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We have taken our first cruise on with Disney Cruise Line on the Disney Magic, February 7-14 to the Western Caribbean. There were nine of us. Mary and me, the parents/grandparents, our kids, Tracy and Brett, the kids, their spouses, and the three grandkids, ages 10, 8 and 5. Here is a quick review:

Airport Pickup
Our travel agent recommended using a private van vs. riding on the Disney bus for the nine of us to transfer from the Orlando airport to the ship and back. She made the arrangements with Lake County Shuttle, Inc.. When we got all of our luggage together, called Raphael, since drivers can’t hang out curb side, and he told us to walk across the street to the Dollar rental area. He was there when we arrive, packed up in our own 15-passenger van, and we were off.

Embarkation
Arrived about 2pm at the Disney Cruise Terminal in Port Canaveral, FL. Gave our luggage to be delivered on-board to porters and tipped them. Walked into the terminal about 100 yards from street and went through an airport type security. Took escalator up to check-in area and was immediately helped. They had about 12 open “windows” for check-in. Grandkids went to separate area for Kid’s Club sign-in (Tracy had pre-registered them) where they received wrist bands and parents received pagers. Once check-in, went to another area for room card and to have picture taken.

Boarded on level three of the Magic and they announced each family coming on board, followed by thunderous applause for us. Instead of someone taking us to our stateroom, they showed us to the elevator and gave us general directions on how to get there by ourselves. No biggie, just different from what we’ve experience with Princess and Celebrity, where someone escorts you to your room. Went to our room and then walked around to get acquainted with ship. They had tours, but we were adventurous. Also had buffet open. Took grandkids to Kid’s Club for a look-see. At 4:00 was lifeboat drill. Dawned life preservers in room, walked down two levels to designated area and were lined up by room, from tall in back to short in front. Took about 10 minutes. Then went to sail-away party on decks 9 & 10 and boat departed at 5pm. A great start.

Dining
For sit-down, there is a rotation process between the three dining rooms. Our rotation was PLAAAPLA. P = Parrots Cay (tropical look with tiki birds in ceiling), L=Lumiere’s (most upscale room), and A=Animator’s Palate where things start out in B&W and move towards color during the dining time. Food was excellent, even beef. Nice presentations and served at correct temperature. Good selection. Wait staff bent over backwards to make everyone happy, especially kids. Since the wait staff moves with the guests, it was a great experience. They knew our names after the first night, and as the waiter would take our order each night, he would stand beside each of us and say our name. Also they knew what drinks we wanted and had them ready without asking. Kids had their Shirley Temple’s waiting for them when we arrive each night, and also picked up on favorite items. Brooke liked strawberries, so they brought her strawberries each night without asking. Fisher wanted shrimp and got it. Probably the best wait staff we have encountered in all of our sails.

Topsider buffet was good too. Had four serving lines like a cafeteria, so no line cutting like in a “traditional” cruise buffet. One line was set up for kids, so the adult lines moved pretty fast.

They also had a pizza only set up (Pinocchio’s Pizzera), another for dogs and hamburgers (Pluto’s Dog House), and a third for fruit and panini sandwiches (Goofy’s Galley). And then an adults only at the Cafe Cove.

Breakfast and lunch also available in dining rooms. Tried Lumiere’s and Parrot Cay for breakfast and it was excellent. Did a superb eggs benedict.

Tried room service for breakfast once, but all cold foods. Rather have a hot breakfast.

Staterooms
We were in a category 6 and it was about the same size as a mini-suite on the Princess. It slept 4. One queen (twins shoved together), a couch that converted into a bed, and an upper bunk that was stored in the ceiling. This area also had a sit-down vanity. A curtain closed to divide the bunk area from our sleeping area so we could read after one of the kids (we had rotating guests) went to bed. Usual configuration for the veranda. The bath configuration was interesting. A toilet and lav in one, and a small bath/shower and lav in the other. Had a 20″ or so flat panel TV with a swing arm. The Report From the Bridge ships graphics were to die for. Everything we’d been looking for but never saw on Celebrity or Princess. Also a bridge cam 24/7. Plenty of storage. Rooms always clean and towels soft.

Shows
All the Broadway shows were performed in the Walt Disney Theater. All of them were great. Great performers and sets. Some times they would show movies in there too. The had the premier showing of Confessions of a Shopaholic on Friday at 12:01am. Also showed the 3D version of Bolt in there one afternoon. And then for the majority of the movies, which did include 3D and 2D versions, there is the Buena Vista Theater. A true movie theater with 7.1 surround sound and stadium theater seating. Not the thrown together movie venues we’ve had on all the other ships. They also had Ariel View on Deck 9, which is similar to a jumbotron. Great picture and sound there too. We watched Pirates of the Caribbean one night.

