Home from our B2B on Carnival Magic....( March 25th & April 1st)

Home and Happy!

We had a wonderful trip. There were some ups and downs but all in all it was a great trip and we will book again.

We have done many cruises, and several b2b's.

I won't post to much of a review but will give you a bit of how we saw things on this trip for anyone interested.

I am also happy to answer any questions if you have any about Magic should you have any.

For reference, we are a family of 4 from Canada, so our dollar sucks but our manners are top notch.

Me (40) DH (42) DS(15) and DD (12)

We do a "family" two week trip every two years with the kids but have done several cruises alone or as hosts with 35 other people over the last 10 years.

We've sailed Celebrity, Azamara, RCCL, Princess, NCL, and Carnival

We don't drink, and our kids always want to stay with us so we didn't buy any booze or use the kids clubs at all.

There were a crap load of kids seeing as it was Spring Break. The ship was packed and I was told by Dr E that we had 1800 kids on the first cruise alone... the second week was quieter. It was still full but more adults.

We flew to Orlando from Winnipeg.

Used Goportcanaval.com and loved it. Great service.

Stayed at a cheaper hotel and MAN ALIVE that wasn't a good plan.

Econo Lodge by Florida Mall is exactly what you pay for.

The front desk girl was lovely, but EVERYONE else on the staff couldn't care less about being there... it wasn't a good hotel. Phones in rooms didn't work, we had 4 of us and they only ever gave us 2 towels... I had to "borrow" some from a cart that was in the hall.

The grounds are nice enough.

Ice had a terrible taste and the water never got cold enough for a drink.

We loved the location though and found lots to walk to for our 2 days before and 1 after the two week cruise so for that reason it was tolerable.

The mall is 15 mins away, lots of shopping to be had. Great place. We used Uber to get to The Cheesecake Factory and then walked to Miller's Ale House as well. Great food, lots of fun to be.

PORTS

As for the cruise, we had wonderful itineraries, Eastern then Western Caribbean.

Grand Turk was far and away our favorite port.

We hadn't been there before (also hadn't been to Roatan, Costa Maya, Amber Cove, Belize )

Grand Turk will be on my list of best places we have been without question.

They have it set up amazing... lots of space, we got off around noon, and found chairs right away. We were by far some of the later people off the ship, we aren't rushers when on vacation. We get up and enjoy the mornings, eat and hang out catching up with FB and people back home. Then we leave and see what there is to see.

Amber Cove was nice enough. There was a beach right off the ship. It was pretty much like most Caribbean stops.

Roatan was also okay. I didn't like that beach set up much at all. There wasn't even a third of the seating they needed for two Carnival ship that were in port that day.

Belize we did a ship excursion (only one on the whole 14 day trip) Dr E suggested we do one since there isn't much at the pier in that stop. It was good, we did the Bacab Family Eco Park. It was pretty and there was a lunch (unlimited juice and food while at the park). There was an hour long bus ride to get there. the tour guide was funny and told us all about her island. It was enjoyable, and comfy with AC and a big comfy bus.

Costa Maya was shopping shopping shopping. We did find a pool and a couple chairs so we had a break from the heat and could cool off but it wasn't much more then a shopping hub.

Our other stops were St Thomas, San Juan, Cozumel all of which we had been to before and enjoyed.

THE SHIP.

We had an inside room, the kids like that best. We enjoy sleeping in a bit and the size of the rooms don't change that much.

This is where we noticed that Carnival is different then other ships we've been on.

These rooms are TINY. No chair, no couch, just a smallish counter and the TV.

There is one plug area with two spots to plug in (for the whole room, which is brutal) . I did however have a power bar and several extension cords that never caused any issues bringing aboard. I was glad I packed those or we would have been fighting for charging stations.

The storage for 4 people is very tight. We had to keep lots in our suitcases under the beds.

My kids are adult size so the uppers they slept in weren't very comfy but they managed for the 14 days.

We had a VERY rough 36 hours after leaving Orlando that first week. Someone else likely mentioned it but both my son and I weren't feeling well AT ALL until the Monday stop in Amber Cove.

We also felt a TON of shaking and what I can only describe as almost feeling like someone is kicking the bed whenever we sailed for a long period of time so sea days and every single night. It was horrible for sleeping several night in a row. I did mention it on my survey but didn't bother with the front desk people. Nothing they could do about it anyways.

I honestly thought my husband was kicking me while we slept because it was so so so aggressive.

