dudaze11

Hi all, we are on LOS the last week of August returning Sep. 3 and this will be our first time on this ship and first time out of Galveston. We did not have a large number of options for return flights were not either early AM or very late evening. We wound up with a flight out of IAH at 12:50 PM. I know that Galveston can have some delay issues with fog at times but we are hoping that late summer is not one of those times. Anyone have an idea as to what time we can reasonably expect to be debarked? Thanks in advance for any help!

Fog problems are relegated to the winter months. You shouldn't have any problems in August and September.

little boy- member Family Man's boy. Point is to keep it more in perspective.

Lost my nephew recently to leukemia. Your point is well taken.

We will be on the Indy for our first GS experience. I thought I had read somewhere that the bar service in the lounge was from 5:30 - 8:00pm. 4:30 sounds better for me so I can make dinner and show.:)

I believe that the timing of the happy hour varies by ship.

In closing I would like to thank everyone who followed along and was also able to tune in to my Periscope broadcasts when I was able to do so.

 

I would also like to politely remind some that this is my vacation and I am willing to give up some of it to do these type of reviews and broadcasts. A few still don't seem to understand that and demand that I show them stuff or get them the info they want. Remember, asking nicely goes a long way. Demanding or getting impatient gets you nowhere.

 

Also even though I stated at the beginning that I was well aware of the voom issues a couple of people still felt the need to remind me how bad it was and it was the only post they made on the entire review which made me feel like they had no desire to follow along. Please if this is the only thing you have to say on one of my reviews, just keep it to yourself. Thank you.

 

With those minor gripes aside, LIVE from Liberty of the Seas has concluded. The next adventure will be on Harmony of the Seas, April 22nd.

 

Until next time...... ;) :D

Wish I could have followed live but I did catch a few of your scopes. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your cruise with us. It certainly helps pass the time until our turn in February.

Looking forward to your review. We are on LOTS in February. Do you mind sharing your periscope handle? I seemed to have missed it.

Thanks for taking the time to post pics and thoughts. We are not cruising until February but of course are anxiously awaiting our turn on the LOTS.

Just booked the 20% discounted fare for my LOTS sailing in late February. Came out to $46 per day for the Ultimate package plus gratuity. Not to sound like a lush but I will single handedly drink Royal out of house and home. Lattes in the morning along with a few hangover cure type drinks such as blood marys or mimosas followed by beers and frozen drinks throughout the day. I would top that off with cocktails and wine in the evening hours. That easily could add up to $100 per day.

What is the reason for relocating Magic to Fla? What

is the business strategy here? They are almost identical

in capacity. :eek:

 

JT

I think it has to do with Carnival's commitment to stay dominant in Texas. Prior to RCL home porting a ship year round, Carnival was able to command a much greater price on the Magic. Ultimately, they need a newer ship with newer ship amenities to stay competitive.

I encourage you to drive if you can stomach the 10 hour drive. Getting to the port from Hobby or IAH can be problematic and there are limited ways to turn a car in on the island. I am glad you picked the Magic. The Destiny stands out as the worst cruise I was ever on. I know it had a major overhaul to be turned into the Sunshine but my understanding is that they mostly just added rooms which likely only exacerbated their problems on that particular ship.

We are big RCCL fans but have cruised more on Carnival due to the pricing and we love them both. As far as Magic tips go. Try out everything at Red Frog, it is a fun place. If you're a foodie and want to spend on a big meal, try the Chef's table. I think it's $75PP but has unlimited wine and was something like a 7 course meal. It was a blast. Be nice to your inner child and try the slides, they are fun. Be wary of the casino if you are a Blackjack player as they use card shufflers. Try out the Spa if you are in to that sort of thing. I am not but have to admit that it is pretty fun and my wife and I just booked a spa stateroom for the second time to enjoy the benefits. There is a mineral, jetted pool as well as aromatherapy rooms, heated tile seats, and steam rooms. Be prepared that they under estimated on pools (should have installed 3 instead of 2) and don't let that beat you down. The aft pool is often less crowded. Check out everything on the Lanai deck which is the outdoor part of deck 5. The hot tubs on this deck are often hotter and have less crowds. Speaking of hot tubs, if you find that they are too cool, keep searching. They are not all the same temp. That's all I can think of for now.

