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

Joining in! We are taking a 5 night Marvel cruise next month and reading yours is making me so excited! The reaction photos from the Christmas morning reveal absolutely melted my heart- what a special and fun surprise!
 
Coming home from cruise life is never any fun. I may have to divide up some of my days into multiple posts to find time to keep this report moving. It is fun though to remember these memories and the warmth when it is raining/snowing outside. So without further adieu here comes one of my favorite Marvel Day photos

Day 4 Marvel Day At Sea

467828


I slept much better than I thought I might my first night at sea. I awoke early and headed out to deck 4 to look at the ocean than up to the Cove Cafe to bring down some of the pastries I've heard about. We did Marvel themed Christmas jammies this year so I was in my Captain America gear and received several compliments.

467829


I didn't do a full costume for Marvel Day though I saw plenty of adults who did. I saw Captain Marvel walk by on my way down.

I decided that I really wanted to go for a run on deck 4. For those unfamiliar with the Magic, deck 4 has the outdoor track you can run/walk on that wraps all the way around the ship. When docked the front and maybe back are often blocked off but at sea you can do complete laps. Per the sign 3 laps is a mile. I should pause here and say I have not traditionally been a runner. However after booking the cruise my wife and I did the Coach to 5K app because we wanted to run the Castaway Cay 5K. I really enjoyed the running and was regularly doing 5K training runs before we left, we even did a Santa themed virtual 5K to stay motivated before the trip. I wasn't sure how many laps I'd do but I ended up doing a little over 10 laps so basically a 5K on the ship. Running at sea especially when we had some swells and I got some sea spray as I came around on a couple laps was awesome. I'm so glad I took the chance to run at sea, so worth it. Not sure how many people can say they've run a 5K in the middle of the ocean.

467832

I will also add a useful tip I discovered. They have drinking fountains/water bottle refilling stations on either side of the Magic out on Deck 4. It was definitely more hot and humid than I'm used having done most all my training since the weather turned cold. So I had to stop for water a couple times, super convenient they have it on the track. Throughout the cruise it was also nice to just pop up to deck 4 to refill the refillable water bottles we brought and not have to climb up to the deck 9 drink station.

The one con with my morning run was I started it a bit later than I should have. My wife and kids got hungry and my DW tried to take all 4 kids to Cabanas on her own. It didn't go super well and I learned next time I need to go earlier or wait until after breakfast. One super nice thing as a parent though about a Disney Cruise is when your kids need their space the kids club is always an option. Just being super real as a parent my DS was struggling a bit that morning and just wanted to go to the kids club. Unlike other vacations having him do something different than the rest of the family was totally an option. I love how everyone can have "their" vacation on a cruise while also having family time. I quickly got cleaned up, donned my other Captain America shirt, grabbed a quick breakfast, and met the rest of the family in line to meet Thor.

467837

One of the great things about Marvel Day at Sea is all the opportunities to meet your favorite super heroes! It's worth pausing here and explaining the different types of meet and greet options:

  1. Scheduled meet and greets in the Navigator - There were plenty of these for Thor, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Loki, and later classic characters in their Marvel costumes. These had formal greeters, lines and photographers. You had to be careful because often the lines for one character would end up merging into the line for the next character to be scheduled at that location. Cast members did a good job of letting you know who you were in line for and would be guaranteed to see. We actually took advantage of this a couple times waiting in line for one character and then getting right back in line to be one of the first for the next character. They didn't always start the next character's line right away but by asking the cast member where/when they'd start the next line we got to be first for whomever was up next. My wife really wanted to get photos and signatures from Marvel characters (more on this later) so it was a priority for her. This did lead to a fair amount of line waiting. My kids weren't always up for it and some elected not to meet everyone. Again wonderful they can go to the clubs if they want instead.
  2. Ticketed meet and greets - These are like the scheduled meeting and greets had formal lines, greeters, and photographers. They also require free tickets and an assigned time. You could sign up for these as onboard fun in advance via the app/website. If you didn't get them in advance you could go to guest services once onboard to see if they had any available. There were two specific to Marvel, Groot and Heroes of New York which included Spiderman, Black Panther, and Iron Man. These were on Marvel Day but also were offered on other days I believe to meet demand. They also had on other days something similar for Disney Princesses and Anna/Elsa from Frozen. We got our Marvel ones in advance but couldn't get princess or frozen tickets before we boarded. We had no trouble getting them once onboard. In fact they offered them on different days once we were onboard then were ever shown online in advance of the cruise. Moral of the story is if you don't get them in advance do check once you are onboard. I'll also comment that lines did form for these before the ticketed time. The lines though moved pretty good once they opened for your time and the wait for these ticketed events was less than the scheduled meet and greets I mentioned above. I'm really glad we did the ticketed events.
  3. Spontaneous meet and greets - On Marvel day there were roaming characters that I never saw scheduled but that you could meet if you kept a lookout. These were Hawkeye, Black Widow and Doctor Strange. I also saw Star Lord and Gamora around though I'm not sure if they were doing meet and greets. I just saw them dancing with Groot on one of the atrium balconies to the music before dinner which was awesome. The group playing switched to appropriate Guardians of the Galaxy music. Lines sometimes formed for these spontaneous encounters but there weren't greeters. We got pictures with Doctor Strange. Later I lined up to see Hawkeye and Black Widow but they had to leave before I got up to the front. There wasn't a greeter to cut off the line or anything so when they were done they were just done and if you were in line you were out of luck. Kind of annoying but I understood it. It was definitely cool to just see them wandering about.
After meeting Thor all my kids were done with lines for a bit and went to the kids clubs and my oldest to Edge. It was cool my wife and I were on vacation on our own. We ended up delivering some FE gifts and ran into this guy:

