A MAGICAL Bahamian Cruise Review - with Photos!

[jtxo]

Another dock area pic from Deck 11ish:

 

 

Our tour was scheduled to meet on the pier at 11, so we figured leaving our room about 10:30 would be sufficient. Uh, yeah right. We actually finished with sunscreen application about 10:20 and decided to go on down, and boy was it still crowded! The gangway located on Deck 0, and at 2 we hit a logjam. It took us over 30 minutes to get off the ship from Deck 2! All was fine though; our group ended up waiting until 11:30 for more to join us, and ended up leaving with only 9 of the 12 accounted for.

 

We did the Southernmost Bike Tour. Not to be confused with the Southernmost Point tour, however. We did cycle by the Southernmost Point, but did not stop as it is extremely crowded and wouldn’t have been safe on the bikes, per Denison (our tour guide)

 

 

I agree with him on that one. Instead, we stopped at the “Southernmost House” which our guide declared was actually about 18 inches further south than “that ugly concrete blob” (his quote). Ok.

 

 

 

We also stopped at the Hemingway House and the pier with the compass.

 

 

[jtxo]

Loving the review and pics!

Curious, what time did you arrive for dinner where you had to wait 20 mins? We have never had to wait more than five minutes but we usually arrive about 630.

 

I think it actually was about 6:30! We typically went about that time. But it was a sea day/formal day where everyone got ready at once, plus I think our dining room had some difficulties throughout the week. Some of the servers seemed very new at times. Still super nice and helpful though, as always. :)

 

This was our 3rd anytime dining experience and by far the most disorganized. We were never able to sit in the same waiter's section, and usually we can. I always hate to say anything bad since we're still on a cruise and the service is always second to none even when it's bad, but it was probably the worst dining room experience we've had onboard if I had to rank them.

 

Just food for thought! (<-- see what I did there, the pun? I'm getting good at this.) :D

[jtxo]

While at the compass point, we could see the Ecstasy leave!

 

 

We cycled over what felt like all of Key West (and really kind of did, that joint is small). We actually had a mishap early on; a lady fell while turning onto a street, and fainted in the aftermath! So we had to pause for a cab to be called for her and her friend and their bikes. I saw her later in the cruise and she was just fine, so don’t worry. Denison was very good through all of this, and he thanked us all again and again for the "all day tour" we were beginning to have like it would bother anyone. All the delays were no skin off my nose, as we had no other plans and were having a fun time!

 

After the tour (which anyone can do if you can halfway ride a bike, they are super easy cruiser bikes and it's all flat and there are lots of stops) we did some souvenir shopping and had a piece of key lime pie. Of all the places along the walk to choose from, we chose here because of the plaque. Later I realized the plaque may have just meant Key West was the birthplace and no this actual location, but if so then their marketing technique worked on me.

 

 

 

 

Delicious!

 

The magic coming back on board.

 

 

Pulling out of Key West

 

[jtxo]

After getting back on the ship (with a semi short line) we had lunch and relaxed overlooking the lovely sea. A coworker had told me that the one place you really notice the increased amount of passengers on the Magic compared to others is getting on and off in port. I now know exactly what she meant! Also, it was rocky this morning on the way in that last hour or two. We experienced the side to side rocking for the first time all cruise. The magic is a very stable ship otherwise. No one seemed bothered by it.

 

That evening we decided to just stay casual for dinner and lido’d it (that’s a verb, right?). We got cleaned up from sweat and sunscreen, and then stayed in comfy clothes and ate in the lido. I do not think the food is any worse this cruise than previous ones like I had heard beforehand. It seems like the same stuff as on previous cruises, which is fine by me and I think it's great because I didn't cook it or clean it up! Also they basically had the same items as the main dining room in the lido each night, minus the WCMC. Sometimes, when you’re using your cruise to relax as much as possible – the lido is the perfect dinner option I think. My husband and I both dress up pretty fancy every day (think suits) for our jobs so sometimes I don’t always enjoy the dress up dining experience.

