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

[1959kar]

I love love love, your sense of humor, :D

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying your review, thanks for posting it. Looking forward to more.

[ChicoCA]

Good stuff!!!

[ch27088]

We interrupt our Grand Cayman continuation for a brief public service announcement.

 

For this announcement, we have to go back to Galveston briefly. The goal is to spare others from an equally embarrassing encounter.

 

I had explained earlier that I selected the hotel, the Four Points Sheraton, for the night before our cruise, because of its location. I thought the pier would be a fun place for all of us to hang out, and there’s also Murdoch’s, a great souvenir store situated over the ocean…with a huge back porch and rows of white Adirondack chairs to sit in and watch the waves and the lights from the pier, along with many other shops and restaurants within easy walking distance from the hotel.

 

One day, while eating my lunch at my desk at work, I decided to do some research about the pier…ticket prices, types of rides, etc.

 

Here’s the tip I have for you…remember to type in the FULL name of the pier in any search engines…including the word ‘Galveston’ first……Galveston Pleasure Pier.

 

Forgetting to type in the ‘Galveston’ part…might also get you embarrassingly hauled into to Security to be lectured on why we don’t use company equipment to access ‘those’ types of sites!

 

Honestly…Mr. Security…I’m going on vacation and I was doing some research about the area…it’s really just an amusement park (I think he’s believing me)…on an island (this is good…he’s starting to nod his head)…in Texas…(and....…I’ve lost him!). What is it about us Californians that we can’t associate islands with Texas!

 

But seriously…who named that place?! ‘Pleasure Pier’…oh my! :eek:

 

We now return you to your regularly scheduled wait for Grand Cayman…part 2.

 

Okay, I have to ask that you do not do this to me while I'm drinking any type of liquids. I just started drinking and reading, (see where I'm going with this Ms. Pleasure Pier), and I am now wiping off my computer screen with Clorox Wipes. But, I do have to thank you for the biggest laugh, that was great!

[cmcsharon]

And…we’re back! This one is mostly going to be pictures (so feel free to drink those liquids with abandon!).

 

We were about to get back on the boat and leave Stingray City. But, before we do, I want to share a little story about our guide, Chris, from Native Way Watersports.

 

I know there are many people that are not comfortable using a private vendor for an excursion and Carnival offers many Stingray City excursions to choose from…even some of the minions were questioning why we weren’t going with Carnival. But, when you’re out there and you see the difference…it’s an easy choice. We saw boats out there with 150+ passengers sardined onto them…and, they don’t have nearly enough guides to give everyone the type of experience that we were getting.

 

Just before we were about to get back on our boat one of those 100+ people boats anchored nearer to us. Some of the people from that crowd started to drift a little closer to where we were. You could tell that they were very excited to be there and they were truly fascinated as they got glimpses of the stingrays as they swam by…but, they didn’t know what to do and it was clear that their guides weren't around to help them.

 

We were all still swimming around and enjoying our last few minutes before getting back on the boat when I noticed Chris swim over to the edge of that crowd of people that had been getting closer. He dove down into the water, scooped up a stingray, and he began to show them how to properly handle it and how to gently pass it around to each other.

 

He didn’t have to do that. But…I’m sure he was concerned for the safety of those people and for the safety of his beloved stingrays. And, most importantly, he just wanted those people to have a memorable experience, even if they weren’t his responsibility. That’s the type of company Native Way Watersports is and I would highly recommend them!

 

Here’s our wonderful guide, Chris, helping a minion with her Stingray hat!

 

 

Now we’re all back on board the boat – my daughter and some minions ride up at the rail.

 

 

Chris heads the boat away from Stingray City and it’s not long before we are at our next location…snorkeling around the Coral Garden. The dark areas in the picture below are the coral formations. The color of the water out here is incredible. I can’t even describe it.

 

 

Chris tosses some fish food off the back of the boat and the fish come swarming. And…this picture of the fish below becomes the last picture to be taken with the Fuji underwater camera. The screen on the back goes out on it and we now have dead camera #2. (Uh oh…this was the one that was borrowed!)