467925

Then she went off to do some shopping sans kids and I ran to check in with my DS in the kids club. I knew he didn't get a very good breakfast and he gets hangry. One of the other reasons I loved a Disney Cruise was that I didn't have to worry if my kids didn't eat when we planned. There was always food available and since it was included it wasn't like I had to pay extra because one of them didn't eat and then wanted something else later. That aspect made for a much more relaxed vacation for me though coming home and not having food just available was certainly hard for our first few days back :-). You totally get spoiled on the cruise.

DS was ready for a break from the club and happy to go grab some pizza and play a little ping pong on the sports deck at the front of the ship. We played ping pong and foosball up there a couple times during the cruise and really enjoyed it. I especially liked the fact I always had the excuse of the moving ship and wind to cover my lack of skills.

One thing I want to call out that I don't think was super well publicized is they had themed food for Marvel Day on the pool deck. I got Vibranium Pizza which was just pepperoni with blue tortilla chips stuck in it. It looked cool and was fun if not particularly different. They also had Gamma pizza which was a veggie pizza with a green pesto on it, I liked it. I didn't try them but the Duck In Diner had a couple specials, a bacon burger with pimento cheese and a special hot dog. There may have been other items I didn't see as well. I really liked the fact they put theming throughout the ship. The music was Marvel themed and they also did special announcements throughout the day. Many were advertising for the big deck show that night aka the Stark Industries expo. They came from various characters as well as some fun ones about characters, I'll avoid spoiling but definitely listen for them.

My wife messaged me on the Disney Cruise app she was in line for Captain Marvel and we should come down to join her. I will comment we used both iMessage and the chat in the Disney Cruise App onboard. You can now use iMessage while connected to the wifi without paying for a data plan. I will say though it was a bit flaky and we tended to stick with the Disney app. The one con to it that has been mentioned many times is if you don't have the app open it doesn't always notify you about new messages because that relies on Apple's push notifications which are internet based. I suspect that is why they now offer iMessage for free is the two come together and it certainly is a good way to improve things. However you are still at sea and the internet is not 100%. I really liked disconnecting so I didn't try to do anything with the wifi packages. It was nice though to be able to chat with my wife and oldest DD who brought her iPod. I did also get some messages passed back to loved ones at home over the free iMessage which was nice.

We all got to meet Captain Marvel

467927

My wife got right back in line to see Captain America next but his line wasn't quite open yet. So I took the kids while DW waited. DS wanted one of the magnetic Groot toys that sits on your shoulder. They had a whole Marvel themed store on deck 3 and he spent some of his trip money to get one. Then the kids discovered the big portholes on deck 3 and wanted some pictures with Groot doing some photobombing.

467928467929467930

We still had a bit before the Captain America meet and greet started so I did what any good Dad does, I took the kids for ice cream. My youngest two like to say that ice cream was their favorite part of the cruise. We certainly ate a lot of it. I was hoping they'd have more flavors as the cruise progressed but it was always just chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and banana. Then it was time to get in line and meet Cap.

467931

After we went up to lunch at Cabanas. I think it was the only day I really ate lunch at Cabanas. I kind of wish I had gone more but found myself eating deck food the other days because while it wasn't gourmet I liked it and it was easy. I will say I realized I wasn't very good at checking out all the stations at Cabanas. I missed food I would have really liked that my DW found but I was too full to go back.

I think I'm at my photo limit and this is a good place to stop. I'll continue with Marvel Day including my summary thoughts of it as a themed cruise. Granted this was my first cruise so I have limited to compare it to but I really did feel for a special themed day they did a really good job. It could appeal even if you aren't a big Marvel fan but just like seeing well done theming and performances.
 
Can you explain iMessage a bit more? We are going in April and the wife is exploring any and all ways that may allow her to check on the furbabies back home.
Love all the picture updates. so about ten laps on deck 4 is equal to a 5K. I'm old, I'm fat and definitely out of shape, but the 5K on Castaway cay is a definite goal that I'm working on
 
Just being super real as a parent my DS was struggling a bit that morning and just wanted to go to the kids club. Unlike other vacations having him do something different than the rest of the family was totally an option.
Kids are people too. No one would think it odd if adults wanted to do different things at different times. The same should be said for kids. You're a good parent for recognizing this and listening to your kid. I too think that's one reason why DCL trips are so special.
 


Can you explain iMessage a bit more? We are going in April and the wife is exploring any and all ways that may allow her to check on the furbabies back home.
Love all the picture updates. so about ten laps on deck 4 is equal to a 5K. I'm old, I'm fat and definitely out of shape, but the 5K on Castaway cay is a definite goal that I'm working on
You can connect to the onboard wifi for free to use the DCL app. Normally you also put your phone into airplane mode to avoid any cell at sea charges and accessing anything besides the DCL app requires you purchase a WiFi package. iMessage now is available without purchasing a WiFi package meaning if you have an iPhone/Pad/Pod you can send messages to other iMessage devices. Standard SMS does not work. I was able to send messages back and forth to my parents iPad. It didn’t work perfectly but it did work.

