The last day on a boat! At Sea…..

Having fun on the Sky Walk!

We spent our last day at sea, soaking up the sun and having fun with all the activities!  Several of us tried the Sky Walk.  Many of us also took a swirl down the water slide. 

Connor learned to make towels animals while we set by the pool.  He mastered the elephant!  In the late afternoon, we enjoyed a yard of beer at the Red Frog pub! 

Playing Bean Bag toss in the Red Frog Pub!

We all had fun playing bean bag toss in teams!  It was competitive and fun!  We had a great cruise, despite missing a port!  We had great company and the best hosts while in Houston!  We would highly recommend sailing on the Carnival Magic!

Cruising with Friends!!!

We had great Wait Staff - Victorio and Daniella

Cozumel, Mexico! (Friday)......

Mr. Sanchos - Cozumel, Mexico

We have been to Cozumel many, many times! We have been to beaches, all inclusive resorts, shopped, etc.  This time, we wanted to try an all-inclusive resort with something the kids would like!  Because we missed our port of call in Grand Cayman, we arrived at the dock in Cozumel an hour early!  We did not pre-book a reservation to Mr. Sanchos (www.mrsanchos.com), because you book through a third party.  We would have saved $5 per person, but we thought it was best to check the place out and then pay there.  All of the adults paid $50 per person for the all-inclusive deal.  For the kids, we decided to ‘pay as you go’.  The only down side to that was the kids had to stay in a section next to us, so we didn’t share food and drinks with them.  In the end, it all worked out fine.  We started a tab for them, and Hector took the best care of them. The boys all got the $12 bracelets to play on the floating water toys. 

The boys had so much fun playing on the floating water toys!!!

 They loved that part and spent a lot of time in the water.  The highlight for Kyler and Jason was parasailing. 

Kyler and Jason fly!!!

We made a deal for the two of them, and Jeff and I both got to go in the boat to take photos.  Both the boys were completely scared!  When it was all over, they said it was the best part of the trip!  I took about 100 pictures to capture the excitement!  Great day in Cozumel!

Posing in our matching cruise t-shirts!

*****We had made t-shirts and tanks tops for our group at Carnival Fun Designs (http://carnival.victorydyo.com/).  The prices are very reasonable!  You can create all sorts of fun stuff.....can cozies, tote bags, beach towels, etc.  They have many cool designs! 

Grand Cayman missed….. (Thursday)

Grand Cayman

Again, it was a windy and rough day at sea.  It doesn’t affect us around the ship.  It was still sunny and gorgeous by the pool!  It did affect our tendering in Grand Cayman.  The port of Georgetown was closed!  This would mean a day at sea for the Magic.  We were all very disappointed to miss Grand Cayman.  We had planned an excursion with Native Way to swim with the sting rays.  Several of us have done this particular excursion and with Native Way (highly recommend them, www.nativewaywatersports.com), but the kids were looking forward to it!  Unfortunately, it was out of our control, and there is not much you can do when the port is closed and the conditions make it unsafe. 

Putt Putt Golf Tournament

The rest of the day was spent in the sunshine.  We had our friendly family putt putt golf tournament, which I believe Wade won.  The kids also swam and went down the water slides.  I even took a spin on the slide!

One of our favorite hang outs on the ship was the Red Frog pub.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, they make their own signature beer now on Carnival.  The beer was very good and reasonably priced.  At different times, we enjoyed playing bean bag toss and the bimini ring game while sipping some suds!

Jamaica – First Port of Call! (Wednesday)......

We started off with another windy day.  This would be the Magic’s first time into the Jamaican port.  Because it is a much larger ship, it is more difficult to maneuver it into narrow channels.  The wind and rough seas made it difficult on this particular day.  We almost missed the port of call but ended up an hour late at the dock in Montego Bay.

Rough waters hitting Margaritaville in Montego Bay

Floating down the Great River in Jamaica

Jerk Chicken Lunch - Yum!

We tend to book excursions on our own rather than through the cruise ship.  Several of us booked a river tubing trip through Great River Adventures.  After our 30 minute drive from Montgeo Bay we arrived at the starting point for our float down the Great River.  Floating down the river in our individual tubes was relaxing and easy.  We enjoyed views of the fauna and flora, birds, and even a goat.  At the end of the over hour long trip, we were treated to a home cooked Jamaican Jerk chicken lunch with pineapple coleslaw.  It was an enjoyable day. 

Drinking fresh coconut water along the way!

Brett and Wade took a different excursion to the Appleton Rum Plantation.  They had a lengthy drive (over 2 hours each way), but said it was worth the visit.  They learned how the rum is produced and got to sample many different types and flavors of rum. 

Brett and Wade tour Appleton Rum

We finished off the night by attending the Magic Illusion Show.  We are not huge fans of the cruise ship shows, but this one was probably one of the best we have seen.  The magic was good, and the singing and dancing added a little to the show. 

The first couple of days of Magic! (Monday and Tuesday).......

The first few days of our sailing were sea days.  The sun was out and the air was warm, but the seas were a little rough.  The winds were blowing and affecting the seas, and only a few activities on the ship. 

  Putt Putt Golf                                 Sky Walk        

A highlight for the kids was the Sky Walk!  Kyler was the first one in the family to concur the sky high obstacle course.  Unfortunately, later in the day, it was closed due to stronger winds.  The kids also played putt putt golf and rode the water slides.  They were practicing putt putt for a family tournament we would have later in the cruise. 

