skidawg79

I'm a semi avid cruiser (been on 5 cruises now in the last 9 years) and coming back to RCL after my last 3 on Carnival.     I was on the Oasis about 7 years ago and looking at the Harmony in May.   I'll post more as i get closer to the cruise but i did have one quick question for now.    The itinerary has the "perfect day at Cococay" and charging a little more for it because of the new things to do there.  However,  from what i am reading  the waterpark and everything isn't scheduled to open until May 19'.   the cruise I'm looking at is May 19, 2019.    My experience with cruise lines in the past is they tend to either 1. not open things like this on time or 2. open it with half the attractions/public areas under construction (post dry dock type stuff).    Am I naive to think that the water park will be fully operational by 5/19/19?  haha   Either way, Cant wait to get it officially booked!

To the OP. I definitely see some of the things you are talking about. I was on the Magic last spring. Yes, I've had better food in the past, yes the waiters are extremely over worked, yes there were some lines...but you know what...i had an incredible cruise. My attitude when I'm on vacation is that I'm not going to let a few things get to me. My time away from work is so precious and far and few between that i try to make the best of it no matter what.

You make some valid points, and I'm glad you enjoyed some of the other aspects of the cruise. I would love to hear a review of your next cruise on a different line and compare.

Lastly...i agree 100% about the pizza lol That line sucks..because at 2am, if I'm going for pizza...im hungry!!

Can you describe. Did you get a 2nd order?

yes i did get more than one and we definitely used the "training wheels" as well. I wish i could remember the name, but I remember it was tequila and it was very smooth.

I asked that on my last cruise and there was a tequila shot I did that was $42 I think it was. I literally asked what is the most expensive drink I can get on the cheers. And naturally I did it. No surprise I can't remember the name haha

On the Lido deck in 5 days on the Splendor! Never stayed on that deck and after reading this...can't wait!

We just booked our first cruise on Carnival, on the Magic - April 2018 western itinerary - Cozumel Belize Roatan Costa Maya

 

Looking for tips and feedback on the magic, excursion suggstions, etc

 

We booked balcony room on deck 8 we will have our 13 and 16 year old with us as well

I did this same cruise last may. I actually made a vacation movie on it.

Magic has the 2.0 upgrades and thought she was a great ship.

We did the mayan ruins in Costa Maya (Chocchoban). One thing i will say about Costa Maya, the vendors in the cruise terminal area are really pushy. Other than that we had a great excursion. Nice beach about 5 min cab ride from the port...Mahahual.

Roatan- West bay beach is beautiful. We did a snorkeling excursion that took us by West Bay, and the beach looked gorgeous and some great snorkeling right off the beach.

Belize- Cay Caulker...amazing, we went snorkeling at the barrier reef then swam with the nurse sharks. One thing about Belize, the tender is a long ride ~25 min or so and the port area isn't all that impressive. I would definitely schedule something here.

Cozumel....well it's Cozumel...definitely cater to cruisers. We rented a jeep and drove around the island....The east side of the island is actually very beautiful. More waves, a few cool beach bars.

Check out my video, the link is in my signiture...also if you have any questions let me know, ill be happy to help where i can.

All 3 Dream Class ships ,Dream ,Magic and Breeze are all done inside

Is this new? last May on the Magic, it was outside. Would love if they were changing it to inside. RCI and Princess both did theirs inside, was awesome. Anyone know about the Splendor?

We normally cruise on Royal but decided to try Carnival, needless to say we will NEVER go on Carnival again!

 

To start the cruise off our shuttle couldn't enter the port other then driving around in circles because there was a security beach which was said to be a Bomb threat at first and even the bomb squad came out. After we could finally get into the terminal everyone was told to wait outside then we were guided up to another area were we had to wait for a couple hours until they secured the area, after this ordeal we were then told it wasn't a bomb but a can of something that was spraying in a suit case. Better safe then sorry. Once this was over then we could go inside and get ready to board the ship. In my opinion Port Canaveral is the best port there is.

So once on board we went to our cabin and put our other bag in and headed to eat at the buffet as we waited to leave the port.

 

1st issue Staff and lack of knowing anything when asked and lack of friendliness. This ship had the worst staff I have ever encountered on a cruise. They never smiled,spoke or new anything if you asked them a question. Some were even rude. The only staff member we encountered that was very friendly was our room guy, he was awesome all the time. Spoke to us by name and had a friendly attitude.

 

2nd issue Pools, For a ship that hold 4,500 people and only have 2 swimming pools is ridiculous and what makes it worse is that only 1 pool was ever open at a time. I was only able to enjoy the pool 1 day when in a port because it was not crowded.

