Entertainment Magic

One of the most magical aspects of any Disney experience is the entertainment.  The theme parks are filled with all kinds of different shows, musical groups and entertainment offerings.  The Disney cruise ships are no different!  Not only were we pleasantly surprised with how much entertainment there is, we were honestly quite amazed.   And the best part, like other cruises, is it’s all included with your cruise fare. 

Throughout the week there was something going on in the main theatre – The Walt Disney Theatre – every single night; three Broadway-style shows,  the opening night and closing night variety-style shows, FRANKENWEENIE (Tim Burton’s new film which had just opened in theaters) was shown, and one family night-show with the featured magician’s act. What a beautiful theatre it is, too.  It definitely reminded of many old-time classic theatres and movie palaces from back in "the day" in New York and Los Angeles. I just love the Art Deco stylings, and the Disney Magic is just filled with that design style.   

There were all kinds of smaller shows and experiences to be enjoyed in other venues around the ship all week long.  But one of the neatest features we found, was the Buena Vista Theatre, which is their onboard movie theater.  Classic Disney films, along with first-run films are shown in there, as well as a ton of classic Disney fare plays on the “Funnel Vision” screen up on deck 9.  While onboard we enjoyed THE AVENGERS, THE ODD LIIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN and started to watch FINDING NEMO-3D (but ended up leaving after about a half an hour since it really wasn’t all that different from the original version).   On deck 9’s Funnel Vision we enjoyed PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL and parts of several other films including THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE, TOY STORY, THE JUNGLE BOOK, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, MARY POPPINS, CARS and WALL-E. 

In The Walt Disney Theatre we enjoyed five of the seven shows that were offered.  One of the two that we did not go to in the theatre (we watched a part of on the tv screen in our room) was TWICE CHARMED, the reimagined telling of the Cinderella story created just for the Disney ships.  We were quite impressed with the overall quality of the performances, even when we didn’t necessarily like (VILLAINS TONIGHT! and TWICE CHARMED), having worked in the theatre in our younger days, as well as both being involved with drama productions for years – we could definitely see how much quality goes in to the onboard productions.  But even though we didn’t really care for VILLAINS TONIGHT!, I will say that I LOVED that both Yzma and Kronk (from THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE) were featured.  I have loved that film since I first saw it on the big screen years ago, and it is a beloved favorite of my kids as well.  So seeing SOMETHING with those characters (I have not yet experienced the “Sorcerors” game at the Magic Kingdom, but I understand they are featured in the game there).  No photography was allowed in the Broadway-style shows, so I have nothing to share from those performances. 

It’s hard because I have so much that I want to share, but time can be so limiting.  I will talk about other entertainment offerings that we enjoyed in my next update, including which classic Disney character we learned to draw.  So  with that, once again, I say thanks for reading along and for now I will bid you adieu, or as Mickey likes to say, see ya real soon!

Until next time,

 

Tips on Thursday - It's All About the Food

It’s All About the Food!

Choices abound!  Choices galore!  Choices, choices, choices!  With newer cruise ships, it's all about choices! One evening you might enjoy the elegant atmosphere of the main dining room while another you opt for your ship's casual dining restaurant or one of the ship's specialty restaurants; and yet another you might enjoy the choices inside your own stateroom thanks to 24 hour room service. 

Regardless of how or where you choose to dine, you're sure to a seemingly endless selection of entrees, appetizers, salad, soups, sides and desserts every time you sit down.  Did you also realize that here's virtually no limit on what or how much you order?  But just because your cruise ship offers plenty of delicious food doesn't mean you'll come home out of shape; as more and more ships offer low-calorie, spa or fitness menu selections that are just as tempting as those on the regular menu.  Watching what you eat has never so much fun!

