The Berm of the Ocean - My DCL West Coast Experience (June 4th - 11th)

[dsnylndmom]

Sounds wonderful DP I'm so green with envy!! Now when I start dropping hints to Kurt I'm blaming it alllll on you!

[Disneyphile]

Originally Posted by electriclarryland

Did you do any of the shore excursions and what did you think of them?

I did the Dolphin Swim in Puerto Vallarta and we both did the Santa Maria Sail & Snorkel in Cabo San Lucas. The Dolphin Swim was worth every penny and absolutely amazing. (I bought photos and will scan them in this weekend.) If you haven't booked it and still want to, stop by the Shore Excursion desk on Deck 3 midship (on the starboard side of the main atrium), because sometimes they get cancellations and can schedule you.

As for the Cabo excursion, again, it was well-worth the $59. Also, Santa Maria Bay (as opposed to Chileno Bay) doesn't really have a problem with jellyfish. The one-hour sail to the bay was amazing, and on the way back, they provided a light lunch, sodas, and margaritas.

Weather at Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan was very hot, humid and overcast. But, Cabo was clear skies and hot, but very beautiful. Puerto Vallarta was my least favorite port. Mazatlan has good shopping. And Cabo is a great place to just relax and walk around.

I'll put my shore excursion photos and details up this weekend for you.

[Disneyphile]

Originally Posted by dsnylndmom

Now when I start dropping hints to Kurt I'm blaming it alllll on you!

Oh, the cruise is 1000% Disney magic. Even people I talked to who had crusied on other ships before, said that Disney is the best, and most of them won't do a different cruiseline ever again.

If I won the lottery, I'd LIVE on that ship.

[wolfy]

Bon Voyage all! My turn next! Less than 24 hours and I will experience 1000% magic also! Thanks for all the tips Disneyphile, will post on board, no pictures, but will keep in contact with my Disney family a bit!

[cobblestoneC35/125]

Too bad those cruises are always double occupancy...on my "Life's To Do List"... to sail the Disney magic. Beautfiul pictures. Love the Renaissance Type Dress. I travel to many Ren Faires in peroid garb and have also adapted that period type clothes for mundane life. You looked great-

[Athlonacon]

Originally Posted by Disneyphile

Here's a rare photo of the ramp leading onto the Magic. This photo exists only because I wasn't aware that the "no photography" rule also applied to the *outside* of the terminal as well. Ooopsie.

You can tell that the guy in the foreground wasn't very happy about this picture being taken. But I am so glad you were able to take it because it truly shows the immense scale of the Magic. In most pictures, you see either very small parts of it or the whole ship from far away. This is the first time I've seen the ship from that close and I honestly didn't realize it was THAT big.

I do have two questions: the meals and all the food are included with your ticket (e.g. you don't have to pay for food), right? So do they give you 3 meals a day or can you just go into any restaurant any time you want and order something for free? Are there a lot of sit-down restaurants to eat at if you choose to go beyond their dinner restaurants each night?

And also, I've never been on a cruise and I've always been curious: does the boat rock up and down like a smaller boat? I've always figured since these modern cruise lines are so HUGE nowadays that the wave motion has been steadied out...kind of like what a big Cadillac does to the road. Can you constantly feel the ocean or do you have to think about it to feel it?

[Mrs.Newseditor44]

Originally Posted by Athlonacon

I do have two questions: the meals and all the food are included with your ticket (e.g. you don't have to pay for food), right? So do they give you 3 meals a day or can you just go into any restaurant any time you want and order something for free? Are there a lot of sit-down restaurants to eat at if you choose to go beyond their dinner restaurants each night?

And also, I've never been on a cruise and I've always been curious: does the boat rock up and down like a smaller boat? I've always figured since these modern cruise lines are so HUGE nowadays that the wave motion has been steadied out...kind of like what a big Cadillac does to the road. Can you constantly feel the ocean or do you have to think about it to feel it?

