A cruise of a very different magnitude from our cruise in Chapter One! We sailed aboard the Disney Magic for a 5-night Halloween on the High Seas itinerary to King’s Wharf, Bermuda.

Disney had a few hoops to jump through before we were approved to sail. I know it’s all for our protection and the passengers we will be on board with, but this seemed a bit much. Our cruise was the last Disney cruise to require COVID testing results 48 hours prior to sailing. And no help from Disney to get the required $40 (each) VISA to step ashore in Bermuda, Finally got our Visa approval for Bermuda 3 days before we sailed! Phew! COVID tests came back negative so we are good to sail the high seas – avoiding the Bermuda triangle of course!

Day 1 – Embarkation in NYC
After setting the alarm for o’dark thirty and driving to the pier in NYC for our 12:15 arrival, we encountered a very repetitive process of showing this ID and that ID at several stations as we traversed the lengthy terminal and finally boarded the ship. There was obviously a communication problem between the terminal and the ship as our cabin was not available at the time specified. I have to admit that I am spoiled with the guest services I receive at Four Seasons hotels as well as sailing many times with Viking. I had hoped for similar experiences with Disney, but felt somewhat disappointed. We found our cabin on Deck 6, mid-ship, put up our door decoration and headed out to check the lunch offerings.

Sailing out of the port was delayed thanks to NCLBreakaway in the berth next to us. We were lucky to sail past the Statue of Liberty before dark. And then we were off on the high seas!

On the ship, Disney offers a parking area for wheelchairs, scooters, strollers and other mobility devices near the elevators on deck 6. This is a great idea. The cabins are so small you barely have room to walk through. I took my walker, which folds up so we kept it in the room with us but it still took up valuable real estate and constantly seemed to be in the way. Another great idea is that Disney had onboard mobility rentals.

Note: The manual wheelchairs come in two sizes and there is no charge to use them. You are allowed to take them off the ship and use them in port. Just check with Guest Services. I wish other cruise lines would think about offering this service.

Note: The elevators are small, saying they carry 12 passengers each. We actually watched a group of at least 12 people crowd into one – kind of like a clown car at the circus! So just keep in mind that on embarkation day and debarkation day as well as after scheduled events and if you use a mobility device, it’s possible you may have to wait a while to get on an elevator. You may wish to consider walking forward or aft to a less populated elevator bank area.

About the food on board – well, this was another disappointment for me. Many times our food temperature was less that ideal. I do realize they are preparing food for hundreds of guests but the kitchen staff need to be more cognisant of keeping it at an acceptable temperature for maximum guest enjoyment. I don’t enjoy cold eggs, rubbery waffles or cold main entrees, do you? We heard this from others as well.

Anyone Can Cook – we went to two of these events. One was how to make a spider cake (which actually was not a cake but more of a mousse). The other was for lobster ravioli which was not served on the ship.Yet either could be special ordered in the dining room. I did not care for either one, truth be told. The chefs were personable and well versed providing helpful tips and instructions. Recipes were available afterwards. Karen mentioned that a few of the seafood items were “fishy” tasting, which is never good.

We also attended an excellent presentation on napkin folding.

Note: Better to have a well-starched napkin for napkin folding to avoid floppy folds however they are just a little rough on the lips and skin.

At night, the Halloween party and trick or treating were well attended and in full swing. The amount of candy that was given out was amazing! Our trick or treaters will never know that their candy came from Disney! The Disney characters were dressed for Halloween as well.

Note: if you want to see any of the shows on the pool deck, best to get there early and claim your spot. Or step back a bit and watch it on the Jumbo-tron screen.

There were many cute adult, family and children costumes. There was a father/infant son sailor pair, Popeye was there too, the Boy Scout from Up!, lots of Princesses fresh from the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, Cruella and puppies, Stitch, Woody, Buzz and lots of people in Disney onsies as well as a special Mouseketeer named Karen!

The deck crew did a pretty good job of mopping up the water from the pool guests and rain, picking up towels and used dishes/glasses. There were always towels and blankets available.

Character pictures – always characters out and about. There’s a schedule posted for who, where and when and the lines are always long but seemed well managed.

Day 2 – Sailing the Atlantic to Bermuda

Our first sea day, time for breakfast, what to have for lunch a nap and Lumiere’s for dinner. Disney has a neat idea in that your servers in the restaurant follow you to a different restaurant each night. That way you get consistent service and get to experience the onboard dining venues. Our servers were Rendi and Julian.

Day 3 – King’s Wharf, Bermuda

Karen engaged the services of Mills Tours for the day. Our guide, MIllard, is a many-generation Bermudian with vast knowledge of his beloved island. Everything from horticulture to history, he was able to provide us with a pretty complete picture of the island. He drove us through the entire island with as many stops for photo ops or rest stops as needed. We saw Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, forts, the botanical gardens, the glass beach and so much more that we would never have seen on an organized tour. Karen climbed the 187 steps to the top of the lighthouse and walked the pink sand beach. She found a small piece of sea glass. Mills told us an interesting story about a visitor and the sea glass beach. We saw a very large banyan tree that is 270 years old and rivals the one we’ve seen in Maui. Karen and Mills took a short walk into the tree area. We stopped for a quick snack and drinks with our guide as our guest. We saw the smallest draw bridge and fed the ducks. We encountered a bit of rain but it lasted just a few minutes before the sun came back out again. Temperatures were comfy and warm. I think Millard is a treasure and certainly the unofficial mayor and friend to all.

