My wife convinced me that our boys, now four and almost two, were at the perfect age to enjoy a Disney trip. On a cruise, we wouldn’t have to walk around a giant, crowded theme park, and we could still enjoy the perks of a Caribbean vacation. Plus, living only thirty minutes from the Cruise terminal meant less travel.

After five days at sea, here are my thoughts on the Disney Magic Cruise.

I’m Not A Cruise Person

I love to travel. I’ve been all over Central and South America, Honeymooned in Europe, and maybe contracted Covid in Thailand. Exploring the world excites me, although travel has slowed since I’ve had kids.

I had taken one cruise before. I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t leave me wanting to do more. Even though I cruised in March, the pools felt too cold to dive into. The entertainment didn’t appeal to me. I remember seeing a comedian, and I chuckled a few times. I’d never choose to go on a cruise again; however, if I were invited, I would. However, this one felt different. 

The Room

Once on the boat, we headed to our room. While we felt excited to explore and meet Disney characters, we needed to lighten our load.

Fortunately, you can check your luggage at the terminal before getting on the boat. We checked five bags, which were delivered to our room that day. Traveling with two young kids, we had a lot of stuff to take with us. We still had our carry-on bags and a small stroller to drop off before we could enjoy everything. 

Upon first impression, I thought the room felt tight. Only one person could move from one side to the other. The Disney Magic is the oldest and smallest boat in the fleet, so maybe the newer ships offer larger rooms. They want to pack as many people as possible on the ship, so the rooms are tiny.

Our room had a queen-sized bed, a couch that turned into a small bed, and a pack-and-play. I was told a bed folds out from the ceiling above the sofa to make bunk beds, but I didn’t see that in action. 

Our deck was pretty small, but we loved it. Our youngest would wake up every morning and say, “Water. Fish, turtle, boat,” which meant he wanted to go out on the veranda. I felt safe with him out there since they had a clear plastic covering on the rails, which would keep anyone from falling through (and I never let either of my kids go out there alone). A cup of coffee on the veranda in the morning looked very relaxing. 

There were two bathrooms. One had a sink and a shower, while the other had a toilet and sink. Two people could get ready at once, which was nice. The shower felt tight, but I had no problems showering, and it could hold both boys in the bathtub. 

Every night, while we went to dinner, our room attendant prepared our room for sleep. He converted the couch into a bed with a railing, left a different towel animal, and some chocolate for us. 

Realistically, having such a tight room shouldn’t matter. You’re on a cruise; ideally, you’re out of your room most of the day doing the activities on the boat. However, my oldest loved the room. When we could go out to meet Disney characters or swim, he just wanted to go to the room and play on his couch/bed. 

All in all, the room was nice. We didn’t spend much time there, but the room offered comfort and a quick break from any crowds. 

The Entertainment

There was never a moment when something wasn’t happening on the boat. Disney has a useful cruise ship app that lets you see what is happening and plan a schedule for any day of your cruise. The ship offers a plethora of things to do, like character meets, games, shows, tastings, drawing lessons, cooking lessons, and eating.

Disney Character Meets

The draw of a Disney Cruise versus other cruise lines is the Disney Brand. We wanted to be on the Cruise ship because we knew there would be characters who would excite my boys. We used the app to figure out when and where characters would come out for a greeting and then try to get someone to wait in line for us. 

I’m unsure how I would change things up if I were Disney, but waiting in line with two young kids felt daunting. However, the magic you experience as your kids meet these characters fills your heart. 

The selection of characters offered a good balance of Disney and Marvel characters. Based on the lines, the Marvel characters were pretty popular. I wish they had more scheduled meet-and-greets, as we only got to meet Spider-Man because of scheduling, lines, or a problematic preschooler. Spider-Man, Captain America, and Black Panther had two scheduled meetings on our first full day at sea, but no other times were planned for the rest of the cruise.

I also felt like Disney’s other intellectual properties weren’t offered much. There were no Star Wars characters around, although they had a backdrop and a lightsaber to take pictures with a couple of times. Pixar characters did show up, but we were off the boat that day. 

Of course, we only had a limited time, and I’m sure the crew knows what sells. I wish we had had more chances to see some characters and would have enjoyed a few different IPs getting some representation. 

Pool Time

When we weren’t in line for a character greet, my toddler loved the pool. The ship had three pools: an infant wading pool, the main pool, and an adults-only pool. All the pools were warm. I’m pretty sure they heat them to keep them perfect. 

