GAPearl's "MAGIC"al Birthday Cruise! Complete Magic picture review-6/14/15 sailing.

[TrqoisWtrs]

 

Nice!

 

Signed,

A Trekkie :)

[islandatsea]

Awesome review Kim! Thanks for taking the time for us to see your cruise & birthday. We both hope to meet you someday :) :) !

[gapearl]

So here are my final thoughts and observations about this cruise.

 

There were a lot of first time cruisers on this sailing. It's like I saw practically nothing but blue cards.

 

If I were to take a guess, I'd say 90% of the passengers were from Texas. When I told people I was from Atlanta, people ALWAYS said wow you came a long way! I don't get that. In case you haven't noticed, there are no cruise ships sailing out of Atlanta. The flight time is the same from Atlanta to Houston as it is to Miami. Besides, Magic is Carnival's second newest ship. I've already sailed her newer sister ship, Breeze, and I wanted to sail this new ship as well. People not from Texas can sail from Texas too, ya know. ;)

 

No flaming me here, because I know most of you love it, but I would never buy FTTF if I was not platinum. Here's why. Priority luggage is not guaranteed. I didn't get mine until 4 pm. If you get to the port early enough, you can get a low zone number and be onboard minutes after priority boarding. We only had one tender port and there was no line for the tender when we went down. Rooms appeared to be ready at 1 pm, not 1:30 pm this cruise. I would have been ok carrying around my small bag for an hour if I couldn't get to my room right away. I usually only need to stop by Guest Services once every cruise. If you avoid going there during peak times, there is no line. Those of you that love it, may you continue to enjoy it. But for me, I've never seen where the extra $50 would have benefitted me if I had paid for it.

 

At the Vibe Nightclub entrance, security is standing there with an ipad swiping sail and sign cards to verify age. This led to a small line at times the first two nights, but as they began to recognize you as the week went on there was no need to check. This was a great idea that I've never seen. I wonder if they'll implement this at the adult comedy shows.

 

There has got to be a better system for finding your photos. I certainly hope Carnival eventually goes digital with this where you can swipe your S & S and view your pictures that way. If you see a picture you like, buy it immediately because you might not find it again. By the last couple of nights, you could be digging through piles like these. There were some photos I took that I never found all week.

 

 

I usually cruise in February and September/October, and this was my first summer cruise. Kids? OMG there were LOTS. OF. KIDS. Yes, there were a few that would run down the hall occasionally or splash you when they jumped in the pool, but generally speaking, they mostly seemed to be well behaved and polite. That's those southern manners I guess.

 

I use my last two platinum gifts all the time!

 

 

My postcard finally arrived from Hell.

 

 

 

I'm really glad my family enjoyed their cruise, but there were times I appreciated my solo trips. My mom has given me the ok to plan a trip for next year. I'd really love to do an Alaskan cruise, but that's going to be so much more expensive. I'm looking at Bermuda on the Sunshine or Anthem of the Seas, but my mom has expressed an interest in The Bahamas, so I might be sailing the Valor for a third time if that cruise wins.

[gapearl]

So here ends another Georgia Pearl review. I went back and read this whole thing myself, and this just might be my favorite review that I've written. It was a great birthday and a great cruise. It's so funny that when I was wearing my Kim's 35th birthday cruise shirt on day 1, I was constantly being asked if I was Kim because everyone said I don't look like I'm 35. I guess that's a good thing. Maybe when I'm 50, I'll look like I'm 35. lol My next milestone birthday is for*cough, cough, COUGH* :eek: I can't say it. I might as well go kick back with the latest AARP magazine and wait on the next hot flash. :D

 

As I mentioned earlier in the review, I'm considering a temporary 1-2 year move to Central America next year. I think it would be great to live in another country while I have the chance. I'm doing a lot of research now to figure out how feasible it might be. That's the great thing about my job. I can live pretty much anywhere I want.

 

But first, it's time to plan my next cruise, which will be my first visit to Asia on Mariner of the Seas!

