At the stroke of midnight over the Atlantic Ocean, 2022 began with a bang and a boom. My family along with some other treasured friends were on the beautiful Disney Magic for a five-night Western Caribbean cruise out of the Port of Miami. Being on a cruise over New Year's Eve had been something I had wanted to do for a long time. Getting all dressed up, hanging out with friends, and not having to cook and do laundry sounded ideal.
If you are shopping for a bargain cruise, going on one over New Year's Eve is not for you. Considered a boutique sailing (no surprise there since New Year's Eve happens only once a year and there are only five ships in the Disney fleet), the price of New Year's sailings is higher than at other times of the year. That said, sometimes last-minute specials can happen, so do keep your eye out if that works for you. My family was in concierge on this sailing as I wanted to experience that for my clients. We were lucky at embarkation to receive an upgrade to a one-bedroom suite (8522) on the starboard side of the ship.
We were super excited to board the Magic in Miami when our sail away day arrived. Our drop-off at the Port of Miami (thanks Uncle Bobby) was seamless and we were able to enter the Terminal right when we got there. Although there was a line already formed outside, we were able to bypass it because of our concierge status. While we were still a bit apprehensive about sailing due to Covid-19 still being on our radar screen, everything worked fine with our testing and we were given the all-clear to board the ship. We only waited in the Terminal for maybe 30 minutes or so, which was great as we were chomping at the bit to get onboard.
Once we boarded the Disney Magic, we were escorted to a dining room (Lumiere's) for lunch where we met our concierge hosts. Our concierge team on this sailing was David, Kemisha, and Michelle and they were so wonderful and helpful throughout our sailing. I had some changes and requests and much to my amazement, everything I asked for was granted, including reserving some hair appointments for my twin daughters on New Year's Eve. Our group of a few families had decided to "dress up to the nines" for dinners on this sailing, including wearing sparkling dresses and tuxedos for New Year's Eve which would occur on Day Three.
Our second day of the cruise included a stop at Castaway Cay. Because of issues with the Bahamian authorities (we all speculated it might be pandemic related, but who knew?), our ship docked late at the island. As the hours ticked by onboard, we were all afraid that we would not be allowed to disembark and enjoy the island. You can imagine the clapping and cheering that happened in the hallways when the Captain came on and announced that debarkation would begin momentarily. My family was excited to head off the ship as we had been lucky enough to snag a cabana on the family beach. We brought a few holiday decorations for our Cabana 20 and that made our time there even more special. All in all, it was a wonderful day at Castaway as we enjoyed the padded lounge chairs, the hammock and shade, the ocean toys, and all of the thoughtful treats that the concierge team left for us. Much to our amazement, when we returned to the Magic we learned that our cabana charge had been reduced since we had docked later than normal on the island.
Although so much of our cruise on the Disney Magic was incredible, one major disappointment was that the holiday decorations were taken down before our cruise started. Actually, we saw a few bins of holiday items being rolled off the ship as we were entering, which made us sad. We also saw a few festive garlands on the banisters, but those quickly disappeared into the storage bowels of the ship on Day One. I think this was a real mistake on Disney Cruise Line's part to remove the holiday decorations as it would have been wonderful to still have them up through the New Year. Even the decorations at Castaway Cay were taken down before we got there. In my faith, Christmas begins on December 25 and the twelve days of Christmas start then and comes to a close on January 5th. It made no sense to me that decorations were taken down before our sailing began. Sure, go ahead and remove Santa's chair and take away the gingerbread house. No problem. But, it would have cost Disney Cruise Line nothing more to keep the holiday lights on and festive decorations up for this special sailing, and I told them so in the comment card that we filled out at the end of the cruise.
But not all was gloom and doom! We did hear that there would be a special countdown party the next night in the Atrium on New Year's Eve, as well as a holiday dinner menu, and also special fireworks over the Atlantic Ocean. So that was all good news! New Year's Eve was an "at sea" day, so we all relaxed knowing it would be a long night. When we arrived for dinner on New Year's Eve, we all had party hats to don, festive holiday cups to keep, and a special holiday menu to order from before the official countdown to midnight began in a few hours' time. We had a great time before and after our meal. Mickey and friends were out and about all gussied up in their New Year's Eve finery taking photos and interacting with passengers. In the concierge lounge, we celebrated each other's company while imbibing what seemed like bottomless glasses of champagne. Our older teenagers had a great time too -- they enjoyed hanging out, exploring the ship, and talking about their future college plans.
We all loved the special fireworks that went off that evening. Disney does know how to light up the night sky, both on land and at sea! We also had fun attending the festive party with lots and lots of streamers in the Atrium as the midnight countdown occurred. Cast members went out of their way to make passengers feel special, and I am forever grateful to them. Singing Auld Lang Syne with friends and family and then walking out on the deck to stare out at the stars over the Atlantic Ocean was such a precious moment, one I will never forget. Even though we anticipated an early start the next day when we ported in Cozumel, none of us wanted the night to end.
Being on a five-night cruise, after Cozumel (we had a snorkeling excursion that was fun) we had another day "at sea" before debarking in Miami. My family truly made the most of each day and night, as we knew that 2022 would be a year full of change. We wanted to enjoy the time we had with each other on the Disney Magic before our children ended high school in a few months to then begin their collegiate adventures.
If you are looking for a special way to celebrate the ending of one year and the beginning of a new one, look no further than going on a Disney cruise over New Year's Eve. You'll be glad you did!
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