Beagle’s Back and Making Magic in Bermuda!

[Beagleluv6107]

Hey CC Family,

I cannot believe I am writing another review. It’s only been 4 months from my last crazy trip report. I’m still experiencing a little PTSD from that horrific ending.  For those of you that didn’t get to read about my Freedom Adventures, I’ll recap here:

 

The Good

·       We had an absolute blast on the Freedom

The Bad

·       On day two, I deleted my entire SD card on my camera

·       On day three, my MIL chipped her 2 front teeth

·       On day four, my friend lost her cell phone with all our group pics, etc.

·       While debarking, we had our flight canceled and we were stuck in Florida for two more days

·       We sat in the airport for about 8 hours before our flight home on day ten

·       And lastly, my dear sweet MIL caught the Covid and gave it to me as a parting gift. Thanks Ma!

 

Like I said, I still have some trauma but let’s not dwell on the past. Let’s get right to how I managed to go on two… yes two, cruises in one year!!! Let’s just say it took a little Magic… the Carnival Magic in fact! We had some friends that were offered a good deal for this 4-day trip from NYC to Bermuda. We were jealous but we had big plans for a land trip to San Francisco in September, so we put those feelings aside. At least, we tried... but then our other cruising friends booked, and we couldn’t resist. Our group, AKA, “The Squad” would be back together! It was only 4 days and no airfare so it would be much cheaper. We booked an interior on deck 7, paid for everything plus the Cheers Package, and moved on with our day. I have no idea how we will pay for San Fran but oh well, right? No sense in worrying about bills that haven’t come yet. Exactly!! 😊  Ok let’s move on.

 

 

 

This will be my 9^th Carnival Cruise. I am inching ever so close to that Platinum Status!! Woot Woot. When I was on the Freedom in April, I took these 3 pictures of the Magic docked next to us. At the time, I could have reached out and touched this ship. I had no idea I would sail on her 4 months later.

 

 

 

 

 

One thing is nice about booking at the last minute… you don’t have to research for a year about what to do. We had to make decisions right away. We have from 8am – 4pm in Bermuda so we decided to do a catamaran trip on the Restless Native. I reached out to them first based off reviews on TA but, it turns out, that Carnival uses them for an excursion through the ship. So of course, you must book through Carnival which was only $20 pp more than they normally charge. Not as bad as some excursions.

 

Since we were sailing to Bermuda, we had to go to their government website and fill out an authorization form and pay 40 bucks. Yes, 40 darn dollars just to step foot in Bermuda. In fact, just to board this cruise you had to complete the form and get authorized. Maybe they are trying to recoup lost revenue from the pandemic but Geez!

 

We were sailing on 8/11 so we were able to fill out the form on 7/11 – 30 days out. Here’s the funny thing… it seems like they don’t bother until it’s close to the sail date.  No one had their approval within days of sailing so we each had to email them. At least they sent a response within an hour. Hmmmm Ok, we had it and that’s all that matters. 1 step closer…

[Jamman54]

Great start to your review! Looking forward to seeing your time in Bermuda! 

[Beagleluv6107]

As I mentioned, we did buy some Cheers! Let’s talk about this silly law that only affects sailings from NY and TX. Why do we need to wait until “Day 2” to start the program? I don’t get it at all. That’s Dumb! We discussed not getting Cheers but then we looked at each other and laughed. Ok, that’s not an option. Day 1, we will just do what we would normally do… to H*ll with the cost. I cringe at that statement. I cannot wait to report on this to you later. I am also quite curious if one of us might get cut off at 15 regardless of "no Cheers." I’ve read some folks say you will, and others say you won’t. Tis a mystery I’m about to solve. I don’t think that I’ll hit 15, but I surely know my Hubby will.

 

This is the main thing I want right here.

