Guest Trip Report: August 6, 2021 3 Night on the Disney Magic from Southampton

This guest trip report was written by Molly, who sailed on the August 6, 2021 UK Staycation Magic at Sea sailing on the Disney Magic from Southampton, England. It was a 3 night cruise to nowhere. You can start the report from the beginning here.

Day 1: Boarding the Disney Magic

We woke up quite early, and had already had an email from Disney to fill in our health questionnaire. This was questions about COVID mostly, and was quick and easy to complete.

Then we headed down for breakfast. There was a buffet style set up with plenty to choose from. The breakfast was good.

We walked outside and could see the ship from the hotel!

We had some time to waste so headed to a few shops and then sat in the car before heading to the car park at the port. We were allowed in the car park 30 minutes prior to our arranged port arrival time. My mum is disabled so we had been allocated a parking space in the disabled area. We were in the car waiting for our arrival time for about 5 minutes when a kind man approached us and asked if we needed luggage tags, which we did. A different man then came to attach the tags and took our cases in a van, which was really handy! The car park was so close to the ship.

We waited in the car until our port arrival time, and then walked on over to the terminal. The set up was pretty slick. We went into a room and someone from Prenetics scanned our QR code which showed we were vaccinated and took our reservation number. We were waiting for around 15 minutes before being called to our cubicle to do our COVID tests.

This was simple and only took a couple of minutes. The test was a swab for 5 seconds up each nostril. We were told the results would take 15 minutes, and we would get an email with the results. We were guided to a seat, and the nervous wait began! There were plenty of staff walking around helping anyone, and chasing up results. Our wait was actually just over an hour which was very nerve wracking, but then we got the email to say we were all clear and able to continue our boarding process! Next we went in to the check in area and had our ID checks and security scan. There were lines for Castaway Club members and concierge, but there was only one other family in the area whilst we were there so no quicker by using this line.

The terminal area was completely empty, so we headed straight onto the ship!

The feeling of walking up that gangway and having our name announced is something I’ve desperately missed. When we arrived, Mickey and Minnie were waiting for us and waving! We were then taken into Fathoms and directed to our assembly point. There wasn’t the usual gathering, but instead we went straight there and spoke with a cast member to confirm that we know where to go.

Then we headed to Cabanas for lunch! There were lots of cast members around to explain the new process, and I’m pretty sure there are new hand washing stations at the entrance. I don’t remember seeing those on the Dream before. The buffet food is still available, however there are screens up, and you ask and the food is plated up for you. I think there was less variety than usual, but still plenty to choose from and all so tasty! Drinks are also poured by cast members now.

I decided to explore the ship next, as I’ve not sailed on the Magic before. I found that our room was ready about an hour earlier than expected, and our luggage was already delivered which was great. Our Key to the World cards were waiting outside our room, and the Castaway Club lanyards were waiting for us inside. Our stateroom host was just so lovely. One difference I noticed between the Magic and the Dream is that I think the verandah is slightly bigger on this ship, or at least it was for this room.

Whilst we were settling into our room, we found out that the COVID testing systems and app had all been experiencing technical issues. As a result, many people had really long wait times at the terminal before getting on the ship. The captain made an announcement that the safety drill would be postponed until 8:15, and our ship now wouldn’t be sailing away until almost midnight (6:00 was supposed to be our sail away time). I decided to take a look around the ship at this time because it was pretty quiet, and it was interesting to see the view of Southampton! I also got an ice cream (these are served for us now too, which I think is probably better as those things can be tricky sometimes), and had a look at the menu for the quick service stations.

I checked the daily navigator on my app, as paper navigators are currently a thing of the past. I personally prefer the paper navigators. I took a few screen shots to show what this looked like. You can now also use the app to instant message guest services, and other people on the ship if they share their ID with you.

There wasn’t a musical in the Walt Disney theatre tonight, as they were showing Jungle Cruise, so I decided to head up to the Senses Spa to see if there were any extra last minute bookings, which there were!

The spa is a little different than usual. This time we arrive and are taken straight to our treatment room. There are no slippers or robes anymore, and the lockers are only available to use for the restrooms. Masks are also required to be worn throughout. Despite this, my massage was still amazing.

After my massage we headed up to deck 10 to watch the Freezing the Night Away deck party. It was SO much fun, and of course Elsa made it snow! There were dots on the floor for each family to stand on to promote social distancing, but for the most part it was still pretty crowded. Cast members were handing out blankets, which was a nice touch, and afterwards we got a chocolate bar! The adults area was empty at this time, and the sunset was beautiful.

We had around 15 minutes to change before dinner, which was at 8:30. Tonight we were in Animator’s Palate. There are no menus given anymore, instead we scan a QR code on the table and the menu appears on our phones. This is simple, but I’m a bit old fashioned and love a menu to look at. These are still displayed outside the restaurant. I always love Animator’s Palate. The show and how the colours grow during the evening is amazing and will always make me smile.

Our severs, Ivica and Gabriella were fantastic. We especially loved Gabriella. As usual, the dinner was superb. I had the black truffle pasta, and my mum asked for the chicken noodle soup from the children’s menu (she is THE fussiest eater I know). Then I got the baked potato and cheddar cheese soup, miso glazed steak, and finished with the chocolate fudge cheesecake. Mum had the salmon from the lighter offerings every day. The meals were divine. The dinner show of all our drawings was great fun. I’ve really missed this feeling.

We then headed back to our room. Our towel animal was a swan! We still hadn’t left port at this time, so I wanted to try and stay awake to watch as we set off. I didn’t manage it! I woke at 3:30 and checked the map and we were just off the coast of the Isle of Wight. We’ll be heading down the English Channel towards Falmouth. Tomorrow we have a busy day!