Disney Magic Cruise Review (with Tips for Families)

If you’re planning to set sail on a Disney cruise vacation, you are probably looking for reviews of the Disney Magic cruise ship. With its main voyage in 1998, the Disney Magic was the very first of all the Disney cruise ships.

The Disney Cruise Line fleet now consists of additional ships to the Magic, including the Disney Dream, Disney Wonder, Disney Fantasy, Disney Wish, and upcoming Disney Treasure. The Disney Magic review below is from my family’s first time aboard one of the smaller Disney ships. On this itinerary, we enjoyed a five-night cruise to the Western Caribbean where we visited Castaway Cay and Grand Cayman.

This post features days 4 and 5 from our trip aboard the Disney Magic. You can follow us through a day at sea to learn all the amazing activities and entertainment options available on Disney Magic.

You’ll also get a peek at our visit to Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay. So, continue reading below to see just how much fun you can have on the Disney Magic!

Review of Disney Magic

If you didn’t catch the beginning of this trip review, you can find Days 1-3 here: Disney Cruise Trip Report from Port of Miami. As mentioned above, the review below follows Day 4 of our Disney Christmas cruise, which was a sea day. 

Disney Cruise Line does a really great job of providing lots of onboard activities when you have a day at sea. Below, you can see a copy of the Personal Navigator from our sea day on the Disney Magic. You can also access this information on your Disney Cruise Line App while onboard the ship. I just personally like to have the paper versions too in addition to the app.

Day 4 – Sea Day

If you have been reading from Day 1 of this trip review, you know that I spent the mornings strolling my toddler around the Magic’s Deck 4 Jogging Track since she woke up super early every day. The jogging track circles around the entire outside area of Deck 4, and it’s a really great place to walk and watch the sun come up.

Although it was initially hard to get up and going at 5:30 AM on vacation, I ended up enjoying these morning strolls. The temperature outside was really comfortable even though it was December and the sun had yet to rise. I wore leggings and long sleeves for my walk each morning, but I think I also would have been fine in shorts and a t-shirt. 

After watching the sun rise from Deck 4 each morning, I strolled my toddler up to the pool deck for an early breakfast at Daisy’s De-Lites. We liked eating a full breakfast at the Cabanas buffet, so I usually just grabbed small items like fresh fruit and yogurt. Daisy’s De-Lites offered a lot more options, though, like cereal, oatmeal, and muffins.

So, you could fill up from this counter service restaurant if you wanted a smaller meal. Once we finished eating our morning snack, I grabbed coffee from the beverage station on the pool deck. My one year old and I then strolled back down to our stateroom.

Family Entertainment

Day 4 of our trip was a day spent at sea, which meant we had plenty of time to enjoy the Disney Magic cruise ship. If you are wondering what to do on a sea day, I will walk you through each activity we spent time doing. Disney Cruise Line had lots of other entertainment and activity options scheduled, but these are the ones we did with our two little ones:

Disney Characters

We had reservations to meet the princesses at 9:00 on this sea day. After my husband and I finished our coffee on the verandah, we all got ready for the breakfast buffet. Cabanas wasn’t too busy since we were there at around 8:00. We washed our hands and grabbed a table outside.

It was already really warm out even though it was December. My husband grabbed food and drinks for the four of us so that I could sit with the kids. After eating, we walked down to the atrium where the Princess Gathering was scheduled to take place.

This is one of the free events that you reserve during your online check in before the cruise. We stood in line for about 10 minutes before it was our turn. Most of the kids on the cruise are really well behaved in the lines. I think it’s because they can see the character, so they are immediately entertained even if it’s not their turn.

My toddler wanted no part of meeting any of the princesses. The photographers kept trying to get her to pose, but I eventually just picked her up. On this cruise aboard the Disney Magic, Rapunzel, Tiana, and Cinderella were available during the Princess Gathering. We have met different princesses on Disney’s other ships though.

Tangled Scavenger Hunt

One of the activities Disney Cruise Line offered during this sea day was a Rapunzel themed scavenger hunt. You could grab the Spot-a-Thug paper from the Port Adventures desk any time during the day.

Then, as you walked around the ship, you searched for the characters listed on the sheet. We didn’t find all of the characters, but we had a really great time looking for them! Some of them were really well hidden.

Private Concierge Character Meet and Greet

One of the perks that comes with sailing in the Concierge Level is a special character meet and greet. The Concierge Hosts put a letter in our stateroom to let us know we were invited to a special reception on this sea day at 10:15.

We arrived at Keys around 10:15 and grabbed a few seats. There were several servers walking around with mimosas and smoothies. Live musicians sang Christmas songs as all of the Concierge guests arrived and found seats.

Then, a pianist came out and played popular Disney songs. While he was playing, Pluto made a grand entrance into the room. Pluto walked around and took pictures with each family. We were there until close to 11:00, and my kids were really eager to swim. So, we headed back to our stateroom to change into swimsuits.

Main Pool Area

We put on our swimsuits and sunscreen and then walked up to the pool deck. My two girls swam and played in the pools and splash zones. These areas were busy, but the kids didn’t seem to mind at all. Also, I just expect the pools to be packed with kids. So, it’s not a huge shock or disappointment to me when they actually are.

