CarolynFH

Magic, January 2024, Galveston. I looked for a roll call, didn’t see any recent ones for the Magic (maybe because it just came out of dry dock!).

How do you do that? I've read elsewhere that I could charge an additional amount with our final payment and that would serve as onboard credit - is that what you do?

When are you cruising? We did the Northwest Pioneers from Portland to Clarkston in April, and I posted a review which is HERE. The ship was only about half filled, BTW, so staffing was good. A thread containing some questions and answers is here. I'll be happy to answer any other questions, if I can.

I agree. Covid is well on its way to becoming endemic like influenza, and it's up to each individual to protect themselves. Given the incubation period, I'm not surprised that people who tested positive at the beginning of the cruise developed disease a few days later.

No, I don't think that side of the ship matters - the scenery is pretty much the same on both sides. And as I alluded to in my title, we didn't spend nearly as much time cruising as we did on our European river cruises. On the Northwest Pioneers cruise, most cruising was at night, except when traveling through the Columbia Gorge and the Snake River, and daytimes were spent docked and off the ship on excursions. We had thought that we'd spend time on our balcony when cruising, but the first few days were rainy and chilly, so we enjoyed the view from the forward lounge - and also chose seats at meals that allowed us a nice view outside the windows! I've attached a couple of menus, which hopefully will illustrate the meals better than I can, as well as a photo of the Pacific Seafood Salad I enjoyed for our first lunch on board. At breakfast there was always a special egg dish (usually some variation of Eggs Benedict) as well as French toast, pancakes or waffles, and the back of the breakfast menu listed the entree choices for lunch and dinner. You could mark your choices and turn them in - but you weren't held to them and could change your mind when you were ordering the actual meal! We found the food to be very tasty. And there were additional options for breakfast and lunch at the cafe on the upper deck aft, not to mention snacks and beverages available pretty much all day. Hopefully I've attached these photos correctly for you to open and view them! 20220419_143210237_iOS.heic20220418_194105533_iOS.heic 20220418_195702144_iOS.heic

We didn't have internet on the Northwest Pioneers (Columbia & Snake Rivers) in April. Fortunately DH and I have unlimited data on our phones, and I was able to use my phone as a hotspot for my dad's laptop when we spent time in the lounge. No cell signal along most of the Snake River, of course, which was most of the last day of cruising.

My review is posted here. I’ll be happy to answer questions.