Not only do you have choices in where you eat within the variety of fabulous food and restaurants, a growing number of cruise lines are now allowing guests to choose their own dining time. Norwegian Cruise Line pioneered the concept with their “Freestyle Dining”, which has been well-received by guests loving the freedom to dine whenever and wherever they like.  Six-star lines such as Regent and Silversea also leave the option of dining time up to guests.  Princess' “Personal Choice Dining”, Holland America's “As You Wish Dining” and Royal Caribbean's “My Time Dining” are now available in addition to their traditional dinner seating.  

Traditional dinner seating, however, with the same wait staff and table companions each evening, has not gone the way of the dinosaur, and is still available on most cruises, and remains a favorite among new and past cruisers alike.

No matter what line or itinerary you choose, you’re bound to find the dining choices to be an amazing part of your cruise vacation. 

More Dining Magic

For those of you who have sailed with Disney Cruise Line, and even for many of you have dreamed of sailing with Disney Cruise Line, PALO probably means something to you.  For those of you who have not yet sailed or even considered sailing with Disney Cruise Line, it most likely won’t.  But PALO is the subject of this next entry – “More Dining Magic.”  

On our second night of the cruise, we were originally scheduled to dine in Parrot Cay, our regular rotational spot in the dining rotation, but instead we had dinner at Palo, the adults-only restaurant onboard the Disney Magic (and replicated on the other ships in the fleet as well).  We, well, at least I, had heard and read a lot of the hype about the restaurant, and kind of knew what to expect.   We were ready and willing to see what it was like, and to be wowed.  We knew that we needed to dress, and night two happened to be our itinerary’s “Formal Night”, so we just wore to Palo what we would have worn to Parrot Cay anyway.  We saw no need to alter our plans simply because we altered our ultimate table location. 

On the Magic, Palo is located on Deck 10, aft, or the very back of the ship, on the upper-most “real” deck.  (There IS a Deck 11, but it’s inside the pretend smoke stack housing VIBE, the teen club area).  Our table was in a lovely location, just slightly off-center from the very back of the ship.  As we sat enjoying the sunset, the one thing that I certainly would have preferred about the restaurant, was if the walking deck had been made to cross in front of the restaurant, rather than wrap around the back of it.  That way Palo could have truly butted up to the very edge of the ship, and would have provided unspoiled views of the ocean from the tables, vs. having the deck’s railing obstructing the view. 

Despite the inability to secure reservations online prior to departure for this “highly sought after location” for anything but the very first night of the sailing, Palo was fairly empty throughout the entire hour and a half that we were there.  It was fascinating to watch as there truly were only about 6 other tables filled the entire time we were there.  This was just the first something about the hype not coming true during our dining experience there. 

Given the very light attendance, our server, Nikola, was VERY attentive - even moreso than he most likely no doubt usually is.  He just kept coming around making sure we were enjoying ourselves, and that the food was good.  I counted  nine times when said “Bon appetite” to us.  Once, maybe twice would have been sufficient.  It was almost as if he were trying too hard. 

To start we had a very nice, freshly prepared at table-side anti-pasti.  The bread selection that came with it was not exactly to our liking, but it was fun to look at (mostly of the hard, cracker variety instead of soft, sumptuous breads). 

Neither of us could really decide what we wanted, but Nikola certainly had his recommendations.  For appetizers, I had the very delicious shrimp, and my lovely bride had a sumptuous  mozzarella rose (I didn’t get a picture of the actual menu insides, so I cannot remember the exact names of the various dishes we ordered).   For our entrees, I went with the ahi tuna, and she had lobster ravioli.  I also wanted the lobster farfalle, though I didn’t eat the pasta itself, just the big, very delicious piece of lobster.  The lemon sorbet that came in between the appetizer and the entrée was light, cool, refreshing, and oh so delicious. 

For dessert, we definitely decided to go with the Chocolate Souffle (which does indeed have to be ordered prior to your entrée as so much of the hype indicates), and it was very good.  I am not a huge fan of dark chocolate, so I definitely toned it down quite a bit with the provided vanilla ice cream – even my wife’s portion of the ice cream, which she didn’t want.  If it hadn’t been for that, I would not have enjoyed that “chocolate bomb” – but with it, it was quite good.  I also added the vanilla and chocolate sauces that were provided, and had a wonderfully tasty dessert. 

