Carnival Magic - It was fantastic!

[Steveanaruss]

I have written a couple of short reviews before, but thought this time I would cover things that I wish I had some additional information on before sailing. I will cover the usual’s like embarkation, ports of call, ship specifics, but also will provide a couple of tips along the way. I hope you all enjoy and please feel free to drop a comment/question if you have any.

 

This cruise was a celebration of my Wife’s birthday and our 15th wedding anniversary. We traveled with our son (11) and another family who also had 2 son’s (9 and 11).

 

Embarkation: We live in Tampa, so we headed out on our 2 hour journey around 8:30am. We arrived at the port, very little traffic that early in the morning, and were parked and walking to the terminal around 11am. We originally had purchased FTTF, but decided to cancel it after the family we were traveling with could not get it. I cancelled online about 1 month before departure, but when we arrived at the terminal, we were told that we were on the FTTF list! I was honest and told them that we did not pay for it, but they insisted and told us about all of the perks…more on that later. We decided to “slum it” with the common folk and wait with our friends to board. We were in boarding group #5 and were called around 11:30 to board. Definitely the easiest embarkation I have ever been involved in. TIP – try to get to the terminal before 11am. If you do, I really don’t see the benefit of FTTF for boarding purposes. We were called 10 minutes after the FTTF group was. There is a reason that Port Canaveral is consistently rated as one of the best ports to get in and out of.

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Cabin: 12040 – Spa Balcony: GREAT LOCATION! You are directly across the hall to a door that leads to the elevators and walkway to the spa/gym. If you hang a right out of the room, you are taken to the Splash Deck. I was a little nervous about being so close to the splash deck with noise/etc. Not once did we hear it. Even during the middle of the day, we never once heard kids/etc. The Balcony is NOT covered, and if you look up, you can see anyone who decides to look over the railing on the Serenity deck. However it is relatively private and quiet. The location alone is reason enough to book this cabin. Our friends were one deck below in Cabin 11244 and said they liked the location as well. The Spa Deck is 1 floor above and was great to relax in after working out in the morning. They have a Thelasso pool, tile chairs, Oriental Steam room, Dry Sauna and Aroma Steam Room that are included with your Spa Balcony. You are also given a “DIY - In Room Scrub Treatment”, which you can select from Eucalyptus, Chocolate, Vanilla or Lavender. All of them smell really good. We went to this area daily and it was never really busy. Always a place to sit. Remember to wear your sandals or spa slippers, the floors in the spa area are very SLIPPERY!

 

TIP- If you go to the Lido for lunch on the first day, go to the aft of the ship. Definitely not as busy back there. It’s almost like people get put into a trance when they walk through the first set of doors to the Buffet and only focus on getting into those two lines. The aft of the ship has the same stations, but is also where Tandoor and the Pizza station is located. I love spicy food and went straight for Tandoor…two words…CHICKEN TIKKA! YUM. My son had the pizza, of course, and said it was really good. Anyone that has sailed on Carnival before knows how good their pizza is. They cook to order, so expect to wait a couple of minutes. My wife had a salad, and the selection for toppings was pretty good.

 

Anytime Dining: As other reviews have stated, service is slow in the MDR’s. The staff each have large sections to serve, so just know that going in. It took us about 1.5 hours to eat 3 courses. We had anytime dining, and did have to wait a couple of nights for a table. They give you a buzzer that works in the common areas of the ship. Our longest wait was about 20 minutes.

 

Dinner: We ate in the MDR 3 nights, Steakhouse 1 night, Cucina del Capitano 1night and the Lido Buffet 2 nights. As I noted above, the food in the MDR was pretty good overall, however nothing compared to what you get at The Steakhouse or Cucina del Capitano. They were fantastic and I recommend both of them. Just a heads up, if you choose to dine at the steakhouse during a “Cruise Elegant” evening, that dress code is strictly enforced, so no shorts/jeans/t-shirts allowed. They do have a casual night in The Steakhouse on the last night of the cruise. Also, if you dine there one of the first 2 nights, you get a free bottle of house wine, or 50% off ANY bottle, yes even those bottles that are $200+. I had the NY strip and it was very good. My wife had the filet and literally could cut it with her fork. Oh yeah…get the cheesecake for desert. It’s HUGE. Cucina Del Capitano was excellent as well. They serve the appetizers family style, so order enough to fill the table. The entrees are individual, and I recommend the parmesan crusted braised short rib, it was probably the best thing I ate all week. The tiramisu was very good as well for desert.

