Magic - trip report in photos and video

[PaulMedik]

.............. just thought I would share some of our photos and videos. ...

 

 

ABQrobin,

 

I am enjoying your review very much!

[ABQrobin]

Thanks for all the great comments everyone!

 

 

Back to my report...

 

San Juan..... we didn't have an excursion planned since the ship docks right at Old San Juan City. We wanted to just walk the streets, visit the forts, and eat lunch at a local restaurant. We needed to try mofongo!

 

 

 

 

to be continued.....

[ABQrobin]

We walked up and down, around and through..... the forts are fantastic!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left the first fort then walked along the waterfront to the next one. Lots of colorful houses along the way.

 

[ABQrobin]

As you continue along the waterfront, between the two forts, you come to the enormous graveyard...

 

 

 

and lots of iguanas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

By this time it was HOT HOT HOT....and no breeze. We got water bottles and started looking for a lunch spot.

 

to be continued....

[ABQrobin]

We walked up and down the streets, stopping to look at things, and menus.

 

On the corner of San Francisco.... we found this place. Menu looked good so we went inside. We got a table by an open window, which was nice. We could eat, watch the crowds walking up and down the streets, and also feel the breeze that was blowing through. We both ordered mofongo....I got the chicken, he got the pork. Both were absolutely delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Service was very good, too. We would definitely eat there again.

 

After lunch, we kept working our way down the hill to the port. We stopped at an ice cream shop, then a few t-shirt shops to get the mandatory San Juan shirts. It was so hot I felt like I was going to melt onto the street, so we headed back to the ship. We were back onboard by 2pm, sail time was 4pm.

 

This was the second formal night, and we opted to just hit the buffet. Long hot day!

 

to be continued....

[FloridaMommyof3]

Those nasty boys would have gotten a talking to from me. That behavior is unacceptable!

[FloridaMommyof3]

Those fort pictures you took remind me quite a bit of St. Augustine, Florida. Love the review so far.

[ABQrobin]

Those nasty boys would have gotten a talking to from me. That behavior is unacceptable!

 

I decided not to confront them, even though I was boiling. I was busy get in my "steps" for my activity tracker so I just focused on that.

[crusinpsychRN]

I was on Magic 4/1/17. There were 1500 kids many of whom ran around shouting and making a nuisance of themselves. Partied in hallways. Almost got knocked down a few times. Brats.

 

I'll never go at spring break time again.

[bosoxfan5]

I'm loving your review!! We'll be on this cruise in July on the Magic. The pics of Amber Cove were great. I wasn't sure what there would be to do but I know we'll definitely hit the zip line. Thanks!!

[zephyrhillscruisers]

We are looking at the Magic for a fall cruise. Fewer kids in the fall. Good looking ship.

[ABQrobin]

We are looking at the Magic for a fall cruise. Fewer kids in the fall. Good looking ship.

 

the Magic is a great ship.... really nice, lots to do, and yes fall will have less kids, or at least maybe less kids running wild.

[ABQrobin]

more....

 

 

for those of you interested in Guys Pig 'n Anchor.... it was open Sea Days and also Grand Turk day as we didn't arrive in port until noon. Lines can be long but move very quickly. They have tables all around the deck there now, as well as a station set up for drinks to purchase. Some people took food inside, we ate outside.

 

 

 

 

 

Food was pretty good... and its FREE.

 

continued...

[ABQrobin]

and....

 

 

 

 

 

more to come....

[ryano]

Thanks so much for this review and your pics. I LOVE everything about Magic and cant wait to take this same cruise in October! I dont think kids will be an issue then :)

[ABQrobin]

Last port......Grand Turk

 

when we arrived, the Sensation was already there

 

 

 

 

 

 

Margaritaville pool area

 

Oceanfront

 

 

continued....

[ABQrobin]

continued....

 

This port a disappointment for us. Not the port, but what we did at port. We had booked another snorkel tour, the Conch, Reef, & Ray beach tour. Snorkeling was poor, IMHO. Crew was friendly, fun, and safe. Conch ceviche was fantastic. That's about it.

We wished we had just stayed in port, hit a beach bar for the conch fritters or ceviche, beer, and relaxing. We returned to port as the last call was happening....the beach was now deserted!

 

 

when we left for the snorkel tour it looked like this:

to be continued....

Edited April 26, 2017 by ABQrobin

[cruises42]

Thanks for the review. We are doing the same ship/itinerary in November. What kind of underwater camera did you use?

[Bernardo62]

I need to know about the cloud 9 spa......

*Did anyone do the couple massage?

