Carnival Magic - Just returned, any questions? Review coming soon!

[Debbierpof]

Our family of four were on the Carnival Magic a couple of weeks ago (LOVED IT!). I'll be posting a lengthy and in-depth review, but happy to answer any questions in the meantime.

 

Here are some areas where I may be helpful:

• Chef's Table
• Cloud 9 Spa
• Deck 12 balcony
• Circle C (13-14 year olds)
• O2 Club (15-17 year olds)
• Art Gallery/Auction
• Steakhouse
• Cucina del Capitano Italian Restaurant
• Snorkeling (Grand Turk, Aruba, Curacao)

 

[jbethel11]

1 hour ago, Debbierpof said:

O2 Club (15-17 year olds)

Activities list please?

[eileen11]

We are on the same itinerary in Feb. on the Magic.  Looking forward to your review!

[CruiseJB]

Looking forward to your review.  We are sailing Jan 2020 deck 12 cloud 9 balcony, doing Steakhouse and Chefs Table. Does the Steakhouse offer steak tartar, it's DH's favorite?

[Emmabelle]

I was looking into that ship for July 2020.  Glad you liked it!

[phoneman69]

DW and I are sailing on the Magic in less then 10 weeks. Sept cant get here early enough. I am sure you are going to cover it but how was the boarding process threw Fort Laurdale ? We bought the transfers from FLL to the ship. Was this a smooth process from the flight to the ship. (sorry assuming you flew in). We have never been to Aruba so looking forward to your review and how the snorkeling was their.

Thanks Matt

[BNBR]

18 minutes ago, phoneman69 said:

DW and I are sailing on the Magic in less then 10 weeks. Sept cant get here early enough. I am sure you are going to cover it but how was the boarding process threw Fort Laurdale ? We bought the transfers from FLL to the ship. Was this a smooth process from the flight to the ship. (sorry assuming you flew in). We have never been to Aruba so looking forward to your review and how the snorkeling was their.

Thanks Matt

 

Boarding in FLL was outstanding.  They do the whole checkin with a tablet.  Similar to what Royal does now.  It was lightning fast, no lines or waiting at all.

[cruise to live]

How early do they let you off the ship, on your return to Florida.

[purplephenom]

What were your hours in Curacao?  Where did you snorkel?   If that was your late departure port, what time did the shops close- did you have time to walk around after snorkeling?

[dreamv]

We are going next week. My daughter would appreciate any info on club O2. She’s curious if you have name of camp director for it? Thx

[Weeziblu]

We're sailing Magic in a few weeks!  Looking forward to  your review!  Any feedback on the current CD?

[dani85bri06]

What night was the electric white hot party?  

[dctravel]

We are on the same itinerary in about 7 weeks! We are debating where to pay for a snorkel excursion in Grand Turk, Curacao, or Aruba. Would love to know what you did and whether you used a Carnival excursion or a private party!

 

Thanks!

[Debbierpof]

On 7/8/2019 at 7:25 AM, CruiseJB said:

Looking forward to your review.  We are sailing Jan 2020 deck 12 cloud 9 balcony, doing Steakhouse and Chefs Table. Does the Steakhouse offer steak tartar, it's DH's favorite?

 

The Steakhouse is great and offers an appetizer that pairs steak tartar with bone marrow (delicious - it's what I ordered). :-)

 

We were in 12042 - quiet hallway, easy access to every place on board, and very friendly steward (very long, difficult name to pronounce).  Don't forget to ask for your complimentary scrub kit at the Spa front desk. Complimentary for spa deck rooms.

[Debbierpof]

On 7/8/2019 at 8:22 AM, phoneman69 said:

DW and I are sailing on the Magic in less then 10 weeks. Sept cant get here early enough. I am sure you are going to cover it but how was the boarding process threw Fort Laurdale ? We bought the transfers from FLL to the ship. Was this a smooth process from the flight to the ship. (sorry assuming you flew in). We have never been to Aruba so looking forward to your review and how the snorkeling was their.

Thanks Matt

 

We actually drove from North Florida to Ft. Lauderdale so I can't help with the transfers. Port Everglades is a great port, it was certainly much more pleasant than our experience last year at Port of Miami. 