While I never spent time in the wading pool, I saw that it was only a foot or two deep. Ironically, none of the pools allowed children in swim diapers to swim. My youngest still needs a diaper, so he didn’t get to swim. However, there is a baby splash pad that he loved. 

The main pool on the Disney Magic felt tiny and full. Many spent time here because they put a giant screen above it that constantly played Disney movies. You could watch while sitting on the deck or floating in the pool. My oldest loved watching while he swam. 

The pool got crowded. There wasn’t much space to do much but watch the movie and float, but that didn’t stop the kids from trying. I had never been kicked and splashed so much. I don’t think adults get the most out of this pool. 

The pool offered two ladders to get in and two lifeguards who would blow their whistles and track down anyone who got in without using the ladder. At the top of every hour, they clear the pool for cleaning, which I had mixed feelings about. I liked that the kids didn’t stay in the pool all day. Sometimes, kids might forget to eat because they are having fun. However, I think every hour was a bit much, and fifteen minutes to “clean” felt like a lot of downtime, which we usually filled with pizza or ice cream at the movie. 

I spent a little time in the adults-only pool, my favorite of the three. This pool is located in Quiet Cove. It was the largest and the least crowded. They even had a silent disco during our time there. Attendants would take your drink order in the pool. I loved this pool, but I didn’t get to spend nearly enough kid-free time there. 

Other Entertainment

While we spent most of our time meeting characters and hanging out in the pool, the boat offered much more. Each night (except pirate night, which I’ll get to), a Broadway-style show was put on in the main theater. The production was excellent. The sets glided in and out, up and down. The actors made me invest in the stories, and the music had us all tapping our feet. 

They offered the shows two or three times a day, but going to a show meant sacrificing something else. If I recall correctly, they provided an afternoon show, a showing at 5 pm, and a night showing of the day’s performance. You have a reserved dinner time during one of the performances. We had the early dinner time, so we would eat before heading to the show around eight, our kids’ bedtime at home. We let them stay up on the boat because they loved watching the plays. My kids kept their eyes glued to the stage and never grew tired of watching. We took them to the show in their pajamas so we could get them back to the room and have them fall asleep without many issues. 

Other than the plays, there is so much going on. There were games like Bingo, which offered a money prize a few times, liquor tastings, cooking classes, and more. However, these did cost a little extra money.. 

They also put on current Disney movies in the theaters. They showed Moana 2 and the Mufasa movie multiple times a day. After our first day at sea, the newest Captain America premiered, and they started showing it a few times daily. I managed to sneak away to see Captain America: Brave New World, which they showed in the same theater as the plays. I was grateful to see the movie for free, but I did miss the comfort of modern theaters, like reclining chairs. 

The Kids Club

On board, they offer a kids’ club for ages three and up. The kids are given a wrist strap with an NFC and GPS chip to be tracked if they manage to get out, but that isn’t a problem, as the staff keeps the kids entertained. 

Parents check their kids in and are free to roam the boat. The kids are put into age groups and given tasks to do and things to play with. If their kid wants to leave, the parents get a message on their app. All in all, it’s pretty simple and great for parents and kids. They offer Open House hours, where anyone can come in and play, but the kids aren’t monitored. These Open House hours are the only time adults are allowed in the kids’ club. 

The club has a Toy Story-inspired room with a big slide and things to play with, an Avengers hall with a full-sized Iron Man suit, and more. When I went in, the kids were always playing or coloring. 

My kid loved attending the kids club open house, but he only wanted to be dropped off alone a few times. When he got dropped off alone, he would tell me how much fun he had when I picked him up. He didn’t want to be away from us because of his age. It would have been different if he had a friend to go in with. 

They also have a nursery for kids under 3, but you must reserve and pay for your time there. We did this for a few days on our cruise for our youngest during nap time, so that someone wouldn’t be stuck in the room with him sleeping. While it pulled at my heart to drop him off, I knew he would be cared for. He also napped both times, so it worked out great. 

To pick up their children, the parents must present a room key and a secret word they set up before the cruise. It felt very safe, and I didn’t fear leaving the kids there, other than the massive guilt that crushes you when you drop your kids off. 

Pirates Night

One night on the cruise, Disney hosts a pirate night, during which everyone on the boat dresses up like a pirate. We knew about this going in, so we tracked down costumes before we left. 

Unfortunately, mine got left at home somehow during packing. I made the best costume possible, and luckily, Disney provided Pirate Mickey-themed bandanas to everyone in the room. I’m pretty sure everyone on the boat got one of the bandanas. We had them waiting for us in our room before dinner. 