 

A beloved Funship. They sure are FUN. I only have about 1 or 2 each cruise but I’ve been craving one ever since we got home in April. I also made a list of things I want to do this trip:

 

·       Get a free milkshake since I have Cheers

·       Try a specialty coffee because I have Cheers

·       Try the new Funderstruck burger

·       Take a decent picture with my sweet husband

·       Get a good selfie with Lady Liberty so I can send to everyone that had no idea I went on a cruise – (insert evil laugh)

 

Ok, with 7 days to go it was time to pull out the suitcase, print off some packing lists, and think about this testing stuff. After our last delay with PCR test results AND hearing how Walgreens and CVS were now charging well over $100 for Covid Tests, we opted to try OnPoint. I still had FDA approved test kits from the government. 1 box contained 2 tests and 1 box contained 4 tests. Luckily, OnPoint allowed me to make appointment for Hubby and I, at the same time, using the box of 2. According to their website, you can make up to 4 appointments for the same time.  Here’s a screenshot as I was doing my registration.

 

 

When I registered, I bypassed the insurance information and the request that I download my Driver’s License. I don’t want to give out unnecessary information and I was still able to complete the reservation. You do need to know the manufacturer of the test when you are registering. The zoom link for the test came immediately after I was finished.

 

I made the appointment for Tuesday the 9^th – 2 days before departure. We logged onto the Zoom call and the “best representative ever” was on the other end. She was fantastic. She let us take the tests at the same time instead of one first and then the other. I showed her the test and started to open the box and realized I had already used a test in that box of 2. Yikes. Luckily, I had the government issued box of 4 and ran and grabbed it. She had no problem with me switching. In fact, she said she preferred that test because it was easier. We took the test, and we could see the Negative Line almost immediately. She only made us wait about 1 min before showing her the results and that was the end of it. About 15 minutes after the Zoom call, I had an email with a PDF file for each of us.

 

Whew, we now had our Negative Tests and our Bermuda Authorizations in hand!! This is really happening… Time to get packing!

 

One of our friends had decided to pre-order from the Carnival Shops because you can’t use Cheers on the first day. She got a confirmation that the bottle and sodas would not be delivered until DAY 2!!! What’s up with that? GRRRR What a load of crap. She canceled her order. Oh well, we were all gonna do whatever we wanted, right? Yes, bring on the Funships!

 

Oh wait… First, I must get through this last day of work. Does this happen to you??? You’re trying to leave work the day before vacation, and everyone wants something at the last minute? Is this Murphy’s Law? I guess not exactly but, it sure appears that way before every single vacation!

 

 

Ok, I’ve wasted enough of your valuable time… Let’s get to the review, shall we?

[Beagleluv6107]

4 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

Great start to your review! Looking forward to seeing your time in Bermuda! 

 

Hey Jamman,

I'm a little late getting my review started but I should get through it quickly since it was only 4 days. I see that you had your back to back and I can't wait to get caught up with your adventures!!  😊

[Beagleluv6107]

Day 1 – Thursday, August 11^th

 

 

We were scheduled to meet The Squad at 7am to depart for the Big City. I’ve only been in New York 2 or 3 times in my life. This would be my first time even seeing the Statue of Liberty. I was excited about the whole trip and lost sleep for a few days before we left. We were up, packed, and walking out the door at 6:35am. We met everyone and were on the way to NYC by 6:55. We made a quick stop at Wawa. Hubby got a breakfast sandwich, and I got a yogurt. I wanted to save all my calories for the burger later. We hit traffic at exactly 9am and our ETA changed to 9:50.

 

 

After we went thru the Lincoln Tunnel, we hit more traffic and it was a mess all the way to the pier.

 

 

Parking is $40 per day so they took our credit card for $120 and sent us on our way.

 

 

That part was easy. We went down an escalator at 10am and had someone quickly check our documents and put a green sticker on the front. From there, we moved on to someone who looked at the documents closely and asked us to present our VeriFly App. Next, we went thru security where they looked at our passports. Finally, we went up to a desk and had to show everything all over again and get a stamp on our boarding pass. Whew, that was a lot in a few minutes and were told to have a seat. Wow, it was only 10:30am.

