Disney Magic 12 nt. British Isles Cruise 2017

What's the earliest we should book our return flight? Starting to look at options....

We started looking around nov/dec of last year for this past july. Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have had some deals but I wasn't paying attention this time around or I would have given a heads up here.

Really depends on where you're flying to/from, and if you are committed and locked in to the Sept BI and/or WBTA cruises - then I wouldn't hesitate to book a flight anytime between now and then if the price is right.

For us, anything around 280-320 ea way was very reasonable between the NY and London airports.

For the B2B & WBTA cruisers, I'm not sure which airline has decent 1 way fares to London. I've heard Icelandair but don't quote me.
 
For us, anything around 280-320 ea way was very reasonable between the NY and London airports.

Wow! That's awesome! I'm at a small airport and flying anywhere in the US is minimum $300-$400; transatlantic more like $1200 and up (round trip!).

I think I have fare envy :)
 
Wow! That's awesome! I'm at a small airport and flying anywhere in the US is minimum $300-$400; transatlantic more like $1200 and up (round trip!).

I think I have fare envy :)

I agree. We are in Arizona, and there are no such thing as cheap fares to Europe, unless they are last minute fares. My husband‘s work schedule does not allow last minute trips, and since we are on the 2018 British Isles cruise, we obviously need specific dates during prime travel times.

To the original poster, thank you for doing this trip report. I’m really loving all the details and especially all your pictures!
 
Wow! That's awesome! I'm at a small airport and flying anywhere in the US is minimum $300-$400; transatlantic more like $1200 and up (round trip!).

I think I have fare envy :)

wow! I can't believe the price differences. I went back and checked our receipts just to make sure my numbers were right.

We booked JQ and myself on Jan 7, 2017 = $ 1353.68 (total for 2 roundtrip tickets) JFK to LHR / Gatwick to JFK (338.42 each way/ per person)

We booked Iron Man later, on Feb 3, 2017 = 679.14 roundtrip

Here's the cut and paste versions absent any personal info: So basically we paid a little over 2000.00 for the 3 r/t tix.

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I agree. We are in Arizona, and there are no such thing as cheap fares to Europe, unless they are last minute fares. My husband‘s work schedule does not allow last minute trips, and since we are on the 2018 British Isles cruise, we obviously need specific dates during prime travel times.

To the original poster, thank you for doing this trip report. I’m really loving all the details and especially all your pictures!

Thanks so much. Really glad to have you here.

That's too bad about the airfare to Europe from AZ. You're right, the 2018 BI cruise begins during Labor Day weekend, which is a prime travel time, so I can't imagine what the fares are like.

But I would keep checking. We held off initially, and kept monitoring prices, hoping british airways would have a sale after the holidays and we got pretty lucky. (mainly because we flew out of NYC)

British Airways seems to only discount roundtrip flights though, so any WBTA cruisers might need to consider other carriers.

Wish I could help more. I'm sorry the fares are so high.
 


We also found fantastic airline tickets by keeping at it. So when we booked the trip, we could only see flights from Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, or Fort Myers, Florida, for 1400.00 minimum. I told my husband that we were a year out at that point, and if we kept at it, I was certain I could find them for 1000.00 or less. He looked at me skeptically but agreed to budget 1000/per person. We kept at it and would check every single morning. One morning, I called my husband and said, "Do you see it?" He said, "I see it!" He knew exactly what I was talking about. British Airways had a direct flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Gatwick for 450.00 per person round trip!!!! We were shocked and quickly booked our 3 tickets!
So we arrive at the airport on the afternoon of our flight and employees are standing in the lobby and ask us what airline. We said "British Airways" and they got huge smiles on their face and said we were the first flight on British Airways from Ft. Lauderdale! We got to the gate and they had music, balloons, cupcakes (with American and British flags), news crews, and water for everyone on the flight! We felt like we had won a secret lottery! It was the best start to a trip ever! The flight was smooth and seamless of course!

So the moral of the story is, give yourself plenty of time, be persistent, keep looking, and when you find an anomaly, jump on it! We found that flight about 6 months before our trip!
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We also found fantastic airline tickets by keeping at it. So when we booked the trip, we could only see flights from Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, or Fort Myers, Florida, for 1400.00 minimum. I told my husband that we were a year out at that point, and if we kept at it, I was certain I could find them for 1000.00 or less. He looked at me skeptically but agreed to budget 1000/per person. We kept at it and would check every single morning. One morning, I called my husband and said, "Do you see it?" He said, "I see it!" He knew exactly what I was talking about. British Airways had a direct flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Gatwick for 450.00 per person round trip!!!! We were shocked and quickly booked our 3 tickets!
So we arrive at the airport on the afternoon of our flight and employees are standing in the lobby and ask us what airline. We said "British Airways" and they got huge smiles on their face and said we were the first flight on British Airways from Ft. Lauderdale! We got to the gate and they had music, balloons, cupcakes (with American and British flags), news crews, and water for everyone on the flight! We felt like we had won a secret lottery! It was the best start to a trip ever! The flight was smooth and seamless of course!

