Disney Cruise Line - July 9th 2014 - 9 Night Mediterranean – Kusadasi, Turkey

[LaurenM]

Today we stayed onboard the Disney Magic whilst she was docked in Kusadasi, Turkey. We had decided not to disembark here for many reasons prior to the cruise – including the heat. Instead we were able to have a nice relaxing day whilst most people were off enjoying Port Adventures to Ephesus.

After yesterday we didn’t surface from our staterooms until late morning and as predicted the ship was empty! It was very surreal walking round the ship with no guests anywhere to be seen. We headed to Cabana’s for a light breakfast where we sat by the large windows and watched as another large ship headed into the port.

At 11am we headed to the Oceaneers Lab, which was having an Open House, to check out the facilities and take some photos. As with the Oceaneers Club we absolutely loved this space and loved all the vintage style maps and old world themeing in here. Dad took a go on some of the interactive play elements and successfully managed to pilot the simulator ship out of Castaway Cay with only minor damage to the vessel. We also liked the large tables and demonstration areas, which must be great for the group arts and crafts activities.

Once we had finished checking out the Oceaneers Lab we headed out onto the Deck 4 promenade to take a look out over the port of Kusadasi. From here we saw that the large ship we had seen earlier from Cabanas was getting ready to dock right next to us so we went up to Deck 10 to watch. The ship was the Regal Princess, the sister ship to the one recently featured on ITV’s The Cruise Ship. The Regal Princess is several decks higher than the Disney Magic and most of the guests had gathered on their balconies or the public decks to watch their arrival into Turkey, although most of the cameras were pointed at the Magic! Whilst the Regal Princess looked like it had nice facilities we were very glad we had chosen to take a Disney Cruise, we prefer the classic liner look of the Disney ships as opposed to the hotel look of the Regal Princess. From watching the TV show we also think that the shows and entertainment on Disney cruises is more our speed than a Princess cruise, so we will definitely be sticking with Disney for the foreseeable future.

Just after 12pm we headed to Lumiere’s for our first full-service lunch of the cruise.

Here we started with Shrimp Cocktails followed by The Chuck Burger/Steak Frites and then mum had the apple strudel for dessert whilst dad had the truffle mousse cake (sorry for the lack of photos). We really enjoyed lunch in here, as the restaurant was empty except for 5/6 tables so it was very peaceful, however we came out absolutely stuffed! I wish this option was available for longer than 12-1:30 pm so we could have taken advantage of it more often but appreciate the man power required to staff Lumieres, Cabanas and the fast food outlets is high.

After lunch we changed into our swimwear and headed to Quiet Cove Pool for the afternoon. As the ship was still relatively quiet we were able to sit on the cushioned loungers on Deck 9 in the shade overlooking the Port side of the ship. Here we spent much of the afternoon reading, napping and making notes before heading into the pool to cool off. Gradually as the afternoon continued the pools got much busier as guests returned from their Port Adventures so just over an hour before dinner we headed back to our staterooms to shower and change for the evening.

Dinner tonight was in Carioca’s with the Prince and Princess Menu, which turned out to be one of our favourites. When we arrived at the table our napkins had been folded into cute little waistcoats and the waiters were dressed up in smart suits with light blue sashes.

For starters dad had both the Slow Roasted Duck and Cheese Quesadilla and the Belle’s Blue Cheese Polenta Cakes and mum had the Quesadilla.

For the main course dad had the Peppercorn Crusted New York Strip, mum had the Oven Roasted Turkey Breast and Natasha and I had the Lighter Note Chicken Breast.

For dessert Natasha had the Princess Aurora Sundae, Dad had Cinderella’s Lemon Cheesecake and Mum and I had Prince Charmings Flourless Chocolate Cake (we regretted not choosing the sundae).

We felt this particular menu had a lot of choice that could suit a wide variety of tastes and we saw many tables getting multiple dishes from each course so they could try everything. After dinner we bumped into Minnie in her very cute cruise wear with only a few people in the queue so we stopped to have our photo with her.

Following on with the Prince and Princess theme tonights show in the Walt Disney Theatre was ‘Twice Charmed – an original twist on the Cinderella story’. As I’ve mentioned previously we much preferred the Disney shows to the Showtime offerings and enjoyed Twice Charmed, although out of the 4 Disney productions it was our least favourite – but still excellent!

After the show dad and I had booked a Whiskey tasting up in Cove Café at 10:30pm. There were only 6 of us originally, despite them having more bookings as there was a World Cup match on, however 3 more turned up and asked if there was space so they were able to pay and join without a reservation (but I think this is rare). The host was from O’Gills bar down in After Hours and he had set up 4 whiskeys for us all to try, which included Jameson, MacCallum and Johnnie Walker. In addition he made us an old fashioned cocktail and also gave us a Bourbon Whiskey to try.

After the tasting we got talking to a father and his two sons from Colorado and a couple with one of their sons from Philadelphia. We ended up staying and chatting until 12:30am! Since we weren’t sharing a table at dinner we found that the alcohol tastings were a good way of meeting and chatting to other guests, as during most days guests were off on Port Adventures.

Whilst dad and I were at the tasting Natasha and mum sat up on Deck 9 reading and making use of some of the quick service dining options. As we were so long and the water was a little rougher this evening they headed back down to the staterooms about half an hour before we did.

Tomorrow – Rhodes, Greece and one of our favourite shows

[NatsyNoo]

Sounds like a fantastic day, what cruising is all about!

[Cutiepie]

A Lovely day I've never tried lunch in one of the main dining rooms before, after reading about yours I think I will have to give it a try next cruise!

[kansaskitty]

The photos of you girls with Minnie holding your dresses is adorable, a framer for sure!

[Lisa29]

Lovely day again

[cupcakefairy]

Thanks for sharing we are traveling on the Magic in a few weeks reading your trippie is making me even more excited xx