By Laura Elder The Daily News

GALVESTON — Hundreds of spectators gathered Saturday at Pier 26 to mark the first island sailing of Disney Magic, one of the world’s most recognizable ocean liners sporting Mickey Mouse logos on its funnels.

The 2,700-passenger Disney Magic departed Saturday on the first of 12 scheduled seven-night cruises to the Western Caribbean. Ports of call include Grand Cayman and Mexico’s Costa Maya and Cozumel.

In more good news for the port, Florida-based Disney Cruise Line earlier this month announced it had changed its early 2013 itineraries departing from Galveston. Along with six-night Western Caribbean sailings, new choices include four-night Caribbean getaway cruises and eight-night itineraries that sail to Walt Disney World Resort and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, in the Bahamas.

Disney Magic, known for family getaways heavy on Walt Disney characters and movie themes, is expected to bring a different demographic of cruisers to the island, the No. 1 cruise-ship port in the Gulf of Mexico.

To mark Disney’s arrival on the island cruising scene, the port planned events from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Pier 26. The events, were open to the public, and included games, a Radio Disney DJ and a raffle for a pair of tickets to Justin Bieber’s sold out Oct. 30 Houston concert. Proceeds from the sale of the $5 raffle tickets benefit The United Way.

Disney Magic sailed in about 7 a.m. Saturday. While no public events were planned at that time, the port allowed the public to gather on Pier 26 from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. to get a dockside view of Disney Magic.

“We’re opening up Pier 26 so people will be a little closer down on the waterfront than they normally would when the ships are here,” Port Director Mike Mierzwa said on Friday (21). “It should be fun for people who want to come down and see the ship leave.”

The ships are painted in Mickey Mouse-inspired colors of black, white, yellow and red. Most cruise lines have orange lifeboats. But the U.S. Coast Guard allowed Disney Cruise Line to paint its lifeboats yellow to complement the ship’s colors, according to reports.

The ship’s horn plays the first seven notes of “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

Disney officials this week said it was against policy to divulge information about how many passengers would sail from the island Saturday or how bookings are going in general.

Brenda Kenworthy, a travel agent with League City-based Pixie Vacations, an authorized Disney vacation planner, said interest in the cruise ship is growing.

“I’ve gotten a lot of inquiries from people in Texas,” Kenworthy said.

Kenworthy also expects the ship to attract travelers from surrounding states and said she had gotten some inquiries from Mississippi.

The cruise line is popular among families but also caters to adults with no children.

It offers nightclubs and spas and many supervised activities for children so adults can linger over meals or lounge by the pool.

“Customer service is impeccable,” Kenworthy said. “You come with the family and have a great experience.”

Sailing during the school year doesn’t tend to discourage family vacations on Disney ships.

“We haven’t been to Texas before, but our ships sail everywhere, from Alaska to the Mediterranean to New York, and we see children and families sail year round,” Cara Allen, a Disney Cruise Line spokeswoman, said.

Disney Cruise Line was recognized as No. 1 among large-ship cruise lines for families last month by Travel + Leisure in its World’s Best Awards 2012. It was the fourth consecutive year Disney held the publication’s top spot.

Disney cruises are more expensive than others. Rates for the seven-night Disney cruises in 2012 will start at $840 per person for standard staterooms, based on double occupancy, the cruise line said.

The 11-deck, 964-foot Disney Magic first sailed in 1998.

Five cruise ships — some seasonal and some year-round — will be sailing from Galveston by the end of the year.

Along with Disney, the other ships are Carnival Cruise Lines’ Magic and Triumph; Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas; and Prince Cruises’ Crown Princess, which will begin sailing from the island Dec. 22.

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