Disney Magic Alaskan Cruise Review – Day 1: May 28, 2026

The Magic is calling once again with an all-new embarkation port and destinations. For the first time, the Disney Magic is sailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, and heading to the Alaskan coast. For the next week, we’ll be sailing to the Last Frontier looking for whales, dodging icebergs (I promise to keep the Titanic references to a minimum, not really), some crab fishing, dog sledding, and mining for gold. There’ll even be glacial viewing and a few surprises along the way. Join us on the journey; there’s sure to be plenty of photo ops and entertainment along the way. Oh, and some food.

Getting There

Before we can board the ship, there’s a small detail of getting from Florida to Vancouver. There weren’t any direct flights that fit our schedule, so we chose United Airlines from Orlando (MCO) with a 1 p.m. departure to Denver (DEN), arriving just before 3 p.m. MT. With only an hour and a half layover, it would allow just enough time to stretch our legs and freshen up before continuing to Vancouver (YVR) for the second leg, which has a three-hour flight time, landing at 6:20 p.m. PT.

We woke up to a notice that the flight out of MCO was delayed 40 minutes, thus cutting our connection time in half once arriving in Denver. So much for that time to stretch our legs and refresh. It was more of a mad dash from Terminal 2 over to Terminal 1, in an airport we had never been through. Luckily, we made it to our departure gate with five minutes to spare before boarding began. During the boarding process, the captain made an announcement that a maintenance technician would be coming aboard to address an issue with one of the lavatories, and we would have a slight delay while he completed his task. This led to about an extra half hour sitting at the gate for the repair, and the subsequent paperwork to be filed. The time was mostly made up in-flight, as we landed in Vancouver only fifteen minutes behind schedule.

Why is that all worth noting? Well, this is the perfect example of why it is recommended to travel a day early if you are not within driving distance of the port. Either of these issues could have led to a missed connection or flight cancellation, creating a need to pivot to alternate flights.

In all, we left the house at 10:30 a.m. ET and arrived at our hotel at 8:00 p.m. PT. I’ll save you the math (that’s 12.5 hours of total travel, accounting for the time changes). LONG DAY. There was a slight difference in the weather, too. Leaving the balmy Florida humidity with temps in the low 90s, we were greeted with a sunny 65 degrees.

From there, we had a 30-minute ride to the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront. Located about 14 km from the airport and just a few blocks away from the cruise terminal, this was a solid choice for an overnight stay. We opted for an Uber from the airport, which cost $55, plus tip. It seems that was about the going rate, regardless of Uber or taxi, based on what others on the ship reported. The popular option for a hotel seemed to be the Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel, which is directly connected to the terminal, but the cost was nearly double that of the Pinnacle. Considering it was only for a night’s sleep and a meal, it really didn’t seem worth spending the extra cash. The Pinnacle is within walking distance, depending on how much luggage you’re hauling along. The hotel offered a cruise package that included a $50 credit to the hotel bistro, along with a complimentary taxi voucher to the terminal. When searching for a hotel for cruise travel, it’s a good idea to check for transportation options between the airport and cruise terminals, as many will offer a shuttle service, making it one less thing to worry about on the day of.

Canada Place Cruise Terminal

Another cruise, another terminal crossed off the list. Once again, we are sailing out of a terminal that is not Disney-specific, so the decor is on the basic side compared to the designated terminals located in Port Canaveral and Port Everglades. So how does it compare? Let’s take a quick look around.

As far as terminals go, this falls right above San Juan. Nothing to see here. It was rather spread out as well. We had to walk through half the terminal to check in, then back out and down an escalator to go through security scan for facial recognition (passports), then through another maze of queues to a waiting area.

The concierge lobby was nothing more than a congregation of folding chairs separated from the rest of the room with a temporary partition. No amenities such as refreshments or snacks that are customary at Port Canaveral, Port Everglades, or even San Juan. Really not that big of an issue, as it’s just a short staging area before boarding.

As concierge guests, we were automatically assigned boarding group 1 and were among the first wave of guests to be welcomed aboard. Making our way onto the ship, we were met by our favorite concierge hosts: Diogo, Alyss, and Evie. Since our daughter wasn’t along on our past two Magic sailings, it was her first time meeting Alyss and Evie, but she fondly remembers Diogo from their cruise together on the Dream before his move to the Magic.

Disney Magic

If this is your first time following along, let’s take a quick look back at the Disney Magic.

