Catrin

This is a great review. We are thinking about going on the Magic for the second time in October but the western this time.

 

 

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Thank you!!!

We were so happy to return the Magic. Although significantly more crowded this time, she remains our favorite ship.

More to come!!

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I wish I had a picture of this. But on our September Liberty cruise there were 1300 passengers on a Southern Soul Cruise. Over 1000 of those passengers stood in that line. All to remove tips. I kid you not.

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We took an UBER to Galveston for $48. It was perfect. But UBER cannot pick up in Galveston (unless the rules have changed). So we hired a shuttle service for $30pp. Total $108.00.

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After the Game Show, Allison went to Circle C and Steve and I went to the Red Frog Pub to listen to some music and have a drink or two. Guitaro5000 was playing. He was pretty good, and his playlist was huge. Something for everyone. We decided to head up to the Lido Deck and relax outside – before the 80’s Rock and Glo Party. This was the second deck party of the week. The DJ played 80's music for about a half hour or so before the real party began. Rev. Dr. E and the crew came out and threw out hundreds of Glow Sticks and Glow Necklaces for everyone!! The led the crowd to a Thriller Dance lesson…and then…. THAT WAS IT???? Yup. That’s it. It kind of just ended like that. I guess it was more hype than anything. It was real fun while it lasted, but it seemed to end so quickly.

An Ice Cream cone later.. it was time for another day to end. We loved our Bonus Sea Day!!

. By the time we got to the Hasbro Game Show, most seats were taken, so we hung out in back of the first deck. During the contestant selection quiz… all of a sudden Steve starts shouting out the answer… and Rev Dr. E picked him!!! He was chosen to be on the Blue Team playing Simon!! Well it was hysterical watching him play. He was TERRIBLE!!! His team was TERRIBLE!! And it was so funny. It was great having a family member on stage to cheer on – and was a real highlight!!! For participating, Steve won a Trivial Pursuit Card game for Allison! These memories are really what make cruising fun for our family. We can have a real low key week, but do some fun family activities like this to really make things special. Way to Go Steve!!

We came back to the room after breakfast earlier that day to find our monkey friend hanging out. One thing about Towel Animals on this cruise. Our Room Steward Made, made WONDERFUL towel animals… but we always had them during the day after breakfast!! Just different timing than the usual friend and fun times presentation from cruises in the past.

We wanted to go to dinner early tonight, because Allison said she wanted to go to the Second Installment of the Hasbro Game Show. I remember this being one of the better dinners. I had veal Parmesan and Steve had lamb. Allison was eating her Caesar salad but was also trying some new things!! This night she had a S more's Parfait for dessert, which was her favorite all week.

Wednesday April 19th – to Belize or Not to Belize– that is the Question!!

We had made an early decision before our Cruise not to get off the ship during our day in Belize. We had been to Belize twice before, including Cave Tubing. The tender was long, and the port quite bare, so we decided to stay on the ship and enjoy our own Fun Day at Sea.

The day started out the way it has all week. Steve and I going to breakfast for Omelets(by now they knew what we wanted!) and then bringing a bagel with cream cheese down to Allison. At 8am, they started making announcements regarding tenders for people with excursions. Steve then said.. that maybe… he wanted to go into port. We asked Allison if she wanted to .. and I think she might have growled a bit before turning over for some more sleep…. So I decided that the girls would stay and Steve could venture off on his own!! The Dream was next to us, so we knew there were two ships of people at the port.

After getting up, Allison and I ventured to the aft pool for some pool and reading time. I was not surprised by the number of folks who stayed on the ship… but it was much more than a few years ago when I did the same. The late morning was all about just swimming, sliding, splashing and hanging out. We had salads for lunch… and then went back to the room where we watched some of the tenders return to the ship… as we were watching the tenders.. Steve returned to the room! He browsed the port area.. bought a t shirt,had a beer and came back. He was glad he went… but was just as glad to come back to the ship.

