iheartmarshall

I am! Grew up in a Marshall household although I did work for WVU Extension for a few years so I like to think I support both haha. I'll always choose that green and white though!

Good point! There's a lot that happens on a whim for sure. It's definitely different than it used to be.

I've definitely noticed the price increases and the little extras that no longer exist, to the point that after our last cruise in August, I started to wonder if cruising (or maybe just Carnival) isn't for me anymore. However, that was short lived -- a cruise is what you make it and if you go into it knowing what to expect, then you should be okay. Are there things I miss from 10 years ago? Of course. But, I understand that we have to adapt and no one is forcing me to cruise. It's a choice we make, to either accept the changes and enjoy the new experience or choose a different vacation option.

Thank you for sharing your adventures with us. I'm excited to read it!

What I want to book and what I actually booked are two different things. 😂 But I did just book the Paradise for December 2024. I'm currently getting my doctorate and vacation times/funds are slim the next three years but we decided to plan now and do a short cruise for the holidays next year. Timing worked out well too, as it's between semesters plus our jobs slow down this time of year. We typically prefer smaller ships so I don't mind the Paradise. Our last three cruises went to the Bahamas so I'm beyond ready to revisit the Western ports. However at some point, I'd like to try the Celebration or Mardi Gras for a different vibe even though they're bigger ships. I don't mind the older designs but I am curious how the newer ones feel.

I board her this coming Sunday and will be happy to report back! I did notice in our cruise group that there's a ton of first-timers on board. I wonder if that's throwing some of the reviews as well, just simply not knowing what to expect? This will be my 5th or 6th cruise on Carnival and while I wouldn't call myself an expert, I would say I'm experienced and know what to expect and what is/is not the fault of the ship/staff. Excursions are tricky though as Carnival doesn't usually have control over what happens on those, but I think I've only ever had one that was a "meh." The rest have been great! Fingers crossed for this cruise as well.

We cruise mid-August however there's a possibility that I may receive a job offer in the next week or so, which is great! *fingers crossed* But if that happens, depending when my start date would be, we may or may not get to cruise. Of course if offered, I will try to negotiate to start after the cruise but that's not guaranteed. I'm familiar with Carnival's cancellation policy but I've never tried to cancel or change a booking this close to the cruise date. Right now we're in the "deposit or 50%" of the penalty stage but are quickly approaching the "deposit or 75%" stage. I really don't want to cancel because that's a ton of money lost. If possible, I'd rather change the booking to a future cruise. So my question is, has anyone changed to a different cruise this close to your original one? Is that allowed, cheaper, or would the cancellation penalty still apply? I looked online but unfortunately couldn't find any answers relating to this (just info referencing full cancellations). I do plan to call customer service this evening but I figured if anyone had experience with this, it was worth asking. It may not even become an issue but I'm trying to plan what to do, just in case! 🙂

I've had the Carnival card since 2017 and love it for cruises! It's a regular card so you can use it anywhere that accepts MasterCard - just be mindful with the balances, as any credit card. Throughout the years, I've used it to book/pay for cruises (often with 0% APR offers), excursions (at least 10% off), and use the money from the points to "purchase" various cruise perks like additional OBC, beer, water, etc. I love it!

Just booked the Celebration for January 2025, woo! And yes I know that's nearly two years away but we always book early and pay monthly -- makes it easier on us. 🙂 I ended up booking one of the aft rooms that has a larger rounded balcony since it was the same price as other 8C/8D/8E cabins (11486, 11483, 12482, 12487, 14482, 14501, etc.). I've seen a couple video tours of these rooms but I'd love to hear a full review if anyone has stayed in one. I know they offer more balcony space but lack privacy beyond the partition, which has its pros and cons. I'm also curious how bad the wind is since the one we booked is open facing forward. If you've stayed in one, please share your experiences!

Former TA here - book her as it is currently listed on her official birth certificate. I'm not sure when you cruise, but it may or may not get corrected by then depending on how "easy" it is to fix. Yes, her name will be misspelled on her S&S card but she will be okay and I'm sure there will probably be more S&S cards in the future (if she wants to collect them - I still have mine). If the BC is changed before the cruise, you can call and have them update the spelling.