 

Amber Cove: This ended up being our favorite port, but kind of by accident. We initially planned to do a private beach excursion, but it was full by the time we went to go and book it. It ended up being a blessing and I would tell anyone to not waste your money on an excursion in Amber Cove. The pool area at the end of the dock is really nice and well-staffed. Prices were reasonable, $15 for an umbrella rental on the pool deck, $20 for unlimited ziplining over the pool (kids are $10), and a bucket of beers was $20. They also have Wifi available for pretty cheap as well.

 

St. Thomas: We have been to St. Thomas several times and didn’t plan on doing an excursion, but ended up doing the Two Island Snorkel by PowerCat. It was pretty good, but expensive. We saw a couple of turtles and Water Island was very nice. The kids loved looking for sea glass on the beach. The trip included unlimited Pain Killers as well.

 

San Juan: We did the walking tour “Behind the Walls”, which brought you through Old San Juan and into the Fort. Our tour guide was Noemi, who was AMAZING. We were all a little nervous that the kids would get hot and bored, but Noemi kept them engaged. Think of the best teacher you ever had in school, that is Noemi! Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who hasn’t been to San Juan before.

 

Grand Turk: Again, don’t waste your money on an excursion. The beach is located at the end of the pier with a Margaritaville and free beach chairs. The chairs fill up quick, so get off the boat early. If you don’t, be prepared to rent chairs for 15-20 each. Snorkel equipment was available for rent at $10 each set. Honestly the snorkeling on that beach was just as good, if not better, than the excursion that we did in St. Thomas. My wife walked down to Jacks Shack for a drink and to say hi to the dogs that are always out playing on the beach. Throw them a “sand biscuit” when you are there 

 

Cheers Package: This one is pretty simple. If you drink more than 7 drinks a day, do it. Beer is $6 - $8 each and mixed drinks are $8 - $12. Sebastian at the Blue Iguana Tequila Bar and Randy at Red Frog were awesome all week. Tip…seriously TIP! This one is for Sebastian and Randy. Remember to tip your bar-staff folks. And before your roll your eyes or say “But gratuity is added to your Cheers program”, you may be surprised how much better service you get when you throw them some extra $$$. It got to the point that when Sebastian would see me coming, he would show me 1 finger for a Bud Light or 2 fingers for Tito’s & Water. I never waited for service when he was there. I also found out that anything extra that you put on the tip line goes directly to that bartender, not into the “gratuity pool” which is what your pre-paid gratuities are in.

 

TIP - Now for the biggest tip of the cruise…The cheers package includes all drinks up to $50 per glass, but guess what, you won’t find any on the menu that are that expensive. However if you are looking for a nice glass of bubbly before dinner, head on down to The Steakhouse and say hi to Analiza. You do not have to dine in The Steakhouse to use the bar. Anyone can go in there at any time. One glass of Monopole Rose Top is $20+, and the most expensive single glass on the ship. If you are more of a scotch drinker, then Aberfeldy 18year is available there as well, and in the Casino bar.

 

Alchemy Bar: If you are looking to have a good time in the evening, go visit Drazen, Bojana (his wife) and Ioachim at Alchemy. They are a hoot, and very skilled bartenders. They are so personable and take the time to get to know you. Some of the best times we had on the ship were at Alchemy!

 

Guy’s Burgers: Had 2 burgers all week. They were good. I was not as high on them as others, but they weren’t anything special in my opinion.

 

Pig & Anchor: Only open on sea days from 11 – 2:30: I am a BBQ snob and its pretty darn good. It does get busy, but the line moves VERY fast. Seems like they have this figured out. They did put a pop-up bar outside now, so you can get drinks etc. He has beer, water and soda. Otherwise you have to go to the Casino bar if you want anything else.

