I Belize in MAGIC! MITSUGIRLY revisits the Western Route. My Novel.

T

Brayden said his food was not too good and for B to say that, there's gotta be something wrong. The kid loves his food as you can tell by his weight gain over the last year.

 

Wow...... That was really mean.

following

I know Im behind, but just got caught up. As always a magnificent review!!!

Question, there are live craps tables on the Magic right, not just that video machine?

Kim, great review, as always! Did you ever figure out what Sakari's chest pain was? Reflux?

Also, you briefly mentioned you were reconsidering the art school thing. Would you mind elaborating?

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Another excellent review.

Mitsu (or I guess I can just say Kim)... unless I'm mistaken I didn't see a summary of your final thoughts on this ship and cruise in general. Like what you thought of the magic compared to the other carnival ships you've been on.

Looks like you all had a wonderful time again. Congrats to Sakari on her accomplishments. Can't wait for your next NCL review as you'll probably be posting it right before I go on my upcoming cruise.

We've done the dolphin swims 2x @ Chakkunaub but I've never seen the ziplines there. How can I get info on that?

Also am I right seeing that you liked the Little Caye excursion better than the Rendevous excursion you did this cruise?? also what have you heard about the adventure park in Costa Maya?

Thanks for the review. I'm looking for a beach that's open on Sunday with chairs, food and drinks for my husband. He might snorkel. I'll keep reading.

Thanks for the review. I'm looking for a beach that's open on Sunday with chairs, food and drinks for my husband. He might snorkel. I'll keep reading.

Where?

We will be in Cozumel on Christmas Eve. I am thinking about Paradise Bar after reading the reviews. I like the water, but don't drink much. My husband would enjoy the snorkeling and a few drinks. We will be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary and want to spend it some place warm. We discovered on our 20th anniversary that the tourist places in Arkansas shut down for the winter. Even the cave tours were closed because it was "too cold". It didn't make sense to us, because caverns keep their temperature fairly similar summer or winter. Anyway, we are going for warm this time. We will be on Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas Christmas Cruise in 2018.

LOL, I thought for sure you would have some in your thousands of pictures ! I do have another question ... is there a link to your smugmug pictures where I can see the FunTimes pictures in higher resolution ? I really appreciate your review, we're heading on this same ship/itinerary soon and it is ALWAYS great to read your take on things. Esp good to know about Blue Kay, we're planning to go there too.

I'm not sure if you are able to click on the picture to take you to the smugmug original and click on it for a higher resolution or not. I can't say that I have tried it before. ;p

I hope you have a wonderful cruise and awesome time at Blue Kay.

Thanks for your review!! I loved it! Your family is beautiful! You’ve made me sooo much more excited for our Christmas Cruise on the Magic later this year!

 

 

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Aww thanks. Glad you enjoyed it and have a wonderful time on the Magic at Christmas.

Wow...... That was really mean.

Not mean at all but honest and he won't hesitate to tell you either. ;) I love my food and have had a significant weight gain over the last 5 years as well...nor will I hesitate to tell that either.

I know Im behind, but just got caught up. As always a magnificent review!!!

Question, there are live craps tables on the Magic right, not just that video machine?

Thanks so much. Um...I only play slots and honestly don't really know what craps are, but yes I would imagine so. There's tables all over the casino and I would imagine they would have them.

Kim, great review, as always! Did you ever figure out what Sakari's chest pain was? Reflux?

Also, you briefly mentioned you were reconsidering the art school thing. Would you mind elaborating?

 

 

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No, we never officially figure out what Sakari's problem was. It has never happened again. I'm assuming heart burn or reflux. I'm just glad it hasn't happened again.

After being confirmed as "gifted" in arts, I started researching different schools. There doesn't seem to be many choices around our area for her to attend and I was a little shocked at the reviews on these schools. There seems to be a huge concern/complaints with bullying and racism at these particular schools and not to mention that these schools are also "home schools" to the areas they are located in...which means there are a bunch of students that go there just because they live in that area and not because of their love of a particular art or because they have any interest in it. These schools are also located in poverty areas, which have a very low literacy rate and even lower graduation rate. This all concerns me. Last but not least, the school that I had considered stated that the "teachers just don't care or help" or that you could get absolutely nowhere with the principle with no parent-teacher conferences, no progress reports, no return phone calls if parents have concerns. I'm just very disappointed and confused about what to do now. It breaks my heart. :loudcry:

Another excellent review.

