Just off the 4 night Magic!

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Just off the 4 night Magic in Miami! Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[wishiwasindisneyjen]

Welcome back! How was embarkation? Did you drive to the port?

 

[lorimay]

Hope you had as great of a time as we did the cruise before you!

 

[figmentfinesse]

can you let us know about evening entertainment? Did you have two or 3 musicals?

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Welcome back! How was embarkation? Did you drive to the port?

We drove from Orlando the night before and stayed out at the airport since it was cheaper. We decided last minute to go early and not at 4:00am. Glad we did. Miami was a heated mess of traffic. took 20 mins to get to the port. We arrived early so we drove around a bunch to get the lay of the land since there were NO signs. The only reason I knew it was in C was from youtube videos. We dropped the bags at 10:00am for a 10:30 PAT. We parked in the G garage and took the bus back. We got in line at 10:25am to find that 99% of the people in line had much later PATs so we walked to the front and were allowed right in. We went through security, then COVID testing which was stressful because she wanted us to test at the same time and the space was so tight. DH almost spilled is vile and I dropped my lid on the ground. We thought for sure we wouldn't get negative! We then sat in the covid room and waited 30 mins when I refreshed the app and we were both negative. We did the Disney check-in then sat in another room and waited until boarding began. We had group 2. We were on the ship at 11:59am and to Cabanas before 12:30pm.
We won't sail Miami again unless its a STEAL! I read on another thread the cliental was much different than PC and while I agree with that 100%, I didn't encounter rude guests, line cutters, and my magnets were all accounted for on my door!

can you let us know about evening entertainment? Did you have two or 3 musicals?

We saw Tangled and Disney Dreams. We went to Tangled night 2 and Dreams night 3. I'm glad we did that so we weren't rushed on day 1 since my suitcase was very late and gave us the last night to do other things on the ship like trivia and the pool/hot tub. Adult activities at night were lacking compared to the past but each night there was always 2 activities after dinner but everything ended around 11:30pm. The one sports bar stayed open until 2am but we were usually in bed between 10:30pm-11:30pm. Can't really say for family evening entertainment after 10:00pm. They might have had one game show or trivia but we didn't attend those, just the adults only things. Shows were great, Tangled was better IMO but glad we got to see both. 5 night cruise had 3 shows we were told.

 

[cmash95]

we had twice charmed as well on our five night cruise

 

[figmentfinesse]

we had twice charmed as well on our five night cruise

That is so promising to hear. I have a 5 night in January and due to a unique schedule this year I am able to cruise on the Magic. Not sure if I’ll ever be able to again!

 

[lwilliam]

Dreading Saturday so much. I know how it used to be but our friends never sailed before, this will be so sad for them. And there is no way we can stay in Miami night before (this is our 23rd cruise)…this is not a good thing for DCL….no wonder they are looking at Port Everglades. For our friends first experience it may be their last.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Dreading Saturday so much. I know how it used to be but our friends never sailed before, this will be so sad for them. And there is no way we can stay in Miami night before (this is our 23rd cruise)…this is not a good thing for DCL….no wonder they are looking at Port Everglades. For our friends first experience it may be their last.

DH and I were half way to Miami and said we will not sail Miami again unless it’s too cheap to pass up. We live 1.5 to PC which is much more organized and no/less traffic.DH was very nervous around Miami which is not how you want to start your trip with arguing about traffic and directions! The magic is a great ship but to choose again between the Dream and magic, we will go on the Dream which sadly goes to Miami in June

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

We won't sail Miami again unless its a STEAL! I read on another thread the cliental was much different than PC and while I agree with that 100%, I didn't encounter rude guests, line cutters, and my magnets were all accounted for on my door!

DH and I were half way to Miami and said we will not sail Miami again unless it’s too cheap to pass up. We live 1.5 to PC which is much more organized and no/less traffic.DH was very nervous around Miami which is not how you want to start your trip with arguing about traffic and directions! The magic is a great ship but to choose again between the Dream and magic, we will go on the Dream which sadly goes to Miami in June

These were My same feelings when we sailed on 11/8 from Miami. Glad you didn't encounter the rude guests etc. We had a TON on our cruise. I am hoping things will be a bit different in the future with the Dream (No testing/etc.) and put Miami in a better light for us.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Dreading Saturday so much. I know how it used to be but our friends never sailed before, this will be so sad for them. And there is no way we can stay in Miami night before (this is our 23rd cruise)…this is not a good thing for DCL….no wonder they are looking at Port Everglades. For our friends first experience it may be their last.

