Carnival Magic

Carnival Magic Cruise Review 3.4.2012

Just the Facts:
Ship: Carnival Magic
Date: March 4-10, 2012
Captain: Giovanni Cutugno
Hotel Director: Donato Becce
Cruise Director: James Charlton
Special Bloggers Host: John Heald

Ports: Galveston, Texas -Montego Bay, Jamaica - Grand Cayman, CI - Cozumel, Mexico

This was my 28th Carnival cruise, 70th overall, and 3rd cruise on the NEW Carnival Magic. I’m traveling with the dear wife (DW), my group of regular cruise friends: the SnoozeMates, and the John Heald Bloggers on this cruise.

Day 1- Sunday- 3/4/12- Embarkation- Galveston
We left the ranch at 6:20 am for our drive to Galveston. We arrived at EZ Cruise Parking by 11:00 am and used the shuttle (driven by our friend Jason) over to the Carnival pier. They had already started boarding so it was a very easy process for us to check in. They had several agents in the VIP boarding area and we were processed straightaway and were on board in just 15 minutes. We went to the Lido Marketplace and saw friends who had already boarded. I sampled the roast beef from the carving station then as a group we all ate at the Cucina del Capitano for lunch. After lunch we met at the Red Frog Pub. A major difference from November is that they no longer sell the Thirsty Frog draft beer while in port. We had the Funship Special the traditional Carnival sail away cocktail. Tim Pierce, a friend who I originally met in Key West on a genealogy trip was performing. I like Tim and his music very much, he is a credit to Carnival. Muster drill was held about 4:00 and we met in the Southern Lights dining room for safety instructions. Just after sailing away the ship actually had to stop and return to port to debark a passenger with a health issues, but we were soon on our way. They are now using the turning basin at the yacht club so the Magic has to back to the pier. Very interesting. The JH Bloggers group had a welcome party in the Showtime Theatre at 5:00. John Heald welcomed everyone and they served cocktails-thank John. There are over 500 signed up as Bloggers on this cruise, the largest yet, and it was great seeing old friends although 300+ of these were newbies. Now that we were finally away from the port we returned to the Red Frog for the first 102oz Thirsty Frog tube served. Great fun and Will Marion was now the entertainer in the pub. Also a great guy and asset to Carnival. Dinner is 8:15 in the Southern Lights dining room. Our group has three great 10-top tables in the center of the dining room. For dinner I ordered the Tender Braised Beef Brisket in Gravy as an entree and Vanilla Crème Brulee and Black Forest Gateau for dessert. After dinner some went to the Casino, some to the Welcome Show, some to the Piano Bar, and some (me) to the cabin to rest. A great first day among cruise friends.

Day 2- Monday- 3/5/12- at Sea

The seas are a bit choppy and it’s sunny, but cool. I started with my traditional first morning of a cruise breakfast in the MDR with melon, Eggs Benedict, bacon, & potatoes. There was a Bloggers Q&A this morning as well as all the usual ship activities. At 1:00 pm we had our Friends of Chris P meeting (photo left), our own little private cocktail party, in the Play It Again Piano Bar. The party was fantastic with premium cocktails and duck farts flowing. Chris P himself attended as well as some other special Carnival guests. After the party there was a lot of ship board activities including a Bloggers only Tea Time. In the afternoon I had some cabin time and ordered a late room service lunch on the balcony. The BLT and Reuben sandwiches were great. I had a much needed rest (snooze) in the cabin the rest of the afternoon. Many went to see Will Marion who performed in the Piano Bar before dinner. This was the first Elegant Evening with the special Captains dinner. Tonight I ordered: the Stuffed White Mushrooms, Shrimp Cocktail, Roasted Pumpkin Soup, and the Prime Rib with Baked Potato. My choice for dessert was Cherries Jubilee. The production show tonight was The Groove Line and the Punchliner Comedy club was busy. Our group again split up between the casino, shows, and clubs. I went to see Al Ernst in the Punchliner and then a few songs by Ron Pass in the very busy piano bar. Both Al and Ron are great and Carnival regulars. A fun first day at sea.

Day 3- Tuesday- 3/6/12- at Sea

Rough seas overnight and cloudy in the morning. I had a nice MDR breakfast of melon, fried eggs, toast, bacon, & potatoes this morning. The Bloggers had a Fun Meet this morning and we had a group set for a Trivia contest, but no one from the ship showed to host it. This is the already the 2nd time this cruise that the host did not show up for a scheduled trivia event. That’s not good. We had a cabin crawl this morning to compare various cabin types. For lunch I ate at the sushi bar that is converted to a Salad Bar on sea days. The salad and salsa are very good. There was a Bloggers slot tournament and Tea Time this afternoon. We had a nice Balcony party from 4:30 to sunset on one of the aft balconies. This class of ship is not as conducive for our group balcony parties as other ships since due to the configuration you can not access/link as many balconies together. Still fun although tighter quarters and we made use of all the champagne that was delivered to the group. Before dinner the group split to do various things including: Casino, Piano Bar, Red Frog Pub, and Comedy club. Tonight a few of us went to the Cucina Del Capitano (photo right) for a late dinner: I had the Capitano’s Arancini (fried risotto cheese balls), Calamari Fritti, Insalata Caprese, Bistecca Alla Griglia and Tiramisu for dessert. We ordered a carafe of the house wine and the dinner was very enjoyable. The steak was perfect, everyone agreed that the Arancini was the best of the dinner. Well worth the $12 pp up charge. After the late dinner I retired to the cabin.

Day 4- Wednesday- 3/7/12- Montego Bay, Jamaica
The weather was cloudy but cleared by the end of the day. I had another good MDR breakfast. Many of our group met in the lobby to begin our day in Jamaica. We bused ($5pp) to Doctor’s Cave Beach for the day. It sprinkled a bit early on but the day became warmer and sunnier as it progressed. We had a nice HQ set up in the bar area and several did the beach thing for the day. Lunch and the Red Stripe beer was very good. They had Red Stripe on tap and in the bottle. I hit the water several times and also made a trip down to the Twisted Kilt bar next door where I saw Timmy the ship entertainer. I always seem to find him in a bar on a beach somewhere. All the crew know the good Wi-Fi hot spots, but the TK also had a ginger flavored red stripe beer. I was able to arrange our usual transport back to the ship on Cap’t Ernie’s boat. It’s nice to be able to water taxi across Montego Bay and avoid the traffic and street taxi’s. Very little rest before a full evenings ship activities. Tonight is the big production magic show: Destination: Unknown with Jason Byrne. Unfortunately they had production problems and had to restart one of the shows three times. Back to the MDR for dinner. I ordered the Tom Ka Gai, Assorted Seafood Newburg, Grilled Pork Steak, Bitter and Blanc, and Tiramisu. It was all very good and Matre’ D Ken Byrne sang for us again. He is a great singer and a very nice man. After dinner the group split to do the usual: Casino, Entertainment, the unique show: A Kiss Goodnight, Piano Bar, or rest.

Day 5- Thursday- 3/8/12- Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Clear and sunny, the best weather of the cruise so far. Three cruise ships are anchored off the island today. We were up early and I had a nice omelette from the omelette station in the Lido Marketplace. Today is the big excursion for the group this cruise and we all met on board so that we could be on the same tender going over to the island. We made connections with our tour operator, Nativeway Watersports, who I have used many times in the past. They took us to our own boat for the day and we were off on our Rays, Reef, & Rum point excursion. The water was extremely beautiful, the best I have ever seen here in Grand Cayman. Since we had our own boat (photo right) I had arranged to have Caybrew, the local beer, and rum available for us so early cocktails were the first order of the day. First stop was snorkeling at the Coral Gardens. The water was nice although a little choppy and about half the group snorkeled. Next stop is Stingray City, the sandbar that attracts all the Southern Stingrays. (photo left) Most of the group hit the water for this experience. It was great fun and everyone got to kiss a stingray if they wished. It was really exciting for the first timers. We were then on our way to Rum Point for a very nice lunch on the beach. We had a very relaxing hour+ here and time for a visit to the beach, the bar, facilities, or even a little shopping. Unfortunately we had to leave paradise in order to take the boat back and catch the final tender back to the ship. We made it back to the ship in time to clean up and attend the ‘Past Guest’ party in the Showtime Theatre. We missed Tatiana, but had good service. Some in our group have sailed almost all the Carnival ships featured in the presentation and as a group we have sailed the Fantasy, Conquest, Splendor, Glory, and Magic. The ship production show this evening is WIN! in my opinion the best of the shows. Dinner was again very good, I ordered the Escargot, Penne Siciliana, Chateaubriand, and Baked Alaska. After dinner the group again did their thing: casino, shows, and clubs. The Bloggers also had a late Liars Club show. A long and FUN day!

Day 6- Friday- 3/9/11- Cozumel, Mexico
A beautiful sunny day in Cozumel, Mexico. There are five cruise ships docked today and we docked just before 10:00 am at Puerto Maya. Many of our group went to Paradise Beach for the morning. We stayed on the ship and enjoyed a casual morning and I enjoyed a MDR breakfast. DW and I took a taxi into San Miguel ($11 taxi fare) about 11:00. I went to Antonio’s Barber Shop for my usual haircut from Martin and DW went to have a ring sized at a silversmith friend (an expert at sizing small silver). As I finished my haircut, who should walk in but Chad, owner of Wet Wendy’s. We visited with Chad and then went to pick up the finished ring and purchased a very nice new Tanzanite ring that was hand made by the jeweler. We went by Wet Wendy’s for a mango margarita and some great guacamole & chips. Some friends came by so it was fun visiting and listening to the children’s xylophone folk group that played while we there. Our group was to meet this afternoon at the Thirsty Cougar a new place owned by the Wet Wendy’s group located at Calle 3 at the Malecon. (photo right) Another Mango Margarita and some very good Vegetable Quesidillas while visiting with good friends. Before long we had five tables and they took very good care of us at the Thirsty Cougar. We returned to the ship and enjoyed sail away and the sunset from our balcony. Only a short rest before dinner. I ordered: California Spring Mix Salad, Lasagna Bolognese, Duet of Petit Filet Mignon and Short Rib Confit, & Chocolate, Raspberry and Vanilla Creme Cake for dessert. Again a very good dinner and Ken Byrne and the waiters had a nice little show for us. The feature show tonight was Marcus Monroe, but most did the usual: Piano Bar, Casino, Comedy Club with two new comedians on board, and very late the Bloggers had the Roast of John Heald, (photo left) probably the best Blogger event of the week.

