9D, Deck 1 on Magic and Upgrading

brentm77

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 17, 2013
We are considering the 9-day Greek Isle cruise on June 13, 2020. The only ocean view rooms left in our price range for a family of 4 are 9D rooms on Deck 1. How are these rooms on the Magic? I know it is the two windows instead of one big one, which is kind of frustrating. But the itinerary looks amazing and we have always wanted to go the greek isles. It is either this or a land-only vacation through Italy that same month.

Our children are late and mid-teens. Are we going to go crazy in this room vs. the Verandah we have had on the two Disney cruises we took in the Caribbean?

Quiet sleep is also important to us. Will deck 1 be louder then what we have experienced on higher decks? I am concerned about things happening in the belly of the ship that we might hear while trying to sleep. The room would be between mid and forward elevators.

After we book (via Costco), is it possible to upgrade to an oceanview on Deck 2 if someone cancels? What is the best way to do that? Keep checking and call Costco if something opens up?

This would be our first time on a ship besides the Fantasy, which we loved both times.

Thank you!
 
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I think Deck 1 on the Magic is quieter than Deck 2. Often they do concerts in the lobby which are really loud and can carry down to Deck 2. We stayed in 1051/1053 last year and found it very quiet. We did hear some mechanical noises, but if you look on the deck plans, there is a "grey space" right above those two rooms, which I assume is home to the noises we were hearing (like elevator motor type noises). We have booked 1050/1052 for our Bermuda cruise this fall, so I'll let you know later! We saw into the O/V two porthole rooms several times when we were on Deck 1 last year and they looked nice and bright despite the smaller size windows. Also I presume you have read the stateroom reports on this site?
 
I think Deck 1 on the Magic is quieter than Deck 2. Often they do concerts in the lobby which are really loud and can carry down to Deck 2. We stayed in 1051/1053 last year and found it very quiet. We did hear some mechanical noises, but if you look on the deck plans, there is a "grey space" right above those two rooms, which I assume is home to the noises we were hearing (like elevator motor type noises). We have booked 1050/1052 for our Bermuda cruise this fall, so I'll let you know later! We saw into the O/V two porthole rooms several times when we were on Deck 1 last year and they looked nice and bright despite the smaller size windows. Also I presume you have read the stateroom reports on this site?

Thank you. That makes me feel better about booking it if we decide to go that way. It would be fun to try one of the smaller ships too.
 
We are considering the 9-day Greek Isle cruise on June 13, 2020. The only ocean view rooms left in our price range for a family of 4 are 9D rooms on Deck 1. How are these rooms on the Magic? I know it is the two windows instead of one big one, which is kind of frustrating. But the itinerary looks amazing and we have always wanted to go the greek isles. It is either this or a land-only vacation through Italy that same month.

Our children are late and mid-teens. Are we going to go crazy in this room vs. the Verandah we have had on the two Disney cruises we took in the Caribbean?

Quiet sleep is also important to us. Will deck 1 be louder then what we have experienced on higher decks? I am concerned about things happening in the belly of the ship that we might hear while trying to sleep. The room would be between mid and forward elevators.

After we book (via Costco), is it possible to upgrade to an oceanview on Deck 2 if someone cancels? What is the best way to do that? Keep checking and call Costco if something opens up?

This would be our first time on a ship besides the Fantasy, which we loved both times.

Thank you!
We've sailed in a verandah and an inside on the Magic. During our latest Magic cruise, we glanced into an open deck 1 oceanview stateroom that was being cleaned while we were delivering fish extender gifts. The windows looked fine. It looked nicer than in the pictures online, and nicer than the inside we had cruised in once before.
 
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We are considering the 9-day Greek Isle cruise on June 13, 2020. The only ocean view rooms left in our price range for a family of 4 are 9D rooms on Deck 1. How are these rooms on the Magic? I know it is the two windows instead of one big one, which is kind of frustrating. But the itinerary looks amazing and we have always wanted to go the greek isles. It is either this or a land-only vacation through Italy that same month.

Our children are late and mid-teens. Are we going to go crazy in this room vs. the Verandah we have had on the two Disney cruises we took in the Caribbean?

Quiet sleep is also important to us. Will deck 1 be louder then what we have experienced on higher decks? I am concerned about things happening in the belly of the ship that we might hear while trying to sleep. The room would be between mid and forward elevators.

After we book (via Costco), is it possible to upgrade to an oceanview on Deck 2 if someone cancels? What is the best way to do that? Keep checking and call Costco if something opens up?

This would be our first time on a ship besides the Fantasy, which we loved both times.

Thank you!
Oh, and I meant to add earlier, the Europe cruises are so port intensive that a balcony isn't as important as it is in the Caribbean. We barely saw our room on our Med cruise. There aren't a lot of "sit on your balcony and watch the world go by" moments. And our one day at sea we were out and about at the pool, etc.
 
