Cass, Rob & Kira - Our MAGICal Christmas Cruise 2023
- Thread starter Timon
- Start date
Ronneeaght
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2018
Yay, another Cass trippie!!! Following along for the ride 
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
Part 2
We arrived to the aft elevator area about 5 minutes before rooms were supposed to be open, they were ready about 10 minutes later.
Since we did not know that you had to activate your band, we did try to see if our bands would work but alas, they did not. We used the key to the world cards that were waiting in our little fishy and entered room 7070. Kira was quite impressed with the new Mickey lanyards, she thought they were so cute!
Our room was a verandah room on deck 7, port-side, about mid-way between the aft and midship elevators. It was a very nice location, I would 100% book this room/area again!
I haven't sailed DCL since last October so this was my first time getting the new gifts and I have to say I was very impressed with everything! Also, I am just glad not to get another sling bag!
I gave Kira a job to do, put all of our drinks into the fridge but she struggled because there was no shelf. I can't complain, at least our fridge was nice and cold, Jen's fridge wasn't cold at all. They were next door in 7068 and we had a connecting door in between us which came in handy a few times.
They were cleaning the lifeboat directly below us which was pretty cool to watch.
Looking back...
And looking forward, I spotted a Skip.
We spent quite a bit of time on this balcony and it was fabulous!
Back in the room, I had a peek at our gifts and opened up the Mickey towel.
Rob was in charge of doing the lights in our stateroom (he does such a great job!) and I was in charge of decorating our door.
Most of my magnets were old ones from previous trips that I made years ago. I did make one big new one (also made one for Jen's door, whether she wanted it or not
) and put it right in the middle under the door number.
I had purchased this red garland for our 2021 Christmas cruise but it was in the bag that was lost for 19 days so this was our first time with it on our door. I also wrapped two sets of fairy lights around the garland and it came out great! I also hung some lights on our fish extender which made it SUPER easy to find our door from any elevator bank as they could be seen from very far away!
We had a lot of wonderful compliments on our door/lights. My favourite one was from a guy walking by as I was finishing up, he said "You've done this before!"
Why yes I have, my good sir! Yes, indeed.
Also very impressive was Jen's door! And she also decorated her room with a black and white motif, I was super impressed!
I do not have any pics because it's hard to capture it all but I do have a little video of our side of the room that I will post below. The whole room was decorated though. In fact, let me tell you a funny story about that. If you watch the video you will notice some beautiful round lights that hang down, these are little silver or gold Christmas balls, to which I loving refer to as "my balls".
These are my favourite lights because they make a gorgeous shimmer pattern on the wall.
Well, we had one set where one of the balls was broken so we left it out for a bit but eventually Rob just hung it straight down over near the desk. He told me about it like this: "I hung the broken set near the desk so now when you're getting ready, you can look at your balls."
Our bags arrived one at a time, which was great for unpacking and getting organized. I love that feeling of when I am completely done unpacking and decorating and we are all settled in for the week.
Next up was the safety drill, which, unlike just about every other cruise line, has gone back to the horrid old way of cramming everyone together like sardines out on the deck.
Here's my KTTW card, which surprisingly still had the 25th anniversary look to them. I love the colour but would much prefer if it was Captain Mickey on there.
Our other neighbour didn't bother to show up to the drill as they called out their stateroom number a few times.
Once that was done, Rob headed back to the room to get his jacket and my hoodie, as it was getting a little breezy and cool out and we knew as we started to move, it would only get worse. We walked up to deck 10 to watch the Sail Away party for a few minutes but it was too crowded for my liking so we headed down to deck 4 with Jen, Claire & Skip to watch us leave Galveston.
This little compass on deck 10 is not on the Wonder! So many small little differences, even between the sister ships!
Rob and Skip ended up chatting and getting to know one another, which was nice. They were talking about all sorts of things that Jen and I have zero interest in talking about so it totally worked out and I said "Oh good, they can sit together at dinner then and chat more!"
We saw tons of dolphins, which is common for Galveston. And then we saw that the Jubilee had left just before us.
Once we were out in the open water, we headed back to the room. I spotted someone checking out our door.
See our lights?
When we got back, we found this in our room.
Long story short, we ended up cancelling this excursion. I was already not very keen on the 7.5 hours adventure and the change of ruins and extended time just kind of sealed the deal for me. I am glad we didn't do it now as we ended up having lots of fun playing trivia with Jen & Claire. More on that when we get to it.
Stay tuned for the Christmas tree lightning and a fabulous dinner with a familiar face.
