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

[gapearl]

Awww, hell. You've already outdone yourself with JUST this video. Can't wait. There goes MY productive week! :)

 

I have to outdo myself every time. lol Looks like neither of us will have a productive week between me writing and you reading! :p

 

I love your reviews so much! Thanks for doing these. I have found them so helpful.

 

You're welcome! I hope you enjoy this one!

[gapearl]

Hahaha I was just thinking that spanx were going to suck in the heat. The struggle really is real! :) Looking forward to your review!

 

I hardly even wear jeans any more. I've discovered that leggings are just so much more comfortable! haha But I had to wear one with most of my dresses at night. The struggle continued.

 

Awesome!! So excited to read more! :)

 

Thanks a lot! Tons more to come!

[TLC535]

Thanks for the fabulous review Kim...

LOVE ~ LOVE ~ LOVE your outgoing adventurous personality...makes for a great read...keep it up

[gapearl]

Yaaaassssssss!!!!!

 

:D:D:D:p

 

You are getting me sooooo excited for our upcoming cruise on the Magic! we sail on the 9th of Aug! celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary! BTW Happy belated birthday and I will be on a mission when we board too--not for the Red Frog but for the shore excursions desk for the Behind the Fun Tour! (purchased FTTF so hopefully we'll get on before the masses ha) sounds like you had a ball! I had a q but now can't think of it

 

Happy anniversary to you! Same itinerary? I think you'll be fine booking the behind the fun tour. I haven't done that in a while so maybe I will again on another ship. My next post will have a ton of ship pictures so stay tuned.

[gapearl]

Following! My first cruise was on the Magic in March so this brings back happy memories. I'll be doing this itinerary on RCL in February so I'm excited to see what all you did at the ports.

 

Magic is a great ship! You picked a good one for your first cruise. I'll be posting tons of pictures from the ports so keep checking back.

 

Enjoying, as always! Thanks again for sharing, Kim.

 

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

 

Thank you very much! Enjoy!

[gapearl]

Happy Birthday! ...and Thanks for your Great Photo Review. :):):):)

 

Thanks so much! Enjoy the review!

 

I'm so excited that you are back and have started your review. Your video was great. I'm going on the same cruise in October with my 3 and 4 year olds. I can't wait to show them the sea turtles. I can't wait to see your review of the Cayman Islands and to see all of your pictures of the ship. I'm so glad you don't require much sleep because it will be hard to wait for each installment:)

 

Thanks for doing your reviews. They are great and so entertaining! I wish I had your energy. Happy Birthday!

 

You all are going to have a great time in October. The sea turtles in Grand Cayman are awesome! Your kids will love it. I have lots more pictures when I get to GC day. Have fun reading and let me know if you have any specific questions along the way.

[gapearl]

I remember seeing your picture on John Heald's page and he said you were from Galveston and I was like no she isn't! Everyone knew who you were when he posted your pictures....CC royalty!

 

My birthday is the day before yours. I live about 30 minutes from Galveston. Glad you were able to make it down to sail on the Magic....she is beautiful!

 

Oh man you should have been on this cruise with me! I noticed how everyone on JH's page corrected him with my city. lol I have no idea where they got Galveston from. :confused: It was fun cruising on a new ship and from a new port. Happy belated birthday to you as well!

 

Thanks for the fabulous review Kim...

LOVE ~ LOVE ~ LOVE your outgoing adventurous personality...makes for a great read...keep it up

 

Thank you very much! I'm glad you're enjoying my review.

[JJInc]

 

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.

 

This has cracked me up all day long! :D It made me think of my mom who passed away in 2007, when I took her to sign up for Medicare Part D, she swore it was a scam, and she flat out refused to get call waiting on her phone because "If I am already talking to someone why would I switch over to talk to someone else" Lol!!! So as you've said about spanx, "the struggle is real when dealing with our elderly parents :) "

 

Btw I just told the hubby, yayyyy we're gonna meet GA Pearl on the Vista!

[pghsteelerfan]

Yay!!! I've been looking forward to your Magic review since seeing your picture posted on JH's page for being the first at the Red Frog. I knew you were cruising on the Magic but didn't know exactly when. I haven't been on CC yesterday or most of today but just got on this afternoon and your review is up and 7 pages long already!!!

 

I love the video you made, awesome and very professional!!! I'd love to figure out how to do that one of these days. I'm really enjoying this one just as much as I've enjoyed your others. You're pictures are great, as usual, and I'm really looking forward to the rest.

 

Happy Birthday a week late and thank you for sharing your birthday cruise. :)

[pimela]

I've read one of your reviews, and am excited to read this as I'm trying to pick a cruise for my daughter and I next year!

[tiffy0428]

I sit at work and get through my day off of your reviews. I inspire to write a great review like you.

[PC Cruisin]

Your reviewers are always awesome to read. I have a question ... Where did you buy your selfie stick? I want to get one for my next cruise.

[monogrammedbelle]

 

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

 

 

This tickled me!! I've BEEN THERE - gotten the t-shirt, bumper sticker, and magnet. :) No shame in that game.

 

On my most recent cruise, after spending the three days prior in New Orleans eating everything in sight, I thought the button on my shorts was going to pop off in the MDR. I will definitely be taking your advice to heart - maxi dresses and elastic towards the end of every cruise! xo

[blueangel74]

 

 

 

Hey Monicia! You're going to have a lot of fun, especially for Halloween! Tell your sister I said hi! :)

 

 

I will tell Johnnie that you said hi.

[all_aboard]

Great video! I'm following!

[Gr8DanesMom]

Thank you for posting this review. I'm going on the Magic in November (for my bday too!) and love reading about this ship.

 

Keep them coming!

