Gemynii

I'm enjoying you're review and can't wait to see the rest! We'll be boarding the Magic on November 11th!

I recently booked a November cruise on the Magic. I've been on the ship before in a spa balcony cabin which was lovely, but decided to go for a cove balcony this time around due to pricing. (I had a promotion for the spa balcony last time around but without the promo it's too steep for me and the cove is much cheaper.)

 

My question is that after booking, I noticed quite a few reviews about sewer smells in various cove balcony cabins - apparently from a vent from the deck above - and also complaints of noise from the dining areas and galley above. Unfortunately the only cove cabins that are left at this time are completely mid ship under the center of the galley so it's not like I could move under the guest services desk or lobby. Has anyone stayed in or about cabin 2382? If so, how was the noise level and were there any issues with serious odors? I did read that apparently there are some quiet cabins under specific parts of the galley but not sure where they are located.

 

I have lupus so a lack of sleep can really send me into a tail spin. My only other option since we have 3 people would either be to upgrade to a much more expensive cabin or downgrade to an interior on the Rivera deck and I'd prefer not to do either. :(

 

Thanks for any advice!

We're booked in a cove balcony just a few doors away from yours. Hopefully it won't be too bad, but DH can sleep through anything and, even at home, I use an app on my phone every night that plays thunderstorm sounds. With the earbuds in, it's enough to block out the noise of DH's snoring, so I should be good. Our poor DD, though... lol.

Yes it has, and yes we did although we found that it was not always open at dinner time; somewhat odd?

That is a bit odd. Are the "open" times posted in the Fun Times? I've seen on other posts about the Taste Bar that the bar closest to it will often have a drink special to pair with whatever is being served. Do you know if that's true?

Has the Sushi Bar been changed to the new Taste Bar? If so, did you get a chance to try it and is it any good?

Thanks for the review! We sail on Ecstasy a month from today... can't wait!

great pics as always... 2 questions...

 

What is the story as to why that is the only, um 'orange' building?

 

and, what is that? :)

To me, it looks like they had to rebuilt a portion of the castle that may have been destroyed. I agree that the difference in color looks a bit... odd. It would've looked a lot better had they used a grey stone that would've blended more. Regardless, the castle is absolutely beautiful.

The mounds could be just be how they've chosen to manicure their lawns. My imaginative side wants to believe that it's an Aos Sí or Sidhe mound (fairy mound), but it looks too well maintained to be that. I think I've just been reading too much Celtic folklore lately. :p

We are leaving on the Ectasy Nov 4th......it is my 23rd cruise but first with Carnival...How do we find out what there is to do day to day??

You'll receive a copy of the Fun Times in your cabin each evening that lists all the activities for the next day. Haves a great time!

We went to Chankanaab Park last year and loved it. We chose to go on our own rather than booking an excursion through the ship since it was much cheaper. We also used the online coupon so that admission was only $19 per adult. You can download the coupon from this page: http://www.cozumelinsider.com/CHANKANAAB

I included pictures of Chankanaab in the review I did. You can find them starting with Post #73: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1674293&page=4

Enjoying your review. Your photos are absolutely amazing!

LOVING your review! I can't wait to read the rest of it!

Same here. First time on the Ecstasy but sailed the Fantasy in 2003.

 

When you sailing in December?

We'll be sailing December 7th. I'm assuming your Bahamas countdown clock is for Ecstasy, so it appears that we'll be on the sailing right after you. This will also be our 1st time on Ecstasy but we sailed her sister ship, Paradise, last year for our first cruise and loved it. :)

Thank you so much for the ship tour! Can't wait until we sail on Ecstasy in December. :)

Fantastic review! We can't wait to sail November 11th. :D

Thank you :)

I hope you have a great cruise and a Happy Anniversary!

Can you all give me some details on what's in these drinks? I can't drink rum (break out in hives).

I'm looking for something new to drink next week on the Freedom.

Most of the drinks mentioned contain some type of rum. I'm not sure if they could substitute another type of liquor for you in place of the rum, but you could ask. You could always review the menu, since it lists the ingredients, and make a list of the drinks you'd like to try: http://zydecocruiser.net/Carnival-Bar-Menu/CarnivalCruiseBarMenu.htm

Tiramisu Martini :)

Thank you for taking the time to post this! We are booked on the Paradise over Thanksgiving. Your review made me remember all the good things about the small ship.

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the review. :)

Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks for the review! We loved the Paradise and hope to sail on her again. :)

Thank you for doing this! We plan to do our own self guided tour of Nassau and this will be very help. We appreciate the effort that you've put into this. :D

You're welcome!

Let me know how it worked out when you get back.

I noticed some wording errors in the PDFs I posted as well as a duplicate page, so these might be better.

The 1st PDF is the actual tour. The 2nd and 3rd are show both parts of the tour on satellite maps... not really necessary, but there if anyone wants them.

:)

Nassau Walking Tour Map & Instructions.pdf

Nassau Walking Tour Pt 1 Satellite Map.pdf

Nassau Walking Tour Pt 2 Satellite Map.pdf

That would be very kind of you - I'll be traveling alone next year, and a "safe" map would be appreciated.

Finally got done editing the walking tour instructions and map. I have it in 2 pdf files attached to this post... it said file size too large when I tried just 1 pdf.

I think I managed to include as much detail as possible (Distances calculated my Google Map Labs).

Ya'll let me know what you think.

Scubagirrl,

If you're still around and have a few spare minutes, can you look over the "safe tour" that I did to see if I made any big errors. Thank you!

Thanks :)

Nassau Walking Tour 1.pdf

Nassau Walking Tour 2.pdf

Thanks for asking all these questions. I am also a planner and will take into account all the advice given. We are in Nassau on Dec 31 and I was planning on walking around also.