 

Aruba snorkeling - Even though we brought our own snorkeling and dive gear, we didn't do much in Aruba (we rented ATVs). We went to Baby Beach and Rodgers Beach (next to each other). There were sea turtles in Rodgers Beach (grassy/sandy bottom) so we just went snorkeled around looking for them -- saw some but they were too quick to get pictures. :-)  If had to do it again, we would have gone up to Arashi Beach instead.

[Debbierpof]

On 7/8/2019 at 9:23 AM, cruise to live said:

How early do they let you off the ship, on your return to Florida.

 

We were in no rush to get off so we slept in (7:30 am). I think they were already starting to disembark folks by then (those carrying off their luggage, called by deck - I think they called decks 11 & 12 first). We went up to Lido for breakfast and sat there until our number was called (Group 17) around 10 am. Carnival staff seemed ready to get everyone off the ship, it was US Customs that held up the process. We weren't rushed and it all looked very organized and pleasant.

[firedisney97]

On 7/7/2019 at 10:19 PM, jbethel11 said:

Activities list please?

Can I see one for Circle C also please?  My 13yo and my husband are going on the Magic in Feb (without me, boo-hoo) and he would love to see what goes on

 

[basicprincess24]

Do you know if the aft pool was adults only on your sailing? I've heard that the policy varies based on number of kids on board?

[Wolfsrule]

I’m gonna be cruising on the Magic next September, can’t wait!

 

Did the Serenity deck have adults only hot tubs? If so how late were they open?

 

does this ship have a Mongolian Wok like the Dream? I really missed that when I sailed on the Conquest.

 

How crowded would the wraparound outside deck be? (I read one deck made a whole half mile loop around the ship). I’d love to take advantage of this if I’m not constantly running into people. Thanks!

[Debbierpof]

On 7/8/2019 at 9:29 AM, purplephenom said:

What were your hours in Curacao?  Where did you snorkel?   If that was your late departure port, what time did the shops close- did you have time to walk around after snorkeling?

 

Unfortunately, Curacao was only 8 am to 5 pm (back on board by 4:30 pm). Loved Curacao!!! 

 

We had a hearty breakfast in the dining room, grabbed our snorkeling gear and got off the ship around 9:45 am (love time stamp on phone photos). We decided to walk around Willemstad first, took the obligatory photos, and visited shops until about noon. Lovely town -- would have loved to spend more time here.

 

There's a taxi stop right by the Queen Emma bridge (the floating bridge). We had avoided all of the tour buses waiting for cruise passengers at the port -- they were all going to Mambo Beach. Our taxi driver took us to The Dive Bus (towards Mambo Beach). The cost was $20 (I think it may have been less) for the four of us. We had considered diving with them, but at the last minute we decided we would just snorkel. Their outfit is located across the street from the beach, but they were very helpful in giving us direction on where to go. So we crossed the street and went to the landing area next to the Sea Side Terrace restaurant/bar. When facing the ocean, you can see a protected beach that goes all the way to Mambo Beach. To the right, is a small inlet. There's a platform where local kids were jumping off and having a great time. My husband stayed with our belonging while the kids and I went in the water. So it was very windy (shocking) and there were pretty good waves. But once in the water, it felt calm (you just bob). We are all very strong swimmers. We snorkeled the inlet, as well as outside the protected area. We saw a barracuda, one very tiny lionfish, many juvenile fish (parrotfish, grunts, etc.), school of tang fish, many sea anemones, elk coral, sponges, fan corals, puffer fish, wrasse, and much more. A group of shore SCUBA divers went by.... They have also set-up areas along the bottom to grow coral -- which is fantastic!

 

We snorkeled for about 2-3 hours. As we were leaving the beach, a school group arrived (so this is where the locals must go). The water is beautiful. We went back to the dive shop to buy shirts and called our taxi driver to pick us up (her info is below). We were back in Willemstad in 10 minutes and walked across the Queen Emma bridge just before the bridge opened to allow the pilot boat through. A great day!

 

Reference:

http://www.thedivebus.com/

 

Taxi driver: Rignalda Mauris (TX 163), rdmauris@hotmail.com   Her whatsapp number is +59995157521 

[Debbierpof]

22 minutes ago, firedisney97 said:

Can I see one for Circle C also please?  My 13yo and my husband are going on the Magic in Feb (without me, boo-hoo) and he would love to see what goes on

 

 

Our daughter couldn't wait to board the ship to check out Circle C (she had such a great experience last year on the Glory - where we celebrated her birthday on board, she turned 14). This year didn't disappoint! She was out until late every night and went straight to the Club after breakfast. I'll look for their schedule and post it later. I know there was no Club when we were in Aruba (long day). I recall everything from a scavenger hunt to contests to prom night (one of the elegant nights). 

