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Carnival Magic review with pictures!!!


stacycakes1
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I just spent a VERY enjoyable couple of hours reading your lovely review and enjoying the spectacular photos. :)

Ooops, gotta go -- I have a overwhelming craving for a pitcher or two of Sangria... and then some Limoncello! :eek:

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"Bravo" (that's me giving you a standing ovation.). I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful honeymoon with us. You are a lovely couple. Many many years of happiness to you!!!

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"Bravo" (that's me giving you a standing ovation.). I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful honeymoon with us. You are a lovely couple. Many many years of happiness to you!!!

 

I totally agree with your post but had to laugh at the "bravo" - did you know that is what they call out when someone falls overboard from a cruise ship. ;)

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great pics and all but what a bout the ship, you dont even mention it:(:confused:

 

You've got to be kidding!! :eek: A cruise is not just about the ship. Its the whole thing, ship, ports, tours, sunsets.....everything!!!:rolleyes: This is probably the best review I've ever read and it brings back such memories of our Trip to Rome in 2009. I'm amazed that they were able to see So much in only 1 day. We were there for 4 days before our Mediterranean cruise and so were able to sit in road side cafés and sip wine at a more leisurely pace but probably did not see much more than they. I'm impressed! :)

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Awesome review! I don't look much at reviews but this one caught my eye. I was on Carnival Magic with my girlfriend just one month after your cruise (ours was the tenth Magic voyage) but was 12 days and visited Venice and Dubrovnik in addition to the very same ports you visited. Your pictures bring back sooooo many good memories. And many here are right. A Mediterranean cruise is all about the ports, not so much the ship.

 

We had a mix of cruise excursions and some sightseeing on our own. We did Monaco on our own for the same reason as you - small place. In Rome we took a bus (from the ship also) that just took us to Piazza del Popolo and then picked us up in the afternoon. We did this in Rome because we had visited in a previous trip so we decided to just go to a few specific places we missed the other time around but we visited the Fontana di Trevi again. Be careful with those darn coins people throw in the fountain. :D Don't do it unless you do intend to return some day. My girlfriend did the first time just because she saw other people doing it. Darn, it worked. :D In Livorno we took the ship tour that takes you to Pisa and Florence. We visited Florence the prior time also, so I didn't feel like we missed much this time. The first time it was winter and when we went to Ponte Vecchio (the jewelers bridge) it was early evening and there was live music. The mood was very romantic and we have fond memories from that day. This time however, the place was crowded with tourists and the feeling was not the same.

 

The Stromboli sailing was right before sunset and the sky was hazy and gave the ever growing sihllouete of the mountain a very eerie and ghostly look coupled with the steam vents on top and the very calm seas. Once the ship came closer and sailed around the view became very clear once the sun was no longer behind the mountain. We weren't lucky enough to see a lava eruption.

 

We were on a family group of nine and also had stays in Barcelona before and after the cruise. My brother got an expensive lens stolen from his camera bag though. :( We are not sure if it was in the metro or in Las Ramblas.

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Congrats on your Nuptials!

 

As you and your DH started your life together by touring Italy et al on the Carnival Magic my DW and I will be celebrating our 30th Anniversary next May on the Carnival Legend taking a very similar 12-day Mediterranean itinerary. Although I have two other Caribbean cruises to sail before then, your review and incredible photos have me wanting to speed up time a bit just to set sail from Venice next year.

 

Your helpful hints and information are very much appreciated particularly the info on the RIL tours. I’m just curious as to what options you selected in each city and were they really affordable per se.

 

Thanks again for wetting our Mediterranean appetites by touring with Carnival!

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Stacey,

 

So loved your review. We are doing a similar trip in August on the Breeze! I noticed your DH had on longer shorts in most pictures - was that ok with the Vatican or any of the other churches? My DH lives in shorts and I would love to think he could wear longer shorts and get by! Also, you wore great sundresses, too. Any problems with bare shoulders? Any hints would be appreciated. We have 2 RIL tours booked for Rome and Florence - so excited!!

Thanks,

Jennifer

 

Jennifer,

 

Paul didn't have any problems in shorts the entire time. I think they are more concerned with women. I personally had a shrug/scarf that folded up the size of my hand that fit into my little purse so I could wrap my shoulders when neccasary. I also wore a longer dress on the day we went to the vatican just in case. I had no problem with those precautions taken. I did see a lot of girls wearing the $40 ROMA scarf they sell at the Vatican before we got to the Sistine Chapel and I think they were the unprepared people:)

 

So excited for you two! You are going to have a fanulous time! and if you didn't book the tour guide for the Vatican with RIL I suggest you do, we wouldn't have gotten through it in time without one!

 

Congrats on the trip!

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Congrats on your Nuptials!

 

As you and your DH started your life together by touring Italy et al on the Carnival Magic my DW and I will be celebrating our 30th Anniversary next May on the Carnival Legend taking a very similar 12-day Mediterranean itinerary. Although I have two other Caribbean cruises to sail before then, your review and incredible photos have me wanting to speed up time a bit just to set sail from Venice next year.

