Review of Magic with pics from a long time lurker!!

[canyonfarrier]

A stock photo from Carnival. They gave it to us along with our photos.

 

[Eeyoregon]

More, more, more!! I need more. :D

 

Gina

[cruiserfam1031]

Enjoying the review. Which itinerary were you on?

[canyonfarrier]

Enjoying the review. Which itinerary were you on?

 

Cozumel, Belize, Roatan.

[cruiserfam1031]

Can't wait to hear/see more! We are doing this itinerary in November for the first time. Any tips/info on the ports would be great! We have been to Cozumel several times, but not Belize or Roatan.

[ArkTraveler82]

I'm really enjoying your review, photos and especially your daughters comments. The one about the ship hitting an iceberg and sinking made me laugh out loud! :D We board Magic in 7 days with the same itinerary as you. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to the rest of your review!

[canyonfarrier]

Danged insomnia! Well, I can't sleep yet, so I will add some more for you folks.

 

As previously noted, Princess and I went down to the casino on the very first night. Now, in cruises past, this kind of thing proved to be a financial killer for me lol. However, we do love the casino.

 

I personally will not play/gamble at anything in any casino other than blackjack. My wife is a little more open. She will hit the slots as well as a blackjack table.

 

The Magic's casino is absolutely beautiful. Plenty of room (even with a fully booked ship) and more than enough slots and tables to go around.

 

There is an isle almost right down the center that goes on to the red frog pub, the vibe night club, and the southern lights dining room (deck 5 heading forward to aft). If you are going from the midship elevator area to aft, the tables are on your right with the huge casino bar placed directly in front of you shaped like an oblong horseshoe.

 

I am not sure of the sense in this, but the bar is half smoking and half non smoking (we are smokers). Looking aft, the right (port) side of the bar allows smoking.

 

The same is true for the table games area. The tables closest to the isle are non smoking. Three feet to port of them, it is smoking..........that is one of the few things that makes no sense to me but oh well. Smoke can be annoying as heck if you are not a smoker and by golly it sure doesn't "float" with respect to signs.

 

Now that I mentioned blackjack, every one of you should be aware of something............the magic is just like every other cruise ship in that they use continuous shuffle machines. In my opinion that puts a heck of an edge on the house's side in addition to what is there already.

 

They do have two "shoe" games (six deck). However they are gimmicks based off of the Spanish 21 game without any queens in the deck. Stay away from that even with all of the perks they offer such as double down after taking a hit, 3 to 2 payoff for a five card 21, and surrender after hit/double down etc etc.

 

Anywho, just playing basic strategy, and between the two of us...........we went up by 500 bucks and then lost 300. We promptly left with the 200 up, calling it a night at around 2am vowing to return!!

 

We arrived back at the cabin and quickly made our way to the balcony and then our other stateroom to check on the kiddos.

 

Phoebe and Ella were fast asleep and Jack was no where to be found.

 

All was not lost on the two "little" princesses over being terrified and oh goodness what if we hit an iceberg? Yes, Yes, Yes, on the counter under the vanity mirror of their cabin were PLATES lol. From the pizza bar and the hamburger/grill/hotdog bar. I was thrilled to see that. They didn't stay cooped up in the cabin after all.

 

Now keep in mind that we had spoken with Jack about him goofing off. It was his last week of summer etc etc..........and as long he behaved (ie no security knocking on the door), he could hang out and let loose for the week. No bedtime, curfew etc. The only rule was........follow the ships rules and be a gentleman. He did not disappoint us in that regard.

 

Well, he started off with that on the very first night. He wasn't there in the cabin lol. It was around 2am at this point.

 

Princess went to bed and I wandered for a few minutes on the upper decks looking for Jack. I will admit now, I was very very nervous about him. He was not at the beach/main pool, hot tubs, tides pool, etc. No no.

 

This little sucker was with several other boys his age and twice as many gals up on deck 11, just outside camp carnival, visiting with one of the ships officers while they ate ice cream. Perhaps this guy had the "making rounds" duty and just stopped to visit? I don't know, but he sure did have those kids attention!

 

I am not sure what they were visiting about, but the officer was surely entertaining them. Hopefully with stories of how to steer the ship etc etc. Regardless, it was obvious from my viewpoint that they were having a super duper good time.

 

I looked at him from a distance and just didn't have it in me to embarrass him by walking up there. He was doing good. So I left him with it and back to the cabin I went.

 

He came in at around 4am and slept until early afternoon. This is Monday btw.

 

Here is a picture of PRINCESS and I from that night.

 

A picture of my beautiful PRINCESS and I on the last cruise.

 

Ok, good night everyone. So much for insomnia as I am getting sleepy. I surely hope that all of you have enjoyed this so far. I know that I have enjoyed sharing and reliving it with you.

[canyonfarrier]

Can't wait to hear/see more! We are doing this itinerary in November for the first time. Any tips/info on the ports would be great! We have been to Cozumel several times, but not Belize or Roatan.