Day 7- Saturday- 3/10/12- at Sea
Today is a beautiful day at sea. I had a very nice dining room breakfast and met a great contact for information on cruising from Galveston. There was a Comedy talk for Bloggers by Al Ernst, John H, and Calvyn this morning and they also distributed the Bloggers T-shirts. Many in the group met for lunch on deck 5 and then more meeting in the Red Frog for an afternoon beer. There is a lot to do and see on this ship, we did a bit of shopping and did attend the Bloggers only Tea Time at 3:00 for some sweets. The Bloggers Farewell was at 5:00 pm, but our group did our traditional ship Farewell party in the Spotlight Lounge at 5:15 pm. They offer complementary drinks, but don't really publicize the party, the bonus was that Will was the entertainer! He again posed for a photo with the group (photo left). The only downside is that this party has been shortened from an hour to 45 minutes since we were here in November. The group had it’s final balcony party this evening (photo right), another beautiful sunset and good times with friends. Also a good way to get rid of all the alcohol on the last night. Tonight was actually my favorite dinner of the week in the MDR. I had my favorite Panko Crusted Jumbo Shrimp, Grilled Chicken Breast (served over fettuccine), New England Crabcake, Tender Roasted Prime Rib of American Beef, and Grand Manier Souffle. Very Good. Some had a quick dinner as three from our tables were starring in the Carnival Legends show as: Bruce Springsteen, Cher, and Frank Sinatra. Final night and everyone did their own thing. It’s Pajama night in the Piano Bar tonight..great fun, the Legends Show, Comedy Shows, Casino, and more. Also it’s pack your bags night.

Debarkation- Sunday- Galveston, Texas
We arrived in Galveston well before 6:00 am. I was up early and watched the ship be turned around by a tug and then towed to the dock. The thrusters are definitely not completely fixed. The Mariner came in after us on her own power. Soon we were tied up but there was almost an hour delay before they allowed debark. I suspect I know why. Finally they began debark for self assist guests, but because of the delay we waited until we felt it was somewhat less congested on deck three. We went down about 7:30 and were able to move through to the check out. Customs went well and soon we were walking over to EZ Cruise parking and on the road. We actually crossed the bridge and were off the island at 8:00 am. Amazingly smooth debarkation even with the delayed start.

Ship
The Carnival Magic is the newest and largest in the Carnival fleet. The ship is 1002 feet in length and weighs in at 130,000 tons. My two favorites of the much publicized new improvements are the Cucina del Capitano and the Red Frog Pub. The Water Works and Piano Bar are also great. On my previous Carnival Magic review I mentioned that I suspected that there were more engine problems than just the thrusters. I can confirm that they indeed are only using 5 of the 6 diesel engines and that one did indeed fail on the transatlantic voyage. They can ‘make do’ with five, but at what expense? Is this why the ports times have been cut shorter to allow more travel time at sea? Is this why there is a ‘power down’ at night and the air does not circulate as well? What happens if another engine is lost? Will safety be compromised? As to the thrusters...they are not fully operational and not fully certified by the USCG. What is the deal? I have been told that the Magic has more USCG inspection temporary ‘waivers’ than any other cruise ship....that has to be a sign that there are issues to be addressed. Most of the general public is not aware of these problems, but I am concerned. (Note: This part of the review seems to have been discussed on some cruise messages boards. I will say that what I say about the USCG inspections are true and not hearsay as the USCG is my direct source of information)

Cabin
We had cabin 9475 an 8D balcony on Vista deck. I selected this cabin as it is next to the aft cabins that many in our group like to book and has a unique configuration due to a stairwell. It’s also very easy to go up one deck to the aft Lido area and Lido Marketplace. The safe has a button keypad and card swipe, there is a hair dryer, flat screen TV, two electrical plugs on the vanity/desk, robes, three section wardrobe, small stocked refrigerator, and vanity stool. No couch, but extra storage room and wrap balcony. After being spoiled by the goodies in the bath I never bring a razor, but alas no more razors in the gifts basket. I’ll have to remember to bring one from now on.

Food
We had second or late seating for dinner and as a group had four very nice tables in center area of the Southern Lights dining room. A fantastic location to see Ken sing and the waiters dance. Overall the food was very good. Our waiter, Marcel, was excellent. I was very pleased with the service. Room service was very good, but very slow...plan on an hour for delivery. The Lido Marketplace was also good.

Personal Comments
With this cruise I have spent 30 days on the NEW Carnival Magic. I do have some issues. There were many many errors in the Fun Times, i.e. food areas listed as open when they were not, entertainment times listed incorrectly, and many more. This is serious as this is the guests primary connection to the ship. As a seasoned cruiser perhaps I am somewhat biased in my expectations, but it seems as though the Carnival Magic is just going through the motions to ‘get by’ and not providing the exceptional service that I have received on other Carnival ships. There are some great individuals on board, but overall I find many the crew and staff lacking. No adult swimming pool is a concern for me, it is one of the few cruise ships at sea without one. The Disney Magic has more adult pools than the Carnival Magic. There are so many little problems, to be honest I believe this ship is somewhat jinxed. I have to say that I will not be sailing the Carnival Magic again until some safety issues and other concerns are satisfied.

Cruise Highlights
The Snoozemates group who have sailed together many times is always the highlight. All are experienced cruisers who know how to have fun on a cruise. The John Heald Bloggers events were very nice. I think Ron Pass and his fan clubs bring a very exciting aspect to the cruise. Ron may have had more fans than John on the cruise. I enjoyed Timmy Pierce and Will Marion, both great guys and great singers. Our group as always makes their own FUN!

Another FUN Cruise!!

BUT Serious Concerns about the ship.

~~ Photos by Friends - click them to enlarge ~~

Mariner of the Seas

Mariner of the Seas Review 1.29.2012

Just The Facts:
Ship: Mariner of the Seas
January 29-February 16, 2011
Captain: Flemming G. Neilson
Entertainment Director: Kieron Buffery
Ports: Galveston-Roatan-Belize-Cozumel-Galveston
Weather: Very Good--clouds and sun

This is my 16th Royal Caribbean cruise and 2nd on the Mariner of the Seas. We booked this cruise very early in order to get our favorite aft cabin on deck seven. We are traveling with cruise friends. There will be some comparisons to the Voyager of the Seas since we have sailed her six times and it was the previous Royal Caribbean ship sailing from Texas.

Day One--Sunday—Embarkation
After checking weather for Galveston, we left the Ranch at 6:24 a.m. it doesn’t look like there will be any problems with fog as they had the previous week. We stopped at the new Love’s Country Store outside Hearne, Texas that will be our new rest/break area as it is about half way on our drive to Galveston. We arrived at EZ Cruise Parking about 11:05 and it was already beginning to fill with early arrivals. Both the Carnival Magic and Mariner of the Seas are boarding today. We used the EZ Cruise shuttle from the parking lot to the pier. The Diamond check-in was a smooth process although boarding was a bit delayed as it was the weekend of a mandatory crew check with U.S. Customs. We were aboard about 12:20 and went up to the Windjammer for lunch. The salads were very good as usual and I had the roast beef from the carving station. The roast beef was very good but the fried chicken cutlet was even better. The Windjammer soon got very busy and soon ran out of places to sit. I guess because boarding was delayed and many boarded at once. It was much more busy than other embarkations I have experienced. Our friends found us in time for dessert, I enjoyed the key lime mouse and the strawberry mouse. We found the cookies not near as good as in the past. When cabins opened at 2:00 p.m. we went to deck seven and our favorite aft balcony cabin. We’ve had this cabin location many times on several RCCL ships. The cabin was not quite ready, but since it is located at the far end of the ship cabin that has happened to us before. In the rush to get it ready, the carpet was not cleaned (we found an ear ring, lid, and confetti), and a few items left in bath. No harm though and by evening our cabin steward Ashton had everything in great shape. A new change is that there is no ice unless you request it and of course we want both the ice bucket and our small cooler filled daily. Our bags arrived about 3:30 and they brought them into the cabin, an improvement from leaving them at the cabin door. Muster drill was held about 4:00. You do not take your life jacket to the muster location as in years past. Your muster station is now prominent on your sea card and the crew assists passengers to the proper location. We sailed away about 5:00 and we watched from our great aft balcony. The weather was very nice and the dolphins were active too. The photo (above left) is the Mariner of the Seas as she was leaving Galveston. It was taken by a friend on the Carnival Magic. Great sunset to say the least. The Diamond Nightly Event is located in the large Lotus Lounge on deck 5. We went by for a glass of wine before dinner. We have 8:00 seating in the Rhapsody in Blue dining room on deck 3 and have a nice table on it’s own platform near the entry. Dinner was very good. I had the Vidalia onion tart, Tomato soup, the Pork medallions, and Savrin for dessert. The onion tart was exceptional and the pork very good. The ‘Welcome Show’ featuring the band, dancers and Cruise Director was at 10:00 pm in the theater and an Islands-a-go-go Parade down the promenade was at 11:15.

Day Two--Monday--at Sea
A very restful night and the weather is very nice. DW ordered her usual Room Service breakfast in bed and I had breakfast in the Diamond section of the dining room. I had eggs Benedict, bacon and hash browns. It was just OK, not as good as on the Voyager, but we’ll see how it progresses. They did fix a leche caliente for me and it was good. Some good balcony time and the Carnival Conquest is sailing along side this morning. I had a nice walk along the upper decks and around the pool. (see photo of pool area) I attended the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle at noon in the Ellington Lounge on deck 14. There was a fair crowd and they actually had good appetizers: cheese trays, fruit trays, and canapé trays. A very nice improvement to what they served on the Voyager. Not sure if this is fleet wide or not. For lunch we went to the Main Dining Room (MDR) as we know they have a nice salad station where you select your own individual salad items. It was windy on deck, but the aft is protected so we enjoyed some very nice balcony time until it clouded up in the late afternoon. The Captains reception was this evening although we passed on attending. The Captains Gala Dinner was a wonderful dinner, I ordered: Shrimp Cocktail, Escargot, Lobster Bisque, Seafood Brochette with scallops and shrimp on a monkfish, and the Filet Mignon with horseradish. For dessert I had the Chocolate Soufflé with a chocolate crème sauce. This was an excellent dinner, one of the better served on a cruise ship. After dinner we attended the late feature show, Voices 3 Las Vegas, in the Savoy Theater. It was a very enjoyable vocal musical show. After a long and fantastic first day at sea it was time to retire.

