Magic Short-ish Report: Dec 2nd, 2017 - Modified Eastern

Thanks for the report.

Tis the Season

I thought I'd talk about the decorations for those that may be cruising over the holidays.

The ship was definitely decked out, with Christmas trees galore; all matching these decor of the area. The Atrium tree had lights of green, gold and white. It is set for musical theming as was used during the tree lighting the first evening and for the Ugly Sweater contest followed by the arrival of Santa on the last night. But, most of the time, the lights did not blink. It was beautiful and fit in with the overall green theme of the Atrium. I will admit that the Atrium lights with the dot in the center sure did look a lot like Grinch eye's. ;) You could notice the tree moving when the ship was at sea and decks 4 and 5 had lots of garland to set the theme. There is also a large Menorah in the Atrium.

They had a special Holiday Show at 4PM on the last day. The various ages in Camp Carnival participated as well as some of the Playlist Singers, Dr. E telling an updated version of Frosty The Snowman, an appearance by the Grinch and of course, Santa.

On Deck 5, near the coffee/pastry shop, they had a holiday scene set up. There were lots of Gingerbread houses - it smelled really good. LOL They also had a bridge complete with a few miniature Carnival Ships.

More on the decor and the ship coming up. Got to head to work to pay the bills. :)

The Ship and Entertainment

My only comparison to the Magic was the Dream in 2014. That wasn’t a great cruise as I was way overworked and exhausted at that time. I remember feeling more crowding, and not liking the rear pool not having much shade to sit in.

I tried going in with open expectations. I will say we try to avoid the crowds and did for the most part. The buffet lines were long and there doesn’t seem to be enough space for people. I didn’t eat at the buffet, but did have to weave through the mass of people occasionally. We found a table near the Pizza Pirate and Tandoor a few days when we wanted to eat outside at lunch.

I did enjoy the décor of the Magic. I understand the changing times and getting away from the Fargus/Vegas glitz of the Fantasy and Conquest class. But, I will say I think those ships stand out more because they are so different. I also liked the décor on the Sunshine. What I haven’t cared for is it seems the Sunshine, Breeze and Vista have similar color palates. The pendulum can swing too far; it seems other neutral, but modern, theming can be done for each ship. But, I don’t want to get off on that tangent any further…..so………

Let’s talk about Dr. E – the Cruise Director. Most people really love him, but as usual, you can’t please everyone. He is definitely great at the shows, music trivias and the Embarkation Briefing. Those are really in his wheelhouse. My only wish is that he would tone it down – just a bit - on the overhead announcements. Of course, he was very serious when he came on after the Captain announced we would miss Grand Turk and he was very appropriate at the Veteran’s Military Appreciation Gathering. Overall though, I really enjoyed him.

The Shows:

88 Keys was the First Formal Night; it’s the first time I’ve seen it. I heard it was good and agree completely. I like that Brandon from the Piano Bar is part of the pre-show. I also like that the Piano Bar near the aft on Deck 5 is open so you can hear the music when passing by.

Country Roads (?) was the next night. This is a fairly newshow. I know enough Country Music to know that this show was not good. It was the worst show I have seen. The song selection was horrible and the few songs I did know were arranged so poorly they were almost unrecognizable. Any other country fans out there that have an opinion of this show? There are tons and tons of country songs that the regular public know – that could have done an updated version along these lines. They did not.

America Rocks – I believe this used to be called 80’s Rock? Someone correct me on this if I’m wrong. I remember that show had some 70’s songs and it didn’t totally fit the name, so maybe they changed it? This show really did rock! One thing I LOVED about the show is they take the PlaylistProduction singers/dancers and add the other rock group on the ship. (I’ve seen this show 3 times on 3 different ships and didn’t notice this until the 2nd time which was on the Ecstasy). So, you do have live music and more singers for more variety.

Flick – I believe this is the new show John Heald mentioned that is something unlike Carnival has ever done? I thought it was the best show I’ve seen on a Carnival ship. It features songs from movies (hence the name Flick); but there are a lot of lights, lasers and artistry involved. It is hard to describe. I could follow what the “emcee” (who was from the dance group) was doing with the laser until he somehow “picked it up” and had it going horizontal. Part music, part dance, part light show, and part magic!

