Carnival Magic New Year's Cruise Review w/ Pics

[mattp420]

After many trips to my beloved Negril, my wife Margie finally talked me into trying something different. She cruised previously on the Conquest with her mother and had a great time. With a little hesitation, I booked us on the New Year’s Day cruise on the Carnival Magic in a cove balcony. Here's my trip report...a bit late. Go easy...I'm a virgin.

 

Being slightly obsessive, I researched everything about the boat, the ports, the balcony..etc etc. I’m easy to please so I was really only worried about seasickness. Margie kept reassuring me that it was nothing to be concerned about but I went ahead and got some Bonine and Seabands to make sure all bases were covered…much to her amusement.

 

We live in Spring, Texas – about 30 miles north of downtown Houston – so we decided to head down a day early to kick around Galveston. Life has been busy the last few years and we hadn’t been down since Hurricane Ike laid a smackdown on all of us. Our first trip together was a little weekend in Galveston 15 years ago and we’ve had many happy times there so it felt good to be going back again…especially since it was just the pre-amble to our first vacation in 7 years.

 

DAY ZERO : Pre-embarkation in Galveston

 

After getting our dog/house sitter situated the night before, we took off for Galveston around 10am on Saturday morning. SUPER FOGGY the whole way in. Yikes!! Not a good sign for a smooth embarkation tomorrow morning.

 

 

Our check in time at the hotel wasn’t until 3pm so we went straight to the Strand for some lunch and a little shopping. Margie wanted to pick up a couple t-shirts for the trip and I was anxious to have my first vacation drink. After a quick bite at Yaga’s Café – not bad but nothing spectacular – we both scratched our itch. I found a frozen margarita and enjoyed people watching while Margie poked around and found a couple things she liked. The Strand looked pretty much the same as before Ike..a few shops that we remembered were gone but other than that Ike’s effects weren’t very noticeable.

 

 

We made a couple laps around and decided that we would head to the hotel since it was almost check-in time. When you hit the Seawall, you start to see more of Ike’s footprint. Some of our favorite rat traps are gone…most notable the moldy old Flagship that was built on a pier over the Gulf. This hotel was pretty gross even years before Ike but we loved it…sitting out on the balcony over the water was one of my favorite things to do..(foreshadowing)

 

As we made our way towards our hotel, The Best Western Beachfront Inn, we noticed a lot of people down on the beach in one particular section…seemingly stacking piles of rocks. Intrigued, we decided to check it out a little later this afternoon.

 

Got to the hotel and checked in. The Best Western Beachfront is definitely nothing special..our non smoking room reeked of cigarettes and the whole place could use a nice facelift but for one night it served our needs fine. It was actually one of the only places I could find on the Seawall that didn’t require a two-night stay so there we were. Unloaded our luggage and took off to walk down the Seawall.

 

Galveston under heavy fog is a really cool place. Visibility was very low and people just seem to appear out of the ether as you walk along the beach. Even though I knew this was likely to jack up the embarkation, I was really enjoying it. We made our way back to the rock stacking and couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. At least 40-50 people were working on different rock sculptures…piling them into precarious stacks – there must have been hundreds. Some were adorned with flowers, some with wood. Some were quite obviously memorials to people. We made our own little sculpture and did a little reflection. There was something oddly moving about it and I would definitely recommend anyone making a trip to Galveston check it out.

 

 

 

Still looked like a Bob Marley concert outside…totally fogged out. We walked the beach for a bit more and then went to Tortuga’s next to our hotel for a drink and quick bite to eat. Emerging a little tipsier we walked a few blocks down to the 61st Street Fishing Pier. A couple margaritas later we decided to go walk out on one of the jetties.

 

 

It was around 10pm at that point and still extremely foggy so we decided to head back to the hotel for the evening..nicely lubricated and excited to see what the next day brings. Ashamed to say we didn’t even make it to midnight on New Year’s Eve. I’m becoming my parents.

[douglinc@msn.com]

You're doing great, can't wait to see the rest. We were on the Magic 11-14.

 

Doug

[travelingtriumphess]

You have an audience here! Anxious to see and read more! We are going on the Magic in April! I like the fog pictures.:D

[1artsymomof3]

Wow! That is FOGGY!

