Magic Cruise-NYC to Canadian Maritimes 2012

[Onkel Hans 25]

I should mention that there were a few mechanical problems with our rooms. The In-laws had an accessible room and their shower drains weren't working so water flowed into the room. They didn't call to the front desk or let us know so we could, but apparently they flagged down a uniformed ship's crew who grabbed a bunch of towels to mop up. The next morning we called guest services to report it. Our shower had the minor issue of water flowing out the tub spigot even when the knob was set to shower. Not a big deal, but later in the morning it suddenly decided to stay on so we couldn't shut the tub spigot off. Also, our room was on the warm side even though it was set to the coolest setting.

I am not sure whether the mechanic was already on the way to MIL and FIL's when we called, but someone showed up that morning and fixed both of our plumbing problems.

The front desk was able to get the AC going cold in the room remotely. They said they could fix it from the desk and that it should cool off within a half hour, which it did. I think our room was too warm when on the last cruise, and I am kicking myself for not calling and having it addressed then. I am guessing that they must turn of the AC for rooms when not in use, and that they are not so diligent about turning them back on when the become occupied on subsequent cruises.

After MIL and FIL retired for the night, Nicole and I went up to Deck Nine where she enjoyed some Bahama Mamas and I snapped a few pictures.

We then caught John Charles' adult cabaret show before calling it a night. He did the "Horse with No Name" routine, and was very funny. When we saw the family show later on in the cruise, it wasn't as funny, but every show is different and depends a lot on what the crowd eggs him into playing. John Charles has quite a long history with Disney. We saw him on the first night variety show on the last cruise but didn't realize he is either the top or one of the top requested entertainers on DCL and has been on the ships since the Magic was inaugurated, and even played at the party when DCL announced they were going to build their first cruise ship. His first gig for Disney was in the choir at the opening of Walt Disney World, and he also played at the Empress Lilly.

[Lou... 3,118]

We then caught John Charles' adult cabaret show before calling it a night.

We saw him on our Dream cruise earlier this year. He gets around. We enjoyed his shows very much.

[Southern Blessings 4]

Enjoying your cruise pics! It was great seeing the ship leaving New York and the Statue of Liberty! I think it's wonderful you were able to take your in-law's along with you!

[Onkel Hans 25]

Halifax, Nova Scotia

We arrived in a fog shrouded Halifax with the Magic sounding her fog horn every few minutes.

George's Island

We had a nature and whale watching excursion that morning. Saint John also had a whale watching excursion, and the odds of seeing whales in the Bay of Fundy is a lot better than off Halifax, but the Saint John shorex is a whole day event. We didn't know if everyone would be up to a possibly rockier boat for eight hours, so we opted for Halifax.

FIL was still feeling under the weather, so he stayed on the ship.

There was a short walk from the pier to the Halifax Harborwalk.

We then boarded the Haligonian III and headed out into the harbor.

I wasn't very hopeful of seeing much because there was still so much fog.

But before we knew it, the sun had burned its way through, and it turned into a very nice morning.

The guide for our trip was a young lady from a local lobstering family, and she provided excellent narraration. We learned about the history of the city of Halifax and the animals that could be found in the harbor. Any time wildlife was spotted the captain would slow down and the guide would tell us a bit more details. Although another boat in the are spotted some, we never saw any whales. We did see porpoises, harbor and grey seals, comorants, and seagulls. They also brought up a lobster trap and showed some lobsters.

After the tour we walked back through the Seaport Farmer's Market. Most of the stalls were not open since it was mid-week, but there were a handful of local businesses that offered real Halifax and Nova Scotian souvenirs. The terminal also had several more shops with a larger assortment of Canadian goods, and the area also had a few restaurants and taverns.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Halifax looks like a very interesting port to stop at. Nothing like Nassau. Very cool.

[stefa70 205]

Great pics in the fog!

