Live B2B2B2B From the Carnival Magic 11/26-12/22

[jam19872016]

Free wine is one option a chardonnay. They don't do half off a nicer bottle here only steakhouse l. I tried it, I can drink this.

 

 

They try to steer you towards one appetizer but I ordered two and it wasn't a problem. 

 

 

[jam19872016]

I'm hardly a wine expert, but that is actually pretty good. I wanted something sweet and was advised this would be dry.

 

I've had much drier prosecco before.

 

Another benefit of being solo, it's one per table. Table of four next to me has to split theirs. Score.

 

Bread is here.

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

I forgot to bring my mobile bar. 

 

Arancini and calamari 618.

 

 

[jam19872016]

Those arancini were amazing. Hot from the fryer with a nice crispy crunch and gooey cheese in every bite. The rice was cooked well and was served in a delicious slightly spicy tomato sauce.

 

The calamari were good as well. Not too chewy and lightly breaded. I do have to ding it just a little as the sauce was a little watery and the calamari was a tad too greasy. Still very good but the winner was definitely the arancini. 

 

Short ribs and a side of broccoli and cauliflower 637.

 

 

 

I feel like this short rib needs a pasta or a starch of some kind with it but let's dig in and see.

[Knights on the Beach]

19 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Just checked port of Miami website, we got Terminal D and Celebration got stuck with F which makes no sense as D is set up to handle larger crowds than F. Lucky us!

 

We will be docked facing downtown which means we will also get to sail towards the Miami skyline to turn around and sail out. We will get the full Miami sail away experience. Double lucky us! 

 

I thought F was specifically renovated for Celebration, is that not right? Where did you find that info on Port of Miami website? I found the page where you can download a schedule but when I try to open the pdf, I get an error message saying the file was damaged and cannot be repaired. I've tried it 3 times with the same result. 😞

 

8 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

The drive down wasn't too terrible for Miami. I only got almost run off the road twice. 

 

Five speed traps in 100 miles, glad I was driving slow.

 

No congestion until we reached the port. I'm not sure I've ever got to the port exit off 95 without congestion. 

 

The port is a hot mess, but at least we had the first terminal. Folks on Celebration can add at least five minutes to reach the extra 800 feet or so to their terminal.

 

You had better luck than TravelBlueBird did today! She was stuck in traffic for nearly two hours coming from a hotel in Miami this morning.

 

14 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

I forgot to bring my mobile bar. 

 

Arancini and calamari 618.

 

 

 

You forgot your mobile bar in your room or forgot to bring it on the ship?? 😐

[jam19872016]

Biscotti 649.

 

[jam19872016]

The bed was fixed while I was out.

 

[jam19872016]

The short ribs....I take a bite by itself to get a taste of the meat without the sauce.

 

Dry. Like choke on it dry.

 

I try the sauce, it's amazing and I'm hoping it can save the meat.

 

It does it's best, but it does not succeed. Still quite dry. Still needs a starch, a nice polenta or even a well prepared mash potato would distract from the dryness and be a cheap ingredient to make the meal a little more filling. 

 

The biscotti....also dry. Not bad, but I'm extra sensitive to it now and this could be more moist. The gelato and the cream inside were both delicious and provided moisture, but they were very chintzy on the amount of each.

 

I can't say I've ever been disappointed with Cucina before (the pay option, the Celebration version..meh) but this didn't really hit the mark despite the very strong start.

 

Overall I'm still satisfied, and if this was not an upcharge I would be happy but at $18 above an included meal in the dining room, this didn't really live up to expectations.

 

The free bottle of wine was the saving grace. Absolutely made the meal worth the charge. I really did not expect to like it, more like a necessary evil to keep the bar bill down, but that was actually pretty good. Again, not a wine person, YMMV on that one 🙂

 

 

The service was top notch. Friendly, and prompt service and the welcome greetings were met again with friendly goodbyes on the way out. 

[jam19872016]

58 minutes ago, Knights on the Beach said:

 

I thought F was specifically renovated for Celebration, is that not right? Where did you find that info on Port of Miami website? I found the page where you can download a schedule but when I try to open the pdf, I get an error message saying the file was damaged and cannot be repaired. I've tried it 3 times with the same result. 😞

 

 

You had better luck than TravelBlueBird did today! She was stuck in traffic for nearly two hours coming from a hotel in Miami this morning.

 

 

You forgot your mobile bar in your room or forgot to bring it on the ship?? 😐

Now that you mention it, yes it was renovated for Celebration. But it feels smaller inside, I don't have facts to back that up but it seemed smaller. It looks old and outdated, with freshly painted Carnival graphics all over. And it does not have a parking garage so it shares with Terminal G and V. It literally took almost two hours last time for me to get out of the parking garage, and I was not even on a top level. Three ships full of people, two gate agents who either were new or have very slow software processing payments. 

 

That's all I did and I was able to open the file. Maybe try a different browser? What date are you looking at? Maybe I can grab a screen shot for you.