We had a wonderful Steward.... he did clean our room twice a day, provided robes for all of us, and did towel animals every night which we loved. He also brought ice twice a day.

We didn't give him anything extra until after our two weeks so nothing was "bribed" so to speak.

Also we loved the HUB app. It was so helpful with the "whats happening" feature. We didn't pay for the chat feature because we all did the social package for internet. iMessage, snap chat, Instagram, FB and Twitter all worked so we just texted with each other the whole time. Didn't need to pay the extra $5 per person per week expense to talk on that app.

FOOD

We loved the food on the ship.

We had 6 pm dining both weeks, same table and same set of waiters.

I wish they let the staff do their jobs rather then sing and dance and have "showtime" every second night.

People are soooooo needy at dinner.

We had a table near us that had 12 people at it.

5 gluten free

3 vegans and

2 with allergies to onions and garlic.... AT ONE TABLE!!!

The staff don't have time to sing and dance and perform etc. I personally find it degrading to these hard working people. They don't enjoy it, it takes up a lot of their precious time, and just really puts a kink in their routines.

Dr E was/is/will always be the best director we have ever had.

He is awesome. He made the muster drill beyond fun, he was everywhere, always "on" and very very good.

Carnival has a winner with that guy for sure.

We enjoyed the shows on the ship. Flick was great, 88 keys was good, the rock show was always good. We also went to most of the pg comedy shows and found them to be good. We loved Lenny Scmidt he was the best one on while we were aboard.

Movies under the stars was wonderful. We saw Moana, and Sing both of which were great. My 15 year old didn't watch those but the 3 of us enjoyed them.

SHOPPING

on board was alright. Once you've shopped a couple times on ships you know what they have.

They did have a great sale for the gold by the inch booth on the last sea day, my son bought a chain that would have been $10 an inch for $3 an inch and it came with a free bracelet that he got for his sister.

All in all we liked Carnival.

They went above and beyond for us as b2b'ers.

Fruit basket, bottle of wine, free pictures and all sorts of thank yous from so many important people on the ship.

There were 18 of us out of 4500 that first week.

They were excellent that way.

Also we didn't have FTTF and had only done one cruise before with Carnival but boarding was quick and easy and we were onboard in 20 mins.

We got to the pier at 12:20 pm. By the time we got through the line and the intake process we were on the ship by 1245. The rooms were ready at 130 we found a spot on the Lido buffet right away.

Ice cream machines were working the full two weeks.

There was always something around to nibble on.

Desserts were good, meals were great in the dining room. We enjoyed the American Table menu. Try the Fried Chicken, honestly, I got it as a joke and it was beyond delish. It was moist, flavourful, hot, and crunchy. We also always enjoyed the soups, and the "always wanted to try" feature was fun for my guys. My kids and hubby tried every single thing on there. Including the Ox Tongue and Frog Legs. I however stuck to soup and something normal... haha

Somethings I prefer to Royal and Celebrity, (rooms, service, overall ship layout) but will we sail Carnival again??? Without hesitation we will!!

Any questions, please let me know. I'm happy to try and help. Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings.

Safe Travels.

Chass

Good review! Thanks! BTW, I have to agree with Grand Turk being a favorite!! We love going there.

Ugh, the kids running all over. Your second week I was told 1500 kids. Glad you had a good time. I've never done a BTB, would sure like to. Managed to get to Red Frog Pub...just behind a Diamond couple.

Thanks for the review! 2 more months - I can't wait.

Thanks for sharing. Can't wait for our Magic cruise.

Do you know if you buy a bottle of wine at a port on one of the first days, do they hold it until the end of your 2nd cruise or do you get it after the first cruise.

As an FYI in case you decide to sail Carnival again - on the newer ships (Dream class), the inside cabins are much smaller than the oceanview cabins. Insides are about 185 sq feet where the oceanview are 220 square feet. Oceanviews also include a couch. If you want the oceanview size but an interior price - go for a porthole cabin - on the Dream class, they are the same size as an oceanview.

Great review and glad you enjoyed your B2B cruises. And yes, the CDN $ does suck right now; it makes paying for cruises that little bit more painful, doesn't it?

Do you know if you buy a bottle of wine at a port on one of the first days, do they hold it until the end of your 2nd cruise or do you get it after the first cruise.

So when we got off and then immediately back on ( the ship needed to reach zero count before the next cruise could start) we were asked about wine... if we had bought and wanted to use that towards our second half of the trip we were allowed. They said it would be delivered to the room by dinner that evening if we wanted it. We hadn't purchased anything but that was what we were told by our babysitter while we waited for our time to zip through customs and allowed to reenter the ship. Hope that helps. Maybe double check with guest services before you leave for your first port just to be sure..

You mentioned a beach at Amber Cove. I was under the impression that it was only a pool. Is a beach actually within walking distance? And I agree....Grand Turk is wonderful..one of my favorite stops!

I loved Dr E also, he is one of my favorites. My question is this is our first B2B and I was just wondering if you can tell me a few things about it. I am a gold member we will be on the same ship and the same cabin can you tell me what the routine for that would be and anything else you can tell me. I would greatly appreciate it thank you

You mentioned a beach at Amber Cove. I was under the impression that it was only a pool. Is a beach actually within walking distance? And I agree....Grand Turk is wonderful..one of my favorite stops!

Sorry, you are correct, it was a pool but it is lovely. They have a zip line, unlimited for $10 for kids and $20 for anyone over 12. It was excellent. It took about 30 mins for them to get set up but once they had done that the kids were able to go up and down about 15 times in a 90 min setting.

There were lots of chairs available and lots of places to shop/find drinks and snacks and washrooms around.

They also had a "caribbean Elvis" who did a bunch of fun activities and dancing that were totally find for kids to be a part of and watch. Sometimes at those places, it is more of an adult show but this was fun!

I loved Dr E also, he is one of my favorites. My question is this is our first B2B and I was just wondering if you can tell me a few things about it. I am a gold member we will be on the same ship and the same cabin can you tell me what the routine for that would be and anything else you can tell me. I would greatly appreciate it thank you

So our B2B was very simple.

We woke up around 815, they do an announcement that runs into cabins so you can't sleep in later then that. haha.

Bring your sign and sail cards and your passports with you when you dress and leave the room

You will head down to the dining room (that's pretty standard on the 3 we have done)

We had to be there for 930

You will check in with a staff member, they had coffee/tea/juice/water and all sorts of pastries to snack on.

They will check you in, then give you your new sign and sail cards and take your new picture for the card.

At this point you have finished your first cruise and are kinda in limbo so to speak. The next cruise hasn't started but the last cruise is over. So you have no wifi or internet, you have no folio number and no drink package or account to charge things to. ( this lasted awhile, I'd say about 2 hours after we were allowed back on the ship to start the next leg of the trip. It was somewhat frustrating because we were thristy and hot and wanted to use our wifi to play on FB and what not but we had no access)

Once the ship is down to 25 passengers, they will have you go take a B2B photo with the director and the rest of the group. Then you will exit the ship, walk down to customs, walk past an agent who just glances at your passport and back you go to the ship. They will use your new card to "ding" you back on and you are left alone to play alllll by your self till they start general boarding around noon.

We went and reserved deck chairs on the 11th floor to watch the sail away party but also have seats in the shade to relax at. We also went and ate at the Italian restaurant instead of the buffet since we had already had that food for a week. It was quiet and relaxed and the food was excellent.

Just remember that the two cruises are in fact separate. So pay up the bills, make sure you've tipped everyone and are all ready to enjoy the last night of the first cruise and the turn around day which are when you will really really really love a B2B

** we were approached by the staff in the dining room on the second last day of the first week to see where we wanted to be seated and what time we wanted to eat for the second week, this has never happened before but Carnival really was wonderful with our B2B. I found them to be the most attentive to the fact that we had decided to stay on and keep traveling with them. ***

Hope that helps to answer any questions you have... please let me know if I can help with anything else.

As an FYI in case you decide to sail Carnival again - on the newer ships (Dream class), the inside cabins are much smaller than the oceanview cabins. Insides are about 185 sq feet where the oceanview are 220 square feet. Oceanviews also include a couch. If you want the oceanview size but an interior price - go for a porthole cabin - on the Dream class, they are the same size as an oceanview.

 

Great review and glad you enjoyed your B2B cruises. And yes, the CDN $ does suck right now; it makes paying for cruises that little bit more painful, doesn't it?

This is GREAT to know!!! Thanks...

We got some wonderful prices for future cruises but the size of the room was frustrating.

The cost is hard to swallow when you are only getting 60 cents to their $1 but it is what it is.

Thanks very much!!!

Great information regarding the B2B procedure! I've not yet done one, but it's on my bucket list for 2019.

And glad you enjoyed the Magic - that's next up for me.

So our B2B was very simple.

 

We woke up around 815, they do an announcement that runs into cabins so you can't sleep in later then that. haha.

