88 Miles of Magic-updated 02/04/2014 About This Page:

[Coop]

Signing in

[DrDolphin]

Great start to your Miami adventures. It is cool to look at places I go through others eyes.

[mousestruck]

Nice tour... especially the free FAB!

[Straitlover]

Your tour reminds me of the tour we took before my September Carnival cruise (which seems like it was a hundred years ago!). We were in one of those electric cars, so we didn't get to stop anywhere, though, and it was daylight. I do want to go back and see it lit up at night.

About the bar with the drag show - I saw that, too. Big crowd was there! When we were driving by, it was a bunch of guys and one "lady". Can't remember if it was my sister or her BFF that said, hey look at that woman w/ the beehive hair! I was like, "uh, that's not a woman." Then I pointed out the rainblow flag on the flagpole, and they wre like, ooohhhh, OK!

[goofyboysmama]

Awesome! Your tour looks like scenes from a TV or movie set. (Some fav shows, Dexter and Burn Notice) it's cool that you work for Loews, our first night on our wedding day was at the Loews in DC - beautiful!

[mommapants]

that sounds like a great walking tour. I guessed The White House and nowthat you say Graceland that is sort of a "duh" moment.

[Luv2laff]

Signing in as I have never done a Disney Cruise before but are thinking we might in the next couple years. Plus, I just love your trip reports!

[PrincessSharon]

Sorry about the long delay between updates. The holidays were a crazy busy (but fun!!) time for me. Now I'm ready to get back to this TR!

Originally Posted by melduckie

Great start! I'm trying to remember what movies/tv shows I've seen that pool from!!

I know I remember Miami Vice (the old tv show) and he mentioned a movie, but I can't remember which one. I should've taken better notes.

Originally Posted by lfredsbo

Sounds like you made good time on your drive! Which car rental is at the Dolphin??? Thanks for sharing all the photos of the tour! Looks like something I would enjoy!

I rented from Alamo.

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

Yeah, I got the question right! And in the right order!
I really love the Art Deco tour! I don't think I'd want to live with that, but I do enjoy looking at it. I especially liked the look of the Tides bar/lobby.
The Loews hotel is gorgeous!
Potato chips instead of Cuban food?! Can't say I agree with your choice..... (I LOVE Cuban food - if you ever go to Vero Beach, there is a GREAT Cuban place fairly close to the DVC resort).

I suppose I should've had plantain chips instead! I have to admit it was easier to bag the Cuban food because I can easily get it here in NYC.

Originally Posted by disney_duke

First place I thought of was Graceland. Couldn't come up with a second place. I guess I don't think of the White house as a place of residence. It'd be goldmine for a realtor though, with owners moving out every 4 or 8 years.... If only!

Originally Posted by DrDolphin

Great start to your Miami adventures. It is cool to look at places I go through others eyes.

I wish I had more time to spend there! I'd planned to spend at least one more day pre- or post-cruise, but then I didn't want to leave my BFFs any sooner than necessary, and my DM requested I come home for my birthday (which was the day after the cruise ended). So I'll just have to take another trip to South Florida!

Originally Posted by goofyboysmama

Awesome! Your tour looks like scenes from a TV or movie set. (Some fav shows, Dexter and Burn Notice) it's cool that you work for Loews, our first night on our wedding day was at the Loews in DC - beautiful!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Originally Posted by Luv2laff

Signing in as I have never done a Disney Cruise before but are thinking we might in the next couple years. Plus, I just love your trip reports!

Welcome aboard!

[PrincessSharon]

Day Eight – Wednesday, November 6
Magic!

I was up at 6:30 again. I was excited to board the Magic today. When I’d chosen a PAT, I picked a later one on purpose – I knew I’d have to eat breakfast, return my rental car, and then get a shuttle, and I also wanted to avoid waiting in long lines, so I chose 12:00. I figured that was late enough to be after the initial rush, but early enough to enjoy onboard activities. My scheduled rental drop-off time was 10:00 AM and the shuttle pickup was 10:35, so I figured I had a little wiggle room in case something took longer than anticipated.

I’d planned to have breakfast that morning at News Café, but I wasn’t hungry (probably from excitement). I ended up skipping breakfast in favor of some of my MNSSHP candy. Breakfast of champions.

Instead of getting a real breakfast, I wandered around the hotel some more. Oh! Check out my partial beach view…





I started my explorations in the lobby and then continued outside to the pool, and finally the beach (and then all that again in reverse).






I loved these benches!






That water looks very inviting














I had to test out the water – it was practically warm



It was stinkin’ hot already, felt like it was building up to be a scorcher (forecast said 80s), so I decided to throw on a lighter pair of capris (also, my denim capris had gotten a tiny bit wet when I’d dipped my feet in).

Anyway, I checked out, got my car from valet parking and made the short drive to the airport to return the rental. Along the way, I got a really nice view of the Magic in port (the only ship in port that day). I managed to get a photo when stopped at a traffic light.




