Carnival Magic-Fog, Wedding, and lots of relaxing! 1/8-1/15/2012

A little review of the Carnival Magic to Key West, Freeport and Nassau Bahamas.

My husband and I arrived in Houston from LA on January 7 to begin the week-long celebration of my sister’s wedding! On the cruise were my husband and I (early 40s) my sister and her fiancé/now husband (30s) and our parents (age not disclosed by Mom’s orders and threat of physical harm). After arriving at IAH, we immediately went to Jason’s Deli. If we win the lotto, we are building one near our home in Los Angeles – my husband misses it so much! Just one of the things about Texas we miss. (along with Whataburger, Wolf brand chili, TexMex, no state income tax… the list is long!)

We headed down to Galveston and checked in at the Springhill Suites. Very close to the terminal and a good deal. Setup like a business suite with microwave, fridge and separate sitting area. I recommend them highly, especially since they let us stay late in the room due to the fog delay. Very nice and accommodating! If you are looking for a great local place to eat, Shrimp & Stuff off Ave. O is the best. We have been going there for years and love the po’boys.

Woke up early Sunday morning to fog. Big-time fog. Quite common in Galveston in the winter, so we certainly were not surprised, but it definitely added to the stress of a Day 1 on-board wedding. Normally, wedding parties are required to be at the terminal, all guests (both 50 wedding only and 6 cruise) assembled by 10:30am for processing and boarding. The wedding group did stay in contact with my sister regarding the delay and we were told to be there at 12:30. Let me say here that the on-site wedding coordinators (independent contractors hired by Carnival) were outstanding and really worked hard to keep my sister informed, coordinate all the guests and participants and my sister was very pleased. If you are thinking about having a wedding on the Magic, do not hesitate – this is a great operation.

We checked in and waited at the VIP waiting area. At 4:00pm, they called us to board. Most all of the ship’s guests (yep, thousands) had already checked in and were waiting along with us so when we were called, it was like a wedding procession though the terminal – everyone was cheering for the bride and groom! It was a great way to finally get started…

The bride and groom were escorted to two of our staterooms to get ready and the rest of the party went to the Showtime Lounge for a brief rehearsal. (I wanted to stop off at the Red Frog Pub since we were first on board, but I knew my sister would kill me.) The lounge was very nicely arranged for the wedding and all of the ships staff (catering head, wedding coordinators and photographer) were great. Wedding went off without a hitch. Bravo to the Carnival team!

After the wedding, we were escorted to the Southern Lights Dining room and had a wonderful sit-down reception with Caesar salad with shrimp, pasta siciliano, filet mignon, and the largest individual baked Alaska I have ever had. You can’t tell by the pic, but it was served on a DINNER PLATE and was about 10 inches wide. It also had chocolate, strawberry AND vanilla ice cream inside. Oh, and a side of wedding cake. The cake was also outstanding. See pic below! For you brides who are interested, we supplied the cake topper – I made it. I think it is nicer than the one they supply. Here is the pic.

great start

Because of the fog delay and wedding, we did not make it to the Aft Lido deck for CC meet-up until late. We did meet one really nice couple, but I have forgotten their names! So sorry, but we had been up since 6am and were really tired. I did stop by the Red Frog Pub and picked up a couple of Red Frog Beers and took them back to the room for a night cap.

First day at sea: The Gulf was a little bumpy and we did find out later from a nice letter from the Captain that one of the generators supplying power to one of the engines was not working properly was part of the problem. It was only noticeable at cruising speed and we would be delayed into Key West. We did receive a OBC for the fog delay and arriving in Key West a bit late and we also stayed in Nassau until 8pm (much later than scheduled) so Carnival did a lot to make up for it!

We ordered room service for breakfast and I started my day at the Spa with a visit to the whirlpool and steam rooms and heated lounges. This would become a habit. I would like these facilities installed at the house please – I know, as soon as we win the lotto. If you can upgrade to a spa room for less than what a pass would cost ($250 for two people for a week) I would do it. It was amazing and well worth the little bit extra we paid for the room. Also, if you are in a Spa Room, you get a thicker, longer super luxurious robe that is nicer than the normal robe. Yeah, I know, it’s the small things that count, but I liked it and should have bought one. Also, you can use the VIP locker room to shower and dry your hair, which makes having a tiny bathroom in the room bearable.

PLEASE NOTE: I did not see obvious chair hogs on the decks (the rules seem to be enforced by the deck crew) BUT there were CHAIR HOGS IN THE SPA. Seriously. Example: One lady kept a towel and book on “her lounge” while she spent significant time in other areas. Finally a lady walked up to me and asked if someone was sitting on that lounge and I said (with all honesty) no one had been there for almost an hour. She took the stuff to the front desk. Chair hog enforcement team activated.

Also, I am sending Carnival a recommendation for “Quiet Please” signs in the Spa. You would think it would be understood, but there were times there were VERY loud conversations going on in what should have been quiet, relaxing areas. I guess some people were not used to spas, but get with the program, mmmmkay?

