Quickie Magic Review (sailed July 31)

[Awads]

Just got off the Magic and wanted to share a few thoughts. I lurked around here for months before sailing, just to get an idea of what we were in for (having not cruised Carnival before and having a child with us). Having read the reviews, especially the ones with so much negativity, I got a lot of laughs! In my opinion, you have to try really hard to NOT have a good time on the Magic. While I'm no cheerleader for Carnival, I can see why people are.

 

We had a balcony cabin, so even though there were lots of people on board (hey, it's August!), we always felt like we had quiet/alone time.

 

We spent a lot of time by the pools. When the main pool felt crowded, we could always head to the aft pool.

 

The food in the MDR was much better than I'd anticipated. No need for Steak house, for us anyway. We ate in the MDR every night and ate well! I'm a bit of a food snob (don't eat in chain restaurants, if i can help it), but found the MDR to be pretty fantastic. There were only a few misses (i'm looking at you, soggy vietnamese spring rolls). My son had a blast eating braised ox tongue, escargot, frog legs, etc...). The waitstaff was mostly good at their job (though i would say getting a cocktail before the meal was tough to come by. best to swing by Alchemy and bring it with you). I already miss my daily Blue Iguana breakfast...

 

As for the Cheers package, i am so glad we did not get that. We regretted it on the first day, because we were ordering a lot of drinks. but after that? So relieved i didn't have to drink all day to feel like we were getting our money's worth. I love cocktails, but it's almost a job to drink them all day long, everyday for a week. We spent a little over $600 for the two of us, but were buying drinks for family members and bottles of wine at dinner. Never felt like we didn't get a drink b/c of the cost.

 

As for the crew, they are a mighty fine bunch of friendly, hard workers! they were always cleaning something and greeting us. By the last day, some were off their game (no cups at drink stations, no plates at buffet), but overall, they were terrific.

 

We didn't do any gambling or see a single show (tough to do with a kid who won't go to camp ocean or night owl). But we still felt like there was plenty to do and see.

 

I am also glad we didn't bother with FTTF. We arrived at PC around noon and were on the boat by 12:20. no joke! boarding was so quick! None of our ports required tendering, so we weren't getting anywhere faster anyway. We just stepped off the boat when we wanted to. And if there was a line at guest services, we'd just come back another time. it was no big deal.

 

I'm sure I left out a ton, so feel free to ask me any questions if you've got 'em.

 

Happy Sailing!

[cmecruise1962]

Thanks for posting! I'm glad you had fun!!

[thall1719]

Thanks for the review! We sail 8/27. How were the lines for food? Water slides?

 

Pools feel crowded?

 

Do any excursions?

 

I know you didn't gamble, passing by did the casino seem smokey?

 

Any must do's or do not's?

 

Thanks!

[crusing48/51]

Thank you for your thoughts. Will be on the Magic in October, so reading all the reviews. Good to know you had a good experience. Have always thought cruising is what you make it, go with a positive attitude and a patient spirit, and you will have fun. Sounds like you did!

[Awads]

Thanks for the review! We sail 8/27. How were the lines for food? Water slides?

 

Pools feel crowded?

 

Do any excursions?

 

I know you didn't gamble, passing by did the casino seem smokey?

 

Any must do's or do not's?

 

Thanks!

 

Food lines weren't so bad if you knew when to go! Breakfast before 10? very short lines. Hardly any lines at Blue Iguana, which has the best breakfast if you ask me. My brother waited in line at Pig & Anchor for 30 minutes at 1:30 one day (and didn't think the BBQ was all that good). The lines for Guys burgers moved fast (and so worth it! delicious burgers!). The pizza line was long at times, but it was also worth the wait. Really, there are so many food options, that lines aren't a problem.

