The first thing that surprised me is that families decorate their cabin doors and there are full Pinterest pages dedicated to the craft! The second…that the ship is massive and the entire look and feel of the place is incredibly classy and not over-the-top as I would have expected. The third…that there are 5,390 pillows on board.
The moment I stepped off the gangway and into the front entrance of the Disney Magic, I was completely taken to a different world. That magical world that one only feels when they know that somewhere close, there’s a mouse with large ears and a huge smile, just waiting to greet you!
While in port in Halifax for their Halloween Cruise, I was invited onboard for lunch and a tour…a tour that would show me the ins and outs of this travelling Disney show…that had me absolutely in awe and looking for spots that I could curl up unnoticed in hopes that the ship would leave…and I’d be a stowaway on board!
While I’ve never cruised and now desperately want to do so, I can show you a little about what we saw but pictures will only do so much…I think we all need to jump on board and head out to sea!!!
As we stepped into the front entrance of the ship, we were greeted with a Halloween Disney theme and while it looked incredibly festive and lovely…I can only imagine how amazing it would look at Christmas! (My very favourite time in the Disney parks!)
Dining aboard Disney Magic
After a brief look around, we headed to Lumiere’s Restaurant to start our afternoon with a bit of lunch! Offering American and French fare, our lunch was lovely and waitstaff were ready to jump in and make suggestions on menu choices as well as treat you with the utmost Disney service!
An interesting tidbit…when dining on the Disney Magic, groups are paired with particular waitstaff so every night as you rotate through the restaurants, your servers go where you go!
I opted for a fabulous Bruschetta to start and Steak and Frites for my main course (with Mickey shaped ketchup of course)…finishing the meal off with a Mango Cheesecake.
Along with Lumiere’s, there are multiple restaurants onboard along with late night snack stations and an adult only restaurant, Palo, that offers beautiful views in a romantic setting…and a place to escape the kids!
The restaurant I was most enthralled by was Animators Palate where upon entering, the room is completely decorated in black and white with Disney sketches throughout…but, as the evening continues, Disney Magic strikes again as the sketches reveal their true colours!
Recreation on Board
After lunch and a great conversation with my blogger friends Laura (My Life in the Sun), Laura (Valley Family Fun), Katja (Skimbaco Lifestyle) and Heather (Mmm is for Mommy)…as well as Angela from Disney marketing and Gary from CAA Atlantic, we headed out on our tour, starting at the top!
Disney Magic boasts three different pools from their upper deck…
1. The children’s pool with Aqualab play area and waterslide.
2. The Family pool with large movie screen and the thrilling Aquadunk…a “drop out” water slide that has you racing off the side of the deck and back on again!
3. And the Quiet Cove pool…where adults can escape and get away from it all!
Along with the three pools, there is also a beautiful gym (though I’d imagine running on a treadmill in rough seas could prove to be an interesting workout), a basketball court and youth clubs for various ages.
But, my favourite spot to relax would have to be the beautiful Senses Spa and Salon…complete with the most wonderful rainforest-themed aromatherapy steam rooms and a sauna fashioned after a Roman bath!
Entertainment On Board
Known for their amazing movies and live shows…Disney does it right whether you’re in a theme park or on board one of their beautiful ships.
The Walt Disney Theatre boasts broadway-calibre live shows nightly…depending on your meal sitting, there’s an early and a late show with a great amount of talent for all to enjoy! There’s a movie theatre showing a few movies each day including pre-releases and all the popcorn you can handle! There are also character experiences throughout the voyage and there’s always a party on deck which, of course, includes fireworks when out at sea!
Touring around the Disney Magic was an absolute treat. Every set of stairs we climbed or elevator ride we took revealed another surprise and while folks were in town exploring Halifax and all our wonderful city has to offer, I was a wee bit jealous that I wasn’t going to continue on to the next port with them!
Taking a Disney Cruise with my family is now officially on my “bucket list” of things to do!
Disclaimer: A MAGICAL thanks to CAA Travel and Disney for inviting me along for lunch and a tour aboard the Disney Magic! As always, opinions are my own.