Carnival Magic 7-13-14 Premium Vista 9C Deck 8 Review

[LambKnuckles]

I've never scuba dived... I admire that you can!!

 

I'm three and a half weeks from boarding the MAGIC, and this review is giving me things to do and reminding me of things I don't want to forget!!! THANK YOU!!

[jeffw777]

7/18/14 Continued..

 

More scuba pics..

 

 

 

 

I had pre arranged our dive trip with "Blue Angel Diving". We were referred here from the school where I was certified and this was a good choice. Angela (Dive Master) was great and they were very accommodating. We only had time for one of the two tank dives we signed up for and because of this they gave us a break on the cost. In addition, they took us back to the pier in between dives so we could make it back to the ship on time.

 

The traffic wasn't too bad on the island, and I was able to pick up the girls, and make it back to the dock with time to spare. Unlike the other ports, there was a long line to get back onboard. There is always one or two drunk people on their balconies entertaining the line. This time was no different. Most of the time this entertainment is not entertaining. This time it was. We had a few laughs, and got back onboard.

 

We made it back to the room, mixed a cold drink, and enjoyed the balcony as we sailed away from Cozumel..

 

 

 

 

To be continued..

[jeffw777]

7/18/14 Continued..

 

We wanted to go see Dean Gaines (Comedian) so we got ready and made the 8:00pm show. Although this was the family friendly show, he was very funny, and we all enjoyed it.

 

We decided to eat dinner in the dinning room tonight, and unlike the first night in the dining room, the service was much better. I think this had something to do with the time we ate. Got there around 9 and I think they were rushing a bit so they could close the dining room. Fine with us!

 

 

 

We took a stroll on the promenade deck after dinner, and headed back to the room to get ready for bed..

 

Up next, Day Seven: Last day at Sea

 

To be continued..

[pearose]

Have a wonderful cruise!!!

 

I have less than a couple months till I'll board the MAGIC!!!

 

Can't wait to read your review and see your photos!!! :)

 

Lambie, please write a review when you get back. I SO loved your review on the Ecstasy and it sure helped a lot when went on it for the first time. We are scheduled to go on the Magic in February........so anything you (or anyone else) can add about what they enjoyed would be great!

[LambKnuckles]

Lambie, please write a review when you get back. I SO loved your review on the Ecstasy and it sure helped a lot when went on it for the first time. We are scheduled to go on the Magic in February........so anything you (or anyone else) can add about what they enjoyed would be great!

 

Not to intrude on this great review... But I promise I will!

 

Look for it to start after the 16 or 17th... I get back on the 14th.

[swarbimar]

Lambie , We get on after you get off. Hope you have a great time.

[jeffw777]

7/19/14 Day Seven: Last day at Sea

 

Here is the fun times for today..

 

 

 

 

 

My apologies, but I tore the schedule out of the fun times and didn't get a pic.

[jeffw777]

7/19/14

 

I was looking forward to sleeping in, and sleeping in is what we did. Woke up at 9:00am.

 

Probably should have tried something different for breakfast, but as I have mentioned we loved the smoked salmon, and ordered it again with some fruit. (Not a big breakfast eater, and this was something light to start the day.)

 

We decided we would secure a good spot in the sun a little earlier today, so while the kids slept, my wife and I headed up to deck 11 aft by the tides pool. We saw this spot earlier on, and decided it would be a great place to hang out on the last day.

 

 

 

 

We settled in, and the kids joined us around 11:00 or so..

 

There was a nice breeze and the furniture was comfortable. It was nice having the umbrella as well to get out of the sun when we wanted to.

 

At 12:00 noon we headed to the lido buffet for lunch. There are two spots to eat by the tides pool that are tasty options. The Carnival Deli and the Tandoor Buffet. I am not a big Indian food fan, but I did enjoy Tandoor. The Deli is very good as well, where the sandwiches are made to order. We ate lunch at or "spot" with the kids, and continued to relax there after lunch..

 

Around 3:00pm or so, we decided we had had enough, so we went back to our rooms to chillax for a couple of hours..

 

There is a deck outside the promenade that surrounds the ship called the "Lanai"..

 

 

We met up with the kids before dinner, and went for a stroll around the Lanai, and watched the sunset..

 

 

 

To be continued..

[Eeyoregon]

Great review. Thank you for taking the time to write it. But now I'm ready for MORE :D

[cruise n' fool]

Great review! sad its almost the end!!!

[LambKnuckles]

Lambie , We get on after you get off. Hope you have a great time.

 

swarbimar... I have a custom I do when I know folks are boarding after my cruise. I tape a hello note to the underside of a table, and we see if housekeepping left it there. Wanna play???

