Just off the magic sailing Aug 18-25

[travelqueen101]

Just off our sailing and although my group had a great time, Carnival has gone down tremendously in their service. Very crowded ship- on the 2 sea days very hard to find any seating around the pools- both Lidp and Tides. Lines galore everywhere. I know it was previously posted, but the food in the. Buffet area was terrible. We ate breakfast in the dining room. Only thing good was the The Blue Iguana - burritos, etc. The deli was horrible. The quality of the meat was awful. Will continue my review later and will answer any questions you have honestly.

[NYcruzzer]

Welcome home. Please take the time to express your thoughts and concerns directly to Carnival. Either via e-mail or online survey. Constructive feedback is the only way Carnival will know what areas need improvement.

[travelqueen101]

Welcome home. Please take the time to express your thoughts and concerns directly to Carnival. Either via e-mail or online survey. Constructive feedback is the only way Carnival will know what areas need improvement.

that is next on my list. Just wanted to give my thoughts to everyone who is sailing on future magic cruises. One positive feedback is getting on and off the ship. We did not purchase FTTP nor are we a priority boarding and we got to the terminal at 11am and checked in and was on the he ship by 11:30: quickest ever. Leaving this morning - did self assist - ship came in at 6:30am and we left our cabin at 6:50 and were off and cleared customs in 15 mins. Quickest ever. Not worth to spend the $$$ for the pass to get on first. Ask any questions you may have.

[Palmetto Pilot]

That's not good to hear. I'm leaving on the magic in two weeks. How was the air conditioning on the ship?

[PhillyFan33579]

I was on the Magic last month. My wife and I ate breakfast on the Lido deck every day of the cruise. We usually eat breakfast in the dining room, but for several reasons, including the food was pretty good at the buffet, that's where we ate. I am not going to exaggerate and say the food was great, but it was far from terrible.

[PhillyFan33579]

That's not good to hear. I'm leaving on the magic in two weeks. How was the air conditioning on the ship?

 

I was in a balcony on the 12th floor last month and the AC worked fine in our cabin. Of course I can't tell you how the AC was for every cabin on the ship.

[jmcancruise]

I am sorry your cruise did not live up to your expectations. I have always found finding seats by the pool impossible. The buffet food is just that buffet food, seldom great. We have been on the Magic before as well as the Dream and did find the Dream class more crowded than then Conquest class, but only marginally so. I am pleased to hear how well embarkation and debarkation went. We sail on the Magic a week from today and while we don't expect everything to be perfect, we do expect to have a wonderful time. I do sincerely hope your next cruise is more to your liking.

[sfs2001]

I am sorry your cruise did not live up to your expectations. I have always found finding seats by the pool impossible. The buffet food is just that buffet food, seldom great. We have been on the Magic before as well as the Dream and did find the Dream class more crowded than then Conquest class, but only marginally so. I am pleased to hear how well embarkation and debarkation went. We sail on the Magic a week from today and while we don't expect everything to be perfect, we do expect to have a wonderful time. I do sincerely hope your next cruise is more to your liking.

 

 

We are also on this sailing! Super excited to be back on the Magic. 1 week can’t come fast enough for our children, who ask everyday to see the countdown cruise calendar. We had a great time on the Magic in Feb and I expect it will be the same for this one. We are go with the flow people and try not to let small things ruin our time. Nothing in life is perfect, you are right, and our motto is, at least we are on vacation! Have a great cruise!

[travelqueen101]

That's not good to hear. I'm leaving on the magic in two weeks. How was the air conditioning on the ship?

the AC on the ship as a whole was fine but in our cabin not good. My friend had an interior room and it worked great. We were on the 9th deck. Do not do any internet package. We got credited for our package because after 3 days it still did not work. A lot of people had the same complaints; a lot; and were all credited.

