Well, it’s been a while since I wrote a blog of any sort. We’ve been missing our Disney trips so much, but we were incredibly lucky to get a little Disney fix these past few days on board the Disney Magic at Sea cruise. Now, let me warn you, if you’re hoping to read about the food and/ or merchandise onboard then this probably isn’t for you. We didn’t go in any of the shops, and although the food was absolutely fine I was always too busy eating it to remember to take photos!
Let me start by being honest. When these cruises were first mentioned and I saw how expensive they were going to be, I thought there was no way I’d choose to go on one. Then, as we thought about the prospect of another potential Disneyworld cancellation, we decided we may as well put the deposit down on one just on the off chance we couldn’t get to Florida as we knew we could cancel up to 30 days out for a full refund. Obviously, Florida didn’t happen, so we decided to bite the bullet and give cruising a try. And I am so glad we did.
Now, as it turned out this was to be our only chance of a break during the girls’ school holidays. Our other two mini breaks should have been at the start of the summer break but Polly tested positive for COVID the day before the first one, which meant they both had to be cancelled. It also meant Steve had to do another 10 days isolation after just finishing his first as a close-contact, so he had to get back to work and catch up. That meant we really couldn’t rebook anything and had to put all of our eggs into the cruise basket and also hope that Polly’s PCR that all children need before boarding wouldn’t show any residual virus. In the weeks leading up to the cruise we literally did nothing! We practically tuned into hermits as we were determined to give ourselves the best chance of testing negative and getting on the boat. The girls PCR tests came back negative and we used LFT tests most days in the final week and all was good until the day before we were due to leave when mine showed a very faint positive line. I’m sure you can imagine the upset that ensued! The girls were sobbing, I was trying to stay calm and rational but failing, Steve was being the voice of reason but his voice was drowned out by the wailing!!! After 2 further negative LFTs didn’t fully put our minds at rest I ended up booking and paying for a rapid PCR test at East Midlands Airport. We drove straight there, sat in the car whilst they did the test, and by the time we were home had the negative result through. We celebrated with some frantic packing (I refused to start beforehand as I thought it was tempting fate!!) I intended to keep luggage to a minimum, but after the relief of the negative result and because so many of the girls’ outfits are getting less likely to be worn at the parks as time goes on and they keep growing, we decided to just put in anything they wanted. As a result, we had 2 big cases and 2 cabin cases (and still hardly any clothes for me, but in all honesty I’d have gone in just my pyjamas if it meant getting on board!)
We drove to Southampton the day before the cruise as we were worried it was just a bit too far to risk on the day of, especially as we had an early port arrival time. We stayed in the hotel room and ate tea and breakfast the next morning there (Steve got a drive through Starbucks for breakfast) as there was no way we were risking any COVID germs getting into us that late in the game.The hotel had run out of non-feather pillows even though it had been requested on our booking, so they advised me to put some towels in a pillowcase and use them instead!! Needless to say it wasn’t the best nights sleep I’ve ever had, but I guess I wouldn’t have slept all that well anyway as I was too excited.
We got to port a bit early and caught our first glimpse of the ship.
We waited in the car until 30 minutes before our 11.45am slot and then headed to the queue for testing where they let us in just before 11.30am. I was a nervous wreck at this point. I’d printed all our documents off but was asked to show them on my phone. I couldn’t remember my login so ended up having to reset my password which made it even more stressful! We then got sent to a booth to do our own LFTs in front of a staff member and then had to go to a big hall to sit and wait for the results.
After about 15 minutes results started coming in for everyone around us. I was starting to get twitchy when our emails arrived stating ‘not detected’ which meant they were negative. The relief was immense!
Steve and I had decided if we actually made it to this point we’d ask about an upgrade so after going through security (bag scan and body scan) we headed to the departure lounge and off he went. He messaged to say we could upgrade to concierge for a lot less than it would have cost if we’d booked the room on the website, and so we decided to go for it. At the same time as he returned with the room cards, a lovely lady who worked at the port and had been chatting to the girls came up to us and asked if we’d like to be family of the day! Having never cruised before we had no idea what this meant but we obviously said yes whilst I secretly prayed it wouldn’t be anything too embarrassing for me (I really don’t like being in the spotlight!!). It turned out we had to stand in the departure lounge whilst they announced us to everyone, and then we got to be the first family on board. The girls absolutely loved it and Lucy, the lady who looked after us, made us all feel so at ease which was great as none of us are particularly good in unfamiliar situations (well, except for Steve!)
As you enter the ship they announce you by name and the crew clap you onboard. You then stand on your allocated spot to watch Mickey and Minnie do a little dance which is very cute.
We were then directed into a lounge where we were shown how to access the app which shows all the activities/ meals/ shows/ characters that are taking place. You have to check in at your lifeboat station and scan it on your app, and then you are free to roam the ship at your leisure. Although we could have gone for a sit down lunch at this point, we decided to head straight for the pool before it got busy. This was a really good call as they literally had the water to themselves. Polly went on the Aquadunk (a water slide where you start off at the top in a capsule before the floor drops away and you slide down). She went on it twice which we were so surprised about as she isn’t the bravest. It turns oout she didn’t like it the first time but wanted to go on it again to double check! Winnie made it into the capsule before backing out!! They did go on the other water slide though which they loved.
