Just back from Carnival Magic

[dan359]

We are not very experienced at cruising and trying out different companies. We just returned from Magic and it the layout, service, entertainment and food is not like Celebrity Equinox nor Holland America.

 

Wife developed a cold 5th day in

- I'm not saying it is because of the ship not being very clean (it was not) but we did find on other lines that as you enter most public areas, there was a staff member there to squirt alcohol into your hands. We never saw this and found it hard to find dispensers. In fact, it really sucks to get a cold on a vacation. Some of you would say that she got the cold on shore - Yah maybe....

 

Entertainment in main show area

 

We were told by so many people that the entertainment in the main area was very good. Well, it was not. Celebrity had shows EVERY night that were Las Vegas quality. The main entertainment staff had only 4 shows none of which I would pay to go and see.

 

Lido Food layout

 

The buffet lines get big very very quickly. Found people to be rude and pushed and shoved to get their food. After two days of this pushing and shoving we opted for the dinning room on deck 3. On Celebrity Equinox, the buffet serving area was one large area and it had many stations that you could access from 4 sides at the same time.

 

Smoke Filled Lido

 

Ventilation on this ship is very poor and food smells fill the ship. This is very bad a lunch time when the Mongolian Wok is open. Many times, we would have to leave the area due to it being filled with smoke.

 

Smoking in Casino

 

REALLY? It is 2017 and it is well know that smoking will kill you. 2nd hand smoke will kill you too.

 

We are told over and over again that candles and smoking are not allowed in public areas or your room. Then why in the casino? The ventilation is so bad on this ship that as soon as the door opens on deck 5 you can smell the smoke from the casino. WHY IS SMOKING ALLOWED???? It seems to be a destination for the minority of people that smoke. I don't believe they would loose business. They lost mine since I would not go and gamble because of the stink! If you are walking on deck 5 you are forced to walk through the casino to get from one end to the other. After the walk through the casino your clothes stink! Thanks Carnival for putting my health at risk.

 

 

Announcements

 

Shwartz was great as the CD. However, you can't hear any (non emergency) announcements in your room. I asked if there was a TV channel that you could turn to. NOPE they don't have this - so for the morning announcements, I would have to stand with the room door open to hear what was said. Why can't it be but on one of the many of the ship channels selling things to you?

[Inconspicuous]

Sounds like Celebrity is the best cruise line for you.

 

We took a cruise on Magic 2 years ago and experienced literally nothing like you did. It was a great ship with solid entertainment options and never had to wait in line for food for more than a couple of minutes.

[louanne93]

There is an app that you can put on your phone that tells you everything happening on the ship! It is great!

[dfencecoach]

You sound like someone I would love to cruise with.😀

[FSHLOT]

Smells like smoke in the casino? Nah, imagine that. Sounds like you need to stick with celebrity being that their ventilation and sanitary dispensers are much better..

[Micahs Grandad]

Entertainment on Carnival has gone downhill.

[A&Jfamily]

We are not very experienced at cruising and trying out different companies. We just returned from Magic and it the layout, service, entertainment and food is not like Celebrity Equinox nor Holland America.

 

Wife developed a cold 5th day in

- I'm not saying it is because of the ship not being very clean (it was not) but we did find on other lines that as you enter most public areas, there was a staff member there to squirt alcohol into your hands. We never saw this and found it hard to find dispensers. In fact, it really sucks to get a cold on a vacation. Some of you would say that she got the cold on shore - Yah maybe....

 

Entertainment in main show area

 

We were told by so many people that the entertainment in the main area was very good. Well, it was not. Celebrity had shows EVERY night that were Las Vegas quality. The main entertainment staff had only 4 shows none of which I would pay to go and see.

 

Lido Food layout

 

The buffet lines get big very very quickly. Found people to be rude and pushed and shoved to get their food. After two days of this pushing and shoving we opted for the dinning room on deck 3. On Celebrity Equinox, the buffet serving area was one large area and it had many stations that you could access from 4 sides at the same time.

 

Smoke Filled Lido

 

Ventilation on this ship is very poor and food smells fill the ship. This is very bad a lunch time when the Mongolian Wok is open. Many times, we would have to leave the area due to it being filled with smoke.

 

Smoking in Casino

 

REALLY? It is 2017 and it is well know that smoking will kill you. 2nd hand smoke will kill you too.

 

We are told over and over again that candles and smoking are not allowed in public areas or your room. Then why in the casino? The ventilation is so bad on this ship that as soon as the door opens on deck 5 you can smell the smoke from the casino. WHY IS SMOKING ALLOWED???? It seems to be a destination for the minority of people that smoke. I don't believe they would loose business. They lost mine since I would not go and gamble because of the stink! If you are walking on deck 5 you are forced to walk through the casino to get from one end to the other. After the walk through the casino your clothes stink! Thanks Carnival for putting my health at risk.

 

 

Announcements

 

Shwartz was great as the CD. However, you can't hear any (non emergency) announcements in your room. I asked if there was a TV channel that you could turn to. NOPE they don't have this - so for the morning announcements, I would have to stand with the room door open to hear what was said. Why can't it be but on one of the many of the ship channels selling things to you?

 

I'm sorry that your wife got sick; its that time of year and no knowing where the virus came from. I was just on the Magic and Carnival has hand sanitizer stations in all the food service areas from the Lido to the MDR so I am sorry you had difficulty finding them. Carnival consistently out-performs many other lines on their inspections so any suggestion that Carnival is less clean than other lines is not based in fact.

 

I agree that the entertainment is mediocre at best...but we don't travel for that. I am not sure where you got the impression that Carnival had excellent shows - the reviews I have read consistently give that award to other lines.

 

I also agree that the Lido can be crazy. And as you discovered, having a meal in the MDR is much more enjoyable. I travel to relax, which includes someone bringing me my food - not waiting in line, using trays like I did in high school and having to wait for tables to be cleared. We will use the Lido for Guys Burgers, Blue Iguana and Tandoor - but only after we have secured a comfortable place to eat. As for the smoke claim on the Lido, I have never experienced that - on the Magic or any other ship.

 

You are spot on about the Casino and the smoke. But if you read the reviews on the ships, and carnival's policy about smoking, it is very clear where and when to expect smoke. In fact, we could smell it on Deck 3 in the Lobby while enjoying a pre-dinner drink. Do I like it? No. Do I wish the ship was smoke free? Absolutely. But it is not, and I know that going in.

 

I think part of your issue is that you had not done enough research about Carnival so that your expectations were in line. I also think you have failed to take into account the price that you have paid on those other lines vs. what you paid on Carnival. I am willing to bet you paid substantially less on Carnival for a comparable room to the other lines. We prefer Princess, but repeatedly chose Carnival because it has a much wider variety of 7 day trips and gives you more bang for your buck. It means smoking in places and a less socially sophisticated crowd that at times lack basic manners - but I know going into that not to have high standards for the behavior of my fellow Carnival passengers and to expect such things as men in tank tops in the MDR at dinner, and line cutting on the Lido.

 

Its all about expectations and if a line will meet yours. As other posters have said, you would be better served with lines that meet your needs. Carnival does not appear to be the line for you. But for many, who are content to simply be sailing, they offer a great product. Happy Sailing!

[Micahs Grandad]

Very common for either DW or me or both to get a cold by the end of a cruise.

 

Cannot wash too often

[dan359]

There is an app that you can put on your phone that tells you everything happening on the ship! It is great!

 

the phone app worked great!!! you could always look up what was going on and where it was located. It had great deck maps.

[rwilk1129]

I have to agree with many of poster's comments. We got off Magic yesterday too and I was very sick (vomiting, etc.) by 5:00 and thru the night. Better this afternoon. We have 28 cruises with Carnival and another 50 with other lines so we know the product. Shows were so so. Seems they have become a comedy ship basically. Smoking is out of control in casino. Non-smoking section? Ha. consists of a few slot machines which are even closed off for the slot tournaments. When open for play I had to remove loaded ashtrays twice after wading thru a cloud of smoke and stink to get to the machines. I commented to my husband on shortage of hand washing stations around eating places. Surprised me in this day and age of noro cases. Lido in morning was always a zoo. Dining room anytime is such a long drawn out affair. Sorry to go on and on. I really do love cruising and will continue to cruise Carnival and others but not the Magic again.

