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Any Recent Cruisers on the Magic?


GranysT
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I was just talking to a couple who took a 7 day cruise on Magic, back in Feb. They didn't have a lot of positive things to say about the trip.

 

This was their 9th cruise, so they are not newbies. They said the ship had an overall feel of being dirty. The ice cream machines were out of order, most of cruise. When they were working, they were splattered all over with melted ice cream, and broken cones lying all around.

 

They also said that lido ran out of coffee. What?? I have been on 32 cruises, and not one of them ever ran out of coffee.

 

I am booked to sail on Magic the end of Sept. My 1st cruise on this class of ship, and was kind of looking forward to it. Please tell me their cruise was just a fluke, and not the norm for Magic.:(

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My husband & I were on the Carnival Magic for the Feb. 25th eastern caribbean. We loved the cruise and everything about the Magic. We had a cove balcony which was wonderful. The shows were fun especially 88 keys and the rock show on the last night. Go and enjoy your cruise. We certainly did.

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Just got off the Magic. New favorite ship! Food was AWESOME, entertainment was AWESOME, had the best time! Crew was great, never saw the ice cream machines out of order. Alchemy bartenders were the best! No complaints. Had room 10273- balcony on lido. Some delay in boarding (fog at the port) but otherwise perfect cruise [emoji4]

 

 

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We recently sailed on Magic (our 24th cruise) and didn't experience any issues at all - one of our best cruises and absolutely one of our favorite ships. Nothing like what your friends described. Ship was spotless, service was outstanding - and never ran out of anything. Go. Enjoy.

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We were on it mid December and we love this ship. Found it very clean, many hand sanitizing stations, and employees cleaning constantly all hours of the day. Our cabin and balcony was great as was our cabin servicer.

 

Part of the issue with the stations like ice cream and buffet (especially sweet spot) that is very noticeable are the many kids unsupervised. Lets face it if you are a kid that is unsupervised and is allowed to leave food items or other things laying around at home, you are going to do the same thing away.

 

We have been in back of kids in line that break cones pulling them out and just drop them on the floor or toss them on the counter, have let the ice cream overflow (while laughing with buddies no less) as the ice cream was all over the floor (yes, I did say something and they stopped,with lip of course). Eventually that waste and just the amount of people using the machines will either break them or they will need to be refilled. This is across all ships not just the Magic. We have witnessed kids leaving dishes of half full ice cream on the stairways, just leaving them there as they rush off with friends. Who teaches their kids to do that? Even if there are people to pick up after you, who teaches that you should purposely be rude because someone will pick it up? More than likely it is the parents that act the same way so no surprise I guess (same parents that will scream the loudest about tips too).

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We were just on Magic two weeks ago (Feb 18-25, Western). Did not find the ship to be dirty at all or in a state of disrepair. Ice cream machines were working the entire time. While we always managed to find coffee in the lido there were a couple of strange anomalies. There is a beverage station at the aft pool that left us scratching our heads more than once. The first morning we went there they had coffee and cups but no creamer or sweeteners. A few days later they had coffee, cream and sweeteners but no cups! Really bizarre. At some of the beverage stations inside the lido the sweeteners, stir sticks and creamers are at a location separate from the beverages. Rather odd.

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We were on November and didn't have any of these problems either. There were always people going around cleaning things up. Is it going to always be perfect, no. But we didn't see anything like that. Our friends who sail with us usually, just went on a RCI cruise. I talked to her about it since we're doing one this summer. She said the RCI ship they were on felt much dirtier than any Carnival one she's been on. She never saw anyone cleaning like we do on Carnival. Now, the RCI one was a much smaller, older ship, but still...

 

I say don't worry about how they felt it was. Just go and have fun!

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Another happy Magic cruiser. We were on a B2B in January and had no problems. Great steward team, wait team and Alchemy bartender. She knew what I wanted every night and would start working on it when she saw me coming. Would have no problem with booking another Magic cruise. :D

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I went on Magic last August and I found the lido buffet dirty and smelly. The tables were sticky and there was a bad problem with flies swarming around the ice cream machines and surrounding tables. Ice cream machines were often broken and dirty, too and there was a mildewy smell. I don't know if the flies were because it was hot and during the summer, but I found it downright nasty. I didn't find the rest of the ship dirty, just the lido buffet. Sounds like the problem has resolved in recent months, hopefully.

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We were also on the Feb. 25, 2017 Magic cruise. I didn't find the ship dirty or in need of repair, but I'd have to say all in all it just wasn't one of my favorite cruises. This was my 13th Carnival cruise, and I've had better and worse.

