mDag

There was definitely a discount last January. Something along the lines of what Bernardo62 posted. I took advantage, but then got suckered in to an upsell. I don't think I'd bother again.

We booked this last minute when we were on the Magic last January. Pulling up to the resort was unimpressive to say the least -- it looked a little sketchy. Once we were inside though, things changed. The staff were very friendly and attentive. The beach was absolutely gorgeous (lots of grassy areas, but they had dug out some pathways to deeper areas). Comfy loungers and big umbrellas were included. Our waiter was always around to bring drinks. I don't remember particularly what was available -- I just remember drinking tequila sunrises and hubs had beer. It was a very nice relaxing couple hours on the beach.

The only problem that I have with this is that I also want beach time at St. Thomas - I believe my ship is there for 8 hours, I just have to figure out how to have lunch and then go to the beach for the remaining time.

 

Same here! None of the St. Thomas excursions are really grabbing me, which is annoying because my husband insists we stick to ship excusions. I'd hate to end up making this a "stay on the ship" day because I haven't done the eastern itinerary since I was in high school!

We had a spa suite on the Magic last year and loved it. The location is great, amenities were nice, and I just felt like we got a little extra attention from the staff. Could be we just got lucky? Who knows. Anyway, we booked a spa balcony for next Feb on the Breeze because we liked it so much.

Just noticed a new excursion through Carnival for Pirates of the Caribbean Sail, Snorkel, and Beach. It's hard to tell from the description where exactly it goes, but I thought my kids might get a kick out of going on a "pirate ship." Has anyone done this excursion?

Not cheap is it?

 

Better to pre-book or wait until special offers on baord?

Definitely not cheap. I did a seaweed wrap with swedish massage plus added hot stones. It was $300 by the time I added a tip! And this was supposedly $90 of the regular price because I booked on embark day. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I probably wouldn't do it again. That was our splurge cruise because it was just us and no kids!

 

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I don't remember pre-booking price comparisons, but they do offer fairly good deals if you book the first day.

 

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Can you rent snorkel equipment at the port beach?

The steak tartare was expertly and mildly flavored. The richness of the raw, tender beef shined and there was the faintest salty flavor of capers.

 

The bone marrow was thrilling. Imagine making an extremely rich broth, dehydrating it, and covering it with a mild, delicious, bit of melted cheese. That's the best way I can describe it. Fantastic!

Well I was planning to skip the steakhouse on our next cruise, but that description makes me want to change plans!

 

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No, the bone marrow is an appetizer.

 

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How was the bone marrow and the steak tartare made? I love steak tartare don’t know about the bone marrow?

 

 

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I don't know about the tartar, but the bone marrow was prepared in the bone. Sorry I don't know really what is behind making it. Seemed roasted maybe? Hopefully someone else will know. All I know is that it was salty and delicious.

 

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We ate twice in the Magic steakhouse last January with the new menu. The filet was amazing. Wagyu was good, but not my favorite. Bone marrow app was phenomenal. None of the desserts really excited me, so I got the cheese plate both nights. Hubby got the chocolate sphere and was ok with it. We saw several people get Art at the table -- we were not enticed!

 

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Just grabbed it for 2/17 out of Port Canaveral!

 

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I have been checking daily to try to book FTTF for my cruise out of Port Canaveral in February 2019. The excursions site used to say “we are still work on excursions for this port”. Now today it says “we currently do not offer excursions from this port”. Any ideas where I might find it?

You're looking in the right place. For what it's worth, we are also sailing out of PC in February 2019, and my PVP told me FTTF is sold out for my sailing. :( I'm still checking and hoping it magically appears!

 

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On the Magic, there was Hendricks at the atrium bar (can't remember the right name for it).

We snorkeled Rendezvous Cay off Belize. It was my first time, so I don't have anything to compare it to. I really enjoyed it though. The guides were great and the little island was nice. I'd definitely go again.