They had pirate backdrops to take pictures with that night, including a Captain Jack Sparrow character. Later that night, they had a pirate dance party on the boat’s deck. Characters danced in pirate costumes. They had a story about Captain Hook taking over until Mickey came to save the day. Then there were fireworks. 

But none of that happened until after 10 pm. After a day at the beach, my kids struggled to stay up to enjoy it. Plus, the deck was so crowded because everyone on the boat was there. It was the only entertainment at the moment. We got a spot to see the show, but had an obstructed view of the fireworks. My oldest fell asleep during the show, and my youngest couldn’t see the fireworks. 

So, the pirate theme felt like a bust. I’m not sure things would have gone better if we had a better view or maybe older kids, but it’s something to be aware of. Get there early, and try getting to deck ten if possible. 

The Food on a Disney Cruise

I don’t remember much about the food on my first cruise, and I’ve been to many resorts to experience some typical travel food. Disney cruises have a few things figured out regarding food, and there are many ways to partake. 

The Buffet on The Disney Magic Cruise

While you have options for breakfast and lunch, we spent most of our breakfasts at Cabana’s buffet. Most people did the same, as it felt like a free-for-all. We struggled to find a place to sit every morning, but never had to wait long.

The buffet is located at the back of the boat. Inside, there are plenty of windows to enjoy the view of the beautiful blue ocean, but you could also eat outside on the deck. 

The buffet offered tons of different foods. The serving area was shaped like a U and had the same foods on each side, so you never had to wait long to get the desired option. It felt like breakfast served the same foods every morning. They had ready-made omelets (in Denver and cheese flavors), pancakes, bacon, sausage, donuts, pastries, oatmeal, congee, fried rice, and Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles. One day, they had biscuits and gravy; one day, they also had churro-flavored Mickey Waffles. They also had a large selection of fruit and yogurt available. 

Everything tasted good, but the croissants and the churro Mickey waffle were favorites. 

There were drink stations where you could pick your drink, but servers came around with coffee and took drink orders. The coffee tasted great. 

We went to lunch at the buffet twice. Each day, the food theme was different. One day, they had build-your-own tacos/fajitas, and the other provided Indian food. The themed food took up only a tiny selection of the buffet space, with a mix of more generic food options offered. There was some tasty stuff on the buffet for lunch, and I wish we had spent a few more lunches there.

However, I didn’t love how they managed the lunch schedule. On our day at port, we left the boat to enjoy the beach. After we had had enough and returned, we made it to Cabana’s around 1:45 in the afternoon. We didn’t have trouble finding a place to sit for the first time, but I noticed they only had one side of the buffet going. I figured it was because of the port day, and they expected fewer people. 

My wife went to make a plate of food for the kids while I watched them. She returned and let me go through the line. I grabbed my plate and noticed they were hanging up signs in front of some of the food, barring anyone from serving themselves. 

I grabbed the food I could and returned to let my wife try to get some before they covered everything. But she wasn’t able to get any. They had shut down everything. 

It made no sense to me. There was still plenty of food when I went, but they didn’t let her get anything. The buffet closed at two, and that’s what they did. I don’t know what they did with all the leftovers, and I don’t understand why they wouldn’t let her get any. I think a better option might be to close the doors to the buffet at two and allow those inside to continue eating for a while. Either way, we weren’t pleased. 

The Grills

We ate most lunches and snacks at the Duck-In Diner on the top deck by the pools. They offered standard poolside food like pizza, hamburgers, and chicken strips. Daisy’s Delight provided sandwiches, fruit, and other healthier options.

The grill food tasted fine. My oldest and I particularly liked the chicken strips. More importantly, the lines could get slightly long, but the servers moved fast. We hardly had to wait long, even with the lines.

The grill also offered some fish and vegetarian options, and attached to the grill was a shawarma place. It had the option of beef and lamb or chicken. It came over a warmed pita, and you had many options for sauces and the vegetables you wanted. I ordered the beef and lamb shawarma one day. The meat and vegetables were good, but I didn’t like the pita much. It fell apart easily, so I had to eat it with a fork. 

The pizza from Pinocchio’s Pizzeria seemed to be a hit. My kids ate three or more pieces every day. They had an interesting mix of pizzas, with the standard cheese, pepperoni, and a tomato or mushroom pizza. They were constantly making pizzas as they continued to run out. I always just got pizza by the slice for me and the kids, but I think you could order an entire pizza. 

We would also visit Eye Scream daily. Eye Scream offered three different soft-serve ice cream machines. While vanilla and chocolate were always offered, they also had a flavor of the day. My favorite was the pineapple coconut.

