Why I Can’t Get Enough of Disney Magic – Disney Cruise Ship Tour

 Step aboard the Disney Magic, the cherished gem of the Disney Cruiseline fleet! Although the oldest ship, the disney magic cruiseship it is a true gem, ranking among our top two cruise ships. With a warm, family-friendly atmosphere, it promises unforgettable experiences. Enjoy the enchanting Tangled dining experience, exciting Marvel Day at Sea, and the captivating Tangled: The Musical, along with so much more. Discover why families return year after year to create lasting memories filled with Disney magic!

magic cruise ship

Set sail on a magical journey aboard the Disney Magic, which first launched on July 30, 1998, and has since undergone numerous updates to ensure an unforgettable experience for all guests. This fantastic ship is part of Disney’s renowned cruise line, providing the same exceptional service as the other eight ships in the fleet.

Onboard, you’ll find a treasure trove of family-friendly fun, including engaging game shows, exciting trivia competitions, art classes, and movie nights on the funnel vision. Enjoy thrilling waterslides, relaxing pools, vibrant deck parties, dazzling fireworks at sea, and mouthwatering dining options. But that’s not all—the Disney Magic also offers some special experiences you won’t find anywhere else.

One highlight is the Tangled dining adventure, where guests can enjoy an enchanting meal surrounded by ruffians, live music, glowing lanterns, and appearances by Rapunzel and Flynn. It’s not just dinner; it’s a dining experience you’ll always remember!

Children will have a blast at the Oceaner’s Club, which features a fantastic Toy Story play area complete with a slide and plenty of entertainment. And don’t miss the spectacular family Broadway productions, including the exclusive Tangled: The Musical, which promises to dazzle with its dynamic costumes, talented performers, and stunning set design.

Let me take you on a little tour with some hints and tidbits to make the most you plan a family cruise  or explore Disney trip planning on a Disney cruise vacation!

Disney magic cruiseship

This ship is known for its classic charm. At 984 feet long and about 83,000 gross tons, it is the smalles of the Disney ships. We love that it offers a cozy yet lively atmosphere, where the crew really seem to feel like extended family. The  passenger capacity is around 2,700. To put that in perspecive that is almost half the capacity of the three newest Disney ships in the Triton class.

There are lots of places to explore, and all conveniently located around the atrium and pool decks. Here are a few of note:

• Walt Disney Theatre (deck 4 aft) – This is where the broadway shows and some feature movies are shown. You can grab popcorn at the concessions right outside the theatre and sometimes meet some characters right in front.
• Attrium (decks 3-5) – This is the hub of the ship, where you can find special events and many lounges, restaurants, and my favorite glass elevators. It is a smaller hub than the newer ships, but it feels homy and is “big enough”
• Soul Cat Lounge (deck 3) – Pop in during the day for some trivia, drawing classes, or crafts. In the evening, enjoy some live music and a drink.
• D-Lounge (deck 4) – This is the place for family game shows, dance parties, Karaoke, and more family fun thorughout the day and night
• Fathoms (deck 3 aft) – This lounge hosts some family events, BINGO, and some adult-only events too
• Shops (deck 4) – These shops are conveniently located outside the Walt Disney Theatre and are perfect for picking up some souvenirs
• Portholes outside Fathoms (deck 3 aft) are a great place to enjoy quiet and a great view!

Disney magic cruise ship tour

Disney magic cruise ship photos

 There are lots of areas to wander around up on deck. I love that this ship allows guests to walk/run around the entire deck 4! It is so pleasant to take an oudoor stroll and enjoy a beautiful sunny day, enjoy the sunset, or have an evening stroll.

HINT: The Disney Magic has characters roam on Deck 4! You can catch Goofy or Pluto around 5 pm, just before first seating. On Marvel Day at Sea or Pirates Night you can also catch Spiderman or Captain Hook and Mr Smee! It’s such a fun surprise for kids and makes for some really fun pictures!

Disney Magic Dining

Evening Dining Rooms

Disney is known for it’s famous rotational dining. You will be assigned a time and table, then each night you will enjoy one of the three unique dining rooms. Your service team will move with you.

One of the standout features of the Disney Magic is its exclusive Tangled dining experience, where guests are treated to a delightful meal surrounded by the beloved characters and whimsical storytelling from the iconic film. Imagine dining amidst the towers and lanterns, with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider making special appearances to elevate the experience!