[Soonerbaby]

Great review so far! I am enoying reading about what you did in Galveston, as I have been looking for what to do if we arrive prior to check-in.

[mattp420]

DAY 1 : EMBARKATION

 

I woke up around 4am and pulled the curtains back…hoping I wouldn’t see any more fog. WOW…what a difference a few hours make. Fog has cleared off and things are looking pretty nice. Went back to bed but didn’t get much sleep…very excited to see what cruising is all about. It’s never been something that appealed to me to be honest but Margie had such a good time that I’m ready to give it a shot.

 

 

As the sun rose, it revealed a beautiful day on the island. Cool but mild…nice breeze. It doesn’t get much better than this in Texas. I got online to check the cruise cam…no Magic. Check the cam on the Magic…still in the ocean. Small snafu...no worries – first vacation in 7 years and its going to take more than a little delay to get me down. We ate a (kinda nasty) breakfast down in the lobby and then took a quick stroll around the seawall. The wind seems a little stronger now that we’re down on the water so we went back to the room for a hoodie and to check the cam again. It’s now 8:30 or so..no ship yet.

 

Finally saw the Magic pulling into port around 10:00. Waiting is not my biggest strength so we loaded up the bags and checked out. Decided to do a bit more poking around so we went down to Murdoch’s on the Seawall…a Potter tradition on any Galveston trip. We talked about it when we were inside and I don’t think we have ever bought a thing at this place but for some reason we feel compelled to make a pilgrimage. We didn’t break tradition this time.

 

We killed a little time but still didn’t want to head to the port. Made a goose chase trip looking for a Hastings that hasn’t been open since 2008 apparently then drove around the residential areas of Galveston that we hadn’t seen before. I would love to live down by the ocean but living under the constant threat of hurricanes has always prevented us from really looking into it.

 

Alright…its noon. Can’t wait any longer. CAN’T WAIT ANY LONGER!! We drove back down Broadway to Harborside Drive and headed toward the port. Nice drive….can see the Magic up in the distance!! Then the traffic hit. Welcome to the first line of the day. All good – Peter Tosh on the radio…sunroof open…let’s wait it out. Finally got to passenger drop off and left our luggage with a porter. Big lines everywhere…because of the delay everyone is trying to drop off and pick up at the same time so things are a little congested. Now across the street to Galveston Park N Cruise to leave the car…OUCH. Since they are still debarking the Magic, the lots are still full from the last cruise so no parking spot yet. Line number 2. After about 30 minutes we had our spot and were rolling our carry on across the street. Under normal circumstances, this parking lot would be awesome and I will definitely use it on our next cruise.

 

 

Line 3. Given the delay, lines would be the order of the day. Understandable…what do you do but deal with it? Long snaking line to pass through customs…moved pretty fast but stopped processing people when we were next in line because check-in upstairs was full. And I do mean FULL! Side note for smugglers – our 12 packs were each opened and EACH CAN was individually inspected. Tons of confiscated booze by the time we passed and it was VERY early. Don’t think you’ll have much luck carrying anything on. After another line to check in and get our Sign and Sail cards it was now just down to waiting to board.

 

Our zone number was called!! Finally time to see this boat. By that time Margie was a little frazzled and so was I…it was around 3:00 and we hadn’t eaten except for some waffles at 7:30 in the morning. Hungry was turning into cranky…so we were definitely happy to get our pictures taken and head down the ramp to board.

 

 

WOW!! The boat is really nice! Everything was a little rushed since we’d been waiting so long to get onboard so we immediately went down to our cabin. Didn’t have a lot of time to soak up the lobby. My first impression was that it was smaller than I expected.

 

Down two quick floors to our cove balcony stateroom, room 2264. Holy moly…the rooms are small! Maybe cozy is a better word. I honestly didn’t even process the room that much at first…went straight outside to see the balcony. That’s what I’m talking about…already know that I’ll be spending most of my time right here. Nice shade…spectacular view and very private. Watched a few dolphins swim in the murky brown water…what a short end of the stick these poor guys get. Wonder why they don’t head for clearer waters. Met the neighbors on either side. One very friendly, the other not so much.

