MAGIC OR HORIZON

[plunker]

Hi everyone.  We are loyal Princess cruisers (6 cruises) but are going to give carnival a try in August of 2020 for a 8 day cruise since Princess is not doing caribbean cruises in august that year.  We have narrowed it down to either the Magic or Horizon.  We are upper 40's and our kids will be 17 and 13 at the time of the cruise.  The Magic stops at bonaire, aruba, turks and caicos and half moon cay.  Horizon stops at bonaire, aruba, and curacau.  We have been to aruba, bonaire, and curacau before and it was our favorite cruise with princess.  Any help deciding would be appreciated.  I will have many more questions over the coming months since we dont know alot about how carnival does things compared to princess. Thanks for your help.

[bakersdozen12]

What is more important to you, ship or itinerary? I love both the Magic and the Horizon, but the Horizon has more to offer because it’s newer and bigger. However, the Magic itinerary you posted is better in my opinion. If you’ve never been to HMC, you will love it. Grand Turk is also a nice free port with a wonderful beach and pool. 

[Cruisegirl6]

Since you been loyal to Princess, I can't see you really liking the Magic, my advice is the Horizon.  Go for the ship!

[brookeq]

I think switching from princess to carnival, either ship will be good for your kids.  They will have more to do.  The Horizon will have a bit more than the magic since its newer.   But the magic still has the ropes course and water slides which is probably more than princess had for your teens.  The magic doesn't have the skyride.  

 

The horizon will have some food/dining options that the magic won't have.  But the magic still has lots of options.

 

the Horizon has the Havana rooms with their own little deck and pool.  Not sure if that interests you.  

 

Both got to great islands.   Half Moon Cay is now one of our favorite beaches if you just like a beach day.  If you need activities it may not be the choice for you.  

 

I think you will be ok with either.   Just go with an open mind.  🙂

[BENHANDEL]

I was on the horizon at Christmas and adults and teens all loved it. The Jiji restaurant would be a selling point for me...but the itenerary Magic, including HMC and the extra port would be hard to resist. 

[plunker]

Are the ropes course and the water slides open on embarkation day?  I think I read on a review that you cant play basketball after 530 on the Horizon.  That would be a major bummer as my son love to play at night.  Is that true on the Magic as well?

[plunker]

Do they ever play movies or any concerts during the day on muts?  I know they play movies at night which we love to watch on princess.

[jjcruiselover]

They do not play movies or concerts during the day on the pool screen on Carnival which would be great. They did show the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.    The Horizon does have an I Max theater along with another theater that plays first run movies.  I'm not sure of the times of day but I believe on sea days they had showings during the day. 

 

I would pick the Horizon over the Magic even though the Magic has a slightly better itinerary.  The ship is great and has a lot to offer teens.

 

[mvaughn11]

My wife and I are Platinum on Princess and about to do our fourth Cruise on Carnival, on the Vista which is same class as Horizon. Our very first cruise was on the Magic and we loved it. We've done quite a bit of cruising the last few years.

 

Based on all the research I've done on the Vista class ships, I would recommend the Horizon over the Magic. The Magic is a nice ship but I think your family will enjoy the Horizon even more. Also, if you are used to balcony staterooms, you might want t consider the Havana Cabanas on the Horizon!

[bakersdozen12]

On 2/15/2019 at 10:20 PM, plunker said:

Are the ropes course and the water slides open on embarkation day?  I think I read on a review that you cant play basketball after 530 on the Horizon.  That would be a major bummer as my son love to play at night.  Is that true on the Magic as well?

 

Yes, the rope course should be open on embarkation day. The only reason they close it during the hours it’s supposed to be open is when it’s too windy. So if there’s wind, it could be closed. 

 

I don’t play basketball so I’ve never paid attention to the open times, but if it’s closed after 5:30 on the Horizon it’s because it’s right over Jiji’s and Cucina. The sound of the ball bouncing is incredibly loud from the deck below, so they must close it at that time because that’s when they start serving dinner.

 

The same would be true for the Magic because the Steakhouse is right below it. When we did the Behind the Fun tour on the Dream we were in the Steakhouse during the day and heard the loud noise from the basketball court. I do remember our tour guide saying it’s not a problem for dinner because the court is closed by that time. 

Edited February 17, 2019 by bakersdozen12

[shipbound2]

The Magic was a nice ship, since I know Latin dances I would rather go on the Horizon because there is a latin club on the ship, the Magic does not have  Latin club.

 

Gary

[five.]

For that itinerary I would go Magic. Actually, I am later this year. If it was an itinerary I didn't care about, I'd go Horizon and stay on the ship. Did that last year. But personally I preferred Magic over Horizon. Just too crowded for my tastes and Havana wasn't the savior I hoped it would be. I mean it was nice, but I prefer the vibe of Serenity and the furniture in Serenity. And Serenity on a sea day is too crowded.

 

Phillyfan said it better than me in another thread:

Quote

Horizon isn’t much bigger than Magic, but I agree it has features like smaller show lounges, no glass elevators, smaller atrium, no thalassotherapy pool, etc. My wife and I enjoy going to shows, comedy, etc., and the lounges on Vista class ships are too small, poor sight lines, etc. But if these don’t appeal to you, that eliminates a big negative associated with Vista class ships.

[JaniceB]

Tough choice but because the cruise with with children, I think the Horizon has more for them to do.

[cellfree]

I would suggest the Horizon. We have been on both. We like the layout of the Magic but when on it in January thought the Atrium was rather drab - personal opinion of course - but enjoyed all the other decor. The Horizon is lovely and all of you would enjoy the various venues. 

[SNJCruisers]

Slam dunk....Horizon is larger, newer, more bells and whistles, goes to the ABC's with 4 days at sea and since your kids are over 12, you can stay in the Havana area. 

 

[jimbo5544]

Done both ships and have them both coming up again.  I echo the Horizon (the tin on the Magic better...by a little) comments.  If available, Havana rooms are the way to go.

[RWolver672]

On 2/15/2019 at 6:00 PM, plunker said:

 The Magic stops at bonaire, aruba, turks and caicos and half moon cay.  

 

The Magic doesn't actually stop at Turks and Caicos.  It stops at Grand Turk.  Even though Grand Turk is the capitol of Turks and Caicos, it's a separate island.  There is  a nice pool, Margaritaville and lots of shops right at the port.  If you wander outside of the port, you'll see donkeys running wild through the streets.  

[hockeyguru32]

On 2/15/2019 at 6:00 PM, plunker said:

Hi everyone.  We are loyal Princess cruisers (6 cruises) but are going to give carnival a try in August of 2020 for a 8 day cruise since Princess is not doing caribbean cruises in august that year.  We have narrowed it down to either the Magic or Horizon.  We are upper 40's and our kids will be 17 and 13 at the time of the cruise.  The Magic stops at bonaire, aruba, turks and caicos and half moon cay.  Horizon stops at bonaire, aruba, and curacau.  We have been to aruba, bonaire, and curacau before and it was our favorite cruise with princess.  Any help deciding would be appreciated.  I will have many more questions over the coming months since we dont know alot about how carnival does things compared to princess. Thanks for your help.

MAGIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You had me at Half Moon Cay

[crewsweeper]

If you liked the ABC islands, doing them again, on the Horizon would be my choice.  While Half Moon Cay is nice, coupled with Grand Turk it's back to back beach days. And Margaritaville or Jacks Shack on GT can be expensive, plus you have to wrestle with vendors attempting to gouge you for a lounger at the front of the beach.