 

We didn't do Carnival excursions. We lost one shore day (Belize) due to Tropical Storm Earl (got an extra sea day, which was fine!). Went to the Tropicante beach club in Costa Maya (excellent way to spend a day!); and Mr. Sancho's all-inclusive in Cozumel (also excellent!). Did the public beach in Mahogany Bay (Roatan), which was fine if you don't hate crowds. :rolleyes:

 

I loathed the smokey casino and hated having to walk through it with my kid. I wish they'd ban smoking all together. I also narc'd on a smoker who had the audacity to light up at the pool. A crew member asked him to put out his cigarette, but i know that other crew members had to have seen him but failed to say anything. I wasn't having it. Probably my only complaint.

 

Here is a must do NOT: Don't use Cocoa Beach Shuttle to get to the Port. They are terrible on the pick-up end. No information. Rude service. We were exhausted and waiting in the florida heat for 40 minutes for our ride to the airport. Never again!!

[Awads]

Thanks for the review! We sail 8/27. Water slides?

 

Pools feel crowded?

 

 

 

Thanks!

Oops! forgot these two: The lines for water slide weren't terrible, especially if you got out early. My son and I had a blast with the water slide! Totally fun!! Someone on a thread complained about the hot ground on the 12th deck and that you can really get hurt on the slides' bumpy ride. That made me laugh. If you can't have fun on the water slide, you should just pack it in.

 

Pools got very crowded, but again: go early, check out the aft pool. At times, yes, it's people soup. But it's not a private yacht. :D

[Clarea]

Thanks for the feedback.

[mrpayroll]

Thanks for your input. Will be on Magic in September. :)

[Floating Lanai]

The Magic is a great ship, I would say a must do is the steakhouse but understand not going if the MDR is doing the job for you. Thanks for your review.

[NoJolt4U]

Thanks for the quick review. Do you recall how many outlets you had on board? I heard there is one in the bathroom and a European outlet in the sleeping area on the desk. Is that true or is there a US 120v outlet in the main sleeping area?

[angiem0217]

Thanks for the review! We sail 8/27. How were the lines for food? Water slides?

 

 

 

Pools feel crowded?

 

 

 

Do any excursions?

 

 

 

I know you didn't gamble, passing by did the casino seem smokey?

 

 

 

Any must do's or do not's?

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

We are on the same cruise!! I cannot wait

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[sc4125]

Thanks for the quick review. Do you recall how many outlets you had on board? I heard there is one in the bathroom and a European outlet in the sleeping area on the desk. Is that true or is there a US 120v outlet in the main sleeping area?

 

 

In my cabin there were 2 regular outlets at the desk - not sure about the bathroom.

[Awads]

Thanks for the quick review. Do you recall how many outlets you had on board? I heard there is one in the bathroom and a European outlet in the sleeping area on the desk. Is that true or is there a US 120v outlet in the main sleeping area?

 

I don't think we had one in the bathroom, but i'm not positive. there was an outlet in the main room, over the desk/dresser with 2-3 spots to plug in. it was not the european variety because we used it to charge our iphones. plugging things in was never a problem (i was cool with the hairdryer provided in the room. it got the job done and plugs into the drawer where it lives).

[NoJolt4U]

I don't think we had one in the bathroom, but i'm not positive. there was an outlet in the main room, over the desk/dresser with 2-3 spots to plug in. it was not the european variety because we used it to charge our iphones. plugging things in was never a problem (i was cool with the hairdryer provided in the room. it got the job done and plugs into the drawer where it lives).

 

Awesome thanks! Didn't want to have to buy a converter for the outlet. We are in a 4 person room so I still think we will need a power strip to charge items. But that's fine as long as there is an outlet in the sleeping area.

[kctwinmommy]

Here is a must do NOT: Don't use Cocoa Beach Shuttle to get to the Port. They are terrible on the pick-up end. No information. Rude service. We were exhausted and waiting in the florida heat for 40 minutes for our ride to the airport. Never again!!

 

Wow! That's surprising. We've used them in the past, most recently this past November and they were excellent. Great drivers, no problems, we waited maybe 20 minutes to leave the port to go to MCO. But we sat in the shade, so it wasn't a huge deal.

