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Just off the Magic - February 11-18th sailing - any questions?

GeorgiaMomof4

By GeorgiaMomof4,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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outandabout

outandabout

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We did but not through Carnival. We did all private tours - had drivers pre-booked in St. Thomas and San Juan and just rented a taxi in Amber Cove for a quick sightseeing tour.

 

 

Sailing in April --- if not too much to ask, can you please share the tour company in St. Thomas? How was your experience with them? Our plan is to take a taxi to the forts of San Juan and just walk around Old San Juan. But we will hire a private tour in Amber Cove for a city tour and a cable ride to the top of Isabel De Torres Mountain. What did you do in Grand Turk?

 

Thank you. Looking forward to your photos and reviews.

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Counsel

Counsel

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We were on that sailing as well. Here are the good and bad:

Good: Pig and Anchor was very good! Get there at 11 when they open, or wait after the noon rush. They still get people thru quick. Wish they didn't water down the BBQ sauce!

Good: Cuchina Del Capitano restaurant was excellent as well for the $15 upcharge. Well worth it! The servers can't sing though!

Good: the "Rock" show was one of the best on Carnival I have seen (and we have done 10 Carnival cruises in 9 years).

Bad: The staff cutbacks are REALLY affecting the "experience". In the MDR, our wait staff was friendly but overwhelmed! In the past, we have always enjoyed the MDR experience, but between the poor service and inedible (yes inedible) food, we never went back to the MDR after day 3.

BAD: Our cabin steward was a sweet and hard working young lady - but she was overwhelmed as well, having 32 cabins to clean.

BAD: In general, the staff morale was NOT good. Rude, not smiling, etc.

 

We will be platinum on our next cruise, but based on this experience, we will not be staying with Carnival. IMO they are cutting costs to draw new cruisers, while alienating their established clientele...

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Laughing cavalier

Laughing cavalier

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Hi, we are booked on the Magic for a Caribbean cruise in August, we have been allocated room 6438 and the reviews state that this is one of the worst rooms on the ship as its over the disco and the restaurants.i asked to be moved but was told that it would incur an extra £500 this cruise is a present for my mum to celebrate her 80th birthday. I can already see that carnival have no regard for their clients even in their twiglight years. I'm absolutely not looking forward to cruising with them. I feel I've chosen the wrong cruise line & now that payments are being made to them they are not bothered.

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jen&samcantwait

jen&samcantwait

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Hi, we are booked on the Magic for a Caribbean cruise in August, we have been allocated room 6438 and the reviews state that this is one of the worst rooms on the ship as its over the disco and the restaurants.i asked to be moved but was told that it would incur an extra £500 this cruise is a present for my mum to celebrate her 80th birthday. I can already see that carnival have no regard for their clients even in their twiglight years. I'm absolutely not looking forward to cruising with them. I feel I've chosen the wrong cruise line & now that payments are being made to them they are not bothered.

 

 

Actually, looks like you are over the steak-house. I can't imagine that will be too loud. And you have rooms above, I think you'll be fine with that location.

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Crusin Susan

Crusin Susan

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I cruised the Magic in September and it was awesome. Have a friend that booked for a family reunion Winter 2017. The Cruise director was really great, and the staff was plentiful. Why all the cuts? Does Carnival just not care?

Who was the cruise director on your cruise?

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GeorgiaMomof4

GeorgiaMomof4

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I cruised the Magic in September and it was awesome. Have a friend that booked for a family reunion Winter 2017. The Cruise director was really great, and the staff was plentiful. Why all the cuts? Does Carnival just not care?

Who was the cruise director on your cruise?

 

 

 

 

Our cruise director was Schwartz and he was great! I was worried because I was really looking forward to the Rev. Dr. E being our cruise director but Schwartz was great! He got off the ship the day we did though and I think Dr. E came back from vacation.

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GeorgiaMomof4

GeorgiaMomof4

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We were on that sailing as well. Here are the good and bad:

Good: Pig and Anchor was very good! Get there at 11 when they open, or wait after the noon rush. They still get people thru quick. Wish they didn't water down the BBQ sauce!

Good: Cuchina Del Capitano restaurant was excellent as well for the $15 upcharge. Well worth it! The servers can't sing though!

Good: the "Rock" show was one of the best on Carnival I have seen (and we have done 10 Carnival cruises in 9 years).

Bad: The staff cutbacks are REALLY affecting the "experience". In the MDR, our wait staff was friendly but overwhelmed! In the past, we have always enjoyed the MDR experience, but between the poor service and inedible (yes inedible) food, we never went back to the MDR after day 3.

BAD: Our cabin steward was a sweet and hard working young lady - but she was overwhelmed as well, having 32 cabins to clean.

BAD: In general, the staff morale was NOT good. Rude, not smiling, etc.

 

We will be platinum on our next cruise, but based on this experience, we will not be staying with Carnival. IMO they are cutting costs to draw new cruisers, while alienating their established clientele...

 

 

 

 

I guess this is why we do reviews and why they have to be taken with a grain of salt. Everyone is different!

 

While I see where you were a fan of the Pig and Anchor we weren't at all. We have much better bbq here in Georgia than what we got on the ship. I did like the potato salad though!

 

We didn't eat dinner at the Italian restaurant but I did have lunch there on the last sea day and it was good - just wish they had put more sauce on my pasta. Their bolognese is wonderful though!

 

I do totally agree with you about the experience in the MDR. Our wait staff were very friendly, they were just over worked and weren't able to spend the one on one time with us that we have been used to in the past. Sometimes our dinner took close to 2 hours and that's just more time than we want to spend in the dining room. I agree about the food as well - just wasn't as good this time as in times past. Not a real fan of the American Table Menu either.

