MITSUGIRLYS DAWN TO BERMUDA NOVEL (or review as some may call it)

[CTSandy]

Just back yesterday from the Dawn cruise to Bermuda. I got to read some of your early comments before we left - finished your review today. Wow, I will never be setting up all those folders for pictures - that is one heck of a project! We absolutely loved Bermuda and I'm talking about going back on BA in September or October of this year. Three days is definitely not enough time to do everything. We did Horseshoe on Sunday - took the West End shuttle to Horseshoe. Monday we hired a taxi and toured the island for five hours - informative and fun trip. Monday, my niece and her husband went snorkeling to Church Hill Park and I spent the day wandering through the various shops in the Dockyard. You are absolutely right about the rest rooms on Dawn - at various times the public ones were shut down. My steward was super - introduced himself and called me by name through the entire trip - frequently asked if I needed extra ice, towels, etc. - super friendly. I noticed that there were times when the bars were busier and had more of a wait (usually after a show ended). I liked Gatsby's and the casino bar best - there were usually two people working those bars and it didn't seem like a very long wait. I checked out your Rainforest machine in the casino several times and every time I saw someone playing there I wondered if they had read your report:) I, too, had a very generous machine in the casino - I just play video poker - this is the first time I've gotten off a cruise with more than I came with! Thanks for sharing your trip - I loved reading your report!

[Orleanscruiser]

That's the one we have booked. I honestly just didn't really care for the Dawn and coming in on a Sunday really sucked as well. We'll see I guess. :)

 

 

 

Well I guess you have to go back on the Dawn

 

 

CAN SOMEONE GET ME A FRICKEN TEE SHIRT WHEN THEY ARE IN STOCK???

[mitsugirly]

Kim- just sent u an email regarding the Dawn tshirt. Hope u have a Happy 4th!

 

Thanks so much! I emailed you back.

 

 

Just back yesterday from the Dawn cruise to Bermuda. I got to read some of your early comments before we left - finished your review today. Wow, I will never be setting up all those folders for pictures - that is one heck of a project! We absolutely loved Bermuda and I'm talking about going back on BA in September or October of this year. Three days is definitely not enough time to do everything. We did Horseshoe on Sunday - took the West End shuttle to Horseshoe. Monday we hired a taxi and toured the island for five hours - informative and fun trip. Monday, my niece and her husband went snorkeling to Church Hill Park and I spent the day wandering through the various shops in the Dockyard. You are absolutely right about the rest rooms on Dawn - at various times the public ones were shut down. My steward was super - introduced himself and called me by name through the entire trip - frequently asked if I needed extra ice, towels, etc. - super friendly. I noticed that there were times when the bars were busier and had more of a wait (usually after a show ended). I liked Gatsby's and the casino bar best - there were usually two people working those bars and it didn't seem like a very long wait. I checked out your Rainforest machine in the casino several times and every time I saw someone playing there I wondered if they had read your report:) I, too, had a very generous machine in the casino - I just play video poker - this is the first time I've gotten off a cruise with more than I came with! Thanks for sharing your trip - I loved reading your report!

 

We are planning on an October on BA too. Maybe we'll bump in to each other. :D

 

Glad to hear you didn't have the bar problems we did. It was just ridiculous with the wait times....especially in the casino.

 

Awesome to hear you walked out with more than you came with. That's always super nice!

 

Thanks for your comments. I really appreciate it and glad you enjoyed the review. :)

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

Well I guess you have to go back on the Dawn

 

 

CAN SOMEONE GET ME A FRICKEN TEE SHIRT WHEN THEY ARE IN STOCK???

 

:confused: Definitely not a reason to go back on it for sure. :cool:

[MAMATAMA]

Love your pictures great review thanks so much

[Chelleum]

FOR THOSE OF YOU WISHING I WOULD JUST GO AHEAD AND DO BREAKAWAY...YOU MAY GET YOUR WISH...SOONER THAN LATER. :D

 

(Kendra just messaged me saying she talked my oldest son-that hasn't cruised with us since he was in his teens and he's now 28-into cruising with us on the Breakaway and she informed me we will be going in October. :eek: If I have my say, I'll chose September...just saying). <---scared about the weather being too cool then. Should I start researching and planning yet? LOL

 

Great review, I finally got a chance to finish reading your review. Congrats! on making platinum.