[Beagleluv6107]

I took a few pictures inside the terminal while we waited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

At 11am someone came over the speaker and said that they would start boarding at 11:15am. Once they finally called priority, we stood up and got in line. It was a cluster at first but moved quickly.

 

I finally took my first step on board.

 

 

We went straight to Muster, and it only took 2 seconds. She scanned our boarding pass and asked if we knew how to put on a lifejacket and sent us on our way. We immediately went to the Red Frog Bar. I checked the time, and it was only 11:35am. Woohoo we have all day. We asked for our customary first drink – The Funship. The cost - $12.05.

 

 

 

I never reset the time on my camera. It's an hour off at this point. 

[Beagleluv6107]

We got a table and The Squad joined us. Eventually, a server asked DH if he would like another drink and he said yes but then he also bought one for me. Ut-Oh… I don’t need 2 of these things. My goodness.

 

 

I poured the second drink in my Yeti cup. One of my friends laughed at me and said who randomly pulls out a Yeti like that? I said, “me, I came prepared”. I was not ready for Funship #2, and the Yeti will keep it well preserved for consumption later.

 

I went up to Deck 11 to take a few pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Crusin Karen]

Manhattan is my homeport.  Sailed from there many times.  Always wanted to sail on Magic and I am on Saturday!!!  Might be sailing in circles playing tag with Fiona but nothing to do about that.  ENJOYING your review and anxious to read more!!! 👏

[Stick93]

We were on this sailing. Looking forward to seeing more 

[pe4all]

Great start to your review.  Re-living our June Magic cruise - different itinerary, but interested in seeing what you thought of Magic.

[Beagleluv6107]

20 hours ago, Crusin Karen said:

Manhattan is my homeport.  Sailed from there many times.  Always wanted to sail on Magic and I am on Saturday!!!  Might be sailing in circles playing tag with Fiona but nothing to do about that.  ENJOYING your review and anxious to read more!!! 👏

 

Hey Cruisin Karen,

I am so happy to hear your setting sail on Saturday. It's so nice when you can drive to the port and don't have to fly. Good luck getting around Fiona! Hope you have a blast! 

[Beagleluv6107]

18 hours ago, Stick93 said:

We were on this sailing. Looking forward to seeing more 

 

Hey Stick93, 

Keep an eye out for pics. Maybe I caught you in one 😎.

Thanks for reading!!! 

[Beagleluv6107]

10 hours ago, pe4all said:

Great start to your review.  Re-living our June Magic cruise - different itinerary, but interested in seeing what you thought of Magic.

 

Hey Pe4all,

Thank you for reading along. I'll give ya a spoiler alert... We had such a blast that we booked the Magic for exactly 1 year later. I crack up every time I see someone write "welcome to the addiction" to a newbie. Yes, my name is Beagle and I can't stop booking cruises. 😁

[Beagleluv6107]

Ok, where did I leave off? Oh yes, I was wandering around taking pictures.

 

Here’s our steel drum man. He was great the whole trip.

 

 

 

Hubby got his favorite Mongolian Wok.

 

 

I decided to get the Funderstruck Burger with no bun and no fries. It wasn’t bad. I really like the nacho cheese on it. Next time I may ask for extra cheese if they have it.

 

 

It was time to switch up to beer.

 

 

The burger didn’t help straighten me out. I was still having fun from the 1^st Funship. There was no way I needed to worry about hitting 15 this day. We did ask the Bartender, and he confirmed… “no one would be cut off at 15 on this very first night”. This was good time to order a bucket of beer because the beer is always so warm at the Red Frog. I had to keep pouring mine over ice. 

 

 

DH ordered a bucket... 4 for him and 2 for me. They take off $1 per beer if you buy the bucket. Total cost $48.21.  

 

[Beagleluv6107]

Sometime after 1:30pm we went to check out our room. I am a balcony snob and would be in an interior room for the first time ever. Whew, it was tiny.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our luggage was there waiting for us. Our room steward Ari popped in to say hello. He was fantastic the whole trip.

