Carnival Magic review with pictures!!!

[Still Dreaming]

We just returned from the med on ncl spirit. We did RIL in 3 Italy ports.

 

Livorno stop is very busy with Pisa and florence. Our guide asked us if we wanted to stop for a wine tasting but we declined, instead we had a very nice lunch with wine in Florence. RIL guides will do what you like but they will not jeopardize not getting you back to the ship on time. We were always back one hour b4 sail away. The spirit was in port from 8-7 and we were off the ship at 7:45.

 

Wanted to let everyone know that once you book RIL you can stop researching that port and relax!!!

 

Thanks Stacy for the wonderful review!

[stacycakes1]

we just returned from the med on ncl spirit. We did ril in 3 italy ports.

 

Livorno stop is very busy with pisa and florence. Our guide asked us if we wanted to stop for a wine tasting but we declined, instead we had a very nice lunch with wine in florence. Ril guides will do what you like but they will not jeopardize not getting you back to the ship on time. We were always back one hour b4 sail away. The spirit was in port from 8-7 and we were off the ship at 7:45.

 

Wanted to let everyone know that once you book ril you can stop researching that port and relax!!!

 

Thanks stacy for the wonderful review!

 

agreed:)

[stacycakes1]

Okay, I think I have now sent the cheat sheet to everyone that has asked for it. If I missed you please let me know and I will send it your way.

 

Thanks everyone!

[FreezingInMichigan]

Thank you for doing a wonderful review. Thanks to inspiration from you, we've booked a Med cruise for my birthday next year. :)

 

We've already decided RomeInLimos for Florence/Pisa and Rome. We're going to specifically ask for your Florence driver. I'd love to visit the winery in the Tuscan hillside. No idea how I'll get all the wine and olive oil home via Delta but where there's a will, there's a way... lol

 

~ Sheryl

 

Okay, I think I have now sent the cheat sheet to everyone that has asked for it. If I missed you please let me know and I will send it your way.

 

Thanks everyone!

[stacycakes1]

Thank you for doing a wonderful review. Thanks to inspiration from you, we've booked a Med cruise for my birthday next year. :)

 

We've already decided RomeInLimos for Florence/Pisa and Rome. We're going to specifically ask for your Florence driver. I'd love to visit the winery in the Tuscan hillside. No idea how I'll get all the wine and olive oil home via Delta but where there's a will, there's a way... lol

 

~ Sheryl

 

Thank you Sheryl! So glad you were able to get something from the review and I am sure you are very excited for your trip! You are going to have a blast!!!

[HardHeadedWoman]

I'm not even halfway through your trip and I am loving this review! My fiancé and I are doing a similar itinerary on Celebrity this September for our honeymoon and now I'm even more excited! Your photos are beautiful, especially that one of the Amalfi Coast - OMG.

 

Oh, and you and your DH are adorable! Congratulations!

 

Lissette

 

PS I never even post but I was compelled... Perhaps I'll become a more active participant on CC rather than just spectator. :)

[sjcruiser]

Awesome!!! What an experience. The review and pictures felt as if I was on vacation with you. This was by far one of the best reviews I have seen, and was better than the shows on the Travel Channel. Thanks for posting your honeymoon, and congratulations!!!!

[TLC535]

Stacy ~ would love to have a copy of your cheatsheet (email below)

FABULOUS review :D:D I just spent the last 3 hrs. reading all 25 pages and just couldn't stop :o

Wonderful pics & great writing style...Thank you so much for sharing your honeymoon with us...we are doing the Royal Princess Maiden TA Oct. 2013 and have some of your same ports so it was very exciting for both hubby & I to look @ your pics & say to each other..."we'll have that picture of us" :D

Thank you also for the Paris info & pics...we intend on flying into London 4 or 5 days before the cruise & are planning on taking a day trip on the Eurorail to Paris...so we really enjoyed that part also.

You guys are a gorgeous couple & wishing you years of happiness, joy and MANY cruises :D

[Aquarius85]

This has been the BEST review I've EVER read!! I've spent the last 4 hours reading & totally ignored game 5 of the playoffs!! Italy has been on my top 5 spots to visit from a child. Congrats to you & your hubs!

 

-Tonya in the Bahamas

[stacycakes1]

I'm not even halfway through your trip and I am loving this review! My fiancé and I are doing a similar itinerary on Celebrity this September for our honeymoon and now I'm even more excited! Your photos are beautiful, especially that one of the Amalfi Coast - OMG.