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dmmny

dmmny

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Is the smoke smell in/ by the casino as bad as everyone says?

 

Yes, I would say the smoke in the casino is as bad as everyone says. It seems like they could introduce a better ventilation system with some fresh air.

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GeorgiaMomof4

GeorgiaMomof4

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Sailing in April --- if not too much to ask, can you please share the tour company in St. Thomas? How was your experience with them? Our plan is to take a taxi to the forts of San Juan and just walk around Old San Juan. But we will hire a private tour in Amber Cove for a city tour and a cable ride to the top of Isabel De Torres Mountain. What did you do in Grand Turk?

 

Thank you. Looking forward to your photos and reviews.

 

 

It wasn't really a company - it was a driver. His name is Dean Chinnery and we really enjoyed our day. He picked us up right at the port - just off the ship and we went to Paradise Point, stopped in downtown for a little shopping, went to Mountain Top and then to Secret harbor beach. If you tend to get car sick though - you might be a little wary. Roads are very curvy and very steep. Some in our party were green when we reached the top of the mountain. I can get you his info if you are interested.

 

You can actually walk to one of the forts in San Juan. I wasn't a fan of Amber Cove - we just used a taxi driver and did a quick tour of the town that day. Grand Turk was strictly a beach and Margaritaville day!

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outandabout

outandabout

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It wasn't really a company - it was a driver. His name is Dean Chinnery and we really enjoyed our day. He picked us up right at the port - just off the ship and we went to Paradise Point, stopped in downtown for a little shopping, went to Mountain Top and then to Secret harbor beach. If you tend to get car sick though - you might be a little wary. Roads are very curvy and very steep. Some in our party were green when we reached the top of the mountain. I can get you his info if you are interested.

 

You can actually walk to one of the forts in San Juan. I wasn't a fan of Amber Cove - we just used a taxi driver and did a quick tour of the town that day. Grand Turk was strictly a beach and Margaritaville day!

 

Thank you for sharing your experience. Yes, please send Dean's info and appreciate it. But might re-consider the trip to Mountain top as some people in our group may feel the same way. Was it the same going to Paradise Point?

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nancychic

nancychic

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I was on this same cruise and I didn't find the staff rude at all.

I was in the casino a lot. Very smokey. I didn't notice in the atrium but I did at the computers on the other entrance. Plus it was really cold at the poker tables so dress warm if you play that. Slot area wasn't as cold for some reason.

Didn't do the BBQ place- both times we went the lines were long.

I thought the steak house was great and the Italian place so-so. We got comped at both places through the casino and was glad I didn't pay at the Italian place. Ditto about the bad singing.

My steward was great but really seemed to appreciate only having to clean once a day.

MSR took a while but I don't like to be rushed so I didn't notice much difference there. I thought the food was good there but for some reason the Onion Soup was really watery. I was with a group of seven diverse eaters and they all seemed happy.

If you want Serenity loungers be sure to get there early. It filled fast and stayed full both sea days.

We liked St Thomas the best too- just grabbed a tour off the ship and had a blast. PR did the Bacardi tour though the ship- it was fun and informative. DR did the "Give Back" excursion though the ship- total ripoff- felt like the "orphanage" (the girls aren't orphans at all. GRR) was a big shake down for money and gifts. EXTREMELY disappointed in this- not as portrayed in the least. GT did the VIP private house though the ship- was nice- but 60 ppl isn't "private" to me and food/drinks were nothing special.

I agree about America Rocks show- awesome! Flick was a bummer with tech difficulties- I would try again for sure. All in all, the shows have really stepped it up in my opinion.

No comedy for us either.

Highly recommend the Chef's Table. I've done 20 cruises and this is a foodie dream. You're seated in the middle of the action in the galley and the whole dinner is an orchestrated extravaganza. Let them know if you don't like a particular food and they will accommodate you. My friends don't like veal or lamb and they were substituted for steak and shrimp. Eight courses of totally unique food and wine/champagne included. This is NOT American Table- be prepared for sensational presentation of food not normally seen on a cruise ship. Just incredible and so delicious. Definitely the highlight of the cruise.

I won the Blackjack tourney and am playing in the Grand Final cruise on the Breeze in April- first thing I booked after my cabin was to do the Chef Dinner again.

Magic looks great.

We had a balcony suite which was nice but nothing spectacular. Jacuzzi bath didn't work and not sure if it ever got fixed. Not that much bigger in cabin although the balcony having a lounger in addition to the two chairs was nice.

Don't look to get on the ship until close to noon. We were trying to get on as close to 11 as possible because we were surprising the family and having to wait until noon (as a Platinum) was torture. Luckily, the traffic delayed the family and we pulled off the surprise. Apparently, this new rule went into effect Feb 1st in Port Canaveral- not sure if it's fleet wide or not.

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GeorgiaMomof4

GeorgiaMomof4

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Thank you for sharing your experience. Yes, please send Dean's info and appreciate it. But might re-consider the trip to Mountain top as some people in our group may feel the same way. Was it the same going to Paradise Point?

 

 

Yes, unfortunately Paradise Point was the same way. They are both up steep, twisty roads and those who are faint of stomach might not do well. I'll get you his info. I know I'll include it in my review if you want to look there.

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outandabout

outandabout

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Yes, unfortunately Paradise Point was the same way. They are both up steep, twisty roads and those who are faint of stomach might not do well. I'll get you his info. I know I'll include it in my review if you want to look there.

 

 

Uh, oh...I guess some of us in our group may not be able to see the views up there.

 

 

Thank you.

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