We are not coffee drinkers, (hot tea yes, coffee no), so coffee after dinner was not on our agenda – though my lovely bride did enjoy a cup of tea.  Nikola was sure to bring us the second round of the lemon sorbet, though this time it was not in a dish, but rather in a shot glass and infused with Absolut Vodka.  It was good, though I didn’t finish it all.  Not something that I would have thought to mix together myself, I must admit. 

Overall, I will say that for us, Palo just didn’t live up to the hype from the internet board and guide books regarding Disney Cruise Line.  It was nice - very nice - but it just wasn’t “all that” that so much of the hype makes it out to be.  The food was great, but not worth the $20 per person upcharge (plus added gratuity) that we had to spend to eat there.  While slightly different, the food selection itself wasn’t that far off from the menus throughout the week that we enjoyed in the other dining rooms (as we discovered as the week passed by).  Overall, if I were to place the experience on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being a “must do again” rating, I would say our experience at Palo rated a 7.5.  It was nice, but not something that we just absolutely  “must” do again.

We had been able to secure a Palo Brunch, also something that is very hyped online, but after our dinner, with neither one of us being overwhelmed  - we decided we would just skip the brunch.  So on the way out of the restaurant, I asked the general manager what the brunch menu included, and then asked if we could cancel our brunch reservation.  He was shocked and instantly wanted to know what they had done wrong to upset us.  I assured him that they had done nothing wrong, and that we had enjoyed a delightful dinner, we had just changed our minds about brunch.  After a couple of minutes of convincing him that his staff had not offended us, he graciously cancelled our reservation.  On a future voyage, we have decided that we will try the brunch, but don’t really see a need to return for dinner. 

As with the initial entry regarding dining, I do have more to share, but once again will save those things for another entry.  So for now, as before, I bid you adieu, or as Mickey likes to say, see ya real soon!

Until next time,

Dining Magic

It all starts with black & white

As previously mentioned, our first night on the ship called for us to eat in Animator’s Palette.  For those of you who haven’t sailed with Disney Cruise Line before, or if you have but have only sailed on the more recent ships (Disney Dream or Disney Fantasy), the three dining rooms onboard the Disney Magic are Animator’s Palette (A), Parrot Cay (P) and Lumiere’s (L).  Disney Cruise Line revolutionized the industry back when the Disney Magic was first introduced by offering “rotational dining”, whereby each night you eat in a different restaurant/dining room.  You either have the main (early) or second (late) seating, and each night you and your wait staff, move to another location.  How neat is that?!  That’s pretty neat.  We were on the second seating, and our rotation was A, P, L, A, P, L, A.  And with the information about Animator’s Palette only undergoing the beautiful transformation from “black & white” to “color” on your first time dining in that location, we absolutely had to eat there the first night.  Plus we wanted to be able to meet our table mates as well.  

Animator's Palette soon after we arrived

The transformation has begun

Traveling without children meant that we would be eating with other guests, for certain.  We would either be with 2, 4 or 6 other guests.  We ended up at a table for 8, so 6 other guests.  None of them had children.  There was one couple - also traveling without their children, and then two pairs of women, each traveling separately but with a friend.  As it turned out, too, our table was filled with travel professionals!  You can imagine then what a good amount of our table conversation throughout the week consisted off – especially on that first night.  But throughout the course of the week we had such a good time getting to know each other better, sharing life stories and just laughing and laughing.  That definitely was something we would not have experienced had we brought the children along on the voyage.  Instead of mixing and mingling with 6 other adults, we would have most likely been situated at a table for 6, with an empty chair throughout the week. 