On the Castaway Cay 5K we did train for it and I took it “seriously” because I wanted to but it is a super low key race. My 12 yr old walked the whole thing and there were plenty of others who did. Anyone really can do it and it is a cool experience. So use it as a motivator but don’t feel you have to really run it or be fast to participate.
 
One more thing I should add on the iMessage you can’t send photos when using the “free” version. Only text works. Also you don’t have to do anything special to enable it. It just worked when on the WiFi. The biggest issue was just sometimes the messages were delayed/didn’t go through. I don’t think DCL has the best internet at sea infrastructure.
 
Thanks for the tip on the character sheets! We head out on the Magic in a couple months, will be sure to request!
 


Marvel Day at Sea Continued

469109

I will say that Marvel Day at Sea felt a bit like a Disneyland day with so much to do. The fact we prioritized photo ops and they had lines probably added to that. Unlike normal Disneyland days for us though we actually went back to our room for a brief rest after lunch. That is another nice thing we discovered about a cruise, your room is always close by. We had a bunch of things in our fish extender which the kids really enjoyed. I will say we had a great FE and ornament exchange experience and lots of pixie dust as well. I have heard experiences vary and we went into it more about the fun of making and sharing the magic than getting anything but we got a lot of nice things.

I wanted to share one quick thing we found out in advance of our cruise. Marvel characters cannot sign on the same page as traditional Disney characters, at least that is what we had been told. No one told us otherwise on the cruise. We have done autograph books in the past but wanted to do something more useful so we got each of the kids two photo mattes and taped them back to back to make keeping track of each group easy. One side was for Marvel characters, the other Disney characters and upon our return we could separate them and put a picture in each. We haven't actually done that part but it worked out. Here is a quick picture of the setup. It may not be obvious because they are oriented differently but the two mattes are taped together back to back.

469112469113

We had our first ticketed meet and greet with Groot at 2:30 PM and he was in Animator's Palate. I thought the ticketed events ran smoothly. We all lined up outside shortly beforehand and then they led us in and we had a short wait before meeting Groot.

469115

Groot liked meeting baby Groot too

469116

Groot doesn't sign autographs for obvious reasons but he does talk and the cast members spoke a little Groot to help translate his "I am Groot" statements into English. I really enjoyed the encounter. We were fortunate we got to schedule our ticketed meet and greets back to back. So after Groot we were off to a 3:00 PM Heros of New York. We had plenty of time to get there. This one was held in the D lounge and we got to meet:

469119
469120469121

Iron Man is pretty cool, I loved the suit and he does talk to you. He just doesn't sign autographs.

While this was the formal event for meeting SpiderMan on Marvel Day he was around the ship a fair amount. He ended up in the Edge (tween) club at one point where my DD challenged him to a game of Mario Cart and got creamed. Spider Man knows his video games for sure. It was one of her cruise highlights for sure. There were also heroes in the kids clubs at various points. Speaking of which after our meet and greets some of my kids headed to the clubs. Others headed to the pool for a bit. I went up to save chairs and watch.

It was actually pretty entertaining, there was a fair amount of motion on our sea day. We all got our sea legs and our sea bands kept any motion sickness at bay. The little pool in the Aqualab wasn't so lucky. It turned into a wave pool which my kids really enjoyed. Eventually the water was splashing in and out so much they closed it down. Kids had a blast though while it lasted.

I headed down and saw Black Widow and Hawkeye out. At first I figured they'd be moving on but then I still saw them there and decided maybe I'd try for autographs and a picture. Unfortunately by the time my turn came they did have to move on. That was the con with the informal meet and greets, a line would often form and you never knew how long they'd be there.

At this point we were all doing our own thing which was awesome. It isn't often on a family vacation everyone can do their own thing for a bit and that was one aspect of the cruise I just loved on multiple occasions. One thing I really wanted to see was the Star-Spangled USO show. No one else was interested but I really enjoyed it. It was a 1940's style WWII patriotic music show connected to the Captain America storyline. The quality of the singing/performing was great. You really don't have to be a Marvel fan to understand or enjoy it. It was just great music/entertainment and Cap does make an appearance at the end.

After the show I hurried to collect kids and meet for the Doctor Strange show. This was the evening show in the Walt Disney Theater for the night though they ran two performances earlier in the afternoon. The 6:15 PM performance was actually the last one rather than the first. The Doctor Strange show involves audience participation from kids. My DW and two DD showed up ahead of me and my DS. So my DD were asked to participate in the show which was fun. It is kind of like the Jedi Trials show they used to have in Tomorrowland at Disneyland a few years ago. The kids are brought on stage and get to learn some magic from Doctor Strange like how to summon a portal. I thought the kids part wasn't quite as cool as having a lightsaber battle with Darth Vader. However I enjoyed the show overall a lot more than the Jedi one.

After the kids do their part there is more show with the actors and Doctor Strange. It isn't a long show, only about 30 minutes total but it does have some cool special effects and a bit of story to it. I was amazed at the effects they had and what they were able to do in a theater on a cruise ship. While maybe not the caliber of the longer "Broadway" style shows we saw onboard I did enjoy the show and would recommend it if you are on a Marvel cruise.

