Carnival Magic Review - March 27 - Spring Break Cruise

[queeniesgirl]

Hi there!! Since I religiously watched these boards before my recent cruise, I decided to post my review......

 

We are a group of four 50ish women from Ohio that decided to cruise over Spring Break. We have all cruised before; but for two, it was their first experience with Carnival. We had two cove balcony cabins and all LOVED them. It was wonderful being that close to the water and even saw dolphins on our second day.

 

We flew into Galveston (IAH) the day prior to the cruise. Some friends picked us up from the airport and drove us to Galveston. There was a ton of traffic and the trip took well over an hour. We stayed at Gaido's Seaside Inn on the Seawall. We walked around that night and found a cute bar to hang out at. We walked about 1/2 mile back to the hotel around midnight and all agreed not the safest area we had been in. Gaido's was comfortable and provided a decent breakfast the following morning. We had arranged the night before for a cab to pick us up at 10:30. We had the 11-11:30 staggered check-in time at the pier. The cab did not arrive until well after 11. Just an fyi - cabs are scarce in town. When we arrived at the pier, check in was a breeze. It might have helped that we were about 20 minutes late. The time behind ours had formed a HUGE line. But, we walked right up and had no wait whatsoever. They started calling boarding zones as we were finishing our check-in process (we had multiple gift cards that the agent was adding to our account so this took longer). By the time we were finished, we were able to walk right on board.

 

The ship is beautiful, big, magnificent, clean, newly-renovated, and whatever other complimentary words you would like to insert. The staff was exceptionally friendly and remained that way throughout the week. We went up to deck 11 and found these comfy chairs that we plopped in until our rooms were ready. The buffet was open, but so was Guy's Burgers!!!! We definitely enjoyed the burgers throughout week. The bar staff was very attentive and the drink of the day was very tasty. Our rooms were ready a short while later and our luggage arrive by 2:30. Our room steward was delightful. We were never offered a card (as I had read in other posts) about the option of morning or evening turn-down service. Our cabin was serviced twice a day. We always had fresh ice. We unpacked and watched from our balcony the incredible assembly line of loading and restocking a ship. We secured our spots on deck 12 for the sail away party. We enjoyed some more drinks of the day, the music, and celebration as we left Galveston. We met a bar waiter who looked for us all week. We had late dinner, so we had a chance to stay out on deck for a little longer, then went to change for dinner. Our dining staff was phenomenal. I've cruised many times and this staff was really really good. The entire wait staff of three was knowledgeable and attentive. Told us what entrees to avoid if we asked and what looked good that particular evening. The bar server was equally as wonderful. We have very different tastes when it comes to alcohol. She remembered all of them and made recommendations each night, or would have our drinks waiting for us. (We all purchased the CHEERS program.) The "shot guy" was hysterical. Had a wonderful, playful personality. He bantered with us. The only downside was that you had the purchase the Carnival shot glass along with the shot. Some nights we did, but most we didn't. He chatted and joked each night regardless. After dinner, we went and watched some karaoke and walked around the ship a bit. Then turned in for the night to get ready for our first full day at sea.

 

I will finish the rest as time allows. But a disclaimer, I like food, but am not enough of a foodie to remember what we ate each day and night. I will try to point out the things we really liked and the things we didn't. Also, regarding the CHEERS program, we felt like this program worked well for us. We bought it pre-cruise so it was a tad cheaper. It allowed us to try a lot of different drinks; many we might not have ordered without the program. The ones we didn't like, we didn't drink. It was nice not having to look for a bar bill at the end of the week. And we decided it would be our mission to have a drink at each bar on the ship. Hey, everyone needs a goal, right? ;)

[fdwt994]

Hello fellow cruiser! We were on the ship with you. You may have seen us- we had the twin 3 year-old girls.

 

We had a great time; the kids can't stop talking about it and want to know when we cruise again!

 

What did you think of Schwartz?

[jac-3]

And we decided it would be our mission to have a drink at each bar on the ship. Hey, everyone needs a goal, right? ;)

 

Great mission. I have heard about cruise pub crawls, but hadn't thought to have a drink in every bar. Now on my to do list for October.

[Clarea]

Nice start, looking forward to enjoying the rest.:)

[drosphot]

We were also on this sailing. Great crew, great time. Alchemy Bar is a great addition and perfect location!

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your review/report.

 

Keith

[go fish 44]

We will be on the ship in March 2017 and we got a spa cabin. Really looking forward to the cruise and the cabin. I never would have known about these cabins if not for CC. Love every ones info CC makes cruising.