We three of us spent the afternoon together playing Trivia…all 80s themed! Decades, Music and Movies. I won 80’s music, getting all 20 questions and artists correct. Another ship on a stick!! I was amazed on some of the groups at Trivia… we played with just the three of us, but some groups had 6 or 8 people. Although Carnival Trivia is fun, I think something has to be done about the groups. Maybe a limit of four? Just doesn’t seem fair sometimes. (But.. it is just trivia… not jeopardy!)

I spent the late afternoon on my cove balcony reading. So relaxing … I really loved that balcony. Steve went swimming and Allison went to Circle C for some afternoon activities.

We had lunch on the ship and spent the afternoon playing Trivia, hanging out in the pool, and just relaxing. We browsed the ship for a while and listened to all the music choices. There was a duo who played in the Magic Lobby around dinner time… and ….. well, let’s just say they had opportunity to improve. There was also a string group, who I thought were great. Playing contemporary music and classics.. they were very entertaining. We really enjoyed the group Sixappeal, who were on the Conquest two years ago! We recognized the singer and guitar player immediately.

We had a normal dinner, nothing much to remember here. All week long, service was GOOD, but not memorable. Dinners were the same. As much as we love the dining room experience, we are no longer blown away by the offerings or service.

This night, there was not a lot going on at all. There was a Country show in the main lounge,but that was not for us. So we justdecided to relax in the main lobby and wait for the one of the highlights ofthe week – Motown Trivia Party with Rev. Dr. E. We have attended a few of these Motown parties before, and they are always a blast. Nothing like a ship full of fun folks singing along to the classics!! Dr. E was perfect… a mix of entertainment, karaoke host, comedian, and band leader!! We laughed so hard and my throat was sore from singing!! It really is my favorite part of the week.

After the party, we took a walk along the Promenade, and then up to the Lido Deck for a walk at night. We noticed a good amount of groups up at the Lido Deck dining areas…playing cards, board games, just sitting and relaxing. Rogue One was playing to a good crowd. There is always something going on!!

We spent the day reading, swimming, relaxing. There is nothing better than just lying on a floating mat breathing and relaxing. Fat Tuesday’s offers bar service with snacks…so we purchased some over-priced drinks and nachos for a snack. We watched families scope out empty clamshells… and as soon as the couple next to us left, sure enough someone took the clamshell over. I was thinking,this is what I paid $50 for, and I could have had one for free!!

We decided to head back to the ship after a few hours. Sure enough, the minute someone saw me folding my towels, they asked if I was leaving – and my clamshell was theirs. Amazing. Our floating mats were brought back by an attendant (tip please!) and I was given back my Sail & Sign card that I had to leave for a deposit. Allison and I took the sky ride back and we met Steve at the end. A few photo opportunities at Fat Tuesdays,and some shopping… and then we headed back to the ship.

When we arrived to the beach, I was a bit taken back by what I saw. Last time here, although 6 years ago, there were two rows of clam shells behind three or four rows of beach chairs. This year, there were SIX Huge rows of Clam shells taking up a good portion of the beach. They must have realized they had a winner with this package… increased the number available and jacked up the price .. and they still sold!!

But.. we knew something was going to be off this cruise. There was absolutely No control over these clamshells. Nothing that said the seats were paid for. Nothing that stopped others by just walking up and “owning one” for the day. So much in fact that the chair next to our Clamshell was empty at one point (my daughter had taken her towel off to dry) and before I know it, a family was taking the chair over. Boy did I make the mother mad when I told her it was taken.

Tuesday April 18th

Welcome to Roatan!

We were on Roatan from 9am – 5pm. This was our third time in Roatan. Six years ago, Allison and I spent the day at Mahogany Beach, while the boys went Zip Lining. Three years ago, we went to Tabanya Beach. This year, we decided to pre-purchase a Beach Package at Mahogany Beach.

We watched the arrival to Roatan as Steve and I had breakfast on the Lido Deck. We once again brought Allison her breakfast in the room while we tried to wake up our sleepy girl!! We watched folks starting to leave the ship from our cabin as Allison had breakfast. We did not leave as early as we had hoped, but we were out of the cabin by 9:30.