 

Mitsu (or I guess I can just say Kim)... unless I'm mistaken I didn't see a summary of your final thoughts on this ship and cruise in general. Like what you thought of the magic compared to the other carnival ships you've been on.

 

Looks like you all had a wonderful time again. Congrats to Sakari on her accomplishments. Can't wait for your next NCL review as you'll probably be posting it right before I go on my upcoming cruise.

We liked the Magic, but not as much as we did the Breeze. The Breeze still continues to be one of my favorites.

No NCL cruises planned for me now. Up next is RC. :o

We've done the dolphin swims 2x @ Chakkunaub but I've never seen the ziplines there. How can I get info on that?

Also am I right seeing that you liked the Little Caye excursion better than the Rendevous excursion you did this cruise?? also what have you heard about the adventure park in Costa Maya?

They installed the zip line and the "alligator pit" after we were there last, but you can find info online about it.

I'm not sure what you are referring to when you say "Little Caye"? We enjoyed Rendezvous A LOT and it's definitely one of my favorites (probably more than Goffs if that was the Caye you were referring to?).

As far as the adventure park, it seems like it would be a lot of fun however, the price is just too much for most. Those that have bit the bullet and paid the admission price seems to like it a lot (from what I've read around these boards), but I'm not sure I'm willing to do that yet. It's super expensive for what you get IMO. Maybe some day.

Thanks for the review. I'm looking for a beach that's open on Sunday with chairs, food and drinks for my husband. He might snorkel. I'll keep reading.

I can't say I have ever been to any of the beaches on a Sunday. I would imagine if there is going to be a ship in port, the businesses/beaches are open to serve you. That's how they make their money. If you don't get an answer from anyone, you could always post in the port section for the port you will be at and see if anyone has been there on a Sunday.

We will be in Cozumel on Christmas Eve. I am thinking about Paradise Bar after reading the reviews. I like the water, but don't drink much. My husband would enjoy the snorkeling and a few drinks. We will be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary and want to spend it some place warm. We discovered on our 20th anniversary that the tourist places in Arkansas shut down for the winter. Even the cave tours were closed because it was "too cold". It didn't make sense to us, because caverns keep their temperature fairly similar summer or winter. Anyway, we are going for warm this time. We will be on Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas Christmas Cruise in 2018.

I do know that Cozumel celebrates Christmas and you will see everything all decorated around town. I don't quite know if they would be open on Christmas Eve or not. I assume you mean Paradise Beach? There really isn't much snorkeling there (unless they have a place to take you out to...or either I just didn't find it because it was quite stirred up the day I was there with some rain and an overcast).

I must have been having a Senior moment or something. I also realized that the reservation calendars that the tour companies and beach resorts use block out the Sundays if they are closed. It turns out that Christmas Eve is on a Monday. I have reservations for Nochi Cocum. If my husband really decides to snorkel we can probably add that on tomorrow. He keeps saying "Anything you want is fine with me."

I also made a reservation with Native Tours for the Mayan Experience after reading some recommendations. I think the additional side trip will be fun. I visited the ruins at Teotihuacan many years ago and enjoyed them. It will be my husband's first time seeing ruins like these. Now I just need to make some decisions about Grand Cayman.

Thanks Kim/mitsugirly for the great review. Especially the ports. We are doing the Roatan/Belize/Cozumel itinerary in August on the Breeze. We had been debating what tour to do in Belize and had narrowed it down to the one you did and the Shark Ray Barrier Reef tour. Your pictures have me leaning towards the Rendezvous Caye one now. Such beautiful snorkeling! I loved seeing the pictures of Sakari in her mermaid gear. I kind of want my own mermaid tail now :) I also have a "water baby." He's now almost 16, but snorkeled for the first time in Grand Cayman at 5, though has loved holding his breath underwater for a long time since he was 3. Loved to freak his mom out by laying back in the tub to rinse his hair and then keeping his head underwater with his eyes closed. I'd be there the whole time telling him to stop freaking me out! Good times, lol. I've got to get him and his dad to do scuba, they would love it and be naturals. Me, maybe I'll just sit on the boat. Thanks! Pam/buffy24

What RC ship are you doing next? Did u get a good deal? We keep looking at them but can't find a deal!

It wasn't a great deal, but it is our 40th anniversary, so we are splurging. We discovered on our 20th that the tourist places in Arkansas shut down for Christmas (we got married on Dec. 23). My husband likes warm weather so we are off to the Western Caribbean on Vision of the Seas. The timing is perfect as it leaves NOLA on Dec.22 so we will have a nice day at sea for our anniversary. My husband is a tall, large man and hates to fly so we like to be able to drive wherever possible. We have cruised before, pre-arranged by large groups (2 by a company my husband represented). This is the first one that I have arranged myself.

It wasn't a great deal, but it is our 40th anniversary, so we are splurging. We discovered on our 20th that the tourist places in Arkansas shut down for Christmas (we got married on Dec. 23). My husband likes warm weather so we are off to the Western Caribbean on Vision of the Seas. The timing is perfect as it leaves NOLA on Dec.22 so we will have a nice day at sea for our anniversary. My husband is a tall, large man and hates to fly so we like to be able to drive wherever possible. We have cruised before, pre-arranged by large groups (2 by a company my husband represented). This is the first one that I have arranged myself.

Sounds great! Happy Anniversary. I hope we make it to 40. We're at 25 now!

Loved your review...we are heading out March 17th aboard the Miracle...We've got an excursion in every port except Belize and your Rendevous Caye looks awesome so I'm going to check and see if they offer that one for us. We don't do Costa Maya this cruise but thanks to your photos I can not wait to see it again. It's been probably close to 10 years since we've been there!

I'm not sure if you are able to click on the picture to take you to the smugmug original and click on it for a higher resolution or not. I can't say that I have tried it before. ;p

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise and awesome time at Blue Kay.

You were so right on all of the changes at Costa Maya ! That port is very changed. We did head back to Blue Kay this time again, and there were a lot of changes there as well. Got our lounge chairs and all settled in when I looked to see what time it was.

Except I couldn't ... because my cell phone had fallen out of my shorts pocket in the back seat of the taxi. So we packed everything back up and headed out to see if we could find my phone. We took a taxi back to right outside the port main gate and were able to find a taxi driver that spoke English well enough for us to convey what happened. Note: anytime you take a taxi somewhere, it would be wise to make a note of what taxi number you took. That would have really helped us !

We described the phone and said we had just gone to Blue Kay. The driver helping us called it out to all of the other drivers over their radio. Meanwhile it started raining while we were waiting. Luckily, the driver that took us found the phone and he gave it to us when he next came back up to the port. We gave tips all around to all the guys who helped us. Sadly, by this time most of our day was used up because we were to be back on ship by 1:30.

Another note : wouldn't be a bad idea to make labels and put on items you carry into port with you "if found please call 000-000-0000" and also put sailing info label "Carnival Xxxxx 0-00-18 cabin # 0000"

I know Im behind, but just got caught up. As always a magnificent review!!!

Question, there are live craps tables on the Magic right, not just that video machine?

Thanks so much. Um...I only play slots and honestly don't really know what craps are, but yes I would imagine so. There's tables all over the casino and I would imagine they would have them.

We just got off of Magic yesterday. They had a live craps table and also a Craps machine that had large dice in the middle which would pop up to roll them when you "push the button, come on PUSH the button!!" (wait til you hear it a couple dozen or hundred times, haha). It wasn't a slots style video craps machine. Live Craps was $5 minimum with up to 2x odds allowed. The craps machine was $3 minimum with up to 2x odds allowed. On the craps machine you could charge to your room just like on a slots machine without a % charge like is charged on the live table.