 

I will be sailing on Breakaway next year Oct. 2016, the first week. My BF was also worrying about the weather but I figure it would be nice to celebrate his birthday in Bermuda. Plus at the time of booking it was the cheapest fare. I recently checked again because I was thinking of upgrading our room and the price went up.

 

I hope you get to explore NYC, it's a lot to see. Just make sure you have comfortable shoes. :) The blocks are long.

[mitsugirly]

Great review, I finally got a chance to finish reading your review. Congrats! on making platinum.

 

I will be sailing on Breakaway next year Oct. 2016, the first week. My BF was also worrying about the weather but I figure it would be nice to celebrate his birthday in Bermuda. Plus at the time of booking it was the cheapest fare. I recently checked again because I was thinking of upgrading our room and the price went up.

 

I hope you get to explore NYC, it's a lot to see. Just make sure you have comfortable shoes. :) The blocks are long.

 

 

Thanks for reading and glad you enjoyed it.

 

I doubt that we will get to explore NYC. We will be flying in so anything done will be done on foot and I'm not sure where we will be staying yet, so that will be a factor. Also, most of the family will be driving in so that will take up most of the day and I doubt they'll want to explore after a long drive. But, we'll see. I still have to do my research. :p

[Medtech2]

Thanks for reading and glad you enjoyed it.

 

I doubt that we will get to explore NYC. We will be flying in so anything done will be done on foot and I'm not sure where we will be staying yet, so that will be a factor. Also, most of the family will be driving in so that will take up most of the day and I doubt they'll want to explore after a long drive. But, we'll see. I still have to do my research. :p

Just in case you decide to explore NYC we had a great, relatively inexpensive time staying in Long Island City and used public transit the whole time, even coming, going airport, ship etc...My review isn't as extensive as yours are but I did cover highlights and the place we stayed prior to our BA cruise.

 

I didn't think I'd like NYC but I loved it! So much to see and do and the sights were awesome, such an amalgam of architecture and people.

[mitsugirly]

Just in case you decide to explore NYC we had a great, relatively inexpensive time staying in Long Island City and used public transit the whole time, even coming, going airport, ship etc...My review isn't as extensive as yours are but I did cover highlights and the place we stayed prior to our BA cruise.

 

I didn't think I'd like NYC but I loved it! So much to see and do and the sights were awesome, such an amalgam of architecture and people.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll check out your review and see. I have never been to NY other than passing through it to get to Canada...so obviously not New York city. My oldest son went there on a vacation several years ago and he did not like it there. He talked about how frustrating it was to get around and the subways and going over to the island and just so many people you couldn't move. The place was very intimidating for sure. All the things he told me made me never want to go there. LOL :p Big crowds in cities kinda make me fret and get anxious.

[Les_Bill]

Thank you so much Kim for the review and fantastic pictures. My husband and I went to Bermuda in September 2014 on the Breakaway and just booked the Bermuda trip on the Breakaway again for last week of April 2016(hope it's not to cold). We were so so about NYC, but we stayed across the river in Jersey and took the bus into Manhattan and had a great day. The best to you and your family!

 

Leslie

[spacewoman]

I GOT THIS NOTICE TODAY. DOES THIS MEAN I'M FAMOUS? HEHEHEHEHE :D:p

 

 

Dear TripAdvisor Member,

 

Congratulations! One of your photos has been selected to represent St George's Visitor Information Center on TripAdvisor websites around the world.

 

Thank you for uploading your photo. Since St George's Visitor Information Center didn't already have an official photo on TripAdvisor, your photo will help travelers see what it looks like.

 

We appreciate your important contributions to the community and hope you'll continue sharing your travel photos and reviews.

 

Thank you.

 

 

-The TripAdvisor Content Team

:)

 

 

Woohoo!!!!:)

[mitsugirly]

Thank you so much Kim for the review and fantastic pictures. My husband and I went to Bermuda in September 2014 on the Breakaway and just booked the Bermuda trip on the Breakaway again for last week of April 2016(hope it's not to cold). We were so so about NYC, but we stayed across the river in Jersey and took the bus into Manhattan and had a great day. The best to you and your family!

 

Leslie

 

You are very welcome and glad you liked it. We are giving the Breakaway a shot in 89 days. :D We have been on the Getaway, so we do kinda know what to expect as far as the ship and can't wait. :)

 

I need to start planning our NY trip and where we are going to stay at. :eek:

[SooNet]

I absolutely love your reviews. It was after reading a couple of your reviews last year that it helped me to decide what I wanted to do in Roatan. However, looking at the places you have visited it looks like it's time you started to look at the Eastern Carribbean ports. I see you have been to a couple of islands but there are so many beautiful islands to visit and so much to do. I wish you could be paid to do these reviews as they are so helpful and complete.

