Carnival Magic Review
Magic-al Cruise October 2018 to Amber Cove, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk
Rating by category
Additional details
This review is for the October 7th 2018 sailing for Carnival Magic. There were some really good things about the cruise, and some that were so-so. Happily, there were no aspects of the cruise that I'd call "bad."
Background:
For this cruise there were three of us: myself, and my married friends John and Kathy, who I got hooked on cruising a few cruises ago. They're from Kentucky; I'm from the Atlanta area, so they drive down from Kentucky and pick me up in their big 2003 custom van and then we head south. This is how it's been for our last three Carnival cruises and it seems to work well...although driving that big ol' van after being used to my little Ford Focus 5-speed manual is...challenging. :)
Cabin Review
Balcony
We had room 10265, a standard balcony quad in a very convenient location; it's between the hallway doors from the forward elevator lobby. There was some occasional noise from the hallway including some noise from the service area across the hall, but overall we were happy with it. I had the choice of the pull-down bed or the couch as a bed, and opted for the couch, which proved to be quite comfortable.
Port Reviews
Miami
We stayed overnight before the cruise at the Red Roof Plus Miami airport, which -- thanks to booking through a cruise-park-stay website -- had free parking and a free shuttle to the pier. The pier shuttle is always free and a $10/pp fee applies if you want to take it back.
Amber Cove (Puerto Plata)
We opted not to do an excursion here; I just went over to the pool area and swam for a while. The over-the-pool zipline looked fun but I didn't partake. The free waterslide was closed for repairs and a section was missing completely.
San Juan
We walked a long way in San Juan, first to the San Cristobal fort and all through it, then over to the El Morro fort. Very hot and sweaty visit but the forts are full of history. We took a taxi back to the pier from El Morro, just $12 for all three of us.
Grand Turk
One of the best relaxa-ports in the world. I walked down to Jack's Shack to say hi to Topher, the most famous dog in the Caribbean, and then I snorkeled off the beach by Margaritaville out in the deep part for about 3 hours. I saw quite a lot of fish and -- for the first time there -- some small squid and an octopus.