Carnival Magic 7 day Western Review

[TerReuv]

Here is a review of our Magic Cruise on October 14th. This cruise was just my DH and I (both mid 50’s). This was the first cruise we were on alone. My parents have previously gone with us. We had the Western Route and visited Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay & Costa Maya. We stayed overnight at the Homewood Suites which is only about 1.5 miles from the port. We could see the ship from the hotel Saturday morning.

PORT CANAVERAL/CHECK IN/EMBARK: Getting to Port Canaveral was the easiest port we have ever embarked at! We dropped off our luggage and were parked on the lower level about 8 cars in from the walkway by 10:15. We went right into the port with our FTTF, went straight to an agent to get checked in and were sitting in the second row for FTTF by 10:30. We sat for a short while and then by 11:00 we were ready to start boarding. Thanks to FTTF we stopped by our room (they were just finishing it) and left our carry on. We were on the Lido deck in room 10274 (balcony).

EMBARK LUNCH: We decided to go to the Pasta Bar for lunch. There were only 2 other people there since everyone seems to be in line for Guys burgers or the BBQ. My DH got both a bowl of pasta and a piece of lasagna. I just got a bowl of pasta and a Caesar salad. It was very good and very fresh. DH was not a fan of the lasagna. Tasted good, but they used shredded beef instead of ground beef & sausage. He didn’t like the texture.

We went back to our room to check for luggage and it wasn’t there so we started to explore the Magic as it was our first time. So we started roaming around and checked out all the areas we wanted to see. We checked out the Serenity deck (really nice), the sports deck, the spa area, the new Pig & Anchor (DH had to try to collards and pronounced them fantastic!), the Red Frog Pub, Northern Lights Dining room, etc. About 1:00 we headed back to the room and there was all of our luggage but one piece. So, it was unpacking time and by the time we got the bags unpacked, the last one was there and we finished. By 2:00 we were back out and ready to party a bit before muster.

Our muster was in the theater. Much better than being outside, however if you can’t handle closed in areas don’t get there early. We were sent to the very top of the theater and the back row. The knee space is very small and we felt cramped. Had to move into one of the bar type areas. I just started feeling like I couldn’t breathe. A couple next to us did the same thing. Safety briefing was quick and then we were back on the Lido for the sailaway party.

Have to say that I was disappointed to learn that Dr. E was going to be on vacation during our cruise as I had heard so many good things about him. Well, his replacement Mat was great! He had good energy and seemed to be everywhere and always at the top of his game. Ended up not being disappointed at all.

FOOD: We only ate in the dining room the first two nights. The other nights we either hit the buffet, Guy’s, Pizza, Deli or Room Service. We enjoyed all the food we had, just didn’t want the hassle of getting changed into nicer outfits for dinner. Changes I noticed were that at the Deli, they could make some substitutions, but not as many as previously. DH loved the grilled cheese and they added bacon for him. However, he doesn’t like the harder sourdough bread and they would not substitute that. Room service was good, we used it each morning to get our juices and something to hold me while DH still slept. My only complaint there was that when you choose a time, they were not consistent. We would usually choose between 7-7:30 for delivery. One day they would show up at 7, the next at 7:30. One day they showed up 10 minutes before 7! I was always up,but it was somewhat frustrating. Loved the Pig & Anchor, wish it was opened up like the burgers are. I would also like to see Guy’s burgers opened with a bit of crossover with the Lido buffet. If DH wanted burger and I wanted Lido, he would get his burger before they closed at 6 and then have to wait for the buffet to open at 6 for me to get mine. Even just a half an hour cross-over would be good. The Mongolian wok was busy but really good. My biggest complaint there is that we had a group of 8 people in front of us that were all getting 2 full bowls of food (a couple even got 3 bowls). The line wouldn’t look too long, but they were inconsiderate of those behind. They were not hesitant to say they were getting them for themselves. It wasn’t a matter of one person getting for two. Each person was getting multiple bowls of food for themselves. I also found out there was a better salad bar located outside the Red Frog Pub. Wish I had found it earlier. Everything was in one place and differenttypes of lettuce, more options to add, etc.

ROOM: As I mentioned we were in room 10274 on the Lido deck. We were in a section fairly close to the lido deck (basically behind the elevators) and had no issues with the sound from the Lido. This is the closest we have been and love it! The temperature stayed pretty steady. We would change it and it seemed to rangefrom 68 to around 74. My DH and I are totally different in temperatures. He likes it cold and I like it hot. We found a good happy medium.

SMOKING: My DH is asmoker so we checked out the several smoking areas. I would say that while the area is nice, sometimes it is hard to actually find an ashtray! Go figure that. Don’t remember having that issue previously.

SERENITY: Loved this serenity deck. The lounges were never full and all have great cushions on them. They clam shells are nice when there are two of you and the hot tubs were not crowded at all.

LINES: We did not feel that the lines were extensive for anything (except the Mongolian Wok that one time). We even got pizza a couple of times and while the line seemed long, it moved really fast (even requesting special pizzas). We had no issues with getting off the ship or getting back on. Just a note, they were delivering any purchased alcohol to your stateroom the night before and no one had to pick up the morning of debark.

EXCURSIONS: We only had excursions booked for Belize and Mahogany Bay and they were private excursions. We did Altun Ha at Belize and Daniel's Monkey & Sloth habitat on Mahogany Bay.

SPA: We booked acouple’s massage before the cruise and we loved it. The two ladies that gave us the massage were not pushy afterwards regarding the product they used. I didn’t mind the sell, especially since once we told them we were not interested they had no problem and didn’t push. However, due to it being our anniversary, we were gifted a $50 gift card for the spa from our steward. Would have been nice to have it the day we had our massage, but it showed up two days later. I ended up using it to purchase the oil we liked. For free, it was worth it! LOL Really enjoyed the massage, not sure if we would do it again. We had a discount for the massage and used a discounted gift card. Certainly wouldn’t have paid the $200+ they were charging while onboard.

SHOWS: We went to the 88 Keys and the Country show. Thought they were both really good. Enjoyed the music and the dancing very much. Those were the only two we attended.

SERVICE: Our steward, Maks, was great. We joked it was easy to remember his name as our dog’s name is Max. He kept our cooler filled with ice after just asking one time and was like a ninja cleaning on the sly. We opted for twice a day service and had no issues.

HUB APP: I used the Hub app and it was nice to have the Fun Times schedule right at hand and really like that I could mark favorites and it would remind me 15 minutes before the activity. Also was good to keep an eye on our account. However, even though they had us on one account, the only way to view was by each person. I would have liked to see one account page with notations as to who charged each item. It was a bit confusing. Also, I was going to purchase the Social Media internet just for our two sea days. They only offered it for the whole week. I didn’t need it for that long so just didn’t get it. Not sure why it wasn’t offered. My son & his wife went on a cruise in May for their honeymoon and it was offered by the day. I also liked being able to see the hours of all the eateries and the menus.

DEBARK: We were given Zone 2 for FTTF to debark and were to go to the theater by 7:30 am. We were there early and waited for about 20minutes or so. We were off the ship, in the car and pulling out of the parking deck at 8:08! We couldn’t believe it. Great debark.

One final note - we never received an e-mail or any information on our Meet & Mingle through CC. I saw on our Roll Call that some others mentioned the same thing. We had over 30 people and got nothing. Kinda disappointed in that.

Those are the highlights. Please let me know if you have any questions and I will try and answer anything that I can. Overall, it was a great cruise. We became Gold on this cruise and got our free drink the last night. We liked getting our first pins. Will probably do the Magic or one of her sister ships again. Really liked that size of ship and the options.

[Jelly_Toast]

Did you enjoy your Mahogany Bay excursion?

[BeachLoverstoo]

Did you get your Sign and Sail card at check in or in your cabin mailbox?

[soapbxking]

Great review, thanks so much. We sail her in February.

[TerReuv]

Did you enjoy your Mahogany Bay excursion?

 

Loved it! We booked directly with Daniel and got a city tour on the way out to the habitat. Loved holding the sloths! Be warned, he is not from the states, but he is a Steeler's fan! LOL We had to give them a bit of ribbing.

[TerReuv]

Did you get your Sign and Sail card at check in or in your cabin mailbox?

 

We did not. I expected to get it there, but we got it when we checked in at the port.

