Last week we cruised on the Carnival Magic out of Port
Canaveral. We drove down on Friday and stayed at the America’s Best Value Inn
($121 which includes parking our car and the shuttle to and from the ship). The
shuttle picked us up at 9am and got us to the port by 10:15.
Our Captain was Antonio Marchetti, Hotel Director was Carlos
Santos de Melo and the Cruise Director was Eversen Bevelle. We were in cabin
9204 and Dyanna and Earl were in cabin 2202. Our cabin steward was Suarzo. Our
dining room table was 590 and our servers were Efraim, Zeno, and Ni. The internet
cost me $136 for the week with unlimited wifi.
Embarkation
5/13/17:
It was so organized and smooth to get on the ship. At 10am,
we went through security and then they checked us in right away. We boarded the
ship around 11am. Our cabin was ready so we dropped stuff off and went straight
to the Lido deck for lunch. We got in line at the Mongolian Grill since the
line was short. After Dyanna and Earl finished lunch, we brought their stuff to
our room. Then we had a bucket of beer ($27) before the muster drill. Our drill
was in the showroom and was quick and easy. After that, we went and had another
bucket of beer but it was so noisy, we left. We went back towards our room and
found one suitcase at someone else’s door. Then we met our cabin steward and
told him to look for the other suitcase. After unpacking Don’s suitcase, we
walked around the ship and had one more bucket of beer. Dyanna texted me that
our other suitcase was at our room so we went back and unpacked. Then we went
and had a snack on the Lido deck before going back to the room and taking a
nap. At 8:15 we had dinner and then went to bed.
Sea Day 5/14/17:
We had a wonderful sea day brunch where I had my steak and
eggs. After that, we walked on the track for an hour before I went to the slot
pull. The slot pull took about 3 hours! At first it was limited to about 60
people but she ended up opening it up to 94 people at $21 each. Then they had
to go to guest services to put $1974 on her card and then back to put the money
in the machine. The machine would only hold $1000 at a time. When it was all
over, we all split the credits which was $16 each. After that we went to the
pasta bar for lunch and then rested until it was time to get ready for the
Captain’s cocktail party. I loved showing the captain a picture we took with
him on the Dream in 2012. We also met DiMa, the housekeeping manager and
Monica, the HR director. After that we
had more cocktails and listened to music until dinner. For dinner we had prime
rib and lobster tails. At 10:15 we went to the show, Country Roads. Near the
end, the dancers went around and grabbed people to dance in the aisles and one
got us to do this!
Grand Turk 5/15/17:
We got off the ship at 8am and was in our beach chairs by
8:15. Even though it was overcast, we had a great time in the water. We noticed
more colorful fish in the water than the previous times we were here
snorkeling. We came back to the ship around 11am and after cleaning up, we had
lunch. Then we sat out on the deck and relaxed before taking a nap in our
cabin. At 5pm, I went to a Cruise Critic meet and mingle which was nice.
San Juan 5/16/17:
In the morning, we left a bag of laundry for our cabin steward.
We got off the ship around 1:30 and walked to Castillo San Cristóbal and showed the kids
the dungeon. Then we walked to the other fort but the kids were hot and tired
so we didn’t go there. We walked around town and stopped at a place for
mallorcas (which were like cheese sandwiches) and very good. We ended up
walking about 7 miles but the kids were hot, tired, and cranky but we weren’t.
We laughed that they needed a nap! We sat on the deck and relaxed until dinner
time. The dining room crew sent us a bottle of wine which was really nice.
St.
Kitts 5/17/17:
We got off the ship around 10:30 and
walked around town. Don found the artist who turns her prints into postcards.
He buys some from her every time we come to this island. We bought some beer to
rehydrate because it was cheaper than soda. Soda was $2 each and the Carib beer
was 3 for $5 so we bought the beer. We went back to the ship for lunch and
relaxed on the deck until dinner. We brought our bottle of wine to dinner and
shared it.
St.
Maarten 5/18/17
We got off the ship around 8am and took
the water taxi to the beach. We got our chairs in front of Caribbean Blend by
8:30am (2 chairs and umbrella for $15). At 9:30, we went up and said hi to Sue.
Then we spent the day playing at the beach and drinking beer ($10 for a bucket
of 5 Coronas). My friend, Suzette from Caribbean Blend gave me a dress as a
present! About 3pm, we headed back to the ship. Even though we all put on
sunscreen, we all got burned! We ate a sandwich from the deli and then took a
nap until dinner. Don was freezing but I think he got dehydrated.
Sea
Day 5/19/17:
We went to the sea day brunch where I
got my steak and eggs for breakfast and then we got a bloody mary. We also left
a bag of laundry for our cabin steward. Then my daughter and I met up with a
group to learn how to make guitar string charm bracelets which was a lot of
fun. After that we sat around the pool and read before going to a late lunch.
Since it was formal night, the kids decided to skip dinner in the dining room
and go to the outdoor movie theater around the pool to see the movies: Arrival
and Hidden Figures. We went to the Alchemy Bar for pre-dinner cocktails and
then had dinner in the dining room. After dinner, we went to see the show Flick
which was pretty good.
Sea
Day 5/20/17:
After our sea day brunch, we went to
look for a chair by the pool to relax and read. We had a late lunch again and
then relaxed until the “Platinum and Diamond Levels” party which was nice. As a
diamond level guest, we had to go on stage in the show theater and stand with
the other diamond members. All day long I had people say hi and that they saw
us on the stage. After the party, we went back to the room and started watching
Return of the Titans (with Denzel Washington) which we have seen before. Then
we went to dinner. Since they hadn’t delivered our liquor before dinner, we had
to go back to the room to finish packing. Because of this, it was too late for
us to go to the show. Then we had to put our suitcases in the hallway before
11pm.
Debarkation
5/21/17:
We had breakfast on the Lido deck at
5:45 and then met near the shore excursion desk at 7:15. Around 7:40, they
called us to get off the ship. We found our luggage and went through customs
which was quick and painless. I was surprised that we no longer need to fill
out custom forms unless we are over the limits. There was chaos at the shuttle
desk but we finally got on the shuttle around 8:10 and headed back to our motel
where our cars were. When we left there, we headed south to visit my parents
for a couple of days.
Things
I Learned:
1.
For the price, I would stay at America’s
Best Value again.
2.
The slot pull was fun but I probably
won’t do it again if there are more than 50 people involved.
3.
We need 2 bottles of water in San Juan.
4.
We need 2 bottles of water in St.
Maarten
5.
The internet was well worth the money. People
had trouble with the $5 chat.
6.
I enjoyed making the bracelets and want
to try making more jewelry.
7.
I really enjoyed being a part of the
Facebook group.
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