 

Promise me you'll do a review! You're on board for "Talk Like a Pirate Day" on the 19th. You MUST tell us how that went!!!

[LambKnuckles]

Deck 11 aft... Don't you love it when you find "that special place?" A bit of a breeze as you cruise, not many people walking by, a good people watching place!!!

 

I like Deck 11 midship, too! I need more shade than sun. I'm too fair to stay out in the sun to much. But I like that you had umbrellas! I hadn't realized that, or I'd forgotten.

 

You're reminding me of places to find and visit! Can't wait for more!

[jeffw777]

7/19/14 Continued..

 

We decided we would eat in the dining room again tonight for our last night on board.

 

We headed to the Northern Lights dining room around 8:00pm and were seated quickly. I don't remember what we ate (next time I will do a better job of getting more pics of the food and menus) but it was all good. I DO remember the chocolate melting cake! This is very good, and while at the chefs table we learned how they made it. Not very healthy but it sure is tasty!

 

After dinner we slowly made our way to the Spotlight Lounge to watch the karaoke party. The karaoke is usually at the Ocean Plaza stage (Deck 5 Mid) but tonight it was in the spotlight lounge with a live band. The song list is much smaller, but the live band is a nice touch, and we enjoyed the show.

 

 

After the karaoke party my wife and kids were ready to go to bed. I wasn't ready yet..

 

I must have walked through the casino 30 times prior to this night and never stopped, but that was about to change. I am not a big gambler but I do enjoy playing black jack and I was actually surprised I hadn't made it down to a table sooner. I would make up for that tonight..

 

Sat down at the table around 10:30pm and headed to bed around 4:30am. I was up $200-$300, down $200-$300, and walked away from the table with the same amount of money I sat down with. I would call that a good night of gambling! I enjoyed meeting other players and chatting with the dealers. Cruise ship dealers always have interesting stories.

 

Made it back to the room and passed out for the few hours I had to sleep..

 

Up next, Day Eight: Disembarkation

 

To be continued..

[Bookbug53]

7/13/14 Continued..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We explored a number of the decks and liked the layout of the ship. The elevators were very busy and after being separated twice from my wife and children it was decided (by me) for all of us to take the stairs. They refused to get on an elevator that had more than 4 people in it. I really don't understand the problem. I have been on the underground subways in London and have no problem bumping shoulders with the person or persons next to me. Apparently my wife and kids feel differently. I will say that all of the up and down and running around does make you a bit sweaty so her (and their) decision to not follow me into the elevator was a good one. Once again, she is always right!

 

 

 

To be continued...

 

But those elevators clearly state they will hold 18!! :eek:

 

Loving the review and pictures. :)

[jeffw777]

7/20/14 Day Eight: Disembarkation

[LambKnuckles]

7/20/14 Day Eight: Disembarkation

 

This is always the hardest day!!!

 

But it's also a "get on home and sleep in your own bed day."

[jeffw777]

7/20/14 Continued..

 

After a very short nights sleep, I woke up to the familiar sights, sounds, (and smells) of the Houston Ship Channel.

 

Due to the fact that there was no freaking way we could carry all of our luggage on our own we opted for the "relaxed debarkation" route. We had to have our luggage packed and outside our doors by 11:00pm the night before but this wasn't a big deal. We were in zone 26 and the assigned time for us was 11:30am. Here is the Debarkation flyer..

 

 

We decided for the first time on this trip to eat breakfast at the lido buffet. It's actually quite good and we should have eaten there more. Next time!

 

 

Half eaten made to order omelet..

 

 

 

After breakfast we went back to our rooms, enjoyed some much needed coffee, and relaxed for a bit. I wasn't sure what time they would ask us to leave, but I figured at some point (before our debarkation time) we would have to get out of our rooms. This happened around 10:45 or so.

 

We headed to the lobby area and waited there until our zone was called. We headed down the gangway to the customs area where we would gather our remaining luggage and wait in line for customs. There was a long line to get a porter, and although we knew it would be difficult, we didn't want to wait so my son and I took turns bringing our luggage to our place in line. We slid our luggage along and made it through customs in about 45 minutes or so.

 

 

We worked our way to the van that was waiting for us to take us back to the parking lot. Made it back to our very HOT car and loaded everything on board.

 

Up next: Closing Comments..

[jeffw777]

Time to bid my farewell!!

 

As they say. "All good things must come to an end." This is always the feeling on the last day of a vacation. All the relaxation and fun is replaced by packing and having to head home. Don't get me wrong, I love home, but will certainly miss the smell of the ocean, the blue waters, great sunsets, beautiful destinations, the conveniences of having so much to do all at the same place, etc., etc. The list could go on and on.

