Disney Magic 12 nt. British Isles Cruise 2017

Btw - for anyone curious, this is what we gave:

Those gifts look so great! This is why we never have nor will participate in a FE group, though...I have no creativity and mine would be Disney gift cards all around :eek: I am seriously the worst gift giver (ask DD)!



(Senol our excellent dining room server hinted to this but we didn’t listen!)

Don't you hate when you don't listen to the server's hint and you feel like you wasted a dessert??

Enjoying the updates :)
 
Those gifts look so great! This is why we never have nor will participate in a FE group, though...I have no creativity and mine would be Disney gift cards all around :eek: I am seriously the worst gift giver (ask DD)!





Don't you hate when you don't listen to the server's hint and you feel like you wasted a dessert??

Enjoying the updates :)

never say never on that FE! There's really no bad gift. You are talking to a non-crafter. I totally understand how all that creativity would discourage someone from signing up but
wait 'til you see the array of things given on this cruise. You might be inspired!! We join in purely for the fun.

Omg you'd think we would have learned after that dessert fiasco but no! Senol kept making suggestions and we kept ordering something different. It took half the cruise before we finally realized he was right. Too funny!!

OK Tink, you definitely must do the FE exchange on a cruise with us so I can get an Irish gift...hat, shirt, mug or scones will do just fine. I'm not picky!


I don't remember tasting that fish cake at all but looking at the picture, it definitely needed a partner. I look hungry because I AM hungry every time I sit in one of those restaurants. A few snacks by the pool don't hurt the appetite either...can you say Schwarma?

You keep talking up that imaginary cruise. I'm on to this! btw - I know a great way for you to get some more Irish souvenirs. Wanna guess??

Hungry is the understatement! This was taken the same night. :rotfl2:

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Don't you hate when you don't listen to the server's hint and you feel like you wasted a dessert??

Sometimes I take the waiters advice.... sometimes not... if I was undecided, the waiter(s) just surprise me with both of the dishes that I could not decide on... of course, I ate the both ;)

This has happened a few times.... highly appreciated!
 


Animators Palate... my favorite restaurant. Well themed and fun too.

It is. I really like Animators on the Magic and Wonder vs the larger ships. Can't wait to see what they do with the new Tangled restaurant and Cove Café too.
Having sailed all 4 ships, I seem to migrate to the Magic more and more. Probably because she cruises Europe!!
 
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I love this restaurant. I think I like the Magic's version better than the Dream's. My favorite part of this restaurant is the cute butter knife shaped like a paint brush.

Looking at this menu I probably wouldn't have ordered much from the regional inspirations, although I do love lentil soup. Chicken liver? :crazy2:

This look delicious. I've noticed I really like their appetizers and soups, but not so much the main courses for some reason.

All the desserts looked delicious. And the Fish Extender gifts were super cute. I've thought about doing it, but I don't know if we ever will actually try it.
 
This is the best trip report!!! Such fantastic detail!
I am soooo bummed now I didn't get in the Fish Extender group!!! I was chicken and didn't know what to expect! NEXT TIME FOR SURE! Live and learn!!!! How many nights do you give gifts? About how much do people spend on the gifts in total. Do you get ages and genders before the trip?
This means I must go on another Disney Cruise next year!

p.s. I got the bruschetta and NY Strip steak on the first night! yummy!!!
 


Having sailed all 4 ships, I seem to migrate to the Magic more and more. Probably because she cruises Europe!!

We have been on the Magic 5 times and only once on the other ships. We really like the Magic and the itineraries that she sails....

As mentioned by JenTen1585, best trip report! The attention to detail and all the pics.:thumbsup2 (I tried posting some of my pics but I’m having issues with the process.)
 
I love this restaurant. I think I like the Magic's version better than the Dream's. My favorite part of this restaurant is the cute butter knife shaped like a paint brush.


Looking at this menu I probably wouldn't have ordered much from the regional inspirations, although I do love lentil soup. Chicken liver? :crazy2:


This look delicious. I've noticed I really like their appetizers and soups, but not so much the main courses for some reason.

All the desserts looked delicious. And the Fish Extender gifts were super cute. I've thought about doing it, but I don't know if we ever will actually try it.

That Animator's butter knife is a big favorite here too. They used to sell them on the Dream and every once in a while, they'd show up on the disneyshopping website.
(where we bought them on sale)

Yes, you might see liver in a pate or liverwurst and it's been on the Palo menu. So beware!
I was surprised to hear France served pate during lunch on the Normandy family excursion. (I ran into a fellow cruiser at point du hoc and we compared notes.)
Our lunch was excellent and I was sorry to hear theirs wasn't. Wait 'til you see the beautiful farmhouse we went to.