 

Waiting for the rest of your review.

 

Sue

[reerun25]

Nice review, looking forward to reading more!

[annabell08]

Looking forward to the remainder of your review as preparation for cruising Magic May 21.

[Star24K]

Enjoying your review.

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

Can't wait for the rest of your review!

[ata1976]

Looking forward to the rest of the review. We'll be on Magic in September. [emoji41]

[JaniceB]

Great start.

 

Thanks for the warning about the cabs.

[queeniesgirl]

Day 2 is one of the best days of a cruise! It's the first full day of relaxation. Everything is unpacked and you still have the whole week ahead of you!!! We woke up to beautiful sun and calm seas. We ordered room service to enjoy breakfast on our balcony. We enjoyed, well, the coffee. I've ordered room service breakfast at least once (and usually only once) on every cruise. It's just a little blah compared to all of the other choices. We enjoyed our coffee and the morning sunshine and then headed up to find spots on the serenity deck. The serenity spot on the Magic is nice. It has two sides, deck chairs, hammocks, and these cool couchy, round loungers. We brought out books with us and enjoyed the bar by starting the day with mimosas. Gotta love the Cheers package!!! Two ladies in our group went to the walking demonstration in the Spa and came back with $200 custom orthotics. (Nothing screams "we are OLD" like your first purchase on a cruise ship being orthotics.) But, my one friend swears they are half the price she normally pays for them.

 

We enjoyed yet another Guy's burger for lunch. I know some claim that they are just greasy old burgers, but they were delicious each and every time!! They were pretty much cooked to order and the toppings bar was nice. We never really waited more than 5 minutes in line for one the whole cruise.

 

After a few more afternoon drinks and feeling like we had enough sun exposure for the first day, it was time for inside activities!! Two members went to Bingo and the other two went to the casino. The two of us spent our fair share of time in the casino. We were up. We were down. We were even. We left a little down, as expected. I played blackjack while my friend played the slots. We entered the slot tournament. I made the finals, but didn't win the grand prize. I did walk away with a fancy Carnival slot winner t-shirt for my $25 donation, well $50 donation if you count my friend's entry fee as well. I had a lot of fun with the blackjack tables. I played with a lot of the same people throughout the cruise and really like the personality of the dealers. Hey, if I'm going to lose my hard-earned $6 a hand, I might as well be smiling and laughing as I'm doing it.

 

It was the first "cruise-elegant" night tonight. We dressed medium. The range was from prom dresses and wedding attire to khakis and polo shirts. But it really doesn't matter. Our dining room tonight was different. There was a table cloth and a silver starfish as a table decoration. The menu included lobster and other fancier items. I've read many complaints about the American Table and missing the table cloth and what not. We enjoyed wonderful food, service and company every single night - tablecloth or not. I can't remember what we had - maybe braised short ribs, maybe seafood - but it was good. I do remember having creme brule and oh my!!!!!!! It was fantastic!!!! Today, one person in our group was celebrating her birthday. Our waiter brought out a super cute small cake and she was serenaded by the dining room staff. They made her feel extra special. Again, props to the dining room and bar staff. I have trouble with names, but we were greeted by name every night. The bar waiter, Sushma, was phenomenal. She kept our drinks filled all night long.

 

Birthday or not, we are still on our bar crawl mission!! We went to the piano bar and unfortunately, this was a short stop. The bar wasn't crowded and we stayed for only a few songs. The crowd wasn't very excited on this night, so we had a drink and checked this bar off of our list. The birthday girl did get a special dance with a fellow cruiser. We then went to the comedy club. The "R" rated comedian should have been "X" rated. The club was packed. His jokes bordered on funny to raunchy to should-I-really-be-laughing-at-this-but-I-can't-help-myself. From there, we went to the Vibe nightclub. It was 70s and 80s night and our two newly-clad orthotic girls wanted to show their dancing feet off! It was a fun mix of music with a decent crowd, but we danced and sang like no one was watching. :eek:

 

Upon returning to the cabins, the birthday girl was pleasantly surprised with a big Happy Birthday wish written on her cabin mirror from the room steward. He also left her a coupon for a free picture, a coupon for a free bottle of wine and a coupon for $50 off a spa treatment. Very nice touch Carnival!!

