Carnival Magic poor reviews

[wemjam]

3 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

Wait, we have the same Mom?

 

😁

ROTFLMAO!  Sounds like it... does she get mad at you too when someone has the nerve to cut in front of her while you are in line?

 

You should have heard the grief I caught when Covid shut us down.  And I was dealing with all the flights, hotels, transfers, cruise stuff for 3 rooms that time because my brother and fiancé had decided to cruise with us for the first time.  I had to deal with at least 3 different date changes on that one and making sure 6 people were all happy with everything.

[iheartmarshall]

I board her this coming Sunday and will be happy to report back!  

I did notice in our cruise group that there's a ton of first-timers on board.  I wonder if that's throwing some of the reviews as well, just simply not knowing what to expect?  This will be my 5th or 6th cruise on Carnival and while I wouldn't call myself an expert, I would say I'm experienced and know what to expect and what is/is not the fault of the ship/staff.  Excursions are tricky though as Carnival doesn't usually have control over what happens on those, but I think I've only ever had one that was a "meh."  The rest have been great!  Fingers crossed for this cruise as well. 

[Cruzlover7]

On 8/2/2023 at 6:29 PM, carribbound said:

I am booked on the Magic for Jan 24. I have been on many Carnival Cruises, my first time on the Magic. I am growing increasingly concerned because the reviews I am reading are so poor. I love Carnival. I considered a different cruise line but decided to book this cruise. Many reviews I am reading say how Carnival has really gone down hill. My last cruise with Carnival was in 2021, so not that long ago. Please comfort my worries and tell me these are just a fluke.

I’ll be on the Magic for the third time in 1.5 years. The ship and crew are great. Don’t take everyone’s views to heart. Try to go and enjoy yourself. Your on vacation!

[Sea Raven]

7 hours ago, iheartmarshall said:

I board her this coming Sunday and will be happy to report back!  

I did notice in our cruise group that there's a ton of first-timers on board.  I wonder if that's throwing some of the reviews as well, just simply not knowing what to expect?  This will be my 5th or 6th cruise on Carnival and while I wouldn't call myself an expert, I would say I'm experienced and know what to expect and what is/is not the fault of the ship/staff. 

This is a valid question, and I believe that sometimes new cruisers can have unrealistic expectations for their first time. If every bite of food is not life-changing, and every show or excursion not awe-inspiring, they can feel let down. Research and reading everything you can about any new experience is very helpful. Having said that, I have sailed on the Magic three times and enjoyed each one immensely. In my opinion, she has one of the most organized dining staffs I have encountered and told them that on my last sailing. 

 

[jimbo5544]

11 hours ago, Sea Raven said:

This is a valid question, and I believe that sometimes new cruisers can have unrealistic expectations for their first time. If every bite of food is not life-changing, and every show or excursion not awe-inspiring, they can feel let down. Research and reading everything you can about any new experience is very helpful. Having said that, I have sailed on the Magic three times and enjoyed each one immensely. In my opinion, she has one of the most organized dining staffs I have encountered and told them that on my last sailing. 

 

I agree, the dining team on this ship was totally in sync.  They seemed the most comfortable I think we have ever seen.  Not sure why, but assume it is good mgt.

[havanadaydreaming]

My first cruise ever was on Magic's sister ship the Breeze. 

 

I was primarily an all inclusive resort guy back then.  I thought a ship would kinda pale in comparison.  (To quote Aladdin: Itty bitty living space)

 

Boy was i wrong.  I was blown away. Tons of fun! 

 

 

[Gregoryfo]

Was on the magic last month.  Everything on the ship was great.  The ship is in good shape and the different wait staff at mytime dining were wonderful.  We have done larger ships and smaller ships previously on Carnival but this was the first time on this size ship.  We really liked it, just enough variety of food and activities but not overwhelming.    

 

Just an FYI, the arrival at the parking lot in Norfolk was crowded and very slow moving.  I think the problem was we came at 11 and there were still buses with people coming back home from the last cruise, so the porters and passengers were confused about which bags were going on the buses to go to the ship and which were coming off the buses for people coming home.  We waited for about 15 minutes, the line wasn't moving much so we walked to the street and got an uber.  Our bags did make it on the ship fine.  Walk off back to the parking lot on the buses at the end of the cruise was quick and painless.  The next time we cruise from Norfolk we will either plan to uber from the lot or pick a later arrival time to let the disembarkers clear out.  Again though the ship and crew were great, no concerns at all.        

[arsenic74]

On 8/7/2023 at 1:16 PM, iheartmarshall said:

I board her this coming Sunday and will be happy to report back!  

I did notice in our cruise group that there's a ton of first-timers on board.  I wonder if that's throwing some of the reviews as well, just simply not knowing what to expect?  This will be my 5th or 6th cruise on Carnival and while I wouldn't call myself an expert, I would say I'm experienced and know what to expect and what is/is not the fault of the ship/staff.  Excursions are tricky though as Carnival doesn't usually have control over what happens on those, but I think I've only ever had one that was a "meh."  The rest have been great!  Fingers crossed for this cruise as well. 

 

Us too - see you on board! 🙂

[jjt]

I would also like to thank everyone for the reassurance. I am planning to cruise in November and was worried about the reviews. Specifically, several reviews mention overcrowding and long lines, especially in the buffet. Can anyone specifically address that issue? Thanks!

[JandPB]

Our last cruise cruise, before we took a little pause from cruising, was on the Magic. The reason we decided to take a break was that we didn't have the best time on that sailing. We were booked for this trip right when they raised capacity to full. They were so understaffed and it was incredibly noticeable. The food wasn't good, the service was terrible. We decided after that to take a sabbatical. We are willing to give it another shot as we have a cruise booked on her in September 2024. I think I may move off of that cruise and move to something later in the year. 

[StephPS79]

4 hours ago, jjt said:

several reviews mention overcrowding and long lines, especially in the buffet. Can anyone specifically address that issue? Thanks!

No more than most ships.  I was on the Magic in May.  Normal crowding and lines that I've come to expect.  If you go in expecting Spirit class lines, you'll be upset.

[balcony bound]

15 hours ago, jjt said:

I would also like to thank everyone for the reassurance. I am planning to cruise in November and was worried about the reviews. Specifically, several reviews mention overcrowding and long lines, especially in the buffet. Can anyone specifically address that issue? Thanks!

I had zero issues on my two cruises on the Magic.  Maybe timing is everything.

[wemjam]

14 hours ago, JandPB said:

Our last cruise cruise, before we took a little pause from cruising, was on the Magic. The reason we decided to take a break was that we didn't have the best time on that sailing. We were booked for this trip right when they raised capacity to full. They were so understaffed and it was incredibly noticeable. The food wasn't good, the service was terrible. We decided after that to take a sabbatical. We are willing to give it another shot as we have a cruise booked on her in September 2024. I think I may move off of that cruise and move to something later in the year. 

I don't think this would a fair comparison though.  When they first started back up and went back to full capacity ALL the ships were struggling a bit.  They had the same problems as everywhere else finding good help.  Also a lot of the workers were new since so many were lost when Covid hit and had moved on to something else.

 

Nothing was the same after start up.  Things have normalized more this year.

[wemjam]

17 hours ago, jjt said:

I would also like to thank everyone for the reassurance. I am planning to cruise in November and was worried about the reviews. Specifically, several reviews mention overcrowding and long lines, especially in the buffet. Can anyone specifically address that issue? Thanks!

You will experience this on all ships.  Some areas are going to feel more crowded at certain times.  If you hit the restaurants at prime times then there are going to be a lot of people so there will be lines and it will be more crowded.  Other times it will be dead.

 

It is like comparing eating in the lido restaurant on embarkation day (when you are having lunch with 2000 of your best friends) to eating there at lunch time on a port day (when there might be 50 people total in the entire dining area because everyone else is off the ship).

[nycruiser80]

Sailed on Magic last August from NYC to Bermuda and I had a great time. Before that, the last time I sailed with Carnival was back in 2009. The Magic was in great condition for my cruise last year. My only gripe was the noise above the aft cove balcony cabins. Next time I need to bring some earplugs but I loved having a cove balcony. That was the highlight of the cruise for me!

Edited August 18, 2023 by nycruiser80

[jjt]

Thanks for all the replies about the lines. Makes me less worried than I was before.

[ChrisCJR]

We went on the Magic last fall and it was one of our most enjoyable Carnival cruises. 

