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Carnival Magic Tips & "Secrets"???

Balto. Guys

By Balto. Guys,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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ncshp955

ncshp955

Posted
Posted
Hi, This is probably a dumb question but... Where can I find a list of restaurants on the Disney Magic and if they cost extra or if they are included in the cruise? :confused::confused: THANKS!!!

 

Best place would be on the Disney Magic site. You are posting this on the Carnival Magic site. Can be a little confusing sometimes.

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mikechass

mikechass

Posted
Posted

We are heading out in March and loved this thread.

Looking forward to our b2b.

Thanks for taking the time to write stuff and to whoever bumped this thread up to a more recent thread.

Happy New Year everyone.

Chassity

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BigDozer66

BigDozer66

Posted
Posted
Not sure why people refer to the decks on the front of the ship as secret. Heck there are clearly visible doors leading out to them.

 

The best tip I can give you is to get a Spa room. Not only do you get the Spa (which is beyond wonderful), but you are just a few steps from those HUGE showers and endless supply of towels in the Spa locker room on deck 14 and/or slightly smaller showers and endless supply of towels in the gym locker room on deck 12. We also find the sitting area in the front of deck 14 a great place just to get away for some peace and quiet (and fruited water) with a nice ocean view. And those decks are really quiet as usually families with kids DO NOT book Spa rooms.

 

The second best is to go to the Italian restaurant on the first day for lunch. It is free and usually empty. And very good (get the Lasagna!). You avoid the rat race and luggage maze that is the lido buffet. Only trade-off is some basketball thumping overhead.

 

The third best tip is that if you have any refundable OBC, DO NOT do the casino dance that most here seem to favor and recommend, just go to the kiosk and withdraw it in crisp $20 bills.

 

At 6' 7" and 250 lbs the sound of "huge" showers is one that interests me tremendously! I am glad we booked a Spa Room even more now. :D

 

Thanks for the tips. :cool:

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BigDozer66

BigDozer66

Posted
Posted
Saw a good tip here on CC about having lunch on embarkation day in the Cucina del Capitano.

 

We did that after boarding and it was a fabulous experience. The lunch was free and the food was awesome. DW said the lasagna was much better than what they serve in the MDR. I had a bowl of linguine with chicken, shrimp, and sausage. Holy cow! It was delicious and filling.

 

Best of all, this meal session on embarkation day was free... :D

 

We already have reservations for Cucina del Capitano for that evening but I could be talked into eating Italian twice in one day! :D

 

Save

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akmom1heck

akmom1heck

Posted
Posted

Thanks for these tidbits. We are heading out in March. My crew consists of myself, the hubby and son(18) and daughter(14). It's my son's senior year and our first Spring Break vacation. We're rookies!!! We are going to Amber Cove, Grand Turk, St. Thomas, and San Juan. Excited and stressed!!!

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crusinpsychRN

crusinpsychRN

Posted
Posted (edited)

When I was on the ship Cucina was open for lunch daily. Limited menu.

 

Leave the outer cabinet door on the mini fridge ajar and it will keep things cooler.

 

People with Your Time dining start lining up at 5:15! Long lines. You can ask for a table for 2, if any available you'll get one otherwise you'll be seated with others usually.

 

Serenity is in a funny place and is huge. I only saw 2 people on one side and 2 on the other.

 

Very cold in some venues.

 

If you put plenty of BBQ sauce on the BBQ it's fair.

Edited by crusinpsychRN
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mcphe31

mcphe31

Posted
Posted
Heading out on our first cruise February 4th on magic for the 7 day exotic western cruise to Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel. Any suggestions for a first time cruiser? The whole family is going. Kids ages 6, 11 and 17.

 

 

This is the one that we are going on as well Feb. 2018. I am going with a 3 year old and 4 year old. Enjoy reading about the different tips, tricks, and places to eat. This will be our second cruise.

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Jennkattz

Jennkattz

Posted
Posted
Oh the excitement of a first cruise!

 

Packing - if you are going to "dress" for dinner, take things that are interchangeable - like khaki pants/shorts that the kids can wear more than one time. If you are sun lovers and water lovers, don't pack as many clothes because more than likely you will spend most of your sea days in a swimsuit. Don't over pack - something I'm still working on after 7 cruises! It's just hard when you have kids though.

 

Don't be afraid to book excursions on your own instead of with Carnival. Just keep in mind about the time restraints, time changes and be sure you are back at the ship in a timely manner. We have never taken Carnival excursions and have always made it back on time. Cost is less and you normally get more personal attention I believe.

 

Costa Maya is one of our favorite places - take a bus or taxi to Mahahual (downtown) and go to the beach. There are several places that you can go to that will reserve lounge chairs and umbrellas for you free of charge as long as your purchase drinks or some food from them. It is absolutely beautiful. The place where we went arranged massages on the beach for us, snorkeling, etc. and it was a stress free day. The water or gorgeous and the sand never gets hot.

 

Cozumel - Depending on what you want to do, I would suggest a driver for the day. We have used the same one several times and he is wonderful. He is a true gentleman and has taken us all over the island - any where we wanted to go and told us all about the island, it's people, etc.

 

Belize - we loved the cave tubing. I would definitely suggest an excursion here unless you just want to tender in and look around right at the port.

