First timer, Carnival Magic

[jevsays]

Greetings,

I plan to celebrate my birthday by my girlfriend and I on our first cruise. We plan to take the 7-day Western Caribbean cruise to Jamaica.

 

With that being said, I've been very skeptical about cabin choosing as I've heard so many pro's and con's for various reasons. We'd like to have somewhere close enough to the elevators for the attractions/pools/restaurants but nowhere that'll refrain us from sleeping at nighttime.

 

A few questions:

Would paying the extra 150-200$ be worth spending on a Balcony room rather a 4* Interior Stateroom?

 

Is a 7C Cove Balcony suggested over a 8* Balcony Stateroom?

 

As mentioned before, I've never been on a cruise and I'm afraid we won't spend that much time inside the cabin to "enjoy" the perks of the balcony.

*Rooms that are available range from 2338 2341 2344 2362 2366 2369 2370 2371 2374 2380 etc...*

I'd much prefer a non-shared bathroom.

 

 

Thank you very much for viewing, I'm sure I'll have plenty of more questions but the cabin choosing would be a great relief in the meantime.

 

 

 

PS * is in place of alphabet letter to whichever the room coordinates with (eg 4C, 8F, 1F)

[KLD1019]

was on the Magic last year. you'll LOVE her :D

 

IMO, yes, its worth the money for a balcony! we wont cruise in anything less than balcony. we utilize the room/balcony quite a bit, so its worth the extra $$ for us. some people hardly do, and its understandable why they dont spend the extra money for it. when we want to get away from the crowds and music, but still relax outside, our own personal balcony is perfect! we love having coffee and breakfast out there in the morning, in the evening after dinner/shows we enjoy the peacefulness of our balcony with a drink. if we cant sleep and dont want to walk around, but want to be "out", again the balcony is there for us! :)

 

last year, we did a deck 6 balcony and i loved it. right in the middle of everything. this year, on her sister ship Dream, we did a cove. the cove was nice. i loved it, loved the views, but we were right under the galley. the constant noise from the galley was a bit annoying. and we were a bit far from all the action. Next year on Magic and Dream's sister ship, Breeze, we're going back to deck 6

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

what is a non-shared bathroom?

 

I will always answer the same on Magic. 7th floor, next to suites, mid ship, mid corridor, cabins above and below, far enough above Promenade deck to eliminate noise, midway between Lido and Dining room decks. Access to plenty of elevators and stairs. Less rooms on corridor so more "direct" service from stewards. Because of suites less traffic down hallways (less people altogether).

 

Sitting down on balcony nice views of ocean. Standing up at railing great for people watching above, below, and sideways. Sun either morning or evening, shade better part of day on balcony.

[Kova15]

Im sure more people will chime in with more information than myself. I can say I loved our balcony. we have only sailed on 2 cruises and both times we had a balcony. I loved reading out there or just sitting there relaxing. to me it was well worth it.

 

We sailed the Magic in June and it is a beautiful ship. we were on the lido deck and were close to the elevators, and the pool. I loved the location, so I would suggest staying on the lido deck. We also were close to food, so we just walked right out the doors and grabbed a slice of pizza or icecream.

 

Look at deck plans when selecting your room, you can see what is above or below your room and it will help you figure out where you want your room.

[okgirl]

Let me say first that each cabin has it's own private bathroom, nobody is forced to share. However, the showers in the gym and spa are public and only semi private.

 

On the Magic the Lido deck is deck 10, so you wouldn't want to be on deck 9 or you will hear noise from the Lido.

 

I personally would choose a cabin on either deck 7 or 8, close to the midship elevators and an interior. I am rarely in my cabin and enjoy how dark it is in the mornings.

[sandinmyshoes]

The Cove balconies are wonderful for some people, but probably not what you are looking for. I would go for one higher up like the others have said. The Coves are on deck 2 and a long way away from the pools and major activities.

Don't fret over the bathrooms. Each room has its own bathroom with shower, sink, and toilet. There is no sharing.

There are larger showers that are public in the spa/gym area like the other poster mentioned, but I personally think they are pretty private. Usually they have an extra large curtain to close, but I suppose some one could accidentally open it if they weren't paying attention. These are gender specific by the way. The women's locker room offers its own showers, toilets, sauna, steam room, and dressing areas as well the men have their own locker room providing the same amenities. Some ships we have been on have had doors for the showers instead of curtains, but its been a yr and a half since we were on Magic so I can't say for certain.

 

Good luck choosing the right cabin for you. If you get something with cabins above and below yours, you should be able to sleep just fine. If you have a balcony and the neighbors are partying in the room until late, you can open the balcony door and hear the ocean. (If you do this, you should turn off your AC (individual units for each cabin so you can set the temp to your liking) and put the provided beach towel at the bottom of your entrance door to prevent the draft that causes a loud whistle.

 

Bon Voyage!

[singbluesilver1]

I've sailed in interior, ocean view and balcony. I like all three. If it's only a little more money I'd go for the balcony if it's a big investment I wouldn't bother.

 

I would love a cove balcony one day as I love the sound and smell of water

[KPfromCT]

I vote for a Lido Deck balcony.:D:D

Steps away from the action, food, drink, etc.

Yet the cabins are SO quiet. You would never know you were on the Lido deck.

 

The convenience is the best for us.

Nice to be able to go back to your cabin to use the bathroom, or if you forgot something.

 

Yes, if you are sitting on your balcony at night, you will hear the music a little, but inside the cabin, you can hear a pin drop.

 

LOVE LOVE LOVE the lido balconies.:D:D

[happy traveler69]

for $200, do the balcony!!

[dioxide45]

Cove balconies have their charm, but they are not what I think of when I think of a balcony on a cruise ship. They are rather closed in and very close to the water. Not a lot of sun because of the overhang above from the life boats. If you want sun on your balcony and have a good wide view, a standard balcony is better. We have stayed in both types.

 

We have booked our first interior on the Magic for this fall. Booking a Spa Interior. I hope we like it as we have booked another Spa Interior on the Vista for next year. We mainly wanted the spa access and it was cheaper to go with the Spa Interior than a regular interior and paying for the spa access.

[Hawaiifrank]

I would only get a balcony if the increase in cost is less that it normally is. Typically, a balcony will be 60-80% more than an inside. Your $200 increase for a 7 day cruise seems pretty reasonable. Is that for each of you or total?

 

The times I've had a balcony, I found that I didn't use it as much as I expected. If it's sunny, it'll probably be too hot out there. Underway it is sometimes windy or it might be chilly and wet if it rains.

 

I had the aft wrap-around balcony on Magic last March. It was cool and breezy when we left and when we returned to Galveston. One of the sea days was raining and we had 3 port days. I really didn't get my money's worth from the use of the balcony.

 

In 18 cruises I've had a balcony 4 or 5 times. I'd rather cruise more often in an inside or OV than less often in more expensive balcony rooms.

Edited September 5, 2015 by Hawaiifrank

[carolslc]

I've only ever had a balcony, and we have a balcony booked on the Magic this fall. I LOVE having a balcony and use it a lot. Sitting there watching the sunrise and the first glimpses of the island we are visiting that day. Sitting on our balcony for sail away in the late afternoon before showering for dinner. Sea days if it's crowded elsewhere, you always have somewhere to go. I would feel claustrophobic spending much time in an inside cabin. Having the balcony makes the room feel a lot bigger. And I have to say it's always my favorite spot on the ship. Free room service, or grab snacks from the buffet, then back to my balcony with a book - heaven.

[dmdiver]

Balconies are nice, but they're not huge. Standard one has 2 chairs & an end table. Just enough room to sit down with a cup of coffee & a book. However, if the price is right I am all for having a balcony. I like to go out there first thing in the morning to greet the day. I also enjoy reading out there. I know a lot of people like the cove balconies, I've never had one, but you don't want to be under the galley. Like others have said, choose a cabin that has cabins above & below. Interiors are great for napping and the tv has a deck cam station that you can leave on to see what the weather is doing and whether it's night or day.

 

As far as the bathroom is concerned, it's one per cabin, so you share with whoever is in your cabin. Can't speak for the suites, as we don't do those.

[Shaded Lady]

I've heard a lot of people say once you experience a balcony you'll never be happy with an inside cabin again. Well on my last cruise I had a spa balcony- all the way at the top and all the way to the front- on Magic. I LOVED it. But my next cruise I'll be going for an inside. Because I really don't spend that much time on the balcony (except for coffee each morning, and a glance at the moon on the water before bed) so in truth you can go back.

 

I think the money I can save on an inside will make the cruise more enjoyable. and then I can cruise more often. But I already know that my cruise to Alaska (hoping for 2017) I will definitely have a balcony so I can see the sites without being crowded into areas on the Lido...

 

Like others have said, if you can afford it, do a balcony. But at some point try an inside. I have never slept better than in an inside cabin- so quiet, no daylight to wake you up if you want to sleep in...

[jevsays]

Thank you all very much for your input and suggestions, I apologize for the delayed response as I was away from my MacBook since I posted the original thread.

 

I believe I'm sold on the balcony for our first cruise, now let's hope I can land a decent fare on the Lido Deck.

 

 

 

PS It will be ~150$ each for the balcony compared to an interior cabin. Cheers!

[Hawaiifrank]

I think the money I can save on an inside will make the cruise more enjoyable. and then I can cruise more often. But I already know that my cruise to Alaska (hoping for 2017) I will definitely have a balcony so I can see the sites without being crowded into areas on the Lido...

 

If you can travel in May or September, you can save a bundle on the Alaska cruise. You take a chance on the weather, more chance of cool weather in spring or fall, but it CAN be cold even in July. I read somewhere that you can get snow ANY day of the year in Alaska, even in mid-summer (in the far north, I presume).

 

In 2009, we did a b2b from May 13 to 27, a week northbound followed by a week southbound. We were very fortunate to have great weather.

 

The balcony on Carnival Spirit was under $600 pp each week and included some OBC. I used the balcony more on that cruise than any other time we've gotten a balcony, 3 or 4 times out of 18 cruises. We usually get an inside catagory so we can cruise more often.