We sailed aboard the Disney Magic for five days in December of 2019.
If you follow these ten tips, you’ll likely enjoy sailing on her as much as we did.
Our first tip is to make reservations for specialty dining, adult beverage seminars,
and ticketed Meet and Greets as soon as you have access.
For our cruise, there were four advance booking windows, ranging from 120 days prior to our
sailing date -- for Concierge and Platinum passengers -- down to 75 days prior for first-time
passengers.
Tickets and reservation times can disappear quickly, but Disney typically keeps a limited
number available for embarkation day.
So, be sure to check for availability once you’re on board the ship if you’re not
able to get reservations or tickets online.
Speaking of boarding the ship, our next tip is to make sure you have your camera recording
when you board so you can capture your family’s welcome aboard announcement.
It makes for a great start to your vacation video or just a nice memento of your cruise.
Our third tip is to review the Voyage Navigator that is given to you after you board the ship.
The Navigator is full of information for your cruise, including main theater performances,
activity highlights, and the schedule of feature films.
There is also embarkation day information, such as where to go if you want to change
your dining assignment or check availability for ticketed events you couldn’t reserve
online.
For our cruise on the Disney Magic, there were also instructions for getting a 50 megabyte
internet package for free.
Be aware that you need to sign out of your internet session after each use or else the
data will slowly continue to be used, even when you’re in Airplane Mode.
Our next tip is to bring an item for all the Disney characters to sign.
There are many opportunities to meet Disney characters on board and most of them do not
require tickets, so bringing an item to sign like a shirt or pillowcase can help you create
a remarkable keepsake.
In addition to a pillowcase and fabric markers, we also brought an embroidery hoop that created
a fantastic canvas for the characters to sign.
Our fifth tip is to check out the Cove Cafe coffee bar in the adults-only area of Deck
9 for complimentary breakfast items and snacks.
During our cruise on the Disney Magic, the Cove Cafe was not listed as a snack or meal
location, but complimentary treats were offered every day.
The cafe was open from 6:30 in the morning until midnight.
Speaking of food, our next tip is to check out two venues on Deck 3 if you’re looking
for a snack in the evening.
During our cruise on the Magic, the Promenade Lounge -- which is located toward the back
of the ship -- had chips and salsa available starting around 5:00.
And O’Gills Pub -- which is located at the front of the ship -- had a variety of bar-type
food available starting around 6:00.
Neither of these options was listed in the daily schedule.
Take note that several dining options on Deck 9 that were listed in the daily schedule were
rarely busy during our cruise.
Pinnochio’s Pizzeria, Duck-In Diner, and Daisy’s De-Lites rarely had more than one
or two people in line, despite offering food that was quite tasty, like the shawarma!
They were a nice alternative to the buffet that’s located on the same deck.
Continuing with food, our seventh tip is to be aware that Disney’s evening dining experience
is unlike any other cruise line.
First, instead of being assigned to or choosing a dining room, Disney has a rotational dining
experience where you and your tablemates and servers all rotate to a different restaurant
every night.
Your dining time and locations are printed on your Key to the World Card.
Second, instead of having a dinner buffet, the Cabanas restaurant was transformed into
a table service restaurant for dinner during our cruise and the restaurant closed at 8:30
each night.
Finally, instead of having a late night snack buffet, just a couple of adult venues had
snacks available from 10:45 to 11:30 and pizza was available at Pinnochio’s Pizzeria until
midnight.
Our next tip is to be aware of the awkward deck layouts on the Disney Magic.
First, if you find yourself at Deck 1 Aft -- at the back of the ship -- you likely won’t
be going anywhere except back on the elevators or back up the stairs because it’s a complete
dead end.
Second, if the ship is in port and the gangway is located on Deck 1 Aft, you will not be
able to get to it from Deck 1 Forward or Midship.
You’ll need to go up to Deck 2, walk to the back of the ship, then take the Deck 1
Aft elevators or stairs to the dead end.
Finally, you can only walk along the port side -- or left side -- of the ship while
inside on Decks 3, 4, and 5.
We came up with a little rhyme to help us remember which side of the ship to stay on:
Three, Four, Five? Be Port Side.
Our ninth tip is to check out the ship’s movie listings throughout the voyage if there
is a Disney movie premiering in theaters.
During our cruise, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was set to premiere worldwide in
theaters and our cruise director surprised passengers with an announcement that the movie
would also premiere on the ship.
The movie was shown in both the main show theater and the Buena Vista movie theater
the same night it was released worldwide.
Our next tip is to check out the men’s and women’s bathrooms in the Senses Spa and
Salon on Deck 9 Forward, at the front of the ship.
The bathrooms are free to use and are for adults only. In addition to showers that have
significantly more space that stateroom showers, the bathrooms also feature loungers, lockers,
a sauna, and more!
Finally, a bonus tip!
You can purchase Disney gift cards at a discount to help save hundreds of dollars off the cost
of your cruise.
We typically purchase our Disney gift cards at Target -- which gives a 5% discount to
Red Card members -- but you can also recover savings by purchasing gift cards at stores
that offer fuel point discounts.