Carnival Magic Tips & "Secrets"???

[kctwinmommy]

Will you be on the Nov 12th cruise? We will..along with kids 10 and 12.

 

Yep!! With our 13 year old son and another couple with their 14 year old son. I know my son will be in Circle C a lot. The other boy will too, but they do their own things apart from each other sometimes too! =)

Edited October 3, 2016 by kctwinmommy

[RnBluvher]

Also watching this thread!!! Been on breeze twice. First Magic cruise in June. [emoji2][emoji119]🏻

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

 

same here!! have only done Breeze once though. 252 more days

[CruiseWeekTV]

here is a bunch of tips all shot on the carnival Magic: http://www.cruiseweek.tv/1st-time-tips

 

and here is a deck by deck tour: http://www.cruiseweek.tv/ships-tour

[KCpumkin]

When drinking ---> stay off the BALCONY! LOL :D

[crusinpsychRN]

How is the MDR food? Dpends on the chef how good food is. Lasagna on Paradise was awful.

 

BTW this thread is doing what some others are, can't see threads beyond a certian point.

[tricy99]

Great question. Following. Going on the Magic in May 2017

[lidoplease]

We were on the Magic last May and the feature we loved and hadn't seen before were the menus for the entire cruise on the t.v. It was nice to be able to look ahead and book alternative dining on the nights the MDR didn't appeal to us.

[seacruisemomma]

We have a group of 25 going in January and very happy to run across this information...

[GeorgiaMomof4]

Ocean Plaza. The Alterr Band and 50 shades of groove played there in May. I think the Alterr band is still onboard. Not sure about 50 shades.

 

There were two guitar players/singers in the RFP at night that alternated.

 

 

 

 

How were these bands? We are searching for one as good as the Blackjack Band but haven't found one yet. Going on the Magic in February and keeping our fingers crossed there is a great band playing at Ocean Plaza.

 

Thanks in advance!

[tandemcruzr]

This is open at breakfast with standard breakfast items on a smaller scale than the buffets. Also less crowded earlier in the cruise. :D

[ryano]

How were these bands? We are searching for one as good as the Blackjack Band but haven't found one yet. Going on the Magic in February and keeping our fingers crossed there is a great band playing at Ocean Plaza.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I play a little music myself and I thought both bands were pretty good! I really enjoyed the Alterr Band because they were so personal. They are from the Phillipines and are really nice guys. Not sure how long they are on Magic for though.

[The4Cruisers]

Just got off the Magic on Saturday and Alterr band is still onboard. I was not impressed. What made their tolerable music experience worse was that they took ridiculously long breaks and then carried on with way too much banter between songs as they accepted requests from the audience.

 

They were better than the High Seas band with their female singer. She had a nice voice, but she just didn't seem like a good "fit" for the music. I could see her singing at church or something. Their trumpet player was definitely solid!

 

Yeah, it's hard to find a band as good as Blackjack. There was a Filipino band on a cruise 3 or 4 years ago that was excellent, but I can't remember their name.

[The4Cruisers]

Saw a good tip here on CC about having lunch on embarkation day in the Cucina del Capitano.

 

We did that after boarding and it was a fabulous experience. The lunch was free and the food was awesome. DW said the lasagna was much better than what they serve in the MDR. I had a bowl of linguine with chicken, shrimp, and sausage. Holy cow! It was delicious and filling.

 

Best of all, this meal session on embarkation day was free... :D

[meester_jamie]

Saw a good tip here on CC about having lunch on embarkation day in the Cucina del Capitano.

 

We did that after boarding and it was a fabulous experience. The lunch was free and the food was awesome. DW said the lasagna was much better than what they serve in the MDR. I had a bowl of linguine with chicken, shrimp, and sausage. Holy cow! It was delicious and filling.

 

Best of all, this meal session on embarkation day was free... :D

 

I am looking FWD to this ! ... altho I have been told lunch is always free at the Cucina ...... true? no?