 

 

 

That touchy-feely stuff is all well and good but Margie was hungry and, like my college roomate’s python, I know not to let that go too long. We went up to the Lido deck for my first taste of Carnival’s food. I got a salad and some roast beef. The creamy Italian dressing they have is awesome. LOVED IT. The roast beef was decent…a little dry but nothing to cry about. Loved the lemonade. As soon as we sat down with our plates the muster drill announcement came on. D’oh!! We wolfed our eats down and headed to our station in the dining room. After the brief procedure we were turned lose again and went back down to the cabin to check on our luggage and watch sail away from our balcony.

 

One out of 4 bags waiting for us…not a bad start! I went back up one flight to the lobby bar to get our inaugural cocktail. Rum punch for me and a pina colada for m’lady…good stuff. Some guy next to me was tripping out because the cream liqueur in his mudslide wasn’t Bailey’s. I love watching this kind of stuff go down so have a feeling cruising is going to be awesome!! How do people like that get through life without having a heart attack at 40?

 

 

Got our cocktails…rest of our luggage waiting for me when I get back. AWESOME!! We enjoyed the sunset as the boat started to move. Here we go! I’m doped on Bonine and Seabanded up so all’s good with me but WOW…the boat is really rocking. An unusual feeling but nothing that bothers me too bad. I started to unpack and looked over at Margie…lying on the bed looking green.

 

I’m going to break right here and reflect on how awesome it feels to be vindicated. We’ve been married almost 14 years and rarely have I experienced such a warm and fuzzy feeling.

 

It would have felt better if she weren’t crying. Took off my seabands, got them on her wrists and located the Bonine. At about this time, our room steward knocked. Super nice guy who couldn’t have been more kind and helpful for the whole voyage. I was wrapped up in getting Margie back to the land of the living and completely neglected to get his name…ended up feeling bad about it the rest of the trip. After he left I went up to the gift shop to replace my seabands. The boat was still rocking like crazy and I was already noticing the difference without the bands. Got my replacements and went downstairs to check on Margie.

 

What an endorsement for Seabands. She was up and feeling lots better. After a few laughs about how much crap she had given me, we went to do a little exploration. Walked up the stairs to the lobby and grabbed another cocktail then up the spiral stairs to the Promenade deck.

I’m a cologne junky so my first stop was the fragrances…a little bummed that the selection seemed to be similar to that found in a department store but not going on vacation to go fragrance shopping. We poked around in the gift shop and Cherry on Top then went to the casino for a bit. Doesn’t take me long to get irritated at dumping money into slots so quickly moved along to the Ocean Plaza. We didn’t know who they were at the time but Blood Power was playing on the stage and we sat and listened for quite a while. Great band with really good musicians…you haven’t lived till you’ve heard “Free Bird” sung in a Filipino accent! Tried the karaoke for a minute but the motion in the aft lounge was pretty intense and I was pretty drunk at that point so we moved along pretty quickly to the Piano Bar. We walked into the middle of a “Sweet Caroline” orgy. Holy crap these ladies love that song. U-turn.

 

Time for a bite to eat…first encounter with the all night pizza – really good!! We attempted the welcome show but that’s not my cup of tea. Margie got tired of my groans and we left after 15 minutes.

 

Back to the room…sooooooo tired. I sat out on the balcony enjoying the sound of the waves and the vastness of the water below. I think I could get used to this cruising thing.

[travelingtriumphess]

Sounds like you are enjoying the cruising thing. The waters must've been pretty choppy. There is no experience quite like choppy waters and some drinks.

I'm enjoying the report :D

[mattp420]

DAY 2: SEA DAY

 

Woke up after a restless sleep right at sunrise. Rough seas all night and the ship was making a grinding sound/vibration every couple minutes that startled me out of slumber. Wow…did we unpack last night? I must have been crocked because I don’t remember at all but somehow our stuff is put away. Sweet!! Margie says that I insisted that we do it after we got back the night before but I’m not buying that.

 

 

 

Now that I’m sober I can better assess the room. Now that all the luggage is stowed under the bed and everything is put up it seems fine…plenty of storage space, nice flat screen TV that can be used to check your account, look at menus, order room service. Bathroom is small but has enough room to get the job done. I actually really liked the shower…good pressure and, although it’s no Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint, I found the shower gel and shampoo fine for me. The balcony is really the money shot for the room. LOVE IT!! Now that we’re out in the ocean and cruising along, we get a great show. The rough seas mean lots of action and I can sit out there for hours. Feel a million miles away from work already.