Another favorite is Animator’s Palette where you get to watch drawings come to life and then they will get colored in too. The culmination is an appearance by Mickey Mosue himself. I love this whimsical dining room filled with flair, fun guessing the character while we eat, and a delicious menu too!

Enjoy the elegance of Lumiere’s. This lovely dining room is the most elegant, with the most delicious menu including filet mignon! I also love the truffle pasta and creme brulee. Tihs dining room is also open for breakfast and often for lunch if you like.

Up on deck you can grab pizza, schwarma, burgers, sandwiches, fruit, or soft serve ice cream. I was surprised that pizza closes from like 5-9pm. So there is something open late, but it doesn’t re-open until 9pm. So if you are hungry in the evening, you are limited to the main dining room, burgers, or room service.

In addition you can enjoy the breakfast buffet or lunch buffet. You can find all normal things like omelets, eggs, sauasage, potatoes, pancakes, waffles, yogurt parfaits, fruit, and an assortment of pastries. For lunch you will find carved meats, mac and cheese, huggets, vegetables, and an assortment or other entrees that vary by day. Lunch is the only time you can find desserts that you can choose yourself. Don’t miss the Churro Waffles on the last full day – they are amazing! Note: the buffet is not open for dinner.

Disney Magic Shows

Unlike the newer ships that have people lining up over an hour early, you can line up closer to 30 minutes before hand and still get a good seat. The larger floor section, and angling of the seats make seeing in the Walt Disney Theatre on the Disney Magic a breeze. I have never had trouble getting a seat!

There are three broadway shows on the ship. If you are on a longer itinerary, you will also watch a movie, maybe a juggling act, a guest vocalist, or another assorted entertainment.

One of the crown jewels of entertainment on board is Tangled: The Musical, a dazzling stage show that brings the story of Rapunzel and her adventures to life with spectacular performances, breathtaking visuals, and of course, original songs that will have you singing along. The sheer talent of the cast and the magical atmosphere truly captivate audiences of all ages.

Twice Charmed is a retelling of Cinderella with a twist. We love the special effects in this show, funny Franko (Evil Fairygodfather), and the way the ballroom turns from black and white to color. This is only available on this ship and it is a great show. Not as good as Tangled, but realy good.

The third show is Twice Charmed. This show features a girl Anna Marie who needs to learn to fly overnight or she will grow up. With the help of Peter Pan and soe of your favorite story characters she will discover her magic. It is a cute enough show, but I feel like the special effects just don’t live up to the ones I’ve seen on the other ships. It is my least favorite show and I don’t really care for the current Ann Marie, but it’s not bad. We tend to use this time to enjoy a movie on the funnel vision under the stars!

Disney Magic Staterooms

Disney has some of the most spacious staterooms on any cruiseline. We love the bath and a half concept and attentive service of our Disney stateroom host. The newer Triton class ships have a storage issue in the rooms, but the rooms on the Magic have storage galore! From desk drawers to above desk cabinets, dresser drawers, and closet drawers and space to put all your things. Plus suitcases fit under the bed easily as well.

THe stateroom host will tend to your room in the morning and turn down your bed with a fun towel animal at night.

HINT: If you are travling with kids, your stateroom host can get you a pack-n-play or diaper genie!

Disney Magic Entertainment

Beyond the fantastic dining and entertainment options, the Disney Magic evokes a true family atmosphere that makes it feel like a home away from home. With countless activities spread across the ship, there is something for everyone.

• Sail-a-Wave deck party is always lots of fun! Whether you have it on deck or in the lobby due to weather, you are in for a treat with lots of energy, music, dancing, and characters.
• Spa – relax or pamper yourself if that is your thing. My daughter and I enjoyed getting a pedicure. Note: They no longer offer a Chill Spa menu, but you can do most procedures tweaked slightly with a parent.
• Play a board game in Gill’s pub to play around the ship.
• If your cruise does not have Marvel, you will enjoy Disney’s famous Pirate Night with special game shows, characters, a deck party, and fireworks too!
• Family Game shows are always lots of fun. They are always adding new ones and mixing it up to offer fun for the whole family. We love th Magic Quest scaveger hunt! There are some adult only events too.
• Drawing classes are led by videos from expert artists and are such a fun activity to learn to draw a wide variety of characters.
• Trivia contests where you can test your knowledge about Disney, cruising, movies, and more! Winners get a coveted medallion – there are lots to collect!
• Character Meet and Greets! Meet some of your favorite characters and princesses. Have a chat, get a pic, or get an autograph!

Disney Magic Pools

Many people love lazying the day away by the pool. There are two areas for families.

