Chris Owen Has Just Posted the Following:



Yesterday,# we got word of some exciting new features on new Carnival Magic.# Below is the press release telling all about them and you can read all that later.

One of the best parts of cruising again on the same cruise line is the familiarity that goes with it.# On land, we may like a certain hotel chain or airline and try to give them our business when we can.# If I am searching for flights online though, price will most always trump loyalty to an airline.# There will be other factors to consider like departure and arrival times but price almost always wins out as a deciding factor.

Cruises are a bit different in that each sailing is unique.# One cruise line may sail a particular itinerary while others do not.# One may have the lowest price on a generally similar ship and itinerary but it may not be a line we like.### Often, differences between cruise lines, can make a huge impact on our vacation experience.

What I like about Carnival is that I know what to expect and it’s not what you might imagine.# If you think Carnival and then think “drunken frat party-like scene” you would be wrong.# Maybe.# Cruise lines# in general and Carnival in particular, do a good job allowing me to make my vacation exactly what I want it to be.# If I wanted# drunken frat-party scene I could probably find one on a Carnival ship.# Does that dominate the sailing? No, not unless you might be on a theme cruise like the Kid Rock cruise.# That one has drunken frat party written all over it.

What I expect is fun.## Carnival has it down better than any other line.## Fun may mean reading a book a day.# That is what Lisa likes to do. Fun may mean sitting on my balcony watching the ocean roll by on a day at sea.# That is one of my favorite parts.

Below is that press release telling all about some of the new different and exciting features on board Carnival Magic.## I don’t need to read one word of it to know that all those features add up to just one thing. Fun.# Carnival will deliver, I know they will.# It’s all a matter of how they roll it out and what we do with it.

Here’s that info:

A Magical Extravaganza

The first production show, “Destination: Unknown,” is the largest show ever staged on a Carnival ship and the latest in Carnival Cruise Lines’ arsenal of hits. It stars Jason Byrne, award-winning “magician extraordinaire” and Las Vegas headliner. The mood is set before guests even enter the Showtime theatre with high-tech special effects, and as the houselights dim, full-stage silk drapes fall into view and quickly disappear into the floor or fly into the wings to reveal the full cast of singers and dancers. Then Byrne, the show’s star magician, appears out of thin air piloting a helicopter mid-stage. What follows is a mystical and magical circus full of masterful illusions made possible by the Showtime theatre’s state-of-the-art, unparalleled technology. This is a can’t-miss show stopper that’s sure to entertain the whole family

Grooving Through the ’70s

The 1970s were more than just disco music and polyester bell-bottoms, and “The Groove Line” is a funky journey through the city streets and iconic discotheques of that era. Choreographed to the tunes that shaped a generation and featuring artists such as KC and the Sunshine Band, The Jackson Five and Sister Sledge, this show will have guests on their feet and carry them back to the heyday of the 1970s.

It’s a Game Thing

“Win! The Game Show” is a wild and crazy parody of television’s most popular game shows. The different and twisted games comprise a travelogue that guides the audience to exotic and exciting places, from a NASCAR-style race track to the Las Vegas Strip. With opportunities for audience participation and a fabulously catchy soundtrack featuring songs by Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Eagles, Shania Twain and Ricky Martin, this show is sure to be a major hit with guests.

More Entertainment Options

Carnival Magic’s two new venues help to take the line’s reputation for diverse, at-sea entertainment choices to a new level. Cucina del Capitano (“The Captain’s Kitchen”) not only boasts singing and dancing waiters and waitresses alongside a barrel of Chianti on wheels, but also has a loop of 65 hand-selected, Italian-themed songs.

Meanwhile, each evening as the sun sets, patrons of the Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub can kick back to live acoustic guitar and vocals as they relax on swing-gliding chairs or amuse themselves with any number of bar games, such as foosball, a tabletop shuffleboard, darts, puzzles and more.

Designed to be the ultimate refuge for rest, relaxation and wellness, Carnival Magic’s 22,770-square-foot “Cloud 9 Spa” sets the benchmark for at-sea health and wellness facilities. In addition to traditional spa offerings, Carnival Magic’s spa features Medi-Spa services performed by a licensed physician as well as new Bliss® signature treatments:

• The Bliss® Triple Oxygen Treatment — This signature complexion reviver for all skin types includes intensive cleansing, exfoliating, a fruit-acid wash, a pre-extraction oxygen wrap, a calming oxygen and milk mask, hydrating enzyme pack and vitaminized oxygen infusion.

• Bliss® Fat Girl Slim — This detoxifying, circulation-stimulating, body-toning treatment includes dry brushing, an application of firming grapefruit essential oil, a trouble-spot targeting seaweed task mask, a heated wrap, and a rubdown.

The Medi-Spa services build on the notion that a cruise setting is an ideal place to experience cosmetic treatments, given the stress-free environments and guests’ flexible schedules while on vacation. The Medi-Spa offers cosmetic nonsurgical enhancements such as targeted wrinkle and instant skin-volumizing treatments. All services are administered by a licensed physician using the latest products in facial enhancement and rejuvenation, including Botox® cosmetic, Dysport®, Restylane® and Perlane®. Acupuncture treatments and GoSmile® teeth whitening also are available. Free consultations are offered upon request.

Located on Spa Deck (12), Carnival Magic’s “Cloud 9 Spa” features a full range of spa amenities:

• Thermal Suite — Based on traditional Turkish baths, the suite provides herbal steam and sauna grottos that cleanse the body with gentle heat. Heated chaise lounges and tropical shower features further enhance the purifying and relaxing experience.

• Thalassotherapy Pool — “Taking the waters” has long been considered a healing experience and the line’s Thalassotherapy Pool is designed to be a therapeutic oasis that provides the effect of a natural bubbling spring.

• DIY Scrub Experience — Guests select an herbal blend and a mixologist creates a customized body scrub for use in the shower to leave skin silky and smooth.

• Mud Lounge — An interactive treatment area that’s ideal for both couples and those who wish to go solo, administered in the spa’s private, herbal steam temple. A soothing chakra mud solution is applied to the body while the guest inhales steam infused by pure herbs. To complete the ritual, a warm tropical rain pours down from the domed ceiling to wash away the mud.

• Generation Z — Carnival Cruise Line’s newly named teen spa that offers a line of treatments designed specifically for the 13- to 17-year-old set. Teen services include the Fabulous Fruity Facial, Surfer’s Scrub and Hot Chocolate Wrap. Mother-daughter and father-son treatments also are offered.

Guests who book one of Carnival Magic’s 85 spa staterooms or suites located adjacent to the health club receive exclusive amenities and privileges, including unlimited access to the spa facilities, priority spa appointments with pre-cruise concierge consultation, use of special “Cloud 9 Spa” logo items such as bathrobes, towels and slippers during the cruise, and complimentary fitness classes.

Seventeen private treatment rooms, including two VIP accommodations for couples, serve as the venue for the sophisticated and elaborate menu of “Cloud 9 Spa” soothing and exotic Asian-, Middle Eastern- and European-style therapies. A post-treatment area where guests can relax on Asian-inspired beds with magnificent sea views provides a perfect end to a pampering experience.

The “Cloud 9 Spa” has a full gymnasium with an expansive, state-of-the-art workout facility and the latest Lifestyle exercise equipment, including treadmills and weight training, stair climbing and rowing machines.

A salon with full hair and nail services, men’s barber/grooming area and special stations for manicures and pedicures round out the spa offerings.









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