Just off the Magic...Food, CHOGs, People Fails and Gambling!

[Badfinger]

Just back today...decided if I did not get this done now I would not. Sorry, no pictures, but do you really need to see another toilet or plate of pasta? This is bit different from the rest, but again it was either this way or nothing.

 

Carnival Magic Exotic Western Caribbean Cruise 17-24 August with stops at Cozumel, Belize and Isla Roatan.

 

Who: Family of 4 with teenage boys 14 and 16.

 

Cabins: Cloud 9 Spa Balcony (sleeps 2) and Cloud 9 Spa Interior (sleeps 2).

 

History: Our third cruise, all on Carnival. Previous was Triumph in 2012 (Progresso, Cozumel) and Magic in 2013 (Key West, Freeport, Nassau).

 

What follows are review points and comments I wanted to make in no specific order, both good and bad:

 

Cabins: Love the Cloud 9 Spa facilities. Almost a requirement for me to sail again. Also, the fact we had two cabins this year was huge. Having four people stuffed in one cabin is NO FUN. Price was actually a bit cheaper than one Spa Balcony that slept four. Rooms were across from each other. Rooms are configured like most other cabins on the ship…nothing special there. You can lookup what comes with the Cloud 9 cabins.

 

Food: We chose early dining. We are always sleeping by 10:30pm so early dining is almost a must. Much prefer the MDR over the Lido, but did cruise through the Lido after eating in the MDR just to see what we might have missed. Really surprised how few people were in the Lido buffet at 730pm. Almost a ghost town.

 

Bad Food: Short ribs…or should I say rubber hose? It was really bad. Also the beef stroganoff was not very good. Many of the deserts were disappointing (pumpkin pie in particular).

 

Mystery Food: They called in Chateaubriand, but it looked like pot roast. It was good, just did not look the part. They called it brisket, but it was pot roast. It was decent pot roast, just not brisket. Sweet and sour shrimp was just deep fried shrimp. You had to dip in it the sauce to get the sweet.

 

Good Food: Far and away the grilled Salmon which was available everyday in the MDR was the best meal of the week. I had it three times. The tiramisu, which was served only once, was excellent. The WCMC did not disappoint. Also, no need for “Guy” on this ship…the cheeseburgers from the grill were excellent.

 

Comedians: All four were entertaining. Cowboy Bill was hilarious. Did the family friendly only as again we turn in early.

 

Variety Shows: No thanks. Been there done that on our first cruise.

 

Illusionist: Same guy and show as our Magic cruise in June 2013. So my son and I spent the entire show looking for mistakes, etc. Noted a couple, including a shadow of a gal who supposedly disappeared and “hitch” by the illusionist when he was trying to get a flower out of his vest. When he appeared to be levitating, the rocking of the ship gave away the fact he was hanging by a wire. Was still probably a very good show for the first timers.

 

Gambling: I played black jack three different times for a total of five hours. When all was said and done, I was $9 ahead. Frankly I got bored which is why I stopped playing. That and the loud mouth lady to me left telling me how to play. I followed the same rules the dealer adheres to aside from the hit on soft 17. Saved four $1 chips to use as golf ball markers!

 

Spa: Love the Spa. I spent a lot of time in the T-Pool and Oriental Steam. Also used the showers in the Spa locker room exclusively. Much better than the micro-shower in the cabin!

 

Gym: Not busy at all. My son and wife went there every morning. Treadmills were always available. I myself decided to exercise on the stairs. I took the elevator to deck zero, then up the stairs to deck 14. Repeated 5 times. Did this every day but the last. Feel the burn!

 

MDR: Our set of waiters had 6 tables for a total of 26 people. They seemed to be working very hard compared to previous cruises and we were always the last group in that area of the MDR to be served. Every night. We were done NLT 715pm every night though.

 

Lido Buffet: Did breakfast and couple lunches at the Lido. Only real line was for the Mongolian Wok. I waited once…to me it was a lot of fuss about nothing. Should have just grabbed a cheeseburger from the grill.

 

People Fail #1: First night after dinner, about 730pm I see a drunk 20-something face-plant at the bottom of the steps, creating a fountain of blood from his chin. Not the way to start your cruise idiot!

 

People Fail #2: A lady who was always sitting near us in the MDR got absolutely fried by the sun in Isla Roatan. She obviously forgot the sunscreen…but remembered her sunglasses. She was beyond red heading toward black. But with bright white eyes. I am sure she is in pain still. Too funny!

 

CHOGS: No CHOGs on this cruise. Lounge chairs were ALWAYS available near the main pool. On our sea days I made a point to walk through that area about 10am. Never more than 15-20 chairs occupied. Most were empty. I guess most of the other cruisers think like I do that it is too noisy, not very relaxing and causes skin cancer!

 

Dolphin Excursion in Cozumel: Great excursion but you just need to go with the flow. Believe the guide when he tells you that all 100+ of you will be in the water at the same time (in small groups of 10-12) as they have 8-10 different pools. No need to try to be the first one in the taxi. And don’t get excited if you are in group 4 and the first groups they call are 7,8 and 9. Again you are all in the water at the same time.

