This whole not blogging for a year is crazy. We have so many things to catch up on! I got thinking about it and it is actually more because even though I did blog last October it was short lived and after a long break.
I am so happy to finally be sharing my last cruise vacation with you. There is a lot to share because I pretty much never set my camera down especially while on vacation. There is so much beauty to capture. I am always afraid of missing something. Mostly, I have this crazy notion that if I don’t capture it, I might forget about it later. Therefore, I document everything. Almost 2000 pictures later…Oops. That makes it so hard to choose favourites but will persevere. I figure I will break it up into parts as I normally do. Today for you, I have a quick overview of the cruise and what is to come.
We set sail on the Carnival Magic November 2015. Wow, I can’t believe it was that long ago already. As you know from this post we sailed out of Galveston, TX. It was our first sailing from this port and our first trip to Texas. Overall, it was a good experience and we would do it again. We learned a few things along the way like where to stay or not. It is definitely a more accessible port for us as it is closer and pretty inexpensive to get to. Plus. Plus.
It was a gorgeous afternoon as we boarded the Carnival Magic. This was our 4 Carnival cruise and our 5 cruise overall. It was also the cruise we achieved Gold VIFP status on. We were pretty excited about! Once we boarded, we had priorities, of course. Straight to the Lido Deck for a celebratory drink!
More on this gorgeous ship to come. Let’s talk about the islands we sailed off to. There were three ports of call on this cruise. Each had a very unique flair to it, as all of these beautiful islands do. We booked excursions through Carnival for every port this time. We usually mix up a little and do some of our own but we this time we collectively decided not to go out on our own. Here’s a glimpse into each of the ports of call we visited.
COZUMEL ||
This was the island I was most looking forward to visiting. She definitely didn’t disappoint either. The water was the most amazing colour. Honestly, I am pretty sure that is one of my favourite parts of any Caribbean vacation. We booked an excursion at Paradise Beach for a perfect way to kick back relax.
Cozumel was breathtaking and I would love to go back there one day for an actual vacation not just as a cruise port. I believe it definitely deserves a closer more in depth visit.
MONTEGO BAY ||
For some reason Jamaica has never been really big on my list. I really just hadn’t looked into it much before this cruise. It really was a beautiful and lush island. Although, I am not sure I would want to go back to this port I would love to go back and see Ocho Rios. There seems to be a lot more that would appeal to me there than in Montego Bay. We spent most of our time poolside at the Good Hope Estate. The grounds of the place are beautiful. There are a lot of adventure activities to do there as well. Some of group had a blast zip lining and ATV’ing. The day was a mix of sun and clouds. We are actually pretty thankful when the clouds rolled in because it was hot!
GRAND CAYMAN ||
We booked an excursion here that included a visit to Stingray City which we were all stoked about. The government cancelled it because of the weather. Truth be told, I was sad but actually okay with that. I don’t need to be out in the water during a thunder and lightning storm. No thank you. It was insane the amount of people in the port that we furious it was cancelled and the fits they were having. As if, the cruise lines have any control over the weather. I am sorry if it is cancelled for your safety that should be our first clue not to be a d-bag about it. Life happens, adjust. Your vacation is what you make of it.
We did however stop at some really cool places including the Cayman Turtle Farm. It was amazing to see the turtles in all different sizes and stages of life.
That is an overview of our 7 Night Western Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Magic. It was plagued with bad weather but like I said earlier, your vacation is what you make of it. We tried to make the best of it because making memories is what were are there for and I want them to be good ones.
I’m hoping that re-living this cruise through my blog will help distract me from all the days left until my next. 86 and counting.
Check out our stay in Galveston for Halloween before this cruise.
I’m so glad you made the best of your vacation, even with bad weather! My parents recently did this itinerary, and Jamaica surprised them too. They did the climb up Dunn’s Falls, which looks neat!
We really wanted to do the Dunn’s Falls but it was a 2 hour bus trip each way from our port which we didn’t think was worth it. Which is why I think Ohco Rios would be a way better port. Maybe next time. 🙂
I have been to all these ports and love them all! I agree Jamaica was never high on my list but it is such a great island! Love hay water for sure!!!
I want to go to all islands, all the time. My next one is way to far away!