A Review of the Magic - 9/28/14 - Enter at your own Risk!

[LVDFW]

Was Skip still the CD? Did you make it to the Piano Bar?

[cruisetexas]

You are a great writer!

 

Would love to be on a cruise with you and your minions one day. Sounds like you keep them under control, but manage to have fun!

 

I'm sorry ignorant people caused your daughter to be embarrassed. Ridiculous. My daughter (and I) HATE to have attention drawn to us, it's so uncomfortable. That would have been a time I'd have loved to be able to turn around and make a snarky comment to them.

 

Thanks for posting!

Susan

(A Texan that says y'all .... and sometime all y'all)

[Beach_gal]

What a great review! Thanks for taking the time to write this :-)

[WestTxCruiser]

Enjoying your review!! We will be on the Magic in Jan, we are also staying at the Four Points Sheraton. Looking forward to the rest!!

[LibratPDX]

I love your style, people are looking at me funny because I'm laughing at my work computer :p. I was on the same cruise and a regular in the piano bar :D

[tkportersat]

Slow work day today, thanks for making me laugh. Looking forward to the rest of your review!

[TentOnWheels]

Oh, oh my goodness, I can't breathe! I'm laughing so hard. Reading his outloud to DH- we're cruising the Magic in February with several of our own 'minions' (can I call the in-laws minions? I think so!)

 

Your 2 pictures of the cove balcony have us just about ready to give up our ocean suite! My gosh, sooo close to the water!!

 

Love your writing- if you haven't thought about it before, you should really consider blogging; I'd subscribe in a heart beat!

Edited October 14, 2014 by TentOnWheels

[cmcsharon]

Chapter 4…Jamaica

 

(Dear review reader…I hope you brought a snack, we’re going to be here awhile! I'll probably have to separate this in a few different posts.)

 

I booked this cruise, and itinerary, because the kids and I have never been to these destinations. Turns out, the minions all had…multiple times. So…you’d think they’d be planning all of our port activities…but, no…that would be me. (I think they wanted someone to blame when it all went to………you know. Let’s see how much blame I’ll be taking.)

 

Researching Jamaica is frustrating. There are just as many people that love it as there are people that will never step foot off the ship again on that island. There’s some pretty strong hatred of it. It seems to revolve around very aggressive vendors…and, the drug sellers. (I’m having a hard time turning off that alarm in my head…warning…warning…nearing seedy underbelly.)

 

My daughter would like to have a relaxing beach day in Jamaica. So, I’m looking at 3 options. The first is the Carnival excursion to Seawinds all-inclusive beach resort. It’s in Montego Bay, so just minutes from the ship…and, it’s $99 per person. The second option is to go with the private vendor, Resort for a Day, to the Sunset Beach all-inclusive beach resort, also in Montego Bay, and $69 per person. The third option is to take a taxi to Dr. Cave’s Beach, near the Hip Strip, and pay the entrance fee, chair & umbrella fees, maybe get some food and drinks…and with round trip taxi, would probably be about $100 total for the 3 of us…so, it’s the least expensive option.

 

The more reviews I would read…the more unsure I would get. I liked the idea of being close to the ship…but then…you don’t get to see any of the island. I thought my son would prefer the Dr.’s Cave option…as it’s closer to any underbelly he’s going to see there….but, I was concerned about how my daughter would handle the aggressive vendors. I finally asked my son if he would mind going to one of the all-inclusives and he graciously said…I’m just along for the ride. I’ll go wherever you want.

 

Even after that…I was still leaning towards Dr.’s Cave Beach to give the kids the experience of seeing the island. Just days before leaving…I was reading a recent Jamaica review to pass the time, and it talked about the wonderful private tour they went on all around the island. They then casually mentioned that their plan was to get dropped off at the Hip Strip before heading back to the ship but that the area was closed, because of a shooting, so they went straight back to the ship.

 

You should’ve seen how quickly my fingers grabbed my debit card and 3 reservations were very quickly secured with Resort for a Day…we’re staying in Montego Bay! I let the minions know of our plans and invited them to join us but none of them did. One group of minions was going to take a taxi to Margaritaville, which is next to Dr.’s Cave Beach…and, the other group of minions went ahead and booked one of the Carnival shopping excursions.

