Notable Cruise Events, Cruise Ship and Port History

Updated January 2018

Notable Events

Best Ship Captain – Pier Paolo Scala – MSC Divina – 8/2014 / MSC Seaside 12/2017
Best Cruise Director – Richard Spacey – Freedom of the seas – 11/2013
Best Cabin Steward – MSC Divina – 8/2014
Best Tour Guide – Nico – Living History: Mayan Tradition And Island Tour Cozumel Mexico – 11/2014
Best Tour Bus Driver – Will – Living History: Mayan Tradition And Island Tour Cozumel Mexico – 11/2014

Best Tour Boat Captain - Anthony - Scenic Wildlife River Cruise - 12/2016
Best Shore Excursion – undecided
Best Ship Overall – MSC Divina – 8/2014
Best Embarkation Port – Port Canaveral – 11/2013, 4/2014 & 12/2016

Best Debarkation Port –  Port Canaveral – 11/2013, 4/2014 & 12/2016
Best Spa Experience – MSC Divina – 8/2014
Best main dining room experience – Carnival Ecstasy – 12/1997
Best Bartender - Gabor - Adventure of the Seas - 11/2015

Best Ice Cream Availability (24 hrs a day) - Carnival Magic - 12/2016

Most expensive souvenir - MSC Seaside - 12/2017

Best port shopping representatives - MSC Seaside - Dan & Dan - 12/2017

Cruise Ships

Carnival Ecstacy 12/1997

Carnival Sensation 4/2014

Carnival Magic 12/2016

MSC Divina 8/2014

MSC Seaside 12/2017

Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas 11/2013

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas 11/2014

Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas 11/2015

Embarkation Ports

Miami 12/1997 8/2014 12/2017

Ft. Lauderdale 11/2014

Port Canaveral 4/2014 12/2016 11/2013

San Juan 11/2015

Cruise Ports Visited

Cozumel, Mexico 12/1997  11/2014 12/2016

Key West, Florida 12/1997

Belize City, Belize 12/2016

Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan 12/2016

Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas 11/2013 12/2017

Philipsburg, St. Maarten 11/2013 8/2014 11/2015

Labadee, Haiti 11/2014

Nassau, Bahamas 4/2014 12/2017

Freeport, Bahamas 4/2014

San Juan, Puerto Rico 8/2014

Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas 8/2014

Falmouth, Jamaica 11/2014

Coco Cay, Bahamas 11/2013

Frederiksted, St Croix, USVI 11/2015

Basseterre, St Kitts 11/2014

Fort de France, Martinique 11/2015

Bridgetown, Barbados 11/2015

St. John's, Antigua 12/2017

Cruise Ports skipped due to weather, etc.

Costa Maya, Mexico 12/2016 - high winds prevented us from docking so we had an extra day at sea.

Notable Cruise Events, Cruise Ship and Port History

Updated December 2016

Notable Events

Best Ship Captain – Pier Paolo Scala – MSC Divina – 8/2014
Best Cruise Director – Richard Spacey – Freedom of the seas – 11/2013
Best Cabin Steward – MSC Divina – 8/2014
Best Tour Guide – Nico – Living History: Mayan Tradition And Island Tour Cozumel Mexico – 11/2014
Best Tour Bus Driver – Will – Living History: Mayan Tradition And Island Tour Cozumel Mexico – 11/2014
Best Tour Boat Captain - Anthony - Scenic Wildlife River Cruise - 12/2016
Best Shore Excursion – undecided
Best Ship Overall – MSC Divina – 8/2014
Best Embarkation Port – Port Canaveral – 11/2013, 4/2014 & 12/2016
Best Debarkation Port – Port Canaveral – 11/2013, 4/2014 & 12/2016
Best Spa Experience – MSC Divina – 8/2014
Best main dining room experience – Carnival Ecstasy – 12/1997
Best Bartender - Gabor - Adventure of the Seas - 11/2015
Best Ice Cream Availability (24 hrs a day) - Carnival Magic - 12/2016

Cruise Ships

Carnival Ecstacy 12/1997
Carnival Magic 12/2016
Carnival Sensation 4/2014
MSC Divina 8/2014
Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas 11/2015
Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas 11/2013
Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas 11/2014

Embarkation Ports

Ft. Lauderdale 11/2014
Miami 12/1997 8/2014
Port Canaveral 4/2014 12/2016 11/2013
San Juan 11/2015

Cruise Ports Visited

Basseterre, St Kitts 11/2014
Belize City, Belize 12/2016
Bridgetown, Barbados 11/2015
Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas 11/2013
Coco Cay, Bahamas 11/2013
Cozumel, Mexico 12/1997 11/2014 12/2016
Falmouth, Jamaica 11/2014
Fort de France, Martinique 11/2015
Frederickstand, St Croix, USVI 11/2105
Freeport, Bahamas 4/2014
Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas 8/2014
Key West, Florida 12/1997
Labadee, Haiti 11/2014
Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan 12/2016
Nassau, Bahamas 4/2014
Philipsburg, St. Maarten 11/2013 8/2014 11/2015
San Juan, Puerto Rico 8/2014

Cruise Ports skipped due to weather, etc.

Costa Maya, Mexico 12/2016 - high winds prevented us from docking so we had an extra day at sea.

Carnival Magic Day 8

Day 8 is debarkation day.

We got down to deck 3 just before they opened the doors for the people who had early flights. We were one of the first groups off the ship and made it through customs and to our car before 7:30, which is when they were supposed to start letting people off the ship

We stopped for breakfast at the worst Denny's ever, made it home, picked up dad's Jeep and got the animals from the vet all before we would have been off the ship had we waited for our zone debarkation time.

The rest and vacation recovery began...

Carnival Magic Day 7

Today was our final day at sea. All of us we're moving a little slow today so we didn't do much.

We were awakened by several ship-wide announcements. Apparently, someone had too much to drink last night and was not where they were supposed to be, so a ship-wide search was underway. We learned later that the person was found and was OK.

The weather was not very cooperative today. It was very cloudy, windy with spots of rain most of the day. The ride was very rocky, but it could have been a lot worse. Thankfully we were on a larger ship.

The Norwegian Epic passed us like we were standing still, as we both headed to Port Canaveral. I guess they want to be in port before we get there. We saw several cargo ships going in different directions today.

We went to the Q&A session with the cruise director. This was very different than any other Q&A we have ever been to. Everyone was more interested in the cruise directors background than they were about the ship. The only thing we found out about the ship is that there are a brig and morgue on board. We also learned that Schwartz is filling in on the magic for Doctor "E" who is on vacation between contracts. This helps explain why all of the videos about the ship were done by Doctor "E" and not Schwartz.

We visited the photo area and the spa and spent the gift certificates we had received for our anniversary.

We received our debarkation instructions and customs forms today. Everything is filled out and ready for us to go ashore as close to 7:30 am as they will allow.

Our final show of the evening and cruise was in the punch liner comedy club. We saw Ronnie Bullard for a second show. Tonight's show was hilarious. We all laughed for the entire show. If Ronnie is ever in the area it would be well worth going to see him again.

We finished packing everything we could and it was off to bed so we can get up early tomorrow so we can get off the ship as soon as they open the doors and allow us to exit the ship.

Carnival Magic Day 6

Today we woke up and the ship was still moving at cruising speed... we were supposed to be in port by 7:00 am, but that didn't happen. We were informed a little later that the winds in port were too high for us to dock safely, so the port of call was canceled. We now have an extra sea day.

Off to breakfast we went. The food has gotten very repetitive. The only thing that seems to change each morning is the type of breakfast sausage that is served. Everything else remains the same.

After breakfast, we went down to watch a few rounds of trivia. After trivia, I took Judy back to the cabin for a nap and went to lunch with dad. After lunch, I went back to the cabin to rest and get ready for this evenings show.

We went to the show for the evening, Flick. This was kind of a tour through the movies done in dance and song. We had differing opinions on the show. After the show, we went to the comedy club for a show with Ronnie Bullard. We were supposed to have a second comedian, but Jane was not able to get on the ship because we didn't dock in Costa Maya.

After the show, we headed back to our cabin to turn in for the evening.

Tomorrow will be our final day at sea before arriving in Port Canaveral Saturday Morning.

Carnival Magic Day 5

Today we arrived in Mahogany Bay just prior to 9:00 am. We finished breakfast, got off the ship and walked around the shopping area next to the pier. Many of the same shops as in the other ports, but we found a couple of souvenirs to purchase.

Today was balcony cleaning day for the ship. Apparently, the environmental restrictions are lower in Honduras than they are in other ports and parts of the open ocean. The housekeeping staff go onto the balcony through a room and then work their way down the ship opening the balcony partitions between cabins as they go and closing them as they return.

Back to the ship to rest and take a nap. Dad went to a seminar on back pain and arthritis. He said was interesting but didn't really provide much new. The doctor giving the presentation is the acupuncture doctor on board the ship so everyone attending was offered a free consultation with her.


A visit to the medical center wasn't on the list of plans for today, but Judy had fallen down in our cabin Monday afternoon. The pain was not getting any better so to the doctor we went. We were checked in quickly and seen by the doctor. A couple of X-rays later and they could not see anything specific. A couple of prescriptions and a security escort back to our cabin took up the remainder of the afternoon. (We found out later that the X-ray machine was actually broken so they didn't really get any X-rays)


We made it down to see the Hasbro game show but the pills kicked in and I took Judy back to the cabin to get some sleep. Dad and I watched one more show and turned in for the night.


Tonight was the Love and Marriage Show. We had hoped to see it but missed it because we were back in our cabins early. We did see a replay of the show on the TV while in our cabin later in the cruise and this show did not live up to the shows we had seen on other cruises in the past.


Tomorrow we arrive in Costa Maya Mexico at 7:00 am for our last port of call.

Carnival Magic Day 4

Today we arrived outside Belize a little later than planned. The ship can't get very close to this port because of the shallow waters. As a result we had to take a tender ride of about 30 minutes to get to land.


Our shore excursion, Scenic Wildlife River Cruise was interesting. The amount of wildlife we actually got to see was very limited, but the ride was nice. Our tour guide Jake and the boat captain, Anthony and his first mate did a good job providing interesting information about the area and its natural resources. There was a slight delay getting our tour started so everyone on the excursion was issued a 15% refund for the inconvenience.

We were back on the ship and ate a late lunch, went back to our cabins for a nap and got to the showtime theater in time to see Viva Variety with Marcus Monroe. Marcus is a juggler and comedian and put on a great show.

Off to grab a snack or to bed to get ready for the morning. Tomorrow we arrive in Mahogany Bay at 9:00 am.

Carnival Magic Day 3

Today we actually set an alarm to get up. We arrived in Cozumel while we were eating breakfast. After breakfast, it was back to our cabins to rest and prepare for our shore excursion.

There ended up being four ships in port today. Ours, the Carnival Fantasy (sister to the Ecstasy which was the first cruise we went on), Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas and the Celebrity Reflection. The Reflection was the first to leave followed by the Fantasy and the Independence of the Seas.

With the help of some very detailed and technical signage we were able to find our way off the ship for our shore excursion





The Easy Discover Mexico & Papantla Flyers was very interesting, though not what we expected. The tour was supposed to be self-guided and last about an hour and a half. We were lucky and got a guided tour. Our tour guide, Bou, was very good and wanted everyone to learn about his country. The first part of the tour included a short video about Mexico followed by our guide leading us through an exhibit area with all types of art and facts.

We then headed outside to see quite a few, to scale ruins from various cultural areas of the country. This included Mayan and Aztec structures.

This was followed by a performance of the Papantla Flyers. These guys are crazy but put on a great show. There is no way I would hang upside down and swing around a pole 13 times.

We got a little bit of rain today, but not enough to worry about.  Of course, most of it was during the Papantla Flyers performance which had to make things more dangerous for them.

After that, we did a little shopping on our way back to the ship and headed to our cabins for a little rest before dinner.

Last night Carnival had provided us with a couple of gift certificates for our anniversary. One for a free picture and one for a discount in the spa. Since we have the free picture, we stopped at a couple of photo places on our way off the ship to see if we can't find a good picture by the end of the cruise.

The stage show tonight was Country Road. This was an off-broadway type of musical and kept us entertained for a while.

We followed this up by a visit to the comedy club to see Thomas Brown & Brad Tassell performances before turning in for the night. Tomorrow will be an early rise day to make to our shore excursion on time.

Carnival Magic Day 2

Today was our first day at sea. The seas were calm and the weather was absolutely beautiful.

This is as close as we got to the movie Titanic moment as we got on this cruise.



As usual food, rest and evening entertainment seemed to take up our full day. We had breakfast in the marketplace, lunch poolside and back to the market place for dinner.

I always find it interesting, we are on a ship, out at sea, where it seems like you are away from everyone and everything, and then you look up and see another ship. It is fascinating to me.



Today was also formal night. We did not dress up but a lot of people did.

Covering the entertainment side of things, we sat and watched the morning show with Schwartz (our cruise director) and members of his staff. Next, we were off to a Carnival Cruise trivia event where we didn't have too many answers. From there we went to the fun ashore and fun aboard show. This was followed by the very hairy chest contest, and then some more trivia.

An important part of many peoples day was the Miami Dolphins game. If you can't be in the stadium watching the game live, I can't think of a better way to watch that sitting by the pool on a cruise ship in front of a big screen TV.



For the evening we watched the main theater event, 88 Keys. This show was piano music and singing. All of the performers were excellent. So much so, it makes you wonder why they are on a cruise ship stage and not headlining shows on their own.

We headed down to the comedy club to see Brad Tassell and then Thomas Brown. Both of these performers were great and well worth the hassle of getting a seat in the theater. The staff empties the theater after each performance. To get into the theater you have to wind through another lounge and down the hall to get in line. A little strange but it worked.

And then it was off to bed.

Carnival Magic Day 1

Up early to prepare for our drive to Port Canaveral. With all the preparation leading up to this morning, we made it out the door as planned.

We arrived at the port around 9:30 am and made it quickly through security and check in. We were directed to zone 1 in the waiting area to wait until general boarding was to begin. We had to wait until 11:00 am for boarding to begin. There was a wedding party who got to board the ship first, followed by those with various cruise status, and then those that paid extra to board early or with special needs, then general boarding was started. Boarding was quick and efficient with the normal photo ops and sea pass card checks along the way.

This is the largest Carnival ship we have sailed on, and it was Dad's first cruise. The walk through the terminal and up the gangway was longer than we anticipated but definitely brought attention to how large the ship actually was.

We entered the ship through the Main Lobby on Deck 3.



We found our way to the Lido Marketplace for lunch and walked around part of the ship, found our cabins and rested for a few minutes.

The most miserable part of the cruise followed shortly after. The muster drill was very different on this ship, but at least we didn't have to line up and stand outside until everyone showed up. Our muster station was in the main dining room and we got to sit and listen to all the announcements...

After the muster drill, we made our way up to deck 10 and met dad for dinner at Guy's Burger Joint. Ice cream followed for desert and we then sat on the back of the ship for a while watching other ships leave port and the sunset. There were four ships in port today, two from Carnival, a Norwegian and a Disney ship, all leaving in fairly quick succession.





Back to our cabins for an early evening. We met our cabin steward, Eutrocio (I think that was the spelling). He seemed very nice and was helpful providing information for the next day.

Our cabin is 7436 (aft) and dad is 6282 (forward). Our cabin is almost as far back on the ship as you can go. The halls are a little noisy and there is quite a bit of a rocking motion. It seems to be caused by the propulsion systems of the ship because the seas were very calm and should not be rocking the boat this much. It was a bit too cool to sit out on the balcony this evening.