Oops! Traffic’s moving again!

The rental car was quick and painless. I found my way to the Super Shuttle pickup area and a van arrived within minutes. I was the only passenger and we didn’t need to make any other stops. Everything had gone so smoothly! I arrived at the Port of Miami about an hour earlier than I’d anticipated!





A porter was waiting for me, so I passed off my luggage, being sure to give him a nice tip. I was proud of myself because the only carryon item I had was a small string backpack. I didn’t even mind carrying it around.





Unfortunately, because of my early arrival, I landed in what I figure is the busiest check-in period. Oh well, I had time anyway, so I waited in line. The Castaway Club line was actually a bit shorter than the regular line, but it still took about 20 minutes to turn in my paperwork and collect my lanyard and KTTW card.

Then I joined the short queue for a photo with Minnie. Minnie is always so sassy with her poses she inspires me.


That mouse knows how to pose!

Boarding still hadn’t begun, so I took a seat. I was in Group 9, so I figured I’d have a bit of a wait. The Port of Miami is perfectly nice, but perfectly boring as well! There’s nothing to entertain you (other than character meets). I started to study the navigator while I waited for my group to be called. By the way, the ship was completely full, but I’ll say right up front that it never felt crowded at all, which was all I was worried about when I learned it was sold out.

After about 20 minutes of boarding, it was my turn. This isn’t as magical as Port Canaveral, but still exciting! I actually waited for most of my group to board ahead of me so I could hang back and get a few pictures.



You walk the entire length of the ship, so you get nice views of it before actually boarding.


You can see the Magic’s extra “junk in the trunk” after the dry dock

Once I’d been welcomed aboard I walked around and did a bit of exploring. I loved the views of Miami from the ship (as you’ll notice from the 76 photos I took of it ).











I hadn’t eaten a proper breakfast, so I was ready for some lunch. Cabanas had received a new makeover with a Finding Nemo theme, but I failed to get any photos. I was too busy stuffing my face.



It was pretty busy, but I found a lovely table upstairs where I could enjoy the views of Miami (and take 53 more pictures ).







I noticed some birds stealing food off of people’s plates when the person would leave to get something. Thieves! Once, a bird swooped down and stole a roll off a plate with a boy sitting at the table (he was the only one there). When the rest of his family came back, I don’t even think they noticed anything was missing. The roll was stolen off his little sister’s plate, and I was sure it would cause some arguing, but alas, no drama. So much for my free entertainment.

Continued…

[PrincessSharon]

After lunch, I went to check out the impressive new water play area. It looked like a lot of fun!









And I snapped a few more pictures of… something…







The Aquadunk looked pretty exciting!




Here you can see where it goes out over the edge of the ship

More photos.







What? I hadn’t posted any from that side of the ship yet!

By this time, my stateroom should’ve been ready, so I walked down to Deck 7 and saw that the ropes were down. I checked out my home for the next 4 nights.













And I was pleased to see a very nice Castaway Club gift. I’ve only taken one cruise before this, so I’m the lowliest of low silver members, but the gift is lovely.



I put my little backpack down (not that it was a bother to carry – I’m so proud of my super-lightweight carryon) and set out to do some more exploring.

















I’d read about a ship tour in the navigator and figured it would be a good way to help orient me and help me find stuff on the ship. I did this on my first cruise and never got lost, so I think it’s a good plan. The tour goes to all the areas of interest on the ship, so after I’d taken it, I knew where everything was without having to study a map.







I still had some time before the muster drill, so I did more exploring.









The tour guide (she was good, but I’ve totally forgotten her name) said that the kids clubs had open house periods where anyone could come in and check it out and encouraged us to do so. Well, ok then!


The hand washing station is right up front













They both looked like a ton of fun. During the drydock, they enclosed a hallway, so now the kids can access either club without going outside the clubs.



















Continued…

[xwewhisper]

Such a nice smooth start to the morning! Lunch looked yummy

[PrincessSharon]

I noticed a DVC presentation was just starting, so I popped in just in time. I got some good free stuff (including a free cocktail).




I loved the Mickeys on the inside!

I headed back to my stateroom to get ready for the muster drill. I guess all the staterooms have the same artwork, because I remember these same pictures from my stateroom on the Wonder.





When I heard the announcement, I walked down to station I and checked in for the drill. It was relatively painless and quick. After that, it was time for just fun stuff from now on! When I returned to my stateroom, I saw that my bags had been delivered, so I did my unpacking. I was able to store my empty suitcases under the bed easily – the beds were high enough that I could just slip them right under.

I spent a little time enjoying my veranda.





Then, party time!









And then, we were underway! It had been quite windy in Miami the past couple of days, which translated to some rough seas. I distinctly felt the movement of the ship all evening, but I didn’t ever feel sick at all, thankfully.

I went back to my stateroom to watch us pull away from Miami. I met my stateroom host on the way back to my room. She was very sweet and did a wonderful job taking care of my stateroom.