Themed Dinners

When you book your cruise, you can request one of two dinner times: 5:45 or 8. Your dinner every night will be at that time. You will have an assigned table number and the same wait staff for each meal. 

Our wait staff acted friendly but aggressively about ensuring our happiness. Sometimes, they went too far to make sure we were happy. For instance, I didn’t enjoy one of the soups I ordered, not because of how it was cooked, but just the texture and spice. I didn’t eat it all, and when the waiter saw I hadn’t touched much of it, he continued to ask if he could make it better or bring something else for way too long. I had only ordered the soup to try it, and I didn’t blame anyone for not liking it. It just wasn’t something I wanted. 

Each night had a specially designed menu, although I’m unsure if they had themed the food to the restaurant or the night. Every meal offered four courses. Since I’m not a seafood fan, I felt half the menu wasn’t for me. They also had vegetarian options and three or four simple staples, which they offered every night. 

I wasn’t a fan of the beef options, although on the first night, I ordered a delicious filet, but the portion was small. Luckily, the rest of the meal filled me up. Since the food is all-inclusive, you can order as many of each as you like. My table frequently saw a few appetizers we wanted to try, so someone would order two. 

The kids’ menus offered kid-friendly options. The menus also doubled as coloring activities and sometimes props accompanying the show or theme. We have a picky four-year-old who loves his buttered noodles with salt, which isn’t on the menu, but they were able to accommodate the request. 

Overall, the food at dinner wasn’t the best. The service was excellent, and I had some of the best food items here, but I didn’t feel overly excited about the totality of it all.

There are three different restaurants, and you are assigned to them in advance. We had to double up at one of the restaurants on our four-night cruise. Based on what I had seen, I envisioned a show every night, mainly because each restaurant is themed after a Disney movie. That wasn’t the case, although two dinners had some entertainment. 

Lumiere’s

For our first dinner, we went to Lumineers, a restaurant themed on Beauty and the Beast. The decor had an old French feeling, aided by paintings of the servants from the movie. The staff dressed in black slacks, a formal white shirt, and a golden vest, which fit perfectly. 

 Each meal started with bread and a dip, which changed every night. This night, we had a delicious olive dip, which was our favorite. I don’t remember all the food I ordered, but I know this was the night I had a filet, the best beef I had for dinner. 

The boys had their first Mickey Mouse ice cream bar. It came in a bowl with Mickey Mouse sprinkles. If they put the ice cream down, it would be covered in sprinkles the next time they picked it up. They loved it, although my oldest doesn’t love chocolate, while my youngest struggled with the size of his. 

I expected some music or something from Beauty and the Beast, but nothing happened. 

Animators Palette

We went to Animators Palette for the next two nights. I liked the first night here the best of all our dinners. While there wasn’t a show, screens all over the walls showed Disney characters getting drawn. Each would go from basic shapes sketched out to full-blown characters. They would animate once completed and then start over with a new sketch. 

We had a lot of fun guessing which character the sketch would become, and the images covered a wide range of Disney canon from Steamboat Willie to Hercules and beyond. 

We were told that a special guest would appear later when we ordered. We had no idea who it would be since no character theme existed. Then music started to play. They had put together a very touching tribute. I started to tear up a little as they talked about wishing and being a hero. Then, Mickey, dressed in his Fantasia outfit, came out. 

He danced around the entire room. Our whole table screamed with joy. 

Sadly, the next night didn’t reach the same highs. The screens with animations weren’t doing much. The menu changed, and not much else happened. 

Rapunzel’s Royal Table

We dined at Rapunzel’s Royal Table for our final night. Finally, characters from Tangled sang and played instruments for us between courses. Rapunzel made it to just about every table. 

When Rapunzel made it to our table, she played with my youngest for a long time as he tried to put crayons through the back of his high chair. I’m sure he loved the extra attention. 

The kids’ menu at this dinner folded into a lantern from Tangled. Towards the end of dinner, the cast and staff paraded around with their lanterns and invited the guests to join. It was the most interactive of all the diners. 

Room Service on the Disney Magic

Room service is included in your package deal, but we only used it the first night to order milk for the kids. I wish we had used it more but weren’t in the room much.

One thing we learned a few days in is that if you wanted to order room service for breakfast, they left some menus that you could check off what you wanted and hang outside your door. Our menus were in a desk drawer blocked by our pack-and-play, so we didn’t know about it.

We wished we had ordered some room service for our day off the boat since they offer snacks you could take, but we didn’t think much about it, since we were preparing to leave. 

The only room service we ordered came surprisingly fast, although it was just a few glasses of milk. 

