AwkwardPenguin

365 days, 2 hours, 33 minutes until Carnival Magic!

How do you post in the Hub App?? Do you mean 100 days out? That would be great, thanks! Looking at the deck plans, I think you're right-- Deck 11 is the first time that elevator shows up. It also helps that it doesn't look like it's directly against the back wall of our cabin, but standing alone in the middle of the corridor, so there's a bit of a buffer against the sound.

Prologue: Pre-Trip Report Part III: UPGRADE BABY!! Guys we got upgraded to a Spa Interior!! I was on a phone call yesterday with the Southern Penguin Clan outpost after Momma and Poppa Penguins' return from their cruise, and Leah mentioned that we had an upgrade offer on our booking page. When we got off the phone, I did some poking, and it was an offer to upgrade to a Spa Interior Room for only $124! We waffled a tiny bit (Leah had picked a really, REALLY good spot for our initial cabin, and we were a tiny bit concerned about noise because we'd be moved basically directly underneath the lower level of the spa, and there's an elevator behind the back wall, and if we took this upgrade, would we miss out on potentially getting an upgrade to a balcony???), but put together some questions for our cruise planner, with an agreement that if Leah liked what she heard, we'd go for it. And we did! I'M SO PSYCHED!! I love massages and spa stuff, and basically getting free reign in the Thermal Suites without having to worry about using up a pass is AWESOME. Our original cabin choice was #10214, on the Lido Deck (where the star is): We were pretty chuffed about this, Leah had been the one to make the booking (which is why she's the one dealing with the cruise planner lady), and she was very deliberate about the choice. Here's our new cabin, #11211 on Deck 11, chosen for us by Carnival (again where the star is): Honestly, we're only one deck up from where we were originally, and while we may get some ceiling feet from the fitness center lobby over our heads, I think this is still a pretty fantastic location, on top of all of the extra perks we get! Good job, Carnival! (I'm going to be such a spoiled little bird after this, you guys have NO IDEA) I'm planning on paying off the fare and fees in the next couple of paychecks, and then as soon as the ✨Trip Fund✨ is replenished enough, I'll be booking my Spa stuff! I've also crossed off some of the clothing items on my shopping list, and we're starting to look at places to stay in Miami for the night before embarkation (Night Zero). Momma and Poppa Penguin are planning on taking us on a day trip to Miami when I make my winter pilgrimage to the Southern Penguin Clan outpost in November, so we'll probably decide around then. In the meantime, I have a question for you Carnival Veterans. I've been trying for ages to set up my profile pic on the Hub App, and none of the pictures on my phone seem to stick. I have an iPhone, and I'm doing an update to the iOS right now. What gives? Can I only do a profile pic after a certain amount of time? Am I trying to do it too early? Are my pictures not the right type? I'm pretty sure most if not all of the ones I've tried are .jpegs, so there shouldn't be a problem, right? What am I doing wrong?? Thanks for letting me ramble! Stay cool everyone!

My first cruise is a little over a year away, but I've already started checking things off of my pre-trip shopping list and have my packing list(s) ready to go! In terms of actual packing, I'll probably do the bulk of it the weekend before, since I'll be leaving on Saturday to get to port before sailing on Sunday, and I'll be working late that Friday night. Toiletries, medications, and electronics will be added the morning of departure.

Thank you! I promise, it does NOT come naturally! I have really, really bad Inattentive Type ADHD, and I need to plan ***** down to the minute or else I will forget something, or my brain will make me think I've forgotten something (which is so. much. fun. 😑). We're sailing in August, which is why I have a lot of hot-weather gear in my shopping list. Neither of us have kids, but I have a "peak season" for work which generally follows the school year and it's really not a great idea for me to be fully out of contact for a week or longer during that period. If my org was bigger and had more full-time staff I wouldn't worry so much about it, but myself and my boss are the only full-time staff members. And our jobs are very specialized, so my boss can't really cover for me or vice versa. So summertime is really the only time I can travel and be semi-comfortable being out of contact.

