Last week, Mike and I had a new and exciting adventure; something we have never done before. We took our first Disney cruise to the Bahamas and boy was it worth it. Everyone who knows me well can say how much a fan I am of the parks. Disney World is like my second home, but I do have to say that the cruises are just as fun and amazing. Your meals are all paid for and you can just walk right up and order/take food which was really different for me. The lines to meet characters are not long at all and very manageable. There is also so many activities to partake in on the boat like trivia, games, movies, swimming, and shows. Being on a boat, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, no phone service, and surrounded by Disney magic was surreal and I highly encourage any Disney fan to do this if they can!
Day 1: Miami
We planned to set out on our cruise in Miami because we have never been that way before in Florida. Our flight was early so needless to say, we got there early. Of course, as soon as we get to Miami I think of Jersey Shore and our Uber driver's name was Ronnie. We took in the sights during the drive and arrived at our Hilton. The staff was nice enough to check in our bags and we decided to venture off to kill time. Miami is definitely not this fun and crazy city as portrayed in the media. There was nothing to do or see around our hotel except for walking across a footbridge, which was cool to do, and seeing the port. As soon as we decided to go swim, it started to rain hard.
I did some research and found a boardwalk of sorts that had stores, restaurants, and vendors. It was called "Bayside Marketplace" and it was the best part of my time spent in Miami. They had a Disney Store, Hard Rock Cafe, places to have a drink, and a rolled ice cream place (our personal favorite). I arrived at the mojito bar during happy hour and got a $20 drink for only $12...and got to keep the glass. They also had docks to park your boat as well. It had some great scenery!
After spending some time at Bayside, we had dinner reservations at a pizza place called "Crust" that had outstanding reviews. We got there super early and they were incredibly nice and let us sit out on the patio and even brought us water. The service overall there was the best I have ever received at an establishment! Shoutout to Crust!
We walked a total of over 9 miles in Miami and we were extremely wiped out from our travels so we went to bed and eagerly awaited for the next day when we would depart on our boat!
Day 2: Sail Away Day!
Our second day of vacation was our departure day from Miami. We anxiously waited to board the boat, but waiting was not bad either. They had Disney music playing and already I felt that spark of Disney magic just walking into the port. Speaking of Disney magic, that was exactly the name of our boat; Disney Magic.
After taking some pictures and getting ourselves announced by the cast members, we were immediately overwhelmed by the spacious cruise ship and just wondered around until we found our stateroom. At this point, I do have to shoutout to our friends for giving us great advice on what to do first (and the cruise overall) and we ventured over to the Oceaneers Club, which is like a daycare during the day for parents to drop their kids off to play. They have a Toy Story and Marvel room that we checked out and of course, this middle aged girl went down the Slinky slide! They only allow everyone to enter this area during the first hour our two of boarding.
After we left, we wondered a little around some more and checked out the main lobby, guest services, and got our bearings as much as possible. We then went back to our room to plan out the rest of our evening. We were pleasantly surprised how fast our luggage appeared and we were able to settle in to our new home for the next four days. The rooms are small, as expected on the ship, and there are two bathrooms; one for the shower and the other for the toilet. We also had a balcony which brought amazing views. There was also a television that had many Disney movies including our favorites Toy Story, Marvel, and Mickey cartoons.
After unpacking, we headed to deck 9 aka the part of the ship where all the fun happens. That is where the counter service places are, the pools, Funnel Vision, the slides (including the popular Aquadunk), the bars, and the buffet are. On the way, we saw Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and Minnie crammed into an elevator with Mickey waving to us. Funniest sight ever. The Sail Away party was about to start and what better way to kick off leaving than with Mickey and his friends?
My favorite part was when we went to take off and the boat's horn is in the tune of "When You Wish Upon A Star". The video below shows the exciting moment of departure!
So while you are on the boat, unless you want roaming charges, there is no phone service. Disney Cruise Line has an app that lets you connect to it via their special Wi-fi and it gives you the events and activities and their times for the day, your plans, and a way to chat with people in your party or guest services. I have to admit it was hard to not have social media, but looking back it was nice to have that little break from the real world.
We wanted to meet the characters that night so our first character was Daisy, then Donald, Goofy, Minnie, and the ultimate, Captain Mickey.
Daisy really liked my Jessie shirt and had us pose like her! Much appreciated. Donald was so fun, and Goofy fell down the stairs (he was okay!).
After the characters, it was finally time to eat. How this works on the ship is that you are assigned a time (for instance, we were 8:15 PM) and a table number. There are a total of three restaurants for dinner on the ship and you sit at your table number at each one. We also sat with the same couple each night and got to know a little about each other which was fun! You also have the same waiter and host throughout your dinner nights too (shoutout to our amazing waiters James and Joe!). You almost feel like family on the last night of dinner. Our first dinner was at Lumieres, which was Beauty and the Beast themed.
After walking through the ship, we went out to the deck to look at the water. There was nothing but ocean which was crazy! We ended up going to bed awaiting for adventures in Key West!
Day 3: Key West
Our second day on the ship brought us into Key West, Florida. It did not feel like we were still in the United States as Key West is such a small island and very tropical. We had a port adventure that day that consisted of sailing and snorkeling. I was nervous about it because I am not a fan of boats and deep water at all (I know, as I'm reviewing a cruise). Being in the ocean was a very daunting thought for me, but I was up for trying it and conquering my fear. We had breakfast and was reunited with our favorite Mickey waffles.
We met up with our crew for the adventure (the company was Fury...shout out to them for their kindness!) and on the way out to the reef, they gave us specific instructions on what to do and told us first timers to not be scared. One highlight of this experience was seeing wild dolphins swimming by us and coming out of the water a bit. When we arrived, I was ready. I got into the ocean and held on to my boyfriend and together we swam a few feet away from the boat. Unfortunately the water was murky and I did not see anything except for a fish. Mike swam out a little further and saw a reef. After it was over, on the way back, I got some pictures of the exterior of the Disney Magic.
After we arrived back, we ventured into the town a little bit and checked out the shops. They were your common tourist trap type of stores, plus a Ron Jon Surf Shop.
We didn't stay out long because we wanted to check out the pool area on the ship. Getting back onto the ship, we jumped into the pool and lied out in the sun. There is an area for adults which is lovely for those like us traveling without kiddos. Mike went on the Aquadunk and he describes it as a rush. They drop you and it's over in a few seconds. Afterwards, we wanted to take in the Tangled Musical which deserves to be on Broadway! It was so well done and we loved it!
On the way to supper we saw Donald Duck in his formal wear overlay and I had to get a picture!
Dinner that night was at Animator's Palate and it was the restaurant that we could not wait for (we are both 3D animators too so this place was truly perfect). The decor of the restaurant was so entrancing that I was watching the sketches on the screens the whole time. The food was amazing too! When dinner is over, we had a visit from a certain mouse as well!
That night we wanted to do Disney trivia so we waited around on the deck and ran into Pluto looking bored. We had a great few minutes with Mickey's pal!
And of course, the night led us into victory as Disney trivia champions!
Off to bed we went to prepare for our day in the Bahamas!
Day 4: Nassau, Bahamas
We arrived in the Bahamas probably around 10ish in the morning. During that time we had meet and greets with the princesses before our port adventure. We met Anna and Elsa, Rapunzel, Tiana, Ariel, Belle, and Cinderella. These meets have to be planned in advanced.
Afterwards, we met up for our adventure which was going to a chocolate factory. I am going to be real here, it was not worth it. We basically just sat there and made our own chocolate and introduced ourselves to everyone. I think I was picturing a Willy Wonka type of thing in the long run. I did get some yummy dark chocolate from it.
