Tag: Disney Magic

Where Were you One Year Ago?

So one year ago I was cruising along in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on the Disney Magic. It’s hard to believe that an adventure of a lifetime was only a year ago. I’ve been fortunate to have experienced many great travels and look forward to doing many more in the years that come. For those that want to relive my Transatlantic Voyage, click on tag Transatlantic to the right. Enjoy a few pictures from down memory lane.

From 14-Night Transatlantic Cruise – September 2011
From 14-Night Transatlantic Cruise – September 2011

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Transatlantic Cruise Recap

Well, yesterday morning around 6:00am, the Disney Magic returned to her home port of Port Canaveral, Florida and along with her arrival, came the end to my 14-night journey from Barcelona, Spain back to Florida. Other than my study experience in London, this was the longest vacation I have taken on my own outside of the country and the longest voyage I have done on a ship to date. The funny part about the whole trip is that I wish it was longer. I really enjoyed being at sea and enjoyed all the amazing new friends that I met along the way.

I don’t really know where to start with a recap. There are so many great memories from trip. Barcelona was a beautiful city which I would love to go back to and explore more. The 24 hours that I spent there were too short but, the reason for the visit was the cruise. I know I will get back sometime in the future for a longer visit. Next up was Gibraltar. This is an interesting place. I felt like I was in a small town in England but, here I am looking out over to Africa and Spain. Also, never in my life have I seen wild apes that will literally just come up to you and let you touch them.

It’s at this point that I need to say that back on the ship, we had one of the more entertaining shows. Yes, my blog from a few days ago was correct, the infamous Charo performed onboard the Disney Magic both singing/dancing and her amazing guitar. I will be the first to admit that I didn’t really think much of it when I saw it on the schedule but, I think it was one of the more entertaining shows from the voyage. The first half of the show were more pop oriented pieces while the second half was her playing classical Spanish guitar.

Here are several clips from the performance:

In addition to watching several other performers on the ship and several Disney shows, I spent a lot of time just enjoying the Disney Magic. While she is 13+ years old, she is still a great ship who doesn’t feel that old. While on the crossing itself, we were blessed to have no weather at all. It was smooth sailing for all 5 days across the Atlantic Ocean. Perfect weather for sitting by the pool and just relaxing. The pool experience was different on this cruise versus all of the others I have taken this year and in the past. While most Disney Cruises have the majority of passengers at the family pool, due to the large number of adults on this voyage and extremely small number of children, the opposite was true for this voyage. I think everyone on the ship was trying to get those coveted deck chairs at the Cove Pool each morning. I also spent time on the days at sea visiting the gym in the Vista Spa and believe it or not, I managed to loose 9 lbs on the voyage. Yes folks, I went on a 14-night cruise and LOST weight.

So after 5 sea days, we finally made landfall again in the Caribbean in St. Maarten. I had been there before earlier this year and was planning to head to the cool beach by the port but, there was lots of road work being done making that plan impossible so we had to settle for walking around town. Still great weather at this point in the voyage. After St. Maarten, we headed to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Not much to do in the city itself but, we had an amazing sailing, snorkeling and beach experience with the amazing weather. Probably one of the best investments of the cruise I think. After Tortola was one more day at sea and then a visit to Castaway Cay. Castaway Cay was the usual but, again, with so many adults on the ship, the adult beach was way to busy while the family beach was empty.

Overall this was a great vacation and a great get away. I would do another transatlantic crossing anytime with no hesitation. It will be hard now to do shorter cruises in the future. Anyways, that’s the recap of the trip in a short summary.

Here are pictures of the trip for everyone to look at:

And as something fun to share, here is the Disney Magic Cruise Staff performing the pub classic, If I Were Not Upon the Sea.

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Transatlantic Cruise – Days 9, 10 & 11 Update

At Sea off the Virgin Islands – Hello once again from the Disney Magic. We left Tortola in the British Virgin Islands today around 4pm to start our travel back to the Bahamas and Castaway Cay. We have one more day at sea tomorrow before we arrive and only 3 more nights left on the ship before returning home on Saturday.

Since my last post, we finished our 5 day journey across the Atlantic Ocean and had an enjoyable day in St. Maarten. Due to road construction, we could not make it to the airport beach which was our plan but did enjoy the time walking around town looking at the shops for a few hours before returning back to the ship to relax by the pool and hit the gym.