 

Oh, and you and your DH are adorable! Congratulations!

 

Lissette

 

PS I never even post but I was compelled... Perhaps I'll become a more active participant on CC rather than just spectator. :)

 

I use to be more of a spectator myself but then thought I should give back to others considering all of the advice I have taken from this site. It has truly made our cruise vacations better then we could ever imagine! Almost all of my research for this trip and others I have taken in the past is done on here.

 

Have fun on your honeymoon and congratulations to you and your hubby to be!!!!

[stacycakes1]

Awesome!!! What an experience. The review and pictures felt as if I was on vacation with you. This was by far one of the best reviews I have seen, and was better than the shows on the Travel Channel. Thanks for posting your honeymoon, and congratulations!!!!

 

 

You should write them and let them know that, maybe they will hire me to do a show, bahahaha! Wouldn't that be awesome:)

[stacycakes1]

Stacy ~ would love to have a copy of your cheatsheet (email below)

 

FABULOUS review :D:D I just spent the last 3 hrs. reading all 25 pages and just couldn't stop :o

Wonderful pics & great writing style...Thank you so much for sharing your honeymoon with us...we are doing the Royal Princess Maiden TA Oct. 2013 and have some of your same ports so it was very exciting for both hubby & I to look @ your pics & say to each other..."we'll have that picture of us" :D

Thank you also for the Paris info & pics...we intend on flying into London 4 or 5 days before the cruise & are planning on taking a day trip on the Eurorail to Paris...so we really enjoyed that part also.

 

You guys are a gorgeous couple & wishing you years of happiness, joy and MANY cruises :D

 

 

 

Glad I could help! Thank you for all of the kind words as well:)

[stacycakes1]

This has been the BEST review I've EVER read!! I've spent the last 4 hours reading & totally ignored game 5 of the playoffs!! Italy has been on my top 5 spots to visit from a child. Congrats to you & your hubs!

 

-Tonya in the Bahamas

 

Thank you Tonya! Hope you get to Italy some day soon, it is totally worth it!

[CruzinKen]

Just went thru a pot of coffee reading your review. One of best reviews I have ever read. As others have said, you made it feel as though we were there with you. My wife and I will be doing a TA(Venice to FLL) next year, and you have provided some great info for us to consider as we will be visiting some of the same ports you did for the first time. Again, thanks for a great review and congratulations on your marriage.

[BaseballMomof4]

Stacy - thank you for making my rainy Sunday so enjoyable. I will be doing a Euro cruise next May on the NCL Epic and will visit many of the same ports. Your information was wonderful and your photos spectacular!

 

My youngest son who will be 15 and I will share a balcony to enjoy those wonderful views pulling into port and my friend who will be traveling solo is taking advantage of the Studio - I think every line should have something like that for those who want to travel solo!

 

Anyway, thank you again for your fantastic information and beautiful photos - I LOL'd when I saw the Dunkin store on Las Ramblas! Love me some Dunkin!

 

Congratulations and best wishes! And trust me on this one - travel lots before you have kids!! :p

[msdurk]

When you arrived at the Barcelona airport, did you take a cab to the hotel(cost?) and were you able to see anything after you got to the hotel---any advice you can give me? We arrive at 2:30 the day before the cruise and are staying on the Las Ramblas. Anything will be appreicated---Thanks

[kapitman]

Stacy,

 

Thanks for the amazing review that I have been reading for the last 2 1/2 hours! :)

 

A friend of mine and I are about to put down our deposit to take the inaugural Carnival Sunshine cruise out of Venice next April. 14 days!!! I only wish you had sailed farther East too to have reviews of Athens and Istanbul, etc, but will definitely be benefitting from your reviews of our three ports in Italy. We have both been to Rome for several days so will be trying to figure out what to do the day we are there. For a 14 day cruise, we may just make it a ship day!

 

I am definitely looking into RIL for Florence and Naples as I loved both of your reviews and hope to have such a great experience as you did!

 

Would you please email me your spreadsheet for RIL? kapitman@hotmail.com.

 

I also noticed you are from Chicago, I am not, but I love Chi-town. Go CUBS!

 

Thanks for all the work you put into this!

[cccer]

WOW, one of the best reviews I have ever read and I am only on page 3(getting late gotta work tomorrow). Like a lot of others, I really like the lunch under the tower.

We are going on the Magic in July and are looking at a Med cruise in two years so this is really great.

