Review! Disney Magic Voyage to San Juan Puerto Rico

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to book a really good 5 day/4 night Disney Cruise Line deal that ultimately led to a remarkably great experience on The original Disney Magic. It’s a trip where we left from Port Canaveral, visited Nassau and the new Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, and then disembarked after a day at sea in San Juan Puerto Rico. Our experience gave us great insights to new experiences as well as provided us a chance to revisit the original Disney Cruise Line ship. While we are saving Lookout Cay for our next podcast, there is still a lot to share about this trip, and it will give you some insights not only about this itinerary, but booking late, and about what it’s like to come back to the original Disney Magic. Oh, and we’re dealing with a grown autistic son–so yeah it’s kind of a crazy trip. That said, climb aboard as we head on a Disney Magic Voyage with San Juan Puerto Rico.

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The following is an outline of what is presented in this podcast. Also, check out this video giving a synopsis of The Disney Magic.

Timing & Embarkation

We had eyed this trip for some time, and really liked it as something different because it allowed us to not only see Lighthouse Cay but Puerto Rico for the first time. We also had only been on the Magic once, and that was in 2016, so we were ready to re-explore that as well. Then we got really excited about this possibility when Disney was posting rates at 40% off, but the problem was we were still uncertain of our schedule. The discount went away by the time we pulled the lever, but we still booked at 30% off.

We should stop and say that It’s why I’ve decided not to pay for the 10% offer at the end of the cruise, because we typically don’t do a cruise that isn’t discounted. And that works for us because my wife’s new schedule affords us more flexibility when we go which we didn’t have earlier when she was on a school schedule teaching. I mention all this for a reason because with all the really cool hype about the new Disney Destiny–and it does seem really cool–it’s also nearly two times more expensive to do the same length trip on it or the Treasure right now. And since many families are looking for a good value on a Disney ship when they are the most expensive of all cruise lines, we think it’s worth considering this alternative, which for us gave us a chance to see Disney’s newest island and a new port adventure with Puerto Rico.

We originally booked separated interior rooms some ten days out. Then we saw a good deal for booking separate ocean view rooms about 48 hours prior. Then when we got to the cruise ship we decided to get in line to see if we could be combined to two adjoining rooms. We’ve done this in the past successfully without paying. But this time that didn’t happen. The rooms were next to each other but not adjoining and we did pay a little bit more for it.

In arriving, we ended up with a later arrival time. Because our son-in-law was dropping us off, we got there an hour before that stated time, and there was no real problem. In truth, it was difficult to get the arrival time right because we were disembarking in a different city, so we didn’t have the flexibility of driving our own car and parking there, since we would be arriving back home by way of MCO. To have arrived earlier might have been a problem if the ship had been more booked than what it was. I don’t know the numbers, but it didn’t seem as booked, which probably prompted their very discounted offers. When we got out we were given luggage tags to write in our name, as we booked so late luggage tags didn’t have a chance to arrive by mail. Having left the suitcases with the porter they did put us in a sort of ranked queue before going through security. But that didn’t last a minute before we were ushered inside, and went to security and then up to the waiting area. Our number for boarding was 19. They were doing 6 at the time. We waited in the line to change our room which took nearly 40 minutes. The advantage of that was that we were given a walk on time of 16 in exchange. That number was called immediately, and then we went on board.

It was great to get right on board once our number was called as after lunch, we were able to go directly to our rooms as they were available. But the luggage was not. We ended up going down to the 2nd floor and finding them there and then bringing them back to our rooms. That was largely lucky for us, but there was a hassle factor in that. On the other side, our rooms were on the 6th floor and were forward on the ship. Too often we’re in the aft half of the ship and it seems a lot more bumpy. There were some moments we felt the ship moving, but not in our rooms. They seemed to be great in that regard.

Let’s just say that the takeaway in all of this was that while there is flexibility in booking late, there is also a price to it in terms of when you get to board the ship, the kind of rooms available to you, and the hassle of lining everything up such as your luggage.