Day Three--Tuesday—Sea day
Weather is even better today as we enter the Caribbean. Midday temperature is 80°. DW had her room service and I had breakfast in the Diamond area of the MDR. The daily special was an open-faced omelette with peppers, onions, potatoes, and bacon. I’m still not impressed with breakfast. We had some good balcony time before a late Windjammer lunch. The first Ice Skating show was full so we spent a very nice afternoon on the balcony. The Crown & Anchor past guest parties were held in the afternoon, but we ordered cheese & fruit plates for a late afternoon balcony party. We did go to the Diamond function for a glass of wine before dinner. The late seating MDR is not that full, in fact our waiter Rosephil, from Goa, has only had only our table the past two nights so we are getting a lot of attention and service. The four of us in our party have the nice six-top table to ourselves. The Maitre’D brought a special Hearts of Palm salad, the fanciest one I have ever received. I ordered the Asian Noodles, Indian seafood soup, and the Surf & Turf, for dessert we all had the Kaluha Banana Crème Pie and a Coconut Crème Brule. After dinner we went to the Savoy Theater (photo above) for production showtime: Gallery of Dreams. It was a very interesting show featuring the Mariner orchestra and the Mariner singers & dancers.

Day Four--Wednesday—Roatan
We arrived by 8:00 a.m. and the weather was great very early-you could even see the mainland and the whale tail of the Carnival Legend at Mahogony Bay. We are docked at Coxen Hole and over the years we have watched the dock area improve, our balcony is facing southeast towards the mainland. We made no plans for the day other than taking it easy so no rush this morning. I had a nice breakfast, best so far, in the Diamond MDR and DW her usual room service breakfast. We were enjoying the view from the balcony and soon the weather changed with clouds rolling in and good rain began. Our balcony is deep and covered so it was great so we stayed there until lunch in the Windjammer. They had a very nice Sirloin in the carving station. The vegetables and mashed potatoes have been excellent. The afternoon was more balcony time. There was another shower then it completely cleared. At one time you could see the mainland better than I have ever seen it before. Usually the mountains are always covered with clouds but the storms had blown them away. Once it actually completely cleared in Roatan the mainland was again covered in clouds as usual. Interesting. We went to the Ice Under the Big Top show in Studio B at 6:30. (photo left) It was great to see a new ice show and it was very enjoyable. Do not miss the ice show. It was now time for dinner and it was another good one. DW said the Butternut squash with White Bean Salad and Spinach Ricotta was the best vegetarian dish so far. I had the Crabcake, Harira soup, a special Hearts of Palm salad, Beef Stroganoff, Black Angus steak, and Berrymisu for dessert. The crab cake and hearts of palm were excellent. After dinner they had the Love and Marriage Show (adult only) in the Savoy Theater and later a buffet and country music band on Lido deck.

Day Five--Thursday--Belize
We are anchored off Belize by 8:00 am. and the weather is partly cloudy but very nice. We are sleeping in this morning and DW had room service and I went to the Windjammer as the MDR is closing at 9:00. I had a nice western omelette from the omelette station. They have a different system: you turn in your egg order and receive a number within a few minutes you pick up you eggs. Easy. We had not intended to go ashore, but decided that we would ride over to the tourist village. The tender takes about 15 minutes, but about that long for loading and unloading as well. Belize is a great place for taking tours, but there is really nothing more than touristy shopping in the tourist village. Since we have done numerous tours in the past (Belize Zoo, Cave Tubing, City Tour, Cay Caulker, Snorkeling, etc.) we just looked at some shops and returned to the ship in time for lunch in the Windjammer. They had Leg of Lamb at the carving station, but I had a pork cutlet, pasta and mashed potatoes. I took a sample of desserts back to the balcony to enjoy. Great weather for balcony time and sail away from Belize. We did go to the Diamond lounge for a cocktail before the production show: Center Stage. The show was great featuring the orchestra in a Hollywood bowl sitting with the production singers and other musical acts did production songs and tunes. It is a very good show. Dinner was very good, I had: the Scallop Risotto, Hearts of Palm, Antipasta, Black Angus Steak, Tiger Shrimp, and Tiramisù for dessert. DW had a mixture of fresh vegetables and potatoes. After dinner they had the very popular Quest in Studio B. First time cruisers should not miss the Quest.

Day Six--Friday—Cozumel
We entered the Straits of Cozumel on schedule just a head of the Allure of the Seas. Then a full stop of the ship, as it seems they had a ‘man overboard’ situation on the Allure. The Mariner lowered some boats to assist the search but proceeded to the dock as the search area was too small for the large ships. We arrived just a little later than the 8:00 am scheduled arrival time at the International Pier. I then had a good main dining room breakfast of Huevo Rancheros while DW had her room service. By the time I returned to the cabin the Allure began to dock opposite us on the same pier and we had front row seats from the balcony. It’s very amazing to see the largest cruise ship in the world docking next you. As the Allure got closer and we could see the passengers on her we noticed something interesting, they were ALL men. Yes it seems this was a special charter cruise for gay men. It will be interesting in Cozumel today. There were five ships in total in Cozumel today including the Conquest, and two NCL ships at Puerto Langosta. We had no big excursions planned, just an afternoon in San Miguel. We left the ship about 10:30 and took a taxi to town. We saw our friend Nelly at her new shop Caribbean Angel and Pepe at the Mayan Pearl. As usual I had my hair cut at Antonio’s barber shop. Martin has been cutting my hair for over five years. We were meeting friends for lunch at 1:00 at Wet Wendy’s so we went over a little early for a Bohemia beer and some guacamole & chips. When our friends arrived we ordered some of their signature huge margaritas. We both got the mango favored ones (photo left). For lunch I ordered a meat & cheese Chili Relleno and DW had cheese quesidillas. They were great. After a bit more of shopping we took a taxi back to the ship about 3:00 pm. Those that have sailed from Cozumel are aware of the ‘drunk walk’ on the pier that many make on returning to their ship. We were anticipating an interesting show between the Allure and the Mariner and it did not disappoint. Our aft corner balcony was a great location and the beginning of the ‘tunnel’ created by the two ships. (In the photo our balcony would be the one with the upper 'O' section, but on opposite side) Soon enough many of the gents on the Allure were partying and ‘doing their thing’ from the balconies. They were certainly getting attention and it was somewhat humorous, but it went too far when the nudes came out. There was a ship horn exchange and a lot of cheers both ways when the Mariner began pulling away from the pier. We enjoyed the free show and the cheese & fruit trays we ordered for sail away. Tonight’s production show was before dinner for late dining guests and featured Paul Boland, the man of a 1000 voices. This was the second formal night of the cruise and dinner was very good, my favorite of the cruise. I had the Seafood Salad, Mushroom Pastry, Hearts of Palm salad, Prime Rib, Lobster, and Cherries Jubilee. After that great meal and a busy day I retired to the cabin for the evening.

Day Seven--at Sea
Sunny today and our aft balcony is perfect as it blocks the wind and has shade. It is Chocolate breakfast day in the dining room. You could get chocolate éclairs, donuts, cakes, chocolate
pancakes, hot chocolate, chocolate milk shake, and more. I had a traditional fried egg breakfast and my usual leche caliente. MDR breakfasts did get better! DW had her usual room service breakfast. We had balcony time and worked on debarkation paper work in the morning. We attended a behind the scenes tour of the Theater and following a Meet the Stars event. These were Diamond activities and interesting additions, but there was no Diamond luncheon as they used to have on the final sea day. Time for a late lunch in the Windjammer and they had ham on the carving station. We had more balcony/cabin time and the weather was fantastic all afternoon and a beautiful sunset. We went to the Farewell Showtime which featured the Orchestra, CD Kieron, and comedian/juggler David Aiken who was very funny. Dinner was again good. I had the Shrimp Cocktail, Onion Soup, again a Hearts of Palm salad, Pasta with Marinara Sauce, NY Strip steak, and Key Lime Pie for dessert. After dinner we returned to the cabin to pack. One of the best events takes place late on Saturdays in Boleros when the ship’s orchestra breaks into a Jazz group.

Debarkation--Sunday
We were docked by 6:45 am in Galveston. It was raining, but we were lucky that there was no fog as the Triumph was delayed until noon on the previous day. No room service on debarkation morning, but a full breakfast menu in the dining room. We both had a MDR breakfast early this morning. They started allowing the self-debarkation people off just about 7:45 a.m. It was really fairly smooth considering how many people are using it. We rolled our bags to EZ Cruise parking and were on our way to fill up and head north. Gas was $3.34 in Galveston, and we crossed the bridge about 8:55 a.m. Round trip drive from the Ranch to EZ Cruise parking is 576 miles.

Ship
The Mariner of the Seas replaced one of my favorite cruise ships, The Voyager of the Seas, as the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines ship home porting in Texas. They are very similar as they are the same class of ship so not much difference between the two. With a large ship there are a lot of people and the pools can be very crowded during peak times and the elevators are always full, but the additional size also means that there is room for the photo gallery, casino, bars, etc. without any one of them dominating an entire deck. The Grand Promenade is very impressive indeed and must be experienced.

Crew
The staff and crew are very good. Our waiters were excellent. Our cabin steward was very conscientious and did a great job. The Captain held a Q&A on the last sea day.

Cabin
We have cabin 7688 a corner aft on port side. It is one of our favorite cabins on a cruise ship. The room is a standard size, or actually slightly smaller, but the balcony is one of the largest on the ship. The cabin has: key pad safe, hair dryer, refrigerator, short couch, nice sliding door shower, and more. Air worked well. A long walk to the stairwell and elevators, but I needed the exercise.

Food
Our dining room is the Rhapsody in Blue, deck three the lower level of the 3 level restaurant. It was table 313 a six top table for the four of us on a raised platform and rail around it. It had a nice view of the dining room from near the entry. Our waiter was Rosephil a friend of our previous waiter Bonneventura both from the Goa India area. Rosephil was very good. The head waiter, Jean Pierre, from France came by every evening and arranged the hearts of palm for me. The bread is very good and they serve a different specialty bread in the dining room each evening. The Windjammer is excellent. Best buffet at sea IMHO. Room service was always good and prompt. Johnny Rockets was a good alternative for lunch or afternoon snack. Lunch in the dining room has the same menu each day with one special item that does change daily. There are several ice crème and yogurt machines. Room service is great. In addition to the annual crew customs situation on embarkation, the ship did receive it’s annual health inspection and received a 100% grade. That’s very good.