Today we arrived in Tortola around 7:30am and met for our shore excursion at 8. We did a sail, snorkel and beach trip which was amazing. Very glad we decided to book it (thanks Mom for the suggestion). After getting back to the pier, we walked in to town for about 30 minutes but there really isn’t much there to do and since our all aboard was early in the afternoon, we headed back to the ship for lunch and just relaxing around the ship.

Overall, the voyage to date has been very relaxing and I can’t believe that it is almost over. This has been one of the best cruises I have taken and I’m not ready to get off the ship yet. I could easily go for another week plus if I could. I have met some very great people on board and can’t wait to stay in touch. Also, surprisingly, I have not spent nearly as much money as I was bracing for this trip which will be nice on the American Express Card at the end.

I’ll post more of a recap when I am back home. For now, here are a few pictures.



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Transatlantic Cruise – Days 6,7, & 8 Update

At Sea – Sorry for for not updating for a few days but the satellite connection has been in and out the last few days. We only have one more day at sea before we arrive in St.  Maarten although I would be happy with more days at sea.

I’ve been hitting the gym with running and doing yoga on the deck usually in the the morning before heading to breakfast and getting coffee at Cove Cafe. Sorry folks but Nescafe is just not cutting it in the morning. The rest of the day usually has included relaxing at the pool and doing the activities around the ship like the various trivia.

This morning we slept in a bit and had Palo for brunch which was a nice change from the buffet that we have been eating. Overall the good had been great but it’s starting to get repetitive as we go. Still love it though.

Again, not much to report on the sea days. I haven’t seen another ship out there on a few days which is strange. Still smooth sailing. More updates to come once we reach land in a day.

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Transatlantic Cruise – Day 5 Update

At Sea – So today marked our first of five days at sea as we cross the Atlantic. The good news is we gain an hour each night as we cross the time zones so it is nice to catch up on sleep. We are also lucky in that the ocean has been like glass and smooth sailing.
Slept in this morning and relaxed around the deck and did several trivia games and bingo today before hitting the gym for Body Toning before going to see Villains Tonight and then heading to more trivia and dinner. Tomorrow is more of the same with Yoga on the deck in the morning. Another short update but not much to report.

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Transatlantic Cruise – Day 4 Update

Off the island of Madeira – Well, today was our last day on land for the next five days. We spent the day on the island of Madeira walking around the town of Funchal. Beautiful town to walk around. I tried a sampler of madeira wine, four different types total, and will honestly say I am not a fan at all.

After our walk around town we came back to the ship to relax by the pool and I spent some time at the gym and then yoga on the deck which was very relaxing. We said goodbye to Europe around 9:45pm and are now underway with a light rolling. Just getting back from Rockin’ Bar D where we celebrated Andrew’s 29th birthday.
Tomorrow is our first day at sea so we will see how it goes. Not a big update today so ill post a few pictures. Till next time.

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Transatlantic Cruise – Day 3 Update

At Sea – Hello once again from the beautiful Disney Magic here in the Atlantic Ocean. We left the Mediterranean Sea behind yesterday and have sailing toward Funchal, Madeira all day today. We are expected to arrive in port around 07:30am after a full day of steaming across the ocean today.

Nice weather in the 70s with a good breeze. Not much of a get in the pool day but a nice day for walking around the decks. Seas have had a slightly chop but nothing too bad yet. I was able to catch up with several Crew Members that i have met on previous voyages and even had coffee this morning with Captain John in Cove Cafe after my workout.

Tonight was the surprise performer of the voyage which was Charo. I will be the first to say I wasn’t sure what the expect at first but was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining she was. After the show,  we had the great French dinner in Lumier’s (Triton’s on the Wonder). Taking it easy the rest of the night before heading to bed.

Keep the text messages and tweets coming. It’s been fun reading what people have been saying. Until next update.

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Transatlantic Cruise – Day 2 Update

Off the coast of Gibraltar – Hello once again from the beautiful Disney Magic. We are now enroute to the Atlantic Ocean on or way to Funchal, Madeira after having departed Gibraltar around 18:00 this evening. We had a fun day today walking around The Rock with my college friend Andrew and his friend Jeffery and taking the cable car to the top to see the apes and the views of the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, Morocco and Spain. Lots of walking including steep paths that left little need to visit the gym today.

After getting back to the ship, we had a great English lunch in the Topsider Buffet while looking over to the coast of Affrica and Morocco. After lunch I spent some time by the pool reading before heading the the sail away party. After the party,  Joey and I met up again with Andrew and Jeffery for a pre dinner drinks before heading to Palo for dinner.