I'm starting to see that. We're sailing August 2025, and the only place I could find that would give me a price that far in advance was only about $80 cheaper for the same amount of time. This being our first cruise, it might be better to keep things as simple as possible, even if it costs a little more.

Thank you! That "fraction" part really scrambled me, I'm glad it was really just me overthinking! This is very good to know, now I can start looking at cheaper options, because 8 days x $22/day = $176, which is quite a bit!

I think that might be the part that I don't understand. Will that apply to me, and if so, what fraction? Am I overthinking this?

Hi everyone! I'm a new-ish cruiser (I've been on cruises before, but this is the first one I'm taking as an adult paying my own way), and I'm trying to price out options for parking. I can't seem to make heads or tails of how pricing works at the PortMiami parking garages. If I have one car in one space for eight days/seven nights, is that $22 per day? Does the fraction of $22 apply here? I'm getting the info from this page: http://www.miamidade.gov/portmiami/parking-information.asp which I got to through Carnival's FAQ page. I just want to make sure I understand how much PortMiami is going to charge before I look at other options. Thank you!

Funny story-- I actually almost started this thread on the Roll Call board for my ship! Then I actually looked at the posts in that board and went "this probably isn't the place for something like this". I'm used to DISBoards where there's a dedicated board for trip reports, and I was looking for that here but couldn't find it. Then I found the "best of trip reports" area and looked at where those reports were posted, and realized that people are putting them in the board of the specific cruise line they were sailing. So here I am! I'll definitely either start or join a roll call when I get closer to the sailing date.

That’s great to hear! I’m glad they work out so well.