If your guide had a cup of melted butter in her other hand, that lobster pic would have me :drool1:

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Your Halifax photos are beautiful! They make me want to go there even more!

[Onkel Hans 25]

Halifax looks like a very interesting port to stop at. Nothing like Nassau. Very cool.

It had a lot of great options. If you just wanted to step off the ship:

• Plenty of shopping and dining
  
• Pirate ship, tall ship, and Theodore Tugboat excursions leaving from the Harbourwalk
  
• Pier 21, like Ellis Island, where millions first landed on their journey to become Canadians
  
• Maritime Museum of the Atlantic with aexhibit about the Halifax explosion and a new exhibit about the Titanic
  
• Halifax Citadel
  
• Halifax Public Gardens
  

If you wanted to go further there is Peggy's Cove.

Great pics in the fog!

If your guide had a cup of melted butter in her other hand, that lobster pic would have me :drool1:

I know! Lobster was not in season, but with an agreement with the government they measure them and toss them all back. It was sad, there was at least a dozen in the trap!

Your Halifax photos are beautiful! They make me want to go there even more!

Thanks, our day in Halifax turned out to be a highpoint of the trip. The bad part about cruises is the short time you spend in port. We could have hung around for days soaking up what the city had to offer.

Good to see someone taking the train. I will be taking train to Disney in December, hubby works for the train I love the pictures of the statue of liberty and the inlaws. Can't wait for the rest of the trip.

We definitely will be taking the train again, just maybe not through NY Penn Station. I would love to do a trip through the west out to California.

Wow, Savio sounds like a keeper!

That shave looks pretty neat. I've never done anything like that...like you I will avoid shaving if I can like when I'm not going to work.

I like all your pictures except the ones with Patriots clothing. LOL>

Even though we left from NY, we were allowed to wear New England sports team clothing once we reached the international boundry.

[Onkel Hans 25]

Saint John

We had an afternoon excursion, so we planned on wandering down their Harbor Walk and up to the Market Square and City Market. I knew that we would be the second ship in port and that the Carnival Gloryhole would get the premier spot at the Marco Polo Cruise Terminal and that the Magic would berth farther away with a big circus tent instead of a terminal. What I didn't know was that the Canadians had built a new Diamond Jubilee Terminal and that the Disney Magic would be the first to dock there! This meant a shorter walk to the market.

The day was very dreary, however. The fog was thick but the steady rain made it clear that the sun would not be cutting through like it did in Halifax. The terminal was very nice, and the people of Saint John were ready outside of the customs gate to answer questions, give advice, and hand each lady a rose (Saint John is the where the Red Rose Tea company is from), each gentleman a pin, and each child a Canadian flag. They also had a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman to take pictures with, and a lounge singer (who was belting out some Elvis when we passed through). They were obviously still getting some kinks out of their terminal, and the rain seemed to be helpful for locating the leaks in their new roof, and there were a lot of them. There were a lot of dockworkers, too. They were two to four around every corner, not really doing much but offering direction when someone needed it. I heard later that there was a kerfuffle between the Canadians and the ships crew when they were tying up. It was said that the dockworkers called them "stupid Americans" at one point , which I think is funny because neither the ship or its Captain or crew were American! It also surprises me because this was not the first time that the Magic had docked in Saint John, so you think any idiosyncrasies would have been worked out.

We walked in a soaking rain the short walk to Market Square. Like Halifax, the land near the port is very steep, but we were walking along the shore so it was a gentle slope. The Market Square is a mall containing the New Brunswick Museum and many specialty shops. The blessing of Saint John shopping is that they have joined many of the stores and malls together. From the low end at Market Square, you can take escalators, elevators, and pedestrian walkways over the streets, from one building to the next till you reach the top at the old City Market. There are a lot of generic shops, but there were some nice Nova Scotian shopping opportunities. Especially the old market which was most like a farmer's market, but with some painting and other craft booths, too.