The Beach Package was $49.99 and included 2 tickets on theSki – Lift Ride to Mahogony Beach, A Clam Shell and 2 Beach Mats. We had purchased this six years ago (for$29.99!) … so I knew what to expect when we arrived at the beach.

Allison and I lined up for the Ski Lift, while Steve walkedto Mohogany beach. The ski lift is aluxury, and not needed. If we did notbuy the package, we could have easily walked. But it was nice to have a relaxing ride – we enjoyed this means oftransportation very much!

Social was up to $30 two weeks ago. Connection good first three days. Horrible last few. Was easy to text boys at home through Facebook messenger.

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They offered Chips, Salsa and Watermelon during the party. Gone are the days of a Mexican Buffet.. but you really did not need more than that!!!

As soon as the Party was done… that was it for us! An Ice Cream Cone to go… and we called it a night. Overall it was another great Cruise Day!!

We returned to our rooms, took showers and went to Dinner. Not too much to say about dinner this night!! After Dinner,Allison asked if we would go to the Hasbro Game show with her and we did! We sat in the balcony area and really enjoyed the show that Rev. Dr E put on. The guests were funny and it was a fun activity to do as a family. They played Operation and Connect 4. The main lounge was packed of families. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would!!

After the Hasbro Show, Allison went off to Circle C and we went back to the room to rest for an hour before the Deck party!! The Lido Deck party started at 10pm, with aPre-Party of music. The lounge chairs were cleared, the bars were open. At 10:30,Rev Dr. E and his crew came out and led the crowd in some line dancing, beads,glow sticks, Conga line, etc. Allison and her friends came out in time to dance the night away!! Nothing like a 12 year old doing the Wobble!!

We spent a few hours at the Tropicante – a bucket of local beer was 6 for $15. We also ordered Nachos with Salsa and cheese. Allison and I had virgin Strawberry drinks …they were just ok. They do have a full menu and there is plenty of food choices. We went swimming and enjoyed lounging in the shade. The weather was overcast… not a real sunny day, but that was ok with me, because it was not unbearably hot either. They provided a free WIFI code, so I face timed my son and Allison got to message her friends. One down side, but you get used to it.. is we were approached at least 100 times in the few hours we were there to buy everything from Sunglasses, hats, jewelry,fruit, cigars, bags, etc etc etc.

We met a nice couple next to us and enjoyed talking with them throughout the day. Steve took along walk and said that the area we were at was one of the nicest... and the Seaweed cleared in front of the Tropicante was the most cleared. We decided to head back to the ship around 5pm. and it was easy enough to take the taxi back right to the port. We browsed the shops for a bit, but we knew that the shopping would be better in Cozumel….and finally we walked the LONG walk back to the ship. We really enjoyed the few hours at the Tropicante. We would absolutely recommend it for a low-key day and would return there again.

Monday April 17th – Welcome to Costa Maya!

We were scheduled to arrive in Costa Maya at noon, so we knew we could have a nice lazy morning on the ship. Allison was out later than her normal bedtime with Circle C activities, so Steve and I got breakfast on the Lido Deck, and brought her back breakfast in the room. This because a daily routine for us, as we decided an hour extra sleep for Allison would pay off in dividends!!

Breakfast was our normal fare… Omelets, Fruit, Special K, etc. We skipped the waffles and French toastthis cruise, but they certainly looked good!!

After breakfast, we went to the Magic Lobby for the 2 for$20 T-shirt event. This normally happens on the last sea day… I was happy to see they offered it earlier in the week. They had about 20 different styles of T-shirts in kids, adults and plus sizes. I was actually quite satisfied with the variety, although I just bought a matching shirt for Allison and I. (well, come to find out, she really did not like it, so I returned them later in the week.)