 

Time for breakfast on the Lido deck. Not a fan of the bacon…I got the bottom of the batch and it was drowning in grease and generally flavorless. Eggs not too bad…not a big breakfast eater so no big deal for me but was really looking forward to bottomless bacon. Will try again tomorrow and hopefully not get the dregs. After breakfast we cruised the ship for a bit…very windy outside and still kind of chilly so we headed down to the casino for a few. At that point the seas were getting really rough and I was feeling pretty woozy so went back to the cabin to sleep it off. Margie joined me a bit later and we napped for a couple hours trying to wait out the rough seas.

 

 

We woke up to a knock on the door and our Bon Voyage bottle of Malibu Rum. Ten minutes later, another knock. Our travel agent sent us some chocolate covered strawberries and champagne!! Very nice! The sea had calmed a bit so we ventured out again…time to eat and drink some more. My take on the food so far has been mixed. It’s not bad at all but my palate is wanting something a little less bland. Granted, we own a hot sauce shop back in Texas so I like things on the piquant side. Note to self : Bring Marie Sharp’s on the next cruise.

 

After lunch we checked out the Serenity Deck. It was nice and very relaxing compared to the madness around the main pool. Sat on a nice cushioned chair with a cover that shielded the wind pretty well. It's pretty damn cold on this cruise so far...definitely not shorts and flip flop weather. I'm wearing jeans and a hoodie and Margie's doing the same. It's really the wind that gets you.

 

 

We stayed out there for an hour or so and decided to check out an acoustic guitar player in the Red Frog Pub. He was pretty good...Tom Petty and some other mainstream country rock type covers. We stayed with him until he took a break around 4:00. Went by the bar to get a soda card so we could get juice for our rum and then back to the room for some drinks on the balcony in preparation for dinner.

 

Formal night tonight so I’ve got to get dressed up. I enjoyed putting on a suit for something other than a wedding or a funeral and we had a really nice dinner in the dining room. We chose Anytime dining and decided to head down kind of early..around 6pm. We’re shooting to make the 8:30 show so hoping to have enough time. There was a short line but it moved quickly and we were seated within 5 minutes of walking up. Really enjoyed our dinner of lobster (Margie) and prime rib (Matt) and I finally got to try the chocolate melting cake that I’d been hearing so much about. It was just as good as I’d heard…just delicious!!

 

After dinner it was time for the show…we were done eating within 45 min to an hour so plenty of time to kill. Back to the Red Frog Pub for a couple more drinks! We really liked this spot…nice atmosphere and great service. Posed for a few pictures and then to the show.

 

 

We got to the showroom about 30 minutes early and were able to get a really nice seat on the top level. They were still playing bingo so we watched a round of that…was shocked to see how expensive it was. The theater fills up quickly and it seemed like a good number of people were having a problem finding a seat. Another thing I noticed was a pretty fair amount of obstructed view seats that sat empty. One of the things Margie and I did to amuse ourselves while waiting for shows to start was to watch people book it over to the row of seats behind the sound and light board thinking they just made a huge score…then watch them get right back up and keep looking. Happened over and over again and was always funny to watch.

 

I am not a Broadway/Vegas-type show kinda guy. Love bands, love plays…musicals not so much. This kind of song and dance thing even less. Almost despite myself, I enjoyed Groove Line. The music was good and the effects were better than decent. Really impressed with the stage band…forgot many times that we weren’t listening to a backing track. The laser and fog effects during “Space Oddity” were really nice. Maybe I DO like song and dance shows! Hmmm…

 

 

After the show it was back up to Lido for a Pastrami Sandwich and some pizza..I don’t eat nearly this much at home but it seems like I’m compelled to constantly graze. Soft serve ice cream? Yes, please. Then back to the balcony for some downtime. I could sit out and watch the water for a long time. Now I can’t even imagine going on a cruise without a balcony.

 

Felt like we were missing out on something so we put our clothes back on and went to go check out the adults-only comedy show in the Showtime Lounge. We were way too late to get a seat and it was jam packed. Too rocky for standing room only so we went for a walk around the Sports deck and back to the room for the night. TV for a minute then bed…

[RunsWithFlyingDolphins]

Great review so far!! Love the Magic!

