Disney Cruise - Lobby Atrium

Those of you with long memories may recall that I've been working on a series about cruising aboard the Disney Magic.

(Click here if you want to go back to the start of the tour).

Last time we were topside, so this time let's take a look below decks.

Guests board the Magic in grand style, with their arrival being formally announced at a party in the Lobby Atrium:

This fantastic space starts at Deck 3, Midship and stretches all the way up to Deck 5. Here's the view from Deck 5 looking down:

From Deck 5 you can see the "signature" statue of Mickey at the wheel:

Behind the statue is the entrance to Lumiere's, which is *almost* the nicest place to eat (we'll cover the restaurants in a future post).

The Lobby Atrium contains some of the best decorative details aboard. For example, the banisters on the grand staircases feature character silhouettes. While I don't have a picture that does them justice, these menu covers contain a reproduction of the detail:

Back in the lobby, take a closer look at the elevator shafts -- the design incorporates familiar headgear (in multiple scales!):

Between each deck there's a delightful series of classic characters, including Mickey, Pluto, Clarabelle(!!), Daisy, the Goof, and many others:

We were told by a crew member that each character is dressed to represent one of each of the different crew disciplines on board. (And yes, I was informed that employees of the Disney Cruise line are "crew", not "castmembers".)

In our next installment, we'll leave the Lobby Atrium and take a walk down this hallway on Deck 4:

"See you real soon!"