The navigator said it was time to meet Captain Mickey.





I love Captain Mickey! I may have mentioned my “thing” for uniforms before. This may be my favorite Mickey costume of all!

There was also a meet with Captain America, which I was very excited about. I’d never met him before (obviously, because he was only just added!).


Rough seas



Captain America was pretty dang cute, too. Must be the uniform! I’m a sucker for them, I’m telling you!

I had second seating for dinner, so it was time to watch the show. Tonight it was Walt Disney - The Dream Goes On, which we were told was only playing for a few more cruises. They’d been doing the show on the longer European cruises, but it would soon be discontinued, so I was glad to get a chance to see it.

Before the show the cruise director, Brent from Australia, talked about our day in Castaway Cay tomorrow (yay! ).



Then we watched the show, which was based on Walt’s life. I really enjoyed that, as I always do things that feature Walt Disney.



After the show, I went back to my room. I remembered to get a shot of my door decorations. I changed the character each day. I remembered to get a picture each day, but usually not when I changed them each morning. Duh! But at least I did remember each day.



I got changed for dinner, which was at Carioca’s tonight. My dining ticket and KTTW card had different dining orders, but we were told to follow our ticket. There was some mixup when printing KTTW cards (some people still had the old restaurant!).

I was happy to see the brand-new restaurant right off the bat. My dining rotation ended up being C-C-L-A, so I ate here two nights in a row.



I was the first to arrive at the table and met the serving team. I don’t remember their names, but it will become clear why in a bit. My table mates were a mother and daughter traveling with their extended family and a woman who was traveling with a friend, but the friend was too tired to come to dinner.

I don’t have a copy of any of the menus, unfortunately, so I will have to go off memory with what I ordered. And yeah, my memory’s not that great.



This was some kind of potato dish (with white, yellow and purple potatoes, it looks like). I didn’t like this very much at all. Maybe because it was cold. And meant to be served cold. I just didn’t like the texture or the flavors at all. Luckily, that was really the only stinker of the entire cruise.

Next I had a Cuban salad.



I liked that much better (and it was mostly avocado, so if you like avocado, you’ll probably enjoy this salad). I’d done too much eating earlier in the day, because I was practically full before I was halfway done with the salad. But I managed a few bites of my main course.



This was a shrimp, lobster, and mahi mahi skewer (I put that in my notes so I’d remember). I’d never tried mahi mahi before. I don’t like fish, only shellfish. But I did try the mahi mahi, just because I never have and maybe it will change my mind about fish fish. The texture was very interesting – it was quite “meaty” I guess, but I didn’t really care for that much. No worries, I loved the shrimp and lobster, even though I only managed about 2 or 3 pieces of that total.

The server was sure I didn’t like the food because I’d eaten so little, but I assured him it was because I was full. I felt bad though, so I ordered dessert to make him feel better. Really, it was for his sake. It was an ice cream sundae (I want to say it was dulce de leche), and tasty. I think I ate enough to make the server feel better.



When the server noticed my tablemates waving at people at another table, he asked her about it and learned that they were split up from the rest of their family. He assured her he could fix it and let us know we’d probably all be at different tables the next day. The head server would meet us at the door before dinner tomorrow. I ended up at a different table with a different service team the next night (with some of the same table mates, though).

After dinner, I popped up to see Donald Duck.


I was afraid to wear my high heels because the ship was moving so much

I was beat at this point, so I headed back to my room. I’d received turndown service and my first towel animal.




Makes me want to climb right in!

I couldn’t resist spending a little time out on the veranda. I always pack a little fleece airplane blanket (I’m almost always cold on planes, so I always fly with a blanket in my carryon). I figured I could snuggle up with the blanket if I needed to. I did need it this night because of the wind, but honestly, I could’ve survived without it, and didn’t need it at all the rest of the cruise.

I put on my pajamas, grabbed the next day’s navigator and looked it over, highlighting the stuff I wanted to do. I also noticed I had been given another ticket for my parasailing excursion the next morning. One ticket was for 9:30 (which is what I booked) and the other was for 9:00. I figured I’d just show up for 9:00. I was keeping my fingers crossed because on my first cruise, my parasailing excursion was canceled due to high winds and it was windy and rocky at the moment. I hoped we’d sail out of it.

Then it was lights out. Today’s steps: 14,907

Up Next: Castaway Cay!

[disney_duke]

I bet the view of Miami is beautiful. If only you'd gotten some photos of that....

They've really changed that ship since I've been on it. Wow, impressive! Can't wait to see more!

[MayraLR]

What wonderful pictures of Miami and the ship! Lunch and dinner looked fabulous! The pool are looks like fun but I would never, in a million years, do the Aqua Dunk. The kids clubs look great, makes me want to be a kid again.

[lauriep]

Beautiful photos of the Magic! She's my favorite-- of two. I haven't sailed on the Dream or Fantasy yet. I'm glad to see the re-imagined bits and also glad that it still looks like "my" Magic!