• Maiden Voyage: July 1998
• Ship’s Registry: Bahamas
• Magic Class
• Gross Tonnage: 84,000
• Passenger Capacity: 2700
• Crew: 950
• Decks: 11
• Staterooms: 875
  • 262 Inside
  • 229 Ocean View
  • 384 Verandah
• Captain: Ivo Brnabic
• Cruise Director: Matthew O’Neal
• Most recent dry dock refurbishment – May 2026

That’s right, she came out of a brief dry dock mere weeks ago.  I’ll review some of the touch-ups that were performed on one of the sea days.

Concierge Welcome Lunch in Lumiere’s

As with our past concierge-level sailings, we started with the exclusive welcome lunch in Lumiere’s. This is a great opportunity to not only enjoy a nice meal but to have the hosts make their way around the dining room, introducing (or reintroducing) themselves and reviewing some of the perks. This is also the time to have them verify any pre-cruise requests that were made in the 1:30 email, which we’ll cover later.

As much as we were enjoying a nice, relaxing lunch, we didn’t linger too long as Becca was excited to explore the ship, as this is her first sailing on the Magic. With that, it’s off to find our stateroom and roam the ship!

Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Verandah on Disney Magic

This cruise really embodies the YOLO mentality. As I discussed during our last sailing, we have been debating this destination for a few years. While the sights and adventures have always been appealing, I’m not keen on the cool temps and overcast/drizzling forecasts. We figure this will be a one-and-done, cross-it-off-the-list type of adventure. With that in mind, we originally booked a concierge-level deluxe family stateroom with verandah, but upon seeing a one-bedroom become available (someone must have had to cancel), we snagged what is sure to be one of the best staterooms on the ship.

Though my wife and I have stayed in one-bedroom suites before, our daughter hasn’t had the pleasure, much to her chagrin. She has been pleading with us to get a suite, so we decided to surprise her with this one. She was not disappointed, and her reaction was worth the price of admission.

As you’ll see in the video below, this is not only a one-bedroom stateroom but features an extended verandah and larger living room area. Add to that, it is steps away from the midship elevators and two decks directly below the concierge lounge, making it the perfect location for quick access to key areas of the ship.

Stateroom 8032 Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Verandah

• Category: 2A
• Sleeps: 5
• Muster Station: J
• Features include: Convertible sofa sleeper, Murphy bed, 3/4 bath, master bath, walk-in closet, wet bar, living room with dining table, and extended private verandah.

Video Tour of Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite 8032 on Disney Magic

New Disney Cruise Line Castaway Club Welcome Gifts

Two weeks ago, Disney Cruise Line announced they were rolling out a new assortment of Castaway Club welcome gifts. This is definitely a welcome sight to frequent cruisers. How many of the same beach bags or beach towels do you really need anyway?

• Silver-level members will find a DCL backpack along with silver-colored lanyards waiting for them in their stateroom.
• Gold members get the lanyards, backpack, and a wet/dry bag for those swimsuits after a day at the beach.
• Platinum adds a stainless steel water bottle.
• Pearl finishes the bounty with a cozy travel pillow and blanket combo.

Reports across the fleet have shown a mixture of items being distributed as each ship uses up the remaining inventory of the outgoing gifts and filters in the new wave. We received the new backpack, wet/dry bag, and water bottle, but the older style of lanyards. We have seen a mixture of new and old lanyards around the ship, though, so it’s a mixed bag for now.

Any returning guests are automatically enrolled in the Castaway Club after their first cruise at the Silver level. After disembarking from your 5th cruise, you’ll be elevated to Gold; your 10th takes you to Platinum; and after a whopping 25 cruises, you’ll become Pearl. There is always conflict when comparing cruise line loyalty tiers across brands. What’s the best method? Total days spent onboard? Dollars spent? Number of sailings? Who’s to say? For now, I’ll be happy to start my collection of backpacks and water bottles as we close in on that Pearl status!

Dinner at Rapunzel’s Royal Table on Disney Magic

Rapunzel's Royal Table Dinner Menu A

Rapunzel’s Royal Table is a full-on dinner party, with songs, dancing, and characters popping in while you eat. Between the Snuggly Duckling Thugs causing trouble and Rapunzel herself making an appearance, it’s one of those meals where the entertainment is just as memorable as the food. Menu updated for 2026!