Yeah I totally get what you mean. I booked a suite on the Magic until I realized that they were on deck 7 looking down on the lanai deck. Thankfully I was able to switch out. I am sure you will still have fun. Deck 5 is not always that busy.

This is a fun topic. Thanks for posting. I have a slightly different take:

Splurge:

Travel. I pretty much live to travel. I am not an ancient Egyptian so I don't think I can build a nice burial spot to take my crap with me to the afterlife. Therefore I save enough to be prudent and spend the rest on travel. I like cruising, skiing, traveling overseas and anywhere else.

We recently got into suites and love them.

We love the specialty restaurants and Chef's table.

We love trying out different Cruise brands.

We love all-inclusives.

We love travelling America and we love travelling abroad.

We....well I love drinking. Give me wine, beer, cocktails you name it and I probably like it.

Casino...love it.

Air travel: if I can figure a way to swing it, business and first class are pretty fun too.

Scrimp:

I am fine on getting my hotels from Priceline. It is normally a means to an end for me.

Clothes. I hate spending money on work clothes and the like.

Bills. Necessary evil I suppose.

hmmm...everything else :)

Keep an eye on the Spa rooms. They are just like any thing else in cruising where their prices rice and fall with demand. I stayed in one on the Magic a few years ago and my wife and spent hours on the cruise in there. That being said we barely missed it the next time on the Magic. We have booked a spa suite this time around and are definitely looking forward to the access again.

This will be our first cruise. We are a mid to late 40's professional couple and are recent empty nester's so it will just be the two of us on this trip.

 

We will be sailing May 31st from Galveston (because we can drive to the port) on either the Magic or the Navigator, in a balcony cabin. Both ships sail to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. Both cost roughly the same: Carnival costs $2500 and Royal Caribbean costs $2400.

 

A bit about us. We don't drink, smoke, cuss, gamble, or party- thus the reason we've never tried a cruise before- it just didn't sound like our kinda thang. But we DO love tropical islands, palm trees, watching the ocean from a balcony, exploring new cities and cultures, relaxing around a quiet pool and hot tub...and eating! Food is our only vice! We diet all year long but on vacation all bets are off so good food is important to us on this cruise.

 

I thought I would list our pros and cons of each ship here. Partly to wrap my mind around what we do or don't like, and partly so those of you with first hand knowledge can help guide us where our assumptions are wrong. So here goes:

 

CARNIVAL MAGIC: Carnival seems to invest a lot of money in neon. Way too much neon for our tastes so the decor is a big detractor for us. And, to be perfectly honest, we are really afraid that the oarty crowd Carnival ships are famous for just might ruin the trip for us. After all partying is fun when you're the one doing it, but to onlookers it's mostly just loud and obnoxious. Since we sit firmly in the onlooker category these days, it seems that could get old real fast.

HOWEVER....a lot of things about the Magic DO appeal to us. The water slides and ropes course look like a lot of fun! We would definitely try them for sure. And we'd do the putt-putt too. The comedy shows get rave reviews and who doesn't love a good laugh?! The food gets a lot of good word of mouth and the idea of the Tandoori is a huge plus to us, as is the Mongolian Wok and Guys Burgers, plus the pizza and desserts on Carnival get great press! We like that the buffet is always open and there's even a CHOCOLATE BUFFET! YUM! I also like that there are lots dining areas with great ocean views and lots of comfy looking loungers scattered around the various decks for your ocean viewing pleasure.

 

 

 

As for the Navigator Of The Seas:

We think the ship itself is gorgeous and the passengers in the youtube videos we've watched seem more sedate and better behaved and that really appeals to us. We like that the Solarium is glassed in and has a pool AND a hot tub so we could go back and forth from hot to cold. And the nighttime entertainment shows seem like something we would vastly prefer to bars and casinos. The Ice Show gets rave reviews and shows like The Quest and Love&Marriage are on youtube and look hilarious to us.

