Welcome back to my continuing 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 below decks, and although there's plenty more to explore, I'd like to take a step back for a little perspective.
Here's a view of the Magic while docked at Cozumel, Mexico:
It is my belief that the ships of the Disney Cruise line use "reverse" forced perspective to make them appear to be *smaller* than they actually are.
Take a glance at the image above, then look closer (maybe take a peek at a larger version)...
See the maintenance door open near the water line? There's a person down there working -- look at his size compared to that of the ship.
The life boats are also larger than they might first appear. On the decks just above the life boats you can see balconies for five staterooms over each one.
Same goes for the circular windows -- at first glance they just look like normal "port hole" style windows, but the ones on the decks near the lifeboats are in fact quite large, as this view from the other side shows:
The combined effect of all of these elements creates the impression of a smaller ship -- one that would have traveled the oceans back when Walt and Lily cruised in grand style, and to give the ship a more intimate feel.
Don't get me wrong -- the ship is actually smaller than many modern cruise ships (and that's a good thing), but at a distance it "feels" smaller still.
What do you think?
One more thing before we step back on board. Take a look at the exterior color scheme and see if it feels familiar. Here's a hint: Disney had to get special permission to paint the lifeboats something other than fluorescent orange. The color they ended up using has the words "Mickey yellow" in it's name.
Let's take a brief break from our Disney Cruise series.
I just saw this item about the Lasseter Family Winery on Upcoming Pixar, and it reminded me that I had seen evidence of this when I was in Disneyland in 2007:
In a window at Cafe Orleans (in New Orleans Square) I spotted a curious wine bottle:
If you take a closer look at the image you can see the Lasseter label on one of the bottles, featuring John's creation Wally B.
(Or you can head over to Upcoming Pixar, where they have a much cleaner version of the logo).
Welcome back to my series about cruising aboard the Disney Magic.
(Click here if you want to go back to the start of the tour).
Now that we've looked around the Lobby Atrium, let's proceed forward on Deck 4, where we are greeted by this hallway:
Let's start by looking DOWN, where we see Yet Another embedded cruise line logo:
Along either side of the hallway are a pair of shops : "Treasure Ketch" on the right and "Mickey's Mates" on the left. Let's pass under the decorative Mickey and duck inside Mickey's Mates for a look around:
As is so often the case in a Disney retail space, guests who take the time to LOOK UP are rewarded. In this case we find the shop is filled with crow's nests containing a host of old friends:
Leaving Mickey's Mates, we find ourselves at the other end of the hallway, with "Treasure Ketch" just a few steps away: As you might expect, this shop has a more elegant feel, and offers an array of items including resort wear, jewelry, and other higher-end collectibles. (By the way, I wonder if the nautical flags under the boat spell anything in particular?...)
At the forward end of the hallway we find the lobby for the Walt Disney Theater:
Through these doors is the grandest performance space on board the Magic, which serves as the venue for the Disney Cruise Line's signature shows:
You'll have to look elsewhere for pictures of the interior (I'm not posting pictures of *everything*, some things are best enjoyed in person. Besides, low lighting conditions and a moving ship make for challenging photography).
This stretch from the Lobby Atrium to the Walt Disney Theater reminds me of the entrance to Disneyland -- the Lobby Atrium serves as a Town Square, the shop-lined hallway is the Magic's version of Main Street, U.S.A., and the picture of Walt (and the theater named after him) serve as the "weenie" pulling us forward.
Next time, we'll step back for a little perspective.
