Bonney's
Vacation Sagas

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.”

 

 

 

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.

 

 

   

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

      

 

     

 

 

 

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.