 

 

Hubby napped while I put everything away. I wondered if our fridge was on the coldest setting, but I couldn’t get my head in there to see. I snapped a picture. I’m not sure if you can see but one side has 2 snowflakes, the center is off, and the other side is just 1 snowflake.

 

 

I only had to keep bottled water cold, but it worked just fine all week after I switched to 2 snowflakes. 😂

[Beagleluv6107]

Sail away was scheduled for 4pm. The girls went up to deck 11 to save seats. Ugh, that was a mistake. It was hot up there. Like crazy hot. I had to go get my hat. I couldn’t believe they stayed. I took my good old sweet time. I stopped and told the boys. No one seemed to know why we were delayed in leaving. We had early seating for dinner and would certainly miss our 6pm time.

 

 

 

The Sail Away party was in full swing at 5:45 and I was still at the Red Frog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

The boys and I eventually made our way up to the girls on Deck 11 and we took tons of pictures. My Lady Liberty selfies did not come out that good. Probably because we had an extra hour and a half at the Red Frog. Teehee! I think we finally pulled away at 5:59. We sailed by Lady Liberty around 6:30.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

Here she is finally!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not one good picture. Ugh!!  Bummer. 

[Beagleluv6107]

We were at our table in the MDR at 6:40. We were so lucky and had an incredible  view. Our Team was I Made, Ricardo, and Andika - Table 789

 

 

 

 

 

My phone would not load the menu for some reason. I had the Quesadilla and Smoked Poblano Soup and CMC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DH had the Salmon and Chicken Parmesan.

 

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

After dinner Hubby and I went straight to the Red Frog Pub. I think it was about 8pm.

 

 

 

On the Breeze in 2019, they had these very tasty chickpea snacks. I asked and they said they have nothing these days. Our friends showed up at 8:30 and I left to go to the room. I was still not feeling like myself. I was in bed asleep by 9pm. The Hubby came in around 9:45 and I popped up like a top. He was a bit in shock and thought I’d be knocked out cold. He asked if I wanted Pizza.

 

 

Well, who doesn’t wake up after 1 hour craving pizza? I said sure. So, after he left to get the pizza, I thought well … if I don’t get up, I’ll just fall back to sleep. I put some respectable attire on like sweatpants, a sweatshirt, and slippers and set off to find him. On the way, I passed by the buffet and just happened to catch a glimpse of chocolate chip cookies. Hmmm... that sounded like a good idea so a grabbed a few. I found DH in the pizza line. He was shocked to see me and stuffing my face with cookies. I’m so glad he’s the only person who knew me. I was obviously not myself that night because I don’t let him or anyone for that matter, see me with no makeup on. Here I was, strutting around the whole ship with “O” natural face. 😱

 

Here’s our treasure. Midnight Pizza was now 10pm Pizza but just as tasty.

 

 

I’m not sure what our total drink count for the day was but the cost was $180.

 

Up Next – Sea Day #1

[kelkel2]

I’m loving this! Thanks for taking us along! You’re reviewes are so good, it’s like we’re with you. 

[Weeziblu]

We set sail on Saturday so this is extra fun for me right now!!  Looking forward to your next installment.  And I can't wait to get my first late  night pizza and cookies!  

[Beagleluv6107]

11 hours ago, kelkel2 said:

I’m loving this! Thanks for taking us along! You’re reviewes are so good, it’s like we’re with you. 

 

Awe, thank you so much Kelkel2! I really appreciate you reading along 😎

[Beagleluv6107]

8 hours ago, Weeziblu said:

We set sail on Saturday so this is extra fun for me right now!!  Looking forward to your next installment.  And I can't wait to get my first late  night pizza and cookies!  

 

Hello Weeziblu,

I am so happy that your getting ready to set sail on Saturday. Your going to have so much fun! Enjoy every bite of that Pizza!!! 😊