 

 

Fortunately…my point and shoot is still pointing and shooting! Here’s a snorkel selfie my daughter took with a minion.

 

 

And…this lobster…wandering around on the bottom...was huge!

 

 

I’ve reached my photo limit for this post so I’m going to wrap up the snorkeling. We’re going to climb back into the boat and go search for some starfish.

 

Next up…Grand Cayman…part 3.

[afreetdragon]

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)

 

 

Me! Me! I want to go too. Just let me know when and where.

[LambKnuckles]

WOW!!! The stingray is HUGE!!! And the LOBSTER... YIKES!!!

 

I'm loving the review and photos!!! THANK YOU!!

[karessamom]

Oh I so much enjoy reading your reviews! Love your sense of Humor too! We are so looking forward to our cruise next Aug on Magic! When we cruised last on Conquest in 2005--We went to the Coffee farm tour. I can't actually remember the name of it but you climbed on a bus and traveled for quite a while so you got to see a lot of the island. then we toured this coffee and pineapple farm. we're not into drinking coffee but thoroughly enjoyed the pineapples and learned a lot on how they're grown and harvested. Had some of the best tasting pineapple EVER! and nothing can compare to that what you get here at home! totally not the same! Our pineapples here don't even come close! they also served an incredible pineapple drink that they make from the skins of the pineapples again very good. we are contemplating what we want to do in Jamacia this time. The itinerary will be the same as we had on Conquest from New Orleans except we're going on Magic out of Galveston. Crazy I know but we liked it so much and didn't get to do some of the things we wanted to do the first time around. Keep writing!

[Raven Days]

I love your review and I am thinking of re-doing my cruise on the Magic back to Jamaica and using the same vendors you did! My first and only time to Jamaica was last year and I was petrified by the stories I had read about it....so I went the safe route and booked all ship excursions and now after reading your review, I feel better about booking a private vendor...

 

And a belated welcome to Texas!

[Flytko]

Those pics are awesome, lovely review!!!!

[cmcsharon]

Grand Cayman…part 3

 

Okay…we’re finishing up our Grand Cayman excursion…and we are back on the boat and heading somewhere to find some starfish. Chris is driving the boat away from our snorkel location and I’ve given up trying to figure out which direction we’re going. I’ll admit it…I am direction impaired. I routinely get into rather heated ‘discussions’ with the navigation in my car…wait…is that my left or your left. It’s not pretty.

 

So…it’s a little shocking to me when Chris puts the boat in neutral, runs up to the front of the boat and looks out…and then runs to back and looks out…and then…dives off the back of the boat into the ocean.

 

Um…man overboard?

 

Were we supposed to follow…’cause I’m not jumping off a perfectly good boat in the middle of the ocean if I’m not seeing any flames?

 

He quickly surfaces, pulls himself up on the back of the boat and says…this is it! So he drops the anchor and we get ready to go back in the water. Chris explains a little bit about the starfish and about how we don’t want to keep them out of the water for long…as you don’t want the water to completely drain from them. If it does, air could get in causing them to float rather than sink when we put them back and they could die. So, back into the water we go again.

 

Here’s my daughter

 

 

And…here’s what she finds

 

 

We end up bringing up 5 large starfish…and they’re huge! (Sorry for the water spots on some of these pictures…I didn’t always remember to shake the water drops off the lens after bringing it out of the water.)

 

 

I’m not sure what to say about this picture below…apparently we have a minion that likes to have sea creatures on her head. We’re just going to leave it at that.

 

 

Here’s that same minion under water…notice no sea creatures are around. I think they’ve been warned.

 

 

I’m really pleased with the point and shoot Panasonic Lumix underwater camera. Not only did it outlive 2 other more expensive cameras…but…a lot of the times I would just point it under the water and shoot…without even looking…and catch shots like this…

 

 

Eventually…our time on this amazing excursion comes to an end. Chris dives down to make sure all the starfish are sinking back to the bottom of the ocean floor and the rest of us get back on the boat.

 

He takes us back to the dock where we say our thank you’s and goodbyes and we head back to the port terminal…(this time in a large, air-conditioned van…with no jump seats!).