Other Entertainment:

Music Trivia – I was at the Motown, 70’s and 80’s, and the 90’s music trivia. They were all great and this is where Dr. E really shines.The 70’s and 80’s is best, he does a few costume changes along the way.

There were various other musicians that I caught bits and pieces of. There was a steel drum player (though I only heard him on EmbarkationDay), a great string trio, the aforementioned band that was also in the America Rocks show, and with the Piano Bar more open;we stopped by to listen to Brandon a few evenings. There was also a countryband – the Blackjack Band that played old style country music. We saw this group circa 2006 on the Celebration out of Jacksonville and have been trying to catch them on an East Florida ship ever since. I’m glad we finally got to hear them again.

Comedy – I saw at least one show for each of the 4 comedians. Mostly the PG shows, but that was more due to timing to get to the production shows than me being offended by the R-rated ones. We were supposed to change comedians in Grand Turk – but we didn’t stop there. That night there was no comedy, but it was scheduled the night after Half Moon Cay. There is a small airport on a neighboring island near HMC. One comedian got off for a family emergency, the other stayed on to do some repeat shows that night. I’ve not seen us pick up new comedians in Nassau before. But, with an altered itinerary; I’m also not used to a sea day AFTER Nassau at the end of a cruise. So, we had our new comedians the last 2 nights. Both started their sets with, “I was in Grand Turk– thanks for picking me up.” J

A few other comments about the ship:

We loved the outside deck on 5 which you could walk all the way around the ship. It was neat that the Red Frog Pub had outside seating andeven a few table/gliders.

Having just been on the Ecstasy in September, the hallways on the deck floors felt really, really long. LOL

This was our first time with the photo gallery being digital. Without a paper copy, paying the same price to download the photo on your phone just seemed ridiculous. And that was the least expensive way to purchase anything. Carnival is on the right track in saving paper, etc; but they have to come down on the prices. We did get some photos, but not as many as usual.

This is my 3rd cruise using the Hub. In September, they had added the Menu's on the Ecstasy. On the Magic, the menus section did not work well. Sometimes, you would see every day - but if you hadn't memorized the next day's menu; you wouldn't see it the next day. Some days you could see most of the menu, but not the Port of Call or Dessert menus. This is a nice addition to the Hub - even better when it works all the time! The rest of the Hub was great, and they were quick in updating activities for our un-scheduled extra sea day. Being able to see your account information in one of the best functions, things often show up within 5 minutes of your purchase.

I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot; please ask any questions.

I’ll discuss food and then excursions in separate posts.

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I was also on this sailing and found it disappointing port wise. The cruise itself was great. We met a lot of people and had wonderful service. It was hard missing Grand Turk as this was the one port I wanted to go to. Carnival can't control the weather but man it just seemed like one thing after another lol.

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I'm glad you're enjoying, thanks.

I was also on this sailing and found it disappointing port wise. The cruise itself was great. We met a lot of people and had wonderful service. It was hard missing Grand Turk as this was the one port I wanted to go to. Carnival can't control the weather but man it just seemed like one thing after another lol.

I hear ya; we really missed Grand Turk as well. Deja vu looking back at the island two years in a row for most of us.

Thanks for reading.

Let’s talk about food!

Remember this is my opinion and food is very subjective. Read at your own risk. J

Breakfast:

I’m a fairly early riser andnever had any lines.

From the Blue Iguana, I had the Arepas and Huevos Rancheros. I really love the Watermelon salsa – I put it on everything! Well, not the Arepas. LOL

I had a freshly made omelet one day, yum.

Most days, I did try to eat a little lighter – lots of fresh melon and some assorted pastries – the banana bread was a particular hit this time.

I don’t often have hot drinks on a Caribbean cruise. But, I did have the hot chocolate a few days – it’s a winner.

I did not attend the Sea Day Brunch or port day breakfasts. But, many in my family do enjoy these sit down meals. I can confirm that the new port day breakfast menu is available and that the item with toast and avocado was a big hit.

Lunch:

Pizza Pirate – I had the mushroom pizza one day, I do like the thin crust. The line moves a little slow. The day I was there was good so we only had to wait for a fresh pizza.Other days, family members would take whatever was available if they had waited in much of a line.

