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

[jam19872016]

I need food if I'm gonna be able to sleep. That pizza last night didn't cut it.

 

Blue iguana for a burrito and arepa. 

 

 

[jam19872016]

25 minutes ago, chryso said:

But can you eat it?

I don't see any signage saying you can't! 👀

[jam19872016]

I'm not really tired, but what the heck am I going to do all day if I get up now?

 

I almost booked a last minute tour they had for sale. It's called sightseeing tour and it's $35 and I figured why not, something to do. But it's really a beach day. Great deal if you want a quick beach day, but not what I'm looking for and a little misleading.

 

So I am going to try and catch some more 💤. 

[Jeafl]

On 12/10/2023 at 6:29 PM, jam19872016 said:

Lido is packed. Like embarcation day lunch packed. That bodes well for the dining room. 

 

Variety music with Jesse and Sarah.

 

 

Somewhere over the rainbow 🎶 

I thought Jesse and Sarah were really talented!  We didn't discover them until mid week, but after that we tried to catch them wherever they were playing.

[Jeafl]

13 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Just one night without thing song would be a miracle 😆 

 

 

Sweet Caroline 🎶 

I was dismayed to hear the waiters also singing it in the MDR now. 

[KmomChicago]

15 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Very impressive. I've never seen something like that. Was it lunch or dinner? Sometimes I've seen some nice items at dinner when the YTD mess at Royal has sent me to the jammer.

 

I love Royal and with their loyalty perks my bar and internet bill is lower but after I factor in specialty dining costs it's a wash. I really struggle with the included dining on Royal. 

 

I am going to say it was lunch but I cannot be certain. It was Adventure of the Seas, August 2019, and we ate the vast majority of our meals all day in the Jam and it was really very good the whole time except for most of the desserts being mediocre, but again, who cares, so much other great food.

 

Service was also good in there, very fast clearing of plates and cleaning vacated tables. My mom has mobility issues and they were constantly offering to get her more drinks or anything off the food lines. 

 

We were plenty happy with all the included food options on Oasis of the Seas a year earlier, and we are trying Ovation of the Seas in May for Alaska, again I expect to be fine with included dining.  For Alaska Carnival is often one of the more expensive options for just a garden-variety CCL ship, so we jumped at the chance to try Quantum class for less.  This will be our 3rd RCI voyage compared to 6 Carnivals since 2017.  We like them both just fine overall.

[jam19872016]

Good afternoon. 

 

I was able to get back asleep which is great but of course I've missed out on Cozumel.  No biggie, I could have chosen to stay up and head out if I wanted.

 

Going to head off and take a quick walk around the port now.

[jam19872016]

1 hour ago, Jeafl said:

I thought Jesse and Sarah were really talented!  We didn't discover them until mid week, but after that we tried to catch them wherever they were playing.

They sound amazing! Very talented duo.

 

54 minutes ago, Jeafl said:

I was dismayed to hear the waiters also singing it in the MDR now. 

I've heard it there too. Yikes. I've missed show time most nights so I've been spared that rendition so far 😬.

[jam19872016]

5 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

 

I am going to say it was lunch but I cannot be certain. It was Adventure of the Seas, August 2019, and we ate the vast majority of our meals all day in the Jam and it was really very good the whole time except for most of the desserts being mediocre, but again, who cares, so much other great food.

 

Service was also good in there, very fast clearing of plates and cleaning vacated tables. My mom has mobility issues and they were constantly offering to get her more drinks or anything off the food lines. 

 

We were plenty happy with all the included food options on Oasis of the Seas a year earlier, and we are trying Ovation of the Seas in May for Alaska, again I expect to be fine with included dining.  For Alaska Carnival is often one of the more expensive options for just a garden-variety CCL ship, so we jumped at the chance to try Quantum class for less.  This will be our 3rd RCI voyage compared to 6 Carnivals since 2017.  We like them both just fine overall.

I'll have to be on the lookout, that looks pretty good. I'm usually happy to at least find a bread pudding for dessert.

 

Enjoy Alaska! The scenery is stunning and is one of my favorite trips I've ever taken.

[jam19872016]

I'm surprised to see it's still just us and Mariner here. Another ship downtown. 

 

We are at the far pier that Carnival uses which I think is a first for me and certainly unusual if we are the only ccl brand ship in town.

 

Maybe someone else had trouble docking? I'll have to check the schedule. 

 

They had a beautiful Christmas tree display here last year, I'm hoping it's here again. Off to find out.

[VictorWI]

1 hour ago, jam19872016 said:

I'm surprised to see it's still just us and Mariner here. Another ship downtown. 

 

Yep, the only two ships scheduled. Tomorrow is another story with seven ships arriving!

[jam19872016]

I wish I could have spent some more time I'm Cozumel, it's my favorite of the ports that we visit too many times. Back onboard is 330 which for my own comfort means 230, so I had to wrap it up.

 

Grabbing lunch now. Just a salad and dessert today since I didn't skip breakfast. 

 

 

[KmomChicago]

3 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

I wish I could have spent some more time I'm Cozumel, it's my favorite of the ports that we visit too many times. Back onboard is 330 which for my own comfort means 230, so I had to wrap it up.

 

Grabbing lunch now. Just a salad and dessert today since I didn't skip breakfast. 

 

 

 

I want the cake!