Here is what the machine is like ...

http://www.pokeraddict.net/shoot-to-win-video-craps-las-vegas/

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3435/~/carnival-players-club%C2%AE

There is no charge at the slot machines for using your onboard account card to access funds. And there is no charge when using cash. For any charge transactions done at a table game or the Casino Cashier’s Desk, there is a small service fee of 3% each transaction

Thanks Kim/mitsugirly for the great review. Especially the ports. We are doing the Roatan/Belize/Cozumel itinerary in August on the Breeze. We had been debating what tour to do in Belize and had narrowed it down to the one you did and the Shark Ray Barrier Reef tour. Your pictures have me leaning towards the Rendezvous Caye one now. Such beautiful snorkeling! I loved seeing the pictures of Sakari in her mermaid gear. I kind of want my own mermaid tail now I also have a "water baby." He's now almost 16, but snorkeled for the first time in Grand Cayman at 5, though has loved holding his breath underwater for a long time since he was 3. Loved to freak his mom out by laying back in the tub to rinse his hair and then keeping his head underwater with his eyes closed. I'd be there the whole time telling him to stop freaking me out! Good times, lol. I've got to get him and his dad to do scuba, they would love it and be naturals. Me, maybe I'll just sit on the boat. Thanks! Pam/buffy24

You are very welcome for the review and glad you enjoyed it.

Go for it! Bring out that inner mermaid!!!! :D

Oh my gosh the story of your son holding his breath in the tub...I have similar stories. Back when Sakari was trying to talk me into buying her a mermaid tail (took me almost 1-2 years to decide to do it after seeing a video online about how it could possibly cause a child to drown if they didn't know how to work it and stand up) and she used to practice holding her breath in the tub. Sometimes I would go in and find her face down and looking lifeless. When I would grab her she would tell me to "stop, I'm practicing holding my breath and see if I can do it longer and longer". WHEW! Every bad thought would run circles in my head at these times. But, I can tell you she can really hold her breath for a LONG time now. I guess it paid off. :eek:

What RC ship are you doing next? Did u get a good deal? We keep looking at them but can't find a deal!

I have always said if I sailed RC, it would have to be the Oasis or Allure but they are always so expensive. I got an AWESOME deal on our upcoming cruise. We will be on the Jewel out of San Juan. I absolutely loved SJ last time and I'm glad to head back (although we won't get to spend as much time there as I had hoped when we decided to go back). However, although we got a deal on the cruise, I have noticed that everything else is OUTRAGEOUS! So, I guess it might be making up for the "good deal".

Loved your review...we are heading out March 17th aboard the Miracle...We've got an excursion in every port except Belize and your Rendevous Caye looks awesome so I'm going to check and see if they offer that one for us. We don't do Costa Maya this cruise but thanks to your photos I can not wait to see it again. It's been probably close to 10 years since we've been there!

Rendezvous Caye was awesome (and bigger with more shade for those that need it than Goffs Caye) and we really enjoyed both. Next time I go to Goffs Caye, I will definitely be taking their snorkeling tour. I bet it's just as good as Rendezvous because the snorkeling directly around the island was awesome.

I hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise. Not much longer...

You were so right on all of the changes at Costa Maya ! That port is very changed. We did head back to Blue Kay this time again, and there were a lot of changes there as well. Got our lounge chairs and all settled in when I looked to see what time it was.

 

Except I couldn't ... because my cell phone had fallen out of my shorts pocket in the back seat of the taxi. So we packed everything back up and headed out to see if we could find my phone. We took a taxi back to right outside the port main gate and were able to find a taxi driver that spoke English well enough for us to convey what happened. Note: anytime you take a taxi somewhere, it would be wise to make a note of what taxi number you took. That would have really helped us !

 

We described the phone and said we had just gone to Blue Kay. The driver helping us called it out to all of the other drivers over their radio. Meanwhile it started raining while we were waiting. Luckily, the driver that took us found the phone and he gave it to us when he next came back up to the port. We gave tips all around to all the guys who helped us. Sadly, by this time most of our day was used up because we were to be back on ship by 1:30.

 

Another note : wouldn't be a bad idea to make labels and put on items you carry into port with you "if found please call 000-000-0000" and also put sailing info label "Carnival Xxxxx 0-00-18 cabin # 0000"

 

Oh gosh, so you didn't get to enjoy Blue Kay at all? So sad. Although there's a lot of changes, it's still a beautiful place and IMO decent snorkeling with a lot to see there. I just love the place! I'm so glad to hear that you were able to retrieve your phone. I don't know if you have ever read my review (one of them that went to Cozumel and Chankanaab on our second time) and the same thing happened to us...only my hubby had thrown the beach bag he was carrying in the back of the van and forgot it. It had our ID's, ship cards, phones and important stuff. We were able to retrieve it as well. (I actually did take a picture as we stepped out of the taxi of the entrance at Chankanaab, which happened to show the taxi number in front of us...which helped track down the taxi that was behind it...which was us. They have a great system there at Chankanaab and record every taxi coming and going with the taxi number and the number of people coming out of it).

Your idea of taking a picture and marking your items is an awesome idea!

I did have a quick question about Rendevous Caye....I know you weren't in the beginner group but we would need to be. Do you have any idea of what I could expect in the beginner group?

I did have a quick question about Rendevous Caye....I know you weren't in the beginner group but we would need to be. Do you have any idea of what I could expect in the beginner group?

They are pretty much in the same area and will see the same things but they just don't go out as far or as long as we did. We went out and down then back.

"

The night before the cruise and I'm still waiting on socks and undies from the hubby...as always. I promise you one of these days he'll leave and not have any because I'll get tired of reminding him to pack them. But, for the most part, I managed to get all of our packing done in about a day. I'm a planner...this never happens...wish me luck that I didn't forget anything.

 

 

 

We had picked a late day straight flight, since our family is really not a "morning" family, and this always works out nicely for us...especially when Kendra is involved.

 

We left the house around 9:45am so that we could get some breakfast prior to getting to the airport.

 

Sakari was so sad to leave her dog at home and hugged him forever. It was like he knew something was happening and kept sniffing the luggage.

 

 

 

We have been driving ourselves to the airport for the last few years (instead of having someone drop us off) and it works out better for us. I just hate depending on others to be punctual. Kendra...she still relies on others to drop her family off and as always, ran into some snags. The person who said they would take her wouldn't answer the phone that morning and left her struggling to find an alternative. Eventually she did, but I don't need that type of stress added to my life.

 

It was COLD outside. We live in Ohio and it's officially winter. We found it to be colder at the airport than at home...probably because it's out in the open.

 

We arrived at the parking lot, pulled our luggage out, then jumped back in the warm vehicle until we seen the shuttle coming, then sprinted to the bus stop.

 

 

But first some selfies with snapchat to entertain each other...

 

 

Then off we went to the airport on the shuttle.

 

 

Daddy and Sakari were continuing their fun on the shuttle over to the airport.

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Kim!! I've been reviewing some of your posts for awhile now! Super detailed which I LOVE! I always drive myself crazy trying to decide what to do at Port! I'm cruising this itinerary in May. I'm torn between west bay beach or LFK? For the the best beach and beautiful waters, which of the 2 would u prefer. P.S. I'm also from Ohio!! 😄

The night before the cruise and I'm still waiting on socks and undies from the hubby...as always. I promise you one of these days he'll leave and not have any because I'll get tired of reminding him to pack them. But, for the most part, I managed to get all of our packing done in about a day. I'm a planner...this never happens...wish me luck that I didn't forget anything.

 

 

I'm only on page 13 so far, so I don't know if you've mentioned this or not--what brand is your luggage? Are they carry on size, or larger, full-size?

is this an insider thing? will there be a lot of rocks about. My daughter might like doing something like this.

So, we will start this review out a week before the cruise.

 

It was a HECTIC week! Anyone who follows my reviews knows that my daughter, Sakari, LOVES to draw. It's her life. She's very good at it. She has been tested the last 2 years and determined to be "gifted" in arts. I'm so proud of her. However, this time around was a little different. I received notice that her name was submitted to the gifted program and they were requiring an art portfolio to be submitted for consideration to the arts school program. She doesn't have a portfolio and I keep a majority of her work in tote(S) that I would have to frantically run around trying to locate some of her best work to submit.