Following the show we headed up on deck for the first of two deck parties that night, this one at 7:30. The first one is geared more towards kids. It features your favorite Disney characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Chip, Dale, Pluto dressed up as their favorite Marvel superheroes. They each learn about the attributes exhibited by the hero they dress up as. It has a message teaching kids how they can be heroes and felt a lot like an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or another Disney Junior show. It was fun to see the characters in their costumes and I found it entertaining though definitely geared towards kids. I'm glad we went and saw it and even without my kids would have wanted to.

469122

I should mention the characters were also around doing meet and greets in their Marvel costumes. We had done enough during the day we didn't prioritize them though my DW and kids caught Goofy at one point. He is dressed as Iron Man. This is the only day we saw them in their costumes and I suspect Marvel Day at Sea is the only event where Mickey and Marvel meet so directly.

469123
 
Ran out of photos and I couldn't skip this one.

After the deck show we found Star Lord and Groot dancing to the music in the atrium while Gamora observed. The music the band was playing was appropriately from the Guardians mixtape.

469124

I think Star Lord and Gamora may have been out and about more but this was the only time we saw them. Aside from this appearance I think the only time you could catch Groot was at the ticketed meet and greet.

It was time for dinner and we headed to Lumiere's again for the Marvel Day at Sea menu. I failed to take a picture of it but I'm sure you can find one elsewhere. The menu was cool and they relate all the options to characters so I appreciated that theming aspect. However this was my least favorite menu of the cruise. I had a stellar appetizer, the crab cake was seriously on par with the best I've had from a nice seafood restaurant in Seattle. The rest of the meal though was kind of meh. None of the entrees really appealed and I took our server's recommendation to get the Thor themed pasta and meatballs. They were just okay. My wife went with a vegetarian option and tried the gnocchi. I did try a bite and they were really good. I loved the food on the cruise overall, this was just my least favorite night on the food front, except for the crab cake. I'd try the Marvel menu again just for that.

One thing I totally appreciated at dinner was our server wanted to make sure we got a great spot for the second deck show of the evening. This is the big one with the fireworks. So he made sure dinner was efficient and that we knew where to get a spot. He told us to go on deck 10 on the left side as we faced the funnel vision. I believe that made it the port side if I have my nautical terms right. It was the perfect spot. I'm glad he got us up there early as things really filled up but we had a great spot.

The Marvel deck show is unlike anything else. I'm going to avoid spoilers but the basic premise is Tony Stark is showing off his latest clean energy invention. Some of the Avengers are onboard with him "just in case." Of course Loki and Hydra team up and storm the boat to steal the reactor. It is an incredible show with action all over. You want to watch the funnel vision as there is video from all over the ship. There is action on the stage, on both funnels, and of course fireworks in the sky. Our server was spot on with his recommendation for where to stand. We could see everything. In my opinion it beats Fantasmic at Disneyland, World of Color at California Adventures, and any other night time spectacular I've seen. Totally amazing thing to see especially on a ship in the ocean. I did have to hold my 4 year old DS through the whole show which didn't help my back but it was totally worth it. It did mean I didn't take any pictures though. If you want pictures and potential spoilers I'm sure you can find them on Youtube etc. I'll just say if you go on a Marvel cruise you have to do the main deck party. It was late for my kids, started after 10:15 but it was so worth it.

Well after that we headed to bed. It was an epic and incredible day. My two cents on Marvel Day at Sea is that it is incredible. We like Marvel but I wouldn't consider us hardcore fans and we loved it. I think even if you aren't that in to Marvel you could enjoy it. There were a lot of activities we just didn't do with all the meet and greets. They had Marvel trivia and a presentation to get you up to speed on the Marvel universe if you are new to it. There were binders full of comics you could look at and many more Marvel themed activities. If you did end up on a Marvel cruise and didn't want to do the Marvel thing you could still totally enjoy the pool etc but I recommend taking in the entertainment. You don't have to know the stories to enjoy the quality and energy in the shows in my opinion and the evening deck party is not to be missed. If you do love Marvel there were plenty of little things even we noticed. They did a great job of making it a fully immersive and themed experience.

Up next is our stop in Key West
 
Is the first night at sea out of Miami smoother than out of Port Canaveral? We had perfect weather, but the ship was swaying due to.. I guess the gulf stream is what we were told? It was pretty unpleasant.
 
Loving all the details in your report. Making notes as we'll be on the same itinerary in just a few weeks. :)
 
Is the first night at sea out of Miami smoother than out of Port Canaveral? We had perfect weather, but the ship was swaying due to.. I guess the gulf stream is what we were told? It was pretty unpleasant.
I've sailed out of both and the first night is rougher on both if IIRC. It doesn't seem that it lasts as long out of Miami, but I could be wrong...it doesn't really bother me thought so I didn't pay a lot of attention...
 
Is the first night at sea out of Miami smoother than out of Port Canaveral? We had perfect weather, but the ship was swaying due to.. I guess the gulf stream is what we were told? It was pretty unpleasant.
Since this was my first cruise I have nothing to compare it to. We definitely felt it the first three nights but then it smoothed out. We did have windy weather so that may have been it. I also suspect we were staying fairly close to shore given we went from Miami, day at sea, then Key West which isn’t that far from Miami. Not sure if that contributed. It really didn’t bug me and I was kind of glad to have some roughness for my first cruise so I knew it didn’t bug me or my kids too much. I won’t be nervous about seasickness going forward. I’m sure rougher seas could have an impact but we got our sea legs when it wasn’t calm.
 
