Our First Family Cruise on the Disney Magic–What We Learned

As much as we love to travel as a family and can't get enough of a week on a beach, we had never really considered the idea of a cruise. Something about it made me nervous: would I get seasick, would we feel claustrophobic, would days off the ship seem too short to enjoy? We recently had the opportunity to try a Disney Cruise, and let me tell you, all those fears were proven wrong. We spent three nights on the Disney Magic, the original ship in Disney's fleet. The experience blew us away, and we will definitely be back again in the future.

If you're considering a cruise for the first time with your family and don't know what to expect, this is what we learned in the process.

Embarkment day

We stayed in a nearby hotel the night before we were set to embark on our Disney cruise to avoid any issues if our flight was delayed. This is less of a concern if you live near the port and within driving distance. We took a shuttle to the port about an hour before we were scheduled to board the ship. Since you will be going through security and customs clearance, you need to keep all your identification documents with you at all times. Don't pack them in your checked luggage, or you won't be cleared to board.

Disney Cruise Lines uses the Navigator app to allow you to preload all your information ahead of time and make the check-in process easier. When you arrive at the port, you'll be guided to the security line. Many agents were working, and the line moved very quickly. The agent will ask for your stateroom number and look you up in the system to confirm all details are correct and on file. We must've missed a step or two in the pre-check process because we were asked to visit a separate counter. Again, this line moved quickly, and we were checked in with no issue.

Special luggage tags were mailed to us beforehand, so we didn't need to carry all of our suitcases with us during embarkment. We kept our stroller and backpacks with us because we didn't know when our bags would arrive in our room.

During the check-in process, you will be given a boarding group number. Everyone will wait together in an area until boarding groups are called. We were in group two and could board pretty early, but just like at the airport, the ship won't leave without you if you end up in a later group, so there's no rush to be the first on board.

Like the parks, Disney has photographers throughout the ship to document your experience. A photo opportunity was set up during boarding to capture the initial excitement of each family right before seeing the inside of the ship. Once we made our way through to the entrance, we got to experience the very special personalized Disney welcome. Cast members and characters were lined up to give our family and each after us a personal welcome and cheer as we took in the first view of the ship atrium.

Since we boarded early, we had some time before our room was ready. We grabbed lunch at the buffet and explored the ship for a few hours. We quickly learned that although the ship is very accessible, the stroller, two adults, a five-year-old, and multiple backpacks are just about all that fits in the busy and compact elevators. We left the stroller in our stateroom for the rest of our stay to move through the floors much quicker by taking the stairs.

First impressions of our stateroom

Our room (or stateroom, as it is referred to) was on the sixth floor on the port side, near the middle of the ship, and had an outward-facing balcony. We had a queen bed and a couch that was converted nightly for our daughter to sleep in. The bathroom is split into two parts, with one side holding a small tub/shower and a sink and the other holding the toilet and a second sink. This allowed one person to shower while another got ready or used the bathroom.

The stateroom was much larger than expected, with plenty of storage space, including a large closet, multiple dressers, and a desk with drawers. We easily put all our clothes away, so we weren't constantly digging through suitcases. The room was clean and organized, and one of our suitcases had already been delivered once we arrived. We even met our room host, who took outstanding care of us and our room the whole trip.

We were very impressed with how well our stateroom was cared for. It was cleaned each morning while we were out for breakfast or lunch and then again in the evening while we had dinner. We returned to a fully transformed room with our daughter's bed set up for her each night. Her stuffies were tucked in tight, and a new blanket animal was on the bed as a surprise for her.

Food and dining options

Plenty of different dining options were available throughout the ship and at various times. We could choose the buffet or one of the sit-down restaurants for breakfast. The buffet had almost everything you could imagine, from eggs and sausage to pancakes to Mickey waffles and even Mickey churros–a big hit with our five-year-old! There was a large assortment of fresh fruit, yogurt, coffee, tea and juice. The buffet fills up fast, so be sure to get there early if you want to guarantee a table. However, guests are generally in and out fairly quickly, and the staff are quick to clean off tables.

The sit-down restaurants hosting breakfast rotated throughout the cruise and offered a set menu. Reservations were not needed, and we were able to choose what worked best for us on that day. For our final breakfast, we went to Animator's Palette and got a great assortment of eggs, pancakes, yogurt, and pastries.

