Our MAGICal B2B with a side of ELATION cruises (with pics) - 10/7/17.

[millshe]

We were also on the same sailing of the Magic on October 7th. I'm loving your review and all the pictures. We have booked the Elation for February for an anniversary trip. I am looking forward to your review for it as well!

[jjcruiselover]

Thanks Jeff for T-pool information. We also love the heated loungers like Patti. It looks like a couples spa pass is in my future. I showed my husband the pictures and he said go for it. I guess I owe your wife a commission for taking such great pictures.

[Jamman54]

I love Los Cinco Soles for shopping. They're not very pushy and their products are good. Love the vanilla! Really enjoying your review, Jeff. Took me a while to catch up.:)

 

I agree with you Kathy...Los Cinco Soles is a lovely store and they let you look around without bothering you. My bottle of Vanilla is just about empty....I guess that means I am going to have to get back to Cozumel real soon!

 

Patti said that she liked that store also and it"s the only store she'll visit when we go there. :cool:

[Jamman54]

Always enjoy your reviews! The Magic was our first, second, and third cruise when she was still in Galveston, and is still our favorite ship. Going on her again next October, so I'm looking forward to the rest of your review!

 

Thanks for stopping by as I know that you are busy with your review. Can't wait to read it! :D

Hey Jeff, I am loving your review as usual. I have been looking forward to this one for awhile. Thanks so much for taking the time to do such a detailed review, and to Patti for taking such awesome pictures.

 

Thanks for reading and your kind words. Working on the Belize segment now, and hope to start posting it tomorrow. :cool:

[Jamman54]

Following. On the magic next month for our very first cruise. Not this itinerary but we have a second cruise booked with this itinerary and we have already reserved Mr. Sanchos. Great review.

 

Thanks for reading! Enjoy your cruise on the Magic and enjoy your day at Mr.Sancho's!

:D

 

Enjoying your review. We sail on the Magic for Christmas.

 

Glad to have you aboard! The Magic at Christmas should be awesome! :cool:

[Jamman54]

They don't have any offers for Spa for our cruise in May, probably too early. Just curious if you don't mind, how much was the couples pass for the Spa. We really enjoy sitting in the Spa at home but never on the Ship, they're always so crowded.

 

Looking at your signature it appears as though you are sailing on the Glory next may. The Glory doesn't have the Cloud 9 Spa so there wouldn't be any spa passes. Cloud 9 Spas are only on the Splendor, Dream, Magic, Breeze, Sunshine, Vista, and Horizon. Only the Splendor, Dream, Magic, and Breeze have the Thalassotherapy pool. :cool:

 

BEAUTIFUL sunset pictures!

 

Thanks Karry! Won't be long until you experience them live again! :D

[Jamman54]

We were also on the same sailing of the Magic on October 7th. I'm loving your review and all the pictures. We have booked the Elation for February for an anniversary trip. I am looking forward to your review for it as well!

 

Well hello there fellow cruiser! :D I hope you enjoyed the cruise as much as we did. If you see yourself in any of our pictures please let us know. We also enjoyed the updated Elation, and think you will too! :cool:

 

Thanks Jeff for T-pool information. We also love the heated loungers like Patti. It looks like a couples spa pass is in my future. I showed my husband the pictures and he said go for it. I guess I owe your wife a commission for taking such great pictures.

 

You are quite welcome, and Patti thanks you for your kind words. Posts like yours are why we will continue doing these reviews as long as we can. Enjoy your couples pass!! :D

[junglecat]

LOVE your review. We set sail in early January for the same destinations. I find Mr. Sanchos NOTHING like it was when we were there years ago. MUCH changed as is pictures I've seen of Costa Maya. We were there just after the hurricane. I'd LOVE to know what kind of camera your wife is using?????? Please don't say it's her phone. I have a cheap smartphone with a low grade camera. I'd love to capture some great pictures myself in January. Keep the review coming as I can't wait to see what to expect.

[DenaInWyo]

Loving your review! I love reading ones like yours that are detailed and have lots to read..it's like cruise story time :) We sailed on the Magic last January..great ship! This is getting me even more excited for our B2B on the Vista this coming January and though it's a different ship, I'm making mental notes of the things they have in common that I want to be sure to spend more time doing this time around. Looking forward to seeing how your turnaround day went. Thanks so much for posting, I know these reviews take a lot of work!

[Jamman54]

LOVE your review. We set sail in early January for the same destinations. I find Mr. Sanchos NOTHING like it was when we were there years ago. MUCH changed as is pictures I've seen of Costa Maya. We were there just after the hurricane. I'd LOVE to know what kind of camera your wife is using?????? Please don't say it's her phone. I have a cheap smartphone with a low grade camera. I'd love to capture some great pictures myself in January. Keep the review coming as I can't wait to see what to expect.