Derrick & Dennis

Dennis, our server, and Derrick, our assistant server took fantastic care of all of us throughout the voyage.  They sure made each meal fun, interesting and quite enjoyable.  We learned that Dennis had been with Disney Cruise Line since its’ inception, and in fact was on the inaugural crew for the Magic – and despite offers, has never transferred to another ship.  He really enjoys the smaller, more intimate feel of the Magic, vs. the grander scale of the Dream and the Fantasy.  He has considered the Wonder, but really loves the Magic.  Derrick, on the other hand, had only been with the line for about 7 months and does want to sample other ships when he is able to at some point in the future, but until then really enjoys working onboard the Magic.

My lovely bride's appetizer:
Sesame-flavored Rock Shrimp &
Caramelized Onion Cheesecake

Confetti Tomato Salad

The rotational concept really does add a lot to the overall cruise vacation experience, in my opinion.  First, you get to sample the various designs and stylings of each dining room that the imagineers went to great lengths to include when crafting the ship; and then you also get the fun and vibe that each location brings, through different costumes for the servers, music and overall ambiance.  Plus the menu selections vary somewhat based on the individual dining rooms as well.  Having cruised before (just me, not my lovely bride), I enjoyed that my server in the dining room kind of knew by the end of the cruise what I wanted to drink – but onboard the Disney ship – WOW – by the second day Derrick, was bringing us the correct beverages, and by the third night Dennis was intuiting what each guest at the table would enjoy best from the menu selection.  He had a pretty darn good accuracy rate too after just a couple of meals – well over 60%.  By the last couple of nights he was 100% correct, from appetizer selection, to entrees and dessert.  It was almost fun to “test” him and see how he would do. 

The artwork over our table
by the end of the meal

The artwork over our table
when we sat down

Dessert Trio Sampler (I didn't get a
dessert menu picture, so I can't
tell you exactly what these are)

I have more to share on the dining aspect, but am going to save those things for another entry.  So for now, I bid you adieu, or as Mickey likes to say, see ya real soon!

Until next time,

 

A Magical Stateroom

Upon boarding the ship, the beautiful Disney Magic, it was truly magical to hear our name announced in the Central Atrium.  As we had been working our way up the gangway to the ship’s entry, while we didn’t quite know what exactly what we would do at first, I had read in the “Personal Navigator”, the daily newsletter given to us while still in the terminal, that until 3:30 pm we could talk with the Dining personnel regarding any changes we’d like to make.  We had a dinner reservation for Palo – for the very first night – which I was not overly thrilled about.  But it was the only one that I could get when I made the reservation.  Nothing else was available through the online system.  Even when I phoned to talk to someone, that’s “all” they had. 

I had also previously heard that Animator’s Palette undergoes a beautiful transformation from “black & white” to “color”, but only on the first evening you dine in that restaurant.  As luck would have it, we were scheduled to dine in Animator’s Palette that evening, except for the fact that we were going to Palo.  Our first destination was Rockin’ Bar D, right there on Deck 3, just forward of the Central Atrium, where we could ask about reservation changes.   “No problem”,  “whatever you want”,  and “when would you like to dine with us?” were the wonderful phrases that Palo’s manager had to say when we inquired.  Not only did he say these things, but he gave us multiple time options when we said we would like to switch it to the second night.  Now that was a wonderful beginning to our cruise!  

It was now about 1:15, and we could not access our stateroom until after 1:45, and we both realized that we were feeling a bit hungry.  We’d eaten at around 9:00, and with the various swirl of activity to that point hadn’t really paid attention to the feeling until now when we were finally able to start to relax.  So our next destination was up to Deck 9 and Topsider’s Buffet.  We enjoyed a nice meal and some time to just sit and relax, as multiple servers came to our table trying to get us to purchase the refillable beer mug (we don’t drink) or the water package.  We’d already purchased water, so we didn’t need more.  Finally it was 1:45, and time to head down to see if our room was ready. 