[jam19872016]

 

I once tried the habenero salsa. Just a little drop. I have never felt such an intense feeling of pain on my tounge. I don't mess with that anymore. 

 

I tried the one on the right, salsa Roja. I love spicy, but this was still pretty bad. Give me a szecuan sauce with a flavorful heat any day. This is just heat. Pass.

 

Cooling down the burn now.

 

[jam19872016]

23 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

 

I want the cake!

If you hurry they are open for 15 more minutes. 

[jam19872016]

31 minutes ago, VictorWI said:

Yep, the only two ships scheduled. Tomorrow is another story with seven ships arriving!

Very unusual for Cozumel. It was so uncrowded. 

[jam19872016]

Looks like I am getting another zoo.

 

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

Looks like I am getting another zoo.

 

Aaaaargh.

[jam19872016]

The rain mostly held out for our day in Cozumel but has made an appearance for sail away.

 

One picture of Mariner as we leave.

 

 

Not raining hard but the wind is blowing it right at me so I'm coming back in and heading to the sauna now.

[jam19872016]

Rewinding to dinner from last night when I was in a wifi dead zone. Formal night menu. 

 

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

Table was assigned at 749. My under 10 minute wait was actually 29 minutes.

 

For my appetizer I got the tuna crudo 809.

 

 

This is a very light option, but it is very good. The flavor is fresh and pairs nicely with the fruit and has a little kick of spice to it. 

 

For mains I got the filet and short rib and firecracker branzino 814.

 

 

 

The filet was not good. I don't usually order it because just like the lobster, it is very poor quality but there would be a bigger uproar to remove it than to serve the cheapest possible filet they can source. It was good last week so I ordered it again and my luck had run out. I ordered medium, it was rare and while I have been eating medium rare, this was a bit too pink for me on the inside. It was also tough and lacked any flavor. I ended up not finishing it, which is something I rarely do but it just was not good at all. The short rib was the star of the dish (and was definitely missing from this dish last week) I would have been happy with just a full portion of short rib. Tender, and great flavor. 

 

The fish was good but I think was sitting maybe just a little too long under the heating lamp. The potatoes were definitely sitting too long and had dried out while also being room temperature at best. I was happy with the fish still, but the potatoes were better last time.

 

For dessert I got the grand mariner soufflé and chocolate panna cotta 830.

 

 

 

Looking at the soufflé I thought it was going to be overcooked again, which is still better than undercooked like the first week. It ended up being perfect! One of my favorite Carnival desserts and they knocked it out of the park tonight!

 

The panna cotta was also good. Rich chocolatey goodness, what's not to love?

[jam19872016]

Even with the disappointing filet, I was happy overall with the meal tonight. Service was quick and efficient although something is broken with the check-in process. If I am going to have a 30 minute wait, that is fine if I know about it and can plan accordingly. If it says 10 minutes, I am not going to check in until I am ready. I have not experienced this before in fact many times when the time is high, it ends up being much less than the estimated time.

[jam19872016]

17 hours ago, Tarheelblues said:

I’m cruising on the new year’s cruise for this ship so totally reading and living vicariously through you! I haven’t seen you mention the love and marriage show yet and was wondering if they’re still having it? But so excited to hear that quest has made a return! How do you feel about the cd and the piano bar entertainer? 

Love cruising over New Years! Such an amazing energy ringing in the New Year on a cruise. Does not look like I am going to get to do that this year.

 

Love and Marriage is still being offered. I went the first week but it is not my favorite event and I rarely attend. It was well attended so it is clearly very popular, but it isn't really my thing.

 

Quest has indeed returned and I think this is one of the best ones I've seen. It is crowd dependant though. Last night was poorly attended, and the crowd was not really comfortable letting loose and the show just wasn't as fun as a result. I think he did it too early this week, but maybe it was just this crowd. Still a good time, and I am glad to see it back!

 

Mike is on his first contract as a CD. He is good and wants to be the best CD in the fleet. If I am being honest, he is not there yet but seems like he has potential. He is not annoying, and does not make too many announcements. Very visible and engaging, he just doesn't seem to connect with people if that makes sense. As I said though, he has potential and I think he can only get better with experience.

 

I'm also enjoying the PBE, Rodney. I've seen him a few times, and he does have a limited routine so after a day or two, you kind of know where the show is headed but he is entertaining and does great with audience interaction.

 

Like most PBE on Carnival recently, he seems to close down around midnight even if the crowd is still engaged. If the last set is only going to last for an hour, I would like to see it start at 10 instead of not doing the adult show until 11. It is a lot more fun after 11 when we can cut loose. Although, he certainly pushes the boundries of family Piano Bar a bit, but don't tell Carnival I said that.

[jam19872016]

Couple more loose ends from last night....

 

I got another Ship on a Stick. I did not mean to, I've been to this same trivia three weeks in a row. I recall scoring 0 the first week so my 13 I got this week is from hearing mostly the same questions (a few different ones, but mostly the same). I was cheering for my score, and all of a sudden nobody else cheered. I should have bowed out, but I was a little over served by that point.

 

Speaking of over served, apperently I made quite the impression at the night club as I was recognized in port 🥴. Few people asked if I would be back tonight. If I do, I need to stash some food because I can't eat that pizza again. 

[jam19872016]

Checked in for dinner at 556 with under 10 minute wait.