First of all, great pictures disneyphile. My husband and I sailed the Magic in 1999 right after Hurricane Floyd in Florida. It looks like they offer a lot more on the cruise than when we sailed. I did enjoy the Magic but we actually prefer Norwegian Cruise Line Sky because of the food options and the food itself.

I have a rare picture of the entire boat from Key West that I'll try to post. We got diverted there because the hurricane demolished Castaway Cay.

And as for the boat rocking back and forth...no you really don't feel it unless you are in rough seas. They got hydraulics that help stabilize the boat (I learned this on the Travel Channel). But although you don't feel the boat rock back and forth you can still see it and that may make you sick. That happened to me off the coast of Oregon but then again, they have one of the roughest seas out here.

As for food on any cruise, you will never starve. Some cruises like DCL offer specific seating times while others have freestyle dining (ie Norwegian). Its all a matter of preference but the food on the majority of cruises are excellent. I could only speak for DCL and NCL but NCL has chefs that served as personal chefs to our former presidents. As for drinks, rule of thumb is that alcoholic drinks are extra but water, juice, soda or milk is included but not in the bar. But when I sailed DCL Magic back in 1999, they did not have the soda island or fountain that offered free drinks (soda) ...so Disneyphile was lucky they changed that.

I'm excited to see more pictures and hear more about your trip. If they actually become permanent here and the kids are a bit older, we hope to sail with them again.

[DisneyMickey]

Originally Posted by Disneyphile

We had a standard inside stateroom, which is 180 sq. feet. (Quite large for a cruiseship.) The only downside to an inside stateroom is that you get very disoriented when waking up in the morning, because you can't tell it's daytime. We used a nightlight and it helped somewhat, but we've decided to get at least a porthole next time, if not a veranda. I think the verandas are worth it, because I personally like spending a lot of time looking out over the ocean, and I can't think of a better way to wake up. If you're looking for a bit more personal and quiet space and like to "wave watch", then a veranda's the way to go.

I went on a Costa Cruise not too long ago and I shared this kind of room with my friend and we could have slept ALL day if not awaken by the alarm clock or my other friends. It was SO dark in the room that you really wont wake up because you can't tell if it is daytime-there is no sunshine to wake you up.

In regard to Disney Cruise Line, I'm now considering a Christmas cruise including a week at Disney World this coming 2005 Chirstmas season.

[Modern Folly]

Originally Posted by Disneyphile

Our meeting place happened to be Animator's Palate. As you can see from the photo below, it was quite the party. Featured are my parents and Frodo Potter, adorned in the finest "safety orange".

Orange is the new black, and black is the new pink. Great photos, looks like too much fun!

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Athlonacon

I do have two questions: the meals and all the food are included with your ticket (e.g. you don't have to pay for food), right? So do they give you 3 meals a day or can you just go into any restaurant any time you want and order something for free? Are there a lot of sit-down restaurants to eat at if you choose to go beyond their dinner restaurants each night?

I can't speak specifically to the Magic, however on most cruse lines you have plenty of food. There is a main dining room with set hours, but there are also alternatvies including things like a 24-hour buffet, free room service, Pizza/Burger joints and speciality restaurants (that do charge an extra service fee)

All the food is included, but on most lines alcohol and soad is extra (disney is an exception on the sodas).

[Disneyphile]

Originally Posted by Athlonacon

I do have two questions: the meals and all the food are included with your ticket (e.g. you don't have to pay for food), right? So do they give you 3 meals a day or can you just go into any restaurant any time you want and order something for free? Are there a lot of sit-down restaurants to eat at if you choose to go beyond their dinner restaurants each night?

All food is included. The basic three meals are offered each day during a variety of hours, so you can have an early or late breakfast and lunch, whether you choose table service, buffet, or counter service. Table-service dinner is at a scheduled time, but you can choose to skip your scheduled seating and eat at Topsiders (buffet) or Pinnochio's (pizza) or Pluto's Dog House (dogs, burgers, chicken tenders, etc.) or Scoops (ice cream). They also have an adults-only restaurant where seperate reservations are required, but the food is also included with your cruise. I recommend dining via table service for most meals, as the cuisine is comparable to the finest five-star restaurants, and Topsiders buffet is about four-star quality. Room service (also free) is available 24-hours a day, but we ordered breakfast from them twice and they messed up our orders both times. The restuarants are definitely the best way to go.