As we worked our way around Decks 9 and 10, trying to figure out the deckplan, we enjoyed seeing the main pool area, the Mickey pool, and the adult pool near the Cove Cafe, as well as finding the Vista Spa, where we were invited in (I say that loosely, as it was hard to say no to all the smiles and charm being poured out) for a tour of the spa.  (I’ll share about the spa later in the updates).  We also got a tour of the terrific gym they have onboard. 

Finally we found our way down to our stateroom.  We were on Deck 2, in a Deluxe Oceanview stateroom.  When I first learned the placement of our room prior to sailing, I wasn’t all that thrilled about being “way down” on Deck 2 – but as the week wore on, I grew to really love where we were located.  I’ll talk about that later.

So I titled this entry “A Magical Stateroom”;  which is of course a play on the ship’s name, but also a little bit of reality as to what we felt about that room.  In and of itself, it’s just a room on a ship, with no balcony or private verandah – just a window looking out to sea.  BUT, and the big BUT here – is that that room, was enormous.  I’ve been in Oceanview rooms in the past, on other ships from other cruise lines – and WOW, this room was like night and day from those other ships and lines.  It was HUGE as cruise line staterooms go.  (Remember this was our first Disney Cruise Line voyage), so we were definitely impressed with what we were getting. 

Upon entry, the bathrooms (yes plural) were on the left, and the huge closest on the right.  There is a split bath situation with the first room having commode and sink with a neat little corner shelving unit – and the other bathroom having a tub (with shower) and another sink.  Certainly the tub wasn't large enough for an adult to enjoy a bath, but great for families traveling with small children who take baths instead of showers!  Immediately my lovely bride determined that we would have a his & hers bathroom situation for getting dressed for dinner, etc.

Beyond the bathrooms was the bedroom portion, with a dresser and a cool storage unit made to look like an old-fashioned steamer trunk standing up on its’ side.  There’s a night table with lamp on each side of the bed, which can be separated into two twin beds when guests are traveling together who don’t normally share a bed. 

 Beyond the main sleeping area is the sitting area, which of course is a sleeper sofa or a secondary bedroom area when traveling with children or if you just have 3 or 4 guests who want to share a single room.  There is a curtain to divide the two spaces.  The sitting area included the vanity table/desk area, with additional storage drawers.  But the best part of the sitting area is the enormous window.  It is circular in shape, but not just a mere porthole, it’s double to triple the size of a typical porthole window.  We had a great view! Sure having a balcony would have been even nicer, but with the size of the window, the room didn't really feel constrained. We were able to see a lot from that window. 

The décor of the room of course is a “Disney”.  We had the typical above-bed artwork found throughout the ship, but also had a piece of concept art on the wall, created by legendary imagineer Marc Davis for Disneyland back in the ‘60s for the last attraction that Walt Disney had been supervising before his untimely death, “Pirates of the Caribbean”.  Additionally the room sported a photo of Walt & Lillian Disney on deck of a ship that they sailed on to Europe back in the ‘50’s. 

Moments ago I mentioned that during the week we grew to really love our location, on Deck 2.  A big part of the reason that we liked it so much was that we were Mid-ship. Not only were we Mid-ship, but we were also just a few doors away from the Mid-Ship elevators.  Now normally I don’t recommend to clients being right near the elevators, but wow, it was great to be able to quickly head up the stairs to Deck 3 and all of the fun and excitement that was found there, or to head down our corridor in either direction to get the Forward or Aft elevators or stairs for things that were going on in those areas on other decks.  Because we were right below the Central Atrium, getting back to our room was very quick and easy any time we needed Guest Services, were in the Atrium or up to Studio Sea (just off the Atrium on Deck 4) for activities, or in the shops on Deck 4.  It’s a personal preference I know, but I just loved being right the heart of it all, rather than stuffed up on an upper deck away from it all – which is where I was on my last cruise.  This location just really fit my preferences a lot better. 

So there you go, our Magical room, with more to come in the next update. 

Until next time,