 

 

If you'd like another recap of the cruise and have 17 minutes to spare, check out the cruise photo video I made.

 

[YOUTUBE]2iW5oYGDWJY[/YOUTUBE]

 

Thanks for taking the time to read my review, and thanks for all the nice words you guys have given me. *Drops The Mic* I'm out! :cool:

 

[Jamman54]

What can I say Kim, you have truly outdone yourself this time!! 5 STARS +++++!!! Thanks for all the work and effort you put in, to create this most FANTABULOUS review!!

[pghsteelerfan]

 

 

 

It's pretty cool to see this so close up.

 

 

 

Thank you for including your tour of the Space Center. I'm not that into space (well, not the space TV shows/movies) but I love seeing the pictures you have and I think I'd actually enjoy touring here. The one picture you have of the rockets/boosters you could almost tell how large it was by the line of people next to it.

 

In this picture here, is that the same 747 that was actually used to fly the shuttles from CA to FL then again flying the remaining Shuttles when they were distributed to other cities in 2012 once the Shuttle program ended? The reason I'm asking was that on April 17, 2012 I actually got to see, with my own eyes, one of the most amazing things I've seen. Space Shuttle Discovery flown into Washington/Dulles International Airport from FL, piggy back on a NASA 747 (just like in this picture) and a NASA fighter jet as an escort when it added to the Air & Space Museum right near Dulles airport. We live under the flight pattern of Dulles and if the wind is from a northerly direction, the landing pattern is literally right over our house/neighborhood. The day it was flown in, the winds were in our favor and we had a front row view. They took Discovery on an hour long tour over the entire area to give as many people as possible an opportunity to see it. It made two passes near us where we could see/get pictures and actually flew directly overhead three times. We still need to get to the museum since Dulles is only about 20 minutes away, non rush hour. I got a TON of pictures of them in the air that day. Just curious if that is the same jet we saw that day.

 

I really enjoyed this review as much as the others you have done. I think this is the best you've done for the "fun" and love your sense of humor but I still love the Valor (southern itinerary out of San Juan) you did since it's our favorite itinerary. I was definitely LOLing more than once and love the comparisons. You always get great pictures as well and your cruises always look like so much fun. The day after your birthday I felt so bad because I know the feeling (been there) and almost felt the pain with you. But but having it be your last day on the cruise...I guess better than the first or a port day you're looking forward to. Will you be doing a review of your RCI cruise to Asia? I'm sure you'll do one for Vista. ;)

 

Thank you for taking the time to do another review, always enjoy them and always look forward to the next.

Edited July 8, 2015 by pghsteelerfan
Grammar and punctuation; misspellings and typos (typing too fast)

[jzad]

Another brilliant review Kim! thank you so much for all the hard work and for putting up with the nasties that seem to haunt around the board! Can't wait to hear about the next cruise!

Janine

[Germany44]

Can you tell me how far in advance carnival posts FFTF for purchase . Love your review

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[lifeisgoodPat]

Thank you so much for your fantastic reviews. I read them all and you are right, this one tops them all….,not an easy feat. Keep cruising!

[gapearl]

Happy (belated) birthday Kim! Thanks for writing another one of your wonderful reviews!!! Looks like you had an amazing birthday celebration on the Magic :)

 

Random question: Thanks to a post you made somewhere else on Cruise Critic, I know you recently vacationed in Cartagena, Colombia. (I swear, I'm not stalking you! LOL) I have an overnight stay there on my upcoming Celebrity cruise. Are you planning to post any info about your time in Cartagena when you post your travel blog???

 

Hey there! Yes it was a great week! Yes I went to Cartagena last year for a week. That might be my favorite city. I actually have that blog more or less finished and saved and just need to publish it. Maybe I'll go ahead and post it tonight for you. :) Do you have any plans yet for your Cartagena trip? Maybe I can help you out a little.

 

Loving the review as we are looking to book a B2B on the Magic later this year, so this has been PERFECT! Thanks girl!

 

Thank you so much! Have fun on your B2B! I need to book one of those one day.

[gapearl]

Hi, Kim!