[queeniesgirl]

We woke up to another warm and sunny day as we docked in Cozumel. We had an early excursion so ate breakfast on the Lido deck. My three friends ate at the buffet. I opted for the Blue Iguana; I wanted to try a breakfast burrito. The line was a little long and a guy said there was another shorter line on the other side. I went for it, only to realize that this was the line for the huevos rancheros. I decided to try one and it was absolutely delicious. The tortilla bottoms are pre-made, but he cooks your eggs to order. The fresh salsa bar added so much goodness that I still think about it in the mornings. Needless to say, this was my go-to place for breakfast each morning.

 

We decided in advance to do the Fury catamaran snorkel and beach day. I have done this exact same excursion with my kids twice before and we have always had a wonderful time. This was no exception. The crew is personable, knowledgeable and delightful. The snorkeling is easy and fun. Three members of our group had never snorkeled before, so this was a good introduction for them. The camera guy snaps pictures that you can buy at the end of the day. This time, the underwater pics were really cool. He had a little fish food with him so we are surrounded by fish in our picture!! After about 45 minutes in the water, we climb back on the boat and head to their own stretch of beach. The ride over is about 30 minutes and the beer and margaritas (and this time tequila shots if you joined the conga line dance) start flowing freely. The beach has kayaks, paddleboards, a bunch of water inflatables, chairs, hammocks, these neat king bed size shaded shelters, food for purchase and more free beer and margaritas. There are a couple of small gift stands, as well as a massage hut. We paddle boarded and played on the inflatables (yes, even the adults do this) and then relaxed with some more drinks in one of the hut things. After about an hour, it was time to head back and enjoy the music, dancing and, you guessed it, more beer and margaritas. Since we had all been to Cozumel at some point previously, none of us felt the need to shop. We headed back to the ship to relax.

 

Once back on board, we ordered room service. There are free lunch and dinner items and others available for a minimal charge. We sampled a little of each. The free BLT was good, as were the veggies and dip. The $5 pizza and chicken strips weren't worth it. The pizza was big, thick and cheesy and the chicken tenders were not great. We sat out on the balcony and enjoyed reading and people watching.

 

We decided to go to the early comedy club. It was a PG show and there were a lot of kids. It was pretty funny. It must be difficult for a comedian to change his entire act to make it family friendly. I don't remember his name, but he did a good job. We went to dinner after this and called it an early night. The other two in our group decided to venture on and listen to a couple of the bands. They said they really enjoyed them.

 

 

Day 4 - Belize

We initially were not going to do any excursions at this port. My kids and I did the cave tubing last time. It was a neat experience, but one I didn't feel the need to repeat or recommend to this group. Since we snorkeled yesterday, my friend wanted to try it again. We decided to book the snorkeling wonders of the barrier reef excursion. There was an early time and a late time. We chose early because we thought the water might be a little calmer. Belize is the only tender port on this route. The excursions meet in the theater at their assigned time and have priority tendering. Since we went to bed earlier, we got up well before the alarm went off. It was a beautiful sunny day and my friend was up and on the balcony by 5 (should have been a clue). I was up and on the balcony by 6 (should have been a clue). We went up and enjoyed a leisurely wonderful breakfast (should have been a clue). Since we had plenty of time, we came back to the room to dress and gather our stuff for the day (should have been a clue). We got to the theater and they told us where to sit and that our excursion would be called shortly. We sat for about 10 minutes and they called the excursion for the group we were sitting with, but it wasn't ours. We showed our tickets to the announcer guy and he said our excursion left an hour ago. I showed him the time on our tickets and the time on my phone, and he said I didn't lock my phone's time to ship time, so it changed once we got to Belize. It wasn't 9:15 as my phone said, it was 10:15 ship's time. Now all of the clues should have added up - why it was so bright and sunny at 5am, why we were up early, why we had so much time. Oh my - we goofed!! He took us to the desk and they said there was room on the afternoon trip on the same excursion. Kudos to Carnival for fixing our mistake. So we had to kill an hour. We did this by having a couple mimosas on a pretty empty cruise ship. Sitting in the morning sun and drinking mimosas is definitely not a bad morning!!!