Day 1

Now for the joy of being on a ship. We traditionally go up to Cabanas for our first meal. I really see that moment as well as my afternoon swim as the chance to feel that we are truly on vacation. Our autistic son was very excited to see the Tangled show. I didn’t know he had any clue that there was also a Tangled restaurant called Rapunzel’s Royal Table. But the moment we boarded, he headed straight down the hallway to that restaurant like he knew the place forward and backward. We had been on the Disney Magic before in 2016 where we took the ship from Miami and experienced Key West. But that restaurant was Carioca’s at that time, and was Parrot Cay prior when the ship was first built. The restaurant was fairly full, and the lunch was okay. Actually the empanada I had was really good, and I’m not a fan of empanadas. But that was the best one I’ve ever had. You should not experience this restaurant on day one for lunch. You should experience it at night when the lighting is amazing, and the music and entertainment compliments the setting. We’ll discuss more of that later, but during the day it does not impress with light coming through the windows.

Our dining was accommodated to the earlier time. Because our room was forward on the ship, when we dropped to deck 4 to go to dinner, he could see others lining up for Tangled: The Musical. This was the show he wanted to see, and while we told him he would see it after dinner at Artist’s Palette. But he would not be detoured. He insisted on seeing the that showing of Tangled. I invited my wife and daughter to go to dinner without me and I would accompany him to see the first showing.

The great news about this is that Tangled did not disappoint. It was a great show on many levels. In some ways, I found it more entertaining than the Frozen or Beauty & The Beast Shows. Rapunzel was strong. Mother Gothel, was even better. There were lots of singing parts like for the king and queen. It offered more of an ensemble type show, where everyone got a little opportunity to share. Our son likes to sit on the front row but the far right. The far, far, right. Not a good seat, but you’re near the deaf interpreters, and their performance is almost as enjoyable as the show.

The downside is that I missed Artist’s Palette. Let me be clear, I love this concept. But I’m over the concept with Crush. I like Crush in the parks. I don’t need him on the ship, nor is it even close to being as entertaining. I do like the interactive drawings (on the Dream?). This version on the Magic is quintessential Disney. And I missed enjoying it with my family. Still, in an effort to get food, I went to the second sitting, explained my situation and was seated at Table 2, a single table for two. The food was great and the opportunity to see the characters like Robin Hood come to life reminded me of my own childhood where I spent endless hours learning to sketch Disney characters. Or course I missed getting to know my servers. That wouldn’t happen until the second evening. I did meet my head server, who quickly just asked if I was alright. But then he made over the family at Table 1, which he seemed to know from a prior sailing. He engaged with them beautifully. I was interested in how he would engage with us as a family the following evenings. Unfortunately, he was disappointing, really stopping long enough to give the typical spiel about what to be aware of the day ahead. I left as soon as I was done with dinner and rejoined my family to see the second showing of Tangled. That did not disappoint, but we never got another opportunity to return to Artist’s Palette that entire trip.

Day 2: Nassau

Once everyone was up I took on a quick breakfast at Cabanas and then a swim at the pool, where I was the only one. I love this pool on the Magic and Wonder as it’s square in size, but with plenty of shallow wet areas to sit and splash. Moreover, it afforded me an opportunity to swim laps. I usually swim in a 25 yard pool. From my best estimates, this seems more like a 12 yard pool. But it works! I got in a good mile that morning. Then I rejoined family members for a second breakfast at Cabanas. Breakfast at Cabanas beats any meal anywhere. Add Churro Mickey Waffles and we’ve gone to heaven. Lunch on the other hand, after you’ve been on the ship so many times, seems a little “meh”.

Repeated visits to Nassau also makes you less interested in getting off the ship. I only took photos of the immediate port area in Nassau as I wanted to capture the difference in the essence of this more polished “tourist area” to what we might experience at Lighthouse Point the next day. Lighthouse Point isn’t just about being a beach getaway, but it is really about celebrating Bahamian culture. I wanted to get a sense of this. The first time I went last year, it had barely opened and it felt very empty. Nothing could have been more different. Among all the ships in port (at least four) guests were out and about grabbing eat and drink, doing shopping, getting hair braided. It was really festive and more impressive than the first time I visited. There is a Junkanoo museum. I only got a glimpse, but sensed that if you wanted to know more about the culture you could. I also spent 30 minutes heading down some streets looking for a couple of toiletry items before returning to the ship.