 

Blue Iguana Burrito/Taco Bar: Excellent! Breakfast burritos every morning. Tacos for lunch are either Chicken/pork/fried fish. All were very good. The only complaint I have is that nowhere, and I mean nowhere on the ship, do they have tortilla chips (we asked). They have a huge salsa bar, but no chips. Kind of annoying, but we made do by cracking the Taco Salad shells up as chips. Beware of the Habanero Salsa…I called it Agent Orange. That stuff was crazy hot.

 

Dr. E: Anyone that can make the muster drill entertaining is worth getting their own paragraph :). This man is a born entertainer and this is the first cruise that I remember the cruise director’s name afterwards. His antics on the ship were hilarious, from the 90’s music trivia to the Atrium sing-a-longs, his energy was infectious. He refuses to let people be bystanders and gets everyone involved in some way. And I promise by the end of the cruise, you will be humming along to his Good Morning song

 

The Bad: Only a couple of things, more suggestions than complaints. First, the tile floors in the lido buffet area are an injury waiting to happen. They have fans blowing on them constantly, but they are so slick, please be careful. We saw people fall a couple of times and I could only imagine how many others fell during the week. The other complaint was that during port days, a faint sewer smell filled the cabin. It happened in San Juan and Grand Turk. Not sure what the issue was, but we called Guest Services to make them aware. Let’s just say that Carnival has customer service down to a science. I didn’t ask for anything in return, only advised that I wanted to make them aware of the issue in case there was a bigger problem. The next day, they sent us a bottle of champagne and strawberries, along with a very generous onboard credit because of the issue. Again, I did not complain to the staff, I only alerted them of the issue. This was a very nice gesture and I made sure to go down and thank the Service Director, Heidi, personally.

 

Entertainment: We did not attend any of the shows in the Theatre. We did see the comedian onboard for the 18+ show, he was hilarious. Standing room only if you don’t get there early. A couple of the shows got cancelled because the performers missed their flights into San Juan, but those things are out of Carnivals control. Again, the best entertainment on the ship was at Alchemy. Challenge Drazen to a pushup challenge, and that is all the laughs you will need for the week.

 

I hope you all enjoy. Feel free to ask any questions that you may have.

[boone.mckenzie@gmail.com]

Can I just say if there were more people like you in this world, it would most certainly be a better place to live. Thank you for taking the time to write a nice review! :)

[BenjiRodney]

Thanks for sharing, doing this trip in December.

[kctwinmommy]

Good information! We did that same itinerary last fall on the Valor. But we're sailing a different itinerary on the Magic later this year. And we have a room not far from your friends, so glad to hear they liked it.

 

Good to know about some of the dining options too. I want to try some of the new things, but was worried they would be super busy. Which I expect, but as long as the line is moving, that's a good thing.

 

Thanks for the write up!

[NoJolt4U]

Thanks for all the info! I'll de on the Magic next month. Can't wait! When you were at the BBQ, you mentioned beer, soda and water were available. Were these included for Cheers/bottomless bubbles or were these purchase only options? I know when you order room service you pay for your drinks but curious about sodas for kids when around the ship. Do you mostly need to go to the nearest bar to get them? When you go to the lido buffet or pizza place and then want a drink do you have to walk somewhere else to get a coke for instance? Thanks again for the info.

[Steveanaruss]

Thanks for all the info! I'll de on the Magic next month. Can't wait! When you were at the BBQ, you mentioned beer, soda and water were available. Were these included for Cheers/bottomless bubbles or were these purchase only options? I know when you order room service you pay for your drinks but curious about sodas for kids when around the ship. Do you mostly need to go to the nearest bar to get them? When you go to the lido buffet or pizza place and then want a drink do you have to walk somewhere else to get a coke for instance? Thanks again for the info.

 

Yes, it's included in cheers. Also, any bar will serve the children a coke. There is a bar directly behind the pizza bar, and open late. My son never had an issue finding a place to get a drink. The bar staff gets to know them pretty well also :)

[NoJolt4U]

Yes, it's included in cheers. Also, any bar will serve the children a coke. There is a bar directly behind the pizza bar, and open late. My son never had an issue finding a place to get a drink. The bar staff gets to know them pretty well also :)

 

Awesome, thanks!

[Steveanaruss]

Can I just say if there were more people like you in this world, it would most certainly be a better place to live. Thank you for taking the time to write a nice review! :)

Thanks! I tried to write a review that I would hace found helpful before the trip.

[riclop]

Glad you loved it.

[Clarea]

Appreciate the feedback.

[cruizinisthebest]

Thank you so much for the feedback. All of it. I wrote down the names you mentioned in various places and will remember the tip TIP. As you see by my signature, we board the Magic in a few weeks.....finally! I know all about Eversen but look forward to meeting him and going to Amber Cove the most!

 

Great job on the writing of the review.

[russelldavison]

Thanks for the review and info. going on the Magic in Feb.:)

[DenaInWyo]

I

 

 

Blue Iguana Burrito/Taco Bar: Excellent! Breakfast burritos every morning. Tacos for lunch are either Chicken/pork/fried fish. All were very good. The only complaint I have is that nowhere, and I mean nowhere on the ship, do they have tortilla chips (we asked). They have a huge salsa bar, but no chips. Kind of annoying, but we made do by cracking the Taco Salad shells up as chips. Beware of the Habanero Salsa…I called it Agent Orange. That stuff was crazy hot.

 

OMGosh, your comment about the habanero salso is almost exactly what I said in my review on the Liberty "Beware the habanero salsa!" That sauce is how I discovered how much I really like the ice cream on the ship. I'm normally a take it or leave it person on ice cream, but that stuff saved my life after eating that hot sauce! (YUM! :D I like hot.) I also thought it was crazy there are no chips. Would love to kick back with a margarita and some chips and hot sauce. I even considered bringing some with me but I didn't end up doing it.

 

Loved your review, really great info especially about the drinks. I am on a mission to get more out of my cheers program next time.

 

Magic 1/28/17..can't come soon enough!

 

Thanks for posting!

[tea4ular]

I was on Magic once, Oct 2015, loved it so much we booked almost immediately after getting home, for April 2017!

 

Now I'm reading every review and getting excited all over again!

 

Thank you for your review!

[smarks]

Thank You for taking the time to write such a great review. I will be on her for the first time in Dec. Have a couple booked on her after that. I'm excited and can't wait. Glad she came to Port Canaveral, my favorite port.

[beachseasand]

Thanks for the review, Dr. E sounds like a blast. I will be pleasantly surprised if he still is the cruise director March of 2017. But will definitely not expect it. Hope some one entertaining is there.

 

Glad you had a nice cruise doing the same islands so enjoyed your perspective on the tours and the islands.

[Port of Tampa]

Thanks for the great in-depth review. We will also be driving from Tampa next month for our Magic cruise and are really looking forward to it.

 

Cheers and happy cruising!

[SMSACE6]

Thanks for your review of Magic! I am considering this ship for a future cruise:)

[JaniceB]

Enjoyed reading about your trip on the magic!

[bunnyette]

Great review, we at sailing on the Magic in about a month...back on Carnival after a few years away

[ryano]

Thanks for reaffirming what I already knew. Very nice Magic review :0

[TerReuv]

Thank you for the Magic review. We don't sail on her until next October and I am chomping at the bit ready to go now! Reading reviews like this make it even harder to wait!

 

Sure wish Dr. E would still be there next October, but sure not counting on that. We had Wee Jimmie on our last cruise and he was fantastic!

[BeachLoverstoo]

What a great write up! We are on the Magic in November and I hate that Dr. E won't be there since I've read so many good things about him.

We are doing a B2B and plan to try every dining option, so I appreciate your comments on the for-fee and free options.

Seeing you are from Tampa, any scuttlebutt on whether they are bringing a year-round spirit-class ship back?

[littlekid58]

Thank you for the great review.:)

[CruzCrazy]

Thanks for the review, Dr. E sounds like a blast. I will be pleasantly surprised if he still is the cruise director March of 2017. But will definitely not expect it. Hope some one entertaining is there.

 

Glad you had a nice cruise doing the same islands so enjoyed your perspective on the tours and the islands.

 

Just FYI, according to JH's cruise director schedule, Dr. E. comes back to the Magic on 01/14/17 (after a vacation beginning in mid November 2016) and stays on the Magic until July 2017. That's as far as the schedule goes for now, so it looks like both you and I will have Dr. E. We sail in February 2017. I've had him before when he was filling in for Matt on the Breeze, and we enjoyed him.