I stared at the 83,338 ton ship sitting in the waters of Port Canaveral. It seemed like the only way it could have been built was with magic and pixie dust. The Mickey Mouse shapes on its smoke stacks seemed to be a promise of fun, sun and Disney dreams. Our magical trip on the Disney Magic started right when we walked onboard. A man in a pristine white sailor’s outfit greeted us at the gangway.
“Please welcome the Solis/Cedeño family!” Applause erupted and everyone couldn’t help but smile. We visited our only slightly cramped stateroom to drop off our bags and then toured the ship. We marveled at the many dining rooms. Lumiere’s, a French restaurant that was built in the theme of Beauty and the Beast, Parrot Cay, an island themed restaurant that is magnificent fun, and Animator’s Palate, a black and white dining room with various sketches and pictures of famous Disney movies. But as we soon found out, the room changed colors as we ate, finally erupting into vivid blues, reds and greens. Even the waiter’s vests changed colors! Soon the familiar tune of “When You Wish Upon a Star” played over the loud speaker and the Australian Cruise Director’s voice echoed around the ship.
“Ladies and Gentlemen we are about to set sail. Head over to Deck 9 for our Sail Away Party.” My family rushed outside and danced to the music as we sailed out of the harbor, waving at the cast members that were on shore. Our first destination was Castaway Cay, Disney’s own private island. It really did seem like a tropical paradise. My cousin and I took a teen’s only excursion called “The Wild Side”. We got to take a bike ride, kayak and even snorkel. My cousin and I found a sculpture of Minnie Mouse under the crystal blue water. A Pirate’s Party was awaiting us one night and we danced to every kind of music under the sun and said nothing but “Arrrr, Matey!” all night. Of course, we met what seemed like millions of characters walking around the ship, from Cinderella to Goofy and even Peter Pan. We stopped at Grand Cayman next, where we took an interesting Island Tour. We stopped at a Turtle Farm and learned about the green sea turtles that could be found around the island. My sister, cousin and I were able to hold a baby one. Our dinner that night was filled with laughter, pictures and even logic puzzles. Our waiters for the entire trip, Daniel and Kendell were so much fun. They showed us magic tricks and told us jokes, although they were very corny. After that, we visited Cozumel, Mexico. We spent the day shopping along the beach. Later that night we watched a performance in the large Walt Disney Theatre. The next day was another day at sea as we made our way back to Castaway Cay and Port Canaveral. My cousins, sister and I decided to go off and explore the ship on our own. We took shadow pictures in portholes, had lunch at Lumiere’s and even spotted a few characters walking around. Our family’s time on the ship definitely brought us closer together. The laughter, the inside jokes and the memories will stay with us forever. This trip showed me the importance of being together and just having fun. I became a little more open to other people and not to worry about what others think if I act silly, because everyone else is doing the same thing. This really was a vacation I will never forget.
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