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Carnival Magic Review June 4-11; Eastern Route

teacher2cruiser

By teacher2cruiser,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Trumpster

Trumpster

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My DH and I were wondering about the internet packages they offer on Magic. We will be cruising July 23rd and wondering how much they are for the week. You mentioned you had the social package. Do you remember what the other packages were and how much? Did you like the social package for the price? loved your review by the way :D

 

Magic from April...

 

 

20160426_050909_zpsjgvtrugb.jpg

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teacher2cruiser

teacher2cruiser

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How were the shows? We have been on 3 cruises in the past 3 years and the shows have been the same on all 3 cruises.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

We didn't attend many shows this time. The first night was good, and the night they did seventies music was good too. We've seen many magicians and illusionists in the past as well as the Legends show, so we skipped more than we attended this time.

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AVShockey

AVShockey

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I was sad to hear about the VIP Serenity Lifestyle excursion. I usually am not on to laze about on the beach, but after reading all the reviews on the resort, I decided to book it. I really need a relaxing day and was hoping the reviews were true.

 

Then a few months ago, this excursion was canceled. I heard about it on the ports of call boards. So I was sad, only to find out, they worked out a deal and the excursions were back on.

 

Now I read your review and wonder, was it worth the $80 per person to go?

Could I just stay by the pier and use the $80 for food and drinks?

 

So if you had to pay for the excursion again, would you still go?

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teacher2cruiser

teacher2cruiser

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I was sad to hear about the VIP Serenity Lifestyle excursion. I usually am not on to laze about on the beach, but after reading all the reviews on the resort, I decided to book it. I really need a relaxing day and was hoping the reviews were true.

 

Then a few months ago, this excursion was canceled. I heard about it on the ports of call boards. So I was sad, only to find out, they worked out a deal and the excursions were back on.

 

Now I read your review and wonder, was it worth the $80 per person to go?

Could I just stay by the pier and use the $80 for food and drinks?

 

So if you had to pay for the excursion again, would you still go?

 

We had a good time, and I definitely think attitude makes or breaks any experience. The setting was lovely. Since it was my husband and me ($160 for two), my answer is no, I wouldn't book it again in the future. $160 would have gone a long way towards drinks near the port or on the boat. The lunch wasn't impressive at all to me. I would have enjoyed a Guy's burger, a deli sandwich or Mongolian Wok much better.

If you decide to continue with your reservation, go with a good attitude and enjoy!

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Baatman

Baatman

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I have no complaints with the MDR. Our service was good. We thought we might miss the white tablecloth atmosphere with the new American Table menus, but we didn't. Some dressed for dinner, and some didn't. I noticed no difference with this cruise than any of my others in the past. Same for formal nights, some really dressed up, but most not so much. Some of our favorites: flat iron steak, baked onion soup, creme brulee, popcorn dessert(?), grilled salmon, spaghetti carbonara, lobster and grilled shrimp, the fresh fruit plate, and Carnival's warm chocolate melting cake.

 

We enjoyed frozen yogurt ice cream cones several times.

 

Being past guests, we had 2 liter bottles of water and welcome back pins in our cabin upon arrival. We had pre-ordered 2 12-packs of water and a six pack of Diet Coke from the Fun Shops, and they were also placed in our cabin. A night or two later, a coupon for each of us to have a free drink on the last night was left for us. I do miss the past guests party, but it's nice to be appreciated either way.

 

We usually enjoy time in the casino win or lose, but this time even though I was $200 ahead, we decided not to go back because it was just too smoky! Probably the heaviest smoke we've ever encountered in a casino, and living in Mississippi, we've visited quite a few. That casino needs a filtering system or something.

 

On the last sea day we enjoyed the Serenity Deck. So peaceful! We didn't use the spa, but I did walk through it, and it was beautiful and so quiet! If you use the Serenity Deck, go inside on that deck and use the restroom - lovely.

 

Dr. E, the cruise director was very entertaining. He seems to love his job and stayed upbeat the entire cruise.

 

We enjoyed the couple in the Atrium as well as the band near the Alchemy Bar while having pre or post dinner drinks. We weren't impressed with the guy at the piano bar, and we do usually enjoy spending time there.

 

I purchased the social media package for $25 on the first day, and I was able to keep up on Facebook and Facebook messenger for the entire cruise.

 

We bought a couple of photos, and each night there was a frame special for 4.95

 

Just a side note - I've heard others talk about their rooms not being cool enough. We kept our curtains closed when we weren't in our cabin and while not using the balcony. It definitely helps!

 

The Ports:

 

Amber Cove - We purchased the Serenity VIP Beach Resort excursion through Carnival. While the beach was in fact serene, the bedding for lounging was comfortable, the lunch and the drinks were lacking. All of the drinks seemed watered down and they weren't cold. Ice seemed to be almost non-existent. Only a local draft beer was offered, and it was borderline warm. The buffet was far from delicious. The advertising and reviews made this seem more than it actually was. (I was expecting something like Nachi Cocum in Cozumel, but it wasn't even close.)

 

St. Thomas - We booked an independent excursion with Sunny Liston online. We had done this a few years ago, and Sunny didn't disappoint. It was a fun informative tour with time for shopping and beach. The ride up the mountain was fun and the views were awesome. He stopped periodically for photo opportunities. You can search Sunny Liston Tours online to find out about booking.

 

San Juan - We weren't sure what we were going to do here, so we got off the boat and found a guy trying to book his bus by the pier. The tour company's name was San Juan Happy Tours and he was offering a city wide tour of Old and New San Juan for $20. We decided to take a chance and after a shaky start, it worked out but not with this driver. He sat our party the same time as many other guests and the bus was completely full except for 1 seat on 2 rows. After waiting patiently for almost 10 minutes while this guy was trying to fill 2 spots on a bus something strange happened. There was a rebellion, as first talk by all passengers led to actual action and we all agreed as one to exit the bus and look for another one. As we exited, another tour operator with the same company asked what the problem was and we told him we were not going to wait an indefinite amount of time for this guy to fill 2 spots on a bus, this guy offered us a spot on his bus and said he would start the tour as soon as we boarded his bus and he was true to his word. We would love to have seen the look on the original tour operator's face when he returned to an empty bus :D .

 

The tour itself was nice, lasted around 2 to 2 1/2 hours and we hit spots all over the city and stopped around 3 times while our guide constantly gave us information about the city. At the end of the tour he dropped us off in Old San Juan to walk the streets fairly close to the port. We ended up in several stores and bought a few souvenirs before returning to board the ship. There were some handmade items near the ship that we took advantage of too.

 

Grand Turk - We booked a tour the night before on the ship for Grand Turk. As this was our first time at this port, we decided to do a tour of the island. There were not a lot of options for tours, but we booked a tour called Rainbow Calypso Tram Tours which was not even listed on the Carnival website but was added late. The price was $30 a person. We enjoyed learning about Grand Turk's history and we had a nice and informative tour guide. People not interested in the history of the island would have probably found the tour boring and hot but being teachers we enjoyed it and took it for what it was. A lesson about the history, geography, and culture of the Turks and Caicos Islands. After the tour (2 hrs), we went in a few shops and made our way to Margaritaville for a few drinks and some fun. BTW, if you are a beach or pool person there is absolutely no reason to pay for an excursion to a beach. There is plenty of FREE beach space with lounge chairs right by the pier and Margaritaville with its huge pool is also right by the pier. We really enjoyed our stop on Grand Turk, beautiful waters and lots of nice shops.

 

We loved the Carnival Magic. If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer honestly. Cruise Critic has been a great resource for me.

 

Good info on Grand Turk beaches...thanks!

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teacher2cruiser

teacher2cruiser

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Thanks for the great review. Did you happen to notice if there were any photo packages available or were the pictures only sold individually? Also what were the prices?

 

I'm not sure if there were photo packages. We bought our bon voyage picture with a frame on special for a total of $21, and our picture getting off at San Juan with another frame for the same price.

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gagirl2006

gagirl2006

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We didn't attend many shows this time. The first night was good, and the night they did seventies music was good too. We've seen many magicians and illusionists in the past as well as the Legends show, so we skipped more than we attended this time.

I hope there is a magic show when we go in October. My 8 year old is very into magic right now!

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sc4125

sc4125

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Did you notice whether there are booths for 2 in the dining room? Are there any other recent Magic cruisers that could answer this? I'm not doing YTD this time - we will be in late seating. Just wondered if this is something that may be available when making a request with the MD on boarding day.

 

Thanks,

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  • 4 weeks later...
smarks

smarks

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Teacher2cruiser, thanks for a great review and your time posting it. We will be on the Magic for the first time in Dec. I personally loved Amber Cove. Very nice grounds, small zip line over the pool and a beautiful pool. Can't wait to go back. We have assigned late seating and I was curious which dining room it would be in. Thanks for letting me know that Northern Lights is for anytime dining. Do you have any copies of the dining menu? Thanks.

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