Awww, don't dread it. I understand that other ports can't compare to PC but once you're onboard, it's still a Disney cruise. We are on the same cruise and it will be our 24th. Besides sailing from PC, we have sailed from Seattle, New York, Miami, Barcelona and Dover. Sure, they don't have that warm & fuzzy feelings we get in PC but we've never regretted taking a Disney cruise just because of where it sailed from.
Our Med cruise had people from all over the world. We saw luggage from Qatar and Kuwait. It was still one big happy cruise.
In March we'll be sailing from New Orleans. Looking forward to that too.
I personally think it's harder for those who are driving. We plan to Uber to the port from a hotel near MIA and using a transportation company to return us to MIA. It's so much easier than driving and navigating.

When we sailed from Miami several years ago, we had stayed a few days in WDW so we picked up a one way car rental at the Dolphin the day before our sail date. Then in the am we drove to Miami and dropped the rental car off at MIA. Back then, they offered a free shuttle to the port from the MIA Rental Car Center as long as you could show a receipt that you rented a car that day. I don't know if they still offer that service but it was very convenient. We love the Magic and try to sail on her whenever we can so it's worth it to us to trek to Miami.

I'm sure your friends will understand that it's not the full experience due to covid. There may be fewer activities but the service we had in August was as good, if not better, than our other cruises. Your friends will appreciate that aspect.

 

[esmeralda2030]

Dreading Saturday so much. I know how it used to be but our friends never sailed before, this will be so sad for them. And there is no way we can stay in Miami night before (this is our 23rd cruise)…this is not a good thing for DCL….no wonder they are looking at Port Everglades. For our friends first experience it may be their last.

I don't really understand the problems with miami? too late since I've already booked my cruise (first time) but why is it so different from Port canaveral? personally i ended up choosing the magic/miami because hotels, flights, and the ship itself was cheaper.

 

[lorenni]

I don't really understand the problems with miami? too late since I've already booked my cruise (first time) but why is it so different from Port canaveral? personally i ended up choosing the magic/miami because hotels, flights, and the ship itself was cheaper.

It’s not that different. The main difference is that the cruise terminal is not entirely Disney themed, which has never been a deal breaker for me. I’ve sailed DCL out of PC, Miami, Puerto Rico and Vancouver and I actually like PC the least because it’s the only terminal where you can’t stay in an excellent city the evening before and have a ten minute Uber ride to the port the next morning.

Some folks just like things to be the same. But that shouldn’t deter anyone wanting to cruise out of Miami. South Beach is so much fun with excellent beaches, restaurants and a solid pedestrian culture. We always arrive the day before the cruise, and this time we are staying for three more days after the cruise in a sweet airbnb right on the beach. You couldn’t pay me to stay three extra days in PC.

 

[lorenni]

Are the ping pong and foosball tables still off limits?

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

I don't really understand the problems with miami? too late since I've already booked my cruise (first time) but why is it so different from Port canaveral? personally i ended up choosing the magic/miami because hotels, flights, and the ship itself was cheaper.

As a disclaimer, we live in Orlando so its a 45 min drive to Canaveral vs a 4 hour drive to Miami so that's part of the reason we prefer Canaveral. Also, the people at the Disney terminal in PC are actually Disney CM's so they seem to be a lot more "with it" and organized. Miami on our 11/8 cruise was a hot mess of disorganization. We ended up parking off site at Safe Cruise Parking because if we are going to have to ride a shuttle anyway (Parking for Terminal C is currently in Garage G), why not save the extra money?

Would I sail out of Miami again? Sure. The prices are cheaper and we love the Magic, even though we felt she was looking a bit more run down than usual this time, but everything else on board was top notch. It just doesn't offer the same ease and convenience that Canaveral does. Overall our check in experience was negative at Miami due to some confusion by the agents there.

Most of this is Moot for the Magic anyway as this is their last year in Miami. Hopefully things get a little smoother with the Dream sailing from Miami year round.

 

[esmeralda2030]

It’s not that different. The main difference is that the cruise terminal is not entirely Disney themed, which has never been a deal breaker for me. I’ve sailed DCL out of PC, Miami, Puerto Rico and Vancouver and I actually like PC the least because it’s the only terminal where you can’t stay in an excellent city the evening before and have a ten minute Uber ride to the port the next morning.

