Supplement to Travel Trade
December 2004

The Disney Magic

By Ethel Blum

I am probably Disney Cruise Line's first repeat passenger. Disney's whirlwind 2-night/1-day media extravaganza had lots of magic, but not enough substance to write a comprehensive piece about the newest of the new ships.

So I booked my family on a "real" weekend cruise, the Magic's third scheduled voyage, and found upon debarkation that we still had not sampled everything the ship offers.

While Disney Cruise Line is unquestionably in the throes of growing pains, there's little doubt among industry soothsayers that the basic product and the Disney concept are headed for success. From first glance as passengers come over a Florida-size hill on the highway, they know they are about to board a remarkable vessel.

On the outside, Disney Magic has the style and look of a traditional liner like one we would have seen some 30 years ago. Matthew Priddy, senior vice president of production and Imagineering at Walt Disney World, says the company's goal was to "build a ship that is reminiscent of luxury liners of the 1930s and '40s, yet that carries with it the more modern aspects, certainly in entertainment, technology and materials."

She's a classic beauty from her blue-black hull, gold stripes, double smokestacks (one is just for show), her glistening lacquered whites and her raked bow. Even the lifeboats and mooring lines are in Disney gold. When it's time to pull up those lines, there's no loud blasts from the ship's horn, just the mellow sounds of "When You Wish Upon a Star."

While there are still lines at some of the Walt Disney World hotels for check-in, the good news is that it is the only check-in required. The next time you see your Disney-tagged luggage is in your stateroom.

When it comes to hardware, I can understand some of the construction delays. There has been extremely careful attention to details, down to color-coded deck chairs and reasonable facsimiles of fire hydrants on Beat Street, the adult hideaway area.

Embarkation is directly into a three-deck, almost square atrium, which could have been on a ship like the Normandie, except for the commanding presence of a certain mouse standing at the entrance to Lumiere's, the French-style restaurant. Overall, the vessel is awesome.

Warm woods like quartered ash, sycamore and rich anigre, many of them last seen onboard the Queen Mary, add a touch of elegance to Magic's interior decor.

A massive Venetian glass-type chandelier created in Seattle, curvilinear walls, plush fabrics, oversized portholes, a streamlined stern and original character sketches from the Disney archives are mixed with futuristic decorations and features that are limited only by the imaginations of Disney's creative staff, who are called "Imagineers."

Getting around the 85,000-ton liner is relatively easy. Everything feeds off the three-deck atrium and each public room is clearly defined by demographics -- kids only, families and adults only.

About half of the 10 decks are devoted to public space, the remainder to staterooms and suites.

Starting midship on Deck 3, through the lobby atrium is Beat Street, the only glitzy area onboard. It's also the only non-Mickey Mouse area and it leads adult passengers to their exclusive spaces -- an underused Rockin' Bar D intended as a Country-Western room; Off Beat, the Comedy Club headquarters; and Sessions, a sophisticated piano bar and lounge that was my favorite room. Head aft and you pass Lumiere's to enter the family-type Promenade Lounge with a fabulous trio and singer during pre- and post-dinner hours. The restaurant Parrot Cay is at the extreme aft end of this deck.

One deck up is where the action is centered. Anchored forward by the Walt Disney Theater and aft by Animator's Palate, another restaurant, there's Studio Sea (a family-type disco) and a myriad of Disney logo shops. Deck 5 is almost entirely devoted to junior cruisers. Disney's Oceaneer Club for 3- to 9-year-olds is adjacent to Disney's Oceaneer Lab for kids up to age 12. Teenagers have their own hang out on Deck 9, called Common Grounds.

Decks 9 and 10 are headquarters for outdoor activities with three swimming pools, an undersized indoor/outdoor self-service restaurant and a magnificent spa.

Like other facilities,pools are designated for use by age. Mickey's is for little kids, Goofy's for families and Quiet Cove for adults, but enforcing the age restrictions is a situation Disney Magic had not yet confronted during my cruise. The slide, however, in Goofy's Family Pool can only accommodate persons up to 62 inches tall, which kind of took the "family" out and made it available to youngsters only.

Deck 11 has the Broadcast Center, bars, outdoor racquetball court and the very special, optional Italian restaurant Palo.

Of the 875 staterooms, 75% are outside and 44% of these have private verandas. Special features include family-size staterooms, some accommodating up to five persons. The size ranges from about 170-square feet for minimum-priced inside cabins to an average outside of 220-square feet, including a veranda.

A large number of staterooms connect, which increases the number of options available to families. We opted for connecting outside cabins on Deck 6, almost midship, and found the bath and a half a delightful plus. We kept the door open between the cabins during the day and closed it at night for privacy.

Cabins are tastefully decorated. Sofas convert to beds and a Murphy-type bed comes down from the ceiling for an additional person. All beds convert easily from almost king-size to twins. There are 12 cabins fitted for handicapped travelers and they are mostly in the mid-price range.

While Disney Magic is a work in progress, even at this early stage I have to give special mention for new features introduced on this vessel:

The Children's Program- Disney's Oceaneer Adventure provides a shipboard program offering activities from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m., supervised by some 50 counselors. Spanning nearly an entire deck, activities and facilities offer dozens of age-specific activities in an area that is nearly 10 times the size of that on other cruise ships.

Disney's Oceaneer Club is a play space created for kids ages 3 to 8 with plenty of areas to run, climb and explore. Children from ages 9 to 12 have Disney's Oceaneer lab, featuring high-tech fun including electronic games, played on giant video walls, and interactive computer activities.