We did our share of checking things out on the ship, but probably joined less activities than we had in the past. On our Alaska cruise on the Disney Wonder, I took to writing the first half of A Century of Disney Insights 100: The Walt & Roy Disney Years. This time I felt more to focus on my family. Honestly, our son was a little overwhelmed by it all, and ended up sleeping off several hours each afternoon. I spent some time watching him, and taking in something of a nap as well. I also in the down moments took up to reading After Disney: Toil, Trouble, and the Transformation of America’s Favorite Media Company The cover showed Ron Miller and Roy E. Disney, who were pivotal in that span of years between Walt & Roy and Michael Eisner. And those sections covering the two were fascinating. But they were not the thread through the book. Rather it was animation–or more particularly–the delayed and prolonged work of brining The Black Cauldron to life. It was interesting but it largely missed the second big influence of that time period–and that was the development of Epcot, a park that was so overspent and so under attended that it commanded the need for replacing leadership. Still, it was a good read for a cruise like this.

While the lunch at Rapunzel’s Royal Table was only “okay” the first day, it was fantastic on every level when we came for dinner that evening. Everything about that experience worked. First of all, it was gloriously lit with lanterns and a really colorful medieval style backdrop. The table setting was beautiful with elegant table wear to include high end touches on the china. And then there was the entertainment. It wasn’t always easy to hear what was being said, but it was really most festival in atmosphere, and everyone was just busy having a good time. The characters went from table to table, and even met people while they lined up to enter the restaurant. Our son loved talking to Rapunzel. And then at the end they had everyone joining a procession around the room, with our children joining in. I finally met our servers, and our primary server was one of the best I’ve ever had. I love the experience with Tiana’s, but I think this is even better–especially for families.

While my daughter watched our son my wife and I got away to see the Twice Charmed Cinderella show on board the ship. We were glad to get a way. The show is the lesser of all shows that I’ve seen across the Disney fleet, but I’ve seen the Aladdin one so many times as well as The Golden Mickeys (not only on two ships but in Hong Kong) that I was glad to see something I don’t recall seeing on the Disney Magic back in 2016. I should also note that the same woman who plays the Lady Tremaine in Twice Charmed is the same who plays Mother Gothel.

We should mention it was also Halloween. And my two adult autistic children welcomed that. While we didn’t do any of the Halloween Tree readings in the evenings, we did do trick or treat. They give you a bag and you go to some 5 or 6 different locations, all of which you can turn around and re-visit. We left with several filled bags of candy in what was a fairly well-orchestrated giveaway.

Day 3: Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point–Let’s Look at The Magic

As I mentioned earlier, Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point is a whole podcast in and of itself, and will be the focus early next week. So be sure to check it out. What I wanted to do with the gap here is to consider the Disney Magic itself. It was the first ship, followed not long after by the Disney Wonder. And they were the only two ships for the better part of another dozen years before the Dream and Fantasy became a reality. Now we have some 13 ships potentially on the horizon. But it all began on the Magic.

To study the Magic is to realize what worked and what really didn’t quite work. Of course there is much that does work. The style of the ship and its colors. Three dining destinations with servers joining you in each location. An array of children’s programming, and the complete removal of casinos and smoking. Plus great Disney style entertainment, characters and even fireworks.

But there are a few things that really didn’t work on the Magic. They are things that matter:

1. Size Matters. Of course it’s a smaller ship. You know that when you sign on to the ship, and you know it when you get on to the ship. Doesn’t help that The Disney Wish was next door and it looked much, much bigger. And the Wonder was well underway when they could see how well the Magic was working. It’s why the Dream, Fantasy and everything else that has followed has been much bigger. Oh…and elevators…tight elevators.
2. Design and Flow Matters. With the original, there are some dead ends. They certainly ended up on our floor. Note that the newest ships is criticized for having some dead ends. Some places were dead not in flow but in any utilization of art or design. They are simply bare walls. And they seem out of place. Awkward and weird.
3. Disney Matters. In the effort to give “birth to a modern classic”. There are a number of graphic. art treatments done by New Jersey artist Steven Guarnaccia. They were intended to align with the classic art deco design. But they don’t speak Disney. There are some nautical based Disney sketches and illustrations in the stair wells, but their images are framed smaller, and compared to later ships, even the Wonder, there is just not enough Disney. I love the ships because they evoke Disney in classic ways at nearly ever turn. But that is not so defined on the Disney Magic. Certainly the addition of Rapunzel’s Royal Table makes a big difference. In another location, there is Soul Cat Lounge–loosely–and I mean loosely based on Soul. But it doesn’t have much Disney soul within it. An example of that elegant style of design are some corners where you see images of costumes designed for The Happiest Millionaire. One would say this is a deep cut, and it is. Most don’t know the film. But its appearance is random, and perhaps only selected because it represented the same era as classic ships–maybe?