Our steward was Anatole and he and his team did a great job. No complaints. We were in 11217. Very quiet, easy access to the Lido deck and Serenity deck. Also, very few kids on the ship since it was after the holidays. Don’t get me wrong, most kids are great, it’s the bad parents I can’t handle. Your mileage may vary. :p

I also entered the Master Mixologist contest with a very simple, great drink from my sister, but was not chosen to participate. It appears that complicated blue drinks are preferred. I would have thought something simple would have been favored to make it easier to serve… oh well. Here is my recipe… Highball glass with crushed iced, pineapple juice, shot of light rum and half shot of maraschino cherry juice. Garnish with orange slice and cherry. I promise you it is amazing! You can add dark rum or coconut rum if you like… we called it a "Magical Sunset."

Before dinner the six of us had drinks and appetizers at the Red Frog Pub. Especially good were the fried grouper fingers, sliders, and coconut shrimp. I had a dirty mojito – pretty sweet but good. Lots of Red Frog beer. We had dinner in the MDR – everything was very nice. I did not take pictures of the food as many have reviewed and supplied pics. After dinner my husband and I went back to the pub and listened to Timmy Pierce (see photo below!) who was really good. Two thumbs up. We stayed for a while and then went to the Vibe club with several of the nice ladies who work in the Spa, who introduced us to lots of other fun staff. Warning: they party. Hard. We were significantly over-served beverages. At least that is the story I am going with. We did meet another group and saw their cove balcony on Deck 2. Very cool room and you are right on the water.

Now is the time in the show for questions... while I am writing up day 2, does anyone have any questions I can answer? Anything you want me to make sure and cover?

Thanks for the great start. I'm excited to read more. Looks like you were already having a wonderful time.

Great review so far-thanks for taking the time to post! We will be sailing the Magic in Oct.

Great start to the review. We sail in 43 days!

Thanks everyone!

Question: Is it just me, or does post-cruise SUCK all the life out of you? I want breakfast in bed, my dishes and towels washed, my bathroom cleaned and my bed made. Oh, and a whirlpool, steam and lounge at least twice daily. And a DOD. In a cool cup. This is a serious problem.

In honor of my Texas roots, I made my homemade Shiner Bock Chili. And since it is friday, it is officially beer-o'clock. Almost like being back on the ship. Almost. Sad face.

Day 2: Key West

Today’s theme: Significantly Over-Served. Upon reflection, staying out late and drinking/dancing with a bunch of lovely people 15-20 years your junior is NOT a good idea. But it was fun. Waking up was hard to do… but the room service wakeup call was a nice way to do it.

After finally getting off the ship, we realized the first thing we needed was more food to soak up the beverages we were over-served the night before. I know it’s not what you look for in a port, but we decided on pizza and found a real prize at around 724 Duval. Walk up place, cheap, excellent crust and it did the job. This put us right again and we walked around, visited Hogs Breath, Sloppy Joes, Cowboy Bills (don’t forget to visit the patio for embarrassing photo opportunities), and walked by Hemingway House. Visited Kai Kai for flip flops, bought a key limeade and it was not very good. Oh well, if that is the only miss, we did pretty good. Back to the ship. Today’s photos feature the ship, the port/pier and the beautiful sunset. As we were leaving, their were tons of people at the north end of the pier (looked like a street fair?) and they all cheered as we left.

Sunset as we left...

Ship from the pier (its a biggie!)

More Magic

Key West - Port area

More port as we were leaving...

Look to the left with all the lights, that is where the street fair/big group was who cheered us out...

See pic below! For you brides who are interested, we supplied the cake topper – I made it. I think it is nicer than the one they supply. Here is the pic.

Just curious--which cake topper are they now supplying? I know they are typically Wilton and they are the same throughout the fleet.

Just curious--which cake topper are they now supplying? I know they are typically Wilton and they are the same throughout the fleet.

I believe it was Wilton and looked like two silver hearts. Not bad, but fairly generic. I am crafty, so making something was no big deal. And it was something I could contribute!

Great start! We were on this cruise and are still remembering it (I'm ready to go back!!) it's funny you mention the mixologist my bf was the winner (piña colada with blue cuaraco floater) seems to be a very popular recipe. Looking forward to the rest!

Great start! We were on this cruise and are still remembering it (I'm ready to go back!!) it's funny you mention the mixologist my bf was the winner (piña colada with blue cuaraco floater) seems to be a very popular recipe. Looking forward to the rest!

Congrats on the win! I have a problem with Blue Cuaraco - probably from drinking too much once. Blue drinks just look so unappetizing to me now! :p

Congrats on the win! I have a problem with Blue Cuaraco - probably from drinking too much once. Blue drinks just look so unappetizing to me now! :p

Thanks! I totally agree with you on the drinks; I used to love blue drinks but now...not so much haha

I have all of the Fun Times from the cruise, if people want me to, I can scan and post the PDFs. Please advise...

Great review!! I can't wait for our turn on the magic in 35 weeks:)

I have all of the Fun Times from the cruise, if people want me to, I can scan and post the PDFs. Please advise...

Please do we cruise in 5 days and would love a heads up.

Will scan them tomorrow and post!

Great review so far--thanks!

Will scan them tomorrow and post!

Thank you :)

Great review. We'll be on her in a little over 3 weeks. Same itin. I can't wait!! I agree though, coming home is rather depressing. I get used to have everything I need/want ready for me any time of day.

Can't wait for the rest!

How nice of you to give us a pictured review. I leave this week and I'm so looking forward to it. I haven't been on a new ship in about 8 years.

Nancy

Thanks for the review, we are on this cruise in April.