Carnival Magic Review - June 22nd Sailing

[SRQbeachgirl]

Great review so far! How many ships were in port when you were at Grand Turk?

 

We fell in love with the Magic last year and are looking forward to comparing her to her sister (Breeze) in two weeks!

[Debbierpof]

3 hours ago, phoneman69 said:

I have seen the shipwreck from the ship many a time. Never thought to go to that location for swim or snorkel. Water sure looked as clear as ever. Nicely done. 

 

Thanks so much! It was a great find!

[sprint180]

Was the taxi there waiting at Governors Beach or did you have to call them?

 

[JasperCruiser]

I’m interested in the taxi to Governors Beach too. It sounds simple enough to get there by hiring a taxi at the port but I am wondering about how to get back easily. I’ll have a five-year old with me so it has to be as simple  as possible.

 

 

 

[Debbierpof]

On 7/13/2019 at 6:52 PM, SRQbeachgirl said:

Great review so far! How many ships were in port when you were at Grand Turk?

 

We fell in love with the Magic last year and are looking forward to comparing her to her sister (Breeze) in two weeks!

 

The Carnival Conquest was also at the port, left a few hours before we did. 

 

Bon voyage!

[Debbierpof]

6 hours ago, sprint180 said:

Was the taxi there waiting at Governors Beach or did you have to call them?

 

 

There was a taxi at Governor's Beach (we walked there so we were very happy to take their offer). 🙂 

[Debbierpof]

5 hours ago, JasperCruiser said:

I’m interested in the taxi to Governors Beach too. It sounds simple enough to get there by hiring a taxi at the port but I am wondering about how to get back easily. I’ll have a five-year old with me so it has to be as simple  as possible.

 

 

 

 

I think you should be okay. There was another family at Governor's Beach, with two very young children, and our taxi went back to get them. The people that work at Governor's Beach also seemed happy to assist. Whichever taxi you take would probably be happy to go back to pick you up. 

 

By the way, so many sea shells and sea glass! Your 5-year-old will have fun. 🙂  They also sell Gatorade, sodas, and snacks.

 

Have a great trip!

[SRQbeachgirl]

30 minutes ago, Debbierpof said:

 

The Carnival Conquest was also at the port, left a few hours before we did. 

 

Bon voyage!

 

Thanks! We are supposed to be the only ship in port that day, so I'm hoping the pool/beach won't be quite as packed.

[Debbierpof]

17 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

Thanks! We are supposed to be the only ship in port that day, so I'm hoping the pool/beach won't be quite as packed.

 

It's going to be great!!! 🙂 

[elcuchio24]

On 7/14/2019 at 7:55 PM, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

Thanks! We are supposed to be the only ship in port that day, so I'm hoping the pool/beach won't be quite as packed.

 

http://cruisett.com/content.php?s=af169f4aedaf5c982d92a64ad39f6f5a

 

You can use this site to see what ships will be in what ports on what days. Gets more accurate closer you get, but usually within 9 months or so its dead on. 

[pooksma]

Taking our first cruise on the Magic next year. Enjoying your review!

[elcuchio24]

Great review, doing this same itin in Nov on Magic except DR vs HMC. Thanks!

 

[dramaqueenjan]

On 7/12/2019 at 10:06 AM, Debbierpof said:

Carnival Magic Review

This was our first time aboard the Carnival Magic – and it’s my new favorite! It didn’t feel crowded, even with a nearly sold-out sailing. Great itinerary. So much to love!

 

Quick facts:

• June 22 - June 30 (8-day cruise)
• Half Moon Cay, Bahamas; Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; Oranjested, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; 3 days at sea
• Family of four - two adults, two teens (14 & 17)
• Two cabin types
• Active when in port
• Foodies

 

There’s much to describe so instead of a long narrative, I’m just going to break it down by areas.

 

Embarkation

Parking: Self-parking at Port Everglades is great. It’s $20 per day. It took my husband a little bit to figure out how to get to the entrance of the garage after he dropped us and the luggage off up front. Close to the entrance so it didn’t take him long to walk from the truck to the gate.