Oh, and I meant to add earlier, the Europe cruises are so port intensive that a balcony isn't as important as it is in the Caribbean. We barely saw our room on our Med cruise. There aren't a lot of "sit on your balcony and watch the world go by" moments. And our one day at sea we were out and about at the pool, etc.

That is a great point. There would be two sea days on this one, but our youngest teen loves the teen clubs, and the oldest will be old enough to hangout with us in the adult only areas. So even on sea days, we would probably be out of the room most of the day. On excursion days, I suspect we will be asleep fairly early most evenings. We aren't high energy people, which is part of the major appeal of seeing the Greek isles this way - no energy spent packing, unpacking, and getting from place to place.
 
Just putting this out there, the Greek isles cruises are done by a lot of other lines too; we decided to book (for now, at least) the NCL Getaway for 2020. The dates and ports are very similar to DCL and the price was significantly lower. The Getaway seems like a great ship for teens.
 


I'm booked on that sailing! I've had a room on deck 2 midship on the Magic several times and I love it. It's convenient for all of the restaurants and entertainment. I've never noticed an issue with noise. I used to be a balcony snob, but I couldn't justify the cost on a European cruise, and I've found that I don't miss it. I'm just in my room to sleep anyway, so the porthole is fine.
 
Just putting this out there, the Greek isles cruises are done by a lot of other lines too; we decided to book (for now, at least) the NCL Getaway for 2020. The dates and ports are very similar to DCL and the price was significantly lower. The Getaway seems like a great ship for teens.

This is a great suggestion. We have a spot saved on DCL, but we would save about $5,000, plus get two extra cruise days. I am a little concerned about whether we would like the ship. The reviews seem rather mixed. I know we would be spending a significant amount of time off of the ship, but one of the main draws of a cruise for us is spending each night in a place that we love, is comfortable, and super clean. I will look into more reviews and some video of the ship to make a decision. I would love to put that $5,000 towards better excursions, upgrades meals on the ship, etc. Thanks for the suggestion.

Do you have an experience with this ship or NCL?
 
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I'm booked on that sailing! I've had a room on deck 2 midship on the Magic several times and I love it. It's convenient for all of the restaurants and entertainment. I've never noticed an issue with noise. I used to be a balcony snob, but I couldn't justify the cost on a European cruise, and I've found that I don't miss it. I'm just in my room to sleep anyway, so the porthole is fine.

We have a spot reserved on Deck 1 now. However, I am seriously looking that the NCL Gataway, which would save about $5,000. We can afford DCL, and know we love the product they offer. But, I am wondering if I would be better off putting that $5K to other use. Did you look at the NCL option and why did you decide on DCL?
 
After we book (via Costco), is it possible to upgrade to an oceanview on Deck 2 if someone cancels? What is the best way to do that? Keep checking and call Costco if something opens up?

Yes. We have changed our cabins on a Costco booking. If what you want opens, just call Costco.
 
I have sailed with NCL before and I really enjoyed it - it was a few years ago though. Never had a cleanliness issue. Room was fine. Admittedly I haven't experienced the Getaway yet but I really like the idea of one of their newer/bigger ships getting to ports that are often visited by smaller ships (e.g. the NCL Dawn that is older, sails out of Venice). I wanted to leave from Rome, and the itinerary looks excellent. Other lines did do similar itineraries so it may be worth poking around. For us as a family of five, the savings was huge. We are booked into a family oceanview room on the Getaway (yes - not a huge room) for something like $7,000 USD. With five on the Magic, we were looking at around $16,000-18,000 USD if I recall correctly. So it wasn't even a question.

$5,000 - that could go toward a ton of excursions....

The perspective I have is that it isn't DCL, but it is still going to be an amazing vacation, plus the ship looks to have a lot to entertain my kids if we choose to take a port day off or want to enjoy a sea day on board.

NCL has pretty low deposits usually, so that's something.
 
I'm booked on that sailing! I've had a room on deck 2 midship on the Magic several times and I love it. It's convenient for all of the restaurants and entertainment. I've never noticed an issue with noise. I used to be a balcony snob, but I couldn't justify the cost on a European cruise, and I've found that I don't miss it. I'm just in my room to sleep anyway, so the porthole is fine.

(Fellow 49ers fan, from Utah here - not easy these days)

We are now booked on this cruise. The truth is, I would have leaned towards saving the money and going with NCL, but my wife and children won out. It wasn't hard for them, since my two favorite vacations of all time were on the Disney Fantasy. The cruise still fit our budget, so I am happy to go with it. Seeing this part of Europe for the first time, while knowing I will enjoy the ship, service, food, entertainment, etc., is very exciting. I will talk them into trying other lines for the first time on less important destinations. I am sure NCL would have been fabulous too.

Anyway - we are super excited. Thanks for everyone's input here.

Does these mediterranean cruises tend to have less children given the destination? Or, do parents with kids love it since they can keep the kids entertained and still see Europe?
 
(Fellow 49ers fan, from Utah here - not easy these days)

We are now booked on this cruise. The truth is, I would have leaned towards saving the money and going with NCL, but my wife and children won out. It wasn't hard for them, since my two favorite vacations of all time were on the Disney Fantasy. The cruise still fit our budget, so I am happy to go with it. Seeing this part of Europe for the first time, while knowing I will enjoy the ship, service, food, entertainment, etc., is very exciting. I will talk them into trying other lines for the first time on less important destinations. I am sure NCL would have been fabulous too.

Anyway - we are super excited. Thanks for everyone's input here.

Does these mediterranean cruises tend to have less children given the destination? Or, do parents with kids love it since they can keep the kids entertained and still see Europe?
There were a lot of kids on my Med cruise last summer.
 
I'm sure you'll have a great time! I would guess that these cruises will have lots of kids, especially the one in later June as I would imagine many kids are out of school by that point, and DCL is only doing two Greek isles itineraries!
 
We are booked on the same cruise and in the same category. I was hoping for a Category 9B on Deck 2, but I am a lowly Silver member, and 9D was all that was left (near our price range) on booking day.

Brentm77, I too wondered if we should switch to another line. I even booked a nice itinerary on NCL, but DH really wouldn't hear of it. One thing that was really important to him is how comfortable we feel letting the kids have a bit of freedom on the Disney ships. We love the smoke-free and casino-free environment. We also love that Disney has a pre-teen/early teen room. I have a son who will be 12 at the time of sailing, and I couldn't see him happy going into Norwegian's 3-12 year old room. They don't even spend much time in the kids' clubs, but they love popping in and out from time to time - and it's a great option to have.

So I suppose we'll be neighbors on Deck 1. (Unless a Deck 2 opens up as we get closer to sailing, which it may.) I genuinely think it's going to be a great cruise. The itinerary is FANTASTIC!
 
I'm sure you'll have a great time! I would guess that these cruises will have lots of kids, especially the one in later June as I would imagine many kids are out of school by that point, and DCL is only doing two Greek isles itineraries!

There were a lot of kids on my Med cruise last summer.

Thanks. I was curious if my 15 year old would meet lots of people in the Vibe (assuming it has the same name on the Magic). That was one of her favorite things on the last cruise. It also seems that it makes the adult-only areas more manageable, since many parents are with the kiddos. My oldest will be 18, so we will probably spend significant ship time in those areas while the 15 year old is at the Vibe.
 
One thing that was really important to him is how comfortable we feel letting the kids have a bit of freedom on the Disney ships. We love the smoke-free and casino-free environment.

These are both huge things for us. Living within a 6 hour drive of Vegas, I spent much of my youth there on cheap family trips or stops on the way to California. While I know everyone has different taste, that "vibe" isn't for me or my family. Looking at ships sailing a similar itinerary, watching videos, and reading reviews, it seems some ships lean a bit more towards the Vegas vibe than DCL. I am not putting it down. I am sure we would still have a great time and know some people would like it even more than DLC. But, when compared to what I know we love, versus some things I know we wouldn't love, I am ok with spending the extra money for this particular trip. I am going to get past comparing the cost to other options and embrace the fact that I am seeing this incredible part of the world in a way I know we will love.

Also, I am starting to think we won't upgrade to deck 2, even if the option opens up. I am reading that deck 1 on the magic can be nice and quiet, and someone above mentioned noise from the floor above on deck 2, which makes sense. I am ok with a view that isn't as good, since this trip is more about being off the ship than most. I really just want a comfortable place to sleep well every night.
 
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(Fellow 49ers fan, from Utah here - not easy these days)

We are now booked on this cruise. The truth is, I would have leaned towards saving the money and going with NCL, but my wife and children won out. It wasn't hard for them, since my two favorite vacations of all time were on the Disney Fantasy. The cruise still fit our budget, so I am happy to go with it. Seeing this part of Europe for the first time, while knowing I will enjoy the ship, service, food, entertainment, etc., is very exciting. I will talk them into trying other lines for the first time on less important destinations. I am sure NCL would have been fabulous too.

Anyway - we are super excited. Thanks for everyone's input here.

Does these mediterranean cruises tend to have less children given the destination? Or, do parents with kids love it since they can keep the kids entertained and still see Europe?
This is a totally delayed reply, sorry! (And go Niners!)

I didn't really notice the kids on my Med cruise on the Magic last June. Then again, we only had one sea day, so I wasn't hanging out in the public areas on the ship that much. I noticed them more on my UK-Iceland-Norway cruise on the Magic in June 2016, but we were told that there were only ~500 kids on the ship, which was less than 1/4 of the passengers. We did have 3 sea days (I think), and the days were looooong with the sun never really setting, so maybe that's why I noticed them more. Also the weather wasn't great so the kids were more likely to be indoors making noise and taking up space than hanging out at the pools.
 

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