 

3rd Issue FOOD, the food at breakfast was the best and made to order omelettes were awesome, best meal of the day everyday. Guy's Burger Joint,Blue Iguana & BBQ place also had great food as well as the 24 hr pizza. We ate all these places several times and they were really good.We also ate at the steak house on wed night for our 20th anniv and it was very good. Now for the buffet, the food was lousy in my opinion with the exception of the desserts and the sandwich bar that had pastrami and corned beef, in fact that is what I hate most the time after trying the other food 1st. I also enjoyed the ice cream machine daily. The buffet was not opened long enough if you wanted it and then only one side would be open at times and you would have to walk a long distance just to get food if you wanted it. Terrible buffet all around except breakfast.

 

4th issue, I believe Carnival Magic has bed bugs because every night when we went to bed and got under the sheets I was always really itchy like something was crawling on me but I couldn't see anything when we looked. On the last night I actually got bit by something and ended up sleeping on top of the covers so the ship is not very clean.

We stayed on the 11th deck in a spa room and had access to the spa which was great, very relaxing and enjoyable. We stayed in 11242 and it was quite noisy at times, kids running up and down the hallway,noise from deck above etc. We were still able to sleep, just a lot of noise.Room was nothing fancy, pretty plain and basic.

 

Entertainment was just ok, nothing special. We did enjoy a few dive in movies and Dr. E was great. The comedy shows were also very funny and we enjoyed them as well. Party's on deck were also ok, I overheard several elderly folks complaining about the type and sound of the music and about it being way to loud. The entertainment staff were friendly.

 

Sadly there was a medical emergency with a passenger suffering a heart attack and dying(At least thats what we were told by several crew members) which caused the itenerary to be changed and the Honduras port being skipped and went to key west fl instead. The ship was diverted near miami to get the ill patient medical care. My prayers are with the family.

 

So we went to Key West Fl, Belize, Cozumel & Costa Maya, We had already been to Cozumel but still enjoyed it as well as the other ports. Really liked Key West and would like to go back there. The ports were the best part of the cruise, other then that the cruise was pretty boring. No adult area other then if you want to nap in a hammock or chair and use a jacuzzi, that is Magic's "adult" area.

 

And to top it all off, my hubby got sick on thursday afternoon and was up all night puking his gut out, not sure if it was from the food or what caused this. I know he wasn't sea sick so the food may of been the issue. Not sure because i was fine the entire time.

 

After being on 3 Royal ships, there is NO comparison with Carnival. I would never go on another carnival ship nor would I ever recommend one to anyone I know. You really do get what you pay for and Royal is in a class all its own. My brother is a Carnival cruiser and he bragged to me about how good they are but now I know for myself, not worth bragging about.Anyway, this is my small review, Happy cruising!

So I'm not going to blast you, your opinions and experiences are exactly that...yours. However, the last cruise i was on, was on the Magic, and I loved it. I thought it was a beautiful ship with some of the best staff I've ever had on a cruise. I have sailed both Royal Caribbean and Carnival and i see very minimum differences. I will say entertainment on all ships are mostly "eh" lol. Sorry to hear about the medical emergency, thoughts are with that family, but glad you made the best of it and enjoyed Key west.

The last thing i will say, I work with people everyday and I notice that people respond to the way you interact with them. If you come up to them being rude, sometimes the response will not be what you want. If you interact with them in a respectful way, maybe you will get a better response. Not saying that you were rude and disrespectful to the workers....but yeah...im kinda implying it. Good luck on Royal Caribbean....

Im going on that itinerary on the Splendor next Saturday. Tropical wave in the Atlantic right now....hoping it stays in the Atlantic! I've never been to Aruba or Curacau and looking forward to it. But at least they replaced the ports! I wouldn't be terribly dissapointed, but I would be a little! ;-)

We are sailing on the Breeze in November and booked a Aft balcony room. On the deck plan, it looks like some of the balconies are longer than others (the ones in the middle). Ours is the 2nd from the end on Deck 7. Does anyone know anything about these rooms? Was wondering if the shorter balconies toward each end has an obstructed view, due to the longer balcony on one side? Thanks for any information.

We sailed on the Magic last year on a dec 7 aft balcony (same layout). We were three from the end...so it went aft wrap balcony room, the one next to it then ours. Are you the one right next to the aft wrap balcony? Either way, the balconies are pretty big. Big enough to put a lounger out there. The only thing it extends out a little further than the balcony above to so you get a lot of sun (and less privacy). That didn't bother us at all, we loved it!

Skidawg79,

 

I am so happy that you're down to single digits and congratulations on you new home (gosh, I remember that). I remember reading a few of your reviews and have always enjoyed them. And then that Pittsburgh thing...I remember commenting on each other's reviews about Pittsburgh but know you are in Colorado now and enjoying it. I just want to let you know that I'm very sorry to hear about your dad's diagnosis and I know that any diagnosis like that for a loved one is tough to take. I'm glad to hear the chemo is working but I'll be sure to keep your dad, and all of your family, in my thoughts and prayers. You definitely deserve this cruise and I hope you have a wonderful time (and great weather) while on your cruise.