We headed back to the ship for lunch. The original plan was to have a lobster at Lord's or Steamers off the ship, but we all agreed that it didn't make sense to pay $30 for lobster when it was $3-4/lb at home.

Soon it was time for the excursion, so we headed off to Diversions to join the group. The first part of our trip was a bus ride guided by a super knowledgeable local man dressed in colonial garb and a tricorn cap. He had brought along two albums full of photos showing local sights that we wouldn't be passing, and fiddle-heads, ice fishing shacks, and the reversing falls in action. He shared a lot of local history on the way to the reversing falls. Normally, we would have gotten out to see the falls up close, but with rain still chucking down everyone elected to stay on the bus. The Reversing Falls are really underwhelming in my opinion. It is interesting if you come at both high and low tide so you can see how the tide pushes the river back up stream, but if you just go once (which most tours do) it just looks like a river (with a big industrial plant in the background). We were there at slack tide, so it was even less interesting, though at the end of the boat part of the excursion we ended up back near the falls and we could see how it was starting to roil with the incoming tide.

We then drove to the dock where we boarded the Voyageur II, a riverboat made in New Orleans that now tours the St. John River. The gangway was a little slippery and was at an angle (due to the tides) and for a moment I thought my FIL was going to slip--but with Nicole in front, me in back, and the captain and his mate on each side we all got safely aboard. I mention this mostly to point out how friendly everyone was in Canada, they really would help you out any way they could. While I was helping my FIL it was a Canadian couple on our tour that grabbed my backpack and carried it along so I wouldn't have to go back for it.

Things did clear up a bit, but it wasn't a good day for nature and scenery watching. Our guide was full of information about the area and was happy toa answer any questions that came up. On this excursion we saw:

Lighthouses

A covered bridge, seals, cormorants, and a pair of Bald Eagles:

Tonight was pirate night, and we were fortunate that the rain was heading north and we were heading south so we would have clear enough weather for the fireworks. Unfortunately, I think everyone was coming down with a little bit of the cold, so the in-laws retired early and Nicole did her homework.

I was ready for a nap, but I had been looking forward to trying to capture a certain shot at the pirate party since the last cruise, so I geared up and headed to Deck Ten. I was hoping to take some nice fireworks shots with he tripod and keep the illuminated smoke stack in the picture, too, so it would have a connection to the ship. I kept away from the crowds but set up where I though it might work. When the fireworks started, I found I was way too far forward and scurried as far as I felt comfortable that I wouldn't pose a hazard to people walking by. It still wasn't what I was going for.

Next time I will hopefully have a wider lens, and I will have to set up a bit farther aft. Hopefully there will be some family around to keep me from being a tripping hazard (human traffic cones).

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

Your fil and the Mounty make a nice picture. We took a vacation in Canada years ago and also found the citizens very friendly and helpful.

[Seals 111]

Love this photo, of course!

Also this one. I collect lighthouses (small replicas, not the real things unfortunately).

[Southern Blessings 4]

Enjoying the pics from your trip! I like the fireworks shot even though it wasn't quite what you wanted.

[dvccamper 32]

What a great trip report! I knew there were DCL cruises leaving from NYC this summer but I didn't really take note of them. Now we have had all these great cruise reports...I want to go!! I wonder if they are planning any NYC cruises next year? It would make it so much more affordable if we didn't have to buy five plane tickets.

Oh, and I like the Patriots shirts :)

[Onkel Hans 25]

Your fil and the Mounty make a nice picture. We took a vacation in Canada years ago and also found the citizens very friendly and helpful.

Yeah, I wish I took the time to get a picture with he Mounty, too. I heard there was a piper and drummer in Scottish regalia for the send off, that would have a been a neat experience, too.

Love this photo, of course!

Also this one. I collect lighthouses (small replicas, not the real things unfortunately).