 

Fast forward to the cruise…and we’ve arrived in Jamaica! We pack up our Carnival beach towels and our SPF 1000 sunscreen and head off the ship. (Another benefit of the cove balcony cabins is the easy access to getting on and off the ship…no waiting for crowded elevators!) We walked down the two flights of stairs and walked right off the ship…easy!

 

After getting through the maze of shops in the terminal, we wind our way outside and find our hosts waiting for us. There is already a good sized group waiting but we need to wait about 15 minutes more for the remainder of the people to arrive. Once everyone was there, a large plush air conditioned bus pulls up to take us on our journey. Our driver is very friendly and he happily shares history and facts about the island…including that they don’t say ‘Yes’ there…they say ‘Yea Mon’ and…they drive on the wrong side of the road. (Well, I believe he said that they drive on the right side of the road…but, clearly, he was driving on the wrong side!)

 

After about 5 minutes, we arrive at our destination. The staff are waiting to welcome us and lead us through the beautiful breezeway to the check-in. I get the 3 of us checked in and turn around from the desk and the entire bus load of people has scattered. WTH?! Now I’m a little worried...maybe I should’ve sent the kids ahead to find us some lounge chairs…what if this is chair hog city and I’ve just made a huge blunder. We head for the door and a nice woman says…you can go either left or right to the beach. Two pools are here in front, and another two pools, the water slides and the lazy river are further to the right. The buffet lunch begins at noon…Enjoy!

 

I can’t see the beaches so I just decide to go left and hope we’ll be able to find a spot. And…this is what we find…

 

 

Paradise! In this picture my daughter is putting our stuff under the first thatched umbrella and then, other than the 3 of us, there is one other group of 4 people all the way at the left end of the beach. This is unbelievable!

 

In the meantime…one set of minions heads off the ship around noon and is now in a cab on their way to Margaritaville. (We get to hear this tale at dinner.) The adventure starts out easily enough…they find a taxi, discuss the rate, and off they go. The ride is pleasant enough until they start to get closer to town and then traffic comes to a complete stop. And…the driver begins to get agitated. The minions notice he begins to randomly shout out his window at no one in particular. The line of cars next to them moves one car length and now a different car is next to them. The taxi driver looks over…the other driver looks back…and…it’s full on road rage! They both start screaming at each other.

 

The other driver is drinking a red stripe beer (while driving!) and he’s gesturing wildly with the bottle sending beer everywhere…including on to the cab…which infuriates the cab driver even more. The traffic finally begins moving but both drivers continue their shrieking at each other as they careen down the street.

 

Another tidbit about those aggressive Jamaican vendors…some of them will stand in the middle of the street, in between the moving lines of cars, to sell their wares. The minion’s insane taxi driver is heading straight for one of those vendors…who they guess is selling car parts…because he’s wearing a steering wheel around his neck and carrying several large metal objects. One minion has her hands over her eyes as the other minion is saying…oh no…oh no…oh no…as they hurtle towards the vendor who is now contortioning himself into the smallest profile he can make while carrying large metal objects…as the cab passes harrowingly close by.

 

After what seems like an eternity…they finally reach Margaritaville and…bruised, bleeding and beginning to barf…they stumble out of the cab.

 

The downstairs area of Margaritaville is packed…and loud…so they climb their way upstairs seeking out a table and a couple of large margaritas to calm their nerves.

 

And…the kids and I are here…

 

 

As it turns out, the Seawinds resort, from the Carnival excursion I didn’t pick, is right next door. We can’t see it…but, we can clearly hear the DJ and the music. A smile spreads across my face as the DJ says…everyone in the water make some noise…and a loud cheer erupts. Did you just see that picture above of my daughter….…she’s the only one in the water where we are………..this is so tranquil.

 

Back to the Margaritaville minions. Having calmed their nerves, they walk over to Dr.’s Cave Beach…where they see it is wall to wall people…and decide not to bother. They walk around the shops in the area for a little bit before eventually, heading back to Margaritaville…thinking they’re going to need a couple more margaritas before venturing back into a cab for the ride back to the ship.