I remember the reviews and our comments back and forth as well. Thank you very much for your kind words, if i get a few minutes (more like days lol) after the cruise, ill come back and do a review again.

God bless you father and family. Our family's prayers are with you all.

 

I'm happy to hear that you'll get to take this cruise with an easy heart. If nothing else, this scare with your father should remind you how fleeting life really is and you should enjoy these experiences.

Thank you for your kind words and you are 100% right. Cherish the fact I have the opportunity to travel and take vacations on occasion. I Told him when he is able to travel again I'm flying him out to Colorado (he lives in PA) for a little vacation and quality time. :-). With that said. I Can't wait to relax for 9 days!

Thank you all for the well wishes. It's very much appreciated. We are staying cautiously optimistic.

Single Digits! Next Saturday I'll be setting sail on the Splendor for a much needed 8 night cruise! Been a rough couple of months and this is coming at the perfect time.

2 days after I closed on a house in April (that's a good thing!) my dad was diagnosed with "an advanced stage of B-Cell Mantle Lymphoma". He lives across the country so been using all my points to get back to see him. I'm In sales, so all this traveling has put making quotas difficult (although I've done it). So the stress of all these extra bills (first time homeowner), and my dads health has definitely added up. Hes struggling with the side effects of the chemo, but did get some good news yesterday as the chemo is shrinking the tumors. Doc said he should be with us for a little while yet, so I can go in my trip worry free. Wish I could bring him with but his health wont allow that to happen.

Sorry, This is probably the longest "single digit dance" post ever. I'm just ready to get on that ship and escape for a few days...

So I had this on my first cruise, but having had anyone be able to make it since. They called it a "Manhattan Ice Tea" it was all the same liquors as a Long Island, but it was all top shelf liquors and instead of topped off with coke, they topped it off with Champaigne.....it was really good...lol

12 days!!!!

This is not a joke, I had a dream last night that I was on a 3 night cruise and I bought cheers. It was the 3rd day of the cruise and I realized I was ordering my first drink. Maybe it was a nightmare.... (no joke, those are specifics I remember from that dream lol)

Loving the review, thanks for deciding to do it! Just booked the Splendor in August. Will actually be the smallest ship I've ever been on, but the type of person that the ship doesn't really make or break the vacation unless it's something crazy. Really looking forward to the rest of the review!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums I am leaning towards the Glory as I like the ports never been to HMC or Grand Turk, it is smaller than the Magic crowd wise,

Splendor!!! We will be on the same cruise! ;-) I was on the Magic on my last one, great ship, but I liked the Splendor Itinerary on this one! It's a win/win/win, but hopefully I'll see you on the Splendor!

What kinds of things do you like to do? Do you leave the port? do you like to snorkel? just go to the beach? Educational stuff (like going to the ruins)?

Best excursions for these ports??!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I'm sure someone is going to tell you to look at the port forums, but ill try to help you out before they move this. haha. I don't know if these are the "best" but i enjoyed them....

Cozumel: we just rented a jeep and drove around the island (the east side of the island is beautiful), we went to punta sur eco park and it's just a beautiful part of the island. The other time i was there, we went to Nachi Cocum. All Inclusive day beach. it was fun!

Belize: We did a 2 spot snorkel with a stop at Caye Caulker. The first stop was Hol Chan Marine reserve...the coral was ok, fish were pretty good and we saw 3 eagle rays which made that part of the snorkel worth it. Then we went to

Shark/Ray alley and snorkeled with the nurse sharks. That was pretty cool.

Roatan: we did the Jolly Rodger snorkel. This was a lot of fun, but be prepared, it turns in to kind of a party after the snorkel. It's open bar for a good hour and a half or so, so if your looking for a "peaceful" time you might want to find a different vendor, but we had a blast. With that said. The coral off of West Bay Beach is incredible. The fish weren't as plentiful as i would have hoped but the coral was some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. If you have any questions...shoot away!

Thanks guys. It was a great vacation. Booked my next cruise on the Splendor in August. Can't wait!

Love your video. looks like fun, Can't wait till June when we go on the Magic.

Thank you! You will love it. She's a great ship!

Great video! looks like ya'll had a fun time we will be on the Magic in march can not get here soon enough!! was wondering how service was for getting drinks(enough waiters).

 

At the aft pool I tipped the one waiter like $10 the first day and he was always there when I needed him. The bartenders were excellent as well. I think the waiter service was a little slower at the main pool. But overall the service was excellent.

This is a little late, but I finally got some time this weekend to put together a video of my cruise a few months ago. Take a look, would love to hear any feedback or hear any experiences from anyone who were at the same ports. Happy Cruising!