Prologue: Pre-Trip Report Part II: The Pre-Trip Shopping List WARNING: Long Post is Long! I'm back! And I've brought my shopping list of items that I'm planning to get to bring on my cruise! This isn't everything on the list (I've pretty much left out the clothes and toiletries I'm planning on buying, those might be their own post when I eventually talk about my packing list), but these are the big ticket and cruise-specific items. First off, I need a suitcase. I have a few Vera Bradley duffles that I've collected over the years, and they've all served me well, but it's time for a real grown-up traveling suitcase. After a LOT of research, comparison, YouTube videos and Amazon reviews, and going back and forth between four or five different options, I've settled on this one. This is the Monos Carry-on in Terrazzo. It is very pricey, but with the amount I normally travel in a year (about 3-4 times a year on average), this thing is going to last me until the heat death of the universe while being the only suitcase I travel with for the rest of my life. I'm going to use this as my personal item/pool/beach bag: This is the Foldie 4.0 in Azure Blue. It's huge inside, but folds up really tiny when not in use, and can fit a lot of stuff. They've been running a BOGO sale for ages, and when I asked Leah if she wanted the second one, she asked for it in green. The "purse" I'm planning on getting is the Corkcicle Sling in black: I've been looking for something similar to this for ages, to use on walks. This might be a bit over-engineered for only doing that, but it's going to be an excellent bag to use while on excursions and walking around ports. I might even get a little packable shopping bag to put in there to use for souvenirs. The important thing is that I'll be able to put a water bottle inside, but it's not a big tote bag or a sweat-inducing backpack. I'm also replacing my Vera Bradley toiletry bag. It's a nice little pouch, and holds a full-sized pair of shampoo and conditioner bottles along with the rest of my minimal toiletries, but it's very structured so it doesn't squish down very well when it's not fully packed. It also doesn't have any organization inside, so I have to fully unpack it to find anything, which is not going to work on a cruise ship where space is limited. However, during my research for a suitcase, I came upon this: This is the Tripped Travel Gear Dopp Kit set, and while it measures slightly bigger length and width wise than my Vera Bradley, it's much shallower and not at all structured, so I can squish it down if I don't end up filling it entirely. It comes with a 3-1-1 TSA pouch, as well as a slightly smaller clear pouch that snaps onto the hanging dopp kit, and I'm looking forward to figuring out the best ways to use them both. I have Cadence Capsules for my liquid toiletries, and I will be thrilled if the capsules fit in that little snap pouch, along with my toothpaste and hand sanitizer. If they don't, I'll use the 3-1-1 bag for those and use the little snap pouch as a seat-back bag so that I don't have to dig charging supplies out of my Foldie on the flight. But I'll save that for the packing post. That's it for bags! I'll be getting the suitcase, Foldie, and toiletry bag nice and early so that I can field test them on my next trip to the Southern Penguin Clan outpost, so we'll see how they work out. Next up is Cruise-Specific items. I can and will use most of these on other non-cruise trips, but a few will probably only be for cruises (because there WILL be other cruises-- having a balcony room is a bucket list item). First is a pair of earplugs. I have some sensory issues, and while they've gotten better as I've gotten older, I'm still not a fan of really loud environments. I've also been reading stories about noise issues in cabin areas, so these will hopefully help with that. These are from Loop, and meant for music events and parties. They come with a cool attachment that reduces noise even further. They're not really great for sleeping, but I've got a solution for that: I like to fall asleep to podcasts, audiobooks, or Headspace sleepcasts, but since I'm sharing a room with Leah, I don't want to bother her. So these sleep headphones might help with that. Next is a truly cruise-specfic item: I keep seeing cruise-safe power strips mentioned on "what to bring on a cruise" posts, so I figured that with the number of devices Leah and I both have, this would probably be a smart thing to have. However, because it doesn't have a surge-protector, it's probably not going to be used anywhere but cruise ships. Maybe I'll send it home with Leah after the cruise for the Southern Penguin Clan to hang on to (assuming they don't already have one-- Momma and Poppa Penguin do a lot of cruising, and Poppa Penguin is a tech geek of the first order, so I wouldn't be surprised). In addition to being a bag girlie, I'm also a water bottle girlie. I'd been told in no uncertain terms during my last long trip to the Southern Penguin Clan outpost that I need an insulated water bottle if I'm going to be spending any time outside in Florida or points south, so this is what I'll be getting: It's 32oz and fits nicely in the sling I'm getting. It'll also fit in the water bottle pockets in the Foldie, though it might end up being a little taller than desirable for that-- I'll have to test it out. But fill this baby up just a third of the way with ice and the rest with water, and it'll last ALL DAY. Depending on how much I drink, I may end up refilling this thing once or twice before any of the ice melts, which is wild. Another item I learned is essential in tropical areas in the summer is a cooling towel: During my month long visit to the Southern Penguin Clan outpost last summer, Momma Penguin supplied us with the Frogg Togg type of cooling towels for our weekend in Disney World. I loved how cool they got, but did not love how stiff they got as they dried. So while I was putting this list together, I looked for towels that remained soft even as they dried. These will hopefully do the trick! And of course we need a fan: Isn't this cute? Given the time of year we'll be sailing, this is probably going to get a ton of use. And it's tiny enough, I might be able to get it into my seat-back pouch for the flights, since I'm short enough that the air vents on planes don't tend to reach me even when they're twisted to full blast. And speaking of little things, I've heard great things about these tiny but powerful hand sanitizers: I know cruise ships are germ factories, and Leah has gotten norovirus on a ship before, so I'm cramming as many of these as I can fit into my liquids bag and making her pick one to keep on her at all times. And then of the leftovers, one is going in my sling, and the other is going to live in the Foldie. Nobody's getting sick on this trip, or I'll know why! Another cruise-specific item are these magnetic hooks: Given how much stuff Leah and I are likely to have, and the fact that neither of us are the neatest of freaks, these are going to be absolutely essential. And the bright blue color means that I'm not going to miss grabbing them when it's time to pack them up to go home! The last cruise specific item is these: I found these on Amazon while looking for the power strip, and maybe they're a bit silly but considering that Carnival wants you to staple or god forbid TAPE a flimsy little printout of your luggage tag to your bag, I think these are the safer and more durable option. I'll prep ours before we leave, and then Sunday morning give Leah hers to put on her bag as we're getting ready to head to the terminal. I would much rather pay six bucks for these than risk a taped tag getting damaged or ripped off and then not getting my suitcase at all. And speaking of potentially lost luggage, last but not least we have AirTags! Apparently it's a thing now to put these in your bags and then watch them go through baggage handling as your flight gets prepped and boarded. I thought it was just something for fun, but these actually saved Momma Penguin a ton of stress just a few days ago as she and Poppa Penguin had to deal with a ton of flight delays on their current trip. She was afraid that their checked luggage wouldn't make it onto their long trans-atlantic flight from their first delayed flight, but she was able to watch them being loaded onto their plane before takeoff. So while I'm planning on going carry-on only for this trip, I'll still be putting one of these in each of my bags, just in case. So that's the Pre-Trip Shopping list, minus the clothes and toiletries shopping I'll be doing as well! I will NOT be buying all of this in one fell swoop, I've carefully planned out each purchase to correspond with my pay schedule so that I don't bankrupt myself. I look forward to checking each item off the list! Next post might be a while-- I'm going to try and pay off my half of our trip balance, so that I can start booking excursions. Thanks for letting me ramble!