 

Again…I highly recommend Native Way Watersports…they truly provided an unbelievable service to us today. We won’t soon forget the time we spent at Grand Cayman.

 

Next up…Chapter…uh…um…6 maybe? Our final port…Cozumel (Where to buy an alligator, confused cab drivers…and…manatee hugs.) But…don’t be surprised if there are one or two intermissions first…I’m not sure we’re done with the Cayman Islands just yet.

[aces389]

I have truly enjoyed your style of writing and sense of humor. The only similar reviews that I have read and enjoyed have come from Sailor Jack. Keep up the good work.:)

[Golfing Dan]

We were also on this cruise. We were on your floor. Dewa was our Steward. Yes, he was loud and always called each of us by name. We were in 2305, 2325, 2333, 2337 and 2353. We were close neighbors. I am enjoying reading your review and reliving our cruise. Thanks.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[fmrlkr]

 

For cruises out of Texas you can’t purchase the Cheers program until the second day because…um….uh…..? Hmm, this is really surprising. It’s not surprising that I don’t know the reason…it’s surprising that Texas has this restriction. I have to admit…my brief experience in Texas was….refreshing! Throwing our luggage, and ourselves, onto a pink trolley that was being towed by a Jeep…would NEVER be allowed in California. We drove that entire way to the port…WITH NO SEATBELTS! Unheard of!

 

As we were walking along the Galveston seawall the evening before the cruise I noticed there were pieces of the concrete along the sidewalks that were UNEVEN, and even pieces MISSING. I had to watch where I was walking. In complete contrast, the beautiful city I live in has pristine sidewalks…all perfectly smooth. And yet, section by section, the city is ripping out every section and replacing it…all because some brilliant politician decided the cracks between the slabs needed to be a ¼ of an inch smaller…and…if the city doesn’t do it, they’ll be sued. Oh…Texas…how I miss you. (It might take me awhile…but…I could probably learn how to say y’all.)

 

Laughed so hard DH came in from the other room to see what the problem was. He is from SoCal and we have family there and in NorCal. We live in Mississippi and when his daughter visits with her family she stays in full panic mode because of how dangerous it is. Trampolines without walls, kids run around the neighborhood unattended (probably with sharp sticks) without adult guided activities, because the adults are drinking while shooting off fireworks, we have OPEN FIRES in our back yards with people sitting near them. Don't we have regulations? And the answer is no.

[douglinc@msn.com]

Enjoying your review, getting anxious for our Jan. cruise on the Magic.

[Teekkanie]

I just love the way you tell us your story. I also am from California and I will never look at the pacific ocean "Giant Fish Toilet" the same way again. :eek:

I am so looking forward to my cruise in March.

[MustardMan]

I just have to tell you I share everyone else views of how good this review is (well except that one stick in the mud....) and also of how great Native Way is for the stingray excursion in Grand Cayman! You didn't mention if they had "an official photographer" along on your excursion. We did and she took a bunch of pictures of my wife and I on the excursion and actually made DVD's on the way back to port for those that wanted to buy them. I thought they were kind of pricy but they were easy to negotiate with.....;) so we agreed that $40 was a little steep and I think I got it for $20. There were 3 people from Native Way on our boat with us. Eldon was one, and a guy named Everett and the photographer Esther. We went in 2008 so it has been quite a while.

 

I found it amazing how many stingrays showed up when the boats started pulling up to the sandbar! It was like the water turned black!

[Shananagins957]

Absolutely love your review, please keep writing. Excited to hear more.

[cmcsharon]

I just have to tell you I share everyone else views of how good this review is (well except that one stick in the mud....) and also of how great Native Way is for the stingray excursion in Grand Cayman! You didn't mention if they had "an official photographer" along on your excursion. We did and she took a bunch of pictures of my wife and I on the excursion and actually made DVD's on the way back to port for those that wanted to buy them. I thought they were kind of pricy but they were easy to negotiate with.....;) so we agreed that $40 was a little steep and I think I got it for $20. There were 3 people from Native Way on our boat with us. Eldon was one, and a guy named Everett and the photographer Esther. We went in 2008 so it has been quite a while.