 

I didn't particularly enjoy the food on the Magic--it's the same menu, but the chefs can make a difference. We skipped the dining room 3 times on this cruise, and we have never skipped the dining room for dinner on any prior cruise. We ended up ordering BLT sandwiches from room service one night because you can only eat so many Guys Burgers. I know food is very subjective, but the food was either bland or seemed to be loaded with onions, which I have an aversion to.

 

Dr. E. is a good CD, and he is very high energy, which I knew since we had him on the Breeze once when Matt was the regular CD and was on vacation.

 

Our cabin steward did a great job, and the barista at the Plaza Cafe coffee shop was outstanding. I don't know about running out of coffee on lido since I went to the coffee shop every morning. The comedy was just okay (long lines as usual).

 

The piano man was just okay, and he seemed a little off-put if someone (not us) asked for a song that wasn't in his little book (you know how people get after a few drinks, LOL). We just grabbed our drinks and went somewhere else. We only saw one show (the country music themed one), and I didn't think it was all that great, even though we love country music. I missed "88 Keys," so that's my fault.

 

We had been to all of the ports multiple times so decided only to get off in San Juan because our family hadn't been there before. That wasn't Carnival's fault--I knew that going in. I'm saying this mainly to say that lots of people seemed to stay on the ship in port--lines at the lido bars even in port. We found one favorite bartender at the casino bar (Tamu), and he was fantastic! We tried Cheers for the first time and probably just broke even. We probably won't buy the package again. We did tip extra on almost every round.

 

We had a lido deck balcony cabin, and it was the same as we have been used to. Really no complaints about the cabin.

 

I know lots of people rave about Port Canaveral, and it seemed like it was great if you were driving, but if you're flying, it's not very convenient. I did do a fly-snooze-cruise package through Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach, and the transportation worked out fine--it was just a little too much riding--and not as convenient as Ft. Lauderdale or even Miami in our opinion (again, we were flying and didn't want to hassle with renting a car).

 

I'd give the Magic a solid B-. Just us, but we prefer the Breeze, which we had sailed twice prior to the Magic. We are booked on the Horizon and may look at the Vista before it moves to Galveston, but we are also looking at the Allure and Harmony since we enjoyed the Oasis very much.

 

This is not meant to be a bashing of the Magic. There were good and not-so-good aspects of the trip. It just didn't leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling, and I wasn't sad to be leaving on the last morning like I have been on many other cruises. Some of my past favorites have been the Liberty and the Miracle, but those ships, of course, have some age on them now--and I may not love them as much now as I did then.

Edited by CruzCrazy
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Honestly, The Magic is my least favorite ship. Please read my review under ship reviews. This ship has a problem with a terrible sewage smell. Hope you can get by that! Be careful in what cabin you choose, ours was horrible! I found the servers on the Lido were always cleaning up around the ice cream machine so, no complaints there! We have no complaints about the food, other than on the Lido...very hard to find seats. We enjoyed the Piano Man in the Play It Again lounge. We liked the shows except for laser lights and being loud. Make the most of your cruise and have fun. That's what vacations are for!

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Just got off the Magic. New favorite ship! Food was AWESOME, entertainment was AWESOME, had the best time! Crew was great, never saw the ice cream machines out of order. Alchemy bartenders were the best! No complaints. Had room 10273- balcony on lido. Some delay in boarding (fog at the port) but otherwise perfect cruise [emoji4]

 

 

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We sail in October and are in room 10274 - the exact opposite from your room. This will be our first time on the Magic and first time this close to the actual Lido doors. What was your experience in the room and on your balcony?

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What sewage smell????? If it was such a huge problem, wouldn't MORE people be complaining? There are 3600 people on the ship every week and I've only ever seen one or two people complain.......

 

That being said, I'm looking forward to sailing the Magic in a few weeks. :)

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I went on Magic last August and I found the lido buffet dirty and smelly. The tables were sticky and there was a bad problem with flies swarming around the ice cream machines and surrounding tables. Ice cream machines were often broken and dirty, too and there was a mildewy smell. I don't know if the flies were because it was hot and during the summer, but I found it downright nasty. I didn't find the rest of the ship dirty, just the lido buffet. Sounds like the problem has resolved in recent months, hopefully.