We arrived to the aft elevator area about 5 minutes before rooms were supposed to be open, they were ready about 10 minutes later.
Since we did not know that you had to activate your band, we did try to see if our bands would work but alas, they did not. We used the key to the world cards that were waiting in our little fishy and entered room 7070. Kira was quite impressed with the new Mickey lanyards, she thought they were so cute!
Our room was a verandah room on deck 7, port-side, about mid-way between the aft and midship elevators. It was a very nice location, I would 100% book this room/area again!
I haven't sailed DCL since last October so this was my first time getting the new gifts and I have to say I was very impressed with everything! Also, I am just glad not to get another sling bag!
I gave Kira a job to do, put all of our drinks into the fridge but she struggled because there was no shelf. I can't complain, at least our fridge was nice and cold, Jen's fridge wasn't cold at all. They were next door in 7068 and we had a connecting door in between us which came in handy a few times.
They were cleaning the lifeboat directly below us which was pretty cool to watch.
Looking back...
And looking forward, I spotted a Skip.
We spent quite a bit of time on this balcony and it was fabulous!
Back in the room, I had a peek at our gifts and opened up the Mickey towel.
Rob was in charge of doing the lights in our stateroom (he does such a great job!) and I was in charge of decorating our door.
Most of my magnets were old ones from previous trips that I made years ago. I did make one big new one (also made one for Jen's door, whether she wanted it or not
) and put it right in the middle under the door number.I had purchased this red garland for our 2021 Christmas cruise but it was in the bag that was lost for 19 days so this was our first time with it on our door. I also wrapped two sets of fairy lights around the garland and it came out great! I also hung some lights on our fish extender which made it SUPER easy to find our door from any elevator bank as they could be seen from very far away!
We had a lot of wonderful compliments on our door/lights. My favourite one was from a guy walking by as I was finishing up, he said "You've done this before!"
Why yes I have, my good sir! Yes, indeed.
Also very impressive was Jen's door! And she also decorated her room with a black and white motif, I was super impressed!
I do not have any pics because it's hard to capture it all but I do have a little video of our side of the room that I will post below. The whole room was decorated though. In fact, let me tell you a funny story about that. If you watch the video you will notice some beautiful round lights that hang down, these are little silver or gold Christmas balls, to which I loving refer to as "my balls".
These are my favourite lights because they make a gorgeous shimmer pattern on the wall.Well, we had one set where one of the balls was broken so we left it out for a bit but eventually Rob just hung it straight down over near the desk. He told me about it like this: "I hung the broken set near the desk so now when you're getting ready, you can look at your balls."
Our bags arrived one at a time, which was great for unpacking and getting organized. I love that feeling of when I am completely done unpacking and decorating and we are all settled in for the week.
Next up was the safety drill, which, unlike just about every other cruise line, has gone back to the horrid old way of cramming everyone together like sardines out on the deck.
Here's my KTTW card, which surprisingly still had the 25th anniversary look to them. I love the colour but would much prefer if it was Captain Mickey on there.
Our other neighbour didn't bother to show up to the drill as they called out their stateroom number a few times.
Once that was done, Rob headed back to the room to get his jacket and my hoodie, as it was getting a little breezy and cool out and we knew as we started to move, it would only get worse. We walked up to deck 10 to watch the Sail Away party for a few minutes but it was too crowded for my liking so we headed down to deck 4 with Jen, Claire & Skip to watch us leave Galveston.
This little compass on deck 10 is not on the Wonder! So many small little differences, even between the sister ships!
Rob and Skip ended up chatting and getting to know one another, which was nice. They were talking about all sorts of things that Jen and I have zero interest in talking about so it totally worked out and I said "Oh good, they can sit together at dinner then and chat more!"
We saw tons of dolphins, which is common for Galveston. And then we saw that the Jubilee had left just before us.
Once we were out in the open water, we headed back to the room. I spotted someone checking out our door.
See our lights?
When we got back, we found this in our room.
Long story short, we ended up cancelling this excursion. I was already not very keen on the 7.5 hours adventure and the change of ruins and extended time just kind of sealed the deal for me. I am glad we didn't do it now as we ended up having lots of fun playing trivia with Jen & Claire. More on that when we get to it.
Stay tuned for the Christmas tree lightning and a fabulous dinner with a familiar face.
