Thoughts on Carnival Magic?

[BossyKat]

We had a great cruise in April 2018.   

 

I loved the ship and Cookie was our CD.  We had friend who were on her in NOV 2017.  They had a good time with Dr. E!

 

We are booked for April 2022 8 day.  Can't wait.

 

We are doing the Panarama this fall.

 

D~

[madge57]

I have been on her 3 times!! great ship and since its going to dry dock it will even be that much better. enjoy this ship

 

[BoozinCroozin]

14 hours ago, madge57 said:

I have been on her 3 times!! great ship and since its going to dry dock it will even be that much better. enjoy this ship

 

Dry dock is complete :). The first sailings were to be in Nov, but they finished early and opened her up for August.

[Aplmac]

On 6/25/2021 at 7:42 AM, jsglow said:

There's negative reviews of everything,

mostly because folks have unrealistic expectations.

 

For the last 5-10 years now

I deliberately do not read (or write) reviews: they can be misleading.

 

I've learned to board the ship with zero pre-conceptions

and things turn out Just Great

-without reviews lurking the the background of my mind!

[xtraquispe]

I personally prefer the vista type ships.  We went on the magic last year and are going back on her in October, so I obviously didn't HATE it, but def loved the newer bigger ships more.  Magic is much nicer than some of the older ships.  I think you will be very happy with the magic!!!  I'm excited to see some of the updates they did to it.

[KmomChicago]

On 6/24/2021 at 8:22 PM, SCBarker said:

If we were to put a poll in this forum, I'd bet that the Dream-class ships would be the most liked. You will enjoy it.

 

Another non-Magic passenger here, but having read a lot of comments, I agree with this assertion.  Seems a lot of Carnival passengers love all three ships in Dream Class and say it's the best design they've ever done (Carnival Dream, Magic, and Breeze).  They are just a few tons smaller and a few years older than Vista class but seem to have better flow, use of space, size - to - passenger ratio, and very good amenities overall.  I hope to sail on one of them at some point.

 

It's also the final Carnival ship decorated by Joe Farcas, the exuberant mind behind Carnival's colorful, unique designs.  To me, there is something quintessentially Carnivalesque about a Farcas ship, making it a good choice for your intro to the line. 

[hockeyluver]

We had sailed the Dream and Breeze  so of course we had to try out the Magic......  loved it! So far out of 21 cruises   the Magic is my favourite ship. Loved the layout and the decor.  Many nights were spent in the Ocean Plaza listening to the band.   It was our last ship before lockdown  and it will be our first one back.   The Magic was just in drydock,  I believe its done now.  It was freshened up and also given the "Mardi Gras" paint job.   245 days and we will be back !! 

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

Seems a lot of Carnival passengers love all three ships in Dream Class and say it's the best design they've ever done (Carnival Dream, Magic, and Breeze).  They are just a few tons smaller and a few years older than Vista class but seem to have better flow, use of space, size - to - passenger ratio, and very good amenities overall.  I hope to sail on one of them at some point.

 

It's also the final Carnival ship decorated by Joe Farcas, the exuberant mind behind Carnival's colorful, unique designs.  To me, there is something quintessentially Carnivalesque about a Farcas ship, making it a good choice for your intro to the line. 

Although the Breeze may be technically part of the Dream Class aesthetically it's aligned with the Vista Class PRECISELY for the fact it is the first Carnival ship to do away with the dated 1980's Vegas Themed Farcas interiors.  

[firefly333]

Magic was my favorite carnival ship, but I was on it when it was almost new. I thought it was the best ship ever. Other than oasis.

[nanners]

Thanks to all of you!

 

I feel so much better.  I am so excited about this cruise now.  Now if it would just get here.

 

Enjoy all your future cruises!!!

 

Nanners

 

 

[cmukid87]

Magic is spectacular.  It's not the biggest ship and certainly not the smallest.  Has most to all of the amenities as the big, mega ships.  I never thought it was crowded and it has my favorite non-suite cabin class with the "large" balconies.  Same price as a regular balcony but 2x the size.

[mpacker]

On 6/24/2021 at 6:19 PM, nanners said:

Hey y'all!

 

Can I get your thoughts/opinions on the Magic?  I've read some reviews that aren't great.  Other ships seem to be pretty positive.

 

Also, I read one article that says the Magic is in dry dock until September.  Does anyone know if that is accurate?

 

I haven't sailed Carnival before, so I don't know what to expect.  I keep trying to test Carnival out, but the cruises I book get canceled!  Looking at the Magic for next year.  I should be safe then, fingers crossed! 

 

 

Thanks for any help!

 

people seem to either love or hate this ship.. it honestly has been my least favorite ship.  i can't say why it's just a weird vibe.  i've been on larger ships (RCL Oasis) and smaller (many fantasy class) and magic is won't i just won't book on again.

 

but everyone has different things they like.   my wife and the other couple we traveled with loved the magic.   try it and see :)

 

[Aplmac]

On 6/26/2021 at 9:15 AM, hockeyluver said:

The Magic was just in dry dock,  I believe it's done now.

