My First Disney Cruise and Eating Vegan Onboard: Day 4

Today we were having a Palo brunch at 12, so we pre-booked some very light room service breakfast for when we woke up. I just had Special K with almond milk. I wish I'd found out what supplier the milk is, as it tasted good.

Room service breakfast has some vegan options

After watching the world go by on the verandah, it was time to head to Palo. It was nice and quiet when we went in, and what a stunning setting with such a relaxing Italian vibe. The server knew right away that I was vegan so I didn't even need to tell him. He brought out a selection of breads, including crispy sesame bread which was divine, especially with the balsamic dip.

The sesame bread was crunchy and delicious

The server said our champagne was on the way, to which we politely said "no thank you" — we were still a little delicate from last night's whiskey tasting. Neither of us are big drinkers so we forfeited our champagne for some freshly squeezed orange juice.

They were able to make me some vegan pancakes with syrup and they tasted great. Although, I'm pretty sure they were meant to be berry pancakes and I couldn't taste that. But still yummy regardless! 

Palo made me some vegan pancakes

I ordered a pizza, and this time it really was a legit pizza — nothing like the Pinnochio's Pizza disaster I had a few days ago! The vegan cheese was nice and melty and it was just perfect. While chatting I happened to mention Pinnochio's faux pas to the server, and he was shocked. He said all they needed to do was get the ingredients from another kitchen. 

Finally, a proper vegan pizza!

For dessert, I had a selection of raspberry and lemon sorbets. They were even better than I expected, and I ended up preferring the lemon. The meal was a tranquil experience and I'd definitely do it again. My only regret was not having 2 stomachs...

The sorbets were better than I expected and full of flavour

Later that day we did a theme park trivia quiz. The questions were HARD, much more so than expected. We did OK but sadly not good enough to win. Maybe next time?

We soaked up a bit of sun on the verandah, before getting ready for dinner at Rapunzel's Royal Table. This was my favourite main dining meal by far. I'd preordered a pasta dish which I loved, and had some arugula (or rocket, as we call it) salad for my starter.

I had a light arugula salad to start

The pasta dish at Rapunzel's was one of the tastiest

I was surprised with a scrumptious vegan chocolate donut with raspberry ice cream for dessert l. Wow! If only I'd preordered 2 desserts, but I will absolutely ask for this on our next cruise.

I'll be asking for the vegan doughnut next time!

The mini-show was really charming and enriched the dining experience with the atmosphere. I genuinely felt like I'd been transported to Disney World again.

Meanwhile, another towel animal had magically appeared in the stateroom. This time there was a consensus that it was a bear! 

We were confident this towel animal was a bear!

Continuing the Tangled theme, we later went to watch the stage musical in the Walt Disney Theatre. The quality was absolutely up there with broadway musicals and I enjoyed every minute.

The Tangled musical was Broadway quality

We had done late dining on the 1st cruise and early dining on the 2nd to see what we preferred. Surprisingly we both preferred the later dining, despite my initial concerns of being 'hangry' by dinner. This is purely because there were more kids at the later theatre show (following early dining), and some of them were a little tired and restless... So for us as a couple, the earlier show was a bit quieter. But for a family with young children, I can understand the appeal of the earlier dinner and late show so it works both ways.

It was time to head back to our stateroom to pack ready for our early debarkation the following morning.

Debarkation day coming soon!

My First Disney Cruise and Eating Vegan Onboard: Day 3

Today was our changeover day between our back-to-back cruises. We went down to Rapunzel's Royal Table for a leisurely breakfast around 8:30. Still feeling full and not wanting any fuss this morning, I went low-key and just asked for Rice Crispies! I had it with almond milk — sometimes it's just nice to have something simple. 

Simple vegan-friendly cereals are available

We had to go to D Lounge at 10am for our Covid tests. It was very well organised — we weren't queuing that long and I was chatting to the guy at the door about my pin collecting. I don't like to trade them, I just buy them all to keep to myself. He said he was the same!

Prenetics staff scanned our vaccination QR codes for our 2nd reservation, and we were given the LFT tests to administer ourselves. There were refreshments provided, and while getting a tea I spotted a lovely lady called Dawn from the Disney Cruise UK Facebook group I'd been following. It was great to meet her and her daughter, and I could personally thank Dawn for all the work she's put into the page. I'd picked up lots of useful tips for a first-time cruiser, and it's a super-friendly group. 

Now, this was the truly magical part of the cruise, as most guests had disembarked and we were free to wonder around. It makes doing B2B cruises worth it, not to mention the extra "cruise credit" towards Castaway Club status! We saw the cast of the shows chilling on the deck, and a cast member jogging around the ship. It was so peaceful. 