Available on: Disney Magic

Small Plates +

Goat Cheese, Yellow and Red Beet Tower

Chive-Honey Dressing

Grilled Knockwurst Sausage

White Onion Mash, Crisp Shallots, Sweet Bavarian Mustard

Country Green Lentil Soup

Spiced Sausage, Leeks, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Thyme

Coronation of Mixed Leaves

Vine Tomatoes, Blue Cheese, Apples, Candied Walnuts, Aged Red Wine Vinegar Dressing

Small Plates – Regional Inspirations +

Royal Marinated Salmon

Dill-marinated Salmon Slices, Capers, Lollo Rosso, Avruga Caviar, Honey Mustard Dressing

Buttered Green and White Asparagus Spears

Tomato Béarnaise

Cream of Spinach Soup

Pumpernickel Croutons

West Coast Lobster Salad

Iceberg, Baby Spinach, Cucumber, Cherry Tomatoes, Lemon-Horseradish Dressing

Entrées +

Portobello Ravioli

Sweet Butternut Squash Sauce, Sour Cream, Basil Pesto

Baked Salmon Fillet

Steamed Jasmine Rice, Bok Choy

Carved Oven-Roasted Tom Turkey Breast

Buttered Green Beans, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Rosemary-Cornbread Stuffing, Giblet Gravy, Cranberry Relish

Falafel Bowl

Ras el Hanout Falafel, Cracked Freekeh, Roasted Romanesco, Carrots, Pickled Red Cabbage, Turmeric-Tahini Dressing

King Fredric’s Grilled Sirloin Steak

Truffle Layered Potatoes, Honey-roasted Parsnips, Buttered Spinach, Cognac-Peppercorn Sauce

Chicken Pita Salad

Lemon-marinated Roasted Chicken Breast, Endive, Romaine, Baby Spinach Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Chickpeas, Feta, Lemon Dressing

Entrées – Regional Inspirations +

Trio of Veal

Grilled Tenderloin, Pulled Shank, Tortellacci Pasta, Sun-dried Tomato-Sage Reduction, Potato Crisp

Grilled Filet of Turbot

Roasted Garlic Creamed Potatoes, Braised Fennel, Dill Cream Sauce

Crisp Pastry Vegetable Turnover

Goat Cheese, Asparagus, White Cabbage, Peas, Cipollini Onions, Chard, White Onion Sauce

Desserts +

Crème Brûlée Cheesecake

Baked Cheesecake, Caramelized Crème Brûlée

Rapunzel’s Fry Pan Sweet Bread

Fry Bread, Chocolate-Hazelnut Sauce, Rapunzel’s Fry Pan

Gothel Black Forest Tower

Chocolate Crème, Cherry Compote, Chocolate Velvet

Sundae +

Baked Alaska

Sponge Loaf, Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla Ice Cream, Burnt Meringue

No Sugar Added Dessert +

Coconut Rice Pudding

Strawberry-Lime Salsa, Fried Rice Noodles

During our welcome lunch, we got the answer to two of our biggest questions: did our request of Kendall for head server and Cristiano as server get honored? Yes to both! Cristiano was making the rounds during lunch and stopped to say hello. He informed us that we would in fact have the pleasure of his service this week and that he was assigned to Kendall’s team. We instantly knew we’d be well taken care of once again.

In another first, we elected to go with the late dining time, 8:15, for this cruise. On the recommendation from Alyss when we first booked this adventure, she pointed out that some of the ports have later all-aboard times and certain excursion times made early dinner a little rushed getting back, or took away from time ashore. It will be a little strange going to see the shows prior to dinner, but we’ll see how we like it for future reference. On the plus side, it does offer more time for mid-afternoon snacking!

The week begins with what has become our favorite of the dining rotation on the Magic: Rapunzel’s Royal Table. We’ve been looking forward to Becca experiencing this venue for some time now. She is a fan of Tangled, and we’re sure she’ll have a blast dining with her.

It was another fantastic dinner celebrating Rapunzel’s surprise birthday party. The ambiance, combined with a fantastic meal and getting to see Kendall and Cristiano, was the perfect start to the week. There was an abundance of awe from Becca as she gazed around the dining room with floating lanterns above while Attila, Hook Hand, and the Lady with the Locks entertained the gathering. She was all smiles as they each took turns stopping by the table to make sure we were having a good time. Even as she reaches her teens, the kid in her still shines through when she doesn’t know you’re looking! The expression on her face as Rapunzel approached the table brought back the nostalgia of watching her visit the Princess before she was old enough to realize they are merely actors in makeup and a dress. This is a bit of the Disney magic that can bring out the child in each of us when least expected.

