After a long day of work, school, travel prep, and travel to Miami yesterday, we were hoping to get a good night’s rest before boarding the five night Disney Magic Marvel Cruise. Unfortunately, just because you plan to sleep in or well doesn’t mean that it is actually going to happen. Both Hunter and Sawyer had stuffy noses leading up to the cruise and their sniffles started acting up right around 4:30 a.m. Although this didn’t wake up Sawyer at first, it did wake up Hunter, Em and myself, and we were unable to get back to sleep. Sawyer woke up shortly thereafter and the entire Hayes family was up well ahead of the sun.
We laid around a bit, trying to at least relax before we started getting ready for our day around 6:30. Emily had purchased really cool Marvel shirts for the boys with the character icons that read Birthday Boy for Sawyer and Birthday Bro for Hunter. The morning took an interesting turn after Hunter was all showered and sitting in the room and we could tell he wasn’t feeling well. Sometimes on certain trips Hunter gets a bit nervous for travel which manifests, much as it did today, in throwing up. This, of course, made Emily and I quite nervous because we didn’t know if he was actually sick or just had a case of the nerves.
Hunter said he felt alright so we went down to the complimentary Residence Inn breakfast near the lobby. The possibility that Hunter was sick made Emily too nervous to eat, and Hunter didn’t eat anything either. Sawyer tried to eat a little bit but he was only interested in cereal. Since it was still early, Emily took Hunter back to the room to lay down and try to get a little more sleep to see if that would help him feel better. I, of course, forgot the charging cable for my Apple Watch, so Sawyer and I went to the nearest Target to pick one up, and so Hunter could try to sleep without his brother’s inevitable restlessness.
Sawyer and I had a fun trip to Target, checking out the outskirts of Miami as we navigated the twenty minute drive. On days like these I am so grateful for GPS navigation on the phone because I am not quite sure how I would have found this place otherwise. Sawyer and I got the charging cable and looked around the the toy aisle as we normally do. We also had to pick up a pair of underwear for Emily which was the strangest part of the morning and a tad out of my comfort zone. Sawyer and I rocked out to some tunes on our drive and ended up back at the hotel at around 10 o’clock.
When we entered the room I was nervous to find out how Hunter was feeling. As we walked in the room he greeted us with a smile on his face and energy in his body. He had taken an hour nap and another shower and he said he was feeling great. He and Emily also talked about what he was nervous about and that made him feel better to get it out (this time in words and not throw up). Emily and I were blown away by the recovery. I brought up the luggage cart and we loaded up our bags to bring to the car. We said our goodbyes to the Residence Inn and started our 35 minute drive to the Port of Miami.
The weather for the embarkation day for our Disney Cruise could not have been more perfect, sunny and the low 70’s. The drive to the port took us through downtown Miami which was an impressive sight as it approached from the distance. The downtown area is near the ocean so just as we got through it we were just a bridge away from the port. When we were about 5 minutes away we spotted the Disney Magic on the horizon and we were all fired up.
We arrived to Terminal F in Port of Miami, which was not quite as magical and seamless as our normal Port Canaveral experience, but we were on vacation so we didn’t care. We dropped off our bags and took the car 1/4 mile down the road to parking garage G and walked back to the terminal. Back at terminal F we worked our way through security relatively quickly and took the escalator up to the cruise check-in area. It was like a time warp moving from port security to the Disney Cast on the second level. We were greeted by Cast Members wearing Mickey gloves and giving hi-fives to the boys, which reminded us of Emily’s dad who works at Disney’s Magical Express at the airport and does the same thing.
Disney Magic Embarkation
Since Emily was platinum on our last cruise, and Hunter and I just achieved platinum status on this cruise, we got to check in through a special line with no wait. We got our security photos taken, a brief overview of the check-in process, and within five minutes we were on our way. We walked through the port waiting area which was impressively larger than I imagined. Many of the Guests had already arrived and were waiting for their boarding numbers to be called. The nice thing about being platinum is that you are able to board the ship with the first boarding group, which was already boarding! We made our way to the boarding area and were greeted and welcomed up the gangway ramps to the Disney Magic.
