Annette Baldwin

Age: 31 to 40
Number of Cruises: 6 to 10 Cruises
Ship: Disney Magic
Sailing Date: January 13th, 2001
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean

This is our second time on the magic. Our first time was a four day and we couldn't wait to do the weeklong cruise.  Embarkation was a breeze you can actually check in starting at 12:00 and they start boarding the ship at 12:30.  There is a lunch buffet waiting for you on deck 9 at topsiders.  When we checked in I inquired about an upgrade for our cabin, we were booked in a cat 6 but were able to upgrade to a cat 3 (one bedroom suite).  I'm not sure but I think it might have been cheaper than booking it in advance.  If you're able to BOOK THIS ROOM!!! We have two girls 10 and 8 and it was wonderful having basically a double room. My husband and I felt it was worth every penny to be able to spread out we each had a full bath and a sliding door to separate us at night.  They had their own TV and so did we, we didn't have to watch the Disney channel all the time.  Someone recommended bringing walkie talkies on board, this was a great idea.  Our kids didn't want to go to the kids club but I felt very comfortable letting them go off on their own (together) with the walkie-talkies. 

We all enjoyed the shows, my 10 year old was even called as a contestant on Who Wants to be a Mousketeer game show, we had a great time but didn't win a free cruise. 

My family enjoyed the food at all the restaurants and usually the kids entree's came out with our appetizers so when they finished they would go to an activity while we enjoyed a quiet meal.  We didn't choose to go to Palo's although I heard it was nice. 

My husband and I did some of the tours of the ship which were very interesting.  He liked the bridge tour and I liked the galley tour, it's amazing how many meals they prepare every day. 

I went to the spa on our first sea day.  I chose the seaweed wrap and massage, I don't think I would do the wrap again but I sure did enjoy the massage. 

On St. Martin we did a shore excursion to the butterfly farm and it included an island tour.  We've been there before but the tour guide was very informative and we learned some interesting things about the island.  By 12:00 we were back on board for our lunch and enjoyed the pool almost to ourselves, it was wonderful.

On St. Thomas we rented a convertible from Avis (you can see their building from the ship) for $79.00 for the day.  This way we could go to Meagans bay one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world, you could also take a taxi, I think it was $5.00 per person each way.  We liked having the freedom of a car.  We also went to coral world just for the snorkeling it was great.

Castaway Cay was very nice but I suggest getting off the ship early to get a good beach location.  They had plenty of floats to rent and lots of lounges and chairs and umbrellas.  Again we boarded the ship by 2:00 to enjoy some quiet time in the pool. 

Our cabin was located on deck 8 aft, #8080 a very convenient location for the pool and the buffet.  With kids you were only a short distance to everything.  The only time we had noise problems was the night of the deck party because it was right above our cabin.  If you're traveling without kids a better location might be in the forward part of the ship where the spa and quiet pool are. 

Our cabin steward was adequate, our last time the steward was fabulous making animals out of the towels for the kids so maybe we were spoiled.  Our servers were excellent they really treat the kids special. 

We don't really have anything bad to say about the trip.  The ship is in excellent condition and all of the staff has a smile for you when ever you see them.  We would go again tomorrow if possible and our kids are already asking if we can go next year!

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