 

Minions in the Jamaican bob sled at Margaritaville

 

(Continued in the next post)

[cmcsharon]

Still with me? Here's the continuation of Chapter 4...Jamaica!

 

Meanwhile, we have another group of minions (including Grandma minion) that have also ventured out, on a Carnival shopping excursion. They’ve all been to Jamaica before…and up until today…had been adamant that they would be in the group that would not be leaving the ship in Jamaica. At the last minute, they changed their minds and decided to venture out…but, only under the protection of a Carnival excursion.

 

They’re traveling in a small air conditioned motor coach and are actually enjoying their drive around the island. They make one stop at a small marketplace but quickly tire of the aggressive vendors and return to the bus. They have one other marketplace to go to and then the final destination will also be Margaritaville and the Hip Strip.

 

On the motor coach, minion 1 has the window seat, minion 2 is next to him and grandma minion is in the seat across the aisle. They are happily chatting away when minion 1 starts tapping minion 2. She ignores him and keeps on chatting…and the tapping becomes more pronounced and more frantic. Minion 2 finally looks over at minion 1 and he discreetly points out the window…and minion 2’s eyes become the size of saucers…as she sees that the motor coach is about to turn into their next shopping destination…where the entire outdoor area of very first vendor’s place of business is lined with brightly painted six foot tall wooden sculptures of…a…um…a portion of the male anatomy that rhymes with ‘weenis’. And…the first thought that crosses minion 2’s mind is…OMG, I’m with my 75 year old mother!

 

As with the other minions…this story is being regaled to us as we’ve all gathered for dinner. I feel sorry for the other diners this evening, as our table is near hysteria. You can just imagine the jokes and comments that were shared (while trying to be respectful of our other diners)…but, we were all disappointed that there were no pictures! Another trip to Jamaica is going to have to be planned…just to document the evidence.

 

Back at the Sunset Beach resort…we’re getting hungry…it’s time to head to the buffet. And, here’s our view from our table.

 

 

At the buffet we have a large selection of fresh fruits and salad makings to choose from. Along with sandwich fixings and desserts. And then, a large section for hot foods including delicious jerk chicken and fresh fish…and rice, pasta and vegetables offerings. Ice water and sodas are serve yourself…and then another bar is just steps away.

 

As we’re finishing up our lunch…minion group 2 is finishing up their shopping at the ‘wooden garden’ and are now being deposited at Margaritaville…with the crowds. They squeeze their way in and find some standing room only area at the back…not realizing that the other minions are at a table right upstairs…rapidly downing liquid courage before attempting the ride back!

 

Again…back at the resort…the kids and I decide to move from the beach and spend some time at one of the pools, if it’s not too crowded. And…it’s not. In this picture the kids are taking a selfie at the nearly empty pool. (I’m beginning to think I imagined the bus load of people we rode in with!)

 

 

If this pool had been too crowded we could’ve just moved to the sea turtle pool on the other side of the bar. Seen here.

 

 

I swear…it was a large bus…and it was full. And, here are the slides and lazy river.

 

 

And, the view of the ship from the top of the slides.

 

 

It’s getting later in the afternoon now and, even though they didn’t find each other at Margaritaville, you’ll be happy to know that both sets of minions had uneventful, stress free rides back to the ship and were safely back on board.

 

The kids and I are still at the pool and our peaceful setting is interrupted by two loud, very inebriated couples. One of the men is yelling…about how he doesn’t care that the shuttle is out there. That the ship doesn’t leave until 4:00pm so he’s not leaving yet…since it’s not even 3:00pm.

 

Now…our ship, which is the only one docked at Montego Bay…doesn’t leave until 5:30pm. So…these people (which we started referring to as ‘the soon to be pier runners’) must be on one of the other ships that are docked at the farther away locations. Once he finished his tirade…he belly flopped into the pool and then pushed himself along the edge and deposited himself on the stools at the pool bar...waiting to be served.

 

The rest of the soon to be pier runners…sat their stuff down, waded into the pool and joined him at the bar. After consuming even more alcohol, they eventually got out of the pool and left…and, I thought that would be the last we’d see of the soon to be pier runners.

 

Our shuttle wasn’t coming back until 4:30pm but around 4:00pm we’d decided to end our day in paradise. We gathered our stuff and headed to the front where we knew a line of cabs was waiting. As we crossed the breezeway…we began to hear the shouting. And, as we got nearer…there stood the ‘soon to be pier runners’…which I should probably now change to ‘soon to be stranded passengers’ arguing with the manager. The obnoxious man was shouting about how they missed the shuttle…that he knows he’d been drinking…but…that they’d paid their money for it and “they” have to get them back to the ship. The other man is comforting the two women…as one looks like she’s crying.

 

I step up to the front desk and the lady turns to me, points to them…and says in a snotty tone…are you with them? I quickly say no…and her whole demeanor changes. She’s as nice as can be as she asks how she can help us. I explain we’re supposed to be on the 4:30pm shuttle but we’d like to take a cab back early. She walks us out, signals for a cab to pull up and wishes us well on our journey.

 

It was a crazy ending to a perfect day at a beautiful resort. I would highly recommend Resort for a Day and the Sunset Beach Resort in Montego Bay.

 

We had a FANTASTIC time in Jamaica…but…I’m not sure the minions would agree!

 

Next up…Chapter 5 – Cayman Islands (Jump Seats, Underwater Camera Deaths…and…Swimming in the Fish Toilet)

[Beachiekeen]

Wow, enjoying this much! My first cruise will be in March on the Magic to the Bahamas. Thought about using Resort for a Day so thanks for the review!

[1Honey12]

Best review ever!

Starbucks in hand, I am glued to my seat! :D

[GaMtnMom]

This has got to be the BEST REVIEW EVER!!! I have never been more entertained by a review. I don't have any plans to cruise out of Galveston or on the Magic any time soon but I'm hooked on this review.

 

Our next cruise is in April out of San Juan on Liberty, but I've determined that our next one after that will be in a cove balcony.

 

Can't wait for more! LOL

[melaniesmom]

We board the Magic on Sunday, and we are headed to Sunset Beach on Wednesday. So glad to hear your good review. Thank you for taking the time to write this review! I hope to be able to read more before we leave. :)

[tkportersat]

We have been to Sunset Beach a couple times and it is a really is a nice secure place. Hope you have a nice time!

 

We board the Magic on Sunday, and we are headed to Sunset Beach on Wednesday. So glad to hear your good review. Thank you for taking the time to write this review! I hope to be able to read more before we leave. :)

[melaniesmom]

We have been to Sunset Beach a couple times and it is a really is a nice secure place. Hope you have a nice time!

 

Thank you!:)

[cmcsharon]

This is just another brief intermission to share a quick story…along with another picture.

 

My story is about the camaraderie of strangers.

 

I’m traveling with a teenager whose favorite activity, especially during daylight hours…is sleep! In the mornings, for breakfast, my son and I would usually go to the Lido buffet and eat together. We’d then go back to the cabin in the late morning to drag my teenager out of bed for a short while so Dewa could take care of the room. The routine would be that we’d then go with her to the Lido buffet and sit with her while she had her breakfast. On one of the sea day mornings we had just gotten to the buffet for my daughter’s breakfast. My son went and sat at a table, my daughter was filling her plate, and I went over to the drink station to get her a drink.

 

I stepped in line behind a man who was waiting his turn and then another man waited behind me. We were three strangers…about to share a common experience.

 

The person filling their drink finished and the man in front of me was about to step forward when we heard a commotion. A woman hurtles towards us…she’s waving her arms and frantically, breathlessly says…I need to get up there real quick.

 

The man steps back to give her room and I’m thinking…this must be an emergency. Someone must have heatstroke and she’s about to save them. Or…we’re all going to have to form a water brigade using mini neon colored cups to put out some raging fire. We are about to be called into action…I know it.

 

Then…the brave woman…defiantly steps forward……….and………proceeds to begin washing her hands in the drinking water. As the three of us strangers look on with our mouths agape.

 

She glances back at us…sees the horrified expressions on our faces…and says…I had something sticky on my fingers.

 

The man at the front…closes his mouth…points to his left…and says, the hand sanitizer is right there. And then he looks over at me.

 

I close my mouth…point in the same direction…and say…and the restroom is right behind it. And then I look over at the man behind me.

