Had a great time for the Magic for my birthday cruise! Lots of areas to visit on the ship. Lively cruise director and lots of activities for all ages.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation went extremely smooth. We drove and arrived around 11:30am. About a 5 minute wait until we were able to pull up to the porters to unload vehicle. Inside the terminal, we were in line just a few minutes before stepping up to the counter for check in and sail & sign cards. After that, we walked directly onto the ship. A very smooth process.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The Steakhouse was top notch as usual. The main dining room dinners and Sea Day Brunch were good; food was hot and tasty. The service was a little less that expected. On 2 occasions, we had a waiter that just couldn't seem to keep up. He actually gave us a used coffee creamer container from another table. The ship has Guy's Burgers and the BBQ joint, Tandoor, Blue Iguana, and Cucino del Capitano. The Lido buffets were standard fare, but always seemed to be fresh.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We enjoyed the WaterWorks, mini golf and Bingo.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We went to a couple of the comedy shows. The deck parties and daytime events were very lively. The cruise director was Rev Dr E; he was very entertaining.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
The grandkids enjoyed Camp Ocean. There were lots of activities and a couple of kiddie parties.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
I mentioned the issue with the one waiter. Our cabin steward (Fendi) was good. Had to ask for ice a few times, but he kept the room clean. Staff in the common areas were friendly, but busy.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
It was very easy to navigate around the ship and lots of areas to hang out. The common areas were well kept and clean; they were always cleaning and wiping down. The one issue was with the balconies; they were dirty. Our starboard balcony walls/partitions were dirty and used hair pins on the floor. My sister in law's aft balcony had black gritty dirt on...everything. The glass part of the railings were so dirty you couldn't see through them. No doubt it's because of the smoke stack and the way the rear balconies slope.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Starboard balcony on 8th floor. Room size was great. King bed and sofa. No chair in the room; just the stool that went under the desk area. I only gave a 3 because this was the first time we've ever had an uncomfortable mattress...it was very firm; not the norm.
Ship tip
There are a lot of places to explore on the ship. There was a handy pocket-sized card with the deck plans and where things were located. Keep that with you.
There were 2 ships in port that day, so it was a little crowded. We walked down the beach to our usual hangout, jack's Shack. Had a great time there and the jerk chicken was still awesome!
We did a catamaran and snorkeling excursion. I've only snorkeled from the beach, so this was an awesome experience. Almost had a conniption when I saw my 5 year old granddaughter jump off the side of the boat and I wasn't able to keep up with her after that. LOL.
Who likes to get off the ship? LOL
Disembarkation went as smooth as can be expected. They called self assist around 7am or so. We were in group # 3, We went down about 8:30am and joined the crazy throng trying to merge into 2 lines. It went relatively quickly. Luggage pick-up was a breeze. The customs line was slow...there were only 3 agents working. By 9:30 we were exiting the building.
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