 

Just found this review! Only watched the video so far but I can't wait to read the rest. I know you had a fab time. Thanks as always for sharing your travels with us!

 

Yael

 

Thanks Yael! Have fun reading this one!

 

I love love love the viedo. I love all of your reviews.

 

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the review.

[gapearl]

Lovin the Review thus far. that opening video was awesome. Happy Belated bday. we share a birthday month but not the same zodiac sign. looking foward to reading this review!

 

Welcome back Angel! Have you finally booked a Carnival cruise yet? :)

 

Wait did you say DATE :D

 

Haha yes, haven't had one of those in a while. lol It was fun! He said he wants to read this and I'm sure will be amused at all the date comments. :p

[gapearl]

Thanks for the shout out.....those steps at Coconuts are NO JOKE. I was happy that this bar was 2nd on the tour and not the last one. those steps would be disaster after 4 bars worth of tequila

 

All I had was one drink at Coconuts, and that was all I needed! :eek:

 

We've had Michelle before. She is wonderful!!! Looking forward to going back this month... with any luck we'll have her as our waiter. By the way, this has to be one of the best reviews I've ever seen! Great job!!

 

I hope you get her again! She's someone I could see being friends with in real life. Thanks for reading and have fun on your upcoming cruise! :)

[deladane]

Hey there! Yes it was a great week! Yes I went to Cartagena last year for a week. That might be my favorite city. I actually have that blog more or less finished and saved and just need to publish it. Maybe I'll go ahead and post it tonight for you. :) Do you have any plans yet for your Cartagena trip? Maybe I can help you out a little.

 

Yay!!! I'm so excited to read that part of your blog (along with all the other posts too haha). No rush posting it as my cruise isn't until March :) As it turns out, the second day of our overnight is my birthday so we definitely want something fun planned. As of now, on Sunday we are planning to check out the "zoo" at the port area, then head to the old city to walk around a bit before a free walking tour that we have scheduled from 3-5pm. Then we want to get dinner somewhere and watch the sunset (any suggestions on good restaurants?). Then we are planning to take one of the night time Chiva bus tours to the bars (hoping that will be safer than roaming the streets by ourselves at night in a strange city lol).

 

On Monday, we are planning to go to the mud volcano and then to a beach in La Boquilla for a few hours (they said Playa Blanca is way out of the way- too bad!!). I couldn't find any company willing to take us on the speedboat tour to the Rosario Islands because they all get back too late for us to make the 4:30pm all aboard time. That was a bummer, but the mud volcanoes look interesting and certainly a unique experience we haven't seen/done at any other port!

[gapearl]

Another PHENOMENAL review Kim. I just booked the Magic for May 14th on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary with some friends to celebrate his college graduation.

Thanks Again so much for sharing your vacation with us.....BTW I loved your hangover pic. I have been there :p ;) :)

 

Thanks Brianna! I can't wait to read your next review! Yeah I'm sure you know hangovers all too well after that bar hop. lol :p

 

 

Nice!

 

Signed,

A Trekkie :)

 

I just now realized what that was. Clearly I wasn't paying attention. lol

[gapearl]

Awesome review Kim! Thanks for taking the time for us to see your cruise & birthday. We both hope to meet you someday :) :) !

 

Thank you for reading! I'm glad you and everyone enjoyed it. Hopefully we will meet up on a cruise one day. :)

 

What can I say Kim, you have truly outdone yourself this time!! 5 STARS +++++!!! Thanks for all the work and effort you put in, to create this most FANTABULOUS review!!

 

Thanks Jeff! Now I can start reading your next review, as well as Mitsugirly's. I hope you enjoyed your last cruise! :D

[SMSACE6]

GaPearl, I caught up on your full review this afternoon! So entertaining and fun. BTW, I loved the dresses!:) I will look forward to reviews of your future adventures (Asia...wow, only in my dreams, and not this lifetime:D) You Go Girl, embrace life and have a blast!:)

[gapearl]

Thank you for including your tour of the Space Center. I'm not that into space (well, not the space TV shows/movies) but I love seeing the pictures you have and I think I'd actually enjoy touring here. The one picture you have of the rockets/boosters you could almost tell how large it was by the line of people next to it.

 

In this picture here, is that the same 747 that was actually used to fly the shuttles from CA to FL then again flying the remaining Shuttles when they were distributed to other cities in 2012 once the Shuttle program ended? The reason I'm asking was that on April 17, 2012 I actually got to see, with my own eyes, one of the most amazing things I've seen. Space Shuttle Discovery flown into Washington/Dulles International Airport from FL, piggy back on a NASA 747 (just like in this picture) and a NASA fighter jet as an escort when it added to the Air & Space Museum right near Dulles airport. We live under the flight pattern of Dulles and if the wind is from a northerly direction, the landing pattern is literally right over our house/neighborhood. The day it was flown in, the winds were in our favor and we had a front row view. They took Discovery on an hour long tour over the entire area to give as many people as possible an opportunity to see it. It made two passes near us where we could see/get pictures and actually flew directly overhead three times. We still need to get to the museum since Dulles is only about 20 minutes away, non rush hour. I got a TON of pictures of them in the air that day. Just curious if that is the same jet we saw that day.

 

I really enjoyed this review as much as the others you have done. I think this is the best you've done for the "fun" and love your sense of humor but I still love the Valor (southern itinerary out of San Juan) you did since it's our favorite itinerary. I was definitely LOLing more than once and love the comparisons. You always get great pictures as well and your cruises always look like so much fun. The day after your birthday I felt so bad because I know the feeling (been there) and almost felt the pain with you. But but having it be your last day on the cruise...I guess better than the first or a port day you're looking forward to. Will you be doing a review of your RCI cruise to Asia? I'm sure you'll do one for Vista. ;)

 

Thank you for taking the time to do another review, always enjoy them and always look forward to the next.

 

That's an awesome story! Definitely a one in a lifetime event. I'm not sure if that was the same plane and shuttle that you saw, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was. I learned a lot about the space program here. It was educational, but also something fun to do. I hope you get to make it here one day.

 

That Valor southern review was definitely another fun one to write. I'm with you, definitely the best itinerary I've sailed. The day after my birthday struggle was too real. :( I wasn't 100% again for days. Yes, I do plan to do a review of the cruise through Asia. I'm excited about that one!

 

Thanks so much for continuing to follow along with me all these years! :)

 

Another brilliant review Kim! thank you so much for all the hard work and for putting up with the nasties that seem to haunt around the board! Can't wait to hear about the next cruise!

Janine

 

Thanks for coming along for the ride, Janine! One bad attitude surely won't spoil my fun. I hope you enjoy the next review in a few months.

[gapearl]

Can you tell me how far in advance carnival posts FFTF for purchase . Love your review

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Thanks Germany! I'm not 100% sure on this. I think it could be somewhere in the 6 months before time frame, but I honestly don't know. Hopefully someone reading will be able to give a more accurate answer.

 

Thank you so much for your fantastic reviews. I read them all and you are right, this one tops them all….,not an easy feat. Keep cruising!

 

Thanks Pat! Now I have to figure out how to top this one with the next one! LOL

[gapearl]

Yay!!! I'm so excited to read that part of your blog (along with all the other posts too haha). No rush posting it as my cruise isn't until March :) As it turns out, the second day of our overnight is my birthday so we definitely want something fun planned. As of now, on Sunday we are planning to check out the "zoo" at the port area, then head to the old city to walk around a bit before a free walking tour that we have scheduled from 3-5pm. Then we want to get dinner somewhere and watch the sunset (any suggestions on good restaurants?). Then we are planning to take one of the night time Chiva bus tours to the bars (hoping that will be safer than roaming the streets by ourselves at night in a strange city lol).

 

On Monday, we are planning to go to the mud volcano and then to a beach in La Boquilla for a few hours (they said Playa Blanca is way out of the way- too bad!!). I couldn't find any company willing to take us on the speedboat tour to the Rosario Islands because they all get back too late for us to make the 4:30pm all aboard time. That was a bummer, but the mud volcanoes look interesting and certainly a unique experience we haven't seen/done at any other port!