So the moral of the story is, give yourself plenty of time, be persistent, keep looking, and when you find an anomaly, jump on it! We found that flight about 6 months before our trip!
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This is so great! I love the sendoff. What a way to start your vacation. Fantastic photos and congrats on getting such a deal on the airfare.
You guys must have been thrilled to be given such a nice reception. It's a beautiful display. Thanks for sharing the pics.
 
I agree. We are in Arizona, and there are no such thing as cheap fares to Europe, unless they are last minute fares. My husband‘s work schedule does not allow last minute trips, and since we are on the 2018 British Isles cruise, we obviously need specific dates during prime travel times.

To the original poster, thank you for doing this trip report. I’m really loving all the details and especially all your pictures!

Also a thank you to PoisonIvy too - my wife and I have been following this eagerly. We're going on the 2018 UK cruise, so this has been really helpful for us.

Those of us not on the east coast definitely are at a disadvantage when it comes to flying transatlantic, but DisneyFriend and others, don't give up and buy overpriced tickets too early - there's lots of time to find some decent prices. Be sure to set up price trackers and alerts at Google Flights or other sites, and also don't rule out alternative airports! We wound up with a weird routing from a small town in Wyoming to Salt Lake to Vegas to London/Gatwick - but it's barely longer than flights with fewer stops for us, and about half the price. Airline pricing baffles me :) We'd also found some really good prices flying into Manchester, Paris and Dublin, and all of those are a relatively easy jump on a commuter line to get to London - if you're up for jumping onto a different airline and the extra work that entails. Good luck, hope you find some bargains like we did!
 


Also a thank you to PoisonIvy too - my wife and I have been following this eagerly. We're going on the 2018 UK cruise, so this has been really helpful for us.

Those of us not on the east coast definitely are at a disadvantage when it comes to flying transatlantic, but DisneyFriend and others, don't give up and buy overpriced tickets too early - there's lots of time to find some decent prices. Be sure to set up price trackers and alerts at Google Flights or other sites, and also don't rule out alternative airports! We wound up with a weird routing from a small town in Wyoming to Salt Lake to Vegas to London/Gatwick - but it's barely longer than flights with fewer stops for us, and about half the price. Airline pricing baffles me :) We'd also found some really good prices flying into Manchester, Paris and Dublin, and all of those are a relatively easy jump on a commuter line to get to London - if you're up for jumping onto a different airline and the extra work that entails. Good luck, hope you find some bargains like we did!

thanks so much and :welcome: I'm really glad to have you along. Excellent choice on the BI next year and great points re: airfare. We didn't settle right away either. Initially the fares were double what we wound up paying. They levelled off around 6 mos. out. So I'm hoping the pricing works out for those travelling next year as well.

You're gonna love the 2018 cruise. We still miss it. Wish we were joining everyone, but all signs are pointing to Bermuda out of NYC instead - feels like a letdown.
 

Stateroom 1047 (CAT 10C) Deluxe Inside Stateroom my review can be found at http://disneycruiselineblog.com/cru...xplorer-reviews/?ship=1&deck=1&stateroom=1047

Here are the highlights:

  • Very convenient mid ship location -
    • laundry up 1 deck (we did laundry twice, embarkation day was much busier than I expected it would be, but after 5 pre-stay days in London it needed to be done),
    • guest services, port adventures, Lumiere's, the after hours area and the gangway are all right there up 2 decks.
    • short walk to the forward elevators for easy access to O'Gills
    • Never encountered full elevators leaving Deck 1 from mid or fwd elevators. (note no access via Aft elevators)
  • close to the mid ship Deck 5 areas - kids clubs; Buena Vista theatre just a quick elevator ride or direct access via the mid ship stairs up 4 decks
  • price - THIS WAS HUGE FOR US and what allowed us to stay in play in London a total of 7 days in addition to the cruise! A outside cabin on Deck 1 was about $500 more than the Deluxe Inside, we never missed not having a window. And it was min. 4-5k cheaper than a veranda for this cruise.
  • quiet - I mean super quiet. not a sound and very little traffic period.
On our 12 night British Isles sailing we only disembarked from Deck 1 in 1 port, and the forward doorway was closed when we returned to the ship so we had to go up to access the Mid ship elevators/stairways to get to our room. This was only a slight inconvenience, since all other ports disembarked from Deck 3 via a gangway.
 
Wow! That's awesome! I'm at a small airport and flying anywhere in the US is minimum $300-$400; transatlantic more like $1200 and up (round trip!).

I think I have fare envy :)

I was in the same situation flying from a small airport and not wanting to tack a 5 hour one way drive at each end of the trip to reach a larger airport.
 
Stateroom 1047 (CAT 10C) Deluxe Inside Stateroom my review can be found at http://disneycruiselineblog.com/cru...xplorer-reviews/?ship=1&deck=1&stateroom=1047

Here are the highlights:

  • Very convenient mid ship location -
    • laundry up 1 deck (we did laundry twice, embarkation day was much busier than I expected it would be, but after 5 pre-stay days in London it needed to be done),
    • guest services, port adventures, Lumiere's, the after hours area and the gangway are all right there up 2 decks.
    • short walk to the forward elevators for easy access to O'Gills
    • Never encountered full elevators leaving Deck 1 from mid or fwd elevators. (note no access via Aft elevators)
  • close to the mid ship Deck 5 areas - kids clubs; Buena Vista theatre just a quick elevator ride or direct access via the mid ship stairs up 4 decks
  • price - THIS WAS HUGE FOR US and what allowed us to stay in play in London a total of 7 days in addition to the cruise! A outside cabin on Deck 1 was about $500 more than the Deluxe Inside, we never missed not having a window. And it was min. 4-5k cheaper than a veranda for this cruise.
  • quiet - I mean super quiet. not a sound and very little traffic period.
On our 12 night British Isles sailing we only disembarked from Deck 1 in 1 port, and the forward doorway was closed when we returned to the ship so we had to go up to access the Mid ship elevators/stairways to get to our room. This was only a slight inconvenience, since all other ports disembarked from Deck 3 via a gangway.

Excellent post. Thanks so much @wajones2 . This is a great review of the Cat 10C on Deck 1 which will help immensely with planning especially when cruising abroad.
Great cost savings, Quiet and conveniently located along with the same cabin size and split bath are identical stateroom features to our 9B. Only difference was 1 deck higher and springing for the large porthole window. Good to know you didn't miss the window. I'm sure I would though - since I really loved having it.

thanks again. I greatly appreciate it.
 
Excellent post. Thanks so much @wajones2 . This is a great review of the Cat 10C on Deck 1 which will help immensely with planning especially when cruising abroad.
Great cost savings, Quiet and conveniently located along with the same cabin size and split bath are identical stateroom features to our 9B. Only difference was 1 deck higher and springing for the large porthole window. Good to know you didn't miss the window. I'm sure I would though - since I really loved having it.

thanks again. I greatly appreciate it.

We absolutely loved this cruise and are really hoping Disney brings back the 12 night in 2019. I am already in the pre-planning stage in my mind and budget planning. It was definitely something we want to do again. Also considering Norway in 2019 if the 12 night British Isles doesn't return.
 
Disney Magic 12nt. British Isles
Sunday, July 9, 2017 – Dover, England

Embarkation lunch at cabanas...


(our weather July 9, 2017 – sunny high 77 °F / 25 °C)

(weather Sept 2, 2017 – clear high 64 °F / 17 °C)

As I’ve said before, the men in my family tend to prioritize food and fun whenever we travel.

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So let’s go grab some Lunch.

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Hello Cabanas!

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Disney runs their main breakfast and lunch buffet here every day.
(times vary - so check your daily navigator)

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And don’t be surprised if you run into your server or head server or Palo host working a shift or two here as well. DCL rotates the dining staff during the day.

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2 embarkation lunch buffets were being offered today:

Carioca’s (deck 3 aft) - from 11:45 am to 1:45 pm
And Cabanas (deck 9 aft) - from 12:00 pm to 3:15 pm.

Carioca’s alternates between serving either a lunch or a breakfast buffet every day – but never both. Lunch was available on embarkation and at sea days and every other day, they only served breakfast.

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A lot of cruisers ask about the difference between the two places.
Since we’ve had the benefit of sampling both on the Magic – I’ll post a few pics from our Sept 2016 Carioca’s embarkation lunch here as well, to help future planners

Carioca’s is often referred to as a “service buffet”.
It's a buffet that offers a nice quiet atmosphere with better dinnerware, table linens and wait staff on hand who provide your drink service.

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All great positives!

continued in the next post....
 
Disney Magic 12nt. British Isles
Sunday, July 9, 2017 – Dover, England


Embarkation lunch at cabanas... (part II)


Carioca's embarkation lunch buffet - Disney Magic Sept 2016

The flipside to all those positives is that Carioca’s does have a much smaller buffet. It's tight and can get a bit crowded.
(this appears to be the only picture I have, sorry)

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The offerings are much less in size and scope than Cabanas.