 

We're on the Magic this fall, looking forward to it. It will be the biggest ship we've been on, so I'm concerned about the larger crowds with the pools, we have 4 sea days on our cruise!

[TerReuv]

Did you happen to get pictures of the menus? We won't be on the Magic until next fall, but I love to plan and love seeing things from the same cruise with the same ports.

[ryano]

Nice review :) First complaint I think I have EVER read about Cocoa Beach Shuttle.

[simplelife]

Thanks for the review! We sail 8/27. How were the lines for food? Water slides?

 

Pools feel crowded?

 

Do any excursions?

 

I know you didn't gamble, passing by did the casino seem smokey?

 

Any must do's or do not's?

 

Thanks!

We are just off Magic (July 23 sailing). Most of the time the pools did not feel crowded, other than the

last seaday. Even then, the hot tubs on the Lanai were available. On the Amber Cove day, we did not get off right away but went to the aft pool. Our group, mom, sis,DH and I, we're the only ones there. WE did two excursions: The Rainforest Drive in SJ and the Kon tiki Party Boat in ST. Both highly recommended. The Casino smelled very smokey, particularly as the evening wore on. Must dos: we loved the lanai (deck 5); lots of quiet spots to relax and converse; a continental breakfast is served there daily in Ocean Plaza -great place for coffee, much quieter than Lido. Hot tubs and deck chairs were always available even when lido and Serenity were crowded, We also enjoyed the Red Frog pub on that level. On the Lido, be sure to get a breakfast burrito from the Blue Iguana. AS far as don'ts: I fully agree with the first post that FTTF and Cheers were not necessary. WE had neither, and found embarkation and disembarkation to be smooth and, though we bought drinks whenever we wanted one, we still did not spend what Cheers would have cost. Get in line early for the adult comedy shows; it is SRO. ( I know this is not posted in time for your cruise, but may be helpful for others)

.

Edited August 8, 2016 by simplelife

[Cdilling]

I have used the Cocoa Beach Shuttle 3 or 4 times and was happy with their service. Booked on the Magic for December this year and will use them again.

[sc4125]

I was on this same cruise & had a great time. The aft pool was crazy crowded on the last sea day - I didn't have my camera with me but it would have made a funny picture. There must have been 15 people in the pool & 20 people sitting in the water around it - but they all seemed to having a great time. If the pool is busy, I just cool off by using the showers.

 

We ate in Cucino (Italian Restaurant) one night & it was wonderful. I personally thought their steak was better than the one I had in the specialty restaurants on the Breeze & Dream. For $15 (plus we added a tip) it was more than worth it.

 

The one thing I noted for the first time in 17 cruises with CCL - the staff and crew were very friendly, but the officers were beyond unfriendly. I never saw one of them even smile when encountering passengers. On one occasion we were walking near the Lanai & 3 officers walking abreast were coming toward us. We actually had to get out of their way. I could understand if there were a bunch of us, but there were only two - or if they were deep in conversation, but none of them were speaking. It was just really weird. I've never encountered this before. It wasn't just one or two times, it was almost everytime I saw someone in white - male or female - one stripe or three. Not that I really care to interact with any of them, but a smile, nod, or acknowledgement of some kind would make it less awkward.

 

I had a great time and I really liked the Magic. The Breeze has been my favorite, but the Magic might take first place - mainly because they have the Alchemy Bar.

[JaniceB]

Thanks for the report.

[Firemens Wife]

Did you happen to get pictures of the menus? We won't be on the Magic until next fall, but I love to plan and love seeing things from the same cruise with the same ports.

 

I found this on some other thread, hope this helps

 

file:///C:/Users/Heide/AppData/Local/Temp/MAGIC%20DINING%203-17-1.pdf

[easyboy]

Thanks for sharing

[riclop]

Thanks for the quickie.

[Port of Tampa]

Thanks for the review...looking forward to cruising on her soon.

 

Cheers and happy cruising.