[travelqueen101]

I am sorry your cruise did not live up to your expectations. I have always found finding seats by the pool impossible. The buffet food is just that buffet food, seldom great. We have been on the Magic before as well as the Dream and did find the Dream class more crowded than then Conquest class, but only marginally so. I am pleased to hear how well embarkation and debarkation went. We sail on the Magic a week from today and while we don't expect everything to be perfect, we do expect to have a wonderful time. I do sincerely hope your next cruise is more to your liking.

this was our 5th carnival cruise and 10th all totaled. I don’t want to put a damper on any ones future cruise just being honest about what we experienced. We did meet some super great people that made our cruise very enjoyable while other things had a damper to it. If you have any questions I will be more than happy to answer the them.

[WIFamily]

I wonder (almost hope) it was due to being close to the last cruise of the summer. We're booked for the Magic in early Dec 2019 on a Southern 8 night and I'm expecting it to be interesting. We previously sailed a Western in 2010 on the Dream, and it was lackluster. I blame the ports and just coming off a Disney cruise. Since then we've done two more Disney cruises and the Fascination in 2018. We had a BLAST on that Fascination cruise.

[travelqueen101]

I wonder (almost hope) it was due to being close to the last cruise of the summer. We're booked for the Magic in early Dec 2019 on a Southern 8 night and I'm expecting it to be interesting. We previously sailed a Western in 2010 on the Dream, and it was lackluster. I blame the ports and just coming off a Disney cruise. Since then we've done two more Disney cruises and the Fascination in 2018. We had a BLAST on that Fascination cruise.

it might have been the timing of the cruise not sure but with all the carnival cruises I have taken I guess I expected the same thing. Don’t get me wrong; you can still have a great cruise- it is what you make of it and don’t let the bad issues ruin your vacation. One thing I will say is that they had a trio of violinists that played in the lobby that was unbelievable. They played almost every night (from about 7:30 to 11:45 with small breaks n between) and you can sit and listen to them on decks 3 through 5. A few other people mentioned them also. They were great!!!!

[travelqueen101]

I am sorry your cruise did not live up to your expectations. I have always found finding seats by the pool impossible. The buffet food is just that buffet food, seldom great. We have been on the Magic before as well as the Dream and did find the Dream class more crowded than then Conquest class, but only marginally so. I am pleased to hear how well embarkation and debarkation went. We sail on the Magic a week from today and while we don't expect everything to be perfect, we do expect to have a wonderful time. I do sincerely hope your next cruise is more to your liking.

one thing I will say - don’t listen to previous posts about the ship rocking- it was smooth as glass the entire cruise. Very rarely did you feel the ship moving....

[travellerin1984]

I have a question. If you like healthy food (salads, vegetables, fresh fruit...) are there any good options? I hope so, we are cruising in December...

[Noobie_cruiser]

I was on the same sailing, Aug 18-25. This was our 2nd cruise so im no expert but my family had a great time!

 

Food that we enjoyed were the blue iguana, indian food near the tides, pig and anchor, and the omelette bar in the lido during breakfast. We also enjoyed the lobster night in the mdr. They have vegetarian options so you don’t have to worry.

 

As for the A/C, before our cruise we were reading a lot of FB posts that the Magic has an A/C problem so when we met our room steward the first day, we asked for an electric fan from him. Our room is in deck 9 forward. If you walk in the hallway of deck 9 in mid and aft, you will feel that its warm. Our room was ok, but we had to turn on the fan every night when we go to sleep.

 

Now for the entertainment, this was the highlight of our cruise. AlexJay our cruise director did a wonderful job. It was his first stint as CD but he still pulled it off. I think Cookie is in a CD conference that’s why AlexJay filled in for him. The performers in the showtime theater did amazing as well. Dj Dawkness, Landry the comedian, the Fun Squad, and the band in Spotlight Lounge were all awesome.

 

Lastly, I just want to mention Ms. Moana from Camp Ocean was fantastic. Our kids love her. You know that your kids are well taken care of if they mention and talk about what they did with her everytime we picked them up from camp.

[Palmetto Pilot]

Lastly, I just want to mention Ms. Moana from Camp Ocean was fantastic. Our kids love her. You know that your kids are well taken care of if they mention and talk about what they did with her everytime we picked them up from camp.