 

We reset our phone clocks and got back to the theater. We boarded a special tender and took off for a 45 minute boat ride in the opposite direction of Belize City. The boat ride was so relaxing that my friend dozed off for most of it. She said it was relaxing. I said it was the mimosa and sun combo. We got to a tiny beautiful private island and were split into 3 groups, depending upon your snorkeling experience. We went intermediate and spent about 60-90 minutes in the water with 15 other snorkelers and 5 guides. The head guide was great. He would dive down and point out a ton of different fish, coral and ocean oddity kinds of things. The snorkeling was no joke. At times, we were in water as shallow as 3 feet snorkeling over sharp coral and sea urchins and other spiny things. Other times, the water was about 10-15 feet. Once we returned to the beach, we had about an hour to relax and buy food and drink. I'm glad we did this excursion. Not quite sure it was worth the money and don't think I would repeat. But saying you snorkeled the second largest barrier reef in the world is pretty cool. The boat ride back was nice and we were tired from the water and sun by the time we got back to the ship.

 

We picked up a quick lunch at the pizza place. Love the pizza there. It was the only time we had it this cruise, but was super tasty. We went back to the cabin to shower and catch a quick nap and some balcony time before hitting the casino. Before the casino, I stopped at the Alechemy Bar. Yummmmmm! And really really cool!!!! The other two members of our group took a later tender to Belize City. They said it was the standard cruise shops that they quickly perused.

 

We decided tonight was the night we were going to really cross a few bars off of our list. We got ready for dinner and went to the Red Frog bar to watch the sunset as we sailed away. I will say, we never had one of those oh my sunsets. They were pretty, but not the bright colors that we have seen on other cruises. So drinks at the Red Frog - check. Then onto the lobby bar. We had a great time with the bartender here. There was live music playing from above. We stayed here until dinner and had a great time. We had another great dinner and enjoyed our "shot" guy and drink gal, as well as bantering with the waiters. Can't remember the entree but I do remember the chocolate melting cake that is a staple each night!!! We found out where the crew bar was but that was the one bar we couldn't put a check by - haha. After dinner, it was Michael Jackson night at the Vibe. We walked in and were met by an outgoing young guy and two lines of about 20 people total encouraging us to dance down the middle. Well, this party grew and grew and grew. We joined the welcome wagon line and by the end of the Michael Jackson hour, the lines consisted of about 200 people and the nightclub was hopping!!! We had a great time strutting our stuff and singing along and dancing with new friends. It was a blast!!!! We ended the night in the casino. This was the night that we came closest to our 15 drink Cheers maximum (still 4 drinks away, but the closest we ever came). We laughed and gambled in the casino and finally returned to our cabin about 2am. Such a fun, fun day!!!!!

[bonstersd]

Fun, fun, fun!

[im4clowns]

Loving the review

[sjn911]

Great review...fun...so glad you had a great time.

[mjallessio@gmail.com]

following great review

[JaniceB]

Sounds like a great cruise with great friends.

[NIATPAC29]

looking forward to the rest of the review. We'll be on magic in september. [emoji41]

hello from jax,fl. We are on the magic sept 17th also. Have you joined the fb group yet?

[Florings]

What a great review so far! Looking forward to more.

[queeniesgirl]

This was the stop I was looking most forward to. This is one of the most beautiful beaches that I have ever experienced. I did this route one other time, so I knew what to expect and boy did it meet my expectations!!

 

Again, yet another sunny warm day. Our balconies faced the non-beach side of the ship so my friends did not know what to expect. We loaded up our beach bags and walked down the hill. We easily found four seats together a row off the beach. We did not do any excursions and just planned on soaking up the sun and enjoying the water. It was hot so we alternated about 15 minutes in the sun and then 15 in the water. The water is the most beautiful light blue/turquoise color and warm. There are plenty of floats, bicycles, snorkels, etc. that you can rent and use for the day. The Fat Tuesday waiters are constantly checking to see if you want drinks or lunch served to your beach chair. We opted to got up and sit in the shade for a light snack at the restaurant and then returned to our sun/water routine. As we headed up the hill for the ship, we stopped in the shops at the top of the hill. They were the normal cruise port ones, with a few other locals mixed in. Once back on board, it felt good to sit in the shade of the balcony for the remainder of our time there.

 

We met a little early at the Alchemy Bar before dinner so the other members of the group could experience it. Everyone got a different drink and we traded sips to rate each one. Heck - they were all good. We stayed there and listened to a band until dinner. Again, had another great meal, fun staff, drinks and maybe a shot ;) After dinner, we enjoyed the new adult comic at the late show. He was not as raunchy as the first comedian we saw and still pretty funny. This was a standing room only show. We got there at the beginning and stood, along with many others, in the back of the lounge. All of the comedy shows were crowded. Since we had a full day of water and sun, we decided to call it a night.