The gangway was this maze of glass lined ramps that took you from the port building all the way up to deck four of the ship, which isn’t the normal entrance. When we arrived on deck four we entered on the walking track that encircles the outside of deck four. We entered the ship through the midship doors, where there were the normal family introductions with clapping crew members to give each family the special welcome. After our crazy morning, we were so excited to finally be on the Disney Magic!
The Disney Magic was one of the first two ships in the Disney fleet to set sail. Emily had been on this ship before, but for Hunter, Sawyer, and I, this was our first time seeing this amazing vessel. Most of the Disney Cruises that depart from Port Canaveral now are on the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream, which are the newer, larger ships, so being on the Disney Magic was a truly unique experience.
We took the first few minutes to get our bearings because we were not acquainted with the layout of the ship. Our first goal was lunch and to keep the tradition alive of our first visit to Cabanas. Unlike the newer ships, Cabanas is on deck nine of the Disney Magic so we navigated deck four to the aft of the ship to take the elevators up. Cabanas has a similar layout to the other ships, spanning the aft of deck nine. We were surprised how quiet it was as we easily secured a table on the outside deck overlooking the Miami Beach skyline. The view of the skyline from the ship was truly outstanding (more photos in the slideshow below)! We enjoyed a nice lunch outside in the shade. Hunter got his appetite back which we was a relief to all at the table. After lunch, Hunter and Sawyer brought back a plate of chocolate chip cookies to go with their ice cream. Dessert consumption far outweighed lunch.
After lunch we took a stroll on deck 10, walked past the Twist ‘n’ Spout Slide, the Aqua Dunk, and the pool areas. We made a promise that we would all try the Aqua Dunk at least once during this cruise. We circled deck 10 to the forward tip of the ship and enjoyed the view of the impressive port and the other cruise ships that would be departing with us.
Next stop was deck 5 for an adult/kid tour of the Oceaneer Club and Lab. It is a totally different layout from the newer ships but stil really cool! The boys immediately found one of their standby favorites, the ship captain game. We walked the hallway to the Oceaneer Club where we found a ton of cool areas like the Marvel room, Andy’s room (complete with a two story Slinky Dog slide), and a ton of other places for kids to get away. The boys took a couple of spins on the slide, and Em even got in on the fun.
From the Oceaneer Club we continue on a tour of Deck 5 Forward where the clubs and lounges are. The best time of the day to explore these areas is in the afternoon when they are quiet and you have them almost to yourself. There was Fathoms, which was a small bar area with a stage in the front for smaller acts and activities. We walked through Keys, which is a piano bar for adults to enjoy music and drinks. Our last stop on our tour was O’Gil’s Pub, a sports bar which has fun board games including chess, which Hunter has recently taken an interest in. We also spotted a Marvel store on the way to O’Gill’s that the boys said we would have to return for when the ship was not in port (fun fact: stores on the ship are only open when you are sailing).
We rounded out our tour walking the Forward area of deck 4. We passed the Walt Disney Theater as well as a few more merchandise locations that we will surely be supporting at some point during the sailing. When we reached Midship it was time for our stateroom to be ready, which was exactly what the doctor ordered – a little time off of our feet.
In the stateroom the boys immediately found the Mickey Cartoon channel and settled into the couch. Emily snapped into organization mode with the few items she had in our carry-on until the bags started to arrive. I headed down to The Port Adventure desk to see if we could lock in a meet and greet with Groot, which we were able to secure. I also put our name on the waiting list for a beach cabana at Castaway Cay in the event one opened up. Ever since they opened on Castaway Cay, we have said it would be a bucket list item to try one sometime. I returned to the room, and Emily was ready for the boys to go explore while she finished unpacking.
I took the boys up to deck 9 and we got some pizza and ice cream and hung out together. I picked Em up her first Captain’s Mai Tai before returning to the room. Em had just finished unpacking the majority of the bags before it was time for the life boat drill. Deck Four was our safety drill reporting location where we showed up a few minutes earlier than scheduled. The drill itself went smoothly but within the last five minutes Em and Sawyer ran off with Sawyer covering his mouth with his hand (which is never a good sign). Hunter and I had our fingers crossed that this was just a false alarm.
As Hunter and I filed into the corridor with the other cruise guests following the safety drill, we got the all clear from Emily that Sawyer hadn’t thrown up. We continued up the stairs to grab a spot for the sail away party on deck 10. While the party was an amazing assortment of music, dance and overall energy, it was clear the Sawyer was not operating at 100%. He normally dances around to all the songs, but he said he was tired and he didn’t have his normal spark. After the show concluded we all headed back to the room to chill and see if Sawyer could take a nap. He was up before the sun, after all.
The boys chilled in the room as Em and I sat on the veranda and enjoyed the stunning sunset over Miami as the Disney Magic departed from the port. The clouds were an amazing orange color creating a great backdrop to our relaxing veranda time.
It didn’t take Sawyer long and he was crashed out so I stayed in the room with him while Emily and Hunter went to explore the ship. They returned to the room with a plate of chips and salsa and two Captains Mai Tais (for Em and I). We sat on the veranda enjoying our drinks and snacks as Sawyer continued his slumber in the stateroom. We finally gave into the fact that Sawyer would be out for dinner, so I picked up a cheeseburger and fries from the Duck-in-Diner on deck nine and brought it back to the room to enjoy. Emily and Hunter got dressed and headed out for our 8:15 dining time at Rapunzel’s Royal Table. Emily was really looking forward to this dinner the most, including her semi-themed outfit, so I offered to stay with Sawyer and bring him to dinner if he woke up.
Emily here with the dinner details! Hunter and I reluctantly left Patrick and Sawyer in the room. Truth be told, if it were any other dinner, we would have grabbed something on deck 11 and stayed cozy! It had been a long day! But it was our first time visiting Rapunzel’s Royal Table and we didn’t want to miss it. Right away we were greeted by a surly pub thug who snarled at us that we could “KEEP MOVING” to our table. Vlad, as we found out was his name, escorted us to our table and commented that he liked my earrings. Of course I had searched Amazon for the perfect Rapunzel earrings, so I was thrilled that the pub thug noticed them. We were seated for dinner and met our servers Tan and Adrian. Hunter and I both sat where we could see the small stage, and our table also bordered a walkway, which meant we had a lot of the “characters” passing our table. On the stage was a minstrel band playing lovely folky music. The restaurant is gorgeous and extremely well themed, with the iconic lanterns hanging everywhere and Rapunzel’s art taking over the walls.
For dinner we both ordered the charcuterie to start… mostly because it was called the Snuggly Duckling Platter. Too cute! We also asked to try the ravioli “Tiroler,” which is a fancy way to say beef ravioli. We love how on the cruise, Hunter is able to try new foods without feeling like we just wasted money if he doesn’t like it! With that being said, his main entree(s) of choice were a hedged bet between the kids’ cheese pizza and the adult prime rib! I also ordered the prime rib. Right after the bread arrived, Vlad returned to give me more of a hard time. He picked up the charger from under the bread basket, held it to his ear, and said, “Look, I’m you!” That one made me laugh pretty good. Then Vlad started chucking crayons in Hunter’s direction for reasons that are still unclear. A few nights with these thugs and we might have some improved dinner manners! After we ate, there was a bit about a surprise party Rapunzel was throwing in honor of her birthday. Then Rapunzel and Flynn Rider made the rounds of the tables. Flynn taught Hunter the smolder and suggested I frame our picture together. Rapunzel was slightly more demure than all the men in the room, but I am pretty sure Hunter was smitten. Fry Bread (because of Rapunzel’s chosen weapon of defense, the frying pan, get it?) was the highlight of the meal, for dessert. Both Hunter and I ordered it and could have eaten two more orders. It was so delicious. We ordered up an extra one they were kind enough to fry up and cover for us so we could take it back to Patrick. He agreed with us… it didn’t last long before he completely devoured it!
Sawyer ended up sleeping from 5 until 9:30, when he got up and we put him in pajamas. We all had high hopes of staying up and getting room service but we all crashed at around 10 pm after quite a long day. Hoping that we can all get a good night sleep so we can set out and enjoy our first port, Key West, FL, tomorrow morning!
Be sure to check out all of our Disney Cruise Adventures here on Hayesvision.com!