[biker@sea]

You are very welcome and glad you liked it. We are giving the Breakaway a shot in 89 days. :D We have been on the Getaway, so we do kinda know what to expect as far as the ship and can't wait. :)

 

I need to start planning our NY trip and where we are going to stay at. :eek:

 

We did a nine night stay in time square for D.D. 13 th B-day , loved it .:D

 

Check em out= https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkMarriottMarquis

Edited July 7, 2015 by biker@sea

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

mitsugirly ~ so glad to hear you're going on the Breakaway!:D Can hardly wait to read that review since I've been on the ship.

If you do spend the night before in NYC take the HOHO bus to see a lot of the city. We've done it a few times & really enjoyed it. There are at least 3 loops.

Of course you can take the free (I think) Staten Island ferry past the Statue of Liberty but then you'll be sailing right by her on the way to beautiful Bermuda!

 

Better change that countdown clock so we know we don't have that long to wait 'til your next adventure!;) I'm so excited!!

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[mitsugirly]

I absolutely love your reviews. It was after reading a couple of your reviews last year that it helped me to decide what I wanted to do in Roatan. However, looking at the places you have visited it looks like it's time you started to look at the Eastern Carribbean ports. I see you have been to a couple of islands but there are so many beautiful islands to visit and so much to do. I wish you could be paid to do these reviews as they are so helpful and complete.

 

Thanks so much for the comments. Glad you like the reviews and glad I could help you out with some of the ports in the past.

 

Yea, we don't sail the eastern too often since it always cost more than the western. I like a good deal. :D I would really love to sail the southern some time. So many ports I have not been to.

 

(I wish I could get paid to do the reviews too...trust me :D :p)

 

We did a nine night stay in time square for D.D. 13 th B-day , loved it .:D

 

Check em out= https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkMarriottMarquis

 

I will check it out. I'm so lost and have no idea where to even start looking...especially when we have a party of 10 with so many price ranges between all of us on what we can afford. I feel some anxiety coming on trying to figure this out. I have no idea about the areas and where to look, how to get transportation to the port or even what airport to fly to (I see there's 2 of them). YIKES! :eek:

[mitsugirly]

HI all!

 

mitsugirly ~ so glad to hear you're going on the Breakaway!:D Can hardly wait to read that review since I've been on the ship.

If you do spend the night before in NYC take the HOHO bus to see a lot of the city. We've done it a few times & really enjoyed it. There are at least 3 loops.

Of course you can take the free (I think) Staten Island ferry past the Statue of Liberty but then you'll be sailing right by her on the way to beautiful Bermuda!

 

Better change that countdown clock so we know we don't have that long to wait 'til your next adventure!;) I'm so excited!!

 

~ Jo ~ :)

 

Glad we decided to do the BA too. I've been wanting to sail her since she came out but always had the excuse that "I'm waiting for the newness to wear off and the prices to drop some". I guess Kendra decided for me this time around. LOL Now is as good a time as any I suppose. :p It will be our last cruise of the year (since we had originally planned to do a cheap getaway some time in November, this will make up for that).

 

I'm really not sure if we'll be doing any sightseeing. We will probably all come in at different times and some are driving so I'm sure they'll be tired and not want to adventure out. I honestly don't care too much for big cities and it intimidates me, especially with a young child tagging along. But we'll see depending on the time we decided to come in on our flight. :o

 

Changing my countdown clock now...thanks for reminding me. :)

[biker@sea]

Thanks so much for the comments. Glad you like the reviews and glad I could help you out with some of the ports in the past.

 

Yea, we don't sail the eastern too often since it always cost more than the western. I like a good deal. :D I would really love to sail the southern some time. So many ports I have not been to.

 

(I wish I could get paid to do the reviews too...trust me :D :p)

 

 

 

I will check it out. I'm so lost and have no idea where to even start looking...especially when we have a party of 10 with so many price ranges between all of us on what we can afford. I feel some anxiety coming on trying to figure this out. I have no idea about the areas and where to look, how to get transportation to the port or even what airport to fly to (I see there's 2 of them). YIKES! :eek:

 

Try to pump some info from njhourseman . That's his turf and you know he knows his stuff . ;);)

[njhorseman]

Thanks so much for the comments. Glad you like the reviews and glad I could help you out with some of the ports in the past.

 

Yea, we don't sail the eastern too often since it always cost more than the western. I like a good deal. :D I would really love to sail the southern some time. So many ports I have not been to.

 

(I wish I could get paid to do the reviews too...trust me :D :p)

 

 

 

I will check it out. I'm so lost and have no idea where to even start looking...especially when we have a party of 10 with so many price ranges between all of us on what we can afford. I feel some anxiety coming on trying to figure this out. I have no idea about the areas and where to look, how to get transportation to the port or even what airport to fly to (I see there's 2 of them). YIKES! :eek:

 

If I can make a suggestion...go back to the East Coast Departures and answer the questions that Carol (138east) asked you. She's very good at recommending hotels in the area that will best fit your needs. (And once in a while I chip in with an idea or two.)

 

I think I read on another post that members of your party will be arriving at separate times and some will be driving. You also need to mention this on East Coast Departures too. Is there a possibility that any of the drivers will drive to and park at the cruise terminal? That affects the transportation issues. Anyway, try to paint as complete a picture as possible over there.

 

BTW...there are three major airports serving NY City...EWR, LGA and JFK.

 

Tell us (East Coast Departures "regulars") everything and we'll try to help.

 

EDIT: OK...I see while I was hunting and pecking away on my keyboard, you were already doing what I suggested.

Edited July 7, 2015 by njhorseman

[mitsugirly]

Try to pump some info from njhourseman . That's his turf and you know he knows his stuff . ;);)

 

Absolutely (Did I mention I'm on the Bermuda cruise with horse this time? :D) I should hire him as my personal tour guide. hehe :p

 

If I can make a suggestion...go back to the East Coast Departures and answer the questions that Carol (138east) asked you. She's very good at recommending hotels in the area that will best fit your needs. (And once in a while I chip in with an idea or two.)

 

I think I read on another post that members of your party will be arriving at separate times and some will be driving. You also need to mention this on East Coast Departures too. Is there a possibility that any of the drivers will drive to and park at the cruise terminal? That affects the transportation issues. Anyway, try to paint as complete a picture as possible over there.

 

BTW...there are three major airports serving NY City...EWR, LGA and JFK.

 

Tell us (East Coast Departures "regulars") everything and we'll try to help.

 

EDIT: OK...I see while I was hunting and pecking away on my keyboard, you were already doing what I suggested.

 

 

Yep, you must have been typing while I was trying to give all the details about our arrival.

 

I'm thinking we will just have to all pile in the vehicle with Kendra and have her either take us there in 2 groups or if we can all fit by sitting on our luggage (lol) then we'll make it to the port ok. Just need to figure out the area to stay in for a decent price that won't deter some of the family members from going (lol) and cruise parking I guess. Is there more than 1 place to park?

 

I am definitely going to have to look at the flights again. I swear I only seen 2 places. We fly with Southwest, so maybe that 3rd place is a place they don't fly to...either that or I just missed it somehow. :confused:

[SuiteTraveler]

TAKE UPDATED PICS!!! I want to see this new pool and area they expanded on. Well darn, I mean it's only like midnight here and you already went, so I am probably too late. :p Hopefully you'll come back with pics Suite!

 

I will so do the pedi if I go back. It looked...interesting!

 

Let me know how you like the Magic...it's on my to-do list too!

 

We really enjoyed the Magic!

 

Our cabin was 12001 - which is on the top floor of cabins and directly across from the gym. However, we didn't hear any noise from the gym ever even though there was a treadmill next to the wall between the gym and our cabin. They must have really insulated the cabin extremely well as the gym was quite busy anytime I walked through there going to the spa. I also never felt the typical vibration of someone dropping their free weights - which you can usually feel through the floor. The balcony for this cabin is interesting because you can not only see starboard, but also forward as the wall is just a 1/2 angled wall! In addition this balcony didn't have a roof, so you can see up to the top of the ship. However, the people above (who are in Serenity) cannot see most of your balcony - perhaps the railings at most. One of the interesting aspects of the balcony is the "blinder" that Carnival has installed so that it would be very difficult for someone to look around the balcony wall into the neighboring balcony and cabin. I think it was a nice touch and it seems to work. The chairs on the balcony were navy blue. I'm a bit puzzled at this color choice since it doesn't go with anything inside the cabin really, but maybe they are navy blue on all Carnival ships. The temperatures were mild on this cruise, so not having the roof on the balcony didn't matter. If it had been extremely hot, we would have had to keep the curtains closed to keep the heat out. The cabin was large and decorated as a spa cabin in green (wall at head of bed and bed scarf and carpet) and yellow (sofa and drapes). We had the beds put together as a king and then there is the typical small nightstand and the sofa between the bed and bathroom which was the length of a twin bed. There was also a raised oval coffee table. The room featured 3 unframed acrylic paintings of tropical foliage. There was plenty of closet and drawer space, a mini bar, safe and lots of shelves.

 

The bathroom had green counters/sink and blue flooring. also had lots of shelves - overall, it was more storage than we needed. The bathroom had the typical shower curtain, but we never had a problem with it blowing in. Also, the way the bathroom was configured, really, for the size, they made best use of space. The towels were unusually nice on this ship. They were large and textured - something I haven't seen before on other cruise ships.

 

The spa amenities were:

2 robes

spa slippers

Elemis shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, 2 different bars of soap(not replenished when used up) which didn't matter since I brought my own shampoo and conditioner and I preferred the lime scented generic body wash Carnival provides in the wall dispenser.

Yellow beach towels (All non-spa cabins had blue beach towels. I don't know why there is this difference.)

Entrance to the thalisotherapy pool and thermal rooms

 

The spa cabins all had mahogany colored doors and the non-spa cabins had driftwood colored doors. The doors were textured to look like wood and had an over texture in a checkerboard pattern. In between doors were life sized tropical painted plants on the wallpaper.

 

The non-spa cabins on the ship had the dark coral colored carpet and drapes and bed scarf, cream walls, yellow sofa and similar unframed paintings.

 

I never found out why spa cabins get yellow beach towels and everyone else gets blue ones. You don't use your beach towel in the spa as they provide plenty of white towels. However, the beach towels were in excellent condition.

 

Cabin steward was excellent and provided discreet and very timely service. On the last night, one of the drawers in the dresser got stuck and I called him and left a note indicating which drawer was stuck and he came in while we were at dinner and fixed it.

 

The ship itself is decorated in a vibrant green, yellow and coral with color changing light fixtures in the atrium. A lot of people did silly photos with the central light fixture - pretending to hold it up or balance it on their heads. LOL! The atrium is huge with 4 glass elevators and a semi circular bar on the 3rd floor and extends up many stories I believe 11 is where it ends as 12 is a half deck where you cannot go aft on 12 without going down stairs out on the deck.

 

I am not sure if I liked the shade of green they chose to use throughout the ship or not. I wondered if it would look dated in about 10 years. It was meant to look like green water in the carpet of the hallways. They used blue and green principally in the Lido buffet and then inexplicably, added in some red which i felt didn't really go.

 

Through the gym, there were the locker rooms for men and women which had 2 large glass showers and a dry sauna.

 

However, the Carnival Magic as a whole was FANTASTIC! The food was good to outstanding in all the venues. The only negative for us was that from 4 to 6 pm the only things open were pizza and deli sandwiches. I think you had a similar issue with the food venues on Carnival not being open when you wanted food? It made it hard to get a late afternoon snack. We had late seating dining at 8:15. We would have preferred fruit or something lighter. In the buffet, they make the pizza's to order. It is a very thin crust which I prefer. I thought the toppings were OK - pretty generic marinara and decent mozzarella and pepperoni. But the crust elevated the pizza to something better than typical cruise ship pizza It is better than the pizza that sits under a heat lamp on NCL. I thought the deli sandwiches were really good. We had a turkey wrap and also a ruben and my husband had some kind of chicken one day that he liked. By about the 4th day of the cruise, I kind of get fooded out and don't eat more than twice a day at most. We went to the chef's table (they had it on Tuesday and Wednesday night) and it was the best we've ever experienced on a ship. It began in the disco. There we had 4 appetizers and champagne. One of the appetizers was a faux egg yolk that contained mango juice. Unfortunately, some of the people mistook this for something solid and bit into it which resulted in a bit of a splash. It was quite small, so knowing what it likely was, I put the whole thing in my mouth before chewing. It was delicious. There was also a horn filled with crab and something with ahi tuna. Then the sous chef walked us into the galley. The sous chef used a lot of molecular gastronomy techniques in the 7 course dinner and appetizers. The menu was different from any I can find online. We also got to tour the galley and they are very, very clean and well run. The steak house was excellent - it is supposedly the best steakhouse on any Carnival ship and I would agree it was a wonderful experience and really great food as they served prime steak. We didn't try the Italian restaurant, but our table mates did and they loved it! We also did sea day brunch in the MDR which was great. They had the Dr. Seuss brunch as well, but we didn't go. The MDR waiters were very enthusiastic about performing and had learned new dances that they were debuting on this cruise that they were very excited about performing. On the 4th of July, the Manager got on the intercom and sang (a bit off-key) - I can't remember what it was - not the Star Spangled Banner - maybe My Country tis of Thee or America the Beautiful. At any rate, the crowd of mostly Americans was very appreciative of his effort.