For those that have never been to Palo for dinner, you need to on your next Disney Cruise. The food is simply amazing and up there with one of the best meals I have ever had. Just finished hanging in Rockin’ Bar D for the 70s Disco Legends night and a nice pint of Stella Artois before taking a nice stroll around the deck as we leave land behind.

Tomorrow is our second day at sea for this search voyage. Looking forward to relaxing by the pool and seeing what the cruise staff has planned for the day. As an added bonus, we gain an hour of sleep tonight as we start our voyage back. That’s all for now folks. For now here are a couple of more pictures from. Gibraltar.

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Transatlantic Cruise – Day 1 Update

At Sea – Hello from the beautiful Disney Magic. Today was a great day at sea here along the coast of Spain. We are sailing along at 16 knots on our way to Gibraltar tomorrow. What is there to do while at sea on a ship? Lots actually.

I started today out at 7am this morning for power circuits in the gym. After a quick and light breakfast at the Topsider Buffet I ended up going back to do yoga on the deck while taking in the great views and sea air. The temperature out has been in the upper 70s and very enjoyable. After yoga I did a nice 5 mile run in the gym before enjoyed ng an afternoon reading by the Cove Pool with live music. I couldn’t have asked for a more relaxing day!

Tonight was formal night with the Captain’s Reception with free drinks (rum punch was the best) and Prince and Princess Dinner where I had an amazing beef wellington. Not as good as Aunt Susan’s but close. Spending the rest of the night down in Diversions and Rockin’ Bar D before settling in for the night. Planning for an early morning tomorrow to explore Gibraltar and see the rock and the apes. More updates to come. For now, here are a few pictures so far from today and the ship.

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The Trip of a Lifetime

So the time is almost here for my upcoming 17 day adventure that I will be taking with my friend and former co-worker, Joey. While I have taken several vacations throughout this year, this one is by far one of the most exciting vacations I think I will have taken to date. On Thursday, September 8, I will be flying to Barcelona, Spain and will once again board the Disney Magic. Unlike the previous cruises I have done where you start and end in the same port, this one will take us across the Atlantic Ocean back to her home port of Port Canaveral, FL.

So far, I have most of my clothes laid out and ready to pack which is nice. Packing for a 17-day vacation is very different than any other vacation I have packed for. I am finding myself now thinking on everything I add to the pile with all of the new airline bag restrictions in place. I get one free checked back and plan to maximize my carry-on as much as I can. The question of if I will be  doing laundry in the middle of the ocean is starting to come in to mind as I try to see if everything fits and is still under the weight limit. Just a few more days to go and a few more days of hitting the gym to be prepared for 17-days of amazing food.

Looking at the weather that we have had over the last week or so, it looks like this might shape up to be an interesting cruise with a few tropical weather pasterns out there in the Atlantic right where we will be sailing. I love being at sea so this will be a true test to my sea legs. For those that are interested, our ship can be tracked by visiting Marine Traffic and clicking on Current Vessel’s Track. I have also included the itinerary for our trip below. I will be posting on Twitter (@websteth) as long as I have as I have mobile service and I will also try to post updates here when I have internet access and if time allows. Photos from the trip will be posted shortly upon my return to Florida.

14-Night Transatlantic Westbound Itinerary:

Day Date Port Ashore Onboard
Saturday 10-Sep-2011 BARCELONA 4:00 PM
Sunday 11-Sep-2011 AT SEA
Monday 12-Sep-2011 GIBRALTAR 7:30 AM 6:00 PM
Tuesday 13-Sep-2011 AT SEA
Wednesday 14-Sep-2011 MADEIRA 8:30 AM 9:30 PM
Thursday 15-Sep-2011 AT SEA
Friday 16-Sep-2011 AT SEA
Saturday 17-Sep-2011 AT SEA
Sunday 18-Sep-2011 AT SEA
Monday 19-Sep-2011 AT SEA
Tuesday 20-Sep-2011 ST MAARTEN 7:15 AM 5:30 PM
Wednesday 21-Sep-2011 TORTOLA 7:30 AM 3:45 PM
Thursday 22-Sep-2011 AT SEA
Friday 23-Sep-2011 CASTAWAY CAY 11:15 AM 4:30 PM
Saturday 24-Sep-2011 PORT CANAVERAL 7:30 AM

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