We'’re out of it! A summer 14 “MAGICal” Med adventure Day 14/Aug 05 updated 05/05

[dizneeat]

That tour guide/company sounded awful! I would be very wary of anything in Rome if I ever went back to Italy. While there is so much beauty there, I found the people to be a littke shady. And there was not a city in all of Europe that I was groped more on the buses than in Rome. I still have mixed memories of that city.

There is a lot of fraud going on in Rome and a gazillion pickpockets, so you need to use your common sense quite a bit there. Unfortunately many tourists are unaware and it is easy for crooks.
It is a beautiful city though, but when we go back I will make sure we won't use that company again.

And then after all that to come back to the AC mess! I would have needed a stiff drink after that.

It just added to the fact that that day wasn't a really fun one. I thought I was dreaming when water came from the ceiling until it started dripping and we saw it was most likely the AC.
But I have never, on all our cruises seen so many dryers and workmen running around.
They definitely have problems with the plumbing on that ship.

Yikes!!!!


You had such a wonderful tour the day before and now this nightmare.

Then back to the ship to a water where it does not belong.

It was like in a bad movie. One thing following another.

You needed that whole bottle!!!!!!!!!

I hope your next day is much better. I will say dinner did look nice and the show sounded like it was a winner.

We did have some really great days after this one. There were a few hickups along the way - mostly to do with the ship, but we really enjoyed the ports.
And the shows on board the ships are top notch. We really enjoy them.

What a day you had in Rome! I was surprised when your guide actually showed up to bring you back to the ship, and glad you already had an alternate plan in case they didn't show.

Somehow we thought it was much easier to come up with a backup plan here in Europe. I guess because it would be easier to get "home" in the first place.
But Rome is something that we will remember for quite a while for all the wrong reasons.

We had a bit of a problem with a semi private tour once, but nothing like what you did. I had requested specific stops on the tour and did not find out that two of my requested stops had been changed until our guide arrived - late - to pick us up. I would have dressed a bit differently had I known about the changes, but once our day got started it turned out really well. We had more beach time than I had expected. That was fine with me, but I had originally planned the day to give DH a break from the beach. He doesn't love the beach anywhere near as much as I do. I also think we ended up paying a bit too much for the tour we actually did because the tour I had originally planned included admission fees to places we ended up not going to. I didn't mind too much since we did have a great day in spite of the rough start.

See, that is something that bugs me too. We pay even more for a private tour, then things get changed. Okay, if there is a good reason that is okay with me, but just changing it and then not returning entrance fees that were not used is just bad practice.

I really wish that Disney would have addressed the AC and plumbing during the recent dry dock. As much as I love water slides, I think the money would have been better spent getting the ship into better operating condition. You handled the situation far better than I most likely would have.

To be honest, by the way Disney worded their dry dock efforts I thought they would have gotten rid of all the issues, but it wasn't so. And as nice as the new areas looked, it would have been better to invest the money in solving those plumbing issues.
We are going back on the Magic, same deck, different stateroom, in March and I really hope that our experience will be a different one. Otherwise we won't go back on the Magic, no matter where they send her.

Hi Karin! Playing catch-up after our DLR trip…..

I am ALWAYS playing catch up - and I cannot even blame it on a trip.

As usual, your verandah pictures remind me that I could just never cruise without one. Those verandah moments are my favorite part of a cruise - so peaceful and beautiful and just perfect.

I was spoiled after our first cruise, cannot go back to a stateroom without a veranda now. If you like that sort of thing, it is just so nice, quiet (especially at night) and relaxing to sit out there.

Whoa! The Brazilian MEAT entree really makes a statement!

The presentation was fun. I was happy Tom chose it, so I could take a photo.

Oh my goodness - the shenanigans with your semi-private tour before you even left! My head would have exploded!!!! I don’t think I could have kept my cool as well as you two did. And then the “photo ID” thing - I would have freaked the heck out. Oh, how awful for you. Good on you for ditching that horrible “tour” and doing something else - I can’t believe they even messed with you on that though! How awful!!!