 

So after our casual dinner, we enjoyed the Highlights band some more and then I called it an early night. Like real early, about 9, haha. The Hightlights band was very good, they were playing some 70s songs and then they had trivia with those songs. It was great.

 

Our friend tonight, Mr. Lounging Bunny:

 

[LambKnuckles]

But at some point this afternoon, you could see another Carnival ship in the distance! She was too far away to know which one, but I wanted to know so badly that I almost worked up the nerve to ask one of the guys in white uniforms.

 

 

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I always love seeing a passing Carnival Ship... I remember one sailing when I knew someone on that "Passing ship" and I waved -- imagining she was waving back to me!!! ;)

 

:D

[LambKnuckles]

Keep it up!!!

 

Enjoying the review and photos!!!

 

Ahhhhh... I can't wait for September to get here!!!!

[Rudyard]

Great review and pics :)

 

That beach is nasty! There were huge piles of black seaweed (I’m assuming it was seaweed?) all over the beach everywhere. Gross.

 

Unfortunately it's much worse than usual this year. It's bad enough that it's even made the local news here a couple of nights.

[jtxo]

Keep it up!!!

 

Enjoying the review and photos!!!

 

Ahhhhh... I can't wait for September to get here!!!!

 

Thank you!! I need to book another cruise soon so I can have a date to look forward to!

[jtxo]

Great review and pics :)

 

 

 

Unfortunately it's much worse than usual this year. It's bad enough that it's even made the local news here a couple of nights.

 

 

Thank you! And thanks for the info. That's interesting! It always amazes me how different the beaches are along the gulf coast.

[jtxo]

Good morning Freeport!

 

 

Some photos of the docking process/general area:

 

 

 

 

 

And yeah, that really is all that's in the pier area. They aren't kidding when they say you need to have a plan for Freeport if you want to get off the boat.

 

After the debacle in getting off the ship yesterday, I was nervous about our excursion today. Mostly because it was called to start about the same time we docked, and I wasn't sure how we were going to get off in time. However, Carnival has started calling some of their excursions to meet in the main showtime lounge instead of at the pier. Sure enough, our tickets had departure time of 8:30, but to meet in the theater at 8. So down we go. They had a few carnival hosts using the mike to announce when a tour was leaving, and as you went in they were directing you to exactly the rows your tour was meeting up at. It was awesome, mostly because you got to sit in the air conditioning while waiting on everyone. It was also much easier than trying to find your group out on the pier.

[jtxo]

We were doing the Freeport Kayak and Nature excursion. It had 5 stars and rave reviews on Carnival's website, unlike a lot of other excursions in Freeport. Our tour guides met us inside the theater and counted us off for the different busses. What’s nice about this tour is that even though 40ish people are on it, you are never in a group larger than 12. And since we were sitting at the back of the rows and not part of a large group (they counted them off first to stay together) we were on the last group, which meant me waited forever for stragglers but since they never showed our tour group only had 9. It was so nice. Marlon was our guide, and he was quiet at first but then really warmed up as the day went on. They led us straight out of the theater, down the stairs and off the boat - no lines. Excellent.

 

We then rode a bus for about 30 minutes to get to the Lucayan national park where we would be kayaking/canoing. They gave us a chance for a pit stop at some port a potties (we were really remote, not even a park ranger shack around or anything). Also, those port a potties are all you have until you’re back at the ship. No flushables. We stopped at them a few times during the excursion. Then we got the kayaks out and got a brief intro to how to operate them. Marlon gets the kayaks in and out of the trailer for you.

 

 

This tour takes place in more like a canal that runs inside the island. There is a very slight current, so really the only paddling you are doing is to keep out of the red mangroves that grow all along the canal. It is so peaceful. I was too scared to take out my phone while kayaking, so I didn't get any pics in there. It's like this one below, but the mangroves have grown up and basically made a canopy that you are paddling through. It's really neat.