By now we were getting hungry so we decided to grab some food by the pool. The girls had chicken tenders and chips (their staple beige food of choice for all things Disney!) and we had a shawarma to share because Winnie said if it’s good enough for Tony Stark, it must be good! We then took a few minutes to get to understand the app a little more, and marked the activities/ character meets/ shows we’d like to do (you then get a reminder notification before each of these). For the 3 day cruise there were 3 shows; Freezing the Night Away which is a small Frozen show on deck, Tangled the Musical and Dreams, a full on Disney show with a whole host of characters. You are assigned a dining slot (early dining is around 6pm and late is around 8.30pm) and you choose a show the opposite time to this. We were the last cruise that had to book show slots before they decided you could just turn up, so we could actually have gone to any but it would have meant missing the meal which was never going to happen with us!! The rest of the time there was continuous entertainment alongside the character meets. Things like animation classes, quizzes, game shows, bingo etc happened daily. You literally could never be bored!
We then went check out the open house at kids club first as the girls weren’t sure they wanted to go. While we were there we met Jessie and looked at all the Marvel bits.
Afterwards, we decided to try and tick some character meets off our list. On the app it only states the category of character (ie Disney Pals/ Marvel etc) but if you ask any of the crew at the meeting locations they can tell you which character will be where at any time. This was so useful, especially when you had specific characters you really wanted to see.
After meeting Daisy at the first place we tried, we asked about Donald and were told he’d be wandering around Deck 10, so we headed up there. As soon as we walked onto the deck we saw him and Goofy together, which was perfect timing!
We then met Ariel and Tiana as we had a few minutes before our room was ready. The character queues were so much quicker than at the parks, and if you timed it right you could go to the end of the session for one character and then walk straight back in to see the next (they tended to rotate between two characters for the morning or afternoon sessions). The only time we queued was for the princess meets in the atrium, but that was because they were very chatty. I do have to say that although the meets were distanced, they were still just as much fun as they are in the parks. OK, you didn’t get the hugs but that was the only thing missing.
By this time it was 3pm so we headed to our new cabin. The cabin I’d originally booked was midship as we suffer with travel sickness, and I’d read this was the best location to avoid it at sea. However, the new cabin was at the back of the ship. It honestly didn’t matter though as none of us felt at all queasy at any point. We did take Kwells tablets at night just in case, but that’s all. The only time I felt any movement was one night when I felt like I was rolling out of bed as the ship turned, and in one of the theatres.
Upon arrival at the cabin there was a knock at the door and we were offered some champagne from the drinks trolley. The girls were given a choice of non-alcoholic drinks too. It was lovely and made us feel very special!
We then decided to unpack a little and decorate the room door with the magnets we’d taken before the girls headed off. for an hour at kids club and we checked out the concierge lounge.
Now, we’ve only stayed club level once at WDW because I found a cracking deal on Ebookers (I think it was a misprice) but for the few days we did it, although it was great, we did feel a bit out of place. The cruise was completely different. The concierge team were lovely and very down to earth and they made the girls feel so comfortable. They are actually what Winnie said she misses most now she’s back at home! We had a quick drink (soft drinks/ coffee/ snack type food is available all day and alcoholic drinks from 5pm-10pm) before heading to pick up the girls and get ready for our first meal at Animator’s Palate (your restaurant order is shown on both your room key card and on the app).
We were a little bit early so stopped off to see our favourite chipmunks on the way to the restaurant.
The theming of Animator’s Palate is amazing. There are Disney sketches all over the walls and paint palates hanging from the ceiling.
Screens all around the room play Disney clips and when you sit down you have a pen and paper to draw your own character on and write your name. During the meal these characters are bought to life on the screen in a mini animation. It’s fabulous to watch. At the end your names all scroll up like end credits on the film. It was only then that we realised Winnie had written Tony Stark as she thought she was naming the character not putting her own name. It made us giggle.
The food was nice. I had regular steak, Steve had teriyaki steak, and the girls had children’s pizza (which was tiny but they weren’t too hungry and it left room for pudding). I know people have talked about getting more than one choice if you couldn’t decide or modifying meals, but this wasn’t ever offered as an option to us. It wasn’t a problem as there was enough choice, but I do think the servers you have can greatly affect your dining experience. As I have a nut allergy I had to order my food for the next evening at the end of the meal, which I wasn’t expecting and felt a bit pressured by. Still, I know it was for my own safety (even though my allergy is very mild)
After tea we had a bit of time to chill in the room before heading onto the deck to watch the Frozen show. When we got there an envelope had been left on the door for them In it were two certificates and a card from kids club telling them how much they loved seeing them, which was really nice.
We headed back onto deck to watch the show, but the girls were getting really tired, and although she managed to watch the start, Polly decided she wanted to head back to the room (I think the big crowd of people that weren’t really following the ‘stay on your family spot’ rule may have made her feel a bit anxious) so I took her back whilst Steve stayed with Winnie.
We finished the day by ordering cookies and milk from room service for when Winnie got back (room service is included in the price so other than the tip they cost nothing) and the girls were out like lights as soon as their heads hit the pillows.
Oh, and top tip. Don’t leave a slightly tipsy husband in charge of any belongings you don’t want to lose! Luckily it was only a mask he misplaced and not the child though!!
Doodle & Peg Do Disney 