The Wong's Cruise Report
Disney Magic
Aug 25, 2001-Sept. 1, 2001


Our family cruised on the Magic with a party of 9
and it really was a once in a lifetime trip.

Cruise Hi-Light : The Disney Magic. I've been on the Disney Wonder and
now the Magic and these two queen's of the high seas should make Disney
proud. I certainly felt like I was cruising during the heyday of the
classic ocean liners like the Queen Mary! Everyone on the crew were
friendly and enthusiastic.

Weather : 90 degree daytime temperatures, with just two short rains while in St. Thomas (Good thing we missed Tropical Storms Rick & Erin)

Best Dining : Palo's (of course) - Book early, they fill up fast.

Best Shore Day : Castaway Cay - They've even improved this hi-light with more drink stations during lunch!

Best Cast Member : Paul (from Sweden) - When you entered the Topsider's Buffet for Breakfast, Paul's always enthusiastic greeting will put everyone in a great mood!

Best Pin Opportunity : Towards the end of the cruise, a special kiosk in
the atrium will trade or sell you the "Mickey Helmsman" pin. It is only
available on the Disney Magic.

Best Photo Opportunity : Formal, in front of the "Disney Magic/Wonder"
montage. These photos have turned out the best for out last two Disney
Cruises, and they make great shots for Christmas Cards, screen backgrounds etc.

Celebrity Spotting : Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston and their children were on board for this cruise and obviously drew crowds whereever they went. On Castaway Cay, Whitney could be heard complaining she was too thin, while wearing a stunning purple one piece bathing suit.

Oceaneer's Club : Our 3 year old had a great time at the Oceaneer's Club,
she was in the program most days from about 9:30 AM till 3:00 PM and we
found that "quiet" time to be just enough for us. Do note that they don't
"nap", so the kids will need a nap prior to dinner.

Oceaneer's Lab : An 11 year old in our party was only so-so about the
Oceaneer's Lab, primarily because she wanted to be with her parents. Be
sure you set expectations for kids in this age group and make sure the
attend the first night orientation to get them into the group.

Common Grounds : Turned out to be like a 7 day mini-highschool, complete with cliques and alienation. A seventeen year old in our party found better use of his time working out in the gym (he looks over 18, something the gym enforces) and catching movies in the Buena Vista Theatre.

Funniest Moment : As we were leaving St. Thomas, and the Magic was about 75 feet from the pier, a couple came running after us after leaving a taxi, in spite of numerous signs, annoucements and printed material, they forgot we were leaving at 4:30 PM. Capt. Henry Andersson, in a moment of Disney spirit, docked again and allowed the latecomers to be loading on board via forklift. Capt. Henry got a great round of applause from the passengers and the latecomers were warned they shouldn't expect to eat dinner that night!

Cruise Low Light : The cruise being the week prior to school for most kids,
the unsupervised children seemed to be on 100 % sugar all week. Playing
tag at mid-night in the halls and playing the ever popular "let's press
every button on the elevator" game made the cruise just a bit less enjoyable for everyone.