Costa Magica

Hi:

I am booked for a January 22, 2006 cruise on Costa Magica. Can anyone tell me anything about the Magica, i.e. food, entertainment. If not, about the Costa Cruise Lines themselves.

Has anyone been to St. John before? We will stop in St. Thomas. There is an excursion to St. John. I have never been there. Is it worth seeing?

Thanks.

Nonni

Nonni,

We were in St. Thomas last year a week before Christmas. We had a great time and the weather was good as well. Leave the snow for 80 degree weather what more could you ask for..:) We didn't have time to go over to St. John's, but the other family members that were traveling with us did and they said it was beautiful.

I found The US Virgin Islands Tourism website for you. It has information about St. Thomas and St. John's.

www.usvitourism.vi

St John's:

Ruins of the Annaberg Sugar Plantation

It is known for almost the entire island to be a National Park with trails, coves, and beaches.

If you are into snorkeling Trunk Bay is well know and amazing. You will get beautiful pictures no matter where you go.

I don't know how much time you have or if you are even visiting St. Thomas, but if you have a chance take the tram to Paradise Point. It is across the street from where you will disembark. The view is breath taking. You can grab something to eat and drink, and even do alittle shopping.

We went to all of the historical sites, everything was beautiful and covered with flowers. You can go to Fort Christian, Blackbeard's Castle, Bluebeard's Castle, and The 99 Steps. If you are into shopping go to Charlotte Amalie. You could find some really good deals on jewelry and linens, you could find almost anything there.

If you are taking children with you, you can go to Coral World. We had alot of fun even though our ages ranged from 5 to 68. Coral World is over by the boat that you will be taking to St. John's.

One last thing. CAB'S - $8.00 US Dollar per person. We were alittle shocked and it adds up when travilng with 8 people for 6 days.

We will be on the Magica this September, but in the Mediterranean. I will post a review once we return. Have a great trip.

lmf27

We went on a Mediteranean cruise on the Magica in July.

We loved the ship - the cabins are a good size, and we were quite happy with the food and entertainment.

All in all we had a fabulous holiday, and I am sure you will too.

If you follow the link below, you can view 60 photos of the Magica.

http://www.sunquest.ca/page2.asp?id=845

Is there anything else you would like to know about the ship itself?

Twojays,

Thank you for the link. It is fabulous and very helpful for our upcoming cruise in September. I think I will e-mail them a few questions about Savona, Genoa, and Portofino. Once again. Thanks. :)

lmf27

Two Jays:

Thanks for the Sunquest link, the pics are remarkable. We (Canadians) are on Magica for the trans Atlantic cruise in Nov. Can you please cxomment regarding dress for dinner. I hope I don't have to bring my dinner jacket, its best left in the closet at home when traveling. Did many of the men wear tuxedos? Any comments regarding the appropriate dress would be welcome. She looks like a wonderful ship; its our first Costa experience & we want it to be a special trip - we are celebrating our 50th anniversary. Thanks for any information about Magica that you may want to share.

London Bill

St. John is one of my all-time favorite destinations! It has some of the most spectacular beaches around for snorkeling and just "limin'" (relaxing). I highly recommend it! Now, depending on the excursion and what you want to do while there, getting there on your own is likely just as easy and likely far less expensive. Just depends on whether you are more comfortable having the cruiseline worry about all the details. Let me know if you have specific questions and I'll try my best to answer. You can reach me at

steveo2916@hotmail.com

London Bill,

The dress, even on the formal nights, was not too formal.

My husband did take his tux, but he was in the minority.

Most men just wore lounge suits - but some didn't make much of an effort at all - which we were a bit disappointed about.

The women however, were very fashionable.

So, all in all, I would say that you can safely leave your dinner jacket at home if you want to.

Anyway, Congratulations on your Golden Wedding.

The ship is absolutely fantastic, cabins very spacious, with plenty of storage space etc.

Glad you found the link useful - the pictures are good arent they?

You will have a wonderful cruise.

Thanks TwoJays for the photos. I appreciate it.

Nonni