I haven't been on the Magic yet but am going on her in August and have done some research. So here's what I can share based on that and my experience on other Carnival ships: Specialty Coffee Card - no; regular coffee is free but specialty coffees are additional and like typical cafe prices. However if you have CHEERS!, specialty coffees are included. Elegant Nights - there will be two on your cruise. The first is typically your second night/first sea day. The second varies but if I remember right when I did an 8-day Eastern before, it was on the 5th or 6th night. Menus - I don't have any for Magic specifically but you can find current menus if you search the boards. Guys' Burgers - Free always (limited hours) Guys' Pig & Anchor BBQ - Free always (limited hours) Cucina del Captiano - Free lunch on sea days and embarkation day; must pay other times but I think it's less than $20pp Juice - Yes, but as someone said it's more like Hi-C and not true orange juice. Sushi - I believe there is a Sushi Bar however it's not a full Bonsai Sushi restaurant.

Your reviews have always been my favorite! I told my husband that I want to be like you and Patti when we grow up. 😂

We did a DIY walking tour of Nassau back in 2018 when we first visited and it was a lot of fun! However, we did a LOT of walking so it was a tiring by the end. We did a loop and followed something similar to the image below (hopefully it shows up). We walked up toward the Queen's Staircase and Fort Fincastle (some uphill walking), crossed over toward the Government House, walked down and over to Junkanoo Beach, and then ended by checking out W Bay Street and all the shops. It was a long day but we also spent some time at the beach (lunch, drinks) and went in a ton of shops. I'll also add that we did this in February and the weather was perfect -- 75-80 degrees with low humidity. But this past June, we had a similar plan but it was so hot/humid that we didn't get very far before we abandoned our walking tour and went to the brewery instead. So, the overall experience may vary depending when you're going.

I haven't been to Bimini or Princess Cays yet but I have been to HMC and Freeport. Here's my thoughts on both: Half Moon Cay There's nothing here but a beach so definitely plan a beach day. It's also a tender port, so make sure you bring everything you'd need with you as you won't be able to easily hop back on the ship. However, for a beach day, it's amazing! There's plenty of chairs but the area near the entrance gets crowded so if you want something more relaxing, walk further down the beach for those chairs (I'd get an early tender if you can so you have your pick). There's a few restrooms along the beach, water sports you can pay extra for, and some bars. Since it is a Carnival-owned port, they also have a free buffet lunch that will be open at your leisure for 2-3 hours. Carnival does offer some excursions here (horseback riding, etc.) but the beach itself is free and that's really all there is. There are no traditional port shops aside from some gift shops at the entrance. Freeport You'll definitely want to take an excursion here as it's an industrial port and there's nothing at the docking location besides some souvenir stands. However, Freeport offers a variety of excursions depending on what you want -- mangrove kayaking, beautiful beach days, garden tours, island tours, and even shopping at the Grand Lucayan Marketplace. I'm not sure what excursions are offered on your cruise but on my upcoming one to Freeport, there's several that have a beach day and/or shopping so I think you can find what you're looking for. And on a side note, Freeport seems to get a bad rep but we loved our time there previously and are actually having a hard time deciding what to do on our upcoming cruise there because there's several excursions we're interested in. I guess it depends on your interests but we enjoyed it.

I was on the Vista in 2017 and hated it! I didn't like the layout and I remember thinking everything was so sterile, like I was in a mall that was going out of business. I know many hate the elaborate decor of the older Carnival ships and while I agree that they're at times over the top, I just couldn't get settled on the Vista. I agree about the food quality going downhill too. We cruised in June (our first since 2018 thanks to the pandemic/cancellations) and I was not impressed with the food at all. I usually enjoy Carnival's options but something was off. Now does that stop me from future cruises? No; I have two more coming up within the year as we like cruising and can find good in even "bad" cruises. But there's definitely a noticeable difference in the quality.