 

So much for sleep lol.

 

Hello cruiserfam! I have been to all of these ports several times and aside from Cozumel, all I can tell you is, if you are not on an organized (through the cruise line) excursion........stay in the cruise port area.

 

Belize is in my opinion, nothing to write home about unless you do an excursion. The temple ruins and the river tour are the way to go.

 

The cruise area in Belize (remember it is tendered, no dock) is pretty dirty and run down compared to others. There are a few places to shop but by far fewer than other ports.

 

The tender ride is about 20-30 minutes from the ship to shore.

 

Belize is still a developing country as they say and I hope that holds true for their port. I will be honest here.........if you are not on an excursion through the cruise line?..........stay on the ship. The port is nasty in my opinion.

 

Roatan is just gorgeous. It looks like the Texas hill country with different vegetation.

 

The beach escape right there at the port is really cool. They have what is like a ski lift that will take you over there to the beach. They call it the magical flying chair. It is easy and a heckuva lot of fun. There are a couple wonderful restaurants behind it as well. Jack ate the "spicy" wings there..........according to him they were not spicy enough, albeit very good.

 

There was no bar service on the beach however, you did have to go and get your own drinks.

 

The water there was just wonderful. Barely any waves/wake and about 100 yards to swim in before you hit the "barrier" rope.

 

Further, you can see the ships in port right next to you.

 

Aside from that, I have done the eco tour and monkey encounter when in Roatan on RCCL. I believe it was Voyager of the Seas that I was on at the time.

 

If they have that available through carnival, I cannot advocate it enough. Those little suckers are so cute. They will ride around on your shoulder.

 

Take the peanuts or sunflower seeds from the guide and put them in a shirt or shorts pocket. It is a riot watching them go after that food.

 

Should you not be on an organized excursion, I would stay in the cruise port area at all times. Especially in Roatan.

 

Hope this helps you!!

[MichelleChell]

Always love a good Magic review! Cant wait for Thanksgiving week!!

[erewhon]

Enjoying your review.

Thank you.

[Crusin Karen]

Enjoying reading your adventures. Sure wish Magic or Breeze would come up to our homeport of Manhattan/NY. I can see the pictures on the lst page (your daughters are beautiful) but only get a BLANK SQUARE on page 2. :confused::mad::confused: Not even a RED X! :eek: DRAT! :(

[WJ228]

Thank you for you review. I hope I will be able to enjoy the ship. It will be a working cruise for me. I am taking care of a young man who totally dependent on his care givers. I plan to let loose & enjoy myself as much as possible!

Do you know if there is a weight limit to do the rope obstacle course?

[canyonfarrier]

Thank you for you review. I hope I will be able to enjoy the ship. It will be a working cruise for me. I am taking care of a young man who totally dependent on his care givers. I plan to let loose & enjoy myself as much as possible!

Do you know if there is a weight limit to do the rope obstacle course?

 

Hello WJ. I am not aware of the limits on the sky course. We watched a lot of folks on it, but did not partake.

 

Have a great cruise.

[Mrsfabo]

Your pics look great especially that second one very beautiful! With you and Princess

 

 

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[canyonfarrier]

Sea days on a cruise ship are quite honestly my favorite part of cruising. Granted, I do love seeing the different ports and visiting different countries. It is just super fun for me to be on a big ship watching the ocean go by and of course, watching fellow humanity! :D You will see some weird, funny, and super unique stuff on a cruise ship.

 

I am a very early riser, so I was up and at it not too long after Jack came in from his first night of escapades. I peeked in on the kids and hung out on the balcony for a bit. Then it was off to the Lido buffet.

 

Coffee is available just inside the automatic door past the pizza bar and I sure do utilize that. With coffee in hand, I headed up to deck 11 port side aft. There is an open air corner up there where smoking is allowed. This is where I met a really neat guy from Dallas. We ended up visiting in the early mornings a few times over the week. He mentioned this website as well and that I should write reviews.

 

Here is the view of that area just out of the door on deck 11. The open air deck area is just of to the right.

 

I woke Princess up with a cup of coffee around 8am. We relaxed on the balcony a few minutes and looked in on the kids again before going to eat breakfast. A note on that. Personally I have always eaten breakfast in the buffet area. Whether it be Lido on this ship or Windjammer on RCCL ships. I do not remember eating breakfast in the main dining room on any cruise.

 

Magic has an omelet station that is really good, along with everything else you can imagine. I am a bacon, potatoes and eggs guy, and Magic did not disappoint me. Princess on the other hand, fruit and more fruit. They have a fruit assortment that is mind blowing........from honey dew melon to bananas and everything in between.

 

Being a sea day, Princess hung out for half the day at the beach pool. Phoebe and Ella joined her around 11am and stayed until afternoon. Me? I am not that much of a "sun" person so I stayed in the shade or wandered around.