[Drazil65]

We were on the magic last month and I guess maybe you should have done a little research before the cruise. There were a couple of things you could have done to make your cruise a little better maybe.

 

First, you do know it is cold and flu season and with an incubation period on average of 7 days after contact, who knows where your wife picked it up. We found hand sanitizer stations in many areas (especially on Lido near the food). Also, FYI, washing with soap and water is a lot better anyway for killing those germs. My DH and SIL both have bad colds since last week, neither have been on a cruise in a month.

 

You did not need to go through the casino to get to the other end on deck 5, if the smoke bothered you then you should have gone outside and walked around the casino on the lanai outside deck. We did this on many occasions in lieu of going through the casino and smoke. You say you are experienced cruisers but you never read or saw anything relating to smoking on Carnival? We are not smokers, we hate it and everything that it represents in our society but we also know where to stay away from on a Carnival ship or avoid if possible.

 

We did not experience any smoke on Lido near Mongolian Grill area??? Not sure what this refers to.

 

We found the shows last month to be very good (we saw 3) in the theatre/lounge and excellent in the comedy club.

 

We were not Schwartz fans, yeah the "love you" got very old after the 3rd or 4th time every announcement :rolleyes: and we would have preferred Dr. E...

 

You said it best, the Celebrity or HAL is more your speed (so you do like something about Carnival!), guess you weeded out exactly where your niche is. Happy cruising!!!

Edited January 29, 2017 by Drazil65

[daisys dad]

I was never on the Magic but all the Carnival ships I have been on all had dispensers of hand sanitizer , sorry you have to put you hand under it , no person to squirt it into your hand , but they are all over the ship and in front of all food lines , but we always eat dinner in the MDR it is more relaxing and part of the cruise we really like . But that's us I know not everybody likes a standard dinner time. I agree about the smoke in the casino but I understand that most of the ship is nonsmoking and the smokers have to have somewhere to go they are on vacation too. Sorry you did not enjoy some parts of your cruise myself I just focus on enjoying my vacation and don't sweat the small stuff

 

 

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[KPfromCT]

We did not experience any smoke on Lido near Mongolian Grill area??? Not sure what this refers to.

 

I think what he meant was the smoke from the 3 woks at the Mongolian Grill. I do remember that from the Breeze, but I actually enjoyed the smell.:D:D

[tandemcruzr]

Sorry you did not like your cruise on the Magic. We just returned from a B2B. Neither of us caught a cold. As someone posted earlier, soap and water is the best hand sanitizer and no telling where y'all may have caught it.

 

You do not have to walk through the Casino to get from front to back. All you have to do is go to deck 4 and walk fore to aft and bypass the Casino and the smoke. Just takes a little bit of looking at the deck plans to get to alternative routes.

 

Enjoy your future Celebrity cruises.

[Luvnlyfagain]

We are not very experienced at cruising and trying out different companies. We just returned from Magic and it the layout, service, entertainment and food is not like Celebrity Equinox nor Holland America.

 

Wife developed a cold 5th day in

- I'm not saying it is because of the ship not being very clean (it was not) but we did find on other lines that as you enter most public areas, there was a staff member there to squirt alcohol into your hands. We never saw this and found it hard to find dispensers. In fact, it really sucks to get a cold on a vacation. Some of you would say that she got the cold on shore - Yah maybe....

 

Entertainment in main show area

 

We were told by so many people that the entertainment in the main area was very good. Well, it was not. Celebrity had shows EVERY night that were Las Vegas quality. The main entertainment staff had only 4 shows none of which I would pay to go and see.

 

Lido Food layout

 

The buffet lines get big very very quickly. Found people to be rude and pushed and shoved to get their food. After two days of this pushing and shoving we opted for the dinning room on deck 3. On Celebrity Equinox, the buffet serving area was one large area and it had many stations that you could access from 4 sides at the same time.

 

Smoke Filled Lido

 

Ventilation on this ship is very poor and food smells fill the ship. This is very bad a lunch time when the Mongolian Wok is open. Many times, we would have to leave the area due to it being filled with smoke.

 

Smoking in Casino

 

REALLY? It is 2017 and it is well know that smoking will kill you. 2nd hand smoke will kill you too.

 

We are told over and over again that candles and smoking are not allowed in public areas or your room. Then why in the casino? The ventilation is so bad on this ship that as soon as the door opens on deck 5 you can smell the smoke from the casino. WHY IS SMOKING ALLOWED???? It seems to be a destination for the minority of people that smoke. I don't believe they would loose business. They lost mine since I would not go and gamble because of the stink! If you are walking on deck 5 you are forced to walk through the casino to get from one end to the other. After the walk through the casino your clothes stink! Thanks Carnival for putting my health at risk.

 

 

Announcements

 

Shwartz was great as the CD. However, you can't hear any (non emergency) announcements in your room. I asked if there was a TV channel that you could turn to. NOPE they don't have this - so for the morning announcements, I would have to stand with the room door open to hear what was said. Why can't it be but on one of the many of the ship channels selling things to you?

 

We were on the same cruise. Overall, we liked the ship. For a large ship, it never felt TOO large. We were able to easily navigate the different areas. We found the entertainment to be so-so. Some were far better than others. We especially liked the string trio.

I agree with you on the casino. The smoke is horrendous. I am an ex-smoker and found it to be intolerable. I had read about it before cruising but it was even worse than expected. If they are going to continue with a smoking casino, Carnival really should improve the ventilation.

Food in the dining room was also so-so. I liked some dishes better than others. My biggest complaint would be the food temperature. We never received hot food, it was always luke warm at best. I did love the chocolate melting cake though!

Loved Guys burgers and the Blue Iguana. The Mongolian Wok was pretty good too. Lido food was as expected but I thought the layout of the buffet was not the best. I like the Windjammer on Royal better, it doesn't get as congested. IMO

I also got sick (vomiting) on the last night around midnight (made for a rough flight home!) While I didn't 'love' everything, it was still a really, really nice cruise. My favorite spot on the ship was Deck 5 forward, at night. It was windy but quiet, peaceful and dark. We had a gorgeous view of the milky way and watched shooting stars :)

[dan359]

For those that posted about washing your hands or putting them under the machines.

 

The machines were hard to find and many were empty. They are very easy to use. What I like about the staff person standing there is that they pretty well forced you to apply alcohol to your hand.

 

For the person that said - well it is flu season - my response. --- duh!! Does not mean that you have to give me your virus because you touch a tong on the salad bar with your infection.

 

Washing hands

 

Sure we did that but if other people don't than it's meaningless (almost)

 

 

 

 

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[tbkb92]

We don't cruise till March, all of my family had the stomach virus last week, I went to dr yesterday because I have the flu. Hoping I'm getting it all out of my system before our cruise.

 

Since this will be our first cruise hoping we have a great experience!

[Drazil65]

The machines were hard to find and many were empty.

 

We were on the Magic in December and had no problem with finding the machines and they always had sanitizer in them. Maybe we were just lucky that week??? :confused:

[riclop]

Don't blame Carnival because your wife caught a cold on the 5th day.

[Cushing985]

Dan, you sound like a real bucket of sunshine and would be a joy to be around.

[erb4230]

i do wish casinos would be smoke free. i wonder if they would loose more gamblers or gain more ? I know I tend to avoid the casinos because of the smoke.

[WAHMto5]

We also just sailed the Magic last week and I have to say that this was by far the smokiest ship we have ever been on! Of course we had a great time as we always do, but we didn't care for the Magic as much as we thought we would (especially being on the Breeze and the Dream quite a few times).

[Lollipop's Mom]

I agree with the hand washing situation on the magic! I was carrying my own hand sani on my lanyard all week! And yes I agree about the smoke being out of control on that ship!! You could smell it 5 floors up!! I won't ever cruise that ship again. My allergies were out of control just going close to the atrium area!

 

 

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[dan4182]

Very common for either DW or me or both to get a cold by the end of a cruise.

 

 

 

Cannot wash too often

 

 

When you are in such close proximity to 3500+ people almost all day and touch chairs' date=' handrails, buffet counters etc, etc it's a minor miracle that colds and norovirus aren't more common than they are.

 

 

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[MontezumasRevenge]

Celebrity is my least favorite cruise line.