Magic Review

[JaxsMama]

Hi Everyone, just doing a review of my recent experience on the Carnival Magic. I traveled 1/20 - 1/27 with my husband and 5 year old son. We have been on several cruises with Carnival and one with Princess, however this was our first cruise with our child.

BEFORE: We visited Disney World before the cruise and stayed at their All Star Music Resort. We used Orlando Transfer LLC for our ride from Disney to Port Canaveral. One way was $130 plus 20% gratuity. I would not recommend using them. They showed up 30 minutes late (would have been longer had we not called right away when they were late). They also did not have the booster seat in the car we reserved.

EMBARKATION: We arrived at the port around 10:40 am and entered into the terminal. We had FTTF so there less than a 5 minute wait to get thru security. We then went to the counter to check in and receive our S&S cards. I was a little surprised they were still doing it the old way. Then right off to get our boarding picture and onto the boat. Maybe 10 to 15 minutes total time from front door to being on the ship. Faster than any trip I have taken out of Miami!

CABIN: We had a balcony cabin 6403. We really loved the room. It was over looking deck 5 below with a hot tub and Guy’s BBQ to our right. People can see into your balcony, so no privacy, but good people watching. I was a little worried we would hear a lot of noise from the deck below but the room and balcony were really quiet. No smoke or heavy smells coming from BBQ either. The only negative was our room steward Gerry. I noticed when getting freshened up there were private hairs on the toilet as well as hair stuck on the shower walls. I left a note asking for a robe and we left for the afternoon. When returning that evening we could tell someone had been in the room (left pins and water) but they did not remove empty glasses, leave the robe, empty trash, leave a towel baby, take the luggage mat off bed…nothing. I was a bit surprised as in the past we have met our room steward by that point. The next day my husband called down and complained a bit. Later that afternoon I met Gerry for the one and only time. He asked if we wanted morning or evening service. I chose morning and that was all I saw of him. I can report the hair was still in the shower when we left the ship, had to clean the toilet ourselves to use it. Room never really got cleaned very well. It was the worst experience we have ever had with a room steward. We didn’t remove any gratuity but did not leave the $10-20 extra cash we usually do for them.

 

DR E: His muster drill is awesome. He defiantly loves to talk and breaks in a lot over the speaker. I felt like we haven’t had much of that in the past few years. I thought he was good but I still prefer Matt Mitchem or Mike Peck. His nightly trivia in the atrium has nothing on Mike’s.

more to come...

[khewston]

We also had a room steward on the Magic, who did not really do anything! We saw him doing a lot of standing around and that was about it!

[bury me at sea]

After reading about the state of your cabin and your experience with the steward, all I can say is that you have much more patience than I do.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed some things and look forward to the rest of your comments.

[bubba2012]

This seems to be an ongoing issue with room stewards on Carnival from my experience, and others I’ve spoken to.

 

This past October we did a 3 night on Liberty. First day we were settling in our cabin after our luggage arrived and a knock on door. She said her name and ask if I want morning or evening service. I said morning and she walked off. Never saw her again, room wasn’t cleaned for 3 days other then bed being made. Trash cans full, floors not vacuumed, towels left on floor to be refreshed just hung back up wet.

 

On final morning, someone is banging on our door at 7am while we’re sleeping and she enters room to tell us to get up and time to leave and shuts door. I’m like what the heck??? I’m hopeful our upcoming trip in March on Magic yields better results.

[teknoge3k]

Following :)

[khewston]

This seems to be an ongoing issue with room stewards on Carnival from my experience, and others I’ve spoken to.

 

This past October we did a 3 night on Liberty. First day we were settling in our cabin after our luggage arrived and a knock on door. She said her name and ask if I want morning or evening service. I said morning and she walked off. Never saw her again, room wasn’t cleaned for 3 days other then bed being made. Trash cans full, floors not vacuumed, towels left on floor to be refreshed just hung back up wet.

 

On final morning, someone is banging on our door at 7am while we’re sleeping and she enters room to tell us to get up and time to leave and shuts door. I’m like what the heck??? I’m hopeful our upcoming trip in March on Magic yields better results.

 

WOW! I would have complained! The only reason we got extra towels and ice twice a day (on the Magic), was because when those things did not happen the first couple of days so my husband complained directly to the room steward.

 

Last April on the Conquest we had wonderful service. We were booked in a suite, but I have heard of suite guests having a bad room steward, so I didn't know what to expect. Willy was a pleasant surprise!

[DanvilleCruiser]

Following

[JaxsMama]

FOOD

MDR: We were pleasantly surprised by the food in the MDR. Our last 2 cruises on the Breeze were so so, but this ship/crew seems to have it down. We had Juan Pablo’s team serving us the first night and they were great with our son. Coloring pages, puzzles and magic tricks! They made sure to get his order and have it out quickly. We also had BB one night as a server and she was good too. Only thing was no more coloring sheets or kids menus after day one, so my kid was bummed.

