Disney Cruise Line recently announced short two, three and four night “Disney Magic at Sea” staycation cruises that will take place this summer onboard the Disney Magic. These cruises are only available for UK residents and will sail from Liverpool, Southampton, Newcastle and Tilbury and as the name suggests will not have any ports of call and will stay out at sea for the whole cruise. As these will be the first Disney Cruises to set sail since cruising shut down during March 2020 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, there will be a number of changes to how these cruises operate and also different protocols that will have to be followed both before boarding and once onboard.

In the last week it has been interesting to say the least to read peoples reactions online – both positive as well as negative – with regards to these changes. It does seem that there are some people do not realise that we are still in the middle of a global pandemic and that these rules are in place to protect everyone (both guests as well as crew members) whilst onboard the ship and I am not sure why these people have an issue with that. Disney Cruise Line are a private company and can make their own rules and you not agreeing with them is not discrimination (I have seen that word used so many times this week) by any means and an insult to people who have suffered from actual discrimination in their lives.

I have been on five Disney cruises (and currently have had three five cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic and have several more booked) so I am completely okay with all of these rules if it means finally getting back onboard the beautiful Disney Magic. I am looking forward to a completely new and different experience onboard but I will also point out that I have always had a very different opinion to a lot of people with regards to what makes a good cruise so my opinions can be vastly different to others.

Update – I have now sailed my sixth cruise on one of the Disney Magic at Sea staycation cruises from Southampton. If you would like to read my blog from the cruise, you can find it here and here.

Update 2 – I was also lucky enough to sail on my seventh cruise a few weeks later from London Tilbury. You can read my blogs here and here.

All Adults Over 18 Will Need to be Fully Vaccinated

I am not really sure why this one came as a surprise to most people (I would have thought it obvious and was waiting for them to announce it) but all adults aged 18 and over will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 (both vaccinations plus seven days) to be able to cruise on the Disney Magic. I can completely understand the disappointment to those who will not be vaccinated in time due to their age but the comments on social media have been ridiculous. I guess some people do not realise that a Disney Cruise is for people of all ages and not just for young families with children – they obviously have never been on a Disney Transatlantic or Panama Canal cruise where there are very few children onboard compared to normal.

Everyone Under 18 Will Need a Negative PCR Test

Everyone under the age of 18 who is not yet fully vaccinated will need to provide a negative Covid-19 PCR test taken between five days and twenty four hours before sailing and these tests are to be paid for by the guests themselves.

Everyone Will Be Required to Take a Rapid Test Before Boarding

Everyone no matter if they are fully vaccinated or have provided a negative PCR test will need to take a rapid Covid-19 antigen test at the port (at no extra cost) before being allowed to board. If anyone tests positive, a second test will be carried out and if positive again will be denied boarding along with those in their travel party. If you have never done one of these tests before (I have to do one nearly every other day for my job) it would be a good idea to order a box of them free of charge from the NHS website so you can see how they work before you get to the port.

Masks and Face Coverings are Required

I have seen many comments online from people saying that they refuse to book one of these sailings if they have to wear a mask but really, after the last year what else did you expect? If you thought that this wasn’t going to be one of the rules, you must be living on another planet. Masks or face coverings (which cover both the nose and mouth) will be required for anyone over the age of 11 (including crew members) and recommended for all other age groups and there are no exceptions to this rule – if you cannot wear a mask, then do not travel. However masks are not required when inside your stateroom, whilst eating or drinking at one of the bars or restaurants inside the ship or at any time on the outside decks.

There Will be a New Muster Drill

If you have sailed before and know how the muster drill used to take place, this change could easily be one of the best things to have ever happened. You will now have to report to your assembly station as soon as you board to check in before listening to the safety information announcement which will be played throughout the ship and you can listen to this announcement from wherever you happen to be on the ship when it is played. This new process will stop the large groups of people all crowded together in a small area for the entire duration of the muster drill which used to happen.

Character Meet and Greets Will be Different

Another big change is that you will only be able to see the characters from a distance and no hugs or autographs will be allowed. They will be around the ship throughout the cruise and you can either take a photo of just the character themselves or a “socially distanced selfie”. Seeing how they have done these new character experiences in the theme parks and the different ways the characters can now interact with guests, I have no doubt that these will be brilliant. I personally have always preferred to take photos of the characters instead of having a photo of me with them (as I usually end up with a photo of me with my eyes closed) so I cannot wait to see the characters this way.

Shows in the Walt Disney Theatre

Both Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic as well as Tangled: The Musical will be performed on the Disney Magic at Sea cruises. There will also be a Celebration at Sea with Mickey and Friends pre-show so you can see more of the Disney characters. Reservations for the shows are no longer required and you can attend as many performances as you would like – just remember to go to the show that does not conflict with your dinner seating.

Dining on the Disney Magic at Sea

Rotational Dining will be offered as normal and you will be assigned to eat at least once in Animator’s Palate, Lumiere’s and Rapunzel’s Royal Table and your servers will stay with you throughout the cruise however if you are on one of the two night sailings, you will miss one of the restaurants. Only one family or travel party will be seated at each table which sounds like heaven as the thought of dining with strangers has always been my idea of hell hence why in the past we always requested our own table. Menus will be available on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app but single use paper menus are also available on request. Adult dining at Palo can also be booked for both brunch or dinner however the upcharge is now $45 per person. Quick service will still be available on the outdoor decks however there will be no self service buffet at Cabanas – it is open but the food will be served to you by a Cast Member instead.