And also, I've never been on a cruise and I've always been curious: does the boat rock up and down like a smaller boat? I've always figured since these modern cruise lines are so HUGE nowadays that the wave motion has been steadied out...kind of like what a big Cadillac does to the road. Can you constantly feel the ocean or do you have to think about it to feel it?

This was my very first cruise, and I did notice the boat moving. Now, I don't get sick on boats, and I'm used to small ones. So, what "threw me off" was that I was inside a "building" that gently rocked and sometimes creaked a bit. It was like being in a constant minor "swaying" earthquake, or the effects of a couple cocktails. I was a bit disoriented the first day or so, but then I got used to it. It helps to rock a person to sleep though. The Pacific is a rough ocean versus the fairly calm Caribbean.

I'll have more reports soon - I have quite a few more CDs of photos to pick through and didn't get time over the weekend.

[ImaginEAR]

Glad you had a great trip, you're so lucky! We just took the April 16, 2005 Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Magic... I miss her so much!

[Athlonacon]

Wow, that sounds awesome. If there's one thing I love to do when staying in a foreign place, it's go to restaurants and eat as much as I can. With free 24-hour room service, I'd be in 7th heaven. But I think like Disneyphile said it's probably better to visit one of the restaurants since they're included. One of the only things that keeps me from eating alot is the cost because I'm way too conscious of how much I spend. I am one of those people that keeps track of every dime I spend, even on vacation. I can't even go to Vegas and spend more than $40 gambling before I feel like I've been wiped out, lol. Anyway, people don't know it because of how skinny I am, but I love eating out, especially when it's free.

I am really looking forward to more pictures from the cruise. I love how Disney has blended traditional Disney animation into a conservative cruise setting for adults. I always viewed the Disney Cruise Line as a kid-only cruise with lots of Mickey and Goofy all over the place with kids running around. Don't get me wrong, I love kids and classic Disney, but cruises are like Vegas and you want to enjoy a more sophisticated form of entertainment. I am so glad to hear that it's just as pleasing for adults as any other cruise line. Not to mention the tastefully woven character of classic Disney that seems to run throughout the ship, right up to its horn. The ship gives me the impression it's more like the Disneyland Hotel, extremely luxurious and sophisticated but Disney all the way.

[Disneyphile]

Originally Posted by Athlonacon

One of the only things that keeps me from eating alot is the cost because I'm way too conscious of how much I spend. I am one of those people that keeps track of every dime I spend, even on vacation.

And since the cruise is all-inclusive, you'd only have to keep track of any souvenirs or alcohol that you purchase - the rest is worry free. And, you don't tip your servers or stateroom host/hostess until the end, so you don't need to worry about carrying cash around either. It's a cash-less environment. It's nice not having to worry about everything you choose to order.

I always viewed the Disney Cruise Line as a kid-only cruise with lots of Mickey and Goofy all over the place with kids running around.

It's anything BUT. There are quite a few kids onboard, but you hardly see them, except near the children's and family pools. There's a seperate pool area for adults only. The children are usually involved with Oceaneer's Lab daily, which is the supervised children's program - even their parents don't have to worry about seeing them. The teenagers even have their own "hang-out" that's open until 2am, so you don't see much of them either. More children are present at dinner, but are SO well-behaved (no screaming, running, etc.). I loved the kids on the boat - they were awesome. Also - there are three adult nightclubs - a sportsbar, a piano/jazz bar, and a rock club.

The ship gives me the impression it's more like the Disneyland Hotel, extremely luxurious and sophisticated but Disney all the way.

That's certainly one of the best ways to decribe it. Luxurious is an understatement - and it's definitely sophisticated magic.

(Hopefully I'll have time to get through more of my photos tonight - geesh, I'm a shutterbug.)