Carnival Magic 2/28 Review

[tvlworm]

Between it being my 1st day back to work and daylight savings time, I have a complete case of the Monday's!

 

Day 4 brought us to our 2nd and last port day in Progreso. I again was the early riser and this time was joined by the rest of the family not long after. Headed to breakfast right away as I wanted to be able to get off the ship not long after we docked.

 

Breakfast at the lido was not nearly as busy as the day prior. Returned to the room just in time to hear the all clear and headed off the ship. I have to say from previous reviews read I wasn't expecting the greenish color waters, but they were! I also anticipated armed officers with M16s at the pier as well as I've previously read. I gave my 11yr old a pep talk on this prior to leaving the ship as he sometimes has no filter when talking and I could just imagine what could have flown out of his mouth :) luckily didn't see them -- at least not at the port.

 

Our plan for the day was to go to Uxmal. After much research and question asking decided again to not book through the cruise and used Auto-Progreso. We did not book in advance and happy to report it was a very easy process! As soon as you go through the duty-free store to the main shopping area of the port, they have a small store front on the left. We purchased our tickets on the spot, received our wristbands and we're on our way to the free shuttle to bring us to town.

 

The bus stop area is in the heart of Progreso and is where we met with the Auto-Progreso tour guide. Several others soon joined who also were going on the same tour. There are a few shopping stands here as well and they were way more pushy that the port shopping area! After about 20 minutes we boarded our bus and we're off.

 

Drive to Uxmal is about 90 minutes with no stops in between. Had a minor scare about 15 minutes into the drive as the bus started slowing way down and turned on the hazards. Driver made an announcement that a few people missed the bus and we're being driven to meet us. Whew! I was fearing the worst but soon were on our way again. It was while we were on our way that we saw a uniformed officer controlled mandatory traffic stop in which they were armed with M16s.

 

When we first arrived to the site, there is a newer entry area with a few shops, restrooms and snack bar. We bought a few more bottles of water and glad we did, the weather was hot! Lots of walking and stairs up and down, and if you have small kids, strollers are not allowed. We had a few parents of small kids that ended up carrying them the majority of the time. Felt bad for them!

 

Entire excursion lasted about 90 minutes of walking around. I really enjoyed it and my 11yr old is a complete history buff (favorite channel is the history channel! ) and he loved it as well. It was so hot though that I'm pretty sure 1/2 the water we had was used to rub on our arms and foreheads to cool down. We were all very happy to be back at the snack bar for more water! The air conditioned bus was like an oasis!

 

Made it back to Progreso around 3p. The tour ended directly at the port which was nice. Since we had time we went shopping at the port area. I'll also agree with others, much lower prices than Cozumel for almost everything!

 

Warning for parents walking through this area back to the ship, there is a party bar about midway through. There was a bartender on top of the bar blowing a whistle wearing a apron. Underneath was a rubber adult toy that requires batteries that was on and it looked like he was pouring the alcohol through it to be consumed from the end of the "toy"! If you hear the whistle and the song "shots" blaring, be warned to distract your kids as you walk through :)

 

Returned back to the ship and directly to the room to get cleaned up. Sailaway was 6p and the dive in movie started at 630p, so no crazy sailaway party. We headed to karaoke and then dinner and checked out the photo gallery. Was another early night from a long, hot day.

[tvlworm]

Here's a few pictures from Progreso and Uxmal.

 

 

 

 

 

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying your review and wonderful photo's.

[Rudyard]

When we first arrived to the site, there is a newer entry area with a few shops, restrooms and snack bar. We bought a few more bottles of water and glad we did, the weather was hot! Lots of walking and stairs up and down, and if you have small kids, strollers are not allowed.

 

I wish we had thought about buying water near the entrance but we didn't realize what we were in for. We loved Uxmal but had to skip the last part of the tour as it wore us out due to the heat and all the climbing. We broke off from the group and headed back to get some water with the intention of going back out to the ruins. We never made it. We drank some water, looked in the shops, and ate lunch in the restaurant. By then it was time to get back on the bus.

 

Great review :)

[tvlworm]

Enjoying your review and wonderful photo's.

 

Thanks for following along and glad you are enjoying it! :)

[tvlworm]

I wish we had thought about buying water near the entrance but we didn't realize what we were in for. We loved Uxmal but had to skip the last part of the tour as it wore us out due to the heat and all the climbing. We broke off from the group and headed back to get some water with the intention of going back out to the ruins. We never made it. We drank some water, looked in the shops, and ate lunch in the restaurant. By then it was time to get back on the bus.

 

Great review :)

 

Thanks :) I was 99% sure we were going to melt in the sun! We too debated about breaking from the group but barely managed to stick it out. I couldn't imagine how hot it is later in the spring or summer!

