After breaking down the ships, the islands, the food, and the overall experience… it all comes down to this:

Is Disney Cruise Line actually worth the premium?

In the final installment of our cruise series, we deliver our official verdict on Disney vs Royal Caribbean. From fireworks at sea to Central Park vibes, Castaway Cay vs CocoCay, and everything in between—we weigh the magic against the value and decide who truly comes out on top.

Whether you're planning your next cruise or just love a good debate, this is where we put our money where our mouth is.

🎯 Final picks. Real talk. No holding back.

This is Part 3 of our Disney vs Royal Caribbean series. Be sure to check out Episodes 621 & 622 for the full breakdown before the verdict!

Let us know what you think or if you have any questions about what we have discussed. Civil discussions encouraged. Email us at show@magicourway.com, call or text 815-MOWICAN (669-4226), or slide into our social media DMs. Every thought and opinion will forever be welcome on this Disney fan podcast. This is show #623.

In Part 2 of our cruise comparison series, we leave the ships behind and head to each line's private island: Disney's Castaway Cay and Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay — two destinations built with completely different philosophies.

Then we put Royal Caribbean to the test with our "Disney Bubble Test":
👉 What happens when you leave the Disney experience behind?
👉 Do things feel more freeing… or less magical?

From relaxing beach escapes to full-blown water park energy, this episode dives into where these cruise lines really start to separate.

🎧 Which island would you choose — Castaway Cay or CocoCay?

This is Part 2 of our 3-part cruise comparison series. Check out episode #621 for the first part. 

👉 Next episode: in Part 3, we bring it all together — comparing cost, value, and answering the biggest question of all: is Disney Cruise Line actually worth the premium?

Let us know what you think or if you have any questions about what we have discussed. Civil discussions encouraged. Email us at show@magicourway.com, call or text  815-MOWICAN (669-4226), or slide into our social media DMs. Every thought and opinion will forever be welcome on this Disney fan podcast. This is show #622.

Rachel and Josh regale us with tales of their most recent trip to Walt Disney World. Listen to hear about their first experience at the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade, the mayhem with giants during the Happily Ever After, and much, much more. This is part one of a two-part series. What thoughts have arisen about their trip? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this Disney fan podcast.

In this episode, we discuss possible development ideas for the Disneyland Resort in California, as stated by Disney on its Disneyland Forward website, www.disneylandforward.com. The Disneyland Forward project passed its first obstacle after being approved unanimously. With two more future obstacles to surmount, we wanted to discuss which Disneyland Forward possibilities were our favorites. Which are your favorite Disneyland Forward possibilities? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show. #DisneyParks. #DisneylandForward #possibilities

We discuss the latest Disney news! We start with the official poster for Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Then, we discuss Avatar at the Disneyland Resort. And, we conclude with Iger's response to a question about Epic Universe during the shareholder's meeting. What are your thoughts on any of these topics? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

We discuss what Disney should do in response to Universal Epic Universe for episode #518. Now that we have "come home" after exploring Universal Epic Universe for the past six weeks, it's time to figure out where Disney is with all the hype and what we think their response should be to the competition's newest offering.  What do you think about our ideas? How should Disney respond, in your opinion? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

We conclude our series on Universal Epic Universe. For this episode, we explore the world of How To Train Your Dragon-Isle of Berk, where you can "take to the skies and soar with dragons as you explore the colorful Viking village at the heart of Berk as well as take part in wild boat battles, feast like a Viking and more." We explore the attractions, the dining, and the shopping. What do you think about How To Train Your Dragon-Isle of Berk? Have you watched/played any of the How To Train Your Dragon franchise? Are you excited about this new theme park coming in 2025? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

We continue our series on Universal Epic Universe. For this episode, we explore The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic, where you can "explore international wizarding communities from 1920s Paris to the 1990s British Ministry and the magic that connects them" We explore the attractions, the dining, and the shopping. What do you think about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic? Have you visited the other lands of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter? Are you excited about this new theme park coming in 2025? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

We continue our series on Universal Epic Universe. For this episode, we explore Super Nintendo World, where you can "step right into familiar locations and environments from the Mushroom Kingdom." We explore the attractions, the dining, and the shopping. What do you think about Super Nintendo World? Have you been to other Super Nintendo Worlds? Are you excited about this new theme park coming in 2025? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

We continue our series on Universal Epic Universe. For this episode, we explore the world of Dark Universe, "a world of myth and mystery where Universal's classic monsters are reimagined in an ominous and chilling experience." We explore the attractions, the dining, and the shopping. What do you think about Dark Universe? Are you excited about this new theme park coming in 2025? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

We continue our series on Universal Epic Universe. For this episode, we explore the world of Celestial Park, the hub to the other worlds of Epic Universe. We explore the attractions, the dining, and the shopping. What do you think about Celestial Park? Are you excited about this new theme park coming in 2025? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

On January 30th, 2024, Universal released a video revealing a good bit of information on what to expect when Universal Epic Universe opens next year in 2025. Throughout this video, we felt like Universal threw some subtle digs, or threw shade, at Disney by the word choices in their script. We examine this video to see if certain statements were digs at Disney by Universal. What do you think about this? Were they digs or not? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

Walt Disney World has announced that 1900 Park Fare at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will reopen on April 10, 2024. We discuss what the Disney Parks Blog has announced especially the new characters to be featured for the character meals. What are your thoughts on the new 1990 Park Fare? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

We discuss our least favorite Disney E-Ticket attraction. Now, it is not that we dislike these attractions, but rather these are our least favorite ones. We like so many of the E-Ticket attractions that we felt it was easier to discuss our least favorites, which is a much smaller list. What are some of your least favorite E-Ticket attractions? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

With the return of the Disney Dining Plan in 2024, we once again ponder if it is worth it. We go through an exercise in which two of us plan a vacation using the Quick Service Dining Plan and the other two plan a vacation using the regular Disney Dining Plan. But, we stay true to ourselves by ordering what we would normally get during each of our vacations. What do you think about the 2024 Disney Dining Plan? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

Professor X joins us on this episode to discuss the history and the use of artificial intelligence in the Walt Disney Company! We also use chatGPT during our show to see how it does with trip planning among other things. What do you think about Disney's use of artificial intelligence? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

For the third show of the new year, we remind you of all the new things coming to Disneyland for 2024. We discuss the return of Pixar Fest and Fantasmic, the closure of the Haunted Mansion, return of the parades and projection shows, and much much more! What do you think about these new things coming for 2024? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

For the second show of the new year, we remind you of all the new promotions and new things coming to Walt Disney World for 2024. We discuss the Dining Plans, Park Hopping, Good to-Go Days, attractions, and much much more! What do you think about these new things coming for 2024? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

As we begin the new year, we would like to pause for a sec to see how we are doing. To do so, we read some of our Apple Podcasts reviews to learn what things need improvement and what things we do well. The easiest way to support us is to leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts and/or wherever you listen to podcasts. What do you think about us? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

As a follow-up to our Holiday Encore episode last week in which we discussed past Walt Disney World holiday celebrations, Rachel describes her experience with the Festival of the Holidays during her recent trip to Epcot. Plus, we discuss the World Celebration Gardens, Dreamers Point, and Luminous: a Symphony of Us. Thoughts? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

Welcome to this special edition of the Magic Our Way podcast. Given this busy time of final exams and Christmas preparation, we present an encore montage of previous holiday episodes. First, you'll hear an abridged version of show #351, WDW's Ghosts of Christmas Past, Then, you will hear the "Twas the Night Before a MOWican Christmas." Finally, you will hear our old generic closing as recorded by Danny and Kevin. Travel back to 2015 and 2020 and hear us celebrate the holidays. Happy Holidays, MOWicans!

Eli and Kevin discuss whether the Kang character should stay or can Marvel move on without Kang, an idea based off of a Vanity Fair article. If they drop the Kang storyline, what would replace it? Or, do you just replace the actor? It's a Marvel Moment show! Thoughts? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

Recent events enable us to continue our series on Bad Behavior in the Disney Parks. For this show, we discuss the "bathroom video voyeur," John Stamos banned, and Mr. "It's a Nude World After All." Thoughts? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

We discuss Wish, the Walt Disney Animations Studios offering for the 2023 holiday season whose official date of release in the United States was on Wednesday, November 22, 2023. What did you think of this movie? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

It is our 500th episode extravaganza! Thank you so much to all the fans who have kept us going throughout the years. For this episode, we pull back the curtain and show you how we produce this show 52 times each year. It is a monumental feat of love. We have some very special guests and some previously unreleased clips. What are some of your favorite Magic Our Way moments from the past 500 shows? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion will forever be welcome on this show.

Give us a listen, ya' heard! We appreciate your support. 

-Kevin, Danny, Eli, & Rachel

As we end our 400s and transition into the 500s, we reflect back to see what are the things we have not done yet in the Disney Parks. This is Never Have I Ever…but will one day: Disney Parks Edition. Now, we have our list of things to do on the road to show #600. What are some things that you have not done yet in the Disney Parks? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

Rachel discusses some travel related news items: Mabrika Cove and Serenity Bay on Disney's new island, new Mickey's Very Merry Christmas treats, and the Luminous preview. What are your thoughts on any of these news items? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

Give us a listen, ya' heard! We appreciate your support. 

-Kevin, Danny, Eli, & Rachel

We present stories of our best and worst guest interactions in the Disney parks. This is the first in a series of shows in which we discuss our best and worst experiences of a given topic. What is your best and worst guest interaction? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

Give us a listen, ya' heard! We appreciate your support. 

-Kevin, Danny, Eli, & Rachel

DISCLAIMER

Please note: the Magic Our Way Podcast is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company or its entities. All opinions expressed therein are solely those of the Magic Our Way podcast. No animals were harmed in the making of this podcast. The Magic Our Way Podcast, Magic Our Way LLC, Kevin, Danny, Eli, and Rachel do not own the rights to some of the sound clips in this show; however, some sound clips are presented via a direct performance license through podcastmusic.com, canva.com, and envato.com.

It's our Halloween Show for 2023! This year, we armchair imagineer Halloween events for the other three Walt Disney World parks. Plus, we discuss the Haunted Mansion Parlor bar aboard the Disney Treasure. Thoughts? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

Give us a listen, ya' heard! We appreciate your support. 

Special guest Eric, a long-time MOWican, discusses his first-hand experience of the new Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana attraction which just opened in Epcot. Plus, Rachel discusses some travel news including the park hopper and some never-before-seen discounts. Thoughts? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

Give us a listen, ya' heard! We appreciate your support. 

-Kevin, Danny, Eli, & Rachel

Kevin had the opportunity to take a little side jaunt to Walt Disney World while he was down in Orlando for a convention. Hear Kevin discuss his first time riding Tron, his first time dining at Spice Road Table, and his first team meeting a long-time MOWican in person. Thoughts? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

Danny presents a question based on his and Eli's last trip to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando - Who Does Adulting Better: Disney or Universal? Universal says they are there for when you grow out of the pixie dust, but do they do a better job for adults than Disney? Thoughts? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

Rachel discusses the Disney Treasure, Disney Cruise Line's newest ship set to come online in 2024. Learn about the clues found in the treasure map as well as the packaging it came in. Are you ready to sail on the Disney Treasure? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

While Danny and Eli are on vacation, Kevin and Rachel are joined by Kirk, aka Cajun Chavez y Chavez, and Keith, aka Professor X, to discuss how their fandom began, what that journey looked like from the beginning to the present, and much more! What is your Disney journey? How did your fandom begin? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

We discuss everything that came out of the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products presentation at the 2023 Destination D23 event over the weekend. Zootopia, Tropical Americas, Disney Treasure and Disney Adventure, and much more! Thoughts? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

Long-time MOWican "JP," our California Consultant, joins us for 5 Questions with a MOWican where we ask him things like "What will happen to Critter Country?", "Does Walt Disney World need a 5th Gate?", "Which is better, the Matterhorn or Expedition Everest?" and much more! Thoughts? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

New Orleanians discuss the menu for Tiana's Palace, the new restaurant opening in Disneyland in September 2023. Also, we wonder if IP in Disney Parks restaurants will be the norm going forward and which current restaurants could benefit from adding IP. Thoughts? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

Kevin plays inquisitor and presents 5 questions that every avid Disney parks fan should be able to answer off the top of their head. What were your answers to our questions? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

Rachel presents her experience at the Disneyland Resort in California. Hear about Rogers the Musical, Magic Happens, Trader Sam's, Oga's Cantina, and much, much more! Thoughts? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

We present more stories of really Bad Behavior in the world of Disney, specifically bad behavior in the parks. For this show, we present the Bad Mousekeepers, the Raunchy Remy Rider, and the Adjacent Remy Exposer. Plus, we service the listeners. Thoughts? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

In this episode, we review Disney's Haunted Mansion (2023) movie. Plus, we discuss the latest news from Disney about the location(s) of the Hatbox Ghost in the Walt Disney World attraction.  What do you think? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

Snow White, the planned live-action remake of the Academy Award-winning movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is back in the news after unofficial photos of the seven, not dwarfs, but magical creatures emerge. What do you think? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.

The Disney board has unanimously approved a two-year extension for Bob Iger to remain as CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Originally, Iger was slated to step down towards the end of 2024. This extension now puts his departure at the end of 2026. What do you think? Let us know at show@magicourway.com. Every opinion is welcome on this show.