[queeniesgirl]

We woke to another beautiful day - warm and sunny!! We grabbed breakfast on the Lido deck. We all had our favorites - huevos rancheros, omelettes, breakfast burrito and no one was disappointed with their meal. Since we had spent our first sea day in the Serenity area, we decided to try another spot. We found a gem on the deck above the aft pool. There are comfy chairs and couches and umbrellas. We grabbed a table and 4 chairs and planted ourselves here for the day. We still needed to cross a couple bars off of our bar crawl list, so we started with mimosas from the pool bar here. Our orthotic friends ;) went to the lecture in the spa about detoxing. They returned with good information and one signing up for the free body analysis the next day.

 

This was a glorious day in the sun watching the wake of the ship on the open ocean as we sailed. There is something about the vastness of this, the warmth of the sun, and being with great friends that cleanses your soul. We tag-teamed lunch. Our friends went to Guy's Burgers and my friend and I went to the pasta restaurant. It was nice to be seated for lunch and to create your own pasta from a paper menu. Service was quick. The pasta was pretty good. I'm glad we tried this, but I didn't feel like I had to return here for dinner.

 

We jumped in and out of the pool to cool off since it was so hot. The pool was crowded, but you could easily find a spot to jump in or sit along the side. There were hot tubs on each side of the pool that were pretty full throughout the day. About mid-afternoon, we decided that we had enough sun and headed up to the bar on the sport court. This was a fun place with a fun bartender. We also saw the server we met on the first day and had seen throughout the week. These employees really work hard - long hours, different bars, hot days. The sport court was full of people playing putt-putt and doing the ropes course. There was a big screen tv that was showing basketball.

 

It was time to get ready for dinner. It was our second and last cruise elegant night. Same array of dress as the first elegant night, but there seemed to be less people in the dining room tonight. Another great meal, but no creme brulee :(. I had to settle for the chocolate melting cake - oh darn!! After dinner, we went to the love and marriage show in the theater. This was funny, especially the answers from the older couple. We were tired from all of the sun, so my friend and I headed back to the cabin. Our other two friends ventured to a couple of the bars and listened to the bands. They said they really enjoyed doing this and there were a lot of people out tonight! The thing we should have done is to play the Quest game after the love and marriage show. We bumped into several people the next day saying it was so much fun and one of the best parts of their cruise.

 

 

Day 7

We had a lot of sun yesterday!! Too much!!!!! Today was our only day of rougher seas and overcast. It was cool (60s) and pretty good waves. We ordered coffee for room service and enjoyed watching the rough seas from the balcony. We went to the lounge to play some trivia this morning. This is no joke on Carnival!! There are very seasoned trivia players, but we still had fun getting our butts kicked. As an added bonus, the area of the Alchemy Bar and the Tasting Bar turned into a breakfast buffet. We had more coffee and breakfast as we sat and played. We stayed around this area with our books and read until the next round of morning trivia and lost again!! :) Since it was an inside day for everyone, we decided to stay on the couches around the Red Frog Pub and read and people watch. A couple of mimosas and a pina colada and it was time for lunch! We tried Guy's BBQ today and O-M-G was it good!!! We tried a little of everything, except the chicken and it was super tasty. The pulled pork was my favorite. The sides were all good as well - mac and cheese, baked beans and potato salad. The sauces were great. Probably the best lunch of the cruise!

 

After more people watching and reading, we went a played a little more in the casino and then cashed out for the week. The Final Four games were being shown on the big screen above the pool. There are some nice couches that are out of the sun (wind on this day). We went up there to watch the first game. The towel shack was handing out blankets, so we all wrapped ourselves up and enjoyed watching this. We went to our last dinner and said goodbye to our wonderful friends who took such good care of us during the week. We decided to stroll around the ship and listen to a couple bands and then called it a night.

 

Debarkation

We ordered an early room service coffee and packed the last of our things. We did the self-assist and got off the ship quickly. We had heard that customs takes longer in Texas and since we had been to Belize. Although there was a line, it moved quickly. We were on the Carnival shuttle to the airport exactly 30 minutes after walking out of our cabin. On a side note, as we were waiting in line at the lobby to exit the ship, we saw our room steward coming towards us. One of our friends had left her cell phone in the room. She was so grateful he saw this and made the extra effort to look for her.

[ryano]

Thank you so much :) I will be on the same itinerary in 17 days but out of Port Canaveral. Very nice review :) Glad to hear about Guys BBQ. Really looking forward to that. Hopefully the lines arent too bad