[Jamman54]

Thanks for posting your review. I don't think we met onboard. It was a shame that the Meet & Mingle never happen. :cool:

[mrpayroll]

We were on the Magic recently, and also liked the salad bar set up outside of Red Frog pub. :)

[Clarea]

Thanks for the well-written report.

[teknoge3k]

You mentioned your steward filling up your ice bucket. Were there not refrigerators in the rooms? It was my understanding that the Magic had refrigerators.

[Mikew0805]

Thanks for the review. :)

 

Where were the smoking areas exactly?

[bury me at sea]

Thanks for your review. It brought back some happy memories.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[cruises42]

How did you like Homewood Suites? We are staying there this weekend before our Magi cruise.

[georgiB]

I’m not gonna be sailing on the magic I will be sailing on the legend going to Alaska. I found your review so interesting thank you so much for taking the time to write your review.

 

 

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[Cruisin4fun_vacationtime]

Thank you so much for the review! If you don't mind me asking, how much was the tour with Daniel Johnson in Honduras? We have heard such great things about his place! Did you come straight back to the port afterwards?

[sanmarcosman]

Hi - Could you hear much through the connecting door in your cabin or no? We like a quiet cabin for sleep and see that cabin connects.

Edited October 31, 2017 by sanmarcosman

[mulan1123]

I will be going on this exact itinerary and ship in December! I am leaning toward booking Daniel's. I have already contacted then to get info. So your review pretty much sealed it lol.

 

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[Keith1010]

Enjoyed reading your review.

Keith

[TerReuv]

Thanks for posting your review. I don't think we met onboard. It was a shame that the Meet & Mingle never happen. :cool:

 

We didn't. I couldn't believe we got nothing about the M&M. CC really let us down.

[TerReuv]

You mentioned your steward filling up your ice bucket. Were there not refrigerators in the rooms? It was my understanding that the Magic had refrigerators.

 

There are fridges in the room, but there is no freezer. We bring a collapsible cooler and they fill it each morning and night. I will drink water all day but it needs to be really cold. Have to balance all those fruity drinks. LOL

[TerReuv]

Thanks for the review. :)

 

Where were the smoking areas exactly?

 

On the Promanade on deck 5, near Guys Pig & Anchor, Starboard side of deck 11. That is the best as it is all covered and lots of places to sit. Just gotta find those ash trays! Also, in the casino bar.

[TerReuv]

How did you like Homewood Suites? We are staying there this weekend before our Magi cruise.

 

It was really nice. Breakfast was OK. They had the waffle maker and some hot items. However, they seem to want to add peppers and onions to everything! Scrambled eggs had peppers and onions and the potatoes had the same thing. Little disappointed in that. Also, they had oatmeal instead of grits. Supposed to have grits when you are in the south. LOL

 

We ordered a couple of slices of pizza from the recommended pizza place (cannot remember name, but will see if I can find). And not only did they deliver to the hotel (they would also deliver beer), those slices were huge! I had one and my DH had 2. No way he could finish them. It was like they came from a 30" pizza! Great price for an easy dinner.

[TerReuv]

Thank you so much for the review! If you don't mind me asking, how much was the tour with Daniel Johnson in Honduras? We have heard such great things about his place! Did you come straight back to the port afterwards?

 

Oh my! Best place ever if you are into the monkeys and sloths. I was in heaven! The tour itself was only $30 each. It was really raining when we docked and while waiting for our group. We only had a small van with a group of about 10 of us. We had a tour around the island and by the time we got to Daniel's it was sunny. We were there for quite a while and then the driver took us to a nice place for lunch. That was all we went for. We had the option to go to the Iguana farm too, but we were all ready to head back so we left after lunch.

 

I had looked at other tours going there, but they all included things we didn't care about so it was better and more cost effective for us to go through Daniel. We met his girlfriend from Ohio. She had moved down there and was helping him out this year. She is a teacher. She was telling us how Daniel got so into the Steelers and how he set up the habitat.

[TerReuv]

Hi - Could you hear much through the connecting door in your cabin or no? We like a quiet cabin for sleep and see that cabin connects.

 

We didn't have a connecting door to another room. Not sure why the plans show that. However, we have had a connecting door on the Conquest and had no issues.