Last edited:
bcwife76
DisneyMomma
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2014
That's a shame about having to cancel that excursion but it sounds like you were not super keen on the original itinerary anyway so guess it worked out for the best 
Your decorations (and Jen's!) look wonderful as always
Hubby and I were talking during the holidays about one day being away for Christmas (we were away for NYE on the Wonder 2022/2023 and absolutely loved it) but he is not keen on the idea of being away over actual Christmas day....
due to the nature of his work no one is allowed to take vacation from last week of November through to Christmas Eve so we have a few years to go before Christmas Eve even falls on a weekend again so maybe I'll try working on him over the next few years or perhaps my Lotto Max numbers will come through tonight so he can quit
Your decorations (and Jen's!) look wonderful as always Hubby and I were talking during the holidays about one day being away for Christmas (we were away for NYE on the Wonder 2022/2023 and absolutely loved it) but he is not keen on the idea of being away over actual Christmas day....
due to the nature of his work no one is allowed to take vacation from last week of November through to Christmas Eve so we have a few years to go before Christmas Eve even falls on a weekend again so maybe I'll try working on him over the next few years or perhaps my Lotto Max numbers will come through tonight so he can quit 
JenLovesMM
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2016
I am loving all the lights in the room, really makes it Christmassy! and yes easy to see that was not your 1st rodeo at DCL door decorating! Great job as always 
Looked to me like filling that fridge was like solving a puzzle for Kira, she looked deep in thought. Not fun for Jen's that theirs wasn't cold enough. That's a pet peeve of mine, if there's gonna be a fridge, it's got to be cold but also not freeze all the things.
That towel is big and beautiful. Could they have made Mickey's face any bigger I wonder?
Too bad about that excursion but I think I would have been like you and 8 hours away from the ship would be too much.
Looked to me like filling that fridge was like solving a puzzle for Kira, she looked deep in thought. Not fun for Jen's that theirs wasn't cold enough. That's a pet peeve of mine, if there's gonna be a fridge, it's got to be cold but also not freeze all the things.
That towel is big and beautiful. Could they have made Mickey's face any bigger I wonder?
Too bad about that excursion but I think I would have been like you and 8 hours away from the ship would be too much.
Did you guys get the tote bag too as a gift? We did, which is good, because I think Claire has now claimed my Wish one and at least this one is sort of similar. in looks. LOL.
To add to checking in. Here is a pic I took as the Cass family were checking in.
Cass and I also ran off to request our favorite Palo server after lunch and check on our dining room server as well. It went pretty fast and we lingered a bit so we had alone time before returning to our families!
Claire and I actually got to our room a little faster because we came in from the other end. I guess they let our end in first then theirs.
Claire and Cass were both on door duty.
I never took a pic of our room decor, but did get our tree.
Claire said at one point someone went by while her and Cass were decorating doors and sarcastically said something like "Someone's going over the top". bah humbug to them. I am sure they are boring!
But throughout the cruise we heard so many compliments about both the of the doors.
And I don't think Skip would ever find our room with out all the magnets and lights!
I was so glad that Rob and Skip got along. I had warned Cass that he sometimes blurts things out without thinking...well they were a perfect match. They had a lot of the same views and they talked about the taboo topics that we always warn our husbands not to talk about. They were a great fit and Skip is not usually one to like people right away, but he took a liking to Rob immediately. Which made me very happy!
To add to checking in. Here is a pic I took as the Cass family were checking in.
Cass and I also ran off to request our favorite Palo server after lunch and check on our dining room server as well. It went pretty fast and we lingered a bit so we had alone time before returning to our families!
Claire and I actually got to our room a little faster because we came in from the other end. I guess they let our end in first then theirs.
Claire and Cass were both on door duty.
I never took a pic of our room decor, but did get our tree.
Claire said at one point someone went by while her and Cass were decorating doors and sarcastically said something like "Someone's going over the top". bah humbug to them. I am sure they are boring!
But throughout the cruise we heard so many compliments about both the of the doors.
And I don't think Skip would ever find our room with out all the magnets and lights!
I was so glad that Rob and Skip got along. I had warned Cass that he sometimes blurts things out without thinking...well they were a perfect match. They had a lot of the same views and they talked about the taboo topics that we always warn our husbands not to talk about. They were a great fit and Skip is not usually one to like people right away, but he took a liking to Rob immediately. Which made me very happy!
SplashMom
I have a whole new perspective on life!
- Joined
- May 1, 2004
So glad to see your most recent trip report...I've been watching for it!!
We actually leave for Disney World on Sunday for almost a week. Then we do a 7 day Eastern Caribbean on the Disney Fantasy. Your report is really making me excited since it has been six years since our last cruise. Can't wait to read more!
We actually leave for Disney World on Sunday for almost a week. Then we do a 7 day Eastern Caribbean on the Disney Fantasy. Your report is really making me excited since it has been six years since our last cruise. Can't wait to read more!