Our dinner selections fell into the normal assortment. I started off with the Royal Marinated Salmon, then King Frederic’s Grilled Sirloin Steak. I was intrigued by the Turbot and Veal Trio as well and was having trouble deciding if either was worth trying. I’m sure I’ve had the turbot before but, for the life of me, I couldn’t remember if I liked it or not. After some discussion with Cristiano and getting his recommendation, he offered to bring me a sampling.

Becca was unsure of any of the appetizers until I recommended she try the Knockwurst sausage. She wasn’t convinced until Cristiano seconded the motion and said he’d bring it for her to try. Of course he got all the credit, as she declared he was right and loved it!

For entrees, they both chose the Oven Roasted Turkey, which you just can’t go wrong with.

In true Cristiano fashion, he presented me with a sample of not only the Turbot but also a few cuts of veal. The turbot was solid with a nice, buttery flavor and melted in your mouth. I was also impressed with the veal, as it was tender and tasty. It could have used a little more seasoning, but as I only got the few pieces without accompaniments, I’m sure the full entree would be delicious. Cristiano assured me he’d get it for me on another night if I desired, and I may just take him up on that.

For dessert, Angie and I both opted to try a new addition to the menu, the Baked Alaska Sundae, while Becca chose the Gothel Black Forest Tower.

The Baked Alaska Sundae was ok, maybe not quite what we were expecting, but when you’re on your way to Alaska you have to have it, right? Essentially a sliver of Neapolitan ice cream with a thin layer of sponge cake surrounding it and a touch of meringue. Nothing special, and I don’t think I’d order it again with the other choices available. The Black Forest Tower is always terrific, and the signature Rapunzel’s Fry Pan Sweet Bread has been good in the past.

Disney Cruise Line Fleet-Wide Menu Changes

Disney Cruise Line has been making waves the past few weeks as they have dropped some small nuggets of updates. Not only are they rolling out new stateroom gifts and new lines of merchandise, but they have started making subtle changes to dining menus aboard the fleet as well. While at first glance they appear the same, upon deeper analysis you can see a few things on each menu have changed.

For Rapunzel’s, the differences from our last sailing in February are:

Appetizers: No changes

Soups & Salads:

• Removed Baby Romaine Leaves, replaced with West Coast Lobster Salad
• Removed Wild Mushroom Soup, replaced with Cream of Spinach Soup

Entrees:

• Added Baked Salmon Fillet
• Added Falafel Bowl
• Removed the previous listings of “Lighter Fare” and “Vegetarian” and folded the above options into “Entrees”

Dessert: It seems they removed all of the desserts from the “Night 1” menu and replaced them with selections from the previous “Night 2.” The Black Forest Tower, Fry Pan Bread, and Crème Brûlée Cheesecake each appeared on Night 2.

• Added Baked Alaska Sundae
• Added Coconut Rice Pudding

I’ll dig a little deeper as the week goes along into the inspirations behind the menu tweaks. I’m sure Kendall and Cristiano can offer some insight, but embarkation night is always hectic for them as they get to introduce themselves to all the new guests.

Evening Entertainment

As is usually the case on embarkation day, there wasn’t a featured show in the Walt Disney Theater this evening. Instead, the Sail-A-Wave Party, which generally coincides with shoving off from port, was featured between the two dinner seatings at 7:45. We found out from Evie that the reason for this delay was actually due to noise restrictions within the Vancouver port. As the temperature was dropping quickly with the motion of the ship heading to sea, we waited until the last minute, and Becca and I went out on deck to watch. It’s a nice little send-off, and this was Becca’s first opportunity to see it, so we suffered through a 20-knot wind that threatened to blow her off her feet. She agreed it was worth watching but enthusiastically said she was ready to go back to the room and change for dinner as soon as it concluded.

After we finished eating, it was approaching 10 p.m. I was planning to head down to Fathoms for the Magic Gatherings gameshow and dueling pianos. However, there is still a bit of travel and time zone hangover, so we decided to call it a night, at least the adults did. The youngster went off to meet up with her new BFFs for a while before succumbing to the fatigue. I’m sure after another night’s sleep we should be fairly well adjusted.

Thanks as always for checking in. It’s sure to be an exciting week of exploring the Alaskan fjords and trying to stay warm!

Disney Magic Day 1 Daily Program

Personal Day-By-Day Disney Magic Alaska Cruise Review: