Our Thanksgiving Cruise.. Carnival Magic

 

   We just got back from a great week aboard the Carnival Magic.  We went, just the six of us, over Thanksgiving break.  We've been wanting to take the kids to the Caribbean, but haven't been able to decide where, and were not excited about paying for 6 flights, two hotel rooms, and lots of food for all of us, so we opted for a cruise.  Boy, was that a great decision.  Now, let me make it clear.. this was in NO WAY a time alone with my man.  We were in close quarters with 4 kiddos, and LOVED IT.  You see, while you are out at sea, there is no WIFI, no texts, no business calls.. NONE.  You just can't imagine the drama and frustration that is removed when no one can take calls or receive texts.
   This ship is one of Carnival's newest and largest and was designed with kids in mind.  They did a great job.  My boys were so excited to find a putt putt course, a ropes course, numerous pools, a water park which included two large slides, foosball, ping pong.. you name it.  One of the most fun things for the kids, all of them, was Barman.  Barman is a table artist aka, close up magician, who traveled around tables and did special "magic" tricks.  He also had a show a couple of nights during the week and the kids loved watching his tricks. The kids also enjoyed getting to meet and talk to all of the international staff.  Everyone is from a different country and is excited to answer questions from the kids. 
    The food on the Magic was just ok.  Let me be honest, we eat out ALOT and are probably restaurant snobs and just didn't know it.  We don't frequent the Golden Corral.. EVER.. but this cruise, the buffet seemed very much like the GC, so we opted for the sit down dining room, which was a great time each evening and for brunch.  Our kids sat at the table with us, with no phones, remember? and talked with us.  It was truly beautiful.  They also loved the all day and night ice cream.  Super fun while you're on vacation.

    We visited several beautiful countries this week.  We did Zip lining, in the pouring down rain, on Wednesday in Honduras.  We also shopped and visited a very beautiful, but wet beach.  On Thursday we snorkeled off a private island in Belize.  The weather was gorgeous and the beach was perfect.  On Friday we visited Cozumel where we swam with the dolphins and definitely made great memories.  The ports were all highlights and fun experiences for the kids.
     I'll be honest, I was a little concerned about going on a cruise.  I thought the kids may get bored, I thought we'd be surrounded by drunk people, I thought the ship would scare me with kids, but none of that was the case.  We had a GREAT week.  There was always something to do. The kids read, played cards TOGETHER, rested, (the rocking of the boat is very relaxing), laughed.. all of that great stuff.  The ship was full of nice families and I honestly didn't see ANYONE drunk the entire week. We watched big screen movies late into the night on the Lido deck, and we enjoyed dressing up and having elegant dinner nights.  To top is all off.. the last day the ship sponsored a fund raiser for St. Jude's.  Pretty sure I was the only mom on deck with tears in my eyes as I watched the droves of people line up to donate money and buy tshirts.  Blessed this momma's heart!  All in all,we had a BALL and I would recommend this trip to any family!
     Most of all, we spent great time together and made lasting memories.  I spent a week being pampered by excellent staff,  leaving all of my worries behind, focusing on what was right in front of me.. and loving every minute of it.  Now, back to reality.. 4 kids.. 4 campuses.. let's go!