I spent the morning relaxing – reading a little… in the shade near the Lido Pool. Allison and Steve joined me, and we were just happy to chill out. Allison was having a hard time waking up. Late nights were tough on her. But we knew once we got to the beach she would be just fine.

We watched our arrival to Costa Maya, and right at noon, we lined up to get off the ship. Our plan for today was to take a Taxi to Tropicane in Majuhal and enjoy the beach there. I emailed Steve from the Tropicante a few months back and reserved 3 lounge chairs for the day. As instructed, we walked outside the port gates and found a taxi stand on the side of the road. Our taxi cost $3 Per person. We specifically stated, “we would like to go to the Tropicante, we have reservations.”. Our taxi driver brought us right to the town and a greeter walked us right to Tropicante.

The Tropicante is a restaurant with a small space on the beach filled with chairs and tables. There is no cost to reserve, but they assume you will make purchases while you are there. It is owned by an American named Steve and he greeted us and welcomed us. The beach when we arrived was overtaken by Seaweed… nothing like we have ever seen. There must have been 100 locals in the water and backhoes trying to get rid of the seaweed. Steve had said the last two days was the worst they have seen in years, and promised us that the area would be clean within an hour or two… (and sure enough it was.. they did an amazing job). You can see the tan colored seaweed in the piles in the background.

HMC yes!! GT no. Difference is HMC owned by Carnival GT are not.

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We stopped at the Ocean Plaza for a quite bite at the Taste Bar and then went to the dining room. Just a five-minute wait and we were seated on the opposite side as the night before. This night, I thought was our best service. A great team who we enjoyed. Dinner, for me however, was a disappointment. Steve had the Lobster and the Sea Bass, which he said was delicious. I had the Prime Rib. The Prime rib had very little taste and just warm. And where were the vegetables? I guess I had to order them separately. Allison had Spaghetti Carbonara which was a hit. Dessert, however was excellent this night. A Caramel Phyllo dough treat that was delicious. Steve had fruit and the sugar free dessert and Allison had Ice Cream! We also enjoyed some fun singing entertainment tonight at dinner.

This night was a quiet one for us. We went back to the Red Frog Pub, listened to some music, and had an early night. Allison stayed in Circle C and was starting to make a friend or two. We peeked in a few times and she always looked like she was having a good time. That night, they had a magician visit – and all the kids were certainly being entertained. They also took this group to the late show of Flick and she enjoyed that. She came back to the room after we were asleep!!

Coming Up… Costa Maya!

I met up with Allison around 3:15 and asked her if she wanted to go to Tea Time with me! So we went to Tea Time together, a nice mother daughter activity to do. Tea time is pretty simple… just a nice cup of tea, some strawberries and cream and just a nice way to sit quietly and talk.. and we took a bunch of silly pictures. I loved it. Just nice to get out of the sun and noise for a while.

After Tea, Allison, Steve and I went to the Red Frog Pub for Pub Trivia at 5pm. We could see that others were already dressed for elegant night dinner.. but because we had Your Time Dining, we were not rushing!! Pub Trivia was basic misc Trivia. The winner won either a FISHBOWL Drink from the Pub or a Beer Tube!! We did not win, but we enjoyed this fun atmosphere! And no, we would not Allison enjoy the fishbowl if we DID win!!

We went back to our cabin to get dressed for elegant night. We took some pictures on our balcony....

Steve and Allison decided to have Pool time.. and I went down to the Ocean Plaza to play Trivial Pursuit. What a blast that game was! This game is a bit different, as there are only 6 teams.. so you just gather the people you are sitting near and form a team! While we did not win, there were tons of laughs and fun. It was different than normal Trivia.. and I wish they did this a few more times during the cruise.

After Trivia, I met up with Steve and we had lunch. I made a NEW lunch discovery this cruise…. An addition to the Blue Iguana…. TACO SALADIN A TACO SHELL!!!!!! This, to me, was awesome. Similar to Chipotle or Moe’s –just fill it with whatever you like!! What a great lunch. Steve had his basic huge salad and carved turkey. He was so good this cruise, so disciplined. No wonder why he gained just .8lbs and I gained 5!!