 

Your helpful hints and information are very much appreciated particularly the info on the RIL tours. I’m just curious as to what options you selected in each city and were they really affordable per se.

 

Thanks again for wetting our Mediterranean appetites by touring with Carnival!

 

For the RIL tour we did a group of 8 and we did three tours with them. Doing more then one tour with them nocks down the price a bit.

 

In Civitavecchia we chose the Rome Highlights tour and included the Vatican Tour Guide with it. We went on a Wednesday so our Vatican tour was in the afternoon.

 

In Naples we did the Amalfi Coast Ravella and Positano tour but our driver catered to our needs a bit more that day and changed things around for us and added Sorrento instead of Ravella. They will do that if you want they are VERY flexable.

 

In Livorno we did the Pisa and Florence tour. Our dirver here also added on the wine tasting in Tuscany on the way back, like I said they are very felxable.

 

If there are some things you want to change about a particular tour just ask. As lobng as they can stay in the time limit they don't mind changing things around for you.

 

Our cruise buddies also did the Sienna Chianti tour and LOVED it in Livorno. Next time we are out that way we realized we would prefer to stick to those areas personally.

 

Also the average price with tip per person per tour was 75 euro (so 150 euro for both Paul and I for each one). You also are responsible for your own meals and any museum tickets. We would have easily spent this on a Carnival excursion in each port. We could have used local transpotation and saved money but they can be unrealiable and in this type of area you want reliability. We knew if anything happened on a RIL tour another car could be there in seceonds flat to get us where we need to be (there a well oiled machine). Hope that helps!

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Awesome review! I don't look much at reviews but this one caught my eye. I was on Carnival Magic with my girlfriend just one month after your cruise (ours was the tenth Magic voyage) but was 12 days and visited Venice and Dubrovnik in addition to the very same ports you visited. Your pictures bring back sooooo many good memories. And many here are right. A Mediterranean cruise is all about the ports, not so much the ship.

 

We had a mix of cruise excursions and some sightseeing on our own. We did Monaco on our own for the same reason as you - small place. In Rome we took a bus (from the ship also) that just took us to Piazza del Popolo and then picked us up in the afternoon. We did this in Rome because we had visited in a previous trip so we decided to just go to a few specific places we missed the other time around but we visited the Fontana di Trevi again. Be careful with those darn coins people throw in the fountain. :D Don't do it unless you do intend to return some day. My girlfriend did the first time just because she saw other people doing it. Darn, it worked. :D In Livorno we took the ship tour that takes you to Pisa and Florence. We visited Florence the prior time also, so I didn't feel like we missed much this time. The first time it was winter and when we went to Ponte Vecchio (the jewelers bridge) it was early evening and there was live music. The mood was very romantic and we have fond memories from that day. This time however, the place was crowded with tourists and the feeling was not the same.

 

The Stromboli sailing was right before sunset and the sky was hazy and gave the ever growing sihllouete of the mountain a very eerie and ghostly look coupled with the steam vents on top and the very calm seas. Once the ship came closer and sailed around the view became very clear once the sun was no longer behind the mountain. We weren't lucky enough to see a lava eruption.

 

We were on a family group of nine and also had stays in Barcelona before and after the cruise. My brother got an expensive lens stolen from his camera bag though. :( We are not sure if it was in the metro or in Las Ramblas.

 

 

Sounds like you ahd just as much fun as we did!!!! DOn't you wish you could be there right now!!!! I do:(

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"Bravo" (that's me giving you a standing ovation.). I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful honeymoon with us. You are a lovely couple. Many many years of happiness to you!!!

 

You've got to be kidding!! A cruise is not just about the ship. Its the whole thing, ship, ports, tours, sunsets.....everything!!! This is probably the best review I've ever read and it brings back such memories of our Trip to Rome in 2009. I'm amazed that they were able to see So much in only 1 day. We were there for 4 days before our Mediterranean cruise and so were able to sit in road side cafés and sip wine at a more leisurely pace but probably did not see much more than they. I'm impressed!

 

I just spent a VERY enjoyable couple of hours reading your lovely review and enjoying the spectacular photos.

Ooops, gotta go -- I have a overwhelming craving for a pitcher or two of Sangria... and then some Limoncello!

 

Continue to post here? After reading all of this and seeing your pictures, I wanna be your friend

Great job, Stacy! :clap:

 

Thank you so much for taking time to share with us Stacy. The pics were great as was your narrative. You are NOT fat, nor do you look pregnant. He was an ignorant A$$ who makes people in other countries call of us "Ugly Americans." Loved your sundresses too

 

I hope that you and Paul have many wonderful, happy and fun-filled years together. We are about to celebrate our 45th anniversary with a third Med cruise in October. Hope you get to celebrate your 45th there.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to give us all so many beautiful photos and sharing your experience. I am planning a European cruise for 2013 and this review made me soooooo excited. Congrats on your marriage and may you both live a happy and love filled life!!!!

 

I'm sad it's over. I've got this link saved so I can track down your great tips and pics whenever I start planning a trip for me and my hubby!

Thanks again for sharing!

 

Thanks so much for the Fantastic Review

 

 

Thank you SO MUCH everyone!!! I really am so glad you enjoyed it and that it was helpful! I am home sick right now and your comments put a smile on my face:)

Edited by stacycakes1
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Stacy,

 

Thanks for the great review. I actually shared pieces of it with my family. My 19 yr old ds is actually willing to vacation with us if we do the European cruise,:)

 

I never think to wear dresses or skirts on a cruise during day. I too have so many. Thanks to you I have rethought that!

 

 

Wishing you the best in your life together.

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Stacy,

 

Thanks for the great review. I actually shared pieces of it with my family. My 19 yr old ds is actually willing to vacation with us if we do the European cruise,:)

 

I never think to wear dresses or skirts on a cruise during day. I too have so many. Thanks to you I have rethought that!

 

 

Wishing you the best in your life together.

 

Yes, sundresses are so great! They are so comfortable, they keep you cool, take up so little room when packing and look great in pictures! You can't go wrong!

 

Glad your ds wants to cruise, tell her she won't regret it, its SO awesome!!!!

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Thanks Stacy - that was incredibly helpful, but I don't recall if you originally booked with a group of 8 or did they group you 2 together with 6 others?

 

Thanks again!

 

They will not group you together, they actually make more money when you are not in a group.

 

I had to find my own group which is what I did on the Roll Call board. Quite a few of us were on there looking for groups and we paired up the best we could mostly in groups of 8. I found Pat and Susanna on there and we were all interested in the same tours so we grouped together for the whole week and it worked out great. I would suggest going to the Roll Call and just posting how many people you are looking for and what tours you want to take and see if others are also interested, or, there may already be someone who has done so that you can join. If you get lucky you can stick with the same group for all of them and get the discount for booking multiple tours.

 

Once I established my group on the roll call we exchanged email adresses and kept in touch frequently for booking and planning. It was great because I got to know the gals we would be touring with and the week we were together was lovely.

 

Here is a link to a forum that talks all about RIL that may also help.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=986987&highlight=ril

 

Also, I also noticed they now have tours in Taormina and Messina which they did not have when we went so that may be another option for you.

 

Hope this helps!

Edited by stacycakes1
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Stacy, what a great review and your pictures are fantastic. It makes me want to do the same cruise, maybe one of these days, when I win the lottery. Thank you for taking us all along on your honeymoon.

 

You know it really isn't as expensive as you may think. Yes, it definitely cost a bit more then your average cruise to the bahamas because of all the spending you can do in the ports. The thing is you can really do things on your own if you wanted to save money and still get to see a lot of Europe!

 

Right now for May 2013, a 9 day cruise stopping at all of the ports we were at and more is around $550 for an inside cabin. Not to shabby!

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Stacy, first congrats on your marriage and now your upcoming anniversary!

 

Thanks for taking the time to post your review and adding all the photos. I know these are time consuming so we all appreciate you taking the time to do this. You have some amazing photos.

 

We were lucky enough to have cruised on the inaugural sailing of the Magic last May so it was great to re-live that cruise through your photos. And we are looking at a trip to Paris in May 2013 combined with an Azamara cruise of the French Riviera so I really appreciate seeing those Paris photos as we start the planning process.

 

Thanks again!!

Jerry

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You know it really isn't as expensive as you may think. Yes, it definitely cost a bit more then your average cruise to the bahamas because of all the spending you can do in the ports. The thing is you can really do things on your own if you wanted to save money and still get to see a lot of Europe!

 

Right now for May 2013, a 9 day cruise stopping at all of the ports we were at and more is around $550 for an inside cabin. Not to shabby!

 

 

I am so used to having a balcony and right now I travel solo, so that bumps the price way up there. I would also want to fly over a day or 2 early and spend an extra day before flying back to the states. Right now I couldn't take that much time off plus the expense of boarding my two little boys. Before I read your review, I had no desire to do a cruise like this. The Magic is a beautiful ship and we are so happy she calls Galveston home. A lot of our group are going on the Breeze in Jan. New ports will really be nice. for a change.

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I am so used to having a balcony and right now I travel solo, so that bumps the price way up there. I would also want to fly over a day or 2 early and spend an extra day before flying back to the states. Right now I couldn't take that much time off plus the expense of boarding my two little boys. Before I read your review, I had no desire to do a cruise like this. The Magic is a beautiful ship and we are so happy she calls Galveston home. A lot of our group are going on the Breeze in Jan. New ports will really be nice. for a change.

 

 

Oh that's too bad, Wel maybe one day you will be able to do it. We figured, what the heck we are only getting married once and went for it! We are just finishing paying evrything off from the wedding and honeymoon but it was totally worth it:) Hope you have fun on your upcoming breeze cruise! We are sailing on the Ecstasy this November and I can't wait for some sun and relaxation:)

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