 

Biking the Belize Jungle: This was probably our favorite one. Only seven people so lots of interaction with the guide and time to do extra things, like crack open and taste some local nuts, eat live termites, and pose for pictures in various tree formations. Also had a great pool at which to eat lunch nearby when we were done biking. Biking was a very flat 3 miles or so.

 

Roatan Beach and Kayak: Never was more than ½ mile from the ship. Went back on for lunch. Kayaking was okay. Beach water was okay. Relaxation level was off the charts.

 

Funs Shops: I bought one water cup to get drinking water from the spa. Nothing else was of interest to us.

 

Belize City is an armpit. Hope I never return.

 

Future Cruises: Hard to say. I think we have seen enough of the Western Caribbean. Hopefully Carnival will change up their Easter Caribbean itinerary so we have a reason to go again. We are only 4 hours from Galveston. Having to fly to a port is a deal breaker, both price and fun wise.

[GreytRacer]

I like your style! Thanks for taking the time to write your review!

[poolman11]

Sunburn pain is more hilarious then fountains of blood. How lovely for them both.

[Almost Packed]

Thanks for writing your review/thoughts/comments.

 

I appreciate you to taking the time to do so.

[bugsokc]

Thanks for the review... I chuckled a few times. :D

 

I agree with you on eating in the MDR versus Lido. I have never been a big fan of the buffet. The MDR always has great food (and if you don't like your first choice, get something different!).

[sanmarcosman]

Thanks for the report!

[Winterstale]

Pity that you didn't venture out of Belize City to see the real Belize -- even a ferry ride to Cay Caulker -- Belize is one of our favorite ports. Took a small plane to Ambergris Caye last year and a private snorkel to three spots on the reef - absolutely amazing.

 

Agree totally on the Spa Cabins - they are a MUST for us now as well!! Heading back to the Western Carib on Splendor in January in a Spa balcony.

 

Thanks for the review - just want to be sure people realize that you need to get out of Belize City when you arrive there...if that's all I saw, I'd never want to return either!

[Badfinger]

Pity that you didn't venture out of Belize City to see the real Belize -- even a ferry ride to Cay Caulker -- Belize is one of our favorite ports. Took a small plane to Ambergris Caye last year and a private snorkel to three spots on the reef - absolutely amazing.

 

Agree totally on the Spa Cabins - they are a MUST for us now as well!! Heading back to the Western Carib on Splendor in January in a Spa balcony.

 

Thanks for the review - just want to be sure people realize that you need to get out of Belize City when you arrive there...if that's all I saw, I'd never want to return either!

 

Oh I have no doubt about that. Our excursion took us to Eco Park, which I think was about 15 miles from Belize City. Yeah there further from the city, the better.

[Badfinger]

Thanks for the review... I chuckled a few times. :D

 

I agree with you on eating in the MDR versus Lido. I have never been a big fan of the buffet. The MDR always has great food (and if you don't like your first choice, get something different!).

 

After cruising the buffet after dining in the MDR, it was clear that on the MDR menu, they really exaggerate the names. Case in point, in the MDR it was "Golden Potato Soup with blah blah blah". On the buffet, it was just "Potato Soup". But is was the same thing...and BTW..it was very good. I ordered a second bowl. But I doubt I would have even tried in had eaten in the buffet. Should have included it in my Good Food list above. Also, the tiramasu was served as a cake in the MDR. On the buffet, it was in a bowl like pudding. Same think...but IMO the buffet plated it better.

[Badfinger]

Sunburn pain is more hilarious then fountains of blood. How lovely for them both.

 

The drunk kid was funny. I mean he face planted, well actually chin planted, right on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. His arms were still straight down his sides when he landed...no breaking that fall. He then got up bleeding all over his shirt and continued down the to the next floor. I followed him and he turned around and came back up. Luckily there were some Carnival employees who took him from there..I say that as my wife is an RN and I knew she was about to intervene.

[Shaded Lady]

Thanks BF for the review! What level was your spa cabin on- 11 or 12? We're on 12 in October and I can't find many who have experience with the 12th floor spa cabins.

[kelkel2]

Oh Cowboy Bill!!!!! We saw him on the Liberty on our last cruise and we just rolled and rolled laughing. I loved him. Absolutely the best entertainment I have ever had on a cruise ship!!!

[Manny13840]

Awesome review, I had friends from my city on the magic same cruise as yours! I'll be going on the magic in 26 days! It will be my 5th time going on her, and I will be skipping MDR majority of the nights maybe once or twice I'll eat with my family especially for the formal nights, for some reason I always get sea sick when I'm at the MDR so I try to avoid it....

[Badfinger]

Thanks BF for the review! What level was your spa cabin on- 11 or 12? We're on 12 in October and I can't find many who have experience with the 12th floor spa cabins.