[stacycakes1]

When you arrived at the Barcelona airport, did you take a cab to the hotel(cost?) and were you able to see anything after you got to the hotel---any advice you can give me? We arrive at 2:30 the day before the cruise and are staying on the Las Ramblas. Anything will be appreicated---Thanks

 

We stayed at the Marriott and they had a free shuttle service from the airport to the hotel and also from the hotel to Las Ramblas so we didn't use cabs that much. Check with your hotel and see if they offer shuttle service as well. If not, taking cabs in that area is actually very easy. They have a law enforced charge system so it can be difficult for a cab driver to take advantage of you. You will most likely pay around 20 to 30 Euros for a cab from the airport to the hotel (Las Ramblas isn't that close to the airport, about a 20 to 30 minute ride). The cabs are lined up outside the airport entrance just like here in the U.S. so it is easy to find one quickly. Just have the hotel address and name ready and they will be able to get you there.

As far as having time to see anything when you are arriving at 2:30pm. The answer is yes, you will have plenty of time to check things out. Barcelona is like most other European cities, and that means that everything is open fairly late and they run on a later schedule then we do here in the U.S. Most people don't even eat dinner till around 9:00pm/10:00pm. The streets are busy all day and night around here.

We arrived around the same time as you are the day before we boarded our cruise and we had plenty of time to walk all over the city and had a fabulous dinner that evening too. There are also a lot of gelato places and we stopped for some that night and enjoyed a walk along the beach with our gelato.

Las Ramblas is amazing and there is plenty to see right there near your hotel. Don't be scared to get out and explore a bit. You really don't have to go very far to find stuff to do either.

I have attached two documents I made for my parents talking about Las Ramblas and some maps of the area that may help you plan this time and help you get a better sense of the area and what you are in store for.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Las Ramblas Info.pdf

Map of Barcelona and Las Ramblas Area.pdf

[stacycakes1]

Stacy - thank you for making my rainy Sunday so enjoyable. I will be doing a Euro cruise next May on the NCL Epic and will visit many of the same ports. Your information was wonderful and your photos spectacular!

 

My youngest son who will be 15 and I will share a balcony to enjoy those wonderful views pulling into port and my friend who will be traveling solo is taking advantage of the Studio - I think every line should have something like that for those who want to travel solo!

 

Anyway, thank you again for your fantastic information and beautiful photos - I LOL'd when I saw the Dunkin store on Las Ramblas! Love me some Dunkin!

 

Congratulations and best wishes! And trust me on this one - travel lots before you have kids!! :p

 

Love me some Dunkin too:) Hope you have a blast on your vaca!

[stacycakes1]

Just went thru a pot of coffee reading your review. One of best reviews I have ever read. As others have said, you made it feel as though we were there with you. My wife and I will be doing a TA(Venice to FLL) next year, and you have provided some great info for us to consider as we will be visiting some of the same ports you did for the first time. Again, thanks for a great review and congratulations on your marriage.

 

 

So gald you enjoyed it!

[stacycakes1]

Stacy,

 

Thanks for the amazing review that I have been reading for the last 2 1/2 hours! :)

 

A friend of mine and I are about to put down our deposit to take the inaugural Carnival Sunshine cruise out of Venice next April. 14 days!!! I only wish you had sailed farther East too to have reviews of Athens and Istanbul, etc, but will definitely be benefitting from your reviews of our three ports in Italy. We have both been to Rome for several days so will be trying to figure out what to do the day we are there. For a 14 day cruise, we may just make it a ship day!

 

I am definitely looking into RIL for Florence and Naples as I loved both of your reviews and hope to have such a great experience as you did!

 

Would you please email me your spreadsheet for RIL? kapitman@hotmail.com.

 

I also noticed you are from Chicago, I am not, but I love Chi-town. Go CUBS!

 

Thanks for all the work you put into this!

 

I will send it today:) Have a good one, and GO TIGERS (not a cub fan, tee hee)!

[reginaphalange]

Beautiful review & pictures! Happy anniversary month!

[stacycakes1]

Beautiful review & pictures! Happy anniversary month!

 

 

Thanks!!!

 

And... Is your signaturer from the movie Romey and Michelle? (Love that movie!)

[onebzyldy]

Stacy, Did you ever feel unsafe in Barcelona on Las Ramblas ?? I have read so many bad

 

awful things about pick pockets that it has me paranoid a bit :p We r staying in Hotel Jazz,

 

just off of Las Ramblas and r so looking forward to our first Med cruise.

 

Happy Cruising........

DonnaF :D