The cruise menus are hit or miss with us too. We've gotten a lot better but you'll see quite a few mistakes over the next 11 days. Stay tuned!

and don't rule out the FE just yet! Hopefully you'll change your mind once you see how well ours went. Who knows?

This is the best trip report!!! Such fantastic detail!
I am soooo bummed now I didn't get in the Fish Extender group!!! I was chicken and didn't know what to expect! NEXT TIME FOR SURE! Live and learn!!!! How many nights do you give gifts? About how much do people spend on the gifts in total. Do you get ages and genders before the trip?
This means I must go on another Disney Cruise next year!


p.s. I got the bruschetta and NY Strip steak on the first night! yummy!!!

thank you! thank you! So glad you're enjoying the report.

We were thinking about that bruschetta on the menu. I should have tried it.

Yes! definitely sign up for the FE next time. We would have loved to have you join the group.

The rules are simple: You must give something - anything - at least once to every cabin on the list.
There are no other requirements. No set number of nights. You just have to gift once. and there are no set number of gifts besides 1 per stateroom.

You can budget as little or as much as you want to spend. I'm a hawk and take advantage of every discount!

A list is circulated among the group to identify how many in the cabin are participating and number of adults vs children with age/gender of the kids / favorite characters / special celebrations / allergies etc.

Some give to everyone in the cabin - example: FE gift #1 - gave a cinch backpack and set of coasters to each of us.
Some give individually to every child with a combined gift for a couple.
Others give 1 gift to the stateroom - like our FE gift.

Hopefully you'll have a much better understanding of how this works as I post more updates.

It's really a lot of fun.
 
We have been on the Magic 5 times and only once on the other ships. We really like the Magic and the itineraries that she sails....

As mentioned by JenTen1585, best trip report! The attention to detail and all the pics.:thumbsup2 (I tried posting some of my pics but I’m having issues with the process.)

thank you! thank you! Really glad to have you here.

So true. The Magic does have the best itineraries. We're anxiously awaiting 2019 summer.

I would love to see pics! hope you can work out the problems posting. Are your pics on a phone or memory card?
 
The Magic does have the best itineraries. We're anxiously awaiting 2019 summer.

Me too! I'm hopping up and down with impatience! We only have about 5 weeks we can cruise summer of '19 so that makes it even more nerve wracking..

The cruise menus are hit or miss with us too

Half the time I just eat from the "light side"...hard to mess up grilled chicken and broccoli (and Mickey bars of course :)).
 
Are your pics on a phone or memory card?
They are on our Mac... when downloading it says file too large or something to that effect.... I’ll try and figure it out.... it’s just that I don’t have ANY patients when it comes to computer issues.
 
Disney Magic 12nt. British Isles
Sunday, July 9, 2017 – Dover, England
Night 1 ……...........


(our weather July 9, 2017 – sunny high 77 °F / 25 °C)
(weather Sept 2, 2017 – clear high 64 °F / 17 °C)


Rotational Dining – Take I

If you’re new to cruising, here’s a brief intro per the DCL website:
https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/dining-food-beverages/rotational-dining/



In other words, you are assigned a dining schedule that rotates you and your serving team between the 3 main dining rooms for the length of your cruise.

A few key points worth noting:

I. There are 3 rotation schedules per cruise. (they vary - call the DCL for your sailing)

For this 12nt BI cruise they were:

ACLACLACLACL (our rotation)
CLACLACLACLA
LACLACLACLAC

A= Animator’s / C = Carioca’s / L = Lumiere’s
(note: 2018 changes to the Magic = C will be replaced with R - Rapunzel’s Royal Table)

II. You can request a specific dining rotation with DCL in advance.
(no guarantee - but ours have always been granted)


III. There are themed nights and special menus for most cruises.


Here’s our list from the BI cruise:

themed nights were: Formal / Semi-Formal / Frozen - Freezing the Night Away

Night 1 (At Sea) - menu: Let the Magic Begin
Night 2 (Le Havre) – menu: World of Flavour
Night 3 (Portland) – Standard Rotational #1 ** (Lumiere’s for us)
Night 4 (At sea)Formal NightStandard Rotational #2 ** (Animator’s for us)
Night 5 (Dublin) – Standard Rotational #3 ** (Carioca’s for us)
Night 6 (Liverpool) – menu: Pixar
Night 7 (Greenock) – Freezing the Night Away party - menu: Frozen**
Night 8 (Hebrides - at sea) – Semi-formal Night – menu: Captain’s Gala**
Night 9 (Kirkwall) – menu: Land & Sea
Night 10 (Invergordon) – menu: Prince & Princess
Night 11 (Newcastle) – menu: Seasons
Night 12 (At Sea) – menu: ‘Til we meet again**

** - offered on many Med. sailings (nights will vary)


IV. Formal Night is traditionally held on an At Sea day and usually doesn’t offer a special menu
. (check with DCL)

V. Semi-formal night could happen any night of the cruise and serves the Captain’s Gala menu.


VI. Disney Med. cruises will have at least 3 nights designated as “standard rotational”.


This gives guests the opportunity to dine at each location as you are rotated around to all 3.
Each restaurant serves a different menu - designed unique to their theme and décor.

