Being our first cruise, we were definitely feeling everything out as we went on the day we boarded the Disney Magic. The Port of Miami, or any port for that matter, was a new experience for us. There is a wide variety of transportation to the port. For those flying in same day, Disney offers transportation from the airport. Disney does not recommend same day flights on embarkation day, however, since any delays that are encountered could potentially make guests late for boarding the ship – and the Disney ship waits for no one. Uber and Lyft is also a great option. The hotel we stayed at the night before offered a shuttle for a fee, so this is how we chose to arrive at the port.
Once we arrived at the port, the porters took our checked baggage at the curb. We were mailed tags to attach several weeks prior to the trip. These tags are extremely important, as they will indicate which room the luggage should go to upon clearing entry on the ship. Anything that someone may feel they will need prior to mid-afternoon, they should definitely pack in a day bag to carry onboard with them. Be mindful of how full you fill that day bag though, since it has to be carried for several hours.
There wasn’t any shortage of port workers and Disney cast members to direct us where to go, and besides a substantially long line for security, this process went smoothly. Our travel documents were checked, as well as our passports. I was actually worried that we would get to the port too early and end up with a long wait for our chance to board, but by the time we got to the Disney Cruise Line check in it was our time to board and we were able to walk right through to the gangway and on to the ship. This is where Disney begins to set themselves apart from other cruise lines. Every family gets announced as they walk across the threshold of the ship. It gives a little moment of pride and magic, and a little emotion.
In Miami, entrance onto the ship is done on level 3 instead of the atrium level as it’s done in Port Canaveral. From there, everyone is encouraged to go eat lunch. We ended up following the crowds to Cabanas, which is the Disney Magic buffet. Looking back, we should have gone to the table service restaurant they had open as well, because Cabanas was a crazy madhouse. Once we had our food, finding a table to eat at was a near impossible task. We succeeded in the end though, and the food was good.
From there, we proceeded to explore the ship some, while we had the chance to do so. We were not well versed in using our Disney Cruise app at this point, which is a regret. We may have been able to check out the open houses of the teen and kids clubs to see what they were all about if we knew A) when they were being held and B) where they were located. We did check out the top deck pools and sports areas. Plenty of options for those that like activity in their day.
In our explorations, we did happen to find O’Gills Pub, which quickly became a favorite of ours that we frequented over the 5 day cruise. Shout out to Padraig, our bartender on that first day. He shared a lot of details about cruising on the Disney Magic and what it was like to be a cast member on board for weeks on end. It was an amazing conversation.
Finally, around 3pm we were able to check out our room!
The staterooms on Disney have some benefits over other cruise lines. The bathroom, for starters, is a split bathroom. The tub/shower and a sink are in one, and the second has a sink and the toilet. The room itself is also very spacious, and the storage is abundant. The bed is even raised, to allow storage of suitcases underneath.
We attended the mandatory muster drill, as did everyone else on the Magic. Following this was the Sail-a-Wave party at the pool. I thought it was an entertaining way to officially start the cruise.
Low and behold, when the party was over the ship was sailing! This is where I began to pay attention to how I was feeling, since I do experience motion sickness easily. Amazingly, this cruise had no negative impacts on me. Smooth waters and beautiful weather the whole way. It was a great first cruise.
Our first rotational dining experience was at Animator’s Palate. This is where we met our server and assistant server for the first time. These two, along with the head server, follow the same guests for the duration of the cruise through all of the rotational dining restaurants. It’s amazing what they remember from one night to the next of what a guest likes and dislikes. Everything from whether someone at one of their tables takes cream in their coffee to any food allergies, they will only have to ask once.
Animator’s Palate was a bright and artistic restaurant. Animations were drawn on the portraits along the walls, which I honestly found entertaining enough and thought was the extent of it. I was very surprised when the lights dimmed and all of the portraits came to life with Disney music and animation scenes, and Sorcerer Mickey made his appearance! I think this is when I really knew that we had chosen the right cruise line and that no one can touch the magic of Disney.
I also found out quickly that dinner on the ship is a very time consuming process. Since we were a party of two adults, I deliberately chose the late dining of 8:15 in order to allow families with small kids to have early dining. This first night, and every night after, it was after 10pm when we finished with dessert. Dinner was a theatrical performance in itself, and you can’t rush a good performance.
