GAPearl's "MAGIC"al Birthday Cruise! Complete Magic picture review-6/14/15 sailing.

Great review!! This is my second of yours that I've read and I stay cracking up!! We southern girls have a twisted yet hysterical way of looking at life and I loved every minute of your reviews. Looking forward to the next one!!!

Crystal

I came in from Naples so I stopped at the Sicily-Rome American WW2 Cemetery. Then I got there later that day. I toured the Colosseum and the Forum.

 

The next day was all Vatican. I went to the Museum, and then through the Sistine Chapel. Wow. Then into the Basilica and square. In the afternoon, I arranged a meeting with a former swiss guard, which was such a cool experience. Such a good cultural experience. Also met up with a priest and talked to him.

 

The next day I went into the Catacombs. They were so cool :D After lunch, I grabbed a map, and gave myself 5 hours. Walked from the Castel to the Spanish Steps, stopping at the Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and so many stores and piazzas. That was a great way to end the trip.

 

The next morning we took off to the States. Rome is definitely my new favorite city, it has such a special feeling. The art and history, as well as the food, took my breath away.

 

I'll catch the new blog entry soon! :D

I loved Vatican City! Wasn't the Sistine Chapel one of the most magical things you've ever seen? Gosh, you're making me want to go back! It really is a great city. I'm glad you had a fun trip. I love hearing about people traveling to new places and trying new things. Too many people stay stuck doing the same thing and going to the same place. God created this world way too big to not see it all. Now it's time for you to plan another adventure abroad. :)

Great review!! This is my second of yours that I've read and I stay cracking up!! We southern girls have a twisted yet hysterical way of looking at life and I loved every minute of your reviews. Looking forward to the next one!!!

 

Crystal

Thank you! I love making people laugh! :D Yes, we southern girls are definitely in a league of our own. I see you're getting married on the Splendor. Congratulations! I wish you a lifetime of happiness. :) I have a review of the Splendor if you need one lol.

Thank you and of course I've already read your Splendor review;):o

Thank you and of course I've already read your Splendor review;):o

Too bad you're not getting married the next week. That's my birthday and you might have had a wedding crasher. :p

Ah maaaannnn!! Well I'm sure we will cross paths eventually as long as my future husband enjoys his first cruise---who am I kidding, I'll cruise with or without him!!!

Ah maaaannnn!! Well I'm sure we will cross paths eventually as long as my future husband enjoys his first cruise---who am I kidding, I'll cruise with or without him!!!

I'm sure he'll love his first cruise. I mean what's not to love? :D Perhaps we will cross paths eventually. It seems to happen more often for me these days. :)

Love your review. How do I find your other ones?

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I have to admit that this is the first review that I read from you. I love your energy!!! Now I can see how you created such a potent following :).

We might just have to cruise together one day, and write a Mega tandem review :D

I have to admit that this is the first review that I read from you. I love your energy!!! Now I can see how you created such a potent following :).

 

We might just have to cruise together one day, and write a Mega tandem review :D

Yes, PLEASE!!!!!!:D:D

How AWESOME would THAT be?:D

Love your review. How do I find your other ones?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thank you for reading! You can find links to all my reviews in my signature. If you don't automatically see them, go to your settings and turn on signatures. The next review of my biggest trip yet is coming in a few months!

I have to admit that this is the first review that I read from you. I love your energy!!! Now I can see how you created such a potent following :).

 

We might just have to cruise together one day, and write a Mega tandem review :D

You get a pass for being fashionably late since you're writing big reviews yourself. Lol I glad you stopped by to read. I remember you saying you're from Colombia. Well I have pictures from my Cartagena and Barranquilla trip in my travel blog linked in my signature. I would LOVE to cruise with you one day. We'll break the Internet with that review! :D

Yes, PLEASE!!!!!!:D:D

 

How AWESOME would THAT be?:D

Too much awesomeness! I can't even imagine!