Kids Things
If you want to take a child on a cruise, start and stop at Disney. They really know how to do it. And Disney characters galore. Kid’s Club was great according to those who participated. And the paging system left the parents without a worry.

Casino
There is none. The kid’s club rooms occupy the space that would be used by a casino on other ships. But they did have bingo with a $10k jackpot.

Tender Service
We had to anchor off Grand Cayman and take a tender to shore. If we were taking a tour booked on the ship, which we weren’t, there were departure times and meeting points before proceeding to the tender. In our case, we had a tour scheduled that we booked on-line and were suppose to be on the dock by 8am. For everyone else not on a shore excursion, the process was to go to the Buena Vista Theater, secure a number and wait until it was called. For us, we walked into the Buena Vista Theater at 7:45am, got our ticket, but before we could sit down, we were ushered down two flights to a waiting tender. Disney doesn’t use their boats to ferry people, but hires them locally. There were about 25 people in our group, and as soon as the last one got on, we were headed to shore. No waiting until it was full. Our tender could probably hold 100 people. There were two other tenders, double deckers, that could probably hold 200-250 people. So the tender operation was the best we’ve seen.

Adults Only Area
On Deck 9 is an area for adults only. Nicely padded chairs and ottomans for reading, plus a bar and eating area. Pool too. You could certainly tell the change in “noise” when moving from the kids area to the adults area. Nice respite.

I’ve heard/read about adults who take a Disney Cruise without the children because they like that type of cruising experience. Disney did a superb job, but think I’ll stick to Celebrity/Princess, etc. when cruising without the kids.

Disembarkation
What a great experience, compared to the fiascoes experienced when getting off a Princess or Celebrity cruise . Our disembarkation instructions were that if we were scheduled to fly out of Orlando, they recommend we leave the ship by 8am. That was it. No going to a location to wait until our bag tag color was called. Just mosey off the ship when we felt like it, pick up our bags and go. It was all very orderly, and the process moved smoothly and quickly. It took 15 minutes for us to take the elevator down from 6 to 3, walk off the ship and have only one room card per stateroom swiped for final check-out. Down an escalator to pick up luggage, go through customs and be out on the street, ready to be picked up by our van. Why can’t that happen on other cruises?

Transfers
Susan, our travel agent, arranged the van service, which was excellent. When we got out to the curb and at position 5 as instructed, I called Raphael and told him we were in position. Before I could hang up the phone, he was at curbside. Can’t get better than that. Plus we paid $44 per person round trip, including the tip, and it was our personal conveyance. Disney charges $69 per person not including the tip, and you have to wait until the bus is full both ways before the driver will depart. Highly recommend Lake County Shuttle.

Swim With Stingrays
We did arrange for our own excursion that Mary located on-line. It was Stingray Sailing (www.stingraysailing.com). Good recommendations on CruiseCritic. They use a 43′ catamaran and there were about 24 people on our tour. Plenty of room. We took a bus to where the boat was moored and then headed out to a sandbar where the stingrays gather. The depth of the sandbar is 3-4′. But the day was very windy, so plenty of waves making it difficult to keep a sound footing. Lots of stingrays, many very large. 70+ pounds. Our 5 year old had a life jacket on, but the waves kept knocking her over and salt water in the mouth, so she wanted out quickly. The 8 and 10 year olds also had life jackets on, but no problem.

After swimming with the stingrays, we went to another area for snorkeling, with good equipment provided. None of our party tried it because of the wave action, but those on the tour that did reported great viewing.

The cost was significantly less than the Disney excursion. The mate who was taking payment at the end of the trip (we prepaid through PayPal) volunteered to give us a refund for Mary and the 5 year old because of the wave conditions. That was entirely unexpected and unnecessary in our minds.

We were asked to be dropped off at a beach before heading back to the ship. So many of those on the tour were let off at the Royal Palm beach. Pretty beach with food and liquids available. Also showers and nice facilities. The driver who dropped us off agreed to pick us up at 3 and charged us $3 per head for the ride back to the boat, instead of the customary $4 per head.

Would highly recommend this tour.

So that’s the short version . It was a great cruise for us, and all who went for their first cruise had a great time. Fisher (age didn’t want to leave. I certainly would recommend a Disney cruise for anyone taking kids/grandkids. Disney does it right. What other information would you like?