Disney Cruise Line Caribbean Cruise - Part 2
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The Docked Magic
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If you missed it, Part One of this series is still available

Poetry in Motion

As an inexperienced sailor, I tend to suffer from seasickness on ferryboats and other such vessels. Trips to Disneyland Resort Paris often involve trips across the viciously sadistic English Channel, a nightmarish stretch of water just 22 miles wide, but one that is as choppy and rough as a ride down Grizzly Rapids Run! Naturally, I was a little worried about my first night at sea.

However, I did not need to have worried. The Disney Magic glided through the coastal waters of Florida on route to our first port of call, Key West. As we awoke to the sun streaming into our stateroom, for a second, I had forgotten that we were sailing! My stomach quickly brought me back to reality as its intrinsic foghorn reminded me that it needed fuel for the day.

Breakfast options on the Disney Magic fall into two categories; a la carte and buffet. Lumiere’s is the only full service option (Animator’s Palate is closed in the morning and Parrot Cay hosts the daily character breakfast) and this was our choice. The alternative is the buffet served in Topsiders on Deck 9. Seating is strictly controlled and the head servers fill every table rather than allowing individuals to sit at their allocated evening dining table. The menu was simple and brief with only a smattering of hot and cold dishes. However, the service was decidedly patchy (being rather cynical, I thought that this might be a reflection of the fact that the server was not to receive any tips from this seating) and the food was lukewarm. This was the only mild gastronomic disappointment for the entire cruise.

Upon leaving the dining room, we returned to our cabin to watch our arrival into Key West. Unfortunately, our departure onto the island was delayed as the cast and crew had expected to release guests through the Deck 1 Forward exit and the port authorities actually required us to disembark aft instead! This meant a great deal of action onboard as the cast and crew rapidly moved towards the back of the vessel for preparation and arrival procedures. It felt like scenes from a Police Academy movie as each crew member hurriedly repositioned everything on the dock! However, our delay was diminished to minutes as we gathered in the Walt Disney Theatre for disembarkation policy review. All guests must take their Key To The World card (identical to the Walt Disney World keys which double as room keys and charge cards) and valid legitimate photo identification (a port authority requirement for returning to the dock). We were then taken in groups down to Deck 1 and the awaiting crew members, positioned to swipe our cards, allowing the cruiser to have accurate records of those guests visiting on-shore.

The Disney Cruise Line had spent some time negotiating with the relevant authorities to ensure that they were given significant extra privileges over the other cruise lines. In this instance, the Disney Magic docked at the Hilton marina, whilst an equivalent Carnival vessel (that had left Port Canaveral barely 30 minutes before us the previous night) docked at the neighbouring Truman annex pier. Unfortunately for their guests, the trip to the centre of town involved a short tram ride as it involved negotiating the curvature of the marina bay! Luckily for us, we walked straight off the pier and right into the heart of Key West at Mallory Square! A small school band welcomed us to the island as a commerce bureau official handed out free local maps.