I wish i got better shots of the seals. i think on a warmer day we might have caught them sunning themselves somewhere. As it was, they would just pop up a few dozen yards from the boat, check us out, then submerge again.

If you like lighthouses, you would have enjoyed this cruise. There are a ton of them! That lighthouse behind the sailing ship is George's Island Light (Inner Range Front). The most photographed lighthouse is at Peggy's Cove, not too far away. Many passengers visited there on our trip.

It was too foggy on our day, but Chebucto Head Lighthouse is very picturesque. This shot is from a webcam taken on the first Magic visit to Halifax.

Enjoying the pics from your trip! I like the fireworks shot even though it wasn't quite what you wanted.

Thanks, taking better fireworks shots is on my to-do list. I forget who (shame on me) but someone on here posted nice images of the MK perimeter fireworks for Independence Day. I want to be able to capture the awesomeness like that, of watching Wishes on Main Street or Illuminations.

What a great trip report! I knew there were DCL cruises leaving from NYC this summer but I didn't really take note of them. Now we have had all these great cruise reports...I want to go!! I wonder if they are planning any NYC cruises next year? It would make it so much more affordable if we didn't have to buy five plane tickets.

Oh, and I like the Patriots shirts :)

Nothing in NYC next year, but I have heard a few rumors that they may return. There were a ton of NY and NJ folks, and as the Disney CM who tagged along on one of our excursions pointed out, leaving from NY was a huge money saver for big families in NY, NJ, PA, CT, and MA. I didn't think the cruise was selling very well until they gave out some ridiculously good offers for DVC members, but I think sales even in the Caribbean hasn't been the greatest. Disney also learned a lot about the local excursions this time around, so they may have more and better to offer.

The first couple of cruises had a train tour, but everyone hated it so much they cancelled it for the remaining voyages.

[Onkel Hans 25]

Our servers for this voyage were Savio from India and Goran from Croatia. I got the feeling that Goran was on his first contract and was still learning the job. I was a little disappointed because I had bragged to my in-laws about how fantastic the service was, and it wasn't anything like our last cruise. The drinks were late and refilled infrequently, the food didn't arrive at the same time for everyone, and we got the wrong food on occasion. I got the feeling that Savio was having to work harder to make up for Goran, so there was none of the wonderful interaction with the napkin hats, magic tricks, or crayon puzzles.

I must say that Goran had the Disney spirit and I am sure that he will become a great server. He was full of enthusiasm and very friendly. On the rainy day in Saint John we grabbed a quick lunch on Deck Nine, some hot dogs and paninis. I guess we were the only ones without sense enough to get out of the rain. It happened to be Goran's duty to take care of that section, so he was free to just take care of us. He made sure we had dry seats and table and was a total chatterbox, talking about the weather, packing for vacation (or for work in his case), and his his home country.

On the first night Savio asked if we had anything to celebrate, and though I had been warned not to I mentioned that the day before was my wife's birthday. We arranged for them to celebrate it the next night. There are always a number of birthday and anniversary celebrations each night in the dining room, so that night there were a few songs sang around us, with groups of servers bringing the celebratory cake and belting out "happy birthday to you." I started to get uneasy, knowing that this amount of attention was exactly what she didn't want. So when Savio, Goran, and the head server approached with her cake, I frantically tried to wave them off. The seemed confused as I explained that I made a mistake and my wife wouldn't like the big song and dance. The head server said no problem! The three of them then crouched up close to my wife, and sang "happy birthday" in a whisper! It was so awesome (and my wife didn't throw me overboard).

The food was nothing like I remembered, either. Some of my impression could be because I tried not to choose any dishes that I had the last time. It is unfortunate that they use pretty much the same menus on every cruise, and don't even change that much from year to year. So I was sometimes choosing my second favorite, or just something different. I was very sad that they didn't change the menu to reflect the area they were cruising; they didn't even have the lobster like they do on the Western Caribbean. Every night, the bread was exceptionally crusty. My wife got a bowl of unheated soup once, and I got the beef soup instead of the lobster bisque. Of course, the soup looked delicious and I ate it anyway.

