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We cruise 3 or 4 times a year, usually on Carnival. We notice the cutbacks and we'll do a cruise on Royal, Princess or NCL for the same price. Then we return to Carnival. It fits our niche better than the others, but we will still complain about the devolving service and amenities.

Lots of questions! Re: tender. Looks like Belize would be the only concern. It can be a pretty good wait because of the time it takes to tender to shore. FTTF might be a benefit. But you also get tender priority if you book an excursion through the ship. Smoke can be a concern if you hang out in/near the casino. I think the Alchemy Bar has been added since I have been on the Magic. Hang there to get your Cosmo. One of the places to definitely to go. Drinks are in the $10 range. The Cheers program runs about $55/day if you tend to bend your elbow quite a bit. Also be sure to go to brunch on the sea days. Hope you enjoy the Magic. She's one of my favorites, but I have only cruised about 30 times and my experience is limited to Carnival and Royal.

We are already invested in 2 future cruises and we also own stock. This does not sound good. I am hoping for some positive feedback. Don't want to cancel the cruises and sell the stock, but I don't know if we have any moral alternative. Carnival, what say ye?

If this is something I receive, I'll wear it to dinner on elegant night.

We are far from the wild crowd. Our first cruise was about 10 years ago when we were in our mid 50's. When we returned, we were so exhausted, we had to stop & take a nap in the middle of our 3 hour drive back home. When we did arrive at home, we immediately booked another cruise. The same story has repeated itself dozens of times since.

Thanks for the review and the pics. We had this room booked for a future cruise, but we decided to change to a different floor/location. I think I would still like to try this cabin sometime in the future.

We would always buy one or 2 future cruise certificates when they were available. It was easy. After we used all of the certificates we never got involved with the current offering because we didn't want to spend the time. Without the incentive, we began using other brands instead of cruising only Carnival. We still enjoy Carnival, but the current program does nothing to make us as loyal as we were.

I hate to hear that the food was subpar. That can change from one cruise to the next and hopefully we will have better luck (Halloween). We enjoy the Alchemy on other ships. Don't know where we will hang out on Breeze. Did you have a favorite haunt?

We have been to the steakhouse on several different ships. When first introduced, we really enjoyed the experience. I think the food was a lot better but has diminished somewhat (likewise, the MDR). If we are cruising with friends, especially somebody that has not cruised before or cruised on Carnival, we will spend an evening with them in the steakhouse and enjoy it. I think it's worth the extra charge and would encourage anybody considering the experience.

We are in our 60's, cruise both lines and have future cruises booked on each. I think the comparisons are valid. We embark only out of Texas and select a cruise to try to add variety to our experiences. We enjoy both, but "do" Carnival more than RCCL, primarily for the economics. If both cost the same, we would still cruise each.

I prefer a 4J to a regular inside, a porthole and most oceanviews. But if priced equally to a balcony, the balcony would win.

I enjoy the Triumph and my problem is the same as yours, the Triumph = only 4 or 5 days. I would like to do the 21 day back-to-back, but I don't have the time, either. I hope they continue to have occasional longer cruises out of Galveston, though. In a few years I will have more time.

So far, the comments all seem to be favorable for your selection. You will especially like it when entering ports. We have booked 4J's about half a dozen times. Do not plan on spending much time "out front" when the ship is traveling at normal cruising speeds - too windy for very long. If the weather is also windy, expect some noise from the slamming door to the front deck If it's really windy, the doors will be locked. You will be right under the spa & might get some noise from the treadmills. We have heard complaints of movement, but I have never noticed any problems. I think it has more to do with your own sensitivities. However, you will be high on the ship and more likely to feel it than on a lower deck. Enjoy your cabin and report back.

We love the Magic. But our next cruise is on Navigator. We figured that since she has just been refurbished, this would be a good time to do another Royal Caribbean cruise. One is not better or worse than the other, just different. Whichever you decide, enjoy your planning and have a great vacation.

We were on Magic in September and knew before hand what the options would be. I had never used internet on board because I'm not desperate to be connected. I did decide to take the $40 pkg: unlimited use for one device. My partner signed up for the $100 plan; unlimited use, unlimited number of devices. I think we both had the same amount of bandwidth available. For my Kindle Fire, I had no problems downloading books and magazines, surfing, playing words with friends, email, whatever. My partner used his smart phone, laptop, Kindle and netbook. He said he had great speed. It was the 1st time I used the internet on board and I did enjoy having it available, but if it cost more than $40 for unlimited, I would do without. On the other hand, my partner usually spends much more than the $100 he was charged. So, he did some comparison shopping online and decided to apply his savings to a nice new Citizen's watch from the the ship's duty free shop.