[nonna5]

I am loving your review. Sorry you had some trouble with motion.

 

I was surprised when I was on the Magic that she did not feel as big as she is and was very easy to navigate.

[cruzkitty]

I am really enjoying your Review and pictures! I'll be sailing on her in Oct!:)

[mattp420]

DAY 3 : SEA DAY

 

Another day, another drink. We got up early to scope out a good spot on the Serenity deck. After a quick breakfast (still a no go on that bacon) we found a really nice spot with a view of the water. Contrary to some complaints we never had a problem finding a spot that we could claim. Still pretty windy up here though. Really windy actually. Decided after a little while to head down to Deck 11 to get a spot overlooking the Lido pool. We were nicely shielded from the wind and decided to post up here for the morning.

 

 

I went back down to the room to grab a thermos of our Bon Voyage rum and then to the buffet for some of the papaya guava juice. Can’t even remember the last time I started drinking at 9am. Zoned out with some headphones and a book for a few hours and then grabbed lunch. This is the first time the ship felt really crowded – lots of lines at the grill, deli and buffet but they moved really quickly.

 

Starting to get my sea legs…the rocking and rolling isn’t bothering me in the least. Makes me feel a little drunker than I am but not bothersome at all. It’s weird how you get used to things so fast…now if I could just get out of the habit of checking my iPhone for email every 15 minutes. No Matt…you can’t check stocks or the news. Get over it.

 

Headed back to the room for a nap. Think that taking the Bonine is keeping me in this constant dazed state. Loving it…never have the chance to nap in the real world so I’m gonna take full advantage of it. We slept for a couple hours and lounged around on the balcony for a couple more.

 

 

 

Decided to go ahead and get ready for dinner and head down to the Escape Bar for a quick drink. We really liked it in there. For a minute. This is probably my biggest complaint of the cruise…they had a huge screen in the bar showing nature footage. All good until they were showing a baby caribou and then cut to a wolf. Crap…I know what’s coming and I’m not gonna like it. Margie is going to like it less. Sure enough the whole chase and capture played out in dramatic fashion…we bailed out before the feast began. An odd choice for bar video IMHO.

 

 

By that time the dining room was open…again, no muss no fuss, seated in 5 minutes and done in 45. I had the jerked pork tenderloin…had to laugh when I got a warning from the waiter about spiciness. It was OK…nothing like real Jamaican jerk but OK. The prosciutto ruffles were good as well. Again, chocolate melting cake for dessert and it was awesome. The dining room’s food is considerably better than the buffet….hotter, fresher..just all around better.

 

After dinner it was time for the show..tonight it was a juggler. A juggler? Oh wait, he’s “like a juggler but so much more.” My mistake. This guy sucked bad and it was awesome. He dropped his batons 3 times in the opening number and told some of the crappiest jokes I’ve ever heard. I’m a huge fan of “so bad its good” stuff and this was definitely in that category. I was content making snide remarks for the whole show but he was too much for Margie and we took off after 30 minutes or so.

 

 

After 30 minutes with that DB we needed a candy fix so we made the first of several stops at Cherry on Top. I zeroed in on the gigantic Lemonheads and Margie got some chocolate dipped pretzel rods. Yum.

 

We went up on the Lido deck for a few minutes but they were watching a football game on the big screen and we’re into sports about as much as midget porn so we moved along. Karaoke is always a reliable choice for a few laughs and it delivered. Heard the most monotone version of “Cheeseburger in Paradise” ever and decided to cash it in for the night.

 

Back to room to chill on the balcony for a bit..excited to be back in Jamaica tomorrow. The ocean seems to be smoothing out and I’m ready to sleep like a baby.

[gelo7]

Wonderful start.....

[Ander026]

Great review so far. Great shots of the cove balcony. If I sail this class in the future I will definatly go with that balcony on deck 2.

[mattp420]

DAY 4: JAMAICA!!

 

 

I was up before sunrise to watch our approach to the island…listening to Toots and the Maytals on the balcony. Jamaica is my favorite place and I was excited to be back…even if it was only for eight hours. I love everything about it…the people, the food, the beer, THE MUSIC. It’s amazing to me that such a tiny little island has mad such a huge impact on the world through its cuisine and culture. I mean, it’s given us Bob Marley, Usain Bolt, jerk chicken, and some of the sweetest ganja on the planet. What’s not to love?