Cruise Highlights
Dinner & Service in the dining room, the Ice show, and the two production shows. We didn’t use many of the public areas of the ship as much this cruise as we really used our balcony a lot. On many cruises it is too hot or even too cold to use the balcony, but this cruise the weather was perfect for balcony use.

Needs Improvement
Cookies. Historically we loved the cookies on both The Rhapsody & The Voyager, but on the Mariner they were too hard to bite into them. It has to be a good cruise when the only item I’d improve is the cookies.

Comments
They really seem to do a very good job of scheduling the entertainment and production shows then coordinating them with the various receptions, and other events. We were as busy as we wanted to be all week, but we really enjoyed the relaxation time as well.

Overall another fantastic cruise!

Carnival Magic Inaugural Texas Cruise

Carnival Magic U.S. Inaugural
Cruise Review 11.14.2011

Just the Facts:
Cruise: Carnival Magic Inaugural Texas Cruise
Date: November 14-19, 2011
Captain: Giovanni Cutugno
Cruise Director: James Charlton
Special Guest: John Heald
Ports: Galveston, Texas - Progreso, Mexico - Cozumel, Mexico

This was my 27th Carnival cruise, 68th overall, and 2nd cruise on the NEW Carnival Magic. I’m traveling with the dear wife (DW) and group of regular cruise friends on this cruise.

Day 1- Monday- 11/14/11- Embarkation- Galveston
Another easy start for this cruise as again I am already on board ship. I had breakfast in the MDR (main dining room) and hoped to sit with TA’s and get their impressions of the ship. They had questions for me as well since I was on the transatlantic. I was worried that they would not be able to debark all the travel agents that had stayed overnight, but they got them all off by 9:00 am. Now housekeeping and the staff had to prepare for another group of passengers who will be boarding. I must say that they did a wonderful job. I saw several groups of US Coast Guard finalizing inspections and got to hear announcement that were made for the crew. John Heald even thanked all the crew on behalf of the CEO for the great work they had done on inaugural Sunday. He also bragged on the successful health inspection, they received a perfect 100%. Amazing. They announced that boarding would begin at 11:00 am for our cruise. I got settled into our new cabin and by the time I went down to Guest Services to get my new card the ‘group’ and dear wife were boarding so we all made the lobby at the same time. Everyone had lunch and then we all met in the Red Frog Pub for afternoon drinks. Five (it may have been six) of the 102 oz. Tubes of Thirsty Frog soon put everyone in a very good mood. Will Marion, (photo left) one of the entertainers who plays in the Red Frog, was quickly adopted by the girls as our entertainer. He is good and plays a lot of Southern Rock and popular music. I took the DW on a tour of the new Carnival Magic, her first thought was that after the publicity it lacked the expected ‘wow’ factor. Upon returning to the cabin a gift of Chocolate Covered Strawberries and White Chocolate from the Hotel Director was left as a B2B gift. They used to do B2B gifts in the past, but not in past few years, so this was very nice. Boat drill was about 4:30 pm and went very well. Soon the Galveston Bay dolphins escorted the Magic out of the harbor and into the Gulf of Mexico. Some cabin time to rest and prepare for dinner was sorely needed by this time. We have two great 10-top tables located in the center of the Southern Lights Dining room. Thanks to Senior Maître D' Ken Byrnes who helped me arrange them for the group. For dinner I ordered the Creme of Sun Dried Tomato Soup, Green Salad, the Sweet & Sour Shrimp with Plum Sauce as an entree and Crème Brulee for dessert. After dinner some went to the Casino, some to the Welcome Show, some to the Piano Bar, and some to the cabin to rest. A great first day among cruise friends.

Day 2- Tuesday- 11/15/11- at Sea
A nice morning with clear skies. I was up very early and took care of some business with Guest Services, no lines early in the day. I went early to the dining room and I got a private table so I changed my usual first morning cruise routine and ordered eggs to order. They were perfect: three eggs over medium with sides of baked apple, toast, bacon, potatoes, and corned beef hash. I then met others in the group on Lido deck for a fun morning on the Twister and Drain Pipe slides. There were many more passengers, including children already using the Water Works than on the previous cruise. For lunch we did the Salad Bar located on Promenade deck. BTW--They have the best pico de gallo I have ever found on a cruise ship. Texans will love it. At 1:00 pm we had our Friends of Chris P meeting, (photo right) our own little private cocktail party, in the Piano Bar. We requested the best cocktail server on the ship, Marusya (I discovered her on the previous cruise) and she was great. The party was fantastic with premium cocktails and duck farts flowing. We also had a special guest, Senior Cruise Director & Blogger Mr. John Heald (photo above left) who entertained with some stories and posed for photos with the group. Following the party it was off to the Red Frog Pub to meet Facebook friends and a few more tubes of Tasty Frog beer (photo left). JH came by there as well and meeting new people was fun. The rest of the afternoon was spent on Lido deck acting goofy and listening to our new adopted entertainer: Will. One of our group won the slot tournament this afternoon, always a good thing. Something very unusual happened on the ship at the beginning of early seating dinner, our favorite Matre’D Ken was attacked by a disgruntled waiter and will be taking time off his duties for the rest of the cruise. We will hopefully have the same arrangements and catch up with Ken in March when the group again sails on the Magic. For dinner I had: the Stuffed White Mushrooms, Roasted Pumpkin Soup, and the Prime Rib with Baked Potato. The production show tonight was The Groove Line and the Punchliner Comedy club was also busy. Our group again split up between the casino, shows, and clubs. A fun first day at sea.

Day 3- Wednesday- 11/16/11- Progreso, Mexico
After we boarded the ship on Monday we received a letter from the Captain stating that because of the aft thruster problems that we could not call at our scheduled port of Costa Maya. We would be doing an overnight call at Progreso so that a tug could assist in docking and that the divers could make further repairs. Not happy about this as Progreso is in the Gulf and not near as pretty as the Caribbean port of Costa Maya. I lost our only Caribbean call on the transatlantic as well. Since we were in no hurry to go ashore I had a casual breakfast in the MDR and visited with friends on the aft Lido deck. We made plans to meet in town later in the day. DW used the aft pool and I relaxed until lunch. We ate at Cucina del Capitano and it was good as always. After lunch we took the shuttle into town an met at my favorite place in town: Le Saint Bonnet (photo left) on the Malecon. Almost everyone was there by the time we arrived, a group of about fifteen friends. This is a good place to HQ as from here you can shop or go to the beach. We had a nice afternoon drinking margaritas, eating some Mexican food, and enjoying the great breeze off of the water. Even enjoyed a nice massage ($10 for 45 minutes). We have never been able to stay late before and they brought in a female Cubano torch singer so it was a fun time. Especially for the girls who became the backup singers and dancers for the singer (yup, photo right). We returned to the ship in the evening and the ship was very pretty lit up in the night. We arrived back in time for a late snack in the Lido Buffet. They did open the casino so many went there as well as the late production show: Destination: Unknown. I had a much better seat for this show than on the previous cruise and we enjoyed it very much. Later I went to the Piano Bar to enjoy Ron Pass or more correctly watch the others enjoy Ron. A very good people watching place.

Day 4- Thursday- 11/17/11- Progreso, Mexico
Everyone in our group as well as most of the ship stayed on board although we were still docked in Progreso. I had my usual MDR breakfast then met others on Lido deck aft. This is the usual meeting place for our group as it above our cabins located one deck below on Vista deck aft. Some swimming and Bloody Mary’s seemed to be the plan for the morning. The pool was nice this morning although a little cool for me. This afternoon we had some ship time including some more time in the Water Works and the slides...great fun. We had an early sail away with the help of a tug from Progreso. Ships normally dock with the aft towards the pier in Progreso and we were the opposite so that we could be towed out easier. Obvious that the thrusters still do not work, but interesting to watch since the tug was just below our aft balconies. The rest of the day was really just one long party. We started with one our infamous aft balcony parties with lot's of snacks, beer, champagne, rum, and just about any cocktail one would want. This group travels well. The next stop was the Past Guest Party in the Show Time lounge (photo above left). The cocktail servers did a very good job in maintaining the party for us. Cruise Director James did a good job and everyone had a good time. Next stop was the Red Frog Pub (photo right) where the guys again began drinking the tubes of Thirsty Frog, but the gals's changed to Tiramisu Martinis. Our friend John Heald even came by and ordered another tube for the gang. A fun time for both our group and new friend made in the pub (at some point we had to give away some alcohol). The MDR was out of the question this evening so we ate in the Lido Marketplace. I understand the pork chops were very good. I retired after dinner and the group went about their usual fun ship activities. Marcus Monroe was the entertainer this evening and they also had a Caribbean Beach Party.

Day 5- Friday- 11/18/11- Cozumel
A very nice day with a nice cool breeze. There were seven ships in Cozumel so there will be a lot of tourists today. Finally after 20+ days on the Magic we will be in a Caribbean port even though three ports were promised. I started the day with a dining room breakfast then met the group for an early planned start in Cozumel. We hired a van for the day ($25 pp) and so 14 of us were off for Buccano’s Beach Club located in the hotel zone north of San Miguel. We were there just after 9:00 am and had the swimming pool (photo left), facilities, and beautiful beach (photo right), to ourselves for quite a while. It is a very beautiful place with a great view and very good food. About 12:30 as it became busier we decided to head into San Miguel and our now favorite bar: Wet Wendy’s. They were very busy, but very accommodating and got us a large table in the shade (photo bottom left). We used this as a HQ and some did some shopping while I went to Antonio’s barber shop to see Martin and get a haircut. I rejoined the group for a Mango Margarita and a Drunken Sailor cocktail. It’s always good to see Chad and Klara the owners. The service, drinks, and food were great. Note: Bucanno’s may now charge an admission, we didn’t as it was included in our $25, but one person came late and was charged $10 and I was told that is the new policy. I have been here many times and had never been charged in the past. It’s already an expensive taxi ride and so I no longer recommend the trip if there is an admission. The food is great, but it’s not inexpensive and although this is not bargain resort, I do consider it gouging. Also the food and drink bill was not split so it was very difficult for everyone to pay their share. At Wet Wendy’s everyone received a bill with their name on it and it was easily paid. Now that Paradise Beach has a swimming pool that may be our choice in March or one of the all inclusive spots. Sail away from Cozumel was interesting with so many ships leaving especially since the Carnival Conquest, my former 'home' ship was also in port. I guess that will be a regular Friday thing with the Conquest now sailing out of NOLA and the Magic out of Galveston. They did use a tug to get us off the pier. After sail away we went to see comedian John Wesley Austin in the Punchliner Comedy Club. He has a Texas/Country style of comedy and should be popular on this cruise. Dinner was very good, I ordered the Broccoli Soup, Escargot, Penne Pasta, Chateaubriand, Butter Pecan Ice Creme, and Fruit Plate. After dinner the group again did their thing: casino, shows, and clubs. The production show this evening was Win!. A fun day, but a beautiful day in Cozumel with friends makes it very special!!

