dltvermont

We are on the Magic in April. First time on this ship. The only thing Im not looking forward to is Lido. We sailed the Breeze a few years back and you couldnt get near the pools or hot tubs and looking at the cloudy water, we really didnt want to! Normally we like to spend sea days on Lido and get in the pool a few times just to cool off. Most likely wont be happening this trip/this ship.

In Aruba the first time we went to Palm Beach. Eagle and Palm are gorgeous beaches if thats your thing. The last time we did a tour as we had never really seen the island and the last stop was Arashi Beach which is also beautiful but not like Eagle and Palm in my opinion.

In Curacao you can do alot right off the ship on your own if you like shopping and just looking around. The last time we did Irie Tours which was very inexpensive and let us see the highlights of the island and had a beach stop at the end.

On 10/8/2019 at 12:49 AM, GranysT said:

 

 

Aruba is not really considered a tropical island. One half of it is on the ocean, and the beaches and water, are gorgeous. However there are luxury hotels built all along the water.  You will need to get a taxi at the pier, and they will drop you at one of the hotels. You can walk through all the hotels, and enjoy the beaches and water.   BEWARE the taxi's will not return you to the ship, in a swimsuit. We knew this, but thought it meant a wet swimsuit, so we dried ours before trying to leave. No, if you are wearing a swimsuit, they will not pick you up.  Be sure to take clothes to change into before leaving.  This is just a warning, if the beach is your thing. 

 

We have been to Aruba twice. First time to the beach, 2nd time to other side of island. Now, the other side is sand, cactus, sagebrush, and desert type terrain.  We took an ATV tour on that side. The ATV's all have 4 wheel drive, and believe me you will need it,  to navigate much of that side.  It's dusty and a little rough, but fun, and quite interesting.  

 

Enjoy Aruba, it is beautiful and interesting. 

Is this a relatively new thing? When we were there a few years ago, they warned about wet and sandy suits but ours were dry and they had no issues at all with us.

Great "to the point" review but informative at the same time. We did this itinerary, including St Thomas a few years back and it is by far our favorite. Will definitely do again. We had plans to be back in Barbados on our last cruise but it was changed all around due to a previous hurricane and we ended up heading to the ABC's instead which was fine with us. We did a catamaran excursion thru Carnival last time in Barbados and it was alot of fun. Went to snorkel with the turtles and the sunken boat along with meal and drinks.

We also did Cosol in St Lucia and agree that it is a very "full" day but they didnt seem to be rushing us at any one spot. We did ours before the owner was killed so maybe it has been changed a bit. Like you said, I wish we had water shoes at the beach but once in, the snorkeling there was fantastic.

On 9/4/2019 at 2:29 PM, JennyB1977 said:

Reading the various cruise line forums, it appears some folks take their "status" very seriously. So, I was thinking...If a cruise line sent a note that beginning in January 2020 there would no longer be "status". Meaning, it would no longer matter (from their perspective) if it was your first cruise or 300th. Premium cabins would still have benefits/perks. However, no Diamond Lounges or Platinum Free Drinks or Free Laundry or Balcony Discounts....

 

**For the sake of argument...There are no loyalty programs on ANY line**

Their "status" is all in their head. When I walk by someone with a different color card then I have, I dont swoon or really care. All it means is they have the time and/or money to cruise more than I do at the moment.

If they took the programs away, Id continue to sail as I do now, which is no "status", lol.

We have always used SAS from FLL Motel to POM and always great service. The ONLY thing that would not be good was if you were one of the last stops. They really pack them into those vans.

Same as your first response,

$1/bag but a $5 minimum

Our cruise in April on the Magic will actually be our first on Lido. It was the last one left so we grabbed it. Looking forward to it but alas, just like our experience on the Breeze. According to all the Magic reviews here, it looks like our time at the pool will be limited due to the crowds. We love to spend sea days at the pool but on the Breeze the pools were nasty. So full that people basically could just stand there and wash off their sunscreen which made the water totally cloudy. Oh well, we are on a cruise! We will be happy either way!

We will be on the Magic in April. Your experience with the pool is why we dislike larger ships but this one had the itinerary we wanted so we just wont be in the pool. Usually on sea days we spend it on Lido getting in and out of the pool to cool off. We were on the Breeze a few years back and the pools were cloudy due to all the people in them standing there like sardines washing off the sweat and sunscreen.

Great writeup! We will be doing this itinerary in April. Our late night is in Curacao, wish it were like yours at Aruba but we will make the most of it!

Yours is the second time Ive heard about having to be ready to debark at 6:30AM! I am not a morning person and hate to get up early on my vacations, then have to find something to do until we can check back into our motel. Not real convenient but oh well!

Ive been seeing alot of posts about being able to do everything with documents on the app. Im going to follow this to see what your answers are as I tend to do most everything I can from my phone.

Ive been watching a couple other threads on HMC as we will be there in April. Apparently you cannot reserve them online, only at the island when you get off the ship.

We are on the same itinerary in April. Glad I found your review! Grand Turk and HMC are new for us. Have been to Aruba and Curacao multiple times.

Some of the nicest beaches you will find anywhere. We did a quick tour last year just to see the rest of the island but beach will be our destination when we are there on the Magic in April.

6 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

Your server tips out the dishwasher, busser,  bartender, expeditor, etc.  On ship, if the auto grats are removed, the crew tips out those "behind the scences".

You mean on land? It must be a brand new thing because not once when I worked back of the house at a restaurant years ago, and not when two of my kids worked just a few years back.

We never remove our "gratuities", we just consider them part of the fare.....but lets call them what they are, Service Charges, not tips, not gratuities. Ive never gone into a restaurant and handed out tips to the chef and dishwasher. Ive given it to my server. Ive also never given them a tip and said now make sure you share this with the chef, dishwasher oh, and person that cleans the dining room before you open.

Years ago before I started my career I worked in a restaurant in the kitchen. Not once did I ever get a share of the waiter/waitresses tips. I also never saw them passed out to the head chef, sous chef for dessert person.

If Carnival, or any other line, would pay their employees a proper wage then these "gratuities" could go away and people could tip those that directly give them a service over and above.

Neat seeing a flying fish up close. We see them all the time while on the ship but have never seen what they look like in hand.

Same cruise, anchored in Grand Cayman.

This is the Jade in Curacao on our Southern Caribbean cruise last year.

So I know people do mock bookings to check for a price drop for OBC. Once the deck is sold out, does it ever open back up so there could be a drop or is there no need to bother with checking any longer?

Great review so far. Will be watching for the rest. We sail on the Magic for the first time next year at this time.

We love the Southern Caribbean and my wife is partial to Aruba so shes always in favor of any itinerary that includes it. But the Eastern you list has some great stops too.

I thought I read you could opt out of the "free" prices and get a sailaway rate without all of that. Not sure what the price difference is.

Last year on our cruise on the Jade, one of the "perks" was the wifi. My wife used it a couple times a day to do an update on Facebook and had no issues whatsoever. That was basically posting a diary of our day and pictures.

We did Cosol Tours at St Lucia. One of the best we have ever been on.