 

If you are into antics at all, the hairy chest contest is a riot and is held at the pool. The best vantage point to watch is from deck 11. They also have it playing live on the giant movie screen above the DJ booth. This cruise was no exception on the fun department with this. One of the judges was a very elderly lady and she absolutely stole the show!

 

I didn't get any pics of them but here is the beach pool area around mid morning. This pic was taken later in the week but it is representative of how busy it gets. From deck 11.

 

Princess and the girls stayed around the pool while Jack slept the day away. After lunch in the buffet, I went down to the patio/promenade area outside the Red Frog and read for a while. It is fairly peaceful down there in the afternoons. They have a smoking area as well that joins the outdoor portion of ocean plaza by the hot tubs. This is also where they have the bean bag daily challenge if you are into that. Later in the afternoon, I played along with the trivia croud inside. It was held just aft of the casino in the plaza area. What a riot!

 

"Fancy dinner" was a blast again with the girls. Jack was adamant about finding his new buddies and did not want to eat with us. We didn't push this and he didn't eat in the dining room again all week. I think those kids wore out the pizza and hamburger bar though :).

 

Again, this time of the day turned out to be Ella's favorite and it was really a lot of fun to watch her reactions over some of the more "exotic" foods. Phoebe just went with the flow. Our "wine girl" came by to verify we wanted the same brand/bottle and ten minutes later we had it. I don't remember what we ate on each night but a few dishes do stick out in memory that I will mention throughout.

 

First, little Ella discovered lobster. To begin with she "didn't like it." It was humorous to us that she didn't like it while at the same time having never had it lol. Dennis was really great with helping the girls. We got her to try it and he took it out of the shell and cut it into portions for her. This kid loves butter, so the butter sauce on the side is what did it I suppose. She ate all of the lobster and wanted more. As a side note here, no matter what we did, neither of the girls would try escargot, alligator or the frog legs. All three were super though. Maybe they will next time.

 

I had a pork loin dish. After eating the entire plate I motioned Dennis over to us and explained that it was so horrible I needed another plate of it to see if they could get it right. He chuckled and a few minutes later I had another round of it. Super good food and super service down there. Btw, we ate in the Northern Lights dining room on Magic.

 

Every night at the pool they have the "dive in" movie. Sometimes even two movies. Phoebe and Ella stayed out there or at tides pool most nights while we stayed in the casino.

 

I don't remember for sure if it was this night or Tuesday, but I gave back all of the 200 we were up plus around another 300! Princess had gone to bed by that time, so around 1am I licked some wounds, stomached the 300 dollar loss and said, "another night."

[canyonfarrier]

A couple more pics.

 

Water park.

 

View from smokers corner on Deck 11 above port pool bar.

[DMH15]

Thanks. I will be on MAGIC in Nov with same ports. I also prefer sea days. Hop

 

 

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[Ruby0704]

Loving your review and pictures!! Do you remember how much he taxi was to get to the port? Our motel allows us to leave our car as well and offer a shuttle for 15 per person to the port but was wondering about the taxi price. Thanks

 

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[LambKnuckles]

Thank you for your review. we board this coming Sunday for the same itinerary! Can't wait!!!

 

Doesn't look like the aft pool is that busy! This is wonderful!!! :)

[canyonfarrier]

Thank you for your review. we board this coming Sunday for the same itinerary! Can't wait!!!

 

Doesn't look like the aft pool is that busy! This is wonderful!!! :)

 

Those pictures were early one morning. That pool stayed pretty busy as the ship was booked to capacity. I don't think you will have a problem though since school has started and perhaps less cruisers.

 

Have a great cruise.

[canyonfarrier]

Loving your review and pictures!! Do you remember how much he taxi was to get to the port? Our motel allows us to leave our car as well and offer a shuttle for 15 per person to the port but was wondering about the taxi price. Thanks

 

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The taxi was 20 bucks each way for all 5 of us.

[atlantic cruiser]

I am so enjoying your review! More importantly I want to commend and compliment you for your obvious love and care of your stepchildren. It comes through loud and clear how much you care about these kids!. Such an awesome thing to see and read about. Your concern for not embarrassing your stepson at night brought a tear to my eye. You are a GREAT DAD and they are very lucky to have you. All the best in the years to come.

[Flytko]

Great review of the Magic, sailed on her twice and can't wait to be able to sail her again!!!

[canyonfarrier]

I am so enjoying your review! More importantly I want to commend and compliment you for your obvious love and care of your stepchildren. It comes through loud and clear how much you care about these kids!. Such an awesome thing to see and read about. Your concern for not embarrassing your stepson at night brought a tear to my eye. You are a GREAT DAD and they are very lucky to have you. All the best in the years to come.

 

Thank you very much!

[watermelonqueen99]

Loving your review so far! The Magic has a special place in my heart, she was our first ship back in April. Looking forward to more! :)