 

 

Also, the water is never more than about 3 ft deep, so it's very safe. Marlon helped us navigate the canal and pointed out lots of bird and fish species along the way. You kayak for 2.5 miles I believe, which sounds like a lot but it wasn't too hard. Anytime you got tired, you just stopped paddling for a bit and let the current slowly ease you down the canal. Also, Marlon had us stop and group up for breaks every so often and would give us a little history lesson or nature lesson or such. During a majority of the trip, you have to bust apart your kayak paddles and more so "canoe" down the canal because it’s so narrow.

 

Once we got to the end, we got to take a Tom Saywer/Huck Finn raft across the canal to the beach and lunch. The guides of the other tours were there too, and this was the first we had seen any of them since the theater! It was a beautiful and secluded beach.

 

 

 

 

We lunched on sandwich fixings the guides brought and it was simple, but very good. There are also some very tame raccoons that want to share with you.

 

 

I never could get a good picture of one of them standing up doing their little beg. It’s pretty funny. We had about an hour and a half to spend on the beach, but that wasn't really included in the description of the tour. So while we all had on swimsuits, not everyone had a towel and I hadn’t brought a book or anything. So while I would have preferred less beach time, it was very nice to be there. And very pretty.

[jtxo]

After that, we took a "nature walk" back across a boardwalk that goes over the canal where Marlon showed us different types of trees they use in teas for medicinal purposes in the Bahamas. This looks more like what we were kayaking under during that portion:

 

 

A little friend does join you because he knows Marlon is about to throw bread at the fish.

 

 

You can tell they are definitely from British rule, they drink a lot of teas!!

 

On the way back to the ship, we stopped at a local brewery and some snagged a beer. Apparently there is no such thing as a DUI in the Bahamas as Marlon was explaining, and drinking and driving is ok. Good thing the speed limit is mostly 45 around the island maybe?

 

After getting back on the Magic, we enjoyed some downtime and a shower. We had called the room steward earlier that morning to tell her our shower wasn’t draining and sure enough, it was already fixed! We listened the atrium band until it was time to get ready for dinner and then headed down to our anytime dining location. Tonight we were put in one of the awkward "middle" tables of two among other tables of two. They are close enough that you might as well be sitting at a table of 4 or 6 or whatever. And sure enough, we ended up talking to the couple beside us all night. They were nice, and first time cruisers, so they had lots of questions that us "seasoned gold" cruisers might help with. It was fun. After dinner, we changed back into comfy clothes and went back to deck 5. Tonight the theater band was playing at 10 and oh man, they had that place hopping! So fun. People were dancing, singing along, it was a lot of fun.

 

Tonight’s towel animal, an Eskimo?

 

[MichelleChell]

Like!

[Momma1980]

Enjoying your review! You give a nice amount of detail. Looking forward to the rest. Thank you for posting:)

[jtxo]

This morning was a little less hectic than yesterday because our tour didn’t start until after 10. Also, I totally missed us docking this morning. I was still being a little sleeping beauty :) But here are some pictures of the dock area (some when leaving):

 

 

 

 

 

[jtxo]

Coming off of the pier:

 

 

 

The Magic as she's docked:

 

[jtxo]

Our tour met on the pier, but I know some of the other bigger excursions (Atlantis groups mostly) were meeting in the theater once again and coming out together. Today we were "Seeing Nassau the Fun way on a Segway"! I WAS SO EXCITED as I have never ridden one of these before. Also, apparently there are two types - a city Segway and a more rugged version. These were the more rugged version that can go on sand and are more "all-terrain". Haha.

 

We were picked up at the port exit and driven to the Segway place. They gave us our hairnets, helmets, elbow and knee pads (the worst part) and a quick how-to. You could tell who was nervous on them, because the Segway wobbles if you wobble. The “trainers” were all really good natured and helpful, even if they were laughing at the wobblers. They had little ramps and hills for us to practice on so that made you much more confident before going out on the street.

 

 

Once everyone was ready, off we went! They took us around town, along the beach (Junkanoo) and to an open field where we could play around.

 

 

Junkanoo:

 

 

Cute photo op:

 

 

I spy the Magic!:

 

 

One of our tour guides:

 

 

Then we went to an area where they had cones set up to "race". It was fun. They also let us try out their faster Segways and that was really fun. I had never been on a Segway and while I still don’t know what I would use one for in daily life, it would definitely be fun. After all that, we rode back to the Segway drop off and then a quick trip back to the ship.

 

We did a little walking around looking for t-shirts, but honestly Nassau isn’t a nice place. I really didn’t feel that good just wandering around. There were lots of alleyways and men hanging around in them. Also, not only did our FunTimes have a notice about being safe in Nassau and to not carry around large sums of cash, but while we were getting ready they made an announcement over the PA of the same nature. I had never heard that done before.

[jtxo]

So then we came back to the boat. Our tour guides had told us about this kind of soda made in the Bahamas that is 53% sugar. So of course I had to buy some of that on the walk back through the pier shops, and boy was it good! It was definitely sweet too. That's probably an understatement actually.

 

 

But it was good, and soon enough we were enjoying a still mostly empty ship for lunch. We had great views from the comfy chairs on deck 11 to eat with. See?

 

 

Then it was time to relax on the mostly empty deck and watch a Bon Jovi convert from the 80s!

 

 

) It was great! I finally was able to snag one of the red cushion chairs on the back deck under an umbrella, and stayed staked out there until sail away. You could see Atlantis from back there.

 

 

 

I really think if you aren't going to spend the money for Atlantis (and boy, is it a lot of $$!) then Nassau is a great port to do a quick little excursion and then come back to the ship and enjoy her mostly empty. And I can't recommend the Segways enough, it was a great tour! :D

[jtxo]

Tonight for dinner we went back to the dining room, and I was starting to think the hostess had something against me because I kept turning down her offer to sit with other guests.

 

Tonight was strange though, she gave our table number to the seater, and he couldn't find it! Poor guy was so lost. We wandered all over the dining room, and you could tell how big of a no-no this was because every time another waiter would see us, they'd stop and try to help while looking very nervous and worried.

 

When we finally found our table, we were of course, right next to another couple. And by the way, the entire dining room was almost totally empty at this point. They were stuck off by a wall, and we were Riiiiiight next to them which I think is totally unnecessary. Hence why I think the hostess didn’t like me. But, it was fine and we enjoyed another delicious, if painfully awkward dinner. The folks next to us didn’t want to chat, so it stayed kinda awkward.

 

Tonight we made a point to go to the show in the theater because it was supposed to be a comedy magician named Mark Miller. He was pretty good, and it was fairly short too. Nothing you probably haven’t seen before, but if it's still fun then who cares? Afterwards, it was more Ocean plaza for music and dancing.

 

And our little friend:

 

 

Up next, just two more sea days (and lots of random ship pictures)!

[jtxo]

Enjoying your review! You give a nice amount of detail. Looking forward to the rest. Thank you for posting:)

 

Thank you for the kind words. Sometimes it feels like I'm writing this to myself (which is fine, it's a good way to relive it! Thanks for reading! :)

[love-lee]

I'm following along and you are doing a great job! I'm super excited to read about your next 2 sea days. We leave Sunday on the magic.

 

 

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[ibcnusoon]

Tonight’s towel animal, an Eskimo?

 

 

a monkey?

[coltsmama]

Loving this review. We were on the magic this past February on a western carib itinerary and we loved her so much, we booked get again next Feb for this itinerary. I've been worried about not having much to do in the Bahamas since we definitely aren't going to Atlantis.

[mtyduck1]

Enjoying your review. We are booked on the same itinerary in October and we haven't cruised in 10 years and it's nice to read about the ship and ports will be headed to.

 

 

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[LambKnuckles]

Get that next cruise built!! Pick a date and find your ship!!! I love having something to look forward to and dream about!!!

 

I haven't seen this itinerary since 2009. I love your photos!!! I can't wait for more!!!

 

I do have a question -- sorry it's technical about photos... I have a new computer, it's that new Windows 8.1 and I don't have any of the extra programs... just IE ... I can't post photos any more...

 

HOW DO YOU POST PHOTOS??? Sorry -- technical and you can wait to the end to respond... I just miss being able to post photos...