braveslake

We really enjoy the Seafood Shack and specifically...the clam chowder, lobster rolls and fried shrimp. Go early in your cruise because on several occasions they have run out of specific items by the end of the cruise. Last night it was shrimp. Last cruise it was clam chowder.

There are even usb outlets on both sides of the bed.

Thanks so much for your informative and honest ongoing review. Have enjoyed it a lot! I will be sailing on the Freedom on Saturday the 11th. Do you have any idea if the entertainers are staying on or being replaced when you get back this week? Sounds like the Freedom Rock Band and Piano guy were quite good (when he went to work and not hanging out at a bar?). Have all of the plumbing problems been fixed? I am on the same deck as you (7) so glad to hear that deck has been ok. Thanks in advance.

Sadly, perhaps the new Chef/Kitchen Staff isn't overly concerned about concentrating on the current menu items since they are changing to the new menu on November 11th cruise.

No, in my opinion it is not. It is very spotty and both people have to keep the Hub app on at all times to use it. It was easier to pay for social media and use messenger to communicate.

I sailed three weeks ago so lets see if I can answer. Dining Room, Cucina and Chibang were all available to book for YTD at 5:30. It was approximately 7:45 or later before set dining people could eat at those restaurants. Cucina is free whenever we wanted to go there. Chibang is free the first time you go and I think $8 pp after the first time. Guys Pig and Anchor has both free and paid for entrees on their dinner menu (Ribs and Prime Rib as well as brownie sundaes were $) The lunch BBQ is all free. Pizza and Deli and both still free. The Java Blue Coffee shop has Grab and Go salads and sandwiches for no charge. Seadogs and Swarma are part of the Lido Buffet. There is a salad bar on the Lido buffet as well as on the Serenity deck which are free. There are also Timeless Fries, Dumplings and Kebobs outside on Lido deck which are free. Almost forgot...Guys Burgers and Shaq's Big Chicken is free also!

Yes, just did this class on the Mardi Gras. We learned how to make a pork rub and injection for smoking. Then, we make pulled pork sandwiches and Grilled Pineapples. After we ate we toured the Guys kitchen/smokers and then were served sampler platter of Guys BBQ items. We enjoyed it a lot!

Thank you

Does the Ferry for Carnival Tours now leave directly from Cruise ship dock or still have to have transportation to Red Hook?

I have added by "add cruise companions" and inputting their email addresses. It worked perfectly. They accepted to be my cruise companion and we were linked for YTD without a problem.

Yes, there is one on Lido deck. They work with you very well for allergies and diets. Also, make sure that your waiters are aware of your diet. A Relative with severe allergies just cruised with us and they were very attentive to her diet. Good luck.

Thank you TravelMoore2012 for the response you got

I had no email either. Had used OBC and it was added back to my OBC total immediately.

I have not gotten an answer to my email. Is there anyone in Grand Cayman that knows if they are still in business?

Granola, Belvita or Nutragrain bars from home. They are always in my carryon.

I emailed Marineland Tours. Will let you know what they say.

I have been on a Stingray City tour several times where the boat had very accessible walk down stairs into the water. Does anyone know what the name of that company is and if that company still in business? Thank you.

There is a Coffee Shop on Deck 5 near the Ocean Plaza which was very busy. Not sure if it had the Java Blue name though!

We have cruised on the Magic 5 times and it is one of our favorite ships in the fleet. We totally enjoyed this New Years cruise and just about every minute we were onboard. It's up to each person to find their own niche to relax or party it up. Find your own fun. I list the "bad" below only to be informative. Those things didn't diminish our cruise at all. It was a blast! The Good Stayed precruise at Radisson at the Port. Room was clean and shuttle service to and from the ship was very efficient. Dining Room food...no complaints about anything we ate. Waiters handled relative with allergies with ease. Food was hot and although service was a bit slow there was always an explanation why. Waiter even brought us cheese plates while we waited for a our meals several nights. We ate in the dining room 6 nights, Lido one (more on that later), and Cucina Del Capitano Italian Restaurant one night. Cucina Del Capitano Italian Restaurant was outstanding! I had Gamberetti Alla Pizzaiola-shrimp on bed of tomato/pepper ragu on a portabello mushroom with roasted fingerling potatoes and roasted broccoli/cauliflower. Hubby had Chicken Parm with spaghetti. The appetizers of Minestrone soup, meatballs and salad were also perfect. Dessert was chardonnay stewed apples in a pie shell with caramel ice cream...delicious! Brunch on Sea Days was better than previous cruise. Steak in the steak/eggs was tasty and tender this time. Enjoyed the Eggs Benedict and juices also. Deal or No Deal game in showroom was a lot of fun. They played it on two different days. Maybe it helps my opinion that I won both days...Bingo packages and Casino cash! We had a Spa stateroom on Deck 11. Thoroughly enjoyed the thalassotherapy pool, and relaxing in the steam rooms and heated rooms. The cabin also came with two free Yoga classes, a scrub kit and pads and consultations if wanted. Service by room stewards and dining staff was excellent, efficient and friendly. The New Years Eve Celebration on the Lido deck was so much fun especially the countdown to midnight! There were New Years hats in our stateroom on embarkation and lighted wands and champagne handed out on deck. If you ever thought about cruising on New Years...Do it! You won't regret it. The Bad ( or more like disappointing) No longer any individual containers of yogurt. Yogurt was served in small bowls and had a film over the top. Not appetizing. No longer any taco shells for taco salad at Blue Iguana. Sure, it tasted the same in a bowl but takes the whole idea of a taco salad down a notch. No bread bowls at Seafood shack for the Clam Chowder. Same comment as above. Not the same. Internet...very poor and spotty service. Even their own chat in the HUB didn't work 95% of the time. Very hard to get in touch with family members which is why we bought it in the first place. Trivia Hosts...Trivia is a big favorite of mine. However, we could not understand two of the three hosts. Also one sports trivia was repeated exact same questions three times. I know that they have more questions that they could rotate. Lido buffet food was awful. If/when we eat on Lido its either the Deli, Guys Burgers, Blue Iguana, Seafood Shack, Pizza or Mongolian Grill. All of those were great. The buffet line food had no taste, was cold and unappetizing. Casinos were very crowded but we are casino people and managed to find slot machines with a little patience. We only played in the non smoking casino on deck 4 and had no problems getting servers for drinks. Others, said it was a problem in the smoking casino on deck 5.

Quite a few years ago we booked on the Friday before Labor Day and left on Labor Day Monday. It was frantic but fun!