It’s the start of our eighth day aboard the Disney Magic and it’s hard to believe that a week has already sailed by. It’s also the start of our fifth sea day in a row, with one more coming, before we go ashore on the lovely island of Madeira.
Each stateroom aboard the ship has a television, equipped with a variety of shows and movies to keep you entertained. Aside from a plethora of Disney Channel shows and Disney movies, you also have a selection of recently released films. The choices, depending on your taste, were a bit limited this trip, in my opinion. I’ve taken the opportunity to watch The Amazing Spiderman (not sure what the purpose of making it was – didn’t we already kill Uncle Ben?) as well as re-watching The Hobbit. Other films, such as Here Comes the Boom, the latest in the Twilight series and Pitch Perfect, didn’t quite make it onto the must watch list.
One of my favorite channels to watch while in our cabin is the map channel. It tells cruisers where we’ve been and where we’re going. On a long cruise like this, it’s a great way to gain a little perspective on just how far we’ve travelled, which, as of this morning, has been 3400 nautical miles since we departed Galveston.
Starting two days ago, the weather took a dramatic turn and it feels like we should be picking out jack-o-lantern patterns and getting out the Halloween decorations. When we awoke the day before yesterday, it was a gloomy, almost foggy day and remained that way throughout the early evening. As a result, the temps plunged into the mid-60s and have stayed there ever since. While it’s in contrast to what we normally experience on these cruises, I’m not complaining. We love the cool weather and are having fun being bundled up like transatlantic cruisers of yore.
Speaking of the night before last, it was time for the Pirates in the Caribbean deck party. Despite that we were no longer in the Caribbean, Disney still held it’s industry-unique extravaganza. While the dancing crew members and throbbing beats of house music are not unique to the Disney ships, once the party reaches its apex is when Disney sets itself apart, with a fireworks display. Disney is still the only cruise line that puts on a fireworks show at sea. I don’t know about you, but ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved fireworks and Disney doesn’t disappoint. Throw in the cool temps of the North Atlantic along with a full moon, and it made for a pretty spectacular show. Now, if I could only get Can’t Touch This and Cher’s Believe out of my head, I may not have to jump overboard in order to drown these earworms…
Yesterday was my honey’s birthday and overall, I would say it was a pretty good day. It started with the present presentation, very similar to the presentation of Simba, followed by some breakfast in bed. The morning wrapped up with hanging out and reading. At 5:00, we sauntered to the Buena Vista theater where we watched Lincoln. This was my second time seeing it and Leslie’s first. I knew she would enjoy it and I liked it even more the second time.
While we were scheduled for our normal dining rotation, I managed to get some special birthday considerations and were able to get a table at Palo, the adults-only, northern Italian inspired restaurant. In speaking with our server, it turns out our ability to get a table was somewhat fortuitous; the restaurant is booked solid for the remainder of the cruise. As usual, the food was pretty fantastic and we left very satisfied. Granted, how can you go wrong with freshly made chocolate soufflé?
After a few glasses of wine, we finished the evening back at the Buena Vista theater for a showing of Wreck It Ralph. Overall, a fun movie and creative concept, geared toward the Atari 2600 and arcade junkies of my generation.
After the movie, we retired to the cabin with our books and decided to read for a bit. As I was almost finished with the new Dan Brown book, a bit turned into 4:00am as I put Mr. Brown’s latest to rest. Overall, I thought it was MUCH better than his previous book, The Lost Symbol. Inferno had some interesting twists and the ending was rather unique. I’m interested to hear what others think of it.
Something you can always count on when aboard a Disney cruise is the high level of service. From the castmembers at the onboard store offering to wrap Leslie’s birthday presents for free, to the servers in the dining rooms to the room attendant, they really do take good care of you. Granted, the dining room staff and room attendant are working toward a traditional gratuity that you present them with at the end of the cruise. But it feels like they really do go above and beyond. A good example is the nightly staple you receive every night when you return to your cabin from dinner. Not only has your stateroom attendant cleaned your room and turned down your bed, but they’ve also left chocolates on your pillow and created some sort of animal made from towels. A few nights ago, it was a monkey. Last night, in addition to the lobster or some other crustacean, our room attendant Cheffy went out of his way to make a tiered birthday cake, complete with multiple chocolate adornments. And yes, for all you South Park fans out there, our Jamaican stateroom attendant’s name is Chef.
As I look toward another day at sea, I’ve got to pick out my next book to read, while looking forward to events like bingo and beer tasting. Or, I could simply grab a blanket, head out to the verandah, and grab a nap in the cool weather as puffy clouds and a deep blue horizon sail through my view.
Leave a comment