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| The Magic docked in Cozumel |
This cruise started as a delayed honeymoon for RDB and me. (We eloped on a camping trip, 11-12-13 and both went back to work one day later.) We booked our room, Ocean Suite 7279, and then got to thinking: RDB's parents would have just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on 12-7 and wouldn't it be awesome if we could honor their amazing commitment, so we booked the room next door for them, balcony 7281. Well, since the in-laws were coming, this couldn't be a honeymoon anymore, so we opened the invitation to my Mom as well. She booked balcony 7283 and invited her little sister, Aunt J, who would celebrate her double nickel birthday in January by joining us on the cruise. One 35-Hour-Sale later and we had Sis and BNDN on board in an interior room 7241 (also celebrating a delayed honeymoon - they married 9-7-13!) So, three balconies in a row and the honeymooners a little ways away.
We'll start with Sis and BNDN's Interior Room 7241:
Just a basic interior room - good for sleeping and calling home to check on the kiddos (notice, there's no couch here - it really is just a bed-room). The twins-pushed-together-king took up the majority of the room. I wondered if it wouldn't have felt as crowded in the twins-against-the-wall configuration. But hey, they were 'honeymooners,' I wasn't gonna suggest the Lucy and Ricky Ricardo beds!
Next up, Mom and Aunt J's Balcony 7283:
The additional room on the balcony and the sitting area you gain with the couch and coffee table really help to open the space up in comparison to Sis and BNDN's interior room. With the twin configuration, you have a decent amount of space around both sides of the bed to get up and move without disturbing your roommate. Mom's one complaint was the lack of table-top space. With two women, and all the stuff they accumulate throughout the week, counter space was at a premium. I'll write more in a bit about my Justin-Case bags, but one thing included in them are magnets so you can stick FunTimes and other paper things to the metal walls of your room and an over the door shoe holder to help to keep the clutter to a minimum.
On to A&R's Balcony 7281:
We bought the Anniversary room decor package from the Fun Shops before we left - and they've changed the designs, so if you're wondering what that looks like: see above. (I love that they've added a door-decor piece to it!) I just realized - the color of the Carnival decor is all in red - which perfectly matched the decor I brought for them for their Ruby Anniversary!
Very similar to the stateroom right next door (Mom and Aunt J) but its in the twins-together-to-make-a-king configuration. Notice that it's opposite in it's layout (bed on the right, balcony door on the left). I think that makes a difference in regards to having the balcony dividers opened. The deck plans showed that 7283 and 7281 could have theirs open, but not 7283 and 7279. Unless you have an awesome steward like Ihar!
Speaking of the balcony (AR's favorite part of the room) and the dividers being opened, let me show you that, too:
Here's the before, from Mom's balcony to ours:
And here's the after, from mine to Mom's:
Ahhhhh.... No longer three separate balconies - we had a private veranda! Typically, they wouldn't open three regular balconies at the same time (except for cleaning). It has to do with not blocking the joining room's door from opening. Since we had the extended balcony with the suite, the divider blocked the window a little, but it was no big deal. It was certainly nice to have all that extra outdoor space. We even got a room-only key made for Sis and BNDN so they could come thru our room and enjoy the balcony. (Head to guest services and ask for a key-only card - it was really easy!)
So, now that we've got the veranda opened up, let's head into our final stateroom, Ocean Suite 7279:
Two words for the Ocean Suite: AMPLE ROOM. And LOTS of storage. (Ok, so that's six words.) I would highly recommend, if you're traveling with a group of people and you want a private place to hang out, to book the Ocean Suite. There were several times that we had all eight of us in the group over at 'our place' to hang out before an excursion or show or meet for drinks before dinner. RDB enjoyed that our suite had a bar area off to the left hand side as you came into the room (bottom right photo). Never once did it feel crowded with all of us in there. And I certainly didn't have any of the lack of counter space that Mom and Aunt J experienced.
Not only do you have ample counter top space, you've got extra room in the bathroom/vanity area (bottom left three photos). Before you step into the bathroom, you have a small dressing area with more closet spaces and a pocket door that closes it off from the main room area (nice for privacy if you had multiple people getting dressed for dinner at the same time). Double sinks in the bathroom, and yes, that's a personal whirlpool tub/shower in the suite! If you think you've been spoiled with a balcony, you will be totally ruined with a suite. We loved it - and will probably book this exact same stateroom on our next Magic cruise. (Last two words: book Early Saver... ok, so that was really three.)
So, there you have it! We absolutely loved our accommodations. And the service we received from our steward, Ihar, truly was splendid. He was on the spot with any requests we made, very attentive and professional in his demeanor. I can't tell you how many times I asked to borrow his corkscrew (Carnival no longer provides one for free if you forget yours at home, just fyi). Extra wine glasses, a blanket, the balconies opened, and when I asked if our group could hang out in the suite the last morning after 8:30 and before disembarking he simply replied: "Anything you need, Miss Sarah! Absolutely!" Since we departed on Valentine's Day, we left him a Valentine and an extra tip. Totally worth it!
For more room (and Towel Animal) photos, go here.
Stay tuned for another post - our first Sea Day and Elegant Night for Dinner - I'll be working on it over the next few days... if that stubborn j.o.b. doesn't get in the way It's done!!
And THANKS! btw - to all of you who've dropped over from various Facebook links and CruiseCritic (*gasp*! I said those two in the same sentence!) It's been a pleasure to have you "traveling along!" Stay turned for a few more days of fabulous photos and Fun Times!
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