Marvel Day at Sea
Day 2 was “Marvel Day at Sea”! Disney Cruise Line describes it as:
Disney Cruise Line is journeying through the Marvel Universe with more than 30 Super Heroes and Villains. Get ready to take a stand with fan favorites like Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, Captain America, Mighty Thor, Shang-Chi, Black Panther, Thor, Loki, Black Widow and more during a heroic day at sea. Enjoy thrilling activities and one-of-a-kind entertainment—available on select 5-night cruises from Fort Lauderdale to The Bahamas and Western Caribbean.
Disney Cruise Line – https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/onboard-activities/marvel-day-at-sea/
Needless to say, the ship was themed everywhere, Mickey and his friends were in Marvel costumes, and there were characters to meet!
Itinerary Changes!
I don’t recall exactly WHEN we got the notification, but I feel it was early in the day, but there was a change in the itinerary. We had been sailing towards Grand Cayman, to be the port on Day 3. The seas were notably rough (but very manageable) and apparently, it was going to be similar at Grand Cayman. The Grand Cayman port was a “tender port”, meaning we would have to take boats from the ship to shore. There were strong currents and rough water, which was going to make this unsafe. As such, they changed the itinerary:
| Original Itinerary | Revised Itinerary | |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Depart Ft Lauderdale / Port Everglades | unchanged |
| Day 2 | Sea Day (Marvel Day at Sea) | unchanged |
| Day 3 | Grand Cayman | Castaway Cay |
| Day 4 | Sea Day | Nassau |
| Day 5 | Castaway Cay | unchanged |
| Day 6 | Debarkation at Ft Lauderdale | unchanged |
Needless to say, there were quite a few frustrated and disappointed passengers. Many people had plans/excursions for the port. I can imagine how stressful it might have been if you had booked an excursion independently and might now be out of money. People in the Facebook group had indicated plans to meet up with non-cruise passengers at the port. Our family was quite fine with it, as we had booked our excursion through Disney, which meant it would be auto-refunded. We also are big fans of Castaway Cay and saw this as a lucky “double-dip” cruise!
Marvel Photo Ops
One of the many things we enjoy about the cruises is the easy access to meet-and-greet opportunities with different characters. There are typically different characters scheduled and available in the Atrium areas, and you just need to get in line. While there was some of that during Marvel Day at Sea, there were also ones that required a reservation as well. You had to be prompt in getting the reservations, as many people did not get the reservations.
Some of the photo-ops we were able to do:
Our morning schedule was a bit tight, because we also had a reservation for Palo!
Brunch at Palo
We were able to attend Palo before, and it was a fabulous experience, so we were happy to be able to get a reservation for this sailing. Oddly, DCL moved our reservation to accommodate the restaurant, and it was a bit stressful with the reservations of the meet-and-greets. Thankfully, everything worked out time-wise.
While I could try to describe all this food, the pictures and menu probably work better! It was all fantastic food and worth both the cost and the time.
While talking to our server, I made a joke about skipping the pizza since we could just get that upstairs. She shook her head at me and told us that she would be bringing us something special.
We were delivered a fresh Gorgonzola and Grape Pizza! This was described as being “off the menu”, but might have previously been on the menu. It was not something that I would have ever ordered from a menu, but it was great. I’d got to Palo, just to order this pizza!
Dinner: Animators Palate – Marvel Edition
USO Show – Captain America
After dinner, we found that a USO Show was happening in one of the lounges. It emulated much of what you would expect from a USO Show that was seen in the Captain America films. It was a combination of singing and dancing, with lots of classic-era songs. In the end, Captain America came out and completed the show. It was well done and was much more produced than I had expected for a themed day. Definitely would recommend checking it out!
Marvel Show – on deck
The big finale for the day was the evening show on the top deck. They had a ton of Avengers characters with ziplines, swinging, pyro, fireworks, fighting, and more! It was way more engaging and intense than I would have expected.
We arrived 45 minutes early and found a spot in the taped-off area, with guidance from a crew member. They recommended we sit sideways, as there was going to be action on the stage, and the opposite end from the stage. Sitting side-ways allowed us to see both areas, without hurting our necks.
This was one of the big highlights of the day. I would recommend arriving early to get a good spot for this show!
Evening
Arriving back to our room, we found our towel “animal” for the day, which was an interpretation of Thor’s Hammer (Mjölnir). It was a perfect choice for the Marvel Day at Sea.,