Well, I was not very happy and I think it showed in my tone. There is something in a teacher's voice that lets you know that things are not acceptable without even saying so.
And I just could not stand the tour guide any more and the HOHO was the perfect alternative.

Anyway, I’m glad you finally got to see some sights! And make it safely back to the ship - what a nightmare!

Okay - no - no way can you come back from such an awful port experience to a stateroom problem. Karin - how did you keep your cool at all? This is awful! I would totally having been pouring some Prosecco too! WOW!!!

Didn't I say that we had an "interesting" kind of cruise? We got to see more than we really cared for, even inside the AC.
The Prosecco was quite good to calm my nerves.

Thank goodness you got to experience a nice show and a good meal and retire to a stateroom that was no longer raining.

As you know most of the shows on board are really great and this one was no exception. We really enjoyed it and our servers made all of our MDR experiences fun. No problem there.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 6, July 28

Stromboli, the Messina Strait and more on board fun - Part 1

We slept in a little today as this was a day at sea. We got up around 8am and it was a bit overcast, but at least it did not rain. Around 9am we were ready to head down to Lumiere’s for our first nice sit down breakfast.
They offered brunch and we were in high spirits. It did not take long and we were led to a table in the middle of the room and who should we see two tables over, no one else than Karl Holz, the president of DCL. We ordered coffee and VERY hot water for myself,



as I had brought my trusted mug and own tea. The server came by soon with coffee for Tom and medium hot water, but what can you do? I sucked it up and brewed my tea with it. Brunch was not a buffet, but you had to order and since we did not know, we just ordered a breakfast dish. Didn’t take long and our breakfast arrived. Tom had ordered the



Eggs Benedict “Royale”, Toasted English Muffin with Smoked Salmon, Buttered Spinach and Poached Eggs topped with Hollandaise Sauche, while I had opted for my trusted favourites, the traditional



Eggs Benedict, Toasted English Muffin with Grilled Canadian Bacon served with Poached Eggs and topped with Hollandaise Sauce.
And were stunned –
that was it.
No garnish, no nothing, just two slices of English Muffin. We looked at each other and joked about it and then after taking some pictures, sampled our breakfast. And would you know it. There was one thing the Magic was consistant on, inconsistency.
And this breakfast was the perfect example. We had 4 poached eggs, all cooked differently. I had one that was completely cooked through and hard, the other one at least was soft on the inside, but not runny. I like my poached eggs with an oozing yolk – that’s the way they should be. Those were not. But Tom got one cooked perfectly right, while the other was close to be undercooked.
Again, we shook our heads as value for the money paid for this, it was not. But the next thing was even more puzzling to us. Wouldn’t you think that when they say brunch, they would at least ask you if you wanted something else? No, they didn’t. As soon as we had finished and put our cutlery down the server whisked away the plates and thanked us for coming in that day and with that he was gone and not seen again.
One of the few times we left without leaving an extra tip.
But there was not much time to think about the “service” we had just received, as we had a lot of things to do that day. First off, we went back to our stateroom to find it still not done, but it was still early in the morning. It was just different, as on our last few cruises whenever we returned from breakfast our room was already done and a smiling stateroom host would welcome us back. But no problem, we were going to leave again soon.
That day there was the Castaway Club reception and we made our way down a little early to have time to sit and relax for a while. We arrived about 10 minutes early and our “friend” Mr. Concierge was already there, holding court. So we found a table at the opposite side and sat down. Didn’t take long and we were served some



Champagne and a few canapees. I think we both got some



asparagus wrapped in prosciutto ones and I think Tom tried the



Shrimp Bloody Mary as well and they even came by with a fruit tray a little later.



We got to meet a few of the ship’s officers and chatted for a bit until the Captain started his speech



and then Karl Holz took over.



He spoke about the future of DCL, but never gave a definite answer to future destinations or having more ships built. The whole reception was over in about half an hour and on the way out we got the Mickey Rice Krispy Treat they always give out.
And without even taking it back to our room we headed out to deck 4 to see one of today’s sights, Stromboli!









A volcanic island and the volcano is still active. When we walked out onto deck 4 there it was, right there in the distance. Unfortunately it was a bit of a hazy day, but you could still see it in the distance. We took a few photos, watched us go by for a while and then headed back to our stateroom.



We chilled for a while and sat out on the balcony, but soon enough it was time to head back out again as there was another DVC meet,



which we had been invited to. Again we were served some





bubbly and a few of their



chocolate chip cookies and then the presentation began. Unfortunately we could not stay until the end as we needed to head to the top deck to secure a good space to see the next sight of the day – the Messina Strait.

To be continued ..........​

 

[dizneeat]

Day 8, July 30

Stromboli, the Messina Strait and more on board fun - Part 2

Unfortunately we could not stay until the end as we needed to head to the top deck to secure a good space to see the next sight of the day – the Messina Strait.





So we headed up to the top deck and low and behold there were already people up there but we were able to find a free spot at the most forward point.





The man who was standing next to Tom started talking and we chatted for a while. And while we were chatting the space around us filled up with quite a few people. There was a young lady standing next to me and we started talking as well. Turns out she is a cast member at Walt Disney World and her grandmother on her father’s side was from Austria. Now we had even lots more to talk about. So we watched while the ship was gliding through the very narrow body of water between the main land of Italy and the island of Sicily.





















The ship had taken a pilot on board for that part and it was good it did, as some spots were really pretty narrow and when we went past a Costa ship I think everyone remembered what had happened to one of their fleet’s ships. And with chatting and watching time just flew by and we soon were out into the open sea again. We said our goodbyes, but not without telling our new friends that we had DVDs of Austria to hand out as FE gifts and we would bring one to their stateroom. We then strolled along the deck and found our friend Bobbie enjoying the sun on one of the loungers. I couldn’t help it and talk to her and she was pretty stunned when she saw us standing there. And when we finally passed the Cove Café we decided to treat ourselves to some coffee goodness. Tom ordered a



Cappuccino, while I went for the Frozen Cappuccino, 1/3 Espresso blended with vanilla ice cream, again. Again, we had to make a point of it that we wanted our drinks in china and/or glass and it took a lot of discussion for them to finally agree to it. Their argument is that you get more in a Styrofoam cup. Actually we would get less, as I don’t like the taste of the Styrofoam cup and most of it would get thrown out. So, after a while the server returned with the drinks. Tom’s coffee came in a funny cup for a cappuccino and mine was missing the whipped cream on top. Oh, well, less calories.
And while Tom enjoyed his coffee I only took one sip and realized that one key ingredient was missing, the vanilla ice cream. My Frozen Cappuccino was just coffee mixed up with ice cubes and there were still huge chunks of it in it. And while I was still looking for a server to let them know that this was not what I had ordered (and paid for) they both had just disappeared. So, after a while we gave up and I sipped a bit of the watery drink and once Tom had finished his coffee we just left. On the way back to our room Tom picked up two







gyros with different fillings to snack on back in our room. And he was happy to report that they both were very good and he enjoyed them out on the balcony together with a beer out of the fridge. I joined him, but I was nibbling some sweets we had gotten as our Fish Extender gifts and was washing it down with some Coke out of our fridge as well.

To be continued ..........​

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Okay, except that I suspect another chapter is about to be posted, I'm all caught up again.

I love pictures of lighthouses, and the green one in La Spezia harbour is really cool!

Warm banana bread sounds good to me…….I should have been there to help you and Tom out with that one. This is one time I would have had a hard time deciding between Tom’s skewers, and your slow roasted chicken. Both look yummy, but I think I would have to give the nod to Tom’s choice this time. As usual, dessert looks really good. Is that starting to sound like a broken record…………. Carioca’s looks like a good choice for a meal………..or two! Breakfast looks good too, even if not completely hot?

After the success of your previous tour, this one is ! What a start. You did get some great pictures, but that whole experience was just WOW!!!

Interesting choices on your pizza, but it does look pretty good. Not an olive fan, but other than that…… And of course the ice cream……yum!

Edited: Looks like I was correct about another update. You found a great spot and had some great views for passing through the straits. More good pictures, and more yummy looking food!

Edited: Looks like I was right. You had a great spot and view for passing through the straits. More great pictures, and more yummy looking food!