[PhillyFan33579]

20 minutes ago, basicprincess24 said:

Do you know if the aft pool was adults only on your sailing? I've heard that the policy varies based on number of kids on board?

 

From my experience the aft pool being adult only applies to Conquest class ships and Victory now. I have cruised on Magic and Breeze multiple times and the aft pool has never been adult only during these cruises. 

[Debbierpof]

23 minutes ago, basicprincess24 said:

Do you know if the aft pool was adults only on your sailing? I've heard that the policy varies based on number of kids on board?

I'm not sure... I'll ask my kids :-) 

[Debbierpof]

17 minutes ago, Wolfsrule said:

I’m gonna be cruising on the Magic next September, can’t wait!

 

Did the Serenity deck have adults only hot tubs? If so how late were they open?

 

does this ship have a Mongolian Wok like the Dream? I really missed that when I sailed on the Conquest.

 

How crowded would the wraparound outside deck be? (I read one deck made a whole half mile loop around the ship). I’d love to take advantage of this if I’m not constantly running into people. Thanks!

 

I think Magic is my favorite Carnival ship! I was in the Spa more than the Serenity deck but I do recall at least one hot tub with a terrific view. I think the hanging/swinging day beds were da bomb! And I think they were open until 10 pm or midnight...

 

There's a Mongolian Wok - although I never saw it.

 

One of the comments my husband kept making was how the ship seemed "empty". Our sailing was fully booked so we couldn't figure out where people were hiding. :-)  I know there were many places I missed = didn't make it to that deck you're talking about. 

[purplephenom]

43 minutes ago, Debbierpof said:

 

Unfortunately, Curacao was only 8 am to 5 pm (back on board by 4:30 pm). Loved Curacao!!! 

 

We had a hearty breakfast in the dining room, grabbed our snorkeling gear and got off the ship around 9:45 am (love time stamp on phone photos). We decided to walk around Willemstad first, took the obligatory photos, and visited shops until about noon. Lovely town -- would have loved to spend more time here.

 

There's a taxi stop right by the Queen Emma bridge (the floating bridge). We had avoided all of the tour buses waiting for cruise passengers at the port -- they were all going to Mambo Beach. Our taxi driver took us to The Dive Bus (towards Mambo Beach). The cost was $20 (I think it may have been less) for the four of us. We had considered diving with them, but at the last minute we decided we would just snorkel. Their outfit is located across the street from the beach, but they were very helpful in giving us direction on where to go. So we crossed the street and went to the landing area next to the Sea Side Terrace restaurant/bar. When facing the ocean, you can see a protected beach that goes all the way to Mambo Beach. To the right, is a small inlet. There's a platform where local kids were jumping off and having a great time. My husband stayed with our belonging while the kids and I went in the water. So it was very windy (shocking) and there were pretty good waves. But once in the water, it felt calm (you just bob). We are all very strong swimmers. We snorkeled the inlet, as well as outside the protected area. We saw a barracuda, one very tiny lionfish, many juvenile fish (parrotfish, grunts, etc.), school of tang fish, many sea anemones, elk coral, sponges, fan corals, puffer fish, wrasse, and much more. A group of shore SCUBA divers went by.... They have also set-up areas along the bottom to grow coral -- which is fantastic!

  

We snorkeled for about 2-3 hours. As we were leaving the beach, a school group arrived (so this is where the locals must go). The water is beautiful. We went back to the dive shop to buy shirts and called our taxi driver to pick us up (her info is below). We were back in Willemstad in 10 minutes and walked across the Queen Emma bridge just before the bridge opened to allow the pilot boat through. A great day!

 

Reference:

http://www.thedivebus.com/

 

Taxi driver: Rignalda Mauris (TX 163), rdmauris@hotmail.com   Her whatsapp number is +59995157521 

 

Thanks for the info.  I'm looking at the Dive Bus for my 2021 cruise which returns to Curacao.  I have vague plans of getting scuba certified on that cruise, and the port hours are a little better.  Sounds like you had an awesome day.