STEAKHOUSE: We ate twice at the steakhouse and loved both meals. We took advantage of 50% off a bottle of wine on our first trip. I noticed most tables with the free wine left a lot in their glasses and in the bottle on the table. I had the lobster which was great and my husband had the Waygu. It was good, but not great. On our second trip in we skipped the salads to leave more room for dinner. I had the pork belly which was good and we both had filets for dinner. The steaks were excellent, prepared just right. IMHO much better than the Waygu. We never had room for dessert but the chef’s special and chocolate sphere both looked cool.

CUCINA DEL CAPITANO: We had both lunch and dinner there and the food was good. Dinner portions are huge and I felt badly leaving so much on my plate. The bread served with dinner is soooo good! I did manage to leave room for dessert and had the chocolate biscotti. It’s not really biscotti but it is awesome. If you like chocolate I highly recommend.

DR SEUSS BREAKFAST: The food is pretty much the same as the seaday brunch with the exception of food coloring. It is done up really cute and you can take a picture with Cat in the Hat, Sam I Am and Thing 1 and 2. My kid was of course too scared of the costumes for pictures but it was nice to try something new.

As usual Guy’s Burger and Red Frog Burritos were good. We tried Tandoor but not really our thing. Guy’s BBQ was a new one for us and I am not all that impressed. Thought the bbq, chicken and beans were ok but really liked the mac n cheese. If you go don’t do the line right out side of the coffee bar doors, go to the other line (much, much shorter). Only hit the buffet for one breakfast and it was a mess! You have to wait in one long line for anything you want, when most people are just there for the bacon and hot food at the end of the line. They really should do separate stations for people who just want toast, cereal etc. Plus everyone seemed to have a cough on this ship and even the adults weren’t covering their mouths! I avoid the buffet and I think that is part of the reason I’ve never gotten sick on a ship. Did room service a lot for breakfast. Chocolate milk has been removed from the door hanger so I just wrote it in and it was delivered. Room service french fries were really good, pizza was okay (def not thick crust as stated) and I am bummed I never ordered the donut sandwich!

 

[JaxsMama]

PORTS

Cozumel: We’ve been to Cozumel 6 times now so we pretty much know what to expect. We did the all inclusive side of Mr. Sancho’s Beach Club. Service and food were good. Nice relaxing day playing on the beach and then hitting the swim up bar. We actually won an excursion to swim with dolphins playing bingo the day before but my kid wasn’t tall enough to go. Bummer.

Belize: We’ve also been to this stop before so we chose to stay on the boat. Had a nice morning at the pool and played for a least an hour without anyone else there. Then we hit the splash park up by the slides. We didn’t stay too long because there were so many toddlers who clearly had on diapers. There was an employee watching the area and he didn’t seem to care. Part of me wanted to be a B- and go complain, but we just went and played some mini golf instead. I know it sucks when your kid isn’t potty trained, I was there not too long ago, but seriously parents! If your kid poops in there they are gunna have to shut the whole thing down to clean.

Roatan: We booked in advance the relax on the beach package which included a clam shell, floats and magic chair ride. The Dream was also docked there that day and they had gotten there before our ship. Needless to say the beach was packed. I am so glad we had a nice spot to play. The guy who takes you to the chairs said we could get a clam shell or chairs in the first row with umbrellas and tables which is what we chose. I liked being right up front where I could relax and let my son play in front of me. The rows behind seemed cramped a little. I would def recommend planning in advance if that is what you want because they were sold out besides reservations.

 

Costa Maya: A.K.A Costa Maybe. This is when the boat started a rocking! We were up early and ready to go to Tropicante and looked out to monster waves. Shortly thereafter the Captain came on telling us it was too rough to dock. I was a bit bummed as this was the only new port for us, but I understand it was for our safety. Whats funny tho is I read on here yesterday someone on the Getaway saying they docked there and saw our ship attempt and then turn and head away.

[BookDragon]

Your room steward sounds just awful. I would have shown him the hair and asked that he clean the bathroom properly. I didn't think I would ever need to sdjust the prepaid tips, but seriously that room steward deseves nothing!

 

Eta: Hubby & I avoid any & all buffets. We've seen people & kids do some nasty stuff at buffets!

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Clarea]

Enjoying your review, thanks!

[Keith1010]

I am enjoying your review.

 

Excellent narrative.

 

Keith

[GotMINI]

following

[Bernardo62]

No SPA ?

[harleyquinn228]

EMBARKATION: We arrived at the port around 10:40 am and entered into the terminal. We had FTTF so there less than a 5 minute wait to get thru security. We then went to the counter to check in and receive our S&S cards. I was a little surprised they were still doing it the old way. Then right off to get our boarding picture and onto the boat. Maybe 10 to 15 minutes total time from front door to being on the ship. Faster than any trip I have taken out of Miami!

 

Loving your to review! I have a question about your FTTF; Do you remember what time yours specified? And what time you signed up for on your check in? Our FTTF says it's for noon, and our online check in gave us 11:30-12:00, but I am hoping if we show up early we will be able to board quickly like you did.