 

Thanks for coming along for the ride! Our go To camera is the Canon PowerShot XS710 HS. :cool:

 

Loving your review! I love reading ones like yours that are detailed and have lots to read..it's like cruise story time :) We sailed on the Magic last January..great ship! This is getting me even more excited for our B2B on the Vista this coming January and though it's a different ship, I'm making mental notes of the things they have in common that I want to be sure to spend more time doing this time around. Looking forward to seeing how your turnaround day went. Thanks so much for posting, I know these reviews take a lot of work!

 

Thanks for following along and your kind words. Much more to come! :cool:

Thanks everyone for your patience! I will be posting our entire day in Belize a little later today. I promise!!! :D

[Megan_Strick]

Since being away this long was a first for us, (yet another record!), how the heck do you plan for this???

Ryan would not be going with us, so he would be taking care of the kitties, getting the mail, taking out the garbage, cleaning, etc….. Check!

I would make sure all the financial stuff, like bills, was taken care of. Most of it is online anyway……Check!

How the heck do you pack for a month??? We decided that we would pack our cruise bags with a week worth of clothes. Dressy clothes could be worn more than one time, and since I am Diamond I get unlimited amount of laundry so we could send out shorts, t-shirts and undies to be washed as much as we needed to. So for our cruises we each had one suitcase and Patti’s “body bag”. This is her large red duffel bag that has our whole house in it, including the kitchen sink. She never cruises without it! I laugh now, but if I find that I need or have forgotten something, she has it!

To avoid having to move our cruise bags in and out of hotels pre-cruise, we decided to each pack a smaller suitcase to use during this time, packed with mostly t-shirts and shorts. We then could transfer stuff back and forth prior to our first cruise, and then again before driving up to Jacksonville. This worked perfectly.

So let’s fast forward to 9pm on Sunday October 1st. It’s time for us to leave, so Ryan took this picture of us just as we were about to walk out the door…..

I’m glad he didn’t take a picture of us when we walked back in the door 28 days later. It wouldn’t have been nearly as pretty! Lol.

We will be driving down to Florida. Patti is not a big fan, but I don’t mind driving. We like driving overnight so that we miss the morning rush hours of Baltimore and Washington, and there is hardly any traffic at all. I just set the cruise control at ahem, 79 mph and just steer between the white lines while listening to tunes all night long. We usually make quick potty and/or gas stops every two hours or so. After nine hours of driving we were ready for some breakfast so we stopped at the Cracker Barrel, Patti’s favorite place, in Santee, South Carolina…..

Patti loves her blueberry pancakes……..

I have the double meat breakfast which includes biscuits and gravy. Yummy!!!

To be continued…..

 

Awesome. I am grom Georgia and my husband goes to Santee to fish a lot

[MEcruisin]

Jamman,

 

How do you email the matri d to make special requests on the Magic?

[Jamman54]

Awesome. I am grom Georgia and my husband goes to Santee to fish a lot

 

Thanks!! The lake that we travelled over looks like a great place to fish. :cool:

Jamman,

How do you email the matri d to make special requests on the Magic?

 

The email address for the maitre'd on the Carnival Magic is mcmaitred@carnival.com :cool:

[Jamman54]

Day # 4 – Belize (9am to 6pm) – 10/10/17.

Here are today’s fun times…..

 

 

 

 

 

We are up at 7:30 to another beautiful day with calm seas. As I mentioned in the last segment, we will be arriving and leaving Belize an hour later than scheduled. Captain Marchetti promises that we will arrive on time at Isla Roatan tomorrow.

The Carnival Magic dropped anchor at 8:45. For those that don’t know, Belize is a tender port with nearly a half hour tender ride. Why? Because Belize City is wayyyyyyy over there!

 

Here is the Belize tendering information……..

 

Patti and I head up to the Marketplace for a continental breakfast. Being that we have never been here before, we elect to do a Carnival excursion. This is what we will be doing today:

 

BACAB ECOPARK FAMILY ESCAPE

EXCURSIONDETAILS

Here’s the perfect way to spend a relaxing day amongst nature at its best. Designed for guests wanting to accompany family members who are participating in one of our shore excursions but do not wish to partake in an adventure tour. They can travel together, have lunch together and relax together.

On this excursion you will:

Learn about the country, its natural wonders, diverse culture and colorful history as you are transported to the Park by air-conditioned motor coach.

Entering the park you’ll see tropical wildflowers, flowering trees, palms and shrubs from which native butterflies and hummingbirds drink sweet nectar.

Experience our elevated palmetto boardwalk leading you to our main recreation area featuring the Pokonobwai Restaurant and Bar, where you can enjoy our Belizean lunch at your leisure, served buffet style.

After lunch, relax at poolside in a hammock under the shade or enjoy the waterfall and slide at our free form pool. Your kids will enjoy our mushroom water feature in the kiddie’s section.