Porters: We had been given embarkation time of 1:30 – 2:00 pm. We arrived at 2:30 pm. The porters stopped taking luggage at 2 pm which meant we would have to carry all our luggage onboard – and who wants to do that?! We had our SCUBA gear with us (and I may have packed 2 bags too many 😊) so didn’t want to haul all that around.  I persisted with the port personnel and one older porter agreed to help. Just as we were getting ready to enter the terminal, a tour bus arrived – not sure why porters will just stand around and not help passengers because they’re done at 2 pm.

Documentation/Getting on the ship: All went smoothly! Digital checking-in makes it quick, too! Our keys were waiting in the mail holder at each stateroom.  

Muster Drill: Loved that we didn’t have to stand outside in the muggy heat! We were assigned to the Showtime Theater. Actually, both 12042 and 11231 were assigned to the Showtime Theater, different levels. 😊

 

Cabins

This year we decided that the kids (ages 14 and 17) would have their own room. We were able to get a balcony on Deck 12 (12042) and an interior room on Deck 11 (11231). The stairs are right by the rooms so easy access. My daughter and I were assigned to 11231 and my husband and son were assigned 12042. Well, those were the official assignments. My husband and I stayed in the balcony room (I requested an extra key for this room) and my son stayed with his sister and received an extra key to that room. Not a problem. Both rooms are considered Cloud 9 Spa rooms which means adults have full access to the Spa amenities, such as the Thalassotherapy pool, thermal suites, sauna, steam rooms, etc… You also get a complimentary Elemis scrub kit (one per Spa stateroom) and these rooms are given Elemis shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and lotion. These products are wonderful!

Cabin 12042 (see photo) – Balcony room that was very comfortable. A new feature for us was the use of a key card to keep the lights on in the stateroom.  The light switch will not work without a key card (or any card) being inserted in a slot next to the front door. A good way to save energy. Balcony had two chairs and a small table. This is where we kept our snorkeling/dive gear. Bathroom is still cramped so I mostly used the showers in the spa instead (much better – large and terrific shower heads with strong water pressure). They also have several blow dryers in the spa bathrooms – great for getting ready. No electric plugs by the bedside so make sure to bring an extension cord or two. There is a small fridge and a safe box. There are three small drawers and three closets. Our room steward, Athikom, was very nice and kept things tidy.

Decorations

o   Yes, we decorated our room and door. I used Command Strips and magnets, but did see many decorated stateroom doors that used tape.

o   Winner: Dry erase board – we kept a “Cone Count” – still talking about it. Bought it at the Dollar Tree. Used one Command Strip to hold on the door. (see photo)

 

Cabin 11231 – Typical interior room, except it included the Spa amenities mentioned earlier -- complimentary Elemis scrub kit (one per Spa stateroom) and Elemis shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and lotion. These products are wonderful! Just down the hallway is access to the Spa and Serenity area elevator (single, blue glass elevator) – this is separate from the general elevators. Also includes a small fridge and a safe box.

·         Alicia was the steward and she was fantastic. Example: Just as our debarkation number was called my daughter realized she had left her card in the room (two hours earlier). I went over to talk to Alicia and she had it waiting for us. 😊

 

More coming soon!

Thank you for the review we are on the same itinerary in January. We have cabin 12044 . So I believe that is the same cabin you had but the other side. I seen you had taken a picture of your husband pointing down at a shark. Where did you take that picture from? I am concerned about privacy. . Is the cabin in a good location and easy access two other areas?

[dramaqueenjan]

Thank you for the review. We are on the magic doing the same itinerary in January. We have cabin 12044. I noticed in one of your pictures that people could look right down on the balcony. Was privacy an issue?.. also how easy is it to access deck 11 right above the pool?Thank you

[Ellaleah]

 

I have booked the Magic for December, 2020 and I will be traveling with my granddaughters that will have just turned 18 the month before.  Were their any social activities for older teens to meet?  Did they offer volleyball? Thank you.

 

 

[dltvermont]

We are on the same itinerary in April. Glad I found your review! Grand Turk and HMC are new for us. Have been to Aruba and Curacao multiple times.