 

Miami traffic is very fickle! It doesn't take much and smooth sailing turns into a parking lot! Especially the way they drive down here. Sorry she didn't get lucky but so so glad I missed the headache that is typical of Miami traffic. I can't say that has happened too often 😅

 

Thankfully I just forgot it in the room! I forgot it completely on my four day cruise last weekend so it was double triple checked as often as I checked my passport 😆

 

Edited November 27, 2023 by jam19872016

[jam19872016]

It's the first day and I know ships are always the most crowded and then things begin to thin out. But I've certainly been spoiled sailing smaller ships. It still feels very crowded as I wander the ship. I am hoping the entertainment options are easy to get into.

 

I know comedy is not happening.

 

The piano bar doesn't seem much bigger than on Freedom and it's open to the walkway which I think is going to be an awkward layout. 

 

Red Frog is the same, maybe even smaller.

 

Ocean Plaza is a nice addition and will hopefully draw some people in to spread more people out.

 

Making my way out now to see what I can get up tonight!

[jam19872016]

Variety music with Jesse and Sarah 

 

 

Hey Jude 🎶 

[princess76021]

1 hour ago, jam19872016 said:

Biscotti 649.

 

Some how to this  Italian that does not look like a biscotti.  

Biscotti is a on the crisp dry side cookie. It's name means twice baked.

We call them coffee cookies because they are best dunked.

Hugs

[jam19872016]

Just now, princess76021 said:

Some how to this  Italian that does not look like a biscotti.  

Biscotti is a on the crisp dry side cookie. It's name means twice baked.

We call them coffee cookies because they are best dunked.

Hugs

I've had it before and this was not quite what I remember. Close, but something was off. 

[jam19872016]

They were good I'll be sure to check them out again.

 

90s trivia in the theater. I'm not here to play I just love 90s music 😀

 

 

They are also selling bingo packages. 

[jam19872016]

Gotta catch his name...he's fun squad but definitely CD material.

 

 

 

Gangsta paradise 🎶 

 

 

Killing me softly 🎶 

[jam19872016]

Perfect score but I only got 21. My bar is empty gonna go grab my casino drink from earlier and see if I can get into the piano bar.

[jmoak]

On 11/25/2023 at 3:33 AM, joe/jack said:

And I will also be joining you as well

My DW and I will also be on the Magic next week for the 8 day cruise!!  

[jam19872016]

I'm in the hallway but I'm here at least. I think the piano bar not including the hallway is smaller than freedom. 

 

 

My girl 🎶 

 

 

[jam19872016]

5 minutes ago, jmoak said:

My DW and I will also be on the Magic next week for the 8 day cruise!!  

Getting her ready for your arrival. See you soon 😁

[tradewinds traveler]

Thank you for taking us on your cruise. Enjoying the photos & the review. Have a great cruise.

[Knights on the Beach]

1 hour ago, jam19872016 said:

Now that you mention it, yes it was renovated for Celebration. But it feels smaller inside, I don't have facts to back that up but it seemed smaller. It looks old and outdated, with freshly painted Carnival graphics all over. And it does not have a parking garage so it shares with Terminal G and V. It literally took almost two hours last time for me to get out of the parking garage, and I was not even on a top level. Three ships full of people, two gate agents who either were new or have very slow software processing payments. 

 

That's all I did and I was able to open the file. Maybe try a different browser? What date are you looking at? Maybe I can grab a screen shot for you.

 

Miami traffic is very fickle! It doesn't take much and smooth sailing turns into a parking lot! Especially the way they drive down here. Sorry she didn't get lucky but so so glad I missed the headache that is typical of Miami traffic. I can't say that has happened too often 😅

 

Thankfully I just forgot it in the room! I forgot it completely on my four day cruise last weekend so it was double triple checked as often as I checked my passport 😆

 

 

Well that stinks, I've gotten spoiled with Mardi Gras at T3 in Port Canaveral. lol

 

And thank you for your suggestion - I use Chrome but I was able to open the schedule with Edge for 12/10 and 12/17. Maybe it will show which way the ship will dock closer to the date. I don't recall ever seeing that info for Port Canaveral.

 

Thank goodness you have your mobile bar with you!! I would have missed that. 😂

[jam19872016]

Good news, bad news situation here. 

 

Scarlett Darling is AMAZING. She's got a raspy, bluesey voice, and is great interacting with the crowd. Hard to believe this is her first contract.

 

Bad news, this small space is gonna stay packed.

 

 

Flowers 🎶 

Edited November 27, 2023 by jam19872016

[Knights on the Beach]

1 hour ago, jam19872016 said:

The piano bar doesn't seem much bigger than on Freedom and it's open to the walkway which I think is going to be an awkward layout. 

 

Red Frog is the same, maybe even smaller.

 

 

I don't think we ever went to the piano bar on Freedom but we had to sit in the walkway area outside of it on Magic. It was packed!

 

Red Frog seemed bigger to me on Freedom.

[jam19872016]

I needed a bathroom break anyway 🙄😵‍💫

 

Sweet Caroline 🎶 

 

[jam19872016]

15 minutes ago, tradewinds traveler said:

Thank you for taking us on your cruise. Enjoying the photos & the review. Have a great cruise.

Thanks 😊