at future itineraries "just to see". That was a dangerous thing because I found a cruise that was a good deal and had an itinerary we liked. I knew we had to return to Castaway Cay and we wanted to visit new ports. We also really wanted a sea day or two. My DW also really wanted to stick with a smaller ship. We have the challenge of needing two staterooms for our family which makes costs a bit more complex. I would have loved to do a longer cruise but given everything we found a really good deal on another 5 night on the Magic out of Miami, this time a Very Merry Western Caribbean cruise. We get two sea days and a stop to Grand Cayman along with Castaway Cay. It is an itinerary that we like, a great rate, and the dates should work out for us. It's right before Christmas and the kids have said they like the idea of a cruise for Christmas again even if it isn't a surprise this time. So it is official we are hooked on DCL and if all goes well we will have two cruises in this calendar year.

Well that's all folks. Hopefully you enjoyed this trip report. It's been fun to reflect our amazing trip as I've written this!
 
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Just want to say that I loved your trip report, really brought back memories of our MDAS cruise last year. Everything you said about cruising is why I love it too. Also, whenever we go on a regular trip, there is a lot of discussion/debate about when and where to eat, then getting there/driving - on a cruise you just walk 2 minutes and you are there (or order room service), and there are options for everyone. I also love my room is cleaned 2x a day (NOT by ME). One other thing about DCL that not all cruise lines have is laundry room, so you don't have to pay to do a load of laundry - more likely to be used on longer cruises, but just keep that in mind.

I think you will LOVE the Christmas cruise! Do you know the date? That time of year you are more likely to experience a PremEar at sea.
 
The Very Merry cruise is absolutely incredible, you will LOVE, LOVE it. We just did it this past November after 12 Disney cruises and it's one I will never forget. Considering we've done Norway, Northern Europe, Med, Eastern Canada & Alaska, and Bahamas/Caribbean, the Very Merry is so special!!!!
 
Loved Reading your trip report! I was a first time cruiser in 2018 and have been on 4 with DCL since!

One thing that might be fun for you to look into @greensombrero is the Dream 5 night Double Castaway Sailings they do in June/July Most years. I did one this last year and absolutely loved it. A friend of mine who usually only sails on the Magic/Wonder said its the best way to introduce people to the Larger ships. All 4 offer so many different things!

Thanks for taking the time to write this up!
 
Just want to say that I loved your trip report, really brought back memories of our MDAS cruise last year. Everything you said about cruising is why I love it too. Also, whenever we go on a regular trip, there is a lot of discussion/debate about when and where to eat, then getting there/driving - on a cruise you just walk 2 minutes and you are there (or order room service), and there are options for everyone. I also love my room is cleaned 2x a day (NOT by ME). One other thing about DCL that not all cruise lines have is laundry room, so you don't have to pay to do a load of laundry - more likely to be used on longer cruises, but just keep that in mind.

I think you will LOVE the Christmas cruise! Do you know the date? That time of year you are more likely to experience a PremEar at sea.
Glad you enjoyed it! I didn’t realize laundry rooms were unique to DCL but I guess that makes sense more kids = more laundry lol.

Our cruise is the middle of Dec have to look up the exact dates. I’m trying not to think about it too much since its still a ways out. I didn’t think Disney had a big Dec 2020 movie release scheduled but it would be cool if they do.
 
The Very Merry cruise is absolutely incredible, you will LOVE, LOVE it. We just did it this past November after 12 Disney cruises and it's one I will never forget. Considering we've done Norway, Northern Europe, Med, Eastern Canada & Alaska, and Bahamas/Caribbean, the Very Merry is so special!!!!
I am excited to see how it is. I’ve done both Disneyland and WDW at Christmas time in the past. It’s been a while but I remember really liking Disney parks at Christmas. I have to imagine the cruise will be awesome as well. What was it that made it so special for you?
 
Loved Reading your trip report! I was a first time cruiser in 2018 and have been on 4 with DCL since!

One thing that might be fun for you to look into @greensombrero is the Dream 5 night Double Castaway Sailings they do in June/July Most years. I did one this last year and absolutely loved it. A friend of mine who usually only sails on the Magic/Wonder said its the best way to introduce people to the Larger ships. All 4 offer so many different things!

Thanks for taking the time to write this up!
Glad you enjoyed it and I’m not alone in the trying DCL and getting hooked department 😀.

I have heard about the double dips and they sound awesome. I’ve also heard they can be popular and expensive but it would be fun to find one that works for us. I’m sure the larger ships are great too and I wouldn’t mind trying them. I do think the first one you try becomes a favorite just because it was the first. I just need to find a way to cruise more 😉.
 
Wow! Loved your trip report!! We just did our first Disney Cruise Halloween on the High Seas in September. It was out of NYC and went to Maine and Canada. I’m like you....research and then read more!! I find this extra knowledge helps the trip run smoother. We also did a place holder and a week later I booked for Feb. 2021!! We found out this will be a Marvel Day at Sea. Your report is so helpful. We will also fly into Orlando a few days before, rent a car, park at port and possibly fly home out of FLL. I found this to be the most cost effective and glad it worked for your family. We packed Halloween outfits (Ghost Hosts) and easy pirate outfits! Definitely have to cut back on the luggage! It’s just my husband and myself!! Your pictures are awesome and it looked like everyone had a blast! Can’t wait....we’re hooked! I also liked the “smaller” ship. In my mind, there will be less people at Castaway Cay!!
 
Just read your TR from start to finish!!! Thanks for sharing it with all of us!!! And what a great Christmas gift... I much rather give experiences like this than material items that get tossed under the bed and forgotten...

My sister and BIL have cruised on DCL over a dozen times... Their shortest was 10 days... The longest was 2 weeks... They said even the 2 weeks cruises go by too fast!!!
 
Wow! Loved your trip report!! We just did our first Disney Cruise Halloween on the High Seas in September. It was out of NYC and went to Maine and Canada. I’m like you....research and then read more!! I find this extra knowledge helps the trip run smoother. We also did a place holder and a week later I booked for Feb. 2021!! We found out this will be a Marvel Day at Sea. Your report is so helpful. We will also fly into Orlando a few days before, rent a car, park at port and possibly fly home out of FLL. I found this to be the most cost effective and glad it worked for your family. We packed Halloween outfits (Ghost Hosts) and easy pirate outfits! Definitely have to cut back on the luggage! It’s just my husband and myself!! Your pictures are awesome and it looked like everyone had a blast! Can’t wait....we’re hooked! I also liked the “smaller” ship. In my mind, there will be less people at Castaway Cay!!
Thanks! You’ll love Marvel Day at Sea! Driving to Miami really isn’t too bad but if you can then fly back out of FLL that would be awesome. I think driving after the cruise is kind of depressing vs driving to get there but it really isn’t a bad drive. I just always hate the drive home after vacation. Hopefully our next cruises don’t take too long to get here 😀
 
Just read your TR from start to finish!!! Thanks for sharing it with all of us!!! And what a great Christmas gift... I much rather give experiences like this than material items that get tossed under the bed and forgotten...

My sister and BIL have cruised on DCL over a dozen times... Their shortest was 10 days... The longest was 2 weeks... They said even the 2 weeks cruises go by too fast!!!
Glad you enjoyed it! I think we all wish vacations lasted longer though if we were always on vacation then it would be normal and not so fun.
 

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