After swimming for a bit, we grabbed an available table on the pool deck for lunch. My kids are both picky eaters, and they don’t like the same foods. So, I had to walk to multiple counters to grab lunch. I picked up pizza for my toddler at Pinocchio’s Pizzaria and a hotdog for my six-year-old at Duck-in Diner. After eating lunch, we all grabbed some FREE soft serve ice cream!

Laundry on a Disney Ship

Once we finished our ice cream, we all went back down to our stateroom to put on dry clothes. I used the laundry bag I had packed to carry some of our dirty clothes down to the launderette. The laundry process is really easy. 

You just use your Key to the World card to buy detergent, a dryer sheet, and the use of the machines. I think it all totaled less than $5. Then, I went back up to the room to put my toddler down for a nap. My husband took our six-year-old out to finish the scavenger hunt. I received a text message when the washing machine had finished its cycle. 

So, my husband moved our clothes to an available dryer. Once our one-year-old woke up from her nap, we all got ready for our evening activities, including dinner and the Santa Meet and Greet!

Merry Time of Year

Santa was scheduled to be in the atrium at 2:30, and we headed down around 2:00. A HUGE line had already formed. Santa came out a bit earlier than scheduled, but we still stood in line for close to 45 minutes. I suggest getting in line 45 minutes to an hour before Santa is scheduled to make an appearance. 

Another tip is to have a member of your family hold a spot in line. This way little kids aren’t required to stand there for a super long time. I really think Disney Cruise Line needs to make this a pre-reserved event like the Princess Gathering.

My husband ended up staying in line to hold our spot while I took our two girls up the stairs to meet Chip and Dale. Finally, it was our turn to meet Santa, and he was completely worth the wait. The onboard Santa looked so authentic, and we got some really great photos! After meeting Santa, we picked up our laundry from the launderette and took it back to our room. 

I spent a little time folding and organizing it while my husband went to the Concierge Lounge to grab some snacks for all of us. The Kids Clubs were having an open house, so we let our girls run around and explore in the Oceaneer Club for a bit. They loved the huge slide in Andy’s Room!

Disney Magic Dining Rooms

Our dinner on Day 4 was at Rapunzel’s Royal Table. This was one of the things I was most looking forward to for the whole cruise, and it didn’t disappoint! Some of the Pub Thugs were standing at the entrance heckling people as they entered.

One of the servers showed us to our table, and we had a great view of the stage where live musicians were already playing. One of the burly thugs walked over to our table and asked my husband to dance with him.

My husband laughed and politely declined, but he said our six-year-old would probably dance. So, my older daughter got up and danced with the bucket headed thug in the aisle. It was a really special experience!

Our servers came around to take our drink and food orders. I had intentions of taking photos of our food and the menus each night; however, our toddler kept us on our toes during dinners, so this didn’t happen. We were just too busy trying to keep her entertained with bread and toys to get any extra pictures.

The show at Rapunzel’s Royal Table was really entertaining with lots of singing and dancing. The characters make their way around the room for photos and autographs too. Toward the end of the show, the kids can get out of their seats and dance around the room with Rapunzel and characters.

Evening Entertainment and Live Music

After dinner we attended the character dance party in the lobby atrium. We stood against the balcony to have a better view of the stage; however, you can dance with the characters if you watch from the main level.

The live musicians performed on the atrium stage while Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and friends took turns walking down the staircase. The characters then walked out into the crowd to dance with the kids.

Walt Disney Theatre

The live show on Day 4 was Tangled: The Musical. We went up to the Concierge Lounge before the show to pick up popcorn, candy, and drinks to take with us. My husband ended up taking our one-year-old back to the room after about five minutes at the show.

She didn’t want to sit still, nor did she want to go to sleep. So, I stayed to watch Tangled with our six-year-old. The show was really entertaining, and it just basically retold the story from the movie Tangled. After the show, my older daughter and I headed back to our stateroom for bed. We wanted to get plenty of sleep for our final day of the cruise, which was to be spent at Castaway Cay.

Day 5 – Castaway Cay

As mentioned above, on Day 5 of our cruise on the Disney Magic, we visited Castaway Cay in the Bahamas. I grabbed a paper copy of the personal navigator from Guest Services the morning of our stop at Castaway Cay. You can see photos of the daily navigator below. The Disney Cruise Line Navigator App also provides this information while you are onboard the ship.

On Day 5, we woke up to gorgeous weather outside. We had really lucked out this entire trip! Although it was December, the weather had consistently been sunny and in the 80’s. Even the mornings were really pleasant.

The four of us walked up to Cabanas to enjoy the breakfast buffet. We grabbed a table and ate our food with a great view of the island! Then we headed back down to our stateroom to change into swimsuits for the beach.

Once we had all changed and applied sunscreen, we made our way to Deck 1 to disembark the Disney Magic cruise ship. Since we had the stroller with us, we had to take the elevator down. It was around 9:00 at this time, and it wasn’t busy at all.