 

The blog isn't as humorous as the reviews here, but it's more informational with lots of pictures. You'll enjoy it though. The Walled City is definitely not to miss. There are tons of restaurants. I don't have any one in particular to recommend, as I would usually eat at the first one I happened to come across. The Chivas bus is the perfect way to see the city, and is a ton of fun at night. I think it turns into the party bus only on Friday and Saturday nights, not sure about Sundays (I could be wrong). I have pictures from the mud volcano and Playa Blanca, lucky you! lol You absolutely will NOT make it back for a 4:30 pm all aboard if you go to Playa Blanca. It's too bad your ship isn't in port until 7 or 8 pm because you could make it then. Shoot me an inbox to my email in my signature so I can let you know when it's posted. ;)

 

GaPearl, I caught up on your full review this afternoon! So entertaining and fun. BTW, I loved the dresses!:) I will look forward to reviews of your future adventures (Asia...wow, only in my dreams, and not this lifetime:D) You Go Girl, embrace life and have a blast!:)

 

Awesome! I did almost all of my cruise shopping just the week before. Maybe one day you'll get to make it to Asia. Thanks for all the nice comments along the way and thanks for reading! :)

[skittl1321]

If I were to take a guess, I'd say 90% of the passengers were from Texas. When I told people I was from Atlanta, people ALWAYS said wow you came a long way!

 

When we cruised Triumph out of Galveston we noticed A LOT of Texans, but a good number from Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma too.

 

It was so rare that we were from Iowa (we wore Iowa shirts the first day), we'd walk into the Comedy Club or something and 5 people would shout "Hey! Iowa!!!" at us.

 

Definitely more of a homeport cruise than those sailing out of Florida. Almost everyone (including us, since we were coming from Austin) drove in. I don't think I talked to anyone who flew.

 

Which reminds, me, I need to make sure to pack an Iowa shirt for my Magic cruise :)

[angelofsin]

Welcome back Angel! Have you finally booked a Carnival cruise yet? :)

 

 

 

I have not booked a Carnival Cruise yet but I have my eyes on a Carnival Vista Sailing in April 2017. I am probably a couple of days from dropping a deposit on it. so i will be looking forward to your vista review when you sail next year!!

[Germany44]

I thank you for your reply gapearl

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[gapearl]

When we cruised Triumph out of Galveston we noticed A LOT of Texans, but a good number from Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma too.

 

It was so rare that we were from Iowa (we wore Iowa shirts the first day), we'd walk into the Comedy Club or something and 5 people would shout "Hey! Iowa!!!" at us.

 

Definitely more of a homeport cruise than those sailing out of Florida. Almost everyone (including us, since we were coming from Austin) drove in. I don't think I talked to anyone who flew.

 

Which reminds, me, I need to make sure to pack an Iowa shirt for my Magic cruise :)

 

I was kiind of expecting to meet people from neighboring states like you did, but that was rare. Everyone was from Houston or Dallas. I met a couple from Florida that said they got even more of a crazy reaction when they told people where they were from. They had been on maybe 18 Carnival cruises and had sailed pretty much all the ships out of Florida and wanted to try the new ship. Have fun in your Iowa shirt on your upcoming cruise! :D

 

I have not booked a Carnival Cruise yet but I have my eyes on a Carnival Vista Sailing in April 2017. I am probably a couple of days from dropping a deposit on it. so i will be looking forward to your vista review when you sail next year!!

 

Awesome! You've been lurking here on the Carnival boards long enough it's time you give them a chance. lol Congrats on finally booking whenever you do! :)

 

I thank you for your reply gapearl

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

You're welcome!

Edited July 9, 2015 by gapearl

[prettybrowneyes]

Hi Kim! I am normally a lurker, but came out (this time) to let you know your reviews are AWESOME! They help me to make it through until my next sailing. Again, great job. I'll be waiting for your Vista review.