Sujo1214
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2017
Hi Jen! I knew you looked familiar. I have seen your photos in other trip reports.
sadiecatie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2022
Excited for your trip report! I read through your Alaska trippies while planning for our Alaska sailing this past year, and they are so detailed 
We’ll be sailing on the Magic for the first time in May, so excited! And I would love to do a Christmas sailing some day - we always do big family Christmases, but I’m kind of ready to do something like this with just my husband and daughter.
We’ll be sailing on the Magic for the first time in May, so excited! And I would love to do a Christmas sailing some day - we always do big family Christmases, but I’m kind of ready to do something like this with just my husband and daughter.
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
Part 3
We headed to the Atrium to watch the carolers and then we stayed for the tree lighting ceremony.
We were laughing at these people in the front row, sitting down eating chicken tenders.
Then we immediately were very jealous of them because we were all very hungry at this point.
The lights made it look quite blueish/purple but to the naked eye, it wasn't.
Pluto, Goofy, Mickey and the other one made an appearance.
Goofy ended up losing his hat at one point but he did a great job dealing with it.
And then it was time to light up the tree!
Santa and Mrs. Clause also made an appearance.
The stores were now open so we headed over there to check it out. Not sure who is designing the new merch but they should be fired.
Look at the hoodies, the "2" and the "4" can only be seen if you stretch your arms out in the air.
We were all really hungry now so I suggested we head down to O'Gill's to see if they were offering any snacks yet. They were indeed, however, we all agreed that we're pretty sure this food was all just leftovers from the day before.
It was now time for our first trivia! We are trivia lovers and most of our daily activities on a Disney cruise consist of trivia. I have to say though that this cruise was very weird when it came to trivia. Usually there's several trivias per day and often they would have the same trivia (let's say Disney Tunes Trivia) almost daily or at least a few times over the course of the cruise and they would just change up the questions. This was not the case. 
On this particular cruise, we noticed there was an extreme lack of trivia. There was no Lion King trivia, no Aladdin trivia, no Mickey Mouse trivia (among others that I can't think of right now) and on our Cozumel day, there was only ONE trivia from 8-5pm and it was super early in the morning! You might be thinking that they offer less activities on a port day but there was 3 or 4 trivia events on our Progreso day during that same time frame, so had we done our excursion, we would have missed them all!
This was my first time experiencing the new(ish) KnowsMore Trivia version, which I really loved because they put all of the questions on the video screens, which was very helpful when it came to CM's who had a thick accent or those of us who are hard of hearing.
This first one was Disney Movie Quotes trivia and we came in second. This would be a familiar scene over the course of this cruise.
Kira went to the Vibe, so it was just the five of us.
After trivia, it was time for our late dinner at Animator's Palate. We had waitlisted for main dining because I loathe later dinners but it never came through, which is common on these packed Christmas cruises.
While our group waited in the ridiculous line for AP, I took a pit stop in the restroom just outside of the restaurant. I thought it was a nice touch that they offered free feminine products. Way to go, Disney.
Jen and I had both called DCL before we left home to request Cristiano, the server that we had on the Magic last October on our back-to-back cruises out of New York. When we boarded the ship, after we ate, Jen and I had headed down to Soul Cat Lounge to double check that our request was granted and indeed, it was.
Jen and family had already sat down and my family were on there way to the table and as I was bringing up the rear, I felt someone come up behind me and gently put their arms around my shoulders and I knew it was Cris! As he sweetly guided me to the table, I yelled out "Jen, look who I found!"
He was happy to see us and we were thrilled to see him. Not only is he good at what he does, he has a great sense of humour and we were so glad he would be our server this cruise.
Not the best photo of him but the only one I got this night.
Rob and I were laughing about how far away we were from each other.
It may seem strange to some people but Rob and I are very affectionate with each other and always sit next to each other, even after 27 years together. So it feels very foreign when we are not next to each other.
I tried to take photos of all of our food this cruise. I think I did a pretty good job most of the time but Rob was so far away from me, so I asked him to take photos when I couldn't reach. We both started out great but there were times where I was like...meh, whatever! I try to take all of the food photos because it is such a hassle when I am editing them to get them all in order when they are not all on my phone.
And sometimes I would get Jen, Claire or Skip's food and I don't have the patience to label everything so just enjoy what I give you, okay?
Dinner was great, service was great, food was delicious but most nights I skipped dessert in order to get some pool time in. We weren't done with dinner most nights until 10pm and the Quiet Cove pool closes promptly at 11pm so I had to make a decision, dessert or pool and pool will always win!
