Attention for Costa Magica...

[jsfountain]

Good news to report for those of you on an upcoming Costa Magica Cruise: it's wonderful!

 

My wife and i and our 20 month old daughter took the Magica on Feb 19-26th. This was an Eastern Caribbean itinerary. The Following is our review.

 

I am 34, wife is 30, our little girl is nearly 2 years old. We booked 10 days out with Costa directly and got an ocean view room for $449/person. Our little girl only paid tax/port charges ($160). We had cabin # 2275 right next to the elevators.

 

We drove down from Atlanta and used the Park N Fly which was $9 a day. Costa gives you a coupon good for one free day with your cruise documents. the Park N Fly is about 1-2 miles away from the Cruise Doc and once we parked our car in the lot the shuttle was waiting there to take us over immidately. We we at the terminal in 10 minutes. The shuttle was also there waiting at the cruise terminal for all of the Park N Fly people when we got off the ship on the last day. Had us to our car in under 10 minutes. This is a fast, and great way to leave your car if you are dirving to Ft Lauderdale.

 

Embarkation:

Very fast. Got to terminal at 1:00pm and was in our room by 1:45pm. My wife is French so it took us a little longer to get through customs as we had to go to another area to check in before boarding. But still very fast and the lines were never long. We went up to have lunch on deck 9 (Buffet) and by the time we came back to our cabin at 3:00 our luggage was waiting for us.

The muster drill is at 4:00pm and the ship was to leave port at 4:30pm. Muster drill was fast and easy. we left port around 5:15pm.

 

The ship was sold out and every room was taken. Even with a full ship there were still areas to find on board that had private spaces or very few people in them. Days at sea most people are out on decks getting sun..so the lounges were mostly empty. The decks do get crowded early...i would say by 10:30am. So make sure you find your spot early if that is important to you. There are still many areas on the decks that are hardly used and mostly vacant. If you prefer to have some quiet space while getting sun then i suggest Deck 11 or 12 either at the very front of the ship or very back. Most of the time these places had little to no one there...and still with great views of the sea. Great fun and entertainment on the decks by the pools. Its the typical cruise fun...dancing, singing, horse races, contests...

 

The ocean view rooms were very large. We are used to sailing on RCCL and we felt these rooms were much larger. we even had a crib in the room for our little girl and still had plenty of room to get around. more than we needed in fact. 3 closets in our room.

 

We did not do the restaurant at all while on board because our little girl would never make it through a 4 course meal over an hour and half. Therefore we did the buffet on deck 9 each night and the food was amazing. My wife is from France and she loved all the european dishes that were served each day (breakfast, lunch, dinner). They serve mostly the same dishes that are served in the restaurant each night so we never missed out on the good stuff. There are 7 Buffet lines when in full swing. sometimes they close several of these down to 2-3 in non-peak food times. we felt that the buffet lines in the back of the ship on deck 9 had the least wait as most were in the front or middle lines. Our favorite spot to eat was the very back of the ship (deck 9). You can get a table overlooking the back of the ship and nice huge panoramic glass windows to look at the ocean.

 

We ordered breakfast each morning for room service. You can get a selection of items for free. Usually we did croissants and cappacinos and pastries ....our little girl loved that. All of this is free and you get the breakfast cards in your cabin that you fill out and hang on your door the night before. Then we would go up to the buffet for 2nd breakfast.

 

We checked out the Squak Club which is for children (3 years and older). Even though we could not leave our little girl there we enjoyed going in and letting her play with the other little kids and she also loved playing in the room and coloring on their tables. They also have a private pool area for smaller kids that need shallow water.

 

We saw most of the shows in the theater and they were some of the best we have seen. Great entertainers and singers. It was nothing spectacular, but typical cruise line entertainment...and a little better than what RCCL offers. The lounges had decent entertainment too. a good variety of music and singers. We found the best to be Duo Charisma (a husband - wife team that plays in the large lounge on Deck 5.

 

The cruise had mostly New York/New Jersey Italians on it. A good deal of French people as well. It was not uncommon to be sitting next to someone who spoke either Italian or French on this cruise...This adds a fun dynamic to the cruise as you really think you are in some far away place. Everyone was friendly and the cruise staff were excelent in every way. If there was anything we needed they were quick to get it or help us with any problems. We recevied nothing but smiles and warm "hellos" from the staff each day. It made you feel very good to be in their care. We truly were able to relax and have fun on this cruise.