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We tend to prefer Cabanas on embarkation day, but we did enjoy Carioca's very much!

Cabanas really is quite the buffet!

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from the DCL website: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/onboard-activities/cabanas-restaurant/

A Seaside Promenade
Cabanas recalls a breezy boardwalk along a picturesque Australian beach—with an occasional splash of Disney magic. The restaurant’s charming décor includes clam shell tables and Adirondack chairs, palm trees and beach umbrellas, decorative surfboards and kites, and flooring that alternates between sandy-brown wood paneling and ocean-blue carpet. Floor-to-ceiling windows let you lose yourself to the sweeping seascapes as you dine, and a vintage-inspired striped foyer is designed to make you feel as if you’re entering your very own cabana.
Adding to the fun, a dramatic 30-foot-long, hand-crafted mosaic depicting an underwater scene from the Disney·Pixar animated hit film Finding Nemo can be found on the wall, as well as a decorative art-piece illustrating the 5 Disney castles

It runs from 2 separate entrances with equal sides and a lot more options - 2 carving stations, hand dipped ice cream, more desserts, more side dishes etc…etc...

(again, per the DCL website)

"Featuring a bountiful variety of contemporary favorites, lunch at Cabanas includes salads, soups, burgers, sandwiches, steak, chicken, seafood and pizza. For a sweet ending, treat your taste buds to a selection of delectable desserts like sundaes, cookies, cakes and fruit.

Vegetarian and Kids Menu
Vegetarian dishes and a selection of classic children’s food favorites are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner at Cabanas.

All menu items are subject to change without notice."

Located on deck 9 aft - very convenient to the pools and poolside quick service – Daisy’s Delites / Pete’s Boiler Bites / Pinnochio’s Pizzeria
(all open til 3:30pm today - then closed for the lifeboat drill, and reopened at 4:15pm)

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So if you want to swim or supplement your pizza/burgers/paninis/hot dogs/chicken fingers/wraps and shawarma with the buffet lunch – you can easily come and go between a poolside counter or grill and the buffet on deck 9.

Another Cabanas plus is that this buffet lunch is better staffed with the food service team always on hand to assist with any concerns, special requests and dietary needs.

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And this dining area has really great views to go along with the outdoor seating.

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Especially at the beautiful port of Dover!

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All a big plus!

The trade-off at Cabanas is dining with plastic plates, bowls and cups on bare tables compared to the main dining rooms.

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All true. but they do provide that fiesta flatware wrapped in colorful linen napkins to compliment your panoramic view - so what’s not to love???

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Either way, you won’t go hungry - it’s simply a matter of preference choosing between Carioca's or Cabanas for lunch.

continued with lots of food in the next post........
 
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Disney Magic 12nt. British Isles
Sunday, July 9, 2017 – Dover, England


Embarkation lunch at cabanas... (part III)


........continued from the last post

Of course at 2:40 pm, Cabanas was the only buffet in town for us.


And what a lunch buffet it was!!


Station after station – (beginning from the left)



Mac and Cheese & Chicken Tenders


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Steak Fries & Mixed Vegetables

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Leek and Potato Soup & Assorted Rolls

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Meatloaf & Gravy and Green Beans


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Ham wrapped salmon and honey glazed carrots & snowpeas

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More assorted bread and rolls


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Grilled Swordfish w/apple & lime salsa and Cut Corn w/water chestnuts & peppers

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Marinated Chicken and more Steak Fries


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Penne w/tomato & basil / Macaroni w/mushroom / Plain Pasta / Tomato Sauce / Parmesan Cheese


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All that and we've only just caught up with Iron Man!


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with one more post to go!


 
Disney Magic 12nt. British Isles
Sunday, July 9, 2017 – Dover, England


Embarkation lunch at cabanas... (part IV)


.....continued

Here's where we caught up with Iron Man

Buttered Asparagus and Grilled Lamb Chops

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Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Ribeye Steaks

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Roast Turkey carving station

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Steamed Carrots & Snowpeas / Beef Gravy and Roast Beef carving station (sorry for the blur)

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Seafood Bar - peel & eat shrimp and stone crab claws

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Salad bar

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That's it for the food!

JQ's plate

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IM's plate

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And for dessert - Cabanas would usually serve a dessert of the day

Warm Apple Cobbler

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And hand dipped Ice Cream of the Day

Strawberry and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream and fresh baked cookies

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They also have a dessert case with jello; mini cakes etc... (no pic) and a self serve drink station. Plus servers would walk around selling mixed drinks in souvenir hurricane glasses as well.


Omg all so good!

Why am I not on a cruise!?!?

 

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