Day 6- Saturday- 11/19/11- at Sea
Today is a beautiful day at sea, the best of the past 20+ days. I had a very nice dining room breakfast and was joined by several friends, a nice surprise. After breakfast most in the group were on aft Lido deck for some Swimming, Bellini’s, and Bloody Mary’s. I even hit the hot tub early before the crowds arrived, then swam in the pool and enjoyed the Bloody Marys. This was a fun morning. Most met for lunch in Cucina del Capitano, best lunch on the Magic in my opinion. The afternoon was full of activities: Water Park, Groove for St. Jude’s Walk, music in various venues, sales in the shops, the Sports deck, and more. All passengers and the group were busy on this beautiful day. At 5:00 pm they held the Farewell party in the Spotlight Lounge. They offer complementary drinks, but don't really publicize the party although it was overly full this cruise. Word of mouth & groups filled it. Marusya really took care of us at this party and the bonus was that Will was the entertainer! He also posed for a photo with some of the group (photo left). Not sure what he thinks of us. Tonight we went to the early set in the Piano Bar before dinner to enjoy Ron Pass one final time. The girls all ordered special Tirimasu Martinis from Anton the Bartender (photo lower right). Having been to the Piano Bar many times over 20+ days I can say that Anton is perfect for that venue. He is entertaining in his own right and is really a good fit with Ron Pass. Dinner was very good, I had my favorite Panko Shrimp entree, but many the group raved over the new Didja menu Macaroni with Bacon entree. Marcus Anthony was one of the entertainers this evening as well as the Carnival Legends Show, but after dinner I headed back to the cabin to pack and put out our bags. We decided not to do self assist debarkation as we have two large bags and there are now so many people doing self assist that it gets very busy and confusing, especially in the designated waiting area. By checking our bags we can just wait in the cabin or public area until we are called to debark. BTW-always check to see that your bags were picked up, mine were not initially, but a few calls finally got them taken.

Debarkation- Sunday- Galveston, Texas
We arrived in Galveston well before 6:00 am. I was up early and watched the ship be turned around by a tug and then towed to the dock. The thrusters are definitely not fixed. Soon we were tied up and they began debark for self assist guests very early. We went up to the Lido Marketplace for breakfast while we waited for our zone to be called and just as we finished breakfast they called zones 1-2-3. It was only 7:00 am and they are already calling zones. We went down to the cabin, got our bag and headed for the lobby. We left the ship, found our checked bags, and proceeded to US Customs. All went well and soon we were walking over to EZ Cruise parking and on the road. We actually crossed the bridge and were off the island before 8:00 am. Amazingly easy debarkation.

Ship
The Carnival Magic is the newest and largest in the Carnival fleet. The ship is 1002 feet in length and weighs in at 130,000 tons. My two favorites of the much publicized new improvements are the Cucina del Capitano and the Red Frog Pub. The Water Works and Piano Bar are also great.

Crew
The staff and crew for the most part are very good at their jobs and very friendly. I think many were somewhat stressed after the big Sunday extravaganza though. They have been trained very well. Again my stateroom attendant was fantastic.

Cabin
We had cabin 9473 an 8D balcony on Vista deck. I selected this cabin as it is next to the aft cabins that many in our group like to book. It’s also very easy to go up one deck to the aft Lido area and Lido Marketplace. It is a standard balcony configuration with a full couch. The safe has a button keypad and card swipe, there is a hair dryer, flat screen TV, two electrical plugs on the vanity/desk, robes, three section wardrobe, small stocked refrigerator, and vanity stool. The carpets and furniture were freshly cleaned because there were smokers in the cabin for the preceding 16 day cruise. The fact that I spoke with the steward well before moving in helped him get it cleaned. So the odd one night in a different cabin actually worked well, it gave him time to really clean it and we did not notice the smoke after the first day. On December 1st smoking will not be allowed in cabins so hopefully this won’t happen to future cruisers. One disappointment is that the balconies are smaller than on a Conquest class ship.

Food
We had second or late seating for dinner and as a group had two very nice tables in center area of the Southern Lights dining room. A fantastic location to see Ken sing and the waiters dance. Unfortunately Ken was unable to work other than the first night. We are the last ship in the Carnival fleet to go to the new ‘Didja’ menus. Overall the food was very good. The comfort food additions such as meat loaf, macaroni & cheese, and fried chicken are interesting. Read my Magic Transatlantic review for more detail on food.

Personal Comments
Although our group had a lot of FUN, I felt that this cruise was just a ‘half bubble off plumb’ all week. There were again problems with the aft thrusters, new crew members, change of ports, fight in dining room, electrical power (the AC went off every night) & I suspect there are engine problems other than the thrusters, and IMHO perhaps a tired crew. It was still a great cruise, but of course our group can make a party out of an armpit.

Cruise Highlights
The Snoozemates group who have sailed together many times was the highlight. All are experienced cruisers who know how to have fun on a cruise. Senior Cruise Director John Heald stopping by our private party was nice. Will Marion, the entertainer was great. Our Red Frog Pub parties were the talk of the ship. Cozumel was wonderful as always.

Overall another great Cruise!!

~~ Photos by Friends - click them to enlarge ~~

Carnival Magic Welcome Ceremony

Carnival Magic Welcome Ceremony 11.13.2011

Just the Facts:
Date: November 13, 2011
Master of Ceremonies: John Heald
Captain: Giovanni Cutugno
Port: Galveston, Texas

This was a port day set aside by Carnival between the transatlantic cruise and the first Texas inaugural cruise. Very smart of Carnival as it serves two purposes: 1). a day for various US Coast Guard, Health dept., & US Customs inspections and 2). a day to preview the new Carnival Magic for Travel writers, Travel Agents, and even Investors. There were 21 passengers doing a B2B and they were allowed to stay on board ship for this one day between cruises. Thank you Carnival, it was the right thing to do.

Sunday- 11/13/11- Galveston
Since I am already on board this will be an easy day for me although I will have to change cabins. I was supposed to move down just a few cabins to my next cruise balcony cabin, but due to a mix up I will have a cabin forward on Lido deck. While passengers debarked in Galveston I went to the MDR for a nice leisurely Eggs Benedict breakfast. After breakfast I returned to the cabin to pack for my move. Those doing the B2B (and the contractors on board to repair the thrusters) met to go through US Customs at the conclusion of the debarkation process. For the first time in Galveston it went very well as we went down at 10:30 a.m and were back on board just about 11:00 am. Congratulations to both Carnival and the Port of Galveston on a smooth debarkation process. My new cabin was 10201 as far forward as you can get with a cabin on the ship. This is a handicap cabin with a lot of extra room in both the cabin and toilet. It has a window looking forward onto a small almost private deck and is very clean, I doubt anyone was in it for a while. I was assigned the one day inaugural sail & sign card and the great thing is that there will be no accounts set up so all drinks today will be complementary. A nice bonus. There are a lot of Carnival people boarding, but the TA’s are scheduled in the afternoon so the Lido Marketplace opened later than normal and there is a lot of last minute activity to make sure that the ship is in top shape. The staff is even wearing their formal night uniforms for the day. When the Mongolian Grill opened I was there for a very nice lunch. After lunch I participated in some of the Travel Agent activities, they basically had gift stations set up around the ship so that you would end up taking a tour of the ships key features. Also took advantage of a few cocktails. I had a Miami Vice cocktail at the Red Frog as I wanted to sample more bar snacks that they were serving just as fast as they could cook them up. It was like an all-inclusive resort feature and a different experience for sure. I admit I asked for a few diet cokes when ordering a drink so I would have some for the next cruise.

The big afternoon activity was a concert by the very well known band Maroon 5. I had floor passes, but decided to watch the concert from the balcony in front of my forward cabin. In the above photo I would be above the flag on the deck above the bridge. (click photo to enlarge it) The view was from the rear of the stage, but the music was just fine. I also didn’t have to fight the crowd and waste any complementary drinking/party time either. Thanks again Carnival.

There were a lot of activities scheduled: The Groove Line production show, Punchliner Comedy Shows, Piano Bar, and all the entertainers in various venues including the Lido deck. Just as on a cruise, the days Fun Times listed all the activities. The official welcoming and inaugural ceremonies were held in the Showtime Theater before the show. A very impressive day.

Several of the B2B passengers met for dinner in the Southern Lights dining room for a very nice dinner. I ordered: White Stuffed Mushrooms, Black Tiger Shrimp Cocktail, Prime Rib of Roast Beef with Baked Potato, and Lemon Tart for dessert. They served red and white wine with dinner. I also had a cosmopolitan cocktail and Grand Marnier as an after dinner drink. There were a lot of parties around the ship and I did a little TA watching before retiring for the evening. I know I have another six days to party with very good friends on the inaugural cruise.

A very FUN day.....Thanks Carnival

Carnival Magic Transatlantic

Carnival Magic Tranatlantic Review 10.28.2011

Just the Facts:
Cruise: Carnival Magic Transatlantic
Dates: October 28--November 13, 2011
Captain: Giovanni Cutugno
Cruise Director: James Charlton
Ports: Barcelona, Spain - Palma De Mallorca, Spain - Malaga, Spain - Las Palmas, Canary Islands - Freeport, Bahama Islands - Galveston, Texas, USA

This was my 26th Carnival cruise, 67th overall, 2nd Transatlantic, and 1st cruise on the NEW Carnival Magic. I’m traveling as a solo on this cruise.

Day 0- Thursday- 10/27/11
When traveling for a cruise holiday it is best to arrive a day before debarkation to acclimate yourself and allow for any potential travel problems; however, as a solo I decided to travel on the day of sailing. I left the ranch by 10:30 am to make a 2:00 pm flight from DFW airport. All went well and the flight arrived early at JFK in New York. The direct flight to Barcelona was scheduled for 9:00 pm but was delayed several times. It finally got away several hours late.

Day 1- Friday- 10/28/11- Embarkation- Barcelona
My overseas flight arrived in Barcelona about 1:00 pm local time, about three hours past the originally scheduled time. Spanish immigration was easy and after retrieving my bag I sought out the Carnival shuttle operators. They were very well organized and easy to find. I purchased a ship transfer ($30) and checked my bag with them that would later be delivered to my cabin. A very simple process. Soon we were on a bus and dropped direct at the Carnival pier. The VIP check in was also very well organized. The line seemed long at first glance, but went very fast as they had several check in windows available for VIP and added more as needed. I was on board about 3:00 pm and now had a chance to catch my breath and start looking at the newest ship in the Carnival fleet. Very impressive so far. (Atrium photo at right) After dropping my bag in the cabin I went to the Lido Marketplace to get a lunch before they closed for boat drill. The roast beef and salad were very good. After lunch I enjoyed some much needed cabin time to refresh from the long flight and travel. Boat drill began about 4:30 pm and seemed to go very smooth. I looked around the ship a bit and visited the excursion desk to make a query about an excursion the next morning, but it was sold out. I took a series of short naps and tried to adjust to the time change as best I could. Dinner time at 8:15 pm came fast so it was off to the Southern Lights dining room. I had a very good table location near the center of the dining room with friends and soon to be new friends. For dinner I ordered the Creme of Sun Dried Tomato Soup, the Black Tiger Shrimp Cocktail, the Sweet & Sour Shrimp entree and the Crème Brulee for dessert. After dinner several of us went to the Showtime Comedy Club located in the Spotlight Lounge. I recently saw comedian Chase Elstner on the Carnival Glory and really enjoyed his show so I wanted to catch his act. He was hilarious. All the venues on the ship that featured live music seemed to be well attended. I retired to the cabin late and found a nice surprise: a ticket to the excursion I wanted for the following day.

Day 2- Saturday- 10/29/11- Palma De Mallorca
A nice morning with cloudy skies and occasional light showers. I went early to the dining room for my traditional 1st morning breakfast of Eggs Benedict, bacon, hash browns, grapefruit, milk, and tomato juice. It was very good and a good sign for the rest of the cruise. I had to meet the tour group in the Showtime Theater at 9:00 am and soon we were off for our excursion. The excursion was the Soller and Train Ride ($80), one of the more popular choices. We took a bus into Palma with a short stop then proceeded to the village of Soller. The weather was clearing and we had time to sightsee and visit the local Pablo Picasso museum. We then boarded the Soller Train, an old vintage electric train, for the trip back to Palma. It was a very picturesque excursion with the old village and mountains. We had the option of being dropped off at Palma or back to the pier. I chose to return to the ship. Upon returning I went to the Cucina del Capitano pasta bar where you can select your choices of pastas, sauces, and toppings. I had bow-tie pasta with meat sauce and topped with cherry tomatoes and grilled chicken. It was excellent and I will be returning. I tried the Key Lime pie from the Lido Marketplace for dessert and it was also excellent with a light sprinkle of pistachio on top. Now time for a nap as I’m still not quite acclimated to the time changes. After napping and some ship exploration I went to the Southern Lights for dinner. My choices were Black Tiger Shrimp Cocktail, Langoustino Cocktail, a Mixed Green Salad, the Grilled NY Strip Steak, and the White Chocolate Bread Pudding for dessert. It was all very good with the steak cooked to order and the dessert a very nice surprise. Following dinner was the Welcome Show. Usually when these are held so late they are not well attended, but it was standing room only for this show. I guess with it on the 2nd night people were more rested and looking for entertainment. James the Cruise Director did a good job with a skit, the Captain introduced the officers, and the comedians did a short bit. No production singers or dancers, but the live band was very good. Following the Welcome show some friend and new friends went to the Piano Bar to enjoy Ron Pass. With the new non smoking policy I can now really enjoy the piano bar much more than in the past. We stayed for quite a while and Ron was brilliant. After closing the bar I returned to the cabin for a restful sleep.

Day 3- Sunday- 10/30/11- at Sea
The seas are very calm, but it was overcast and rainy in the morning. I slept late and had to hurry to make the 10:00 close of breakfast in the dining room. I had a nice standard breakfast to begin our first sea day. I took my computer up to the Red Frog to begin making notes and ‘people watch’ along the promenade deck. A new feature I took advantage of since I was sitting next to it was the Salad Bar set up where the Sushi station is located on deck 5. That’s a very good use of space to use it for a salad bar at lunch and sushi in the evenings. My salad was very good, you have a choice of several types of lettuce and several choices of add-on vegetables for your salad. Toppings include various dressings, nuts, or cheeses. Very nice. For dessert I went to the Lido Marketplace and had Banana Creme Pie & Tiramisu Cheese Cake. I have been very impressed with the desserts in the Marketplace, better than the dining room so far. I took a very short nap then went to the Magical Pond Hoppers meet. I wasn’t active on the CC boards, but really enjoyed the thread set up on Facebook. The meeting was fun and the Cruise Director and Captain came by for a while as well. After the meeting it was time for Afternoon Tea in the upper Southern Lights dining room. They served the usual cucumber sandwiches, petit fours and tarts. I didn’t see or wasn't served a scone, but they did serve whole large slices of chocolate cake. For a change of pace I listened to a bit of afternoon karaoke, it was the usual pretty bad folks other than one guy singing “Mac the Knife” who was excellent, I bet he will be in the Carnival Legends show at the end of the cruise. Some friends needed something from the spa and we ended up getting a nice tour of the complete Spa facilities. The Thalassotherapy pool (photo left) looks very interesting, but what impressed me is the vast improvement of the steam rooms. With such a busy day I didn’t get a nap and it was soon time for dinner. For dinner this evening I had: Black Tiger Shrimp Cocktail, Thai Shrimp Soup (very spicy, but very good), Prime Rib with Baked Potato, and the Variations of Strawberries and Tropical Fruit Lasagne for dessert. A very good dinner. After dinner it was two sets of comedy in the Punchliner Comedy Club. Both Carl Faulkenberry and Chas Elstner were very great.

Day 4- Monday- 10/31/11- Malaga, Spain
Another great nights sleep and calm seas and nice warm weather. I was around early and in the dining room for a nice Eggs Benedict breakfast. The meet time for my excursion was 8:30 am and soon I was off on the Nerja Caves excursion ($60). We passed through Malaga on the way to Nerja located about 30 miles east. Our first stop was the Balcony of Europe a tourist site for well over 200 years. It’s actually just a small cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea with great views. It is now somewhat touristy, but an interesting village here as a part of Nerja. The ice creme here was very good. After recovering a lost passenger we made the short drive to the Nerja Caves. These are very interesting and one of the largest cave systems in Europe with the largest ceiling to floor stalagmite/stalactite column in the world. There were a lot of steps, but it was an enjoyable excursion. I did sample the local Andalusian Beer and it was very good. We returned to Malaga and were able to see much more of the city on the way to the pier. When we arrived back at the ship we could see the ridiculously long lines of passengers trying to check back into the ship, fortunately they knew it as well and by the time we had made our way through the terminal and local security (including x-ray of bags) the lines were gone. In that time the ships staff had stopped the redundancy of a second check in and only required the sail & sign card to be used. It would have been an hour+ wait if they had not done this. They need four entry points not the two they have used so far if they plan on checking every ones bags. For a late lunch I had turkey from the carving station in the Lido Marketplace. Next to it was a bowl of small cranberry sauce and a small bowl of something white. Not having seen this before I ask what was in the bowl. I was told it was “turkey sauce.” Interesting...I had to try this new ‘turkey sauce’ and soon discovered that it was cold white gravy (there were no potatoes-so very odd) BTW- The Turkey was excellent. They had red velvet cupcakes and they were good, but just a bit dry-none of the excellent pies today. I did a little ship exploring this afternoon and visited with friends before an afternoon nap. I love the habit of a nap and the interior cabin is perfect for it. I have made a new friend with Ana the guest services manager. She is working on getting my shareholders OBC (on board credit) that wasn’t on my account. I did have the correspondence on my computer so I’m sure she will get it arranged for me. TIP: always bring your OBC proof with you-just in case. I went up to Promenade early this evening in order to see all the Halloween costumes. The guests and crew really looked great. They did the thriller dance and paraded along the promenade. Dinner was very good, I ordered the Chilled Langoustino Cocktail, Black Tiger Shrimp Cocktail, Grilled NY Sirloin Steak, and a special Halloween dessert selection. After dinner I went to the Showtime Theater to see the judging of the Halloween costumes. It was very entertaining and CD James did a good job. The photos are of the Hooters Lady who won the contest and our bar server at dinner (enlarge photos at your own risk). After the Halloween Contest it was 'close down the Piano Bar' again. Ron Pass was again VERY entertaining on the Halloween night. One can see why he has so many fans. It was a late night, but we gained another hour in time tonight so it’s ‘all good’!

Day 5- Tuesday- 11/1/11- at Sea
I slept in this morning and went to the omelet station for a very nice omelet. Friends where also there so we had a nice visit and I noticed that they continued serving breakfast until noon. I could have just stayed for the Mongolian grill as it was then set up, but thought I should save that for another day. I walked about the ship and found the Serenity deck area. It is much improved on the Magic. A large area with a bar, snacks, two hot tubs, and lots of cushioned lounges. I decided to try the two large slides today the Drain Pipe and the Twister. They have two, but only one was open as they are not getting that much use with the ‘older’ crowd aboard. I did the Drain Pipe and it was fantastic. You slide down a traditional tube but end up in a large embanked circular area and spin in circles until you slow down enough to stand up. Very cool. I will do that one again as well as the Twister when it opens. After sliding I met friends for lunch in the Cucina del Capitano pasta bar. I had both a pasta bowl and the lasagna. The pasta bowl was very good and the lasagna was fantastic. In the Lido Marketplace I had Key Lime cheesecake for dessert. After lunch I had my first Thirsty Frog Red ale in the Red Frog pub. Fun afternoon for sure. Now it was time for my new tradition: nap time. Dinner was again very good. I ordered: Black Tiger Shrimp Cocktail, Potage American (tomato based lobster soup), the Grilled Filet Mignon over Yukon Gold Mash, and Passion Fruit Creme Brule for dessert. After dinner the primary show was Preston Coe who sang a variety of songs including both Spanish & Italian Opera, Elvis, a few show tunes, and my favorite: a Roy Orbison medley. I retired after the late show as it’s an early day tomorrow.