HOWEVER...... we wouldn't use any of the big ticket items that most people rave about when they recommend Royal Carribbean. We wouldn't ice skate. Or use the Flowrider. Or climb the Rock Wall. We wouldn't watch the parades... indoors...in the crowded...umm...Mall? Even thiugh we think the Promenade looks pretty -a cruise seems like the place to be outside enjoying an ocean view and the smell of the ocean, not indoors shopping! But the biggest negative to us is that the food gets so many bad reviews!! All my life I've heard how great cruise food is, what gives Royal Caribbean?? And there are only 3 places to eat unless you pay extra (well 4 counting Room Service) but 2 of those 3 close down in between meals so we wouldn't be able to avoid the crowd by going a little early or a little late. And no 24 hour ice cream or chocolate buffet either.

 

Honestly I really want to love the Navigator because it just seems nicer overall, but after listing out all our thoughts here, the cons are stacking up against it.

 

For those of you that have cruised both. Any suggestions? Are our perceptions off base?

I've done both and I love both. If money were equal I would choose Royal. I always lean towards Royal because I like the ships more, I feel like they have better hours on the things that I like to do, and ironically to your post, I have always enjoyed the food more on Royal. I was on the Navigator last July and thought the food was consistent with other sailings that I have been on. That being said we are sailing on the Magic in May and were lured back to that ship for the third time because we have a two year old and Carnival has a program for two year olds where Royal does not. In your situation, I would steer you towards the Navigator.

Just curious, for those of you who have cruised with Carnival more than once, what is your favorite and least favorite ship and why?

 

My husband and I just booked a cruise on the Splendor and are also wonder what those who have cruised on it think about it.

We have enjoyed the Magic the most and disliked the Destiny which was changed into the Sunshine.

We like the muted décor of the Magic as well as the fact that most of the decks can be navigated from front to back. We thought that the Destiny was a cluster and was just kind of a nasty ship. It was our first Carnival experience so that was probably part of it. We have come to like some of the nuances of the Carnival experience over time and really like the savings.

My one and only guarantee experience is booking a balcony gty and getting an aft balcony. Pretty good deal.

Here would be my suggestions:

1. Better perks for suite guests

2. Longer hours for pools and hot tubs at night

3. Build more pools on future big ships, two doesn't cut it on the Magic

4. Get rid of the card shufflers at the Black Jack tables

5. Allow one person to order cheers program

Prepackaged foods (such as candy or a bag of chips) is allowed. Fresh fruits, meats and such are not allowed.

People who are immunocompromised. (they're probably not on a cruise ship though)

Whoops...quoted the wrong post

Haha yes! I was under the impression that it was only San Juan that it was easy to smuggle from!

I have always been told that San Juan is the easiest. Has something to do with who runs the check in process. I seem to recall that the Port of San Juan operates the point where smuggled booze would normally be confiscated instead of Carnival agents and they don't care what you bring in so long as it isn't illegal. Great review so far. My wife and I lived in Seattle for 3 years while she was in school at UW. It was a great time.

 

After dinner we arrived back to our cabin to see this little guy waiting for us. Does anyone know what this towel animal is???

I know I am late to the party, great review by the way, but my first thought when I saw this guy was that he was a failed imitation of an orangutan.

When my kids went on their first cruise (Carnival Dream) - my son was 2 1/2 and my daughter was almost 4.

 

We took our nanny with us. She stayed in one cabin, and we had the adjacent (but not adjoining cabin).

 

It was a good experience (for us) but it would not have been had our nanny not been there.

 

My son HATED camp carnival. He did not like it at all and did not want to go. my daughter endured it, but she didn't love it. At that time, my daughter was in preschool, so she was used to being around other kids. She never "asked" to go to Camp Carnival, but she never refused to go either.

 

My son however was not used to being other other kids. He stayed at home with his nanny and was used to one-on-one playdates. Being around so many kids where he was not getting personalized attention did not appeal to him. Within minutes of being dropped off - we were being called to pick him up.