After you swipe your Key to the World Card and walk off the ship, you can easily grab beach towels from one of the stands pictured above. Even though there is a tram available to shuttle you from the ship to the beach, we enjoy walking along the pathway. It only takes about 10-15 minutes to reach the beach, and you can get some really great pictures along the way.

The beach wasn’t busy at all when we arrived, so we grabbed an available set of chairs to put down our beach items. The island provides both long loungers and short beach chairs like in the photo below.

We like to move the shorter chairs to the shoreline. This allows my husband and I to sit comfortably while our two kids play in the sand.

Beach with Young Kids

The water and sand had a lot more shells and rocks than the last time we had visited, so you may want to pack water shoes to protect your feet. The water was crystal clear and pretty warm for December. My kids played in the sand with the toys they had brought.

At one point they asked for a bucket to make sandcastles. My husband walked over to one of the shops on the island and found a bucket with a shovel for $8. We ended up just throwing this pail away at the end of our trip because we didn’t have space in our suitcases to pack it.

Next time, I will pack the buckets that collapse and don’t take up much space in your luggage. You can find the collapsible sand pails we use in our Disney Cruise packing list!

We let our girls play on the beach for a couple hours. At one point my six-year-old decided she wanted to try the climbing feature in the swimming lagoon. My husband grabbed a swim vest from one of the nearby stands, and the two of them spent some time in that area for a while.

He had to watch her from the water as he wasn’t allowed to climb on it with her. A quick tip for visiting Castaway Cay- this area of the beach was not busy at all and would be a great place to sit with your family!

Pelican Plunge

Around 11:30, we grabbed all of our things and strolled over to Cookie’s BBQ for lunch. It had just opened and wasn’t busy at all. The four of us went through the line and found a picnic table in the pavilion. Our food was good, and the kids even got ice cream for dessert.

We walked around the island for a bit after lunch. Then my six-year-old decided to try the water slides at Pelican Plunge. My husband went with her while I watched from a little observation deck. The lines for the slides weren’t long at all, and both my husband and daughter said they were a ton of fun!

Spring a Leak

Castaway Cay has a water play area called Spring-a-Leak that’s a great place for toddlers and little kids to play. It is located right beside the bike rentals and offers a shaded area with benches for parents to sit. I took my toddler to this splash zone to play while her big sister had fun at Pelican Plunge. My one-year-old loved this little area.

When they finished sliding at Pelican Plunge, my husband and older daughter walked over to Spring-a-Leak to meet us. I wanted our toddler to take a nap, and my six-year-old wanted to swim in the pools onboard the ship one last time. So, we headed back to the Disney Magic. One of the good things about going back to the ship early is that the pool deck isn’t busy at all!

Buena Vista Theatre

Frozen II was scheduled to play in the Buena Vista Theater that afternoon. My six-year-old had been begging to see it again, so I took her to the movie while my husband stayed with our toddler as she napped.

You can pick up popcorn right outside the doors to the theater. Buena Vista Theater wasn’t crowded at all, and we both really enjoyed the movie!

Disney Magic Gratuities

When the movie ended, it was close to dinner time. We went back to the stateroom to organize our tipping envelopes that our stateroom host had left. The gratuities are automatically disbursed to your account, but you can change them if you would like.

You just tear off each ticket and put it in its corresponding envelope. Our Concierge Team was not included in this, so I tipped them separately.

Rotational Dining System

Our toddler had not taken the best nap, and unfortunately, she had decided that she was over this vacation. Needless to say, her behavior by dinner time was not spectacular. I decided to take her to the pool deck for dinner instead of to the main dining room. I knew there was no way she would behave for a sit down meal.

My husband and six-year-old went to Lumiere’s to eat and thank our serving team one last time. They also gave the servers their tip envelopes. I grabbed pizza on the pool deck and sat in a lounger by the pool with our one-year-old. The movie Coco was playing on Funnel Vision, and my toddler had the best time watching it while eating cheese pizza.

Luggage Tags

After dinner, our toddler was completely wiped out. I took her back to the stateroom to go to bed so that I could pack. My husband and I wanted Disney Cruise Line to handle our luggage, so we were supposed to have it in the hall outside our room by 10:00 that night.

It was not smart of me to wait until the last minute to pack everything, and I had to rush to fit everything in our luggage. So, I recommend starting the process much earlier than I did. Luckily, I finished packing and had the bags outside the door on time. I made sure to leave out certain items that we would need that night and the next day:

• backpack
• diapers/wipes
• hair brush and accessories
• pajamas
• clothes for debarkation day
• shoes for debarkation day
• toiletries
• ID and Key to the World cards

As I was packing up the room, my husband took our six year old to watch the nightly live entertainment in the Walt Disney Theater. The show on Day 5 was Disney Dreams, and they both said they really enjoyed it.

Final Thoughts on the Disney Magic

Although cruising with a toddler isn’t the most stress-free experience, we all truly had a great time. Even though I didn’t get to enjoy the nightly shows as much as I would have liked, it was also enjoyable to relax in our stateroom each evening after a full day of activities.

For information on the final morning of our cruise, you can check out our post on Disney Cruise Line Disembarkation Process. In that article, you can follow us through the last day of vacation when you finally have to leave the ship.