 

We were on level 11. On deck 12, the balconies are not fully covered. The 3-4 on each side that are furthest back can be looked into from above. The more forward ones cannot, but would still get a lot of sun. Since the gym is on level 12, noise from that is not a problem. IRRC, above the deck 12 rooms on deck 14 are spa treatment rooms for the most part (no deck 13). Do an overlay of deck 14, 12 and 11 using the forward elevators as a reference point and you can get a good idea. From what I saw, I would always book deck 11 as I prefer the shade on the balcony.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Badfinger

[Maxpilot]

Is Elvis the Maitra'D?

[EnTnSA]

Curious, but what is the difference between a Spa Cabin and a regular one?

[Badfinger]

Curious, but what is the difference between a Spa Cabin and a regular one?

 

The only difference in the actual cabin is the color scheme. And they provide a nicer robe, slippers and toiletries/soaps of which I could not care less about. You get access to the Spa including the saunas, heated loungers, quiet area and the therapy pool (huge hot tub). You also get discounts on any treatments you want to buy. Balconies are non-smoking on Deck 11 and 12. You have a private stairway and elevated that only goes between deck 11, 12, 14 and serenity area. But give there are fewer cabins on these decks, the hallways have less traffic and are quiet. And you have very easy access to the lido deck from deck 11. And since you have to be 18 to use the Spa, generally there are no families with little kids. But funny thing is our boys were told they could use the facilities even though they are only 14 and 16 because they are very tall (both over 6'1") and frankly could pass for 18. The gal said if they cause any trouble they would be kicked out. Youngest never went. The oldest did do the therapy pool a couple times. They give you a white bracelet when you check in the first time, verifying you have a Spa cabin. You still use your cabin key to get into the area..only deck 11 and 12 keys work.

[Gdawgs]

We just got back as well. Great trip for us. We didn't encounter any major negatives. Many positives. For one this was the smoothest cruise I have ever been on. For about 95% of the time, you couldn't even tell you were moving. Every once in a while there was a little shimmy, but that was it. That part was awesome! On our first cruise, we had 10-15 foot waves for 3 days. Almost everyone on the ship was sick. After the cruise, I felt like I was still moving for several days. This was a real treat.

 

People highlight had to be the older Asian lady who walked around with a walker. She dressed, hmmmm, how do you put that into words. Kind of like Liberace. She always had this huge smile on her face, and if there was music playing, she was dancing. One evening out by the pool, she was dancing away with several teens/20 year olds. She put a smile on everyone else's face whenever she was around.

 

Our biggest surprise was that we got to see our waiter(King Tut) from when we were on the Dream last year(we were on the cruise when it got stuck in St. Marteen). It was awesome to see him again.

 

Overall a fantastic trip. No offense to the Texans, but I'm glad to be back home and out of Houston. You guys can keep your summer heat/humidity! I'd rather deal with -40 in the winter than the summers you guys have!

[Badfinger]

I remember that asian lady..you could not help but smile. A real character.

 

Actually there was a decent amount of motion on the ship up high. In the Spa, the big hot tube got really sloshing a couple times, with the water moving up and down 8" or more. Not quite out of the pool, but very noticeable. Did not bother our sleep though and none of us are prone to sea sickness.

 

Last year on the Magic coming back from Nassau the gulf was like glass. I mean it looked like we were going to sail off the edge of the earth. And when the sun set, it just dropped out of sight...very cool.

 

I grew up in MN (Forest Lake). Moved away when I was 25. I now live in San Antonio. No way would I ever live in MN again..no offense. Dangerously cold in the winter, and way too many bugs and road construction projects in the summer. My family is still up there, so we do visit about once a year.

[Gdawgs]

Actually there was a decent amount of motion on the ship up high. In the Spa, the big hot tube got really sloshing a couple times, with the water moving up and down 8" or more. Not quite out of the pool, but very noticeable. Did not bother our sleep though and none of us are prone to sea sickness.

 

I grew up in MN (Forest Lake). Moved away when I was 25. I now live in San Antonio. No way would I ever live in MN again..no offense. Dangerously cold in the winter, and way too many bugs and road construction projects in the summer. My family is still up there, so we do visit about once a year.

 

 

Man you don't know what motion is if you thought there was motion on this:)

On that one I was talking about, it was very difficult to walk. I saw many people fall(and they weren't drunk!) I thought our ship was going to fall apart from all the crashing. All the pools and hot tubs were closed for the first few days because they were wave pools. We talked to many people on that cruise who said something to the effect of "This is our XXX cruise and we have never seen anything like this". I remember one older couple said it was there 15th. I don't ever want to go on a cruise like that again.

 

No offense taken. I'm originally from North Dakota, so I don't know anything different than cold winters. But the summers are glorious up here. Yeah bugs can be bad depending on where you are, but that can be remedied. I just can't imagine dealing with that heat every day. I suppose you get used to it, just like we get used to the cold.

[watermelonqueen99]

I have a soft spot for the Magic, she was our first. :) Thanks for your short and sweet review, I always love reading other people's opinions of her. And OUCH to the guy who busted his chin! :eek: