How does Triumph compare to Magic?

[TXGalAJ]

Just booked a 5 day on Triumph and a little nervous because I've never done a cruise shorter than 7 days and the only Carnival ship I've been on recently was Magic (which I loved). Can anyone give me some comparisons between Triumph and Magic?

[texreno]

The Triumph has the 2.0 upgrades which include on Lido deck the Red Frog Rum Bar, Blue Iguana Tequila Bar, Guy's Burger Joint & Blue Iguana Cantina. The Alchemy Bar & Taste Bar were added to deck 5 along with a few other things. I also like the EA Sports Bar that was added just off the casino on the Triumph. The Triumph doesn't have a separate steakhouse or Italian restaurant or as extensive of a water works, sports deck or ropes course.

 

It also doesn't have the indoor/outdoor Red Frog Pub, Ocean Plaza or Lanai and the wrap around deck. Other than that they the other venues are pretty much the same. Two main dining rooms, piano bar, aft show lounge, main show lounge, night club, casino, lido buffet, mid-ship and aft pools, spa, shops and so on.

 

Don't get me wrong, the Triumph is a great ship and I've sailed on her 3 times but one was a 7 day Eastern Caribbean when she was new. The main difference to me is the itinerary of Progresso & Cozumel doesn't compare to the itineraries offered on the 7 day cruises.

Edited July 6, 2015 by texreno

[AngAndBoys]

There is also no Serenity on Triumph. I've sailed both ships and been very happy on both. The Magic is newer and has more amenities, but that Triumph has Guy's and you can get steakhouse selections in MDR for $20. I think it's a great ship for shorter cruises. I don't really miss the extras when I sail her, but I don't care much about surcharge restaurants, ropes and water slides. On sea days, I want my lounger in the sun and I'm a happy cruiser.

[Sooner-Cruisers]

I've been on both recently, I liked the Magic way better. The triumph held a lot of the events in the lobby of the casino, so it was super smokey. We had our 2 year old with us, so I was real sensitive to that.

 

The triumph staff was great and friendly. We enjoyed Guy's. It's not that I would never sail triumph again, but given the choice I'd go with magic. I felt like the magic had more events going on and in better locations.

 

I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself though.

[douglinc@msn.com]

The Magic is bigger and prettier, but seems that the service and food is much better on the Triumph.

[skittl1321]

We sailed Triumph before her update. She was a great ship then- we had so much fun.

 

We thought the Progresso + Cozumel schedule was wonderful, and it was a really nice, quick cruise. We don't always have time for 7 days.

[Crusin Hogs]

Magic , all the way

[SeeBurd]

The Triumph is a sister to the Destiny, with all the fixins. If it weren't for that poorly laid out deck 9, it wouldn't be so bad. The lido restaurant is the most crowded in the Carnival fleet, along with her twin sister.

 

We sailed her 16 years ago, and did find her the nicest of the three, decor wise.

[OKC Cruisers]

Triumph felt more crowded to me. Also, we always stay in Inside Staterooms and found our room on Triumph to be cramped. With the beds together to form one, one side was against the wall forcing my DW to have to crawl across the bed to get out. However, we did enjoy the Blue Iguana and Guy's on the Lido Deck on Triumph.

 

For us, we would do either ship again...it would be the itinerary that would make the difference.

[mbalmr71]

I like the Triumph. I will be boarding her a week from today. The Magic has more on the activity side which my kids prefer but I am neutral about. The difference for me is that I really love the Joe Farcus designed ships over the newer ones. While most all the ships have the same general layout, I really enjoy the fact that every ship Farcus designed is a new adventure in and of itself. Only on the Magic once and the overall décor left me kinda Blah. Of all of the ships I have been on, the décor on the Triumph has always been my favorite.

 

I also like the 4 and 5 day itinerary she does for taking the kids along which tends to be at kid heavy times and I find I reach my Ok, that's enough point sooner than I do when going without them. If you are close to Galveston they offer some pretty good last minute deals if you are flexible.

[oldvato]

I didn't like the Triumph. If you are a smoker, you will be O.K. with it, but if you are not, the entire 5th deck smells like cigarette smoke. The sitting areas on the 5th deck, are taken over by the photographer stations. But the cigarette smoke was bad there too anyway. It has a nice pool, at the rear of the ship, too. The downside. It's not designated as adults only, as it is on other ships.

 

One big plus for me, was that they did have an Asian food station on the Lido Deck. I've been on smaller ships, and on bigger ships. Another big plus is that the comedy club is a much bigger area than the Magic. However, they don't empty it out after each show like they did on the Magic.

 

I've been on both the Magic and the Triumph. No comparison. Magic all the way. The Conquest was way better too. But if I were to compare it to the Ecstasy, even after the upgrades, which I will never cruise on again, Triumph is a much better ship.

[Jenny in TX]

I have been on both and liked both of them. We usually only sail on 7 day cruises but a couple of times we have found great deals on the shorter trips on the Triumph and since we live 30 minutes from Galveston we jump on them. We are sailing on the Triumph again in October.

 

The Magic is a bigger ship and has bigger waterslides and the ropes course. It also has the Red Frog Pub which we loved hanging out in. The outside lanai is great too on deck 5.

 

The Triumph has Guys Burgers and Blue Iguana which we love. DH and I split a burger almost every day for lunch.

 

We had no issues on either ship and would happily sail on either one again.

[forwardcabin]

Here are the two fact sheets for both ships. After you click on the link, then click on the info listed on the left side of the document for more details.

 

Triumph fact sheet...

https://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/the_fleet/triumph/triumph.ashx

 

Magic fact sheet...

https://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/the_fleet/magic/index.ashx

 

Here's hoping you have a great cruise on either Magic or Triumph. Bon Voyage!

Edited August 18, 2015 by forwardcabin