Key West

I've heard others say it and I will second falling asleep to the rocking of the ship really is relaxing. I slept better than I generally do away from home while onboard. I also loved waking up to views like these. I wasn't sure what I'd think of Key West as it didn't sound particularly exotic but it was a beautiful city with great ocean views.

469701469703

I also loved having breakfast with a view. It was really nice that Cabanas has outdoor seating. We enjoyed having breakfast outside, not something we generally do at home and definitely not in January.

469705

We were able to sleep in a bit this morning but we did have the princess gathering at 9ish. I should add that sleeping in at our house is anything past 7am and this vacation was the most I think I've ever seen my kids sleep past 7. After breakfast it was to the kids club for my oldest DS who wants nothing to do with princesses. I believe he got to do a build a fort activity he enjoyed. The rest of us head to meet royalty.

With two daughters I've done multiple princess type meet and greets at Disneyland, both paid meals and stand in line events in the park. I liked this onboard princess gathering the best of all of them. The princess gathering is a ticketed event meaning you need to get a free ticket/time in advance. They offered them online before the cruise under the onboard fun section but they filled up quick and we didn't get one. It was easy to get a time though once we boarded. We just went to guest services and I didn't even go right as we boarded, it was several hours later that I remembered to check.

This princess gathering was just held in the atrium. They did have a line that formed and they do confirm you are on the list and have a ticketed time. Like the Marvel ticketed meet and greets the line moved quickly. What I really liked though is I felt we had a decent amount of interaction with each princess. Unlike some prior princess events I've been at it, it really didn't feel rushed. Some of them were more talkative than others.

469706

We especially enjoyed our interactions with Ariel. I was sure to ask if her father was in a bad mood because the ship had been moving quite a bit the day prior. She informed me he had just had a super busy day.

469707

469708

469709

After we met the princesses it was time to explore Key West. We elected not to do a formal port adventure figuring that Key West was in the US and we could just explore it on our own. It definitely is a very easy port to do on your own but there are a few things to be aware of.

Key West has a couple docks that cruise ships use. The main one is right downtown but that is not where we were. I found this out in advance that Key West also has a Navy dock that cruise ships are allowed to use. That is where we ended up they call it the Outer Mole. You can check out the dock schedule if you are cruising to Key West here. The thing to know about this dock is because it is on an active Navy base you can't just walk off the ship. They provide a free shuttle that takes you downtown as they don't want anyone walking through the base. They also have some strict rules while you are on the pier or on the shuttle until you clear the Navy property you cannot take pictures. Our driver told us they will take your camera/phone and you will get in trouble so don't take pictures even though there are great views of your ship until you've left the base.

I knew about the shuttle in advance and wondered if there would be long lines or if it would be a pain. I almost booked a port adventure figuring it would have a dedicated shuttle but I really didn't need to worry. They had plenty of shuttles and it was super easy. We got to ride on the conch train variety which was really cool. It is basically a tram pulled by a jeep but it is a tourist attraction you normally have to pay to ride. The ride over to downtown was maybe 10 minutes and our driver narrated the way giving us a mini version of the full tour you can pay for. I thought that was really cool we basically got a shortened version of the tour for free which was perfect for our kids.

This is a photo I took of the pier before we left the ship. You can see all the trolleys lined up and one of the conch trains.

469710

I did want a picture of the ship but I waited until we were off the Navy base so it didn't turn out as good.

469711

I will say in the end I really did rather enjoy the fact we were at this further pier rather than being docked right downtown. The free tour gave us a chance to see more of Key West and it really is a beautiful city. I was taking it all in and didn't take any pictures on our ride.

I do have a bunch more pictures though but am at my limit. I also need to call it a night so looks like I'll have to leave Key West to be continued....
 
Thoroughly enjoying your trip report. (We did a 4-nt that went to CC, Nassau, and KW in 2018.) A couple of things have really impressed me. First, that you and your wife are fine whenever one or more of your kids want to go to their club instead of being in family character photos. The other is how you take the time to explain your train of thought on some of your decisions and then whether or not it worked as planned. I'm so glad you all had such a good time on your cruise! :)
 
Thoroughly enjoying your trip report. (We did a 4-nt that went to CC, Nassau, and KW in 2018.) A couple of things have really impressed me. First, that you and your wife are fine whenever one or more of your kids want to go to their club instead of being in family character photos. The other is how you take the time to explain your train of thought on some of your decisions and then whether or not it worked as planned. I'm so glad you all had such a good time on your cruise! :)
Thanks! I will say there were family pictures we made sure everyone did despite them not necessarily wanting to. However I definitely loved how on a cruise everyone can have the vacation they want much easier than other things we’ve done. The ability to be together yet do your own thing is definitely now a selling point for me on cruises.
 
It's a snow day and school was cancelled so perfect evening to think about our recent visit to warmer places.

Key West Continued ....