I did buy a T-shirt in the port, and then returned it when I got back on the ship and traded it for a different one. Know that you can do that.

Returning to the events of Day 3, we came back to the ship mid afternoon, and spent time at the pool relaxing. It was Pirate night and our family was so winded, that we took it fairly casual that evening. Dinner was again at Rapunzel’s Royal Table. And honestly, maybe the menu is getting better or I’m getting better at guessing the menu, but the dinner was delicious. We had a good time as a family at the table. I later went and captured a little of the dance party up stairs, but ended up seeing the fireworks from the window of our room.

Day 4: At Sea

Through much of the day this was a wet day at sea. Though that didn’t stop my swimming the 12.5 foot pool. I got a good mile in that morning, while the water sort of rocked from one side to another. But there weren’t very many interested in getting in the water at that time.

Somewhere after lunch our son had a melt down on the way back to his room. For a kid with a big heart, but also a big body, he can sometimes go from Bruce Banner to Incredible Hulk in no time flat. This was one of those experiences, and my wife was alone with him to handle it. These are anxious moments, not just trying to address our son’s frustrations, but also addressing the awkward and embarrassing situation it puts other passengers in. It got resolved quickly, but it was a moment when we realized that maybe we had taken on too much with our autistic children. And yet we still had two more days to go before getting home.

After some rest we went to dinner. Lumiere’s was the dining location on the last evening. It was also where we had breakfast on disembarkation day. This restaurant was the first Disney cruise ship location to offer the best fine dining possible. The dinner was wonderful, and despite learning our server was heading to Indonesia early the next morning, we were glad to be together. Oh…somehow my birthday got celebrated at the end of dinner. Not something I really seek after, but it was nice, and I felt that this was one of our better moments with the head server.

That said, while Lumiere’s Restaurant is “one of elegant simplicity”, its design seems bare compared to the elegance of later ships. There is a grand mural from the film on the one end, but it’s just a painted mural. On the Wonder it is a tiled mural, and on other ships, it’s simply grander and more impressive. Here the server stations are designed and placed in a way that it feels like this is part ballroom, part cubicle office. And yet, this is what they began with, and they somehow learned that it was important enough that each successor be even more elegant than the one before.

Prior to the last show I happened while doing photos and videos around the ship to see an act called Songs in the Ever After at the Fathoms lounge. I’m sorry but after much research I can’t be sure of the name of the actress, but it was the same individual who portrayed Lady Tremaine and Mother Gothel in the earlier shows. There are really great performers and then there are Broadway caliber performers. I could see it in the earlier show, but it really played out when she did her musical act on the last night at this lounge. I’ve seen earlier acts like this on other ships, and I can’t emphasize enough how amazing these performers are.

The finale of the day was Disney Dreams–An Enchanted Classic. It is on both the Magic and Wonder, with some slight variations. I like it a little better than Disney’s Believe, found on the Dream and Fantasy. But I like them all. It’s simply a thread for having any number of Disney musical numbers paraded in front of you. And a musical show like these is at its core very Disney.

Day 5: Disembarking & San Juan Puerto Rico

We got into Puerto Rico, and had breakfast, but unfortunately without our server Sami, who had already was heading off the ship to catch a flight back to Indonesia. We missed him and he was really great. Disembarking in Puerto Rico went very quickly. They called our number as we were finishing breakfast, and from the moment we left Lumiere’s until we were in a taxi was not twenty minutes. Everything went quickly and smoothly.

Smooth may not have been the way my wife and daughter would have described transportation in Puerto Rico. My own international travels made me immune to the traffic and what others might consider crazy driving.

