Carnival Magic Cruise - DAY 10 - Sunday, Dec 7th, 2014 - Debarkation Day/Travel Day

You can find the beginning of this review here, DAY 1

DEBARKATION DAY/TRAVEL DAY

I was up really early. Too early. 

I grabbed my cell phone, slipped out of the cabin and went out on deck. It was still dark out. 

I could see we were very close to Galveston and I immediately called my Sweetie. Of course he was awake and we talked for a while. I had A LOT to tell him about my week!

I told him I was going to try to drive straight through and get home that night. I wasn't sure if I could make it, but I was going to try. 

As the sun came up, people began to wake up and come out on deck. I spent some time with my new friends and we exchanged email addresses and info. 

We hugged and said our goodbyes. We all promised we would cruise again together someday, and I hope we do. 

Back in the cabin, my roommate was awake and packing the last of her things. 

I ordered a bagel and some fruit from room service, and ate while I got my things together.

My roommate and I had been given instructions on where to meet to get off the ship. We were to be in the Northern Lights Dining room at 7:45

The neighbors had a different meeting place. 

At 7:45, my roommate and I went downstairs. We sat in the dining room for about 10 minutes and we were told we could get off the ship. 

When we got off the ship, we first went to the area to find our luggage. 

Oh boy, what a nightmare! All of the luggage was put out in rows, and  we had to walk up and down the rows looking for our bags. It was bedlam. 

People everywhere trying to find their bags, and there was nowhere to put your bags you found while you searched for your other bag. 

We were in debark group 1 but we finally found our bags in with the group 2 bags. One of our bags may have even been in group 3!

This was one area where I thought the Port of Miami had a better system than Galveston. In Miami, they have conveyor belts (kind of like the airport) where you stand still and the luggage rolls by on the belt. Much easier and less chaotic. 

I hope Galveston can update their system for picking up the luggage. 

It took us about 20 minutes to find our luggage, and then we went to the lines for customs. 

We waited in line for about 10 minutes, and we were through customs with no problems. 

Outside, I left my roommate near the curb with the luggage while I went to get the truck. 

It didn't take long for me to get the truck (it felt like seeing an old friend!), and circle around to get my roommate and the luggage. 

We were on the road by 8:45AM, and the traffic heading out of Galveston wasn't too bad. 

We drove for a long way before we stopped that morning. 

It was a pretty uneventful drive. My roommate and I listened to music and talked. For the most part, everything went fine but there were a few times throughout the day when I had to bite my tongue. I kept reminding myself that we were getting closer and closer to home. I had already put up with this for 9 and a half days so far and I could make it a few more hours by continuing to keep my mouth shut. 

As we got closer to Kansas, it got colder outside (sad that we had left the sunshine and warm weather behind us). We had to turn the heater on by early afternoon. By the time we crossed into Kansas, it was dark out. It was also foggy, and misty, and cold. Ick.

We pulled into my driveway at 10:30 that night. I was soooooooo exhausted, but so proud of myself for making that long drive in one day. 

It was so good to hug my Sweetie. He had been asleep but he got up to welcome me home. It was nice to be home. 

My son came out and moved my roommates luggage from my truck into her car. He also brought my things in the house. I was worried about my roommate driving an hour to get to her home that late at night when I knew she must be tired too. I invited her to stay the night and drive home in the morning. 

She decided to head home. 

She and I said goodbye and said we would talk soon. 

It was about 2 hours after I was home (and now fully awake and happy to be home) when I reflected on the entire vacation. I really did have a good time after all, and I was glad I went. I also decided that the way my roommate treated me throughout the 10 days was unacceptable. Yes, she apologized for her behavior (kind of), but after the apology the behavior continued. I'm not sure what was going on but I just don't need that kind of negativity. At this point, I am going to choose to let that friendship go and spend my time and energy on some of the more positive friendships I have.
I just felt she had been very unkind to me throughout most of the trip, and there is really no excuse to treat anyone that way.

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To wrap up my vacation, here are a few things........

Carnival Cruise Lines:
I know Carnival has been getting some horrible news headlines in the past few years, but I do think Carnival offers a GREAT cruise vacation at a very reasonable price. I have enjoyed all of my Carnival cruises (I have been on 5 now) and I would definitely book another Carnival cruise in the future.

The Carnival Magic ship:
This was the newest and biggest of the Carnival ships I have cruised on. I thought the Magic was BEAUTIFUL! It was easy to find my way around the ship. I loved the Carnival Magic.

Ship Service: The service and staff on this ship were top notch. Everyone I came into contact with took very good care of me on this cruise.

Ship Food:
I ate at the MDR (Main Dining room) twice, and both times the service and food were very good.
The buffet was also very good. They had many choices at every meal, and also a carving station set up at every dinner.
Room service was very fast (usually about 20 minutes) and also very good! I highly suggest a BLT from the room service menu!
The Steakhouse was AMAZING, and worth every penny of the upcharge.

Ship Cloud 9 Spa: 
I really loved the use of the Cloud 9 Spa almost every day while I was on this cruise. I thought it was wonderful! I will definitely book another Cloud 9 Spa cabin on the Magic or the Dream someday (those are the only 2 Carnival ships with a Cloud 9 Spa)

Ship Smoking Areas: I thought the smoking area on the 11th floor was great. Since my cabin was on the 11th floor, it was very convenient for me. There was also outdoor smoking on deck 5 at the Red Frog Pub. Smoking was allowed in the night cub, and at the casino bar. I was happy with the smoking areas on the ship.

Our Cabin: 
I thought our inside spa cabin was nice. It was smaller than I expected, but it was fine for the two of us. We had plenty of storage for our clothes and things.


Weather: It rained at least once a day, sometimes twice. The rain only lasted about 20 minutes, so it really wasn't a problem for me. Other than that it was mostly sunny and warm. An online friend of mine (Hi Rita!) had been to the same islands we went to, but she went the week before my cruise. She had posted that the weather was very rough. They had a lot of rain for several days and they had 20-25 ft waves. She said their ship was really being tossed around the sea. They weren't able to visit one of their islands (Belize, I think). So with that knowledge, I was pleasantly surprised that we had mostly sunny days and not a lot of rain.

Port Of Galveston: I thought check-in and boarding went very smoothly. I was happy with the way the process went.
I thought getting off the ship was fine. Walking up and down rows and rows of luggage, and finally finding some of it in the wrong zone was the only area where I felt Carnival fell short.

Galveston Park-N-Cruise: This was very convenient. I was able to pre-pay online before the trip, and the lot was directly across from the Port. The people that work there were very friendly and helpful both before and after the cruise.


All in all I had a good vacation. My travel companions weren't a good match for me but I thought I made the best of a bad situation. Looking back I wish I had seen a show or two, or visited the comedy club at least once.

THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY REVIEW!

BEFORE YOU GO, PLEASE SEE MY TOUR OF THE CARNIVAL MAGIC SHIP.