 

We’ve been just about everywhere on the island so we decided to catch one of the shuttles to the Hip Strip and cruise around. Our biggest priority was to track down a jerk pit and get some chicken. My mouth waters at the thought.

 

I guess I can see why Jamaica gets such a bad rap from people who aren’t accustomed to it. It’s very poor and the poverty can be pretty in your face when compared to somewhere like Cancun. The scene around the port was hectic and disorganized to say the least and I imagine it could be quite intimidating. Once we got off the shuttle I realized I made a critical error when choosing my clothes for the day. For some idiotic reason I decided to wear a Bob Marley shirt, thereby ensuring I would be asked to purchase ganja approximately every 2 feet.

 

An easygoing “No thanks brother” is all it takes…something many tourists don’t seem to get. Respect is a huge deal in Jamaica and ignoring someone who is talking to you is seen as disrespectful. I guess it can get annoying having to constantly be hit up for things but it is what it is. That’s Jamaica.

 

After a little souvenir shopping we made our way back up the Hip Strip to the Pork Pit. YUMMMMMMMM. A quarter chicken and grape soda (with real sugar not HFCS)…probably the best thing I’ve eaten since I was last in Jamaica! This place is awesome and I can’t recommend highly enough for someone who wants real Jamaican jerk chicken in an authentic atmosphere. This is where the locals eat.

 

 

 

After lunch we went down to the public beach and enjoyed the beautiful day…visiting with some locals and playing with the kids. We enjoyed a nice spliff by the ocean and just had a great afternoon, joking with some of the guys hanging around and soaking up the vibes. I could already tell that leaving would be tough. Ah well…Montego Bay is definitely no Negril…that’s for sure.

 

 

 

Time was getting short and we wanted to beat the crush of people that would be flooding in at the last minute so we caught a shuttle back to the pier. They dropped us off in the Freeport Shopping Centre. What a sad little place…most of the shops are closed up and it has a really depressing vibe to it. Back on the boat with no delay and up to the Lido deck to watch sail away and cheer stragglers. Had a few last minute arrivals…can’t even imagine cutting things that close.

(Side note : Check out the movie Wah Do Dem for a nightmare left behind by cruise ship in Jamaica scenario. It’s on Netflix and Hulu)

 

After we took off it was time for dinner…I really AM turning into my parents as it only dawned on me now that we eat absurdly early. Even at home I’m ready for dinner before 6pm. Ridiculous. Anyhow, another quick seating in the dining room…I really don’t know what people are complaining about – we never had a problem getting a seat and getting one fast. Service was great…food was fine. Can’t remember what I ate but I know I didn’t hate it!

 

After dinner we wandered around a bit and then got in line for the much-hyped magic show. They weren’t letting anyone in before 30 minutes ahead of time so quite a line had built up. We managed to find good seats but anyone who didn’t get there early was out of luck. Very crowded with lots of people standing and sitting in the aisles.

 

And what a letdown…maybe I’m not the right person to review this kind of stuff as I obviously don’t like it. As far as magicians go, I’m a David Blaine kind of guy. This is a David Copperfield/Siegfried and Roy smoke and mirrors magician. Lots of sliding on his knees and throwing his arms around. Wasn’t sure what the trick was supposed to be half the time. The best part of this show was making a couple who were sitting in the aisle happy by giving them our seats.

 

We were pretty tired so after a little cruise around the Sports deck we went to the casino for a few minutes and then it was back to the room. In bed by 10:30…a couple of party animals.

 

[mattp420]

Thanks everybody for the positive feedback!! We've got some videos posted on my wife's Youtube channel if anyone wants to check them out as well.

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/potterpups

[mattp420]

DAY 5 : CAYMAN ISLANDS

 

Grand Cayman was a stop that neither Margie nor I had much interest in. After the Crocodile Hunter got taken out, Margie made it pretty clear that anything stingray related was out...figured we’d just take it easy and walk around Georgetown. We hung back awhile so we didn’t get mixed up in the crush of people when we initially docked and went down an hour or so later.