Just stayed in a forward cabin on deck 11 on the Magic. I definitely felt more movement than I remember on my last cruise (which was deck 8 mid ship). For the most part, it was a gentle rocking sensation, which only bothered me one night after too much Tequila. The one annoying thing was this crazy shuddering that felt like it was coming right up from the bottom. Not sure what that was, but it was waking me up throughout the night. I'd stay forward again - none of this was a deal breaker. I'm a horrible sleeper anyway.

Thanks for all your feedback. I think we will stick with the ruins in Belize and take a beach day in Costa Maya. Any recommendations for places there that might be a short cab ride with a Beach and maybe snorkeling?

 

We did the Beach Escape Beach Club in Costa Maya -- it was $40 pp through Carnival. Included padded loungers with shade (if you want), taxi to and from, and drinks. It was a 10 minute ride from port. The place looked kinda dumpy when we got there, but the beach was absolutely gorgeous. We took the 8am departure, which seems kind of early, but ended up being nice because no other cruise ship groups had arrived yet, so it wasn't very crowded. There were opportunities to purchase snorkeling/kayaking/etc. Drinks were on the weak side, but I didn't care because it was so early in the morning. My hubby went with beer to avoid that :D

I would definitely go back here.

Fantastic review! We were just on the Magic, and I've decided this is my favorite class of ships. Hoping to try the Breeze next!

Just off the Magic where we stayed in a suite. Our luggage tags and boarding passes said Priority. And no, we did not get early access to our rooms. When I had originally printed the packet back early December, it did say FTTF on it, but when I reprinted the week before we left, it had changed to priority. Not sure what was up with that.

Thank you for the info. We are on this ship in a couple weeks to Western Caribbean instead. The will be our first time from Port Canaveral. Was the boarding process smooth?

 

Also, did you happen to notice what time the Coffee Shop opens in the morning? My husband is an early riser.

 

The coffee shop opened at 6, if I remember correctly (just off the Magic 1/6 sailing). There was often continental breakfast out right next to it at 630 or 700 too.

 

I thought embarkation at PC was good. Although, we were in a suite, so pretty much just walked right on. The other lines didn't look that bad.

We are just off the Magic and spent a lot of time in the Red Frog Pub. We didn't get any of the free snacks, but one night we ordered Grouper Fingers, Conch Fritters, and Jerk Wings. There were a few other items on the menu, each costing $3.33. Everything we tried was really good!

I went on the spa tour on the Magic, and there were private hot tubs in the couples massage rooms. Can't comment on whether it was included or not, but it would be weird to have them in there and not be included. What do I know though.

 

If you go to the tour on the first day, there are discounts that were better than the spa cabin discounts IF you book that evening. I booked the Aroma Spa Seaweed Wrap and Swedish Massage (100 minutes) for the last sea day, and I believe it was about $60 off. Of course I let them upsell me on the hot stones, so there went the discount!

 

Also, if I remember correctly, the more you booked, the bigger your discount. So you would get a higher percentage off of each subsequent spa service.

Ship - Magic

Deck - 11

Stateroom # - 11221

Stateroom Category – Cloud 9 Spa Suite (technially Oceanview)

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

 

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Yes and No.Yes, it was quiet in that there was not much foot traffic and we were far away from any venues that there was no noise from that. On the other hand, we heard a LOT of creaking and shuddering. It woke me up a couple nights, and I normally sleep like the dead. I don't know if this was just due to the weather on our cruise or what.

 

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

 

 

Balcony View - Fabulous. No obstructions, unless you count the wing of the bridge, but I wouldn't say it detracted from the view.

 

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? Normal. It had a lounger, two chairs, and a small side table. Also, this balcony is covered.

 

Was wind a problem? No.

 

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A

 

Any specific problems with this cabin? No.

 

Any other comments? LOVED this cabin, and would book again. It felt almost disgustingly big for two people. So much storage -- we really only used half of it. There were two outlets by the desk (and a third that was 220V). We only each brought our phones, so charging wasn't an issue. There was a third outlet covered in the bathroom. I did not investigate this to see if I could use it.

We were on that cruise too! Looking forward to your review!