There are two ways to do the hotels in the San Juan area. One would be near the port which would be more proximate to old San Juan and the forts. Our choice was near the airport which put us close to a solid beach in a fairly upscale area. We booked a Marriott room for $300 a night and the first thing I did when I had access to phone service (which works as any domestic service in the U.S.) was to call them and arrange for an early check in. This they not only did but upgraded us to a suite, which we checked into at 8:30 that morning. Another family checking in at the same time ended up waiting much longer into the afternoon. This was a Residence Inn, and it was probably the nicest Residence Inn I’ve ever stayed in with Marriott. Not only was the room fully outfitted as a kitchen, but there was a full size 25′ swimming pool with swim lanes and a big Childrens swimming pool complex as well. Plus restaurants and a major store nearby. I really recommend this hotel.

Our kids just fell asleep in the room and my wife and I took a ten minute walk to the beach. Lovely, but we had already our share of swimming that week. We then walked over and did some grocery shopping done to get us through the next couple of days. At lunch we took it even easier by going to a Chili’s restaurant across the way. There were better restaurants all around focusing on the cuisine of this island country, but four our son, it was basic and easy, and we didn’t want to rock the boat any more than we had to.

As we walked through San Juan at the end of the day we heard the familiar “When You Wish Upon a Star” come from the horns of the Disney Magic as she took off that late afternoon. In the last operating hours of the day we got to see Castillo San Felipe del Morro. It was spectacular. It along with San Cristóbal Castle really provides not only the architectural pinnings of the exterior of Pirates of the Caribbean in Magic Kingdom, but it as well as Old San Juan provide also some of the architectural basis for the interior of the attraction. None of it disappointed me. I could have wandered for hours. But we had no clear plan as we moved down the hilly streets of Old San Juan and my children were getting hungry. We settled on a sandwich shop and got something to eat. I was hoping to do more but my kids had enough. Enough that we not only got an uber and headed back to our hotel, but also had a difficult yet honest conversation about what each of us can or can’t handle on a trip. Not the conversation you want at the end of a really big trip. But a necessary one if we wanted to do something more with our children travel wise in the future.

The next day we got to the airport early and were handled extremely well–perhaps better than any other TSA group I’ve encountered. Spirit, Southwest, JetBlue and Frontier (go figure) had direct flights to Orlando. But we’re long timers on Delta and had points for two free tickets going back home. Only going back home on Delta means flying through Atlanta. And despite explaining this to our son, he is wiped out when he realized we weren’t yet home and had a tearful final melt down in Terminal E. Not great. But we did get home.

I learned that some 250 passengers stayed with the ship and ultimately went on to a southern Willemstad Curaçao, Oranjestad Aruba; St. John’s Antigua and Philipsburg St. Maarten. That is a seven night experience. But combined with a four night experience makes it a pretty big vacation.

Also, moving backwards, there’s also a four night leaving Puerto Rico and seeing both Disney islands on the way to Port Canaveral. If I were to do the trip again, I would have started in Puerto Rico, given ourselves much more time there, and then boarded the ship to head home. And with that offer both Disney islands that’s a great offer as well at the price they provide.

Still, with the discount we had, we were really glad we got to do what we did.

Summary

We got a great value off of this experience. Yes, it was last minute, but it really was a great discount (could have been even better) and that discount made it worth it for us. Seeing Puerto Rico for the first time as a disembarkation point was a real wow for me, and made the experience so much more than the typical Nassau style experience. And Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point was a winner. We’ll talk about that in our next podcast, and do a comparison with Castaway Cay, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t already.

Want to visit Disney?

Hopefully this podcast has made you realize you need help and support in planning your next trip to Disney. David and Leah with Zanolla Travel know Disney in ways few do and they can make your next trip on land or sea an exciting one–or at least less stressful! Be sure to contact them as you explore your next vacation, whether it is a Disney theme park vacation, a cruise, or an Adventure by Disney. There is no charge to utilize their services, but it will save you enormous time getting all the details right, and with their insight you can be assured you’re going to experience the best trip possible. Contact them today!

David & Leah Zanolla

ZanollaTravel.com
Owner/Agents

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