Throughout your stay, you can enjoy various presentations and activities that showcase our Belizean history, rich culture and/or learn about our natural healing remedies by visiting “Ixchel Medicinal Trail” before returning to the port.

NOTES:

•FREE WiFi. FREE Lunch. Small gift shop on site. Locker rentals are available.

•Some walkways of uneven natural materials will be found throughout the Park.

•Sunscreen, insect repellant, swimwear and a towel are recommended.

•Once at the Park, guests can upgrade (depending on availability) to one of our other tours(Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Biking).

Starting At:

$49.99 /Adult (ages 13 and over)

$44.99 /Child (ages 4 - 12)

*Prices may vary by sailing.

Port: Belize

Duration: 4.5Hours

ActivityLevel: Moderate

No Minimum Age

They also have excursions to the Bacab Eco Park that include things such as Jungle Biking, Horseback Safari, or Kayak Creek Expedition. We chose the excursion that allows you to do nothing but relax, eat, and drink. That’s our kind of excursion! Lol.

Our excursion tickets indicated that we should meet in the Showtime Theater at 10am. This is where all the Carnival excursions would be meeting. When they called your excursion, as you walked out the door, they put a colored wristband on you and then walked you down to the tenders. This was very easy and organized process. In no time at all we were on our tender…..

To be continued…..

Edited November 10, 2017 by Jamman54

[Jamman54]

We took seats in the front of the tender for our 25 minute ride to Belize City. Looking up at the bow of the Carnival Magic…..

 

The next tender has arrived…..

 

We are leaving the Magic behind…..

 

We are now approaching Belize City……

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

The most photographed Belize sign, but from the other side!

 

The Wet Lizard Bar and Restaurant. I'll need to check that place out…..

 

The Carnival Magic is wayyyyyyyy out there……

 

We have arrived in Belize City…..

 

Once on the pier we spotted the tour guides holding up their signs for the various tours.We found our guide, and soon we were aboard our bus to Bacab Eco Park. This was our tour guide who gave us some history about Belize, and pointed out the sights along the way......

Belize City reminded me a lot of Costa Rica, because of the barbed wire on the walls, and police with their weapons at the ready. Other than the port area, I would not walk around Belize City.

The drive to Bacab Eco Park would take about 45 minutes on bumpy “main” highways. We passed over several rivers which were very high and very muddy. Tropical Storm Nate had passed by the previous weekend and dumped tons of rain on the country. Soon we were approaching the entrance to the Bacab Eco Park…..

 

To be continued…….

[RenoNanaOz]

I wish we had done this tour when we went a couple years ago. We thought we would just wing it, but after getting there:o we changed our minds. Just did a little shopping in port and went back on board. Can't wait to hear more:)

[mouche]

:DSubscribed, love your reviews

[Jamman54]

We got off the bus and were instructed to follow the path to the buffet, bar, and swimming pool. The sign says it’s this way to the fun…..

 

It’s about a 10 minute stroll up the path to reach our destination. There’s plenty of flora and fauna on the way…..

 

 

 

The horses are ready and waiting for their riders…..

 

This is the end of the pathway. We are almost there…..

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Our first view is of the pool…..

 

 

 

The pool has a waterfall and a small slide…..

 

We picked a table at the far end of the pool in a perfect location. It was table “K” which of course reminded us of our son Kevin…….

 

I immediately made my way into the pool……

 

We had an awesome server named Melissa who took great care of us all day. Here she is taking our drink orders while I’m still in the pool!

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

I wish we had done this tour when we went a couple years ago. We thought we would just wing it, but after getting there:o we changed our minds. Just did a little shopping in port and went back on board. Can't wait to hear more:)

 

We originally thought that we would wing it also, but then decided to be safe and book the Carnival tour. We enjoyed it, but I don't know if we would do it again. Thanks for reading. Much more to come! :cool:

 

:DSubscribed, love your reviews

 

Thanks for jumping on board once again! :D

[Jamman54]

Here’s another view of the waterfall and slide…..

 

Patti and I are enjoying the pool…..

 

 

 

 

 

I loved hanging out under the waterfall…..

 

Patti decided to leave the pool and stroll around the grounds for a while. She took a walk on the Medicinal Trail…..

 

To be continued…..

[luvtrips]

Thank you for your review. We are on the Magic for a B2B end of Jan. We have everything planned except Belize. Does the excursion cost include drinks/alcohol?

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

[Jamman54]

Patti continues her walk along the Medicinal Trail…..

 

Caribbean almonds…..

 

 

 

The Calabash tree…..

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

It seems that this tree can cure just about anything! Lol.

 

Patti continues her walk on the Medicinal Trail…..

 

Patti has stumbled upon the Kayak Creek Expedition…..

 

 

 

 

 

This is the building that the bar and buffet are located in…..

 

To be continued…..