I felt bad as most nights I didn't get the chance to say thanks and goodnight to Cris but he eventually figured out why I suddenly disappeared just before 10pm and understood my quick and sudden exits.
Back to the room to change into my swimsuit! Kira went directly from dinner to Vibe and Rob would always follow me to the pool once he was done his dessert and had grabbed his jacket and/or book from the room.
As usual, the pool was relatively quiet most nights but the hot tubs were hopping every single night!
This evening, both Jen and Skip joined me. Skip even joined me in the pool, which was nice and warm that night.
Rob eventually joined me poolside and read his book. He also popped into Cove Cafe to take a photo of the goodies they offered. Same stuff as usual and I am sad to say I never even step foot in here to enjoy my caramel tart!
Guess I will have to go on another cruise.
Stay tuned for our first sea day.
We headed to the Atrium to watch the carolers and then we stayed for the tree lighting ceremony.
We were laughing at these people in the front row, sitting down eating chicken tenders.
Then we immediately were very jealous of them because we were all very hungry at this point.
The lights made it look quite blueish/purple but to the naked eye, it wasn't.
Pluto, Goofy, Mickey and the other one made an appearance.
Goofy ended up losing his hat at one point but he did a great job dealing with it.
And then it was time to light up the tree!
Santa and Mrs. Clause also made an appearance.
The stores were now open so we headed over there to check it out. Not sure who is designing the new merch but they should be fired.
Look at the hoodies, the "2" and the "4" can only be seen if you stretch your arms out in the air.
We were all really hungry now so I suggested we head down to O'Gill's to see if they were offering any snacks yet. They were indeed, however, we all agreed that we're pretty sure this food was all just leftovers from the day before.
It was now time for our first trivia! We are trivia lovers and most of our daily activities on a Disney cruise consist of trivia.
I have to say though that this cruise was very weird when it came to trivia. Usually there's several trivias per day and often they would have the same trivia (let's say Disney Tunes Trivia) almost daily or at least a few times over the course of the cruise and they would just change up the questions. This was not the case. On this particular cruise, we noticed there was an extreme lack of trivia. There was no Lion King trivia, no Aladdin trivia, no Mickey Mouse trivia (among others that I can't think of right now) and on our Cozumel day, there was only ONE trivia from 8-5pm and it was super early in the morning! You might be thinking that they offer less activities on a port day but there was 3 or 4 trivia events on our Progreso day during that same time frame, so had we done our excursion, we would have missed them all!
This was my first time experiencing the new(ish) KnowsMore Trivia version, which I really loved because they put all of the questions on the video screens, which was very helpful when it came to CM's who had a thick accent or those of us who are hard of hearing.
This first one was Disney Movie Quotes trivia and we came in second. This would be a familiar scene over the course of this cruise.
Kira went to the Vibe, so it was just the five of us.
After trivia, it was time for our late dinner at Animator's Palate. We had waitlisted for main dining because I loathe later dinners but it never came through, which is common on these packed Christmas cruises.
While our group waited in the ridiculous line for AP, I took a pit stop in the restroom just outside of the restaurant. I thought it was a nice touch that they offered free feminine products. Way to go, Disney.
Jen and I had both called DCL before we left home to request Cristiano, the server that we had on the Magic last October on our back-to-back cruises out of New York. When we boarded the ship, after we ate, Jen and I had headed down to Soul Cat Lounge to double check that our request was granted and indeed, it was.
Jen and family had already sat down and my family were on there way to the table and as I was bringing up the rear, I felt someone come up behind me and gently put their arms around my shoulders and I knew it was Cris! As he sweetly guided me to the table, I yelled out "Jen, look who I found!"
He was happy to see us and we were thrilled to see him. Not only is he good at what he does, he has a great sense of humour and we were so glad he would be our server this cruise.
Not the best photo of him but the only one I got this night.
Rob and I were laughing about how far away we were from each other.
It may seem strange to some people but Rob and I are very affectionate with each other and always sit next to each other, even after 27 years together. So it feels very foreign when we are not next to each other.
I tried to take photos of all of our food this cruise. I think I did a pretty good job most of the time but Rob was so far away from me, so I asked him to take photos when I couldn't reach. We both started out great but there were times where I was like...meh, whatever!
I try to take all of the food photos because it is such a hassle when I am editing them to get them all in order when they are not all on my phone.And sometimes I would get Jen, Claire or Skip's food and I don't have the patience to label everything so just enjoy what I give you, okay?