 

The comedians onboard were

Just June:

She also did a show as Mom's Mabley:

 

The Cowboy Comedian:

 

and Tim Young:

 

We didn't go to any of the production shows, but I heard they were good.

 

The shops onboard:

typical duty free jewelry - more expensive stuff than what is carried on NCL, perfume/cosmetics, the fun shop - clothes, ship models, toys, junk jewelry, toiletries you might have forgot and OTC medicine.

AND

A candy shop. I bought a bag of funnels (like gummy bears, but red white and blue funnels). They also sell wine and flowers in there.

 

Piano bar was very enjoyable and my husband spent quite a bit of time at the cafe area listening to guests singing karaoke and then audition for the talent show.

 

They had movies upstairs by the pool every night. I wanted to go but my husband thought it would be too hot up there so I never got up there, but they had various movie nights such as Blockbusters and Drama and Comedy and Family.

 

What we loved best of all on this cruise was the day on Mahogany Bay Beach (Honduras). This is an area developed by the cruise lines. You walk through the port shopping area - just about 1 block walk from the end of the pier area and take a ski lift (The magical flying beach chair) to the beach. We rented a cabana in a small area separated from the beach area with the clamshells and all the sun lounge chairs. From the ski lift, we were escorted by an employee to the cabanas where they had our name on our cabana. I actually rented the cabana about 1 week before our cruise through Carnival. I don't know how I got lucky enough to get one as there are only about 10 and they were all occupied the day we were there and we were the ONLY ship in port. Wow, what a sensational experience! Each cabana is named for something tropical and the interior is painted a different color. Our cabana was Mango and was light yellow inside. The cabana was air conditioned and had a TV and WIFI and a safe and there were 2 chaises on the front porch, a hammock out front (the best I've ever laid in) under a vine and flower covered pergola with water misters and 2 more chaises on the beach. The cabana came with a number of floats and swim chair type things. There was a waiter for the cabanas and also a security guard who mainly seemed responsible for hanging up the hammocks in the morning and taking them down in the evening. I suppose he also did gate duty and prevented people from the rest of the beach from coming into the cabana beach area but I think most people wouldn't try to come into the cabana area as it was completely gated off in front and behind the cabanas. This rental for the day was around $200 - $250 and food and drinks are extra. The food was stuff like Tex-Mex nachos with beef and chicken fajita meat, cheese and jalapenos(massive), Jalapeno poppers, chips and salsa, chicken wrap, plus the typical frozen drinks, beer, and non alcoholic drinks. The whole experience was 200% worth it. Having the air conditioned cabana was wonderful and then the great hammock with the water misters! Then behind the cabanas was the restrooms and a restaurant and bar and they had a really good singer performing that we could hear for about 4 hours. He was so good my husband went over the tipped him. Having the Cabana was like having a beach house. It all made for an absolutely perfect and amazing beach day.

http://www.mahoganybaycc.com/shore-excursions/beach-cabanas.aspx

There was snorkeling just a quick walk down the dock in front of the cabanas with hundreds of colorful parrot fish and sergeant majors. There were small shells on the beach, although it was comfortable to walk barefoot and also outdoor showers in between each cabana to rinse off after being in the water.

 

We didn't wind up getting off the ship in Belize - we were tired and slept in. As it turned out Belize was a tender port and it took 30 - 40 minutes for the tenders to get from the ship to land. We were so far offshore, you could hardly even see Belize.