After getting off the tram from the pier we explored on foot a bit and checked out shops. We found Key West to be a fun place to just wander and walk on your own. We did present the kids with a few different things we had read about ahead of time and everyone thought the aquarium would be fun to visit. I will say I love visiting aquariums and have been to quite a few good ones. The Key West aquarium is pretty small but made up for it with unique interactive experiences. Admission prices seemed to be pretty on par with other aquariums. There is a discount for buying in advance but we had elected to wait until we got there in case plans changed, it wasn't that big of a price difference.

As you walk in they have the most interesting touch tank I've ever seen. I got to handle conch shells and other shelled animals. It was really cool to experience though I was the only one brave enough to pick anything up. The main rule was you needed to just touch the shells and of course be gentle.

470812

I thought it was super cool to see these shells with their inhabitants and look at them close up.

470809

Check out those eye stalks!

Again there weren't a ton of tanks but they did do regular interactive talks rotating through the different animals. My kids had a chance to feed nurse sharks which was really cool. The lighting though wasn't great so those pictures didn't really turn out.

Admission is good for the whole day so you can come and go. That might be nice if you saw a specific talk/feeding you really wanted to see, you could leave and return. You really don't need more than an hour or so to see everything. Again it was small but definitely fun to see as it was different than any other aquarium I've visited. We definitely were glad we did it.

After we checked out some more shops and walked along the water. I really did think the ocean was beautiful around Key West.

470847

Of course we had to stop for key lime pie at Kermit's. They offered it in multiple varieties as well as frozen on a stick. I love key lime pie and they did not disappoint. After that stop we decided to head back to the ship and enjoy a less busy afternoon onboard.

470855

This is a favorite picture of mine of cruise life. We headed up to the pool deck and the kids swam and enjoyed the food on deck. I got two more rides on the Aquadunk in. The first had no wait and the second just a short one. The ship did seem less busy with us coming back early. After some time at the pool we all went to get cleaned up.

I wanted to watch us sail away from Key West. It really is cool to stand on the top deck and watch as you leave land behind. Though it gets a bit windy as we found out.

470857

My youngest had some fun in the kids club. I'm not quite sure what the activity was that resulted in this outfit but I loved they had a number of craft type activities where they got to bring something home with them.

470860

We also had time to get some family photos. One thing we learned is they are open more than just right before your dinner seating. So we tended to go check the schedule and get our photos well before our late dinner. We never had a wait doing so. The formal photos before dinner I think are a must do if you are going to get the photo package.

470863

We also caught a couple characters at some point during the day. I always have to meet Donald because he is my favorite of the fab 5. We had a discussion about how he is the only qualified sailor of the bunch so he must be in charge on board. Of course he loves being number 1.

470862

My older DS loves Stitch and this was our formal meet and greet probably earlier in the day.

470864

This was not our first time meeting Stitch though. We had one of those Disney Cruise magic moments our first night actually and looking back I forgot to mention it. My son bought a souvenir stuffed Stitch in a pirate outfit. As we walked out of the store Stitch was walking by and stole it from him and ran off. We of course followed and had a fun little unplanned interaction with him. Those unplanned interactions on the ship are unique I think to a Disney Cruise and so fun.

Tonight was the headline show Tangled. The show was really well done and we definitely enjoyed it. I especially loved how they did Maximus the horse. I don't think Tangled was my favorite of the cruise just because I already knew the story. However it was really well done and the performers and singing were top notch.

This was the one night we had a chance to go participate in one of the planned family activities. I had heard great things about trivia etc but we never seemed to be free when things were planned. Tonight though we made it to So You Think You Know Your Family. For those unfamiliar it is basically a variation of the newlywed game but between parents and kids. My son and daughter both wanted to be picked to play but we weren't. It was really fun to watch though and had plenty of humor. The cast members running the game had great personalities and made it really fun. The "what is your parent's most embarrassing habit" question was good for plenty of laughs.

Dinner tonight was in Animator's Palate and I think it was maybe my favorite of the cruise. We loved watching the sketches get more and more complete and then turn to animations and add color. The show elements in Animator's are kind of subtle yet really entertaining and kept my kids interested the entire time. Then the food itself was some of our favorites. I had the black truffle pasta of course. I'd read plenty about it here and it was good. I also tried the tomato tart and enjoyed it. My DS was adventurous and tried the salmon tartar. I wasn't sure what he'd think about it, he loves salmon but having it not really cooked wasn't for him. I tried some of his though and thought it was quite good. For the main course we followed our server's recommendation and had the pork chop. It was probably my favorite entree of the cruise, it was tender, flavorful and just delicious. For dessert I had the warm sticky date pudding which I really liked. I can't remember if we got it for the table or if I just had two deserts (yes I did that a few times) but I also tried the lemon icebox cake on our server's recommendation. It was kind of like key lime pie and I probably would have really liked it had I not had key lime pie from Kermit's the same day. Kermit's was just better.

After another meal with great service and food it was time to call it a night. After everyone was in bed I went out and walked on deck 4 for a bit. We had a full moon and I got one of my favorite pictures of the cruise.

470868

I highly recommend taking in the experience of being on the ocean at night. There is something magical about being on the sea under the moon and stars. I don't think this picture quite captures the experience. It was something I didn't expect to enjoy. I thought being out on the open ocean with nothing in sight might actually be nerve wracking. Quite the opposite though it was just really peaceful and looking at the stars from deck 10 was incredible. The ship itself does give off a fair amount of light so you aren't totally free from light pollution but the stars are definitely bright. Pretty incredible to imagine that people used to navigate by them alone across the ocean in far less luxurious or sturdy vessels.

