Thanksgiving aboard Magic - Review

[PistolsFiring]

Sail Date: November 2015 Destination: Bahamas Embarkation: Galveston

Background: Wife and I are in our 40's and have cruised on Carnival Ecstasy in 2009. This time we took our 13yo son and 9yo daughter. None of us have issues which require us to need special assistance or dietary restrictions. We had a cove balcony room.

 

We flew Southwest Airlines from Tulsa to Houston on Saturday. Upon arrival we hired a "Super Shuttle" to drive us to Galveston ($144 for 4 passengers + $30 tip). We stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton. Nice hotel but didn't offer shuttle service to the pier.

 

Embarkation day: 9:00am - Front desk attendant gave us the number for Yellow Cab and we called after breakfast (about 10:00) anticipating a lengthy wait time due to debarking traffic but to our suprise, he was on site within 10 minutes. After our short (10min) cab ride which cost $12, we were at the terminal by 10:15am. We bought FTTF and since the porters were so busy helping departing passengers there was no one there to take our luggage and the guys directing traffic just pointed us to the entrance area so we just rolled our bags along with us. We were the second people to arrive so there was no line at the security checkpoint. They had us put our luggage and backpacks through the X-ray and then pointed us up the ramp to the guest services counter. There we received our Sign and Sail cards then we waited in the staging area. At 11:30, theyou called for wedding parties first, then Diamond and Platinum members, then FTTF card holders.

 

We skipped the pre-cruise photo op and arrived in the main lobby (deck 3). We also skipped the elevators and bounced our luggage down one flight of stairs to deck 2 where the fire doors to the staterooms were closed with a sign saying rooms were being prepared but D/P members could proceed. We thought they wouldn't mind if we just parked our bags and left but our room was already made up so we went ahead and unpacked and settled in. I must add that it was a cool day so no one was up for heading straight to the pool.

 

After unpacking, we went exploring! I didn't make it to the Red Frog Pub first so no free beer for me. We ate lunch on the Lido deck (burgers are DRY and gross hot dogs are great). More exploring till dinner...

 

We splurged and went to the Prime Steakhouse for dinner. Service and presentation of food was outstanding. Food was good. My kids both got the 9oz filet which was WAY better than the 18oz bone in "cowboy rib eye" that was recommended to me by our server. The one thing that bugged me was the servers hand you the wine list and tell you that you can purchase as many bottles you like at 50% off but they don't offer you the free bottle. I kind of felt awkward asking for the complementary bottle and that's when she said it's either the free bottle OR the 50% off deal. my wife doesn't drink wine and I planned on drinking it with my steak dinner and that's it so I opted for the free bottle.

 

Day 2 - Sea day

 

Again let me say it was cool and WINDY! Not cold just long sleeves and shorts type weather. Again no one on the boat was interested in swimming (except for hot tubbing kids) so we did a scavenger hunt I prepared prior to boarding (my list is in another thread on this board for those interested) and trivia. The scavenger hunt was a total hit and took most of the day and then some. This was the first Formal Night and since we dressed up for the steakhouse the night before, we skipped and just ate in the Lido buffet. Food is edible, not memorable.

 

Day 3 - Key West

 

Weather started warming up but still very windy. Our parasailing excursion was cancelled due to windy conditions and the excursion was refunded to our credit card. We found a kiosk just off the ship called Key West Extreme Adventures. This is a family owned business that takes you out on a large pontoon like boat and they chum up lemon sharks that you can observe from the boat as they jump out of the water attacking the bait. Then on the way back we followed bottle nose dolphins. This trip was awesome! You can parasail anywhere but this was unique and exciting. Check them out on TripAdvisor. It was $75 for adults and $35 for kids under 12. I paid cash and he gave me $35 off so $185 for my family of 4. They also provide pop and snacks.

 

Since the excursion only lasted about 2 hours, we spent the rest of the day cruising Duvall St. and the rest of Key West. Back on board we freshened up then went to the main dining room for dinner. We had Your Time Dining so we arrived when we wanted and were seated amongst everyone else. Again, food is decent but not memorable. They do a thing where one appetizer and main course is the type of fare from the port you are in. I love trying "local" so I ordered from this all three port days.

 

Day 4 - Freeport, Bahamas

 

We elected to stay on board at this port. We rode the slides, swam, putt-putt, etc. Without any lines at all. The ropes course was closed due to wind but we found plenty of other things to keep us entertained. We did get off and peruse the few shops/straw market just off the ship then went back aboard after about an hour.

 

After dinner we went to a PGA rated comedy show. Azeem was the comedian and he was funny (kinda low budget Steve Harvey).

 

Day 5 - Nassau, Bahamas

 

It's THANKSGIVING! Not that it matters on the ship. We did the Balmoral private island dolphin encounter and beach day. Upon disembarking, no one was on the pier to tell us where to meet our tour guide. After 30-45min of wondering around the pier (and asking armed military personnel), we found our group of fellow excursionists and we walked about a half mile to the ferry boats which took us to the island. The ferry reminded me of the S.S. Minnow and the man on board who pointed out interesting info during the ride reminded me of the pirate on Capt. Phillips. Once on the island they informed us when the next dolphin encounter would take place so we set up camp on the beach, filled out the waivers, and headed to the staging area. After a quick tutorial on how to interact with the dolphins we donned life jackets and headed to the water where we spent about 20min petting, kissing, watching tricks, feeding, and taking pics with our dolphin and trainer. There were 10 people in our group. You can't take your own pics and the photo CD is an additional $75. We got our CD and headed back to our beach chairs where we played on the beach for the rest of the afternoon.

 

We ate an early dinner from the deli at the back of the ship (best food on the ship in my opinion) and took in a Dive - In movie on the Lido deck. The movies are pretty recent, we saw Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation, and you can check out a blanket and get ice cream and/or popcorn while watching.

 

Days 6 and 7 - Sea days

 

The weather FINALLY turned in our favor and we spent both days top side soaking up sun, drinking cocktails/beer, and relaxing while the kids enjoyed the slides, sport court, ropes course, etc. One night we went to the magic show and it was spectacular. This is Las Vegas quality and should not be missed.

 

Day 8 - Debarkation day

 

Having FTTF we assembled in the theater at 7:30 am a developing waited about 30 in then were escorted off the ship to the terminal. Through customs in about 10min and out the door to a line of waiting cabs. Cab ride back to Houston was $106 + tip and took about 40min.

 

Overall we had a blast. Rachmad, our room steward, treated us like family and Pradip, our favorite dinner server/bar server always greeted us even if we weren't in his section. Dr. E was our cruise director and was hilarious. The trivia was fun, the hairy back contest was funny, and we didn't starve (we ate a lot of soft serve ice cream). We can't wait to plan our next one!

[CeeJayPonz]

We too were on the Magic Thanksgiving week. The only thing you missed in Freeport was the FRIGID water at the beach. I got in to about my ankles and decided that was far enough. It actually took your breath away. This was by far the roughest sailing I have ever been on. Thanksgiving night, we were catching plates and glasses before they hit the floor. Several people left dinner sick. Even after all this, I am looking forward to planning our next cruise!