MaiTaiMary

We did the Magic and LOVED it! Another thing to consider about cruising out of Galveston is that you have to fly into Houston and Galveston is a good drive from there. So transportation can be costly from airport to the port. We ended up doing the Carnival Shuttle. Don't know when you are cruising, but have you considered an Alaska out of Seattle. May be cheaper airfare although cruises tend to be more.

how much is the Carnival Shuttle from the Houston airport?

Nah, not interested in Alaska. Especially with the kids. We want hot weather and beaches! :D

Yes, the Magic has serenity. The entrance to it is next to the waterslide area, just before going up the added tower to the slide entrances on deck 15. It's a large serenity area that wraps around the front of the ship, and has hot tubs. It's not as large as the Dream's, but it's still a good size.

Is it nice?? I envision myself spending most of my sea days here reading and relaxing! :D

You may also want to price airfare to Florida. Check the low cost carriers like Southwest and Jet Blue (not sure if they do those routes but you get the idea). You will have many more ship choices.

It's even more expensive and I would have to add on a hotel cost since we wouldn't be able to arrive before 5:00p. :(

The Magic does not have a Guy's Burger.

Thank you! I didn't realize that. Not a deal breaker, but I'm just trying to look at the big picture and compare all of the pros & cons. I was on the Carnival site trying to research ships and it's so confusing! I thought I was on the "Magic" ship, but I guess I was kicked back to just general info about Carnival.

Does the Magic have a Serenity area?

I'm not sure if I'm asking for advice... or just jotting my thoughts down. ;) Thanks for letting me figure things out here!

My situation:

Hubby and I have been on several cruises in the past 10 years. This fall we would like to take our kids. We are a family of 5.

We've been to the West coast of Mexico sooooo many times. Both on cruises and other vacations. I enjoy (some of) these ports, but really is nothing special or exciting for us. I want to go to the Carribean or Carribean side of Mexico SO badly!!

Problem is we have to pay for airfare if we do a cruise out of anywhere but the West Coast. Cruises out of here are extremely limited now! :( Years ago we had so many more choices. I was so disappointed to learn this.

I'm just not sure if we can afford to add on airfare to a cruise. I thought maybe a cruise out of Galveston would be cheaper, but it's not. Airfare is over $400 per person. So at least $2,000 added on to the cruise price. :( Driving isn't an option.

So we decided to look at the Miracle out of Los Angeles. Ports are nothing exciting for us (Cabo, Puerto Vallarta) so we would just be doing for the cruise experience. Now I'm looking at the Miracle and it just doesn't seem nearly as nice as the Magic (out of Galveston.)

The Magic has awesome water slides! My kids would also love the sky walk area. Also, I just learned that the Miracle doesn't have Guy's burgers! Ahh!! I was so looking forward to that.

So with the ship differences and the ports (Belize, Hondurus, Cozumel), the Magic is SO much more appealing to me. I don't know if we should just go on the Miracle and have a good time. Or just figure out a way to do the Magic and have a WONDERFUL time! :D My hubby really wants a balcony cabin, but I'm definitely willing to have an inside. It still doesn't make up for a $2K difference, though. I don't want to go broke just for a family cruise, yet this will be in the first "real" vacation we've had as a family. My kids will be 7, 8, and 10 years old. :)

*sigh* Ahhhh... first world problems!!!! LOL!!! :D

Which airport would be the better choice to fly into for a cruise out of Galveston?

Thanks. :)

As usual the West Coast ends up getting a non 2.0 ship.

I am SO disappointed with what is available on the West Coast. :( We live in San Diego and there used to be many, many more options!! Why is that?? I haven't cruised in several years and this is the first time with kids. For a family of 5, we just can't afford to add on airfare to the price of a cruise.

We did a 8 night to Acapulco, Zihjuatanejo, and Manzanillo. It was PERFECT. I wish soooo bad they would bring this one back! Or really just anything (7 or more nights) out of San Diego. There are just so few options these days.

 

For the most part lunch is a time where they are closed, but they reopen at 6 pm so the kids can eat dinner there. They do not open super early in the AM unless you have an excursion -- like we went to Tracy Arm and left the kids there, and we did the ship tour and left the kids there.

 

It does shut down around lunch and before dinner.

I read that the hours are:

10:00a - 12:45p

2:00p - 5:00p

7:00p - 10:00p

Is this not true? They reopen at 6:00p? I hope so. 5:00p - 7:00p is kind of a tough time to be closed if you want a dinner with just the adults.

