MAGIC - Our Photo Review of the Inaugural Sailing of the Magic

[jackdis]

Lucy, appreciate your support. I have more airport pictures but will restrain myself from posting ;)

 

Please don't refrain. I think you should post one - or a few - just for good measure!!!!!

 

I am loving your review. In fact, my husband and I were looking at it together the other night. Your pictures are amazing and your report is wonderful. I get excited each time I see an update!! Thank you again for doing this!!

[cruisinskier]

With it being a sea day, and given we had been away from home for a week or so now, we decided that it was a good day to do some laundry to get us through the rest of the trip. Onboard there are 3 different laundry rooms for your use. In the one we checked out (10th floor forward), there were 2 washers (one not working already???) and 4 dryers ($3 per load). Detergent was available for $1.25 (I think) but there were no change machines....you had to go to guest services for quarters. In the end we decided our vacation time was too short so we each packed a bag of laundry and sent it out of $15 / bag.

 

One other item is that in addition to the laundry rooms, there are also ironong rooms on board (4 of them if I remember correctly). The one on the 8th floor was opposite cabin # 8395.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ironing Room

[cruisinskier]

We headed back to the cabin to get ready for dinner...tonight was our only formal night on the 9 day cruise (they decided we were too late in most of the ports to warrant another formal night...I didn't hear any compaints about this). Dinner was very good again and the service was improving. After dinner we made it to see the show in the main theatre....and it was very much worth it. Karen Grainger, a female impressionist (she prefers that term over female impersonator) was performing and she did a fantastic job. From Cher to Celine Dion with many others mixed in she did a fantastic job. She even sang a few songs in her own voice which was also fantastic. Talking to her after the show we found out she is Canadian and lives about 30 minutes from our home....small world!!

 

After the show we spent a very short period in the casino before heading to bed. Tomorrow morning we were arriving in Messina!

 

 

The Showtime Theatre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Karen Grainger

[Prairie_Gal]

This is such an awesome review! Every day I rush home from working to read the day's instalment.

 

Which category of room did you have at the Murano Palace? Deluxe, Superior? How was the bed?

[ROPD184]

A bunch of pictures of an airplane and of an airport. Wonderful!

 

DON

 

:rolleyes:Don't worry cruisinskier....there's always at least one. :rolleyes:

 

Meanwhile awesome review and awesome pics.....I have never had interest in visiting Venice, until now.

[cruisinskier]

This is such an awesome review! Every day I rush home from working to read the day's instalment.

 

Which category of room did you have at the Murano Palace? Deluxe, Superior? How was the bed?

 

We had the Deluxe room with canal view. However with 4 couples staying there I think I was in all of the room types and all were very nice. The beds were very comfortable (a little on the hard side). If there was one thing I would change it would be the pillows as they were too bulky for my taste...but I would stay there again in a second and have actually recommended to family who are heading to Venice in October.

 

Glad to hear you are enjoying the review.....I rush home and try to find some time to post a few things each day....and still stay married :D

[SenatorsFan]

Heather, glad you are enjoying. Hope you have not been getting all the rain in Ottawa that we have had in the Toronto area. 11 straight days and counting. I want to head back to Europe :D

 

Unfortunately we have also had way too much rain lately! I hope it improves as my DH and youngest son are on a school band trip to Niagara Falls and Toronto next week. Put in an order for sun, please.:) And keep up the good work with your review.

Heather

Edited May 19, 2011 by SenatorsFan

[lucyintheskywithdiamonds]

Lucy, appreciate your support. I have more airport pictures but will restrain myself from posting ;)

 

ARE YOU KIDDING? YOU TAKE THE TIME FROM YOUR CRUISE TO POST THESE FAB PHOTOS AND SOME PEOPLE HAVE THE NERVE TO COMPLAIN? THANK YOU! That was very generous of your time! Please post whatever you want.. I am very grateful:)

[cruisinskier]

We were up early this morning and headed to the back of Lido for oour usual port day breakfast at the buffet. Once done, we roounded up the troops and were off the boat quickly. I had arranged a tour for the 12 of us with Astone Tours. Our tour was to Castlemola and Taromina. As soon as we got off the boat we saw the tour company holding the sign and they walked us over to a nice new bus that would have held twice as many of us. Sandra was out tour guide and her English was good. We boarded the bus and we were off.