We virtually had the ship to ourselves between cruises

Cove Cafe was open to "B2Bers", so we went in for a coffee. We spoke to an officer lady - I wanted to know what she did but felt rude to ask! I ordered a lovely chai latte made with almond milk. 

Cove Cafe offers vegan milk alternatives

Our stateroom was ready after being cleaned (we stayed in the same one), so we headed back for a while. The balcony walls were all open, so you could see all the way down to the end of the section which was quite interesting to see. Waiting in the room for us was our Castaway Club bag, and our silver Castaway Club lanyards — we'd made it to silver level!

You get some free gifts on your 2nd cruise

The sun just about made an appearance, so we went to sit by the pool for a bit. Our intention was to get a few waters from Signals, and the CM offered a deal where you get cans of water with a cool-bag included. I thought it was a really good deal and we'll definitely use it again.

The cool-bag with water was available at the adults-only Signals bar

I had preordered a vegan burger from Cabanas, so we headed there for lunch. This was one of my favourite meals. There wasn't any vegan cheese (fair enough this time as I hadn't asked for any when I preordered), but the burger tasted amazing. The fries were really good too.

The vegan burger at Cabanas was one of my favourites

After more chilling and enjoying the violinist at the Promenade, it was dinner time at Animator's again. This time I had a tortilla wrap with spicy black beans. It was good and I wished I could have fit in another one! Dessert was a chocolate cake with strawberry and it was moist and delicious.

My tortilla wrap came with black beans and vegetables

Anything chocolate and vegan is a winner!

The Mickey Mouse Trivia quiz was next up, and we primed ourselves with some non-alcoholic cocktails as we arrived early. We failed miserably. I thought I knew enough to stand a chance, but hey-ho it's a Disney ship so we were bound to have competition!

We prepared for the quiz with fruit-punch cocktails

Oh my; now it was time for whiskey tasting. What did I let myself in for? The lady next to me said she wasn't usually a whiskey drinker so I didn't feel too out of my league! Benita, our host for the tasting, was amazing. I could have listened to her stories all day. Then it came to the tasting and most of them blew my head off. I'm not a huge drinker, so although I enjoyed exploring the flavours I just couldn't finish them. The shots were rather generous. My husband helped out, but even between us, it was a lot. Some of them usually go for $50 a shot so we did our best!

It was interesting hearing about the whiskey-making techniques

We walked, *ahem*, stumbled, out of Cove Cafe and went to Keys to listen to the piano player. When we said we wanted non-alcoholic cocktails, the server jokingly asked if something was wrong. We explained we'd just done a whiskey tasting session and it was a LOT for us. I had a nice virgin mojito to wind down the evening. The atmosphere here is beautiful, as the bar pays homage to a classic and elegant Walt Disney meets art-deco design, with wonderful live piano music in the background.

Keys bar was absolutely stunning with impressive live piano music

Non-alcoholic cocktails are available on request

Then back to the room to drink a lot of water to wash the whiskey down. We thought this evening's towel animal was a Turkey, but as usual, that was up for debate!

Day 4 coming soon!

My First Disney Cruise and Eating Vegan Onboard: Day 2

Having anticipated a restless night from the motion of the ship, it was a pleasant surprise that I actually slept really well. I took my Seabands off to shower in the morning. At this point, for the first time on our cruise I started to feel a bit sick. The bands went back on as soon as possible and I took a Dramamine. The tablet took effect, and I started to feel better straight away — just a little bit drowsy.

We were allocated Rapunzel's Royal Table for breakfast. Our server Silvana took my preorder the night before — vegan sausages, grilled tomatoes, and some Mickey waffles. It was all good, although the waffles were a little bit chewy. I wish I'd asked what product the vegan sausages were as they were really yummy.

I had the same vegan sausages I'd eaten in Cabanas

The Mickey Waffles were good but pretty chewy

My husband and I had scheduled a massage in Senses Spa later in the morning. I had reservations about getting it as I'd been disappointed with some previous (non-Disney) massages. On route to the spa we had an impromptu encounter with Marvel Mickey and Minnie.

Mickey and Minnie had Marvel themed costumes

The whole appointment at Senses Spa was incredibly relaxing. It was a bit difficult to breathe face down in a mask, but the lady said I could turn my head to one side if it was more comfortable. Bear in mind there are no exemptions for masks on board — unless you are actively eating/drinking adults must wear a mask at all times. We left the spa feeling fully revitalised and it was so worth it.

Senses Spa was a great way to destress

Lunch today was my only significant disappointment as a vegan. I really fancied a pizza, and I'd seen a few posts previously where Pinnochio's Pizzeria had made vegan pizza to order. When I asked about it at the counter and they said no problem, we'll sort one out for you. After waiting for about 10 minutes a manager came out to place my order. This is where it got weird — he asked what I wanted on it and the only option was onion. No peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, vegan cheese — nothing. 

