Disney Magic at Sea UK: What we’re excited about (and what activities there are to do onboard)

If you read my previous post about all the changes on the Disney Magic at Sea this summer, you might be wondering what exactly IS there to do onboard? Well… a lot, actually!

Disney Magic at Sea onboard activities for families in the UK

Eat to your heart’s content

After a year in lockdown, eating out is such a treat! We’re looking forward to dining in three beautifully themed restaurants: Lumiere’s, Animator’s Palate and Rapunzel’s Royal Table.

Lumiere’s is based on Beauty and the Beast and has a regal feel to it with luxury food. Animator’s Palette has a unique wall art show experience that changes from black and white to colour throughout the meal. And Rapunzel’s Royal Table has a dinner show with Rapunzel, Flynn and the Thugs from Tangled. I can’t wait to try all of them.

Note: if you have a 2-night cruise, you’ll only do 2 out of the 3 restaurants, and if you have a 4-night trip, you’ll repeat one of them.

Also onboard is the unlimited pizza from Pinocchio’s Pizzeria (my 10-year-old is the most excited about this!) and unlimited soft serve from Frozone Treats. At Duck-in Diner, find hamburgers, hot dogs and shawarma. Soft drinks are also free and unlimited, a dream for my teenager.

Tip: Although you will be given paper cups at the drinks station, they are very small. Bring a drinks carrier with you so that you can carry multiple cups, and tip the drink into a reusable tumbler. This will save you travelling to the drinks station over and over.

Cabanas serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it used to be a buffet but will likely have servers on this cruise.

For a charge, you can also get fresh-fruit smoothies from Frozone Treats. And outside the Walt Disney Theatre is Preludes, where you can buy cookies, candy, cocktails and popcorn before the show.

So much food and so many locations, I can’t list it all here, but you can find a complete list here at the fabulous Cruise Astute.

Catch a Broadway-style show

On this cruise, at the Walt Disney Theatre, they will be performing Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic. It’s a story of a girl who doesn’t believe, and it features hit songs from Aladdin, Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen and more. I’ve heard great things about this show, and I am really looking forward to seeing it. The last Disney show we saw was Frozen in Walt Disney World, and it was fantastic.

Meet a character, see a film, do some trivia or go shopping

Lots of events will be announced in Disney’s Personal Navigator. It’s unclear whether this schedule will still be a paper delivered to your room each day or if it will be electronically available on the app.

On the Personal Navigator, you’ll find all the day’s entertainment options, including youth activities, character meets, games, bingo, and much more.

Disney Cruises are known for showing the most brand-new films, sometimes even before they’re out yet! So catch on n the Buena Vista Theatre. Or watch one on Funnel Vision as you soak in the hot tub near Goofy’s Pool.

 Want to take the magic home with you? Four speciality stores are onboard selling all the usual Disney souvenirs, clothing, toys and collectables. Plus a few Cruise-exclusive items as well. There’s also a jewellery store and a shop with designer handbags, perfume and sundries. Plus, check out Vista Gallery for some stunning Disney art.

Splash away

My kids love to get wet, and they will have plenty of opportunities on the Disney Magic! First, there is Goofy’s Pool, featuring funnel vision (an enormous screen above the pool showing Disney movies) and two hot tubs.

AquaLab is a water playground, which includes Nephew’s Splash Zone based on Huey, Dewey and Louie and is for kids under 3. There’s also the Twist and Spout, a double-looping water slide for those over 38” tall.

And finally, for those who want an adrenaline rush, there’s AquaDunk. Step into a tube, the floor drops out beneath you, and you are sent on a waterslide that hangs over the side of the ship! You must be 48” tall for this one.  

And if you want something relaxing? There is the Quiet Cove Pool, an adults-only pool, plus sun loungers throughout. I’ll definitely be checking this out while the kids are in their clubs.

Enjoy your Stateroom 

If you ever need a break from it all, retire to your stateroom. Disney movies are available on-demand, and room service is free! We never get room service, so this will be such a treat for us. I think we’ll be ordering some Mickey bars and settling down for a short rest in between the other activities.

Kids Clubs

If you have kids aged 3 to 12, they can go to the Oceaneer Lab and/or Oceaneer Club for activities, crafts, character meets and more.

The Oceaneer Club is a 4-part area including a Marvel Super Hero Academy, Pixie Hollow dress up and play, and Andy’s Room play area with slide.

Oceaneer Lab is an interactive space with experiments, games, crafts and group activities, plus a Captain Hook themed world with computers, simulators and large LCD screens.

The tweens club is themed like a boiler room and is called Edge for 11 to 14-year-olds. It has video games, crafts and a dance floor. Planned activities include game shows, improv, trivia, karaoke, scavenger hunts, themed nights and more.

The teens club is Vibe, for 14 to 17-year-olds, and is actually inside the red Forward Funnel! Designed as a space to socialise, they have video games, board games, flat screens and a coffee bar with drinks and snacks.

So far, Disney has said that we can book just one session in the Oceaneer Lab or Oceaneer Club, but once on the ship, you can see what other sessions are available. Luckily my teenager is 14, so if my boys want to be together, they can both hang out at the tween club. Alternatively, they can separate so my eldest can go to the teen club. Either way, they don’t need to be booked into those, so I think they will have more than plenty of time to check these out. Other parents have told me that it’s hard to get kids to leave the clubs!

By the way, if you have under 3s, be aware that the It’s a Small World nursery will not be available on this cruise.

Drink and be entertained

While the kids are living their best life, we should too. There are at least seven places to grab a drink onboard, so we’ll never be far from a cocktail!

D Lounge has all-day family entertainment like trivia, game shows and karaoke. While the Promenade Lounge has family events like bingo, scavenger hunts, and dance parties. Although I can’t imagine my husband taking part in a dance party, I think we’ll be the first ones there for Disney trivia and scavenger hunts.

There are more adult-focussed lounges, too.

O’Gills is a handsome Irish pub with live sporting events on the TV, while Keys is an upscale piano bar in the Golden Age of Hollywood style. Fathoms is a lively adult after-hours lounge with under-the-sea themed drinks and decor.

Cove Cafe is an adults-only lounge with coffee, tea, wine and cocktails. And the Signals bar next to the Quiet Cove pool is the perfect spot to grab a drink and watch the sunset from Deck 9.

All in all, there are too many Disney Magic at Sea onboard activities for our 3-night stay.

I guess that’s the danger with trying out a cruise… we may need to book another one straight away! 

 

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like our tips for booking a last-minute Disneyland Paris trip.

And if you need any help booking your Disney Magic at Sea cruise check out all the essential information. Happy sailing!