 

If you are concerned about your ring, what I do sometimes is twist my ring around towards my palm so the diamond isn't seen.

 

Let us know how your day went.

I'm glad this thread helped you as well. I may do as you suggest with my rings... just in case.

I plan to do a review with pics after I get back. I'll just need a few days to get my land legs back and upload the photos.

I'll probably start it on Monday the 16th when DH is back at work and DD is back at school, so I won't have any distractions.

What you are looking at on the map is not a road - per se.. but the entry to parking along the beach.

You should be safe walking West Bay Street. The police station is right across the street from the beach, and there is another police annex at the Fish Fry.

The walk is quite lovely if you have the time and not too full from eating.

Thank you. :)

I plan to edit the walking tour and map today to reflect my new route. Maybe I'll post it here afterwards to get opinions on it before printing it out. Then, if everything looks good, other CC members can use it as well if they wish.

My thoughts would be to stay clear of West St .. I know the church is there, but an Embassy worker got mugged there and there were other incidents in that area.

 

GO to the Church and backtrack.

 

Wedding rings etc are fine... just don't flash the big stuff.

and don't fuss with your camera. Have the lens in place etc

 

My camera was stolen at Atlantis Marina Village while it was at my elbow on a bench. I was putting away my lens. When I told security.. they asked me if I was sure I had a camera with me.. Duh.. why would I just have a lens with me.. stupid. eh?

 

 

The Fish fry IS on west bay street.. just next to junkanoo beach, and just across from Fort Charlotte. You'll find the whole area is pretty compact.

 

My only issue is the area around west and augusta st. Take west hill back to cumberland. Lots of traffic and people around that area.

 

Vendue House is a construction site. It's in town.. don't make a special effort. You'll see it on your way to the bus stop and again as you get back into town. Is was all scaffolding last time I was down there. They are building a nice courtyard along side .. by the wharf.. will be great when it's finished.

Okay. I'd rather be safe than sorry, so we'll just go by Graycliff on West Hill St then backtrack to either Cumberland or George to catch the jitney... we'll avoid West St all together.

I mentioned walking the road along the beach until we got to West Bay because on Google maps, there appears to be a road that runs between West Bay and the beach. Would it be safe to walk from the Fish Fry to the Straw Market? Or should we just get beach pictures while we're there and then take the jitney back?

My wedding rings aren't as "blingy" as a lot of the newer ones. They were my grandmother's rings and were passed down to me. One band is just a larger diamond with a couple smaller ones on both sides and the other band is 5 small ones. It didn't attract any attention in Mexico, but we stayed to mostly tourist areas. Awful picture, but you can see it in the 1st picture on my post here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=34609162&postcount=27

My camera doesn't have interchangeable lenses, just a telescoping lense. Also, I will have it on a strap around my neck. I posted a stock picture of my camera in this post: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=39049206&postcount=190

Thank you so much for all your help. It's our 1st time visiting any of the islands in the Bahamas and I just want to make sure that DH, myself and our 13 yr old DD are safe while still having fun exploring as many historical sites as we can.

Again, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer all my questions.

Yes, sorry. I meant West Bay Street, not West Street. It would be #15 on the map.

Thank you :)

Pick up point for the Jitney is George Street and Bay Street (or west bay if you want to call it that). West Street is parallel to George a little further down.

Vendue House is closed due to a fire back a year or more ago. It's in the process of being rebuilt, but not opened yet Probably another year or work reconstructing and getting the artifacts back in place.

 

Be a bit cautious as you leave the main areas. We do have some crime here. No jewelry, don't flash cash, and be aware of your surroundings.

 

After #13, I'd back track to Cumberland and grab the jitney at George, or across from the HIlton on Marlborough.

 

There is no Map of the jitney route. Actually, there not really an official route. Each jitney is independently owned and operated. The one you want is #10 or 12 a. It runs along West Bay Street to Sandy Port (some go beyond). Then returns. You can flag them down along the way if you don't see a bus stop.

Thanks, scubagirl.

How does this sound?...

After Government House, we'll head up George St (passing Christ Church on the way) to catch the #10 or #12a jitney to the Fish Fry. After eating, we would head east on the road along the beach until we reach West Bay St. We would continue east until we get to West St where we would go south (passing the Greek Church) until we see St Francis Church. We'd then turn onto West Hill St heading east until we get to Queen St. Then north until we get to Marlborough where we can get some still shots of the Hilton. Then east until we get to Bay St and the Straw Market.

And some more questions if you have the time...

- Is Vendue House worth getting exterior pictures in the condition it's in now?

- Would you consider our route to be part of the "safer" main area?

(DH looks intimidating, but I know that wouldn't keep someone with a weapon away.)

- Will it be okay to wear my wedding ring?

(It's not huge and I don't even know if I could get it off.)

- Will having my camera constantly out attract unwanted attention?

(It's a bridge so it has the appearance of a dslr, but it's really only valued at $150.)

I really appreciate any help you can give me. It sure is good to have a local on here. :)

Thanks again.

Thanks for your review!!! My husband and I will be going on paradise sept.7 - 12, this will be our first Carnival cruise and I can not wait!!! I was wondering Do you have pictures of the Fun Times? I like to see what kind of activities they have each day.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I don't have the fun times. I had set them on the desk and I guess they got thrown out during clean up. I didn't notice they were gone until the end of the cruise. Next time, I plan on getting an extra copy each day and putting one in my cruise folder.

I just did a search of "Paradise Funtimes" and found this review of Paradise from April of this year.

She has links to PDFs of the Funtimes. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1828014&highlight=paradise+fun+times

I hope you have a great cruise!