[The4Cruisers]

I am looking FWD to this ! ... altho I have been told lunch is always free at the Cucina ...... true? no?

 

I don't believe it is open at lunchtime any day other than embarkation day. Maybe someone who knows better than me can reply.

[cruzelover55]

I don't believe it is open at lunchtime any day other than embarkation day. Maybe someone who knows better than me can reply.

 

Though we have sailed Magic 3 times, all I can offer to this is, maybe, it is like the seaside bbq, which is only on sea days. I AM sure it is open more than just the embarkation day. We never went there for dinner as, not only is it, an extra charge, it is something I could get at my home city for less. As the lunch is "included" in your fare, you should at least try it once. Usually less crowded on embarkation, than the buffet, but, as we all, keep telling everyone on Cruise Critic, may get more crowded. 1st time we went we were one of only four tables. Enjoy!:)

[MrKellerCrusin]

Heading out on our first cruise February 4th on magic for the 7 day exotic western cruise to Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel. Any suggestions for a first time cruiser? The whole family is going. Kids ages 6, 11 and 17.

[Drazil65]

Heading out on our first cruise February 4th on magic for the 7 day exotic western cruise to Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel. Any suggestions for a first time cruiser? The whole family is going. Kids ages 6, 11 and 17.

 

Hi, congrats on your first family cruise (you will be hooked ;)), many good tips here on the boards.

 

With the amount of people in your family I would send DH up to the showers in the gym with all of the male children for showers and dressing for dinner (or for getting ready in the mornings). Bathrooms are tight even if you have 2 cabins (unless you maybe have a little extra dressing and bath space in a suite) and the shower areas in the gym or spa will help a lot with time when getting showers.

 

Pack less and maybe either send out a bag of laundry (cost $$$ but not bad) or do some laundry at self serve. Could be less hassel than trying to pack so many things for so many people.

 

The younger kids will have a blast in camp Carnival (or whatever its called now), could give you a nice break for couple of hours and they are well taken care of.

 

Have room service deliver a carafe of coffee in the morning so you can relax with a cup while getting yourself and the kids ready to go to breakfast or go into port.

 

Best advice is just relax, enjoy some pampering and go with the flow! :D

Edited October 26, 2016 by Drazil65

[GeorgiaMomof4]

Heading out on our first cruise February 4th on magic for the 7 day exotic western cruise to Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel. Any suggestions for a first time cruiser? The whole family is going. Kids ages 6, 11 and 17.

 

 

 

Oh the excitement of a first cruise!

 

Packing - if you are going to "dress" for dinner, take things that are interchangeable - like khaki pants/shorts that the kids can wear more than one time. If you are sun lovers and water lovers, don't pack as many clothes because more than likely you will spend most of your sea days in a swimsuit. Don't over pack - something I'm still working on after 7 cruises! It's just hard when you have kids though.

 

Don't be afraid to book excursions on your own instead of with Carnival. Just keep in mind about the time restraints, time changes and be sure you are back at the ship in a timely manner. We have never taken Carnival excursions and have always made it back on time. Cost is less and you normally get more personal attention I believe.

 

Costa Maya is one of our favorite places - take a bus or taxi to Mahahual (downtown) and go to the beach. There are several places that you can go to that will reserve lounge chairs and umbrellas for you free of charge as long as your purchase drinks or some food from them. It is absolutely beautiful. The place where we went arranged massages on the beach for us, snorkeling, etc. and it was a stress free day. The water or gorgeous and the sand never gets hot.

 

Cozumel - Depending on what you want to do, I would suggest a driver for the day. We have used the same one several times and he is wonderful. He is a true gentleman and has taken us all over the island - any where we wanted to go and told us all about the island, it's people, etc.

 

Belize - we loved the cave tubing. I would definitely suggest an excursion here unless you just want to tender in and look around right at the port.

 

Roatan - we did a private tour here to - it was interesting and we enjoyed it as well.