Thanks for the info!

Fantastic! Thanks for letting me know!

Definitely going to talk to Leah about this (we haven't had the Serious Excursion Discussion yet), but I've looked on the Carnival site and they have two options for the Bicardi factory listed, even though our San Juan day is on Wednesday?? We might need to do some investigation.

I'll be sailing on the Magic next August, and I have a question about the cabin showers. I know that cabin walls are usually metal and magnetic, and I'm definitely planning on taking advantage of that. But I'd like to know if anyone's tried to stick a magnet to a shower stall? Did it work? The reason I ask is because I'm planning on getting a couple of Cadence Capsules for my conditioner and the product I use for styling, and since they're magnetic, ideally you can just stick them to the bathroom wall and save counter space. If this works in the shower, then I can stick my conditioner to the wall along with my razor holder, get a little suction-cup soap dish for my shampoo bar, and let my cruise buddy use the single dinky little shower shelf for her own stuff. If it doesn't, I'm going to need to get my own little suction-cup shelf for my conditioner and shampoo bar. I don't want to waste space in my one carry-on suitcase by bringing both the soap dish and the shelf, so if someone could let me know, that would be great! Thank you in advance!

This is very good to know... I'm giving Leah first choice in what we do in San Juan, so I'll let her know that if she wants to do a Bicardi tour, she needs to book it as soon as she can. Thanks for the info!

Thanks for the suggestion! However, I always want to get the longest massage possible, so I'm going to be going with the 75min Swedish, with the possibility of bumping up to 100min when I check in if they let me!

Sweet! I'll see about reporting on anything I can! We're not planning on getting a wifi package, so I won't be able to do a LIVE report, but I'll collect questions that anyone wants answered before I leave.

Fantastic, thank you! This is excellent to know!

Thank you!

Just curious, how many times can a post be edited after posting?

It works! Thank you very much!

