Date Night on the Disney Magic

Take Advantage of Palo Fine Dining

Disney cruises are decidedly family affairs, but that doesn’t mean parents can’t get away for a quiet evening alone. Especially now that our youngest child is eight, we feel comfortable letting all three wander the ship, and they appreciate the independence. So with Potter in charge of watching the two younger ones, this is how Sherpa Momma and I took advantage of date night on the Disney Magic:

5:15PM Workout. The spa and gym are at the front of the ship, with commanding views of the sea. Knowing that we’d be liberal with sampling the dinner menu at Palo, Momma suggested we workout beforehand so we wouldn’t feel as guilty about the gluttony we had planned later on. Not the beset workout, per se. Mary walked a few miles on the treadmill while watching promo videos for the Disney Vacation Club. I did about 40 minutes on the bike and elliptical while watching analysis on the big Brexit vote, and then maybe another 25 minutes or so on the weights, core and functional. Not as robust as the workout at Elite, but good for 500-600 calories or so.

6:30PM Hot Tub. Timing is everything on the Disney Magic. We’ve been blessed with great weather at each port, but while on the ship, it’s been cold, windy and mostly overcast. That pushes most people indoors, leaving the pool deck sparsely populated. Except, of course, for the one adults-only hot tub they’ve left running. That’s always crowded. But not last night! The perfect storm of timing our visit for when half the ship is scheduled for dinner, and the other half is scheduled to see the Tangled musical meant we had the hot tub all to ourself for a gloriously relaxing 30 minutes!

7:45PM Pre-Dinner Cocktail. After checking on the kids, showering and getting ready with a loose interpretation of Palo’s dress code policy (I had on cargo pants and sandals, while Mary featured hiking pants and sandals….remember, we packed light for this summer-long adventure. That was the best we could do), we got to Palo about 15 minutes early for a cocktail. It was definitely worth it. Sundeep, our bartender from India, was liberal with his pours, and precise with his mixing. I treated myself to a Belvedere martini extra dirty, while Mary enjoyed an exquisitely crafted lemon drop.

8:15PM. Oceanview Dining. Each of the ships in Disney’s fleet has a Palo or equivalent: a reservations-only high end Italian restaurant for adults-only. The type of dining establishment where they bring you a sorbet to cleanse your palate before the entree is served. You pay extra for the privilege – $30 per person, I think, or $59 for the wine pairing menu – but that’s for everything on the menu. We went in knowing we would not limit ourselves to one appetizer, one entree, one dessert. No, if something on the menu caught our attention, we ordered it. They start you with an antipasto plate, prepared table side. Delicious! Mary loved the cheese, I the prosciutto. For appetizers, I had the cioppino soup, which was filled to the brim with perfectly prepared seafood that melted in my mouth. Mary ordered the gnocchi (light and fluffy), and the caprese salad. We went a little overboard on our entrees as well, ordering (and sharing) three between us. Hard to pick a favorite, as the rack of lamb, beef tenderloin, and butternut squash ravioli were each fantastic in their own right. The meat was tender and cooked perfectly to medium rare. The ravioli was rich and perfectly balanced. The selection of sauces accompanying the meats meant a new flavor with each bite. We cleaned all 3 plates, while sipping from a very subtle Italian barbaresco. Amazingly, we had room for dessert – four of them, actually. Warm chocolate soufflé with chocolate and vanilla sauces, an almond tort with the density and flavor profile of a cheesecake, perfectly textured tiramisu, and even some mango gelato. We ate it all, except for the tart. That was only half eaten. After dessert, our server (Larissa from Peru) brought us a complimentary limoncello shot, mixed with I don’t know what, but it went down very smoothly.

10:15PM. Snugly Duckling. Our night didn’t end at Palo. With the help of a crane to lift us from our seats, we made our way down to the 3rd deck for some “food, ale and tomfoolery” at the Snugly Duckling. Disney had transformed O’Gill’s sports pub into a “thug-filled” tavern, in celebration of the musical. A few of the thug performers were on hand to regale the audience with far-fetched tales of how they came by their scars. It was comical, though brief.

10:45PM. Hector is Magic. Disney previews many of the featured performers in adults-only shows at the Fathoms night club. I think this performer will be a hit with kids and parents alike. In 30 minutes, Hector (a magician from Spain), entertained us with illusions featuring cards, ropes, and rings; and then finished his show projecting animal figures on a white screen with his hands, all set to a soundtrack of animal noises. I think Steve in particular will love that last bit when he hits the Disney Theater later this week.

11:15PM. Keys. Our final stop was to listen to Doc Fingers on the grand piano is this very comfortable lounge. Great way to end our date night, me sipping a Guinness while Mary nursed a lemon drop, leaning into me, her feet up on the window, watching the waves gently roll by beneath us. Keep in mind the sun doesn’t really set in these parts this time of year, so our window seats at both Palo and Keys offered much to see. While at Palo, the clouds broke just enough for the sun to shine like a dancing spotlight on the water, creating a magical effect.

We were back in the state room by 12:30AM, moving gently through the waters en route to Norway, the sun still lighting the way. The waves rocked us to sleep, end to a perfect date night.

Grand Poobah

Master organizer of this grand adventure, and father to this raucous bunch of kids. Armed with camera and a tablet, I aim to capture the memorable moments that will allow this trip to live on forever.