Reservations are Needed for Youth Activities

Before sailing parents will need to register their children during the online check-in process for both the Oceaneer Club and the Oceaneer Lab and you will be able to book one 1.5 hour session for embarkation day and one 2.5 hour session for each of the days at sea.

Other Need to Know Information About the Disney Magic at Sea Cruises

When you complete your online check-in which opens thirty days before sailing you will be able to select a Port Arrival Time and these will be strictly enforced.

To be able to book any of the upcharge experiences (such as Palo), your reservation must be paid in full and your booking window will open based on your Castaway Club level:

Platinum Castaway Club and Concierge Guests – 120 days before sailing
Gold Castaway Club – 105 days before sailing
Silver Castaway Club – 90 days before sailing
First time cruisers – 75 days before sailing

If you are cruising for the first time, you may not be able to book some of the activities that you want but do not stress about it. Keep checking everyday in case of cancellations and if you cannot get booked, you will still have a great cruise – just being onboard the Disney Magic itself is incredible.

Before embarkation all guests will need to complete a health questionnaire (similar to cruises in the past) which will be emailed to you on the morning of your cruise which will contain questions related to Covid-19 symptoms.

Anyone aged 18 or over will be allowed to carry on two bottles of wine or six beers in their hand baggage only. Any other alcohol including spirits will be destroyed (they will no longer store it until the end of the cruise) and all alcohol that you bring onboard with you must be consumed in your stateroom and not in any public area of the ship.

When boarding remember that you will have to carry everything you bring on the ship with you until your stateroom is ready so check in any heavy bags or suitcases at the port which will be delivered to your stateroom. Also your stateroom will cleaned twice a day – once in the morning and then a turndown service in the evening and crew members will not enter any stateroom while guests are present.

The all aboard time will be 5:15pm for the Southampton departures and 6:30pm from Liverpool, Newcastle and Tilbury.

All Key to the World purchases made onboard will use a new contactless system and all onboard payments will be in US Dollars however there will be a 2% discount applied to all final bills to allow for any foreign transaction credit card fees.

Fish Extenders (tacky gift bags that people hang outside their stateroom doors to allow guests to exchange gifts) are not permitted.

The basketball court area will be used as a sundeck on these sailings to allow for more sunloungers to be distanced on the outside deck and there will be a physical queue and time limit at Goofy’s Pool as well as the Aqualab. There is however no queue or time limit at the adult only Quiet Cove pool.

The fitness center will be open and reservations are not required to enter. Masks are not required when actively working out but they will be needed when entering or leaving the area.

Soft serve ice cream and soft drinks from the beverage stations (which are included in your cruise fare) will not be self service as they have been in the past and will be served to you by a crew member. We actually had this system on our last cruise on the Disney Fantasy and it was not an issue at all.

The adult only Cove Cafe and the Quiet Cove will be available but only for guests aged eighteen and over with no exceptions.

As these are only short sailings, there will be no formal night onboard.

On these sailings there is no sailaway party or pirate night with fireworks. If you have ever been on a previous Disney cruise, you know how busy and crowded the outdoor decks are during these times so this is not a surprise at all. However the Freezing the Night Away deck party will be performed several times throughout the cruise to allow everyone to see it.

I have already mentioned the app several times but now even more then ever, this app will be crucial. The Disney Cruise Line Navigator app works free of charge with the wifi onboard and you will be able to chat with both Guest Services and the dining teams, check menus, daily schedules, deck plans as well as check your account along with any digital receipts for purchases made onboard.

Disembarking the Disney Magic

From what I can tell, very little seems to have changed for disembarkation. Breakfast is available on the final morning and there will still be an option for you to leave your luggage outside your stateroom on the final night which you will then collect in the terminal (you will be called in groups to disembark) and Express Walk Off where you take your own bags off the ship as soon as it has been cleared by customs will be offered too.

These Cruises Will be Different to How They Used to Be

The best piece of advice I will give to anyone booking one of the Disney Magic at Sea sailings who has never been on a Disney Cruise before is to not watch any videos on YouTube of previous cruises as you will be seeing the way things used to be and this could leave you disappointed now that things have changed and are being done differently. The best way to go is with a completely open mind!

So Have I Booked a Disney Magic at Sea UK Staycation Cruise?

After having so many happy memories onboard all four ships since our first cruise back in 2013 and then having our dream cruise to Hawaii on the Disney Wonder cancelled last year (which was absolutely heartbreaking and still hurts to this day), I cannot wait to get back onboard a Disney ship so of course we have booked. We were able to book on opening day (a benefit of being Gold Castaway Club members) and even have our favourite stateroom on the Disney Magic booked! We have already had our first vaccinations and will both be fully vaccinated in June so that is not an issue as it will leave plenty of time before our cruise. I feel much more comfortable knowing that every adult onboard will be vaccinated and if these simple rules mean us getting back to some form of “normal” then I’m all for them and if these measures prevent an outbreak onboard, that can only be a good thing.

I know these cruises will be different to what we are used to but I am looking forward to doing things onboard that I might not usually have done as I was always in line to meet another character or waiting for a deck party – I can now use that time to see and do something else. I have no doubt that these cruises will be amazing and more magical than ever – they’re the little ray of light we have all been waiting for since last year.

All of the photos in this blog post were taken on my previous cruise on the Disney Magic as well as in Dover where the Disney Magic has spent the majority of the last year.

Since this blog post was written back in 2020, some of the information may no longer be accurate or up to date. Be sure to do your own research and check official websites for the latest details before making any of your own travel plans.

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