Our first two nights we didn't have much ocean to cover but tonight the ship really had to move to get us to Nassau. We totally felt the difference in speed and how the ship handled the ocean which was still a bit rough as it had been the prior two days. The feeling was definitely different with the speed difference. We weren't scheduled to get into Nassau until a 10 am all ashore which seemed a bit late to me. I think going from Key West is a bit of distance to cover in one night.

This was also the night I stopped by the adults 80s Flashback activity in Fathoms. I took to wandering a bit at night since my wife likes to retire early and all the kids were in bed. It was basically a big interactive 80s name that tune. Our club host for the cruise was Jo from the UK. I think I've read others mention her and she was a riot. It was fun to watch her energize the crowd and I had fun being there. I also spent a few minutes in the piano bar Keys. I loved how they always had piano music there in the evening. However I am normally an early to bed and early riser so eventually that caught up with me and I had to call it a night.

Up next Nassau: Dolphins and Pirates
 
Reading this and looking at your pictures is really bringing back great memories of the Magic and makes me so "homesick" for a cruise on my favorite ship!!
 
Day 6 - Nassau & Dolphins

We awoke to day 6 of our vacation and day 3 of the cruise a little tired. Our youngest DD got seasick during the night so our sleep was not uninterrupted. I was glad though that was the extent of any real illness or sea sickness during our trip. I think the speed of the ship led to different feeling movement than what we had already gotten used to and it got to her. The other realization that hit me was that we were now on morning 3 of the cruise meaning we were getting close to the end and that was sad.

Fortunately we had super exciting plans to energize us today. We were going to interact with Dolphins today. I will say I didn't find a lot of trip reports that covered Nassau shore excursions so I'll try and cover my thoughts on what we did. We chose to do the Blue Lagoon Island Dolphin Encounter. I would have preferred the swim but our 4 year old was too young for that. This was one of the few excursions he could do that sounded fun. I know Nassau has a bit of a bad name for safety and many people stay on the ship. I've travelled enough internationally that I wasn't too worried for myself but bringing my kids added a whole new dimension. So we decided sticking with a Disney port adventure was our best bet in Nassau.

The con with many of these Disney adventures is there can be a lot of waiting up front. We had to meet in the theater for a bit before they took us in groups off the ship. That wasn't horrible but then we had to stand in a line on the pier for a long time. They had to have us sign a waiver sheet which I found odd because there were waivers delivered to our stateroom with our tickets that we signed but they never collected. Instead we had to wait for them to collect our signature on their sheet and give us wristbands. That whole part on the pier felt like it could have been improved with the use of a little technology. Not sure why the couldn't have collected the waivers online in advance and given us a simple QR code or something to scan as we got off the ship to get our wristband. Oh well it all worked out.

They did start walking the group before we had a chance to sign so we had to catch up and it wasn't entirely clear where we were going. As it turned out one advantage of this excursion was that we got to board the boat for our ride to the island from within the secured cruise port area. We didn't have to walk out and pass vendors to board the boat which I appreciated. There was a mass of people though boarding and it did take time and patience for all of us to get onboard. The boat was a decent size with two levels but loading that many people across a gangway just takes time.

Speaking of time, the ride to Blue Lagoon Island was much longer than I expected. The boat wasn't super fast and it was a ways away. There were interesting sights to look at including some really nice homes. They also played music and had drinks/snacks for purchases onboard. It was still a longer ride than I was planning on. Once we got to the island though we thought it was pretty cool.

470873

The island is clearly setup to be a tourist destination and while not Castaway Cay (keep in mind we haven't visited yet at this point in our cruise) we thought it was awesome. Nice sandy beaches, chairs to sit in, crystal clear water. It was everything I imagined for a tropical island. It was definitely busy, there were people from 3 cruise ships plus anyone else who came over from Nassau, but didn't feel crowded.

We got there about 11:45 and were assigned to a 12:30 program with the dolphins so we took advantage of some beach/water time.

470874

They had blow up play things you can see in the background for an extra charge. I'm showing them here in case anyone is considering doing them in the future. They looked cool and if you were coming just for the beach might be fun. Since we were here for dolphins and had limited time we were happy with just the water and beach.

470878

470879

470881

I'll mention these photos were all taken with our Fujifilm XPS 130 waterproof camera we got a couple years ago for a trip to Costa Rica. We didn't want to bring our phones since we didn't want anything to happen to them and we knew we couldn't use them during the dolphin encounter. So we brought this waterproof camera which we also used when snorkeling at Castaway Cay. It takes pretty decent pictures and we love that we don't have to worry about it getting wet.

I had wondered what the water temperatures would be in Jan. It did feel cold getting in but you quickly got used to it. Most of my beach experience is from southern California and the water there is generally colder than this especially in the winter time. I love the ocean and have had plenty of make your body numb because it is such cold water experiences. This was far warmer than that. Per a site I found online water temps were 75-77 when we were there and I thought they were quite pleasant. The air itself was mid to upper 70s so all around great weather. I would have been okay with a bit warmer but compared to the cold and snow we left behind it was paradise. There aren't many places I've been able to just swim in the ocean and not feel cold the whole time. I suppose those used to warmer water might not have enjoyed it as much as we did.