 

The tender process was smooth as silk...10 minute wait in the theater and then right on the boat. Grand Cayman was about like I expected. Lots of money on this island and you can tell. I’m not going to get political but something rubs me the wrong way about this place. The water was beautiful..some of the bluest I’ve ever seen.

 

 

What a difference from Jamaica’s port…Grand Cayman was really nice with a good selection of both high-end and bargain shops. Definitely the place to go shopping for jewelry, clothes, or –ahem- cologne. As nonplussed as I was about Grand Cayman in general, they had quite the fragrance selection and I was able to pick up a couple of Creed colognes that I’d had my eye on for awhile. No cheap prices but it was nice to find what I’d been looking for.

 

We walked quite a bit in Georgetown and concluded there really wasn’t a lot to see so we went back towards the pier area. Margie wanted to do a little more shopping so we looked around some more. She found some (more) bags and I got a few sweets at the huge candy shop, It’Sugar. Whoa…my eyes glazed over.

 

 

We’d seen enough so we caught the next tender back with several hours to spare. We were finally getting some nice sunny weather so we decided to jump on it. Found a great spot overlooking the Aft pool and made our stand there. Great views of the water and a good spot to people watch. We hadn’t made it to the Aft pool area very much and it was really nice. I also finally figured out where all the smokers hung out. I quit a few years ago and watching them for a bit was a nice reminder why I don’t miss it.

 

 

We made quite a few rum punches with our Bon Voyage Malibu…by this point the bottle was getting pretty light. Next time we’re doubling down on the Bon Voyage. Between that and the soda cards, we’ve saved a lot of money on drinks. Enjoyed reading a little and listening to some music and really just spending time together.

 

Something I’ve noticed today in particular… after four days, people are starting to get stressed out with their families. We saw several little tiffs between people and then an all out smackdown on the elevator between a couple and their teenage son. It was AWESOME!!! She went off on the son for making them late to dinner and he yelled back then the dad just completely lost it. “YOU’RE MAKING A SCENE SUE!!!!!!! QUIT EMBARASSING ME!!!” I can’t imagine sharing a cabin with any more than Margie. Our neighbors next door have two kids in their little cove balcony cabin. I guess I’m just spoiled..being barren and childless…but I don’t think I could handle it. My dad would have murdered me on the second sea day.

 

 

Anywho…we passed on dinner in the dining room tonight. A little toasty from the rum punch and I didn’t feel like getting all gussied up. Grabbed some pizza and more punch in the lobby and went down to the cabin to watch the sun set from our balcony. Then it was time for the Newlywed Show or whatever they called it. By far the most entertaining show of the trip so far. We laughed hard...juggler hard.

 

 

 

I read Hunter Thompson’s great Cozumel-based short story “The Great Shark Hunt” as we cut through the waves headed to Mexico. Tomorrow we climb the tallest Mayan pyramid in Mexico and I’m pretty excited.

[krazy4kruisin]

Totally enjoying the review. Thank you for sharing. Can't wait for more.

[CaribeDiver]

Like your humor. I notice you like coconut rum. Check and see if your local liquor store has Tortuga Coconut Rum, it has a great coconut flavor and is 80 proof unlike Malibu which is much less.

[mattp420]

Thanks!! I'm enjoying writing it. Nice to relive the trip again. We're cruising on the Triumph in May and I can't wait to be on the water again. Totally hooked!!

[dawnvan]

EXCELENT REVIEW!! thanks for taking the time!!:)

[afcj1]

This is a wonderful review. Thanks so much!

[cobocai]

Thank You for the review. We were on the same trip, same time and it's like going all over again. We had some issues with the seasickness the first few days but slapped on the patch and we were ready to go. We took a trip up the mountain in Jamaica...Iree Mon!!! It was wonderful. Beautiful views and lovely people. Our tour guide was the best. She made the bus ride very interesting. Cayman we did swim with the stingrays, water was chilly but wow...what a great experience. Rum point beach was the best, I wish I could live there.

Thanks again and I will look forward to reading more!

[VegasBaby8]

Loving the review.. Great pics.. We are staying in a cove balcony in May and I can't wait....

[Texarribean Chick]

Subscribing...............:D - Thanks Matt for taking the time to share your thoughts. We are from Spring as well and love cruising (25 under our belt). From the sounds of your review so far - your HOOKED!

 

Looking forward to more!

 

Chick.