 

He closes his mouth…opens it again….closes it once more…gets this big smile on his face…and says…I got nothing. And…the three of us strangers bust up laughing.

 

The woman glares at us…as if WE’VE personally offended HER…and walks away.

 

I only saw the men one or two other times around the ship…but…big smiles were always shared.

 

And…here’s one more photo…from the end of our day at Jamaica…I caught a bit of the sunset from our cove balcony. I have to admit…it’s going to be hard for me to go back to any other type of cabin……..being so near the water was breathtaking.

 

 

We now return you to your regularly scheduled wait for Grand Cayman.

[anandaindonesia]

Good intermission. More, more! 😂

 

Sent via TapaTalk. Sorry for typo.

[LambKnuckles]

Loving the review... I came back for more!! Still GREAT!!! :)

 

Omg, hilarious! I still dream about that girl and her green cap and gown. JH had so much fun with that. I usually stay away from GS first day but maybe I'll get some popcorn and pull up a chair. ��

 

And I'm with you, FTTF and coves are awesome!! ��

 

 

I'm just wondering how many Halloween costumes (ON BOARD) will be of this girl, since she was made famous by her mom and JH!!!

Edited October 16, 2014 by LambKnuckles

[lamkinranch]

Following! Fellow Nor-Californian, will be on Magic with hubby and 25 and 21 yr old in Jan. First cruise for the kids, so it is great to hear what your kids thought of the Magic. Love love love your style!

[cmcsharon]

Over 9,000 views already…I hope that means you want me to continue. As I said at the beginning…I’ve never written a review before…then again, does this even qualify as a review? Reviews tend to provide useful information! What’s a better name for this…narrative…diatribe………I know……..manifesto! The Carnival Magic Manifesto…it sounds so official.

 

Uh oh…official sounding isn’t good…you might raise your expectations…I need to keep them low! We’ll stick with review.

 

I should have some time to write the Cayman Islands portion on Friday…the ports take a little longer. (Maybe I’m saying too much…let me know if you’re tired of reading my ramblings and just want pictures.)

 

Thanks for coming along on this journey with me!

 

(On a side note...the minions and I all got together last night...and...I was told to start looking for another cruise. It's unanimous...we're doing this again!)

 

Next up…Chapter 5 – Cayman Islands (Jump Seats, Underwater Camera Deaths…and…Swimming in the Fish Toilet)

[windsor26]

So glad you are doing this composition:):):)

 

We are trying a Carnival cruise early next year on Legend so I love to hear about the things that happen on a Carnival ship.;)

[jimbo5544]

Over 9,000 views already…I hope that means you want me to continue. As I said at the beginning…I’ve never written a review before…then again, does this even qualify as a review? Reviews tend to provide useful information! What’s a better name for this…narrative…diatribe………I know……..manifesto! The Carnival Magic Manifesto…it sounds so official.

 

 

 

Uh oh…official sounding isn’t good…you might raise your expectations…I need to keep them low! We’ll stick with review.

 

 

 

I should have some time to write the Cayman Islands portion on Friday…the ports take a little longer. (Maybe I’m saying too much…let me know if you’re tired of reading my ramblings and just want pictures.)

 

 

 

Thanks for coming along on this journey with me!

 

 

 

(On a side note...the minions and I all got together last night...and...I was told to start looking for another cruise. It's unanimous...we're doing this again!)

 

 

 

Next up…Chapter 5 – Cayman Islands (Jump Seats, Underwater Camera Deaths…and…Swimming in the Fish Toilet)

 

 

Great review and style. Keep it coming.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Edited October 17, 2014 by jimbo5544

[americanmama]

Don't you dare stop now!! More More More! lol...really enjoying it..thanks eversomuch!

[ch27088]

I don’t usually write reviews. I probably shouldn’t. I’m already starting to feel giddy from the power…………..…CARNIVAL…feel the WRATH of my WORDS! …all you private EXCURSION VENDORS…….tremble at my MIGHT!

 

Yeah…I can tell already…this isn’t going to end well.

 

Let me start with a quick public service announcement…Carnival Haters and Complainers…there’s nothing to see here. Move along.