Does the Miracle have the 2.0 upgrades? I just read (from a fairly recent review) that they don’t have the “Guys” restaurant. :( True?? We’re planning a Nov 2014 cruise and were really looking forward to that!

I'm confused. :o

Is there a special menu for the kids or do they get to pick and choose what they want from the buffet?

Do they get to go through the buffet or somebody brings food back to the tables for them to eat "family style"?

What kind of food items do they have to choose from? I love the idea of my hubby and I having a nice, quiet dinner by ourselves, but hate the idea of the kids having chicken nuggets. They are pretty adventurous eaters and would like to try new things on a cruise. Do they just have the typical "kids food" to choose from?

Thanks.:)

We are looking into a cruise for next fall. This will be our first time traveling with the kids. They will be 7, 8, and 10.

I'm trying to find out more information on Camp Carnival. What kind of activities will they have for these ages? The 7 and 8 year old will be together, but not the 10 year old, correct?

Is there some kind of newsletter that shows what activities are offered at CC?

Do they keep the kids for lunch and/or dinner?

Does it shut down at some point during the day?

Does anybody have pictures (or a link to where I can find them) to the specific Camp Carnival on the Miracle? I remember seeing in one on the Spirit and thinking it was very small and dark.

Thank you!

We are looking into a cruise for next fall. This will be our first time traveling with the kids. They will be 7, 8, and 10. :D

I'm trying to find out more information on Camp Carnival. What kind of activities will they have for these ages? The 7 and 8 year old will be together, but not the 10 year old, correct?

Is there some kind of newsletter that shows what activities are offered at CC?

Do they keep the kids for lunch and/or dinner?

Does it shut down at some point during the day?

Does anybody have pictures (or a link to where I can find them) to the specific Camp Carnival on the Miracle? I remember seeing in one on the Spirit and thinking it was very small and dark.

Thank you! :)

Do any of the Carnival cabins fit 5 people? We're looking for a cruise for my husband, myself, and our 3 kids. Do we need to book 2 separate cabins?

thanks. :)

Does anybody have a copy they can post of the "Fun Times" for the Miracle 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise? :)

Thanks!

First time Princess cruiser. :) what is the policy regarding bringing alcohol and bottled water on board the ship? Is anything allowed? Thanks.

Has anybody heard anything about Carnival returning to San Diego? I was sooooooo sad when they decided to pull their ships from here. :(

thank you for taking the time to read my review! :D I hadn't read it/looked at the pictures in a while. I had forgotten what a WONDERFUL cruise it was!! Can't wait to do it again...

I thought the price is $42.95 per person, per day. Did I get that wrong, or has the price gone up?

Thank you! Looking forward to more! I'm debating whether or not to go on this cruise or a Western/Dream. :)

Great review! Thank you! :D

What is the Chocolate Extravaganza? :confused: I've seen pictures in some reviews, but it's not clear what exactly it is.

As a chocoholic.. I NEED to know this. ;) Thanks.

Just to clarify....

I don't necessarily mean stuff to spend more money on. :)

When we go to Disneyland, I have a countdown strip that we use to countdown the days (mostly for my youngest.). It has "mickey ears" for every day. I was thinking of making some kind of countdown like that with maybe a cruise ship for each day (??)

eta: the Disneyland countdown looks similiar to this:

How fun to make little cruise ships to count down!

Also, I want to make up some kind of photo book for when the cruise is over. :D

We've decided to take our kids on a cruise next year. :D It's a year away, but I'm very excited!

My husband and I have sailed several times, but this will be our first "family vacation" (that the kids can remember, at least).

I'm looking for tips to make it more special for them.:)

Things like....

~Decorating the door (I never had any desire to do this when it was just me & hubby, but with kids I think it'll be fun)

~Having a Bon Voyage gift waiting for them in the cabin ("Fun ship Freddy?")

My kids will be 6, 7, and 9 years old at the time of the cruise.

Anything else you can think of to make the trip extra special? Thanks! :D

Spirit cabin: 6262 AFT, extended balcony, Empress deck

It all depends on what you want to do.

Nice beaches. Snorkeling. Nothing too packed with people. We don't need too many activities. Just like some R & R and we're definitely "beach people". I don't like crowds, though. I'm thinking Eastern Carib might have more secluded beaches (?)

Just can't decide between Western or Eastern...