This summer I had a fantastic adventure with my family cruising through Northern Europe on Disney Magic, the very first ship in the Disney fleet.
Our itinerary: We embarked on the 11-night sailing in Dover (near London), and continued to the ports of Amsterdam (Netherlands), Zeebrugge (near Bruges, Belgium), Oslo (Norway), Skagen (Denmark), Warnemunde (near Berlin), Stavanger (Norway), Fredericia (Denmark), and ended in Copenhagen. In the mix were three lovely days at sea on which I took cooking classes, watched movies, ran laps on the promenade deck, played adults-only trivia with my husband, enjoyed the hot tubs, and a million other things I don’t do at home!
Our stateroom: We booked a deluxe oceanview with verandah stateroom on Deck 5 Aft and loved the amenities and location. The kids each had a comfortable bunk, one that converted into a sofa and the other folded up into the wall. A curtain separates the room in half so that one half of the room can be dark while people are using the other half, as desired. The main bed is a queen size and just incredibly comfortable. There must be a hypoallergenic topper on the mattress because it’s just the perfect combination of supportive and soft, you need to try it for yourself! Storage in the room is excellent -even with four of us traveling for 11 days we had plenty of space to put all of our belongings in the cabinets, drawers and closet with room leftover. A split bathroom is helpful for sharing a room between parents and kids. One bathroom has a shower and sink and the other a toilet and sink. Disney does such a good job of thinking through what families need to be comfortable.
Dining: We really enjoyed the main dining rooms and the famous Disney rotational dining. Since this cruise was significantly longer than a typical DCL sailing, I was excited to try some of the rare menus, especially those with northern European themes. Also, the extra time on board afforded my husband and I the opportunity to enjoy both brunch and dinner at the adults-only restaurant, Palo. (Palo brunch is still my favorite but dinner overlooking the Norwegian fjords was amazing.)
Entertainment: With 11 nights this cruise was overflowing with entertainment including several production shows (“Tangled: The Musical” is Magic’s premier show and it’s rightly regarded as one of the very best), amazing variety acts, musicians of all types, and even a special performance by a Broadway performer. At one performance I was seated next to man who explained his role is to source the musical acts for several segments of the Walt Disney Company, and sounds like he loves his job and it shows. One of the acts he brought to DCL is a trio of Irish musicians who performed in the Rapunzel’s Royal Table dining room and other venues around the ship – they are incredibly talented and very well known in Europe. Most variety acts had family-friendly and adults-only versions of their shows, and some even offered workshops during the day. Movies are playing almost all day in the Buena Vista Theatre – it’s a comfortable spot to chillax and enjoy.
Character Greetings: This unique offering of Disney Cruise Line can be a huge perk for those who are used to waiting in long lines at one of the Disney parks to meet a character. There were a TON of characters on this cruise, many opportunities to meet them each day, and very short lines. To be honest, while I find it fun to see the characters as I pass by, I don’t typically take photos with them. On this cruise, it was entertaining to see them in “rare” costumes, such as sleep-walking Goofy and Chip & Dale dressed as sailors. The characters definitely add a fun flair to the overall experience.
Alas, even the most wonderful adventures do come to an end … but it’s definitely one I will remember for a long time!