5-Night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral

Sitting in my home office in Michigan at 5:00 a.m. on embarkation day. Leaving for the airport at 7:45. A direct flight from South Bend to Orlando Sanford and a 60-minute Uber ride are all that stand between me and Mickey's ship. Do not attempt this maneuver at home. It is being performed by a trained (albeit very crazy) professional travel agent. Always fly in the day before your cruise.

Disney cruise #24. "Disney Magic welcomes the Rennhack Family." It never gets old and I hope it never does. We are back to the vessel that started our love for Disney cruises. She has taken us to Mexico, the Bahamas, Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, Croatia, Malta, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia and Portugal over the past 13 years. Beautiful friendships have been forged here. She will forever hold a place in my heart.

Our first night's dinner onboard the Disney Magic was at Lumiere's, a Beauty and the Beast themed establishment. While not my favorite restaurant on the ship, I do enjoy the upscale atmosphere of Beast's castle and somewhat quieter atmosphere.

Nearly everything was perfect from a food perspective. The halibut was a flop. Dry, dry, dry. My last dance with the Kahlua Creme Brulee at this same venue back in January was disappointing (more like Creme Brulee Soup), so I was looking for redemption. It did not disappoint. Pure custardy, crispy top perfection. The bruschetta is always a winner and I enjoyed the Couscous Salad. Cilantro makes me nervous as my body loudly proclaims, "Mmmm. Soapy." I did not get any hints of that and the couscous itself was rather lovely. Stay tuned for tonight's review of Palo, the adults-only, upscale dining experience.

By Michael

Boarding brought us into a crowded atrium lobby, everyone waiting to get their room keys and find their way around. Once we were on board we walked the ship, an empty sundeck up top and the wraparound promenade deck a level down, chairs lined up along the rail. I grabbed some fruit and a small salad from the buffet in the afternoon.

By early evening we were out on deck as the ship pulled away from Port Canaveral, the sun going down over the water. I took a selfie at the rail with the sunset behind me, then found a display case of trading pins and lanyards near the shops.

Dinner that night started with a salad course, and I photographed Kathy at the table. After dinner we walked through the atrium again, where I posed next to the Helmsman Mickey statue and the ship's wheel. Out on deck I found one of the lifeboats marked Disney Magic 7, and passed a sign warning the deck might be wet on the way back to the cabin.

Serenity Bay Beach. So peaceful and relaxing.

Good Morning from Disney Cruise Line's private island paradise, Castaway Cay. We are off to enjoy the adults-only beach at Serenity Bay. Disney cruises look a bit different without the kids in tow. This is my 15th visit to the island and I have never spent more than a few minutes at Serenity Bay. Usually it's my hydration station while walking the Castaway Cay 5K. I'm looking forward to soaking up the atmosphere and perhaps sneaking a few looks at the brand new cabanas that will be available soon. Here's to new experiences!

Current view.

Paradise.

A lovely dinner at Palo.

Good Morning from Nassau. Today we are off on an excursion to the Atlantis resort for Aquaventure. It's our go-to activity while visiting this port of call. I plan to do the River Rapids on repeat. It's one mile long and features wave surges, drops of up to seven feet, and white-water rapids. Definitely not your garden variety lazy river and for me, Bonine is a pre-game requirement.

Today's port neighbors. Big Sis is in the house! We are docked next to the Disney Dream and the Margaritaville At Sea Paradise. Paradise does 2 and 3 night short trips to the Bahamas. Built in 1991 for Costa Cruise Line, she was originally the Costa Classica and then the neoClassica. Sold to Bahamas Paradise as the Grand Classica in 2014, she was sold again in 2022 and has been sailing as the Paradise ever since. It's interesting to see how far ships have come over the past 30+ years.

It's all fun and games until the tube flips over in the crazy rapids, you slam against the wall and drink your daily water requirement in 10 seconds. Taking a break for a bit. Time to enjoy the sun and dry land.

By Michael

We had a day pass for Aquaventure at Atlantis, so we rode the bus over using the return schedule card they hand out at the pier. Most of the day we spent by the lagoon, cabanas and palm trees all around, and even a pigeon that had claimed one of the lounge chairs for itself. I picked up a drink in an Atlantis cup and passed the little pink first aid station near the pool. At one of the aquarium windows a grouper swam right up against the glass.

Yesterday's Pirate Night menu. Only one miss. The grouper smelled very fishy. Everything else was wonderful. The Calypso Crab Cake is always my favorite dish from this menu.

Good Morning from Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. The half-mile pier from the ship to the island is brutal in the sun. But I made it. It's 1,500 steps with my very short legs at 5'0". The husband was 1,000 steps at 5'7".

Not a bad Monday view. Today's plan is water, water all day long. It's so hot here.

Lookout Cay far surpassed my expectations. I can't wait to experience it with everyone in January.

Paradise found.