• Enjoy the smaller, shallow pool in the Aqua Lab for younger kids. This area is also great for accessing the yellow twisty slide, aqua lap splash area, and the food. There are pleny of seats and lifeguards.
• The main pool is great for watching the movies on the funnel vision. While we don’t swim a lot, it is a smaller pool – we love watching movies during the day, and under the stars. Unlike the newer ships that have people reserving seating and it is always crowded. We seemed to alwasy be able to find somewhere to sit in a lounge chair or adjacent table and chairs to watch the movie with a bite to eat or ice cream.

Disney Magic Kids Clubs

Like all the Disney ships, the kids club is included in your cruise far. From 8 am or so in the morning until midnight you can enjoy a variety of fun activities in the Disney Oceaneer’s Club and Oceaneer’s Lab. They have open houses where families can play together, as well as secure time when kids are watched over by their trained counselors.

• The immersive space includes a toy story room with a large play structure with slinky dog slide and other larger than life areas. This slide for kids is only available on the two oldest ships – the Magic and the Wonder.
• In addition you will love entering the cute Pixie Hollow area with tables for drawing, making crafts, screens to watch movies, and little fairy houses to complete the theming.
• Preschool kids will love the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse room geared just for them.
• Marvel fans will enjoy the activities in this simply themed area. If your kids are big fans, the Triton Class ships (Destiny, Treasure, and Wish) have much larger, more interactive areas for Marvel play.
• The central hub has an adorable book theme that comes to life with characters, stories, and games.

You can check in at the seperate Oceaneer’s Lab or kids can use a secret hallway to get here from the Oceaneer’s Club. This space is less playful, but has more areas for watching movies, video games, drawing, lab for Stitch Goo, dance parties, and large group games.

Hint: Make sure to check out the kids area during an open house and be prepared to want to stay and explore these immersive areas. I love the Pirate themed bathrooms in the Lab!

Disney Magic Adult Areas

The adult area on the Magic includes a pool, hot tub, bar, and Cove Cafe.

• The only downside is that many guests with children will use the aft elevators to get to deck 9 and then they have to walk through the adult area to get to the main pool. So while kids don’t typically “hang out” in the adult only area, they are frequently walking through the space.
• On the positive side the pool is open longer, is quieter, and the loungers are padded and extra comfy. Plus it is conveniently located by the elevators, only onboard coffee shop, and near the funnel vision and lido deck food.

Cofe Cafe is the only full coffee shop onboard. Although you can get coffee in the dining room or bars, this the only place with the extensive menu and ability to make frapachinos. We love that these older ships also have a food case in the Cove Cafe. During the morning you will find pastires, rice krispie treats, and some other goodies only found here. In the evening you will find more finger foods. It is a hidden gem for sure!

I love the characters they put on your drinks! It is so magical and fun. You can ask for a favorite character or let them surprise you.

HINT: Make sure you get your coffee card! You can get free coffee.

A couple other tidbits.

• Tipping is automatically added, but you can adjust it up or down, or remove it at guest services.
• You will get luggage tags to put on your luggage and set in the hallways the last night. Here are the first 4 charaters called. If you have an early flight, you can keep your luggage and take it off the ship yourself as soon as the ship is cleared from customs, or anytime after that. We prefer to keep our luggage with us.
• The muster station outdoors can be really hot or really cold. I recommend googling your room and trying to get a room with an indoor muster station. I don’t undestand why Disney still does their drill live outside, almost all cruiselines have done away with this old method. On our last cruise we stood outside for 30 minutes with extreme cold warning, feels like 21 F! We got windburn.
• Sometimes there are room upgrades available. If you go to guest services right away and ask about them, you might be able to snag a room upgrade at a great discount.
• If you don’t get your preferred dining time, you can meet with the head server in the Soul Lounge from 12-3pm and share your request. We have a 95% success rate at getting our preffered dining time. We have beenon 20 Disney cruises.
• Because of the size of this ship, it tends to have some interesting itineraries. Currently the Magic offers Marvel Day at Sea, cruising to the Caribbean, Alaskan crusies, Panama Cruise, Puerto Rico, and more!

tour of disney magic cruise ship

Personally, we LOVE the Disney Magic. It is one of my favorite Disney cruiseships. (In case you are curious my other favorites are the Dream, Treasure, and Wish). The Magic is just the right size for a more family feel with the ship and crew. We love the shows, Tangled dining, attentive crew, stateroom swith penty of storage, and interesting itineraries offered on this ship.