I certainly find no fault with you deciding not to tip your driver after everything you went through. I’m pretty sure I would have done the same, and I’m normally a pretty generous tipper also. I guess after all that, arriving back in your room to a leaking A/C shouldn’t come as too much of a shock, well except that this IS a Disney ship and cruise. An adult beverage seems like an appropriate choice.

Once Upon a Song sounds like a good choice, and finally something that day that exceeded your expectations. You were certainly deserving of that happening. Another great meal at Lumiere’s and I would definitely go with everything you both ordered. Is that possible??? Oh, did I mention dessert………. Now how does something so wonderful be followed up the next day at brunch, in the same restaurant, with such a drop off??? At least things look better at the Castaway Club reception.

Chocolate chip cookies and champagne??? Doesn’t quite strike me for dunking like milk does……….

 

[dizneeat]

Day 8, July 30

Stromboli, the Messina Strait and more on board fun - Part 3

I joined him, but I was nibbling some sweets we had gotten as our Fish Extender gifts and was washing it down with some Coke out of our fridge as well.
In the early evening, we got ready and headed down to the Walt Disney theatre to watch this evening’s show, which was “Twice Charmed”. We found seats near the back of the theatre and braised ourselves for Brent and his Spanish sidekick and needless to say they kept talking and talking and talking.
And finally we were in for what was worth sitting through their “lecture”, a really nice story about Cinderella. It was done in true Disney style and it got us both into a really good Disney mood. Needless to say, when you are in a Disney mood, check out the stores after you leave the theatre.
But there was nothing new in there, so we decided to check out the bars one more time. I had been on board for a few days already and had not had my favourite cruise drink yet – Moet Ice Champagne. We had seen it on the menu and I was looking forward to a glass of the bubbly. Keys seemed quiet, so we walked in, took a look at the menu – yip, Moet Ice is served here and sat down.
Pretty quickly a server was at our table and asking about what we wanted to drink. Tom ordered a



Rob Roy, Glenmorangie Signet, Noilly Prat and Aromatic Bitters. I asked for the Moet Ice. Sorry, but they were “out of it”. Not nice. I asked for the Taittinger Prestige Rose. Sorry, but they were “out of it”.
See a pattern here?
I did not take a chance with the Dom Perignon, which was 76$ a glass, so I was tempted to just order a Diet Coke. The server did see my disappointment and offered to make me a drink that was his



“Moet Ice” substitute. I was not really sure, but why not give it a try. The server came back after a while with our drinks and Tom really liked his and I liked mine as well, even though it was NO Moet Ice, but still a nice substitute.
He would not let us know what was in it in the beginning, but then told us that it was some kind of flavoured liquor, lemon peel, mint and Prosecco. We sat, laughed about what they were out of again and nibbled a few of the peanuts that they served with their drinks.
Once we had finished our drinks we headed back to our stateroom to get changed and head downstairs again for dinner. Once we got to our table we were quickly handed a menu and Jay brought over the Diet Cokes. We decided on trying a drink that night as the



Limoncello, Limoncello, fresh Lime and Lemon Juice and Grand Marnier topped with Sprite, sounded really nice. And while he was going to get it for us Jay left us to try the



Pane Siciliano Loaf with



Red Pepper Dip. Then Jason came to take our order for dinner and we were soon after handed our drinks, which were as yummy as they had sounded. And then our starters arrived. We had decided on a the



Rollatine di Melazane, lightly breaded baked eggplant filled with Prosciutto, sweet ricotta, smoked Mozzarella, served on Tuscan Tomato Sauce, drizzled with aged Balsamic and the



Cream of Trevi Celery Soup with Italian Sausage and Crouton as our first course. The soup was nice but we would have preferred it to be a bit hotter and the Rollatine was a bit on the greasy side, but the taste itself was quite nice. And as soon as we had put our cutlery down, the plates were whisked away and our next course, a salad course was put in front of us. Tom had ordered the



Insalata di Frutti di Mare Veneziana, Venezian Seafood salad with Princess Scallops, Octopus, Shrimp and Mussels with Citrus-Parsley Virgin Olive Oil and I had opted for the



Insalata Della Chef, Mesculin Mix, Organic Pine Nuts, Avocado and Gorgonzola Cheese with a light Cranberry Dressing. They were both nice and fresh and hit the spot. We asked for a short break before our mains were served and so about 10 minutes later Tom was served the



Branzino alla Vernazza, Roasted Seabass with Artichoke Puree, Samphire and Vernazza Wine Sauce, which looked and tasted really nice. I had opted for the vegetarian option, the



Gnocci di Patate e Funghi Porcini, Homemade Potato Dumplings with Cep Mushrooms. I just love Gnocci and this one was a true winner. And again, time for dessert! I knew right away, what I wanted, the



Warm Stuffoli, Italian Donuts served with Lemon Honey Dipping Sauce. Tom didn’t have a favourite right away and went to try the



No Sugar Added, Ricotta Panna Cotta with Berries, Creamy Ricotta Cheese flavoured with Zesty Orange. And while mine was really good, but very filling, Tom’s just wasn’t our taste. The Ricotta gave it a bit of a grainy feel, so after tasting a spoonful, he just picked off the fruit. And while we were still working on our desserts the servers marched through the dining room, wearing Italian masks and waving the Italian flag.







It was quite fun to watch. Once they stopped, Jay started doing magic tricks again, but since we had to sign for our drinks we had to wait. Thankfully, he sensed that we were ready to leave, so he headed over, showed us his trick of the night and let Tom sign for the drinks and we were out of there. We strolled through the Atrium again and there were quite a few characters still out, then peeked inside the stores, but there was still nothing new. So we called it a night and headed back up to our room.



It was a beautiful night, so we went outside onto our veranda and sat out there with a drink for a while until we finally went to bed around midnight.

To be continued ..........​

 

[dizneeat]

Okay, except that I suspect another chapter is about to be posted, I'm all caught up again.

You were perfectly right - another chapter posted!

I love pictures of lighthouses, and the green one in La Spezia harbour is really cool!

We just love lighthouses. Might have to do with the fact that we live smack dab in the middle of Europe with no sea anywhere in sight.

Warm banana bread sounds good to me…….I should have been there to help you and Tom out with that one. This is one time I would have had a hard time deciding between Tom’s skewers, and your slow roasted chicken. Both look yummy, but I think I would have to give the nod to Tom’s choice this time. As usual, dessert looks really good. Is that starting to sound like a broken record…………. Carioca’s looks like a good choice for a meal………..or two! Breakfast looks good too, even if not completely hot?

Ah, next time there is banana bread on the menu I will be thinking of you. I guess it is something you need to grow up with, as it is not really our taste.
And the food in the MDR is usually very good - well, I say usually as it was not that way all the time.

After the success of your previous tour, this one is ! What a start. You did get some great pictures, but that whole experience was just WOW!!!

Yes, Rome was a huge disappointment when it comes to the tour, but thankfully I can say it was the only let down. The other tours were really great.

Interesting choices on your pizza, but it does look pretty good. Not an olive fan, but other than that…… And of course the ice cream……yum!

The Capricciosa is a very common style pizza here (and in Italy) and I really like the flavours.
The ice cream was really yummy!

Edited: Looks like I was correct about another update. You found a great spot and had some great views for passing through the straits. More good pictures, and more yummy looking food!

Edited: Looks like I was right. You had a great spot and view for passing through the straits. More great pictures, and more yummy looking food!

We were pretty lucky with our spot and the time we went up. Had we come 15 minutes later, we would have stood in second or third row.

I certainly find no fault with you deciding not to tip your driver after everything you went through. I’m pretty sure I would have done the same, and I’m normally a pretty generous tipper also. I guess after all that, arriving back in your room to a leaking A/C shouldn’t come as too much of a shock, well except that this IS a Disney ship and cruise. An adult beverage seems like an appropriate choice.

You would think that they got rid of those problems during dry dock. But instead they "repair" with towels.

Once Upon a Song sounds like a good choice, and finally something that day that exceeded your expectations. You were certainly deserving of that happening. Another great meal at Lumiere’s and I would definitely go with everything you both ordered. Is that possible??? Oh, did I mention dessert………. Now how does something so wonderful be followed up the next day at brunch, in the same restaurant, with such a drop off??? At least things look better at the Castaway Club reception.

Well, the thing that was consistant was the inconsistancy.

Chocolate chip cookies and champagne??? Doesn’t quite strike me for dunking like milk does……….

May I add that I am allergic to milk? And these cookies are so moist and chewy, they do not need to be dunked. And there is always a bit of the bubbly to wash it all down.

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Okay, I saw you indeed updated after I posted, and edited twice, saved and it didn't show up when I saw my post??? Appears after reading your responses that my edited comments ended up in the middle. Of course, maybe I should have thought about scrolling down to the bottom of the edit box to type my comments instead of assuming it automatically put me there........

I finally decided to come back later and see if I could edit after this horrible BLIP in the DIS cleared itself up.........

 

[Poolrat]

Okay, I saw you indeed updated after I posted, and edited twice, saved and it didn't show up when I saw my post??? Appears after reading your responses that my edited comments ended up in the middle. Of course, maybe I should have thought about scrolling down to the bottom of the edit box to type my comments instead of assuming it automatically put me there........

I finally decided to come back later and see if I could edit after this horrible BLIP in the DIS cleared itself up.........

Nice one- Now you just need to go back and fix your BLIP.








Karin,
You sure are having a rough time this cruise it seems. Seems like they did not stock the ship very well if they always "out of it"
Dinner looks yummy.

Very glad you could retreat to your verandah for some nice relaxing time.
Going through the strait looks fascinating.

 

[jenseib]

Wow...they really didn't do well with cooking or keeping things in stock. I do remember you posting about that last summer too. I wonder why? It was definitely a different experience than we had...but we were only on a 3 night cruise too.

Your dessert looks so yummy!

 

[KatMark]

I don't eat eggs benedict (actually, I don't eat eggs except for omelets), but those don't even look appetizing.

Dinner looks a bit more appetizing though.

Glad you were able to get up on the top deck for those two occasions...very cool.

 

[dizneeat]

Okay, I saw you indeed updated after I posted, and edited twice, saved and it didn't show up when I saw my post??? Appears after reading your responses that my edited comments ended up in the middle. Of course, maybe I should have thought about scrolling down to the bottom of the edit box to type my comments instead of assuming it automatically put me there........

No problem. I was a bit surprised to find them in the middle, but thought you might want to play a trick on me.

I finally decided to come back later and see if I could edit after this horrible BLIP in the DIS cleared itself up.........

Karin,
You sure are having a rough time this cruise it seems. Seems like they did not stock the ship very well if they always "out of it"
Dinner looks yummy.

It was not what we had expected. Not only was the ship not up to the shape we were used to, but kitchen and logistics lacked as well.
We will see how the Magic "performs" when we go back in a little over 9 weeks.

Very glad you could retreat to your verandah for some nice relaxing time.
Going through the strait looks fascinating.

We just love having that veranda. It is a really nice place to sit and just enjoy and watch the waves.
The Messina Strait was really interesting and really tight at some places.

Wow...they really didn't do well with cooking or keeping things in stock. I do remember you posting about that last summer too. I wonder why? It was definitely a different experience than we had...but we were only on a 3 night cruise too.

Your dessert looks so yummy!

It was a very different experience to what we are used to. And while I can live with some things being missing ..... it did not stop there. Believe me, I did not choose that title for nothing.
I guess being stocked up might be easier when the ship is in the US - with customs and everything it might take longer than they think, but still, you would think that a company the size of Disney would have better logistics.

I don't eat eggs benedict (actually, I don't eat eggs except for omelets), but those don't even look appetizing.

Dinner looks a bit more appetizing though.

Glad you were able to get up on the top deck for those two occasions...very cool.

Kathy, we just love poached eggs and poached eggs covered in Hollandaise Sauce, but these were such a variety of cooking stages. And the presentation was just shocking.

It was great to secure a nice spot on the top deck for the Messina Strait - the scenery was really beautiful.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 9, July 31

Palo, Tastings and more „we’re out of it“ - Part 1

Another day at sea had broken. We got up around 8am, took showers and got ready to head out at around 5 to 10. We only had to walk up to Palo for our first reservation of the day, Palo Brunch. We arrived right when they opened and since we had cancelled the previous day’s brunch reservation we were interested in how it was all presented. We were quickly led to a table by the window, greeted by our server, who quickly brought out some



Prosecco to start off brunch and then taken for a tour of the buffet. I should have taken my camera, as everything was pretty untouched then and later there were always too many people at the buffet. The different offerings were explained to us, then we were handed a plate and starting to pile food onto it.





We took our sweet time to enjoy the first plate of yummy food and both did a second round of the cold buffet





as there were so many wonderful things to try. Then when the time to order something hot came, we both opted for pizza. I had my favourite, the



Blue Cheese and Grapes one, while Tom opted for the



Sun Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese one. It took us quite some time to finish them and after that we sat for a while, enjoying the view, we headed back to the buffet for a final plate of desserts.





Again, there was lots to choose from, but we had quickly chosen some favourites and sat sat down again to enjoy them. Around 12am we had finished our huge meal and after tipping our server we said our goodbyes and went back to our room to change into some more comfortable clothes and found our room still not cleaned. Oh well. We chilled for a while, looked at the TV screen to see the progress our ship had made, before we had to head out for our next reservation. We went down to Keys, where they were already getting things ready and we quickly found a table for two and sat down, chatting.



It had only been a few minutes of us sitting there and the room started to fill up and there were our friends Bobbie and Connie entering the room. We waved at them and they came over and after we had exchanged a few words we asked the barkeeper if it was okay for us to change seats and sit at a table for four with them. No problem, so we headed to a table in the corner and waited for things to come.





Tom and I had done this tasting, the Chocolate Tasting, a few times before and knew what was to come. We had such a good time, giggling and tasting and pulling faces during the tasting.





There were some drinks that were really enhanced by the chocolate, but it still did nothing for me when tasted with red wine. Still makes me gag. But the chocolate was great and we all cleaned out those little containers well. Once the tasting was over, we still sat for a little while until the barkeeper let us know that there would be another tasting and would we mind to leave. Well, Bobbie and Connie actually left, while Tom and I only handed the barkeeper our tickets for that tasting as well.
We changed to another table for two again and sat and waited for things to developed. Glasses were set up and when they started pouring wines, we were stunned that three out of four wines were reds, so we asked about it and were told that they were actually out of some of the wines they usually offered, but had found an Italian winery owner, who was now introducing some wines from his vineyard.



Yeah – they were out of many things, including Champagne and wines. A little later the tastings began and the Italian winery owner was a bit hard to understand, so we just sat and tried, well, Tom tried the first three, while I handed over my glasses. Then the barkeeper took over and talked about the white wine we were tasting and the Champagne we were tasting as well. All the alcohol added to a really good mood that day and once the tasting was over we returned to our stateroom for some chilling. The Fish Extender was overflowing





and our room was finally cleaned in the early hours of the afternoon. We unpacked our gifts, then grabbed the next load of the gifts we wanted to hand out and got on our way to put gifts into fish extenders all over the ship. Once we were done, we walked out onto deck 4 to watch the waves, but soon headed back to our stateroom to relax for a while.

To be continued ..........​

 

[JKSWonder]

I would definitely have a problem with them running out of champagne and white wine! What a bummer.

 

[KatMark]

Breakfast looks much better this day than it did the last day.

I wouldn't be doing any of those testings as I don't drink red or white wine and definitey no champagne. I'm more of a tropical drink gal. But the chocolates look really good.

 

[Leshaface]

What a bummer about the Lumiere brunch! Also, what's up with the servers not understanding what hot water is? I'm sure they have some type of kettle or pot or MICROWAVE that can heat water to boiling

And again with the Cove Cafe? DH isn't a styrofoam fan either, he can really taste it (I can't for some reason?? You guys must have very sensitive taste buds) but drinking coffee from actual china is much better than paper cups any day.

Wow can't believe the ship has been out of a lot of stuff! That really stinks.

