GAPearl's "MAGIC"al Birthday Cruise! Complete Magic picture review-6/14/15 sailing.

[mykindaparty]

Goodie goodie....welcome back Kim! Hope you had a fab time and can't wait for pics of your outfits[emoji3] and review......popping the popcorn now.......

[LibratPDX]

Hey Kimberly! I should have know you would top yourself, the video was great, I especially love the credits, very authentic looking, I actually LOL'd !

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the Magic, I was on her last fall (loved the ship, not a fan of the lack of transportation options for a solo from Houston to Galveston :mad: ).

 

One of these days I know I will see you on another ship, I've got four cruises booked right now (through 2017); if not, let me know if/when you have another layover in Portland, it was fun seeing you last time!

 

Cala

[gapearl]

I had to force myself back to sleep at 4:30 am after waking up so early. I rarely get to sleep before midnight and usually sleep only about 4 hours a night, so it's no surprise I was up so early. At 6:45, I heard everyone up and at 'em, so I went ahead and got up even though it was before my alarm went off.

 

I was so excited as I was getting dressed. I swear I love cruises more than Kanye loves Kanye. It doesn't matter if it's your 1st or 100th cruise, that special feeling you get on cruise morning is always there. My goal was to be out of the hotel by 8:30 am. We were right on time, checked out, filled up CJ's gas tank, and were headed down 45 south by 8:45 am. There was no traffic and the drive was quicker than I expected. We had arrived by 9:15.

 

Some pics from the drive down to Galveston.

 

 

 

 

 

Yay, we're here!

 

 

[anewmac]

OMG I love the video... taking it to another level. It was awesome!

 

Cant wait to read more!

 

Also HAPPY BELATED BDAY!!!!

 

I was so excited as I was getting dressed. I swear I love cruises more than Kanye loves Kanye.

 

LMAO Truer words have never been spoken!

Edited June 24, 2015 by anewmac

[gapearl]

I dropped the family off in front with the bags and then headed to go park. I tracked down a porter and gave him $20 to take care of all of our bags. My mom's and my bags had priority on them and CJ and JJ's did not, but he said he'd send them all up to our rooms right away. Raise your hand if you think I got them right away! :rolleyes:

 

The first look.

 

 

Make sure you're going to the right ship. Navigator to the left, Magic to the right.

 

 

I prepaid $65 (regular price is $70) to park at the Port of Galveston lot right across the street. There are places a few dollars cheaper, but were all sold out by the time looked. I thought the shuttles were like the ones at the airport parking lots where you park and they pick you up at your car. After 3 shuttles drove by me, a guy directed me to a different area where he said I'll get picked up with others. I didn't see a designated waiting area or other people. I asked another guy where to go, and he turned out to be just as clueless and offered little help. I had to flag down a driver myself. He was headed back with an empty shuttle and I was grateful that he was willing to take care of me.

 

The Port of Galveston parking lot.

 

[gapearl]

My mom and I were the first to get checked in at the Captain's Lounge. CJ and JJ couldn't come to check in with us and had to go to the regular check in, but the line was short. CJ had asked to be boarded with special assistance and it was granted with no problem. The lady checking me in had to ask for medical reasons if me or anyone in my party were pregnant. Ummmm, not that I know of! :eek:

 

These were taken in the almost empty Captain's Lounge. This is where diamond, platinum, and suite passegners get checked in.

 

 

They had water, lemonade, and coffee to drink.

 

 

My mom went to sit with CJ & JJ and I stayed behind in the Captain's Lounge. I had a come to Jesus meeting with them last night that I would be leaving them during boarding and they should go to the buffet, where I would meet up them. I was on a mission. Some of you already know what that mission was. haha Boarding started around 11:15 am. The weddings were called first, then the Captain's Lounge, FTTF, special assistance and zone 1. I took my embarkation picture and didn't have time to ohhhhh and ahhhhh at this new, pretty ship. Like I said, I was on a mission. I skipped the elevators and took the stairs up to deck 5.

 

Mission accomplished! I was first in the Red Frog Pub!

 

 

I got there so quick the bartender wasn't even ready for me yet. He gave me my free beer and took my picture. He asked for my name, email, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter....ok is that for you or....

 

If you're wondering what's the big deal about being first in the Red Frog Pub, well you get a free beer and get featured on John Heald's Facebook page. He's the senior cruise director and brand ambassador for Carnival. No, there's no cash prize like my mom thought there would be. Just bragging rights. I was in there for about 10 minutes and no one else ever came in also trying to be first.

 

My picture was on the tv for the rest of the day.

 

 

Special shout out to Andrew, who has been first in the RFP twice and gave me a little advice on getting there first myself. Since I don't drink beer, I gave my free beer to the first person I saw walking by. Here, you want a free beer? Well yeah! Josh offered to buy me a drink later in the cruise. I caught up with my family who were still sitting down on deck 3. I had them to go up to the buffet while I took all of our carryons to my room that was ready.

 

My good friend Sean (seannyice81 on here) sent me a very nice birthday gift of a Funship Freddy, a dozen pink roses, and some obc. Thanks again Sean, you're too kind!

 

[gapearl]

I booked us in two side by side interior cabins. I've enjoyed ocean view staterooms lately, but that would have been about an extra $400 per person, so no deal. We were in 7306 and 7308. Perfect midship location.

 

 

The water you see is the new $2.99 12 pack you can now order through bon voyage.

 

 

The bathroom, no goodies any more.

 

 

 

There's plenty of closet space, but bring some extra hangers.

 

 

[Kfoot]

Awesome! I saw your pic on John Heald's FB page and have been looking forward to your review! Happy Birthday!

 

Looking forward to this review, after seeing you on John Heald fB page couple days ago as the first in the Red Frog Pub.

[gapearl]

You used a 4 digit code for the safe. The minibar underneath was locked and I never had a need for it to be opened.

 

 

 

More storage down in there.

 

 

Selfie in the mirror.

 

 

Jeans, spanx, and Texas heat. The struggle was real. LOL

 

 

The soda/water/wine area.

 

[gapearl]

There were lots of long lines at all the lido buffet areas. The best kept secret is the Tandoor Indian grill all the way aft by the pool. The food is really good there, and there's never a line.

 

 

After lunch, I headed back to the Red Frog Pub. There was a different bartender now and she asked for my name, address, phone number, and my cabin number. Leave it to a woman to have to fix a man's mistake. lol She said they're going to send me a copy of my picture. I walked around the ship a while and practiced using my selfie stick.

 

 

I eventually stumbled upon a few people from the roll call. I had them cracking up at some of my cruise stories. I gave the 21 year old some important cruise fashion advice- always wear your tightest dresses the first couple of nights. That way you can still fit them before the weight gain and bloating kicks in later in the cruise. Save your stretchy dress with lycra for the last night. LOL

 

Some pics from the aft lido pool area.

 

 

The Navigator of the Seas. This was my first Royal Caribbean ship 3 years ago from Rome to Barcelona. Yes, there's a review for that cruise!

 

 

We spotted a few dolphins.

 

 

[Crusin Karen]

Welcome back! Saw your picture at RFP on here when you sailed out. Looking forward to hearing about your cruise!

[gapearl]

A couple more pictures from the port.

 

 

 

I needed to get my ipad while I still had wifi, so I headed back to my room and noticed my bags still had not arrived yet. Back up to the aft bar where I said hi to a few more roll call people. It was at that time that I got two messages from friends that John Heald had just announced our itinerary was being reversed. I asked one of the bartenders if he had heard about the change and he said no. He learned of it when I showed him the post. How ironic that I found this out literally 15 minutes after I had just sent out confirmation emails for my excursions. I didn't have time to send out emails again because it was now time for the muster drill. Looks like I'll be buying an internet package later. I went back to the cabin to get the family and we headed to our muster station in the Northern Lights Dining Room. You don't have to bring your lifejacket and you don't have to walk out and line up by the lifeboats. People were still coming in 30 minutes after we got there.

 

One of the brides heading to the muster. Hey girl, throw me your bouquet! Oh, and congratulations.

 

 

While sitting next to CJ, this message popped up on my phone from a neighbor/church member's son.

 

 

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot you have got to be kidding me! I told my mom about this message and she STILL didn't want me to say she was on a cruise! Just say I'm out of town. #facepalm She has the tendency to make things into a bigger deal than they are sometimes. For instance, she doesn't want anyone to know that she has a caller ID box for the house phone because she doesn't want people to know she knows who is calling if she decides not to answer. She doesn't realize that pretty much EVERY PHONE IN THE WORLD has caller ID and it's really no big deal, but to her it is. So she didn't want anyone to know she wouldn't be at church this Sunday because she figured people wouldn't come to the program if the chairperson wasn't there. They would, just tell them! Because they didn't see her at church and saw her car still in the driveway, naturally they thought something had happened to her. I'm happy to know so many people are looking out for her since I'm so far away, but I really wish she would have just told everyone in advance what was going on.

 

Anyways, as we were leaving the muster, the captain made the announcement about the itinerary change. It was poor timing as the stairwells were very loud and you could barely hear what he was saying, but we received this letter later in the evening.

 

 

Back to the room, it's 4 pm and we still have no luggage. So much for priority! :mad: I think I got it quicker when I didn't have the priority luggage tags on it.

[dezertcruzer]

Subscribing!

[gapearl]

Time for the sailaway party! The entertainment staff on the Magic were nothing short of awesome the whole cruise! We did all the fun dances- wobble, Cupid shuffle, electric slide, cha cha slide, and YMCA.

 

 

But first, let me take a selfie.

