This cruise came up rather quickly as a travel agent
special. It was a little unfortunate that it was only 2 weeks after the Diva 3
cruise, but Katie agreed to go with me for this 7-day adventure on the Disney Magic
cruise ship.
Day 1 – Friday, October 5, 2012 – Mansfield,
Texas to Galveston, Texas
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Katie worked a half-day before coming to pick me up around 2
PM the day before the ship left Galveston. We were headed toward my brother’s
condo to spend the night there. We
arrived before 8 PM and ate dinner on the way, stopping at an Olive Garden
restaurant about 31 miles from Galveston.
It didn’t take us long to get to sleep at the condo.
Day 2 – Saturday, October 6, 2012 – Galveston,
Texas
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We had been assigned an embarkation time of 12:45 PM and we
were there, ready to board the Disney Magic. We went directly to the Parrot Cay restaurant
where we enjoyed a delicious buffet including a delicious pork schnitzel,
otherwise known as fried pork cutlet.
Katie ate seafood at every opportunity.
I always pay attention to the details that go into the décor
all around the ship, like the carved images on the walls and chairs.
The light fixtures, signage (for Pinnochio’s
Piazza), and even the lifeboats were fascinating to look at.
After lunch we made our way to our stateroom on deck two, number
2550. It was rather roomy for an ocean
view stateroom. There was a long
couch that could convert into an additional bed if necessary. Our luggage arrived outside our door in
time for us to unpack before the safety drill. My stateroom attendant was happy, took
the time to find out what we liked (like always keeping the ice bucket full),
and kept the room spotless.
For this trip we have selected the late dining time 8 PM so
we had plenty of time to settle in. On the Disney cruises the passengers rotate
through 3 separate dining rooms, each themed differently. We were assigned to table 35 in Eric K
restaurant where we met our dining partners for the week and our server and
assistant server.
The Disney Magic has it’s cruisers
rotate between three differently themed dining rooms. Our first dinner assignment was in the
Parrot Cay restaurant where we had eaten our lunch. Our table assignment was number 35 where
we met our waiter, Mustafa Yilmaz from Turkey, and
our assistant waiter, Kook Suwalak who I think was
from the Philippines. We called her
Cookie.
Katie and I introduced ourselves to our new tablemates for
the cruise: Gene and Pam Creel; and Gloria and John Chase.
We also met some of the Disney characters who
went around the room, posing for photos and signing autographs.
After dinner we enjoyed the show, “Let the Magic Begin” in
the Walt Disney Theatre.
Day 3 – Sunday, October 7, 2012 – At Sea
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We spent the day exploring the ship and, to my surprise,
because of Katie we tracked down the Disney characters so Katie could get her
picture with as many as possible.
Katie went out by the pool to sit in the sun while I wandered
around the ship.
Our first formal dinner was in the Animator Palate dining
room. Mustafa and Cookie rotated
through the dining rooms with us.
Katie and I went to see the show “Twice Charmed” in the Walt
Disney Theatre. It was advertised
as “An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story.”
Day 4 – Monday, October 8, 2012 – At Sea
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Our second day at sea was also spent chasing the Disney
characters. Katie sat out in the
sun while I went to the afternoon Bingo game. No, I didn’t win anything. I didn’t go many places because I was
having trouble with my back.
We had a casual dinner at the Lumíere’s
dining room. After dinner, we were
able to meet some of the ship’s officers.
The officers were friendly, informed, and congenial to those who chose
to ask questions or have photos taken with them in the atrium.
Later, we went to the Comedy and Magic of David Williamson
in the Walt Disney Theatre. I was not
so impressed with the comedian / magician.
Day 5 – Tuesday, October 9, 2012 – Grand Cayman
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By the time we woke up, we were in Grand Cayman and ready
for our two-hour Island tour. This
bus tour of Georgetown featured stops at the fascinating rock formation of
“Hell” and the turtles at Cayman Turtle Farm. We really enjoyed the turtles.
We saw a newly hatched turtle trying to upright himself. There were several pools of turtles with
a couple of varieties.
I got to hold a turtle.
Those little guys are so much stronger than they look!
That afternoon I attended a craft class on button
making. It’s something a lot of
kids or all ages would enjoy doing.
Dinner was in the Parrot Cay restaurant. This night was a Pirate theme, with
fireworks up by the pool after dark.
Day 6 – Wednesday, October 10, 2012 – Costa
Maya, Mexico
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Still not feeling well with my back, and having been to
Costa Maya before, I opted to stay onboard.
A casual dinner was in Animator’s Palate.
I’d like to compliment our Server, Mustafa Yilmaz, and Assistant Server, Kook Suwalak.
They did a fantastic job every evening and at breakfast when we were with them.
Pick an adjective for their service:
excellent, fantastic, superb, efficient, enthusiastic, eager, friendly,
tolerant, hard working. They really should get more pay. I want everyone to know that Mustafa Yilmaz was the best server I’ve had on any of my, now,
fifteen cruises and he deserves some special recognition.
After eating, Katie went to see the show, “Villains Tonight”
in the Walt Disney Theatre, but I stayed in the cabin.
Day 7 – Thursday, October 11, 2012 – Cozumel,
Mexico
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I got off the ship in Cozumel and purchased some Mexican
vanilla, looked around a little, and returned to the ship. Katie spent the day shopping.
Dress was semi-formal for
dinner in Lumíere’s dining room. To
me, anything that fits is dressy.
Semi-formal means adding some jewelry, putting on makeup, and fixing my
hair.
After dinner we saw the production of “Disney Dreams - An Enchanted
Classic.” It was the best performance
I’ve seen on any cruise ship. Most
impressive was the lead singer for the “Lion King” vignette. And, taking full advantage of the
lighting in the entire theater lives up to the genius of all Disney projects.
Day 8 – Friday, October 12, 2012 - At Sea
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There were long lines full of kids and adults to meet the
Disney characters. Each Disney
character I saw took the time to acknowledge, tease, and play with each child
(or adult) who met them for a photo or an autograph. There was no indication of
funneling them through like a cattle call just to get the possible photo sales.
Our final dinner onboard was in Parrot Cay and afterward we
saw the show, “Remember the Magic:
A Final Farewell!” in the Walt Disney Theatre.
We had to set our luggage out by 11:00 PM. It’s always good to remember not to pack
what you plan to wear in the morning!
Everyone enjoys the towel animals that are left in our rooms
after the room steward has cleaned.
Disney animals have chocolate candies for eyes and other features.
Day 9 – Saturday, October 13, 2012 – Galveston
– Disembark – Drive to Mansfield
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During breakfast, before getting off the ship, we learned
our headwaiter, Mustafa, was selected to going home to Turkey early for 3
weeks. His leave had been scheduled
for after Christmas. Besides him
doing an excellent job, Katie had visited with him about when she lived in
Turkey for a while, so we became friends.
The previous night, everyone exchanged email addresses and Facebook
information. So we are still in
communication with him.
After disembarking, Katie and I headed home after going
through customs. This was a fun
trip.