Yes, PLEASE!!!!!!:D:D

 

How AWESOME would THAT be?:D

I know, right? :D

Heather

So here ends another Georgia Pearl review. I went back and read this whole thing myself, and this just might be my favorite review that I've written. It was a great birthday and a great cruise. It's so funny that when I was wearing my Kim's 35th birthday cruise shirt on day 1, I was constantly being asked if I was Kim because everyone said I don't look like I'm 35. I guess that's a good thing. Maybe when I'm 50, I'll look like I'm 35. lol My next milestone birthday is for*cough, cough, COUGH* :eek: I can't say it. I might as well go kick back with the latest AARP magazine and wait on the next hot flash. :D

Just wanted to ask where did you get your birthday tee?

Great detailed review! Love the pics and your outfits. :)

I know, right? :D

Heather

You never know. It could happen. ;)

Just wanted to ask where did you get your birthday tee?

I had it made from a seller on cafepress dot com. I used a template but had to go to Michael's to buy letters to add cruise at the bottom. I love how it turned out.

Great detailed review! Love the pics and your outfits. :)

Thank you for reading and for the compliments! I usually buy a new wardrobe before every cruise lol, but I'll definitely be recycling all my outfits from my last 2 cruises on the next one since I'm going broke planning it. Haha :p

Better late than never. Hi Kim! And happy belated birthday. I see from your blog that you also celebrated Vegas Style!

I tracked down your review after someone mentioned it over at gambee's Victory review. I've enjoyed reading through and seeing all the pics. Love your writing style, sense of humor, and zest for life. Thank you for the hard work in sharing your review. I know it's tough. I have several abandoned reviews and trip reports out there, along with my abandoned travel blog. ha!

I'll watch for your Asia review, and in the meantime, I'll check out your blog and other reviews. I love reading cruise reviews, especially with our Allure cruise (Eng23 Harold is joining us for this one, after we met on Allure in 2012!) in November.

Found it! I actually read your review before, but I'm quiet on the boards, and don't say too much. That's for replying on TA, now I'll re-read this , and will book Captain Marvin's today! Thanks !!!

Better late than never. Hi Kim! And happy belated birthday. I see from your blog that you also celebrated Vegas Style!

 

I tracked down your review after someone mentioned it over at gambee's Victory review. I've enjoyed reading through and seeing all the pics. Love your writing style, sense of humor, and zest for life. Thank you for the hard work in sharing your review. I know it's tough. I have several abandoned reviews and trip reports out there, along with my abandoned travel blog. ha!

 

I'll watch for your Asia review, and in the meantime, I'll check out your blog and other reviews. I love reading cruise reviews, especially with our Allure cruise (Eng23 Harold is joining us for this one, after we met on Allure in 2012!) in November.

Hard to believe it's been 3 years since we met on the Allure! :)

Better late than never. Hi Kim! And happy belated birthday. I see from your blog that you also celebrated Vegas Style!

 

I tracked down your review after someone mentioned it over at gambee's Victory review. I've enjoyed reading through and seeing all the pics. Love your writing style, sense of humor, and zest for life. Thank you for the hard work in sharing your review. I know it's tough. I have several abandoned reviews and trip reports out there, along with my abandoned travel blog. ha!

 

I'll watch for your Asia review, and in the meantime, I'll check out your blog and other reviews. I love reading cruise reviews, especially with our Allure cruise (Eng23 Harold is joining us for this one, after we met on Allure in 2012!) in November.

Hi there! Thanks for coming by! I'm still in the middle of Gambee's awesome review. They take an INCREDIBLE amount of time to put a review together here so thanks also for recognizing the effort!

I have like 3 more Guatemala blogs to publish plus several from my Nicaragua trip. The pictures are all sorted and uploaded, I just have to go write the commentary. Like you said it takes a lot time to maintain but hopefully soon I'll get it done. The Asia trip is going to be insane! :D I'll make a post over here when I get that review going over on the Royal board. Thanks again for all the nice words! :)

Found it! I actually read your review before, but I'm quiet on the boards, and don't say too much. That's for replying on TA, now I'll re-read this , and will book Captain Marvin's today! Thanks !!!

Oh yeah, my trip advisor friend! Lol :p Have fun on Captain Marvin's!

Keep them coming!

 

 

Número cinco.

 

 

Meh.

 

 

Number seis! Hahahahaha!

 

 

Now that's how you celebrate a birthday!

 

 

Some of the tequilas were really good and very smooth. They were a little more than what I was wanting to spend though (like $70-80 a bottle). Gracias for the free samples though!