*What about the different rooms to the saunas?

* Are there discounts to the spa treatments if you stay in the spa cabins?

[nhsails]

I need to know about the cloud 9 spa......

*Did anyone do the couple massage?

*What about the different rooms to the saunas?

* Are there discounts to the spa treatments if you stay in the spa cabins?

Answers to all in Carnival web site. Only Cabins we will book on ship with no Havana area

[ABQrobin]

Thanks for the review. We are doing the same ship/itinerary in November. What kind of underwater camera did you use?

 

I have a GoPro2 that I use for scuba diving. It was okay for snorkeling but I wouldn't recommend it for that. There was so much glare on the back screen inside the clear case that I couldn't tell if it was on recording or not most of the time. If you are getting a camera just for snorkeling, there are better ones out there for that purpose.

 

robin

[ABQrobin]

I need to know about the cloud 9 spa......

*Did anyone do the couple massage?

*What about the different rooms to the saunas?

* Are there discounts to the spa treatments if you stay in the spa cabins?

 

 

No idea...we don't do the spa. We use the gym every morning most days and just walk through the spa.

[n2brad4d]

So enjoying your post. We are going to be on the Magic the end of May.

[ABQrobin]

continued.....

 

Last Day.......Sea Day

We had booked the Behind the Fun tour....finally we were going to get to do this. My DH has wanted to do this tour since he heard about it our first cruise. We signed up on embarkation day, you MUST do it that day as they only do 1-2 groups of 15. It is always held the last sea day. Tour takes 4-4 1.2 hours so be prepared for lots of walking, climbing stairs up and down, etc.

 

So after breakfast we showed up at our meeting spot, the Steakhouse. Juice and pastries were out for everyone, then we got our briefing, two people had cameras/phones and the guide took those to put in her backpack for the duration. So, needless to say....no photos. They did have a photographer take photos of us with the group, with the captain, and group with the captain which are nice big photos and delivered to your room (free). You are also given a goodie bag, as well as a plate of chocolate covered strawberries delivered to your room. The goodie bag has a hat, lanyard, etc. Nothing expensive but still a nice touch.

 

to be continued....

[ABQrobin]

Debark day..... what a mess. No one listened to the announcements, everyone tried to get down to the Lobby at the same time, had to constantly be told to go back up and wait until their number called. It was insane. I guess with kids, you have not patience to wait in line like everyone else for your turn.... and it showed. Horrible.

 

Anyhow.... I will give some notes on my impressions and what we LIKED and DIDN'T LIKE.

 

Playlist Productions...... LOVED most of the shows. The Welcome Show, Flick, and American Rocks were FANTASTIC. The other shows were good, just not quite as good. The performers are all talented and did a great job, it was more the production that wasn't as unique and creative on the other two (88 Keys and Country Roads). Just my opinion.

 

Dr E.... Cruise Director. AMAZING and GREAT and FUNNY. Words don't describe how talented and energetic he is.

 

Magic, the ship..... LOVE the ship. It is big, has lots of fun things to do. Really loved the Skycourse, the layout of the ship, the CREW, all great.

 

The itinerary..... here's where we were very disappointed. Short port times at St Thomas and Grand Turk, Hated. The fact that we arrived lunchtime at St Thomas when there were already 2 huge ships there, HATED. You couldn't even walk on the streets, it was a nightmare of bodies and crowded everything. Grand Turk would have been okay if we had skipped the excursion and just enjoyed the beach and local area, that was our mistake.

 

Crowds..... the ship was just packed with families with kids, little kids, teens, just too many of them. Spring Break cruising is NOT for us, HATED.

 

Food..... Tandoor, Guy's Burgers, Lido buffet etc, all great. The dining room, great. The Steakhouse, great. The Cuchina for lunch, noisy and rushed but food decent. We are big salad eaters, must have them daily, as well as fresh fruit. We had no problem getting our fill of both.

 

Live Music.....mixed. We really didn't find any shows that knocked our socks off, except the Rock band that played live on stage for the final Playlist Show, America Rocks. They were amazing on stage for that show! We saw them playing at various venues throughout the week and they just didn't scream, sit down and spend an hour. But onstage at the show, WOW. A couple of the other acts were just so so.

 

Trivia, Karioke, etc..... we don't participate or watch either. They did seem to have a good turnout.

 

Bars....we are big fans of the Red Frog Pub. They had a keg of a new beer made on the Vista that my DH loved. It ran out mid-week so others agreed.

The lack of Sports Bars onboard was a drag. We had to stand in the smoky casino to check scores on their bar tvs. HATED.

 

continued.....