 

Bring your sign and sail cards and your passports with you when you dress and leave the room

 

You will head down to the dining room (that's pretty standard on the 3 we have done)

 

We had to be there for 930

 

You will check in with a staff member, they had coffee/tea/juice/water and all sorts of pastries to snack on.

They will check you in, then give you your new sign and sail cards and take your new picture for the card.

 

At this point you have finished your first cruise and are kinda in limbo so to speak. The next cruise hasn't started but the last cruise is over. So you have no wifi or internet, you have no folio number and no drink package or account to charge things to. ( this lasted awhile, I'd say about 2 hours after we were allowed back on the ship to start the next leg of the trip. It was somewhat frustrating because we were thristy and hot and wanted to use our wifi to play on FB and what not but we had no access)

 

Once the ship is down to 25 passengers, they will have you go take a B2B photo with the director and the rest of the group. Then you will exit the ship, walk down to customs, walk past an agent who just glances at your passport and back you go to the ship. They will use your new card to "ding" you back on and you are left alone to play alllll by your self till they start general boarding around noon.

 

We went and reserved deck chairs on the 11th floor to watch the sail away party but also have seats in the shade to relax at. We also went and ate at the Italian restaurant instead of the buffet since we had already had that food for a week. It was quiet and relaxed and the food was excellent.

 

Just remember that the two cruises are in fact separate. So pay up the bills, make sure you've tipped everyone and are all ready to enjoy the last night of the first cruise and the turn around day which are when you will really really really love a B2B

** we were approached by the staff in the dining room on the second last day of the first week to see where we wanted to be seated and what time we wanted to eat for the second week, this has never happened before but Carnival really was wonderful with our B2B. I found them to be the most attentive to the fact that we had decided to stay on and keep traveling with them. ***

 

Hope that helps to answer any questions you have... please let me know if I can help with anything else.

Thank you this helped alot

There were definitely a lot of kids on the April 1st sailing. Most of the ones I came across were running rampant and had very little respect for anyone. :/ Especially the ones that push the elevators so they stopped on every floor...

Thank you so much for the review! We are on the Magic in June for DD's high school graduation gift.

Cannot wait.

Hope my bed doesn't vibrate/rattle/roll like yours. That would not be good!!!!:')

Will you be adding any pictures?

Thanks again!!!!

Hoping to do a B2B next year so some good info on this thread. Thanks.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thanks so much for sharing your cruise with us.

They have a zip line, unlimited for $10 for kids and $20 for anyone over 12. It was excellent. It took about 30 mins for them to get set up but once they had done that the kids were able to go up and down about 15 times in a 90 min setting.

Looks like they raised prices recently (was $15 last review I saw where it was mentioned). Two questions; First, once you paid were you limited to 90 minutes or is that just the amount of time your kids used it? Second, were you able to use your sign & sail card to pay or did you need cash?

Thanks for the review! We appreciate your help in clarifying the above!

Looks like they raised prices recently (was $15 last review I saw where it was mentioned). Two questions; First, once you paid were you limited to 90 minutes or is that just the amount of time your kids used it? Second, were you able to use your sign & sail card to pay or did you need cash?

 

Thanks for the review! We appreciate your help in clarifying the above!

We could have used it much longer, but we were later getting off the ship. It was a great set up.

As for paying, I used a credit card, I believe it was cash or credit. No S&S card.

The kids loved it and this was the cheapest option we saw for Zip Lining on both the cruises we ended up taking.

The first part took quite a while. I said 30 mins, my hubby seemed to think it was closer to 45.

Getting them all fit and ready with the equipment was the reason for the delay.

Once they were ready, it wasn't long between rides at all.

Also, they let the kids do it in their swimsuits and without shoes etc.

Normally, the zip line requires runners and something like shorts and a tshirt to ride. This wasn't the case here.

The price was $10 for my 12 year old and $20 for my 15 year old. So I guess it works out to $15 per kid!! haha

Thanks for reading!!

There were definitely a lot of kids on the April 1st sailing. Most of the ones I came across were running rampant and had very little respect for anyone. :/ Especially the ones that push the elevators so they stopped on every floor...

They were horrible. Staff didn't do anything about it.

Wow, what a wonderful and detailed review. SO glad you had a great time!! I would love to do a b2b sometime.

I do have one question. I am trying to figure out the best option for us as far as flying in. whether to do Melbourne Airport or Orlando. Can you tell me more about the port canaveral transport??