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Carnival Magic Cruise, Part 2. I Almost Forgot...

...Roatan! We were really looking forward to visiting Roatan again. It is a beautiful island off the coast of Honduras. We visited for a day back in the mid 1990s, on the late, great Stella Solaris, also sailing out of Galveston (as well as Greece) on a Mayan Equinox Cruise.

Folks anxiously awaiting our entry into that harbor back there behind the boat. Hmm. That sure looks like a narrow entrance. Hmm. It sure is taking a long time to get in theah. We puttered around, stopped dead in the water, and sadly, watched the wind push the boat sideways. Well. No Roatan this trip. The boat is big and the harbor entrance is small, with rocks on both sides. It's a tight fit for the Magic in the best weather.

I can see that Roatan is mostly unspoiled. Too bad we won't be visiting. We wind up getting an extra day at sea and a credit of the port charge. Maybe next time.

Carnival Magic Cruise, Sprung 2014

We last cruised on the Carnival Ecstasy in 2010, so we decided to take advantage of a good price to get on the much bigger Carnival Magic.

We loves Colorado, but sometimes I hear Galveston calling. I was happy to see that Galveston has really come back after Hurricane Ike hit a few years ago.

Click on the pictures for full-sized versions.

 Sunrise nears as we drive south thru Colorady towards the Texas coast.

 Capulin mountain, an extinct volcano, looms ahead in Noo Mexico.

 Food 'n drank in Galveston!

 The view from The Commodore By The Sea.

 Galveston harbor.

 Peeps taking a train ride at the railroad museum.

 On Saturday, the Carnival Triumph set sail. Our turn tomorrow.

 Sunrise in Galveston on cruise day.

 Fishin' on the jetty.

 Lots of ships waiting to enter the harbor and the Houston Ship Channel.

 Goodbye to our room. See 'ya after the cruise!

 The Carnival Magic and RCCL's Navigator Of The Seas docked and ready for passengers.

 Quickly onboard, looking down the atrium.

 The fuel barge gassin' up the boat, just outside our winder.

The Galveston Strand looks good from the boat.

 A quick meal.

 Lido deck.

 After muster, off we go.

 Cars waiting for one of the ferries.

A week ago, thousands of gallons of bunker fuel were spilled in Galveston Bay. As we left port, we passed workers cleaning up the shoreline.

 

For over 2 years, I've watched folks do the silly dance on the Galveston cruise cam as the Magic leaves port each week, and finally I get to watch in person. No, I didn't dance. Nope.

 Gettin' into trouble at the Red Frog Pub onboard.

 A new animal in the cabin each night.

 Chillin' on the Tranquility deck. No children or loud music.

The cabin has a fully stocked fridge. Well, not so fully stocked after I get thru with it.

Just a little cool on the nifty (and quiet) deck 5. Over the course of the week, this deck became more popular with folks.

 A serene view from deck 5.

 More looniness can be found on the Lido deck.

 The door to our cabin.

 Rope-a-dopin' on top o' the boat.

 A "palm tree" outside the Red Frog Pub.

Tenders carried folks to Belize City.

The Carnival Glory.

Sunset approaches.

Carnival's redecorated Sunshine, sailing out of Noo Awlin's, alongside at Cozumel.

The Navigator arrives in Cozumel.

 I really liked this shady spot near the cruise ships.

Eats 'n dranks.

Time to get back to the boat.

Modern cruise ships are floating hotels. It's really amazing to be onboard.

Oh dear.

Yep. Free desert.

The hallways go on for miles.

Catching the sun on the final cruise day.

Getting things packed for debarkation.

Texas has the best Tex-Mex food there is.

Back to Commodore By The Sea for the day. Off to DenBRRRR tomorrow.