Day 6- Wednesday- 11/2/11- Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
I was up early for a Marketplace buffet and omelet from the omelet station as our dining group was going to tour together today. We rented a very nice van for seven of us and headed south to Maspalomas and the Las Dunas (photo left). These are massive sand dunes located on the far southern tip of the island. We stopped at the beautiful RIU Masapaloma Resort and enjoyed the view of the dunes and also enjoyed some cocktails and free Wi-Fi. We then proceeded north across the center of the island through Fataga, San Bartolome, and Tejeda and enjoyed the spectacular views of the mountains and valleys. One village, Arteara, was covered in huge palms and looked like an oasis in a desert scene. The camels here also added to the illusion. A very scenic drive all around and a bargain as it turned out. We returned to the ship about 3:30 and I was able to score four 2-liter bottles of diet coke for the Atlantic crossing at a grocery while we were out and about. I had a snack and enjoyed the sail away from Las Palmas. It is a very lovely city and Gran Canaria is a lovely island. Before dinner I went to the Red Frog Pub and tried a Ting Mojita. That is the Jamaican version of the mojito and made with grapefruit juice. Dinner was again very good, I ordered a double serving of Steamed Alaskan Snow Crab Legs, the Roasted Strip-loin of aged American Beef, and Marinated Strawberries with warm Marsala Sabayon for dessert. A very interesting dinner with a few items not usually found on a Carnival menu. After dinner I retired early after a long excursion day.

Day 7-Thursday- 11/3/11- at Sea
The sea was really rocking & rolling as we have now started our trip across the Atlantic. I enjoy it some what, but the noises in the cabin woke me very early. I had an early Eggs Benedict breakfast in the dining room and then went to the Prime Steakhouse to meet my excursion for the day. I took the Behind the FUN tour ($95) of the ship this morning. It lasted from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and was a lot of fun. (Photo of my group at right) We toured the Steakhouse, Main Galley (including cleaning area, cold galley, hot galley, food storage, beverage storage & freezer), Laundry (the bed sheet folding machine was impressive), Engineering Control Room, Theater Dressing Rooms, Crew Mess, Crew Lounge, Crew Training Center, Ships Bell, and the Bridge where the Captain spoke to us. We finished in the cocktail lounge on deck four where we had some champagne and received some gifts: nylon backpack, Behind the Fun baseball hat, and a lanyard. Overall a nice experience. I had lunch in the dining room for the first time and it was very good, I had a Salad and the Mixed Grill (small Lamb Chop, Sausage, Bacon, Pork Chop, & Chicken). Following lunch it was soon Tea Time for some sweets, the scones were especially very good. Late afternoon nap and some movie time in the cabin. This was the first elegant night and the Captain and senior officers were available for photographs. Room service delivered a couple of small trays of goodies during the day today, but still room for a nice dinner. I ordered Baked Stuffed White Mushrooms, West Indian Pumpkin Soup, and the Duet of Broiled Lobster Tail and Grilled Jumbo Black Tiger Shrimp. For dessert I had the Cherries Jubilee. The first production show was to be tonight, but it was cancelled due to rough seas so Karen Granger was the show tonight. She is a female impressionist who sings hits of various artists. I have seen here before and she has a really entertaining show. I retired after the late show.

Day 8- Friday- 11/4/11- at Sea
We have gained another hour this morning and the Atlantic is calmer today than yesterday. A good sign. I had breakfast in the dining room, a 3-egg country breakfast (to order). Later I attended a presentation by Radu, the senior Carnival Cruise line photographer, then a cabin crawl to see one of the new ‘cove’ balcony cabins. The cove’s are located on deck two so very close to the water for a balcony. They are very interesting and exciting due to the high seas. They are cover by the wider deck five above and the life boats directly overhead. A nice option. The weather cleared even more so passengers are back out on deck. This was a good time to try out the slides again. Both were open and they are great FUN even for this old dude. I had a nice late lunch in the dining room, the menus change everyday so there is some nice variety. I enjoyed some cabin time in the afternoon and tried to take a snooze. I did get a Strawberry Cheese Cake for the Lido Marketplace as an afternoon snack. I met friends in the Red Frog Pub this evening and I tried the Red Frog Hurricane served in a ‘fish bowl’, a large and tasty cocktail of rum and tropical fruit. Dinner was very good, I ordered French Onion Soup, Black tiger Shrimp Cocktail, Chopped handpicked Field Greens, and the Jerk Pork Loin as an entree. For desert I had the Warm Figs, Date & Cinnamon Cake. After dinner was the first production show: The Groove Line. (photo left) It was 1970’s music and dance. The costumes and set were great, but to be honest it was too much disco for me. After the show it was off to the Punchliner Comedy Club to catch the last set there. Jerry Goodspeed, a ventriloquist, was funny, but no Marc Rubben. Late night tonight so glad we are getting another hour of time tonight.

Day 9- Saturday- 11/5/11- at Sea
Weather improving and was very nice in the morning. We are now only four hours off of Texas time. I had another very nice breakfast in the dining room then went to the shops to look at merchandise. The T-shirt sale was yesterday (2 for $20) and I should have got some as they had my size. They had polo style today so I’ll wait until they have T’s again. I did get the last bottle of Captain Morgan Rum, that should be delivered on the last night. I met some clients for lunch today and we ate in the Red Frog for lunch. I had the sliders with onion rings (everything on Pub menu is $3.33) and a Red Frog. After lunch I had some casino time while waiting for my slot tournament to begin. No luck here today. I noticed that about half or more of the casino is non smoking and those areas seemed much busier than the smoking areas. I checked out the BBQ that they serve on the Lanai on sea days, it looked good, but I had a salad from the salad area (Sushi Bar) on deck five. There are lot’s of choices for lunch, but they need it to feed all the passengers on this BIG ship. BTW--we are sailing with about 3700 pax. It clouded up today before I could hit the big slide again, but it is still on my to do list for another round. I attended Tea Time again today, but the scones seemed off so no sweets until 5:45. Since my cabin is just below the Lido Marketplace I can pop up when the dinner service starts at 5:45 and sample the desserts for that evening. Sometimes they have good items that are not even on the dining room menu. Dinner was more of a repeat: I ordered: Black Tiger Shrimp Cocktail, Cannelloni Piemontese, Roast Prime Rib of American Beef au jus, and Blood Orange Croissant Pudding. After dinner the feature show was Neal Austin with a comedy magic act, he was very entertaining.

Day 10- Sunday- 11/6/11- at Sea
An overcast morning that soon turned into a nice rain. I had another nice breakfast in the dining room and trying to change up my selections. My eggs were overcooked for the first time, but after taking the behind the Fun tour, I would actually be surprised if any egg order is correct. The hot milk continues to be very good, I’m glad I discovered that early in the cruise. Decks are busy due to the rain so movie time in the cabin this morning. We really have not had any live television for several days and the internet is very slow due to location and bad weather. I should have brought some DVD’s to watch on the lap top computer. For lunch I had a Reuben Sandwich from the deli and dessert from the Lido Marketplace. The Reuben’s are very good and used to be one of my favorite items on Carnival ships, but there are so many new lunch options on the Magic that you can’t have them all unless on a longer cruise such as this one. I walked the Promenade deck and visited with some friends this afternoon. I did my new 5:45 ‘deal’ and popped up one deck to the Lido dessert station and got a Tiramisu. It’s better than going to Tea time for a late afternoon sweet. Several met in the Red Frog before dinner and I had another Red Frog Hurricane in the fish bowl glass. Really a value considering the number of shots in the drink (9+). Dinner was interesting, I ordered: Tom Ka Gai, Black Tiger Shrimp Cocktail, Assorted Seafood Newburg Style, and Bitter & Blanc. After dinner was the Crew Talent Show in the Showtime Theater. Of course our Matre D’ Ken Byrnes (photo left) was the best & final talent. We have been enjoying his singing most every night in the dining room. We again turn back the clocks tonight before retiring.

Day 11- Monday- 11/7/11- at Sea
A good nights sleep overnight, the weather is overcast but warmer, high will be about 80°. I had breakfast from the omelette station on Lido deck. Very easy. We received a letter on the first or second day of the cruise from the Captain stating that we would not be calling at Grand Turk as scheduled but staying overnight in Freeport, Bahamas in order to repair a damaged aft thruster. Not a good trade. I went to the port talk for Freeport this morning and I think the reality of the poor situation with the change of ports began to become a reality with the passengers. There had already been requests by many who requested complementary shuttles since the ship will be docked in a remote location. As of the meeting one would have to take an excursion or taxi to get anywhere. If we had docked at Grand Turk everything would have been within walking distance of the ship. This change of ports was not due to weather but a choice made by Carnival to do repairs on a thruster that was damaged before this cruise so really more should be done IMHO. For lunch I finally made it to the Mongolian Grill (photo right) one of my favorite places to eat on a Carnival Ship, it took this long as there are so many lunch options. It was very good! This afternoon there was a private cocktail party for people who had signed up on Facebook. It was nice to meet some new people. Later this evening there was a Past Guest party, but what made it unique was that this party was for Platinum level guests or higher. There were a lot, the theater was full. There were also a lot of Milestone (25+ cruises) guests. Dinner was good, I ordered Black Tiger Shrimp Cocktail, Soup, and American Aged Rib Eye Steak. Again we are experiencing high seas so the production show was cancelled and we had a concert/show by several of the production singers. We actually have two sets of singers and dancers with one set scheduled to leave after Galveston and the new one rehearsing. Between the two groups they actually put together a nice evening. A nice surprise when returning to the cabin for the night: a letter from the Captain stating that Carnival would be providing a shuttle service while in Freeport, also a special lobster dinner, and John Heald would fly in for the day while in Freeport.