Dinner was great, service was great, food was delicious but most nights I skipped dessert in order to get some pool time in. We weren't done with dinner most nights until 10pm and the Quiet Cove pool closes promptly at 11pm so I had to make a decision, dessert or pool and pool will always win!
I felt bad as most nights I didn't get the chance to say thanks and goodnight to Cris but he eventually figured out why I suddenly disappeared just before 10pm and understood my quick and sudden exits.
Back to the room to change into my swimsuit! Kira went directly from dinner to Vibe and Rob would always follow me to the pool once he was done his dessert and had grabbed his jacket and/or book from the room.
As usual, the pool was relatively quiet most nights but the hot tubs were hopping every single night!
This evening, both Jen and Skip joined me. Skip even joined me in the pool, which was nice and warm that night.
Rob eventually joined me poolside and read his book. He also popped into Cove Cafe to take a photo of the goodies they offered. Same stuff as usual and I am sad to say I never even step foot in here to enjoy my caramel tart!
Guess I will have to go on another cruise.
Stay tuned for our first sea day.
Last edited:
DMMarla07860
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 12, 2005
I heard they had a tasting at the pool deck bar, did you notice if that was correct
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
That's why we didn't run into you while loading our bags! We were illegally parked!
I didn't even know they come in 8-packs because in Canada they come in 6-packs.
Well I am glad you spotted me and came to say Hi!
Always a great day, right?Yay, boarding day is the best
Skip is real!
Yay, another Cass trippie!!! Following along for the ride
So glad you're here for this adventure!
That's a shame about having to cancel that excursion but it sounds like you were not super keen on the original itinerary anyway so guess it worked out for the best
Hubby and I were talking during the holidays about one day being away for Christmas (we were away for NYE on the Wonder 2022/2023 and absolutely loved it) but he is not keen on the idea of being away over actual Christmas day....
I will cross my fingers for you, on both accounts!
I am loving all the lights in the room, really makes it Christmassy! and yes easy to see that was not your 1st rodeo at DCL door decorating! Great job as always
Looked to me like filling that fridge was like solving a puzzle for Kira, she looked deep in thought. Not fun for Jen's that theirs wasn't cold enough. That's a pet peeve of mine, if there's gonna be a fridge, it's got to be cold but also not freeze all the things.
That towel is big and beautiful. Could they have made Mickey's face any bigger I wonder?
Too bad about that excursion but I think I would have been like you and 8 hours away from the ship would be too much.
You are 100% correct on all of the above!
Yes, we did, it was on the bottom of that gift pile. I guess I should have opened everything up and then taken a photo of everything out of the packages eh?
It was actually a very nice bag!I have pics of you guys checking in too but I figured I would post the least amount of butt shots possible.
I don't always report on things chronologically but I eventually get to it.
They're just jelly that they didn't go all out.
I'm so glad too! It would have been really awkward if they didn't get along.
Oh yay for you!!! That's awesome!!! Have so much FUN!!!
Excited for your trip report! I read through your Alaska trippies while planning for our Alaska sailing this past year, and they are so detailed
We’ll be sailing on the Magic for the first time in May, so excited! And I would love to do a Christmas sailing some day - we always do big family Christmases, but I’m kind of ready to do something like this with just my husband and daughter.
Wooohooo first Magic cruise!
Definitely do a Christmas cruise if you can, it's so amazing!
Last edited:
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
bcwife76
DisneyMomma
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2014
I love that you were able to get Cris again for your service I thought I was in the minority of disliking the new merch lol It's....not great to say the least 
We had a distinct lack of trivia sessions on our August cruise on the Dream as well which was in stark contrast to our last few cruises.
I thought I was in the minority of disliking the new merch lol It's....not great to say the least We had a distinct lack of trivia sessions on our August cruise on the Dream as well which was in stark contrast to our last few cruises.
DMMarla07860
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 12, 2005
AwesomeThey have tastings just about every night at Signals.
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
Part 1
I woke up to a lovely view this morning.
I showered and got ready while watching Good Morning Disney Magic, which has been revamped with new graphics. I highly suggest everyone watch this 5-minute video that plays every morning until noon because the cruise director and assistant cruise director talk about everything that is important for the day and sometimes even the next day.
Peter was our cruise director on this sailing, which is the 4th or 5th time we've had him and he is amazing. He's not too over the top, he's got just the right kind of energy and you can easily understand him, which really helps. Jen and Claire said they have had Peter as a cruise director 7 or 8 times now.
I watch this every single day when I cruise, it is very informative. All you have to do is turn on the tv, press the Watch TV button and then it automatically plays on that start-up channel. I often will catch it in the middle but then I just watch until I get to the same part as it just plays on repeat.
Once I was done watching the whole round of GMDM, I put it on the map and watched as it scrolled through more interesting information. I love knowing where we are and how fast we're going. Is it just me?
Just before noon, we headed up to Palo. Kira was lounging in bed but made it to Vibe shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, none of the Vibe activities start until around noon, even on a sea day. I wish Disney would figure out that not all teenagers sleep until noon.
We checked in but opted not to sit down until Jen, Claire and Skip were here. We admired the gorgeous tile work until then.
When Jen and I were on the Magic last year, we went to Palo and had an amazing server name Srdjan. We found out later on Facebook that Srdjan was really good friends with our server Cris!
So, while we were making sure we had Cris as a server yesterday, we also checked to make sure we got Srdjan for our Palo Brunch.
Jen and I are FB friends with both Cris and Srdjan, so we had let them know we were coming and that we would be requesting them. They had both brushed up on our FB posts because they knew that Jen and I had just been on the NCL Viva together and asked us about it. Now that's going above and beyond, total class act!
He came to greet us about half-way to the table and gave us hugs and welcomed us back. We sat down at our table and then I handed him my phone and asked him to take a selfie of us with him in it. I guess I wasn't very clear because he took this selfie.
And then he took a photo of us.
So, we gave him clearer instructions and got what we wanted.
Menu hasn't changed since last year, still has all the good stuff we love.
Everyone ordered an almond croissant except for me, I ordered a regular one but we all agreed that they were probably the best croissants we've ever had!
Everyone but me enjoyed the seafood platter. I almost barfed when Srdjan placed it directly in front of me though and got a waft of the smell. I don't do seafood.
He brought out a bread basket as well.
I got my delicious celery soup, as did Claire.
Rob got his tomato soup.
Srdjan brought us a calzone to share. I don't think I have ever had this before but after sampling a small bite, I will 100% be ordering this on my next visit! Yum!
He also brought us a spicy sausage pizza to share.
Rob got the blueberry pancakes.
Jen and I shared the lasagna, which was amazing, as usual.
Claire got the steak.
I ordered the chicken parm and shared with both Rob and Jen.
Both Rob and Skip ordered the wild mushroom ravioli.
Jen and I asked for extra risotto that comes with the chicken parm and he did not disappoint us.
Time for dessert!
He brought us double Panna Cotta but we only managed to eat one.
Jen had the chocolate fondant.
Rob had the lemon citrus cake.
I think he brought the raspberry tart to share.
He also surprised us with the sticky bun, which we all ended up loving.
And I ordered the zabaglione.
He then brought out this beautiful plate to celebrate Claire's 19th birthday.
It was now 2pm and we were all quite full and Rob and Skip were standing up and ready to leave but we hadn't signed the bill yet so we told the boys that they could go but we still weren't done and they seemed a bit inpatient so we were like, "Okay, bye!" I don't think they realized that we had not taken care of the bill yet and that we couldn't leave until that was done.
So Rob and Skip left and then Srdjan grabbed our room keys and brought us the bill to sign. We tipped him extra, he was amazing!
As we were leaving, we took a peek at the private dining area (ahh, memories) and then Srdjan called someone over and asked him to take a pic of us.
Srdjan then led us to the exit and patiently waited for us to sign the book and then bid us a fond farewell with another hug.
If you go to Palo on the Magic and want an amazing server, be sure to request Srdjan and tell him Jen & Cass say hello!
I headed back to the room to get into comfy clothes and then one of us may have taken a nap.
I woke up to a lovely view this morning.
I showered and got ready while watching Good Morning Disney Magic, which has been revamped with new graphics. I highly suggest everyone watch this 5-minute video that plays every morning until noon because the cruise director and assistant cruise director talk about everything that is important for the day and sometimes even the next day.
Peter was our cruise director on this sailing, which is the 4th or 5th time we've had him and he is amazing. He's not too over the top, he's got just the right kind of energy and you can easily understand him, which really helps.
Jen and Claire said they have had Peter as a cruise director 7 or 8 times now.I watch this every single day when I cruise, it is very informative. All you have to do is turn on the tv, press the Watch TV button and then it automatically plays on that start-up channel. I often will catch it in the middle but then I just watch until I get to the same part as it just plays on repeat.
Once I was done watching the whole round of GMDM, I put it on the map and watched as it scrolled through more interesting information. I love knowing where we are and how fast we're going. Is it just me?
Just before noon, we headed up to Palo. Kira was lounging in bed but made it to Vibe shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, none of the Vibe activities start until around noon, even on a sea day. I wish Disney would figure out that not all teenagers sleep until noon.