We only had a few minutes though before it was time for our dolphin encounter. We headed over to that area and they had lockers we could put our stuff in. They were pretty small though and my backpack wouldn't fit so I just put it under a bench. They had us put on lifejackets and divided us into two large groups. They had two encounters going on at once. They way it worked though is once you were in a group they'd subdivide smaller to have groups of roughly 10 in the water at a time with a dolphin. They keep families together and the way it worked out we were super blessed to be very last and it was just our family in the water together with the dolphin. I think this really helped make the experience for us.

One other thing I will say is this is a case where you really need to know your kids. Two of the families we watched go before us had kids who refused to get in the water and interact with the dolphin. It was okay for them to miss out but it was not an inexpensive thing to do. It was really sad to see that happen. We hadn't considered it that much with our kids. Fortunately they are pretty adventurous, like the water, and like animals. I mention it though because it is worth considering if your kids will actually do it before you book something like a dolphin encounter.

470884

So as you can tell from their expressions my kids all loved this experience. It really was incredible to have a chance to interact with these marvelous animals. The dolphin seemed to be having a good time too and the surroundings really did seem nice. We got to touch the dolphin, feed it, dance together, and get hugs and kisses.

470885

470887

470888

470889

The dolphin encounter was incredible and a memory of a lifetime. I'll summarize by saying we are so glad we did it. It was one of those special things we likely won't repeat due to cost but I'm really glad we did it. It was a highlight of the trip for my kids.

One thing I will call out is we did buy their photo package, probably obvious from the pictures. There really isn't a good way to get pictures otherwise. They do have an observer area if you had a family member or friend who didn't participate but it would be hard to get really great photos. We had read about that in advance and just budgeted in we'd have to pay some crazy price for photos. I couldn't find anything online in advance and just planned worse case. Because we were last and the only family in the water at the time we decided to buy both the photos and the video. Had there been others in it the video might not have been as attractive. It cost us $153.44 for the complete photo and video package. We just couldn't pass on capturing the priceless memories and we had planned for a crazy photo cost. It would have been less for just the photos or you could also buy smaller packages rather than all of them but none were inexpensive. The photos/video were delivered electronically, we got a link emailed to us. It was waiting for us in my inbox when we got off the cruise.

In this end this is an expensive shore excursion even before the photos so I'll address the question of was it worth it? My wife and I thought so. We had budgeted and planned for it. It was the only excursion we did since we did Key West on our own and just enjoyed Castaway Cay. It was a chance to give our kids an experience they had never had before and couldn't have anywhere near home. I really believe connecting with animals in situations like this help us have a desire to protect them and the environment in a way that is much harder to gain without a personal experience like this. I know I gained a much greater appreciation for dolphins. It isn't something we are likely to do again, at least for a while. I'd love to do a full dolphin swim when the kids are old enough. They do some additional things in those encounters but this was great because the whole family could participate.

I have seen that other locations besides Nassau offer dolphin experiences and some of them may be less expensive. I can't speak to the quality of those experiences but if you really want to do one there may be less expensive options out there.

After our encounter we had a bit more time on the beach and checked out some of the gift shops. They have multiple boats leaving back for the cruise docks. We wanted to catch the 2pm one because we had made the first Pirate's League appointment for 3:30 thinking we'd be back in time based on the listed shore excursion duration. That ended up being a bit of a mistake as we were really rushed to make it on time. As it turned out the 2pm boat was the last one for the group from the Carnival ship docked by us. Once we realized that we decided we better line up a bit early which was a wise decision. Anyone could take the boat but they did give Carnival passengers priority at first. In the end they sent a second boat because there were so many people but we didn't know that would happen and fortunately got a seat on the first boat. That may have been less advantageous though as the first boat was slow and we saw the second one was newer and sped right by us on the way back. We also had to stop at the paradise island dock before heading to the cruise terminal.

We didn't get back until just before 3pm. Unfortunately we also discovered they don't dock at the same place you leave from. They take you to a dock outside the cruise terminal. It is just around the corner from the security gate but you do have to walk past some vendors and through what was a bit of a dirty street. It wouldn't have been too big of a deal but we were all in sandals and I had to make sure my kids watched where they were stepping a bit. We were really rushed to get back and have a chance for people to shower before their Pirates League appointments. It ended up advantageous we couldn't book everyone at the same time so we had two at 3:30 and then a 4pm and 4:45 time. I'll talk more about Pirates League in a bit.

I did want to mention we noticed the difference DCL makes as we walked up to the ship. They had cool towels, fruit infused water dispensers and really a nice setup as you boarded. We didn't have time to enjoy and had to just rush onboard but it was clear compared the ship next to us DCL was a step up with their amenities as you boarded.

I know there are other options at Blue Lagoon Island from just a beach day to some other animal encounters or activities. I did want to mention for a Nassau shore excursion I would consider returning to Blue Lagoon. We did enjoy our beach time and while we didn't have much time to explore the island it did seem nice. The only real con is the time the boat takes to get you there. I'm not in a hurry to return to Nassau again because I'd prefer to visit new ports. However if you are looking for something to do with kids I think any of the Blue Lagoon options could be fun.

After our dolphin adventure it was time for pirate night and we were really excited for it. I'll have to cover Pirate's League and Pirate Night in my next post though.
 
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.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!







Top