Mixology Competition - Wade's drink:  Pants on the Ground

Wade participated in the Mixology contest.  It is something they do on every ship.  One lucky winner is awarded the title of Mixologist for the cruise, and their drink is feature as the drink of the cruise.  Toni won this contest on her last cruise with her ‘Freckled Diva’ creation.  Unfortunately, Wade didn’t win.  He did have the most clever drink name with ‘Pants on the Ground’, complete with him dropping his pants.

 

Toni planned a Cruise Critic party on the first sea day.  Cruise Critic is a great website to connect cruise ship travelers, share information, and find out about excursions and activities (www.cruisecritic.com).  The private party consisted of an open bar with dry snacks for one hour.  The cost was minimal for the hour ($11.44 per person, including gratuity).  It was a fun hour, and we all met lots of great people – 65 of us in attendance!  It was also formal night, and we all had fun dressing up. 

        Cruise Critic Party                                Formal Night

To top off the second sea day, we welcomed the Fiesta Party.  It was last in the evening on the Lido Deck.  We all had a great time.  The music and entertainment was classic Carnival fun, and enjoyed by everyone young and old. 

Late Night Buffet following the Fiesta Deck Party

All in all, the first few days of the cruise were great - ending each day in Carnival fashion with a towel animal.   Connor loved to pose with our towel animal each night!

Around the Ship…..Carnival Magic

Spa Area - Casino - Vibe Disco - Plaza - Promenade - Plaza

We really enjoyed the Magic!  There were many things we liked and many things we disliked!  It is a much larger ship.  There was plenty of seating around the eating areas, but the lines for food were very long.  The buffet areas were not any bigger than the smaller ships.  The hamburger grill always had a long line that was 10-15 people deep.

Promenade Deck - Serenity Area

Bathrooms in the Deluxe Ocean View Room

We had a deluxe ocean view room for our family of four.  The room had a queen size bed, sofa bed, a pull down bed, and picture window, as well as two bathrooms.  One bathroom had a tub/shower and a vanity with a sink.  The other bathroom had a shower, toilet, and a larger vanity with a sink.  This room configuration was perfect for our family.  The boys could shower at the same time, or I could get ready while someone else was showering. 

 There are two pools on the ship.  The main ‘Beach’ pool has nice areas to sit in an inch of water and also find shade under two covered areas.  The ‘Tides’ pool at the back of the ship was always crowded and had many kids in it.  There are also two hot tubs on each side of the pool, and those too were often full of kids.  They were not very hot.  The hot tubs on the Promenade deck were very hot and large.  They didn’t have many people using them, so it was a great place to relax. 

Beach Pool                                Tides Pool

Looking down at the Promenade Deck - Hot Tubs

Chess - Basketball - Sky Walk and Putt Putt

The kids enjoyed the Sky Walk!  Our family also played putt putt golf, and went on the waterslides.  You can also play soccer, basketball, and dodge ball in the netted area.  There are many activities for the kids.  Our kids even participated in kids club.  My older son liked the crew leaders in the club for 15-17 year olds.  One night, they were out late, but there was always a crew member with them. 

Waterslides on the Magic

One of our favorite places on the ship was the Red Frog Pub!  They make their own beer, and it was very good and reasonably priced.  We played bean bag toss and the Bimini Ring game.  We also liked the layout of the Vibe Disco.  It is very open and a lot of fun!  One night they had free champagne for the ladies. 

Red Frog Pub

The ship also has a Serenity area for adults only and a spa area (cost extra).  The spa area had fancy showers, steam rooms, and stone beds.  The Serenity area has hammocks, comfy seating, is quiet most of the time.  It is located just outside the water park area! 

All in all, we liked this ship, but still prefer the slightly smaller ships.  In future blogs about this cruise and vacation, I will show more pictures around the ship and in port!  Enjoy!

NASA Space Center – Houston, Texas

Saturn V Rocket

Rocket Park

The NASA Space Center in Houston is rated the #1 visitor attraction.  Plan to spend at least half the day at the Space Center.  We arrived shortly after it opened.  You can buy your tickets online and save $5, or do a search and find a $5 discount coupon to print out.  The first thing I suggest is to get in line for the tram tour.  Hopefully the wait will be short.  We only had to wait 10 minutes to board the tram.  Because we went the day after Thanksgiving, they were expecting big crowds.   They changed the tours slightly. Usually both tours go to the same place, just alternating the order the tram stops.  In our case, one tour went to the astronaut training center for the space station and Saturn V Rocket and Rocket Park.  The regular tour also includes the historic Apollo Mission Control Center. 

There are many other attractions worth seeing.  In the Space Center Theater, you learn about past and presents strides in space explorations.  We learned a lot about the space station.  Before you enter the Theater, you stand in the Blast Off Theater and feel of a space launch.  When you enter the Starship Gallery, you watch a video called “On Human Destiny”.  You then proceed into the Gallery where artifacts and hardware are displayed. 

The Boys stand in front of the podium where President Kennedy gave
a speech recognizing the Space Program

Moon Rocks

There are many other attractions to enjoy.  We highly recommend the

NASA Space Center if you visit Houston Texas. 

Apollo 17 Command Module

Carnival Magic - Review will be posted shortly!

This is a fun, panarama view of the Magic!  You can see the hot tubs protruding from the Ocean Plaza (Deck 5).  I am working on a review from this recent cruise along with details and photos of the new ship!  Stay tuned.......