It was freshened up and also given the "Mardi Gras" paint job.

   245 days and we will be back !! 

 

This is the new Magic...

 

Carnival Glory

will soon look like this too: she's in dry dock, being painted.

 

[cmukid87]

8 minutes ago, Aplmac said:

This is the new Magic...

Carnival Glory

will soon look like this too: she's in dry dock, being painted.

Ship looks gorgeous.  I'm lucky enough to be on the first sailing after she returns to sailing!

[FLcruzer123]

We love the Magic and would rather sail on her than the larger new ships.

[vintagegarage]

Here is her latest photo from the Carnival web site:

 

 

[beachbum53]

On 6/26/2021 at 8:41 AM, xtraquispe said:

I personally prefer the vista type ships.  We went on the magic last year and are going back on her in October, so I obviously didn't HATE it, but def loved the newer bigger ships more.  Magic is much nicer than some of the older ships.  I think you will be very happy with the magic!!!  I'm excited to see some of the updates they did to it.

 And we're just the opposite. We prefer the Dream class over the Vista class. The Magic is okay. We've cruised on her twice. The last time was last year on the first week of March, right before the pandemic shut everything down. The ship needed a little dry dock time for some sprucing up. Simon London was the CD. I know a lot of people seem to like him, but he's not my favorite. The Breeze is our number one favorite ship. Since it's the newest of the three in that class, it has a few amenities  that the Magic (or the Dream) does not have. Would we cruise on the Magic again? Probably, depending on the itinerary. 

[FloridaMommyof3]

My last cruise was on the Magic back in 2017 (I think ...).  I had a lido balcony and loved it!  I decided to book a cruise as the Casino rates I was getting were incredible to I'll be back on her this upcoming September, again on a lido balcony!

[james_9168]

The Magic has pretty much all of the bells and whistles of the newer ships, and is among only three ships where you can walk all the way around on deck five... 

[neongoddess]

The Magic was okay but one of my least favorite (sailed in 2/2020). Reason 1: stairs on Lido and floors in the buffet were *super* slippery. I have not had this problem on any other ship (other ships I've been on include the Inspiration, Imagination, Splendor, and Miracle). I actually fell down the stairs at one point, stood up, and fell again. For reference I am only 42 and in perfect health. Every time I walked through the Lido restaurant I was slipping like crazy and concerned about falling. I was wearing my normal flip flops that I wear everywhere else so no clue why this was an issue for me. Reason 2: Everything was super crowded, much moreso than other ships I've sailed on. Comedy show was standing room only every night even if you showed up a bit early. Had to wait in a super long outdoor line (in the rain, and had to walk through the smokey casino to get there) just to eat at Pig and Anchor. I had tons of fun anyway but overall I'd rather sail on a different ship. 

[Aplmac]

4 hours ago, james_9168 said:

The Magic has pretty much all of the bells and whistles of the newer ships, and is among only three ships where you can walk all the way around on deck five... 

 

Nice to know that!

 

We cruised on Caribbean Princess in Dec. 2009

to discover her outside deck where we could walk

right around the ship from stem to stern - a very nice feature

including the marvellous view over her stern!

 

[sanmarcosman]

On 7/1/2021 at 8:20 AM, james_9168 said:

and is among only three ships where you can walk all the way around on deck five... 

That's true to a point. Two years ago on the Dream was our first Dream class ship. As someone who brisk walks 4 miles a day I was a little disappointed to see I had to walk a slalom course through plexi partitions placed there for outdoor seating areas for several of the venues. To a steady brisk walker these things are noticed. I still enjoyed my walks but I mention this as info for other walkers. Not a deal breaker by any means 🙂 

[bsp]

On 6/24/2021 at 6:19 PM, nanners said:

Hey y'all!

 

Can I get your thoughts/opinions on the Magic?  I've read some reviews that aren't great.  Other ships seem to be pretty positive.

 

Also, I read one article that says the Magic is in dry dock until September.  Does anyone know if that is accurate?

 

I haven't sailed Carnival before, so I don't know what to expect.  I keep trying to test Carnival out, but the cruises I book get canceled!  Looking at the Magic for next year.  I should be safe then, fingers crossed! 

 

 

Thanks for any help!

Went on her in 2018 & like others, loved it. I booked a 4 night on her for 10/7/21 just last week & my Carnival vacation planned said she had been refurbished to be more like the Mardi Gras? Anybody else hear this? I'm so ready!  Happy cruising. Bonnie

[bsp]

4 minutes ago, bsp said:

Went on her in 2018 & like others, loved it. I booked a 4 night on her for 10/7/21 just last week & my Carnival vacation planned said she had been refurbished to be more like the Mardi Gras? Anybody else hear this? I'm so ready!  Happy cruising. Bonnie

Sorry, if I would have been patient & kept reading I had my question answered. Thanks all!

[StevenLucia]

We've been on the Magic three times (2018 & 2019).  We're quite fond of the ship and hope you have a great time!