Carnival Magic 8/27 Review

[tarabonnie]

Reading reviews has become a hobby for me so I wanted to make sure and give back a little after my fabulous vacation on the Carnival Magic. I hope you will enjoy learning about this ship and cruise itinerary. My husband and I were traveling together on this voyage and were able to relax, unwind and enjoy each other's company on this vacation.

Here we go:

Embarkation: My husband has been a platinum cruiser for some time and I turned platinum on this cruise, we enjoyed the priority check in and debarkation procedures. We arrived at the port at about 10am were able to park in the parking deck across the street with a 40 percent off coupon from our hotel the previous night. After check in we waited in a lounge with comfortable seats and water available to drink for about an hour and then boarded. My husband was the first to the Red Frog Pub so he snagged a free beer. The room was ready so we were able to unpack and start our vacation right away.

[tarabonnie]

Our Room: We stayed in 11212, an interior spa cabin. We got an incredible deal due to points on our credit card. Our steward was Danang, he was fantastic! He serviced our room at least twice a day, sometimes I think it was more often for towels. He was always friendly, polite and ready to make our trip better. One day I even forgot my key card in my short’s pocket and he gladly went to the laundry and retrieved my card. It was our first interior room in a quite some time. We did miss having a view but really enjoyed the spa perks. The Elemis products are nice and if you ask they will provide extra. We really liked the location, except the first morning when some early birds were in the weight room about 6:30am. The dark room provided a great place to sleep. The temperature was a little warm, but they did provide a fan when we asked. Overall we were happy to have spent the extra money on other parts of our vacation instead of an outside room.

[tarabonnie]

The Spa: I took full advantage of our room discount and booked three treatments in the spa receiving 20, 30 and 40 percent off. I had a lime and ginger scrub with a full body massage, a seaweed wrap and a poultice massage. They were all extremely relaxing and the staff did an excellent job of providing these services. We also enjoyed sitting in the relaxation room and having fruit water available throughout the day. We went to the thalassotherapy pool and thermal suites several times during the week and always found them clean, not crowded and very relaxing. The entire spa staff was friendly and helpful.

[herdfans4]

34 days for our first cruise in the Magic. Looking forward to more of your review.

 

 

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[Iluvitwhenwerecruising]

The Spa: I took full advantage of our room discount and booked three treatments in the spa receiving 20, 30 and 40 percent off. I had a lime and ginger scrub with a full body massage, a seaweed wrap and a poultice massage. They were all extremely relaxing and the staff did an excellent job of providing these services. We also enjoyed sitting in the relaxation room and having fruit water available throughout the day. We went to the thalassotherapy pool and thermal suites several times during the week and always found them clean, not crowded and very relaxing. The entire spa staff was friendly and helpful.

 

Hi, we have a Spa cabin too. I can't wait for more reviews because we leave on Saturday! :D

[tarabonnie]

Work out facilities:

We ran on the outdoor track on deck 12 four mornings during the week. It was not extremely crowded but there were a few passengers that had trouble with the direction signs and would walk the opposite direction. The view was fantastic!

We ran on the treadmills in the workout room one morning, they had TVs on each machine so if you bring headphones you can enjoy a show while you exercise.

[tarabonnie]

Food: We loved the variety of food offered on the Magic. We ate in the MDR 6 out of 7 nights and ate in the lido the remaining evening. I enjoyed the appetizers most of all. It’s always fun to try something new. Of course there are wide selection of deserts everyone needs to have at least a bite from while on vacation. We enjoyed the burritos and Guy’s burgers as well as the Italian restaurant for lunches during the week. We went to the MDR for breakfast one day and one of the sea day brunches and really enjoyed both meals.

[tarabonnie]

Entertainment:

This was by far the best of any cruise we have been on and it started at the top with the best cruise director we have ever sailed with, the Reverend Dr. E. He brings so much energy to the ship it is contagious. The stage shows were amazing: Grooveline (70s and 80s music) ; the Magic of Mark Miller (the manager of the comedy club is very talented); Destination Unknown is a combination of illusion, music and dance; Win another music and dance show; and the Carnival Legends talent show and Dr. E as Beyonce. We also went to the Love and Marriage show and Quest. We attended the comedy club a couple of times seeing both PG and adult comedy and they were both good. We never really connected at the piano bar, maybe it was a timing issue. Dr. E. had sing along shows in the main lobby several evenings that are a must attend.

[tarabonnie]

Platinum Perks:

Since I turned Platinum on this cruise I wanted to say a few words about the perks we received. Priority boarding and debarkation save the time of waiting in lines. We have never used FTTF, but I guess it is a similar benefit. We also like having priority for dinner reservations, just helps you get your first choice. A free drink coupon, free is always wonderful to me. This cruise also had a party for platinum and diamond cruisers, it was hosted by Dr. E., and the head of each department attended. It was so neat to hear how many days some of the passengers had sailed and enjoy free appetizers and drinks too. Our onboard gift was the Croc Visor. I do not know how to describe it, but so far I haven’t found an outfit to wear it with. My favorite perk of all, laundry! What a luxury!

[herdfans4]

Great review. Thanks for all the great info.

 

A few questions:

How many laps on the track is 1 mile? Is it enclosed from wind or windy? We love the track on oasis because it is shielded from wind and only a few laps=1 mile

 

Do the treadmills look out to water?

Is the gym very crowded? Free weight area crowded?

 

Is carnival quest show like Royal Caribbean? E.g. A scavenger hunt with crowd participation doing funny things.

 

Thanks

 

 

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[tarabonnie]

You are so welcome.

The track is marked 7 laps for 1 mile. The track can be windy, of course this makes one side easier than the other. I never felt it too difficult even against the wind. The treadmills do look over the water out the front of the ship. I did not find the gym crowded, but I didn't go the first sea day. In my experience that is usually the only day most people go to the gym. The free weight area was also not crowded. I haven't been to the Quest on RC, but I heard it was the same. It was hilariously inappropriate.

[herdfans4]

Thanks for responding so quick.

 

Yes hilariously inappropriate would be an apt description

 

 

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[baileydanae]

Thanks for the review!

 

Can you talk about the ports too? Which ones did you go to, what were they like, and what did you do there?

[tarabonnie]

Shore Excursions:

We booked two excursions through Carnival for this cruise. In St. Thomas we went on the Turtle Cove Sail and Snorkel with Open Bar Excursion. It was fantastic! We met on the pier and walked a short distance to our catamaran. We were greeted by Captain Jolene and her crew and they were ready to give us a fantastic time. They were very thorough with the safety information. The snorkeling equipment was very new and they went over in detail about how to adjust everything. They took us near Buck Island for the snorkeling. The crew divided us in the water and we enjoyed seeing several turtles, a variety of small fish, a barracuda and some sea urchins. My favorite was an octopus that did a really good job of camouflaging himself. There was plenty of time to snorkel around and enjoy the beautiful water and sunny day. When we came back to the boat the crew was very careful to make sure we were all back on board before they lifted the sail and started pouring rum punch and beer. We all enjoyed the leisurely trip back to St. Thomas.

While in Grand Turk we opted to go on a snorkeling trip we had actually done before and enjoyed. It was called the Ultimate Snorkeling Adventure. I guess we had such a wonderful time in St. Thomas, the bar was pretty high for this excursion. It didn’t start well, we were directed to wait near the Ron Jon Store near the dock area and I felt like we were there for quite some time. We then walked to a nearby dock as a group and boarded a boat to take us to 2 stops for our snorkeling excursion. The equipment provided was well worn and not really adequate considering the cost of the excursion. My husband had to exchange the googles he was given because they leaked, unfortunately the second pair leaked as well. I had flippers that were stretched so that I got a blister while using them. I felt like the crew was barking orders the entire time and hurrying us in and out of the water. That being said, we did enjoy the beautiful sites from the boat and underwater. There are plenty of gorgeous fish and coral near Grand Turk and I would definitely recommend doing something in the water, just not this excursion.

[tarabonnie]

Ports:

We enjoyed the variety of stops on this cruise. First stop Amber Cove, we got off the ship early and ran in the area Carnival had developed near the port. We ran 3 laps around the pool and parking areas and were able to log 3 miles. The pool was beautiful and there was a restaurant there with shops nearby. I had booked a spa appointment for that afternoon so we went back to the ship and enjoyed an empty ship the rest of the afternoon.

St. Thomas is a beautiful island. We walked around the shops near the port before our excursion.

In San Juan we opted do our own walking tour. We went to the two forts that were nearby, it was a $5 admission for both. They provided a lot of history of the island in the materials posted. We saw some impressive views of the island and nearby water from the forts. Next stop, Barrachina Restaurant the home of the original Pina Colada. They were very good and the courtyard bar area was beautiful and relaxing. They also made excellent coconut calamari. The bartender was entertaining and it was a lively group including a couple we met from MSC Divina. Just a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

Our final stop Grand Turk is really a Caribbean paradise. Again I recommend doing something in the water. We took a walk down the beach, bypassing the crowd at Margaretville and ate at Jacks Shack. I had read about this place on the CC boards and we were not disappointed. That being said it is a beach bar where you eat with plastic wear and on a picnic table, not fine dining but the food was good and the drinks were strong.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Clarea]

Appreciate the feedback,

[cruizinisthebest]

Entertainment:

This was by far the best of any cruise we have been on and it started at the top with the best cruise director we have ever sailed with, the Reverend Dr. E. He brings so much energy to the ship it is contagious. The stage shows were amazing: Grooveline (70s and 80s music) ; the Magic of Mark Miller (the manager of the comedy club is very talented); Destination Unknown is a combination of illusion, music and dance; Win another music and dance show; and the Carnival Legends talent show and Dr. E as Beyonce. We also went to the Love and Marriage show and Quest. We attended the comedy club a couple of times seeing both PG and adult comedy and they were both good. We never really connected at the piano bar, maybe it was a timing issue. Dr. E. had sing along shows in the main lobby several evenings that are a must attend.

 

We were on this cruise and I have to totally agree with you about Dr. E. I had heard alot about him, so I was anticipating sailing with him. He's fantastic! And a really nice guy to boot. So friendly towards everyone of all ages. Did you attend Quest? That was a blast! Yes the Legends show was great with Dr. E. as Beyonce. It took a bit of looking to figure out it was him at first. lol.

 

Thanks for the feedback on the spa area. We never got a chance to use the spa. Maybe next time.

[easyboy]

Thanks for the review.

[Margienj]

We were on this cruise and I have to totally agree with you about Dr. E. I had heard alot about him, so I was anticipating sailing with him. He's fantastic! And a really nice guy to boot. So friendly towards everyone of all ages. Did you attend Quest? That was a blast! Yes the Legends show was great with Dr. E. as Beyonce. It took a bit of looking to figure out it was him at first. lol.

 

Thanks for the feedback on the spa area. We never got a chance to use the spa. Maybe next time.

 

Is the Legends show new, meaning not the same characters that have been part of the show for the last 10 years or so. (Elvis, Aretha, James Brown, etc.)? I had heard that it was going to be updated a while ago but then never heard anything else. Just curious.

[tarabonnie]

They had Elvis and Aretha, but also Garth Brooks and Beyoncé. I guess it might depend on the guests that volunteer for the show. It was really good and the entertainers that worked with them made it very professional.

 

 

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[cruizinisthebest]

Is the Legends show new, meaning not the same characters that have been part of the show for the last 10 years or so. (Elvis, Aretha, James Brown, etc.)? I had heard that it was going to be updated a while ago but then never heard anything else. Just curious.

This was the first time I've seen it so I can't say that it's old or whatever. They also had just dance. They were good. I was impressed. Definitely worth seeing.

 

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[Mel 0101]

Our Room: We stayed in 11212, an interior spa cabin.

 

We are staying in the same room in January, can't wait!!

[Dork42775]

We are staying in the same room in January, can't wait!!

That's funny as we are also staying in the same room in late January. Please keep it clean.

:)

So not too much noise from above though? I sleep from like 4 am-8am on cruises but i don't see being bothered by noise either way. Also what is the normal cost? We got this room for $1503 total after taxes and fee's.

[Mel 0101]

Also what is the normal cost? We got this room for $1503 total after taxes and fee's.

 

We are at about the same - $1427 :)