Guy’s Pig and Anchor – I can confirm that this venue was open on Embarkation Day and the lines are shortest when most people don’t know it’s open. I had lunch from here twice. Over those two visits, the only items I didn’t try at least once was the potato salad, the roll, and the collards. DW had thecollards and enjoyed them. I enjoyed every item I had and was happy to stand inline the last sea day to get a 2nd meal, since this venue is only ona few ships right now. (There's another thread today about the many types of BBQ available in the USA. I'm staying out of that fray. I live in the south and am familiar with the different types of BBQ. I also realize we're on a ship that serves a LOT of people so I had realistic expectations and they were exceeded.)

Guy’s Burger’s – I was first in line one day and watched the initial cooking of the burgers. I didn’t realize there were two kinds of cheese. The Ringer is my burger of choice.

Blue Iguana – I had tacos one day; always a favorite. If you like watermelon and haven't tried the watermelon salsa - DO! I used to get the Burritos at breakfast and lunch, but switched to the tacos and huevos rancheros because #1 – there is less breading and #2 – the lines are always shorter!

Tandoor – I do remember this from the Dream; it’s the only other time I’ve eaten Indian food. For everything I was brave enough to take, I enjoyed. A few things had a little kick to them, but nothing I couldn’t eat.

Others in my gang enjoyed the Mongolian Wok and did eat from the buffet some days.

I did not eat at the deli, butI did notice the new menu. I can’t speak to the new process of how they are made; but I personally don’t care for the choices as much. Especially since they removed a staple of mine: the Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese on a bagel.

Lunch desserts were what we typically see: if it is gelatinous, it usually has no flavor (unless you are getting plain jello – LOL). For cake type items, if things look dry; they usually are. And, it has varied from ship to ship with no rhyme or reason.

The Chocolate Extravaganza is getting a little better – there were more moist cake options. The chocolate cheesecake was very good and light. I usually get the chocolate pudding; I’m glad it was also back to a lighter version instead of the heavy almost fudge/cake icing-ishversion I’ve seen recently. One of my favorite things is the rice pudding and DW discovered some Churros this time that she enjoyed.

And there’s always time for the24 hour per day self-serve ice cream!

Dinner:

As previously mentioned, we had YTD and were usually in line early because we have a large group and preferred to be at the same table. And get to evening events.

With 11 of us, we had a wide, wide range of appetizers, entrées and desserts. There were only a few things someone may not have liked. But as I said food is subjective and the two thingsI can think of are things that other family members also chose and they liked them. See – I proved my own point. J

If you have any specific questions about anything from the MDR, please feel free to ask.

We did not attend the 2nd Formal Night as we had reservations at the Steak House. I’ve only been to theSteak House on the Dream, the one on the Magic is MUCH smaller. It seemed to have more noise and was less intimate. We tried to get a reservation earlier in the week, but they could not accommodate 11 of us except the night we attended.

The new menu is in place here as well. We again had a huge variety of the appetizers and the entrees; all of which were great! Again, feel free to ask questions.

The dessert menu is very different. One person chose the apple and said it was good, but not great.

So let me speak about the Steak House new dessert called something along the lines of “Art at the Table”. I wish I could post pictures, because it did look interesting. It was explained that it was made at the table. We were told there is a white chocolate ball with ice cream and a chocolate type cake in the middle. Two kinds of chocolate plus ice cream had us sold, so the rest of us tried it.

Well…..we wished we had seen it done at another table first. For the 10 of us – that's a lot of varied taste palates there - it was a once and done thing.It was neat to see them bring the large board out – we had one at each end of our table. There were sauces, IE. Raspberry spread out like someone making art deco. Then, they added other items: small chocolate cookies here, passion fruit and other jellies there. Then, there were two large white balls of chocolate placed in the middle. They literally smashed the top off so you could see the icecream and chocolate cake in the middle. It really was quite a presentation.

The taste and other factors were another matter. Now, we are one big happy family; but something was missing: plates! We had forks and were to just dig-in and help ourselves. That was fine for the finger food jellies and caramels. But to just grab part of the white chocolate dome and use your fork to put some of the ice cream and chocolate cake on it…..not so much. And you really couldn’t try the different sauces they used without feeling like you were contaminating that section of the board for others.

Overall; we really enjoyed ourvisit to the Steak House and the dessert is definitely a story to tell.

Coming soon are the Ports of Call

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Hello, I used tiny pic dot com to host my pictures. It was free and very easy to use. I didn't want to pay to host my pictures and really wanted to post here. I post a lot on the groups on the book of faces but prefer this site because of the shared love of cruising. Thanks for your review, I am subscribing.

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Hello, I used tiny pic dot com to host my pictures. It was free and very easy to use. I didn't want to pay to host my pictures and really wanted to post here. I post a lot on the groups on the book of faces but prefer this site because of the shared love of cruising. Thanks for your review, I am subscribing.

I had many problems using Photobucket so on my last report with photos, I did use tiny pic. It was much easier to use. But, I had been using the free part of Photobucket and they started charging ridiculous prices. It seems I found that tiny pic is owned by the same company. True or not, I just have the fear that all of the free photo sharing sites will start charging and this is the only place I share photos. In addition, putting together a much longer report, complete with organizing photos would just take more time than I have now.

Thanks for reading my review and suscribing.

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Ports of Call

Amber Cove

We decided to take an excursion into Puerto Plata, just a short highlights tour to see a little of the country. I went to the Carnival site to post a review and now I can’t find the excursion. LOL There was even a Carnival employee on the trip to make sure the excursion did what the description said it did. And, it did! So, I’ll discuss anyways and maybe it will show back up. It was a 2.5 hour tour called “Panoramic Tour of Puerto Plata” that only cost $29.99 per person. It stopped at the city square which is where a church with beautiful stained glass is located. They had a vendor set up who was great with a machete slicing open coconuts for the milk and meat. Yum - the coconut meat was very good. Then, to the obligatory gift shop which is a part of every town square. LOL

We then drove around and stopped for a photo op at the Malecon, their ocean side Drive, to take pictures of a Neptune Statue on a small island just off shore. Then finally to the fort where you could get out and take pictures or stay in the air-conditioned van and relax. There was some traffic getting to town, that took maybe 20 minutes longer than normal to get to. But they didn’t sort change us on time; we were actually gone almost 3.5 hours. The Dominican Republic is a poor country and it shows. But, I’ve been cruising since the 1970’s and Puerto Plata reminded me of smaller ships that could get into smaller and more authentic ports. Don’t get me wrong – I love me some Amber Cove, Grand Turk and HMC that are man-made – I just like the best of both worlds!

We had lunch back on the ship and then a couple of us ventured back out to do a little shopping in Amber Cove. Surprisingly, we did not see Amber Cove t-shirts there, and only one was available at the t-shirt sale on the ship. There were only a few and of course, not the needed sizes. But, Amber Cove had plenty of Puerto Plata t-shirts for sale. I’m glad we went to town, so I can say I DID go to where my t-shirt says I went. ;) :')

Half Moon Cay

We already had an extended stay here with our first itinerary change. I was concerned with the size of the ship. Though I don’t know all of the itineraries by heart, I don’t recall a Dream Class ship going to HMC when one of them had been on the East Coast of Florida. With more people, how would the tenders work? How much longer would it take to get off the boat? How crowded would the beach be?

IMHO, I think the extra time helped to spread out the crowd - some. Plus, since we had a 7 hour head start after missing Grand Turk; we got another extra hour at HMC – starting at 8am. Being an early riser and the non-crowd lover that I am; we did decided to go early. Having just gotten to Platinum status, it was nice to try out the priority boarding at a tender port. I must say it was very nice. We only waited in the Northern Lights Dining Room (mid-ship for YTD) about 5 minutes. Then, I was pleasantly surprised we went out the back of the dining room and down the mid-ship elevators. They were using two tender boats at a time to get people to the island. Sweet!

We were there before 9am and there were still plenty of chairs in the very first section. We did get our feet wet, but chose to spend most of our time at the first bar, the one with the “I Could Stay Here Forever” sign. We were the only ones there for quite a while! Then, the crowd slowly arrived. We decided to head back to the ship for lunch and enjoy the afternoon where the crowds were not. ;)

Nassau

I have a hidden gem for you, if you’re game to give it a try. Carnival does have an excursion, but we went on our own as this was our second time there.

We arrived in Nassau around 8am and got off the ship at a leisurely pace – 9:15. We headed thru security and past the initial row of people trying to sell you tours. (They still push a bit; but have toned down the hard sell a bit from a few years ago.) Once outside the gate, we found our own cab driver who was more than willing to take us to our destination.