For lunch, many quick service options were available on Deck 9, including pizza, sandwiches, burgers, and daily specials like chicken shawarma wraps. The buffet was also open for lunch if you preferred. There were plenty of tables and seating throughout Deck 9 to eat lunch, or you could bring it back to your stateroom if the kiddos needed a nap or quiet time.

For dinner, there were two seating times, first at 6 pm and second at 8:15 pm. Regardless of what seating was assigned, we rotated between the three sit-down restaurants each night with the same table number and dining staff. This was a neat way to get to know our servers and for them to get to know us better. Our team knew 8:15 pm was a late dinner for our daughter and did everything they could to keep her entertained while we ate. Our dining assistant came over each night and made origami for her, a huge hit, as you can imagine!

We knew having second seating would be a challenge for our five-year-old, who goes to bed by 7:30 pm, but we hoped the excitement of the restaurants would help her push through and still eat. We were wrong. We learned quickly that she was only interested in dessert and changed our plan for the second night. We ordered her a kid's meal through room service when we would typically have dinner and had some family quiet time while she ate and we relaxed. Once we got to dinner, she wasn't starving, and we felt less guilty about just letting her order a dessert and enjoy the experience. This also made it far less stressful for us to eat, and we got to enjoy the fantastic food.

All three restaurants had a set menu with plenty of options for appetizers, soups, salads, mains and desserts. There were also multiple vegetarian options. All of the food was included in our cruise package but any alcoholic or specialty drinks were an extra charge to our room. The kids' menu had consistent options like soup, salad, pizza, chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese. There were also 'Disney Check Meals' with whole wheat pasta, vegetables and fruit for dessert. These meals met the Disney nutrition guidelines for complete meals without substitution.

Entertainment on board for kids

As you can imagine, there was no shortage of entertainment for the kids on the ship. Everything from multiple youth clubs, daily activities, themed parties, character meet and greets and evening shows meant there was never a dull moment.

Youth Clubs

Disney Magic had three different youth clubs on board, all run by expertly trained Disney counsellors. The clubs offered a variety of activities, drop-off care, and open house hours for the whole family. For little ones under the age of three, the 'It's a small world' nursery offers a safe place for dedicated care. There are play areas, activities, and even cribs for napping.

Two youth clubs were available for older kids (ages four to 12)–the Oceaneer Club and the Oceaneer Lab. Both offer similar activities and the same counsellors but with slightly different themes and designs for the club. The Oceaneer Club had a mix of four distinct areas, including Andy's Room with a giant slide and oversized toys, the Marvel Super Hero Academy with arts and crafts as well as video games, the Disney Junior area and the Pixie Hollow with Tinker Bell. The Oceaneer Lab was also very interactive, with an animator's studio to learn animation, a craft studio with activities that rotated throughout the day, plenty of games, a lounge area with movies and video games and even a ship simulator!

The timing didn't work out for us to take advantage of drop-off activities for our daughter, but we did spend time together as a family during open house hours. Our daughter loved all the activities, and we were very impressed with the staff and how accommodating, approachable, and knowledgeable they were.

Character meet and greets

If you've been to any of the Disney parks, you know how integral the characters are to the whole park experience. Our daughter's favourite activity is meeting the characters, taking photos and filling up an autograph book. What we loved about this on the cruise was how accessible the characters were. Each day, we checked the Navigator app and the exact times and locations of the characters. The timeslots lasted 15 minutes and were well organized. All we needed to do was show up at the designated time and location and wait for our turn.

There was no need to prebook, and each station had two cast members to facilitate the experience. A photographer was ready to take plenty of pictures linked to your cruise account, and the second cast member helped with autograph requests or taking photos with your phone. Our daughter was able to fill up her autograph book multiple times over and we have a camera reel full of memories.

The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on board

Another one of our top recommendations for any princess or prince-loving kiddo is to visit the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. We visited the boutique last year at Walt Disney World and were excited to compare our experiences. The boutique on Disney Magic is much smaller than at the park but also much easier to book. We had no trouble finding a time slot that worked with our schedule.