 

- Cindy

[gapearl]

Have you ever wondered what it's like to sail through a tropical storm?

 

[YOUTUBE]N8Wjzm0DF-A[/YOUTUBE]

 

Boy oh boy, the ship was a rocking, and I'm telling you, it was not because of the honeymooners. It was bad. Really bad. Terribly bad. Unbelievably bad. It was as bad as Vanilla Ice's rapping and Kim Zolciak's singing. Yeah, THAT bad. I swear at any minute I thought we were going to end up like Poseidon upside down. I talked to a man later in the day that said it was his first cruise and his last cruise. I tried to reassure him that this wasn't normal and I haven't felt anything quite like this before.

 

 

It was crazy windy out there.

 

 

 

Edited June 25, 2015 by gapearl

[olcar]

Have you ever wondered what it's like to sail through a tropical storm?

 

 

 

[YOUTUBE]N8Wjzm0DF-A[/YOUTUBE]

 

 

 

Boy oh boy, the ship was a rocking, and I'm telling you, it was not because of the honeymooners. It was bad. Really bad. Terribly bad. Unbelieveably bad. It was as bad as Vanilla Ice's rapping and Kim Zolciak's singing. Yeah, THAT bad. I swear at any minute I thought we were going to end up like Poseidon upside down. I talked to a man later in the day that said it was his first cruise and his last cruise. I tried to reassure him that this wasn't normal and I haven't felt anything quite like this before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was crazy windy out there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brings me back going through Isaac in 2012, it does really crazy windy. And I'm really enjoying your review.

[gapearl]

I woke up early to go to the gym for a workout. It doesn't matter that I don't feel like it (had too much fun last night :D) because I have to do it. I took my wine bottles down from the shelf so they wouldn't fall and break. My mom was pretty scared, quoting scriptures and calling on Jesus. I made it to the gym around 8:15 am. Most of the treadmills were turned off but I managed to find one that was on. Running was impossible. Forget that, walking was hard enough. I got in a difficult 30 minutes walking at only maybe 3.4 on a slight incline and had to hold on to the back so I wouldn't fall and hurt myself, and I did a few weights after. That was just as difficult in our condition, so I said forget it, I'm done.

 

The view from my treadmill.

 

 

Aaannnnnddddd here comes the rain.

 

 

Treadmills out of commission for the morning.

 

 

By the time I was leaving all the treadmills had been turned off except 3 or 4 that were occupied down on the far right end. There was a trainer giving a disclaimer to anyone asking for a treadmill to be turned on that they could not run and walking on it was at their own risk. I can see it now- some American attempting to run, falling, and suing Carnival saying I didn't know it was unsafe. It's a shame he had to do that. After working out I sat in the sauna for a while and headed back to my cabin for a shower and to get dressed.

 

Unfortunately today would not be a pool day, so I grabbed my selfie stick and started roaming the ship to see what I could get into. It was about 10:30 am when I headed out.

 

No problem with chair hogs today!

 

 

Some brave souls in the aft lido pool.

 

 

[gapearl]

My first stop was the Red Frog Pub, as they were having sign ups for the mixology contest soon. I ordered a Caribbean iced tea from bartender Gavine and holy moly it was strong. All I needed was one.

 

The Caribbean iced tea.

 

 

 

Selfie with my favorite bartender Gavine.

 

 

I chatted for little while with Carter, who was from my hometown of Memphis. We had some good conversations being from the same city and both in the travel industry.

 

[cruiseJMO]

Sorry to interrupt.

But, u should have taken Carter home. 😉. He looks good, y'all look good together...just saying.😁

Really wondering how the MDR was. I was on HAL ship during a storm, and it got ugly. I don't get sea sick, but it was difficult to eat with so many getting sick around me & so close to our table.

[gapearl]

I left the pub to get some lunch, and oh my goodness the lines. They were loooong everywhere. Are y'all casting for The Bachelor here? Are they passing out gold bricks? Is Daddy Yankee performing Gasolina and sponsoring a twerking contest? Oh, this has got to be the line to sign the petition to send Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian away in one of those one way pods to Mars. No? This is the line to get a slice of pizza? #FAIL Y'all remember that there's another buffet in the aft of the lido dining area and the lines are never as long as they are in the front. I grabbed a little from there and Tandoor, where there's never more than a couple of people in line.

 

The good eats buffet, lido aft.

 

 

 

 

[gapearl]

I made it back to the Red Frog Pub at 1 pm for the mixology competition. Only 4 of us signed up for it. Normally this is held out by the pool but was moved inside to the RFP because of the weather. Drinks are always on the rocks now and can't be made frozen any more. I was contestant #1 and named my drink Kim's birthday punch. It was rum, amaretto, apricot brandy, blue curaçao, and pineapple juice. One of my favorite drinks to make at home is rum, blue curaçao and pineapple, so I figured throwing a few extra things in there would make it even better.

 

 

Selfie with cruise director James Dunn. He was one of the judges along with two other passengers.

 

 

The bar is set up and ready for us.

 

 

Time to get to work.

 

Edited June 25, 2015 by gapearl

[riclop]

Kim always enjoy reading your reviews, you do such a great job and your video was fantastic . Thanks for sharing!!!

[gapearl]

 

Cheers to the winning drink!

 

 

Ok so I didn't exactly win. Unfortunately, this was my second time losing the competition, the first time being on the Valor two years ago. I even offered to bribe the judges. I've got a $20 for each of you! I guess the winner had a $50 for each. lol My drink was really good though. It was a fun activity for the afternoon and I got my drink for free as well as a coupon for another free drink to use later.

 

Me with my winning *cough cough, losing* Kim's birthday punch.

 

 

One of the other contestants.

 

 

I forgot to use this later. :rolleyes: