let's go cruising

Home dishwashers are nothing like commercial dishwashers.

I was skeptical about the Chia Seed Pudding too. My DH tried it and recommended it. I tried it and liked it enough to make it at home too! I don't like tapioca or bread pudding either. The great thing about a cruise is that you can try things! 🙂 Renee

We were there January 9, 2020. It had a huge PR flag.

We spent a glorious day in January at the Lazy Lizard right on the boardwalk in Philipsburg. I had emailed Nik ahead of time about what day we would be there. He said that he would save chairs and an umbrella for us until 10:30 am. I didn't think about time, since it was vacation. Turns out, we docked at 9:15 ship time, which is 10:15 local time. So, we were about an hour late. Nik saved our place right up front on the water anyway. When we walked up, I saw him and called him by name, and he responded by calling ME by name. I felt all day like we were honored VIPs. Really, we're nobody special. We love that you can walk from the ship and spent a lazy day in paradise. We had our bucket of beer and ordered the specialty, which is Curry Chicken. Two chairs, an umbrella and a bucket of 6 beers was $20 total. Renee

We took the Fan-ta-sea Cat & Nevis Beach w/Lunch and Open Bar tour on January 8, 2020. It was a Carnival Excursion, but it was put on by Blue Safari. We really enjoyed our day! We took the Catamaran right from the cruise port. There were a lot of people on the boat; I think 61. However, it didn't seem crowded. We sat up front. There were benches to sit up front as well as on the netting. In the main area of the boat, there were benches and it was covered. I don't think anyone got wet from the sailing. Our first stop was after a very nice sail. It was to an area to snorkel. There was almost no coral. It was mostly boulders. However, there were a lot of fish to see. It was very nice. There was also a LARGE green moray eel. We watched it for about 10 minutes swimming around on the bottom. VERY COOL. After that, we reboarded and had lunch. That's when the bar opened up. It is absolutely an open bar. We drank beer, but there was also a rum punch. We enjoyed our lunch too. As we ate, we sailed to Nevis where we had our beach break. Everyone got off the catamaran right onto the beach. The cat backed back up into the deeper water to wait until it was time to go. We were meant to stay in an area of the beach. The crew set up a bar right there. DH and I didn't get anything from it, so I don't know what they had. It was a nice beach. There were chairs and umbrellas to rent. We spent our time in the water. I don't know if it was just the day we were there, if it happens every day. There is a mountain or large hill on the island. It caused a dark rain cloud to form RIGHT ON OUR BEACH. We hardly had any sun and were rained on. It was still enjoyable, but a little chilly, so be prepared for that possibility. We then took the cat back to port. The bar stayed open and the dance music played. Lots of fun and dancing. I would do this again. If you have questions, please ask. Renee

Yes, I was excited too. The execution was disappointing, let's say. For instance: on the regular menu they have regular French toast. I ordered it and it was perfect. Several people at my table ordered the 12 hour French toast on the Seaday menu. It was never cooked through and the "peaches" were just two slivers randomly on top. No one finished it because it just wasn't good. Sorry to be a downer. Renee

The Magic has it. The Chia Seed Pudding and a regular omelet are the only good things. (According to what we ordered and all the people we sat with. We had four Sea Days with this menu.) Renee

Ship - Magic Deck - Vista Stateroom # - 9216 Stateroom Category – 8D Starboard or Port Side - Port Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Yes Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - Yes Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Very nice balcony. Other people have said that some of the balconies can be see into from lower decks. From our observations, that would only be a problem for deck 6 midship. We were much higher than that and very far forward. Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal Was wind a problem? - No If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A Any specific problems with this cabin? - No Any other comments? - It was a standard room. It was exactly like we expected.

I used the recipe someone posted on this thread yesterday. I wanted to make a 1/2 recipe. The recipe called for 1/2 cup of chia seeds, 2 cups of coconut milk and 6 tablespoons of coconut milk, plus one tablespoon of agave in addition to "goodies." I misread the recipe. I missed the extra helping of coconut milk. The recipe called for letting it rest for 2 minutes. We waited 12 hours. Plus, we have a lot of honey, so we used that. Bottom line, my 1/4 cup of chia seeds and 13.5 oz of lite coconut milk was a little too thick. I will adjust the liquid to seed ratio in the future. Honey tasted very good. There is almost no effort required to make this, which was nice. You can also favor it how you'd like. Renee

I'd like it too. Renee

We just got back from the Magic. Yes, I did notice a sewage smell from time-to-time while I was walking around the ship. It seems like it was only on the first couple of days. I don't know why that would be. Possibly to do with gasses escaping when the tanks are empty. It was only a whiff. Certainly not something that should put anyone off from sailing. Truly. I have a sensitive nose. My husband didn't notice a thing. Renee

This thread will answer some of your questions.

We sail next week on the Magic. Can't wait! I have a temperature question. I know it is subjective, but if people frame it with how they "normally" feel, it should be informative. How is the temperature in the public spaces? Mainly, the MDR and theater. I am usually a cold person and sometimes find the MDR and theater very cold on ships. Thanks! Renee

I agree with the whole post. He could even just wear the same shirt every night. Don't let it affect your enjoyment of this family vacation.

Less than two weeks for us. But I won't be prolific like you. Renee