 

The Magica was one of the larger ships in every port we went to. Infact, the only ships that were bigger than us were Royal Caribbean's Explorer and Mariner of the Seas.

 

Our ports of call:

San Juan

St Thomas

Catalina Island / Dominican Republic

Nassau Bahamas

 

San Juan:

This was our 3rd time to San Juan. we arrived at 4:00pm and were able to get off this ship around 4:30pm. We took a taxi up to El Morro (the huge fort at the top of the hill) and then proceeded to walk back down to the ship. This is a better way than having to walk all the way up hill from the cruise dock; it will save you some strain from walking too much. Beautiful place to walk around...we reccomend eating at the Parrot Club in old San Juan. It's an original establishment but get there early as it is impossible to get a seat once all the ships arrive in port.

 

St Thomas:

We have done Megan's Bay and Coki Beach here before. This time we took the ferry over to St John's and went to Trunk Bay. By far the best beach in all of St Thomas and St Johns. White sand, clear blue green water...and plenty of shade. There is a local bus in St Thomas that you can take for $2 per person to catch the ferry. Ferry is $5 to St Johns, then another taxi ride to Trunk Bay ($6). All of that takes the better part of an hour (45 minutes). But it is worth it to find this gem of a beach.

 

Catalina Island:

A private beach of the shore of the Dominican Republic. The boat anchors off shore and then uses the smaller boats to come and "tender" people to the private island. This is a free service and takes all of 5 minutes from ship to island. Beautiful beach and almost as nice as Trunk Bay on St John's. White sands, blue green water...and plenty of space. Their are crew members from the ship who come ashore to serve you drinks and the lunch buffet. Plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas for you to use (all free). Best thing to do is to walk down the beach past the main area to where there are fewer chairs and more shaded palm trees. we were secluded and had plenty of space to spread out with our little girl to play. Lunch is served buffet style there on the island so you don't have to go back to the ship (unless you want to). The tender boats run back and forth all day long so you don't wait long to get back to the ship. The ship then sailed over to the Dominican Republic for a stop into port from 6:00pm - 11:00pm. We opted to stay on the ship and enjoy a nice leisure dinner and the ships entertainment.

 

Nassau Bahamas:

It was overcast this day and would not have been a good beach day due to the fact that the sun was hidden most of the time. could not see the sparkling white sands or the blue green water with all the clouds around...so we opted to just walk around and shop in downtown Nassau.

 

This was a great cruise and we only have pleasant things to say about it. We loved our cabin, loved our itinerary, loved the cruise staff, loved the food, and deeply enjoyed our time spent on the Magica. We would cruise with them again and again without hesitation. Our friend down the street had taken this cruise back in November and she loved it and reccomended it and i am happy to say we reccomend it as well.

 

Happy sailing to all of you going in the next 2 months...

 

Jeff

(Atlanta)

[bound4somewhere]

Thanks Jeff, it's great to hear positive reviews regarding Costa/Magica. We're sailing the Western itinerary on 03/26...25 more days!! One of my favorite islands is St. John! Have even thought of getting married at Hawksnest Beach there. Anyway, THANKS for the review and glad you and your family had a wonderful time:) Kathy

[lawyerrose]

Wow, Jeff, what a great, thorough review!!! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences aboard the Magica! We are so excited about our upcoming cruise on 3/19 (just a month after y'all went!). After reading what you had to say, YOU MADE MY IMPATIENT ANTICIPATION WORSE!!:p

 

Seriously, your review was much appreciated!!

[Macy2]

I'm glad to hear that your daughter was allowed to play in the kids club when you were with her. We are going on the Magica next month with our 15 month old & were wondering if we could do this. Could you take her in anytime the club was open, or only at certain times? I think I also read somewhere that there is a small playground next to the kiddie pool. Is this true?

[jsfountain]

We felt like we could bring her in anytime we wanted. They have 4-5 adults there who supervise and play with the kids and coordinate all the activities. Sometimes it was quiet and tranquil in the room with the kids coloring or playing small games...other times they were doing fun group activities that were loud and exciting. We chose to go in during the times it was more quiet since we did not want to get in the way of their activities.

 

The Club is open at certain times. It seems it was open in the mornings...then closed at lunch time..then back open in the afternoons and at nights. There is a small pool and a thing to climb and slide down on. I would say it is more for kids 3 - 8 years old. It was too big for our 20 month old to try.

 

There were several people on our cruise with children under 2 years of age.