 

Our tour bus

 

Our first stop was Castlemola. It was about a 45 minute drive and then we had some interesting roads as we drove higher and higher and higher up to Castlemola. For anyone who has been to Taormina, Castlemola is the village above Taormina. The tour was a little disorganized and after a few questions we found out that today was Sandra first day on the job. Overall she did a decent job but she certainly was new at this and did not have the knowledge and professionalism that some tour guides do (such as the ones we had for the 4 other tours still to come after this but we will get there in due course). But she was trying to please us, she had brought us treats that her grandmother made and she was answering all the questions we asked.

 

We spent some time wandering around Castlemola....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were 2 cruise ships tendered off of Taormina. I think they were Silversea and Azamara.

[cruisinskier]

From Castlemola, we drove back down right to the coast and then took the cable cars up to Taormina. We wandered the town a little and headed towards the main attraction here....the ancient Greek Theatre. Entrance was 8 euros pp however for the seniors in our group they were admitted free with a Canadian passport.

 

 

The cable cars. The person in our group who uses a motorized scooter was able to fit in the cable cars with no problem. Taormina was fairly flat and accessible as was a small section of the lower level of the Greek Theatre

 

 

 

 

 

The Greek Theatre....they were actually setting up a stage for a concert here in June by Carlos Santana (U2 among others have performed here in the past)

 

 

[cruisinskier]

 

 

The village at the top in the centre of the picture is Castlemola

 

 

 

 

[cruisinskier]

After spending lots of time in the Ancient Theatre, it was time to find some food. We searched a little and then found a great place with a back patio that served true authentic Italian food. The Margharita pizza here was the best of the trip!!

 

 

 

The patio where we had lunch

 

 

And of course a local beer!

 

 

And the view from the patio

[cruisinskier]

 

 

Growing lemons on the balcony

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cruisinskier]

After about 4 hours in Taormina it was time to head back to the Magic. We had a great day and while the tour could have been more polished, we enjoyed the sights and saw the main items we had come to see. Overall it was well worth the 40 euros pp we had paid.

 

Now it was back on the Magic and time to get ready for another sailaway....

 

 

 

Leaving the Messina dock

 

 

 

 

 

 

We moved our sailaway party up a deck to deck 11 and found a more comfy location

 

 

Goodbye Sicily

[Prairie_Gal]

Glad to hear you are enjoying the review.....I rush home and try to find some time to post a few things each day....and still stay married :D

 

Awwww ... tell her you can't disappoint your fans. :D :D :D

[Slitelyused]

we are also booked on the TA,,,Oct 28,,,Ron & Lydia from San Antonio,,arriving in Barcelona 2 days early,,,staying at the Airport Renaissance,,,,,,,Cant wait,,,our first trip to Europe, Our first TA,,,and only our 3rd cruise,,John,,,keep yer powder dry,,,,,:cool:

[kezza]

Love the look of Castlemola, wonder how hard it would be to get to without a tour. Am so enjoying your review and photos. Looking forward to the next batch. Thanks.

 

Kerri

[lucyintheskywithdiamonds]

the pics can wait, play with your mate:)

[idjaffe]

We leave in a few weeks - and this is making me SOOOO ready!

[CruizenSusan]

I am absolutely enjoying your review. I spend a little bit of time on my lunch hour catching up on this thread. Thank you so much for posting! :D

[cruisinskier]

We arrived back at the port and waited about 15 minutes in line to board. Once we were on, we knew where we were headed.....to the Red Frog. If you have been reading along, you will remember that Carnival ran out of their new much publicized beer on day 2 of the cruise. We had been informed by Ken the maitre'd that they were flying in a new batch from Tennessee to meet the ship in Messina. And when we arrived at the Red Frog we were able to enjoy one of these......

 

 

 

After sail away we decided we were hungry so we headed to the Lido Buffet for dinner tonight. Then we wandered the ship for a while until it got dark. That night we sailed past the Stromboli volcano, which gave us a little show but not much. Here is all I was able to capture of the volcano....

 

 

 

 

 

After that we spent a bit of time in the casino before it was bed time....next up was Naples and our first of 3 days touring with Rome in Limo :)

[Nanaimobound]

How fantastic! Your photos are beautiful, and it is so exciting to hear about Magic!

[wilee]

Good review and nice pictures. thanks for sharing

[mitchpam]

still drooling... thanks for all this!!

[itchin2cruz]

I have never wanted to go somewhere so bad in my entire life. You have given me something to dream about!!!!!