We chose this cruise because we enjoy departing out of Galveston. We love all the Texans and how wild and welcoming they are. The Magic was the only Carnival ship cruising out of there at the time. We didn't explore the city much before we left other than grabbing a few things from Walmart that we forgot to pack. The embarkation was a little slow (as always), but once we made it through that and the dreaded muster drill, it was on to the fun. We hadn't been on a cruise in a few years and I had forgotten all the fun activities. There was a pamphlet waiting for us in the room that told us all the fun activities and offerings with their corresponding times. The cabin was fine, we always go interior with a king bed. We'd love the balcony, but I never spend enough time in the room to warrant that much of a price increase. We knew from the start that alcohol would be our biggest expense. We brought on 2 bottles of wine (one per person) and went to the steakhouse the first night (for a free bottle wine). The steakhouse was great, but I probably wouldn't eat there without the wine bottle incentive. I say this because the main dining food is usually just as good. I also enjoy the Dijas (tasting bizarre animals) which were duck, frog legs, and octopus. You can get as many entrees as you want, so might as well try it all. Our waitstaff was great and fun as always. We were in a 4 person booth with my parents, but I would have preferred a large table to meet other people. We enjoyed a few of the shows, hit a art show (I love Peter Max paintings), and I spent a fair amount of time at the blackjack table while my gf hit the casino bar. We only went to the nightclub once, but wished we had gone more often because it was such a great time. The casino bartender was our favorite, very nice sociable, and protective in the late hours. The ports we visited were Progreso and Cozumel. Progreso was a total dump, I never plan on going there again. We had an all inclusive resort excursion there and the food was terrible and drinks weren't very strong. Cozumel was a blast as always. There is so much to do, it is beautiful, and very safe. We decided to Try Mr. Sanchos because the internet said it was the best place and they were not wrong. $50 all you can eat and drink with pools, wifi, nice beach, and chairs and umbrellas. The margaritas were great and the food was quality. The taxi ride is just about 15 minutes and $10 there. We also did a Snuba diving excursion and had to pay the ridiculous prices through carnival even though on Shore Excursioneer they had THE EXACT SAME excursion for $30 per person less. Highway robbery. Apart from that and not buying the alcohol package (would have saved us $300), the cruise was excellent. Can't wait to try another ship out of another port next month!