 

For those of you that are already tired of me…here’s the Cliff Notes version:

Faster to the Fun – Worth it

Cove Balcony – My kind of place

Cabin and Ship Air Conditioning – Nice and cool…no complaints

Food – Plenty and tasty…again, no complaints

Cheers Program – I’m a light drinker but I got it anyway…would do it again

Galveston Port – Easy

Carnival Magic – Perfect!

 

That’s it for the quick recap. If you’re along for the ride for the long version…I’m guessing…insomnia? Or, you’re a relative and feel obligated. (Hi Mom!)

 

Here goes…it’s been 4 years since my last cruise………and…….…I can still smell the fresh paint. The linens had never been slept on…….. :o wrong story.

 

Let's start again...on this trip it’s…me, my 21 year old son…and, my 18 year old daughter…along with an assorted number of minions (I mean…relatives) totaling 8, all traveling from Northern California. Hubby doesn’t like to cruise…so he stayed home. (Just in case you’re wondering…not liking to cruise is not considered…”reasonable”…grounds for divorce…I checked.) We were cruising in celebration of my daughter’s graduation from high school…and, it’s the Western Caribbean itinerary of Montego Bay - Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

 

Chapter 1 – Planning (How to properly pack a Cap & Gown, Shuttle Shock and Locked Up Abroad!)

I booked the cruise about 6 months out on an ES rate, using the gnome people (you know, the one’s that want you to go - you smell…or, something like that)…I don’t really like using mythical creatures as go betweens…but…those gnomes had some great extra perks…and, they came through. (Score one for the pointy hat freaks!)

 

I started doing some cruise research on cruise critic around June or July and kept coming up with these references to a crazy mom that made her daughter wear her graduation cap & gown on the ship. This became my new, go to, threat for my daughter…don’t make me pack your Cap & Gown! (Worked like a charm!)

 

This was also my first experience traveling with my children when they were both considered “legal” adults. (Oh my!) When I asked them what they’d want to do in the ports…my son was quick to respond with…explore the seedy underbellies of third world countries.

 

Great. Time to increase the travel budget…I’m now booking port excursions! And then I made it perfectly clear that none of us are going to be featured on the Locked Up Abroad reality show. Repeat after me….…Locked Up Abroad = Muy No Bueno! There will be NO underbellies on this trip!

 

The one thing I didn’t look into before booking this cruise…was Galveston. Galveston is an island. (Who knew?) Galveston is a long way from the airport. Galveston has some sort of Shuttle mafia or something going on………you, shiny new CHEAPER shuttle services try and come into our turf…we’re going to cut you off at the knees. Yeah…didn’t know about this part. If you’re coming in a day or two early…just be aware. I ended up booking a great deal for the 8 of us to take us from the airport to the hotel in Galveston. Pick us up the morning of the cruise at the hotel and take us to the ship. And then, pick us up at the ship at the end of the cruise and take us back to the airport. Great price…really nice people…I was pleased. But wait…just FIVE days before we leave…you guessed it…the mafia! I get a cryptic email…sorry to inform you, as of today we are no longer in business. Are you kidding me…now I’m looking over my shoulder and checking under the sheets for a horse head.

 

I quickly call the minions and tell them to book the return transfers through Carnival…I’ll figure something else out for the trip in (thank you Sam’s Limo…as I begrudgingly pay the increased mafia price)…and, we’ll just have to figure something out about how to get to the ship…the morning of the cruise…once we’re in Galveston (which is an island…who knew?).

 

Sorry for the recurring, who knew – theme about Galveston. It was an issue with the minions. Apparently, I failed to mention that Galveston was, in fact, an island! (Am I the only one with Google?) And…it’s not like the minions had to swim there with their luggage strapped on their backs…we got to the “island”…via freeway! Just saying.

 

Next up (not sure when)…Chapter 2 – To Galveston we go (Freak Storm, Humidity and a lot of Y’Alls)

 

 

I'm loving this already and just got started. Subscribing.

[myqlj]

Interesting timing on the shuttle cancellation. We just returned on 10/12 to find a bit of congestion with parking lot shuttles. The driver informed us that the port authority had, with little prior notification, more than quadrupled port access fees for parking lot shuttles, while maintaining level fees for taxis. Apparently, the port authority has just purchased its own parking lot and is using its (Authority) leverage to pressure the competition.