But Palo brunch looks delicious as usual. And the chocolate tasting looks like so much fun! Too bad they couldn't sub your red wine at the wine tasting for all whites, even if you were only tasting one white varietal.

 

[Poolrat]

A sea day is so nice and relaxing.

So sorry for all the wine substitutions. I don't do Red wine real well (gives me headaches from the sulfites) so that would not do for me.

Still looks like a wonderful sea day.

 

[jenseib]

I have found I don't really care for red wine either so I can understand your gag. I can drink some, but I am not a big wine person to begin with so if I am going to have it, give me white.

 

[podsnel]

It is so terrible they kept running out of everything! It must have something to do with being in Europe- like a couple of years back when they did not have Mickey Bars? I would have LOVED all that red wine- so sorry you did not. Would you ever cruise the Magic again? Would you ever cruise the Magic again in the Med?

 

[dizneeat]

I would definitely have a problem with them running out of champagne and white wine! What a bummer.

And therefore it's a good thing they allow you to bring some on board. And there were plenty more excursion days for us to do some shopping.

Breakfast looks much better this day than it did the last day.

Palo brunch is outstanding. It is an adult only restaurant and the offerings are really top notch.

I wouldn't be doing any of those testings as I don't drink red or white wine and definitey no champagne. I'm more of a tropical drink gal. But the chocolates look really good.

Actually I don't really drink much alcohol when at home, but it is a nice thing to do to try new things when you are on vacation.
And these tastings are fun, as you only get small portions and get to know quite a few new cruisers.

What a bummer about the Lumiere brunch! Also, what's up with the servers not understanding what hot water is? I'm sure they have some type of kettle or pot or MICROWAVE that can heat water to boiling

Yeah, that brunch was not really what we thought it would be. And I kind of got used to luke warm water.

And again with the Cove Cafe? DH isn't a styrofoam fan either, he can really taste it (I can't for some reason?? You guys must have very sensitive taste buds) but drinking coffee from actual china is much better than paper cups any day.

Austria is famous for its coffee culture and coffee in a styrofoam cup is a huge no no. And yes, we can really taste it too.

Wow can't believe the ship has been out of a lot of stuff! That really stinks.

They were out of even more stuff and we got a few more "surprises" along the way.

But Palo brunch looks delicious as usual. And the chocolate tasting looks like so much fun! Too bad they couldn't sub your red wine at the wine tasting for all whites, even if you were only tasting one white varietal.

We really love Palo and would not give it up for anything. That is one buffet I really like.
There was no chance of substituting the red wines, as they were running low on them as well.

 

[dizneeat]

A sea day is so nice and relaxing.

So sorry for all the wine substitutions. I don't do Red wine real well (gives me headaches from the sulfites) so that would not do for me.

Still looks like a wonderful sea day.

We really love sea days, so relaxing and time to just enjoy the ship ..... and some tastings.

I have found I don't really care for red wine either so I can understand your gag. I can drink some, but I am not a big wine person to begin with so if I am going to have it, give me white.

Somehow I cannot drink red wine at all any more. It never was my favourite, but I was able to drink it. Now it really makes my throat close up and it makes me pull funny faces.

It is so terrible they kept running out of everything! It must have something to do with being in Europe- like a couple of years back when they did not have Mickey Bars? I would have LOVED all that red wine- so sorry you did not. Would you ever cruise the Magic again? Would you ever cruise the Magic again in the Med?

There was something new they ran out of about every day ..... on a 12 night cruise.
And I am sure, it had to do with being in Europe. We talked to the bar tender in Keys and he said that they order "too late" and it takes ages for things to arrive and then they need to go through customs, which slows the process again. You would think they know when to order to restock.

Would we ever cruise on the Magic again?

Yes, we actually will return to the Magic in a little over 8 weeks. We have another stateroom and I hope NO issues with smells and they should be well stocked since we sail from their home port of PC.

Would I ever cruise on the Magic in the Med?

I do NOT think so. It was SO expensive and not only were they out of most of the stuff we liked, service was below "Disney" in several aspects.
Plus, there are lots of other lines who do the same ports.