 

jeff

[kchesneylover]

Did they ever serve sushi?

[fotoguy]

Yeah, what about sushi? I always enjoyed the sushi on the Carnival ships, and was hoping they had it on Costa.

[hadleys9538]

Great review. Just four more weeks until we sail -- now I'm more excited than ever. Thanks so much for writing.

[jsfountain]

Sushi -

 

i never saw any Sushi. But i could have easily missed it. I am not one to eat Sushi so i could have passed right by it. We did not eat in the restaurants and that seems to me where they would have served it most.

 

jeff

[kchesneylover]

I called COSTA. They do not have a Sushi bar per se - They have a Chinese Restaurant that they may serve Sushi in.

 

I will let you know what's really going on when I get back from my cruise next weekend.

[fotoguy]

Thanks, we are looking forward to the review.

[decorator_gal]

What a great review Jeff! I appreciated it immensely...thank you!

My family and I will be sailing this Sunday (March 5th) and your feedback has quelled ALL misgivings I had earlier. Italy's synonymous for superb quality and I was perplexed as to why there are so many negative reviews!

Very much anticipating our cruise now. Come this Sunday...oh at about 2 p.m. I'll be living la dolce vita! Too bad it will only be for a week!:(

[jee]

Thank you for the review. Our first cruise :) will be on the Magica on April 2.

 

I have a few questions.

 

Is the pool slide kids only? If I can use it I need to pack the right suit!

Do the teens wear jeans or jean shorts? My 15 year old daughter lives in jeans and is balking a "nice" shorts.

How is the gym? Crowded? May kids use it?

 

I am so excited - I visit these boards a gazzilion times a day for new tips and help. Already have my toga pattern (McCalls has a really easy one) and hope to get three made before we leave.

[lisascruizin]

Hi Jeff,

 

Can you tell me the address of the park&fly you used. Is the coupon

in the documents they mail to you beforehand? I have received them

but didn't look at everything yet, too much in there. Thanks for

the review, this will be our 1st cruise 4/9 Magica. Lisa;)

[jsfountain]

The pool slide is for anyone i believe. i think i recall seeing someone slide down with their little child (3 year old). pretty much anyone in line for it are kids/teenagers. but there was nothing preventing the adults from going down too. Warning. the slide was only open a limited time. I am not sure if this was due to the wind we had or what. But the slide for the pool was in use only 30% of the time we were on the cruise.

 

The kids wore everything from jeans/shorts...to nice pants and dresses. i think they would be fine in jeans. a lot of people wore jeans. but most adults were in slacks and pants for the evenings. but kids should be fine.

 

i did not go in the gym...so i can not answer you about if kids were allowed in. I never saw a lot of people entering in or exiting the gym and we went by it several times a day. i would guess it it now crowded at all. i believe your children could use it as long as they are accompanied by an adult.

 

They will give you Toga's to use the last night and even send instructions on how to tie it. but if you have yours already made out....then you will be ahead of the curve!

 

jeff

[jsfountain]

http://www.pnf.com/

 

the address is:

Ft. Lauderdale - Park 'N Fly

2200 N.E. 7th Avenue

Dania Beach, FL 33004

 

The coupon was at the beginning of my cruise documents. one of the first pages. the website above will also give you all the info you need as it has rates, directions, and maps. it is very easy to get to from I 95. You can even call in advance to reserve a spot. we did not do this...and had no trouble parking there. plenty of spaces.

 

jeff

 

 

 

 

Hi Jeff,

 

Can you tell me the address of the park&fly you used. Is the coupon

in the documents they mail to you beforehand? I have received them

but didn't look at everything yet, too much in there. Thanks for

the review, this will be our 1st cruise 4/9 Magica. Lisa;)

[Elaine515]

Hi Jeff,

 

Can you tell me the address of the park&fly you used. Is the coupon

in the documents they mail to you beforehand? I have received them

but didn't look at everything yet, too much in there. Thanks for

the review, this will be our 1st cruise 4/9 Magica. Lisa;)

 

 

Go to the Costcruises.com homepage and log on from there. If you book the Park n Fly with Costa, you will save money. I will try to add the website to this but if it doesn't work, its under the heading "Before You Board" on the homepage....

 

http://www.costacruise.com/B2C/USA/before_board/park/park.htm

 

 

 

You guys have a great time.... :)

[lisascruizin]

Thanks so much Elaine for your quick response.:)

 

Lisa