 

 

 

Is your 18 month old, currently in a daycare environment? If so, they may be more accustomed to a kid's club environment (assuming camp carnival takes them at that age). Every child is so different.

 

Our next cruise one year later on HAL - was COMPLETELY different. My son was 3 1/2 and had been preschool for 6 months. He LOVED Club Hal.

 

one year made all the difference. If we had not brought our nanny along on that first cruise, it certainly would not have been a vacation for us, and I would have been disappointed to have spent all that money and not enjoyed our week. When we sailed HAL one year later, it was without or nanny, but at that time, both kids were at a developmental stage to enjoy their "own" cruise holiday.

 

We've always had all our meals together and enjoyed "family" time on our cruises; but we need some alone time while the kids are at the kid's club to enjoy time together as a couple.

This poster brings up a great point. At the time of our cruise, we had always had an in house nanny and a lot of my kid's problems with the Royal Tots program stemmed from the lack of interaction in that type of environment. Having gone through a year of Montessori school now, I expect her to behave a little differently. I think that point remains that any cruise or vacation is what you make of it and will be largely swayed by your expectations. We expected her to be a Klingon and were not surprised when she was and it definitely did not ruin our vacation. We enjoyed experiencing it with her.

I would like to get some input from parents or grandparents who have actually taken an 18 month old on a cruise.

 

We are NOT novice cruisers by any means (have taken close to 30 cruises), but are considering taking son, daughter in law and for the first time our 18 month old grandson with us later this year.

 

Before I an hit with bashing replies about the above, let me assure you that I am well aware of what and where my Grandson can and cannot go and appropriate behavior. I am merely asking for input and thoughts from families that have actually taken a toddler., what are your thoughts and advice having done it? And given the chance knowing what you do now, would you do it again?

 

Thanks for your help!

We took our 18 month old on a cruise last July with my in laws. I can address the cruise from the perspective of a parent. First of all, cruising with that age was very worthwhile and satisfying. It was our 9th cruise and first with a kiddo so obviously the experience was different than that of our previous cruises but it was fun nonetheless and we are taking her again this May. As a parent who is a seasoned cruiser, you have to be willing to give up some the things that you might be used to while cruising. Gone were the days of late night casino binging and bar hopping. But these were replaced by playing on the decks with our toddler and showing her new things and new experiences. We took her on RCL and they do not have a program for that age. They did have Royal Tots which was paid babysitting. Unfortunately, our kiddo picked this time to go through a growth and teething spurt so she was particularly clingy this week and the Royal Tots program did not work well for us. Any other week would have been fine had she not been in a Wonder Week. Our in laws helped us some with her but we did not expect them to give up their cruise and we are glad that they did not feel obligated to do so. We picked a Grand Suite thinking that we would spend a lot of time in the room and we were right and felt rewarded for that decision. The extra space in the room and balcony were appreciated and utilized as was being able to order off the dining room menu for room service. My biggest takeaway was to be flexible and realize that every vacation is different and is what you make of it. Hope that wasn't too rambling and if you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask me.

Thank you for the info. We are embarking with our 18 month old on July 6 and are still trying to wrap our mind around what we are getting ourselves into.

I personally would have taken that upgrade in a heartbeat. The crown loft suite looks great and are super expensive and I don't mind being in close quarters with my family. Just goes to show that every one is different.

Hello,

 

My family is having a hard time deciding if we should book the 2-bedroom suite for our group of 5 adults (age 22-34) or two balcony rooms and an inside for the single.

 

My main concern is that the 2 bedroom suite might not have windows in the bedrooms - does anyone know if this is true? I am worried that we will have trouble waking up without any natural light. Also, the balcony seems small for 5 people to enjoy together - is that true? Does anyone have any pictures?

 

The benefit to having the 2-bedroom suite is the living room - we would have somewhere to hang out before dinner, to play games, and just chill together in our pajamas.

 

Also does the suite come with any useful perks? Priority embark/debark/tenders? We have one tender port on this trip.

 

Thanks!

With or without bedroom windows I would go with the two bedroom suite. You will likely save money and will get concierge lounge access as well as priority everything. The CL comes with a nightly happy hour.