But only during the standard rotational nights will the menus vary between restaurants.


Every other night is “themed”, where all 3 restaurants serve the same exact menu with identical food no matter which one you happen to dine in.



Ok so why am I talking about all this?

Because many cruisers like to know the rotations and theme nights ahead of time to plan activities around once their booking window opens up.

Whether it's to dine at a particular restaurant on Formal and Semi Formal nights.
or because you don’t want to miss a new restaurant menu on a rotational dining night (Rapunzel’s in 2018) by having it conflict with something else.

But the most common reason is to help figure out which night or restaurant to give up for dinner at Palo.

And with the new website changes @wajones2 has been alerting us to, this information is going to become increasingly valuable. As DCL seems to be making it virtually impossible to modify or change any cruise reservations once they’re initially booked without having you cancel them first. (whether online or over the phone)

So it's important to emphasize this point: Get as much dining information for your cruise upfront and be prepared to keep those original online reservations if you have to.


Ok let’s eat.


When it comes time for dinner, your KTTW card says it all:

View attachment 291893

You are Table Number: 48

View attachment 291895

Your Dining rotation: ACLACLACLACL

Your Dinner time: 2nd seating @ 8:30pm - which for some cruisers is a little late.
(1st seating was at 6pm)

"What dinner time - Late or early?" - is a constant recurring question on the Disboards.
(And one I tend to avoid since there’s really no right or wrong answer here.)

You have pros and cons either way.
It simply comes down to knowing your family and deciding what works best.

Personally, we prefer the late seating when we cruise.
I’ll share a few reasons why:

  • Late dinner doesn’t cut away from being on deck as you leave each port. (Something we love to do) It will really depend on the departure times.
This is a lot of fun, and not to be missed on a BI cruise. We had so many great sendoffs.
Some of my favorites –

Liverpool (these pics don't do it justice)

View attachment 291910

View attachment 291906

Greenock

View attachment 291918

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and Newcastle - where they lined up as far as the eye could see.

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Cork being a brand new port for the Disney Magic in 2018, will hopefully bring a special welcome there too!


More reasons for late dining:
  • We like to decompress after a full day of touring. Nobody wanted a situation where we’d have to jump right in and get ready for dinner at 6 when we’re just getting back onboard.

  • For this cruise, we flew in from the US with a 5hr jump ahead to the UK.
So an 8:30pm dinner was the equivalent to eating at 3:30pm back home.
If we picked 1st seating, we would basically be having dinner at 1pm in that 6 pm time slot.

  • 2nd seating has an slower feel and pace to it with everything winding down for the evening.


But there were several cons to that 8:30pm seating on this trip as well:

  • After a full day out, we were usually pretty hungry around 6. Options were room service or grab something from the poolside grill before dinner. Which, if you’re not careful, meant eating too much in a short period of time – like a burger and fries or big steak sandwich right before a full course sit down meal.

  • It was really hard to catch the early shows before dinner. We would always eat then catch a nap around that hour and couldn’t pull ourselves out of it in time to get to the theatre. So we missed a lot of the Walt Disney Theatre entertainment.

  • It’s pretty late by the time you finish dinner. The night activities seemed to fly by at that point and before we knew it - it was the next day already. I kept wanting every day to last longer.

  • You’re assigned 2nd breakfast seating the morning you disembark. This is usually too late for our schedule and we tend to skip it.


So after 9 cruises, and considering all the positives and negatives, late dining is still our usual pick.

But for anyone asking, all I can say is take the time to weigh the options and choose wisely for your situation. You really can’t go wrong. It’s just dinner.


Speaking of dinner, who’s hungry?

The people on Liverpool were just amazing! I couldn't believe the crowds, and just a fun and happy group all around. Made me wish we'd had explored vs a full day port adventure.
 
I just stumbled on your TR for the first time. Not only were we on the same cruise but it seems we were on the same bus from the Sofitel since my family and I are in many of your embarkation day pictures, at the rest stop on the way to Dover and at the terminal. We had a blast on that cruise ! Looking forward to read the rest.

One difference is the service we received at the Sofitel. We had booked a suite and we were downgraded to a regular room at check-in, without an apology or a reimbursement (we had paid in advance via Expedia). They comped us a cake ... my wife is boycotting Accor hotels for the time being, something not easy to do when taking a road trip in France, which is our next vacation.
 