 

DH and I did this tour the last time we were in Coz. We ended up buying 2 bottles of the almond flavor and one of the coffee flavored. So smooth and no headache the next day like I usually get with tequila!

Hey Gapearl. I notice you sailed on both The Magic and The Breeze... Based just on the ship which one was better in your opinion?

DH and I did this tour the last time we were in Coz. We ended up buying 2 bottles of the almond flavor and one of the coffee flavored. So smooth and no headache the next day like I usually get with tequila!

I bought a creme tequila in Mexico back in December. It was also smooth and doesn't leave you feeling like crap. Even after all these samples, I felt fine when we left. If I happen to make it here again, I'll likely bring an extra $100 to buy a bottle or 2. :cool:

Hey Gapearl. I notice you sailed on both The Magic and The Breeze... Based just on the ship which one was better in your opinion?

Hey there! If I had to choose one over the other, it would be the Breeze. She has a few more dining/bar options that Magic doesn't have, and I love Breeze's thrill theater. Other than that, the two ships don't have too many other significant differences. When I sailed on the Breeze, she was only a year old and still felt really new. I had never been on a ship that new or that big, so that's also part of why I loved sailing her. You can't go wrong with either ship. But if the price is the same and the itineraries are similar, again just because she's newer and has a few extra amenities, I'd say Breeze. :)

Ok well here's my scenario and tell me what you'd do or anybody else who's reading. I was looking at both ships for Spring '16 but due to a family event won't have the time. So I was looking to squeeze in a sailing Nov 29th of this year. Carnival Magic 7 days Cozumel,Belize and Roatan.(Galveston) Carnival Breeze 6 days Falmouth,Grand Cayman and Cozumel.(Miami) The Breeze is slightly more but being in Atlanta I can fly into S Florida really cheap. So having said that which would you choose..... Thanks in advance and love your reviews:)

Ok well here's my scenario and tell me what you'd do or anybody else who's reading. I was looking at both ships for Spring '16 but due to a family event won't have the time. So I was looking to squeeze in a sailing Nov 29th of this year. Carnival Magic 7 days Cozumel,Belize and Roatan.(Galveston) Carnival Breeze 6 days Falmouth,Grand Cayman and Cozumel.(Miami) The Breeze is slightly more but being in Atlanta I can fly into S Florida really cheap. So having said that which would you choose..... Thanks in advance and love your reviews:)

Personally, I'll always say pick a 7 day cruise over a 6 day. Lol :D

There are plenty of nonstop flights from Atlanta to Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. Shuttles and rental cars are super cheap from FLL- MIA if you fly in there to save a few dollars. If you fly into Houston, I'd recommend Hobby as opposed to Bush Intercontinental. It's a quick 30 minutes to the Port of Galveston from Hobby and everyone says it's more like an hour from Bush. One thing to keep in mind is that shuttles from either Houston airport to the cruise port are pretty pricey. In my research, I found that it would have cost about $50 more total to have a limo for my family of 4 than for us to share a big shuttle. Yeah, that's how pricey they are. Thankfully my cousin drove down from Dallas and we drove her car to the port, but that would have been another big expense because we would have been looking at close to $100 per person round trip for a shuttle. Your sailaway will be cooler leaving from Galveston as opposed to Miami. Also as you approach winter, Galveston tends to have a lot of fog and ships are often delayed.

Tough decision! :eek: Now that I know all the details, I think I'd say book the Breeze. Go spend a day or 2 on South Beach beforehand. :)

Thanks for the info:) I just found out that the Carnival Magic nor Carnival Dream have Guys Burger/ Blue Iguana Cantina which should be considered "Mutiny".To thicken the plot The Freedom which sails a day earlier with similar itinerary has all the 2.0 upgrades though a tad smaller(conquest class) I actually like that itinerary NOV 28th Cozumel, Montego Bay, and Grand Cayman. And I see you sailed on her too prior to the upgrades:) Ship happens when you do last minute cruising. I plan to book sometimes next week. So with that being said which would you choose and I will try not to bombard you with anymore questions:)

Did you book Vista yet? What sailing are you on?? Would love to cruise on the same ship with you sometime :D I always love reading your reviews and how much fun you have!