A mere 5 miles from the port you are transported back in time. Think of Florida in the 1950’s.

Welcome to Ardastra Gardens and Zoo. A place with stone walls and paths, lots of vegetation and flowers, birds galore and lots of……..quiet. We arrived at 9:40 and only saw 3-4 people until 5 minutes before the first main show when the cruise tours arrived.

Look for it on the site that Advises you on Trips ;) and you will find tons of pictures. It is listed as one of the top 10 things to do in Nassau – yet – how many of you have heard of it or been there? The zoo is famous for their Marching Flamingoes Show (1030) and being able to feed the Lory Parrots (1100). There are other times, but we chose the early ones to beat the crowds and the heat. There is a gift shop here. Things are expensive, but they are also extensively into conservation. I hope that part of the proceeds are going where they say.

The cab ride was $4 per person each way; the cost of admission was $18.

We had our cab driver come back after two hours. We saw the main events, but could have spent another 30 minutes looking around at things we missed.

Are you sensing a trend? We like to get off the ship and look around and find interesting things to do. But, we like to take shorter excursions and enjoy lunch and a less crowded ship each afternoon. It works for us.

We had the same game plan had we made it to Grand Turk. We hoped the water was warmer further south and planned to swim in the ocean that day. And shop. And see how things looked post-hurricane. But that and the other "lost ports" are what bucket lists are for. J

Please feel free to ask questions about anything on the Magic or on this particular cruise.

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Misc Info

Weather: In spite of some rough seas on our missed Grand Turk day (that I personally didn’t notice); we had wonderful weather! Sunny, with high's in the low to mid 80's most days. A little overcast here and there to give you a break from the temperature. A rain storm headed mid-day at HMC, but I believe it missed us, same thing in Nassau - at least near the ship.

Tea Time - I went on the first Sea Day. The treats were good as usual. It wasn't the best staff, but it wasn't the worst I've had. We enjoyed it, though I don't think people should have to bring their own tea bags instead of paying for the previously free Specialty tea bags. (I'm fine with them cutting costs by taking them off the Lido.)

Veteran's Appreciation Meet - My dad was one of THREE World War II vets that attended. This is always a wonderful and touching tribute.

Trivia - among our group, quite a few attended many of the trivia events. Antoinette, from Jamaica, was really great at hosting.

Comedy - as I mentioned, I saw each comedian at least once; a lot of the family saw a lot of the shows. After sailing on the Sunshine, the size of the venue was fine for the crowds. LOL I did find the smaller chairs to be very uncomfortable tough.

We had no problems with twice a day service in our room. A simple, "we have 3 adults in our cabin, we need servicing twice a day" and "no problem" it was.

We were very happy with most of the staff we encountered. From what I hear on CC and what other family members who cruise multiple lines have echoed, Carnival is usually at the top with friendly staff. The one exception that someone mentioned to me was at The Alchemy Bar, which surprised me. We've always had good encounters and most of us did get a drink one night on our way to dinner. But, one afternoon, just before opening, someone was walking by to see if they were open yet and the bartender sounded a little full of himself in saying, "we're not open yet". Sometimes, it's not the words; it's the tone. ;)

Debarkation - they need more than one elevator for those who can't do the escalator; it really slows down the process.

This is our second cruise since September - no more Immigration Form to fill out! They just looked at our passports to make sure we were who we said and sent us on our way.

We parked at the port. We miss the hotel discount on parking they used to have; but we still enjoy the convenience of getting off the ship and leaving at our convenience.

We really love Port Canaveral, especially now that Terminals 5 and 6 are finished - the Magic leaves from Terminal 6. You avoid the Disney/NCL parking line when entering; plus the parking garages are just so conveniently close to the terminal.

We missed 3 of our 4 original ports. But, we made the best of it. For this trip, the family reunion was the highlight, the ship and the ports were the icing. When you are able to go on a 7 night cruise with someone in their 90's who is fit enough to travel, it was all sweet to us. Not everyone got off at all three ports, but my Pop is one that did. He went with me on every excursion I discussed.

I guess that's about it for this review.

Happy cruising and I'll still be happy to answer anything I may have forgotten.

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