[NC_Cruisin]

Hi Everyone, just doing a review of my recent experience on the Carnival Magic. I traveled 1/20 - 1/27 with my husband and 5 year old son. We have been on several cruises with Carnival and one with Princess, however this was our first cruise with our child.

BEFORE: We visited Disney World before the cruise and stayed at their All Star Music Resort. We used Orlando Transfer LLC for our ride from Disney to Port Canaveral. One way was $130 plus 20% gratuity. I would not recommend using them. They showed up 30 minutes late (would have been longer had we not called right away when they were late). They also did not have the booster seat in the car we reserved.

EMBARKATION: We arrived at the port around 10:40 am and entered into the terminal. We had FTTF so there less than a 5 minute wait to get thru security. We then went to the counter to check in and receive our S&S cards. I was a little surprised they were still doing it the old way. Then right off to get our boarding picture and onto the boat. Maybe 10 to 15 minutes total time from front door to being on the ship. Faster than any trip I have taken out of Miami!

CABIN: We had a balcony cabin 6403. We really loved the room. It was over looking deck 5 below with a hot tub and Guy’s BBQ to our right. People can see into your balcony, so no privacy, but good people watching. I was a little worried we would hear a lot of noise from the deck below but the room and balcony were really quiet. No smoke or heavy smells coming from BBQ either. The only negative was our room steward Gerry. I noticed when getting freshened up there were private hairs on the toilet as well as hair stuck on the shower walls. I left a note asking for a robe and we left for the afternoon. When returning that evening we could tell someone had been in the room (left pins and water) but they did not remove empty glasses, leave the robe, empty trash, leave a towel baby, take the luggage mat off bed…nothing. I was a bit surprised as in the past we have met our room steward by that point. The next day my husband called down and complained a bit. Later that afternoon I met Gerry for the one and only time. He asked if we wanted morning or evening service. I chose morning and that was all I saw of him. I can report the hair was still in the shower when we left the ship, had to clean the toilet ourselves to use it. Room never really got cleaned very well. It was the worst experience we have ever had with a room steward. We didn’t remove any gratuity but did not leave the $10-20 extra cash we usually do for them.

 

DR E: His muster drill is awesome. He defiantly loves to talk and breaks in a lot over the speaker. I felt like we haven’t had much of that in the past few years. I thought he was good but I still prefer Matt Mitchem or Mike Peck. His nightly trivia in the atrium has nothing on Mike’s.

more to come...

 

 

We were on this cruise! Our room steward was less than mediocre, I was very disappointed. I thought Dr. E was good, but he can be a tad bit overwhelming. I was also disappointed we couldnt port at Costa Maya. My opinions of the food are the same as yours :) Thanks for the review!

[JaxsMama]

Loving your to review! I have a question about your FTTF; Do you remember what time yours specified? And what time you signed up for on your check in? Our FTTF says it's for noon, and our online check in gave us 11:30-12:00, but I am hoping if we show up early we will be able to board quickly like you did.

Our FTTF said noon and we had an 11:30 check in time just like you. With FTTF you can disregard those assigned times. You can go into the terminal as soon as they are open.

[lasnev]

Our FTTF said noon and we had an 11:30 check in time just like you. With FTTF you can disregard those assigned times. You can go into the terminal as soon as they are open.

 

At what time does the terminal open?

[BeachLoverstoo]

Last December on a B2B we discovered the food options on Deck 5. They have a salad station where you select what you want and the server puts it together. Then we walked around the corner to the soup and salad station and got turkey on a country roll (similar to the old deli sandwich, but not toasted.) Much nicer than the chaos of the lido. We went to the pub for drinks and ate lunch there. The same with the BBQ, the servers do the plating. It's not that we hate the lido, but this is nicer, less crowded and hubby can get his Thirsty Frog and my cider without a long wait like some of the other bars on lido..

[BJs mom]

Enjoying your review, thank you. We're leaving in three weeks on the Magic and I was wondering if the sign and sail cards were still picked up at the terminal or the new system in your mailbox.

[JaxsMama]

No SPA ?

Nope, no trip to the spa.

[JaxsMama]

At what time does the terminal open?

I would guess it depends on how quickly they clear the incoming ship. Based on our experience I would shoot for around 10am at the earliest to avoid waiting too long if they are delayed.

[JaxsMama]

Enjoying your review, thank you. We're leaving in three weeks on the Magic and I was wondering if the sign and sail cards were still picked up at the terminal or the new system in your mailbox.

S&S cards were given in the terminal.

[Drazil65]

We are making our 3rd trip on the Magic in 58 days (first 2 trips were in last year and as recent as Dec '17), our cabins were on deck 7 (balcony). Our cabin service was outstanding on deck 7, had service 2x a day (was never asked for a preference), our robes were waiting in cabins and our ice bucket was always filled during the day.

 

I dont know if it is because this deck is where the suites are and the most seasoned stewards (we were told that years ago about staying on same deck as the suites) work those decks but no complaints. Our upcoming trip is also deck 7, I think we are going to ask for 1x service each day (actually our preference) whether or not they inquire (morning), plenty for us.