I spent the afternoon exactly as I should have.. doingNOTHING. We watched a bit of the HairyChest Contest (always a hoot!)… then a little reading, a closing my eyes andnapping, a little trivia, a little browsing the shops, a little listening to music,a little people watching!!

Sunday April 16th – Happy Easter – Day at Sea

Happy Easter! This was our second Easter on a cruise. And we had talked about spending this day on a ship instead of with my parents or Steve’s parents. While we wanted to celebrate the holiday, we wanted a fun normal Day at Sea as well.

The Easter Bunny did visit our room! Allison woke up to a Chocolate Bunny, Sour Patch Kids and a small bag of candy –all courtesy of the Easter Bunny doing some late night shopping at Cherry On Top. They had a good selection of Easter Candy for Easter Bunnies like me!!

Normally on Sea Days, I wake up early and go to the gym. But, I had knee surgery in February and I have been having a hard time recovering, so I decided to take a day off and only go to the gym a few times this cruise. I still was tracking my steps, and yesterday, I logged over 14,000 steps just walking around the ship!! I still woke up early however, and enjoyed our balcony. We turned on Ship TV at 7am and spend a few minutes watching the Chair Savers doing their thing at 7am!!! This really has to get under control. We watched one woman save 8 chairs… and HOURS later they were still empty. We are not the type of family to lounge all day, but we do like to hang out on the Lido Deck for an hour here or there…. But that would not happen today!!

We decided to have breakfast on the Lido Deck – which we would end up doing daily. Omelets for Steve and I .. him egg whites with veggies, me ½ egg, ½ egg white and bacon. Boy did I confuse the Omelet chef the first day.. but by the second day, he had memorized our omelets and had it down… they were perfect!!! Plenty of Fresh Fruit.. basic Carnival breakfasts. One addition this year was dried cranberries…a great treat in my Special K. I was still missing my Greek Yogurt, but I did enjoy breakfast each day. Steve is a HUGE fruit eater, and he enjoyed his bowl of melon every day. Allison stuck to basic bagel and cream cheese and bacon.

After breakfast, I bought a “Bottomless Bubbles” Sticker for me. When you buy the second day, you only get charged for 6 days, plus there is no tax. Was this worth it for me? In the end, I would say no. I think I would have been happy to purchase 1 soda a day and drink water the rest of the day. I do not like the lemonade (too sweet!) - but we did bring Crystal Light sticks for our waters. That should have been enough. From now on, if I cannot bring a 12 pack on board, I will just buy a can of soda when I have the urge.

We had a relaxing morning – Allison and Steve and I browsed the ship and the Allison and Steve went on the Ropes Course. Because of my knee surgery, I skipped it this year. I did do it a few years ago.. and it was difficult, yet easy… if that makes sense. You just have to take it slow and pay attention!! Steve and Allison went on the left side, which is more difficult than the right, and it was certainly a challenge! Then Allison zipped around on the right side for a second trip around.

Magic messed up Mongolian Wok. Used to be one line and 3 cooks with 3 woks each. Now it's 2 lines and 2 cooks with 3 woks each. Took at least 45 minutes first day. Line wasn't long.

I went only on Day 1 - before most passengers were on the ship. I agree with you, as the lines were way too long the rest of the week. I think one thing that holds up the lines is those passengers ordering more than one bowl. It should be everyone has to wait for their own... would make the lines more realistic!

Thanks for reading!

We stayed in one of these cabins a few years back - two adults and three kids. It worked out perfectly. The 2nd bath is just a 1/2 tub and sink. But came in handy with my daughter who was 6 at the time. We have done connecting ocean view rooms as well ... mostly on the Conquest class and Splendor.

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Had the second cabin from Lido Deck pool area a few years ago. Best cabin ever!! Quiet and convenient!!

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Hi folks ... well real life interferes.. 12 hour work day and I'm unable to write anything today. I promise I'll continue tomorrow!!!

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