 

For some the "cruise experience" is more about the destinations and not so much about the time onboard and getting there. Others prefer the onboard time more then the excursions that are offered at the ports of call. For me, it is a 50/50 split. I love visiting new places and experiencing new things, but the time at these destinations is sometimes rushed. I also love the relaxed atmosphere while on board, and all of the activities and options that are available to choose from.

 

The Carnival Magic was by far the nicest cruise ship we have been on to date. The layout of the ship, public areas, and dining options were all bigger and better than we have experienced on prior cruises. The food was comparable to the other cruises, but there are definitely more options to choose from on the Magic.

 

We loved the category 9C Premium Vista Balcony. There is ample space (room and especially the balcony), and in my opinion it is the perfect place to be on the ship. Backing into Mahogany Bay in Roatan was great! It was like having a front row seat. The views when sailing away were great as well. For whatever reason, based on other reviews and comments, the back of the ship seams to be cooler as well. Never once had an issue with it being too hot in our room. The room itself, like most other state rooms was relatively small, but I loved the layout, and when you open the window shades the room seams to double in size. It was a little warm on the balcony in the afternoons, so we didn't spend as much time there as I would have liked, but our next cruise will be in the spring and I look forward to spending more time outside.

 

The kids loved their room as well. Probably due to it being pitch black 24 hours a day if wanted. When we asked what type of room they would like to have on our next cruise, they told us the same.

 

We all loved Roatan Honduras. It is a beautiful island, and there are a lot of different activities to chose from. Deciding on the private tour with ROA was a good decision. We got to enjoy a wide variety of activities, and see a lot of beautiful sites. The local people are very friendly too, especially the owners at Dixons Palapa. Next time we visit Roatan, we will be heading back to Dixons for lunch. Hopefully Lasandro will remember how to make that delicious drink!

 

We all absolutely loved the time with the monkeys and sloths. This is an absolute must see for anyone visiting this island. Probably one of the most memorable stops on our trip.

 

We could have easily spent another day in Roatan, and still wanted more. Can't wait to go back.

 

Belize City was just ok. As I mentioned in detail in my review, my son and I did enjoy the cave tubing with Charlie's Cave Tubing, but with all the time getting there and getting back it almost wasn't worth it. Next time in Belize we will do something different. Probably head to one of the Cayes. I understand it is a fairly long boat ride to get there but a long boat ride on the beautiful Caribbean See would definitely be more enjoyable than a long van ride through a dirty town down a bumpy road.

 

My wife and I have been to Cozumel before and we love this island. The kids enjoyed it as well. The girls had fun on the beach at Nachi Cocom, and my son and I loved the scuba diving with Blue Angel Diving. My only complaint is that the time here is too short! I wish Carnival could figure out how to have 10 hours at every port. Hopefully down the road.

 

Surprisingly, the weather was perfect. As I have mentioned more than once, it was hot at times, but the only rain we experienced was about 100 miles south of Galveston on our way home. I expected afternoon thunderstorms daily, but there were hardly any clouds in the sky the entire time.

 

Our cruise on the Carnival Magic was a great family vacation! We all have great memories that will last a life time. Can't wait until our next trip!

 

I hope you all have found some of the information in this review useful and hopefully it will help you have the best cruise experience possible! I have enjoyed sharing our experiences with you, and look forward to writing a review after our next cruise!

 

Thank you for taking the time to read, and for the nice comments.

 

P.S. Have a great cruise Lambie! Thanks for your nice comments and riding along. I look forward to reading your review when you get back.

 

Until next time, I am signing off..

 

So Long!!

[LambKnuckles]

Jeff... I keep looking at and reviewing your FunTimes. I'm cruising with a gal who doesn't cruise Carnival -- and she's lurked on the thread, but she doesn't post. She Thanks you too!!!

 

I love all the insight and tips and ideas you shared!!!

 

I've got 21 days!!! ...and only 8 more work days, till I board... I'm taking some days off for Sissie and hubby from Europe coming to town!!!

 

MERCI BEAUCOUP!!! I can't wait!!!

[jeffw777]

As promised I have completed a You Tube video of our trip highlights. Click on the link below if you would like to check it out. Thanks!

 

[r0xikat]

awesome video! Love the rainbow you caught under the little storm and the excursion vids. can't wait to ride that slide a million times! thank you!

[Sharonlee912]

Thank you for the awesome review!

[LambKnuckles]

THANK YOU!!

 

You added the icing to the cake! Loved it all!

[get me off land]

Already a great read though I am late to the party. Thanks for the great info!

[watermelonqueen99]

Really enjoyed your review! The Magic will forever hold a special place in my heart, as she was our first ship. :)

Edited January 1, 2015 by zumbagirl78