The process is very similar to the parks, although the dress selection is more limited, and the Fairy Godmother does not appear in the dressing room mirror. Once you have chosen your package and your little one has picked out their outfit, your Godmother gets started on hair, makeup, and accessories. Again, we were beyond impressed with the staff members at the boutique and how special they made our daughter feel.

We also lucked out on a less busy day and were able to purchase more than one dress, which is a strict no at the boutique in the parks. This was a plus as Canadians without easy access to a Disney store and a five-year-old daughter obsessed with princess dresses. Although I would've been happy with getting two dresses, my husband, on the other hand, felt three was more appropriate. Classic girl dad they saw coming a mile away. I can't argue how special it was to see her coordinate her dresses for her princess meet and greets, though, so I guess Dad was right.

Port days and Disney's new Lookout Cay

We were lucky enough to be invited to visit the new Disney Island - Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. Arriving at the island was our first experience with a cruise port day. We were impressed with how clear the instructions were on when to disembark and what to bring with us. We knew the walk from the ship to the island would be long, so we chose to bring our stroller for debarkation. It would've been a long, hot walk carrying a five-year-old had we not.

We waited 15 or 20 minutes past the recommended time to go to the exit area and still met a huge crowd trying to get off the ship. The team facilitating the security checkpoint was organized and efficient, making the line move quickly. We showed our cruise ID passes and had the team check our bags and stroller.

Once we got off the ship, we started the long trek to the island. It took about 15 minutes to get to the first checkpoint and another 20-25 minutes to get through security, on the shuttle and to the visitor's area of the island. The cast members operating the shuttle were very helpful in getting our stroller into the seat. We needed to fold it up and take out our bags; otherwise, we had no issues. If you want to avoid bringing your stroller, there are some for rent, along with wagons, immediately after the shuttle arrives.

We spent the next few hours exploring the island, learning all about the history of the Bahamian people and how integral they were in every design element. We got to experience a Junkanoo parade, eat lots of yummy food and relax on the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. There are multiple splash pads, activity areas for kids and plenty of space to relax as a family. We had no trouble finding great seating at the beach or picnic area for lunch and found most places very accessible with the stroller.

We decided to head back a little early to beat the crowds returning to the ship. The shuttle and walk were accessible with the stroller, and getting through security on the island and ship was simple. Our ID passes were scanned, and our bags and strollers were inspected very efficiently.

For our first port day experience, we had a blast, and we're impressed with how well the process of getting hundreds of people off and on the ship safely and securely was run.

Shopping and merchandise available on the ship

If you're a regular cruiser, this likely won't surprise you, but for us, it did. We learned that while on a cruise, stores are not allowed to be open while the ship is docked. This is to abide by customs laws and is unavoidable for all cruise ships. This also meant that the hours to shop were limited to when the ship was sailing and often just in the evening. We were excited to get our hands on some Disney cruise merch but found the operating hours a pain and many people in the small stores at a time very crowded.

Debarkation day and heading home

Prepping for debarkation was another new experience for us, although made very easy by the cast members. The day before we were set to leave, we had special luggage tags left for us in our room with instructions to have any suitcases we wanted transferred for us to be in the hallway by 10 pm that evening. Knowing we needed to keep a change of clothes on hand as well as our toiletries for the evening and the morning, we packed as much as we could in the suitcases and kept the rest in a separate bag.

Collecting luggage from hundreds of staterooms is no small feat, so I understand the need for the bags to be out the night before, but make sure you are prepared with anything you might need for the morning. You will get your bags back once you have gone through customs and are back on land. We needed to rearrange our bags once we got to the airport to ensure all liquids and toiletries were in our checked bags and removed from the carryons.

On the morning of debarkation, we enjoyed a great breakfast and got to say goodbye to our dining staff, who had taken care of us throughout our cruise. We had lots of time to collect our things and make our way off the ship. Again, all we needed to do was show our cruise ID passes to exit the ship and then go through customs.

A Disney shuttle was waiting for us to take us back to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Anyone with an early flight or wanting to exit the ship before the large crowds can keep their luggage with them and exit in the first group rather than waiting for the luggage group to be called.

Although our first cruise experience was quick, we learned a lot about this mode of travel and are intrigued to explore other cruise options. There are a few odd rules to get used to, but we loved how well-organized everything was and were blown away by the service, the cast members, and the overall attention to detail. If you're nervous about trying your first cruise, I say give it a go!