 

 

He saw me taking this and jumped in. He called me Beyonce, so I called him Jay-Z. :p

 

 

Sailaway selfie stick selfie. lol

 

[WestCoastCruiser123]

Great start. I loved the video and the cornbread reference. I think you did a cornbread review with pics in another review.

[gapearl]

See ya next week, Galveston!

 

 

 

 

 

[gapearl]

After the party our bags had finally arrived. We unpacked and got ready for dinner. While getting dressed, my mom was like you're gonna have to do something about that air cause I'm cold. Huh? You're cold with the temperature on this?

 

 

My 5 years from the-f-word-age hormones can NOT deal with a hot cabin all week. Next cruise, we're getting separate 1As. I wanted CJ and JJ to catch the welcome aboard show, but it was at 7:30 and we were all nowhere close to being ready.

 

My first bottle of wine for the week.

 

 

My outfit of the night. :)

 

 

We did your time dining this cruise and went to dinner at 8 pm. Our dining room was Northern Lights, same as our muster station. CJ didn't join us because she wasn't feeling well and needed to take some medication. I asked for a large table and the hostess started one with us. We were seated with a honeymooning couple from Texas and a couple of teacher friends from Texas and Ohio. One was celebrating his birthday the day before mine. Our waiter was Arnel, and he was great!

 

The everyday menu is on the left, and tonight's features are on the right.

 

[gapearl]

Dinner seemed a bit dead and the dining room didn't seem full (wasn't all week actually). I was hoping for the New American Table menus since I enjoyed them on my December 2 day Imagination cruise. I thought Magic would be getting them in May, but it's actually not until July. I pretty much order the same things every cruise.

 

My gazpacho appetizer.

 

 

 

My mom's fruit cocktail appetizer.

 

 

JJ's Caesar salad.

 

 

Mom's tilapia.

 

 

JJ's fried chicken dinner entree.

 

[gapearl]

My chicken a la grecque.

 

 

A side of vegetables for me also.

 

 

Tonight's dessert menu.

 

 

My favorite dessert! Warm chocolate melting cake with TWO ice creams! I also ordered the creme brulee, whick was just ok.

 

 

Mom's diet orange cake.

 

[gapearl]

After dinner, I walked around the ship for a little while. I went to the Spotlight Lounge early to get a seat for the comedy show at 11 pm and superstar karaoke was still going on. For the most part, everyone was terrible lol, except the 10 year old girl who sang I Love Rock & Roll and the man who sang Let's Get It On directly to his lady. MMMhmmm, I bet they did later.

 

Superstar karaoke, which is karaoke with a live band instead of a recorded track.

 

 

Cowboy Comedian was the headliner in the Punchliner Comedy Club tonight. Personally, I didn't care for him all that much. I thought some of his jokes were tasteless (not raunchy but definitely tasteless) and I didn't make it a point to see him again.

 

After comedy was the Vibe Nightclub. The DJ played a nice variety of music and there was a good crowd of people on the dance floor. There is one, and I do mean only one, country song that I like and he played it.

 

Cause I saddle up my horse and I ride into the city, I make a lot of noise cause the girls they are so pretty, riding up and down Broadway on my old stud Leroy and the girls say....

 

Save a hoooorssssseeeee, ride a cowboy!

 

Don't judge me. haha

 

Hanging out inside the Vibe Nightclub.

 

 

It was nice meeting lots of new people in here tonight. The crowd thinned out about 1 am. I passed by the casino bar and saw new friend Josh that I gave my free beer to earlier. I sat and had a drink with him and we talked with some others around the bar. He bought me a spicy chipotle martini, which is a really good drink.

 

 

 

I left him and headed up to the pizza place where everyone from Vibe was hanging out. I made it back to my cabin around 2 am. My mom was wide awake watching tv, unable to sleep with all the rocking the ship was doing.

 

Tonight's towel animal.

 

 

If anyone is interested in the Fun Times, you can find all 7 days here that I posted.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2225804

 

Tomorrow we'll be sailing through a tropical storm. Oh boy!

 

 

Thanks for reading along and for all the nice words! I'll get around to repsponding to the comments as well as posting day 2 very soon!

[You Me & the Sea]

While you're working on the rest of this one, this new fan is going to go read your others! BTW, love the video and your sense of humor!

[JAXCRUISER]

Your reviews are always so much fun to read--thanks!!!

[anewmac]

Great start, and did I read that you do all this from your iPad lol. I have like 3 screens open on my laptop and my phone to help me remember and write my review. Lol

[lifeisgoodPat]

Kim, I love your reviews and am subscribing to this one for sure. I live near Port Canaveral and am excited to read your review of the Magic. It will be coming here next year and I plan on booking a cruise. I have never been on this ship before and am looking forward to it. Oh yeah, by the way, did I see three (3) bottles of wine on your counter? lol.

[babsee101]

Yay! My favorite reviewer! Looking forward to more of your birthday cruise adventures on the Magic!