Nassau was interesting, but it wasn't really our thing. The folks there drive on the opposite side of the street and their steering wheels are on the right instead of the left which I thought was interesting. We made our way back to the ship and I got some awesome pictures at the port. There were a few other cruise ships there too.
When we got back onto the boat, it was nearly empty which was nice. We went upstairs to get a bite to eat and watched UP on the Funnel Vision above the pool. I decided I wanted a drink and on the way to the Cove bar, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Wondering who the heck that was, I turned around and there was Mickey Mouse! Such a great surprise! We did a little bit of trivia and won the music one, but barely.
That day was Pirate night so later on, the characters had on their pirate overlays. We met Captain Hook and Mr. Smee and had a great time with them. Captain Hook got mad when I asked how Mickey was doing as the captain and not him and boy was he not happy.
Next up was one of my personal favorite characters, Stitch! I have an Ohana tattoo on my arm and I showed him. I also told him he's part of my Ohana and he loved us. We had a such a great time with him!
Of course, we could not miss Chip and Dale!
Last character of the night was Captain Jack Sparrow. He was such a hoot! He was beside himself that I had the Minnie ears on and then he thought they were treasure and ran off with them. Everyone around the area started laughing!
Dinner that night was at a place called Palo. It's an adult only restaurant and fancy Italian. I mean, you get like 5 different courses! The food was probably the best tasting meals I have ever had!
After dinner, we checked out the Pirates party and then headed to bed. The next day was the destination we have been looking forward to the most...Disney's Castaway Cay!
Day 4: Disney's Castaway Cay!
I love runDisney events, and knew that there was a Castaway Cay 5k. We met up and did the three miles albeit slowly because it was so hot. We had our sets sight on the beach.
The island is rented out by Disney and everywhere you look you see Mickey and his friends on things such as buoys, etc. The water was all kinds of shades of blue and so incredibly clear that you can see schools of fish and we even saw a stingray! There is an 18 an older beach area and that is where we went.
There was hardly anyone there and it was the most relaxing I have ever been in such a long time. Lunch was served in a few places on the island, including where we were at. It consisted of ribs, burgers, and salad bars and fruit bars. After lunch, we hung out some more on the beach and Mike spent more time in the ocean, swimming all the way out. After being burnt medium rare, we decided to slowly head back to the ship to beat the crowd.
We loved this destination the most and I would love to go back again!
We shortly returned back onto the boat for the last time and took advantage of the emptiness. I got some great interior pictures:
So a bit later, we did the trivia I was stressing out the most to do...Pixar. Those that know me best know that I love everything Pixar. It's my goal to work for Pixar one day and I could not lose this trivia. Never fear friends, I won.
Our friend Pluto was walking around again and found Mike. Mike led him over to me and we told him about our trivia victory!
A while later the boat horn sounded and back to Miami we were headed. See you real soon Castaway Cay!
Our last dinner was at Rapunzel's Royal Table. I love Tangled, and as soon as you step in, you are greeted by the ruffians! The food was absolutely delicious and the characters put on a few numbers as well as come around to the tables for pictures.
Three of the ruffians came by as well as Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. One of the guys even cut my food so I wouldn't choke on my pasta, which was hilarious!
When dinner was nearing the end, Flynn and Rapunzel sang "I See The Light" and it was so cool with the waiters carrying the lanterns. Here's a video of it:
Before turning in for the last time, we watched "See You Real Soon" where the characters and cast members come out and say bye. It's kind of sad in a way because you are on the boat with these guys for a few days, cast members and all, and now it's time to say goodbye.
Day 5: going home
We were honestly so tired the day of departure. We got breakfast at the buffet and then it was time to disembark the ship. After going through U.S. Customs and sitting at the airport for longer than usual, we were extremely exhausted when we got home.
Thank you guys so much for reading! I know this was very long, but it was a great adventure that I wanted to share. Who has been on a Disney cruise before? What is your favorite thing to do?
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