 

I'm not supposed to mention specific tour guides, etc. here but if you are interested in the ones we have used, let me know and I'll get you my email address.

 

Have fun and don't try to do it all - you just can't and if you try, you'll still need a vacation when this one is over!

[MrKellerCrusin]

Oh the excitement of a first cruise!

 

Packing - if you are going to "dress" for dinner, take things that are interchangeable - like khaki pants/shorts that the kids can wear more than one time. If you are sun lovers and water lovers, don't pack as many clothes because more than likely you will spend most of your sea days in a swimsuit. Don't over pack - something I'm still working on after 7 cruises! It's just hard when you have kids though.

 

Don't be afraid to book excursions on your own instead of with Carnival. Just keep in mind about the time restraints, time changes and be sure you are back at the ship in a timely manner. We have never taken Carnival excursions and have always made it back on time. Cost is less and you normally get more personal attention I believe.

 

Costa Maya is one of our favorite places - take a bus or taxi to Mahahual (downtown) and go to the beach. There are several places that you can go to that will reserve lounge chairs and umbrellas for you free of charge as long as your purchase drinks or some food from them. It is absolutely beautiful. The place where we went arranged massages on the beach for us, snorkeling, etc. and it was a stress free day. The water or gorgeous and the sand never gets hot.

 

Cozumel - Depending on what you want to do, I would suggest a driver for the day. We have used the same one several times and he is wonderful. He is a true gentleman and has taken us all over the island - any where we wanted to go and told us all about the island, it's people, etc.

 

Belize - we loved the cave tubing. I would definitely suggest an excursion here unless you just want to tender in and look around right at the port.

 

Roatan - we did a private tour here to - it was interesting and we enjoyed it as well.

 

I'm not supposed to mention specific tour guides, etc. here but if you are interested in the ones we have used, let me know and I'll get you my email address.

 

Have fun and don't try to do it all - you just can't and if you try, you'll still need a vacation when this one is over!

 

I cannot thank you enough for the extensive advice! :)

[MrKellerCrusin]

Heading out on our first cruise February 4th on magic for the 7 day exotic western cruise to Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel. Any suggestions for a first time cruiser? The whole family is going. Kids ages 6, 11 and 17.

 

Hi, congrats on your first family cruise (you will be hooked ;)), many good tips here on the boards.

 

With the amount of people in your family I would send DH up to the showers in the gym with all of the male children for showers and dressing for dinner (or for getting ready in the mornings). Bathrooms are tight even if you have 2 cabins (unless you maybe have a little extra dressing and bath space in a suite) and the shower areas in the gym or spa will help a lot with time when getting showers.

 

Pack less and maybe either send out a bag of laundry (cost $$$ but not bad) or do some laundry at self serve. Could be less hassel than trying to pack so many things for so many people.

 

The younger kids will have a blast in camp Carnival (or whatever its called now), could give you a nice break for couple of hours and they are well taken care of.

 

Have room service deliver a carafe of coffee in the morning so you can relax with a cup while getting yourself and the kids ready to go to breakfast or go into port.

 

Best advice is just relax, enjoy some pampering and go with the flow! :D

 

I appreciate the response! I'm sure glad I reached out to this board

[Micahs Grandad]

Will be doing the Italian restaurant the first day for lunch and if we like it at least one dinner. Thanks

[SOMBRERO6]

Loved the videos....going on the Magic in Feb....Now I can't wait to go!

[MrKellerCrusin]

GeorgiaMomof4, we would love to hear who you used. We have 3 girls and they all love new adventures! We will definitely spend one day as a "beach day" Costa Maya sounds like a good day for that! My email is kell0752@gmail.com thank you again! considering we are 100 days from sailing, I better get our itinerary in check quick :)

[mrcheapo4life]

GeorgiaMomof4,

 

I would like to get some references from you for a guide and excursions. If you can help let me know and I'll give you my email.