I just stumbled on your TR for the first time. Not only were we on the same cruise but it seems we were on the same bus from the Sofitel since my family and I are in many of your embarkation day pictures, at the rest stop on the way to Dover and at the terminal. We had a blast on that cruise ! Looking forward to read the rest.

One difference is the service we received at the Sofitel. We had booked a suite and we were downgraded to a regular room at check-in, without an apology or a reimbursement (we had paid in advance via Expedia). They comped us a cake ... my wife is boycotting Accor hotels for the time being, something not easy to do when taking a road trip in France, which is our next vacation.

I'm really sorry for your experience at Sofitel. We experienced nothing short of great service and accommodations.

Makes me think that the problem might be between Expedia and Sofitel. We Have never made third party reservations, only direct. How many nights did you stay there and, if you don' mind, what rate did you get?
 
I'm really sorry for your experience at Sofitel. We experienced nothing short of great service and accommodations.

Makes me think that the problem might be between Expedia and Sofitel. We Have never made third party reservations, only direct. How many nights did you stay there and, if you don' mind, what rate did you get?

The problem was that they had made available more rooms that they had in reality to resellers. We understand that, in solving the situation, they chose to downgrade those who had not booked with them directly. We usually stay in suites and have done so all over the world. It’s the only instance where we have been downgraded without being reimbursed. It was not for lack of trying, and we had the advantage of speaking French to the manager who was from France.

Our rate was 398$ Canadian (which was similar, with the exchange rate at the time, with the direct quote) for one night. I booked through Expedia because I had points on that site that gave me around a 25% rebate.
 
Me too! I'm hopping up and down with impatience! We only have about 5 weeks we can cruise summer of '19 so that makes it even more nerve wracking..



Half the time I just eat from the "light side"...hard to mess up grilled chicken and broccoli (and Mickey bars of course :)).

We're hoping Disney brings back a 12nt that stops in Croatia next year. Fingers crossed!

They are on our Mac... when downloading it says file too large or something to that effect.... I’ll try and figure it out.... it’s just that I don’t have ANY patients when it comes to computer issues.

I had that same error initially. Not using a mac but I'm sure it's the same problem. To fix it, I opened the pic in edit and selected resize to a predefined width x height. Then chose document - large 1024 x 768 and resaved it. That size uploads great on the Dis.

The people on Liverpool were just amazing! I couldn't believe the crowds, and just a fun and happy group all around. Made me wish we'd had explored vs a full day port adventure.

So true. The crowd really was amazing. Left us wishing for more time and wanting to tour Liverpool as well. Hopefully we'll get the chance.
 
I just stumbled on your TR for the first time. Not only were we on the same cruise but it seems we were on the same bus from the Sofitel since my family and I are in many of your embarkation day pictures, at the rest stop on the way to Dover and at the terminal. We had a blast on that cruise ! Looking forward to read the rest.

One difference is the service we received at the Sofitel. We had booked a suite and we were downgraded to a regular room at check-in, without an apology or a reimbursement (we had paid in advance via Expedia). They comped us a cake ... my wife is boycotting Accor hotels for the time being, something not easy to do when taking a road trip in France, which is our next vacation.

Incredible. First, a big :welcome: to our trip report. Really happy you found it and so glad you're in many embarkation pics. Feels like we're practically neighbors sharing that ride to Dover. It's great to have you here. What a blast is right!

But what a horrible experience with the Sofitel. I can't believe they comp'd you a cake. Did they honor the club access?
We really loved our stay at this hotel and I'm so sorry to hear this.

The problem was that they had made available more rooms that they had in reality to resellers. We understand that, in solving the situation, they chose to downgrade those who had not booked with them directly. We usually stay in suites and have done so all over the world. It’s the only instance where we have been downgraded without being reimbursed. It was not for lack of trying, and we had the advantage of speaking French to the manager who was from France.

Our rate was 398$ Canadian (which was similar, with the exchange rate at the time, with the direct quote) for one night. I booked through Expedia because I had points on that site that gave me around a 25% rebate.

This is so bad and a word to the wise regarding Accor hotels and resellers. As JQ said, we've never booked thru a 3rd party like Expedia, so this is all new to us but being bumped from a reservation could happen to any of us IMO - and worth noting.

Thanks for letting us know this. It will definitely prove helpful especially in considering the Sofitel.

btw I found an interesting article on this topic by an award winning travel expert who coincidentally published this on the same day we cruised. He's not a fan of Expedia but the bigger point is this becoming a trend with hotels and airlines not honoring reservations.

http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2017/07/09/one-reason-not-book-expedia/
 
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