 

On this cruise I set a goal for myself. I wanted to see if I could play slots enough to get offered a free cruise. I heard this was possible on Carnival (as on other cruise lines) so I decided to go for it and see if I could play enough to get an offer. (I think it's 5000 points but I'm not sure.) I played slots in the casino quite a bit and accumulated enough points that I got:

Free drinks in the casino by day 2 - I really like the drink called Kiss on the Lips and I started collecting the umbrellas from this drink and putting them along the back of the sofa in our cabin.

Chocolate covered strawberries delivered to our cabin from the Casino.

2 inexpensive free bottles of wine or one more expensive bottle of wine.

a free cruise of 7 to 8 days in an inside cabin (or upgrade for the difference in price.)

 

I also won $1600 from the slots - which was the total amount I had put in although I'm sure my recycling the money through the slot machines was likely around $7500 maybe more. I looked for the rainforest machine you played last time but they didn't have it. What they did have that was really good was Emerald Falls - I caught that machine on a sea day and it just paid and paid and paid for over 5 hours - I believe this is the machine where I accumulated the most points. The other slot I won a lot on was The Romance of Fire and Rain. I also won $335 on Howling Wolf, but put it back into Emerald Falls before I moved to The Romance of Fire and Rain which kept giving me jackpots and also huge payouts on free spins (considering it was a penny machine.) I had to stop playing to go to dinner but I was up $948, then came back after dinner and won another $700 on the same machine.

 

On the last day the lady at the slot machine next to me won $1999 on her first spin and it was her 50th Wedding Anniversary! She was thrilled and I was so happy for her! However, I thought overall, the slots were rather tight. It seemed there was only one day when I won and the weird thing was I was winning big on several slot machines that day. It was like I couldn't lose. On the Romance of Fire and Rain, my machine was the ONLY one of the 4 that was paying out like that.

 

So I won the free cruise. There is a stipulation though that you have to book the cruise within 14 days of the offer and take it within 3-4 months. But I do plan to take them up on this great offer and sail on another of Carnivals newer ships! And I'll play again in the casino and see if I can accumulate enough points to get another offer.

 

Mr. Sanchos:

I have some photos from Mr. Sanchos, especially of the palapa bed cabanas but don't remember if I took photos of the new palapa covered dining area by the all-inclusive pool or not. I'll have to go through the photos and see what I got.

 

 

Magic is sailing from Galveston. The port is OK. We spent the night at Day's Inn. It is a very new hotel. It's pretty badly built, if you ask me. They didn't finish off the trim tiles along the floor in the bathroom very well. But the bed is comfortable and the TV works and for one night, it was one of the cheaper options in town. A lot of people stay in Texas City as it is much cheaper than Galveston as they increase the room rates on hotels on nights before cruises. At any rate, we had dinner at Landry's Seafood. Landry's is a machine! They were BUSY! There were many large groups and since we were only 2, instead of a 30 - 40 minute wait, we were seated in about 5 minutes. The food was good as usual, the service a little slower than usual, but considering the restaurant was operating at full capacity, I think they did very well and we had no place to go anyway. We stopped at Kroger and bought some wine on the way back to Day's Inn. That night, as we were watching TV in bed, a big old cockroach ran up the wall. (In Florida these are called Palmetto bugs, as though they are a better class of cockroach.) My husband tried to get it to exit our room via the balcony door, but it was just running all over the place. In its panic, it dropped onto the top of the clothes rack and then jumped off towards my husband - who immediately broke into the "Cockroach Dance" before I pointed out that the roach fell on the floor, not on him. LOL! Anyway, my husband killed the roach and flushed it. So no worries about that. I didn't see any other roaches there and as it is a beach front community, really, there is no preventing roaches so I didn't hold it against the hotel.

 

The next morning we drove about 2 miles to the port, dropped our luggage with a porter and then headed for port parking lot B where I had a prepaid reservation. For some reason everything was messed up on this day, so it took about an hour to get into the parking lot due to a police officer who was directing traffic and then there was a long line for the buses to go back to the terminal. It snaked all the way down one row of cars and around and halfway up the next row of cars in the hot sun. Most people in parking lot B had their luggage with them. After a while (when we came around in the line from the next aisle over to the actual aisle where the bus was stopping), we noticed a much shorter line that seemed to be only for people without luggage, so, under the angry glares of all of the 200+ people standing in line with luggage, we went over there to find out if that's what it was and sure enough, we got on the next bus. They dropped up right outside of the terminal door, so we went right inside and stood in line for a short while then boarded the ship.