 

I found it amazing how many stingrays showed up when the boats started pulling up to the sandbar! It was like the water turned black!

 

No, we didn't have an official photographer. It was just Chris on the boat with us, no one else from Native Way. But Chris happily took photos for us with our cameras.

 

I agree that it really was amazing to watch those stingrays show up.

[cmcsharon]

It's time for another intermission. I had heard on the forums that our cruise was a Premier Casino cruise. I have no idea what that means. But…I do need to share a little bit about the Casino.

 

I’m not a big gambler, but I did bring $100 in cash that, over the course of the cruise, I was willing to donate to Carnival if I decided to gamble. I wasn’t quite sure of the ‘players card/players bank’ thing so I had a minion run it down to me. You put your sail and sign card in the machine…and, the very first time it’s going to ask you to set up your account. Easy enough. Some of the minions had already been playing in the casino and had won a little bit so I thought I’d go in and give it a try.

 

I put some cash in a slot machine (penny slots…that’s my speed)…and then I put my card in to set up my account for the first time…and I get a card error message. So, I take the card out and put it in again…still get a card error. Try it again…still card error. Well…that’s okay, I figured I was going to lose anyway…I’ll just start playing.

 

Before I can begin a minion sees me at the machine and comes over…so I explain the error with my card. And then I demonstrate it. She says…let me try my card…so she puts her card in my machine and it lights up like it’s supposed to and then she takes it back out. (I see the machine processing something but it doesn’t quite register to me.) And then a service person walks by…so we stop them and explain that my card won’t read and he politely explains that it must’ve deactivated and I’d need to go to guest services to have them fix it. Okay…and then I say…but what about my money? He looks at the machine and says…what money? I look back at the machine and its showing $0.

 

I explain that I had just put $20 in the machine and was about to start playing when I discovered the card error thing. And then I point to the minion and say…and then she put her card in to make sure it wasn’t a problem with the machine. And he said…well, if she put a good card in, the money transferred to that account when it was removed. And then he asks…do you know her? The minion and I look at each other and I say…NO! And we both start laughing. As we’re standing there laughing the minion’s husband walks up and she explains that she accidently took my money and asks him if he has cash to give me…which he does and hands it over. As I’m walking away to go to guest services I’m thinking…that minion was pretty shrewd…first she got my money…and then she got her husband to pay me. At that rate…she’s going to clean up in the casino without even playing!

 

On another day, she saw me in there again when I had some winnings on my machine and she offered to put her card in again…I politely declined that offer!

 

But…we can’t leave this casino story without sharing a bit about some of what I saw. I guess I don’t spend much time in casinos because this truly was a learning experience! Just as a reminder…my experiences were in the penny slots areas…I’m not a table games player. That’s way too much math for me!

 

What I discovered was that a lot of the casino slot players fell into three different groups. Group 1…the screamers! Group 2…the tag teams! And, Group 3…the rituals!

 

I found a penny machine that I liked because it was funny…it was based on the old Airplane movie…and the WILD function was the inflatable co-pilot from the movie and it would inflate and wiggle (what can I say…I’m easily entertained). I had my first experience with a screamer when I was playing this machine. A very nice woman sits down at the machine next to me and proceeds to play. It doesn’t take long before she lets out a little shriek…and I’m thinking…wow…she hit something big. In her excitement she bumps my arm and says…I just won 80! I smile politely and nod…(yes…well done…you just won 80 cents!).

 

A few minutes later…a much louder shriek! This one definitely startled me…and she bumps me again…and excitedly shares that she just won 160…! It’s at this time that I notice she’s betting 400 coins at a time…but I again smile politely…while thinking…congratulations…you lost more than half of your money on that one!

 

I continue playing my measly 30 cent bets…and, you guessed it. The mother of all blood curdling screams! I’m so startled…I think my spleen exploded! (I’m pretty sure that’s okay though…because I don’t think we need one.) She’s hanging on my arm…so excited…she’d won 320 coins!!! Still…less than her bet…and I’m rapidly pressing my cash out button because I know I’m not going to survive if she hits anything over $10. It’s time for me to move!