Some folks just like things to be the same. But that shouldn’t deter anyone wanting to cruise out of Miami. South Beach is so much fun with excellent beaches, restaurants and a solid pedestrian culture. We always arrive the day before the cruise, and this time we are staying for three more days after the cruise in a sweet airbnb right on the beach. You couldn’t pay me to stay three extra days in PC.

Great to hear! Thanks for confirming what I was thinking. I also have an extra day after my cruise and I'm staying on South Beach. I'm very excited to visit Miami! Port Canaveral (to me) was just not convenient as someone who is flying in.

 

[esmeralda2030]

As a disclaimer, we live in Orlando so its a 45 min drive to Canaveral vs a 4 hour drive to Miami so that's part of the reason we prefer Canaveral. Also, the people at the Disney terminal in PC are actually Disney CM's so they seem to be a lot more "with it" and organized. Miami on our 11/8 cruise was a hot mess of disorganization. We ended up parking off site at Safe Cruise Parking because if we are going to have to ride a shuttle anyway (Parking for Terminal C is currently in Garage G), why not save the extra money?

Would I sail out of Miami again? Sure. The prices are cheaper and we love the Magic, even though we felt she was looking a bit more run down than usual this time, but everything else on board was top notch. It just doesn't offer the same ease and convenience that Canaveral does. Overall our check in experience was negative at Miami due to some confusion by the agents there.

Most of this is Moot for the Magic anyway as this is their last year in Miami. Hopefully things get a little smoother with the Dream sailing from Miami year round.

Ah that makes sense, Disney CMs are truly on another level. I'm not driving in (flying/taking uber), so hopefully check-in will be much simpler for me if I don't have to deal with parking. I'm actually very excited to be on the Magic, I like that it's a bit older/smaller, it gives it more of a "ship-y" feel in my opinion as opposed to new mega-ships that try to hide the fact that they're ships haha

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Ah that makes sense, Disney CMs are truly on another level. I'm not driving in (flying/taking uber), so hopefully check-in will be much simpler for me if I don't have to deal with parking. I'm actually very excited to be on the Magic, I like that it's a bit older/smaller, it gives it more of a "ship-y" feel in my opinion as opposed to new mega-ships that try to hide the fact that they're ships haha

Yes. Bigger is not better.

 

[Cheburashka]

I don't really understand the problems with miami? too late since I've already booked my cruise (first time) but why is it so different from Port canaveral? personally i ended up choosing the magic/miami because hotels, flights, and the ship itself was cheaper.

I've sailed out of Miami 3 times and never had a problem with it. From reading posts on these boards, the primary issues people seem to have is that parking & finding the right entrance at the extensive Miami port is more confusing than at small Port Canaveral. If you're taking a Disney transfer bus (highly recommend), that is a non-issue. I sailed the Magic last month, and embarkation was completely organized and went like clockwork. Debarkation was slower because customs was really slow this time (never an issue before), but it was still organized. The only difference in the experience there and at Port Canaveral is that the walkway to the ship didn't have Mickey ears. Oh well.

You sometimes get a different passenger profile when sailing out of Miami- a lot of South American foreign nationals from Brazil, Argentina, etc. That can give the cruise a bit of a different flavor than the overwhelmingly American sailings out of Port Canaveral, but it is no big deal, and I'm sure some people like it being a bit different.

Sailing out of Miami in winter is also a bonus because Miami is almost always very warm, even midwinter, whereas Port Canaveral is sometimes cool. So in Miami you can enjoy the pool deck on embarkation day immediately in winter, whereas that might or might not be the case in Port Canaveral, depending on the weather forecast for your cruise, and your tolerance for swimming in cool weather.

 

[esmeralda2030]

If you're taking a Disney transfer bus (highly recommend), that is a non-issue. I sailed the Magic last month, and embarkation was completely organized and went like clockwork.

Do you recommend this over Uber/Lyft? I'm staying at a hotel near the airport the night before my cruise. I declined disney transportation because I didn't think I'd need it and thought it would make things more complicated

You sometimes get a different passenger profile when sailing out of Miami- a lot of South American foreign nationals from Brazil, Argentina, etc. That can give the cruise a bit of a different flavor than the overwhelmingly American sailings out of Port Canaveral, but it is no big deal, and I'm sure some people like it being a bit different.

Oh... so that's what that whole thread about "rude guests" from Miami was actually about...
I can't imagine that this would bother me!