Day 12- Tuesday- 11/8/11- at Sea
We are feeling the effects of tropical depression Sean located just north of us so again high seas especially overnight. I was up early to look at the weather and was actually surprised at the large number of passengers up and about at 6:00 am. Later I had an Eggs Benedict breakfast in the dining room and again it was very good. I walked around the ship and visited the Cherry on Top. They have an interesting selection of candy. We now also have network Television so I spent the morning catching up on the news and trying to get a weather report. I had lunch in the Cucina del Capitano, it’s very busy during the noon hour but seems to be fine if you were go after 1:15 pm or so. Pasta with the simple marinara and cherry tomatoes have become my favorite. Again cabin time and a walk on deck this afternoon. Pretty much the same routine on sea days: walk the decks, some cabin time, cocktails in the Red Frog, dinner, then a show. For dinner this evening I ordered the Hawaiian Breeze ( a fruit appetizer), Bigolli Arrabiatta (a pasta), Black Tiger Shrimp Cocktail, Grilled Ribeye Steak Tyrolienne, and Butter Pecan ice creme for dessert. Again the production show was cancelled due to high seas, it was to be the Destination: Unknown, the big production magic show, and they said we would have it while docked in Freeport for sure. They previewed a show that was not to start until the Galveston sailings, a burlesque show, called A Kiss Goodnight. It was held in the smaller Spotlight Lounge and it was great with comedy, magic and beautiful dancing girls. It's an adult show and no photos allowed. The photo left shows the opening screen that images were shown on and the dancers could walk through the screen. The show really reminded me of the Crazy Horse Saloon in Paris. The best show of the cruise and I had a seat on the front row.

Day 13- Wednesday- 11/9/11- Freeport, Bahamas
Partly cloudy weather today as we arrived in Freeport for two days. This was to have been our day In Grand Turk, but we were diverted here to make some repairs to the aft thrusters. I started the day with a nice omelette from the Lido Martketplace and waited for the 10:00 am official arrival. It was a real madhouse as everyone wanted to debark, but if they wanted to use the free shuttles they had to go through the excursion process of getting tickets and stickers from the theater. It took 3.5 hours to get all people off with that option. There were many unhappy passengers. I took a paid shuttle ($5) over to Port Lucaya and went to the beach bar located at the Royal Lucayan resort a place I discovered on a previous Freeport cruise. After a nice afternoon I returned by shuttle (again $5) to the ship in time for cocktails and dinner. I ordered: the Green Almond Poached Escargots, Italian Style Tomato & Borlotti Bean Soup, Duet of Broiled Lobster Tail and Grilled Jumbo Black Tiger Shrimp, Filet Mignon Carnival. It was a very good meal. We were finally going to get to see the production show: Destination: Unknown and it was introduced by John Heald. It was a very interesting magic and musical production with lots of props, costumes, the feature singers and dancers, and illusionist Jason Byrne. It’s a BIG production show and not to be missed. John Heald was very busy with his fans, but I did get a chance to have a nice conversation with him very late on Lido deck. It’s good that he made the attempt to greet passengers on this unusual day.

Day 14- Thursday- 11/10/11- Freeport, Bahamas
Another party cloudy day in the Bahamas. I met friends in the Lido Marketplace for breakfast and a planned joint excursion day. We planned on a trip back to the Lucayan resort for the day. They announced that departure would be delayed until 8:00 pm so we knew we had a good long day for our excursion. We were able to ride the provided free shuttles as it was not busy I assume due to the troubles the previous morning. A day pass at the Grand Lucayan Resort cost $20pp for use of their resort facilities. I thought a very fair price as they have nice swimming pools, a great sandy beach, showers, beach bar, and good Wifi internet connection. (photo left) We were also able to get a cabana that served as group HQ while on site. The cocktails were resort prices ($6.50-$7.50), but very strong tropical drinks. We returned to the ship about 5:00 again using the complementary shuttles. After cleaning up I wanted to check the progress of the thruster repairs and they were hard at work. Everyone was curious if we actually get away. I went up to deck twelve to see the beautiful view of the moon rise, the ship lights, and the water works area. A beautiful evening. There were quite a few passengers watching The Godfather on the big outdoor screen theater. Several friends dined in the Prime Steakhouse and I was told it was excellent. I dined in the Southern Lights dining room as usual and ordered: Penne Siciliana with Eggplant-Zucchini-Tomato Sauce, Escargots Bourguignonne, Black Tiger Shrimp Cocktail, Chateaubriand, and Baked Alaska for dessert. Ken Byrne did his New York, New York tonight as well as Low,Low Low as the cocktail servers danced. For many this is the highlight of the cruise and I have enjoyed his singing. The final big production show, Win! was the tonight. It was the last show performed by the original singers and dancers, the new group will do it the following cruise. It was a very good show. Several said the hypnotist show of Jac Rene was very entertaining as well.

Day 15- Friday- 11/11/11- at Sea
A cloudy day that became cooler during the day as a cold front has entered the Gulf of Mexico. I had a nice dining room breakfast this morning. It’s always nice to share experiences with other guests at breakfast. At 11:00 am they had a ship wide moment of silence in honor of veterans. They also held several veteran meets in various areas of the ship. Very nice. I am running out of days so I had lunch at the Tandoori today. It was a varied selection and it was very good especially if you like Indian food. Back to the usual sea day routine today for the afternoon. There were quite a few passengers bundled in blankets on the Lido deck, but still enjoying the sea air. I made some preparations for the group sailing on the next cruise and tried to catch up on some work. Since the Red Frog is out of the ‘fish bowl’ glasses I took my mug up for a Hurricane before dinner. Still a good value if your going to have more than one cocktail. For dinner, I ordered: Fried Shrimps (not good-not the ones I thought they were), Duet of Petite Filet Mignon and Short - Rib Confit, and ice creme for dessert. The third set of comedians, John Rathbone & Mutzie are now on board to perform at Punchliners. I saw both late shows and they were both very funny. Very late in the piano bar to listen to Ron Pass who still has his regulars even after 16 days.

Day 15- Saturday- 11/12/11- at Sea
The Weather is much improved for our final sea day. I had an early dining room breakfast, but also had to sample the french toast from the French Toast/Pancake station on Lido deck. A very good and interesting additional choice for breakfast. There was a 10:00 am meeting for those on the B2B (back to back) and it looks like they may have it organized. We’ll see. Everyone seems to have waited until the last day to use the water works, they are very busy today as well as the rope course. The afternoon had the best weather of the cruise so it was a busy deck day. I had lunch at the Grill on the Lanai located on deck 5 out doors. They serve burgers (sliders), chicken quesidillas, and soft meat tacos. I thought the burgers were OK and the really tasted more like Indian food than Tex-Mex. They really need to improve this as the Magic will have a Texas home port. There were last minute sales in the shops and a lot of activity on this the last day of the cruise. A Farewell Party was held in the Showcase Lounge at 5:00 pm, this is the party they really don’t publicize, but has complementary drinks and entertainment. Our final dinner was good, I had a double order of the entree Panko Crusted Jumbo Shrimp (this is the good shrimp). There were the usual good-byes and farewells this evening. A very long cruise has come to an end.

Debarkation- Sunday- Galveston, Texas
We arrived in Galveston at 6:00 am. and are the only ship in port so that should help passengers. Crew was able to use the customs facilities in Terminal Two so that helps to keep Terminal One for passengers. The new gangway looks great. They began debark for self assist guests early and the final call for self was by 7:15 a.m. That’s very good. They called zones 1-4 by 7:30 am and mid range (15-16) by 9:00 am. They were completed by 10:50 am. That’s very good for a large ship on it’s first home port visit. The B2B pax met about 10:00 and we went through customs before 11:20 am. Very pleased with the organization.

Ship
The Carnival Magic is the newest and largest in the Carnival fleet. The ship is 1002 feet in length and weighs in at 130,000 tons. My three favorites of the much publicized new improvements are the Cucina del Capitano, Red Frog Pub, and the Ocean Plaza area. The Water Works and Cherry on Top are also great. I'll have a special review and comments on just the ship

Crew
The staff and crew for the most part are very good at their jobs and very friendly. They have been trained very well. My stateroom attendant was fantastic, the room was always neat and clean, the cooler in ice, notices & messages delivered in timely manner. Our MDR waiter & assistants were very good, I really enjoyed him over the cruise. The Guest Services people were also very helpful when needed.

Cabin
I had cabin 9445 a 4H interior on Vista deck. I selected this cabin as it is next to the stairs and just below the Lido Marketplace. It is very easy to get to the beverage station and too easy to get to the dessert station. The cabin is very nice and since the ship is new everything looks great. It is a standard configuration and I had the beds split for more floor space. The safe has a button keypad and card swipe, there is a hair dryer, flat screen TV, two electrical plugs on the vanity/desk, robes, three section wardrobe, small stocked refrigerator, but no chair only a vanity stool. Carpets and furniture all very clean. The wake up call service is automated and very simple if you need to get up early for a meeting or shore excursion.

Food
I had second or late seating for dinner and a very nice table in center area of the Southern Lights dining room. A fantastic location to see Ken sing and the waiters dance. We are the last ship in the fleet with the ‘old’ menus, but that means we had the shrimp cocktail every night this cruise as an option. I’m not a big fan of the new ‘Didja’ menus anyway. Overall the food was very good although we had several menu items repeat. The Lido Marketplace buffet food was good to very good, the MDR menu was good to very good. My favorites were the Mongolian Grill and Cocina Del Capitan. The Tandoori, Salad Bar, and Burrito Bar were different and good. There are several ice cream and yogurt machines with vanilla and chocolate flavors. Room Service was good, but sometimes slow. I enjoyed the MDR breakfasts and especially the hot milk (leche caliente).

Social Media
The ship has a lot of computer Hubs throughout the ship and people used them. A vast improvement from when the internet station that was hidden in the cigar bar of Carnival ships. You could check ship schedules and some basic news. They have an on board social thread but it’s not convenient to use until they have hubs in each cabin...good idea, but not practical. There was a large Cruise Critic group and I attended the meeting, but prefer the Cruisemates as a cruise website and interactive threads. I think the Facebook sites are the future for pre-cruise interaction between guests-this cruise had an active site. There was an interesting group within a group, the Guttersnipes. It was basically the same as our Snoozemates group within the Bloggers cruises. People that like to get together and have fun.

Platinum / Milestone Perks
The check-in building at the pier was very nice. I used the laundry several times and it was wash & fold service; fine for undies, socks, T-shirts, denim short, but not cotton shirts, dress clothes, or better items. I did use the dry clean as well ($4-$6 item) and the service was good.

Personal Comments
Dining room waiters and staff have far too many tables. This does not allow time for the interaction between guests that was always such an important part of the cruise experience. Too many tables slows service for many and food temperature and quality suffers. As a foodie the MDR is a very important part of the cruise.

Cruise Highlights
The new friends I met, Cocina Del Capitan, Red Frog Pub, A Kiss Goodnight, Main Dining Room & Ken Bryne, and the island of Gran Canaria.

A long and interesting Cruise--I really enjoyed it!