Pinocchios Pizzeria was a disappointing experience

As super hungry as I was at this point, and having already waited, I just said OK to the onion and tomato paste. He said it would be about 20 minutes, so we sat outside for a while and I went back to collect the "pizza". It was just bread and thinly spread tomato paste. Even the single available onion topping mentioned was missing. We laughed it off and continued to enjoy our day. 

The vegan "pizza" was not good...

Unusual for the UK, the sun had really decided to make an appearance. This is where having a verandah really pays off for these days at sea. Sitting in the sun in your own private space, while looking out at the glistening waves beyond justifies the extra cost for us. I can fully understand that if you plan on always being at the pool and attending activities, you'd be just as happy with an inside stateroom.

Having a verandah was perfect for us

Jungle Cruise was showing in the afternoon, so after a bit of sunbathing, we headed to the theatre. It was surprisingly popular, and it seemed to go down really well with the audience. The screening was actually held in the Walt Disney Theatre, not the Buena Vista theatre that usually shows movies. This threw us off when we initially turned up at the wrong place! I really enjoyed it. Not my favourite live action Disney movie by any stretch, but still good fun. 

Jungle Cruise was screened in the main theatre

After some more sunshine, we settled in the same theatre again for Disney Dreams. It was spectacular, and the sight of all the Disney characters at the end after such a long time without a Disney trip brought a tear to my eye.

Dinner this evening was in Animator's Palate. Again I'd preordered my meal with my server. I had a black bean soup to start with which was very flavourful. My main was spicy chickpeas with a tofu/veggie skewer, and I loved it. Dessert was a surprise — ice cream and cookies. The vanilla ice cream was nice, but unfortunately the cookies were mint-choc chip which I don't like.

Animator's Palate was colourful and fun

I enjoyed my black bean soup

The chickpeas and skewer was impressive

The ice cream was perfect, but not the cookies

Over the years I'd watched YouTube videos of the drawing-based surprise towards the end of the meal. Even so, it was delightful to see it in person. I won't describe what happens here, just in case you're avoiding spoilers!

We spotted Chip and Dale on the way back to our stateroom, and by this point I'd gained sea-legs. No sickness to speak off and I didn't take another Dramamine that night.

Chip and Dale bid us good night

This evening's towel animal appeared to be a penguin, or possibly baby Yoda (OK, Grogu). As this was the end of the first back-to-back cruise, we had our gratuities slips and feedback forms to complete ready for the morning. Day 3 up soon!

Baby Yoda guarded the bedtime chocolates

My First Disney Cruise and Eating Vegan Onboard: Day 1

I've wanted to do a Disney Cruise for longer than I remember, but always had reservations about cruises. These were worries like being seasick, and whether it would be easy to eat vegan on the ship. We booked because our WDW trip got cancelled for the 3rd time, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do the UK sailings on the Disney Magic.

We originally just booked a 2 night cruise, but then added on another 2 nights as a back-to-back. I'm so glad we did!

On embarkation day from Southampton, I was 50/50 nervous and excited. We'd stayed at the Ibis the night before. Although the hotel was dated, it had on-site parking included in our package covering up to 8 days. Best of all, when I opened up the curtains in the morning, there was the Disney Magic right in front of us! The Horizon Cruise Terminal was just a stone's throw away. We pre-booked an Uber as we had some heavy bags, and it turned up earlier than expected.

The Disney Magic was at the terminal outside the hotel

When we pulled up in the Uber, we gave the lady our port arrival time (we were 15 mins early) and were quite shocked when she said we would have to walk into town and come back later. We got out and spoke to her again — she had misheard us and thought we said our PAT time was 14:00. That was just as well, as had we started walking into town it would have taken 15 mins just to get out of the port area anyway! 

We went straight into testing, and it all happened so quickly. The Prenetics staff scanned our QR codes proving we are fully vaccinated and handed us our DIY covid test kits. Just 5 turns in each nostril... you get the idea. I think we're all used to these tests by now! Following this, we were escorted for our anxious wait in the holding area. Despite avoiding everyone in the lead-up to the trip, it still makes for a nerve-wracking wait...

The Prenetics covid test holding area at Horizon Cruise Terminal

The negative test confirmation came in via email within about 10 minutes, and with a sense of relief, it was time to proceed through security to the main terminal! We flashed our DVC member cards, and were shown through the "priority" lane, but since the terminal was empty at this early stage it didn't make a difference. The only hold-up was a CM telling us we needed the paper copy of our PAT to board which was incorrect — another CM accepted our digital QR codes and we walked on. I think it took about 45mins from port arrival to getting on the ship. 