[BallFour4]

We live 37 miles from the port and have only toured the Magic prior to Valentines Day. Finally, after 9 other ships and 31 cruises we sailed!

 

Here are our photos:

 

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117499626016771042173/albums/6117948553660808977?authkey=CMXKzt6wkefFdg

 

 

.

Edited March 10, 2015 by BallFour4

[dave_k58]

Ha well he's only 11 now so probably not anytime soon unless we all relocate. Which would make it a lot easier to be closer to a cruise port :)

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Forums mobile app

 

and so much warmer!

[Ken076]

We live 37 miles from the port and have only toured the Magic prior to Valentines Day. Finally, after 9 other ships and 31 cruises we sailed!

 

Here are our photos:

 

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117499626016771042173/albums/6117948553660808977?authkey=CMXKzt6wkefFdg

 

 

.

 

BallFour4 - Excellent photos (composition, framing, color....) - my "standard" was Gambee's pohotography - yours equals and maybe surpasses!!!!

Thanks, Ken

[dioxide45]

I wish we had thought about buying water near the entrance but we didn't realize what we were in for. We loved Uxmal but had to skip the last part of the tour as it wore us out due to the heat and all the climbing. We broke off from the group and headed back to get some water with the intention of going back out to the ruins. We never made it. We drank some water, looked in the shops, and ate lunch in the restaurant. By then it was time to get back on the bus.

 

Great review :)

 

We had to do the same thing on an excursion to Chichen Itza a few years back. Not a cruise excursion, but an excursion from Cancun. It was in May but so bloody HOT. No breeze at all. We will be taking an umbrella when we visit Uxmal this fall. We saw a number of people with them and they do really help cut some of the heat by providing some shade.

[tvlworm]

Day 5 brought us to our last sea day and last full day on the ship. Woke up to another beautiful day which we planned on making the most of. Day started off with a very quick trip to the lido, we had reservation at Suess at Sea breakfast which wasn't until 945a so my always hungry 11yr old had to have just a little something before hand :)

 

Dr Seuss breakfast was great and we'll worth the $5 per person fee. The dining room is full blown decorated with an ice sculpture and all staff in Dr Seuss gear. Super cute even for the adult kids!

 

Menu was pretty good too, french toast, Seuss waffles, pancakes, yogurt parfaits--layered strawberry and vanilla to fit in the theme. They even had a steak and eggs and of course green eggs and ham. Couldn't convince any one to order the green eggs and ham but several around us did and I just hope it tasted better than it looks because yikes. Basically was a split English muffin with a slice of ham and an ice cream scoop of green scrambled eggs on top. I was shocked but glad my son ordered the steak and eggs! It looked amazing and I had to try a bite and it was sooo good! Everyone got pictures with the 4 characters--cat in the hat, thing 1 and 2 and Sam I am.

 

Suess breakfast lasted about 1 1/2 hours. From there went back in the room to get swimsuits and hit the pool devks. Again scored loungers on deck 12 which allowed me to keep an eye on the waterpark or if they went down to the pool. Hardly no breeze today so I found myself frequently joining the kids in the waterpark to cool off which felt great!

 

After a bit in the sun and it being our last day, decided we had to try the pasta bar lunch at Cucina Del Capitano. Went with the lasagna which was good but unlike any lasagna I've ever had. I'm use to ground beef or Italian sausage in mine and this had a shredded braised beef. The beef was very good but not what I was expecting. The bread served with the meal was also really good.

 

From there returned back to deck 12 for more sun. Expected a more festive atmosphere similar to what we had during the Cozumel sailaway but not so much. Everyone seemed to just be relishing their last day of vacation before heading back to reality.

 

After I turned a few shades of red, headed in to Ocean plaza to try my best efforts at winning a ship on a stick. First round of trivia was a 3 way tie and lost on the tie buster. 2nd round did awesome but still ended in a tie and again lost the tie buster. Last and final round was Friends trivia which was way harder than I thought it would be, didn't even come close!

 

Back upstairs again, played another round of mini golf and headed to the cabin to get ready for dinner. Finally we were eating in the dining room! I was so close to ordering dessert first as I had been craving WCMC since I first booked our trip! But I resisted and had a great meal and somehow managed to save room for it. Everyone ordered the steak except my daughter and we all enjoyed it. We also all shared an order of the bacon mac and cheese which besides the cake was the best thing I ate all week, sooooo good!

 

After dinner walked around the photos to check out the ones from breakfast. Decided to go outside again but the weather had a different idea as it was significantly cooler, sad sign we were getting closer to port. Not long after an announcement was made that due to high winds forecast for Galveston that we would be increasing speed to arrive in port around 1am and the casino and shops would be closing at about 11p.