 

The other issue was, this portfolio was to be submitted on the day we leave for vacation AND she was supposed to have an interview on the day we return from vacation. Mom-panic-mode kicked in.

 

I still needed to pack and double up on seeing patients for the week and now this.

 

It was a very long week, but we managed to be able to submit prior to that friday and they agreed to forgive her for not being able to make it to the interview. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. If she's accepted, this means she will get to go to the arts school in 6th grade and automatically be enrolled in the arts high school.

 

Everyone keep your fingers crossed for us!

 

Ok, next deadline for that week....Friendship/kindness rock painting. What? Never heard of it. However, there were a few people on our roll call for this cruise that does this and posted their rocks. I instantly fell in love...and thought this was right up Sakari's alley! I showed her and she immediately wanted to do some for the cruise.

 

We headed out to buy the supplies and came home that night and started painting.

 

 

She was loving this new "artsy" thing to do.

 

 

We had so much fun that we think we are going to make this an event that we do for every cruise.

 

This was the first batch, but we did a second batch later in the week and for some reason I don't think I got a picture of them.

 

 

 

Even Kolin, my youngest son, joined in one night and had some fun coming up with ideas to paint.

 

 

I guess people have groups all over the place that paint rocks and they leave them in areas for others to find. They either keep them or move them somewhere else. I believe they are meant to brighten someone's day. So, hopefully we would be able to do that for several people on the cruise.

First, I want to say Sakari your daughter is a doll, so cute, and artistic at the same time.:)

I wanted to reply to Ameliaatsea who had ask a question of what kind of luggage you had? This is just MY response. The luggage I have now (had it for over 20 years (cruised over 25 years)and I really did not need to replace it, other than our cat had got cat hairs on it, and I wanted a NEW set.:)The luggage is called Ricardo of Hollywood. I don't know if you have a Kohl's, but if you do, they have wonderful sales, and you can save a lot of money on luggage. As I said, I really didn't need a new set, but found out that Kohl's had the same brand that I had from over 20 years ago, and I never had so many people "wishing" they had my luggage. The reason why.............this luggage has MORE compartments/zippers than you will find in the best name brands.

"

Hi Kim!! I've been reviewing some of your posts for awhile now! Super detailed which I LOVE! I always drive myself crazy trying to decide what to do at Port! I'm cruising this itinerary in May. I'm torn between west bay beach or LFK? For the the best beach and beautiful waters, which of the 2 would u prefer. P.S. I'm also from Ohio!! 😄

Just MY opinion...I love LFK. It is just so beautiful there and there's a lot of options for the beaches (they have several) and jumping off the 2 story deck, swinging rope, snorkeling and so on. It's just so beautiful and relaxing there. It is truly a paradise. They have added a lot of things since I was there last...like hammocks and swings in the water and so on.

As for West Bay, I seriously have not had any luck with that place each time I have went. The water stirred up, it raining and just no luck getting to snorkel that area even though it is supposed to be awesome! As for the beach, I personally just find it a typical beach, lined with beach bars or hotels. It doesn't "appear" to be anything extra ordinary to ME. I think the attraction to this place is the snorkeling itself. There are a lot of vendors on the beach that will hound you non-stop. I even had one come out in the water to try to get me to buy something before.

What part of Ohio are you from?

I'm only on page 13 so far, so I don't know if you've mentioned this or not--what brand is your luggage? Are they carry on size, or larger, full-size?

Um, I'm not even sure. I'd have to look. I'm sure it's just some off brand luggage. I usually just pick them up at places like Marshalls. We travel a lot and seem to always break the wheels...so they are probably on the "cheaper" side. I believe I pay anywhere between $50-100. They are full sized luggage and pretty big. Of course I always have to have something that stands out so that I can spot it in a crowd of luggage. They are the hard case ones. We tried the soft case and they didn't last long at all. I would say I buy new luggage every 4-5 years. So, that's good enough for me before getting another. :D