 

 

OK, i have to call you on this. I have been sailing the Caribbean for 40+ years, on a 40' sailboat and many cruises. Flies out at sea, seriously? maybe in port. Same reason you do not see mosquitos or no see-ums at sea, because they are on shore. We have been anchored 50' off shore and no mosquitos, go to shore and have a beer or dinner and get eaten alive.

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We had a deck seven aft balcony cabin on Magic last week. The ship seemed very clean to me (and to my extra-picky wife as well). We experienced none of the so-called "sewage smell" I keep reading about. My only objection along this line was the very smoky casino area on deck five. It's just a shame in 2017 to mar a beautiful ship with such an obvious problem as this.

 

 

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We sail in October and are in room 10274 - the exact opposite from your room. This will be our first time on the Magic and first time this close to the actual Lido doors. What was your experience in the room and on your balcony?

 

 

Love the location! We've been in 10272 in the past. No noise from the Lido, so convenient. And you are near the laundry room- bonus if you have laundry to do. We always do a load 1/2 way through the cruise. 2 teenage boys who change clothes CONSTANTLY! Wasn't a fan of the Lido coffee, preferred the coffee bar (personal preference only). Never had trouble getting a seat in the Lido buffet. Had difficulty with getting a lounge chair in the shade on sea days. Casino was SUPER smokey- tried to avoid as much as possible. Smokers on our ship would light up wherever they wanted- no one told them otherwise. My husband said something twice to people smoking. No biggie, just don't like the smell. Someone was smoking on a balcony near ours. Our steward Ordin was AWESOME and so so nice. 88 keys was GREAT! Got there early- theater filled up quickly. Didn't see a comedy show. Love the Lido movies, too. We thought the dining room food was the best we've had on 4 cruises. I didn't eat in the buffet- not my thing, but my VERY picky step mom did and loved it. Have fun!!!

 

 

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I was just talking to a couple who took a 7 day cruise on Magic, back in Feb. They didn't have a lot of positive things to say about the trip.

 

This was their 9th cruise, so they are not newbies. They said the ship had an overall feel of being dirty. The ice cream machines were out of order, most of cruise. When they were working, they were splattered all over with melted ice cream, and broken cones lying all around.

 

They also said that lido ran out of coffee. What?? I have been on 32 cruises, and not one of them ever ran out of coffee.

 

I am booked to sail on Magic the end of Sept. My 1st cruise on this class of ship, and was kind of looking forward to it. Please tell me their cruise was just a fluke, and not the norm for Magic.:(

 

We were on her March 4 and had the best cruise ever. The ship is beautiful and clean. Rooms and balcony great. The ice cream machines always in working condition as we visited them often. Food was wonderful. Shows were entertaining and performers were talented. Crew was so friendly and helpful. I'd sail on her again in a heartbeat. Miss her and staff already ! Go and enjoy !!

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To expound on and clarify my earlier comment, the smokiness in and around the casino was the ONLY bad thing I would say about the Magic. We had a wonderful week. Staff was awesome! There's something for everyone on this ship. Have fun!

 

 

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We cruised on the magic in January. The magic was a very clean ship and had great service. We had ice cream every day (sometimes multiple times a day) and never had any problems. The crew were always cleaning. The ship is in great condition. We had a great time. I would have to agree that the casino is very smokey, we avoided that area and just went to the 4th floor or walked outside if we needed to get to the other side to the front of the ship. Not a huge problem.

 

 

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We were on the Magic in February. It was our first time on the ship. I didn't really have any issues with the ship - it was clean and there was always people keeping it that way. On the last day I did smell something that wasn't very pleasant but that was the only time and I was on deck 11 aft I believe.

 

We have always had great food on all our cruises, but I will say I was disappointed this time. Definitely not to the point that I couldn't eat it, but it just wasn't up to par with our other cruises. We did the steakhouse for the first time and it was excellent. If you don't care to spend the extra $35 I think it's well worth it!

 

I did a review if you want to read it - here is the link - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2464635

 

Go and have a great time! Everyone's opinions are different and you never know until you try it out. You're gonna be on vacation - how bad can it really be?

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I sailed her late last year and never smelled sewage odor. Food was fair. Ice cream machine area not bussed as it should have been. Unlike many other ships there was a guy cleaning up the smoking area all the time. I have seen flies in Lido while at sea. Great room steward. Dr. E did a great Motown trivia which turned into a wild sing along.

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We were on the March 4 cruise and everything was great. We also took the Behind the Fun tour and I can tell you firsthand that everything below is not only shipshape, but they are consistent winners of the fleetwide sanitation award.

 

 

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