Maggie Ashby was looking for some of the cruise ship magic to spill over into her Charlottetown visit Tuesday.
Ashby disembarked Disney Magic with her mother Nancy Downey and her eight-year-old son Mason Ashby.
The three-generation trio planned a horse-drawn carriage tour of the capital city, some shopping and chowing down on lobster.
Maggie, a seasoned cruise ship traveller, hopped aboard her first Disney Cruise Line ship Saturday.
She only has rave reviews.
“We love it,’’ she says.
“They really are kid friendly, as you would expect.’’
Maggie says her son is well taken care of by cruise staff with constant entertainment, allowing the adults plenty of, well, adult time.
“It’s just so easy with a kid,’’ she says.
Nancy Downey takes a photo of her daughter Maggie Ashby and her grandson Mason Asby after disembarking the Disney Magic Tuesday to enjoy a tour of Charlottetown in a horse-drawn carriage. (JIM DAY/THE GUARDIAN)
The Disney ships feature many of the iconic characters on board.
Maggie says the shows on the ship are top-notch productions.
Monday, she adds, was Marvel Day with Marvel Super Heroes crawling all over the vessel.
Disney Magic is the first ship from the Disney Cruise Line to come to Charlottetown.
Corryn Clemence, business development manager with Port Charlottetown, says this call to port was years in the making.
Roughly 2,400 passengers are on board Disney Magic.
She says the passengers signed up for a mix of standard tours on P.E.I. but also tours with a Disney twist.
“Maybe we will get braids on Mickey,’’ she says with a laugh suggesting a possible blend of P.E.I.’s iconic Anne of Green Gables fictional red head with Disney’s legendary Mickey Mouse.
The Disney Magic, which arrived Tuesday morning from New York, was scheduled to spend approximately eight hours at Port Charlottetown.
Islanders walking downtown were treated to the vessel’s horn playing the tune of When You Wish Upon a Star.
The Disney Magic’s stop in the capital city sees the magical run of this cruise season nearing a close.
Pearl Mist arriving Wednesday and Victoria 1 coming to town Saturday will wrap it up for the year.
Even with 14 cancellations this season – most due to new speed restrictions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to protect endangered right whales - Charlottetown will have enjoyed 68 ship visits with just over 90,000 passenger’s by week’s end.
That is up 11 ship calls over last year but down from the record 75 calls in 2013.
Clemence anticipates a record-breaking season in 2018 with more than 80 ship visits to Charlottetown.
She adds there are bookings already into 2020.