 

On another night in the casino…I get to experience the tag teams. One stands behind the other…or sits next to them…and they take turns doing something. One will push the button…and then…TAG…it’s the next one’s turn. They’ll trade places and then that one will push the button. And then…TAG…they switch again. Sometimes it’s just one each…sometimes it’s a pattern…3 and then 2 and then 3 and then 2…or some other random pattern that you begin to wonder if there’s some significance to it. I was taking it as it’s spelling out ‘time to move again’ in some sort of casino morse code!

 

And then there’s the rituals. I really need to spend more time in casinos because I had no idea how involved people get. I thought you just put your money in and pushed a button. Maybe pulled a handle. Oh…how inexperienced I was.

 

The first ritual sat down next to me one evening and began playing…but she didn’t sit for long. Soon she was up…for a few plays. Then…she was crossing her arms over to use a different arm. Then…it was sit on the stool but sit sideways this time. Then…sit the opposite way. And then stand again. Oh…other arm. Left foot in the air. Now hop on one foot. Sit but use both hands on the button. Now stand again…right foot in the air. It was so hard not to laugh…that I ended up quietly humming to myself…’you put your left foot in…you put your left foot out…you put your left foot in…and you shake it all about’. After two rounds of the hokey pokey it was time to cash out again!

 

The last of the rituals was a little unexpected. I was sitting playing a machine and I kept hearing these people kissing. Um…yeah...awkward. I was afraid to look over…because it was just a little too much. Eventually there was a break and I glance over and it’s just a woman…by herself. Okay…now I’m curious. I glance back over and see that she’s kissing her finger and then kissing every button and then every reel and then whatever creatures were dancing along the top…and then she’d kiss the button one more time…and then she’d press it. And…then it would start all over! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! This is NORO VIRUS just waiting to happen! I felt like I was Sheldon Cooper…my hands go up and I can’t help thinking…what if she was on this machine before I was!!! I think I used the corner of my shirt to hit the cash out button and quickly headed out…to wash my hands!

 

I didn’t spend much time in the casino after that…never did donate the $100. (I actually ended up cashing out winning a little over $275 when I was finally done…not bad for pennies)

 

My apologies to any Screamers, Tag Teamers or Rituals that are reading this review. I mean no offense…just sharing my observations! And…please…stop kissing the machines!

 

I'll end this intermission with a picture. The dinosaur towel animal we found the evening of Grand Cayman was my daughter's favorite.

 

 

Next up…Chapter…uh…um…6 maybe? Our final port…Cozumel (Where to buy an alligator, confused cab drivers…and…manatee hugs.)

[windsor26]

I must admit with those who are drinking and playing the slots I always get a disinfectant towel from the cashier's desk and wipe down the buttons of the machine before I use it (I do this also in the internet cafe)

Better safe than sorry and now after the kissing story I am glad I do:o:mad:

[falkcor]

It's time for another intermission.

 

if up next is your last port, i hope you'll have a few more intermissions - before or after because i'm still really enjoying your review - i really like your writing style and point of view!

 

I glance back over and see that she’s kissing her finger and then kissing every button and then every reel and then whatever creatures were dancing along the top…and then she’d kiss the button one more time…and then she’d press it. And…then it would start all over! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! This is NORO VIRUS just waiting to happen!

 

OMG :eek:

 

i had no idea. that is disgusting. i will never think of the casino machines the same way to know that such things go on. i just might have to pack latex gloves for the next cruise :mad:

 

I didn’t spend much time in the casino after that…never did donate the $100. (I actually ended up cashing out winning a little over $275 when I was finally done…not bad for pennies)

 

congrats on winning though, very hard on cruise ships! perhaps meeting that gross ritual person was meant to be lol :p <- that's the ritual person kissing the slot machine. but really grats lol :cool:

[snorkler8]

Oh please hurry and do Cozumel! I will be there a week from today and we haven't decided what to do there yet!

[cruisetexas]

Your daughter is stunning (said not in a snarky way....I'm a Mom, too!).

 

Great review!

Susan

[luv2tvl]

I am loving this review!

 

You need to write a blog or a book or just send me an email every day to make me laugh. How's that sound? Good? :) You rock.