Prologue: Pre-Trip Report Part I: Introductions, Background, and Plans, Oh My! Hello and salutations, Cruise Critic Boards! This is my first trip report here, about my first cruise! To introduce myself, I'm Teviya, a 30-something Office Manager who is SO STOKED to be going on this trip. My partner in cruising, crime, and other shenanigans is my 20-something sister Leah! This trip came about because our parents go on a lot of cruises, and they're currently gearing up for their latest one. Leah got jealous and started poking around. She asked if I was interested in going with her if she found something, and I said of course, and we are now booked for an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Magic for next summer! This is the first cruise I'll be planning and paying for by myself (mostly-- Leah and I are going halves on pricing), and I'm a planner like nobody's business, so I figured I'd not only try to do a trip report, but also document all of my planning and preparation as well. I have an eight page Excel workbook all about my plans and budget and what I need to buy beforehand, so I have plenty of stuff to share! And so ✨The Plan✨ Day 0 - Travel to Miami Leah lives in Florida, but I live in Virginia, which means that she has a 6-ish hour drive and I need to fly in from my local airport. We were told in no uncertain terms by cruise veteran Momma Penguin that we should absolutely arrive in the city the day before the cruise leaves and spend the night, which is what we will be doing. We haven't had the "Where are we staying?" and "Where are we eating?" conversations yet, but we'll get there. Leah will pick me up from the airport, so that's something else to coordinate, but it probably means that I'll be getting a late morning or early afternoon flight to give her time to make the drive. Day 1 - Embarkation Day! We'll board the ship at some point before baggage check closes-- we chatted very briefly with Momma and Poppa Penguin about possibly doing Faster to the Fun, but we haven't had the serious conversation about it yet. Definitely doing the Sailaway Party (probably while wearing earplugs), and we've got Your Time dining, so we'll figure out dinner when we get hungry. Day 2 - 1st Sea Day First full day at sea is earmarked as Spa Day, and I'm very likely spending the entire day in the spa and by the pool! I've earmarked all of the spa services I want to get, as well as the 2 day Thermal Suite pass. Once I've paid off my portion of the fares and fees, I'll be booking my mani/pedi, massage, and facial! The one question I have about the Thermal Suite pass is how they define "day". Can I come and go for two days, or does a day start when I enter the spa and end when I leave? If anyone happens to know, hit me up! This is also the first of two Elegant Nights in the MDR on this sailing, and I'm definitely going to that even if Leah decides she doesn't want to. I'm hoping she'll come with me, but I'm not going to force her. It's her trip too, after all. Day 3 - 2nd Sea Day This sea day is all about activities-- as soon as I saw the pictures of the Ropes Course on the website I went "gotta do that!". I'm planning on also getting one of the Fitness Class x3 passes, so there might be yoga on the docket as well. I'm a little put out that I'm not going to know the ship activity schedule until the night before each sailing day, but oh well. Definitely want to do a Dive-In Movie at one point, hopefully the movies on this sailing are good ones. Day 4 - San Juan The reason we booked this trip was because Leah really wants to go to San Juan, so I'm pretty much following her lead for this port. I'm pretty sure we're going to do one of the Bicardi tours, because Leah is really interested in mixology, but she also wants to see the forts. I'm actually really interested in the ghost tour excursion, but if Leah wants to do one of the Bicardi tours I'm going with her. Day 5 - Amber Cove This port day is going to be ziplines. I found a couple of zipline excursions that look really cool, and I've never done a zipline before, so that's the plan. Depending on when I'm done, I might bop around the port a little bit, maybe meet Leah when whatever she wants to do is done, but I'm absolutely doing one of those zipline excursions. Day 6 - Grand Turk This is probably going to be the "rent an umbrella at the beach and don't move until it's time to go" day. I'm not really a beach person, but I'll admit that I wouldn't mind sitting on one of these beaches. Neither of us are really interested in any of the Grand Turk excursions, and the beach is right there at the end of the pier, so why not? Day 7 - 3rd Sea Day Time to catch up on anything I haven't done yet! Day 8 - Debarkation Day 😞 Unfortunately, this is the day that we go home. I'm going to book my flight for as late in the evening as I can so that I have a nice big buffer between the ship getting in and my flight boarding, and if I end up sitting in the airport for a few hours then so be it. Leah will be my ride to the airport before she drives back home. And that's what I've got so far! Thanks for letting me ramble, and I'll be back another time with my Pre-Trip Shopping List!

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