 

After the mess at Port Parking Lot B we were dreading the return trip to our car. We decided to do early self-disembarkation. One thing I found out is that if you use a valet, they put you in a shorter customs and immigration line. We didn't do that and the line moved slowly. I have trusted traveler status but there is no kiosk at the port, and we nothing to declare. So our time with the actual agent was quick. We exited the terminal and the station for getting the bus to Lot B was close by. As it turned out, there was no problem at all getting a bus with our luggage this time. The bus drivers tell you to where to sit and loads your luggage on the bus for you. According to the driver passengers must load from back to front on the bus. It's only a 3 block ride to the parking lot - so no big deal to me - I could care less where i sit. Anyway a couple of women decided they wanted to sit in the seats towards the front and the lady bus driver told them to move to the seats at the back which were empty and they got into a verbal confrontation with the driver who told them "Oh NO! You don't disrespect me on my bus!" LOL! These women kept saying things about how they were prone to motion sickness and that they would vomit and the driver was like "You just got off a cruise ship!" They were like "Well I hope I vomit on your bus so YOU can clean it up." The two women made a big todo about being told where to sit for a bus ride that was all of 10 minutes long at most. Honestly, it was hard not to laugh at this ridiculous situation. As it turned out the first stop in the parking lot was near our vehicle and the bus driver got our bags out and we loaded them in our vehicle and were on our way home within 15 minutes of exiting the port terminal building.

 

Well, another long-winded post by me. But those are the facts on Carnival Magic and the port of Galveston. It's a great ship and we really enjoyed it. It never felt crowded, the crew are friendly and enthusiastic. A very nice cruise overall!

[SuiteTraveler]

I booked my free cruise today on the Carnival Breeze. They allowed me to pay to upgrade to a balcony cabin which actually cost very little - just a few hundred dollars. I'm excited about the 4D movie theater and all the different specialty restaurants onboard!

 

The Breeze is the most similar of Carnival's ships to the NCL Getaway and it's the same group as the Magic, which we enjoyed, so it should be a great cruise!

[spacewoman]

I recall somewhere on the boards several years ago, someone mentioned staying at a hotel in New Jersey then taking a car service to the pier.

 

I also see ads (since I am 60 miles north of the city and get those TV stations) for a car service Dial 77777 (probably missing a few 7"s:))

 

Newark would be the furthest from the pier, with JFK next and LGA the closest (those living in the city may correct that). From taking relatives to each over many years, we always found traffic to JFK quite miserable but, one little traffic glitch anywhere and the roads are a nightmare.

 

We did Breakaway two years ago for our 30th anniversary (I surprised the hubby that Christmas before with it). Just like everyone else, each ship you find things you like better than others and some things not so. I think we are better suited for the smaller ships but by no means would I pass up a deal on Breakaway again. We loved O'Sheehan's, loved being able to sit up there and watch shows in the atrium below. Did not like having to get tickets to see shows in the theater (understand why with the number of passengers), loved the layout of the casino but HATED the smoke. As in so bad it permeated O'Sheehan's and the elevators going toward the aft of the ship. I do not want to take away a person's right to smoke but it was beyond belief late in the day. You guys are the adventuresome types so you should love the slides, ropes, etc. I will say that, as long as the weather is nice, you do not feel like there are close to 4,000 on board. I believe (it's been two years and I'm over 50 LOL) that the rear dining was the dinner and show dining room at an additional cost. The ship is beautiful, areas where the specialty dining is very pretty, and the waterfront pretty neat.

 

I will say I have spoken to a few people who have done Epic and Breakaway and they say they prefer Epic.

 

Personally, I prefer whatever ship I am on at the moment.

 

Good luck planning Kim and try not to stress out!

 

Kathy

[SuiteTraveler]

Kim, for the Breakaway, I was going to suggest Comfort Inn Midtown West which is only .3 miles from the Port of Manhattan. It's fairly inexpensive by Manhattan standards and located very near Broadway - you could easily walk, so it would be easy to take Sakari to her first Broadway show (maybe The Lion King or Aladdin) if desired. The other hotel I thought of was the Holiday Inn Midtown - just .5 miles from the port. LaGuardia is only a tiny bit closer than JFK to the port. It's about half a mile difference but takes about 2/3's the drive time usually.

[njhorseman]

 

Newark would be the furthest from the pier, with JFK next and LGA the closest (those living in the city may correct that).

 

That's incorrect. LGA is closest to the pier, EWR is next and JFK is furthest.