We had an issue on the first evening when my MIL ordered the stir-fry.

It looks good, but the noodles were plastic-like. It was like a bird nest with stir-fried vegetables on top. I looked up the menu when we got back, and it is described as fried noodles, so maybe it was supposed to be the way. That was what Savio said, too, that it was they way it was supposed to be. But it just didn't seem edible. Fortunately, MIL had ordered a second entree instead of an appetizer, so she was able to eat that.

I am afraid that it may have turned off the in-laws, who apparently have very simple tastes. Although I was able to talk FIL into a garden salad, steak, potato, and veggies that night, they both ended up eating off the kid's menu for the rest of the cruise.

Next time I'll have to steal Mr. Troll's idea of the TR notebook because I can't recall what some of these pictures are, but here is the food:

Some sort of Quiche, I think.

Salmon Salad

Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup

FIL's Steak and Potato

Parrot Cay Tuna Appetizer

Lumiere's Escargot

Palo Brunch Pancakes

Palo Brunch Chicken Parmigiana

Lunch in Halifax

[Southern Blessings 4]

I'm not too adventurous of an eater either, but that's the cool thing about a cruise, if you don't like it, order something else. Wish your in-laws would have liked the food a little better, though.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Sorry to hear that your in-laws ate off the kids' menu! At least I hope they were happy with those choices.

I'm an adventurous eater, and dining on the cruise ships is a great experience for me. Love all the choices and trying all the things I don't cook at home!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm sorry to hear about the below par service and food quality that you experienced.

This is something that I feared might happen as DCL expands. It's one thing to manage two ships, but add two more, and it becomes much harder to maintain that expected level of excellence.

I think it's terrible that your in-laws resorted to ordering from the kids' menu.

TCD

[Total Joker ... TJ 203]

Digging the report. A few questions...

Who was shoveling coal?

Do they wash the plates?

I know it has something to do with the camera, but just saying...

[Onkel Hans 25]

I'm not too adventurous of an eater either, but that's the cool thing about a cruise, if you don't like it, order something else. Wish your in-laws would have liked the food a little better, though.

Sorry to hear that your in-laws ate off the kids' menu! At least I hope they were happy with those choices.

I'm an adventurous eater, and dining on the cruise ships is a great experience for me. Love all the choices and trying all the things I don't cook at home!

I'm sorry to hear about the below par service and food quality that you experienced.

This is something that I feared might happen as DCL expands. It's one thing to manage two ships, but add two more, and it becomes much harder to maintain that expected level of excellence.

I think it's terrible that your in-laws resorted to ordering from the kids' menu.

TCD

Yeah, I was a little disapointed, but I guess they really prefer simple and familiar food. I should have done a better job in suggesting a regular steak, chicken, salmon, or just a burger. I think everyone was just so surprised that they would ask for it.

They did go to Palo with us one night, so they still got to try some amazing food.

Speaking of trying something new, I was excited to find a traditional Scandinavian appetizer on the "Till We Meet Again" menu: gravlax. It was part of a new item called Salmon Three Ways.

Since this is just cruise #2 I can't speak to the decline of service, TCD, though I have read a lot about that concern as DCL gets bigger. We had such a fantastic time on our first trip that it might be hard to beat or compare with. I think this was the first year that I heard DCL people talking about the company not being able to fill the ships, so if declining service is a factor, I am sure they will do something about it.

Digging the report. A few questions...

Who was shoveling coal?

Do they wash the plates?

I know it has something to do with the camera, but just saying...

Yeah, I take the point and shoot to dinner, hope it doesn't mean I am hipster because i am taking bad pictures of my food and applying even worse filters

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

So how was the gravlax? That's fermented salmon according to the link you posted. Fermented but not rotten. Sounds yummy.

TCD