Just back from Magic, observations.

[tree.critter]

Just got back from cruising solo on the Magic, spa balcony 11237 and thought I'd share a couple observations.

 

Not a fan of cd Swartz, "I love you, love you more" annoying as heck to me but I did see a young boy about 6 that thought this was the greatest thing. Watched the morning show once in the lounge early in the cruise. Very low energy, seemed like he was just going through the motions and like he would have rather been anywhere else. His assistant was much more interactive and tried her best to bring some fun to the morning talk. Didn't see him much throughout the cruise but his announcements were very often. Announcing virtually everything that was in the fun times word for word.

 

The spa must not have been doing very well, lots of promoting over the speaker. My room steward was awesome. He did leave me one of the $50 spa discount cards. Ok, decided to try a spa service for the first time with the discount. Chose reflexology treatment and Mary was very good with the service, but the 50 minute treatment was actually only 30 minutes hands on time after sharing before and after many products they had that could cure my every ailment. Spa service had automatic 15% gratuity added on for the original service price then the discount coupon was applied. For the money I spent I could have had 3 similar treatments at home. Lesson learned.

 

Steakhouse, wonderful as usual, went the first night but canceled my reservations for 3 other nights. I did feel awkward eating in the steakhouse solo though so wound up ordering steakhouse entree in MDR and was a perfect alternative, if solo will do this again.

 

One of my happy surprises, the ice cream machines have had a major upgrade in the quality of ice cream served since my last cruise, it was much creamier and real ice cream compared to the ice milk of past. It was visually noticeable so I tried again and yes, huge improvement.

 

Flick the show was very good and enjoyed it a lot, it was the only show I saw, already seen the others and watched the movies instead.

 

Watched movies at the dive in theater, this was actually one of my favorite events in the evenings, saw Deepwater Horizon, Trolls, Bad Moms and Secret Life of Pets, Jason Bourne. They had a wide selection on this cruise. Popcorn was tasteless though, hope this is improved in the future.

 

VIFP party cocktails were much more varied on the starting offerings than in the past, was nice having multiple choices, time was early though so I enjoyed the bloody marys.

 

Self assist priority debarkation was a breeze. Was off the ship, through customs and in the parking lot by 7:15. Overall debarkation seemed to be much smoother that in the past.

 

We had a lot of wind and rough seas the entire week but did not miss any ports, was surprised but very happy about this.

 

Last but not least...we had one of the most beautiful full moons I've ever seen. Watched it rise over the water and the water lit up like a million fireflies dancing in the distance. Took pics on 3 different cameras, not one pic showed the full beauty, it's a memory I won't forget though.

[Shaded Lady]

Thanks for the review, Tree! I sailed the Magic out of Galveston a few years back and really enjoyed the experience.

 

Hope your findings with the ice cream are borne out fleet-wide!

[WAHMto5]

Thank you for the review, heading out this Saturday!

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[easyboy]

Thanks for the feedback.

[BoDidly]

Just got back from cruising solo on the Magic, spa balcony 11237 and thought I'd share a couple observations.

 

Not a fan of cd Swartz, "I love you, love you more" annoying as heck to me but I did see a young boy about 6 that thought this was the greatest thing. Watched the morning show once in the lounge early in the cruise. Very low energy, seemed like he was just going through the motions and like he would have rather been anywhere else. His assistant was much more interactive and tried her best to bring some fun to the morning talk. Didn't see him much throughout the cruise but his announcements were very often. Announcing virtually everything that was in the fun times word for word.

 

The spa must not have been doing very well, lots of promoting over the speaker. My room steward was awesome. He did leave me one of the $50 spa discount cards. Ok, decided to try a spa service for the first time with the discount. Chose reflexology treatment and Mary was very good with the service, but the 50 minute treatment was actually only 30 minutes hands on time after sharing before and after many products they had that could cure my every ailment. Spa service had automatic 15% gratuity added on for the original service price then the discount coupon was applied. For the money I spent I could have had 3 similar treatments at home. Lesson learned.

 

Steakhouse, wonderful as usual, went the first night but canceled my reservations for 3 other nights. I did feel awkward eating in the steakhouse solo though so wound up ordering steakhouse entree in MDR and was a perfect alternative, if solo will do this again.