 

The Dream Class has some of the most hot tubs at sea, specially per guest on board, if you enjoy those.  There's four down on the Promenade (lanai) deck that often get forgotten about and you don't even have to check out towels for those, they have them in bins nearby.  The operating hours were decent too.  Then there's other great features neaby too, like the BBQ.  The only downside is that you had to walk through some areas in a swimsuit. 

 

The spa area is great too, albeit, aged.  The hydrotherapy pool was a welcome feature, and was great to have access to during peak times on the ship.  The saunas were better on the newer ships though, I think.

 

It had everything you'd need for a great cruise.  I've never been on a Carnival ship without some sort of need for TLC and that includes ships that I went on within a year of their maiden voyage.  Guests just can be destructive and it's not ship specific or even specific to a certain cruise line.

 

My biggest issue on the Magic was that the bar service wasn't great at points.  The Red Frog Rum bar on the lido deck tended to operate on their own schedule and got a bit rude at a few points.  The people at the Tides bar, near the pizza place were excellent though, at night especially.  I could never find a seat at the Alchemy bar.  Otherwise, the experience was on par to the other ships I've been on.  We enjoyed the Piano Bar a lot (Brad as at the piano).

 

On our cruise, the entertainment was good, the guests were great, the crew was great (outside of the Rum bar I mentioned), food was decent enough too.  Guys actually disappointed us, after having it may times before, but that's the path Carnival took fleetwide.  Pizza was the big win, for quick food.  Blue Iguana was good too.  We didn't spend lots of time at the buffet, but it seemed to be just OK, as was the food at the island (HMC).  We also took advantage of Cucina del Capitano at lunch, which is complimentary, that was excellent and we loved the wine that we got with our meal (which is included with your drink package, if you get one).

 

No matter what, I think you'll have a great time if you go into it with the right attitude and are willing to overlook tiny flaws.  Set yourself to "Fun Mode" and you'll have a great time.

[ninjacat123]

1 hour ago, ChrisCJR said:

I could never find a seat at the Alchemy bar.  Otherwise, the experience was on par to the other ships I've been on.  We enjoyed the Piano Bar a lot (Brad as at the piano).

 

 

We found this to be the case even on our "ghost ship" cruise on Magic in Sept 2021.  We thought that having trivia, karaoke, etc. a few feet away made for people to sit at the Alchemy Bar and not order.  I wish there was a sign that would indicate the bar seats are for Alchemy guests.   

[jordanaire]

We cruised aboard the Magic recently and loved the ship. Our favorite so far! Nothing at all to complain about. 

[djfrangella]

Just got off Magic and we all had a great time.  Dont expect perfection on an older ship. Go on the new ships and you might get it.  I love the smaller ships so it works for us.  Had the best staff at dinner.  Had my time dining and requested them the rest of the cruise. The waiters friend was the chef at the Italian resstaurant so when we went he told him and he sent us a shrimp platter. your expectation may be to high.

 

[ramja96]

On 8/3/2023 at 9:28 AM, WendyVF said:

This is the first time for an Magic extended season in Norfolk so you are getting a lot of new cruisers and ones that typically do other lines but wanted to try it since it was close to home.  A ship with a lot of first time cruisers is going to feel different as all the newbies try to figure it out.

My wife and I fall into this category.  Have always sailed Royal - this is our first Carnival. We have wanted to try Carnival for some time, and the homeport is only a 6 hour drive with an interesting itinerary (3 days in Bermuda). I'm going in with an open mind, knowing there will be differences.  It always makes it more enjoyable when you go with the flow.

[djfrangella]

Royal was our line of choice until Carnival just beat them in casino promotions you can't turn down. 

[Butterbean1000]

We just "jumped ship".  The hubs and I were booked on the Vista for our 45th this coming May.  My son and his family are booked on the Magic a week later.  We decided to crash his party, so we canceled our Vista and booked the Magic.  I am looking forward to sailing her again.  The Dream class is our favorite.  We especially like the Cloud 9 Spa.  

[runnersuzy]

We cruised on the Magic last fall because of the ports of Aruba and Curaçao.  Had a great time but I liked the Mardi Gras better and my husband likes the spirit class. Last cruise was the Celebration and next is Legend to Greenland.  What ports?

[PMI1]

I sailed her Feb of this year and provided a review, I gave it 3 stars.  She is looking tired and needs to be refreshed drydock before I would sail her again.  Still had a great time but would not recommend sailing her at this time.