janpatch

We just used Black Hat (Crescencio) on February 3rd for the second time. Wonderful driver who shares lots of great information about Cozumel. Try this email address to reach him: creslopez41955@hotmail.com

We disembarked the Breeze on Sunday and are Platinum. Self Assist Platinum/FTTF were to meet at 7:45 am and those Platinums/FTTF who put their luggage out were to meet at 8:15. We arrived a little before 8:00 and all the Self Assist had already cleared out of the theater. Platinum/FTTF numbers 1-5 were called soon after we arrived. We shuttled to where our car was parked and were back at the port waiting to pick up our neighbors (who are not Platinum) by 8:28 am. Very easy and organized disembarkation. Longest wait was for Customs.

Was the food that different, in that they make the menus that revolve around the local food?v

My husband and I were on the first 11 day Dream Journeys cruise as well and I can confirm that the Caribbean themed choices were listed on the MDR menu on the night we were in St. Maarten, I believe. The shrimp taco appetizer and the pork loin dish that Chef Dino prepared during the live cooking demo were on the menu as choices. They were both very tasty!

Carnival has a wooden tea chest in the Lido areas that has a selection of Bigelow tea bags (Earl Grey, Darjeeling, English Breakfast, Lemon, Chamomile, Green tea). They will bring the wooden tea chest in the Dining room if you request it. If ordering from room service they bring Lipton tea bag I believe.

We have sailed on both the Magic and the Freedom several times each and I love them both for different reasons. My favorite things on the Magic are Tandoori, Cucina del Capitan, Waterworks and the Cloud 9 Spa. Love the cove balconies too but the trade off is that the ship feels a little more crowded and although there is the outdoor space on deck 5, the Lanai, it is surrounded by the plexiglass partitions so I feel it loses its connection with the sea. My favorites on the Freedom are the Fish and Chips, Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana Cantina along with the Promenade area on deck 3. There is a great "hidden" hot tub that can be entered through the ladies or mens locker rooms in the work out area. I love Roatan, so would choose that route every time. Little French Key in Roatan is amazing. No matter which one you choose, I hope you have a great cruise!

I found it on http://www.goccl.com under Resource Center. However I believe that you might have to be a TA to access this site.

On the Freedom, OV cabins are 220 sq. ft. and regular balcony cabins are 185 sq. ft with a 35 sq. ft. balcony. Both will have a sofa. Hope this helps!

Do you recall how much the price difference was between the Magic and the Breeze? An approximate amount, I mean. I know that it will depend upon the itinerary. ;)

Since Carnival cancelled your cruise they are offering the same price for the same category you had originally booked on a comparable cruise, pending availability. Plus $50/person onboard credit for your trouble. At least that is how it was explained to me.

I wonder if they will allow the 5/22/16 on the Breeze to Key West, Nassau & Freeport? That's what I'm considering at this point since we will be going to GC, Montego Bay and Coz this November and I would like to sail again for my anniversary in August next year and that cruise would be to Belize, Roatan & Coz.

 

 

 

Yes, you should be able to switch to any Carnival cruise that has availability. I was mainly interested in a sailing around the original date and from Galveston which is why those options were presented. :)

Had a booking on this same Magic sailing that has now been canceled. Here are the options that were offered as a replacement. Rebook on another cruise with price protection plus $50/person onboard credit. Carnival Freedom sailing from Galveston 4/16/16 visiting Key West, Freeport and Nassau; Carnival Dream sailing from New Orleans 4/17/16 visiting Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel; Carnival Breeze sailing from Galveston 5/8/16 visiting Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel or Carnival Breeze sailing from Galveston 5/29/16 visiting Roatan, Belize, Cozumel. If you choose to cancel and not rebook, refund will be issued within 3 weeks of cancellation. Hope this helps.

Last I heard he was on his much deserved break until mid-June. Then he was scheduled to be back on the Magic. We had him twice in the Your Time Dining room, November 2014 and January 2015. We returned April 2015 and he left on break the day we boarded. His co-workers told us he was coming back to the Magic. Hope this helps!

We have had waiter "John from Kentucky". I believe his real name is Sanjin from Croatia and he is on the Carnival Magic. One of my all time favorite waiters!

We used Tito Ramos (http://www.encantotours.shutterfly.com). He gave a great post cruise tour, very personal. Tito also does pre-cruise tours and airport shuttle pick ups and drop offs. Very professional and informative tour.

Janpatch

We used Natasja with Dushi Taxi for our port stop in Curaçao last November as well. She was wonderful and gave a great island tour! Look her up on Facebook under Dushi Taxi (she has a Cruise Critic section with a lot of info there) or email her at natasjagibbs@hotmail .com.

Not true, I am booked for the BVE on the Caribbean Princess tomorrow! Can't wait! :)

We cruised on the Caribbean Princess arriving in Curacao on October 31st but were only in port from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We wanted to make the most of our visit so decided to hire a driver for the day to show us the highlights of Curacao. We found Dushi Taxi (Natassja Gibbs) on CC and were very pleased with her services. Natassja speaks very good English, has a great sense of humor and is passionate about her island. She took us first to visit the Hato Caves and we arrived well before the crowds. Our group consisted of only 6 people which was really nice. Next we visited Boca Tabla where waves were crashing on the rocks (also included a taste of delicious oyster soup), then we went to Kenapa Beach to snorkel. Kenapa Beach was postcard perfect with good snorkeling and best of all it was free! Afterwards we went to Laguna Beach for more snorkeling and then headed back towards the cruise pier. However, when Natassja found out that I like stroopwaffel (a dutch treat), she made a point to take us to the market where they made stroopwaffel fresh and hot. It was delicious! She then drove us to the swinging bridge and said farewell. We enjoyed Natassja's tour and felt like we learned a lot about the island of Curacao. Natassja treated us like family and we really enjoyed her tour.