 

One of my happy surprises, the ice cream machines have had a major upgrade in the quality of ice cream served since my last cruise, it was much creamier and real ice cream compared to the ice milk of past. It was visually noticeable so I tried again and yes, huge improvement.

 

Flick the show was very good and enjoyed it a lot, it was the only show I saw, already seen the others and watched the movies instead.

 

Watched movies at the dive in theater, this was actually one of my favorite events in the evenings, saw Deepwater Horizon, Trolls, Bad Moms and Secret Life of Pets, Jason Bourne. They had a wide selection on this cruise. Popcorn was tasteless though, hope this is improved in the future.

 

VIFP party cocktails were much more varied on the starting offerings than in the past, was nice having multiple choices, time was early though so I enjoyed the bloody marys.

 

Self assist priority debarkation was a breeze. Was off the ship, through customs and in the parking lot by 7:15. Overall debarkation seemed to be much smoother that in the past.

 

We had a lot of wind and rough seas the entire week but did not miss any ports, was surprised but very happy about this.

 

Last but not least...we had one of the most beautiful full moons I've ever seen. Watched it rise over the water and the water lit up like a million fireflies dancing in the distance. Took pics on 3 different cameras, not one pic showed the full beauty, it's a memory I won't forget though.

 

 

 

 

Welcome back, the spa gift cards are a great trash can liner ;).

 

It's a sham and a shame , all the good food has an extra price tag these days. Don't brag to much on the ice cream ,next week they may hang a price tag per cone :eek: .

Edited January 16, 2017 by BoDidly

[KPfromCT]

Thanks for the review!!! We are on the Magic in June and we cannot wait.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Teagysmom]

Thank you for the review I am sailing Feb 11. We also have a spa room but on the opposite side of the ship. Did you have the sunrise on your side every morning? Any chance for us on the other side?

[meatloafsfan]

Thanks for the review.

 

We pack a shaker of popcorn butter salt to help us enjoy the popcorn more. We too love the dive in movies.

 

Did you have early dining, late dining or anytime dining? I'm wondering which one on the Magic is better to catch more of the movies. On the Pride, the movies often coincided with late dining.

[Drazil65]

Not a fan of cd Swartz, "I love you, love you more" annoying as heck to me but I did see a young boy about 6 that thought this was the greatest thing.

 

100% agree, very annoying and distracting at times :rolleyes: but the kids loved that little game and they constantly repeated it (over and over where ever you were :eek:).

 

Also, spa GC worthless for most part and we never use ours when we receive one. A couple of years ago some relatives warned us about trying to use one as they had used theirs and was very disappointed in the sales approach used.

[LibratPDX]

In regards to the hard sell in the spa, I'm sorry you were blind-sided by that, it is my least favorite thing. I like getting the combo treatment offered a few times a week (good value for the $) and I always tell them beforehand that I have more products than most stores, so don't try to sell me anything. It works!

[tree.critter]

I was starboard and except for the one moonrise I was very sad by both the sunrise and sunsets, it was due to to very consistent clouds which seemed to love the same time as the rising and setting sun. On a clear day though headed south was great for the setting sun and moon, headed north on our return was nice for sun and moon rise.

 

One thing I failed to mention, I did get cheers for the first time on this cruise, not much of an alcohol drinker but am addicted way more than I should be to coffee. There is a barista on the Magic named Churi....she is beyond wonderful and we met up 7-8 times a day I'd say. Between the specialty coffee and the coconut water which I drank a lot of it was a real treat to get to know her. She is also one of the hardest working on the ship I'd have to say, nearly always had a line for her services. The other treasure was all of the tenders at the Alchemy bar, I think I tried just about everything on their menu once and came away with a couple new favorites for sure. The Sunrise and Remedy wound up being my go to alcoholic drinks. Not sure that I saved much money with the package but there were several drinks that I did not finish so did not feel guilty leaving them behind. I really enjoyed all 3 bartenders that served me there and it was never really crowded but did have more limited hours than the rest of the ship's bars.

[LuckyMe17]

Just got back from cruising solo on the Magic, spa balcony 11237 and thought I'd share a couple observations.

 

 

Self assist priority debarkation was a breeze. Was off the ship, through customs and in the parking lot by 7:15. Overall debarkation seemed to be much smoother that in the past.

 

We had a lot of wind and rough seas the entire week but did not miss any ports, was surprised but very happy about this.

 

Last but not least...we had one of the most beautiful full moons I've ever seen. Watched it rise over the water and the water lit up like a million fireflies dancing in the distance. Took pics on 3 different cameras, not one pic showed the full beauty, it's a memory I won't forget though.

 

Hi... Just a quick question. I am cruising on the Magic at the end of May and trying to plan a flight home. It shows we arrive at 8:00 am in Port Canaveral. I called the Carnival Rep and he said that was the actual time the ship docks and then they still have "legal" things to process before anyone can Debark. Do you recall what your itinerary showed for your boats arrival? I only have to flight options (10:50 am and 4:45 pm). Would much rather take the earlier flight. THANK YOU!!!!

[MissKIA]

Hi... Just a quick question. I am cruising on the Magic at the end of May and trying to plan a flight home. It shows we arrive at 8:00 am in Port Canaveral. I called the Carnival Rep and he said that was the actual time the ship docks and then they still have "legal" things to process before anyone can Debark. Do you recall what your itinerary showed for your boats arrival? I only have to flight options (10:50 am and 4:45 pm). Would much rather take the earlier flight. THANK YOU!!!!

 

I wouldn't take a chance at that early flight. I once had a flight at 4 the we barely made because the ship was late coming in (Miami) and I also had a flight at 1:30 that we almost missed (literally 5 minutes to spare) because customs was a nightmare (Long Beach).

 

Port Canaveral is a good 45 minutes to an hour away from the Orlando Airport. If everything went perfectly and you self disembark you MIGHT make it, but I would never take that chance.

[bluegiraffe]

I wouldn't take a chance at that early flight. I once had a flight at 4 the we barely made because the ship was late coming in (Miami) and I also had a flight at 1:30 that we almost missed (literally 5 minutes to spare) because customs was a nightmare (Long Beach).

 

Port Canaveral is a good 45 minutes to an hour away from the Orlando Airport. If everything went perfectly and you self disembark you MIGHT make it, but I would never take that chance.

 

To which I will add that security lines at Orlando (it's my home airport) can be long. And if you hit traffic or an accident on 528 - the road from the port to the airport, well ....

 

LuckyMe17, if you're talking about a 10:50 flight from the Melbourne airport, not Orlando, then that's a different story.

Edited January 21, 2017 by bluegiraffe

[tree.critter]

Hi... Just a quick question. I am cruising on the Magic at the end of May and trying to plan a flight home. It shows we arrive at 8:00 am in Port Canaveral. I called the Carnival Rep and he said that was the actual time the ship docks and then they still have "legal" things to process before anyone can Debark. Do you recall what your itinerary showed for your boats arrival? I only have to flight options (10:50 am and 4:45 pm). Would much rather take the earlier flight. THANK YOU!!!!

 

I set my alarm for 6:00 am and by the time I got up (before the sun) we were already secure at the dock. This has been my experience on every other cruiseI've taken from Port Canaveral also. I think that barring any bad weather or "incident" this is fairly normal arrival time. I tend to be the play it safe person and would book the afternoon flight if I was flying out, it makes for a much less stressful debarkation process. I met more than one couple that were really pushing flight times and stressed out that the shuttles weren't there waiting for them when they got off early as we had. Whew!

[tropicaledrink]

Hi... Just a quick question. I am cruising on the Magic at the end of May and trying to plan a flight home. It shows we arrive at 8:00 am in Port Canaveral. I called the Carnival Rep and he said that was the actual time the ship docks and then they still have "legal" things to process before anyone can Debark. Do you recall what your itinerary showed for your boats arrival? I only have to flight options (10:50 am and 4:45 pm). Would much rather take the earlier flight. THANK YOU!!!!

 

 

I absolutely would take the 4:45 pm flight.

 

We were on the Magic out of PC in December and they chose our sailing to scan every single piece of luggage. We were self-assist and we did not get off the ship until nearly 10 am. You can't predict those types of things - and add in that the airport is a good hour-ish away, I would not risk it.