 

At that point figured it was best to start packing and get ready to wrap up a great vacation. I ended up using the laundry room on the ship and glad I did, really beat lugging around dirty clothes and having to do it once I got home! Must be popular as all machines were in use. Finished packing and set out our bags.

 

Awoke the next morning to a very accurate forecast. Winds were gusting at about 30-40mph and it was FREEZING cold. Our flight wasn't leaving until 3p so we were in no big rush to get off. Made sure all drawers, cabinets and under the bed was cleared and headed to the lido. Most chaotic and busiest breakfast of the cruise trying to avoid tripping over luggage. Beelined it out of there as soon as we could and went to Ocean plaza to sit and wait for our number to be called. Since it was so cold it would have been great if they could have locked the automatic doors and the were constantly opening from people passing. Left for a warmer waiting area near the photo gallery and watched the crowds make their way down below. Pretty soon it was our turn and next thing we knew we were in line for customs.

 

We also had a one way rental with Avis from Texas City to IAH. As instructed called them upon getting in the customs line and our same friendly driver was waiting for us under the blue flag when we exited. I think everyone already had the post trip blues as it was a quiet, uneventful drive back to the airport. In all, everyone had a great time and a ton of fun! So much fun that it really sealed the deal for me that cruising is officially my favorite way to vacation.

 

Thanks for reading my first official review, hopefully you enjoyed it and found something helpful!

[tvlworm]

Here are some pictures from Seuss Breakfast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AngAndBoys]

Thank you, I'm making my second trip on Magic in June. It's been a few years and lots of ships in between. I just remember I liked it very much! This has been a nice refresher course for me. :D

[tvlworm]

And last, pictures of our room and towel animals

 

 

 

 

 

[BallFour4]

BallFour4 - Excellent photos (composition, framing, color....) - my "standard" was Gambee's pohotography - yours equals and maybe surpasses!!!!

Thanks, Ken

 

I bought a GoPro and promptly let it set on the counter for 6 months. What time wasted as it's in the bag all the time. It's fun to use outdoors with the curved horizon on wide settings.

Most of the rest are with a Canon 110 point-and-shoot, perhaps the perfect camera.

 

Thank You.

 

See you aboard!

 

lee

Edited March 11, 2015 by BallFour4

[erewhon]

Thanks for taking time to write your review and sharing your photos.

[monikers86]

We live 37 miles from the port and have only toured the Magic prior to Valentines Day. Finally, after 9 other ships and 31 cruises we sailed!

 

Here are our photos:

 

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117499626016771042173/albums/6117948553660808977?authkey=CMXKzt6wkefFdg

 

 

.

We are on the magic in June and still trying to figure out where we want to get a balcony stateroom. which room were ya'll in?

[aimingforplatinum]

Love this. I was on this sailing as well and actually spotted myself in your Seuss birthday party pictures. It was a great time indeed. I was sailing with my husband and 3 kids (4, 7, and 9). Everyone had the best time. This was our 3rd sailing on Magic, our favorite ship.

[tropicgirl3]

Thank you for sharing your experience! 10 more days until I'm back on!

[tvlworm]

Thanks for taking time to write your review and sharing your photos.

 

Thanks :)

[tvlworm]

We are on the magic in June and still trying to figure out where we want to get a balcony stateroom. which room were ya'll in?

 

We were in a cove balcony, 2290. It was locatedmidship under the dining room, no noise from above when we were in the room.

[tvlworm]

Love this. I was on this sailing as well and actually spotted myself in your Seuss birthday party pictures. It was a great time indeed. I was sailing with my husband and 3 kids (4, 7, and 9). Everyone had the best time. This was our 3rd sailing on Magic, our favorite ship.

 

That's too funny you then probably are in a few more pictures from breakfast! It was a great time! We had way more fun on Magic than the Epic. I would have a hard time convincing them to go on another cruise that's not in the Dream Class that's for sure! Finally are seeing spring like weather in MN, daughter had to ask is it nice enough for shorts, it's been almost a full week since I've been able to! :)

[aimingforplatinum]

That's too funny you then probably are in a few more pictures from breakfast! It was a great time! We had way more fun on Magic than the Epic. I would have a hard time convincing them to go on another cruise that's not in the Dream Class that's for sure! Finally are seeing spring like weather in MN, daughter had to ask is it nice enough for shorts, it's been almost a full week since I've been able to! :)

 

We were at the 8:30AM Seuss Brunch but my friends were in the 9:45 brunch, I did search your pics to see them in the background but didn't see them.

[2Ccruisers]

Thanks for the review and pictures. DH will be taking our kids on her for the first time in January :)