Day 4 – King’s Wharf, Bermuda
We started the day with a light breakfast before boarding the glass bottom boat – the Bottom Peeper – with captains Zoe and Jesse. They were well prepared to accept my mobility issues and knew the right way to assist me up and down the stairs. Unfortunately their microphone went out so we missed out on a lot of commentary. Zoe was very informative when we headed down to the bottom of the boat. Lots of marine information about the corals reefs, fish and the HMS Vixen shipwreck we were passing over. Reaching a quiet cove, it was snokel time. This one little girl was a pro with her own pink gear from mask to fins. She’s done this before! Karen had fun in the water checking out the fish and area. Hopefully her underwater pictures come out good!

Day 5 – Sailing the Atlantic back to NYC

Another day at sea – time for a nap! And time to pack up the suitcases again. Last dinner in Lumiere’s, good-bye to our servers and the nice couple, Michelle & Thomas from Long Island at the table next to us. Pirates in the Caribbean night with fireworks to send us off back home. ,We also finally caught the live production show “Disney Dreams” which brought in many of the stories we are familiar with.

Day 6 – Disembark in NYC
Disembarkation was fairly easy. A quick balcony check and yes! the car is still there right where we left it! We decided to take our luggage with us and we headed back through the long terminal to our car, which was parked close by. Back to reality and a long drive home due to a few pit stops and heavy traffic issues. Sadly, we remembered way too late to get our passports stamped in NYC. Maybe next time.

Note: it was difficult to hear the disembarkation announcements over the PA while in Cabanas for breakfast. Yet we could hear the music and Watch Officer’s announcements just fine. So, if you are concerned about getting your luggage that you put out the night before and when you will be called to disembark, you do not want to be in Cabanas. Follow the directions left in your cabin with your luggage tags.

Overall: I did not enjoy this cruise as much as I wanted to or as much as I enjoyed our Disney Christmas cruise a few years ago. The main reason we took Disney was for the Bermuda destination and the timing fit well with our schedule. I did enjoy our time in Bermuda.

I felt that many children were out of control on this cruise and their parents were at their wits end. I overheard one parent telling their child what the expectations were for the day. I wish more parents would do that. We were all on sensory and sugar overload! And probably sleep deprived as well. I know that we were and I know the bags under my eyes were real! Disney has changed the cabin arrangements. No longer does the queen bed split into two separate beds. The cabin slept four yet with two adults who do not sleep together, one got the bed (me!) and the other (Karen) checked out the bunk bed (located in a drop down from the ceiling over the couch) the first night (not good as the kid in the cabin next to us kept kicking/hitting the wall) and the other 4 nights she slept on a fold-out sofa bed. But once that is made up as a bed there is no place else to sit comfortably unless you sit on the balcony. Just crazy that this was what is offered!

Entertainment – The music offerings on board were varied – a violinist who played Broadway tunes in the Atrium, a pianist who played Disney tunes and more in the Atrium (but no place to sit and enjoy since this was a major character picture zone), a live band in one of the lounges, the piano bar, Keys, with a talented player/singer. And certainly the live production shows. Normally we would have gone to each of the three offered, but time constraints prevented that for us. We did enjoy the show on the last night – Disney Dreams. We had front row seats! As this is what Disney does well for their handicapped guests.

The (quiet) Cove is an adults-only area that sadly isn’t very quiet at times. Or adult either. But it’s there if you need to escape the pool deck noise. So, please do not bring or let your children run through this area. And if you must listen to the game on your phone, please wear your ear buds! Not everyone is interested!

And, a personal note – I know many people do not care to be around smokers. My daughter is a smoker who is always considerate of others around her and goes out of her way to stand away from others. All the ships we’ve been on have a smoker’s area or two. Please, if you do not want to be around smoke, do not go to or through that area and then complain! The area they give smokers is very small and out of the way. You have the rest of a huge ship. Pick another route!

There was never a meet the captain and crew event – unless you want to count meeting Captains Mickey and Minnie and the gang. Even the last night sail away party was just another parade of characters on the atrium steps. Never saw the actual ship’s captain, but did hear him on the PA system.

• Things I miss when on a cruise:
• Room to turn around in the bathroom
• My bed and pillow
• My recliner/comfy chair to sit in
• My adult-height toilet
• My toilet paper
• My food closer (think home kitchen) and served warmer/hot
• A good nights sleep – well yes, this one is always iffy!
• The paper daily newsletters left each night on the bed
• Paper menus – QR codes and the Disney app had to suffice
• Included internet
• Stateroom water
• Port-side water

Yet, it all depends on the ship and unfortunately, Disney had a few failures. Another Disney surprise was the additional gratuity envelopes and recommended amounts in our cabin on the last night. We have already been charged a mandatory amount of gratuity to our stateroom account and Disney is asking for more! Additional grauities are subjective and should never be expected or required. Yet the actual parks and hotel employees of Disney are forbidden from accepting tips/gratuities. Interesting right?

This experience will be our last Disney Cruise Line experience. There are many other ships out there to sail on as I’m sure we will! Next cruise is on Oceania…looking forward to being pampered and spoiled again!