How old are your kids? We will have a 3.5 year old going to camp ocean for the first time.

[Bernardo62]

WOW.... Even Thurston Howell III complained.

Everyone expectations are different.... What's good for you may not be good for others!!

[Uhfolks]

I am sorry your cruise did not live up to your expectations. I have always found finding seats by the pool impossible. The buffet food is just that buffet food, seldom great. We have been on the Magic before as well as the Dream and did find the Dream class more crowded than then Conquest class, but only marginally so. I am pleased to hear how well embarkation and debarkation went. We sail on the Magic a week from today and while we don't expect everything to be perfect, we do expect to have a wonderful time. I do sincerely hope your next cruise is more to your liking.

 

Yeah, seating by the pool is highly contested, I've always avoided it all-together. I much prefer the quieter decks away from the crowd. As far as food goes, if you book a budget cruise line & expect 5 star dining for every meal, it's not going to live up to your expectations. As long as it's edible, that's all I really expect out of a buffet.

[travelqueen101]

Yeah, seating by the pool is highly contested, I've always avoided it all-together. I much prefer the quieter decks away from the crowd. As far as food goes, if you book a budget cruise line & expect 5 star dining for every meal, it's not going to live up to your expectations. As long as it's edible, that's all I really expect out of a buffet.

in answer to you and others regarding the buffet, salad items were ok - I didn't expect 5 star dining but at least some quality food to enjoy which it was not. I made due with the other options - MDR, Blue Iguana - that was great (long lines), Guys Burgers (lines super, super long) and the pizza - that was really good but again looooooong lines!!. port days are great as there were no lines.

[Uhfolks]

in answer to you and others regarding the buffet, salad items were ok - I didn't expect 5 star dining but at least some quality food to enjoy which it was not. I made due with the other options - MDR, Blue Iguana - that was great (long lines), Guys Burgers (lines super, super long) and the pizza - that was really good but again looooooong lines!!. port days are great as there were no lines.

 

Did you ever get the chance to try out Mongolian Wok or Tandoor? Those are the two spots I've heard the most good things about. If everything else is terrible, I'm totally fine eating pizza all week too :')

[quickrate]

I have a question. If you like healthy food (salads, vegetables, fresh fruit...) are there any good options? I hope so, we are cruising in December...

There will be a salad bar with lots of options as well as fresh fruit available at lunch. Fresh fruit is also available at breakfast. My lunch is usually the salad Bar or a chicken taco from blue Iguana.

Pat

[shipbound2]

I will be on the Magic this October 28, it is a Halloween cruise, so hopefully the little darlings will be in school where they

belong and the boat will not be as crowded.

 

Gary

[travelqueen101]

I will be on the Magic this October 28, it is a Halloween cruise, so hopefully the little darlings will be in school where they

belong and the boat will not be as crowded.

 

Gary

that's probably the best time to travel. I have never traveled at the mid to end of August and will not choose that time again - there were a ton of kids - unfortunately s ton of which were very unruly and running amok of the ship at all times (ages tween to mid teens) - not sure where the parents were - they were also using the hot tubs as a party central (and at times eating in the tub), morning, noon and night and no one from the ship did anything. I should haven taken pictures and sent it to Carnival but I did not. this was mentioned in the survey when we got home. I won't even go into what I experienced walking back to my cabin after midnight one night - I mentioned it to the cabin steward the next morning. again, cruising is wonderful and I am already planning my next cruise.

[seaoats228]

the AC on the ship as a whole was fine but in our cabin not good. My friend had an interior room and it worked great. We were on the 9th deck. Do not do any internet package. We got credited for our package because after 3 days it still did not work. A lot of people had the same complaints; a lot; and were all credited.

 

I am insterested in being able to text my husband using Facebook messenger it worked on the Fascination and Miracle earlier this year for me. However the internet was slow and posting any pictures was really early in the morning. Were you able to text?

[JaniceB]

Sorry to hear the deli wasn't very good, my husband does enjoy a lunch sandwich from the deli on most cruises.