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25 Fun Facts About the Disney Magic
- Maiden Voyage: July 30, 1998 – 4 Night Bahamian Cruise
- Passenger Capacity: 2,400
- Gross Tonnage: 84,000 Tons
- Length: 964 ft, Beam: 106 ft, Draft: 25.3 ft
- Speed: Cruising Speed 21.5 Knots – Max Speed 24 Knots
- Crew: 950 Cast Members on board at all times
- Godmother of the ship is Patricia Disney, Former wife of Roy E. Disney
- Goofy is painting the back of the ship – Each ship has a different character
- The Magic is longer than Main Street U.S.A at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World
- There are 877 Staterooms – Inside: 256, Oceanview: 259 and Verandah 362
- The ship horn whistles “When You Wish Upon a Star”
- Lobby Statue is Helmsman Mickey Mouse
- On an average 7-Night cruise, over 71,500 eggs and are consumed
- The ship can make 1,200 tons of fresh water from seawater each day
- The ship has 11 decks
- One anchor alone weighs 28,200 pounds
- On arrival day, cast members will transport approximately 10,000 suitcases
- The Disney Magic was built in two halves about 100 miles apart
- The Magic was the first cruise ship to ever have split bathrooms for guests
- The Disney Magic was just recently renovated in October of 2013. Some of the new highlights include; The AquaDunk water slide, new Brazilian-themed restaurant, a new kid’s club, new splash zone water play areas and new adult nightclubs.
- Wood is used throughout the whole ship, which is rare for newer ships
- On average there are over 86 nationalities of cast members
- 70% of staterooms have a view of the Ocean and 60% of them have a private verandah
- All pools are filled with freshwater and are heated to 75 Degrees
- The Walt Disney Theatre can seat 977 guests and expands three decks
– Cody Woodbrey
Disney’s Castaway Cay
Castaway Cay is Disney’s 1,000-acre private island in paradise. You will find many activities for the whole family to enjoy, such as swimming, snorkeling boating, parasailing and of course sunbathing.
Along the shoreline at Castaway Cay’s Family Beach you will find several activities for everyone to enjoy. Some of the activities you will find here will be swimming; snorkeling, kayaking, volleyball, or relaxing under the sun. The Games Pavilion is another great place for family members to have fun. The pavilion provides great games such as table tennis, foosball, billiards, chess and basketball.
One of the reasons why my family love snorkeling at Castaway Cay is all the fun things you get so see. While snorkeling you will find treasures like: hidden Mickeys, sunken ships, old submarines, and of course you will see some amazing tropical fish. Tip: Each one of the big treasures are marked by a buoy you can either bring your own snorkel gear or you can rent them at the beach rental shack ($29.00 per person). You can also rent inner tubes here ($10.00 per day).
Pelican Plunge is a must do for your visit to Castaway Cay. This 2,400 square-food floating platform sits a short swimming distance from the beach. Here you find two fun and exciting slides, a giant bucket that dumps hundreds of gallons below and water cannons for shooting targets a short distance away.
Castaway Cay also has some great port adventures you can book such as, stingray interactions, parasailing, fishing, glass-bottom boat tours or even jet skiing. Some of my guests’ favorites are the stingray interactions and parasailing.
Like on the ship, the food here is completely complimentary. Cookie’s BBQ is a great buffet to get food at the family beach area. Some of the foods you will find here are barbeque, burgers, fresh salads, island spiced rotisserie chicken, grilled fish, flat breads, ice cream and soda.
For those adults who want to get away from the family beach, they can head over to Serenity Bay Beach. This beach is the adult only area on the island. Here adults can relax enjoy the cool breeze of the ocean without large crowds and noises. The food here is bit nicer than that of the family beach eating areas.
Beach Cabanas – If you want a little extra piece of paradise, you can rent out 1 of 20 premium rental cabanas. These cabanas proved you private and luxury retreat. The cabanas are furnished with cushioned chairs, luxuries chaise lounges, stylish side tables and a dining table, refrigerator, lockable storage unit and your own fresh water shower. The Cabanas are located just off the Castaway Family Beach and on Serenity bay.
There you have it, Disney’s little piece of Paradise!
If you are planning on taking a Disney Cruise in the future, please contact me for more information and deals.
– Cody Woodbrey
Top 10 Photo Opportunities on Disney’s Castaway Cay
There are several great places on the island to take pictures. These are some of the guests favorite places to take pictures.
1. With the ship behind you from different places on the island
2. In front of Mt. Rushmore – The Characters usually do meet n’ greets here
3. Building a sand castle and playing in the sand
4. Relaxing on a beach chair in the water at Serenity bay
5. Playing in the water and going down the slide at Pelicans Plunge
6. While doing the different activities on the beach, biking, swimming, relaxing, snorkeling, kayaking and eating
7. With the Disney Characters dressed up in their beach wear
8. With the hidden characters in the snorkeling bay (You will need a water proof camera)
9. Relaxing and lying in the hammocks
10. With the flora, fauna, and various airplanes around the island
Credit for the photos by J. Shuping, S. Caramico, C. Woodbrey & T. Woodbrey
If you are planning on taking a Disney Cruise in the future, please contact me for more information and deals.
– Cody Woodbrey
Top 25 Photo Opportunities on the Disney Cruise Line
There are literally hundreds of photo opportunities while cruising with Disney. Here you will find the top 25 ideas and places guests like to take pictures while cruising. These do not include the top places to take pictures on Disney’s private island, Disney’s Castaway Cay nor on port adventures. Comment below, if you have other places you like to take pictures while cruising with Disney!
1. In the port terminal before you board the ship
2. By the main statue in the Atrium
3. Of the Lobby Chandelier
4. While sitting in one of the large port holes around the ship
5. Of the stateroom door and Stateroom
6. In the different restaurants – Animator’s Palate is the top restaurant to take pictures of
7. With your servers, room host and other cast members
8. While playing the various games onboard
9. By the Walt Disney Theatre picture, right before the entrance of the theatre
10. In front of the big red stacks with the Disney Cruise Line logo – Try taking daytime and nighttime pictures
11. While playing and relaxing around the pool areas
12. Of the dinner menus and food – Great way to keep track of what you ate and what you liked during your cruise
13. With Captain Mickey
14. While on board the ship at the different ports of call
15. At the different deck parties and activities
16. While enjoying Pirate Night
17. Of all the kids areas: Andy’s Room, Oceaneers Club, the Vibe and so on
18. With Disney’s VIP Characters dressed in their different outfits – Outfits change nightly
19. With the main theme backdrops for each night – they change nightly
20. While exploring the ship
21. Of all the different towel creations
22. Of all the different clubs on board
23. With the Golden Mickey’s statue
24. By the ship when it’s docked
25. By the “All aboard”, “Welcome Home” & “We’ll See You Real Soon” signs
– Cody Woodbrey
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