Sea Raven

I have always booked starboard side because it amuses me to no end to be able to follow the little arrow that says odd. It's the little things in life...

This thread has started me thinking about if I would actually enjoy a dining experience with all the old school hoo-hah attached, like the waiter placing your napkin in your lap, and full place settings for each course, along with a visit from the sommelier and the crumb sweeper. I'm not really sure. I may or may not. These days, I am more of an eat-and-go type of person. My first few cruises in the early 2000s were close to this type of dining, and I had not really noticed the gradual changes otherwise.

Back in the old days of flip phones and low tech, I guess people could lock up their phones. After all, they were only missing actual phone calls, not emails, texts, stock market updates, apps, etc. And, I have long suspected that lots of folks who want to get away from their phones on a cruise, are ACTUALLY trying to get away from the people on the other end, not the technology.

My only question about this is regarding the ordering process. I always thought that when a single menu presented multiple courses and beverages, that is has always been customary to select from each of the courses and verbalize those selections in order and in their entirety in one request. At least one from each course. The exception is when an establishment presents you with a separate dessert menu before the dessert course. Am I mistaken?

Don't have the menu handy, but it's listed as Beef Burger. One option and it's essentially a good bacon cheeseburger. Comes with fries. I've never tried to customize it or anything, so not sure about that.

My sailing in October 2025 lists Pearl Cove prices as $99.99 for general access, $139.99 for access and open bar, and $179.99 for all inclusive access. We will probably book the all inclusive option. Its in my cart. I'm still deciding on excursions for other ports.

I use to agree until I ordered one of the room service burgers a few cruises ago. They are huge and wonderful. (But not free). Not sure if the accompanying fries are hand cut or not but they are tasty. So far the room service burgers were the best on the Magic, and second best on Mardi Gras. Next time I will have to get a Guys burger to do a more in-depth analysis and comparison! .

This is actually a good thing. Last time we rented a cabana, clam shells were in a semi-circle around us.They also blocked our path to the water. Not a HUGE deal breaker but as much as the cabanas cost now I would prefer more privacy.

Years ago, we booked one of the aft corner suites on deck 5 of the Sunshine. It was very nice and super quiet.One of the quietest cabins I have ever booked on any ship as a matter of fact. I remember no smell of smoke at all. The casino is further away than it looks on the deck p!ans. It was nice to be so convenient to the coffee shop and at the time they served a small breakfast buffet in the ocean plaza area. Would book back there again.

The old vinyl is perfectly fine with me. It has served Carnival well for many years. I was just surprised by the wear and tear already evident on the Mardi Gras sofa since it was so new. I feel like it may be an ongoing battle to keep them fresh and clean looking. Maybe they could go with a gray or blue vinyl instead of fabric.

My cabin on the Mardi Gras in May had a smaller, but still noticeable, stain right up front and center. At the time I thought it was a bit tacky for them to leave the sofa in that condition, but maybe they do?? I suspect the old "orange" vinyl furniture was easier to keep clean than the cheap looking upholstery used on the Excel ships.

They could have cancelled the current occupants to book the suite themselves or for another interested party who seized an opportunity when all the pertinent required information was right in front of them. There is only one presidential suite to book, and possibly someone willing to get it this way.

And, just as I suspected, she is now combining her posts about Carnival with information about her Reiki and crystal healing services.

I just watched an interview with her and she says she is looking for monetary compensation to include all her related expenses for the trip and a public apology from Carnival. She expressed that she no longer wanted to book a cruise vacation with any cruise line at all right now, citing trust issues. Was this their first ever cruise? Also, I have a suspicion that, if indeed the cancelling party did get her booking number from Facebook, they are either the people who turned around and booked the cabin,, or they know who did.

On my last several cruises on the Magic, the cabin temperature ranged from comfortable to downright chilly if you didn't watch it. Public areas were all comfortable except the theater, which was actually cold. I worked for a mechanical contractor for 43 years, so I am always somewhat interested in the HVAC workings on the ships. I am looking forward to my first Excel ship experience with my b2b on Mardi Gras in a couple of weeks.

Yay!! Following this since I will sail my first ever b2b on the Mardi Gras in May.

I actually have never ordered an omelette on Carnival, but I have eaten my fair share of Eggs Benedict. In the MDR, I order them without meat and get a side of bacon. Their hollandaise is always fresh and surprisingly pretty darn tasty. Next time I may order a cheese omelette just to try one.

Last couple of cruises, we simply walked right to the muster station upon boarding, chatted with the crew member for a moment, watched her don a life jacket and she told us to meet there if called to do so in an emergency, and we were on our way. Easy peasy. After we got to our cabin, we watched the video that was playing on repeat on the television.

Thanks so much for this review and all the pics. You have helped me make the decision to book the Venezia Journeys cruise I had my eyes on for 2026. Plus, I couldn't resist the chance to go back to Tortola.

Afternoon tea is alive and well. This past May aboard the Magic, tea time was very well attended.

This is a valid question, and I believe that sometimes new cruisers can have unrealistic expectations for their first time. If every bite of food is not life-changing, and every show or excursion not awe-inspiring, they can feel let down. Research and reading everything you can about any new experience is very helpful. Having said that, I have sailed on the Magic three times and enjoyed each one immensely. In my opinion, she has one of the most organized dining staffs I have encountered and told them that on my last sailing.

They did this on my 10 day Journeys cruise on the Magic back in June out of Norfolk. It was listed as a Throwback to 1987 Captain's Gala. The Cruise Director, Captain, and other officers attended and made speeches. Drinks and canapes were served. It was held in the main theater and after the presentation, everyone was encouraged to come up and dance on the main stage to live swing and jazz style music.

The first cruise is an Eastern Caribbean with the ports of Nassau, Grand Turk, and Amber Cove. The second one is a Western one with Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Mahogany Bay as the ports. It will be my first time on the Mardi Gras!!

Just simply book two adjacent cruises on the same ship and you are doing a back to back. I have two consecutive trips booked on the Mardi Gras next May. The first leg is in a balcony cabin and the second leg is in the Ocean Suite next door. They are booked as two separate cruises.

The outside deck area of the Red Frog Pub has a couple of wooden swing type seating areas and they tend to be pretty quiet and centrally located on Deck 5.