 

Roatan - we did a private tour here to - it was interesting and we enjoyed it as well.

 

I'm not supposed to mention specific tour guides, etc. here but if you are interested in the ones we have used, let me know and I'll get you my email address.

 

Have fun and don't try to do it all - you just can't and if you try, you'll still need a vacation when this one is over!

 

If you have a moment I would be interested in the information for the driver you use in Cozumel. Last time I was there several years ago we wandered around and had the most amazing lunch in an out of the way place. It would be wonderful to expand on that this go round. My email is jenc712@yaoo.com. Thanks!

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nhsails

nhsails

Posted
Posted
Is there a private dressing area by the showers? Could a person get dressed, makeup, hair etc., in this room?

It's like all spas, individual showers then an open locker area with some seating and mirrors with blowdryers.

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nhsails

nhsails

Posted
Posted
Hi, This is probably a dumb question but... Where can I find a list of restaurants on the Disney Magic and if they cost extra or if they are included in the cruise? :confused::confused: THANKS!!!

Might want to start on the Disney Board here at CC

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nhsails

nhsails

Posted
Posted
If you have a moment I would be interested in the information for the driver you use in Cozumel. Last time I was there several years ago we wandered around and had the most amazing lunch in an out of the way place. It would be wonderful to expand on that this go round. My email is jenc712@yaoo.com. Thanks!

Jenn, you might want to remove your email for security and privacy issues

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Umbrae Noctem

Umbrae Noctem

Posted
Posted
Oh the excitement of a first cruise!

 

Packing - if you are going to "dress" for dinner, take things that are interchangeable - like khaki pants/shorts that the kids can wear more than one time. If you are sun lovers and water lovers, don't pack as many clothes because more than likely you will spend most of your sea days in a swimsuit. Don't over pack - something I'm still working on after 7 cruises! It's just hard when you have kids though.

 

Don't be afraid to book excursions on your own instead of with Carnival. Just keep in mind about the time restraints, time changes and be sure you are back at the ship in a timely manner. We have never taken Carnival excursions and have always made it back on time. Cost is less and you normally get more personal attention I believe.

 

Costa Maya is one of our favorite places - take a bus or taxi to Mahahual (downtown) and go to the beach. There are several places that you can go to that will reserve lounge chairs and umbrellas for you free of charge as long as your purchase drinks or some food from them. It is absolutely beautiful. The place where we went arranged massages on the beach for us, snorkeling, etc. and it was a stress free day. The water or gorgeous and the sand never gets hot.

 

Cozumel - Depending on what you want to do, I would suggest a driver for the day. We have used the same one several times and he is wonderful. He is a true gentleman and has taken us all over the island - any where we wanted to go and told us all about the island, it's people, etc.

 

Belize - we loved the cave tubing. I would definitely suggest an excursion here unless you just want to tender in and look around right at the port.

 

Roatan - we did a private tour here to - it was interesting and we enjoyed it as well.

 

I'm not supposed to mention specific tour guides, etc. here but if you are interested in the ones we have used, let me know and I'll get you my email address.

 

Have fun and don't try to do it all - you just can't and if you try, you'll still need a vacation when this one is over!

 

I'd also be interested in this info.

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Cricket551

Cricket551

Posted
Posted
Oh the excitement of a first cruise!

 

Packing - if you are going to "dress" for dinner, take things that are interchangeable - like khaki pants/shorts that the kids can wear more than one time. If you are sun lovers and water lovers, don't pack as many clothes because more than likely you will spend most of your sea days in a swimsuit. Don't over pack - something I'm still working on after 7 cruises! It's just hard when you have kids though.

 

Don't be afraid to book excursions on your own instead of with Carnival. Just keep in mind about the time restraints, time changes and be sure you are back at the ship in a timely manner. We have never taken Carnival excursions and have always made it back on time. Cost is less and you normally get more personal attention I believe.

 

Costa Maya is one of our favorite places - take a bus or taxi to Mahahual (downtown) and go to the beach. There are several places that you can go to that will reserve lounge chairs and umbrellas for you free of charge as long as your purchase drinks or some food from them. It is absolutely beautiful. The place where we went arranged massages on the beach for us, snorkeling, etc. and it was a stress free day. The water or gorgeous and the sand never gets hot.

 

Cozumel - Depending on what you want to do, I would suggest a driver for the day. We have used the same one several times and he is wonderful. He is a true gentleman and has taken us all over the island - any where we wanted to go and told us all about the island, it's people, etc.

 

Belize - we loved the cave tubing. I would definitely suggest an excursion here unless you just want to tender in and look around right at the port.

 

Roatan - we did a private tour here to - it was interesting and we enjoyed it as well.

 

I'm not supposed to mention specific tour guides, etc. here but if you are interested in the ones we have used, let me know and I'll get you my email address.

 

Have fun and don't try to do it all - you just can't and if you try, you'll still need a vacation when this one is over!

 

 

DH and I decided to take our three sons and one of theirs wife's on our cruise next April. This will be all of their first time! This will be DH and i's 6th cruise. With so many this time I'm trying to find at least slightly cheaper options. We have almost always done carnival excirsons in the past.

 

I would be interested In the driver you used as well as the name of the beach area you used. And how to arrange that. THank you!

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