disney magic cruise bingo

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Onboard Activities on the Disney Magic

By: Sonya D'Aulerio , a Marvelous Mouse Travels agent

Onboard activities on the Disney Magic are for the entire family to enjoy. From the moment your cruise begins, your family will be entertained and engaged. It all starts with Mickey’s Sail-a-Wave Party which includes singing, dancing and, of course, your favorite Disney characters! Say goodbye to school and work and hello to your amazing vacation at sea!

Disney Magic has lots of water fun including Goofy’s Pool, AquaLab, AquaDunk, and the adult’s only Quiet Cove Pool. Goofy’s pool is the main family hub where you can relax on the deck chairs, watch poolside movies on the big screen, soak in one of the two whirlpools, and participate in castmember-led activities on the Disney Magic. AquaLab has pouring paint cans, water jets, raining shower heads, and lots of leaky pipes where you can splash the day away. You can also hop on Twist ‘n’ Spout, AquaLab’s double looping water slide.

Looking for a little more excitement? Hop on AquaDunk, a thrilling water slide where the floor drops out from under you, and you plunge three stories down and over the side of the ship! The best part is that you can ride it as many times as you would like!

Adults looking for a quiet, relaxing environment can spend their day at Quiet Cove Pool. This area is reserved for guests over the age of 18 and includes a pool, two whirlpools, poolside music entertainment, Signals pool bar, Cove Café, and plenty of relaxing deck chairs where you can soak up the sun or read your favorite book.

Also up on deck is Wide World of Sports. Your family can bond while playing ping-pong, basketball, shuffleboard, and more!

You do not want to miss the Pirates IN the Caribbean Deck Party! The night begins with a dance party and pirate stage show with all your favorite characters and ends with an amazing display of fireworks at sea!

The fun doesn’t stop once you go below deck! There are numerous activities on the Disney Magic to enjoy throughout your cruise. One of my favorites is family bingo. There are multiple opportunities to play bingo during your sailing. Bingo is an extra fee, but you can purchase paper or electronic cards according to your budget. If you are lucky enough to win a bingo, you can choose to either have the winnings applied to your cruise folio or receive cash!

Another favorite activity is trivia. Put your knowledge to the test about the Disney parks, Marvel, movie quotes, Pixar, 80s music, general knowledge, and more! Trivia is usually held in the Promenade Lounge or O’Gills Pub. What do you get if you win? Bragging rights and a special lanyard to wear during the cruise!

Do you love to sing? Well, you’re in luck! Karaoke is also a favorite on Disney Cruise Line. They offer both family karaoke and adult karaoke for you to sing your heart away!

Your kids will love the kid’s only clubs onboard the Disney Magic. They include Oceaneer Club, Oceaneer Lab, Edge, and Vibe. Each club is geared towards children in certain age brackets and includes age-appropriate activities and games and give kids and teens the opportunity to meet new friends!

After Hours is a section of the ship that turns into adults only nightclubs and lounges at night where adults can let loose and unwind after dark with music, dancing, and socializing!

You can schedule an appointment for a makeover at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and watch your child transform into a princess, a knight, or a sea captain. It’s an experience that they will never forget!

Broadway style shows are performed on Disney Magic, including Tangled: The Musical, Twice Charmed which is an original retelling of the story of Cinderella, and Disney Dreams-An Enchanted Classic. These shows are performed in the evening and last approximately 1.5 hours.

The D Lounge is the hot spot for family fun and activities. Families can enjoy dance parties, be a part of the trivia game shows, sing karaoke, and more!

Last, but certainly not least, you can meet your favorite Disney characters onboard throughout the day. You can check the Disney Cruise Line Navigator for times and locations.

Please reach out to Sonya , an agent with Marvelous Mouse Travels to plan your next vacation or you may contact Marvelous Mouse Travels.

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Gambling on Disney Cruise Line? BINGO!

Unlike most cruise lines, there are no casinos on the Disney Cruise Line ships. You won’t find an adults-only smoky room filled with blackjack tables and one-armed bandits, instead DCL offers boisterous games of BINGO filled with song, children, and sometimes hefty cash prizes. Here’s what you need to know.

When is bingo offered?

Bingo sessions are offered once, or sometimes twice, per day on nearly every day of every Disney Cruise Line sailing. (Sessions are not typically offered on embarkation days.) Check your Disney Cruise Line Navigator app for specific times during your sailing.

Note: Sales of bingo cards/machines often begin 30-45 minutes before the actual bingo games start. If you’re sure you want to play, then send at least one adult member of your party to this “pre-sale” session to buy-in to the game and to snag a seat at the venue. On crowded sailings, both of these may be unavailable to latecomers.

Where is bingo held?

Bingo games are held in one of the ships’ lounges, or in particularly crowded sailings, it may be held in a movie theater. Again, be sure to check the Navigator app for specifics.

Who can play?

Everyone is allowed in the bingo room and kids can play along, but the actual bingo cards/machines must be paid for by an adult age 18 or older and if there are winnings, they will go to an adult.

How much does bingo cost to play?

Prices vary. As a point of reference, on a recent sailing of the Wish, a 3-card pack of paper game cards (good for the four games held in a session) was $10, a mechanical handset loaded with 24 cards for each of the four games was $40, a handset loaded with 48 cards for each of the four games was $50 and a “family pack” of two 24-card handsets was $60.

On a sailing of the Dream during spring 2022, prices were $15 for a 3-card paper pack, $25 for 6-card paper pack, $40 for a 24-card handset, $50 for a 48-card handset, and $70 for two 24-card handsets plus two 3-card paper packs.

You’ll likely find that prices are slightly more during the final bingo session of your sailing, when the jackpot payouts are higher.

How much can I win?

Cash prizes vary by game, depending on how many passengers are playing. The first game of each four-game session will have the lowest payout and the last of the four games will have the highest payout. On a typical cruise, the first game will have a payout in the $100-200 range and the last game will have a payout of $400-600 per game, but there is large variability in these numbers. The very last game of a sailing may be designated a special jackpot game with prizes up to $10,000 or so.

Any of these payouts may be split among several guests if there are multiple bingo wins in a given game.

In addition to cash prizes, most bingo sessions also have random drawings for non-cash prizes of DCL swag such as baseball caps or mugs. Additionally, the spa might offer random drawings during bingo for things like massage sessions or an onboard shop might offer drawings for small pieces of jewelry.

What is handset?

A handset is a machine loaded with multiple bingo “cards.” Rather than you having to manually keep track of which numbers have been played, as you would with a paper card, the machine keeps track for you, alerting you when you’re getting close to an acceptable bingo.

Are all bingo games the same?

No. DCL typically has four games per bingo session and they will all be a different style of bingo. For example, one game might ask guests to complete one diagonal line. Other games might ask you to complete the top and bottom rows, to complete both the B column and the O column, to complete any block of six contiguous numbers, or even to complete an entire card (a “blackout”).

Do people really win?

Yep! My family plays an embarrassing amount of bingo on every DCL sailing. A member of my family has won perhaps half a dozen times over the course of playing about a hundred times. Recently my oldest daughter won $135 on the Dream and then a few weeks later another daughter won $554 on the Wish. The most I have ever personally won was $95.

Several years ago, I witness another guest win about $9,000 in the final bingo game on a sailing of the Fantasy. This paid for his entire cruise and then some. Needless to say, his cries of joy could be heard all the way down the deck.

How do you collect your winnings?

The default option is for the winnings to be deposited as a credit into your onboard account. However, if you prefer cash, or if your winnings are larger than your onboard bill, speak to the Guest Services desk and they’ll issue you cash.

Are refreshments available during bingo?

Waiters will come to the seating areas during bingo. You can purchase alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages for a fee, though there is no obligation to do so.

You can also bring a soda or snack from the onboard quick service locations with you into bingo for no charge.

Are there any solid rules for DCL bingo?

Yep. Here they are:

The minimum age for winners is 18. Children below the age of 18 may participate, however they must be supervised at all times by the adult who purchased the bingo card in play. The adult must also claim any winnings.
Bingo cards must be purchased and activated for the current session. Retain your receipt for proof of purchase.
It is the responsibility of the player to stop the game when they have a valid claim to bingo. Once the game is closed, no further claims will be honored.
The last number called must appear in the winning pattern.
Bingo cards cannot be ripped or torn, and must remain intact.
Any and all errors must be presented to bingo staff prior to game start.
You must notify the staff if there are any handset malfunctions.

Any other rules?

Well, in addition to the official rules, DCL bingo has plenty of unofficial rules that you’ll pick up on as you play. Some of these include:

When you’re one number away from getting a bingo, you’re supposed to stand up. This both lets other guests in the room know what’s going on and alerts the bingo staff that they should make their way to your section of the room in case you win.
The bingo staff, and everyone else, in the room gets up to dance when the ball B-11 is called. (When the bingo machine is set in Spanish mode, B-11 sounds like “Beyonce” and, of course, everyone dances to Beyonce.
The bingo machine is named Betty. (The reason for this has never been clear to me.) If you’re not getting the numbers you want, you should yell “SHAKE IT UP BETTY!”

In general DCL bingo is a convivial affair, with lots of music and merriment. Expect things to be moderately loud and boisterous. Have fun!

Erin Foster

Erin Foster is an original member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel (now PlanDisney), a regular contributor to TouringPlans.com, and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line. She's been to WDW, DL, DL Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Aulani, DVC Vero Beach, and DVC Hilton Head. She's a Platinum DCL cruiser and veteran of 10 Adventures by Disney trips. Erin lives near New York City, where she can often be found indulging in her other obsession - Broadway theater.

3 thoughts on “ Gambling on Disney Cruise Line? BINGO! ”

I value the details you provided. Keep sharing!

We were playing last week when a guest won $10,000!

Hi, I was wondering about bingo on the Wish. When they say it’s $10 for a 3 pack of paper cards is that for each game? If they play 4 games would I need to buy $40 worth of 3 paper cards to play the whole time? ”

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