Things I Learned From My First Disney Cruise

Between all the eating and wrangling kids, I learned or experienced a few things that I wanted to mention. 

I Expected More Characters Walking Around

When we booked the trip, I envisioned Disney characters wandering around the boat. Now, I haven’t been to any Disney properties since my parents took me when I was a young boy. I don’t remember, and I don’t know how the parks work, but I didn’t think I’d have to schedule my vacation around waiting in line to meet some of these characters. 

But for most of the cruise, we only saw the characters if we waited in line. 

After breakfast on our last day at sea, we waited in line to meet Bruno from Encanto, and then planned to wait to meet Donald. For my four-year-old, that was a lot of waiting in line with nothing to do, especially after a day at the beach and staying up late for the pirate show. After waiting a few minutes, he asked if I would take him to the kids’ club.

Even though the kids’ club was only a floor above us, he wanted to take the elevators, which took forever. But for once, I’m glad. While waiting for the elevator, I looked outside the boat to the walking/running track and saw Captain Mickey taking pictures. I ushered my son outside for pictures with Mickey. It was one of my favorite moments on the cruise because it felt so random and lucky. Those pictures had the ocean in the back, which felt like the best backdrop.

Later in the day, my wife and I were about to jump in the pool when she spotted Captain America walking around on the upper deck. We didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so we threw our clothes on to take a picture with him. When we got to the upper deck, we couldn’t find any trace of him. We asked a few people, who told us he was just there, and Black Panther had been out earlier. 

Later in the day, as we collected our youngest from the kids’ club, we ran into Ariel. 

That excitement and surprise made those encounters more memorable than waiting in line. I wish they did more of it, but I also see how limiting it improves these moments, so I’m not sure what the answer is. 

The Little Things

While the Disney Magic is the oldest boat in the fleet, it isn’t missing modern features. Every door to an outside area offered a sensor that you could wave at, which would then open the door for you. 

This included the elevators. While my kids loved to push the arrows, you could wave your hand up or down to call which direction you wanted to go. 

My son loved the elevators, but I would have rather taken the stairs most of the time. There are four elevators in the fore and aft of the boat. Each door felt spread out, so you had to watch a large area for an elevator. If there were multiple people, it might become a free-for-all for who gets on. However, when you descend to the 3rd, 4th, or 5th floor, you get a great view of the main lobby, where many character meets happen. 

We were always busy on the boat and didn’t get to explore everything. One day, we stumbled into a dance party in the Disney Club. My oldest wanted to go in and dance, so we did. Toward the end of the dance, Captain Mickey came out to greet us and danced a little. I wonder how many of these special little moments happened that we didn’t know about. 

Other Things

A couple of quick things to know before I close out:

• I don’t think there is a breakfast buffet on your last day. None of the schedules showed times for it that day. So, if you have an early dinner time, you’ll also have an early breakfast time. We had to get to breakfast by 7:15 AM on debarkation day. I struggled to sleep because I worried about my boys not getting to sleep or eat that morning. We had to choose. We chose to eat, and everything was fine. 
• Our only stop on this cruise was Progresso, Mexico. I don’t want to hate on Mexico because I’ve spent many vacations there, but Progresso is not that nice. We took a free bus to the beach area, which took a good 20-30 minutes, and then another 10-15 minute walk. The water isn’t pretty, the beach isn’t that nice, and you are bombarded with people trying to sell things, but the boys did have fun in the water. 
• The boat offers Wi-fi. If you don’t pay for internet, you can still use the Disney Cruise app to check the schedule and messages from the staff, like when a kid wants to get picked up from the kids’ club, or send messages to other passengers. We used it pretty often. Even if you don’t pay, you can still send messages through WhatsApp and iMessage, but pictures and videos won’t go through. You can purchase the Internet, but our friend who did that didn’t always have access. Many times, the internet was down. 
• You can also use the app to message other passengers. You do have to grant each other access, so you can’t just message anyone.

Would I Go on Another Disney Cruise?

I had so much fun on this trip, that I would definitely go back on a Disney Cruise. My oldest hasn’t stopped talking about it a week later and has asked to go back on the boat. 

I would love to experience all the boats in the fleet eventually, but I wouldn’t hesitate to go back on the Disney Magic. There is still so much for us to explore on the boat, which comes from someone who doesn’t like to go to the same place twice on vacation. 

If I missed something or you have any questions, feel free to ask on Bluesky or Mastodon. If you’re thinking about planning your Disney cruise, I say don’t hesitate! And maybe we’ll see you there!