We checked in but opted not to sit down until Jen, Claire and Skip were here. We admired the gorgeous tile work until then.
When Jen and I were on the Magic last year, we went to Palo and had an amazing server name Srdjan. We found out later on Facebook that Srdjan was really good friends with our server Cris!
So, while we were making sure we had Cris as a server yesterday, we also checked to make sure we got Srdjan for our Palo Brunch.
Jen and I are FB friends with both Cris and Srdjan, so we had let them know we were coming and that we would be requesting them. They had both brushed up on our FB posts because they knew that Jen and I had just been on the NCL Viva together and asked us about it. Now that's going above and beyond, total class act!
He came to greet us about half-way to the table and gave us hugs and welcomed us back. We sat down at our table and then I handed him my phone and asked him to take a selfie of us with him in it. I guess I wasn't very clear because he took this selfie.
And then he took a photo of us.
So, we gave him clearer instructions and got what we wanted.
Menu hasn't changed since last year, still has all the good stuff we love.
Everyone ordered an almond croissant except for me, I ordered a regular one but we all agreed that they were probably the best croissants we've ever had!
Everyone but me enjoyed the seafood platter. I almost barfed when Srdjan placed it directly in front of me though and got a waft of the smell. I don't do seafood.
He brought out a bread basket as well.
I got my delicious celery soup, as did Claire.
Rob got his tomato soup.
Srdjan brought us a calzone to share. I don't think I have ever had this before but after sampling a small bite, I will 100% be ordering this on my next visit! Yum!
He also brought us a spicy sausage pizza to share.
Rob got the blueberry pancakes.
Jen and I shared the lasagna, which was amazing, as usual.
Claire got the steak.
I ordered the chicken parm and shared with both Rob and Jen.
Both Rob and Skip ordered the wild mushroom ravioli.
Jen and I asked for extra risotto that comes with the chicken parm and he did not disappoint us.
Time for dessert!
He brought us double Panna Cotta but we only managed to eat one.
Jen had the chocolate fondant.
Rob had the lemon citrus cake.
I think he brought the raspberry tart to share.
He also surprised us with the sticky bun, which we all ended up loving.
And I ordered the zabaglione.
He then brought out this beautiful plate to celebrate Claire's 19th birthday.
It was now 2pm and we were all quite full and Rob and Skip were standing up and ready to leave but we hadn't signed the bill yet so we told the boys that they could go but we still weren't done and they seemed a bit inpatient so we were like, "Okay, bye!" I don't think they realized that we had not taken care of the bill yet and that we couldn't leave until that was done.
So Rob and Skip left and then Srdjan grabbed our room keys and brought us the bill to sign. We tipped him extra, he was amazing!
As we were leaving, we took a peek at the private dining area (ahh, memories
) and then Srdjan called someone over and asked him to take a pic of us.
Srdjan then led us to the exit and patiently waited for us to sign the book and then bid us a fond farewell with another hug.
If you go to Palo on the Magic and want an amazing server, be sure to request Srdjan and tell him Jen & Cass say hello!
I headed back to the room to get into comfy clothes and then one of us may have taken a nap.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
I love that you were able to get Cris again for your service
I don't know how anyone likes the new line, it's all the bad parts of the '80's coming back.
What is going on with the trivia? All of the ones we attended were absolutely packed except for Christmas morning, Disney needs to realize how popular trivia is!!
Gotta love Palo brunchWas this Claire's first time at Palo?
No, they are almost exactly two years apart. Claire did Palo last Christmas on the Fantasy so I *think* this was her second time. Jen can answer for sure though.
Gotta love Palo brunch
This was here 2nd time at Palo. However, when she was like 14, I think, we had a friend in the one of the Disney Suites and they invited us to eat Palo in their room, so she had her first meal from there before she was old enough to go.
Claire just calls Srdjan "Mr Bedroom eyes". LOL! I wonder where she picked that term up at?
That was such a fantastic meal and he made us feel like celebrities.
He caught me off guard when he asked when we last cruised together and said he was just checking if we would tell the truth.
And Cris..or as I like to call him...Captain Hook...is so much fun! And he even remembered our friend that sailed with us last time too.
LiZaArd
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2018
Love reading the recap so far! (We were on the same Alaskan cruise as your family in 2022 so love being able to live this cruise vicariously through a familiar family ) Question about the dinner menu at Animators - is that a new menu or special for the itinerary/holiday sailing?
) Question about the dinner menu at Animators - is that a new menu or special for the itinerary/holiday sailing?Share this page
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