Teens have their own space and activities in Common Grounds. Highlights include the two-hour teen-only disco, the twilight boat ride in Nassau harbor, the four-hour Castaway Cays special events that including kayaking, snorkeling, biking, lunch and games, and the midnight one-hour gathering topside when the teenagers have the deck practically to themselves.

ESPN Sports Bar- Disney has made superb use of that fake funnel I mentioned earlier. Inside the ship's huge red forward stack with the Mickey Mouse logo is the ESPN Skybox, which features sports scores galore, stadium style seating, a huge TV screen, plus multiple other televisions for viewing of major sports events worldwide.

Dine Around Plan- Industry insiders said it wouldn't work when Disney announced rotated dining rooms, even on 3-night cruises. They're no longer snickering. It works and it works well. Passengers are delighted with the changes in venue and complete changes in ambiance and menus.

Lumiere's has a decidedly French flair inspired by "Beauty and the Beast." Parrot Cay is Caribbean dining at its best with wide choices in serving size, healthy fare and a decor that brings a smile to the face of even a crying child. Parrots and bananas hang from chandeliers as passengers are transported to a remote Caribbean island.

Animator's Palate is the most talked about restaurant. Its decor transforms during the meal from a black-and-white artist's sketch to a vibrant full-color scheme filed with favorite Disney characters.

I must admit that my favorite restaurant on board is Palo, the 10th deck optional Italian restaurant that could easily be mistaken for a very expensive, trendy Venetian eatery. The adults-only policy is enforced and no guest under age 18 is admitted. Seating is at tables for two to six or eight and all tables are ocean-view.

There's an open galley and a superb chef from Sicily comes up with some surprising specials nightly. Service is exceptional and the food is as good as any restaurant in Venice, and that's a pretty high recommendation. The bad news is that reservations are required, so advise clients to run, not walk, to the Passenger Service Desk on embarkation and make those reservations.

The Vista Spa & Salon- Here's another area that books up quickly. The spa is so extensive and so popular, it's hard to get a massage reservation. Treatments in the normal spa are anything but normal. Recommend that your clients try the Rain Forest and you'll make a friend for life.

Vista Spa & Salon covers 9,000-square feet and overlooks the ocean. The fitness area is extremely well equipped. While all of the usual treatments are offered in the Steiner-operated spa, there are some unusual ones like the Gentle Sauna where 140-degree dry heat is gently distributed from under the floor and behind the walls at a milder than normal sauna temperature, and the Aromatic Steam Room where chamomile extracts are used to cleanse the skin. Castaway Cay- Every cruise line with a private or semi-private island claims it to be "Fantasy Island," but none comes close to what Disney has created on Castaway Cay.

First off, the company spent an estimated $6 million to dredge the harbor, develop a 3,000-foot channel and build a pier so its vessels pull alongside and passengers are free to go back and forth without tenders.

Palm-shaded walkways, hideaways and rustic shelters look as if they have been here for hundreds of years. Natural foliage was maintained. Trams transport passengers between family beaches and adult-only beaches. There are special areas for kids and no shortage of lounge chairs or umbrellas, beverages and food stations, picnic huts and shops.

All manner of beach sports activities are offered, but the favorite for kids is whale skeleton excavations, which support the Castaway legend about a giant white whale that eluded capture by explorers.

Other features worthy of note, include:
Entertainment — Competitors are quick to point out that if Disney can't do something different, no one can. It's different, all right, with magnificent sets, original music, lighting and startling illusions.

The ship's premier showplace is The Walt Disney Theatre, a 975-seat, three-deck-high showplace. Three family-oriented Disney inspired musicals are offered during a 3-night cruise and an additional afternoon show, "Island Magic" is offered on 4-night cruises. "Disney Dreams" is a new bedtime story with a cast of 26, including some Disney favorites like Peter Pan, Aladdin and Cinderella. "Voyage of the Ghost Ship" is an action adventure of a swashbuckling hero and a fairy-tale princess. "Hercules -- a Musical Comedy" is a vaudeville-style salute to Disney.

All are family-oriented, which is great for kids but leaves adults traveling without children with an after-dinner choice of the piano bar or Promenade Lounge.

Debarkation- Even smoother than embarkation, if that's possible. Luggage is off loaded in the usual fashion with plenty of skycaps to help passengers through customs.

Almost every airline has a counter set up for check-in and luggage is left with the airline to be picked up at your home airport. Buses are clearly marked by airline and, with boarding passes in hand, that's the end of debarkation.

With a sister vessel, the Disney Wonder, due out a year from now and talk of contracting for two additional vessels, possibly entering the one-week cruise market and not necessarily from Port Canaveral, Disney could become a player in the cruise industry major league.

Disney Cruise Line president Art Rodney said current plans call for Disney Wonder to operate on the same itinerary as Disney Magic, but with departures on Thursdays and Sundays, instead of Fridays and Mondays. He added, "If we are successful, there is no reason why we can't expand to other markets."

Rodney also credited travel agents with booking 85% to 90% of the Disney Cruise Line packages.

The average family of four spends $5,000 on a package that includes the 3- or 4-night cruise and accommodations at a hotel within the Disney complex, along with air, hotel transportation and park entrances. Rodney states that this is about what the family would spend on a Disney land vacation.

Rodney also said travel agency commissions remain at the 10% level with no override structure in place at this time. According to Rodney, this is in keeping with what Disney pays agents on all hotel and package bookings.