We only spent around 45 minutes at the terminal before boarding

Due to the current circumstances, there is no more sail away party to help manage the crowds. Instead, we were escorted to a spot in the atrium to watch a welcome show with Mickey and Minnie, and it was very well organised. Things are a little different now, and masks are required by all adult guests indoors as well as distancing from other parties. I can honestly say that these measures made no difference to our experience, although we had nothing to compare it to. In fact, I think some of the measures like physical distancing and reduced capacity made for a more tranquil and personalised cruise.

It was an emotional moment seeing Mickey and Minnie

After the fabulous intro from Mickey and Minnie and a few happy tears, we headed to Cabanas for some food. I immediately told the CM at the door I was vegan and the head chef came out to chat to me. He offered me vegan sausage and veggies and it was delicious.

The head chef provided me with vegan sausages and veggies

After some exploring and meeting Ariel, our stateroom was ready. We went in to refresh and unpack, and it was much more spacious than we'd envisioned. The verandah balcony was lovely. We paid for a full one, although one side was slightly obstructed by a curved wall. It didn't bother us at all, but I know next time to ask for a cabin that's not on the end of a section. We could still see out just as well.

Our stateroom was bigger than I thought it would be

The Disney Cruise Navigator App is the best way to keep abreast of what is happening onboard. We spotted it was happy hour at Signals bar in the adults-only section of the ship — what better time to try it out! It was lovely and peaceful to be sat having a gin cocktail after the excitement of boarding, with the only interruption being the mandatory safety video we all had to watch. 

We took advantage of happy hour!

The shops open at 6pm so we decided to get in the queue as I'd heard stock was limited. Luckily we managed to get almost everything we wanted, including spirit jerseys and DCL branded Helly Hansen coats.

I was so happy they had the Helly Hansen coats in stock

You certainly don't need to be ruthlessly hunting down characters on the ship for a photo. They popped up everywhere! I noticed Minnie waving down at me from the balcony, and we had a professional photo taken in the atrium. We had prepaid for the package of 6 photos, and at this early stage we were wondering if it was worth it (spoiler alert: it was!). 

Characters popped up everywhere onboard the ship

While in the shop, I had asked what time we were sailing away. The immensely helpful cast member called through to someone to confirm it was 18:30. We climbed to the top deck in the hope of hearing that famous Disney Magic horn! We certainly weren't disappointed. As the shop gracefully pushed away from the dock, we jumped out of our skin when the horn sounded When you Wish Upon a Star. It was LOUD!

We weren't disappointed by the ship's horn

Next up we did the Disney Tunes Quiz in O'Gill's before dinner. We did much better than we anticipated, and came in at 2nd place! No coveted medal for us, but it was very enjoyable.

We came a close 2nd in the quiz

We'd been assigned 20:40 dinner, which at first I had reservations about eating so late but it turned out to be the best decision. Lumiere's was our assigned restaurant, and we were greeted by princesses on the way in. It's a beautiful dining venue, and one of the more "cruise-traditional" options. 

We received a royal welcome!

Lumiere's was the more traditional dining venue

I had a refreshing avocado gazpacho for a starter, mixed veggies in a curry sauce for my main, and a chocolate dessert. The main was a bit hot so I didn't finish all of it, but I did enjoy it. The dessert was delicious and I wish I had room for a 2nd!

The avocado gazpacho was chilled and refreshing

My curried vegetable main was delicious, but hot

I loved the chocolate dessert and wish I could have eaten more!

I felt the ship rocking a bit during dinner, but my Seabands seemed to do the trick, as well as facing the windows. I managed to get through the first day without any Dramamine. On returning to the stateroom, we saw our first towel animal of the trip alongside some (non-vegan) chocolates. I thought it was a lobster, but my other half thought it was a manta ray. You decide!

Lobster or manta ray?

On the way back to the room we met our lovely stateroom host Ami, who asked if we needed anything. All the cast members really do take care of you and seem to genuinely want you to have an incredible cruise. There was time for a quick chill out before heading up to the top deck for the last showing of the aptly named Freezing the Night Away show. Again, this was well organised with no need to worry about crowding. Each party was separated and stood on a dedicated viewing marker on the ground. It was a fun show, but I was so glad we'd purchased those warm Helly Hansen coats! It was great to see Olaf and the Frozen gang after so long.

It was wonderful to see Disney characters again

It was a cold night but well worth seeing the show

What a fabulous first day we had! Most concerns I had about cruising had already dissipated by this point. It felt amazing to be back in the Disney bubble after 2 difficult years. 

Day 2 coming soon!